With Erin OToole, Alberta may have its man in Ottawa. The newly minted leader of the Conservative Party put Western alienation at the forefront of his campaign, even making it the first issue he raised during a phone call with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau after winning the race this week. Its a high priority for OToole, even amid a global pandemic and a shaky minority government situation on Parliament Hill. But now the question hangs over him of how he moves from talking about Western issues Alberta being the heartland of conservatism and home to much of the partys base to strong advocacy and action. Albertas resource-based economy has been torpedoed by the COVID-19 pandemic and free-falling oil prices, leaving a wave of separatist angst to wash over the province. People openly opine about Alberta leaving Canada and separatist-minded political parties, both provincial and federal, have begun to mobilize in the West. Arundeep Singh Sandhu, a regional organizer for OTooles campaign in Alberta, knew when the Durham MP came to the province earlier this year that he had to bring him to hot spots for Western alienation and separatist support. We had a rally in Nisku (before the pandemic) where a fellow veteran of nearly three decades said that he wasnt sure if Alberta had a place in Confederation anymore, said Sandhu. Western alienation featured in many stump speeches the former Air Force officer gave across the country thereafter, he said. Erin is one of the last and best hopes we have for keeping this country together for another generation. Listen to The Star's Alex Boutilier discuss Erin O'Toole's win Alberta Premier Jason Kenney has demanded a fair deal from Ottawa, including less restriction on oil tanker traffic off the B.C. coast, easier regulatory approvals for pipeline projects and a reworking of the equalization formula. Kenney, who endorsed OToole during the race, faces a growing separatist movement in Alberta but is adamant that the provinces place should be in Canada. On Tuesday, Kenney praised him as a long-time leader on issues like pipelines, oil and gas, and the economy. During speeches, OToole has made sure to highlight the time he spent inspecting TransCanada pipelines before going to college. OTooles platform now boasts a section dealing specifically with Alberta and the West. In it, he lays out plans for reworking equalization payments a complex formula for transferring federal money to provinces scrapping laws around tanker traffic and energy projects, and passing a bill that would make it easier to build pipelines. Theyre planning a throne speech and an economic rebuilding plan, OToole said Tuesday of the Liberal government. If they continue to leave out the ability for our resource sector to get Canadian resources to market, were going to see more Western alienation. But when it comes to a general election, itll be a balancing act for OToole, said Lisa Young, a political science professor at the University of Calgary. OToole will need to find a way to talk about Western alienation to show the Conservative Partys base that hes representing it, Young said, without alienating potential supporters in Ontario, where the party fell short in the last election. As he approaches an election, he needs to think about the issues that matter to those voters particularly in Ontario, she said. Do they care about Western alienation? Not so much. But you can usually appeal to somebody in Ontario by saying, Hey, we believe in keeping the country together, the Westerners are upset, theyre alienated. Lets give them a hug. There are also more immediate concerns. OToole finds himself leading the Official Opposition to a minority government; an election could be called as early as the fall, leaving little time for him to mobilize. He will also have to decide what, if anything, to do to maintain the support of social conservatives, who were instrumental in his leadership victory. Many observers believe his predecessor, Andrew Scheer, alienated crucial constituencies during the last federal election that by flirting with that wing of the party. However, the power of social conservatives, particularly in the West, was on clear display in the leadership race, where underdog and relative newcomer Leslyn Lewis placed surprisingly well, easily winning in Saskatchewan and finishing a close second to OToole in Alberta. Lewis supports limits on coerced and sex-selective abortions, and opposes the federally proposed conversion therapy ban put. She was backed in the race by anti-abortion advocacy groups like RightNow. Sandhu said it was no surprise to Conservatives that Lewis did so well given her interesting message that challenged some of the assumptions media, especially Toronto-centred media, have about Western Canadians. OToole, meanwhile, has explicitly stated that hes pro-choice on abortion and that he stands up for LGBTQ rights, but Sandhu noted that he is also interested in party unity and maintaining a diversity of opinions within the party. For some people, that means he himself is an out and out social conservative, in a stereotypical sense. Read more about: Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Philip Blenkinsop (Reuters) Brussels, Belgium Thu, August 27, 2020 08:45 511 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c40c4359 2 World Belgium,coronavirus,COVID-19,COVID-19-death-toll,data,pandemic,SARS-CoV-2,virus-corona Free Belgium revised down on Wednesday the country's COVID-19 death toll, just as it was about to pass the milestone of 10,000 fatalities. Health authorities have reviewed figures from care homes in the northern region of Flanders and found some COVID-19 deaths not reported as such, some recorded twice and some not caused by the new coronavirus. The net effect is a reduction of 121. The revision brought the total fatalities to 9,878 by Wednesday. Otherwise, it would have been 9,999. Britain also lowered its death toll from the disease by more than 5,000 two weeks ago after the government adopted a new method of counting fatalities. Belgium's COVID-19 deaths per capita are among the highest in the world and it reports a higher proportion of fatalities in care homes than other countries, including when the disease is suspected but not confirmed. Belgian COVID-19 task-force spokesman and virologist Steven Van Gucht told Reuters TV that Belgium, home of EU and NATO headquarters, had been hit hard. "But if you compare Belgium with for example the United Kingdom or Spain you see they were actually hit even worse," he said, adding this was reflected in 'excess' mortality rates. The number of new cases in Belgium has risen steadily from a low of around 80 per day in early July to an average of 490 for the week Aug 16-22, although numbers had been falling for 10 days. Van Gucht said about a fifth of new infections appeared to have been caught on summer holidays. A new challenge would come from re-opening schools and a public tiring of measures among the strictest in Europe. "This is a matter of prevention... This is really to avoid a problem that will only come in a few weeks or a few months," he said. The Ministry of Roads and Highways has terminated the road contract awarded to Messrs Engineers and Planners owned by Ibrabim Mahama. A letter sighted by DGN Online and signed by the AG. Chief Director of Ghana Highways y Authority, Edmund Offei-Annor read the contractors , Messrs Engineers and Planners from all indications have failed to perform under the above contract. The letter further stated that the ministry hereby directs the Ghana Highway Authority to take the necessary steps pursuant to Clause 58.2 to terminate the contract. The Savannah Regional Highways Director has been asked to inform the contractor accordingly and repackage the outstanding works for consideration of re-award. The 57 kilometer road was awarded to Messrs Engineers and Planners in 2016 by the John Mahama led administration. The deplorable state of the Tamale-Salaga-Makango road has been a major challenge for the good people of Salaga and it's surrounds. Some youth of Salaga this year demonstrated to register their displeasure over the delay in the execution of the road construction awarded to Messrs Engineers and Planners. citinewsroom Tuolumne County Public Health View Photo Sonora, CA Tuolumne County Public Health officials report ten new cases today noting the majority are inmates from the Sierra Conservation Center. They also say recent positive coronavirus cases are associated with workplaces and high-risk facilities. Two weeks ago there were 30 fewer positive cases as detailed here. Public Health wants to remind business owners and operators of the importance of employee screening, click here for the Febrile Respiratory Illness (FRI) screening order, the form and instructions are here. Updated documents for specific business sectors be found here. Any business is welcome to participate in the bi-weekly COVID business webinars. There is one tonight at 6:00 PM, contact Cole Przybyla at County Innovation and Business Assistance at 533-6598 for details, or reach-out to Public Health for technical assistance or questions at 533-7440 or email Health@tuolumnecounty.ca.gov All the new cases are in isolation, one previously isolated cases has recovered. The Roadmap to Recovery Metric is now at 36.6 per 100,000 population and needs to stay below 100 per 100,000 or not go above that for three consecutive days to remain off the States monitoring list. Known Tuolumne tests: 9,588, positive 189 (91 females and 98 males), hospitalized 1, active cases 20, total recovered 167. Daily COVID-19 Cases County Active Date New Today Hospital/ ICU Alpine 0 8/20 0 0 Amador 15 8/25 2 3 Calaveras 35 8/25 26 5 Mariposa 2 8/26 1 1 Madera 577 8/26 42 13 Merced 1,588 8/25 262 78 Mono 2 8/26 0 0 San Joaquin 1,591 8/26 70 131/39 Stanislaus 505 8/25 201 159/37 Tuolumne 20 8/26 11 1 Totals (Cumulative) COVID-19 Cases County Recovered (increase) Total Positives Deaths Alpine 2 (+0) 2 0 Amador 197(+3) 226 14 Calaveras 186(+18) 223 2 Mariposa 66 (+1) 70 2 Madera 2,921(+141) 3,551 53 Merced 5,992(+362) 7,690 110 Mono 158(+0) 162 2 San Joaquin 14,727 (+194) 16,615 297 Stanislaus 12,464 (+506) 13,483 232 Tuolumne 167(+1) 189 2 If you are having COVID-like symptoms, self-isolate and contact your healthcare provider or the Adventist Health Triage Line at 209-536-5166 Mon-Fri, or 209-536-5000 after hours. If you need immediate medical attention, please call ahead and go to Rapid Care or the Emergency Department. You can also visit www.valleycovidhelp.com for more information. The no-cost state testing site is open at the Calaveras County Fairgrounds Tuesday Saturday 7am to 7pm. Appointments can be scheduled ahead of time at: https://lhi.care/covidtesting Appointments are recommended. The site now offers testing for children ages 3 and older (accompanied by a parent or guardian). Tuolumne County Public Health encourages anyone concerned about possible exposure to go get tested stating; Local COVID-19 testing sites have been processing and reporting their results more expediently lately. It is important that people continue to follow prevention guidelines to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, including: Practice physical distancing at all times. Keep 6 feet space between yourself and others who are not part of your household. Stay in your household bubble! Wear a face covering in public. Wash your hands thoroughly and frequently. Avoid gatherings of any size with people who are not part of your household. Stay home if you are sick. Avoid unnecessary travel, and limit your outings to essential tasks. LINKS TO MORE INFORMATION & RESOURCES Community Resources Portal: https://bit.ly/TCcovidPortal Tuolumne County Public Health Website: www.tuolumnecounty.ca.gov/publichealth Public Health COVID-19 Call Center: (209) 533-7440 California COVID-19 website: www.covid19.ca.gov State Testing Site info and Appointments: https://lhi.care/covidtesting Tuolumne County Business: www.tcdisasterassistance.com CDC COVID-19 website: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html Thank you for your support and efforts to protect the safety and health of our community Boeing said on Thursday it is testing a prototype of an ultraviolet (UV) wand that could neutralise coronavirus and other pathogens in an aircraft's cockpit, cabin and lavatories. In a statement, the US-based aircraft manufacturer said: "Testing is ongoing to fully validate its effectiveness and safety (for operators and materials). UV light has been shown to be effective at neutralising pathogens. Testing against the COVID-19 virus is ongoing." The interior surfaces of an aircraft can be scanned with UV light from inches away and the areas and surfaces where the light falls get disinfected, it said Boeing said its proposed concept in development, is a mobile, hand-held UV disinfecting wand that can access compact spaces. "A single operator can treat a flight deck in less than 15 minutes with a UV wand," it stated. In India, major airlines like SpiceJet, Air India and Vistara are using Boeing's planes in their fleets. The UV wand is undergoing testing by airline partners, including Etihad airways, Boeing said. "Etihad has been an early adopter of testing this technology and partnered with Boeing in April, providing valuable feedback for the second-generation prototype which is now being tested on Etihad's 787 Dreamliner ecoDemonstrator," it said. "Boeing developed the UV wand prototype that demonstrates an ability to successfully disinfect flight decks (cockpits), lavatories and cabins," the company said. More than 33 lakh people have been infected and about 60,000 people have died due to COVID-19 in India till date. Also Read: GST Council Meeting Live Updates: 'GST collection severely impacted due to COVID,' says FinMin Also Read: Shaktikanta Das hints RBI may announce further rate cuts, measures to tackle COVID-19 Jeff Chiu/Associated Press It's not news that most restaurants aren't doing well right now, but so far, it's been difficult to quantify their struggle. San Franciscos Chamber of Commerce, however, says they've found a way to check up on how the city's food businesses are doing and the numbers are pretty harrowing. Jay Cheng, a spokesperson for the chamber of commerce, told Eater that they've been working with credit card companies to pull data on sales from San Francisco businesses. According to the data they've found, S.F. restaurant sales are down 84 percent year-over-year, comparing July 2019 to July 2020. Since the beginning of the pandemic in March, San Francisco restaurant sales have dropped by 91 percent. SALT LAKE CITY, SEATTLE, and PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Qualtrics, the leader in customer experience and creator of the experience management category, today announced a collaboration with Character Lab , a nonprofit organization founded by Angela Duckworth that advances scientific insights to help kids thrive, to launch the Return to Learn Pulse. The pulse includes a well-being component that assesses how students, faculty, and staff are handling the new normal and what actions can be taken to improve safety, health, and ability to thrive. By combining their expertise in education research, academic technology, and student well-being Qualtrics and Character Lab developed a standardized, easily deployable method for schools to better understand, support, and act on behalf of students and staff in this new academic year. Designed to be distributed weekly, the Return to Learn Pulse allows schools to frequently check in with students and staff that includes a set of well-being topics such as sense of belonging, sleep habits, and physical safety. Schools can act on the feedback by assigning resources to support students where they are most needed. Character Lab developed the instrument with input directly from students and educators to ensure that the content is aligned with school needs and to encourage student participation. "As schools have completely reimagined how they engage with students as a result of the COVID pandemic, it's more important than ever that they understand how students and staff are coping in their environments," said Character Lab Executive Director Sean Talamas. "The Return to Learn Pulse will help direct schools' limited resources exactly where they need to go so that they can holistically support their school communities across a variety of well-being topics." The well-being component of the Return to Learn Pulse contains questions related to students' recent emotions, challenges, physical activity, and habits. Schools are then empowered with feedback about how each individual, student, or staff member, is doing during remote learning or in-person instruction. Results can be shared instantaneously in easily accessible dashboards so that teachers, administrators, social workers, or other staff can act quickly on the most urgent needs that the feedback surfaces. This also allows schools to understand how sentiment changes over time to identify trends and apply best practices from Character Lab's Playbooks and Tips . "Character Lab has been at the forefront of leveraging science and research to help students thrive in their education, which is why they were the perfect partners to work with Qualtrics on developing this well-being solution," said Omar Garriott, Global Industry Leader for Education at Qualtrics. "The Return to Learn Pulse creates a feedback loop between educators and students that creates a habit of continuous listening and improvement, which are extremely critical during the most pivotal school year in recent history." The Return to Learn Pulse is built on the Qualtrics XM Platform, which maintains the highest security certifications including ISO 27001 and FedRAMP. Qualtrics is also HITRUST certified, which means its technology platform provides customers the tools they need to manage HIPAA compliance. Learn more about the Qualtrics Return to Learn Pulse at www.qualtrics.com/back-to-school/ . About Character Lab Character Lab is a nonprofit organization that connects researchers with educators to create greater knowledge about the conditions that lead to social, emotional, academic, and physical well-being for young people throughout the country. Character Lab was founded in 2013 by a scientist and two educators: Angela Duckworth, author of Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance and Rosa Lee and Egbert Chang Professor at the University of Pennsylvania; Dave Levin, co-founder of KIPP public charter schools; and Dominic Randolph, Head of School at Riverdale Country School. Learn more at characterlab.org . About Qualtrics Qualtrics, the leader in customer experience and creator of the Experience Management (XM) category, is changing the way organizations manage and improve the four core experiences of businesscustomer, employee, product, and brand. Over 11,000 organizations around the world are using Qualtrics to listen, understand, and take action on experience data (X-data)the beliefs, emotions, and intentions that tell you why things are happening, and what to do about it. The Qualtrics XM Platform is a system of action that helps businesses attract customers who stay longer and buy more, engage employees who build a positive culture, develop breakthrough products people love, and build a brand people are passionate about. Learn more at qualtrics.com . Contact: [email protected] SOURCE Qualtrics Related Links http://www.qualtrics.com Ancient redwood trees have adapted to survive forest fires, but how will they hold up to climate change? Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly conflated Coastal Redwood trees and Giant Sequoias, which although closely related are different species. You would think that nothing could survive the devastation wrought by the all-engulfing infernos in California this month. But something has. While it will mean little to those who have tragically lost their homes, or to the tens of thousands of fire evacuees, an inspiring story of natures resilience can perhaps provide solace in times ahead. It was feared by many that Californias ancient redwood forests were in grave danger. These thousand-year-old trees tower 100 metres (about 330 feet) and more. They are among the tallest living things on Earth. They are also among the hardiest. Their Latin name is Sequoia Sempervirens, which means ever-living Sequoia. Some began their lives more than 2,000 years ago, at a time when Tiberius was emperor of Rome. Their close relative is the Giant Sequoia one alive today is estimated to be 3,200 years old. Both species have seen wildfires come and go. These trees are built to burn. And so far, they have withstood their latest test. Survival and recovery Redwoods have evolved to not only survive forest fires but to thrive on them. The heat opens up seed cones, and as the flames clear the forest floor of deadwood and brush, it deposits nutrient-rich ash for the seedlings to flourish in. The trees themselves have extra-thick bark to protect them from fire and even though they are blackened and burned, the redwoods caught in recent blazes are nearly all alive. The Bay Area News Group reported that researchers found 88 percent of Coastal Redwoods had recovered from previous fires in 2008 and 2009. Some of those trees looked like little charcoal sticks, said Rachel Lazzeri-Aerts from San Jose State University. Within a year they sprouted new growth, new needles. The report also described how a photographer showed research forester Mark Finney photographs of the recently devastated Big Basin Redwoods State Park. None of this looks that bad to me, Finney said in response. Theres a lot of scorch in there, but most of these trees are fine. You can see brown foliage on these trees. It doesnt mean the tree is dead at all. It means the foliage is dead, but the buds underneath the branches and main stem are still alive, and they will probably sprout right back. Most of these trees will do just fine. Which is extraordinary, given the intensity of the latest fires. A fire burns in a redwood forest in California [File: Reuters] The doubters This remarkable story of nature allows some to say that wildfires today are nothing to do with climate change. But the reality is that a warming world is making a natural phenomenon worse. Climate change will increase the risk and extent of future fires, conservation biologist Reed Noss told the Bay Area News Group. These trees are very resilient They can bounce back. But the resilience is being pushed to the limit with this new climate. As renowned climate scientist Michael Mann told American broadcaster PBS: Climate change is making these events more extreme You warm the planet, youre going to get more frequent and intense heatwaves. You warm the soils, you dry them out, you get worse drought. You bring all that together, and those are all the ingredients for unprecedented wildfires. The severe weather in California this month is linked to a heat dome over the American southwest, according to Yale Climate Connections. The high-pressure dome pulled moisture from the Pacific Ocean, fuelling the rare summer storms that triggered 11,000 lightning strikes. The hot air inside the dome evaporated the moisture before it could fall as rain. But the lightning still came, sparking more than 300 wildfires. In the forests that burned, the redwoods are pretty much all that is left standing. This time, at least. Your environment round-up 1. Ice loss: A high-pressure system over Greenland last summer contributed to the countrys record-breaking loss of ice in 2019, researchers have confirmed and the worst may be yet to come. 2. Earthworms in the Arctic: Carried northward by humans, scientists worry that earthworms are becoming an invasive species in the Arctic, capable of altering soil and promoting plant growth in traditionally non-fertile regions. 3. Green hydrogen: European countries have thrown their weight behind green hydrogen, a fuel and key industrial material made using renewable energy. The cost is set to drop 64 percent by 2040, which would make it competitive with fossil fuels. 4. Charged up: California is now home to the worlds largest battery storage system, upping the states capacity to store solar power amid a sweltering heatwave and recent blackouts. The final word Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-28 00:46:41|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ADDIS ABABA, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese embassy to Ethiopia disclosed on Thursday it has handed over the third batch of COVID-19 medical supplies to the east African country. In a press statement, the Chinese embassy to Ethiopia, said the COVID-19 medical supplies consist of 500,000 surgical masks, 65,000 protective face masks and 100,000 pieces of medical protective clothing. The medical supplies donation also consisted of thousands of surgical gloves, goggles and shoe covers. "With a view to helping Ethiopia contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, following the first and second batches of donation in March and April this year respectively, the Chinese government has donated the third batch of medical materials to Ethiopia," it said. "Since the first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in Ethiopia around mid-March, the Chinese government, as well as Chinese business community, have been continuously providing both technical and material assistance, in an effort to boost Ethiopia's capacity to handle the outbreak," said the statement. The Chinese embassy to Ethiopia also said a Chinese medical team spent 15 days in Ethiopia in April as part of COVID-19 medical cooperation. "In April, a Chinese medical expert task force spent 15 days in Ethiopia, visiting quarantine and treatment facilities, sharing first-hand experience with their Ethiopian counterparts and offering recommendations on Ethiopia's response the pandemic," it said. "The Chinese medical expert taskforce' devotion and professionalism won wide acclaim from Ethiopian government officials and general public alike," it said. In April, Ethiopia received a 12 members strong Chinese anti-pandemic medical expert team specializing in various public health sectors. The Chinese anti-pandemic medical expert team included medical experts specializing in various public health sectors including general surgery, epidemiology, respiratory, infectious diseases, critical care, clinical laboratory and integration of traditional Chinese and Western medicine. As COVID-19 cases continue to surge across Ethiopia, the Chinese anti-pandemic medical experts dispatched by the Chinese government greatly helped Ethiopia in confronting the pandemic. With Ethiopia battling the spread of COVID-19, which has claimed more than 700 lives and infected more than 45,000 people in the country, the services of Chinese medical volunteers have been sought after by the Ethiopian government. Separately, Ethiopia is hosting the 16-member 21st batch of Chinese medical team in Ethiopia, which is now in the East African country for about one-and-a-half-year period. The medical team consist of 16 medical specialists including those with neurology, neurosurgery, cardiology and dentistry specialty. Enditem GIS - 27 August 2020: The Prime Minister, Mr Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, met representatives of the Council of Religions, yesterday, at the New Treasury Building, in Port Louis. Discussions focused on protecting and maintaining the values of national unity, solidarity and harmony as well as working together to surmount all challenges . In a statement following the meeting, the Prime Minister pointed out that social harmony and peace form part of the shared and common identity of Mauritians. Therefore, the bonds of national unity should not be undermined in any way as it might harm our democracy, he emphasised. For Mr Jugnauth, Mauritius is facing an unprecedented sanitary situation and environmental tragedy triggered by the Covid-19 health crisis and the oil spill caused by the bulk carrier MV Wakashio. He thus appealed to all stakeholders from all spheres of the society to contribute in every way possible to uphold the reputation of Mauritius on the global front as a safe and preferred destination. According to him, key sectors of major economies worldwide are enduring difficulties due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In Mauritius, tourism is one of those sectors seriously hit, particularly with the closing of frontiers, he added. However, he reassured that the Government along with partners are working together to curb the negative impacts on the tourism sector. For his part, the president of the Council of Religions, Mr Philippe Goupille, highlighted that in addition to being part of one of the most famous destinations people dream of travelling to, Mauritius is also a perfect example of a country where there exists a deeply rooted sense of social harmony. He reiterated t he commitment of members of the Council of Religions in contributing to the strengthening of the social development and stability of Mauritius. Furthermore, Mr Goupille emphasised that the ability to accept plurality is key to the socio-economic progress of any country. He thus underscored the need to safeguard the peaceful co-existence of different religions, cultures and opinions. Watch Rep. Lee Zeldin's (R-Shirley) speech from the 2020 Republican National Convention above. The transcript below was as prepared for delivery: Im Congressman Lee Zeldin, coming to you tonight from the VFW hall in Westhampton Beach, New York. Tonight were celebrating America as a Land of Heroes. Ive seen my fair share -- from the heroes policing the streets of Suffolk County, to those patrolling war-torn provinces of Iraq. This is personal. I grew up in a law enforcement household and, today, I serve as a Lt. Colonel in the Army Reserve. On active duty, I deployed to Iraq as an 82nd Airborne paratrooper. My generation of post-9/11 service members has huge shoes to fill following in the footsteps of veterans like those of our nations greatest generation who once put humanity on their shoulders and saved the world. Its been said, our nation at times asks ordinary men to do extraordinary things. Americans always rise to the challenge. All over our country there are everyday heroes who serve and sacrifice for the greater good. Farmers, truckers, craftsmen -- the heroes who keep our country running. The ones who our President, Donald Trump, fights for with his policies and actions. This year, weve especially relied on one particular group of everyday heroes. Our frontline medical workers. My twin daughters, Mikayla and Arianna, were born over fourteen weeks early. They weighed just a pound and a half. At 2 weeks old, Mikayla went into septic shock, had a stroke and underwent brain surgery leaving a third of the left side of her brain as a hole. Her doctors didnt believe Mikayla would survive, fearing dire, permanent consequences even if she did. Through the miracles of modern medicine, the power of prayer, and her will to live, my daughters are now starting high school and doing great, with no long term consequences from those first few months in the NICU. Needless to say, doctors and nurses hold a special place in my heart. They saved my baby girls. Story continues So when my hometown Suffolk County Executive told me late one Saturday night in April that the countys stockpile of PPE was depleted because of COVID-19, I immediately thought of our doctors and nurses. Jared Kushner was on the phone with me right away and late into that night, wanting to help however possible. The very next day, President Trump announced he was immediately sending 200,000 n-95 masks to Suffolk. It actually ended up being almost 400,000. That number quickly grew to a staggering 1.2 million items of PPE in just one month, including masks, gowns, and more. The president sent thousands of ventilators to New York. He deployed the USS Comfort and converted the Javits Center to ensure our hospitals would never be overwhelmed. The administration delivered public, private, and semi-automated lab testing approvals at blinding speed. The presidents phenomenal effort delivered for our frontline workers. In the midst of a once-in-a-century pandemic -- an unforeseeable crisis sent to us from a faraway land -- the President delivered for our everyday heroes. We werent Republicans or Democrats. We were Americans first, working together to get through this as one nation, with the Trump administration eager to do everything in its power to assist us however possible. For our nation to be even stronger, more prosperous, safer, freer and more secure than ever before, to make our country greater than ever, we must re-elect President Trump. We are the land of the free, because of the brave, and we are the land of opportunity right now, because we have a president who wants to empower the best of who we are, to be the best of what we can be. Theres never been a nation greater than ours, never a people more resilient than ours, and never a future for America more promising than ours, right now. Lets do our part and Keep America Great. This article originally appeared on the Shirley-Mastic Patch Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 27) The deadly twin blasts that rocked Jolo, Sulu earlier this week could have been prevented if not for Junes shooting incident in the same town that left four military intelligence officers dead, the Armed Forces of the Philippines said Thursday. The Army earlier revealed that the four slain soldiers were on an official mission to hunt down targets the same alleged suicide bombers in the recent attacks when they were gunned down by Jolo policemen two months ago. Speaking to CNN Philippines, AFP chief Lt. Gen. Gilbert Gapay expressed regret over this unfortunate shooting incident, saying the group was already on track in their hunt for the suspects. We were so close to capturing them (suicide bombers). They were about to pinpoint the exact location when this unfortunate shooting incident happened. Sayang talaga (its unfortunate), Gapay said in an interview with The Source. I even said that we could have prevented another Jolo cathedral bombing, or eto na nga, yung nangyari na nga dito sa Jolo again (or this incident in Jolo again), he added. Gapay also noted that the shooting incident caused disruption in their personnels intelligence operations and coverage in the area. At a plenary hearing on Wednesday, Gapay said the military were going to take down the suspects "in a matter of minutes." The bombers saw an opportunity there to really execute their planned bombing, Gapay said. Nine police officers are facing four counts of murder and one count of planting of evidence over the fatal shooting, which killed operatives from the 9th Intelligence Service Unit of the 11th Infantry Division. Gapay added that in the AFP, once a member violates regulations, that person gets relieved of their post right away and is placed in custody if needed "So, we were surprised that those who were involved in the incident were just put in restrictive custody and they were not relieved of their positions... despite (the) investigation already ongoing," he said. "I think it is in the best interest of everyone that for the impartial investigation to proceed, those involved would be relieved so they could not influence, in whatever capacity, the investigation process." In a Senate inquiry last week, the policemen involved claimed they could not determine who fired the first shot in the scene. One of the officers likewise denied the group planted a rifle by the left arm of one of the victims. Police officers connected with suicide bombers? The AFP chief meanwhile labeled claims that the police officers may have had connections with the suicide bombers as speculation with authorities still studying the real motive of the shooting incident. Philippine National Police Chief PGen Archie Gamboa also rejected calls for the relief of the Jolo police force, saying the PNP maintains full confidence in its personnel in the absence of sufficient evidence that would link them to the blast suspects. Despite these recent developments, Gapay stressed the armed forces continue to have a strong and professional relationship with their police counterparts. Martial law an option, but current measures will suffice Meanwhile, Gapay said the AFP is not closing its doors on the possibility of recommending a Sulu-wide martial law following the blasts. However, he stressed the need for immediate actions and measures to combat security threats in the area, noting that the imposition of martial law may take time. It remains as an option to us but for now what is important are actions, measures that can be immediately implemented and executed. Because you know martial law it should pass through legislative, congressional approval and that would take time, Gapay said. For now, the AFP chief noted authorities would have to strictly enforce current measures on deck, including the Presidential Proclamation 55 (declaration of state of national emergency on account of lawless violence in Mindanao). Gapay also cited the anti-terrorism law as one platform that can help local security forces address the terrorism situation in the area. President Rodrigo Duterte will also consider the possibility of placing Sulu province under martial law, Malacanang earlier said, but stressed the recommendation would have to earn the nod and pass the scrutiny of both the legislative and judiciary branches. Mondays twin explosions in Jolo have left at least 15 people dead, including soldiers and civilians, and 74 others injured. Gapay said the AFP is confident that they are closing in on the perpetrators of the attack, and believes the concerned parties are still in a hideout in Sulu. By Express News Service CHENNAI: The southern bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has sought a detailed report from the Special Committee constituted by the state forest department to look into rising elephant deaths in Tamil Nadu. While admitting the petition filed by People for Cattle in India (PFCI), a city-based animal rights organisation, the green bench said this was an important question pertaining to the environment which requires the intervention of the tribunal to resolve the issue. In the petition, PFCI sought an emergency response plan for attending to the elephants which are injured or killed due to the conflict with humans. When the matter came up for hearing, SV Vijaya Prasanth, Special Government Pleader, submitted that the government was already taking steps to mitigate the problem. "A committee has been constituted, which will be filing its report by October 31," Prasanth submitted. The NGT, after recording the submission, felt that there was no necessity to appoint any committee by this tribunal, as already a Special Committee has been constituted by the Chief Wildlife Warden and is looking into the issue. The tribunal has asked the forest department to make the committee's report available to it to verify and pass appropriate orders. The green bench has also sought details on steps taken by the forest department to mitigate the man-elephant conflict in the state and how Project Elephant is being implemented and monitored. The matter has been posted to November 20 for further hearing. OTTAWANewly minted Conservative Leader Erin OTooles ability to manage social conservatives in his caucus and party will be put to an early test this fall when the Liberal government reintroduces legislation on medical assistance in dying. And it will be tested again when the government reintroduces a bill to ban conversion therapy, a discredited and traumatic practice aimed at repressing non-heterosexual behaviours or to make a persons gender identity match the sex assigned at birth. Both bills are controversial among social conservatives, who proved to be a decisive factor in OTooles victory early Monday in the Conservative leadership race. And OToole himself has raised concerns about them, notwithstanding his declared position as a pro-choice Conservative and LGBTQ rights advocate. OToole has promised to put an end to the ambiguity on issues like abortion and gay rights that bedevilled his predecessor, Andrew Scheer, while respecting the right of social conservatives to express their views. Hell get a chance to square that circle this fall as the government rushes to pass a bill to amend the law on assisted dying to conform with a court ruling last fall, which struck down a provision that allows only individuals already near death to end their lives with medical help. The bill was first introduced in February but it was still in the initial stage of the legislative process when Parliament was adjourned in mid-March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It died on the order paper when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau prorogued Parliament last week but the government intends to reintroduce it shortly after Parliament resumes on Sept. 23. The court, which initially gave the government six months to change the law, has since granted two extensions. The government now has until Dec. 18 and Justice Minister David Lamettis office says the government is determined to meet that deadline. Our government has every intention of meeting the courts deadline, said spokeswoman Rachel Rappaport. OToole voted against the original bill that legalized assisted dying following a landmark Supreme Court ruling on the subject. In his leadership platform, he courted social conservatives by promising to protect the conscience rights of all health care professionals whose beliefs, religious or otherwise, prevent them from carrying out or referring patients for services that violate their conscience. That promise flies in the face of a unanimous Ontario Court of Appeal ruling in May 2019, which said doctors who have moral objections to providing health services like abortion or assisted death must provide patients with an effective referral to another doctor. Conservative MP Derek Sloan, an avowed social conservative who finished last in the four-person leadership contest, went a step further in his platform. He promised to claw back equalization payments from provinces that dont guarantee the conscience rights of health care professionals. Leslyn Lewis, another unabashed social conservative who finished a strong third in the race, promised to stop the expansion of assisted dying to new categories of Canadians. Between them, Lewis and Sloan scooped up more than 40 per cent of the votes cast. When they were dropped off the ballot, thousands of their supporters moved to OToole, propelling him to a decisive third-ballot victory over Peter MacKay. At his first news conference Tuesday since winning the leadership, OToole brushed off a Liberal dare to prove hes not in the pocket of social conservatives by booting Sloan out of the Conservative caucus. Liberals accused Sloan of having made anti-choice, anti-LGBTQ comments, among them that the bill to ban conversion therapy is tantamount to legalized child abuse. That bill was introduced in March, one week before Parliament was adjourned for the pandemic. There is as yet no timetable for reintroducing it but Rappaport said, we will absolutely be moving forward with that commitment. Some nine municipalities, including Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver, have passed bylaws banning conversion therapy. Ottawa city council is to vote on a motion today urging the federal government to quickly reintroduce the bill to ban the practice nationally. Rappaport said the Liberal government hopes all political parties will join us in defending the rights of LGBTQ2 Canadians and unequivocally support a ban on conversion therapy. But if OToole is true to his word to respect the views of Sloan and other social conservatives in his caucus, unequivocal Conservative support for the bill is unlikely. OToole himself raised eyebrows during the leadership race when he appeared to suggest that the bill doesnt respect the right of religious leaders to have conversations with members of their flock about sexual orientation or gender identity. His campaign later clarified that OToole supports a ban on coercive, degrading actions that seek to change a persons sexual orientation or gender identity but has concerns about the way the legislation was drafted. KITCHENER Following the high-profile and violent arrest of a Somali man in early July, the Somali-Canadian Association of Waterloo Region has organized a meeting with the Waterloo Regional Police Services later this evening. Cellphone videos and security footage of the arrest show an officer punching Abdisalam Omer several times. Omer, who was being held to the ground by other officers, was also Tasered twice during the arrest. In a statement, Faduma Musse, president of the association, said the arrest is one of many injustices and continued inaction our Somali community has endured at the hands of the police services across Canada. Musse emphasized the meeting is intended to address the trauma and pain ... following this horrific incident, and decades of over policing and criminalization of our community. Due to COVID restrictions, less than fifty people will be present at the in-person meeting. The event will be held in the gymnasium of Victoria Hills Community Centre at 6:30 p.m. The event will be livestreamed on the Somali Canadian Association of Waterloo Regions Facebook page. HYDERABAD, India, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Cyient, a global engineering and technology solutions company, today announced that it has received a 2019 Boeing Performance Excellence Award. The Boeing Company issues the award annually to recognize suppliers who have achieved superior performance. Cyient maintained a Silver composite performance rating for each month of the 12-month performance period, from October 2018 to September 2019. This year, Boeing recognized suppliers who achieved either a Gold or Silver level Boeing Performance Excellence Award. Cyient received the Silver level recognition and the award is a testament to Cyient's dedication and consistent commitment to delivering value to its business partners across the A&D value chain. Commenting on the achievement, Anand Parameswaran, Senior Vice President, Aerospace & Defense at Cyient, said, "Cyient is proud to receive the Silver Level Performance Excellence Award from Boeing. We are deeply appreciative of the long-standing relationship between Cyient and Boeing, and this award is a testament to the hard work of our engineers. We are looking forward to co-developing new ways to raise the innovation bar and deliver greater efficiencies to our customers." About Cyient: Cyient (Estd: 1991, NSE: CYIENT) is a global engineering and digital technology company. As a Design, Build, and Maintain partner for leading organizations worldwide, Cyient takes solution ownership across the value chain to help customers focus on their core, innovate, and stay ahead of the curve. The company leverages digital technologies, advanced analytics capabilities, domain knowledge, and technical expertise to solve complex business problems. Cyient partners with customers to operate as part of their extended team in ways that best suit their organization's culture and requirements. Cyient's industry focus includes aerospace and defense, healthcare, telecommunications, rail transportation, semiconductor, geospatial, industrial, and energy. For more information, please visit www.cyient.com Follow news about the company at @Cyient Contact Details Media Relations Perfect Relations Vishal Thapa Mobile: +91 9701834446 Email: [email protected] SOURCE Cyient Related Links http://www.cyient.com DiscGenics, Inc., a Salt Lake City, UT-based clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing regenerative cell-based therapies that alleviate pain and restore function in patients with degenerative diseases of the spine, raised $50m in Series C funding. The round was led by Ci:z Investment LLP with participation from new investors, Eagle Fund SP1 LLP, Medical Incubator Japan (MIJ), and CareNet of Japan. Major follow-on investments from Mitsubishi UFJ Capital Co. Ltd, the companys Board of Directors, and existing long-term investors contributed to the oversubscription of the round. This latest round of funding brings investment in the company to just over $71m to-date. The company will use the new capital to support ongoing clinical trials of its injectable Discogenic Cell Therapy (IDCT) for lumbar degenerative disc disease (DDD), to fund future commercialization activities in the U.S. and Japan, and for the scale up and scale out of its allogeneic cell manufacturing facility in Salt Lake City, UT. Led by Flagg Flanagan, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors, DiscGenics is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing regenerative cell-based therapies that alleviate pain and restore function in patients with degenerative diseases of the spine. Its first product candidate, IDCT, is a homologous, allogeneic, injectable cell therapy that utilizes biomedically engineered progenitor cells derived from intervertebral disc tissue, known as Discogenic Cells, to offer a non-surgical, potentially regenerative solution for the treatment of patients with mild to moderate degenerative disc disease. Concurrent with this investment, the company has added two new members to its Board of Directors. They are: Colin Lee Novick, a cofounder and managing director of one of Japans leading regenerative medicine consulting firms, CJ PARTNERS. He was selected by Dr. Yoshinori Shirono, founder of Ci:z Investment LLP, the lead Series C investor, to represent his interests on the DiscGenics Board. Najeeb Thomas, M.D., an internationally recognized neurosurgeon who practices at Southern Brain and Spine in New Orleans, Louisiana, where he focuses on treatment of degenerative diseases of the spine. FinSMEs 27/08/2020 Police have arrested a man charged with calling in hundreds of phony orders to local restaurants and pizzerias during the early stages of the coronavirus outbreak, who allegedly placed large orders, never picked them up and then berated the employees when they called him back, authorities said. Sudeep Khetani, 34, of South Brunswick, was arrested Tuesday and charged with cyber harassment, according to a statement from the South Brunswick Police Department. Khetani made the calls between January 15 and April 9 and was using a voice override service to mask his real phone number when he ordered thousands of dollars worth of food from restaurants in Middlesex, Mercer and Somerset counties without the intention of paying or picking up the grub, police said. When the employees called him back after he never showed up he made harassing, threatening, sexually explicit, and biased comments, the statement said. The targeted restaurants lost thousands of dollars as a result of the phony orders, police said. Pizzerias and restaurants have been donating food to police and local hospitals since the coronavirus pandemic hit the state in March and others have received calls from residents willing to pay for them to do so. Many of the businesses that Khetani targeted were ones that had done just that, police said. Local detectives, including South Brunswick Police Detective Tim Hoover, worked with Florida police, where Khetani was on probation for selling fake Disney World tickets, and were able to track him down and finally arrest him this week, authorities said. Detective Hoover filed many subpoenas, conducted numerous interviews, and exhausted all investigative means to bring this case to a successful conclusion, South Brunswick Police Department Chief Raymond J. Hayducka said in a statement. His hard work put an end to Khetanis alarming actions. Khetani was also charged with promoting prostitution stemming from an unrelated 2019 incident and was lodged in the Middlesex County Jail pending his first court appearance, the department said. Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription. Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com. (Natural News) If he captures the White House in November, Joe Biden has promised to implement a nationwide mask mandate, shut down the economy, and presumably lock up anyone who does not obey his administrations orders. During a recent interview with ABC News, Biden explained to World News Tonight anchor David Muir that his plan for overcoming the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) is to basically close everything up and force everyone to stay at home again indefinitely. I would shut it down; I would listen to the scientists, Biden told Muir during the interview, adding that President Donald Trumps response to the plandemic has been fundamentally flaw[ed]. Until the so-called public health emergency is declared to be over by Anthony Fauci, the World Health Organization (WHO), and other experts, there will be no opening back up the economy under a Biden presidency. I will be prepared to do whatever it takes to save lives because we cannot get the country moving until we control the virus, Biden added. That is the fundamental flaw of this administrations thinking to begin with. In order to keep the country running and moving and the economy growing, and people employed, you have to fix the virus, you have to deal with the virus. Chances are that Biden would not remain very long as president, however, as the Democrats could actually be planning to install Nancy Pelosi as president even if Trump wins. Listen below to The Health Ranger Report to learn more: Has Biden already killed his chances at the presidency? While Biden has certainly said a lot of stupid things over the years, this latest gaffe, which he does not even recognize as such, could seal his fate as the loser in the upcoming election. This is what many observers are saying, noting that most Americans are not on board with any more lockdowns. Writing for Town Hall, Matt Vespa says that mandatory house arrest and nationwide forced masking spells the end of Bidens chances. Americans want to be free to live their lives, in other words. Every House and Senate Democrat needs to be asked right now if they will back President Biden on shutting down the economy, says Brad Todd, co-author of the book The Great Revolt, which covers the populist surge in rural America that helped Trump win back in 2016. Time for the Fourth Estate to do its job on holding them accountable, he adds. Some commentators are pushing the idea that Trump has lost support due to his reopening the economy too soon. But the fact of the matter is that this may have actually been the consequence of him not fully reopening it a whole lot sooner, or allowing it to be shut down at all. Trumps lower polling moments in the pandemic have been when he suggested a polar response, Todd tweeted. Non-liberal voters do not want a polar response they want normalcy with precautions. Biden is giving the ultimate polar response here and it will sting. Todd has also warned against the threat of those who say we must sacrifice the economy and freedom at large on the altar of public health. Giving up liberty and commerce for this reason is salvific, he says, and most people do not support such an idea. People want commerce and school to go on, Todd says. Thats a provable fact. Only the Left wants to shut it down. Joe has made a major mistake here his biggest yet. For more related news about Bidens plans to lock down America and keep everyone jobless, masks, and at home 24 hours a day, be sure to check out Pandemic.news. Sources for this article include: TownHall.com NaturalNews.com ABCNews.Go.com TROY Anti-eviction protesters gathered outside Troy City Court Thursday morning as attorney conferences were scheduled to be held on about 30 eviction proceedings that began before the mid-March shutdown of the states courts caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The 50 protesters peacefully marched through parts of downtown and stood at the corner of Fifth Avenue and State Street near the city courthouse. Pro-tenant groups turned out their supporters in an effort to stave off the evictions. These 30 cases dont fall under the statewide eviction ban that expires Oct. 1. Luke Grandis of VOCAL-NY said the demonstration was to support for the tenants facing eviction. Grandis said an effort is under way to get tenants connected to tenants groups in the Capital Region that can advise them of their legal rights and help them deal with the court proceedings. The city residents whose cases were on the court calendar saw eviction proceedings begin before COVID-19 closed the courts and the eviction moratorium was put in place. These people are not protected. Its a solidarity action, Tanique Williams, communications manager for Citizen Action of New York and the Public Policy and Education Fund, said Wednesday night. Thursday is the normal hearing day for eviction proceedings in Troy City Courts civil section. The court conferences, when the attorneys and judge meet to discuss a case, were held virtually, court officials said. No actions will be taken in the cases until after the eviction ban ends Oct. 1, court officials said after the proceedings had ended. This follows the guidance issued by the states chief judge. The demonstrators marched and chanted, Hey, hey. Ho, ho. The war on the poor has got to go. At the city courthouse, which is adjacent to the police station, a group of police officers observed the protesters. Court officers also were on duty. Court operations continued normally throughout the protest. Organizing is underway to further assist tenants, Grandis said. Its important that tenants rights be improved and that it be easier for tenants to make use of resources available to fight evictions, Grandis said. He pointed out that during the current health crisis that many poor tenants do not have easy access to the internet to fill out forms and deal with online applications. Since the statewide eviction moratorium, the eviction proceedings have not been held. City Court officials said tenants and landlords have been calling the court to ask about what will happen after Oct. 1. In announcing the Troy protest, Citizen Action said, With 1.5 million New Yorkers unable to make rent, activists and community leaders are demanding support for those at risk of eviction and real solutions to New Yorks housing crisis. Evictions are violent, and are more likely to be carried out against Black, Brown and low-income tenants. Photo: The Canadian Press Alberta Premier Jason Kenney The double blow of collapsing oil prices and the COVID-19 crisis have pushed Alberta into a historic deficit of $24.2 billion more than triple what the United Conservative government projected in its February budget. "We are continuing to deal with an incredible amount of pandemic uncertainty and economic uncertainty," said Finance Minister Travis Toews, who delivered his first-quarter economic update Thursday. "There will be some very difficult days ahead and the road to recovery will be slow." Toews reeled off a litany of gloom. Government debt is expected to hit $100 billion by the end of the fiscal year next spring. Overall government revenue is anticipated to drop by $11.5 billion nearly one-quarter. Corporate tax revenue is to fall by more than half. Non-renewable resource revenue, the province's oily lifeblood, is projected to dissipate by 73 per cent. Nor was the immediate future painted in bright colours. The update forecasts some growth by next year, but it won't make up for a nearly nine per cent drop expected in the province's gross domestic product this year. Employment, now almost 12 per cent, is expected to stay near double-digit levels into 2021. Toews suggested cuts are coming. He promised a three-year fiscal update in November. "We will be looking for every opportunity to ensure we are delivering services most cost effectively," he said. "Alberta can no longer afford to be an outlier in the cost of delivering services." A balanced budget is nowhere to be seen. "Right now would be almost impossible to provide a credible date to balance." Taxes, for now, are to remain stable. "At a time of great economic challenge for so many Albertans and Alberta businesses, to look at raising costs, I believe, would be irresponsible," Toews said "In the longer term, it will be important that Albertans have a discussion on revenue structure and tax structure." Alberta is one of the lowest-taxed jurisdictions in Canada and remains the only province without a sales tax. Petoskey, Kalkaska duo set to release new album Northern Michigan band John Piatek & Friends are set to release their second album right on the heels of their debut release just some six months ago. CAIRO The suspicious death of an activist at a Cairo prison Aug. 10 has cast doubt on the actual causes of death of other political prisoners and pre-trial detainees. Mostafa el-Gabrouny, 34, was the first member of the April 6 Youth Movement to die behind bars during the reign of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. After the Interior Ministry recently allowed visits to prisoners about six months following the eruption of the coronavirus pandemic in Egypt, Gabrounys brother went to Tora Prison on Aug. 17. He was informed that his brother was declared dead one week earlier by the prisons hospital, and his body had been moved to a Cairo morgue without his family being notified of his death. The prisons officials claimed that my client was electrocuted when he touched a kettle inside his cell with his wet hand, which is rather illogical as prisoners aren't allowed kettles, lawyer Nabeh el-Genadi told Al-Monitor. An autopsy of his body has been conducted, but the cause of death has not been declared officially. We are still waiting for the coroners report and will take it from there." Gabrouny was transferred from a detention center in Damanhur city in Beheira governorate where he lived, northwest of Cairo, to the Tora maximum security prison in the capital, also without his familys or his lawyers knowledge. Gabrounys transfer from Damanhur to Cairo has never been officially justified, Genadi said. The deceased was among a group of detained dubbed by the media the coronavirus detainees, who were arrested either after questioning the governments competence in handling the coronavirus pandemic or after they had called for releasing pre-trial detainees and political prisoners to limit the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19 at prisons and detention centers. They include 34 medical personnel, activists and lawyers. Gabrouny was forcibly disappeared for about a month, before he appeared at the state security prosecutions office May 10. The prosecution charged him with spreading false news, misusing social media tools and being involved in a terrorist group the same set of accusations used against the regimes opponents. He was kept in pre-trial detention until he died. The primary cause of death was subject to criticism by political groups and social media activists some even suspect foul play. Maram M. Moselhy tweeted, Mostafa el-Gabrouny died. He lived cheering for freedom and wasnt treated as a human being. He died without being treated as a deceased, without even being buried. Dalia tweeted, Everyone who supports Sisi has Mostafa el-Gabrounys blood on [his or her] hands. The Egyptian Social Democratic Party mourned Gabrouny, describing the incident in a statement released on its official Facebook page as being highly demeaning to Gabrouny. The party called on the prosecutor general to open a transparent investigation into the activists death. How was he electrocuted inside his cell? Why did the prison administration hide [this news] for a week? And what are the kinds of detention conditions that may lead to the death of detainees in custody? the party officials said in the statement. Doesnt this incident as well as previous ones require [the authorities] to tackle the file of pre-trial detention, especially of members of political groups? The statement called on those in charge to have a clear intent to accept political differences without resorting to apprehension and confinement. Following the coup that overthrew Islamist President Mohammed Morsi in 2013, the regime has been using the oppressive tool of pre-trial detention and the charge of involvement in a terrorist organization to persecute its opponents. On May 7, Amnesty International called for releasing 1,600 defendants whose detention was renewed by the criminal court arbitrarily. Pre-trial detention is not a legal penalty per se. Rather, it is a precautionary measure taken by the prosecution to hold a suspect until an investigation is conducted, lawyer Fahd el-Banna told Al-Monitor. Usually the prosecution resorts to it to ban the suspect from escaping when it comes to grave crimes like murder, not those against activists or members of political groups." According to Genadi, Gabrouny was not a danger to national security or a criminal to be held in custody. Or else why didnt the prosecution refer him to trial rather than renewing his detention on paper without even his or his lawyers presence, he noted. Gabrounys death is the second to take place at an Egyptian prison in August. On Aug. 13, Muslim Brotherhood leader Essam el-Erian died of a heart attack after he was allegedly engaged in an argument with a fellow inmate. The public prosecution announced one day later that an investigation would be conducted into the incident, but no official statements have been released since then. In May, Egyptian filmmaker and photographer Shady Habash died under suspicious circumstances in a prison cell, also at Tora Prison, where he had been held in pre-trial detention since 2018. Habash and others were arrested after directing a song that mocked Sisi was released on YouTube. Such incidents have raised concerns about the conditions inside Egypt's prisons and detention centers. On Aug. 17, the Egyptian Front for Human Rights, an independent group, released a 48-page report in which it documented 300 testimonies of violations committed against prisoners and detainees in Egypt. The report is divided into three parts: The first part highlights data and details of seven cases of detainees whose testimonies had been documented. The second part has to do with the prosecutions role and jurisdiction of investigating violations against detainees. The third part reviews the main violations persons are subjected to inside prisons including medical negligence, overcrowding and malnutrition. The report concluded that detainees in Egypt suffer from systematic and [severe] violations by Interior Ministry personnel and that these infringements are known by the public prosecution. In November 2019, Egypt received 23 recommendations about the state of prisons and detention centers and 26 recommendations on torture and ill-treatment by the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of the United Nations Human Rights Council. According to the review, the human rights situation in Egypt has deteriorated since the last UPR conducted in 2014, at a time when the authorities relied on a state of emergency and repressive counterterrorism laws to suppress freedoms of expression and association and to largely silence peaceful dissent by prosecuting journalists and human rights activists. Sisi and his supporters have frequently denied that Egypt holds political prisoners, whom rights groups estimate their number to be at least 60,000. [August 27, 2020] CIBC Innovation Banking Provides AlayaCare With $15 Million Growth Capital Financing CIBC Innovation Banking is pleased to announce a $15 million growth capital financing for AlayaCare. As demand for home care continues to rise, this debt facility will support the company's strategic plan to increase its presence in North America and Australia. AlayaCare provides data-driven, cloud-based home care software that delivers innovative caregiver solutions, such as simplified billing, remote patient monitoring and a mobile app. Backed by Inovia Capital, Caisse de Depot et placement du Quebec, and Investissement Quebec, the platform helps improve quality of care, optimize operations and enables agencies to deliver a client-centric experience. "We are excited to work with AlayaCare," said Eric Laflamme, Managing Director Quebec Region, CIBC Innovation Banking. "The platform helps patients receive care in the place they call home, while leveraging data insights to improve outcomes. The company's growth over the last year makes it even more evident that there's a need for remote caregiving solutions." "Our mission to help clients deliver better outcomes is more important than ever before as health care systems around the world have had to adapt how they care for patients because of the pandemic," said Adrian Schauer, CEO & Founder, AlayaCare. "With the support of CIBC Innovation Banking, we can accelerate our growth and innovation as the industry continues to evolve, and focus on delivering transformative technology for improved health outcomes." About CIBC Innovation Banking CIBC Innovation Banking delivers strategic advice, cash management and funding to North American innovation companies at each stage of their business cycle, from start up to IPO and beyond. With offices in Atlanta, Austin, Chicago, Denver, Menlo Park, Montreal, Reston, Toronto and Vancouver, the team has extensive experience and a strong, collaborative approach that extends across CIBC's commercial banking and capital markets businesses in the U.S. and Canada. About AlayaCare Inc. AlayaCare's unique platform offers a complete technology solution to manage the entire client lifecycle including referrals and intake, scheduling, coordination, client health records, clinical documentation, care worker management, billing and payroll, reporting, remote patient monitoring, and a mobile caregiver app in one integrated, highly robust and secure, cloud-based system. AlayaCare is providing the platform for home and community care organizations to propel towards innovation and home care of the future. AlayaCare was founded in 2014. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200827005088/en/ [ Back To www.mobilitytechzone.com\LTE's Homepage ] Advertisement The working class suburb of Dandenong has never been regarded as overly pretty. The locals would hardly argue the point. Overnight, it was downright ugly. And it had nothing to do with the landscape. Police were on high alert in Dandenong on Thursday night, following ugly scenes in the Melbourne suburb on Wednesday Crackdown: Police stop and question a man walking along the Dandenong Creek on Thursday evening Police turned out in force in Dandenong on Thursday amid concerns people would gather in large groups to walk Police patrolled the streets along a strip in Dandenong that has seen people arrested over the past few days Melbourne has become a police state and it was on full view in Dandenong as the sun crept below the horizon. For days tension has been rising in the area as mostly young men have rallied against the Stage Four lockdown laws that still have weeks to run. On Wednesday night, police had had a gutful of a section of the community who have since Monday walked through the suburbs for their daily hour of exercise at the same place at the same time. Poll HAS DAN ANDREWS GONE TOO FAR? YES NO HAS DAN ANDREWS GONE TOO FAR? YES 1017 votes NO 193 votes Now share your opinion They arrested a handful of men, with at least one copping a face full of pepper spray from a short-fused police officer. It was ugly stuff. But Melbourne has been an ugly place for longer than I care to think back on now. We've all seen the footage of police taking down Melburnians who have refused to wear a mask. These days police are allowed to ask anyone they like who they are and what they are doing. They can fine you if you try and be too clever. In Dandenong on Wednesday, those who kicked up a fuss were dealt with swiftly. It was all captured on video from both police and the many locals walking along the street. They are scenes that bring conflicting emotions among many Melburnians, most of whom are doing their best to adhere to the strict lockdown conditions. This is an Australia that no one wants to be a part of. In Melbourne, there is still little legal reason to even be outdoors. Under Stage Four restrictions, residents can leave to buy essential items like groceries, for care or to give care, exercise and work. There is also a nightly curfew from 8pm until 5am. Police chat to a man on Thursday as they went about questioning people walking along the Dandenong Creek Police wait to question people as they walk along a track in Dandenong on Thursday And exercise is limited to just one hour and it can only be within a five-kilometre radius of your home. The residents arrested on Wednesday night were no doubt within that radius. Most of those fined had refused to give their name and address. It's an expensive stance against police that will cost each of them anywhere between $200 to thousands and a court date. On Thursday, police were ready and waiting for them. Squad cars were positioned down at Andrews Reserve, where on Monday they got a taste of what angry locals thought of their presence. A man is questioned by a policeman in Dandenong on Thursday Officers speak with a Dandenong local on Thursday night. Police swarmed the Melbourne suburb fearing a riot They were spotted in and about Kirkham Road, which leads to a walking track along Dandenong Creek. Police stopped to question young men seen standing outside homes. Young men handed over the identification and chatted amicably with officers not much older than themselves. Trouble was expected in the area at about 5pm, which has been the time residents in the area seemingly like to go for a walk. Police marched to Dandenong Creek in wait for the masses. And they did come - families, women pushing prams, old men and women. They all wore masks, and they mostly kept their distance. Two men out on a walk stop and talk with police in Dandenong on Thursday Victorians have to wear masks when getting about under lockdown restrictions A family walks along the Dandenong Creek on Thursday As much distance as one can keep while squeezing through the shopping aisle at Coles anyway. A young man filming police on his mobile was promptly stopped and put through what has become a familiar routine. Who are you? Where are you going? Some older folk yelled out at police in disgust. Some yelled out at media in similar fashion. A day earlier, one television reporter had referred to the walkers as a 'cult'. Needless to say, it didn't go down well with the locals. They certainly didn't seem like any cult I have ever heard of. Most couldn't believe what they were seeing. A police presence that in a normal Australia might be reserved for a city protest of white supremacists. As darkness descended and the winds picked up, Kirkham Road was still awash with locals going for their nightly walk. The belting rain seemed to only drive off the older walkers. Victoria police officers wearing face masks in Dandenong is seen on walking track alongside locals on Thursday A man is spoken to by police in Dandenong on Thursday evening Some youths stopped to talk with a waiting television crew, who like the police had come down expecting a blood bath. 'Why are Victoria Police making unlawful arrests?' one young woman said. She dismissed the virus that has kept Melburnians confined to their homes for months. 'It's a 99 percent survival rate. What's the big issue?' It's like a flu. It's the winter season. We're going to get a flu. What's the problem?' she said. 'What if it killed your grandmother?' a reporter asked, prompting a response from her mother. 'She passed away already. Sorry.' With better weather expected on Friday, police will no doubt be back on the streets of Dandenong come 4pm. And the people will greet them on their nightly walk again. The situation remains very difficult, Maas said. The precondition for these talks is that the maneuvers that are going on in the eastern Mediterranean be ended ... because for sure the parties wont sit down at the table if warships are facing off in the eastern Mediterranean. PelicanCorp and Pass Word Team on Wyoming 811 Call Before You Dig Program The OneCallAccess solution from PelicanCorp will be used for Wyoming's 811 Call Before You Dig program. The software solution will enable the program to enhance One Call operations across the state. It will be used in tandem with the Pass Word Inc. solution to operate Wyoming's 811 Call Center and technical support. PelicanCorp and Pass Word worked together to configure OneCallAccess to meet Wyoming's specific needs. The combined solutions are designed to beef up support and call center operations and overhaul the entire process for handling 811 calls throughout the state. According to Duane Rodgers, CEO of PelicanCorp, OneCallAccess fully manages e-ticket and call center operations. The solution is hosted in a high availability cloud environment and manages all One Call tickets from any location at any time. The offering features advanced web and mobile technologies and is architected using a unique mapping platform. The result is a highly accurate ticket capture offering. "We are happy to continue our partnership with PelicanCorp on the Wyoming win," said Rod Bacon, president of Pass Word, Inc. "Our One Call Service operation provides highly trained customer service staff with expertise based on 35 years in the industry. In combination with PelicanCorp's global damage prevention experience, our expertise is the perfect fit to enhance the Wyoming One Call operation." "We are moving into this new phase of technology to meet the needs of our membership and the public," added Jan M. Warren, BSL and executive director of One-Call of Wyoming. "Infrastructure protection and public safety are our top priorities; it's simply why we exist. This partnership brought to us by our vendors will ensure that our state regulatory requirements are being met while providing our users with the best up-to-date technology and services." The new system is set to begin accepting new requests via the website in November. Edited by Maurice Nagle Ten members of a small Indian tribe in the remote Andaman and Nicobar Islands have tested positive for coronavirus. Four of them, who were found to be infected last week on Strait Island, apparently caught the virus during a recent visit to Port Blair, the capital of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The other six patients are based in the city, where they have full-time jobs, and tested positive earlier this month. It's thought only 50 Great Andamanese tribe members survive after thousands were killed by British colonisers in the 19th century or died later due to disease. Ten members of a small tribe in the remote Andaman and Nicobar Islands have tested positive for the coronavirus over the past month. Pictured, fishermen and women return to their homes in Port Blair, in India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands archipelago Dr. Avijit Ray said the four islanders seen last week are among the 37 members of the tribe who live on Strait Island. Health workers went there to test tribe members and those who tested positive are now being treated and 'recovering well'. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a chain of islands with a population of about 400,000, have reported 2,944 coronavirus cases, including 41 deaths, mostly among non-tribal groups. Other vulnerable tribes on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands include the Sentinelese, Jarawa, Shompen and Onge. Dr Ray said health workers are trying to protect these tribes from the virus too. 'We are keeping a close watch on the movements and testing some of the other tribes,' he said. Sanjiv Mittal, a senior government officer for tribal welfare, told AFP authorities were doing their best to keep all the members safe and healthy. Anthropologists and activists for isolated tribal communities say more than 5,000 Great Andamanese lived in the islands when British settlers arrived in the 19th century. However, hundreds were killed in conflicts as they defended their territories from British invasion, and thousands more were wiped out in epidemics of measles, influenza and syphilis, according to Survival International. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands is a chain of islands with a population of about 400,000. Pictured is Boat Island Poachers continue to invade their territory despite strict government restrictions. Last week, eight fishermen were arrested for illegally entering the Jarawa tribe's territory, local media reported. And in 2018, a 26-year-old American missionary seeking to convert the nomadic hunter-gatherer tribe was killed after he secretly visited the North Sentinel island. His body was never recovered. Outsiders are banned from visiting the island, to protect the Sentinelese way of life and avoid exposing them to infectious diseases. As one of the most isolated tribes in the world, the Sentinelese are extremely vulnerable to diseases from outsiders, especially during a global pandemic such as the coronavirus, experts say. India is the third worst-hit country in the world behind the US and Brazil, with more than three million coronavirus cases. Pictured is Port Blair 'The Andaman authorities must act urgently to prevent the virus reaching more Great Andamanese and to prevent infection in the other tribes,' said Sophie Grig, a senior researcher with Survival. 'The waters around North Sentinel must be properly policed and no outsiders should enter the territories of any of the Andaman tribes without their consent.' She added: 'We've certainly seen in the US, in Brazil, in Peru, indigenous communities (being) disproportionately hit. In Brazil where there are more than a hundred uncontacted tribes still living, (the) fear of the disease is getting into those communities.' The virus has already hit tribes in Brazil and Peru hard, including some of the isolated Amazon tribes. According to the Brazilian Indigenous Peoples' Association, 26,000 indigenous people have been infected and 690 have died during the country's pandemic. India is the third worst-hit country in the world behind the US and Brazil, with more than three million coronavirus cases. There, some 60,000 people have died from the infection so far. TikTok Chief Executive Officer Kevin Mayer has left the company, less than three months after he joined the hit short video app, and U.S. General Manager Vanessa Pappas will replace him on an interim basis, according to an internal memo seen by Reuters. The development comes days after TikTok sued the Trump administration over an executive order banning transactions in the United States with the popular short-form video-sharing app. Mayer was Walt Disney Co's top streaming executive before he joined TikTok on June 1. He was also appointed as chief operating officer of TikTok's Chinese parent, ByteDance at the time. "In recent weeks, as the political environment has sharply changed, I have done significant reflection on what the corporate structural changes will require, and what it means for the global role I signed up for," Mayer said in the letter. "Against this backdrop, and as we expect to reach a resolution very soon, it is with a heavy heart that I wanted to let you all know that I have decided to leave the company." TikTok, in an emailed statement, confirmed the departure and said that the political dynamics of the last few months had "significantly changed" the scope of Mayer's role. ByteDance's founder and CEO Zhang Yiming said in a separate letter that the company was "moving quickly to find resolutions to the issues that we face globally, particularly in the U.S. and India." He said Mayer had joined the firm just as it was "entering arguably our most challenging moment." "It is never easy to come into a leadership position in a company moving as quickly as we are, and the circumstances following his arrival made it all the more complex," Zhang said. Check-in counter at Changi International Airport in Singapore, 8 June 2020 (PHOTO: ROSLAN RAHMAN/AFP via Getty Images) By Bloomberg News (Bloomberg) -- Dozens of Chinese nationals gathered outside their embassy in Singapore on Tuesday in frustration over new rules requiring them to get tested for Covid-19 before they can board their upcoming flights home, something Singapore doesnt generally offer to those without symptoms. No hospital in Singapore will perform a test for me, said a 28-year-old warehouse manager who gave his surname as Wang. Hes scheduled to fly to the western city of Chongqing at the end of the month. Booking a flight is very tough now and I dont want to miss my flight. The crowd surrounded flustered embassy officials and grew raucous, even as a police vehicle arrived. The new requirements from China, instituted after dozens of passengers from Singapore tested positive in virus tests after landing there, highlights the fragility of tentative travel arrangements established by countries to boost economic activity and help the ailing aviation industry. Its also a blow to Singapores efforts to kick start international travel amid the pandemic, fuelled by its reliance on the aviation sector as an international hub. The city-state was one of the first to establish a corridor with the worlds second-biggest economy, and is negotiating arrangements with other major trade partners like Japan. In reaction, authorities appear to have now set up testing services for those with bookings to China. On Wednesday, passengers who had booked flights to Guangzhou on Sunday turned up at a former school in the western part of Singapore to be tested. An urgent email sent by Singapore Airlines Ltd.s Scoot the previous day told people that arrangements have been made by authorities to get tested during a one and a half hour morning time slot, and they had to pay S$186 ($136) before the results can be released to them. Flights Suspension In recent weeks, at least three flights departing from Singapore have hit the circuit breaker instituted by the Civil Aviation Administration of China, which triggers a week-long suspension of routes where five passengers onboard test positive. If 10 or more infections are found, the suspension grows to at least one month. Story continues China Southern Airlines Co.s flight to Guangzhou was suspended for a week after five passengers tested positive upon arrival in the southern city, the company said. Juneyao Airlines Co. also hit the circuit breaker earlier this month, forcing it to cancel its flights between Singapore and Shanghai scheduled for Friday, the company said on its official Weibo account. Meanwhile, the only direct flight from Singapore to northern China -- operated by Scoot -- was suspended after 12 people on board tested positive upon arriving in Tianjin last week, according to a person familiar with the matter, who was not authorised to speak publicly. Scoot did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Infections or Not Tianjins municipal health commission said all the 12 cases found on the Scoot flight were Chinese construction workers. The detection of cases came even as Singaporean authorities conducted a mass testing campaign to weed out symptom-free migrant worker carriers. New infections have recently surfaced in at least one of the dormitories, though reported cases among the rest of the population hover close to zero. Singapores Ministry of Health told Bloomberg that 12 cases detected on the flight were workers who have recovered but may continue to shed viral fragments for weeks or even months, adding that theres no evidence people who have had the virus and recovered are infectious. It said that both countries are investigating two other cases. Singapores Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not immediately respond to requests for comment while Chinas foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said on Tuesday that he hadnt seen relevant reports on the situation. Multiple calls to the news department of the Chinese embassy in Singapore were unanswered. Infectious or not, the cases pose a challenge to Singapores efforts to resume travel with countries that have gotten the virus under control. From Sept. 1, New Zealanders will be allowed to enter Singapore, where they will have to take a Covid test but wont be quarantined, though most Singaporeans arent allowed into New Zealand. A similar arrangement was also offered to travellers from Brunei. Green Lanes The situation may affect the continued operation of Singapores travel corridor with China, an arrangement that started in June and is termed a green lane. Those going through the green lane on essential or business travel can avoid the usual two weeks of quarantine upon arrival, provided they test negative before departure and upon landing. China has only agreed to two other travel corridors, with Germany and South Korea. No flights from South Korea and Germany have been suspended since Chinas aviation regulator instituted the circuit breaker in early June, though routes from places like Manila and Abu Dhabi have also triggered similar action. The frustrated Chinese nationals gathered outside the embassy on Tuesday said that they could not get a virus test from any Singapore medical facility without displaying symptoms. Those interviewed were not traveling via the green lane and were mostly lower-wage workers prepared to undergo two weeks of quarantine upon reaching home. Under the new rules, they wont be able to board their flights without a negative test result. Singapores health ministry said late Tuesday on its website that travellers could seek assistance in light of the new rules from China. Still, it reiterated its strategy focused on diagnostic testing and active case finding and that pre-departure testing is reserved for those using the green lane. (Updates with China-bound passengers turning up for tests on Wednesday in fifth paragraph.) 2020 Bloomberg L.P. U.S. Second Lady Karen Pence addresses the 2020 Republican National Convention on Aug. 26, 2020. (Courtesy of the Committee on Arrangements for the 2020 Republican National Committee via Getty Images) Second Ladys RNC Speech Salutes US Military Personnel and Their Spouses Second Lady Karen Pence spoke Wednesday at the Republican National Convention to honor those in the U.S. military. Pence highlighted stories about American heroes, starting with the women in the Suffrage movement, and then went on to praise the sacrifice of U.S. military personnel and their spouses. As Second Lady of the United States for the past three and a half years, I have had the honor of meeting many heroes across this great country, Pence said. The Second Lady spoke with pride about members who serve in the U.S. military, including members of her own family; her son Michael, who serves in the Marines, and her son-in-law Henry, who serves in the Navy. She applauded their spouses as heroes too, because of their sacrifice. You know, military spouses may experience frequent moves and job changes, periods of being a single parent while their loved one is deployed, all while exhibiting pride, strength, and determination, and being a part of something bigger than themselves, she said. Pence highlighted President Donald Trump and the vice presidents unwavering commitment to military families. She said she travels around to speak to families about policy changes the Trump administration is enacting in areas like military spouse employment. In 2018, Mrs. Pence launched an awareness campaign to encourage the nations military spouses. The Second Lady spoke about military spouses she met who shared their stories of being able to start a small business, one making handbags and another starting a restaurant, thanks to the Trump administrations initiatives for military families. In addition, Pence spoke about art therapy services with a veterans initiative that she championed to help veterans living with PTSD. Master Gunnery Sergeant Christo, a marine veteran I met in Tampa who deployed for combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, said nothing had helped him deal with the trauma from his service in the Marines until he finally agreed to meet with the art therapist at Walter Reed Medical Center, she said. She said Christo credits the art therapy program with saving his life and his marriage, and enabling him to start a small glass-blowing business. Many of our veteran heroes struggle, as they transition back into civilian life, and sometimes the stress is too difficult to manage alone. A few weeks ago, I had the honor of speaking with some amazing Americans who answer the Veterans Crisis Line, she continued, in reference to the Trump administrations work to prevent veteran suicide. In January, Pence accepted the honor of being the lead ambassador of PREVENTS, which stands for the Presidents Roadmap to Empower Veterans and End a National Tragedy of Suicide. She closed off the night by rallying women and all viewers to exercise their right to vote. Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism. In the latest development in the US-TikTok saga, TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer resigns its position. Mayer resigned just months into the job, stepping out at a time when the popular short-form video-sharing app is facing a nationwide ban in the US. He informed employees of his decision in an internal memo, Bloomberg reports. A company spokesperson has confirmed his resignation. TikToks current general manager Vanessa Pappas will take his place on an interim basis. Following a long career at Disney, Mayer joined ByteDance, the Chinese owner of TikTok, as the chief operating officer (COO) in May this year. He served as the CEO of TikTok and reported directly to the companys founder, Zhang Yiming. Advertisement Hired to lead TikToks global business, Mayer arrived at a time when the US-China trade war had just begun intensifying. His appointment was expected to smoothen the companys relations with the American government but it wasnt to be. Soon after he arrived, the Trump administration signed executive orders forcing ByteDance to sell TikToks US operations or face a nationwide ban. He is now leaving the company for precisely these reasons. In recent weeks, as the political environment has sharply changed, I have done significant reflection on what the corporate structural changes will require, and what it means for the global role I signed up for, Mayer said in an internal memo. I understand that the role that I signed up forincluding running TikTok globallywill look very different as a result of the US administrations action to push for a sell-off of the US business. Advertisement TikTok CEO quits amid the ongoing US disputes America alleges that the Chinese government may have access to TikToks user data, posing a threat to the US national security. The Trump administrations latest executive order bans transactions with ByteDance on security. The order also gives the company until mid-November to find an American buyer. ByteDance, however, argues that it is a political move orchestrated by President Trump ahead of the 2020 election. TikTok has challenged Trumps executive order in the courtroom, asking a federal judge to block the American government from enacting a ban. TikTok may have to eventually sell off its US operations. Filing a legal challenge may give it added time to find a buyer. Microsoft has emerged as a front runner in the talks but its not an easy purchase. Since TikTok is a global company, there will be complications in separating a part of its business. Advertisement Microsoft also wants to buy TikTok in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. Its the only company to publicly announce its interest in the popular Chinese app. Companies including Twitter, Oracle, and Netflix have also reportedly met with TikTok officials for a possible acquisition deal. However, none of them have gone public with their interest, so its unclear how far the talks have advanced. Industry estimates value TikToks US operations at anywhere between $10 billion and $50 billion. TikTok may have a hard time finding an American buyer thats willing to splurge this much money in it. Oil declined after Laura barreled into Louisiana, largely sparing the Texas Gulf Coast from widespread disruption to key energy infrastructure. Laura made landfall early Thursday near Cameron, Louisiana, as a Category 4 hurricane and has now weakened to a tropical storm. While the storm knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of people and impacted plants that produce chemicals and liquefied natural gas, southeast Texas ports and refineries -- including the largest U.S. refinery -- likely avoided the worst of it. Crude futures in New York fell less than 1% on Thursday, while gasoline futures dropped more than 5%. A stronger dollar also reduced the appeal for commodities priced in the greenback. The damage is not as bad as anticipated, which is creating more sell pressure along the energy complex, said Phil Flynn, senior market analyst at Price Futures Group. The lower price of gasoline means worse refining margins potentially, meaning that theres not going to be a lot of incentive to use a lot of crude quickly. As the storm passes, traders are assessing the potential impact on both fuel production and consumption. Exxon Mobil Corp.s Beaumont refinery in Texas will begin restarting Friday if an assessment shows no damage from Hurricane Laura, while its Baytown refinery on the Houston Ship Channel has already begun the restart process. PREVIOUSLY: Oil edges up with traders assessing U.S. Gulf hurricane impact Meanwhile, Magellan Midstream Partners LPs East Houston terminal restored full operations at its refined products truck loading rack and the U.S. Coast Guard reopened the Port of Houston on Thursday. More than 80% of oil output in the Gulf of Mexico and almost 3 million barrels a day of refining capacity had been shut ahead of the storm, causing a spike in gasoline futures prices earlier this week. Since then, prices have retreated. Aside from the storm impact, a persistent inventory overhang as the coronavirus depresses demand continues to cloud the outlook for a sustained rebound in prices. Theres still these competing inputs on the demand outlook, said John Kilduff, a partner at Again Capital LLC. Due to the hurricane, there is a big region where theres going to be a lack of demand as people shelter in place and business patterns get disrupted. In physical markets, Gulf Coast crudes are showing mixed signals after Lauras landfall. Mars Blend, a high-sulfur crude, dropped on Thursday to its narrowest premium against Nymex WTI futures since July, while Heavy and Light Louisiana Sweet crudes strengthened. Meanwhile, bookings for tankers to ship gasoline from Europe to the U.S. surged this week. So far, 13 tankers were booked to load gasoline in Europe with the U.S. listed as a destination, according to shipping fixtures compiled by Bloomberg. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. The Chief of Nzuozia who doubles as the Kyidomhene of Sefwi Wiawso in the Western North Region, has exposed the wicked agenda of the opposition National Democratic Congress against the State Housing Company. In an interview granted to Kwasi Aboagye on Neat FMs "Ghana Montie" morning show, Nana Kwame Adu-Afriyie emphasized that the opposition party is being disingenuous about the work done so far by SHC. You cannot just dig the ground with a pick axe to construct a building. Youll, by all means, do certain things to claim the lands before you build he said. He also debunked the assertion made by the NDC that Vice President Bawumia emphatically stated that the buildings have reached 20% completion; If the man (Bawumia), has said that the construction had reached 20% completion, I would have come to the Flagstaff (Jubilee) House to tell him that what he said was a lie. If he had said that, we, Nananom, we are passionate about this project since it means a lot to us, would have organized a press conference to tell the Government that they are deceiving us and that what they are saying is far from the truth. What he said, however, about the 20%, is on the basis that theyre through with clearing and theyve paid compensation. Out of the 100% of the entire project, 20% has been done. What falsehood has the man (Bawumia) peddled? the Chief asked. He urged Ghanaians to ignore politicians who have the penchant to peddle falsehoods against others for political capital, and also encouraged the political class to let the national interest be paramount in their endeavours. Exposing the NDC further, the Kyidomhene of Sefwi Wiawso said that Not long ago, before Bawumia delivered his speech, a kingpin in the NDC called me, and told me that the compensation being paid to the farmers, they (NDC) would want to dig into it for political capital. I called him and reminded him that the land we acquired was not in the name of the NPP, it was in the name of Ghana. Now if the Government says it is paying one cedi to farmers, because you are in opposition, you want to do politics with it The chief admonished the NDC to desist from their self-serving agenda of bastardizing the NPP just because they want to win power since they may face serious challenges in future if they come. The NDC, a few days after the NPP unveiled its infrastructural projects at its Results Fair which had Vice President Bawumia detailing the various projects the party in Government has achieved, went project hunting to ascertain the veracity or otherwise of the named projects and their respective locations. The NDC, led by Sammy Gyamfi, at a press conference said Vice President Bawumia peddled untruth with the claim that State Housing Company had started projects in Sefwi Wiawso. The chief of Nzuozia, in this interview with Kwasi Aboagye, confirmed what the Vice President said as the truth. Meanwhile, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has said that State Housing is being run more efficiently despite the fact that it has limited resources it is working with. In an exclusive interview on Peace FM's Kokrokoo morning show hosted by Kwami Sefa Kayi on Tuesday, August 25, 2020, the Vice President indicated that the management of State Housing Company has done a yeoman's job in running the outfit efficiently. "So far, they've done very well, State Housing, without any borrowing. They've done a lot of work, and a bit more capital could see them delivering more. It is amazing how efficient they have run the outfit now" the Vice President said to Sefa Kayi. In his belief, if State Housing Company is adequately funded, a lot more could be achieved. "They can build more houses, affordable ones, if we give them more" he stressed. The Vice President said that so far whatever monies State Housing Company is using are internally generated. It is upon the above that Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia believes that if more monies are given to S.H.C, a lot more would be achieved. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Navein Darshan By Express News Service With most filmmakers and screenwriters busy trying to come up with scripts that are reflective of the harsh reality of a world cowering under a pandemic, director-writer Jeff Wadlow, it seems, is going in the opposite direction. He assures he will continue doing what he does best: Making people escape reality through his cinema. I would never want my films to be removed of the feeling of escapist joy, he says. His recent film, Fantasy Island, is an example of that. Even the title of the film makes it clear to them what they are signing up for. I offer them fun, thrills and surprise. Setting and fulfilling those expectations keeps me going. With Fantasy Island getting its television premiere on &flix, PriveHD and Zee Cafe, this Sunday, heres the director-writer discussing the film and the role of technology in todays films. Except for Never Back Down, you have written all your films. Is it important for you that you write your own scripts? Not at all. One of the things I love about filmmaking is how it is a collaborative art form. I love working with writers and being surprised by them. Having said that, filmmaking is difficult and often necessitates that I write my scripts. I am not a director like Ridley Scott or Martin Scorsese to get the best scripts in Hollywood. If I wanted to add value to the material I direct, I have to roll up my sleeves and work on it as a writer. You wrote and produced Bloodshot, directed Kick-Ass 2 and also have comic book adaptations like He-Man Masters of the Universe and Danger Girl in your kitty. How challenging is it to satisfy comic book fans with adaptations? Servicing them is never a problem for me as I am a huge fan myself. When I wrote Masters of the Universe, Bloodshot or X Force, I wrote whatever I would want to see on the big screen as a fan. I still have the He-Man action figure I bought as a kid. In fact, I have a tower room in my house that has all my comic book and action figure collections. Given a choice, I would be making only comic book adaptations. With the pandemic playing spoilsport, when can we expect these projects to go into production? I wish I could answer that, but it is all in the hands of studios and financiers. My job as a storyteller is to keep working on scripts and make them better with my co-writers. I also have three-four top secret projects I cant tell you about now. So, let me just say that whenever a studio decides a project of mine is good to go into production, it will. A couple of commercially-successful projects of yours didnt quite find favour among critics. Sure, it is offputting to hear someone say they didnt like work I spent a year working on. I make films for the audience, but I keep reminding myself that part of the fun in watching a film is having an opinion. I remember walking out of certain films shouting, Oh, that was terrible! So it is natural that some people feel the same about my films too. However, as long as my films make the audience experience what I want them to, I think I have done my job. You were a successful short-film maker before you ventured into feature films. How useful has that experience been? I think it is a great way to practise and hone your craft. Many think that watching films equips them to become filmmakers, but it is an entirely different discipline. The difference is akin to watching a sport and playing it. Filmmaking is hard and takes much effort. The few people who have been fortunate to get feature film chances without having directed shorts often regret the directorial choices they make during their debut. There have been recent announcements of projects that have been made using virtual production. Do you see this in the future? Technology is ever-evolving, but we must remember that story is the most important aspect, and not the technology. Years ago, people were excited about 3D technology, and they thought it was the future. To answer your question, I do think virtual sets and virtual filmmaking will prevail. But no evolution of technology can replace the need for a great story. Homelessness cant be solved by just throwing money at the problem. The true answer is better coordination and collaboration, the citys Department of Human Services Director Melody Woosley said in a virtual town hall Thursday. It takes a community, agreed Morjoree White, the citys Homeless Services administrator. That could mean anything from an individual volunteering at a food bank to a business owner providing a job or the city funding affordable housing. The event, which was hosted by District 8 Councilman Manny Pelaez and included the city administrators, also featured Haven for Hopes president, Kenneth Wilson, and officers Art Hernandez and Scott Boehm from the Police Departments SAFFE Unit, which focuses on community crime problems. The officers also emphasized you cant just arrest away the problem. Residents were encouraged to call the Police Departments nonemergency number or a nonprofit such as Haven for Hope that specializes in the homeless population to get help for a homeless person. That help can include substance abuse programs, mental health treatment or sometimes just a warm meal and a safe place to sleep. White spoke about the importance and effectiveness of rapid rehousing, a model that gets a client into housing first and makes sure basic services and support are available. This can help put people in a different, safer environment where they could get needed intensive services that can lead to self-sufficiency. As a way of combating homelessness in the short term, the city has invested in rental and utility assistance to prevent people from being kicked out of their homes. Also, in conjunction with Haven for Hope, it has provided hotel rooms for homeless individuals at high risk of adverse consequences if they were to contract the coronavirus and to give the shelter more room at its main facilities to allow for better social distancing. A portion of the citys budget also is slated to go toward providing each of the citys districts a homeless outreach specialist to introduce those on the streets to services they may need. The city also is looking at longer-term solutions to prevent people from becoming homeless in the first place, such as workforce training. Pelaez hopes to invest more of the citys budget in this, even beyond Mayor Ron Nirenbergs proposed 1/8-cent sales tax to fund training and college degrees for those who lost their jobs because of the pandemic. Additionally, with many homeless women entering that situation due to domestic violence, Pelaez wants to make the city safer so women wont have to choose between a home and not being abused. Speakers at the town hall also urged the kind-hearted not to give change to panhandlers, but give food instead and to give money to a nonprofit that can help the homeless in the long term. But most importantly, the speakers said, San Antonians should approach the problem with compassion. Every person you see on the street who is without a house is a San Antonian, Pelaez said. The homeless are children, theyre parents theyre loved, Woosley said, noting these people have fallen on hard times but theyre humans and they deserve to live in a dignified way. To get help for a homeless person, call the citys Homeless Connection Hotline at 210-207-1799. Its open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Liz Hardaway is a staff writer covering San Antonio government and politics. To read more from Liz, become a subscriber. liz.hardaway@hearst.com | Twitter: @liz_hardaway The Director-General of State Interests and Governance Authority (SIGA), Mr. Stephen Asamoah Boateng, has disclosed that his outfit will work hard to ensure that state entities gain profit for the government. According to him, his outfit has put prudent measures in place to regulate and monitor activities of all state entities. Since I took over in 2017, many of the state agencies have gained a lot of profit as compared to previous years, this means we are working very hard. Lack of transparency and supervision of State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) had contributed to the mess in the country in past times, Mr. Stephen Asamoah Boateng told Kwaku Owusu Adjei on Pae Mu Ka on Accra-based Kingdom FM 107.7 Mr. Asamoah Boatengs mandate also requires him to protect state institutions and as such, he is ready to go all lengths to protect the state interests. He stressed that, even though he may be friends with many of the Directors and CEOs of state-owned businesses, he discharges his duties without fear or favour and holds all accountable. ---KingdomfmOnline Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov has paid his first official visit to Moscow. He held meetings with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Averchuk and Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Ilyas Umakhanov. At the press conference, Lavrov said that the sides discussed all aspects of our bilateral ties from the viewpoint of strategic partnership and exchanged opinions on regional and international topics, as well as our collaboration in multilateral organisations. "We pointed out the truly all-embracing nature of our interaction, where the tune is set by President of Russia Vladimir Putin and President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev," he said. Lavrov said that Russia will support Azerbaijani in receiving SCO observer status. The minister also said that Russia-Azerbaijan mutual trade has increased even despite the coronavirus infection. The Russian minister noted that he and Nayramov discussed the Nagorno-Karabakh issue "in great detail." "As I understand, we aim to continue the peace process. In this sense, it is important to provide the required atmosphere for launching a stable and sustainable negotiating process. Of course, this is not for the sake of the talks themselves, but this aims to resolve the Karabakh question by peaceful means. In turn, Russia as a nation and as one of the three co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, will facilitate the creation of such conditions in every way possible," Lavrov said. "Under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmanship, together with the parties - Armenia and Azerbaijan, numerous documents have been developed with varying detalization degree in approaches, but common in their main goal - to solve the problem on the basis of the principles enshrined in the UN Charter and the OSCE Helsinki Final Act. The basis is quite serious, and it would be sad to lose it," the Russian top diplomat said. After the meeting with Lavrov, Bayramov said that the negotiations over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict "must be substantive rather than an imitation of the negotiation process." "I would like to emphasize Azerbaijan's constructive position in the process of negotiations on the settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. For almost 30 years, despite the occupation of 20 per cent of Azerbaijani lands by Armenia, Azerbaijan continues to participate in the negotiation process," the minister said. Bayramov also met with Russian Deputy Prime Minister, co-chair of the Azerbaijan-Russia Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation Alexei Overchuk to discuss mutual investments, including investments of Russian companies in engineering, pharmaceuticals, railways and other fields. It was noted that the commissioning of the North-South transport corridor and a new bridge over the Samur River, which are of special importance for the development of economic and trade relations, will give impetus to mutual relations. Furthermore, the sides expressed satisfaction with the comprehensive cooperation in various fields between Azerbaijan and Russia. The implementation of the agreements reached during the meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation in June 2020, as well as the implementation of roadmaps for various cooperation areas was also the topic of the discussion. Cooperation in the humanitarian, cultural and educational spheres were also discussed at the meeting as the sides emphasized the importance of expanding inter-regional cooperation and holding events to promote this cooperation. At the meeting with Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation Ilyas Umakhanov, Bayramov stressed that relations between the countries are at the highest level, and expressed gratitude for the invitation to visit the Federation Council. The sides exchanged views on various aspects of successfully developing relations between the two countries, as well as stressed the high level of inter-parliamentary cooperation. The sides stressed that the mutual trust between the presidents of the two countries, as well as mutual visits, gave an impetus to further strengthen the bilateral relations. In this regard, the success achieved within the official visit of the Azerbaijani first vice president to the Russian Federation last year was especially stressed. While referring to the legal basis of cooperation between the two countries, in this context, the documents on friendship and strategic cooperation of 1997 and 2008 were especially stressed. Touching upon the issues of cooperation at the international level, the sides exchanged the views on expanding the mutually beneficial ties within the Parliamentary Assemblies of the OSCE, CIS and other organizations. The sides also discussed the issues of cooperation between the two countries in the humanitarian, cultural fields and in the field of education. While speaking about the steps taken to evacuate citizens from both countries within the fight against the pandemic, the sides stressed the importance of mutual assistance and solidarity in the current situation. About two weeks before the 2018 midterm elections, President Trump told then-Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and White House staffers that "extreme action" was needed to keep migrants from entering the United States at the southern border, and later that day, a shocking suggestion was made, two former officials told The New York Times. During a meeting with top leaders of the Department of Homeland Security, officials from Customs and Border Protection suggested deploying the Active Denial System, a microwave weapon known as a "heat ray" that was designed by the military to disperse crowds. When its invisible beams hit a person's skin, it feels like it is being burned. The Times notes that the heat ray is rarely used now questions about its effectiveness and whether it's moral to deploy. The former officials told the Times people in the room were shocked by the suggestion, and after the meeting, Nielsen told an aide she would not authorize use of such a device and it must never be mentioned in her presence again. It's unclear if Trump knew about the proposal. A Homeland Security spokesman told the Times on Wednesday the suggestion was "never considered." Most of the Trump administration's policies have been slammed by immigration advocates, including the separation of migrant children from their parents, the lowering of the annual cap for refugees, and the travel bans on predominantly Muslim countries. More stories from theweek.com 7 scathingly funny cartoons about the Republican National Convention That 'famous' Lincoln quote in Lara Trump's RNC speech? He never said it. New jobless claims decline but stay above 1 million CHICAGO, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- As a result of the pandemic, one in four children may face hunger, reaching an all-time high in child food insecurity in our nation. Today, Feeding America, the nation's largest domestic hunger-relief organization, announced an additional $3.5 million grant from Morgan Stanley to help member food banks support households with children living in communities hardest hit by hunger. This contribution brings the donations by Morgan Stanley and its employees to more than $10.6 million for Feeding America's COVID-19 Response Fund and other food bank programs since March. Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, 26% of Black children and 18% of Latino children lived in a food insecure household, compared to 12% of white children. Feeding America estimates that an additional 6.8 million children could face hunger in 2020 as a result of this crisis for a total of 18 million children. To address this issue, more than 50 Feeding America member food banks focusing on child hunger in counties considerably afflicted by COVID-19 will receive grants from Morgan Stanley. Food banks will work with local community partners, such as school districts, health care clinics and housing authority complexes, to reach more households with children and respond more effectively in communities of color. "We at Feeding America understand that we must build trust with diverse communities that are disproportionately affected by hunger in order to effectively address their needs," said Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, CEO of Feeding America. "With Morgan Stanley's support, several of our member food banks will have the resources to deepen relationships with community partners who reach our most vulnerable populations. We are grateful for Morgan Stanley's generous investment, which will help food banks focus on integrating equity in the work they do for communities in need." Feeding America will support member food banks in their efforts to better serve communities of color by providing cultural competence and equity training. In addition, the organization will help food banks identify community advocates and build connections with trusted local organizations to understand how they can more effectively reach and assist families experiencing food insecurity. "Morgan Stanley and our Foundations have been dedicated to giving children a healthy start to life and fighting food insecurity is a crucial part of that commitment," said Joan Steinberg, Global Head of Philanthropy at Morgan Stanley. "Communities of color have been hit hardest by the pandemic, so we are especially proud to support Feeding America in their efforts to deliver vital food services to families around the country who need it most." Morgan Stanley has a long-standing commitment to helping communities facing hunger and has donated more than $37 million to the Feeding America network in the last decade. The Feeding America network serves more than 40 million people each year, including more than 12 million children. For more information on Feeding America's child hunger efforts, visit https://www.feedingamerica.org/hunger-in-america/child-hunger-facts. About Feeding America Feeding America is the largest hunger-relief organization in the United States. Through a network of 200 food banks and 60,000 food pantries and meal programs, we provide meals to more than 40 million people each year. Feeding America also supports programs that prevent food waste and improve food security among the people we serve; educates the public about the problem of hunger; and advocates for legislation that protects people from going hungry. Visit www.feedingamerica.org , find us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter . Press Contact Zuani Villarreal at [email protected] or 312.641.6532 SOURCE Feeding America Related Links http://www.feedingamerica.org Thuingaleng Muivah : is referred to as master betrayer right from his joining NNC in 1964. He is a Tangkhul Naga from Somdal (Shongran) village in Ukhrul district of Manipur. There have been two parallel groups in NNC - one, the group led by T. Sakhrie supporting Naga solution under constitution and the other, the group led by hard-core Phizo dreaming complete secession of Nagaland from the country. Sakhrie was the founder Secretary of NNC and Phizo was its third Chairman, both from same village - Khonoma. In 1955, T.Sakhrie, J.B.Jasokie and Sillie resigned from NNC due to differences from Phizo. Phizo got T.Sakhrie killed in January 1956. J.B. Jasokie went hiding and surfaced when Assam Rifles guarded him. Phizo escaped to London in December 1956 under the patronage of Rev. Michael Scott - the British missionary via East Pakistan now Bangladesh to avoid arrest. Th. Muivah joined NNC in 1964 and became its General Secretary in 1965. When Lal Bahadur Shastri was Prime Minister of India, the Ceasefire Agreement (Agreement for Suspension of Operation - AGSOP) was signed by Vishnu Sahay, Governor of Nagaland on behalf of government of India while Zashei Huire, Biseto Medom and L. Zhenito signed on behalf of NNC/FGN on September 6,1964. Indira Gandhi took over charge as Prime Minister of India in Jan 1966 and held six rounds of talks at Prime Ministerial level. She was almost prepared to give anything less sovereignty. But it was Muivah who betrayed the dialogue. And thus the ceasefire was abrogated in 1967. The security forces chased the Muivah's militants thereafter. The leaders like Dr. Hokishe Sema, Dr. SC Jamir, Chief Minister T.N.Angami and a group of sensible leaders from Nagaland advised the Muivah's 'mad' men to come to senses and understand the furious Indira if they want to save their lives. The liberal group of NNC angry on Muivah for killing T.Sakhrie and threatening liberal leaders like JB Jasokie etc. were spying for security forces against Muivah's gun men. Hundreds of hard-core militants lick dust. Hundreds of them were caught. Still, hundreds of them surrendered. In 1972, NNC was banned. The extensive flush-out operation was started by army. NNC was almost finished. In 1975, Shillong Accord was signed between Governor LP Singh and top-ranking NNC leaders including none less than Kevi Yallie - Phizo's soul brother. It was agreed to find the solution under the constitution. Muivah betrayed again. He disagreed with the Shillong Accord 1975 and defected from NNC and formed National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN) in 1980 with Maoism as its political philosophy. Prior to this he was shouting "hallelujah" and "Nagaland for Christ" at the top of his voice more than a missionary. He converted Nagas in American Christianity at gun point to establish Christian solidarity with America, Britain and other Christian countries and, thereby, extracted maximum advantage from them. After defection, the Church was with Phizo group of NNC and Muivah adopted Chinese communism (Maoism). Now, same Muivah started shouting in same pitch - "Religion is a poisonous pill" and "Nagaland for Communist". On hearing this from once faithful missionary Muivah; USA, UK and patron Christian countries were alarmed. The string of Nagaland Church was pulled by USA and UK combine for not controlling derailed and distrustful Muivah. The Nagaland Church realised the grave danger of Muivah having been converted as Chinese Communist. To save the face, the Church opposed the Muivah's NSCN and there was a big fight between NSCN (armed wing of Chinese Communist) and NNC (armed wing of Church) in 1980 when Muivah returned from China along with his AK- 47 wielding rapacious militants. Mon and Tuensang were the battlefield of NNC and NSCN representing Church and Communist respectively. More than 300 churches were burnt and more than 100 reverends and missionaries were assassinated by NSCN within few months in Mon and Tuensang districts of Nagaland. The security forces were in alert position. The league of western Christian countries led by USA and UK were bemused. They disowned Muivah and his communist cronies. Indian jawans kept on watching this snake-mongoose fight. Muivah was cleverly placing his Tangkhul confidants at all the important posts of NSCN and its armed wing. He murdered thousands of non-Tangkhul innocent Naga people from Nagaland including prominent leaders in NNC, FGN (armed wing of NNC) and political leaders for not supporting his Chinese agenda. He never touched any Tangkhul person - prominent or ordinary. For seven times, Muivah attempted on the life of Dr. Hokishe Sema - a giant Naga leader who brought Nagaland from Foreign Ministry to Home Ministry in 1972 and surrendered over 2000 terrorists in same year including their leaders with their Chinese weapons. Dr. SC Jamir - another Naga leader par excellence and an architect of modern Nagaland who made Muivah's NSCN lick dust, was fatally attacked four times by NSCN terrorists. Fortunately, both the Naga leaders - Dr. Hokishe Sema and Dr. SC Jamir escaped Muivah's bullets all the times. There was a simmering anger against whole of the Tangkhul community for Muivah's selective killings of non-Tangkhul leaders. Angamis were killed in Kohima, Aos were killed in Mokokchung, Semas were killed in Zunheboto, Konyaks were killed in Mon and Sangtam/Chang/Phom/Yimchunger were killed in Tuensang and Chakhesangs were killed in Phek - their home districts. By whom? Tangkhuls - the outsider community from Manipur causing havoc in Nagaland. During the year 2000, a quit notice was served to all the Tangkhuls living in Nagaland by Nagas of Nagaland. Many Tangkhuls were killed, many ran away from Nagaland to save their lives and others remained indoor in their houses for months. In the year 2001, Wangrung Tangkhul village - 3 km from Dimapur town was surrounded by over 5000 Sema Naga public in broad day light and burnt down all the fifty Tangkhul houses of the village. Scores of NSCN armed leaders ran away without firing a single bullet. Almost all the Tangkhul houses - though pucca, were destroyed, most of them fully, few partially. The Tangkhul ladies ran helter - skelter to escape the wrath of attacking Sema Nagas. Tension brewed throughout Nagaland. Muivah was in the centre of this social chaos. He was cursed by one and all. The special services were organised in all the churches to pray for saving Nagaland from Maoist Muivah. When Muivah found himself ditched by Church and Christian countries and China was not able to help NSCN upto his expectation, he retreated from Maoism and started shouting "hallelujah" again with a Bible in one hand and AK-47 in the other. A Tangkhul reverend of Tangkhul Baptist Church Kohima was perturbed to notice the terrorist image of Tangkhul community because of few Tangkhul leaders like Th. Muivah and VS Atem - army chief of NSCN-IM. He voiced his concern while speaking in Tangkhul church Kohima. It was reported in Nagaland media next day. This was enough to infuriate Muivah. Within a week, that Tangkhul reverend was ambushed on Kohima town - Kohima Science College road. He was badly wounded. Thank God that he was a Tangkhul person otherwise he would have been killed. In 2004, there was big assembly of his supporters in his Hebron camp. People from Manipur were also brought over in dozens of buses. While speaking in the congregation, Muivah chanted "hallelujah" and "praise the Lord" every five minutes. The Communist Muivah shouted repeatedly - Praise the Lord, Thank the Lord. The people in the assembly were stunned to notice his hippocracy and Father Thomas Lotha could not hold him back. He stood up and told Muivah - "Bible and bullet cannot go together. Either give up violence and preach Bible or continue your path of violence and give up Bible preaching. Both cannot go together". Muivah did not expect this. He remained speechless. This happened when over 5000 people had assembled and Muivah and his gang were parroting sovereignty --- sovereignty ---sovereignty. At the end, people left Hebron camp disheartened and disenchanted. In June 2001, he managed Central Government and got ceasefire extended in Naga inhabited areas of Manipur and 18 Meitei people were killed by police force when the Imphal town was filled with opposing Manipuris and the sea of subjects went violent. Manipuris including Tangkhuls cursed Muivah for this genocide. When the Framework Agreement was signed on August 3, 2015 by him - Muivah and R.N. Ravi, the interlocutor, there was jubilation in Nagaland. Naga people thought that now the final solution is sure to come because Prime Minister Narendra Modi was involved along with Home Minister Rajnath Singh and NSA Ajit Doval. After 5 years of wait and 23 years of talk, when Central Government has started moving to solve the problem, once for all, the master betrayer Muivah has again started playing trick and trying to sabotage the final solution. He has started spreading canard against interlocutor R.N. Ravi. He has written to Prime Minister with a request to replace Ravi from the post of Interlocutor because Ravi is the man whom Muivah fears most. This step of Muivah is severely condemned by all section of Nagas and several Naga organisations have also written to Prime Minister to retain Ravi as Interlocutor. Till the date, Ravi still holds the post. (Hotovi Sema is independent researcher from Dimapur, Nagaland) This is the Kenosha police officer accused of shooting Jacob Blake at least eight times in the back, as the father-of-six is now paralyzed from the waist down after his body was riddled with bullets, DailyMail.com can reveal. Officer Rusten Sheskey, 31, has been identified as the officer who is seen on video grabbing Blake's shirt from behind and opening fire on Blake, 29, in front of his three young sons on Sunday night in Wisconsin. Luke Courtier, 27, was also at the scene during the shooting. While Courtier only joined the Kenosha Police Department in 2016, Sheskey is a seven-and-a-half-year veteran of the force. He previously worked for the University of Wisconsin Parkside's campus police for three years. According to records, Sheskey makes just under $70,000 a year and was disciplined in March 2017 for a violation of the force's Safe Operation of Department Vehicles, stemming from an incident in September 2016. He was suspended without pay for one day. Officer Rusten Sheskey, 31, has been identified as the officer who is seen on video grabbing Blake's shirt from behind and opening fire on Blake, 29, in front of his three young sons on Sunday night in Wisconsin Jacob Blake, is now paralyzed from the waist down after his body was riddled with bullets, his father says. Blake is pictured above being treated just moments after the shooting The police shooting of Blake in front of his three young sons has led to two nights of violent unrest in the city that is located between Milwaukee and Chicago He was also named in a lawsuit filed against the Kenosha PD last January, where a man alleged officers wrongfully used a no knock search warrant to detain him, claiming cops violated his rights and intended to do bodily harm while armed. Meanwhile, according to a now deleted social media post, an account seemingly belonging to Courtier had criticized the protests against the death of Dontre Hamilton, a black man who was shot dead by police in Milwaukee in 2014. Courtier allegedly wrote: Really???? This is pathetic. It was a good shot, get over it already. Speaking to Kenosha News last year, Sheskey said he had always wanted to be a police officer, adding that his grandfather had been on the city's force for 33 years. The identification of Sheskey comes as Blake's tearful mother made a heartbreaking plea to 'examine your hearts' in the wake of protesting and rioting in Kenosha over the shooting. Earlier on Tuesday, Blake's father, who is also named Jacob Blake, told the Chicago Sun-Times that his son has 'eight holes' in his body and is paralyzed from the waist down. Doctors do not yet know if the paralysis will be permanent, as Blake is currently in a stable condition at the hospital after undergoing surgery. Luke Courtier, 27, (left, on the left) was also at the scene during the shooting. While Courtier only joined the Kenosha Police Department in 2016, Sheskey (right) is a seven-and-a-half-year veteran of the force. He previously worked for the University of Wisconsin Parkside's campus police for three years Meanwhile, according to a now deleted social media post, an account seemingly belonging to Courtier (pictured) had criticized the protests against the death of Dontre Hamilton, a black man who was shot dead by police in Milwaukee in 2014 According to records, Sheskey (second from the right) makes just under $70,000 a year and was disciplined in March 2017 for a violation of the force's Safe Operation of Department Vehicles, stemming from an incident in September 2016. He was suspended without pay for one day Sheskey was also named in a lawsuit filed against the Kenosha PD last January, where a man alleged officers wrongfully used a no knock search warrant to detain him, claiming cops violated his rights and intended to do bodily harm while armed It doesn't appear that Courtier (pictured) opened fire on Blake but was at the scene On Monday night a second video emerged, which offers a different angle from the initial cellphone footage, and appears to show Blake wrestling with officers in the lead up to the shooting. Both videos capture Blake walking to the driver's side of his SUV and opening the door when the officer started shooting. Blake's father said he learned Sunday night that officers had shot his son and that he saw the now-viral cellphone video of the incident online just a few minutes later. Blake's father is driving from Charlotte, North Carolina to Wisconsin to be by his son's side in hospital. 'What justified all those shots?' his father said. 'What justified doing that in front of my grandsons? What are we doing? 'I want to put my hand on my son's cheek and kiss him on his forehead, and then I'll be OK. I'll kiss him with my mask. The first thing I want to do is touch my son.' After the first video went viral on social media, a second cellphone video emerged that appeared to show Blake wrestling with at least two officers beside the SUV prior to the shooting. Blake managed to break free and was shown in the video walking to the driver's side of his SUV. Both videos show the moment Blake walked from the sidewalk around the front of his SUV to his driver-side door while officers followed him with their guns pointed as they shouted at him. As Blake opened the door and leaned into the SUV where his three children - aged 8, 5 and 3 - were, an officer grabbed his shirt from behind and opened fire while Blake had his back turned. At least seven shots could be heard. The officers involved have since been placed on administrative leave, which is standard practice in a shooting by police. Authorities released no details about the officers. Kenosha police do not have body cameras but do have body microphones. A second cellphone video that emerged later appeared to show Blake wrestling with two officers beside the SUV prior to the shooting Blake and at least two officers were filmed wrestling with each other on the pavement near his SUV, according to this second video The man who said he made the initial cellphone video, 22-year-old Raysean White, said he saw Blake scuffling with three officers and heard them yell: 'Drop the knife! Drop the knife!' before the gunfire erupted. He said he didn't see a knife in Blake's hands. White said that before the gunfire, he looked out his window and saw six or seven women shouting at each other on the sidewalk. A few moments later, Blake drove up in his SUV and told his son, who was standing nearby, to get in the vehicle, according to White. White said Blake did not say anything to the women. White said he left the window for a few minutes, and when he came back, saw three officers wrestling with Blake. One punched Blake in the ribs, and another used a stun gun on him, White said. He said Blake got free and started walking away as officers yelled about a knife. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, representing Blake's family, said Blake was 'simply trying to do the right thing by intervening in a domestic incident.' Police did not immediately confirm either man's account. They did say, however, confirm they were responding to a call about a domestic dispute when they encountered Blake. The images above show the moments leading up to the shooting. Blake (seen in the white shirt) walks away from a police officer who has his gun drawn and is ordering him to stop Donnell and Tamika Lauderdale were spotted washing the blood off the road on Monday after Blake was shot a day earlier Blake's partner, Laquisha Booker, told WTMJ-TV that the couple's three children were in the back seat of the SUV when police shot him. 'That man just literally grabbed him by his shirt and looked the other way and was just shooting him. With the kids in the back screaming. Screaming,' Booker said. According to online records, Kenosha County prosecutors recently charged Blake with third-degree sexual assault, trespassing, and disorderly conduct in connection with domestic abuse Blake's father told the Chicago Sun Times that his son also has three other children. Anger over the shooting spilled into the streets of Kenosha for a second night on Monday, with police again firing tear gas at hundreds of protesters who defied a curfew, threw bottles and shot fireworks at law enforcement guarding the courthouse. Crump, who has also represented the families of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, said Blake's family has asked that demonstrations in response to his shooting remain peaceful. 'They don't believe violence to be the solution,' he said. The shooting drew condemnation from Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, who also called out 125 members of the National Guard on Monday after protesters set cars on fire, smashed windows and clashed with officers in riot gear the previous night. The governor said he has seen no information to suggest Blake had a knife or other weapon, but that the case is still being investigated by the state Justice Department. Evers was quick to condemn the bloodshed, saying that while not all details were known 'what we know for certain is that he is not the first Black man or person to have been shot or injured or mercilessly killed at the hands of individuals in law enforcement in our state or our country.' Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden said the officers 'must be held accountable.' Anger over the shooting spilled into the streets of Kenosha for a second night on Monday, with police again firing tear gas at hundreds of protesters who defied a curfew Demonstrators throw tear gas back at law enforcement on August 24. Hours into the curfew, the mostly peaceful demonstration turned violent. Commercial and government buildings were set ablaze, along with vehicles in car dealership lots Law enforcement officers face angry crowds during a second night of unrest in the wake of the shooting of Jacob Blake Police attempt to push back protesters outside the Kenosha County Courthouse late on Monday Protestores took turns posing in front of a burning garbage truck during a second night of unrest in the wake of the shooting of Jacob Blake by police officers A city garbage truck burns during a second night of unrest in the wake of the shooting of Jacob Blake by police officers, in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Monday Republicans and the police union accused the politicians of rushing to judgment, reflecting the deep partisan divide in Wisconsin, a key presidential battleground state. Wisconsin GOP members decried the violent protests, echoing the law-and-order theme that President Donald Trump has been using in his reelection campaign. The shooting drew condemnation from Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, who also called out 125 members of the National Guard on Monday after protesters set cars on fire, smashed windows and clashed with officers in riot gear the previous night 'As always, the video currently circulating does not capture all the intricacies of a highly dynamic incident,' Pete Deates, president of the Kenosha police union, said in a statement. He called the governor's statement 'wholly irresponsible.' Details have since emerged about Blake's criminal past, including a recent arrest for sexual assault. According to online records, Kenosha County prosecutors charged Blake with third-degree sexual assault, trespassing, and disorderly conduct in connection with domestic abuse. It was unclear whether that case had anything to do with the shooting. In 2015, Blake was also charged with resisting arrest and carrying a concealed weapon after he pulled a gun at a local bar in Racine. Blake's grandfather, Jacob Blake Sr., was a prominent minister and civil rights leader in the Chicago area who helped organize a march and spoke in support of a comprehensive housing law in Evanston, Illinois, days after the 1968 slaying of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Rachel Noerdlinger, publicist for the National Action Network, told The Associated Press that the Rev. Al Sharpton spoke on Monday to Blake's father, who called the civil rights leader for his support. Blake's father will speak at Sharpton's March on Washington commemoration on Friday, Noerdlinger said. Karissa Lewis, national field director of Movement for Black Lives, a coalition of more than 150 Black-led organizations that make up the broader Black Lives Matter movement, said the shooting was yet another example of why activists have called for defunding police departments. 'There's no amount of training or reform that can teach a police officer that it's wrong to shoot a Black man in the back seven times while his children watch,' Lewis said. The letters 'BLM' are emblazoned in blood-red paint on the outside of a vandalized jewelry store in downtown Kenosha One local business hit particularly hard by the unruly scenes was Car Source, a local automobile dealership The interior of a burned out restaurant is seen on Monday after a night of unrest in Kenosha, Wisconsin Kenosha residents woke Monday morning to broken and charred storefronts, with dozens of cars and trucks in the street burnt out, such as this one above Protesters hold signs supporting Black Lives Matter during a demonstration in front of the Kenosha County Court House on Monday Erdogan urges Turks to sell foreign currency for liras Azerbaijan not yet returned about 300 sheep of Armenia villager Media: Israeli President thinks about visiting Turkey Dollar quite stable in Armenia Trade turnover between Ukraine and Armenia increases by 24% Armenia legislature speaker meets with of International Republican Institute president, and director for Eurasia Kremlin does not exclude new call between Putin and Biden EU Special Representative for South Caucasus to soon visit Armenia, Azerbaijan State Duma discusses work of biolaboratories near Russia's borders US lawmakers to parliament speaker: Armenian POWs must be returned to their homeland immediately Security Council chief: Armenia expects OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs to visit region Armenia government does not approve plan to considerably raise minimum wage Turkish FM: Armenian representatives invited to diplomatic forum in Antalya Twitter suspends Mexican billionaire's account over offensive behavior Armenian PM says Omicron strain is slowly spreading Azerbaijan says it supports launching border delimitation process with Armenia with no conditions Zakharova speaks on Aliyev's visit to Kyiv Zakharova does not comment on Azerbaijan president's threats against France presidential candidate for her Artsakh visit Cavusoglu: Steps to increase mutual trust will be discussed at next meeting with Armenia US gives go-ahead to Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia to send missiles and other American-made weapons to Ukraine Zakharova: Russia, as OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair, supports continuation of work in this format Cyber attack on Red Cross: data of over 515,000 people compromised Pashinyan: UK has been strong partner of newly independent Armenia Israel hopes UN will unanimously condemn Holocaust denial Armenia, Ukraine depositories sign memorandum of cooperation Azerbaijan advises Armenia to correctly assess the new geopolitical realities and draw conclusions Australia, UK to fight back against cyberattacks from China, Russia and Iran Protesting residents of Armenias Parakar community march to territorial administration ministry Armenia government approves protocol on implementation of readmission agreement with Lithuania Iran suspends gas supplies to Turkey MFA: Armenia has no preconditions for border delimitation 621 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia Paris to have place named after Hrant Dink Armenias Parakar enlarged community residents protesting outside government building Turkey opposition party MPs petition for parliamentary inquiry into Hrant Dink assassination France, Germany, Italy and Spain call on Israel to halt construction in East Jerusalem Armenia parliament speaker in US, meets with Nancy Pelosi Iranian MFA: Relations between Iran and Russia have moved into a new diverse, intensified direction Biden says invasion of Ukraine will be disaster for Russia Newspaper: Armenia PM Pashinyan plans to hold Presidents office Newspaper: Opposition Armenia bloc, led by ex-President Kocharyan, starting new processes Taliban PM calls on Muslim countries to be first to formally recognize their government Saudi Arabia records lowest temperature in 30 years Erdogan's visit to Ukraine scheduled for February 3 Russian peacekeeping contingent establishes order of passage through Lachin corridor French Senate votes to ban hijab at sporting events Armenian FM: All necessary conditions to be created for Demarcation Commission work Olaf Scholz: Borders in Europe cannot be changed by force Lavrov presents Armenian Ambassador to Russia, with the Order of Friendship Bill Gates warns of pandemics far more serious than COVID-19 FM on mirror withdrawal of troops: Not a single Armenian village will be left without proper protection Macron: EU countries must work together on agreement for stability and security PM Pashinyan assumes accountability for Armenia special representative for negotiations with Turkey Turkey Central banks and UAE sign agreement worth almost $5 billion Blinken: Western countries need unity to stop Russian aggression against Ukraine Iranian President performs evening namaz in Kremlin after talks with Putin Turkish police detain women protesting price hikes in hygiene products Delegation headed by Chief of the Cypriot National Guard General Staff has meetings in Armenia Merkel refuses job in UN structure Greece receives the first batch of French Rafale fighters NEWS.am daily digest: 19.01.22 Azerbaijan hopes Pope to mediate in relations with Armenia Talks between presidents of Russia and Iran start in Kremlin Armenian FM: This is not first time Baku makes nonconstructive statements Armenian Investigative Committee: 3,809 people die in the 44-day war Ombudsman: I urge not to give in to Azerbaijani manipulations, to visit Artsakh Armenian FM: Armenia passes a package of proposals to Azerbaijan France names the main favorite of presidential election Garo Paylan concludes address in Turkey parliament in Armenian Russian Foreign Ministry believes there is no risk of large-scale war in Europe Dollar goes up in Armenia Sharmazanov: Armenia ex-President Sargsyan did not decide to hold press conference, he did not change his mind Blinken: Russia has plans to increase force on Ukraine borders : Azerbaijani military participate in Turkish drills Taliban say all conditions for recognizing legitimacy of government are met Azerbaijan MFA statement distorts events of Armenian massacres in Baku 32 years ago Karabakh ombudsmans office: Azerbaijans anti-Armenian, genocidal policy has clear chronology US official, Barzani are photographed against backdrop of Greater Armenia and Kurdistan map Armenia ex-defense minister, army General Staff chief, some others criminal case court hearing kicks off FM: Most important direction continues to be international recognition of Artsakh Armenia revenue committee chief on opening of Turkey border: Shall we live with closed borders? In fear? US selects Los Angeles to host Summit of the Americas in summer 2022 Karabakh Foreign Minister: Return of refugees can only be like mirror Iranian president arrives on official visit to Moscow All CSTO peacekeepers leaves Kazakhstan Artsakh Foreign Minister: Unacceptable to bracket NKAO and NKR together Karabakh FM: Format of OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs' visits needs to be restored Media: Air communication between Turkey and Armenia will start on February 2 Artsakh FM: Azerbaijan attack on Karabakh will mean attack on Russia Gold prices hardly change American professor angers Erdogan's son-in-law Hovhannes Khachatryan is elected Armenia Central Bank Deputy Governor 15 years pass since Hrant Dink assassination 563 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia Guterres offers Merkel job at UN Armenian church revamped in Iran World oil prices going up Newspaper: ECHR rulings increase after Armenia revolution in 2018 Newspaper: Armenia ex-President Sargsyan to give interview instead of press conference ORANGE Ronnie Fregia is a good neighbor, so he spent Thursday morning helping his friend Mike Lowe rebuild the front wall of his insurance business along Texas 87. As claims go, Lowes was on the lighter side after Laura came and went with little of the coastal calamity forecasters predicted. This is just some wind damage, it could have been a whole lot worse for a lot of people, Fregia, a homebuilder, said as he sized up reattaching the wall. East Texas was mostly spared the sucker-punch Hurricane Laura instead delivered to Louisiana, which state officials credited to luck and local planning efforts that readied resources and got many of the most vulnerable out of harms way. We dodged a bullet, Gov. Greg Abbott said after an aerial tour and meeting with federal, state and local officials. Now Playing: Drone footage of Lake Charles, Louisiana, after Hurricane Laura on Aug. 27, 2020. Video: Houston Chronicle Damage was worst inside Orange city limits where utility crews and locals armed with chainsaws Thursday made logs out of downed trees that pulled power lines with them. Areas close to the Sabine River also found streets flooded but passable by pickup. For most, the storms effect came down to whether a tree fell or whether wind got a good head start on a weak spot in the glass or wall. George Lambing wasnt shocked to find a tree hit his garage when he returned to Orange. His wife foretold it. Yall are going to think Im crazy, but Im not, Teresa Fulcher-Welch said, noting days ago she dreamed a tree would hit the house. So with Lambing on recovery team duty at a nearby chemical plant she skipped town to Oklahoma days ago and headed back early Thursday morning. It wasnt her first time having a premonition protect her. The couple bought flood insurance three years and 45 days ago less than seven weeks before Harvey put a foot of water inside their house at Fulcher-Welchs sudden urging. The $400 or so dollars saved them thousands, Lambing said. This time theyre likely on the hook for more of the cost, but counting their blessings. One of the two toppled trees punched through the garage roof but not the house. A huge limb broke off indoors and landed inches from Lambings prized BMW M3, which appeared untouched. Another branch punctured the overhang. Leaves and tiny branches spread across the back deck like someone set off a shrubbery grenade. Two-thirds of Orange County was without power, County Judge John Gothia said, among an estimated 160,000 cut off by storm damaged electrical lines. Relative to the recovery needs east of the border, even some of the most affected were shrugging off some of the lingering effects of Laura. Elton Robert rode out the storm with his dog Bruce, four blocks from the Sabine River that officials worried would overflow into Orange. The river rose and entered Roberts neighborhood, but not his small rental house. A foot of water on the stoop and no power wasnt enough to shake Roberts spirits. Ive rode out every storm, this one wasnt so bad, he said as Bruce bounced around his knees and he reached down to tussle with him. You rode out the storm, good boy. Moments later, it was as if the storm was a blessing for Bruce. A half-deflated beach ball floated by. Robert kicked it and Bruce gave chase, latching his new toy and dragging it back into the haunch-high water. Get it, Robert urged, the gray cloudy sky behind him starting to show a hint of blue. Galveston gets moving On the Houston side of the massive storm warnings heralding Lauras landfall for the past four days, people found themselves in a much more fortunate place. Galvestonians, who have long memories of violent storms such as Hurricane Ike in 2008, breathed a sigh of relief. On Thursday afternoon, many Bolivar residents had not yet returned to their homes, but Lee Crowder, a road administrator for Galveston County, sat in a pickup truck on the beach assessing the damage. He said no houses or structures were damaged but estimated the peninsula lost roughly half of its dunes. The debris and trash present a difficult challenge for Crowder and his team as the state and county have regulations preventing bulldozers from plowing through the sand due to coastal erosion. Were trying to figure that out now, he said. Might just end up having to handpick the litter off the beach. Kenneth Nutt walked the beach from a second home in Crystal Beach that he is days away from closing. Nutt, a Tomball resident, hopped on the first ferry to Bolivar on Thursday to make sure his new investment was still intact. All good, even the grass wasnt wet, he said. On Seawall Boulevard, the high tide had receded from its peak of about 3 feet above normal levels and the surf had calmed down significantly. There was even enough of a beach for dog walkers to stroll. Brian Jarvis stood on that narrow strip of beach Thursday morning filming the surf conditions to post clips on Facebook. Came down yesterday at 11 a.m. and filmed it because my friends were going out surfing, Jarvis said. By 7 p.m. there was a 12 to 15 foot sea out there. Jarvis, a surf instructor, said he stayed behind in Galveston because he says he knew all along the storm wouldnt be much of a threat. Believe it or not Ive already got bookings for this weekend, he said. Resilience needed Weather helped when forecasts of severe surges and havoc-causing winds didnt materialize on the Texas side of the border, but state and federal officials also credited well-controlled local evacuations. Abbott said city, county, state and federal officials communicated throughout, quickly putting disaster declarations in place. Those declarations allowed contract buses to evacuate those unable to leave on their own, and put state and federal resources in place for faster recovery. Around 80 guardsmen with the 386th Engineering Battalion were among 200 emergency responders who waited out Laura at the Ford Park Arena in Beaumont along with others from Texas A&M Task Force 1, and a number of fire department units from around the state, one of them from San Antonio. Many slept fitfully at the arena as the storm enveloped the area, delivering winds that topped 70 mph and heavy rain. By 8 a.m., Texas Guard reconnaissance teams were searching for high water and structural damage but most of the soldiers waited with their high-water trucks. No orders arrived by noon. Weve put people out in the field to do surveys and recon missions, to do damage assessment, to see if there was a need for our services, and were in constant contact with the local authorities, task force leader Danny Snell said. Sadly, all the swift work to make recovery smoother comes from a lot of experience. We know how to handle these hurricanes, but Lord if youre listening, we dont need any more practice, said U.S. Rep. Randy Weber, who represents nearby portions of Beaumont and Port Arthur. Despite the lack of severe injuries or widespread damage, officials said Laura demonstrates the need for more investment in storm protection. Texas Sen. John Cornyn and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick both pushed for keeping plans for coastal protections in place, including the proposed Ike Dike storm protection system for Galveston and the Houston Ship Channel. The threat of storm surge from Laura sent four coastal counties in Texas fleeing, and one day those evacuees could return to washed-away communities. I think it underscores the need for the Ike Dike, Patrick said of Lauras devastation in Louisiana. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz has championed other storm protections expanded from Beaumont and Port Arthur, with officials recently beginning construction on the first of 27 miles of enhanced levees along the Sabine River and coastal areas of Orange County. Officials also urged people not to think avoiding Laura means they can lower their guard. This is not the time to high-five and go home, said state emergency management director Nim Kidd. This is the time to plan for the next one. Sig Christenson and Diane Cowen contributed to this report. dug.begley@chron.com nick.powell@chron.com If Bollore and his hedge fund ally expected their combined might to weaken Arnauds resolve, theyve been quickly disabused of the idea. On Aug. 17, less than a week after Vivendi announced it was teaming up with Amber, Lagarderes board extended Arnauds contract by four years. That looked like an effort to shore up control before the reinforced opposition was able to drive through a board shakeup. It was also a pretty good demonstration of why Amber is so unhappy about the companys corporate governance the commandite structure means even the board cant oust Arnaud until the end of his contract. Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny - REUTERS Vladimir Putin has dismissed accusations that Alexei Navalny was poisoned as hasty and unfounded in his first comments since the Russian opposition leader was taken suddenly ill a week ago. The Russian President said he would back a thorough and objective investigation, despite the Kremlin saying earlier it saw no need for a criminal probe. Mr Putins comments came as he discussed the situation in a phone call with the Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, according to a Kremlin statement. Doctors at the German hospital where Mr Navalny remains unconscious said multiple tests showed he had been poisoned with a cholinesterase inhibitor. These are a group of chemical compounds that includes Novichok, the nerve agent used against ex-Russian intelligence officer Sergei Skripal in Salisbury. Mr Navalny began crying out in pain during a flight to Moscow from Siberia last Thursdayy, and the plane was forced to make an emergency landing. He was first treated by doctors in the Siberian city of Omsk, who said they found no toxins in his system, before being transferred to the Charite Hospital in Berlin at the request of his family. Supporters said he had been poisoned because of his political activities and accused Russian doctors of working with authorities to try to cover up the true cause of his illness. On Wednesday, the head of the Omsk clinic where he was treated demanded the German hospital provide evidence of his poisoning, and accused doctors there of making a political diagnosis. World leaders including Prime Minister Boris Johnson and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have expressed support for Mr Navalny and demanded an investigation into the incident. The US has threatened sanctions if Moscow is found to have been behind any poisoning. Separately, Washington blacklisted five Russian institutions it believes are developing chemical and biological weapons. Moscow called the decision groundless and said it will seek clarification. In his call with the Italian Prime Minister, Mr Putin mentioned Mr Navalny by name, the first time he is believed to have officially done so. When faced with questions about the opposition leader, he usually refers to the person you have just mentioned, among other euphemisms. Billionaire Tan Min-Liang, chief executive officer and co-founder of Razer. Photo: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg/Getty Global gaming ecosystem giant Razer (1337.HK), worth HKD $15bn, just unveiled record results pushing the company into profitability, wiping out debt, and giving it a hefty cash balance of USD $500m. While it originated as the go-to hardware outlet for elite gamers think sleek backlit keyboards, ergonomic mice that can be programmed for optimal massively multiplayer online role-playing gaming (MMORPG) it has rapidly evolved into an ecosystem for the gaming experience. It has been into cloud computer gaming for a decade, added fintech services, payments, and software to the mix all making the group essential to a gamers life. The coronavirus pandemic has destroyed fortunes in most industries but for Razer, which is at the epicentre of the gaming world, 2020 has so far shaped up to be the most successful year yet. Speaking exclusively to Yahoo Finance UK, Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan said that the group is the stay at home stock with the pandemic getting gamers to be in their natural environment, and therefore buying lots of gear and Razer Gold a unified virtual credits system for gamers worldwide that can be used to buy games and in-game items, as well as be part of a loyalty rewards program. It has led to users growing from 80 million to 100 million in just a year. READ MORE: World's largest gamer firm Razer unveils record-high revenue of $447.5m during pandemic For the six months ending June 2020, Razer reported record high revenue of $447.5m, representing 25.3% year-on-year growth during the coronavirus pandemic period. Gross profit margin also improved to 22% and cashflow from operating activities turned positive to $66m. This is particularly inspiring in spite of the hugely inflated logistics costs (since the pandemic) and we have beaten all expectations and turned profitable with $3.2m, said Tan to Yahoo Finance UK. Razer stock price year-to-date. Chart: Yahoo Finance Boom in gaming is here to stay Gaming has experienced a huge boom in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic forcing lockdowns, travel bans, and limited movement outside the house. E-sports, in particular, is seeing greater adoption from old and new fans alike. Story continues E-sports is a form of sport competition using video games, often taking the form of organised, multiplayer video game competitions, particularly between professional players, individually or as teams. Even those who dont play professionally are getting into the sport and even watching and consuming content of others playing. E-sports are most popular in Asia, with 30% of viewers, 20% of e-sports viewers are in Latin America, 14% in Europe and MEA, respectively, and 13% in North America. Uptake is greatest among Gen Z at one in four (27%) and stands at one in five (20%) among millennials. Razers Tan says that while COVID-19 has presented an unprecedented time for gaming industry, he believes its the start of a long-term boon for the sector, rather than a powder keg moment. The way I see it, is a long term trend and the reason for that is while there is a short term boost as people are staying at home, even with countries opening up, those [gamer figures] still are remaining at an all-time high, he said. He points out that its building a whole new generation of gamers beyond those situated in Asia or in the Gen-Z or millennial bracket. Tan said that friends who he has tried to persuade to try out a number of games for years have moved from apathy to now being active players during the pandemic. Gamers play the video game 'fortnite' developed by Epic Games on a laptop from the Razer company. Photo: Chesnot/Getty Images Particularly in the first half of the year, all the metrics were through the roof and grew really quickly [to reach] 100 million users in 12 months this is across all user activity demographics throughout the entire platform, from mobile and console, said Tan. China, which opened up earlier than other countries during the pandemic, showed that while there was some normalising in the figures, it didn't come down and still continues to grow. This generation of gamers may be borne from the pandemic but they will remain and these numbers are very high, Tan added. But its not just in Asia gaming activity in the US and Europe has gaming activity up through the roof he said, and in emerging markets, total payment volumes are booming. How its become integral to gamer lifestyle A jewel in the crown for Razers innovations in recent years has been Razer Gold a credit and payments system for gamers that makes it easy for them to spend their cash. The company revealed that Razer Gold recorded a 125.9% year-on-year increase in total payment volume driven primarily by the increase in the number of transactions. It was helped by the fact Razer expanded its footprint further in this area, adding 600,000 channel touch points across new growth areas such as the Middle East and North Africa. Now the payments system covers users from more than 130 countries. Razer has even moved into banking. In January this year, it announced that Razer Fintech submitted its application for a Digital Full Bank License to be issued by the Monetary Authority of Singapore and the award of digital banking licenses is anticipated for the second half of 2020. At this time, the Company is also exploring applying for digital bank licenses in other jurisdictions, it pointed out in its statement. Overall, Razer Fintech has generated $1.8bn in total payment volume in the first half of the year an increase of 114.3% year-on-year. Razer originated as the go-to hardware outlet for elite gamers. Photo: Neil Godwin/PC Gamer Magazine/Future via Getty Images But with all the success in branching out from just hardware creating a real ecosystem for gamers Tan says that acquiring content and streaming services is not on his radar. People call us a gaming company but were actually a gamers company. The way we see ourselves, we are the middle-man giving gamers the best experience. We are never going to be in the content business and streaming services our goal is to make these different services better and partner with companies like Tencent and Ubisoft to give the most immersive experience as possible, said Tan. Thats where our cash balance goes into our fintech side of the business. Spending that $500m cash balance Razer CEO Tan Min-Liang. Photo: SCMP/Dickson Lee/Getty Tan pointed out that the company is now in a comfortable position its profitable, despite all the challenges of logistics costs during COVID-19, has zero debt and $500m to play with. He said that investments could come back in share buybacks, if the group think the companys stock is undervalued, and also investing in areas where it sees further growth. Yahoo Finance UK asked Tan if its likely the company will prioritise and rapidly roll out more hardware or services due to the unprecedented boom in gaming. In the last month alone it released the new triple threat in esports the Razer BlackShark V2 and the Razer Huntsman Mini 60% keyboard for gaming and e-sports. I can give you a snapshot, he told Yahoo Finance UK. For the full-year 2020, we are expecting to add some cool new categories in hardware and there will be new launches in the second half of the year. Software is expected to have a massive boost as user activity continues [to grow]. There will be a lot more fintech and Razer Gold [is expected] to go through the roof. We will continue to see outsized revenue growth. What we are going to do with the cash is invest in research and development and look into exploring new ways to reach out customers [and press cadence] in the absence of live events, he added. READ MORE: Verizon exec: 5G will be 'transformational' for society, not just economy Razer, like many tech companies, used to have large scale events to launch new products and services and reached millions of people across the world with the excitement around these events. Where he does see extra room for growth is in 5G. 5G is the next generation of wireless cellular technology that is being rolled out across the world. It promises to offer faster wireless internet speeds, greater network capacity, lower latency, and more flexibility. It is in early days, networks and devices are limited in areas and rolling out in 2021, but what I am excited about if you take a step back is outside of enterprise applications, said Tan. If you look at consumer level applications very high bandwidth and low latency there are two real advantages. [This is especially] for cloud gaming and thats where we see a lot of intersection and where we recently sealed a partnership with Microsoft (MSFT) and Xbox. RNC night 1: Freed hostages, Cuban immigrant and Parkland dad make case for Trump's reelection Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The 2020 Republican National Convention kicked off Monday with a diverse group of speakers including the father of a school shooting victim, a Cuban immigrant, and hostages freed by the Trump administration. Originally scheduled to take place in Charlotte, North Carolina, state lockdowns in response to COVID-19 forced the cancellation of the traditional, large-scale convention with thousands in attendance. Instead, a scaled-back convention commenced featuring a combination of live and taped speeches. While RNC delegates gathered in Charlotte to renominate President Donald Trump, the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington, D.C., served as the backdrop for many of the speeches. In the following pages are five highlights from the first night of the RNC. The convention will end on Thursday, when Trump will formally accept the Republican nomination for president of the United States. CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Spherical | Analytics (S|A), a Context Labs company, and Rocky Mountain Institute are pleased to announce the launch of their strategic partnership to create a new platinum standard for measuring energy industry climate impact, modeling, and managing emissions mitigation activities. Through the partnership, S|A and RMI will work together to provide continuous climate intelligence, using the highest resolution and quality data from upstream, midstream, and downstream assets with multiple sources of operational, financial and environmental data. These sources will be processed in the S|A Immutably platform, which enables stakeholders to develop and act on new ESG 'edge' backed with Asset Grade Data (AGD) through all-source data ingestion, unique cryptographic proofing methodologies, and private, distributed ledger technology. This transformation from raw, untrusted data into synthesized and consumable, trusted data allows for advanced analytics, deep visualizations and derived insights. "Together with S|A's key capabilities, Rocky Mountain Institute will leverage its subject matter expertise, global brand, and industry access to deliver actionable data and insights that drive real change," said Ned Harvey, Managing Director for RMI. "This will galvanize the energy industry, its customers and partners through the harmonization of disparate data and digital insight opportunities to accelerate and scale more profitable, lower-risk approaches to climate-aligned strategies." "We are excited to work with a prestigious organization such as Rocky Mountain Institute to continue one of S|A's original missions modeling the climate impact of oil and gas operations globally. This is a natural extension of our seminal work, and we look forward to sharing this next phase of our journey in oil and gas industry transformation with RMI," stated Dan Harple, Founder and CEO of S|A. Spherical | Analytics, a Context Labs company, is dedicated to sourcing and organizing the world's environmental information, enabling data to become trusted, shared, and traded as Asset Grade Data (AGD). Its Immutably platform utilizes machine learning technologies to source and attest to data and AI-enhanced technologies to provide insights and solutions through Asset Grade Analytics (AGA). Contact: [email protected] | www.sphericalanalytics.io |@SphereAnalytics Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) an independent nonprofit founded in 1982 transforms global energy use to create a clean, prosperous and secure low-carbon future. It engages businesses, communities, institutions and entrepreneurs to accelerate the adoption of market-based solutions that cost-effectively shift from fossil fuels to efficiency and renewables. RMI has offices in Basalt and Boulder, Colorado; New York City; the San Francisco Bay Area; Washington, D.C.; and Beijing. Related Images spherical-analytics-logo.png Spherical Analytics Logo SOURCE Spherical Analytics Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-26 23:26:18|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close by Yoo Seungki SEOUL, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- South Korea, once praised as a model for response to the COVID-19 pandemic, currently faced a resurgence as mistrust and misinformation about the government's quarantine measures spread among the conservative members of a church in Seoul. The Korea Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention (KCDC) said Wednesday that it had confirmed 320 more confirmed cases of the COVID-19 for the past 24 hours. The total number of cases increased to 18,265. The daily caseload grew in triple digits since Aug. 14. It was far lower than elsewhere in the world, but anxiety over resurgence was greater than ever because of the misinformed worshippers hampering the government's quarantine efforts. ESCAPING FROM HOSPITAL A South Korean man infected with the virus sneaked out of the hospital in Gyeonggi province, where he was being treated, around midnight on Aug. 18 and moved by bus to Seoul with his mobile phone being turned off. He was the first known case here to escape from hospital after testing positive for the COVID-19. He had his phone off in a bid to prevent police from tracking him down. The patient was caught past midnight the following day at a bustling coffee shop in Seoul, raising a high possibility for his virus infection to about 40 people there. He was confirmed with the virus after attending worship services at Sarang Jeil Church in Seoul, seen as an epicenter of the recent resurgence. He transmitted the virus to his family. A South Korean woman in 40s, who tested positive for the COVID-19, bit the arm of her husband and escaped around noon on Aug. 17, refusing to be admitted to a hospital for treatment. She was caught about four hours later at a nearby park. Before being infected, the resident in North Gyeongsang province had stayed in the Seoul church since March. Their inexplicable behavior came from groundless mistrust and misinformation about the government. They believed that the government deliberately let the uninfected church members test positive for the virus to destroy the church led by far-right pastor, Jun Kwang-hoon. "I think that (the government) branded those (church members) who contracted a simple flu or pneumonia as being infected with the COVID-19. We cannot go to a hospital as we can be branded as patient. (The government) has an intention to do damage to the pastor," local broadcaster MBC quoted one of the church members as saying. VIRUS TERROR FROM OUTSIDE Misinformation and mistrust among the worshippers stemmed from Jun, who also tested positive for the virus and was being hospitalized for treatment. He claimed that he had five tip-offs on "virus terror" from outside that sneaked into the Sarang Jeil Church. Jun participated in a massively rally, held on Aug. 15 beside the Gwanghwamun square in central Seoul. He claimed that there had been no case of outdoor infections found yet if people wear mask, encouraging the church members and conservatives to join the rally. Tens of thousands of protesters gathered in the square, standing or sitting side by side. Most of them wore masks, but some pulled off masks, with others even eating food, local TV footage showed. As of Wednesday, the number of confirmed cases linked to the Aug. 15 rally was 193, with most infections discovered in the Seoul metropolitan area and more than 30 cases found in other provinces. The number included police officers who were in the square to prevent any mishap during the rally. Before the rally, the health authorities warned against the danger of resurgence, but the organizers downplayed the warning. The demonstration, driven by conservative politicians, civic groups and church members across the country, was promoted in major conservative newspapers to draw public attention. The number of infections traceable to the Sarang Jeil Church was 915 as of Wednesday. The first confirmed case of the COVID-19 from the church was reported on Aug. 12, and it has since grown in double digits. South Korea had been seen as a model for the response to the COVID-19 pandemic thanks to its effective system of fast and massive testing, broad contact tracing, transparency, and people's trust in the government's quarantine efforts. Helped by the system, the daily caseload dropped to two on May 6 after peaking at 909 on Feb. 29. However, the system seemed not to work. KCDC Director Jeong Eun-kyeong told a press briefing on Sunday that the current resurgence "is not at the peak," warning against a possible pandemic seen in February and March. Enditem Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday said that 3Cs--Cooperation, Collaboration and Commitment, will guide the strategic partnership between India and ASEAN countries. Addressing the ASEAN-India Business Council virtual meet, Goyal said the COVID-19 pandemic period provided a unique opportunity to India to demonstrate itself as the trusted partner to the world, particularly in times of stress. Goyal extended a hand of friendship to the ASEAN region, which he described as deep and valuable partners and partners in the progress. The Minister said that Aatamnirbhar Bharat connotes a self-reliant country which is ready to engage with the world from the position of strength and confidence, and on equal and fair terms. He said that India and ASEAN have not been able to harness the full trade potential, for various reasons, but now is the time to open matrix to expand trade, address concerns of all nations and businesses, and resolve the differences. He extended Indias friendship and partnership to ASEAN through businesses, so that together both the partners are able to succeed, secure future, work together, attain prosperity, and achieve a target of $300 billion trade. Goyal said that the business council meeting is a good forum to discuss concerns and best practices, share ideas, and flag the problems. Goyal said that during the early days of the pandemic, India went out to the world for its requirements to fight COVID-19, but didnt get much traction, as everyone was holding on for their own requirements. But, India, on the other hand, with the ability to provide medicines, acted as the pharmacy for the world. "We supplied medicines to over 150 countries of the world, to every part of the world, particularly to the less developed nations. Restrictions were imposed initially but that was with the noble intent of ensuring that the poor nations are not deprived of the medicines. All this showed that India is a resilient country, a trusted partner and a friend indeed," he said. Goyal said that the country developed an adequate capacity to manufacture PPE, masks, and ramped up our testing capabilities from under 1000 per day to about a million a day. We have been self-sufficient under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. During the period, Indians developed commitment and consciousness to maintain social distancing, to adequately take care of personal hygiene, wear a mask at all times and care for near ones," the Minister said. He said that India demonstrated its resilience, ability to overcome problems and our collective efforts ensured that we can protect lives and livelihoods. We enforced the strictest lockdown to save lives, and then ensured quick unlock down to bring take care of the livelihood issues, he added. Building projects, science agreements and even sister city ties face being scrapped by Scott Morrison under a proposed new law. The prime minister wants the power to tear up agreements between the states and foreign governments, including Victoria's Belt and Road deal with China. Foreign Minister Marise Payne on Thursday said she has identified 135 deals made with 30 countries that would be examined and potentially scrapped if they pose a threat. Sydney's partnership with the Chinese city of Guangzhou will come under scrutiny. Pictured: Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore welcomes Guangzhou Vice Mayor Mr Wang Dong Victoria's Belt and Road deal will also be examined. Pictured: Premier Daniel Andrews and Chinese ambassador Jingye Cheng Daily Mail Australia has seen a preliminary list of 52 deals that would need to be declared by state and local government and universities under the new laws. More than half the deals - a total of 27 - were signed with China. They include sister-city arrangements as well as co-operation deals in trade and investment, culture, education, science and technology. For example, Melbourne's partnership with Nanjing, Mildura City Council's ties with the Wuhan Institute of Technology, and an agreement between Sydney and Guangzhou will all come under the microscope. Agreements between the ANU and the University of South China, between UNSW and Qingdoa City and between the University of Queensland and the Confucius Institute on its Headquarters in China will also be probed. In 2017 Tasmania signed a deal on Antarctic co-operation with the State Oceanic Administration of China. A 2014 deal on the Antarctic was signed in Tasmania by then Minister for Environment Greg Hunt (pictured with President Xi in the background) In 2016 Sydney Mayor Clover Moore planted a tree with Guangzhou Vice Mayor Mr Wang Dong to celebrate the cities' relationship On Thursday morning, WA Premier Mark McGowan said the state government's 2011 deal with China's National Development and Reform Commission could be a targeted. 'It was a sort of predecessor to the Belt and Road initiative, but it's the only one I can think of that might be something the Commonwealth would take an interest in,' he told ABC Radio Perth. He declined to comment on the proposed new laws and said foreign policy was a matter for the federal government. On Thursday Scott Morrison denied suggestions the law was aimed at blocking China as the the countries endure political and economic tensions. ScoMo's crackdown: Some of the China deals under threat States 2011 Memo of understanding (MOU) between the Government of Western Australia and the National Development and Reform Commission of China on Promotion of Investment Cooperation 2013 MOU between NSW and Beijing on Trade and Economy, Culture, Education, Science and Technology, Tourism and Sport 2014 MOU between Queensland Department of Environment and Science and Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology 2016 Shandong-South Australia Science and Technology Commercialisation Cooperation Platform 2017 MOU on Antarctic Gateway Cooperation between the Government of Tasmania and the State Oceanic Administration of China 2018 MOU between Victoria and China's National Development and Reform Commission within the Belt and Road Initiative Local governments 2014 MOU between the city of Sydney and Guangzhou, relating to education, trade, culture, business and sustainability 2018 MOU between Mildura City Council and the Wuhan Institute of Technology 2019 MOU of establishing strategic partnership of cooperation for trade and investment between Nanjing Bureau of Commerce and City of Melbourne 2015 MOU for the establishment of a Shandong-South Australian Local Government Economic Development Cooperation Forum Universities 2017 MOU between ANU and the University of South China on research collaboration on fusion energy technology 2019 MOU between UNSW and Qingdoa City to establish the Qingdao International Academician Park (QIAP) 2019 Agreement to establishing the Monash Technology Transformation Institute in the Pingshan District of Shenzhen 2019 University of Queensland agreement with the Confucius Institute on its Headquaters in China Advertisement Asked if his biggest concern was China, he said: 'My biggest concern is Australia's national sovereign interest.' He added: 'Australia has always been, under our government, very clear and very consistent about where we stand on important issues regarding our interests and our sovereignty, as have China. And that clarity creates certainty.' Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton has backed the plan and said deals made by universities need oversight. He told Sydney radio station 2GB: 'I think people want to make sure, that particularly on university campuses they're acting in our national interest and not putting their own financial interests ahead of the country's interest.' Daniel Andrews (pictured in China's Tiananmen Square) signed a deal with China under the country's controversial Belt and Road Initiative in October 2018 The prime minister (pictured on Wednesday) wants to stop states and territories signing deals with foreign powers that go against Australia's foreign policy and threaten the national interest Victoria made a deal with China under the country's Belt and Road Initiative, a scheme that sees the communist superpower invest in huge infrastructure projects around the world, in October 2018. Premier Andrews said he made the agreement to increase Chinese participation in Victorian building projects, manufacturing and trade in order to boost jobs. Several federal politicians, fearing the expansion of Chinese power and influence, have urged the Victorian government to scrap the deal but it has refused. Under the proposed law, the foreign minister will be able to terminate the deal and any private contracts that are part of it. Once the law is in place, governments and universities will have six months to reveal their foreign deals to the foreign minister, who will then decide which ones must be stopped. The Belt and Road Initiative is a Chinese plan to establish maritime trade routes and invest in infrastructure projects around the world, set up by President Xi Xinping (pictured) in 2013 The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (pictured) is an example of a project being financed by China under the country's Belt and Road Initiative The law will cover dozens of deals with China and other nations including India and Israel in areas such as culture, education, health, science, tourism, infrastructure and even sister-city arrangements. It will also require states get approval from the federal government to start negotiating a foreign deal and seek approval again when the negotiations are done. Under current laws, states can make a deal and not even tell the foreign minister for three months. Daniel Andrews caused outrage by only telling the Morrison government about his Belt and Road agreement on the day it was signed. Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton described the Belt and Road Initiative as 'a propaganda initiative from China' that could lead to an 'enormous amount of foreign interference'. He said: 'Victoria needs to explain why it is the only state in the country that has entered into this agreement.' Federal Liberal MP Andrew Hastie told Daily Mail Australia that Mr Andrews had 'gone off the reservation by conducting his own foreign policy with China'. In May Victoria Treasurer Tim Pallas told a parliamentary inquiry the state government would 'absolutely not' scrap the deal. He then accused the federal government of 'vilifying' China by pushing for an inquiry into coronavirus. This graphic shows how the existing laws work. Under current laws, the state can make a foreign deal and not even tell the foreign minister for three months This graphic shows how the new law will require states get approval from the federal government to start negotiating a foreign deal and seek approval again when the negotiations are done The Australia's Foreign Relations (State and Territory Arrangements) Bill 2020 will be put before federal parliament next week in the hope it will be signed off this year. Scott Morrison said: 'Australia's foreign policies and relationships must always be set to serve Australia's interests. 'Australians rightly expect the federal government they elect to set foreign policy. 'These changes and new laws will ensure that every arrangement done by any Australian government at any level now lines up with how we are working to protect and promote Australia's national interest. He added: 'Many agreements and partnerships are of a routine nature but it is important that the federal government is notified of all agreements. 'Where any of these agreements undermine how the federal government is protecting and promoting our national interests they can be cancelled.' Daniel Andrews' deal with China In October 2018, the Victorian Labor government signed a memo of understanding with China under the country's Belt and Road Initiative. The BRI is a Chinese plan to establish maritime trade routes and invest in infrastructure projects around the world. More than 170 memos of understanding have been signed with 125 countries. Premier Andrews said he wanted to increase Chinese participation in Victorian building projects, manufacturing, and trade. Pictured: Chinese President Xi Jinping (left) and Premier Li Keqiang on May 22 In October 2019, Mr Andrews reached a 'framework agreement' with China that vowed to make a roadmap for cooperation on specific initiatives. So far the roadmap has not been published. Critics say the BRI is a tool to expand influence and power across the globe. Federal Liberal MP Andrew Hastie told Daily Mail Australia that Mr Andrews had 'gone off the reservation by conducting his own foreign policy with China'. As trade tensions with China mount, Mr Andrews has been urged to scrap the agreement, which he claims creates jobs for Victorians. Michael Schoebridge of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, said: 'The Victorian government's BRI activities are simply out of step with the new international and economic environment, including the now openly coercive directions that Beijing is taking with Canberra over trade and in government relations.' Victorian Labor senator Kimberley Kitching, chair of the Senate Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade References Committee, said: 'The Victorian government should not have entered into an agreement with the Chinese government on the Belt and Road Initiative - it is bad policy and bad optics.' Advertisement It comes amid increasing political and economic tensions between Australia and China. Beijing and Canberra have been at loggerheads after Australia led global calls for an inquiry into the origins of Covid-19. Soon afterwards, China slapped an 80 per cent tariff on Australian barley, suspended beef imports and told students and tourists not to travel Down Under in an apparent attempt to damage the Australian economy. On Tuesday Treasurer Josh Frydenberg blocked a $600million bid by Chinese company Mengniu Dairy to buy Aussie drinks company Lion, citing national security concerns. Minister Wang Xining (pictured) poses for a photo at the National Press Club in Canberra On Wednesday Wang Xining, deputy head of mission at the Chinese embassy in Canberra, said Chinese people felt deeply betrayed by Mr Morrison's call for independent scientists to enter China and investigate coronavirus. 'All of a sudden, there was this shocking proposal from Australia, supposed to be a good friend of China,' he said. 'It is approximately identical to Julius Caesar on his final day when he saw Brutus approaching him and said et tu, Brute?' Minister Wang admitted the virus was 'first identified' in China but said 'we should leave the work to scientists' to find out where patient zero came from. Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-28 00:50:45|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BRUSSELS, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- A joint operation by the authorities in Lithuania, the United Kingdom and Ireland saw the arrest of 18 suspects who formed part of a criminal network responsible for drug trafficking, money laundering and human trafficking, the European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation (Eurojust) said on Thursday. The operation, which took place in the three countries on Wednesday, saw the arrest of the leader of the organised crime group, Eurojust said in a statement, adding that 65 searches took place and various assets were seized, with an estimated overall value of 700,000 euros (827,000 U.S. dollars). Eurojust said the organised crime group dismantled in the operation was responsible for trafficking large quantities of heroin in Ireland and Northern Ireland. The leader of the group is a Lithuanian national and he was responsible for recruiting people from Lithuania for drug trafficking and money laundering. It added that together with two other individuals, he set up a complex drug transport and distribution network in Ireland and the UK, in which at least 20 individuals have been involved since 2015. The investigation revealed street dealers operating in the UK and Ireland, who were nearly all Lithuanians. At least 65 people were identified, mostly from vulnerable social backgrounds or drug addicts themselves. Proceeds from the criminal activity were laundered by purchasing various real estate properties and other related financial transactions, Eurojust said, noting that a financial investigation was still ongoing. The operation was coordinated by Eurojust with the operational support of Europol. (1 euro = 1.18 U.S. dollars) Enditem Saint Louis, MO, Aug. 27, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ButcherJoseph & Co. (ButcherJoseph) served as exclusive financial advisor to AME Consulting Engineers (AME or the Company) on its sale to the AME Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, AME is an engineering consulting firm providing design and systems expertise for complex renovation projects. The transaction closed August 2020. Mike McGuire, AMEs President, shared, ButcherJoseph was an extremely valuable asset for this transaction, especially in the uncertain times of COVID-19. They walked us through each step of the transaction with explanations, and were extremely knowledgeable about the process. We definitely picked the right team! ButcherJoseph Vice President, Rick Hennessey expressed, It was an honor to work with Mike and the entire AME management team in helping transition ownership to the employees. With a talented employee base and deep experience in diverse end markets, AME is well positioned for long-term success. McGuire will remain President of the Company. About AME Consulting Engineers AME is the largest Federal HUBZone Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing, and Telecommunications engineering firm in the U.S. Founded in 2006, AMEs team of 25+ professionals offers Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing (MEP), and Telecommunications (RCDD) engineering services nationwide. Learn more at www.ame-pc.com . Former Acting Director of National Intelligence and current Republican National Committee senior advisor Richard Grenell addresses the virtual Republican National Convention on Aug. 26, 2020. (Courtesy of the Committee on Arrangements for the 2020 Republican National Committee via Getty Images) Former Head of DNI Spotlights Bidens Role in Probe of Trump Campaign in Speech at RNC In a speech at the third night of the Republican National Convention, former Acting Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Richard Grenell spotlighted the role Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden played in the investigation of the Trump campaign. During his brief tenure as the acting chief of the DNI, Grenell declassified a number of crucial documents about the investigation of and spying on Trump-campaign associates. Grenell said that in his role he got to see the entire picture about the operation and said what I saw made me sick to my stomach. The Obama-Biden Administration secretly launched a surveillance operation on the Trump campaign, and silenced the many brave intelligence officials who spoke up against it, Grenell said. They presented bogus information as facts. They lied to judges. Then they classified anything that undermined their case. Grenell highlighted that Biden personally requested the unmasking of the identity of incoming national security adviser Michael Flynn three weeks before the inauguration. Bidens name appeared in a document Grenell declassified which showed the former vice presidents name among a list of officials who unmasked Flynn during the transition period. And after Donald Trump won the election, when they should have continued the American tradition of helping the president-elect transition into the White House, they tried instead to undercut him even more, Grenell said. But thats the Democrats. Between surveillance, classifications, leaks, and puppet candidates, they never want the American people to know whos actually calling the shots, he added. But with Donald Trump, you always know exactly who is in charge. Bidens campaign did not respond to a request for comment. Former FBI attorney Kevin Clinesmith pleaded guilty earlier this month for forging an email as part of a process of preparing an application for a warrant to spy on former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page. Clinesmiths forged email resulted into one of 17 major errors and omissions found in the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Applications (FISA) the FBI used to spy on Page. Sally Yates, the former Department of Justice official who signed off on one of the FISA applications, spoke on the second night of the Democratic National Convention. She told Congress earlier this month that she would not have signed the application if she knew what she knows now. Public servants promise to defend our Constitution. Uphold our laws. And work on behalf of the American people. But from the moment President Trump took office, he has used his position to benefit himself rather than our country. Hes trampled the rule of law, trying to weaponize our Justice Department to attack his enemies and protect his friends, Yates said. Similar to the Democratic convention which preceded it, the speakers at the Republican convention delivered their remarks in front of an empty hall due to concerns about the spread of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus. File image Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa called Japan an important partner for the state and urged the nation to strengthen their partnership, promising all required assistance. Addressed the Indo-Japan Business Forum virtual event today. Urged Japan, which has a significant presence in Karnataka to strengthen their partnership in the state. Our government has taken strong measures to build a robust economy and make Karnataka a benchmark state in India the CM tweeted. In his address to the 'Indo-Japan Business Forum' on August 26, Yediyurappa said that Karnataka has set up a Japanese Industrial Township at Vasanthanarasapura near Tumkuru town, adding that 519 acres of land have been developed and readied for roads, power, and water supply. A Japan-India Startup Initiative has been taken up to promote start-ups, he said. For this, a hub was established in Bengaluru by JETRO (Japan External Trade Organisation) to identify select Indian start-ups for the Japanese market. According to the Chief Minister, the India-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement covers trade in goods and services. He said Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) from Japan to India increased from $1.6 billion in 2017-18 to $3.2 billion in 2019-20. He further highlighted the measures taken to build the state as a robust industrialised economy that would be a model for other states. "Our state is at the forefront of attracting FDI into the country, and I can assure you that we will set the benchmark as we progress beyond the COVID-19 phase," Yediyurappa said. To promote the emerging start-up industry ecosystem, landmark legislation creating the Karnataka Innovation Authority has been passed, he said. The government has taken steps to ensure investors find it easy to do business, said the chief minister. Over the last few months, labour laws have been simplified to attract investments, added Yediyurappa. (With inputs from PTI) Harish Murali By Express News Service CHENNAI: Former judge of the Supreme Court Justice AR Lakshmanan passed away on Thursday at a private hospital in Tiruchy. He was 78. Doctors who were treating him for age-related ailments said that a sudden cardiac arrest on Thursday morning caused his death. It was only on August 24 that his wife Meenakshi Aachi died in Tiruchy and the family was still grieving. Justice Lakshmanan is survived by two sons ARL Arunachalam and ARL Sundaresan and two daughters Umayal and Saravanavalli. ARL Sundaresan is a senior advocate practising at the Madras High Court. The funeral rites were performed in his native village of Devakottai in Sivagangai district, said family members. Justice Lakshman Arunachalam was born on March 22, 1942, and graduated from the Madras Law College. He had served as a government pleader for the Tamil Nadu government and also represented several banks prior to his elevation as permanent Judge of the Madras High Court on June 14, 1990. Justice Lakshmanan served at the Supreme Court from December 20, 2002 to March 21, 2007. Before his elevation, he was a judge at the Madras High Court and the Kerala High Court. He also served as Chief Justice of the Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan High Courts. Post-retirement, he was appointed Chairman of the Eighteenth Law Commission of India. Remembering the Supreme Court judge, Senior Advocate P Wilson said Lakshmanan was part of a committee appointed by the Supreme Court in the inter-state Mullaiperiyar dam issue. He was also part of the bench which gave relief to 2.5 lakh government employees who were dismissed by J Jayalalithaa invoking the Tamil Nadu Essential Services Maintenance Act in 2003. Wilson also recollected that Lakshmanan while serving as the chairman of the Union Law Commission recommended the establishment of Regional Benches of the Supreme Court in four zones of the country including one at Chennai. "His fondness towards Tamil literature and culture is immense. It is a great loss to the legal fraternity and the people of the state," he further emphasized. Tamil Nadu Advocates Association president and senior advocate S Prabakaran who worked closely with the Supreme Court judge recalls that the judge was very friendly and maintained a cordial relationship with the bar. He further said that ARL, as he is fondly called, was also the first to push for effective laws to ban public smoking in the country during his stint at the Supreme Court. During a women's day function at the advocates association, his speech was impressive as he had all the facts and figures pertaining to women in each state in detail, reminisced Prabhakaran. US sanctions won't deter China from seeking legal rights in S.China Sea, trade: experts Global Times By GT staff reporters Source: Global Times Published: 2020/8/27 0:34:09 The US on Wednesday sought to further escalate tensions with China, as it moves to sanction two dozen Chinese companies that it claims help build artificial islands in the South China Sea, compounding several hot-button issues in the bilateral relationship, from the South China Sea to military to trade. But experts described it as another "symbolic" move aimed at fanning anti-China sentiment in certain quarters of the US ahead of the heated presidential election that won't deter China from pursuing its legitimate territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea and on trade. The US commerce department announced on Wednesday the addition of 24 Chinese firms to the Entity List for helping build military islands in the South China Sea. The firms include five under China Communications Construction Company, some telecommunications companies from South China's Guangzhou, to North China's Tianjin. Washington claims the firms are helping the Chinese government "reclaim and militarize disputed outposts in the South China Sea." The latest entity list will restrict export or re-export of the US goods to the named Chinese firms. The US Department of State also said on Wednesday that it would impose visa restrictions on several Chinese individuals involved in the construction. This is the first time that the US has used the entity list to sanction China over the South China Sea issue following similar moves over Hong Kong, and Xinjiang-related matters. The sanction shows that the US is launching an all-round crackdown on China, be it on diplomatic, military and public opinion fronts, but it also means that its tricks have been exhausted, as restrictions imposed on Chinese companies involved in the South China Sea are having a very little impact on those companies, said Chen Xiangmiao, an assistant research fellow at the National Institute for South China Sea Studies. Chen said that under souring ties between Beijing and Washington, it is difficult for employees of those companies to visit the US, so the sanction is symbolic, but won't change or stop China's stance on the South China Sea issue. He added that the US has always been hyping China's construction on islands and reefs in the region; so the sanction is not a surprise to some Chinese experts, as Washington has ratcheted up its crackdown on China on trade, so-called human rights and other issues. Chen assumes the newly released "symbolic" sanction may be another tactic of the Trump administration to play the "China card" to gain support, as the general election approaches. "Neither international society nor Americans are paying close attention to the South China Sea region. The new move is just 'testing the waters' to see if targeting the region will gain more votes," he told the Global Times. After the restriction was released, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted that "The US is taking action today to support freedom of the seas and to oppose coercion of our Southeast Asian allies and partners." Chen said Pompeo's statement is aimed at fanning the flames for countries within the region to oppose China. "But those countries are unlikely to choose sides, as siding with one country will bring huge losses to those countries." The fresh sanction is a reminder that simply shunning the US - a bully that gets addicted - no longer works, experts said, calling for precautions for all possibilities. "Good intentions aren't enough. We must be well prepared to protect the legitimate interests of our companies," said Bai Ming, deputy director of the international market research institute at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, a think tank under the Ministry of Commerce. The push to move away from a US-centric road map, the pursuit of legal actions, and launching countermeasures are among the measures being considered to ensure the survival of the affected Chinese businesses, Bai told the Global Times on Wednesday. He cited the legal action TikTok is taking against the Trump administration as a means of hitting back at US sanctions. A greater focus on its domestic market, continued commitments to the Belt and Road Initiative, and a resolute push for breakthroughs in core technologies would be the key for China to build an indigenous innovation wall against the US-led crackdown on Chinese businesses and technologies, Bai said. A report by the China Power Project at the US Center for Strategic and International Studies said the South China Sea carries an estimated one-third of global shipping. This is particularly critical to China, Japan and South Korea, all of which rely on the Strait of Malacca, which connects the South China Sea and, by extension, the Pacific Ocean to the Indian Ocean. In 2016, the value of Chinese goods through the South China Sea reached $1.47 trillion, accounting for 39.5 percent of all trade through the sea, according to the report. Despite unsubstantiated US claims of disruption to freedom of navigation, commercial navigation has not been disrupted over the past years, while China's trade with Southeast Asian countries is burgeoning day by day. In the first half of the year, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations has emerged as China's largest trading partner amid the COVID-19 pandemic, with trade still rising. Some experts have also said that it is the US that is seeking to undermine the peace and prosperity in the region for its own political and economic interests. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The fruit and vegetable industry has been handed another black mark after a major audit found just one fifth of businesses previously caught breaching workplace laws had fixed their problems. Just 45 of 245 horticulture industry firms that had previously fallen foul of the law were still in business and compliant, the Fair Work Ombudsman found when it went back to check on firms that it had found problems with in its major Harvest Trail audit two years ago. Unions have argued the COVID-19 crisis provides an opportunity to overhaul Australia's horticultural workforce. Credit:Louie Douvis The findings released on Thursday add weight to calls from unions to scrap backpacker visas, arguing those who arrive on the permits to pick up to 80 per cent of some of Australia's fruit and vegetable harvests are particularly vulnerable to exploitation because they move around and may lack English skills. Australian Workers Union national secretary Dan Walton, whose union has been on an industry reference group with the ombudsman, said the audit showed the sector was operating outside the law. French English Press release Paris, 27/08/2020 First-half 2020 results GROUP Current operating profit generated in Q2 2020, despite the strong impact of the Covid-19 crisis Robust financial situation and high liquidity with available cash of 11.1bn at end-June 2020 CONSTRUCTION BUSINESSES Backlog at a record level Current operating profit generated at Colas in Q2 2020 BOUYGUES TELECOM Return to sustained commercial momentum after lockdown, strong year-on-year growth in sales from services (up 8%) and EBITDA after Leases (up 9%) Agreement with Credit Mutuel for the acquisition of EIT 1 , the leading MVNO operator on the French market 2020 objectives revised KEY FIGURES ( million) H1 2019 H1 2020 Change Sales 17,446 14,758 -15%a Current operating profit/(loss) 453 (132) -585m Operating profit/(loss) 495b (176)c -671m Net profit/(loss) attributable to the Group 225 (244) -469m Net surplus cash (+)/Net debt (-) (6,205) (3,905) +2,300m (a) Down 15% like-for-like and at constant exchange rates (b) Including non-current income of 42m (c) Including non-current charges of 44m As expected, the Groups results in first-half 2020 were strongly impacted by the consequences of the Covid-19 crisis Sales were 14.8 billion, down 15% year-on-year (down 15% like-for-like and at constant exchange rates). The 2.7-billion decrease was entirely attributable to Covid-19, which had an estimated impact of -2.8 billion. In France, sales were down 19% due to the sudden lockdown on 17 March, followed by a gradual restart of the three sectors of activity. Internationally, sales were down 10% related to the slowdown in activity and lockdown in geographies (Hong Kong, Italy, Switzerland, Belgium, Singapore, etc.). were 14.8 billion, down 15% year-on-year (down 15% like-for-like and at constant exchange rates). The 2.7-billion decrease was entirely attributable to Covid-19, which had an estimated impact of -2.8 billion. In France, sales were down 19% due to the sudden lockdown on 17 March, followed by a gradual restart of the three sectors of activity. Internationally, sales were down 10% related to the slowdown in activity and lockdown in geographies (Hong Kong, Italy, Switzerland, Belgium, Singapore, etc.). The Group reported a current operating loss of 132 million, a deterioration of 585 million versus the first half of 2019. The difference was entirely due to the impact of Covid-19, estimated at 650 million in first-half 2020 (loss of current operating margin and unavoidable or additional costs 2 ). After reaching a low point in April, the Group posted a current operating profit in June. of 132 million, a deterioration of 585 million versus the first half of 2019. The difference was entirely due to the impact of Covid-19, estimated at 650 million in first-half 2020 (loss of current operating margin and unavoidable or additional costs ). After reaching a low point in April, the Group posted a current operating profit in June. The Group reported an operating loss of 176 million, a deterioration of 671 million year-on-year. It includes non-current charges of 44 million, essentially at Colas, versus non-current income of 42 million in first-half 2019. of 176 million, a deterioration of 671 million year-on-year. It includes non-current charges of 44 million, essentially at Colas, versus non-current income of 42 million in first-half 2019. The net loss attributable to the Group of 244 million represented a deterioration of 469 million versus the first half of 2019. The Group posted current operating profit of 110 million in second-quarter 2020, demonstrating the high responsiveness of business segments and the gradual resumption of activity. Bouygues Telecom reported current operating profit of 185 million, up 46 million year-on-year, driven by growth in the customer base and in ABPU. reported current operating profit of 185 million, up 46 million year-on-year, driven by growth in the customer base and in ABPU. At Colas , current operating profit of 66 million reflected the rapid resumption of the roads activities before the end of the lockdown, mostly in mainland France and in Canada. , current operating profit of 66 million reflected the rapid resumption of the roads activities before the end of the lockdown, mostly in mainland France and in Canada. At TF1, current operating profit of 26 million included significant savings in programing costs, softening the impact of the decline in sales. The Group benefits from a high level of liquidity and a particularly robust financial structure Available cash reached 11.1 billion at end-June 2020, comprising 4.4 billion in cash and 6.7 billion in unused medium- and long-term credit facilities, of which 6.3 billion contains no financial covenants. reached 11.1 billion at end-June 2020, comprising 4.4 billion in cash and 6.7 billion in unused medium- and long-term credit facilities, of which 6.3 billion contains no financial covenants. Net debt was 3.9 billion at end-June 2020. This was 2.3 billion less than at end-June 2019, essentially related to the positive 1.4-billion impact from Alstom (dividends and sale of 13% of the share capital). The figure does not yet include the payment of a dividend of 1.7 per share 3 which is planned for September 2020. was 3.9 billion at end-June 2020. This was 2.3 billion less than at end-June 2019, essentially related to the positive 1.4-billion impact from Alstom (dividends and sale of 13% of the share capital). The figure does not yet include the payment of a dividend of 1.7 per share which is planned for September 2020. Net gearing4 was 34% versus 59% at end-June 2019. OUTLOOK The Covid-19 crisis and its consequences validate the Groups strategic choices: strengthen the more resilient businesses : ramp-up growth at Bouygues Telecom, develop the Energies & Services activities; : ramp-up growth at Bouygues Telecom, develop the Energies & Services activities; continue Colas development towards new growth areas: expand its international network via external growth in target countries (North America, Northern Europe, etc.) and optimize its industrial activities (quarries and bitumen); towards new growth areas: expand its international network via external growth in target countries (North America, Northern Europe, etc.) and optimize its industrial activities (quarries and bitumen); pursue the transformation of TF1 and Bouygues Immobilier : strengthen TF1s positioning in the value chain to reduce its dependence on TV advertising, turn sales and profitability around at Bouygues Immobilier; : strengthen TF1s positioning in the value chain to reduce its dependence on TV advertising, turn sales and profitability around at Bouygues Immobilier; accelerate digital transformation: develop innovative products and solutions, reshape organizations and work processes. The Group maintains its ambition to implement a new phase in its climate strategy by reducing the carbon footprint of its activities while strengthening its portfolio of low-carbon solutions. It confirms that in 2020 it will define a 2030 greenhouse gas emissions reduction target compatible with the Paris Agreement (limiting global warming to 1.5C), and prepare action plans for its five business segments. As a reminder, the Group withdrew its 2020 guidance on 1 April. Due to the uncertainty of the ongoing Covid-19 crisis and its impact for the rest of the year, the Group will not issue a new guidance for 2020. However, thanks to the responsiveness of its business segments and the measures taken, the Group will return to significant profitability in the second half of 20205, without reaching the particularly high levels of second-half 2019. Bouygues Telecom, which is showing its resilience, is pursuing its growth strategy and is choosing to maintain a high level of investment in order to strengthen the quality of its networks against a backdrop of a continued increase in usage. It is therefore revising its objectives for 20205: Growth in sales from services estimated at around 4 % , despite the sharp decline in roaming sales due to Covid-19 (vs around 5% beforehand); estimated at around , despite the sharp decline in roaming sales due to Covid-19 (vs around 5% beforehand); Gross capex that could reach 1.2 billion (includes expenditures necessary for the integration of EIT but excludes the acquisition of 5G frequencies); that could reach (includes expenditures necessary for the integration of EIT but excludes the acquisition of 5G frequencies); Free cash flow of around 250 million (vs over 300 million beforehand). Commenting on these results, Martin Bouygues, Chairman and CEO of Bouygues, said: The long-term trends on which the Group relies remain buoyant, despite the current crisis. After a challenging first half of the year, our fundamentals and our strategy should enable us to return to growth in all three sectors of activity.5 DETAILED ANALYSIS BY SECTOR OF ACTIVITY CONSTRUCTION BUSINESSES The backlog in the construction businesses reached a record level of 35.7 billion at end-June 2020, up 6% year-on-year (up 5% at constant exchange rates and excluding principal disposals and acquisitions) and up 8% versus endDecember 2019, providing good visibility on future activity. The backlog at end-June 2020 rose in all business segments versus end-June 2019: up 8% at Bouygues Construction, linked to a significant increase in order intake over the period (up 18% year-on-year, of which 46% in international markets); up 4% at Bouygues Immobilier; up 1% at Colas. In France, the backlog rose 2% to 14.8 billion. This reflected: a 2% increase in the backlog at Bouygues Construction to 8.9 billion; a 4% increase in the backlog at Bouygues Immobilier to 2.3 billion, which included the block sale of 1,408 lots (social rental housing, rental housing for middle-income earners and private-sector rental housing) to Caisse des Depots et Consignations in second-quarter 2020; a slight 1% decrease in the backlog at Colas to 3.6 billion, linked to lower order intake in the roads activities in mainland France (impacts of Covid-19 and context of municipal elections). Internationally, the construction businesses backlog was up 9% year-on-year to 20.9 billion at end-June 2020 (up 8% at constant exchange rates and excluding principal disposals and acquisitions). The increase was driven by the backlogs at Bouygues Construction (up 12% to 14.3 billion) and Colas (up 3% to 6.5 billion) versus end-June 2019. The backlog includes significant orders taken in second-quarter 2020, both in France and in international markets. Bouygues Construction won a 1.1-billion contract6 to build a section of the HS2 high-speed rail line in the United Kingdom and a 552-million contract7 to build the Fecamp offshore wind farm in France, while Colas won contracts worth 160 million to resurface roads in the United States. International business represented 63% of the combined backlog of Bouygues Construction and Colas at the end of first-half 2020, versus 61% a year earlier. The Covid-19 pandemic strongly affected the construction businesses financial results in first-half 2020. After reaching a low point in April, the construction businesses returned to profitability in June 2020. Sales in the construction businesses were 10.8 billion in first-half 2020, down 19% (-2.6 billion). The decline was due to the impact of Covid-19, estimated at -2.5 billion. France was particularly hard hit, with sales down 28% over the period (strict lockdown, then gradual resumption of activity, and the postponement of municipal elections). The decrease was smaller in international markets, down 10%. The construction businesses reported a current operating loss of 437 million in first-half 2020, versus a current operating profit of 72 million a year earlier, a deterioration of 509 million. The decrease was entirely attributable to Covid-19, the impact of which was estimated at -530 million over the period. A highlight of second-quarter 2020 was the current operating profit of 66 million generated by Colas, due in particular to the rapid resumption of the roads activities, mostly in mainland France and Canada. The operating loss of 482 million in first-half 2020 included non-current charges of 45 million at Colas related to the reorganization of the roads activities in France and the continued dismantling of the Dunkirk site. In this unprecedented situation, Bouygues took a proactive approach to manage the Covid-19 crisis. Drawing on the experience of successfully restarting worksites in Hong Kong in February 2020, the Group organized the resumption of its French activities well before the end of lockdown, allowing for activity to restart gradually from 15 April. This was extended to other countries hit by lockdown during the second quarter. At the same time, the Group attempted to limit the impacts of the crisis on its activities, by negotiating with customers to share Covid-19-related excess costs while partly offsetting some of the shortfall in activity observed during lockdown and rolling out cost-cutting measures. Almost all sites in France had reopened by mid-July 2020 and work was progressing at a close-to-pre-crisis level. Activity had also returned to almost normal in many other geographies, including Switzerland, Hong Kong, Canada and the United Kingdom. By mid-August, activity had also gradually resumed in Singapore. The Group is well-positioned to respond to the challenges of the stimulus plans announced in major countries where it has operations, such as the EU, France, the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States. These plans are intended in particular to encourage sustainable infrastructure, the energy transition and the renovation of buildings. They are likely to offer attractive opportunities for the Groups businesses, especially given the extensive portfolio of low-carbon solutions it has developed and the expertise it has demonstrated for many years. TF1 TF1s results in first-half 2020 reflect both the effects of the Covid-19 crisis and the TF1 groups ability to promptly adapt its programing and cost management to soften its impact. With daily TV viewing time up 26 minutes year-on-year in first-half 2020, the audience share among key targets remained at a high level, at 31.9% of women under 50 who are purchasing decision-makers and 29.6% of individuals aged 25 to 49. First-half 2020 sales reached 884 million, down 23% year-on-year, a decrease of 261 million. The impact of Covid19 over the period was estimated at -250 million. Sales were affected both by mass cancellations or postponement of advertising campaigns and by the shutdown and then gradual resumption of production shooting activities in France and abroad. Current operating profit in the first-half of the year was 68 million, down 95 million year-on-year. Covid-19 accounted for an impact of around 100 million while efforts were made to adjust programming schedules to generate savings of 107 million on the programing costs at the five free-to-air channels. The decline in advertising revenue has slowed since the end of lockdown as some advertisers have returned. However, given the uncertainty surrounding the progress and the consequences of the pandemic, TF1 has withdrawn its guidance for 2020 and 2021. BOUYGUES TELECOM In first-half 2020, Bouygues Telecom demonstrated its ability to maintain the quality and reliability of its mobile and fixed networks, while usage rose sharply during lockdown, and did its best to meet customers needs. Bouygues Telecom was the first operator to reopen its stores, from 11 May, in strict compliance with health measures. Since reopening, the level of new adds has been higher than before the crisis, enabling the company to maintain good commercial momentum over the first half of 2020. As a result, the company had 11.8 million mobile plan customers excluding MtoM at end-June 2020, an increase of 274,000 new customers since the end of 2019, including 161,000 in the second quarter alone. The share of the premium segment remained steady in relation to the SIM Only/Web Only segment in first-half 2020, with a high proportion of customers who returned to the companys stores completing a purchase. Bouygues Telecom had 1.2 million FTTH customers at end-June 2020, with 210,000 new adds since the end of 2019, including 93,000 in the second quarter. The FTTH penetration rate rose to 30% at end-June 2020, versus 20% a year earlier, enabling the company to narrow the gap with its competitors. It is confirming the strong demand for FTTH as customers emerge from lockdown. The company had a total of 4 million fixed customers at endJune 2020. Thanks to over 6% growth in sales year-on-year in the second-quarter 2020, Bouygues Telecom has posted the strongest quarterly growth in the French market since mid-20178, almost without interruption. This performance has been driven, in particular, by the increase in sales from services for the 20th consecutive quarter. Growth of 6% in the second-quarter 2020 versus second-quarter 2019 was driven by an increase of 11% in sales from fixed services and of 4% in sales from mobile services. The rise in sales from mobile services reflects the increase in services billed to customers excluding roaming, which more than offset the decline in roaming revenue caused by the drop in intercontinental travel and the closure of some borders. In first-half 2020, Bouygues Telecom reported sales of 3,042 million, up 4% year-on-year. The impact of Covid-19 over the period is estimated at -70 million. Sales from services rose 8% to 2,404 million. This reflects growth in both the mobile and the fixed customer base and a rise in ABPU (mobile ABPU restated for the impact of roaming rose 0.3 year-on-year to 19.7 per customer per month9, while fixed ABPU rose 1.3 year-on-year to 27.2 per customer per month). The 7% year-on-year decline in Other sales was essentially due to lower sales of handsets as stores remained closed during lockdown. EBITDA after Leases was up 58 million year-on-year at 711 million, a rise of 9%. It included non-recurrent expenditures of 20 million related to brand repositioning and advertising campaigns in first-quarter 2020, plus around 20 million of Covid19-related costs in first-half 2020. The EBITDA after Leases margin was 29.6%, 0.3 points higher than in first-half 2019. Current operating profit in first-half 2020 was 253 million, up 23 million year-on-year. It includes a capital gain of 17 million on the sale of FTTH premises in medium-dense areas to SDAIF, the joint venture with Vauban Infrastructure Partners as part of Project Asterix. First-half 2020 operating profit was down 26 million at 254 million. It includes non-current income of 1 million, versus 50 million at end-June 2019 (mainly related to the capital gain on the disposal of mobile sites). Gross capex was 581 million in the first-half of the year, up 51 million year-on-year. Disposals over the same period amounted to 194 million, much of which (185 million) was linked to Project Asterix. On 26 June 2020, Bouygues Telecom announced that it had signed an exclusivity agreement with Euro-Information, a Credit Mutuel group company, with a view to acquiring all the capital of its subsidiary Euro-Information Telecom (EIT), the leading MVNO operator on the French market, and concluding a distribution partnership. With the consumer mobile market reaching maturity, the partnership has a strategic interest for Bouygues Telecom for three reasons: to ramp-up its growth in the mobile and fixed markets, to benefit from a complementary and experienced nationwide distribution network through over 4,200 Credit Mutuel and CIC bank branches with 30,000 customer advisers, and to improve its profitability and secure its free cash flow in a fixed-cost industry. Ultimately, based on its core scenario, Bouygues Telecom expects the acquisition to make an annual contribution of over 200 million to EBITDA after Leases and 100 million to free cash flow. The transaction is expected to close before the end of 2020, subject to obtaining the necessary administrative approvals, notably from the French Competition Authority, and the consultation of employee representative bodies. Bouygues Telecom continued to work on its infrastructure projects in first-half 2020, finalizing the closing of: Project Saint-Malo signed with Cellnex on 26 February 2020, related to the roll-out of a nationwide optical fiber infrastructure (FTTA and FTTO); Project Asterix signed with Vauban Infrastructure Partners on 23 April 2020, related to the co-financing of an FTTH network in medium-dense areas. ALSTOM Alstoms contribution to the Groups net profit was 35 million in first-half 2020, versus 33 million in first-half 2019. As a reminder, at Alstoms General Meeting on 8 July 2020, shareholders approved the non-distribution of dividend in respect of FY2019/2020. FINANCIAL SITUATION Since the start of the Covid-19 crisis, Bouygues aimed to secure and strengthen its cash position and, more broadly, its financial resources. In first-half 2020, it notably: issued NEU-CP (commercial paper) for 510 million; drew down lines of credit for 1 billion; successfully completed a 1-billion bond issue. As a result, the Group had 4.4 billion in cash at end-June 2020, a considerable increase from 1.4 billion at 30 June 2019. The unused medium- and long-term credit facilities amount to 6.7 billion, of which 6.3 billion contains no financial covenants. Total available cash amounted to 11.1 billion at end-June 2020. Net debt at 30 June 2020 was 3.9 billion, 1.7 billion more than at 31 December 2019 due to the usual seasonal factors. Net debt at end-June 2020 does not include the payment of a dividend of 1.7 per share10 in September 2020 and Bouygues Telecoms acquisition of EIT. GOVERNANCE The Board of Directors at its 26 August meeting took note of Olivier Bouygues resignation as Deputy CEO, effective from 31 August 2020. The Board warmly thanked Olivier Bouygues for his commitment to serving the Group since 1974 and in his function as Deputy CEO since 2002, and was pleased to still be able to benefit from his expertise and experience as a director. FINANCIAL CALENDAR 4 September 2020: Ordinary General Meeting (2.30pm CET) 19 November 2020: Nine-month 2020 results (7.30am CET) The financial statements have been subject to a limited review by the statutory auditors and the corresponding report has been issued. You can find the full financial statements and notes to the financial statements on www.bouygues.com/finance/resultats. The results presentation conference call for analysts will start at 11.00am (CET) on 27 August 2020. Details on how to connect are available on www.bouygues.com. The results presentation will be available before the conference call starts on www.bouygues.com/finance/investors presentations. ABOUT BOUYGUES Bouygues is a diversified services group with a strong corporate culture whose businesses are organized around three sectors of activity: Construction, with Bouygues Construction (building & civil works and energies & services), Bouygues Immobilier (property development) and Colas (roads); Telecoms, with Bouygues Telecom, and Media, with TF1. INVESTORS AND ANALYSTS CONTACT: INVESTORS@bouygues.com Tel.: +33 (0)1 44 20 10 79 PRESS CONTACT: presse@bouygues.com Tel.: +33 (0)1 44 20 12 01 BOUYGUES SA 32 avenue Hoche 75378 Paris CEDEX 08 www.bouygues.com FIRST-HALF 2020 BUSINESS ACTIVITY BACKLOG AT THE CONSTRUCTION BUSINESSES ( million) End-June 2019 2020 Change Bouygues Construction 21,511 23,246 +8% Bouygues Immobilier 2,304 2,386 +4% Colas 9,942 10,065 +1% Total 33,757 35,697 +6% BOUYGUES CONSTRUCTION ORDER INTAKE ( million) First-half 2019 2020 Change France 2,385 2,008 -16% International 2,918 4,249 +46% Total 5,303 6,257 +18% BOUYGUES IMMOBILIER RESERVATIONS ( million) First-half 2019 2020 Change Residential property 964 887 -8% Commercial property 25 5 nm Total 989 892 -10% COLAS BACKLOG ( million) End-June 2019 2020 Change Mainland France 3,633 3,581 -1% International and French overseas territories 6,309 6,484 +3% Total 9,942 10,065 +1% TF1 AUDIENCE SHAREa End-June 2019 2020 Change Total 32.7% 31.9% -0.8 pts (a) Source: Mediametrie women under 50 who are purchasing decision-makers BOUYGUES TELECOM CUSTOMER BASE (000) End-Dec 2019 End-June 2020 Change Mobile customer base excl. MtoM 11,958 12,169 +211 Mobile plan base excl. MtoM 11,543 11,817 +274 Total mobile customers 17,800 18,178 +378 Total fixed customers 3,916 3,989 +73 FIRST-HALF 2020 FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED INCOME STATEMENT ( million) H1 2019 H1 2020 Change Sales 17,446 14,758 -15%a Current operating profit/(loss) 453 (132) -585m Other operating income and expenses 42b (44)c -86m Operating profit/(loss) 495 (176) -671m Cost of net debt (107) (94) +13m Interest expense on lease obligations (29) (25) +4m Other financial income and expenses 11 (13) -24m Income tax (132) 12 +144m Share of net profits of joint ventures and associates 59 77 +18m o/w Alstom 33 35 +2m Net profit/(loss) from continuing operations 297 (219) -516m Net profit attributable to non-controlling interests (72) (25) +47m Net profit/(loss) attributable to the Group 225 (244) -469m (a) Down 15% like-for-like and at constant exchange rates (b) Including non-current charges of 8m at Bouygues Construction and non-current income of 50m at Bouygues Telecom mainly related to the disposal of mobile sites (c) Including non-current income of 1m at Bouygues Telecom and non-current charges of 45m at Colas related to the reorganization of the roads activities in France and the continued dismantling of the Dunkirk site CALCULATION OF EBITDA AFTER LEASESa ( million) H1 2019 H1 2020 Change Current operating profit/(loss) 453 (132) -585m Interest expense on lease obligations (29) (25) +4m Net depreciation and amortization expense on property, plant and equipment and intangible assets 812 851 +39m Charges to provisions and impairment losses, net of reversals due to utilization 98 76 -22m Reversals of unutilized provisions and impairment losses and other (116) (147) -31m EBITDA after Leasesa 1,218 623 -595m (a) See glossary for definitions ESTIMATED IMPACT OF COVID-19 IN FIRST-HALF 2020 ( million) Sales Current operating profit/(loss) Construction businesses -2,460 -530 o/w Bouygues Construction -1,250 -290 o/w Bouygues Immobilier -400 -50 o/w Colas -810 -190 TF1 -250 -100 Bouygues Telecom -70 -20 The estimated impact by Business segment shown above is based on the H1 2019 reported figures or the 2020 forecast. SALES BY SECTOR OF ACTIVITY ( million) H1 2019 H1 2020 Change Forex effect Scope effect lfl & constant fxc Construction businessesa 13,398 10,842 -19% -0.4% +0.6% -19% o/w Bouygues Construction 6,539 5,321 -19% -0.9% 0% -19% o/w Bouygues Immobilier 1,086 701 -35% 0.1% 0% -35% o/w Colas 5,834 4,870 -17% 0% +1.4% -15% TF1 1,145 884 -23% 0% +0.2% -23% Bouygues Telecom 2,913 3,042 +4% 0% -0.2% +4% Bouygues SA and other 98 93 nm - - nm Intra-Group eliminationsb (169) (153) nm - - nm Group sales 17,446 14,758 -15% -0.3% +0.5% -15% o/w France 10,553 8,533 -19% 0% +1% -18% o/w international 6,893 6,225 -10% -0.8% -0.3% -11% (a) Total of the sales contributions (after eliminations within the construction businesses) (b) Including intra-Group eliminations of the construction businesses (c) Like-for-like and at constant exchange rates CONTRIBUTION TO GROUP EBITDA AFTER LEASES BY SECTOR OF ACTIVITY ( million) H1 2019 H1 2020 Change Construction businesses 312 (232) -544m o/w Bouygues Construction 267 (62) -329m o/w Bouygues Immobilier 16 (37) -53m o/w Colas 29 (133) -162m TF1 264 160 -104m Bouygues Telecom 653 711 +58m Bouygues SA and other (11) (16) -5m Group EBITDA after Leases 1,218 623 -595m CONTRIBUTION TO GROUP CURRENT OPERATING PROFIT/(LOSS) BY SECTOR OF ACTIVITY ( million) H1 2019 H1 2020 Change Construction businesses 72 (437) -509m o/w Bouygues Construction 179 (95) -274m o/w Bouygues Immobilier 29 (38) -67m o/w Colas (136) (304) -168m TF1 163 68 -95m Bouygues Telecom 230 253 +23m Bouygues SA and other (12) (16) -4m Group current operating profit/(loss) 453 (132) -585m CONTRIBUTION TO GROUP OPERATING PROFIT/(LOSS) BY SECTOR OF ACTIVITY ( million) H1 2019 H1 2020 Change Construction businesses 64 (482) -546m o/w Bouygues Construction 171 (95) -266m o/w Bouygues Immobilier 29 (38) -67m o/w Colas (136) (349) -213m TF1 163 68 -95m Bouygues Telecom 280 254 -26m Bouygues SA and other (12) (16) -4m Group operating profit/(loss) 495a (176)b -671m (a) Including non-current charges of 8m at Bouygues Construction and non-current income of 50m at Bouygues Telecom mainly related to the disposal of mobile sites (b) Including non-current income of 1m at Bouygues Telecom and non-current charges of 45m at Colas related to the reorganization of the roads activities in France and the continued dismantling of the Dunkirk site CONTRIBUTION TO NET PROFIT/(LOSS) ATTRIBUTABLE TO THE GROUP BY SECTOR OF ACTIVITY ( million) H1 2019 H1 2020 Change Construction businesses 35 (384) -419m o/w Bouygues Construction 121 (66) -187m o/w Bouygues Immobilier 13 (33) -46m o/w Colas (99) (285) -186m TF1 47 17 -30m Bouygues Telecom 150 142 -8m Alstom 33 35 +2m Bouygues SA and other (40) (54) -14m Net profit/(loss) attributable to the Group 225 (244) -469m NET SURPLUS CASH (+)/NET DEBT (-)a BY BUSINESS SEGMENT ( million) End-Dec 2019 End-June 2020 Change Bouygues Construction 3,113 2,599 -514m Bouygues Immobilier (279) (548) -269m Colas (367) (1,065) -698m TF1 (127) (22) +105m Bouygues Telecom (1,454) (1,659) -205m Bouygues SA and other (3,108) (3,210) -102m Net surplus cash (+)/Net debt (-) (2,222) (3,905) -1,683m Current and non-current lease obligations (1,686) (1,608) +78m (a) See glossary for definitions CONTRIBUTION TO NET CAPITAL EXPENDITURE BY SECTOR OF ACTIVITY ( million) H1 2019 H1 2020 Change Construction businesses 209 111 -98m o/w Bouygues Construction 106 37 -69m o/w Bouygues Immobilier 6 2 -4m o/w Colas 97 72 -25m TF1 114 107 -7m Bouygues Telecom 454 387 -67m Bouygues SA and other 1 2 +1m Group net capital expenditure 778 607 -171m CONTRIBUTION TO GROUP FREE CASH FLOWa BY SECTOR OF ACTIVITY ( million) H1 2019 H1 2020 Change Construction businesses (98) (454) -356m o/w Bouygues Construction 80 (135) -215m o/w Bouygues Immobilier (20) (50) -30m o/w Colas (158) (269) -111m TF1 113 22 -91m Bouygues Telecom 73 233 +160m Bouygues SA and other (50) (25) +25m Group free cash flowa 38 (224) -262m (a) See glossary for definitions SECOND-QUARTER 2020 FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE KEY FIGURES ( million) Q2 2020 Change vs. Q2 2019 Group sales 7,539 -21% Group current operating profit/(loss) 110 -401m o/w Bouygues Construction (134) -236m o/w Bouygues Immobilier (22) -37m o/w Colas 66 -96m o/w TF1 26 -74m o/w Bouygues Telecom 185 +46m Group operating profit/(loss) 64 -474m Net profit/(loss) attributable to the Group (40) -324m GLOSSARY 4G consumption: data consumed on 4G cellular networks, excluding Wi-Fi. 4G users: customers who have used the 4G network during the last three months (Arcep definition). ABPU (Average Billing Per User): - In the mobile segment, it is equal to the total of mobile sales billed to customers (BtoC and BtoB) divided by the average number of customers over the period. It excludes MtoM SIM cards and free SIM cards. - In the fixed segment, it is equal to the total of fixed sales billed to customers (excluding BtoB) divided by the average number of customers over the period. BtoB (business to business): when one business makes a commercial transaction with another. Backlog (Bouygues Construction, Colas): the amount of work still to be done on projects for which a firm order has been taken, i.e. the contract has been signed and has taken effect (after notice to proceed has been issued and suspensory clauses have been lifted). Backlog (Bouygues Immobilier): sales outstanding from notarized sales plus total sales from signed reservations that have still to be notarized. Under IFRS 11, Bouygues Immobiliers backlog does not include sales from reservations taken via companies accounted for by the equity method (co-promotion companies where there is joint control). Construction businesses: Bouygues Construction, Bouygues Immobilier and Colas. EBITDA after Leases: current operating profit after taking account of the interest expense on lease obligations, before (i) net depreciation and amortization expense on property, plant and equipment and intangible assets, (ii) net charges to provisions and impairment losses, and (iii) effects of acquisitions of control or losses of control. Those effects relate to the impact of remeasuring previously-held interests or retained interests. EBITDA margin after Leases (Bouygues Telecom): EBITDA after Leases as a proportion of sales from services. Free cash flow: net cash flow (determined after (i) cost of net debt, (ii) interest expense on lease obligations and (iii) income taxes paid), minus net capital expenditure and repayments of lease obligations. It is calculated before changes in working capital requirements (WCR) related to operating activities and excluding 5G frequencies. Free cash flow after WCR: net cash flow (determined after (i) cost of net debt, (ii) interest expense on lease obligations and (iii) income taxes paid), minus net capital expenditure and repayments of lease obligations, and after changes in working capital requirements (WCR) related to operating activities. It is calculated after changes in working capital requirements (WCR) related to operating activities and excluding 5G frequencies. Fixed churn: the total number of cancellations in a given month, divided by the total number of subscribers at the end of the previous month. FTTH (Fiber to the Home): optical fiber from the central office (where the operators transmission equipment is installed) all the way to homes or business premises (Arcep definition). FTTH penetration rate: the FTTH share of the total fixed subscriber base (the number of FTTH customers divided by the total number of fixed customers) FTTH premises secured: the horizontal deployed, being deployed or ordered up to the concentration point. FTTH premises marketed: the connectable sockets, i.e. the horizontal and vertical deployed and connected via the concentration point. Growth in sales like-for-like and at constant exchange rates: - at constant exchange rates: change after translating foreign-currency sales for the current period at the exchange rates for the comparative period; - on a like-for-like basis: change in sales for the periods compared, adjusted as follows: for acquisitions, by deducting from the current period those sales of the acquired entity that have no equivalent during the comparative period; for divestments, by deducting from the comparative period those sales of the divested entity that have no equivalent during the current period. Mobile churn: the total number of cancellations in a given month, divided by the total number of subscribers at the end of the previous month. MtoM: machine to machine communication. This refers to direct communication between machines or smart devices or between smart devices and people via an information system using mobile communications networks, generally without human intervention. Net surplus cash/(net debt): the aggregate of cash and cash equivalents, overdrafts and short-term bank borrowings, non-current and current debt, and financial instruments. Net surplus cash/(net debt) does not include non-current and current lease obligations. A positive figure represents net surplus cash and a negative figure represents net debt. The main components of change in net debt are presented in Note 7 to the consolidated financial statements at 30 June 2020, available at bouygues.com . Order intake (Bouygues Construction, Colas): a project is included under order intake when the contract has been signed and has taken effect (the notice to proceed has been issued and all suspensory clauses have been lifted) and the financing has been arranged. The amount recorded corresponds to the sales the project will generate. PIN: Public-Initiative Network. Reservations by value (Bouygues Immobilier): the amount of the value of properties reserved over a given period. - Residential properties: the sum of the value of unit and block reservation contracts signed by customers and approved by Bouygues Immobilier, minus registered cancellations. - Commercial properties: these are registered as reservations on notarized sale. For co-promotion companies: if Bouygues Immobilier has exclusive control over the co-promotion company (full consolidation), 100% of amounts are included in reservations; if joint control is exercised (the company is accounted for by the equity method), commercial activity is recorded according to the amount of the equity interest in the co-promotion company. Sales from services (Bouygues Telecom) comprise: - Sales billed to customers, which include: - In Mobile: For BtoC customers: sales from outgoing call charges (voice, texts and data), connection fees, and value-added services. For BtoB customers: sales from outgoing call charges (voice, texts and data), connection fees, and value-added services, plus sales from business services. Machine-To-Machine (MtoM) sales. Visitor roaming sales. Sales generated with Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs). - In Fixed: For BtoC customers: sales from outgoing call charges, fixed broadband services, TV services (including Video on Demand and catch-up TV), and connection fees and equipment hire. For BtoB customers: sales from outgoing call charges, fixed broadband services, TV services (including Video on Demand and catch-up TV), and connection fees and equipment hire, plus sales from business services. Sales from bulk sales to other fixed line operators. - Sales from incoming Voice and Texts. - Spreading of handset subsidies over the projected life of the customer account, required to comply with IFRS 15. - Capitalization of connection fee sales, which is then spread over the projected life of the customer account. Other sales (Bouygues Telecom): difference between Bouygues Telecoms total sales and sales from services. It comprises: - Sales from handsets, accessories and other - Roaming sales - Non-telecom services (construction of sites or installation of FTTH lines) - Co-financing of advertising Very-high-speed: subscriptions with peak downstream speeds higher or equal to 30 Mbit/s. Includes FTTH, FTTLA, 4G box and VDSL2 subscriptions (Arcep definition). 1 Euro-Information Telecom 2 Mainly the wage costs of employees working part-time or not at all (net of compensation received from the State if any), cost of unused equipment or premises and security measure costs 3 Proposed to the Ordinary General Meeting on 4 September 2020 4 Net debt / shareholders equity 5 Based on information known to date and excluding any further deterioration in the situation due to Covid-19 6 Excluding 140 million related to preliminary studies and preparatory works booked previously 7 Amount of the contract awarded to the consortium comprising Bouygues Travaux Publics (40.5%), Saipem (40.5%) and Boskalis (19%) 8 Based on total sales compared with the French sales of its competitors; except for the first quarter 2020 and based on the companys estimates for the second quarter 2020 9 19.0 excluding restatement 10 Proposed to the Ordinary General Meeting on 4 September 2020 Attachment CLEVELAND, Ohio A Cleveland man who carjacked an 83-year-old woman in a church parking lot during a three-hour crime spree last year that ended with a shootout with police was sentenced to prison Wednesday after pleading guilty to multiple charges. Clifford Gillespie, 44, was sentenced to 15 to 16 1/2 years in prison on one count of aggravated robbery, five counts of felonious assault, two counts of having weapons under disability, two counts of aggravated menacing, and one count of public indecency. This one-man wrecking crew endangered the lives of numerous victims during his violent crime spree, said Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael OMalley said in a statement. We are all much safer without this criminal running rampant through our streets. Gillespies spree began about 9:15 a.m. on April 28. Police said Gillespie carjacked an 83-year-old woman in the parking lot of the Greater Gospel Temple Aoh on East 83rd Street and Quincy Avenue. Prosecutors say Gillespie approached the womans vehicle, banged on her windows, and demanded her car keys while threatening to kill her. After the victim exited her vehicle, he took her keys and drove away. The woman was not injured. Gillespie drove the stolen vehicle to a laundromat near East 63rd Street and Fleet Avenue, where he began masturbating in the parking lot in front of a 27-year-old woman and her cousin, prosecutors say. The woman told Gillespie she was going to call the police and he threatened to shoot both her and her cousin, according to police reports. He went outside, grabbed his gun from the car and waved it around, according to police. The woman called police from the managers office and gave officers the license plate number of the car. Cleveland police spotted the stolen vehicle and attempted to pull it over near East 74th Street and Harvard Avenue. The car Gillespie drove made odd noises and caught fire. He hopped out of the car and ran from officers through several fields and over RTA Rapid tracks, according to the dispatch records. Officers spotted Gillespie, who pulled out his gun, pointed it at officers and fired several shots, according to dispatch records. The officers returned fire, shot Gillespie before they took him into custody, according to police. Prosecutors say Gillespie was sentenced under the Reagan Tokes Law, which implements an indefinite sentencing system for non-life felonies of the first- and second-degree. The judge imposes both a minimum term (from the current sentencing range) and a maximum term (that includes an additional 50% of the minimum term imposed). The Ohio Department of Corrections will review the case and Gillespies behavior after he has served 15 years and will make a determination as to whether he should be released. More crime-related content on cleveland.com: Cleveland man who killed acquaintance in Olmsted Falls apartment complex gets life in prison Heartless Felons gang member found guilty in slaying of Olmsted Falls man Cleveland man charged with murder in Olmsted Falls killing Man shot to death at Olmsted Falls condominium Cleveland father indicted on manslaughter charge in sons accidental shooting death Even as continues to witness rise in COVID-19 cases, political parties and All India Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) have decided to mount pressure on the state government to reopen places of worship. All establishments including places of worship have remained shut since the coronavirus-induced lockdown was imposed in the state on March 24 to contain the viral spread. While the state government relaxed restrictions on people's movements and access to shops and businesses, places of worship continue to be shut in the Unlock phase. The and AIMIM have separately announced their demands for reopening of temples and mosques. State head Chandrakant Patil has called for a state-wide agitation on August 29 to press for reopening of temples in the state. The Central government has already issued a circular regarding the reopening of temples and the important ones across the country were already open, Patil said. "Several individuals and organisations in have repeatedly demanded that the state government permit the reopening of temples. However, despite these appeals, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government is unwilling to budge," the BJP leader said. Meanwhile, AIMIM MP from Aurangabad Imtiyaz Jaleel said, "I am going to open mosques on September 2 even if the state's rule is against it. I also urge Hindus to open their temples on September 1." The argument that reopening of temples and mosques will trigger the spread, but keeping shops open and organising weddings will not, was unacceptable, he said. "You cannot simply allow one gathering and restrict the others," he added. However, MNS chief Raj Thackeray has taken a cautious approach in the matter. When a delegation of priests from Nashik sought his support for reopening of temples, he said, "It is more important to know what precautionary measures the temple management will be taking. I can only extend my support after learning these details. (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.) Advertisement Disturbing new footage has emerged which appears to show the police-obsessed gunman charged with the murder of two Black Lives Matter protesters in Kenosha shooting dead his first victim before running away. Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, was arrested on Wednesday at his home in Antioch, Illinois, some 20 miles from Kenosha, where riots over the shooting of Jacob Blake have been raging now for four nights. He is accused of killing two people at the protests on Tuesday night while trying to 'defend' the city. On Wednesday Police Chief Daniel Miskinis appeared to blame Tuesday night's violence on people breaking the curfew, telling a press conference: 'Last night, in a situation that began peaceful and turned somewhat unruly ... persons who were out after the curfew became engaged in some type of disturbance and persons were shot. Had persons not been out involved in violation of that, perhaps the situation that unfolded would not have happened.' The two men who were killed have been identified as Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, of Kenosha, and Anthony Huber, 26, of Silver Lake, about 15 miles west of the city. The wounded person, Gaige Grosskreutz, 26, of West Allis, about 30 miles northwest of Kenosha, was expected to survive, police said. Videos from Tuesday night's protests had already shown a gunman, later identified as Rittenhouse, being tailed by protesters as he ran down a street. The videos show the gunman stumbling and falling before firing three or four shots hitting at least two people. Huber was later identified as the man killed in this incident. Now a new earlier clip appears to shed light on how the ordeal unfolded after a first victim was shot in the head outside a nearby auto garage. That man, now named as father-of-one Rosenbaum, is pictured on the ground while the gunman stands nearby. The video show the gunman running away in the moments after the gunshots rang out. He could be heard saying: 'I've just killed somebody.' It is then the second and third shootings, seen in the initial video shared widely Wednesday, are thought to have happened after protesters chased the gunman. Scroll down for video Disturbing new footage has emerged which appears to show the police-obsessed gunman, left, charged with the murder of two BLM protesters in Kenosha shooting dead his first victim before running away Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, was arrested on Wednesday at his home in Antioch, Illinois, some 20 miles from Kenosha, where riots over the shooting of Jacob Blake have been raging now for four nights. He is believed to be circled left in the left image and right the right image Rittenhouse is accused of killing two people at the protests on Tuesday night while trying to 'defend' the city. The gunman and his victim are circled red in footage from Tuesday evening The two men who were killed were Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, of Kenosha, and Anthony Huber, 26, of Silver Lake, about 15 miles west of the city. The wounded person, Gaige Grosskreutz, 26, of West Allis, about 30 miles northwest of Kenosha, was expected to survive, police said. Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, has been charged with first degree intentional homicide following the shooting death of two protesters in Kenosha on Tuesday. Social media photos show the teen had a strong admiration for law enforcement and guns Facebook removes 'Kenosha Guard' militia group with 3,000 members asking 'patriots to take up arms and defend our city tonight from the evil thugs' Facebook on Wednesday launched an investigation into a group called 'Kenosha Guard,' containing 3,000 members, after it had promoted an event encouraging armed civilians to take to the streets to defend the city on Tuesday. The militia group had hosted an event titled, 'Armed Citizens to Protect our Lives and Property', according to screen grabs obtained by The Verge. 'Any patriots willing to take up arms and defend our city tonight from the evil thugs?' the group said in a post. 'No doubt they are currently planning on the next part of the city to burn tonight.' In a statement to the website, Facebook confirmed it had deleted the group for violating its policy, but said it had not found any evidence linking Rittenhouse to the group or event. 'At this time, we have not found evidence on Facebook that suggests the shooter followed the Kenosha Guard Page or that he was invited on the Event Page they organized,' the company said. 'However, the Kenosha Guard Page and their Event Page violated our new policy addressing militia organizations and have been removed on that basis.' A member of the group also told The Verge it was unaware if the shooter 'was answering the Kenosha Guard Militia's call to arms.' 'Just like with the shooting of Jacob Blake, we need all the facts and evidence to come out before we make a judgement. God Bless and stay safe Kenosha!' the statement said. Advertisement The shooting of father-of-six Blake 29, had sparked the protests in the city against police brutality and racism. He was struck from behind at point-blank range in a hail of bullets fired on Sunday by police who were following him with guns drawn as he walked away from officers to his car and opened a door to the vehicle. Three of his young sons inside the automobile - aged three, five and eight - witnessed their father being gunned down, according to civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who represents the Blake family. His shooting comes three months after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers on Thursday authorized the deployment of 500 members of the National Guard to Kenosha, doubling the number of troops in the city of 100,000. Guard troops from Arizona, Michigan and Alabama were coming to Wisconsin to assist, Evers said Thursday. He did not say how many. In Washington, the Justice Department said it was sending in more than 200 federal agents from the FBI, U.S. Marshals Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The White House said up to 2,000 National Guard troops would be made available. The Justice Department also announced that the U.S. attorneys office and FBI would conduct a civil rights investigation into the shooting of Blake, in cooperation with Wisconsin state law enforcement agencies. In a another clip from Tuesday night onlookers were filmed desperately trying to put pressure on the injured man's head wound with a t-shirt as they yelled: 'We've got to keep him alive' and 'put pressure, put pressure'. It is not yet clear what happened in the lead up to the initial shooting but police fear it may have stemmed from a conflict at a gas station between 'self-styled militias' defending local businesses from looters. Separate videos that captured the other two shootings showed a group of protesters tailing the gunman as he ran down the middle of the street. Someone in the crowd can be heard asking 'What did he do?' and another responds that the man had shot someone. The videos show the gunman stumbling and falling in the street before one pursuer took a flying kick at him, while another appeared to strike him with a skateboard. The gunman fired three of four shots from a seated position, hitting at least two people, including one who fell over clutching his chest and another who stumbled away putting pressure on his arm, according to the videos. Huber was identified as the man with the skateboard who died. His girlfriend paid an emotional tribute to him Wednesday evening, calling him 'one of the most amazing people ever'. As the crowd scattered, the shooter stood up and continued walking down the street as police cars arrived. He then walks towards police vehicles with his hands in the air as other protesters yelled at the cops to arrest him, claiming he'd just shot two people. The teenager was not arrested until the following day and is in now custody, charged as an adult. Groups that had taken to Kenoshas streets with long guns were nowhere to be seen early Thursday following somber protests and no widespread unrest for the first night since the weekend police shooting of Blake. There were no groups patrolling Kenoshas streets with long guns Wednesday night as there had been during previous nights protests. Protesters also stayed away from a courthouse that had been the site of standoffs with law enforcement. Unlike the previous two nights, when dozens of fires were set and businesses were ransacked and destroyed, there was no widespread unrest. On Tuesday, shortly before Rittenhouse opened fire, he gave an interview to right-wing news outlet The Daily Caller. Armed with a rifle slung across his body, the teen, who in January sat front row at a Trump rally in Des Moines, Iowa, told the reporter he was a certified EMT and explained he was patrolling the streets of Kenosha to provide medical attention to anyone in need and was helping protect local businesses from looters and rioters. 'People are getting injured. Our job is to protect this business and part of my job is to also help people,' Rittenhouse said of his militia. 'If there's somebody hurt, I'm running into harm's way,' added Rittenhouse, who was seen earlier guarding a local car shop with a group of armed militia members. 'That's why I have my rifle because I can protect myself, obviously. I also have my medkit.' He also claimed he had been 'de-escalating' a potentially violent situation earlier in the night, during which he and the rest of his vigilante crew ordered protesters to leave a church that they had targeted. When asked if the outcome would have been different if police officers responded to the scene instead, Rittenhouse replied: 'I feel like there would be a lot more casualties and a lot more people injured.' 'So I think the police are fine where they're at and [should] let us run the medical, because EMS is not coming in', he continued. 'Us citizens, we need to help each other.' Blake, who is a father of six, is now in a stable condition in hospital after undergoing surgery Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, of Kenosha, pictured with his fiancee and a young daughter, died Tuesday evening A new earlier clip appears to shed light on how the ordeal unfolded after one man was shot in the head outside a nearby auto garage. The victim is pictured on the ground on the left while the gunman stands nearby The videos showed the gunman running away in the moments after the gunshots rang out and he could be heard saying: 'I've just killed somebody.' It is then the second and third shootings, seen in the initial video, are thought to have happened after protesters chased the gunman. Cellphone videos from the scene in Kenosha, Wisconsin on Tuesday night show a white man brandishing a semi-automatic rifle in a confrontation with demonstrators following a shooting just moments earlier where a man was shot in the head. Protesters chased the gunman down the street before one kicked him to the ground Another man could be seen hitting the gunman over the head with a skateboard before struggling with the gunman as gunshots rang out and people fled from the scene The gunman appeared to fire a shot at the man brandishing the skateboard while he was still lying on the ground. The man who initially kicked the gunman to the ground can be seen running (right) as the gunshots broke out The man with the skateboard stumbled away from the gunman clutching his chest (right) as another man appeared to put his hands up in front of the shooter In a press conference addressing the shooting, Kenosha County Sheriff David Beth told reporters it was possible the gunman was part of an armed militia that had earlier asked the department if they could become part of the police force to help protect the city. In Wisconsin, it is legal for people 18 and over to openly carry a gun without a license but it is not legal for anyone under 18 to own a gun. Beth said: 'And I'm like, 'Oh, hell no.' What happened last night is the perfect reason why I wouldn't.' The sheriff called it a 'scary thought' that untrained members of the public might ever be given the same duties or privileges as police. 'Oh, hell no. What a scary, scary thought that would be in my world,' he said. Huber was identified as the man with the skateboard who died. His girlfriend paid an emotional tribute to him Wednesday evening, center, calling him 'one of the most amazing people ever' Groups that had taken to Kenoshas streets with long guns were nowhere to be seen early Thursday following somber protests and no widespread unrest for the first night since the weekend police shooting of Jacob Blake Marchers were solemn during Wednesday nights protests in the southeastern Wisconsin city But footage from the night shows police thanking a group of armed militia that Rittenhouse was a part of and giving them water. 'We appreciate you being here,' an officer was heard saying to the group over a loudspeaker. The sheriff later defended officers by saying, 'Our deputies would toss water to anybody.' In a photograph posted by his mother, Wendy Rittenhouse, he is wearing what appears to be a blue law enforcement uniform as well as the kind of brimmed hat that state troopers wear. Records show that in January 2017 his mom claimed a classmate of her son's had been calling him 'dumb' and 'stupid' and threatening him as she sought an order of protection from police. Police-obsessed gunman, Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, charged with murder of two BLM protesters during Kenosha riots sat front row at a Trump MAGA rally at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa in January this year When COVID-19 hit and many schools closed, far too many children (and their parents) experienced worry and concern over whether there would be enough to eat, as access to the national free- and reduced-price lunch program was disrupted. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) showed leadership by allowing Second Harvest Food Bank and other emergency food assistance organizations flexibility to safely provide meals for children where they could be reached whether through drive-thrus at schools, churches and recreation centers or other community sites closer to childrens homes. This leadership is needed again, as most students will not be at school five days a week this fall. Second Harvest Food Bank is asking the USDA to act with urgency to extend all child nutrition waivers to the end of this school year. Without these flexibilities from USDA, all of us should be deeply concerned about whether and how the more than 50% of children who participate in federal nutrition programs in school will access the food they need to support their ability to learn. Our nation has a moral obligation and vested interest in ensuring that our children all children can reliably access the food they need to stay healthy, to learn and to reach their potential. If Joe Biden isnt careful, Donald Trump might have a new nickname for him: Shutdown Joe. Or maybe, Shut Down Joe. Those monikers came to mind after the former vice presidents biggest blunder in the campaign thus far. Im referring to Bidens comment, in his interview last week with ABCs David Muir, that if scientists advised him to shut down the country again to contain a winter surge of COVID-19 and the flu, I would shut it down; I would listen to the scientists. Its the sort of remark that surely plays well with voters who already support him. It might even have notional majority support. But it doesnt help with the voters Biden needs to avoid antagonizing in swing districts. Few stories bring that reality into sharper focus than Simon Romeros report in Mondays Times on New Mexicos neck-and-neck congressional race between first-term Democratic incumbent, Rep. Xochitl Torres Small, and Yvette Herrell, her Republican challenger. New Mexico has trended Democratic in recent years, and a June poll had Biden with a comfortable lead in the state. But Romero reports red-hot anger in the district over the restrictive coronavirus policies of the Democratic governor, Michelle Lujan Grisham, that have helped keep case counts low at a painful economic price. There is open defiance by sheriffs, business owners and many others of Ms. Lujan Grishams policies. Turnout in the GOP primary surged by more than 40 percent over 2016, as against a Democratic increase of 5 percent. Whats happening in Torres Smalls district, which in 2016 went for Trump by a 10-point margin, isnt going to decide the presidential race, even in New Mexico. But it offers a taste of a powerful current of anxiety and resentment that Trump has positioned himself to exploit, and that to judge by his shutdown remark Biden doesnt seem to grasp. The anxiety is from people hanging on by their fingernails (if theyre still hanging on at all) to jobs, businesses, livelihoods and homes on account of a pandemic whose toll in lives and health can be weighed against the costs of fighting it. In the hierarchy of fears, what is COVID-19 to a healthy 35-year-old restaurateur next to the prospect of losing everything except a meager government check? The resentment goes just as deep among those who feel talked down to by people whose own track record as experts leaves something to be desired. Remember when (on Feb. 29) the surgeon general tweeted, Seriously people STOP BUYING MASKS? Remember when the most urgent national need was for more ventilators until those fears proved largely unfounded? Remember the scientists who hypocritically failed to abide by the sort of strictures they demanded of the public? None of this is a failure of science per se, or an excuse for reckless personal behavior. It is certainly no justification for Trumps appalling management of the crisis, particularly his failure to promote and provide for adequate testing. But it is a failure by people who claim to speak, with unassailable authority, in the name of science. And loose talk of nationwide shutdowns plays into the fears of voters who feel they have been both impoverished and patronized. The danger Biden now courts is twofold. He is promising to hand over his decision-making authority to unelected people who, whatever their education, expertise or virtues, havent gained the trust of fence-sitting voters. And he is proposing to resort to a strategy that, as Wall Street Journal reporter Greg Ip reported Monday, is now being viewed by some economists and even health experts as an overly blunt and economically costly tool that could have been avoided in favor of alternative strategies that could slow the spread of the epidemic at much less cost. All of this creates a dangerous opening for Trump. Voters wont necessarily turn to Biden if they feel he will merely rubber-stamp the same set of policies that they wanted to avoid in the first place. Democracies elect leaders to lead, not defer; to occasionally buck conventional wisdom, not parrot it. Biden and his advisers may suppose theyre on a glide path to re-election against a manifestly flawed and failed incumbent. But they face an opponent who fights best when hes cornered, and who will take the same ruthless political advantage of Bidens line that George W. Bushs campaign did of John Kerrys calamitous classic about the Iraq War, I actually did vote for the $87 billion before I voted against it. The Hippocratic oath for the Biden campaign should be, First, do no self-harm. The next time Biden is asked about lockdowns, he might cite a line from John F. Kennedy: Scientists alone can establish the objectives of their research, the 35th president said, But society, in extending support to science, must take into account its own needs. Thats a line to win over a wavering voter. @BretStephensNYT A federal judge has ruled that a lawsuit against Portsmouth Naval Medical Center can continue in an unusual case filed on behalf of three military dependents who died shortly after they were born in 2017. Their mother, an active-duty Navy sailor, filed the suit on behalf of the babies in 2018. The infants were born Nov. 15, 2017, at 23 weeks, but all died nearly immediately after. The mother had undergone intrauterine insemination at the hospital and became pregnant with quintuplets. Two died in utero 19 weeks into the pregnancy, followed nearly a month later by their siblings. Read Next: Army Moves to Kick Out Three Unit Leaders After Deadly Bradley Accident in Korea In the suit, the sailor, identified only by the initials C.R.M., alleged that her military doctor was negligent in performing the insemination during a period of known ovarian hyper-stimulation, resulting in a high-risk pregnancy with multiple fetuses. She said she was not advised of the risks of such pregnancies and argued that she was denied a referral to an obstetrics specialist skilled in handling such cases. Attorneys for the U.S. government asked that the case be thrown out, saying that since the sailor was active duty at the time of the alleged malpractice, she was barred by the Feres doctrine from filing suit against the government. The defendants also argued that the babies could not sue for negligence that occurred before they were viable embryos. Feres is a 70-year-old court Supreme Court ruling that prohibits service members from suing the federal government for injuries deemed incidental to military service. It does usually not apply to non-military family members or civilians. But under Feres, military dependents who are harmed as a result of injury to their military sponsor also cannot file suit under what is known as a "genesis test." In the ruling issued Aug. 20 and first reported by Bloomberg Law, U.S. District Judge Anthony Trenga discounted the genesis argument, saying Feres did not apply to the deceased children because their injuries were not caused by an injury suffered to their mother as part of her military duties. Trenga also argued that the case did not violate other principles of Feres such as whether a decision in favor of the plaintiffs would damage military structure and discipline. The Navy's attorneys also argued that the federal court -- the Eastern District of Virginia -- lacked jurisdiction in the case. And under Virginia law, they said, the children couldn't sue for an insemination procedure that gave them life but at the same time allegedly caused their injuries. Trenga also said that he believes the Supreme Court of Virginia would conclude that even though the plaintiffs -- the premature babies -- did not exist at the time of the insemination procedure, the medical treatment is considered health services and the treating physician assumed care of the "child intended to be conceived." "Even though that child did not exist when that procedure was administered, that procedure qualified as "health care" since it was administered precisely for the purpose of causing the conception and birth of that child, and for that reason ... for the child's benefit," Trenga wrote. The government is likely to appeal the case, as it has done with many others that cite the Feres doctrine as a defense. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a case in 2015 that challenged the application of the "genesis test" in the case involving an Air Force dependent who suffered injuries during childbirth when her mother, an active-duty Air Force captain, was mistakenly given the wrong medication while delivering her daughter. Last year, Congress passed a law allowing active-duty victims of malpractice or medical negligence -- or their survivors -- to file claims against the Defense Department for mistakes made by military health providers in medical facilities outside combat zones. The law does not, however, allow service members to sue the federal government and Feres still stands. While Tricare, the military health program, does not cover advanced fertility treatments such as in vitro fertilization or artificial insemination, U.S. troops have access to advanced reproductive technologies for a fee at six military treatment facilities across the U.S., not including Portsmouth Naval Medical Center. Portsmouth, like several other smaller military treatment facilities, offers limited services, such as intrauterine insemination. Infertility remains a concern among female service members, with more than 8,700 female troops diagnosed with infertility from 2013 to 2018. The annual rate of infertility diagnoses fell by 25% during the same time frame, according to a DoD report published on the topic in June 2019. -- Patricia Kime can be reached at Patricia.Kime@Monster.com. Follow her on Twitter @patriciakime Related: Supreme Court Denies Military Malpractice Case Petition China's military test-fired two missiles into the South Sea, including a carrier killer military analysts suggest might have been developed to attack US forces, a newspaper reported Thursday. The DF-26B and DF-21D missiles fired Wednesday targeted an area between the southern island province of Hainan and the Paracel Islands, The South Morning Post newspaper of Hong Kong reported, citing unidentified sources close to the Chinese military. The ministries of defence and foreign affairs in Beijing didn't immediately respond to requests for confirmation. Disputes over control of the South Sea, one of the world's busiest trade routes, are a growing irritant in Beijing's relations with Washington and its southern neighbours. The Trump administration this year rejected most of Beijing's claims to sovereignty over the majority of the disputed sea, portions of which also are claimed by Vietnam, the Philippines and other governments. Wednesday's launches followed Chinese complaints that a US U2 spy plane entered a no fly zone declared by Beijing during a military drill off its northern coast. The DF-21 is unusually accurate and was dubbed carrier killer by military analysts who believe it was developed to target U.S. aircraft carriers that might be involved in a potential conflict with China. Beijing has spent heavily over the past two decades on trying to develop missiles, fighter aircraft, nuclear submarines and other weapons to allow China to expand its military reach beyond its shores. The DF-26B was launched from the northwestern province of Qinghai while the DF-21D was fired from Zhejiang province south of Shanghai on the east coast, The South China Morning Post said. The DF-26 is believed to be capable of carrying nuclear or conventional warheads. That would violate the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty signed by Washington and Moscow during the Cold War. The Trump administration cited China's development of the DF-26 and similar weapons when it withdrew from the treaty last year. (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.) Courtesy of the Edwardsville Police Department EDWARDSVILLE Members of the Edwardsville Police Department will participate in a fundraising event for Special Olympics at the Schnucks location at 2222 Troy Road on Friday from 4 to 8 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Officers will sell T-shirts and hats to raise money for a great cause, Special Olympics Illinois Athletes. They will adhere to social distancing guidelines but want to encourage everyone who can make a donation to do so. Harris is the first Black woman and the first Asian American on a major presidential ticket, and in her first official week as the Democratic vice-presidential nominee she embraced that history and its importance to underrepresented communities. She has touted her education at a historically Black university and the influence Black fraternities and sororities have had on her life. China has fired a barrage of medium-range missiles across considerable distances into the South China Sea, Beijings latest move to demonstrate its strategic dominance and sovereignty over the disputed waters. The missile launches on Wednesday punctuated a series of military exercises that China has conducted this month at a time of rising tensions with the United States over its territorial claims in the South China Sea and its attempts to pressure Taiwan, the self-governing island democracy that Beijing claims as its own. Senior Col. Wu Qian, a spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of National Defense, did not mention the missiles on Thursday but confirmed that China had carried out long-planned drills over an area that stretched from Qingdao in northeastern China to disputed islands in the South China Sea known as the Spratlys. The above exercises are not directed at any country, Colonel Wu said at a regularly scheduled briefing in Beijing. ELKO Elko City Council is hoping the Nevada COVID-19 Task Force will agree at its Thursday meeting to allow the Rides and Rods car show to be held Sept. 11-13, with social distancing efforts in an outdoor setting even though the event could draw 3,000 people. We need to put our heads together to make this happen. Everyone is feeling the pinch right now. We need to be creative, Elko Mayor Reece Keener said early in the discussion before the council decided to reach out to the task force. The council agreed Tuesday to submit a proposal for the car show that outlines how the event could be safely held, such as limiting segments to 50 people as required under Gov. Steve Sisolaks current directives. This plan needs to be presented to the state Thursday, Keener said. City Manager Curtis Calder put together the proposal that also includes requests for a special event liquor license for the limited Elko County Fair on Sept. 4-7 and a special event and liquor license request from Benavides Bucking Bulls LLC for a bull riding event at the fairgrounds Sept. 12. Elko Convention and Visitors Authority Chairman Matt McCarty encouraged the council to allow these events to move forward so the Elko community can still be a place to recreate and have fun. Calder submitted the proposal Wednesday to Elko County to be included in the new county plan that goes before the state task force Thursday when it meets at 10 a.m. The council tabled action on the three events pending what the task force decides. A special meeting might be called. Calder warned during the meeting, however, that should the council approve the special events while the city is still in the White Houses red zone and under strict restrictions, the city could be in trouble, especially because the city accepted CARES Act money. Car show organizer Stormy Remington said there have been a lot of preregisters already for the event, and Jeff Remington told the council that the car show would be a really safe family event. The mayor asked the Remingtons if they could hold the event in October instead, but Jeff Remington said obstacles include the weather, and the T-shirts and awards are already done for September. A Sept. 11 tribute event also is planned. I dont think it would work, he said. Do you understand what we are up against? Keener asked. Remington said he understood Elko is more restricted than many other places. Giovanni Puccinelli of the Elko County Fair Board said he understood the councils dilemma, especially since the fair board toned the fair down to mainly a livestock competition for young people and horse judging events in light of the pandemic. He said the plan would be to rope off a table area and have servers from the Cowboy Bar bring alcohol and food to customers. There also will be separations in the grandstands and COVID-19 restrictions. The governors restrictions dont allow people to sit at bars or be served from bars. The Gold Rush Challenge Bull Riding events plans include temperature screenings, masks, spread-out seating, sanitizers and volunteers to keep restrooms clean. Benavides Bucking Bulls estimated there would be 50 to 100 people from out of town, and the crowd would not be as large as the one for the recent Silver State Stampede. In the proposal Calder submitted, he wrote that the city respectfully requests approval of an outdoor event, specifically a car show on Sept. 11, 12 and 13 in accordance with Directive 021. He said the show would be limited to 250 entry vehicles spread out over more than one acre of outdoor space, and vehicles would be parked in 10 separate areas within Elko City Park, the Elko Convention Center and Elko Conference Center areas. Councilman Chip Stone had suggested in the meeting that the city show how spread out the show would be and use math to prove there wouldnt be more than 50 people in an area. Each area will contain up to 25 cars and event staff will monitor each area to be sure there are no more than 50 at one time, Calder wrote. He said there will be no bar tops or bar seating and any seating/standing areas will be limited to 50 at one time. Regarding the Elko County Fair and Livestock Show, he stated that this is an outdoor event, and the board has already decided against horse racing and pari-mutuel betting that were the main attractions. Safety measures will be in place. Calder also attached the bull riding plan, and he wrote that the organizer would be following COVID-19 restrictions. The county has prepared a plan for the task force Thursday following guidelines in the states Road to Recovery: Moving to a New Normal. Amanda Osborne, director of personnel for Elko County, said in an email Wednesday that because Elko County has been identified as a high-risk county based on the three elevated disease transmission criteria, we enter what is called the assessment process with the task force. She said that the process requires the county to submit a jurisdictional assessment and action plan for review. Osborne said the cities of Elko, Carlin, West Wendover and Wells provided feedback. Elkos designation as a red zone means there were 100 new cases per 100,000 population in the prior week and a test positivity rate above 10%. There also is a criteria involving enough hospital space, which Elko County Commissioners have pointed out is not a problem. She died at the scene. The driver, a 24-year-old Flinders man, was taken to hospital with minor injuries. A 59-year-old Tecoma man was driving out of a shopping centre car park in Belgrave when a tree fell and crushed his car at the intersection of Terrys Avenue and Ena Road just after 6pm, Victoria Police said. The man died later on Thursday. Police will prepare reports for the coroner on the deaths. Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews offered his condolences to the families of the three people who died. "This will be just a terrible time for them and our hearts are with you in any support that we can provide on what is a terribly difficult time. We stand ready to do that," Mr Andrews said. He said there had been about 2000 calls for assistance to the SES and 1600 jobs completed after the storm. About 85 per cent of the calls related to fallen trees and 19 per cent were due to building damage, mostly in Mount Evelyn, Belgrave and Croydon. Josh O'Connell rescued his neighbour after a tree fell through her house in Belgrave. Credit:Nine News Thousands of people were still without power on Friday, while residents in Belgrave woke up to crushed cars and fallen-in roofs. Belgrave man Josh O'Connell has described helping his neighbour to safety after trees came crashing down about 7pm on Thursday. "When the wind picked up, it came out of nowhere," Mr O'Connell said. "We just heard a crazy commotion, it sounded almost like explosions. You couldn't really tell where the trees were coming down, you just knew they were, everything was vibrating. "At the start, we were just running around the house like headless chooks, working out what we were going to do." Photo of house damage at Apsley Rd in Belgrave. Credit:Luis Enrique Ascui Trees fell into the homes of both of his neighbours, he said, including an elderly woman aged in her mid-80s. Mr O'Connell and his housemate quickly went to her aid. "I knew straight away she'd need some assistance whatever it is. Lucky I went over there when I did, because the tree had crushed half the house," Mr O'Connell said. "Luckily she was OK but she had no idea what was going on." They smashed a window to access her, he said, and waited with her until first responders arrived to get her out of the Kaola Street home. The woman was uninjured, Mr O'Connell said. Power wires and tree down in Kaola Street, Belgrave. "The first thing she wanted to know was if her cat was OK; luckily we found her cat." Mr O'Connnell's house was not damaged, but he said he was freezing without power on Friday morning. Residents in almost 90 suburbs across Victoria have been urged to boil water because of electrical damage caused by the wild storms. Tens of thousands of people have been without power after the storms took down power lines. The strongest wind gust was 158km/h at Wilsons Promontory just after 7.30pm, the Bureau of Meteorology said. The wild weather brought a tree down on the corner of Spencer and Hawke streets in Melbourne's north. Mount Gellibrand was also smacked by a 124km/h gust about 4.30pm, with a 122km/h gust at Yanakie at 5.30pm and one of120km/h at Gabo Island just after 9pm. The State Emergency Service received 1184 calls for help in the 12 hours to 6.30am, including 403 calls between 7.30pm and 8.30pm. More than 1010 of the calls overnight were for trees down, mostly in Belgrave, Lilydale and Emerald, south-east of Melbourne. The Maroondah Highway in Fernshaw remains closed through the Black Spur between Healesville and Narbethong, adding 90 minutes to the commute for essential workers. On Friday morning, there were still traffic lights out in Melbourne, particularly in the east and outer-eastern suburbs. "Crews are working to restore power and numerous trees are still being cleared," a spokesman for the Department of Transport said on Friday morning. Talkback radio callers reported trees and powerlines down from North Melbourne to Knox, while an entire roof came off a home in West Melbourne and landed on adjacent buildings, according to Fire Rescue Victoria. An FRV spokeswoman said the scene was declared safe within half an hour and 16 firefighters secured the remaining sections of the house roof. Minor flood warnings are in place for the Latrobe and Yarra rivers. Forecaster Chris Arvier, of the Bureau of Meteorology, said the cold front moved east overnight. Melbourne is expected to reach 19 degrees on Saturday, but Ms Arvier said another cold front could bring more gusty winds on Sunday. One Nunawading resident had a tree fall in their court on Thursday, The health minister Robin Swann has said the pandemic had an "inevitable and serious" impact on hospital waiting lists as it's revealed more than 300,000 people are waiting for a first appointment with a consultant. Mr Swann said the waiting time figures, which illustrate the period between March and June, are "far beyond acceptable" but that work to rebuild the services impacted by the pandemic "will take time". Cancer charities have hit out at growing waiting lists, saying the impact on patients is "devastating". Head of care services for Cancer Focus Northern Ireland Dervilia Kernaghan has said new statistics, which reveal the impact of coronavirus as hospital services were paused, are concerning. "Our heart goes out to people who are worried that they have not yet been able to get a diagnosis and to those who are waiting for their treatment to begin or resume." She added: "We must take action now to recover from the delays caused by COVID-19 and also to improve on the inadequate waiting times that existed before." Waiting lists have lengthened across the system in the period over lockdown, with 311,090 people on an outpatient waiting list - adding almost 5,000 patients (1.3% increase) to already lengthy waiting lists before March. And it was revealed four out of ten patients on an outpatient waiting list have waited longer than a year to be seen by a consultant, while most patients (89.3%) wait longer than two and a half months. It misses a 2020/21 Ministerial target stating that at least 50% of patients should be seen within nine weeks for their first outpatient appointment - with no patient waiting longer than a year. It comes as health experts raise concerns about lengthening waiting lists as the winter period and flu season approaches. Mr Swann said: "It is inevitable that there will be further hospital based outbreaks and clusters in the months ahead. Infection control measures are going to be with for us for some time and inevitably, despite our rebuilding efforts, this will have an adverse impact on waiting times for procedures. Trusts are doing all that they can to maximise theatre and bed capacity. These constraints are certainly not unique to Northern Ireland. "We are facing a very difficult winter for an already very fragile health service." The Royal College of General Practitioners in Northern Ireland has said waiting list statistics "paint a very bleak picture" for patients. Chair of the group Dr Laurence Dorman said waiting lists in Northern Ireland have been completely unacceptable for years and the impact of Covid-19 has only exacerbated the issue. "Behind each number is a person whose quality of life is being badly affected," he said. General practice has remained open throughout the entire pandemic and GPs are working harder than ever caring for, supporting and protecting our patients." Patients often contact their GP as they wait for assessment or treatment and the extra workload to help people manage their condition is having a knock-on effect on services for other patients, the elderly and those with life-limiting illnesses, he said. Frequently patients feel they have no choice but to explore private care options, however this is not an option for everyone. All patients must have equal access to the treatment they need through our National Health Service. We cannot see health inequalities in Northern Ireland widen even further as a result of our appalling waiting lists. It is essential that waiting lists are addressed as we start rebuilding our health services. Innovative solutions must be found to ensure that patients needing escalation of care can be seen by a specialist quickly and that patients already waiting for care get this delivered in a timely fashion," he said. Cancer Research UK has also hit out at the statistics, which showed that almost three quarters (73.8% or 110,225) of patients waited more than nine weeks for a diagnostic test after referral. It's compared with just 72,248 at the end of March 2020 and 73,087 in June last year. Almost 150,000 patients overall are waiting for a diagnosis and over a third (52,393) of those patients have been waiting more than 26 weeks for a diagnostic test. It's a statistic which has shot up during lockdown, when 35,784 were waiting more than six and a half months for a diagnosis. Ministerial targets again state than no patient should wait longer than 26 weeks, with 75% being seen within nine weeks for a diagnostic test. Margaret Carr of Cancer Research in Northern Ireland said it's likely the pressure on services will increase as people with symptoms who did not come forward during lockdown now do so. "The early diagnosis of cancer can significantly improve someones chances of survival and so its essential people dont have to wait too long for diagnostic tests," she said. It's led to calls for an increased service capacity and an increase in public confidence as they come forward with symptoms. "Protecting diagnosis and treatment areas from the virus must be priority," she said. "The introduction of infection control measures means that providing cancer services has become more time and resource intensive. "Tackling the backlog of those waiting for tests will require more workforce, more equipment and the adoption of other innovations that release capacity into the system." Sinn Fein MLA and health spokesperson Colm Gildernew has called for a properly funded transformation of the health service which places the views of health workers, unions and patients at its core. "The promise of the New Decade, New Approach document to tackle waiting lists has been upended by the pressure the virus has placed across the system," he said. "While COVID-19 will continue to pose challenges to health and social care for the foreseeable future, the Department of Health must develop a plan to meet its obligations to reduce waiting lists for appointments, day case treatments, diagnostic tests, surgeries and other treatments. "Transformation which places health and social care workers, their unions, and patients are its core is required to address the serious problems within the system such as long waiting lists." DUP MLA and vice-chair of Stormont's health assembly Pam Cameron has said the figures show the importance of "re-booting" non-Covid healthcare. "These figures are a solemn reminder of the impact of Covid-19 on those living across Northern Ireland desperately who continue to await an appointment with a consultant or a date for non-covid treatment or surgery. "The sad but unavoidable reality is that for some patients the restoration of routine services will have already come too late in their fight against illness. This is something the Minister and HSCTs must urgently grapple with as we seek to prevent further harm and the possibility of new and deadly pandemic of non-Covid related illness in the coming months." "We recognise the ongoing work toward rebuilding services, including recent announcements on day surgery and orthopaedics and expected progress on cancer services. "The public are rightly demanding greater clarity on the timetable for putting this into action." A total of of 97,243 patients were waiting for admission to Northern Ireland hospitals by the end of June, more than 11% more than the same time last year and 3.8% more than before lockdown. Almost nine in ten of those patients (88.8%) were waiting more than 13 weeks. It's again missed the ministerial target which states more than half of patients should wait no longer than 13 weeks. With over a third (39.4% or 38,354) of patients waiting longer than a year, the ministerial target for this never to be the case for any patient has been missed. Between March and June, just 14,654 patients received inpatient and day case treatement. It's 63.6% (25,638 patients) less than the quarter before lockdown. The statistics also state that 235,019 diagnostic tests were reported on and dispatched to the referring clinician at Northern Ireland hospitals during lockdown. It's 42.4& (172,993) less than the quarter up until March and 45% (192,556) fewer than the quarter ending in the same period the previous year. Of the 49,452 urgent diagnostic tests reported on, 92.2% (45,613) were reported on within two days. The Western Health and Social Care Trust reported the highest proportion (96.3%) within two days. SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty ImagesBy IVAN PEREIRA, ABC News (BALTIMORE) -- Vice President Mike Pence closed out the third night of the Republican National Convention with a speech that labeled his predecessor Joe Biden as "a Trojan horse for a radical left," as he made his case for re-electing President Donald Trump. Pence spoke at Fort McHenry in Baltimore, the site of a battle during the War of 1812 that inspired Francis Scott Key to write "The Star-Spangled Banner," and was joined by Trump as well as VIP guests including Medal of Honor recipients, frontline workers, military veterans, firefighters and police officers. At the top of his remarks, Pence spoke about Hurricane Laura, which was set to strike the Gulf Coast as a category 4 storm as of Wednesday night. "This is a serious storm. We urge all those in the affected areas to heed state and local authorities," he said. Pence was the first speaker of the week to acknowledge the civil unrest taking place in Kenosha, Wisconsin, where Jacob Blake was shot in the back by officers in an incident caught on cellphone video. A teenager was also arrested Wednesday and charged with first-degree homicide in connection with the fatal shooting of two protesters Tuesday night. Pence, who did not mention Blake, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd or the other Black Americans' names whose deaths this year have sparked protests, referenced the demonstrations in Kenosha, Minneapolis and Portland, Oregon for his case on the president's "law and order" mandate. "Too many heroes have died defending our freedoms to see Americans strike each other down," he said. Crime was one of the areas where Pence attacked Biden during the speech and claimed that under a Democratic administration, the former vice president "would set America on a path of socialism and decline." Although Biden has repeatedly said he does not want to defund the police, including during an interview with ABC News Friday, Pence argued in his speech that that is what Biden wants to do. "Joe Biden would double down on the very policies that are leading to unsafe streets and violence in Americas cities," Pence said. The vice president claimed Biden would enact "far left ideas" and cited Sen. Bernie Sanders' endorsement. "They believe the federal government needs to dictate how Americans live, how we should work, how we should raise our children," Pence said. The vice president touted Trump's response to the coronavirus, which has infected 5.8 million Americans and killed over 179,000 people in the country as of Wednesday night. Trump publicly downplayed the virus earlier year, and led a federal response panned by health experts and leaders, including Biden, for its slow reaction to the outbreak and lack of centralized coordination. The president himself has downplayed public health guidance, pushed the country to reopen against the guidance issued by his administration, and endorsed unproven therapies and treatments -- raising concerns from some public health experts that he will pressure regulators to approve a vaccine ahead of the election before it has demonstrated its efficacy. When Pence was announced as the chair of the White House's coronavirus task force in February he told reporters "the threat to the American public remains low." He also followed the president's lead and did not wear a face covering to events, including a trip to the Mayo Clinic in April and a Florida restaurant in May while pushing for more states to reopen their economies. He took shots at Biden's remarks that "no miracle was coming" to save the American people from the virus. "Well, what Joe doesn't seem to understand is that America is a nation of miracles," Pence said to the crowd of people at Fort McHenry, which had many maskless people. Copyright 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. Rating Action: Moody's assigns Aa3 to Pennsylvania's GO bonds; outlook stable Global Credit Research - 27 Aug 2020 New York, August 27, 2020 -- Moody's Investors Service has assigned a Aa3 rating to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's approximately $470 million General Obligation Bonds, First Series of 2020. The commonwealth anticipates pricing the bonds the week of September 14, 2020. The outlook is stable. RATINGS RATIONALE Pennsylvania's Aa3 general obligation rating reflects the commonwealth's very large and diverse economy balanced against high fixed costs and leverage compared to other states. It also incorporates fund balance and budget reserves that remained weak as a share of the state's budget even through the recent economic expansion. This is mitigated by the ability to borrow internally from a healthy and stable pool of liquidity, which is a key factor in consideration of the state's capacity to maintain satisfactory finances through the economic slowdown caused by the coronavirus outbreak. We regard the coronavirus outbreak as a social risk under our ESG framework, given the substantial implications for public health and safety. We do not see any material immediate credit risks for Pennsylvania. However, the situation surrounding coronavirus is rapidly evolving and the longer term impact will depend on both the severity and duration of the crisis. If our view of the credit quality of Pennsylvania changes, we will update our opinion at that time. RATING OUTLOOK The outlook for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is stable and reflects the expectation that the state's large economy can generate the resources necessary to work towards structural balance under an assumption that the global economy will return to growth in 2021. FACTORS THAT COULD LEAD TO AN UPGRADE OF THE RATING - Material improvement in the state's budget reserves - Accelerated economic expansion and job creation that supports revenue growth Story continues - Strong pension plan asset performance that both moderates the state's unfunded liability burden and keeps costs from rising FACTORS THAT COULD LEAD TO A DOWNGRADE OF THE RATING - A material decline in revenue that intensifies budgetary pressure - Significant growth in leverage (debt or other unfunded liabilities) or the state's fixed cost burden - A materially negative change in available liquidity LEGAL SECURITY The general obligation bonds are a full faith and credit obligation of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. USE OF PROCEEDS Pennsylvania will use proceeds of the bonds to fund various capital projects. PROFILE Pennsylvania is home to nearly 13 million residents, making it the fifth-largest state by population. It has the sixth-largest economy among US states, measured by an estimated 2019 gross domestic product of $814 billion. METHODOLOGY The principal methodology used in this rating was US States and Territories published in April 2018 and available at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBM_1084466. 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. The rating has been disclosed to the rated entity or its designated agent (s) and issued with no amendment resulting from that disclosure. This rating is solicited. Please refer to Moody's Policy for Designating and Assigning Unsolicited Credit Ratings available on its website www.moodys.com. Regulatory disclosures contained in this press release apply to the credit rating and, if applicable, the related rating outlook or rating review. Moody's general principles for assessing environmental, social and governance (ESG) risks in our credit analysis can be found at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_1133569. The Global Scale Credit Rating on this Credit Rating Announcement was issued by one of Moody's affiliates outside the EU and is endorsed by Moody's Deutschland GmbH, An der Welle 5, Frankfurt am Main 60322, Germany, in accordance with Art.4 paragraph 3 of the Regulation (EC) No 1060/2009 on Credit Rating Agencies. Further information on the EU endorsement status and on the Moody's office that issued the credit rating is available on www.moodys.com. Please see www.moodys.com for any updates on changes to the lead rating analyst and to the Moody's legal entity that has issued the rating. Please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page on www.moodys.com for additional regulatory disclosures for each credit rating. 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They understand why protesters and rioters have poured onto the streets of downtown, and some acknowledge that crime is worse in other parts of Chicago. Some also agree with protesters that something systemic needs to be changed. But they dont want to wait it out here in the city, fearful of stepping outside at night and hoping for things to maybe get better. They want out. Evidence has shown that when it comes to contracting the coronavirus, being outdoors is 20 times safer than being indoors. In fact, those highest at risk are often in crowded indoor spaces with poor ventilation. Sounds familiar? The road to hell is paved with good intentions, it has been so often said that the aphorism has been reduced to cliche. But sometimes, the cliche fits. On Wednesday, as India's coronavirus case count rose to 32,34, 474 with 67,151 testing positive, the argument over holding the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) and National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) grew ever more heated with some students and Opposition parties demanding that the exams be postponed and the Centre holding firm. Follow LIVE Updates on NEET, JEE 2020 Exam News Education minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank said the Centre's decision to go ahead with the exams in September was based on "pressure from students and parents". He further told Hindustan Times that he had received innumerable emails from "the silent majority" (a phrase popularised by former US president Richard Nixon and thus lending further credence to the time is a flat circle theory). The National Testing Agency (NTA) which is in charge of conducting these exams for lakhs of students (8.58 lakh candidates have registered for the JEE-Mains, 15.97 lakh students have registered for the NEET), meanwhile, said its goal in holding these exams is an attempt "to save one academic year". Which is indeed a noble goal. But despite the NTA releasing a comprehensive list of precautions that will be taken during the exams, including staggered time slots to avoid crowding, temperature checks for students and staff and separate isolation rooms for anyone displaying COVID-19 symptoms, here are three reasons why conducting the JEE and NEET in September could potentially lead to a nightmare scenario. Indoor transmission Evidence has shown that when it comes to contracting the coronavirus, being outdoors is 20 times safer than being indoors. In fact, those highest at risk are often in crowded indoor spaces with poor ventilation. Sounds familiar? We all know that the coronavirus is spread via the infected releasing large droplets via coughing and sneezing or contact with an infected surface (as happened in the NBA). Which is bad. But mounting scientific evidence has shown the coronavirus can spend hours hanging in the air in tiny droplets and infecting people as they inhale. Which is far worse. Because an asymptomatic carrier can release these tiny droplets (called aerosols) even in the mere act of exhaling. All it takes is one indoor person, in an indoor space (an exam hall for example), releasing enough aerosols to infect others. And then you could have a super-spreader event on your hands. Which has already occurred, most notably in South Korea and the United States. In March, South Korea found itself from going to dealing with just a few cases to quickly dealing with the largest outbreak outside of China after 'Patient 31', an unidentified 61-year-old woman and the member of a small church, attended services alongside 1,000 other members and caused a 30-fold increase within the country in a week. That same month, Washington saw what was dubbed a super-spreader event in which one infected person in a choir ended up making 52 others sick. Two choir members later passed away of COVID-19. A Chicago cluster of 16 cases, including three deaths, stemmed from a funeral and a birthday party. And as the Trump administration seems bound and determined to get on with things, a Georgia school has seen over 250 students and teachers under quarantine after just five days of reopening. While the NTA has repeatedly stressed the precautions being taken for students and staff, all it takes is one asymptomatic person. The myth of invincibility There is a tendency, both for governments and society, to think of the coronavirus as a problem mainly for the elderly and those with comorbidities. While this is generally true, young people, even in the prime of their physical lives, remain vulnerable to the virus. The World Health Organisation has already had to issue repeated warnings to the youth. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, in March had said: "Today I have a message for young people: you are not invincible. This virus could put you in hospital for weeks, or even kill you." Just a few weeks ago, Ghebreyesus said: Young people can be infected; young people can die; and young people can transmit the virus to others. "Even if you don't get sick, the choices you make about where you go could be the difference between life and death for someone else." The last part of that statement, coming among reports that young people are now primary drivers of the pandemic, particularly in the Americas, is key. This is because of the RO factor. RO factor It is with good reason that the coronavirus has been likened to wildfire. The virus spreads much more efficiently in densely populated areas. The coronavirus reproduction rate, or RO (pronounced R-naught), which has been estimated by the World Health Organisation as 2.5. Simply put, the RO is a measure of a virus' transmission or the number of new infections generated by each case. An RO rate of 1, for example, means on average each infected person will infect one other person they come in contact with. Any young person who contracts the virus could thus potentially spread it to their parents, grandparents, siblings (after all, millions of families live in cramped quarters across the country), or anyone else they come into contact with. This could prove dire. Far from children being "practically immune" to the coronavirus (as some have falsely claimed), studies have shown children in ICU carrying a much higher viral load than adults. A higher infected load equates to a higher chance of spreading the disease further. And we all know that people in the older age groups are already at a much higher risk of dying from COVID. The Supreme Court, earlier this month, dismissing a plea that sought postponement of these exams stated that 'life should move on' even in times of COVID-19, which is a fair point. Life, as one great philosopher pointed out, finds a way. Life moves on. Just not for the 8,20,000 souls lost to the coronavirus around the world, including over 60,000 in India. Or the millions they left behind, some of whom are in recovery themselves and who will continue to be afflicted in its aftermath for months, and even years. Perhaps "saving one academic year", as noble a goal as that may be, entirely misses the bigger picture. That conducting these exams in September, in the absence of a vaccine, could potentially lead to a South Korea-like situation and result in an explosion of cases across the country. With inputs from PTI Mark Lennihan/AP Despite reasons repeatedly explained for the pandemic nursing home situation in New York, it seems columnist Chris Churchill continues to scapegoat Gov. Andrew Cuomo. One of Bethany Bumps articles cited the under-staffing of nursing homes and the lack of both personal protective equipment and infection control protocols and enforcement, common in privatized nursing homes, shown to be the failings of nursing homes all over the country. These factors make homes unsafe. Nursing homes issues magnified to a perfect storm of shortcomings waiting to happen. That all must change. Minimum staffing levels and flexible staffing hours would be a solution, but CEOs complain that cuts their bottom line. Too bad. Cuomos communication, organization and understanding deserves our praise, not for perfection, but by comparison is stellar. President Donald Trump's failures contributed to the more than 176,000 deaths from the coronavirus. A New York Times article in early July noted "most home administrators felt they had no choice but to accept [patients back]; denying patients could lead to a loss in revenue and invite regulatory scrutiny." Staffing and lack of infection control policies also were cited in that article. Other states where Cuomo is not in charge are having the same issues and the common denominator is their bottom line, not Cuomo. Maureen Culbert East Springfield New research undertaken by scientists at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) and University of Montreal, has uncovered fossils of a new species of marine animal, Gyaltsenglossus senis, (pronounced Gen-zay-gloss-us senis) that provides new evidence in the historical debate among zoologists: how the anatomies of the two main types of an animal group called the hemichordates are related. The fossils are over half-a-billion years old and were discovered at a Burgess Shale site in the Canadian Rockies. This discovery was published August 27, 2020, in the science journal Current Biology. With the early evolution of hemichordates being contentious among researchers the discovery of Gyaltsenglossus senis is significant. It provides direct fossil evidence connecting the two major groups of hemichordates: the enteropneusta and pterobranchia. Although enteropneusts and pterobranchs appear to be quite different types of animals they are closely related. This close relationship is supported by DNA analysis of present-day species. More broadly, the role of Gyaltsenglossus in understanding hemichordate evolution helps us understand the origins of a larger group of animals called deuterostomes (which includes humans) by clarifying what characteristics they may have shared with hemichordates early in their history. The enteropneusta are a group of animals known commonly as acorn worms, which are long, mostly mud-burrowing animals, that can be found today in oceans around the world from the tropics to Antarctic. The other main group of animals within hemichordates are pterobranchs, which are microscopic animals that live in colonies, each protected by tubes they construct and which feed on plankton using a crown of tentacled arms. "Acorn worms and pterobranchs look so different from each other that understanding the origins of their evolutionary relationship has been a major historical question in zoology," said Dr. Karma Nanglu, Peter Buck Deep Time post-doctoral fellow at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History and lead author on this paper. "Answering this question has been made much harder by the extreme lack of fossils of these soft-bodied hemichordates. Throughout the half-billion-year-long history of hemichordates you can count on one hand the number of exceptional preserved fossil species." Despite being just two centimeters in length, the remarkably preserved soft tissues of the Gyaltsenglossus fossils reveal incredibly detailed anatomical structures. These details include the oval-shaped proboscis of acorn worms and a basket of feeding tentacles similar to those of pterobranchs. The age of these fossils, combined with the unique morphological combination of the two major hemichordate groups, makes this discovery a critical find for understanding early hemichordate evolution. "An ancient animal with an intermediary anatomy between acorn worms and pterobranchs had been hypothesized before but this new animal is the clearest view of what the ancestral hemichordate may have looked like," says Dr. Christopher Cameron, Associate Professor at the University of Montreal and a co-author on this study. "It's exciting to have so many new anatomical details to help drive new hypotheses about hemichordate evolution." In the case of Gyaltsenglossus, the exceptional preservation of these fine details can be attributed to the unique environmental conditions of the Burgess Shale, which rapidly entombed ancient animals in underwater mudslides. Through a combination of factors, including slowing the rate of bacteria decaying the entombed animals' bodies, the fossils of the Burgess Shale are preserved with far greater fidelity than typical fossil sites. "The Burgess Shale has been pivotal in understanding early animal evolution since its discovery over 100 years ago," says co-author Dr. Jean-Bernard Caron, Richard M. Ivey Curator of Invertebrate Palaeontology at the ROM and Associate Professor at the University of Toronto. Dr. Caron led the field expedition in 2010 which collected the 33 fossils of Gyaltsenglossus. "In most localities, you would be lucky to have the hardest parts of animals, like bones and teeth, preserved, but at the Burgess Shale even the softest body parts can be fossilized in exquisite detail," says Dr. Caron. "This new species underscores the importance of making new fossil discoveries to shine light on the most stubborn evolutionary mysteries." In this particular case, Gyaltsenglossus suggests that the ancestral hemichordate may have been able to use the feeding strategies of both of the modern groups. Like acorn worms, the long proboscis may have been used to feed on nutrient-filled marine mud, while at the same time, and like the pterobranchs, the array of six feeding arms was probably used to grab suspended food particles directly from the water above where it was crawling. Hemichordates belong to a major division of animal life called Deuterostomia, which includes chordates like fish and mammals, and not the division of animal life called Protostomia, that includes arthropods such as insects and annelids such as earthworms. Dr. Nanglu explains, when looking at Gyaltsenglossus, we're actually looking at a very, very distant relative of our own branch of vertebrate and human evolution. "The close relationship between hemichordates and our own evolutionary group, the chordates, is one of the first things that made me excited to research them," Nanglu explains. "Understanding the ancient connections that join animals like fish and even humans to their distant cousins like sea urchins and acorn worms is such an interesting area on the evolutionary tree and Gyaltsenglossus helps bring that link into focus a little bit more clearly." The original 1909 discovery and research about the Burgess Shale was made by Charles Walcott, who was Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution at the time. The Burgess Shale fossil sites are located within Yoho and Kootenay National Parks and are managed by Parks Canada. ### Parks Canada is proud to work with leading scientific researchers to expand our knowledge and understanding of this key period of Earth's history and to share these sites with the world through award-winning guided hikes. The Burgess Shale was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980 due to its outstanding universal value and is now part of the larger Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks World Heritage Site. Funding for the 2010 Burgess Shale fieldwork was partially funded by the Royal Ontario Museum's Department of Museum Volunteers. These and other Burgess Shale specimens will be showcased in the future brand-new gallery at the Royal Ontario Museum, the Willner Madge Gallery, Dawn of Life, expected to open in late 2021. To learn more about the Burgess Shale, visit the ROM's award-winning website: https://burgess-shale.rom.on.ca Kremlin Says Navalny's Hospitalization Shouldn't Hurt Ties With West By RFE/RL's Russian Service August 26, 2020 MOSCOW -- The Kremlin says it does not want the hospitalization of Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny to damage relations between Moscow and the West, but is opposed to saying that Navalny was "poisoned" until medical tests confirm finding a specific toxin in his body. Germany, the United States, and other Western countries have called on Moscow to open an investigation into why Navalny collapsed on a Russian commercial flight from Siberia last week. Those calls came after German doctors said their initial medical examination pointed to poisoning. The renowned Charite hospital in Berlin, where Navalny is being treated, said on August 24 that "clinical findings indicate intoxication by a substance from the group of active substances called cholinesterase inhibitors." Cholinesterase inhibitors are a broad range of chemicals that are found in several drugs but also in some pesticides and nerve agents. Charite said the specific substance to which Navalny was exposed isn't yet known but that a further series of comprehensive tests had been started. Despite increasing evidence that Navalny was attacked with poison, the Kremlin insists that the German medical examinations have been inconclusive. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on August 26 that "there is no reason" for the disagreement to damage Russia's relations with the West . "Of course we don't want this to happen," Peskov told reporters. The 44-year-old anticorruption campaigner is a staunch critic of President Vladimir Putin. He was being treated at Berlin's Charite hospital where he remained in an induced coma on August 26. But on August 26, Peskov asked journalists rhetorically, "How can we talk about poisoning if there is no poison?" "We are categorically against anyone attempting to do any labeling under the current circumstances, we're against calling this condition -- which has not been definitively confirmed as poisoning -- a case of poisoning," Peskov said. On August 25, Peskov had claimed that German doctors were "rushing" to use the word "poisoning." Navalny's supporters say they think he was poisoned when he drank tea purchased at the Tomsk airport in Siberia before boarding his flight. His rapidly deteriorating condition during the flight forced the plane he was traveling on to make an emergency landing in Omsk, where he spent two days in a hospital before being airlifted to Berlin. According to a Russian newspaper report, Navalny had been under surveillance by Russian federal security agents during his trip to Siberia. Meanwhile, Vyacheslav Volodin, the speaker of Russia's lower house of parliament, says a State Duma committee will investigate whether "foreign states" were behind the incident in an attempt "to fuel tensions inside Russia, as well as to formulate fresh accusations against our country." Kira Yarmysh, Navalny's spokeswoman, responded to Volodin's remarks by saying that Russian officials appear to have a special training manual to "blame foreign interference." "It doesn't matter at all whether it sounds just absurd or completely schizophrenic," she wrote on Twitter. U.S. 'Deeply Concerned' The United States, NATO, and European countries have called on Russia to conduct a swift investigation into the suspected poisoning. NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg told journalists on August 26 that he backs calls for a transparent Navalny investigation, while British Prime Minister Boris Johnson also called on August 26 for an independent probe into the case. "We need a full, transparent investigation into what happened. The perpetrators must be held accountable and the U.K. will join international efforts to ensure justice is done," Johnson said. Chancellor Angela Merkel and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell have issued similar pleas. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on August 25 that the United States was "deeply concerned" about preliminary findings that Navalny was poisoned. "If the reports prove accurate, the United States supports the EU's call for a comprehensive investigation and stands ready to assist in that effort," he said in a statement. In Moscow, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and other diplomats on August 25. Biegun expressed deep concern about Navalny's condition, "the impact on Russian civil society of reports of his poisoning, and the importance of transparency and freedom of speech in any democratic society," U.S. Embassy spokesperson Rebecca Ross said. The French Foreign Ministry said that those responsible for "this criminal act" must be identified and brought to justice. Navalny has exposed rampant corruption at the highest levels in Russia. He has suffered physical attacks in the past. He endured chemical burns to one of his eyes in 2017 after he was assaulted with antiseptic dye. In July 2019, Navalny was given a 30-day jail term after calling for unauthorized protests against Putin's government. During that jail sentence, he was taken to a hospital with severe swelling of the face and a rash. He later alleged that he had been poisoned while in jail. He has been jailed several times in recent years for organizing unauthorized public demonstrations and on charges that he and his supporters say have often been politically motivated. As a result of those cases, he has been barred from running for president and had a bid to run for Moscow mayor blocked. A long line of Kremlin opponents have fallen seriously ill or have died from poisoning in Russia and abroad. With reporting by AFP, AP, Reuters, and TASS Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/30802970.html Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The platform will be aimed at consolidating international efforts to this end. Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has met U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun on his working trip to Ukraine and discussed, among other things, the situation in territories temporarily occupied by Russia in the east of the country and in Crimea. Kuleba informed his counterpart on Ukraine's progress in establishing the Crimea deoccupation platform which will be aimed at consolidating international efforts to this end, the foreign ministry said in a statement. "He called on the U.S. to support the initiative and consider a possibility to join it," MFA Ukraine's press service said. Dmytro Kuleba informed his American counterpart of the recent passing of the reformist law on state defense procurement and expressed "sincere gratitude" to the U.S. for continued support of Ukraines defense capabilities, including readiness to transfer modern Mark VI patrol boats. In turn, the U.S. senior diplomat reiterated the country's "continued ironclad support of Ukraine in countering Russian aggression and implementing reforms." Read alsoFriendship between U.S., Ukraine "has never been stronger" PompeoStephen Biegun has assured that he shares a "very optimistic view of the future of Ukraine-U.S. bilateral relations and stated that the U.S. sees Ukraine as a reliable partner," the press service added. Kuleba has praised the bipartisan support Ukraine enjoys in the U.S., saying that the country "highly values" it. Both parties also talked Europe's energy security in the context of Russian Nord Stream 2 gas pipleine project. "They agreed to further joint efforts to ensure that Europe's energy supply remains diversified," reads the report. Crimea de-occupation: background President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said that over the past six years not a single effective negotiating platform has been created on the de-occupation of Crimea, and at the moment there is no solid platform for raising the issue. In this regard, Ukraine is initiating an international platform for the deoccupation of Crimea. The final version of the Crimea deoccupation strategy is also being drafted. The Price Rite in Pittsfield will closee by Sept. 30. Pittsfield Price Rite Closing Next Month PITTSFIELD, Mass. Price Rite Marketplace plans to close its Pittsfield location on Dalton Avenue by Sept. 30. In a statement Thursday, Daniel Emmer with the supermarket's corporate communications confirmed rumors that the company will be closing the Pittsfield store. "After 14 years, Price Rite Marketplace of Pittsfield has made the very difficult decision to close the store by September 30, 2020," he wrote. "Price Rite appreciates the loyalty of its customers who have supported the store through the years and its dedicated team members who have worked hard to serve our community." He added that the company is sharing information regarding potential job opportunities or available positions at other Price Rite Marketplace stores in the region with employees. Emmer did not indicate the reason for the closure. Price Rite, a New Jersey-based market chain, is owned by Wakefern Food Corp. The chain has stores in Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island. In a joint statement, Iran and the UN nuclear agency announce the visit, but timing and methods have not yet been disclosed. For analysts and experts, this is a sign of Irans openness. Meanwhile, the United States continues to push for snapback sanctions. Tehran (AsiaNews/Agencies) Iran has given the green light to the International Atomic Energy Agency (AIEA) to inspect two suspected former nuclear sites. In a rare joint statement with the UN nuclear agency, Iranian authorities yesterday said that they were "voluntarily" providing access to AIEA inspectors. For analysts and experts, this is a sign of Irans openness. "Dates for the IAEA access and the verification activities have been agreed, the joint statement said; however, no time frame or terms were specified. Meanwhile, tensions are growing between the United States and the other signatories of the 2015 nuclear agreement, with Washington trying to reimpose all UN sanctions. On Monday, AIEAs new director general, Rafael Grossi arrived in Iran for his visit on Monday, precisely to push Tehran to open up to inspectors. From Argentina, Grossi was appointed AIEAs top official last year and the Iranian file is one his priorities. The two sites in question are suspected of holding undeclared nuclear material dating from the early 2000s, well before the nuclear deal was signed in Vienna in July 2015. In June, the AIEA board of governors adopted a resolution asking Tehran to allow access to the two controversial sites, so as to shed light on the activities carried out in them. The Iranian government has always claimed that its nuclear activities are not aimed at making an atomic bomb, dismissing charges by Israel and the United States as "groundless". However, some evidence collected in the past by AIEA experts revealed "a range of activities relevant to the development of a nuclear explosive device. High-level talks continue this week, ahead of next weeks meetings of the Joint Commission of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Talks are led by the European Union. On 1 September, the representatives of China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, Germany and Iran will meet to discuss the fate of the agreement. Last week, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, on an official visit to Israel, accused France, the UK and Germany of "siding with the ayatollahs". Next Tuesdays meeting will take stock of the situation, following the United Nations Security Councils refusal to endorse the Trump administrations decision to trigger the controversial "snapback" sanctions under the JCPOA against Iran. Those opposed to the United States note that Washington unilaterally pulled out of the agreement in 2018, and, consequently, it is no longer a party to it and cannot legally use its provisions. The Emirates Global Aluminium (EGA), today announced the launch of the EGA Womens Network in celebration of Emirati Womens Day 2020 and also to signal the companys commitment to improving gender diversity both within and in the heavy industry sector in the UAE, a Wam report said. The EGA Womens Network will enable women at EGA to form a community where they can share knowledge and experiences. The network will be focusing on useful topics, training sessions and inspiring talks with the hope of sharing tips and techniques that can be actively put into practice. The network is launching with a series of virtual panel discussions titled, "How Does She Do It?!", where female employees will be invited to connect with inspiring women both inside and outside of the EGA to hear their stories and share best practices. Women hold more than 19 per cent of supervisory roles at the EGA and the company hopes to increase this number by developing and mentoring the female talent pipeline. Earlier this year, Aissata Beavogui, Director-General of the EGAs bauxite mining and export subsidiary Guinea Alumina Corporation, was awarded the "Gender CEO" award by the World Bank Groups Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency. EGAs Chief Executive Officer, Abdulnasser Bin Kalban, said, "Improving gender diversity and maximising the contribution of all should be an important aspiration for all businesses. Gender diversity is recognised as an important contributor to business success, but it is also challenging to achieve in heavy industry and requires us to be proactive to achieve our goals. Women are already an important part of our workforce at EGA, but we recognise that there is significant scope to increase our female talent. On Emirati Womens Day, I applaud the team behind the EGA Womens Network for their dedication to ensuring our female colleagues can achieve their full potential both for themselves and EGA." Katherine Hahm, Chairwoman of the EGA Womens Network and General Counsel of EGA, said, "The UAE is one of a few countries in the world where more women graduate in science and engineering than men, which presents the EGA with a great opportunity to grow its female talent pipeline. We have some incredible women at the EGA across all departments and geographies. The network is being created to provide a forum to assist those women to develop the contacts and skillsets that they need to progress and achieve their personal goals."TradeArabia News Service Lawmaker Mushahid Hussain heads the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs in the Pakistani Senate or upper house of the countrys parliament. In an interview with RFE/RL Gandhara, the former journalist weighed in on Islamabads recent spat with key ally Saudi Arabia and his countrys current standing in the region. RFE/RL Gandhara: With all the hype about the Pakistani foreign ministers comments, and the army chiefs visit subsequent visit to Saudi Arabia wherein the optics werent great for the Pakistani militarys top brass, how would you assess Pakistani-Saudi relations? Mushahid Hussain: The regional context and the geopolitical scenario are changing. Both in the larger Muslim world and the Middle East, the relationship is still close. We have had differences with Saudi Arabia in the past; we had differences on the issue of Yemen in 2015 when we were asked for troops and declined. We also have had differences on the issue of Pakistans relations with Iran, and on Saudi Arabias relationship with India. On the issue of Kashmir there are expectations from the Organization of Islamic Countries, the OIC, and people expect more from the OIC, to speak up for Muslim causes like Palestine and Kashmir. I do not see a crisis in Pakistan-Saudi relations, but there can be a difference of policy and perception on specific issues. But strategically the relationship is still strong because both sides are mutually dependent on each other. RFE/RL Gandhara: Pakistan has provided a security umbrella to Saudi Arabia since the 1960s. Do you think Pakistan has some leverage over Saudi Arabia because of its security cooperation with the kingdom, which is otherwise vulnerable? Hussain: Both countries are mutually dependent, and both countries have clout in specific areas. The Saudis clout over Pakistan is essentially economic because there are 3 million Pakistanis who work in Saudi Arabia, sending home large remittances. Saudi Arabia gives a lot of economic support to Pakistan. And Saudi Arabia also has a certain significance as the home of Muslim countries, because the house of God is located in Mecca, and the Prophets final resting place is in Medina. Saudi Arabia has also depended on Pakistani clout for security. Since the time of General Ziaul Haq in 1982, there was a special security agreement between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia which allowed the stationing of Pakistani troops and advisers on Saudi territory for internal security purposes. That was there between 83 and 87, when we had a large division stationed in Saudi Arabia; it was there during the first Gulf War in 1991, when Pakistan sent troops as part of the larger coalition. During the Afghan war, Saudi Arabia gave about $2 billion in covert assistance to Pakistans military and the ISI [Inter-Services Intelligence] to fund and arm the Afghan mujahedin, which in relation to the $2 billion sent by the CIA for that purpose was a matching fund. At the time, only three countries recognized the Taliban regime [in the 1990s]: Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and UAE. What Pakistan can provide to Saudi Arabia in terms of security no other country -- Arab or not, Muslim or not -- can provide. The Saudi government knows that; hence there is a strategic confluence of objectives and interests between Islamabad and Riyadh which remains unchanged despite some technical differences on some issues as they arise. RFE/RL Gandhara: In a changing regional environment where key Saudi rival Iran is negotiating a major strategic agreement with Pakistans ally China, how do you see the Pakistani-Saudi relationship going forward? Hussain: Saudi Arabia has a very close economic and political relationship with India, which also affects Saudi Arabias low-key position on Kashmir. And Saudi Arabia knows Pakistan has very close relations with Turkey and Qatar, two countries with which the Saudis do not have good relations. And they know that Iran, as a neighbor of Pakistan, [has] a very cordial rapport [with Pakistan]. The two countries can agree as friends to disagree on issues which are vital to their respective national interests. But as far as the strategic confluence is concerned, when the Saudis know they need Pakistans support for their security, for defense, for internal protection, they can count on Pakistan, and Pakistan can also count on Saudi Arabia when we need an economic bailout, when we need financial assistance. RFE/RL Gandhara: We know about all the problems with CPEC [the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor]. Do you think CPEC is being revived? How does Iran fit into this project as it reportedly negotiates a major strategic agreement with China? Hussain: We should be clear that CPEC today is the centerpiece of the Pakistan-China strategic relationship, which is the number one relationship in Pakistans foreign policy. And even the Pakistani prime minister last week for the first time in his interview on the second anniversary of his coming to power said the future of Pakistan lies with China. So it is clear that [for] the state of Pakistan, the armed forces of Pakistan, the parliament and the political parties of Pakistan, China is a strategic partner we can rely on and a partner that has been there for the past four or five decades -- a resilient and reliable partner. On the Iran-China cooperation, we welcome that because if China is displacing India from Chabahar, which is 170 kilometers from Gwadar Port, that is positive because China is a best friend. CPEC will be most secure on our western front, and Gwadar Port will be more secure if a Chinese presence is there, an economic presence or a political presence in Iran. So, this is something that is there because China is so close to Pakistan, and there is a comfort level between Pakistan and China which is not there with any other country. RFE/RL Gandhara: As the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, can you give us an overall assessment of Pakistans foreign policy? Hussain: Due to a number of factors, and its no thanks to any government, Pakistans regional position has been strengthened and we have got what I call strategic space and a geopolitical breather. Number one is the Afghan peace process; Pakistan has been pivotal in bringing the U.S. and the Afghan Taliban to the conference table, and the U.S. is beholden and dependent on Pakistan for this purpose. Hence the U.S. tone, the U.S. rhetoric, the U.S. statements regarding Pakistan have become more positive. Secondly, after this beating that the Indians got from the Chinese in Ladakh in June, the Indians have been cut down to size in their own neighborhood. You can see India having problems with not just Pakistan, not just China, but also countries such as Nepal and Bangladesh for the first time because of [the Indian Prime Minister] Modis Hindutva extremist policies. Nepal has brought a new map where they say India is occupying part of their territory. Bangladesh for the first time has protested to India because of the citizenship amendment act, which affects Bangladesh also. So, there are new winds of change. And the recent elections in Sri Lanka have brought to power the Rajapaksa brothers, who are friends of China and who are also friends of Pakistan. The recent scenario is changing, and CPEC is changing, which is driving CPEC forward. As you can see, three or four major agreements have been signed on CPEC, which were there especially on energy and also on the railway line. And just on August 20 we organized a big conference which included nine political parties, and they all agreed to protect and promote CPEC as the guarantor of a better tomorrow for Pakistan. We had messages off the president of Pakistan and the president of China, Xi Jinping, for this purpose. Relations with China are strong and resilient, and China needs Pakistan and Pakistan too needs China. It is Modi whose Kashmir annexation and occupation have backfired, and Ive never seen in my professional life so much criticism of India as we have seen in the last year. Pakistan is right now in a comfortable position regionally, and it has given us a breather and strategic space for the next couple of years. We should use that to our advantage and build better relations with other countries in the region. Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-28 01:52:18|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close DAMASCUS, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Intense battles are taking place between the Syrian army and the Islamic State (IS) in the desert region in the country's eastern province of Deir al-Zour, a war monitor reported on Thursday. The battles are taking place in the western countryside of Deir al-Zour coupled with shelling and targeting from both sides, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. This comes as a group of pro-government fighters went missing in the desert and communication with them got disconnected on Thursday, said the UK-based watchdog group. Tens of military vehicles were sent into the desert in search of the missing group, it added. Tens of Syrian soldiers and IS militants have been killed in months of battles in the Syrian desert in eastern Syria, according to the Observatory. After losing key areas across the country, the IS now has a presence in the Syrian desert region in the remote eastern countryside of Homs province and Deir al-Zour province. Enditem Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The chairman of the presidential council of the Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA), Fayez al-Sarraj, Wednesday held talks with the military and security officers over acts of pillaging by demonstrators Tuesday evening here Grace, the bloodhound, uses an item belonging to a missing person, such as clothing, to follow the trace of smell left behind MEET the adorable bloodhound who has become part of Irelands first qualified mountain rescue trail-scenting search team. Grace is one of a special breed of trail-scenting dogs who use an item belonging to a missing person, such as clothing, to follow the trace of smell left behind. The dogs are trained to pursue only the scent of the missing person, while ignoring other people and smells in the area. But Grace almost didnt make it to Ireland, having ironically got lost herself in America while en route here. Read More Dubliner Philip McRory has a lifelong passion for dogs and, through a relation who is involved in the Dublin and Wicklow Mountain Rescue Team, became a volunteer himself. Mr McRory said he suggested sourcing a bloodhound to help with their work. The 37-year-old, who is a carpenter by trade, is also a qualified Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) and among his specialities is navigating in heavy fog or pitch-black conditions. There has never been a man-trailing dog qualified here before, he explains. I went back to college and did an EMT course and became a qualified practitioner. I knew if youre out with a search dog you are going to be the first person to get to the casualty, so its a level of care that we can administer now which is pretty high. Mr McRory, who originally hails from Portmarnock but who now lives in Swords, north Dublin, had previously been involved in breeding bulldogs and was also always interested in mountaineering. I was involved in mountaineering through the scouts and stuff like that, he says. That is kind of what brought the two together. I kept bulldogs and I was very aware of all the American guys that kept bulldogs... some of them were bloodhounds. I started looking at these working lines of bloodhounds and reading about how they were different to the kennel club dogs and I always had an interest in them. He points out that nobody in Ireland was breeding proper bloodhounds like Grace and he decided to look for one in America, where the likes of prison-break movies such as Cool Hand Luke had famously featured them. He contacted a breeder in Kentucky, Judy Braun, and sourced bluegrass bloodhound Grace even before she was born. I spoke in depth with the breeder about what I was looking for and asked her to pick me out the one that she really liked and send me that one, he recalls. Judy charged me $1,000 for the dog and she then took that money to pay a specialist trainer to get her searching from a really young age, so she effectively gave me the dog for free. Grace comes from a family of search-and-rescue or police man-trailing bloodhounds. Mr McRory then got a company in New York to arrange for Grace to be shipped to Ireland, once she had passed the 20-week age limit for travel requirements. But during her transportation in the US she went missing for six months The shipping company were giving me all sorts of excuses that there is a problem with this and we will get her out to you and this, that and the other, he reveals. I was chasing them, but really, the dog was missing. We were at a point where myself and the breeder were at our wits end. Judy is heavily involved with law enforcement, having bred dogs for various police forces, and had a connection in the District Attorneys office in New York. So the DA got involved and as soon as the state got involved the dog arrived in Ireland. She had been kept as a pet by someone in the shipping company. So I got her when she was a year old and she turned two in April. Philip financed the whole project himself, which cost 4,000. Grace is exactly like the bloodhounds youd see in Cool Hand Luke. She has that old bloodhound look with a droopy face, he smiles. The guards use more general-purpose dogs, which would generally be German Shepherds. They do track, but they dont trail, as they dont use scent-specific trailing. They will look for a scent, but with Grace you can give her the specific scent of a person to look for, which is what makes her unique. The good thing with Grace is early intervention, about getting her in early and getting her in while the trail is fresh. You have got about 24 hours to get that dog in there before the trail is over-contaminated. There is a lot of chat that they can go in a week after, two weeks after I think that has been proven not to be reliable. There are about 60 people on the call-out list in Dublin and Wicklow Mountain Rescue Team, and there are four people-trailing dogs, two of which are currently being trained. Grace is our qualified man-training dog, he confirms. Then we have Rowan, who is a qualified air-scenting dog, so Rowan will go into a large area and work off leash and clear that area for people, but he wont look for a specific person so thats kind of the difference in how he works. Then we have one more man-trailing dog, a German Shepherd, being trained at the moment and one more air-scenting dog thats also being trained at the moment that hasnt qualified yet. Mr McRory has got to see Grace in action for real once so far, when he got a call to help a canine search-and-rescue team in Northern Ireland. He was informed a man had gone missing from a pier in Warrenpoint, Co Down, and had left behind a suitcase and a note. We arrived up about 12 hours after we got the call and used the suitcase to give Grace the scent of the guy and we started searching, he recalls. It was a really busy weekend afternoon, it was really contaminated. We started to search, [but] a couple of minutes into the search we got a radio call to say that they had found the guy. But I felt the dog was working really well so I said we will see it through and said tell them theres a possibility we could come into their area. Sure enough, it took her about four minutes to work through all the people, and she walked straight up to the guy, who was talking to the PSNI. He was having a bad time that day. Mr McRory, who also works on the RTE renovation show Home Rescue, says many of the people he and his team search for are sadly experiencing mental-health problems. We are looking for people that are probably at a bad time in their life, he says. The dog will bring you to them, hopefully, as quick as possible. We have got to people in the past, not with dogs, but we have gotten to people and saved them. So teaming up the dog with a medic and a mountaineer kind of separates us from the transitional lowland rescue dog. Anyone affected by this article can contact the Samaritans on freephone 116123 or email jo@samaritans.ie for 24/7 emotional support. FP Trending A recent study has shown the far-reaching effects of global warming. A group of researchers from the United Kingdom have found that about 28 trillion tonnes of ice on the earths surface have melted in a period of 23 years. Scientists from Leeds and Edinburgh universities and University College London had analysed satellite surveys of glaciers, mountains and ice sheets from 1994 to 2017 to find the staggering results, reported The World Economic Forum. Such huge ice loss can cause the sea level to rise dramatically. Scientists think that a rise of 3 feet is possible to reach by the end of this century. To put that in context, every centimetre of sea-level rise means about a million people will be displaced from their low-lying homelands, Professor Andy Shepherd, associated with Leeds University, told The Guardian. Researchers have also warned that as the white ice keeps melting away, the black/ dark sea or soil underneath gets exposed. Hence, the earths surface is no longer able to reflect back the same amount of solar radiation as before because dark colours absorb heat. The scientists have confirmed that the result from the study matches the worst-case-scenario predictions made by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The study has been published in the journal Cryosphere Discussions. According to the abstract of the paper, 60 per cent of the ice loss was seen in the northern hemisphere, while the southern half amounted for 40 per cent of the total ice loss. Arctic sea ice, Antarctic ice shelves, mountain glaciers, the Southern Ocean sea ice, the ice sheet of Greenland, and the Antarctic have all decreased in mass. The group added that the results show how real global warming is. There can be little doubt that the vast majority of Earth's ice loss is a direct consequence of climate warming. NEW YORK, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The first verified Social Bonds for primary and secondary education in the US have closed, Equitable Facilities Fund (EFF) announced today. Kestrel Verifiers provided the Social Bonds opinion, citing the nonprofit impact investment fund's use of over $200 million in proceeds to offer low-cost, long-term, fixed-rate loans to high-performing public charter schools in predominantly low-income communities. The bonds, issued by the Equitable School Revolving Fund (ESRF), will recapitalize EFF's philanthropy-backed impact fund to support an estimated 35,745 public charter school students by providing affordable loans for their schools' buildings, equipment and other capital projects, thus directing more resources into the classroom and helping students realize academic success and a lifetime of opportunity. "The fact that Equitable Facilities Fund has such robust criteria for loan recipients that encompass both target populations and academic performance, highlights the unique social benefits of the revolving fund. The issuer's level of disclosure on charter school loans is exemplary," said Monica Reid, CEO of Kestrel Verifiers. Equitable Facilities Fund invests in schools that are providing transformative educational opportunities for students, especially in under-resourced communities. Sixty-two percent of students in the EFF portfolio schools qualify for free and reduced lunch and 75% identify as people of color. These students typically far outperform their peers in surrounding districts and schools. "Impact investors have been seeking high-quality investments to make a difference in education, especially for children who have limited access to opportunities. Today, investors received a fair return, donors received high social impact, and most importantly students across America received a chance for a better education," said Anand Kesavan, EFF's Founder and CEO. "We were able to save each school we supported an average of over $2 million money they can put back into the classroom." The Social Bonds offering saw high investor demand and was 8x oversubscribed with over $1.2 billion in orders from 33 investors. Since launching in 2018, EFF has committed approximately $390 million in low-interest loans supporting 27 public charter facilities projects and 67 schools across 13 states. To date, these loans have saved public charter schools and networks over $75 million and allowed them to better serve more than 35,000 total students. Scuola Vita Nuova Charter School (SVN) was recently recognized as Missouri's Charter School of the Year. Through working with EFF, SVN was able to refinance existing debt and fund the construction of a state-of-the-art facility, saving them an estimated $2.2 million over 30 years and allowing the school to grow and better serve over 400 students95% of whom qualify for free and reduced lunch. "I can't say enough how appreciative the SVN team is of the opportunity given to us by EFF to complete this facility project for our students, family and community. It allows us to provide learning opportunities for our students on a more even playing field," said Mary Pittala, SVN's Director of Finance and Operations. EFF is supported by the Walton Family Foundation's Building Equity Initiative (BEI), an unprecedented effort to make it easier and more affordable for public charter schools to access equitable, affordable facilities funding. Since its launch in 2016, the BEI has helped nearly 30,000 students in more than 100 schools attend new or renovated buildings. $185 million invested through the BEI has been leveraged to yield an additional $250 million invested by other funders in public charter school facilities. With the support of BEI resources, 12 million square feet of facilities have been purchased or renovated, and grantee schools are anticipated to save a total of more than $28 million. "At such a pivotal moment for America's students, it is essential that educators have access to the resources they need to support students," said Marc Sternberg, K-12 Education Program Director at the Walton Family Foundation. "The Equitable Facilities Fund and the Equitable School Revolving Fund are helping by redirecting millions more dollars to where they belong with our students." About Equitable Facilities Fund Equitable Facilities Fund is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit social impact fund created to provide long-term, low-cost facility loans that allow high-performing public charter schools to maximize the resources they dedicate to students. High-quality public charter schools promote bright futures for children across America, and EFF believes these schools should borrow under terms comparable to traditional public school districts. EFF administers an 'A' rated revolving loan fund, which recapitalizes using funds from Equitable School Revolving Fund's bond issuances, to offer high-credit, long-term, scalable bond investment opportunities. To learn more, visit www.eqfund.org or email [email protected]. SOURCE Equitable Facilities Fund Toronto police have ruled the deaths of two people found in a Scarborough apartment as homicides, but say they are not looking for any suspects. Police from the 43 Division were called to an apartment at Lawrence Avenue East and Morningside Avenue after 10:15 p.m. on Aug. 22 to investigate. Officers found two bodies and treated the deaths as suspicious. The two men have been identified as Jesse Green, 27, and Emmet Piil, 26, both of Toronto. Evidence has led to the determination there are no outstanding suspects, police said in a news release Thursday. Police said the causes of death are still unknown and the investigation continues. Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-7400, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477). Raneem Alozzi is a breaking news reporter, working out of the Star's radio room in Toronto. Follow her on Twitter: @r_alozzi President Muhammadu Buhari has congratulated the president of the African Development Bank, Akinwunmi Adesina, over his re-election for a second term in office. In a tweet via his verified handle, @Mbuhari, the president described Mr Adesinas re-election as a well deserved victory. I congratulate @akin_adesina on his re-election for a second term in office as President of the @AfDB_Group, Mr Buhari said in a tweet Thursday afternoon. It is a well deserved victory. I have no doubt that in this second term Dr. Adesina will accomplish even more of his lofty vision for the Bank. I thank the African Union for its early endorsement of Dr. Adesina, and also thank the shareholders of the bank who worked tirelessly for his re-election victory. The president also reiterated the AfDB boss of the full support of the Nigerian government to ensure a successful second term. I pray that the Almighty God will continue to strengthen him and his team to deliver even greater development to the African continent, he said. Mr Adesina was re-elected for a second five-year term as AfDB president. The bank conducted the election at its annual meeting held via video link on Thursday. Mr Adesina, who became president of the Abidjan-based bank in 2015, ran unopposed. The bank said in a statement that Mr Adesina gained 100 percent of votes cast. Also on Thursday, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, a former Nigerian minister of finance, congratulated Mr Adesina. Mrs Okonjo-Iweala described the development as wonderful. She tweeted: Wonderful to get the news of the re-election of @akin_adesina as President of @AfDB_Group. Hearty congratulations to you, my brother, and to Grace! Wishing you five more fruitful years!! Earlier in the year, Mr Adesina was in the eye of the storm over sundry allegations of misconduct. A petition by the group of whistleblowers accused him of 20 breaches of the banks code of conduct. The bank found the allegations to be frivolous and he was thereafter cleared of the allegations. The wicked old Soviet Union had a privileged administrative class. By Soviet standards they were well paid, and the lucky ones got dachas cushy second homes. These unaccountable bureaucrats were called the nomenklatura. Although Britain is a parliamentary democracy, we have developed our own nomenklatura. They are highly remunerated and not infrequently incompetent. Although they run large parts of the country, we have little idea of who they are. On Tuesday, Sally Collier stood down as chief executive of Ofqual after it had issued downgraded exam results for hundreds of thousands of pupils as a result of its flawed algorithm Its very hard to sack members of this administrative elite and, if unusually they are got rid of, they are liable to pop up in another highly paid job in a different quango, or else receive a whopping pay-off. Incidentally, the acronym quango is a misnomer. Many of them are not quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations. Its the non-governmental bit that is misleading. The big quangos actually govern us, and are capable of overriding or ignoring senior ministers. Take Ofqual, about which we have learnt a lot in recent weeks. On Tuesday, Sally Collier stood down as chief executive of this body after it had issued downgraded exam results for hundreds of thousands of pupils as a result of its flawed algorithm. Ineptitude This was followed by the abrupt dismissal yesterday by Boris Johnson of Jonathan Slater, the top civil servant at the Department for Education. (Why the lamentable Education Secretary, Gavin Williamson, should still be in his job is a mystery.) Mrs Collier, who pocketed 200,000 a year for running the exam regulator, wont starve. Why the lamentable Education Secretary, Gavin Williamson, should still be in his job is a mystery She is expected to be appointed to another highly paid administrative role, possibly in the Cabinet Office, where she previously worked. Isnt this odd? She has resigned or been leant on to step down because the organisation she ran fouled up. In the private sector she certainly wouldnt be re-hired by the same company. But more accommodating rules apply in quango-land. She is, after all, a member of the nomenklatura, whose ineptitude is forgivable. She can rely on a well-paid job for life as long as she wants one, before retiring, probably at a relatively early age, with a substantial index-linked pension. Revolving doors are common in the public sector. A few years ago, deputy childrens commissioner Sue Berelowitz received a 134,000 redundancy pay-off before being hired by the Office of the Childrens Commissioner the following day as a consultant. Then there was the case of Mark Hammond, who was made redundant as chief executive by West Sussex County Council with a 256,000 pay-off, only to land a 130,000 a year job eight months later at the government- funded Equality and Human Rights Commission. To return to Ofqual. Mrs Colliers probable survival in a well-rewarded job in the public sector is part of a bigger scandal the operational independence of quangos from ministers they are supposed to serve. Mr Williamson is the Secretary of State. He may be unfit for the role, but that is his job. He is an elected representative, who as a minister is answerable to Parliament. Lucrative And yet it appears he had no input into the thinking behind Ofquals botched algorithm, and didnt look at it until just before the wrongly graded A-level results were released. In other words, although Mr Williamson is in charge of education in England, he was for all practical purposes an onlooker as the unelected quango boss Sally Collier and her colleagues made crucial decisions affecting thousands of students. A similar thing happened during the pandemic at Public Health England, which the Government has announced is going to be scrapped after it made several mistakes over testing for Covid-19 and PPE procurement. Health Secretary Matt Hancock has made plenty of errors of his own. But he has also sometimes been a virtual spectator as, for example, when Public Health England published advice on February 25 that it was very unlikely that anyone receiving care in a care home or the community will become infected. This catastrophic guidance was not withdrawn until March 13, despite reports of care homes in other countries being devastated by the virus. Although he wasnt responsible for drawing up the advice, Mr Hancock was obliged to defend it. Have any of the bosses at Public Health England been sacked? Of course not. The organisation will be redesignated as another quango, which Im sure will also be operationally independent. Health Secretary Matt Hancock has made plenty of errors of his own. But he has also sometimes been a virtual spectator as, for example, when Public Health England published advice on February 25 that it was very unlikely that anyone receiving care in a care home or the community will become infected I wager that most of its senior executives (six of whom are paid more than 200,000 a year) will find an equally lucrative perch. We dont know who these shadowy panjandrums are, unless like Sally Collier they trip up in public view. Yet they make all kinds of decisions without ministerial oversight that affect our lives at a fundamental level. The other day, the 456,727 a year chief executive of Highways England, Jim OSullivan, stepped down after five years. I should be surprised if one person in 100 had heard of him. And yet, as the richly rewarded boss of the body responsible for operating Englands motorways and major trunk roads, he has made a number of important decisions, including the rapid increase of so-called smart motorways, where the hard shoulder is removed to create extra capacity. At least 38 people have died over the past five years on these motorways, which dont seem so much smart as lethal. I suppose the unaccountable Mr OSullivan could have been overruled by the elected Secretary of State for Transport. The fact is that he wasnt. Its one more example of quangocrats independently formulating policy at arms length from increasingly powerless ministers. I dont say they are all incompetent, though some certainly are. But most of them are overpaid and overmighty. The other day, the 456,727 a year chief executive of Highways England, Jim OSullivan, stepped down after five years A fascinating question is why over the past few decades so many of the powers of senior ministers should have been parcelled out to members of the nomenklatura, who dont have to answer to the general public. One justification is that modern life is becoming much more complicated, and so it makes sense for politicians, who usually have no great know-how, to hand over powers to experts who supposedly do. The trouble is that, as weve seen, they often dont. Im afraid I rather cynically believe that it suits governments to place a buffer of quangos between themselves and the public, so that when things go wrong they can disavow responsibility. In a properly ordered country, the Department for Education would take ultimate responsibility for exams, and so in the event of a debacle such we have just witnessed, the minister would resign. The patently inadequate Mr Williamson survives, at any rate for the time being As it is, the buck is passed to Sally Collier, with the assurance of lucrative re-employment elsewhere, and now to Jonathan Slater. The patently inadequate Mr Williamson survives, at any rate for the time being. Well never have efficient government so long as this goes on. Well have an often inept administrative class which pays itself vast sums of money while never being held accountable for its mistakes, and an increasingly feeble political class which shuns the responsibilities of running the country. Does Dominic Cummings, who has promised that hard rain will fall on the civil service, feel the same about presumptuous quangos? The more the nomenklatura grow, and are allowed to thrive beyond our reach, the worse well be governed. On China's Continued Coercion of the United Kingdom Press Statement Michael R. Pompeo, Secretary of State August 26, 2020 The United States is dismayed to learn that the Chinese Communist Party's coercive bullying tactics against our friends in the United Kingdom continues. In the latest example, British bank HSBC has reportedly prevented Hong Kong-based executives at Next Media, a well-known publisher of pro-democracy publications, from accessing their credit cards and personal bank accounts. The bank is thus maintaining accounts for individuals who have been sanctioned for denying freedom for Hong Kongers, while shutting accounts for those seeking freedom. Only a few months ago, HSBC's Asia-Pacific CEO signed a petition supporting Beijing's decision to crush Hong Kong's autonomy and its people's freedoms. Free nations must ensure that corporate interests are not suborned by the CCP to aid its political repression. We stand ready to help the British government and its companies resist CCP bullying and stand for freedom. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address She has been holidaying in the South of France. And Joan Collins looked fabulous on Thursday as she shared a fun picture from her St. Tropez getaway to Instagram. The film legend, 87, wore a blue floral midi dress with a ruffled hem and a matching face mask for the snap amid the coronavirus pandemic. Fabulous! Joan Collins, 87, looked fabulous on Thursday as she shared a fun picture from her St. Tropez getaway to Instagram where she wore a matching dress and face mask Joan styled her brunette locks into a blow-dried hairdo and added a slick of glamorous make-up which could be seen despite her face covering. The legendary actress knew how to work her best angles as she playfully posed for the snap at her St. Tropez home. Showing her funny side, Joan quipped in the caption: 'Matchup ! Thank you Jackie Palmer for making this outfit, even though I said I would never wear a matching mask #mask #Covid.' Funny! Showing her funny side, Joan quipped in the caption: 'Matchup ! Thank you Jackie Palmer for making this outfit, even though I said I would never wear a matching mask #mask #Covid.' Oh dear: It comes after the star revealed she was 'yelled at' by police at an Ikea in France after swapping her face mask for an illegal plastic visor It comes after the star revealed she was 'yelled at' by police at an Ikea in France after swapping her face mask for an illegal plastic visor. The film legend, who has been holidaying in St. Tropez with loved ones and pals including Piers Morgan, said she was 'pounced upon' when an official spotted her wearing a clear, plastic visor which she found easier to breathe in than a mask. Face masks have been mandatory in indoor public spaces in France since July 21, Joan owns a home in St. Tropez. In her column for the Spectator, Joan, who is worth 24million said the incident had occurred as she checked out the store's basic food menu, writing 'An officious gendarme became deeply offended by it, and while I was mulling over the benefits of Ikeas gravadlax vs its smoked salmon, he pounced. Against the rules: The film legend, 87, who has been holidaying in St. Tropez, said she was 'pounced upon' when an official spotted her wearing a clear, plastic visor which she found easier to breathe in than a mask 'Gesticulating in Gallic fashion, he yelled at me to put on a proper mask, because visors arent legal. Chastised, I slunk away, muttering an Anglo-Saxon expletive under my breath, which, as he glared at me, I feared he might have understood. 'I then tried wearing a clear plastic face mask, of the sort which all the staff at the Byblos were wearing, but although it was easier to speak and to be understood, it forced my face into a hideous rictus.' The star, who is a regular at celebrity hotspots in the town such as Les Graniers restaurant and Club 55, seemed to be admiring the low-budget dining option at Ikea. Starters range in price from a simple green salad at 1 (90p) to a cheese plate for 1.95 (1.76)with the most expensive starter the large Caesar salad at 5.95 (5.37). Pals: The star has been holidaying in St Tropez with pals including Piers Morgan (pictured at the glitzy Less Graniers Restaurant) The store's iconic Swedish meatballs main is 5.95 (5.37) with marinated beef skewers the most pricey main at a respectable 9.95 (8.98). Desserts including Ikea's chocolate cake with Daim bar are all under 3 (2.71). Joan has been spending time in the South of France with her husband Percy Gibson, 55, and daughter Katyana, 48. In May, Dame Joan criticised the UK government for being 'ageist' to those over the age of 70 amid the ongoing crisis. Did Joan dine on a budget in IKEA? The star, who is a regular at celebrity hotspots in the town such as Les Graniers restaurant and Club 55, could have opted for a more low-budget dining option at Ikea. Starters range in price from a simple green salad at 1 (90p) to a cheese plate for 1.95 (1.76)with the most expensive starter the large Caesar salad at 5.95 (5.37). The store's iconic Swedish meatballs main is 5.95 (5.37) with marinated beef skewers the most pricey main at a respectable 9.95 (8.98). Desserts including Ikea's chocolate cake with Daim bar are all under 3 (2.71). Advertisement In her column for The Spectator, the actress claimed government advice saying elderly people needed to stay indoors during the global pandemic was 'utter discrimination'. Holding nothing back, she said: 'I've always thought Western society was terribly ageist, and I don't just mean showbiz folk but across the board. 'Then the UK government insisted the over-70s, horrible expression, were part of the vulnerables, an even more horrible expression, and should remain in lockdown, the most horrible expression of all, until a vaccine is found. 'That was utter discrimination against the hardy individuals who have no health issues. But more harmful was bolstering the existing belief among the general public that the old should keep out of everyone's way.' The Dynasty star added that she declared 'stunningly healthy' by her GP on her most recent visit, and has never limited herself by her age, which was true of others too. Picking out fellow elderly actors, Joan said it was a shame 88-year-old Coronation Street star William Roache, who plays Ken Barlow, was not allowed to return to work because of the government's advice. She also detailed her shock when pal Christopher Biggins, 71, was stopped by members of the public during a run, because they believed he should remain inside. Joan previously declared she'd 'settle' at living til she's 100 - and brushed off the age difference between her and Percy. Joan married Percy in 2002, and said in a new interview that 'people make too much fuss about age, which is just a number.' Speaking to The Mirror, Joan said: 'I think theres a big difference between biological age and the age youre supposed to be. 'As you know, [Percy] is somewhat younger than me. At first people would always say, "What are you going to do about the age difference?" Id say, "Well, if he dies he dies!"' She mused: 'Will I outlive you all? No, I dont want that.' A woman holds a small bottle labeled with a "Vaccine Covid-19" sticker in this illustration taken April 10, 2020. Illustration photo by Reuters/Dado Ruvic. Australia will provide AUD80 million ($57.7 million) to a global initiative that will give a number of countries in its neighborhood, including Vietnam, improved access to Covid-19 vaccines. Australia's contribution will help Pacific Island and Southeast Asian secure the vaccines through the Covid-19 Global Vaccine Access Facility Advanced Market Commitment (COVAX AMC). COVAX AMC, operating under public-private global health partnership GAVI, would secure and distribute Covid-19 vaccines to all countries, not just those that could afford to buy or manufacture them, according to a media release by the Australian Minister of Foreign Affairs Marise Payne on Wednesday. Eligible for support are Fiji, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu in the Pacific and Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, the Philippines, Timor-Leste and Vietnam in Southeast Asia. The program would address the acute phase of the pandemic, providing doses for up to 20 percent of countries populations in its first phase, ensuring that healthcare workers and vulnerable groups such as the elderly have access, the release said. China said on Monday that Vietnam and other Mekong countries would receive priority once it develops a Covid-19 vaccine. Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam are first in line to get it, Premier Li Keqiang told the third Lancang-Mekong Cooperation leaders' meeting, according to Chinese media reports. Earlier this month Vietnam's Ministry of Health said it has registered to buy Covid-19 vaccines from Russia and the U.K. It is also registering with other vaccine producers around the world and seeking assistance to produce its own. Vietnamese laboratories are working hard to get a Covid-19 vaccine ready for clinical trial by the end of this year, and start production in 2021. The country has had 1,034 Covid-19 cases so far, 370 of them active, and 30 deaths. Raipur, Aug 27 : Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to reconsider the decision to privatise the Nagarnar steel plant in Bastar, saying the move has led to tribal discontent which Naxalites are likely to exploit. In a letter to Modi, Baghel said that NMDC's under-construction Nagarnar steel plant is likely to be commissioned in the near future at a cost of over Rs 20,000 crore. He said the plant will not only ensure utilisation of minerals in Bastar but provide thousands of people direct and indirect employment. Reacting to media reports about the central government's decision, the Chief Minister said it would be very unfortunate for Chhattisgarh if the proposed public sector steel plant in the tribal area is privatised, an official statement said on Thursday. He said the news has agitated the tribal community and there is a feeling of dissatisfaction against the administration. Baghel wrote that the state government has been successful in curbing Naxalite activities but the possibility of the Maoists taking advantage of tribal discontent over the plant can't be ruled out. He said that about 610 hectares of private land has been acquired for the steel plant, which has been taken up for 'public purpose'. About 211 hectares of government land in the plant area still belongs to the Chhattisgarh government. Of this, only 27 hectares has been given conditionally to NMDC for 30 years. The rest is owned by the Chhattisgarh government. The Chief Minister said the first condition under which the state government transferred the land to the Industries Department is that the land will be used only for setting up a steel plant by NMDC. He said that PESA Act, 1996, is in force to protect the interests of tribals and their natural rights in Chhattisgarh. The Chief Minister told the Prime Minister that the steel plant must continue as a public sector enterprise and the state government is committed to protect the interests of the tribals. Sometimes the real world is so unbearable, watching anime helps ease anxiety. Anime by no means is for the faint-hearted, though. They may be animated characters, but the plot lines can naturally rival the nicest shows out there. If you want to start your own anime journey and close your mind off the real world for a while, Netflix USA has plenty of options. Among all the anime shows in Netflix USA though, here are our top three recommendations -- just enough to tide you a whole weekend. The least we want is for you to be overwhelmed with titles and opt not to watch anything altogether. Japan Sinks 2020 The title alone should tell you enough that this is good one. In fact, you can now retire your assumptions that anime is about people with superpowers and robots. This is also one of the newest in the Netflix USA roster, given the title. Before you go ignoring this movie because you hate the fact that it sounds like a doomsday movie when we are already in the middle of a pandemic, please still give it a try. As some psychologists would say, nothing is as effective as watching a fictional tragedy unfold to feel better about reality. At least that's what we read... or is it what we just think? Japan Sinks 2020 is a fictional tragedy told so well you'd end up having great insights from it. Adapted from the bestselling Sci-fi novel by Sakyo Komatu, you would not want to miss out. One Piece Now, this is a classic one. Long before Netflix USA emerged (you lucky kids!), One Piece has always been one of the anime shows I repeatedly binge-watched on -- DVD days, obviously. If you want an anime that you can binge-watch for days, or even weeks, then this is it. It has an overwhelming amount of episodes but each one is just so good! The story revolves around a young pirate named Luffy -- adventurous and funny -- looking for the legendary "One Piece" treasure. To get it means to secure the "Pirate King" title. Of course, along the way, there are many fun challenges to beat and adventures that he gets to face with his friends and crew. As they traverse the seas in search of the treasure, they can teach viewers a thing or two about family, friends, and life. Netflix also has a live adaptation of this. One Punch Man Who got a "One Punch Man" shirt? I do! The fact that you can now buy One Punch Man shirt is a testament to how good this anime series is. The anime follows Saitama's life, a hero that combats evil not because he thinks it is absolutely right and necessary, but because it is fun to do so. He can defeat his enemies with just a single punch -- the whole Avenger's Team got nothing on him. It's not all just action and punching, though. There's always a tinge of drama and comedy in each episode. It can turn your dull Saturday afternoon quite interesting. Enjoy! READ MORE: Robin Williams Last Days Too Tragic? Top 3 Movies To Remember the Comedian Better Yaes, GET HIM! Reply Thread Link Should have broken his skull. Reply Thread Link I came in here looking for the Gene Wilder Charlie and the Chocolate Factory gif but will gladly take this one instead. Edited at 2020-08-27 06:12 pm (UTC) Reply Parent Thread Link R Kelly supporters are truly some of the most mind boggling to stupid people walking this whole damn planet. Theyre protesting saying hes not getting due process Reply Thread Link people will do mental gymnastics to defend male musicians just because they created some bops Reply Parent Thread Link So many of them are women who are like, in their late 40s-50s too. I feel so sorry for any young woman or little girl they've ever given "advice" to or--God forbid--raised. Reply Parent Thread Link Yeah, fuck them. Iremember Kendrick Lamar was pissed Spotify was going to remove Xtentacion and R. Kelly from their playlists. I think he was like, "Well, if you remove their music, I'll remove mine, too." People are shit. Reply Parent Thread Link literally it is 2020 and that is what they are choosing to go out and protest for??!?! Reply Parent Thread Link No serious injuries have been reported sad. you have to be the scummiest type of person to go around protesting for a monster like that to be freed Reply Thread Link well alright, finally some good news! Reply Thread Link Anyway whats everybody having for lunch? Reply Thread Link A summer edition watermelon redbull, lol Def a snack around 2 tho, haven't been eating much lately tbh, haven't had an appetite :( What are you having today :D? Reply Parent Thread Link I was thinking an egg and bacon bowl, maybe a coffee or green tea, some grapes or an apple on the side, for brunch. Reply Parent Thread Link Damn! I'm full, but now I want a egg and bacon bowl. Reply Parent Thread Link in honor of the inmate who smacked R.Kelly, i will be having a pbj sandwich, fritos, and ramen noodles. Reply Parent Thread Link sausage on a bun and fries with gravy lol Reply Parent Thread Expand Link shin ramyun, might have some frozen grapes now Reply Parent Thread Link Shin ramen for breakfast RN! Feeling extra spicy so to ready em Reply Parent Thread Link I actually treated myself to a pancake breakfast at the restaurant my mom and I used to go to a lot when I was a kid. Celebrating the end of the semester (my 2nd semester back in school and 2nd consecutive semester on the Dean's List) and immediately starting another semester lol. I think I am officially old tho, because I thought about how what I paid for just me would've covered me and my mom in 1997. Reply Parent Thread Link I want some door dash but I'm feeling cheap NGL Reply Parent Thread Link 85c Bakery, I really need to stop, but it's so goooood Reply Parent Thread Link I just ordered a shrimp poboy. Reply Parent Thread Link I had 2 bowls of alfredo pasta!! My stomach hurts Reply Parent Thread Link Kale salad primarily from my garden, with onions I quick pickled and croutons I made. Feeling real smug. Reply Parent Thread Link Yogurt with blackberries and granola! Cause I'm doing interminent fasting but still love my breakfast foods Reply Parent Thread Link I just ate a small pizza and too many wings. I'm full. Reply Parent Thread Link Spicy game day chicken, no breading. Aloe water & Ocho bar. Not terribly healthy but so good. Reply Parent Thread Link I had a breakfast burrito- shredded cheese, avocado, and eggs with elote seasoning, tajin salt and pepper. Should've cut up a tomato and cooked some bacon but I was hungry after my workout Reply Parent Thread Link No serious injuries have been reported. 2020 can't let us have this ONE THING???? Reply Thread Link Right?! Like, give me what happened to Dahmer(?). Broken broom/mop handle and all. Reply Parent Thread Link Right? Come the fuck on. Reply Parent Thread Link Ah well there's always next time! :) Reply Parent Thread Link Why is this news? Not coming at you OP, I'm on ontd for a reason lmao Coming at the people blindly out there protesting for a pedophile. Reply Thread Link Perfect gif! Reply Parent Thread Link good lord she was beautiful, how I wish he would've died instead of her Reply Parent Thread Link Man I wish I had teeth like that lol Reply Parent Thread Link You get your teeth filed kinda like that. One of my friends in high school did XD Reply Parent Thread Expand Link you can buy some pretty realistic looking "vampire" caps these days Reply Parent Thread Expand Link she looked so slammin' in this film, too bad it was a very bad movie Reply Parent Thread Link The crew is all smiles behind their masks as they begin demolition work to prepare the site for the all-new HiFi Collective. This permanent supportive housing project hits the mark on many levels...I want to thank Linc Housing and Search to Involve Pilipino Americans for the collaboration with my office to bring this much needed amenity to residents in the 13th District. - Los Angeles City Councilmember Mitch OFarrell. Linc Housing has partnered with Search to Involve Pilipino Americans (SIPA) to build HiFi Collective, a new five-story building that will feature 63 supportive housing units and one managers unit as well as SIPAs offices, programming space, community cultural center, and the John Eric Swing Small Business Center. SIPA headquarters will occupy the entire first floor while upper levels will house private affordable housing apartments. The new studio apartment homes are for qualified families and individuals who have experienced homelessness. "This permanent supportive housing project hits the mark on many levels: we're providing 63 units of housing for the formerly homeless in the area; we are collaborating with a Filipino service organization with a long-standing commitment in the community; and we're honoring John Eric Swing, whose positive contributions to Historic Filipinotown have left an indelible mark in the neighborhood, said Los Angeles City Councilmember Mitch OFarrell. I want to thank Linc Housing and Search to Involve Pilipino Americans for the collaboration with my office to bring this much needed amenity to residents in the 13th District." The site for HiFi Collective, 3200 West Temple Street in Los Angeles, is located at the western gateway to Historic Filipinotown (HiFi). In addition to creating much needed affordable housing in the district, the project is envisioned as a cultural landmark for the developing HiFi district. HiFi Collective will transform SIPAs current office building into a dynamic, mixed-use structure with the 6,100-square-foot ground floor anchored by SIPAs new national headquarter offices. In addition to SIPA offices, the new space will allow SIPA to expand its community programming. The ground floor will include a 2,700-sq-ft. multi-purpose space and professional grade kitchen, as well as the new John Eric Swing Small Business Center, featuring resources and incubator spaces for entrepreneurs and small business owners interested in working in HiFi or with the Fil-Am community. SIPA recently announced the John Eric Swing Small Business Center in honor of SIPAs executive director and beloved community leader who died of COVID-19 in June. This vital redevelopment at SIPA has been several years in the making and marks the beginning of a turning point for Historic Filipinotown, said Jennifer Taylor, head of real estate, SIPA board of directors. We are grateful to all who have made this progress possible, including our partners at Linc, Mayor Garcetti, Councilman OFarrell, our Historic Filipinotown neighborhood, and the greater Filipino American community. Thank you for your continuing support of SIPA as we move forward in our goal to change lives for the better. The new community will have 63 studio apartment homes and one two-bedroom managers unit. The buildings residents will have private access to several amenities, including a community room, computer lab, community kitchen, indoor bike parking, laundry, outdoor deck, and offices for supportive services. The location is convenient to public transportation, shopping, and other services. With funding support from Los Angeles County, residents will receive intensive case management to help ensure they thrive. Supportive services will include mental health and physical health services, employment counseling and job placement, education, substance abuse counseling, money management, assistance in obtaining and maintaining benefits, and referrals to community-based services and resources. We do our best work when we understand the community and the needs of the neighborhood, and our partnership with SIPA marries their deep community knowledge with LINCs expertise in affordable housing development, said Rebecca Clark, president and CEO, Linc Housing. SIPAs mission aligns with Lincs. Were both committed to improving neighborhoods and empowering people to make positive contributions to the community. Were excited to know that SIPA will be bringing the cultural community center to life for everyone in the neighborhood. Funding for the development comes from a variety of sources including construction and permanent loans from Bank of America, $12.7 million in HHH Funds managed by the Housing + Community Investment Department of the City of Los Angeles (HCIDLA), $6.8 million from the Los Angeles County Development Authority (No Place Like Home funds), and tax credit equity from Raymond James. The project will receive rental subsidy from the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles. The California Endowment provided predevelopment support. The Los Angeles County Department of Health Services will provide funding for supportive services. HiFi Collective was designed by D33 Design & Planning, with cultural design by Synthesis Design + Architecture (SDA). It will be built by Walton Construction Inc. Construction of affordable housing has been designated an essential activity during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the construction team will follow recommended safety protocols to keep the job site safe. The development is due to be completed in early 2022. All supportive, affordable apartments will be filled through referrals from the County of Los Angeles Coordinated Entry System (CES). About Linc Housing Corporation Linc Housing, one of California's most productive nonprofit developers of affordable housing, is committed to building communities and strengthening neighborhoods for people underserved by the marketplace. Linc has helped create nearly 8,500 homes in 85 communities throughout the state. The organization's properties are known for excellent design, outstanding management and life-enhancing services for its residents. Linc has 36 years of service to families, seniors, people with special needs, and local governments - helping to create sustainable communities via new construction, acquisition and rehabilitation, and historic preservation. Visit http://www.Linchousing.org for more information. About SIPA Since 1972, Search to Involve Pilipino Americans (SIPA) is a 501(c)3 non-profit, charitable organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for the multicultural district of Historic Filipinotown and the greater Filipino American community. As one of the oldest and largest Fil-Am non-profits in the United States, SIPA is widely known as an ambassador of Historic Filipinotown in Los Angeles, where it is headquartered and where all are welcome. Led by Fil-Am business and community leaders, SIPA provides youth services and programming, family health and human services, small business counsel, arts and cultural education, events and resources. More about SIPA is available at https://sipacares.org. Arnold C. Shaw, 86, passed away on Monday, August 10 at his home in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Shaw, a native of Caribou, ME and a U.S. Army veteran, is primarily known in harness racing for his more than 20 years working as public relations manager for the Hempt Farms of Hall of Famer Max C. Hempt, located not far from Carlisle in Mechanicsburg, PA. The 'Home of the Keystones' annually produced some of the major stars of the sport, most bearing the 'Keystone' name. Shaw was a tireless innovator and promoter in making these horses well known and attractive to yearling buyers at the annual sale in Harrisburg, where his gregarious presence brightened many a conversation, whether about horses or not. Shaw also owned several horses over the years. He was predeceased in death by, among others, his wife, Sandy, in 2001. Survivors include his fiancee Debra Braithwaite Dolbec, his loving partner of many years; a very large extended family, including those who came to know him in harness racing; and his dog Rusty. Memorial contributions can be made to Residential Hospice of Mechanicsburg, 100 Sterling Parkway #110, Mechanicsburg PA 17050, or to the American Cancer Society. Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the family and friends of Arnold Shaw. (PHHA) An NDC delegation to the Manhyia Palace, led by former President Mahama was told of how they have abandoned the Palace since the party was voted out of office in 2016. The delegation was at the Palace to introduce Prof. Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, Running Mate to John Mahama for the 2020 elections. But the Asantehene himself, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, minced no words in telling the former President and his delegation how their frequent visits to the Palace when they were in power ceased after they were voted out of office. "Today I have seen all my grandchildren that I haven't seen in a while," the Asantehene said. "You have brought all of them here today to come and see me. But you don't have to only visit me when you are in government. You also have to visit me when you are out of government," he added. After the running mate was introduced, the Asantehene advised the NDC flagbearer, former President Mahama to assess why he was voted out of office by Ghanaians and tell Ghanaians the lessons he has learnt. "Tell Ghanaians the wrongs of the past and how you will correct those wrongs," the Asantehene told the former President. He also called for an issue-based campaign to enable Ghanaians make an inform decision come December 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 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. Apisai Tora, a scion of the old guard of Fijis politicians, who dominated Fijis political stage for almost five decades, passed away on August 6. Variously described as a political maverick, a chameleon and a nationalist, Apisai Vuniyayawa Tora first entered the public domain in 1959 as a 25-year-old veteran of the Malayan campaign. Together with fellow unionists, they organised the oil strikes of 1959 which led to widespread rioting under British rule. To some observers, this period in Fijis history symbolised a kind of Fijian Spring and the nascent stirrings of Fijian political consciousness. Around the world, other political movements and voices were also rising to assert their rights and challenge European colonial and corporate domination. In Algeria, the war for independence continued to rage. In Egypt, Gamal Abdel Nasser triggered a crisis when he announced plans to nationalise the Suez Canal. And in racially segregated America, Martin Luther King was about to take up the leadership mantle for the Civil Rights movement. Traditionally from Sabeto in Fijis west, Tora admired the way Egypts Nasser wrested the Suez Canal from British/French corporate hands, prompting him to pen a letter to Time Magazine. In it, he described Fiji as a white mans paradise and a black mans hell. Not expecting it to get published, he was delightfully surprised when it was. The letter, however, underscored the anger brewing within, over the inherent injustices in the class and racial divide. It was a divide that rewarded those born into privilege and emasculated those with the misfortune to be born poor, black or both. In the early years of Toras public life, it was this anger that fuelled and drove him into fearless action, often triggering incidents that landed him in trouble. He didnt think too kindly of a number of prominent chiefs, believing they lacked intellectual leadership and questioned what he perceived to be their lack of accountability to the iTaukei. Similar views were held of some of the white colonial masters. There is a well-known story of a time in the 1950s, when he was working for the District Officer [DO] in Ba in Fijis West, and serving behind a counter. In front, was a long queue of people patiently waiting to have their documents processed. In the middle of this scene, a senior white official from the Colonial Sugar Refining Company walked into the room, bypassed the queue, pushed his way through to the front counter and demanded to be served. Tora looked him directly in the eye and told him to take his place in the queue just like everybody else. The official was astonished that a mere native had just ordered him to wait in the queue. When he refused to budge, Tora stood firm. The official complained to the DO Ratu Kamisese Mara, (Fijis first post-colonial Prime Minister). What happened after that is unclear. But as one academic recently shared with this scribe, Mara himself was known to have harboured his own resentments against colonialism and might have even been smiling quietly at the viavialevu attitude of the underling in his command. It therefore comes as no surprise that Tora looked up to figures like Nasser, Fidel Castro and the great Martin Luther King for inspiration. He could relate to their struggles for equality and justice. I remember him being quite upset the day King was assassinated. A spark of the wilful spirit within was evident from early on. At Fijis elite Queen Victoria School [QVS], there was a story about Tora that had evolved into legend by the time Savenaca Siwatibau (former Reserve Bank Governor of Fiji) arrived at QVS in the sixties. During a family visit to my home in Melbourne, Siwatibau regaled me on the following tale. Tora was rostered on dining room/kitchen duties one day. His supervisor was the formidable martinet, Semesa Sikivou later Fijis Ambassador to the UN. Master Sikivou issued strict instructions the tables and chairs had to be cleaned and put in place by the end of the day. Instead of attending to his duties, Tora picked up a bucket and fishing rod and headed for a nearby river. He did not return until long after dark bucket brimming with fish. Sikivou, who had been waiting for him, pounced on the boy, with a furious reprimand: Did I not tell you, you were to finish your job by the end of the day? To which the boy replied firmly: Sir, you said the end of the day and its not the end of the day. The day ends at midnight and I still have a few hours left. Not surprisingly, Sikivou wasnt exactly enamoured with the boys logic and roundly sent him off to detention. In the general election of 1963, Tora ran as the youngest candidate against one of Fijis Paramount Chiefs, Ratu Penaia Ganilau, later to become Governor-General and Fijis first post-coup President. Ganilau ended up defeating him by six thousand-plus votes. Tora had laboured long and hard during the campaign period. He would walk on foot from village to village in the western part of Fiji where, in a number of villages, he was violently ejected. As he recalled in a conversation I had with him, some villagers literally stoned him, infuriated over his audacity in challenging a Paramount Chief. The average iTaukei at that time believed and, I would suggest, even now to a degree, still subscribe to the notion of the divine right, or Mana, of the Chiefs to rule. In her book, Caste the Lies that Divide Us, Isabel Wilkerson writes that caste embeds into our bones an unconscious ranking of human beings and lays down the rules, expectations of where one fits in societys ladder. When that status quo is challenged, it can be deeply disturbing even for the subordinate class at the bottom rung of the ladder. Wilkerson writes, it is not uncommon for this class to defend the same hierarchy that oppresses them. Apisai Tora was a man who elicited only two kinds of emotional responses from people. They either reviled him with a murderous passion or they admired him with nauseating sycophancy. There was no middle ground. This effect on fellow human beings was, by equal measure, a reflection of an unyielding application to everything in life and a brutally forthright approach which did not endear him to Fijian sensitivities. It would be too simplistic to throw labels such as racist at him for here was a creature of contradictions an intriguing paradox that defied a templated stereotype. An iTaukei activist, custodian of a traditional status within his Vanua (traditional area) and, for good measure, a Muslim convert, he numbered among his closest friends and associates a diverse and varied group. Former Leader of the Indo-Fijian-dominated National Federation Party and Lawyer, Siddiq Koya, was a trusted mentor and lifelong family friend. Following Koyas passing in 1993, the bonds of friendship continued with Koyas children Shainaz, Faizal and Faiyaz and widow, Amina, who he would take the time to visit with bundles of dalo and render what assistance was needed. The coup In his eulogy at Toras funeral on August 14, Faizal Koya took Toras critics to task, rebuking their familiar refrain that Tora was a racist. The Indo-Fijian communities, he said, particularly in the Fijis West where Tora hailed from, embraced him as a generous individual possibly a fellow traveller in the struggle for equality. To his detractors however, Toras principal role in the iTaukei Movement and the coup of 1987, puts paid to any such redemptive notion. But as retired ANU [Australian National University] academic Professor Brij Lal, reminds us, to put things in perspective, the coup was not the work of any one individual. There is little doubt the grassroots base behind the coup was bolstered by the silent blessing, and even the active participation, of the autocrats at the very top of their hierarchy. The above notwithstanding, Toras role in the 87 coup and his subsequent volte-face in embracing multiracialism, continues to overshadow any discourse on his legacy. In a similar vein, any narrative on Fijian politics is forever sullied by a coup culture that robbed a nation of its potential at independence, relegating it to a tinpot republic status. Engaging with the iTaukei When it came to Toras engaging with the iTaukei, it was primarily through the prism of the Vanua at which time, the traditional hat was donned along with its customary expectations and responsibilities. Tora was never under any illusion about what he viewed as the communities challenges. As a landowner in the Sabeto sugarcane belt, he employed sugarcane workers to harvest and cut the cane for him. This was backbreaking work that began before dawn and continued through the blazing heat of the day to sundown. He once told me that when he hired Indo-Fijian workers and instructed them to meet him at his home at 5 oclock in the morning, they arrived several minutes before the appointed hour. And for as long as they were employed, they would continue to do so on a consistent basis. To his mind, it spoke volumes about their reliability, their discipline and their commitment to the task at hand. As for the iTaukei workers, he said, some would turn up late and some wouldnt turn up at all. iTaukei he felt, needed to cultivate the patience of the Indo-Fijians, who had the capacity to save their hard-earned cash, and persevere through long periods of time towards an uncertain future. As a general rule, the iTaukei live in the present, and when you are preoccupied with the present, there will be little incentive to invest in a future that you can neither see nor imagine. Indo-Fijians, by contrast, live for the future. They can defer immediate gratification and sacrifice the present for an imagined future brimming with opportunities and the promise of a more prosperous life. It is this imagining and goal setting which motivates their work ethic and drives their commitment to bettering their lot in life. Historically, it is made even more urgent by their perceived status as outsiders and the festering sense of insecurity that stems from it. This has been one of the essential differences sitting at the core of the iTaukei -Indo-Fijian cultural divide and one which Tora would have been acutely conscious of. That said, he was painfully aware of the cultural obligations or kerekere to which Fijians seem perpetually yoked. The Vanuas expectations for its constituents to contribute cash in the never-ending cycle of human events from births, deaths and weddings is the enduring narrative of the iTaukei. Tora believed this cultural obligation effectively precluded the iTaukei from full economic participation. Later Life Throughout the 1990s, Tora ran unsuccessfully in a number of elections, signalling what political commentator Bimal Chaudhry, so fittingly describes as the beginning of his fate as a star outside the galaxy out of Parliament yet pulling the strings. Tora did indeed morph into a star out of the galaxy but his status in the Vanua ensured he had a full schedule and a constant stream of human traffic that approached him for traditional advice, referrals, money to pay for school fees, transport costs, tabuas for a reguregu or mats for a wedding. Other times, the people he had helped would return their gratitude with gifts of food the fruits of their labour cooked yabbies packed in cardboard boxes, fish, taro and sumptuous other delights. In later life, Tora assumed a status as a kind of go-to guru as politicians and activists sought his advice. I was always touched by the villagers who, over the years, trekked long distances from remote areas of Viti Levu to see Tora and unburden their troubles on him. I remember distinctly one afternoon back in 1979, when a young Fijian boy had travelled a fair distance from his home to deliver a handwritten note to him in his home in Natalau Village. It was a letter from his grandmother telling the old man that she had run out of food and money and had nothing left to feed her numerous grandchildren. Could he help her out? None of us had ever met this woman. Straight away, Momo instructed that we fill up the family car with bundles of dalo, an entire sack of rice, sugar, and sundry other grocery items. And off we went in the car with the young boy navigating, to some unknown destination. It seemed like the trek into a separate universe, the tarsealed road having long disappeared behind us as the car spluttered through rough terrain. Finally we saw the house. A rundown shack that was barely standing. When the grandmother saw us, she almost fell to her knees as she approached Momo, and thanked him over and over for this act of kindness. I lost count of the number of children who surrounded us that day but she was their sole caregiver. This episode remains fresh in my mind as if it took place yesterday. It warms me to think that the old man spoke her language. He knew completely the troubles of her heart. He felt her pain and suffering because he too had been there. Tora is survived by 10 children, several grandchildren and great grandchildren. May the old Lionheart rest in eternal love and peace. This article was updated on 31/8 at the request of the author. GENEVA - The World Health Organizations top official in Europe warned Thursday that the coronavirus is a tornado with a long tail and said rising case counts among young people could ultimately spread to more vulnerable older people and cause an uptick in deaths. Dr. Hans Kluge said younger people are likely to come into closer contact with the elderly as the weather cools in Europe, raising the prospect of spread to the most vulnerable. We dont want to do unnecessary predictions, but this is definitely one of the options that at one point there would be more hospitalizations and an uptick in mortality, he said from Copenhagen, the WHO Europe headquarters. He insisted no one is invincible but alluded to the fact that most coronavirus deaths are among the elderly. It may be that younger people indeed are not necessarily going to die from it, but its a tornado with a long tail and its a multi-organ disease, he said. Kluge said 32 out of 55 states and territories in WHOs European region have recorded a 14-day incidence rate increase of over 10 per cent, calling that definitely an uptick which is generalized in Europe. But he also suggested health authorities and other officials are better positioned and more prepared than in February -- when the continent was on the cusp of a huge surge in cases. In February, we were caught by the speed and the devastation and the default option was to lock down and reboot, Kluge said. Now we are much more sophisticated in our knowledge of what works. In that sense that its possible to manage the transmission of the virus in society, and have a running economy, and very important, have an educational system open. He said the autumn presented a tricky situation because of schools reopening, the onset of the flu season, and increased mortality among older people in winter months in general. Kluge said that current evidence showed school settings have not been a main contributor to the epidemic, and pointed to growing evidence that children do play a role in transmission but more often in social gatherings than at schools. As cases across Europe have increased amid the summer holiday season, WHO also issued advice this week for hotels and related businesses. WHO said hotels should consider reducing their occupancy rates to ensure physical distancing guidelines could be met and said all staff and guests should comply with basic COVID-19 prevention measures, like frequent hand-washing and mask-wearing. It said physical barriers like protective plexiglass boards should be used to separate hotel staff and guests, like at reception and concierge services. WHO said national guidance should be followed on whether or not indoor dining was allowed but that buffets are not recommended and should not be offered. It said gyms, pools and spa facilities could be used with certain restrictions, like determining the maximum number of people to ensure physical distancing. On August 2122, Penguin Random House hosted Book Your Summer Live, a free virtual literary festival featuring both childrens and adult authors. On Saturday, August 22, YA authors Renee Ahdieh (The Damned, Putnam), Jessica Goodman (They Wish They Were Us, Razorbill), Karen M. McManus (The Cousins, Delacorte), and Rory Power (Burn Our Bodies Down, Delacorte) took to Zoom for the Chills and Thrills panel, which centered horror, mystery, and thriller narratives for teen readers. Jennye Kamin served as ASL interpreter, and the event was recorded and later made available on YouTube. The panel kicked off with introductions of each author and her respective book before moderator Shannon Spann, associate manager of digital marketing at Penguin Young Readers, segued to the first question, about the inspiration behind each novels setting. They Wish They Were Us, Goodmans debut, takes place at a private school on the North Shore of Long Island, an upscale, exclusive, very well-off suburb of New York City, and was inspired by Goodmans childhood experience growing up in that area. Living in the shadow of a big city like New York and all its glamour fascinated her. McManus also drew from her childhood, choosing to set The Cousins on the fictional Gull Coast Island, which was modeled on Marthas Vineyard and Nantucket. McManus grew up in Massachusetts, and thought the beach setting would challenge her, as she has previously written stories focused on schools. The island also provided a contained environment, which McManus considered a fun fishbowl setting to build upon. New Orleans is one of my favorite cities in the entire world, Ahdieh said, but she did not process why until her sixth or seventh visit, when a cab driver informed her that it had been a majority-minority city for a very long time. As a half-Korean person who grew up in blended cultures and often felt othered, Ahdieh felt at ease in this melting pot world of food, music, and culture, captivated by its reputation as a haven for paranormal stuff. With The Damned, Ahdieh loved creating a world within a world, a filmy overlayer atop our real world. As for Power, she said that she has always been very into Nebraska, where her sophomore novel Burn Our Bodies Down is set, for no discernible reason. On a call with her editor, reaching for book ideas, she discovered a photo by Ellen Jantzen on Pinterest that portrayed a hand rising from the grass (which she mistook as corn), and was instantly inspired. Spann then asked Goodman and McManus how they crafted plot twists without completely giving away the mystery. Goodman said that the best thing, as the reader of a thriller, is not knowing whats happening, figuring out at the end, and then going back and finding all the little breadcrumbs the author left you. Her goal, then, was making the red herring believable enough, paired with subplots that were just as intriguing as the unveiling. She said that her editor, Jess Harriton, was instrumental in helping determine how many breadcrumbs to leave. Ideally, McManus mused, the success or failure of the book does not rest on a successful plot twist. She finds that writing multiple perspectives, with characters who have secrets that unspool alongside the plot, helps divert attention; adding little sub-mysteries happening throughout also aids that objective. Having that many elements in play lets you, hopefully, keep the readers a little bit off-balance, she concluded. Spann next asked Ahdieh and Power about the key ingredients in creating overall mystery. Agreeing with McManuss previous response, Ahdieh speculated that one macro-conflict should take place above consistent micro-conflicts, and as you resolve one micro-conflict, reveal another one to propel the narrative forward. Good mysteries should not hinge on one big A-ha moment or twist, Ahdieh explained; creating compelling characters should take the fore. Power identified her love of setting. For her works, she usually utilizes one main perspective and attempts to figure out who the best person is going to be, to get through this landscape knowing the least at the beginning. Thus, in Burn Our Bodies Down, protagonist Margot has an impetus to find out whats going on; it matters to her on an emotional level. Its all about the capital-E, capital-J Emotional Journey, Power emphasized. Spann then praised all of the authors talent for creating surprises, asking if anything had taken them by surprise during the writing process. Goodman revealed that the emotional journey of Jills boyfriend Henry was difficult to figure out. As a debut author, she felt pressured to cram a romance in there, and she only ended up discovering his true purpose as a character at the end of the writing and revising journey. McManus identified the voice and gallows humor of Addy in One of Us Is Lying, saying that the character was funnier than I thought she was going to be. Ahdieh selected a technical surprise, as in her previous books, third-person past tense narration came to her much more easily. So when the voice of Bastian in The Damned, as well as the killer in The Beautiful, flowed so easily from the first-person perspective, she was taken off guard. Power divulged that the first four or five drafts of Burn Our Bodies Down featured protagonist Margot falling completely head over heels for Tess, a popular, privileged, bored character in the town of Phalene. Ill say a romance, [but] nothing with me is true romanceit always ends pretty badly, Power clarified, before eventually editing the duos relationship because she didnt feel the romance was necessary. Theres this pressure to equate queer representation with queer romance, Power said, and those arent the same thing, but disengaging them was tough for me. Next, Spann asked each author to identify the character most like themselves. The obvious answer is Jill, Goodman said, but theres a little piece of me in every character. Goodman pulled extensively from her diaries and her teenage self to create her protagonist. Similar to Jess, I do put a little bit of myself into each character, McManus responded next, specifically identifying Knox from One of Us Is Next as the beneficiary of all my annoying character traits. Ahdieh confessed that the witty Shahrzad from The Wrath and the Dawn duology was who she wanted to be when she was 16, while Mariko, the protagonist of the Flame in the Mist duology, is based on her brilliant scientist younger sister. Ultimately, though, Celine from The Beautiful series is most like Ahdieh, corroborated by her writing partner Sabaa Tahir. Ahdieh shared how she drafted that book during the Kavanaugh hearings, and how that time caused a lot of rage since three out of five women have experienced some form of sexual assault. Writing protagonist Celine, who killed a boy who tried to rape her, felt scary, but also powerful and cathartic. Power joked that the bear in her debut, Wilder Girls, was most like herits just living its life and has a lot of aggression pent up. More seriously, however, she shared that Margots emotionally abusive household was based on the environment she grew up in. Its real, it happens, Power said. So much of Margots life is just gaslighting... and that can really mess you up and change who you are as a person. A lightning round was the penultimate part of the panel, covering the authors favorite tropes, whether they were planners or pantsers, their projected professions when they were five years old, their writing kryptonite, and their latest works in three words. The panel closed with an audience q&a, wherein the authors addressed how their writing is affected by the pandemic, how they create characters who resonate, what their respective writing processes are like, tips to create thrillers or horror stories, and who or what inspired them to become authors. With the team standing behind them, forward Sterling Brown and point guard George Hill spoke on behalf of their teammates. "The past four months have shed a light on the ongoing racial injustices facing our African American communities. Citizens around the country have used their voices and platforms to speak out against these wrong doings. Over the last few days in our home state of Wisconsin, we've seen the horrendous video of Jacob Blake being shot in the back seven times by a police officer in Kenosha, and the additional shooting of protesters. Despite the overwhelming plea for change, there has been no action. So, our focus today cannot be on basketball," Brown said. "When we take the court and represent Milwaukee and Wisconsin, we are expected to play at a high level, give maximum effort and hold each other accountable. We hold ourselves to that standard, and in this moment, we are demanding the same from our lawmakers and law enforcement. We are calling for justice for Jacob Blake and demand the officers be held accountable. For this to occur, it is imperative for the Wisconsin State Legislature to reconvene after months of inaction and take up meaningful measures to address issues of police accountability, brutality and criminal justice reform. We encourage all citizens to educate themselves take peaceful and responsible action, and remember to vote on November 3," added Hill. The U.S. National Basketball Association has postponed three playoff games scheduled for Wednesday after the Bucks announced the boycott. The action by the Wisconsin-based team follows the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, in the city of Kenosha, also in Wisconsin, on Sunday (August 23). Following the team's announcement, the WNBA, the Milwaukee Brewers baseball team and the Seattle Mariners baseball team also cancelled games. French Defence Minister Florence Parly held talks in Baghdad on Thursday, pledging continued support for Iraq's fight against remnants of the Islamic State group. Parly is the second French minister to visit the Iraqi capital this summer after Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian last month. She held talks with her counterpart Jumaa Inad and President Barham Saleh, and is due to meet Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi before travelling to the autonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq. During a brief press conference with Inad, she said France was hoping to resume its training and arming of Iraqi security forces "as soon as possible". Support was suspended earlier this year in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic. Parly said she and Inad also discussed boosting Iraq's surveillance methods, "by land and in its airspace", to squeeze IS sleeper cells still operating in desert areas. "We are convinced that the fight against (IS) is not over," she said. "We are by your side." Ahead of her trip, the French defence ministry said it wanted to make sure operations against IS in Iraq would not be derailed by heightened tensions between the US and Iran. Iraq has been caught for years in the power struggle between its two main allies but has had to walk an increasingly fine line since 2018, when the US began a "maximum pressure" campaign against Iran. In January, a US drone strike on Baghdad killed top Iranian and Iraqi officials, and Iran retaliated with strikes against US troops in western Iraq. When Le Drian visited in July, he insisted Baghdad "should dissociate itself from regional tensions" and stay focused on the fight against jihadists. As of August 26th, 2021 Yahoo India will no longer be publishing content. Your Yahoo Account Mail and Search experiences will not be affected in any way and will operate as usual. We thank you for your support and readership. For more information on Yahoo India, please visit the FAQ Both devices have a side-mounted fingerprint scanner and a 5,000 mAh battery. The latter can be charged at 30 W using Asus HyperCharge or USB PD 3.0 or at 27 W via Qualcomm Quick Charge 4.0. Neither device supports wireless charging, though. Similarly, DisplayPort Alternate Mode is not supported, nor is microSD card storage . While the Zenfone 7 and Zenfone 7 Pro share much of the same hardware, Asus distinguishes them by chipset. On the one hand, the Zenfone 7 has a Snapdragon 865, which features an Adreno 650 GPU and eight CPU cores. On the other hand, Asus has equipped the Zenfone 7 Pro with a Snapdragon 865 Plus. Qualcomm's latest flagship chipset includes the same CPU cores and GPU as the Snapdragon 865, but Qualcomm has applied a 10% overclock to the GPU and Kryo 585 prime core in the Snapdragon 865 Plus. The Zenfone 7 series will be available in Aurora Black and Pastel White. Asus is yet to announce international pricing, but it has announced the storage combinations in which it will offer the two devices. The Zenfone 7 will only be available with 128 GB of storage and will start at TWD 21,990 (~US$748) for the 6 GB of RAM model. Stepping up to 8 GB of RAM raises the price to TWD 23,990 (~US$816), while Asus has priced the 8 GB/256 GB Zenfone 7 Pro at TWD 27,990 (~US$952). The Zenfone 7 series will be available in select European markets from September 1. Asus states that it will have ample supply of Zenfone 7 series smartphones, but a US release may not be on the cards. GARY A 63-year-old Chicago man was hospitalized after police found him with multiple stab wounds Wednesday evening. Gary police responded about 9:30 p.m. Wednesday to the 200 block of East 24th Avenue, where they found the man on a sidewalk, Lt. Dawn Westerfield said. As officers spoke with him, he struggled to convey to officers what happened. Police determined he was highly intoxicated, Westerfield said. Police said they suspect the incident stemmed from a family dispute. The man was then transported to a local hospital for treatment. No arrests had been made in connection with the incident as of Thursday afternoon, Westerfield said. Additional details were not immediately available. Westerfield added that an investigation was ongoing. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. On the surface, it would appear that Xiaomis charge-leading advertising business bucks this trend. But thats not quite the case. According to management, the 23.2% increase in revenue from that category came primarily from outside mainland China chiefly India and Europe though a gradual recovery in home-market ad budgets was noted. (In an investor call, President Wang Xiang declined to answer a question about any possible impact from Indias ban on Chinese apps following a border clash.) Proud to be Latinx: Why some Latinos are embracing a new identity Nation TCN News The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) together with over 400 civil society activists and organizations has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to immediately release Kashmiri journalist Aasif Sultan, who has been imprisoned for two years as of August 27. Support TwoCircles The signatories of this statement include renowned writers, journalists, academics, press freedom advocates, filmmakers and civil society members from world over. The statement has recalled that Kashmiri journalists Aasif Sultan who covers politics and human rights for the Kashmir Narrator, has been unjustly detained since August 27, 2018, under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, charging him for his alleged complicity in harboring known terrorists. In this regard, CPJ has pointed to Sultans work in interviewing alleged militants or having sources critical of the government as within the scope of a journalists job that does not implicate them in any crime. It has resonated that events in Kashmir are of public interest, and covering them is a public service, not a criminal act. Sultans trial had begun in June 2019, but has been moving slowly and he has repeatedly been denied bail. CPJ reflects that Police have reportedly interrogated him about his writing and asked him to reveal his sources but journalists should not face retaliation for their reporting. The letter highlights recent deaths of journalists who contracted COVID-19 in government custody around the world, and the spread of COVID-19 among inmates in jails in Jammu and Kashmir, stating that the threat to Sultans well-being is significant. On behalf of the 400+ human rights advocates, CPJ has called on the government to follow the Supreme Courts guidance issued on March 23 to release prisoners on parole due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and grant Aasif Sultan immediate and unconditional release. Addressing other Kashmiri journalists who have been harassed in the past one year for their coverage of communication lockdown in the wake of abrogation of Article 370, CPJ stated that press freedom is a vital tenet of democracy and a proud part of Indias history. It has further demanded the government to recognize and uphold Indias commitment to press freedom under Article 19 of its constitution. Canadas Immigration and Refugee Board will turn back the clock and start hearing asylum claims as it did in pre-pandemic days with judges, lawyers, refugees and interpreters all in enclosed hearing rooms. After months of consultation, the IRB said Thursday it will begin transitioning to its pre-COVID model for refugee hearings, with all parties in the same hearing rooms beginning Sept. 14. The move goes against a recommendation from the Canadian Bar Associations immigration section, whose 1,200 members had asked that virtual hearings be the default option due to health concerns. The IRB response has fallen short, said Toronto immigration lawyer Lina Anani. They said theyre adding plexiglasses. The virus is airborne and plexiglass may work when you go to a grocery store. ... Were inside a small, enclosed space. Plus high-risk activity, which is talking continuously and going on for hours. As of March 31, the IRB had a backlog of 90,267 asylum claims to be processed. The IRB shut down all hearings in March but has slowly resumed its in-person hearings since July, first in Vancouver and at its offices in the rest of the country at the beginning of August. Since Aug. 3, it said, there have been 880 refugee hearings scheduled, including 62 through videoconferencing. Under the current protocol, judges and interpreters have worked off-site or in different rooms than claimants, appellants and their counsel to observe social-distancing. However, claimants and lawyers are often asked to remove their masks during oral submissions and when testifying. Virtual hearings and whats called paper-based file review adjudicating a claim based on documents only have also been carried out in limited capacity. We are in the midst of the most ambitious transformation of our operating model in the boards 30-year history, board chair Richard Wex said in his latest operational updates, which were posted online. We have been guided by the dual objectives of both protecting the health and safety of all those appearing before the IRB and ensuring access to justice, including for those vulnerable populations who have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic. With the full resumption of in-person hearings, the IRB said plexiglass barriers are being installed in its larger hearing rooms as an added layer of protection in addition to physical distancing and a requirement that everyone wear masks during the hearing. (Effective immediately, hearing participants who would like to wear masks while testifying or providing submissions can do so.) It said the percentage of external air in the ventilation system has been increased in IRB facilities, and high-quality filters are being used. There is also extra attention being given to ensuring that ventilation maintenance schedules are adhered to. In its submission to the IRB this month, the bar association raised concerns over the risk of exposure to COVID-19 for claimants and counsels travelling to the IRB offices, using public elevators and being confined to small rooms for extended periods of time. Installing plexiglass and taking temperatures will not eliminate those risks, said Ravi Jain, chair of the bar associations immigration division. A vaccine the only effective method to mitigate the risk of harm will not be available for public distribution in the foreseeable future. Last week, more than 250 lawyers and advocacy groups wrote a petition to the IRB demanding it stop scheduling both in-person and virtual hearings until their health and safety concerns were addressed, which includes the logistics for claimants to participate in remote hearings. Ive been appearing at the (Toronto office of the) board for the last 20 years. The ventilation is a huge issue there. We want to open the door but, due to privacy, we cant keep the door open to get some air into the room, said lawyer Preevanda Sapru, who spearheaded the campaign with other colleagues. We have to be up and ready with Microsoft Teams for virtual hearings. Im OK with it, but my clients dont have Microsoft or internet. And we have a small office. Theres no way to do social distancing. Whats been done for the claimant to have a safe space? To date, Sapru said, 15 of her clients have declined to be scheduled for an in-person hearing out of safety and technical concerns even though they are eager to get a hearing and move on with their lives. Many clients in the refugee bar are marginalized. They dont have access to a computer or any type of videoconference system. Some of them dont have a smart phone, said lawyer Nastaran Roushan, who has already had clients expressing concerns about in-person hearings. Compelling them for a hearing virtually sometimes is not an option, especially when you add in language barrier. Connecting between an interpreter and one or more claimants virtually is a logistical nightmare. IRB spokesperson Line-Alice Guibert-Wolff said the boards detailed health and safety protocols have been reviewed by the Public Health Agency of Canada. To further reduce the need for in-person hearings, she said, the board has also begun to hold more virtual hearings and resolve less-complex refugee claims through a paper-based file review, so certain well-documented cases can be resolved without a hearing. The IRB is also exploring arrangements that would let claimants and appellants use computers on IRB premises to participate in virtual hearings, while their counsel attend the proceedings remotely. We are confident that they address the concerns expressed by the group of lawyers and advocates, Guibert-Wolff said. A Cambridge-developed DNA vaccine candidate against SARS-CoV-2 could begin clinical trials in the UK in late autumn or early next year, thanks to a 1.9 million award from the UK government. Innovate the UK, the UK government's innovation agency has provided the funding for a collaboration between Cambridge spin-out company DIOSynVax (which is contributing an additional 400,000 to the trial), the University of Cambridge and the University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust. SARS-CoV-2 is a coronavirus, a class of virus named after their appearance: spherical objects, on the surface of which sit 'spike' proteins. The virus uses these spikes to attach to and invade cells in our body. One vaccine strategy is to block this attachment; however, not all immune responses against this virus and against this spike protein are protective - antibodies to the wrong part of the spike protein have been implicated in triggering hyper-inflammatory immune responses, causing life-threatening COVID-19 disease. Added to this, SARS-CoV-2 is mutating and changes in the virus spike protein during the COVID-19 pandemic have already been observed to be widespread. To develop their new vaccine candidate - DIOS-CoVax2 - the team uses banks of genetic sequences of all known coronaviruses, including those from bats, the natural hosts of many relatives of human coronaviruses. The team has developed libraries of computer-generated antigen structures encoded by synthetic genes that can train the human immune system to target key regions of the virus and to produce beneficial anti-viral responses. These immune responses include neutralising antibodies, which block virus infection, and T-cells, which remove virus-infected cells. This 'laser-specific' computer generated approach is able to help avoid the adverse hyper-inflammatory immune responses that can be triggered by recognition of the wrong parts on the coronavirus's surface. Professor Jonathan Heeney, head of the Laboratory of Viral Zoonotics at the University of Cambridge, and founder of DIOSynVax, said: "Our approach involves 3D computer modelling of the SARS-CoV-2 virus's structure. It uses information on the virus itself as well as its relatives - SARS, MERS and other coronaviruses carried by animals that threaten to 'spill-over' to humans again to cause future human epidemics. "We're looking for chinks in its armour, crucial pieces of the virus that we can use to construct the vaccine to direct the immune response in the right direction. Ultimately we aim to make a vaccine that will not only protect from SARS-CoV-2, but also other related coronaviruses that may spill over from animals to humans. "Our strategy includes targeting those domains of the virus's structure that are absolutely critical for docking with a cell, while avoiding the parts that could make things worse. What we end up with is a mimic, a synthetic part of the virus minus those non-essential elements that could trigger a bad immune response." While most vaccines use RNA or adenoviruses to deliver their antigens, DIOSynVax's is based around DNA. These synthetic gene inserts are very versatile and can also be placed within a number of different vaccine delivery systems that other companies are using. Once an antigen is identified, the key piece of genetic code that the virus uses to produce the essential parts of its structure is inserted into a DNA parcel known as a vector. The body's immune cells take up the vector, decode the DIOS-vaccine antigen and use the information to program the rest of the immune system to produce antibodies against it. This DNA vector has already been shown to be safe and effective at stimulating an immune response against other pathogens in multiple phase I and early phase II trials. The proposed vaccine can be freeze-dried as a powder and is therefore heat stable, meaning that it does not need to be cold-stored. This makes transport and storage much more straightforward - which is particularly important in low- and middle-income countries where the infrastructure to make this possible can be costly. The vaccine can be delivered pain-free without a needle into the skin, using the PharmaJet Tropis intradermal Needle-free Injection System, which delivers the vaccine in less than a 1/10th of a second by spring-powered jet injection. Dr Rebecca Kinsley, Chief Operating Officer of DIOSynVax and a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Cambridge, added: "Most research groups have used established approaches to vaccine development because of the urgent need to tackle the pandemic. We all hope the current clinical trials have a positive outcome, but even successful vaccines are likely to have their limitations - they may be unsuitable for vulnerable people, and we do not know how long their effects will last for, for example. Our approach - using synthetic DNA to deliver custom designed, immune selected vaccine antigens - is revolutionary and is ideal for complex viruses such as coronavirus. If successful, it will result in a vaccine that should be safe for widespread use and that can be manufactured and distributed at low cost." Dr Rebecca Kinsley, Chief Operating Officer and Postdoctoral Researcher, DIOSynVax University of Cambridge The UKRI funding will allow the team to take the vaccine candidate to clinical trial, which will take place at the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Southampton Clinical Research Facility at the University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust and could begin as early as autumn this year. Professor Saul Faust, Director of the NIHR Southampton Clinical Research Facility, said: "It is critical that different vaccine technologies are tested as part of the UK and global response to the pandemic as at this stage no one can be sure which type of vaccine will produce the best and most long-lived immune responses. "It is especially exciting that the clinical trial will test giving the vaccine through people's skin using a device without any needles as together with stable DNA vaccine technology this could be a major breakthrough in being able to give a future vaccine to huge numbers of people across the world." Phil Packer, Innovation Lead for AMR and Vaccines at Innovate UK, said: "Innovate UK is excited to fund the development of DIOS-CoVax and its assessment in Phase I Clinical Trials. The rapid identification of the DIOS-CoVax2 vaccine was made possible because DIOSynVax were able to rapidly utilise its vaccine platform technology previously developed for an Ebola/ Marburg/Lassa fever vaccine. "That was delivered by Innovate UK as part of DHSC's Global Health Security Programme, which saw 110m invested in a new UK Vaccine Network charged with developing new vaccines and technologies to tackle diseases with epidemic potential." DIOSynVax is a spin-out company from the University of Cambridge, set up in 2017 with the support of Cambridge Enterprise, the University's commercialisation arm. OU receives $20 million grant to lead National Science Foundation AI Institute NORMAN, OKLA. - The University of Oklahoma is leading a National Science Foundation AI Institute for Research on Trustworthy AI in Weather, Climate, and Coastal Oceanography that is being hailed as a "historic milestone in environmental science." NSF recently announced an investment of more than $100 million to establish five AI Institutes to support research and education hubs nationwide. Amy McGovern, an OU professor with dual appointments in the School of Computer Science in the Gallogly College of Engineering and in the School of Meteorology in the College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences, will lead the NSF AI Institute for Research on Trustworthy AI in Weather, Climate, and Coastal Oceanography, which received $20 million of the NSF funding. "Recognizing the critical role of AI, NSF is investing in collaborative research and education hubs, such as the NSF AI Institute for Research on Trustworthy AI in Weather, Climate, and Coastal Oceanography, anchored at the University of Oklahoma, which will bring together academia, industry and government to unearth profound discoveries and develop new capabilities advancing American competitiveness for decades to come," said NSF director Sethuraman Panchanathan. The institute has collaborators from Colorado State University, the University at Albany, the University of Washington, North Carolina State University, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, Del Mar College (Corpus Christi), the National Center for Atmospheric Research, Google, IBM, NVIDIA, Disaster Tech, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. "Establishment of this new NSF AI Institute at OU is a historic milestone in environmental science," said retired Navy Rear Adm. Tim Gallaudet, assistant secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and deputy NOAA administrator. "NOAA has made extraordinary progress in the application of AI to climate, weather and coastal oceanography. Our partnership with this Institute will accelerate that progress to dramatically improve our performance and efficiency in every one of our mission areas, including severe weather prediction, fisheries management, ocean mapping and exploration, and natural resource conservation." "We are thrilled that OU is leading this first-of-its-kind national research institute and that our own Dr. Amy McGovern was selected to spearhead the effort," said OU President Joseph Harroz Jr. "By leveraging our nation's leading AI experts across multiple disciplines and industries, the discoveries produced by this team will revolutionize what we know about weather and our environment - all of which directly ties to one of OU's core traditions of harnessing breakthrough research to advance society." "At OU, researchers are driving convergent solutions to solve global challenges," said Tomas Diaz de la Rubia, OU vice president for research and partnerships. "Dr. McGovern and her collaborators' work is a perfect representation of how the OU research enterprise moves beyond traditional boundaries, across disciplines and across institutional boundaries to create solutions. This multi-sector approach will accelerate transformative change in the development and use of trustworthy AI. It will improve the nation's understanding of severe weather and ocean phenomena, save lives and property, and increase societal resilience to climate change." Using AI to Save Sea Turtles "It doesn't get cold very often in Corpus Christi, but at times, strong cold fronts can decrease the temperature of the water in bays and lagunas very quickly," said Philippe Tissot, associate research professor at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, one of the institute's partnering organizations. "Up to thousands of sea turtles can rise to the surface during these events, where ships can run over them." Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi created a preliminary AI method predicting when these cold stunning events will take place. Because of this data, barge shipping companies have agreed to stop traffic ahead of the weather events so that volunteers, state and federal agencies can mobilize to save more than 80% of the sea turtles in that area. McGovern said this is just one example of how AI can make an environmental impact. The long-term goal for the institute is to apply AI to a broad array of environmental challenges. "This institute is a convergent center that will create trustworthy AI for environmental science, revolutionize prediction and understanding of high-impact weather and ocean hazards, and benefit society by protecting lives and property," McGovern said. "Leading experts from AI, atmospheric and ocean science, risk communication, and education, will work synergistically to develop and test trustworthy AI methods that will transform our understanding and prediction of the environment." Developing Trustworthy AI "The open-source collaboration within the institute will accelerate development of AI methods to create more accurate and actionable weather information for our business and consumer audiences," said Kevin Petty from IBM's The Weather Company. "Combining the expertise of academia, government and industry will close the gap from AI research to operations and help bring trusted value to those who need it to make better decisions, while helping to nurture the next generation of weather and AI researchers. McGovern adds that environmental science provides an ideal testbed to advance trustworthy AI, given its grounding in nature's physical laws and conservation principles, as well as the broad range of stakeholder feedback and high societal impact. Julie Demuth, a research scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, which is another of the institute's partnering organizations, said that trustworthiness is both a technical question and a social question. "I'm excited that we're integrating risk communication research into this institute, so we can best understand what trustworthy AI means to different user groups and accordingly develop AI information that truly helps them make better decisions when managing hazardous weather risk," said Demuth. Increasing Access to AI and Promoting Diversity in STEM The institute will also launch a first-of-its-kind pilot AI certificate for community colleges that will teach AI to a new audience, and broaden participation by creating a pipeline for underrepresented students in different parts of the country, starting with Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and its partner community college, Del Mar College, Corpus Christi. McGovern believes that the certificate to be tested at Del Mar College will soon be the first certificate for AI in geosciences in the nation. "We are thrilled to work with such a great team to create a new type of AI program," said Phillip Davis of Del Mar College. "As AI increasingly moves from research to applications, we need a new type of AI specialist. The AI Certificate will provide a new entry into AI and open doors for our very diverse community, including many Hispanic and first-generation students, and help the regional economy take better advantage of AI." Through the institute, private industry partners, along with the National Center for Atmospheric Research, will create an internship and mentoring program for underrepresented groups and develop unique workforce retraining modules for all ages that will engage users in learning AI for environmental applications. "By leveraging private industry and existing successful internship programs for under-represented minority students, AI2ES will create a pipeline for these students to gain valuable experience in AI and environmental science," McGovern said. Response from Oklahoma's Congressional Delegation "The University of Oklahoma is doing great work to advance AI research for our nation and today's announcement of $20 million in federal funding proves that," US Senator Jim Inhofe (R-OK) said. "I am glad to see the National Science Foundation and OU collaborating on the opportunity to establish a top-notch AI institute and I look forward to seeing the scientific advancements they will make with it." "It is incredibly good news for our state and the University of Oklahoma to be named one of five National Science Foundation AI Research Institutes in the nation," US Senator James Lankford (R-OK) said. "OU students and faculty will contribute greatly to advance the research in AI weather prediction. OU is already a national leader in weather research, which positions them well to take on this task. I look forward to seeing all they accomplish for our safety in the days ahead." "I am very proud that the National Science Foundation has chosen the University of Oklahoma to lead its Artificial Intelligence Institute for Research on Trustworthy AI in Weather, Climate, and Coastal Oceanography," US Representative Tom Cole (R-OK4) said. "Located within a state known for its unusual weather patterns and already home to the National Weather Center, OU is uniquely and exceptionally positioned to bring together some of the finest minds in weather research, prediction and forecasting. Indeed, NSF's decision to invest in and establish this research institute at OU will certainly pave the way for discovery and development of new capabilities and tools that better equip those confronting the mysteries of nature across the nation." "I'm proud to see that the University of Oklahoma will be home to a National Science Foundation Artificial Intelligence Institute," US Representative Frank Lucas (R-OK3) said. "America's leadership in AI will help keep us globally competitive and allow us to set the standards for ethical AI development and use. Applying AI to weather forecasting will improve our emergency preparedness, protect homes and businesses, and help agriculture and other industries operate efficiently. OU is already one of the premier weather research centers in our country, so there is no better place for the AI Institute for Research on Trustworthy AI in Weather, Climate, and Coastal Oceanography. I'm looking forward to seeing the breakthroughs that will come from OU and the other AI institutes around the country." "Artificial intelligence has a profound and growing impact on America's economy and on our national security. As a member of the House Armed Services Committee and on the Committee on Science, Space and Technology, I've made investments in AI a priority because our nation should be at the cutting edge of this transformative technology," US Representative Kendra Horn (D-OK5). "I'm proud to see the University of Oklahoma leading the way on AI research with its new artificial intelligence institute. Through this investment by the National Science Foundation, OU will use its AI research to better understand climate change and the risks it poses to our planet and communities." ### About the University of Oklahoma Founded in 1890, the University of Oklahoma is a public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. OU serves the educational, cultural, economic and health care needs of the state, region and nation. For more information visit http://www. ou. edu . About the National Science Foundation The U.S. National Science Foundation propels the nation forward by advancing fundamental research in all fields of science and engineering. NSF supports research and people by providing facilities, instruments and funding to support their ingenuity and sustain the United States as a global leader in research and innovation. With a fiscal year 2020 budget of $8.3 billion, NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 2,000 colleges, universities and institutions. Each year, NSF receives more than 40,000 competitive proposals and makes about 11,000 new awards. Those awards include support for cooperative research with industry, Arctic and Antarctic research and operations, and U.S. participation in international scientific efforts. This story has been published on: 2020-08-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Donegal broadcaster Ciara Doherty will replace Ivan Yates on The Tonight Show with a new series starting next week on Virgin Media One. The presenter is a qualified barrister and has appeared on Ireland AM for the last 10 years. In her latest project, she will be sharing presenting duties on the show with Matt Cooper. She studied law in UCD Dublin and broadcast journalism at the London College of Communications. Speaking about her new role, she said she was delighted to be joining a programme as established as The Tonight Show and "of course to be working alongside a broadcaster as respected as Matt Cooper. It's exciting to be moving into this role at a time when we're all experiencing such change in our lives and uncertainty in the world around us," she said. Read More "This programme has garnered a reputation for being uncompromising and straight talking and I look forward to continuing that tradition. "It's up to broadcasters to hold people to account and ask the questions our viewers need answered. I look forward to taking on that mantle for them. "And who knows: we might have some fun along the way." The new series starts next Tuesday at 10pm. The hosts will share presenting duties every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, giving their analysis and insights on the big stories of the day, with panel discussions on topics that have the country talking, as people try to return to a new normal living alongside Covid-19 All the latest breaking political and economic news will feature too. It took me four visits to finally try Grind Wit Tryz. On my first trip to the Hawaiian carts Northeast Portland home, I was actually there for a different cart: Union Burger, a new outfit from former Stoopid Burger co-owner John Hunt. But the 40-person line snaking through the Park the Carts pod stopped me in my tracks. I asked around and learned that a) the line was for a Hawaiian cart, Grind Wit Tryz, b) people sometimes arrived an hour before the cart opened to secure a spot and c) yes, the food was worth the wait. I stopped by the next day around 3 p.m., hoping to swoop in at the end of the lunch rush, but no luck: The line still stretched to the Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard sidewalk. The next week, I made plans to arrive 15 minutes before opening, but when I got there, still sweating from the fast bike ride, I learned via Instagram (always check before you leave!) that owner Tryzen Patricio and his fiancee, Candace Lacuesta had taken Patricios sister, Tatyana Chanel Antinero, for a birthday trip to Las Vegas (!?) and had decided to take a day off when they got back. I returned that Friday, but work and life conspired to make me 15 minutes late, when the line was already stretching out of the pod, up the sidewalk all the way to the corner at Northeast Holland Street. But I was running out of time to research our upcoming guide to Portlands best new food carts, so there was nothing I could do but wait. Here are nine thoughts that passed through my mind while waiting in Oregons longest food line, and what I did with the leftovers. 12:15 p.m.: Wow, I really whiffed here. Even accounting for the six feet of separation between customers, this is one of the longest lines Ive ever waited in for food. Should I just go home? 12:22 p.m.: A father and son waiting in front of me decide to bail, heading for the Korean fried chicken pub next door instead. Things are looking up! 12:53 p.m.: Im officially standing on pod grounds. I can see people in front of me taking a load off at every passing picnic table. I scoff at their laziness, then do the exact same thing when I reach the first empty bench. 12:57 p.m.: A man walks around from the back of the pod, telling the world hes just had the best fried chicken hes ever had in his life. I assume hes talking about Grind Wit Tryz, but decide not to engage. 1:10 p.m.: Why is that group standing so close to the line? Are they thinking of cutting in? Will the people in front of me defend the lines sanctity, or will I have to call them out myself? 1:12 p.m.: Oh good, theyve moved on. 1:27 p.m.: I finish reading the last open tab on my phones browser, a New York Times story from February (!) about a former Morgan Stanley risk manager and West Village bon vivant who suffered a brain injury that caused him to lose the ability to create new memories. Is this what Inbox Zero feels like? 1:42 p.m.: A group of four people are sitting at a picnic table with eight open containers in front of them. I ask what to order, and they tell me its less about the specific dishes, and more about bringing that second meal home. Still, almost all of them seem to have ordered the ono chicken. Sold. 1:58 p.m.: At last, I reach the pearly gates. I pull up the days menu on Instagram, but before I can give it a final scan, Antinero (who returned to Hawaii the next week) is calling me forward to place my order. I ask for the ono chicken ($12) and the Hawaiian combo, which includes kalua and laulau pork, mac salad, soft rice, spicy poke and ginger-infused chicken long rice ($20). There are cans of Hawaiian Sun fruit drinks, but I sense there will be enough sugar in the meal itself. 2:03 p.m.: Considering how long the line is, the food is ready fairly quickly. I eat a decent amount of sweet fried chicken, salty pulled pork, rice and mac salad, spear a few cubes of raw fish and slippery chicken long rice noodles, close up the clamshells and pack them into my bikes basket to take home. 2:55 p.m.: Alerted to the presence of leftovers, my wife opens up the clamshells, fork in hand, then stops. Did you want to eat some of this? she asks. Despite being in a mini food coma, the containers look untouched. What a trick. 6 p.m.: Our leftovers serve as dinner for me, my wife and our two young daughters, with a large portion of laulau pork still in the fridge. I settle on the couch for my second mini food coma of the day. For a chance to visit Grind Wit Tryz without a nearly two-hour wait, owner Tryzen Patricio suggests dropping by after 3 p.m. on a Wednesday or Thursday, though some items might have sold out by then. The cart, which officially opens from noon until 6 p.m., Tuesday-Saturday, can be found at the Park The Carts pod, 7339 N.E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. I finally finished the last of the leftovers the following Tuesday, simmering the laulau pork until it turned carnitas crispy, then eating it with some greens and kimchi. -- Michael Russell, mrussell@oregonian.com, @tdmrussell Subscribe to The Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. COVID-19 coronavirus is having a big effect on businesses and investors and last week, stock markets around the world fell because of the virus. We find out how that can happen by looking at the way global trade works. The head of our national intelligence agency said that there is more spying going on now than there was during the Cold War. We look at what spying is and why its used. NASAs InSight lander has been studying Mars in more detail than ever before. We find out more about the mysteries of Mars. We find out about the important role that dogs have always played in the military. We meet Brydi, a nine-year-old athlete whos got her sights set on Paralympic glory. Behind the News is a high-energy, fun way for upper primary and secondary students to learn about current issues and events in their world. And, if you want to improve your Australian accent, listening to this show can be really helpful. The video, English subtitle, and PDF package have all been included. The Attorney-General's Department has demanded a Confucius Institute at an Australian university explain why it shouldn't be on a federal foreign influence register, the first action of its kind against a university body. The development came as the federal government moved to increase its control over foreign agreements involving universities and state governments, frustrating Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews and the university sector, who face having their own deals with foreign nations torn up. Daniel Andrews defended his government's Belt and Road agreement with China. Credit:Jason South The Attorney-General's Department has issued a notice demanding an unnamed Confucius Institute produce documents showing why it shouldn't register under the Foreign Influence Transparency Scheme. It is the third such action taken against any organisation since the scheme came into effect in 2018. All 13 Australian universities that host the culture and language centres have so far declined to register them under the federal government transparency scheme. The confirmation that a Confucius Institute in Australia has been served with a notice shows the federal government believes the institute could be an agent of influence and needs to demonstrate why it shouldn't register. The deputy involved in a shooting on Saturday night at the Boston Branch subdivision at the 8200 block of Hixson Spring Road was involved in two prior shootings recently, including one fatal one. The deputy involved was identified as Jordan Long-Ross. He has been placed on administrative leave with pay. Ronald Hutson, the suspect involved in the Boston Branch incident, has been released from a local medical facility and booked into the Hamilton County Jail. Hutson is charged with attempted first-degree murder, felony evading arrest, driving on a revoked license, reckless driving and failure to maintain lane. Hutson, 50, lives at 8208 Hixson Spring Road. Hutson has an extensive criminal record. Authorities said deputies had attempted to perform a traffic stop on Hutson. They said Hutsons Jeep had not maintained his lane and was all over the roadway. Deputies said the vehicle was driving at 70 miles per hour on Sawyer Pike on the wrong side of the 35 mile per hour road. Police said the Jeep crashed once it reached the 8200 block of Hixson Springs Road. The police report said someone over the radio traffic was heard saying, He tried to run over the deputy. An investigator said the Jeep was crashed in a curve right ahead of the two patrol vehicles. Police said as a deputy exited his vehicle to get to the Jeep, Hutson accelerated toward him and then continued to drive toward the other deputy. Authorities said the deputy fired at the suspect and hit Hutson at least twice. Once the Jeep stopped, police took Hutson out of the vehicle and administered aid. The deputy involved was later identified as Jordan Long-Ross. He has been placed on administrative leave with pay. Deputy Long-Ross shot and killed a suspect during an altercation after a traffic stop in Sale Creek in May. The person killed was Tyler Hays, 29. That incident happened around 2 a.m. on Crestview Drive. A resident said he and his wife heard 2-3 shots. He said he went outside and heard the deputy say, "I shot him. I shot him." The TBI said Hays ran from and fought the deputy. The medical examiner's report says the victim died of a single shot to his mid-back. In an incident in June, the Sheriff's Office said Deputy Ross-Long shot at a man who struck his open driver's door as he was exiting his patrol car. Eric Hayes Tyra, 37, was arrested after leading authorities in a pursuit that went into Marion County. Deputy Long-Ross did not sustain any injuries. One suspect was shot and was transported to a local medical facility. The extent of their injuries is unknown. At the direction of Hamilton County District Attorney General Neal Pinkstons Office, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has been requested to conduct the investigation of the incident. Nestled amid sprawling fields in Northern Virginia lies an oasis of healing. Jackson, a horse once confined to a stall with a broken hip, trots again through grassy fields. Wilbur, earlier chased in a greased pig contest, sits near a mud pit waiting for a treat. And Alyssa Conrad, a Virginia woman born without ligaments or tendons in her legs, can feel her body grow stronger after long days of tending to the barn. She now sweeps hay and scrapes sties without fear of her knees buckling. If it sounds too good to be true, it just might be. Hope & Serenity Farm Sanctuary, which houses more than 140 vulnerable animals and provides comfort for dozens of people with disabilities, is at risk of closure. Without warning, its rented property in Prince William County was listed for sale in early August - throwing a wrench into the farmers' plans to purchase the 11-acre plot once their lease expires in 2024. Without money for the down payment and an investor to help down the line, Renee Small, the farm's founder, may lose the property to another buyer less accommodating to the farm. "I was sick," said Small, recalling that afternoon when her property manager showed up to deliver the news. "My plan was to live here forever, to have roots." But there are glimmers of hope. Over the past three weeks, Small and her business partners have launched an aggressive public campaign to save their farm. Through word of mouth and a GoFundMe page, she has brought in over $25,000 in donations - more than a quarter of what she needs for a down payment. "I am not going to move," Small said, sitting at a picnic table with a puppy burrowed in her lap. "I will find a way for us all to stay together. I just will." "They're going to have to drag her out of here," said Joe Small, Renee's husband, who co-manages the farmthat has been around since 2017. The landlord, who Renee Small said used to be her business partner, declined to comment, but a spokeswoman said she hopes the sanctuary can remain on the property. "She would love for the tenants to be able to purchase the property themselves or an investor purchase so that the tenants can continue their sanctuary operation," said Kara Joseph, a Realtor at RE/MAX Regency, on behalf of the landlord. The 11 acres in Nokesville, about an hour's drive west of Washington D.C., that surround the Smalls' modest white house bear the fruits of their lifelong dream. Dozens of goats roam in one area, a cow rests in another, and the smell of horses and fresh hay wafts out of the white and red barn. A steady stream of volunteers and visitors flows in throughout the day, some washing horses and others, mostly children, giggling while petting pigs. It had taken decades to get to this point. During her 30-year career as a veterinary technician at Great Falls Animal Hospital, Renee Small became known as the "animal rescuer." People from across the state would email, call and show up at her office door with sick or aging animals, begging her to save their lives. And she did, at one point tending to more than two dozen potbelly pigs in her backyard. "They are overpopulated," she explained. "What else was I going to do?" Over the years, Small grew devoted to the unofficial animal sanctuary operating out of her house, finally quitting her job and transforming it into a bona fide operation three years ago. Her husband also left his job in heating and air conditioning, determined to invest everything he had into the farm. "We figured there is more to life than just doing menial jobs," Joe Small said. "We've always been poor but relatively rich in care and love for the animals." The couple secured the Nokesville property just over a year later and hauled around 150 of their beloved animals to what they hoped would become a permanent home. "I don't know if I could survive losing this farm," Renee Small said. "It would be like losing a child." It was not just the animals who relied on the safe space. Over the years, dozens of home-schooled children and people with disabilities have found company and purpose at the farm. The Smalls have partnered with Patriot High School to offer job training to students with special needs. And they have formed a working relationship with Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board, which provides services to youths and adults with developmental disabilities. A handful of adults with disabilities have become regular volunteers, two of whom live and work full time at the farm. "When I am having a bad day, I come to the farm, and it makes me happy," said Conrad, a 23-year-old graduate of Patriot High School, as she poured water over her favorite horse, Jackson. "Coming to the farm here has been a miracle for me. I can't lose it." Brandon Small, Renee and Joe's 15-year-old son, said the sanctuary has provided him a group of like-minded friends who also find joy at the farm - peers he might not have interacted with while being home-schooled. "I get angry really easily, but I don't get as angry here," said Brandon, whose favorite animals are chickens, cats and ducks. Each evening, he brings horses in from the pasture before completing his daily chores around the house. The unlikely family that formed around the Hope & Serenity Farm Sanctuary has rallied in its defense, vowing to save the farm like Renee Small saved them. While the Smalls ask for voluntary donations from visitors, many have doled out significant sums in recent weeks. They have also activated their own communities to help the Smalls finance a down payment, hoping that they can help buy time for an investor to emerge and purchase the property. "We are talking to several people who are interested in investing in the property, myself being one of them," said Stephanie Johnson, a member of the farm's board of directors. "Right now, we are just trying to keep it afloat." On a cloudy afternoon in August, Robin and Rachel Thompson, 5-year-old twins, pushed their mom on an outdoor swing as she leaned back and laughed. "I want to adopt this place," said Connie Thompson, watching Rachel scamper off in her bright blue boots to pet a kitten. "A lot of people talk about the hidden gifts of the coronavirus, that people are slowing down and spending more time with their families. Being here allows us to do that." While financial hardship looms, the farm has never been more popular than over the past few months. All visitor slots are booked through September. "Renee really sees the best in people and trusts them to do their best," Thompson said. "We need that right now." "Life Runs On Energy", the Fed Cannot Fall Scapegoat Blue Line Futures - 27 minutes ago Actionable ideas and risk management for ES, NQ, RTY, rates, and more . . . UK lawmaker says Johnson critics face government 'blackmail' AP - 55 minutes ago LONDON (AP) A lawmaker from Britains governing Conservatives accused the government on Thursday of blackmailing opponents of Prime Minister Boris Johnson, as the party's internal rifts over its... $SPX : 4,559.51 (+0.59%) $DOWI : 35,167.15 (+0.40%) $IUXX : 15,214.75 (+1.11%) Cattle Futures Rally, Basis Close to Zero Barchart - 1 hour ago Live cattle prices rallied $0.87 to $1.50 during the Wednesday session. Central Stockyards weekly FCE auction sold none of the 3,580 head listed. Bids were capped at $137-$138, the neighborhood futures... LEG22 : 138.775 (+0.16%) LEM22 : 138.675 (+0.14%) GFF22 : 161.375 (-0.02%) GFH22 : 165.825 (+0.12%) Hogs Extend Futures and Cash Market Gains Barchart - 1 hour ago Front month lean hog futures ended the session $0.70 to $2.07 stronger. April was up the most, which reduced the spread to May to $4.62. New money swept into many commodity markets yesterday, and hogs... HEG22 : 83.175 (+1.06%) HEK22 : 96.675 (+0.73%) KMG22 : 93.325s (-0.96%) The calendar date of September 17, Prime Minister Narendra Modis birthday, holds special significance for the workers and leaders of Bharatiya Janata Party. The prime minister will turn 70 in a few days. However, in view of the grim situation due to the coronavirus pandemic, any major celebration or gathering is completely ruled out. But just like the last few years, this time too, PM Modis birthday will be celebrated as Seva Divas. On this day, the distribution of masks, sanitizers, medicines would be organised. Supporters would also be encouraged to hold blood donation camps. A review of what initiatives could be undertaken was held by BJP national president JP Nadda along with the partys general secretaries in a meeting recently. Ideas include organising 70 programmes to mark the prime ministers 70th birthday at the booth and the mandal level. The BJP is also likely to disseminate information on the work done by the Modi government in the last one year through pamphlets, circulation of speeches, etc. Special focus would be laid on the on work done during the Covid-19 pandemic and PMs vision for Aatma Nirbhar Bharat or a self-reliant India. The party is also likely to issue strict orders to its cadre that under no circumstances should the Covid-19 protocols be violated. Last year, the prime ministers birthday celebration was a week-long affair. A week of Seva or Seva Saptah was celebrated from 14 -20 September. BJP has also been looking for ideas to mark the birth anniversaries of Deen Dayal Upadhyay on September 25 and Mahatma Gandhi on October 2 while adhering to Covid-19 protocols, including social distancing and compulsory wearing of masks. Another meeting will be chaired by Nadda soon to firm up all the plans. Sure, it might be warm Wednesday, but what about the rest of the week? local Spotlight PA is an independent, non-partisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free weekly newsletter. By Charlotte Keith of Spotlight PA HARRISBURG It wasnt until the summer, after leaving his job as a drug treatment counselor, that James Pride began to fall behind on rent. Pride, 61, has a chronic lung condition and the risk of getting sick at work was too high. A state program to help people struggling to pay rent because of the coronavirus pandemic seemed like the lifeline he needed. The money wouldnt cover all of his rent, but he hoped it would be enough to stave off an eviction filing. Pride printed off the forms, filled them out, and left the ones his landlord needed to complete at the office of his residential complex, in Lebanon. The next day, he said, he got a call from the property manager. His landlord Morgan Properties, which describes itself as the largest apartment owner in Pennsylvania was not taking part in the program. That just took the life out of me, Pride said. Were drowning and Morgan Properties is like, We dont care. The company was not alone in its decision. A Spotlight PA review found that Pennsylvanias primary effort to help renters pay their bills and avoid losing their homes was severely flawed from the start. As a result, many tenants across the state have been left in a perilous position as the statewide ban on evictions is set to expire. So many landlords have refused to take part in the rental assistance program that the state agency overseeing it has been calling for sweeping changes ever since it launched, in early July. Despite those requests, the legislature largely on summer break has not fixed it. Renters cannot get aid without their landlords participation and the amount each applicant can receive is capped at $750 per month. In some parts of the state, thats not enough to cover even half of someones rent, and landlords cannot ask renters to make up the difference. If landlords take the money, they cant file for eviction until at least 60 days after the last payment. As a result, many decided the program wasnt worth it. In Philadelphia, for instance, two-thirds of the more than 10,000 applications submitted so far cannot move forward, because they come from tenants whose landlords will not participate. Even when landlords do agree to take part, a convoluted application process and burdensome paperwork requirements mean that many applications arrive incomplete and can take weeks to finalize. The money is being paid out so slowly that some local officials worry they wont have enough applications by the Sept. 30 deadline to use up all the funding allocated. The challenges that were built into the program administratively, from the legislation, have made it really hard to drive out the level of assistance we had initially expected, said Bryce Maretzki, director of policy and planning at the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency. The failures of the rental assistance program took on new urgency Monday when Wolf in a surprise move said he does not have the legal authority to extend the eviction ban for a third time. That means the current moratorium will expire Aug. 31. Housing advocates warn that the end of the ban will bring a wave of evictions that will jeopardize public health, displace families at the start of a new school year, and risk leaving thousands of people homeless, with communities of color hit the hardest. Almost 400,000 households in Pennsylvania were not able to pay rent during the third week of July, data from a Census Bureau survey shows. An estimated 15% of tenants had no confidence in their ability to pay next months rent. Some tenants are already receiving letters warning them they will face eviction come September. On Monday, Wolf said the rental assistance program has serious defects and urged lawmakers to address them immediately. The legislature has been largely absent from Harrisburg since mid-July and isnt expected to fully reconvene until September. It hasnt been working, said Sen. Vincent Hughes (D., Philadelphia), who helped write the legislation that created the program. Some people have gotten help, a lot of folks have not, and so weve got to go back to the drawing board and try to come up with something better. Sen. Vincent Hughes (D., Philadelphia) acknowledged flaws with the existing rental assistance program: It hasnt been working." Pride said he was eventually able to get financial help from a local community organization, which covered almost one months rent. The state program, by contrast, would have provided six months of assistance. With a maximum of $750 available per month, though, it would only have covered about 60% of his rent. From a business perspective, Pride said, he could understand his landlords decision. But in these times, I dont agree with it, he added. Everyone has to give a little for all of us to survive this and theyre giving nothing. Morgan Properties, which is headquartered in King of Prussia and owns more than 50 apartment complexes across the state, declined to comment. In May, the company announced it would donate $5 for every on-time rental payment to local hospitals and food banks. The goal is simple: to help those most in need, said one email to tenants. I thought that was crazy, Pride said. Like, why wouldnt you try to help the tenants that are here? Flawed from the start The rental assistance program, funded with $150 million Pennsylvania received from the federal CARES Act, was meant to be a win-win for landlords and tenants. Landlords would be able to recoup some of the income they had lost as tenants struggled to pay rent. Tenants would be spared the trauma of being evicted during a pandemic, at a time when business shutdowns to slow the spread of the virus have caused unemployment to skyrocket. With limited funding available, lawmakers decided to cap the amount each applicant could receive. The $750 figure was calculated by using a federal formula to determine the average rent for a two-bedroom apartment and then reducing it by around 10%, according to a legislative source familiar with the process. But the $750 cap failed to take into account regional variations in rent, giving landlords in some parts of the state little incentive to participate. The programs rules say landlords who accept assistance payments must waive their right to collect the rest of the rent, even if the state aid doesnt cover the full amount. As a result, taking part in the program would require many landlords to take a major loss, said Rita Dallago, executive director of the Pennsylvania Residential Owners Association, which represents more than 7,000 landlords across the state. We really thought that it was going to help the tenants cover a major part, if not all, of their rent, but as its written that is not the case, she said. Staff at the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency, which is overseeing the program, knew there were problems almost immediately. Just three days after the program began taking applications, Executive Director Robin Wiessmann noted in a memo, sent to legislative leaders in both chambers, that the underlying law significantly limits timely, effective implementation and precludes the legislatively approved assistance from having the impact that is intended. In Lancaster County, about 65% of applicants pay more than $750 in rent each month, and landlords refusing to take part is an everyday problem, said Matthew Sternberg, executive director of the county redevelopment authority, which is processing applications locally. Theres a possibility that a good amount of funding will end up getting left on the table unless some of these issues are fixed, he said. Another problem: The funding formula doesn't take into account household size, putting families with children at a disadvantage. Dianne Washington lives in Lancaster with her two children, ages 10 and 4. Shes waiting to hear about her application. Even with a three-bedroom apartment, she only qualifies for $750 in assistance the same amount she would receive if she lived alone in a smaller apartment. After the virus struck, her hours as a cook at a nursing home were cut and the hotel where she worked part-time as a bartender closed, she said. Washington said she has been paying what she can each month but keeps racking up late fees that make it difficult to catch up. She lets other bills slide to focus on keeping up with the rent, she said, robbing Peter to pay Paul. Overwhelmed with paperwork, left in limbo The lack of landlord participation isnt the only problem with the rental assistance program. Tenants also have to contend with a complicated application process, onerous documentation requirements, and the inevitable bureaucratic hiccups of a program rolled out in a hurry. In an effort to make sure that assistance payments went to those most in need, the legislation contains strict eligibility criteria. To qualify, renters must have filed for unemployment since March 1, or have lost more than 30% of their income documented with pay stubs and tax returns. They also cant earn more than the median income for their county. Getting all the paperwork, making sure that folks qualify, just the constant back-and-forth takes up a great deal of time, said Jessica Hajek-Bates, a director at Blueprints, the local group processing applications in Washington County. The organization has received almost 200 applications so far. But only about 30% of those have been approved or denied, she said. Most are still in administrative limbo, as staff work with applicants to verify their eligibility, collect the right documents, and make sure all the details match up. In Philadelphia, the combination of low landlord participation and the challenge of standing up a new program so quickly has created serious delays. Almost two months in, no money has actually been paid out. The first payments should go out within the next two weeks, said Gregory Heller, senior vice president of community development at the Philadelphia Housing Development Corporation. That means the money may not start flowing until after the eviction ban has lifted. The agency hopes landlords who have applications pending will hold off on filing for eviction, Heller said. Tiesha Edwards, who lives in Northeast Philadelphia, is counting on the assistance payments to be able to stay in her apartment. Edwards, 35, said she fell behind on rent after she lost her job as a home health aide in April. She gave up a part-time job as a Lyft driver, scared of bringing the virus home to her two-year-old. Edwards said she applied for the program in early July, the day after it launched, and has been waiting to hear something for almost two months. Sometimes I just feel like shutting down from everybody, she said. I dont know when theres ever going to be a light at the end of the tunnel. In a surprise move, Gov. Tom Wolf said this week he does not have the authority to extend Pennsylvania's eviction moratorium past Aug. 31. Joe Hermitt | jhermitt@pennlive.com Calls for improvements too late for some In light of the programs shortcomings, Gov. Tom Wolf is calling for major changes. Among them: eliminating the $750 cap in favor of a more flexible standard that would vary from region to region; scrapping a requirement that tenants must be at least 30 days behind on rent to qualify; and allowing landlords and tenants to enter into payment plans for any rent still owed, as well as giving landlords and tenants more time to apply. Without these urgently needed changes, payment assistance is not reaching residents who badly need it and these funds will ultimately be returned to the federal government at the end of the year, Wolf wrote in a letter to lawmakers Monday. A temporary, statewide ban on evictions has been in place since March, the result of a state Supreme Court order and Wolf's executive actions. On Monday, Wolf said he did not have the legal authority to extend the ban further but urged the Republican-controlled legislature to act immediately to continue the eviction protections. In a statement Tuesday, a spokesperson for the House Republican majority criticized Wolf for passing the buck to lawmakers. Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman (R., Centre) slammed Wolfs about-face on the issue, saying it was the first time his caucus had heard about the need for emergency legislation. (A spokesperson for Wolf said Monday was not the first time the governor had raised this issue with members of the legislature.) Both left open the possibility of extending the eviction protections, though time is running out. Sen. Joe Pittman (R., Indiana), the chair of the Senate Urban Affairs and Housing Committee, said he was well aware of the issues with the rental assistance program and had spoken to staff at the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency about legislative changes in July. A hearing on the issue originally set for Aug. 12 had to be rescheduled for early September, he said. Asked whether that would come too late, Pittman said making changes to the program was not characterized as a tie-in to the moratorium. In Allegheny County, local officials realized almost immediately that the state assistance wouldnt be enough, said Lance Chimka, the countys director of economic development. On top of the $750 in rental assistance available through the state program, the county is offering another $750, paid for by CARES Act funding the county received directly from the federal government, plus another $200 to cover utilities, court costs, or late fees. The extra funding wasnt enough to convince every landlord, though. One tenant, who lives in a Morgan Properties apartment complex in Allegheny County and asked not to be named for fear of retaliation, said she had been told by several employees that the company was not taking part in the program. She received a 30-day eviction notice at the end of July. She was taken aback to hear that Allegheny County was offering extra funding enough to cover her entire monthly rent. It just defies all logic to me, she said. 100% ESSENTIAL: Spotlight PA relies on funding from foundations and readers like you who are committed to accountability journalism that gets results. If you value this reporting, please give a gift today at spotlightpa.org/donate. More from PennLive Coronavirus test: CDC changes guidance on what to do if you are exposed to someone who is positive for COVID-19 Youve got to do something: Pa. drug rehab centers buckle, begin to close under COVID-19 strain Thwarted at every turn, Pa. GOP lawmakers hatch new plan to limit Wolfs emergency powers DOJ seeks data about COVID nursing home deaths from Pa., 3 other states Buffets in the age of coronavirus: Shady Maple and others adapt to new business models ANSONIA More than 2,000 United Illuminating customers lost power in the city after a crash knocked down a tree, taking down wires and knocking out electricity Wednesday afternoon. The crash happened in the area of Tremont Street, causing a tree to fall on wires, officials said. The outage was recorded by UI at 3:24 p.m. There were 2,424 UI customers without power in that area of the city, including City Hall. The utility company said a crew was dispatched to the incident and would have power restored by 7:30 p.m. Power was restored to the Main Street area around 4:40 p.m. By 7:40 p.m., only 145 customers remained without power from the incident, according to UI, which said a crew was still on site working to get power back on. The remaining customers were expected to have power back by 11:15 p.m., the utility company said. But around 10 p.m., the company said restoration for the remaining 10 customers still in the dark likely wouldnt be until 5:45 a.m. Thursday. There was no further information immediately available about the crash. This story will be updated as more details are released. The eyes of financial markets around the world will be focused today on the keynote address to be delivered by US Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell to the annual Jackson Hole conclave of central bankers. Powells speech, to be given in a completely virtual format because of the COVID-19 pandemic, will focus on the two-year review by the Fed of its monetary policy. The key question concerning financial elites around the world is how the Fed and other central banks intend to continue the stimulus to markets that has sent Wall Street to new record highs after it plunged in mid-March. Citigroup rings the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange. (New York Stock Exchange via AP Images) The massive $3 trillion injection by the Fed since the plunge, backing every sector of the financial markets, has poured hundreds of billions of dollars into the coffers of the financial elites, above all those holding technology-based stocks. Last May, Forbes global rich list reported that the worlds 25 richest individuals had increased their total wealth by $255 billion in the space of just two months. With the continued rise of Wall Street since then, that figure will have further increased. Powell has previously stated there are no limits to the Feds action so far as injecting money is concerned, and if there is another crisis it will act. But there are questions about what form such action will take under conditions where the world economy is experiencing its worst downturn since the Great Depression. Mark Sobel, a former US Treasury official and now the chairman of a central bank think tank, told the Financial Times: The Fed and the European Central Bank have used up a lot of ammo. Even when advanced economies are significantly recovering, there will still be a legacy of sky-high unemployment, large output gaps and enormous dislocations to deal with. As far as the real economy is concerned, further monetary stimulus will do nothing to lift output or ease unemployment. The central bank is pushing on a string, according to Adam Posen, the president of the Washington-based Peterson Institute for International Economics. You can alleviate liquidity problems, you can put a floor under some asset prices, you can stabilise credit markets, all of which is constructive, but none of which is sufficient to create recovery, he said. Investors in the financial markets, however, are eagerly anticipating that the Fed will signal action to further expand monetary intervention to keep the Wall Street surge going. However, there are concerns in some quarters about where the unprecedented intervention is going to end. According to Robin Brooks, chief economist at the Institute of International Finance, Theres a legitimate worry at this point that we are doing a bit of levitation. The massive increase in leverage and the low rates forever all of these things are worrying from a financial stability point of view. In the past five months, corporations have taken on massive amounts of new debt in order to stave off bankruptcy. According to the rating agency S&P, corporations globally have raised $2 trillion in bonds alone so far this year, an increase of $600 billion over the same period last year. In the US, companies have issued a record $1.25 trillion in debt, of which almost $1 trillion was raised following the March 23 decision by the Fed that it would intervene to buy corporate bonds as a backstop to the market. The largest share of borrowing has been by investment-grade companies. But money has also been raised by junk-rated companies, which have issued $220 billion worth of bonds so far this year. The debt issuance has been predicated on the assumption that the economy will bounce back and the debt will be able to be paid back. But these expectations will be thrown awry if there is a second wave of infections and consumer demand does not recover. There is no prospect for an increase in investmentthe key driver of the economyas it was already in decline before the pandemic struck. Even under relatively favourable conditions, S&P estimates that the default rate for US junk-rated companies will rise to 15.5 percent by next March, higher than the peak experienced in 2009 in the wake of the global financial crisis. And if there is a deepening downturn in the global economy, investment-grade companies will also be hit. There is another significant development in the stock market that underscores the unprecedented character of the present economic and financial crisis. While Wall Street indexes continue to surge, the so-called recovery has been far from broad-based. It is concentrated in the high-tech stocks such as Apple, Google, Microsoft and Amazon, which make up a large proportion of the S&P 500 index. This has given rise to what is being referred to as a K-shaped developmenta situation in which the share prices of market leaders diverge from others. In analysis of the market, Vincent Deluard, the director of global macro strategy at the brokerage firm Stone Group, told Bloomberg: I would summarize 2020 as the bear market for humans. Like many things, COVID is just accelerating social transformation, concentration of wealth in a few hands, massive inequalities, competition issues and all that. He pointed out that firms that have relatively few employees have beaten the more labour-intensive ones by 37 percentage points in 2020. One aspect of the divergence is the fact that high-tech companies employ relatively few workers and have been able to benefit from the pandemic, as reflected in the 33 percent rise in the tech-heavy NASDAQ index so far this year. The one exception is Amazon, which has been able to increase its sales because of the increased turn to online purchases. Bloomberg cited one extreme example of this process. MarketAxess Holdings, an automated bond trading firm, has seen its shares rise by 29 percent this year, five times the gain in the S&P 500, and now has a market capitalisation of $19 billion, while employing just 530 people. According to Deluards calculations, the cluster of companies with the smallest number of employees relative to market value has risen by 18 percent this year, while the group with the highest labour intensity has recorded a 19 percent loss. This situation has far-reaching implications the workers employed in these industries. Under conditions where all companies operate under the dictates of market value and returns to shareholdersthe vast bulk of which are hedge funds and investment banksthese companies will be under increasing pressure to boost their share price through job cuts and ever-intensifying exploitation. The Russian president claims the Belarus' law enforcement bodies "behave quite restrained, no matter what." Russian President Vladimir Putin has said Russian law enforcement units could be used to suppress protests in Belarus. "Alexander Grigoryevich [Lukashenko] asked me to form a backup law enforcement unit. And I have done so. However, we have also agreed it won't be used unless the situation gets out of control, unless 'extremist elements' hiding behind political slogans cross certain lines, unless they begin to torch houses, banks, trying to seize administrative buildings, etc.," he told the Rossiya-1 TV channel in an interview, according to an UNIAN correspondent in Russia. Read alsoLukashenko says Poland wants to annex part of Belarus mediaAccording to Putin, the Kremlin hopes all the existing problems in Belarus will be resolved peacefully. The Russian president also claims the Belarus' law enforcement bodies "behave quite restrained, no matter what." Russia "support" for Lukashenko According to official statistics, 53,99 million eligible voters did not cast their ballots in the first round of Senate elections Related Mostaqbal Watan Party secures majority in Egypt's Senate elections Mostaqbal Watan sweeps Senate poll The Board of Directors of the National Elections Authority (NEA) decided on Wednesday to refer all voters who had failed to vote in the first round of the Senate elections to the prosecution, a statement by the NEA said. The statement said that during a meeting on Wednesday the NEAs Board of Directors, headed by Lashin Ibrahim, discussed mechanisms for applying the provisions of the Law on Exercising Political Rights on voters who didn't cast their ballot in the 2020 Senate elections. The board agreed to prepare lists of the names of people who failed to vote, the statement noted. According to official statistics, 53,99 million eligible voters did not cast their ballots in the first round of Senate elections held from 9 to 12 August to choose their representatives in the newly-reconstituted 300-seat chamber. On 19 August, Ibrahim said while announcing the results during a press conference that 8,95 million out of 62,94 million eligible voters cast their ballots during the four-day long voting period -- a total turnout of 14.23 percent. Senators from 174 constituencies countrywide have been officially named after receiving the absolute majority of votes during the first round of elections, while 26 seats are still up for grabs in a run-off in September, Ibrahim said. The run-off election of the new chamber, whose members are chosen via the individual candidacy, the closed party list system, and presidential appointment, will be held on 6-7 September for Egyptians abroad and on 8-9 September for resident nationals. The final result is set to be announced on 16 September. In Wednesdays statement, the NEAs board stressed that all the necessary capabilities and equipment have been provided for the citizens to cast their ballots and exercise their political right in addition to taking all precautionary measures to protect the voters and the parties involved in the electoral process from the coronavirus pandemic. The statement added that though the NEA has repeatedly urged eligible voters to cast their ballots, some failed to do so. This, the statement said, led to the boards conclusion to refer all those who failed to vote to the prosecution in line with the provisions of Article 57 of Law 45/2014 on Exercising Political Rights and its amendments that punish the voter who fails to cast his vote with a fine not exceeding EGP 500. Search Keywords: Short link: Bollywood actress Rhea Chakraborty, in an interview with CNN-News18s Marya Shakil, has questioned about the events that might have happened before her alleged boyfriend Sushant Singh Rajputs death on June 14. The late actors body was found inside his Bandra apartment. Rhea explained why she is doing the interview. She said, I was brought to this point when from call logs to WhatsApp chats to rubbish rumours is in public domain. I had to come forward to talk about my life. Its my responsibility to bring forth my side of the story. She added, I am happy that an apex institute like CBI is investigating the matter. I want to know what happened between June 8-14 when Sushants sister Meetuji was with him, that he took such a step. Dont you think I am the person who deserve to know this? Who most wants to find out the truth? Sabse zyada dukh toh mujhe hi hua hoga. She continued, Even till date, I cant believe he is not here. I still feel that he would come to pick me up. Rhea also talked about her demand of CBI inquiry into the case. When I demanded the CBI inquiry, there was no Bihar Police in the picture. I was cooperating with the Mumbai Police. Then the Bihar Police came to Mumbai with a baseless FIR. I couldnt understand whether I should cooperate with Mumbai Police or Bihar Police! I never said in my Supreme Court petition that I dont want the CBI inquiry. At that time, it was about jurisdiction. The following is a statement from the Duval County Educators Rank-and-File Safety Committee, which was just established to oppose unsafe conditions in schools that have already been opened in Jacksonville. The county has recorded more than 25,700 cases of COVID-19. According to local polls taken in early August, approximately 80 percent of parents in the district are opposed to in-person learning. We are forming the Duval County Educators Rank-and-File Safety Committee to protect the lives of our students, families, and the most vulnerable members of our community. After months of applying pressure to the Duval County Public School Board, Superintendent Dr. Diana Greene, and the Duval Teachers United union, our gravest concerns have gone unheard. Schools are open, and the virus is spreading. Teachers, fearful for their jobs and their lives, are trapped in unsafe classrooms without testing, social distancing, proper ventilation, or sufficient personal protective equipment (PPE). The promises made by Florida Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran and repeated by the Board and Dr. Greene have gone unfulfilled. These schools are not safe. Science has not guided this reopening; greed has. We refuse to lay down our lives for profit or participate in a poorly designed, underfunded, deadly experiment. Therefore, we issue these demands as the basis for a struggle for a safe return to school in Duval County: We call for the immediate closure of all public, private, and charter schools. Schools must remain closed until the rank-and-file safety committees, working in conjunction with trusted scientists and public health expertsnot only the Florida Department of Health (FDOH)can ensure the safety of children, teachers, and school employees. Every student and teacher must be provided with up-to-date computer technology and Internet access for virtual instruction immediately. This technology must include working webcams and microphones. School ventilation systems must be renovated or replaced to comply with scientific recommendations for a safe environment. When schools reopen face-to-face, we demand mandatory rapid on-site testing once a week for all faculty, students, and staff. Registered nurses must be stationed at every school, authorized to oversee testing and robust contact tracing. Working alongside educators organized in the rank-and-file safety committee, they must ensure that safety protocols are fully enacted. Teachers have the collective right to refuse to work under unsafe conditions. Full transparency. We demand daily reporting to the community on results and COVID-positive cases. No one can return to a school building without a negative test. No loss of income for educators who choose to stay home. Teachers will not lose their position at their school if they decide to remain virtual. Teachers shall be provided unlimited COVID-19 sick leave. For freedom of speech and the protection of whistleblowers to include teachers, students, and staff. For the unity and safety of educators, parents, students, and workers in our community. Full income protection to all parents and caregivers who stay home with their children. These measures to be paid for by a surcharge on Floridas billionaires. As of 2019, Florida was home to 52 billionaires, and 33 of these were listed on the Forbes 400. We call on all educators, parents, and students in Duval County who agree with these demands to join our rank-and-file safety committee. We also appeal to the same layer of people in the rest of Florida, the United States, and the world to support our struggle and build their own safety committees to fight side-by-side with us for our joint interests. There is a growing sentiment for a national strike to halt the homicidal reopening of schools across the United States. We in Duval County, Florida, support this movement and wish to lend our strength to those around the country looking for mass action of the working class because our lives are at stake. We call on all layers of workersmanufacturing, logistics, food processing, health care, public and private sectorin Duval County and nationally to support our struggle. We urge you to join and build the Educators Rank and File Safety Committee Facebook group and register for our call-in meeting on Saturday, August 29. A growing number of educators across the country are forming district-wide and state-wide safety committees and joining the Educators Rank-and-File Safety Committee, the national network set up to unify teachers, parents and students across the US, link up with other sections of workers, and prepare a nationwide general strike to halt the deadly reopening of schools. There are many life-and-death issues behind the decision to form the Duval County Educators Rank-and-File Safety Committee. Here are some of the key facts. Educators, parents, and students have been staging protests against the school openings all across Florida for weeks, including here in Duval County, Pasco County, Hillsborough County (Tampa), and Escambia County (Pensacola). Ignoring mass opposition, districts have moved forward to reopen across the state, producing more than 600 confirmed COVID-19 infections among students and staff, the largest confirmed school total of any state. Florida Education Commissioner Corcoran lies to the media, claiming that schools have adequate social distancing and PPE in place. Social distancing is not happening, kids are not wearing masks properly, and there is a massive cover-up in terms of the number of new cases within the schools, where rapid testing is not taking place. The real number of cases in Florida schools is undoubtedly far higher than what is being reported. Educators in Florida have been told to use unpaid FMLA (Family Medical Leave Act) days if they contract the virus. However, many who exhibit symptoms are afraid to use their extremely limited number of days until they are more severely ill. The result is that faculty, staff, and students are entering the schools even when they have symptoms. The only precaution being taken at the entryways are temperature tests, which are not adequate indicators of the presence of COVID-19. Despite widespread anger, the Florida Education Association (FEA), the trade union that claims to represent the interests of teachers in the state, is opposed to a strike. Trade union bureaucrats have told teachers that they must not upset the powers that be and jeopardize their ability to collect dues from our paychecks. The local Duval Teachers United, which is affiliated with the FEA, has marched in lockstep with district officials. The FEAs primary response to the reopening was the filing of a lawsuit against the State of Florida, leaving the fight in the hands of the court system. The resulting decision, now in legal limbo, at most leaves the question of reopening up to district administrators, which means that counties like Duval can continue to operate face-to-face classes without interruption or adequate safety measures. The FEA calls this court decision a win, but for rank-and-file educators this was no victory. Instead of the unions promised demands of zero out-of-pocket costs for COVID-19 treatment; rapid testing for students, faculty, and staff; inspection, cleaning, and increased filtering of air conditioning units; and mask requirements for faculty and studentsonly the masking requirement (which costs the district nothing) is in place. Finally, Florida has seen possibly the most aggressive drive in the nation for virtual charter schools and privatization. There is no doubt that the states demand for a return to school aims to both force workers back onto the job and continue to bleed public schools of resources through declining enrollment. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, an outspoken Trump supporter and school privatizer, has been a leading advocate of reopening schools in the state and has long aligned himself with the governments attempt to destroy public education. The Educators Rank-and-File Safety Committee has been formed to coordinate and facilitate the building of a network of rank-and-file safety committees in every school and neighborhood, to organize the immense opposition to the murderous plan to reopen schools. All those who agree with this perspective should contact us today, join our Facebook group and make plans to attend our next online call-in meeting Saturday, August 29. Register today and share the event widely with your coworkers! A family member of Breonna Taylor is hugged by another woman after speaking to protesters in Beverly Hills on June 6. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) As thousands of protesters took to the streets of Southern California in the last few months to call for criminal justice reform in demonstrations that sometimes veered into vandalism and arson, hundreds found themselves handcuffed for far lesser violations. Police in Los Angeles, Long Beach and Santa Monica racked up thousands of arrests, mostly for defiance of curfew or dispersal orders, drawing criticism from public health officials who feared that unmasked officers detaining people in close quarters risked worsening the spread of COVID-19. Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey and L.A. City Atty. Mike Feuer announced that they would not prosecute people arrested for such minor violations, and legal challenges to the constitutionality of county and city curfew orders soon arose. But on Monday, the city of Beverly Hills filed misdemeanor curfew violation charges against 25 people involved in a comparatively calm June protest, a move that has civil liberties advocates scratching their heads. Its totally outrageous that this is going forward at all, that any resources are being expended," said Rachel Steinback, a defense attorney involved in the case. Beverly Hills officials were already under fire for their handling of the June 26 protest, when police tried to jail protesters who couldn't post the $5,000 bail for the curfew violation. Normally in such cases, police put arrestees through a booking process, issue citations and release them, a practice that has become more widely accepted as law enforcement tries to reduce jail crowding during the pandemic. Beverly Hills began to release the protesters the next day after the National Lawyers Guild and other organizations mounted a public pressure campaign. Still, some people say they were detained for nearly 20 hours. The protesters were charged under an emergency ordinance meant to "preserve the peace and tranquility of residential neighborhoods," which barred loud gatherings of more than 10 people after 9 p.m. The ordinance was enacted 13 days before the protest. Story continues An arraignment in the case was delayed until October. "We are going to treat these prosecutions the same as we treat other prosecutions that are violations of the municipal code," city spokesman Keith Sterling said. "The public safety benefits are the same benefits of any prosecutions." Sterling said neither Beverly Hills Mayor Lester Friedman nor the City Council was involved in the decision to press charges. Beverly Hills does not have a city attorney's office and contracts with the outside law firm Dapeer, Rosenblit and Litvak to handle such matters. Many other cities in L.A. County leave misdemeanor prosecutions to the discretion of Lacey's office. In court filings, police alleged the protesters had outfitted a van with speakers and amplification equipment that allowed music to be heard from 100 yards away. As the march went on, police alleged, one protester cut down an American flag near the office of the Beverly Hills Courier newspaper and attempted to burn it. That person was charged with arson in a separate criminal case. There were no other reports of injuries or property damage related to the protest, according to the filing. Around 9 p.m., protesters who defied the curfew were arrested in a residential area near Rexford Drive, the filings said. James Butler, who organized the protest through the organization Black Future Project and was arrested that night, said demonstrators chose to march in Beverly Hills to shock the conscience of people who might otherwise ignore the criminal justice reform movement that has swept the nation after the police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. We go to Beverly Hills often because our system obviously works very hard to try to protect the rich from the truth of what is happening," Butler said. Butler said he was held in the city jail for 22 hours and was denied food for several hours. He also alleged he was denied medical attention. The Beverly Hills police report said Butler briefly fainted while being arrested, but mentions no other complaints about injuries. In recent days, demonstrations against police brutality have once again begun to tick up after officers in Kenosha, Wis., shot Jacob Blake in the back several times, potentially leaving him paralyzed. With solidarity protests already popping up in downtown L.A. this week, some attorneys said Beverly Hills' insistence on prosecuting protesters for minor offenses could require additional scrutiny. In my knowledge, they are the only prosecuting agency in L.A. County which has gone forward with what are, essentially, identical violations to what the L.A. [County] D.A. declined to prosecute, what the L.A. city attorney declined to prosecute," said Jerod Gunsberg, a defense attorney. "Theres no different conduct here. Butler and others involved in the case also expressed shock at a paragraph in the Beverly Hills Police Department's summary of the event, which suggested the sight of protesters in the city might make some residents reflect on the Holocaust or killings during the Iranian revolution. It should be noted that Beverly Hills is a multi-cultural and multi-ethnic city. However, a large percentage of its population is comprised of Iranians and Jews of Christian and Jewish faiths. Many of the community have experienced untold atrocities before they fled their countries to come to the United States," a police sergeant wrote in the report. "Many lost their families to mobs who took them from homes during the cover of darkness and executed them in the streets during the Iranian Revolution and the genocide of the Jews. To many of the residents, this is not merely an intrusion of their peace, rather, it is a terrifying reminder of their past. Sterling said the report simply reflected the opinions of those in the neighborhood where the protest occurred. Butler, who said a police official sent him a similar email, said he was disgusted that police would compare nonviolent protest to the brutality of the Holocaust. "That was mind-blowing to me," he said. "Thats to the point that I was speechless and couldnt even respond." The state government had imposed a ban till 31 August on passenger flights to Kolkata from Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Pune, Nagpur and Ahmedabad Kolkata: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday announced a series of relaxations by allowing to resume flights operations from six COVID hotspot states, but extended the closure of educational institutes till 20 September. Announcing complete lockdown across West Bengal on 7, 11 and 12 September, Mamata said Metro Railway can resume services by observing social distancing and other precautionary norms. "We have received several requests to resume flight operations from six COVID hotspot states. So from 1 September, flight services from these six states can resume thrice a week," she said after a Cabinet meeting. To combat the spread of coronavirus, the state government had imposed a ban till 31 August on passenger flights to Kolkata from Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Pune, Nagpur and Ahmedabad. "Schools, colleges and other educational institutes would remain closed in the state till 20 September. The other existing restrictions would be in place. There would be complete lockdown in the state on September 7, 11 and 12," she said. She also demanded that the Centre distribute money from PM CARES fund to states to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic. The Bachlelor's Locklan 'Locky' Gilbert, 31, has broken his silence on explosive claims he and front-runner Bella Vareis, 25, knew each other before the show. Earlier this month, a publication suggested that the pair had met in Bali prior to entering in the Bachelor mansion, and had even made a 'secret pact' guaranteeing her as the winner. However, on Thursday, Locky set the record straight, exclusively telling Daily Mail Australia: 'I had never met Bella prior to her arrival on The Bachelor red carpet.' EXCLUSIVE: Locklan 'Locky' Gilbert, 31, (left) has finally set the record straight about meeting contestant Bella Varelis, 25, (right) before filming on The Bachelor Locky also responded to recent claims made by a podcast that he and Bella were 'set up' by Bachelor couple Matthew 'Matty J' Johnson and Laura Byrne before appearing on the show. 'Individually, Bella and I know Matty J and Laura, however claims that we were introduced by them, or that we had made any kind of secret pact are completely false,' he explained. It comes as a production insider claimed that producers found it difficult to work with Locky and Bella because they 'already knew each other'. Breaking his silence: 'I had never met Bella prior to her arrival on The Bachelor red carpet,' Locky told Daily Mail Australia on Thursday 'Completely false': Locky also denied recent claims made by a podcast that he and Bella were ' set up' by Bachelor couple Matthew 'Matty J' Johnson and Laura Byrne (pictured together) before appearing on the show 'Everyone [producers] hated their jobs this season because of Locky and Bella,' the TV insider alleged to Daily Mail Australia on Wednesday. '[Bella] let it slip to the top five girls she knew Locky, and everyone was like 'what?'' 'Bella brushed it off. She slipped up,' the source continued. On Wednesday, A production insider has claimed Locky and Bella's unlikely friendship before appearing on The Bachelor made it difficult for producers to work with them on the show Just three weeks earlier, WHO Magazine claimed Locky had made a pact to secretly guarantee Bella a spot in the in the final two. The television insider said that their secret 'deal' made it difficult for producers to guide the show in any other direction. 'Her goal was acting, Bella wants to be an actress, and follow Sam Frost's career and be on Home and Away.' Claims: 'Everyone [producers] hated their jobs this season because of Locky and Bella,' the TV insider alleged to Daily Mail Australia on Wednesday It comes as Bella also shut down claims made by evicted co-star, Nadine Kodsi, she and Locky met during a previous trip to Bali, Indonesia. 'I haven't been to Bali in five years and it genuinely baffles me the lengths people will go to,' Bella told The Herald Sun. 'I've never even watched Survivor.' 'I didn't even have a conversation with Nadine,' she continued. 'I don't listen to it [her claims] because 99 per cent of it would be complete bulls**t.' The Bachelor Australia continues on TEN at 7.30pm on Thursday. After Sushant Singh Rajput's untimely demise, various allegations have been levelled against his actress-girifriend Rhea Chakraborty. The Jalebi actress has been at the receiving end of the netizens' wrath on social media as well. Amid this, Rhea recently took to her Instagram page to share a glimpse of the crowd gathered inside her building compound. The actress also penned a lengthy post in which she claimed that there is a threat to her and the lives of her family members, and requested protection from Mumbai Police. Rhea Chakraborty wrote, "This is inside my building compound. The man in this video is my father Indrajit chakraborty ( retd . army officer ) We have been trying to get out of our house to cooperate with ED , CBI and various investigation authorities to cooperate. There is a threat to my life and my family's life. We have informed the local police station and even gone there , no help provided. We have informed the investigation authorities to help us get to them , no help arrived . How is this family going to live ? We are only asking for assistance , to cooperate with the various agencies that have asked us . I request @mumbaipolice to please provide protection so that we can cooperate with these investigation agencies . #safetyformyfamily. In covid times , these basic law and order restrictions need to be provided. Thankyou (sic)." Watch the video. On the other hand, Sushant Singh Rajput's father KK Singh levelled serious allegations against her, and called her a murderer while speaking to ANI on Thursday. In a 15-second video clip in Hindi, Singh said, "Rhea used to feed poison to my son Sushant for a long time. She is his murderer. Rhea and her associates should be immediately arrested and punished." The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is currently investigating Sushant Singh Rajput's mysterious death. For the unversed, the Bollywood actor was found dead in his Bandra residence in Mumbai on June 14, 2020. While the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is probing the money laundering angle in the case, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) recently joined the probe when the ED stumbled upon a drug angle in Sushant's death case. ALSO READ: Rhea Chakraborty Slams Claims Of Her Living Off Sushant's Money; Says 'He Loved Living Like A Star' ALSO READ: Rhea Claims Sushant Took Modafinil During Their Europe Trip; Says His Health Deteriorated In Italy The government is in the final stage of approving the acquisition of two Phalcon airborne warning and control systems (AWACS) for the Indian Air Force from Israel at a cost of around $1 billion, official sources said on Thursday. Photograph: Wikimedia Commons The fresh negotiations with Israeli authorities concerned for procurement of the two Phalcon AWACS come in the midst of India's bitter border row with China in high-altitude eastern Ladakh. The Indian Air Force (IAF) already has three Phalcon AWACS and addition of two more is expected to significantly boost the country's air defence mechanism. "The process of approval for two more Phalcon AWACS is nearing final stage," said a source, adding the proposal is expected to be discussed in the next meeting of Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS). The AWACS is mounted on Russian-origin Illyushin-76 transport aircraft and it is called an 'eye' in the sky because of its superior surveillance capabilities. The Phalcon AWACS is capable of tracking enemy aircraft, hostile missiles, movement of troops across the border without crossing territorial limits. Besides the Israeli AWACS, the IAF currently operates two indigenously developed airborne early Warning and control (AEW&C) system developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). After Pakistan's response to the Balakot air strikes, the IAF conveyed to the government the need for speeding up procurement of the two more Phalcon AWACS to plug the gaps in air defence mechanisms. Pakistan reportedly has more AWACS than India. India has been making concerted efforts to boost its air defence mechanism. In October 2018, India had signed a $5 billion deal with Russia to buy five units of the S-400 air defence missile systems, notwithstanding warning from the Trump administration that going ahead with the contract may invite US sanctions. Last year, India made the first tranche of payment of around $800 million to Russia for the missile systems. India is also integrating Brahmos supersonic cruise missiles into over 40 Sukhoi fighter jets under a closely-guarded project. State-run aerospace behemoth Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) and the BrahMos Aerospace Pvt Ltd (BAPL), an Indo-Russia joint venture, are implementing the project. Students were welcomed with open arms on the first day of classes Monday, Aug. 24, at Needville Elementary School. Related: Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar discusses state's budget outlook Teachers were on hand to help students get out of cars as parents dropped off their youngsters to start the 2020-21 school year. The week was cut short, however, as classes were canceled Wednesday through Friday out of an abundance of caution with the arrival of Hurricane Laura on the Gulf Coast. While the region was spared the storm as it moved east toward Louisiana, students still managed to get a taste of what the school year will be like. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic that interrupted the end of the last school year, students, teachers and paraprofessionals all donned face masks or shields and made sure to keep their hands clean. Related: COVID-19 testing sites expand in Fort Bend County The return to class was the first time since March that students were allowed on campus. For more information about Needville ISD, go to www.needvilleisd.com. rkent@hcnonline.com Rep. Dina Titus (D-Nev.) announces the Nevada delegates' choice for the presidential nominee during the virtual convention. (DNCC via Getty Images) For four months, Joe Biden has been the presumptive Democratic nominee for president. On Tuesday, that qualifier was dropped as Biden officially was nominated. The milestone, which Biden first sought more than 30 years ago, was marked by a slickly produced evening of virtual convention programming, in which Democrats featured party elders as well as up-and-comers and plenty of Trump bashing. Here's what you need to know about the DNC's second night. An 'only in 2020' roll call Perhaps even more than the first night, Tuesday's prime-time Democratic convention had an "only in 2020" vibe. The all-virtual format, reflecting the year's singular blend of catastrophe the global pandemic, a limping economy, civic unrest around racial justice upended the timeworn tradition of a raucous roll call of the states to nominate the presidential candidate. Gone were the scenes of delegates in funny hats pressed cheek-by-jowl around their state spokespersons as each state was called, in alphabetical order, to announce its votes. That didn't mean the proceedings were completely devoid of the pageantry that political junkies have come to expect. The roll call, as Democratic Party chair Tom Perez acknowledged, was "unconventional," beaming in footage from across the nation's 57 states and territories. But first came the nominating speeches for Biden and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, the primary rival who racked up the second-largest number of delegates. Each speaker was aired from a different location. The first of three people to nominate Biden was herself an unorthodox choice: Jacquelyn Brittany, a security guard in the New York Times headquarters who blurted out her love for Biden when they shared an elevator last December. The encounter, which was captured on film, soon went viral. "Joe Biden has room in his heart for more than just himself," said Brittany, calling him her "friend." Story continues Catch a rising star A convention's keynote address can be a prime launchpad for political up-and-comers just ask Barack Obama, whose 2004 speech as a state senator propelled him to the U.S. Senate and then the White House in just four years. This year, in a first, the address was divvied up among 17 of the partys younger, fresh faces: a mix of members of Congress from swing districts, state legislators, a county commissioner, state agriculture commissioner and mayors most from battleground states as well as the president of the Navajo Nation. The jump-cut compilation of multiple people speaking from the same script let Democrats show off the diversity of their party and gave viewers a glimpse of politicians living rooms and kitchens. But the patchwork approach meant that no single politician got the breakout moment that mattered so much to Obama. Even Stacey Abrams the former Georgia gubernatorial candidate who has forged a national profile in her push for voting rights, and was among those Biden considered for his running mate got just a few extra minutes to cap off the keynote address, an elevated role but hardly a memorable one. The convention has come under scrutiny by some in the party for giving some of its most recognizable young stars short shrift. New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a progressive firebrand, got just over one minute to speak, in nominating her political hero, Sen. Sanders. Biden's security credentials The first night of the convention included some strenuous courting of Republicans who may feel weary of Trump, but wary of voting for a Democrat. Tuesday's programming continued to extend the welcome. The bipartisan appeal focused largely on foreign policy, for which Biden is well-known, given his experience as the longtime chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and President Obama's vice president. Colin Powell, secretary of State under President George W. Bush, made his first appearance at a Democratic convention (although he has backed Democratic presidential candidates in the past) to tout Biden as far superior to Trump to be commander in chief. "Joe Biden will be a president we will all be proud to salute," he said. Powell was followed by a video focusing on Biden's "unlikely" friendship with the late GOP Sen. John McCain, a bond rooted in their shared interest in world affairs. The speakers' criticism of Trump regarding international relations was among the convention's most scathing. An array of former officials from both parties blasted the president as deferential to dictators and an embarrassment on the world stage. "When this president goes overseas, it isnt a goodwill mission, its a blooper reel," said former Secretary of State John F. Kerry. Democratic stalwarts weigh in Biden's age can be a touchy subject for the campaign, particularly as Trump just three years younger seeks to make Biden's stamina a campaign issue. But in giving ample airtime to party elders, the convention program did not shy away from the fact that Biden, 77, is a peer of this older generation of Democrats. "When I ran for president in 1976, Joe Biden was my first and most effective supporter in the Senate," former President Jimmy Carter said. "For decades, he has been my loyal and dedicated friend."He was followed by former President Bill Clinton, who is three years younger than Biden, yet left the Oval Office nearly 20 years ago. Clinton spent less time recalling long-ago memories of Biden, choosing instead to assail Trump's handling of the COVID-19 crisis. "When asked about the surge in deaths, he shrugged and said, 'It is what it is,'" Clinton said of Trump. "But did it have to be this way? No. COVID hit us much harder than it had to." Trump's dismissive phrase from a recent interview is quickly becoming a favorite line of attack for Democrats. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer of New York also decried the remark on Tuesday, and Michelle Obama made it a central line in her blockbuster speech on Monday night. America, meet Jill Jill Biden is hardly an unknown figure. She was, after all, the second lady of the United States for eight years. And as a frequent presence on the campaign trail (when there was one), she is considered one of the most effective surrogates for her husband. Still, the closing minutes of the night offered a national audience perhaps the most comprehensive look yet at Jill Biden's biography, including deeply personal insights about the death of Beau Biden, their oldest son, from brain cancer. She gave her speech as she strolled through the hallways and classrooms of a Wilmington, Del., high school where she used to teach a symbolic choice given the country's dilemma over school reopenings amid the coronavirus pandemic. Michelle Obama, Monday's star, was a hard act to follow, and Jill Biden may not have similarly lit up social media with her speech. But she, better than any other speaker, could offer a personal testimonial to how grief and healing have shaped her husband and her family. Particularly touching were her comments on how her husband, a widower with two young boys, began dating her after the death of his first wife and baby daughter, then created a new family with his marriage to her and, eventually, the birth of their daughter. "I know that if we entrust this nation to Joe, he will do for your family what he did for ours: Bring us together and make us whole," she said. "Carry us forward in our time of need. Keep the promise of America, for all of us." Sorry! 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Contact Fragale Investigations now to schedule your consultation and claim your discount. You can also find out more about their services at https://privateinvestigatorincharlotte.com/ About Fragale Investigations A North Carolina-based investigative practice, Fragale Investigations has emerged as the premier investigative and surveillance provider in the state since 2002. Martin Fragale, owner and founder of Fragale Investigations, has over two decades of private investigation experience. Today, many rely on their team of private investigators for criminal defense investigations, surveillance, insurance claims investigations, and other services. SAN ANTONIO The car caravans known as "Trump trains" that Adrienne Pena-Garza joins on Saturday morning have been growing as they have traversed the Rio Grande Valley the last couple of months, according to Pena-Garza, chairwoman of the Hidalgo County Republican Party. The cars, festooned with Trump flags, stickers and other flash, travel a predetermined route in her area of South Texas. They started in July with about five cars and now have had about 300 participants, Pena-Garza said. Texas' Rio Grande Valley, where Hidalgo County is located, is deeply blue, but as Pena-Garza likes to point out, underdogs like her who want President Donald Trump to be re-elected are spread throughout the region. She hopes the caravans are a sign that more than expected will be out to vote for Trump in November. ImageIMAGE: Adrienne Pena-Garza and Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush (Adrienne Pena-Garza) "It's a fun way to show support and to show you are not afraid," said Pena-Garza, 41, a Republican National Convention delegate who has been watching the convention from home. Republicans opened their convention this week pitching Trump as assurance of an American future and the bulwark against Democrat cultural revolution, Fidel Castro-style socialism, violence and chaos. The GOP showcase was a sharp contrast to that of the Democrats, who, a week earlier in their convention, issued dire warnings of worse things to come and issued scathing criticism of Trump's handling of the coronavirus. While COVID-19 and its brutal impact on the economy were mentioned largely superficially at the convention first lady Melania Trump was the exception the coronavirus has risen to the top of concerns for Latinos, according to a recent poll. Hispanics have seen disproportionate cases and deaths while suffering job losses. The same poll showed that 73 percent of Latinos give Trump low marks for his coronavirus response and agree that how he responded is to blame for the crisis. Hidalgo County, on the Mexican border, is 93 percent Latino, and it is one of the hardest-hit counties, having logged more than 25,000 cases Monday, The Monitor newspaper of McAllen reported. Story continues Throughout the Rio Grande Valley, COVID-19 cases have pushed hospitals near or to capacity, forcing some patients to be transferred to other hospitals. Republican delegates who spoke to NBC News hold Trump blameless in the COVID-19 crisis and speak of him as steering the country out of it to greater economic times. Asked about the number of cases in her county and her view of Democrats' criticism of Trump, Pena-Garza said it was a great question for local officials, "all of whom are Democrats." Some officials in Texas have blamed the state's leadership as hewing too much to Trump's approach. Gov. Greg Abbott has been criticized for having taken too long to shut down businesses and to require masks, as well as for having reopened businesses too quickly. Local officials who had established mask mandates or other restrictions, such as a curfew and quarantine requirements, found those orders supplanted by orders from Abbott. Confident about Trump's re-election Pena-Garza said she is confident about Trump and expects his Hispanic support to grow for other reasons. Hispanics "expect to see fruits of their labor," said Pena-Garza, who said her grandparents were migrant workers. "That's part of what my grandparents taught me: Nothing in life is free. Everything you work for you keep. "This whole 'I need to have everything for free' that's how some of the politicians are down here. It's we need more money, we need more money, we need more money, we need more money. ... The government is not a nonprofit," she said. She mentioned college tuition and governments' "paying for abortions." The Hyde Amendment, implemented in 1977, prohibits use of federal funds for abortions except in cases rape or incest or when the woman's life is in danger. In Texas, a recent poll released by the nonpartisan Texas Hispanic Policy Foundation found that about 47 percent of Hispanics supported Joe Biden, compared to almost 38 percent who supported Trump, with about 13 percent of Latinos voters still undecided. Pena-Garza, a political and business consultant, suggested that there is plenty of possibility for Trump to pick up support in the area. "When you go to Spanish-speaking communities in South Texas, when you knock on their doors and you are talking to them and they say they are Democrats, they really don't know why. They think it's the party of JFK," she said. "I strongly believe JFK and MLK would not be Democrats today." Adolpho Telles, 70, a former GOP chairman in El Paso and one of six Texas convention delegates who attended in person, said Trump can't be blamed for the pandemic or its impact in the same way you cannot be blamed if you're T-boned at a red light. He said that the facts of the coronavirus change regularly and that as a former businessman he makes decisions based on what he knows about today, as he said Trump does. "Tomorrow they can be different, and all you can do is adjust," Telles said. Download the NBC News app for breaking news and politics Telles formed the Republican Alliance, a group of large donors and volunteers, to help elect local Republican candidates in heavily Democratic El Paso. Democrats and human rights activists have condemned Trump's hard-line immigration measures, including separating children from their parents and forcing people to wait outside the United States while their asylum claims are adjudicated, policies that were launched and tested in El Paso. Telles disagrees with those who suggest that Trump's harsh immigration rhetoric, including referring to the arrivals of migrants seeking asylum as an "invasion," played a role in the Aug. 3, 2019, massacre at a local Walmart by a gunman targeting Latinos. Twenty-three people were fatally shot, and over a dozen were wounded. In his racist diatribe, the shooter criticized both parties, including Republicans, Telles said. 'He's going to put everything up front' "I definitely think he's a manager and he's not afraid to stand up to people and he doesn't whisper 'wait till I get elected.' He's going to put everything up front," said Telles, a retired certified public accountant who was El Paso County Republican chairman for 5 years. Bertica Cabrera Morris, a Republican strategist and convention delegate from Central Florida, said that Trump will "keep us on track" during the pandemic and that that is what is attracting Latino support. "He is the guy who is going to keep the country going. The guy knows what to do when a company goes down," she said. "The markets are doing great. "I think he has done the best that can be done with the pandemic. I don't know that anyone can do better than this," she said, adding that the pandemic hasn't slowed the campaign's outreach. "I have been on his campaign for a year. We have knocked on over 1 million doors," Cabrera Morris said. "We have been making phone calls for a long time. We have 1,500 people on the ground." Follow NBC Latino on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Moch. Fiqih Prawira Adjie (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, August 27, 2020 15:19 511 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c40e305c 1 National KPK,building,coronavirus,COVID-19,COVID-19-infection,pandemic,SARS-CoV-2,virus-corona Free Nine employees of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), one detainee and four other people at its headquarters in Kuningan, South Jakarta, have tested positive for COVID-19. The coronavirus cluster was discovered through swab-tests conducted by the Health Ministrys Jakarta Environmental Health and Disease Control Center (BBTKLPP). We have ordered self-isolation and further medical measures with the help of community health centers [Puskesmas] near the infected workers' residences to expedite their recovery. the antigraft body wrote in a statement issued on Thursday. The detainee was isolated and is treated at the National Police Hospital [in East Jakarta]. On the same day, the KPKs medical center, with the help of the Gatot Subroto Army Hospital in Central Jakarta, had conducted swab-tests for its employees. Read also: All KPK employees to have PCR tests after seven infected with COVID-19 The commission also disinfected some of its workspaces, in addition to the Anticorruption Learning Center (ACLC) facility, while ensuring that all workers comply with health protocol. The commission has not announced any plans to close the building in response to the findings. Previously, the Law and Human Rights Ministry and the Agriculture Ministry closed their work facilities after some of their employees had contracted coronavirus. A confrontation between protesters and armed operatives in Wisconsin, following police shooting of an African-American, Jacob Blake, has left two dead and another injured. The Police confirmed the incident by saying three persons were shot by armed operatives that were guarding a gas station. The pandemonium witnessed in the city came about after police operatives in Wisconsin shot an unarmed man, Jacob Blake, on Sunday. The shooting has angered the public, especially African-Americans, who took to the streets to make known their grievances, and the act has on several occasions ended in more shedding of blood. Meanwhile Wisconsin Governor, Tony Evers responding to the crisis in the City, he said he will send additional National Guard to calm the situation down. The Governor, immediately the protest began, sent National guards to compliment efforts of local police in Wisconsin. The guards used tear gas, and rubber bullets to try control the protesters that destroyed parked cars and properties with stick. The protests in Wisconsin has however proliferated to other cities like Oregon, Minneapolis, Portland and Minnesota. In this screenshot from the RNC's livestream of the 2020 Republican National Convention, School choice advocate Tera Myers addresses the virtual convention on Aug. 26, 2020. (Courtesy of the Committee on Arrangements for the 2020 Republican National Committee via Getty Images) RNC Speakers Praise Trump on Pro-Life, Pro-School Choice Stance Two speakers on the third night of the Republican National Convention praised President Donald Trump for his pro-life and pro-school choice policies. Tera Myers, a mother of a special needs child, praised the president for his administrations pro-life stance, describing how her doctor had encouraged her to terminate the pregnancy of her son Samuel after early tests revealed that he had Down Syndrome. Before Samuel was even born, I was told his life wouldnt be worth living, she said, recounting how her doctor had told her that if she did not terminate the pregnancy, she would be burdening her life, her family, and her community. I knew my baby was a human being created by God and that made him worthy of life, Myers said. I am thankful that President Trump values the life of the unborn. Sister Deirdre Dede Byrne, a Washington nun who is also a surgeon and retired U.S. Army officer, praised the president as the most pro-life President that this nation has ever had, defending life at all stages. While we tend to think of the marginalized as living beyond our borders, the truth is, the largest marginalized group in the world can be found in the United States. They are the unborn, the nun of Little Workers of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary told Americans in her convention remarks. In this image from video, Sister Deirdre Byrne speaks from Washington, during the third night of the Republican National Convention, on Aug. 26, 2020. (Courtesy of the Committee on Arrangements for the 2020 Republican National Committee via AP) As followers of Christ, we are called to stand up for life and against the politically correct or fashionable today, she said. We must fight against a legislative agenda that supports and even celebrates destroying life in the womb. In fact, the laws we create define how we see our humanity. And we must ask ourselves, what are we saying when we go into a womb and snuff out an insignificant, powerless, voiceless life. As a physician, I can say unequivocally life begins at conception, she said, adding that Trumps belief in the sanctity of life transcends politics. President Trump will stand up against Biden/Harris, who are the most anti-life presidential ticket ever, even supporting the horrors of late-term abortion and infanticide, she continued. Because of his courage and conviction, President Trump has earned the support of Americas pro-life community. Moreover, he has a nationwide army of religious standing behind him. Trump earlier this year became the first president to attend a March for Life Pro-Life Rally. When we see the image of a baby in the womb, we glimpse the majesty of Gods creation, Trump said at the time, adding that unborn children have never had a stronger defender in the White House. The Epoch Times has reached out to the Biden campaign for comment. School Choice School choice emerged as one of the issues highlighted by six speakers on the first night of the Republican convention, suggesting that it may become a key policy promoted by Trumps reelection campaign. Myers, a school choice advocate, focused her remarks late Wednesday on school choice and how educational freedom has benefited her son. She recounted how when her son was younger, she was told, in her words, this is all you get, like it or not, when inquiring at a school about functional learning. I did not like it. One size did not fit all, Byrne said. So I helped fight to pass legislation in Ohio for a special needs scholarship, so that all students could choose the right program for their needs. I worked to start a new functional learning program at our local private school. Finally, Samuel had an appropriate place to learn. Myers noted how her son shared his views about school choice at a recent White House roundtable, saying, School Choice helped my dreams come true. My school taught me the way I learn best and I was able to fit in. I made many friends and became a part of my community. My teachers helped me become the best I can be. Myers recounted of Trumps feedback to her 25-year-old son. President Trump shook my hand and said Wonderful job Mom, your son is amazing. Unlike the doctor who told me to end Samuels life before it even began, President Trump did not dismiss my son. He showed Samuel he valued him and was proud of what he accomplished. Tonight, I would like to extend my thanks to President Trump and his administration for their work towards making every students dream of a meaningful education a reality, and for fighting to ensure every child in America has an equal seat at the table of Education Freedom, and an equal opportunity in life, she said. Mike Pence, in an acceptance speech for the vice presidential nomination late Wednesday, said that Trump believes that every parent should have the right to choose where their children go to school regardless of their income or area code. Meanwhile, English deployed a second ladder on the west side of the home to help the girls' brother climb out a separate second-story window, Carlsten said. No one else was inside the home at the time. All four young adults were treated on scene by emergency medical personnel, and none were taken to a hospital, Carlsten said. "The efforts of all of these police officers and members of our community prevented a potential tragedy," he said. 'These individuals we are recognizing this evening put the need of others first. They worked as a coordinated teams to overcome some unique and unprecedented challenges. And some of their actions were heroic." City officials played a video recorded message from two of the girls rescued from the house, who are now attending the University of Iowa. "We wanted to thank you for your bravery and for being there to make sure we got out of there safely," one of the girls said. "Today, we are both healthy and just beginning our college careers." "Both of our families and extremely grateful and so relieved," the other girl said. "Congratulations on your achievement. And, we both agree that it is very well-deserved." MILWAUKEE Laurie and Scott Dubin, along with their daughter Lindsay, stood outside a rented RV recently with a heap of luggage. They were about to start the 2,000-mile drive from the San Francisco Bay Area to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where Lindsay would start her freshman year at her dream school in the middle of a pandemic. "I hope school isn't canceled from Saturday until then," Laurie Dubin had said earlier that week. Classes are scheduled to start Sept. 2. Her fear was more than a mother's intuition. Three days into their road trip, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill canceled in-person classes. On the fourth day, Michigan State and Notre Dame also backed off plans. "We are in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and I'm getting very nervous," she texted Aug. 18. Across the country, college students and their families are weighing the risk of contracting the virus against the possibility of falling behind on college plans. Laurie, Lindsay and Scott Dubin hit the road to drop their daughter off at UW-Madison for the start of the fall 2020 semester. Another Bay Area family had arrived at a different decision than the Dubins. Julie Fingersh's freshman son, who was also slated to attend UW-Madison, decided to defer his admission. He didn't know what he would do in lieu of college, but his mother was sure of one thing: No institution anywhere could claim it had a way to control the spread of COVID-19. "We went into this wanting to make a leap of faith," Fingersh said. "It just became clear that there is no way to manage it." In Iowa, Aidan Black, an incoming UW-Milwaukee musical theater student, had gone over his options. He could stay with his plans, take a year online, go to community college or just bag the year. He decided to come to Milwaukee and take the risk. "I'm kind of at a point with it where I'm like if I don't go now, I'm not going to go at all," he said. In Milwaukee, Tyler Reaker, a mechanical engineering graduate student at Marquette University, didn't feel he had such flexibility, because he also teaches multiple lab courses. Story continues Despite the university announcing earlier that month that it would modify plans to provide more online options where possible, all of Reaker's classes, as a student and as a teaching assistant, were in-person. Caught between his roles as a student and as an employee, he found he had few choices and little power. "In some ways, I am disposable to the school," he said. Freshman Makenna Mohr, right, of Green Bay and her parents, Dale Mohr, left, and Donica Mohr, help her move her belongings into the UW-Milwaukee's Sandburg Residence Hall. Specific questions, vague answers Students like Lindsay Dubin and Aidan Black still hope for some semblance of the campus experience they are paying so much for. Others actually feel safer on campus and perhaps less of a threat to vulnerable relatives. Still others rely on a university for employment or research work. But there are students who are planning to stay away, whether it's because of safety fears, an inability to get a visa or an unwillingness to move far from home. Those students may study entirely online, paying the same tuition as they would have for the in-person experience. Or they may decide that the stripped-down and sanitized experience online or in-person is worth neither the money nor the risk. Some simply won't be able to afford it now, because of COVID-19-related furloughs or unemployment in their families. "Frequently asked questions" sections of university websites are often a bit vague because the situation is so fluid. In online comment sections and livestreamed town halls, many parents and students bristle at the lack of direct answers and granular details. "It's just very nerve-wracking to send your child off to college not knowing what's going to happen," said Dubin, who has "a lot of trepidation" and lots of questions despite her daughter's enthusiasm. Would they make it to the end of the semester? If not, how would Lindsay get home? What happens if she gets sick and needs to be quarantined, or worse, hospitalized? Where, specifically, would students be quarantined? Would Lindsay be allowed to take off her mask in her dorm room if her roommate is still waiting on her first COVID-19 test result? Would the university health center have weekend hours? Would she run into issues getting information about her daughter's medical condition? (From left) Scott, Lindsay and Laurie Dubin pose for a picture at Badlands National Park on their road trip to UW-Madison. And then there's the simple but important question of the student experience. What would a virtual sorority rush be like? Reaker, the Marquette graduate student who teaches four labs each week, also has questions. Would he be trained on how to teach safely during a pandemic? What happens when there's an outbreak? How would he navigate moving the labs online? Would the shift be as chaotic as it was in the spring, despite having more time to plan? "I just think it's going to be a huge mess," he said. Not if, but when Many families say they have little expectation that colleges will stay open as planned through the entire semester. For them, the question of transferring everything online or closing entirely was not if, but when. They question whether all students would really control their behavior. Whether they'd keep their distance, keep wearing masks and perhaps most of all avoid parties. Fingersh imagined what she called the best-case scenario: Her son waking up in the morning to don a mask, walking to the nearest dining hall to get a grab-and-go breakfast, making his way back to his dorm room, opening up his computer, throwing on his headphones and starting a day of online classes, his roommate sitting six feet away, doing the same. "How do you connect with people when you're wearing a mask all day long?" Fingersh said. "Freshman year is hard enough as it is and being away from home is hard enough as it is, but to do it under this specter of constant anxiety and constant uncertainty was just not the feeling we wanted him to have." There are some students who'll have no choice but to live as Fingersh imagined. Students like Nathan Wiley, a philosophy graduate student who lives just off Marquette's campus, in the neighborhood where many upperclassmen live and, normally, party. Wiley is uninsured. So is his partner, who lives with him and has underlying health conditions. She still has to go out for work, so Wiley will stay home as much as possible to minimize the risk. He took out a $2,000 loan to outfit a home office. "I'm lucky that both the courses that I wanted to take and need to take to fill my M.A. requirements were being offered online," he said. "It would have been really hard to focus, having to go on campus. I probably would have reconsidered my enrollment status for this year." 'I'm not too worried' Black, the UW-Milwaukee freshman, is one of many students for whom the excitement of going off to college overwhelms any questions he has about logistics. "For the health side of it, I'm not too worried about it," Black said. "I feel like the school is doing a really good job with trying to keep a normalcy to it while also keeping everyone safe." He knows things will be different and is willing to live according to UW-Milwaukee's rules. His plan is to build a group of friends that believes the same. He'll avoid students who make risky decisions. Black opted to live with a roommate because that costs about $1,000 less than having a private dorm room. When he thinks through what an average day would look like, the questions arise. He'd wake up and get some breakfast to go. Would other students be congregating in line when he arrived, also trying to grab a bite before class? Would he have to go back to his dorm to eat? Or could he sit outside somewhere, maybe with a friend? Then, he'd begin classes. Would his vocal class be as effective? It's completely online due to the risk ensemble singing poses to viral spread. Would he have to wear a mask in his ballet class? Normally, he'd have extracurricular events in the evenings. Would there be auditions this fall for the a capella ensemble? Would laser tag club still meet? Would he get to perform in or work on the stage crew of a school theater production? After the loss of his senior year of high school and a summer spent at home, Black was excited to be social in a safe way. No maskless parties or large social gatherings, but, "(I'll be) socializing as much as I can," he said. Arcetta Knautz, director of university housing, helps as students move in at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukees Sandburg Residence Hall under COVID-19 restrictions. "It's sort of like a puzzle," Knautz said. "We can only have so many people moving in on the hour, on the half hour." To that end, parents and to some extent university officials, too, can do little more than hope students make the right calculations once they get to school. Dubin, for one, believes in her daughter; Lindsay is responsible and resourceful. But her mother knows the social pressures will be strong, and that she can't control what other students will do. In a surreal 2020 version of a college care package, she packed Lindsay a "quarantine bag" with extra clothes, a thermometer, Tylenol and Advil and a $30 oximeter to measure her blood oxygen level. There was only so much she could do to prepare her daughter for the unknown. "I'm just putting my hands up in the air and saying, 'It'll be what it will be,'" she said. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: COVID at UW Madison: Students restart in dorms, with fall in doubt Hurricane Laura landed as a near-Category 5 hurricane just before 1 a.m. Thursday in southwest Louisiana's Cameron County, knocking out power for more than 513,000 people and destroying buildings as it swept through the south. The storm's winds slowed to 100 mph, a Category 2 level, by 7 a.m. and forecasters expect Laura will weaken into a tropical storm later Thursday, according to the National Hurricane Center. Destructive winds and flooding rainfall spread inland over western and central Louisiana as Hurricane Laura moved north at 15 mph. Storm surge and tropical storm warnings remained in place for High Island to the mouth of the Mississippi River. Experts put Laura among the top 10 most powerful hurricanes to hit the U.S. The storm is also the strongest hurricane on record to hit this part of the Gulf coast, with wind speeds that reached nearly 150 mph before landfall, according to Space City Weather. TRACK FLOODING: Our Texas Flood Map shows if your neighborhood is at risk Nearly 513,000 are already without power as of 6:30 a.m., with more outages expected, according to reports from the Weather Channel and Entergy Texas. Entergy stated that due to Laura's intensity and restrictive COVID guidelines, it could take weeks before power is restored. Laura, which approached a Category 5 storm a few hours before hitting land, was expected to force an unsurvivable storm surge up to 20 feet in coastal areas near the Texas-Louisiana border, possibly bringing tornadoes with it. Surges may reach up to 40 miles inland, with areas between Sea Rim State Park, Texas, to Intracoastal City, La., likely seeing the worst of Lauras impact, the National Hurricane Center said. Residents have been evacuating since Tuesday. STORM FORECASTS: See the latest NWS forecast track and rainfall estimates By 2 a.m., flooding over 9 feet had been recorded in Calcasieu Pass, LA, according to the National Hurricane Center. Two hours after facing the eye of the hurricane, Cameron was still reporting gusts up to 117 mph even as the storm moved northward, the National Hurricane Center said in its hourly update. The National Hurricane Center dubbed Laura an extremely dangerous storm expected to cause catastrophic damage from Freeport into southeast Louisiana. Houston was largely spared the effects of the hurricane. Peak gusts of 25 to 40 were recorded in southern and eastern Harris County between midnight and 6 a.m., according to the National Weather Service Houston division. There was moderate storm surge along the coast and in Galveston Bay, according to Space City Weather. "We were incredibly fortunate to have had no major impacts from #Laura here in Harris County," the Harris County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management said in a Thursday morning tweet. "Our hearts are with the affected counties to our east. We are here for you." The storm made landfall as a "ferocious looking" hurricane with a clear circular eye, an intense eyewall and and tightly-coiled surrounding bands, according to the National Hurricane Center. Laura was expected to dump 6 to 12 inches of rainfall on portions of Louisiana, Mississippi and Arkansas through Friday as it continues on a north and northeast trajectory while weakening, the hurricane center said. Tornadoes are possible Thursday and Thursday night in the same areas. Pastor Andy Stanley of Atlanta's North Point Community Church announced that his church decided to suspend services until 2021. Regarding that issue, some members accused him of "bowing to Caesar" and "left-wing, Marxist agenda" Christian Post reported that Pastor Andy Stanley uploaded a video explaining why he is suspending the service. He said the decision was based on the true stance of the Christian faith. In the video, the Pastor says "We did not suspend services because of government pressure; there was none. We are not afraid, we're not bowing to social, cultural, or political pressure." He also said, "it is a perversion of our faith and it also sets the church up to be a tool of politicians rather than the conscience of the nation." He emphasized that we should not make this situation controversial and focus on the real situation. Pastor Stanley added that "unlike the 21st-century people, Jesus did not play to win, Jesus played to lose so that the other team, which includes you and I, could win." Although many members of the church were upset, like Pastor Stanley said, we should understand that "the church looks more like Christ when we are defending other people's rights, rather than our own." Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 21:59:07|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BANGKOK, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Thai Immigration Bureau on Thursday issued a warning to foreign migrant workers that if they are found sneaking into Thai soil and breaching the COVID-19 health measures, they would be barred from entering Thailand permanently. The immigration bureau said that security authorities in the Thai north are on alert along the border with Myanmar after reports that the latter have reported a surge of new COVID-19 cases. The border patrol officers will impose strict measures in screening vehicles and people coming through the border checkpoint at Mae Sot district, said the bureau. Mea Sot is a district in western Thailand in Tak Province that shares a border with Myanmar. Enditem Dr. David Szalays primary responsibility will be to treat patients in the new Pflugerville office. To better meet the needs of our patients and colleagues, we have been planning a Pflugerville location for several years. We are thrilled to have recruited Dr. David Szalay to help get that office started this fall. Austin Oral Surgery an oral and maxillofacial surgery practice with 11 locations throughout Central Texas is pleased to announce Dr. David Szalay, DDS, MD, has joined the practice. An accomplished oral and maxillofacial surgeon, Dr. Szalays primary responsibility will be to treat patients in the new Pflugerville office, which is scheduled to open this fall. The new office is slated for 1601 E. Pflugerville Parkway, Building 2; Suite 2101. To better meet the needs of our patients and colleagues, we have been planning a Pflugerville location for several years. We are thrilled to have recruited Dr. David Szalay to help get that office started this fall. Dr. Szalay is very well trained, gifted and compassionate and will be a wonderful addition to the Austin team, said Dr. Thomas Weil, president of Austin Oral Surgery. Dr. Szalay grew up in Austin, Texas, and graduated with honors from The University of Texas at Austin. He earned his dental degree from Texas A&M College of Dentistry in Dallas, where he graduated top of his class and received the dental implant award from the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Following dental school, Dr. Szalay earned his medical degree from UT Health San Antonio, where he graduated at the top of his class and was elected into the prestigious Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. He remained in San Antonio to complete his general surgery internship, his training in adult and pediatric anesthesia and his professional training in oral and maxillofacial surgery. Although Dr. Szalay practices the full scope of oral and maxillofacial surgery, he has special interests in dental implants, bone grafting, TMJ reconstruction and orthognathic surgery. He has lectured locally and nationally and has published numerous articles and book chapters on a wide range of oral and maxillofacial surgery topics. He also participates in mission trips, treating cleft lip and palate patients. Austin Oral Surgery has been serving the community for nearly 50 years. Doctors James Fricke and Sam Fason established Austin Oral Surgery with one goal in mind: to put patients first. Austin Oral Surgery continues that legacy of exceptional care today, treating patients with a wide variety of oral/maxillofacial needs from wisdom teeth removal and corrective jaw surgery to dental implants and more. The practice has grown to include 11 locations throughout Central Texas, with a 12th location slated to open fall 2020. For more information, visit http://www.austinoralsurgery.com. Matt Labash You can accuse Trump of a lot of things, but never of being boring. And yet, his convention has become kind of boring. A protracted civics lesson. A tedious lecture. Wheres the fun? Why not break it up with a musical number? Say, Ted Nugent singing Cat Scratch Fever, then biting the head off a live elk. He could either grill it on the spot, medium-well, or if theres no time for that, he could just serve it raw to Pam Bondi. Liz Mair A lot of the program was prerecorded and speeches finalized before news out of Kenosha, Wis., broke on Wednesday, so its not surprising that other than Mike Pence, the speakers couldnt and didnt address the events there. But that will not make sense to average Americans tuning in. A lot of people will conclude that the G.O.P. does not care, when that may not be right but not being able to improvise at all will make them look like the stereotypical scripted, poll-tested politicians that everyone hates. Daniel McCarthy The night successfully integrated optimism and urgency, and the apparently risky choice of speakers like Jack Brewer paid off. They gave the impression of a party whose populism is broad as well as firmly conservative. Bret Stephens A much less effective night than the first two. The line that kept running through my head was the one from Airplane: Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit sniffing glue. Mimi Swartz The talk of the Republican Party of the past served only to underscore the failures of the Republican Party of the present. And that much ballyhooed pardon of Susan B. Anthony begged a question: How would Trump describe her if she were protesting today? Hector Tobar Did the production budget run out? Couldnt think of any new White House stunts? On this third night, the G.O.P. convention infomercial seemed to be running out of creative inspiration. It was a series of talking heads, repeating the same attacks against a mythical far-left menace. All this made for boring television. Only Mike Pences angry squint breathed any life into the evening. Peter Wehner Republicans are trying to turn Joe Biden into an anti-cop, anti-law-and-order, pro-violence-in-the-streets radical. Biden has to push back hard against this narrative. (He wisely did that on Wednesday.) One other thing struck me: Kellyanne Conway portrayed her boss not just as a champion of women, but as a man who respects them. Try again, Kellyanne. Donald Trump is a misogynist and sexual predator. If Trump were a Democrat, women like Ms. Conway would relentlessly and rightly criticize him for it. An Illinois police officer was filmed punching a woman in the face multiple times after she allegedly bit him as he attempted to secure her to a gurney during a mental health call. The incident was captured on camera on Saturday evening, shortly after Round Lake Beach Police received a 911 call requesting assistance with a person experiencing a mental health crisis, a statement from the department said. In the footage, several first responders are seen surrounding the woman and restraining her down onto a hospital gurney, as she writhes around and screams f*** you at the attending personnel. Within moments, an officer who is standing by the womans head suddenly strikes her hard three times in the face with a closed fist, appearing to knock her unconscious. Scroll down for video The incident was captured on camera on Saturday evening, shortly after Round Lake Beach Police received a 911 call requesting assistance with a person experiencing a mental health crisis, a statement from the department said Within moments, an officer who is standing by the womans head suddenly strikes her hard three times in the face, appearing to knock her unconscious Bystanders are heard screaming out in protest to the sickening blows. Angela Heath, who later posted videos of the incident to Facebook, shouts Hey! What the f***. I got that on video, bro. The officer then steps away from the gurney to address Heath, telling her the woman had bitten him on the leg, and begins gesturing down to an area just above his knee to the camera. I dont give a s***. You have a gun and a taser! Look at her, she was just screaming and now shes knocked out, Heath replies. What the f*** is wrong with you. The officer then returns to the huddle of first responders, and begins lifting up his pant leg in an apparent attempt assess the damage of the alleged bite. Heath uploaded a second video to Facebook after the incident of her confronting the officer for a second time, this at much closer range. The bystander asks the officer to disclose his name and badge number for the purposes of the recording. While the request goes unanswered, the officer asks Did you get the part [on video] when she bit me on the leg did you catch that? Heath replies that she likely did if the woman did so, because she caught him striking her in the face. The video doesn't clearly show the apparent biting incident as a member of the fire department is standing in front of the officer when it allegedly took place. However, a statement later issued by Round Lake Beach Police confirmed that officer had been bitten and had sought medical attention. The woman appears to be unconscious after being struck in the face by the officer The officer then steps away from the gurney to address Heath, telling her the woman had bitten him on the leg, and begins gesturing down to an area just above his knee to the camera She bit me on the leg, can you see the bite mark the officer says in the video, gesturing to the same area of his leg as before. Heath asks the officer to see the skin on his leg to prove he was bitten, however the officer doesnt oblige, instead telling the woman that biting is a form of battery. She tells the officer that doesnt matter; he responds, I think it does. The video was shared widely on social media Saturday, provoking outrage among the local community. Amid the mounting scrutiny, the police department released a statement shortly after. While calling the video shocking to see, the department appeared to defend the officers actions, insisting Striking a person who is actively biting an officer is within policy. The statement further alleges that the officer punched the woman to get her to release her bite, however assured an investigation is being carried out. To ensure that all officers followed proper policies and procedures, the Round Lake Beach Police Department will look to have an external evaluation of the incident, the statement continued. Heath asks the officer to see the skin on his leg to prove he was bitten, however the officer doesnt oblige, instead telling the woman that biting is a form of battery. Both the woman and the officer received treatment at a local hospital and have since been discharged, police said. The police said they intended to announce more information on the incident Wednesday, though no far no further statement has been offered. On Sunday, a group of community leaders went to the Round Lake Beach police station, calling for the officer responsible to be removed from public duty. We want him to be disciplined. It would show to this community that this type of behavior is unacceptable, Pastor Julie Contreras, of Our Lady of Suyapa Sanctuary Methodist Church in Wauconda said, according to the Daily Herald. He knew it was a 911 distress call for a mentally unstable individual who wanted to kill herself, yet he felt it was OK to hit her. Another GoFundMe page set up by Hubers family said he was gunned down in the streets of Kenosha while he was defending a cause he firmly believed in. He was witty and a very awesome skateboarder. He was fighting for a cause and he wasnt a rioter, he was a protester and a defender. He did all he could to have people (accept) him for who he was and we all only wanted the best for him. Italy: race against time for school reopening Sep 14 Tug of war on facemasks, transport (ANSA) - ROME, 27 AGO - It is a race against time to prepare Italy's schools for reopening scheduled on September 14 after the failure of a summit between the government and regional governors on Wednesday. On Thursday a meeting of the government-regions conference made some progress, however. It reached agreement on the management of outbreaks, and approved a plan from the Higher Health Institute, with one slight modification. At the session, governors will be able to formalise their proposals. Liguria Governor Giovanni Toti asked for "rules to be able to buy public transport vehicles without competitions and red tape". Abruzzo Governor Marco Marsilio complained that "the government line is always the same, you have to make do". Marche Governor Luca Ceriscioli said "a compromise is needed on school transport". Lombardy Governor Attilio Fontana said the government's proposal to consider classmates as relatives was a "joke". Virus technical panel coordinator Agostino Miozzo told the House education committee that "we expected infections to rise with the reopening" and recalled that schools had been closed for six months. He added that the top deck of school buses should only be allowed to be full for 15 minutes at a time. The government on Wednesday held the summit on schools' reopening after the COVID crisis next month. The aim was to draw up guidelines for the September 14 reopening. Among the key issues was a protocol for managing COVID cases as well as school transport. A number of ministers took part in the summit along with regional governors and the heads of local government including the mayors' chief. Regional Affairs Minister Francesco Boccia was present along with Transport and Infrastructure Minister Paola De Micheli, Health Minister Roberto Speranza and Education Minister Lucia Aazzolina. Also taking part were civil protection head Angelo Borrelli and COVID commissioner Domenico Arcuri. During the summit, Boccia said that a permanent discussion forum would be set up between the government and regions on school issues. Azzolina said that over 70,000 more teachers and teaching assistants had been hired to cope with the reopening. Arcuri said that single-pupil desks would begin to be distributed from Friday, when gel would also be distributed. Speranza said that the government would cleave to instructions from the Higher Health Institute (ISS) on the management of COVID cases. Deputy Health Minister Pierpaolo Sileri said on TV that the use of facemasks would be enforced wherever a distance of at least one metre could not be observed, saying that "common sense is needed". Emilia Romagna Governor Stefano Bonaccini said that the ISS guidelines for reopening were correct but there was a risk of "chaos" in school transport. The transport issue was not resolved at the videoconference and the government said it was awaiting further proposals from the regions. Veneto Governor Luca Zaia said the government had only voiced doubts, and "certainties are needed". Fontana, the Lombardy governor, said "we must change organisation, we need staggered hours and remote teaching". Milan Sacco Hospital infectious disease chief Massimo Galli told Italian TV that it was "impossible" for pupils to wear masks for five hours straight. The summit was called after a number of teaching staff tested positive for the virus. Some 20 staff tested positive in Umbria and a further six in the Treviso area. Liguria Governor Toti said he was against pupils using facemasks during lessons. He said this view was supported by several other governors. Toti said the summit had been a failure. Pupils will be distanced and will have to use facemasks, at least in corridors, the government has said. But experts have been split on the efficacy of wearing masks. Italian schools have been closed since March. Italy has been among the countries worst hit by the coronavirus, with over 35,000 deaths. In all, there have been over 350,000 COVID cases. (ANSA). Address root causes of the Rohingya refugee crisis, urges UN chief 26 August 2020 - UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for greater attention to the Rohingya refugee crisis which entered its fourth year and for addressing the root causes of the conflict. In a statement issued by his spokesperson, the Secretary-General said the UN will continue to stand in solidarity with all those affected by the crisis, and that it is committed to working with all stakeholders, including regional actors, towards a future of sustainable development, human rights and peace in Myanmar. Mr. Guterres called for greater urgency to the crisis by addressing the root causes of the conflict and creating the conditions for the safe, voluntary, dignified and sustainable return of all refugees. "The ultimate responsibility rests with Myanmar authorities, who have committed to implementing the recommendations of the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State," he said, adding: "Beyond solutions for the immediate humanitarian suffering, accountability is an imperative for long-term reconciliation." Tuesday marked three years since the start of the crisis, the largest and most recent forced displacement of the minority, mainly Muslim, Rohingya and other communities from Myanmar's Rakhine state. A complex refugee crisis The complex crisis erupted in August 2017, following attacks on remote police outposts in northern Myanmar by armed groups alleged to belong to the Rohingya community. These were followed by systematic counter attacks against the community. In the weeks that followed, over 700,000 Rohingya the majority of them children, women and the elderly fled their homes for safety in Bangladesh, with little more than the clothes on their backs. Prior to the mass exodus, well over 200,000 Rohingya refugees were sheltering in Bangladesh as a result of earlier displacements from Myanmar. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Allentown, PA (18103) Today Cloudy with morning snow ending, then windy and turning colder with falling temps and some afternoon clearing. A coating to 1-2" of snow expected in the morning. . Tonight Partly cloudy, windy, and very cold. Wind chills near or below zero later at night. Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-28 02:47:38|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close RAMALLAH, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- A senior Palestinian official on Thursday accused the U.S. and Israel of "waging war" on the Palestinian cause in order to liquidate it. Speaking at a press conference, Saeb Erekat, secretary of Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Executive Committee, said that U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has issued 48 decisions against the Palestinian people and their rights since 2017. Erekat stressed that all U.S. attempts to consider Jerusalem as the unified capital of Israel will not succeed, insisting that "East Jerusalem is the capital of the Palestinian state." He called on all Arab countries not to normalize relations with Israel and not to bypass the Arab Peace Initiative, which calls for normalizing ties between Arab countries and Israel in exchange for full Israeli withdrawal from the occupied Palestinian territories and establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital. Palestine has suspended its ties with the Trump administration since the latter recognized the disputed holy city Jerusalem as Israel's capital in late 2017 and moved the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem in May, 2018. Recently, Palestine is also angered by the announcement by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to normalize its ties with Israel under a U.S.-brokered deal, becoming the third Arab country to do so after Egypt and Jordan. Enditem NEW DELHI: Indian state refiners have stopped buying crude oil from China-linked companies, three sources said, after New Delhis recent regulation aimed at restricting imports from countries that it shares a border with. The new regulation, put in place on July 23, comes after a border clash between India and China that killed 20 Indians and soured relations between the two neighbours. Last week, Indian state refiners decided to stop sending crude import tenders to Chinese trading firm like CNOOC Ltd, Unipec and PetroChina, among others, one of the sources said. State refiners Indian Oil Corp, Bharat Petroleum Corp, Hindustan Petroleum Corp, Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemical did not immediately respond to requests for comment. CNOOC, PetroChina and Unipec parent Sinopec also did not immediately respond to requests for comment. 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 Australian media is working hand-in-hand with the government to demonise Chinas so-called interference in the countrys political, economic and educational affairs. It is also focusing on Chinas involvement in the Pacific region, recently stoking fears over Beijings presence in Papua New Guinea (PNG), Australias former colonial possession. The coverage underscores the interests of Australian imperialism in what it regards as its own back yard, and is designed to further whip up anti-Chinese sentiment in preparation for military conflict. PNG is regarded as vital as a buffer between, and a gateway into, the Pacific Ocean. Also, Australias huge mining and energy companies have investments in PNG worth $A5.8 billion. The Australian Financial Review (AFR) featured a front-page article on August 11 headed Huawei data centre built to spy on PNG. It cited a 2019 Australian government report alleging that a centre in Port Moresby built by the Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei and funded through a $US53 million loan from Chinas Exim Bank, had intentionally exposed PNG government secrets. The AFR article echoes moves led by the US to cripple Huaweis operations and eliminate it from the rollout of 5G mobile phone technology. Worldwide bans on Huaweis commercial activities, on the basis of unsubstantiated assertions the company spies on behalf of the Chinese government and its intelligence services, are part of Washingtons aggressive moves to isolate Beijing and prepare for war. Canberra has already fallen into line, including in the Pacific. Following the intervention of US officials in 2018, the Morrison Liberal government applied pressure to stop Huawei from building a new internet cable to PNG and the Solomon Islands, on security grounds. The Solomons government had signed a contract with Huawei in 2017 to build the cable, but then agreed to renege on the agreement. The report cited by the AFR was commissioned by the National Cyber Security Centre of PNG, which is funded by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and written by a cyber-security contractor, not named by the paper. The report could hardly be described as independent. The AFR claims the 64-page report was the first to allege Huaweis complicity in Beijing's cyber espionage activities, but it is nothing of the sort. While the report claims a series of failings in the security footprint at the centre, it fails to offer any actual evidence of espionage. The author alleges that outdated encryption software was deployed by Huawei, and firewall settings were insufficient for a centre designed to store the entire data archive of the PNG government. Data flows could be easily intercepted, the report said, and remote access would not be detected by security settings. It alleges the algorithm used for encrypting communications was considered openly broken by cyber security experts two years before being installed. The conclusion is drawn that there was a deliberate effort by Huawei to deploy lax cyber security in the centres build. In a statement, Huawei flatly denied the accusation, saying the project complied with appropriate industry standards and the requirements of the customer. Despite the AFRs lurid headline, the paper was forced to note that the centre had quickly fallen into disrepair as insufficient money was set aside for maintenance and operations. Financial assistance was sought from the Australian government, prompting the reports commissioning, but which Canberra declined. In other words, the AFR article, based on a dubious report that is more than a year old, proves nothing. The Sydney Morning Herald (SMH) published an equally loaded article on August 16, proclaiming that a school in Port Moresby, the Butuka Academy, had become a diplomatic weapon for China. It cited a former Australian high commissioner to PNG, Ian Kemish, who declared the school, built by the state-owned China Construction Steel Structure Corp, betrayed Chinas broader intentions in the region, purportedly demonstrating Beijings soft-power capacity. The SMH was perturbed by the schools popularity, highlighted by comments from a former teacher who pointed out the facilities were excellent and the school was in high demand. The students parents, she added, think that the Chinese government is helping a lot. The school has extensive facilities focusing on science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The SMH article pointed to concerns in Australian ruling circles over strengthening links between Beijing and PNG Prime Minister James Marape. He was installed last year after his predecessor Peter ONeill resigned amid financial mismanagement and corruption allegations. ONeills seizure of power in 2011, in violation of the constitution, was backed by Australia, which regarded him as a bulwark against the expansion of Beijings influence in the region. On assuming office, Marape stirred fears in Canberra with a request that the Chinese government consider refinancing the countrys national debt of 26 billion kina ($A11.3 billion). While this did not eventuate, Marape has insisted he wants to move the country away from an aid-donor dependency on Australia. A series of Beijing-backed ventures, in addition to the school, are also alarming Canberra. The SMH says the CCP [Chinese Communist Party] is ramping up its infrastructure investment, including airport runway expansions, seafood exports, COVID-19 medical aid and a national courthouse, backed by multimillion-dollar capital injections. It also notes that PNG supports Chinas new national security law in Hong Kong that criminalises dissent with sentences of up to life in prison. PNG is on the frontline of great power competition with China, as far as both Canberra and Washington are concerned. It is a contest in which Australian imperialism is determined to maintain its hegemony. Australia uses its aid program to retain influence and actively works to ensure a pliant government in Port Moresby. It funnels some $A600 million annually into PNG through various grants, most of which are tied to specific projects. Morrison committed $A45 million on August 4 to fund technical and vocational training, while seeking to further negotiations on a bilateral security treaty and a proposed naval base on Manus Island. Australian military and police personnel are permanently on some form of exchange or assignment in the country. The Australian ruling class never demonstrated the slightest concern for the PNG masses when it ruled over them, and has no concern for them today. Canberra has provided scant support to PNG as it currently battles a dangerous surge of over 300 new COVID-19 cases. While billions are plundered in profits, the majority of PNGs nine million populationthe working class and semi-subsistence rural villagerslive in extreme poverty and backwardness. (Newser) Residents of many parts of Louisiana's Vermilion Parish were under a mandatory evacuation order triggered by the worst storm to hit the region in more than a century, and those who stuck around better hold on tight. "Those choosing to stay and face this very dangerous storm must understand that rescue efforts cannot and will not begin until after storm and surge has passed and it is safe to do so," the Vermilion Parish Sheriff's Office said Wednesday. "If you choose to stay and we cant get to you, write your name, address, social security number and next of kin and put it a ziplock bag in your pocket," the office adds. "Praying that it does not come to this!" It's unclear how many people chose to stick around in Vermilion. story continues below In nearby Cameron Parish, where Hurricane Laura made landfall early Thursday as a category 4 stormit has since been downgraded to a category 1, per WAFBsome 150 people were staying put in homes or recreational vehicles, per WDSU. "It's a very sad situation," Ashley Buller of Cameron's Office of Emergency Preparedness, told the outlet on Wednesday. Earlier in the day, the National Hurricane Center had predicted the storm surge would be "unsurvivable," reaching up to 20 feet high and up to 40 miles inland. Buller said officials "did everything we could to encourage [residents] to leave." Help might not arrive until Friday or Saturday, per CNN. (The first reported death is that of a 14-year-old girl.) Gary Jones, BP Regional President for Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey sent a congratulatory letter to Mehriban Aliyeva, First Vice-President of Azerbaijan. "Her Excellency Mrs. Mehriban Aliyeva, First Vice-President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Dear Mrs. Mehriban Aliyeva, On behalf of BP and its entire team I would like to wish you a happy birthday! Please accept my wishes for robust health, prosperity and continued success in your activity for the benefit of the Republic of Azerbaijan," the letter said. -- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz NSW recorded nine new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, with a cluster linked to a venue in the Sydney CBD growing to eight. All the new cases were locally acquired, with five linked to a cluster in Sydneys CBD and four linked to previously reported cases. There were 30,117 tests carried out over the 24-hour period until 8pm on Wednesday. Meanwhile, a 61-year-old man has been charged after attempting to sneak into NSW from Victoria on a boat and brandished a knife when police ordered him to disembark. Officers from Marine Area Command attempted to communicate with a vessel east of Cronulla on Tuesday afternoon. NSW Police said the man became aggressive towards officers, producing the knife. The following resolution was unanimously adopted by the Fifth National Congress of the Socialist Equality Party (Australia) held on August 1416, 2020. The main Congress resolution was published on the WSWS yesterday. This congress of the Socialist Equality Party (Australia) commits to intensifying the fight for the unconditional freedom of WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange. He is a class-war prisoner, who is being persecuted by the major imperialist powers, solely because of his services to the international working class in exposing illegal wars, mass surveillance operations and global diplomatic intrigues. The SEP and the ICFI also salute the courageous stand of whistleblower Chelsea Manning, who, after being imprisoned for 7 years and 217 days, was in 2019 jailed for another 18 months for refusing to give perjured testimony in Grand Jury hearings against Assange. We defend all journalists and whistleblowers facing persecution for revealing government crimes. This includes Edward Snowden, who exposed massive global spying operations on the worlds population by the US National Security Agency in 2013. The ongoing pursuit of Snowden, who was forced to seek asylum in Russia, has exposed the utterly threadbare character of capitalist democracy in the major imperialist centres, as well as the hypocrisy of the US-led claims that regimes in its crosshairs are engaged in hacking and foreign interference. In March 2018, the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI), the World Socialist Web Site and the Socialist Equality Parties around the world, intensified their decade-long struggle in defence of Assanges fundamental democratic rights. This was inseparably connected with the ICFIs fight against internet censorship, which was being conducted by Google, Facebook and other multinational corporations, on behalf of the US government. It took place in response to an escalating assault on Assange himself. The ICFI characterised the defence of Julian Assange as the high point in the fight for democratic rights. This campaign has been entirely vindicated. Two and a half years since the ICFI made the defence of Assange a central focus of its work, the US-led vendetta against him has dramatically escalated. The WikiLeaks founder was illegally expelled from Ecuadors London embassy, where he resided as a political refugee, recognised by the United Nations (UN), and was brutally arrested by the British police on April 11, 2019. He has since been held at the maximum-security Belmarsh Prison, alongside terrorists and murderers, in conditions of virtual solitary confinement. Assanges health has deteriorated, to the point where close contacts have warned that he may die behind bars, and he has been exposed to the danger of coronavirus infection. At the same time, his access to lawyers and relatives has been severely restricted. The decision of the US administration of President Donald Trump to charge Assange with 18 offences, including 17 under the American Espionage Act, was a watershed in the global assault on democratic rights. Assange faces criminal prosecution, and life in a US Supermax prisonor worsefor revealing true information, in the public interest, as a journalist and publisher. All of the discredited slanders, relating to concocted Swedish sexual misconduct allegations, and the absurd assertion that Assange has functioned as an agent of the Russian governmentwhose crimes WikiLeaks has exposedhave been revealed as lies concocted by the intelligence agencies. As WikiLeaks, the ICFI and the SEPs have warned, the US charges against Assange have opened the floodgates for a stepped-up persecution of journalists internationally. Reporters who have fallen foul of the Trump administration have been threatened and assaulted; France has moved to prosecute those journalists who have exposed its imperialist machinations in the Middle East. Likewise, journalists in Australia have been raided for exposing war crimes and plans for expanded mass government surveillance, and threatened with criminal charges. The SEP in Australia has held several powerful events, including public protests and meetings, demanding that the Australian government fulfill its obligations to Assange, as an Australian citizen and journalist. Leading defenders of civil liberties, including globally acclaimed investigative journalist, John Pilger, have participated in these initiatives. The SEP has insisted that the Australian government will only take action to secure Assanges libertyas it is required to do under domestic and international lawif it is compelled to do so by mass pressure from below. This stance is supported by the record of the past ten years. It was the Greens-backed Labor government of Julia Gillard that began Australias criminal collaboration in the persecution of Assange, falsely claiming, in 2010, that WikiLeaks had broken Australian laws, and pledging to assist US intelligence agencies in their campaign to destroy the publishing organisation. Every government since, including the current Liberal-National Coalition of Prime Minister Scott Morrison, has ruthlessly dismissed calls to defend Assange, while cultivating ever-closer relations with his chief persecutors. This complicity extends throughout the entire media and political establishment, encompassing the liberal media, the Greens, who have done virtually nothing in support of Assange, and the pseudo-left, which abandoned him years ago, as part of the turn by their upper middle-class constituency towards open alignment with imperialist war, along with their support for reactionary identity politics. The criminal role of the official Australian parties in the Assange case is inseparable from their support for the US-Australia military alliance, and the preparations by American imperialism for new wars, including against nuclear-armed China. This goes hand-in-hand with stepped-up repression within Australia, aimed at suppressing mass opposition to war, social inequality and authoritarianism. Internationally, claims that a left-wing section of the political establishment will act in defence of Assange have been refuted no less decisively. Jeremy Corbyn, who occasionally described himself as a socialist, remained silent on Assange throughout his tenure as leader of the British Labour Party, in line with his continuous capitulations to the rightwing of his own party. Bernie Sanders, who claimed to be waging a political revolution within the US Democratic Party, would not even mention Assanges name, and has since endorsed Joe Biden, one of Assanges chief persecutors, as a candidate in the American presidential election. The SEP insists that the only way to block Assanges extradition to the US and secure his freedom is through the development of a mass international movement, centred in the working class. Millions of workers have entered into explosive struggles over the past years, including in Britain, the US, and, increasingly, in Australia. These will intensify over the coming period. The task of all those fighting for Assanges freedom, including the SEP, is to turn to this movement, and to explain that the fight for the WikiLeaks founders liberty must be inscribed on the banner of every struggle in defence of democratic rights, for social equality and against war. Altnagelvin Hospital has no Covid positive patients at present despite a rise in local cases in the past week. Figures show 28 positive cases in the council area in the past seven days. As one of the largest council areas, Derry City & Strabane has managed to contain the virus with local health professionals, amongst others, attributing that to an early self-imposed lockdown. Out of an estimated 151,000 people living in the council area, 14,576 have been tested to date, returning 268 positive cases. Overall, the council area still has the second lowest number of cases in Northern Ireland. Belfast, with a population of 344,000 has tested 39,350 individuals, resulting in the highest number of positive cases - 1,625 - as of yesterday. According to the latest weekly report from the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) there have been 866 Covid-19 related deaths in NI - 29 of those registered in Derry City and Strabane. There was some unease about an increase in cases in Derry at the beginning of the week. Derry-based GP, Dr Tom Black, BMA Northern Ireland Council chair said the message from the Health Minister was very clear, that we need to treat the threat of Covid cases increasing very, very seriously. He explained: There is transmission both within defined settings like factories, but also in the community. So, no-one can think its nothing to do with me, or its not going to affect them. It is very important that we take individual responsibility for what we are doing. Particularly the regulations around indoor gatherings, it is tempting to see more people in your own home but ultimately you are taking a risk on your own health, your families health and your colleagues and communities health. The last thing we need coming into the cold and flu season is to see a rise in Covid cases. As the Chief Medical Officer said it is important that parents dont send children to school if they are feeling unwell, keep them at home and if you think they need a test, get a test. Our health service is stable at the minute but it could so easily become overwhelmed with patients. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, use a face covering, social distance, download the app and if you are told to isolate, isolate. MASKS IN SCHOOL Education Minister Peter Weir previously said he was not recommending the use of masks in school. However, this week he announced that guidance on face coverings will be updated to include wearing them in corridors of post-primary schools. This will come into effect on August 31 when schools return on a full-time basis. The minister said the decision was made following further advice from the Chief Medical Officer and the Chief Scientific Adviser. Minister Weir commented: It is also important to remember that evidence suggests that the risk of transmission in schools is relatively low compared to some other settings. My existing guidance on the reopening of schools already deals with the use of face coverings. In terms of school transport, the advice remains the same, that we strongly recommend that all pupils wear a face covering on all dedicated school transport including buses and taxis where it is appropriate for them to do so. He continued: In relation to communal areas in schools, the guidance already strongly encourages face coverings for activities that entail large numbers of staff or pupils within an enclosed space where social distancing is not possible. Given the risk mitigations in place in schools to limit and contain the spread of Covid-19, face coverings are not recommended as being compulsory for routine use in education settings. However, staff and pupils may wish to use them during the routine school day and this is acceptable. He also advised that parents should not send their children to school if they have any of the Covid-19 symptoms including a high temperature, new continuous cough or loss of smell or taste. August 27 : Ever since Baaghi was released in 2016, there has been talk of the actor collaborating with director Siddharth Anand for a remake of Sylvester Stallones Hollywood franchise, Rambo. However, a recent change of director surprised many inside and outside the film industry. At the 70th Cannes International Film Festival in 2018, Siddharth announced the remake of the Hollywood classic film Rambo. Siddharth had also confirmed to the media in May 2019 that he will be directing Tiger in the remake of Rambo after War. Sidharth also informed that the Rambo remake will start rolling in January 2020. However, since then, a lot of changes took place due to the coronavirus lockdown. While Siddharth got involved in scripting a film with Shah Rukh Khan, Tiger has agreed to do the sequel of his debut film Heropanti with his mentor Sajid-Nadiadwala and director Ahmed Khan. Rambo remake is once again in the news after been put on the back-burner for a long time. As a Mumbai Mirror report states that while Tiger will step into his idol Stallones shoes, now Rohit Dhawan will direct the film instead of Siddharth Anand. Rohit, who will first complete his next with Kartik, has started work on the Rambo remake with his team of writers, it is reported. Rambo will roll at the end of 2021. Sylvester Stallone's Rambo, which was set against the backdrop of the Vietnam War, told the story of a troubled war veteran John Rambo. KENOSHA, Wis. A white, 17-year-old police admirer was arrested Wednesday after two people were shot to death during a third straight night of protests in Kenosha over the police shooting of a Black man, Jacob Blake. Kyle Rittenhouse of Antioch, Illinois, was taken into custody in Illinois on suspicion of first-degree intentional homicide. Antioch is about 15 miles from Kenosha. Two people were killed Tuesday night and a third was wounded in an attack apparently carried out by a young white man who was caught on cellphone video opening fire in the middle of the street with a semi-automatic rifle. I just killed somebody, the gunman could be heard saying at one point during the rampage that erupted just before midnight. In the wake of the killings, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers authorized sending 500 members of the Wisconsin National Guard to Kenosha, doubling the number of troops there. The governors office said he is working with other states to bring in additional National Guard members and law officers. Authorities also announced a 7 p.m. curfew, an hour earlier than the night before. A senseless tragedy like this cannot happen again, the governor, a Democrat, said in a statement. I again ask those who choose to exercise their First Amendment rights please do so peacefully and safely, as so many did last night. I also ask the individuals who are not there to exercise those rights to please stay home and let local first responders, law enforcement and members of the Wisconsin National Guard do their jobs. In Washington, the Justice Department said it is sending in the FBI and federal marshals in response to the unrest. The dead were identified only as a 26-year-old Silver Lake, Wisconsin, resident and a 36-year-old from Kenosha. The wounded person, a 36-year-old from West Allis, Wisconsin, was expected to survive, police said. We were all chanting Black lives matter at the gas station and then we heard, boom, boom, and I told my friend, Thats not fireworks, 19-year-old protester Devin Scott told the Chicago Tribune. And then this guy with this huge gun runs by us in the middle of the street and people are yelling, He shot someone! He shot someone! And everyone is trying to fight the guy, chasing him and then he started shooting again. Scott said he cradled a lifeless victim in his arms, and a woman started performing CPR, but I dont think he made it. According to witness accounts and video footage, police apparently let the gunman walk past them and leave the scene with a rifle over his shoulder and his hands in the air as members of the crowd were yelling for him to be arrested because he had shot people. As for how the gunman managed to leave the scene, Sheriff David Beth portrayed a chaotic, high-stress scene, with screaming, chanting, nonstop radio traffic and people running all over conditions he said can cause tunnel vision among law officers. Rittenhouse was assigned a public defender in Illinois for a hearing Friday on his transfer to Wisconsin. The public defenders office had no comment. Under Wisconsin law, anyone 17 or older is treated as an adult in the criminal justice system. Much of Rittenhouses Facebook page is devoted to praising law enforcement, with references to Blue Lives Matter, a movement that supports police. He also can be seen holding an assault rifle. Other photographs include those of badges of various law enforcement agencies, including the Chicago Police Department. All of the badges have a black line across them something police officers typically do with black tape when an officer is killed in the line of duty. In a photograph posted by his mother, he is wearing what appears to be a blue law enforcement uniform and the kind of brimmed hat that state troopers wear. The sheriff told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that militia members or armed vigilantes had been patrolling Kenoshas streets in recent nights, but he did not know if the gunman was among them. However, video taken before the shooting shows police tossing bottled water from an armored vehicle to what appear to be armed civilians walking the streets. And one of them appears to be the gunman. We appreciate you being here, an officer is heard saying to the group over a loudspeaker. Before the shooting, the conservative website The Daily Caller conducted an interview with the suspected gunman in front of a boarded-up business. So people are getting injured, and our job is to protect this business, the young man said. And part of my job is to also help people. If there is somebody hurt, Im running into harms way. Thats why I have my rifle because I can protect myself, obviously. But I also have my med kit. Sam Dirks, 22, of Milwaukee said he had seen the suspected gunman earlier in the evening, and he was yelling at some of the protesters. He was definitely very agitated. He was pacing around, just pointing his gun in general. Not necessarily at anyone specifically, Dirks said. Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, who is Black, said in an interview with the news program Democracy Now! that the shootings were not surprising and that white militias have been ignored for too long. How many times across this country do you see armed gunmen, protesting, walking into state Capitols, and everybody just thinks its OK? Barnes said. People treat that like its some kind of normal activity that people are walking around with assault rifles. In Wisconsin, it is legal for people 18 and over to openly carry a gun, with no license required. Witness accounts and video indicate the shootings took place in two stages: The gunman first shot someone at a car lot, then jogged away, fell in the street, and opened fire again as members of the crowd closed in on him. A witness, Julio Rosas, 24, said that when the gunman stumbled, two people jumped onto him and there was a struggle for control of his rifle. At that point during the struggle, he just began to fire multiple rounds, and that dispersed people near him. The rifle was being jerked around in all directions while it was being fired. Blake, 29, was shot, apparently in the back, on Sunday as he leaned into his SUV, three of his children seated inside. Kenosha police have said little about what happened other than that they were responding to a domestic dispute. They have not said whether Blake was armed, and they have not disclosed the race of the three officers on the scene. On Tuesday, Ben Crump, the lawyer for Blakes family, said it would take a miracle for Blake to walk again. He called for the officer who opened fire to be arrested and for the others involved to lose their jobs. The shooting was captured on cellphone video and ignited new protests in the U.S. three months after the death of George Floyd under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer touched off a nationwide reckoning over racial injustice. Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden posted a video saying he had spoken with Blakes parents and other family members. What I saw on that video makes me sick, Biden said. Once again, a Black man, Jacob Blake, has been shot by the police in broad daylight, with the whole world watching. 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I give special thanks to Bill Giles and Bill Hackney for their many contributions and years of exceptional service to our organization, their fellow AutoZoners and customers, said Bill Rhodes, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer. In his 14-year AutoZone career, Bill Giles has driven innovation, provided insightful guidance and leadership, and worked tirelessly to further strengthen our financial position. Bill Hackney has been an AutoZoner for 37 years and led multiple areas and teams across the Company during his remarkable career. His passion for and deep understanding of our culture, customers and businesses are unparalleled. While we will certainly miss them both, they have built organizations that are well prepared to continue moving our company forward into the future. I wish them and their families the very best in their retirements, said Rhodes. Additionally, Jamere Jackson will join the Company as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer-Elect, Finance and Store Development, and Seong Ohm will join as Senior Vice President, Merchandising. Jamere will come to AutoZone from Hertz Global Holdings, Inc. (Hertz) where he was most recently Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Before joining Hertz, Jamere served as Chief Financial Officer of Nielsen Holdings. Prior to joining Nielsen Holdings, he was Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of a division of General Electric Oil and Gas. Throughout his career, Jamere has also held several roles in finance, mergers and acquisitions and strategic planning. Seong will join AutoZone from the Dairy Farm Group, where she was the Group Commercial Development Officer supporting development, sourcing, branding and packaging for private-label and exclusive brands in 7,000 retail outlets across 11 Southeast Asian countries. She was also the Chief Commercial Officer for Home Plus, the second largest retailer in Korea and led their merchandising, sourcing and planning teams. Prior to these roles, Seong was Senior Vice President (SVP), General Merchandise Manager for both Walmart and Sams Club and VP/Divisional Merchandise Manager, Technology for Walmart Stores, Inc. Seong began her career with General Electric in marketing, planning, brand management and strategy development. Seong will report to Mark Finestone, Executive Vice President, Merchandising, Marketing, Supply Chain and E-Commerce. Jamere will report to Bill Rhodes. Both will be members of the Companys Executive Committee. We are very excited to have Jamere and Seong join AutoZone. Jameres strong business acumen and experiences at Hertz, Nielsen, and GE are well-suited for this position and contributing to the ongoing success of our Company. Seongs extensive leadership experience in the retail industry, including merchandising and global sourcing, will provide added depth to our talented management team, said Rhodes. About AutoZone: As of May 9, 2020, the Company had 5,836 stores in the U.S., 610 stores in Mexico and 38 stores in Brazil for a total store count of 6,484. AutoZone is the leading retailer and a leading distributor of automotive replacement parts and accessories in the United States. Each AutoZone store carries an extensive product line for cars, sport utility vehicles, vans and light trucks, including new and remanufactured automotive hard parts, maintenance items, accessories, and non-automotive products. Many stores also have a commercial sales program that provides commercial credit and prompt delivery of parts and other products to local, regional and national repair garages, dealers, service stations, and public sector accounts. AutoZone also sells the ALLDATA brand diagnostic and repair software through www.alldata.com . Additionally, AutoZone sells automotive hard parts, maintenance items, accessories, and non-automotive products through www.autozone.com and our commercial customers can make purchases through www.autozonepro.com . AutoZone does not derive revenue from automotive repair or installation. Update 9 a.m.: This story has been updated to include Texas Southern Universitys most recent bar pass rates. Texas Southern Universitys Thurgood Marshall School of Law is now in full compliance with admission standards and remains an approved law school, according to the American Bar Association. The bar association said in a notice that its legal education and admissions council determined in an August meeting that TSUs law school demonstrated that it had adhered to sound admission policies and practices. Joan R.M. Bullock, a professor and the dean of the law school, said shes excited about the future of the law school now that this challenge has been overcome. The pandemic and the current racial unrest highlight the importance of training legal problem solvers who are also empathetic, inclusive, and grounded in equity and justice, Bullock said in a statement. On HoustonChronicle.com: TSUs Thurgood Marshall School of Law moves closer to compliance TSUs interim president, Kenneth Huewitt, said in a written statement that the law school being in compliance with the ABA is part of a universitywide effort to maintain the colleges historic and academic significance. The final compliance status has been years in the making. Three years ago, the historically black law school was publicly censured, required to pay a fine and mandated to provide the bar a plan of action toward compliance with accreditation standards. The bar association is the law schools accrediting body, and the TSU law school was out of various key admission standards, including the requirement that the college admit students who appear capable of satisfactorily completing its program of legal education and being admitted to the bar. The law schools former noncompliance was tied into some of the controversy that Bullock said she immediately addressed when she took her position as law school dean last July. An ongoing investigation ordered earlier this year by the schools board of regents found that fraudulent and dishonest activities had occurred in the law schools admissions process. Former assistant law school dean Edward Rene, 52, is accused of stealing nearly $74,000 in scholarship money from TSU law school students by inflating financial awards for two students and pocketing the excess funds, according to a criminal charge against him. If convicted, Rene faces a maximum punishment of 20 years in prison. On HoustonChronicle.com: Ex-Texas Southern official turns himself in after warrant for arrest, charges filed Bullock told the FBI that Rene had sole discretion to award scholarships from the law school, but the money was intended for students. And Derrick Wilson, director of administration, said several TSU administrators reviewed and approved Renes budgetary requests for scholarship money but no one ever questioned Rene. Bullock stated in a letter to the ABA in November that she fired Rene and engaged the colleges Office of Internal Audit. Charges were filed against Rene earlier this year, and after he failed to report to court, Rene turned himself in to the police. He was released on a $10,000 bond, according to coordinator of the 228th District Court. The law schools bar exam passage rates, however, still remain low, according to the Texas Board of Law Examiners. Thurgood Marshalls pass rate was the lowest of the 10 Texas law schools in 2018 and 2019. It had a 57.64 percent pass rate in July 2019 a clear improvement from its 28.57 percent pass rate in February 2019 but still lower than the overall statewide rate of 68.47 percent. In February 2020, Texas Southern received the third-lowest pass rate of 41.38 percent, ahead of Southern Methodist University and Texas Tech University, which had the lowest pass rate of 33.33 percent. (The latter two schools had 8 and 3 students take the bar, respectively, whereas at TSU, 29 students took the bar). 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Turkey, Republic of Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda, Republic of Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with Omans new sultan today on the last stop of his swing through the Middle East following the US-brokered deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. Pompeo tweeted that he spoke with Omani Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al Said in Muscat on the importance of building regional peace, stability, and prosperity through a united Gulf Cooperation Council. Grateful for our strong security partnership and economic ties. The six-member GCC is made up of Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. The state-run news agency ONA reported that the two leaders reviewed aspects of the existing bilateral cooperation. Oman's newly appointed foreign minister, Badr bin Hamad al-Busaidi, also attended the meeting. Pompeo also had meetings in Israel, Sudan, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates this week in an effort to persuade other countries to strike their own deals similar to the historic Israeli-Emirati accord announced earlier this month. Under the Washington-brokered agreement, Israel has agreed to suspend its planned annexation of large portions of the West Bank in exchange for normalizing ties with the UAE. The Gulf state is the third Arab country, after Egypt in 1979 and Jordan in 1994, to establish formal relations with the Jewish state. Oman, which welcomed the deal shortly after its announcement, is thought to be among a number of states that could be next to recognize Israel. Israels intelligence minister, Eli Cohen, said in a recent interview that Oman and Bahrain were definitely on the agenda. The relationship between Israel and Oman has improved in recent years. In October 2018, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a landmark trip to Muscat to meet with Sultan Qaboos bin Said in what Israel framed as "deepening relations with the states of the region. Qaboos died in January. More than three weeks after a tropical storm knocked out power to most of Connecticut, state lawmakers on Thursday lambasted top management of Massachusetts-based Eversource Energy, venting the frustrations of ratepayers and charging that a slow response and poor communications were unacceptable. Members of the legislative Energy & Technology Committee questioned Eversource CEO Jim Judge for most of the day, recounting week-long outages caused by downed trees that blocked driveways, streets and entire neighborhoods for more than a million customers. Remarks by Judge created the headlines, of course for example, even though Eversource isnt required, like utilities in other states, to provide reimbursement for spoiled food, Judge hinted the company might provide something to customers, eventually, maybe. But for lawmakers locked out of the state Capitol for most of the last six months, the hearing was a rare chance, ten weeks before Election Day, to tee up on the head of a company that, in their view, did wrong by their constituents and needed to be called to reckon. The current regulatory environment is not working for Connecticut, said State Rep. Jonathan Steinberg, D-Westport, whose town experienced about 98-percent outages and 200 roads blocked. Tyler Sizemore / Tyler Sizemore Thursdays hearing was not the first time a CEO was hauled in to appear before the General Assembly after a crisis. But it was the biggest public backlash against a state-regulated electric monopoly since the August and October storms of 2011. Then as now, communication was a big sticking point. There was great frustration, maybe it was a communication issue, that there were not more make-safe crews available, Steinberg said, referring to the crews that identify live wires. We saw four, five, six crews, some of them out-of-state crews, sitting around often at our schools for six, seven, eight hours, without any assignments, most of the time just looking at maps. State Rep. Bill Buckbee, R-New Milford, said there were obvious breakdowns in communications between the utility and local officials, with more than 90 roads closed due to downed trees and live utility wires. I think that communication breakdown is paramount to the entire process, Buckbee said during the virtual committee meeting, which started about 10:30 and was still in process more than six hours later. Contributed Photo / Contributed Photo Judge said that under the conditions, Eversource restored service in record time. Would Eversource consider a rebate to their customers as a gesture of goodwill for the delay that was, again, while you say its been record times, for a township to go five days without hearing anything and getting anyone in the town, thats not success, thats failure as far as were concerned, Buckbee said. Is there anything that Eversource is looking to do to make things right on their own without being told they have to? I think the issue comes down to the mistakes that a company made, Judge said. You mentioned that communications is a breakdown and well take a look at just how broken we were as we do our post-storm review and file this report....and well make a decision at that time. Judge said that the company would file the report with the state Public Utilities Regulatory Authority by Sept. 8. We didnt do everything perfect and communications is something that we desperately have to work on. During his daily news conference from the State Capitol, Gov. Ned Lamont said that reimbursing customers would be a sign of good faith. Look, you could wait for regulation, you can wait for the legislators and see what they make you do, Lamont said. If I was the CEO of a company like that, I would say look, I know the incredible stress people are going through. Maybe it was a hard storm, but we all know we could have done better. And it cost some of these folks a lot in terms of financial, in terms of food and in terms of stress. I would definitely lead with a refund. I think that would be the right thing to do. During the committee session, State Rep. Raghib Allie-Brennan, D-Bethel, recalled an elderly couple, one blind and the other in hospice care, was stuck without power or their landline phone for days. He saw a Twitter post from their caregiver and was able to get local police to help them. If I didnt catch that tweet who knows how much longer that couple would have suffered in the heat without medication and food, Allie-Brennan told Judge. At an elderly housing complex in nearby Redding, the power outage stopped the flow of well water. This is a life-safety issue, Allie-Brennan said. Im asking you, Mr. Judge, what do you tell that couple? Those 300 seniors, that first selectman, about your failure to restore electricity not only 48 hours after the storm, but eight and nine days later? H John Voorhees III / Hearst Connecticut Media What I would say is Im sorry they had to go through the ordeal that they went through, Judge responded. I think that our team dealt with a devastating storm as effective as they could...Its heartbreaking in many ways in terms of what people had to endure here. I wish that we could provide perfect power. I really do, but its just not a possibility at this stage of the technology. It was to my thought relatively chaotic, said Rep. Stephen Meskers, D-Greenwich, stressing that the corporate response seemed too positive for the occasion, amid the actual frustration of ratepayers. He said local crews that were prepared to remove trees, faced the inability to shut power because of the failures of Eversource. Tyler Sizemore / Hearst Connecticut Media I understand this was a cost-driven decision, Meskers said. kdixon@ctpost.com Twitter: @KenDixonCT Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 15:17:09|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ULAN BATOR, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- A total of 261 Mongolians onboard a chartered flight arrived Thursday morning at the Buyant-Ukhaa International Airport from Europe amid the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the country's State Emergency Commission (SEC). The repatriated people consisted of pregnant women, the elderly, children and those with health, financial or other problems, the SEC said, adding that they will be isolated at designated facilities for 21 days. Since the COVID-19 outbreak, around 19,000 Mongolian nationals have come back home on chartered flights, buses or trains from different parts of the world, according to the commission. The Asian country has confirmed 301 cases so far, with no local transmissions or deaths. Enditem By Trend International and intercultural initiatives by Azerbaijans First Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva had an important impact on global development with visible results, Ivo Josipovic, former President of Croatia, Board of Trustees Member at Nizami Ganjavi International Center, told Trend. First Vice President Mehriban Aliyeva is a strong personality, a very educated and convincing person. Her career shows permanent successful activities in different areas, including humanitarian issues connecting the East and the West. She has taken many activities to do something that today for many diplomats and analysts looks as impossible mission, to join the East and the West to resolve important humanitarian problems existing today in many parts of the world, he said. Josipovic pointed out that humanitarian issues were always on the top of the list of the First Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva. Her nomination as Goodwill Ambassador of ISESCO in 2006 for her outstanding contribution to humanitarian area proves importance of her role in that field. Later, she continued connecting the East and the West to support people that need help. As the First Vice-President of Azerbaijan, Mehriban Aliyeva has strong position to continue her work. Especially, international and intercultural initiatives by Mehriban Aliyeva had an important impact on global development with visible results, said Croatias former president. Josipovic went on to add that Azerbaijan has important role in promoting women and their equality with men. Azerbaijan made clear that active role of women is not in contravention to Islam. Contemporary society and development in all fields, from industry, ICT to culture and education is not imaginable without proper role of women. Mehriban Aliyeva is one of the worldwide important examples how women can be successful in science, politics, culture, and occupy top positions on national and international level. During my visits to Azerbaijan, I had an opportunity to see increasing involvement of women in public life, in all fields of human activities. Mehriban Aliyeva supported positive processes in women promotion and their equality. Mehriban Aliyeva received Gold medal of the Nizami Ganjavi International Center for her international activities. Recently, we hosted a web-conference dedicated to the UN75 under the auspices of the First Vice-President. That was a sign of great respect she enjoys in national and international circles, he added. Josipovic noted that unfortunately, international partnership during global coronavirus pandemic was not at a proper level. The lack of global efforts and global approach to fight COVID-19 results in prolongation of the crisis and increased number of victims. As a member of NGIC, I am proud of NGIC activities to increase awareness of need to cooperate internationally to fight COVID-19. Solidarity and joint efforts only can make us successful against the pandemic. The main reason of low level of cooperation is selfishness of politicians looking just for short-term popularity and impression that they can fight the virus themselves. Hope, the awareness of need to cooperate shall prevail even among top politicians. We are happy that under the leadership of the Co-Chairs Madame President Vaira Vike-Freiberga and Dr Ismail Serageldin, dedicated Secretary General Rovshan Muradov and young Secretariat Nizami Ganjavi International Center showed real leadership, he said. The former Croatian president noted that he is proud of NGIC activities and efforts to motivate international cooperation, also to help fight against COVID-19 with different activities and actions. It is very important that an internationally recognized organization gathering experienced political leaders promotes solidarity and international cooperation. Also, activities of NGIC gives positive image to Azerbaijan as a state willing to support common efforts and to help humanity to overcome this crisis, he concluded. -- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz MADISON Some Wisconsin Republicans have countered Gov. Tony Evers call for a special session of the Legislature to pass a package of police reform bills. State Sen. Van Wanggaard, R-Racine, is one of the authors of the GOP package, although he said that some of these bills have been years in the making and are less of a knee-jerk reaction than those included in the governors request. Although Wanggaard said that Republicans have been having very good conversations with the governors office on his package. One of the Republican proposals would ban the use of chokeholds in Wisconsin in a modified form of the ban proposed by Evers and Wisconsins Legislative Black Caucus. Another of Wanggaards proposed bills would created Community Oriented Policing grants could bring COP Houses to other Wisconsin cities, modeled after Racines program that has garnered international attention. On Wednesday, Wanggaard and state Sen. Alberta Darling, R-River Hills, presented the eight-bill package titled Public Safety PACT. Among the bills is one that would establish an Independent Use of Force Review Advisory Board that would investigate and learn from certain police use of force incidents. It would be modeled after the National Transportation Safety Board, a board that investigates every civil aviation accident in the U.S. and significant accidents in other modes of transportation. Based on their investigative findings and special studies, the board makes recommendations aimed at preventing future accidents. Wanggaard said that this proposed Use of Force Review Advisory Board has 2 to 3 years of planning behind it. Sign holding and driving A woman in Kenosha on Tuesday evening holds a sign out her car window that says "STOP Police Crimes! Demand a civilian police accountability c One of the many demands made by protesters over the past few months, in addition to banning dangerous use of force tactics like chokeholds, has been for improved independent review of police uses of force that would take the review process out of the hands of traditional law enforcement. Another accountability bill included in Public Safety PACT would include whistleblower protections for officers who report use of force incidents, a bill that Wanggaards statement said is modified from a recommendation by Governor Evers and the Legislative Black Caucus. One other bill, also co-sponsored by state Rep. Janel Brandtjen, R-Menomonee Falls, would increase community involvement in the police and fire commissions of Milwaukee and Madison. The Community Orientated Policing bill would create a $600,000 grant program that would allow COP Houses to be set up in cities with populations above 60,000, modeling the program after the the philosophy already entwined in the Racine Police Department. Three other bills in Public Safety Pact are modified versions of bills from Evers and the Legislative Black Caucus. They are: Require law enforcement entities to have a link on their website to request each departments use of force policy, and all requests must be fulfilled for free within three days. Require the Wisconsin Department of Justice to publish an annual report on law enforcement use of force incidents. Banning the use of chokeholds by Wisconsin law enforcement, although Wanggaard noted that chokeholds are rarely-if-ever used in any Wisconsin law enforcement agency. We dont train that. We have never trained in that. The reason that Wanggaard did not directly support Evers proposal was that three of the bills were absolute non-starters, according to Wanggaards chief of staff Scott Kelly. Those three bills were: A ban on no-knock search warrants, which have grown in controversy since Breonna Taylor was shot and killed when a no-knock search warrant was carried out on her Louisville apartment in March 13. An additional eight hours of annual training for police on de-escalation; Wanggaards opposition, according to Kelly, was that officers already receive approximately 170 hours of trainings annually. A bill that would allow for civil suits to be filed for false calls to police, meaning that people could be fined up to $250 if they called police on someone else if they had the intent to unlawfully discriminate against them or cause that person to be humiliated or if the call would damage a persons reputation, among other reasons. That proposed bill came after several high-profile incidents where people of color have had 911 called on them when they had done no wrong. Slowness decried A lack of reform to police has been a major talking point among Black Lives Matter protesters. When massive destructive protests broke out in 1968 following the killing of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1968 was fast-tracked by Congress. After massive destructive protests broke out following the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May, little massive change has been implemented outside of Minneapolis, which may be disbanding its police force as it entirely exists. However, that plan to rebuild public safety in Minneapolis hit a road block earlier this month when a city commission blocked the City Council from pushing forward with its mission, showing that the disbanding is no longer moving forward with the pace it had before.On Monday, Evers and Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes tried to call the Wisconsin Legislature into a special session to pass a package of police reform bills. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, soon after said he would be forming a task force to analyze these issues. Some Democrats said that a task force would just waste more time considering prior research into the problems and the bills already proposed; Barnes said in a tweet that Vos task force was a cop out. In a statement, Wanggaard said The overwhelming majority of law enforcement officers do an outstanding job. Its important to remember, and to say, that. That doesnt mean policing cant be improved. The breakdown in trust didnt occur overnight in some communities, and it wont be fixed overnight. By increasing accountability, transparency and community involvement, more people will be able to see that good, quality policing is in every communitys best interest. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 1 Angry 1 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. President Donald Trump walks to Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland, on Aug. 18, 2020. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images) Trump Monitors Gulf Storm, Visits FEMA Headquarters Ahead of RNC Speech President Donald Trump on Thursday visited the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) headquarters to monitor Tropical Storm Lauras impact on the Gulf Coast, hours before he is slated to deliver an address for the Republican National Convention (RNC) and accept the GOPs nomination. We got a little bit lucky, Trump said. It was very big, it was very powerful. But it passed quickly and so everythings on schedule. The president said that he is planning to visit areas in Louisiana and Texas that were affected by the storm, which made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane on Thursday morning. There were reports that Trump was slated to visit the area on Thursday, but the Trump campaign on Thursday told Fox News that the presidents RNC speech will happen as scheduled on Thursday night, the last day of the convention. The presidents campaign said that he has FEMA in steady contact with state and local officials and has already mobilized resources and supplies to people in harms way. Reginald Duhon prepares to work at his home after Hurricane Laura moved through Louisiana in Lake Charles, La., on Aug. 27, 2020. (Gerald Herbert/AP Photo) FEMA Administrator Peter T. Gaynor said at the meeting that debris and live electrical wires could pose a danger, calling on locals to not go outside unless absolutely necessary Stay home and pay attention to the warnings, Gaynor said. Please dont go out sightseeing. Officials confirmed on Thursday three deaths from the storm, including a 14-year-old girl. Also on Thursday, Trump approved an emergency declaration for Arkansas, which was also hit by Hurricane Laura. The Presidents action authorizes the Department of Homeland Security [and] Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate all disaster relief efforts which have the purpose of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population, and to provide appropriate assistance for required emergency measures, authorized under Title V of the Stafford Act, to save lives and to protect property and public health and safety, and to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe statewide, according to the White House Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards on Thursday warned locals about a chemical fire in Lake Charles. There is a chemical fire in the Westlake/Moss Bluff/Sulphur area, he wrote on Twitter. Residents are advised to shelter in place until further notice and close your doors and windows. Images and video footage shows the fire, smoke, and an apparent chemical leak at the plant. Edwards wrote, If you are in the Westlake/Moss Bluff/Sulphur area, shelter in place, close your windows and doors and TURN OFF YOUR AIR CONDITIONING UNITS. There is a chemical fire. Stay inside and wait for additional direction from local officials. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have accused Donald Trump of rooting for violence amid unrest in Wisconsin and attacked him for a lack of leadership on the coronavirus pandemic. Their comments came hours before Mr Trumps planned address on the final night of the Republican National Convention. He views this as a political benefit, Democratic presidential nominee Mr Biden said on MSNBC about protests in Wisconsin after police shot a black man earlier this week. Hes rooting for more violence, not less. And its clear about that. Expand Close Joe Biden said Donald Trump is hoping for violence (Andrew Harnik/AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Joe Biden said Donald Trump is hoping for violence (Andrew Harnik/AP) Ms Harris, the vice presidential nominee, said Mr Trump has showed a reckless disregard for the well-being of the American people in failing to contain the coronavirus. It was her first major Trump-focused speech since she joined the Democratic ticket. The two had been largely silent during the first three days of the Republican convention, during which Republicans have tried to link them to protesters, warning a Biden presidency would make America less safe and erroneously saying he wants to defund the police. Meanwhile, the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, has once again sparked protests against racial injustice and police brutality. Days later, a 17-year-old white gunman was arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of two protesters in clashes between vigilante militias and demonstrators. White House adviser Kellyanne Conway suggested on Fox & Friends that the Wisconsin unrest could help Mr Trumps reelection chances. The more chaos and anarchy and vandalism and violence reigns, Ms Conway said, the better it is for the very clear choice on whos best on public safety and law and order. Mr Biden does not support defunding the police but has advocated for overhauling US police practices after years of high-profile killings of black Americans by officers. Ms Harris, meanwhile, sponsored a Bill in Congress to ban certain police practices like chokeholds and no-knock warrants and would create a national registry for police misconduct, among other things. In Washington on Thursday, Ms Harris defended the protesters in remarks sure to give fuel to Mr Trump on the conventions final night. Its no wonder people are taking to the streets and I support them, she said. Make no mistake: we will not let these vigilantes and extremists derail the path to justice. Mr Biden, who has largely limited travel to near his home in Wilmington, Delaware, during the pandemic said he would consider travelling to Kenosha. If I were president Id be going, Mr Biden said. But its hard to tell now what the circumstance on the ground is. Should he make the trip, Mr Biden said, he would attempt to pull together the black community as well as the white community and sit down and talk about how we get through this. Pastor Shep and Gang Leaders Bring Awareness to the Peace Movement in L.A. Communities Experience Christian Ministries (ECM) Pastor Shep Crawford brought together Bloods and Crips and other gang leaders to bring awareness about the peace movement thats been going on in neighborhoods on the East Side of Los Angeles. Leaders of the gangs are frontline in the hood looking to dissolve tension. According to pastor Crawford, when the crime rate goes down in East Los Angeles, the police, pastors, or politicians will get credit. Crawford stated that he got a front-row seat to the majority of the reason that crime and shooting are down is because of the gang leaders that are striving to bring peace within the communities. They have been in the trenches, literally not trying to do it for any other reason but because they are now fathers, grandfathers, and husbands. They have been locked up thinking about the good they aim to do when they get out, said Crawford. Its only a small percentage of gang members that has not joined the peace movement. In the press conference, Crawford stated its time for the mayor, the governor, and everyone to know that it is time for the leaders to come out of the shadows. Make sure people understand the peace that is going on in neighborhoods is happening because of what they call O.G.s, also known as G Homies. As a pastor, I cant go in the neighborhoods and tell people not to fight and not shoot, politicians cant do it, and the police definitely cant do it. Theres only one group of gentlemen, Kings that they listen to, said Crawford. Paul Williams, aka Lil Doc, was arrested by the Federal Government two days after ending a 45-year dispute between two tribes. Crawford said he does not know what to do because he is frustrated when they are trying to help cultivate and get the O.G. s to start having peace movements it seems like the police arrest them. Doc, who is a huge part of this movement which has in his way, has made sure these tribes come together and make sure they have peace, got picked up on some things that allegedly happened way back. Im not here to talk about whether he is guilty or innocent. Im here to talk about Paul Wallace that I know is passionate about whats been going on in these streets, and so are a lot of these leaders here. Who are we to tell them that whenever they crossover to do the right thing, they will be picked up over things that happened years ago. It would make them say I dont want to change. Peace is not profitable to the system, infers Crawford and other gang leaders. Gang leaders and Pastor Crawford held the press conference because they are tired of being targeted and arrested when making a change in the community. They want to show unity within the Black and Brown gangs. Wallace Lil Doc had a large hand in making that happen. ADVERTISEMENT Skipp Townsend spoke with the Los Angeles Sentinel and talked about Wallace. He said Wallace helped build relationships with four or five different communities that were at war with each other. The Feds charged him with a RICO Act for conspiracy and said that he is a gang leader when he is an influencer for peace, said Townsend. Townsend and others believe he is a political prisoner. They want to charge him because he became a major influence in our community. He is our 2020 political prisoner. According to Townsend, the Federal Government believes he is a threat to the system because of his influence. He was able to influence the East Coast Crips to sit down with the F13s said Townsend. Thats a major war thats been going on for over 20 years. For Doc to reach everybody and get them to sit at the table and listen to something, its like going against the grain. I think the FEDS was thinking he got too much power. He has the power to bring peace. Its political for them. This is what social justice is about, said Townsend. There is no justice here; the scale is unbalanced; they keep taking us to jail. How do we quantify how many lives are being saved because Doc brought those communities together. We can count how many dead bodies we got, thats what police use. The murder rate is down, and they cant take credit for that. Let me take credit for that. Let Doc take credit. They are afraid. According to Minister Terence Berry, there are different initiatives in the community that are trying to create peace; they are the unsung heroes. He states that to make peace, you have to have an intimate relationship with the people in power and people who can relate to the young people who are out here with guns creating senseless violence. These are generational things so, in order to deal with a generation that has passed on these traditions that have pretty much been created on senseless violence and trauma, we have to have intimate relationships with individuals who can go into the trenches and speak and have power, and be listened to because its one thing to be able to say something, its another thing to be understood and listened to by those who are actually active out there, said Minister Berry. Its time for clergy to come up out of their churches and build with the people who are in the community, stated Berry. God is doing something; it is a Kingdom movement thats happening. We want to be able to have these brothers be free, be active, and make moves that need to be made to help our communities be built. Free Lil Doc (Paul Wallace), said Minister Berry. Pastor Crawford mentioned that the system has always been against Black and Brown people. Since the birth of America always been against U.S. America cannot call these guys thugs when America started this whole country thugging. We want to make sure we got our just due. The former head of BBC News has compared the top of the corporation to the comedy spoof W1A. Roger Mosey said the mockumentary, which sends up the corporation's politically correct bureaucracy, reflects 'a lot of truth'. The 62-year-old also told the Edinburgh TV Festival that too many of the BBC's big decisions are made in London by 'white liberals' and that its executives should better reflect the 'diversity of thought' found across the whole of Brexit Britain. The former head of BBC News has compared the top of the corporation to the comedy spoof W1A, pictured above He said: 'The W1A sitcom is a parody of course, but it does have an awful lot of truth in it about the way the organisation, the BBC, works and its kind of mindset and breaking that down. 'I do think geography is a really key part of it. It's all very well having Salford, and everywhere else, but I really think decisions should be made there. 'I know you've got Five Live and Breakfast [based in Media City, Salford] but every single powerful BBC executive is still in London, ditto ITV and Channel 4, although they've got Leeds, it still feels very London. Roger Mosey (pictured) said the mockumentary, which sends up the corporation's politically correct bureaucracy, reflects 'a lot of truth' 'I think breaking down these kinds of barriers should have happened.' Mr Mosey, who is now the Master of Selwyn College, Cambridge, was addressing a debate on diversity in the industry. He said: 'I feel passionately, there should be more people from ethnic minority backgrounds in newsrooms, making decisions, and diversity is something the industry has to commit itself to. 'The only thing I'd add really is I think diversity is very broad though. In a sense, it's also about diversity of thought. It's about Left and Right, it's about liberal and conservative. And if you think about the missing voices last year ... they also included people in the red wall, people who voted for Brexit, people who were from working class areas in the north of England ... and pretty much every major decision in television is still taken in London. 'And part of that diversity is getting the sense of a whole UK with this amazing canopy of people in it and getting newsrooms to be more representative of everybody in the UK, rather than what it used to be really which was white liberals in London.' Asked if it was a missed opportunity when the BBC appointed a white man, Tim Davie, as its next director-general, Mr Mosey said: 'Yes, I think it's a real problem.' WASHINGTON As the Republican National Convention wraps up, one overarching message has been clear: The hard truth is you wont be safe in Joe Bidens America, as Vice President Mike Pence put it on Wednesday night. President Donald Trump has increasingly focused his reelection campaign on law and order in an effort aimed especially at shoring up support in the suburbs where Democrats gained ground in 2018. Even as Biden has said he believes police funding should be increased, Trump and his allies have repeatedly accused the Democratic nominee of wanting to defund police departments as protests over police violence against Black Americans have roiled the country. If you want a vision of your life under Biden presidency, think of the smoldering ruins in Minneapolis, the violent anarchy of Portland, the bloodstained sidewalks of Chicago, and imagine the mayhem coming to your town and every single town in America, Trump said at a rally in Scranton, Penn. earlier this month. Youre not going to have law and order. Trumps supporters in Texas would add Austin to that list after its city council earlier this month voted to reduce the police department budget by about a third siphoning tens of million from police training and overtime to pay for a new family violence shelter and other city services. The move comes as Austin like many cities across the country weathers a spike in homicides during the coronavirus outbreak and economic recession. There couldn't have been a greater gift to help President Trump than the actions of the city of Austin, said Bill Gravell, county judge in Williamson County, a longtime Republican stronghold north of Austin where Democrats have gained ground in recent years as the city has grown. NEW LAW PROPOSED: Gov. Abbott, state leaders threaten tax freeze for cities that defund police The thought of defunding police during a really fragile time in our community, from COVID to racial tensions, to now a hurricane, Gravell said. It took Texas from being a tossup possibly for Trump to it is no longer in the tossup category. Other Texas Republicans, including Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick who leads Trumps reelection efforts in the state and Cat Parks, the vice chairwoman of the Texas GOP, have condemned Austins move and underscored the law and order theme, as well. Biden replied to Pence on Thursday: The violence were witnessing is happening under Donald Trump. Not me. Its getting worse, and we know why. In Texas, Austin is the lone city so far to heed grassroots pressure to make such cuts to police funding and it appears unlikely any others will follow suit as they wrap up their budget processes this month. And despite GOP warnings of Antifa violence spilling into the suburbs from big cities, crime overall is down in each of the five biggest cities in Texas from 2019. By the end of July, Austin reported 10 more homicides than at the same point in 2019, though it still has among the fewest homicides of any big city in the country. San Antonio, meanwhile, saw 71 homicides in the first six months of the year, putting the city on track to have one of its deadliest years in nearly three decades. About a third of those were a result of family violence. Houston had 194 homicides by the end of July, 45 more than at the same point in 2019. That includes nine domestic violence homicides from March through July; there were four such homicides during the same period in 2019. Polls show Texas voters back law and order The Texas Democratic Party said the idea that Austins move to reduce police spending would help Trump was absolutely laughable. They say Republicans are trying to distract from the coronavirus outbreak and lingering economic downturn. Poll after poll shows that voters in Texas care about ending the coronavirus, making sure our families dont get sick, and helping our economy recover, said Abhi Rahman, a spokesman for the party, all of which Donald Trump has utterly failed every step of the way. TEXAS TAKE: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox But polling also shows the law and order message has an audience among Texas Republicans and potentially some independents. July polling by the University of Texas at Austin found that more than three-fourths of Republicans and 43 percent of independents believe deaths of African Americans during encounters with police have been isolated incidents, not a sign of broader problems. It's no surprise given the attitudes of Republican voters toward police and discrimination in America that Republican elected officials up and down the ballot are eager to change the conversation to focus on urban appeals to reallocate police budgets, said Joshua Blank, research director at the Texas Politics Project that conducted the UT polling. As the defund the police movement that led to Austins budget changes has gained steam and been targeted by Trump criminal justice experts say its actually consistent with the much broader push for criminal justice reform that has been happening across Texas for years. That includes reform of the cash bail system for nonviolent defendants, reduced penalties for certain drug charges and a greater focus on rehabilitation, among other things. I think people get the impression were going to put the police out of business, but in fact what people have been talking about is changing the relationship of the criminal justice system and the communities theyre supposed to serve to provide more social services, said Sandra Guerra Thompson, director of the Criminal Justice Institute at the University of Houston Law Center. Theres room for a lot of nuance that in a political season you may not get. She pointed to Houstons move in 2014 to establish an independent city crime lab, taking it out of police control, as an example of the sort of reforms that can fall under the defund the police umbrella. That was the case in Austin, where the bulk of the police funding cuts stemmed from making things like the forensics lab and internal affairs department independent city agencies. Greg Casar, the city council member who led the effort, said Austin which has historically spent more per capita on police than any other major city in Texas has been working on such reform for years and that recent protests sped the process along. Cities across the state are finishing next years budgets and Austin so far stands alone in its move to slash police funding. San Antonio city officials have proposed boosting police funding by $8 million in a budget the council is set to vote on next month. Houston, meanwhile, passed a budget in June that included a 2-percent bump for the police department. Dallas delayed a proposed increase in police funding, but has so far resisted calls for cuts. Awakening a giant Casar said less than 10 percent of the Austin Police Departments time is dedicated to addressing violent crime. The goal was to redirect resources to more pressing needs, such as a new family violence shelter, EMS to help with coronavirus relief, and other city services. He said he doubts the law-and-order attacks will benefit the GOP in November. When we desegregated schools, the segregationists used it as a political platform for themselves. When we passed LGBT protections, homophobic leaders used that, he said. Of course people like Dan Patrick and Greg Abbott are going to use it as a platform for themselves. That should not stop us from doing whats right. But police unions say the city hasnt considered the impact the cuts will have on law enforcement, especially in such a rapidly growing city. When you defund or cut budgets, its a downward spiral that takes a long time to catch back up to, said Jennifer Szimanski, public affairs coordinator at Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas. Cutting an academy class or cadet class that will take a lot longer to catch up to or fix than it sounds or it seems. In Williamson County, where about 55,000 people live within Austins city limits, Gravell said hes been getting calls from residents worried about what it means for them. The day after the Austin City Councils vote, Abbott held a press conference with Patrick and House Speaker Dennis Bonnen in which the governor said hed send in troops if needed and the three vowed to push legislation that would freeze property taxes in cities that make cuts to police budgets. You have awoken a giant, Gravell said of the pushback Austin will see. Politically, its just a move that defies common sense. ben.wermund@chron.com After eight days of discussions, a breakthrough has been reached on the controversial revenue sharing formula among counties. The 12-member Senate committee co-chaired by Bungoma Senator Moses Wetangula and his Nairobi counterpart Johnson Sakaja, announced Wednesday that a deal has been brokered. They however did not disclose the formula they have agreed on, saying a report will be made public in the coming days. Wetangula said the formula will be made public by Speaker of the Senate, Ken Lusaka. We have made tremendous progress. We are making the final bend. Tomorrow (Thursday) we shall present our formula in the form of a report to the House leadership led by speaker Kenneth Lusaka, Wetangula said. The Bungoma Senator assured that the stalemate which has been on the media and everybodys lips will come to an end. We have had in-depth long winding deliberations trying to give the country a fair formula of sharing revenue among counties, Wetangula said. Sakaja noted that the Senate committee has made a determination after considering all the proposals presented to the panel by various senators, commission on revenue allocation and the National Treasury. Should the House leadership agree with the committee proposal, the speaker shall gazette a special sitting of the Senate to approve the formula. The moment I saw this particular issue, it raised in my mind: Who knows the truth of this particular transaction? Does one of our foreign adversaries? Because if they do, and you and I do not, they can use that as leverage. Thats what the Russians call kompromat, Krishnamoorthi said. Theres always that lurking suspicion about who is actually behind this, and what did they get in return for the forgiveness? They dont do this as charity and that further raises the question of what do Donald Trump and the Trump Organization owe to these people? Read the full story here. Oline Price said her husband, state Sen. Randy Price of Opelika, is accustomed to the physical mishaps that come with working in the cattle business and construction, the kind of injuries you can see. Randy has never had an illness that he cant point to you and tell you where the construction site accident happened or where the bull ran over him, where the cast was or where the stitches were, Oline Price said. This is internal and he hasnt ever dealt with something like that. So when Price, 63, a farmer, business owner, and first-term lawmaker, came down with COVID-19 around the Fourth of July, he didnt know what he was in for. Oline Price had battled flu-like systems with the virus, and their sons, daughter-in-law, and grandchildren had it too, all with different symptoms and experiences. Sen. Price was the last in the family to get sick. When his symptoms got bad enough to go to East Alabama Medical Center in Opelika, he still was not alarmed, Oline Price said. He thought he was going to go to the hospital, they were going to give him a steroid shot, give him some fluids, and he was going to come home the next day, Oline said. And I think a lot of people probably think that way because they feel sick but they dont realize how sick they really are. Price would spend more than five weeks at EAMC, including time in intensive care and on a ventilator. On Aug. 14, he moved to the EAMC-Lanier Acute Rehabilitation Unit in Valley to regain his strength. Oline Price expects him to be home within two weeks. She said in-home therapy will follow. This stuff is not easy to recover from by any stretch of the imagination, said Oline, who is the Lee County revenue commissioner. Its a long recovery and its pretty intensive. He still has a long recovery and he knows it. Hes prepared to fight it. Price is one of three Alabama lawmakers who have disclosed they had COVID-19. The others are also from Lee County -- Sen. Tom Whatley, R-Auburn; Rep. Joe Lovvorn, R-Auburn. Whatley and Lovvorn have both recovered and donated convalescent plasma. Oline Price believes convalescent plasma, which carries antibodies to fight the virus, has helped her husband recover. Shes a donor, too. Monday was Randys birthday, she said. I couldnt give him a present but last Saturday I went and gave plasma again for his birthday gift. Maybe I can help somebody else. Oline Price said the family got infected after their son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren returned from a beach trip. They came back talking about how people were not careful, she said. And they had been back less than a day and our son got sick. Then our daughter-in-law and the baby sitter." It hit them all in different ways. The grandchildren, ages 7 and 1, were barely affected. Others experienced some misery, although nothing approaching what her husband has gone through. I felt like I had a bad case of the flu, she said. Went two or three days achy and low-grade fever. And then I went for a couple of weeks where if I sat down I would fall asleep. I was sleepy and just tired feeling, what you hear from most people who say they had a mild case. Our youngest son walked around like somebody had just beaten him. He could hardly move. Our oldest son coughed. And it was like from his feet up. He just had the deepest, most rattling cough. It affects people so differently. And you never know how its going to affect anybody. And Randy, it started out almost mild with him. But then it just kept progressing and getting worse. About two weeks into his hospital stay, the senator put out word that he bouncing back and a statement imploring folks to take the virus seriously, wear masks, and adhere to other precautions. But he had a setback. Doctors had to return him to a ventilator. COVID is ups and downs, Oline Price said. And you never know when youre going to hit a down and when youre going to go up. And he was doing much, much better. And all of a sudden, and thats when they had to put him on a ventilator. Oline Price said the devotion and caring manner of the doctors, nurses, and staff at EAMC helped make difficult circumstances more bearable. She is part of a group that gathers on the top floor of the hospital to pray for the nurses and the patients. They met daily for a while and now do so twice a week. I talk to other family members that have people there, family members in the hospital, Oline Price said. And they all say the same things about how wonderful the staff is, how accommodating and how kind they are because they understand. And with everything else they have going on they have time to answer our questions and they take time. And were just so appreciative of that. Last Sunday, Oline and the family got their first chance to see Randy since he entered the hospital more than seven weeks ago. They visited at the rehabilitation center, staying separated by a window. He looked good, she said. He looked so good. Hes lost a lot of weight, but he still looks really good. We were very, very happy about that. To the grandchildren, the senators name is Biggie. The separation has been tough, although FaceTime has helped some, Oline Price said. Shes looking forward to the first big family meal when her husband gets home from rehab. She expects it will be steaks from beef produced at their farm, C&H Farms, with one of their sons manning the grill and her preparing the side dishes. Its been terrible, she said. Now families have gone through it worse than we have. I just thank so much the people that have prayed for us, the prayer warriors. Because their prayers have helped heal Randy. Ive heard their prayers. But also their prayers have given our family strength to keep going. Covid-19 and the slow implementation of power transmission projects may make it impossible for solar power projects to connect to the national grid by the end of the year. Investors of solar power projects are concerned that they may fail to connect to the national grid and this be able to enjoy the preferential FIT (feed in tariff) of 7.09 cent per kwh. Under current regulations, the price is only applied to projects which become operational and connect to the national grid no later than December 31, 2020. According to Nguyen Huu Vinh from Ha Do Group, which is implementing a 50 MW solar power project in Ninh Thuan province, the developer initially planned to connect to the national grid this July. However, he fears the plan may fail because the execution of the Thap Cham Ninh Phuoc transmission line has not been completed. He has heard that the project will be completed no sooner than September. Similarly, Sao Mai Group, the developer of a 104 MW power project, initially planned to connect to the grid by the year end, but the project upgrading the Tinh Bien Chau Doc transmission line is expected to be completed 2-3 months later than expected. Covid-19 and the slow implementation of power transmission projects may make it impossible for solar power projects to connect to the national grid by the end of the year. Ho Manh Dung, representative of Sao Mai, said the power generation project will face difficulties if the transmission line cannot be set up as scheduled. The other big problem of the project is that foreign specialists still cannot fly to Vietnam to examine the equipment installation because of travel restrictions due to Covid-19. If appropriate agencies dont help settle the problem, the investor will fail to put the power plant into operation by the end of the year to enjoy the preferential FIT. Sao Mai has asked Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) to help investors overcome the current difficulties by urging EVNSPC to speed up the execution of the Tinh Bien Chau Doc transmission line and request that the government to extend the validity of the preferential FIT. According to the Electricity Regulatory Authority of Vietnam (ERAV), a series of electricity transmission projects have been put into operation recently, helping minimize the reduced capacity and maximize solar power capacity. In Ninh Thuan and Binh Thuan, as power supply has been overly high at times, ERAV has had to reduce the mobilization of hydropower capacity to avoid overloading the transmission line. This means that the regulatory unit is trying to optimize the mobilization of solar power. A representative of ERAV said that renewable energy plants (solar, wind) are a higher priority than traditional power plants in providing electricity to the grid. The agency, for example, has recently reduced the mobilization of electricity from Da Nhim hydropower plant to prioritize the use of electricity from renewable power plants. Kim Chi Vietnam considers bidding on solar power prices 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. Michael Cohen worked as Donald Trump's personal attorney and 'fixer' for more than a decade. The former Trump confidante, 54, once said he would 'take a bullet' for his boss. But everything came crashing down in 2018 when Cohen was sentenced to three years in prison for directing hush payments to porn star Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal, who claimed they had affairs with Trump. Cohen, who is now out on house arrest, is set to release his book Disloyal: The True Story of the Former Personal Attorney to President Donald J. Trump on September 8. The book claims Cohen 'knows where the skeletons are buried' and labels Trump as a 'racist, sexist, homophobic, lying and cheating President'. Here, Cohen pens for DailyMail.com why he believes Americans shouldn't vote for Trump in the 2020 presidential election, writing: 'I pray the country doesnt make the same mistakes that I made; or pay the heavy price my family and I are paying.' My name is Michael Cohen and I was the former personal attorney to President Donald J. Trump. Each day I watch in amazement as the President makes statements or tweets that further divide this country. Worse, he actually takes pleasure in the chaos and hatred it elicits. As someone who worked for him for over a decade, its actually much worse than people know. President Trump has become the worst version of himself imaginable. President Trump lacks the ability to demonstrate empathy for others, while being completely dishonest to the American people; and all at the same time. Michael Cohen worked as Donald Trump's personal attorney and 'fixer' for more than a decade. The former Trump confidante, 54, once said he would 'take a bullet' for his boss. Here, Cohen pens for DailyMail.com why he believes Americans shouldn't vote for Trump in the 2020 presidential election, writing: 'I pray the country doesnt make the same mistakes that I made; or pay the heavy price my family and I are paying' In 2018 Cohen was sentenced to three years in prison for directing hush payments to porn star Stormy Daniels (left) and former Playboy model Karen McDougal (right), who claimed they had affairs with Trump President Obama once stated: Im here today because this is one of those pivotal moments when every one of us, as citizens of the United States, need to determine just who it is that we are, just what it is that we stand for. I have made my own mistakes and have owned them publicly and under oath; silence and complicity to this daily destruction of our basic civility to one another will not be one of them. I did things and acted improperly, often at Mr. Trumps behest; I blindly followed my boss demands. Cohen is set to release his book Disloyal: The True Story of the Former Personal Attorney to President Donald J. Trump on September 8 My loyalty to Mr. Trump has cost me everything: my familys happiness, friendships, my law license, my company, my livelihood, my honor, my reputation and my freedom. I cannot sit back, say nothing and allow him to do the same to the country. So, Mr. President, let me advise you one last time. Science is real and so is Covid-19 with over 170,000 people having already died. You cant just wish it away. And, despite your claims to the contrary, the economy is tanking with negative economic growth. We are not better off today than we were four years ago. In fact, Mr. President, America is nearing the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. Mr. President, its time you honor our veterans, even in the rain. You tell the truth even when it doesnt aggrandize you. You respect the law and our incredible law enforcement agents; you dont villainize them. You dont disparage Generals, Gold Star families, P.O.W.s and others who had the courage to fight for this country. You dont attack the media and those who ask questions you dont want to answer. You take responsibility for your own dirty deeds. You dont use the power of your bully pulpit to destroy the credibility of those who speak out against you. He writes: 'Whatever your political affiliation is, I say this as a witness, open your eyes as I have and acknowledge that President Trump cares for nothing or anyone other than himself. None of us can afford to take a bullet for him!' You dont separate families from one another or demonize those looking to America for a better life. You dont vilify people based upon the god they pray to and you dont cuddle up to our adversaries at the expense of our allies. You dont shut down the government before Christmas/New Year to appease your base. And, yes Mr. President...Black Lives do Matter. This behavior of yours is churlish, denigrates the Office of the President and is simply un-American. So, to those who support the President and his rhetoric, as I once did, I pray the country doesnt make the same mistakes that I made; or pay the heavy price my family and I are paying. Whatever your political affiliation is, I say this as a witness, open your eyes as I have and acknowledge that President Trump cares for nothing or anyone other than himself. None of us can afford to take a bullet for him! Michael Cohen's book Disloyal: A Memoir: The True Story of the Former Personal Attorney to President Donald J. Trump is out on September 8. Our core businesses are firing on all cylinders. Still, weve not hit our peak, and the best is yet to come. USWired Inc., a leading provider of Managed IT Support and Cloud Services, announced today it has achieved the rank of No. 4,282 on 2020 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. Were very proud to make it on the Inc. 5000 list for the 3rd time, said Robin Hau, CEO of USWired. Our core businesses are firing on all cylinders. Still, weve not hit our peak, and the best is yet to come. 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 https://www.inc.com/inc5000. 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. These benchmarks are what local businesses should examine when choosing a managed service provider with the experience, skill set, business knowledge and defined strategy to help them succeed in this fast-changing digital landscape, says Kris Blackmon, Senior Content Director, Channel Partners and Channel Futures. In all of the managed service providers that California has to offer, USWired stands as a shining example of excellence. The applicant pool for the annual MSP 501 has grown year-over-year, making this years list the most competitive in the surveys history. The 2020 winners are truly the best examples of innovation, business acumen and strategic savvy on the planet. We extend our heartfelt congratulations to the 2020 winners and gratitude to the thousands of MSPs that have contributed to the continuing growth and success of both the 501 and the thriving managed services sector. 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 https://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 https://www.inc.com. About USWired Based in Campbell, CA, in the heart of Silicon Valley, USWired is a leading provider of managed IT support and cloud services for small to mid-sized businesses, large enterprises, and government entities. Since 1996, USWired has delivered comprehensive, dependable, and cost-effective IT services and solutions tailored to the special needs and budgets of our clients. For more information, visit https://www.uswired.com. DANBURY A caregiver is facing a felony charge following a police investigation into an elderly abuse complaint. Michael Opoku, 56, of West Hartford, was arrested Tuesday and charged with intentional cruelty to persons after police say he neglected to help an abused elderly man in his care. Officers were called to a Danbury residence July 10, to speak with an elderly male who said one of his caregivers had assaulted him. The elderly male has debilitating medical conditions, which require him to have an aide 24 hours a day. As one of his care providers was on duty, he repeatedly assaulted the elderly male, causing several injuries, Detective Lt. Mark Williams said. After the assault, the elderly man was left to care for himself, Williams said. Opoku is not accused of committing the assault, but of becoming aware of the elderly mans injuries and doing nothing to care for him or summon medical care, according to police. Not only did Opoku fail to seek help for the man, police said, but he was found sleeping when officers responded to the elderly mans call and had no idea that the elderly victim had walked to a neighbors house to ask for assistance. Williams said a warrant is being sought for the caregiver who allegedly assaulted the elderly man. Opoku was released after posting 10 percent of a $10,000 bond and is scheduled to be arraigned at state Superior Court in Danbury on Sept. 29. The NIA's chargesheet rests on technical and material evidence to establish the link between local Jaish operatives and their handlers in Pakistan. However, if the past pattern of Pakistan's behaviour is anything to go by, the JeM chief may still evade justice The voluminous National Investigating Agency chargesheet naming Masood Azhar and two other members of his family in the Pulwama terror attack is making headlines in India. The NIA's chargesheet, it is said, rests on technical and material evidence to establish the link between local Jaish operatives and their handlers in Pakistan. However, if the past pattern of Pakistan's behaviour is anything to go by, the NIA's 13,500 page case file may not be enough to bring the terror mastermind to justice. Cinching evidence When the NIA began its probe into the Pulwama terror attack in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed last year, it faced a "blind case" in the absence of any solid proof against the perpetrators. The case posed unique challenges, such as a lot of evidence having blown to pieces in the suicide attack and seven accused being subsequently killed in encounters. However, the Central agency painstakingly used forensic tests including DNA profiling of the meagre evidence to breach the dead ends. "It was a blind case for us. There were a lot of murmurs but everything needs to be established beyond doubt in the court of law," a senior official, who was part of the probe told PTI. The chargesheet has named Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar and his two relatives along with 16 others. Azhar's nephew, Mohammed Umar Farooq, has been named as the main conspirator of the suicide mission. According to officials, Farooq had infiltrated into India in April 2018 and was subsequently killed in one of the encounters in South Kashmir last year. Officials said the role of conspirators which included Mudasir Ahmed Khan, Qari Mufti Yasser and Mohd Kamran came to light but all of them were killed in different encounters with security forces. After JeM spokesperson Mohd Hassan in a video claimed that his group was responsible for the attack, it was sent for forensic examination and the Internet Protocol address was traced to a computer-based in Pakistan. "A lot of digital, forensic, documentary and oral evidence establishing a fool-proof case against the accused of this dastardly and barbaric attack has been collected," NIA Deputy Inspector General and spokesperson Sonia Narang said. "The charge-sheet has brought on record the all-out involvement of Pakistan-based entities to carry out terrorist strikes in India and to incite and provoke Kashmiri youth," she said. Masood Azhar's video and audio recordings praising the Pulwama attack are also part of the charge-sheet. There are also pictures and WhatsApp messages that show not only was the conspiracy hatched in Pakistan, but even the explosive used in the attack was brought from across the border in tranches between March-May, 2018. The NIA has also said it has received useful and reliable inputs from foreign investigating agencies that helped it conclude the probe. However, if the history of terrorism crimes in India is anything to go by, a solid trail of evidence, a chargesheet or even a judgment convicting the top leadership of the notorious Pakistan-based terrorist group may not be enough to ensure justice. Unless the Pakistani leadership decides to cooperate in the probe and act against Azhar and his cohorts, the agency's case may just remain confined to the files. Who is Masood Azhar and Pakistan's role in shielding him? Born in Bahawalpur, he was third of 11 children of a Deobandi cleric who ensured his son received good religious education. He graduated from the Jamia Uloom Islamic madrassa, notorious for ties to the extremist Harkat-ul-Ansar (HuA) that backed the proxy war against India in Kashmir, according to a previous Firstpost article detailing the operations of his mafia-style family-run terror enterprise. Azhar was first detained by Indian authorities on terrorism charges in 1994. He reportedly bragged to his jailers that they would not be able to keep him in custody. Five years later, the world watched in horror as hijackers diverted an Indian Airlines flight to Afghanistan and held the passengers hostage, the drama ending only when Delhi agreed to release three Kashmiri militants, including Azhar. He is now wanted in more than a dozen cases for direct link and his group is held responsible for hundreds of terror attacks in the Kashmir Valley. Among the most notable crimes on his account are the attacks on the Parliament building and Jammu and Kashmir State Legislative Assembly complex in 2001, killing nine and eight people respectively, Pathankot terror attack in 2016, Pulmawa attack in February 2019. Pakistan's role so far Azhar was detained and placed under house arrest after the Parliament attack. But a court in the Punjab provincial capital of Lahore ordered his release in 2002, citing "lack of evidence". The group struck again in 2016 on the Pathankot airbase killing seven soldiers. Azhar was again taken into "protective custody", but never formally charged. His whereabouts remained a mystery for months, with speculation he was being kept under house arrest in Bahawalpur. In July 2018, he addressed supporters in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistani Occupied Kashmir, by telephone from an undisclosed location, claiming he had hundreds of militants ready to fight to the death. The speech prompted Indian authorities to tighten security at airports in anticipation of another hijacking, AFP reported. He hasn't been directly heard from since then and Pakistan officially told the FATF in February this year that Azhar and his family are missing. But media reports quote intelligence officials to claim Azhar is living under the highest security in a virtually bomb-proof house behind the terror groups Bahawalpur headquarters at Markaz-e-Usman-o-Ali, Railway Link Road, in Pakistan. He has three other known addresses in Pakistan: Kausar Colony, Bahawalpur; Madarassa Bilal Habshi, Bannu, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa; and Madrassa Masjid-e-Luqman, Lakki Marwat in the same province, according to Hindustan Times report. After the Pulwama attack last year, there were uncorroborated reports that the terror mastermind had been put under a house arrest. But Hindustan Times reported in June this year that he has been 'secretly released' to plan terrorist operations in Kashmir. Pakistan, meanwhile, remains oblivious to Azhar's actions. The fact that Azhar's release from Indian prison was orchestrated by an act of terrorism the hijacking of a plane full of civilians under full international glare hasn't helped India's case with Pakistan; admissions of Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan that "Pakistan Army created armed militants" in the 1990s hasn't helped; and neither has the public admission of Pakistan's former dictator and military chief Pervez Musharraf that Pakistan intelligence agencies used JeM to carry out attacks in India. It is yet to be seen whether Pakistan, now faced with the sanctions from the multinational Financial Action Task Force, will act any differently. For the record, Islamabad has said it has brought seminaries linked to jihadist groups under government administration and is prosecuting key leaders for financing terrorism. In the latest move, Pakistan issued financial sanctions against Afghan Taliban members along with outlawed anti-India groups such as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and the Haqqani network. But it had also first accepted Mumbai-blast mastermind Dawood Ibrahim's hideout in the country by placing financial sanctions, but later tried to distance itself from the statement by claiming that its notifications about the 88 banned terror groups and their leaders were based on the details provided by the UN. With inputs from agencies Advertisement Brenton Tarrant, the white supremacist terrorist who shot 51 people dead and wounded 40 more in an attack on two mosques in New Zealand, has been sentenced to life in jail without possibility of parole. The sentence, the harshest penalty ever doled out by a New Zealand court, guarantees that the 29-year-old Australian will die behind bars. Judge Cameron Mander, sentencing Tarrant at the High Court in Christchurch where the attacks took place, condemned him as 'inhuman', and said his actions were 'brutal and beyond callous'. He added: 'Your crimes are so wicked, that even if you are detained until you die it will not exhaust the requirements of punishment and denunciation.' The sentence came at the end of three harrowing days of testimony from 91 of Tarrant's victims and their families, almost all of whom had urged the judge to ensure that he would never again see the free world. As news of the sentence broke, it sparked scenes of celebration outside the court, with people cheering, hugging, and waving banners proclaiming 'we are one'. Hina Amir, who survived the shooting at Al Noor mosque where 44 of the victims died, said bluntly: 'He got what he deserved.' Brenton Tarrant, the Christchurch mosques terrorist, has been sentenced to life in jail without the possibility of parole A survivor of the mosque shooting raises his crutches in the air and celebrates after walking out of the courtroom where Tarrant had just been sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole Mohamed Jama, president of the Muslim Association of Canterbury, hugs with members of the community outside the High Court in Christchurch, following Tarrant's sentencing Members of the public wave banners proclaiming 'we are one' as they wait to hear the news that Tarrant has been sentenced to spend the rest of his life in jail in New Zealand Gamal Fouda, imam of Al Noor mosque, told reporters outside court: 'Today, the legal procedure for this heinous crime has been done. No punishment will bring our loved ones back. 'We respect our justice system and the New Zealand Muslim community and non-Muslim as well, we stood together against hate, and we set our own model for the world. 'Extremists are all the same. Whether they use religions, nationalism, or any other ideology. All extremist represent hate, but we are here today, we represent love, compassion. Muslim and non-Muslim. Of faith and no faith. 'There is us, New Zealanders, we are very proud that we are Muslims in New Zealand and will continue to serve this country.' Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern also spoke following the sentencing, urging the world to forget about Tarrant now that the case has been closed. 'He deserves a lifetime of complete and utter silence,' she said, echoing words she spoke at the time of the attack, when she refused to utter his name to deprive him of public attention. Some New Zealand newspapers had followed her lead, pixellating his face in court photos, though others continued to name him use images of him. Ardern also praised the strength of New Zealand's Muslim community as they relived the experiences of March 15, saying: 'I hope you felt the arms of New Zealand around you.' Tarrant sat unmoved during this week's sentencing as a procession of his victims made powerful and emotionally-charged statements of their loss. On Thursday, his gaze was fixed on the Crown solicitors who argued for a life sentencing without parole, and Justice Cameron Mander, who agreed to lock him up and to throw away the key. 'It is difficult to look past the wickedness of each murder ... however you are not only a murderer but a terrorist,' Justice Mander said. 'Your actions were inhuman. You deliberately killed a three-year-old infant as he clung to the leg of his father.' Survivors arrive for the sentencing of Brenton Tarrant, the gunman being sentenced for 51 counts of murder, 40 counts of attempted murder and one terrorism charge after attacks on two mosques last year, at the High Court in Christchurch, New Zealand on August 27 Al Noor Mosque shooting survivors Mustafa Boztas, Wasseim Alsati and Temel Atacocugu (L-R) celebrate as they leave Christchurch High Court following the sentencing of Brenton Harrison Tarrant As victims in the public gallery sobbed, Justice Mander took the time to make a verbal tribute to every murdered and wounded person in his sentence. One widow described herself as 'alive but not living'. 'Accountability, denouncement, deterrence, and protection of the community must be the court's focus,' Justice Mander said. 'No matter how appalling the crime, the potential for rehabilitation must always give a court pause ... but I remain unmoved.' Survivors stood hand in hand smiling outside of the court on Thursday afternoon after the sentence was handed down. The attacks targeting people praying at the Al Noor and Linwood mosques shocked New Zealand and prompted new laws banning the deadliest types of semi-automatic weapons. They also prompted global changes to social media protocols after the gunman livestreamed his attack on Facebook. Tarrant was sentenced to life without parole on each of the 51 counts of murder, for 12 years on each of the 40 attempted murder counts, to be served concurrently, and another life sentence for terrorism. She went on to say there would be no need to think of Tarrant or remember him beyond today. There are now mounting calls for the killer to be deported back to Australia to serve his time. However, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he has not received a request for the terrorist to serve his life sentence in Australia. Survivors celebrate with supporters outside the High Court in Christchurch, New Zealand, after the shooter was sentenced to life behind bars Victims and relatives embrace as they wait to enter the Christchurch High Court for the final day in the sentencing hearing for Australian Brenton Harrison Tarrant, in Christchurch, New Zealand In a New Zealand legal first, the Australian man has been denied the possibility of ever seeking or gaining his freedom after killing 51 people in last year's attack (pictured are survivors outside of court) Sazada Akhter is seen during victim impact statements in the sentencing of mosque terrorist Brenton Tarrant 'It's normal practice that criminals convicted of these offences to serve their sentences in that jurisdiction and that's my understanding of what the arrangements are,' Mr Morrison said. 'No request has been made to Australia for that to be any different.' The prime minister paid tribute to survivors of the New Zealand shootings, saying he and wife Jenny Morrison met with a group who showed incredible grace. KEY POINTS FROM SENTENCING: -The Crown pushed for life without parole for 'clearly New Zealand's worst murderer'. -Tarrant did not oppose being locked up for life. -He claimed in a pre-sentence report that he was not racist or xenophobic. -He said his political and social views at the time weren't real, saying he felt ostracised and had wanted to damage society. -But he accepted it was without doubt a terror attack. -The Crown said it was clearly ideologically driven, saying Tarrant was a dangerous narcissist who warranted a life without parole. Advertisement In making his argument, crown prosecutor Mark Zarifeh drew on Australia's worst mass shooting, the 1996 Port Arthur massacre in Tasmania. 'The enormity of offending in this case is without comparison in New Zealand's criminal history,' he began. Mr Zarifeh said Tarrant displayed 'calculated and militaristic determination in carrying out his plan', 'expressed disappointment in not having killed more people' with 'calculated sadism and depravity'. 'Many of those who were shot were on their knees in prayer with their backs to the offender,' he said. 'Life without parole is the only proper sentencing option.' As foreshadowed on Wednesday, Tarrant did not speak at his own sentencing despite opting to represent himself. He uttered just a smattering of words over the four-day hearing, saying 'No, thank you' when Justice Mander gave him one final chance to address the packed courtroom. His stand-by counsel Philip Hall said Tarrant did not oppose the sentence of life without parole. Throughout the sentencing, New Zealand's worst mass shooter was a passive presence. Surrounded by four security guards at all times and clad in a grey fleece tracksuit, he was attentive but meek in the dock. In the absence of his own submissions, Justice Mander appointed an independent 'amicus curiae', Kerry Cook, to give integrity to the sentencing. Drawing upon private sentencing reports that Tarrant had changed some of his views, Mr Cook made an argument that a no-parole sentence contravened the universality of human rights. 'Offending is not an inherent characteristic ... there is hope, albeit faint, for rehabilitation,' he said. 'Rehabilitation is constitutionally required in any community that places human dignity as its centrepiece.' According to psychologist, Tarrant 'proudly' saw himself as a white European with air of superiority and grandiosity. The March 2019 attacks targeting people praying at the Al Noor and Linwood mosques shocked New Zealand and prompted new laws banning the deadliest types of semi-automatic weapons (pictured is Al-Noor Mosque) The psychologist said at the time of the attack Tarrant was in a 'poisoned mental state'. He said he felt 'ostracised by society' and 'wanted to damage society as act of revenge'. Tarrant told the psychologist he 'wasn't thinking right at the time" and was "acting on delusional beliefs". Justice Mander said Tarrant had 'no apparent mental orders or psychiatric conditions' and there weren't any cognitive disorders present. 'There was no evidence of a personality disorder but his racist beliefs 'developed and intensified' as he got older. But Justice Mander dismissed those reports as 'uncorroborated, self-serving and a relatively recent phenomenon'. Growing up in the northern New South Wales city of Grafton, Tarrant had an unremarkable upbringing' and had no previous convictions. He moved to New Zealand in 2017 before settling in the South Island town of Dunedin where he remained isolated from the community. Justice Mander said Tarrant was 'empty of any empathy' for his victims. He said the shooter appeared entirely self-centred and remained 'detached'. Survivors celebrate with supporters outside the High Court in Christchurch, New Zealand, Thursday, August 27, 2020 Ahad Nabi is seen during the sentencing hearing for Christchurch mosque gunman Brenton Tarrant on August 26 'My name is Sara Qasem. Daughter of a hero. Daughter of a shining, glimmering man ... daughter of a martyr. Of Abdelfattah Qasem. Remember that name,' Sara Qasem said firmly (pictured) This week admirable human dignity was on display from Tarrant's many victims. For three days in the High Court, they stood metres from the terrorist and bared their souls, crying for lost loved ones, reliving the trauma of being present in their houses of worship during the attacks. Tears flowed as victims spoke about their torment following the shooting, many saying they still have trouble sleeping. Perhaps the most startling testimony came from Ahad Nabi, who lost his 71-year-old father Haj during the attack, who described Tarrant as 'coward', a 'maggot' and 'the trash of society'. Clad in a New Zealand Warriors rugby league jersey, Ahad raised both his middle fingers at Tarrant and flexed his muscles, while branding the killer 'weak'. He added: 'Your father was a garbage man and you became trash of society. He is ashamed of your identity. You deserve to be buried in a landfill. This world was created with colour, a peasant like you will never change the human race. 'You hurt my father but you never took him away from me. What I mean by this is that you physically hurt him but you gifted my father with becoming a martyr and he's returned to Allah.' Mosque shooting survivor Wassiem Daragmih thanks supporters as they leave the Christchurch High Court after the sentencing hearing for Australian Brenton Harrison Tarrant, in Christchurch Mosque shooting survivor Mustafa Boztas waves as he leaves the Christchurch High Court after the sentencing hearing for Australian Brenton Harrison Tarrant He described Tarrant as a coward after he shot at 'defenceless people who were not aware what was going on until it was too late'. 'Your actions were of a gutless character. There is nothing heroic of your actions,' Nabi said. Mr Nabi said he did not forgive Tarrant before asking a special request of the judge. Another victim, Sara Qasem, was not originally listed on the court plans but rose to speak on behalf of her father Abdelfattah, murdered at Al Noor mosque. 'My name is Sara Qasem. Daughter of a hero. Daughter of a shining, glimmering man ... daughter of a martyr. Of Abdelfattah Qasem. Remember that name,' she said firmly. 'My dad never left. He could have left but he stayed behind to help his brothers. Putting others before himself.' Ms Qasem drew tears from every corner of the courtroom as she grieved for her lost father. 'I'd never really known what the meaning of a broken heart was until then,' she said. A mosque shooting survivor reacts as he leaves the Christchurch High Court after the sentencing hearing for Australian Brenton Harrison Tarrant, in Christchurch A student holds a tribute message as he stands outside the High Court to support relatives of victims killed 'I want to go on more road trips with him. 'Smell his home cooking. His cologne.' Crying, she composed herself and eyeballed Tarrant, saying 'these tears are not for you'. 'To hear his deep belly laugh,' she continued. 'I want to hear him tell me more about the olive trees in Palestine. I want to hear his voice.' Abdul Aziz, who saved lives by running at the gunman at the Linwood Islamic Centre, celebrates with members of the public outside Christchurch High Court following the sentencing of Brenton Harrison Tarrant on Thursday Members of the public gather in front of the High Court to support relatives of victims killed in the 2019 twin mosque shootings Ms Qasem's moving testimony came alongside those who gave more pointed addresses. The rich displays of emotion inside the courtroom contrast sharply with the everyday collegiality in the halls of the Christchurch courthouse between sessions. With limited space in the court due to COVID-related social distancing restrictions, victims forfeited their right to having a support person nearby to allow more victims to take seats inside the small courtroom. They wore or carried white roses on their lapels, carried pictures of dead family members, while one carried a toy panda. Hi, my name is Scott C. Waring and I wrote a few books and am currently a ESL School Owner in Taiwan. I have had my own UFO sighting up close and personal, but that's how it works right? A non believer becomes a believer when they experience their first sighting. You witnessed it, your perceptual field changes, so now you need to share it. I created this site to help the UFO community get a little bit organized. I noticed that there was a lot of chaos when searching for UFO sighting reports, so I hope this site helps. I wanted to support those eyewitnesses who have tried to tell others about what they have seen, yet were laughed at by even closest of friends. More and more each day the governments of the world leak bits and pieces of UFO information to the public. They have a trickle down theory in hopes of slowly getting citizens use to the idea that we are not alone in universe and never have been. The truth is being leaked drop by drop until one day we look around and find ourselves neck high in it. The discovery of alien species in existence is the most monumental scientific event in human history, suppression of that information is a crime against humanity. About me: I live in Taiwan. I OWN MY OWN ENGLISH SCHOOL, AND ONCE HAD 5 SCHOOLS. Am Former USAF at SAC base (flight line). Age: 42 Educ: BA in Elem ed. Masters in Counseling ed. I had two UFO sightings, (30+bus size orbs) in military and in 2012 personally saw the UFO over Taipei 101 building on New Years Day (and recored it). Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site. 0108263 License for publishing multimedia online Registration Number: 130349 Registration Number: 130349 COLUMBUS, OhioAn attorney for Kanye West has asked the Ohio Supreme Court to allow the rapper and fashion designer to appear on this years presidential ballot in the state, arguing that Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose wrongly rejected his petition signatures. In a suit filed Wednesday, Cincinnati attorney Curt Hartman stated that LaRose isnt allowed under state law to reject Wests petitions unless someone first files a formal protest. No such protest was filed before LaRose issued his ruling last Friday that West failed to meet the necessary threshold for certification. LaRose spokeswoman Maggie Sheehan declined to comment on Wests lawsuit on the grounds that it is pending litigation. The Supreme Court ordered LaRose, a Columbus-area Republican, to respond to Wests request by noon on Friday. LaRoses office rejected Wests filing because staff determined the signature and information on Wests original nominating petition and statement of candidacy did not match the paperwork actually used for petitions signed by voters. West, who is running for president as an independent on a ticket with Michelle Tidball, filed about 15,000 petition signatures. Ohio law requires independent presidential candidates to submit at least 5,000 valid signatures. Republican operatives have been assisting Wests attempts to get on the ballot in several swing states, leading many to suspect that his campaign is a ploy to siphon votes from Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden. Hartman was an Ohio delegate to the 2016 Republican National Convention and is the GOP nominee this year for a Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas judicial seat. Ohio is one of seven states where Wests attempts to get on the ballot have been rebuffed, though so far he has qualified for the ballot in eight other states. Read the full Ohio Supreme Court filing by Wests attorney here: Read more Ohio politics and government stories: State officials advise people arriving in Ohio from 4 states to self-quarantine: travel advisory map Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost threatens to sue to block bailout funding for nuclear plants Workers cant claim invasion of privacy if employers have them watched during urine drug tests: Ohio Supreme Court Ohio school choice advocate will be featured on third night of RNC Cleveland City Council says state should OK more drop boxes for absentee ballots, urges legal action Four prisoners undergoing treatment for Covid-19 at state-run Gandhi Hospital in Hyderabad escaped from the hospital ward in the early hours of Thursday, the police said. The escaped prisoners were: M Javeed and Mohammad Abdul Arbaz, both undertrials in separate theft cases and P Narasimha and B Chander, who were convicted in connection with the property offences. Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) Kamleshwar Shingenavar said six special teams were formed to launch a manhunt for the four prisoners. All efforts are being made to arrest them and we are confident of tracing them soon, he said. The four prisoners, who were lodged in Cherlapally central jail, were initially taken to the Government Chest Hospital, Erragadda, after they showed symptoms of Covid-19. After they tested positive for the virus, they were shifted to Gandhi Hospital, the designated hospital for Covid-19 for treatment. According to the police, the four prisoners were put up at the exclusive ward for prisoners at the second floor of Gandhi Hospital. Because of the pandemic, the escort police personnel had to be posted outside the ward. Taking advantage of the situation, the four prisoners broke open the iron grille of the bathroom and climbed down to the ground to escape, the police said. Following an alert from the other inmates of the ward, the escort police informed the Chilakalaguda police who rushed there to launch a search for the accused. The police cordoned off the entire hospital premises and conducted a room-to-room search. We are also examining the footage of CCTV cameras inside and outside the hospital to find out which route they had escaped, a police official said, adding that they might be hiding somewhere within the city. Cherlapalli jail superintendent Sampath Kumar said so far the accused could not be tracked. We hope to get some breakthrough on Friday, he said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A Statement By The Prominent Civil Rights Advocacy Group-: Human Rights Writers Association Of Nigeria (HURIWA) On The Implications Of Involvement Of Publicly Funded Armed Security Forces To Constantly Employ The Use Of Force To Stop Nigerians From Exercising Their Fundamental Human Rights In Contrast With The Essence Of Democracy, The Rule Of Law And The International Best Practices Given The Large Number Of International Treaties, Conventions That Nigeria Signed on to: BACKGROUND: The Declaration adopted on 24 September 2012 by the United Nations General Assembly at the High-level Meeting on the Rule of Law at the National and International Levels reaffirmed that "human rights, the rule of law and democracy are interlinked and mutually reinforcing and that they belong to the universal and indivisible core values and principles of the United Nations". Indeed, government responsiveness to the interests and needs of the greatest number of citizens is strictly associated with the capacity of democratic institutions and processes to bolster the dimensions of rights, equality and accountability. As was noted by Agnes Callamard; a United Nations Special Rapportuer for Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions at the end of her visit to Nigeria in September 2019, the absence of accountability and functionality in Nigeria is contributing to human rights violations and crisis in the Country. Nigeria; a federal republic composed of 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory has seen several attacks by Boko Haram and Armed Fulani Herdsmen that have continued to result in hundreds of deaths, occasioned by Security Forces failure to protect civilians. The Nigeria Police Force is the primary law enforcement agency along with other federal organizations. The Department of State Services is responsible for internal security and nominally reports to the president through the National Security Adviser. The Nigerian Armed Forces, which report to the Ministry of Defense, are responsible for external security but also have some domestic security responsibilities. The current central government has not really maintained effective control over the security services. As a result, significant human rights issues including unlawful and arbitrary killings, extrajudicial killings, forced disappearances, torture, and arbitrary detention, by both government and non-state actors; harsh and life-threatening prison conditions, unlawful infringement on citizens privacy rights, criminal libel, violence against and unjustified arrests of journalists, substantial interference with the rights of peaceful assembly and freedom of association have continued to perpetuate with impunity and possess grave implications on the essence of democracy and rule of law. THE ISSUE: Although progress are being made in advocating for accountability for human rights violations and abuses committed by security forces, Boko Haram and the Armed Fulani Herdsmen involved in the herders attacks against farmers, no one has been brought to justice, especially for the killing of the members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) and the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) protesters in different states. The involvement of publicly funded armed security forces to constantly employ the use of force to stop Nigerians from exercising their fundamental human rights as citizens of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has attracted many international commentaries and on the front burner of both national and international discourse. Apart from the incessant violent killings occasioned by the Boko Haram Terrorist group and the armed Fulani marauders, scores of clamp downs of freedom of assembly, freedom of association and freedom of expression by the Security Forces abound, which threatens the essence of democracy and rule of law. First, on the freedom of assembly, in 2019 as reported by Amnesty International, Nigerian Security forces banned lawful assembly in some states, including Lagos and Rivers, and in some cases, they violently disrupted peaceful protests, such as the IMN protests in Abuja. The Unity Fountain, which serves as the rallying point for most protests in the capital city was heavily guarded by the police throughout the year, to monitor and/or prevent scores of protesters from gathering. Recall that on 17 July, 2019, the Nigeria Police had made an announcement restricting all protests in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to the Unity Fountain, and in October, the Federal Capital Territory Administration closed the Unity Fountain for three months for rehabilitation and construction of a fence. In July, the Police Command in Plateau state placed a total ban on any form of public procession in the state. On 5 August, several protesters including journalists were arrested and detained across Nigeria by security officials for participating in the #RevolutionNow protest. This year, while marking the one year anniversary of the protest on August 5th, a similar incident occurred between the protesters and the Nigerian Police. On 12 November, officials of State Security Service beat up one journalist and fired teargas and live ammunition to disperse activists during a protest to demand for the release of prisoners of conscience; Olawale Bakare and Omoyele Sowore. The Executive Director of Enough is Enough Nigeria; Yemi Adamolekun was also attacked during the protest. Secondly the Nigerian Security Forces have been found wanting in brazenly violating and clamping down freedom of association. At least two IMN protesters were killed and more than 60 arrested on 9 July, when their peaceful protest calling for the release of their leader; Ibrahim El-Zakzaky and his wife; Zeenah Ibrahim turned violent after security officials fired live ammunition at the protestors at the National Assembly Complex. More worrisome is that most of those arrested have continued to be held incommunicado in detention facilities in the Federal Capital Territory, Kaduna and Niger States while armed Fulani killers continue to walk freely and Boko Haram Terrorists are given amnesty and re-integrated back into the society. On 22 July 2019, 11 protestors, a Deputy Commissioner of Police and a reporter for Channels Television were killed when police opened fire on IMN protesters during their procession in Abuja. Scores were injured and many arrested when officials from the Nigeria Police violently disrupted the protest, which was largely peaceful. Relatedly, since August 2015, there has been a series of protests, marches and gatherings by members and supporters of IPOB (Indigenous People of Biafra) who have been seeking the creation of a Biafran state. According to Amnesty International the largest number of pro-Biafra activists were killed on Biafra Remembrance Day on 30 May 2016 when an estimated 1,000 IPOB members and supporters gathered for a rally in Onitsha, Anambra State. The night before the rally, the security forces had raided homes and a church where IPOB members were sleeping. Reportedly, on Remembrance Day itself, the security forces shot people in several locations. Amnesty International has not been able to verify the exact number of extrajudicial executions, but estimates that at least 60 people were killed and 70 injured in these two days. The real number is likely to be higher. In 2019 alone, security forces arbitrarily arrested at least 200 and killed at least 10 members and supporters of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) at different times. Most recently is the clash between Nigerian Security Forces and members of IPOB in the city of Enugu on August 23, 2020, wherein at least two officers and up to 21 civilians were reportedly killed, While the final number of casualties and wounded has not yet been confirmed. Thirdly, the right to freedom of expression remained increasingly restricted as Journalists, bloggers and media activists who ask federal and state authorities probing questions are variously charged with cybercrime and terrorism under the Cybercrime Act of 2015 and Terrorism (Prevention) (Amendment) Act of 2013.. Amnesty International documented 19 cases of assault, arbitrary arrests, and detention of journalists. How come the security forces that are paid from public coffers are the same that the Federal Government has continuously deployed to employ full lethal force against civilians who are totally unarmed? OUR POSITION AND DEMANDS: It is clear that the Nigerian government has serially failed to uphold its constitutional mandate of protection of human rights in the country. The right to life of Nigerian citizens has been violated with alarming frequency and without any justification or accountability. State parties are also obligated to act and prevent loss of life, investigate and punish wrongful actions resulting in deaths. We are by this statement demanding from the United Nations Secretary-General an explanation for Nigerians why the UN has not implemented any measures to caution President Muhammadu Buhari against the use of armed security forces against civilians whether they are demonstrating or just holding peaceful meetings. Equally, we ask the UN to tell Nigerians why despite the presence of two Nigerians in the bureaucracy of the UN, yet Nigeria is being overlooked by the UN whilst it slides into state sponsored anarchy and the civilian populations are turned into items of decimation and extralegal execution by armed security forces that ought to defend and protect them. Is it that the two Nigerians; Amina Mohammed who served Buhari as Environment Minister and was later made UN Deputy Secretary-General by the UN Secretary-General, and the President of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA); Tijjani Muhammad-Bande are not briefing the UN about the true state of affairs in Nigeria? Or probably because they are both Fulani, same as President Muhammadu Buhari and same as majority of the suspected armed Fulani herdsmen and terrorists unleashing violence on Nigerians? More so, whether these two UN officials recommended by President Muhammadu Buhari are simply protecting the Buhari-led administration from international scrutiny. Observably, since they are not even bringing up the issues affecting Nigerian citizens, what is the moral obligation behind them still working for the UN? Hence we call for their dismissal forthwith unless they are simply working for themselves and not on behalf of the people of Nigeria and Africa at large. This is because, if they are working for the interests of Nigerians and Africa, why the silence from them since five years now whilst thousands of Nigerians are mindlessly murdered by security forces and armed Fulani herdsmen and terrorists? Furthermore we wish to remind the President, His Excellency, Muhammadu Buhari (GCFR) that these infractions of using publicly funded armed Security Forces to constantly employ the use of force to stop Nigerians from exercising their fundamental human rights as citizens of the federal republic of Nigeria is an aberration on the essence of democracy, the rule of law and the international best practices, given the large number of international treaties, conventions that Nigeria signed on to including The African Charter, The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, just to mention but a few. These violations must be halted or the violators charged to court for crimes against humanity locally or inevitably they will be dragged to the International Criminal court in The Hague NETHERLANDS and the ICJ for prosecute in due time since this administration tolerates impunity. *EMMANUEL ONWUBIKO: NATIONAL COORDINATOR. *Miss. Zainab Yusuf: Director, National Media Affairs. HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA). 27TH AUGUST 2020. They said when they called us that it would be at the White House and that the president might be there or he might not. Until the last minute we didnt know if he was going to be there or not, Awadelseid said during an interview Wednesday. And at the last minute when we went into the room they said, good news, he will be there. Mike Pence slammed Democratic Party Presidential candidate Joe Biden for no miracle is coming comment in the Trump administration's fight against COVID-19 in the US. Vice President Mike Pence slammed Democratic Party Presidential candidate Joe Biden for no miracle is coming comment in the Trump administrations fight against COVID-19 in the US, saying that the country is a nation of miracles. Pence said on Wednesday addressing the Republican National Convention in Baltimore that in the previous week, Joe Biden said that no miracle is coming, but Joe doesnt seem to understand that America was a nation of miracles. He added that he was proud to tell him that they are on track to have the worlds first safe, effective coronavirus vaccine by the end of the year. Pence further hailed Trump for taking unprecedented action by banning flights from China claiming that it saved many American lives. Before the first case of the coronavirus spread in the United States, the President took unprecedented action and suspended all air travel from China. Now that action saved untolled American lives. And I can tell you first hand, it bought us invaluable time to launch the greatest national mobilisation since World War II, he added. Also read: Republicans hail Trump support for military at convention Also read: US Needs Trumps Leadership Now More Than Ever To Become Worlds Greatest Economy, Says First Lady Today we are conducting more than 800,000 tests a day and we have coordinated the delivery of billions of pieces of Personal Protective Equipment for our amazing doctors, nurses, and healthcare workers, he added. As per the latest update, the US has a total of 5,821,602 COVID-19 cases and 179,708 fatalities due to the highly contagious virus, according to Johns Hopkins University. Pence while offering condolences to the kin of COVID-19 deceased patients said people grieve with those who grieve in this country. He said After all the sacrifice, in this year like no other, with all the hardship, we are finding our way forward. But tonight, our hearts are with families who have lost their loved ones and have family members still struggling with illness. In this country, we mourn with those who mournwe grieve with those who grieve. The US Presidential Elections are set to take place on November 3, this year. Also read: Rise in Indian climbers at Mt Everest over years They accused journalists of filming just one side of the melee (one reporter was, indeed, forced to shoot from the ground, where she lay hurt after being beaten by one of the attackers). On Wednesday, they arrested a pro-democracy lawmaker whom they once commended for his civic duty and charged him with rioting (among 45 victims that night, he was hospitalized with broken fingers and injuries to his face, arms and legs). The National Housing Bank (NHB), has released an advertisement, invited online applications from qualified and interested Indian nationals for filling Sixteen (16) vacancies to the post Assistant Managers (Scale I) through direct recruitment to be posted in New Delhi or anywhere in India on a fulltime basis. The online registration-cum-application process towards the same starts from August 29, 2020 onwards and closes on September 18, 2020. CRITERIA DETAILS Name Of The Posts Assistant Managers (Scale I) Organisation National Housing Bank (NHB) Educational Qualification Required academic qualifications Experience Refer to the advertisement Job Responsibilities null Skills Required null Job Location New Delhi Salary Scale As per the NHB Recruitment norms Industry Housing Bank Application Start Date August 29, 2020 Application End Date September 18, 2020 NHB Recruitment 2020: Age Criteria And Fees Candidates interested in applying for Assistant Managers post through NHB Recruitment 2020 must meet the age criteria as per the NHB norms, with relaxation (upper age limit) for reserved categories as detailed in the NHB Recruitment 2020 notification. For details regarding application fee for Assistant Managers post through NHB Recruitment 2020, visit the official NHB Careers section. NFL Recruitment 2020 For 40 Manager And Engineer Posts, Apply Offline Before September 25 NHB Recruitment 2020: Educational Eligibility Desirous candidates applying for Assistant Managers post through NHB Recruitment 2020 must possess the required academic qualifications from a recognized University/Institution as required by NHB Recruitment rules. NHB Recruitment 2020: Selection And Pay Scale The selection of candidates to Assistant Managers post through NHB Recruitment 2020 will be done through Shortlisting, Online Test/Interview and Document Verification. Candidates selected to Assistant Managers post through NHB Recruitment 2020 will be paid emolument as per the NHB Recruitment norms. Accenture To Lay Off 5 Per Cent Of Its Global Staff; 10,000 Indian Employees Likely To Face The Axe NHB Recruitment 2020: How To Apply Candidates applying for Assistant Managers post through NHB Recruitment 2020 must register on the official NHB website from August 29, 2020 onwards, and submit their applications on or before September 18, 2020. Download NHB Recruitment 2020 Notification here The water level of the in Delhi rose slightly on Thursday morning and the river was flowing precariously close to the warning mark, officials said. The water level was recorded at 203.68 metres at the Old Railway Bridge at6 pm on Wednesday. It rose to 203.77 metres at 10 am on Thursday morning, an official of the irrigation andfloodcontrol department said. The water level is likely to remain below the warning mark of 204.50 metres unless a very large amount of water, at least 2 lakh cusec, is released into the river from the Hathnikund barrage in Haryana's Yamunanagar district, the official said. Water was being released into the at the rate of 18,111 cusec at 8 am from the Hathnikund barrage. The flow rate was 24,994 cusec at 2 pm on Wednesday, the maximum in the last 24 hours, he said. One cusec is equivalent to 28.32 litres per second. The river had swollen to 204.38 metres on Monday, which was just a metre below the danger mark of 205.33 metres. The water discharged from the barrage which provides drinking water to Delhi normally takes 36-48 hours to reach the capital. Normally, the flow rate at the Hathnikund barrage is 352 cusec, but the discharge is increased after heavy rainfall in catchment areas. Last year, the flow rate had peaked to 8.28 lakh cusec on August 18-19, and the water level of the had hit the 206.60 meter-mark, breaching the danger mark of 205.33 meters. The Delhi government had to launch evacuation and relief operations after the overflowing river submerged many low-lying areas. In 1978, the river had swollen to the all-time record water level of 207.49 meters. In 2013, it had risen to 207.32 metres. Delhi's Water Minister Satyendar Jain had Monday said the government was ready to deal with any flood-like situation. The India Meteorological Department has alsowarned of "heavy to very heavy" rainfall in northwest India, which is likely to increase water levels of the river. (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.) Grand Rapids City Clerk Joel Hondorp worked 30 hours during the primary election in August. Like nearly all Michigans clerks, Hondorp worked through an unparalleled primary election, in which his office processed a peak numbers of ballots voters mailed in or dropped off. More than half of the 2.5 million votes cast in August were done through absentee ballots. The feat required additional tabulators, election workers and now clerks say they need more time in November to ensure every vote is counted. Money for additional tabulators and staff was provided through federal funding from the CARES Act. Clerks across Michigan said extra resources helped them process more than two to four times the number of absentee ballots theyre normally equipped to handle. After seeing the influx of absentee ballots, clerks say they need more time to prepare ballots before the presidential election in November. Related: Facing criticism over primary, Flint city clerk says election workers to get more training Marquette City Clerk Kyle Whitney said all that considered, the primary election went well because the office added more people to its staff. Three teams processed 3,500 absentee ballots in August, about 76% of the 4,581 total votes cast by Marquette residents. Whitney said hes seen a massive increase in residents voting absentee since the state expanded voting rights in 2018 and because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The most we have ever processed was 2,500 absentee ballots before the August primary, Whitney said. Clerks assent the number of Michigan voters casting ballots will be higher in November and the Secretary of State estimates more than 3 million people will vote absentee. Whitney said clerks were pushed to give voters the option of requesting a ballot for both the primary and general elections. Its put us in an interesting situation because we have 4,500 requests for ballots prior to even sending out applications to people on our permanent lists who have not yet asked for that November ballot, Whitney said. Related: Postmaster general faces scrutiny over impact of mail delays on presidential election Cost-saving changes to the federal mailing system announced by U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy have prompted Michigan clerks to get more dropboxes for ballots, fearing delays in the mail could disenfranchise thousands of voters. About 60% of Michigans rejected 10,694 absentee ballots couldnt be counted because they arrived after 8 p.m. on election day. This has alarm bells ringing and encouraging clerks to make sure they have drop boxes for voters, said Ingham County Clerk, Barb Byrum. Just over 32% of Ingham Countys registered voters participated in the primary election and of the 66,951 ballots cast, about 78% were from absentee voters. Byrum said voters should use dropboxes if they can to ensure their votes arent delayed in the mail. Its best to be safe and mail your ballot in at least three weeks before election day, Byrum said. Also, you can track where your ballot is online. About 15% of the absentee ballots received by the Grand Rapids City Clerks Office arrived with the last 24 hours of election day, on Aug. 4, more than a week after the election. Hondorp said some of those ballots were postmarked after election day. Deadlines for absentee voters get tight 40 days before an election, according to clerks. Hondorp said working through an absentee ballot takes a tremendous amount of clerk staff time. Clerks must send out ballots requested by voters, receive those ballots and then wait until 7 a.m. on election day to start processing them. Michigan election law prevents election workers from preparing ballots to be counted prior to election day. Related: Michigan Secretary of State sending postcards encouraging people to apply online to vote absentee Whitney, Hondorp and Byrum said there are two commodities to getting timely, accurate election results time: money and time. We need either more time or more people and machines, Whitney said. I would love more time. Whitney said the Aug. 4 absentee counting board was the most stressful one hes run yet. Each office has absentee counting boards that balance out precincts polling books by matching the name on the received ballots to the states list of registered voters. Precincts must be balanced before Michigans election law allows for requests for recounts to be approved. Last week, Wayne Countys board of canvassers said an investigation found that 72% of the absentee voting precincts in Detroit werent balanced and 46% of all Detroits precincts, both absentee and in-person, werent balanced. Jonathan Kinloch, the vice-chair of the Wayne County Board of Canvassers, said unseasoned election workers in many of Detroits precincts didnt properly record why certain changes were made to a ballot. For instance, a ballot may have been canceled and that change wasnt properly noted by an election worker. Related: Michigan Board of Canvassers demands Secretary of State provide control over Detroit election workers The coronavirus pandemic kept many of the countys seasoned election workers at home forcing clerks offices to make new hires without adequate training, according to Kinloch. The Michigan Board of Canvassers demanded the Secretary of State take action to prevent Detroit and other cities from running into this issue in November. Jocelyn Benson, the SOS, said the office is creating a plan to help the Detroit Clerks office in preventing errors. The plan will be announced next week, said Bensons in an Aug. 26 statement. However, we know that many of the problems already identified in Detroit are in part a result of the legislatures failure to act and update the law as needed to give our clerks additional time to securely process and prepare absentee ballots to be counted on Election Day, Benson said. There are three pending bills Benson is calling on Michigan lawmakers to pass, two of which she said would have prevented a majority of ballots, about 80%, from being rejected. One bill, SB 757, would allow clerks to start processing absentee ballots before election day. The second bill, HB 5987, would allow mailed ballots to count if they are postmarked by election day, even if they arrive up to two days later. The third bill, HB 5991, requires clerks to contact voters if the signature on the absentee ballot doesnt match that registered with the state. Read more on MLive: Michigan court: SOS can mail absentee ballot requests to registered voters Wayne County Board of Canvassers asks Michigan to provide monitor for November election Death index prevented invalid ballots from being counted in Michigan primary, election officials say 1948-70 - Nearly half a million people moved from the Caribbean to Britain, which in 1948 faced severe labour shortages in the wake of the Second World War. The immigrants were later referred to as 'the Windrush generation'. Working age adults and many children travelled from the Caribbean to join parents or grandparents in the UK or travelled with their parents without their own passports. Since these people had a legal right to come to the UK, they neither needed nor were given any documents upon entry to the UK, nor following changes in immigration laws in the early 1970s. Many worked or attended schools in the UK without any official documentary record of their having done so, other than the same records as any UK-born citizen. 2012 - The hostile environment policy, which came into effect in October 2012, comprises administrative and legislative measures to make staying in the UK as difficult as possible for people without 'leave to remain', in the hope that they may 'voluntarily leave'. The policy was widely seen as being part of a strategy of reducing UK immigration figures to the levels promised in the 2010 Conservative Party Election Manifesto. Measures introduced by the policy include a legal requirement for landlords, employers, the NHS, charities, community interest companies and banks to carry out ID checks and to refuse services if the individual is unable to prove legal residence in the UK. Landlords, employers and others are liable to fines of up to 10,000 if they fail to comply with these measures. The policy led to a more complicated application process to get 'leave to remain' and encouraged voluntary deportation.The policy coincided with sharp increases in Home Office fees for processing 'leave to remain', naturalisation and registration of citizenship applications. 2013 - The Home Office received warnings that many Windrush generation residents were being treated as illegal immigrants and that older Caribbean born people were being targeted. The Refugee and Migrant Centre in Wolverhampton said their caseworkers were seeing hundreds of people receiving letters from Capita, the Home Office's contractor, telling them that they had no right to be in the UK, some of whom were told to arrange to leave the UK at once. Roughly half the letters went to people who already had leave to remain or were in the process of formalising their immigration status. People considered illegal were sometimes losing their jobs or homes as a consequence of having benefits cut off and some had been refused medical care under the National Health Service (NHS), some placed in detention centres as preparation for their deportation, some deported or refused right to return to the UK from abroad. Caribbean leaders had put the deportations on the agenda at the Commonwealth meeting in Sri Lanka and in April 2016 Caribbean governments told Philip Hammond, the foreign secretary, that immigrants who had spent most of their lives in the UK were facing deportation and their concerns were passed on at the time to the Home Office. Shortly before the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in April 2018, twelve Caribbean countries made a formal request for a meeting with the British Prime Minister to discuss the issue, which was rejected by Downing Street. 2017 - Newspapers reported that the British government had threatened to deport people from Commonwealth territories who had arrived in the UK before 1973, if they could not prove their right to remain in the UK. Although primarily identified as the Windrush generation and mainly from the Caribbean, it was estimated in April 2018 on figures provided by the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford that up to 57,000 Commonwealth migrants could be affected, of whom 15,000 were from Jamaica. In addition to those from the Caribbean, cases of people affected who had been born in Kenya, Cyprus, Canada and Sierra Leone were identified in the press. The press coverage accused Home Office agencies of operating a 'guilty until proven innocent' and 'deport first, appeal later' regime; of targeting the weakest groups, particularly those from the Caribbean; of inhumanely applying regulations by cutting off access to jobs, services and bank accounts while cases were still being investigated; of losing large numbers of original documents which proved right to remain; of making unreasonable demands for documentary proof - in some instances, elderly people had been asked for 4 documents for each year they had lived in the UK and of leaving people stranded outside the UK because of British administrative errors or intransigence and denial of medical treatment. Other cases covered in the press, involved adults born in the UK, whose parents were 'Windrush' immigrants and who had been threatened with deportation and had their rights removed, because they were unable to prove that their parents were legally in the UK at the time of their birth. The Home Office and British government were further accused of having known about the negative impacts that the 'hostile environment policy' was having on Windrush immigrants since as early as 2013 and of having done nothing to remedy them. 2018 - Questions were raised in Parliament about individual cases that had been highlighted in the press. On March 14, when Opposition Leader Jeremy Corbyn asked May about an individual who had been refused medical treatment under the NHS during Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons, Theresa May initially said she was 'unaware of the case', but later agreed to 'look into it'. Parliament thereafter continued to be involved in what was increasingly being referred to as 'the Windrush scandal'. On April 16, David Lammy MP challenged then Home Secretary Amber Rudd in the House of Commons to give numbers as to how many had lost their jobs or homes, been denied medical care, or been detained or deported wrongly. Lammy called on Rudd to apologise for the threats of deportation and called it a 'day of national shame', blaming the problems on the government's 'hostile environment policy'. Rudd replied that she did not know of any, but would attempt to verify that. In late April, Rudd faced increasing calls for her to resign and for the Government to abandon the 'hostile environment policy'. There were also calls for the Home Office to reduce fees for immigration services. On May 2, Labour introduced a motion in the House of Commons seeking to force the government to release documents to the Home Affairs Select Committee concerning its handling of cases involving people who came to the UK from Commonwealth countries between 1948 and the 1970s. The motion was defeated by 316 votes to 221. On April 25, in answer to a question put to her by the Home Affairs Select Committee about deportation targets, Rudd said she was unaware of such targets, saying 'that's not how we operate'. The following day, Rudd admitted in Parliament that targets had existed, but characterised them as 'local targets for internal performance management' only, not 'specific removal targets'. She also claimed that she had been unaware of them and promised that they would be scrapped. Two days later, The Guardian published a leaked memo that had been copied to Rudd's office. The memo said that the department had set 'a target of achieving 12,800 enforced returns in 2017-18' and 'we have exceeded our target of assisted returns'. The memo added that progress had been made towards 'the 10% increased performance on enforced returns, which we promised the Home Secretary earlier this year'. Rudd responded by saying she had never seen the leaked memo, 'although it was copied to my office, as many documents are'. The New Statesman said that the leaked memo gave, 'in specific detail the targets set by the Home Office for the number of people to be removed from the United Kingdom. It suggests that Rudd misled MPs on at least one occasion'. Diane Abbott MP called for Rudd's resignation: 'Amber Rudd either failed to read this memo and has no clear understanding of the policies in her own department, or she has misled Parliament and the British people.'Abbott also said, 'The danger is that (the) very broad target put pressure on Home Office officials to bundle Jamaican grandmothers into detention centres'. On April 23, Rudd announced that compensation would be given to those affected and, in future, fees and language tests for citizenship applicants would be waived for this group. On April 29, The Guardian published a private letter from Rudd to Theresa May dated January 2017 in which Rudd wrote of an 'ambitious but deliverable' target for an increase in the enforced deportation of immigrants. Later that day, Rudd resigned as Home Secretary. Parliamentary committees - On June 29, the parliamentary Human Rights Select committee published a 'damning' report on the exercise of powers by immigration officials. MPs and peers concluded in the report that there had been 'systemic failures' and rejected the Home Office description of a 'a series of mistakes' as not 'credible or sufficient'. The report concluded that the Home Office demonstrated a 'wholly incorrect approach to case-handling and to depriving people of their liberty', and urged the Home Secretary to take action against the 'human rights violations' occurring in his department. On July 3, the Home Affairs Select Committee (HASC) published a critical report which said that unless the Home Office was overhauled the scandal would 'happen again, for another group of people'. The report found that 'a change in culture in the Home Office over recent years' had led to an environment in which applicants had been 'forced to follow processes that appear designed to set them up to fail'. The report questioned whether the hostile environment should continue in its current form, commenting that 'rebranding it as the 'compliant' environment is a meaningless response to genuine concerns'. Home Office replies - On June 28, a letter to the HASC from the Home Office reported that it had 'mistakenly detained' 850 people in the five years between 2012 and 2017. In the same five-year period, the Home Office had paid compensation of over 21million for wrongful detention. Compensation payments varied between 1 and 120,000; an unknown number of these detentions were Windrush cases. The letter also acknowledged that 23 per cent of staff working within immigration enforcement had received performance bonuses, and that some staff had been set 'personal objectives' 'linked to targets to achieve enforced removals' on which bonus payments were made. National Audit Office report - In a report published in December 2018, the UK's National Audit Office found that the Home Office 'failed to protect [the] rights to live, work and access services' of the Windrush scandal victims, had ignored warnings of the impending scandal, which had been raised up to four years earlier, and had still not adequately addressed the scandal. 'Windrush Lessons Learned Review' - On March 19, 2020, the Home Office released the Windrush Lessons Learned Review. This study, described by the Home Secretary as 'long-awaited', was an independent inquiry managed and conducted by Wendy Williams, an inspector of constabulary. The report was a scathing indictment of the Home Office's handling of Windrush individuals, and concluded that the Home Office showed an inexcusable 'ignorance and thoughtlessness', and that what had happened had been 'foreseeable and avoidable'. It further found that immigration regulations were tightened 'with complete disregard for the Windrush generation', and that officials had made irrational demands for multiple documents to establish residency rights. The study recommended a full review of the 'hostile environment' immigration policy. As excuses to cancel dinner go, the text message sent by Tony Abbott to a British friend newly arrived in Sydney is hard to beat. 'Sorry to do this at short notice, mate, but I'm trying to put out these damned bush fires.' He wasn't joking. The former Australian leader and volunteer fireman had flown hundreds of miles to New South Wales after record-breaking temperatures and severe drought triggered massive fires that raged for months last summer. It was in accordance with Abbott's swashbuckling style. For years, Australian politicians have scrupulously avoided being photographed on the beach in anything other than the baggiest of board shorts. Not Abbott. Australian politicians have avoided being photographed on the beach in anything other than baggy board shorts - but not Tony Abbott. He is pictured at the Great Aussie Swim in 2012 In 2009, the then leader of the opposition centre-right Liberal party appeared in a pair of 'budgie smugglers' tight Speedos pounding through the surf. The pictures went viral but Abbott, a fit fiftysomething at the time, evaded ridicule when it emerged that he was training with his local lifesaving club. Such a vision didn't put voters off and Abbott served as prime minister between 2013 and 2015. His knack of generating headlines and the occasional gaffe is legendary; from consuming a raw onion whole, skin and all, to show his appreciation to agricultural workers, to warning 'the housewives of Australia' that under the rival Labour party it would cost more to do the ironing or dismissing 'so-called settled science' on climate change as 'absolutely c**p'. He has campaigned for boats carrying migrants to be sent back at sea, for asylum claims to be processed off shore, and set up a military-led border control. Misogyny is high on the list of his alleged crimes and misdemeanours: in 2012, the then PM Julia Gillard accused him of sexism after he made comments about her being childless and unmarried. One year later and by then PM himself, he appointed himself minister for women's issues, too, in what was seen as a brazen riposte to his feminist critics. A staunch Catholic who trained for the priesthood as a young man, Abbott, now 62, led the campaign against gay marriage in Australia, and has consistently voted against relaxing the laws on abortion and stem cell research, earning himself the nickname of the 'Mad Monk'. Abbott, who was born in London and emigrated to Sydney with his parents aged two, has always maintained a strong bond with Britain. After graduating in economics from Sydney University, he attended Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar. Mr Abbott with his wife Margie Abbott (second left) and their daughters Frances (left) Louise Abbott (second right) and Bridget (far right) after winning the 2013 election He trained as a journalist before his political ambitions took root, working for Australians for a Constitutional Monarchy until he became an MP in 1994, a seat he held until last year. In 2015, Abbott was ousted as PM and a recent book about his premiership included the revelation that party members confronted him and his chief of staff Peta Credlin over a 'perception' they were having an affair (which they both denied). Quite what Brussels will make of the Brexit advocate in his reported new guise as a post-departure adviser remains to be seen. But he's not an unknown quantity, having negotiated with the EU as Australia's PM. His appointment has, predictably, angered Labour with shadow international business secretary, Emily Thornberry, saying that his 'only experience of trade agreements was turning up to sign the treaties [former Australian trade minister] Andrew Robb negotiated for him'. But a friend of Abbott said last night: 'He couldn't care less about the insults. He's tough, clever, and he's done business with the EU. We're lucky to have him.' Backlash as Australia's 'gaffe-prone' ex-Prime Minister Tony Abbott is appointed to key Brexit trade role By Claire Ellicot for The Daily Mail The decision to appoint a 'gaffe-prone' former Australian premier as Britain's post-Brexit trade envoy has been blasted by critics. Tony Abbott is said to be joining the Board of Trade in an advisory role with a mission to help drum up deals around the world. But the appointment of the right-wing Brexiteer, 62, was condemned by Labour international trade spokesman Emily Thornberry, who called him an 'offensive, aggressive, leering, gaffe-prone misogynist'. Tony Abbott, 62, (above) is said to be joining the Board of Trade in an advisory role with a mission to help drum up deals around the world Trade Secretary Liz Truss will be president of the board, and Mr Abbott who was forced out of power by his own party in 2015 after just two years in charge will be appointed to an advisory role, it is understood. The Oxford graduate will play a role in helping to negotiate new trade deals after Britain leaves the EU at the end of the year. The appointment is yet to be officially confirmed, but a Government source told the Sun: 'We are delighted to have him.' There were reports that Miss Truss and Mr Abbott had agreed the appointment over breakfast on Wednesday after he was granted permission to break the Australian travel ban to fly to the UK. He is expected to return to London where he was born next week. Current Australian prime minister Scott Morrison said last night the appointment was a 'good hire' by Boris Johnson as he seeks trade deals with Australia, New Zealand, Japan and the US. Mr Abbott is a staunch monarchist and friend of the PM who addressed last year's Tory Party conference, warning that failing to leave the EU would be 'defeat on an epic scale, hardly matched since the Norman invasion'. He has also spoken out against the Black Lives Matter movement and was memorably branded a misogynist in a speech by former prime minister Julia Gillard. There were reports Trade Secretary Liz Truss (above), who will be president of the board and Mr Abbott agreed the appointment on Wednesday, after he was granted permission to break the Australian travel ban to fly to the UK Pointing to Mr Abbott's record on the environment, women and immigration while in power, Miss Thornberry said: 'On a personal level, it is shameful Boris Johnson thinks this offensive, aggressive, leering, gaffe-prone misogynist is the right person to represent our country overseas. 'And on a professional level, this is someone with no hands-on experience of negotiating trade agreements, who denies the climate change we believe should be at the heart of our trade policy, and who clearly has no concept of the importance of Britain's trade with the EU.' Mr Abbott was ousted as prime minister by fellow Liberal Party MPs after a string of gaffes and amid plunging opinion poll ratings. It is unclear whether his new position will be paid or unpaid. US sanctions Chinese individuals, firms over South China Sea dispute Iran Press TV Wednesday, 26 August 2020 4:07 PM The United States has blacklisted 24 Chinese companies and individuals over their actions related to disputed islands in the South China Sea. "The United States, China's neighbors, and the international community have rebuked the CCP's sovereignty claims to the South China Sea and have condemned the building of artificial islands for the Chinese military," said Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said on Wednesday. "The entities designated today have played a significant role in China's provocative construction of these artificial islands and must be held accountable." According to a statement published on the website of the US Commerce Department, the companies that were targeted by Washington include Guangzhou Haige Communications Group, several firms that appear to be related to the China Communications Construction Co, as well as Beijing Huanjia Telecommunication, Changzhou Guoguang Data Communications, China Electronics Technology Group Corp and China Shipbuilding Group. In a separate statement on Wednesday, the US State Department announced that it has imposed visa restrictions on a number Chinese individuals under the same pretext. "Today, the Department of State will begin imposing visa restrictions on People's Republic of China (PRC) individuals responsible for, or complicit in, either the large-scale reclamation, construction, or militarization of disputed outposts in the South China Sea, or the PRC's use of coercion against Southeast Asian claimants to inhibit their access to offshore resources," the statement read. "These individuals will now be inadmissible into the United States, and their immediate family members may be subject to these visa restrictions as well," it added. Diplomatic relations between Washington and Beijing have dropped to the lowest level in decades since US President Donald Trump has came to power. The two countries are currently at loggerheads over numerous issues, including trade, technology, Hong Kong's security, Taiwan's independence, navigation in the East and South China Seas, and most recently, the coronavirus pandemic. The State Department announced last week that it has suspended all its bilateral agreements with Hong Kong related to extradition and tax exemptions, in yet another escalation with China. The move followed Trump's executive order last month to end Hong Kong's special status under US law in reaction to the enactment of a uniform national security law in Hong Kong. Washington described Hong Kong's new security law as "oppressive actions" against the former British colony. Under the law, mainland security agencies are also officially based in Hong Kong for the first time since 1997, when the city's rule returned from Britain to China. Hong Kong has been governed under the "one-country, two-system" model since then, meaning that Chinese sovereignty is applied to the city even as it has its own government. The US also imposed sanctions this month on Hong Kong chief executive Carrie Lam and other current and former Hong Kong and mainland officials over what it describes as curtailing political freedom in the financial hub. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address New Delhi: The Supreme Court Thursday held that its 2004 verdict holding that states do not have the power to further sub-classify the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, for grant of quotas in jobs and admissions to educational institutions, needs to be revisited. A five-judge bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra said the 2004 verdict of a constitution bench in the E V Chinnaiah case needs to be reconsidered and, therefore, the matter be placed before the Chief Justice of India for appropriate direction. The bench, also comprising Justices Indira Banerjee, Vineet Saran, M R Shah and Aniruddha Bose, said in its view the 2004 verdict was not correctly decided and states can make laws to give preferential treatment by subclassifying caste within SC/STs. The bench referred the case filed by the Punjab government against the high court order before CJI Justice S A Bobde for setting up of a larger bench to revisit the earlier verdict. The Punjab and Haryana high court had struck down a state law empowering the government to sub-classify SC/STs for grant of quotas. The high court had relied on the 2004 verdict of the apex court and held that the Punjab government was not empowered to undertake the exercise of sub classifying SC/STs. Some vigilant residents of Tamale in the Northern Region have impounded a tricycle fully loaded with food items meant for the Nyohani Childrens Home. The donated items were allegedly being carted away by the Supervisor of the Childrens home when the residents intercepted the tricycle. The items include bags of maize, rice, cartons of milk, milo, tin tomatoes, and tins of fish, diapers, Cerelac, cooking oil, indomie, soap, detergents, bottled water, smoked beef, two live goats and a ram among others. Her arrest followed months of continuous monitoring by the residents after several complaints were filed about the supervisors conduct. Abukari Jamaldeen, one of the residents who made the arrest, said they had received about five complaints in a spate of three months about how the supervisor was allegedly diverting funds from the home. We had information about her diverting the items to her hometown. So we kept a vigil throughout the night until we arrested her this morning at the VVIP station behind point 7. We dont want people like her calibre to handle the children again, Jamaldeen told Citi News. The residents arrested the woman with the alleged stolen goods and sent her to the Nyohini Youtg Chief palace where she was handed over to the community leaders. The assemblyman of the Nyohini South Electoral Area, Yakubu Hamza, said when the supervisor was impounded, she told them she was travelling to her sisters funeral in the Volta Region. When Citi News arrived at the scene, the supervisor, Mrs. Mawulorm Afelete refused to comment on the issue but only said: I know I am wrong. ---citinewsroom Car and bike manufacturers like Maruti Suzuki, Tata Motors, and Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI) are playing a saviours role to prevent auto dealers from becoming extinct. The going has been tough for the dealers for quite some time now. In April 2020, retail sales fell to zero for the first time after the country-wide lockdown due to COVID-19. The community was already battered, and FY20 turned out to be one of their worst years, with volumes declining 18 percent to 21.54 million units, compared to FY19. So much so that during FY20, more than 300 dealerships downed shutters permanently. Enter the big brothers Their hardship was not going unnoticed. Automotive companies, which were aware of the situation, stepped in and averted a complete meltdown. Direct financial aid like loans, longer credit period, higher margins, interest subsidy and help in securing inventory loans from banks and financial institutions were some of the measures taken by automotive companies during the past few months. Speaking to analysts, Ajay Seth, Chief Financial Officer, Maruti Suzuki India, said: The sudden halt of business had put significant pressure on cash flow for suppliers and dealers. Maruti provided them with cash flow support to ensure that they are able to pay salaries and meet other obligations. In fact, even before the pandemic caused widespread disruption in the market, companies such as Maruti and Tata Motors were keeping a tab on the financial health of dealers even on a monthly basis. We are keeping a very close watch on all our dealerships ever since the pandemic struck. We have a concept of a balanced scorecard of a dealer, where we keep monitoring his performance on all parameters, including financials. We have released advances much earlier, ensuring they have adequate funds. Weve also given them interest subsidy, added Seth. Responding to shareholders at a recent annual general meeting, N Chandrasekaran, Chairman, Tata Motors, had said: Tata Motors is very actively engaged with its dealers. The dealer inventory is at an all-time low. Fixed cost loans have been provided and margin adjustment has been made. HMSI, the countrys second-largest two-wheeler maker, made advance payments of incentives and reimbursements as part of the Rs 1,700 crore package to help its dealers, suppliers and service providers. Not only have bike and car manufacturers increased their prices since July, they have also raised dealer margins. Sources say some automakers have increased margins in recent weeks after the lifting of the lockdown and reopening of showrooms. Dealers down shutters More than 300 dealerships downed shutters permanently in FY20 itself. Of the 370 dealerships which closed in the last three years, about 14 belonged to the Maruti Suzuki family. The urge to push volumes higher had led to dumping of stocks on the dealers by manufacturers for most part of the last year. Inventory days (number of days before the stock is sold) were 1-2 weeks above normal. Tata Motors was one of the companies which claimed to have achieved a month-on-month reduction in inventory to reduce selling pressure on dealers. Margin pressure adds to woes Margin earned from selling vehicles has hit a new low, thanks to the steady addition of dealerships every year. Dealers make 2-3 percent margin on each vehicle sold. It used to be around 5 percent a few years ago, as per estimates. The Federation of Automobile Dealers Association (FADA) said that retail sales, as of August, were still at 60-70 percent levels YoY, despite the low base of last year. The full year outlook continues to remain negative with a projected de-growth in retail sales in the range of 15-35 percent across various segments, said FADA, which represents over 15,000 dealers having 26,500 dealerships, employing around 4 million people. Wholesale passenger vehicle volumes in July 2020 stood at 1,82,779 units, against 1,90,115 units in the same month last year -- a drop of 4 percent. Two-wheeler volumes in July 2020 were 15 percent lower at 1.28 million units against 1.51 million units in the year-ago period, as per Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) data. Valeria Kulbova told a Cumberland County jury Thursday that she knew her mother Rabihan Seiders was dead the moment she saw her vanished moms jewelry. Those rings and earrings, which her mother wore every day, were found by Silver Spring Township police searching the home of Rabihans husband Hap Seiders, in April 2012, soon after she reported her mom was missing, Kulbova said. She would never take them off. When I saw them, I just knew if those rings were off shes not alive, she testified. Hap Seiders, who is being tried for homicide, sat just a few feet away as she spoke. Chief Deputy District Attorney Courtney LaRue Hair is contending that Hap Seiders, 66, murdered his 53-year-old wife in March 2012 and incinerated her body in the fireplace of his home on Willow Mill Park Road. He was charged with homicide last year. Defense attorney George Matangos has questioned whether Rabihan Seiders is really dead, or whether she instead intentionally vanished with about $3 million worth of her husbands assets, including gold bullion coins worth around $1 million. Kulbova was visibly uncomfortable on the witness stand in Judge Jessica E. Brewbakers courtroom. She said that, while she lived in the U.S. for years, sometimes with her mother or with her mother and Hap Seiders, she has since returned to Kyrgyzstan, her native country in central Asia. She said her mother and Hap Seiders would fight about money. In August 2011, she said she saw her mother lying unconscious on the floor in the Silver Spring home with Hap standing over her with balled fists. Hap Seiders, a currency dealer, pleaded guilty to a simple assault charge for that domestic violence incident. Soon afterward, while Hap Seiders was banned from the property, her mother called a locksmith to open a safe, Kulbova said. It contained batches of coins, she said. She told me that it was stuff that belonged to her after what shed been through, Kulbova said. She said at her mothers request she rented a safe deposit box in Philadelphia and her mom stashed the coins there. Yet within months her mother and Hap Seiders got back together. I was afraid she was going to be murdered in that relationship, Kulbova said. She said she called the police in April 2012 after her mom failed to return her repeated phone calls. Hap Seiders only told her that her mother was missing, she said. I remember her telling me, If something happens to me, just tell them Hap did it, she said. She said she hasnt heard from or seen her mother in more than eight years. Would your mom run away and leave you behind without saying anything? LaRue asked. No, Kulbova replied. Matangos will cross-examine Kulbova when the trial resumes Friday. Adria-Joi Watkins poses with her second cousin, Jacob Blake, in Evanston, Ill., in September 2019. (Adria-Joi Watkins via AP) Jacob Blake Had a Knife in His Car When He Was Shot by Police, Investigators Say Jacob Blake possessed a knife when he was shot by a police officer, the Wisconsin Department of Justice announced Wednesday. Blake, 29, was shot seven times on Sunday afternoon by an officer responding to a domestic incident. In an update on the investigation into the shooting, the department said officers were responding to a 911 call from a woman who said her boyfriend was at her house but was not supposed to be there. During the incident, officers tried arresting Blake, who had a warrant for sexual assault. Officers struggled with Blake behind his vehicle, tasing him, but he escaped. Blake then walked around the vehicle and opened the drivers side door. At that point, Kenosha officer Rusten Sheskey fired his gun seven times into Blakes back while holding onto the suspects shirt. Only Sheskey fired his weapon, though at least one other officer had drawn their firearm. During the investigation following the initial incident, Mr. Blake admitted that he had a knife in his possession. DCI agents recovered a knife from the drivers side floorboard of Mr. Blakes vehicle. A search of the vehicle located no additional weapons, the state Department of Justice said. Law enforcement immediately provided aid to Blake, who was soon airlifted to Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee, where he remains to this day. The departments Division of Criminal Investigation is continuing to investigate the incident, along with the FBI, the state patrol, and the Kenosha County Sheriffs Office. The division is aiming to provide investigative reports to a prosecutor within 30 days. The prosecutor would then decide whether to file charges or not. Jacob Blake, center, with his children in a file photo. (Justice for Jacob Blake/GoFundMe) Blake was charged last month with third-degree sexual assault, a felony, and trespassing and domestic abuse, two misdemeanors, last month, according to a criminal complaint obtained by The Epoch Times. A woman who said she was Blakes ex-girlfriend told police he went to her house in Kenosha, broke in, assaulted her, and stole her vehicle and a debit card he later used to withdraw $1,000 from ATMs. The woman said she and Blake share three children. An inquiry sent to one of Blakes lawyers wasnt immediately returned. Benjamin Crump, another attorney for the family, didnt immediately address the disclosure that his client had a weapon. In a social media post on Wednesday evening, Crump said the Kenosha Police Department has not yet given Blakes family ANY answers or explanations as to why he was shot. Instead, they are trying to justify their UNJUSTIFIABLE actions while he lay in the hospital, he said. BIvory LaMarr, who is helping represent the Blake family, told reporters in a press briefing Tuesday that any officers involved in the shooting should be terminated. Were demanding the police department to take swift action. We ask for transparency. We ask for our local and governmental officials to act swiftly to enforce legislation. Its not so much about creating new legislation. Its about enforcing whats on the books now. And thats what we call for. Thats what this family wants. And we will not stop until we get it, he said. The Ghana Education Service (GES) is reviewing its structure to make the service more efficient and effective in the delivery of its mandate of providing quality, equitable and inclusive education for the Ghanaian child. The reforms seek to look at the entire structure and spectrum of the service and restructure systems, as well as job functions, with a focus to improve and better manage them. Addressing a workshop on the Secondary Education Improvement Project (SEIP) at Larteh in the Eastern Region, the Deputy Director-General of the GES in charge of Management Services, Mr Anthony Boateng, said one of the areas being considered was the number of people working at the GES Headquarters. Some people are of the view that the headquarters of the GES should be made of only highly technical people who will be engaged in policy dissemination, coordination, harmonisation and monitoring to ensure that things are working, he said. Eliminating duplication Mr Boateng indicated that no employee would lose his/her job and urged staff of the service not to panic, stressing: At worst, there may be realignments. Currently, the GES has a staff strength of about 350,000 and a student population of about nine million. Mr Boateng said the service was looking at eliminating duplications to ensure efficiency and maximise the human resource available for effective delivery on the mandate. He said as part of the ongoing reforms, the government had set up some bodies to take up some of the responsibilities of the GES to enable it to focus on its mandate. He mentioned the National Council for Curriculum Assessment (NaCCA) as one of such institutions, adding that the council now developed the curriculum and handed it over to the GES and private schools to implement. So currently it is not the GES that determines which book goes to the schools. Anybody who wants to get his or her books into schools must contact the NaCCA to look at them and determine whether the books are worth being used in schools, he explained. Headteacher Mr Boateng further said the reforms would also look at the possibility to strengthen the position of the headteacher and empower him/her to be able to sanction a teacher who did not come to school or who was not performing. He explained that even though currently headteachers could sanction teachers, the procedure for arriving at a decision was cumbersome, such that by the time the feedback comes, the issue might have lost its relevance. So the idea is to determine when the school head can take a decisive action at the school to ensure that the school achieves the needed results, he said. Promotions Touching on the promotion of teachers, Mr Boateng said the interview system for promotions had been stopped. As part of the changes being implemented, teachers now write aptitude tests to get promotion, he said. He, however, stressed that before being considered for promotion, the teacher would have to be assessed based on certain benchmarks to ascertain whether that teacher was eligible for the promotion. For a teacher to be eligible for promotion, the person might have demonstrated some level of integrity, commitment and performance, as well as delivered effective teaching and learning in the classroom, he added. 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 (ANSA) - ROME, 27 AGO - The government has challenged a controversial ordinance by Sicily Governor Nello Musumeci to close migrant centres on the island amid alleged COVID concerns. Centre-right Governor Musumeci has been engaging in a tug of war with Rome since the weekend. Musumeci claims the regional government has precedence over the national government in migrant policy. The government in Rome contends the opposite. Musumeci said he would forge ahead despite the government's legal challenge. "Let no one think that an appeal can stop our dutiful action of preserving health," he said. "It's up to us, and no one else. "And we will go on down this path". The governor has been backed by the nationalist opposition League party and criticised by centre-left parties in government. League leader Matteo Salvini, who as former interior minister applied a closed ports policy for NGO migrant rescue ships, said he would take legal action against the government for abetting illegal immigration and accused the interior ministry of hiding figures on migrant landings. The centrist Italia Viva party, part of the governing coalition, has filed a suit against Musumeci and Salvini accusing them of falsely raising alarm and abuse of office, among other things. Meanwhile the interior ministry came out with the latest migrant landing figures. It said that 17,504 landed in Italy from January 1 to August 25, triple the number that arrived in the same period last year. On Tuesday Musumeci said the first migrant hotspot in Sicily was being emptied. "This morning they started to empty the hotspot at Pozzallo," the governor said on Facebook. Minister for the South Giuseppe Provenzano visited Sicily later Tuesday and allayed concerns that migrants were driving up COVID fears. He urged Musumeci to show "institutional decorum" over the migrant-COVID issue. The governor issued an ordinance to clear all the island's hotspots and migrant reception centres by midnight Tuesday, but this aim was not achieved. Several COVID cases have been reported at the hotspot on the stepping stone island of Lampedusa south of Sicily. The island's mayor has assured Salvini that all the COVID-positive migrants there have been isolated in suitable facilities. (ANSA). The second move was the creation of a guided route around the museum called Collecting and Empire, with plaques that explain how certain items, like a bark shield from Australia, had made their way into the museum. (The plaques stress that most of the items were bought or donated to the museum, not stolen.) Our task is to elucidate the history of this institution, and the history of every object in it, Mr. Fischer said about the alterations. Openness is really at the heart of this. The changes he announced may seem small, but they caused a stir in Britain this week. The decision to move the bust, which Mr. Fischer first outlined in an interview with The Daily Telegraph, a conservative newspaper, angered some traditionalists. Save Our Statues, a campaign group, said on Twitter that it showed such disrespect & ingratitude to a man whose generosity has helped preserve so much world history for millions to enjoy. Other Twitter users pointed out that Sloane had not owned any slaves himself, but that his wealth came from plantations owned by his wife. Mr. Fischer said he does not use social media, adding that he was aware of the fuss, and that he stood by the decision. People will always complain, he said: You just have to do the right thing. The UK Supreme Court today, dismissed two appeals filed by Chinese telecom equipment manufacturers Huawei and ZTE. These appeals concerned two patent infringement cases brought by Unwired Planet International and Conversant Wireless. The cases concern the licensing of crucial mobile technologies and are related to Standard Essential Patents (SEPs). A SEP ensures that fair prices are maintained and customers benefit from the technology or patent. Holders of SEPs cant withhold the technology. Instead, SEP holders, mandated by law, license their technology to third parties. Advertisement In 2013, Unwired Planet International brought the first case against Huawei. The intellectual property company alleged that Huawei infringed on 5 UK patents belonging to Unwired Planet. Incidentally, Unwired Planet International had acquired these patents from the Swedish telecom giant, Ericsson. Previously, the English court ruled that two of Unwired Planets patents were valid. The court had also ruled that Unwireds license terms were fair and legally enforceable. On the other hand, Conversant Wireless brought forth its legal action case against both, Huawei and ZTE. Conversant Wireless alleged that Huawei and ZTE infringed on four of its UK patents. Conversant acquired these patents from the Finnish telecom major, Nokia. Advertisement Incidentally, these patents cover 3G, 4G, and 5G mobile service technologies. The patents also cover other yet-to-be-developed mobile service technologies. Britains Supreme Court has upheld previous decisions while quashing the appeals from Huawei and ZTE. The Supreme Court judgment makes it mandatory for companies like Huawei and ZTE to procure global licenses from SEP holders for the complete portfolio. UK Supreme Court Dismissed Huawei & ZTE Appeals In their appeals, the Chinese telecom majors argued that the UK courts did not have jurisdiction over foreign patents. Huawei and ZTE based the whole appeal on the argument that the UK Supreme Court could not arbitrate and determine the validity of foreign global patents. Advertisement However, the UK Supreme court quashed the argument. The Court stated that it has jurisdiction under an international patent framework. As per the trial Judge, the mobile industry has already agreed upon this international patent framework. Consequently, Huawei and ZTE will have to sign licensing agreements with Unwired Planet International and Conversant Wireless. In case the telecom companies fail to acquire these licenses, they will be subject to injunctions. These potential injunctions will severely limit their access to the UK market. This compounds Huaweis uphill battle in the US and other countries. Advertisement However, there is another significant consequence of this judgment. The UK Courts can now arbitrate global patent cases. As such, the impact of this judgment is far-reaching. Telecom manufacturers will need to acquire global licenses for the complete portfolio of a SEP holder. Also, the manufacturers cannot legally insist that the SEP holder proves their patents in every jurisdiction globally. Namita Bajpai By Express News Service LUCKNOW: With doctors and healthcare workers (HCWs) exposed to the risk of Covid-19 pandemic, the Uttar Pradesh government has prepared a new strategy to make the corona warriors secure by insuring them and incentivising their services. The state government has announced a life insurance scheme under which an incentive amount of Rs 75,000 will be provided to the doctors discharging Covid-19 duties. It has asked anaesthetics, cardiologists, nephrologists, chest physicians, gynaecologists and paediatricians to get themselves registered for the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana, under which an incentive amount of about Rs 75,000 will be provided to them for performing 15-day Covid-19 duties. In his letter to the State Health Department, additional chief secretary Medical and Health Amit Mohan Prasad gave necessary instructions to the department to ensure better treatment facilities for the Covid-19 patients suffering from severe illness. The state government also planned to seek the help of experts regarding the matter. Meanwhile, CM Yogi Adityanath has instructed the DMs and chief medical officers of all the districts to meet twice daily to ensure better medical care for the affected people and provide immediate resolution to the problems which the patients are coming across. Expressing satisfaction over the state conducting 1.30 lakh Covid-19 tests daily, the CM stressed on increasing the number of beds in Covid-19 hospitals across the state. Patna, Aug 27 : Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) chief and former Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi met Bihar Chief Minister and Janata Dal (United) President Nitish Kumar on Thursday after leaving the Opposition grand alliance ahead of the upcoming Bihar assembly elections. After this meeting, it is speculated that Manjhi's HAM will now be a part of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). However, both the parties have not officially announced it till now. Manjhi reached the Chief Minister's residence on Thursday and met Nitish Kumar. There was a long conversation between the two leaders. Manjhi did not reveal his political plans after meeting Nitish but it is believed that he might join the NDA. After meeting Nitish, Manjhi said that he had a meeting with the Chief Minister regarding issues in his constituency. He has dismissed that there were any political talks with Nitish Kumar. However, he said that everything will be clear in a couple of days. On joining the NDA, Manjhi said, "The decision will be finalised by August 30 and the people will come to know about it. However, according to close sources, there were talks about seat sharing between the two leaders. It is being said that JD-U president Nitish Kumar had agreed to give Manjhi nine to 10 seats in the upcoming Assembly polls. Manjhi had distanced himself from the Opposition grand alliance a few days back. From that time there was speculation that Manjhi would likely join the NDA again. Several opposition parties have expressed concern over Manjhi leaving the grand alliance. RLSP chief Upendra Kushwaha on Wednesday said it is unfortunate for Jitan Ram Manjhi to leave the Opposition grand alliance. The United States will not allow Iran to obtain nuclear weapon, Democratic vice-presidential nominee Kamala Harris said on Wednesday, asserting that if voted to power, a Biden Administration will work with allies to strengthen the Obama-era nuclear deal with Tehran and push back its other destabilizing actions. Training her gun at the Trump Administration on the matter, the Indian-origin Senator said, That nuclear deal, as we all know, blocked Irans pathways to a nuclear weapon and it was working, as was verified by international inspectors and the US intelligence community. But Donald Trump withdrew from it...promising a better deal and a cowed Iran, but instead Iran is revving up its nuclear activity and becoming more provocative. Let me be clear, we will not allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon. Period. We will continue to ensure that Israel has the unbreakable support of the United States, said Harris, the first person of Black and Indian descent to have been nominated by a major party as its vice-presidential candidate. The Democratic Partys presidential candidate and former vice president Joe Biden, she said, actually took historic steps as vice president to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. She was responding to questions during a fundraiser. The Obama-Biden administration imposed what were described as crippling multilateral sanctions which brought Iran to negotiations, which paved the way for the JCPOA and prevented a nuclear armed Iran, she said. JCPOA or Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, commonly known as Iran nuclear deal, was signed during the Obama era. His successor and incumbent President Donald Trump withdrew from JCPOA. Harris, the first-term Senator from California who serves on the House Intelligence committee, said that she believes that the US is more isolated than ever from its allies. The Trump administration took the issue of arms embargo against Iran to the (UN) Security Council recently and only one other country voted with us. I think its fair to say this America First approach has been America alone which is not in our best interest or in the interest of our allies, she said. Our administration will hold Irans government accountable and rejoin a diplomatic agreement if Iran comes back into compliance. And we will work with our allies, of course, to strengthen the Iran deal and push back Irans other destabilising actions, Harris said. Responding to a question on continuation of unconditional security assistance to Israel, she said that Biden has made it clear his administration will not tie security assistance to any political decisions that Israel makes. As vice president, Joe Biden helped ensure unwavering support for Israels security. During the Obama-Biden administration he was a key advocate in securing support for life-saving technologies which I have seen..., she said. Biden has also helped shape the unprecedented USD 38 billion a year memorandum of understanding for defense assistance to Israel that was signed in 2016, which was the largest military aid package in American history, Harris said. I pledge to you the Biden-Harris administration will sustain our unbreakable commitment to Israels security including the unprecedented military and intelligence cooperation pioneered during the Obama-Biden administration and the guarantee that Israel will always maintain its qualitative military edge, Harris said. Advertisement Alessandra Ambrosio has made a living posing in swimsuits during her 24-year and counting modeling career. On Thursday, the Brazilian bombshell was at it again as she heated up her Instagram in a series of photos while on vacation at her favorite hotel, Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi. The 39-year-old former Victoria's Secret model epitomized luxury as she posed in her signature Infinity bikini in indigo from her swimsuit brand GAL Floripa and a matching tie dye kimono style kaftan. Brazilian bombshell: Alessandra Ambrosio poses for a series of sizzling snaps while on vacation with her boyfriend and two children in the Maldives. The family soaked up the sun while staying at the luxurious Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi Alessandra stood against the picturesque Laccadive Sea as the stunner showed off her incredible body and island tan in a series of Instagram snaps. Her two-toned brunette beach waves blew in the wind as she showed off her famous abs and a hint of her backside during a day on the water. She capped off her glamorous look with blue tinted frames and some tropical jewels to elevate the full outfit, as she captioned the images, 'A place where summer never ends...' The model flew to the Maldives earlier this week with her two children and boyfriend of two years, Italian businessman Nicolo Oddi. Tropical paradise: The model and swimsuit designer has been enjoying her time on a dream vacation in paradise as she stays at her favorite hotel in the Maldives. Alessandra is a partner for Waldorf Astoria hotels as mentioned on social media Endless summer: The former Victoria's Secret angel soaked up the sun in front of the picturesque backdrop as she captioned her images 'A place where summer never ends...' Island tan: The model has been on her amazing vacation with her two children and boyfriend of two years, Italian businessman Nicolo Oddi Alessandra shares her kids, Anja, 12 and Noah, 8 with her ex-fiance Jamie Mazur whom she split from after 10 years though he was not present on the dream trip. In addition to having a luxurious family vacation, Alessandra and her family were there to celebrate her daughter Anja who turned 12 on Monday. The whole extended Ambrosio family was invited to relax and celebrate, as her parents Lucilda and Luiz were in attendance as well as her cousins. The veteran model paid tribute to her 'ray of sunshine' with a series of posts and documented the celebratory family outing on her social media. Fashion GAL: Last week she was seen in in Infinity bikini in gold from her swimsuit brand GAL Floripa. She started the line in 2019 with 'soul sisters' Gisele Coria and Aline Ambrosio Ray of sunshine: Alessandra wished her daughter Anja, 12 happy birthday in adorable photos surrounded by pink, blue and yellow balloons as well as birthday treats Before jetting to the Maldives, Alessandra and her family had been locked down in their Santa Monica, California home. Last week the swimsuit designer was seen getting a COVID test with her daughter ahead of their international travels to make sure everything was copacetic before departing. With the modeling industry slowly starting to ramp up again Alesandra will no doubt be back to work soon though she has been loving being at home with her family. In the meantime she has found ways to get creative with her career and swimsuit line, as she has been modeling her latest designs from the comfort of her own home. Night Curfew in Maharashtra: Check guidelines, rules; what is allowed, what is not allowed Mistakes of 2021 being repeated; unnecessary medication, tests should be avoided: Doctors tells Centre Will schools in Maharashtra reopen next week amid rising Omicron cases? Proposal sent to CM Schools in Mumbai to reopen with rest of Maharashtra on Monday NCB team in Mumbai to probe drugs angle in Sushant Singh Rajput case India pti-Madhuri Adnal Mumbai, Aug 27: A three-member team of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) from Delhi arrived here on Thursday to probe the drugs aspect in the actor Sushant Singh Rajput suicide case. States urged to proactively limit COVID transmission and keep the mortality below 1% On Tuesday, the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is probing actor Rhea Chakraborty in a money laundering case, informed in a letter to the NCB that their investigation had revealed that drugs were supplied to Rhea and Sushant. BJP tops Facebook political ad spending at Rs 4 crore & more news | Oneindia News On Wednesday, the NCB registered an FIR against Chakraborty and others. Chakraborty is also facing a CBI investigation for allegedly abetting Rajput's suicide. The actor took his life on June 14. Ex-President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili has declared that he is returning to Georgia, RIA Novosti reports. In a video message, he expressed gratitude to his second home, Ukraine. Earlier, he had declared several times that he intends to return to his homeland and had stated that he doesnt acknowledge the legitimacy of the incumbent Georgian authorities. He also stated that he has accumulated a lot of knowledge and experience over the past seven years in order to serve his homeland better and not make mistakes. I wanted the people in my country to live better, be richer and not make mistakes. Throughout these past seven years, there has not been one day that I havent followed the news in Georgia, and I know for a fact that the years of my presidency were not in vain. However, when I hear the news from Georgia, I understand that we can live better, and it will work out. I am returning to Georgia, Saakashvili declared. A 42-year-old woman has been charged with neglect after a 69-year-old woman in her care in 2018 lost part of a leg to an infection that was not properly treated, authorities in Lehigh County say. Frances Collazo was arraigned Wednesday morning before District Judge Karen C. Devine on charges of neglect of care (dependent person) -- a felony due to the serious injury -- recklessly endangering another person and theft by deception, records show. The offense date is Nov. 28, 2018, but the criminal complaint wasnt filed until Aug. 19 of this year, records and a news release show. She was released on $1, third-person bail. The Allentown Police Department case was also investigated by the countys 10th sitting grand jury and the grand jurys presentment, which provides details of the offenses, was sealed by a county judge, a news release from District Attorney Jim Martin and police Chief Glenn Granitz said. Martin praised Allentown police Detective Erik Landis for his work on the case and thanked members of the grand jury for their service. A listed number for Collazo was out of service and the news release said she was formerly of Allentown but had no current address, so she couldnt be reached for comment. Her preliminary hearing is tentatively scheduled 1:30 p.m. Wednesday before Devine. Please subscribe now and support the local journalism YOU rely on and trust. Tony Rhodin can be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. Amazon has cleared a major regulatory hurdle in its quest to deliver Internet service to unserved and underserved areas of the earth. The U.S. Federal Communications Commission has approved, with some conditions, Amazons Kuiper Project, a US$10 billion low-orbit constellation made up of more than 3,000 satellites. We conclude that grant of Kuipers application would advance the public interest by authorizing a system designed to increase the availability of high-speed broadband service to consumers, government, and businesses, the FCC stated in an authorization order issued July 30. That approval came on the condition that Kuiper submit a final orbital debris mitigation plan with the commission. The FCC requires applicants for a space station authorization to submit a description of the design and operational strategies that they will use to mitigate orbital debris, including a statement detailing post-mission disposal plans for space stations at the end of their operating life. Kuiper has submitted a preliminary plan to the regulators that calls for deorbiting satellites in no more than 355 days following completion of their mission, a shorter time frame than the 25-year standard established by NASA. A final plan, however, wont be available until the final constellation design is completed. Because the design of Kuipers satellites is not completed, and because Kuiperconsequently did not present specific information concerning some required elements of a debris mitigation plan, we condition our grant of the Kuiper application on Kuiper presenting, and the Commission granting, a modification of this authorization to provide for review of the final orbital debris mitigation plan, the FCC wrote in its order. Uncertain Payoff In addition serving individual households, schools, hospitals, businesses and other organizations operating in places without reliable broadband, Amazon stated Kuiper will also provide backhaul solutions for wireless carriers extending LTE and 5G service to new regions. We have heard so many stories lately about people who are unable to do their job or complete schoolwork because they dont have reliable Internet at home, Amazon Senior Vice President Dave Limp said in a statement. There are still too many places where broadband access is unreliable or where it doesnt exist at all, he added. Kuiper will change that. Our $10 billion investment will create jobs and infrastructure around the United States that will help us close this gap. A D V E R T I S E M E N T That $10 billion was questioned by one retail industry expert. It seems like a lot of money to be investing in this, observed Mark William Lewis, CEO of Netalico Commerce, an e-commerce development agency based in Raleigh, N.C. Investing $10 billion in space is pretty significant and the payoff really isnt certain, he told TechNewsWorld. It could be that Jeff Bezos wants to build a space company like Elon Musk, he added. Maybe Bezos plans to launch the satellites himself with his company. Speculative Venture Amazon isnt alone in the low-orbit satellite Internet delivery business. Elon Musk, of Tesla fame, won approval for a SpaceX venture called Skylink, which already has more than 300 birds circling the earth and is nearing a critical mass to switch on the system and provide some minimal service to the United States. Space Xs plans call for offering North America broadband coverage in 2020 and worldwide coverage in 2021. Initially, Starlink received approval from the FCC for one million fixed-earth stations the hardware consumers and businesses will use to connect to the network but it has since asked for an increase to five million based on initial interest from consumers to the project. The earth stations called UFOs On A Stick by Musk are less than half a meter in diameter and contain motors that allow the units to track Skylinks satellites. According to Musk, instructions for setting up the hardware are simple: plug in socket, point to sky. Meanwhile, a third player, OneWeb, is set to emerge from Chapter 11 bankruptcy after being bought by the government of the UK and Bharti Enterprises, who each have pledged to invest $500 million into the venture. Additional players in the mix adds risk to Amazons network. Its risky because no one knows how well this will work, or if there is a sufficient market to support one of these networks, let alone more than one, said Michael Calabrese, director of the wireless future program at the New Americas Technology Institute, a think tank in Washington, D.C. A D V E R T I S E M E N T Thats especially true of SpaceX because Amazon could offset the cost of its network by being an anchor tenant of its own network, he told TechNewsWorld. Business Benefits While shining the light of the Internet on dark areas of the world with little or no online service may be one factor behind Kuiper, there are some business benefits to Amazon, too. Amazon is an e-tailer. If you cant connect to the network, you cant buy anything from them, said Rob Enderle, president and principal analyst with the Enderle Group. Think of it as a retailer opening up branch offices, he told TechNewsWorld. In this case, though, theyre creating connectivity so people can buy their products. Its a case of opening up new markets and allowing for expansion. Netalicos Lewis added that satellite networks can be an easy way for Amazon to spread the Internet. You dont have to work with the local governments to expand the Internet, he said. You just fly your satellites into space, and everyone has the Internet, and they can order from Amazon. Amazon could also benefit from providing business services through Kuiper. That could mean tracking the assets of both Amazons and others. It could also mean fleet management and providing connectivity to remote locations like mines, farms, campgrounds, pipelines and offshore wind facilities. Additionally, it could mean better Internet service for moving platforms, like planes, trains, automobiles and cruise ships. Amazon is increasingly starting to do its own delivery and moving away from UPS and the postal service, observed New Americas Calabrese. Itll want to manage its fleets, including fleets of drones, he continued. It makes sense to use a satellite network to control drones because they depend on line-of-sight. Amazon, like Google and Microsoft, benefits from having everybody connected because theyre selling cloud services, through AWS, and video, through Prime, he said. Companies that use Amazon Web Services will be happy with more people having access to the Internet, added Lewis, because it means more people will have access to those companies services, too. One day after Yale Law School suspended well-known professor Jed Rubenfeld on grounds of sexual harassment, author Suketu Mehta took to Twitter to say that the mighty had fallen." He narrated how Rubenfeld had threatened to assault him at a party in 2014 after he called out racism in a book by him and his wife, Amy Chua. Yale Law faculty were told of his suspension Monday. His suspension stemmed from a university investigation into allegations that he had sexually harassed several students. Who is Jed Rubenfeld? Jed L Rubenfeld is a well-known American lawyer and author. In 1990, Rubenfeld joined the faculty at Yale and was given full professorship four years later. His areas of expertise include the First Amendment, Privacy laws and constitutional laws. He is also married Amy Chua, a fellow Yale professor and author of the best selling novel Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. What are the allegations against him? According to a report by New York Magazine, the allegations against Rubenfeld span over decades, almost dating back to when he started teaching at Yale. The report also suggests that his behaviour was notorious and most students were aware; some even cautioned their peers about him, warning each other to stay away. Rubenfeld has been accused of unwanted touching, inappropriate remarks, verbal harassment, attempts to kiss his students, both at his home and at university. There is also one allegation which suggests that he tried to drop one of his students off while being under the influence of alcohol. What does Rubenfeld have to say about his allegations? Rubenfeld has categorically denied all the charges against him. He said that he 100% denies ever sexually harassing anyone." However, he said that he did regret some of things he had said or done but also said that anyone with a teaching career as expansive as his would have the same regrets. What did Yale do about it? Taking cognizance of the matter, Yale decided to suspend Rubenfeld for two years while a thorough investigation is launched into his activities and interactions with his students over the years. The faculty members on Monday received a message from their provost informing them about the suspension which would be effective immediately. The message also said that when Yale would allow Rubenfeld to return, certain conditions would apply. He would be barred from teaching small groups of students and will have restrictions when it comes to social gatherings with students. For now, Yale has also removed Rubenfelds profile page from the list of faculty in the official website. Is this the first time allegations have been made against Rubenfeld and wife Amy Chua? No, this is not. Both Rubenfeld and Chua have previously defended Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who has repeatedly been accused of sexual misconduct. According to a shocking report by The Guardian in 2018, the couple had were aware that Kavanaugh would hire female law students based on their physical appearances and Chua allegedly would advise the juniors on how to dress for Kavanaugh if they wanted to work for him. In the same 2018 report, The Guardian said that they had learned of an investigation into Rubenfelds conduct at Yale. The internal probe focused on Rubenfelds treatment of female students and Chua using her influence in the clerkship processes. The couple have also been accused of racism in a book they co-wrote, which Mehta referred to in his tweet. Chua and Rubenfeld released a book, The Triple Package", in 2014 which talked about cultural and racial superiority. The book proposed a theory, which was deemed absurd and completely baseless, that suggested that certain communities like the Jewish, Chinese, Indian, Lebanese-Americans, Nigerians, Iranian and Mormons were culturally superior and other races would contribute to the downfall of America." (With inputs from Reuters) Antwainnetta Edwards is a new mom. Just weeks ago she had a baby girl and worked hard preparing herself to raise a child during a coronavirus pandemic and the related economic crisis. Now, as she stood on the porch of her home in Kenosha, rocking her newborn back and forth, she reflected on the last four days and nights that have shaken the small Wisconsin city since, once again in America, a white police officer shot a Black man during an interaction that went out of control, severely wounding Jacob Blake on Sunday. Related: 'Far from isolated incident': Kenosha's Black residents speak out on police violence Family-owned stores in Edwardss neighborhood have been destroyed as largely peaceful protests against police brutality and racism splintered into violence on the fringes on Monday night. Then the situation spiraled into chaos on Tuesday night as white, armed vigilantes and militia members appeared on the streets and some attacked protesters who were chanting Black Lives Matter, just a five-minute walk from her home. Two people were shot dead, others injured in terrifying street scenes, where police in armored vehicles patrolled the streets but did not impose curfew on the militia types and in one instance caught on tape appeared to encourage them, before bullets flew. An assault rifle-toting 17-year-old from out of town, Kyle Rittenhouse, of Antioch, Illinois, was arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of murder. Its scary. I just had a baby, Edwards told the Guardian on Wednesday, indicating the little girl in her arms. Its a lot to deal with. First, our house couldve been burned down and now we have to travel all the way to the next county just for food, while police and outsiders armored up to try controlling the streets. As a result of the unrest, every business in her largely Black and brown uptown neighborhood is either closed or destroyed. The air was filled with lingering stacks of smoke on Wednesday with the streets strewn with rubble. Story continues The community is in anguish over the shooting of Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old father who was gravely wounded after being shot in the back by a police officer. He has been fighting for his life in hospital and undergoing emergency surgery, while paralyzed from the waist down and with injuries to his spine, stomach, intestines and kidneys. Blakes family have been pleading for calm, even as state troops were sent to Kenosha, Donald Trump pledged to send federal law enforcement and the county sheriff, David Beth, lamented troublemakers coming to Kenosha from other towns, causing chaos as they treated the protests like a show. On Wednesday night, the streets were calm, with peaceful local marches. But communities like Edwardss has been left to come to terms with the setback for race relations, which had been slowly improving in the city, and a frayed relationship with the police, and the damage that has upended daily life. Just moments from her home, dozens of volunteers began operations in the blazing sun on Wednesday as temperatures made it into the 90s Fahrenheit, and set about lifting spirits. They handed out water and pizza and began to clean up streets covered in debris and boarded-up storefronts. Music and laughter filled the air as the act of banding together served as a salve and the beginning of the healing process. The bubble had to eventually pop and it did. Our community moved on from asking for help to demanding it. But in the meantime, were going to take care of ourselves. Sadly, we have to be the ones to do it, but this is what happens when people ignore the needs of a large part of our country, said Tom Judt, a Kenosha native, as he helped clear up. He added: The destruction is going to hit us hard economically, but its awesome to see everyone working their butt off in the heat to support each other. Hours past the 7pm curfew on Wednesday night, protesters cooked ribs and hotdogs on a grill and joined each other in Civic Center Park, where less than 24 hours before protesters were teargassed and shot with pepper balls. Residents were left to wonder why the president would offer law enforcement but not funding assistance. No one really cares about this community here. Dont let them fool you, said local rapper Vincent Runnels. It wasnt protected like downtown because Black people live in this area. You see a lot of white folks out here in the community helping board up buildings and clean up now, but thats just to save face. Runnels says the last few days have been especially traumatic because when reports of a Black man shot by the Kenosha police reached social media, members of his family flooded his phone inbox thinking it was him. They were trying to make sure it wasnt me. Thats a whole different feeling, I cant explain it. And when I was finally able to get home and see what happened to [Jacob Blake] it was a lot to handle, said Runnels. The city, which in the last decade has only seen four murders a year on average, has found itself in unfamiliar territory as police violence, elements of community violence and a lack of resources all converge against the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic. For the Wisconsin state representative David Bowen, the goal is creating the future that everyone deserves, no matter their race or class. Bowens awakening to systemic racial oppression came at a young age because of the constant threat of being targeted and roughed up by the police, he said, but noted that the issue of police violence is a symptom of larger problems. Theres a bad culture within police forces in this country, but thats a result of anti-Blackness and you cant root out anti-Blackness by just getting rid of police or voting. Jacob Blake is the perfect example, Bowen said over the phone to the Guardian as he drove from Kenosha to Milwaukee, 40 miles north on the shore of Lake Michigan, to fix his car that he says was targeted by white supremacists. The circumstances leading up to Blakes shooting by the police are still unclear, with reports that he had tried to break up an altercation between two other people, and also reports on Thursday that he had a knife in his car. Jacob Blake was a part of protecting and serving his community by breaking up that fight. But, the police still came in and violently removed him from the situation because they have the power to uphold a system that thrives on removing Black bodies, Bowen said on Wednesday. An hour after the Guardian spoke to Bowen, the Wisconsin department of justice confirmed the identity of the officer who shot Blake as Rusten Sheskey. As yet there is no news on whether he will be dismissed and arrested, leaving another hole in the healing process for many in Kenosha. Back on her porch, Edwards said: Its time for the people in power to put human lives and the needs of the community first. She added: Weve all had enough. Now we all just need to come together, help each other in whatever ways are needed and make sure our government actually supports us. The parent of a former student at Saint Marys Hall has joined a lawsuit against a nonprofit corporation that operates the elite San Antonio private school, alleging that the student endured bullying there. The newest plaintiff, identified only as M.D.L., joined the case Wednesday on behalf of a boy described as John Doe, a minor. The plaintiff claims the boy suffered numerous instances of face-to-face bullying, cyberbullying and abuse at Saint Marys Hall and that the school ignored his and his parents pleas for help. Another former student, Jane Doe, made similar allegations in a lawsuit filed earlier this month against Saint Marys Hall Inc. and the institutions former head of school, Jonathan Eades. The litigation seeks more than $1 million in damages. Officials at Saint Marys Hall declined to comment specifically on the latest allegations, but said they take such reports seriously and have robust policies and procedures to address bullying, misconduct, social aggression, intolerance and sexual assault. It is our school policy not to discuss details of pending litigation as we respect the integrity of the legal process, the school said. On ExpressNews.com: Former students lawsuit claims she was bullied, harassed at elite San Antonio school Eades said earlier this month that he worked diligently to foster a culture of trust, respect and accountability at Saint Marys Hall, where he worked for 14 years. He said he cares deeply about past and current students. He declined to say more on Wednesday. He now leads the private Kinkaid School in Houston. Attorneys for the defendants have not yet filed a formal response to the lawsuit, according to the Harris County District Clerks website. John Doe attended elementary and middle school at Saint Marys Hall, but has since changed schools because of the bullying and abuse he suffered, said Houston attorney Jason Itkin, who represents both former students. The boy was bullied in person and online, the lawsuit states. Despite his and his parents pleas to the administration, those cries for help consistently fell upon deaf ears, it said. Eades was aware of the boys situation but did nothing, the lawsuit alleged. On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio father sues sons classmates, their parents over cyberbullying accusations Jane Doe attended middle school and high school at Saint Marys Hall, where she claims she suffered numerous instances of bullying, sexual harassment and sexual assault. Eades also was aware of her allegations, the lawsuit said. The lawsuit accuses the school of failing to launch a formal inquiry or investigation into pupils or faculty members behavior toward either student. Both of the former students want Saint Marys Hall to make the school a place of trust and responsibility, the lawsuit states: John Doe and Jane Doe want real change. In a letter to the community earlier this month, Saint Marys Hall Head of School Len Miller said the institution had formed an equity task force and was making changes through a review of its policies, additional training for faculty and staff, and continuing conversations with the public. The school was tremendously saddened by the allegations, but has a policy not to discuss pending litigation, Millers letter 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 Harry Dunn's mother says her son's name is 'forever written in history' as she vows to continue her battle for justice one year on from his death. The 19-year-old motorcyclist was killed in a road crash outside a US military base in Northamptonshire on August 27 last year. His alleged killer, Anne Sacoolas, the wife of a US intelligence official claimed immunity and fled across the Atlantic without returning. One of the ambitions of the Dunn family's campaign was to close the loophole that allowed Sacoolas to claim immunity, a matter that was resolved by Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab in July. Speaking on the anniversary of the tragedy today, Harry's mother, Charlotte Charles, said the whole family was 'very, very proud' of their efforts to ensure no family would 'suffer like we had'. She also spoke of the pain Mr Dunn's relatives have endured, admitting that until justice is achieved, 'it doesn't feel like we're living, we're just existing'. Harry Dunn, 19, pictured, was killed in a road crash outside a US military base in Northamptonshire a year ago today Key events following the death of Harry Dunn one year ago 2019 - August 27: Motorcyclist Harry Dunn collides with a Volvo outside RAF Croughton in Northamptonshire. He is taken to the John Radcliffe Infirmary in Oxford but is pronounced dead shortly after arrival. - August 28: Northamptonshire Police interview 42-year-old suspect Anne Sacoolas in connection with the crash. - August 30: A briefing note copied to the Foreign Secretary's private office reveals the concern for the potential for 'very unpalatable headlines'. - September 13: A request to waive diplomatic immunity claimed by Ms Sacoolas is formally rejected by the US. - September 14: A senior Foreign Office official sends a text message to their US counterpart saying: 'I think that now the decision has been taken not to waive, there's not much mileage in us asking you to keep the family here. It's obviously not us approving of their departure but I think you should feel able to put them on the next flight out ... ' - September 15: Ms Sacoolas leaves the country on a United States Air Force plane, but the Dunn family are not informed of her departure until three weeks later. Northamptonshire Police are also not told that she has left the UK. - October 4: Harry's parents Charlotte Charles and Tim Dunn call on US President Donald Trump to intervene and waive immunity for Ms Sacoolas. - October 5: Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab urges US Ambassador Woody Johnson to waive immunity for Ms Sacoolas. - October 6: Police write to the US Embassy in London to demand immunity is waived. - October 7: Prime Minister Boris Johnson says the US should 'reconsider its position' on the immunity given to Ms Sacoolas. - October 9: Mrs Charles and Mr Dunn attend a meeting with the Foreign Secretary which leaves them 'angry and frustrated' and feeling as though it was a 'publicity stunt'. Mr Johnson speaks to Mr Trump personally to ask him to reconsider the US's position. - October 12: Ms Sacoolas breaks her silence and issues a statement through her lawyer, saying the crash left her 'devastated'. - October 14: Mr Dunn's family hold a press conference in New York after taking their fight for justice to the US. - October 15: Mr Dunn's family announce their intention to launch a judicial review into the advice given by the Foreign Office to Northamptonshire Police over the diplomatic immunity given to Ms Sacoolas. The White House calls an 'urgent' meeting with Mr Dunn's family and they have talks with Mr Trump. Mrs Charles and Mr Dunn refuse to meet Ms Sacoolas, who was in the room next door as they met Mr Trump. - October 31: Northamptonshire Police confirm they had interviewed the suspect in the case in the US and were passing the file of evidence over to the CPS. - December 20: The CPS charges Ms Sacoolas with causing death by dangerous driving. 2020 - January 10: The Home Office submit an extradition request for Ms Sacoolas. - January 23: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo formally rejects the extradition request for Ms Sacoolas. - January 24: The Home Office say the refusal of their extradition request amounts to a 'denial of justice'. The Foreign Secretary said the UK 'would have acted differently if this had been a UK diplomat serving in the US'. - May 11: The family receive an e-mail from Northamptonshire Police saying Ms Sacoolas is 'wanted internationally' and reports of an Interpol Red Notice being issued for the suspect follow. - May 12: The US State Department say the decision not to extradite Ms Sacoolas is 'final' after Interpol Red Notice claims. - May 20: Mr Dunn's mother calls for Mr Raab's resignation. - May 28: The family announce their intention to bring a private prosecution against the Foreign Secretary, accusing him of misconduct in a public office and perverting the course of justice. - June 18: The family are refused documents on the UK's secret agreement with the US in their first High Court battle with the Foreign Office. - July 22: Mr Raab announces the 'anomaly' which allowed Ms Sacoolas to claim diplomatic immunity following the road crash that killed Mr Dunn has been amended. - July 26: Harry Dunn's parents drop their legal claim against Northamptonshire Police after concluding the force is 'absolved of any blame'. - August 25: The Lord Chancellor said Attorney General Suella Braverman was considering the possibility of trying Ms Sacoolas virtually or in her absence. Advertisement Mrs Charles said she 'won't stop' campaigning until Sacoolas has faced the UK justice system. The 42-year-old US national was able to return to her home country but was charged with causing death by dangerous driving in December. The US State Department has since rejected an extradition request for Sacoolas, saying that the decision was 'final'. Reflecting on her campaign for justice on the anniversary of her son's death, Mrs Charles said: 'I'm feeling really positive in the sense of what the campaign has achieved and how much hard work we've put into it, it's definitely paying off. 'On a personal level, realising that we're a year on from when we lost Harry, it's very difficult to come to terms with. 'When we think about different steps along the way, it feels like some of those steps were an awfully long time ago - almost in a different lifetime. 'Yet when I think about the last time I held Harry, it seems like yesterday.' Asked what the most difficult obstacle to overcome had been, Mrs Charles said: 'All the trips to the States I think. 'There's no way we wouldn't have done any of them, but emotionally that was extremely difficult. 'It didn't get any easier. 'From the first trip in October until the last trip just before lockdown, it didn't get any easier leaving Niall (Mr Dunn's twin brother) at home and leaving my treasured bits behind that I still have around the house. 'On the last trip I actually took photos of them before I went so I could have them with me. Travel is hard.' Mrs Charles, alongside Mr Dunn's father, Tim Dunn, have seen their fight for justice take them to the Foreign Office and the White House, where they met with President Donald Trump. The family have brought legal claims against both the Foreign Secretary and the US Government for their handling of Mr Dunn's death. Commenting on what had kept her going throughout the campaign, Mrs Charles responded: 'Harry. 'The love you have for your child.' Referring to the pledge she made to her son on the night he died, Mrs Charles said: 'That's what keeps you going. 'The burning desire to want to complete that promise. 'It's the first thing you think of whenever you get a moment, in between everything else we're doing you just get that quiet moment when you just get that rage of desire all over again to think 'come on, we've got to drive this forward'. 'I've got to complete that promise I made to him , it doesn't matter what it takes, I need to do it, I have to do it.' Questioned on what her hopes were for the next 12 months, Mrs Charles said: 'That she (Sacoolas) goes through the UK justice system. 'As we've said right from the off, you and I would have to do it. It doesn't matter to me who she is, what her status is, where she lives, what she does for a job. 'She needs to go through the UK justice system. Simple as that. I won't stop until we've got that.' In September last year, the family were told by Northamptonshire Police they had less than a 1% chance of anybody being held accountable for Mr Dunn's death. But since the CPS charge in December, the UK Government has tried different methods to resolve the matter, with a reported Interpol Red Notice being issued and discussions over whether Sacoolas could be tried either virtually or in her absence. Asked what she felt was the biggest accomplishment of the campaign to date, Mrs Charles said: 'By far getting the treaty changed. 'Harry's name is in history now, forever written into history. 'The 'Harry Dunn Amendment'... it just makes us so very, very proud as a family. 'What we have been through can no longer happen to anyone else, that was one of our main aims right from the off so a few weeks ago when that was done, and that loophole was plugged, it was just amazing to know that nobody is going to suffer like we have. 'He would have been proud of us. 'Really, really proud of us.' An emotional Mrs Charles continued: 'Prior to that, the CPS charge just before Christmas. 'We were told on September 26 that we would have less than 1% chance of that. 'That was huge for us, monumental for us. 'It was literally just a tiny little chip off the tip of the iceberg but that was a celebration.' But she added: 'You quickly come back down from it because you know there is an awfully long way to go, but it was amazing.' The Dunn family have said they were not able to grieve properly during and after their son's funeral in September, and only scattered his ashes last month at one of his favourite spots in Portland, Dorset. Mr Dunn told BBC Breakfast: 'I said to the guys when it's my time to go, I want my ashes scattered here, and Harry said the same. Charlotte Charles said the whole family was 'very, very proud' of their efforts to ensure no family would 'suffer like we had' 'It was like...'same for me, Dad, this is where I want to be as well', and then unfortunately, a month later, we lost him. 'It definitely, definitely is my special place, it's all our special places.' Speaking about how the family had coped since they lost Harry, Mrs Charles said: 'We cry. 'I cry probably a lot more now than I did. 'I don't know whether that is because a year has gone by or whether it is because I miss him more. 'So I do cry. 'Not as much as I should, but I don't think the grieving process really has got under way. 'We don't really get the time to lock ourselves away and allow those tears to really fall because you're very aware of the fact that if you allow it to happen, you sometimes need a few days to get yourself back on track. 'The campaign is so busy and we are so grateful for that but we can't allow ourselves to take a week off at a time. 'So we are crying but no I don't believe we are properly grieving yet. 'We've got to get that promise completed and then I think I can.' The wife of a US intelligence official, Anne Sacoolas, pictured, claimed immunity following the tragedy last year Speaking to BBC Breakfast, Mrs Charles said she wanted to see more progress in her fight for justice over the next 12 months than she has experienced so far. 'We don't want to go into year two of fighting,' she said. 'We want to go into year two to try to start to rebuild our lives and try to start possibly celebrating who Harry was. 'But it doesn't feel like we're living, we're just existing at the moment, and that's why we need the justice, because without it we'll always feel like we're just existing.' WASHINGTON - As Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) concludes the initial phase of its relaunch in Romania, it has announced that veteran journalist Elena Tanase will take the helm of its Romanian Service. Elena has the experience and journalistic expertise to help consolidate the Service as a trusted voice and powerful presence in Romanias media landscape, said RFE/RL spokesperson Joanna Levison, and as a source of reliable, locally reported news for our growing audiences in Europe. Tanase will join Radio Europa Libera, as the Service is known locally, in the Bucharest bureau effective September 1. She previously worked for eight years for Romanias Digi24 TV as a TV anchor and producer of historical documentaries, among them 1989: The Year That Changed The World; Iron Crown; 100 Years of Communism; and, most recently, The Romanian Revolution: Why Bloodshed? She worked at Romania Libera newspaper and as a political editor for Realitatea TV after launching her journalistic career in the early 2000s with the Romanian Department of the BBC. Tanase will confront a significant challenge on September 27 when Romania holds local elections, an event the Service will cover in full. The Service proved itself an indispensable resource to Romanian audiences this spring with urgent and practical reporting on the coronavirus pandemic that drove a five-fold increase in website visits, which reached over five million in March. Its coverage of corruption and minority issues has attracted large audiences and debate. RFE/RL returned to Romania in 2019 as part of a response to declining media freedom and disinformation in several European Union and NATO member states. It resumed reporting in Bulgaria with a new bureau in Sofia the same year, and in early September will return to Hungary. Each of the services is entirely digital, an update from their storied broadcast days. RFE/RL previously served all three countries during the Cold War, ending broadcasts to Hungary in 1993, Bulgaria in 2004, and Romania in 2008. About RFE/RL RFE/RL relies on its networks of local reporters to provide accurate news and information to more than 38 million people in 27 languages and 23 countries where media freedom is restricted, or where a professional press has not fully developed. Its videos were viewed over 3.6 billion times on Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram/IGTV in FY2019. RFE/RL is an editorially independent media company funded by a grant from the U.S. Congress through the U.S. Agency for Global Media. ---- FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: Joanna Levison in Prague (levisonj@rferl.org, +420.221.122.080) Martins Zvaners in Washington (zvanersm@rferl.org, +1.202.457.6948) Georgian Justice Minister said the ex-president would be arrested immediately upon return if he "finds strength" to come back. Ex-President of Georgia and ex-governor of Ukraine's Odesa region Mikheil Saakashvili has made a statement amid media rumors about his return to his homeland country. Ukraine has become his second home, Saakashvili wrote on Facebook on August 27, adding that it has always been in his heart since student days, as well as gave him seven years to reflect and reconsider who he is. "Now, looking back at these years, I know how to serve my country the best and to avoid mistakes, which I have of course made. There were also serious mistakes. But, God is my witness, I wanted the best for my people. I wanted my people to live better and much wealthier lives. And yet, given those years, I'd like to apologize to you all because of the mistakes I made, because I failed to complete anything," he said. Read alsoUkraine's FM Kuleba comments on Saakashvili's controversial statementsAt the same time, he thanked the Georgians who made him a participant in history and building the state. Saakashvili said "there was not a single day when I wasn't interested in Georgia's affairs." "But when I hear about the developments in Georgia, I know for sure that we can live much better, and every Georgian can become much wealthier. And we will succeed together. I'm coming back," he added. Earlier, Ukrainian, Georgian and Russian media reported on Saakashvili's plans to return to Georgia. The country's justice chief Teya Tsulukiani said: "Of course, we will welcome this move if Mikheil Saakashvili finds strength and arrives in Georgia. A detention procedure and prison await him immediately at the border," she said, according to Ekho Kavkaza. Saakashvili in Georgia and Ukraine: background Greece has ratified an accord on maritime boundaries with Egypt, hours after Turkey extended the operation of a seismic survey vessel in the Eastern Mediterranean and said it will hold firing exercises in the region next week. The Athens-Cairo agreement is seen as a response to a Turkish-Libyan accord signed in 2019 allowing Turkey access to areas in the region where large hydrocarbon deposits have been discovered. Under their treaty, Egypt and Greece are now allowed to seek maximum benefit from the resources available in an exclusive economic zone, including oil and gas reserves. A similar accord between Italy and Greece was approved on Wednesday. Greek government spokesman Stelios Petsas on Thursday said their ratification is urgent given Turkeys illegal activities. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis told parliament another bill will extend Greeces coastal zone in the Ionian Sea from six (about 11km) to 12 nautical miles (22km) under international maritime conventions. Turkey and Greece both NATO allies are at odds over the rights to potential hydrocarbon resources in the eastern Mediterranean area, based on conflicting claims over the extent of their continental shelves. Tensions escalated this month after Ankara dispatched the Oruc Reis seismic survey vessel in a disputed area following the pact between Athens and Cairo. Turkey has said the pact infringes on its own continental shelf. The agreement also overlaps with maritime zones Turkey agreed to with Libya last year, decried as illegal by Greece. Al Jazeeras John Psaropoulos, reporting from Athens, said Greece got what it wanted legally and diplomatically following the maritime accord with Egypt. It has the backing of Europe, it has the agreement in legal terms with Egypt, a very good agreement in legal terms with Italy, he said. Greece now feels to be in a position of legal strength to demand that Turkey agrees to have talks on the basis of international maritime law. Sinem Koseoglu, Al Jazeera correspondent in Istanbul, however, said it is unlikely that Turkey will come to a negotiating table over the eastern Mediterranean crisis. She added that the Greece-Egypt deal means the military tensions are going to rise in the region. But will it turn into a conflict? This is still a question mark, she said. Gunnery exercises Earlier on Thursday, the Turkish navy issued the latest advisory, known as a Navtex, saying it will hold gunnery exercises in the Eastern Mediterranean off the coast of Iskenderun, northeast of Cyprus on September 1 and 2. It also extended the seismic work of the Oruc Reis vessel southwest of Cyprus, until September 1. Greece says the Turkish advisories are illegal. Maritime zones give a state rights over natural resources. Largely unexplored, the Eastern Mediterranean is thought to be rich in natural gas. As the dispute widened, France said on Wednesday it was joining military exercises with Italy, Greece and Cyprus in the Eastern Mediterranean. Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy said the deployment of French military aircraft in Cyprus violated treaties regarding the control and administration of the island after independence from Britain in 1960. Aksoy said Frances stance was dangerously encouraging Greece and Cyprus to further escalate tensions in the region. Cyprus was divided in 1974 following a Turkish invasion triggered by a Greek-inspired coup. Turkey recognises the Turkish-populated north of Cyprus as a separate state, which is not recognised by other countries. Greece said on Wednesday it plans to extend its territorial waters in the Ionian Sea to 12 nautical miles (22km) from its coast, from six nautical miles, after the ratification of a maritime deal with Italy. To the east of Greece, Turkey has warned that a similar move by Athens in waters east of Greece would be a cause for war. SUNNYVALE, California, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Plug and Play has announced the selection of 102 new startups into their fall 2020 batches. These startups were selected to join one of the following programs that will run through October 2020: Brand & Retail , Enterprise Tech , Food & Beverage , Media & Advertising , New Materials & Packaging , and Supply Chain . Of the 102 startups, 49 of them are internationally based and represent 13 different countries. The full list of startups is available on Plug and Play's website . "These startups are not only innovative, but also some of the strongest in their industries," mentioned Saeed Amidi, Founder and CEO of Plug and Play. "These companies will add great value to our vast network of industry leaders and we look forward to playing a part in their success." Upon selection, these startups will have the opportunity to grow, connect, and engage with Plug and Play's global network of corporate partners, venture capitalists, and alumni. Due to the constraints of COVID-19, the programs have transitioned to a fully virtual curriculum wherein the selected companies will be connected virtually to partners in private one-on-one sessions and have the potential to be featured in webinars hosted by Plug and Play. There is no equity requirement for startups to participate. A virtual graduation for this batch of startups will commence October 13-16th at Plug and Play's Fall Summit 2020 . About Plug and Play Plug and Play is a global innovation platform. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, we have built accelerator programs, corporate innovation services, and an in-house VC to make technological advancement progress faster than ever before. Since inception in 2006, our programs have expanded worldwide to include a presence in over 30 locations globally, giving startups the necessary resources to succeed in Silicon Valley and beyond. With over 30,000 startups and 400 official corporate partners, we have created the ultimate startup ecosystem in many industries. Companies in our community have raised over $9 billion in funding, with successful portfolio exits including Danger, Dropbox, Lending Club and PayPal. For more information, visit https://www.plugandplaytechcenter.com/ Media Contact Allison Romero (408) 524-1457 allison@pnptc.com Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1244470/Fall_2020_Startup_Batch_Announcement_Photo.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/835431/PNP_Logo.jpg SUBTERRANEA by Chris Fitch with Matthew Young (Wildfire 25) Subterranea by Chris Fitch with Matthew Young (Wildfire 25). Pictured is the Basilica Cistern beneath Istanbul 'If you were to peel back the Earth's surface like an orange, what remarkable things would you see?' This terrific book, which explores the fascinating world beneath our feet, seeks to answer this question. Pictured is the Basilica Cistern beneath Istanbul, built in AD 532 as a means of storing fresh water if the city's water supply was cut off by invaders, the people would still have access to clean supplies. With evocative maps and stunning photography, Subterranea shows that the underground realm is just as captivating as the above-ground world around us. Press release Half-year financial results Fully committed to its stakeholders during the crisis, the Arkea group displays solid results Brest, August 27th, 2020 - Arkea's Board of Directors today approved the financial statements for the first half of 2020. In an economic context strongly impacted by the health crisis, the Group maintains a strong commercial momentum and proves, by the very good performance of its financial indicators, the relevance of its strategic choices and the resilience of its business model. Faithful to its values and convictions, the cooperative and collaborative banking group is fully committed, in the face of this unprecedented situation, to supporting its individual, professional and corporate customers in its territories. Sustained commercial activity Throughout the lockdown period, Arkea group employees were mobilised to ensure the continuity of activities and banking and insurance services, and to meet the expectations of members and customers faced with the economic consequences of the health crisis. The customer portfolio grew by 2% in the first half of the year to nearly 4.8 million members and customers. Arkea has 92,000 new individual and professional customers (net acquisition). This performance, mainly driven by online banking, the insurance business and Max, the fintech developed by the group, benefits from Arkea's successful diversification strategy. Gross outstanding loans increased by 3.3% to 64.9bn, with a new loan production of 8.3bn (compared to 7.7bn in H1 2019). In the first half of the year, the local branch networks of Credit Mutuel de Bretagne et du Sud-Ouest and Arkea Banque Entreprises et Institutionnels granted their corporate customers 9,000 State-guaranteed loans (PGE) for a total amount of 1.3 billion. To support members and customers facing cash flow difficulties due to the health crisis, more than 56,000 business, real estate or consumer loans were also subject to maturity extensions granted by the group, for a total outstanding amount of 5.2 billion. Total outstanding savings amounted to 128.1 billion (+2.6%), with a net inflow of 2 billion. In property, life and health insurance, premiums earned in the portfolio increased by 10.7 million to 218 million. The Arkea group is successfully continuing to diversify its distribution channels: external networks represent 35% of total earned premiums in the portfolio (+5 points compared to June 2019). A solid group driven by the relevance of its strategic choices Group revenues* reached 1.1 billion (- 1.7%). This significant resilience in a context strongly impacted by the health crisis is supported by the good sales momentum. As a result, net interest margin and commissions increased in the first half of the year. The Group is also taking full advantage of its strategy to diversify its revenue sources, with a 16% contribution from BtoB and white label banking services. Finally, revenues* include income related to the deconsolidation and revaluation of the shares invested by Arkea in the fintech Younited , and the effect of the crisis on the valuation of life insurance and private equity assets. Gross operating income was 429 million, up 25% year-on-year, reflecting a reduction in operating expenses over the period. The net income group share amounts to 249 million, stable over the last 3 fiscal years, despite a sharp increase in the cost of risk, at 84 million (x 2.5 compared to the first half of 2019) to integrate the effects of the Covid-19 crisis on the macroeconomic environment. This performance, which was significant during the period, was driven by the good resilience of revenues in the first half of the year and benefited from non-recurring impacts (revaluation of Younited shares, closure of the pension plan following the Pacte law). Total assets increased by 4.8% compared to December 31, 2019, to 165 billion. The Common Equity Tier One (CET1) solvency ratio, at 16.8%, and the overall solvency ratio, at 21.7% at June 30, 2020, are among the highest in the French banking sector and illustrate the robust financial structure of the Arkea group. Jean-Pierre Denis, Chairman of the Arkea group, comments: The Arkea group's performance for the first half of the year is a source of great pride, as it reflects the collective work accomplished to meet the challenges we have faced. The Group's teams have shown tremendous commitment in providing our members and customers with concrete support measures to meet the challenges of this unprecedented economic and health crisis. These results also reveal the many assets that the group has to continue on its path: a very solid financial position, a healthy balance sheet, and an attractive and efficient business model. I would also like to commend the strengthening of our solidarity measures in favor of individual and professional clients and associations weakened by this crisis, to which we are particularly attentive as an ethical and inclusive company. Helene Bernicot, Chief Executive Officer of Arkea, adds: In a period deeply marked by a major health and economic crisis, the Arkea group has demonstrated its agility and ability, through the exemplary commitment of its employees, to mobilise in record time to support and assist its members and customers. These results also reflect the Group's solidity and the relevance of its model, a model of cooperative and collaborative banking, at the service of its territories and their players, in all circumstances, to enable everyone to achieve their potential. * Net banking and insurance income and gains on disposal or dilution of companies accounted for by the equity method About Arkea ARKEA is made up of Credit Mutuel Arkea and two regional federations representing two main French geographic zones (Brittany in the West and the South West) and their member local savings banks. ARKEA also has a presence across Europe thanks to its corporate and online subsidiaries (Fortuneo, Monext, Financo, Arkea Investment Services, Suravenir, CFCAL). ARKEA is entirely owned by its customer shareholders. ARKEA employs more than 10,500 people, counts 2,800 directors and has a total of 4.8 million customers. The bank has 165 billion euro in total assets. Credit Mutuel Arkea ranks among the leading banks with headquarters in the regions. A detailed presentation for the first half of 2020 is available on the group's website at the following address: https://www.arkea.com/banque/assurance/credit/mutuel/ecb_5037/en/investor-presentations Press contact : Ariane Le Berre-Lemahieu - 02 98 00 22 99 - ariane.le-berre-lemahieu@arkea.com ------------------------ This publication embed "Actusnews SECURITY MASTER ". - SECURITY MASTER Key: lmufYZluYmnKxp2el5lrapJqbpiUlZWZa5eZm2Rtl5mabHKSmZdoaZSZZm9lnG1r - Check this key: https://www.security-master-key.com. ------------------------ Copyright Actusnews Wire Receive by email the next press releases of the company by registering on www.actusnews.com, it's free Full and original release in PDF format:https://www.actusnews.com/documents_communiques/ACTUS-0-64785-arkea-group-results-for-the-first-half-of-2020.pdf Moten said of those arrested at the Washington campus, two were Black and three Latino, while two charged at the Brookside campus were Black and four Latino. Nick Alajakis, the districts communications director, said Thursday four arrested were non-students. He did not know the racial makeup of the non-student arrests, only the total. Gender information was not available. Opposition activist Nina Baginskaya, 73, center, struggles with police during a rally at Independence Square in Minsk - AP Photo/Sergei Grits Vladimir Putin has said Russian police are on standby to be sent to Belarus if the situation in the country deteriorates, following mass protests against dictator Alexander Lukashenko. Belarusian police launched a brutal crackdown on demonstrations this month after Mr Lukashenko, who has ruled the Eastern European country with an iron fist for 26 years, claimed 80 percent of the vote in a presidential election widely seen as rigged. The Russian President said Mr Lukashenko had asked him to form a reserve of law enforcement employees, and I have done so. But we also agreed they would not be used unless the situation gets out of control, Mr Putin said in an interview with state television on Thursday. Russia would intervene if extremist elements, using political slogans as cover, overstep a certain boundary...in general, however, the situation is levelling out. Putin listens to a question during his interview with TV channel 'Russia' - Pool Sputnik Kremlin In the days following the August 9 election, the Belarusian regime seemed on the brink of collapse amid a wave of popular protests and strikes. But since then, Mr Lukashenko has ordered law enforcement to quell further protests and launched a criminal case against the opposition. Officials in both Minsk and Moscow have accused foreign forces of trying to destabilise Belarus. Mr Lukashenko has put the army on high alert and ordered military exercises along its border with Lithuania and Poland. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki on Thursday condemned Mr Putins announcement, calling it a hostile act, in breach of international law and human rights of Belarusian people, who should be free to decide their own fate. The EU has announced sanctions in response to police violence. Belarus and Russia have traditionally close ties but these have become strained in recent years as Minsk resists moves from Moscow towards further integration. The Prime Minister of Ukraine, Denis Shmyhal, said Belarusians seeking refuge from persecution would be welcome in the country, despite a current ban on foreigners arriving because of coronavirus measures. Coronavirus Diaries is a series of dispatches exploring how the coronavirus is affecting peoples lives. For the latest public health information, please refer to the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions website. For Slates coronavirus coverage, click here. This diary from Jasmine Baker, an 18-year-old first-year student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has been condensed and edited for clarity from a conversation with Heather Schwedel. At the beginning of August, I moved into Granville Towers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as a freshman. Classes started Aug. 10. The next week, while I was in an in-person class, we got an email that said all classes were going to be moved to online. The email was very vague about housing. There were no specifics. Everyone kind of started freaking out. Wed only been there for a week. All we knew was that all the classes were going online. We learned about it at the same time the professors did. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Now its three weeks later, and Ive already moved outand I am positive for COVID-19. I lived in a four-person suite. About a week before we moved in, our suitemates texted my roommate and I and were like, Were actually just not moving in anymore. They decided to get an apartment in Chapel Hill. Everyone knew we were going to get shut down. We didnt know it was going to happen that quickly, but we knew it would happen at some point. Every day you would be on the elevator and you would just see someone with all of their belongings. For moving in, you had to schedule an appointment because only a certain amount of people were allowed to move in at a time. You could only have four people with you. We had a Zoom meeting with our RA, and that was it. It was a very temporary feeling. I didnt think wed actually even make it to move-in, to be completely honest. I ordered all my stuff for my dorm about four days before I left. But during move-in day, I was like, Maybe this is OK? Were here. There are a lot of precautions. Everyones wearing their masks. Then I started hearing stories about frats or about people going out. That instantly made me think, Oh, OK. So now were just counting down the days. I really didnt even unpack all the way because I kind of knew. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Starting off school, I had two in-person classes. They were both hybrid, but I chose in-person just because I was on campus. Mostly, all my friends had all online anyway. Not a lot of professors offered the in-person option. One of my teachers, we didnt even get a chance to meet in person because he was trying to figure everything out. By the time he did, it switched to online. Advertisement Advertisement Im taking comparative politics, which is a lecture with 300 people all on Zoom. And Im taking a journalism class, like video storytelling, which is a bit crazy because our final project is interviewing somebody and making a video project out of them. My professor is awesome. Shes really working with us trying to figure out the safest options. Originally, that was actually a hybrid class. There were about 10 people in person, and then, my professor worked it out really nicely, where shed have all the Zoom kids on a projector and theyd be able to hear and speak out whenever they had a question. Advertisement Im also taking a geology lab. My professor is really trying, but its very hard to look at rocks on a computer screen. Advertisement Advertisement We werent allowed to be anywhere without a mask. Even if you had your door open in your dorm, you had to have a mask on. The only time you could have no mask was when you were eating in the dining hall and when it was just you and your roommate in the room with the door closed. I spent a majority of my college experience with a mask on. It was definitely hard to make friends, a lot harder than it would be normally. Even if you did meet people, they had masks on. To be honest, half the people that Im friends with, I dont even know what they look like. Advertisement Advertisement I really didnt know college life right now was going to be asI would hate to say boringbut honestly, compared to what college is supposed to be, it was incredibly boring. My roommate and I would just sit in our dorms and do class all day because all of her classes were online. You had to make an appointment to go in the library. Advertisement My roommate was really the only person that I knew going to UNC because its so much in-state. I used to live in Texas, which is where my roommates from. So we have a ton of mutual friends. We had met each other a few times. So we decided to room together. This is not at all how we thought it would happen, but we have definitely gotten to know each other a lot faster. I also had a childhood friend here. She moved in the Monday before classes started. So by the time I got there, she had been there a week. Luckily for me, she had made a bunch of friends already. Her suite was close. By the time I got there, I kind of just jumped into her friend group. If I didnt have those girls, I dont know how I would have made friends at all. Advertisement One of my best friends, she brought a popcorn-maker from home. We would make popcorn, have cookie dough, and just hang out. There was really just nothing to do. The nights that I have the best memories are just people hanging out in the dorms, which I guess we werent even supposed to do. I just cant imagine us not doing that. Nights like that where we just hung out with each other are really the best memories. And quite honestly, the only memories. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement My friends all got COVID on the same day, because I remember that day. That Friday everyone was just not feeling good. I didnt leave bed all day. Im not exactly sure where we got it, but there was definitely no shortage of opportunities. My little friend group, whenever wed see anyone outside of it, wed get a text a few days later. We got ice cream with this girl who was in a sorority to talk about sorority stuff. Then two days later, she texted and was like, Hey, I tested positive. We went to dinner with us and our guy friends. And then the next thing we know, theyre all in isolation. I dont know anyone that didnt end up getting it. We were all in such close quarters. I know people that barely left their dorms, and they still ended up catching it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement To be honest, half the people that Im friends with, I dont even know what they look like. Fortunately, my roommate feels fine now, but I still feel pretty sick. If you were with somebody who got tested, you would get a call by the UNC Health Department and you would have to go into quarantine or be sent home. If you got tested through the school, whether it was positive or negative, while you were waiting for your results you had to be in isolation. You had 30 minutes to go to your dorm and pack up whatever. Then you had to go to the isolation dorm or an isolation hotel. Every day you would be on the elevator and you would just see someone with all of their belongings. Youd meet a person one day and the next day they were being sent home. Advertisement The isolation dorms filled up, so there ended up being isolation hotels and stuff. We just quarantined in our dorms. Then we got tested when we were leaving, that way we wouldnt have to stay in the hotel. The isolation dorm and the isolation hotel are kind of crazy. The food is really disgusting. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Last week, everyone started to leave. I cannot explain to you how stressful it was. My friends would be in chem labs online while theyre trying to drive to their hometowns. Or theyre packing up their dorms and having to stay in hotels until their parents can come get them. There was really not a lot of time to plan. It didnt help that basically everyone was sick with the coronavirus. We had to think about a million things at a time. My roommate and I are both from out of state, and with COVID, we couldnt get on a plane, and we couldnt infect our families. Luckily, my family has an apartment in Charlotte, North Carolina, which is two hours away from Chapel Hill. We just came here to quarantine before we go back home. Advertisement No one had a car on campus. My sister had to drive down from D.C. to pick me up. Since I had COVID, she brought a shower curtain and tacked it between us to the top of her car so she wouldnt get sick. I actually got written up the night before I left. My roommate and I were with a friend. Her roommate was moving out. We were helping her pack up and helping her load her car. We got written up for being with each other without masks on since we didnt all live together. The RA came and was like, I need all yalls student ID numbers. I understand it, but were all living in the same building. Were all eating from the same dining hall. It felt like salt in the wound. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Im paying out-of-state tuition right now. So many of my friends, if they were going to out-of-state school, they just ended up doing community college their freshman year, just getting the requirements done so you wouldnt have to pay like $50,000 to sit on your computer. There was definitely a lot to think about. UNC has a really good media and journalism school. Im a pre-admitted student, and like 30 kids nationwide get pre-admitted into the Hussman School of Journalism. That was what made it worth it for me. I wasnt just doing requirements. Im taking media and journalism classes. I think that especially my class, were just trying to hold on to a bit of normalcy. The spring is definitely a huge question mark. But no ones getting their hopes up anymore. Because we didnt have a senior graduation from high school. Weve missed out on so much. I think people are just trying not to get their entire freshman year taken away from them. To go from being at college for two weeks and having all this freedom and making all these friends to the thought of having to do your freshman year at home with your parents in your hometownwhen we were all having these virtual graduations or drive-through graduations or didnt get senior week, everyone would always say, Its OK. College is so much better. Your freshman year is going to be amazing. You have so much to look forward to. Back in May, we really thought that August was going to look a lot different than it is now. It didnt really hit me until July when sorority recruitment went 100 percent online, clubs that Id been looking forward to werent happening, and UNC canceled intramurals. When things started getting canceled is when it became clear that this year would look a lot different. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement At least for me, I am glad that I had those two weeks. It definitely was very bittersweet, but Im glad that I met people there in Chapel Hill, so next year, I wont be as clueless. Ill know people. We got to make some memories. We got to have some good times. I got to experience a bit of my freshman year. Even though they were very short and it was a ton of hassle, I think it was worth it. For more of Slates political coverage, subscribe to the Political Gabfest on Apple Podcasts or listen below. Upmarket chain D&D has warned its restaurants in the City of London are trading at half pre-lockdown levels because offices are 'pretty empty'. In a further sign of the damage the working from home culture is having on the economy, it said central London 'has been our toughest market' with the Square Mile suffering badly. Dozens of major employers have said staff can remain at home for months to come, raising fears for restaurants, pubs and sandwich chains, dry cleaners and theatres. Stay at home: Dozens of major employers have said staff can remain at home for months to come However, D&D said restaurants in residential areas of London, such as Chelsea, are doing better, as workers stay home rather than commute. It also said sites in Manchester and Leeds were doing well, and now plans to open its remaining 15 restaurants, having resumed trading at the other 17 over the last seven weeks. D&D's chief executive Des Gunewardena said: 'Central London has been our toughest market currently trading only at 50 per cent to 60 per cent of prior levels. But, in the context of City offices still remaining pretty empty, we are relieved to be achieving those levels. 'We've performed much better in London residential areas such as Chelsea and in Manchester and Leeds where we are trading ahead of last year.' It was 'significantly boosted' by the Eat Out to Help Out scheme, which gives diners up to 10 off from Monday to Wednesday. Revenues at the start of the week doubled in August helping to push weekly revenues up by close to a fifth. Across the hospitality industry just one in 16 cafes, bars and restaurants is confident about growing sales this summer, says a report by Barclays Bank. On average, businesses are predicting 41 per cent year-on-year decline in sales, with two-fifths being kept afloat by a 'lifeline' VAT cut. Restaurants are braced for the end of Eat Out and face a rise in wage costs as furlough is partially removed from September 1, ending on October 31. Two men remain missing in Santa Cruz County as crews continue the fight against the CZU August Lightning Complex, which grew about 200 acres overnight, officials said Thursday morning. The two missing men, who both lived in evacuation zones in Santa Cruz County, are Shane Smith, 21, and Micah Szoke, 37. Authorities asked anyone with information of their whereabouts to call the sheriffs office at 831-471-1121. A third missing man was found alive Wednesday. The blaze has so far engulfed 81,333 acres in Santa Cruz and San Mateo counties and destroyed 646 buildings 635 in Santa Cruz County alone, Cal Fire said. It remained at 21% containment, with more than 23,000 structures still threatened by the fire. About 2,000 firefighters remain on the line Thursday. Firefighters lines are holding steady along the northern edge of the fire, toward the more populated areas of the Silicon Valley region, Cal Fire Battalion Chief Mark Brunton said. Flames around the Butano State Park are inching their way toward control lines set up by firefighters but have been slowed by the weather. As far as the operation to fully extinguish it, it's a slow, painstaking process, Brunton said. But we're getting there. Though the spread of the massive inferno is slowing, Wednesdays weather stymied crews plan for a large controlled burn intended to create a buffer between the blaze and the communities of Felton and Ben Lomond in Santa Cruz County. That burn was delayed until later in the afternoon and had been only about halfway complete by Thursday morning. The weather also limited crews firefighting efforts from the air: We didnt have as much success in the air yesterday, Brunton said. Conditions have improved markedly near UC Santa Cruz, where evacuation orders were lifted for some staff members Wednesday. That line will be tested in the next few days, though, with strong northerly winds and high temperatures expected in the area. Fire Tracker Follow wildfires across the state Latest updates on wildfires burning across Northern and Southern California Itll give us a good wind test, and it will really validate for us that line and being able to hold it, Brunton said. Still, it was a quiet night for the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office, the department's Chief Deputy Chris Clark said Thursday. No arrests were made and no citations were issued. Michael Williams is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email Michael.Williams@sfchronicle.com Twitter @michaeldamianw. Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. A recent market study published by Future Market Insights (FMI) gives a comprehensive assessment of the branded generics market including global industry analysis for 2015-2019 & opportunity assessment for 2020-2030. After conducting a thorough research on the historical as well as current growth parameters of the branded generics market, growth prospects are obtained with utmost precision. Branded Generics Market: Segmentation The global branded generics is segmented in detail to cover every aspect of the market and present a complete market intelligence approach to the reader. Therapeutic Application Oncology Cardiovascular Diseases Diabetes Neurology Gastrointestinal Diseases Dermatology Diseases Analgesics and Anti-inflammatory Others Request a Sample of this Report @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-1260 Drug Class Alkylating Agents Antimetabolites Hormones Anti-Hypertensive Lipid Lowering Drugs Anti-Depressants Anti-Psychotics Anti-Epileptics Others Formulation Type Oral Parenteral Topical Others Distribution Channel Hospital Pharmacies Retail Pharmacies Online Pharmacies Drug Stores Region North America Latin America Western Europe Eastern Europe APEJ MEA Japan Report Chapters Chapter 01 Executive Summary The report commences with the executive summary of the branded generics market, which includes a snapshot of its key findings and statistics. It also includes market size and segment-wise revenue distribution of the market. Chapter 02 Market Overview Readers can find the definition and detailed segmentation of the branded generics market in this chapter, which will help them understand the basic information about the market. Chapter 03 Market Background This chapter explains the key macroeconomic factors, drivers, restraints, trends and opportunities that are expected to influence the growth of the market over the forecast period. Moreover, in-depth information about the market dynamics and their impact on the whole have been provided in the successive section. Chapter 04 Market Context This section includes premium insights such as regulatory scenario of Europe and the U.S., market value chain. It helps readers understand the key factors associated with the branded generics market. Chapter 05 Global Branded Generics Market (in Value or Size in US$ Bn) Analysis 2015-2019 and Forecast 2020-2030 This section explains the global market value analysis and forecast for the branded generics during the forecast period. It is inclusive of detailed analysis of the historical branded generics market, along with an opportunity analysis for the future. Readers can also find the absolute $ opportunity for the current year (2020), and an incremental $ opportunity for the forecast period (20192029). Chapter 06 Global Branded Generics Analysis 2015-2019 and Forecast 2020-2030, by Therapeutic Application Based on therapeutic application, the branded generics market is segmented into oncology, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, neurology, gastro intestinal diseases, dermatology diseases, analgesic, and others. In this chapter, readers can find information about the key trends and developments in the branded generics and market attractiveness based on therapeutic application. Chapter 07 Global Branded Generics Analysis 2015-2019 and Forecast 2020-2030, by Drug Class This chapter provides details about the branded generics based on drug class, and has been classified into alkylating agents, anti-metabolites, hormones, anti-hypertensives, lipid lowering drugs, anti-depressants, anti-psychotics, anti-epileptics, and others. Herein, readers can understand the market attractiveness analysis based on drug class. Chapter 08 Global Branded Generics Analysis 2015-2019 and Forecast 2020-2030, by Formulation Type This chapter provides details about the branded generics based on formulation type, and has been classified into oral, parenteral, topical, others. The readers can understand the market attractiveness based on formulation type. Chapter 09 Global Branded Generics Analysis 2015-2019 and Forecast 2020-2030, by Distribution Channel This chapter gives details about the market based on Distribution Channel, and has been classified into hospital pharmacies, retail pharmacies, online pharmacies, drug stores. The readers can understand the market attractiveness based on distribution channel. Chapter 10 Global Branded Generics Analysis 2015-2019 and Forecast 2020-2030, by Region This chapter explains how the branded generics market will grow across various geographic regions such as North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, APEJ, Japan, and Middle East & Africa (MEA). Chapter 11 North America Branded Generics Analysis 2015-2019 and Forecast 2020-2030 This chapter includes a detailed analysis of growth of the North Americas branded generics market, along with a country-wise assessment that includes the U.S. and Canada. Readers can also find the pricing analysis, regional trends, and market growth based on the application and countries in North America. Chapter 12 Latin America Branded Generics Analysis 2015-2019 and Forecast 2020-2030 This chapter provides the growth scenario of the branded generics market in Latin American countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, and the Rest of Latin America. Along with this, assessment of the market across target segments has been provided. Chapter 13 Western Europe Branded Generics Analysis 2015-2019 and Forecast 2020-2030 This chapter provides the growth scenario of the branded generics market in Western Europe (Germany, the U.K., France, Spain, Italy, NORDIC Countries, and the Rest of Western Europe). Chapter 14 Eastern Europe Branded Generics Analysis 2015-2019 and Forecast 2020-2030 This chapter provides the growth scenario of the branded generics market in Eastern Europe (Russia, Poland and the Rest of Eastern Europe). Chapter 15 APEJ Branded Generics Analysis 2015-2019 and Forecast 2020-2030 This chapter highlights the growth of the branded generics in Asia Pacific excluding Japan by focusing on China, India, Australia and New Zealand, ASEAN, and rest of APEJ. It also helps readers understand the key factors that are responsible for the growth of the branded generics market in APEJ. Chapter 16 Japan Branded Generics Analysis 2015-2019 and Forecast 2020-2030 This chapter highlights the growth of the branded generics in Japan. It also helps readers understand the key factors that are responsible for the growth of the branded generics market in Japan. Request for covid19 Impact Analysis @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/covid19/rep-gb-1260 Chapter 17 MEA Branded Generics Analysis 2015-2019 and Forecast 2020-2030 This chapter provides information about how the branded generics market will grow in the major countries in the MEA such as GCC Countries, South Africa, and the Rest of MEA, during the forecast period (2020-2030). Chapter 18 Competitive Analysis and Covid-19 Impact In this chapter, readers can find a comprehensive list of all the prominent stakeholders in the branded generics market, along with a detailed information about each company, which includes company overview, revenue shares, strategic overview, and recent company developments. Some of the market players featured in the report are Teva, Abbott Laboratories, Novartis, and among others. Chapter 19 Assumptions and Acronyms Used This chapter includes a list of acronyms and assumptions that provides a base to the information and statistics included in the branded generics report. Chapter 20 Research Methodology This chapter helps readers understand the research methodology followed to obtain various conclusions as well as important qualitative and quantitative information about the branded generics. Con Dao has been voted one of the best secret and most appealing islands on earth by Australian Lonely Planet and US Travel and Leisure magazines. Once a hell on earth for thousands of political prisoners before 1975, Con Dao has now turned into tourist heaven home to deserted white sand beaches with crystal clear waters and a natural reserve boasting rich marine ecosystems. Con Dao National Park is the first and the most successful place that protects sea turtles. Photos: VNP/VNA Sea turtle eggs have an incubation period of about two months. Over 150,000 young turtles are released into the sea at Con Dao National Park each year. Checking the size and health status of a mother turtle. Rangers from Bay Canh ranger station patrol the mangrove forest, Photos: VNP/VNA Con Dao National Park has a rich forest and marine ecosystem with rare and precious animals. Con Dao National Park has a rich forest and marine ecosystem with rare and precious animals. Con Dao National Park has a rich forest and marine ecosystem with rare and precious animals. Con Dao National Park has a rich forest and marine ecosystem with rare and precious animals. Con Dao is known for its beautiful maritime ecosystem and coral reefs. Photos: VNP/VNA The runway at Con Dao airport is one of the most special runways in the world because its two sides border the sea. Motor boats take visitors to explore the small islands in Con Dao. The villas of Six Senses Con Dao Resort sit up along the sandy beaches. Tourists watch how turtles are released into the sea on Bay Canh island. Tourists explore the mangrove system in Con Dao. Photos: VNP/VNA The beautiful roads running along the coast and mountains in Con Dao (Photo: VNp/VNA) Phu Hai prison, the oldest prison in Con Dao, is now a tourist attraction. Tourists visit Con Dao Museum. Photos: VNP/VNA Tourists visit the tiger cages in Con Dao. A model depicting a supervisor in Phu Binh prison torturing prisoners in tiger cages. Tourists burn incense sticks in Hang Duong cemetery at night to pay their respects to the late soldiers. Locals and tourists come to worship at Vo Thi Saus grave in Hang Duong cemetery. Hang Duong cemetery, a resting place of tens of thousands of revolutionary soldiers imprisoned at Con Dao prison. Photos: VNP/VNA VNP/VNA Images of peaceful Con Dao island taken by foreign photographers An array of photos captured by foreign photographers during their visit to Con Dao island in Ba Ria-Vung Tau province includes epic sunsets, children playing on the street, and the sky featuring sparkling stars at night, Washington/New Delhi, Aug 27 : The US has imposed a visa ban on members of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) regime, People's Liberation Army (PLA) and some state-owned businesses responsible for the occupation and militarization of the disputed South China Sea. In a statement issued by the State Department on Wednesday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that from August 26 it has begun "imposing visa restrictions on People's Republic of China (PRC) individuals responsible for, or complicit in, either the large-scale reclamation, construction, or militarization of disputed outposts in the South China Sea, or the PRC's use of coercion against Southeast Asian claimants to inhibit their access to offshore resources". The visa restrictions effectively ban the entry of not only the members of the CCP regime, the PLA, but also private individuals and businesses of the PRC, complicit in the occupation of the South China Sea. "These individuals will now be inadmissible into the United States, and their immediate family members may be subject to these visa restrictions as well," the State Department said. In addition, the US Department of Commerce has added 24 PRC state-owned enterprises to the Entity List, including several subsidiaries of the China Communications Construction Company (CCCC). Since 2013, the PRC has used its state-owned enterprises to dredge and reclaim more than 3,000 acres on disputed features in the South China Sea, destabilizing the region, trampling on the sovereign rights of its neighbors, and causing untold environmental devastation, the US government said. The CCCC, the State Department said, led the destructive dredging of the PRC's South China Sea outposts and is also one of the leading contractors used by Beijing in its global 'One Belt One Road' strategy. The US said that the CCCC and its subsidiaries have engaged in corruption, predatory financing, environmental destruction, and other abuses across the world. "The PRC must not be allowed to use CCCC and other state-owned enterprises as weapons to impose an expansionist agenda," Pompeo said in his statement. The US, he warned, will act until Washington was convinced that Beijing discontinue its coercive behaviour in the South China Sea. "We will continue to stand with allies and partners in resisting this destabilizing activity," Pompeo said. The US supports a free and open South China Sea, he said, adding that Washington respects the sovereign rights of all nations, regardless of size, and seeks to preserve peace and uphold freedom of the seas in a manner consistent with the international law. "In July, I announced an updated policy regarding Beijing's unlawful maritime claims in the South China Sea and emphasized that the US was prepared to take firm action to oppose Beijing's campaign of bullying," Pompeo added. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text ABC NewsBy KARMA ALLEN, MAX GOLEMBO and MARC NATHANSON, ABC News (NEW YORK) -- Laura is approaching the Gulf Coast as a Category 4 hurricane with "unsurvivable storm surge" expected in some areas, according to the National Hurricane Center. "Unsurvivable storm surge with large and destructive waves will cause catastrophic damage from Sea Rim State Park, Texas, to Intracoastal City, Louisiana, including Calcasieu and Sabine Lakes," the NHC said in a statement. "This surge could penetrate up to 30 miles inland from the immediate coastline. Only a few hours remain to protect life and property and all actions should be rushed to completion." Parts of eastern Texas and western Louisiana are forecast to see "catastrophic wind damage," especially in places where the storm's eyewall makes landfall early Thursday morning, the NHC said. Residents in affected areas are being instructed to evacuate and are urged to brace for "widespread damaging wind gusts" that will spread well inland across parts of those areas. Here's how the news developed Wednesday. All times Eastern: 12:08 a.m.: Extreme wind warning now in effect The first extreme wind warning has been issued at midnight for coastal areas from Beaumont, Texas, to Lake Charles, Louisiana. Laura is about 60 miles south of Lake Charles with winds holding at 150 mph, a strong Category 4 storm. Cameron, Louisiana, on the southern coast, has already had a gust of 67 mph. A tornado watch remains in effect for parts of Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi until 8 a.m. local time. As Hurricane Laura approaches the coast, numerous tornadoes will be possible through the overnight and early morning hours. There are tornado warnings in effect for parts of southern Louisiana. There was one reported tornado already on Wednesday in Assumption Parish, Louisiana. 10:30 p.m.: Texas roads already impassable; health emergency declared With the storm still about 90 miles south-southeast of Port Arthur, Texas, there are already roads underwater, according to officials. State Highway 87 on the Bolivar Peninsula is now impassable, according to the Galveston County Office of Emergency Management. The Texas Department of Transportation has also closed Interstate 10 between Texas and Louisiana in anticipation of the storm. Gov. Greg Abbott tweeted that his state was prepared to make water rescues, led by the National Guard. "As #HurricaneLaura comes ashore the @TexasGuard is ready," he tweeted. "Texas Task Forces 1 & 2 @txtf1 and the Texas Parks & Wildlife @TPWDnews are prepared for water rescues. Texas Department of Public Safety @TxDPS will patrol the area to assist local law enforcement. Then, we rebuild." Additionally, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar has declared public health emergencies in Texas and Louisiana to give assistance to health care providers in the states. "Hurricane Laura is an extremely dangerous storm that poses a significant threat to the health and safety of Louisianans and Texans," HHS Secretary Alex Azar said in a statement. "We have been working for months to prepare for the challenges of hurricanes striking land during the COVID-19 pandemic. With these declarations and waivers, the Trump Administration is helping to ensure that Americans who rely on Medicare and Medicaid have continuous access to the care they need during and after the storm." 10:05 p.m.: Nurses, doctors prepare for storm in Beaumont At CHRISTUS Southeast Texas-St. Elizabeth, a hospital in Beaumont, Texas, the hospital was bustling with nurses carrying bedding to the various places they are assigned for the night. Workers are expecting to be there for a week. Luckily the ugly, brick beast was built in the 1950s, replete with a bunker able to withstand a nuclear attack, which is now the ER. More ER nurses volunteered to ride out the storm than needed. Kristen Hauffpaur doesnt know when shell see her 3-year-old again. When she closed the door of the car, she told her daughter, "Mama loves you," and warned here there would be "a lot of wind." Friends were evacuating with her daughter, because Hauffpaur and her husband volunteered to work through the storm here in the emergency department. "It's my calling," she told ABC News. As of 9 p.m. local time, the storm was holding at 150 mph and was about 90 miles south of Lake Charles, Louisiana. Sustained winds of 40 to 45 mph are being reported along portions of the Louisiana coast. 9:37 p.m.: Storm closes in on northwest Gulf Coast Hurricane Laura has sustained winds at 150 mph, and is moving north-northwest at 15 mph. The center of the storm is currently about 95 miles south of Lake Charles, Louisiana, and about 95 miles south-southeast of Port Arthur, Texas. Winds are increasing right now as Laura takes aim at the northwest Gulf Coast. Catastrophic storm surge, extremes winds and flash flooding are expected tonight. 8:37 p.m.: Sheriff has stark warning for those who don't evacuate The sheriff's office in Louisiana's Vermilion Parish isn't mincing words for those who decide not to evacuate before the storm's arrival. "Those choosing to stay and face this very dangerous storm must understand that rescue efforts cannot and will not begin until after storm and surge has passed and it is safe to do so," the sheriff's office posted to social media. "Please evacuate and if you choose to stay and we cant get to you, write your name, address, social security number and next of kin and put it a ziplock bag in your pocket." "Praying that it does not come to this!" the sheriff's office added. Vermilion Parish and Cameron Parish, which sit on the Gulf Coast in the southwest corner of the state, are likely to get the worst of the storm in the Bayou State. Police have ordered mandatory evacuations for numerous areas in those parishes, and a curfew has been ordered from 9 p.m. local time until 5 a.m. as Laura approaches landfall early Thursday morning. 7:52 p.m.: Winds increase to 150 mph as storm turns northward Hurricane Laura's sustained winds have increased to 150 mph as the storm approaches the coast of Texas and Louisiana. The storm is about 120 miles south of Lake Charles, Louisiana, and the same distance south-southeast of Port Arthur, Texas, as it continues its push toward the Gulf Coast. Laura is beginning a more northward turn, moving at 15 mph toward the north-northwest. 7:06 p.m.: Cameron Parish taking all precautions as storm nears Officials in Cameron Parish, Louisiana, say the area is bracing for the worst as Laura approaches. In an interview with ABC News, Cameron Parish Assistant Director of OEM Ashley Buller said the parish is taking all precautions as projections indicate that it could get the brunt of the storm. The parish, much of which is marshy bayou, is home to about 7,000 residents, most of whom have heeded the warnings to evacuate, Buller said. Authorities know of about 150 residents who have opted to stay behind, Buller said, and officials have their contact information so they can send search-and-rescue responders to check on them once it's safe to do so. All emergency operations have been moved to the OEM offices in neighboring Calcasieu Parish, Buller said. 5:51 p.m.: Tornadoes will pose additional threat In addition to hurricane conditions, forecasters says residents in Laura's path should be on the lookout for possible tornadoes as the storm approaches landfall. Due to Laura's strength, there is the increasing threat of several tornadoes this evening and continuing overnight across parts of Central Louisiana. There was at least one reported tornado in Paincourtville, Louisiana, but there no damage was immediately reported. A tornado watch is in effect for several areas, including Port Arthur, Texas, Alexandria, Louisiana and Baton Rouge, Louisiana. 5:20 p.m.: Landfall expected between 2-5 a.m. ET Hurricane Laura is expected to strike land between 2-5 a.m. ET based on the latest observations. Wind and water levels in the gulf are increasing as the storm makes its way toward the Texas and Louisiana coast. The storm is about 155 miles south of Lake Charles, Louisiana, and the same distance south-southeast of Port Arthur, Texas, according to the NHC. The eye of the storm is more than 400 miles wide. Maximum sustained winds continue to hit 145 mph as the storm heads northwest at 15 mph. 3:24 p.m.: Louisiana's Cameron Parish expected to be underwater Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards is urging residents in the southwestern part of the state to pay especially close attention to the storm as it approaches landfall in Cameron Parish early Thursday morning. The governor said the hurricane could bring storm surges that residents haven't seen since a 1957. The state has activated its entire National Guard, something it hasn't done in "many years," according to the governor. "This is a very serious storm -- I don't think I have ever held a press conference to take something as seriously as I am right now," Bel Edwards told reporters. "Our state hasn't seen a storm surge like this in many decades. Same with wind speeds." Forecasters say residents should expect to see storm surge of up to 18-20 feet. The majority of Cameron Parish will be totally underwater at some point, according to the NHC. The state said it has reserved 2,000 hotel rooms for residents in need. On Tuesday night it put up some 800 people in hotel rooms. 2:26 p.m.: Major airlines issue waivers as storm cancels flights All major U.S. airlines -- United, Southwest, Delta, American and JetBlue -- have issued weather waivers to allow travelers to adjust flights potentially impacted by Hurricane Laura without fees. There are currently 643 storm-related flight cancellations, according to FlightAware. More than 400 of today's cancellations are at Houston Bush International Airport, representing about 60% of their total flights. 2:14 p.m.: Texas governor says to "get out of harm's way" Texas has added three more counties to the state's disaster declaration, covering most of East Texas and bringing the total number to 36. "I urge anyone in harm's way to get out of harm's way," Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said at a briefing. "Because of the power of this storm, if you are unable or do not get out of harm's way ... for almost a 24-hour time period there will be no ability for rescuers and aiders to get in and assist you in any way." The state has dedicated 400 buses, 38 aircraft, 82 boats and 202 high profile vehicles to disaster relief, authorities say. It also ordered 60 ambulances and an additional 75 para-transit vehicles to assist in moving residents. More than 5,000 people are already sheltered and officials are preparing for many more. The expected storm surge, described by officials as "unsurvivable," could continue inland for about 30 miles. 1:52 p.m.: Laura is now a Category 4 storm Laura has strengthened into an "extremely dangerous" Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph. The center of the storm is about 200 miles southeast of Lake Charles, Louisiana, and about 200 miles southeast of Port Arthur, Texas The storm will bring catastrophic storm surge, extreme winds, and flash flooding to the Gulf Coast tonight, says the National Hurricane Center. Little time remains to protect life and property, authorities say. 12:56 p.m.: Louisiana officials expect catastrophic events from storm OEM officials in Louisiana are putting it bluntly to residents: Leave and leave now. In their final briefing before Laura makes landfall, officials with Louisiana's Calcasieu Parish say they expect catastrophic events from the storm. "Short of pulling people out of their homes, we have done everything humanly possible to get people out of Calcasieu Parish," said Lake Charles Mayor Nic Hunter. "As much as it pains me, we are quickly getting to the point where you are going to have to hunker down. Public safety is not going to be able to respond." Sheriff Tony Mancuso said that while they could protect property from looters, they cant protect homes from the wind and the storm surge, both of which are expected to be well above the devastating effect that Hurricane Rita had in 2005. He, too, begged people to leave and leave now. "There is nothing at my house that is so important in my house that I would stay there," he said. "I would love to leave. It is not an option for me. It is an option for you. In addition to those leaving in their own vehicles, more than 800 people have been bused out of the area. 12:06 p.m.: Storm strength is at high end of Cat 4 The storm is sustaining winds of about 145 mph, putting it near the higher end of a Category 4 hurricane. Winds above 156 mph designate a Category 5 storm. In an interview with ABC News, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said he woke up Tuesday morning to find Lauras track had shifted slightly west and closer to Houston, the countrys fourth-largest city with a population of about 7 million. Officials in Houston and Harris County urged residents to stay off the roads so people evacuating have access to the freeways. Local officials urged all residents in the storm's path to fill up their gas tanks and generators. The mayor urged people not to panic. City officials said they dont expect Laura to be another Hurricane Harvey or Tropical Storm Imelda, which both led to catastrophic flooding. They do, however, expect this storm to be a fast-moving wind event, which could bring a storm surge, structural damage and power outages. Compounding the situation is the COVID-19 pandemic, which is why Turner told residents to stock up on necessary food, supplies and PPE. He said he anticipates that COVID-19 testing will be suspended until after the storm and that the city won't be opening mass shelters as it has in years past. This is a developing story. Please check back for updates. Copyright 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. AUSTIN, Minn., Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Hormel Foods Corporation (NYSE: HRL) today announced it has been ranked No. 43 on Military Times' Best for Vets: Employers 2020 list. This is the eighth consecutive year the company has made the list, which evaluates many factors that make a company or organization a good fit for military veterans. "Hormel Foods is a great place to work, and veterans are an important part of our team," said Janet Hogan, senior vice president of human resources at Hormel Foods. "We are proud of our efforts to recruit and support veterans and service members, and to be recognized as a Best for Vets Employer for the eighth year in a row." The Military Times Best for Vets: Employers rankings were based on a voluntary survey that included more than 100 questions seeking detailed information based on the individual company's policies and practices related to veteran recruitment and retention, support for translation of military skills to civilian credentials, support for military spouse employment and accommodations for members of the National Guard and reserves. "Best for Vets is editorially independent and focused on culture and policies that cater to military veterans," says Andrew Tilghman, executive editor at Military Times. "It has become the most trusted resource for transitioning veterans and a coveted honor for employers across the country." According to Military Times, the criteria for evaluating the companies is based on years of research, interviews with veterans, input from veterans' advocates and human resources professionals. Survey content was developed through data collected from a series of semi-structured interviews conducted with subject matter experts across the military-connected employment space including representatives working in HR and military-connected hiring programs, nonprofit leaders at several veteran service organizations, and veterans and family members. Rankings are based off of total survey scores. Hormel Foods actively recruits veterans and service members each year. In addition, the company has an employee resource group that provides assistance to current and former military members and their families as they integrate into the company's culture, while providing a platform for continued camaraderie throughout their career. To view the complete Best for Vets: Employers list, visit https://bestforvets2020.militarytimes.com/. ABOUT HORMEL FOODS Inspired People. Inspired Food. Hormel Foods Corporation, based in Austin, Minn., is a global branded food company with over $9 billion in annual revenue across more than 80 countries worldwide. Its brands include SKIPPY, SPAM, Hormel Natural Choice, Applegate, Justin's, Wholly, Hormel Black Label, Columbus and more than 30 other beloved brands. The company is a member of the S&P 500 Index and the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats, was named on the "Global 2000 World's Best Employers" list by Forbes magazine for three straight years, is one of Fortune magazine's most admired companies, has appeared on Corporate Responsibility Magazine's "The 100 Best Corporate Citizens" list for the 12th year in a row, and has received numerous other awards and accolades for its corporate responsibility and community service efforts. The company lives by its purpose statement Inspired People. Inspired Food. to bring some of the world's most trusted and iconic brands to tables across the globe. For more information, visit www.hormelfoods.com and http://csr.hormelfoods.com/. Contact: Kelly Braaten 507-434-6352 [email protected] SOURCE Hormel Foods Corporation Related Links http://www.hormel.com Mental health experts say the report by Ontarios police watchdog on Regis Korchinski-Paquets death reinforces pressing questions on whether police are best equipped to respond to people in a mental health crisis, and adds fuel to the argument for the need of alternative de-escalation methods that could have saved her. Korchinski-Paquet, an Afro-Indigenous Toronto woman, died May 27 after falling 24 storeys from her High Park highrise shortly after a family dispute that summoned police to their apartment. Officers that were present in the moments before she died were cleared of any wrongdoing by the Special Investigations Unit, who concluded in a detailed report that Korchinski-Paquet died after attempting to scale her balcony railing and step onto her neighbours balcony. But mental health experts say the report, while detailed, leaves many unknowns regarding why Korchinski-Paquet wanted to flee to her neighbours apartment, and raises questions about whether the police handled her desire to flee appropriately. Experts are also left to wonder whether the responding officers were adequately trained to de-escalate individuals who are afraid and in a crisis, and whether Korchinski-Paquet was simply fearful of officers in uniform. Toronto polices Mobile Crisis Intervention Teams, which include one senior officer and one psychiatric nurse, were not called to assist that evening, raising more questions on whether their mandate should be expanded to help with cases like Korchinski-Paquets. Its not exactly clear what actually transpired, said Steve Lurie, the executive director of the Canadian Mental Health Association in Toronto, except there was a large number of officers responding to a possible mental health crisis that escalated in a very small space. What is known, according to the SIU report, which pieced together a timeline of events before Korchinski-Paquets death, is that the 29-year-old made multiple attempts to get away from responding officers. She asked to go to the bathroom inside the apartment while officers and her family were in the hallway. When she entered the apartment, two officers followed her inside. Korchinski-Paquet then called her father when she was inside the bathroom. Meanwhile, the remaining three officers and a paramedic entered the small apartment, as did her mother. After arguing with her mother and refusing to speak with the paramedic, Korchinski-Paquet quickly made her way to the balcony to scale her way to the neighbours apartment. A police officer then ordered everyone, including the paramedic, to leave the apartment. Korchinski-Paquet fell a few moments later. Listen to Alyshah Hasham discuss police accountability and the SIU The report added that Korchinski-Paquet had seizures earlier in the day, according to her mother, who asked that her daughter be taken to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, and 911 dispatchers were notified of her history of epilepsy. When reviewing the SIU report, Jennifer Chambers, the executive director of the Empowerment Council, an organization representing people with mental health and addiction issues in Toronto, said what struck her most was the number of officers in the apartment shortly before Korchinski-Paquet fled to the balcony. That would be pretty scary, all those large, armed people, Chambers said. She added its important to understand that fear is the underlying feeling when a person is in a crisis, and the first thing to do is try to calm them. The officer did try to encourage a conversation between Korchinski-Paquet and the female paramedic, but she may have been too overwhelmed to take that in. Though the initial 911 call said Korchinski-Paquet was holding knives, officers arrived to find she wasnt in possession of any weapons. The mention of weapons is one reason why the Mobile Crisis Intervention Teams werent initially called, as they do not respond to situations that are potentially violent. The MCIT also only respond following police officers who arrive at the scene first, or alongside police officers. The report further states that epilepsy is not a mental health issue, and the MCIT were never called for assistance. Epilepsy signs and symptoms may appear to be a mental health concern; however, it is a physical issue where a person should be taken to a hospital, the SIU report states. Lurie said he is skeptical whether the MCIT would have offered much help to someone who could have been fearful of officers in uniform, as they visibly resemble police. He lauded the police for calling paramedics for help, but he criticized the MCIT portion of the report and said police officers should not act as mental health diagnosticians when a crisis is unfolding. He added that persons who recently experienced a seizure can have an emotional reaction afterwards, where they might be more sensitive or easily upset. If the person appears to be in emotional distress, you dont need a diagnosis of mental illness to act, Lurie said. The focus of the response needs to be on what was the behaviour that was going on at the time, Lurie added. In other words, was Regis in a crisis? Asante Haughton, a support worker with experience in de-escalation tactics at Stellas Place a mental health support centre for youth in Toronto said anyone responding to a crisis should make space for the person struggling, and work on providing a sense of helpfulness by ensuring their basic needs are met. Maybe a different approach would have been to step back and to give literal physical space to Regis, Haughton said. Or to change vocal tones to talk less and listen more and to ask open-ended questions. It could be as simple as offering someone water, or asking them if theyve eaten recently, instead of focusing on taking swift action to remedy the crisis. The need to do something is what sometimes pushes a situation over the edge, Haughton said. The SIU report states that all responding officers successfully completed use of force training that included de-escalation tactics and dealing with emotionally disturbed persons. But Lurie said while the training officers receive is excellent, it doesnt necessarily mean the officers can remember how to use it in a crisis. He referred to the 2015 death of Andrew Loku, a Toronto father who was shot and killed by a police officer. During the cases inquest, Lurie said the officers questioned couldnt recall how to move an individual from an agitated state to a calm state. We need to be fair to the police, Lurie said, as the death rate in response to mental health calls to Toronto police is low. But Im not sure saying somebody had training necessarily equips them. Chambers added that Toronto Police College training includes safely containing a person in crisis. As Regis left the apartment to the balcony, she was not contained, Chambers said. Both Haughton and Lurie conclude that the death of Korchinski-Paquet will undoubtedly force the city, police and society to rethink how better to respond to those who appear to be in a crisis. This may mean creating a made-in-Toronto solution or a civilian response team that can address the many complex layers and needs of individuals battling mental health struggles in the city, they said. Those who are meant to serve and protect us need to be better educated about what mental health challenges look like, Haughton said, in order to ensure future responses do not end in a fatality. Title: Bland Fanatics: Liberals, Race and Empire Author: Pankaj Mishra Publisher: Juggernaut Pages: 218 pp Price: Rs 599 In case you thought that Joe Biden's election as it looks now was going to save the world by getting rid of the reckless but also unfocussed authoritarian Donald Trump, then you probably need a small dose of reading from the collection of Pankaj Mishras essays, Bland Fanatics: Liberals, Race and Empire. Its pretty clear that despite adoption of some of his partys progressive wings platforms on health or on student loans, for instance Biden and team remain committed to returning to the normalcy of the liberal Anglo-American project, as Mishra might call it. Which means returning to the very normalcy that created our post-liberal tribalism in the first place: a liberalism that deviates far from what John Stuart Mill enunciated in On Liberty, and evolved to a globalism that built upon imperialism and slavery (and its descendent modern-day racism) and that demands, in the name of individual freedom, an atomised slave of corporate-capitalist free-marketers. That does not solve the problem, only postpones it till we get a crueller version of Trump or his local counterpart. This is why it is important to read Mishra, though these 16 essays, written over the decadal span of the 2010s, is not something you can imbibe in the course of a sitting (youd need 16 sittings, at least). Its an at-times enjoyable intellectual stone-throwing at liberalism and some of its icons since Fukuyamas so-called end of history, such as Niall Ferguson or the Economist, a 175-year-old weekly that is consistently wrong in its predictions despite its comprehensive Oxonian chronicling of the planet. To be clear, Mishra does not lob his Molotov cocktails at liberalism from the right, even though he is not a communist. Yet if ever a new framework is to arrive, the first step is to dismantle the ideology that pretends to be humanitys saviour at the centre of things, and that is liberalism. The title comes from something that cold warrior and theologian Reinhold Niebuhr wrote in 1957: Among the lesser culprits of history are the bland fanatics of western civilisation who regard the highly contingent achievements of our culture as the final form and norm of human existence. Mishra, of course, intends to promote these bland fanatics from the status of lesser culprits. The first guilty party is Niall Ferguson who, after all, justified the 2003 Iraq War as an effort not just to make the world safe for capitalism and democracy, but also proposed an Anglobalisation of the world to civilise the natives. I am a fully paid-up member of the neo-imperialist gang, Ferguson said, as he called upon the Americans to ensure the sun never set on the Anglo-American empire. It was an intellectual midwifing of the White Supremacy movement which had been lingering in the shadows for several post-WWII decades. For his troubles he was given a position at Harvard University. Then Mishra goes on to eviscerate intellectual Islamophobia, a project in which standard-bearers from the Financial Times to Martin Amis have participated, constantly raising fears of Eurabia, unmindful of the fact that for most Muslims in Europe, choices are dictated not by their readings of the Holy Book, but by their experience of globalised economies and cultures. Mishra asks us to keep remembering that the most meaningful reason for World War I: the religion of Whiteness. He eviscerates Salman Rushdie for rejecting, post the publication of The Satanic Verses, the very mix of politics and literature that his 1989 novel had exemplified, where the personal is the geopolitical. Mishra writes about Woodrow Wilson, credited with pushing global peace and the creation of the now-defunct League of Nations, and how that US presidents ideas were driven by a need to preserve white supremacy both in his own nation and in the globe throughout (ironically his rhetoric spawned many a freedom fighter in Asia). He decries colonialism and modern globalism for expecting the Third World to adopt the ways and means of Europe and America without experiencing their stages of development. Mishra loves Katherine Boos Behind the Beautiful Forevers and its depiction of the social darwinism in Mumbais largest slum; this same social darwinism has now been formalised in Indias polity, in the way that White Supremacy has been in the USAs, reminding us that all the social turmoil and cruelty that have horrified us in the past few years are things that were always already there things we politely, as liberals, shut our eyes to. There is a well-deserved takedown of Jordan Peterson. And so on, till the essays wind up with England's Last Roar: how a moment of reckoning has long been postponed, of an ex-imperialist country with dwindling material but an antique assumption of power and self-sufficiency, that is broken. Mishra quotes Orwell: A generation of the unteachable is hanging upon us like a necklace of corpses. Hmm. Perhaps liberalism is the last revenge of the colonised. Beijing Reportedly Fires 2 Missiles Into South China Sea in 'Warning' to US Sputnik News 16:37 GMT 26.08.2020 MOSCOW (Sputnik) - China fired two missiles into the South China Sea on Wednesday in an act of "warning" to the United States after a US spy plane intruded its army's no-fly airspace, a source close to the Chinese military told the South China Morning Post newspaper. "This is China's response to the potential risks brought by the increasingly frequent incoming US warplanes and military vessels in the South China Sea," the source said, as quoted in the report, adding "China doesn't want the neighbouring countries to misunderstand Beijing's goals." The missiles included a DF-26B dual-capability missile, launched from the northwestern Qinghai province, and a DF-21D anti-ship ballistic missile, launched from the eastern coastal Zhejiang province. According to the source, both were fired into an area between Hainan province and the Paracel Islands. On Tuesday, the Chinese Defence Ministry said that a U-2 US reconnaissance aircraft entered restricted airspace where the Chinese army fired live ammunition. The intrusion purportedly disrupted a regular military exercise and violated the international norms of the safe sea and air conduct. A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address NEW YORK, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The 4A's Foundation announces the appointment of five members to its Board of Directors. Joining the board are Walter Geer III, Vann Graves, Ashley McGowen, Sara Porritt and Renee Jennings. "The 4A's Foundation has always been committed to driving diversity, equity and inclusion across the advertising and marketing industry. The appointment of these five incredible leaders will further strengthen our team as we continue to advocate for change and advance our mission of building an industry that is truly as diverse as the populations we serve. We are thrilled to welcome Walter, Vann, Renee, Sara and Ashley to our Board," said Simon Fenwick, EVP Talent, Equity & Inclusion. Walter Geer is Executive Creative Director, Experience Design at VMLY&R where he is responsible for creating innovative design solutions within the health practice, and synergizing brand and customer experiences for clients including Dell Technologies, Campbell Snacks, Pfizer and New Balance. Savoy Magazine recently added Geer to their list of 2020 Most Influential Black Executives in Corporate America. Prior to VMLY&R, Geer was SVP, Group Creative Director at TBWA\WorldHealth, where he ran Digital, Innovation and creative production. Vann Graves currently serves as executive director of the Brandcenter at Virginia Commonwealth University. He brings 25+ years of creative, business, and executive leadership experience, having worked with some of the world's leading global brands, such as Shell, American Airlines, Cigna, Lockheed Martin, Coca-Cola, MasterCard, the U.S. Army, AT&T, GE, M&Ms, Snickers and Visa. Prior to joining the Brandcenter, Graves served as Chief Creative Officer at J. Walter Thompson Atlanta; EVP, Global Executive Creative Director at McCann New York; VP, Creative Director at BBDO New York; and CoFounder at FL+G, a full-service branding agency in Denver, Co. Ashley McGowan is the Global Lead for Business Equality at Facebook. She is responsible for stewarding business actions that will lead to a more diverse and inclusive industry. McGowan is a marketer with passion for creating a more equitable environment. She is known for excellence in forging community with the goal of accelerating business actions that drive toward impact, and has done so across several creative agencies, Microsoft, Under Armour and now to her current global remit at Facebook. McGowan's impact has been acclaimed globally including three ADCOLOR recognitions, as well as a 2019 ambassador appointment to the Cannes Diversity Collective. Sara Baiyu Porritt is a Senior Director of Integrated Media Planning and US Diversity and Inclusion Lead at OMD. She has more than a decade of experience working with CPG and telecommunication giants, utilizing empathy as the language of data in crafting impactful media and investment strategies. She is dedicated to capturing and sharing stories of those who have also traversed the road not taken, and is the host and creator of Hear Us Roara podcast featuring inspired conversations with fearless Asian women about how ideas and passions can ignite transformative journeys. Renee Jennings is the Chief Financial Officer at Joan Creative. She is responsible for all financial matters regarding clients, general accounting and Joan Holdings compliance, including working in tandem with the founders in overseeing Joan Creative. Prior to her arrival at Joan, she was at Ogilvy & Mather, where she has served as chief financial officer, North America for nearly seven and a half years. In addition to these five members, the 4A's Foundation board of directors consists of Jeff Monahan, Ruston Spurlock, Ashok Sinha, Chris Loll, Deidre Smalls-Landau, Denise Wong, Douglas Davis, Emily Sander, Jennifer Risi, Luis Miguel Messianu, Lukeisha Paul, Paula Massood, Ronald Lewis, Renetta McCann, Sadie Thoma, Saneel Radia and Marla Kaplowitz. About The 4A's Foundation The 4A's foundation exists to advocate for and connect diverse talent to the marketing industry. We celebrate a community that fosters a culture of curiosity, creativity and craft to fuel a more equitable future. By investing in and developing them, we believe that possibilities are endless. Established in 1997, the 4A's foundation is committed to identifying, developing, empowering and ensuring the most diverse talent enters and succeeds in the marketing industry. We achieve this through programs aimed at discovering and cultivating talent through scholarships, high school initiatives and the Multicultural Advertising Intern Program (MAIP) fellowship and Alumni communities. We have provided over $3.5 million dollars to deserving students studying advertising, marketing, media, creative arts and public relations. The MAIP Alumni with over 3,500 professionals is the largest diverse community in the industry. Our High School initiatives have prepared more than 1,000 diverse high school students for careers in Marketing. Media Contact: Natalie Kawam 862-222-2239 [email protected] SOURCE The American Association of Advertising Agencies (4A's) GRAND RAPIDS, MI Following the June resignation of CEO Andrew Johnson, the head of The Rapid bus systems board said he is working with interim leadership to strengthen the checks and balances between the board and the CEO. One of the things Ive mentioned is things we could add to have some checks and balances between the board and the CEO, said Kentwood Mayor Stephen Kepley, who chairs the 15-person board of directors. Speaking Wednesday during the boards monthly meeting, Kepley said he is working with interim CEO Win Irwin to find clarifications needed in The Rapids policies. Were working on the org chart, working on the proper procedures for approving expenditures specifically conferences, out of town expenditures, that sort of thing along with the 360 performance reviews for the CEO, he said. Tuesdays meeting was held virtually, and Kepley did not return email and phone messages seeking further comment. Johnson and Deputy CEO Dina Reed simultaneously resigned from The Rapid in late June. Neither Johnson nor Reed have returned calls seeking comment on their departure from The Rapid. Kepley and officials at The Rapid have also declined to discuss the leaders resignations, other than to say that Johnson and Reed resigned for personal reasons. Copies of Johnson and Reeds separation agreements, obtained by MLive through a Freedom of Information Act request, show they are both set to receive five months of pay as part of the agreement to leave their jobs with bus system. The agreements stipulate that The Rapid, if asked about their departure, will not discuss the matter and will only say that they each voluntarily resigned for personal reasons. Johnson had worked for The Rapid since August 2018. Reed had worked for the bus system since May 2018. Also Tuesday, Kepley provided an update on the search for The Rapids next CEO. The board approved a motion, presented by Kepley, to create a seven-member CEO search committee. The members, all of whom sit on The Rapids board, are: Kepley, Grand Rapids Rosalynn Bliss; Andy Guy, of Downtown Grand Rapids Inc.; Grandville City Council member Paul Troost; Walker City Commission member Steven Gilbert; Dave Bilardello, vice president of government relations and public policy at Spectrum Health; and Charis Austin, a client advocate at the Michigan Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired. Rapid spokesperson Bill Kirk said the bus system has spent $50,000 to hire Krauthamer & Associates, an executive search firm based in Bethesda, Maryland, to help find candidates for the position. He said a timeline for the search has not been set. The interim CEO, Irwin, is the former CEO of Irwin Seating and a former Rapid Board member. Following Johnson and Reeds departure, Steve Schipper, The Rapids transportation manager, was appointed to the position of interim chief operating officer. With Schipper in place, The Rapid has decided to suspend the COO search for now, Kirk said. The Rapid provides bus service for the Grand Rapids metro area. Its overseen by a 15-person Board of Directors whose members represent the six municipalities within its service area: Grand Rapids, East Grand Rapids, Wyoming, Kentwood, Grandville and Walker. Read more: Immigrant rights activists say governors COVID-19 testing orders for migrant and farm workers arent racist Kent County schools to receive $2 million for coronavirus-related expenses Gov. Gretchen Whitmer tightens order that allows workers with COVID-19 symptoms to stay home Amid the changing geopolitical situations with the US and China becoming two major factions and China's aggressive and expansionist approach towards neighbouring countries including India, Sri Lanka's strategic security policy will have an India first approach. Jayanath Colombage, the island nation's new foreign secretary from President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's cabinet said in two of his interviews that the president has made it clear that even though Sri Lanka is open to dealing with other major countries for economic development, it will always be a friend of India when it comes to strategic security. Colombage, a retired admiral who commanded Sri Lankas navy during 2012-14 is the nation's first-ever foreign secretary from a military background to be appointed to head the Foreign Ministry. Colombage, who is said to be a close aide of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, was appointed by the president on August 14 to head the foreign ministry. READ | Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa Vows To Abolish 19th Amendment READ | EAM S Jaishankar Congratulates Sri Lankan Foreign Minister On His Reappointment 'We cant afford to be a strategic security threat for India' Very categorically, the president has stated that we have a strategic security-wise India first policy because we cannot be, we should not be, we cant afford to be a strategic security threat for India, period, Colombage said in an interview to a Sri Lankan news channel named Derana 24. Even to India...very firmly, the president has said, you are my first priority in so far as security is concerned but I have to deal with other players for my economic prosperity. China is the second-largest economy and India is considered the sixth-largest. In 2018 India was the worlds fastest-growing economy. That means we are between two economic giants, he said. Sri Lanka cannot afford any particular country to use it as a staging area to do anything against another country, especially to India, he said. Speaking of the Hambantota port which lies in the south of the island nation and is controlled by the Chinese company, Colombage said it was offered to India first but India showed no interest after which the port went under Chinese control. At present, 85% stake of the port is with China Merchant Holding Company, however, it is limited to commercial activities and not for military purposes. Now in that deal, roughly...about 85% of that projects stakes are for China Merchant Port Holding and only 15% for Sri Lanka. We will do everything so that no one can use our country against another country but then giving total control for a long period, of majority 85% is a very high stake, he told the news channel. He asserted that the Sri Lankan government will not hand over total control of strategic national assets to a foreign power following the experience with Hambantota port, which was given to China Merchant Port Holding for 99 years. Colombage's assertion in favour of India holds prominence as the port's control by the Chinese was considered as a major hiccup for India due to the port's access to the Indian ocean and the trade routes in it going to the Chinese control. Colombage told the Daily Mirror that China understands Sri Lankas position and is pushing for commercial things. He added, China also understands it isnt ethical to push Sri Lanka beyond a certain point that is worrisome to India. In 2015, India was apprehensive of Sri Lanka's leaning towards China. India along with Japan and the US had criticised the move of giving away the control of the port to the Chinese firm. We actually made India jittery during the period between 2015 and 2019. But India is comfortable with President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, he said. He asserted that going forward Sri Lanka will always retain 51% stake in any other project with foreign entities that involve the national assets. READ | Sri Lanka's Ex-president Maithripala Sirisena Summoned By Easter Attack Probe Panel READ | Rajapaksa Family Dominates Sri Lanka's New Cabinet SBC observes Racial Reconciliation Sunday with goal of making churches more diverse Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The Southern Baptist Convention will be observing its annual Racial Reconciliation Sunday on Feb. 9, with this years emphasis being on the cultivation of multiethnic churches. The SBC's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission posted a link on Twitter to a bulletin insert written by pastor Jamaal Williams for congregations to use this Sunday. Titled Intentionally Cultivating Multiethnic Churches, Williams briefly described his experience of becoming senior pastor for a predominantly white congregation. The pursuit of diversity is not an easy path, he wrote. Not only does it challenge heart-level issues of prejudice, but it challenges lifelong preferences regarding music, expressiveness in services, preaching style and more. Williams gave three pieces of advice on how pastors can handle the issue: be careful when directing a church toward more diversity, listen to congregants, and ask for forgiveness and grace. Many of the challenges weve had to overcome are the result of the man in the mirror. Sometimes weve gone too fast or too slow, and weve spoken too strong and too soft, continued Williams. One of the greatest apologetics in the next 20 years will be multiethnic churches. As cultural divides continue, and likely deepen, I believe people will ask Why? when they look at our churches and see blacks and whites, Hispanics and Asians, young and old, women and men, rich and poor, standing, living, laughing, weeping, walking together. Initially known as Race Relations Sunday when it was first observed in 1965, in 1998 the SBC voted to change the name of the observance to Racial Reconciliation Sunday. The SBC was originally formed in 1845 as the pro-slavery church for Baptists, holding its inaugural meeting at First Baptist Church of Augusta, Georgia. In 1995, the Southern Baptist Convention issued a formal apology for its earlier support of slavery and segregation. More recently, SBC leadership has made efforts to advance racial reconciliation and to reach out to historically African American churches. For example, in 2015 then SBC President Ronnie Floyd took part in a summit on racial unity held in Jackson, Mississippi, alongside Jerry Young, president of the National Baptist Convention, USA. In 2016, Floyd participated in panel discussion titled "A National Conversation on Racial Unity in America" in St. Louis, Missouri. The sin of racism is a spiritual stronghold in this nation and now is the time this wall must come down, wrote Floyd at the time. As we repent of it personally, repent of it in our churches, and repent of it in our nation, we will perhaps see the next great spiritual awakening in our generation. Last June, current SBC President J.D. Greear preached to about 1,000 people at Sixth Avenue Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, about horrible history of racism in Western churches. You see, the Gospel teaches us that there's only one kind of person: human, said Greear, as reported by the Baptist Press at the time. We all got one common problem: sin. We only have one hope: the blood of Jesus. And that means all people red and yellow, black and white all alike are precious in His sight because all are afflicted with the same problem; all require the same solution. One in five young children are living in poverty, with rates in Queensland and Western Australia worsening despite the mining boom depositing billions of dollars into government coffers over the past decade. The proportion of children under five in poverty rose to 21.4 per cent in Queensland and 20.7 per cent in WA in 2017-18, from 16.5 per cent and 18.7 per cent respectively in 2009-10, research from Curtin University's Curtin Business School shows. The rate of children in poverty has been rising in some states. Credit:iStock Children in almost all other states were better off over the period, with about 20.8 per cent of under fives living in poverty in NSW, down from 23.1 per cent, and 17.8 per cent in Victoria, down from 21 per cent. Nationally, the rate was 19.6 per cent in 2017-18, down from 20.1 per cent in 2009-10. Tasmania was the best-performing state, almost halving the rate to 10.9 per cent, from 19.6 per cent. Theres a powerful force linking three of the top wineries in Niagara. Her name is Kelly Mason. She makes wine for Domaine Queylus, Honsberger Estate Winery and The Farm, bottles with cult-like followings. And many of her bottles sell out in a flashfor good reason. She makes sublime wine. To give you an idea of just how good they can be, taste the 2017 Domaine Queylus Tradition Pinot Noir, VQA Niagara Peninsula ($31.95 winery only/queylus.com). This elegant red is immediately riveting with its incredibly compelling tapestry of aroma that calls to mind roasted mushroom, smoked meat, and blackberries with a touch of soy sauce somewhere. Then, the attack is invigorating and complex, the black fruit centre threaded with all the savoury notes found on the nose within a seamless structure braced by the balanced but mouth-watering acidity that comes from cool climate Pinot Noir. Just a lovely, intricate wine for the money. Score: 94 Or sample the 2018 Honsberger Estate Cabernet Franc, VQA Creek Shores ($32.00 winery only/honsbergerestate.com). This bottle is similarly exciting with its fragrance of crushed black cherries and chalk that draws toward the saturated, velvety entry that unfolds with blackberries and plum, earth, and bittersweet chocolate. The rich centre is shot through with tart raspberry, which keeps each sip lifted and quenching. And the finish persists. Just delicious. Score: 94 The latest batch of wines from The Farm arent even available anymore. That winerys inventoryexcept bottles allocated for restaurantssells out every year in one day, despite no advertising or marketing. The winery simply opens its cellar door one day a year and sells the winean event that spread strictly through word of mouth. The date varies each year but happens in August. This year, it has already happenedhence the sold-out status. The only difference this year was bottles were ordered in advance online at thefarmwines.ca and picked up curbside. Outside of that one day, The Farm doesnt accept visitors. Kelly Mason is clearly a skilled winemakerand busy. After hours and on weekends, she is pruning and managing her own vineyard. She purchased that plot of landnow called, Mason Vineyardon Twenty Mile Bench in 2012 and grows her own Pinot Noir from 30-year-old vines. She calls it her itty bitty pinot project. The fruit from there goes into top cuvees at Domaine Queylus and The Farm. Its a project to watch. So, who is Mason? Well, shes a rising star who has spent the past 25 years or so doing everything right to put her where she is today. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Western University in 1995, an International MBA from the Schulich School of Business at York University, and a viticultural degree from Brock University. She has interned at Saintsbury, a winery in Carneros, Napaone of the first wineries in California to make Pinot Noir because of its cool microclimate. In Ontario, she interned at Tawse Winery and under Sebastien Jacquey at Le Clos Jordanne winery, which specialized in premium Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. That winery closed temporarily in 2016. Jacquey was hired by John Howard who owns Megalomaniac Winery and is making wines of distinction there. From Le Clos Jordanne, she moved to Domaine Queylus where she assisted winemaker Thomas Bachelder. She worked with him for three years before he passed the baton to her in 2016. Now Bachelders wines sell out in a flash through his secret tasting room called the bat cave. While assisting at Le Clos Jordanne, Mason took on the role of winemaker at Honsberger Estate Winery. And while still an assistant at Domaine Queylus, she was hired as winemaker at The Farm. Now she makes wine at Queylus, Honsberger and The Farm, while growing her grapes at Mason vineyard. Ive always been passionate about wine. After my degree at Western, I moved to Tuscany with Magna International, the company I was working for at the time, says Mason. When I returned to Ontario to do my MBA, I brought 300 bottles of wine with me. So, there I was, a student, in this little condo with 300 bottles of wine. Her dream was to retire, buy a vineyard, and make her own wine. Then, after her MBA, she thought, why wait? Why not go straight into wine? That was in 2006. So, she headed to California and the rest is history. Shes living her dream. It always amazes me to see a bottle of my wine on the table and people drinking it, says Mason. I just cant get my head around that people are drinking something I created. Humility is always a good quality in a winemakerespecially when combined with ambition. This winemaker has both. Her red wines are quite good, but so are her whites. The 2018 Domaine Queylus Cuvee Champlain La Grande Reserve Chardonnay, VQA Niagara Peninsula ($49.95 winery only/queylus.com) will appeal to those who like restrained, minerally whites. The nose suggests crushed stones and salt with more of the same on the palate, laced with seashell, lime, grapefruit pith and a touch of raw nut. I find this wine quite charming, and the length of each sip lingers for ages. Score: 90 The 2019 Honsberger Handshake Series Sauvignon Blanc Sur Lie, VQA Lincoln Lakeshore ($32 winery only/honsbergerestate.com) starts with honeysuckle and lemon zest on the nose before sliding in with yellow plum and lemon sorbet that stream in like a flood of light. As the wine tapers toward the finish, suggestions of damp herbs and freshly baked bread tease the senses. Score: 91 The Farms 2018 Green Label Chardonnay, VQA Niagara Peninsula ($25), is sold out at the winery. But its a tasty wine with a satiny texture, pristine purity of fruit, and delicate complexity. Think ripe apricot and crisp apple flavour laced with a touch of Chantilly cream and almond. Pure refreshment. Score: 90 If you like Domaine Queylus, Honsberger or The Farm wines, this peek behind the scenes shows you the link. Theres brilliance there. And if Mason Vineyard ever gets its own label, look out. Correction - Aug. 28, 2020: This article was edited from a previous version that mistakenly said Le Clos Jordanne winery is now closed. In fact, the winery was temporarily closed in 2016 but was reopened in 2019. The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Global Motor Trading Company Limited (GMTCL), Nareswar Singh, has been hauled before an Accra Circuit Court for allegedly issuing two dud cheques to Toyota Ghana Company Limited (TGCL) after purchasing five models of Toyota vehicles at a cost of GH1.82 million. According to the prosecution, the accused person, who had agreed in a sales agreement between the two companies to make payment for the vehicles through Letters of Credit (LCs), rather issued two separate cheques to TGCL in replacement of the LCs after they had matured. The cheques, details of which were presented before the court, however, bounced, compelling the complainant to seek legal redress. Singh pleaded not guilty to two counts of issuing of false cheques and one count of defrauding by false pretence, after the charges and facts had been read to him. The hearing continues at the Accra Circuit Court, presided over by Mr Emmanuel Essandoh, on September 1, this year. Bail The court granted the accused person bail in the sum of GH2 million, with three sureties, all to be public servants earning not less than GH3,000, and one to be justified. The surety with justification must provide proof of ownership of property worth GH1 million. Bail application In his application for bail, counsel for the accused person, who gave his name as Lawyer Samir, told the court that his client was the head of a reputable company and was ready to cooperate with the police as far as investigations were concerned in order to salvage his companys reputation. Counsel added that the accused person was not a flight risk and urged the court to set favourable and reasonable terms for him to appear before it until the final determination of the matter. When the presiding judge asked counsel what efforts were being made to settle the matter, Lawyer Samir told the court that since it was a civil litigation, there were efforts being made with an arbitrator to have the matter settled amicably. Facts The prosecutor, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Mr Emmanuel Nyamekye, told the court that the complainant in the case was the Managing Director (MD) of TGCL. He said on April 18, last year, GMTCL purchased five models of Toyota vehicles from TGCL at a cost of GH1.819 million, which was to be paid through LCs. He said the vehicles were duly supplied, with reference to the sales agreement signed between TGCL and GMTCL. The prosecutor further told the court that upon maturity of the LCs, GMTCL refused to authorise its bank to pay TGCL, but rather issued the two separate cheques, one to be withdrawn on February 9, this year and the other to be withdrawn on March 30, also this year, both in replacement of the LCs. Cheques bounced ASP Nyamekye said both cheques were dishonoured when they were presented at the bank. He said a report was then made to the police, which led to the arrest of the accused person. He indicated further that in his caution statement, the accused person admitted the offence and said the banks had declined the LCs because they were presented late and there was a discrepancy. ASP Nyamekye said the two banks where the cheques were presented were invited to assist with investigations and a report retrieved showed that the banks did not have adequate funds at the time the cheques were issued. Following further investigations, the accused person was charged with the offences and arraigned. 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 HOUSTON, Texas: Hurricane Laura made landfall early on Thursday in southwestern Louisiana as one of the most powerful storms to hit the state, shattering glass windows and tearing roofs off buildings in Lake Charles as it moved northward to drench the inland. Residents of Lake Charles, Louisiana, heard Lauras winds howling and the sound of breaking glass throughout the night as the storm passed through the city of 78,000 with winds of 85 miles per hour (137 km per hour) and gusts up to 128 mph (206 kph), in the hour after landfall. The windows of the citys 22-floor Capital One Tower were blown out, street signs were toppled and pieces of wooden fences and debris from collapsed buildings lay in the streets, video footage on Twitter and Snapchat showed. Laura made landfall just before 1 a.m. as a Category 4 storm packing winds of 150 mph (240 kph) in the small town of Cameron, Louisiana, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. It rapidly weakened to a Category 2 storm Thursday morning with maximum sustained winds of 100 mph (160 kph), and was forecast to become a tropical storm later in the day. However, the NHC warned that the threat of possibly deadly storm surge would continue along the Louisiana coast as Laura moved north and then northeast. The area where Laura made landfall in Cameron Parish has a population of just under 7,000 and is home to a national wildlife refuge. The marshland there is particularly vulnerable to the storm surge of ocean water. This is one of the strongest storms to impact that section of coastline," said David Roth, a National Weather Service forecaster. We worry about that storm surge going so far inland there because its basically all marshland north to Interstate 10. There is little to stop the water." The storm surge, which the NHC on Wednesday predicted would be unsurvivable," was still forecast to raise water levels up to 20 feet (6 meters) in parts of Cameron Parish, Louisiana, on Thursday morning. This surge could penetrate up to 40 miles inland from the immediate coastline, and flood waters will not fully recede for several days after the storm," the NHC said on Thursday. Department of Homeland Security acting Secretary Chad Wolf told Fox News on Thursday that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) had pre-positioned teams throughout Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia to respond as the sun rose. The next 48 hours are really going to be critical from a life safety standpoint," Wolf said. TEXAS MOSTLY SPARED Almost 400,000 homes and businesses in Louisiana and Texas were without power early Thursday, and local utilities in the storms path warned the outage numbers would certainly climb as the storm marched inland. The eastern coastal counties of Texas that had braced for the worst were largely spared Lauras rage. Galvestons acting mayor, Craig Brown, told MSNBC he was canceling the island citys evacuation on Thursday after the storm turned more toward Louisiana and was offering emergency support to communities hit harder to the east. Beaumont, Texas, Mayor Becky Ames told MSNBC the situation there was manageable." About 620,000 people were under mandatory evacuation orders in Louisiana and Texas on Wednesday. Texas Governor Greg Abbott said on Thursday that between 5,000 and 10,000 people had evacuated in his state. Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards told CNN early Thursday that there were no known fatalities in his state yet. I dont know how long that will hold up, but thats a blessing," Edwards said. Laura could spawn tornadoes on Thursday over Louisiana, Arkansas and western Mississippi, and was expected to drop 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 cm) of rain over the region, the NHC said. Besides threatening life, the storm was barreling toward the heart of the U.S. oil industry, forcing oil rigs and refineries to shut down production. The oil-refining town of Port Arthur was just west of where Laura made landfall. The city of 54,000 was a ghost town late on Wednesday, with just a couple of gas stations and a liquor store open for business. Just hours before Laura smashed into the coast, Port Arthur resident Eric Daw hustled to fill up his car on his way to a shelter in San Antonio. There, instead of worrying about the storm, he was concerned with avoiding exposure to the coronavirus, echoing the concerns of many others. They say we are all supposed to socially distance now," he said. But how am I supposed to socially distance in a shelter?" 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 John Lennons killer has been denied parole for the 11th time. Mark David Chapman was denied after being interviewed by a parole board on 19 August, according to corrections officials. Chapman, 65, is serving a 20-years-to-life sentence at Wende Correctional Facility, east of Buffalo, New York, after pleading guilty to second-degree murder. He shot and killed the former Beatle on the night of 8 December 1980, hours after Lennon autographed an album for him. Chapman has said previously that he feels more and more shame every year for the crime. Mark David Chapman on 31 January 2018. (New York State Department of Corrections via AP) I was too far in, Chapman told a parole board in 2018. I do remember having the thought of, Hey, you have got the album now. Look at this, he signed it, just go home. But there was no way I was just going to go home. Chapmans next parole hearing is scheduled for August 2022. The murder of Lennon stunned the music world, the British-born musicians adopted home of New York City, and a generation that grew up with Beatlemania. At 40, Lennon had just emerged from a musical hiatus with the release of his Double Fantasy album when he went to a nighttime recording session on 8 December 1980. When he returned to his home on Manhattans Upper West Side, Chapman was waiting for him and shot him four times in front of his wife Yoko Ono. Since 2000, the first year Chapman was eligible for parole, Ono, 87, has steadfastly opposed his release. Her attorney, Jonas Herbsman, said she submitted comments to the parole board, which he said are consistent with the prior letters. At his previous parole interview in August 2018 Chapman said he was a changed man and a religious Christian who would welcome freedom even though he said he did not deserve it. Chapman has worked as a porter and wheelchair repairman at the prison hospital and has occasionally been visited by his wife whom he married about 18 months before the murder. Additional reporting by agencies Phoenix, Arizona--(Newsfile Corp. - August 27, 2020) - The Stock Day Podcast welcomed Route1 Inc. (OTCQB: ROIUF) ("the Company"), an advanced North American provider of data-centric business empowerment solutions. President and CEO of Route1, Tony Busseri, joined Stock Day host Everett Jolly. Jolly began the interview by commenting on a recent press release published by the Company announcing a purchase order for 4,000 MobiKEY application software subscriptions. "The client is a component of the Department of Defense (DOD). For confidentiality reasons, we don't disclose the particular group, but it is a new client," shared Busseri. He then explained that while COVID-19 has caused increased awareness and interest in the Company's products, the relationship with this particular client began before the pandemic. "What does this mean for Route1 financially?" asked Jolly. "The contract on an annual basis is about $1.5 million US. It is a one-year subscription, but has three one-year extensions that go with it," said Busseri. "It's initially for 4,000 subscriptions, but they also have the ability to add in increments of 1,000 subscriptions," he continued. Busseri then elaborated on Route1's monthly subscription revenues from MobiKEY, which have grown dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic. "We've jumped a little more than 80%," shared Busseri. "What I want to reiterate is that some of these initial deals take a little bit longer because you're putting the primary contract in place," said Busseri, before noting the impact this contract will have on the Company's future. "How did your business other than the MobiKEY business, Route1's secure work-from-home technology, perform during Q2 2020 in a COVID world?" asked Jolly. Busseri explained that the COVID-19 pandemic introduced the Company to new challenges, including the delay of starting certain license plate recognition technology installations, as well as decreased revenues from rugged device sales due to factory and plant closures in Q2. "However, as we've documented very clearly, MobiKEY has done very well as a result of the requirements for employees to work from home," explained Busseri. Jolly then noted the significant revenue potential of the Company's DOD contract paired with the results of their recent Q2 2020 report. "We've had pretty fantastic growth along all three metrics: revenue, GP, and EBITDA," said Busseri, before expressing his excitement for the Company's Q3 2020 report, which will reflect these qualities as well as revenue and EBITDA from their new contract. To close the interview, Busseri shared that the Company intends to continue building their business model out by landing profitable contracts, taking advantage of strategic acquisitions, and continuing to add talented members to their team. "We're living in a world where our communities are quickly changing for a whole host of reasons that we've lived through in 2020," said Busseri. "We think Route1 and our data security capabilities make a lot of sense, and we're looking forward to being an active participant in building secure, smart communities," closed Busseri. To hear Tony Busseri's entire interview, follow the link to the podcast here: https://audioboom.com/posts/7668678-route1-inc-discusses-the-significance-of-new-mobikey-contract-with-the-stock-day-podcast Investors Hangout is a proud sponsor of "Stock Day," and Stock Day Media encourages listeners to visit the company's message board at https://investorshangout.com/ About Route1 Inc. Route1 Inc. is an advanced North American technology company that empowers their clients with data-centric solutions necessary to drive greater profitability, improve operational efficiency and gain sustainable competitive advantages, while always emphasizing a strong cybersecurity and information assurance posture. Route1 delivers exceptional client outcomes through real-time secure delivery of actionable intelligence to decision makers, whether it be in a manufacturing plant, in-theater or in a university parking lot. Route1 is listed on the OTCQB in the United States under the symbol ROIUF and in Canada on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol ROI. For more information, visit: www.route1.com. For More Information, Contact: Tony Busseri President and Chief Executive Officer +1 480 578-0287 tony.busseri@route1.com This news release, required by applicable Canadian laws, does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available. 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. 2020 Route1 Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced, transmitted or otherwise used in whole or in part or by any means without prior written consent of Route1 Inc. See https://www.route1.com/terms-of-use/ for notice of Route1's intellectual property. This news release may contain statements that are not current or historical factual statements that may constitute forward-looking statements or future oriented financial information. These statements are based on certain factors and assumptions, including, price and liquidity of the common shares, expected financial performance, expected subscribers and subscription-based revenue, business prospects, technological developments, and development activities and like matters. While Route1 considers these factors and assumptions to be reasonable, based on information currently available, they may prove to be incorrect. These statements involve risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to the risk factors described in reporting documents filed by the Company. Actual results could differ materially from those projected as a result of these and other risks and should not be relied upon as a prediction of future events. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement or future oriented financial information to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which such statement is made, or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by law. Estimates used in this presentation are from Company sources. Past or forecasted performance is not a guarantee of future performance and readers should not rely on historical results or forward-looking statements or future oriented financial information as an assurance of future results. About The "Stock Day" Podcast Founded in 2013, Stock Day is the fastest growing media outlet for Nano-Cap and Micro-Cap companies. It educates investors while simultaneously working with penny stock and OTC companies, providing transparency and clarification of under-valued, under-sold Micro-Cap stocks of the market. Stock Day provides companies with customized solutions to their news distribution in both national and international media outlets. The Stock Day Podcast is the number one radio show of its kind in America. Stock Day recently launched its Video Interview Studio located in Phoenix, Arizona. SOURCE: Stock Day Media (602) 821-1102 To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/62657 Love Island bosses have announced a dating series called The Cabins, after they had to scrap the summer and winter editions of the show due to the COVID-19 crisis. The channel announced on Thursday that they are set to launch a brand new format which will see singletons stay the night in a cabin in the middle of nowhere in the UK with potential suitors. During the show, the couples will face 24 hours without a smartphone in a bid to truly connect with their date. Exciting: Love Island bosses announced on Thursday the launch of dating show The Cabins after cancelling winter and summer editions of show (pictured Paige Turley and Finley Tapp: Love Island) Speaking about the new show, Paul Mortimer, ITV's Head of Digital Channels and Acquisitions, said: 'This is a fantastic new format which challenges young people to delete the apps and attempt to date face to face, with no distractions. 'We're thrilled to be bringing this show to ITV2 viewers who will have front row seats, eavesdropping on our couples as they attempt to find true love.' While Michael Mannes, who heads up production company 12 Yard who are making the reality show, added: 'We are delighted ITV2 have commissioned the series and can't wait to get into full production on what we hope will be a big hit with this exciting new twist on the reality dating format.' Romance: The new format which will see singletons stay the night in a cabin in the middle of nowhere in the UK with potential suitors (pictured Amber Gill and Greg O'Shea) Speaking of the show with The Sun, a source claimed: 'After 24 hours together they will be able to decide whether they stay together for a bit longer, or move on to someone new. 'If they remain as a couple for up to four days, we then give some other singles the chance to enter the cabin and potentially meet their Mr or Miss Right.' On when the show will hit screens, the source added: 'They'll start filming in the next few months as they're casting now and it will air in the new year.' The decision to scrap the summer and winter editions of Love Island came amid ongoing uncertainty relating to the coronavirus pandemic. Can they do it? During the show, the couples will face 24 hours without a smartphone in a bid to truly connect with their date (pictured Dani Dyer and Jack Fincham) Pre-production on the winter 2021 series was due to take place this summer, but due to social distancing measures, the series proved to be impossible to stage. Kevin Lygo, ITV's director of television, previously conceded it simply wasn't possible to shoot the summer edition of the show in the midst of the health crisis. Speaking earlier this year, he explained: 'We have tried every which way to make Love Island this summer but logistically it's just not possible to produce it in a way that safeguards the wellbeing of everyone involved and that for us is the priority. 'In normal circumstances we would be preparing very soon to travel out to the location in Mallorca to get the villa ready but clearly that's now out of the question. 'We are very sorry for fans of the show but making it safely is our prime concern and Love Island will be back stronger than ever in 2021.' The first-ever winter Love Island was won by Paige Turley and Finn Tapp and aired in January. Love Island is currently hosted by Laura Whitmore, following the tragic death of presenter Caroline Flack on February 15. Caroline was found dead a day after hearing the Crown Prosecution Service would go ahead with a trial for allegedly attacking her boyfriend Lewis Burton. Caroline strongly denied assaulting Burton, and had pleaded not guilty to assault by beating at Highbury Corner Magistrates Court on December 23. Indiana has nearly a dozen qualifying reasons for absentee ballots. Those include the voter is aged 65 and older; or working or being out of town on election day. It doesnt specify COVID-19 pandemic concerns, but allows for those confined at home due to illness or injury, Lawson said. That would apply if someone was self-isolating, but not if they were out running errands, she said. Kenosha Police Chief: Deadly Shootings May Not Have Happened If People Obeyed Curfew The shootings that left two dead and another wounded this week in Kenosha may not have happened if people had obeyed the curfew put into place to try to contain civil unrest, the citys police chief said. Persons who were out after the curfew, became engaged in some type of disturbance. And persons were shot. Everybody involved was out after the curfew, told reporters on Wednesday. Im not going to make a great deal of that. But the point is, the curfew is in place to protect. Had persons not been out, involved in violation of that, perhaps the situation that unfolded would not have happened. Rioting started in the Wisconsin city on Sunday, fueled by anger over the police shooting of a 29-year-old man earlier in the day. Jacob Blake, the man, was in possession of a knife after struggling with police, authorities said in an update on Aug. 26. Rioters burned down buildings, torched vehicles, looted, and attacked police officers across three nights, with little sign of law enforcement in some areas. A curfew was imposed on Sunday night at 8 p.m. The curfew was moved to 7 p.m. on Wednesday night. People with guns showed up to help protect businesses after the destruction. Kyle Rittenhouse, a 17-year-old, Antioch, Ill., resident, was one of them. Video footage appeared to show Rittenhouse shoot several people. Some of the footage indicated he may have been acting in self-defense. In this still image obtained from a social media video, a man is shot in his arm during unrest in Kenosha, Wis., on Aug. 25, 2020. (Brendan Gutenschwager/via Reuters) Kyle Rittenhouse in an undated photograph. (Kyle Rittenhouse/Tik Tok) A man on a bike rides past a city truck on fire outside the Kenosha County Courthouse during riots following the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wis., on Aug. 23, 2020. (Mike De Sisti/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel via USA TODAY via Reuters) The three people who were shot were identified by family and friends. The teen, arrested on Wednesday, is awaiting a second hearing on when hell be extradited to Wisconsin. According to researchers at the Atlantic Councils Digital Forensic Research Lab, multiple postings on Facebook and Reddit urged armed people to go to Kenosha. Take up arms and defend out [sic] City tonight from the evil thugs, one post said. Miskinis said what happened is not a police action. This is not the action, I believe, of those who set out to do protests. It is the persons who were involved after the legal time, involved in illegal activity, that brought violence to this community, he said. Police arent sure what led to the use of deadly force. Kenosha County Sheriff David Beth said people called him to ask to deputize citizens who could help patrol the city against wrongdoers. Im like hell no, he told reporters. And what happened last night is probably the perfect reason why I wouldnt, he added. I dont know this for sure, but the incident that happened last night, two people lost their lives, I think they were part of this group that wanted me to deputize them, the sheriff said. As a part of the county of Kenosha, that would have been, in reality one deputy sheriffs who killed two people. And the liability that goes with that would have been immense. But Miskinis said he had no information on whether the shooting was related to a certain group and noted that people are allowed to show up to protests with guns, exercising their constitutional right and protect property. I can tell you that I dont want violence, regardless of which side of any issue youre on, he said. So showing up with firearms doesnt do us any good. But, keep in mind, the term militia is used, Ive got no proof it has any organization to it. It may just be simply armed citizens. I dont know. So, its no different than those on the protesters side, who are walking around armed, and those who are counter-protesters, or those who are just witnessing, be armed. Rudy Beckford of Queens says parents are knocking at the door of Emmanuel Pentacostal Church everyday looking for some salvation from a tricky childcare situation. New York City is reopening schools part-time on Sept. 10 and more than a few essential workers are hoping that the newly-expanded child care program at the Central Brooklyn church will be able to watch their kids on the days when they are not going to school. Theyre essential workers, Beckford said, of the parents that are turning to the church for child care help. Theyre home health aides. They work in nursing homes. They work in hospitals. In other words, they have to go work in-person and that is making their stress levels skyrocket, according to Beckford, who volunteers at the church in Flatbush. Parents across the city do not even know yet when and where their children will attend classes. Theyre so anxious right now, adds Beckford, who will also be keeping an eye this fall on two granddaughters as their mother heads to work as a medical assistant. On a scale of one to 10, I can tell you, most parents are out of nine to 11. Reopening schools only part-time, without federal aid, amidst the ongoing dangers of the coronavirus is making some New York City parents tear their hair out. Fresh outbreaks have happened in areas of the country where schools reopened full-time, such as school districts in Georgia and Mississippi. Districts in other major cities, including Los Angeles and Chicago, have opted to start the year without in-person learning, but New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and the city Department of Education are trying to find some middle ground by having kids return to classrooms half-time. The success of the school reopening depends to a huge degree on parents ability to work around an academic schedule that has kids in schools on some days and learning at home on others. That is no easy task when many New Yorkers in essential jobs or blue-collar occupations that have gone back to work during reopening waiters, sales clerks, construction workers cannot stay home with their kids on their remote-learning days. The benefits of in-person learning are substantial compared to the online learning model quickly deployed during the early weeks of the pandemic. Research shows that children learn best in a classroom environment and their social skills improve when they are directly around their peers. Schools also play a key role in the city network of social services that provides food assistance, mental health and child welfare services in a school system in which more than 70 percent of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, based on their familys income. (New York City currently serves free lunch to all students regardless of need.) Many students could not even access virtual learning this past semester because they lacked internet services or devices at home. We have a choice and the choice was, do you have children in a school where they can get the support of educators, where they can have a positive adult presence in their life, the mentorship, the tutoring, the guidance, the mental health support, the physical health support, the food, de Blasio told reporters on Aug. 25. While teachers, elected officials and parents have criticized the citys approach to reopening, hundreds of thousands of families are nonetheless sending their kids back to school in mid-September. I tell everybody: Can we stop with the conversations about not opening the schools? said Adriana Aviles, a retired mother of three who serves as president of her local parent teacher association in Bayside, Queens. The mayor is going to open them whether we like it or not, and I don't agree with it, but we have to get ready. That is one reason why she has her three children wear masks for six hours every other day so that they know they can endure classrooms in the new normal where students will have to follow strict hygiene standards. The economy, like parenting, tends to thrive on consistency. Reopening schools, however, includes a litany of variables. Roughly 700,000 children are heading back into classrooms this month, according to the DOE. Another 300,000 more are attending virtual classes full time. Any outbreaks of the coronavirus could quickly scramble the equation as more teachers and students head back home. Some already have, as organized labor continues to push for a delay to the beginning of the school year out of safety concerns. Union leaders have even threatened to strike, a violation of state law, unless the de Blasio administration agrees to meet their demands for expanded coronavirus testing in the school system. This leaves working parents own working plans on hold. While some have the flexibility to still work from home moving forward, that does not mean they can tend to their careers and oversee their childrens virtual learning at the same time. I'm going to have to work my schedule around my children, said Sonia Arora, who works as a reiki healer. My husband also works and he cannot help me with the child care, because there's no way that he can take the time off during his workday to help with the kids. For parents who cannot stay at home, or lack a parent or friend who can watch their kids, their only choice is to find child care services. Wealthier parents may hire tutors or nannies, assuming they arent afraid of exposure to the coronavirus through them. Many less affluent parents, however, are stuck improvising. With no family and a modest salary, social worker Carolyne Odada, who can work from home three days a week, says her daughter could have to spend two days of eight grade per week at her side as she commutes from Harlem to Brooklyn to help manage a local clinic for people living with H.I.V. Not only does that mean her daughter will be at greater risk of contracting the coronavirus, it is hardly the type of middle school experience she was hoped by for her daughter when she immigrated from Kenya five years ago. It is never easy in New York City, says Odada, who is hoping that some type of city-support child care might come to her rescue as she waits for her kids school to announce its schedule. The mayor has vowed to make 100,000 revolving slots available for the children of working parents at learning labs run by local community-based organizations across the city. The idea is that students would go to these community centers run by nonprofits, which would provide supervision and assistance while students do their online learning on days when they are not in school. Many of these organizations already have experience providing child care on behalf of the city during the pandemic, through the citys efforts to help essential workers in recent months. Yet, officials at some of these nonprofits say they have yet to receive the final details from the city about when and where their services will be needed this fall. We're trying to be very flexible with our families, said Willing Chin-Ma, deputy executive director of the nonprofit Grand Street Settlement, which expects to serve more than 1,000 children in Lower Manhattan this year. Organizations are also waiting for crucial guidance on staffing. Months-long delays with background checks is another example of where city planning falls short of effective execution, according to Mary Cheng, the director of childhood development services of the Chinese American Planning Council, one of many nonprofits involved in the effort. I do think it might work, she said of learning labs. You can't hire (staff) before those clearances come back because it's unsafe for the kids. But if you're not getting (background checks) back to us in a timely fashion. How do we run the program successfully? Some parents, however, have children with unique health care challenges that require them to stay at home full-time until the pandemic subsides. I don't think that they have the capabilities of keeping the (school) environment as safe, said Carmen Andino, a private school teacher and Little Neck, Queens resident, whose son has respiratory issues. I'm going to be definitely depending on my mom to be stepping in and being grandma and teacher all at the same time. Yet, her mother will not be able to do that every day, added Andino, who said she would be able to use paid family leave to take some time off from her job at a reduced salary. Other parents could be in the same position if and when any positive cases of the coronavirus require individual classes, or even schools, to quarantine for two weeks. Widers outbreaks could make schools do the same. A systemwide infection rate that exceeds 3% could end the whole reopening effort this year. If that were to happen, then working parents across the city would have to once again figure out what to do about their kids. Compounding the worries for parents is how the coronavirus might spread through classrooms daycares they attend on remote-learning days once school starts. One recent study suggests New York City has one of the lowest levels of transmission among children, the fastest growing demographic for cases nationwide, but some parents worry there will be slip-ups among students, teachers and staff with wearing masks, washing hands, and adhering to other public health guidelines. Yet, that would be a worst case scenario under a city government that appears committed to continuing in-person learning at some level moving forward. Even if it is two days a week, three days a week, even one day a week helps, de Blasio told reporters at an Aug. 25 press conference. It all helps compared to nothing. And the more needy a child is, the more it helps that they get something rather than nothing, because remote learning just can't do for a kid what in-person learning can do. If the mayor and the city DOE succeed in their effort to open schools and keep them open for the coming months, then New York City will become the largest U.S. city to successfully reopen schools in the pandemic. But if they fail, working parents could be left with the mess they leave behind and that in turn would mean that New Yorkers nascent comeback from the pandemic will end before it even really gets started. MOSCOW: President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that a group of Russians who were detained in Belarus prior to its Aug. 9 election and accused of being mercenaries had been lured to Belarus by a Ukrainan-U.S. intelligence operation. Belarus had accused the men of seeking to destabilise the country ahead of its election, marking an unusual diplomatic row with close ally Russia. At the time, Russia had said the men were private security workers on their way to a third country. These people, I repeat, were travelling for work to a third country. They were lured there, dragged across the border It was an operation of Ukrainian intelligence agencies together with American ones," Putin said on television. 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 British scientists have been given 8.4million to try and answer burning questions about Covid-19 immunity. Topics being explored include whether having had a cold could protect you against the disease and how long antibodies last for. The cash will be spread across three separate studies tasked with investigating the immune response to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19. More than 820,000 people have been killed by the coronavirus worldwide since its discovery eight months ago in the Chinese city of Wuhan. The research will cover everything from why some people only have mild infections, to what happens to organs in the last days of life in people who die from Covid-19. The UK Research and Innovation and the National Institute for Health Research are funding the studies, which bring together scientists from 17 institutions. British scientists have been given 8.4million to try and answer burning questions about Covid-19, including whether the common cold can protect you against the disease (stock) Chief Medical Officer for England and Head of the NIHR Professor Chris Whitty said: 'Understanding how our immune systems respond to Covid-19 is key to solving some of the important questions about this new disease, including whether those who have had the disease develop immunity and how long this lasts, and why some are more severely affected.' The most amount of funding (6.5million) will go to The UK Coronavirus Immunology Consortium (UK-CIC), led by University of Birmingham. WHAT ARE THE THREE STUDIES? 1. The UK Coronavirus Immunology Consortium (UK-CIC) Funding: 6.5million Who runs it? Professor Paul Moss at the University of Birmingham Investigating: It will see to answer key questions such as; How long does immunity to Covid-19 last? Does immunity to previous common colds alter a person's outcome? Why are some people's immune systems better able to fight the virus? Who will be involved? The project will use samples and data from major UK Covid-19 projects already underway, including ISARIC-4C and the genomic studies COG-UK and GenOMICC. 2. The Humoral Immune Correlates of COVID-19 (HICC) consortium Funding: 1.5million Who runs it? Professor Wilhelm Schwaeble and Professor Jonathan Heeney at the University of Cambridge Investigating: The role of antibodies in immunity to SARS-CoV-2 and how it is different between people who have mild or asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection versus those who develop moderate or severe Covid-19 disease. Who will be involved: NHS workers, in collaboration with SIREN, will have immunity tracked over 12 months. Hospital patients will also be involved. 3. ICECAP - 'Inflammation in Covid-19: Exploration of Critical Aspects of Pathogenesis'. Funding: 394,000 Who runs it? Dr Christopher Lucas at the University of Edinburgh Investigating: The key features of fatal Covid-19 and the impact the virus has upon the lungs and other vital organs. The researchers will analyse tissue samples from post mortems and gather information on multiple organs. Who will be involved? Hospital patients who have died of Covid-19. Advertisement It will seek the truth on whether people who have had previous infections with seasonal coronaviruses, which cause the common cold, have some sort of cross-protection against SARS-CoV-2, after a slew of studies have suggested so. Scientists will try and gain a better understanding of various immune responses to Covid-19, particularly the T cell response which is thought to be most active in younger, healthier people. Lead researcher Professor Paul Moss said: 'There is so much that we still need to learn about how the novel coronavirus interacts with our immune systems and, with this investment, we have a unique opportunity to answer these key questions and hasten effective pandemic control.' Researchers at The Humoral Immune Correlates of COVID-19 (HICC) consortium will receive 1.5million. Professor Wilhelm Schwaeble at the University of Cambridge and colleagues will focus on antibodies and how levels of the proteins vary between those who get mild disease compared to severe. Antibodies are proteins produced by the immune system to fight infection, and are designed so they remember the virus if it invades the body again. But there are concerns antibodies to Covid-19 don't last for long in those who produce them, which would make re-infection possible. The study authors said: 'In critical care, we know most patients have high levels of antibody to SARS-CoV-2 however what we don't know is whether these antibodies are helpful.' The third study led by the University of Edinburgh will specifically focus on patients who have died of Covid-19, using post-mortems to analyse them. Some 394,000 will be granted for researchers to look at tissue samples collected from deceased patients, to see if the coronavirus is present in vital organs. It will also help work out how the body's immune system responds to Covid-19, considering so many victims die not due to the virus, but of heart attacks, strokes, lung failure and the 'cytokine storm' - when the body overreacts to an infection and kills healthy tissues. Dr Christopher Lucas is leading the project, titled Inflammation in Covid-19: Exploration of Critical Aspects of Pathogenesis, or ICECAP. He said: 'There is only so much that we can learn from clinical examinations and blood tests. By having a deeper look at those who have died from Covid-19 through post-mortem examination... this will allow us to rapidly answer key clinical questions and help inform the care of patients and the development of new treatments.' Seven Bangladeshi nationals were apprehended by troops of Border Out Post- Mahendra, 08 Battalion of BSF, in Nadia district of West Bengal on Wednesday, according to (BSF). "On August 26, 2020, acting on specific information passed by villagers of Gajna village, about presence of some unknown persons on the outskirts of village Gajna, Bishnu Singh , Assistant Commandant, BOP Mahendra, prepared a Quick Reaction Team and proceeded towards the outskirts of the border village Gajna and at about 1130 hrs troops observed seven persons including two female and one kid (03 yrs) at Gajna-Tarakpur road waiting for vehicle," said a release. When BSF party asked them for their Identity and they could not produce any valid Indian identities documents. BSF party detained them and brought them to BOP Mahendra, 08 Bn, BSF, the release said. The release stated that on preliminary questioning, they revealed that they have crossed from to India last night from an unfenced patch. They have been identified as -- Sakil Seikh (30), Md. Rahim (23), Sumi Aktar (22), Parul Aktar (26), Koli Begum (24), Champa Begum (26) and Yeasin Seikh (3). A total amount of 2,106/- Bangladeshi Taka along with their personal clothing were recovered from apprehended persons. "On the course of questioning, it is further revealed that 02 women were moving to Hyderabad in India and the rest were moving to Chennai for labour work," the release informed. "It is further revealed that the women going to Hyderabad already had worked there in the house of Barangal, living near Secunderabad Bus stand, Hyderabad, as babysitters, and the persons going to Chennai were to meet a person named Iliyas, who had arranged their labour work there incorporation," it added. All apprehended persons are being handed over to Police Station Hanskhali, Distt Nadia, West Bengal, said the release. As per BSF authority apprehension of 7 Bangladeshi infiltrators is a big success as it will entail the apprehension of human traffickers who are part of the racket. The support of the local border population has been instrumental in apprehension of these Bangladeshi, the release said. (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.) Scientists have found a radiation-resistant bacteria can survive at least three years exposed in orbit, suggesting simple life forms could manage the long journey between Earth and Mars unprotected. The Japanese scientists behind the research said Wednesday the finding lends credence to so-called panspermia theory", which posits that microbes can travel from one planet to another, seeding life on arrival. To test the theory, the researchers deposited a bacteria called Deinococcus radiodurans outside the International Space Station at an altitude of 400 kilometres (250 miles) from the Earth. Despite enduring the harsh environment of outer space and exposure to strong UV and large temperature changes, the bacteria were still alive in parts after three years. I knew it would survive after carrying out various experiments in the lab, but when it came back alive, I was relieved," Akihiko Yamagishi, study author and emeritus professor at Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Sciences, told AFP. The results show that the bacteria could weather a journey between Mars and Earth, and opens up intriguing possibilities, he said. Everyone thinks the origin of life started on Earth, but the new findings indicate that other planets could also be where life began." Yamagishi and his team hope to carry out similar experiments outside the Van Allen radiation belt, which would expose the bacteria to even more radiation. Scientists believe that more than three billion years ago Mars was much warmer than today and was covered in rivers and lakes, conditions which could have led to simple microbial life. The discovery, published Wednesday in the journal Frontiers in Microbiology, comes with Mars back in the headlines as three missions head for the Red Planet. They include the Hope probe from the United Arab Emirates, the Tianwen-1 from China and Mars 2020 from the United States, all of which are taking advantage of a period when the Earth and Mars are nearer to each other than usual. New Delhi: Nokia is all set to make a grand comeback in the mobile business with the launch of no less than five Android smartphones at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2017, reports said on Wednesday. HMD Global will begin selling Nokia brands smartphones from next year and will unveil the five Android phones at the MWC 2017. Rumours had been doing rounds about the unveiling of Nokia D1C smartphone at the MWC 2017, but now reports have suggested that four more handsets in mid-range segment will be launched alongside. A report on GSMArena says the upcoming smartphones will sport displays between 5-inch and 5.7-inch and will offer Wide Quad HD or full HD resolutions. These handsets will be in addition to the Nokia Pixel, Nokia D1C, and Nokia Z2 Plus devices which were spotted online earlier. For all the Latest Business News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. "There was a drop in employment in the first months of the year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, we observe that between June and July employment has been recovering rapidly , which is in line with the economic recovery," he expressed. Study rules out DM destruction as origin of extra radiation in galaxy center Irvine, Calif., Aug. 26, 2020 - The detection more than a decade ago by the Fermi Gamma Ray Space Telescope of an excess of high-energy radiation in the center of the Milky Way convinced some physicists that they were seeing evidence of the annihilation of dark matter particles, but a team led by researchers at the University of California, Irvine has ruled out that interpretation. In a paper published recently in the journal Physical Review D, the UCI scientists and colleagues at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and other institutions report that - through an analysis of the Fermi data and an exhaustive series of modeling exercises - they were able to determine that the observed gamma rays could not have been produced by what are called weakly interacting massive particles, most popularly theorized as the stuff of dark matter. By eliminating these particles, the destruction of which could generate energies of up to 300 giga-electron volts, the paper's authors say, they have put the strongest constraints yet on dark matter properties. "For 40 years or so, the leading candidate for dark matter among particle physicists was a thermal, weakly interacting and weak-scale particle, and this result for the first time rules out that candidate up to very high-mass particles," said co-author Kevork Abazajian, UCI professor of physics & astronomy. "In many models, this particle ranges from 10 to 1,000 times the mass of a proton, with more massive particles being less attractive theoretically as a dark matter particle," added co-author Manoj Kaplinghat, also a UCI professor of physics & astronomy. "In this paper, we're eliminating dark matter candidates over the favored range, which is a huge improvement in the constraints we put on the possibilities that these are representative of dark matter." Abazajian said that dark matter signals could be crowded out by other astrophysical phenomena in the Galactic Center - such as star formation, cosmic ray deflection off molecular gas and, most notably, neutron stars and millisecond pulsars - as sources of excess gamma rays detected by the Fermi space telescope. "We looked at all of the different modeling that goes on in the Galactic Center, including molecular gas, stellar emissions and high-energy electrons that scatter low-energy photons," said co-author Oscar Macias, a postdoctoral scholar in physics and astronomy at the Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe at the University of Tokyo whose visit to UCI in 2017 initiated this project. "We took over three years to pull all of these new, better models together and examine the emissions, finding that there is little room left for dark matter." Macias, who is also a postdoctoral researcher with the GRAPPA Centre at the University of Amsterdam, added that this result would not have been possible without data and software provided by the Fermi Large Area Telescope collaboration. The group tested all classes of models used in the Galactic Center region for excess emission analyses, and its conclusions remained unchanged. "One would have to craft a diffuse emission model that leaves a big 'hole' in them to relax our constraints, and science doesn't work that way," Macias said. Kaplinghat noted that physicists have predicted that radiation from dark matter annihilation would be represented in a neat spherical or elliptical shape emanating from the Galactic Center, but the gamma ray excess detected by the Fermi space telescope after its June 2008 deployment shows up as a triaxial, bar-like structure. "If you peer at the Galactic Center, you see that the stars are distributed in a boxy way," he said. "There's a disk of stars, and right in the center, there's a bulge that's about 10 degrees on the sky, and it's actually a very specific shape - sort of an asymmetric box - and this shape leaves very little room for additional dark matter." Does this research rule out the existence of dark matter in the galaxy? "No," Kaplinghat said. "Our study constrains the kind of particle that dark matter could be. The multiple lines of evidence for dark matter in the galaxy are robust and unaffected by our work." Far from considering the team's findings to be discouraging, Abazajian said they should encourage physicists to focus on concepts other than the most popular ones. "There are a lot of alternative dark matter candidates out there," he said. "The search is going to be more like a fishing expedition where you don't already know where the fish are." ### Also contributing to this research project - which was supported by the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science and Japan's World Premier International Research Center Initiative - were Ryan Keeley, who earned a Ph.D. in physics & astronomy at UCI in 2018 and is now at the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, and Shunsaku Horiuchi, a former UCI postdoctoral scholar in physics & astronomy who is now an assistant professor of physics at Virginia Tech. About the University of California, Irvine: Founded in 1965, UCI is the youngest member of the prestigious Association of American Universities. The campus has produced three Nobel laureates and is known for its academic achievement, premier research, innovation and anteater mascot. Led by Chancellor Howard Gillman, UCI has more than 36,000 students and offers 222 degree programs. It's located in one of the world's safest and most economically vibrant communities and is Orange County's second-largest employer, contributing $5 billion annually to the local economy. For more on UCI, visit http://www. uci. edu . Media access: Radio programs/stations may, for a fee, use an on-campus ISDN line to interview UCI faculty and experts, subject to availability and university approval. For more UCI news, visit news.uci.edu. Additional resources for journalists may be found at communications.uci.edu/for-journalists. This story has been published on: 2020-08-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Chennai: Desiya Murpoku Dravidar Kazhagam (DMDK) founder and actor Vijayakant celebrated his 68th birthday with his family in Chennai on Tuesday, evoking speculation over the future course of action that he might take in politics, particularly since Tamil Nadu is due for Assembly elections in another eight months. While birthday wishes poured in through social media and otherwise from his fans, well-wishers and others, politicians started greeting him from Monday evening itself. Chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and deputy chief minister O Pannerselvam were among the first to greet the DMDK leader. Among the others who greeted him on Tuesday were DMK president M K Stalin, who described Vijayakant as one whom M Karunanidhi loved. BJP state president L Murugan greeted him and the founder of Makkal Needhi Maiyam Kamal Haasan said Tamil Nadu politics was waiting to see him in full action in the arena. Viajayakant, who was not active during the campaign for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections due to health issues, is reportedly back after treatment and ready for action in the 2021 Assembly elections. His wife and DMDK treasurer Premalatha Vijaykant told newsmen that he regained his usual vigour and the party was prepared to even fight the elections alone. Followers and fans of Vijayakanth wanted to see him as the king, she said. Yet, the party would like to continue in the alliance with the AIADMK as of now and take a decision on facing the Assembly polls by December-January. When asked about her statement, fisheries minister D Jayakumar said the AIADMK was confident that none of the partners would leave the alliance. The DMDK being ready to contest the elections alone could be Premalathas view, Jayakumar said. Meanwhile, it is rumoured that some family members of Stalin had called on Vijayakant a fortnight ago to enquire about the actors health and had even asked them to join the DMK-led alliance for the Assembly elections. The number of new coronavirus infections reached over 400 on Thursday, dashing hopes that the spread may be easing. Even more alarming is the pattern of spread. Around 40 percent of transmissions in the capital region are untraceable, up seven times compared to 10 days ago, demonstrating that quarantine efforts are becoming increasingly ineffective. Only a handful of the hospital beds set aside for critical and serious cases in the Seoul metropolitan area are said to be left. Over the last eight months, 93 percent of the deaths caused by COVID-19 involved people over 60, and the latest infections in the Seoul area have been occurring mainly among the elderly. The government plans to secure 76 more hospital beds for serious cases by the middle of next month, but if the number of daily infections remains in the triple digits, critically ill patients could almost double to 130 a week from now. That could result in a disastrous shortage of beds as seen in the U.S. and parts of Europe. Students' summer vacation has ended, but schools across the country remain closed. The strain on the economy, meanwhile, continues to worsen. When the regular flu season starts in the autumn, the situation could become even more serious as it becomes difficult to distinguish between people with the common cold and those who contracted COVID-19. In the midst of this chaos, doctors have gone on strike. The government has ordered them to return to work and threatened to take away their licenses and charge them with criminal offenses. Korea has been able to deal relatively effectively with the coronavirus outbreak due to the sacrifices of the medical community. Nobody can discredit medical workers who toiled all summer wearing protective suits in scorching heat and suffocating humidity. They are the last bastion of public health. Yet the government chose to announce medical reform plans in the middle of this crisis and refuses to back down. Could they really not wait after the coronavirus epidemic eased? If there is one thing the government has achieved, it is that it has stirred up a hornet's nest. And the threat to punish doctors, interns and residents who do not return to work shows that it only cares about its political doctrines at the expense of public health. The country needs to focus all its energies on fighting the epidemic now. Doctors must return to work and the government should scrap the reform plans. President Trump on Wednesday said he will send federal law enforcement and the National Guard to Kenosha, Wisconsin to restore law and order amid days of unrest in the city. We will NOT stand for looting, arson, violence, and lawlessness on American streets, the president tweeted Wednesday. My team just got off the phone with Governor Evers who agreed to accept federal assistance. (Portland should do the same!) We will NOT stand for looting, arson, violence, and lawlessness on American streets. My team just got off the phone with Governor Evers who agreed to accept federal assistance (Portland should do the same!) Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 26, 2020 The president added: TODAY, I will be sending federal law enforcement and the National Guard to Kenosha, WI to restore LAW and ORDER! TODAY, I will be sending federal law enforcement and the National Guard to Kenosha, WI to restore LAW and ORDER! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 26, 2020 The presidents tweets come after 29-year-old Jacob Blake, a Black man, was shot at close range by city police officers, leaving him partially paralyzed. News18 Daybreak | 23 Punjab MLAs Test Positive for Coronavirus; NIA Registers Criminal Case Against Rhea Chakraborty and Other Stories You Need to Watch Out For Aug 27, 2020 07:41 AM IST Share Mamata Banerjee & Amarinder Singh urge states to move SC against decision to hold NEET & JEE Exams; Congress to hold nationwide protests on Friday West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee appealed for a joint plea with other state heads before the SC to postpone the NEET and JEE Mains examinations scheduled for the first week of September amid pandemic. Her views were echoed by her Punjab counterpart Amarinder Singh who has asked his state Advocate General to coordinate in other opposition-ruled states for filing a collective review petition in the Supreme Court to seek deferment of the national exams. Nationwide protests: The Congress announced that it will hold countrywide protests on August 28 to oppose the governments decision to hold NEET, JEE exams during the pandemic. In a statement AICC general secretary KC Venugopal said the move is in line with concerted opposition to this dictatorial move of the government. In Other News COVID count: India recorded more than 60,000 cases of COVID-19 for the eighth day in a row, as total cases crossed 3.2 million, data from the federal health ministry showed. Punjab CM said 23 ministers and MLAs were coronavirus positive two days before the Vidhan Sabha session on August 28. Economic fallout: The poorest have been hit the hardest, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) says in its latest annual report, referring to the aftermath of Covid-19 pandemic. The RBI has noted that white collar employees can work from home (after the pandemic induced lockdowns) but essential workers have to work on site. GST Council: The GST Council meeting is likely to be a stormy affair as opposition-ruled states unite to pressure the Centre to give them the promised compensation for loss of revenue arising from the implementation of GST. The 41st meeting of the GST Council, to be held via video conferencing, has just one agenda for discussion making up for shortfall in states revenues, sources said. Criminal case filed: A day after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) wrote to the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) to look into the drug angle in the Sushant Singh Rajput death case, the NCB registered a criminal case against Rhea Chakraborty and others for their alleged dealings in banned drugs. Unearthed: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has unearthed close links between Pakistani terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed and al-Qaeda as well as the Taliban during its investigation into the 2019 Pulwama attack. The NIA in its chargesheet has alleged that the main accused Umer Farooq trained at the Sangin camp of the Helmand province of Afghanistan. On Our Specials A snub: Late evening Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi announced the formation of a committee which will study and work the strategy of the party on ordinances. But the significance of the committee lies not in its formation, but in the names and the message it wants to send out that the Grand Old Party will move on without addressing the concerns raised by those who wrote a letter seeking an active and visible leadership. Pallavi Ghosh writes. RTI reveals: Setting aside the state-run Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL), the Department of Posts, trading as India Post has opted for private telecom players- Vodafone, Airtel and Reliance Jio for mobile connections provided to its employees. An RTI filed by Arif Jwadder revealed for a total of 4,487 connections, a little over Rs 4.5 lakh was paid to private telecommunication companies on a monthly basis. Raunak Kumar Gunjan writes. Australia is "woefully unprepared" for the scale of the climate change threats it faces, and suffers from a public debate focused too much on the cost of action rather than the costs of failing to act, says a coalition of environment and business groups. "There is no systemic government response (federal, state and local) to build resilience to climate risks," says a paper published by the Australian Climate Roundtable, which includes climate groups such as the Australian Conservation Foundation and business bodies including the Business Council of Australia, Australian Industry Group and the Australian Aluminium Council. Black Summer: Fires jump the Monaro Highway outside Bredbo, near Cooma. Credit:Dean Sewell "Action is piecemeal, unco-ordinated, does not engage business, private sector investment, unions, workers in affected industries, community sector and communities, and does not match the scale of the threat climate change represents to the Australian economy, environment and society," the group said. "Even with ambitious global action in line with the objectives of the Paris Agreement, Australia will experience escalating costs from the climate change associated with historical emissions," said the paper, written after months of consultation between the member groups. Passengers are seen wearing face coverings after arriving at Manchester Airport following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Manchester, Britain LONDON (Reuters) - Travellers arriving in Britain from Switzerland, the Czech Republic or Jamaica after 0300 GMT on Saturday will need to quarantine themselves for 14 days to slow the spread of COVID-19, transport minister Grant Shapps said on Thursday. "Data shows we need to remove the Czech Republic, Jamaica and Switzerland from our list of Coronavirus Travel Corridors to keep infection rates DOWN," Shapps said in a statement. People arriving from Cuba however would no longer have to quarantine, he added. (Reporting by David Milliken; editing by Stephen Addison) OSTERSUND, Sweden, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Skanska has sold a portfolio of five multifamily projects in Skane, Sweden, for a total of approximately SEK 1.5 billion. The investor is KPA Pension. The transaction will be recognized by Skanska Sweden in the business stream residential development in the third quarter of 2020. The transaction relates to projects in Malmo, Lund, Helsingborg and Angelholm that are being developed and constructed by Skanska Sweden. The portfolio includes a range of products, from townhouse-style condominiums to buildings eight stories tall totaling approximately 600 apartments. All projects are being developed with a strong focus on sustainability and a minimal environmental impact, where tenants will be able to maintain a sustainable lifestyle. The project in Malmo, Vastra hamnen, will have 65 units and a wide range of social impact initiatives including; internships for job seekers, a school partnership and collaboration with the local cooperative, Yalla Trappan, an organisation with the goal of finding and/or creating jobs for female immigrants. Construction is ongoing and occupancy is scheduled for the second quarter of 2021. In the same block, Skanska is also developing co-ops, a geriatric care home and a preschool. In southern Helsingborg, 51 high-quality rental units are being constructed between the sea and the city, next to a geriatric care home Skanska divested to Folksam this summer. In northern Angelholm, 32 town house units are being built to complement projects previously developed by Skanska - BoKlok, geriatric care homes and single-family homes. In southern Angelholm, 110 apartments will mark the start of a new neighborhood close to the city center and the railway station. Construction start is scheduled for autumn 2020 with completion in 2022. In Lund, 358 rental units, as well as some commercial premises and a parking garage, are being built close to Ideon and the R&D facilities at ESS, Brunnshog. The rental units will be Sweden Green Building Council (SGBC) certified with a Silver rating. Construction is scheduled to start towards the end of the year with occupancy gradually scheduled between 2022 and early 2024. Handover will take place gradually from the second quarter of 2021 until early 2024. Skanska is one of the leading development and construction companies in the Nordics, with operations in building construction and civil engineering in Sweden, Norway and Finland, and the development of residential and commercial property projects in selected home markets. The commercial development stream is also active in Denmark. Skanska had sales of about SEK 70 billion and more than 15,200 employees in its Nordic operations in 2019. This and previous releases can also be found at www.skanska.com. For further information, please contact: Britta Cesar Munck Head of Rental Housing Sweden Skanska Sweden tel +46 (0)10 448 10 45 Nina Warnquist Business Developer Rental Housing Skanska Sweden tel +46 (0)10 44 94 394 Jacob Birkeland Head of Media Relations and Public Affairs Skanska AB tel +46 (0)10 449 31 34 Direct line for media tel +46 10 448 88 99 This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com https://news.cision.com/skanska/r/skanska-divests-multifamily-housing-portfolio-in-skane--sweden--to-kpa-pension-for-about-sek-1-5-bil,c3181985 The following files are available for download: https://mb.cision.com/Main/95/3181985/1297875.pdf 20200827 multifamily housing portfolio SOURCE Skanska 3 1 of 3 Contribued Photo / East Haven Firefighters Local 1205 Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Contribued Photo / East Haven Firefighters Local 1205 Show More Show Less 3 of 3 EAST HAVEN Good Samaritans were thrown from the top of a vehicle on the highway while trying to help the victims of a rollover accident that ended with serious injuries, according to fire officials. Early Saturday morning, East Haven firefighters responded to a report of a multi-vehicle crash on Interstate 95. By PTI VALSAD: A major fire broke out at an ink manufacturing factory in Gujarat's Valsad district on Thursday morning, but no casualty was reported, an official said. The blaze erupted around 6 am in the factory located in Sarigam industrial area of Valsad, located about 330 km from Ahmedabad, Collector R R Raval said. He said while the exact cause of the fire was not yet known, the blaze spread in the premises due to the chemicals used to manufacture ink. "No one was killed or injured in the incident. Eight fire tenders were rushed to the spot and they took about three hours to douse the flames. Cooling operation is currently underway," he said. BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - French stocks were moving lower on Thursday, with an element of caution coming from the United States sanctioning China over military action in the disputed South China Sea and the upcoming speech from U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell. The benchmark CAC 40 dropped 30 points, or 0.6 percent, to 5,019 after rising 0.8 percent on Wednesday. Advertising group Publicis Groupe SA advanced 1.2 percent as WPP, the world's largest advertising group by sales, returned to paying dividends after cost cuts and a switch to faster ad production. Bouygues soared 4.2 percent. After reporting a first-half net loss, the industrial group stated that it will return to significant profitability in the second half of 2020, without reaching the particularly high levels of second half 2019. In economic releases, French business sentiment continued to improve in August as confidence picked up in almost all sub-sectors, monthly survey data from the statistical office Insee showed. Another industrial investment survey from the Insee showed that business managers downgraded their investment outlook for this year as they projected a double-digit contraction. The business confidence index for manufacturers rose more-than-expected to 93 in August from 82 in July. The expected reading was 85. Business managers' assessment of past activity climbed sharply with the index rising to -2 from -41. 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. Pension funds will be required by law to report the risks that climate change could have on members' investments. Climate change is expected to have a significant impact on pension assets and returns both through the risks of a warmer planet and moves towards a lower carbon economy. Work and Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey yesterday announced plans for the 100 largest schemes with assets of more than 5billion each to be required to publish climate risk disclosures by the end of 2022. The 100 largest pension funds will be required by law to publish climate risk disclosures by the end of 2022, Work and Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey announced on Wednesday Under the proposals, this requirement would be extended to around 250 schemes with assets of more than 1billion the following year. Miss Coffey said it was 'one of the most significant steps to date in the UK's progress on tackling climate change'. She said funds should look at 'green and sustainable assets as the investments for the future'. The Work and Pensions Secretary added: 'We are at a climate change crossroads - we must begin to look at green and sustainable assets as the investments for the future of our planet and of our pensions. 'Any scheme that has no plan for its transition is risking its future and the future of its members. 'Schemes of all sizes need to be acting right now for the financial risks and opportunities that climate change presents, providing sustainable returns that will keep many pensioners comfortable in their retirements.' Ms Coffey rejected claims from some environmentalists calling for the UK Government to go further and call for divestment from polluting industries such as fossil fuels. She said: 'We see this overly simplistic approach actually making it harder to achieve net zero. The requirement would be extended to around 250 schemes with assets of more than 1billion in 2023. Miss Coffey said it was 'one of the most significant steps' in tackling climate change 'Pension schemes do need to act in their members' best interests, not to take moral stances on their members' behalf. 'While some high carbon firms will fail to make the transition to a low-carbon economy, this is an opportunity to make companies transform their business models to be sustainable.' Ms Coffey made the announcement in Glasgow ahead of the COP26 climate conference, due to be held in the city next year after it was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. She said: 'As we look forward to hosting COP26 next year here in Glasgow, we can be proud that the UK is at the forefront of efforts to tackle the challenges posed by climate change. 'The Government, particularly my fellow minister (work and pensions minister) Guy Opperman who has been working flat out on this agenda, we welcome the views of trustees and all other stakeholders on our proposals and ask that schemes play their part in meeting the challenges of climate change. 'This is a journey that we must embark upon together and no pension scheme is too small to make a difference.' Newly formed Syngenta Group delivers a strong first half year despite challenging market conditions 1 Group sales $12.0 billion, 2 percent higher than H1 2019 (6 percent at CER 2 ) despite a $0.5 billion currency headwind ) despite a $0.5 billion currency headwind EBITDA of $2.2 billion, 7 percent higher than H1 2019, (20 percent at CER) All four business units recorded underlying sales growth COVID-19 impacts well managed; supply maintained throughout Conditions still challenging in H2 2020, but Group stays committed to achieve growth in 2020 Syngenta Group Co., Ltd. today announced the Group's first half year results after its formation on June 18, 2020. The Group increased sales by 2 percent to more than $12 billion compared to the same period last year. This corresponds to growth of 5 percent on an underlying basis adjusted for one-off change of control royalty income in Seeds and the impact of mandatory ADAMA and Sinofert production site relocations in China. All four business units, Syngenta Crop Protection, ADAMA, Syngenta Seeds and Syngenta Group China, increased their underlying sales in comparison to the previous year. Syngenta Group managed the impacts of COVID-19 well in the first half of 2020, maintaining supply throughout despite the challenging market environment and the need for innovative solutions to overcome logistical difficulties. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200826005823/en/ (Photo: Business Wire) Erik Fyrwald, Syngenta Group CEO: "The last few months have been a very challenging time for everybody on this planet. I am pleased that our team delivered strong performance across all of Syngenta Group's business units despite the COVID-19 pandemic, low grain prices and significant currency headwind. This demonstrates that our strategy to deliver the broadest range of sustainable, innovative, and competitive products and services to farmers worldwide is robust, even in these extraordinary times. Our goal is to be a supplier that our customers can always rely on despite any challenges." Chen Lichtenstein, Syngenta Group CFO: "We achieved a robust first half with strong sales performance supported by cost discipline. For the second half of the year, we will continue to build on our positive momentum." The sector full year outlook remains challenging, with low grain prices and currency headwinds in developing markets. Further impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic add to second half uncertainty. The Syngenta Group remains committed to achieving underlying growth and leadership in sustainable agricultural innovation. Highlights Sales H1 2020 H1 2019 Growth Underlying3 Growth $m $m Syngenta Crop Protection 5,477 5,172 6 6 ADAMA 2,008 2,008 3 Syngenta Seeds 1,620 1,594 2 7 Syngenta Group China 3,350 3,406 -2 3 Eliminations (414) (378) Syngenta Group 12,041 11,802 2 5 EBITDA H1 2020 H1 2019 Growth Underlying Growth $m $m Syngenta Crop Protection 1,427 1,323 8 7 ADAMA 306 365 -16 -10 Syngenta Seeds 248 137 81 94 Syngenta Group China 339 343 -1 5 Eliminations (105) (98) Syngenta Group 2,215 2,070 7 9 Syngenta Crop Protection Total sales in Syngenta's Crop Protection business grew 6 percent (12 percent CER) to $5.5 billion, with growth in all regions. Sales in Europe, Africa and the Middle East were 5 percent higher CER with a solid performance in the region despite dry weather in North-West Europe. Reported sales were reduced by exchange rate impact. In North America, sales were up 4 percent constrained by cold weather and excessive rain in the second quarter. Sales in Latin America grew 10 percent, maintaining the positive momentum in the region. Pest pressure in Brazil remains strong. The growth was partly offset by the negative impact of exchange rates. In Asia Pacific, sales were up 12 percent CER with a strong performance in Australia following improved weather conditions and continued momentum in India. Exchange rate headwinds reduced reported sales to 8 percent. In China we continued positive momentum, increasing sales by 18 percent CER, driven by the successful launch of Adepidyn. ADAMA In the first half of 2020, ADAMA delivered total sales of $2 billion, in line with the prior year but 7 percent higher CER. Sales in Europe were in line with last year CER, with higher inventories in distribution channels remaining from the poor season last year alongside COVID-19 concerns, both constraining demand and increasing pricing pressure. India, Middle East and Africa has seen 18 percent growth CER, driven mainly by favorable weather particularly in India and South Africa. Foreign exchange weaknesses with the Indian Rupee, Turkish Lira and the South African Rand were partially offset by price increases. Sales in North America declined 6 percent CER challenged by weather conditions, primarily in the South, which delayed planting and reduced cotton acreage alongside a reduction in cotton demand due to lower retail apparel sales as a result of COVID-19. In Latin America sales grew 28 percent CER due to strong performance in Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Peru and despite the significant regional exchange rate headwinds, most notably seen in the volatility and weakness in the BRL. Sales in Asia Pacific (excluding China) grew 9 percent CER with positive seasonal conditions in Australia largely offset by poor conditions in Southeast Asia and exchange rate headwinds. China sales were 3 percent lower than prior year CER, with a 15 percent increase in branded, formulated sales challenged by disruption in the Hubei manufacturing base. Syngenta Seeds Syngenta Seeds business unit grew sales 2 percent (4 percent at CER) to $1.6 billion. Underlying growth was 7 percent. Sales in Europe, Africa and the Middle East were in line with last year. Strong seasonal growth was impacted by Corn supply challenges. In North America, sales were up 13 percent with an increase in Soy market share. Sales were supported by a recovery of both Corn and Soy growing areas which were flooded in 2019. Sales in Latin America grew by 27 percent CER. Currency headwinds in Brazil were more than offset by higher royalty incomes and strong orders across the region. In Asia Pacific, sales continued to grow across all geographies, partially offset by exchange rate headwinds. The global Vegetable business grew in all regions, resulting in 9 percent higher sales CER. Syngenta Group China Syngenta Group China, encompassing crop protection, crop nutrition, seeds, MAP and Digital business, generated sales of $3.4 billion, with an underlying growth of 3 percent compared to the previous year despite lower selling prices of crop nutrition. The Modern Agricultural Platform (MAP) continued to expand nationwide adding 81 new locations in H1 to reach a total of 234 sites. Sales nearly tripled to $271 million. The MAP service area expanded to a total of 2.72 million hectares with 265,000 users and strategic cooperation with Alibaba's HEMA "Freshippo" network and Wilmar. MAP is a key contributor to synergies with other Syngenta Group China businesses. Syngenta Group China's Crop Protection businesses grew sales by 12 percent CER driven by new product launches and growth in branded, formulated products. Seeds sales were up 7 percent CER, profiting from the acquisition of a new corn hybrid. Crop Nutrition (Sinofert) sales were 15 percent lower (11 percent CER) due to reduced selling prices. Volume increased by 5 percent and product mix improved with focus on specialty fertilizer products. Profit margin was maintained through cost reduction and mix improvement. About Syngenta Group Syngenta Group is one of the world's leading agriculture innovation companies, with roots going back more than 250 years. Its 48,000 people across more than 100 countries strive to transform agriculture through breakthrough products and technologies that play a vital role in enabling the food chain to feed the world safely, sustainably and with respect for our planet. Swiss-headquartered and Chinese-owned, the group draws strength from its four business units Syngenta Crop Protection headquartered in Switzerland, Syngenta Seeds headquartered in the United States, ADAMA headquartered in Israel, and Syngenta Group China that provide industry-leading ways to serve customers everywhere. Data protection is important to us. You are receiving this publication on the legal basis of Article 6 para 1 lit. f GDPR ("legitimate interest"). However, if you do not wish to receive further information about Syngenta Group, just send us a brief informal message and we will no longer process your details for this purpose. You can also find further details in our privacy statement. 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 Group, 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 Group assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, changed assumptions or other factors. 1 The results presented in this release are a pro-forma sum of the business units in the Syngenta Group including Yangnong Chemical, eliminating the double count of sales in China reported in Syngenta Crop Protection, ADAMA, Syngenta Seeds and also in Syngenta Group China. 2 CER at constant exchange rates 3 Underlying sales growth is adjusted for royalty income triggered by change of control clauses in Syngenta Seeds and the impacts of mandatory production site relocations in China on ADAMA and Sinofert. Underlying EBITDA growth is also adjusted for the gains and losses from significant asset disposals and the impact of capitalizing certain development costs in Syngenta Crop Protection and Syngenta Seeds for the first time from the second half of 2019. EBITDA excludes restructuring and impairment and other one-off or non-cash/non-operational nature that do not impact the ongoing performance of the business. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200826005823/en/ Contacts: Media Relations Central Line media@syngentagroup.com Head of Global Media Relations Graeme Taylor +41 79 309 20 68 graeme.taylor@syngenta.com New Delhi: Over two months after the Galwan Valley incident, India on Thursday called for reciprocal action on disengagement while China said progress has been made by troops on the ground at the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Anurag Shrivastava in his weekly presser reiterated that "complete disengagement requires re-deployment of troops by each side towards their regular posts on their respective sides of the LAC". He said, "It is natural that this can be done only through mutually agreed reciprocal actions and...important to bear in mind that achieving this requires agreed actions by both sides." Last week the 18th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) took place during which focus remained on disengagement in Eastern Ladakh. Not just at the diplomatic level, but at the military level also both sides are in touch. Meanwhile, Spokesperson of Chinese Defence Ministry Senior Colonel Wu Qian claimed "progress has been made" on disengagement by frontline troops and "maintaining peace and stability in the border area is not only conducive to both sides' respective development, but also to regional and world peace and stability". Government sources, when asked about the "progress" as claimed by Chinese, said, no fresh disengagement has happened by the Chinese side on the ground. While several areas including the Galwan valley in eastern Ladakh has seen disengagement, Chinese forces are maintaining positions from Finger 5 to Finger 8 areas of Pangong lake. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in an interview recently said any solution "must be predicated on honouring all agreements and understandings and not attempting to alter the status quo unilaterally. The term special relationship is usually reserved for the alliance between the United States and Great Britain. Yet that term applies almost as well the United States and our oldest democratic ally in Asia, Japan. Japanese and American security interests have never been more closely aligned. President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe see the world in very similar ways, including the looming threat of China; and both have been forthright about making the alliance stronger and more proactive. Later this week Defense Secretary Mike Esper and his Japanese counterpart, Defense Minister Taro Kono, will be meeting in Guam to discuss strengthening U.S.Japan strategic cooperation. Their discussions offer the opportunity to lay down the concrete foundations of a special relationship almost as close as the one between the U.S. and Britain one that will be a permanent strategic anchor in the Indo-Pacific region. One of those foundations is ballistic-missile defense against North Korea. Its significant that their meeting is taking place in Guam once the scene of savage fighting between American and Japanese forces in World War II. Just three years ago before Trump took office, Guam was one of the likely targets of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-uns rogue missile launches, which had become an almost bimonthly occurrence, including one over Japans northernmost island of Hokkaido. Anxiety about North Korea prompted Japan to purchase the advanced U.S. ballistic-missile-defense system known as Aegis Ashore. Faced by Aegis Ashores enormous cost ($4.2 billion) and huge infrastructure that will take years to build, Defense Minister Kono decided in June to cancel the order. The question is what to do next. One possible answer the EsperKono dialogue should consider is an airborne kinetic boost-phase-intercept (BPI) system, using drones mounting a two-stage inceptor missile to kill missile launches shortly after theyve left the launch pad. Already familiar to Japanese policy-makers (full disclosure: Hudson Institute and I hosted a two-day conference in San Diego in 2017 to discuss the merits of airborne BPI with leading Japanese politicians and experts), and deemed feasible by our own Ballistic Missile Agency and the U.S. Air Force (conventional fighter aircraft have successfully done BPI tests using missiles of this type), this system would involve interceptor-armed, American-built, unmanned vehicles stationed hundreds of miles off the North Korean coast, in international air space at an altitude of 45,000 feet, which will be capable of detecting a North Korean missile in boost phase and then allowing time to decide to destroy it all at a cost of less than $100 million. Story continues This kind of rotating drone patrol off the North Korean coast would provide a vital front-line layer of security against missile attack while also providing invaluable intelligence on hostile activities in North Korea and neighboring territories. Indeed, strengthening information-sharing through regular intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) drone flights needs to be a cornerstone of the alliance and not just for keeping watch on North Korea. There are already unmanned ISR assets available to Japan, including American-built Global Hawk and Reaper UAVs. There have been rumors that Japan is thinking of canceling its current Global Hawk order. This would be a mistake, and a serious setback for the alliance. That purchase was proof that Japan was ready to act as an equal partner in intelligence-gathering in the region. Instead, Kono and Esper should make it clear that sticking with high-altitude (up to 50,000 feet), long-endurance assets such as Global Hawk can only strengthen the alliance, for keeping tabs not just on North Korea, but on China as well. In fact, Konos worries about the growing threat from China match those of the Trump administration. He has publicly voiced very grave concern about Chinas naval operations in the South and East China Seas as a threat to international order. Dealing with that threat must include joint freedom-of-navigation exercises in the South as well as the East China Seas and could include other allies in the region, such as India, Australia, and Taiwan. Finally, its time to get Japan ready to join the Five Eyes intel-sharing network, alongside the U.K., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Again with full disclosure: Ive been urging this step for some time in print and in dialogue with Japan and American officials, while Defense Minister Kono has expressed the same desire in an interview with Nikkei. Japan has been our Sixth Eye informally for decades. Esper and Kono can draw up a timeline for removing the final obstacles (for example, concerns about cybersecurity) to making Japan a formal part of the greatest and most successful intelligence-sharing network in the world. All these steps can lead to a new era in U.S.Japan cooperation on land, air, and sea. This EsperKono dialogue can help put to rest the ghosts of a war that ended 75 years ago while making all of us safer and more secure. More from National Review The Vice Presidential nominee of Democratic Party, Kamala Harris on Wednesday (local time) recalled that her grandfather, P V Gopalan would often take her on his morning walks in India, where he would discuss the importance of fighting for democracy and civil rights. Washington D.C. [US], August 27 (ANI): The Vice Presidential nominee of Democratic Party, Kamala Harris on Wednesday (local time) recalled that her grandfather, P V Gopalan would often take her on his morning walks in India, where he would discuss the importance of fighting for democracy and civil rights. As a young girl, my grandfather would often take me on his morning walks in India, where hed discuss the importance of fighting for democracy and civil rights. That commitment and that fight for a better future lives on in me to this day, she said in a tweet. The tweet contained a 57-second video where she is heard saying: My grandparents were phenomenal. We would go back to India like, every other year. My grandfather fought for and was a defender of the freedom of India. When I was a young girl, being the eldest grandchild, my grandfather would take me on his morning walk. Harris said those walks along the beach in India really planted something in my mind and created a commitment in me. All of his buddies who were also great leaders, they would talk about the importance of fighting for democracy and the importance of fighting for civil rights and that people would be treated equally regardless of where they were born or the circumstance of their birth, she said. Also read: US Needs Trumps Leadership Now More Than Ever To Become Worlds Greatest Economy, Says First Lady Also read: Rise in Indian climbers at Mt Everest over years Those walks along the beach in India really planted something in my mind and created a commitment in me, before I even realised it, that has led to me where I am today, the Democratic Vice Presidential nominee is heard saying in the video. Earlier this month too, Harris took a trip down memory lane, recalling her mothers attempts to instil a love of good idli in her and sister Maya and long walks with her grandfather in Chennai. Speaking during an event by South Asians of Biden, Harris had extended wishes on Indias Independence Day and said Indian and US communities are bound together by so much more than their shared history and culture. (ANI) Also read: Eric Trump calls Joe Biden giant relief for terrorists, pushover for China at Republican National Convention Iran's Telecommunications Minister Mohammad-Javad Azari Jahromi on Wednesday admitted that "as shown by the incidents in November" the home-grown search engine cannot has failed and cannot meet the expectations. In November 2019 anti-regime protests broke out across the country when the government raised fuel prices three-fold. During the protests, authorities shut down the global web access for several days to prevent the protesters from sending images and videos abroad showing violence by security forces. In his interview with the state-run television (IRIB) on Wednesday night, Azari-Jahromi said the ministry is trying to complete the home-grown search engine and messaging systems before September next year. According to Azari-Jahromi 40 percent of the service components of the network have been established, 47 percent need completion and 17 percent need to be created. The Islamic Republic has for many years for security and political reasons sought to create an intranet to isolate Iranian users from the global web. Many foreign websites and messaging systems such as Twitter and Facebook are blocked in Iran and can only be accessed through proxy servers. Last week Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei criticized the government for not putting enough effort to complete and operationalize the intranet dubbed as the National Information Network NIN). He also said imports of "an American-made smartphone" the iPhone "which is not necessary" should stop. Khamenei claimed that the Iranian social media users "are being directed and managed from the outside" and said, "people should not be left without any support". On August 16 forty hardliner lawmakers proposed a double-urgency motion to "regulate social messaging platforms" which demands that all "domestic and foreign social messaging platforms" must regulate their activities according to Iranian laws and criminalizes the use of proxy servers to access to these services. Many Iranian officials, including the Supreme Leader himself, have Twitter and Facebook accounts. Khamenei Tweets in several languages including English, Arabic, French, Spanish and even Hindi. In order to provide the additional $300-per-week benefit, states must apply to FEMA to receive a Lost Wages Grant. States also must agree to pay the first $100 per week that each person receives in unemployment benefits. That means that if you don't currently qualify for at least $100 per week under your state's normal policy for benefits, you will not be eligible to receive the extra $300 from the federal government. Two other things to keep in mind: First, it takes time for states to update the computer systems that handle unemployment benefits. So even if your state has been approved for a Lost Wages Grant, you might not see the extra money added to your benefits immediately. But if you're eligible, the additional $300 weekly benefit is retroactive to Aug. 1. And second, although the grant program is approved to run until Dec. 27, the $44 billion reserved for these benefits could be exhausted well before then, given that millions of Americans are unemployed. FEMA has approved the following states to provide the additional $300-per-week benefit. Clicking on the name will take you to that state's website to apply for unemployment. This list will be updated as more states are approved; the deadline to apply is Sept. 10. Editors Note: This article was originally published on August 26, 2020. It has been updated with additional states offering expanded benefits. FREMONT, Calif., Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Durabook Americas, Inc., a leading manufacturer of rugged computing solutions, has been honored to be playing an active part in the work done by Coral Reef Research Foundation (CRRF) in Palau in the tropical western Pacific. The non-profit corporation has been depending on Durabook rugged laptops for over 14 years in a variety of research and educational projects it is conducting on the diverse reefs and marine environments of the island nation of Palau. Kaylee Giramur at Coral Reef Research Foundation is using a Durabook laptop and radio antenna to download data from the weather station floating in the middle of Jellyfish Lake. The data is used to study how weather patterns can affect the lake and its population of millions of golden jellyfish. "The CRRF has been using the Durabook rugged laptops since 2006 because they stand up to the many challenges of hot, humid, and difficult tropical conditions," commented Patrick L. Colin, CRRF co-founder and director. "Our work often involves long pounding trips across rough ocean in small boats, throwing computers into backpacks for hikes across rugged islands and then expecting them to work perfectly in a hot, sun-baked and dripping tropical environment. Durabooks have been up to the challenges and, most recently, we have added their newest rugged laptop, the S15AB, which was customized to meet our unique requirements for our marine lake projects and Campbell Scientific weather station." The Coral Reef Research Foundation does original research to acquire the knowledge needed to understand and make intelligent decisions about conservation, climate change, and resource management. CRRF's programs are oriented towards: The dynamics of the marine environment as they relate to conservation decisions The limits of species' diversity, community distribution, and biogeography Monitoring with respect to short-to-long-term environmental and climate changes "We are thrilled that Durabook has been able to provide support to CRRF in their research efforts and to solve their computing challenges," stated Tom Wang, Durabook Americas' president. "As a diver myself, I have had the privilege to visit Jellyfish Lake and Palau Blue Holes, and understand the importance of the work done by the CRRF to conserve and monitor our Pacific Ocean." CRRF is based out of the Republic of Palau, an island country in the western Pacific, consisting of approximately 340 islands in a 180-square-mile area. Its eight full-time staff members work with visiting scientists and many long-time scientific collaborators globally. Together, it has unique knowledge of coral reefs and all aspects of marine environments. It studies the tiniest to largest marine organisms, surveys from the shallows to depths of 1,000 feet, and is involved in pure biology and ecology to enhance public awareness and make pertinent recommendations. ABOUT CORAL REEF RESEARCH FOUNDATION CRRF was started in 1991 by a group of marine scientists dedicated to research and education on coral reefs and other tropical marine environments. It has specialized in high-quality environmental research in Palau and other geographic areas over the past 25 years. CRRF's work for the prestigious U.S. National Cancer Institute's (NCI) marine collections enabled it to pursue one of its goals of documenting marine biodiversity throughout the Indo-Pacific, allowing a description of nearly 200 new species of marine life, while also pursuing a broad spectrum of other research. It is both a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation in the U.S. and a chartered Palauan non-profit organization. Donations made in both countries are tax-deductible according to the laws of the respective countries. For more information, visit https://coralreefpalau.org. ABOUT DURABOOK AMERICAS Durabook Americas is an innovator in purpose-built, rugged computing solutions. We leverage the field experience of our client-partners throughout the U.S. Armed Forces, public safety agencies, and field-service organizations to deliver reliable, cost-effective, and customizable solutions. Every new product and feature is inspired by listening to our customers. Our diverse team of product engineers adeptly transforms what is possible in the rugged laptop and tablet market. Durabook Americas, Inc. is headquartered in Fremont, California, and is the North American subsidiary of Twinhead International Corporation, a leading manufacturer and customizer of rugged computing solutions, including the globally acclaimed Durabook brand. For more information on Durabook Americas, Inc., visit www.DurabookAmericas.com. PR Contact: Rita Lee Copernio 714-891-3660 [email protected] 2020 Durabook Americas. All rights reserved. Related Files PR_Durabook_CRRF_08272020.pdf Related Images durabook-laptop-in-the-field.jpg Durabook Laptop in the Field Kaylee Giramur at Coral Reef Research Foundation is using a Durabook laptop and radio antenna to download data from the weather station floating in the middle of Jellyfish Lake. The data is used to study how weather patterns can affect the lake and its population of millions of golden jellyfish. Related Links Durabook Americas, Inc. Coral Reef Research Foundation SOURCE Durabook Americas, Inc. Related Links http://www.DurabookAmericas.com Advertisement Torrential rain has turned roads to rivers in Dorset at the start of a two-day deluge today as thunderstorms are forecast to hit parts of Britain ahead of the August Bank Holiday weekend. A yellow warning for heavy rain, covering most of southern England and parts of south Wales, is due to last until 7pm as the Met Office warns that conditions could bring flooding and travel disruption tomorrow. Meteorologist Alex Burkill said that 'persistent rain' had already hit affected areas, with 44mm falling on St Columb in Cornwall in the six hours up to 2pm on Thursday - a month's worth of rain. He added: 'There will be some localised flooding perhaps, but also really quite treacherous driving conditions.' Meanwhile a 500 mile-wide 'polar plunge' is set to bring frosty 30F (-1C) nights, chilly days and 50mph gales for what is set to be the coldest ever August Bank Holiday weekend in UK history. After Storms Ellen and Francis, more gale-force gusts up to 50mph are due on Saturday in the South and North before winds ease, but at least it will be mainly dry - if cool - over the long weekend, with cloud and sunny spells. The Met Office said: 'A cool northerly flow means increasingly chilly nights. Frost is possible for rural areas in Scotland.' Met Office forecaster Marco Petagna said: 'After low pressure with rain and wind to end the week, it will be cooler for the Bank Holiday weekend.' The Weather Outlook forecaster Brian Gaze said: 'Bank Holiday weekend frost is expected in Scotland and possible in England's North, which is more bad news for the many families on staycation.' MetDesk said: 'Summer feels a long way away, just weeks after we were in the grip of record-breaking heat.' A video shared on Twitter today showed a cyclist riding up a flooded Beaumont Road in Plymouth, Devon. Tomorrow, another yellow weather warning for heavy showers and thunderstorms has been put in place for 11am to 8pm , covering a slightly larger area of south Wales and southern England. Mr Burkill said: 'Tomorrow we have the risk of some really heavy torrential downpours, with some large hail and lightning and thunder mixed in too. 'But it's during the intense downpours that we're quite likely to see some surface water flooding in a few places and again really quite difficult driving conditions. Flash flooding at Burton Bradstock in Dorset after torrential rain fell from a thunderstorm. A residents car is pushed out of the floodwater on Mill Street Flash flooding at Burton Bradstock in Dorset after torrential rain fell from a thunderstorm. A man with an umbrella walks through the floodwater on Mill Street Flash flooding at Burton Bradstock in Dorset after torrential rain fell from a thunderstorm. Vehicles drive through the floodwater on the B3157 Flash flooding at Burton Bradstock in Dorset after torrential rain fell from a thunderstorm. Vehicles drive through the floodwater on the B3157 Shoppers and pedestrians are caught in heavy rain showers in the late afternoon in Wimbledon town centre 'Obviously, it's the Friday before the bank holiday weekend, so lot's of people will be planning to take to the roads and so they do need to be aware that even if they're enjoying sunny spells at one moment a hefty shower could come along very quickly and make conditions very, very difficult.' He said many areas could see wind gusts of 30 to 40mph, particularly on the eastern and northeastern coast of England - although these are not covered by a warning as they will not have the heavy intense downpours expected further south. Mr Burkill said the weather outlook was 'an improving picture' for the bank holiday weekend itself. He summarised: 'Maybe a bit wet and windy for some to start Saturday but turning dryer through the day and then mostly fine, but cool, on Sunday into Monday.' Temperatures are expected to be a little below average for the time of year, reaching the low-20Cs 'at best'. Mr Burkill highlighted that last year's August bank holiday Monday was the hottest on record, with temperatures reaching 33C. 'We're definitely not going to beat it this year,' he said, adding: 'I would bet my house on it.' Commenting on this weekend, Mr Burkill said: 'It is going to be quite cool, so some people may feel a little hard done by for the last weekend of summer.' This week's weather warnings come off the back of a wet and windy August, with Storms Ellen and Francis battering the country within the space of a week. Since 2015, when it started naming storms, the Met Office had previously never named one in August. Storm Francis brought gusts of more than 80mph with conditions causing homes to be flooded, trees toppled, rail lines blocked and campers and elderly residents rescued from floodwater. Left, flash flooding in Plymouth. Right, Jasmin's Cafe is one of the businesses to report flooding after the torrential downpour Flash flooding at Burton Bradstock in Dorset after torrential rain fell from a thunderstorm. A dog walker wades through the floodwater next to the B3157 Flash flooding at Burton Bradstock in Dorset after torrential rain fell from a thunderstorm. Vehicles drive through the floodwater on the B3157 Flash flooding in the Glasgow Botanic Gardens has closed paths after heavy rain in Glasgow Flash flooding on Great Western Road, Glasgow, outside the Glasgow Botanic Gardens gates after heavy rain Shoppers and pedestrians are caught in heavy rain showers in the late afternoon in Wimbledon town centre Shoppers and pedestrians are caught in heavy rain showers in the late afternoon in Wimbledon town centre Shoppers and pedestrians are caught in heavy rain showers in the late afternoon in Wimbledon town centre Storm Ellen sees wind turbines supply record-breaking 59 per cent of Britain's power Storm Ellen's gales set a record for the highest ever share of wind power to the electricity system. National Grid ESO said that wind turbines supplied 59.1% of Britain's power on Saturday at 1am. A spokesman said 'it means that wind was contributing more than it has ever done to the electricity system at just shy of 60 per cent'. It came after 79mph gusts at Capel Curig in north Wales on Thursday became the highest wind speeds to be recorded in Storm Ellen, the Met Office said. The unseasonably deep Atlantic low pressure system brought very strong winds and heavy rain to parts of the UK and Ireland from Wednesday to Friday. Paul Gunderson, the Met Office's chief meteorologist, described it as 'a very lively storm for this time of year'. Juliet Davenport, chief executive of Good Energy, the 100% renewable power company, said: 'This new record shows how wind is powering our country into a zero-carbon future. 'Millions of British homes now benefit from this clean energy source each year. 'But we need to take a step back and ask why we are seeing such unusual storms in August. It's great for renewable energy but a sign of how our climate is changing, becoming more extreme and unseasonable.' Storm Francis, which hit just days after Storm Ellen struck, saw gusts of 81mph hit The Needles near the Isle of Wight on Tuesday. This is just short of the August record for the UK which was 87mph recorded in 1996. Advertisement After a dry start with some sunshine this morning, showers will first hit parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland becoming more widespread. Tomorrow, northern England will experience early showers while the south is set for thunderstorms and scattered heavy showers. The rain should then ease for the weekend, with most places staying fine and dry with plenty of sunshine - although chilly nights are likely. Storm Francis saw vicious gusts hit The Needles near the Isle of Wight on Tuesday. This is just short of the August record for the UK which was 87mph recorded in 1996. North Wales Police said flooding and a landslide had closed the A5 on Wednesday morning from Bethesda to Betws y Coed. Carl Foulkes, the Chief Constable at North Wales Police, tweeted: 'A really busy night across the force with colleagues working with fire and local authorities to manage impact of storm Francis. 'Still a number of roads closed and we continue to monitor impact of rain. Important that everyone stays alert and safe.' The Environment Agency had 19 flood alerts in place across England at Wednesday lunchtime. Storm Francis, which hit just days after Storm Ellen struck, has cleared to the east of Britain but there still is 'some disruptive weather' to get through on Wednesday to Friday before things become 'settled but more chilly for the bank holiday weekend,' according to Met Office forecaster Bonnie Diamond. Storm Ellen's gales brought the highest ever share of wind power on the electricity system as wind turbines supplied 59.1 per cent of Britain's power on Saturday at 1am, according to National Grid ESO. A spokesman said 'it means that wind was contributing more than it has ever done to the electricity system at just shy of 60 per cent'. The impact of Storm Francis saw gusts of 75mph at Lake Vyrnwy in Powys, Wales, on Tuesday, equalling the Welsh August gust record at Milford Haven in August 1979. The wettest place on Tuesday was Bethesda in north Wales where 101mm of rain was recorded. Meanwhile, the fire service in Northern Ireland said 37 people were rescued from flood water. Elderly residents had to be rescued from the County Down coastal resort town of Newcastle after a river burst its banks, and in Draperstown, Co Londonderry, rescuers had to save nine people from inside a house, along with four outside who were trying to help. A boat was used to help residents in Newcastle, a picturesque east coast town on the edge of the Mourne Mountains. Up to 300 homes have been affected and streets left under three or four feet of water, a local representative said. People walk through heavy rain along the seafront at Exmouth in Devon today as downpours hit parts of the country The Environment Agency had 19 flood alerts in place across England at Wednesday lunchtime. Pictured: Newhaven Lighthouse on Tuesday being battered by surging waves The clear-up has begun after the storm (pictured in Pembrokeshire on Tuesday), which saw the vicious gusts hit The Needles near the Isle of Wight on Tuesday. This is just short of the August record for the UK which was 87mph recorded in 1996 Cars battle through a semi-flooded road after heavy rain fell on Tuesday morning in Peterborough as Storm Francis hit the country Waves crash over the Cobb in Lyme Regis, Dorset on Tuesday as a person runs for cover. Storm Francis, which hit just days after Storm Ellen struck, has cleared to the east of Britain but there still is 'some disruptive weather' to get through on Wednesday to Friday South Wales Police said it was involved in two separate water searches from the swollen River Taff and fire crews had to rescue holidaymakers from a flooded campsite in the town of St Clears, Carmarthenshire, after river levels rose in the area. Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service said nine people and two dogs were rescued by fire service personnel using a swift rescue sledge, lines and wading gear. Crews also gave medical treatment to one man and evacuated 30 other people from a flooded caravan site in Wiseman's Bridge, Narberth, while 12 caravans were also removed from the site. Ms Diamond said: 'The latter part of August has been dominated by Storm Ellen and Storm Francis, both of which had wind warnings which is unusual for August, but then if you rewind to the beginning of the month, we had no wind at all. 'We had high temperatures, light winds and exceptional heat which lasted for about a week. It has been an interesting month, starting out with a hot summer and seeing its way out with more autumnal weather.' Matthew Box, from the Met Office, told MailOnline: 'Today it will be a dry start for many but with rain, heavy at times, the west of the UK, including Wales and the west country. That will push across the rest of England later in the day. In Scotland there will be showery weather for much of the day. 'Friday will be another unsettled day for many with heavy rain at times as well as some thundery showers through the course of the afternoon in England and Wales. It will be breezy and cool on the North Sea coasts but further north they'll be a few scattered showers but some sunny spells. 'As we head in the weekend Saturday sees an improvement from the west but cloud will hang on in parts of England with some rain or showers likely to persist into the day. But it will become lighter later. 'There will be some light showers in the west but some sunny spells as well. Sunday sees a cold start across much of the north of the UK with temperatures down into single figures in the morning. Then high pressure will build so winds will be light and things will warm up.' (Corrects to show sanctuary expenses are $40,000 per month, not $4,000, in paragraph 7) By Jiraporn Kuhakan PETCHABURI, Thailand (Reuters) - As the pandemic batters Thailand's tourist-reliant economy, animal attractions from petting zoos to elephant camps and tiger farms are feeling the pain and may even have to give animals away, warned the founder of an animal refuge. The Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand aims to rescue animals that are dumped or exploited in Thailand, but the organisation is suffering amid coronavirus restrictions. "For the last six months we have got zero visitors and lost about 75 percent of our income," said Edwin Wiek, founder of the sanctuary, about 170 km (106 miles) southwest of Bangkok on land donated by a nearby temple. Wiek recently spent fours days and nights in a cage that was once home to chimpanzees to raise $25,000 to help feed animals and assist those awaiting the foundation's care. "A much bigger problem that I see upcoming now is the animal attractions around Thailand... they have zero income and they are starting to think about giving away their animals," Wiek said. Thailand received a record 39.8 million tourists in 2019, but with borders closed, the country expects only 8 million this year. The economy could post the biggest contraction since 1998. The sanctuary, which has more than 800 animals and expenses of $40,000 per month, usually relies on volunteers but now has only one. Rhi Menmuir, 22, has been at the sanctuary for seven months and helps prepare animal food twice a day. "I have noticed a difference that the food quality has gone down a bit," said Menmuir, who is from Scotland. Wiek that said that pressure to take in more animals has strained standards of care, and that the sanctuary only had funds to last six to eight weeks. "Quantity of animals against the quality of care is a dilemma I seriously worry about," Wiek said. (Reporting by Ed Davies. Editing by Gerry Doyle) MANYOVU - Concerns have been raised at Manyovu High School after pupils were allowed to lodge at the institution to catch up on their syllabus, amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Manyovu is a small village located in the middle of sugar cane fields at St Philips, past Siphofaneni. When the school was visited yesterday, it was found that Form V pupils, comprising 11 girls and five boys, had been lodging at the school for the past two weeks. Form Vs reopened for the second term on July 6. It should be noted that Manyovu has no boarding facility. The lodging of the pupils was confirmed by the schools Head teacher, who only identified herself as Mrs Mavimbela, the school committee chairman and the pupils of the school. Dormitories The pupils came with their sleeping mattresses, blankets and clothes, among other essentials, and make use of new classrooms as their dormitories. Some sources linked to the school decried this state of affairs. They claimed that this arrangement may expose the pupils to harm as supervision during the night was not tight. Also, this is not a boarding school, so we dont have facilities to accommodate the pupils overnight? Who will take the liability should anything happen to the pupils, concerned sources wondered. Asked what informed this development, Mavimbela said the idea was pitched by the pupils. She claimed that the pupils requested her to engage their parents and the school committee to allow them to sleep at the school. Mavimbela stated that the pupils felt that the best way to catch up on the syllabus was to camp at the school to have enough time to engage teachers and further study among themselves. According to Mavimbela, the pupils complained that travelling long distances after spending a lot of hours at school was unsafe for them. She said the pupils pointed out that the school was so remote that they travelled long distances between the sugar cane fields from home to the institution. Mavimbela stated that acting on the concerns raised by the pupils, she engaged the school committee and parents before an agreement was reached. We had new unoccupied classrooms before the pupils came with the proposal. We accommodated them in the classrooms. Girls sleep in a separate classroom and they are supervised at all times by some teachers. The boys are accommodated in another classroom. We have a security guard who supervises the boys. The school is very particular about the safety of the pupils, she said. She said the school could not run away from the fact that some pupils behaved childishly. Childish Even though Mavimbela said there had not been a reported case, it would not be uncommon for some pupils to escape from camp due to childish behaviour. She added that parents were so supportive that they provided food for their children. The food is prepared by the schools cook. When asked if they had a similar plan for the Form IIIs and the rest of the classes, Mavimbela stated that some parents registered their desire to have their Form III children camping at the school, but they were told that the school lacked accommodation. She said Form III pupils were currently commuting. Form III has a total of 24 pupils and they resumed lessons on Monday. The head teacher stated that it was her first time to see pupils approaching a school for accommodation. Maybe its because of the COVID-19 pandemic, she said. The School Committee Chairman, January Gamedze, said camping at the school by the pupils was agreed upon by the school and parents. According to Gamedze, the school called a parents meeting after the head teacher informed the committee that Form V pupils had registered a desire to camp at the school. Gamedze stated that the committee called a meeting to get the side of the parents after some pupils claimed that their guardians approved the lodging arrangement. Parents Culturally, if children make claims, you call their parents to ascertain their authenticity before you can make a decision. Parents were called to a meeting and the matter was discussed, Gamedze said. He stated that the school committee asked the parents if they thought about logistics when recommending the camp. He mentioned that some parents were of the view that the pupils should spend more time at the school so that they could catch up on the syllabus but return home late in the evening. Gamedze stated that some parents opted for the camp for the safety of their children. Some parents stated that going home in the evening would be unsafe for the children as some travelled long distances after school. The parents pointed out that there were many outsiders employed in the nearby sugar cane fields. They mentioned that nobody knew what the people, who worked 24 hours, might think of the children while travelling at night, he said. Homesteads He said a majority of parents voted for the camp. It was Gamedzes observation that schools were safer environments for children compared to homesteads during the COVID-19 pandemic. We have ignored schools yet they seem to be better environments for children during the pandemic. If you can go around schools, you can see that some children fell pregnant during their stay at home because they had nothing to do and lacked supervision. You may find that some children are reluctant to return to class because they are working in dagga fields, he said. Gamedze stated that in as much COVID-19 was unfriendly to everyone; something should be learnt from it. Ncobile Malinga, the school head girl, confirmed that camping at the school was their brainchild. Malinga stated that they believed camping at the school would help them catch up on the syllabus since they missed a lot during their stay at home. We missed a lot academically so we had to come up with a plan to recover the time lost. Some are restarting, which means they understand better than us. Some are good in other subjects than others, so being together will help us share knowledge and ideas before the final examination. Personally, I am good in Mathematics but not in English Language. I share my knowledge and I receive assistance from my classmates, she said when speaking with the consent of the head teacher. Malinga added that the school environment was far better than at home as far as education was concerned. She made an example that some pupils lived with people who did not have an opportunity to go to school and could not assist them with their schoolwork. Opportunity Some of our parents never had an opportunity to go to school so they cannot help us in any way at home. It is better here because we ask our classmates and teachers as and when the need arises, she said. The head girl stated that they heard people saying a lot of things about COVID-19, however, they could not overlook their education and make excuses about the virus. She said all they needed to do was to follow the precautionary measures put in place and work towards their educational goals. She also mentioned that the school always made sure that they had lessons about COVID-19 sourced from the local newspapers. Her sentiments were corroborated by the head boy, Mcondi Dlamini, who said being at school full-time had helped him a lot since he did not have enough time to study at home. Option I am the only boy at home so I have to make sure that livestock is looked after. I have no option but to come late at school on Tuesdays because I have to start at the dip tank. Now that I am here, I spend all my time on my books, he said. He stated that he tried to follow the lessons on national radio but he couldnt grasp everything because the educators were at times fast. He stated that it was better when watching Eswatini Television but the only challenge was that he had to travel several killometres in order to access TV as he did not have a set at home, resulting in him travelling to his grandfathers homestead. We have been here for two weeks and none of us showed signs of COVID-19. We are optimistic that we are safe from the virus. It can only be brought by those who move in and out of the school, he said. , Cookies . cookies. We are excited to partner with Captjur Startup Garage, Green2Gold, Pismo Ventures, and TEN Capital Network to help more entrepreneurs get their ideas off the ground and support existing companies to continue thriving during this time of great economic change. Title3Funds, a crowdfunded investments company that connects investors with startups and growth-stage companies, announces partnerships with leading incubators, accelerators, and venture studios to help startups and growth-stage companies reach their funding goals. Captjur Startup Garage, Green2Gold, Pismo Ventures, and TEN Capital Network will connect startups and businesses to Title3Funds to launch Reg CF campaigns. Title3Funds helps everyday peopleor "Adventure Capitalists"become owners by offering crowdfunded investment opportunities in companies they believe in. By connecting to these Adventure Capitalists on Title3Funds' platform, entrepreneurs will discover a simple, predictable, and cost-effective way to acquire the capital they need to launch new businesses and grow existing ones. "Innovative new startups and companies are what will ultimately pull us out of the current economic downturn," said Founder and Chief Strategy Adviser of Title3Funds Ron Hirsch. "We are excited to partner with Captjur Startup Garage, Green2Gold, Pismo Ventures, and TEN Capital Network to help more entrepreneurs get their ideas off the ground and support existing companies to continue thriving during this time of great economic change." We are always focused on innovation and thinking outside the box when it comes to helping our startup clients, said Bob Bilbruck, CEO of Captjur Startup Garage. Owning the ecosystem that moves these clients through the capital raising process and quickly to scaling their companies is always our goal. Partnering with Title3Funds adds another crucial piece to this valuable ecosystem, which we are always improving to provide more value to our startup clients, thus helping them reach their goals and objectives quicker and with less cost. "We have worked hand-in-glove with Title3Funds for about 3 years, and believe their platform is the finest, most professional, ethical, transparent and expert we have ever encountered," said Alan Tratner, Founder & Chairman of Green2Gold. "Additionally, their entire team is dedicated to truly assisting new ventures, inventors, and entrepreneurs, and pours much energy into preparing our members for a successful capital raise from the global community of accredited and non-accredited investors into our USA based enterprises. Green2Gold is proud to be a partner with Title3Funds." JJ Richa, CEO of Pismo Ventures, said, As were always looking for new ways to help our portfolio companies succeed and thrive. Title3Funds provides another avenue for startups to raise capital. Hall Martin, CEO of TEN Capital Network, said, The partnership with Title3Funds provides a major new investment opportunity for startups to raise funding from everyone and not just accredited investors. For media inquiries, please contact Kili Wall at (310) 260-7901 or Kili(at)MelrosePR(dot)com. About Title3Funds Title3Funds, a FINRA-approved Funding Portal registered with the SEC, aims to reinvent the investment ecosystem through Regulation Crowdfunding offerings to support startups and growth-focused businesses with the capital they need. Title3Funds also empowers everyday people who want to diversify their portfoliosAdventure Capitalists"with more control of their own finances. Title3Funds makes the complicated processes of investing and fundraising frictionless by deploying unique and proprietary payment methods and e-commerce systems. Distinguishing itself from competitors, Title3Funds specializes in Reg CF, which allows the platform to offer vetted and highly-curated opportunities to investors while providing businesses with best-in-class customer service. By ensuring favorable terms for both companies and investors, Title3Funds supports a sustainable crowdfunding ecosystem. India on Thursday hit out at Pakistan for continuing to evade responsibility for the Pulwama terror attack and shelter Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar, named as the number one accused in the National Investigation Agency (NIA) charge sheet in the case. External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava also slammed Pakistan's flip-flop on the presence of Dawood Ibrahim in the country, saying it 'lays bare the insincerity' of Islamabad in responding to legitimate expectations of the world that it will track down international terrorists operating from its soil. On the Pulwama attack case, Srivastava told an online media briefing that enough evidence has been shared with Pakistan but the country continues to evade responsibility. "Jaish-e-Mohammad had claimed the responsibility of Pulwama attack. The organisation and its leadership are in Pakistan. It is regrettable that Masood Azhar, the first accused in the charge sheet continues to find shelter in Pakistan. "Enough evidence has been shared with Pakistan but it continues to evade responsibility," he said. 40 Central Reserve Police Force personnel were killed in the Pulwama attack on February 14 last year that triggered massive escalation in tension between India and Pakistan. India struck a Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorist training camp in Pakistan's Balakot on February 26 last year, in response to the attack. "The charge sheet has been filed after investigation of an year-and-a-half since the attack took place on 14 February, 2019. It has been filed to address the act of terrorism and to bring perpetrators of such a heinous crime to justice. "Our aim is not to simply issue statements or notifications," Srivastava said. The NIA on Tuesday filed a charge sheet in the case, detailing how the attack was planned and executed by JeM. The NIA named Azhar, his brother Abdul Rauf Asghar and several others in the charge sheet. Srivastava also added that Pakistan has not yet taken any credible action against perpetrators of the Mumbai terror attack of 2008 which had resulted in the loss of 165 innocent lives. On Pakistan's U-turn on presence of Dawood in the country, Srivastava said Islamabad has never taken 'any credible and verifiable action' against terror entities or listed individuals, including the most wanted ones. Ibrahim's name figured in a list of 88 people which was published as a Statutory Regulatory Order (SRO) by Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. However, later Pakistan rejected media reports saying the SRO list is an acknowledgement of Ibrahim's presence in the country. "Pakistan's assertion that the SRO does not mean that it admits to the presence of listed individuals on its territory or that it would impose any new measures on these listed individuals, lays bare the insincerity of Pakistan in responding to legitimate expectations of the world that they will track down international terrorists based on its soil," Srivastava said. He said Pakistan has not only maintained its opposition to this international consensus but it has also chosen not to act against them. "This subsequent denial by their Foreign Office calls into question their intentions and it would not mislead the world community in believing its propaganda," he said. "Pakistan must take credible action and ensure that the listed individuals are prosecuted," the MEA spokesperson added. New Delhi, Aug 27 : The National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test and the Joint Entrance Exam are supposed to be an academic affair where the only concern should be on cracking it. But 2020 is no normal year and the hysteria over the coronavirus pandemic has given way to political opportunism as most opposition leaders including Mamata Banerjee, Sonia Gandhi and the Thackerays have come together to target the Centre. Calling the Centre "ever insensitive", major opposition party Chief Ministers have come together and made this academic affair a political playground where the theatre of CMs versus the Centre is being played out with emotions. Two of the main players in what is seemingly going to be a political war -- Mamata Banerjee and Sonia Gandhi -- brought others like JMM's Hemant Soren and Shiv Sena's Uddhav Thackeray together to demand what Congress leader Rahul Gandhi calls an "acceptable solution". Earlier this week, Maharashtra Tourism Minister Aaditya Thackeray wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking his personal intervention to defer the exams in view of the health risks both for students and their families. While Sonia called the Modi government's handling of the issue as "uncaring", Mamata Banerjee went a step further and asked Chief Ministers to jointly move the Supreme Court. "The exams are in September. Why should the lives of students be put at risk? We have written to the PM, but there has been no response," she said in Wednesday's meeting. Striking a defiant note at the virtual meet, former NDA ally and Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray told Sonia, Mamata and others that "First we will have to decide 'Darna hai ki ladna hai, ladna hai to ladna hai...(Whether we will be afraid or fight...If we decide to fight, we better fight)." The Congress has also decided to stage protests on Friday morning in front of central government offices in state and district headquarters protesting against these exams. Reiterating its strong opposition to the same, Congress MP and AICC General Secretary K.C. Venugopal termed the Centre as "ever insensitive and mindless" on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the NSUI is also planning an indefinite hunger strike against this "unilateral move" by the Centre. Calling it a "mindless and dictatorial move of the central government", the state units of the Congress have decided to also take the protests online with an organised online campaign, 'Speak Up For Student Safety' where videos and posts against this decision will be posted on the party's various social media handles on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube among others. In Maharashtra, state minister and Congress leader Ashok Chavan said that while exams are very important, the health and safety of the students is equally important. "Since coronavirus has not yet come under control, the demand to postpone the JEE-NEET exams is definitely justified. The central government and Supreme Court must rethink on the issue," said Chavan. Aaditya Thackeray, who heads the Shiv Sena's youth wing Yuva Sena, along with ruling Nationalist Congress Party leaders, has gone a step ahead and demanded that the entire academic year be postponed. While the Union Education Ministry continues to defend its stance citing the Supreme Court order that dismissed a petition seeking postponement and suggested that postponement of the exams is not a solution as the pandemic is here to stay, non-Congress and non-BJP Chief Ministers who have traditionally helped the BJP in Parliament, like Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, but his stand now makes it a bit tougher for the ruling dispensation. Patnaik on Thursday requested Prime Minister Modi to postpone the JEE Main and NEET examinations in view of the prevailing Covid-19 situation and the floods in many parts of his state. Earlier, the Chief Minister had also written a letter to Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank requesting him to postpone the two exams. But Vineet Joshi, the present Director General of the National Testing Agency (NTA), has his reasons to disagree. He said, "First the exams were to be held in April-May. We postponed it to July due to the pandemic. Then it was further postponed to September on the demand of students. Now, if we want these exams to take place, they should be held in September itself with adequate SOPs. How long can we continue to postpone?" On Wednesday night, more than 150 academicians from premier institutes like JNU, BHU, Jamia Millia Islamia, and Delhi University among others wrote to Modi throwing their weight behind the government's decision, which has emboldened the government in the face of the opposition's onslaught. In BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh, Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma, who also holds the higher education portfolio, unsurprisingly said, "The Centre has taken a decision and we agree with it completely. The careers of lakhs of students cannot be jeopardised. We will conduct the examinations with full safety protocols." But the Samajwadi Party is opposed to it as party chief Akhilesh Yadav said that with public transport not running in full force, it would be difficult for students to come to their centres and take examinations. "Besides, who will be responsible if the students or their guardians get infected with coronavirus? There are lakhs who will be moving out of their homes for the examinations," he said. However, the northeast has not seen any protests so far. In the eight northeastern states, 53,235 MBBS (Under Graduate) aspirants and 21,236 engineering (JEE-Main) candidates would sit for the examinations in 148 and 23 centres, respectively. But due to the Congress's nationwide protests, its Assam unit too will participate while Communist Party of India-Marxist-backed Students Federation of India (SFI) is planning its own protest. But none of it has the assertiveness with which West Bengal, Maharashtra, Delhi, Chhattisgarh, and Jharkhand are opposing the move. The BJP's dominance in the northeast partly explains the reason behind it. But that is certainly not the case in Congress-ruled Punjab which has taken Mamata Banerjee's suggestion very seriously. Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has asked his Advocate General Atul Nanda to coordinate with his counterparts in opposition-ruled states for filing a collective review petition in the Supreme Court, seeking a deferment of the NEET and JEE exams. Similarly, DMK President M.K. Stalin has urged the Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Telangana and Kerala to also approach the apex court with a similar plea. In a letter to the Chief Ministers of the four states Stalin on Thursday urged them to join the bandwagon of states approaching the apex court. He wrote, "...I sincerely request you to join in solidarity with the states and approach the Supreme Court on postponement of NEET and JEE exams for the greater good, as our united stand can help the voices of the students and parents across the country." As the political war is all set to be fought on two fronts -- on the streets and in the courtroom -- the BJP-led Centre is clear that there won't be any further postponements. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text It's official: Realme 7 and 7 Pro are coming on September 3 Realme is holding an event on September 1 in China for its new X7 series smartphones, and two days later, it will unveil the Realme 7 and Realme 7 Pro. Realme's Indian branch has announced that the launch event will begin at 12:30PM IST (7AM UTC) and will be streamed on the company's official YouTube channel as well as on Facebook and Twitter accounts. Realme is promoting the Realme 7 series with the tagline "Capture Sharper. Charge Faster", which is a reference to the second-gen 64MP camera and 65W SuperDart charging on the lineup. The Realme 7 and 7 Pro are both likely to pack a 64MP quad camera setup, but only the Pro version will support 65W charging. The regular model is likely to charge at up to 30W. Realme hasn't revealed the entire specs sheet of the Realme 7 duo yet, but the company did confirm the punch hole display and an in-display fingerprint scanner on the lineup. The former is likely to be only present on the vanilla 7, while the latter will likely feature on the Pro model only. The name's 7... #realme7 Introducing Indias Fastest Charging technology & 2nd Generation 64MP Quad Camera to the mid-range segment. Get ready to #CaptureSharperChargeFaster. Premiering #realme7 & #realme7Pro at 12:30 PM, 3rd Sep. on our official channels.https://t.co/GocO44SynR pic.twitter.com/Xmot7CKjnI realme (@realmemobiles) August 27, 2020 Realme is also accepting blind orders for the Realme 7 pair on its official Indian website. You can head this way to know more about it. With the official unveiling just a week away, you can expect Realme to reveal more features of the Realme 7 series to build hype around it. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Tri Indah Oktavianti (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, August 27, 2020 09:45 511 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c40ca32e 1 National freedom-of-speech,universities,Indonesia,criminalization,YLBHI,Amnesty-International-Indonesia Free As universities have imposed stricter rules in regard to certain forms of expression, activists have voiced their concerns over the possible suppression of free speech in higher education institutions. Speaking in a webinar Tuesday, Era Purnama Sari of the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) said university campuses had turned repressive and targeted academics with defamation charges under the Electronic Information and Transactions Law (ITE) law. [University] campuses are being repressive and we need to ask why, she said. Campuses are supposed to be a place where a subset of ideas that might be considered taboo are challenged. Era referred to a case implicating Saiful Mahdi, a lecturer from Syiah Kuala University in Banda Aceh, Aceh. Saiful was named a suspect in a defamation case in September 2019 after he criticized the result of a civil servant test for engineering school lecturers in the universitys WhatsApp chat group comprising around 100 lecturers. He was reported to the police by the dean of Syiah Kuala Universitys School of Engineering who apparently was never part of the WhatsApp group for defaming the dean, despite the fact that Saiful never mentioned any names. Read also: Intimidation of government critics raises concerns about freedom of speech For delivering his criticism, which was deemed offensive to campus executives, Saiful was charged under Article 27 of the ITE Law, which carries three months imprisonment and a Rp 10 million (US$ 683.4) fine, or an additional one-month imprisonment. In this case, freedom of speech on campus was treated like a crime, Amnesty International Indonesia director Usman Hamid said. The impacts were not only the obstruction of freedom of expression on campus and the violation of Saifuls personal rights but it also affected students' rights. Usman argued that higher education could only be effectively implemented within a free environment where the broadest possible latitude to speak, write, listen, challenge and learn was guaranteed under the law. The criminalization of Saiful, he said, could serve as a setback in the promotion of critical thinking in higher education institutions. Meanwhile, Saiful Mahdi claimed that he had received an unfair trial as judges found him guilty despite no clear evidence proving that he had violated any law. Read also: UI lecturers support #PapuanLivesMatter discussion, criticize university's disavowal We challenged the verdict at the Banda Aceh High Court, but it was rejected. Thus, we filed an appeal to the Supreme Court, said Saiful, who has been a lecturer for 26 years, as he was disheartened by the current climate where academic freedom was under threat. The Education and Culture Ministrys director general of higher education, Nizam, said that the ministry would look into the matter before making any comment. However, Nizam said the ministry always guaranteed academic freedom for everyone in the community. Academic freedom means that all members of academic society can develop knowledge within scientific principles and deliver the knowledge, he told The Jakarta Post on Monday. It is fully protected by law. Such cases are not new in the academic environment, as a student at National University (UNAS) in South Jakarta, Rasya Namadhania, was reported to the police, allegedly by the campus authority, after protesting the universitys fee discount policy in July. The University of Indonesia was also in hot water after it issued a statement disavowing a public discussion held by the universitys student executive body on racism against Papuans in the legal system, as it was considered not to be a reflection of the universitys views. Tracy Jones, the founder and MD of Positive Dialogue, a digitally-led strategic communications consultancy, says the agency's unique approach is that their ideation is insights-based, and their implementation is facilitated by digital innovation. Mention some of your career highlights to date? Having been in the industry for quite some time now, how do you see the role of women changing the industry? Do you think the future of comms will benefit from more female leadership? What are your personal tips on getting to the top in the comms industry, specifically as a woman? Step into your inner power and dont be intimidated by the boardroom. Know your worth, and the hard-earned experience you bring to the table and let your voice and unique perspective be heard. It has value own it. And what is your key message to fellow women this Womens Month? With 20 years of experience in PR and communications across a range of sectors, Jones is a force to be reckoned with and is passionate about the future of digital PR. She sees herself as a strategic, out-of-the-box, creative thinker and a firm believer of modern-day PR.Here, she shares some amazing career highlights and personal tips on getting to the top in the comms industry...Stand out moments in my 20-year career in PR would be launching Nelson Mandelas 'Touch of Mandela limited edition art series on Robben Island with Madiba hosting 250 VIP guests. I had the honour of meeting him four times and on each occasion, he left me humbled and inspired at his strength of character and inner peace. His launch event resulted in massive media coverage including front-page New York Times. I dont attribute any of the results to my skills as a PR, but more to the much-loved global icon of the man he was.Another highlight was assisting Matt Silver-Vallance on his Robben Island Balloon Run. He harnessed himself to 30 balloons and took off from Robben Island into the national airspace, to safely land 20km away in an NSRI boat in the ocean, as a PR stunt to raise awareness and funding for a paediatric hospital in SA. Our campaign raised over R1.5m and raised awareness through global coverage on the need for more paediatric care in SA.Another would be in assisting in the PR for the 46664 concert, again, for Nelson Mandela. All the celebrities performing at the concert were staying at the Westin Hotel and attended a pre-drinks reception. I had to politely ask Sir Richard Branson to not take all the VIP pins for his retinue in order to ensure the safety of Madiba. He smiled that grin of his, turned around, and asked his posse of 12 ladies to return them all and only take one each. Bono, Annie Lennox and Beyonce who were queuing behind him just smiled.Driving around the Monaco Grand Prix track with former F1 driver, David Coultard as part of my hosted media contingent to launch his Hotel in Monaco.There are too many more to mention, needless to say, this career has created truly memorable life experiences, growth and opportunity, which is what still makes me jump out of bed every day.Interestingly, PR is the one industry that has always been dominated by women. If anything, we would encourage more men to consider PR as a career path in order to create more diversity. There are not many other professions that can say that.Not just women per se, but women from diverse cultural backgrounds who each have their own unique story, perspective, upbringing and obstacles overcome. Our strength as South Africans is our diversity. You see it when the lens through which a group of women all view the same thing differently. That brings incredible insights that in turn can result in a unique problem-solving ability for businesses.Embrace change. Soak up information like a sponge. Research and read voraciously itll spark a campaign idea or business solution sometime in the future. Women are great at creating and nurturing relationships. Build business relationships with people that allow you to connect them with others that are mutually beneficial to both. The power of your network and business community can achieve meaningful things.As the strategic communication partner in the Duke Group, Id like to quote our CEO, Wayne Naidoo, who is championing transformation in the communication industry: Stand up, take up space, break barriers, create the change you want to see, and be mindful that the power is in your hands. Make it count.Connect with Jones on LinkedIn and follow Positive Dialogue on Facebook Instagram and LinkedIn Kevin Clarkson speaking at a press conference during his tenure as Alaska attorney general: (NBC News) Alaska attorney general Kevin Clarkson has resigned after he admitted to repeatedly sending inappropriate text messages to a junior state employee. Alaska governor Mike Dunleavy, who appointed Mr Clarkson to his role, told reporters that the 61-year-old attorney general had resigned in a statement on Tuesday. Kevin Clarkson has admitted to conduct in the workplace that did not live up to our high expectations, and this is deeply disappointing, Mr Dunleavy said. This morning he took responsibility for the unintentional consequences of his actions and tendered his resignation to me. I have accepted it. The decision came after ProPublica and the Anchorage Daily News revealed in a joint investigation on Monday that Mr Clarkson had sent more than 550 text messages to an unnamed female state employees phone. The attorney general invited the employee over to his house in 18 of the messages and was reported to have used suggestive emojis in many of the texts. The woman was not directly supervised by the attorney general, but would have to interact with him in professional settings, according to NBC News. In messages sent in March, Mr Clarkson referred to the employee as sweet lady and beautiful and used the kiss emoji multiple times when he invited her over to his residence. In late March, Mr Clarkson messaged the woman: Havent seen you in a while, so you owe me a number of hugs, but on 4 April, the state employee told him to act professionally and added: Please remember this is my personal phone. Before the contents of his messages were published on Monday, Mr Clarkson had been put on an administrative leave of absence without pay for one month. However, once his messages were made public, the attorney generals office announced that he had sent a letter of resignation to Mr Dunleavy. In that letter, provided to NBC, Mr Clarkson apologised and wrote that he is disappointed that his errors in judgment ... have become a distraction to the good work and good people working in the states and your service. Story continues I believed we had a positive friendship borne of mutual respect and interests. What I failed to recognise is the impact that these interactions had on this person, due to the disparity in our workplace rank. He added: Of course, I should have recognised this from the start, and should have maintained a more distanced and professional relationship. I am deeply sorry for the discomfort I caused this person, and only wish her well. NBC reported that Mr Clarkson's chief of staff Ed Sniffen will serve as acting attorney general until the governor appoints his replacement. Read more Trump administration green-lights black bear cub hunting in Alaska Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. But Mr. Trumps disapproval ratings are even higher in the suburbs than they are in cities. A Fox News poll this month found him trailing Mr. Biden 54 percent to 38 percent in the suburbs. The reality-TV segments and other portions of the convention filmed on the White House grounds have raised ethics concerns: The Hatch Act is widely thought to prohibit presidents from using the trappings of their office in their re-election bids. But the Office of Special Counsel, an independent government office that has authority to enforce the Hatch Act, released a statement today saying that it considered parts of the White House, such as the Rose Garden and South Lawn, viable for political acts, and wouldnt be grandstanding about potential violations that may or may not occur. Who is speaking tonight Tonight, Vice President Mike Pence will address the convention. He, too, is more unpopular in the suburbs than anywhere else, according to the Fox News poll, with 58 percent of suburban voters expressing a negative view of him. Mr. Pences wife, Karen, will also give a speech, as will Lara Trump, an adviser to the presidents campaign and the wife of his son Eric Trump. Madison Cawthorn, 25, the Republican nominee for the North Carolina congressional seat vacated by Mark Meadows, Mr. Trumps chief of staff, will also address the convention in his first appearance under national lights. In June, the young nominee, who had turned to politics after surviving a near-fatal car crash that left him partly paralyzed, won the Republican primary by besting a Trump-endorsed foe. But in the months since, hes been accused of aggressive sexual behavior and was found to have used an acronym associated with white supremacist groups in the name of his real-estate company. The president has praised Mr. Cawthorn saying, Youre going to be a star of the party. As usual, you can watch the full two-hour broadcast beginning at 9 p.m., at nytimes.com. Our reporters will be online dishing out their analysis and fact checks in real time. CNN, MSNBC and PBS will show the full two-hour event, but Fox News and the major broadcast TV networks will air only the second half. Pennsylvanias Legislature, rarely a source of good or smart policy, is suddenly positioned to improve elections and democracy. But thats only if it can find the time. After all, its busy brawling with Gov. Tom Wolf over his COVID-19 restrictions, mounting new fights over how to vote by mail and railing against his fall agenda of new spending and legalizing weed (as if, by the way). First lady Melania Trump wore a bold, fuchsia dress on the third night of the Republican National Convention on Wednesday. The silk cocktail dress is from designer Jason Wu and features a bateau neckline, concealed pockets and a gathered waist with black bow trimmings. Image: 2020 Republican National Convention (Jonathan Ernst / Reuters) She accessorized with black Manolo Blahnik pumps and her signature, warm blond waves. Image: (Andrew Harnik / AP) The first lady, 50, wore the dress as she and her husband made an appearance on Thursday night at Fort McHenry National Monument in Baltimore, Maryland, following Vice President Mike Pence's convention address. Watch TODAY All Day! Get the best news, information and inspiration from TODAY, all day long. This isnt the first time Trump has worn a Jason Wu dress during her tenure as first lady. She also wore a pinstriped shift by the New York-based designer in 2017 during a viewing of the solar eclipse from the White House. US-SOLAR-ECLIPSE-ASTRONOMY (Nicholas Kamm / AFP via Getty Images) Jason Wu rose to prominence when Michelle Obama commissioned him to design her gown for President Obamas inauguration in 2009. Obama Home States Inaugural Ball (Mark Wilson / Getty Images) He went on to become a go-to designer at the White House, dressing Obama and now Trump on multiple occasions. Some people took to Twitter to praise Trumps chic, cheerfully colored gown. This is not a political comment. Melania is rocking that pink dress!! Miss Melly (@gracieshue) August 27, 2020 Others admitted they were confused by the black bows at the waist. Does Melania have a pair of black socks hanging out of her red dress pockets? WTF? #RNC2020Convention Wendy Pergentile (@bengalexfx) August 27, 2020 The first lady has been sporting a number of stylish looks during the four-day convention. She wore a military-inspired jacket by Alexander McQueen as she delivered a speech on Wednesday. More designer looks are no doubt on the way for the first lady as she prepares to watch her husband accept the GOP nomination for a second term on the final day of the Republican National Convention on Thursday. President Trump is expected to deliver his acceptance speech from the White House West Lawn. NEW DELHI: Bharatiya Janata Party national general secretary P Muralidhar Rao on Thursday said that there was scope to involve the National Investigation Agency into the alleged suicide of actor Sushant Singh Rajput to further widen the investigation. In a series of tweets, Rao said that since the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate had already been roped in to probe various aspects of the case, NIA can also be involved. Abetment of suicide, Unnatural death being investigated by #CBI. #ED is investigating Money laundering NCB is investigating Drug use case under NDPS Act. #NIA may have to get in may be.!! Case is getting larger Connecting different cases web of networks, he tweeted. In another tweet, Rao said that the demand for a wider probe is aimed at helping clean the Bollywood movement. Entire India and Indians all over are watching keenly intensively and emotionally, Whoever is helping & contributing for this is not fighting for #JusticeForSSR but also helping the clean Bollywood movement. After @KanganaTeams tweet to @PMOIndia, #JusticeforSSR & Clean Bollywood are now getting into one big-movement Swachha Bollywood...Swachha Bharat... he tweeted. Referring to Raos tweets, a senior party functionary said the BJPs demand for a thorough probe is aimed at getting the underbelly of the Hindi film industry exposed. Now there is talk of drugs and links to narcotics traders, which is a serious issue and needs to be exposed since there are links between international drug cartels and terror industry. The idea is to uncover the truth and clean up the industry, the functionary said on condition of anonymity. The functionary asserted that the speculation that the party was encouraging a witch-hunt against actors who were critical of the government is far-fetched and false. The SC has already given its nod to the CBI probe and we hope that the investigation reveals the truth, the functionary said. The Supreme Court last week ruled on that the ongoing probe by the CBI into the case filed against actor Rhea Chakraborty and her family for allegedly abetting Rajputs suicide is lawful, allowing the agency to continue its investigation. India will send a tri-services contingent to take part in a multilateral war game Kavkaz 2020 in Russia next month. China, Pakistan and a number of other member nations of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) are expected to participate in the strategic command-post exercise, official sources said. Indian and Chinese armies have been locked in a tense standoff in eastern Ladakh for over three-and-half-months despite multiple rounds of diplomatic and military talks. The tension escalated after 20 Indian soldiers were killed in the Galwan Valley clash in which Chinese military also suffered casualties. Around 150 Indian Army troops, 45 Indian Air Force personnel and a number of Navy officers will form the Indian contingent for the exercise scheduled to be held in the Astrakhan region in southern Russia from September 15 to 26, the sources said. In June, a tri-services contingent from India participated at the Victory Day Parade at the iconic Red Square in Moscow to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in the Second World War. A contingent from China had also attended it. Russia has already said that India and China should resolve the border dispute through talks and that a constructive relationship between the two countries was important for regional stability. The SCO, seen as a counterweight to NATO, has emerged as one of the largest transregional international organisations which accounts for almost 44 per cent of the world population stretching from the Arctic Ocean to the Indian Ocean and from the Pacific Ocean to the Baltic Sea. The aim of the SCO is to maintain peace, stability and security of the region. India became a member of SCO in 2017. It will be the first major multilateral military exercise in which India is participating after the coronavirus pandemic broke out. (With inputs from PTI) Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 13:43:50|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close WASHINGTON, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said Wednesday that her conversation with Argentine President Alberto Fernandez was "very constructive and positive". "I had a very constructive and positive conversation with President Fernandez today," Georgieva said as she noted that Fernandez has notified IMF of Argentina's request for a new fund agreement with IMF. "We discussed the important challenges faced by Argentina, including in the context of the global pandemic, and the Argentine government's priorities in the period ahead, in particular the need to reinvigorate the economy, while continuing to protect the most vulnerable," Georgieva said in a statement. The IMF chief said she looks forward to deepening the dialogue with Argentina on "how we can best support the government's efforts to manage the impact of the pandemic, jumpstart growth and job creation, and reduce poverty and unemployment while strengthening macroeconomic stability." Argentina began formal talks with IMF on Wednesday to negotiate a new lending agreement to replace the one signed in mid-2018 as part of a 56 billion U.S. dollar bailout. Argentina and IMF agreed on a stand-by deal in mid-2018 for the bailout, of which the country has received about 44.1 billion dollars in disbursements. The IMF said in February that it "assesses Argentina's debt to be unsustainable," and the country needs a definitive plan which could require a meaningful contribution from private creditors to help restore debt sustainability. The Argentine government had said that it would seek a new agreement with IMF to begin repayments when the country's economy stabilizes and sees positive growth. Enditem With 1,108 new cases and 14 deaths, one of them a doctor, Chhattisgarhs Covid-19 count rose to 25,658 and toll to 245 on Thursday, a health official said. The day witnessed 462 patients getting discharge following recovery from the infection. The state now has 10,806 active cases as 14,607 people were discharged and 245 have died, he said. Raipur district, which is worst-hit by the pandemic in the state, reported 380 of the fresh cases, which took the case tally in the district to 9,116, he said. The district has witnessed 133 deaths. Other districts, where news cases were detected, are Durg (186), Raigarh (55), Rajnandgaon (53), Bilaspur (51), Surguja (50), Bastar (47), Balodabazar (38), Kanker (34), Dantewada (28), Mahasamund (24), Surajpur (22), Bijapur (20), Koriya (19), Sukma (17), Mungeli (16), Janjgir-Champa (15), Dhamtari (14), Kabirdham (11) and Balrampur (6), he said. Five cases each were reported from Balod, Jashpur and Narayanpur districts, three from Kondagaon, while one case each came from Gariaband and Korba districts, he said. Besides, two persons who had arrived from another state to Chhattisgarh have tested positive, he said. Among the 14 fatalities, 10 people were from Raipur and one each from Raigarh, Bilaspur and Mahasamund districts, while one person belonged to neigbouring Odisha, he said. A 35-year-old doctor, who was posted at the Covid Hospital in Bijapur district, was found dead at his residence there on August 25 night, he said. After working for 14 days at the hospital, the doctor, a native of Raigarh district, was placed in home isolation and his sample was sent for a coronavirus test. After his death he was found to be Covid-19 positive, the health official said. In another case, an 18-year-old man from Mahasamund was brought dead to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Raipur on Wednesday after he tested positive for the infection on August 22, he said. Chhattisgarh, where the infection has spread in all the 28 districts, has recorded over 17,600 cases and 200 deaths just in the last one month, he said. Chhattisgarhs Covid-19 figures are as follows: Positive cases 25,658, new cases 1,108, death toll 245, discharged 14,607, active cases 10,806, people tested so far 5,33,691. President Xi Jinping called on Wednesday for all-around and multilevel communications and exchanges in a wide range of areas between scientists and the scientific sectors of China and Russia. He made the remark in a letter offering his congratulations on the opening of the China-Russia Year of Scientific and Technological Innovation. Xi said that China and Russia are major scientific and technological countries with significant influence, adding that the two major powers should follow the trend of the times and keep up with development so as to make greater contributions to advancing global governance system reform and building a community with a shared future for mankind. Xi said that China and Russia pulled together to provide support and assistance to each other as the novel coronavirus epidemic spread across the world. The event being held as scheduled despite the COVID-19 pandemic fully demonstrates the high-level and unique nature of the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era, he said. The president said that he believed that the two countries' successful practice of cooperation in the face of the pandemic will be transformed into a strong impetus for boosting bilateral exchanges and cooperation. Russian President Vladimir Putin said in his congratulatory letter that scientific and technological innovation is one of the most promising channels of cooperation between China and Russia. It is crucial for the two countries' development and also influences the improvement of people's livelihoods, he said. According to Putin, the Year of Scientific and Technological Innovation will cover activities such as scientific research, exhibitions and academic exchanges. He also highlighted the close cooperation between the two countries' governments as well as medical and scientific research departments regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, saying that a series of important outcomes has been achieved. Putin said he sincerely wished the event success, which will enrich the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era. Xi and Putin jointly decided to designate the "Year of Scientific and Technological Innovation" in both countries during Xi's visit to Russia last year. Previously, the two countries had held similar programs featuring languages, tourism, youth exchanges, media and subnational exchanges. Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-28 01:21:26|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BERLIN, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- After a long video conference on Thursday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the minister presidents of the federal states agreed on tighter COVID-19 measures to counter the latest trend of rising daily infection numbers. "We want to keep our healthcare system strong during the pandemic because it benefits (not just) everyone, but also the economy and public life," Merkel said at a press conference in Berlin. In the future, a fine of at least 50 euros (59 U.S. dollars) would be imposed for violations of face mask rules, for example, in shops and public transport. The compulsory use of masks was "by far the mildest means" of containing the pandemic, said Markus Soeder, minister president of Bavaria, at the press conference. "If there is a growing incidence of infection, it is not justifiable to allow any form of events," Soeder added. Germany's federal and state governments also agreed to stop free coronavirus tests for those entering from non-risk areas from the end of the summer vacations in mid-September. Returnees from risk areas could only end the required coronavirus quarantine with a negative test taken five days after their return. This regulation is to apply from Oct. 1 if possible. "We will endeavor to have the broadest possible test capacities," Merkel said. "The federal and state governments strongly appeal to all travel returnees to comply with the quarantine obligation," said Merkel, adding that a breach of the quarantine would result in significant fines. Travelers to known COVID-19 risk areas would have a certain amount of personal responsibility, said Soeder. "It is our task to protect the reasonable from the unreasonable." German media reported on Thursday that private parties at home would be limited to 25 participants. However, the federal and state governments failed to agree on a nationwide upper limit for the number of participants at celebrations with family and friends. Enditem Dear Reader, Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. 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Digital Editor Passengers who travelled on dozens of Sydney bus routes have been put on high alert after a trainee bus driver worked while infectious. The driver worked on four days between August 20 and August 24 while infectious on routes in the western Sydney suburbs of Blacktown, Rouse Hill, and Mt Druitt. Authorities initially believed the driver had only worked one shift, but the alert has since been revised to include 24 routes - including two popular buses between Randwick and the CBD across three days. Those who were on any of the routes worked on by the infected driver have been to watch for symptoms and get tested if they feel unwell. A woman wearing a protective face mask boards a bus in Sydney (pictured in March). Passengers who travelled on dozens of bus routes in the Harbour City have been put on high alert New South Wales Deputy Premier John Barilaro said the driver's potential to spread the virus to so many other people meant it was vital social distancing rules were followed. 'This is the crisis that we face, it takes one individual who travels across the city or the regions or the state, stops in at a pub, bar, cafe, restaurant, and may interact with other people,' he told Today. 'From one it can easily become 20, 50 or 100. That's why it's so important that the message stays clear that we've got to do everything we can to abide by the rules.' THE 24 BUS ROUTES WORKED BY INFECTED DRIVER August 20 and August 21 755, 5:18AM - Mt Druitt to Shalvey Shops. 755, 5:35AM - Shalvey shops to Mt Druitt 758, 6:01AM - Mt Druitt stn to St Marys stn 758, 6:35AM - St Marys stn to Mt Druitt stn 723, 7:14AM - Mt Druitt stn to Blacktown stn 731, 8:15AM - Blacktown stn to Rouse Hill 752, 9:03AM - Rouse Hill stn to Blacktown 755, 10:47AM - Plumpton mktplc to Mt Druitt stn 756, 11:29AM - Mt Druitt stn to Blacktown stn 728, 12:16PM - Blacktown stn to Mt Druitt stn August 24 6546, 2:36PM - St Clare Catholic High School 6583 3:15PM - Patrician Brothers College to Blacktown station via Blacktown South Public School and St Patricks Primary School 728, 3:34PM - Blacktown stn to Mt Druitt stn 756, 4:32PM - Mt Druitt stn to Blacktown stn 730, 5:25PM - Blacktown stn to Castle hill shopping centre 730, 6:18PM - Castle hill to Blacktown stn 723, 7:48PM - Blacktown stn to Mt Druitt stn 750, 8:38PM- Mt Druitt stn to Blacktown stn 750, 9:14PM - Blacktown stn to Mt Druitt stn 758, 9:50PM - Mt Druitt stn to Emerson/Luxford 729, 10:37PM - Mt Druitt stn to Blacktown stn 731, 11:32PM - Blacktown stn to Rouse Hill stn August 21, 22, 24 339 or the X39 to and from Randwick to Martin Place Advertisement NSW Health also urged anyone who attended the City Tattersalls gym between 8am to 2pm on August 19, 21 or 23 to immediately get tested for COVID-19 and isolate at home for 14 days. Other members of City Tattersalls should get tested if they have even the mildest symptoms. One infected gym-goers went to the ground-floor Windscreens Cafe at Randwick's Royal Hospital for Women on Tuesday morning, with authorities trying to trace anyone who might be have been a close contact. Anyone who attended a 7.40pm dance class at Virgin Gym at Zetland in the inner east on Monday should also get tested and isolate at home for 14 days after an infected person went to the class. Those who attended the gym from 7.30-10pm on Monday should monitor for symptoms and get tested if they appear. Riverstone High School, Wyndham College, both in Sydney's northwest, and Schofields Public School in the west, were closed on Wednesday while coronavirus tests for students were processed. A different bus driver wearing a face mask while driving a public bus in Sydney during the COVID-19 pandemic (pictured in March) Pedestrians wearing face masks walk on a street in the Sydney CBD on Saturday (pictured)as the city battles to prevent a Victorian-style COVID-19 outbreak Pedestrians near a Sydney tram wear face masks to stop the spread of COVID-19 (pictured on Saturday) Wyndham College (pictured) in Sydney's north-west was one of three schools to close on Wednesday to undergo cleaning NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant said one Year 12 student had returned a positive result and would be included in Thursday's case numbers. Another student had an 'equivocal' result and will be tested again, while two other students returned negative results but would be re-tested as an extra precaution. NSW recorded six new COVID-19 cases from 25,874 tests in the 24 hours to 8pm on Tuesday. Those cases included one returned traveller in hotel quarantine and five which were locally acquired with no known source of infection, including a trainee bus driver who had limited contact with passengers while infectious. The Queensland government has the power to kick Melbourne millionaire Mark Simonds and his family out of the state when they exit mandatory hotel quarantine next month but the Premier will await the outcome of a criminal investigation before deciding on their fate. A criminal investigation is under way into Mr Simonds and his family after the Queensland government revoked a quarantine exemption for their superyacht Lady Pamela on Tuesday afternoon. Mark Simonds, his wife Cheryl and the Lady Pamela superyacht. Credit:A Current Affair An investigation by The Age and A Current Affair revealed the 30-metre superyacht had docked on six separate occasions along the NSW coast including Yamba, where passengers and crew disembarked from the vessel on August 21 on its way up to the Gold Coast. The Simonds family and their crew were originally granted an exemption to enter Queensland on the basis the yacht was being sailed to the state for repairs and would not be stopping. Alterrell Mills graduated with his MBA from Harvard Business School in 2016 Alterrell Mills graduated with his MBA from Harvard Business School in 2016 For the past nine decades, the case study has been at the core of the learning experience at Harvard Business School. HBS invented it, put it at the heart of the schools teaching philosophy, invests massive money and time on it every year, and sells more than 14.5 million cases a year to other schools and organizations all over the world. In short, the case study is equivalent to the Bible in the religion of capitalism. So when Alterrel Mills, who graduated from Harvard with his MBA in four years ago, began to think about how he might influence his alma mater to make more progress on racial inequality, he decided to adopt the schools approach and write a case on Harvard Business Schools lackluster efforts. The caseentitled The Business School Searches For A New Deancomes more than three months after Dean Nitin Nohria made a rare public apology for failing to mount a more successful fight against racism and for not serving the schools black community members better. And it arrives days before Nohria is expected to announce an action plan to address what some observers have called the anti-black practices at Harvard Business School. That mea culpa in early June came as protests swept through the U.S. and foreign capitals since the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Now, with still more protests roiling American cities in the aftermath of the shooting by police of Jacob Blake Jr. in Kenosha, Wisconsin, Mills is hoping that this is a moment in history when positive change is more possible than it has been in a long time. PEOPLE WHO ARE GOING TO TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY ARE GOING TO WANT FACTS, NOT FEELINGS Like most Harvard case studies, it is loaded with facts around a generally sterile narrative devoid of emotionand thats exactly what Mills was aiming for. People who are going to take this seriously are going to want facts, not feelings, he says. While yes it is another HBS case, my goal is that this is a case that will not be needed someday. The point of teaching the case is to engage others in a Socratic discussion. Its a way to look at this problem objectively, the way we are taught at Harvard. You have to use the tools of communication that others are using. So if they discount it, they have to throw away everything. Story continues The 25-page case opens with a scene. Harvard University President Larry Bacow is sitting in his campus office, reflecting on the unprecedented events that have unfolded this year from COVID to the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery. After reading a lengthy email from black HBS alums with a list of proposed solutions on how to move forward, Bacow prepares for his next meeting, a discussion on the criteria for Nohrias successor. Then, the sober facts tumble off the pages of the case study: The percent of Black HBS graduates has remained comparatively flat since the 1970s. Black graduates represent less than 5% of the alumni base. Black representation at the business school is much lower than it is at Harvards law school or Harvard College. Out of more than 200 professors, there are only two Black tenured faculty membersand the school has granted tenure to only four Black Americans in its entire history. The number of cases featuring Black protagonists in the first-year required curriculum (RC) is in the single digits (it is actually just two out of some 250 cases studied in the core curriculum). HARVARD HAS NEVER EVEN WRITTEN A CASE ON AMERICAN EXPRESS KEN CHENAULT Of the few cases that center on Black protagonists or topics in the RC, writes Mills, nearly all of them fail to meaningfully engage or discuss the cultural context of race. Radio One, a finance case, is used as a device to teach discounted cash flows but glosses over the additional obstacles Black entrepreneurs face in raising capital or the future viability of urban mediaNone of the RC year cases study Black CEOs on the Fortune 500 list. That means, Mills points out, that Harvard has never written a case on Kenneth Chenault, one of the most prominent Black chief executives in the world who held the top post at American Express for 17 years from 2001 and 2018. Mills had worked at Amex before going to Harvard. Neither have cases been written on other successful Black corporate leaders such as Don Thompson at McDonalds, Ursula Burns at Xerox, or Roger Ferguson at TIAA-CREF. A case on Merck CEO Kenneth Frazier, the only African-American running a top global biopharma company, focuses on his decision to quit Trumps manufacturing council in the wake of the presidents unwillingness to single out white supremacy groups in the violent protests in Charlottesville, VA. Another 2016 case on J.C. Penney CEO Marvin Ellison centers on his turnaround plan for the retailer. Both of those cases are in elective courses where few students would gain exposure to them. NO CASES ADDRESS SYSTEMIC RACISM Thinking back on his own HBS experience, Mills says he was surprised by the lack of Black in the cases he had to study and even more shocked by the lack of discussion of race in classrooms. Its more than cases. I had in my entire two years one black faculty member during my first year and zero my second year. The black protagonists in cases were more often athletes or entertainers like Lebron James, Beyonce, and Serena Williams. They dont address systemic racism. The lack of case studies with Black protagonists has even greater meaning because 80% of the cases studied by MBA students all over the world are from the Harvard Business School. Harvard is not only the source of most of those cases, adds Mills, it is also in many cases the source of faculty for other schools. So it would only make sense for them to get it right so other schools get it right, too. Having been a co-president of the African American Student Union (AASU) while at HBS and a writer of two case studies with Black protagonists, Mills believes there is also something about the culture that prevents open discussions and full inclusion. The other challenge is that non-Black students will not engage those topics, and some of the Black students in class dont want to be blacklisted so they dont bring it up, either. If you say something that is from a place of passion or emotion and someones retort is fact-based you feel like crap and probably wont speak on race again. THE HOSTILITY IS SO SUBTLE IT REQUIRES REAL POLITICAL SAVVY TO NAVIGATE In some classes where there are five or six Black people, there are times when we are all looking at each other, wondering who is going to speak up about race. Most sections at Harvard have five or six black people and you realize that is your network. Being seen as the person who is pushing this agenda will push a lot of people away. There is a level of hostility that is so subtle it requires real political savvy to know how to navigate that. For many has students, that level of politicking is not familiar. When he was co-president of AASU, he tried to nudge things in the right direction. I dont think we realized that the school was just stalling us, he says. In my year, we were concerned with advocacy. We talked with the administration about the case study issue, and they didnt give us the approval to speak to the 11-course heads about Black protagonists in case studies until two weeks before the end of school. What you dont realize as a student is that some of these tactics are advanced. HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL AFFORDED ME MANY OPPORTUNITIES Mills MBA helped him land a job in Teslas leadership development program and he is currently director of business development and strategy for a startup called Jupe Inc., a housing technology platform. Harvard Business School afforded me many opportunities, adds Mills, but on campus, inclusion is a problem for many groups. Being a black gay man is super challenging. Its super hard. Its hard for lots of people, and more graduates of the school have since shared their experiences at not being comfortable at times. I wouldnt say that Harvard is affirming to all types of folks. At the end of the day, I understood what Harvard was like and I had a realistic perspective of what it could be like and I worked within the rules of that system. And with his case study, he is still trying to work within the rules. The case concludes with President Bacow preparing to meet a potential candidate for HBS dean. He wonders, Are we delivering on the mission? And makes a note to ask all prospective candidates this very question. This reminds him of one of the goals discussed in the HBS Annual Report: HBS (is) to serve as a living example of a well-run organization, embodying the skills, tools and frameworks taught across the Schools educational programs. HARVARD IS NOT THE ONLY PLACE THAT HAS A PROBLEM He knows some progress has been made but that the future is bright. He makes his way to the door and spots the school crest hanging in his office. It reads Veritas, Latin for truth. As the University President of Harvard, he is acutely aware of the gravity of his decision, especially as he will soon appoint the next HBS Dean. He grabs his framework and list of questions and leaves for his meeting. Ultimately, Mills thinks the forthcoming change in leadership at Harvard Business School is an opportunity for positive change. Norhia will step down from the deanship at the end of this year, and the school should name a successor well before then. I think the school needs to take a look at its record on race and gender, he says. What they have been doing I dont think has been working. I hope the president can find someone who will take this issue more seriously. Mills says that one of his section mates from HBS wants to host a discussion on the case. Some folks are sharing it with other schools, he adds. Even today, though, Harvard Business School is just a symbol. Its not the only place that has a problem. But right now, it feels like we are in the second civil rights movement, with all of the civil action, the responses from corporations, and the national discourse. So much of this feels like the 1960s. It feels like we are in this weird repeating of history where we know some progress has been made but we are now moving backward or not far enough from where we came from. DONT MISS: How To Make Black Lives Matter At Harvard Business School or Harvard Business School Case Study: Why Progress Stalled For African-Americans The post Can This Case Study End Racism At Harvard Business School? appeared first on Poets&Quants. SAN FRANCISCO Kevin Mayer, the chief executive of the Chinese-owned video app TikTok, said on Wednesday that he was resigning after the company came under sustained pressure from the Trump administration over its ties to China. In a note to employees, which was reviewed by The New York Times, Mr. Mayer said a series of changes to TikToks structure had prompted him to leave. The app, which is owned by the Chinese internet company ByteDance, has been ordered by the White House to sell its U.S. operations by mid-September. Mr. Mayer, 58, did not address the specific timing of his departure. In recent weeks, as the political environment has sharply changed, I have done significant reflection on what the corporate structural changes will require, and what it means for the global role I signed up for, he wrote in the email. Against this backdrop, and as we expect to reach a resolution very soon, it is with a heavy heart that I wanted to let you all know that I have decided to leave the company. Mr. Mayer, who announced in May that he would join TikTok, added that he had signed up for a global role and that leading a global team had been a big draw for him. In a meeting with Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said, Pompeo said on Twitter he discussed 'the importance of building regional peace, stability, and prosperity through a united Gulf Cooperation Council' US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met the Sultan of Oman on Thursday as part of a Middle East tour following a US-brokered deal on normalising relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. In a meeting with Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said, Pompeo said on Twitter he discussed "the importance of building regional peace, stability, and prosperity through a united Gulf Cooperation Council". Sultan Haitham took power in January after Sultan Qaboos bin Said died after a half century at the helm of the Gulf country. In a turbulent region, Oman has maintained its neutrality. It has kept friendly relations with a range of regional actors, including arch-foes the United States and Iran - for whom Oman has acted as a go-between. Last week Oman's foreign affairs portfolio was given to Badr al-Busaidi. Previously the title of foreign minister had been held by the Sultan, and Yousuf bin Alawi had been the longstanding minister responsible for foreign affairs. Israel's intelligence minister said a few days after the UAE-Israel accord was announced on Aug. 13 that Bahrain and Oman could be the next Gulf Arab countries to formalise ties with the country. In 2018 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Oman and discussed peace initiatives in the Middle East with then-Omani leader Sultan Qaboos. Oman praised the US-sponsored accord between UAE and Israel, but has not commented on its own prospects for normalised relations. "Aspects of the existing bilateral cooperation between the Sultanate and the United States were reviewed within the framework of the strong relations binding them and matters of mutual interest," the state news agency ONA said in a report of the sultan's meeting with Pompeo. Before arriving in Oman, Pompeo visited Jerusalem, Sudan, Bahrain and the UAE. Search Keywords: Short link: Videos Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos. (Newser) The only Native American on federal death row was put to death Wednesday, despite objections from many Navajo leaders who had urged President Trump to halt the execution on the grounds it would violate tribal culture and sovereignty, the AP reports. With the execution of Lezmond Mitchell for the grisly slayings of a 9-year-old and her grandmother, the federal government has now carried out more executions in 2020 than it had in the previous 56 years combined. Asked by a prison official if he had any last words for victims' family members and other witnesses behind glass at the death chamber, Mitchell casually responded, "No, I'm good." Moments later, prison officials began the lethal injection at the federal prison in Terre Haute, Indiana. story continues below Mitchell lay flat on his back, his glasses still on and a medical mask across his face as the lethal drug flowed to IVs in his hands and forearms. His chest heaved and his thumb tapped the gurney, as his breathing appeared more labored and his stomach area began to throb. About 10 minutes later, Mitchell no longer appeared to move and his partially tattooed hands turned pale. An official with a stethoscope checked for a pulse and listened to Mitchell's heart before he was declared dead at 6:29pm EDT. Several anti-death penalty activists protested across the street, but the Indianapolis Star reports that an attorney for the slain girl's father said this: "I will never get Tiffany back, but I hope that this will bring some closure." (Read about the Navajo Nation's opposition to Mitchell's execution.) Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation (Toshiba) has launched three photorelays: TLP3407SRA, TLP3475SRHA and TLP3412SRHA, that are the industry-smallest[1] voltage driven photorelays with an extended operating temperature rating of 125C. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200826005815/en/ Toshiba: new photorelay TLP3407SRA in S-VSON4T package with industry's smallest mounting area. (Photo: Business Wire) Raising the maximum operating temperature rating from 110C to 125C allows the photorelays to be mounted in high temperature areas, and makes it easier to secure required temperature design margins for equipment. The S-VSON4T package has the industry-smallest[1] mounting area of 2.9mm .This will contribute to reducing PCB size or to increasing the number of photorelays in an existing layout in applications such as semiconductor testers, probe cards and other devices. Applications Semiconductor testers (memory, SoC and LSI, etc.) Probe cards Burn-in equipment Measuring instruments (oscilloscope, data logger, etc.) Features S-VSON4T, the industrys first [1] packaging with a minimal mounting area and maximum operating temperature of 125C: Mounting area 2.9mm 2 (typ.) packaging with a minimal mounting area and maximum operating temperature of 125C: Mounting area 2.9mm (typ.) Low input power consumption drive: 3.3mW[2] (max) @V IN =3.3V (TLP3407SRA) Main Specifications (T a =25) Part number TLP3407SRA TLP3475SRHA TLP3412SRHA Package Name S-VSON4T Size typ. (mm) 2.01.45 Height typ.(mm) 1.3 Recommended operating conditions Applied input forward voltage V IN typ. (V) 3.3 3.3 3.3 Built-in resistance typ. () 4000 600 600 Absolute maximum ratings OFF-state output terminal voltage V OFF (V) 60 60 60 ON-state current I ON (A) 1 0.4 0.4 ON-state current (pulsed) I ONP (A) 3 1.2 1.2 Operating temperature T opr () -40 to 125 Coupled electrical characteristics Limited LED current I LIM(LED) max (mA) (@V IN ) 1 (@3.3V) - - Trigger LED current I FT max (mA) 0.2 2 2 Operating voltage V FON max (V) 3 3 3 ON-state resistance R ON max () 0.3 1.5 1.5 Electrical characteristics Output capacitance C OFF typ. (pF) 80 12 20 (max) OFF-state current I OFF max (nA) (@V OFF ) 1 (@50V) 1 (@50V) 1 (@50V) Switching characteristics Turn-on time t ON max (ms) 20 0.5 0.5 Turn-off time t OFF max (ms) 1 0.2 0.2 Isolation characteristic Isolation voltage BV S min (Vrms) 500 500 500 Sample Check & Availability Buy Online Buy Online Buy Online Notes: [1] For photorelays where maximum operating temperature rating is 125C, according to a survey by Toshiba (as of August 25, 2020). [2] Applied input forward voltage maximum limited LED current=3.3V1mA Follow the link below for more on the new photocouplers. TLP3407SRA https://toshiba.semicon-storage.com/info/lookup.jsp?pid=TLP3407SRA TLP3475SRHA https://toshiba.semicon-storage.com/info/lookup.jsp?pid=TLP3475SRHA TLP3412SRHA https://toshiba.semicon-storage.com/info/lookup.jsp?pid=TLP3412SRHA Follow the link below for more on Toshibas photorelay lineup. https://toshiba.semicon-storage.com/ap-en/semiconductor/product/optoelectronics/photorelay-mosfet-output.html To check availability of the new products at online distributors, visit: TLP3407SRA https://toshiba.semicon-storage.com/ap-en/semiconductor/where-to-buy/stockcheck.TLP3407SRA.html TLP3475SRHA https://toshiba.semicon-storage.com/ap-en/semiconductor/where-to-buy/stockcheck.TLP3475SRHA.html TLP3412SRHA https://toshiba.semicon-storage.com/ap-en/semiconductor/where-to-buy/stockcheck.TLP3412SRHA.html Customer Inquiries: Optoelectronic Device Sales & Marketing Dept. Tel: +81-3-3457-3431 https://toshiba.semicon-storage.com/ap-en/contact.html * Company names, product names, and service names may be trademarks of their respective companies. * Information in this document, including product prices and specifications, content of services and contact information, is current on the date of the announcement but is subject to change without prior notice. About Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation combines the vigor of a new company with the wisdom of experience. Since becoming an independent company in July 2017, the company has taken its place among the leading general devices companies, and offers its customers and business partners outstanding solutions in discrete semiconductors, system LSIs and HDD. Its 24,000 employees around the world share a determination to maximize the value of its products, and emphasize close collaboration with customers to promote co-creation of value and new markets. The company looks forward to building on annual sales now surpassing 750-billion yen (US$6.8 billion) and to contributing to a better future for people everywhere. Find out more about Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation at https://toshiba.semicon-storage.com/ap-en/top.html View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200826005815/en/ Foreigners and stateless persons must have an insurance policy to cover possible COVID-19 treatment. Ukraine's Cabinet of Ministers has changed the terms for crossing the administrative border with the occupied territories, namely Russian-annexed Crimea and certain districts in Donetsk and Luhansk regions (Donbas), for foreigners and stateless persons from August 29 to September 28. Read alsoPoland bans flights from 43 countries, Ukraine also at risk mediaAt the same time, the government allowed the resumption of the entry and exit checkpoints on the administrative border between mainland Ukraine and Russian-occupied Crimea and the city of Sevastopol as usual, i.e. from 00:00 Kyiv time on August 29, the press service of the Ministry for Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories said on its website on August 27. Thus, the Cabinet has suspended the resolution of August 8, 2020, which restricted the operation of the entry and exit checkpoints on the administrative border with the peninsula. Terms of crossing administrative border from August 29: When entering the territory controlled by the Ukrainian government, foreigners and stateless persons must have an insurance policy to cover possible COVID-19 treatment (from a company registered in Ukraine, a foreign company with Ukraine-based offices or contractual relations with Ukrainian insurers). Mandatory self-isolation for those who enters the country. At the same time, early termination of quarantine is possible if the COVID-19 test is negative (undergone after leaving the occupied territories). The Diia ("Action") mobile app download on a smartphone, or observation. Children under the age of 12 and representatives of international missions accredited in Ukraine are not required to undergo self-isolation. Background Phuket announces 5T model for receiving tourists, includes mandatory US$100k health insurance PHUKET: Phuket officials have announced their 5T model in order to safely allow foreign tourists into Phuket from Oct 1, which includes mandatory US$100,000 health insurance coverage. tourismCOVID-19healtheconomics By The Phuket News Thursday 27 August 2020, 01:10PM Phuket Vice Governor Pichet Panapong announced the 5T model yesterday (Aug 26). The measures to be implemented in Phuket are under great scrutiny, as they are to be rolled out elsewhere in the country, if they prove successful. Vice Governor Pichet explained that tourists wanting to come to Phuket must be approved by a Royal Thai Embassy and have evidence of COVID-19 test proving they are COVID-free within 72 hours before departing. Alternatively, they must present a Fit to Fly or other documents proving they are free of infection. Also, tourists must have health insurance coverage of US$100,000 in case medical treatment is required, V/Gov Pichet said. They must acknowledge that after arriving, they must remain at a hotel recognised as an Alternative Local State Quarantine (ALSQ) venue for 14 days, and they will be tested two times during their stay at the hotel. The first test will be conducted sometime on days three to five of their stay, and the second test will be conducted on days 11 to 13 of their stay, he said. The Phuket government has cooperated with hotel owners, medical staff, police, the military and other relevant people to prepare and work best under the orders of the CCSA [Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration in Bangkok], V/Gov Pichet added. Phuket Provincial Public Health Office (PPHO) Chief Thanit Sermkaew explained that the Phuket government had devised a 5T policy, in order to be an effective pilot province for welcoming foreign tourists. The 5T policy was described as follows: Target selecting target groups of foreigners as approved by CCSA and choosing venues as ALSQs Testing all tourists must be tested before coming and after arriving Tracing using an app to know where the tourists are in real time Treatment having enough medical staff, medicines and equipment to take care of them Trust publicizing information about the readiness and the effective preparations for creating trust and confidence among local people and foreigners Under the 5T measures, I confirm that Phuket is ready to be the pilot province and role model to welcome foreigners from abroad as ordered by CCSA, in order to stimulate national economy with high safety of local people, Chief Thanit said. Of note, the 5T policy and its measures must be submitted to the CCSA in Bangkok for approval, before they can be put into effect. U.S. authorities have imposed "blacklist" restrictions on three Russian military and civilian scientific facilities, citing their alleged involvement in chemical and biological weapons research. Those targeted by the U.S. Commerce Department include one Russian Defense Ministry facility that is involved in Russias attempts to develop the world's first COVID-19 vaccine. In a notice published on August 27 in the Federal Register, the Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security said it was blacklisting a total of 60 entities in Russia, China, France, Switzerland, and elsewhere. It said their activities were "contrary to the national-security or foreign-policy interests of the United States." Formally, the move imposes new licensing restrictions on U.S. companies that seek to do business with the blacklisted companies in Russia or elsewhere. The measures are considered less stringent than other U.S. sanction programs, such as better-known U.S. Treasury Department financial sanctions. Still, it is expected to have a dissuasive effect on firms that might otherwise do future business with the blacklisted entities. The blacklisted Russian facilities include the Defense Ministry's 33rd Central Research and Testing Institute, near Saratov, as well as the 48th Central Research Institute and its facilities in Yekaterinburg and Sergiyev Posad. Russian officials have said the 48th Central Research Institute has been collaborating with another civilian facility, the Gamaleya National Research Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology, in Russia's push to develop a coronavirus vaccine. The 48th Central Research Institute was where two groups of volunteers, including Russian enlisted personnel, received the first tests on humans in June under the Russian vaccine development program. Earlier this month, President Vladimir Putin announced that Russia had approved a vaccine. Putin claimed the vaccine was safe and effective. But Russia has not publicly released any data about its limited human tests. Medical experts have expressed skepticism and concern about Putin's claims because the Russian vaccine has not gone through crucial Phase III testing upon thousands of people -- a necessary step to ensure it is safe and effective for wide distribution. The Gamaleya National Research Center was not blacklisted. Russia's blacklisted civilian facility is the State Research Institute of Organic Chemistry and Technology. During the Soviet era, it was responsible for developing the military-grade nerve agent known as Novichok. Novichok was identified by British authorities as the toxin used in the 2018 near-fatal poisoning of Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia. Two Russian military intelligence agents were charged by British law enforcement with committing the attack. A British woman also died after she accidentally exposed herself to the toxin used in the poisoning attack against the Skripals. In a statement posted on the Facebook page of the Russian Embassy in Washington, Ambassador Anatoly Antonov rejected the allegations in the Commerce Department's blacklist announcement. "It seems confusing to us. Especially since no evidence were presented. Familiar vague terms are used such as 'there is a reasonable cause to believe,'" Antonov said. "We would like to receive some clarifications from our colleagues regarding these groundless allegations." Both the United States and Russia previously had some of the world's largest chemical-weapons arsenals, and both have been gradually destroying their remaining stocks, though experts say the process has been slow. The other foreign companies blacklisted by the Commerce Department are alleged to be involved in activities like illegally shipping U.S. aircraft parts to Iran, performing "unsafeguarded nuclear activities," and helping China build island structures in order to make territorial claims over disputed waters of the South China Sea. With reporting by Current Time In the midst of a pandemic when every sector was falling apart. The only sector that was left untouched was the IT sector. When everyone turned to their phones to pass their time we saw a surge in demand in the online sector. Many companies emerged as a force amid chaos and confusion and one such company was Creation Infoways. They are providing their customers with sure shot ways to market their brand in the new online era. Creation Infoways, a Delhi based IT company is emerging as a leading company in its sector by offering an array of services like website development, digital marketing solutions, SEO services, and a lot more. They help the brands market their products and services on the online platforms. Creation Infoways help to optimize the brands digital footprint and help them rank higher in Googles search results. They believe that every brand can use online platforms to market their products in a better way and help these new brands earn profit by online marketing. This company has become a leader in the market and they guarantee 100% client satisfaction and only earn profits when the brand represented by them earns them too. Creation Infoways value their clients investment and time and provide them services accordingly. They study the respective markets first and then build a strategy that is sure to work. They have a dedicated team of professionals who cover every aspect of the business and make sure that the brands they are representing rank higher on the search results. This company has a strong base and earns its reputation as a market leader by its customers centric approach. They drive results within a said time and only take profit when their brands earn it too. This is the approach that sets them apart from other companies. In a candid interview with the companys director, he reveals the secret of their company's success and gives valuable advice to the emerging startups. Lets dive in the excerpts of the interview to know more about their company When did you found this company? Mr. Satya- we found the company in 2007 as has been in the business ever since What sets you apart from the other companies in this sector? Mr. Satya- we have always focused on the clients needs. We listen to hear and then make the strategies to give the best results to the clients. We make the clients feel heard and help expand their business in the online market. This market is fairly new and its important that our clients know that we have their best interests at heart. We make sure to keep the communication channel open and we value constructive criticism. This is what sets us apart from the other companies. Who is your target Audience/clients? Mr. Satya- we dont target the audience and clients. We are here to serve every small, medium, and large business. We just want to help these businesses reach the target audience and optimize their digital footprint. Where is your venture based (city, state, country) & What are your geographical target areas? Mr. Satya- we are based in Delhi, but our services know no limit. We have served 2000+ globally since we started this company and we make sure to deliver results to our clients from all over the world. What problems does your venture resolve? What are your products or services? Mr. Satya- we offer services like website development and digital marketing. The world is shifting online and there are many companies that need help becoming a brand. We help them and we pt=rovide assistance to their companies to generate leads. What expansion plans are you looking for in the next 2 years, next 5 years? Mr. Satya- We dont think about that far future. I and my team want to work on the projects now and we just want to assist brands and deliver results. We live in the present. We are hoping for growth and we believe if we continue to work dedicatedly we will achieve it in the future. Anything, you would like to say to our readers or upcoming entrepreneurs? Mr. Satya- yes, I would like to address that for those of you who want to start a company make sure you have a blueprint for the upcoming future. Understand your vision and make sure you dont just have dedication but a clear mind as well to implement the plans you have made. (This is a featured content.) 2 p.m., Thursday President Donald Trump says he will visit the Gulf Coast this weekend to tour damage from one of the fiercest hurricanes to hit the United States. Trump said he would visit Texas and Louisiana on Saturday or Sunday to survey the destruction caused by Laura, which Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards said has killed at least four people. Laura slammed the Gulf Coast early Thursday and roared through Louisiana. The bulk of the damage was reported in Louisiana. The storm barreled over Lake Charles, Louisiana, an industrial and casino city of 80,000 people. Extensive property damage has been reported; a floating casino that came unmoored hit a bridge. Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf told Trump that the situation on the ground is fluid and challenging, but the Federal Emergency Management Agency is responding. The hurricanes top wind speed of 150 mph (241 kph) put it among the most powerful on record in the U.S. - LAKE CHARLES, La. Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards said state officials now know of four storm-related deaths tied to Hurricane Laura. The deaths were all caused by trees falling on residences, Edwards said. None were on the coast, having happened in Vernon, Jackson and Acadia parishes. Jackson is in north Louisiana, demonstrating the power of the storm, which made landfall as a Category 4 storm early Thursday, as it moved through the state. Edwards said the current priority is search and rescue, followed by efforts to find hotel or motel rooms for those who have lost their homes. Hotel rooms are needed because conventional communal shelters pose a risk for spreading the coronavirus. 12:30 p.m., Thursday Hurricane Laura has weakened to a tropical storm with maximum sustained winds of nearly 70 mph. Authorities say the storm is now 50 miles southeast of Shreveport. Flooding rainfall and damaging winds spread inland over central and northern Louisiana, where the storm made landfall eleven hours earlier as a Category 4 storm. Communities along the Gulf Coast experienced high water levels in the wake of Laura, the strongest storm to hit the U.S. this year. More than 700,000 people in Louisiana and Texas were without power Thursday afternoon, according to the website PowerOutage.Us, which tracks utility reports. National Weather Service officials said the remnants of Hurricane Laura could spawn tornadoes and cause flash flooding in parts of Arkansas and Tennessee. - WESTLAKE, La. Louisiana State Police say theyre responding to a chlorine leak at a company that makes chemicals along Interstate 10 just west of Lake Charles, La., which was hard-hit when Hurricane Laura slammed into the Gulf Coast early Thursday. Police say the leak is at the BioLab chemical manufacturing facility in Westlake. Residents in the area are being told to close their doors and windows, turn off their air conditioning and stay inside. Police say theyre working with plant managers to try and contain the leak. BioLabs Lake Charles plant was built in 1979 and manufactures trichloroisocyanuric acid, chlorinating granules and other chemicals used in such household cleaners as Comet bleach scrub and pool chlorine powder. Both trichloroisocyanuric acid and chlorine are potentially acutely toxic to people and animals if ingested or inhaled. Chlorine gas, which can appear in the air as a greenish yellow cloud, was used as a chemical weapon in World War 1. It is a potent irritant to the eyes, throat and lungs. - A Confederate general has fallen victim to Hurricane Laura. The Souths Defenders monument has stood since 1915 outside a courthouse in Lake Charles, Louisiana, where local authorities voted 10-4 this month to keep it in place. Critics call it a symbol of racism that glorifies slavery. But a Calcasieu Parish official said they asked for public comments, and got 878 written responses against relocating the monument, and only 67 in favor of moving it. Now the pedestal is empty, and the Confederate statue is in pieces on the ground, victim to a Category 4 hurricane that struck the city early Thursday. 11:15 a.m., Thursday A large chemical fire has sent a dangerous cloud over Lake Charles, Louisiana, hours after the eye of Hurricane Laura passed directly over the city. Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards says the fire was burning Thursday morning just outside the city, and hes advising storm survivors to shelter in place. Edwards tweeted that people in the Westlake/Moss Bluff/Sulphur area should close their windows and doors and turn off their air conditioning units. 10:45 a.m., Thursday President Donald Trump will get a briefing about Hurricane Laura Thursday at the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Trump will get an afternoon briefing after a noon roundtable with supporters at Trump International Hotel in Washington and before he makes his evening speech from the White House to accept the Republican Partys presidential nomination. White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said Trump has already been briefed by acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf and FEMA Administrator Peter Gaynor, and is getting regular updates about conditions on the ground. McEnany says Hurricane Laura remains a deadly hurricane with devastating coastal storm surges, destructive winds and flash flooding. She says Trump is committed to deploying federal resources to help those in distress and restore services to affected areas. 9:30 a.m., Thursday LAKE CHARLES, La. Early reports emerging in the wake of Hurricane Laura show less damage than what was feared. The eye passed directly over Lake Charles, where drone video shows roofs ripped off, exposing living rooms to the elements; trees downed and water overflowing the banks of coastal properties. But FEMA Administrator Peter Gaynor says the damage seems to be less than what they feared with Laura hitting the coast as a potentially catastrophic Category 4 hurricane early Thursday. Gaynor told ABCs Good Morning America that the surge turned out to be less than what was forecasted, but he expects significant wind damage to buildings once they do proper surveys of the disaster area. Louisiana State Police Maj. Doug Cain said they received a report that the Isle of Capris riverboat casino broke from its mooring and was stuck against the Interstate 10 bridge in Lake Charles. The casino says its Grand Palais riverboat houses 34 table games and more than 1,175 slot machines. Gov. John Bel Edwards said hes received report of the first fatality from Hurricane Laura in Louisiana, a 14-year-old girl who died when a tree fell on her home. The governors of Louisiana and Texas say search and rescue teams are still looking, but theyve found reports so far of widespread fatalities. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is crediting the evacuations of thousands of people for preventing deaths in Texas. Edwards says they are only beginning to assess the damage. Both governors say the storm surge appears to have been not as bad as they feared. Abbott said the hurricanes storm surge hit the east Texas communities of Port Arthur, Beaumont and Orange pretty hard overnight and the eye of the hurricane has continued to move about 100 miles north along the Texas-Louisiana state line. 8:10 a.m., Thursday Hurricane Laura pounded the Louisiana and Texas coasts as it made landfall near Cameron, Louisiana, as a Category 4 storm early Thursday, delivering a barrage of 150 mph winds and a surge of water that was predicted to reach as high as 20 feet. The storm weakened as it moved inland, but remained destructive with strong winds and heavy rain, and forecasters said it could spawn tornadoes. At 7 a.m. Central time, the storm was centered near Leesville, Louisiana, about 100 miles north of the Gulf Coast, with hurricane-force winds extending out 60 miles in all directions, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm was moving northward at 15 miles an hour, with maximum sustained winds of 100 mph. Videos on social media showed the storms winds causing catastrophic damage to buildings and vehicles in their path. In Lake Charles, Louisiana, gusts blew out dozens of windows in a high-rise building and ripped the top off a sky bridge, tipped an RV on its side, and downed power lines. The whistling winds mimicked the alarm-like sounds that could be heard inside buildings, and tore trees from the ground. In the Bolivar Peninsula, rocks shifted by the storm littered a highway as machine crews worked to clear the road Thursday morning. Utility companies reported that about 404,000 customers in Louisiana and another 104,000 in Texas were without power Thursday morning, according to PowerOutage.us. The full extent of damage will not be known until the winds die down, the storm surge recedes and residents and officials can survey the wreckage. 6:35 a.m., Thursday The National Hurricane Center says Laura has weakened to a Category 2 hurricane as it moves deeper inland over Louisiana. Thats no longer a major hurricane but it still has extremely dangerous maximum sustained winds of 110mph, nearly five hours after striking the coast and pushing what forecasters called an unsurvivable storm surge miles inland. Forecasters say its centered about 45 miles north-northwest of Lake Charles and moving north at 15 mph. Lauras eye hit a stretch of Louisiana near the Texas state line early Thursday as a Category 4. Authorities had ordered more than 580,000 coastal residents to evacuate, but not everyone did. Now they have to wait until conditions ease before attempting search and rescue missions and assessing the damage. 5:15 a.m., Thursday Hurricane Laura pounded the Gulf Coast for hours with ferocious wind, torrential rains and rising seawater as it roared ashore over southwestern Louisiana near the Texas border early Thursday, threatening the lives of people who didnt evacuate. Authorities had ordered coastal residents to get out, but not everyone did in an area that was devastated by Rita in 2005. Videos on social media showed Lauras winds battering a tall building in Lake Charles, blowing out windows as glass and debris flew to the ground. There are some people still in town and people are calling but there aint no way to get to them, Tony Guillory, president of the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury, said early Thursday morning over the phone as he hunkered down in a Lake Charles government building that was shaking from the storm. Guillory said he hopes stranded people can be rescued later Thursday but fears that blocked roads, downed power lines and flooding could get in the way. Officials said search missions and damage assessments would begin when conditions allow it. With more than 290,000 homes and businesses without power in the two states, near-constant lightning provided the only light for some. The National Hurricane Center said Laura intensified rapidly before plowing into land with sustained winds of 150 mph at 1 a.m. as a Category 4 hurricane near Cameron, a 400-person community about 30 miles east of the Texas border. Unsurvivable storm surge with large and destructive waves will cause catastrophic damage, forecasters warned. They said the storm surge could reach 15-20 feet in Port Arthur, and a stretch of Louisiana including Lake Charles. This surge could penetrate up to 40 miles inland from the immediate coastline, and flood waters will not fully recede for several days, the hurricane center said. Hours after landfall, Laura was still a Category 3 hurricane, with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph. Its center was past Lake Charles, moving north at about 15 mph, but with damaging winds that stretched over much of Louisiana and parts of eastern Texas. More than 580,000 coastal residents were under orders to flee in the largest evacuation since the coronavirus pandemic began and many did, filling hotels and sleeping in cars since officials didnt want to open mass shelters and worsen the spread of COVID-19. But in Cameron Parish, where Laura came ashore, officials said at least 150 people refused pleas to leave and planned to weather the storm in everything from elevated homes to recreational vehicles. The result could be deadly since forecasters said the parish could be completely covered by ocean water. Its a very sad situation, said Ashley Buller, assistant director of emergency preparedness. We did everything we could to encourage them to leave. Becky Clements, 56, didnt take chances; she evacuated from Lake Charles after hearing that it could take a direct hit. With memories of the destruction almost 15 years ago by Hurricane Rita, she and her family found an Airbnb hundreds of miles inland. The devastation afterward in our town and that whole corner of the state was just awful, Clements recalled Wednesday. Whole communities were washed away, never to exist again. Forecasters expected a weakened Laura to move northward through Louisiana and cause widespread flash flooding in states far from the coast. After turning eastward and reaching the Atlantic Ocean, it could again become a tropical storm and threaten the Northeast. Laura hit the U.S. after killing nearly two dozen people on the island of Hispaniola, including 20 in Haiti and three in the Dominican Republic, where it knocked out power and caused intense flooding. Laura was the seventh named storm to strike the U.S. this year, setting a new record for U.S. landfalls by the end of August. The old record was six in 1886 and 1916, according to Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach. 4:20 a.m., Thursday LAKE CHARLES, La. Videos on social media show heavy winds and rain battering a tall building in Lake Charles, Louisiana, blowing out windows and littering glass and debris into the air and onto the ground as Hurricane Laura moves over southwestern Louisiana. The damage was observed in Lake Charles, which is about 45 miles north of where the storm made landfall in Cameron early Thursday. Other videos from the area show road signs bending, trees shaking violently and a large recreational vehicle being blown over. More than 290,000 homes and businesses were without power in Texas and Louisiana, as near-constant lightning provided the only light for some. Officials say search and rescue missions will begin as soon as conditions allow, along with damage assessments. BATON ROUGE, La. Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said the state is closing Interstate 10 from around the Atchafalaya Bridge outside of Lafayette all the way into part of Texas, because several stretches within that area are expected to flood. In a radio interview Wednesday night, Edwards talked of the apocalyptic language that meteorologists have used for the storm. The language Ive heard from the National Weather Service Ive never heard before Theyre sending the strongest possible message about how serious this storm is, he said. He talked specifically about concerns in Cameron Parish, which could receive wind gusts up to 180 mph (290 kph) and storm surge up to 20 feet (6 meters.) When people built back after Rita, they routinely built back to 15 feet, Edwards said. He noted those structures would be overwhelmed. Edwards said search and rescue efforts will begin Thursday as soon as its safe enough for officials to go out into floodwaters. CAMERON PARISH, La. At least 150 people refused to evacuate a coastal Louisiana parish that could be covered by ocean water as Hurricane Laura makes landfall, officials said. Officers went door-to-door in Cameron Parish urging the roughly 7,000 residents to get out before Laura struck, and they all used social media and phone calls to warn people of the danger. But Ashley Buller, assistant director of the parish Office of Emergency Preparedness, said officials knew of about 150 people who decided to stay put in structures ranging from seemingly safe elevated homes to recreational vehicles, which could easily be swept away by rushing storm surge. Its a very sad situation, Buller said in a telephone interview from Lake Charles, where parish officials relocated from an office closer to the coast in Cameron. We did everything we could to encourage them to leave. Forecasters said Gulf waters could rise 20 feet along the coast of the low-lying parish without adding the height of waves, meaning the entire parish could be inundated. Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said: Theyre thinking Cameron Parish is going to look like an extension of the Gulf of Mexico for a couple of days. Cancer Research UK and the US National Cancer Institute , are uniting to define a new era in cancer research and discovery The two largest funders of cancer research in the world are set to make radical progress against cancer with a new scientific partnership, uniting researchers from around the world to tackle cancer's greatest challenges. Cancer Research UK - the world's largest independent cancer research charity - and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) - the U.S. federal government's principal agency for cancer research and training - have announced today that they are the founding partners of the Cancer Grand Challenges initiative, which will target the growing global cancer burden by addressing critical roadblocks in research. This new partnership brings the Cancer Grand Challenges investment to $550 million (426M). Cancer Research UK and NCI expect to co-fund approximately four awards for each round of Cancer Grand Challenges, with each multidisciplinary team being awarded approximately $25 million (20M) over five years - one of the largest awards in the world for cancer research. According to the World Health Organisation, cancer is the second leading cause of death around the world and growing all the time. In 2018, cancer claimed 9.6 million lives, accounting for 1 in 6 deaths worldwide*. This growing universal cancer burden exerts tremendous physical, emotional and financial strain on individuals, families, communities and healthcare systems. As the world continues to deal with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the pivotal role that science plays in solving worldwide public health challenges has become ever more apparent. Cancer Grand Challenges is a unique international platform and marks a significant 'gear shift' in efforts to confront the ever-growing global cancer burden. Cancer Research UK and NCI aim to galvanise the research community across the globe, asking them to think creatively and to act more boldly than ever before to radically speed up progress against cancer. The scale of the initiative will empower researchers to make transformative leaps rather than incremental advances. Nobel Laureate Sir Paul Nurse, Chair of the Cancer Grand Challenges Scientific Committee, said: "Having worked much of my life carrying out research related to cancer, I have seen the great progress we've made, but there is still a mountain of work left to do". "We need to take our understanding of cancer up a gear. Cancer Grand Challenges will allow the global research community to work in synergy together to make the advances that patients around the world need. "Cancer Grand Challenges is a platform that brings together governments, philanthropists, foundations and charities to take on the huge challenge of cancer, making it easier to put in place a united and international approach, supporting researchers who can make a difference for patients in the future." As part of the Cancer Grand Challenges launch, Cancer Research UK and NCI will set a selection of challenges for the global research community, addressing some of the biggest questions in the field. The process to determine these questions began in 2019 with a series of international workshops involving thought leaders from the cancer research community and people affected by cancer, who provided input to Cancer Research UK. As funding partners, Cancer Research UK and NCI are reviewing the most compelling ideas to make a final selection, which will be announced in October 2020. Michelle Mitchell, Cancer Research UK's chief executive, said: "For people affected by cancer, progress can't come quickly enough. Too many lives are cut short by the disease. We're still facing major barriers to the breakthroughs that are sorely needed, and the scale of the challenge must be matched by our ambition and commitment. "COVID-19 has delayed progress and impacted cancer patients everywhere, so it's even more important for researchers to come together to tackle problems that are too big for any one institution and country. Our partnership with NCI on Cancer Grand Challenges will unlock the possibility for our finest researchers to think beyond their most ambitious projects, free from the constraints of traditional incremental funding streams. But our collaboration is more than the sum of our investment. It's an aspiration to build a global interchange of talent, bold ideas and resources to spark new and creative approaches to cancer research and transform diagnosis, prevention and treatment for cancer patients across the world." Ned Sharpless M.D., Director of the National Cancer Institute, said: "This new partnership leverages the expertise of the world's leading funders of cancer research in a bold effort to identify and pursue innovative ideas that address major challenges in understanding cancer. We're thrilled to join Cancer Research UK in this unique collaboration to support novel cancer research on a global scale." Cancer Grand Challenges is an evolution of Cancer Research UK's Grand Challenge initiative, through which 7 teams have already been funded since 2017. Teams are tackling a range of challenges, which includes building 3D tumors that can be explored through virtual reality, allowing multiple doctors and scientists to look at the tumor at the same time so they can diagnose and treat patients better. Another team is addressing the challenge of improving cancer treatment responses by manipulating the trillions of microbes found in our gut, collectively known as the microbiome. The team have recently uncovered a link between E.coli - a common gut bacteria - and bowel cancer, a connection which has never been made before. The success of the initiative has attracted the support from other drivers of cancer research, such as the Mark Foundation for Cancer Research and the Dutch Cancer Society who have each co-funded a Grand Challenge award. Professor Wendy Garrett, Cancer Grand Challenges team co-lead at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, US, said: "To do the most exciting and innovative research that ultimately has the power to do the most good, you have to take big risks, and this is what Cancer Grand Challenges is all about. "We're already seeing this approach paying off in our first year, with the discovery of a direct link between bacteria in our microbiome and DNA damage found in bowel cancers. It is my hope that together, our global team of cancer biologists, microbiologists and immunologists will build on this success and help drive new prevention strategies for bowel cancer." Candace Henley, Cancer Grand Challenges patient advocate, said: "It is a privilege to be able to share my experience as a patient. Having a gene mutation is almost like having a ticking time-bomb, you don't know when that bomb's going to go off again. So, this research is imperative to the future not just for me, but for my children and my grandchildren. "I've learned so much from discussing the project's progress with the researchers and helping them prepare information for the patients in their studies. It's wonderful to be able to share in, and celebrate their achievements and hopefully, we also help remind them that the work they are doing is not just numbers - it's saving someone's life." ENDS Notes to editor: * World Health Organisation. ** World Health Organisation. Cancer in Children. Accessed February 2020. ### Western Australia's Health Department has dismissed concerns that hospitals would be unable to cope with a second wave of coronavirus, saying emergency departments were equipped with trained staff and patients were being triaged from ambulances quicker than previous years. The Australian Medical Association of WA pointed to 128 junior doctor shortages, a lack of high-grade PPE and ambulance "ramping" as signs that the state would not be able to cope any better than Victoria should the virus return. Ambulance ramping at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, which was one of the worst performers for transferring patients into its ED. Credit:Lauren Pilat The time ambulances spent being forced to wait longer than 30 minutes outside Perth hospitals reached 2000 hours for the month of August, which is rapidly approaching last year's record ramping levels of 2700 hours with a week to go. St John Ambulance medical director Dr Paul Bailey warned "the WA health system could be facing even bigger threats than the virus itself", given the strain hospitals were already under after the lull of the lockdown. JACKSON COUNTY, Mississippi -- Mississippi continues to lead the nation in new cases of COVID-19 per capita, per day, but Thursdays update from the state health department showed improvement, while state officials note the number of cases requiring hospitalization has continued to decrease. Thursdays report from the Mississippi Department of Health showed 585 new cases statewide, down from the 904 reported Wednesday and 801 on Tuesday. There were 26 deaths reported after a record 67 were reported Tuesday and another 58 on Wednesday. The news was also better locally. After 10 deaths were reported Tuesday and Wednesday, there were no new deaths along the Mississippi coast reported Thursday. Jackson County had 18 new cases, down from 55 and 49, respectively, the previous two days. The county now totals 2,897 cases and 59 deaths. Harrison County also saw a significant decrease, with only 16 new cases reported, after 97 had been reported over the previous two days. Harrison County now totals 3,158 cases and 53 deaths. Hancock County had six new cases reported Thursday and totals 466 cases and 18 deaths. Thursdays update left the Mississippi coast totaling 6,503 cases, or 8.1 percent of the state total, and 130 deaths, 5.5 percent of the statewide number. This week, the MDH began reporting COVID-19 outbreaks in schools, broken down by county. In Jackson County, 83 students and 33 faculty/staff members have tested positive for the coronavirus. An additional 242 students and 23 faculty/staff have been quarantined due to exposure from the virus between Aug. 17-21. Statewide, 533 students have tested positive for COVID-19, with 364 faculty/staff testing positive. Nearly 4,000 Mississippi students have been quarantined as a result of exposure. State officials noted this week Mississippis hospitalizations for COVID-19 continue to decrease. The number of patients hospitalized with coronavirus in Mississippi peaked this month at 978 on Aug. 7. On Aug. 25, some 730 patients were hospitalized, or more than 200 fewer. We do continue to see trends in decreasing hospitalizations -- certainly, all good trends, but we want to keep them that way, Mississippis State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs said this week. Im worried about our future obviously, and want to make sure we keep up the gains. Thursdays update also reported nearly 11,000 more Mississippians had been tested for COVID-19 over the previous 48 hours, bringing the total number tested to 602,961 -- 20.3 percent of the states population of 2.97 million -- with a positive rate of 13.3 percent. The Associated Press contributed to this report. HARRISBURG The COVID-19 pandemic has left its mark on every aspect of our world. There is practically no area of our economy, our healthy communities and our family lives, which havent been affected, in some way, by this novel coronavirus. From unemployment to business closures, not to mention unprecedented illness and death, our lives have been changed forever. While each of us tries to navigate the current circumstances, trying to figure out what the phrase new normal really means is becoming more and more challenging as the days go by. Where we thought we might be months ago is almost certainly not where we are today. The fiscal situation in the state will have a lasting, devastating effect on Pennsylvanias economy. Many constituents argue the only thing that matters is health care; frankly I agree that health care is extremely important, but it must be considered equally with the economy, and the reasons are simple. We can debate whether the primary area of economic concern is taverns, restaurants, construction, personal care services, gymnasiums, etc. But so long as there is any one part of our economy debilitated, then we will all suffer. Why? Most of us, whether we realize it or not, rely on government services federal, state, county and municipal. There is a roll-up effect on government revenues when the economy is stifled. These services include K-12 education, community colleges, state-supported and state-related colleges; roads and bridges construction and improvement; road services such as repairs and snow removal; mass transit; Medicaid; Medicare; fire services; emergency medical services; law enforcement; unemployment compensation; human services; mental health services; and the list goes on. All of these services rely on government funding. When the economy is stifled, tax revenues are reduced, and thus government services will inevitably be affected. And the effect will not be once and done. Further, its unlikely that even after the economy fully recovers, the commonwealth will be able to realize a $5 billion windfall, so that deficit will remain embedded in the budget into future years. Similarly, Pennsylvania and our 67 counties, 500 school districts, and 3,200 or so municipalities will feel the negative impact from this shortage of revenues. It is very unlikely our economy will recover substantially for years to come and spending will thus be impacted. Unfortunately, with the governor constantly moving the goalposts on what should be the benchmark on this return to life as we knew it, the long-lasting effects of this continued isolation and shutdown are far and wide, from increases in mental health needs, unemployment and business closures surely continuing by the day, the overall health of our commonwealth is at stake. Part of our duty as lawmakers is to look to the future and decide how we can best provide for our constituents. Deciding how to do that post-COVID-19 will surely be difficult. Based on this continued assault on our economy, the financial picture for our future is not good. For example, Pennsylvania ended the 2019-20 fiscal year roughly $3 billion short of projections, meaning we took in significantly less than we committed to spend. Coming together to pass a short-term budget at the end of May allowed us to flat fund government for several months, but the daunting task of determining spending past November will shortly be upon us, and not in a promising way current projections have the 2020-21 fiscal year on track to be short about $5 billion. To put that in context, the Great Recession only brought deficits of around $2-$3 billion. I continue to believe our economy can heal faster if the administration takes a dual track to managing the health care aspects on an equal footing with our economic considerations. The longer the economic recovery is delayed the more deeply its effects will be felt by each of us. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 27) Interior Secretary Eduardo Ano has endorsed three names to President Duterte to become the successor of Philippine National Police (PNP) chief General Archie Gamboa. Gamboa is set to retire on Sept. 3 as he turns 56 the mandatory age of retirement for uniformed personnel. But unlike his previous endorsement to President Duterte, the Interior chief refused to disclose their names, even ranks. Ano also sits as the chairperson of the National Police Commission (NAPOLCOM), the policy-making body of the PNP "I submitted three names to the President," Ano told CNN Philippines in a text message. "I cannot reveal the names and ranks. The President may choose from the list or he has also the discretion to appoint anyone from all the generals of the PNP." Based on rules, the President, upon the recommendation of the NAPOLCOM, may choose among the roster of "the most senior and qualified officers in the service." This means police officers with at least one star rank may be chosen as PNP chief. Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said the President has not yet chosen who will be the next to lead the police, but expects an announcement "in due time." In 2016, President Duterte appointed then chief superintendent (one star rank) now Senator Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa as PNP chief and became the poster boy of the government's bloody war on drugs. Currently, the most senior officers in the PNP are: Deputy Chief for Administration PLtGen. Camilo Cascolan, a member of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) 'Sinagtala' Class of 1986. Gamboa, and former PNP chiefs Dela Rosa and Oscar Albayalde are also from this class. Cascolan is set to retire in November. Deputy Chief for Operations PLtGen. Guillermo Eleazar who's from PMA 'Hinirang' Class of 1987. Eleazar will reach the mandatory retirement age of 56 in November 2021. Directorial Staff Chief PLtGen. Cesar Hawthorne Binag, also from PMA Class '87. He is expected to serve the PNP until April 2021. Meanwhile, sources told CNN Philippines that the names of the following officers are also being floated as potential successor to Gamboa: Metro Manila Police chief PMGen. Debold Sinas, who is set to retire in May 2021. Directorate for Operations chief PMGen. Emmanuel Licup, who is retiring in April 2021. Region 4-A (CALABARZON) Police chief PBGen. Vicente Danao, the youngest among the supposed contenders, who still has two years in the police service, as he is retireable in August 2022. Term extension for Gamboa? Ano is not dismissing the possibility of term extension for outgoing PNP Chief Gamboa. "It's also a possibility or an option of the President considering we are under a pandemic," he said. "Again, its in the hands of the President." The PNP Law allows term extension of a PNP chief "...in times of war or other national emergency declared by Congress." In 2018, Duterte extended the term of then PNP chief Dela Rosa. He was supposed to retire in January 2018 but was extended for three more months. In May 2018, he was officially appointed as head of the Bureau of Corrections. CNN Philippines sought Gamboa for reaction but he has yet to respond. Gamboa declined to comment when asked about his possible successor early this month. He served as officer-in-charge of the PNP when an embattled Albayalde stepped down in November 2019 as he faced controversies on his alleged involvement in illegal drug trade. In January 2020, President Duterte appointed Gamboa as permanent chief of the PNP. Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 19:15:10|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HANGZHOU, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Yao Jinqi, a former deputy head of Xinchang County in east China's Zhejiang Province, was sentenced to six years in prison and fined 3 million yuan (about 436,000 U.S. dollars) on Thursday for taking bribes. The illicit gains he received in the form of bribes, and any interest arising from these shall be recovered by law, said the trial verdict of the Intermediate People's Court of Shaoxing in Zhejiang. Yao, who fled abroad in 2005 and was extradited to China from Bulgaria in 2018, was the first former civil servant China extradited from a European Union member state. It was also the first successful extradition case since China's National Supervisory Commission was established in March 2018. The court found out that from 1991 to 2005, Yao took advantage of his various posts in Xinchang to benefit certain institutions and individuals in business operations, cash flow difficulties, development of projects, and others. In return, Yao accepted money and valuables worth over 52.2 million yuan, either personally or through others, according to the verdict. Yao was given a lenient punishment since he voluntarily returned to China to be investigated, actively cooperated with the extradition, confessed to his crimes, reported the crimes of others, and surrendered his illicit gains, said the court. Enditem A ll mink fur farms in the Netherlands have been ordered to close by March next year after animals at dozens of locations contracted coronavirus. An estimated two million of the ferret-like animals, which are bred for their fur, have been culled across the country since April, according to animal welfare NGO Humane Society International (HSI). The Netherlands had already intended to shut down its entire mink breeding industry by 2024, but decided to bring forward the closures to next year following Covid-19 outbreaks on 41 fur farms. Scientists are now investigating whether the small animals can not only contract the disease from people, but also spread them back to other humans, after a number of farm employees contracted the virus. In Spain, an outbreak at a farm near the village of La Puebla de Valverde led to the slaughter of almost 100,000 mink after around 90 per cent of the animals were found to be infected, along with seven staff members. Last month, HSI said infection risks, and the conditions in which mink are bred, meant immediate action to end fur farming was needed. The NGO's public affairs director, Dr Joanna Swabe, described fur farms as potential reservoirs for coronavirusess which are also inherently cruel. All dutch mink fur farms are to be shut down permanently by March 2021 / AP Responding to the Dutch Governments announcement to close all fur farms within the next six months, Dr Swabe said in a statement: We commend the government on its decision to end this incredibly cruel and completely unnecessary industry and protect citizens. With 41 fur farms and an estimated two million mink now having been infected, the risk of keeping these virus reservoirs operating, is far too great. Over the past weeks, the Dutch government has failed to act as infection numbers rose. Without this early termination of fur farming, up to 13.5 million more animals would be forced to suffer short and miserable lives solely to supply the fickle fashion industry. It is a sick industry both literally and figuratively. There has never been a more compelling time for the Netherlands to shut down this industry for good. The government has set aside around 161 million (180 million) to compensate farmers, Dutch news agency ANP reported. The Netherlands currently exports around 80 million worth of fur each year for use in China and across the world, according to the Dutch Federation of Pelt Farmers. The country had roughly 900,000 mink at 130 farms, Statistics Netherlands data said. She enjoyed going make-up free and showcasing her natural beauty during her recent family getaway to Greece. But on Wednesday, Jacqueline Jossa, 27, oozed glamour in a sleek wig and flawless make-up during a photoshoot for an upcoming project, as husband Dan Osborne, 29, branded her his 'special wife.' The former EastEnders actress took to Instagram to share a sultry selfie of herself at the photoshoot following her stunning transformation. Wow! On Wednesday, Jacqueline Jossa, 27, oozed glamour in a sleek Carl Bembridge wig and flawless make-up during a photoshoot for an upcoming project Jacqueline was given a glam makeover by celebrity hairstylist and wigmaker Carl Bembridge and make-up artist to the stars Krystal Dawn. The soap star was fitted with the straight ash caramel Kyra wig from Carl's own brand of luxe lace-front fibre wigs. Krystal gave Jac a flawless glow, and focused attention to her eyes with smokey bronze hues, a cat flick and fluttery lashes. The reality star was dressed in a pink Victoria's Secret gown, which had been selected for her by stylists Kelvin Barron and Jessie Stein. Family man: After her photoshoot, husband Dan Osborne, 29, branded her his 'special wife' and shared a sweet photograph of himself with their youngest daughter Mia, two Jac was fitted with the straight ash caramel Kyra wig from Carl's own brand of luxe lace-front fibre wigs. The Queen Of The Jungle captioned the snap: 'Today was special' and shared a behind-the-scenes snap to her Instagram Stories. Following her photoshoot, Jacqueline revealed that Dan had gifted his family with bespoke bars of Cadbury's Dairy Milk, with the wrapper on Jac's bar reading: 'Special wife.' The bars for their girls - Ella, five, and Mia, two - read 'daughter,' and Dan's little boy Teddy, six - from a previous relationship - had a bar with 'son' written on the packaging. Stunning: Wearing a cow print cami, Jac posed while her make-up artist Krystal Dawn took photographs of another look during the photoshoot Cute! Following her photoshoot, Jacqueline revealed that Dan had gifted his family with bespoke bars of Cadbury's Dairy Milk, with the wrapper on Jac's bar reading: 'Special wife' The father-of-three also shared a sweet photograph of himself with their youngest daughter, and begged her not to grow up. He captioned the adorable photograph: 'You have no idea how special you really are. pleeeeease dont grow up any more!' The couple have looked happier than ever recently after defending their marriage in recent weeks. Earlier this month Jacqueline took to Instagram to make another public statement about her marriage to Dan. Gorgeous girl: Dan captioned the adorable photograph of Mia: 'You have no idea how special you really are. pleeeeease dont grow up any more!' Sharing a loved-up snap of them laughing together, the star captioned the image with the words: 'No one needs to understand but us.' The couple have had their share of ups and downs with allegations of cheating on Dan's part since they married in 2017. Dan later admitted he had in fact been unfaithful to Jacqueline and that she had forgiven him for his past indiscretions. The reality star also let rip on social media about his marriage in a foul-mouthed rant after a fan questioned why Jacqueline stays with him. Loved-up: Jacqueline enjoyed going make-up free and showcasing her natural beauty during her recent family getaway to Greece He wrote: 'Because we love each other, have a beautiful family, I'm a good husband, good dad to our kids, we get on well, laugh together, super attracted to each other 'Any more reasons you need? You didn't know none of that, eh? That's because you do not f***ing know me, or my wife, or us as a couple lol. 'So concentrate on your own life and you (sic) clearly never been taught to not be rude, especially to people you don't even know. Hope you've learnt something from this.' The response stemmed from a post Jacqueline shared the previous day of herself and husband Dan, urging him to 'hurry home please' amid his Turkey trip. Uttar Pradeshs health and family welfare department will conduct its first serological survey, also called sero survey, in the state to determine the prevalence of coronavirus infection among people. The survey will begin from Friday (August 28) across 12 districts of the state. The districts include Bareilly, Meerut, Lucknow, Kanpur, Varanasi, Gorakhpur, Kaushambi, Prayagraj, Moradabad, Ghaziabad, Baghpat and Agra. Additional chief secretary, health and family welfare, Amit Mohan Prasad said the state health department, in coordination with King Georges Medical University (KGMU), had decided to carry out the survey. Chief medical officers (CMOs) of these districts were directed to constitute teams to collect samples and send them to laboratories for test, Prasad said. The report of the survey is likely to be released in September, he added. The sero survey also involves testing of blood serum of a group of individuals to determine the presence of antibodies against the Sars-CoV-2 infection. Dr Sudhir Singh, spokesperson for KGMU, said, Our lab is ready for the sero survey testing. As soon as we start getting the samples, we will start testing. KGMU in Lucknow has been chosen by the health department for conducting tests of the samples collected from different districts, including the state capital, he said. We have been testing samples for Covid-19 on RT-PCR machines and the lab has been functioning here in the microbiology department since March. The staff is trained and equipment are ready, Dr Singh said. Also read: As Covid-19 cases cross 24 million globally, a look at 5 much-awaited vaccines Meanwhile, a separate sero survey is being conducted by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) across seven east and west UP districts, including Balrampur, Gonda, Mau, Unnao, Auraiya, Saharanpur and Gautam Buddh Nagar. An ICMR officer said, The sero survey by different teams of the premier institute in seven districts of UP is part of the nationwide surveillance. The collection of samples in these districts was completed on August 24 and the samples have been sent to laboratories for test. The data will be released by National Institute of Epidemiology, Chennai in mid-September, he said. Earlier in May, the ICMR had conducted the sero survey in nine district - Amroha, Saharanpur, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Bareilly, Balrampur, Mau, Auriaya, Gonda and Unnao. Merely a percent of the population in the nine districts had the evidence of past exposure to Sars-CoV-2. Previously, a sero survey was conducted during the lockdown when strict containment measures were in place to check the spread of the coronavirus infection. The second survey was conducted during the Unlock-3 phase when the central, as well as the state government, relaxed several restrictions, an ICMR officer said. Several activities have restarted. There is a large intra-state movement of people as well as across the state. The data of Covid-19 infection released by the state government clearly shows that there has been a spike in the infection in the urban hubs of Uttar Pradesh. The second sero survey conducted in Delhi found that 29.1 percent of the population has developed antibodies against Covid -19, the officer added. Also read: Health Ministry advises Covid screening for all TB patients and vice versa The second sero survey conducted by the ICMR in UP will give a clear picture of the spread of infection in UP, the officer added. A state health department official said while the ICMR was conducting the survey in the districts with a large rural population, the state health department was carrying out the survey in urban hubs of UP where the maximum spread of the infection was being reported. The sero surveys by the ICMR and the UP government will give an insight into the extent of Covid-19 infection. The state government can amend its containment plan accordingly, he said. It will be the first serological survey in Prayagraj and Kaushmabi districts covering 45 locations each, including randomly selected villages and municipal corporation wards under various local bodies and development blocks in these two districts. The exercise is aimed at testing a random section of the population for antibodies against the virus that causes the Covid-19 disease. The officials plan to collect around 1,500 samples from each of the two districts during the survey. The 45 different villages/wards in Prayagraj have an overall population of around 24,986 persons, while those in Kaushambi have a population of around 16,076 as per the 2011 census. The health department is likely to launch a sero survey of 3,240 people in Meerut, Baghpat and Ghaziabad districts of western Uttar Pradesh on Friday, the officials said. Divisional surveillance officer Dr Ashok Taliyan explained the survey would help in knowing how many people had developed antibodies to the Sars-Cov-2 pathogen. He said the authorities in Lucknow had sent a list of 45 areas in each district selected for the survey. These areas have been divided into four parts. The survey would focus on six houses (families) in each part. Samples of 24 people (ageing between 19 to 59 years) would be collected from each part. A total of 1,080 samples would be collected in each district and the total number of samples for the three districts would be 3,240 samples. In Meerut division, thirty-three teams of medical officers and other staff have been constituted for the survey in the three districts. Thirteen teams in Meerut and ten teams each in Bagpat and Ghaziabad have been constituted for the survey. Dr Taliyan said the number of teams was likely to go up in Ghaziabad because it was a bigger district. Each team will comprise a medical officer, a lab technician, a lab assistant, an ANM (auxiliary nurse midwife) and Asha worker (accredited social health activist) of the area. These three districts have so far reported 11,689 Covid-19 cases and 193 deaths. There are 1,888 active cases now. Baghpat has reported 828 Covid-19 cases and 16 deaths, Meerut has 3,464 cases and 110 deaths while Ghaziabad has reported 7,397 positive cases and 67 fatalities. In Agra, 40 members, including 10 doctors, are being selected for the survey. Ten teams having four members each will be assigned the task. Chief medical officer (CMO) Dr RC Pandey said, each team will have a doctor, a lab technician, an Asha (accredited social health activist) worker and an ANM (auxiliary nurse midwife). These 40 members would be trained by ICMR representatives after they reach Agra. The survey would be conducted as per the guidelines laid down by the ICMR, Dr Pandey said. According to him, there are 45 locations which the team would visit for the survey in both rural and urban areas. Varanasi is also geared up for sero survey. Ten teams have been constituted for the survey here, chief medical officer Dr VB Singh said. The sero survey is part of a larger statewide exercise. It is expected to begin on August 28 to assess the extent of spread of the coronavirus infection among the population of the district. It will also gauge the percentage of the population that has developed antibodies against the disease. Blood samples of the people in the age bracket of 18 and 59 years will be taken from various localities that will be randomly selected by the health teams. These teams will collect 240 samples from 10 different areas of the district and send them to Lucknow for examination. Dr Singh said preparations for the survey had been completed. The travel history, occupation and age of people whose blood samples will be taken will also be recorded during the survey. The findings from the survey would help develop plans for prevention of Covid-19 and its spread across the state. Blood samples of 24 people from six houses four persons each from a house will be taken. The Green Party of Canadas Peterborough-Kawartha riding assocation held a meeting Wednesday afternoon at the Silver Bean Cafe in Millennium Park in Peterborough to discuss the nine candidates in the leadership race to replace Elizabeth May, who stepped down as the partys federal leader after last Octobers federal election. The party will choose a new leader Oct. 4. Online voting begins Sept. 26 and closes Oct. 3. Members must be signed up by Sept. 3 to vote. Thursday is the last day to request a mail-in ballot. The nine candidates are Glen Murray, Dmitri Lascaris, Annamie Paul, David Merner, Amita Kuttner, Meryam Haddad, Judy N. Green, Andrew West and Courtney Howard. ***** Green Party leadership contenders seek to woo youth Alastair Sharp Local Journalism Initiative Reporter National Observer Green Party contenders to the crown of Elizabeth May sought to woo the youth vote on Sunday as Canadas federal Conservatives prepared to announce their new leader ahead of a possible snap election. The choice was stark in a crowded field of nine Green Party of Canada candidates; keep on the path of moderation that garnered three seats last time around (the partys best ever election result), or make a bold move to set itself apart from bigger parties that have embraced aspects of its founding environmentalism amid a climate emergency. On one end of the spectrum, Dimitri Lascaris proposes the party shift to the left after a decade of centrist policies, saying he joined the party after concluding that the current economic system is a primary cause of climate inaction. Its an inhumane system, an extractive and unequal economic system that has concentrated unimaginable wealth in the hands of the few, he said, noting that as leader he would propose a 100 per cent tax on income over a certain, unspecified level. Conversely, Andrew West argued the party had great policies and should present itself as a moderate option in order to make further electoral gains. Ive been running on a moderate plan, one that prioritizes our great progressive policies but frames them in a way that is fiscally responsible, West said, noting he wanted to leave future generations with an inhabitable planet while avoiding insurmountable debt. The candidates were responding to some of the more than 150 questions young people submitted to the partys youth council, including about how each of them planned to rebuild the economy in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The distance between the positions of Lascaris and West demonstrated a party at a turning point as it looks to replace May, who stepped down last November after 13 years at the helm. Several other candidates called out the party for having ignored the voices of youth, who had taken to the streets in massive numbers prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and should be natural allies of the environmentalist party. We have to recognize that for so long this party has been terrible to youth, said Amita Kuttner, one of the younger candidates in the race. Its about being a party and a movement where youth are an integral part of everything, Kuttner said. In an otherwise fairly collegial debate organised by the partys youth council, Kuttner called out another candidate, David Merner, for having run a youth engagement program that estranged some participants. Im sorry David but I know that on your campaign people were hurt and people came away from it not wanting to be in politics anymore, said Kuttner, who identifies as non-binary and uses they/them pronouns. Merner acknowledged the youth-run program had some problems and said the campaign has learned from the experience. For me personally, being queer, being trans, being racialized, none of that has been easy, Kuttner said, calling for the party to work harder to be inclusive. I not only know the experience of being ignored and tokenised for being young, but the racism, misogyny, homophobia and transphobia that have all shown up in my face, they said. This is why we fight. Annamie Paul said young people involved in her campaign complained of being ghettoised within the party and struggling to be heard. Young people are leaders, and if you open the door even a tiny bit theyre really going to rush in because they have a hunger and a stake in the future, she said, arguing that more diversity leads to more equitable policy. If you have more women, more youth, more people of colour, more marginalised people at the table its much less likely that they get forgotten when youre creating policy, she said. Judy N Green suggested a mentorship program to better integrate the young wing with the rest of the party. She also called for free post-secondary tuition and student debt forgiveness, as well as support to help young people get involved in regenerative agriculture. Courtney Howard, a medical doctor, argued that companies get in the way of evidence-based policy and proposed a one-to-one ratio of nonprofits and corporations in federal lobbying. Unsurprisingly, all the candidates agreed on the need for urgent action to confront the climate crisis, and all also embraced the partys push for a universal basic income as a way to tackle growing inequality. Glen Murray, Ontarios former environment minister, put more meats on the bones of that idea, saying he had a policy ready to go that would eliminate 80 per cent of Canadian poverty within three months. Lascaris and Meryam Haddad meanwhile pushed beyond basic income, arguing that Ottawa should guarantee everyone a job, and Merner said he would revive an old idea to build an east-to-west electricity grid, which he said would be the largest job creation project in Canadian history. People aged 14 years or older who wish to vote in the Green leadership contest have until Sept. 3 to become a member in good standing. Online voting opens on Sept. 26 and closes Oct. 3. The Green Party debate comes as the Conservatives prepared to unveil the leader who will take them into the next election following the resignation of Andrew Scheer in the wake of his 2019 defeat. The next election could come sooner than the Greens (and even the Conservatives) might like, after the Liberal minority government prorogued Parliament earlier this month. That means they will seek to reset their priorities and will need to win the confidence of the House next month to avoid a snap election. Kuttner implored young people to ignore anyone telling them to wait their turn or that they are not ready to get involved. We have been forged in the fires that are burning our world, they said. This is our movement, this is our party, and this is our moment. Back in May, Dr. Scott Halperin was feeling optimistic about Canadas first set of clinical trials for a potential coronavirus vaccine. Today, Halperin is disappointed and frustrated, as Chinas reluctance to approve the shipment of the candidate vaccine to Canada has set the search for a usable vaccine in this country back months. The trials had been set to take place at the Canadian Centre for Vaccinology (CCfV) at Dalhousie University in Halifax, where Halperin is the director. The candidate vaccine could have been the first available for use in Canada, and one of the first few available worldwide. The company Halperin had been collaborating with, CanSino Biologics, Inc., based in Tianjin, China, had already begun clinical trials on the candidate vaccine, with promising results, shortening the trial process for CCfV. When the trials were announced in May, messages came flooding in to the centre from people across Canada eager to volunteer as subjects. With all Health Canada approvals in place, CCfV only needed samples to begin its work. But at a time of strained diplomatic relations between Canada and China, the latter has thus far withheld approval for CanSino to ship those samples. And with vaccine research moving at a breakneck pace, the National Research Council (NRC) which had a partnership with CanSino to develop the vaccine has decided to cut bait and move on to more likely candidates. That means the availability of a first coronavirus vaccine has been delayed by several months, Halperin said Thursday. Thats frustrating, obviously, because we were doing the study for a purpose, which was to accelerate the availability of a vaccine in Canada, said Halperin. (The) CanSino vaccine is one of the ones thats further along in terms of its readiness, so it would have been one of the first vaccines that could have been available for use in Canada. Now, said Halperin, the time has passed where that clinical study would be relevant. Even if the samples were shipped tomorrow, other trials in other countries will provide the needed data before CCfV would be able to finish its studies. What has also been lost is a chance for the Canadian government to get an inside track on production of one of the earliest coronavirus vaccines. The study was being done for two reasons, said Halperin. One was to provide some additional information that would inform the Phase 3 studies. The second reason was in order to provide data, which would allow NRC to begin manufacturing of the vaccine if it turned out to be safe and effective manufacturing the vaccine in Canada for Canadian use. But, he said, given that theres no timeline for when, if ever, Chinese officials will allow CanSino to ship vaccine candidates to Canada, NRC had to re-prioritize dedicating its manufacturing capacities to more promising vaccine candidates from other manufacturers. NRC has moved on. So that study wont go forward, said Halperin. For its part, NRC appears puzzled at the Chinese change of heart. In a statement, the NRC said that when the agreement for vaccine testing and production was first reached with CanSino, the Chinese company had it reviewed by its collaborators in the Chinese government the Beijing Institute of Technology and the Ministry of Science and Technology before signing. Subsequent to signing, the Government of China introduced process changes regarding shipping vaccines to other countries. The process is not clear to the NRC, but CanSino does not have the authority to ship the vaccine at this time, said NRC in the statement. The NRC will now turn its primary focus to working with two other promising vaccine candidates. One, VBI Vaccines, is based in Massachusetts, with research operations in Ottawa. The other is based in the University of Saskatchewans Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization-International Vaccine Centre. Canada-China relations have been severely strained after China imprisoned two Canadian men, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, in apparent retaliation for the RCMP arresting Chinese tech executive Meng Wanzhou on an American extradition warrant in December 2018. To Laszlo Radvanyi, the president and scientific director of the publicly funded Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, warned about tensions last month. This should have been flagged as an obstacle when contemplating doing this program. Were not on the best of terms with the Chinese government, said Radvanyi. At the time, Radvanyi had signed a letter health-care professionals wrote to Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains, urging him to consider funding to the tune of $35 million vaccine development by Providence Therapeutics of Toronto. Radvanyi has collaborated with Providence on vaccine treatments for cancer. But Canadas Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne downplayed suggestions the vaccine partnership failed because of ongoing political tensions between the two countries. I don't necessarily think so, Champagne told reporters Thursday. I can only speak for the Canadian side. I would not necessarily link whether that particular opportunity is linked to anything else. At the CCfV, meanwhile, much of the work done for its cancelled clinical trial has gone to waste trials have to be constructed and approved specifically for each vaccine candidate. There are more vaccine candidates in the pipeline that are being studied, said Halperin, and any one of them could be part of the coronavirus solution. Its disappointing, but its not catastrophic, he said. We never put all our eggs in one basket because, we as a centre, also know that we need multiple vaccines. We want to work with as many companies as possible, because we know there needs to be multiple solutions. So its not a catastrophic, but thats not to say its not frustrating, that were losing access to one of the earlier potentially earlier effective vaccines. With files from The Canadian Press SM Steve McKinley is a Halifax-based reporter for the Star. Reach him via email: stevemckinley@thestar.ca or follow him on Twitter: @smckinley1 Read more about: The Wisconsin officer who shot a Black man, Jacob Blake, seven times in the back has been identified as a seven-year veteran of the Kenosha Police Department, the state Department of Justice said Wednesday. Officer Rusten Sheskey shot Blake, 29, while holding onto his shirt after officers first unsuccessfully used a taser and as Blake leaned into his vehicle during an incident Sunday evening, the agency's news release said. State agents later recovered a knife from the driver's side floorboard of the vehicle, the release said. A search of the vehicle located no additional weapons. No charges were announced and the state Department of Investigation was continuing to investigate. The shooting set off three nights of unrest in the city midway between Milwaukee and Chicago. Two people were shot and killed during protests Tuesday night. A white, 17-year-old police admirer was arrested Wednesday after two people were shot to death during a third straight night of protests in Kenosha. Kyle Rittenhouse, of Antioch, Illinois, was taken into custody in Illinois on suspicion of first-degree intentional homicide. Antioch is about 15 miles from Kenosha. . Lebanese official fears failure to renew the mandate could lead to a wild, wild west. Beirut, Lebanon Tough negotiations on the scope and scale of a 42-year-old UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon are set to run all the way up to a Friday United Nations Security Council (UNSC) session to renew its mandate. The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has been stationed at Lebanons southern border since 1978, during the countrys civil war, and was beefed up following the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah. The forces one-year mandate expires on August 31. US President Donald Trumps administration has for years been pushing for changes to the missions mandate that would decrease the number of troops, now at roughly 10,000, and allow the force to have more freedom of movement in the border area that is largely controlled by Hezbollah. Along with Israel, the US has argued that UNIFIL is ineffective at implementing UNSC Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 war and called for the removal of all armed groups in the south other than the Lebanese army. Hezbollah maintains its heavily armed presence. Lebanese officials and Hezbollah have meanwhile criticised UNIFIL for failing to stop near-daily Israeli infringements on Lebanese sovereignty via air, sea and land and point to Israels continued occupation of slivers of Lebanese territory as a reason for sustaining an armed struggle. Last year renewal negotiations were difficult. This year, its doubly so, a diplomatic source told Al Jazeera. Its an election year so Trump wants to show hes on top, and Israel is trying to get whatever they can get from this administration. There is a chance it may not get renewed you never know with this administration, the source said. Red lines Lebanon has approved the renewal of the mandate without any changes, and is working with allies at the UNSC, chiefly France, to maintain UNIFILs mandate as is. At least two drafts of the mandate renewal have been rejected in the past week. France on Wednesday submitted another one for a vote. This year, critics of the mandate have pointed to a number of security incidents at the border that UNIFIL has been powerless to stop or meaningfully evaluate afterwards. In the past month alone, Israel twice shelled southern border areas in response to alleged Hezbollah activity once an infiltration attempt, and the second time, on Tuesday night, live-fire towards an Israeli patrol. Hezbollah denied the first incident in late July but has not denied the second. After the July incident, UNIFIL pledged to undertake an investigation into what happened. But the diplomatic source said there were no conclusive findings and nothing really happened. UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti did not respond to a request for comment on the investigation into last months conflagration. Powder keg UNIFILs work is also often impeded by farmers and villagers who do not let them enter parts of the south, as well as by private property belonging to citizens or Hezbollah-aligned NGO Green Without Borders, which Israel bombed on Tuesday. Former US Ambassador to Lebanon Jeffrey Feltman said in a June opinion piece these activities are all undoubtedly connected to Hezbollah. If its demands are not met, the US has threatened to either veto the renewal, refuse to fund the force, or shorten its mandate to six months. But an official Lebanese source told Al Jazeera UNIFIL does important work, despite the red lines that were set around private property in the south, which is an issue of our sovereignty. The source said regular tripartite meetings between the Lebanese and Israeli militaries, facilitated by the UN at the southern border, help to defuse tensions. The source also said while the mandate was imperfect, it had brought fragile calm to a region that was formerly synonymous with instability. Many people dont remember this now but before 1978 the south was like the wild wild west. Anyone with a missile or bomb could go to the border and do what ever they want, the official source said. In their [UNIFILs] absence, it becomes a powder keg where anything could happen, and thats not in anyones interest neither Lebanon nor Israel nor America. Blessedly, the catastrophic warning by the National Hurricane Center late Wednesday of a 20-foot wall of storm surge in Cameron Parish to accompany Hurricane Laura as it came ashore never materialized. While it's still unclear how significant surge damage was along the Cameron coast, flooding in Lake Charles was not considered significant and water levels in the area, while very elevated, didn't reach the heights of other storms. And at the mouth of the Calcasieu River, water levels rose to just over 11 feet, according to tidal gauge measurements high, but still well below the forecast. +75 'Nothing like this': How Hurricane Laura's devastation has stunned Lake Charles residents LAKE CHARLESLonnie LaGrange spent his 38th birthday hunkered down in a Lake Charles churchs recreation center as Hurricane Laura tore throug Still, the surge forecast calling for 20 feet of water wasn't a misreading of Laura's power, forecasters said. Rather, it was off-base because the center of Lauras 40-mile-wide eye went ashore about 40 miles east of the mouth of the Sabine River, which was the landfall point on which the surge forecast was based. To the east of the eye's actual landfall is a wide swath of wetlands in Cameron and Vermilion parishes where there are no permanent tide gauges in place to measure how high the surge was as Laura went ashore, said Jamie Rhome, who leads the hurricane centers surge forecast team. Rhome said that a review of storm surge model runs indicates that surge heights of as much as 20 feet in fact did occur in that less-populated area. The communities of Creole and Grand Cheniere probably received the worst of the surge, but we dont know how much yet because there are not any observation stations there, Rhome said. Hurricane storm surge is created by the high winds on the upper-right quadrant of a storm's central eye, where the winds are moving counterclockwise toward the shore. Those winds are higher than in other quadrants because they include the forward speed of the storm itself. A hurricane's low central pressure helps pull up water on the Gulf's surface, and the winds blow it ashore. Along Louisiana's shallow coastline, surge water tends to rise quickly. Forecasting surge has always been tricky. It was only after Hurricanes Katrina, Gustav and Ike that the National Hurricane Center decided to start issuing information about surge in much greater detail. When they do, forecasters are careful to warn that the potential surge risk can change quickly, as the hurricane it accompanies changes direction or strength. So along with the dire forecast messages on Wednesday warning of catastrophic storm surge was this warning: "Surge-related flooding depends on the relative timing of the surge and the tidal cycle, and can vary greatly over short distances." A better understanding of surge heights from Laura will probably take several weeks, Rhome said. A team of U.S. Geological Survey researchers working with the hurricane center put out temporary monitoring devices all along Louisianas coastline to capture information about surge heights during Laura, but the devices must be retrieved and the data extracted before a report is completed. Rhome said that the Geological Survey team will also collect on-the-ground data, such as the heights of water marks on buildings. An official with the National Weather Services Lower Mississippi River Forecast Center said a loss of power affected several of its forecast points on the lower Calcasieu River, so its not yet able to determine what final river heights were. The tide gauges along the coast were showing 10 feet, so we are estimating near 10 feet for the river gauges in Lake Charles, said the centers Jeffrey Graschel. He said peak estimates for the lower end of the Vermilion River, about 80 miles east of Cameron, were between 11 and 12 feet. Get hurricane updates in your inbox Sign up for updates on storm forecasts, tracks and more. e-mail address * Sign Up Gauges that did report on web pages during the storm indicated significant surge moving up the Calcasieu River. At 1 a.m. Thursday, a tide station at Calcasieu Pass, at the mouth of the river, measured the top water height at 11.07 feet, considered to be "major" flood height. Still, that was lower than the three highest crests at that site: 15 feet during Hurricane Rita in 2005, 13.3 feet during Hurricane Audrey in 1957, and 11.9 feet during Hurricane Ike in 2008. At the tide station in Lake Charles, the gauge hit a high of 6.06 feet also major flood stage at 11 a.m. Thursday was well below the record 9.5-foot high during Ike and the 8.5-foot high during Rita. At the tide station near Sabine Pass, near where Laura was originally expected to make landfall, the highest water level was 5.2 feet at 4:06 a.m. Thursday. The record at that station is 14.31 feet during Ike, followed by 10.4 feet during Audrey, and 9.8 feet during Rita. Because it was on the west side of Lauras eye, water in that area was actually being blown out of the pass by winds flowing counterclockwise in a southerly direction. To the east, the water height on the Mermentau River at Catfish Point Lock measured 6.51 feet at 5 a.m. Thursday, considered a moderate flood stage. An Army Corps of Engineers gauge on the Mermanteau at Grand Chenier actually measured 17.14 feet above sea level at 2 a.m. Thursday. Even farther east, at Fresh Water Canal Locks, on the coast between Gueydan and Kaplan, the water level reached 7.6 feet, major flood stage, at 11:42 p.m. Wednesday, second only to the 10.6 foot crest during Ike. At the Vermilion River at Perry, just south of Abbeville, the water level reached 11.45 feet major flood stage at 11:15 a.m. Thursday and was still rising, possibly because of the combination of surge water and rainfall. Theres no record of water heights from past hurricanes at this gauge. +8 Trump plans Louisiana trip to survey Hurricane Laura impact, his 7th visit as president As southwest Louisiana begins to pick up the pieces in the wake of Hurricane Laura, it can soon expect a visit from President Donald Trump. As Hurricane Laura continues to move through U.S., NHC watching two systems in tropics Louisianans are still reeling from the devastating impact of Hurricane Laura, the most powerful storm ever to hit the state, while experts beg BAKU, Azerbaijan, Aug. 27 By Ilkin Seyfaddini - Trend: The International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC), a member of the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) Group, signed an $8 million Murabaha(Islamic financing structure in which the seller and buyer agree to the cost and markup of an asset ) structured credit line financing with Trustbank, a private joint-stock bank in Uzbekistan, Trend reports with reference to the Bank. The financing aims to minimize the impact of COVID-19 by supporting the import and pre-export financing needs of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the country. ITFCs second line of financing in favor of Trustbank reflects its commitment to helping Uzbekistan fight back against the social and economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic," said ITFC CEO, Hani Salem Sonbol. Support for the private sector is critical in safeguarding value chains across the country and the wider region. This operation is, in addition to five other lines of finance supporting local banks in Uzbekistan since 2018, reflect the ITFCs unbending commitment to the nation of Uzbekistan, its industries, and its people," he added. Cooperation between Trustbank and the International Islamic Trade and Finance Corporation started in 2018. In November 2018, the International Islamic Trade and Finance Corporation allocated the first $4 million credit line to Trustbank, which has been fully utilized to date. --- Follow author on Twitter: @seyfaddini WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump was set to launch an attack on Democratic rival Joe Biden on the Republican National Conventions final night on Thursday, as the United States struggles to address the coronavirus pandemic and a wave of anti-racism protests. The Republican incumbent plans to take on his Democratic challenger, who is leading in opinion polls ahead of the Nov. 3 election, in a speech on the White House South Lawn, a controversial location for a partisan event. Trumps remarks will cap a four-day convention that has portrayed him as a leader who can revive the economy and restore order. At no time before have voters faced a clearer choice between two parties, two visions, two philosophies, or two agendas," Trump is expected to say. We have spent the last four years reversing the damage Joe Biden inflicted over the last 47 years," he said, referring to Bidens career as a senator and vice president. Excerpts from Trumps speech were provided by a source on condition of anonymity. The speech comes as the United States reports more than 180,000 deaths from the coronavirus more than any other country and amid a fresh wave of protests against the latest high-profile police shooting of a Black American. The expected tone echoes Trumps message four years ago, in his first run for public office. I have a message for all of you: The crime and violence that today afflicts our nation will soon, and I mean very soon, come to an end," Trump told the Republican convention in Cleveland in July 2016. On Thursday, Kenosha, Wisconsin, started the day under a curfew after three nights of civil strife - including arson, vandalism and deadly shootings - all sparked by a police shooting that paralyzed a Black man. Trump, a former New York real estate developer, is seeking to turn around a re-election campaign that has been largely overshadowed by the pandemic, which has also put millions of Americans out of work. While his approval rating among Republicans remains high, dissent within his own party is mounting. In three open letters being published on Thursday and Friday, Biden won endorsements from more than 160 people who worked for former President George W. Bush or for past Republican presidential candidates John McCain and Mitt Romney, the New York Times and Politico reported. Earlier this week, 27 former Republican lawmakers endorsed Biden while the Lincoln Project, among the most prominent Republican-backed groups opposing Trump, said a former Republican Party head had joined it as a senior adviser. Trump, a former reality television host, and his advisers have set up his speech with a producers eye. He will address the nation with the White House as his backdrop, irking critics who say holding a political event there is a potential violation of the law. The Hatch Act, which limits the use of federal property for political purposes, excludes the president and vice president but not other federal employees, including White House staff. Fireworks are expected over Washingtons nearby monuments at the conclusion of Trumps speech. He will address a large crowd on the lawn despite warnings against such gatherings because of the pandemic, which has forced both political parties to scale back their conventions and make events mostly virtual. Trumps campaign says coronavirus precautions will be taken. The president often boasts about his crowd sizes; his campaign has largely done away with his signature rallies due to the virus. NOT GROUNDED IN REALITY Also on Thursday, the Democratic vice presidential nominee, Senator Kamala Harris, plans to deliver a speech in Washington characterizing the Republican convention as a dishonest distraction from the White Houses pandemic response. Part of what I will be talking about is that theyre dealing in lies but also they are not grounded in reality," Harris said during a fundraising event on Wednesday. People are grieving. Theyre grieving the loss of lives and the people theyve loved. Theyre grieving the loss of jobs. Theyre grieving the loss of normalcy and consistency." Democrats have criticized Trumps aggressive response to demonstrations after the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd, a Black man. On Wednesday, Trump said he was sending federal law enforcement and the National Guard to Kenosha, Wisconsin, after violent protests there in the wake of the latest shooting of a Black man, Jacob Blake, by police. Trump kicked off the week on Monday by accusing Democrats of seeking to steal the election by advocating for mail-in voting. His previous high-profile speeches have also emphasized grim themes, including his inaugural address in January 2017 that described American carnage." Other speakers scheduled for Thursday include Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell; Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson; attorney Rudy Giuliani, a fierce critic of Biden and his son Hunter, and religious leader Franklin Graham. 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 LAKE ARTHUR, La. (AP) Hurricane Laura pounded the Gulf Coast for hours with ferocious wind, torrential rains and rising seawater as it roared ashore over southwestern Louisiana near the Texas border early Thursday, threatening the lives of people who didnt evacuate. Authorities had ordered coastal residents to get out, but not everyone did in an area that was devastated by Rita in 2005. More: Central Pa. weather forecast Videos on social media showed Lauras winds battering a tall building in Lake Charles, blowing out windows as glass and debris flew to the ground. "There are some people still in town and people are calling ... but there ain't no way to get to them," Tony Guillory, president of the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury, said early Thursday morning over the phone as he hunkered down in a Lake Charles government building that was shaking from the storm. Guillory said he hopes stranded people can be rescued later Thursday but fears that blocked roads, downed power lines and flooding could get in the way. Officials said search missions and damage assessments would begin when conditions allow it. With more than 290,000 homes and businesses without power in the two states, near-constant lightning provided the only light for some. The National Hurricane Center said Laura intensified rapidly before plowing into land with sustained winds of 150 mph at 1 a.m. CDT as a Category 4 hurricane near Cameron, a 400-person community about 30 miles east of the Texas border. "Unsurvivable storm surge with large and destructive waves will cause catastrophic damage," forecasters warned. They said the storm surge could reach 15-20 feet in Port Arthur, Texas, and a stretch of Louisiana including Lake Charles. "This surge could penetrate up to 40 miles inland from the immediate coastline, and flood waters will not fully recede for several days," the hurricane center said. Hours after landfall, Laura was still a Category 3 hurricane, with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph . Its center was past Lake Charles, moving north at about 15 mph, but with damaging winds that stretched over much of Louisiana and parts of eastern Texas. More than 580,000 coastal residents were under orders to flee in the largest evacuation since the coronavirus pandemic began and many did, filling hotels and sleeping in cars since officials didn't want to open mass shelters and worsen the spread of COVID-19. But in Cameron Parish, where Laura came ashore, officials said at least 150 people refused pleas to leave and planned to weather the storm in everything from elevated homes to recreational vehicles. The result could be deadly since forecasters said the parish could be completely covered by ocean water. "It's a very sad situation," said Ashley Buller, assistant director of emergency preparedness. "We did everything we could to encourage them to leave." Hurricane Laura has made landfall early Thursday as a strong Category 4 storm with top winds of 150 mph. The landfall point was at Cameron, La. Forecasters expected a weakened Laura to move northward through Louisiana and cause widespread flash flooding in states far from the coast. After turning eastward and reaching the Atlantic Ocean, it could again become a tropical storm and threaten the Northeast. Laura hit the U.S. after killing nearly two dozen people on the island of Hispaniola, including 20 in Haiti and three in the Dominican Republic, where it knocked out power and caused intense flooding. By GERALD HERBERT, MELINDA DESLATTE, and STACEY PLAISANCE, The Associated Press More: Hail, 60 mph winds possible during Thursday thunderstorms Adding LG to the mix is a great opportunity for us to further increase the selection for our customers and offer them an even wider variety of products and price points. Coast Appliances, one of Canadas largest independent appliance retailers, is expanding its product offering with the addition of global brand, LG. A wide selection of LG home appliance products will be available for purchase at all 17 Coast Appliance stores across Canada, as well as on the Coast ecommerce website. LG has shown strong sales across Canada. It has some very popular models that will be the perfect compliment to our existing inventory, says Coast Appliances President and CEO, Gord Howie. Established in 1958 and originally best-known for manufacturing televisions, today LG is celebrated for its marriage of technology and dependability. Recently rated as one of the top appliance brands by Consumer Reports, LG makes everything from kitchen appliances, to washers and dryers, to vacuums and air conditioners. Adding LG to the mix is a great opportunity for us to further increase the selection for our customers and offer them an even wider variety of products and price points, says Howie. We are continually growing our retail channel and working to solidify our place as Canadas one-stop shop for home appliances. Coast Appliances recently launched an industry-leading e-commerce website that includes a live chat. Customers can now easily shop for appliances online and connect directly to sales associates from the comfort of their home. COVID-19 safety protocols are in place at all store locations as well as during home delivery. About Coast Appliances Coast Appliances is Canadas leading independent supplier of major household appliances and accessories with 17 showrooms across the country. Coast carries a wide selection of products from over 50 brands, offering competitive pricing, price match guarantees, extended warranties and flexible financing and payment options. The company is committed to providing exceptional customer service, delivering the options customers need and the expertise to help them choose. For more information please visit http://www.coastappliances.com By Express News Service CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court on Wednesday upheld the conviction of a person in a 33-year-old murder case at Kadua under Bisoi police limits in Mayurbhanj district. Gulia Majhi, now 65-year-old, who had been out on bail since 1988 even after conviction under Section 304 (II) of IPC by the Sessions Court, Baripada, will now return to jail and serve a sentence of five years. The Sessions Court had sentenced Majhi to undergo rigorous imprisonment for seven years on October 3, 1988. However, the HC modified the sentence and ordered for his surrender within two weeks to serve the remaining five-year jail term.Majhis criminal appeal challenging the conviction and sentence was admitted on November 15, 1988 and on that day, he was granted bail. Before pronouncement of the judgment, Justice SK Sahoo inquired about the present condition of appellant. In his report on August 22, 2020, the officer in-charge of Bisoi Police Station indicated that the appellant is now aged about 65 years and he is not involved in any other case under the police station. His wife is residing with him and he is blessed with two sons. The elder son is aged about 36 years and the younger son is aged about 22 years. The elder son is a farmer who maintains the family and the younger son is serving as a constable in the Army. Taking note of it, Justice Sahoo observed, There is no dispute that more than 33 years have already passed since the date of occurrence but in my humble view, looking at the nature and gravity of the accusation proved, the same cannot be the sole ground to reduce the sentence to period already undergone. South Africa: Department amends registration date for EAPs The Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries has amended the compulsory registration date for Environmental Assessment Practitioners (EAPs). EAPs now have until 7 February 2022 to register with a registration authority appointed by the Minister Barbara Creecy. The extension of 24 months, from the present deadline of 8 February 2020, was published in Government Gazette No. 43632 (Notice No. 906) by the Minister, on 21 August 2020. The amendment of Regulation 22 of the Section 24H Registration Authority Regulations was promulgated following public input, said the department in a statement on Wednesday. The department said the additional time allows for the facilitation of additional applications and for the processing of applications received by the appointed registration authority. The Environmental Assessment Practitioners Association of South Africa (EAPASA) was appointed on 8 February 2018 in terms of Section 24H of the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA). The Regulations guiding the work of the sector provide that no person other than a registered EAP may hold primary responsibility for the planning, management, coordination or review of environmental impact assessments (EIAs) and associated Environmental Management Programmes (EMPrs). Apart from the need to provide more time for environmental assessment practitioners to register, it has become clear that other amendments to the Regulations will be required. This will be necessary to provide clarity on some aspects contained in the Regulations in order to make the implementation thereof more efficient, it said. The department has encouraged all non-registered EAPs to submit their applications for registration with the registration authority before the next deadline. The notice in the Government Gazette can be accessed on: https://www.environment.gov.za/sites/default/files/gazetted_notices/nema_section24Hregistrationauthority_g43632gon906.pdf - SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2020-08-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Metal Supermarkets, the worlds largest supplier of small-quantity metals, today announced the start of the eighth Metal My Way contest which showcases and rewards creative and innovative metal projects built across the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. Starting Tuesday, September 1, contestants are encouraged to submit a photo or video of their metal creations for a chance to win one of several valuable prizes. Projects, along with some details about the creation, can be submitted using the online submission form on metalmyway.com. No purchase is necessary to enter the contest. The contest is open to all residents, 18 years or older, in the United States, Canada (excluding Quebec), and the United Kingdom. Contestants may submit multiple metal projects into the competition but are eligible to win only one prize. A complete set of rules for the contest can be found on the Metal My Way website. The Metal My Way contest was a fantastic experience and very simple to enter, said Ryan McQueen, who won the January Metal My Way contest earlier this year with a jet powered supercar submission. It was fun looking at more than 700 other entries for the contest on the website this year. I appreciate the work I spent building the supercar being recognized and I would encourage anyone else who has a creative metal project to enter the contest in September. The contest features five categories grouped in the following projects: Car Builds and Restorations - Metal projects that include car builds, restorations and modifications, as well as car engine work. The 2019 winner in this category was a Hondamatic 750 motorcycle submitted by Michael Deeter of Las Vegas, NV. Vehicle Projects This category includes other types of vehicle projects, excluding car restorations/modifications. Examples include trailer and camper builds, plane builds or restorations, boat builds or restorations, motorcycles, motorized scooters, bike and buggy builds. Harry Heil of Salt Lake, Utah built a live steam locomotive and backyard railroad as the winning submission in this category last year. Furniture or Home Projects Submissions including any outdoor and indoor furniture, home renovations, fire pits, barbeques and smokers. The 2019 winner in this category was an automated toilet seat lift created by John Jackson from Barrie, Ontario. Industrial or Shop Projects - This category includes shop equipment and tool builds, larger scale construction projects or specific aspects of those projects, equipment and tool repair or modification. Robert Webb of Anchorage, Alaska submitted the winning entry for this category in 2019 with a kinetic wood splitter. Artistic and Design Projects Metal projects that include jewelry, statues, sculptures, knives, and other projects that have aesthetic designs that do not fall into any of the other four categories. The 2019 winner in this category was life-sized bison head wall mount created by Jesse Purdom of Everett, Washington. Two grand prizes will be awarded, with one for the best overall project and the other for the project with the best use of processing and fabrication methods. The two grand prize winner will each receive a Milwaukee Compact Electromagnetic Drill Press 450 RPM 4270-20, valued at over $1,600. There will also be one winner for each of the five categories. Category winners will receive a Lincoln Electric 180 Amp Weld-Pack 180 HD MIG Wire Feed Welder, valued at over $600 each. The best overall projects will be graded based on complexity, scale, creativity, craftsmanship and quantity of metal used. The best processing/fabrication winner will be judged on its complexity, intricacy, creativity, uniqueness, and level of skill required. The month-long Metal My Way contest will run through September 30 and winners will be announced approximately one week later. I cant wait to see what new projects that metal craftspeople have created this year that will be entered in the Metal My Way contest, said Stephen Schober, President and CEO of Metal Supermarkets, the title sponsor of the contest. The Metal My Way contest is a highlight for our entire store network and all of us at Metal Supermarkets and our fellow sponsors are keen to see the entries arrive. With the pandemic forcing many people to spend more time at home these past months, many people have devoted additional time to their metal hobby projects. We have been extremely impressed with entries we have received in the past and look forward to them showcasing their innovative and creative metal projects. In addition to Metal Supermarkets, the Metal My Way contest is sponsored by HACO, an industry leader in sheet metal working machines, Swift-Cut, a UK manufacturer of high quality, smart cutting solutions at affordable prices, and Cosen Saws, one of the worlds leading bandsaw manufacturers. ### About Metal Supermarkets: Metal Supermarkets, known worldwide as The Convenience Stores for Metal, is the worlds largest small-quantity metal supplier with more than 95 brick-and-mortar stores across the US, Canada and United Kingdom. It sells a wide variety of metals including Aluminum, Hot-Rolled Steel, Cold-Rolled Steel, Stainless Steel, Alloy Steel, Galvanized Steel, Tool Steel, Brass, Bronze and Copper. Metal Supermarkets offers value-added services such as Production Cutting, Shearing, Punching and more. Its staff are highly specialized and assists customers in finding the metal they need. The franchise owners and their staff are metal experts and have been providing quality customer service and products since 1985. About HACO: Haco N.V. made its start in the country of Belgium. In 1982 we expanded to the United States, and Haco Atlantic, was established. Haco now has companies in more than 10 countries. Our core business is in shears, press brakes, and most recently, our fiber laser line. Haco shears have become a market favorite. Our HSLX guillotine shears are known for their robust construction and affordable price. Our basic, TS model, gets the job done and our HSLX model will not disappoint, with the many accessories we offer. Our machines are affordable, long lasting, and cut down in production time. Haco Atlantic has a well, stocked parts department in the U.S. We also have an excellent, well trained, service team, conveniently located in Houston, TX. About Cosen Saws: Cosen is one of the worlds leading bandsaw manufacturers with extensive over 140 models including vertical, horizontal, miter-cutting, NC & CNC automatic and customized bandsaws. Their diverse cutting abilities serve numerous industries such as construction, automobile, transportation, wind power generation, and more. About Swift-Cut: Founded in 2011 and operating from its UK modern manufacturing and office facilities in Needwood, Staffordshire, Swift-Cut Automation Limited is well known for the design, manufacture, supply, installation and technical support of a wide range of industrial CNC plasma and waterjet cutting machines. Winners of the 2018 Queen's Award for Enterprise: International Trade, Swift-Cut exports more than 85 per cent of its machines to more than 30 countries around the world. Swift-Cut offers a full, turnkey solution for of supply, installation, technical support and training of machines with remote, on-line and telephone support 24/7, 365 days a year. USA Headquarters are located in Plymouth, MA and follow the same, high level of dedication to quality, service and support. The Virginia Senate approved legislation on Wednesday that would downgrade the legal penalty for a suspect found guilty of assaulting a police officer. Senate Bill 5032 would, if signed into law, eliminate the states six-month mandatory minimum prison sentence for assaulting an officer, and also gives a local judge or jury the authority to downgrade the crime from a felony to a misdemeanor. The Virginia Senate voted 21-15 to approve the bill. Senator Scott Survell, a Democrat who proposed the legislation, said the bill was not meant to apply in cases of serious injury suffered by police officers. What were talking about here are situations that involve much more insignificant minor touches, Survell said in comments reported by the Associated Press. However, state Republicans slammed the legislation in light of ongoing efforts nationwide to defund police departments. What in the world are we doing? Senator John Cosgrove Jr. said. Have you seen the attacks on police officers? The bill will now move to the House, where Democrats hold a 55-45 majority. Democrats took control of the Virginia legislature in 2019 for the first time in decades, with Democrat Ralph Northam in the governors office. That newfound power has led state Democrats to attempt to pass a flurry of liberal legislation, including stricter gun-control laws. The Washington Post noted in February of this year that Democrats were submitting so much legislation that lawmakers were working overtime trying to process the proposals. More from National Review The Norwalk League of Women Voters held a small celebration at the gazebo on the town green to commemorate Women's Equality Day today on Wednesday. This is the day in 1920 that the 19th Amendment was passed, guaranteeing a woman's right to vote. Norwalk Mayor Harry W. Rilling presented a proclamation, declaring Aug. 25 as League of Women Voters Day in Norwalk and to mark the group's 100th anniversary. SPRINGFIELD State Rep. Emanuel Chris Welch said Thursday that he will demand passage of legislation in the upcoming fall veto session to give minority- and women-owned businesses a larger share of the estimated $20 billion in state purchasing and contracting dollars allotted annually. I am demanding that veto session takes place as scheduled, because the Black agenda cannot wait, Welch, a Hillside Democrat, said during a video news conference. The Black agenda, which will be rolled out in the coming days, is going to demand equity and inclusion and in several areas. Welch was referring to a package of legislation expected to be put forward by the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus. Ahead of that announcement, however, the Maywood Democrat said he will push for passage of House Bill 5824. It would improve contracting opportunities for minority- and women-owned and operated businesses, he said. This isn't something new. It's something that we've been consistently fighting for year after year after year, Welch said. And I think in this watershed moment that we are (at) in history, this is the time, now more than ever, that we should be given fair contracting opportunities. Among other things, the bill would give the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity the job of holding matchmaking workshops between minority- and women-owned vendors and large purchasing institutions that are already required to file supplier diversity reports. Those include higher education institutions, hospitals, casinos and racetracks, and insurance companies that manage the states Medicaid program. Currently, that responsibility rests with the Department of Central Management Services. Welch said the bill also would clarify a current law that requires all businesses receiving EDGE tax credits to file supplier diversity reports during the year in which they seek a tax credit, and it would require them to participate in matchmaking workshops. EDGE stands for Economic Development for a Growing Economy. Further, the legislation would require all insurance companies with assets exceeding $50 million that are licensed to do business in Illinois to file supplier diversity reports and participate in the matchmaking workshops. Illinois currently has a program, known as the Business Enterprise Program, aimed at helping minority- and women-owned businesses gain access to the states purchasing and contracting process. It also maintains a list of registered businesses that are at least 51-percent owned by minorities, women and people with disabilities. Illinois currently has a statute that sets a goal of awarding at least 20 percent of the total dollars of state contracts to businesses owned by minorities, women and people with disabilities, but Welch said many of the states largest purchasing institutions, including its higher education system and Medicaid program, have consistently failed to meet that target. I have spent the summer looking at data in all of these industries. And the data is abysmal, particularly in the managed care organization industry, he said. Although the bill would not mandate new hiring or contracting quotas, Welch said he believes the increased reporting requirements would help shine a light on those disparities and the lack of opportunities being provided. I also think this bill will provide opportunities to take away some of the excuses that are being used out there, he added. That's why DCEO is very important in the matchmaking workshops and opportunities, because it'll take away a lot of the excuses. Welch was joined in the news conference by officials from the Federation of Women Contractors, the Chicago Minority Supplier Development Council and the Hispanic American Construction Industry Association, all of whom expressed their support for the bill. The bill was introduced Monday, Aug. 24, and has not yet been assigned to a committee. Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service covering state government and distributed to more than 400 newspapers statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation. Love 0 Funny 1 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 2 Multiple wildfires are burning in Santa Cruz and San Mateo counties and several have merged into larger fires. Cal Fire is referring to them collectively as the CZU August Lightning Complex. CZU stands for Cal Fire's San Mateo-Santa Cruz Unit. Find fire and evacuation updates here and map here. LATEST Aug. 27, 7:40 p.m. Progress has been made as crews battle the CZU Lightning Complex Fires, according to an update provided Thursday evening by Cal Fire. The fire has expanded slightly to 81,479 acres while containment has increased to 24% Aug. 27, 3:30 p.m. Cal Fire lifted evacuations for all residents of Scotts Valley Thursday afternoon, including for those who live in unincorporated parts of the town. The lifting of the order includes all residents of Scotts Valley west of State Route 17, all those in unincorporated areas of Scotts Valley, and residents of Paradise Park and the Cave Gulch Area. Read more here. Aug. 27, 1 p.m. The city of Half Moon Bay said Thursday they will close beaches again this weekend, from sunrise on Aug. 29 to sunrise on Aug. 31. Aug. 27, 12:45 p.m. As of noon Thursday, most residents along the southern San Mateo County coast evacuated from the CZU Lightning Complex may return to their homes, according to a new release. Evacuees should check the online database to determine if their home is now accessible before reentering the area. Evacuees may also call 2-1-1 to speak with a trained professional to learn if their address is in an area open as of noon today. Areas open as of noon are primarily in the areas of La Honda, San Gregorio and Pescadero. (Find all details here.) Aug. 27, 12:05 p.m. Cal Fire shared a message on Twitter Thursday afternoon reminding people of the dangers in evacuation zones. They encouraged residents to stay out of these areas until orders have been lifted. "We cannot stress this enough," Cal Fire shared. "Trees are falling all over the #CZULightningComplex burn scar. Theyve fallen on homes, cars, roads. We must allow safety inspectors to do their jobs. Thank you for your patience! And be safe." Cal Fire also posted an image on Twitter showing a section of road that was melted by the intense heat of the blaze. "This is one of many hazards in the burn area," Cal Fire said. Aug. 27, 6:30 a.m. Firefighters made more progress overnight harnessing the CZU August Lightning Complex wildfires in Santa Cruz and San Mateo counties, increasing containment from 19% to 21%. "The past few days we've had good success establishing more control lines around the fire, getting deeper into the fire and continuing to extinguish fire around homes and creating a safe environment," said Cal Fire Operations Chief Mark Brunton. The blaze grew minimally overnight from 80,137 acres to 81,333 acres, Cal Fire officials said at a Thursday press briefing. When the fire first sparked more than a week ago, it was growing at a rate of up to 1,000 acres an hour, but cool, humid weather and increased firefighting operations have suppressed fire activity in recent days. The number of structures destroyed now stands at 646; of those, 11 are in San Mateo and 635 in Santa Cruz. More than 24,000 structures remain threatened. In an update Wednesday evening, Cal Fire announced that an evacuation order for UC Santa Cruz had been lifted. Tens of thousands of people remain evacuated and Cal Fire's Billy See said Thursday, "Over the course of the next 48 hours, we're going to look at repopulating different areas in and around this fire. It will be a coordinated and methodical process. We need to ensure we have electricity. We need to ensure the roadways are safe to travel." Cal Fire Santa Cruz County released a preliminary damage assessment map Tuesday night with homes that were damaged or destroyed. The map displays addresses and uses a scale to show the degree of damage, from affected (1-9%) to destroyed (more than 50%). The county will continue to add to the map as more homes impacted by the conflagration are identified. "There are areas that are continuing to be assessed," said Chris Clark, a chief deputy with the Santa Cruz Sheriff's Department. "That map is going to continue to grow." Officials said residents should use this map instead of returning to evacuation areas. "We want to get you home but there are dangers in sneaking back into the evacuation zones," said Chris. As of Thursday morning, two people remain missing. One of the three people who went missing as of Wednesday night was located. Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press Nearly 2,000 personnel are now working on the incident and today crews will continue to focus on line construction in the Highway 9 corridor, providing protection for the communities of Felton, Ben Lomond, and Boulder Creek. Line construction along the Highway 9 corridor is difficult due to thick vegetation and a steep, rugged landscape. Bulldozers have been utilized to build some of the fire breaks, but hand crews have been utilized to access the most challenging terrain. Three-quarters of Felton is now surrounded by a containment line and crews will continue to work on this today. Cal Fire is conducting what are known as "burn out operations" to help create the line. This tactic is implemented by setting fire inside a control line to consume vegetation between the edge of the fire and the control line. "Ben Lomond and Boulder Creek are "looking really good," said Brunton. "We have lines punched in behind those communities. It's just slow. We have a lot of resources coming into those areas." Brunton said inspection crews are moving into the community of Bonny Doon and helping reestablish infrastructure. Around Davenport, crews are making progress to restore the community "so it's operational," said Brunton. The north end of the fire remains well-contained with lines stopping the blaze from jumping into Santa Clara County. "We're very, very confident that is going to hold and maintain," said Brunton. Along the coast, the foggy weather has mitigated progression of the fire and it's creeping toward control lines around Butano Park. Crews have built two control lines on the fire's south edge, between Highway 1 and Highway 9 above the UC Santa Cruz campus. "Fire lines are holding well here," he said. "Santa Cruz and the UC campus looking very well protected. No threat at this point in time." Brunton said air operations were unsuccessful on Wednesday and they will try again Thursday. Santa Cruz County has established a 24-hour medical care clinic at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds (2601 E Lake Ave., Watsonville) for those evacuating the fire. Santa Cruz County has initiated a volunteer center for those hoping to assist those affected by the CZU Complex. The county asks those interested to register at SCVolunteerCenter.org. San Mateo County residents and business owners who sustained losses in the CZU Complex can begin applying for assistance on Aug. 25 by registering online at DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 800-621-3362 or 800-462-7585 (TTY) for the hearing and speech impaired. MORE WILDFIRE COVERAGE: Map: See where wildfires are burning in Bay Area Crews attack 'the last, most difficult part' of the LNU Complex fires SCU Lightning Complex, 25% contained, now second-largest fire in Calif. history Crews to use fire to fight CZU Complex in Santa Cruz Mountains Santa Cruz County posts 'damage map' with homes destroyed in CZU Complex What to do to keep wildfire smoke out of your house Amy Graff is the news editor for SFGATE. Email her: agraff@sfgate.com. On June 9, an Indian health education minister posted an infographic on Twitter showing COVID-19 infections and deaths in the city of Bengaluru were running about half the rate in New Zealand, a country acclaimed globally for reining in the disease. The city which has more than double the population of New Zealand "stumps the Kiwis," said the caption to the image posted by Sudhakar K., who is responsible for medical education in the southern state of Karnataka. Bengaluru, known to many as Bangalore, is the capital of the state. His tweet was liked and retweeted by thousands. But the celebration was short-lived. At the time, only about 450 cases of the novel coronavirus had been recorded among Bangalore's population of more than 12.5 million, compared with more than 260,000 cases across India and about 1,150 in New Zealand. Thanks partly to a high-tech testing and tracing system monitored by masked officials on giant screens in a city "war room," Bengaluru had contained the outbreak better than cities like Mumbai, which had tallied more than 100 times as many cases. Two and a half months on, Bengaluru, dubbed India's Silicon Valley for its tech firms and startups, has reported more than 110,000 cases. Where its infections in early June rose by 25 a day on average, the rate is now more than 2,500. In New Zealand, the total caseload stood at 1,339 as of Aug. 25. Sudhakar did not respond to requests for comment, but his tweet remains online. For an interactive graphic on the daily rise of COVID-19 infections in Indian cities, see: https://tmsnrt.rs/34tLRnG Bengaluru's early response was lauded by India's government as a model, for its use of health surveys combined with efforts to tap tech expertise and cutting-edge software to analyse the spread of the disease. But after India eased a nationwide lockdown in early June, epidemiologists and government officials involved in the city's response to the pandemic said they realised they had not planned enough. The experience illustrates the extent of the challenge faced by large cities across the globe, showing how rapidly an outbreak can snowball out of control. "The city had three to four months to plan for a surge in cases, but the city did not plan for the future. They mostly assumed that the lockdown implementation was sufficient," said Giridhara Babu, an epidemiologist advising the state of Karnataka. CURFEW AND CONTACT-TRACE In late March, India enforced one of the world's strictest lockdowns. Karnataka state was ahead of that with its own measures. It collaborated with software lobby NASSCOM to mobilise 150 employees from half a dozen IT firms to feed 20,000 international traveller records into a central system every day. Karnataka conducted a mammoth health survey. More than 40,000 government health workers roamed the state in pink uniforms and masks, surveying nearly 16 million households. Residents submitted to a curfew that emptied parks, malls and the city's notoriously clogged roads, and officials tapped companies such as Intel , Alphabet's Google and Mumbai-based Fractal Analytics for expertise and tools to help trace, predict and control the spread. Many surrendered personal information: At thousands of drugstores, officials collected contact details for people who bought drugs like paracetamol, to keep tabs on their health. A federal government study shows Karnataka on average tested 47.4 contacts of every COVID-19-infected person between Jan. 22 and April 30, compared with the national average of six. "THAT MANY PEOPLE" But in June, lockdown restrictions eased. People flooded back to markets that sell fresh produce and flowers. Besides locals, officials say tens of thousands of travellers streamed in from Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, many unwittingly bringing the virus. The neighbouring states have been the two worst hit by COVID-19 in India. "We were sandwiched between these two states which already had a very high viral load ... so we were bound to get affected," said Pankaj Pandey, the health commissioner for Karnataka. An estimated 45,000 people from Maharashtra and another 20,000 from Tamil Nadu's capital, Chennai, streamed into Bengaluru in June, he added. "In the initial phase, the case numbers in Bangalore were so few, that people all over the country felt Bangalore is the safest. That may also have caused people to 'reverse-migrate' back to Bangalore," said one official involved in Bengaluru's response. "We didn't look at the inbound travellers as a major source of infections," the official said. "We never anticipated that many people would come." Officials from Bengaluru's municipal body, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), did not respond to queries on whether it failed to address gaps in its modelling systems. But Hephsiba Rani Korlapati, a bureaucrat running the Bengaluru "war room" said easing lockdown complicated the city's efforts. Since late June, Bengaluru has been sealing areas where cases jump, said Korlapati, noting this involves placing barricades at entry and exit points - in effect quarantining entire neighbourhoods. "Aggressive testing of contacts and home isolation is the way to contain the spread," she said. "That is being taken very seriously and is being done right now." Sachi Hamai, L.A. County's outgoing chief executive, has been the target of Sheriff Alex Villanueva's anger for several months, ire that led to concerns for her personal safety, according to a letter sent to county supervisors. (Los Angeles Times) After facing months of alleged unrelenting and brutal harassment from Sheriff Alex Villanueva, the chief executive of Los Angeles County will receive $1.5 million and full-time private security after she retires Monday to address concerns for her personal safety, according to a settlement agreement and a recent letter sent to the county's Board of Supervisors. Sachi Hamai has been the target of Villanueva's anger over the last several months, ire that seemed to intensify in March when the board removed Villanueva as the head of the county's emergency operations center just as the COVID-19 pandemic began to intensify in L.A., according to the letter obtained by The Times. Villanueva took this "as a personal affront and castigated Ms. Hamai over it," the letter said. The three-page missive was sent to the board July 30 by attorney Skip Miller, litigation counsel for L.A. County. "He lied to the press saying she denied first responders their salaries while quarantined," Miller wrote. "Incited by the Sheriff, individuals threatened to post her home address and suggested she be harmed." County Counsel Mary Wickham signed off on the settlement Aug. 10. Hamai will not receive severance or any other payments and agreed not to sue the county, according to the agreement. The board authorized Wickham to settle on its behalf, Miller said. The settlement and allegations are the latest in a lengthy series of clashes and tense relations between the sheriff and other county leaders since his surprise 2018 election victory over predecessor Jim McDonnell. Most recently, Villanueva suggested Hamai had committed a felony because she served on the board of United Way of Greater Los Angeles, which is supporting a November ballot measure that could lead to millions being redirected from the Sheriff's Department to mental health and jail diversion services. (Hamai stepped down from the United Way board before the board's vote and has said she hadn't previously known about the United Way's efforts to pass the initiative.) Story continues In July, Villanueva referred to Hilda Solis, the only Latina on the Board of Supervisors, with what many considered to be a racist, misogynistic term after she made comments publicly about systemic brutality and racism by police toward people of color. Earlier in the year, the Board of Supervisors sent a scathing letter to Villanueva, imploring him to correct the record after supervisors said he had spread false information about deputies sick leave pay during the coronavirus outbreak. This led to threats against Hamai, the letter said. "I frankly think that if we litigated her case, a jury could have hit the county for a lot more than $1.5 million, a lot more," Miller said. In a live social media broadcast Wednesday, Villanueva criticized Hamais request, which he noted comes at a time when the Sheriffs Department is facing budget cuts that could trigger layoffs. The board cut $162 million from the Sheriffs Department budget, which county officials have said could result in 451 potential layoffs, records show. Giving the outgoing CEO who makes way north of half a million dollars in annual salary $1.5 million I think thats a gift of public money, but Im not too sure. Thats just my opinion, Villanueva said. For the 700-plus Sheriffs Department employees who are looking at losing their job because supposedly were in a financial crisis, giving any county employee $1.5 million on their way out the door as a golden handshake that really, I think thats outrageous. Millers letter, which Villanueva said was sent to him anonymously, is labeled privileged and confidential. He said he plans to alert the state attorney generals office because it looks like there was a potential theft of attorney-client product that somehow wound up in our hands as well. Hamai had initially planned to retire at the end of March but agreed to see the county through the financial turmoil caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Known for being a low-key figure, Hamai started her job with the county in 1988, first for the auditor-controller and steadily rising through the ranks. Sachi Hamai has been a loyal public servant to Los Angeles County and its residents for more than three decades," L.A. County Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Kathryn Barger said in a statement. "I have had the privilege of working with Ms. Hamai through much of our long County careers and I have always appreciated her steadfast dedication and remarkable stewardship." Hamai said in a statement that, as she finishes up her 32-year career with the county, it's disheartening that she has been subjected to a "hostile and toxic work environment created by a fellow department head." "This department heads antagonistic statements and actions over the past several months have added needless distractions and animosity at a time that I have been working nonstop to bring our County family together to confront some of the most challenging public health and economic crises in our recent history," Hamai said. Villanueva could not be reached Wednesday evening when contacted by The Times about Hamai's comments. Although Hamai's request for money and security were approved, her actions may have other consequences. Making the case for a hostile work environment could prompt the county's Human Resources Department to launch an investigation into Villanueva, an ethics expert said. "It struck me as a way to try and affect his behavior, so he stops this public retaliatory commentary that does actually seem to be a pattern of his, and at least based on what I could find, seems to be primarily aimed at women," said Ann Skeet, senior director of leadership ethics at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University. Times staff writers Adam Elmahrek and Matt Stiles contributed to this report. "Those are all part of the social contract that people in the community have with one another," said Cornell, who also is president of the Buffalo Niagara Superintendents Association. Similarly, in the Eden district, if any student arrives at school without the questionnaire being completed, the school nurse will call the student out of class to take their temperature and ask them the screening questions, Sortisio said. In the Frontier School District, even with its hybrid model, its not feasible for the staff to take every childs temperature every morning, Superintendent Richard Hughes said. It could take a couple hours just to get everyone in the building, Hughes said. So it will be up to parents to take temperatures every day. And if a student has a temperature, they need to stay home. We understand it may be the flu. It may be seasonal changes, Hughes said. But weve got to be cognizant that those minor changes, they may be something greater. In Niagara Falls, parents will periodically and randomly receive an email questionnaire asking them to report results from home temperature checks, Superintendent Mark Laurrie said. The parties on Thursday opposed the Centre's decision to hold the JEE and NEET exams in September amid the COVID-19 pandemic and said it completely undermines the health concerns of students. The JEE Main and the Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET-UG) will be conducted in September as scheduled, the Ministry of Education officials had earlier said, amid a growing chorus for postponing the crucial tests in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. While the JEE Main is scheduled from September 1-6, NEET is planned on September 13. "Holding NEET-JEE exams now, with growing infections & deaths, would jeopardise the health of young aspirants. Reschedule these exams in a manner that an academic year is not lost," said CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury in a tweet. In a statement, his party said it was opposing the government's "unilateral" move to hold the exams. "What is most outrageous is the insensitivity to hold these examinations in the physical mode across the country at a time when the pandemic is surging both in the number of infections, as well as, the mounting counts of deaths," CPI (M) Politburo said in a statement here. The month of August has seen an exponential increase in the number of COVID-19 positive cases across the country, it said, adding that during the same time period, the death toll has reached nearly 60,000 and there is no sign of the pandemic ending. The Politburo said while the concern about starting the academic session in these institutions for the sake of the future of the students and those courses is valid and understandable, it's "grossly premature" to hold it at the moment. "It completely undermines the health concern for almost a million of some of the brightest of our youth," the statement added. On Wednesday, Chief Ministers from seven opposition-ruled states, at a virtual meeting, had decided to move the Supreme Court to seek deferment of these exams. The meeting, which was organised by Congress President Sonia Gandhi, was attended by West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, Maharashtra CM Udhav Thackeray, Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren, Chattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel, Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot and Punjab CM Amarinder Singh. In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, CPI MP Benoy Viswam said NEET and JEE are the biggest entrance examinations organised in the country and despite the increasing spread of the pandemic, the Testing Agency has chosen to hold these entrance exams in the month of September, "jeopardising the health and safety of lakhs of students." In 2019, approximately 25 lakh students appeared for these two exams and a similar number of students are expected to appear this year as well. "Students are scared to sit for these exams not just in fear of their own safety, but in fear of the safety of their families too. They have old guardians, heart patients, small siblings at home, who will be under serious threat if the candidates catch the infection at these crowded testing centres. "All these factors are causing additional mental stress on the students, causing many to not be in a fit mental state to sit for such fiercely competitive exams that will decide their future," the MP said. Viswam said the decision to continue holding these exams despite the large scale protests by students across the country is highly "irresponsible" on behalf of the government and puts at risks lives of millions of students and their families. (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 Delhi police are likely to summon for questioning moneylenders accused of harassing two jewellers from Chandni Chowk, who were found hanging at their shop on Wednesday. The two brothers, aged 47 and 42, left behind a note citing their poor financial condition but did not name any person for pushing them to suicide. Their family and employees told police and journalists the two were thrashed and threatened by the musclemen of a private financer from whom they had taken a loan of around 60 lakh and were not able to repay it. We are verifying if the allegations are true. We are in the process of identifying the moneylenders who had loaned the money to the two men and ascertain the familys allegations. They will be questioned to find out the reason behind the deaths, said an investigator, who did not wish to be named. The family of the jewellers told journalists the two were being threatened by a local businessman and his associate and they hanged themselves because of the torture. An employee of the jewellery store also told journalists moneylenders would come to their shop and harass the two brothers. They used to ask them to have poison if they did not have money to repay, he said. Deputy commissioner of police (north) Monika Bhardwaj, said, We will record the statement of their father today [Thursday]. We will proceed with the investigation accordingly. The Kremlin said yesterday it doesn't want the illness of Russia's opposition leader, who is in a coma in a German hospital after a suspected poisoning, to affect relations with the West as international pressure mounts on Moscow to investigate Alexei Navalny's condition. The statement came two days after doctors at the Berlin hospital where the 44-year-old is being treated said tests indicated he was poisoned, and minutes before British Prime Minister Boris Johnson joined other Western officials in demanding a transparent investigation. "The poisoning of (Alexei) Navalny shocked the world," Mr Johnson said in a tweet. "The perpetrators must be held accountable, (and) the UK will join international efforts to ensure justice is done." Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reiterated yesterday that Moscow "categorically" disagreed with "hasty" conclusions that Mr Navalny was a victim of an intentional poisoning, and said it doesn't want the situation to affect its ties with the West. "Of course, we wouldn't want that... Secondly, there is no reason whatsoever for it," Mr Peskov told reporters. "We are absolutely, no less than others, interested in understanding what led to a coma." Mr Navalny, a politician and corruption investigator who is one of Mr Putin's fiercest critics, fell ill on a flight back to Moscow from Siberia on Thursday last week and was taken to a hospital in the Siberian city of Omsk after the plane made an emergency landing. Over the weekend he was transferred to the Charite Hospital in Berlin, where doctors found indications of "cholinesterase inhibitors" in his system. These act by blocking the breakdown of a key chemical in the body, acetylcholine, that transmits signals between nerve cells. Mr Navalny is being treated with the antidote atropine. His allies say the Kremlin is behind the illness of its most prominent critic, accusations that officials denounced as "empty noise". The pressure on Moscow mounted after Charite revealed its findings. German Chancellor Angela Merkel called for a thorough investigation into Mr Navalny's condition. Officials in France and Norway echoed her sentiment. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the 27-nation bloc "strongly condemns what seems to be an attempt on Mr Navalny's life". US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the US "stands ready to assist" with a probe, if reports of a poisoning "prove accurate". Mr Pompeo's deputy Stephen Biegun met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and other diplomats on Tuesday. According to Russia's Foreign Ministry, Mr Biegun warned that if Mr Navalny's poisoning is confirmed, the US could take steps that will exceed Washington's response to findings of Russia's meddling in the 2016 US presidential election. The ministry said Russian diplomats warned Mr Biegun against making unfounded accusations and noted that Russian authorities stand for a "thorough and maximally objective investigation of what happened". The Kremlin said on Tuesday there were no grounds for a criminal investigation so far, since it hasn't been fully established what caused the politician to fall into a coma. Mr Peskov said Mr Navalny's condition may have been triggered by other causes. Ms Merkel's spokeswoman, Ulrike Demmer, said yesterday there was no reason to doubt the German doctors' findings. "From the side of the German government, there is the fullest trust in the work of the doctors," Ms Demmer said, adding that Germany takes the clinical evidence of a poisoning "very seriously". When the coronavirus pandemic hit the US in March, the FBI processed 3.7 million firearm background checks, the most since it started keeping track in 1998. Then in June, the bureau conducted a record-shattering 3.9 million background checks. Many new gun buyers say fears brought on by the pandemic, economic recession, and nationwide protests have fueled their decisions to purchase a firearm. Gun shop owners are welcoming the sales, but critics worry that the surge could lead to more violence if firearms end up in the wrong hands. View more episodes of Business Insider Today on Facebook. Michael Braunlin bought his first gun in March, as fears of the coronavirus pandemic were taking hold in the US. "A lot of it was around not knowing what was happening and not having a lot of assurance from my government that we were going to be kept safe and protected," Braunlin told Business Insider Today. During a record-breaking year of firearm background checks across the country, he wasn't the only one to make that decision. "As I was watching more and more people panic-buy, I said, OK, I think I need to be purchasing a firearm just in case something happens," Braunlin said. So far in 2020, gun background checks have already reached monthly all-time highs twice. In March, the FBI conducted 3.7 million checks the most since the bureau started keeping track in 1998. Then in June, that record was broken with 3.9 million. All four weeks of the month made the list of top 10 weeks with the most firearm background checks ever. At Stock & Barrel Gun Club in Minnesota, shop owners have noticed the influx of first-time gun buyers. "There are a number of people who, maybe a couple, three years ago would have never seen themselves as gun owners come through the doors," Kevin Vick, executive vice president of the club, told Business Insider Today. Michael Braunlin bought his first gun in March as the coronavirus pandemic broke out. Guy Wagner for Business Insider Today The biggest surge of recent sales here has been with handguns and shotguns not for hunting, but for self-protection. Story continues "I don't feel safe right now, so I need to make sure I'm safe," customer Victoria Legato said. "People are scouring," Randy Quick, another customer, added. "They're emptying the shelves, you know? So it's a different time." Gun background checks tend to increase following tragic incidents, like after the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School and the 2015 terrorist attack in San Bernardino, California. But this year's figures have reached new levels. "We feel that self-defense is a human right," said Vick. "So it transcends all categories of race, color, creed, religion. And so we are seeing a broadening in the demographic, and we're really happy to be serving it." But these shops aren't free of their critics especially from groups that advocate against gun violence. "They care about sales, not about the people who own those guns," Kris Brown, president of the nonprofit Brady: United Against Gun Violence, told Business Insider Today. "And I'm concerned that the rush to buy guns is going to increase fatalities and injuries of the very people that the gun owners are seeking to protect." For Braunlin, the argument against owning a gun is familiar. His wife was opposed to him getting one to begin with. "She's been kind of turning the blind eye to me owning it," he said. "I think there is a subtle piece of assurance that I do have something to protect us. She won't admit that, I don't think, but from a safety standpoint, I've always looked at it as an ultimate, like, last resort." Braunlin said he viewed purchasing a firearm as a "last resort." Guy Wagner for Business Insider Today "The ability to defend yourself is something that you should be able to do defend yourself or your family," said Vick of the Stock & Barrel Gun Club. "And that doesn't make you a crazy, that just makes you someone who's responsible and wants to make sure that they're doing the right things in the face of uncertain times." And these are uncertain times, marked not only by the pandemic but also a stalling economy, record unemployment, and nationwide protests against racism and police brutality many of which started in Minnesota at the end of May. "I do feel I have to be, like, extra responsible because I am a person of color," Braunlin said. "I've actually started researching what to do if the police stop you. And I have to think about the prejudice of other people. You know, I can't control it." As someone whose own perspective on guns has shifted since buying one, he says that there's nuance behind it all. "I come from a very liberal family and I would consider myself pretty liberal," Braunlin said. "Now being a gun owner, I'm like, OK, I get it. If they did away with the Second Amendment tomorrow, I'd be like, no, you can't take my gun. I'm sorry, no." Read the original article on Business Insider A two-week order by the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) to tenants and some family members to vacate a building at Adum in Kumasi to pave way for its demolition has sparked commotion between the two. Wearing black and red clothes and armbands, in the early hours of Wednesday, the tenants (store owners) and family members, demonstrated in front of the building in protest against the stance of NADMO. The one-story building, located on the Guggisberg Road at Adum, the hub of business in the Kumasi Metropolis, has 21 stores under it, with some family members, some octogenarians, as occupants. At a press briefing after the demonstration, the spokesperson of the group, Mr Osei Kwadwo, called on the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, to step in to avert the demolition especially in this era of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), that has seen the government easing the plight of the vulnerable in the country. He wondered why the NADMO has proceeded to evict them for the building to be demolished when the case was still pending at the Human Rights Court, in Kumasi. The spokesperson accused NADMO of conniving with Mr Alfred Obeng Boateng, owner of the Approachers Series, and describing him as owning the building, which in fact, he said, is owned by the Budukuma Estates. Throwing some light, he indicated that some years back, Budukuma Estates met the tenants and discussed with them the renewal of the lease of the property and other renovation works. He said they made contributions towardS that, but the owners later asked them to stop as the project would be given out to a contractor, which happened to be Approachers Series. According to Mr Kwadwo, a misunderstanding ensued between them and the owners and the case, to which Approachers Series was a party, went to court. In the course of event, he said, the owners decided to cancel the contract with the Approachers Series. And, in view of that, the tenants and owners of the property decided to withdraw the case for settlement at home, but interestingly Approachers Series would not budge. Four years ago, he said, Approacbers Series dumped sand and other materials in front of the building in an attempt to pull it down, but did not. He said the case was last called at the court, presided by Justice George Kroffah Addai, on July 7, 2020, and adjourned to November 30, 2020. But, while the case is still pending at the court, NADMO has served notice on the tenants to quit the premises within two weeks. The letter dated August18, 2020, and signed by the Ashanti Regional Director of NADMO, Kwabena Nsenkyire, noted there had been an inspection of the building and summary findings revealed deep cracks on its walls showing signs of collapse. According to the letter, the building had become a death trap to occupants, traders and unsuspecting bystanders. It urged the occupants to, as a matter of urgency, evacuate the building and that the owner, Approachers Series, should demolish it. The letter was copied to the Ashanti Regional Minister, Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly, Fourth Battalion of Infantry, Electricity Company of Ghana, Ghana National Fire Service, Ashanti Regional Police Command and Alfred Obeng Boateng (Approachers Series). Source: The Ghanaian Times 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 Police in the northern Vietnamese province of Thai Nguyen have arrested a suspect in a fatal shooting over a money conflict on Wednesday night. Colonel Dang Duc Dang, deputy director of the provincial Department of Police, confirmed on Thursday morning that officers had apprehended Nong Van Tu, 32, for murder. Tu is the prime suspect who allegedly killed T.T.Tr., 33, and injured her ex-husband, 32-year-old N.T.T., after shooting them with a homemade gun on Wednesday evening. According to a preliminary investigation, Tr. and T. were traveling on a motorbike along a street in Thai Nguyen City, the capital of the namesake province, at 8:00 pm that day. Tu then approached them on his motorcycle and fired four shots at the two victims before fleeing the scene. Nong Van Tu is shown in this photo provided by police officers. Tr. was killed due to a serious head injury, while T. was admitted to the hospital with a wound on his left chest. Tu was arrested four hours later while holing up in the northern province of Bac Giang, about 90 kilometers from the murder scene. At the police station, Tu claimed to have lent Tr. VND20 million (US$964), while the woman has only paid him back VND7 million ($302). Following an argument over this matter, Tu assaulted Tr. and broke her arm. The incident was then reported to police officers, but Tu ran away when police began verifying the case. He recently returned to Thai Nguyen City for a negotiation with Tr. regarding compensation for her broken arm. Police officers are continuing their investigation. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! By PTI PESHAWAR: A top commander of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) was shot dead on Thursday by security forces in northwest Pakistan. Abu Bakr alias Hamza associated with Asmat Shaheen Bhittani group of the TTP was killed in an exchange of firing in restive Waziristan tribal district of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The forces seized ammunition and weapons from the possession of the slain TTP commander. Hamza is the younger brother of TTP commander Maulvi Daud Bhittani and had carried out several terrorist attacks. Agricultural land values in Ireland noted a modest decline in the opening half of 2020. According to the latest data from Sherry FitzGerald Research, land values declined 0.6% in the second quarter, with prices cumulatively reducing 1.1% from the beginning of January to the end of June. As such, the weighted average price of farmland in the country, excluding Dublin, stood at approximately 8,800 at the midpoint of the year. While the opening quarter saw agricultural land values remain largely resilient, quarter two was the first full quarter impacted by the Covid-19 outbreak and national lockdown. However, these events did not appear to have a substantial impact on values in the quarter. Price reductions in the land market were modest and compare directly with 2019, where values fell 1% in the first half of that year. In terms of farm types, there was little change in prime grassland values in the first six months of the year. Grassland values reduced by a marginal 0.3%. Comparatively, prime arable and marginal grassland farm types saw larger falls, but still at relatively modest levels of 1.7% and 1.5% respectively. At the end of June, the weighted average price of prime arable land in Ireland, excluding Dublin, was approximately 10,600 per acre and 9,900 for prime grassland. In terms of regional price performance, the Border region saw the largest reduction in prices in the year to date at 3.4%. More moderate decreases of 1.7%, 1% and 0.9% were recorded in the Mid-East, Midlands, and South-West, respectively. While agents have noted that there has not been a significant decrease in sales compared to the same period last year, there has been a notable drop off in new supply being brought to the market. A trend that mirrors what has been seen in the residential market. Commenting on the overall market, Philip Guckian, Associate Director, Sherry FitzGerald Country Homes, Farms and Estates, said It appears, so far, that Covid-19 has not had any significant impact on agricultural land values. With supply levels already very low, this should certainly give confidence to vendors considering bringing farms to the market. Overall, the sentiment in the Country Homes, Farms and Estates market remains sturdy with transactions still taking place. Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-28 00:41:46|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TIRANA, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- The number of passengers travelling by air between January and July of 2020 totalled 706,556 in Albania, a drop of 60.7 percent year-on-year, the National Institute of Statistics (INSTAT) reported here on Thursday. According to INSTAT, in the seven-month period of 2020, 205,751 passengers travelled by sea, which decreased by 71.3 percent year-on-year. Due to COVID-19 pandemic and the high number of COVID-19 cases in the country, Albanian citizens can not travel in many countries, especially European Union countries, which are considered preferred destinations. On Thursday, Albanian health authorities reported 156 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 9,083, with 4,791 recoveries and 266 fatalities. Enditem New York, New York--(Newsfile Corp. - August 26, 2020) - Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP, a leading national securities law firm, reminds investors in Braskem S.A. ("Braskem" or the "Company") (NYSE: BAK) of the October 26, 2020 deadline to seek the role of lead plaintiff in a federal securities class action that has been filed against the Company. If you invested in Braskem stock or options between May 6, 2016, and July 8, 2020 and would like to discuss your legal rights, click here : www.faruqilaw.com/BAK. There is no cost or obligation to you. You can also contact us by calling Richard Gonnello toll free at 877-247-4292 or at 212-983-9330 or by sending an e-mail to rgonnello@faruqilaw.com. CONTACT: FARUQI & FARUQI, LLP 685 Third Avenue, 26th Floor New York, NY 10017 Attn: Richard Gonnello, Esq. rgonnello@faruqilaw.com Telephone: (877) 247-4292 or (212) 983-9330 The lawsuit has been filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey on behalf of all those who purchased Braskem securities between May 6, 2016, and July 8, 2020 (the "Class Period"). The case, Coutinho v. Braskem S.A. et al., No. 20-cv-11366 was filed on August 25, 2020, and has been assigned to Judge Claire C. Cecchi. As detailed below, the lawsuit focuses on whether the Company and its executives violated federal securities laws by making false and/or misleading statements and/or failing to disclose that: (1) Braskem's salt mining operations were unsafe and presented a significant danger to surrounding areas, including nearly two thousand properties; (2) the foregoing foreseeably increased the risk that Braskem would be subjected to remedial liabilities, including, but not limited to, increased governmental and/or regulatory oversight or enforcement, significant monetary and reputational damage, and/or the permanent closure of one or more of its salt mining operations; (3) accordingly, earnings generated from Braskem's salt mining operations were unsustainable; (4) Braskem downplayed the true scope and severity of the Company's liability with respect to its salt mining operations; and (5) as a result, the Company's public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times. Continuar leyendo la historia On April 2, 2019, media sources and, later, Braskem, disclosed that the Company had been sued by local authorities in connection with a geological event it had purportedly caused in the state of Alagoas, Brazil. Specifically, Braskem disclosed, in relevant part, that the Company "ha[d] become aware, through the media, of a lawsuit filed against it by the Public Prosecutor's Office and the Public Defender's Office, both of the State of Alagoas." The Company disclosed that the lawsuits were "requesting the freezing of amounts and assets in a total of approximately R$6.7 billion to guarantee any potential damages owed to the general public affected by the geological phenomenon which occurred in districts near the rock salt extraction area in Maceio." On this news, Braskem's ADS price fell, over two trading days, from $26.74 per share on April 1, 2019 to $25.14 per share on April 3, 2019: a $1.60 or 5.98% drop. Then, on July 9, 2020, during pre-market hours, Braskem disclosed that authorities in northeastern Brazil had advised the Company that the geological damage from its salt mining operations was more widespread than initial estimates. Specifically, among other things, 1,918 properties needed to be evacuated because of the geological event associated with Braskem's mining operations, and Braskem estimated that moving the residents would cost the Company an additional R$850 million in possible payments to those residents, with another additional R$750 million in expenses to "definitively" shut down Braskem's salt mining operations. On this news, Braskem's ADS price fell from $9.52 per share on July 8, 2020 to $8.93 per share on July 9, 2020: a $0.59 or 6.18% drop. The court-appointed lead plaintiff is the investor with the largest financial interest in the relief sought by the class who is adequate and typical of class members who directs and oversees the litigation on behalf of the putative class. Any member of the putative class may move the Court to serve as lead plaintiff through counsel of their choice, or may choose to do nothing and remain an absent class member. Your ability to share in any recovery is not affected by the decision to serve as a lead plaintiff or not. Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP also encourages anyone with information regarding Braskem's conduct to contact the firm, including whistleblowers, former employees, shareholders and others. Attorney Advertising. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP (www.faruqilaw.com). Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome with respect to any future matter. We welcome the opportunity to discuss your particular case. All communications will be treated in a confidential manner. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/62643 The Metro Railway here said on Thursday that it will restart services on receiving the go- ahead from the Union Home Ministry and the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Wednesday that the Metro Railway authorities can resume services, maintaining all COVID-related safety protocols. "We will start the process of resuming services once we receive directives from the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Railway Ministry," Metro Railway spokesperson Indrani Banerjee said. After receiving the go-ahead, the Metro authorities will discuss the modalities of running the services in the city with the West Bengal government, she told PTI. The chief minister announced a series of relaxations on Wednesday. Regarding the resumption of Metro and local train services, she said that the Railway authorities should speak to state officials to work out the modalities. Metro Railway, which forms an integral part of the city's public transportation system, stopped services as the nationwide lockdown began in March to control the spread of the (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.) US President "is no hawk" and he believes in seeking peace instead of perpetual conflict, a top national security official from the White House told Americans Wednesday as he urged them to re-elect him in the November presidential election. "President Trump challenged, and continues to challenge, an increasingly provocative and militant China. But make no mistake, President Trump is no hawk, Lt Gen (retired) Joseph Keith Kellogg Jr., who is the National Security Advisor to Vice President Mike Pence, said in his address to the Republican National Convention. "He wisely wields the sword when required, but believes in seeking peace instead of perpetual conflict, Kellogg said in his address on the third day of the convention. The Republican National Convention will on Thursday formally re-nominate President as its candidate for the November 3 presidential election. President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence will be challenged by the Democratic Party's presidential nominee Joe Biden and his Indian-American running mate Senator Kamala Harris. In his remarks, Kellogg said that just over a week ago, Trump brokered a peace agreement between the United Arab Emirates and Israel, the first in the Middle East in over 25 years. And this week, Afghan negotiators, with help from American officials, will start peace negotiations between the Taliban and the Afghan government to end America's longest war, he said. "Ask yourself, has this President kept his promises...to keep us out of needless conflicts and to pursue ending wars without end? Has he defended your interests in renegotiating trade deals that previously hurt Americans and our national security? Has he fulfilled his Commander in Chief role by decisively going after our Nation's enemies? You and I know, the answer is yes, Kellogg said. The choice is clear, he said. This is the most important election of our lifetime. The next four years will decide the course of our country for decades to come. I am asking you to stand up and be counted, so we never have to look back and recall what it was once like in America when men and women were free, our families were secure -- and we had a President who served the people, he said. Over the past three-and-a-half years, Kellogg said, he has witnessed every major foreign policy and national security decision by the President. I have been in the room where it happened. I saw only one agenda and one guiding question when tough calls had to be madeis this decision right for America? he said. When President took office, decades of failed foreign policy had crippled us. He faced wars without end in sight, creation of failed states like Libya and Syria, a past that allowed a terrorist caliphate to grow, and leadership in Washington that allowed our military to atrophy while we spent trillions of dollars abroad instead of investing at home, he said. Kellogg said that Trump has reversed the decline of military and restructured national security strategy. With historic investment and vision, the military is now better equipped, better resourced and better manned than any military in the world, he asserted. President Trump demolished the terrorist ISIS Caliphate in the Middle East and eliminated its leader, al-Baghdadi, one of the world's most brutal murderers, he said. Trump took decisive action against Iranian terrorist mastermind Qasim Soleimani -- a man responsible for the deaths of hundreds of American servicemen in Iraq, he added. When our NATO allies failed to meet their commitments as we upheld ours, President Trump demanded parity. NATO members have now increased their contributions over USD 100 Billion this year and NATO's Secretary General creditsPresident Donald J. Trump, Kellogg said. (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.) Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is chairing the 41st GST Council meeting via video conferencing in New Delhi today. The meeting was attended by MOS Anurag Thakur, besides finance ministers of states & UTs and senior officers from Union government and states. The Finance Minister held a virtual media briefing on the outcome of the meeting following the meeting.The meeting took place amid a major revenue shortfall for both Centre and states. Non-BJP ruled states have made their anger clear over the Centre's inordinate delay in paying GST compensation. Some states have started calling for more say in ways to raise GST collection if the Centre fails to compensate the states. Check out all the latest updates on 41st GST Council meeting on BusinessToday.In live blog 5:15 PM: "There may be some states that might prefer to get hard-wired compensation rather than going to market to borrow. The option was tailor-made so that states can take a call depending on compensation they expect to come. Govt will give a further relaxation of 0.5% in states' borrowing limit under FRBM Act as second leg of Option 1. States can choose to borrow more, beyond expected compensation itself, since that is the injury caused by coronavirus," said Sitharaman. 5:04 PM: "During April-July 2020, total GST compensation to be paid is Rs 1.5 lakh crore. There was hardly any GST Collection in April and May. Annual GST compensation requirement is estimated to be around Rs 3 lakh crore, and cess collection is expected to be around Rs 65,000 crore, leaving us with an annual compensation gap of Rs 2.35 lakh crore," said Revenue Secretary 4:59 PM: "Not a minute was spend today to discuss rate increases," said FM Nirmala Sitharaman. 4:54 PM: Finance Minister Sitharaman said, "Once the arrangement is agreed upon by GST Council, we can proceed fast and clear these dues and also take care of the rest of the financial year. These options will be available only for this year." 4:52 PM: Two options have been presented: One is to provide a special window to states, in consultation with RBI to provide Rs 97,000 crore at a reasonable interest rate. The other one is that the entire GST compensation gap of Rs 2,35,000 crore of this year can be met by states, in consultation with RBI. These options will be sent to states for a view within seven days. 4:49 PM: Compensation gap is due to coronavirus pandemic as well. The shortfall in compensation due to the implementation of GST has been estimated to be Rs 97,000 crore 4:46 PM: As mentioned by Finance Minister in GST Council meeting held in March, legal views of the matter were sought from the Attorney General of India who said that GST compensation has to be paid for transition period from July 2017 to June 2022: Finance Secretary Ajay Bhushan Pandey 4:40 PM: Central govt released more than Rs 1.65 lakh crore as GST compensation to states for FY20, including Rs 13,806 crore for March. Total amount of compensation released for 2019-20 is Rs 1.65 lakh crore, whereas cess amount collected was Rs 95,444 crore: Finance Secretary 4:30 PM: GST collection has been severely impacted this year, due to pandemic. As per GST Compensation Law, states need to be given compensation: Finance Secretary 1.47 PM: GST cut on two-wheelers back on the table A GST cut on two-wheelers is back on the table after FM Nirmala Sitharaman said they are not sin product. Motorcycles, scooters and mopeds are in the highest slab of 28% GST right now. A 10% cut to the next slab of 18% will see significant reduction in prices. The sale of two-wheelers has declined by over 60% in first four months of this fiscal so far. Motorcycles are witnessing a faster recovery in sales. Also read: Once bitten twice shy, industry hopes FM will deliver the goods this time 12.05 PM: GST compensation from Centre The central government had last released GST compensation of Rs 13,806 crore to states for March 2020. The total compensation paid to the states in 2019-20 was Rs 1,65,302 crore whereas the amount of cess collected during the period was Rs 95,444 crore, a shortfall of Rs 70,000 crore. Also read: GST Council meeting: States seek more control over GST revenue ahead of 41st meet 12.00 PM: What does the GST Act say? Under the current GST structure, taxes are levied under four slabs -- 5, 12, 18 and 28 per cent. The government also charges a cess on luxury, sin and demerit goods on items under the 28 per cent tax slab. The funds collected via this cess are shared with states to meet the revenue shortfall.Since FY16, states are entitled to get 14 per cent hike in revenue for the next five years till 2022, though COVID-19 has badly hit the Centre's coffers. The Centre has been of the view that states can be compensated for the revenue shortfall from compensation cess only. Also read: GST meet: From talks on compensation to market borrowings; here's what to expect today 11.50 AM: None of contention between Centre, states States have not been compensated since May. The issue of GST compensation has become a bone of contention between the Centre and states, with the government clearly telling the parliamentary standing committee on finance that it's in no position to pay for the GST dues to states as per the current revenue sharing formula as the COVID-19 has severely affected the businesses. Also read: Centre must compensate states for loss of revenue, says Attorney General 11.40 AM: GST Council may find more ways to raise funds Even as states and Centre are likely to deliberate on finding ways to fill the compensation gap, some states have called for more say in ways to raise GST collection if the Centre fails to compensate them. 11.30 AM: Will Centre and States find middle path? With the Central government showing inability to compensate states for revenue losses as per the agreed formula under Goods and Services Tax (GST), the question is whether the two sides can find a middle path between GST and the older tax regime where states had more say on the revenue collected. Also read: GST Council may consider proposal to cut tax on two-wheeler 11.15 AM: Agendas for 41st GST meeting The Goods and Service Tax (GST) Council members in their virtual meeting on Thursday will discuss the crucial single point agenda of compensation to states. The members will discuss ways to address the issue of revenue shortfall, including borrowing from market, as COVID-19 pandemic affects the entire Indian economy. 11. 00 AM: GST Council Meet starts Finance Minister Smt. @nsitharaman will chair the 41st GST Council meeting via video conferencing at 11 AM in New Delhi today. The meeting will be attended by MOS Shri. @ianuragthakur besides Finance Ministers of States & UTs and Senior officers from Union Government & States. pic.twitter.com/HeqCaGwMbc Ministry of Finance (@FinMinIndia) August 27, 2020 ALSO READ: West Bengal FM urges Centre to pay compensation cess ahead of GST meet A group of people wearing face masks walk on the street In Fuengirola, near Malaga, Spain. (AP) As the winter months get nearer, a stark warning about a possible increase in coronavirus deaths has been issued by the World Health Organization (WHO). During a briefing on Thursday morning, WHOs European regional director Hans Kluge warned that as youngsters stay in more during the colder months they may be more likely to spread coronavirus, especially if they visit multiple households. Kluge said there was growing evidence that young people were infecting people at social gatherings and said that this could result in increase hospitalisations and deaths. He said: "The younger people are not necessarily going to die from it but it's a tornado with a long tail At one stage, younger people particularly with the winter coming, will be in closer contact with the elder population. World Health Organization Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge warned of a rise in coronavirus deaths in the winter months. (Getty) Kluge warned that no one is invincible and called on nations to make sure they have an effective test and trace programme in place. Despite his warning, Kluge added that countries knew enough about COVID-19 for it to be manageable meaning schools would not have to close if community cases were to rise. In France, grandparents are being told not to pick up their grandchildren from school in case of infection, pushing up hospital numbers in the process. It comes as the R number the rate of infection in the country rose to 1.4, a sign that the pandemic is growing. Health leaders have previously warned of a second wave of coronavirus in the UK in winter, and urged the government to prepare for a spike in cases. In an open letter to all UK political parties in June, health leaders said a second wave is a real risk and said substantial challenges remain when it comes to putting necessary measures in place to prepare. In June, both the government's chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, and the chief medical officer for England, Professor Chris Whitty, have also stressed the easing of lockdown was not a "risk-free" move. Whitty said it was "absolutely critical" that people continued to observe social distancing, and warned that coronavirus was likely to be present in the UK until at least the spring of 2021. Story continues He warned that if people returned to their normal patterns of behaviour "we will get an uptick for sure. Vallance added: "The disease is growing across the world. It is coming down in the UK but it hasn't gone away. Chief medical officer Chris Whitty has previously warned of a second wave of coronavirus in the UK during winter. (PA) Scientists have also previously warned a second coronavirus outbreak in the winter could be even worse than the first peak and cause up to 120,000 deaths in a worst-case scenario. A report by the Academy of Medical Sciences states the reasonable worst-case scenario to prepare for is a reproduction rate of 1.7 from September. Thirty-seven scientists modelled a scenario forecasting a second peak of hospital admissions and deaths in January or February next year, with a possible 119,900 deaths between September and June. Coronavirus: what happened today Click here to sign up to the latest news and information with our daily Catch-up newsletter Let's face it. The government of Guam is more generous with its own workforce, not just when it comes to pay and raises, but also with leave b Read more Breast reconstruction has long been considered an important part of breast cancer treatment and management. The procedure can be done using artificial breast implants, autologous tissue grafts or a combination of both. In this release, The Clifford Surgery Clinic would like to highlight a study on DIEP flap breast reconstruction conducted by the top plastic surgeons in Southeast Asia, including Dr Timothy Shim, Senior Consultant Plastic Surgeon at The Clifford Surgery Clinic. The main aim of a breast reconstruction surgery is to recreate new breast(s) which are natural-looking, symmetrical and aesthetically pleasing. In all cases, this will involve the use of breast implants or autologous tissue grafts from other parts of the body. In the latter case, tissue from the lower abdomen is preferred as it has the ideal skin and fat tissue composition to mimic a natural breast. The traditional approach involves the transverse rectus abdominis myocutaneous (TRAM) flap, while the newer approach involves the deep inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP) flap. The highlighted study focuses on the newer DIEP flap approach. Mainly, Dr Shim and his collaborators aim to evaluate the safety and outcome of this approach when performed on Southeast Asian patients and identify possible risk factors. 50 DIEP flap breast reconstruction procedures performed on 46 patients of different Southeast Asian ethnicities were evaluated in this study. One of the main variables investigated in the study was the incidence rate of possible complications from DIEP flap breast construction. Some of these complications include: Total flap loss: death of all or almost all of the transplanted tissue Partial flap loss: death of more than a third of the transplanted tissue Fat necrosis: death of less than a third of transplanted tissue, with all of the transplanted skin healthy and intact and only fat tissue death. Results from the study revealed that complications from DIEP flap breast reconstruction was unlikely, as incidence rates of the major complications like Total and Partial flap loss were low at 6% and 4% respectively. The most common complication, fat necrosis, is a minor one that only occurred 10% of the time. These results were also consistent with similar studies done by other plastic surgeons all over the world, which further reinstated the safety and reliability of this approach. In addition, the study also investigated different factors that may contribute to the success of the reconstruction surgery, which included age, ethnicity, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, obesity, smoking and several others. Among the factors examined, obesity is the only factor proven to significantly increase the risk of complications. Other factors like smoking did exhibit a possible trend, but there was insufficient evidence to definitively prove this association. Hence, we can see that most women are suitable for DIEP flap breast reconstruction. As breast cancer remains the one of most common cancers in women, breast reconstruction is arguably one of the most important aesthetic/plastic surgery procedures. While not technically required to treat the cancer itself, many women expressed that they only felt full relief after breast reconstruction and consider it as part of the recovery journey. A successful reconstruction helps women recover both physically and psychologically from the disease. Hence, insight into breast reconstruction techniques is an important aspect in both plastic surgeon and breast cancer research. This study has revealed that the DIEP flap approach has low complication rates, with obesity being the only risk factor significantly contributing to increased complications. With these, Dr Shim and his collaborators can confidently say that DIEP Flap Breast Reconstruction is a safe and reliable procedure for Asian women. Dr Timothy Shim is currently practising at The Clifford Surgery Clinic. If you are keen, you may arrange a consultation session with him by contacting us at 6532 2400 or via WhatsApp at 8318 6332. The Clifford Surgery Clinic is located at 24 Raffles Place, #01-05 Clifford Centre, Singapore 048621, less than a minutes walk from Raffles MRT Exit A. References Yap, Y. L., Lim, J., Yap-Asedillo, C., Ong, W. C., Cheong, E. C., Naidu, S., Shim, T., Yeo, M., Leow, M. P., & Lim, T. C. (2010). The deep inferior epigastric perforator flap for breast reconstruction: Is this the ideal flap for Asian women?. Annals of the Academy of Medicine, Singapore, 39(9), 680686. Cancer Statistics. (2020, August 03). Retrieved August 15, 2020 New Delhi, Aug 27 : An extortion racket allegedly being run from the Mandoli jail in northeast Delhi has been busted by Delhi police with the arrest of five men, including a 50-year-old head warden of the prison. The police said an active member of Nandu Gang -- notorious for indulging in extortion, identified as Vikas is the mastermind of the extortion racket and allegedly operated from the jail where he is currently lodged. While the head warden has been identified as Rajender Singh, the other four accused are Jagmohan (23), Vikas (28), Pramod Kumar (30), Honey Rajpal (35). Pramod who was in judicial custody had recently secured interim bail while Rajpal is also lodged in the jail for murder. During interrogation, Pramod confessed that in jail, he met Rajpal, who is currently in Mandoli Jail in connection with a murder case. When he was released on interim bail, Rajpal called Pramod to arrange and deliver 10 SIM cards in jail through the head warden Rajender for which he would receive Rs 2,000 per SIM. "On this, he got 4 SIMs issued in his name and 6 SIMs in his brother Jagmohan's name and handed over the same to Head Warden Rajender at Main Gate of Mandoli Jail and Khajuri Khas Chowk on different occasions," said DCP Dwarka Anto Alphonse. During investigation, the SIM card dealers were examined, their record was checked and the 50-yr-old accused Rajender Singh was arrested. Rajender was tasked to collect and deliver the SIM cards in the jail premises by avoiding checking and frisking, and handover the SIM cards to Rajpal in jail. On the basis of his disclosure and WhatsApp chats, the team arrested Honey Rajpal and Vikas alias PK, a resident of village Bakkarwala in Delhi, the mastermind of this racket. The mobile phones of the accused persons having Whatsapp chat between them have been seized. If anybody in Canberra thinks that this government is not going to do everything we can to try and have more jobs in Victoria Thats always driven me, and it always will. Daily case numbers lowest since early July Mr Andrews hopes to soon lay out a path for easing coronavirus restrictions after the state recorded its lowest COVID-19 daily case total in almost two months. Victoria recorded 113 new cases in the past 24 hours, the lowest total since July 5, alongside 23 deaths, a near-record daily death toll. The number of people who have died in Victoria from coronavirus has increased to 485. Mr Andrews told Victorians on Thursday he hoped to release a plan outlining the path out of stage four restrictions, saying the daily increase in new cases could be in double figures soon. He said Victorians could be hopeful that the focus of authorities would soon shift to the mammoth task of rebooting the state's economy. "I think every Victorian can be positive about the fact that these numbers are coming down and the strategies working and there will come a time hopefully soon we're able to see those numbers in double digits," he said. "We quite soon hope to be able to give people a road map, a clear plan about what coming out of stage four looks like, what opening up looks like, what finding COVID-normal looks like. ''I appreciate and understand how very deeply challenging this is." He also said planning for future months was becoming clearer. "And we can have, with greater confidence, a really clear discussion about what the back end of September looks like, what October, November, December, looks like pushing into 2021," he said. "We can't open up right now. At 100-plus cases a day, we cannot open up right now. And I think that Victorians, as painful and as challenging as this is, I think they understand that fact." Key statistic trending downward Deputy Chief Health Officer Allen Cheng said each infected COVID-19 patient in Victoria is infecting well below one other person on average. The reproductive number is likely below 0.87, according to Mr Cheng. If this number sits below 1 for an extended period of time, daily case numbers will drive down toward zero. "I would expect it to be a little lower than 0.87, but it's still encouraging," Mr Cheng said. Mr Cheng said superspreaders, COVID-positive people who infected many others, were causing much of the spread and were being targetted by health authorities. "Most people actually don't transmit to anyone at all, and a smaller number of people will transmit to a larger number of people and we really need to focus on all of those aged care and hospitals," he said. Mr Cheng said the proportion of total cases with no known source had been consistent. These "mystery cases" were decreasing along with total cases but their proportion of total cases was largely unchanged. Tech could open Parliament Mr Andrews says he would be open to using technology to facilitate COVID-safe sittings of State Parliament. Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton has provided updated advice saying MPs can meet at Parliament safely under certain conditions. Loading Mr Andrews said there were examples from other states and countries where technology has been used to reduce physical contact in legislative chambers. "Im certainly comfortable with that, but thats a decision made by the presiding officers," he said, referring to the speaker of the lower house and president of the upper house. Mr Andrews said he had "no problem" with increased parliamentary oversight that may be offered by the government to crossbenchers as part of negotiations over an extension to the state of emergency. The Premier would not be drawn on reports by The Age that a six-month extension, a backdown on the initial 12-month proposal, had been offered to crossbenchers by the government. Domestic violence assistance Mr Andrews said government would establish new Orange Door Network family violence hubs, a key recommendation of the royal commission into family violence. The locations will be in Box Hill, Wangaratta and unannounced locations in Melbourne's south, Wimmera South-West and outer Gippsland. "I just wanted to make the point that despite the stage four lockdown in metropolitan Melbourne it is always appropriate that if you felt that you needed to leave home for your safety, [you can]," Mr Andrews said. Imperial Valley News Center Launch of the Building the Movement Exhibit: Americas Youth Celebrate 100 Years of Womens Suffrage Washington, DC - Monday, First Lady Melania Trump, hosted the launch of the Building the Movement Exhibit: Americas Youth Celebrate 100 Years of Womens Suffrage, an exhibit honoring the centennial anniversary of the ratification of the 19th amendment, which gave American women the right to vote. Todays exhibit was launched in front of the White House on Pennsylvania Avenue. The exhibit follows an art competition for students in grades 3-12 that was launched in June. The winning artwork showcased in the exhibit depicts individuals, objects, and events that hold a significant meaning to the womens suffrage movement. The First Lady was joined by Second Lady Karen Pence, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, Small Business Administrator Jovita Carranza, Senior Counselor to the President, Kellyanne Conway, Womens Suffrage Centennial Commission (WSCC) Members, student submission winners and other elected officials. The First Lady opened the exhibit with welcome remarks thanking those in attendance for joining her to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the Ratification of the 19th Amendment and the womens suffrage movement. In particular, she thanked the young artists for their impressive artwork submissions and congratulated them for representing their state in the exhibit. She also noted that This exhibit creates a platform to encourage parents to engage with their children on the important conversations taking place around equality giving young people an opportunity to learn and understand the history behind the womens suffrage movement. Following her remarks, the First Lady joined the children to review their artwork and encouraged them to continue to express themselves through art and to continue to learn more about the history of this important movement. This exhibit is presented by the Office of the White House Curator in partnership with the Office of the First Lady with support from the WSCC. Good Morning Everyone. Thank you all for joining me today for the opening of the Building the Movement Exhibit. An exhibit that honors and celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the Ratification of the 19th Amendment and the womens suffrage movement. Before I get started, I want to say a special thank you Second Lady Karen Pence, Secretary DeVos, Secretary Chao, SBA Administrator Jovita Carranza, Kellyanne Conway and the Womens Suffrage Centennial Commission for joining us on this special occasion. We are also joined by a talented group of young artists. Each of you were selected from hundreds of impressive artwork submissions from across the country to represent your state in this exhibit, congratulations. Your artistic creativity, attention to detail, and talent in each piece of artwork embraces the spirit of this milestone event in our nations history. The Ratification of the 19th Amendment and the womens right to vote was a turning point in the history of womens rights in the United States and stood as an example to the world. This exhibit should create a platform to encourage parents to engage with their children on the important conversations taking place around equality giving young people an opportunity to learn and understand the history behind the womens suffrage movement. Throughout this exhibit you will see historic photographs woven into the artwork, bringing the exhibit to life through the unique lens of our children. Each image and drawing depicts the marches, the symbols, and the inspiring women who tirelessly fought and struggled for equality in our nations history. It is these women and their brave actions that have provided strength and inspiration to so many mothers, daughters, and sisters who have stamped their own mark on our country ensuring future generations of women have the ability to pursue their dreams. Last week, I joined the President in signing a proclamation recognizing this important day in American history. Since taking office, my husband and this administration have taken historic measures to empower and support women in the United States and around the world. Under our administration, the child tax credit has been doubled. American women, who comprise over half of the workforce, experienced their lowest rate of unemployment in over 65 years. In addition to these achievements, this administration has filled many of its senior positions with women. I want to thank the Office of the Curator and the Womens Centennial Commission for your partnership in this exhibit that honors the countless contributions of the women who have come before us. Because of the story of progress ignited by the womens suffrage movement, we can all continue to look forward to the important achievements that women of all ages will make in our society. We, as women, must continue using our greatest tool of empowerment our voices. Now in 2020, the American womans voice is more important than ever. Our Nation is depending on each of you. I encourage you all to vote so that we may continue to build the brightest future for all of our children. Thank you and may God Bless you and your families and may God Bless the United States of America. Did Karl Marx turn in his grave? Alibaba co-founder Jack Ma is a member of Chinas Communist Party! China's Alibaba will not invest in India for at least 6 months: Report India oi-Briti Roy Barman New Delhi, Aug 27: China's Alibaba Group has put on hold plans to invest in Indian companies amid geopolitical tensions between the two countries, Reuters reported. Alibaba will not put fresh funds in its investments in India for at least six months, reports added. The Chinese group, Alibaba, has invested more than USD 2 billion in Indian startups since 2015. Alibaba Group, and its affiliate Ant, are major investors in some of the major companies in India, including Paytm, the most valued Indian startup, in which it owns about 30 per cent stake, food delivery startup Zomato, grocery delivery startup BigBasket and e-commerce firm Snapdeal. Heavy rains likely in north India; Orange alert issued in 3 states: IMD The decision comes following the military clash where 20 Indian soldiers were killed in the Himalayas in June and in a move of retaliation, New Delhi blocked TikTok and 58 other Chinese apps in the country in late June and extended the ban to several dozen more apps weeks later. BJP tops Facebook political ad spending at Rs 4 crore & more news | Oneindia News "Boycott China", and variations of it, also has been trending on social media platforms in India as a number of people posted videos showing destruction of Chinese-made smartphones, TVs and other products and chanting against using Chinese products. India, the world's second-largest internet market, also amended its foreign direct investment policy (FDI) to make it difficult for Chinese investors to write new checks to Indian firms. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, August 27, 2020, 14:29 [IST] Intelligence and election security officials confirmed on Wednesday that mail-in voting for the November presidential elections is safe from foreign threats. Officials said that the standard security measures and decentralization make the United States' election system difficult to penetrate and change results. A senior official from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said that the U.S. has no intelligence that any nation is making attempts to undermine mail-in voting. Federal officials are gearing up efforts to keep state and local election systems secure with less than 70 days left until Election Day. This following the reveal of Russia's interference in the 2016 presidential race, which resulted in criticism that the government had been slow and soft in its response. Officials added that state and local governments are paying closer attention to the dangers of hacking and misinformation. Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey A. Rosen backed the claims of election security officials. "We have yet to see any activity intended to prevent voting or to change votes, and we continue to think that it would be extraordinarily difficult for foreign adversaries to change vote tallies," Rosen was quoted in a report. Mail-In Voting Threats Many claimed that foreign states could manipulate mail-in voting. U.S. President Donald Trump made remarks that foreign adversaries could affect mail-in voting and rig the election. Trump said the widespread use of mail-in voting and absentee balloting would be one of the most significant elections in history. Trump said that people like to talk about Russia and China and other places. "They'll be able to forge ballots. They'll forge them. They'll do whatever they have to do," Trump was quoted in a report. Attorney General William P. Barr has earlier claimed that it would be easy for a foreign government to make U.S. ballots and send them in. Election officials later disputed Barr's claims. Officials said there are many security measures in place to make any such attempts unlikely to occur. "We know it's not just Russia operating in this space, but just to be clear, Russia is still very active when it comes to malign influence. And it works hard to get Americans essentially to tear each other apart politically," a senior FBI official was quoted in a report. The official said that China is also a "significant malign foreign influence player" aiming to help the country "decline on the world stage." Officials also said that Iran is trying to influence the U.S. election. Foreign Threats U.S. intelligence official earlier said that Russia is trying to undermine the candidacy of Democratic presidential candidate Joe Bide. China has used rhetorical efforts to harm Trump's chance of winning the president's seat for the second time. Officials said they had seen persistent efforts to influence state or local computer systems. Officials added that those efforts have mostly been unsuccessful and do not have a similar intensity as to the 2016 attacks. One federal election security official said that they have not seen to date any increased activity in targeting election infrastructure for the last few months. Check these out: Florida Voters May Not Get Their Ballots on Time for Mail-In Voting Black and Latino Voters Worry About Mail-In Voting Mail-In Voting and Complications You Could Encounter Here is the weekly road construction report for Hamilton County: SR-319 Repair of the bridge over the Tennessee River and Riverpark Drive (LM 2.2): The contractor will be performing repair operations to the bridge that will require lane closures in both directions. Extra caution should be observed of trucks entering and exiting the work-zone. During this report period the inside shoulder and inside lane of each direction are closed. Traffic is shifted to the right in both directions. Additional flaggers will be present as needed. [Mid-State Construction Company, Inc./Osbonlighter/CNU205] I-24 Replacement of Belvoir Ave. bridge over I-24 and I-24 bridges over Germantown Road near MM 183: Lane shifts are in place on I-24 EB and WB under the Belvoir Avenue Bridge, at North and South Terrace approaching the Belvoir Avenue Bridge, and on Germantown Road under the I-24 Bridge. Alternating single and double lane closures will be required on I-24 EB and WB on Thursday and between Sunday-Wednesday from 9 p.m.-6 a.m. Additionally, there will be single lane closures in the north and south directions of Germantown Road under the I-24 Bridge and at the intersections with North and South Terrace. These closures will occur on Thursday and Friday, and between Monday through Wednesday from 9 a.m.-6 a.m. the following morning. Motorists should be aware of the Belvoir Avenue Bridge closure and detour that was put into place on April 20, and the new traffic pattern at Exit 183 on the ramp leading to the intersection of South Terrace and Germantown Road on Aug. 10. There is a 45 MPH speed limit reduction throughout the project corridor on I-24. [Bell and Associates Construction, LP/Blevins/CMGC03] I-24 Resurfacing from the Georgia State line to near the ramp to SR-2 (US-41, US-64, US-11, Cummings Highway): A paving operation continues on I-24 EB/WB involving lane closures as follows: Sunday - Thursday (8 p.m.-6 a.m.). This project is continuous from MM 171 at the Georgia line through MM 178, just west of the US-27 split. Expect significant queueing of traffic. Manned attenuator trucks, variable speed limit signs, and two officers will be assisting in this operation.[Talley Construction Company, Inc./Micka/CNT374] I-75 at I-24 Interchange Reconstruction: Watch for trucks entering and exiting project. Traffic should expect multiple lane shifts traveling through the interchange. Lane closures will occur Sunday nights through Thursday nights between 9 p.m.-6 a.m. at the following locations: I-75 NB MM 1, I-75 SB MM 3 and I-24 EB MM 184.0 Traffic pacing may occur throughout interchange Sunday nights through Thursday nights between 9 p.m.-6 a.m. Additionally, there may intermittent shoulder closures at various locations for access to the median and roadside areas. I-75 NB to I-24 WB split has been moved back 1500 feet from its previous location. Welcome Center traffic intending to use I-24 WB now, will have to detour on I-75 NB to Exit 3. Detailed detour information will be available at the Welcome Center. The speed limit has been reduced to 45 MPH throughout the interchange. RESTRICTIONS: There is a 14' width restriction on the NB I-75 to WB I-24 interchange ramp. This affects wide loads at approximately MM 1.7. [C.W. Matthews Contracting Company, Inc./Blevins/DB1801] US-27 (I-124) Widening from I-24/US-27 interchange to north of the Olgiati Bridge over the Tennessee River, including widening the Olgiati Bridge: Work on this project continues with activities occurring in the median and shoulders of US-27. Motorists should be alert for construction vehicles entering and exiting the activity area. Motorists should pay close attention to the detour signage posted. The speed limit on US-27 in the construction zone remains 45 MPH. Weather permitting, the contractor may implement temporary lane/shoulder closures on weeknights between the hours of 7 p.m.-6 a.m. At least one lane will remain open in each direction on US-27. Currently EXIT 1C from northbound US-27 to 4th St. has been closed and is scheduled to reopen on Sept. 15. Motorist should use alternate posted detours at EXITS 1A and 1B from US-27 northbound, to 4th Street. On Thursday through Wednesday, temporary lane closures will be in place for southbound US-27 from the Olgiati Bridge to I-24 for milling and leveling of the asphalt. A State Trooper is requested for the duration of these scheduled lane closures. RESTRICTIONS: I-124 (US-27)Southbound Exit 1C 4th St Of Ramp: No oversize/over dimensional loads; I-124 (US-27) Southbound Exit 1-B Martin Luther King Blvd. Off Ramp: No oversized/over dimensional loads; Martin Luther King Blvd. between Chestnut Street and Gateway Avenue: No oversized/over dimensional loads. [Dement Construction Company, LLC/Micka/CNP230] TDOT Bridge Inspection on I-24 in both directions from MM 178 to MM 181.5: From 7 a.m.-5 p.m. on Tuesday through Wednesday, structure inspections will take place closing the shoulders with a mobile attenuator operation. TDOT Contractor on SR-8 (Signal Mountain Boulevard) both directions from LM 16 to LM 17: A flagging operation will be performed on Monday and Tuesday between 9 a.m.-4 p.m. TDOT Maintenance on I-75 in both directions from MM 5.0 to MM 5.6: On Wednesday of this reporting period, the inside lane will be closed in both directions from MM 5-5.6 from 9 p.m.-6 a.m. for survey work. Utility Work on SR-2 (Broad Street) southbound at LM 6.98: A shoulder and single lane closure will occur between W. 24th Street and W. 27th Street. Signage, cones, and flaggers will be present. Motorists should use caution through the area and be aware of personnel and equipment between 9 a.m.-3 p.m. through Wednesday. Utility Work on SR-319 (Hixson Pike) northbound at LM 14.73: A shoulder and single lane closure between Heron Cove Lane and Freedom Bay Drive. Signage, cones, and flaggers will be present. Motorists should use caution through the area and be aware of personnel and equipment between 9 a.m.-3 p.m. through Wednesday. Utility Work on SR-319 (Hixson Pike) northbound at LM 7.98: A shoulder and single lane closure between Brookaire Road and Destiny Drive. Signage, cones, and flaggers will be present. Motorists should use caution through the area and be aware of personnel and equipment between 9 a.m.-3 p.m. through Wednesday. Utility Work on SR-320 (E. Brainerd Road) in both directions from LM 3.29 to LM 5.77: Lane closure between Kinsey Drive and Jenkins Road with flaggers, signage, barrels and/or cones. Motorists should use caution and be aware of personnel and equipment when traveling through the work zones. This is a nighttime lane closure between 9 p.m.-5 a.m. through Wednesday. SR-29 (US-27) Repair of the bridge over Big Soddy Creek (LM 20.6): During this report period the contractor will have traffic restricted with one lane of SR-29 southbound closed over Big Soddy Creek. Additionally, one lane of SR-111 southbound will be closed as it approaches the SR-29 junction. [Mid-State Construction Company, Inc./Osbonlighter/CNU046] SR-2 (US-64, US-11) Improvement of the intersection at Edgmon Road in Collegedale (LM 22.7), including grading, drainage and paving: During this report period, the contractor will be performing grading, drainage and paving. Extra care should be taken while trucks and heavy equipment are entering and exiting the roadway. The roadway may be temporarily restricted to a one lane roadway by flagging operation. [Talley Construction Company, Inc./Osbonlighter/CNU012] SR-317 (Apison Pike) Improvement project from SR-321 (Ooltewah-Ringgold Road) to east of Layton Lane: Lane closures and flagging operations will be required on SR-317, Apison Pike, to install power poles and transfer lines. The flagging operations will be performed on Thurdsday, Friday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday from 7 a.m.-1 p.m. and 3-7 p.m. Closures will last about two hours per location. There will also be very short lane closures for blasting that will last five minutes or less on Friday between 1:30-2 p.m. The contractor will have intermittent flagging operations during daytime non-peak hours for utility work, delivery of materials and equipment. [Wright Brothers Construction Company, Inc./Osbonlighter/CNT336] Now in its eighth year, Canadian Mortgage Professionals annual Women of Influence feature is back to celebrate the women at the vanguard of the Canadian mortgage industry. Readers are encouraged to nominate their picks by filling out this form. Self-nominations are also accepted. Successful nominees will be featured in a special report this November. Its our way of recognizing and thanking the industrys fiercest females for the hard work, intelligence and dedication they bring to the mortgage space every single day. WASHINGTON It was Vice President Mike Pence's big night at the Republican National Convention, and he and his fellow speakers delivered an effective message to moderate Republicans, women and independent voters. President Donald Trump, after two nights of convention programming dominated by his rhetorical and actual appearances, barely showed up on screen Wednesday. Trump, who trails in the polls to Democrat Joe Biden, was certainly mentioned by speakers, but not with the same messianic devotion that many of Monday's speakers expressed. While the president appeared at the end of the broadcast, he did not perform any staged presidential duties at the White House, as he did on Tuesday, when he led a naturalization ceremony and pardoned a former inmate. It was Pence who set the tone for the night, delivering a 30-minute speech that contained much less of the fear mongering and hyperbole that characterizes many of Trump's political speeches. Notably normal Instead of painting a falsely rosy picture of where the country is today as Trump often does, Pence acknowledged the pain and strife many Americans are experiencing with the coronavirus. "Tonight, our hearts are with all the families who have lost loved ones," he said. "We mourn with those who mourn, and we grieve with those who grieve. And this night I know millions of Americans will pause and pray for God's comfort to each of you." That sentiment stands in stark contrast to Trump's failure to directly address the tragic U.S. death toll now numbering more than 179,000 people, save to say in a recent interview, "it is what it is." This is not to say that Pence gave a "Kumbaya" speech. He did not. This is still politics after all. Pence took plenty of shots at Biden and Democrats. This included familiar false claims, like that Biden supports "open borders" and defunding the police. Biden supports neither. Yet coupled with the rest of the speakers on Wednesday, the overall impression of the night was not that the apocalypse is coming. After four years of Trump at the helm of a party that has alienated moderate Republicans and independent voters, Wednesday offered a glimpse of what could lure those voters back. Rising Republican all-stars Several of the GOP's most promising politicians spoke Wednesday night, including Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, Reps. Lee Zeldin and Elise Stefanik of New York, and Rep. Dan Crenshaw of Texas. Three of these lawmakers are also military veterans: Ernst, Crenshaw and Zeldin. On a night whose theme was "Land of Heroes," they represented a post-9/11 generation of servicemembers who have been elected to Congress as Republicans. "We need to remind ourselves what heroism really is," Crenshaw said in a speech memorable in that he never once mentioned Trump. "Heroism is self-sacrifice, not moralizing and lecturing over others when they disagree. Heroism is grace, not perpetual outrage. Heroism is rebuilding our communities, not destroying them." The 36-year-old Stefanik spoke of her blue collar roots in upstate New York. "I was the first person in my immediate family to graduate from college," she said, and "ran for Congress to serve upstate New York. I am proudly the youngest Republican woman ever elected to Congress in history." Zeldin told a personal story about his prematurely born twin daughters, but used it as a springboard to praise Trump's response to the coronavirus pandemic in his eastern Long Island district. Trump, he said "delivered for our front-line workers. In the midst of a once-in-a-century pandemic an unforeseeable crisis sent to us from a faraway land the president delivered for our everyday heroes." He added: "We weren't Republicans or Democrats. We were Americans first, working together to get through this as one nation, with the Trump administration eager to do everything in its power to assist us however possible." To be sure, Zeldin's cherry-picked anecdote glossed over the widely panned federal response to the coronavirus pandemic. But more notable was the fact that Zeldin didn't use his speech to bash Democrats, just to praise first responders and Trump for helping them. Women for Trump Three women who have worked for Trump in politics also offered a softer picture of the president: departing White House counselor Kellyanne Conway, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany and Trump campaign adviser Lara Trump, who is married to the president's son Eric. "A woman in a leadership role still can seem novel," said Conway. "Not so for President Trump. For decades, he has elevated women to senior positions in business and in government. He confides in and consults us, respects our opinions, and insists that we are on equal footing with the men." In this July 2016 photo, entrepreneur Peter Thiel speaks during the final day of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland. The Silicon Valley data-mining firm Palantir Technologies says it has confidentially filed to go public, setting up what could be the biggest public stock offering of a technology company since Ubers debut in 2019. Read more Palantir Technologies spent the last decade trying to shed its image as a tool of the U.S. government and sell its data-mining software to businesses. But in its pitch to institutional investors ahead of a public stock debut, the company will return to its roots. A prospectus published Tuesday to list Palantir shares on the New York Stock Exchange opened with a letter from Alex Karp, the CEO who started the company with billionaire Peter Thiel. Passages from Karps missive read as if they were taken from the script of a USO tour. It opens with comments about our welfare and security, trumpets work with the U.S. and its allies, and concludes with a prediction that software such as Palantirs will ensure the strength and survival of democratic forms of government. A sense of patriotism is embedded throughout the securities filing. "We have chosen sides," the company declares, in explaining that it rejects work with America's global adversaries. One of Palantir's stated goals: "becoming the default operating system across the U.S. government." For all its love of country, theres one part of the U.S. held in low regard. In his CEO letter, Karp describes Silicon Valley as out of touch, chides large technology companies for amassing and monetizing personal data, and promotes the sanctity of working with our nations defense and intelligence agencies, whose missions are to keep us safe. Karp and Thiel helped establish Palantir in 2003 and raised money from an arm of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. The founders have long said they formed the start-up as a response to the attacks two years earlier, on Sept. 11, a sentiment echoed in the filing. The goal was to design software that could organize the governments data and help hunt terrorists to prevent another tragedy. As it took on more government contracts, Palantir also began pursuing deals with companies. It cracked into the banking sector in 2009 and put out a news release two years later, saying it had been inducted into JPMorgan Chases hall of innovation. (Palantir would eventually stop promoting the engagement after JPMorgans corporate security team turned the software against the banks own senior executives.) But as the company shifted its focus to corporate clients, Palantir found that close association to Washington and law enforcement carried baggage. Activists have chided the company for selling software that enables overly aggressive policing, unwarranted deportations, and invasions of privacy. (Public backlash is listed in the filing as a risk to the companys business prospects.) So the start-up, which is prohibited from discussing government work that is classified, began downplaying its work with governments and emphasizing deals with companies. A chart in the prospectus outlines Palantirs march through corporate America and to companies worldwide from 2009 to 2019. By the middle of this year, it had 125 customers in 36 industries. Of those, commercial customers accounted for 53% of revenue in 2019, which totaled $743 million. They include the oil giant BP, the German pharmaceutical company Merck, and the American automotive unit of Fiat Chrysler. Achieving a majority of revenue from corporate clients was a milestone for the company. Why Palantir would turn its focus to its government-backed beginnings is somewhat curious. Page six of the financial paperwork offers a likely explanation: By its own estimation, government work is more lucrative. Palantir says it could someday capture $63 billion of revenue from governments compared with $56 billion from companies. Palantir's public sector is limited to "the United States, its allies and in other countries abroad whose values align with liberal democracies," according to the filing. It also said it would not work with Beijing, or provide unfettered access to its platform in China, citing a goal to "promote respect for and defend privacy and civil liberties protections." The product, it turns out, is fairly niche, said Mandeep Singh, an analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence. Only governments or large companies are able to afford Palantir, he said. "Their revenue is incredibly concentrated. It's rare for a software company of this size to have such a small customer base." Mike Hermus, former chief technology officer for the Department of Homeland Security, said flag waving of the type found in the Palantir filing is common for companies that rely on government work. "That's where their bread is buttered, particularly in this administration." Palantir has created a defensible perch, Hermus said, by providing data analysis tools that government agencies have come to trust. Now that the company is an incumbent, it will be hard to unseat even if a new start-up can provide better technology for less money. Once youre in, and you know how to work the system, its easier to stay, Hermus said. Theres no question about that. The unprofitable company will directly list its shares for trading, rather than raise capital through an initial public offering, reportedly in September. A so-called direct listing is a route to the stock market popularized in recent years by a few high-profile tech companies, including Spotify Technology and Slack Technologies. However, Palantir is eager to distinguish itself from a typical tech company. In many parts of the filing, it contrasts the CEO's view of American exceptionalism with the globalism prevalent throughout Silicon Valley. "Our company was founded in Silicon Valley. But we seem to share fewer and fewer of the technology sector's values," Karp wrote. "The engineering elite of Silicon Valley may know more than most about building software. But they do not know more about how society should be organized or what justice requires." Palantirs rejection of the Valley, solidified with its decision to move its headquarters out of California to Denver, is complicated by its deep ties to the region. Many of its employees still live in or around Palo Alto, Calif., or graduated from Stanford University, a breeding ground for tech companies and the site of Thiel and Karps first meeting. Thiel is also on the board of one of the areas most valuable companies, Facebook. San Francisco Mayor London Breed expressed deep concerns about the spending plan passed by a Board of Supervisors committee early Thursday morning, saying their proposal to pull $59 million from reserves will further destabilize a city already in economic turmoil. But the negotiations around how City Hall will close a $1.5 billion budget shortfall, largely caused by the coronavirus pandemic, are far from over. Lurking in the background is the possibility that if voters do not approve a number of tax measures in November, the city will be forced to cut several hundred million dollars more, likely through layoffs and service cuts. This is going to go on for a while, said Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, a member of the boards Budget and Appropriations Committee. It is just one act in a multiact drama. At issue is a precariously balanced $13.7 billion budget, proposed by Breed in July, which was based on some key assumptions. Among them: that the citys labor unions would agree to defer $250 million in raises over the next two years, that voters would pass a sweeping business tax overhaul in November, and that the federal government would continue to reimburse San Francisco for at least part of its pandemic response. But after weeks of negotiations and a tense standoff between the mayor and the citys labor unions, the boards Budget and Appropriations Committee agreed around 2 a.m. Thursday to use $59 million from business tax reserves to fund a portion of their raises, among other things. While city workers will receive their first round of 3% raises, or $36.9 million, it is unclear what will happen in the next fiscal year. The 3% bump that will show up in citys workers paychecks in December includes a cost-of-living increase. The remaining $22 million will go to causes such as nonprofit worker emergency relief and investments in programs aimed at helping the Black community. The board also cut $50 million from the general fund spending that the mayor proposed, and reallocated it to other causes ranging from housing vouchers and rental assistance for homeless youth to overtime pay for City Hall legislative aides who do administrative work. If this spending plan is approved, San Francisco will still have $750 million left in reserves, said Chelsea Bollard, an aide to Supervisor Sandra Lee Fewer, chair of the committee. This was an option for us to identify a funding source and make sure we are taking care of year one (of the raises), Bollard said. In doing so we understand, and labor understands, that there is no guarantee of what happens after that. Breed did not include the raises in her original budget proposal. She asked San Franciscos 35 unions which represent 37,000 city workers ranging from City Hall legislative aides to nurses at Laguna Honda to postpone their raises so the city could avoid layoffs and more painful service cuts. Funding even just a portion of the raises, she said, would be a fiscally irresponsible move amid so much economic uncertainty. The mayor said she will use all of my discretion and authority to protect this City from any additional financial risks. As mayor, I have a responsibility beyond this budget to ensure we can continue to deliver for the residents of San Francisco not just today, but tomorrow, next month, and in the years ahead, she said in a statement. I cannot support the Board's decision to appropriate additional funds from our reserves that threatens our ability to do so. If the November tax measures do not pass, officials will need to dig deeper to find budget savings. One of those measures would reform the citys business-tax structure and would unlock up to $300 million for homelessness, mental health and other city services. Fewer, chair of the budget committee, who led the negotiations, could not be reached for comment Thursday. The board will not vote on the final spending plan until the end of September, and then the mayor still must sign it. That leaves plenty of time for amendments and political jockeying over the spending plan. Still, the clash over the raises puts the mayor and the board in a tricky political position just as six supervisorial seats are up for grabs, including four incumbents running for re-election. It also potentially pits the mayor against the citys politically powerful labor unions. Union officials were furious over the mayors request to defer the raises, saying they have already made plenty of sacrifices. Not only are they doing the perilous work of taking care of the homeless, sick and vulnerable during the pandemic, they said, but a contract signed last year also said they would delay increases for six months if the budget deficit exceeded $200 million. That means a 3% pay hike that was supposed to kick in this summer was deferred until the end of December. Theresa Rutherford, a nursing assistant who works at Laguna Honda and vice president at SEIU 1021 which represents thousands of San Francisco workers said it was unfair that the mayor asked the labor unions to take the possibility of raises off the table for the next two fiscal years regardless of what happens to the citys economy. But on Thursday, she said that she was pleased with the boards proposal, even though it came with much uncertainty for the future. There are times when you have to go step by step, she said, adding that labor will use all its political power to support the bonds, taxes and fees on the November ballot. The funding for the raises does not include police officers who agreed to defer their raises for two years. The board plans to vote on another agreement with the police after it approves the budget this fall. Meanwhile, some the citys nonprofits who also do critical frontline work were hoping for a cost-of-doing-business increase this year to help them cover expenses like rent, insurance and employee salaries. While the mayor did not include the cost-of-doing-business increase in her budget, the board added about $14.7 million in emergency relief funding through the budget reserves. The one-time funding is not guaranteed in the next fiscal year. Debbi Lerman, administrator of San Franciscos Human Services Network which represents about 110 community-based nonprofits said it was better than nothing, but it wont help much in the long run. We are completely hanging in the balance at this point, she said. This whole budget is risky and we understand that. But at the same time, the city is relying on the nonprofit sector for essential services. Trisha Thadani is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: tthadani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @TrishaThadani KENOSHA, WISC. The arrest of a teenager on charges of killing two people amid clashes in this city over the police shooting of a Black man has stoked the nations culture wars yet again and presented an incendiary challenge to President Trumps reelection campaign. Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, a white male who has often praised police, is charged with homicide in what officials described as a vigilante act that resulted in three protesters being shot, two fatally, late Tuesday night. After the incident, onlookers alerted police that Rittenhouse who was underage and not allowed to openly carry a weapon was roaming the street with a semiautomatic rifle slung around his neck. Since his arrest Wednesday across the border in Antioch, Ill., details have emerged that Rittenhouse posted to social media in support of the pro-police Blue Lives Matter movement. He spoke to reporters before the shooting about being a self-styled citizen patrol who came to Kenosha to protect businesses from vandalism. He appears in photos at a Trump rally this year in Des Moines. A TikTok video from the account @kylerittenhouse33, first reported by BuzzFeed and later deleted, appeared to show Rittenhouse's recording from the rally. The account had the bio of "BLUE LIVES MATTER" and "Trump 2020." Kenosha Suspect Kyle Rittenhouse Was Front Row At Trump Rally #Kenosha https://t.co/OoDL0yJURo Frank Figliuzzi (@FrankFigliuzzi1) August 27, 2020 Rittenhouses alleged actions coincide with this weeks Republican National Convention, where the presidents campaign promise of law and order is a dominating theme. Speakers this week have warned about crime, violence, mob rule and spiraling chaos and violence into our communities. Those warnings were largely directed at nationwide protests that erupted after the death at police hands of George Floyd nearly three months ago in Minneapolis. Trump has portrayed liberal cities as overrun with anti-police liberals bent on violence. Rittenhouse complicates that story even as it springs out of demonstrations against another episode of alleged police brutality and racial injustice. WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT - A teenager was arrested and charged with homicide in connection with gunfire that killed two people and wounded a third during protests over the police shooting Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin https://t.co/Hqi2nZuTMt pic.twitter.com/CjvgZiMlgK Reuters (@Reuters) August 27, 2020 Jacob Blake, the 29-year-old Black man Kenosha police shot on Sunday seven times in the back as he tried to enter an SUV where his three children sat lay paralyzed in the hospital as the city entered a fourth night of unrest, with authorities saying Wednesday that he had a knife in his car but no gun. The incident happened when police responded to a domestic dispute. Late Wednesday, the Trump campaign released a statement on the shooting in which Rittenhouse is charged. "President Trump has repeatedly and consistently condemned all forms of violence and believes we must protect all Americans from chaos and lawlessness," said campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh. "This individual had nothing to do with our campaign and we fully support our fantastic law enforcement for their swift action in this case." Tear gas lands around protesters after police demanded they disperse near the courthouse in Kenosha, Wisconsin on Tuesday, August 25, 2020. (Chris Juhn/Zuma Press/TNS)TNS Officials in Kenosha, a majority-white city of 100,000, said that they were unprepared and unaccustomed to consecutive nights of up to 1,000 people protesting, some which turned violent and left businesses burned and charred in Kenosha's Uptown business district. Democratic Gov. Tony Evers accepted the president's offer to send members of the National Guard and federal law enforcement to the city after initially rejecting it. The governor said the troops will reinforce the Wisconsin National Guard and local police who patrol downtown streets. Roads have been barricaded and the county courthouse, the main site of demonstration clashes, is surrounded by a fence. Democrats have accused the president of instigating violence by dispatching federal forces to cities experiencing unrest, such as Portland, Ore., where city officials said they didn't want the troops' presence. One of Trump's tweets in particular this summer has been singled out. After riots in Minneapolis, he wrote "when the looting starts, the shooting starts." The phrase harks back to the '60s, when it was used to describe police crackdowns on Black civil rights activists. "My heart breaks for the families and loved ones of the two individuals who lost their lives and the individual who was injured last night in Kenosha," Evers said in a statement. "We as a state are mourning this tragedy." The governor has called the protests in Kenosha a reflection of the "pain, anguish and exhaustion of Black people in our state and country." Kenosha's mayor, John Antaramian, said Wednesday that a 7 p.m. curfew had been extended through at least Sunday, and expressed shock at the state of his city. "I'm not good at this," said the Democrat, who was mayor from 1992 to 2008 and elected again 2016. "I've been mayor for a long time. This is not what I'm used to." Police Chief Daniel Miskinis and Sheriff David Beth said they believed armed individuals, possibly members of militia groups, were behind some of the violence. "I don't want violence regardless of which side of any issue you are on," Miskinis said. Law enforcement on Wednesday released more details on the shootings, both those by police and those Rittenhouse faces charges for. The people who died Tuesday, in an area near a gas station where demonstrators congregated after police dispersed them from in front of the county courthouse, were a 26-year-old from Silver Lake, Wis., and a 36-year-old from Kenosha. Of the three officers now on leave as the Wisconsin Department of Justice investigates Blake's shooting, the department identified the one who shot him as Rusten Sheskey, who has been with the force for seven years. In a statement, the department said police were called Sunday to a home after a woman said her "boyfriend was present and not supposed to be on the premises." In this September 2019 selfie photo taken in Evanston, Ill., Adria-Joi Watkins poses with her second cousin Jacob Blake. He is recovering from being shot multiple times by Kenosha police on Aug. 23. (Courtesy Adria-Joi Watkins via AP)AP Kenosha police do not wear body cameras, but the statement matches what's seen on bystander videos, which show police trying to arrest Blake before he walks to his car door, opens it and is shot in the back after Sheskey grabs him by his tank top. Blake falls onto the car horn, which goes off continuously. The state Justice Department said police tried to Taser Blake before the shooting, which "was not successful in stopping Blake." Blake's lawyer, Benjamin Crump, has said Blake was "simply trying to do the right thing by intervening in a domestic incident" and described the officers as "irresponsible, reckless and inhumane." Crump, who has represented the families of several other Black men shot or arrested by police, including Floyd, said Blake's sons, ages 3, 5 and 8, were in the car as police shot him. The state Justice Department said it will release its report on the shooting to the district attorney, who will decide whether to press charges, next month. By Jaweed Kaleem, Chris Megerian Los Angeles Times (TNS). Kaleem reported from Kenosha and Megerian from Washington. Third grade teacher Erin Washington had just finished setting up her socially distanced classroom last week at Brentwood Elementary School in Lake Charles, La. Then she was ordered to evacuate for Hurricane Laura. The storm hit the coasts of Louisiana and Texas today as a Category 4 hurricane, sweeping through Lake Charles in the early hours of the morning. The hurricane has weakened as its moved inland, but is still bringing dangerous winds. More than half a million people in the two states are without power . Instead of starting school this week, Washington is now staying with family in a different part of the state. A new teacher, she graduated from college in December and spent only a few months working in the Calcasieu Parish schools last year, substitute teaching and supporting small group instruction, before the district shut down due to coronavirus. Monday was supposed to mark the start of her first year with a classroom of her own. For teachers in the storms path, worries about their students safety and the possibility of flooded classrooms have added another layer of stress and uncertainty to a school year already upended by the coronavirus pandemic. And these Texas and Louisiana teachers arent alonesevere weather has also disrupted the start of school in parts of California , where more than 600 wildfires are burning across the state . Washington, a Louisiana native, has weathered hurricanes before. But on top of the ongoing crisis over the past months, she said, this one is hard to bear. She spoke with Education Week about what the school year will look like for her now. The following interview has been edited for length and clarity. We got the notice [on Wednesday] to evacuate early, from our governor, John Bel Edwards. So thats what I did. I have me and my catswe evacuated, and we went back home to my hometown of Carencro, Louisiana, which is about 10 minutes outside of Lafayette, Louisiana. Our first week of school is supposed to be the 24th, this week, after it was pushed back due to COVID. Everything has been pushed back, until hopefully next week, but were not sure what to expect, really, from Hurricane Laura. Im numb to all of this. Ive been through hurricanes my entire life. Being in Louisiana, its a part of the culture to go through hurricanes from birth. To be able to deal with it as you get older, because you will have to go through one, survive through one, and learn to overcome it and get through it. Im expecting the worst. Im expecting to not come home to anything. I just finished my classroom this week, prepping it for my kiddos to come in to see their classroom, to meet me. So Im not expecting to come home to a classroom either. Ive been setting it up this entire summer. [Ive spent] in the thousands, between myself and my mom. Ive been saving up for my classroom since last year, so I had a few things, but I had to buy things that I retained in my classroom. So it was a lot of money to spend. A lot. My mom had come with the plexiglass that was donated to my classroom. We installed that Friday. And then Sunday, we got the notice that the hurricanes coming and that schools canceled. So my entire classroom is prepped, ready to socially distance, for all 13 of my kids, all the supplies are still in there. Its just a matter of the waiting game. I contacted the parents last week, and I was able to get in contact with a few. But others phones werent working, or the parents were working, so the times conflicted with each other. My principal sent out automated voice messages to every phone, to every home, so the parents know whats going on. And if they need assistance with anything they can call the school, or the school board. I was ready for my first year. I mean, my first year as a teacher got trampled by the pandemic, then the hurricane season coming in, two hurricanes coming, right when schools about to begin. Im numb to everything, honestly. Just waiting to ride it out and hopefully not have as much damage, because that means I have to pay for a bunch of things where I dont have the money to do so. Its overwhelming. A lot of emotions at once. Teachers need support. Especially during times like this. We cant control whats happening. We can only do what were trained to do and what we feel morally correct to do. Were trying our best to please everyone, to make sure that were safe and our families are safethe people that we have to go home to every night. Photos courtesy of Erin Washington. The best thing young TFSA investors can do for themselves in this pandemic-plagued market environment is invest. Sure, its tempting to try to get into the markets at the perfect time, but its a nearly impossible feat that not even the most seasoned investment veterans can do. No bell goes off when that perfect entry point finally arrives. In many instances, the pursuit of the perfect entry point or time to get started investing ironically leaves the TFSA investor farther away from the bottom, as the stock market is upward sloping over the long term. That puts the odds heavily out of favour of the bottom-chasing wallflowers. So, if youve yet to put your 2020 TFSA contribution of $6,000 to work, now is as good a time as any to scoop up one of the many bargains that are still abundant on the TSX Index. Consider putting $3,000 into each of the following two stocks now, rather than trying to wait for the perfect entry point thatll probably come and go without you noticing. CN Rail: A TFSA investor top pick CN Rail (TSX:CNR)(NYSE:CNI) stock recently broke out to hit a new all-time high of $140 following what seemed like the perfect storm of headwinds. The wide-moat railway kingpin has been through its fair share of crises, rising out of each one better than when it entered. Mild disruptions like rail blockades and employee strikes have had a nearly negligible effect over the long run. And even severe crises like the COVID-19 pandemic and the Great Financial Crisis have been weathered far better than most other companies thanks to the firms incredible management team thats capable of bucking the trend, even through the worst of times. Despite the disruptions, the company flexed its muscles in the first half, demonstrating its resilience amid the crumbling of the Canadian economy. As one of the major backbones of the North American economy, the railway will play a major part in the inevitable rebound. Economists at Bank of Montreal (TSX:BMO)(NYSE:BMO) Capital Markets are in the belief that a considerable rebound (an expansion of around 6.5%) is expected for 2021. If such a sudden economic bounce back happens, CN Rail stock could be in a position to continue surging. Shares of CNR arent cheap today, but they arent cheap for a very good reason: an economic boom looks to be up ahead, and you can bet that CNs exceptional stewards will be ready. Story continues Bank of Montreal: A Big Five bank trading at book Speaking of BMO, the battered Canadian bank, which took a brunt of the damage in the first half, is in a spot to enjoy an outsized correction to the upside, as the Canadian economy heals from the socio-economic disruption caused by the COVID-19 crisis. Yes, BMO had a less-favourable loan mix, with emphasis on the ailing oil and gas scene and greater exposure to souring commercial loans neither of which bode well for the bank should we be in for a worsening of this crisis. If we are, in fact, due for a rebound, as economists at BMO believe, BMO stock could have some serious upside going into 2022. The bank recently clocked in concrete results for its third quarter. Provisions were high, but that was already expected going into earnings. The low bar was set, and BMO pole-vaulted over it, with its capital markets and wealth management businesses leading the way. After the latest pop, BMO stock no longer trades at a discount to book value. However, you can still nab shares while theyre at a modest premium to book value because once we reach a normalized post-COVID world, shares of Big Blue will likely trade at a lofty 30-50% premium to book value once again. The post TFSA Investors: Got $6,000? Then Buy These Cheap TSX 60 Stocks appeared first on The Motley Fool Canada. More reading Fool contributor Joey Frenette owns shares of BANK OF MONTREAL and Canadian National Railway. David Gardner owns shares of Canadian National Railway. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Canadian National Railway. The Motley Fool recommends Canadian National Railway. The Motley Fools purpose is to help the world invest, better. Click here now for your free subscription to Take Stock, The Motley Fool Canadas free investing newsletter. Packed with stock ideas and investing advice, it is essential reading for anyone looking to build and grow their wealth in the years ahead. Motley Fool Canada 2020 Despite telling The Oregonian/OregonLive on Saturday that he was not a Trumper and the comment was in jest, Jared Schmeck said Monday hes proud of using the conservative dig against Biden at the end of a live streamed Santa tracker call and called the moment pretty darn funny. Skye Gould/Tech Insider Democratic Party officials sent an email to campaign staffers warning them to be wary of opponents digging for information on dating apps. The email, first reported by CNN, said that opposition groups might seek out campaign staff on dating apps and attempt to orchestrate "sting" operations. A Democratic official told Business Insider that the warning is "nothing new" and that campaign staff are frequently reminded to be vigilant online. Several politically-motivated groups have attempted to pull off sting operations online to gather damaging information in the past, though most have backfired. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Security officials working for the Democratic National Committee sent a warning this week to campaign staffers using dating apps: "Swipe carefully." In an email first reported by CNN, Democratic officials said they've received reports of opposition groups using dating apps to get close to campaign staff in order to orchestrate "sting" operations or extract compromising information. "Don't put anything out there that you wouldn't mind the opposition seeing. This includes video calls, text messages, emails, photos, or DMs - imagine that it was on the front page of the NYTimes," the email said, according to CNN. A Democratic official told Business Insider that the warning is "nothing new" and that campaign staff are frequently reminded to be vigilant when interacting with strangers online. It's not clear if there's a specific incident that triggered the DNC warning, but several politically-motivated groups have attempted to pull off sting operations online to gather damaging information in the past. Project Veritas, a conservative activist group, regularly attempts to pull off sting operations targeting left-leaning organizations although many of those attempts have backfired. Read the original article on Business Insider By Khalid Abdelaziz KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok told U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday that he was not mandated to normalise ties with Israel, and the issue should not be linked to Sudan's removal from a U.S. state sponsors of terrorism list. Pompeo arrived from Israel on what he said was the first official non-stop flight between the two countries, as the United States looks to strengthen Sudan-Israel ties. He met Hamdok and ruling council head Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, tweeting that Sudan's democratic transition was a "once in a generation opportunity". He discussed the Sudan-Israel relationship with both Hamdok and Burhan, according to State Department statements. The United States has been restoring relations with Sudan following the ousting of former Islamist leader Omar al-Bashir in 2019 after mass protests. The country is one year into a 39-month political transition in which the military and civilians are sharing power. Its economy is in crisis and authorities have been pushing to end the U.S. terrorism listing, which prevents Sudan from accessing financing from international lenders. Sudan's removal from the list "remains a critical bilateral priority for both countries", the State Department said. Pompeo's visit follows an accord between Israel and the UAE this month to forge full relations, and comes as Israel and the United States push more Arab countries to follow. In February, Burhan met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Uganda, a meeting condemned by Sudanese protesters. He afterwards cast doubt on any rapid normalisation of relations, though Israeli aircraft soon began overflying Sudan. Ties with Israel are a sensitive issue in Sudan, which was among the hardline Muslim foes of Israel under Bashir. The government sacked its foreign ministry spokesman last week after he called the UAE decision to normalise relations with Israel "a brave and bold step". Story continues Hamdok's transitional government "does not have a mandate ... to decide on normalisation with Israel", he told Pompeo, and the matter would be decided after all Sudan's interim bodies had been established, according to government spokesman Faisal Saleh. "The Prime Minister called on the U.S. administration to separate the process of removing Sudan from the list of states sponsoring terrorism and the issue of normalisation with Israel," Saleh said. A legislative body to serve alongside the ruling council and the government is yet to be formed, a step that Pompeo noted was "crucial". Washington imposed sanctions on Sudan over its alleged support for militant groups and the civil war in Darfur. Trade sanctions were lifted in 2017. Pompeo and Hamdok also agreed that reaching a deal over the operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) was "crucial to regional stability", according to the State Department. Sudan discussed the issue on Tuesday with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who was on a separate visit to Khartoum. (Reporting by Khalid Abdelaziz, Dan Williams, Nadine Awadalla and Omar Fahmy; Writing by Aidan Lewis; Editing by Giles Elgood and John Stonestreet) A multiyear trend of increasing climate condition measurements from the U.S. and Canada hit a new high in winter 2019-2020, according a new Actuaries Climate Index released this week. The quarterly datas key metric of a seasonal five-year moving average comes up with a number that represents a composite measure of long-term changes across an array of observed weather extremes and sea levels in both countries. Extreme climate conditions tracked by the index include high and low temperatures, heavy rain, drought, high wind and sea level. The index has climbed steadily from its most recent cyclical low of 0.70 in 2015 to a new high of 1.17 for the moving average in winter 2019-20. While the latest increase in the moving average is marginal, it is 0.07 above the previous winter and reflects that the extreme climate conditions tracked by the index continue to move away from the reference period norms since inception in 1961. The ACIs five-year moving average is a composite value reflecting the consistently growing change in measured values for the heavy rainfall, sea level, and extreme high and low temperature components that are fueling the overall trend toward extreme conditions seen in the latest data, Doug Collins, chair of the Climate Index Working Group, said in a statement. While we should not expect the five-year average to always increase, if changes in climate indicators continue on their current course, the general trend in the Actuaries Climate Index is likely to be upward. The index is based on analysis of seasonal data from scientific sources for six index components collected since 1961. The index measures changes in these components for the U.S. and Canada combined and by region. Combining six components over a five-year measurement period, the indexs moving average smooths out monthly and seasonal fluctuations for a meaningful measurement of long-term climate trends. The index is sponsored by the American Academy of Actuaries, the Canadian Institute of Actuaries, the Casualty Actuarial Society and the Society of Actuaries. It is designed to provide actuaries, public policymakers, and the public with data about changes in the frequency of extreme climate conditions. Australia & Climate Australia is woefully unprepared for the scale of the climate change threats, and the nation suffers from a public debate focused too much on the cost of action rather than the costs of failing to act, according to a coalition of environmental and business groups. There is no systemic government response (federal, state and local) to build resilience to climate risks, according to a paper published by the Australian Climate Roundtable. The Roundtable is calling for climate change to be made a standing item for National Cabinet and for Australia to play our fair part in international efforts to keep global warming in check by pushing for net zero emissions, the Sydney Morning Herald is reporting this week. The paper states that Australia will experience escalating costs from climate change that will be significant and will require a concerted national response to manage these now unavoidable climate related damages. A report released last month calls out Australia as one of many nations where rising sea levels already are leading to more frequent and extreme flood events. The Herald quotes environment minister Matt Kean as saying that for too long climate change politics had been simplified to either stoking fear about the cost of reducing emissions or inciting guilt for living in a modern economy which emits carbon. It is time that debate moved on. The science is in, climate change is already taking a toll on our country, he said. The reality is that the world is moving to low carbon economies with ratings agencies, global investors and our trading partners looking to reduce their emissions. Maryland Tides Chesapeake Bay waves have eaten away at the land, while the evidence of rising seas stretches to Dorchester Countys mainland toward the county seat of Cambridge, where across the rural southern half of the county, everything is projected to be inundated frequently by the end of the century. Across Dorchester, shores have receded by as much as 600 feet since the 1970s, and they continue to lose ground each day, according to experts. The signs of change are so glaring around Dorchester, they are forcing difficult decisions. In the county of 32,000 people, experts say the confrontation with rising water caused by climate change is coming more quickly than just about anywhere else on the East Coast, according to an article this week in Insurance Journal. Dorchester County is a good example of our canary in a coal mine, said Michael Scott, dean of the Henson School of Science and Technology at Salisbury University, who has spent years mapping land losses in the county. These same issues are coming to a county near you. Its just a matter of when or where. Dorchester County homebuyers have to increasingly pay in cash to avoid the skyrocketing flood insurance premiums that mortgage lenders require, while road closures are routine as high tides jump riverbanks and rise through storm drains. There is also talk of curtailing any new development across southern Dorchester, even as theres also discussion of extending sewer lines to far-flung communities where a rising water table threatens widespread septic system failures, according to the article. Laura And Climate Change Hurricane Lauras top wind speeds nearly doubled in just 24 hours as it approached the border between Texas and Louisiana on Thursday. The wall of water it pushed in front of it grew until forecasters warned that it would produce unsurvivable storm surge. Hurricanes like Laura are more likely because of climate change, NPR is reporting in an article. Lauras rapid intensification is one hallmark of climate change, the article states. As the Earth warms up, the water on the surface of the ocean gets hotter. Hot water is like a battery charger for hurricanes; it send energy and moisture into the storm as it forms and helps it grow more powerful and deadly. It quotes meteorologist Jeff Masters, who said, The proportion of all hurricanes reaching Category 4 and 5 strength has increased in recent years, and references a study last year that found that storms are more likely to become major hurricanes very quickly the last two major hurricanes to affect the Gulf Coast were Hurricane Harvey in 2017 and Hurricane Michael in 2018, both of which intensified rapidly before they made landfall. The water in the Gulf of Mexico right is nearly 90 degrees Fahrenheit in some places. This is concerning because hurricanes that rapidly intensify before landfall are the hardest ones to prepare for, says Masters, because there is less time for people to evacuate or find local shelters than can withstand highly destructive wind speeds. Hurricane Laura will affect a large swath of the central and eastern U.S., while rain-driven flooding could stretch thousands of miles, according to NPR. Ratings analysts A.M. Best and Moodys are expecting property/casualty insurers and reinsurers to suffer meaningful losses from Hurricane Laura. A.M. Best expects losses from Hurricane Laura to place added stress on its rated insurance companies balance sheets, which it adds have already been weakened by the COVID-19 pandemic. Past columns: Topics Catastrophe Climate Change Hurricane Canada Australia Pennsylvanias flag will fly at half-staff this week to memorialize a Clinton County firefighter who died over the weekend, the Wolf Administration said Thursday. Gov. Tom Wolf said the commonwealth flag will be lowered to honor David Closs, a firefighter with Avis Fire Company in Clinton County, who died Sunday. The flag will honor Closs until sunset Friday the day of his funeral, the administration said in a news release. The U.S. Fire Administration said Closs suffered a medical emergency, believed to be a heart attack, while on a call. He was 67. The U.S. flag will not be lowered. Pennsylvanias flag has been at half-staff since March 11 to honor coronavirus victims, and will remain that way until further notice, according to the Wolf Administration. The tribute to Closs will be in effect for the remainder of the week at all state government facilities, public buildings and grounds. The Wolf Administration said all Pennsylvanians are welcome to participate. READ MORE: Police identify woman who died after being trapped in burning Dauphin County home How are school buses keeping kids safe from COVID-19? Drivers have a lot on their plate Pa. rental assistance program is riddled with problems as evictions are set to resume A large wind energy project is one step closer to finding out if Morgan County will house up to 107 turbines. The countys board of appeals gave its approval Wednesday to Apex Clean Energys Lincoln Land Wind Project. The move sends the application to Morgan County commissioners for final review. The board voted 4-0 to approve the project, with one member abstaining, after reviewing a document that added 41 conditions recommended by Patrick Engineering, as well as updated information provided during a public hearing earlier this month. Board member Jim Duncan abstained from voting because of a grant AmVets received several years ago from Apex Clean Energy. He is affiliated with the veterans organization. Dusty Douglas, director of the Regional Planning Commission, said this is just one step in the application process. The attorney will craft the boards recommendation and it will be taken to the county board [which] will make the ultimate decision, Douglas said. The application proposes up to 107 wind turbines within a 38,000-acre area in the southeastern portion of the county near Franklin, Alexander and Waverly and moving into Sangamon County near New Berlin. The project would generate enough power more than 1 million megawatts to serve about 105,000 homes a year. The revised document includes 41 conditions recommended by Springfield-based Patrick Engineering, which was hired by the county to evaluate the application. Among the conditions are clarification on locations for access roads, especially during the decommissioning plan, figures and safeguards during the decommissioning process at the end of the project, the establishment of a COVID-19 response plan during construction and the approval of an aircraft detection lighting system application by the FAA. The conditions also stipulate that Apex will adhere to all recommendations made by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources regarding impacts to the environment, as well as other studies conducted regarding the turbine sites. Holly McCoy-Nelson, senior development manager for Apex Clean Energy, said she is excited for the project to move forward. We are pleased with the approval and we feel the board has been very thorough in their review of over 2,000 pages, McCoy-Nelson said. I feel the conditions were done in the spirit of the ordinance. Additional concerns were brought up by community members during the meeting, including the decommissioning process, shadow flicker and the potential sound impacts of the turbines. There was also concern about the aircraft lighting system application. Some were worried the application would move forward without approval of the system. Apex has submitted an application for its permit to the FAA. The application would have to be approved prior to a building permit being issued. This is just one step in the process. Following approval by the Board of Appeals, the siting permit will go to Morgan County commissioners for approval. If approved there, Apex would be able to apply for a Wind Energy Conversion System building permit, the final permit needed for construction. McCoy-Nelson said Apex still hopes to move forward with construction next year, but may have to hold off on construction until 2022. Note: The Express-News is suspending traditional restaurant reviews until restaurant dining rooms fully reopen. At the sprawling Chicken N Pickle complex on UTSA Boulevard, two guys without masks played pingpong close enough to hit us with the ball. Free-range kids dodged in and out of our airspace like daytime fireflies. On the vast artificial greenscape of the courtyard, clusters of college-age people drank beer and threw beanbags under a sweeping blue sky. It was a scene lifted from a more social time, when we could gather on the lawn like a Georges Seurat painting. It was also a scene of conscious denial, of pretending were not in a masked pandemic, of seeking refuge from the reality outside the grand brick pillars guarding this bastion of chicken and beer. Beyond the sketchy COVID-19 protocol, the picture painted by Chicken N Pickle represents the conviction driving a new wave of mid-pandemic restaurant openings in San Antonio: that we will eat, drink and be merry just like we did before, no matter what that takes. Its a sentiment shared by the Caribbean wrap shop Mi Roti at the Pearl food hall and the Sichuan Chinese outpost Shifu Noodle on the South Side. On ExpressNews.com: 3 new Mexican restaurants, Frida, Tios Tex-Mex and Delias, worth visiting in San Antonio Mike Sutter /Staff Chicken N Pickle Spread across 4 acres on the Northwest Side, Chicken N Pickle makes room for a couple of dining rooms, a concert stage, a handful of pickleball courts and so many bars: inside, outside, on the roof, by the courts, everywhere. About pickleball: Imagine a pingpong table. Now imagine standing on a giant pingpong table with three of your friends and a supersized paddle in your hands. Im not a sportswriter, so lets imagine chicken instead. Its the cornerstone of the menu at this Kansas City transplant, and I tried it three ways. Rotisserie chicken ($16 for half a bird) delivered mahogany skin, a sedate chile rub, juicy meat and no surprises, which is how we want our roasted chicken. The surprise came from a bistro-quality side of roasted heirloom carrots with a spicy jerk glaze, a $1 upgrade from the standard fries or tots. Chicken sandwiches are all the rage, and they raged both grilled and fried here. The grilled Pickled Chicken sandwich ($12.50 with tater tots) drew flavor from a salted brine and a caramelizing sear, helped along by bacon, avocado and cheese. You wont confuse the crunchy NKC Hot Chicken sandwich ($12.50 with fries) for the barnburners we cultivate in San Antonio, but it pulled bonus flavor and texture from spicy cole slaw. Any of those three make a full meal, but Chicken N Pickle also makes respectable bar snacks if thats what you need, from a queso-style chorizo fondue ($8) to fried pickles armored in shaggy batter ($7.50) to an ear of grilled Mexican street corn ($4) dressed with queso fresco, crema and hot sauce the S.A. way. 5215 UTSA Blvd., 210-874-2120, Facebook: @ChickenNPickleSAT. Open 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday-Wednesday; 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Thursday; 9 a.m. to midnight Friday; 11 a.m. to midnight Saturday; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday. Dine-in, curbside and third-party delivery service available. On ExpressNews.com: 5 great salads from San Antonio-area restaurants to atone for all that coronavirus comfort food Mike Sutter /Staff Mi Roti It wasnt enough for chef Lattoia Massey (aka Nicola Blaque) to take San Antonio by firestorm with her Jamaican powerhouse The Jerk Shack. She also had to make a stand at the Pearls Bottling Department food hall with Mi Roti, specializing in Caribbean flatbread wraps and bowls. Think of the roti as a big flour tortilla, only more dense and with more buttery crackle. To go with it, Massey and fellow chef Lionel Butch Blache have put together a roster of six proteins, two veggie options, three kinds of rice, a dozen toppings, two sides and five sauces. All you have to do is narrow it down to a wrap or a bowl, then make like 30 choices on how to build them. Let me help. If you go the way of the wrap, try jerk chicken with coconut rice, corn, carrots, cabbage, fried shallots, Brussels sprouts, mango chutney, chimichurri and a side of masala-spice shoestring french fries ($12). This teams known for jerk chicken that explodes with aromatic spice, smoke and juice, and it translated well to the roti wrap, and the fixings created just the right island food-stand character. Or go with grilled steak ($14 with fries) with cilantro-lime rice and an asada-style dress of cilantro, onions, grilled peppers, onions, jalapenos and avocado cream for more of a San Antonio experience. The best of the bowls when youd rather eat with a fork than go beast mode with your hands was a mix of Indian-style butter chicken with brown rice and a fresh dress of tomatoes, carrots, red onions and shallots with a side of smoky red beans ($12). Spend the extra dollar for a rolled roti on the side for scooping. 312 Pearl Parkway, Building 6 at the Pearls Bottling Department food hall, Facebook: @miroti210. Open 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Takeout and delivery only. Online ordering and delivery through toasttab.com. On ExpressNews.com: Review: Jamaican heat sets The Jerk Shack ablaze Mike Sutter /Staff Shifu Noodle When Chrystal Yi opened Shifu Noodle with business partner Wendy Jiang this month, she brought a love for Sichuan and Hunan cooking, as well as a former chef from San Antonios celebrated Sichuan House to create a Chinese experience the South Sides been missing. The numbing fire of Sichuan peppercorns and hot chile oil invigorated dan dan noodles ($7.99), a bowl of housemade long noodles dressed with beef, peanuts, scallions and mustard greens. The same spirit went into a dish accurately called Garlicky Cold Noodles ($6.99), mixed tableside for a bowl both refreshing and blush-inducing. The noodles had the body to hold up in a fresh soup-style preparation with mushrooms and vegetables ($7.99) as well as in a more aggressive, savory stir-fry with lush pork belly and green beans ($7.99). In addition to noodles, Shifu offers a line of dishes that capture the hot joy of Sichuan cooking, including the dry fire of spicy savory chicken ($9.99) and the electric shades of green in baby bok choy ($6.99) and wok-sauteed green beans with chiles ($7.99). Shifu itself is a study in contrasts, with one wall painted in cool Chinese watercolors, the other bearing the gaudy flash of Chinese opera masks, all of it working toward an aesthetic thats as charming and smart as the food. 3850 S. New Braunfels Ave., Suite 109, 210-888-1228, Facebook: @shifunoodle. Open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday; 11 a.m. to 9 p.m Wednesday to Saturday; noon to 8 p.m. Sunday. Dine-in, curbside and third-party delivery service available. Mike Sutter is a food and drink reporter and restaurant critic in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. To read more from Mike, become a subscriber. msutter@express-news.net | Twitter: @fedmanwalking | Instagram: @fedmanwalking New Delhi, Aug 27 : The Delhi High Court is likely to hear a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) against Jahnvi Kapoor starrer Netflix movie "Gunjan Saxena - The Kargil Girl" on Friday, seeking a stay on the streaming of the film, alleging that it portrays a negative image of the Indian Air Force (IAF). The petition filed by NGO Justice For Rights Foundation through advocate Amit Kumar Sharma is likely to come up for hearing before the High court on Friday, August 28. The plea seeks directions of the court to the filmmakers to modify or delete the objectionable dialogues and scenes in the movie, which portrays the IAF in poor light. "In the garb of creative and artistic freedom the production house of the film Gunjan Saxena - The Kargil Girl has portrayed the Indian Air Force in an undue negative light. Some scenes and dialogues in the movie are factually incorrect, misleading and portray an inappropriate work culture to glorify the screen character of the former Flight Lieutenant Gunjan Saxena," the plea said. The petitioner further states that several male officers have been projected as misogynists to suit the film's false narrative. "The false and negative portrayal of the IAF is an abuse of Freedom of Expression which ought to be censured. before the release of the movie Gunjan Saxena - The Kargil Girl, the IAF had requested Dharma Production to modify or delete the objectionable scenes that portray the IAF in the negative light," the plea said. The plea states that as per the initial understanding, Dharma Production had promised to "represent Indian Air Force with authenticity and to make all efforts to ensure that the film helps inspire the next generation of IAF officers". "The production house did not modify or delete the scenes objected to by the Air Force, they just simply inserted a disclaimer. Mere disclaimer would not be sufficient and adequate to prevent the presentation of incorrect facts about the Indian Air Force," it said. The petitioner has further claimed that the gender discrimination which has been portrayed in the movie is incorrect, false and misleading. Over and above, it is not factually corroborated. The glorious and prestigious Indian Air Force has ensured that the organisation is gender neutral and has always provided an equal opportunity to both male and female personnel, the plea said. "It is a well-known fact that the Indian Air Force ) has the largest number of women officers serving actively. The Indian Air Force was the first to open all its branches to women officers, including combat roles in 2015," the petition further said. US provokes again with ballistic missile-detection plane near PLA drills in S.China Sea: think tank Global Times By Liu Xuanzun Source: Global Times Published: 2020/8/26 14:47:35 A US RC-135S reconnaissance aircraft on Wednesday flew near ongoing Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) drills in the South China Sea, one day after another US spy plane, a U-2, trespassed into another PLA exercise restricted zone. The US is increasing the frequency of its close-up reconnaissance of PLA drills in order to pry about the PLA's capabilities, which is provocative, brings the risk of accidents, and could lead to escalation, Chinese experts warned. The RC-135S is designed to gather data on ballistic missile launches, re-entry and electronic information, which means the US might believe the PLA was conducting live-fire anti-ship ballistic missile exercises in the South China Sea, observers speculated. An RC-135S of the US Air Force on Wednesday morning flew across the South China Sea, according to monitoring from the Beijing-based think tank South China Sea Strategic Situation Probing Initiative (SCSPI) on the same day. The aircraft crossed the Bashi Channel from the east, headed southwest into the South China Sea, and returned on the same route, according to a flight trajectory drawn by the SCSPI. It came near an ongoing PLA exercise in waters off Hainan Island's southeast coast. The PLA drills are being held in the waters from Monday to Saturday, according to a navigation restriction notice released by the Hainan Maritime Safety Administration on Friday, which did not provide further details regarding the drills. Fu Qianshao, a Chinese military aviation expert, told the Global Times on Wednesday that the main function of the RC-135S is to detect ballistic missiles, among others. The US refitted the long-range RC-135 in order to accurately track the trajectory of a ballistic missile in places without land-based observation stations. It is not only able to monitor the US' own missiles tests, but also those of other countries, Fu said. It is possible that the US thinks the PLA would launch anti-ship ballistic missiles like the DF-21D or the DF-26 in the drills, so it sent the RC-135S to gather intelligence, a Chinese military expert who asked for anonymity told the Global Times on Wednesday. These missiles are extremely threatening to US warships, particularly to its aircraft carriers, the expert said, noting that the US must be anxious and very eager to find out how to counter them. Fu said that China is the only country in the world that has the technology to develop anti-ship ballistic missiles, and the US is eager to learn about China's approach. China usually tests ballistic missiles inland to keep confidential intelligence away from other countries, and the PLA also has many other types of exercise subjects that it conducts in the South China Sea, so the ongoing drills do not necessarily feature anti-ship ballistic missiles, the experts said. If the PLA drills did not feature ballistic missiles, the RC-135S can still attempt to gather intelligence on other types of weapons and equipment with its wide selection of sensors, Fu said. The RC-135S's close-up reconnaissance of the PLA drills in the South China Sea came only one day after a US U-2 high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft trespassed into a no-fly zone that was hosting a live-fire drill by the PLA Northern Theater Command on Tuesday. The move seriously violated the code of conduct for the safety of air and maritime encounters between China and the US, as well as related international norms, and could have easily caused misunderstanding and misjudgment, or even led to an air and maritime accident, said Defense Ministry spokesperson Wu Qian in a statement on Tuesday. A foreign military aircraft trespassing into live-fire drills means that it has become a live target. If the US aircraft had entered the Chinese military drill zone and been mistakenly shot down, the US military would only have itself to blame, Chinese experts said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address ANN ARBOR, MI University of Michigan President Mark Schlissel apologized earlier this week for comments made during a faculty town hall in which he compared todays COVID-19 pandemic to the HIV epidemic of the 1980s. Schlissel said during the town hall that testing can give a false sense of security, and that happened in the HIV epidemic when people got a negative test, and they presented it to their sex partners and spread the disease nonetheless. The comment drew criticism from leaders of UMs Queer Advocacy Coalition who said it further stigmatizes individuals who live with HIV, are receiving treatment for their diagnosis and are living responsible lives with their partners. In an email to the QAC, Schlissel said his comments were intended only as a critique of the effectiveness of massive testing of asymptomatic students for the virus that causes COVID-19 in an effort to prevent its spread. The analogy I used is not a good or fair one. In using this analogy to make my point, I unintentionally reinforced stereotypes that have been historically and unjustly assigned to the LGBTQIA+ community as well as other communities and persons affected by HIV and AIDS, Schlissel wrote. Again, for this I apologize, especially as it relates to groups that have been historically maligned and stereotyped. It was not my intention to disparage any community or person affected by HIV and AIDS. The QAC has started a petition calling for a public apology from Schlissel for the comparison, saying UM leaders should be held accountable for the harm they cause. This false equivalency between the transmission of these two different illnesses is a way of shrinking responsibility, QAC leaders said. Schlissel took a person-blame approach and shifted the focus off of the universitys responsibility for protecting students lives and instead blamed students. It follows the way that the government and the healthcare system did during the AIDS crisis. At the town hall, Schlissel also said testing is one component of a layered set of interventions, and compared the layered interventions to Swiss cheese. Every one of the interventions has holes in it, but if the holes line up, you actually end up with a barrier that prevents the transmission of disease, Schlissel said. In an Aug. 18 email to faculty and staff, Schlissel and Provost Susan M. Collins said UM plans to test anyone who is symptomatic for COVID-19, but it will not conduct widespread testing of asymptomatic individuals. Focusing on asymptomatic testing draws resources from symptomatic testing, quarantine, contact tracing, and behavior modification, they said. Our advisory groups feel it is important to put time and energy on what matters the most. The essential aspects of mitigation include physical distancing, masks, handwashing, screening, etc. Since March 8, University Health Services has administered 8,541 tests for COVID-19 in students, faculty, staff and alumni, with 286 coming back positive, according to its COVID-19 dashboard. As of Sunday, Aug. 23, 300 tests were given and five came back positive, all within the student population. Before returning to campus, students were tested at home, and dashboard data notes just more than 5,800 of those tests have been completed with 21 coming back positive. Students who arrive on campus without completing the test will be given a test and limited in their interactions until they get the results. There are 19,903 undergraduates with at least one in-person or hybrid class, and UM is expecting 8,300 students in university housing this year, UM spokesperson Kim Broekhuizen said Monday, Aug. 24. Freshmen excited for fall at University of Michigan, hope coronavirus wont force them out early While students have returned, Schlissel said in a May email to officials at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill that he was struggling with how to bring back 30,000 undergrads to Ann Arbor and asked for more information on their reopening plan. UNC students returned to class Aug. 10 and classes were moved to remote learning a week later after a spike in COVID-19 cases on campus. In May email, UM president told UNC officials he was struggling with how to bring back 30K undergrads All members of the UM community are expected to check themselves for COVID-19 systems, practice social distancing and wear a face covering, which is required everywhere on campus. About 600 rooms have been set aside for isolation housing or quarantine for students, UM said. According to the dashboard, two students are in isolation and nine are in quarantine, where they are waiting test results. READ MORE: Citing concerns about UM student gatherings, Ann Arbor enacts emergency ordinance Ann Arbor City Council members question University of Michigans effort to prevent spread of coronavirus University of Michigan professors have no confidence in administrations plan to contain coronavirus Mr. Trump withdrew or ripped up, as he put it from President Barack Obamas 2015 Iran nuclear deal. And after promising to bomb the hell out of the Islamic State, he oversaw a military campaign that led to the terrorist groups near-total battlefield defeat even if that campaign was planned and initiated under the Obama administration. In his convention speech on Tuesday night, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo cited those actions, along with the targeted killing in 2019 of the groups evil leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Speaking from Jerusalem to spotlight Mr. Trumps relocation of the American embassy there from Tel Aviv in 2018, Mr. Pompeo also praised the presidents pressure campaign against Iran and the missile strike that killed Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani, the notorious Iranian military commander, on Jan. 3. Other convention speakers emphasized the way Mr. Trump, who has repeatedly vowed to end endless wars, has avoided entangling the country in new military conflicts, making him the first American president since Jimmy Carter to not send combat troops into a new theater. In four years, Donald Trump didnt start any new wars, Richard Grenell, his former ambassador to Germany and the acting director of national intelligence, said on Wednesday night. But the president has also recently begun to argue that he needs another term to make good on his grandest ambitions. Many American adversaries, he says, are simply waiting him out in hopes of his defeat in November. A Democratic loss, Mr. Trump argues, would force them to capitulate. If and when we win, we will make deals with Iran very quickly, we will make deals with North Korea very quickly, Mr. Trump said at a news conference this month from his resort in Bedminster, N.J. The president has also argued that China hopes he will lose, preferring to start over with former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., the Democratic nominee. Mr. Trump says he can also secure a better trade deal with Beijing after November, if he wins, than before. Richard Goldberg, a former National Security Council aide in the Trump White House who worked on Iran, said the president had conducted foreign policy well, adding that it was natural for a first-term foreign policy to be inconclusive. A few years back, enterprise blockchain was the buzzword of choice in boardrooms across the globe. Every industry, from supply chain and logistics to finance, law, aerospace, government, and more, had some innovative use cases to which they could apply blockchain. While it would always have been difficult for any technology to live up to the hype, its safe to say that many of these proposed use cases havent emerged in the way that it first seemed. The technology hasnt gone away - so what went wrong? The Hype was Premature The technology may indeed still be there, but the problem is that it was never ready to be used in the way that was initially being sold. Now, a project with an all-star team of business professionals, decorated cryptography academics, and entrepreneurs has assembled to build Concordium, a platform thats aiming to reboot the enterprise blockchain revolution. Distributed ledger technologies split into two distinct camps. Those that have been implemented by enterprises on any meaningful scale tend to be private or permissioned blockchains. For example, JPMorgans (NYSE:JPM) Quorum blockchain is essentially a permissioned clone of Ethereum, while the Food Trust application, developed by IBM (NYSE:IBM) and used by Walmart (NYSE:WMT), is based on the permissioned Hyperledger platform. Permissioned blockchains only allow entry to those who agree to all the rules and agreements of the network, and enterprises are usually able to identify with whom theyre transacting. However, using the technology in this way to ensure strict compliance with know-your-customer regulations, is akin to throwing the baby out with the bathwater. As one critic pointed out, once a group of enterprises has appointed a central party to build a permissioned system, all the true benefits of using a blockchain are diluted. The system isnt open or decentralized, losing the security and privacy elements that make a blockchain attractive. It depends on a central authority who decides which parties can join. Story continues Public Blockchains - Not Fit for Purpose The other camp, public blockchains, come with significant challenges for enterprises. Particularly in the US, regulators have clamped down heavily on many projects, all but shutting down platforms such as Telegrams Open Network. The President and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin have been openly dismissive on the subject of cryptocurrencies, associating them with crime and money laundering, and failing to acknowledge any of the potential that the underlying technology could bring to US businesses. While this attitude tends to attract derision and frustration from the cryptocurrency community, Mnuchins comments are at least partially accurate. Cash is still the money launderers medium of choice in most cases, but public blockchains offer a level of pseudonymity that can make it difficult for a user to know who is the counterparty to any given transaction if they choose not to disclose their identity. This pseudonymity is perhaps the most significant barrier, explaining why blockchain adoption by enterprises hasnt taken off in the way it initially seemed to promise. Combined with the fear that regulators will swoop in on any attempt to leverage the benefits of a public blockchain, enterprises have largely decided to opt for a private ledger solution or avoid the topic altogether. Perhaps the missing link was for someone who understood these challenges to step in with a workable solution for enterprises and regulators. Now, the creators of the Concordium enterprise blockchain appear to be doing just that. Concordium offers a platform that solves the trade-off between identity and privacy, carrying a sheen of reputability thanks to its stellar team of respected academics and industry veterans. Balancing Identity and Privacy Under the hood, Concordium has an extremely sophisticated technology stack, comprising multiple layers that enable it to achieve the aims of high throughput, fixed low transaction costs, and easy-to-deploy smart contracts. However, the unique selling point of the platform is in its ability to ensure that enterprises can meet any legal order to identify counterparts to their transactions, so that the relevant authorities can verify who is involved. At the same time, in the normal run of business, users are guaranteed that they can transact in private without airing their operations or financials on the public blockchains. An Off-Chain Identification Process The identity element is achieved through a dedicated identity layer. Before a user can create an account, they have to provide a legal form of ID to an identity provider in an off-chain process. The ID is used to generate an identity object stored locally with the identity provider. The user receives an identity certificate that enables him to open an account. When they open an account, their encrypted identity object is also assigned to a third party called an anonymity revoker. The anonymity revoker doesnt know the identity of the user. If theres a legal order, for example, by the courts or a tax office, to identify the user, then the anonymity revoker can decrypt the identity object to allow the identity provider to retrieve the original ID and hand it over to the authority that issued the order. On-chain Transaction Privacy The identity layer operates alongside the execution layer, which provides an assurance of transaction privacy. Users can choose which level of privacy to apply to their transactions. Standard transfers are visible on the public blockchain in a similar way to transactions on Ethereum. However, Concordiums encrypted transfers use sophisticated zero-knowledge proofs that cloak the value from everyone except the sender and receiver. Furthermore, the same proofs enable users to send transactions through a mixnet which allows them to transact between their own accounts without anyone linking them. This is a valuable feature for companies with multiple legal entities and cost centers, enabling them to keep internal transactions private. A Distinguished Team Concordium was founded by Lars Seier Christensen, the founder of the Danish investment bank, Saxo, which he grew to 1,500 employees in 150 locations. Seier Christensen now chairs the Concordium Foundation. The operational running of the company is under Lone Fnss Schrder, who joined the company last year after serving 22 years at shipping company AP Moller-Maersk. While at the company, she served as Senior Vice-President and founded Maersk Procurement. Along with her role at Concordium, Fnss Schrder is also Vice Chairman at Volvo Cars and sits on the board at IKEA. Lone Fnss Schrder, Concordium CEO Professor Ivan Damgard leads the Scientific team. One of the worlds most-cited cryptography researchers, Prof. Damgard is the co-inventor of the Merkle-Damgard construction, which essentially powers all, or at least most, blockchains. Furthermore, the project has attracted an impressive advisory team. Two of the most notable members are former Secretary-General of NATO and former Prime Minister of Denmark, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, and the former COO of Skype, Michael Jackson. It has taken several years for a platform to emerge that can solve the fundamental trade-off between privacy and compliance. However, a solution was always going to be needed if enterprise blockchain was ever to gain any real traction. As Concordium moves towards a mainnet launch in early 2021, perhaps the excitement about blockchain for business may become reignited, with a chance of getting it right this time around. Disclosure: None. RTHK: Laura threatens US with 'unsurvivable' storm surge Hurricane Laura strengthened into a powerful Category 4 storm in the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday, prompting warnings of "unsurvivable" storm surge of up to six metres and evacuation orders for hundreds of thousands of coastal residents of Louisiana and Texas. The Miami-based National Hurricane Centre said Laura was packing winds of 220 kilometres per hour and was expected to make landfall along the Gulf Coast overnight. As an "extremely dangerous" Category 4 hurricane - the second-highest on the Saffir-Simpson wind scale - Laura could pummel the Louisiana and Texas coast with storm surge, extreme winds and flash flooding, the NHC said. An "unsurvivable storm surge with large and destructive waves will cause catastrophic damage from Sea Rim State Park, Texas, to Intracoastal City, Louisiana," it said. Storm surges could penetrate up to 50 kilometres inland along parts of the coasts, and peak surge coupled with high tide could see water as high as four to six metres above normal levels. "The power of Hurricane Laura is unprecedented, and Texans must take action now to get out of harm's way and protect themselves," Texas Governor Greg Abbott said. "The conditions of this storm are unsurvivable, and I urge southeast Texans to take advantage of these final few hours to evacuate." "Your property can be replaced," Abbott said. "Your life cannot be replaced." President Donald Trump told residents in the path of the storm to "listen to local officials." "Hurricane Laura is a very dangerous and rapidly intensifying hurricane," Trump tweeted. "My Administration remains fully engaged with state & local emergency managers." Jimmy Ray was among those heeding evacuation orders in Lake Charles, Louisiana. "We were going to try to ride it out at the house, but we found out that it was going to be too bad," Ray said outside an evacuation facility. Another evacuee in Lake Charles, Patricia Como, said her sister, her brother, cousins and other family members had stayed behind but she was "not going to take a chance." "I'm not going to play with the good lord," Como said. At 1800 GMT, Hurricane Laura was about 320 kilometres south-southeast of Lake Charles and moving north-west at 45 kilometres an hour, the NHC said. It said the storm was expected to dump between 13 to 26 centimetres of rain on parts of the Gulf Coast between Wednesday and Friday. Craig Brown, the acting mayor of Galveston, Texas, which suffered the deadliest hurricane in US history in 1900 with thousands of deaths, said the authorities were "monitoring this very closely." "We've had good cooperation from our residents on evacuation," Brown said, adding that it was not mandatory. "If they want to stay put, then we allow them to do that," he said. "But we do tell them if they stay, they may not have any emergency services available to them." Angela Jouett, director of evacuation operations in Lake Charles, said the authorities had new protocols in place because of the Covid-19 pandemic. "People that come in they get their hands sprayed with sanitiser," Jouett said. "They're having their temperature checks, and we're also spacing everybody in two metre distancing." In New Orleans, devastated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the historic French Quarter was empty of tourists, while sandbags were piled up in front of the doorways of colonial-style buildings and windows were boarded up with plywood. New Orleans remains traumatised from Katrina, which made landfall as a Category 3 storm, flooding 80 percent of the city and killing more than 1,800 people. Laura earlier caused flooding in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, killing at least 25 people. In Cuba, it caused material damage but no deaths. The Atlantic storm season, which runs through November, could be one of the busiest ever this year, with the NHC predicting as many as 25 named storms. Laura is the 12th so far. (AFP) This story has been published on: 2020-08-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Prime minister Boris Johnson during a visit to The Hut Group in Burtonwood, Warrington, while on the general election campaign trail. Photo: PA Online retail company The Hut Group has announced plans to list on Londons stock exchange in one of the years biggest IPOs. The Hut Group, which owns a number of online retailers, said in a stock market filing on Thursday it hopes to raise 920m ($1.2bn) selling new shares as it goes public. The company is aiming for a valuation of 4.5bn when shares list on the main market of the London Stock Exchange. Founded in 2004 in Manchester, The Hut Group is an online-only retail conglomerate that makes the bulk of its money through beauty and fitness. The company owns Europes number one online beauty retailer Lookfantastic, as well as Skinstore and Mankind. In fitness, The Hut Group sells workout supplements under the Myprotein brand. The companys websites were visited 610 million times in 2019. Sales across the group grew 24.5% last year to 1.1bn and adjusted earnings rose 9.8% to 111.3m. The company said the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated growth, with sales up 35.8% in the first six months of 2020. The Hut Group also rents its own in-house e-commerce software to other brands such as Elemis and Burts Bees. The company said in June it had signed 100m-worth of deals with third party beauty brands. READ MORE: Advertising giant WPP restarts dividend even as losses hit 2.5bn Our intention to float THG on the London Stock Exchange reflects the achievements of the past but also our strong belief in the significant potential for THG in the future, said Matthew Moulding, The Hut Groups founder, chief executive and chairman. THG has enjoyed strong growth since being founded in 2004, employing more than 7,000 people and establishing a track record of consistent delivery for our customers. The brands we own today give us leading strategic positions in prestige beauty and nutrition, powered by Ingenuity, our differentiated proprietary direct-to-consumer e-commerce solution. Sky News reported this week that Moulding, who owns a 1bn stake in the business, is in line for a significant payout of up to 700m if he can grow The Hut Group to a 7.25bn business by 2022. The initial public offering, due to take place next month, will be one of the biggest listings of 2020. The most common entry point for an infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus is the mouth-throat-nasal cavity. Immediately after entry, the virus load in these areas increases continuously. Before the first clinical symptoms appear, the virus concentration is already so high that simple gargling combined with a nasal swab test is sufficient to obtain sufficient viral material. "This combined mouthwash-swab technique is new in medicine," Dr. Burgard emphasizes. "At present, the laboratory PCR test is still considered the gold standard for SARS CoV-2 detection. However, in science sometimes one has to break up existing structures and rethink in order to achieve better results and simpler solutions. This is how we came up with the idea that a mouth and throat lavage combined with a nasal swab, which can be performed at any time and any place, covers much larger areas and detects SARS-CoV-2 more reliably than the common swab test". BELMONITOR COV-2 could, for example, be suitable for screening nursing staff or other high-risk groups. In particular, it can reliably identify infected persons wherever people congregate. Whether for use at the family doctor's office, at events, at the airport, at the daycare center, or at home, taking the BELMONITOR COV-2 test is very easy. After users have rinsed the supplied liquid around in their mouths for about 30 seconds, gargled and spit it out into a special container, they take a swab sample from their nasal passages. The swab is then whisked with the mouth rinsing solution. Finally, a solution of genetically engineered binding proteins is added. Within a few minutes, a specific color reaction indicates infection with SARS-CoV-2. "This not only allows users to check themselves, but also to carry out mass tests on people returning from trips, system-relevant persons, and concert or stadium visitors quickly and easily," Dr. Burgard concludes. A single set will be available from both the Pharmact Shop and independent retailers. Not available in the US. About Pharmact Pharmact is a medtech company focusing on preventing disease through early detection. The company's international team of medical experts provides healthcare professionals with qualitative point-of-care rapid tests for the early detection of chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes mellitus and liver fibrosis, as well as acute myocardial infarction. Founded in Berlin, Pharmact's international distribution headquarters is located at CUBEX 41, the innovative center for medtech start-ups based on the University Hospital Mannheim campus. The company is operated in the United States by Pharmact Healthcare Inc. in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. PRESS CONTACT: [email protected] Website: www.pharmact.de SOURCE Pharmact GmbH Travellers are quickly making plans to return to the UK from the Czech Republic, Jamaica and Switzerland before new quarantine measures are imposed. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced on Thursday evening that those arriving in England from those countries after 4am on Saturday will need to self-isolate for 14 days. The Department for Transport (DfT) said equivalent measures are being put in place in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Scotland took Switzerland off its list last week. Reductions in coronavirus cases mean Cuba has been added to the destinations from which people can arrive in England or Wales without entering quarantine, while Wales has also removed the quarantine requirement for arrivals from Singapore. It comes as new enforcement powers entered into force from midnight meaning that anyone facilitating an unlicensed music event or any other unlawful gathering of 30 people or more could face a hefty penalty. The Home Office has also said fines for not wearing face coverings where it is mandated such as on public transport and in supermarkets will also double for repeat offenders starting today. People not wearing masks and participants in unlawful gatherings can be fined starting at 100, doubling for each repeat offence up to a maximum of 3,200. In Wales, indoor visits to both adult and childrens care homes have been given the green light from today. Visits will be subject to strict controls to help prevent transmission of coronavirus. Meanwhile, a major media campaign will be launched by the Government next week which will encourage workers to return to the office. The adverts will promote the Governments aim to reduce the number of employees working from home amid fears that town and city centres are becoming ghost areas as workers stay away. Labour has criticised the plans as being unconscionable. The partys shadow business minister Lucy Powell said: It beggars belief that the Government are threatening people like this during a pandemic. Forcing people to choose between their health and their job is unconscionable. Story continues Number 10 should condemn this briefing and categorically rule out any such campaign. However, Tory MPs have said that workers need to get back to the office. Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith has said workers should return to the office (PA) Speaking to The Times, Conservative MP Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 Committee of Tory backbenchers, warned of devastating consequences if workers stayed at home. He said: What is essential is that the Government gives a clear and consistent message that it is perfectly safe for people to return to town. They should not be worried about infections as a result of travelling on trains and buses. We can all see the devastating consequences for many businesses when a huge proportion of the customers on whom they depend simply arent coming into our towns and cities. Watch video below Meanwhile, Sir Iain Duncan Smith, former Tory party leader, told the newspaper: The Government must have a clear and simple message that civil servants should show the way and get back to work. Theyve got to stop mixing that message. The reality is that small businesses that provide the vast majority of jobs in the UK rely on people in city centres being back in their offices. If they do not go back many of those businesses will collapse, which will lead to higher unemployment and in turn impact on peoples mental and physical health. As quickly as the onslaught of Americans unemployment claims hit state governments, the domino effect of outdated systems and the need for process improvements became abundantly clear. As if COVID-19 and U.S. joblessness werent enough to tackle, the chaos and urgency created the perfect opportunity for criminals to devise targeted fraud strikes on both state government agencies and individuals who had just been laid off a scheme thats putting $26 billion in unemployment benefits at risk. What is fueling growth in unemployment fraud right now? A lack of anti-fraud measures, bypassed processes that had been in place to help verify benefit claims and data inaccuracies -- all combined with the rampant availability of cheap, stolen account credentials and personally identifiable information on dark web markets -- has led to an unprecedented increase in unemployment fraud. The problem stems from criminals impersonating unemployed workers by using stolen credentials and PII and diverting the funds from benefit claims into their own pockets. PII, which can help answer security questions during the claims verification process, can be extracted from stolen pay slips, W-2 forms and credit reports. Labor Department Inspector General Scott Dahl told the House Subcommittee on Government Operations in a recent briefing that even in the best of times, about 10% of unemployment insurance payments can be attributed to fraud. However, with the new strains on unemployment, he said losses could rise to $26 billion, with the bulk of it due to fraud. Its not just domestic criminals who are taking advantage of the system. The Secret Service identified a Nigerian Fraud Ring targeting at least 11 states including North Carolina, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Oklahoma, Wyoming, Florida and Washington. Reportedly, although Washington state was the hardest hit by the fraud ring, it was able to recover $333 million from the $650 million in stolen unemployment payments. The average weekly unemployment benefit of $371.88 coupled with the CARE Acts $600 stimulus has presented an attractive target for criminals. Below are some states reported percentages of fraudulent claims between April and July of 2020. Total claims submitted and those recorded as fraudulent and suspect from March to July 2020. Source: SpyCloud In response to increased fraud, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Maine halted unemployment payments to remediate fraudulent claims, leaving legitimate jobless claimants without their payments. While the delays were to take only days, in some cases they have taken weeks. Prepaid cards also have been targeted by fraud rings to cash in on unemployment claims and stimulus payments. Once again, by leveraging stolen credentials to open new unemployment claims or take over existing accounts where the account holder reuses a compromised password, fraudsters are able to receive funds and drain the prepaid cards. What can be done to limit unemployment fraud? Recommendations for government agencies: Report after report indicate that fraudulent state unemployment claims stem from stolen identities related to data breaches and leaks. A practical method to proactively mitigate fraud risk is monitoring new benefit claims against breached data services that identify compromised passwords and PII. Claims that seem suspicious can be flagged for further manual verification. Recommendations for fraud analysts and IT teams: Although we are living under extraordinary circumstances, premature go-live updates and platform releases have left unemployment programs with undetected vulnerabilities discovered by the public or, worse yet, by criminals. Analyst and investigators employed or contracted by states facing the daunting task of sifting through unemployment claims for abnormalities and high-risk indicators, have some steps they can take to here to identify criminal activities and reduce fraud: If updates have been made to the unemployment claims platform, gain a complete understanding of changes by thoroughly reviewing communications and participating in training offered by the teams responsible. Maintain processes that have proved successful in preventing fraud. Ensure there is a method to monitor user activities, such as user origin, logins, account creations, account modifications and fraud claim filings. Tie disparate data sources together, comparing and verifying new accounts against existing accounts to detect anomalies. Watch for uncommon claims, such as those filed from out of state. Verify claimants contact information to stop criminals from: Creating new or temporary email addresses. Using burner phones. Making slight variations in house numbers or completely changing the claimants physical address. Encourage knowledge-sharing between states by making trend analyses and fraud reports available to your fellow fraud analysts and investigators. Recommendations for employers: Public- and private-sector organizations must continuously monitor and remediate their employees exposed credentials. Fraud, whether payments-related or simply theft of data, is a concern for all organizations, and its important to remember that the human attack surface extends past their own employees to those in the supply chain. Security teams who take responsibility for educating their employees -- as well as their partners and vendors -- on the dangers of password reuse, the importance of complex, unique passwords for all accounts (personal and corporate) and the necessity of multi-factor authentication are performing a public service. Ultimately, the importance of enhancing verification processes and efficiencies, combined with individuals and employers taking responsibility for PII protection, will limit the financial waste due to fraud and payment delays to the Americans in the most need. A school librarian who it was speculated had deliberately arranged a bookshelf in order to deliver a message to Boris Johnson has denied organising it with the Prime Minister in mind. Mr Johnson on Wednesday delivered an address to pupils returning from the summer holidays at Castle Rock school in Coalville, Leicestershire. The Prime Minister spoke against a backdrop of bookshelves lined with titles like The Twits, The Toll, Crisis Point, Glass Houses and The Subtle Knife. The imagery was quickly picked up on by social media users, with one tweet highlighting the display garnering tens of thousands of likes and retweets. "Supreme trolling from the school librarian," it said. But despite widespread speculation that the titles were placed there deliberately to coincide with Mr Johnson's visit, the display had in fact been in place for more than six months. HuffPost UK reported on Thursday that it was actually left behind by an outgoing librarian as a message to the schools senior leadership team. Its so bizarre, I actually feel a little bit sorry for the Prime Minister because it wasnt ever intended for him I did it as a message for the school management before I left in February, the 48-year-old former librarian, who asked not to be named, told the news website. It just became untenable to carry on working there because of the lack of support I had and I was left with no choice but to resign. Thats why I decided to leave them a big message during my last week. They obviously never actually noticed, and it went untouched for six months. The former librarian went on to describe the last 24 hours as "a bit weird" and said she only realised the books she had selected for display were still on the library's shelves when her son showed her a picture of Mr Johnson that had started to circulate widely on social media. It was a covert message that was plain for all to see, but it turned out that the people I originally did it for didnt see it but I think theyve seen it now," she added. The reality is actually a bit of a sadder story. If someone had done it for Boris Johnson that would have been amazing but its just a weird twist of fate. It was a message for senior management, so I suppose its nice that theyve not finally got it. Whatever happens, theyll probably take more notice of the background next time the prime minister does a speech. Julia Patrick, CEO of the Apollo Partnership Trust, which took over Castle Rock School as an academy in 2017, meanwhile told HuffPost UK the library had "not been used for five months" prior to Mr Johnson's visit. "The senior management there were unaware of any covert message left through the arrangement of books," she said. The member of staff in question left the school on February 21, 2020. Evangelical leaders urge Trump admin. to stop summarily deporting unaccompanied migrant children Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Over a dozen prominent evangelical charities and organizations are calling on Ivanka Trump to pressure the administration to stop using the pandemic to suspend legal safeguards for unaccompanied migrant children and allowing them to be housed in hotels and deported. In a letter sent to the presidents daughter and presidential adviser Monday, the leaders of 16 evangelical networks, institutions and organizations urged the 38-year-old to do everything within your influence to ensure that the Trump administration once again enforces provisions of the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act related to unaccompanied children. The bipartisan 2008 law governs how migrant children who are not accompanied by a parent or legal guardian when apprehended at the U.S. border are treated by federal agencies. The law mandates that unaccompanied migrant children who might be vulnerable to trafficking be transferred to the custody of the Department Health and Human Services so they can be placed with care providers until a family member or sponsor can be identified. But in March, the Department of Homeland Security suspended the legislations protections and cited public health concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic as justification for doing so. Instead of being referred to the custody of HHS, which has trained capacity to care for traumatized, vulnerable children, unaccompanied children are being summarily expelled to their countries of origin, sometimes after brief, unregulated stays in hotels, the evangelical leaders wrote in the letter to Trump. These children are returned to situations where, tragically, many are at high risk of trafficking, violence and exploitation. We are writing to urge that you do everything within your influence to ensure that the provisions of the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act related to unaccompanied children are once again enforced. The letter was spearheaded by Scott Arbeiter, president of World Relief, the humanitarian arm of the 45,000-church National Association of Evangelicals. Other signatories include Russell Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Conventions Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission; NAE President Walter Kim; Edgar Sandoval, president of the international evangelical humanitarian charity World Vision; Philip Langford, president of the anti-trafficking organization International Justice Mission US; and Gabriel Salguero, president of the National Latino Evangelical Coalition. It was also backed by scholars such as Kim Berry Jones, director of the Center for Justice & Reconciliation at Point Loma Nazarene University in California, and Sandra Morgan, director of the Global Center for Women & Justice at Vanguard University in California. Ivanka Trump has helped head a $35 million White House initiative that seeks to provide safe housing for victims of human trafficking. At an event earlier this month, she called human trafficking the gravest of human rights violations. As leaders of evangelical Christian ministries, organizations and denominations deeply concerned with the wellbeing of children and victims of human trafficking, we strongly agree with your recent assessment that human trafficking is arguably the gravest of human rights violations, the letter reads. We applaud the recent announcement of federal funding to various non-profit organizations, including many Christian ministries, to provide housing and services for survivors of human trafficking. The letter comes after the Associated Press reported last month that migrant children as young as 1 are being sheltered at Hampton Inn & Suites hotels in Arizona and Texas for weeks in some cases before they are deported. In their letter, the evangelical leaders point out that the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act was passed by Congress after extensive advocacy by many evangelical organizations, including some of those that we lead. The HHS manages a network of care providers, including many faith-based nonprofit organizations, that provide temporary care for the children until a family member or other sponsor can be identified, screened and approved. Several of our ministries operate in Central America, addressing the root causes of migration such as violence, poverty and lack of opportunity, the letter stresses. The majority of these unaccompanied children are expelled to this region, and our colleagues there have witnessed firsthand the devastating impacts of this policy. Through the legislation, unaccompanied children can also elect to return to their home countries or pursue forms of legal relief they may be qualified for under U.S. law, such as asylum. Regardless, the TVPRA ensures that they receive due process and are protected from harm while they await the adjudication of their case, the letter explains. While the evangelical leaders say they support measures that aim to protect public health during the pandemic, they think the federal government can take appropriate precautions to minimize any public health concerns without disregarding the life-saving protections guaranteed by the TVPRA. Indeed, if schools can safely re-open in many parts of the country, as the administration has urged, our country should also be able to accommodate a relatively small number of unaccompanied children following public health best practices to minimize the risk of spreading the coronavirus, they contended. The recent acknowledgment from DHS that children are being tested and expelled to their countries of origin only after testing negative for COVID-19 demonstrates that these children do not present a risk of bringing further incidence of COVID-19 into the U.S. The evangelical leaders argued that COVID-19 should not be used as a pretext for abandoning our national commitment to standing for vulnerable children and against the scourge of human trafficking. Our faith compels us to speak up for these children, they stated. RENO, Nev., Aug. 26, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Renown Health and the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine (UNR Med) announced today their intent to develop plans for a proposed long-term partnership designed to enhance Nevadas medical education system, expand clinical research capacity in northern Nevada and create a world-class healthcare network. The collaboration between Nevadas oldest medical school and one of its largest non-profit healthcare organizations is well underway, with the organizations executing a Letter of Intent. The final agreement with details of the arrangement is slated to be signed by the end of the year. Over the last 50 years, Renown Health has been an important UNR Med partner. We share a common vision, and recognize how expanding our collaboration will benefit the community through increased access to care and expanded clinical training and research programs. We know we can do more together than we would be able to do separately," said UNR Med Dean and Vice President, Health Sciences, Thomas L. Schwenk, M.D., professor, family and community medicine. "As healthcare professionals, we are forever changed by the events of the last six months. This new affiliation acknowledges our changing educational and healthcare environment, and advances our state-wide vision of A Healthy Nevada." Like many healthcare systems and medical schools across the nation, Renown Health and the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine have worked together for decades to advance a mutual commitment to improving the health of the community. Over the last five decades, UNR Med has educated more than 3,900 physicians with over 30 percent practicing in Nevada, increasing access to care for residents across the state. Equally rooted in the community, Renowns long legacy of service started in 1862 as a county hospital, Washoe Medical Center. Now, Renown Health serves the community by providing care through hospitals, outpatient medical offices, institutes and an insurance plan, Hometown Health. Expanding on their long history of collaboration, both Renown Health and UNR Med have new strategic plans based on recruiting top-tier physicians and healthcare professionals, improving access to and developing new models of innovative care, and investing in clinical research. As pillars of healthcare in northern Nevada, both provide key services for underserved populations, and collaborate to educate, train and employ the next generation of doctors and healthcare professionals to support the health of local and rural communities, the state and the nation. This new agreement builds on the close collaboration we have had for many years with UNR Med leadership, says Anthony D. Slonim, MD, DrPH, FACHE, President and CEO, Renown Health; who also serves as professor of clinical medicine and pediatrics at University of Nevada, Reno, School of Medicine. We have collaborated in research, medical education, grant funding for public health, clinical trials and integrated clinical practices to improve access and affordability of care. We both serve communities with significant health needs and socioeconomic challenges that have worsened through this pandemic. We recognize that this new level of affiliation will drive innovation and research that improves the health of our community, and together, we can be more effective in creating a healthier Nevada. University of Nevada, Reno President Marc A. Johnson, PhD, said, Physicians, clinicians and clinical researchers from the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine and Renown have worked together to care for patients during the COVID-19 crisis, from the bedside, to the research labs, and to the medical offices. That is a powerful example of the partnership between the two organizations as we have faced a historic pandemic. This new agreement reinforces what has already been a strong and impactful partnership. It promises to extend the healthcare mission of our School of Medicine and Renown for a community benefit that will be felt far beyond the next generation. James DeVolld, board chair of Renown said, During such a difficult time for our community, we are thrilled to bring two great organizations together, and present the community with such a precious gift. We have an urgent imperative to transform the delivery and financing of healthcare. Health systems and medical schools across the country are collaborating in innovative new ways, finding new efficiencies and better solutions by sharing clinical experience, intellectual resources, grants and community support. Max J. Coppes, MD, PhD, Professor and Nell J. Redfield Chair of Pediatrics at UNR Med and Physician-in-Chief at Renown Childrens Hospital, added, We are thrilled to have the support of so many elected officials, UNR Med students, alumni, donors, and community members to advance a mutual commitment to ensuring that people in northern Nevada can get top medical care right here at home. The envisioned integration will result in better access to state-of-the-art patient care, enhance and expand our ability to teach the next generation of healthcare providers, and actively engage in medical research, bringing new clinical research trials to our area. Dr. Coppes noted the partnerships previous success in 2014 when Renown Health and UNR Med collaborated in launching a transformation of Renown Childrens Hospital, the regions only childrens hospital dedicated to full pediatric services. Dean Schwenk will present the Letter of Intent to the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) Board of Regents on Friday, September 11. With NSHE regent approval, the affiliation will enter a period of review and due diligence within the organizations and with the relevant regulatory and oversight bodies. Until then, it will be business as usual within the two organizations. The process is estimated to continue through the end of the year. Together, we can bring a higher level of world-class care providers, leading-edge care and new delivery approaches to meet the needs of people in our community, said Sy Johnson, MBA, and Chief of Staff for Renown Health. This is what we call Destination Health, enabling patients and families, including both local patients and those traveling long distances, to receive the most comprehensive medical care, right here at home. The planned integration resembles other partnerships such as Washington UniversityBarnes Jewish Health System, Yale New Haven Health System, Penn Medicine, and RWJ-Barnabas-Rutgers. These partnerships expand medical education training opportunities for students and residents, retain more physician graduates in the community, recruit prominent physicians and researchers and build a more robust healthcare workforce. ### About Renown Health Renown Health is the regions largest, locally owned and governed, not-for-profit integrated healthcare network serving Nevada, Lake Tahoe and northeast California. With a diverse workforce of more than 7,000 employees, Renown has fostered a longstanding culture of excellence, determination and innovation. The organization comprises a trauma center, two acute care hospitals, a childrens hospital, a rehabilitation hospital, a medical group and urgent care network, and the regions largest, locally owned not-for-profit insurance company, Hometown Health. Renowns institute model addresses social determinants of health and includes: Child Health, Behavioral Health & Addiction, Healthy Aging and Health Innovation. Clinical institutes include: Cancer, Heart and Vascular Heath, Neurosciences and Robotic Surgery. Renown is currently enrolling participants in the worlds largest community-based genetic population health study, the Healthy Nevada Project. For more information, visit renown.org. About University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine The University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine, Nevadas first public medical school, is a community-based, research-intensive medical school with a statewide vision for a healthy Nevada. Since 1969, UNR Med has trained more than 3,900 students, residents and fellows. UNR Med continues to improve the health and well-being of all Nevadans and their communities through excellence in student education, postgraduate training and clinical care, research with local, national and global impact and a culture of diversity and inclusion. For more information, visit med.unr.edu. My father does not run away from challenges, even in the face of outright hatred, because fighting for America is something he will sacrifice anything for. He dreams big dreams for our country, and he is relentless at achieving them. You see, Make America Great Again is not a slogan for my father. It is what drives him to keep his promise of doing what is right for American citizens. My father ran not because he needed the job, but because he knew hard-working people across this great country were being left behind. The media mocked these patriots in the flyover states in which they lived. They ignored the Trump flags, they ignored the millions of MAGA banners and barns painted in red, white, and blue. The silent majority had no one fighting for them in either party. My father pledged to every American in every city, state, and town that he was going to make America great again. And so began the great American comeback. I think often about my ancestors who struggled for freedom. And as I think of those giants and their broad shoulders, I also think about Joe Biden, who says, If you arent voting for me, you aint Black, who argued that Republicans would put us back in chains, who says there is no diversity of thought in the Black community. Mr. Vice President, look at me. I am Black. We are not all the same, sir. I am not in chains. My mind is my own. And you cant tell me how to vote because of the color of my skin. Im Mike Pompeo. Im speaking to you from beautiful Jerusalem, looking out over the Old City. President Trump understands what my great fellow Kansan President Eisenhower said: For all that we cherish and justly desire for ourselves or for our children, the securing of peace is the first requisite. Indeed, the primary constitutional function of the national government is ensuring that your family and mine are safe and enjoy the freedom to live, to work, to learn and to worship as they choose. You are now fellow citizens of the greatest nation on the face of Gods Earth. Congratulations. Today you have also accepted the profound duties and responsibilities that come with American citizenship. By swearing the oath of allegiance, each of you has entered a sacred and unbreakable covenant with our nation. [music and applause] [cheering] I want to acknowledge the fact that since March our lives have changed drastically. The invisible enemy Covid-19 swept across our beautiful country and impacted all of us. My deepest sympathy goes out to everyone who has lost a loved one, and my prayers are with those who are ill or suffering. I know many people are anxious, and some feel helpless. I want you to know you are not alone. I have reflected on the racial unrest in our country. It is a harsh reality that we are not proud of parts of our history. I encourage people to focus on our future while still learning from our past. Our diverse and storied history is what makes our country strong, and yet we still have so much to learn from one another. With that in mind, Id like to call on the citizens of this country to take a moment, pause and look at things from all perspectives. I urge people to come together in a civil manner so we can work and live up to our standard American ideals. I dont want to use this precious time attacking the other side, because as we saw last week, that kind of talk only serves to divide the country further. Im here because we need my husband to be our president and commander in chief for four more years. He is what is best for our country. We all know Donald Trump makes no secrets about how he feels about things. Total honesty is what we as citizens deserve from our president. Whether you like it or not, you always know what hes thinking. A 65-year-old tribal of Odisha who had left his home more than three decades ago in search of livelihood would come back to his village in Gajapati district on Friday after a man in Arunachal Pradesh made efforts to unite him with his family through social media. Daya Bhuyan, a Saora tribal of Abasingh village in Gajapati district, left his parents and siblings some 30 years ago after a local contractor took him and three other people for road construction work in Arunachal Pradesh sometime in the late 80s. As per his family members, Bhuyan worked there for sometime, but could not return even as the company wound up its work. Left stranded in Ziro valley of Lower Subansiri district in Arunachal Pradesh for decades, it is still not clear whether Bhuyan made any efforts to come back home or how he spent his years away from home. But his ordeal came to an end after a 32-year-old educational entrepreneur of Arunachal Pradesh started an online campaign to get him back to his home late last month. Rubu Ama, who owns the Royal Blue Pine school in Ziro area of Arunachal Pradesh, used social media to bounce around the details of Bhuyan around the virtual world so that somebody could get his family details for facilitating his return to Odisha. Though I first met him in 2003, I never asked about his native place. He used to live in a makeshift hut of bamboo and tarpaulin near a hill deep in forest, some 7 km away from the main road and used to sell firewood for survival. He hardly spoke when I first met him, said Ama over the phone from Ziro. Ama who used to meet Bhuyan everytime he passed by the hillside however did not attach much importance till last year when the latters health condition worsened. A concerned Ama asked the taciturn Bhuyan about his family, his home. However, Bhuyan did not reveal his real name and identified himself as Jagpati Karji, using another tribal surname popular in Gajapati district. He gave his fathers name as Duja Karji, mothers name as Sukumati and elder brothers name as Monmari Karji and younger brother as Suku Karji. He also gave false names of his parents as well as his other family members. However, he gave the correct name of his village - Abarsingh in Gajapati district. Ama then sent the details of Bhuyan to his driver, an Odia boy, who then put it out in the WhatsApp group of Odia community of Arunachal Pradesh. But it just died among hundreds of forwarded WhatsApp messages. Last month, when the Arunachal man met Bhuyan again, he made a short video clip of his place in the forest and then posted the details in a local WhatsApp group which was picked up by a journalist of Gajapati district who worked for a popular web portal. The reporter met Bhuyans brother and after some digging found that Jagapati Karjis real name was Daya Bhuyan. When Ama learnt about Bhuyans real name he again went to meet him at the forest. I asked him why he did not reveal his real name, but he kept on insisting that his name is Jagapati Karji. He said his mother died when he was very young. When shown the photos and videos sent by the Odisha journalist, at first he could not recognise his younger brother and elder sister. He said he did not know them. But I told him that they are his siblings. After sometime, he again asked me where I got those videos and photos. I told him I got it from his place and asked him to identify his family members by their real names so that I could send him back, said Ama. But Bhuyan was insistent that he would not go back to his native village. He was worried about questions from his fellow villagers about coming back without any money despite his long stay in a faraway place. He said he cant face so many questions. He however said he might think of going there in March next year. But I told him March was too far away and he would be sent when I have more more information. But he was insistent on not going back, said Ama, who travelled to the hut of Bhuyan on August 8 and brought him to his own home where he again made the tribal man speak to his family through video call. Odisha BJP leader Bhrigu Buxipatra, who also helped Bhuyan get back to Odisha, said when he heard about the news, he called an RSS contact in Arunachal Pradesh, who got in touch with an Odia professor living in Itanagar. But when the professor got Bhuyan to speak to his nephew and brothers through video call, he could not recognise anyone. He however asked about his elder brother, who is no longer alive. His village people as well as his brother asked him to come back, said Buxipatra. The Gajapati district administration meanwhile got involved and sent his nephew and a labour official to get him back. On Tuesday, the Lower Subansiri district administration of Arunachal Pradesh handed him over to the Assistant Labour Officer of Gajapati in the presence of Ama and other members who actively took part in the online campaign at Gumto police check gate on the borders of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam. As he did not have any ID card such as Aadhaar, Voter ID or ration card, an identity document was swiftly made for his travel. Bhuyan along with his nephew flew to Kolkata and were supposed to land in Bhubaneswar today, but were stranded due to the lockdown in Kolkata. But before he could come back, Bhuyan had almost died as he fell sick on August 13 and had to be admitted to a local hospital in Ziro for 6 days. I thought he would die. As he had no one with him, I stayed with him in the hospital for 6 days till he was discharged. I thought him to be my own. I can say he is my close friend, said Ama. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Kamala Harris Offers Rebuttal to Trumps Speech, Criticizes COVID-19 Response Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), the vice-presidential nominee, offered the Democratic partys response to President Donald Trumps Republican National Convention (RNC) speech. And heres what you have to understand about the nature of a pandemic: Its relentless. You cant stop it with a tweet. You cant create a distraction and hope itll go away. It doesnt go away, she said, adding: Donald Trump froze. He was scared. And he was petty and vindictive. Harris alleged that Trump, in his response to the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, was mainly fixated on the stock market. Harris, a U.S. senator who previously served as Californias attorney general, said she supported peaceful protesters. We should not confuse them with those looting and committing acts of violence, including the shooter who was arrested for murder. And make no mistake, we will not let these vigilantes and extremists derail the path to justice, Harris said in a speech from a university auditorium in Washington streamed online. She was referring to days of arsons, riots, and looting in Kenosha, Wisconsin, after the officer-involved shooting of a black man, Jacob Blake, who was being arrested by police officers. Blake, who had a lengthy criminal record, had an outstanding warrant for his arrest for a sexual assault. The Wisconsin Department of Justice on Thursday said Blake also had a knife in his hands, and the knife was found on the floorboard of the vehicle when he was shot. Officials also said they tried to use a Taser on Blake but were not successful. The incident sparked Black Lives Matter protests that morphed into civil unrest. Some Republicans questioned why Blake was resisting arrest in the first place, while local officials declared a state of emergency in the city. Trump said on Wednesday he was sending federal law enforcement and the National Guard to Kenosha. He planned to attack Bidens lack of action in condemning the riots on Thursdays final night of the convention. But Biden said that Trump is the one who is to blame for the riots and unrest across the United States. These guys are rooting for violence. Thats what its all about, Biden said on CNN. To prove the issue be scared of Joe Biden, theyre pointing to whats happening in Donald Trumps America. Trump, for the past several months, has condemned the riots, looting, and arson across major cities, while attacking the Black Lives Matter organization as part of the radical left. The president also has said he wants to send in federal law enforcement to places such as Chicago and Portland to quell the riots and the spike in crime, although the proposal was met with pushback from various Democratic politicians who accused him of unconstitutional actions. Most of the Republican National Convention speakers have said the Biden-Harris ticket is radical and out of touch with Americans. Reuters contributed to this report. Chinas missile launch over the South China Sea may push the United States to deploy more missiles and take a more aggressive stance towards Beijing, elevating the risk of an accidental armed conflict, analysts said. The assessment came after China launched Dongfeng missiles, including the DF-26B and DF-21D seen as aircraft-carrier killers into an area between its southern island province of Hainan and the disputed Paracel Islands on Wednesday, the day after a US U-2 spy plane entered a no-fly zone without permission during a Chinese live-fire naval drill in the Bohai Sea off Chinas northern coast. The US Defence Department said on Thursday that the launches threatened peace and security in the region. Beijings actions, including missile tests, further destabilise the situation in the South China Sea, the Pentagon said in a statement. Get the latest insights and analysis from our Global Impact newsletter on the big stories originating in China. The DF-26 has a range of 4,000km (2,485 miles) and can be used in nuclear or conventional strikes against ground and naval targets. It is a type of weapon banned by the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty signed by the US and Soviet Union towards the end of the Cold War. When the US withdrew from the treaty last year, it cited Chinas deployment of such weapons as justification. The DF-21 has a range of about 1,800km. State media describe the most advanced in the series, the DF-21D, as the worlds first anti-ship ballistic missile. Both the DF-26 and DF-21 are capable of striking aircraft carrier groups. Derek Grossman, a security expert from the US think tank Rand, said the missile launch would only deepen US mistrust of Chinas intentions and further harden Washingtons stance against Beijing in all dimensions: diplomatic, economic and security. It seems unlikely that the US military will back down, since there is now a whole-of-government effort to compete with and counter China both regionally and globally, Grossman said. It is more likely, however, that armed combat would come about due to miscalculation. Story continues Grossman said a war between China and the US was still unlikely, but there was a chance of miscalculation. If China were to fire another DF-21D missile, and it came close to a US carrier traversing the region, the US military might respond with force because it thought the missile simply missed its target, Grossman said. Then the situation could escalate from there. Chen Gang, assistant director of the East Asian Institute at the National University of Singapore, said Chinas launching of such missiles into the sensitive South China Sea would only spur the US to develop and deploy more missiles of this kind. China has displayed missiles of the DF series in past military parades in Beijing, and the launching of them from faraway places shows that they are not toys just for display, Chen said. The launches came with the two nations locking horns over almost all aspects of their relations, from economic to security. In 2017, US President Donald Trump labelled China and Russia competitors in his national security strategy speech. The following year, James Mattis, the then US defence secretary, released a defence strategy with a clear priority that the US must stay ahead of China. In the same year, the Trump administration outlined a goal of promoting a free and open Indo-Pacific as Chinas presence across the region grew. China has been staging live-fire drills in all of its four sea regions, which analysts have said was to send a warning to the US and Taiwan. US Secretary of Defence Mark Esper has said years of modernisation by the Chinese government to develop a world-class military had emboldened the militarys provocative behaviour in the South and East China Seas. Wu Qian, spokesman for the Chinese defence ministry, said in a regular press briefing on Thursday that the military exercises in the South China Sea were not aimed at any particular country, but urged the US to show restraint. China opposes and is not afraid of US provocation We urge some US politicians to assess the reality objectively, stop provocation and pull Sino-US relations back to a normal track, Wu said. Malcolm Davis, a senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, agreed with Grossman and said the missile tests would reinforce US concerns about Chinas intentions and intensify the challenge posed by Chinas military capabilities. I think the US probably wont react to this test per se in a manner that shifts its foreign policy posture vis-a-vis China, but it will reinforce to the US that we must take Chinese missile capabilities very seriously, Davis said. Steve Tsang, a political scientist from the University of London, said the prospects for future China-US relations were highly negative, and the US Navy would continue its freedom-of-navigation activities in the South China Sea, perhaps increasing them in response to the missile launches. Isaac Kardon, an assistant professor from the US Naval War Colleges China Maritime Studies Institute, said that despite the missile tests being likely to reinforce hawkish tendencies in Beijing and Washington, an escalation between the two militaries remained quite low, because these well-trained professionals interact with extreme caution. Zack Cooper, a fellow at the American Enterprise Institutes Centre for Strategic and International Studies, said there was nothing problematic thus far about the test itself. But I do think it is being used to try to demonstrate that there is increased risk to US forces operating in the region, he said. Additional reporting by Agence-France Presse More from South China Morning Post: This article Chinese missile launch could raise risk of military clash with US first appeared on South China Morning Post For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2020. 2 COVID-19 outbreaks in Wyoming tied to churches: govt Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A county in Wyoming is experiencing two outbreaks of COVID-19 that have been tied to two local congregations, according to government officials. Fremont County spokesman Michael Jones told the Casper Star-Tribune on Monday about the two outbreaks, one of which reportedly happened at a church camp. The first outbreak was responsible for as many as 30 coronavirus cases and has died down, while the second outbreak remains ongoing. Jones did not name the churches. Jones told the Star-Tribune that it was part of an overall rise in cases in Fremont County, with the government official blaming social gatherings for the increase. Were definitely hitting some spikes and its all these social gatherings, he explained. You hate to say churches, but it is family and social gatherings where people are inside and let their guard down. Wyoming Department of Health spokeswoman Kim Deti labeled the outbreaks significant and explained that social distancing guidelines were not being followed at one of the churches. What I can say is that I know that there is an ongoing outbreak connected to at least one church in Lander that had a series of services, said Deti to the Star-Tribune. its our understanding that recommendations weve made about face coverings and physical distancing were not followed at the event. Churches are exempt from the public health orders, but recommendations still apply. Fremont County has had 506 confirmed COVID-19 cases since March, while Wyoming as a whole has had 3,068 confirmed cases since Monday, according to the Associated Press. In response to the coronavirus pandemic, the vast majority of churches in the United States opted to end in-person worship earlier this year, switching over to exclusively online services. As a large social gathering, churches holding indoor worship and not strictly following social distancing guidelines are seen by many as an especial risk for spreading COVID-19. Westmore Church of God in Cleveland, Tennessee, experienced an outbreak of coronavirus cases after returning to indoor worship in June. Westmore Pastor Kelvin Page posted a video message to Facebook in July apologizing for the outbreak, saying that he should have taken the issue of face masks more seriously. The thing I most did not give attention to, and I have to say this, was masks. Ill have to say today that masks must be considered by everyone, but especially those that are vulnerable, said Page at the time. Perhaps when we all wear masks, the vulnerable are less likely to be vulnerable. So that is something that we have got to really take seriously. Some megachurches, among them North Point Community Church of Atlanta, Georgia, have opted to suspend in-person services for the remainder of the calendar year. North Point Pastor Andy Stanley announced the decision in July, going against an earlier plan to hopefully return to in-person worship on Aug. 9. In fact, back in May when we announced a possible August 9 reopening, the COVID numbers were actually moving in the right direction. That has changed. Consequently we cannot guarantee your safety and thats a big part of this decision, said Stanley at the time. Even if we did reopen, we certainly would not be able to create a quality adult or childrens worship experience with social distancing protocols in place. The Gja, through the Northwest Passage to Golden Gate Park by Woody LaBounty In the early 1970s, Dagfinn Kvale, who was the pastor of San Franciscos Norwegian Seamans Church, took a few visiting sailors to the outer edge of Golden Gate Park to view a piece of history connected to a Norwegian national hero. Just north of the closed Beach Chalet and in the shadow of the decaying, spar-less Dutch windmill, an old sloop, the Gja, sat with its prow pointed west at the waves of Ocean Beach. This craft was the first to navigate the Northwest Passage, traveling from the Atlantic to the Pacific through the Arctic ice. A rusting metal fence surrounded it, but there were large holes one could step through, and more disconcerting was another hole in the hull of the ship. Inside, the group of visitors found evidence of campfires. "The hippies had a special sense of appreciation for Gja, Kvale recalled later. They liked to climb the rig and found out that the vessel was an ideal place for overnighting. [] One hippie told us what a great pleasure it was to touch the ships frames, experiencing the voyage through the Northwest Passage on a LSD trip." 1 The Gja (the pronunciation of which the San Francisco Call newspaper often insisted could only be obtained by hearing a Scandinavian say it 2 ) started life a simple seal- and walrus-hunting vessel and was named after the wife of the builder. In 1903, Roald Amundsen bought the sloop and equipped it with a gasoline engine in preparation for traversing the top of the globe from Greenland to the Bering Strait, with hopes of tracking any shift of the magnetic north pole along the way. This was the era of heroic exploration: perilous voyages undertaken to be the first to visit poles, cross mountain ranges, or see the source of mighty rivers. Motivations included scientific research, personal fame (plus riches to be gained from writing books after the feat), and nationalistic bragging rights. Amundsen would prove to be the most successful of Arctic explorers, and his voyage with the Gja launched his worldwide fame. In December of 1905, telegraphs received by the Norwegian consul in San Francisco confirmed that Amundsen and his crew had successfully arrived in Alaska. The hunt for a Northwest Passage had begun with European explorers in the 16th century. Sebastian Cabot, Henry Hudson and James Cook all tried to discover a quick sea passage between Atlantic and Pacific. By the time Amundsen and his crew set off with the Gja, the world was resigned to accept that heavy ice made a commercial route impossible, but the unmet challenge of discovering a way across the top of the continent gnawed at the pride of adventuring seamen. So Amundsens triumph was emblazoned on the pages of the worlds newspapers, and was especially celebrated in Norway. The country had just won official independence from Sweden, and now had a bone fide national hero to fete. Rather than sail the small and slow Gja back around the continent to return home, Amundsen planned from the beginning to end his journey in San Francisco, leaving the tiny craft behind to grab a train east. After recuperating most of the year in Alaska and Seattle, the Gja was scheduled to arrive in San Francisco in October 1906. The face of the great city of the west had changed markedly after a devastating earthquake and fire in April, and while still in the very early stages of rebuilding, San Francisco was proud and excited to celebrate the great Amundsen. To the chagrin of the regions Norwegian community, which had been planning a lavish maritime welcome for the Gja as it entered the Golden Gate, Amundsen sneaked into the Bay Area by train ahead of his boat and tried to keep a low profile in Oakland. Found out, he gamely played along with the celebrations, meeting his crew and reboarding his boat just outside the harbor line, accompanied by dignitaries, consuls and representatives from the Norwegian and United States governments. Receptions and dinners followed over the next week before Amundsen boarded his train for the East Coast. 3 Despite rumors that a Seattle syndicate had bought the Gja for $20,000 to display at the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition of 1909, the humble boat was taken to Mare Island where the Navy posted guards against anyone inclined to strip a souvenir from the craft. The San Francisco Chronicle noted that the Gja would need major repairs to be seaworthy again, and considered it likely she will be disposed of in this port. 4 While Amundsen went on to more celebrated achievements, leading the first expedition to make it to the South Pole in 1910, and the first blimp flight over the North Pole in 1925, the Gja was saved from its muddy moorage near Vallejo to become a monument in Golden Gate Park. The Norwegian consul asked the Park Commission to take possession of the ship, and the commissioners agreed. On July 6, 1909, an estimated 5,000 spectators crowded Ocean Beach to watch the Gja being towed onto the sand and eventually a ramp by cables (some jokingly hung their wet stockings on the cables as the work proceeded). She was situated just near the Life Saving Station where the San Francisco Call predicted she would stand until her mighty timbers rot. That will be 200 years or more. 5 The number of people in the teeming crowd who carved their initials into the vessels side implied a less-optimistic prognostication for the Gjas longevity. Souvenir hunters and vandals necessitated a fence be erected and a caretaker hired the gentleman lived in the ship and was enumerated there during the 1910 United States Census. The city installed a seal tank behind the stern of the ship and, according to the Call, the Alaskan fur seal that occupied it acted as an additional nighttime guardian of the boat: A seal can bark about as well as a dog, and when the pirates may attack [] the faithful seal will bark its bullet shaped head off in warning. 6 After a few years, some believed the meaning and significance of the ungainly ship had become lost to the public who passed it. To address this concern, a stone monument commemorating Amundsen was erected beside the vessel in 1930. It still stands today on the north side of the Beach Chalet. The Gja survived the explorer who brought it fame Amundsen disappeared during an Arctic rescue mission in 1928 but it deteriorated over decades of sitting in the open air at Ocean Beach. Occasionally, the city would be spurred to make repairs and give the Gja a paint job (a 1968 visit to the city by Norways King Olav provided motivation for one such spruce-up), but generally the vessel that survived the crushing ice of the Arctic seas was a helpless victim to neglect and vandalism. After an outcry in Norway over the ships derelict and declining condition, a Norwegian foundation made a deal with the city in 1972 to move the Gja to a museum in Oslo. There it was restored to the extent that only the keel and ships bottom are original, but it looks impressive on display again, even without attendant LSD-dropping hippies. More on the Gja in this article by Hamilton Barrett. Contribute your own stories about western neighborhoods places! New Delhi: Actor Kushal Tandon has lashed out at a news report which linked him to actress Ankita Lokhande years ago. It said that Ankita dated Kushal after her break-up with late star Sushant Singh Rajput. He posted a screenshot of the report without mincing his words, stated, "This is a shame journalism, like really, I was a friend of both, Sushant was a brother and Ankita a friend, at this time who so ever's team is trying to get my name in this blame game ... plz keep me out of this .......shocking how we live in a world of news." In a separate tweet, Kushal said Sushant must be "laughing out loud from heaven" looking at the "circus" here (surrounding his death). "And for the world plz let his soul rest in peace its a circus out here and the diamond must be laughing out loud from heaven ..... sushi take lite like u always did u chill its only chaos down here, you angel," Kushal added. And for the world plz let his soul rest in peace its a circus out here and the diamond must be laughing out loud from heaven ..... sushi take lite like u always did u chil its only caos down here you angel KUSHAL TANDON (@KushalT2803) August 27, 2020 Sushant and Ankita dated for six years (2010-2016). They fell in love while starring together in 'Pavitra Rishta'. She is currently in a relationship with Vicky Jain. Sushant died at the age of 34 in Mumbai. He was found hanging at his apartment. His family has accused his girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty of abetment to suicide. The CBI is currently probing his death case. In his current job Pence is pretty much tied up with the White House crises of the day, but its important to remember hes very possibly a Republican presidential nominee for 2024. If we have an election in 2024. One of the reasons hes worth watching is trying to imagine what hed do if the boss decided to ignore the election results this November. Back in days of yore nobody cared much about the vice presidency. John Nance Garner said it was not worth a bucket of warm spit. Garner, who served for eight years under Franklin Roosevelt, apparently figured that F.D.R. would retire after two terms and hand over the nomination to his second-in-command. Imagine his surprise when F.D.R. went for number three. Now theres a history lesson Pence should keep in mind. Thomas Marshall, who was Woodrow Wilsons veep, used to tell the story of two brothers: One ran away to sea; the other was elected vice president. And nothing was ever heard of either of them again. You could appreciate his attitude since he was frozen out of everything in the Wilson administration, even after the president himself was paralyzed from a stroke. But these are stories from the old days, when a vice president counted himself reasonably lucky if he was given a project an agency or an issue that gave him an excuse for coming into work in the morning. The job turned into something very different in modern times. Joel Goldstein, a professor at Saint Louis University who has written a book about the vice presidency, notes that Richard Nixon almost never performed the traditional job of presiding over the Senate, preferring to travel and do political work for his boss, Dwight Eisenhower. Which was sort of ironic given that, when Nixon was running to succeed him, Eisenhower was asked about any major ideas his vice president had contributed to the administration. And Ike replied, If you give me a week, I might think of one. The real change began with Walter Mondale, Jimmy Carters second-in-command. Mondale became an across-the-board troubleshooter, Goldstein said in a phone interview. Having a relatively powerful, activist vice president worked very well when the guy in question was Mondale. But pitfalls abounded. You may remember that the Republican Dan Quayle made headlines when he corrected a schoolchild for spelling potato without an e at the end. There you go, he advised the kid after adding the extra vowel. There was some applause from the adults in the room, which just goes to show you that politicians should not always trust the instincts of the base. Quayle was, by the way, from Indiana. As was Thomas Marshall and yes! Our man Mike Pence. The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. Wed like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips. And heres our email: letters@nytimes.com. Follow The New York Times Opinion section on Facebook, Twitter (@NYTopinion) and Instagram. Chinese smartphone company OnePlus' India R&D facility is making a significant contribution, especially in software development, and is poised to become its largest research facility globally by 2022, a top company executive said. The R&D facility, set up in Hyderabad a year ago by the premium smartphone player, has over 300 employees. "Our R&D facility in India is already playing a crucial role for by establishing itself as a global R&D base for the brand, particularly from the software development front, with contributions towards global markets as well, including European Union and North America markets," Vice President R&D India Ramagopala Reddy told PTI. He said the India R&D team had worked on product innovation and software development for its 8 Series and OnePlus Nord devices as well. These include efforts towards camera software development, OxygenOS optimisations, UX/UI (user experience/user interface) design efforts, network optimisation measures, and others, he added. "The India R&D team has contributed immensely towards securing several patents on technology aspects of UX/UI, imaging, video streaming, 4G/5G network optimisation. The India centre will become our largest R&D facility globally by 2022," he said. Reddy noted that India R&D team led the software development project end-to-end for the latest OnePlus Nord device during the ongoing pandemic, and over 260 employees were given the necessary equipment at their homes to work to make this a reality within the effective timelines. He said engineers in India worked closely with the team at its headquarters, Qualcomm team and network operators in India as well as EU markets. "Currently, the India R&D team is supporting over 10 new operators across EU, Middle East and Asia Pacific with 4G/5G network optimisations," he added. The team is already working with local operators in the back-end to provide the most reliable experience for the future when 5G network will be accessible to the India market, he added. Reddy said being based out of Hyderabad, the centre has benefited from a supportive ecosystem and a great pool of talent. "We recently hired over 70 graduates from top universities like IITs and NITs across India through our campus placement efforts...with our R&D centre operations, we seek to delve deeper into our 'Make in India' strategy and continue to expand our local presence," he added. He said the key focus areas for the centre include deep kernel knowledge, user experience, 5G, artificial intelligence and camera. "With India being the largest user-base and probably our most discerning customer base, it serves as the perfect setting as a soundboard for introducing features that the community has asked for and collecting feedback...we have made significant progress in driving software innovations, not just for the India market but also globally," Reddy 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.) Israel is reorganizing some of its special operations units in order to better deal with the growing threat from Iran in Syria and Lebanon. Israel often keeps secret changes in its special operations forces but in this case, involving at least three units that use a lot of specialized helicopters and fixed wing aircraft, it would be difficult to hide the aircraft reassignments. The two units now part of Israeli Air Force 7th Wing include the special operations Unit 669, which consists of commandos and specially equipped helicopters that can go into enemy territory to rescue downed Israeli pilots or anyone out there needing extraction. The second unit in the 7th Wing is the Forward Landing Unit, with several C-130 transports equipped to carry engineering and communications specialists and their equipment to land (on roads or any flat terrain) in foreign territory to establish and operate a temporary airbase. The third part of 7th Wing is an intelligence unit organized to support the special missions the new organization is assigned to handle. All components of 7th Wing will begin training regularly and rehearse new tactics and possible operations. These training efforts are kept secret, as are details of any new equipment used or the exact nature of future missions. The most likely future operations probably including include things like extraction of agents in Syria or Lebanon. There are lots of locals in both countries who have worked for Israel a long time. A more obvious mission for the 7th Wing is establishing temporary airfields in the Syrian or Lebanese country side to support major special operations efforts or a deep incursion by ground forces. "More than ever, guests are seeking low-carb optionswhether cooking at home or ordering from their favorite restaurants," said Karin Silk, vice president of menu and off-premises. "Our new Mexican Cauliflower Mash gives people just what they are seeking: a healthier option instead of rice that is still full of flavor." Guests can easily incorporate the new Mexican Cauliflower Mash into their favorite burritos and bowls, or enjoy it as part of QDOBA's brand new Cauli-Mash Low-Carb Chicken Bowl. In this flavorful, low-carb, chef-created meal, our oven-roasted Mexican Cauliflower Mash is paired with grilled adobo chicken, fajita veggies and more. As low-carb lifestyles continue to grow, sales for products containing cauliflower increased 71 percent in 2019, according to Nielsen data. QDOBA's Mexican Cauliflower Mash is a direct result of taking this insight and continuing to innovate with new flavors. Mexican Cauliflower Mash is available at participating QDOBA restaurants in the Indianapolis area and can be ordered for delivery via QDOBA.com or the QDOBA app. To download the QDOBA app, visit the iTunes App Store or Google Play . About QDOBA Mexican Eats QDOBA is a fast-casual Mexican restaurant with more than 730 locations in the U.S. and Canada. Committed to delivering flavor to people's lives, QDOBA uses ingredients prepared in-house, by hand, and fresh throughout the day, to create delicious menu options. Guests can experience QDOBA's delicious flavors by enjoying one of its signature menu options that are chef-crafted for convenience and ease or by customizing their burritos, tacos, burrito bowls, salads, quesadillas, and nachos to fit their personal tastes. For two years running, QDOBA has been voted the "Best Fast Casual Restaurant" as part of the USA Today 10Best Readers' Choice Awards. Discover more at www.QDOBA.com or on the QDOBA app, which is available for download on the iTunes App Store or Google Play . Fans can also connect with QDOBA on Facebook , Twitter , Instagram , and YouTube . SOURCE QDOBA Related Links https://www.qdoba.com Continuation urgent Plenary Public session of Parliament about the lack of implementation of the various approved programs and projects of the Trust Fund, the upcoming hurricane season, the lack of approval of various programs that are beneficial to the economic reform and growth of the country and the Reconstruction Funds for Sint Maarten The House of Parliament will sit in a Plenary Public session on August 27, 2020. The Public meeting which was adjourned on July 28, 2020, will be reconvened on Thursday, August 27, 2020, at 15.00 hrs. The meeting will be held in a virtual setting. The Council of Ministers will be in attendance. The agenda points are: 2. The lack of approval of various programs that are beneficial to the economic reform and growth of the country. 3. The Focus Audit done by the General Audit Chamber of Sint Maarten in May 2020 referencing The Reconstruction Funds for Sint Maarten (IS/888/2019-2020 dated May 29, 2020) This meeting was requested by MP C.A. Buncamper, MP S.A. Wescot-Williams, MP M.D. Gumbs, MP A.E. Arrindell, MP R.A. Peterson and MP C.T. Emmanuel Due to measures taken to mitigate the coronavirus (COVID-19), the House of Parliament is only allowing persons with an appointment to enter the Parliament building. The parliamentary session will be held virtually and will be carried out live on St. Maarten Cable TV Channel 115, via SXM GOV radio FM 107.9, via Pearl Radio FM 98.1 www.pearlfmradio.sx, via the internet www.sxmparliament.org, and Parliaments Facebook page: Parliament of Sint Maarten Absa Bank Ghana has made a donation of GH500,000 to the Noguchi Memorial Institute of Medical Research (NMIMR) to support the institutes key role in the fighting against COVID-19. According to Absa Bank, the donation is to support Noguchi, the main COVID-19 testing centre, to increase their testing capacity in order to keep up with daily case reporting and management which is critical to Governments fighting against the pandemic. Commenting on the donation, Mrs. Abena Osei-Poku, Managing Director of Absa Bank Ghana, indicated that the support is a demonstration of the banks commitment to help win the fight against COVID-19. As a bank that has been playing a shaping role in our society for over a hundred years, we remain committed to the fight against the pandemic and will continue to support those at the forefront so together we can all win, said Mrs. Osei-Poku. We believe that efficient and timely testing is a crucial prerequisite for early detection and treatment. This initiative is therefore to complement the governments effort against further spread of the virus and to help consolidate the progress we are making as a country, she added. In response to Absa Banks support, Prof. Abraham K. Anang, Director of the Noguchi Memorial Institute of Medical Research, expressed the Institutes appreciation for the kind gesture. This donation is timely and will go a long way to enhance the work of the Institute in the fight against COVID-19 in the country. These are not normal times and your thought of our work in this trying moment is very much appreciated, said Prof. Abraham K. Anang. Since the outbreak of COVID-19 in Ghana, Absa Bank has committed over Gh2 million in supporting key health institutions and front line workers. In April this year, Absa Bank Ghana donated an amount of Gh1 million to the National COVID-19 Trust Fund set up by the Government. The donation was towards the procurement of test kits and Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) to support increased testing and the protection of front line health workers. In collaboration with Genser Energy Ghana and its partners, the bank also made a donation of PPEs, ventilators and other key medical supplies worth $50,000 to the Ghana Armed Forces & the Ashanti Regional Hospital, to support the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. The Bank indicated that it remains focused on serving customers in a safe environment while ensuring the health and well-being of customers, employees and their families as well as the general public. END Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Im guessing the Democrats internal polling on the current rioting and protesting is looking really bad, because the New York Times this morning declares a five-alarm fire with this new story (Ive bolded some revealing bits of the reportage): How Chaos in Kenosha Is Already Swaying Some Voters in Wisconsin . . . [S]ome voters who were less sure of their choice said the chaos in their city and the inability of elected leaders to stop it were currently nudging them toward the Republicans. And some Democrats, nervous about condemning the looting because they said they understood the rage behind it, worried that what was happening in their town might backfire and aid the presidents re-election prospects. Ellen Ferwerda, who owns an antique furniture store downtown just blocks from the worst of the destruction that is now closed, said that she was desperate for Mr. Trump to lose in November but that she had huge concern the unrest in her town could help him win. She added that local Democratic leaders seemed hesitant to condemn the mayhem. I think they just dont know what to say, she said. People are afraid to take a stance either way, but I do think its strange theyre all being so quiet. Our mayor has disappeared. Its like, Where is he? Observation: If you dont know what to say about rioters, you wont know what to do about it either. More: Mr. Geraghty said he disliked how Mr. Trump talked but said the Democratic Partys vision for governing seemed limited to attacking him and calling him a racist, a charge being leveled so constantly that it was having the effect of alienating, instead of persuading, people. And the idea that Democrats alone were morally pure on race annoyed him. The Democratic agenda to me right now is America is systematically racist and evil and the only people who can fix it are Democrats, he said. Thats the vibe I get. Mr. Geraghty said he understood peaceful protesting but felt frustrated with Democratic leaders who seem afraid of confronting crowds when things turn violent. He was angry at the statement by Gov. Tony Evers on Sunday, which in his view took sides against the police in a knee-jerk way that worsened the situation. . . Don Biehn, 62, owner of a flooring company, was standing in line at a gun store on Tuesday afternoon. He said that he had never bought a pistol before, but that he had a business to protect. A former county board supervisor, Mr. Biehn said he had been calling county and state officials for days, trying to explain how grave the situation was. . . He added: Its chaos everybody is afraid. Mr. Trump, he said, was not my man, but now he is grateful he is president. He said he seemed to understand in a way that other politicians did not. Theres nobody fighting back, he said. Nobody is paying attention to whats going on. . . . Priscella Gazda, a waitress at a pizza restaurant in Kenosha, . . . said she had voted only once in her life for Mr. Obama in 2008. Im not the one who would ever vote, she said. But after the chaos in her town, this year is different. I am going to vote for Trump, she said. He seems to be more about the American people and what we need. Hey, it looks like that Omar Wasow fellow the left demonized a few months back was on to something. (To refresh, Wasow is the Princeton political scientist who demonstrated with the usual quantitative analysis how urban rioting helped elect Nixon in 1968. Even though Wasow is on the left, the left mob went berserk over his wrongthink.) Im guessing this story has ruined a lot of breakfasts today for Times readers, and will cause a lot of canceled subscriptions. The Times isnt supposed to bring its readers unpleasant news like this. Top Customs and Border Protection officials raised the idea of deploying a 'heat ray' weapon, which makes victims' skin feel like it is burning, as a way to deter migrants from unlawfully entering the United States from Mexico ahead of the the 2018 midterm elections. Two former officials told the New York Times that the idea was proposed to shocked attendees at a Department of Homeland Security meeting on October 22, 2018 - 15 days before the elections. The proposal came after Donald Trump had demanded 'extreme action' in a prior meeting to control immigration along the 1,954-mile southern border with Mexico. U.S. Customs and Border Protection proposed using the Active Denial System - a 'non-lethal' weapon which uses microwave energy to heat the surface of the skin. The system was designed by the US military for area denial and crowd control, and was deployed to Afghanistan in 2010, although it is unknown if it was used. The officials at the meeting said that Kirstjen Nielsen, who at the time was the Secretary of Homeland Security, opposed 'heat ray' and claimed that such idea should not be brought forward in her presence. SEE VIDEO BELOW Department of Homeland Security leaders suggested the use of a 'heat ray' sensor to curtail the flow of migrants across the Mexico-United States border during an October 22, 2018 meeting, according to The New York Times. The idea was raised after President Donald Trump called for 'extreme action' at the souther border ahead of the 2018 midterm elections President Donald Trump in the past suggested the military should shoot undocumented immigrants in the legs if caught crossing the United States-Mexico border The Active Denial System weapon was first deployed in June 2010 in Afghanistan but was removed a month later. As of 2014, it was only used as a vehicle-mounted weapon. The non-lethal weapon fires a high-powered 95 GHz frequency waves, and a two-second burst could heat up the skin to 130 Fahrenheit. At the time of its introduction, an Air Force study found that there was 'an extremely low probability that scars derived from such injury might later become cancerous. Proper wound management further decreases this probability, as well as the probability of hypertrophic scarring or keloid formation.' However, an Air Force airman who was exposed to the Active Denial System as part of a test in 2007was hospitalized for two days after suffering second-degree burns in his legs. It is unknown if Trump ever broached the subject of deploying the weapon, or if he was informed of the CBP proposal to use it. But Homeland Security spokesman Alexei Woltornist told The New York Times that the agency 'never considered' it. President Donald Trump's anti-immigration policies have not deterred migrants from attempting to unlawfully cross the Mexico-United States border. Pictured above is a group of migrants from Latin American detained on May 16, 2019 in El Paso, Texas In his attempt to crack down illegal immigration, Trump has supported the separation of families who unlawfully entered the United States and even publicly suggested that the military should shoot undocumented immigrants in the legs. He once suggested placing alligators and snakes along the border walls. The number of apprehensions and inadmissible at the United States border with Mexico has risen during the last four months, according to the latest CBP stats, from 17,086 in April to 40,746 in July. However, during the Republican Convention on Tuesday, there was scant reference Tuesday to the strict and highly criticized policies and only passing nods to Trump's signature plan to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. The most prominent mention of immigration came during a taped segment in which Trump oversaw a naturalization ceremony at the White House, jovially congratulating five immigrants as they were sworn in as new American citizens. Matt Chandler: Church has mostly refused to participate on race, 'turned over' inheritance Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Texas megachurch Pastor Matt Chandler had harsh words for the American Church on Sunday, saying that since the civil rights movement of the 1960s, the Church has, for the most part, refused to participate on issues of race. Chandler, pastor of the multicampus Village Church in Flower Mound, got heated when he took time from his sermon on Ephesians 1:15-23 to address the racial issues facing the U.S. His sermon comes as the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody has sparked weeks of nationwide protests and riots, and increased attention on racial inequalities. The 45-year-old pastor said the second chapter of Apostle Pauls letter to the Ephesians is all about reconciliation between Jew and Gentile and God doing something through Jesus Christ that takes two and makes them one. This will preach to this moment, he said. Our inheritance and what we are being robbed of as believers in Jesus Christ right now in this moment is the unity of spirit between all ethnicities born of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That is what this passage [Ephesians 1:18] says: That our inheritance in the saints is that men and women from every tribe tongue and nation on Earth are part of our family. Chandler told the audience that if they study the civil rights movement of the 1960s led by Martin Luther King Jr., theyll find that a pattern emerges. They would meet. They would pray. They would worship. They would kind of go over the rules of protest. And then, they would march, Chandler, who often speaks out about racial injustice, said. This was a rhythm that was established by King so that it was rooted in the Church, that the Church let out in a very real way on the civil rights movement in the '60s. And now one of the things that has happened is the Church, by and large, has refused to participate, which means that we have turned over God help us we have turned over what is our inheritance to dark ideologies, Chandler continued. Chandler criticized churches and pastors who dont want to get involved when it comes to issues of race but would rather preach the Gospel to that. He said he finds such responses, hypocritical. You dont just preach the Gospel on sex trafficking. You dont just preach the Gospel on the issue of life and abortion. No, you act, he said as he got riled up. Its like this brain-broke disjoint thats got us acting absurd and then critiquing this movement as being evil and dark when we have given up our inheritance! Chandler seemingly challenged those who want to point out all the flaws in this current movement while you have abandoned the place that we were meant to play! You cannot point out all the well, this means this, and this believes this, and thats this, and thats this, and ignore the sorrow and lament of 12 to 13 million image-bearers in our country! Chandler exclaimed. You cant do that! We mourn with those who mourn. And yes, there are demonic and evil ideologies at play, he continued. But thats where the people of God are meant to run with light and the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, not to sit back and snipe via social media. Chandler then apologized for getting a little hot. He calmed down and encouraged Christians to grow in the hope that God will heal the wounds of racism, and what were watching on our TV unfold again will one day cease. Look at me this is our inheritance, he stressed. This is mine. This is yours. What youre seeing play out right now in violent riot and in murder that is a robbing of our inheritance. Im talking to the Church. Im talking to followers of Jesus Christ. Its mine bought by the blood of Jesus Christ. We are to grow and hope that this is possible. In 2018, Chandler, who leads a Southern Baptist congregation, said that he would often be accused of being a Marxist or being influenced by liberal media if he dared to preach on issues of race. But in instances in which he spoke out on issues like abortion, he would be cheered as courageous or a ferocious man of God. He has encouraged white pastors to help fight what he considers the miseducation of whites when it comes to black America. "I think there is a cascading effect and it starts with ignorance, Chandler said at the 2018 "MLK50: Gospel Reflections From the Mountaintop" summit sponsored by the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission and The Gospel Coalition. They don't know what they don't know and they are part of a system that encourages their not knowing. In 2014, amid riots in Ferguson, Missouri, after the shooting death of African American Michael Brown in a physical altercation with a police officer, Chandler spoke about white privilege in a tweet that drew some pushback. In a follow-up statement, Chandler said that white privilege is not like blatant racism and that folks who live through it may never have a racist bone in their body. "What is so deceptive about white privilege is that it is different from blatant racism or bias," Chandler said. A privileged person's heart may be free from racist thoughts or biased attitudes, but may still fail to see how the very privilege afforded to him or her shapes how he or she interprets and understands the situations and circumstances of people without privilege." Carter Page on Kevin Clinesmiths Guilty Plea, FISA Abuse, and Pages New Book Abuse and Power For the last four years, former Trump campaign advisor Carter Page has found himself at the center of the now-disproven Trump-Russia collusion allegations. Last year, Inspector General Michael Horowitz found that the FBIs applications for warrants to spy on Carter Page were riddled with serious errors. Most notably, the applications were all missing a key piece of exculpatory evidence the FBI was aware ofthat Carter Page had worked with the CIA to report on his contacts with Russian intelligence officers. Former FBI lawyer Kevin Clinesmith recently pled guilty to altering an email from a CIA liaison. In the description of Pages relationship with the spy agency, Clinesmith falsely added the words and not a source. Page has recently released a new book in the hopes of setting the record straight: Abuse and Power: How an Innocent American Was Framed in an Attempted Coup Against the President. This is American Thought Leaders , and Im Jan Jekielek. Jan Jekielek: Carter Page, such a pleasure to have you on American Thought Leaders. Carter Page: Great to be with you, Jan. Thanks a lot for having me. Mr. Jekielek: Well, and this is the third time that Im having [you]. We actually started, I think, the first time was in May of 2019, and my goodness, how things have changed since that time. Actually, when I first talked to you, it was very hard, to be honest, to pull stuff out. But these days, in this book, I can see youre really starting to speak your mind. Mr. Page: Yes. Well, there was a lot that went on in terms of the intelligence operations, and I had supported the intelligence community for decades. And unfortunately, until the Horowitz reportthe US Department of Justice Inspector General produced their report in December of 2019some of those really big details I didnt feel at liberty to get into. So the timing was right, and I think the timing is also right now, just because, unfortunately, the 2016 election interference has not been completely remedied. All of the wrongdoing done by the Obama-Biden administration, the DNC, and their colleagues and their cohort in the media just had such a huge negative impact, not only on President Trumpsthen Donald J. Trump as a civilianinitial campaign, but it continued through his transition period and throughout the initial years of his administration. I had been doing some initial work to try to set that record straight. But unfortunately, now is the time and I think particularly now that were coming up on the next presidential election and so many of these myths and disinformation are still out there. I thought it was absolutely essential that I just tell the full story. Mr. Jekielek: Absolutely. This IG report from December of last year, as I read it, exonerated you of any wrongdoing. You were smeared extensively in something called the Steele dossier, which is, again, something that weve seen a lot in the media, and, of course, weve written about extensively ourselves. Something very significant has come out very recently, and this was in fact the first guilty plea in Attorney Durhams investigation into this whole operation or alleged operation that you were describing. Kevin Clinesmith, one of the lawyers, has pled guilty now to making a false statement and faces, I think, zero to six months. I think thats his potential charge. What do you make of this? Do you feel like justice is being done here? Mr. Page: Well, going back to the Inspector General report, unfortunatelyand its similar to what we were talking about in terms of getting the truth out with my new book. So unfortunately, I was totally blocked from having any input whatsoever in that. They did have a lot of interviewsI think over 100 interviewswhich led to this 480-page document. And unfortunately, a lot of the same people who were integrally involved in this wrongdoing were the ones that were the ones providing all the information. So, that was another driver in terms of the reason why I wanted to write this book. I punch back quite a bit as to the half-truths and the continued lies that are in that document. Again, I am greatly appreciative of Inspector General Horowitz and the work that they started to do in terms of the initial cracking the shell a little bit as to some of this wrongdoing. As to Mr. Clinesmith himself, again, one of the breaking news elements from way back last December and of course leaked previously. I believe news reports started coming out, something in November at some point. But unfortunately, this is the first time that we started to see some repercussions for the individuals involved. But I think whats particularly interesting about that first charging document is that theres a lot of interesting little clues as to things. I believe its paragraph five, actually, broadly refers to other people who are involved in this scheme, going back way before what was really known in terms of August 2016, months before the FISA abuse officially began in October. So, the question obviously becomesyes, Clinesmith had an important position in this very serious process. Well have to wait and see, but I think its pretty safe to assume, and theres been a lot of reporting, including Epoch Times, which has been, you guys have been, on the frontlines of this since the very beginning. Unfortunately, it seems like theres a lot more to come. So we shall see. Mr. Jekielek: This Clinesmith indictment and guilty plea speaks, of course, directly to you because his false statement was actually altering an email. The original email said, Yes, you had worked with the CIA, basically, right? And he changed it to, No, you had not, which is a little bit important here. Mr. Page: Well, yes. However, this goes back to the fact that a lot of other people were involved in this scheme, right? So what is that? That is a false statement charge, right? Well, unfortunately, we knowand again, you and your colleagues have reported on this a lot over the last several years, really on the cutting edge of this reportingbut, we now know that there are a lot of other people. Again, comparing reality to the fictions, some of the worst fictions go back to the very genesis of this scam operation with the FISA abuse. But unfortunately, a lot of those things no one else has faced any repercussions for as of yet. So well have to wait and see. I will say, just from a procedural standpoint, I mentioned that I was totally blocked. The Privacy Act of 1974 provides various provisions. If the government has a system of records on an individual, before those get released and given out to everybody, the individual that its about has a chance to review them and ask for changes. Unfortunately, theres been leak and leak and disclosure after disclosure over the last several years. And again, a vast proportion of that information is complete lies. Ive been completely blocked in this process. So another reason why it was important to set the record straight here. Mr. Jekielek: Its interesting. Recently, there was a Senate committee report that came out which has a section about you in it. Now, just to be clear, the report talks about how there was no Trump-Russia collusion, and the report doesnt say you deserve to be charged with anything. I did read through it. It is somewhat disparaging, however. What do you make of this recent report? Mr. Page: Well, I think it just reflects how pathetic what the Senate Intelligence Committee did back in this whole sham. Unfortunately, a lot of the fake news outlets would have various reports, and theyd like to spin the Senate Intelligence Committees investigation during those terrible years as, Oh, theyre being very mature, because the ranking member, Mark Warner, the senator from Virginia, he gets along so well with the chairman of the committee, Chairman Burr at the time. And unfortunately, Chairman Burr and the Republicans of that committee were just completely rolling over. They just let the Democrats run wild. And I can tell you and I talk about it within my book, sitting through those interviews, its just really politically motivated, a lot of baseless, false theories. Unfortunately, theres a lot of conflicts of interest in terms of what theythe same members of Congress. For example, one of the most senior members of that committee, Senator Feinstein. You look at some of the questions and issues surrounding her, again, a big, prominent Democrat member of Congress, but unfortunately, I was never given a fair shake. And one of the biggest elements in terms of the Senate Intelligence Committeeand something I talk about in chapter five of my bookis the whole sham with the security director of the Senate Intelligence Committee. This is a person who Im giving all of my highly confidential personal information. And its now known, or it became known, that he was dating a journalist from BuzzFeed, this woman, Ali Watkins. And then sure enough, James Wolfe, who is that security director, is now a convicted felon when eventually there were some repercussions related to this. Unfortunately, theres a lot of problems with that report, and I think it sort of follows that same pattern of attacking Trump supporters and being somewhat detached from reality. I think its unfortunate, but I guess it is what it is. And it really discredits itself and the people, the members of Congress, the senators, who were involved in this on both sides of the aisle, if you will. But whats interesting, again, going back to the fake news and what they would say. They would always say, Well, the Senate Intelligence Committee, theyre acting very professional, and theyre being very mature. And they would compare that to the relationship between Congressman Adam Schiff, and then Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Devin Nunes. But the reality was, when Adam Schiffand I talk about this in chapter five of my book, describing what its like being dragged through the mud and the show. And unfortunately, or fortunate in that instance, even though it had terrible damage. And I got more death threats when Congressman Schiff was reading from the dossier on March 20, 2017 in this big testimony in front of Congress. But its one of those things where justice, I think will eventually be served, and well see how it all plays out. But again, the fact that those reports on national television, him going on and on like that, leading to a number of death threats on that same day, a little after hes saying this on national television, reading these DNC-funded lies that were put together. I think it just really speaks to the complete lack of credibility. Again, in terms of maturity and the interaction between the Democrats and the Republicans, I think there was a lot, huge credit goes out to then Chairman Devin Nunes, who was able to uncover a lot of this wrongdoing. And I know Epoch Times has been really on the front lines, in terms of covering the Nunez memo in February, which was released in February 2018 and the run up to that. Really important. Mr. Jekielek: I want to stick to the Senate report just very briefly because theres an interesting segment in there which talks about your past, and Im actually very, very curious about that because it talks about the fact that you had a relationship with the CIA and the FBI. I think it says up until 2013. I believe thats what it says there. But then you have all these very black, blocked-out areas, two pages of redaction, right. And so Im very curious about this, as much as youre at liberty to say, what was the nature of your work with the CIA and the FBI? And did it actually end in 2013? Mr. Page: Well, again, I reveal a lot about that in my book, and I think it really is unfortunate. It speaks to the complete lack of professionalism within those organizations during the Obama administration, and I think it cuts across. There are a number of intelligence organizations which cut across both the justice system. Theres elements within the DOJ, which serve intelligence functions, for example, the administration of the FISA process, all those false warrants which were submitted by the likes of James Comey and Sally Yates. Although it was put together by the FBI, the DOJ is at the center of it. And so, unfortunately, theres a lot to it. And as to the point youre making as to the question and the redactions, its hard to say. What I found thus far is that typically, the things that are redacted are things that are positive to telling the truth, whereas the stuff that they want to get out there is things to advance a false political narrative. And its unfortunate that even though Chairman Johnson has been doing a lot and Chairman Lindsey Graham has been doing quite a bit in terms of getting to the bottom of things with the FISA abuse, it really has been a horrendous cover-up. Its unfortunate that their so-called security director ended up providing more leaks to the media. I think his indictment or one of the documents in that court docket against then security director James Wolfe says, giving this information to young female reporters. Very unfortunate and just inconsistent with the professionalism Ive enjoyed in terms of dealing with members of the US intelligence community over the decades. But, again, I think this initial first step last week, with the initial steps with the Durham investigation, is a positive sign. And again, Ive been highly encouraged that they are starting to follow the law, unlike all the Privacy Act violations that Ive been through over the last several years. So, much more to come, Im quite confident. Mr. Jekielek: So I want to touch a little bit more on that question. A lot of people are very curious. What did you do with the CIA? What was your work? Mr. Page: Ive always served my country. Going back to [childhood]. I mean, I was an Eagle Scout growing up and did all kinds of community service projects and Catholic school altar boy. I was serving my church, serving my church community, and doing everything I could, and there are similar examples with the intelligence community as well, CIA, FBI, and others. Its an interesting little tease. I think theres a lot more that I dig into in my book and thats a good reason to dig into it. Im sure people will benefit from that. Again, it just speaks to the complete deceit that the Democrats and their operatives within the government have continued to advance. And just this week, we saw precisely the same thing where we had four nights of the DNC Convention, and unfortunately, just like the sham in 2016, which created this massive fraud upon our justice system and the US intelligence community and our election process, unfortunately, there were just so many hateful lies told throughout this process. One example I will give is Sally Yates, the former deputy director at the Justice Department, who, again, signed two of my false FISA warrants, which had so many terrible problems. But again, just this week, just attacking President Trump in her highly political speech, without having any repercussions as to this terrible FISA abuse during her term on watch. And what I find particularly interesting about that is, as a US military officer, as a former officer, the deck in the Middle East and in the Mediterranean Sea and going across the Atlantic, if I run my ship aground or if Im the officer on the deck and the ship runs aground, the captain of the ship usually faces some consequences, right? I think this complete sham, what weve seenagain, someone with significant responsibility, Mr. Clinesmithbut these people at the highest levels of these organizations, really the captains of the ship, have faced no consequences. Mr. Jekielek: You talked about privacy violations. Having a FISA warrant executed on you is probably one of the most massive privacy violations that can exist. In theory, these are supposed to be justified against people working with terrorists or something of the like. At what point in all this did you become aware that there was something really strange going on, that maybe youre under surveillance, maybe theres a wiretapping going on? When did that happen? Mr. Page: Right after the first FISA warrant was issued in October of 2016. Given these terrible human rights abuses that were being perpetrated by the Obama-Biden administration on the Trump campaign, I sent a letter to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which was an election monitor checking out whether theres legitimacy in the US election. I sent a letter to the chairman of that committee and, the senior person who was running that investigation. And I talk about how the Democrats were doing this spy operation involving people from London. I speak to that explicitly in my letter. Now, I didnt have all the details. Again, Im close with various people with deep ties in the intelligence community, both in and out of government. So I was given a tip right around the time of the defamatory news report from Yahoo News, which would then become the basis for this fraudulent FISA warrant, or part of the basis. Mr. Jekielek: Fascinating, but you had no idea the FISA system was being invoked. Mr. Page: Well, there was some reporting, and that was right around the same time in kind of late October, where this started to come to the fore. There were some fairly speculative articles. This speaks to the terror threats that stem from these terrible things that were done by the US Department of Justice, the intelligence agencies, and in conjunction with the media. Very often Id get the worst death threats when some more of these really scandalous reports come out. The official warning or the official notification for America, which is then front page news, was when the Washington Post, in April of 2017, had a big story about revealing my FISA warrants, spun in a way that was kind of advancing a narrative for whoever the criminals were that gave that highly dangerous information to the media, totally against the law. Mr. Jekielek: Youve gotten multiple death threats at different times in this multi-year process. Tell me a little bit about the cost to you, your relationships. What happened? Mr. Page: I never lose sight of the fact that the biggest cost was what was done to President Trump, and really our core American institutions in terms of our justice system, the US Constitution, and in some organizations that Ive really supported throughout most of my life, a quarter century with some ties to the intelligence community, US intelligence community. So, to me, yes, there were huge costs, and well see. Theres some glimmers of hope, as weve seen over recent days, that there may be some justice, but it remains to be seen, and some of it may be dependent upon what happens in this upcoming election, just given the deceitful behavior and the complete lies that we continue to see out of the same organizations such as the DNC, which funded this first complete sham, interfering in our last election in conjunction with the Obama-Biden administration. It was pretty intense. It continues to be pretty intense. But to me, Im laser-focused, just because I think so many core institutions in America, a lot remains at stake, and there remain serious unanswered questions right now. Mr. Jekielek: What did you think when you learned that the primary source, I think it was primary sub-source, for the dossier, this completely discredited Steele dossier, turned out to be not someone even based in Russia, but someone who had been in the US as a think tanker for decades. Mr. Page: Its typical. All I can say is its typical of whats known as the Washington swamp, right, because that individual who youre referring to used to be at the Brookings Institution, right? People in Washington are trying to advance their own agenda. And I think this is just a perfect example of that. I talk about in my book some of my interactions with someone else in the Brookings Institution at the time, a very, very senior person there. Again, very little care of doing the right thing and huge, huge negative ramifications as to the horrendous impact it had on our core institutions in America. Mr. Jekielek: You were spied on through four FISA warrants with several renewals, faced these unprecedented privacy violations, of course, which expanded past you to people that you were connected with throughout the campaign and beyond. Mr. Page: Absolutely. Mr. Jekielek: You have a number of lawsuits that youve initiated, I think, but one of them was recently dismissed, right, against the DNC. What is the state of that and what are you expecting to happen? Mr. Page: Well, I think part of the challenge has been the huge cover up, right? We have some initial indications of what actually happened, but some of these details and some of my pleadings have not fully gotten a just treatment, given the fact that theres so much more to be told. And these are largely, the only problems Ive had thus far are procedural issues. In terms of the substance and the core of my claims, those very much remain intact. So, all I can say is stay tuned, and well have more to say on that in the time to come. Mr. Jekielek: One quick thought is that something that emerged from this Clinesmith plea and indictment is that the Crossfire Hurricane started not as a counterintelligence investigation, but as likely as a Fara investigation. What do you make of that? Mr. Page: Well, there were certain indications that theyre trying to pull that game on me in terms of my interaction with the Mueller team as well, which I talk about a lot in the book. So, again, its a level of complete deceit and a level of spinning a story and just two totally separate systems of justice: one for Trump supporters, one for military veterans, the other foragain, going back to what we were just talking aboutWashington insiders just trying to achieve their political and advancing their personal objectives, which is tragic. In addition to all the sort of substantive things that need to be reformed, I think it just reflects a deep cultural rot within certain institutions. And Im really disappointed that the Democrats have done so much to advance that. Mr. Jekielek: Carter, recently someones come forward with a pretty detailed story. Steven Schrage, whos actually someone pretty early on in this whole saga, if I can call it, invited you to an event. And he has and I just wanted to see how you see it. Does his story check out with your own experience? So one of the things that Stephen Schrage says is that initially, Stefan Halper was rather uninterested in you as a person, but then something suddenly changed rapidly, like a switch went off, and suddenly hes deeply interested in you. Is this how you remember things? Mr. Page: I laid this all out in my book and sort of talked through the situation in Cambridge and all these dynamics. Steven, I feel really bad what happened to him as well, in terms of getting caught up, as they say, caught in the crossfire of this craziness. But its very similar to so many other members of the Trump supporters and people that have been trying to, want to see our country go in the right direction and just get swept up into all kinds of crazy, false allegations, etc. So I always keep an open mind and I still [have] so many open questions as to what actually happened. But I really think there needs to be a lot more that needs to come out as to what the specifics are. And unfortunately, this is another example, and I know this is something that Chairman Johnson, Chairman Grassley, Chairman Graham, have all been pushing really hard to get to the bottom of, in terms of what actually, what was going on in that whole Spygate scandal? Whats particularly terrible about itand again, I talk about this in some length in my bookits the dual standards of justice, right? Where, well, we dont want to leak anything related to Professor Halper, right? His name is not even in the 480-page Inspector General report, right? But nonetheless, theres all kinds of false information about me. Its, again, part of the reason I wanted to write this book to help set the record straight. But weve seen just two completely different standards of justice for Trump supporters on the one hand versus these highly paid government operatives that are apparently just advancing their own interests for, in many instances, for personal gain and for political advantage to achieve certain objectives. Mr. Jekielek: Do you have any thoughts on who might be looked at next when it comes to the Durham investigation? Mr. Page: Yeah, I have always taken the approach that I like to see the facts, just like weve been talking about. And unlike the dossier, where these reckless people are throwing all kinds of allegations out, Im very cautious and I like to really know what the full truth is before I jump to any conclusions. Totally the opposite of what Comey, Yates, Rosenstein, DOJ, and the FBI were involved in during those years. Mr. Jekielek: Who would you say this book is for? Mr. Page: It really is for the American public and voters. We, our country, has suffered the most severe election interference campaign in history with this sham run by the Democrats, funded by the DNC, and concocted by a lot of their agents, lawyers really hiring foreign spies to perpetrate this complete fraud on the American public. So, I think anyone whos voting in the 2020 election and the American public more broadly, people of all ages can really benefit from this to understand better what happened and some ideas as to what steps can be done at this historic juncture to make sure that the terrible crimes that were committed are eventually [righted], certain reforms are made to fix this terrible problem. Mr. Jekielek: Some people say that it may take a generation for people to really understand fully what happened. Id love to hear your thoughts on that. The other part, and youve alluded to this already a bit, is the role of the media in all of this. Mr. Page: Theyre interrelated questions. Again, the interface between the government on the one hand and the media on the other, a lot comes down to what is disclosed, what information. And I know you and your colleagues at Epoch Times have really done tremendous work in terms of trying to get to the bottom of what actually happened and really hard-hitting analysis, but theres still a lot more that needs to be uncovered. Having been on the inside of this terrible scandal, I wanted to tell all the truth as to what actually happened, in contrast to the terrible bad acts that were done by people both within government and out of government, to perpetrate this fraud on the American people. And to your point, it very much interrelates with the media element as well because theres this cozy attitude, or cozy culture, in Washington where the media works very closely or has these intimate relationships. In some cases, you know, literally an intimate relationship, between the media and intelligence operatives and government operatives. And it really leads to in many cases people just advancing their own political interests and their own political objectives. And in doing so, creating terrible damage for our country. So just something I really wanted to highlight and start exposing just what the terrible ramifications are and what some steps are that can be taken to fix this horrendous problem. Mr. Jekielek: Briefly, what are the ramifications? Mr. Page: What I talk about in some of the final chapters in my book is the FISA statute itself. Given this complete sham and this national tragedy that occurred, theres very little confidence left in the FISA process. Its just left as an empty shell. And differing levels of outrage, but several, many members of Congress, particularly on the Republican side have been calling for serious reforms. And so, I think that is just one specific aspect when this has just been left in shambles. The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which was created in the wake of a prior scandal during the Church Committee in the 1970s. They uncovered terrible surveillance wrongdoing and they put together this FISA statute to reform the system. Now here we are over 40 years later. And its even worse than anyone could have imagined in one of the greatest scandals of all time. Mr. Jekielek: Certainly hope that we do see some work on reforming some of these processes. Any final words before we finish up? Mr. Page: Just a great thanks to you and your colleagues at Epoch Times for all the incredible reporting youve been doing and really digging to the bottom of this. Again, so much is required to understand the full picture. I think this book is an important contribution which looks at the big picture and tries to give a more complete view from the inside of what exactly happened. But I appreciate the opportunity to speak with you and your colleagues. And its great to have this conversation with you again today. Mr. Jekielek: Well, such a pleasure to have you, Carter, and the book of course is Abuse and Power. So glad to have you on. Mr. Page: Thanks again. Really appreciate it. This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity. American Thought Leaders is an Epoch Times show available on YouTube, Facebook, and The Epoch Times website. It airs on Verizon Fios TV and Frontier Fios on Channel 158. Twelve people succumbed to the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in Haryana on Thursday while the state logged 1,293 new infections, the health bulletin said. In view of the increasing risk of Covid-19 spread, Haryana government on Thursday announced to restrict the entry of all visitors in Haryana civil secretariat here, except government officers/officials residing in the tricity till further orders, an official spokesperson said. As per the bulletin, in Rewari, Panchkula and Kurukshetra districts, two patients each died of the infection, while one death each was reported from Faridabad, Gurugram, Rohtak, Karnal, Jhajjar and Nuh. Two people also lost their lives to the virus in Panipat on Thursday, as per the local authorities. The death toll has risen to 646 (456 men, 190 women) and the cumulative number of people so far found Covid-19 positive has reached 59,298. Even though there has been a steady rise in the number of fresh cases, as many as 48,690 people have recovered from the infection. On Thursday, 1,077 patients including 254 in Sirsa, 141 in Faridabad and 72 in Yamunanagar were discharged/recovered. The number of active Covid-19 cases stood at 9,962 until Thursday evening. Panipat district had maximum 1,068 active cases, followed by 936 in Gurugram, while Nuh had the lowest active cases (67) in the state. On Thursday, Gurugram logged 141 new cases, Faridabad 96 cases, Sonepat 123, Rewari 75, Ambala 71, Rohtak 47, and Panipat 79. Karnal registered 37 infections, Hisar 61, Palwal 15, Panchkula 94, Mahendergarh 63, Jhajjar 24, Bhiwani 46, Kurukshetra 45, Nuh 18, Sirsa 47, Yamunanagar 81, Fatehabad 47, Kaithal 62, and Jind 21. The doubling rate further improved to 34 days on Thursday and the test per million count rose to 41,467. Meanwhile in Ambala, the municipal corporation has decided to ban public dealing at its office till August 31. RSA Conference, the worlds leading information security conferences and expositions, today announced RSAC 365, a new program that provides year-round learning opportunities for the cybersecurity community. The new program will offer the community relevant, unbiased and educational content, including webcasts, podcasts, blogs, videos and more for free. RSA Conference is already known for providing access to expert insights, while serving as the place where the world talks security, but our contribution to securing the digital world doesnt stop on the last day of our events, said Britta Glade, Director of Content and Creation at RSA Conference. Weve always curated content for the industry, and RSAC 365 is a new and more formal means for us to amplify the fresh ideas, unique voices, and expertise of the community year-round. With the launch of RSAC 365, RSA Conference is also introducing the RSAC 365 Call for Submissions, an open invitation to the community to submit ideas for consideration for online learning opportunities. The new approach is an always-on, year-round content submission process that encourages the cybersecurity community to showcase its perspective, to learn new skills and inspire discussion regarding some of the most pressing challenges facing the industry at large. Were looking forward to engaging with our content contributors year-round with RSAC 365 Call for Submissions, added Glade. The content submission process is format agnostic, encouraging experts to be creative and push the envelope with their approach and expertise. We continue to be inspired by the passion and the resilience of the cybersecurity community and were incredibly excited to see what they choose to share. RSAC Call for Submissions is open now and RSA Conference will review submissions on a rolling basis throughout the year. For more information on RSAC 365 and RSAC Call for Submissions, please visit www.rsaconference.com. About RSA Conference: RSA Conference is the premier series of global events and year-round learning for the cybersecurity community. Whether attending in-person or online, RSAC is where the security industry converges to discuss current and future concerns and have access to the experts, unbiased content and ideas that help enable individuals and companies advance their cybersecurity posture and build stronger and smarter teams. RSAC brings the cybersecurity industry together, both in-person and virtually, and empowers the collective we to stand against cyberthreats around the world. RSAC is the ultimate marketplace for the latest technologies and hands-on educational opportunities that help industry professionals discover how to make their companies more secure while showcasing the most enterprising, influential and thought-provoking thinkers and leaders in cybersecurity today. For the most up-to-date news pertaining to the cybersecurity industry visit www.rsaconference.com. Where the world talks security. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200827005106/en/ The automotive personal assistant system market is expected to grow by 12.77 million units during 2020-2024. The report also provides the market impact and new opportunities created due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We expect the impact to be significant in the first quarter but gradually lessen in subsequent quarters with a limited impact on the full-year economic growth. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200827005049/en/ Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Automotive Personal Assistant System Market 2020-2024 (Graphic: Business Wire) Request challenges and opportunities influenced by COVID-19 pandemic Request a Free Sample Report on COVID-19 Impacts Automobile manufacturers across the globe are increasingly adopting artificial intelligence (AI), internet of things (IoT), and machine learning (ML) to provide innovative features in their vehicles. This is increasing the penetration of advanced features such as personal assistant systems, automatic high-beam control, and chassis control in vehicles. Besides, the advent of autonomous vehicles has further increased the demand for such advanced components and features in the automobile industry. These factors are contributing to the growth of the global automotive personal assistant system market. To learn more about the global trends impacting the future of market research, download a free sample: https://www.technavio.com/talk-to-us?report=IRTNTR44544 As per Technavio, the increased adoption of electronics in modern vehicles will have a positive impact on the market and contribute to its growth significantly over the forecast period. This research report also analyzes other significant trends and market drivers that will influence market growth over 2020-2024. Automotive Personal Assistant System Market: Increased Adoption of Electronics in Modern Vehicles Modern vehicles are fitted with a large number of electronics to increase efficiency, reduce emissions, and improve overall performance. Automotive systems such as fuel delivery systems, braking systems, steering systems, and safety systems are integrated with chips to fine-tune their operation in the vehicle. The increasing use of electronics has necessitated the need for automotive diagnostic scan systems to detect errors in the vehicle. With growing consumer demand for safety, convenience, and connectivity features, automakers are integrating onboard diagnostics systems with personal assistant systems to record errors in the system and store them in the vehicle log. Therefore, the increasing penetration of electronics in vehicles is expected to have a positive impact on the growth of the global automotive personal assistant system market. "Government intervention to increase in-vehicle safety and improvement in safety controls and the development of autonomous vehicles will further boost market growth during the forecast period," says a senior analyst at Technavio. Register for a free trial today and gain instant access to 17,000+ market research reports Technavio's SUBSCRIPTION platform Automotive Personal Assistant System Market: Segmentation Analysis This market research report segments the automotive personal assistant system market by Type (Steering system, Lane departure warning system, and Others) and Geography (North America, Europe, APAC, South America, and MEA). The North American region led the automotive personal assistant system market in 2019, followed by Europe, APAC, South America, and MEA respectively. During the forecast period, North America is expected to register the highest incremental growth due to the high adoption of luxury vehicles in the region. Technavio's sample reports are free of charge and contain multiple sections of the report, such as the market size and forecast, drivers, challenges, trends, and more. Request a free sample report Some of the key topics covered in the report include: Market Drivers Market Challenges Market Trends Vendor Landscape Vendors covered Vendor classification Market positioning of vendors Competitive scenario About Technavio 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/20200827005049/en/ Contacts: Technavio Research Jesse Maida Media Marketing Executive US: +1 844 364 1100 UK: +44 203 893 3200 Email: media@technavio.com Website: www.technavio.com/ Accused Sarah Lawrence college 'sex cult leader' Lawrence Ray, 60, was denied bail on Monday The Sarah Lawrence 'sex cult leader' who allegedly moved into his daughter's college apartment then turned all her friends against each other and forced them to have sex has been accused of witness tampering from his jail cell. Lawrence Ray is in custody on charges including extortion, sex trafficking and forced labor for his alleged abuses of young men and women who his daughter introduced him to when he went to stay with them after getting out of prison in 2010. On Wednesday, prosecutors filed new papers in court claiming he'd been trying to 'control' two of the women from his jail cell. They say he speaks to his own father on the phone in 'code' and that the father then gets messages to the young women. In one, Ray is said to have promised to marry one of the women if they stay loyal to him throughout the criminal proceedings. Prosecutors said Ray told pretrial services employees after his arrest that one woman was his common-law wife and the other was like a daughter he had 'assumed guardianship over.' Yet, prosecutors said, Ray has now told his father to tell the 'supposed daughter' that he would 'marry' her and to 'make sure she knows that.' 'These messages are plainly designed to tamper with witnesses and deter these women from cooperating in the governments investigation,' prosecutors wrote. According to prosecutors, in one phone call, he told his father of the government's plans to make the women testify: 'Thats never going to happen. 'What theyre going on is not the truth.' Prosecutors say they have tens of thousands of video files and more than 150,000 audio files among over 15 terabytes of electronic evidence against Ray. Ray, illustrated above in his court appearance in March. He denies the charges The government also said he'd been continuing to communicate with two women he was living with when he was arrested, and that he had incriminating videos and photographs of them that showed them performing sex acts at his instruction. The videos were designed to 'debase' the women, prosecutors said. Ray was arrested in March on a New Jersey property. At the time of his arrest, he was found in bed with an alleged female victim who he was the legal 'guardian' of at the time. Ray told investigators he was like a father figure to the woman in bed with him and allegedly likened her to a daughter. But investigators say they have evidence including videos showing how Ray 'sexually groomed' the woman and filmed her having sex with other men. One video shows Ray calling the victim he was found in bed with a criminal and berating her as she sobbed. The home (pictured) where Lawrence Ray lived in for several years in Piscataway, New Jerse, where he was arrested in March Another video showed him grabbing her by the hair and forcing her out of the house, prosecutors said. 'He belittled and humiliated them. He broke their spirits,' Sassoon said describing how Ray ran his ring of followers. Ray subjected his victims to 'sexual and psychological manipulation and physical abuse' from 2010 to 2018, indictment stated. Ray seemed to smirk in court as prosecutors built their case against the scammer, revealing he made nearly $2million in just two years by forcing one of his victims into prostitution. Investigators found ledgers at his residence showing that he earned an 'astonishing' amount in running the cult. He earned over $700,000 through one victim's prostitution in 2017 and more than $1million in 2018 through the same victim, Sassoon said. Prosecutors believe the woman was seeing more and more clients to meet Rays demands. The cash payments by this woman were collected by a female associate of Ray and deposited into bank accounts that he had access to, prosecutors said. Ray began his cult in 2010 when he showed up to his daughter's university after being released from prison and stayed with her and her roommates in their dormitory. That's where he presented himself as a father figure and began conducting 'therapy' sessions where he learned intimate details about their lives, their mental struggles, and convinced them they were 'broken' and needed his guidance. Ray began his cult in 2010 when he showed up to his daughter's university in 2010 upon being released from prison and stayed with her and her roommates in their dormitory He took the private journals of his victims and elicited false confessions from them to keep his followers close. Prosecutors say he was able to run his cult for so long because he convinced victims that they owed him money for property damage or claimed that they poisoned him. He's been charged with a slew of offenses including extortion, sex trafficking, forced labor and money laundering in running the cult. But this isn't his first run in with the law. He has a lengthy rap sheet with offenses including a securities fraud conviction, orders of protection stemming from child custody battles and a physical confrontation with U.S. marshals arresting him for bail jumping. However, Ray's attorneys claim that the New York Magazine article that exposed his band of followers as 'false and sensational stories'. One of the alleged victims in the magazine article has signed a book deal and is trying to make a movie out of his experience, Ray's attorney Marne Lenox said. A female victim mentioned in the story was 'prone to hyperbole and exaggerations as an attention-seeking mechanism,' she added. Ray was previously known for helping send ex-New York City police commissioner Bernard Kerik, a onetime close confidant of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, to prison. At the time, Ray, who had been the best man at Keriks wedding, was under indictment in a $40 million stock scam. Brin and his co-founder Larry Page are famous for their insistence on personally conducting the final interview of every applicant that the company hires. "I never imagined that I would get a call from Brin," the programmer says. "He asked me really technical and professional questions about my work experience, like what programs I have developed and my expertise with Internet software." A software programmer with a Korean Internet search portal recently got an unexpected phone call from Google co-founder Sergey Brin after he applied for a job with the firm at the persuasion of a headhunter. Google Headhunting in Korea He was not alone. A number of Korean IT experts have had phone calls from the Google founders, while headhunters have been targeting developers working with domestic search portals like Naver and Daum and tried to lure them to Google. Google has been securing talented Korean staff since it announced plans to set up a research and development center here. The world's biggest search engine is expected to hire more than 100 Korean staff. It also holds recruitment sessions for computer science majors in leading Korean universities like Seoul National University, the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology and POSTECH, formerly Pohang University of Science and Technology. Google senior vice president for engineering Alan Eustace said during a recent visit here that Korean programmers are excellent and the company plans to hire many competent Korean staff. Domestic Firms on Alert The Korean Internet industry is on alert. In a bid to secure program developers ahead of Google's advance into Korea, Naver acquired venture search technology company 1noon, and SK Communications took over the search portal Empas and software firm Konan Technology for a huge amount of money. SK Communications president Yoo Hyun-oh said, "It will take us less time to develop technology if we secure key engineers. Hiring good developers is the most important thing for the Internet industry, where speed is critical." Sweeteners To prevent the brain drain, major Korean electronics companies keep their pay roll confidential and offer big incentives. Samsung Electronics does not let outsiders know who its key engineers are and what they do. Outsiders barely know who heads the development teams. Chipmaker Hynix also takes aggressive strategies to protect its key developers, giving secret pay rises to a handful of key developers. Executives frequently meet with the key developers and constantly tell them how important they are for the company. A Hynix staffer said, "We can't afford to relax since some employees quit the company saying they are going to study or move abroad, but then it turns out that they found a new job with Taiwanese, Singaporean or U.S. companies." Instead of driving halfway across the city to get tested for COVID, imagine you could just walk a couple of blocks. Thats what could happen if Ontario gives the go-ahead to pharmacies to do on-site COVID-19 throat swabs something several chains in Alberta are already doing for symptom-free patients. Its something the province is considering, said a spokesperson for health minister Christine Elliott. We are looking at ways of enhancing access to testing. Having pharmacies function as testing centres is currently under consideration, said Alexandra Hilkene. How to integrate pharmacies into the COVID-19 Diagnostic Network, specifically how they would function and for whom they would be appropriate, is being explored at this time, Hilkene added. A pilot program in Alberta which started in mid-June has already expanded to more than 230 Shoppers Drug Mart locations in that province, according to Theresa Firestone, the pharmacy chains senior vice-president of health and wellness. London Drugs and Rexall are also running in-store COVID-19 testing in Alberta. If the province gave the go-ahead, Firestone estimates it would take as little as three to four weeks to get a similar program up and running in Shoppers Ontario stores. Firestone is confident it would work well in Ontario. We can do this, said Firestone, who estimated that the average turnaround time for receiving test results in Alberta is 48 hours. While doing in-store testing might take some load off existing publicly-run test sites heading into the busy flu season, Firestone said the biggest attraction for most customers is convenience. Theres a convenience factor. People know where the Shoppers is. They might not know exactly where the public health testing facility is. And weve got a lot of locations, said Firestone, pointing out the chain has more than 900 stores in Ontario. The fact that the program in Alberta is only open to symptom-free people is an added draw, Firestone argues. People might not feel comfortable waiting in a long line with someone whos got symptoms, Firestone said. Taking on more services isnt a new thing for pharmacies, said Andrew Forgione, a spokesperson for McKesson Canada, a firm which owns Rexall and several other smaller pharmacy chains. Already, flu vaccines and HPV vaccines can be administered at pharmacies in some provinces. COVID-19 testing would fit right in, he said. McKesson is looking to expand its in-store COVID-19 testing to other provinces, including Ontario, said Forgione. We are always in active discussions with governments across Canada on the benefits of community pharmacy, including expanding access to care in communities that would otherwise be underserved, Forgione said. Rexall has 259 stores in Ontario. Read more about: In one of the many surreal foreign-policy moments at the Republican National Convention, former U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell claimed hed seen President Donald Trump charm the chancellor of Germany. Like a tornado in a trailer park, tweeted a German jokester in response. Indeed, the whole world has witnessed Trumps insults to Angela Merkel, and her disdain for a president who coddles autocrats and undermines NATO. Never mind reality. Grenells claim only added to the tsunami of alternative facts, hyperbole, and flat-out lies that poured forth at the convention from GOP stalwarts. From Vice President Mike Pence down, they foresaw an America doomed to domestic carnage, along with abject surrender to terrorists and communism, if Joe Biden is elected. A Trump victory was necessary, in the words of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, to ensure that your family and mine are safe. READ MORE: Poisoning of Navalny is a litmus test for Trump and Putin I Trudy Rubin At the moment, the greatest danger to Americas safety may appear to be internal, accelerated by the GOP conventions appeal to racism and division. But the Alice in Wonderland quality of this unreality show should not disguise the very real security dangers America will face if Trump is elected for a second term. Here are the ones that worry me most: The presidents willful blindness about COVID-19 will continue to undermine the country. Nothing hurts America more abroad (and at home) than Trumps ongoing failure to contain COVID-19. Yet the coronavirus was hardly addressed at the convention until Pence repeated the GOP mantra of Trumps brilliant success. Once again we heard that the president took unprecedented action by suspending travel from China. But any precious time gained was squandered by Trump, who insisted the virus would just disappear. Yet Pence insisted that Trump had marshaled the full resources of our federal government from the outset and forged a seamless partnership with governors in both political parties. Does he think the American public turned off the news for the last six months? Such blatant lies are equaled only by Vladimir Putins denial that the Kremlin has ever poisoned opponents. (A denial Trump says he believes, by the way.) As we know, the president has never marshaled government resources to devise and distribute speedy tests or to make them available to all who needed them. This is what countries have done that successfully controlled the virus, like Germany. Instead, Trump dissed Democratic governors and demeaned masking and testing, while lowering safety standards for a vaccine. Even now, when testing is half what it should be, Trump has pressed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to revise guidelines, in apparent hope of cooking the statistics by lowering test numbers before November. The GOPs green light to Trumps pretense not only harms Americas ability to rebound economically, but deeply damages Americas global standing. Despite our technological prowess, the failure to control a pandemic reveals the deep cracks in our system. Although China bears culpability for its delays in revealing the virus, its (authoritarian) success in squashing the disease contrasts with the hapless performance of Trumps White House. But Trump refuses to accept any responsibility. As Merkel said in June, in a veiled reference to Trump: You cannot fight the pandemic with lies and disinformation. The limits of populism and denial of basic truths are being laid bare. Trumps belief in his own greatness (and the resistance to reality on view at the convention) will undermine U.S. efforts to handle competitors and adversaries. The president has held China accountable, Pompeo intoned in a pitch to evangelicals from Jerusalem. (Never mind that he broke State Department rules by doing political work for a party convention.) READ MORE: Trump's promotion of demon sperm doctor bodes ill for second term I Trudy Rubin Yes, Trump has taken a hard line on China trade, and made Beijing the scapegoat for his virus failures, but who knows what he will say tomorrow? One year ago, he was describing U.S.-China relations as a love fest (and deflecting calls to take a stand on Chinas repression in Hong Kong and Xinjiang). Based on past performance, who is to say that Trump wont return to his bromance with Xi Jinping if the Chinese leader offers to buy more American soybeans? And, having laid down sanctions that China is ignoring, who can say what Trumps strategy would be if China gets more aggressive on Taiwan or in the South China Sea? Not clear, because Trump has never appeared to have a geopolitical strategy beyond bluster, sanctions, and trade demands. Trump will destroy the U.S. alliances that are critical to dealing with China and Russia. Pompeo bizarrely claimed that NATO is stronger than ever, when Trump has repeatedly undermined the alliance, and threatened to quit it altogether. The president has also weakened ties with crucial Asian allies, from South Korea to Australia. Strong alliances are the only way to back-foot an increasingly aggressive China and restrain the Kremlin. An America First alternative risks military conflict. So listening to Pence, Pompeo, and Grenell, and the rest this week felt like an Alice in Wonderland experience. Why sometimes Ive believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast, the White Queen told Alice. I heard far more impossible things this week before bedtime from the RNC. Guidelines for the Return to School - September 2020 The Department of Education has today published its guidance on the opening of schools in September 2020. The guidance document is a live document which will be dynamic in nature. Updates and amendments will be made as and when required according to the latest Public Health advice pertinent to our community. The Department of Education and Public Health Gibraltar have collaborated in the development of a return to school pathway that is cognisant of and implements best practice, understanding that COVID-19 intelligence will certainly change with the passage of time. This guidance document provides a bespoke framework for school leaders to put in place proportionate protective measures for children and staff but also enables learners to receive an education that offers a broad and balanced curriculum, allowing them to thrive and progress. It also recognises that the context of each school will determine how the combination of these measures are used to best effect to help minimise the risk of transmission in each educational setting. The Department of Education continues to promote hand washing as the number one preventative measure for reducing the spread of Covid-19. The Department of Educations comprehensive document has been shared with school leaders and with the NASUWT, GGCA and UNITE. The Department of Education says it invited feedback from these stakeholders and all the points raised so far have been considered carefully and responded to. The guidelines have been used by the senior leaders of HMGoG schools to guide and prepare for the safe opening of schools on the 1st September 2020. The guidance outlines key principles that have informed the Department of Educations planning and includes information on the key mitigating measures that will be put in place; guidelines for staff, children, parents and visitors; information on the arrangements for returning to school; reference to enhanced cleaning measures that will be in effect; as well as information on the procedures schools, parents and staff should follow if individuals are unwell or if a positive case of COVID-19 is identified within a school setting. Additionally, the document contains information on the support that will be available to pupils, teachers and staff as they return to school and throughout the academic year. The Department of Education says that its priority is to ensure that its schools are as safe and happy an environment as possible for all the children, young people and members of staff in our schools. All pupils enrolled in schools are legally required to attend unless they have the appropriate exemption paperwork as outlined in the guidelines. 'We will continue to ensure the guidance provided reflects the latest Public Health advice and we will review the situation in schools on a regular basis, together with school staff and the recognised Trade Unions.' The Department of Education implores all learners and parents to read the advice provided and to follow the guidelines and procedures in place. 'In this way, we can work together as a community in a determined effort to prioritise our childrens education whilst ensuring individuals health and safety is not compromised. We will review measures as necessary to ensure that the return to school, for all pupils and staff, is as safe, happy and smooth as possible.' The document is available for the general public to read at www.education.gov.gi Health care workers administer a drive-through COVID-19 test at a new testing super site at the Orange County Fair and Event Center in Costa Mesa, Calif., on Aug. 26, 2020. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times) 2nd Free COVID-19 Testing Super Site Opens in OC COSTA MESA, Calif.Californias second-largest drive-through COVID-19 testing super site opened on Aug. 26 at the Orange County Fair and Event Center in Costa Mesa. The countys first testing super site opened six weeks ago at the Anaheim Convention Center. Together, the two sites can now test more than 2,000 people per day for the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus. This new site in Costa Mesa bolsters our local testing capacity, enabling more symptomatic and asymptomatic Orange County residents within priority groups to access free contactless testing with quick turnaround times on results, Orange County Board of Supervisors Vice Chairman Andrew Do said in a press release. Tests are available at the site Monday through Friday by appointment only, from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Officials say wait times will generally be no more than 30 minutes, and results will be available in 24 to 48 hours. Patients are required to put on a mask before arriving at the site. A driver waits to be tested for COVID-19 at a new testing super site at the Orange County Fair and Event Center in Costa Mesa, Calif., on Aug. 26, 2020. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times) The parking lot of the Orange County Fair and Event Center is marked with cones as part of a new COVID-19 testing super site in Costa Mesa, Calif., on Aug. 26, 2020. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times) The tests will be available for those prioritized by the California Department of Public Health, including people with symptoms of the disease, health care workers, and first responders. Essential workersincluding food supply employees, utility workers, teachers, and employees of congregate living facilitieswill also be prioritized. There will be no out-of-pocket costs associated with the tests, according to officials. If you have health insurance, your health plan is required to pay for approved COVID-19 tests, and if you do not have insurance, the cost will be covered by the Families First Coronavirus Response Act and the CARES [Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security] Act, Costa Mesa City Manager Dane Bora said in a YouTube video. Supervisor Doug Chaffee said in a statement that the tests are just one tool in our arsenal to beat the novel coronavirus, but its a powerful tool. We are committed to continuing to offer testing options to our residents that are easy and convenient for all of Orange Countys residents, Chaffee said. A worker waits to guide vehicles at a new COVID-19 testing super site in Costa Mesa, Calif., on Aug. 26, 2020. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times) A sign at the Orange County Fair and Event Center welcomes visitors to a new COVID-19 testing super site in Costa Mesa, Calif., on Aug. 26, 2020. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times) The new site boosts the countys testing capabilities at the same time some Orange County children and teachers are returning to school in person. The county was removed from the states COVID-19 watch list on Aug. 23 and must remain off the list for 15 days before all schools are allowed to reopen for in-person learning. Each school district in the county will make its own choice whether to start the process of reopening. So far, 39 elementary schools in the county have been approved for state waivers to start in-classroom learning, Dr. Clayton Chau, the countys chief health officer and director of the Orange County Health Care Agency, told the Board of Supervisors on Aug. 25. However, the county could still return to the states watch list if positive test rates do not remain below certain desired thresholds. Costa Mesa Mayor Katrina Foley said in a statement: We know that mass testing with prompt results combined with mask wearing and social distancing is necessary for our kids to return to in-person school and our business community to reopen. This Supersite, the second largest in California, opens up another path on our road to recovery. County residents who meet the public health criteria can register online at 360Clinic.FulgentGenetics.com, as of Aug. 26. To register, residents must provide their contact information and health insurance information, if they have it, and select an appointment date and time. They will then receive a confirmation text or email, which they must bring to their appointment to be tested. Anyone with questions can call (800) 446-8888 or visit OCHealthInfo.com/covidtest for more locations and information. (CNN) Blood thinners appear to reduce the risk of death by up to 50% among seriously ill, hospitalized coronavirus patients, US researchers reported Wednesday. And patients given anticoagulants also were 30% less likely to need a ventilator to help them breathe, a team at the Mount Sinai Health System in New York reported. Their study of more than 4,300 patients also those who died often had evidence of blood clots throughout their bodies, even though many of them had no symptoms of the problem. It's more evidence of the serious, systemwide blood clotting that coronavirus infections can cause, but the findings offer hope of countering the effect. "Compared to no anticoagulation, both prophylactic and therapeutic anticoagulation was associated with decreased mortality and intubation," the team wrote in their report, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. It was not a randomized controlled study, the gold standard for medical research. The study's leader, Dr. Valentin Fuster, says that's next. "An international randomized trial just started with 15 institutions," Fuster told CNN. "We are comparing three types of anticoagulants that work." Fuster's team said 60% of patients who were not given anticoagulants were discharged alive, 26% of them died in the hospital and 13% were still in the hospital. When patients got the drug prophylactically to prevent blood clots, 75% were released alive, 22% died in the hospital and 3% were still hospitalized during the study period. The researchers said the reduction in the risk of death was similar in patients who got anticoagulants either to prevent clots, or after they began showing evidence of clotting. Sal Mazzara is one of the survivors. He was hospitalized in early April as his coronavirus infection worsened and stayed on a ventilator for a month. "Sal did not have any blood clots but he was given medicine every day for blood clots to prevent them," his wife, Josephine Mazzara, told CNN. At first Mazarra got the clotbusting drug tPA, used for emergency treatment of a stroke. He later got heparin and was sent home with Eliquis, known generically as apixaban -- a pill approved for preventing stroke. Mazzara's treatment required heavy sedation and an incision in his throat so he could be intubated. "It was a horrible, horrible experience," Josephine Mazzara said. "There's not much I can remember," Sal Mazzara, 48, told CNN. "I completely blacked out." The only specific treatment for coronavirus is the antiviral drug remdesivir. Mazzara got that drug, too, during his treatment, Josephine Mazzara said. Doctors have also learned that steroids, specifically dexamethasone, can also help patients recover better from coronavirus infections. Trials are under way to test blood-based therapies that deliver various types of antibodies to help patients fight off the infection, using plasma donated by people who have recovered from infections. In the absence of a slam-dunk treatment for the virus, many medical teams are taking a cocktail approach, giving their patients a combination of drugs to control the immune response, control the virus and to control blood clotting. Mazzara continued on the blood thinner for a month after his release from the hospital in May. "I'm like 90% back," he said. Soon after the pandemic hit New York City hard in March, doctors started noticing their patients were suffering from systemwide blood clotting. Blood clots clogged up kidney dialysis equipment and damaged the lungs, livers and hearts of patients. Physicians now believe the inflammation caused by coronavirus infection is causing the clotting. Sometimes it causes no symptoms until it is too late. In the Mt. Sinai study, autopsies on some of the patients who died showed that 42% had blood clots, including in their brains, lungs, liver and heart. "They never had the clinical syndrome of a thrombotic disorder. It was silently causing damage," Fuster said. The doctors used several different anticoagulants and often more than one on each patient, so it is not possible to say which ones worked best. But Fuster said low molecular weight heparin and apixaban both showed positive effects. The Mount Sinai team published study results involving 2,000 patients in May. Wednesday's report follows up with more patients who were treated more consistently. This story was first published on CNN.com Blood thinners reduce deaths among coronavirus patients, study finds Tuscan hills and the city of Siena If you only have one day to explore Siena, a Private Tour of Siena, Pisa, and San Gimignano from Florence will allow you to make the most of your trip. Rather than spend time planning connections, figuring out timetables, and switching transportation, you'll have the chance of your own transport taking you exactly where you want to go without delays. This special nine-hour tour starts at 8:30am, when your English-speaking private driver picks you up at your hotel in a luxury Mercedes vehicle. From there, you'll start a quick one-hour drive through the picturesque Tuscan countryside. Enjoy the very scenic view as you cross through green and picturesque towns and villages along the way. Once you arrive in Siena, it's time to start your self-guided walking tour of the medieval city to discover architectural marvels such as the Piazza del Campo and Torre del Mangia, one of the tallest non-religious towers in the country. Siena is also famous as the home of many artists Simone Martini, Duccio di Buoninsegna, and Ambrogio Lorenzetti were all born here. While exploring the UNESCO World Heritage city, you can see some of their masterpieces, such as the Martini's frescoes inside the Palazzo Pubblico and Lorenzetti's work at the Civic Museum within the town hall. Your second stop on the tour is the hill town of San Gimignano, famous for the medieval walls that surround it and the many examples of Romanesque and Gothic architecture. Stop by the Palazzo Communale to walk through its stone courtyard, then go by the Collegiata of Santa Maria Assunta to admire the 15th-century frescoes. Your final stop on this tour is Pisa, most famous for being home to the Leaning Tower of Pisa, but also filled with other architectural beauties including the all-white marble buildings surrounding the Piazza dei Miracoli. Explore the city's historic center and many churches, medieval palaces, and beautiful bridges set over the Arno River. After some time for photo taking and maybe grabbing a piece of Pisa's famous torta co' bischeri (Pilgrim Cake), you'll meet back with your driver for the trip back to Florence. Turkey has called the U.S stop blacklisting democratic Palestinian movement Hamas for the sake of peace in the Middle East. Declaring the legitimate representative of Hamas, who came to power after winning democratic elections in Gaza and is an important reality of the region, as a terrorist will not be of any contribution to efforts for peace and stability in the region, Turkeys Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday. The statement came after the US State Department scolded Ankara for hosting Saturday leaders of the Palestinian resistance movement in charge of Gaza. President Erdogans continued outreach to this terrorist organization only serves to isolate Turkey from the international community, harms the interests of the Palestinian people, and undercuts global efforts to prevent terrorist attacks launched from Gaza, the Department said in a statement. We continue to raise our concerns about the Turkish governments relationship with Hamas at the highest levels. The Turkish foreign ministry, Middle East Monitor (MEMO) reports, also called on its regional influence for a balanced policy that will help solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, instead of serving Israels interests. Hamas which rose to power in the enclave after winning 2006 elections, also condemned the U.S. indicating that its position reflects the bullying and terrorism exercised by the American administration. Hamas is a national movement that is in a freedom struggle against the Israeli occupation and its terrorism, said Hamas spokesman Hazem Qasem. Reach key decision makers with sales-ready leads that shorten your sales process. Move the needle by delivering funnel qualified leads to your sales team. Learn more The global pandemic threw the world for a loop as businesses shut down, schools closed, and working from home became the new normal. Phrases like social distancing and self-quarantine became part of our everyday nomenclature, and safety measures such as temperature checks and mask wearing were integrated into daily life. Its now hard to imagine businesses and gathering places without these new standards in place. From a business standpoint, reopening still poses many concerns and uncertainty. How can businesses keep employees safe, remain compliant with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines and avoid liability while still maintaining a sustainable level of profitability? From an employee standpoint, while many workers are eager to return to full-time hours and consistent paychecks, they are scared to return to an environment that increases their exposure to COVID-19. They may have questions about proper PPE, enforcement of social distancing and mask wearing, and many face new responsibilities that are not traditional to their position. Artificial intelligence will play a major role as we try to move to a post-pandemic world, especially as it pertains to tracking peoples health and wellbeing in public areas. Employers will tap technology solutions to help them face challenges such as adhering to new rules and regulations, monitoring compliance, and ensuring employee confidence and morale remains positive. Todays new reality will rely on technology more than ever, and this trend will only continue to grow as we settle into the new normal. From monitoring individuals to helping to ease customer flow, technology specifically artificial intelligence will be critical. Why AI? As society plans the reopening of offices, shared spaces and customer-facing businesses, how can we ensure the safety of workers and the community at large? One option is to hire or assign employees to policing practices such as temperature taking, mask wearing, and social distancing enforcement. Depending on the size of the business, this could take a great number of people. It would most likely involve a two-pronged approach, with employees on the ground as well as employees monitoring the situation from screens. Human error is a risk in these scenarios. Its difficult to monitor a large group of people to make sure they are adhering to the CDC guidelines. It also places a substantial mental burden on staff; the average human attention span is about 8.25 seconds, and many are distracted by emails, text messages and constant notifications on their phones. A technology solution is the clear answer in this case. Artificial Intelligence is a powerful technology tool that allows for multiple tasks to take place at once, faster and more efficiently than humanly possible. Cognitive computing systems such as neural networks are a specific type of AI that simulates human thought. This type of AI is used in autonomous vehicles and is also a good structure to build post-pandemic monitoring systems. Cognitive computing can learn to digest information in different contexts. For example, if people are simply passing each other, or a family walks into a store together, the system will learn that they do not need to physically distance within the group and therefore will not be violating the rules of social distancing. Not only is AI more reliable than humans at tracking multiple data points at one time, this type of monitoring can reduce liability exposure for businesses and organizations. Amazon is being sued by workers for not enforcing social distancing measures and being careless with contact tracing efforts. At the time, had the company had AI monitoring in place, it could have helped to make sure that such measures were being properly enforced and provided proof that the company took measures to ensure the safety of its workers. A D V E R T I S E M E N T AI in the Workplace Remote working was the instant solution for many businesses when the pandemic escalated. While some businesses are fully back in office and adhering to mandated expectations for employee safety, others remain remote or are utilizing strategic and flexible work schedules. For those going into office settings, a host of safety measures need to be implemented, but can pose a myriad of difficulties to ensure compliance and create substantial liability issues. AI can help to monitor body temperatures, ensure employees are social distancing, and even confirm that masks are being worn consistently. This use of AI technology can help reduce worker frustration and dissatisfaction with new rules of compliance, free up staff from the need to manually attempt a fraction of what todays computing power can achieve, and keep employees doing what they do best, rather than enforcing rules. The post-pandemic workplace will be made of more controlled environments including more managed daily interactions, reserving time for specific activities, rotating people in and out of smaller spaces, and flexible workspaces where employees can come and go as needed as opposed to each having a dedicated space. As the COVID-19 situation fluctuates, so will the guidelines that need monitoring. AI systems can quickly and easily be programed to shift with the loosening or tightening of guidelines, allowing for flexibility in the system. AI in Customer Experience For those working in retail, hospitality, healthcare and other customer-facing industries, additional unique challenges abound. Customers have been patient and understanding with the recent changes, but as the new normal sets in, this perseverance will surely revert to earlier expectations and customers may even begin to demand more. Customers will tire of waiting in line and having their temperatures taken to enter a restaurant or shop. While they will still expect safety measures and want to feel safe in the environment, their expectations of a quicker delivery method should be anticipated. With a situational awareness solution, companies can mitigate risks and still focus on delivering quality customer service. Businesses that rely on heavy foot traffic such as shopping centers, hospitals, casinos, recreational venues and theme parks, will need to evolve to remain safely in business. For such large spaces with big crowds, technology to monitor for social distancing, temperature checks and mask compliance will be critical. Hospitals will be one of the many workplaces that will evolve and depend on technology to avoid cross-contamination, especially with patients at higher-risk. AI technology can be used to take vitals, heartrate, temperatures and more without the need to enter a patients room. This will help to provide better overall patient care while keeping patients and staff safe. For retail and theme park settings, customer service can be faster and more efficient. There will no longer be the need to wait in a physical line. Customers will be able to check in, receive a notification when its their turn, and then be able to walk right up for service or to experience an attraction. AI will be more important than ever in these high-traffic situations. A D V E R T I S E M E N T AI Monitoring and Privacy With all of these technological implementations, employees and customers alike may be concerned about privacy. AI solutions have the ability to make people into avatars, where only behaviors and other rules are being monitored, which will help to ensure the privacy of individuals. Unlike the extensive volumes of video surveillance data being collected, this type of monitoring does not entail identity information such as names or images. Moreover, data through this type of platform can be stored locally, not via a cloud system which might be breached more easily. This could reduce the risk of bad actors intruding in the system since access would need to be through the local database. A Better Future With AI AI-enabled technology solutions will help lead to a better future. The change has already begun, and the landscape will most likely continue to shift abruptly as we adapt to the post-pandemic world and learn more about how COVID-19 and other diseases are transmitted. Customers, businesses and employees will all experience concern during phased reopening, but there are ways to safeguard individuals in minimally intrusive ways, thanks to AI, neural networks and other technological advancements. AI technology solutions will allow us to advance and resume some semblance of normal activity, all while managing compliance, ensuring profitability and mitigating liability. AUSTIN, Texas, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Xojo, Inc., the company that has enabled over 400,000 developers to build native cross-platform applications, today announced the availability of Xojo 2020 Release 1. Xojo is an integrated rapid application development environment and programming language for making apps for the desktop (macOS, Windows and Linux), web, iOS, and Raspberry Pi. With over 347 changes and improvements, this release adds the highly anticipated new web framework, which adds modern-looking new controls, automatic session restoring and automatic reconnection, amongst many other new features. Developing web apps with Xojo now provides a much faster and more robust user experience. Xojo is the best environment for professional developers, citizen developers and hobbyists alike. Xojo applications compile to machine code for greater performance and security. Xojo uses native controls, so apps look and feel right on each platform. Since one set of source code can be used to support multiple platforms, development is significantly faster than traditional tools. Xojo comes with a drag and drop user interface builder and one straightforward programming language for development. "Ten years ago we released Web Framework 1.0 making web app development faster and easier than ever before," commented Xojo Founder and CEO Geoff Perlman. "With Xojo 2020r1 we have taken web development to the next level with Web Framework 2.0, a ground-up rewrite that utilizes both the most modern web technologies and takes advantage of all that modern browsers have to offer. Web Framework 2.0 provides a robust foundation upon which to rapidly build highly reliable and responsive web apps." "Xojo's Web 2.0 enables everyone to develop beautiful and powerful responsive web applications in the shortest time possible," commented Hanif Saad, a Xojo developer." "After initial testing I quickly recognized the great performance gain Xojo Web 2.0 brings to our application," commented Andreas Reichmann, a Xojo developer at inoxision GmbH. "Transitioning to Web 2.0 was easier than we had expected. The backend code could be taken over almost completely without changes and the user interface was redesigned based on the new controls. The performance gain, especially with many concurrent sessions, is huge and allows a fluent user experience, with a very modern look and feel." Some of the new features in Web Framework 2.0 include: More responsive and robust web apps Controls now have an all new modern look and feel New controls added include AudioPlayer, Breadcrumb, Pagination, DatePicker, ComboBox, Chart, PagePanel, TabPanel HTTP/1.1 Compliant Server Support for Bootstrap themes Two layout modes: Fixed and Flex FileUploader has been rewritten and is more flexible Server connection monitor that keeps an eye on the server connection so a user can see dialogs with custom trouble messages Xojo Cloud is Xojo's one click cloud hosting solution for hosting Xojo web apps. Xojo Cloud is secure, easy and maintenance-free. Xojo Cloud has been updated for web applications developed with this release. Xojo Cloud New Features: Automatic load balancing to support more users Apps are now 64-bit standalone applications Xojo Cloud allows you to point domains at individual applications Xojo 2020 Release 1 also includes updates and features for other platforms, including: Generate PDFs using standard graphics commands XojoScript has been updated to support API 2.0 Save and load compiled XojoScript to save compilation time between application sessions when your scripts don't change Draw your own custom headers for the Desktop listbox Large text projects load much faster The Linux IDE can now use OS theme control heights automatically HTMLViewer improvements including JavaScriptRequestEvent to allow communication with the browser Xojo 2020 Release 1 is available at https://www.xojo.com/download. Xojo is free to use for learning and development. For information on pricing and licensing options, please visit https://www.xojo.com/store. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1244385/Xojo_Logo.jpg Defense Secretary Mark Esper speaks during a briefing on counternarcotics operations at U.S. Southern Command in Doral, Fla., on July 10, 2020. (Evan Vucci via AP Photo) Esper Visit to Tiny Palau Highlights US-China Competition WASHINGTONNo nation is too small or too distant from Washington, it seems, to be excluded from the Trump administrations campaign to counter Chinas efforts to supplant America as the dominant Pacific power. Evidence of this is Defense Secretary Mark Espers decision to fly nearly halfway around the world partly so he can spend several hours in Palau, a Pacific archipelago of barely 20,000 people southeast of the Philippines. There is no suggestion of a direct Chinese military threat to Palau. Instead, the island nation is an example of the sometimes obscure battleground on which the United States and China are pursuing a great power competition for global influence in an era of a more inward-looking Washington and an increasingly assertive and ambitious China. The power struggle is intensifying on multiple fronts and is seen by some an emerging cold war akin to the mostly non-shooting conflict that played out between the United States and the former Soviet Union until the collapse of Soviet communism in 1991. In defiance of Beijing, tiny pro-American Palau is one of only 15 states with official diplomatic relations with Taiwan, the self-governing island that China claims as its own territory. We are concerned about China continuing to try to flip countries that recognize Taiwan today to establish diplomatic relations with China instead, said Heino Klinck, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for East Asia. We find that destabilizing, quite frankly. The United States made that very switch itself when it recognized Beijing as the sole legal government of China in 1979, although Washington maintains unofficial relations with Taiwan and sells arms to Taiwan under the Taiwan Relations Act. More broadly, Klinck said in an interview, Esper wants to reinforce the U.S. commitment to a long-term relationship with Palau. A little country, maybe, but they punch above their weight when it comes to enlistment rates in the U.S. military, Klinck said, adding that six Palauans have been killed in a U.S. uniform in Iraq and Afghanistan. Under a 1994 Compact of Free Association, Palauans are eligible to serve in the U.S. military. The list of the Trump administrations complaints about China is long and extends far beyond Palau. Washington derides Chinas militarization of the South China Sea, regards with suspicion its expanding nuclear arsenal, and has retaliated this year for its alleged use of diplomatic facilities in the United States to coordinate theft of economic and scientific secrets. The coronavirus pandemic and commercial trade, too, are sore spots. For its part, China sees U.S. policy as designed to limit its rise as an economic and military power. American and Chinese warships often jockey for position in the South China Sea. In July, the Trump administration took the diplomatic tussle to a new level by declaring illegitimate nearly all of Chinas maritime claims in the South China Sea, a broad declaration that favors the Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, and Brunei. The Palau Capital building is seen in Melekeok, Palau, on June 20, 2009. (Itsuo Inouye via AP Photo) Esper was flying to Palau this week after a stop in Hawaii, for his first visit to the Asia-Pacific region since the coronavirus pandemic forced him to limit international travel in March. Espers visit illustrates an important reason for the Pentagons interest in nurturing ties: Palau sits on a North Pacific pathway that links U.S. forces based in Hawaii and Guam to potential hotspots on the Asian continent. Esper also will be visiting Guam. No U.S. defense secretary has ever visited Palau, according to the Pentagon historians office. In a study last year, the RAND Corp. said the Freely Associated States, of which Palau is a part along with Micronesia and the Marshall Islands, are crucial to the promotion of the administrations Asia-Pacific strategy. It said their position in the Pacific is tantamount to a power-projection superhighway running through the heart of the North Pacific into Asia. The U.S. military has a legacy, but no troops, in Palau. Marines suffered heavy casualties in attacking Japanese positions on southern Palau island of Peleliu in September 1944. The United States administered Palau under UN auspices after World War II and is responsible for its defense until 2044 under the Compact of Free Association. Palau is no stranger to U.S.-Chinese tensions. In 2009, several Chinese ethnic Uyghur men who had been swept up in Afghanistan as terrorist suspects and imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay were released and sent to Palau. Their resettlement there reportedly angered Beijing, which wanted them repatriated. Esper planned to lay a wreath at the site off Palaus coast where a U.S. Navy Avenger torpedo bomber crashed on July 27, 1944. The three Americans aboard perished; they were from the same carrier-based Navy torpedo squadron, VT-51, as Ensign George H.W. Bush, the future president. Randall Schriver, who until eight months ago was the Pentagons top Asia policy official, says Palau is a logical stop for Esper, given that China is the administrations No. 1 foreign and defense policy concern. It reflects the broadening competition and Beijings efforts to exert more influence in the North Pacific islands, Schriver said, as well as the tug of history that binds the United States to wartime partners. Although Palau is well off the beaten path of a Pentagon chiefs normal itinerary, Espers visit is a gesture of support for a small country feeling the strain of what Washington calls Beijings predatory economics. In 2018, Bejing effectively banned Chinese tour groups from visiting Palau, which had relied on China for a large portion of its tourism. The move was seen in Palau as a move to pressure its leaders to switch diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to Beijing. In a speech in February spelling out the U.S. approach to China, Esper highlighted his concern for smaller countries. Communist China is exerting financial and political pressure, publicly and privately, on many Indo-Pacific and European nationslarge and smallwhile pursuing new strategic relationships worldwide, he said. In fact, the smaller the country, the heavier the hand of Beijing. In the Pacific, Esper says, China aims by 2049the 100th anniversary of its communist revolutionto be the dominant military power in Asia. By Robert Burns The chief executive of a leading environmental charity believes now is the time to double the 5p levy for plastic shopping bags after it was revealed that 13 million fewer bags were sold in 2019/20 when compared to the previous year. Between April 1, 2019, and March 31, 2020, 80.5 million bags were dispensed by retailers under the carrier bag levy. Since the 5p levy was introduced in 2012, the number of single use plastic bags being used has dropped from 300 million. The figures, which were released by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), revealed a 73.2% drop in plastic bag usage since 2012. A total of 4.4m was raised through the 5p charge in 2019/20 - a decrease of 0.2m the previous year. DAERA stated that the decrease in sales can be attributed to a drop in lower rate bags being sold (36.7%). However, the number of upper rate bags dispensed increased by 27.6% between 2018/19 and 2019/20. Lower rate bags are those which cost 5p and upper rate bags have had a price added on by the retailer. The chief executive of Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful Dr Ian Humphreys said the 5p charge must be increased to act as a further deterrent in using plastic bags. Ive asked for this for some time in front of the Environment Committee at Stormont, he explained. If you think about the levy in the south, which stands at least at 22 cents, we have a 5p levy and its time we at least move that to 10p, if not 20p. That would act as another deterrent for people to stop using these single use bags. I would be calling for at least a doubling of the levy. It hasn't moved in seven years. We are seeing it continue to have an impact in reducing the number of bags but this would speed it up. Lynda Sullivan from Friends of the Earth Northern Ireland, added that the charity welcomed the reduction in the use of plastic bags and believes it is down to increased awareness. She warned, however, that the Covid-19 pandemic has seen a rise in the usage of single use plastics. There is a worrying trend towards single use items as a consequence of Covid-19, and we would urge institutions, schools and businesses to find alternative safe practices, continued Ms Sullivan. Moreover, the Northern Ireland Government needs to rapidly phase out all single use plastic sold in shops, moving to a total ban. Meanwhile, the leader of Green Party NI Clare Bailey MLA added that the year on year drop in the sales of plastic bags is a welcome trend. People get it - they don't want to use plastic bags because they understand the impact of plastic pollution on our natural world, she stated. Between two and five percent of all plastic waste produced annually on land ultimately ends up in the sea. The impact of this pollution on marine life and human health is devastating. However, it's not easy for citizens to make the right choices when we are deluged with plastic packaging and products. Sinn Fein MLA Philip McGuigan also stated there can be no room for complacency. We are in the midst of a climate emergency and we must continue to do all we can to reduce our plastic use, he said. New Delhi: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will chair the 41st Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council meeting on Thursday via video conferencing. Minister of State (MoS) for Finance Anurag Thakur, Finance Ministers of States and Union Territories (UT) and senior officers from the Union Government and states will attend the meeting which will begin at 11 am, the Ministry of Finance tweeted. Finance Minister Smt. @nsitharaman will chair the 41st GST Council meeting via video conferencing at 11 AM in New Delhi today. The meeting will be attended by MOS Shri. @ianuragthakur besides Finance Ministers of States & UTs and Senior officers from Union Government & States. pic.twitter.com/HeqCaGwMbc Ministry of Finance (@FinMinIndia) August 27, 2020 In the last meeting held on June 12, the GST Council decided to waive off fees for late filing returns between July 2017 to January this year in a bid to minimise the impact of COVID-19 crisis on micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). Discussion on correction in inverted duty on certain goods like textiles and footwear is also likely, news Agency PTI had reported.they said. The COVID-19 crisis has further compounded the state's fiscal problems. Several states including Kerala, West Bengal, Bihar and Punjab have raised the issue to devise a common strategy on the issue asking the Centre to make good any shortfall in GST revenues to them in the first five years of implementation of the regime that subsumed 17 different central and state taxes. PTI quoting sources said that states may now have to look at market borrowings to make good their respective revenue shortfall and the GST Council will take a final call. Under GST law, states were guaranteed to be compensated bi-monthly for any loss of revenue in the first five years of the GST implementation from July 1, 2017. The shortfall is calculated assuming a 14 per cent annual growth in GST collections by states over the base year of 2015-16. Under the GST structure, taxes are levied under 5, 12, 18 and 28 per cent slabs. On top of the highest tax slab, a cess is levied on luxury, sin and demerit goods and the proceeds from the same are used to compensate states for any revenue loss. The GST Council has to decide how to meet the shortfall in such circumstances and not the central government, sources told the news Agency. The GST Council may also discuss on revising Two-wheelers GST rates. In a CII meet, the FM had said that the two wheelers merit a GST rate revision since they are neither a luxury nor sin goods. Two-wheelers currently attract 28 per cent GST. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das delivered a keynote address at Unlock BFSI 2.0 on August 27. Here's what the RBI Governor said: > The RBI "will not unwind any measures immediately". > "We are monitoring the situation and we will have a very cautious exit plan. The RBI is taking a long-term view on resolutions and measures." > The COVID-19 pandemic continues to keep the world on the edge and the world is struggling to find a vaccine, Das said. "The spread continues unabated in India, but the fatality rate is much lower here. The economic impact is hard to measure." > "Framework for COVID-related resolutions is well thought of and has been taken after due consultations," Das asserted. > Das said that the central banks response to COVID-19 is unprecedented and that a very calibrated and cautious plan (for the economy) is needed post-COVID-19. > "The banking landscape has changed a lot in recent years. But overall, Indias banking sector continues to be sound and stable. Today, the banks need to look at sunrise sectors while supporting those sectors which have the potential to bounce back," Das said. > Das said that risk-management systems should be able to smell vulnerabilities in businesses in advance. To state the obvious, the pandemic will put pressure on balance sheets of banks and lead to erosion of capital, Das added. > What is more important is how banks proactively respond to this challenge. The RBI has already asked banks and NBFCs to do a COVID stress test. A battle is won by those who are firmly resolved to win, Das said. > The RBI Governor expressed deep appreciation for officers and staff of the banks who helped maintain operational continuity during the lockdown. Must compliment banks for maintaining operational continuity despite challenging times, he said. From the fireside chat > There is never a dull moment in Central Bank and more so in times like this. The times are really uncertain and the situation keeps changing fast. There is no certainty that any growth projections will not change in a month, Das said during a fireside chat following his keynote address. > Das said that the "RBI does not have the luxury to give one number (estimate) today and change it a month down the line. Once there is some amount of clarity about the COVID-19 curve and other aspects around the pandemic, the RBI will certainly start giving the growth numbers." > The central bank governor said that the RBI has not exhausted its ammunition on rate cuts or policy actions. He added that the monetary policy stance will continue to be accommodative. > Debt-to-Gross Domestic Product (GDP) ratio, fiscal deficit and current account deficit were under much better control this time, Das said, adding that bond yields shot up only in last couple of weeks. Leading up to the address The RBI Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) had left the repo rate unchanged at 4 percent and reverse repo rate at 3.35 percent in its August meeting. Since February 2019, the MPC has cut repo rate by a steep 250 basis points. One bps is one hundredth of a percentage point. Minutes of the RBI MPC meeting held earlier this month, reveal that all six members of the rate-setting panel - including the governor, had voted for a pause. The address came days after Das, in an interview with CNBC Awaaz, said Indias stock market is not in sync with the real economy which will result in a correction. The reserve bank governor sounded cautious, but did not say when is the correction was expected. Meanwhile, it its annual report, the central bank has said that regulatory dispensations that the novel coronavirus pandemic has necessitated in terms of the moratorium on loan instalments , deferment of interest payments and restructuring, may have implications for the financial health of banks, unless they are closely monitored and judiciously used. In a shocking allegation against her Bollywood colleagues, Kangana Ranaut has claimed that if the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) starts investigation, many A-listers could end up behind bars. Kangana made the allegation via Twitter on Wednesday and referred to the film industry as "Bullywood". "If narcotics Control Bureau enters Bullywood, many A listers will be behind bars, if blood tests are conducted many shocking revelations will happen. Hope @PMOIndia under swatchh Bharat mission cleanses the gutter called Bullywood," tweeted Kangana from her verified account on Wednesday, tagging the office of the Prime Minister of India. The actress has alleged without taking names that her mentor used to spike her drinks when she was still a minor. Kangana also alleged that after she started attending famous film parties, she got exposed to the world of drugs, debauchery and mafia. "I was still a minor my mentor turned tormentor used to spike my drinks and sedate me to prevent me from going to cops, when I became successful and got entry in to the most famous film parties I was exposed to the most shocking and sinister world and drugs, debauchery and mafia," Kangana wrote in a separate tweet. Kangana's tweet comes on the day when the Enforcement Directorate (ED) summoned talent manager Jaya Saha in connection with the money laundering probe into the death of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput. Saha was consultant at Kwann Talent Agency, and was also the talent manager for Sushant's girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty. An ED source said that the financial probe agency wants to question her about the drug angle that has come up after one of Saha's conversations with Rhea got leaked. Text: IANS Images: Instagram Lindblad Expeditions, an adventure travel company known for its Alaska and Galapagos Island cruises, agreed to raise $85 million in convertible preferred stock from an investor group that includes MSD Partners and Durable Capital. Why it matters: The deal came together in just two days and was 3x oversubscribed, Lindblad chairman Mark Ein tells Axios. This reflects growing investor faith that the travel market is poised for a COVID comeback, with pent-up demand only continuing to grow. Other investors in the deal include Headlands Capital, Deep Field Asset Management, and Declaration Capital. The bottom line: Ein says the new investment gives Lindblad runway to survive through the end of 2021, even were it not to launch a single cruise, but adds that it's been working on a coronavirus testing plan (both pre-travel and on-site) that it hopes will let it resume operations much sooner. ZURICH, Aug 26 (Reuters) - The 2021 World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting of business leaders and politicians has been called off for January due to the coronavirus pandemic, with organizers planning to reschedule the event sometime early next summer. "The advice from experts is that we cannot (host the event) safely in January," WEF said in a statement. The meeting of global leaders has been held in the Swiss ski resort of Davos since the early 1970s. (Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva and Brenna Hughes Neghaiwi in Zurich, editing by John Miller) Swara Bhasker has once again come out in support of Rhea Chakraborty, who has been accused by late actor Sushant Singh Rajputs father of abetting his sons suicide. Swara has criticised media for a witch-hunt" against Rhea. Taking to Twitter, Swara wrote, I dont think even #Kasab was subjected to the kind of witch-hunt on media.. & media trial that #RheaChakrobarty is being subjected to! Shame on Indian Media Shame on us for being a toxic voyeuristic public consuming this poisonous hysteria.. #RheaDrugChat #SushantSinghRajput." I dont think even #Kasab was subjected to the kind of witch-hunt on media.. & media trial that #RheaChakrobarty is being subjected to! Shame on Indian Media.. Shame on us for being a toxic voyueristic public consuming this poisonous hysteria.. #RheaDrugChat #SushantSinghRajput Swara Bhasker (@ReallySwara) August 26, 2020 The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on Wednesday filed a criminal case against Rhea Chakraborty and others for their alleged dealings in banned drugs, officials said. The Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is probing a money laundering angle into the death of Sushant, questioned Rhea Chakraborty, and obtained deleted WhatsApp messages" from her phone that allegedly indicated dealings in banned drugs. Rhea has been questioned by the ED about these suspect drug deals and her statement on these allegations has been recorded by it under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), officials said. Her lawyer Satish Manehsinde had vehemently denied the allegations made against the 28-year-old actor. Haryana deputy chief minister Dushyant Chautala on Thursday said the revenue state excise department generated during the Covid-19 crisis was more than ever in the first quarter of the year. Reacting to the allegations of scam in excise department, Dushyant, who also holds the excise and taxation portfolio, said the department has made a new record in the excise duty collection. The excise department has never made such a high revenue collection as during the Covid-19 crisis, which reflects that there is no scam, the deputy CM said in a news conference. Since the formation of the state till today, it is for the first time in this year that the government has collected additional excise duty of more than Rs 27 crore in the first quarter, he added. Dushyant said the new excise policy could not be implemented in the state from April 1 due to the lockdown. The state government gave permission to open liquor vends from May 5 under Unlock 1. The cabinet has amended the policy and decided to implement it till May 5, 2021. The deputy CM said GPS tracking devices would be installed in the vehicles coming out of distilleries. He said by the end of September, all distilleries will have surveillance cameras. He said that during the lockdown, an inquiry has been conducted against the officers issuing permits and passes from March 27 to March 31 and action will be taken against those found guilty as soon as the investigation is completed. He said in yet another first, an additional retail license fee of Rs 62 crore was received in the first quarter. The deputy CM said during the pandemic, the state government has imposed Covid cess on liquor. In the first three months of implementing the cess, the excise department has earned Rs 75 crore, he added. Oil and gas platforms and rigs have been evacuated in the Gulf of Mexico, while refineries in storms path are shut. The United States energy industry is bracing for catastrophic storm surges and winds as Hurricane Laura cuts a dangerous path towards the coastlines of Texas and Louisiana. Oil and gas producers have evacuated platforms and rigs in the Gulf of Mexico and companies are shutting down refineries in the storms path. Many had already done so while they were preparing for Tropical Storm Marco. Utilities are bracing for downed power lines and blackouts. These hurricanes, they can attack the entire energy infrastructure, said Jim Burkhard, head of IHS Markit research for crude oil markets. And its not just a refinery being shut down, but if a pipeline gets shut down, or the electrical grid gets damaged, it shows how integrated all these systems are: pipelines, refineries, electricity. And its that aggregate damage that can be so challenging to overcome. The oil industry was already hammered since the start of the year, struggling with low prices after the coronavirus decimated demand. At the same time, OPEC was flooding the market with crude, aiming with success to put American oil producers out of business. Oil prices have recovered somewhat, but are still well below what most producers need to stay in business. This year, 60 oil and gas companies filed for bankruptcy protection, according to law firm Haynes and Boone. Experts say it is unlikely that the US will suffer from major oil or petrol shortages due to the hurricane, as other regions fill in the gaps or turn to stored oil. But with higher demand that typically comes with summer, there could be some disruption. Inventories have been getting tighter through the summer, said Peter McNally, global sector lead at Third Bridge, an investment research firm. There is a buffer, but we still have a couple weeks left in the summer of higher demand, so we could see the surplus come off pretty quickly. Offshore platforms Nearly half of the oil and gas platforms in the Gulf of Mexico almost 300 were evacuated by Wednesday, along with most of the offshore rigs. Producers shut in 84 percent of the oil produced in the region, taking about 1.6 million barrels per day off the market. The gulf region usually produces about 15 percent of the oil in the US. Producers also shut in about 61 percent of the natural gas produced in the gulf. Risk level is high, said Stewart Glickman, energy equity analyst at CFRA, in an email. Platforms out in the Gulf can be damaged, the refineries (mostly in low-lying land) can be flooded, especially if a storm lingers around for days like Hurricane Harvey did in 2017. While some oil production is temporarily suspended, experts say it is unlikely to cause problems for supply in the US. There has been a surplus of oil production this year, and demand for fuel is still well below pre-pandemic levels. Producers outside the region can pick up the slack. Refineries More than half of US refining capacity is built along the Gulf Coast, where the storm is heading. Six refineries, which together have a refining capacity of about 2.2 million barrels per day, were shut down, including refineries operated by Valero, Total and Citgo. Refineries built in hurricane regions may have hardened their assets after prior hurricanes to withstand the storm, but it is likely that there will be disruptions to some major refineries, Burkhard said. In 2017, Hurricane Harvey stalled over Houston, dumping so much rain that flooding knocked out nearly a quarter of the nations refining capacity. That led to petrol shortages, panic buying and long lines at service stations throughout Texas. Certainly for the local area that gets hit, its going to be disruption on all businesses, including gasoline sales, Burkhard said. Will this be as disruptive as Harvey? I dont think we know yet, but Harvey was so damaging just because it lingered for so long, so lets just hope this one doesnt linger as long with severe flooding. SFS Hedge Fund & Private Equity Summit 2020 | LEARN MORE: https://sudrania.com/Hedge-Fund-Summit.html Sudrania is pleased to announce our Hedge Fund & Private Equity Summit 2020, a webinar series featuring insights and perspectives on the current trends/challenges facing funds with alternative assets. Sudrania Fund Services (Sudrania) announces today that they will host a Hedge Fund and Private Equity Summit focused on delivering insights and perspectives for managers and investors. The interactive, four-part webinar series will feature industry experts in areas including investment allocation, custody, legal, tax/audit, banking, and fund administration. 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ABOUT SUDRANIA Sudrania Fund Services is a global fund administrator based in Chicago, Illinois who combines the robust power of cloud computing with a scalable boutique service model. Sudranias Seamless platform is an integrated portfolio, fund, and investor accounting system with a full-scale general ledger system. Our solutions can process high-frequency trading volumes to deliver daily NAV for impact funds, hedge funds, cryptocurrency funds, commodity pools, and mortgage funds. This integrated software system is equally capable of supporting automation of capital calls/distribution and other complex calculations for private equity funds, real estate funds, and Special Purpose Vehicles. For more information, visit http://www.sudrania.com. Advertisement A vegan Instagram model has 'no regrets' about breaking into a factory farm and rescuing six piglets who she believes would have been slaughtered or died of malnourishment. Lauren Ann McGeachin pleaded guilty to stealing stock and two counts of entering a premises with intent in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Thursday. The 28-year-old livestreamed herself breaking into Cameron Pastoral Companys piggery near Toowoomba, southern Queensland, in November last year. She told Daily Mail Australia she had no intentions of stealing the animals until she stumbled upon their 'horrifying living conditions' and decided they likely would have died before they were big enough to be slaughtered regardless of her involvement. The activist also broke into Williams Poultry, a chicken farm in Canningvale, some time between July 12 and 14 last year. McGeachin was sentenced to 90 hours of community service and ordered to pay $300 in compensation for the stolen piglets on Thursday. The six missing piglets were valued at about $1,800, but McGeachin said they likely wouldn't have survived much longer in the 'putrid' conditions. McGeachin and her supporters held signs defending farm animals outside of the court after her sentencing Instagram model Lauren Ann McGeachin (pictured with a piglet), 28, broke in to a piggery near Toowoomba, southern Queensland, in November last year and an egg farm in July 2019 McGeachin was sentenced to 90 hours community service and ordered to pay $300, but escaped conviction Pictured: McGeachin and some of her supporters holding posters about animal rights after she was sentenced on Thursday morning She escaped conviction after her lawyer argued it could hinder her ability to work internationally and within Australia as a freelance model. She has steady work in the industry but is subject to criminal background checks for most new jobs. Afterwards, she said she had 'no immediate plans' to save any more animals from slaughter, but was determined to continue her activism in a legal way. 'I have no immediate plans to do anything like that again, which makes me sad for the animals, but if an animal is in danger, I would help it of course,' she said. McGeachin also admitted she wasn't expecting the sentence she received. Instead, she walked into the courtroom expecting the 'worst possible outcome'. 'I knew prison time was a possibility,' she said. 'Thats not what I received and this has been an incredibly stressful period but it is nothing compared to what the animals experience.' McGeachin also revealed July wasn't the first time she'd rescued an animal that didn't belong to her due to the threat of danger. 'The first time was actually when I was a teenager,' she said. McGeachin (centre) appeared in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Thursday alongside a handful of supporters (pictured) The vegan activist (pictured with a dog) faced court on Thursday and pleaded guilty to two offences, including breaking into Williams Poultry chicken farm in Canningvale last July She and her friends urged people to put animals first and make it a priority to learn about the mistreatment of animals 'I wouldve been about 19 and I saw some malnourished and mistreated dogs and I rescued them without hesitation. I was volunteering for the RSPCA at the time and they were in pretty bad shape. 'But that wouldnt land me in court because they were dogs instead of pigs... instead of food.' McGeachin first became a vegan nine years ago after deciding she could no longer spend her time defending animal rights only to 'go home and eat them'. She urged the public to be more aware about how food gets on their plates, and insisted she had absolutely no political agenda. 'Ill still be doing legal protests and vigils. Im vocal on my social media and there are other channels. But no, I dont really feel any remorse,' she told waiting media on her way out of court. McGeachin was flanked by a group of supporters, who held handmade posters condemning the slaughter of animals as she addressed the media. All but one of McGeachin's posse waited outside during sentencing, where Magistrate Anthony Gett heard how the 28-year-old, along with others, climbed a fence to enter the facility after dark. Two of six stolen piglets were recovered after the incident, but were unable to pass strict biosecurity procedures and were euthanised as a result. McGeachin pleaded guilty to entering premises with intent to commit an indictable offence but told Daily Mail Australia she has 'no regrets' McGeachin and her friends held signs as they walked away from the courthouse on Thursday McGeachin would have been happy to keep them rather than have them euthanised, but admitted it was likely a better fate than getting raised for slaughter. The court heard McGeachin, a working model and former RSPCA volunteer, is not herself a member of the activism group which organised the break ins - but has friends who are members and went along on two occasions because she was interested in seeing the living conditions of the animals for herself. 'She's a young woman with a passion for animals and animal rights... she has been a vegan for nine years... what she saw was extremely confronting,' her lawyer said. 'She saw pigs crawling on top of each other, rotting piles of piglet carcasses, it appears they had been subject to terrible living conditions.' While McGeachin went along purely to observe and with 'no intentions of touching anything, let alone taking anything,' she felt compelled to help upon her arrival. 'When confronted by the putrid scene, she was overwhelmed and decided to remove piglets that appeared to be unwell... she took proper care of them,' the court heard. McGeachin's lawyer also attempted to talk down any potential bio-security hazards by her being in restricted areas of the facility. 'The seriousness of the biosecurity risk is lessened when considering the condition of the pigs, which were supposed to be for human consumption. 'The issue with people in these facilities is that there will be a risk of contamination with the livestock... if there are pigs sitting in piglet carcasses, its not a clean facility.' McGeachin (pictured) was charged by police after sharing a series of videos featuring her and others inside the farm with the baby pigs to her Instagram account McGeachin fronted the media after sentencing and said she was just acting in the best interests of the animals McGeachin was initially charged after she posted a series of videos featuring her and others inside the piggery with baby pigs. She shared distressing footage showing piles of dead piglets in a stall with a live sow with her 70,000 Instagram followers. Other videos showed partially buried pig carcasses and McGeachin cradling the rescued piglets. Magistrate Anthony Gett on Thursday accepted McGeachin had no criminal history and a clear passion for animal welfare. 'It would seem you also have insight into the fact that what you have done is unlawful, and you understand that people cannot take the law into your own hands,' Magistrate Gett said. 'Your motivation, it would seem, was to raise awareness for animal welfare and animal rights, and you thought you were contributing to that, but you understand there are other lawful ways to go about that. 'You are community minded, you have worked for not only the RSPCA but other animal sanctuaries, I accept the submission that you are a low risk of re-offending.' She left the court flanked by supporters who were all holding signs about animal activism McGeachin said she was remorseful for what eventuated but said she only ever wanted to protect the animals The prosecution's evidence was based largely on McGeachin's social media presence and her own footage. They also confirmed she assisted officers in locating two of the piglets when asked to do so. In an 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. 'They (also) said I could be facing a $6,000 [fine] and a conviction. 'Just for rescuing piglets that were in a factory farm.' McGeachin plead guilty to both the July and November break-ins Pictured: McGeachin and her supporters holding signs for a photograph after sentencing Pictured: McGeachin and her supporters leaving the courthouse after sentencing McGeachin also told her followers ahead of time that she was 'planning on entering a guilty plea'. Police previously said three other women were also charged following the piggery raid. McGeachin and other activists also targeted a Warwick egg farm in July 2019 where a number of chickens were stolen. The activists tried to obscure their identity as they scaled gates and cut through security fences before breaking into the chicken sheds. Images and video of the late-night chicken raid were also posted on McGeachin's social media accounts. Footage showed the activists handling the chickens, breaching biosecurity guidelines, before a number of hens were stolen. Police seized mobile phones and analysed GPS data before the model and others were charged over the egg farm raid. McGeachin was not charged with stealing chickens. Over the past 10 days, wildfires have burned through more than 2,000 square miles of California. The blazes are far from over, though firefighters have made some major progress in recent days, with three complex fires one in Wine Country, one in the Santa Cruz Mountains and one in the South and East bays each more than 20% contained as of Wednesday. The fires raise many questions, and their effects on Californias $40 billion wine industry are just one. Heres what we know so far. The timing of this years wildfires is more problematic for wineries than recent years fires were, because the blazes are coming at the start of harvest. To add insult to injury, 2020 was already shaping up to be a very difficult vintage. One winery, La Borgata in Vacaville, burned in the LNU Lightning Complex fire, and nearby farms saw their livestock killed. Other wineries narrowly escaped destruction, such as Big Basin Vineyards in the Santa Cruz Mountains, though the owners home was incinerated. Once the flames are extinguished, the major issue for the wine industry will be smoke taint. In last weeks newsletter, I reported that many producers might opt to make a lot of rose this year, since pink wines may be less susceptible to smoke damage than reds. Some winemakers are already expecting defeat. Noah Dorrance, owner of Reeve Wines in Healdsburg, told me he was considering making almost no wine in this vintage. However, its important to note that smoke considerations will vary greatly in different areas, and many winemakers have said theyre feeling optimistic about making smoke-free wines this year. Brittany Hosea-Small / Special to The Chronicle These smoke-related issues will be familiar to winemakers in Australia, which experienced devastating wildfires a few months ago. I found it helpful to revisit this Wine Spectator article from March, reporting that some regions like Australias Hunter Valley might lose a majority of their 2020 wines to smoke taint, while other regions will be completely unaffected. Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more. It feels like Wine Country cant catch a break, with catastrophic fires coming year after year after year. My colleague Mallory Moench wrote about why the perennial tragedies still arent driving residents to relocate. Elsewhere, The Chronicles J.K. Dineen and Rachel Swan address the question thats on all of our minds. Will the fires only get worse each year? Finally: My photographer colleagues are heroes, venturing into evacuation zones every day to capture the close-up details of whats happening. This haunting visual essay shows some of the best of their work from the past two weeks. Drinking with Esther is a weekly newsletter from The Chronicles wine critic. Follow along on Twitter: @Esther_Mobley and Instagram: @esthermob WORCESTER, Mass. A former exotic dancer seriously injured in a 2010 car crash with an off-duty Massachusetts police officer has been paid about $8.6 million by the insurance company for the strip club, according to court records. Kailee Higgins was paid by Capitol Specialty Insurance, her attorneys wrote in an Aug. 19 filing in U.S. District Court in Worcester, The Telegram & Gazette reported Tuesday. The payment comes 17 months after a federal judge ruled following a trial that the insurance company broke the law by shoddily investigating the crash and denying Higgins compensation for years. The First Circuit Court of Appeal in Boston in March upheld a jurys award of $5.4 million to Higgins. According to court records, she texted a friend before the end of her Saturday night shift that she was maadd drunk after downing 15 shots of tequila, but a bouncer escorted her to her car, physically put her into the drivers seat and handed over her car keys. When the owner of Centerfolds learned about the crash, he obtained statements from the bartender on duty that night, the manager and a floor host who said no one had served alcohol to Higgins and no one had seen her drinking. The owner also said the club keeps a list of dancers who are under the legal drinking age of 21 to make sure they are not served alcohol. Capitols claims administrator, Norfield Associates, reported that there was no indication that any of the dancers at the club had been drinking. Capitol closed the file. The crash occurred in Worcester on Nov. 28, 2010. Higgins, who required more than 10 facial surgeries and was left with a diminished mental capacity, had a blood alcohol level of .15, according to records. Higgins, 20 at the time, sued, alleging the Centerfolds club in Worcester served her as many as 15 shots that night and was liable for serving her and then letting her drive drunk. The judge found that Capitol and its senior claims manager conducted a superficial investigation into the crash. An email from the newspaper to lawyers representing Capitol went unanswered. The off-duty officer was not charged. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 22:42:05|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ADDIS ABABA, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said on Thursday disclosed five African countries account for 72 percent of all COVID-19 infections in the continent. The Africa CDC, a specialized healthcare agency of the African Union (AU) Commission, disclosed that just five African countries account for 72 percent of all COVID-19 infections in the continent. "South Africa accounts for 50 percent of all COVID-19 infections in the continent, followed by Egypt which has eight percent of all COVID-19 infections in the continent," it said. "Morocco comes third with five percent of all COVID-19 infections in the continent, while Nigeria and Ethiopia round the top of five list with each having four percent of all COVID-19 infections in the continent," said the Africa CDC statement. As of Thursday, the number of confirmed COVID-19 positive cases across the African continent surpassed 1,212,012 as the death toll from the pandemic rose to 28,596, according to the latest figures from the Africa CDC. The continental disease control and prevention agency also said that some 942,249 people who were infected with COVID-19 had recovered across the continent so far. The Africa CDC report disclosed South Africa is way ahead compared to the rest of the continent both in terms of number of COVID-19 cases and ratio of COVID-19 infected population. "South Africa has so far recorded 615,701 COVID-19 cases, while it has 1,060 cases per 100,000 population," said Africa CDC. The southern Africa region is the most affected area in terms of confirmed cases, followed by northern Africa and western Africa regions. The specialized healthcare agency of the Commission also disclosed nine African countries are reporting fatality rates higher than the global case fatality rate of 3.4 percent. These include Chad, Liberia, Sudan, Niger, Liberia, Egypt and Angola. However, the overall continental fatality rate in the African continent currently stands at 2.4 percent, below the global fatality threshold of 3.4 percent. On a positive note, the Africa CDC said over the last one week 58,417 new COVID-19 cases have been reported in the continent, a 20 percent drop in cases when compared to the previous week. There has also been over the past four weeks on average an overall 17 percent decrease in the number of new cases being reported each week for the continent, noted the Africa CDC. The Africa CDC also noted an overall increase in the number of COVID-19 tests being carried out in the continent. "A total of 11.4 million tests have been reported by member States with an overall test per confirmed case ratio of 9.5," it said. "11 countries contribute 80 percent of these tests: South Africa, Morocco, Ethiopia, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Uganda, Mauritius, and Cameroon," disclosed the Africa CDC. Enditem WASHINGTON House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says if she were running Joe Bidens presidential campaign, she would tell him to boycott debates with President Trump, calling any that include him an exercise in skulduggery. The San Francisco Democrat argued that a debate with the president would legitimize a conversation that Trump has not earned. She suggested that Biden and Trump could answer questions separately instead. I dont think that there should be any debates, Pelosi said at her weekly news conference Thursday. I do not think the president of the United States has comported himself in a way that (resembles) anybody who has any association with truth, evidence, data and facts. I wouldnt legitimize a conversation with him, nor a debate in terms of the presidency of the United States. The Biden campaign has said that it will participate in the three scheduled presidential debates and a vice presidential debate. The Trump campaign has lobbied for a fourth presidential debate, which the nonpartisan, independent Commission on Presidential Debates has rejected. Biden told MSNBC on Thursday that unnamed strategists have told him to debate Trump only with a fact-checking referee present. But he said that although the president has a somewhat pathological tendency not to tell the truth, he will debate Trump and wont insist on having a fact-checker onstage. As long as the commission continues down the straight and narrow as they have, Im going to debate him, Biden said. Im going to be a fact-checker on the floor while Im debating him. Pelosi was responding to a question about whether Democrats and Republicans should be doing in-person campaigning during the coronavirus pandemic. She said she misses interacting with her constituents but follows scientific advice for avoiding spreading the disease. Then she turned, unprompted, to the issue of the debates. She referred to instances during the 2016 debates in which Trump broke norms to stand close to Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. I thought what he did in 2016 was disgraceful, stalking Hillary Clinton like that, Pelosi said. She also accused Trump of trying to undermine this years elections by opposing voting by mail, which he contends is prone to fraud despite evidence to the contrary, and by allowing slowdowns at the U.S. Postal Service. I think that hell probably act in a way that is beneath the dignity of the presidency, he does that every day, but I think he will also belittle what the debates are supposed to be about, Pelosi said. Theyre not to be about skulduggery on the part of someone who has no respect for the office he holds, much less the democratic process. Pelosi, who has been regularly re-elected to her House seat by overwhelming margins, has not debated an opponent in more than 30 years. Her opponent in the November election, Shahid Buttar, held a debate last month with an empty chair after being unable to get Pelosi to respond. Tal Kopan is The San Francisco Chronicles Washington correspondent. Email: tal.kopan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @talkopan A judge has ruled the Winnipeg Police Service must release internal documents that the Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba has been trying to pry loose for more than a year. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 26/8/2020 (511 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. A judge has ruled the Winnipeg Police Service must release internal documents that the Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba has been trying to pry loose for more than a year. Court of Queens Bench Justice Candace Grammond delivered her ruling in the precedent-setting case Tuesday. "The Police Service should have no decision making power over disclosure to the IIU... The IIUs investigation should not be hampered by a police service," Grammond wrote in her decision. On July 28, 2018, Matthew Fosseneuve, 34, died in police custody after being shot with a Taser. The IIU launched an investigation into Fosseneuves death and repeatedly requested the notes of two WPS cadets who were first on scene the night he died. Citing the fact cadets are not police officers, the WPS argued the IIU had no right to review their notes in the course of its probe. The cadets also refused to sit down with IIU investigators. The IIU took the WPS to court over the case in April 2019, petitioning a judge to order the police service to release the cadets notes. Lawyers representing both parties presented their arguments during a court hearing in February, at which time Grammond reserved her decision. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. "I do not agree... that cadets should be treated like any other civilian employee of the WPS, or any other civilian witness for that matter," Grammond wrote in Tuesdays ruling. "If that were appropriate, cadets would not be sent to potential crime scenes in anticipation of police officers arriving." Grammond also said there a gap in the Police Services Actthe legislation governing the IIU and law enforcement agencies in Manitobais what led to the dispute. She argued that gap should be addressed by policymakers at the legislative level. ryan.thorpe@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @rk_thorpe As the government struggles to find the right approach to get kids back to school in England safely, theres one European country that has been able to keep their classrooms open throughout the pandemic Sweden. When coronavirus began to severely impact Europe in March, countries across the continent each came up with ways to combat the spread of the disease. Most nations, including the UK, settled on lockdowns, restricting travel for their population and closing all businesses and schools. Teenagers at a school in Stockholm during March when most other European nations decided to put their countries into lockdown and send their children home. (Getty) But while the four UK nations grapple with how to successfully return students to education and ensure parents maintain confidence in the process Sweden has managed to keep its pupils in the classroom throughout. A graduation ceremony in Stockholm in June, with social distancing in place and only two relatives allowed to attend with them. (Getty) Read more: WHO warns young people flouting lockdown rules could lead to spike in deaths Ministers have struggled to present a coherent plan for schools reopening in England particularly in regards to mask wearing with anger from parents, teachers unions and opposition parties mounting. The government performed another education-related u-turn earlier this week when they decided to stop advising against masks being worn in schools in England. The new policy is that staff and pupils in secondary schools in high infection areas will be required to wear a mask. Scotland has made it a requirement for masks to be worn in all secondary schools, while Wales said itll be up to schools and councils to decide. Sweden never closed schools as part of its light approach to lockdown, with most businesses staying open. The country has implemented few hard rules, with bans on visits to care homes and stopping large gatherings of over 50 people being the main ones. The businesses and the general population has also been quick to adopt social distancing, with bars and restaurants putting tape on every other table to keep people apart. Teenagers at a school in Stockholm in March. (Getty) Statistician Ola Rosling told the BBCs More or Less podcast in July: We have kept our schools open and I definitely think that all countries in the world can do that. Story continues The children are told to keep separate, the teachers are careful, there's no hugging etc and in Sweden, we don't see any evidence that parents and teachers are much more infected. Rosling said while they didnt have perfect data to properly assess the impact he noted there had barely been any outbreaks in schools. He also said Sweden did have several advantages when it comes to fighting epidemics, with a lot of people living on their own and a very low population density. Swedish schools are currently being asked to ensure social distancing takes place but is not advising the use of masks. Read more: NHS staff smear themselves in fake blood in Downing Street protest over pay The daily new confirmed COVID-19 cases in Sweden. While some schools are doing part of their education digitally basically all have been open since the pandemic began. The main difference that school pupils face is strict social distancing at all times, particularly between student and teacher. Swedens public health agency said in July keeping schools open during the pandemic did not result in a higher infection rate among its children compared to neighbouring Finland. The report showed that severe cases of COVID-19 were very rare among both Swedish and Finnish children aged one to 19, with no deaths reported. Children made up around 8.2% of the total number of COVID-19 cases in Finland, compared to 2.1% in Sweden. They have maintained that the negative consequences of a shutdown on the economy and society outweigh the benefits, and said this also applies to schools. Last week Swedens prime minister Stefan Lofven defended keeping schools open. He said: "What has been discussed most, and what we did differently in Sweden, was that we did not close schools. Read more: Government's 180 compensation for self-isolating branded a 'slap in the face' Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven. (Getty) Now there are quite a few people who think we were right." Lofven also commented on why masks were only recommended rather than required in most areas, including schools. He said: What they are saying, and what I absolutely believe, is that they cannot be the main tool we use." What is important still is social distancing, testing and tracking. Those must be our main focus in order to reduce infection. The World Health Organization (WHO) released new advice on Friday saying pupils over the age of 12 should wear a mask in school. State epidemiologist Anders Tegnell, the main architect of Sweden's approach, told the Observer earlier this month that 30% of the country could have antibodies. State epidemiologist Anders Tegnell of the Public Health Agency of Sweden and architect of the countries light approach to lockdown. (Getty) It is not yet fully clear that after recovering from COVID-19 the antibodies you have developed will make you completely immune to the disease. It emerged this week a man in Hong Kong who recovered from coronavirus became infected again four and a half months later. Even if Tegnells estimate of 30% immunity is correct, they are still far off the required 70 or so per cent needed to reach effective herd immunity. The decision to keep schools open hasn't been perfect, at least one teacher has died after contracting coronavirus in a school where 18 of 76 staff tested positive. More than 5,800 Swedes have died of COVID-19, a much higher death rate than in neighbouring Norway, Denmark and Finland. Sweden currently has a number of cases per 100,000 on a 14 day average of 35.4, higher than the UKs 22.6 but lower than Frances 70 and Spains 191.9. Its deaths per 100,000 over the past 14 days are similar with 0.4, twice as high as the UKs, but lower than Spains 0.8. Coronavirus: what happened today Click here to sign up to the latest news and information with our daily Catch-up newsletter How Phalcon AWACS will boost the Indian militarys capabilities Comprehensive Story oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Aug 27: The Narendra Modi government is all set to clear the acquisition of two PHALCON airborne warning and control systems (AWACS) next week. The matter is before the Cabinet Committee on Security. The last time, the CCS had sent the proposal to National Security Advisor, Ajit Doval and sought some clarifications. The proposal was cleared earlier by the Defence Acquisition Council and was then sent to the CCS. This decision is important as Pakistan was able to deploy its SAAB AWACS 24/7 in the north and south sectors during the Balakot air strike. India was able to cover the two theatres only for 12 hours each day due to this. It is also important in the context of the standoff with China. The Phalcon AWACS will boost the capabilities of the armed forces. This is an air borne radar with a command control system through which the air defence sector can be controlled. India already has an elaborate ground radar system. However these radars find it difficult to penetrate through regions that have a lot of trees. These gaps will be closed by the AWACS. Moreover the AWACS will also help India keep a close watch on the neighbours. It will keep an eye on all air fields across the borders. Further it will keep a close watch on air-borne aircraft. Once an aircraft is spotted, it will give it an ID and help track its movements. When the same thing is done through the radar, it takes a lot of time. The AWACS will help India monitor the movement of aircraft and troop build up both during war and hostile situations. It will be able to look at least 200 miles into enemy territory and give advance warnings on the potential enemy threat. AWACS are a force multiplier, which can pick up movement of an aircraft that are on the ground and also air-borne. The Forces would have immediate information on any kind of aircraft movement across the border. This would in turn given the Air Force and Army more response time. In another major development, a big push is being given to complete a route to Ladakh that will link Darcha in Himachal Pradesh to Nimu through Padum in Kargil's Zanskar Valley. This is needed urgently given Pakistan's and China's interest in the Siachen Glacier and Daulat Beg Oldie. Officials said that the 290 kilometre road will be crucial for the movement of troops and heavy weaponry into the frontier bases of the Ladakh region. This will provide a crucial link to the Kargil region. This will be the third road link to Ladakh after the other two roads- Manali-Leh road and Srinagar-Leh highway. This road project by the Defence Ministry is being pushed hard by by the highways minister, Nitin Gadkari, following the provocation by China along the line of Actual Control in Eastern Ladakh. The work on the re-opening of an alternative road to Ladakh from Himachal Pradesh has been expedited due to its strategic importance. The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2022. The Border Roads Organisation is also working on another crucial road connecting Ladakh with Depsang plains. The road will provide access the Sub-Sector North (SSN) in Ladakh. The trigger for the standoff in eastern Ladakh was China's stiff opposition to India laying a key road in the Finger area around the Pangong Tso Lake besides construction of another road connecting the Darbuk-Shayok-Daulat Beg Oldie road. The road in the Finger area in Pangong Tso is considered crucial for India to carry out patrols. India has already decided not to stall any border infrastructure projects in eastern Ladakh. Last month, defence minister Rajnath Singh reviewed the progress of various infrastructure projects that are under construction in border areas including in Ladakh region at a high-level meeting. A 20-year-old Lawrence resident on Wednesday pleaded guilty in federal court to sexually exploiting two children who were younger than 4 years old, officials said. Jakob Nieves, who also goes by the name Dakota, pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual exploitation of children, one count of distribution of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper scheduled sentencing for Dec. 16, according to the office of U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling. Nieves has been detained since being arrested on Aug. 14, 2019, Lellings office said in a statement. An undercover agent who was investigating use of Kik messenger for the trade of child pornography communicated with Nieves. While the two were talking, Nieves sent the agent images and videos that Nieves produced, depicting Nieves sexually abusing a child, the statement said. As officials executed a search warrant at Nieves home on Aug. 14, 2019, Nieves admitted to distributing images and videos of child pornography to a user Nieves met in a Kik group for people interested in pedophilia, Lellings office said. On Nieves cell phone, authorities found pornographic images and videos of two children known to Nieves, both of whom were younger than 4 years old. There were also thousands of child pornography images depicting victims personally unknown to Nieves, the statement said. Related Content: "We must all accept that we are in this together and that we will only maintain the positive improvements that have been achieved by Victorians, if we all adhere to the restrictions. He said the restrictions will be reviewed in just over two weeks and everyone needed to stick together to "see this challenging period through to the end". "Council is working with local police and community leaders to encourage those involved with these protests to reconsider their actions and work towards a more positive outcome," he said. Labor MP Gabrielle Williams, who is the local member for Dandenong, said the protests were "very concerning". "All I can say is, as we know stage four restrictions are hard. A lot of people are frustrated," she said. Dandenong Labor MP Gabrielle Williams described the protests as "very disturbing". Credit:Getty "But the best way to keep all of us safe, especially the most vulnerable in our community, is if we all follow the advice of the Chief Health Officer. "The scenes that played out on the news in the last couple of nights were no doubt very disturbing to me, very concerning." She said she had reached out to Mr Memeti to try and understand what concerns the community had, and whether more support needed to be offered. Video footage shows a gathering of large groups of people walking in Dandenong and police presence on the ground. Local councillor Angela Long, who is one of representatives of the ward where the protest occurred, urged residents to stay at home. "I'm disappointed that they are doing that," she said. "People have been in lockdown for four weeks and I understand people are getting frustrated but [they] have to comply with the law," she said. "It is infuriating [to] those people who are doing the right thing." One of the men who filmed the tense scenes on Wednesday evening, Fuat Abazi, denied that the gatherings were being organised. "People who are following the directives are just going for walks," he told The Age. Mr Patton said there had been arrests and infringements issued to protesters in the same area on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday night this week. Video footage of the protest posted online. Credit: He said he was "absolutely concerned" with the behaviour and said the police presence in the area would be bolstered. "There are some people there taking advantage of the situation who are anti-police, anti-government, anti-everything," he told 3AW. "They mightn't be happy with the lockdown were in, no one is [but] nothing entitles them to protest in public. They cannot do it. "We'll do what we can do and put more people there and arrest more people." In one piece of footage from the scene on Wednesday, protesters scream "f--- off" and call officers "f----ing dogs", "c----" and Nazis as six officers bring a person to the ground. Another officer is then seen pointing a canister of pepper spray at the gathered group. "You see how quickly they make something aggressive?" the man filming says. "These guys are meant to be here to protect us". The large group carried speakers playing the national anthem and protest songs. Police were forced to block off roads and can be heard in footage posted online calling for the group to move. A police spokesman said four men were arrested for failing to provide identification and for breaching the Chief Health Officers directions. Nine more people were fined $1652 each for breaching the stage four lockdown restrictions. They said a 28-year-old Dandenong man was charged with assaulting and resisting police, failing to state his name and address and breaching the Chief Health Officer's directions. A 19-year-old Dandenong man was charged with using threatening words, failing to state his name and address, and breaching the Chief Health Officer's directions. A 22-year-old Dandenong man was charged with failing to state his name and address and breaching the Chief Health Officer's directions. All three were released pending summons. Video footage posted online of the clash with police at Dandenong. Credit: A 43-year-old Dandenong man was also charged with failing to state his name and address and breaching the Chief Health Officer's directions. He was bailed to appear at Dandenong Magistrates Court on December 11. Mr Patton said he was aware of a planned anti-lockdown rally to be held in Melbourne's CBD next weekend. Police have more power to halt protests under stage four lockdown and under the state of disaster declaration. Mr Patton said police would do everything they could to stop the event going ahead. Video footage posted online of the clash with police at Dandenong. Credit: Police fined 180 people in Victoria in the 24 hours to Thursday morning, including 17 infringements issued to people not wearing face coverings, 16 at vehicle checkpoints and 53 for curfew breaches. A man was spotted by police with a friend at a skate park in the Moreland area and was told to leave. He received a warning but went back to the same park an hour later and was given a $1652 fine. Another man was fined after he was spoken to by police at Sunshine railway station because he was not wearing a face covering. He claimed the reason he was further than five kilometres from his home was to visit his aunt. New Ethiopian ambassador to Egypt Markos Tekle submitted on Thursday a copy of his credentials to Assistant Foreign Minister for African Affairs Ambassador Abu Bakr Hefny; to officially start his term. During the meeting, the Ethiopian ambassador told the assistant foreign minister that he will seek during his tenure to boost strong relations between the two countries at the different social, political and economic levels. Tekle affirmed that the current talks among Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) are going well. Tekle previously served as Ethiopia's ambassador to Japan and assumed the post of the director general of the diplomatic academy at the Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as an assistant professor at the School of Diplomacy and International Relations at the Ethiopian Civil Service University. Search Keywords: Short link: North Korean soldiers stand guard on the banks of the Yalu River which separates the North Korean town of Sinuiju from the Chinese border town of Dandong, in a file photo. North Korea has ordered military units and police to shoot on sight anyone in the country who goes within one kilometer (0.6 miles) of the Sino-Korean border, the latest of Pyongyangs draconian measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, sources in the country told RFA Wednesday. A resident of North Hamgyong province, who requested anonymity for security reasons, told RFAs Korean Service that he learned of the new border policy less than a day before it took effect at midnight local time Thursday. Police in the city of Hoeryong issued an emergency notice from the Ministry of Social Security, saying they would kill anyone within a kilometer of the North Korea-China border regardless of their reason for being there, the source said. The emergency declaration will be in effect along the entire North Korea-China border until the coronavirus pandemic ends, said the source, adding that authorities emphasized that they were trying to prevent the transmission of coronavirus through contact with people from China. Though the two countries suspended trade and officially closed the border at the beginning of the pandemic in January, the frontier has remained porous, because North Koreas nascent market economy depends on the smuggling of goods into and out of China. Since January, RFA reported several incidents related to smuggling of goods or movement of people across the border, including the mid-July return of a refugee that had previously escaped. He was undetected during his return, and a reportedly infuriated top leader Kim Jong Un disbanded the military unit responsible for guarding the part of the border he crossed. RFA also previously reported that North Korean elite special forces troops were sent to assist border guard units posted there, but sources said their true purpose was to watch the guards for corruption, as smugglers often pay off the guards to look the other way when they send or receive shipments across the border. North Korea is serious about maintaining its claimedbut widely-doubtedstatus as the only virus-free country in the world, according to the North Hamgyong resident. After announcing the declaration, the police department told the public, The coronavirus has spread everywhere except our country, so the enemy is trying to infiltrate the border by sending the virus across it, the source said. They stressed the need to raise awareness among the border area residents and establish a system to report strangers and activities of the enemy, the source added. North Korea still has not reported a single COVID-19 case, even though in April it admitted to citizens in public lectures that the virus was spreading in three seperate parts of the country, including the capital. Kim Jong Un in June fired senior health officials for failing to contain the virus and declared a maximum national emergency in July, locking down the city of Kaesong and forbidding travel between provinces after the government said a suspected case turned up there. The government is sending ammunition to the police in the border areas so they can carry out the new border policy, the North Hamgyong resident said. They are even saying that no one will be held responsible for shooting deaths that occur within a kilometer of the border area, said the source. The forbidden zone covers the entire 1,420-km (880-mile) border with China, in the four provinces of North Hamgyong, North Pyongan, Chagang and Ryanggang. A military source from North Hamgyong confirmed the declaration to RFA, saying that the military received notification Tuesday. At around 5:00 p.m. on the 25th, an urgent telegram from the Supreme Command came in telling the military to kill anyone within a kilometer of the border regardless of the reason. The emergency message goes into effect from midnight on the 26th, the second source said. The emergency order stipulates that soldiers on border guard duty will leave behind their blank shots and carry only live ammunition. The authorities have sent the notorious special forces to the border area [to watch the border guard units] and now they are ordering the units to fire upon their mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers with live ammunition, said the second source. The second source confirmed that the public was informed of the new restrictions on Wednesday morning. Residents must not go within a kilometer of the border line for the time being, even if their livelihoods are difficult. North Koreas official Rodong Sinmun newspaper reported Wednesday that Kim Jong Un presided over an enlarged meeting of the Political Bureau to discuss in the countrys emergency quarantine readiness and to further enhance efforts to contain the coronavirus. The government has stressed that the prevention of the coronavirus is directly linked to the well-being of the people and the safety of the country, and has called the response to the crisis a matter of national survival. However, sources have told RFA that the North Korean authorities are facing an economic crisis and have enacted the border policy to suppress complaints from the people and prevent their escape. Reported by Sewon Kim for RFAs Korean Service. Translated by Leejin Jun. Written in English by Eugene Whong The National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) on Thursday organised a social auditing programme at Chorkor to address the sanitation issues confronting the community. The forum brought together opinion and traditional leaders, representatives from the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (A.M.A) and members of the community. A nine-member committee was sworn-in to discuss strategies to solve issues concerning the community. Ms Druscilla Lartey, the NCCE Officer-in-Charge of the Ablekuma South Metro, in an address said in consultation with the traditional and opinion leaders, the community identified sanitation as the major challenge. She said lack of refuse containers and open defecation at the beach due to inadequate toilet facilities were also highlighted as challenges. Ms Lartey reiterated the need for a change in the COVID-19 advocacy language to reinvigorate the sense of urgency. He said, the pandemic is deadly therefore we must all work together to stop the spread. The easing of restrictions does not mean it is all over. No rather the state has imposed an obligation on every citizen, a sense of responsibility to serve as the first line of front workers to stop the spread. Stop COVID-19 at your doorstep, and let me also stop it at my doorstep, we will together defeat the pandemic, Ms Lartey stated during the engagement at Chorkor. It is unacceptable for people to refuse to practice social distancing and also refused to wear the mask. These are anti-social activities and behaviour, which works against our collective aim to deal with the pandemic. Ms Lartey said good environmental practices were critical to the fight against the spread of COVID-19 and called on residents to observe personal hygiene and adhere to the safety protocols as outlined by the World Health Organisation and the Ghana Health Service. Mr Alfred Oko Vanderpuije, Member of Parliament for Ablekuma South Constituency, said sanitation was a major challenge in the community. He said the AMA had the primary responsibility to lead the way to curb the menace. He said stakeholders, including the community members should develop a roadmap to deal with the situation. The AMA should not sit down and say there is no fund but get together with community members and tackle the issue or it will overwhelm us all. Mr Vanderpuije called on businesses and NGOS to consider it as part of their social community responsibility to contribute resources to help deal with the challenge. He suggested that property rates should go directly to the AMA, and advised community members to pay up to enable the Assembly to use part of the revenue to fund sanitation projects. Mr Julius Armah, Acting Sub-Metro Director, said the sanitation challenge in the community was complex and that it called for a collective responsibility to tackle it. He said community members do not allow refuse containers to be placed near their houses for fear that the place would be littered. Nii Abiala Wolaatse for Chorkor Mantsuru appealed to the government to come to their aid and to provide proper demarcation of houses in the community to enable refuse trucks enter the beaches and the community. Nii Abiala said it was embarrassing to the community to be mentioned whenever there were talks on the television and other media platforms on sanitation. Mr Ivan Esinam Tekpli, Sub-Metro Chairman of the AMA, said revenue to deal with the sanitation challenge was insufficient. Mr Stephen Okuley, a member of the community, said there should be stiffer punishment for recalcitrant offenders of sanitation laws to serve as a deterrent to others. Dignitaries included Nii Adotey Berima Shitse II, Chorkor Mantse; Nii Abiala Wolaatse or Chorkor Mnatsuru; and Madam Mercy Essien, NCCE Deputy Regional Director. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Uttar Pradeshs gangster turned MLA Mukthar Ansaris property in Dalibagh colony area of capital Lucknow has been demolished by the Lucknow Development Authority on Thursday amid presence of heavy police force. The Lucknow Development Authority carried out the demolition of two illegal residential towers of the building owned by Ansari, who is currently languishing in jail. An FIR has been registered in connection with the case and the administration has indicated that it intends to recover the expenses incurred in the demolition exercise from Ansari since the building was illegal. Big JCB machines were used to pull down the alleged illegal portions of the building while police were deployed outside the premises to prevent any potential law and order issue. Gangster Mukhtar Ansaris illegally owned property demolished near Dalibagh Colony. Expenses of demolition will be recovered from him. FIR will be registered. Responsibility of officials under whom this illegal construction took place will be fixed, the Lucknow Administration was quoted as saying by news agency ANI. Mukhtar Ansari is in Ropar jail in Punjab jail since early 2019. He is an accused in the killing of BJP leader Krishnanand Rai in 2005. His henchman and sharpshooter Rakesh Pandey alias Hanuman Pandey was gunned down by the Special Task Force (STF) on the outskirts of Lucknow on August 9. Earlier in July, the state police had suspended arms licenses of Ansaris four aides in a concerted action taken against mafia and top criminals. In January, Mau police had booked Ansari and five others in connection with obtaining four arms licences by furnishing fake addresses 19 years ago. Also Read: How the UP government is demolishing the mafia Earlier this year properties worth over Rs 50 lakh of another aide of Ansari were also confiscated by the Varanasi police. Last year, Lucknow Police had seized 6 weapons and 4,431 cartridges from the residence of gangster Mukhtar Ansaris son Abbas Ansari. Abbas had allegedly procured six weapons on a single license, the police said. BuzzFeed News first reported that Kyle Rittenhouse can be seen wearing a white hat in the crowd of a January Trump campaign rally in Des Moines, Iowa. C-SPAN The suspect in a shooting at the Kenosha protests attended a campaign rally for President Donald Trump in January, event footage and a social media post show. Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, of Antioch, Illinois, was arrested on Wednesday and charged with first-degree intentional homicide after he opened fire on protesters Tuesday night, killing two and injuring one. The teenager attended the Trump rally at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, on January 30, and can be seen in a screenshot of the C-SPAN broadcast of the event, BuzzFeed News first reported. The teenager expressed support for "Blue Lives Matter" a counter-movement to Black Lives Matter that supports police officers and idolized the police in posts shared on social media. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. The suspect behind a shooting at Black Lives Matter protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin, sat front row at a campaign rally for President Donald Trump in January, event footage and a social media post show. Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, was arrested Wednesday at his home in Antioch, Illinois, and charged with first-degree intentional homicide in connection with the shooting. BuzzFeed News first reported that Rittenhouse attended the Trump rally at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, at the end of January. A screenshot of a C-Span broadcast showed the teenager just a few feet away from President Donald Trump in the crowd. Rittenhouse also posted a TikTok video of the event. A Trump campaign spokesperson told Bloomberg's Mario Parker that Rittenhouse, who was not named in the statement, had "nothing to do with our campaign." "President Trump has repeatedly and consistently condemned all forms of violence and believes we must protect all Americans from chaos and lawlessness," the spokesperson said. "This individual had nothing to do with our campaign, and we fully support our fantastic law enforcement for their swift action in this case." Story continues Armed with an AR-15, Rittenhouse shot into a crowd of protesters Tuesday night in Kenosha, killing two people and injuring another, who is now hospitalized. The protests in Kenosha were sparked by the shooting of Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old Black man who was shot seven times in the back by police officer Rusten Sheskey as he opened the door to his vehicle with three of his children inside. Blake's family told reporters on Tuesday that he was in stable condition but is still in the ICU. He is paralyzed from the waist down, his family and attorney said. A teenager armed with an AR-15 shot three protesters, killing two. Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) Koerri Elijah, a Kenosha resident who was filming the protests, told Insider's Haven Orecchio-Egresitz that Rittenhouse seemed "on edge" but didn't initially pose as a threat. "I noticed him the entire time. He didn't seem like he was there with anyone," he said. "He was armed. He didn't seem like he was a threat, but I thought maybe I should keep an eye on him." Video taken at the scene shows a teenager who appears to be Rittenhouse running with the gun, before he trips and falls to the ground. As protesters approached him, shots rang out and the crowd scattered. Insider previously reported that the teenager expressed support for "Blue Lives Matter" a counter-movement to Black Lives Matter that supports police officers and idolized the police in posts shared on social media. Read the original article on Business Insider Fire officials reported Wednesday night that the Medio Fire burning in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains north of Santa Fe has consumed 2,939 acres in the Santa Fe National Forest and was 21% contained. Carl Schwope, the incident commander for the fire, said during a virtual community meeting that firefighters were making excellent progress combatting the fire. Firefighters continued burn out operations on the southwest flank of the fire on Wednesday, hoping to secure that section of the perimeter. Tuesday night, helicopters set fires along a ridge top on the eastern end of the fire where it was backing down the Rio Nambe Trail. Firefighters were also working to protect Jemez Mountains Electric Cooperative powerlines and infrastructure on that side of the fire. The overall strategy is to get the fire to burn east into the burn scar left by the 2011 Pacheco Fire. No structures are currently at risk, but some cultural and tribal resources are threatened. More than 250 firefighters were working the blaze. The cause of the Medio Fire has not been determined. Meanwhile, the estimated size of a second fire burning in the Santa Fe National Forest, the Caja Fire, was scaled back from a previous estimate of 600 acres to just 158 acres, saying earlier estimates were based on aerial observations taken during heavy smoke. That fire, burning on the Caja de Rio Plateau west of Santa Fe, is listed at 50% contained. That fire is believed to have been ignited by a lightning strike on Sunday. The Santa Fe National Forest has implemented Stage 1 fire restrictions to reduce the risk of human-caused fires. That means campfires, charcoal grills and coal and wood stoves are only allowed in developed campsites and picnic areas with agency-built fire rings and grills are located. Chittoor: Smartphones worth around Rs 2 crore looted from a vehicle which was carrying the consignment to Mumbai, by miscreants in Chittoor near Andhra Pradesh-Tamil Nadu border, police said on Wednesday. Nagari urban Police official said that driver of the vehicle was thrashed, tied up and thrown out of the vehicle. "One Irfan, driver of a container lorry came to Nagari urban police station on Wednesday morning at around 8.30 am. He said that he was coming from Sriperambudur of Tamil Nadu and was on way to Mumbai. He was taking the lorry from Xiaomi mobile manufacturing unit at Sriperumbudur. He said that the vehicle was at Tamil Nadu-Andhra Pradesh borders at midnight on Tuesday when another lorry intercepted him," the official said. "Irfan said that the persons from another lorry thrashed him, tied him and took his lorry to a secluded place. They left him, looted the property in the container and ran away, leaving Irfan alone. He further said that somehow he walked to Nagari town, and local people directed him to Nagari Urban Police Station," the official added. Nagari urban police took Irfan and started searching for the container lorry. They could trace out the lorry at around 11 am at an area between Narayanavanam and Puttur. "The police contacted Sriperambudur unit of the mobile manufacturing company and gave information to them over the phone. The representatives of the company rushed to Nagari by around 3.30 pm. Then the police took them to the container for checking the property. Company representatives checked the container and informed that 8 bundles out of a total of 16 bundles of mobile phones are stolen from the container. The worth of the stolen property is approximately Rs 2 crores," the official said. Based on the complaint made by the company representative, police have registered FIR under Section 395 of IPC. "Driver Irfan is taken into custody. An investigation into the case is launched. Special teams are formed to catch the culprits," the official said. A funding deadline for the proposed redevelopment of the Portage Place Mall will be extended for three months, as the federal government continues to assess a financial request for the project. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 27/8/2020 (511 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. A funding deadline for the proposed redevelopment of the Portage Place Mall will be extended for three months, as the federal government continues to assess a financial request for the project. Developer Starlight Investments had said it wouldnt proceed with the $400-million project unless the governments of Winnipeg, Manitoba and Canada each committed $20 million of funding by today. Instead, that deadline will be extended. "Our understanding is that, due to the pandemic, there are still some things that need to happen and thats understandable given the current climate that were in," said Clare MacKay, vice-president of strategic initiatives for The Forks, which is part of a partnership that owns the land. Starlight spokesperson Marni Larkin said the delay isnt optimal but the company remains optimistic about the project. "Starlight is committed to the project and sees a light at the end of the tunnel Its just a matter of now continuing the conversations with the federal government," said Larkin. That government is still assessing its $20-million share of the public funding request. "The government continues to do due diligence on Starlights proposal," said Alexander Cohen, press secretary for Melanie Joly, the minister responsible for Western Economic Diversification. Cohen declined to comment on what details are still being discussed. Earlier this month, Dan Vandal, Manitobas only federal cabinet minister, told the Free Press his government still needed more details on the public value of the project. "If were going to invest millions in Portage Place, we need to know where the moneys going," Vandal said at the time. The city and province have approved their shares of the funding request, with the province committing a $28.7-million education tax rebate and the city approving a $20-million incentive package. "Now were engaging in the discussion (with the city) to create the written document but were quite confident that we can make it work," said Larkin. The federal government funding is the last large piece of the financial puzzle to sort out, she said. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Starlight argues the project, which proposes to create 500 housing units and almost 500,000 square feet of office and retail space, would produce plenty of value for the community. The proposed public elements include a 10,000-square-foot community space, and a pledge to ensure 10 per cent of the new apartments have affordable rents. "Theres a ton of things that we think have immense benefit to the public," said Larkin. The federal assessment contrasts with the quick approval of the projects city funding in July. Multiple councillors complained of being rushed to cast a final vote just hours after they learned of the final incentive package. Joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @joyanne_pursaga - The loan agreement was signed by Treasury Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yattani and Japan Ambassador to Kenya Ryoichi Horie - The funds will help President Uhuru Kenyatta's government to realise the Universal Health Coverage programme - Japan further agreed to disperse a grant aid for provisions of medical equipment to over 10 counties - Kenya would also receive 10 ambulances to boost fight against coronavirus - Between March and August, Uhuru's administration has received loans and grants totalling to over KSh 230 billion Kenya has secured a loan worth KSh 8 billion to boost its health Kenya amid raving COVI-19 Pandemic. The ministry further received 500 COVID-19 kits which were donated to the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) to enable the institution conduct at least 50, 000 tests. READ ALSO: COVID-19: 373 new cases reported in Kenya as 3 more die Treasury CS Ukur Yattani (right) and Japan ambassador to Kenya Ryoichi Horie Photo: The National Treasury. Source: Facebook READ ALSO: Okoth Obado, 4 children to spend weekend in cell pending bail hearing Speaking during the donation at KEMRI headquarters on Thursday, August 27, Health Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS) Rashid Aman thanked the government of Japan for its continued support since 1979. "The Government of Japan through its support has played a major role since the inception of KEMRI in 1979 and we want to express our sincere gratitude for this partnership," said Aman. READ ALSO: Wakenya wamsifu Jaji Mumbi Ngugi kwa kuwakalia ngumu washukiwa wa ufisadi Big Four Agenda Japan ambassador to Kenya Ryoichi Horie appreciated the country's efforts in combating COVID-19 pandemic and strategies put in place to improve healthcare. The ambassador noted Japan Japan was committed to helping Kenya achieve the Universal Health Coverage under President Uhuru Kenyatta's Big Four Agenda. "This morning I have signed an exchange note titled Policy Loan for Attainment of the Universal Health Coverage with Honourable Yatani of Treasury at his office. "The total amount more than KSh 8 billion. We have done a first phase of the same assistance in the past amounting to KSh4 billion," he noted. Repayment period of 30 years Under the partnership signed, by the two countries, Japan agreed to further disperse a grant aid for provisions of medical equipment to over 10 counties. Kenya will also receive 10 ambulances to boost her fight against coronavirus. Uhuru's administration was offered a repayment period of 30 years with a grace period of a decade. Secured KSh 22 billion from ADB On March 16, 2020, just three days after recording her first case of COVID-19, Kenya received KSh 6.1 billion from World Bank to help combat the viral disease. On May 21, 2020, World Bank in a statement disclosed it had approved KSh 4.59 billion to support Kenya's fight against desert locust. A day earlier, the same bank approved Kenya's loan of KSh 106.8 billion to close the fiscal financing gap generated by the impact of COVID-19 on the country's economy. Around the same time, Kenya secured KSh 22 billion loan from the Africa Development Bank to boost her preparedness in combating the pandemic. On May 7, 2020, Uhuru's government received KSh 78 billion from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to boost the fight against coronavirus. Do you have an inspirational story you would like us to publish? Please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Tuko news Corona has totally ruined our lives - Walter Waweru | Tuko TV Source: TUKO.co.ke Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Carl O'Donnell and Mrinalika Roy (Reuters) Thu, August 27, 2020 07:48 511 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c40c0135 2 World US,coronavirus,COVID-19,COVID-19-test,coronavirus-testing,pandemic,SARS-CoV-2,virus Free The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said this week that people exposed to COVID-19 but not symptomatic may not need to be tested, shocking doctors and politicians and prompting accusations the guidance was politically motivated. The advice marks a reversal of the agency's previous position recommending testing for all close contacts of people diagnosed with COVID-19. Admiral Brett Giroir, the assistant secretary for health at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), said the goal was "appropriate testing," not more testing for its own sake, and that there was no political pressure from the administration behind the decision. CNN and The New York Times reported on Wednesday that US public health officials were ordered by high-level members of the Trump administration to push forward with the changes. This was a product produced by the scientific and medical people that was discussed extensively at the task force," said Giroir. The task force is led by Vice President Mike Pence. The president of the American Medical Association, the largest US association of physicians, said the advice could accelerate the spread of the virus. "Suggesting that people without symptoms, who have known exposure to COVID-positive individuals, do not need testing is a recipe for community spread and more spikes in coronavirus," AMA President Susan Bailey said in a statement. Anthony Fauci, the top US government infectious disease expert, told CNN he was having surgery during discussion of the change. "I am concerned about the interpretation of these recommendations and worried it will give people the incorrect assumption that asymptomatic spread is not of great concern. In fact it is," he said. The Trump administration has been criticized for its handling of COVID-19 testing, with many states falling short of the volume needed to help contain the virus during major outbreaks. Trump told a rally in June testing is a "double-edged" sword because it leads to more cases being discovered, causing the United States to appear worse off than it would otherwise. He added that he urged officials to "slow the testing down, please." A White House official at the time told Reuters that the remark was a joke. The United States has had more than 5 million diagnosed cases of COVID-19 and nearly 180,000 people have died. California on Wednesday announced a deal with PerkinElmer to nearly double the state's testing capacity, and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo quickly challenged the assertion that politics played no role in the change. We need public health people who do public health and not politics, and were going to disregard the CDC guidance totally, he told MSNBC. Tests of asymptomatic people conducted too early to accurately detect the virus can lead to a false sense of security and potentially help spread the virus, Giroir said. Health experts said the move could hurt contact tracing efforts to prevent virus spread. Its inexplicable why this guidance suddenly changed. There is no new science that were aware of," Dr. Leana Wen, former Baltimore health commissioner and visiting professor at George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health told CNN. "We need far more testing, not less." US Blacklists 24 Chinese Companies for 'Helping to Build Military Islands' in South China Sea Sputnik News 12:45 GMT 26.08.2020(updated 13:46 GMT 26.08.2020) Earlier this week, the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) introduced a fresh round of sanctions against China's Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC) amid allegations of human rights abuses. The United States has blacklisted 24 Chinese companies over their alleged role in building military fortifications on artificial islands in the South China Sea, the US Commerce Department announced in a press release on Wednesday. "Department of Commerce (Commerce) added 24 Chinese companies to the Entity List for their role in helping the Chinese military construct and militarize the internationally condemned artificial islands in the South China Sea," the release said. "Despite protests from the United States and other countries, the government of the People's Republic of China (PRC) has been rapidly building the artificial islands since 2013, enabling the Communist Chinese Party's (CCP) militarization of disputed outposts in the South China Sea to undermine the sovereign rights of US partners in the region." At the same time, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced in a statement that the US will ban certain Chinese nationals allegedly involved the militarization of the South China Sea from entering the country. "Today, the Department of State will begin imposing visa restrictions on People's Republic of China (PRC) individuals responsible for, or complicit in, either the large-scale reclamation, construction, or militarization of disputed outposts in the South China Sea, or the PRC's use of coercion against Southeast Asian claimants to inhibit their access to offshore resources," Pompeo said. The 24 entities blacklisted by the Commerce Department include several subsidiaries of China Communications Construction Company, China Electronics Technology Group Corporation, 30th Research Institute (CETC-30), China Shipbuilding Group, 722nd Research Institute, and Wuhan Mailite Communication Co., Ltd. among others. The Commerce Department said in its release that China has Since constructed more than 3,000 acres across seven features in the South China Sea since 2013, including air defence and anti-ship missile features. "In addition, the PRC's dredging and construction of certain outposts violate the sovereign rights of the Republic of the Philippines, as determined by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in its July 2016 award in a case brought by the Philippines against the PRC," the department said. "In the Entity List additions, Commerce determined these entities enabled China to construct and militarize disputed outposts in the South China Sea." China claims the South China Sea as sovereign territory and has built military bases on artificial islands. Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines and Taiwan are also making claims to parts of the strategic body of water closer to their own shores. The United States views the sea as an international waterway and routinely defies China with patrols by US and allied warships in so-called freedom of navigation exercises. The territorial dispute centres around strategic shipping, fishing and energy resources dates back to the immediate post-World War 2 period. China and the ASEAN group of nations began negotiating on a 'code of conduct' for the region in 2002, but little progress has been made since the early 2010s amid ongoing US 'freedom of navigation' missions throughout the area. A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ukraine and Turkey have significant potential for stepping up cooperation in the defense industry, primarily in the field of aircraft engine construction and the aviation industry in general, Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Strategic Industries Oleh Urusky has told Ukrinform. "It's a two-way road. We are interested in the capabilities of the Turkish defense industry, just as the Turkish side is interested in cooperation with Ukraine. We have all the prerequisites for this. We do not have any aggravating circumstances, we are open to cooperation. I hope that all the developments will be considered at the expert level in the near future and will lead to the signing of serious contracts," Urusky said. According to him, Turkey is ready to cooperate with Ukraine. "Based on the results of the first day's meetings, I can conclude that the Turkish side is ready to expand cooperation with Ukraine in many areas," he added. Urusky said that Ukraine and Turkey have a serious potential to increase the existing cooperation. "First of all, this is an increase in the field of aircraft engine construction and in the aviation industry in general. We offered the capabilities of our [enterprises] Ivchenko-Progress and Motor Sich to expand cooperation and collaboration with Turkish companies. There's a possibility of establishing cooperation with Antonov State Enterprise. We are seriously considering expanding our cooperation with Roketsan. We hope that potential areas will be realized and we will fill our cooperation with even greater meaning," Urusky said. According to him, Ukraine is interested in increasing its export potential. "We have a task to seriously increase our export potential, because it is about creating jobs for our citizens, improving the social component. Therefore, we need to think about how we can fill our enterprises with contractual obligations," he added. He said that in the near future, he plans to visit partner countries in the Middle East and Southeast Asia. ADRIAN, MI A fleeing suspect eluded capture early Tuesday after leading officers in a brief chase in a stolen car and crashing, police said. Police were called shortly after midnight Aug. 25, to the Bell Ford Dealership, 4510 U.S. 223 in Adrian, for a report of a white Lincoln that had been stolen off the lot, according to the Lenawee County Sheriffs Office. A deputy spotted the vehicle and attempted to stop it near the intersection of S. Main and Beecher streets in Adrian, but the vehicle took off, leading to a brief pursuit, police said. A short time into the chase, the vehicle crashed into the front porch of a home on Toledo Street where the driver exited the vehicle and ran, police said. No one was home at the residence at the time of the crash, police said. Deputies, assisted by a police K-9, attempted to track the suspect but were unsuccessful. No suspect information is available at this time and the incident remains under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Lenawee County Sheriffs Office at 517-263-0524. The Michigan State Police and Adrian Police Department assisted at the scene. More from MLive: 16 villas planned for retirement community in Chelsea Grand reopening planned at Cherry Republic in Ann Arbor on Saturday Freak car crash into Jackson funeral home prompts renovation plans $9.5 million lofts open in Jackson to help seniors age in place As unemployment claims remain relatively low, the Labor Department paid out the least in unemployment benefits since mid-April a sharp downturn following the expiration of the $600 weekly federal benefit. The department saw 20,175 new jobless claims for the week ending Aug. 22, a 21% decline from the week prior as more businesses across the state continue reopening. About $316 million was paid out to unemployed New Jerseyans that week, about half of what was paid out at the height of the coronavirus pandemic in April when the extra $600 supplement was put in place and more than 140,000 new claims were coming in weekly, the state Labor Department said. The $600 federal benefit was available to anyone eligible for unemployment benefits and ran from April 4 to July 25. In New Jersey, workers received $8.4 billion in additional benefits over four months, according to Labor statistics. Labor Commissioner Robert Asaro-Angelo announced Wednesday that the state applied for a grant through FEMAs Lost Wages Supplemental Assistance program, which provides up to $300 per week to eligible applicants, on top of other unemployment benefits. While we will take whatever steps are necessary to get as much federal assistance to unemployed New Jersey workers as possible, the FEMA program provides half the benefit and only to a fraction of unemployed individuals and families struggling under the weight of this continuing pandemic, he said, noting the funding will quickly run out and excludes people who didnt lose their job as a result of the pandemic. The program, created by an executive order signed by President Donald Trump after Congress could not pass an additional package including unemployment benefits, would pay benefits retroactive to the weeks of Aug. 1, Aug. 8 and Aug. 15. Subsequently, the state would have to apply for funding each week. CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Newsletter | Homepage And it creates a new challenge in making payouts, because an entirely new program is needed to process claims differently from the current infrastructure, and it will not be easy or quick, he said at Gov. Phil Murphys coronavirus briefing Wednesday. It makes far more sense for Congress to extend the $600 supplement, which would require us to literally flip a switch to get those benefits flowing again, he said. Rather than three weekly payments to workers, the money would probably be sent in a lump sum, and probably wouldnt come until October, he said. And states could also pitch in another $100 to bring the weekly payment up to $400, but Murphy said New Jersey cannot afford to fund the expanded benefit. The Labor Department has been plagued with issues since an avalanche of claims created a massive backlog when workers were laid off or furloughed in droves in March while businesses shuttered to stop the spread of coronavirus. Of the more than 1.5 million workers have applied for unemployment benefits, about 1.34 million have been deemed eligible. Of those, 96 percent have received payment. Tens of thousands are still awaiting payments, some as far back as March. Nationally, another 1 million workers filed for unemployment benefits, a slight decline from the week prior but continuing the at-least-a-million trend that was only broken at the start of August, when 963,000 Americans filed new claims. New Jersey workers who are eligible for unemployment may receive 60 percent of their wages, up to $713. Although the $600 supplement expired, the Labor Department continues to issue those payments for eligible claims for weeks ending April 4 through July 25. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Sophie Nieto-Munoz may be reached at snietomunoz@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her at @snietomunoz. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips Whether four more years of Trump or Biden, Arabs should better be prepared to grapple with a new regional order emerging Like every country or region across the world, the Arab nations are likely watching the contentious presidential campaign unfolding in the US and anxiously wondering what the outcome could mean for them. US policy in the Middle East, one of the most bipartisan issues in Washington, has shifted under Donald Trumps Republican administration, and all eyes are now on Democratic Party candidate Joe Biden and whether he will change any of Trumps actions. As the race for choosing Americas next president heats up and the Arabs weigh the choice between Trump and Biden, the Arab world faces a potential challenge: a shortage of options to set priorities and objectives in the post-US election era. After four years of reckless US Middle East policies under Trump, the Arabs should be counting the days to the November elections, hoping that fairer and more value-driven foreign policies will be adopted by the next US administration. Trumps incoherent foreign policy has played a pivotal role in reshaping US relationships with the Middle East. Instead of its traditional proactive and even hegemonic foreign policy that the US has always pursued in the Middle East, Trump followed his instincts and pushed a hotchpotch approach that aimed solely at erasing former US president Barack Obamas legacy. The Trump administrations vision for the Middle East, as stated in the US National Security Strategy, merely mentions vague goals, such as promoting stability and a favourable balance of power, while lacking any mention of cooperation and engagement with regional powers to solve complex issues. Trumps irrational Middle East policies, including on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and the crises in Iran, Iraq, Libya, Syria and over energy, have largely been seen as encouraging chaos and making US allies in the region uncertain and fearful. The Middle East peace plan, touted as the Deal of the Century, which was introduced by Trump in January 2020 fell remarkably short of that goal and was unlikely ever to become the basis for a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. The framework was a sharp departure from decades of US policy of supporting a Palestinian state and heavily tilted in favour of Israel and paved the way for the annexation of the occupied Palestinian territories. The plan aimed primarily to boost the Israeli extreme right and its plans to end the two-state solution, inflicting more anger, despair and hopelessness on the Palestinians and making the region as a whole more combustible and dangerous. A similar lack of clear objectives and coherent strategy features in the Trump administrations policies towards Iran. Trumps attempts to undermine a 2015 accord limiting Irans nuclear programme have run into serious problems and raised the threat of a broader regional confrontation. Trumps escalation with Iran has become the most vivid example yet of his foreign-policy fiascos and has ironically raised tensions with Iran just as it has weakened the overall US position in the Middle East. The absence of US leadership in the Middle East or even basic guidance under Trump has been underscored by his failure to respond effectively to events in Iraq and Syria and has consequently raised alarms about the future of the fight against the Islamic State (IS) terror group. One of the key issues that has put the Middle East at a crossroads today is the Trump administrations strategy on countering rising Chinese and Russian influence in the region, enabling Beijing and Moscow to focus on becoming larger economic and energy players in the Middle East. More importantly, Trumps lack of focus on the new geopolitical competition has increasingly helped the two powers to become more entangled in regional politics and security issues. As the Chinese and Russian clout in the Middle East continue to grow, Trump has done even less to contain their expansion, thus weakening the US strategic position and strengthening theirs, effectively reshaping the regional geostrategic landscape. Trump has left many US allies in the Arab world blindsided and out of the loop, rendering them dangerously exposed both to China and to Russia and their ambitious policies in the Middle East. The question now, should Biden win the White House in November, is whether the new US president will introduce a foreign-policy shift that will dismantle or severely curtail many of Trumps actions in the Middle East. Biden has promised to fix US foreign policy and restore the credibility and influence of the US in the world as a whole, which has been showing signs of decline since Trump came to power in 2017. In an article he wrote in the US magazine Foreign Affairs in April, Biden said he would seek to rescue US foreign policy after Trump, though he acknowledged that picking up the pieces will be an enormous task. Biden is also under pressure from influential progressives in the Democratic Party to make drastic changes in US Middle East policies, particularly towards the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and softening support for Israeli policies. While it remains unclear if Biden will reverse some of Trumps actions in regard to the Palestinian-Israeli peace process, such as the recognition of Jerusalem as Israels capital or returning the US embassy to Tel Aviv, Biden may restore the US role in brokering a peace settlement. Biden is also expected to be less confrontational with Iran, and he is likely to return to talks with the Islamic Republic to re-establish a basic working relationship and some level of mutual trust. A new Democratic administration will likely get to work on a long list of other Middle East conflicts in Iraq, Libya, Syria and Yemen and on addressing threats from terrorism. A renewed US embrace of these issues could jolt the Middle East out of its current geopolitical stasis. Additionally, Biden is expected to take bold action against the two main rival powers of the US, Russia and China, which are contesting US power in the Middle East through a combination of political and economic influence. One of the critical issues that is likely to arise with Washington pivoting back to the Middle East is tough talk from Biden on human rights and democratic reforms and fears that he will turn these issues into bargaining chips with governments. From an analytical perspective, there are several possible futures for the Arab world in the period after the US presidential elections, all of them maybe undesirable and requiring the Arabs to be more prepared to deal with their consequences. Trumps chaotic term in the Oval Office has made it clear that he will leave behind him a powder keg in the Middle East, with disputes raging and tensions rising almost everywhere. Whoever wins in the US in November, the Middle East will remain a combustible region awash with dangerous geostrategic conflicts and risks that matters could escalate further and even as far as blows. If reelected, Trump is expected to pursue the same style of madman diplomacy, while Bidens central goal will be to find windows of opportunity to master and reshape the Middle Easts changing environment. Yet, regardless of the outcome, the Arab world faces tough years ahead regarding the US role in the Middle East, much of it because the world is entering a stage where the US is taking up less space. There are concerns that things will change drastically and fast even if a new Biden administration tries to undo much of Trumps legacy in US Middle East policies. Much of the US disengagement in the Middle East started under Obama, who steadily distanced his administration from the conflicts in the region, despite constant warnings from experts and allies along the way against leaving the Middle East. Barring a tectonic geostrategic shift directly impacting the US, the Arab world should expect America to continue downsizing the size of its footprint in the Middle East, which is no longer integral to its economic prosperity and global interests. Many experts have been arguing that the US has few remaining vital interests in the region, raising questions as to whether it is worth maintaining the huge US presence in the region. Historically, the relationship between the US and the Arab world has always had its ups and downs, but beyond these what is needed by the Arabs is a broader change in attitudes and strategies in order to deal with the reality on the ground in a new post-US election period and probably also in a post-US era in the Middle East. *A version of this article appears in print in the 27 August, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Search Keywords: Short link: Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel (R) looks at US President Donald Trump (R) walking past her during a family photo as part of the NATO summit at the Grove hotel in Watford, northeast of London on December 4, 2019. NATO's secretary general is meeting German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin Thursday against a backdrop of challenges for the transatlantic military alliance and rising tensions in Europe. But there is skepticism over what role NATO can, and should, play in de-escalating international disputes, as divisions remain within the organization. The meeting between NATO's leader Jens Stoltenberg and Merkel comes amid a continuing crackdown against protesters in Belarus, which neighbors the European Union, and mounting tensions between NATO members (but historical rivals) Greece and Turkey in the Mediterranean, as well as the recent withdrawal of U.S. troops stationed in Germany. Addressing the situation in Belarus, where protesters continue to call for the resignation of President Alexander Lukashenko after a disputed election result earlier in August, Stoltenberg denied accusations that NATO troops were gathering at the country's border with Poland and Lithuania. "NATO has no military build-up in the region so any excuse to use that as an excuse to crack down on peaceful protesters is absolutely unjustified," Stoltenberg, who arrived in Berlin on Wednesday to meet with senior German officials and attend an informal meeting of EU defense ministers, said. He also addressed the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Germany. This decision was made by U.S. President Donald Trump who has repeatedly lambasted NATO members and particularly Germany for not meeting a target agreed in 2014 for members of the organization to spend no less than 2% of gross domestic product (GDP) on defense spending. Trump has argued that the U.S. is spending too much of its own money to "protect" Europe. Although Germany has increased defense spending since 2014, it has still not reached the 2% target. The most recent NATO estimate predicts that the country spent 1.38% on defense spending in 2019, while the U.S. is estimated to have spent 3.42%. In fact, only nine members of the 30-country alliance reach the agreed 2% target in 2019, NATO estimates suggest. Lower defense spending among some European NATO members is believed to be a key factor behind Trump's announcement earlier this year that the U.S. would withdraw around 12,000 U.S. troops from Germany. Addressing the U.S. move, NATO's secretary general said it's important that NATO allies "continue to consult closely because (the) U.S. presence in Europe is important, both for the security of Europe, and for the security of the United States." Iran To Allow Access To Suspected Nuclear Sites By RFE/RL's Radio Farda August 26, 2020 Iran has agreed to allow inspections of two sites where nuclear activities are suspected to have taken place in the past, easing diplomatic pressure on Tehran as the United States seeks to reimpose UN sanctions. The announcement was made on August 26 in a joint statement by Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as Director-General Rafael Grossi was wrapping up his visit to Tehran. The Vienna-based global watchdog has criticised Iranian officials for denying it access to the two locations, and for not answering its questions about possible undeclared nuclear material and nuclear-related activities there. In the statement issued by the IAEA, Grossi and Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, said that Iran was "voluntarily providing the IAEA with access to the two locations specified by the IAEA and facilitating the IAEA verification activities to resolve the issues." The statement said that the dates for the inspections had been agreed, but it did not say when they would take place. Meeting with Grossi on August 26, Iranian President Hassan Rohani called the agreement "good" and said it could help "finally settle issues," according to the government's official website. Russia's ambassador to international organizations in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov, described the Iran-IAEA agreement as a "breakthrough" and "another proof that dialogue is more productive than pressure." Grossi's trip, his first to Iran since taking over the IAEA leadership eight months ago, came amid a mounting standoff between the IAEA and Tehran over access to the two sites in order to clarify whether undeclared nuclear activity took place there during the early 2000s. In June, the IAEA's board of governors passed a rare resolution demanding that Iran "fully cooperate" and "satisfy the agency's requests without any further delay," including by providing "prompt" access to the sites. At the time, Grossi accused Iran of denying access to the two locations for six months, and said that for almost a year "it has not engaged in substantive discussions to clarify our questions related to possible undeclared nuclear material and nuclear-related activities." Iran maintained the IAEA had no legal basis to inspect the sites in question. The August 26 announcement also comes after the United States last week pressed the UN Security Council to reimpose sanctions on Tehran that were lifted under Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. Washington exited the agreement more than two years ago and reimposed unilateral sanctions on Iran. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo last week formally launched the monthlong process of activating the nuclear accord's "snapback" mechanism aimed at reimposing UN sanctions on Iran, citing Iranian violations of the deal. But the U.S. move faces opposition at the Security Council, where other members have questioned the United States' right to do it since Washington withdrew from the nuclear pact. The United States claims it remains a "participant" in the accord because it was listed as such in the UN resolution that enshrined it. With reporting by Reuters and AFP Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/ iran-to-allow-access-to-suspected- nuclear-sites/30804075.html Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address WYOMING, MI -- A man police say intentionally ran a red light while driving at 97 mph, fatally injuring a woman in a crash, has been ordered to stand trial for second-degree murder. Ruben Cavasos, 41, listened to hours of testimony during a Wednesday, Aug. 26 probable cause hearing before deciding to waive the hearing -- preempting the last witness. Cavasos allegedly was arguing with his girlfriend while driving a black Chevy Equinox west on 44th Street about 9:50 p.m. June 6. The girlfriend, Kari Swift, was a passenger. Cavasos threatened to run a red light and, according to police, he did just that. Police said an event data recorder in the vehicle showed it was going 97 mph when it struck a vehicle going south on Bryon Center Avenue. Jean Lieffers, 78, of Coopersville, was a passenger in the southbound vehicle and was seriously injured. She died June 17 at a hospital. During testimony Wednesday, Swift was in a wheelchair with casts on both legs. She said the crash left her with two broken feet, a broken femur and broken wrist. She cannot yet walk. A nurse helps her 12 hours a day with routines like dressing and showering. Swift apparently gave details about the moments prior to the crash to a Wyoming police detective in June, but on Wednesday said she could not remember most of those details. She acknowledged she hoped to have a relationship with Cavasos in the future. Swifts mother, Edith Covington, seemed to offer a clearer picture based on discussions with her daughter. Covington testified that her daughter was angry June 6 because they were at a party and Cavasos allegedly was flirting with a woman. In the car, when Cavasos told her he should run the red light, Swift was begging to stop the car and let her out, Covington testified. According to a probable cause affidavit, police said Cavasos had been drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana earlier June 6. More from MLive: Man accused of driving 97 mph before fatal Wyoming crash charged with murder I cried for a little bit, teen testifies about Forest Hills teachers alleged groping US Media Says Russia Could Market T-14 Armata as High-Tech Drone Tank Sputnik News 13:17 GMT 26.08.2020(updated 13:30 GMT 26.08.2020) Russia began mass production of the T-14 Armata main battle tank earlier this month, with plans in the works to create an export version. The new tank, which has been field-tested in Syria, was first unveiled to the public during the 2015 Victory Day Parade in Moscow. Armata maker Uralvagonzavod may have already solved the biggest problem inherent to the creation of a remote-controlled tank, and the appearance of such a distinctive feature in the combat platform may prove an excellent way for Russia to attract foreign customers, National Interest contributor Peter Suciu suggests. In an article on the subject, the defence analyst recalled the recent press statement by Uralvagonzavod at the ongoing ARMY-2020 arms expo that "the appearance of heavy unmanned combat vehicles is a matter of the near future". Speaking to Sputnik on the sidelines of the expo on Monday, a company representative confirmed that the T-14 had been tested in an unmanned mode. The T-14, whose possible potential as an unmanned drone tank was revealed shortly after its unveiling in 2015, already boasts a number of automated features, including a remote-controlled main turret, digital control systems for movement and target tracking, and automatic activation of external defence systems to defeat anti-tank weapons. At the same time, the Armata Universal Combat Platform on which the T-14 is based was designed from the start to allow for the incorporation of "network-centric warfare" technologies, that is, systems which would enable the armoured vehicle to carry out its mission remotely, and be used as a scouting, target designation and fire adjustment platform for artillery, anti-air systems and even other tanks. Network-centric warfare, also called network-centric operations or net-centric warfare, is a military doctrine which was first introduced by military planners at the United States in the 1990s to take advantage of the rapid advances in information technology and computing power. In addition to autonomous and unmanned systems, the doctrine focuses heavily on the multimodal collection and analysis of data from the battlefield to try to secure a military advantage. Situational Awareness: T-14's Cameras Have That Covered "One issue with any remote control vehicle is ensuring that distant operators are provided with 'situational awareness' but in this case, the T-14 may have that covered," Suciu writes. The observer points to the tank's network of 360-degree wide-angle cameras, which are currently used to increase crew awareness of the battlefield, but which can presumably be converted for use by a remote operator. The same goes for the turret-mounted commander's sight, which includes a digital direct-vision periscope and laser designator. The Armata's cameras aren't simple, off-the-shelf products, either, but rugged military-grade components with zoom, heat sensing and infrared capabilities and the ability to operate in all weather and lighting conditions. "If it is true that an umanned version is in fact in the works, then it is possible it is an attempt to help entice foreign customers," Suciu suggests, pointing to the Russian defence industry's recent move to begin marketing the tank. In July, Dmitri Shugaev, director of Russia's Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation, the agency overseeing all military-technical cooperation between Russia and other countries, confirmed that the defence sector has already started promoting the T-14 Armata to potential foreign customers. Last year, National Interest speculated that countries including India, China, Algeria, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates may be among the T-14 Armata's first customers once an export version is made available. A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address By Donald Kirk NEW YORK The latest news crackles over my car radio. Five killed in a night of violence, 40 injured. Two dead in another shootout, three injured. Two policemen suffering gunshot wounds. You might think we were in a civil war. Maybe a skirmish in some remote jungle. Low-level shootouts between guerrilla soldiers armed and equipped by mysterious masters. No, we're talking about everyday humdrum life in America's biggest city the center of arts and culture, high finance, and home of President Donald Trump and his enemy, the New York Times. Speaking of the Times, this kind of news is so routine, the paper hardly covers it. Minor stuff for deep-inside pages while COVID-19 and the presidential campaign fill large swaths of page one and inside layouts. No, New York is not a battleground or "war zone," though some journalists might like to describe it that way. It's just a huge sprawling city caught up in everyday violent crime, like every other American city. Generally, you cruise down the broad avenues and narrow cross streets of Manhattan with nothing more to fear than hot-rodding taxis and lumbering trucks speeding by you. Thanks to COVID-19, driving in New York and other cities is a lot easier now than when I drove around the city last year. Masses of people work at home, staying away from once-crowded streets. Broadway, the Great White Way, is dark, theaters closed, no traffic in the hour before curtains should be going up in dozens of theaters. Of course, whole sections of the city are off limits, not really safe, but you don't worry about them as you bypass the rough spots on parkways and expressways. The violence as reported on my all-news radio station reminds me of old times in Vietnam, where I was a correspondent in the late 1960s and early 1970s. That war simmered on, but life in Saigon was good, restaurants and bars overflowing, military and civilian officials happy to dispense fact and fiction to the journalistic hordes. We might get away for up-close looks at the war as it ebbed and flowed, but we could always return to the relative safety of the capital. The sense of a low-level war must be shocking to those who've lived most of their lives in countries like Korea where you seldom hear about gunfights and killings and weak-kneed mayors and governors who simply don't have the guts to act. Trump, defender of law and order, upholds the constitutional right of Americans to bear arms regardless of the bloodshed. The liberal Joe Biden, amassing majority support for the November election but afraid of losing it, dares not challenge the God-given right of every citizen to heft a lethal weapon One reason you don't hear a whole lot about all these killings is that usually they have nothing to do with the protests on city streets every time some crazed cop shoots a poor Black person whose on-the-spot punishment for defying law and order was sudden death or maiming. The latest episode, in which a cop fired seven times into the back of a Black man in a middle-American, midwestern city, has ignited yet another wave of vandalism and violence. You have to wonder how long it will be before random shootings come together in mass killings or, God forbid, civil war. The U.S. may not be there yet, but the extremes of protests and counter-protests suggest much greater dangers. What happens when some nut opens fire with one of those automatic rifles that the National Rifle Association says are just the thing for law-abiding citizens to carry? One massacre leads to another. We've already had quite a few mass killings over the years. The list goes on and on. A dozen here, a score or more there. The lone individual whose hatred explodes in wanton death and destruction reaps the headlines before entering a life in prison. That's to say nothing of the killing that gets updated every time I turn on the car radio. Not just in New York. So many died over the weekend in Chicago, so many more last night in Baltimore or some other city. Usually these killings are not important enough for anyone to know or care who got killed or why. Just another day in the city in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic that's taken the lives of more people in the U.S. than in any other country. But that's another story. , writes from Seoul as well as Washington. Donald Kirk, www.donaldkirk.com Cat Lewis said that singing about how Britons would 'never be slaves' during Rule Britannia was akin to Nazis shouting about how they would 'never be forced into a gas chamber' A Conservative MP has called for the producers of the BBC's Songs of Praise to be sacked after its boss compared Rule Britannia to Nazis singing about gas chambers. Richard Holden, MP for North West Durham, has claimed the show's executive producer Cat Lewis needs to 'get on the programme' or face the axe after her outburst on social media. Ms Lewis, 55, said singing the anthem was similar to neo-Nazis shouting they 'will never be forced into a gas chamber'. She also called for centuries-old Rule Britannia and Land of Hope of Glory to be rewritten, saying that 'slavery was Britain's Holocaust'. It comes after the BBC announced it would drop singing of the patriotic songs from the Last Night of the Proms this year. Mr Holden said the BBC's decision was 'crackers' and branded it 'bizarre' that corporation bosses even discussed the matter. Ms Lewis - CEO of company Nine Lives Media which produces Songs of Praise - 'clearly misjudged the mood of the country' with her comments, Mr Holden added. Mr Holden said: 'I just find it bizarre that this is even a debate. Why would we do this? It seems crackers to me. It's just such a normal part of national life. It seems so weird, that's my view.' He added: 'This production company have clearly misjudged the mood of the country. They need to get onto the programme or [the BBC should] get something new.' The MP's remarks come as: Friends of a Finnish conductor caught up in a row over the Last Night of the Proms insist she is not responsible for axing Rule Britannia The BBC's head of comedy reveals that the corporation's bosses discuss diversity in 'every conversation' about new programmes BBC Newsnight editor Katie Razzall apologises for being a white woman chairing 'racism in the newsroom' talk and says it shows 'the challenges we are all facing' Jamaica's foreign minister Kamina Johnson-Smith criticised a clip from the BBC Three show Famalam as 'outrageous and offensive' The BBC prompted a fresh row after announcing that traditional favourites such as Land Of Hope And Glory will be performed without lyrics at the Proms (pictured in 2014) Tory MP Richard Holden has claimed Cat Lewis needs to 'get on the programme' or face the axe after her outburst on social media Cat Lewis tweeted: 'Do those Brits who believe it's OK to sing an 18th Century song about never being enslaved, written when the UK was enslaving and killing millions of innocents, also believe it's appropriate for neo-Nazis to shout, ''We will never be forced into a gas chamber.'' ' Ms Lewis said if she was producing the Proms, she would suggest a national competition to find new lyrics for Rule Britannia and Land of Hope and Glory to find 'words which celebrate and unify our fantastic country, because the music to both is undoubtedly fabulous' Critics say Rule Britannia and Land of Hope and Glory are racist because of their supposed links to slavery and colonialism. Finnish conductor of the Proms 'did NOT axe Rule Britannia' BBC sources had reportedly claimed Dalia Stasevska, 35, demanded the patriotic anthem, along with Land of Hope and Glory, be pulled from the performance due to their links to British imperialism A Finnish conductor caught up in a row over the Last Night of the Proms is not responsible for axing Rule Britannia and would never have been 'arrogant' enough to suggest it, her friends say. BBC sources had reportedly claimed Dalia Stasevska, 35, demanded the patriotic anthem, along with Land of Hope and Glory, be pulled from the performance due to their links to British imperialism. But friends last night insisted that BBC bosses made the decision to not have the songs sung, adding that Ms Stasevska would not have had the 'arrogance' to insist on such a change. A source close to Ms Stasevska told The Telegraph: 'From Dalia's point of view there has been a lot of unpleasantness and some of the stuff that has been written is heart-breaking. 'It is frightening, unpleasant, scary stuff and she can't say anything as she can't be a part of any of that.' Ms Stasevska, who has voiced her support for Black Lives Matter, was swept up in controversy following reports that she had concerns about the words to the songs. The source insisted that she was not responsible for the decision, adding that conductors do not 'have the power to say I want to do this I want to do that'. Advertisement Traditionally, both songs are performed at London's Royal Albert Hall to a flag-waving crowd at the Last Night of the Proms. Earlier this week, Ms Lewis blasted the lyrics of Rule Britannia and declared the nation shouldn't 'gloat' about its history as the BBC Proms row intensified. Ms Lewis tweeted: 'Do those Brits who believe it's OK to sing an 18th Century song about never being enslaved, written when the UK was enslaving and killing millions of innocents, also believe it's appropriate for neo-Nazis to shout, 'we will never be forced into a gas chamber'. She later added to her comments and said she would launch a national contest to find new lyrics for the songs if she were producing The Proms. She tweeted: 'I believe slavery was Britain's holocaust. 'We should apologise for it properly and yet at the moment, we have no memorial to enslaved people in the UK. We should not celebrate slave owners. 'And we should not sing in a gloating way that Britons will never be enslaved, when we were responsible for enslaving so many. 'We should have anthems which celebrate what is truly great about the UK, which we can all sing and this will help unite our country. 'If I was producing the Proms, I'd suggest launching a national competition to find new lyrics for Rule Britannia and Land Of Hope And Glory - words which celebrate and unify our fantastic country, because the music to both is undoubtedly fabulous.' Bafta-winning producer Ms Lewis began her career as a BBC production trainee in 1988 before working as a reporter and moving on to Granada television. The TV industry veteran later launched her own company, based in Manchester - which she says has a 3 million turnover. The continuing row over Ms Lewis' comments comes amid revelations that BBC bosses discuss diversity in 'every conversation' about new programmes and the issue is 'non-negotiable', according to the outlet's head of comedy. The corporation has said it will spend 100million of its content budget on diverse programming over three years, following protests from Black Lives Matter activists this summer. Shane Allen, who is responsible for the commissioning of all scripted comedy programmes to BBC channels, says director of content Charlotte Moore has been constantly telling staff not to forget to factor in diversity, The Guardian reports. He said: 'I've been part of regimes where you have to be seen to do something. With Charlotte it's non-negotiable, it's a thing that underpins every conversation: what's the diverse element to this? And can it not be set in London?' Shane Allen (pictured), who is responsible for the commissioning of all scripted comedy programmes to BBC channels, says director of content Charlotte Moore has been constantly telling staff not to forget to factor in diversity It comes amid a new race row as Jamaica's foreign minister Kamina Johnson-Smith criticised a clip from the BBC Three show Famalam (pictured) BBC Newsnight editor Katie Razzall apologises for being a white woman chairing 'racism in the newsroom' talk BBC Newsnight's editor Katie Razzall shared her embarrassment at being appointed as a white woman to chair a session on 'racism in TV newsrooms' at a media festival. The 49-year-old told the online Edinburgh TV Festival this week: 'My chairing this panel as a white woman is indicative of the challenge we are all facing.' It comes amid a lack of ethnic minority presenters and reporters on the BBC's current affairs programme which has resulted in it being nicknamed 'Newswhite'. The BBC has also been criticised this week over its decision to perform Rule Britannia and Land of Hope and Glory without lyrics at this year's Last Night of the Proms. It will have an orchestrated version without lyrics after organisers allegedly wanted to reduce patriotic elements to reflect the Black Lives Matter anti-racism movement. Razall was chairing a discussion called 'reporting racism: TV journalism and Black Lives Matter', with four panellists, three of whom are black and one who is white. Advertisement The hiring of June Sarpong and Miranda Wayland to advise the corporation means there are now 'really powerful voices in the room' speaking about diversity, Mr Allen told the Edinburgh television festival. He also defended sketch show Famalam, which has been branded 'outrageous and offensive' by Jamaica's foreign minister. 'Don't diss my beloved Famalam,' he said. 'To be relevant in comedy at a time when things can feel more anodyne, and in this woke culture where things are getting a little bit more sensitive. 'If you're going to do something about tricky topics it's got to be from those people and from those communities who've got that voice. To me, that's what a sketch show looks like in 2020. I'll back them to the hilt.' Jamaica's foreign minister Kamina Johnson-Smith criticised a clip from the BBC Three show, depicting a Jamaican version of Channel 4 show Countdown, complete with a steel drum version of the show's theme tune. Ms Johnson-Smith tweeted: 'This is outrageous and offensive to the incredible country which I am proud to represent along with every Jamaican at home and within our #Diaspora. I will immediately be writing formally on this! #StopThisShow.' The BBC defended Famalm, with channel controller Fiona Campbell saying it was not 'malicious', adding: 'We stand by the creator's brand of humour.' She told the Edinburgh TV Festival: 'Famalam is now in its third series and it is very successful. 'It is not malicious humour and I think if you followed on social, the creators themselves said they are poking fun at all stereotypes. 'There isn't malice in the type of content.' A BBC spokesman said: 'Famalam... now in its third series, has an established brand of humour in line with audience expectations and is well known for confronting issues.' Chinese human rights activist Chen Guangcheng addresses the Republican National Convention on Aug. 26, 2020. (Committee on Arrangements for the 2020 Republican National Committee via Getty Images) Chinese Human Rights Lawyer, Speaking at RNC, Calls Chinese Regime Enemy of Humanity Chen Guangcheng, a blind Chinese human rights lawyer who fled China and arrived in the United States in 2012, has called on democratic countries and voters to support President Donald Trump in confronting challenges posed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The CCP is an enemy of humanity. It is terrorizing its own people and it is threatening the well-being of the world, Chen said on Aug. 26 as a speaker at the third night of the Republican National Convention (RNC), themed Land of Heroes. In China, expressing beliefs or ideas not approved by the CCPreligion, democracy, human rightscan lead to prison. The nation lives under mass surveillance and censorship. Chinas communist regime has persecuted millions of people of faith, including Christians, Uyghur Muslims, Tibetan Buddhists, and Falun Gong practitioners. Falun Gong is a spiritual practice with moral teachings and meditative exercises that has been subjected to state-wide persecution since July 1999, with hundreds of thousands being detained and tortured inside prisons, brainwashing centers, and labor camps. In June 2019, U.S. ambassador for religious freedom Sam Brownback said that Beijings war on faith will fail, in a speech at The Heritage Foundation, a U.S. think tank. Political dissidents such as Chen are challenging the CCPs one-party rule. When I spoke out against Chinas one child policy and other injustices, I was persecuted, beaten, sent to prison, and put under house arrest by the Chinese Communist Party, Chen said. Beijing began enforcing the one-child policy in 1979, and families that didnt comply were subjected to heavy fines, forced abortions, and sterilization. The policy was eventually lifted in 2016. Chen was imprisoned in 2006 following his class-action lawsuit against local authorities in eastern Chinas Shandong Province over excessive enforcement of the one-child policy. He was then sentenced to four years and three months in prison for damaging property and disrupting traffic. After serving his sentence, Chen was released in 2010 but was subsequently put under house arrest. In April 2012, I escaped and was given shelter in the American Embassy in Beijing. I am forever grateful to the American people for welcoming me and my family to the United States, where we are now free, Chen said. Chen had a message for the Trump administration and other democratic governments around the world. The U.S. must use its values of freedom, democracy, and the rule of law to gather a coalition of other democracies to stop CCPs aggression, Chen said. In July, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called on free nations to induce change in the CCPs behavior in a speech at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in California. Chen added on Aug. 26: President Trump has led on this and we need the other countries to join him in this fighta fight for our future. We need to support, vote, and fight for President Trump for the sake of the world. Before his speech at the RNC, Chen spoke to the New York-based broadcaster NTD, a sister media of The Epoch Times. Chen pointed to the current pandemic, which is caused by the CCP virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus, as an example of how the CCP poses a threat to the entire world. Beijing initially went to great lengths to conceal the spread of the CCP virus, silencing eight whistleblower doctorsamong them ophthalmologist Dr. Li Wenliangafter they took to Chinese social media to warn about a mysterious new form of pneumonia in late December 2019. In May, Trump told reporters at the White House that the pandemic has been the worst attack on the United States. It should have never happened. It could have been stopped at the source. It could have been stopped in China. It should have been stopped right at the source, and it wasnt, Trump said at the time. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} Craig Callaway has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. I want to be on the Pleasantville school board to help move the district forward. The only way our kids will ever sit in the seats youre sitting in is if they get the right education, Rowell said. She said education wont improve in Pleasantville unless you have the proper people on the school board. Rowell is running again for the school board, she said. She has run three times before, each time winning at the polls and losing after vote-by-mail ballots are counted. Rowell took testimony from school board member Jerome Page, with whom she ran in November as a team. Page was re-elected. Earlier this month, Page said, another school board member failed to live up to his responsibilities and had to leave the board. Rowell put in an application to be considered to be appointed to the board. But rather than choosing Rowell, most existing board members chose to give the seat to another Callaway-related candidate who got fewer votes in 2019 than Rowell did, Page said. NEW YORK, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- TruSight, the financial industry's leading third-party risk utility, today announced the appointment of Jonathan Pressman as its CEO. Pressman's appointment comes at a pivotal moment for the company, which has been rapidly expanding in the third-party risk space as key suppliers to the financial services industry have embraced TruSight's methodology and participated in its risk assessment process. "This is an exciting and important time for TruSight, as the hard work they have invested in developing the product is paying off," said Taryn Thompson, chief procurement officer of Bank of America. "The industry is embracing the TruSight standard, the assessment portfolio is growing, and suppliers and financial institutions are realizing the significant benefits that accrue from adopting the TruSight methodology. Jonathan has played a key part in TruSight's success, and we are confident that under his leadership, the company will continue its rapid growth trajectory." Pressman has been a member of TruSight's executive team since 2018, previously serving as global head of business development. He brings more than two decades of experience in the financial services industry, with a focus on technology solutions in risk and compliance. Prior to joining TruSight as global head of business development, Pressman spent over eight years with IHS Markit in senior sales roles. Jonathan began his career at a national privately held wealth management firm where he served as a managing principal for over a decade. "I am honored to lead our exceptional team here at TruSight as we continue to scale to meet the industry's evolving needs," said Jonathan Pressman, TruSight CEO. "2020 has been a transformative year for TruSight, and we look forward to building on our momentum to help the market achieve higher standards and greater transparency." About TruSight TruSight is the industry's leading third-party risk management (TPRM) utility platform, facilitating efficient and cost-effective collection of accurate third-party risk data. Created and backed by five of the largest global financial institutions, including American Express, Bank of America, Bank of New York Mellon, JPMorgan Chase, and Wells Fargo, TruSight combines best practices and standardization to execute comprehensive risk assessments once and deliver to many over a secure, shared-services platformenabling financial institutions to gain greater visibility into potential risks and manage third-party relationships more efficiently and effectively. For more information, contact: Laura Nelson or Kay Kelly SVM Public Relations 401.490.9700 [email protected] [email protected] SOURCE TruSight SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 700 companies have now joined Time to Vote, a business-led, nonpartisan coalition that aims to increase voter participation in the U.S. elections. Voter turnout in the U.S. is one of the lowest in the developed world and one of the most common reasons people give for not voting is that they are too busy with the demands of life and work. The coalition, which represents more than six million workers in the U.S.*, is addressing this challenge by giving employees the time and the tools they need to exercise their right to vote in the November general election. The 2020 elections are anticipated to face many unique challenges. With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the stakes for removing barriers to voting are higher than ever. Recent primaries have suffered from a lack of poll workers and malfunctioning voting machines, resulting in even longer wait times. Additionally, with the elections approaching in the midst of a global movement for racial equality, it has brought to the forefront how communities of color are disproportionately affected by systemic voter suppression and the role CEOs can play in helping to protect our democracy for all people. "The need has never been greater for businesses to provide their employees dedicated time off to vote," said Dan Schulman, president and CEO of PayPal, one of the three companies that founded Time to Vote in 2018. "No American should have to choose between earning a paycheck and voting. Business leaders around the country must step up and do what's needed to ensure all of their employees will have the opportunity to have their voices heard this November." So far this year, more than 700 companies including workers in all 50 states and spanning a variety of industries have joined Time to Vote. Over 200 companies have joined in the last two months alone, demonstrating the increased momentum of the movement as the election draws near. Major companies that have recently joined include: Bank of America Ben and Jerry's Cox Enterprises Dell Technologies Discovery Inc. Expedia Group GitHub Kaplan LEGO Systems, Inc. Macy's Nike SAP Steve Madden Stitch Fix Square Sweaty Betty Synchrony Toyota Research Institute Tripadvisor Tyson Foods Unilever Qualcomm Incorporated ViacomCBS Visa "Since its inception, Time to Vote has been a powerful advocate for voter access and participation," said Jennifer Weiss-Wolf, vice president and Women & Democracy Fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice, a leading nonpartisan institute on democracy and justice in the U.S. "When so many influential business leaders join forces and take a stand on the vital issues of civic engagement it sends a compelling message. The Time to Vote coalition's commitment to give employees time off to vote, especially now when the challenges are so dire, can address one of the biggest barriers to voter participation." Many Time to Vote companies have announced a variety of measures to ensure their employees are able to fully participate in the general election, such as making Election Day a paid company holiday, offering paid time off on Election Day and actively promoting initiatives such as early voting and vote-by-mail, particularly in light of the challenges presented by voting amid a global pandemic. Some member companies that have announced such commitments include: Booksource Burton CAVA The Coca-Cola Company Deloitte Decisely Insurance Services DXL Big + Tall Hewlett Packard Enterprise Home Point Financial IdeaScale J.Crew Legacy Vacation Resorts Leota Levi Strauss & Co. Madewell Master Clinician Network Modern Restaurant Concepts Namely New Balance The North Face Outcome Health Owler Patagonia PayPal PNC Financial Services Group Ralph Lauren Reddit Reformation Road Warrior Creative Salesforce Sally Beauty Holdings Target Tony's Chocolonely Uber UM Worldwide Warby Parker Work & Co. World Surf League Time to Vote is asking more companies to join the movement and commit to giving its employees the time and resources they need to vote. The goal is to have more than 1,000 companies from a diverse set of industries representing every state join the movement by November 3. Businesses interested in joining Time to Vote can visit maketimetovote.org. To see the list of Time to Vote companies, click here. About Time to Vote Time to Vote is a nonpartisan, business-led initiative to help ensure employees across America don't have to choose between voting and earning a paycheck. Participation includes giving employees access to and information about early voting or vote-by-mail options, offering paid time off on Election Day or making it a day without meetings. Time to Vote was founded by Levi Strauss & Co., Patagonia and PayPal ahead of the 2018 midterm elections, when 411 companies representing all 50 states and a variety of industries joined. For more information, visit maketimetovote.org. *Due to age, citizenship status and other factors, not all workers are guaranteed to be eligible U.S. voters. Press Contacts: Corley Kenna, Patagonia: [email protected] Kelly Mason, Levi Strauss & Co.: [email protected] Tiffany Peng, PayPal: [email protected] Alexandra Ringe, Brennan Center for Justice: [email protected] SOURCE Time to Vote Related Links http://maketimetovote.org CHICAGO, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The global respiratory inhalers market is expected to grow at a CAGR of over 9% during the period 20192025. Key Highlights Offered in the Report: The US accounted for the major share of global inhalers market; it is likely to witness incremental growth rate of around $592 million during the forecast. The MDI accounted for the major share in 2019, however the DPI in this segment accounted for the second largest share with the highest absolute growth of around 73% of growth during the forecast period. Based on the distribution channel, the hospitals and pharmacies accounted for the major share and are expected to dominate during the forecast period. This segment is expected to post an incremental growth of around $890 million during the forecast period. The adults segment accounted for the larger share of the market in 2019. This is expected to witness an absolute growth of more than 78% during the forecast period. The impact of COVID-19 on the market has created the sudden surge in demand for inhalers, this is due to the usage of the inhalers for COVID-19 treatments, which is creating shortage for the inhalers for the asthma patients across the globe. The market is expected to function normally from the last quarter of 2021 or by the early 2022. Vendors are actively engaged in the development of the new product and commercially launched patient friendly products with enhanced drug transfer featuring the latest DPI and SMI in recent years. Key Offerings: Market Size & Forecast by Revenue | 20192025 Market Dynamics Leading trends, growth drivers, restraints, and investment opportunities Market Segmentation A detailed analysis by products, patient, distribution channel, and geography Competitive Landscape 5 key vendors and 14 other vendors Get your sample today! https://www.arizton.com/market-reports/respiratory-inhalers-market-size-analysis Respiratory Inhalers Market Segmentation In 2019, the DPI segment accounted for the share of 46% of the global respiratory inhalers market. The increased efficiency of drug usage is the major driving force for the growth of DPIs. Drug deposition in the lung was twice than of pMDI, which suggests a low dosage of the drug with reduced side-effects helps to achieve the same degree of asthma control. The adult population is widely exposed to several environmental risk factors such as air and workplace pollutions and the consumption of tobacco. This contributes to the high share of the adult population in the market. While the prevalence of asthma is increasing in several countries, multiple factors are affecting the incidence of asthma in the adult population. Hospitals are the first point of contact for the evaluation and treatment of respiratory diseases such as asthma and COPD. As the number of hospitals has grown over the period, the count of hospital pharmacies has also increased. In the middle- and low-income countries, several smaller clinics, nursing homes have tie-ups with hospital pharmacies to refer patients to purchase branded medical devices for the usage. Respiratory Inhalers Market by Product Metered Dosage Inhaler Dry Powder Inhaler Respiratory Inhalers Market by Patient Adults Pediatric Respiratory Inhalers Market by Distribution Channel Hospital Pharmacies Retail Online Respiratory Inhalers Market Dynamics The demand for smart inhalers is higher in APAC and Europe due to the rise in the prevalence of asthma, COPD, and other respiratory problems. With the rising adoption of digital technology, the demand for smart inhalers is expected to rise at a significant rate. Various vendors are also focusing on the introduction of smart inhalers in the market. Various global players are partnering with contract manufacturers to procure smart inhalers technology. For instance, GlaxoSmithKline, Boehringer Ingelheim and Novartis have signed development deals with Propeller Health. Similarly, AstraZeneca has signed a master supply agreement with Adherium. Novartis is also working with US mobile technology company Qualcomm for smart inhalers. Key Drivers and Trends fueling Market Growth: Introduction of Soft Mist Inhalers Surge in Inhalers Usage due to COVID-19 Respiratory Inhalers Designed to the Specific Drugs Technological Advances in Inhalers Respiratory Inhalers Market Geography In North America, both the US and Canada experienced large-scale adoption of inhalers over the past decade. The rise in pollution rate, along with the growing number of cases related to respiratory troubles, even for neo-natal care, is one of the major reasons that boosted the overall demand for inhalers in North America. In addition, more than 50 lakh people are affected by novel coronavirus and are admitted to emergency rooms and are on ventilators. This high demand for ventilators is also supported by inhalers for increased effectiveness of the medicine. Get your sample today! https://www.arizton.com/market-reports/respiratory-inhalers-market-size-analysis Respiratory Inhalers Market by Geography North America US Canada Europe UK Germany France Italy Spain APAC China Japan South Korea Australia India Latin America Brazil Mexico Argentina Middle East & Africa South Africa Saudi Arabia Turkey Prominent Vendors GlaxoSmithKline Novartis Boehringer Ingelheim Cipla AstraZeneca Other Prominent Vendors Propeller Health Beximco Pharmaceuticals (Beximco Pharma) H&T Presspart Cohero Health CHIESI Farmaceutici Mundipharma 3M HELTMAN Medikal Adherium Luckys Pharma Amiko Digital Health Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Findair Sp.z.o.o Vectura Group Explore our healthcare & lifesciences profile to know more about the industry. Read some of the top-selling reports: About Arizton: Arizton Advisory and Intelligence is an innovation and quality-driven firm, which offers cutting-edge research solutions to clients across the world. We excel in providing comprehensive market intelligence reports and advisory and consulting services. We offer comprehensive market research reports on industries such as consumer goods & retail technology, automotive and mobility, smart tech, healthcare, and life sciences, industrial machinery, chemicals and materials, IT and media, logistics and packaging. These reports contain detailed industry analysis, market size, share, growth drivers, and trend forecasts. Arizton comprises a team of exuberant and well-experienced analysts who have mastered in generating incisive reports. Our specialist analysts possess exemplary skills in market research. We train our team in advanced research practices, techniques, and ethics to outperform in fabricating impregnable research reports. Mail: [email protected] Call: +1-312-235-2040 +1-302-469-0707 SOURCE Arizton Advisory & Intelligence 3 1 of 3 Will Waldron/Times Union Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Will Waldron/Times Union Show More Show Less 3 of 3 GUILDERLAND Lord & Taylor has expanded the hours it is open to seven days as it conducts a going out of business sale at its Crossgates Mall store and its 37 other stores nationwide. The retailer and its parent company Le Tote filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization on Aug. 2. The Crossgates store will be open from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. Sunday, until 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and until 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. When the liquidation sale first started, the Crossgates store was closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. US president Donald Trump said Wednesday he will call for a drug test for himself and Joe Biden before the first presidential debate, but did not offer any evidence for his suspicions about his Democratic opponent. Trump said in an interview with the Washington Examiner that he was intrigued by Bidens improved performance during the Democratic primary. Were going to call for a drug test, Trump said, expressing surprise at the former vice presidents bearing during the last debate against Vermont senator Bernie Sanders in March. The president has no concrete evidence to support his claims, but, he said, all I can tell you is that Im pretty good at this stuff. I watched him in the debates with all of the different people, Trump said, referring to the other Democratic presidential hopefuls. Biden was close to incompetent, if not incompetent, and against Bernie, he was normal, Trump continued. I say, How does that happen? Trump made similar remarks in the fall of 2016, at the peak of the presidential race, positing that then-opponent Hillary Clinton had taken drugs. I think we should take a drug test prior to the debate, he said during a rally in New Hampshire. I dont know whats going on with her. But at the beginning of her last debate -- she was all pumped up at the beginning, and at the end it was like, Oh, take me down. She could barely reach her car, he added, mockingly. The first debate between Trump and Biden is scheduled for September 29. The two subsequent ones will take place on October 15 and 22. Support for workers abroad affected by COVID-19, photo Le Toan How has the plan to send workers overseas in 2020 be affected by the outbreak of coronavirus, and how much damage could the pandemic cause this and next year? Due to the impact of the pandemic, many enterprises around the globe that have received Vietnamese workers had to downsize operations and reduce or cancel the further recruitment of overseas workers. The number of Vietnamese workers who went working abroad has decreased dramatically. By the end of July, more than 36,000 Vietnamese workers were sent, mainly in the first three months of the year. This difficult situation may last until the end of the year and possibly until early 2021. The DoLAB has reported to the MoLISA to adjust the expected number of workers sent abroad in 2020 and 2021 to 70,000 and 90,000 people, respectively. How has the recent return of many workers ahead of schedule affected labour export enterprises and the interests of workers? According to incomplete statistics from service firms and the overseas Vietnamese labour management boards, over 6,000 Vietnamese workers have returned home in the past few months. They returned for different reasons, such as expired contracts, illness, maternity, and job loss as many employers reduced their production due to the impact of COVID-19. In some markets with many Vietnamese workers, such as Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea, most are in need of returning home, but commercial flights between Vietnam and these places have not been resumed yet. To support these workers, the DoLAB reported to the MoLISA and proposed to the prime minister to soon operate flights to repatriate them. What requirements must labourers meet to be accepted to work abroad, and which countries are still receiving them up until now? Labour export was seriously affected by the outbreak in markets that traditionally receive large numbers of Vietnamese workers. Currently, many markets receiving Vietnamese workers continue to impose travel and entry restrictions. Some of them, such as Japan, are only receiving experts with limited numbers. South Korea only allows entry for workers who work on fishing vessels. Taiwan accepts a limited number of workers under the condition that the employers must arrange a quarantine area for them, ensuring the regulations of the Taiwanese medical authorities. Workers who have sufficient documentation, including a negative COVID-19 test, and are allowed entry to work in the host country, must strictly adhere to that countrys requirements for medical examination and quarantine procedures. The department of overseas labour management also asked service firms to advise employees to strictly comply with the regulations on medical examination of each host country, and coordinate with the partners to closely monitor their situation, ensuring the periodic medical examination and treatment for workers while being abroad. What solutions has the DoLAB to support workers abroad who must return home and those who have not been able to work abroad? The DoLAB has cooperated with the Ministry of Finance to introduce Circular No.54/2020/TT-BTC which aims to reduce 50 per cent of charges for the verification of documents for those working abroad under contracts until December 31. A Vietnamese worker who lost his or her lost job due to the impact of the pandemic, will be imbursed for fees and charges and further supported with other relevant fees. An employee who works less than 50 per cent of the time will receive back the same amount of the brokerage paid upfront. In addition, the employee only has to pay service fees according to the actual time working abroad. What are the difficulties in training and improving workers skills before going abroad, and what changes do you expect in major labour export markets in terms of occupations and quantity? Most enterprises in countries receiving Vietnamese workers have to adjust their production plans, the volume of their personnel, and the recruitment of foreign workers to suit the current situation and conditions. However, a number of occupations are still in dire need of foreign workers, mainly in essential services, such as medical care, food processing, agriculture, and fishing. In order to enhance the quality of training and improve the qualifications of workers for going abroad, the DoLAB has focused on the following solutions. Directly involved enterprises are urged to train workers before they are going to work abroad, ensuring that all of them are entitled to participate in necessary training classes in accordance with current regulations. Relevant service enterprises with vocational training institutions and employment services are asked to provide labourers with vocational skills, foreign languages, and the discipline to meet the needs of foreign labour markets. Moreover, the DoLAB is strengthening its support for enterprises to be able to recruit more workers who can be sent abroad by building and organising a network of overseas employment opportunities, providing sufficient information, and consulting local organisations. We hope that people will find enough information and find jobs that match their needs and skills. Microsoft may team up with none other than Walmart to buy out and ultimately save TikTok in the US. Thats according to a recently reported announcement from the worlds largest retailer, detailing the potential partnership. The news follows other widespread reports indicating that TikTok could be sold within the next 48-hours. Microsoft has been a frontrunner to buy TikTok since just after the company was forced into its position by an executive order from US president Donald Trump. Mr. Trump, along with several members of both parties, have labeled the app a potential security risk due to its ties with China via its parent company. The executive order effectively banned transactions with TikTok unless stipulations were met. One of those was that TikTok needed to be sold to a US company. Advertisement This isnt an unusual team-up but why would Walmart want to buy TikTok? Walmart and Microsoft have teamed up in the past, so this partnership wouldnt be too unusual. In fact, Walmart utilizes Microsoft technology heavily in its world-class inventory systems. As well as in its AI and other data management systems. But this deal would be a bit different, to say the least. The company says that the partnership would help it to expand its advertising and integrated e-commerce capabilities. Those benefits also already provides clear benefit to users, particularly creators, according to a Walmart spokesperson. Combining Microsofts know-how with Walmarts in a purchase of TikTok US will help TikTok grow in those areas too. And the company says it is confident that the partnership can continue to provide the featuers and app experience users expect. Advertisement When could this be official? Now, other reports have indicated at various times that Oracle was also in the running to buy TikTok. But Walmart is announcing this partnership itself. So that other deal seems to be out of the realm of possibility at this point. Instead, whether or not Walmart becomes the new part-owner of the app and service as soon as the next few days seems to depend on Microsoft. Or at least on how close Microsoft and Walmart are to closing the deal with TikTok. WASHINGTON and MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Google Cloud and Simple Technology Solutions (STS)a Google Cloud partner and small business specializing in multi-cloud solutions for the federal governmenttoday announced they are working with the U.S. Navy to modernize the maintenance and repairs inspection process for Navy vessels and facilities. STS will use Google Cloud artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technologies on inspection drone-captured images to detect, prioritize, and predict its maintenance needs. The work was awarded to STS as a Phase I Small Business Innovation Research project due to the technology innovation and potential for commercialization. The U.S. Navy currently spends billions per year on maintaining and repairing its fleet of vessels and other platforms like aircraft and facilities. It is a largely manual, labor-intensive process. STS will train Google Cloud AI and ML models on tens of thousands of images to identify corrosion as part of the first phase with the Navy. Using imagery and Google AI/ML technologies, STS will seek to drastically reduce the labor burden and safety risk associated with maintenance inspections. How it works: STS will leverage public domain and inspection drone images to build a high-quality AI/ML model using Google Cloud AutoML, a simple, secure, and flexible ML service that allows organizations to build custom vision models. STS will collaborate with the U.S. Navy corrosion subject matter experts to label and train the data using Google Cloud's AI Platform Data Labeling Service. STS will iteratively train and validate the model using custom inspection drone flight data, which will be uploaded using Google Cloud Storage for processing. The models will continually improve and update themselves based on the newly ingested data. "This is about automation, saving time and money, and keeping inspectors out of harm's way," said Aaron Kilinski, chief technology officer, STS. "The initial goal for Phase I is to build a model that detects corrosion in drone images with a very high degree of accuracy. The ultimate goal, however, is to move from detection to prediction by expanding the subjects and sensors, and eventually integrating with Navy systems. We selected Google Cloud AutoML because it allows our engineers to train and test high-quality models quickly. Google Cloud provides an unrivaled degree of specification to meet tough business objectives in compliance with FedRAMP High." "The manual inspection of Navy ships and vessels is a time-intensive, costly process that can drive up costs and slow down deployment," said Mike Daniels, vice president of Global Public Sector, Google Cloud. "We're proud to work with the U.S. Navy and empower them with Google Cloud technology to transform corrosion inspections for greater efficiency and safety." Google Cloud has previously worked with customers in a wide range of industries to support AI-enabled object detection for maintenance and safety, from helping power company AES assess damage to its hundreds of wind turbines , to working with the City of Memphis on automatically detecting potholes in city streets. About STS Simple Technology Solutions (STS) is an 8(a) & HUBZone company specializing in multi-cloud engineering and applied AI/ML. STS delivers automated (everything-as-code), scalable, and secure solutions in all layers of the cloud technology stack. They are expert at leveraging and augmenting cloud native services to maximize business and mission value, and apply a library of proven, cloud-agnostic accelerators to reduce application migration, provisioning, and team onboarding timelines. In 2019 STS was voted a "Best Place to Work" by Washington Business Journal, ranked #429 on the Inc 500 list and #2 on G2Xchange's list of fastest growing private companies D.C., Maryland, Virginia and Delaware. About Google Cloud Google Cloud provides organizations with leading infrastructure, platform capabilities and industry solutions. We deliver enterprise-grade cloud solutions that leverage Google's cutting-edge technology to help companies operate more efficiently and adapt to changing needs, giving customers a foundation for the future. Customers in more than 150 countries turn to Google Cloud as their trusted partner to solve their most critical business problems. SOURCE Google Cloud Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia Thursday said that under the existing system, the city government cannot take a loan from the RBI to meet its revenue shortfall. Emerging out of a GST Council meeting, he said the Centre has refused to pay GST compensation to states and asked them to take a loan from the RBI to meet their revenue shortfall due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, under the current hybrid system (of governance), the Delhi government cannot take a loan from the RBI. The Centre should take a loan from the RBI and give it to the Delhi government," he said. Sisodia also charged the Centre with failing to fulfil its promise to the states at the launch of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime four years ago. The Centre had promised that it will pay GST compensation to states at the rate of 14 percent for five years in case of revenue shortfall. But, today at the GST Council meeting, the Centre refused it, saying there was no provision for compensation in situations like a pandemic," Sisodia said in a briefing. The Delhi government is expected to have a revenue shortfall of around Rs 21,000 crore in the current financial year, Sisodia said. WAP remains an important, and in some ways familiar, discussion about the appropriate path to womens liberation. By Michell Chresfield Whats so dangerous about a sexually liberated woman? If the critical commentary surrounding Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallions chart-topping song 'WAP' is any indication then the answer is well, everything. Premiering on 7 August, the video garnered 26 million YouTube views within the first 24 hours and is perhaps one of the strongest female rap releases to date. Yet 'WAP' isnt just the summer smash we all needed. As an acronym for 'wet ass pussy,' it has emerged as the new anthem of female-centred sexual empowerment. Complete with sexy costumes, fantastical set pieces, exotic animals, and updo hairstyles reminiscent of the very best of the 1990s, the 'WAP' video is nothing short of a visual feast. Lyrically, the song features the tongue-in-cheek musings of two female rappers known for their unabashed embrace of their sexual power. The opening line, I said certified freak, seven days a week, sets the tone for a song that celebrates sex as a potent vehicle for personal expression and the development of individual autonomy. However, with so much to celebrate, it was surprising to see so many men lambaste 'WAP' for its supposed violation of feminist principles. Conservative backlash James P Bradley, a congressional candidate from California, was the first to express his outrage writing on Twitter: Cardi B & Megan Thee Stallion are what happens when children are raised without God and without a strong father figure. Their new song The #WAP (which i heard accidentally) made me want to pour holy water in my ears and I feel sorry for future girls if this is their role model! Not to be outdone, American conservative provocateur Ben Shapiro offered a dramatic reading of the song before sarcastically concluding that: [WAP] is what the feminist movement was all about. Its not really about women being treated as independent, full rounded human beings. Its about wet-ass p-word. Both Bradley and Shapiro framed sexual empowerment as the principal threat to the feminist movement. Such a disconnected view of feminism not only erases the activists, many of them sex workers, who fought to ensure that sexual liberation is taken seriously as a feminist endeavour, but it also excuses the patriarchy and sexism that have marginalised women around the globe. It is also worth mentioning that Shapiro and Bradleys critiques ring particularly hollow when measured against their support for a president who once spoke of his desire to "grab em by the pussy." A brazen endorsement of sexual assault that many conservatives dismissed as "locker room talk." Double standards in hip-hop Critiques of 'WAP' have not been confined to conservative circles. In a recent interview Ce-Lo Green, co-founder of the southern rap group Goodie Mob, expressed his view that the sexually-explicit lyrics of female artists like Cardi B and Megan came at a cost to hip-hop. Never mind that male-fronted songs like 'P-Popping' and 'Suck It or Not' are certifiable hip-hop classics and just as sexually explicit. However, when women discuss how they enjoy these same activities they suddenly become the ones setting back the culture. Coming from Green, a man who was accused of (but not charged with) sexual assault, this critique risks appearing hypocritical. But it also continues a historical trend that holds women to the double standard of appearing sexually demure and respectable while men are celebrated for owning their sexual prowess. In reality, the danger of 'WAP' lies not in its unabashed celebration of sex but in the audacity of a Black woman and a Afro-Dominican woman to lay claim to their bodies and own their sexual satisfaction. Beginning with the commodification of African captives in the trans-Atlantic slave trade and continuing through the use of black womens bodies for gynaecological research, history is rife with examples of black women being cast as objects to be consumed, commodified and exploited for the gain of others. In demanding, I want you to park that big Mac truck right in this little garage, Cardi and Megan assert themselves as agents in their commodification. Though some would argue that the revolution will not happen between these thighs, 'WAP' remains an important and in some ways familiar discussion about the appropriate path to womens liberation. That both women have refused to be pigeonholed as raps sex sirens adds greater complexity to two already complicated figures. Though often criticised for her background as a stripper, Cardi has made a name for herself in the political realm by lending her support to important issues like ending police brutality. Meanwhile, Megan is as vocal about the importance of university education as she is about her status as a 'Big Ole Freak' by using her social media to document her degree in healthcare administration. Both women embody the notion that you can love sex and still be a fully-realised human with interests and goals. So when Megan Thee Stallion raps Ill run down on him fore I have a n*gga runnin me, that is not just cute wordplay but a warning shot to anyone who would dare challenge Black womens ability to create their destinies. After all, there some whores in this house and they own it and theyre here to stay. Michell Chresfield, Lecturer in 20th century US history, University of Birmingham This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Edward Mallon B. G., Opalesque Geneva: Now is an extremely attractive time to be a provider of capital and an investor in consumer credit, argues fund manager Pagaya Investments. Consumer financing: a stable history Pagaya's focus on consumer financing assumes a continuation of the sector's history of stable returns, especially since consumer financing covers more than half of the U.S. credit market. "Most investors are unfamiliar with consumer credit - a resilient asset class with high yields and inefficient pricing," the managers argue. The loans (home, student, car, credit cards, and personal) offer a high yield versus the risk, they are crisis resistant, of short duration, with low volatility and low correlation. Today, such loans have tighter underwriting standards, higher pricing, and good value in secondary trades. There is still a lot of dry powder in the current pandemic environment, they say. Furthermore, the impact of unemployment is very narrow. There is opportunity in new loan origination with higher spreads, less risky investors, and no competition. Pagaya's CIO Edward Mallon will present in the upcoming Fixed Income Alternatives Strategies webinar on 9th September at 10 am EST. Revolution through AI Pagaya's investment process uses artificial intelligence (AI) to increase returns and mitigate risk. Whereas most investors will purchase rated bonds financing a portfolio of individual loans, Pagaya will purchase individual 3 to 5-year self-amortising personal loans. And whereas most investors will mitigate risk through the structure, Pagaya will mitigate risk through active underwriting, using AI to evaluate borrower's individual credit attributes (over a thousand attributes per borrower) and sensitivity to key economic factors. The result is a return profile in the high single digits, versus low to mid-single digits. "Pagaya is one of the only asset managers in the world solely focused on using cutting-edge machine learning technologies and big data analytics to predict default rates and evaluate credit risk for borrowers in the U.S.," managing director Paride "Alex" de Calice tells Opalesque. At the core of Pagaya's capabilities, he continues, is Pagaya Pulse, a proprietary independent underwriting system using advanced Machine Learning technologies, i.e. a model trained on actual performances of past loans, as well as traditional asset management considerations and soft logical considerations borrowed from the world of national intelligence. It is designed to maximize returns while mitigating risk in all market conditions. Current opportunities in consumer loans The impact of unemployment created a lot of opportunities for Pagaya and has not impacted their portfolio even though it has disproportionately impacted lower-wage earners, problematic industries (e.g. travel and leisure), and certain geographies. The firm's quant-based underwriting has proven to be highly effective, especially these days. Furthermore, risk premiums have increased spreads by 300-500 bps in the consumer loans market, which is equal to 20 - 40% with tighter credit conditions. That means getting paid more to take less risk. Finally, the disruption of capital markets has stranded assets on lenders balanced sheets. Using their quant-based approach, the managers can pick through assets and select those they believe to have the best risk-adjusted returns. Current economic scenario Most people expect a divergence of consumer behaviour in an economically stressful scenario, and anticipate that there will be a significant uptick in defaults and a deteriorated investment opportunity set. Counterintuitively, Pagaya has found that this is not the case. The bottom line, they say, is that consumer credit is a defensive, stable asset class throughout the business cycle. According to Pagaya, during economic downturns, consumers behave rationally and seek to increase their availability of liquidity. They decrease expenditures, increase savings, and pay down debt. Indeed, according to a survey by Betterment, when consumers had an unexpected windfall of cash, such as the stimulus check, 61% of people used the money to save or pay off debt. In downturns, the cost of capital also increases, which reduces access to capital. Consequently, there is less competition for those that remain capital providers. At the same time, lending standards are tighter during uncertain conditions. In fact, the net percentage of banks tightening standards for credit card loans has risen to 38.5%, the highest rate since mid-2009. Banks have also reported less supply of loans. The result is a better selection of borrowers, due to tighter lending standards, along with higher pricing from a higher cost of capital and less supply of loans. It also means that there is a greater margin of safety for investors today. Pagaya Pagaya Investments is a data-centric manager based in New York and Tel Aviv, with about 100 employees (65% with a tech background). It was co-founded in 2016 by ex-UBS banker Gal Krubiner, former real estate entrepreneur Yahav Yulzari, former BlackRock managing director Ed Mallon and Talpiot program graduate Avital Paro. The board of directors includes Avi Zeevi (Viola Group), Harvey Golub (former American Express CEO) and Dan Petrozzo (Oak). The firm has closed six ABS deals in the past year, accumulating over $1.5bn in AuM to package into collateral for investment securities. Upcoming webinars: Investor Workshop: The Keys to Asymmetric Returns Time: Tuesday September 1st, 2020, at 10 am EST Details and free registration here: www.opalesque.com/webinar/ Fixed Income Alternatives Strategies Time: Wednesday, September 9th, 2020, at 10 am EST Details and free registration here: www.opalesque.com/webinar/#uw1 John Capron at Remarkable Cleanouts after he learned he was being given a 1964 Steinway upright piano. Renee Thomas Read more John Caprons mother died when he was 7, and he spent eight years moving from one foster home to the next in the greater Boston area. Capron had a difficult time connecting with his new foster families, he said. He finally walked away from his last foster home, spent time living on the streets and ended up at a sanctuary for homeless teens, where he fell in love with music. When a counselor showed Capron how to play the song Dont Stop Believin by Journey on the centers upright piano, something just clicked, he said. For the first time, said Capron, he felt he had found purpose. Although he couldnt read a single note, he quickly learned to play by ear and was soon drawing a small audience whenever he sat down to jam after high school. Fast forward to last month, when Capron, now 23 and living in his own apartment, spotted an old piano sitting outside an estate sale clearance store in Norwood, Mass. He asked a salesperson if he could play his favorite Journey tune. When I see a piano, I cant help wanting to play it, he said. He sat down, masked, and played a heartfelt rendition of Journeys 1981 arena rock song he had learned as a teen. An employee at Remarkable Cleanouts took a cell phone video of his impromptu performance and posted it on Facebook, where it has been viewed more than 107,000 times. Dozens of people on Facebook were impressed by Caprons performance and wondered who the mystery player was, while others were so taken with his impromptu song, they offered to buy the piano for Capron and deliver it to him. When store owner Mark Waters saw the video and comments, he decided he could do better than that. A 1964 upright Steinway worth $6,000 had recently ended up in his shop, and it was in more pristine condition than the piano Capron had played. It was clear that he had a lot of talent and I had a piano taking up space in my shop, said Waters, 62. It just made sense to donate it to him. Waters told Boston CBS affiliate WBZ that he wanted to find Capron and give him the piano. When the story aired on July 14, Capron spotted a post about it on Twitter. Capron said he was stunned to learn that his performance at Remarkable Cleanouts had been shared and posted all over social media, he said. The reaction has been amazing and all from that one little moment, he said. I started crying when I learned that they wanted to give me a piano. Ive never owned one before and I couldnt afford one. Capron, now a college architecture student, said he works as a pizza maker for Dominos to pay the rent on the one-bedroom apartment he moved into in Mattapan, Mass., two years ago. Ive had a somewhat stressful life Ive managed on my own from a young age, he said. Ive only met my dad once. Hes not involved in my life. To be honest, Im not sure how I got through it, Capron added. Playing the piano really helped I do know that. It gave me something to look forward to and feel good about. It helps me deal with my emotions. After he learned to play Dont Stop Believin at the teen home, he said, music became a form of expression for him. He learned more Journey songs, as well as some Elton John tunes and others. I cant read music, but it only took me a week or two to learn to play by ear, he said. Piano is just something that came to me naturally. The 1964 Steinway from Remarkable Cleanouts was delivered on July 29, free of charge by Deathwish Piano Movers (motto: Were so good, its scary!). The movers used a crane to hoist it up to his third-story apartment, and Capron said he could hardly believe it was happening. My friends came over and I played them some songs, and now Im hoping to make a video, he said. I never dreamed that Id be able to have a piano. Its just been amazing. Waters said he cant imagine a better place for the Steinway to end up. If I could, Id do something like this every day, he said. This country is starving for some good news. People are moved when they watch John play. Hes welcome back in the shop any time he likes for a repeat performance. Actor Randeep Hooda has undergone a surgery after complaining of pain on Tuesday night. According to a report in Times of India, the actor was admitted to Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai, where the surgery took place. In the statement, actors father Ranbir Hooda said: Thank you all for your concern. Randeep had a surgery yesterday, hes recovering and will be discharged soon. Hes COVID 19 negative and the surgery went well so we will be able to take him home soon. The report added that the actor was accompanied by his father, who is a doctor. A few photographers captured him stepping out of his car and walking into the hospital. A close friend of the actor was quoted as saying: Randeep complained of acute pain on Tuesday night, and since he wasnt feeling better, he left for the hospital yesterday morning. He underwent surgery today and has been kept under observation. Randeep had informed his team on Tuesday that he would need the next two days for himself. However, he didnt divulge any details. His father, who is a doctor, is with him at the hospital, and he is the best person to talk about Randeeps health. They will talk about once they have all reports. Randeep doesnt want people to speculate. A source in the hospital was quoted as saying, Randeep was admitted in the morning. He underwent a couple of tests, including the Covid-19 test. He tested negative for the latter, which is why they could go ahead with the surgery. Its best if the family talks about the nature of the pain and subsequent surgery. The operation was a long-pending surgery and an elective one, another Times of India report said. Also read: Amaal Mallik reacts to reports of Arijit Singhs song being dropped from Sadak 2, says it deserves to at least get a release Randeep celebrated his 44th birthday amid Covid-19 crisis on August 20. The actor was last seen in the Netflix film Extraction. After the success of the film, the actor has signed with a talent management agency in the US called Authentic Talent and Literary Management. Speaking about it, he said in a statement, Extraction was a huge success worldwide with a phenomenal reach. I really enjoyed working on it and got to learn so many new things from the fabulous cast and crew. As every artist wants to reach out to as many people as possible, Im very grateful and excited for these new horizons in international cinema. Directed by Sam Hargrave, Extraction featured Chris Hemsworth as a black-market mercenary on a mission to rescue the son of an Indian crime lord from Dhaka. Follow @htshowbiz for more SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The recently reopened Scalo will soon be navigating waters without its acclaimed chef, who masterminded the revamped menu of the Nob Hill restaurant. Chef Gaetano Ascione confirmed he will be leaving the Italian restaurant Sunday to return to his restaurants in Chicago and Pittsburgh. For me I needed something a little bit bigger, he said. I needed to do something more, a little bit closer to my dream. Earlier this summer, Ascione said he was looking forward to filling a gap in Albuquerques food scene by bringing his experience and unique take on Italian cuisine to the restaurant. During his decades-long career, Ascione worked around the world and has run Michelin and Zagat-rated restaurants. He said that the restaurant has not yet found his replacement, but he has high hopes in their ability to do so. I love Scalo. Scalo has a great future, you know? Ascione said. Its going to be one of the top restaurants here. Foreign Minister Heiko Maas agreed with his Israeli counterpart Thursday that an effort must be made to extend a weapon embargo on Iran, while stressing still sees the landmark 2015 deal between Tehran and world powers as the best way to prevent the country from obtaining a nuclear weapon. With a current U.N. arms embargo on Iran due to expire on Oct. 18, Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi told reporters in Berlin an extension was needed to prevent Iran from getting more advanced weapons systems and spreading them around the Middle East. We would like to see the European countries, not just Germany, preventing it, he said. It's not helpful for the stability of the region. Ashkenazi was in Berlin to attend a two-day meeting of European foreign ministers at the invitation of Germany, which holds the European Union's rotating presidency. The United States wants a full extension of the embargo on Iran, which would almost certainly be vetoed by Russia and China in the U.N. Security Council, Maas said. and others are currently trying to find some middle ground that would meet with Russian and Chinese approval and not be vetoed by the U.S. in the Security Council. We are trying to reach a diplomatic solution so that there will be an arms embargo on Iran in the future, Maas said. At the same time, he said still sees the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action signed with Iran in 2015, promising the country economic incentives in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program, the best deal to prevent the country from developing an atomic weapon. is against the deal, and the U.S. pulled out unilaterally in 2018, leaving the others involved Germany, France, Britain, Russia and China struggling to keep it alive. Maas said concerns outside the JCPOA, like Iran's ballistic missile program and influence in Syria, Lebanon and Iraq, need to be addressed, but that we want to preserve the JCPOA to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Iran must change its approach in the region, we are not naive about Iran, he said. We know that Iran plays a dangerous role. The two ministers met at the House of the Wannsee Conference memorial, a villa in southwestern Berlin where senior Nazis and bureaucrats coordinated plans for the Holocaust in 1942. Ashkenazi said that as the son of a Holocaust survivor, it was particularly emotional for him to visit the place where the evil and cruelness of the genocide of 6 million Jews was plotted. Maas said anti-Semitism still exists in Germany today, and the memorial serves as a reminder that we should fight it with available means. (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.) To promote personal hygiene among girl students and encourage them to come to schools, government schools in Uttarakhands Chamoli district will now have sanitary pad vending machines. Swati Bhadouriya, district magistrate of Chamoli district has instructed officials to install the machines in schools which have a maximum number of female students. The district magistrate gave the instructions during a meeting of the District Task Force Committee on Wednesday for better implementation of Beti Bachao Beti Padhao initiative. There is no difference between boys and girls, the society will survive only when daughters are saved. This message needs to reach each and every village and it is important to make people aware on balancing of the sex-ratio. Schools which have maximum number of girls in the district should be listed and sanitary pad vending machines should be installed in such schools, to encourage girls to come to school, said the district magistrate. She further said many meritorious girls drop out and dont pursue higher education due to weak economic conditions. The education department should also focus on starting job-oriented courses for girls in schools, so that they have an option of earning money in future if the girls are not able to pursue higher education. Meritorious students should be identified and such girls will be given help for further studies under this scheme, added Bhadouriya. She further instructed officials to ensure that no pregnant woman is deprived of the benefits of Pradhan Mantri Matri Vandana Yojana and that door to door survey is done by ASHA and Anganwadi workers. Pregnant women will be given Rs 5000 as part of the scheme. The District Magistrate said that if any pregnant woman is found deprived of the benefits of this scheme, the Anganwadi worker would be directly responsible for this. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Media Release 2020 Sydney, Aug 27, 2020 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Bendigo Telco ( NSX:BCT ) today announced its results for the year ended 30th June 2020.Highlights- Underlying Profit After Tax for the year of $1,787,942 - Underlying Profit After Tax represents results excluding non-cash impairments to intangible assets.- Statutory Profit After Tax for the year of $1,064,822- EPS on Underlying Profit After Tax of 23.0 cents- Gross Revenue decreased 8.9% from prior year to $33,367,674- Gross Profit Margin decreased 0.4% from prior year to $16,714,972- EBITDA increased 263.3% from prior year to $4,647,404- Strong cash flows from operating activities of $5,902,307, an increase of 69.4% from prior year.Reflecting on the past year, Bendigo Telco Board Chairman, Rob Hunt stated, "This year has been extremely challenging for all Australians. With drought still affecting many areas, the devasting bushfires and the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, people, businesses, communities and the economy have all been significantly impacted".Mr. Hunt commented on the changing telecommunications industry."Our business was formed by locals 21 years ago to overcome shortcomings in the availability, pricing, adequacy and commitment from the major telecommunication providers to our local market and its businesses. Over the years, we have provided genuine competition, improved technical outcomes for local businesses and genuine pricing or access improvements by leveraging our combined buying base and partnering commitment"."Our focus today remains to provide improved outcomes for our customers and each of the communities we currently have the privilege to serve. We have successfully achieved our original objectives, while producing solid annual shareholder returns"."There clearly remains opportunities for us to add value at both the Regional customer level, and in Regional economic market outcomes. We will focus on areas where we can add strategic value and vital technical support across these markets, which, as stated are not prioritised by the major telco players".Mr. Hunt went on to explain the need for the Group to stay relevant and connected to its customers and communities."The business will continue to ensure that its vision, purpose and strategy remain relevant and aligned with our key focuses of investing in our team, ensuring a quality customer experience, committing to the success of our communities, streamlining our business operations and building financial strength for all our stakeholders".100 Gig CityThe Group has undertaken a significant investment in uplifting its network between Bendigo and Melbourne with ultra-high-speed, high-performance fibre-optic infrastructure.Mr. Hunt advised that "the commissioning of this 100Gbps connection will enable Bendigo to become a 'One Hundred Gigabit City' marking a transformational opportunity to enable digital connectivity which will drive innovation, attract new business across industry and support our community".This unprecedented work is well underway and will result in the City of Bendigo being the first regional centre with a local circular digital economy.Following the successful implementation, our business will review future partnership opportunities for expansion into other regional centres.DividendThe Bendigo Telco Board has decided to declare a final dividend for the year of 9.5c. "This decision is reflective of our need to continue to foster a sustainable business model with a focus on long term prosperity for all our stakeholders," Mr Hunt said.About Bendigo Telco Ltd Founded in 2000, Bendigo Telco (NSX:BCT) was established by a group of prominent Bendigo based businesses who wanted better access to competitive pricing and telecommunications technology. These businesses identified the disadvantages (market failure) that they as regional businesses faced when compared with their metropolitan competitors. Early analysis identified the need to create a locally owned and focused organisation to improve the telecommunications services, in terms of price, priority, competition, and access to essential infrastructure. Bendigo Telco has played a major role in addressing these shortcomings as well as promoting a more competitive and responsive telco market in all the communities that we now support. The company continues to provide a broad range of telecommunications services to enterprise, business, and consumer customers across these Australian markets. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- New York City is ready to move forward with its blended-learning curriculum after reaching an agreement with the United Federation of Teachers (UFT), Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Thursday. The UFT did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication, but de Blasio said the agreement helps to clarify how operations will take place inside and outside of the classroom. Under any choice a parent makes for their kid, the kids are going to get support every day, the mayor said. Theyre going to get an education every day, but what was important was to determine a good working model for professionals to work together, to maximize what we could do for our kids. The agreement clarifies that teachers will receive 30 minutes each morning to plan with their classroom team how the day will proceed. Classes will have live teachers and remote teachers. On days when students are learning remotely, they will receive a specified time of live instruction under the citys plan. Department of Education Chief Academic Officer Linda Chen said that every day, starting in September, officials hope for remote students in kindergarten through second grade to get 65 to 95 minutes of live instruction; those in third through fifth grade to get 90 to 110 minutes; students in sixth through eighth grade to get 80 to 100 minutes; and students in ninth grade through 12th grade to get 100 to 120 minutes. (I)ts similar to if you think about in the physical classroom, where the teacher is teaching a lesson to all of the students simultaneously, she said about how live instruction for remote students will look. So, there will be some times where a student is on with all their classmates, with a teacher on the other end with video. There will be small group time. There will be individual time. City Hall has received pressure from across the city to delay the start of in-person learning, tentatively scheduled for Sept. 10, including pressure from members of the City Council and Public Advocate Jumaane Williams. Williams reiterated his criticism of the citys perceived late actions on the reopening of schools on Thursday, and said the city should start schooling remotely. The mayor and chancellor (Richard Carranza) got an assignment five months ago: to develop and implement a strategy for schools in the fall that would be educationally sound, scientifically supported, and centered on the safety of students and staff, Williams said. Failure to deliver on that charge while holding to the same deadline has put teachers, administrators, students and parents in a near-impossible situation. De Blasio reiterated on Thursday his claims that work ensuring school safety had been ongoing throughout the summer, and his belief that in-person learning was the desire of most New Yorkers. Overwhelmingly, parents want us to provide in-person learning for their kids, the mayor said. You hear it distinctly and clearly in the voices of so many parents, like the parents we met with yesterday. So, honestly, I respect my fellow elected officials. I truly do. I listened to them. I work with them. But if all of them say one thing, but the majority of parents say another thing, Im with the parents. Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 12:27:43|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close CHANGCHUN, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Typhoon Bavi has halted classes in northeast China's Jilin Province. The typhoon, the eighth of this year, has forced the temporary closure of multiple middle schools, primary schools and kindergartens in Changchun, the provincial capital. Changchun's education authority issued a notice on Wednesday night, asking all local education bureaus and schools to prepare for the typhoon to ensure the safety of the public. The notice said schools could adjust their schooling arrangements or stop classes according to the changes in weather. China's national observatory renewed a red alert, the highest warning level, for Typhoon Bavi at 6 a.m. Thursday, which is expected to bring gales and rainstorms to northeast China. China has a four-tier color-coded weather warning system, with red representing the most severe weather, followed by orange, yellow and blue. Enditem LAKE CHARLES, La. One of the strongest hurricanes ever to strike the U.S. pounded the Gulf Coast on Thursday, shearing off roofs and killing a least four people, as Laura barreled across Louisiana and maintained ferocious strength while carving a destructive path hundreds of miles inland. A full assessment of the damage wrought by the Category 4 system was likely to take days. But initial reports offered hope that Laura, despite leaving entire neighborhoods in ruins and more than 875,000 people without power, was not the annihilating menace that forecasters had feared. It is clear that we did not sustain and suffer the absolute, catastrophic damage that we thought was likely, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said. But we we have sustained a tremendous amount of damage, he said. He called it the most powerful hurricane to strike Louisiana, meaning it surpassed even Katrina, which was a Category 3 storm when it hit in 2005. The hurricanes top wind speed of 150 mph put it among the most powerful systems on record in the U.S. Not until 11 hours after landfall did Laura finally weaken into a tropical storm as it plowed north and thrashed Arkansas with powerful winds and heavy rain. The storm came ashore in low-lying Louisiana and clobbered Lake Charles, an industrial and casino city of 80,000 people. On Broad Street, many buildings had partially collapsed, and those didnt were missing chunks. Windows were blown out, awnings ripped away and trees split in half in eerily misshapen ways. Police spotted a floating casino that came unmoored and hit a bridge. It looks like 1,000 tornadoes went through here. Its just destruction everywhere, said Brett Geymann, who rode out the storm with three family members in Moss Bluff, near Lake Charles. He described Laura passing over his house with the roar of a jet engine around 2 a.m. There are houses that are totally gone. They were there yesterday, but now gone, he said. Not long after daybreak offered the first glimpse of the destruction, a massive plume of smoke visible for miles began rising from a chemical plant. Police said the leak was at a facility run by Biolab, which manufactures chemicals used in household cleaners such as Comet bleach scrub and chlorine powder for pools. Nearby residents were told to close their doors and windows and turn off air conditioners. The fatalities included a 14-year-old girl and a 68-year-old man died when trees fell on their homes in Louisiana, authorities said. No deaths had been confirmed in Texas, which Republican Gov. Greg Abbott said would amount to a miracle. President Donald Trump said he would visit the Gulf Coast this weekend to tour the damage. More than 580,000 coastal residents were ordered to join the largest evacuation since the pandemic began and many did, filling hotels and sleeping in cars. Although not everyone fled from the coast, officials credited those who did leave for minimizing the loss of life. More than 700,000 homes and businesses remained without power in the Texas and Louisiana, according to the website PowerOutage.Us, which tracks utility reports. Forecasters had warned that the storm surge of 15 to 20 feet would be unsurvivable and could push 40 miles inland. Edwards said the storm surge wound up being measured in the range of 9 feet to 12 feet still bad, but far from the worst forecast. He was hopeful that damaged homes could quickly be made habitable. The priority, Edwards said, was search and rescue, followed by efforts to find hotel or motel rooms for those their homes. Officials in Texas and Louisiana have both sought to avoid traditional mass shelters for evacuees over fears of spreading COVID-19, and Edwards was concerned that the storm would inhibit coronavirus testing at a time when schools and universities are reopening. Bucky Millet, 78, of Lake Arthur, Louisiana, considered evacuating but decided to ride out the storm with family due to concerns about the coronavirus. He said a small tornado blew the cover off the bed of his pickup and made him think the roof on his house was next. Youd hear a crack and a boom and everything shaking, he said. The storm was so powerful that it could regain strength after turning east and reaching the Atlantic Ocean, potentially threatening the densely populated Northeast. Laura hit the U.S. after killing nearly two dozen people on the island of Hispaniola, including 20 in Haiti and three in the Dominican Republic, where it knocked out power and caused intense flooding. It was the seventh named storm to strike the U.S. this year, setting a new record for U.S. landfalls by the end of August. The old record was six in 1886 and 1916, according to Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach. Laura was tied with five other storms for fifth most powerful U.S. hurricane, behind the 1935s Labor Day storm, 1969s Camille, 1992s Andrew and 2004s Charley, Klotzbach said. --The Associated Press Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. A Jacksonville resident who was born in Cuba pointed Tuesday to the island nations poor living conditions as a warning about the dangers of socialism. Nestor Gutierrez, who spoke during a meeting of the Republican Womens Club of Morgan County, came to the U.S. in 1961 and settled in Miami as an 8-year-old after the 1959 Cuban Revolution ushered in one-party Communist rule. Gutierrez discussed how Cuba was led by right-wing military dictator Fulgencio Batista before the 1959 revolution installed Fidel Castro, who led the country until his retirement in 2008. Batistas government was heavily tied to American mobsters and he provided economic prosperity and kept people satisfied until younger and poorer Cubans turned on Batista, Gutierrez said. Gutierrezs fathers construction business was nationalized and the peg on the Cuban peso the national currency quickly was changed from the U.S. to the Soviet Union. It was an automatic turning the switch as to what your valuation is, what youre allowed to own, what youre allowed to do overnight, Gutierrez said. The USSRs subsidies to the Cuban economy led to a decrease in production because the population received money from the government, Gutierrez said. After the fall of the Soviet Union, markets had shortages and hospitals lacked essential medical supplies, he said. My uncle died in a very miserable state laying on a metal bed where my aunt had to come feed him and come clean him, Gutierrez said. It doesnt work because theres no money. Cubans who are trained in medical professions are sent overseas by the government and do not receive adequate pay for their work, Gutierrez said. A Cuban who went to Bolivia as a veterinarian decided not to return to Cuba; instead he started working for Gutierrez in the oil field industry, Gutierrez said. American tourists can go to Cuba, spend U.S. dollars and have a nice time on the island, but the Cuban people must use government-issued pesos or convertible pesos pesos pegged to U.S. currency and commonly used to buy imported goods, Gutierrez said. Old cars that attract tourists to Cuba often are running with old Soviet engineering and the biggest resorts are run by Marxists who are unable to provide good service, Gutierrez said. As the U.S. remains involved with issues in the Middle East, Gutierrez worries that the U.S. has abandoned Caribbean and South American nations, leaving them to drift to the political left, he said. Gutierrez sees signs that the U.S. could take a turn toward socialism, he said. He worries that the U.S. is so far in debt that it may need to devalue its currency and believes the nations East and West coasts have moved toward Socialist policies. Restrictions put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic also are a frightening sign of the government taking peoples rights, he said. North Plattes Community Redevelopment Authority board Wednesday finalized an agreement for TIF assistance with the first $9.5 million stage of a mixed apartment-commercial development at West A Street and Lakeview Boulevard. Completion of the tax increment financing contract with DP Management LLC of Omaha was delayed six months due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The City Council Feb. 18 granted DP the chance to gradually recoup up to $1.6 million through TIF of an estimated $2.04 million in infrastructure costs for four neighborhood commercial lots and the first 80 of an eventual 160 eight-plex apartment units. Once the commercial lots are developed and those first 80 units rented, DP would come back to the city and seek $1.3 million in workforce housing TIF aid for the other 80 units. Also Wednesday, the five-member CRA board re-elected Mike Jacobson as its chairman and Rob Stefka as vice chairman. Pakistani Christian girl beaten by family employers for refusing to convert to Islam Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment An 18-year-old Christian servant in Pakistan was beaten for refusing her employers' demands to convert to Islam, according to her family and a London-based human rights group. According to the Centre for Legal Aid, Assistance and Settlement, an interdenominational aid agency, Anika Shehzad from the Ferozwala district Shakhupura in the Punjab province was beaten earlier this month, a few days after she took a job as a live-in servant. The charity reports that Shehzad comes from a poor family and accepted the job as a domestic servant for the Muslim family, which paid about $30 per month. She was referred to the job by a neighbor. But after being pressured by members of the employing family for her to leave Christ and to follow Islam, Shehzad was said to have told the family that she decided to quit the job. Her decision to quit angered the family members and they began to beat the teenager. After the beating, Shehzad was taken back to her parents home in Ferozwala. The employer told the girls father that she had been beaten for stealing money. After the child was taken for medical treatment, her parents began asking questions about why she was beaten. CLAAS-UK reports that in response, the employers family accused the girls father of stealing money although he never visited the house where his daughter was working. The family has sought the help of a local member of Parliament, Tariq Masih Gill. The family believes that their daughter was beaten only because she refused to convert to Islam, according to CLAAS-UK. CLAAS-UK Director Nasir Saeed said in a statement that even though the Punjab Domestic Workers Act was passed in Lahore High Court in January 2019, abuses against domestic servants continue in Pakistan as the law largely remains unenforced. Christians in Pakistan are illiterate and poor, and many poor families are forced to take risks such as sending their young daughters to rich Muslim families to work as live-in domestic servants for a little money, he explained. These young girls are often sexually harassed, tortured and sometimes are asked to convert to Islam. According to Saeed, some cases of abuse are reported by the media, such as the case of a Pakistani judge and his wife who were jailed for torturing their 10-year-old maid and causing multiple injuries in 2016. Several girls have even been killed, like Shazia Masih, 12, Saeed said. And several cases are taken to the courts but hardly any family has got justice. And the practice still continues because perpetrators are always influential and rich. And sometimes, victims are [pressured] to withdraw their cases and some victims are compensated with money. Pakistan, a Muslim majority country, has long been criticized for poor human rights conditions for religious minorities. Open Doors USA ranks Pakistan as the fifth-worst country in the world when it comes to Christian persecution. In addition to the enforcement of blasphemy laws that are often used to persecute religious minorities, religious minority girls are too often kidnapped, raped, and forced into Islamic marriages. According to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, the National Commission of Justice and Peace and the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan recognize that as many as 1,000 young women are forcibly converted to Islam each year. Many of those women are kidnapped, forcibly married, and subjected to rape. Throughout Pakistan, Christians face societal pressure to convert to Islam. A viral video posted to TikTok in July shows one Christian man being pressured by a group of Muslims to accept Islam but refusing to do so. On Wednesday, Polish President Andrzej Duda swore in Zbigniew Rau as the new foreign minister and Adam Niedzielski as the new health minister of Poland. The partial government reshuffle comes amidst a major crisis of the Lukashenko government in neighboring Belarus, which has been shaken by mass protests and strikes, and the resurgence of the coronavirus in Poland. It follows an August 15 visit by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to Warsaw, where he signed an Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement. The new foreign minister of Poland, Rau, is credited with particular expertise in relations with the US. President Donald J. Trump and Polish President Andrzej Duda meet delegation members Wednesday, June 12, 2019, in the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House. (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead) The Polish government has been beset by a mounting domestic social and political crisis. President Andrzej Duda only narrowly won the presidential elections in July on the basis of an anti-Semitic and ultra-nationalist campaign. Last week, Health Minister ukasz Szumowski resigned over allegations of misconduct in the procurement of medical equipment needed to fight the coronavirus. During the first wave of the pandemic, Polish hospitals, lacking the most basic personal protective equipment (PPE), were rapidly overwhelmed by patients. Entire cities had no ventilators. In Silesia, the coal mines were never closed. As a result, miners became the single largest group affected by the virus, accounting for over a fifth of all infections nation-wide. Even as the virus continued to rip through mining communities, the government pushed for a premature full reopening of the economy. Now, cases are skyrocketing, with more cases registered on a daily basis than during the first wave of the pandemic. The country has now more than 63,000 confirmed cases, and out of those 20,000 were registered over the past month alone. Under these conditions, the mass strikes and protests in Belarus, which borders Poland to the east, have raised significant concerns in Warsaw that strikes might spread beyond the borders of Belarus. The work stoppages have already cost the Belarusian economy billions of dollars and sent the Belarusian ruble into free fall. The Grodno region on the Belarusian-Polish border has been one of the main centers of the strike movement. On August 11, as strikes began to escalate in Belarus, the Polish government, after consultations with the trade unions, decided to delay the announcement of the closure of several mines, which threatened the layoff of up to 7,700 workers. The announcement was almost certain to provoke strikes and protests. In 2019, the government was shaken by a nation-wide strike of 300,000 teachers, and it has been scrambling to avoid large-scale protests and strikes by miners since the beginning of this year. Under these conditions, the Polish government has responded to the strike movement in Belarus and the turn by Alexander Lukashenko to the Kremlin by increasing its support for the EU-backed opposition in Belarus. In conjunction with the imperialist powers and especially the US, Warsaw is seeking to exploit the crisis to further its geopolitical interests in the region, which has become the main staging ground for the NATO war preparations against Russia. In this intervention in Belarusian politics, the Polish state is making use of its long-standing ties to the anti-Lukashenko opposition in Belarus, which date back decades. The 22-year-old blogger Stepan Putilo who runs the Telegram channel NEXTA, which has become one of the main sources of information about the protests and strikes, is based in Warsaw. Numerous leaders from the Belarusian opposition, in particular Pavel Latushko, who used to be a diplomat of the Lukashenko regime in Poland, also have close ties to the Polish elite. Last week, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki revealed a five-point program to support the opposition and promised to spend over 50 million Zloty, more than 11 million, on the program Solidarity for Belarus. The program is supposedly aimed at financially supporting oppositionists in Belarus to cover medical or legal fees. The Polish government also allows Belarusians fleeing their country to forgo visa costs and promises them financial support through NGOs. Moreover, the Polish state is increasing funding for the Warsaw-based oppositionist television station Belsat, which broadcasts in Belarusian. The pretense of the Polish (PiS) government to support democracy in Belarus is absurd on its face. Since coming to power in 2015, the PiS government has dismantled democratic rights and institutions in Poland and has banned free speech on the crimes of Polish anti-Semites during the Holocaust. The promotion of anti-Semitism, homophobia and extreme right-wing nationalism have become central ideological pillars of its rule. There is little question that all steps by Warsaw on Belarus are carefully coordinated and discussed with Washington and NATO. Since 1989, Poland has become one of the closest allies of the US in Europe and has played a critical role in the military build-up against Russia. On August 15, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was in Warsaw to sign the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, which also paves the way for the redeployment of many of the American troops that had been stationed in Germany to Poland. On top of the already-stationed 4,500 US personnel, there will be an additional 1,000. US President Donald Trump issued a statement on the agreement, calling it historic. During his visit, Pompeo also commented on Belarus, saying that the elections had been neither free nor fair and that the US would support Belaruss civil society. On August 18, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg discussed the crisis in Belarus directly with Polish President Andrzej Duda. Under the PiS, Warsaw has openly adopted the strategy of the so called Intermarium or Three Seas Initiative, which involves setting up right-wing nationalist governments throughout eastern Europe that can be mobilized against Russia and other potential adversaries. The Trump administration has officially approved of this strategy. Along with Ukraine, the Baltics, and Romania, Belarus is considered an important component in such an alliance, which could be directed not just against Russia, but also other rivals of the US in Europe, including Germany and increasingly China. During his tour of eastern and central Europe concluded in Warsaw on August 15, Pompeo tried to rally countries behind the USs campaign against Chinas 5G networks and Huawei. The Atlantic Council, a think tank in Washington that is militantly anti-Russian, noted that Beijing has been making inroads in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) with investments and economic incentives through its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The US, the think tank wrote, regarded these developments as not only a geopolitical challenge but a concrete security threat. It urged the US government to strengthen its alliances with eastern European countries more broadly and leverage the Three Seas Initiative that is spearheaded by Warsaw against China. Much indicates that what is involved in the geopolitical scrambling over Belarus is not just the influence of Russia, which maintains extremely close economic and military ties with the country, but also the growing role of China in the Belarusian economy. Over the past decade, Lukashenko, while also balancing between NATO and the Kremlin, has deepened the countrys ties with China significantly. China regards Belarus as a gateway to Europe and key component of its Belt and Road Initiative. As part of the BRI, China and Belarus have invested hundreds of millions of dollars into the Great Stone Industrial Park, which is set to house multiple factories, residential buildings, and research centers. The Parks final worth is estimated at between $2 and $5 billion. Chinese President Xi Jinping has called it a model project of the BRI, while Lukashenko described it as the most important economic project in Belarus. China has also provided large loans to the struggling Belarusian economy, including a $15 billion line of credit to Belaruss Development Bank. The New York Times noted in 2019 that the loan was 20 times larger than the current loans to Belarus by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. (Photo : (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images)) September 1942: This photograph, of a raid on the Jewish ghetto in Warsaw, was found on the body of a German soldier killed on the Russian front. During such raids Jews were lined up in the streets and forced to stand facing a wall with their hands above their heads for long periods. Gestapo agents on the left are searching some of the victims. Beatings, torture or murder would be the likely result of any 8contrabande being found. (Photo : (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images)) OSWIECIM, POLAND - DECEMBER 8: Images of men and women are seen December 8, 2004 displayed at the Auschwitz Concentration Camp Museum in Oswiecim, Poland. The camp was liberated by the Soviet army on January 27, 1945, January 2005 will be the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the extermination and concentration camps, when survivors and victims who suffered as a result of the Holocaust will commemorated across the world. TikTok's viral trend of 'Trauma Porn' that poses as World War II's holocaust victims caught the attention of the Auschwitz Memorial Museum who condemns the movement and calls it disrespectful, 'hurtful,' and 'offensive.' The organization does not want to shame the 'young people' that were involved but the trend in general. The controversial TikTok content sparked talks and issues that caught the attention of the former Nazi holocaust museum that commemorates and remember the victims. The Nazi holocaust is one of the most significant crimes against humanity that happened in World War II, aiming to purge Europe of its immigrants that concerns Jews primarily. TikTok's short video shows the youth of today reenacting the situation or looks of the Jew victims that were forced into Nazi-Germany's concentration camps. Holocaust victims in the concentration camps were abused and forced into slavery, working for the Nazi army and some, facing their ultimate demise. The Auschwitz Memorial posted a statement with regards to their take on the latest TikTok trend on their Twitter page (@AuschwitzMuseum). The organization stated that the movement is presenting an actual look that is 'dangerously close' to the situation that the victims then experienced. The statement of the museum went viral and reached out to a lot of Twitter audiences who shared the same sentiments despite belonging to this generation and not being able to see and experience the hardships of World War II. ALSO READ: [VIDEO] The Witcher and Pokemon GO in One Mobile Game is Coming This Year! Auschwitz Museum's Twitter Statement But we should discuss this not to shame & attack young people whose motivation seem very diverse. It's an educational challenge. The 'victims' trend on TikTok can be hurtful & offensive. Some videos are dangerously close or already beyond the border of trivialization of history.But we should discuss this not to shame & attack young people whose motivation seem very diverse. It's an educational challenge. pic.twitter.com/CB4Ve2uRUK Auschwitz Memorial (@AuschwitzMuseum) August 26, 2020 The museum in the site of Nazi's largest concentration camp in Auschwitz aims to bring to light and remember the fallen victims. They perished because of the inhumane ideals of purging Europe of immigrants. This act is a way for the museum to pay respects to the deceased. The museum also reminds their families that they sympathize and frown upon the genocide during the war. The Auschwitz Memorial Museum recognizes TikTok's trend in shedding light and awareness on the subject of the Holocaust. However, they note that some influencers were only joining on the trend or being "bandwagons" and not using the campaign to commemorate the victims. The museum also notes that the stories from tragic moments in history, like the Holocaust, should not put people in the victim's position. Ethical challenges and psychological dangers are also present in the reenactment of the harrowing experiences and deaths of the genocide. Telling the story of the victims The Auschwitz Memorial notes that telling the story of the victims should be done in the most respectful way and with factual accuracy. The organization also notes that not all social media activities can commemorate the victims of tragic crimes against humanity. Dr Martin Stern, MBE, is outraged by the trend in the social media platform, TikTok, saying that it is filled with inaccuracies and shows a lack of understanding, according to Metro. Dr Stern was previously held captive at concentration camps in Europe back when he was a child. The Holocaust a.k.a. Nazi-Germany's Jew Genocide The Holocaust during World War II is Nazi-invaded Germany's purge of European Jews. The Final Solution, its secret codename, is a Nazi policy to wipe-out the Jew existence that resulted in six million murders during their rule. This genocide is a type of racial discrimination that also included other "inferior" races to be included in the Nazi mass murder. Gypsies, Homosexuals, and even different religions that lived throughout Europe. It is quite noting that the Nazis were very particular in the eradication of Jews during the war. ALSO READ: Students Playing PUBG and Other Online Games Will Soon Get a Job in this Country This article is owned by Tech Times Written by Isaiah Alonzo 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. PJSC ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih (Dnipropetrovsk region) intends to invest $ 700 million in the company in 2021-2024. According to a press release from the company, the company's CEO Mauro Longobardo, during a visit by the president of Ukraine to the enterprise with an American delegation led by U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun, presented a complex of continuous casting machines Nos. 2 and 3 at the production site. During the visit, the guests were able to assess the scale of construction of two new two-position ladle furnaces and continuous casting machines Nos. 2 and 3 with a total design capacity of 2.8 million tonnes per year. Now it is one of the company's key investment projects worth more than $160 million, the report says. At the same time, it is specified that after the commissioning of continuous casting machines Nos. 2 and 3 and the completion of reconstruction of small-section mill 250-4, the company will be able to increase production of reinforcement using cast billets. This will allow the company to increase its efficiency and offer more quality products in the domestic and world markets. Earlier, Longobardo said that in the next five years the company intends to invest about $ 1.5 billion in production, including $700 million on projects to improve the environment. ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih is the largest manufacturer of rolled steel in Ukraine. It specializes in production of long goods, in particular, rebar and wire rod. Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 21:39:36|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close FREETOWN, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Military Medical Expert Group (CMMEG) in Sierra Leone has been playing an active role in the country's fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, the team told Xinhua in an interview. According to the chief of the team Zhao Guanyu, the medical center where the team is based, was transformed into a COVID-19 center and they were given the specific duty of performing the test on samples collected and also conduct treatment on COVID-19, especially critical cases. The center diagnosed the first COVID-19 case in Sierra Leone and had the first batch of treated patients discharged, Zhao said, adding that more than a thousand samples have been tested and over 200 patients of critical conditions are treated. "We are operating the best center for COVID-19 here," he said. "Now we have ventilators, oxygen, and other equipment for critical cases." CMMEG has been working closely with local staff and has been collaborating with other medical teams like the Cuban medical team and some non-governmental organizations. "We have extended our stay in Sierra Leone to help fight the COVID-19," he said, adding that they have been sharing experiences with their colleagues in China and also share ideas with local staff on how to better treat COVID-19 cases. "We believe that China and Africa are working together with a shared future. We consider the local staff in Sierra Leone as part of our family," he said. The secretary of CMMEG, Zheng Junjie is an expert in the clinical area. He has been working with the team on infection prevention and control for diseases in Sierra Leone. He revealed that they have been working side by side with their Sierra Leonean counterparts on skills transfer. "I am happy to work with committed and friendly local experts," he said. "I hope COVID-19 will soon be a thing of the past," adding that Chinese medical experts will continue to support Serra Leone's health sector. Since its arrival in July 2019, the medical team, which comprises 12 medical experts, has also been doing laboratory tests and case management of various diseases like malaria, typhoid fever, HIV and AIDS, hepatitis B, and other related cases. Enditem Latasha Myles and Howard Anderson stand in their living room where they were sitting when the roof blew off around 2:30 a.m. as Hurricane Laura passed through the area in Lake Charles, La., on Aug. 27, 2020. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images) Trump Will Visit FEMA Thursday as Hurricane Laura Hits US: White House President Donald Trump is traveling to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) headquarters on Thursday to get an in-person briefing on Hurricane Laura, the White House said. Trump will head to the Washington headquarters after holding a roundtable with supporters at the Trump International Hotel. Trump is scheduled to receive the briefing at 1:15 p.m. The president was briefed earlier this week by acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf and Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency Peter Gaynor, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said in a statement. He has continued to receive regular updates since then. The hurricane made landfall over Cameron, Louisiana around 1 a.m. as a Category 4 hurricane, with 150 mph winds. As the hurricane moves north, it is affecting Louisiana, Texas, and Arkansas. As we begin to assess the damage, please continue to heed the warnings and instructions of your State and local officials as storm hazards will persist long after the storm has passed, McEnany said. Wolf said during an appearance on Fox & Friends that the hurricane is a really devastating storm. Laura was downgraded to a Category 1 storm but were not out of the woods yet, he added. President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump attend Mike Pences acceptance speech for the vice-presidential nomination during the Republican National Convention at Fort McHenry National Monument in Baltimore, Md., on Aug. 26, 2020. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images) Flash flooding, wind gusts, and power outages are the major concerns. The federal government has pre-positioned teams and supplies to help deal with the damage the storm wreaks. Louisiana residents should monitor local news outlets for updates on the storm and follow guidance from local officials, Gov. John Bel Edwards office said. He declared a state of emergency this week before Laura and another storm made landfall. Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Wednesday that flash flooding and high winds were expected in portions of his state. Texans in the path of the storm were urged to evacuate by Gov. Greg Abbott. The power of Hurricane Laura is unprecedented, and Texans must take action now to get out of harms way and protect themselves, he told an Aug. 26 briefing. The National Hurricane Center said in a Thursday morning update that Laura is bringing damaging winds and flooding rainfall across portions of Louisiana, with high water levels persisting along parts of the Gulf Coast. Storm surge warnings were discontinued west of Sabine Pass, Texas, and east of Port Fourchon, Louisiana, but a warning remained in effect between the cities and for High Island, Texas, to the mouth of the Mississippi River. The eye of the storm was located over northwestern Lousiana at 10 a.m. Central and was moving north near 16 mph. The center was forecast to move Arkansas tonight, the mid-Mississippi Valley on Friday, and the mid-Atlantic states on Saturday. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Fabian Cambero and Marco Aquino (Reuters) Santiago, Chile/Lima, Peru Thu, August 27, 2020 11:00 511 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c40d0d93 2 World Johnson-and-Johnson,Chile,Argentina,Peru,coronavirus,COVID-19,COVID-19-vaccine,human-trial,pandemic,SARS-CoV-2,virus-corona Free US pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson has added Chile, Argentina and Peru to the Latin nations where it plans to conduct Phase III trials for its vaccine against COVID-19, the company confirmed on Wednesday. The study will involve 60,000 volunteers from Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Argentina and Mexico and will be coordinated by J&J's pharmaceutical unit Janssen and local academic centers. The company told Reuters it was waiting for regulatory approval in Chile, Argentina and Mexico. "This multilateral collaboration...demonstrates the progress and commitment of collective efforts to find solutions for the COVID-19 pandemic," it said in a statement. Miguel O'Ryan of the University of Chile's School of Medicine, which will host the J&J trial, said the parameters were still being worked out but his team was prepared to recruit up to 1,000 volunteers for trials funded by the vaccine developers. "From our point of view, as soon as we have the vaccine available, within three weeks we should be able to vaccinate the first volunteer," he said. The Chilean Health Ministry did not respond to a request for comment. The J&J trial is one of several likely to take place in Chile. Sinovac - whose trial is funded by the Chilean government, local industry and academia - is due to launch a search for volunteers shortly, while the country is also in talks with CanSino Biologics Inc, AstraZeneca Plc and Moderna Inc. In Peru, Carlos Castillo, the Ministry of Health's chief vaccines adviser, told Reuters that J&J was picking research centers and the trial would get under way in mid-September. On Wednesday the Chinese firm Sinopharm began recruiting for 6,000 volunteers for its own vaccine trials. Peru President Martin Vizcarra has said he also hopes to confirm by the end of August trials of the AstraZeneca/Oxford University vaccine. J&J's prototype uses "viral vectors" to generate immune responses, similar to the approach taken by Oxford's vaccine developers and China's CanSino. Brazil, Chile, Peru, Argentina, Mexico and Colombia are the six Latin nations with the highest number of confirmed coronavirus cases. Vaccine developers look for areas with high rates of active transmission and infection because that renders it easier to get dependable trial results. J&J's head of vaccines previously told Reuters the company aimed to produce 1 billion doses of a potential vaccine next year. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has once again lashed out at the central government for not having a vaccine to fight the coronavirus disease which has affected over three million people in India. A fair and inclusive Covid vaccine access strategy should have been in place by now. But there are still no signs of it. GOIs unpreparedness is alarming, Gandhi tweeted. A fair and inclusive Covid vaccine access strategy should have been in place by now. But there are still no signs of it. GOIs unpreparedness is alarming. https://t.co/AUjumgGjGC Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) August 27, 2020 He also attached his previous tweet on the topic. This comes a day after he hit out at the Centre over the Reserve Bank of Indias (RBI) latest warning on economic contraction amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. Gandhi had said on Twitter that distractions through media will not help the poor. RBI has now confirmed what I have been warning for months, the Wayanad MP tweeted on Wednesday morning along with a news report. The Congress leader also provided few suggestions to the government which includes Government needs to: Spend more, not lend more. Give money to the poor, not tax cuts to industrialists. Restart economy by consumption. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) had said on Tuesday that three vaccine candidates are the frontrunners in the country. Three Covid-19 vaccines are ahead in the race in India. Serum Institutes vaccine is in phase 2(B) & phase 3 trials and Bharat Biotech and Zydus Cadilas vaccines have completed phase 1 trial, Professor (Dr) Balram Bhargava, Director General of ICMR had said. The second phase trial of Covid-19 vaccine developed by Oxford University, which would be manufactured by Serum Institute of India, began in Pune on Wednesday with the vaccine candidate administered to two volunteers at Bharati Vidyapeeth Medical College. Dr Sanjay Lalwani, Medical Director of Bharati Vidyapeeth Medical Hospital and Research Centre, said that five volunteers were tested for RT-PCR and antibodies and reports of three showed they have anti-bodies and vaccine was administered to two volunteers. HALIFAX - A COVID-19 vaccine-development partnership between Canada and a Chinese firm has been abandoned, ending clinical trials that were to be conducted by a Dalhousie University research lab. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 27/8/2020 (510 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. A man walks across the Dalhousie University campus in Halifax on March 16, 2020. A COVID-19 vaccine-development partnership between China's CanSino Biologics and Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia has been abandoned. The National Research Council of Canada said today in a statement the CanSino vaccine intended for phase one clinical trials have not been approved by Chinese customs for shipment to Canada. Because of that delay the NRC says the opportunity to conduct the trials is over. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan HALIFAX - A COVID-19 vaccine-development partnership between Canada and a Chinese firm has been abandoned, ending clinical trials that were to be conducted by a Dalhousie University research lab. The National Research Council of Canada said Thursday the CanSino Biologics vaccine intended for phase one clinical trials has not been approved by Chinese customs for shipment to Canada. "Due to the delay in the shipment of the vaccine doses to Canada it is evident this specific opportunity is over and the NRC is focusing its team and facilities on other partners and COVID-19 priorities," the agency said in a statement. Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne downplayed suggestions the vaccine partnership failed because of ongoing political tensions between the two countries. "I don't necessarily think so," Champagne told reporters Thursday. "I can only speak for the Canadian side. I would not necessarily link whether that particular opportunity is linked to anything else." Relations have been sour since the Chinese detained Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor in apparent retaliation for the RCMP's arrest of Chinese high-tech executive Meng Wanzhou on an American extradition warrant in December 2018. Despite the tensions, Champagne said "we have issues in terms of global health where we can work together." The Canadian Centre for Vaccinology at Dalhousie University was supposed to conduct the trials through a partnership with the NRC and CanSino Biologics. Dalhousie's lab had been ready to start clinical trials as early as June, the NRC said, after Health Canada approved CanSino's proposal. The Halifax lab was one of several in Canada and in the U.S. whose work in 2014 led to an Ebola vaccine that was used in West Africa. Dr. Scott Halperin, the director of the Canadian Centre for Vaccinology, said it was disappointing the CanSino project won't be going ahead. "The CanSino vaccine is one of the most furthest along of any of the candidate vaccines so it would have been nice to do that study," Halperin said. "It's not the only vaccine that we are working with ... but we certainly don't like to lose access to any one of them because we need multiple vaccines." Halperin said all of the protocols had been written and approved and had his lab received the vaccine its study would have been "well along by now." "We thought the shipment would be coming any day, as did the company," he said. "There was no bad faith on the company they were trying everything but they could not get (Chinese) government approval to ship it. The request for shipment hasn't been denied it just hasn't been approved." Halperin said the Halifax lab would be working on other COVID-19 studies and is in discussions with at least six different manufacturers. Once approvals are granted he said at least two of the studies could begin as early as next month. "Things are moving along. We weren't sitting and waiting for CanSino and doing nothing else." This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 27, 2020. G ermany has reportedly scrapped plans for Brexit talks at the EU ambassadors summit next week after a "completely wasted" summer of negotiations. It comes after UK-EU talks ended with little progress last week amid warnings of a no-deal Brexit if key issues are not settled within weeks. The German government, which currently holds the rotating presidency of the EU council, had planned to discuss Brexit during the meeting on September 2, according to the Guardian. But an EU diplomat told the publication that Brexit has been "taken off the agenda" due to the lack of "tangible progress". David Frost and Michel Barnier during the latest round of Brexit talks last week / AP While Angela Merkel had been pegged as a potential dealmaker when negotiations resume and enter a critical stage on September 7, the diplomat said: Over the recent months Franco-German cooperation has gained new traction. Given this new reality it would be futile to wait for a white knight from Paris or Berlin to come to the rescue. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, second right, with, from left, Italy's Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen / AP Another EU official told the Guardian that the mood in the EU negotiating team is "bleak", adding that time is running out to negotiate the complex legal treaty. We have had the whole summer completely wasted, a cabinet that doesnt understand how the negotiations work, a prime minister who, I think, doesnt understand how the negotiations work because he is under the wrong impression that he can pull off negotiating at the 11th hour," they said. Both sides have said September is an effective deadline for an agreement to allow time for it to be ratified before Britain leaves EU rules at the end of December. But the UK and EU have failed to move forward from complicated sticking points like fisheries and state of aid policy. Following the latest inconclusive round of talks, the EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier said he was disappointed and concerned and surprised. UK chief negotiator David Frost also said there had been little progress and that an agreement will not be easy to achieve. New normal: While retail took a lockdown hit, other niche sectors have been exposed The international financial services and insurance sectors are set to be among the industries least impacted by Covid-19, according to a report from the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation. The assessment does not include the domestic banks, which have all posted interim losses this year due to the global pandemic. Nonetheless, the sector is a significant employer here, with over 44,000 working in the area. The industry's output for 2020 is forecast to be 94pc of pre-coronavirus levels, the report states. Next year output is expected to be 93pc of pre-Covid levels. Dermot O'Leary, chief economist at Goodbody Stockbrokers, said the pandemic is affecting different sectors in different ways, with some performing better than others. "The international financial services sector has not been impacted to a great extent because of the ability for people to work from home and the rebound in the futures markets," he said. The rebound in the performance of the markets can be put down to two main factors, according to Mr O'Leary. "Markets are forward looking, they believe this is a short-term severe shock. They are taking the view that it won't be a long lasting impact on the performance of companies," he said. The markets are also taking into account the level of support from national governments, Mr O'Leary added. Also, compared to the previous global financial crisis in 2008 - when many major financial institutions had huge debt exposures - international financial services companies are better capitalised with greater diversity of loans and a more manageable credit risk exposure, according to the report. "Central Bank of Ireland frameworks and systems created post the banking crisis have stood the test of time - as a result, the companies in Ireland have been coping very well with the crisis, continuing to support customers," it said. While some niche sectors in the industry in Ireland have been exposed, including aviation, travel insurance, and foreign exchange operators, most areas of the sector appear to be performing "relatively steady." Despite the strong performance from the sector, as of mid-June, around one in four people working in the finance, insurance and real estate are estimated to be on the pandemic unemployment payment or temporary wage subsidy scheme. In the early stages of the crisis there was a surge in business activity among IDA Ireland-backed financial services clients here, with market volatility and transaction volumes up. H ealth Secretary Matt Hancock came under fire today after he admitted he has absolutely no idea how many of his own staff are working from home or coming into the office. The Cabinet minister suggested it did not matter if civil servants work from home and stay away from central London, saying: What I care about is how effectively people work. His comments were condemned by MPs for sending a confused message to commuters and undermining Boris Johnson and Chancellor Rishi Sunaks appeals for people to return to deserted offices in the city centre. Former Cabinet minister Theresa Villiers called on the Government to lead by example, while Sir Charles Walker, vice chairman of the 1922 Committee of Tory MPs, said that ministers must get a grip on Whitehall. Mr Hancocks comments also threw a spotlight on the high number of civil servants still working from home about six out of seven at the Cabinet Office, which is the department that reports direct to the Prime Minister. No 10 this week declined to say how many civil servants were working from home. Mr Hancock was asked on Times Radio how many of his own staff were in the office. He replied: I have absolutely no idea. What I care about is how effectively people work. Obviously people should come back to the office if that is what they need to do their job. And obviously employers need to make sure the offices are Covid-secure, as we have done for Health, as you would fully expect us to. But what I care about is that people perform. Of the people I work with, some have been working from home, some come in What matters to me is that they deliver. Matt Hancock announces a new payment for people being told to self-isolate Former environment secretary Ms Villiers told the Standard: The Government must be leading by example. We need people back in the offices for most of the time because it is crucial for our city centres and our economy. The Chipping Barnet MP said creativity and productivity thrived best when people were gathered together at work. Sir Charles said: Its inexcusable for Whitehall to resist the call back to central London. These are public servants and that duty now includes getting back to desks and playing their part in breathing life back into London. The Government is the employer and it needs to get a grip on Whitehall. Coronavirus in numbers: UK death toll reaches 41,465 The Broxbourne MP and former Wandsworth councillor added: What I care about is Londons economy and restoring a strong economy that creates opportunities for people, especially the young. The crisis was graphically illustrated in a photo of a deserted railway platform at Pulborough, tweeted by Tory MP Andrew Griffith at 8.10am when the station would normally be swarming with commuters. Thought Id pop along and see how commuters to London from Pulborough in West Sussex this morning are doing was the ironic caption posted by the MP. A spokesman for the Prime Minister would not comment on Mr Hancocks remarks but said Mr Johnson had been pretty clear about his views that people should support the economy by getting back to work and leisure. An analysis of mobile phone data suggests only 17 per cent of people had returned to work in the 63 biggest cities earlier this month, reported The Times. In London, 13 per cent had returned. Mr Hancock today defended a new 13-a-day extra payment for people who have to self-isolate against claims it was too low. He hinted that the payment level could be reviewed after trials and said the 182 a week was being given out in addition to other benefits. Its set at the level of statutory sick pay in order to make sure that people dont lose out from doing the right thing, he said. Anneliese Dodds, Labours shadow chancellor, raised concerns that the scheme would only apply to a limited number of areas. Loading.... Moves to ease lockdowns in parts of Greater Manchester, east Lancashire and west Yorkshire were being discussed by ministers and scientists this morning. 43 Alumni for Joe Biden Before Donald Trump accepts another nomination for president from what used to be the Party of Lincoln and Reagan, 225 former officials of the George W. Bush Administration publicly endorse Joe Biden for President, including a new endorsement from former Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman. From staff assistants to Cabinet secretaries, 43 Alumni for Biden represent the breadth and diversity of the 43rd presidential administration, the last Republican presidency. While we all may have our differences of opinion on specific policy matters with the Democratic Party, we firmly believe that Joe Biden can bring us together to help heal the divisions in our country and find solutions to our problems, said former Deputy Assistant to the President and former Assistant Secretary, Department of Health and Human Services Suzy DeFrancis. Donald Trump has failed to keep Americans safe during this pandemic, but Joe Biden will listen to our scientists and doctors when making life or death decisions. With lives and livelihoods at stake, our nation needs a leader with the experience, competence and character of Joe Biden." Joe Biden has received recent endorsements from former Secretary of State Colin Powell, former Director of National Intelligence John Negroponte, and former Governor of New Jersey and EPA Administrator Christine Todd Whitman, and we are proud to add our names to this distinguished list of public servants and principled leaders. In addition to the 225 public endorsers of Joe Biden, we are joined in solidarity by 152 additional alumni. Many of these individuals are unable to lend their names due to personal reasons, others have faced harassment and threats from Trump supporters, but each has pledged to vote for Joe Biden and continue to work behind the scenes to preserve our democracy. We encourage all Republicans, for the sake of the nation and even for the sake of the Republican Party, to reject Donald Trump and lawless administration, and vote for Joe Biden, said former Deputy Assistant to the President Greg Jenkins. This doesnt mean that you are now a Democrat, but it does mean that you care more about the Constitution and the lives of your fellow Americans than you care about party tribalism. Vote like your life depends on it, because for many of our fellow Americans, it does, said Kristopher Purcell of the 43 Alumni for Biden organizing committee and former White House communications official. # # # 43 Alumni for Biden is a registered Political Action Committee formed to support and elect Joe Biden as the next President of the United States. Principles matter more than politics. Thats why we, a group of alumni who have served Republican legislators, governors and presidents, are choosing country over party this November. We worked for W. We support Joe. http://www.43alumniforjoebiden.com Twitter Facebook YouTube A conman who flaunted his luxury lifestyle on Instagram while on the run from an eight-year prison sentence for a 2.4 million fraud is finally behind bars. Sami Raja, 32, posted pictures on social media as he enjoyed the high-life in Dubai and a resort in the Maldives, posing with designer goods including a 4,000 Rolex and a 33,000 Aston Martin. He had left the UK in December 2017, just before his trial was due to begin, and was convicted in his absence of helping to con elderly victims out of their life savings in a cold-calling scam. Raja, from Grays, Essex, was sentenced to eight years in prison last January for six counts of conspiracy to defraud and money laundering, but continue to evade justice on the other side of the world. However City of London Police said today the fraudster was captured in mid-July this year as he travelled to Athens, and he appeared at Southwark crown court today to formally start his sentence. During his trial, it was revealed how elderly victims had been conned out of a total of 2.4 million through the mis-selling of carbon credits in 2012 and 2013. Sami Raja Senior Investigating Officer Hayley Wade, of the City of London Polices Fraud Squad, said: Raja cruelly targeted elderly individuals with the intention of defrauding them of their life savings. At the time of his crimes he clearly felt no remorse for his actions and this attitude has only become more apparent over the last 18 months. He is a callous and greedy individual, but today we have shown he is not above the law. We hope the fact he is now finally serving the prison sentence he deserves for his crimes, will bring some comfort to the victims in this case. I would like to thank the National Crime Agency, Crown Prosecution Service, Metropolitan Police and the authorities in Greece, for all of their assistance in bringing Raja back to the UK to face justice. Raja was first arrested over the scam in September 2013, and he spent five years released under investigation before the case finally made it to court. He denies the charges against him before fleeing justice, and was one of five men convicted over the scam. White House Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway pre-records her address to the Republican National Convention from inside an empty Mellon Auditorium August 26, 2020 in Washington, DC. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Kellyanne Conway, a top counselor to President Donald Trump, made a forceful case for the president's reelection in a speech at the Republican National Convention on Wednesday night. One of the president's fiercest and longest-serving advisers, Conway attempted to humanize Trump. "President trump and Vice President Pence have lifted Americans, provided them with dignity, opportunity and results," Conway said in her remarks. "[Trump] has stood by me, and he will stand up for you." Conway's speech comes just days after she announced she'll be leaving White House post this week, citing a need to focus on her family. Her husband is an outspoken critic of the president. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Kellyanne Conway, a top counselor to President Donald Trump, made a forceful case for the president's reelection in a speech at the Republican National Convention on Wednesday night. One of the president's fiercest and longest-serving advisers, Conway attempted to humanize Trump, arguing that he's surrounded himself with women like herself and regularly provides emotional support to struggling Americans. "President Trump and Vice President Pence have lifted Americans, provided them with dignity, opportunity and results," Conway said in her pre-recorded remarks. "[Trump] has stood by me, and he will stand up for you." The White House adviser focused on the administration's efforts to combat the opioid crisis, which she was involved in. Conway claimed that the president had done much to alleviate the crisis, but after a decrease in 2018, fatal drug overdoses rose last year by over 4%. The coronavirus pandemic has severely exacerbated the crisis drug overdoses spiked 18% in March, 29% in April, and 42% in May over last year. "We have a long way to go, but the political inertia that cost lives and the silence and the stigma that prevents people in need fro coming forward is melting away," she said. Story continues Conway's speech comes just days after she announced she'll be leaving White House post this week, citing a need to focus on her family. "This is completely my choice and my voice," she said in a statement posted to Twitter. "In time, I will announce future plans. For now, and for my beloved children, it will be less drama, more mama." The 53-year-old veteran GOP operative is perhaps best known for the false statements, spin, and lies she delivered as a surrogate for Trump both on the campaign trail and over the last nearly four years in the White House. Shortly after Trump was sworn into office, Conway infamously coined the term "alternative facts," in reference to then-White House press secretary Sean Spicer's blatantly false claims about the number of people who attended Trump's inauguration. Conway's husband, conservative attorney George Conway, has become an outspoken anti-Trump activist in recent years and helped found the anti-Trump group the Lincoln Project, which has endorsed Democratic nominee Joe Biden. George Conway's public attacks on Trump he's called the president a "sociopath," a "malignant narcissist," and "a pathological liar," among many other descriptors have attracted significant media attention. The president lashed out at him on Twitter last year, calling him a "a stone cold LOSER & husband from hell!" and accused him of being "VERY jealous of his wife's success." Kellyanne called her husband's sharp criticism of her boss "disrespectful" in a 2018 interview with The Washington Post. "It's a violation of basic decency, certainly, if not marital vows," she said. Last week, one of the Conways' daughters, Claudia, who is 15, publicly announced she is seeking "emancipation" from her parents after months of publicly criticizing their politics. George announced last Sunday that he would step back from his work with the Lincoln Project to deal with family issues. In the announcement of her departure, Kellyanne said that she and her husband "disagree about plenty but we are united on what matters most: the kids." Kellyanne joined the Trump campaign as its manager in August 2016 and helped lead it to victory a few months later, becoming the first women to manage a winning presidential campaign a fact she's repeated often, including in her speech on Wednesday night. Read the original article on Business Insider Salehi: Iran, IAEA open new chapter of cooperation IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Tehran, Aug 26, IRNA -- Head of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi hailed his constructive talks with Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency Rafael Mariano Grossi, saying Iran and the IAEA opened new chapter of cooperation. Speaking in his joint press conference with IAEA chief, Salehi said Iran-IAEA cooperation will be developed more than ever. He hoped for the visit would satisfy both sides in a way that IAEA acts based on the Statute of the UN nuclear Agency and Iran in the framework of Safeguards Agreement and the additional protocol Iran accepted voluntarily. Constructive talks were held and the IAEA is supposed to work professionally and independently and Iran is to work in the framework of its commitments. He said that both sides discussed the outcomes of previous talks and are supposed to issue statement. Enemies will not stay silent and we will foil their malicious measures, Salehi said. Salehi said that they created nuisance for Iranian transparent nuclear program, we accept no demand beyond nuclear commitments and "we act based on our interests." Grossi heading a delegation arrived in Tehran on Monday to confer with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, President Hassan Rouhani and other officials. 9376**1416 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Lets stipulate starting out that Kyle Rittenhouse, the 17-year-old from Antioch, Illinois, who has been arrested and charged with murder for shooting two people during the Kenosha riots two nights ago, should not have been present at the scene with a semi-auto rifle. Thats no place for a 17-year-old, even if he is a regular at the gun range. And resorting to vigilantism is a sure path to a breakdown in the rule of law and perhaps even open civil war. Well hold off a recitation of Lincoln Lyceum Address on this point for some other time, as well as scoring the appalling negligence of Democratic political leaders in Wisconsin. That said, there appears to be a decent case that Rittenhouse acted in self-defense. Who says this? Sit down for the answer: a team of reporters from the New York Times. Im starting to think someone from Fox News has spiked the water at the Times, as this story makes two sensible news stories in one day from the Times. Or maybe the panic is that high at DNC headquarters. Here are key excerpts from the story, Tracking the Suspect in the Fatal Kenosha Shootings, in which Times reporters stitch together a timeline from several videos, and with my highlights: In most of the footage The Times has reviewed from before the shootings, Mr. Rittenhouse is around this area. He also offers medical assistance to protesters. About 15 minutes before the first shooting, police officers drive past Mr. Rittenhouse, and the other armed civilians who claim to be protecting the dealership, and offer water out of appreciation. Mr. Rittenhouse walks up to a police vehicle carrying his rifle and talks with the officers. He eventually leaves the dealership and is barred by the police from returning. Six minutes later footage shows Mr. Rittenhouse being chased by an unknown group of people into the parking lot of another dealership several blocks away. While Mr. Rittenhouse is being pursued by the group, an unknown gunman fires into the air, though its unclear why. The weapons muzzle flash appears in footage filmed at the scene. Mr. Rittenhouse turns toward the sound of gunfire as another pursuer lunges toward him from the same direction. Mr. Rittenhouse then fires four times, and appears to shoot the man in the head. . . As Mr. Rittenhouse is running, he trips and falls to the ground. He fires four shots as three people rush toward him. One person appears to be hit in the chest and falls to the ground. Another, who is carrying a handgun, is hit in the arm and runs away. Mr. Rittenhouses gunfire is mixed in with the sound of at least 16 other gunshots that ring out during this time. As this happens, police vehicles just one block away remain stationary during the gunfire. Mr. Rittenhouse walks with his hands up toward the police vehicles. Bystanders call out to the officers that he had just shot people. The police drive by him without stopping, on their way to assist the victims. The left is making a big deal about the supposed white privilege of Rittenhouse because the police initially drove past him even though he had his hands up. But as this story makes clear, the police were heading to aid victims, which is surely sound police procedure, not yet knowing that Rittenhouse was the shooter. An image showing the projected path of Hurricane Laura as of 4 am. CDT on Thursday. NHC Residents of a parish in Louisiana who did not evacuate ahead of Hurricane Laura are now calling for aid. "People are calling the building but there ain't no way to get to them," Tony Guillory, the president of the police jury in Calcasieu Parish, told The Associated Press. Blocked roads, downed power lines, and flooding makes it extremely hard to save them, Guillory said. John Bel Edwards, the governor of Louisiana, ordered the evacuation of a number of cities and parishes in the south of the state, including Calcasieu, on Monday. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. Residents of a parish near Lake Charles, Louisiana, who did not evacuate ahead of Hurricane Laura are calling for rescue but it may be too late. As of Thursday morning, Hurricane Laura, a Category 3 storm, was moving inland over Louisiana with winds of up to 120 miles-per-hour. "People are calling the building but there ain't no way to get to them," Tony Guillory, the president of the police jury in Calcasieu Parish, told The Associated Press (AP.) "Blocked roads, downed power lines, and flooding" make that task extremely complicated, Guillory told the AP. On Monday, John Bel Edwards, the governor of Louisiana, ordered the evacuation of a number of cities and parishes in the south of the state, including Calcasieu Parish, which borders Texas. "Things are very, very serious," Edwards told Fox News on Wednesday. "Quite frankly the storm surge is going to be a huge threat to life and, in fact, the National Weather Service took the unprecedented step of saying the storm surge is going to be unsurvivable." Satellite footage of the landfall of Hurricane Laura in Louisiana at 1 a.m. CT on Thursday. Twitter/NOAA Satellites Laura made landfall near Cameron, Louisiana, at 1 a.m. CDT on Thursday as a Category 4 storm. It was later downgraded. On Tuesday, Greg Abbott, the governor of Texas, issued evacuation orders for around 385,000 people living across the Texan cities of Beaumont, Galveston, and Port Arthur. Storm surge warnings are in place for areas between High Island Texas to the Mouth of the Mississippi River, according to the NHC. The storm is due to pass over Louisiana and into Arkansas by the end of the Thursday, the forecast said. Read the original article on Insider Melbourne Airport was left without a backup crew on-site to manage any firefighting emergencies on Monday last week after all of its personnel went to put out an electrical fire. The airport usually has 17 firefighters on standby but it has dropped as low as 10 on some days as a result of the dramatic reduction in air travel caused by Australia's state and federal border restrictions. Planes idled at Melbourne International Airport this week. Credit:Getty Many of Australia's airports have a smaller complement of firefighters than Melbourne but the firefighters union is worried the reduction in staffing will result in there being more times when planes take off and land without crews at the airport ready to race to put out a fire. Airservices Australia, the federal government agency that runs firefighting services airports, did not answer specific questions about the Monday incident but said it had enough firefighters to meet legal requirements and ensure the travellers were safe. The US National Security Council called the Russian troops' actions 'unsafe and unprofessional' American soldiers have been injured in a tense confrontation with Russian troops in northeastern Syria, stoking tensions between the two powers in a fiercely-contested part of the country. Videos have emerged of Russian military vehicles and attack helicopters surrounding and harassing two American armoured cars while they carried out patrols near the borders with Iraq and Turkey earlier this week. At one point during the skirmish, a Russian Kamaz Typhoon armoured personnel carrier collided with an American M-ATV mine-resistant vehicle, in an incident which left four US troops injured, the White House said on Wednesday night. In a statement, the US National Security Council (NSC) did not provide further details of the soldiers injuries, but accused the Russian forces of unsafe and unprofessional behaviour against troops who were carrying out patrols on Tuesday as part of the US-led military Coalition against the Islamic State terror group. Video of US-Russia troops confrontation in Northern #Syria this week. Politico reporting now that 4 US troops were injured as result: pic.twitter.com/zbEgD5jzgc Joyce Karam (@Joyce_Karam) August 26, 2020 "The coalition and the United States do not seek escalation with any national military forces, but US forces always retain the inherent right and obligation to defend themselves from hostile acts," John Ullyot, an NSC spokesman, said. In another video posted online, a Russian Mi-8AMSTh Terminator assault helicopter flies low over vehicles clearly displaying the American flag, buffeting them with prop wash from its rotor blades. However on Thursday the Russian defence ministry blamed the Americans, saying they had been warned that Russian forces were passing through the area, close to the city of Dayrick. Story continues A Russian military helicopter flew low over the US convoy The latest incident occurred in Hasakah province, where Syrian government forces, Kurdish paramilitaries and Islamic State jihadists all battled each other until the latter were defeated and a ceasefire was signed in 2016. Russia, which has deployed around 4,000 troops in Syria and provides military air power in support of President Bashar al-Assads regime, has since carried out numerous peacekeeping patrols along the countrys northern border. "In spite of this, in breach of the existing agreements the US troops attempted to block the Russian patrol," Moscows Defence Ministry said today, adding that Russian military police took "necessary measures" to end the incident and carry on their mission. So the Fighter Bomber Instagram channel that posted this video claims the Russian Mi-8AMTSh helicopter in this video was hovering over American forces, presumably to try to disperse them or force them to move. 318/https://t.co/0iBHe4GlnT pic.twitter.com/LDebd2HlLP Rob Lee (@RALee85) August 26, 2020 Rob Lee, a researcher at the Department of War Studies at Kings College London who posted videos of the incident online, said that the incident was the most serious between American and Russian forces in Syria since January, when the two sides had had several minor altercations. He added that Russian officers appeared to condone the provocative tactics, despite the risk of causing an international incident. I think the Russians realise that US forces won't use lethal force to stop them, so they're just going to continue patrolling wherever they want to in Syria, he said. Russia also feels as though their presence in Syria is legitimate (because Assad invited them), whereas US forces' presence is unlawful. Sandeep K* recently got his H-1B visa approved within two weeks of applying in an US Consulate in India. S Mythili* got her H-4 visa approved after being away from her husband since January this year. With US consulates in India starting to process visas on an emergency basis since August 17, the anxiety among the NRI community is waning. Many of them have been stuck here because of COVID-19 and the visa ban announced in June 22. In India, the US has consulates in Chennai, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Delhi and Kolkata. Change in norms help some, confuse some This relief came after a new set of guidelines were issued by the US Department of State, allowing H-1B workers and their dependents entry into the US under certain conditions. Two such conditions are that they are allowed entry if they are joining their previous (company they were working in before they came to India) employer before the ban or if they want to work in critical areas such as healthcare. It also allowed the entry of such H-1B dependents into the US. Take Sandeeps case. He is not joining his previous employer and will be working in a new company in the healthcare space in a senior role. He got his emergency appointment (EA) approved within two weeks. Mythili got her H-4 visa approved under the with family separation category as her husband is still in the US with a valid visa/ Though it does come as a relief, many of the thousands stuck in India are still confused. Madan*, an H-1B tech worker, is joining a new company in a senior position. According to the new guideline, those who are in senior positions will have to prove that their service is necessary. Madan already has a letter from his employer but is not sure what more would be necessary to prove his need to be in the US. He is in touch with his employer and others like Sandeep to get a better understanding on how best to proceed. Stuck in the US If the tech workers in India are figuring out the best way to get their visa approved, for those in the US, things are not better. In fact, it is worse due to COVID-19. While those who have got their H-4 Employment Authorisation Document (EAD) approved would now be able to work as per the recent guideline, many who are awaiting approval might have to wait at least a year. This means they could still lose their jobs or the right to stay in the US. Though the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently cancelled the furlough of its 13,000 employees, it warned of longer visa processing time. This delay is clearly reflected in the processing time for petitions available on its website. According to the USCIS site, the processing time to get an EAD approved is 14-18 months for an H-4 dependent. To extend their stay as a dependent, what used to be few months could now take 14-18 months. According to Bhavana K*, a dependent, it was 2-4 months earlier. The H-4 visa has a three-year validity. All these are impacting the mental and financial well-being of Indians in the US, many of whom have already lost their jobs. Janaki S*, who had to move to India after she and her husband lost jobs, is not sure about returning as the uncertainty around immigration looms. *names changed on request US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper discussed with his Papua New Guinea counterpart Saki Soloma over the telephone their countries' commitment to defending the Indo-Pacific region, the Department of Defense said in a statement on Thursday WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 27th August, 2020) US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper discussed with his Papua New Guinea counterpart Saki Soloma over the telephone their countries' commitment to defending the Indo-Pacific region, the Department of Defense said in a statement on Thursday. "Secretary Esper and Minister Soloma spoke to the importance of upholding international rules and norms and their commitment to defending a free and open Indo-Pacific region," the statement said. The two officials reinforced the strength of the US-Papua New Guinea bilateral relationship and discussed pressing regional security issues as well as commitment to future cooperation, the statement added. If UFOs and aliens have intrigued you, this piece of information will excite you too. As recently, a UFO parachuted in the dense jungle of Congo which confused everyone, including the local authorities. Two people were detained in the process for questioning as well until a subsidiary company of Google confirmed that it was just an internet balloon. Soon images of the same flooded the social media as people wanted to know what exactly they were looking at. The object looked like a large silver-colored contraption along with solar panels and wire which was found somewhere in the tropical forest of Bas-Uele province in the northern Democratic Republic of Congo. BCCL The locals residing in the area informed the security services after the object fell on Earth. Bas-Uele Governor Valentin Senga told Reuters in an interview, Im not able to say exactly what kind of device I observed, he said by phone on Tuesday. What intrigues us is that neither the intelligence services nor the local aviation authorities claim to have any information on the overflight of Congolese air space by this aircraft. He also said that police detained two people, a Pakistani national and a Congolese who had arrived in Buta to find the object. Reuters Later, the mystery was solved when Loon, a subsidiary of Alphabet claimed the object. They said, I can confirm that Loon executed a controlled landing of one of our stratospheric balloons in this region. Loons balloons travel around 12 miles above the Earths surface and on edge of space and these enable them to deliver internet services to people in remote areas around the world. Reuters What a bummer? We all were expecting far more drama than this! NEET, JEE 2020 Exam News and LIVE Updates: Further delay in conducting medical and engineering entrance exams NEET and JEE will lead to a 'zero academic year' and any quick alternative to the crucial exams will dilute the quality of education and have cascading effects, according to Directors of several Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) Auto refresh feeds Referring to the growing chorus against the conduct of these exams in September in view of the rising COVID-19 cases, the academicians said in their letter, "Some are trying to play with future of students to propel their own political agenda". Over 150 academicians from various universities in India and abroad have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that delaying the medical and engineering entrance exams JEE-Mains and NEET any further will mean compromising the future of students. Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the phone and requested him to postpone NEET and JEE exams, in view of the COVID-19 pandemic and the flood situation in the state, a senior official said. Patnaik, during his conversation with the prime minister, explained that Odisha is in the grip of a pandemic as well as flood, and students might face difficulties in appearing for the examinations, the official at the chief minister's office told reporters. He further told Hindustan Times that he had received innumerable emails from "the silent majority" saying that they dont want a zero academic year. In an interview to DD News, "Students and guardians constantly put pressure on us to conduct NEET & JEE exams. SC too opined that full academic year cant be wasted. After two deferments, exam dates have been finalized. 85% of JEE aspirants have already downloaded their admit cards! Even as Opposition to the holding of nationwide NEET and JEE exams goes in full swing, Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal has sought to defend the move, arguing that a majority of students indeed want the exam on the due date. In response to the calls of deferring the entrance exams, the minister said, "NEET and JEE examinations are not examinations of class third or fourth. People passing these examinations contribute to nation-building. These examinations are essential. Therefore, this should not be made an issue." Amid increasing demand for postponement of NEET and JEE 2020 exams during the coronavirus outbreak, Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra on Thursday said 'exams are essential". Over 17 lakh students have downloaded their admit cards for NEET, JEE exams, amid protests for their postponement due to Covid-19, and floods in some states, News18 reported. According to official data, 9,94,198 students have downloaded their admit cards for NEET (UG) and 7,49,408 students have downloaded admit cards for JEE (Mains). Jakhar asked if students' lives were worth 'less' than those of MPs or MLAs for the Modi government. It was for the first time in the history of the Parliament that the seating arrangement of the MPs was being changed on a large scale to ensure their safety, he said in a statement here. "Will it be appropriate to put the health of millions of students who will have to sit together in the examination centers?" he asked. Jakhar's reaction came a day after Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh asked his state advocate general to coordinate with his counterparts in other Opposition-ruled states for filing a joint review petition in the Supreme Court for the deferment of the all-India joint entrance tests for graduation courses in medicines and engineering amid the pandemic. Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jakhar on Thursday accused the BJP-led government at the Centre of "playing with the lives" of youths by being "adamant" on holding JEE-NEET exams amid the COVID-19 pandemic. "SP workers of party's student wing reached the Raj Bhawan in the afternoon and started raising anti-government slogans for organising the NEET and JEE amid the pandemic at considerable risks to students," the report said. Police in Uttar Pradesh on Thursday lathicharged Samajwadi Party workers who were protesting at the Raj Bhawan "against the Centre's decision to hold all-India joint entrance examinations for graduation courses in medicines and engineering in September amid the coronavirus pandemic", News18 reported. NEET & JEE examinations are not examinations of class third or fourth. People passing these examinations contribute to nation-building. These examinations are essential. Therefore, this should not be made an issue: Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra pic.twitter.com/dNoWe8jEsc In response to the calls of deferring the entrance exams, the minister said, "NEET and JEE examinations are not examinations of class third or fourth. People passing these examinations contribute to nation-building. These examinations are essential. Therefore, this should not be made an issue." Amid increasing demand for postponement of NEET and JEE 2020 exams during the coronavirus outbreak, Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra on Thursday said 'exams are essential". Over 17 lakh students have downloaded their admit cards for NEET, JEE exams, amid protests for their postponement due to Covid-19, and floods in some states, News18 reported. According to official data, 9,94,198 students have downloaded their admit cards for NEET (UG) and 7,49,408 students have downloaded admit cards for JEE (Mains). With the exam centres spread across select cities in India, inter-city travel for NEET and JEE aspirants living in tier 3 cities or rural areas is completely unavoidable. Add to this the unique predicament of flood-like situation in several states and orders of partial to complete suspension of public transport in various places. Besides, hotels and lodges have started operations in a very few cities and not every one can afford to pay for these facilities. This has impacted the women candidates the most as they fear they will not be allowed to travel alone and may be asked to drop the exam because travel and stay arrangements have become such a hassle in these times. Journalist Vijaita Singh also reported similar accounts of girls from small places in UP and West Bengal explaining how the absence of public transport could mean they may not be able to take the exam. Supporting the demand for postponement of NEET and JEE examinations in view of the coronavirus pandemic, seven chief ministers of non-BJP ruled states have decided to jointly move the Supreme Court on the issue. Meanwhile, the education secretary has said that the government is not going to revisit its decision to hold the exams. According to a report in India Today, Ministry of Education Secretary who just returned from a meeting at the PMO said that the Centres decision remains the same and there would be no rethink on postponing JEE and NEET exams. Amid the chorus for postponement of the two exams in view of the rising COVID-19 cases, the IIT Directors appealed to students to trust the institutions conducting the exam. Directors of IIT Roorkee, Kharagpur, Ropar, were among those who said that thedecision to conduct exams have been taken after dye consideration and that postponing them further will result in a year laspse for millions of candidates. Further delay in conducting medical and engineering entrance exams NEET and JEE will lead to a 'zero academic year' and any quick alternative to the crucial exams will dilute the quality of education and have cascading effects, according to Directors of several Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs). "NTA DG told me that 7.5 lakhs out of 8.58 lakhs candidates in JEE have downloaded admit cards. For NEET, over 10 lakhs out of 15.97 lakhs candidates downloaded admit cards in 24 hrs. It shows that students want that exams are held at any cost," Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal was quoted as saying by News18. Step 5: Your NEET UG 2020 admit card, or hall ticket, will appear on the screen. Download and take a print out. Step 3: You will be directed to a new page where you will have to enter your application number, password, date of birth in DD/MM/YYYY format, and enter security pin. Step 2: At the left side of the homepage, under current events, click on the link that reads 'Download Admit Card'. Jakhar asked if students' lives were worth 'less' than those of MPs or MLAs for the Modi government. It was for the first time in the history of the Parliament that the seating arrangement of the MPs was being changed on a large scale to ensure their safety, he said in a statement here. "Will it be appropriate to put the health of millions of students who will have to sit together in the examination centers?" he asked. Jakhar's reaction came a day after Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh asked his state advocate general to coordinate with his counterparts in other Opposition-ruled states for filing a joint review petition in the Supreme Court for the deferment of the all-India joint entrance tests for graduation courses in medicines and engineering amid the pandemic. Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jakhar on Thursday accused the BJP-led government at the Centre of "playing with the lives" of youths by being "adamant" on holding JEE-NEET exams amid the COVID-19 pandemic. "SP workers of party's student wing reached the Raj Bhawan in the afternoon and started raising anti-government slogans for organising the NEET and JEE amid the pandemic at considerable risks to students," the report said. Police in Uttar Pradesh on Thursday lathicharged Samajwadi Party workers who were protesting at the Raj Bhawan "against the Centre's decision to hold all-India joint entrance examinations for graduation courses in medicines and engineering in September amid the coronavirus pandemic", News18 reported. The Gujarat unit of the Congress is reportedly planning to protest on Friday against the Narendra Modi government at the Centre, "which the party alleged is adamant on holding the Joint Entrance Exams (JEE) and the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) against students' wishes amid the coronavirus pandemic," News18 reported. NEET, JEE 2020 Exam News and Latest Updates: Further delay in conducting medical and engineering entrance exams NEET and JEE will lead to a 'zero academic year' and any quick alternative to the crucial exams will dilute the quality of education and have cascading effects, according to Directors of several Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs). Supporting the demand for postponement of NEET and JEE examinations in view of the coronavirus pandemic, seven chief ministers of non-BJP ruled states have decided to jointly move the Supreme Court on the issue. Meanwhile, the education secretary has said that the government is not going to revisit its decision to hold the exams. The education ministry has decided to issue a video statement on the issue at 3 pm on Thursday in the wake of the controversy unfolding over its decision to conduct the NEET and JEE entrance exams. NTA has increased the number of examination centres from 570 to 660 (in case of JEE Main) and 2,546 to 3,843 (in case of NEET (UG) 2020) to avoid overcrowding at centres and to enforce social distancing norms. However, this does not solve the predicament of many a candidates who still need to make travel plans amid the pandemic as these centres are set up in select cities in India. Former Karnataka chief minister and Congress leader Siddaramaiah has criticised the ruling BJP for steamrolling students into taking exam despite the vocal opposition to the move from several quarters Even as Opposition to the holding of nationwide NEET and JEE exams goes in full swing, Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal has sought to defend the move, arguing that a majority of students indeed want the exam on the due date. Over 150 academicians from various universities in India and abroad have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that delaying the medical and engineering entrance exams JEE-Mains and NEET any further will mean compromising the future of students. Referring to the growing chorus against the conduct of these exams in September in view of the rising COVID-19 cases, the academicians said in their letter, "Some are trying to play with future of students to propel their own political agenda". "Youths and students are the future of the nation but in wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, clouds of uncertainty have gathered over their careers too. There are lot of apprehensions about admission and classes which need to be resolved at the earliest," they have said in their letter. Like every year, this year too millions of students have passed their Class 12 exams and are now waiting at home to eagerly take the next step, the letter said. "The government has announced the dates for JEE-Mains and NEETany further delay in conducting the exams will result in waste of precious year for students. The dreams and future of our youth and students cannot be compromised at any cost. However, some are trying to play with the future of our students simply to propel their own political agenda and oppose the government, it said. The signatories include academicians from the Delhi University, IGNOU, Lucknow University, JNU, BHU, IIT Delhi and Indian academicians from foreign universities such as University of London, University of California, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Ben Gurion University, Israel, among others. "We strongly believe that the central government will successfully conduct the JEE and NEET exams taking full precautions to ensure that the future of students is taken care of and the academic calendar for 2020-21 is rolled out," it added. Over 14 lakh admit cards for the medical and engineering entrance exams - NEET and JEE - were downloaded after the National Testing Agency (NTA) released them on Wednesday, even as the issue was discussed extensively during a meeting of chief ministers of non-BJP ruled states who decided to jointly move the Supreme Court to seek deferment of these exams. The issue, which has been a matter of intense public discourse for the past few months, has evoked contrasting views with many backing the holding of the tests arguing that not doing so would result in a zero academic year for students, while the Opposition and a section of activists demanding their postponement in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. The issue also took political undertones on Wednesday with opposition leaders attacking the Central government. While the NEET is planned on 13 September, engineering entrance exam JEE Main is scheduled from 1-6 September. Around 9.53 lakh candidates have registered for JEE-Mains and 15.97 lakh students have registered for NEET. These exams have already been deferred twice in the wake of the novel coronavirus pandemic. JEE-Main was originally supposed to be held from 7-11 April, but postponed to 18-23 July, NEET-UG was originally scheduled for 3 May, then pushed to 26 July. They were postponed again and are now scheduled in September. Health Secretary Matt Hancock has warned he will make it a legal requirement to self-isolate if people don't follow advice given by NHS Test and Trace. Figures today revealed that the system is getting worse and call handlers reached a record low of just 72.6 per cent of infected patients last week. It's the fifth week in a row the number of Covid-19 cases tracked has fallen, dropping from the best performance of 82.8 per cent in the week ending July 22. Department of Health data also showed a third of people who tested positive and were referred to the system between August 13 and 19 were not reached within 24 hours. It's crucial for the system to work rapidly, so that close contacts of Covid-19 cases who may unknowingly have the virus are tracked down and told to self isolate before they can spread the infection further. In another blow, only 75.5 per cent of close contacts were reached and asked to self-isolate, meaning the government has missed its 80 per cent target set by SAGE in order to keep the virus under control for the ninth week in a row. It comes as Matt Hancock today defended his plan to pay people on low incomes 13 a day to self-isolate, even though critics said the payments would not be enough to stop people going to work. The Health Secretary Matt Hancock also acknowledged the Test and Trace system was 'not quite there', before the figures were published. And he said the rules could be enforced by law if people don't co-operate, refusing to rule out visiting people at home to check if they were isolating. The figures today also add to evidence that Britain's outbreak is not spiralling out of control as feared, with the number of positive cases dropping almost nine per cent in a week. A total of 6,115 people were diagnosed between August 13 and 19, down from 6,656 the week before. The Government's Test and Trace system is getting worse as figures today revealed that call handlers reached a record-low of just 72.6 per cent of infected patients last week Health Secretary Matt Hancock said he wouldn't rule out enforcing self-isolating by law if people didn't follow advice given to them by NHS Test and Trace HANCOCK DEFENDS HIS PLAN TO PAY 13 A DAY TO BRITONS SELF-ISOLATING Matt Hancock today launched a furious defence of his plan to pay people on low incomes 13 a day to self-isolate as critics said the payments would not be enough to stop people going to work. From September 1 people who receive Universal Credit or Working Tax Credit who are required to self-isolate, who are unable to work from home and who are in Covid-19 hotspots will benefit from the new payment scheme. Eligible people who test positive for the virus will receive 130 for their 10-day period of self-isolation while other members of their household, who under current rules must isolate for 14 days, will get 182. The scheme will initially be trialled in Blackburn with Darwen, Pendle and Oldham - areas which are currently subject to local lockdown measures. The Government hopes the payments will boost compliance with requests from NHS Test and Trace for people to stay at home, with Mr Hancock pointing out the money will be 'in addition' to other benefits. But critics believe the payments are far too small and many people will still feel that they cannot afford to stay at home. Advertisement This represents 1.4 and 1.5 per cent of all tests taken, respectively, proving that cases have not fallen just as a result of less testing. Of those cases, 72.6 per cent were reached by call handlers. In comparison, the rate was 79 per cent the week before. Data also shows it is even worse than the 73.4 per cent recorded in the first week of the scheme. Of those who were contacted, only 69.7 per cent were reached within 24 hours. Five per cent weren't tracked down for at least three days. Some 75.9 per cent gave at least one phone number of a close contact, a figure that has dropped every week since mid-July. Matt Hancock said on Times Radio today: 'By and large we do think the majority of people are following these instructions. 'But obviously we keep that under review as well, including how we enforce it. 'Weve done it without making it a legal requirement as yet, but we dont rule out making those sorts of changes if we need to.' He confirmed that the Government will now offer money to some people to help them cover the costs of staying off work. But house visits could be part of the way this is enforced, he said. 'We want to obviously have as high a proportion self isolating as possible,' Mr Hancock said. 'The goal is to get to 80 per cent. We are in the 70s. 'This is one of the reasons we are starting [the payment scheme] in Oldham, Blackburn and Pendle they are the three areas in the country with the highest rates that are in the highest level of local lockdown and we are working very closely with the local authorities who have the boots on the ground, the people who go an knock on doors if we can get hold of somebody by phone. 'This is the first step in paying people to self isolate. We will monitor how effective it is. I dont rule anything out. But we want to get the system working.' In a more positive development, 75.5 per cent of close contacts were reached in the most recent week, up from 71.6 per cent in the previous week. But it's still a dramatically lower number than the 91.1 per cent of cases who were reached in the first week of launching, on May 28. Experts suspect that people do not pick up the phone to contact tracers because it is an unrecognised number. Head of the NHS Test and Trace Baroness Dido Harding, said England 'now has the capacity to test for coronavirus and trace contacts on an unprecedented scale'. She said today: 'This week marks a milestone for NHS Test and Trace, which has now been in operation for more than three months. 'The statistics published today show every week we consistently reach the majority of people testing positive and their contacts, and have now reached almost 300,000 people who may have unknowingly passed the virus on. 'We will continue to build the service further to reach more and more people and to scale up our testing capacity. 'I urge everyone to use NHS Test and Trace to help everyone get back to a more normal way of life.' Danny Mortimer, deputy chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said: 'The latest test and trace figures show a yo-yo effect with vital improvements in some areas balanced out by steps back in others.' The proportion of recent close contacts handled by call centres that were contacted More people are being referred to the NHS tracing system reflecting an increase in cases Testing turnaround times have also dipped since the record high at the start of July. But they are starting to improve for home test kits and satellite centres FLU JABS ARE AT A LOW AMID FEARS OF INFLUENZA AND COVID-19 COINCIDING THIS WINTER The number of vulnerable people getting free flu jabs in England is at an eight-year low, raising fears of an outbreak coinciding with a second wave of coronavirus. Last winter just 45 per cent of people under 65 with serious health conditions, who are offered the vaccine for free on the NHS, received the jab. This has tumbled from a peak of 52.3 per cent in the winter of 2013 and is the worst uptake since Public Health England's records began in 2012. This year the Government is organising the biggest ever flu vaccination programme for the UK, pledging to offer them to 30million people, including everyone over the age of 50 and 11-year-olds. Officials hope that covering more of the at-risk groups with a flu jab will mean fewer people get seriously ill with the winter virus, which will relieve pressure on hospitals that are expected to face a resurgence of Covid-19 cases. But getting vaccinated against the flu is not compulsory and more than half of vulnerable adults currently do not take up the offer. Coverage is better among the elderly, around three-quarters of whom get the vaccine, but the NHS also recommends it for pregnant women, diabetics, those with serious illnesses like heart disease, children and severely overweight people. Thousands of people end up in hospital every year because of bad cases of flu, which can progress to pneumonia and kill people who already have weak immune systems. In a bid to avoid this, and to protect the NHS while it prepares to deal with a second wave of coronavirus, the UK Government is this year hoping to scale up its flu jab programme to include a staggering 30million people - almost half the population. Health Secretary Matt Hancock has boasted officials 'have bought more flu vaccine than ever before'. But for the drive to work it will rely on people agreeing to be vaccinated and going to get it done at their local doctor's surgery. Experts say that low uptake may in part be due to people not taking seriously the flu viruses, which circulate every winter and is mild for many people. 'People think the flu is not that bad... even for people who are in the risk groups,' Dr Tonia Thomas, of Oxford University's Vaccine Knowledge Trust, told the BBC. 'They are leading healthy lives in terms of day-to-day living. I have spoken to patients who say they forgot they are in a risk group. 'It is only when they contract an infection that they realise their body responds differently to other people's.' Advertisement Local health protection teams showed to have a higher success rate than the centralised system once again, proving that a 'boots on ground' approach is more effective for contact tracing. Some 95.6 per cent of close contacts were reached and asked to self-isolate in the week to August 19, compared to 61.6 per cent of cases handled by call centres. Various local authority councils took matters into their own hands and launched local contact-tracing operations to supplement the national system, before ministers offered local systems extra resources to strengthen their response. The figures also show test turnaround times between 13 and 19 August have fallen. Just one fifth of tests from all test sites were received within 24 hours of a test being taken. The number of people who got their result returned in 24 hours after visiting a regional testing site mostly drive-throughs was the worst yet. Almost two-thirds (63.5 per cent) were still waiting for their result after 24 hours, up from 42.2 per cent the week before and 8 per cent in the week ending July 1. But at last, the 24-hour target was improved for satellite test centres places like hospitals and care homes that urgently need results and home kits after weeks of dismal figures. But still only 5.9 and 6.4 per cent of people in those testing categories got their result back in 24 hours. The PM had pledged that, by the end of June, the results of 100 per cent of all in-person tests would be back within 24 hours. Experts say getting test results fast and carrying out contact tracing immediately is vital to stopping the spread of coronavirus because there is only a short window to alert people that they are at risk of infecting others without yet knowing they're ill. But those who take a home test kit now have to wait 71 hours on average to find out if they have Covid-19. The average amount of time it takes for test results to come back from all routes has increased, apart from those done at satellite test centres. Fears of a second wave have grown over the past month, with official data showing the average number of daily cases has doubled since mid-July. Growing outbreaks in Europe have also spooked ministers. But the Department of Health figures and separate data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), which tracks the size of the outbreak through swab tests of thousands of people, suggest that the number of cases is shrinking. Last week it claimed 2,400 people are catching the virus in England each day, down 37 per cent on the week before. Statisticians claimed the outbreak has 'levelled off'. For comparison, the ONS estimated that around 4,200 people were getting infected each day at the end of July. However, a senior government source told journalists last Friday that data on growth rates and R values suggest cases are 'trending upwards, very gently'. The official said: 'We are not seeing fast increase here, but I do think we are on a positive slope and its gently increasing.' SAGE warned the reproduction rate the average number of people each coronavirus patient infects could now be above the dreaded level of one. The Government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) estimates the R value is now between 0.9 and 1.1. Experts say the R needs to stay below one or Governments risk losing control of the epidemic and the virus could start to spread exponentially again. But the estimate is based on three week old data due to the lag in time between Covid-19 patients falling ill and appearing in the statistics, meaning it does not paint a real-time picture of the UK's current epidemic. And it can be skewed upwards by local clusters of infections, which has been seen in swathes of the North West of England. A federal judge has rejected Education Secretary Betsy DeVos attempt to give private schools a greater share of Congress COVID-19 relief funds at the expense of public schools in low-income areas. In a setback for DeVos privatization efforts, U.S. District Judge James Donato of San Francisco said Wednesday that the secretarys reading of the March 2020 law known as the CARES Act contradicted the clear intention of Congress and amounted to interpretive jiggery-pokery. He issued a nationwide injunction in a suit by California, seven other states and the District of Columbia, and four school districts, including San Francisco. The $2.2 trillion coronavirus relief bill included $13.2 billion in funding for schools with substantial numbers of low-income students and $1.65 billion for California, where more than half the school districts are eligible for aid. Congress told states to provide the funds to schools hardest-hit by the virus and to distribute some funds to private schools under the terms of an existing law funding schools in areas of poverty. That law, Title 1 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, provided federal funding for private schools in the same geographic areas as public schools receiving aid, based on how many low-income students the private schools enrolled. But DeVos department, saying the pandemic had affected all students, ordered private school aid from the CARES Act distributed on the basis of a schools overall enrollment and not just on its total of low-income students. The effect would be a reduction in aid to public schools in poor and minority areas. Donato said the Oakland Unified School District, which wasnt part of the suit, has projected a loss of $2.2 million this fiscal year and has resorted to private donations of food and education technology for low-income students while waiting for its CARES Act funding. The CARES Act expressly requires educational agencies to provide funds to private schools in the same manner as they are distributed under Title 1. That means the formula must be the same, based on low-income enrollment and not overall enrollment, Donato said. When Congress has spoken clearly ... that is the end of the matter, the judge said. An executive agency like the Department (of Education) has no authority to rewrite Congresss plain and unambiguous commands under the guise of interpretation. State Attorney General Xavier Becerra said the ruling shows that its time for Secretary DeVos to get her hands out of the cookie jar. While the fight isnt over, this decision is a major victory for our state and will help school districts retain the flexibility they need right now to confront the unprecedented challenges of the coronavirus. The Department of Education did not respond to a request for comment. The department could ask a federal appeals court to overturn Donatos injunction. DeVos is a longtime advocate of publicly funded vouchers for religious and private schools. In July, she said the federal government should deny funding to public schools that refused to reopen in the fall because of the coronavirus and should redirect the money to help parents pay for private education of their children. Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @BobEgelko - S. Korea reports 441 more cases of new coronavirus, total now at 18,706 - 1 additional coronavirus death, total at 313 - 93 more patients released from coronavirus treatment, total now at 14,461 The number of daily new coronavirus cases in South Korea spiked to a nearly six month high of over 400 on Thursday as sporadic cluster infections across the country continued to pile up, adding to calls for the adoption of the toughest antivirus curbs. The country reported 441 new COVID-19 cases, including 434 local infections, raising the total caseload to 18,706, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC). Thursday's daily tally marks the first time that the country's daily virus cases surpassed the 400 threshold since March 7 when the country reported 483 cases following the massive outbreak in Daegu and its neighboring North Gyeongsang Province tied to followers of the minor religious sect Shincheonji. South Korea had been getting the virus under control, when the daily new cases stayed in double-digit figures, until early August. But the daily virus cases reached 103 on Aug. 14 and have been staying in the triple digits since. Over the past two weeks, more than 3,800 cases have been reported in South Korea, mostly tied to a conservative church in northern Seoul and the Aug. 15 Liberation Day rally. Of the 434 locally transmitted cases, 313 were identified in the capital area, home to half of the country's 51 million population. Seoul added 154 more cases, while the surrounding Gyeonggi Province and west port city of Incheon reported 100 and 59 cases, respectively. Other major cities reported additional infections, with Gwangju adding 39 cases and Busan confirming eight more cases. Sarang Jeil Church in northern Seoul, a hotbed of the recent spike in new infections, has so far reported 933 COVID-19 cases. The church-linked cases also led to infections in at least 23 locations, with cases reported in nine different provinces and municipalities outside the greater Seoul area. At least 219 patients have been reported from the Aug. 15 demonstration in central Seoul, with cases identified in 10 different provinces and municipalities outside the greater Seoul area. Gov't-doctor standoff escalating with no settlement in sight Seoul's daily virus cases hit record high 154 as cluster infections pop up Gwangju bans gatherings at religious, sports, multiuse facilities Health authorities have warned that another wave of COVID-19 infections is just around the corner as the virus is spreading across the nation. The country's new virus cases peaked in late February at 909 due mainly to Shincheonji followers in the southeastern city of Daegu. After some ups and downs, the daily tally even reached single digits in late April and early May. But health authorities have warned that the latest spike is much worse than the previous massive outbreak in Daegu, as the virus spreads in the densely populated Seoul metropolitan area, while the number of cases with unknown infection routes is rising. To stem the virus spread, the country implemented the Level 2 social distancing scheme nationwide Sunday, with major cities enforcing even tighter measures on their own. The capital city decided to ban the use of public transportation for those not wearing masks. Rallies of 10 or more people are restricted. Under the Level 2 scheme, indoor meetings of more than 50 people and open-air gatherings of over 100 people are banned in principle. So-called risk-prone facilities, including karaoke rooms, clubs, PC cafes and buffets, have been ordered to shut down. Health authorities said they are looking into options of moving to the toughest Level 3 distancing but have yet to discuss the plan in detail. If the current restrictions are elevated to the highest level, gatherings of more than 10 people will be banned. Not only high-risk facilities, such as clubs, but also mid-risk facilities, including cinemas, wedding halls and cafes, are advised to suspend their operations. While domestic infections surge, the number of imported cases fell to single digits, with only seven cases being reported. South Korea reported one more death from the coronavirus, raising the death toll to 313. The total number of people released from quarantine after making full recoveries stood at 14,461, up 93 from the previous day. (Yonhap) White supremacist groups have infiltrated the ranks of US law enforcement agencies all over the country in the last two decades, a new report conducted by a retired FBI agent claims. The new analysis, conducted by ex-special agent Michael German, sought to assess ties between serving police officers and far-right groups. Germans report ultimately determines that US law enforcement officials have been tied to racist militant activities in more than a dozen states since 2000, with hundreds of officers also found to have posted racist and bigoted posts to social media. The harms that armed law enforcement officers affiliated with violent white supremacist and anti-government militia groups can inflict on American society could hardly be overstated,' German wrote in his report. Yet despite the FBIs acknowledgement of the links between law enforcement and these suspected terrorist groups, the Justice Department has no national strategy designed to identify white supremacist police officers or to protect the safety and civil rights of the communities they patrol. Chicago Police Department officer Kyle Mingari is seen wearing a 'Three Percenters' logo on his face mask at a downtown protest in June Germans report ultimately determines that US law enforcement officials have been tied to racist militant activities in more than a dozen states since 2000, with hundreds of officers also found to have posted racist and bigoted posts to social media (Pictured: Proud Boys and Patriot Prayer clash with protesters in Portland, August 22) The report highlights that, over the last two decades, police links to armed militias and white supremacist groups have been uncovered in numerous states, including Alabama, California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Michigan, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Virginia, Washington and West Virginia. German says while its widely acknowledged that racist officers subsist within police departments across the US, federal, state and local governments are not doing enough to proactively identify them or report their behavior to prosecutors. The timely new analysis, conducted by ex-special agent Michael German (above), sought to assess ties between serving police officers and far-right groups The former FBI investigator points out that those same prosecutors may one day unwittingly rely on one such officers testimony in a criminal case. Efforts to address systemic and implicit biases in law enforcement are unlikely to be effective in reducing the racial disparities in the criminal justice system as long as explicit racism in law enforcement continues to endure, German wrote. There is ample evidence to demonstrate that it does. Citing a number of examples, German writes how, in 2001, two sheriff's deputies in Williams County, Texas, were fired after it was discovered they were active members of the Klu Klux Klan. Deputy David Gay, 45, and Sgt. Greg Palm, 29, only revealed their affiliation with the hate group after attempting to recruit other officers of the department to join. Similarly, in Fruitland Park, Florida, three officers were fired or opted to resign between 2009 and 2014 after their Klan membership was discovered. In 2019, a police officer in Muskegon, Michigan, was fired after prospective homebuyers said they saw Confederate flag and a framed KKK application framed in his home during a viewing. Officer Charles Anderson tried to claim the flags were part of his extensive 'Dukes of Hazzard' collection, and said the framed KKK application was displayed out of his love for US History. He was later terminated. And in 2020, three officers from the Wilmington Police Department in North Carolina were fired when a routine audit of camera recordings uncovered conversations in which the officers used racial epithets and other disparaging remarks about black people. The conversations, held between Michael Piner, Jesse Moore and James Gilmore, included sickening conversations about slaughtering black residents and deriding Black Lives Matter protesters. We are just going to go out and start slaughtering them f***ing n******, Piner was heard saying in one exchange, theorizing that anti-police protests would lead to a civil war. Members of the far-right group Proud Boys clash with counter-protesters in downtown Kalamazoo, MI In 2019, a police officer in Muskegon, Michigan, Charle Anderson (above), was fired after prospective homebuyers said they saw Confederate flag and a framed KKK application framed in his home during a viewing Beyond affiliations with racist groups or officers allegedly harboring racist views, Germans report also highlights instances in which police have reportedly actively collaborated with far-right groups. In one such example, he points out that in 2018, police in Sacramento, California, were found to be working with neo-Nazis to pursue charges against anti-racist activists who were stabbed or beaten during a far-right rally in 2016. While failing to charge any white supremacists for the stabbings or assaults - which left two critically wounded - the police instead launched an investigation into 100 anti-fascist counter protesters, recommending 500 charges against them, court files from the time say. Similarly, at a KKK rally in Anaheim the same year, police arrested seven anti-racism protesters but did not charge a Klansman who reportedly stabbed three people. During the white supremacist Rise Above Movement march in Huntington Beach, in 2017, police refused to investigate the battery of OC Weekly journalists by members of the group. The Orange County district attorney did, however, prosecute an anti-fascist protester who attempted to defend the journalists by slapping one of the white supremacist attackers. Likewise, in Washington DC, in 2019, a group of Proud Boys members disrupted a flag burning outside the front of the White House, instigating a scuffle with a communist group. Two of the communist protests were led away in cuffs, however the Proud Boys members were escorted away from the scene and allowed to walk free. Some of the officers who were on scene were later see fist-bumping the Proud boys members when they walked into a bar later the same day, an investigation found. Police in Sacramento, California, were found to be working with neo-Nazis to pursue charges against anti-racist activists who were stabbed (one victim seen above) or beaten during a far-right rally in 2016 Activists have accused police of responding violently and aggressively towards then, though doing little to stop armed white vigilantes The exact scale of ties between law enforcement and militias is hard to determine, German said in his report. Nobody is collecting the data and nobody is actively looking for these law enforcement officers, he explained to the Guardian. He said that often an officer is only terminated or punished for racist affiliations following public scandals. This is because few police agencies have explicit policies against affiliating with white supremacist groups. If police officers are disciplined, the measures often lead to lengthy litigation. German also said while other law enforcement officials may not necessarily associate with white supremacist groups, many engage in overtly racist activities in public, on social media, or over law enforcementonly communication channels and internet chat rooms. He cites a 2019 report published by the Plain View Project that found 5,000 patently bigoted social media posts by 3,500 accounts identified as belonging to current and former law enforcement officials. The report sparked dozens of investigations across the country. Unfortunately, there is no central database that lists law enforcement officers fired for misconduct. German explains. As a result, some police officers dismissed for involvement in racist activity are able to secure other law enforcement jobs. : The Proud Boys, an alt-right group, faces off against Black Lives Matters protesters using mace and a paint ball gun on August 15 Concerns about alleged relations between far-right groups and law enforcement in the US have intensified since the start of months-long protests sparked by the Minnesota police killing of George Floyd in May. Police in states including California, Oregon, Illinois and Washington are now facing investigations for their alleged affinity to far-right groups opposing Black Lives Matter, according to the report. During the protests, German says a number of officers across the country have even flaunted their affiliations with far-right militant groups. A veteran sheriffs deputy monitoring a Black Lives Matter protest in Orange County, California, was pictured with the logos of the Three Percenters and the Oath Keepers two far-right militant groups emblazoned on his bulletproof vest. After an activist shared a photograph of the officer online, a sheriff determined wearing the logos was unacceptable and the deputy was placed on administrative leave pending an investigation. Around the same time, Kyle Mingari, a 13-year veteran of the Chicago Police Department, fell subject to a similar investigation, after he was photographed wearing a face covering with a Three Percenters logo while on duty at a protest. The officer had been the subject of several previous misconduct lawsuits, including an excessive use of force suit following a nonfatal shooting, that the city of Chicago paid $400,000 to settle. A veteran sheriffs deputy monitoring a Black Lives Matter protest in Orange County, California, was pictured with the logos of the Three Percenters and the Oath Keepers two far-right militant groups emblazoned on his bulletproof vest In Olympia, Washington, a policewoman was pictured posing and smiling with heavily armed members of the Three Percenters in June In Olympia, Washington, a policewoman was pictured posing and smiling with heavily armed members of the Three Percenters in June. One of the militia members posted the photograph on social media, claiming that the officer and her partner had come over to thank them as they guarded a local shopping center. And in Philadelphia, police officers were filmed standing idle while a group of mostly white men armed with bats, clubs, and long gun attacked journalists and protesters. While the matter remains under investigation, officers from the department were later seen fraternizing with several men wearing Proud Boys regalia and carrying a Proud Boys flag at a Back the Blue party at the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge. German called the affinity some police officers have shown for armed far-right militia groups as confounding, considering that several state have law prohibiting unregulated paramilitary activities, and that far-right militants have often killed police officers. This week, police in Kenosha, Wisconsin, faced intense scrutiny over their response to armed militias descending on the city streets amid Black Lives Matter demonstrations in response to the police shooting of Jacob Blake, 29, who was shot seven times in the back and left paralyzed. On Wednesday, Kyle Rittenhouse, a 17-year-old who appeared to consider himself a militia member and had previously posted on social media in support of Blue Lives Matter, was arrested on suspicion of murder after the fatal shooting of two protesters. This week, police in Kenosha, Wisconsin, faced intense scrutiny over their response to armed militias descending on the city streets amid Black Lives Matter demonstrations in response to the police shooting of Jacob Blake, 29, who was shot seven times in the back and left paralyzed On Wednesday, Kyle Rittenhouse, a 17-year-old who appeared to consider himself a militia member and had previously posted on social media in support of Blue Lives Matter, was arrested on suspicion of murder after the fatal shooting of two protesters Activists in the city have accused police of responding violently and aggressively towards then, though doing little to stop armed white vigilantes. In one video that appeared to include Rittenhouse, police were seen handing out water to armed vigilantes, telling them We appreciate you being here, over a loud speaker. Police also reportedly let the gunman walk past them with a rifle as the crowd yelled for him to be arrested because he had shot people. Rittenhouse returned home that night before being arrested the following day. Far-right militants are allowed to engage in violence and walk away while protesters are met with violent police actions, German told the Guardian. He said this negligent response empowers violent groups to a potentially fatal degree. The most violent elements within these far-right militant groups believe that their conduct is sanctioned by the government. And therefore theyre much more willing to come out and engage in acts of violence against protesters. There is growing awareness in some parts of the government about the intensifying threat of white supremacy, German says. The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have directly identified white supremacists as the most lethal domestic terrorist threat in the country. According to Germans report, the FBIs own internal documents have directly warned that the militia groups the agency is investigating often have active links to law enforcement. Despite this, German says no effective policy is in place to identify white supremacist police to root out the problem. Meanwhile, German warns that popular police reform efforts to address implicit bias have done nothing to address explicit racism. In a time when the effort to defund police is getting some salience, the police are behaving in such a way as to justify that argument, German said. States have assured the Centre that they will utilise the Rs 1 lakh crore agriculture infrastructure fund to create post-harvesting and other facilities at village level for the benefit of farmers, especially small and marginal ones, an official statement said on Thursday. Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar held a detailed discussion with chief ministers and state agriculture ministers on recent agriculture market reforms and the new Central Sector Scheme of financing facility under the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund of Rs 1 lakh crore, it said. The event conducted through video conference was attended by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackerey. Besides, Agriculture Ministers of Rajasthan, Kerala, Chhattisgarh and Telangana were present. Union Ministers of State for Agriculture Purshottam Rupala and Kailash Choudhary also participated in the discussion. Tomar emphasized that the focus of the fund is to improve post-harvest management infrastructure and availability of community farming assets, and it is to be ensured that small and medium receive the full benefit, the statement said. "The Chief Ministers and State Agriculture Ministers gave full assurance that no stone will be left unturned in ensuring utilization of the Rs 1 lakh crore fund, and new infrastructure will be created in all the villages," the statement said. Tomar said the Centre is committed to ensuring the welfare and sustainability of livelihoods for He said that the new ordinances brought in by the government to reform agri-marketing are for the welfare of Tomar highlighted a few key initiatives including the Rs 6,865 crore scheme for Formation and Promotion of 10,000 FPOs, three recent ordinances, benefits released under PM-KISAN, KCC (Kisan Credit Cards) drive for farmers, and the increased focus on digital agriculture. Tomar said FPOs (Farmers Producers Organisation) would have a big role in increasing production, productivity and value realization, and reducing the cost of cultivation of small farmers. The ministers discussed the benefits of the scheme and how it will help states drive growth in investment, create new jobs in the agriculture and allied sectors, and improve farmer income. There was a detailed discussion on the opportunity across states to invest in post-harvest management solutions and community farming assets like modern silos, cold chains, integrated pack-houses, and IoT/ precision agriculture. Tomar asked states to explore convergence with multiple central and state schemes to improve the economics of the investments under the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund. Assuring that the UP government will work with full dedication for welfare of farmers under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat package, Adityanath informed Tomar that more than 2.14 crore farmers have benefitted from the PM-KISAN scheme in the state. As many as 12 lakh new KCCs are being given in addition to the 1.44 crore already issued. One FPO is being formed in each of the 825 blocks in the state. Uddhav complimented the Centre for formulating and implementing a national scheme for agricultural development at a fast pace. To make farmers self-reliant, he said it was essential to create basic facilities for them, for which provision has been made in the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund. "The Chief Ministers assured expeditious implementation of the scheme in the states to enable farmers to realize benefits," the statement said. The Agriculture Infrastructure Fund is a medium to long term debt financing facility for investment in viable projects for post-harvest management infrastructure and community farming assets through interest subvention and credit guarantee. The duration of the scheme shall be from FY2020 to FY2029 (10 years). Under the scheme, Rs 1 lakh crore will be provided by banks and financial institutions as loans with interest subvention of 3 per cent per annum and credit guarantee coverage under Credit Guarantee Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises (CGTMSE ) for loans up to Rs 2 crore. The beneficiaries will include farmers, FPOs, Marketing Cooperative Societies, SHGs, Joint Liability Groups (JLG), multipurpose cooperative societies, agri-entrepreneurs, startups, and central/state agency or local body sponsored Public-Private Partnership projects. (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.) An aspiring actor was stunned after Russell Crowe donated nearly 3,000 to help secure his place at drama school. Harry Pritchard, 23, from Harrogate, North Yorkshire, was accepted onto a course at the prestigious London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) but feared he wouldn't be able to pay the 13,799 fee. Determined to fulfill his dream, Harry set up a GoFundMe page on August 18 - and couldn't believe it when it caught the attention of Hollywood star Crowe this week. Crowe donated 2,741 to cover the deposit of Harry's course fees, which are not eligible for Government funding. He said he hoped Harry is a fan of his beloved Leeds United, whom he has supported since watching Match of the Day in his childhood. Harry Pritchard, 23, from Harrogate, North Yorkshire, was stunned after Russell Crowe donated nearly 3,000 to help secure his place at drama school He also tagged businessman and friend Terry George in a tweet, who then made his own donation of 1,000 to the fund. 'When my mum said Russell Crowe had donated, I didn't believe her. I thought she was joking,' Harry said. 'I clicked on it and thought it must have been a wind-up, someone donating a few quid in his name for a laugh then I saw he'd given 2,700 and it felt like my brain was exploding. It didn't feel real, it felt like that Tweet he wrote was about someone else.' He added: 'From there it started snowballing,' Harry explained. 'It's made me feel so humbled and thankful and happy, I cannot stop smiling. 'I've sent a thank you message to Russell in a state of shock and disbelief, and I've spoken with Terry, who reached out to give me his best wishes.' Harry has now raised over 10,600 to study at his dream drama school. Determined to fulfill his dream, Harry set up a GoFundMe page - and couldn't believe it when it caught the attention of Hollywood star Crowe - pictured with his friend Terry George, who then made his own donation of 1,000 to the fund Crowe said he hoped Harry is a fan of his beloved Leeds United, whom he has supported since watching Match of the Day in his childhood 'I love LAMDA but that fee was initially a worry - I auditioned regardless of whether I'd get there in the end,' he admitted 'I was looking for grants and loans, it was a really exciting opportunity for me, but there wasn't much out there.' On his GoFundMe page, Harry explained that he comes from a low income family and is the youngest of four. Having loved performing from a young age, after finishing school Harry took a year out and went abroad, which he funded by working at a supermarket. 'I was never as fulfilled as I was when I was on stage - returning from travelling I had a big question to answer: what was I going to do with my life?' he explained. Channel 4 Secret Millionaire Terry George donated after Crowe tagged him in his tweet. He said he will be meeting with Harry, and 'would not be surprised' if Crowe arranges to meet the student too 'I didn't want to waste my life working towards something I had no passion for. So against every piece of advice from everyone older than me, I plucked up the courage to chase the "impossible" and moved to London.' There he discovered quite how competitive the industry is, and how difficult it is to make ends meet while paying the capital's extortionate rent. He began auditioning for drama schools, submitting self tapes during lockdown, and managed to win a place on LAMDA's foundation diploma. 'The largest hurdle and biggest barrier for me is the cost,' he wrote. 'I come from a low income family who cannot afford to support me with the fees. The school offers only one bursary to cover the tuition for the year but I missed out as I didn't receive my place until after it had been awarded. 'I have been saving every penny over the past year, but it's barely even enough to cover my living costs. That's where you come in and can help make a difference. Every penny towards my campaign is step closer to LAMDA and a step closer training.' Harry has loved performing since a young age - and shared this snap of him in a school production on his GoFundMe page Harry put his fundraising call out on Twitter, hoping someone would read it and retweet it. 'It got a bit of buzz, then all of a sudden I see a tweet tagging Russell Crowe I couldn't believe it,' he recalled. 'I'm still trying to process it. It hasn't sunk in I've been watching his films for years and now he's changed my life just like that. I can't think of him enough for what he's done. I just hope he knows how grateful I am.' The aspiring actor said if the GoFundMe surpasses his fundraising goal, he would like to 'pay it forward' and help another student with their fees. 'I'm the lucky one who got seen and that's amazing, but I still have to make sure I do my bit to help out,' he said. 'I'd have to pay it forward without everyone's support it wouldn't be where it is, I can't quite believe that anyone would want to help me. I'm amazed.' The aspiring actor said if the GoFundMe surpasses his fundraising goal, he would like to 'pay it forward' and help another student with their fees Mr George said he will be meeting with Harry, and 'would not be surprised' if Crowe arranges to meet the student too. He told PA: 'I trust everything that Russell does and says, he's discovered a star and I thought it was worth supporting. 'I spoke to him [Harry] this morning, he was extremely grateful, we're going to meet at some point. 'He's getting to where he wants to be, but the most important donations are the small ones if as many people as possible do small donations, you get to where you want very quickly.' To see donations to Mr Pritchard's LAMDA fund, click here. Long lines of voters flocked to the Fairhope Civic Center on Tuesday to weigh in on the direction of Alabamas fastest growing city where a dour relationship between Mayor Karin Wilson and the five-member and all-male City Council has generated headlines for the past four years. The result: The voters blamed the incumbent mayor and replaced her with Sherry Sullivan. The stability of government is important for people who live here, said Sullivan. Enough is enough But the message to incumbent Council President Jack Burrell, who won re-election, was something else. Though Wilson took the fall for the deteriorated relationships at City Hall, the council members found themselves in tighter-than-expected races against challengers with little name recognition. Burrell, in his race, was re-elected with 54.02% to 43.6% garnered by his challenger, Deb Hopkins. Four years ago, Burrell was re-elected with 80% of the vote. Incumbent council members Kevin Boone and Robert Brown also won re-election, but by slightly lower margins than four years ago. Fairhope City Council President Jack Burrell (John Sharp/jsharp@al.com). I think definitely that people want harmony, said Burrell. I think my own race showed that. I suffered, going from (80%) of the vote in the last election to whatever I got (on Tuesday). Joshua Gammon, an assistant director of services at The Grand Hotel who was running for election for the first time against Boone, said he believed that voters were pushing back against the crumbled relationships. Gammon scored 44% of the vote in a losing effort against Boone but noted that he was relatively unknown. There was certainly a sizable portion of our city that said, enough is enough on what is going on, said Gammon. Indeed, the relationship between the elected mayor who serves in an administrative and non-voting capacity in Fairhope and its five-member city council, will continue to be under the microscope as Sullivan takes the reigns as mayor on November 2. Though Sullivan said she does not intend to be a rubber stamp for the incumbent council, her campaign signs were visibly posted alongside those of Burrell, Boone, and Brown. She said that residents should anticipate policy disagreements between her administration and the council, which serves as the final say on votes from the budget to new ordinances. Fairhope is such a great place to live, said Sullivan, who served 16 years in the citys administration under former Mayor Tim Kant before she was fired by Wilson, who was elected in 2016. I dont think people want to see Fairhope in the paper all the time or in the media all of the time for bickering. They want to see us to be able to get along and move Fairhope forward and get these projects done and focus on the infrastructure, the K-1 (educational) Center, and the waterfront projects. There is a lot going on here. Said Sullivan, I am not going to rubber stamp and I know there will be disagreements. But I want to do that respectfully and put differences aside when majority rules. Chauvinists or personality conflict The crumbled relationship between Wilson and the council has been well-documented since 2016, shortly after she produced an Election Day shocker to become Fairhopes first woman elected as mayor. The friction revolved on issues from planning, budgeting, and personnel. Council meetings often became spectacles of dueling applause or jeers from supporters and detractors of either the mayor or the council. Fairhope Mayor Karin Wilson speaks in opposition to the Fairhope City Council's consideration of moving forward on a conservation easement on the Dyas Triangle property on Monday, June 24, 2019. Seated next to her is Councilman Jimmy Conyers. (John Sharp/jsharp@al.com). Councilman Jimmy Conyers, who was elected with Wilson in 2016, said he had hopes that there could have been a good working relationship between the new mayor and the council. You can call me naive, but I was thinking wed work well together, said Conyers, who ran unopposed Tuesday. It was definitely not what I expected when we I got elected. I thought we would have had a better relationship. The relationship of late, Conyers said, is almost nonexistent. Ill be honest, and I accept some of the blame, but I havent done much communicating (with Wilson) toward the end, especially during the campaign season, said Conyers. It was such a volatile campaign. It was ugly on Facebook. Indeed, supporters of both the incumbent council and Wilson lashed out at each other in recent days including on Tuesday night after the election results came in. Wilson, on Wednesday, did not address any of the negativity. She instead thanked the residents for allowing her to serve as mayor, and congratulated Sullivan. I want to thank you for allowing me to serve the City I love for four years. I'm extremely proud of our accomplishments... Posted by Mayor Karin Wilson of Fairhope, Alabama on Wednesday, August 26, 2020 Wilson did not respond for a request for comment. Burrell, who became Wilsons biggest nemesis on the council, said the voters simply placed more of the blame on the mayor than on the rest of the council. He said the council tried to find ways to work with Wilson, but that she is impossible to work with. Burrell said he thinks the council will work well with Sullivan and denied any accusations that they were being difficult toward a female executive. There is nothing to the fact that we are a He-man woman haters club, said Burrell. Gender doesnt enter our minds with city business. Conyers said the ball is in the councils court to ensure that the next four years running smoother with its mayor than the previous four years. Now you have a (new) female mayor and that relationship moving forward will determine if the council was a bunch of chauvinists or if it was a personality conflict with Mayor Wilson, said Conyers. I think there has been a lot of individuals who were pro-Mayor Wilson and anti-council. A lot of times, it was split along those lines. There were a lot who felt the council were bullies and that (the council) would not do that to a male mayor and pick on her because she was a woman. I dont see that happening moving forward and I think (we) will put that issue to bed. He added, Politics is a tough business. I think anyone willing to put themselves out there deserves credit and all of the challengers, from Mayor Wilson on down, they are willing to take the heat and their families and friends have to live that with the. They deserve credit. Sullivan, meanwhile, is hoping to bring a stabilizing effect to the city. She said she is not anticipating making sweeping personnel changes once she takes office, but acknowledges that inevitably, there would be personnel changes. She said that tackling Fairhopes rapid growth will remain a top issue and is advocating for a possible update to the citys comprehensive plan. She wants the citys planning department to engage more on the issues of growth and development. Sullivan said she has not met with Wilson yet about a transition but anticipates that occurring soon. She plans on being a full-time mayor. I dont think it can be anything but (a full-time job), said Sullivan. Four hundred lightning strikes pummeled Northern California on Wednesday, a monstrous late-summer siege that occurred just as firefighters gained the upper hand on three massive blazes burning in and around the Bay Area that were sparked by lightning. All told, 700 fires have raged across the state since the thunderstorms began on Aug. 15. Flames have decimated 1.6 million acres of land, leveling 1,700 structures, felling cathedral-like redwood trees and forcing tens of thousands of people to evacuate. Even as the weather cooled and 16,000 firefighters worked to beat back the infernos, the toll of this latest wildfire season was only beginning to come into focus. Every year its happening, said Manoj Shimire, owner of the Hidden Valley Food Mart and Shell Station north of Middletown on Highway 29 one of the battlefronts Wednesday. Its bad. One of the few upsides Wednesday was a strong marine layer rolling in from the Pacific Ocean, cooling and moistening the air over fire-scarred terrain along the coast. But the weather remains unpredictable: Thunderstorms might hit areas north of Redding, possibly spreading into the Sierra Nevada and the Tahoe basin, according to Cal Fire assistant deputy director Daniel Berlant. Such storms often bring lightning, though probably not the furious barrage that could potentially cause more fires. More than 14,000 strikes have been reported since the summer storm that besieged Northern California in recent weeks with 400 strikes in the past day alone. Sweltering heat projected for the weekend could also create the conditions for more fires. Santa Clara Cal Fire Unit Chief Jake Hess tried to shore up morale during a Wednesday afternoon briefing, acknowledging that just about everybody is run ragged. This is a point on the incident where we start to see our folks become fatigued, Hess said. I know our troops are getting tired. I know (for) the communities that are evacuated, its an inconvenience. In the North Bay, the LNU Lightning Complex fires had torched 360,868 acres across Napa, Lake, Sonoma, Solano and Yolo counties by nightfall Wednesday, destroying 1,080 buildings and causing five deaths, officials said. About 2,300 people are fighting the complex, which was 33% contained. The Walbridge Fire, part of the LNU, near Healdsburg continued presenting challenges: Its encroached on a populated area with steep terrain that had few previous fires, which would have helped clear out vegetation. Make no mistake, there is a lot of work that has to be done over at the Walbridge Fire, said Cal Fire Chief Sean Kavanaugh, who is overseeing the response to the LNU Lightning Complex. But what I can tell you is, there is a good plan in place. The folks over there are working tirelessly every day in all the sections of the Walbridge Fire. The top priority for firefighters grappling with the LNU was an area south of Middletown, fire officials said, referring to a small town in Lake County where Highway 175 meets Highway 29. Fire crews launched an air attack Wednesday afternoon, with helicopters methodically dumping water and bright pink retardant on the burning flank of a hillside, then filling up at a base on Butts Canyon Road. A fleet of engines lined up between homes along the road and the smoke and flames a mile away. Tankers, including 747s, flew in to douse the hills in retardant. Occasionally a column of flames would erupt behind the helicopter landing strip, in the middle of an empty field. Across the highway from Shimires store and gas station, the barren hills are marked with dead black trees, remnants of the Valley Fire that burned into Middletown five years ago. His businesses were spared then, but with the LNU Fire burning nearby, they could once again be in the path of flames. Hes staying open to serve the firefighters and utility workers who come in to buy food, water and ice. Gasoline sales are down. Were helping people, so were staying open, he said. In other areas, the fires had begun dying down. First responders are cautiously allowing people to return to areas affected by the Meyers Fire north of Jenner, which was 97% contained Wednesday. On the Peninsula and farther south along the coast, crews were making headway in the battle against the CZU Lightning Complex fires. That complex has burned 81,137 acres in San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties and was 21% contained by Wednesday night. The past couple of days, weve been able to make significant progress on our fire fight, Cal Fire Battalion Chief Mark Brunton said. Weve been able to establish more (containment) lines, continue to improve those lines that we have established, and (are) getting another day closer to extinguishing this fire. Yet even as firefighters beat back the flames, the fires continue ravaging forests and structures and the death toll could mount. Authorities found a 63-year-old woman dead in her Felton (Santa Cruz County) home Tuesday night, and they are investigating whether her death could be related to the fire. Separately, first responders are searching for a person evacuated from Boulder Creek this week. As they scour for the dead and missing, fire officials are also contending with tens of thousands of evacuees who are eager to return to their homes. Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Chris Clark urged residents of fire-threatened areas to resist going home until evacuation orders are lifted, fearing they might impede the fire response if they go back prematurely. We want to get you back home, we really do, Clark said. But there are dangers to sneaking back in to the evacuated area. ... We want to help you, but what it does is divide our resources. In the East and South bay areas, the SCU Lightning Complex the second largest in state history is a chaotic, fiery tempest spanning seven counties. It has burned 367,371 acres in Contra Costa, Alameda, Santa Clara, Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties and was 30% contained on Wednesday night. It has destroyed 37 structures, caused five injuries and was threatening 20,000 structures. For as large as this fire is, that weve only lost that many homes, and they might be cabins and outbuildings, is very impressive, said Cal Fire forester David Janssen, whose truck bounced along a scorched one-lane dirt road, past charred ground and ashen trees on Wednesday. Janssen was driving through the Ohlone Regional Wilderness about an hour south of Pleasanton and east of Milpitas where fire had swept through. Below the ridge, smoke plumes rose from a steep canyon firefighters struggled to reach. The size of this fire is astronomical,, said Cal Fire spokesman Dominic Polito, standing on an overlook in the wilderness. We need to extinguish hot spots that have the potential to spread canyon fires up onto the other side where there is more grass and communities. The goal Wednesday was to keep the fire from heading south to California State Route 152, east to Interstate 5 or north to Pleasanton, still more than 20 miles away, Janssen said. But the terrain is rugged, with its patchwork of steep canyons and bumpy, dusty roads. Polito said the fire has burned down into canyons and is feeding off oak trees and big lumber. Winds are moving sparks about half a mile, with a 9 in 10 chance of starting a new fire if one lands on grass. Nonetheless, firefighters managed to protect one notable treasure the Lick Observatory on Mount Hamilton. One building, not in use but with historical significance, was destroyed, Janssen said. The fight up there was incredible, he recounted. Officials hope to completely contain the SCU fire by Sept. 3. Mallory Moench, Michael Cabanatuan, Rachel Swan and Michael Williams are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: mallory.moench@sfchronicle.com, mcabanatuan@sfchronicle.com, rswan@sfchronicle.com, Michael.Williams@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @mallorymoench, @ctuan, @rachelswan, @michaeldamianw. Matt Hancock today launched a furious defence of his plan to pay people on low incomes 13 a day to self-isolate as critics said the payments would not be enough to stop people going to work. From September 1 people who receive Universal Credit or Working Tax Credit who are required to self-isolate, who are unable to work from home and who are in Covid-19 hotspots will benefit from the new payment scheme. Eligible people who test positive for the virus will receive 130 for their 10-day period of self-isolation while other members of their household, who under current rules must isolate for 14 days, will get 182. The scheme will initially be trialled in Blackburn with Darwen, Pendle and Oldham - areas which are currently subject to local lockdown measures. The Government hopes the payments will boost compliance with requests from NHS Test and Trace for people to stay at home, with Mr Hancock pointing out the money will be 'in addition' to other benefits. But critics believe the payments are far too small and many people will still feel that they cannot afford to stay at home. Council leaders described the 13 per day as a 'slap in the face'. Health Secretary Matt Hancock today defended the Government's plan to pay people on low incomes 13 a day to self-isolate The Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said: 'I am pleased they have at last acknowledged this issue but am sorry to say this move goes nowhere near far enough. 'The Health Secretary has already said that he couldn't live on Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) at 95 a week. So how can an announcement like this work? 'For many workers in Greater Manchester, this will not provide the support people need to cooperate with NHS Test and Trace.' Pendle Borough Council leader Mohammed Iqbal said the level of financial support is 'not acceptable'. The Labour councillor told BBC Radio Four's Today programme: 'The figures that the Government have introduced are really a slap in the face for those people who sadly test positive and there is no incentive in my opinion for those people to self-isolate. 'If you're a manual worker who's not able to do their job from home, normally getting paid the living wage or the minimum wage, the Government are now going to say to you we'll pay you 4.55 an hour. Not acceptable.' Meanwhile, Anneliese Dodds, Labour's shadow chancellor, said the scheme should be rolled out across the country as she questioned why it was only being targeted at local lockdown areas. She said: 'Labour has been warning for months that the Government needs to make sure that people can afford to do the right thing, but once again ministers have taken far too long to realise there's a problem.' She added: 'It's concerning that this will only apply to a limited number of areas with high rates of Covid-19. 'The instruction to self-isolate applies to everyone in the country, so everyone should get the support they need to self-isolate.' But Mr Hancock defended the scheme as he insisted the payments will be enough to persuade people to stay at home. Asked directly whether he believed 13 a day is enough, the Health Secretary told BBC Breakfast: '13 a day is in addition to the other benefits that people on low incomes get.' Told that many people on low incomes who self-isolate would not be able to work from home and would therefore lose out on their normal pay, he said: 'Only in some cases but absolutely we acknowledge that and it is set at the level of statutory sick pay in order to make sure that people don't lose out from doing the right thing. 'We are introducing it in Oldham and Pendle and Blackburn with Darwen in the first instance. 'These are the areas of the country where the rate are the highest and we have the highest levels of intervention - the strongest local lockdown if you like - and we will roll thatout from next week and then obviously monitor it very closely.' Mr Hancock said the scheme will be rolled out more widely if the trial proves to be successful. He said: 'This is where we are doing it in the first instance. 'Firstly to make sure that the systems work, that we can get the money fast to people because obviously if you are asking somebody to self-isolate for a fortnight we want to get the money to them at the start of that rather than afterwards. 'We are putting it in place in these three areas which have the most acute need if you like in the first instance and we will see how that goes and we will get the feedback and then with a potential to roll it our further.' Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham has questioned whether the payments will be enough to persuade people to cooperate with instructions to self-isolate The decision to introduce the payments system comes after officials concluded that one of the reasons that Leicester infection rates were so high for so long was that factory staff continued to go to work even though they were meant to be self-isolating. Under the new plans, workers who test positive would receive 130 for a ten-day period of quarantine. Relatives or close contacts would be given 182 for 14 days. Workers will receive the money within 48 hours of submitting a claim, which will need to include a positive Covid test result or proof that they are a close contact of someone with the virus. Applicants must also submit a bank statement to show they receive the relevant benefits. SAGE, the Government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies, has previously warned that only about half of patients who suspected they had the virus were following guidance on self-isolating. Shia Muslims visit the historic Badshahi Ashurkhana, built by Muhammed Quli Qutb Shah in 1611, during the mourning month of Muharram, in the old city of Hyderabad. (PTI) New Delhi: The Supreme Court Thursday declined permission for carrying out Muharram procession across the country and asked Lucknow-based petitioner to move before the Allahabad High Court with his plea. The apex court said how can it pass a general order for the whole country. A bench comprising Chief Justice S A Bobde and Justices A S Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian said it would lead to chaos and targeting of a particular community. You are asking for a general order and then if we allow this there will be chaos. Particular community will be targetted for spreading Covid. We don't want that. We as a court cannot risk the health of all the people, the bench, which heard the matter through video conferencing, said. The bench allowed the petitioner to withdraw the petition with the liberty to approach the high court with limited prayer of holding procession in Lucknow. The apex court was hearing a PIL was filed by Shia leader Syed Kalbe Jawad. The governments of Japan and Britain, which have been negotiating over a post-Brexit free trade agreement, are set to reach a broad accord on a new trade deal shortly. Early this month, the two sides effectively reached a consensus on the major elements of the new deal and have since been negotiating to finalize it. Both sides aim to have the deal take effect on Jan. 1 next year. Major adverse impacts on bilateral trade that would accompany Britain's exit from the European Union are thus likely to be avoided. Both sides remained apart until recently over the export of British blue cheese to Japan, a sticking point in the talks. According to sources, on Wednesday, Japan proposed to Britain that it would create a new system under which the Japanese government will refund part of the tariffs imposed on blue cheese to Japanese importers of the product. Several sources close to the talks said that the latest proposal is one "whose content can be accepted by the U.K. side." Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and British Trade Secretary Elizabeth Truss will hold a videoconference to reach a broad accord shortly and are to sign the deal as early as September, the sources said. Up to now, the terms of the Japan-EU Economic Partnership Agreement have been applied to bilateral trade between Japan and Britain. With the post-Brexit transition period terminating at the end of this year, however, the application of this accord will be discontinued. Both countries were motivated to reach a new trade accord to avoid reverting to the high tariffs that were imposed before the Japan-EU agreement took effect. The new Japan-U.K. trade accord will be one whose content generally follows that of the Japan-EU trade agreement. Regarding British tariffs on Japanese products, those on automobiles will be lowered in stages, as under the existing Japan-EU agreement, finally reaching zero in 2026. As for certain industrial products, such as auto parts, railway components and aircraft engines, both sides agreed to immediately eliminate tariffs on more such items than would have been the case under the Japan-EU trade agreement. Well-funded charter school networks such as IDEA tend to maintain close contact with students after graduation because they have made going to college such a priority. Angela Rodriguez, a spokeswoman for the YES Prep charter network in Houston, said its alumni advisers have reached out to recent graduates. They are trying to help some who had a difficult time keeping up with the slew of college enrollment emails without a laptop, who became homeless, who were hospitalized and whose families were forced to pull from their college savings, she said. Edmonton, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - August 27, 2020) - Altiplano Metals Inc. (TSXV: APN) (WKN: A2JNFG) ("Altiplano" or the "Company") is pleased to announce it has revised the terms of its earlier joint venture agreement into a production revenue sharing agreement at historical Maria Luisa gold-copper mine in Incahuasi, Chile, 100 km north of La Serena. The definitive agreement, expected within 90 days, provides Altiplano the opportunity to begin development work on the fully permitted operation where Altiplano can extract up to 5,000 tonnes of gold-copper mineralized material per month. Altiplano, as operator, will earn 80% of the future net profits from the operation. CEO Alastair McIntyre commented "We are pleased to enter into this agreement on Maria Luisa. The near-term production potential fits our goal of building a portfolio of assets that can generate cash flows. Altiplano's management and expertise are well positioned to maximize the potential at Maria Luisa and benefit from the strong gold and copper markets." Altiplano is currently developing a fast-tracked exploration and development plan designed to facilitate mine planning, provide the basic mining infrastructure for near-term extraction and leverage the processing options located within 25 kms of the site. The plan involves underground exploration activities including a new mine portal and decline. The decline will provide access to the primary veins mapped on surface, mined historically, and intersected by drilling. The current design under review extends to below the lowest level of historical mining and near hole MLD001 and MLD004 and establishes access to the veins on multiple levels for bulk sampling and drifting along vein for channel sampling. Property Geology The Maria Luisa project hosts gold-copper mineralization in two major NW and NS trending strike-slip structural systems. Historical mining has largely been from the main NW-trending system, the Maria Luisa vein (Figure 1) which is an anastomosing set of structures, traceable for ~500 metres along strike that range from 1-5 metres in width and includes veins, faults, magmatic-hydrothermal breccias, and tectonic breccias. The numerous other structural and vein systems on the project have not been effectively explored and could provide additional upside. Story continues Mineralization The mineralization was emplaced in two different stages: Au-rich mineralization consists of specular hematite-quartz banded veins with epithermal textures including open spaces, crustiform quartz, and bladed calcite indicative of boiling. Grades up to 25 g/t Au across 1.6 m obtained from a vein of massive hematite suggest an association between Au and hematite, although supergene enrichment is suspected due to the presence of jarosite. This stage is brecciated and cut by a second stage of mineralization. Cu-rich mineralization consists of magmatic-hydrothermal breccia with abundant angular fragments of stage I mineralization and andesitic rock either clast supported or cemented by siderite and iron-copper oxides. Figure 1: Location of Maria Luisa and processing site. To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/4303/62628_97dac6a28496e82a_001full.jpg Figure 2: Historic underground working and vein system on the property To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/4303/62628_97dac6a28496e82a_002full.jpg Recent Diamond Drilling A limited four-hole, 495 metre diamond drill program was completed in 2017 that was intended to test mineralization below the main historic workings of the Maria Luisa main fault structure (Figure 2). The drill program intersected both the hematite Au-rich mineralization with hole 17MLD001 (1 m @ 6.95 g/t Au and 0.03% Cu), and Cu-rich mineralization with hole 17MLD003 (0.6m @ 5.90% Cu and 0.22 g/t Au). However, core recovery within the mineralized structures (fault gouge) was very poor ranging between 45 and 60%. As such we believe that a 5000 tonne bulk sample would more effectively reflect the copper and gold grades at Maria Luisa. Figure 3: Underground workings, vein traces and recent drilling To view an enhanced version of Figure 3, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/4303/62628_97dac6a28496e82a_003full.jpg Historical Resource and Exploration Target The Maria Luisa veins consistently yield significant grades of gold, with recent selective mining (2013 to 2015) of over 600 tonnes yielding an average grade of approximately 6.85 grams per tonne (g/t) Au and 1.89 percent (%) Cu (M. Dufresne, NI 43-101 Technical Report, February 2017). An exploration target has been defined for the Maria Luisa Property based upon the historic resource estimate conducted by ENAMI, recent underground sampling and mapping, historic production records and the authors own sampling and three-dimensional modelling. The target ranges from 200,000 to 400,000 tonnes with a range in grades of 1.5% Cu and 2 g/t Au to 2.5% Cu and 5 g/t Au. This estimation of quantity and grade is conceptual in nature with insufficient work to define a mineral resource, further exploration may or may not define a resource at Maria Luisa (M. Dufresne, NI 43-101 Technical Report, February 2017). About Altiplano Altiplano Metals Inc. (TSXV: APN) is a Canadian mineral development company focused on acquiring projects with significant potential for advancement from discovery through to production. Altiplano's goal is to grow into a mid-tier mining company through developing a portfolio of near-by production and cash flowing assets focusing on copper, gold and silver. Management has a substantial record of success in capitalizing on opportunity, overcoming challenges and building shareholder value. John Williamson, B.Sc., P.Geol., a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101, has reviewed and approved the technical contents of this document ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD /s/ "John Williamson" Chairman For further information, please contact: Jeremy Yaseniuk, Director jeremyy@apnmetals.com Tel: (604) 773-1467 Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the (TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address exploration drilling, exploitation activities and events or developments that the Company expects are forward-looking statements. A qualified person has not done sufficient work to classify any historical estimates as current mineral resources or mineral reserves and the issuer is not treating the historical estimates as current mineral resources or mineral reserves. Any decision to commence production is not based on a feasibility study of mineral reserves demonstrating economic and technical viability and there is increased uncertainty and economic and technical risks of failure associated with any production decision. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include market prices, exploitation and exploration successes, continuity of mineralization, uncertainties related to the ability to obtain necessary permits, licenses and title and delays due to third party opposition, changes in government policies regarding mining and natural resource exploration and exploitation, and continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. For more information on the Company, investors should review the Company's continuous disclosure filings that are available at www.sedar.com. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/62628 Kindness and compassion are virtues not just limited to adults. Kids and youngsters too are not far behind when it comes to helping those in need. When the Covid-19 lockdown hit the lives of thousands of migrants workers, some youngsters came forward in lending a helping hand to the migrants to tide over the crisis. From teaching kids of migrant workers to arranging jobs, these youngsters from different schools played a crucial role in easing out the woes of those in need. Abhigyan Prakash (19), a student of B com-LLB Hons at Dr Shakuntala Misra National Rehabilitation University (DSMNRU), roped in other like-minded students and took upon the responsibility of teaching children of migrant labourers. During the first two months of the lockdown, we analysed the problems faced by children of migrant workers and felt they were missing out on their school education while private school kids were engaged in online classes. On May 28, we reached out to Kakori block pramukh, Ram Vilas Rawat, and discussed with him how to help them, said Abhigyan. Pushpendra Rai, a class 12 pass out who is also a part of the team, said, We identified four villages Tej Kishan Khera, Puraina, Hardoia and Choudhury Khera. There were 200 kids in each village and they were all between classes 1 and 8. It was not easy to convince them to attend classes. We decided to give them some incentives like biscuits, packaged water, stationery items, etc. Also read: India records highest-ever single-day spike of over 75,000 Covid-19 cases They pooled in money and also collected financial help from people to distribute masks, packaged water bottles, biscuits, chocolate, notebook, stationery items to nearly 1,000 students. It has been three months since these students are helping the children of migrant workers. They have taught kids about the importance of social distancing, hand sanitisation and wearing masks during the pandemic. Similarly, two brothers, Atharv Khubele (13) and Advik Khubele (8) felt the need of doing something for migrants who lost their jobs during the lockdown. The humanitarian crisis impacted the two siblings who came out with the idea of punarsthapan. Atharv Khubele (13) and Advik (8) - two brothers who helped migrants labourers find suitable jobs. (HT Photo) Atharv, a student of Seth Anandram Jaipuria Lucknow, acted as a bridge between job seekers and providers. The duo convinced their father, Avichal Khubele, who is part of Indian Industries Association (IIA), to help them find jobs for migrants based on their skills. The family roped in a software expert who designed an interface that acted as a bridge between job providers (industry) and job seekers (labourers). Sriket Srivastava (18) was the head boy at St Anjanis Public School, Rajajipuram, batch of 2020. He is a Maths genius and has won several accolades. During March and April, when his class 12 board exams got cancelled, he was flooded with requests by poor children, relatives and friends to help them with the subject that is dreaded by most. Tired of telling everyone the same thing over and over again, I came up with the idea of creating a YouTube channel to create tutorials. It was high in demand and spread like wildfire, he said. Saarth Shah, a student of class 12 at City Montessori School, Gomtinagar campus 1, was so moved by the plight of domestic helps and migrants who lost their jobs during the pandemic that he took it upon himself to ensure two square meals for them. He built a database of around 500 such workers who had lost their jobs and built a website. The website had the phone numbers of the needy. He advertised his website through his social media handles like Facebook and Whatsapp. Gradually, his efforts started bearing fruits when people started employing these workers. Son of a chartered accountant, Saarth said he does not expect anything for himself through this activity. The greatest joy and reward comes to him when these workers thank him for helping them regain employment. Principal of CMS Gomti Nagar Campus 1, Abha Anant, was overjoyed to learn about this philanthropic activity of her student and said Saarth was very insightful and hardworking who has imbibed the values of service to humanity from his school and his parents. As Sen. Kamala Harris launched into a stirring speech at the Democratic National Convention last week, the chatter began among my friends. We could relate to her on many levels: She was born at Kaiser Hospital in Oakland, where a Vietnamese American friend of mine also gave birth to her two children. A South Asian friend texted that she cried like a baby when Harris talked about her mother, scientist Shyamala Gopalan Harris. Harris also grew up in the East Bay, which makes us hella excited! It seems appropriate to use the slang that originated in Oakland and has become a shibboleth of sorts to mark speakers from Northern California. My friends were also thrilled to discover we shared something else with Harris: her height. Though Harris is a towering presence, shes a petite 5-foot-2. Thats the same as me and my friends, who vary in height by an inch or so in either direction. Wed see eye to eye with her, if not for the formidable high heels Ive seen her wearing in photos. It may seem superficial to call attention to how tall Harris stands, but its far from the first time a discussion of height has entered the presidential race. You may already be familiar with the so-called Presidential Height Index, in which the taller candidate of the major two parties tends to prevail. It could be a coincidence, or it could be that Americans are swayed by the power that height conveys. For those keeping track, Joe Biden is 6 feet tall, while Donald Trump claims hes 6-foot-3. Trump, in all his pettiness, has repeatedly mocked shorter politicians, calling them widdle and mini, as if height were a measure of accomplishment or character. If Biden succeeds, he would be in good company: former President Barack Obama who clocks in at 6-foot-1 and won the 2012 election, despite standing an inch shorter than Mitt Romney. As for the vice presidential matchup, Vice President Mike Pence is 5-foot-10. I have no doubt that Harris with her intelligence and intensity will rise above him at their debate in Utah on Oct.7. Its a victory that shorter women can hail everywhere, regardless of party or politics. I prefer these shorter candidates to those who have come up short in every way while in office. Trump has called Harris nasty and disrespectful, insults with racial and sexist undertones. During this weeks Republican National Convention, featured speakers presented a dystopian vision of the country that preyed upon the fears of the presidents base: anarchists and radicals rioting and looting who, they claim, want to steal the upcoming election. Small-minded words, at a time when our country needs broad-minded, bighearted leaders. Years ago, my brother dated someone my parents deemed too short. In her defense, I pointed out that I was of similar stature. You are the minimum, my father replied. 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. I was taller than the girlfriend, tall enough. As tall as Elizabeth Taylor, he assured me, probably concerned that I felt bereft. I was amused, not offended; I tend to forget that Im short. What I lack in height, I make up in volume. As for other pop culture presidential prognosticators, you might also recall a cookie-making competition between potential first spouses. Family Circle magazine used to host the quadrennial competition, polling readers to correctly predict the presidential winner several times since 1992. In the 2016 iteration, the Clinton familys oatmeal chocolate chip cookies bested Melania Trumps star-shaped cookies. You could say that it reflected the popular vote which Hillary Clinton won by nearly 3 million ballots if not the Electoral College. The magazine has folded, and unless another takes up the reins, we wont be able to participate in this proxy vote. Its a reminder that the voting that culminates on Nov. 3 is the only one that counts, a reminder to register and vote. Vanessa Hua is the author of A River of Stars. Her column appears Fridays in Datebook. Email: datebook@sfchronicle.com HOUSTON, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Simon Bolivar Foundation, the non-profit, private foundation of CITGO Petroleum Corporation, today announced an open call for proposals exclusively focused on mitigating the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in Venezuela by providing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for health professionals treating infected patients. This initiative is part of the Medium/Large Grants for Humanitarian Health program, and it will award up to $400,000 in individual grants ranging between $50,000 to $100,000 per year, per project, to qualified charitable organizations, starting this Friday, August 28. Please visit our webpage for more information on the process and online application. "We have been closely following the progression of the pandemic in Venezuela, especially given the complex humanitarian emergency in the country and the fragility of its health system. We are opening this dedicated round of grants to improve the safety of the health workers in Venezuela that are on the front lines of the pandemic," said Mariela Poleo, president of the Simon Bolivar Foundation. This program is aligned with the Foundation's renewed mission of improving the health of vulnerable individuals affected by disaster, conflict and poverty, and fulfills one of its main objectives of providing access to health supplies. About the Simon Bolivar Foundation The Simon Bolivar Foundation is the 501(c)(3) non-profit, private foundation of CITGO Petroleum Corporation. The Foundation supports initiatives, leverages existing resources and invests in organizations to meet the immediate and long-term health needs of the most vulnerable individuals particularly in and from Venezuela with a special focus on the health and well-being of children and their mothers. About CITGO Headquartered in Houston, Texas, CITGO Petroleum Corporation is a recognized leader in the refining industry with a well-known brand. CITGO operates three refineries located in Corpus Christi, Texas; Lake Charles, La.; and Lemont, Ill., and wholly and/or jointly owns 42 terminals, six 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 4,600 locally owned and operated branded retail outlets, all located east of the Rocky Mountains. CITGO Petroleum Corporation is owned by CITGO Holding, Inc. SOURCE CITGO Corporation Related Links www.citgo.com The first cargo ship carrying Indian sugar for Afghanistan arrived in Irans southeastern Chabahar Port, Director-general of Ports and Maritime Department of Sistan-Baluchestan Province Behrouz Aqaei said on Wednesday, Trend reports citing IRNA. This cargo that carries 1,890 tons of Indian private sectors sugar in 70 containers docked at Shahid Beheshti port in Chabahar, said Behrouz Aqaei in an interview with IRNA. Last week on Wednesday, the seventh cargo ship carrying Indian donated wheat for Afghanistan with 352 containers whose consignment weighed about 8,800 tons, docked at Shahid Beheshti port in southeastern Iran. Aghaei added that some 1,700 containers weighing 43,000 tons of Indias donated wheat for Afghanistan have so far arrived in Chabahar Port. Chabahar, as Iran's only ocean port, plays an important role in developing trade, exports, and imports and in fishing as well. Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei's special attention and the efforts made by President Hassan Rouhani's government have accelerated development of Makran Coasts, especially Chabahar Port, in a way that five big ships carrying basic goods, including wheat, barley, soybean, and corn berthed in one week. In 2016, Iran, India, and Afghanistan decided to jointly establish a trade route for land-locked Central Asian countries. India sent its first consignment of wheat to Afghanistan through Irans Chabahar Port back in 2017. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Aug. 26 Trend: Members of the Azerbaijan national gymnastics team have sent a congratulatory video message to First Vice-President of Azerbaijan, President of the Gymnastics Federation Mehriban Aliyeva on her birthday. Trend presents the video message. Pompeo warns Russia, China against ignoring move to reimpose U.N. sanctions on Iran U.S. Secretary of State Pompeo visits Austria By Andrea Shalal WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned Russia and China not to disregard the reimposition of all United Nations sanctions on Iran, which President Donald Trump has directed him to trigger at the U.N. Security Council in New York on Thursday. Pompeo will meet with Indonesia's U.N. Ambassador Dian Triansyah Djani - council president for August - to submit a complaint about Iran's non-compliance with a 2015 nuclear deal, even though Washington quit the accord in 2018. The nuclear deal between Iran, Russia, China, Germany, Britain, France and the United States aimed to prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons in return for sanctions relief. That accord is enshrined in a 2015 Security Council resolution. In response to what the United States calls its "maximum pressure" campaign of unilateral sanctions - a bid to get Iran to negotiate a new deal - Tehran has breached central limits of the 2015 pact, including on its stock of enriched uranium. Diplomats say the so-called sanctions snapback process will be messy as Russia, China and other countries question the legality of the U.S. move given that Washington itself is no longer complying with what Trump called the "worst deal ever." Given questions over the U.S. move, diplomats said Russia, China and other countries are likely to simply ignore it and not reimpose the sanctions on Iran. When asked if the United States would target Russia and China with sanctions if they refuse to reimpose the U.N. measures on Iran, Pompeo told Fox News on Wednesday: "Absolutely." "We have already done that, where we have seen any country violate ... the current American sanctions, we've held every nation accountable for that. We'll do the same thing with respect to the broader U.N. Security Council sanctions as well," he said. The United States had threatened to use the sanctions snapback provision in the nuclear deal after it lost a bid in the Security Council on Friday to extend an arms embargo on Tehran, which is due to expire in October. Story continues Pompeo said it was unfortunate that the European members of the council abstained on the U.S. attempt to extend the arms embargo and that the move "makes the European people less safe." "They just are wedded to this crazy nuclear deal, they're trying to hang on to it," he said. Once Pompeo submits the complaint about Iran to the Security Council, the body has 30 days to adopt a resolution to extend sanctions relief for Tehran or else the measures will automatically snap back. Any attempt to extend the sanctions relief would be vetoed by the United States. Pompeo will also meet with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday. (Reporting by Andrea Shalal and Eric Beech; Writing by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Sandra Maler and Cynthia Osterman) Even with about 10,000 workers from 20 states on hand following Hurricane Lauras landfall, Entergy said outages in the storms initial wake could last weeks. The utility company, which services almost 3 million customers in four states, spent most of Wednesday finalizing response plans to impacted communities and securing vital infrastructure like hospital power grids. Sallie Rainer, president and CEO of Entergy Texas, said Wednesday there are no solid predictions that can be made before a storm lands, but historic impacts of storms the size of Laura didnt bode well for a quick recovery. We know that when weve seen Category 4 storms hit even considering each storm is unique in the way winds can be spread out where the most devastating storms hit and surges come in, it can be a multi-week restoration, she said. Given the expectation of Lauras size at landfall, Entergy has been preparing by bringing in high-water trucks and moving key equipment to areas where it can be easily accessed after the storm passes. Still, the company will be dealing with storm surge and communities devastated by extreme winds, which it said can create hazards that were different than Hurricane Harvey in 2017. The National Weather Service predicted storm surge between 6-9 feet for most of Jefferson and Orange counties, but also advised that large amounts of rainfall expected for the area would create additional hazards for places prone to flooding. More Information Download the Entergy App at entergyapp.com. Customers can use the app to report outages or check on the status of power at their home or business. Entergy's View Outages website includes maps that show where outages are located and give information about restoration progress. Sign up for text alerts by texting REG to 36778 and have your account number and ZIP code handy. The registration pattern is as follows including spaces: REG (account number) (ZIP code). Once registered, text OUT to 36778 to report an outage. You can also report an outage online as a guest. The Entergy Storm Center website has storm safety, preparation and restoration information that is updated throughout the day. Operation: Storm Ready Guide is a free downloadable guide that helps customers plan and prepare for weather emergencies. Social media plays an important role in keeping customers informed, and the company places a high priority on updating its social media channels throughout an event. Customers can follow Entergy Texas on Facebook and Twitter. See More Collapse Stuart Barrett, vice president of customer service, said storm surges ultimately mean uncertainty and a potential for electrical infrastructure to be wiped away. The storm surge causes significant damage, and the structures we are trying to re-energize may not even be there when we respond, he said. We just dont know what it will be like. One of the newest tools Entergy will be using is a fleet of drones and drone operators to scope out inaccessible areas and identify the kinds of equipment crews will need prior to entry. COVID-19 has added another layer of difficulty as Entergy tries to find enough lodging accommodations for the thousands of workers called in to respond while remaining safe from the virus, aiming for one person per hotel room to comply with social distancing. Entergys response for Laura could be the biggest since Harvey struck the Texas Gulf Coast. The utilitys crew have already responded to other events across the country this year as a part of a mutual aid network, thats gaining experience with response during a pandemic. Rainer said the utility dedicated itself to hardening parts of its grid after Harvey and developing better practices for response, but the most important tool it has tried to enhance is communication with customers. She said Entergy has tried to use text alerts as much as possible and encouraged customers to sign up, along with utilizing the hotline for reporting downed power lines. As a company in Southeast Texas, weve done this before and well do this again, she said. We will be here supporting communities after restoration, and will help them recover. jacob.dick@beaumontenterprise.com twitter.com/jd_journalism The coronavirus pandemic has brought along the terror of sickness and death to the healthiest of us. On August 27, 2020, India recorded its highest-ever single-day spike of over 75,000 COVID-19 cases with the death toll touching the 60,500 mark. Having said that, the nature of the pandemic is such that not only did it burden us with the fear of our lives, it also took away jobs and livelihoods of millions from all over the world. Those who used to live middle-class lives in metropolitan areas have either moved to smaller cities or are struggling to make ends meet on a daily basis. Reuters Add to that the issues such as the Delhi riots leading to bloodshed and property destruction that took place in the early days of 2020, which had a lasting impact on the people of the region who are still struggling to get back on their feet. It is probably under such circumstances that our faith in humanity is tested. Are we, by nature, evil? Are There Enough Good People In This World? Reuters I have been volunteering with Khalsa Aid for four years now, says Gurpreet Wasi, a social worker, a mother of two and a COVID-19 survivor. Together, we have held multiple fundraisers for important projects and continue to provide help to those who are in desperate need. Helping The Delhi Riot Victims: Reuters This year, I visited North-East Delhi after the riots and what I saw there was completely heartbreaking. People were moved to camps, thousands of them but there was barely anything to eat. Since we were among the first to reach the area and had already established contact with the Delhi Police and volunteers who were willing to help, the Delhi government reached out to us, she says. Reuters But then the lockdown happened and all of Wasis efforts came to a standstill. On-ground volunteers were difficult to come by and transporting ration to the camps became arduous. Along with a couple of her close friends, Gurpreet got in contact with local grocers and started providing aid through online transactions. Despite the rampant coronavirus scare, she got herself a curfew pass and ensured that she was on-ground, taking care of the people in need. Exodus Amid The Pandemic: Reuters Then, the daily wagers started to leave the city and the entire focus moved towards looking after them, Gurpreet recalls. Homeless shelters all around the city were set up once again but the government could provide only one khichdi meal a day. Gurpreet took the responsibility of feeding two of these shelters. She also organised busses to send the migrants home. On behalf of these struggling labourers, she also took permission from the various state governments to allow them to pass by as most of them belonged to places far away from the national capital. The GB Road Misery: Reuters One moment Gurpreet cant forget is the time when she got a call of help from the sex workers who used to earn a living on the citys Garstin Bastion Road. With nobody supposed to step out of their homes, earning money became a herculean task for them. Some of these women had small kids but couldn't even afford to feed them. Theyd get ration from various NGOs but because there was no cooking gas supply, it was practically useless for them. Reuters A nearby Gurudwara tried to feed them. Then they arranged for a van that would provide them with food. The thing was that the van used to get stationed at a distance and these women had to stand in a line to get fed, Gurpreet explains. Most of what they do is illegal and they were troubled by cops. They also didnt want to get exposed like this. Reuters Another problem was that while some of the NGOs were willing to help with food, they would also try to reform them, she says. They were subjected to being judged, they were told what they were doing wasnt right and they were asked to change. If you want to help somebody, you need to go beyond judgements, Gurpreet expresses. Down With The Virus: Gurpreet was aware of the kind of risk she was putting herself in every single time she stepped out of the house with the contagion spreading like wildfire. She used to be warned by the people around her, but her priorities were different. She was selfless. Another aspect of her bravery was the confidence she had on her immunity system. Being a runner with years and years of experience, Gurpreet believed that nothing could touch her. So, when she got to know that she had contracted the virus, her first reaction was that of disbelief, quickly followed by guilt. It is very demoralising for my kids. With such diseases, you arent just playing with your own health but are also risking your family. I know various doctors who refused to go home and preferred sleeping at the hospital or the gurudwaras rather than going home with the fear of infecting people close to them, she says. Her greatest letdown from being COVID-positive (yes, a letdown) was not being able to donate the antibodies that were created in her blood as she recovered from the disease. According To The World Health Organisation, Women Who Have Been Pregnant Cant Donate Plasma. Why? When a woman is carrying a baby, 50 per cent of the babys genes belong to the father. The mother develops antibodies to the antigens of paternal origin. As a result, the mothers body creates antibodies against the HLA of the father, explains Dr Meenu Bajpai, head of the blood transfusion department at ILBS. Why women in India who have ever been pregnant cant donate plasma for Covid patients@soniyaagrawal21 reports #ThePrintEssential https://t.co/D2M0B7mtyq Shekhar Gupta (@ShekharGupta) July 21, 2020 HLA antibodies present in the mother do not harm her but when plasma containing these HLA antibodies is transfused to a COVID-19 patient it damages their lungs. Despite the downtime, Gurpreet says that there was a lot to learn from the experience. There is a false bravado in the way in which a lot of social workers work on the front line. Getting contracted with the virus allowed me to set a proper system in place, she explained. Her team and she have now established a group of people dedicated to the cause. If for some reason a person is unavailable to help out, others step up and pitch in. Returning To The Cause: Reuters During the first three weeks of contracting the virus, Gurpreet was completely immobilised. It also gave her the time to rethink a lot of things. It motivated her to do more. She thought about what was the absolute priority for the people of her city at the moment; re-employment. Belonging to a skill development background, Gurpreet started online teaching sessions through which she educates women on how to make home-made sanitary napkins and bead jewellery. She is also organising smartphones for women in remote places to have access to the internet and her online sessions. Reuters Right now the complete focus is on getting people jobs. We are helping set up small-scale businesses and enabling them to get back on their feet, she says. Shes also using her ability as a runner to work for the cause. As a part of the Sunfeast India Run As One campaign, Gurpreet has pledged to run for 150kms. She believes that it is a great initiative and can lead to the generation of skills that can influence the lives of those who were affected by the pandemic. Are There Enough Of Good People In This World? Looking at people like Gurpreet Wasi who have dedicated their lives to making others live better, who have put their health at risk just to see another human being sleep with a full stomach, and made it their mission to help them earn a living, the answer is right in front of our eyes. Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection Cynthia Morrison has condemned the politicization of the One Hot Meal being given to final year Junior High School (JHS) students and teachers. This follows a disturbing social media visual of a teacher asking final year students to say 4 More for Nana before they are being served with food. Other posts depict some food packs embossed with the pictures of President Akufo-Addo. In an interview with Kwaku Dawuro on Anopa Nkomo on Accra base Kingdom FM, the Minister who expressed disappointment said, politicizing such national policies is inimical to the object of intervention. She therefore urged persons involved in the act to desist from such activities. Responding to the same issue, the National Coordinator of School Feeding Programme Gertrude Quashie stressed that the pictures circulating complaining about the poor quality of food is mere propaganda and falsehood to tarnish the image of the government. Further, she gave an assurance that the government will provide various Junior High School Students and Teachers with nutritious meals. ---KingdomfmOnline.com JOHANNESBURG (AP) South African police have clashed with protesters demonstrating against the alleged killing of a 16-year-old boy by local policemen in Eldorado Park, an area of Soweto near Johannesburg. Residents charge that Nathaniel Julius was shot by police and dropped off at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital, where he died. Angry residents gathered Thursday to protest the death and called for the arrest of police officers responsible. The demonstrators barricaded roads and burned tires. Police fired rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse the protesters, also affecting passing motorists, bystanders, and journalists covering the demonstration. At least two police officers and a photographer were injured in the clashes, said police. The police have said in a statement they are investigating how the boy was killed and allegations of police brutality. Local politicians have been sent to the area by the provincial government to calm tensions between the community and the police, said officials. (TNS) Henry Ephriam landed in the hospital, terrified and suffering from chest pains, one of 125 workers at the Ralphs grocery chain's Compton warehouse who were sickened with COVID-19.Maria Pilar Ornelas struggled to breathe with a fever of 103.7. One of more than 180 workers at a Central Valley slaughterhouse who tested positive for the coronavirus, she says her supervisor told her to come to work anyway.In Glendale, the wife and children of 77-year-old Ricardo Saldana say he died after nursing home staff were told not to wear masks and gloves. Seventeen employees and 22 residents caught the virus. Five died.Warehouse workers. Meatpackers. Nursing home residents. Cruise ship passengers. With infections in California surging past 680,000 and deaths topping 12,400, COVID-19-related lawsuits have begun to hit federal and state courts. Businesses fear being blamed for the virus' spread. They are mounting fierce campaigns in Congress and statehouses for measures to protect them from lawsuits over infections, hospitalizations and deaths related to the pandemic.Since the virus took hold, many employers have been under siege, accused of failures to enforce social distancing, inadequate protective supplies and a lack of transparency when workers are infected. Customers also feel endangered when safety rules are poorly enforced."Relief from costly litigation could truly mean the difference between employers opening their doors and workers returning to work, or being forced to shutter their businesses permanently," the California Chamber of Commerce and 24 industry groups wrote to congressional leaders last month.The signers included retailers, manufacturers, agribusinesses, technology companies, hotels, restaurants and builders.As yet, there is no tidal wave of COVID-related litigation and may never be, given the hurdle of proving where exactly anyone was infected. At work? In the supermarket? On a sidewalk? And juries may be forgiving if employers argue they have tried to comply with shifting government guidelines.But U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has predicted "an avalanche" of litigation and "the biggest trial lawyer bonanza in history." And Republicans are pushing for a sweeping liability shield dubbed the Safe to Work Act, a measure that consumer groups staunchly oppose.The issue is a sticking point in stalled negotiations between the Trump administration and Democratic lawmakers over broad legislation to extend billions of dollars in federal unemployment benefits and relief for state and local governments.In California, plaintiffs have filed more than 550 lawsuits as a result of the pandemic, according to a widely cited tracker by the law firm Hunton Andrews Kurth. So far, most involve such matters as companies' disputes with insurers, including one by the renowned Napa Valley restaurateur Thomas Keller. Or small businesses taking banks to court over missing out on rescue loans. Or students filing complaints against universities, seeking refunds. Concert and sports events ticket holders are suing to get their money back, as are airline and amusement park customers.Fewer than 50 involve the kinds of claims for personal injury, wrongful death or inadequate safety measures that the proposed federal liability shield addresses."Under current law, if businesses take reasonable steps to protect workers and customers, they are protected from lawsuits," said Jacqueline Serna, deputy legislative director for the trade association Consumer Attorneys of California.But the GOP congressional bill, she said, would mean "no liability under any state laws for a coronavirus-related personal injury claim. It preempts California laws meant to protect workers against gross negligence, willful misconduct, nuisance, disability, civil rights, assault, battery, fraudulent concealment you name it."Corporations have already seen some success: A dozen states have enacted liability protections for business generally. And in at least 20 states, hospitals, nursing homes and healthcare providers are now immune from most coronavirus-related lawsuits.California has not adopted any COVID-19 liability measures. Nor are healthcare companies protected. The Service Employees International Union filed suit Aug. 20 against Riverside Community Hospital and its owner, HCA Healthcare in Tennessee, on behalf of three employees who contracted COVID-19 and the daughter of another who died of the disease.Lawsuits involving grocery chains and warehouses that employ thousands of essential workers are among the most closely watched.In the San Joaquin Valley, 52 workers at a Safeway facility were sickened, prompting a suit by the widow of one who died. In San Francisco, a picker who fills orders at an Amazon Fresh center sued over safeguards. And Walmart is the target of COVID-19 claims in Chicago and Dallas.A class action filed last month on behalf of some 800 workers at a Ralphs warehouse in Compton reveals how contentious and how personal safety issues have become in the coronavirus era.On May 11, Ephriam, a 37-year-old receiver who handles incoming goods, took a short nap after his shift and woke up with a 104-degree fever. The day before, the facility had announced that a single worker had tested positive for the virus, calling it "an isolated incident," according to the suit filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court.As his symptoms worsened, Ephriam said, he notified Ralphs of 20 employees with whom he'd worked closely, but the company contacted just five an assertion Ralphs disputes. Within weeks, more than 100 workers were infected.At the hospital, doctors sought to put Ephriam on a ventilator. He refused, fearing side effects, and was released in four days. Meanwhile, he said, he had brought the virus home: His fiancee, who was nursing their 7-month-old baby, fell ill.In the suit, Ephriam and seven other plaintiffs say Ralphs took a "cavalier attitude" toward the pandemic, failing to provide enough masks, gloves or hand sanitizer, forcing employees to work close together and making them touch the same pad when clocking in."It was terrifying," Ephriam said. "But management played it like it was no big deal. They didn't care."Ephriam and his fiancee have largely recovered. But another plaintiff, Crescencio Perera, also fell severely ill and infected his family, the suit said. Perera's wife, daughter, brother, nephew and father-in-law came down with COVID-19, and his father-in-law died.Even now, the plaintiffs say, shared computers lack plastic keyboard covers to facilitate cleaning, shared scanner guns are not sanitized between shifts, temperature checks are spotty and social distancing rules are not enforced.In a court response, Ralphs said it has complied with all government guidelines, adding that the COVID-19 protections urged in the suit are "a laundry list of amorphous demands and draconian requirements."It said that Ephriam provided just seven names of co-workers and that the company contacted all of them. "Ralphs posted reminders about social distancing as soon as the CDC recommended it," the company said. And it cited surveillance footage showing Ephriam failing to wear a mask before his diagnosis and hugging two co-workers.But Ephriam contends he and others were not distancing or wearing masks at the time because Ralphs had not advised them to do so, nor had it revealed that the virus was circulating at the warehouse. "They had nothing in place telling us what we should or shouldn't be doing," he said.Ralphs spokesman John Votava declined to comment.Similar safety complaints are the focus of a class-action suit on behalf of 750 employees of Central Valley Meat Co., the nation's seventh-largest beef packer.In early April, Ornelas, a 41-year-old quality control inspector, and her colleagues heard the virus had infected co-workers at the Hanford, Calif., slaughterhouse. "But supervisors were telling us, 'Oh, it's just a rumor,'" she said.By then meatpackers across the country, working elbow to elbow cutting carcasses on fast-paced assembly lines, were getting sick by the thousands. In Los Angeles County, infections at a Farmer John pork processor had taken off in March, an outbreak that would eventually sicken at least 254 workers.At Central Valley Meat, it wasn't until workers posted news of their illness on Facebook that the company acknowledged the virus had spread in the plant, according to the federal suit filed last month.Chief Executive Brian Coelho, whose family owns the privately held company, did not respond to multiple phone calls and emails. Central Valley Meat lawyers have yet to respond to the complaint.Ornelas, who fell ill April 23, is still suffering. "I wake up and the next thing you know it's just horrible. Headache, fever, chest pains, stomach problems."She wiped away tears. "I was a person who didn't believe in depression," she said. "But now I'm like, I just should have died. I want to give up."Ornelas brought the virus home to Pete Mabie, her partner. At the breakfast table, a carton of milk fell out of his hands. He started dropping things at the lumberyard where he works. He was hospitalized three times."I get electric shocks in my hands and feet," he said. "The doctors say the virus caused nerve damage or a mini-stroke."Since April, Ornelas has returned to her $14.25-an-hour job three times, spurred by what she said was a threat of termination. But each time she felt too ill to continue. She has no health insurance, and her medical bills amount to hundreds of dollars.Ornelas' attorney, Aaron Olsen, said Central Valley Meat programs offering extra pay for perfect attendance and meting out discipline points for absences encouraged sick workers to stay on the job, violating guidelines for companies issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Although the company is taking workers' temperatures and has posted signs urging social distancing, Ornelas said that when she returned in June, plastic curtains that had been hung between workers were down. "People were shoulder to shoulder again," she said. "They had masks but weren't wearing them."A federal liability shield would make it harder for lawsuits filed by Ephriam, Ornelas and other workers to succeed.It could also protect cruise ship lines and nursing homes, industries with some of the nation's highest infection rates, against claims from customers.Travelers exposed to the virus on cruise ships have filed a slew of lawsuits, including four California class actions against Carnival Corp. on behalf of some 2,400 passengers. The company drew worldwide publicity in March after state officials, learning the virus was circulating on its Grand Princess vessel, at first refused to allow it to dock.A Placer County man who had traveled on the ship was California's first known COVID-19 fatality. And 33 others had tested positive. After five days stranded off San Francisco on lockdown, passengers were permitted to disembark, with hundreds forced into a 14-day quarantine at military bases.Carnival "chose to place profits over people, including the safety of their passengers, crew, and the general public," according to a class action filed in federal court in April by Robert Archer, a San Francisco retiree, and 61 other passengers who were hospitalized with COVID-19 or suffered severe symptoms as well as "anguish, fright, horror."According to the complaint, which asks for $5 million in damages, the cruise line was guilty of "gross negligence" in allowing some 2,000 passengers to board the ship in February and socialize unhindered without warning them that about 1,000 staff and travelers, still on board from a previous leg of the trip, had been exposed to the virus.Carnival spokesman Roger Frizzell declined to comment on the litigation but said in an email, "Our top priorities are compliance, environmental protection and the health, safety and well-being of our guests and crew members." The company has "created a new senior executive role of a chief compliance and ethics officer," he said.Like cruise lines, nursing homes are a target of coronavirus-related consumer suits. In California, more than 4,900 residents and staff at elder care facilities have died of COVID-19, about 40 percent of the state's total fatalities. Throughout California, 1,120 skilled nursing homes and 301 assisted-living facilities have reported outbreaks.In a lawsuit against Glenhaven Healthcare, Saldana's family says that the Glendale facility "went so far as to lock up protective equipment that the local fire department delivered.... As a result, the virus ran rampant."The complaint, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, said the nursing home concealed the fact that an employee exposed to the virus had spent two weeks interacting with staff and residents. And it says an exposed resident was moved into Saldana's room without informing him or his family.The nursing home said its staff followed health guidelines from local and federal authorities. "We can definitively say that Glenhaven Healthcare heroes put our patients first every day," it said in a statement.Last month, the facility's attorneys sought to move the lawsuit to federal court, saying that a 2005 U.S. emergency preparedness law grants it immunity from elder-abuse, negligence and wrongful-death claims.The complaint fails to establish that Saldana died as a result of any misconduct, they wrote in a July 31 filing, adding: "information about the novel coronavirus ... and how to prevent its spread was ... constantly evolving during March and April."The Glenhaven suit shows how hard it may be to win COVID-19 cases, despite the nursing home industry's long history of investigations over substandard care and staffing. In Los Angeles County, more than 2,000 complaints are registered with public health officials each year."We don't foresee a flood of lawsuits," said Anthony Chicotel, an attorney for California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform. His San Francisco watchdog group has referred just 13 coronavirus cases for potential litigation.Personal injury attorneys are paid through contingency fees, so they take only strong cases, Chicotel said. With residents' relatives largely blocked from visiting, "it will be harder to prove there were violations of the standard of care," he added. "And what was the standard of care? It was fluid."Still, Chicotel said, the liability shield advocated by businesses and under negotiation in Congress would amount to a "catastrophe" for nursing home residents."It would immunize all sorts of bad conduct," he said. "It would free poor providers from the last layer of accountability." YEREVAN, AUGUST 27, ARMENPRESS. Horasis announced today that it delayed its Horasis China Meeting 2020, which was scheduled to take place in Yerevan, Armenia in October, due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, and will hold it in October 24-25, 2021 in Yerevan, the Armenian Presidents Office told Armenpress. The Horasis China Meeting 2021 will be co-hosted by ATOM Foundation and the China Federation of Industrial Economics under the auspices of the President of the Republic of Armenia. More than 300 members of the Horasis Visions Community from business and government will join an intense two-day programme to discuss how to overcome the COVID-19 crisis. Participants will discuss opportunities and challenges that Chinese firms need to identify and address successfully as they engage globally. Furthermore, the Horasis China Meeting will play an accelerating role in the rapidly expanding trade and foreign investment between China and Armenia both countries enjoy broad prospects of cooperation within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Some of the functions will be attended by high-ranking Armenian and Chinese politicians and other public figures. The Horasis China Meeting is a comprehensive platform for the CEOs of the worlds leading companies to actively engage with China and its leaders from both business and government. The event is the foremost annual gathering of Chinese business leaders and their global counterparts. The location of the meeting rotates annually, and has been held in Geneva/Switzerland (2005, 2006), Frankfurt/Germany (2007), Barcelona/Spain (2008), Lisbon/Portugal (2009), City of Luxembourg/Luxembourg (2010), Valencia/Spain (2011), Riga/Latvia (2012), The Hague/The Netherlands (2013), Lake Como/Italy (2014), Cascais/Portugal (2015), Interlaken/Switzerland (2016), Sheffield/United Kingdom (2017), Kyiv, Ukraine (2018) and Las Vegas, USA (2019). On October 1, 2020, a remote session dedicated to the promotion of Armenias science-based economy will be held at the extraordinary meeting of Horasis, which will enable to discuss Armenias investment climate and growth prospects. ATOM (Advanced Tomorrow): ATOM Foundation is planning and implementing educational, scientific, social, cultural and charity programs and events both in Armenia and abroad. Horasis: The Global Visions Community is an independent international organization committed to inspiring our future. In addition to the Horasis China Meeting, Horasis hosts the Horasis Global Meeting as well as other regional events focusing on India and South East Asia. Britain's high streets are rebounding at a slower rate than shopping centres, according to new figures which show how the reluctance of staff to return to workplaces is harming businesses. Footfall in town and city centre streets has stagnated in recent weeks, figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed this morning. At the same time out-of town retail parks and urban shopping centres have continued to slowly move back towards their original footfall. The ONS release also showed that 13 per cent of workers is still on paid furlough under the Job Retention Scheme (JRS), with almost one in four (39 per cent) of companies topping up their wages. It came as Boris Johnson was told to do more to get office workers back at their desks. Carolyn Fairbairn warned today that commercial centres risk being permanent ghost towns. Writing in the Daily Mail, the director-general of the CBI said getting staff back into offices and workplaces is as important as the return of pupils to school. The UKs offices are vital drivers of our economy, says Dame Carolyn, who speaks for almost 200,000 firms. They support thousands of local firms, from dry cleaners to sandwich bars. They help train and develop young people. And they foster better work and productivity for many kinds of business. The costs of office closure are becoming clearer by the day. Some of our busiest city centres resemble ghost towns, missing the usual bustle of passing trade. This comes at a high price for local businesses, jobs and communities. Dame Carolyns intervention will pressure the Prime Minister to match his rhetoric on the need to return to school with similar words and action about workplaces. The ONS measured footfall compared with the same day of the week in 2019. 'Seven-day average continued to increase in the latest week (17 to 23 August 2020), to around 70 per cent of the level on the same day a year ago, driven by increased footfall at retail parks and shopping centres,' it noted. 'This continues the gradual increase in footfall seen since the reopening of non-essential shops and businesses in England on 15 June.' But more worrying for smaller retailers found on high streets, it added: 'Footfall on high streets has remained stable over the last few weeks.' In the week beginning August 17, footfall in retail parks increasing to 90 per cent of the same day in 2019, and shopping centres to just under 70 per cent. This graphic from Centre for Cities shows the average footfall in city centres for the last full week of August, compared to pre-lockdown levels. The darker the green, the closer the city centre is to pre-lockdown levels British workers are the most reluctant to return to the office because of fears of a second wave of coronavirus, a new study has found DAME CAROLYN FAIRBAIRN: Ghost town Britain HAS to get back to work and Boris Johnson must lead the way CBI director-general Dame Carolyn Fairbairn Decisions taken over the next few weeks will shape our economy for a decade. Getting schools back is an essential component. But as important will be building the right environment to get people back into offices and workplaces. The UKs offices are vital drivers of our economy. They support thousands of local firms, from drycleaners to sandwich bars. They help train and develop young people. And they foster better work and productivity for many kinds of business. The costs of office closure are becoming clearer by the day. Some of our busiest city centres resemble ghost towns, missing the usual bustle of passing trade. This comes at a high price for local businesses, jobs and communities. Remote working has been a resounding success for many firms and employees, and none of these benefits should be lost. Many people have never worked harder, keeping businesses afloat from their desks and kitchen tables. Flexible working is here to stay and needs to remain an option for many. But there are serious downsides too. For young people, learning face-to-face in the workplace is an unbeatable way to build skills and confidence. We must not deprive the next generation of this opportunity. Not everyone has the space to work effectively at home an ironing board in the bedroom does not make a great workspace. And the mental health challenges triggered by isolation are all too real for many. A lone man looks across the River Thames from the South Bank in Central London on Monday There is also the question of fairness. Many employees, from barbers to brewers, have no option to work from home. We dont want to see a new divide in our society between those who can and cant work from the safety and comfort of their homes. For all these reasons we need more people to feel it is safe and possible to go back into their places of work. This is why we are today calling on the Prime Minister and his Government to do more to build confidence around getting people back into offices and workplaces. A lone woman crosses Waterloo Bridge with the London Eye in the background on Monday Getting schools open safely is a vital first step to enable parents to go back to work, but they must stay open wherever possible. This means effective test and trace, and a focus on resilience. We need government, nationally and locally, to do much more to build confidence in public transport. They need to shout louder about safety measures in place, enforce the wearing of face masks on tubes, buses and trains, and support the introduction of flexible season tickets so people can return gradually without financial penalty. And we urgently need mass widespread testing including in the workplace to help people feel confident and safe. Prime Minister Boris Johnson tours Castle Rock school in Coalville, Leicestershire, yesterday We welcome the Health Secretarys recent commitment to a mass testing strategy for 2021. More flexible working is indisputably a good thing for our economy and quality of life, but we must have a balance. Its time for the UK to bring its workplaces back to life, or we will look back with regret at the jobs lost, training missed, and communities harmed. We ask the Government to work with business to build confidence in returning to offices, starting now. The US policeman who shot a black man seven times in the back sparking a new wave of protests has been identified. Rusten Sheskey has been named by the Wisconsin Department of Justice as part of its ongoing probe into the incident that left Jacob Blake paralysed. Blake was gunned down by officers in Kenosha, Wisconsin on Sunday in front of his sons, one of whom had turned eight that day. Just 18 minutes after the shooting his dad saw a now viral video of the incident in which Blake can be seen walking to his car door pursued by police amid shouts. As he opens the door bullets fly into his back, prompting him to slump into the vehicle. At a press conference yesterday, investigators said Blake had a knife in the car he was reaching into when he was shot, and that no other officer opened fire. Attorney General Josh Kaul said the 29-year-old dad had admitted to investigators that he had a knife in his possession at the time. But a search of Blakes vehicle turned up no other weapons, Kaul added. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates The Woolworths Group have taken a beating during the pandemic with a massive fall in profits and dozens of workers contracting coronavirus. Managing director and CEO Brad Banducci revealed that at least 37 Victorian supermarket workers tested positive for COVID-19 over August. He shared the startling figures in an analyst briefing on Thursday morning after Woolworths reported a 56.7 per cent loss in yearly earnings. The Woolworths Group (Woolworths in Mornington East pictured) revealed the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on its earnings for the last financial year on Thursday The supermarket giant reported that at least 37 Victorian workers (VIC Police and ADF personnel in Melbourne pictured) had tested positive for coronavirus in August Woolworths confirmed that at least 18 of the infected workers had recovered since contracting the virus. Recently affected supermarkets include Mornington East and The Glen in Glen Waverley, along with Dan Murphy's stores in Collingwood and Plenty Valley. Woolworths has assured customers and team members they can continue to safely shop and work at any store. 'As a food retailer, we already have very high standards of cleaning and hygiene in place,' a Woolworths statement said. The supermarket giant also undertakes an additional deep clean of any store that is affected by coronavirus as an 'extra precautionary measure'. 'While the risk of transmission to customers and team members is low, the safety and wellbeing of the local community is our priority,' Woolworths said. The retailer has also implemented special COVID-19 leave to ensure that staff members are not financially disadvantaged if they must self isolate. Woolworths said affected stores had been cleaned and customers (people wearing masks in Melbourne pictured) could shop as normal. Workers also receive special COVID-19 leave The report on coronavirus cases comes as Woolworth's revealed that its full-year net profit for the last financial year fell by 56.7 per cent to $1.165billion. 'COVID-19 had a material impact on the Group's financial performance for the year,' Mr Banducci said. 'Higher costs were due to additional team hours to support the safety of our team and customers, additional costs associated with cleaning, security and personal protective equipment.' Total revenue for the Woolworths Group increased 6.2 per cent to $63.675billion and online sales also skyrocketed by 39.1 per cent to $3.523billion. Woolworths' previously struggling discount department store Big W also returned and impressive profit with total sales climbing by 10.5 per cent and $4.1billion. Mr Banducci said he was 'especially proud of the achievements of the Big W team'. Several other high profile companies released information about their earnings on Thursday including Flight Centre, Afterpay and the Accent Group. Victoria recorded 23 deaths and 113 new coronavirus cases on Thursday - the lowest number of new cases for weeks. The new fatalities take Victoria's death doll to 485 and the national figure to 572. Moscow: Russian police announced on Thursday they had begun a preliminary examination of opposition leader Alexei Navalny's illness after the Kremlin dismissed German doctors' findings that he was apparently poisoned. Transport police in Siberia said they have started "a pre-investigation check" into what led to Navalny's hospitalisation in the city of Omsk to establish "all the circumstances" and decide whether to open a criminal probe. The 44-year-old politician and anti-corruption campaigner fell ill on a plane to Moscow from the Siberian city of Tomsk on Thursday. The plane made an emergency landing and he spent two days in a clinic at Omsk in a coma before being transferred to Berlin's Charite hospital. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Wednesday rejected international calls for a transparent investigation into the incident. He said the decision was down to law enforcement authorities but that it was not possible to say Navalny was poisoned since no toxic substance had been identified. German medics said Monday they do not know the exact substance involved while Navalny was apparently poisoned with a substance that inhibits the cholinesterase enzyme, a feature of nerve agents. Russian doctors said their tests did not find any trace of poison while they treated Navalny with the same antidote that German medics are using. Navalny's allies blame President Vladimir Putin and say Navalny may have been poisoned by a cup of tea he drank at Tomsk airport. The preliminary check by police announced a week after the incident is a low-key response after Navalny's allies asked for an investigation into an attempted assassination of a public figure. Police do such checks to determine whether a crime has been committed. It comes after police and plain clothed security service agents questioned doctors at the hospital without making any public statements. Transport police said they searched locations that Navalny visited and his hotel room, apparently referring to where he stayed in Tomsk. They said they also examined security camera footage and confiscated "more than 100 items that could have value as evidence". Police said that they did not find any "strong-acting or narcotic substances." This week the Republican Party is hoping to pave the way for a repeat of President Donald Trumps 2016 win by energizing the party faithful and wooing undecided voters. Public opinion polls show the president trailing Democratic Party nominee Joe Biden. At the Republican National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, VOAs Carolyn Presutti spoke with several voters who said they did not back Trump in 2016, but they will this year. VOA Khmer's Seourn Vathana narrates. Kapil Wadhawan The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on August 27 moved the Supreme Court (SC) against the Bombay High Court order granting bail to Dewan Housing Finance (DHFL) promoters Kapil Wadhawan and Dheeraj in the Yes Bank case. The ED has filed a Special Leave Petition (SLP) in the SC. The Bombay High Court had last week granted bail to the two, who are the main accused in the case. They were granted bail by Justice Bharati Dangre, citing the issue of late filing of chargesheet by the ED. A chargesheet had to be filed within 60 days of the arrest. The ED, however, insisted that it had filed part of the chargesheet by email a day before the 60-day period ended. The ED arrested the Wadhawan brothers on May 14. Despite the reprieve, the Wadhawans are still behind bars as they are in the custody of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the same case. An ED source told Moneycontrol: The ED had filed part of the chargesheet on July 11 via e-mail, a day before the completion of 60 days. Actually, 60 days were completed on July 12, a Sunday. The main chargesheet was filed on July 13. An ED lawyer had earlier told Moneycontrol: The Bombay High Court went by the precedent set by a July 29 order of another Bench of the same court. The precedent held that the stipulated 60 days for submission of a chargesheet begin from the day an arrested accused is produced for remand. Until now, the practice was to exclude the day of the grant of remand from the count of 60 days. However, another source told Moneycontrol: SC ruling in two different cases, Rustom and Ravi Prakash, respectively, clearly states that the date of remand has to be excluded while calculating the 60/90 days for filing a chargesheet. The ED chargesheet names 19 people, including the co-founder of Yes Bank Rana Kapoor, his wife Bindu Kapoor, daughters Rakhee, Roshni and Radha, and the entities Morgan Credit Pvt, Yes India Capital, Dheeraj Wadhawan, Kapil Wadhawan and their related companies. According to the prosecution, Rana Kapoor, his family members and the other accused made fraudulent deals and laundered the proceeds, estimated to be worth Rs 5,050 crore. Members of the Kapoor family or family-owned entities allegedly received Rs 600 crore in kickbacks in lieu of extending loans through Yes Bank, which later turned into non-performing assets. The amount was allegedly utilised to procure more properties. In July, the ED provisionally attached properties worth Rs 2,400 crore belonging Rana Kapoor and the Wadhawan brothers. Kapoors attached properties are located in South Mumbai, 40 Amrit Shergill Marg in Delhi, London and New York. Wadhawans properties are in Mumbai, Pune, Australia and London. Last night provided more evidence that Tucker Carlson is the most important political commentator of the current crisis. Ankle-biting critics, jealous of his status as host of the eponymous top-rated cable news show, seized upon perfectly reasonable comments he made on Wednesday's edition of his show and launched a campaign to boycott his advertisers (they are close to forcing me to buy one of Mike Lindell's pillows) and thereby pressure Fox News into cancelling him. Tucker proudly tweeted out the segment in question, with Twitter cautioning viewers that it may be sensitive and requiring and extra click in order to view the seven minutes or so. His tweet summarized his point, that when authorities stand down and allow mob rule, the situation devolves into violent anarchy, with people taking up arms to defend themselves, with terrible consequences. Kenosha devolved into anarchy because the authorities abandoned the people. Those in charge, from the governor on down, refused to enforce the law. They've stood back and watched Kenosha burn. Are we really surprised that looting and arson accelerated to murder? Kenosha devolved into anarchy because the authorities abandoned the people. Those in charge, from the governor on down, refused to enforce the law. Theyve stood back and watched Kenosha burn. Are we really surprised that looting and arson accelerated to murder? pic.twitter.com/oul2KUiDi3 Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) August 27, 2020 Fox News has not yet released a transcript of his remarks, but Deadline.com has transcribed some key points: "At one point," related Carlson, "the 17-year-old who has now been charged tired [sic] to run from the mob. He tripped and fell. A man ran up and smashed him in the head with a skateboard. The 17-year-old then fired his gun." While acknowledging that he did not know what transpired before that portion of the conflict, Carlson said the incident "reached its inevitable and bloody conclusion." "Kenosha has devolved into anarchy, the authorities in charge of the city abandoned it," the Fox News host maintained. "People in charge, from the governor of Wisconsin on down, refused to enforce the law. They stood back and watched Kenosha burn." "So are we really surprised this looting and arson accelerated to murder?" he continued. "How shocked are we that 17-year-olds with rifles decided they had to maintain order when no one else would? Everyone can see what was happening in Kenosha. It was getting crazier by the hour." His critics distorted his message, falsely claiming he "justified murder" and was "inciting violence": "He just justified murder." Fox News host Tucker Carlson suggested it was not surprising that a teenager arrested in connection to a shooting allegedly took up arms and tried to "maintain order" during protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin. https://t.co/71BexAzHas CNN (@CNN) August 27, 2020 NeverTrumps pounced: Tucker Carlson supports vigilante teens murdering BLM protestors in cold blood. He believes this is maintaining order. This is what we are up against. And the lies and misinformation flows fast/furious at the RNC tonite too. #votelikeyourlifedependsonit https://t.co/g1oZ1B7bFJ Andrew Zimmern (@andrewzimmern) August 27, 2020 And, of course the advertisers are being threatened by the likes of Hollywood airhead John Cusack: @DesignationSix: Tucker Carlson Justifies Kyle Rittenhouse's murders. We need to boycott cable until they ban Fox News. We can also boycott their sponsors@Disney You ok with this Disney @hulu You ok with this ? @TivityHealth@SandalsResorts@amazon You ok with this ? John Cusack (@johncusack) August 27, 2020 Nobody is going after Tucker harder than CNN, whose ratings during his time slot are anemic. For example, last Friday, with normal programming resumed after the DNC, Tucker dominated CNN's Anderson Cooper in total viewers (via AdWeek): And even trounced him in in the key 2454 demographic: There are good reasons for this ratings dominance. Check out the phony pabulum CNN was offering viewers last night, about "fiery, but mostly peaceful" protests. "Fiery but mostly peaceful protests." You couldn't make this up. This isn't edited. This is CNN. pic.twitter.com/t6Z6twaV6i Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) August 27, 2020 CNN is following the lead of MSNBC's Ali Velshi in his Orwellian broadcast as Minneapolis was burning last May. MSNBC reporter just now: "I want to be clear on how I characterize this. This is mostly a protest. It is not generally speaking unruly." The guy is literally standing in front of a burning building in the middle of a riot. pic.twitter.com/IzCV6On4sF Caleb Hull (@CalebJHull) May 29, 2020 Hat tip: David Paulin. Photo credit: Twitter video screen grab. INDIANAPOLIS, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- American Legion National Commander James W. "Bill" Oxford issued the following statement regarding Hurricane Laura's destructive path along the Gulf Coast: "The American Legion extends its support and prayers to those impacted by Hurricane Laura. Right now, priority one is saving lives. When the danger subsides, the clean-up and recovery begins. The American Legion Family has a number of support programs for our members to include Temporary Financial Assistance and a National Emergency Fund. TFA grants are also available to eligible active-duty servicemembers with minor children in the home. We have American Legion posts across the country that will offer their own forms of assistance as well. I have directed our national staff to maintain regular communications with the impacted departments to ensure that we do everything we can to help those in need. For now, people with inquiries can call our Louisiana American Legion Department Adjutant, Tony Betts (337) 652-5072 or email [email protected] or [email protected]. The Texas American Legion can be contacted at (512) 472-4138 or [email protected]. More details will be released at www.legion.org during the coming days." Oxford also pointed out that Americans can contribute to charities which help recovery efforts by donating to The American Legion National Emergency Fund or Veterans & Children Foundation at legion.org/donate or by sending a check to either of those charities at The American Legion, P.O. Box 361626, Indianapolis, IN 46236. With a current membership of nearly two million veterans, The American Legion was founded in 1919 on the four pillars of a strong national security, veterans affairs, Americanism, and youth programs. Legionnaires work for the betterment of their communities through more than 12,000 posts across the nation. Media Contact: John Raughter, (317) 630-1350 [email protected] SOURCE The American Legion Related Links http://www.legion.org Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 15:02:19|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HEFEI, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- German carmaker Volkswagen will pilot its autonomous-driving travel service in China as the first license plate for road tests was issued to the company on Wednesday. The road testing is scheduled in September this year in Haiheng Community of Hefei, capital of east China's Anhui Province, aimed at optimizing user experience, according to Volkswagen Group China. The testing area covers 16 square km, with a total road length of 80 km, along which the vehicles are expected to pass by schools, shops, parks, hospitals and residential communities. Volkswagen plans to test the first batch of 10 autonomous-driving electric vehicles with passengers on board in early 2021. Some 400,000 residents in the area will be able to hail a self-driving car using a mobile app. Weiming Soh, executive vice-president of Volkswagen Group China, said the integration of the company's software and hardware technologies has enabled Volkswagen to provide autonomous-driving travel service to customers. "The pilot project is not only a major cooperation agreement between Hefei and Volkswagen but also a milestone in Hefei's development of smart city and its intelligent-connected vehicle industry," said Wang Wensong, vice mayor of Hefei. In May this year, Volkswagen announced that it would invest around 2.1 billion euros (about 2.5 billion U.S. dollars) in electric mobility in China. Of the total investment, 1 billion euros will be used to raise Volkswagen's stake in the e-mobility joint venture with Chinese JAC Motors from 50 percent to 75 percent and to acquire a 50 percent stake in JAC's parent company JAG. In another deal, Volkswagen would pump the remaining 1.1 billion euros into Gotion High-tech Co., Ltd., a Hefei-based manufacturer of electric batteries, becoming the latter's largest shareholder. Enditem TOPEKA, Kan.: The Kansas Democratic Party on Wednesday declared that the 19-year-old nominee for a state House seat is unfit for office because of alarming behavior that includes admitting to circulating revenge porn, and he said his online fundraising account has been disabled. Spokeswoman Reeves Oyster said the state party is working with the Kansas Houses top Democrat, Minority Leader Tom Sawyer, to find an alternative to nominee Aaron Coleman in a normally safe Democratic district in Kansas City, Kansas. Coleman defeated seven-term state Rep. Stan Frownfelter in the Aug. 4 primary by 14 votes out of about 1,600 cast. Frownfelter has launched a write-in campaign, and Sawyer, from Wichita, said Democratic lawmakers are supporting it. Sawyer also said that if Coleman wins the November general election, Democrats are likely to launch an effort to keep him from being seated. Many Democrats have disavowed Coleman, a dishwasher and community college student, over incendiary social media posts and his past behavior towards girls and women, which included his admission to allegations of revenge porn and online harassment of girls as a 14-year-old. Frownfelters campaign manager said Wednesday that he also sent her harassing messages for weeks this spring. The pattern of alarming behavior reported and exhibited by Mr. Coleman proves he is unfit to serve in the Kansas Legislature," Oyster said in a statement. The Party will in no way be helping Mr. Colemans candidacy or campaign. Coleman did not respond Wednesday to cellphone, Facebook and email messages seeking comment. He tweeted Tuesday that his fundraising account with ActBlue, used by Democrats and left-leaning groups to raise money online, had been disabled. He has called his past behavior targeting several middle-school girls that of a sick and troubled 14-year-old boy and said hes grown. ActBlue did not immediately respond to an email Wednesday about Colemans account, but he tweeted a statement from it saying, We are unable to work with your campaign moving forward as you are out of alignment with ActBlues mission." Coleman has been running on a liberal platform that includes universal health coverage, eliminating college tuition, defunding the police and legalizing marijuana. Frownfelter, 69, owns a small business and was first elected to the Legislature in 2006. Remember this. Corporate democrats decide who gets to run or not. The elites have no care in the world for the people of my district who live at the poverty line, Coleman said in a tweet responding to ActBlues action. They dont care if voters nominated me. Coleman said in a Facebook post in June that allegations against him of revenge porn, blackmail and online harassment of female middle-school students were true. He also came under fire for social media posts saying he would laugh and giggle if a former GOP state lawmaker died of COVID-19 and endorsing abortion up to the moment of birth. He later apologized. He said Sunday he was dropping out of the race but reversed that decision Tuesday, citing encouragement from voters to keep running. Brandie Armstrong, Frownfelters campaign manager and the local Democratic Party secretary, said she began receiving harassing messages from Coleman on Mothers Day in May. She said the issue was the rules for posting on the local partys Facebook page and that Coleman eventually was banned from it. She said she asked Coleman on June 26 to stop sending her messages, which he did, but three days later, he came to her house. When she didnt answer the door, she said, Coleman went to her neighbor and complained about her. She said Coleman also put a campaign sign in another neighbors yard, positioned so that shed see it through a front window. Faith Rivera, a community activist in Kansas City, Kansas, called Coleman a relentless kid and horrible. She said she first met him at a Democratic gathering in Topeka this winter and told him by text on June 6 that a liberal group she helped lead, Our Revolution Kansas City, would not be endorsing candidates in Kansas. He texted back: Gay followed by I literally out left Bernie Sanders. Rivera provided a screenshot of the exchange to The AP. She replied by chastising Coleman for using gay as a derisive term. Thats not politically correct, she texted. Its offensive. ___ Follow John Hanna on Twitter: https://twitter.com/apjdhanna 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 number of passengers flying into UK airports surged to 1.3million people in July - compared to just 200,000 arriving in each month during April, May and June. But the surge in arrivals last month is just a tenth of the number who flew into Britain during July last year. Figures released by the Home Office today make dim reading for the struggling aviation industry. A day after Gatwick announced it was cutting up to 600 jobs, today's passenger numbers show the number of arrivals compared to July 2019 is down by 89 per cent. Around 11.1million people flew into the UK's airports 13 months ago, compared to 1.3million arrivals last month. Heathrow Airport was one of the hardest hit, just 867,000 people travelled through the West London airport last month, compared with 7.7million at the same time last year. Passenger numbers arriving in the UK have fallen by 89 per cent compared to July last year. At Heathrow just 867,000 people travelled through the West London airport last month, compared with 7.7million at the same time last year It had been hoped the summer holidays would provide a boost for the struggling industry, but quarantine measures have curbed holidays. Gatwick Airport is operating at around 20 per cent of its capacity and has around 75 per cent of its staff on furlough. Last week budget airline easyJet annouced closures of its bases in Stansted, Southend and Newcastle in a cost-cutting drive - as Ryanair reduced its flight capacity by a fifth. Paul Charles, the chief executive of the PC Agency travel consultancy, told MailOnline last week: 'The government's quarantine policy is scarring the UK economy now and the dogged pursuit of that policy is hurting the travel sector. It's causing anxiety among consumers. 'It's hurting companies like airlines and Eurostar and it's saying to companies around the world that Britain is closed for business Gatwick Airport is set to make up to 600 people redundancy after struggling to cope financially during the Covid-19 pandemic 'We can't continue with this highly damaging policy that is hurting the economy. 'The government needs to invest more in testing. They have got to abandon the quarantine measure in their current form. 'How many jobs need to go before they realise how much damage this is doing?' EasyJet confirmed it would close its bases in Stansted, Southend and Newcastle, which currently have 670 members of staff. Elsewhere Ryanair will slash flight capacity by a fifth over the next two months as bookings slump over fears passengers will have to quarantine for 14 days, depending on where they go on holiday. Last month Ryanair slashed flight capacity by a fifth over a drop in the number of passenger bookings, while Easyjet announced it was closing bases in Stansted, Southend and Newcastle, which currently have 670 members of staff The budget airline has said the number of passengers booking flights has dropped in the past 10 days, due to 'uncertainty over recent Covid case rates in some EU countries'. British Airways, which grounded its Gatwick fleet in March following the outbreak of Covid-19, had said that all short-haul flights from Gatwick will be consolidated into Heathrow until at least September. BA itself announced it would be forced to cut hundreds of jobs at Gatwick in a bid to stay afloat during the fallout of the coronavirus. It comes after Airbus, Europe's biggest aircraft maker, announced plans to slash nearly 15,000 jobs across its global operations - including 1,700 in the UK. Earlier today Rolls Royce reported a 5.4billion loss in the first half of 2020 as its CEO announced it had halved the number of aircraft engines it had built so far this year - after shedding 4,000 jobs. Chief executive Warren East said: 'About 4,000 people so far this year have left the organisation, that's spread across the whole group, the UK Germany, Singapore, all around the world. 'It includes about 2,500 voluntary redundancies and early retirements in the UK and we expect to be at about 5,000 by the end of this year. 'We simply don't need the scale of manufacturing facilities that we have, what we're doing is consolidating things to achieve greater efficiency where we do make things.' The cuts will reduce the frequency of flights from countries such as Spain, France and Sweden, it said. Jet2 also announced it was making 102 pilots redundant. The BA boneyard: Sad scenes as salvage crews pick apart once-mighty 747 jumbo jets at UK airfield after airline retired its entire 31-strong fleet due to plunge in air travel Air Salvage International are scrapping and dismantling BA planes G-BYGF, G-CIVL, G-CIVL and G-CIVN Photographs show engines on some of 747-400s have been removed at Cotswold Airport outside Kemble This week G-BYGF became fourth BA plane to retire to Kemble, landing in front of group of planespotters BA is retiring all of its 747 planes amid a continuing crisis for air travel as coronavirus pandemic continues Airline salvage workers have begun to break up Boeing 747 jets in the Gloucestershire countryside as British Airways retires its whole 31-strong fleet of the large passenger jets amid a plunge in global air travel. The four planes - G-BYGF, G-CIVL, G-CIVL and G-CIVN - are being scrapped and dismantled by a specialist team from Air Salvage International (ASI) at Cotswold Airport outside Kemble as the coronavirus pandemic continues. Photographs taken yesterday showed the engines on some of the 747-400s having been removed at the former Royal Air Force site, which is also home to various flying schools and was once the Red Arrows base. This week G-BYGF became the fourth BA plane to retire to Kemble, landing in front of a group of planespotters having completed a 24-minute flight from London Heathrow and a loop of the villages around Kemble. BA is retiring all of its 747 planes amid a continuing crisis for air travel after severe travel restrictions were brought in around the world when the Covid-19 crisis intensified across Europe in March. Photographs taken yesterday show the engines on some British Airways 747-400s have been removed at Cotswold Airport Four British Airways 747-400s are being stored at the airport near Kemble in Gloucestershire after being retired by BA The four planes are being scrapped and dismantled by a specialist team from Air Salvage International at Cotswold Airport BA is retiring all of its 747 planes amid a continuing crisis for air travel after severe travel restrictions were brought in globally The jets are being sent worldwide for storage and scrapping, with G-CIVD leaving Heathrow earlier this month for Castellon in Spain. Seven of the BA fleet remain at Heathrow, which is where the Kemble planes had been based. Fourteen of the BA fleet are being stored 70 miles away at Cardiff Airport, including one in the historic livery of Boac (British Overseas Airways Corporation) which was the airline's predecessor. A further five in the fleet are being stored at Teruel Airport in Spain. Earlier this month, BA chief executive Alex Cruz said: 'We are starting the early retirement of our beautiful 747-400s as part of the reshaping of our airline.' In a letter to staff, the 54-year-old added: 'This is a necessary move reflecting the cliff-edge drop in premium long-haul travel, which may never recover to the levels we saw in 2019. 'If these were normal times, we would be celebrating the retirement of the Queens of the Skies with a great deal of noise including special commemorative flights and colleague events. Airline salvage workers have begun to break up the British Airways Boeing 747 jets in the Gloucestershire countryside British Airways is retiring its whole 31-strong fleet of the large passenger jets amid a plunge in global air travel BA staff and plane enthusiasts are said to be keen for souvenirs from the jets, four of which are in storage at Cotswold Airport 'Sadly, given the difficulty of operating during the pandemic, the farewell will be less lavish, but still heartfelt. 'I know many of you will join me in fond remembrance of these remarkable aircraft that have served us and our customers so well. There will never again be anything quite like them.' BA staff and plane enthusiasts are said to be keen for souvenirs from the jets, with ASI owner Mark Gregory saying the firm is receiving many inquiries from people keen to own a part from one of the jets. He told the BBC: 'I get a daily stream of emails from BA staff and 747 fanatics who want to buy a piece of a plane. A cut-out side section is popular which can be hung on the wall. 'These usually go for about 200 each. They are good aircraft and have done a lot of hours. They have definitely earned their keep.' The British Airways Boeing 747-400 G-CIVU passenger aircraft lands at London Heathrow Airport on July 14, 2018 (From left) Elysa Marsden, Toni Richards and Olivia Welch walk in front of a 747 at London Heathrow Airport in March 2019 Mr Gregory added that there has been a ten-fold increase in airlines looking for storage facilities, with the company having 11 747s parked up, with some being dismantled and others going up for sale. He said engines make up around 80 per cent of the value of a retired plane, with some selling for more than 2million, although the Rolls-Royce ones on the BA 747-400s are expected to sell for less. The 747-400s, which can take up to 15 weeks to dismantle, first began flying more than 30 years ago. Boeing sold almost 700 of the jets, which made them the best-selling version of the long-haul airliner. ASI, which has 170,000 sq ft of hangarage at the airport, has space for up to 20 wide and 50 narrow bodied commercial aircraft and has disassembled nearly 600 around the world in its 18 years of operations. It comes as Gatwick Airport has cut one in four of its workforce or 600 posts - taking the number of jobs lost at big British firms since the pandemic past 252,000. And airplane manufacturing giant Rolls Royce has announced it would close a major UK site in Annesley, Nottinghamshire, by the end of 2022 - weeks after announcing 9,000 job cuts. A Boeing 747 jumbo jet is pictured next to the Concorde airliner at New York's John F Kennedy Airport in October 1978 The arrival on the world stage of the giant Boeing 747 in 1969 ushered in a new era of air travel. One is pictured above in 1971 The travel sector is not expected to recover until 2023 as fears over quarantine and catching the virus push tourists to stay at home. However, the Mail has learned Britons will be allowed to visit New York without having to quarantine on their return under plans being drawn up by UK and US officials. The re-opening of the Heathrow to New York route - the worlds most profitable air link - would help rescue long-haul airlines that rely heavily on trans-Atlantic travel, including BA and Virgin Atlantic. However, industry sources say US officials are likely to insist on Covid-19 testing at British airports before they agree to re-open their borders. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has repeatedly played down the idea of airport testing, claiming swab tests would fail to spot almost 90 per cent of asymptomatic cases. But in a growing revolt, more than 80 MPs - including 40 Tories - have warned that failure to endorse airport testing will have a disastrous impact on the travel industry and wider economy. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Jill Serjeant (Reuters) Thu, August 27, 2020 07:02 511 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c40be5d8 2 Art & Culture Sothebys,auction,Notorious-BIG,rapper,hip-hop Free It started out as just a plastic prop from a party shop but the gold colored crown that rapper Notorious B.I.G wore on the last photo shoot before his death could fetch hundreds of thousands of dollars at an auction dedicated to hip-hop culture. After highlighting sneakers and handbags in recent years, Sotheby's in New York is branching out again for the September auction, which will feature some 120 lots representing hip-hop artifacts, jewelry, fashion and fine art. It is the first auction staged by an international house anywhere devoted entirely to hip-hop, and will trace the impact of the musical genre from the late 1970s through to the mid-1990s, Sotheby's said on Tuesday. Notorious B.I.G.'s signed crown, worn in the 1997 "King of New York" photograph and offered on sale for the first time, could fetch $200,000 - $300,000 at the Sept. 15 auction. The New York rapper, also known as Biggie Smalls, was shot dead in Los Angeles at the age of 24 three days after the photo shoot as part of a feud between east and west coast rappers that also took the life of Tupac Shakur, 23, in 1996. Both crimes are unsolved. "I expect that the crown could sell for a lot more because it's so recognizable," Cassandra Hatton, the senior Sotheby's specialist in the books and manuscripts department who put the auction together, told Reuters. Read also: Jack White, Third Man Records auction off White Stripes memorabilia "Anybody who lived through the '90s knows Biggie's crown. It's been on T-shirts, it's been on the covers of magazines, it's so iconic," she said. Hatton said the plastic crown, which comes direct from photographer Barron Claiborne, is signed by both men and comes with a large print of the K.O.N.Y. photograph. Another major item is a series of 22 love letters written by a 16-year-old Shakur to his high school sweetheart Kathy Loy between 1987-1988. They are expected to fetch $60,000 -$80,000. Hatton said the decision by Sotheby's to devote an entire auction to hip-hop reflects its impact over 40 years on fashion, design, art and pop culture. It follows the 270-year-old auction house's recent forays into collectible sneakers, space memorabilia, pop music lyrics and designer handbags. "This isn't that jarring of a departure from what Sotheby's normally does," Hatton said. In this September 2019 selfie taken in Evanston, Ill., Adria-Joi Watkins poses with her second cousin Jacob Blake, who was shot multiple times Sunday by police in Kenosha, Wis. (Adria-Joi Watkins) Hundreds of protesters rallied in downtown L.A. on Wednesday evening as nationwide demonstrations continue over the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man in Wisconsin. About 300 people marched around downtown L.A. through the evening. At around 11 p.m., Los Angeles police clashed with some of the protesters inside the 3rd Street tunnel. According to video from KABC, scuffles broke out between some officers and protesters, and some demonstrators were seen being taken into custody. The LAPD could not immediately be reached for comment. The protesters join others across the country decrying the shooting of Blake, 29, in the small city of Kenosha, Wis., as well as the deaths of two people who were killed this week during protests there. Cellphone video shows Blake being shot as he leaned into his car with his children inside. Blake is hospitalized in serious condition and is paralyzed. Police officials have said they were responding to a call about a domestic dispute and did not immediately say whether Blake had a weapon or why police fired. Kenosha County Dist. Atty. Michael Graveley is investigating the shooting with the Wisconsin Justice Departments Division of Criminal Investigation. Hundreds demonstrated nightly this week in Kenosha, defying city curfews and clashing with police. Police on Wednesday arrested a juvenile in the fatal shooting of two people during the protests. Several Kenosha County supervisors asked Wisconsins Democratic governor Wednesday to send in 1,250 additional National Guard members to the city to reinforce the 250 already patrolling. On Monday, hundreds of protesters also marched by the Los Angeles Police Department headquarters downtown to denounce Blake's shooting. Protesters at one point moved a metal barricade that had been set up at the building's perimeter, video from the scene showed. Police declared the protest an unlawful assembly about 11:20 p.m. There were also reports of police firing projectiles into the crowd. Times staff writers Jaweed Kaleem and Luke Money contributed to this report. San Francisco, Aug 27 : Facebook has acknowledged that Apples upcoming iOS 14 may lead to over 50 per cent decline in its Audience Network advertising business. Facebook Audience Network is an in-app advertising network for mobile apps. The social networking app said on Wednesday that it will not collect the Identifier for Advertisers (IDFA) on its own apps on iOS 14 devices. The IDFA is a random device ID number assigned by Apple to a user's device. Advertisers use this to track data so they can deliver customised advertising. The IDFA is used for tracking and identifying a user (without revealing personal information). In June, Apple announced iOS 14 updates that, among other changes, require apps to ask users for permission to collect and share data using Apple's device identifier. "We believe this approach provides as much certainty and stability that we can provide our partners at this time. We may revisit this decision as Apple offers more guidance," Facebook said. Additionally, Facebook will remind users that they have a choice about how their information is used on Facebook and about its Off-Facebook Activity feature, which allows them to see a summary of the off-Facebook app and website activity businesses send to Facebook and disconnect it from their accounts. Facebook said it will release an updated version of the Facebook SDK to support iOS 14. "The new version of the Facebook SDK will provide support for Apple's SKAdNetwork API, which limits the data available to businesses for running and measuring campaigns," the company said. In light of these limitations, and in an effort to mitigate the impact on the efficacy of app install campaign measurement, Facebook will also ask businesses to create a new ad account dedicated to running app install ad campaigns for iOS 14 users. "We expect these changes will disproportionately affect Audience Network given its heavy dependence on app advertising," the social network acknowledged. Like all ad networks on iOS 14, advertiser ability to accurately target and measure their campaigns on Audience Network will be impacted, and as a result publishers should expect their ability to effectively monetize on Audience Network to decrease. "Ultimately, despite our best efforts, Apple's updates may render Audience Network so ineffective on iOS 14 that it may not make sense to offer it on iOS 14," Facebook lamented. The company said industry consultation is critical for changes to platform policies, as "these updates have a far-reaching impact on the developer ecosystem". This week her parents announced they will step away from their jobs at the end of the month, Ms. Conway leaving her White House post and Mr. Conway his Lincoln Project role, both citing a need to focus on their four teenage children. Claudia Conway celebrated the announcements on TikTok, with the proud statement: Look what I did. Conventional wisdom has long held that the most powerful political influence on any child are the parents. A 2018 study in The Journal of Politics found that more than three-quarters of children whose parents share the same party affiliation will adopt their familys political views. Numerous American political dynasties seem to uphold this finding: Chelsea Clinton takes after her parents progressivism, and Meghan McCains conservatism follows in the late Senator John McCains tradition. The Kennedy family has produced several generations of Democratic lawmakers. But more recent political and psychological research points to reasons that young people might stray from their families political traditions. In part, thats thanks to the internet and social media. Previously, exposure to information about politics was contained to the family, said Chris Ojeda, an assistant professor of political science at the University of Tennessee who studies childrens political beliefs. Parents were gatekeepers. Now they have much less control. The internet has democratized learning about politics. Amy Gross, a child psychologist, agreed that while young people used to rebel against the family with ripped clothes and dyed hair, now their social media profiles play a larger role. But public political rebellions have tended to be more common among young men, according to Dr. Ojeda which makes it all the more striking to see young women like Ms. Conway and Ms. Regan in revolt. Womens rebellion, he said, is more noteworthy and less acceptable when it occurs. Other political scientists and psychologists think parents have always held less sway over their children than they might believe. Jeff Lyons, an assistant professor at Boise State University, said that social factors like friend groups can help shape a young persons political beliefs. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (Reuters) Madrid, Spain Thu, August 27, 2020 10:15 511 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c40ce4f0 2 World Spain,coronavirus,COVID-19,COVID-19-infection,second-wave,pandemic,SARS-CoV-2,virus-corona,novel-coronavirus Free Spain reported 3,594 new coronavirus infections on Wednesday as it struggled to contain a second wave of contagion that hit a peak of some 8,000 cases last Friday. The country has registered the largest number of cases in western Europe since the pandemic began six months ago and the biggest resurgence after lifting one of the continent's strictest lockdowns against the spread of COVID-19. The latest daily increase was below the roughly 4,000 cases recorded a day earlier, according to updated health ministry data, and brought the cumulative total to 419,849. Seven more deaths were recorded, pushing the overall toll to 28,971. Daily numbers can still be retroactively updated. Accounting for 1,513 cases, the Madrid capital region was by far the hardest hit region. Separate data from regional authorities showed several municipalities with more than 700 cases per 100,000 people - more than seven times the national average for the past week. While officials have advised residents in some areas to stay at home, the Madrid region's deputy leader said there were no plans to request a localized state of emergency under new powers granted by the central government. "Generally speaking I'm not in favor of more lockdowns, of repeating the steps from March and April...That ended in economic ruin," Ignacio Aguado told a news conference. He also hit out at the central government's lack of a strategy to safely reopen schools, accusing the education ministry of leaving local authorities to fend for themselves. In the absence of national guidelines, Spain's 17 regions have been left to develop their own plans, frustrating parents and teachers and prompting students to call for three days of strikes in September. "We're here to demand that the ministry of education does something, because we're pulling our hair out here to see they've done absolutely nothing over the past five months," student union leader Coral Latorre told state broadcaster TVE. A COUNTY Limerick bar and restaurant has put up a sign to say they cannot welcome customers from the Rathkeale area due to a Covid-19 outbreak. The notice in full reads: It has come to our attention that there is an outbreak of the coronavirus in Rathkeale, therefore we regret that we cannot welcome customers from this area for the next 14 days. The health and safety of our customers and staff are our priority and we apologise for any inconvenience caused. We will be delighted to welcome our customers from this area again as soon as this issue is resolved. A Rathkeale man, who got in touch with the Leader, said he was appalled at the discriminatory poster. I take offence as a resident of the town that they would make such a derogatory comment about the residents of Rathkeale - where are the facts to stand by such a statement? I sincerely hope you will highlight this injustice aimed toward us decent law abiding citizens of Rathkeale - my hometown of which I am very proud of, he said. The Limerick Leader contacted the publican in question. He said the notice was in response to a large crowd from abroad that frequented his premises after a funeral in Rathkeale a couple of weeks ago. We have no objection to the ordinary older people in Rathkeale. We still have people from Rathkeale coming. It is the people that came in from foreign countries with links to Rathkeale we have a problem with. They came from Germany, England, France, Italy, everywhere, to the funeral. They are supposed to self-isolate for two weeks but there was none of that. They seemed to congregate in our pub which is a restaurant actually. We couldnt cope with them at all. They didn't understand anything about social distancing. They wouldnt abide by any of the rules, he said. The well-attended funeral in Rathkeale was in stark contrast to that of a well-known local, he said. If it was normal times the whole parish would have gone to his funeral. There was about 10 people at it. One example he gave of breaches of the Covid-19 public health measures on the day of the influx in the pub and restaurant was the use of bathroom facilities. We had a girl in the smoking area manning the toilets so only two people could go into the toilets at the one time. Everyone in Ireland could understand that but not these lads. Ten of them would go in together. We just couldnt handle them at all. Local people who are our customers 52 weeks a year dreaded getting Covid-19 off of them. He continued: They dont normally come into our place but they came in their droves. There was no such thing as ringing up and reserving a table for food. We couldn't deal with them at all. People who come in foreign reg cars to Rathkeale, parking up at our place, walking in and around the place amongst local people without any regard for anyone else - we had to do something about it. We put up a sign. We couldnt go another day with them. Anybody who would have been in the place at the time and looked at all the foreign regs coming into the car-park would have said, something would have to be done about it. And while the sign says for the next 14 days the publican told the Leader it will stay up for the foreseeable future. He said the notice has resulted in those coming from outside Ireland with ties to Rathkeale slowly getting the message that they are not going to be served. They cant just wander in here in their droves. They wont adhere to any social distancing rules and the other laws. They don't seem to understand the rules as regards Covid-19 at all. The rules are getting more strict all the time. We are the ones who have to enforce the rules. If there is something wrong we are the ones that are complained. There were so many there we couldn't handle them at all. They wouldn't do anything quietly. There would be a big fuss and arguing all the time. They would be grand if you gave them drink but when they didnt get it then it was a Jekyll and Hyde situation. As well as his customers, the proprietor said he was also very mindful of his staff when putting up the notice. We have a lot of girls working in our place. They do a lot of work and have a good rapport, craic and banter between them. But when those people from those foreign countries come in there is no craic anymore. It is a nightmare and drudgery and generally the reaction is, I dont want to go through another day of this. We couldnt go through another day of this, concluded the proprietor. By Laman Ismayilova Director of the National History Museum, academician Naila Velikhanova has received the main humanitarian award of the CIS countries. The CIS Executive Committee awarded her with Stars of Commonwealth Interstate Prize. The award is is annually presented to representatives of the Commonwealth states for the most significant successes in the field of humanitarian activity that contributes to the development of the CIS member states. About 18 nominees from 9 countries were nominated for the high award this year. By the decision of the jury, the prizes were awarded to 9 nominees. Notably, National Museum of History is one of the architectural pearls of the country, dating back to the 19th century. The largest museum in the country was originally the private residence of Haji Zeynalabdin Taghiyev, who was the famous national oil baron remembered for his generous philanthropy. Over 300,000 items are stored in the museum's collection, including a valuable library consisting mainly of unique books. The museum offers its visitors to the history of Azerbaijan from the past to present. -- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Volunteers behind a 200,000 Access for All Boat aimed at providing outdoor recreational pursuits for wheelchair users are hoping to provide alternative employment to dozens of ex Bord na Mona workers. The first test trials on the new cruiser, which was engineered in Estonia, took place last Tuesday with Drumlish native James Cawley of Independent Living Movement Ireland (ILMI) and the Irish Wheelchair Associations (IWA) Sean Carthy being among its first passengers. And, according to Lough Ree Hubs Development Officer Ciaran Mullooly, the occasion could not have gone much better. The boys had a ball, he said. They were able to go down the ramp and roll on and roll off. Thats the beauty of the boat, there is no hoisting or lifting, you get on and off under your own steam. Having already managed to procure 75 per cent of the projects overall funding via the EUs LEADER programme and through Department of Sport capital grants, the group have also conjured up 16,000 locally by way of local fundraising. Its now hoped the body will be given the go-ahead from the Department of Community and Rural Affairs for a Community Services Programme Scheme (CSP) to be rolled out with a view to reskilling a handful of former Bord na Mona workers. We have applied to try and get a scheme up and running where we can employ a manager and up to five workers on a full time basis, added Mr Mullooly. Its hoped that through that at least two of those will be ex Bord na Mona workers. RTEs Midlands correspondent said the move had received the endorsement of local TDs Joe Flaherty (Fianna Fail), Peter Burke (Fine Gael) and Sorcha Clarke (Sinn Fein) as well as Senator Micheal Carrigy (Fine Gael). At the minute, the boat is parked up in the marina and while we would love to have it out full time, at the moment we cant as we just havent the resources in place, he added, noting however that the group remained hopeful their application to government bosses would be successful. (Natural News) Democrats are walking, talking double-standard hypocrites who only enforce laws when it suits them as is the case in Kenosha, Wis., where a 17-year-old teen has been charged with murder over a clear act of self-defense. On Tuesday, for the third straight night, Black Lives Matter and Antifa agitators and anarchists took to the streets of the once-sleepy city of about 100,000 people on the banks of Lake Michigan to loot, burn, destroy and terrorize citizens. You know the story well, by now: A white police officer shoots an unarmed black man, and without knowing any details or waiting for an explanation, BLM and Antifa supporters use it to justify destroying major portions of large cities. They dont want facts. They dont want answers. They dont really want much to change, either because that would deprive them of the opportunity to continue the revolution. All they want to do is tear down, never build, and it doesnt matter how many innocent people have to lose their businesses, their livelihoods, or their safety in the process. In recent weeks these ongoing protests have often been met by counter-demonstrations of armed patriots who are sick and tired of seeing their police officers abused and their communities burned down. But in such volatile environments, armed clashes are inevitable, and thats what happened Tuesday night in Kenosha. Two rioters were killed and another badly wounded after they tried chasing down a teenager who was armed with what appears to have been an AR-15 style semi-automatic rifle. Video clips of the incidents were plastered all over social media, and we will warn you, they are graphic: GRAPHIC: Rioters chase down a man with a semi-auto rifle. He shoots them. Video by @BGOnTheScene. #KenoshaRiots pic.twitter.com/yrYxgIFs96 Andy Ngo (@MrAndyNgo) August 26, 2020 There are others, and those are below but you can clearly see in the above video, the shooter, who has been arrested, was being chased. And as youll see below, one of the rioters chasing him had a handgun. Also, independent journalist Andy Ngo posted another screenshot of the shooter being pummeled with rioters weapon of choice, a skateboard (which can kill someone if they are struck in the head with it). This is the masked man with a skateboard hitting the armed person on the ground a split second before he presumably gets shot. I dont know if he is one of the two that died. #KenoshaRiots pic.twitter.com/lxxVN7pu9Y Andy Ngo (@MrAndyNgo) August 26, 2020 Fox News has more information on the alleged murder suspect: Kyle Rittenhouse was arrested in his hometown of Antioch, Ill., Wednesday on suspicion of intentional first-degree homicide, Commander Norman Johnson of the Antioch Police Department said. Antioch is about 20 miles southwest of Kenosha. Rittenhouse was a fugitive of justice and fled the state of Wisconsin with the intent to avoid prosecution on a first-degree intentional homicide charge filed in Kenosha County, according to court records in Lake County, Ill., obtained by Fox News. Thats also false. A longer video sequence following the shootings clearly shows that the alleged shooter tried to surrender to police: (GRAPHIC) So how, exactly, can he be a) charged with murder; and b) accused of fleeing the state? Easy: The Democrats who run these cities and serve as prosecutors arent interested in equal justice under the law. Theyre only interested in prosecuting Americans who are tired of being victimized by the mobs of anarchists destroying our communities on their way to unraveling the civil society. Warning: This is graphic: This is all you really need to know about the Kenosha shooting. Im glad that the young man made it out alive, no matter what it took. pic.twitter.com/zeU3wdP2yj Cassandra Fairbanks (@CassandraRules) August 26, 2020 It looks as though the young man was literally fighting for his life. As Natural News founder/editor Mike Adams, the Health Ranger notes in his analysis: #1) The police wont protect you. You are on your own. #2) Never stop fighting for your life. Shoot to kill your attackers or they will kill you. #3) Black Lives Matter terrorists can only be communicated with by shooting them. They are immune to all other forms of logic, reason or civility. The only way to reach their brains is to cause them intense trauma or pain, interrupting their violent assaults and hate-filled rage. #4) Americas streets are now a war zone where the rule of law doesnt exist at all. No police were present in this scene until after the shootings took place. #5) Even if you are thrown to the ground, you can still fire your rifle (or pistol) from the ground, and push attackers back with rifle fire so that you can regain your mobility and exit the kill zone. Sources include: NaturalNews.com FoxNews.com ***PAL licensing contracts have become the business of the future with investors seeking to move forward, attracted by the success of PAL in the U.S., high returns and long-term security as Covid & Amazon-proof investments. MIAMI, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In the Middle East, the U.S. multinational water innovation companyCrystal Lagoons totals 22 real-estate projects anchored by crystalline lagoons, the most notable being District One in Dubai (48 ha.) and Citystars Sharm ElSheik, Egypt (12.5 ha.), with stunning turquoise bodies of water in the desert. The firm is expanding with its revolutionary Public Access Lagoons, also known as PAL accessed via ticketed-entry, and master licensing agreements involving a significant number of PAL. The firm is negotiating with Middle Eastern investors and foreign funds, interested in their profitability, long-term security, limited risk as Covid and Amazon-proof alternatives, and potential due to the region's culture and climate. Interest in PAL has transformed these amenities into the meeting point of the 21st century, following their success in Japan, at the forefront of technology, and the U.S., particularly in Texas and Florida, with both projects generating US $50,000 in daily ticket revenues, 1,200 visitors and reservations selling-out. These crystalline lagoons surrounded by white sand beaches become the most beautiful place in the city. The firm offers investment models with more or less infrastructure, with the most complete options including areas for road shows, food-halls, weddings and concerts in multiple set-ups such as beaches, terraces, domes, as well as an array of gastronomic offerings, retail and amphitheaters. Other markets to have signed key master agreements, contracts that involve a significant number of PAL, are the U.S. (16 PAL), Korea (30 PAL), Pakistan (15 PAL) and Central America (18 PAL). "Investors envisage that, as these projects are built, they generate a financial pyramid. Despite a low initial investment, a company can achieve a very high present value," says Alastair Sinclair, Crystal Lagoons Regional Director. "The hotel industry has identified an increase in value in rates and food and beverage consumption up to 200% when hotels include a beach, compared to hotels inland. Investors have corroborated that, on lower-value land, a hotel combining a beach and PAL elements can benefit from very attractive returns," adds Sinclair. The multinational is negotiating 19 developments in countries such as Saudi Arabia, U.A.E., Qatar, Kuwait,Bahrein andOman. Contact information Alastair Sinclair asinclair@crystal-lagoons.com Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1233037/Epperson_FOTO_1.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1233038/Lago_Mar_FOTO_2.jpg Kabul: A group of armed men have beheaded a 30-year-old woman in Sar-e-Pul province of Afghanistan, The Nation reported on Wednesday. The incident took place on Monday evening in the remote village of Latti in Sar-e-Pul, the report quoted local officials as saying. The report says Provincial Governor spokesman Zabiullah Amani has confirmed the incident. He also said that the armed men were linked with Taliban, the report said. The woman visited the city alone without her husband and this was the reason behind her beheading, Amani was quoted as saying. Sar-e-Pul women's affairs head Nasima Arezo has also confirmed the incident. However the Taliban has rejected its involvement in the incident, report said. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Russia says no grounds yet to probe allegations of Navalny's poisoning Iran Press TV Wednesday, 26 August 2020 6:34 AM Russia says there are still no grounds for a probe of the alleged poisoning of opposition figure Alexei Navalny, who is in a medically-induced coma at a German hospital. The spokesperson for Russian President Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Peskov, said on Tuesday that the cause of Navalny's condition had to be identified first. "First, it is necessary to identify the substance, to find out what caused his condition. It means there should be grounds for an investigation. So far, all we can say is that the patient is in a coma," Peskov said. Navalny, 44, collapsed after drinking tea during a flight from the Siberian city of Omsk to the Russian capital of Moscow on Thursday night, and his plane was forced to make an emergency landing due to a sudden deterioration in his health. Navalny's team claimed that the drink had been poisoned, accusing Moscow of poisoning the opposition figure and ordering a ban on transporting him in "an attempt on his life." But he was soon airlifted to Germany for treatment. German doctors at Berlin's Charite Hospital, where Navalny was admitted to, said clinical findings indicated he had been poisoned with a substance from the group of cholinesterase inhibitors. They said the specific substance remained unknown. Peskov said that the hospital had not conclusively identified the substance, and that it was not known why German doctors were "rushing" to use the word "poisoning." "Regrettably, the substance has not been identified, samples do not show it," Peskov said. "If the substance is established and if it is established that this is poisoning, then, of course, this will be a cause for investigation." Before he was taken to Germany, Navalny had been taken to a hospital in Omsk. Doctors at that hospital said tests on his blood samples for poisoning were negative. Peskov said that "low cholinesterase was established by our medics during the first hours at the Omsk hospital." "Cholinesterase levels may drop due to various reasons," he said, adding that various drugs could cause that condition. "It is very important to identify what triggered the cholinesterase drop," Peskov said. He also denied allegations that Russia had been involved in the incident, describing them as nothing but "hot air." "We can't take these allegations seriously. These accusations, which cannot be true, are nothing but hot air, I would say, so we have no intention of treating it seriously," he added. In 2018, the UK accused Russia of having poisoned Sergei Skripal, a former double spy, and his daughter in Salisbury in southern England. Russia repeatedly denied any involvement in that incident. West demands investigation Earlier this week, German Chancellor Angela Merkel called on Russia to investigate Navalny's case. She said Moscow needed to hold the perpetrators accountable. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also said that if Navalny was poisoned, "the United States supports the [European Union's] call for a comprehensive investigation and stands ready to assist in that effort." Sweden's Foreign Minister Ann Linde said on Twitter that the "circumstances regarding the suspected poisoning of Navalny needed to be clarified by [an] independent investigation." France also joined the calls for an independent and transparent investigation. "It is vital that Russian authorities conduct a prompt and transparent investigation to establish the circumstances in which this act was committed," the French Foreign Ministry said in a statement. French President Emmanuel Macron also said last week that France was ready to give Navalny all necessary assistance, including asylum. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address At least 27 migrants or refugees who were rescued at sea have been stuck on a cargo ship near Malta for more than three weeks, German charity Sea-Watch has said. The Danish-flagged Maersk Etienne tanker picked up the migrants on August 5 after being alerted by Sea-Watch, the charity said as it laid out a timeline of events. Maersk Tankers head of communications Kis Soegaard confirmed this on Thursday, and directed DPA news agency to an August 19 statement by the Danish Shipping association. The Etienne took in 27 migrants including a child and a pregnant woman. Ever since, its crew has been providing them with food, water and blankets and helped them as best they can, it said. On the 5th day after requesting a place of safety for the survivors on board #SeaWatch4, we pass the @Maersk #Etienne. On August 5 its crew rescued 27 people from a boat in distress, coordinated by #Malta. To this day @MaltaGov is denying them entry. This charade has to end! pic.twitter.com/W4UA4CAsHJ Sea-Watch International (@seawatch_intl) August 27, 2020 However, the tanker is not built for passengers and there is a need for an international solution for the stranded migrants, the statement added. Danish Shipping said the tanker was anchored off Malta waiting to be authorised to drop off the migrants at a port, and reported that the Danish authorities were working hard to find a solution. Malta and Italy have long said they are disproportionately affected by migrants making the journey to Europe from North Africa by sea, and that there is insufficient burden-sharing across the European Union. Both countries positions have hardened in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic and legislators have cited concerns about the risk of infection. However, as Italian and Maltese ports refuse to allow migrants to disembark, they remain stuck at sea, or worse, are sent back to Libya where they risk torture, exploitation and abuse. The number of migrants attempting to cross the Mediterranean to land on European shores from countries like Tunisia and Libya has spiked in the past year. WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT Video footage has emerged showing the moment Sydney father Mohammed Saab was struck by a hail of bullets fired from a parked car on Wednesday morning, after leaving his house in Sydney's south. The footage shows Mr Saab, 37, a local businessman walking to the driver's side of a black ute on Knoll Avenue, Turrella, just before 7am. A person with a gun gets out of the rear of a dark coloured sedan parked opposite the ute and fires about 12 bullets at Mr Saab. ReviewPush Last week, Inc. magazine revealed that ReviewPush ranked No. 3571 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. It is ReviewPushs third straight year on the list, driven by an impressive growth rate of 103% which led to its recognition on the Inc. 5000 list. Additionally, ReviewPush positioned itself as No. 307 in Texas, No. 425 in Software and No. 84 in Austin. We are very excited to be included in this years Inc. 5000 list. Only 1 in 5 companies make the Inc. 5000 list three years in a row, so our team is very happy to have achieved this milestone, said Lee McNiel, Founder and CEO of ReviewPush. Growth brings both opportunities and challenges; we are grateful to our talented team and loyal customers for contributing to the success of ReviewPush. We look forward to continued growth. 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. To learn more about ReviewPushs digital customer experience management platform, visit reviewpush.com. 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 ReviewPush ReviewPush enables businesses to grow faster by helping them collect, analyze, manage and promote their customer reviews. We believe that the customer experience should be continually optimized for businesses to succeed and thrive. When it comes to winning over customers, we know there isnt a one-size-fits-all approach. Our team is dedicated to working hand-in-hand to achieve the desired success for each customer. 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. Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayoress formally appointed The Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayoress of Douglas have been formally appointed for the 2020-21 municipal year. Councillor Janet Thommeny will serve as Deputy Mayor and Councillor Natalie Byron as Deputy Mayoress. The appointments were made at a special meeting of the Council presided over by His Worship the Mayor, Councillor Jonathan Joughin JP. Addressing the Council His Worship explained that the 2020 Annual General Meeting had had to be cancelled due to Covid-19 restrictions, meaning no formal appointments could be made until the health emergency had eased. Ahead of making the appointments His Worship confirmed that his wife, Mrs Angela Joughin, had agreed to serve as Mayoress and Monsignor John Devine OBE as Mayors chaplain for the remainder of the 2020-21 Mayoral year. Turning to the appointment of Deputy Mayor, His Worship said Councillor Thommeny was a dedicated councillor for Athol ward and that she had a very tenacious attitude when it comes to getting things done. He continued: Being asked to serve as Deputy Mayor is a great honour, I know, as a I was Deputy Mayor to a former Mayor, the late Councillor Stan Cain. After the tragic loss of the former Mayor and my Deputy Mayor Councillor Debbie Pitts last year I asked Janet to step in at very short notice. This is where Janet showed her true colours. She had a very tough act to follow indeed, but she grasped the nettle and has risen to the challenge. The proceedings concluded with His Worship presenting the Deputy Mayors badge to Councillor Thommeny and the Deputy Mayoresss badge to Councillor Byron. LA Council Votes to Initiate Process of Making Juneteenth City Holiday The Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously to initiate the process of making Juneteenth an official city holiday to celebrate the end of slavery in the United States. Councilmen Curren Price, Herb Wesson and Marqueece Harris-Dawson filed the initial motion to have the city holiday established. ADVERTISEMENT For myself and nearly a half million Black Angelenos that call L.A. home, we understand the significance and we recognize the value and the cultural impact that Juneteenth has, Price said. Price said recent demonstrations to demand racial equity and justice in the country and to protest the killings of Black Americans at the hands of police heightened his desire to commemorate, celebrate and acknowledge the historical significance of Juneteenth. I did not learn about Juneteenth formally in school, Price said. This is a moment to honor our ancestors who were separated, subjected to harsh and inhumane treatment, as they were forced to perform backbreaking labor, deprived of an education and were subjected to countless acts of violence against them. Juneteenth is not recognized as an official federal holiday, although on June 19 of this year the U.S. Senate passed a resolution seeking to make it a federal holiday. Juneteenth is the commemoration of the end of slavery specifically on June 19, 1865, in Texas, two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued. Enforcement of President Abraham Lincolns proclamation generally relied on the advance of Union troops. ADVERTISEMENT City staff will come up with recommendations and report back to the City Council with additional information on establishing Juneteenth as an official holiday. Ipswich City Council has reprimanded long-standing councillor Paul Tully after complaints were made about a post on his Facebook profile in April this year. The Office of the Independent Assessor referred Cr Tully to the council after receiving several complaints about the post, a joke about women. Ipswich councillor Paul Tully in 2017. Credit:Chris Hyde The post was a meme titled "Funny Friday", which said: "I asked my trainer which machine at the gym I should use to impress beautiful women. He pointed outside and said 'The ATM machine'." The OIA received six complaints about the post, one later withdrawn. The complainants "alleged that the post showed a lack of respect for women, reinforced negative gender stereotypes and conduct that is not becoming of a councillor", a summary statement released by Ipswich City Council on Thursday said. In his defence, Cr Tully said the post was made by a proxy and not on his official council page and was taken down about an hour after being posted when "negative comments" were left, according to the summary. The council appointed an external company to handle the complaint process and investigation, which provided a final report concluding Cr Tully could be found to have breached the councillor code of conduct. At Thursday's council meeting, Ipswich councillors unanimously agreed Cr Tully had engaged in inappropriate conduct and decided to reprimand him with an official letter. Ipswich media at the meeting reported Cr Tully apologised for the post again in-person on Thursday. Brisbane Times contacted Cr Tully for comment. The SMM recorded 10 ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and one in Luhansk region. The OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine recorded 11 ceasefire violations in Donbas on August 25. "The SMM recorded 10 ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and one in Luhansk region. In the previous reporting period, the Mission recorded six ceasefire violations in Donetsk region and none in Luhansk region," the OSCE SMM said in a daily report on August 26, 2020. Read alsoDonbas truce: Ukraine reports one enemy provocation on Aug 26In Donetsk region, the Mission recorded 10 ceasefire violations, all shots of small-arms fire in areas south-west of Horlivka (non-government-controlled, 39km north-east of Donetsk). In Luhansk region, the SMM recorded one shot of small-arms fire near Stanytsia Luhanska (government-controlled, 16km north-east of Luhansk). "Following agreement reached at the meeting of the Trilateral Contact Group on July 22 regarding additional measures to strengthen the ceasefire, from 00:01 on July 27 until the end of the reporting period, the SMM has so far recorded a total of 713 ceasefire violations, both in Donetsk and Luhansk regions (including 100 explosions, two projectiles in flight, nine illumination flares and 602 bursts and shots)," reads the report. Background Beijing Says US Spy Plane Entered China's Airspace During Army Drills Sputnik News 07:40 GMT 26.08.2020(updated 08:12 GMT 26.08.2020) The day before, the Chinese Defence Ministry reported that a US U-2 reconnaissance plane flew into a no-fly zone of China's Northern Military District during military drills. A spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Zhao Lijian, stated on Wednesday that the recent incident with a US spy plane occurred in China's airspace. "It happened within the Chinese airspace and territory, of course," Zhao said, when asked if the incident took pace in the international airspace. The country's defence ministry has dubbed the incident a "naked provocation," adding that such moves could lead to misunderstandings and even to an incident at sea or in the air. The incident came some time after China conducted two drills in Hainan Province. The drills came amid an unprecedented US military presence in the region. In early August, a Chinese think tank recorded 67 US intelligence flights through the South China Sea in July alone, and Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Xinhua News Agency in an August 5 interview that "in the first half of this year alone, the US sent military aircraft there [to the South China Sea] more than 2,000 times." A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 27, 2020) - New Found Gold Corp. (TSXV: NFG) ("New Found" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that its 2020 infill gold-grains-in-till sampling program has defined a new discovery area named the Eastern Pond target on its Queensway South project (see Figure 1 for location). Highlights: The newly defined Eastern Pond target is comprised of two areas where recent till results have shown highly anomalous total gold grain counts including a high percentage of pristine gold grains, and yielded several sub-crop samples up to 15.0 g/t Au. Importantly, the Eastern Pond target constitutes a new fertile gold region centered along regional faults approximately 45 km south of the current Queensway North drill program area. Neither of the new till or sub-crop sample result areas correlate to any known gold in bedrock sources, and as such represent a true grassroot discovery. One till sample yielded 216 gold grains, 163 (75%) of them classified as pristine. A second cluster of samples yielded up to 155 gold grains with 127 (82%) of these classified as pristine. The pristine morphology of these grains indicates that they have not travelled far from their bedrock source (Averill 2001). To date the Eastern Pond target is defined by sub-crop and till sample results over an approximately 4 km of strike length (see Figures 1 and 2 below). Greg Matheson, Chief Operating Officer of New Found stated: "This is a true grass roots find that greatly enhances the prospectivity of the large gold-in-till anomalies identified in 2018 over 60 km of strike on Queensway South. We will now trench the Eastern Pond target and plan to move a drill into the area this fall. Our 2020 field work continues on Queensway South and we look forward to further results from our ongoing infill sampling work on the other large gold-in-till anomalies defined by our regional sampling." Queensway South Field Work Overview The Queensway South project area extends 60 km south-west from Gander Lake and covers the projected Appleton and JBP fault structures, believed to be primary controls for gold mineralization on the Queensway Project (see Figure 1). These structures have been defined by high resolution magnetic and EM geophysical surveys. Figure 1: Location of the newly defined Eastern Pond Anomaly at Queensway South To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7337/62667_d9c4386604b96ba2_001full.jpg Almost all of the project area is covered by a thin layer of glacial till, typically two to six meters in thickness. A regional scale till sampling program on a 2 km x 2 km grid completed in 2018 covered the entire Queensway South project area and identified six large gold-in-till geochemical anomalies covering areas up to 5 km x 2 km coincident with the regional fault structures (shown on Figure 1). Follow up sampling to infill on 250 m x 500 m sample spacing is now well advanced. Preliminary results of the till gold grain analyses completed by Overburden Drilling Management Limited ("ODM") from the Eastern Pond target area have now been received. ODM, based in Ottawa, are recognized specialists in sampling and analyzing glacial till material including for gold, and are providing consulting and analytical services to support New Found's large scale till sampling program at Queensway. Microscope photographs of selected recovered gold grains from the Eastern Pond target till sample 41656 are included in Figure 3. Field crews will be remobilized to the Eastern Pond area to conduct follow up work including prospecting, geological mapping and the collection of additional till samples to further vector the Company's exploration towards bedrock sources. Figure 2: Eastern Pond anomaly and preliminary till results To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7337/62667_d9c4386604b96ba2_002full.jpg Table 1: Eastern Pond target till samples Sample ID Easting Northing Total Gold Grains Pristine Gold Grains 41674 629784 5382499 216 163 41656 630332 5381175 155 127 Figure 3 - Microscopic photographs of the recovered gold grains from the Eastern Pond target till sample 41656 To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7337/62667_d9c4386604b96ba2_003full.jpg QA/QC Till sampling program design, Quality Assurance/Quality Control and interpretation of results is performed by qualified persons employing a Quality Assurance/Quality Control program consistent with NI 43-101 and CIM best practices. The Company inserts duplicate till samples for every 30th sample of the sample stream. Till samples are processed by ODM through gravity separation by first tabling the samples for the purposes of recovering and classifying gold grains of all sizes up to 2.0mm. Concentrates are then panned and examined under a binocular microscope to count, measure and classify gold grains by their morphology. Qualified Person The technical content disclosed in this press release was reviewed and approved by Greg Matheson, P.Geo., Chief Operating Officer and a Qualified Person as defined under National Instrument NI 43-101. About New Found Gold Corp. New Found holds a 100% interest in the Queensway Project, located 15 km west of Gander, Newfoundland. The project is intersected by the Trans-Canada Highway, is located just 18 km from Gander international airport, has logging roads crosscutting the project, has high voltage electric power lines running through the project area, and easy access to a highly skilled workforce. With working capital of approximately C$75 million the Company is well financed for aggressive exploration with an initial planned 100,000 meter drill program in two phases now underway. New Found has a proven capital markets and mining team with major shareholders include Palisades Goldcorp (33%), Eric Sprott (18%), Novo Resources (11%), Rob McEwen (7%), other institutional ownership (8%), and management, directors and insiders (4%). Approximately 65% of the Company's issued and outstanding shares are subject to escrow or 180-day lock up agreements. Please see the Company's website at www.newfoundgold.ca and the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com. Acknowledgments New Found acknowledges the financial support of the Junior Exploration Assistance Program, Department of Natural Resources, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador. Contact To contact the Company please visit the Company's website, www.newfoundgold.ca and make your request through our investor inquiry form. Our management has a pledge to be in touch with any investor inquiries within 24 hours. New Found Gold Corp. Per: "Craig Roberts" Craig Roberts, P.Eng., Chief Executive Officer croberts@newfoundgold.ca Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking Statement Cautions: This press release contains certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation, relating to further the exploration and drilling on the Company's Queensway gold project in Newfoundland. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts; they are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "intends," "estimates," "projects," "aims," "potential," "goal," "objective," "prospective," and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will," "would," "may," "can," "could" or "should" occur, or are those statements, which, by their nature, refer to future events. The Company cautions that Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made and they involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Consequently, there can be no assurances that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Except to the extent required by applicable securities laws and the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements if management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change. Factors that could cause future results to differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements include risks associated possible accidents and other risks associated with mineral exploration operations, the risk that the Company will encounter unanticipated geological factors, the possibility that the Company may not be able to secure permitting and other governmental clearances necessary to carry out the Company's exploration plans, the risk that the Company will not be able to raise sufficient funds to carry out its business plans, and the risk of political uncertainties and regulatory or legal changes that might interfere with the Company's business and prospects. The reader is urged to refer to the Company's reports, publicly available through the Canadian Securities Administrators' System for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval (SEDAR) at www.sedar.com for a more complete discussion of such risk factors and their potential effects. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/62667 BBC media editor Amol Rajan has questioned director general Lord Hall about fears among colleagues that the corporation is becoming 'the broadcasting wing of the Black Lives Matter movement'. Outgoing director general Tony Hall appeared on The Media Show yesterday to discuss the crises and successes of his time in charge of the outlet, covering topics including the public anger over the censoring of the Proms, diversity, TV licenses and controversies over the use of the n-word. Turning to the subject of race and equality, Mr Rajan told Lord Hall there were worries over the broadcasting giant's stance on certain issues. He said: 'Several Radio 4 listeners and some senior BBC News colleagues have been in touch with me to raise deep concern that in their view the BBC has in effect become the broadcasting wing of the Black Lives Matter movement. 'One veteran highly respected correspondent here wrote to me: ''Amol, challenging racial prejudice is a noble cause, but should it be the BBC's cause? Shouldn't we just be reporting?'' 'What do you say to that?' Amol Rajan said: 'Several Radio 4 listeners and some senior BBC News colleagues have been in touch with me to raise deep concern that in their view the BBC has in effect become the broadcasting wing of the Black Lives Matter movement' Finnish conductor issues a statement saying she did NOT axe rule Britannia and calling it 'an important part of the event' - piling pressure on BBC Proms director who took 'creative' decision BBC sources had reportedly claimed Dalia Stasevska, 35, demanded the patriotic anthem, along with Land of Hope and Glory, be pulled from the performance due to their links to British imperialism A Finnish conductor caught up in a row over the Last Night of the Proms has issued a statement insisting she is not responsible for axing Rule Britannia and recognises it as an 'important part of the event'. BBC sources cited in the Sunday Times claimed Dalia Stasevska, 35, was one of those keen to 'modernise' the event and reduce the patriotic elements involved. Ms Stasevska, who has voiced her support for Black Lives Matter, was swept up in controversy following reports that she had concerns about the words to Rule Britannia and Land of Hope and Glory. But Ms Stasevska has now spoken out in a statement, issued on her behalf by management company HarrisonParrott, insisting she had no part in the BBC's decision to not have the patriotic anthems sung. It piles pressure onto BBC Proms director David Pickard after director general Lord Hall backed his creative decision and confirmed that he and his team had taken Rule Britannia's links to colonialism into account. Ms Stasevska said in the statement: 'I am so honoured to be part of this year's BBC Proms and its iconic Last Night. 'I understand its prominence in the UK classical music calendar and wider cultural landscape. It is incredibly exciting to be part of an event with such long-standing tradition. 'It is testament to the unfailing work and commitment of the organisers that the Proms can proceed at all this year. Advertisement Lord Hall, who took up the post of director general in April 2013, responded by saying that 'diversity matters', and 'getting it right in terms of our broadcasting matters too'. He continued: 'I think ensuring that we are employing people of diverse background, black, Asian, minority ethnic backgrounds, both front and behind the camera is fantastically important. 'And in that way I go back to, that's the way you get that diversity of thinking into your programme areas, into your news bulletins, into the dramas and other things that you're doing. 'That's why it matters and I have to say we're making a lot of progress on that. 'Having a fund to commission from existing monies 100million worth of content, of programmes from diverse backgrounds is important - and equally having a 20 per cent target for people behind camera and behind microphone from black and Asian minority ethnic backgrounds is important too.' Mr Rajan then asked if Lord Hall thought there was a danger that the BBC was 'leaving a lot people behind by trying to focus on young people'. Lord Hall said; 'The BBC has got to appeal to a breadth of opinion and types of people right across the country. 'One of the interesting things about the BBC is you're dealing with all sorts of fissures in the UK society, and you've got to appeal to all those people. 'Whoever you are, whatever background you come from, rich, poor, whatever part of the country you happen to live in, having things that you can share and common goods that bring you together, that you all have access to, is phenomenally important.' Later in the interview he said that he hoped people could feel they could 'feel safe in the workplace to say what they think'. He also acknowledged the fury that a white reporter's use of the n-word on air had provoked. The BBC has faced public anger this week after it was revealed they would drop the singing of Rule Britannia and Land of Hope and Glory from the Last Night of the Proms this year - though they will still be played instrumentally. And Mr Rajan asked Lord Hall if the songs were ever going to be dropped from Last Night of the Proms. He replied: 'Look we've, I think, my view about the Proms is it's a miracle that [director] David Pickard and the team have done something which I think's really important which is to have two weeks of music at the end of the Proms season of live music--' Mr Rajan asked again, mentioning a series of newspaper front pages and a 'huge amount of noise on social media' about the issue, asking if there was a discussion about dropping those songs because of their association with Britain's imperial past. Lord Hall replied: 'They've come to the right conclusion, which is actually--' Mr Rajan interrupted: 'So there was a discussion?' 'Well the whole thing has been discussed by David and his colleagues, of course it has,' Lord Hall said. He added: 'The point is they've come to the right conclusion which is it's very very hard in an Albert Hall that takes over 5,000 people to have the atmosphere of the Last Night of the Proms and to have things where the whole audience normally sing along, it's quite hard creatively, artistically to make that work. 'I think they've come to the right conclusion, which is actually to include it instrumentally and who knows what will happen next year, I suspect it will be back.' Mr Rajan asked if in principle Lord Hall would be happy for the lyrics to be sung, despite any association it might have with Britain's imperial past. Lord Hall said: 'Well look, the fact is we've come to the right conclusion which is a creative conclusion, which is an artistic conclusion, which is, you know, it's there, and it's there in a medley of playing around sea shanties and all of that, I suspect it will be back next year.' Mr Rajan also asked Lord Hall if Land of Hope and Glory and Rule Britannia were ever going to be dropped from Last Night of the Proms (pictured in 2013) Critics say Rule Britannia and Land of Hope and Glory are racist because of their supposed links to slavery and colonialism. Traditionally, both songs are performed at London's Royal Albert Hall to a flag-waving crowd at the Last Night of the Proms. Earlier this week, Songs of Praise producer Cat Lewis blasted the lyrics of Rule Britannia and declared the nation shouldn't 'gloat' about its history as the BBC Proms row intensified. Ms Lewis tweeted: 'Do those Brits who believe it's OK to sing an 18th Century song about never being enslaved, written when the UK was enslaving and killing millions of innocents, also believe it's appropriate for neo-Nazis to shout, 'we will never be forced into a gas chamber'. She later added to her comments and said she would launch a national contest to find new lyrics for the songs if she were producing The Proms. She tweeted: 'I believe slavery was Britain's holocaust. 'We should apologise for it properly and yet at the moment, we have no memorial to enslaved people in the UK. We should not celebrate slave owners. 'And we should not sing in a gloating way that Britons will never be enslaved, when we were responsible for enslaving so many. 'We should have anthems which celebrate what is truly great about the UK, which we can all sing and this will help unite our country. 'If I was producing the Proms, I'd suggest launching a national competition to find new lyrics for Rule Britannia and Land Of Hope And Glory - words which celebrate and unify our fantastic country, because the music to both is undoubtedly fabulous.' Bafta-winning producer Ms Lewis began her career as a BBC production trainee in 1988 before working as a reporter and moving on to Granada television. The TV industry veteran later launched her own company, based in Manchester - which she says has a 3 million turnover. The continuing row over Ms Lewis' comments comes amid revelations that BBC bosses discuss diversity in 'every conversation' about new programmes and the issue is 'non-negotiable', according to the outlet's head of comedy. Shane Allen (pictured), who is responsible for the commissioning of all scripted comedy programmes to BBC channels, says director of content Charlotte Moore has been constantly telling staff not to forget to factor in diversity It comes amid a new race row as Jamaica's foreign minister Kamina Johnson-Smith criticised a clip from the BBC Three show Famalam (pictured) The corporation has said it will spend 100million of its content budget on diverse programming over three years, following protests from Black Lives Matter activists this summer. BBC Newsnight editor Katie Razzall apologises for being a white woman chairing 'racism in the newsroom' talk BBC Newsnight's editor Katie Razzall shared her embarrassment at being appointed as a white woman to chair a session on 'racism in TV newsrooms' at a media festival. The 49-year-old told the online Edinburgh TV Festival this week: 'My chairing this panel as a white woman is indicative of the challenge we are all facing.' It comes amid a lack of ethnic minority presenters and reporters on the BBC's current affairs programme which has resulted in it being nicknamed 'Newswhite'. The BBC has also been criticised this week over its decision to perform Rule Britannia and Land of Hope and Glory without lyrics at this year's Last Night of the Proms. It will have an orchestrated version without lyrics after organisers allegedly wanted to reduce patriotic elements to reflect the Black Lives Matter anti-racism movement. Razall was chairing a discussion called 'reporting racism: TV journalism and Black Lives Matter', with four panellists, three of whom are black and one who is white. Advertisement Shane Allen, who is responsible for the commissioning of all scripted comedy programmes to BBC channels, says director of content Charlotte Moore has been constantly telling staff not to forget to factor in diversity, The Guardian reports. He said: 'I've been part of regimes where you have to be seen to do something. With Charlotte it's non-negotiable, it's a thing that underpins every conversation: what's the diverse element to this? And can it not be set in London?' The hiring of June Sarpong and Miranda Wayland to advise the corporation means there are now 'really powerful voices in the room' speaking about diversity, Mr Allen told the Edinburgh television festival. He also defended sketch show Famalam, which has been branded 'outrageous and offensive' by Jamaica's foreign minister. 'Don't diss my beloved Famalam,' he said. 'To be relevant in comedy at a time when things can feel more anodyne, and in this woke culture where things are getting a little bit more sensitive. 'If you're going to do something about tricky topics it's got to be from those people and from those communities who've got that voice. To me, that's what a sketch show looks like in 2020. I'll back them to the hilt.' Jamaica's foreign minister Kamina Johnson-Smith criticised a clip from the BBC Three show, depicting a Jamaican version of Channel 4 show Countdown, complete with a steel drum version of the show's theme tune. Ms Johnson-Smith tweeted: 'This is outrageous and offensive to the incredible country which I am proud to represent along with every Jamaican at home and within our #Diaspora. I will immediately be writing formally on this! #StopThisShow.' The BBC defended Famalm, with channel controller Fiona Campbell saying it was not 'malicious', adding: 'We stand by the creator's brand of humour.' She told the Edinburgh TV Festival: 'Famalam is now in its third series and it is very successful. 'It is not malicious humour and I think if you followed on social, the creators themselves said they are poking fun at all stereotypes. 'There isn't malice in the type of content.' A BBC spokesman said: 'Famalam... now in its third series, has an established brand of humour in line with audience expectations and is well known for confronting issues. All-star cast: Noel Clarke and Hollyoaks actress Bronagh Waugh are starring in a gritty new police show Viewpoint 'The crew's not diverse enough': Kidulthood star Noel Clarke reveals how he demanded producers 'fix' the make-up of crew on first day of shooting new ITV project Kidulthood star Noel Clarke revealed how he demanded producers 'fix' the lack of diversity on 'day one' of shooting a new TV project. Speaking at the Edinburgh TV Festival, the actor said he immediately called in producers and insisted upon quick action to apparently dismiss some staff and replace them with trainees. While not revealing the name of the project, his comments come the same day ITV announced he would be starring in a gritty new police show called Viewpoint. Mr Clarke said: 'I'm on a job now which I can't mention and I came in on day one and I'm the lead actor and I was like, ''The crew's not diverse enough, fix it, fix it.'' 'I don't care if there's trainees, because this job's trainees is the next job's runner, then the next job's assistant, then they're a supervisor, then in five year's time or three year's time, we have more people in the business from different backgrounds; socio-economic, not just about colour.' ITV has not responded when asked if Viewpoint was the show in question, or if there was a wholesale change in production personnel as a result of Mr Clarke's request. "I will be calling for an approach that recognises apartment residents' wishes to have a companion animal in their home and owners corporations' need to be able to manage impacts." Which is pretty much a foot in each camp. He added that the government "must consult widely with strata communities to get the balance right with urgent clarity" so that all parties "know their rights and responsibilities to avoid conflict". As we said, he's a pretty good dancer. OK, Rudd, Boomer Must. Not. Write. About. Kevin. Rudd. This was the promise to self this column made this year, having decided the former prime minister's chronic overexposure was such that we were tempted to rename him Kevin Kardashian. Cleaning up. Credit:Illustration: John Shakespeare However, that was before a Zoom meeting between the great man and about 130 Gen Z Laborites in Richard Marles' Young Labor Unity faction. They even laid bare the perils of engaging in a Zoom meeting with your political idol. Clearly, Rudd still has star power. But during the introductions he had some sharp words for one member, who had dialled in from his bedroom. "Whoever Jan is, he needs to make his bed by the way. It's a f---ing disgrace," Rudd opined, to the adoring smiles of his fanbase. OK, Boomer. The former prime minister then ranged over familiar territory, about the terribleness of Rupert Murdoch and how Labor can win the next election. But Jan Morgiewicz, 23, happened to record the exchange on his gaming software, sent it to his sister for a laugh and the whole thing ended up on TikTok. Clearly, going viral on the Chinese-owned social media platform was not a problem for our Sinophile former-PM. Now Kevin can become the meme he always wanted. But as far as incidents go, an unmade bed is on the tame side for Morgiewicz. Two years ago, as an aspiring Labor candidate for the upper house, he posed naked with his genitalia covered by shredded copies of the feminist edition of Monash University student magazine Lot's Wife, to protest against the fact that the magazine had been used as a "political tool". Clearly, he's one to watch. Twiggy's exemption raises eyebrows What is it about West Australian businessmen and COVID-19 exemptions? First it was Kerry Stokes, who managed to get back to his beloved Western Australia without having to spend the mandatory fortnight at the Novotel Perth, thanks to concerted lobbying by a politician that redacted FOI documents revealed to be a government minister (two words: Mathias Cormann). Now, Andrew "Twiggy" Forrest, fresh from making a $1.1 billion dividend in a single day, after profits at his Fortescue Metals Group soared 49 per cent to $US4.73 billion ($6.5 billion) for the year, has "Abbotted" out of the country. The billionaire miner and philanthropist is in Mount Hagen, Papua New Guinea, midway through a week-long tour, reports the Papua New Guinea Post-Courier. Mr Forrest, who with wife, Nicola, have given more than $2 billion to their philanthropic group, the Minderoo Foundation, will travel to the highlands and meet with PNG Prime Minister James Marape. He will stay on his 184-foot Pangaea Ocean Explorer marine research vessel and also at the Walindi Plantation Resort before travelling to Indonesia. Forrest and his group were tested twice before leaving Australia and were tested again on arrival in PNG. Local Pandemic Controller David Manning said the FMG delegation would travel in its own "COVID-19 bubble". A spokesman for Fortescue said all relevant approvals had been obtained by the group. "The Australian Border Force have authorised a business travel exemption for a group led by Fortescue Metals Group's (Fortescue) chairman Dr Andrew Forrest, AO, which will allow early stage discussions on important philanthropic and investment opportunities, providing potential for contribution to COVID-19 economic recovery," he said. Rinehart's Ecuador blues Forgive us for sounding a bit like a broken record, but Gina Rinehart's woes in Ecuador are worsening. Ever since 2017, when the discovery of gold in concessions in her Hanrine Ecuadorian mining operation led to a gold rush, there have been problems, with an influx of thousands of illegal miners who were eventually forcibly cleared by the government. There was the incident a few weeks back when Hanrine's most senior executive, Carlos de Miguel, was arrested by police over allegations he was in possession of an arsenal of illegally-held weapons namely, two pistols, a rifle and more than 9500 rounds of ammunition. Rinehart's team said the executive had the requisite papers for the gun stash and he was quickly released by a judge. But Miguel threatened to sue Ecuador's interior minister Maria Paula Romo and police for "procedural fraud" over the raids, which he called a "premeditated attack to block his activities at Hanrine". He then upped the attack, hiring international investigations firm Kroll to probe government ministers, including Romo, as well as a Quito law firm and a media outlet. Frontier mining in Ecuador is fraught. The area is remote and miners are at risk of murder, extortion, threats and human trafficking. This week in the north of the country, protesters from Buenos Aires in the region of Imbabura torched a camp associated with Hanrine (the name is an amalgam of Hancock and Rinehart), burning tents to the ground. Locals, who say they have not been consulted over mining, chanted "the united people will never be defeated," according to local newspaper El Universo. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (Reuters) Thu, August 27, 2020 07:28 511 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c40bf008 2 Sports Chelsea,Premier-League,soccer,soccer-club,footballer,football Free Chelsea have signed England left back Ben Chilwell from Leicester City on a five-year contract, the Premier League club said on Wednesday. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed but British media reported Chelsea paid 50 million pounds ($66 million) for the 23-year-old. Chilwell made 99 league appearances for Leicester in five years at the club. "I am delighted to be joining Chelsea at this very exciting time for the club," Chilwell told the London club's website. "I'm looking forward to being a part of this young, dynamic squad led by Frank Lampard as we challenge for honors next season." Chilwell is Chelsea's third major signing foe the new season following the arrivals of Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech from RB Leipzig and Ajax Amsterdam respectively. They have also been linked with Bayer Leverkusen attacking midfielder Kai Havertz as Frank Lampard bids to improve his squad to challenge for the Premier League title. Chelsea finished fourth last season to qualify for the Champions League in Lampard's first campaign as manager. They begin the new season against Brighton Hove & Albion on Sept. 14. Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - August 27, 2020) -FenixOro Gold Corp (CSE: FENX) (OTC Pink: FDVXF) (FSE: 8FD) is pleased to announce that it has received the results and analysis of the data from a recently completed ground magnetometry survey at its Abriaqui Project in Colombia. The principal target at Abriaqui is a series of over 80 high grade, Buritica-style gold veins. These veins, which have been worked for over 80 years by Fenix' partner, a local mining cooperative, will be the primary focus of the Company's upcoming 6000m maiden drill program. Additionally, the potential for porphyry-style gold mineralization was recognized earlier this year with the discovery of a small surface outcrop of magnetite-bearing potassic alteration. The outcrop sampled up to 1.1 grams per tonne gold which is representative of the grade in the better porphyry gold systems in Colombia and throughout the world. The location of this outcrop is coincident with a magnetic anomaly from a pre-existing geophysical program. This alteration type is typical of the gold-bearing portions of mineralized porphyry systems world-wide. In several gold districts along the 200+ kilometer long Cauca trend in Colombia, porphyry style mineralization has been discovered using magnetometry to map this type of magnetic rock alteration. FenixOro recently commissioned a program of ground magnetics to define and hopefully expand the magnetic body in three dimensions. Results are summarized in Figure 1 which shows magnetic data (reduced to the pole), the contact of the diorite intrusion which hosts the majority of the mineralized gold veins, and faults interpreted from the magnetic data. The data define a strong, near-surface magnetic anomaly of about one square kilometer. The body is centered on FenixOro ground and is open to the west, but it is not expected to continue far in that direction as the contact of the host diorite with the sedimentary package is right at the grid margin. FenixOro has recently acquired the seizure rights to the license which covers the area of this western extension from Polo Resources Limited (see Press Release dated August 25, 2020). The magnetic body is terminated on the south by a significant, northeast-trending fault. Three-dimensional analysis indicates that the body continues at approximately the same diameter to a depth of at least 700 meters below surface. The original surface outcrop area of mineralized alteration (area "A" in the figure) appears to be in a fault block at the northern end of the body. If so, the main body of the anomaly has been down dropped which explains the lack of surface exposure south of the fault. The presence of such mineralization on surface and the comparison with other similar mineralized systems in this part of Colombia are greatly encouraging. Additionally, the development of 800+ vertical meters of high grade gold veins topographically above and lateral to the modeled porphyry horizon strengthens the analogy with the neighboring, multi-million ounce Buritica system where deep drilling beneath more than 1 km of vertical vein extent is targeting a similar magnetic anomaly (Continental Gold Press Release September 25, 2019). The Phase 1 drill program, which is designed to test the vein sets north of the magnetic anomaly, is being modified to include at least one hole testing the magnetic body. The current level of erosion at Abriaqui is such that a porphyry body, if verified, should be fully preserved at reasonable drill depths. Figure 1 To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/6188/62644_dc8b7c1b74666808_001full.jpg About FenixOro Gold Corp. FenixOro Gold Corp is a Canadian company focused on acquiring gold projects with world class exploration potential in the most prolific gold producing regions of Colombia. FenixOro's flagship property, the Abriaqui project, is located 15 km west of Continental Gold's Buritica project in Antioquia State at the northern end of the Mid-Cauca gold belt, a geological trend which has seen multiple large gold discoveries in the past 10 years including Buritica and Anglo Gold's Nuevo Chaquiro and La Colosa. As documented in "NI 43-101 Technical Report on the Abriaqui project Antioquia State, Colombia" (December 5, 2019), the geological characteristics of Abriaqui and Buritica are very similar. The report also documents the high gold grade at Abriaqui with samples taken from 20 of the veins assaying greater than 20 g/t gold. Abriaqui has not yet been drilled but surface and underground geological mapping and sampling as well as a preliminary magnetometry survey have been completed. The property is drill-ready pending finalization of the government permitting process. Fenix's VP of Exploration, Stuart Moller, led the discovery team at Buritica for Continental Gold in 2007-2011. The Buritica Mine currently contains measured plus indicated resources of 5.32 million ounces of gold (16.02 Mt grading 10.32 g/t) plus a 6.02 million ounce inferred resource (21.87 Mt grading 8.56 g/t) for a total of 11.34 million ounces of gold resources. Buritica is scheduled to commence production in 2020 with annual average production of 250,000 ounces at an all-in sustaining cost of approximately US$600 per ounce. Resources, cost and production data are taken from Continental Gold's "NI 43-101 Buritica Mineral Resource 2019-01, Antioquia, Colombia, 18 March, 2019"). Continental Gold was recently the subject of a takeover by Zijin Mining in an all-cash transaction valued at C$1.4 billion. Corporate Office: FenixOro Gold Corp 350 Bay St. Suite 700 Toronto, ON Telephone: 1-833-ORO-GOLD Email: info@FenixOro.com Website: www.FenixOro.com Technical Information The comparison between Abriaqui and the nearby Buritica project is meant only to indicate the similarities between the two in terms of geological setting. FenixOro does not imply that exploration results and/or economic characteristics of a potential future mine at Abriaqui will be similar to those seen at Buritica. The sampling done at Abriaqui is in the form of rock chip and channel samples on surface and in shallow underground workings on vein exposures. The samples were prepared and analyzed at ALS laboratories in Medellin and Lima respectively. Samples were taken, prepared, shipped and analyzed following, industry standard QA/QC protocols and were submitted with certified reference standards. Stuart A Moller, P. Geol. (British Colombia) Vice President of Exploration of FenixOro and a Qualified Person for the purposes of National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and approved the technical information contained within this press release. Mr, Moller is a geologist with over 40 years of experience in world-wide mineral exploration including 10 years in Colombia. Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Information This news release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation and may also contain statements that may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking information and forward-looking statements are not representative of historical facts or information or current condition, but instead represent only the Company's beliefs regarding future events, plans or objectives, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and outside of FenixOro's control. Generally, such forward-looking information or forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "will", "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or may contain statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "will continue", "will occur" or "will be achieved". The forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained herein include, but are not limited to information concerning the Abriaqui. Although FenixOro believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing, and the expectations contained in, the forward-looking information and statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information and statements, and no assurance or guarantee can be given that such forward-looking information and statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information and statements. In particular, there is no guarantee that Abriaqui will be drilled or produce viable quantities of minerals, that the Company will pursue Abriaqui or that any mineral deposits will be found.. The forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this press release, and FenixOro does not undertake to update any forward-looking information and/or forward-looking statements that are contained or referenced herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accept 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/62644 Ethylene, a key feedstock in the chemical industry, often includes traces of acetylene contaminants, which need to be removed. In the journal Angewandte Chemie, researchers describe a robust and regenerable porous metal-organic framework that captures acetylene with extraordinary efficiency and selectively. Its synergistic combination of tailor-made pore sizes and chemical docking sites makes the material especially efficient, the study says. Ethylene is the most important chemical precursor for ethanol and polyethylene and is mainly produced by steam cracking. Although the ethylene fraction is usually very pure (more than 99%), remaining traces of acetylene contaminants can destroy the catalysts used in downstream processes. As ethylene and acetylene are very similar and only differ in the amount of hydrogen atoms--ethylene has four hydrogen atoms bound to two carbon atoms, acetylene has two--the separation of both gases is elaborate and difficult. The current industrial processes rely on distillation, which consumes a huge amount of energy. However, hydrocarbon compounds bind to porous substances called metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). MOFs are made of metal ions and organic ligands and contain pores and chemical docking sites that can be designed to capture specific molecules from a stream of gas at ambient conditions. However, for the separation of ethylene and acetylene, the industry demands robust, regenerable, highly selective, and cheap materials, which have not been found so far. Dan Zhao and his colleagues at the National University of Singapore have now developed a MOF specific for acetylene capture that may meet the demands of extraordinary selectivity and robustness. The scientists focused on an established MOF with nickel sites, but they "opened" up these nickel sites for the binding of more molecules by activating them and exposing them to the pores so that they were able to bind two guest molecules at once. In addition, the scientists adjusted the pore sizes of the MOF to allow entry only for very small gas molecules, and filled the pore walls with chemical groups that would attract acetylene over ethylene through their stronger electrostatic and chemical interactions. Thus, combining small pore sizes with the open nickel sites and sites for preferential acetylene binding, the scientists have created a Ni-MOF called Ni(3)(pzdc)(2)(7Hade)(2) that is extraordinarily selective, robust, stable, and can be regenerated. According to the study, the Ni-MOF purified the ethylene stream by a factor of a thousand and kept the selectivity high across a range of pressures and regeneration cycles. In addition, the Ni-MOF can be prepared in a standard hydrothermal procedure, the scientists say. The authors point out that the synergy of pore geometry and size, combined with chemical interactions, can be further enhanced and may lead to even more effective separations. This is interesting for industrial application. ### About the Author Dr. Dan Zhao is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the National University of Singapore. His research focuses on the molecular-level design and synthesis of advanced porous materials and hybrid membranes, and their applications in clean energy and environmentally sustainable areas such as storage, separation, and sensing. chezhao@nus.edu.sg The violence must stop whether in Minneapolis, Portland or Kenosha. Too many heroes have died defending our freedom to see Americans strike each other down. We will have law and order on the streets of this country for every American of every race and creed and color, he said. WASHINGTON, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The board of directors of the Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation (Farmer Mac) has declared a third quarter dividend of $0.80 per share for each of Farmer Mac's three classes of common stock Class A Voting Common Stock (NYSE: AGM.A), Class B Voting Common Stock (not listed on any exchange), and Class C Non-Voting Common Stock (NYSE: AGM). The quarterly dividend will be payable on September 30, 2020 to holders of record of common stock as of September 16, 2020. Farmer Mac's board of directors has also declared a dividend on each of Farmer Mac's five classes of preferred stock. The quarterly dividend of $0.375 per share of 6.000% Fixed-to-Floating Rate Non-Cumulative Preferred Stock, Series C (NYSE: AGM.PR.C), $0.35625 per share of 5.700% Non-Cumulative Preferred Stock, Series D (NYSE: AGM.PR.D), and $0.359375 per share of 5.750% Non-Cumulative Preferred Stock Series E (NYSE: AGM.PR.E), is for the period from but not including July 17, 2020 to and including October 17, 2020. The dividend of $0.2078125 per share of 5.250% Non-Cumulative Preferred Stock, Series F (NYSE: AGM.PR.F) is for the period from but not including August 20, 2020 (the issuance date) to and including October 17, 2020. These preferred stock dividends will be payable on October 17, 2020 to holders of record of those classes of preferred stock as of October 2, 2020. On August 20, 2020, Farmer Mac called for redemption all of Farmer Mac's outstanding 2,400,000 shares of 5.875% Non-Cumulative Preferred Stock, Series A (NYSE: AGM.PR.A) on the redemption date of September 19, 2020. Farmer Mac's board of directors has declared a dividend of $0.2530 per share of Series A Preferred Stock called for redemption for the period from but not including July 17, 2020 to and including the September 19, 2020 redemption date. The preferred stock dividends on the shares of Series A Preferred Stock that are redeemed will be payable on the redemption date as part of the redemption price to holders of record of Series A Preferred Stock as of the redemption date. About Farmer Mac Farmer Mac is a vital part of the agricultural credit markets and was created to increase access to and reduce the cost of capital for the benefit of American agricultural and rural communities. As the nation's secondary market for agricultural credit, we provide financial solutions to a broad spectrum of the agricultural community, including agricultural lenders, agribusinesses, and other institutions that can benefit from access to flexible, low-cost financing and risk management tools. Farmer Mac's customers benefit from our low cost of funds, low overhead costs, and high operational efficiency. Additional information about Farmer Mac is available on Farmer Mac's website at www.farmermac.com. SOURCE Farmer Mac Related Links http://www.farmermac.com DECATUR Andrew Chiligiris says local bars and restaurants are doing the best they can despite "ever-changing regulations" due to COVID-19. "We just want to tell people to please come out and support us," said Chiligiris, owner of Lincoln Square Lounge and Lock Stock & Barrel in Decatur. "It has been very stressful on this business." Now, the guidance of wearing a mask is a statewide requirement. Starting Wednesday, all restaurant and bar customers in Illinois were required to wear masks when interacting with staff working at the business. Gov. J.B. Pritzker ordered the mandate Tuesday as the number of COVID-19 cases in Illinois continue to climb. Illinois has had a mask mandate since May 1 this year, and in most establishments, people are adhering to it, Pritzker said in a COVID-19 briefing on Tuesday. But its important that we treat hospitality employees just as you would in any retail store or establishment. This new requirement asks a little bit more of our residents dining out in order to protect their health and safety and that of our front-line hospitality workers. Coney McKane's owner Lea Stukins said a change in procedures began Wednesday. According to Stukins, their servers remind guests of the new regulations and explain that masks be worn while walking to their table and anytime a server is at the table. Coney McKane's required that masks be worn until customers were seated prior to the new mandate. "We've really had to look at how we serve and wait on people to try and make it to be the least inconvenient and the safest that we can," Stukins said. "If it's something they don't want to do, they certainly have the option of leaving. But if everybody is following the guidelines, it's not like they're going to go to someplace else and have it be different." Paco Greenwell, general manager of Lock Stock & Barrel, said the new mandate will most likely not require any further changes to daily operations. Additional restrictions did cause some concern, as staff members will have to be the ones to enforce them, according to Greenwell. "The best thing I'm going to be able to do is post some signs and educate guests on what's going on," Greenwell said. Decatur resident Brittney Bradley, following an afternoon lunch at Lock Stock with a friend, said she "understands why they're doing it." The 32-year-old, who read up on the new restrictions Wednesday morning, said she doesn't see much of a change personally. Bradley said she doesn't go out to eat all too often, but makes sure to pack a mask during public outings, saying that "anything that can help prevent the spread is good," she said. However, Bradley did share a bit of concern, too. "I just don't know how well it's going to work," she said, regarding how bar and restaurant employees will have to enforce that customers are following the mandate. "You're asked to be a waitress, waiter or bartender and I feel like by making people put a mask on is going to make people angry and frustrated. You're putting a lot on those staff members. The mandate would be easier on bar and restaurants if a separate system helped enforce the restrictions, Greenwell said. "It can get really tricky to police our customers. I don't think it's going to be an easy thing to enforce," he said. "I wish there was a way for some compliance to be out there to do it besides us," he said. Chiligiris said policies that requires customers to do something with no enforcement system in place turns his employees "into this type of guardian, an enforcer of law." According to Chiligiris, staff members have been treated poorly by customers upset at having to follow past restrictions since re-opening in May. "This has been difficult for us to navigate," he said. "Whether my personal feelings are supportive of these restrictions or against them, we're just trying to do our best." Gov. Pritzker warns of a possible 'reversal' as COVID-19 numbers rise in Illinois Contact Garrett Karsten at (217) 421-6949. Follow him on Twitter: @GarrettKarsten Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 She's been enjoying some time in the sun as she continues to take a break from her typically busy schedule. And Arabella Chi has appeared to have found love again as she packed on the PDA with a mystery new man during her Ibiza getaway on Thursday, just weeks after going public with Josh Newsham and four months after splitting from Wes Nelson. The Love Island star, 29, looked infatuated with her companion as they kissed and cuddled while topping up their tans in the holiday hotspot. Third time's a charm! Arabella Chi has moved onto her third love interest in just four months as they packed on the PDA in Ibiza after calling it quits with Josh Newsham and Wes Nelson Highlighting her toned figure, the model stripped down to a white bikini as she relished in the sunny climes. The media personality's two-piece featured a barely-there bralet and matching briefs to further enhance her sensational frame. A selection of chunky bracelets and rings served as her accessories for the day, while circular-framed shades shielded her eyes from the sun. Proving less is more, the ASOS star went make-up free and wore her tresses in a straight fashion. Working it: Highlighting her toned figure, the model, 29, stripped down to a white bikini as she relished in the sunny climes Brief fling? Just a month ago, the blonde went public with DJ and producer Josh (pictured) Over: Arabella recently moved in with fellow Love Island alum Harley Brash, 21, following her split from Wes, 22, in April (pictured together in October) Moving on fast: The media personality has appeared to have found love again in lockdown The fresh couple weren't shy to show off their blossoming romance as they put on an incredibly cosy display alongside her roommate Harley Brash. Her companion, meanwhile, went shirtless and sported a pair of classic red shorts as he quenched his thirst with some refreshing beverages. MailOnline has contacted Arabella's representatives for further comment. Her new romance may come as a surprise as things appeared to be hotting up with Josh just a few weeks ago. The blonde moved in with fellow Love Island alum Harley, 21, in June following her split from Wes, 22. Loved-up: The fresh couple weren't shy to show off their blossoming romance as they put on an incredibly cosy display In their element: The duo knocked back glasses of wine as she sat in the sun How sweet: At one point, the online sensation affectionately stroked her beau's face as they engaged in conversation Ooh-la-la: The Love Island star's two-piece featured a barely-there bralet and matching briefs to further enhance her sensational frame Yes please! The TV star walked towards a table with a selection of tasty fruit The pair had been dating for nine months but were said to have 'grown apart' and had become more aware of their six-year age gap ahead of their break-up. Design engineer Wes moved out of their home so they didn't have to isolate together under lockdown rules. The Dancing On Ice hunk is now living with pal and former Love Island star, Josh Denzel. A source told The Sun at the time: 'It's all over. They started to grow apart. They want to remain civil with each other and hope to remain friends.' Cheery: The happy couple giggled throughout their time together Unwind: They tapped into full relaxation mode during the sun-soaked trip Proving less is more, the ASOS star went make-up free and wore her tresses in a straight fashion Uh oh: The holidaymakers will face 14 days of quarantine when they return to the UK after the government pulled its air bridge with Spain following a spike in COVID-19 cases Glowing: The influencer looked every inch the beach babe as she strolled across a resort before enjoying a random boogie In good company: They were joined by Arabella's roommate Harley, who appeared delighted for her friend The news likely came as a shock to their fans, as just a week before they called it quits, the pair revealed that they were enjoying their time in lockdown together. Speaking to OK! Online, Wes said: 'It's been alright. It's hard to get out at the moment, isn't it? We're just trying to do our piece of exercise a day. 'We spend a lot of time with each other anyway so it's been okay to self-isolate because it's pretty much what we have been doing anyway, it's the same as before but we're just not getting out and about. Casual: Her companion, meanwhile, went shirtless and sported a pair of classic red shorts as he quenched his thirst with some refreshing beverages Get a room! Arabella's man cosied up to her for a warm embrace, while Newcastle native Harley hid her face behind her cap Nothing to hide here: The bombshell took a phone call in front of her pals Well-deserved: She's been enjoying some time in the sun as she continues to take a break from her typically busy schedule The exes had moved into their first flat together back in December, gushing that they were ready to start 'the next chapter' of their life. In 2018, the Staffordshire native reached the final of Love Island with former exotic dancer Megan Barton-Hanson, before ending their relationship in January 2019. Arabella then appeared on the 2019 series of the ITV2 show and struck up a brief romance with Danny Williams, but was dumped from the island after just seven days. Tender moments: The lovebirds gazed into each other's eyes as they laid on the beach chairs Beaming: They couldn't contain their happiness as they smiled throughout their outing Everything's good? The two ensured they didn't leave out Harley as they looked over to check if she was OK Great mind thinks alike: The estate agent stunned in a teeny weeny bikini, similar to her friend's outfit Malis new military rulers say Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, detained during the countrys coup on August 18, has been freed. Coup leaders in Mali have released former President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita from detention, a military official said on Thursday. A group of military officers, who call themselves the National Committee for the Salvation of the People (CNSP), has controlled the West African country since August 18, when the mutineers detained Keita at gunpoint and forced him to resign. President IBK is free in his movements, hes at home, CNSP spokesman Djibrila Maiga told AFP news agency, referring to Keita by his initials as many Malians do. He gave no further details. A relative of Keita, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP the 75-year-old former leader had returned overnight to his house in the Sebenikoro district of the capital, Bamako. Keita, Prime Minister Boubou Cisse and other senior officials were seized by rebel troops who staged a mutiny at a base near Bamako on August 18. The next day, Keita appeared on national TV to announce his resignation, saying he had had no other choice and wanted to avoid bloodshed. The deposed presidents release had been a key demand of Malis neighbours and international organisations, including the African Union and the European Union. West Africas regional bloc, ECOWAS, had sent a delegation to Bamako over the weekend to negotiate with the coup leaders. The military leaders say they mutinied because the country was sinking into chaos and insecurity which they said was largely the fault of a poor government. They have promised to oversee a transition to elections within a reasonable amount of time. The CNSP told the ECOWAS delegation that they want to stay in power for a three-year transition period, Nigeria said on Wednesday. In contrast, the West African bloc is seeking for a transitional government of no more than one year. Former Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan, heading the ECOWAS team, was given access to Keita last week, and said he seemed very fine. Meanwhile, Frances Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on Thursday told RTL radio the coup would not stop French military operations against rebels active in central and northern regions, but urged a swift transition of power. New Delhi, Aug 27 : Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday e-launched the 'National GIS-enabled Land Bank' system for effective land identification and procurement. Goyal launched the system during a virtual meeting with the industry ministers of states, UT administrators and senior officers of the central and state governments. Launching the system, Goyal expressed confidence that other states and union territories will be onboarded by December, 2020. "He said that this is only a prototype and will be developed further with inputs from states, to make it an effective, transparent mechanism of land identification and procurement," an official statement said. As per the statement, the system is being developed by integration of Industrial Information System (IIS) with state GIS systems. The project has been launched for six states. In his address, Goyal called upon the states to collectively work in the spirit of 'Team India' to enhance industrial activity in the country, attract investment and provide a better life to 1.3 billion people of India and for better prospects for coming generations. He said that India has to achieve the target of becoming a 5-trillion-dollar economy in five years and for this, manufacturing has to play an important role, which can provide employment and value addition. Goyal called upon the states to adopt the 'Public Procurement Policy - Make in India Order' issued by the Centre. He said that it is an effective tool to achieve 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' and boost local manufacturing. The order mandates that 'No Global Tender Enquiry' is permitted for procurements of less than Rs 200 crore. "Bidders with beneficial ownership or belonging to countries sharing land borders with India, will be able to participate in government procurements only after mandatory registration, based on clearances given by the MEA, MHA and procuring ministries," the statement said. "Countries where Indian companies face restrictive trade practices, the reciprocity clause may be invoked." Furthermore, the minister stressed on developing a single-window system, which could be a 'one-stop' digital platform to obtain all requisite central and state clearances or approvals, required to start business operations in India. NORRISTOWN Emergency rooms across Montgomery County are filling up as the area continues to deal with another surge in the COVID-19 pandemic. We have encountered a dramatic rise in the number of emergency department visits recently, said Dr. Kisha Martin, chairwoman of emergency medicine for Redeemer Health. Health officials met virtually on Wednesday morning in a press conference concerning the... The Ministry of Finance on Thursday said a recent article published anonymously on August 10 on the website Open Source Investigations (OSI) and carried on other local electronic and print media was a misrepresentation of the facts. The articles cited documents which KRL filed with the U.S. Department of Justice in 2016 and 2017 to infer that KRL International was providing services for a Ghanaian political party, while being paid by the Government of Ghana. This is incorrect. The article is a clear misrepresentation of the facts as it relates to Ministry of Finances contractual relationship with, and fee payments to, KRL International LLC. The Ministrys relationship with KRL is transparent and consistent with the provisions of the Public Procurement Act, a statement issued by the Public Relations Unit of the Ministry and copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra stated. According to the statement, the Ministry of Finance signed its first agreement with KRL, for Consultancy services, on June 28th, 2017, to provide consultancy services in support of this Ministrys work in the United States and the international community in the area of strategic communications, investment promotion and government relations. This was after the Ministry had applied and received approval from the Public Procurement Authority, pursuant to Section 40 of the Public Procurement Act, 2003 (Act 633) (as amended). The Finance Ministry statement said, payments to KRL for services to the Ministry did not commence until after the contract had been signed, and after delivery of services to the Ministry. KRL have distinguished themselves in using their expertise to project Ghana on the global stage, presenting Ghanas true picture as a pillar of stability in Africa and an attractive destination for investment. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Considering the risk meat packing plants pose when it comes to the spread of the novel coronavirus, its troubling the public is not getting clearer information from the province on the COVID-19 outbreak tied to Maple Leaf Foods in Brandon. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 26/8/2020 (511 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Considering the risk meat packing plants pose when it comes to the spread of the novel coronavirus, its troubling the public is not getting clearer information from the province on the COVID-19 outbreak tied to Maple Leaf Foods in Brandon. Dozens of people who work at the pork processing plant have tested positive for the disease. The exact number remains in dispute. Dr. Brent Roussin, the provinces chief public health officer, said Monday 52 employees from the plant have tested positive, with 34 active cases. However, the union representing workers United Food and Commercial Workers Local 832 disputes that number, saying according to company records, 74 have tested positive, of which 62 remain active. TIM SMITH/BRANDON SUN FILES Dozens of workers employed at Brandon's Maple Leaf Foods have tested positive for COVID-19. Little turns on the difference between the two counts. Its the confusion and lack of clarity that is at issue at a time when accurate information is critical if the province wants buy-in and co-operation from the public on fighting the disease. There have been calls from the union (and from opposition parties) to shut down the plant temporarily in order to get a better handle on the spread of the virus. However, Dr. Roussin has insisted repeatedly there is no evidence of transmission within the plant itself. As a result, theres no reason to close the plant, he said. Public health officials continue to monitor the situation closely. But so far, it appears workers were infected outside the facility, Dr. Roussin says. Want more great journalism? Get our best news and features delivered in your inbox every weekday evening. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. But how do they know that? Contact tracing can provide good insight into how the virus has spread among clusters of cases, such as the one in Brandon. But if workers some of whom may live together or socialize outside work hours have infected each other, how does the province know with certainty that the transmission didnt occur in the plant, including from asymptomatic workers? There may be a reasonable answer to that question. If there is, Dr. Roussin hasnt provided it. He has simply reported the results of his officials investigation. Dr. Roussin has an obligation to provide a clearer explanation of why they stand so firmly behind their findings. There is no reason to doubt the veracity of those findings. In the face of a crisis like a pandemic, people have to put a certain amount of faith in their public-health officials to steer them in the right direction. Still, considering Maple Leaf workers dispute the claim that theres been no spread of the virus within the facility (and given that, intuitively, its difficult to believe no one has been infected at the plant considering the high number of cases), Dr. Roussin has an obligation to provide a clearer explanation of why they stand so firmly behind their findings. Meat packing plants around the world have been struggling with outbreaks of COVID-19, including dozens in the United States and many in Canada. In some cases, those outbreaks have led to the temporary closure of plants. The shutdowns come at a great cost economically, including to producers who supply the processing plants. Such action should only be taken where theres clear evidence of transmission within the plant, and only as a last resort. There may be other measures, such as partial closure or improved efforts to contain the spread within the facility, that could be taken. Either way, Maple Leaf workers, the people of Brandon and the public at large deserve a more comprehensive explanation from provincial officials on why theyre so certain theres been no spread within the plant. Its time for Dr. Roussin to show his work. August 27, 2020 - COVID-19 has upended essentially every sector of the economy, and none more so than healthcare. Healthcare leaders from across the United States share their experiences with disruption and innovation in responding to the COVID-19 crisis in the Fall 2020 issue of Frontiers of Health Services Management, a publication of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE). This journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer. Leaders at Montefiore Health System in the Bronx, New York, describe a process of "creative destruction" leading to accelerated innovation - especially in terms of rapidly ramping up digital health capabilities. "In this new reality, digital innovation is fundamental for healthcare organizations as they make their transition into recovery," according to the article by Montefiore vice president and chief of staff Jeffrey B. Short and associate vice president and patient access transformation officer Adrin Mammen, FACHE. The theme for the new issue of Frontiers is "Response and Recovery: Healthcare Navigates the COVID-19 Pandemic." COVID-19 'Can Serve as the Catalyst for Digital Innovation' in Healthcare As New York saw its first cases of COVID-19, Montefiore leadership realized they would soon face an exponential growth rate, leading to shortages of hospital and ICU beds. Citing the classic theory of market disruption and resulting innovations, Mr. Short and Ms. Mammen write, "In this state of uncertainty, the invisible hands of the changing market economy drove Montefiore to pursue creative destruction and accelerate innovation." "Driven by the virus, we quickly put new ideas into practice," the authors write. Leadership established an incident command structure, providing agility to make decisions and react to challenges. Resources were placed under central command; spaces throughout the Montefiore system were swiftly converted for inpatient use, doubling physical capacity. Faced with disruption of normal care, leaders rapidly implemented a digital innovation program. An artificial intelligence (AI)-based, coronavirus-specific chatbot was introduced, leading to more than 18,000 engagements within 30 days. Within weeks, the chatbot was extended to inquiries other than COVID-19. "Amid this new sense of urgency, innovations that would typically have taken many years to operationalize at Montefiore have been completed in a matter of days," Mr. Short and Ms. Mammen write. Responding to plummeting in-person visits, leaders designed and implemented a new telehealth solution. This became especially valuable as it was apparent that patients remained hesitant to make appointments, even after in-person visits resumed. Before the pandemic, Montefiore had no telehealth program; by April, more than 80 percent of visits had shifted to telehealth. These lessons in accelerated innovation have important implications for the "new normal" in a post-pandemic world. Montefiore leaders have established a new tele-ICU command center, inpatient consultations via telehealth, real-time performance management, and extension of AI as an essential decision-making tool. "As the barriers of the past come down, Montefiore is embracing creative destruction," Mr. Short and Ms. Mammen conclude. "As a result, the excitement of digital innovation permeates the entire organization." The COVID-19 pandemic "continues to demonstrate healthcare's vulnerabilities and is a force with such strength that it affects all aspects of care," according to an introduction by Frontiers editor Trudy Land, FACHE. She adds: "It is imperative for organizations to move forward from a precarious state and develop stronger systems for their communities." The COVID-19-themed issue presents reports from leaders at nine healthcare organizations across the United States - from large healthcare systems like Montefiore serving a population of millions in New York City, to a regional healthcare corporation serving three Native American tribes across 6,000 square miles in Arizona. Ms. Land writes, "[The authors] share how they are responding to the coronavirus and navigating toward recovery, implementing changes and discovering innovations along the way." ### Click here to read "Response and Recovery: Healthcare Navigates the COVID-19 Pandemic." DOI: 10.1097/HAP.0000000000000096 Click here to read "A Pandemic Application of Creative Destruction in Healthcare." DOI: 10.1097/HAP.0000000000000093 About Frontiers of Health Services Management Frontiers of Health Services Management, the quarterly journal of the American College of Healthcare Executives, can bring you up to speed on the latest trends quickly. Drawing from the diverse expertise of invited contributors, each issue of Frontiers presents case studies and commentaries with solutions to help leaders advance organizational performance and improve patient care. About the American College of Healthcare Executives The American College of Healthcare Executives is an international professional society of 48,000 healthcare executives who lead hospitals, healthcare systems and other healthcare organizations. ACHE's mission is to advance its members and healthcare management excellence. ACHE offers its prestigious FACHE credential, signifying board certification in healthcare management. ACHE's established network of 78 chapters provides access to networking, education and career development at the local level. In addition, ACHE is known for its magazine, Healthcare Executive, and its career development and public policy programs. Through such efforts, ACHE works toward its vision of being the preeminent professional society for leaders dedicated to improving health. The Foundation of the American College of Healthcare Executives was established to further advance healthcare management excellence through education and research. The Foundation of ACHE is known for its educational programs--including the annual Congress on Healthcare Leadership, which draws more than 4,000 participants--and groundbreaking research. Its publishing division, Health Administration Press, is one of the largest publishers of books and journals on health services management, including textbooks for college and university courses. For more information, visit http://www.ache.org. About Wolters Kluwer Wolters Kluwer (WKL) is a global leader in professional information, software solutions, and services for the clinicians, nurses, accountants, lawyers, and tax, finance, audit, risk, compliance, and regulatory sectors. We help our customers make critical decisions every day by providing expert solutions that combine deep domain knowledge with advanced technology and services. Wolters Kluwer reported 2019 annual revenues of 4.6 billion. The group serves customers in over 180 countries, maintains operations in over 40 countries, and employs approximately 19,000 people worldwide. The company is headquartered in Alphen aan den Rijn, the Netherlands. Wolters Kluwer provides trusted clinical technology and evidence-based solutions that engage clinicians, patients, researchers and students with advanced clinical decision support, learning and research and clinical intelligence. For more information about our solutions, visit https://www.wolterskluwer.com/en/health and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter @WKHealth. For more information, visit http://www.wolterskluwer.com, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube. GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Kent County leaders have approved allocating $2 million to traditional public, charter and private schools in the county for coronavirus-related expenses. The amount each school is eligible to receive equates to about $16 per student based on 2019 enrollment numbers. For Grand Rapids Public Schools, that number totals $236,382, according to the county officials. In another example, Rockford Public Schools is eligible for $129,309. The allocations, given in the form of grants, can be used for a host of COVID-19 expenses as schools adjust to reopening amid the global pandemic. Some eligible expenses include: personal protection equipment and sanitation supplies, technology costs associated with virtual learning and recruitment of mental healthcare workers and nurses. As a mother of two boys, I understand the stress parents are feeling about getting their kids back to school, Kent County Board of Commissioners Chair Mandy Bolter said in a statement. We are fortunate to have this federal funding and be able to provide our schools with the resources they need to ensure our children continue to learn and grow. Kent County Administrator Wayman Britts office will be notifying all schools in the county -- public, private and charter -- on the amount theyre eligible for and how they can apply for the funds. The method in which schools are reopening for learning this fall varies by district. Some are going back to full in-person classes, others all online or offer a hybrid. Several districts reopened for the 2020-21 school year this week. Kent ISD Superintendent Ron Caniff said school leaders appreciate the support from county commissioners. This approval will help schools secure the needed resources and services to meet the needs of students during this pandemic, he said. The $2 million allocation is part of the countys share of federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act dollars. In total, the county received $114.63 million in CARES Act funds. Kent County has previously allocated CARES dollars to other aspects of the community impacted by COVID-19. That includes funding for business assistance, shelter assistance, non-profit assistance, a business personal protective equipment and more. Commissioners allocated $25 million in CARES dollars to small businesses in the form of grants and technical assistance. The initiative is called the Kent County Small Business Recovery Program. Read more: Man fatally shot, suspect arrested, Grand Rapids police say Why Michigan Trump supporters are sticking with the president in 2020 Thursday, Aug. 27: Latest developments on coronavirus in Michigan COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Larry Householder and his allies committed dozens of violations of state campaign finance law, including bribery, while helping Householder become and retain his power as speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose said on Thursday. LaRose, the states top elections official, on Thursday referred 162 elections complaints to the Ohio Elections Commission against Householder and four other men: his former top political aide Jeff Longstreth and lobbyists Matt Borges, Juan Cespedes and Neil Clark. The complaint describes an Enterprise PAC, an umbrella term that encapsulates a bevy of campaign groups LLCs, nonprofits and political action committees, as well as FirstEnergy and two affiliated companies that were involved in supporting Householder and passing House Bill 6, the nuclear bailout bill. The Enterprise PAC and organizations within it failed to file campaign-finance reports disclosing their activities and improperly gave corporate contributions for political candidates, it alleges. LaRose and Householder are both Republicans. The alleged elections violations parallel an investigation performed by the FBI and the U.S. Attorneys Office, which have charged Householder and the others of accepting more than $60 million in bribes, funneled through a network of political groups, from FirstEnergy and its affiliates to help Householder get elected as Ohio House speaker in January 2019. That involved helping him elect House candidates, pledged to Householder, to open legislative seats during the 2018 election. In exchange, federal authorities allege, Householder in 2019 helped pass HB6, which directed more than $1 billion in subsidies toward two plants owned by a former FirstEnergy affiliate, and defend it against a repeal effort from a referendum campaign. They also allege Householder misused campaign funds to pay off personal legal bills and to fix up a second home in Florida. FirstEnergy and its executives, while clearly referenced in federal charging documents, have not been charged and the company denies wrongdoing. Borges, Cespedes, Clark and Longstreth have pleaded not guilty, while Householder is scheduled to appear in court for an arraignment next week. Since his arrest in July, Householder has been removed from his leadership position but remains in the state legislature. The new charges from LaRoses office allege Householder and his allies: Improperly solicited corporate contributions and routed them to legislative candidates in the 2018 and 2020 elections Used shell organizations to conceal the source of political contributions Converted campaign money for personal use Attempted to place an agent with an opposing political group, the HB6 referendum campaign Paid petition gatherers working for the referendum campaign to quit Circulated a misleading petition and failed to file disclosures The Secretary of States Offices investigation is based on federal charging documents as well as publicly available sources like campaign-finance reports, elections records and tax records, officials in LaRoses office said. Our campaign finance & elections team has spent countless hours digging deep into campaign finance reports -- connecting the dots and building on the work done by the FBI as detailed in their criminal complaint, LaRose said in a statement. Todays referral to the Ohio Elections Commission is the next step in continuing to hold Representative Householder and his cronies accountable. The alleged violations carry penalties ranging from a first-degree felony for bribery to a fine of $25 to $500 for corrupt practices pertaining to campaign contributions. The Ohio Elections Commission, responsible for reviewing alleged violations of state campaign law, only has the ability to impose fines. If its necessary, the agency can eventually refer cases to local prosecutors for criminal prosecution. The elections commission met Thursday meeting, and isnt scheduled to meet again until late October. Less than 24 hours after the Air Force began accepting relocation applications from parents with joint custody of a child, the service granted its first such request. Master Sgt. Willian Rotroff, an F-35 integrated section chief with the 756th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, said in a statement that he got approval less than 24 hours after he submitted the package requesting to be stationed near his son. Now, he is set to leave Arizona and join four-year-old Chevvy in Florida this fall. The Air Force announced Aug. 5 that it would start considering the circumstances of airmen with a court-ordered child custody arrangement when determining assignments, even if they are not married to the co-parent. Read Next: Repairing Fire-Damaged USS Bonhomme Richard Would Likely Take Years, Admiral Says "We recognize family dynamics don't always look the same and there is not a one-size-fits-all solution to managing people's careers and assignments," Lt. Gen. Brian T. Kelly, deputy chief of staff for Manpower, Personnel and Services, said at the time. "We ask our people to move frequently, and we know that can cause additional stress and sacrifices for their families. This change gives us the flexibility needed to better take care of them." In Rotroff's case, he'd opted to relocate his son and ex-wife to Florida earlier this year, before finding out his overseas orders were canceled. In the release, he said he'd believed the location would provide a better support system for them in his absence. Rotroff said he got help from his local Military Personnel Flight to ensure he was eligible for consideration under the policy. He'd expected to receive a decision approximately 30 days after he submitted his package. "I was in shock," said Rotroff. "I know the assignment process is busy, with a lot of moving parts. I'm just so grateful to the assignments team and everyone that was involved with making this happen." "One of the greatest parts about being a squadron commander is that I have the ability and authority to fix many problems for my Airmen relatively quickly," Maj. Joseph Langan, Rotroff's commander, said in a statement. "Sometimes the problems are messy and have complex solutions, but this was one of the easiest and most satisfying wins I've had during my time in command." Cristi Bowes, Military Assignment Policy and Procedures at the Air Force Personnel Center, said Rotroff's proactive steps and the documentation he submitted contributed to the quick turnaround time. Fully rained assignment teams are ready to accept and review all requests immediately and get the decisions back to airmen as soon as possible, she said. "We deliberately designed the process to have minimal required coordination to enable the process to be swift for Airmen and their families," Bowes said. "This program truly shows how the Air Force cares for their Airmen and families," she added. "It provides an opportunity for Airmen to continue serving in the greatest Air Force in the world and not have to choose between their career and their children." Chief Master Sgt. Daniel Hoglund, Air Force Personnel Center command chief, credited the team of experts working behind the scenes to support such programs successfully. "The ability to take a vision and turn it into reality has set a mark for future programs to continue to generate wins for our Airmen and families," he said in a statement. "I look forward to this program running on all cylinders and becoming normal muscle movement for our assignment functional managers in our operations execution directorate." Rotroff said he expects to arrive in Florida in time for his son's fifth birthday. "Everyone's situation is different, everyone's urgency is different, but it's a blessing this program exists," Rotroff said. "I'm thankful my son will be able to have his mom and dad; his happiness means the world to me." -- Bing Xiao can be reached at bingxiao2020@u.northwestern.edu. She can also be found on Twitter @binghsiao1. Related: Air Force Will Now Consider Child Custody Agreements in Duty Assignments Three people have been charged following the discovery of the body of a Dothan man who had been missing since July 4. Holmes County (Fla.) Sheriff John Tate said Jeremie Odell Peters, 43, William Shane Parker, 35, of Gordon, and his girlfriend, Lauren Kay Wambles, 23, of Dothan, face charges related to the death of Raul Ambriz Guillen, 51. Parker is charged with murder, Wambles with being a principal to murder, and Peters with being an accessory after the fact and abuse of a corpse. Officials say more arrests and charges are pending in a case that has involved multiple law enforcement agencies in Alabama and Florida. Investigators determined that Guillen was last seen at 1101 Highway 171 in Holmes County, Fla. at Peters residence. Parker and Wambles were also there, they believed. Tate said investigators believe the killing took place there. This is a very complex case, he said at a Wednesday news conference. Investigators with the Holmes County Sheriffs Office obtained search warrants for Peters home and another on Highway 171. Investigators said evidence was discovered at both locations. The Bay County (Fla.) Sheriffs Office Search and Rescue then assisted with cadaver dogs until a shallow gravesite was found off Kirkland Road in northeastern Holmes County, Fla. Guillens body was then located on Monday night and recovered Tuesday. This investigation is a joint effort with Holmes County Sheriffs Office, Jackson County (Fla.) Sheriffs Office, Houston County Sheriffs Office, Bay County (Fla.) Sheriffs Office Search and Rescue, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the 14th Judicial Circuit Medical Examiners Office and State Attorneys Office. United Nations Security Council (UNSC) President from Indonesia Dian Triansyah Djani on Tuesday dismissed the US move to "snapback" all UN sanctions on Iran, according to Fox News. That triggered a furious response from US Ambassador to the UN Kelly Craft, who said "other members" of the UNSC "have lost their way and now find themselves standing in the company of terrorists." Does opposing the bid of the US, a country that has unilaterally withdrawn from the Iran nuclear deal, mean "standing in the company of terrorists?" The 2015 Iran nuclear deal between Iran and the "P5+1" - China, France, Russia, the UK, the US, plus Germany - has become an important part of the international nuclear non-proliferation system, which protects international and regional peace, and benefits multilateralism to resolve regional issues, Global Times writes in the article Washington traps itself on Iran nuclear deal issue. The deal represented the consensus of major countries. But the Trump administration runs counter to the mainstream world, and is now accusing other countries of standing with "terrorists." Such views are ridiculous. Thirteen of the 15 UNSC members oppose the US bid since it is using a process agreed under the Iran nuclear deal that it already left in 2018. Opposing the US bid is a legitimate decision under the framework of multilateralism. The Trump administration, however, wantonly promotes unilateralism and undermines regional peace. The Trump administration's rash withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal has hurt the economy and security of many European countries, since it has prevented them from doing business with Iran. And this time, even the UK, France and Germany - the US' close allies -insisted Washington had no legal right to trigger the "snapback." The US' arrogant and unilateral sanctions have affected the US itself. In terms of the Iran nuclear issue, the US deserves to be humiliated. Withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal and assassinating top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani greatly harmed the peace in the Middle East and increase uncertainty. Now, Washington is angrily labeling the countries that oppose it as supporting "terrorists," completely unaware that it has lost its global leadership and that it has undermined the multilateral order and world stability. However, it seems the US does not intend to stop there. Craft declared that the Trump administration "has no fear in standing in limited company on this matter." But if the US capriciously sticks to its unilateral position, it will find that the Iran nuclear issue will never develop according to its wishes. "The US will face opposition from more countries, including its allies, under the framework of multilateralism," Li Haidong, a professor at the Institute of International Relations of the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times on Wednesday. American voters may also gradually realize what the US has done is jeopardizing world order. Washington will be isolating itself, by labeling opposing countries as supporters of "terrorists," putting it on the opposite side of most countries, and waving the big stick of sanctions everywhere. The situation will be the same on other issues as well. The US regards itself as a so-called world leader, but Washington has constantly damaged its own credibility and leadership. The US is plunging itself into one quagmire after another, and it will find itself achieving nothing in the end. Residents of a rural Manitoba town are railing against the Prairie Mountain Health Authority, accusing it of cutting local services and pilfering staff from its diagnostic lab to fill vacancies elsewhere in the region. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 27/8/2020 (510 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Residents of a rural Manitoba town are railing against the Prairie Mountain Health Authority, accusing it of cutting local services and pilfering staff from its diagnostic lab to fill vacancies elsewhere in the region. "Its devastating news for our community on so many levels," said Jana Knight, a lifelong resident of Roblin, a town of about 1,600 in western Manitoba. Last Friday, residents learned the lab at the Roblin Health Centre would be partially closed Sept. 1, and two full-time staff who worked in diagnostics would be relocated to the Russell Health Centre, which is experiencing high patient volumes 54 kilometres south of Roblin on Highway 83. Roblin residents will now have to travel 30 minutes on the highway for some diagnostic services, Knight said. "Theyre making health care less and less accessible in rural Manitoba and if we dont fight for it Im worried about the future of our community," she said. Ultrasounds, electrocardiograms and blood sample collection will continue at the Roblin Health Centre on weekdays. (Hau Dinh / The Associated Press files) According to Shared Health, the provincial agency responsible for diagnostic services, the consolidation was prompted by a number of staff vacancies throughout the geographic area related to retirements, resignations and maternity leaves. Ultrasounds, electrocardiograms and blood sample collection will continue at the Roblin Health Centre on weekdays, a spokesman for Shared Health said in a statement to the Free Press, but emergency diagnostic testing services, including X-rays and analysis, will happen in Russell, Grandview or Brandon. "Recruitment to fill vacancies throughout the area is ongoing, beginning in Russell," the spokesman said. However, residents fear the cuts are permanent and will have a domino effect in the community, including the closure of the emergency room. "Time is of the essence when its your health," said Roblin resident Jill Cross, 77. "As a senior citizen, I think I have the right to a diagnostic service in my own community Im not asking for an MRI or CT scan, but my god Im asking for a blood test. "It will kill the town because the next thing thats going to close is the ER. Were going to lose our four doctors and we fought so hard to get them," Cross said. Some Roblin residents are worried the community's ER could close. (Hannah McKay / The Associated Press files) Municipal leaders are encouraging residents to call PMHA chief executive officer Penny Gilson and public health leaders to express their concerns. A request for comment from the PMHA was not returned Thursday. On its website, the municipality warned Roblin's doctors may leave if the emergency room closes, and suggested without X-ray or blood sample analysis available on site, the ER could not operate. "Theyre telling us its temporary and weve heard that nonsense before," Municipality of Roblin council head Robert Misko said. "The process sure seems geared to us that all theyre trying to do is shut down our hospital." Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Bob Moroz, president of the Manitoba Association of Health Care Professionals, echoed that worry. "MAHCP is concerned that this reportedly temporary closure could become permanent, as has happened with other rural health care services," Moroz said. When asked if the ER will remain open, the spokesman for Shared Health said "decisions related to service impacts involve consideration by clinical leadership for the region as well as the local health care team. Those discussions are ongoing." Liberal leader Dougald Lamont said vacancies in rural health care are being aggravated by "panic retirements" over uncertainty surrounding proposed legislation affecting provincial employee pensions. Lamont said a months-long delay to pass new legislation that would stabilize the pension plan is "driving people out of the public service." "In the middle of (a) pandemic, the Pallister PCs are closing a rural lab in the Prairie Mountain Health (region) the very region where COVID-19 outbreaks are highest," Lamont said in a statement. "This lab should not be closing and the province should be stepping up to hire new lab techs to make sure rural health care has the support it needs." danielle.dasilva@freepress.mb.ca The organisation has compared the lockdown of pubs across EU member states to find that only Romanias indoor bars also remain shut though owners have been allowed to serve customers outdoors since June. The group, representing over 14,000 drinks and hospitality businesses, said that pubs serving food - which were allowed to reopen in the Republic at the end of June - comprise just 40 per cent of pubs across the country and that 60 per cent of Irish pubs have now been closed for more than five months. It compared this to 13 EU member states, including Germany, Italy, and Austria, where bars were permitted to reopen in May with social distancing restrictions. It said a further nine member states, including France, Spain, and the Netherlands, permitted pubs and bars to reopen in June, while in Britain pubs were allowed to reopen on July 4th and Portugal reopened its bars later in August. Advertisement The group also said that bars in Sweden never closed as it did not impose a lockdown, while bars in Latvia have remained open throughout the pandemic once they have maintained distancing of two metres between customers. Irish pubs have endured the longest lockdown in the EU, losing half a year of business. Chair of DIGI Rosemary Garth said the lockdown of pubs in Ireland is unprecedented: Irish pubs have endured the longest lockdown in the EU, losing half a year of business. The Government has so far failed to provide them with any kind of reassurance, certainty, or long-term support. For many publicans, the situation seems hopeless... many expect to be closed. DIGI is now calling for a dedicated pub support package to be announced immediately, along with a 15 per cent reduction in excise tax on alcohol in Budget 2021 as Irelands tax is the second highest in the EU. The group has said many problems face publicans when their premises are permitted to reopen, with almost half having taken on at least 16,000 in debt since the lockdown began, with one in five taking on more than 30,000. We risk permanently losing hundreds of businesses and thousands of jobs, just as we did in the 2008 recession. Government support next year will be too late; the damage will have been done. The drinks and hospitality sector needs financial support now, Ms Garth said. Without it, pubs will reopen with the second highest excise tax in the EU and we risk permanently losing hundreds of businesses and thousands of jobs, just as we did in the 2008 recession. According to DIGI, Irelands drinks industry directly employs more than 90,000 people and indirectly supports upwards of 175,000 jobs. Irish pubs are generally small businesses with modest revenues. 90 per cent of pubs are located outside of Dublin, where they provide a place for their local communities to come together and socialise. They are key parts of our tourism product and our national culture, Ms Garth said. Fionet real-time linkage Fionet mobile devices and web portal Fionet mobile devices and web portal Fionet Process Fionets workflow Fionets workflow Fionet is a first-of-its-kind mobile testing platform for organizations to manage and track on-site COVID-19 testing Fionet Devices, usable by non-expert personnel, enables lab-grade diagnostic testing in clinics, pharmacies, workplaces, airports, nursing homes and other community-based locations Simultaneously, Fionet Cloud relays real-time data for remote oversight of frontline testing activities and results Fionet is compatible with rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) from multiple suppliers, enabling agile testing programs and reducing supply chain constraints for RDTs Proven in the field with 1 million cases in 12 countries for other high-consequence pandemics, including malaria, HIV, dengue, ebola and others Documented impact in scientific and medical journals demonstrating diagnostic accuracy of 99.5% 1 equivalent to that of laboratory technologists, while reducing testing errors and cost inefficiencies Proved to be an essential tool for both performing [rapid diagnostic tests] in the field and for monitoring from remote locations.2 TORONTO, Aug. 26, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Relay Medical Corp. (Relay or the Company) (CSE: RELA, OTC: RYMDF, Frankfurt: EIY2), and Fio Corporation (Fio) announce the commencement of operations of the Fionet Rapid Response Group (FRR) to bring a new COVID-19 mobile testing and tracking platform to market. FRR is now in negotiation for trial deployments with several potential partners. Relay and Fio previously announced a joint venture on August 19, 2020 to rapidly launch and deploy a new COVID-19 testing, data collection and reporting solution. The JV operates under the name Fionet Rapid Response Group and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada. Community-based testing and real-time tracking is indispensable for combating pandemics like COVID-19. Fionet has already made this happen in the most challenging epidemic regions on the planet and we are now preparing for imminent deployment of our platform with several partners to combat COVID-19 at home and abroad, said Dr Michael Greenberg, CEO of Fionet Rapid Response Group. Story continues Fionet is a mobile testing and tracking platform specifically developed for controlled, rapid response to pandemics. The platform combines handheld devices linked to online AI-powered cloud, automating frontline testing and capturing test results for tracking. Fionets rugged, mobile devices are compatible with multiple third-party antigen and antibody COVID-19 rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs), which creates sourcing flexibility for RDTs which are of limited supply and continuously evolving. Fionet also connects with molecular testing devices such as PCRs. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/abb3635d-6461-4211-bc08-156b57247c87 Fios cloud-platform delivers real-time, actionable intelligence for supervisors and public health officials to manage responses and resources to new levels of precision and promptness. Data and insights are delivered to dashboards, IT systems and public health databases for rapid, secure and data-informed responses. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ff268b54-709f-4b8f-9d53-7358cbdcb5b7 Flexible and customizable, Fionet enables diagnostic testing in any community-based setting to support a variety of return-to-work use-cases. Testing can be expanded beyond the few overburdened medical centres to small clinics, pharmacies, workplaces, airports, nursing homes, schools, etc. and performed at hospital-grade accuracy, in higher volume, faster-speed, and by less-skilled frontline workers. Fionet has proven, positive impact on 1 million patients with infectious diseases in over a dozen countries and 4 continents. Fio successfully managed testing programs for high-consequence diseases such as malaria, HIV, dengue and ebola in partnership with world-class organizations including World Health Organization, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Ministry of Health of Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Republic of Kenya Ministry of Health. The many transformational benefits delivered by Fionet have been validated and documented in several dozen scientific and medical journals. Fionet has successfully reduced testing errors by 23%, achieves 99.5%1 diagnostic accuracy rate compared to expert lab techs, and provides significant economic efficiencies, said Yoav Raiter, CEO, Relay Medical Corp. 1 Noble et al. Continuous quality monitoring in the field: an evaluation of the performance of the Fio Deki Reader for rapid HIV testing in South Africa. BMC Infectious Diseases (2020) 20:320 2 Mulvaney SP, et al. Rapid design and fielding of four diagnostic technologies in Sierra Leone, Thailand, Peru, and Australia: Successes and challenges faced introducing these biosensors. Sensing and Bio-Sensing Research 20 (2018) 2233. **The Companies are not making any express or implied claims that its product has the ability to eliminate, cure or contain the COVID-19 (or SARS-2 Coronavirus) at this time. About Fio Corporation Fio Corporation, privately held and headquartered in Toronto, developed and markets the worlds first integrated guidance & tracking IT platform for decentralized healthcare settings, a new category of solution that raises healthcare quality and lowers healthcare costs. The platform enables average healthcare workers in clinics to deliver a new level of quality-controlled diagnostic testing and case management. Simultaneously, as an automated by-product of its clinical use, the platform captures and provides unprecedented frontline data to remote supervisors and stakeholders, enabling real-time remote tracking, insight distribution, and intervention. Fio operates globally in partnership with local distribution, service, and support organizations and also partners with other companies that license its technologies. Website: www.fio.com About Relay Medical Corp. Relay Medical is a MedTech innovation Company headquartered in Toronto, Canada focused on the development of novel technologies in the diagnostics and AI data science sectors. Website: www.relaymedical.com Contact: W. Clark Kent President Relay Medical Corp. Office. 647-872-9982 ext. 2 TF. 1-844-247-6633 ext. 2 investor.relations@relaymedical.com Bernhard Langer EU Investor Relations Office. +49 (0) 177 774 2314 Email: blanger@relaymedical.com Forward-looking Information Cautionary Statement Except for statements of historic fact, this news release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities law. Forward-looking information is frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates at the date the statements are made, and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements including, but not limited to delays or uncertainties with regulatory approvals, including that of the CSE. There are uncertainties inherent in forward-looking information, including factors beyond the Companys control. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change except as required by law. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Additional information identifying risks and uncertainties that could affect financial results is contained in the Companys filings with Canadian securities regulators, which filings are available at www.sedar.com But environmentalists seek explanation for the deaths of 27 dolphins following an oil spill from a Japanese ship. Dead dolphins that washed up in Mauritius near the site of an oil spill have so far been found to have wounds on their bodies but no trace of oil, preliminary autopsy results released on Thursday said. Environmentalists are urgently seeking an explanation for the mysterious deaths of 27 dolphins that washed ashore on Wednesday and Thursday, to determine whether they were killed by the spill. Scientists fear the toxic spill could hurt wildlife for many years on islands that depend on tourism. So far, veterInarians have examined only two of the dolphins. Authorities say autopsies will be performed on the rest. The preliminary results show that the animals did not have trace of hydrocarbon in their respiratory system, nor in their skin, throat or stomach, the report said. Both of the dolphins examined so far bore signs of injuries, it said. The Japanese-owned MV Wakashio, a bulk carrier, ran aground on July 25 and began to spill oil about a week later. The ship was scuttled on Monday. The autopsy on the first two was conducted by the government-run Albion Fisheries Research Centre. The autopsy will be carried out on all other dolphins, said Jasvin Sok Appadu from the fisheries ministry. Local environmental group Eco-Sud called for the full autopsy results to be released publicly, while climate watchdog Greenpeace demanded an investigation to determine whether the deaths were linked to the oil spill. Everybody here on the island doesnt trust this [government] report, said Sunil Dowarkasing, a Mauritian independent consultant who used to work for Greenpeace, told DPA news agency. Dowarkasing said NGOs should be allowed to conduct their own autopsies. There are some pictures of some of the dolphins with their mouths full of black, he said, adding the government was trying to downplay all the impacts of this oil spillage. Students wearing protective masks raise their hands in a classroom as a teacher gives a lesson remotely at a public charter school in Provo, Utah, U.S., on Thursday, Aug. 20, 2020. The World Health Organization warned on Thursday that an increasing body of evidence suggests children do play a role in the spread of Covid-19, but classrooms are not thought to be a "main contributor" to the pandemic. It comes as students prepare to return to school both in person and online after the summer holidays, with authorities across the U.S, Europe and elsewhere trying to orchestrate a delicate balancing act. Many are asking whether restarting the new academic year with robust mitigation measures may be worth the risk to students, teachers and families, given that keeping schools closed could exacerbate learning gaps exposed by lockdown measures. During a press briefing on Thursday, Hans Kluge, regional director for Europe at the WHO said that, so far, school settings had not been a "main contributor" to the pandemic. "There's also more and more publications that adds to the body of evidence that children do play a role in the transmission but that this is, so far, more linked with social gatherings," Kluge said. "So, this is one of the unknowns but definitely top priorities for the policymakers at the World Health Organization." To date, more than 24.2 million people have contracted the coronavirus worldwide, with 826,368 related deaths, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. "It is a tricky moment now, when we transition from the summer to the autumn with three phenomena coming together," Kluge said, reflecting on the challenges European countries face over the coming weeks. He listed the reopening of schools, the upcoming influenza season, and the excess mortality rate in elderly people seen during the winter. "So, vigilance is really the key word," he said. TAMPA, Fla., Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Medi-Weightloss, the largest and leading physician-supervised weight management brand in the US, commits to raising awareness of metabolic syndrome through screenings and patient and public education. Approximately 32% of the U.S. population has metabolic syndrome. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome increases to approximately 60% - 75% in people with obesity and 85% in people with a chronic disease such as type 2 diabetes. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome also increases with age, with 40% of people affected being over the age of 60. About Metabolic Syndrome Metabolic syndrome is a group of weight-related health conditions that increases the risk for chronic health complications including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and certain types of cancers. Metabolic syndrome is defined as having three or more of the following conditions: Obesity or excess weight around the belly High blood pressure High blood sugar High cholesterol High triglyceride levels "Metabolic syndrome has been dubbed by researchers as the new silent killer that subsequently leads to the development of many chronic diseases. We found that over half (52%) of our incoming patients had metabolic syndrome and most were unaware of their diagnosis," says Macklin Guzman, DHSc, MPH, Chief Science Officer, Medi-Weightloss. To define the effects of its program on metabolic syndrome, Medi-Weightloss conducted a prospective longitudinal study that included 479 participants classified as having obesity or overweight and were treated at five Medi-Weightloss locations in the United States. The findings are groundbreaking - the prevalence of metabolic syndrome was reduced by 45% in the first 13 weeks and subsequently by 73% at 52 weeks in patients. Additionally, the early improvements after only 13 weeks on the Medi-Weightloss program are remarkable: Body weight reduced by 14%. Body fat percentage reduced by 12%. BMI reduced by 5 points. Waist circumference decreased by 5 inches. Blood pressure and blood sugar measures improved. "This study provides compelling evidence that indicates Medi-Weightloss is one of the most effective ways to reduce weight," said Dr. Guzman. "Medical supervision has a key role in screening and treating metabolic syndrome, a disease that is typically underdiagnosed and undertreated. Learning that one has metabolic syndrome can be a great motivator for adopting a healthier lifestyle. This study, for the first time, provides new clinical benchmarks indicating participation in the Medi-Weightloss program can have a direct impact on health improvements, including waist size, cholesterol, triglyceride levels, and blood pressure," concludes Dr. Guzman Medi-Weightloss' research on Metabolic Syndrome was published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Public Health. Established in 2005, Medi-Weightloss offers a physician supervised weight loss program known as The One That Works! Physicians and medical professionals provide individualized care based on each patient's goals, current health status, and medical history. The program includes weekly consultations that focus on accountability, education, and behavior change. Contact: Rhandi Guzzo [email protected] 978-758-1256 SOURCE Medi-Weightloss Related Links https://www.mediweightloss.com The ongoing season used to be quite busy for tour, travel and hotel operators in Uttarakhand because of the rush for Char Dham pilgrimage and tourists flocking the state. But for the past five months, the Covid-19 pandemic has hit the sector hard. Hundreds of pilgrim-tourist vehicles, which used to be busy on routes for Char Dham, Gangotri, Yamunotri, Badrinath, Kedarnath and other popular spots, are now parked at Bairagi camp Kumbh land and at other vacant plots. Around 15,000 people are directly involved with the travel-tour trade in Haridwar and nearly 8,000 vehicles are involved in this industry. According to Tour Travel Association, Haridwar, there are about 500 travel-tour agencies operating, of which, offices of around 95 percent of such agencies are shut for the past few months. Also read: Jammu and Kashmir, 9 states account for 89% of Covid-19 deaths - Govt Traders associated to Tour Operator Association have now resorted to staging sit-in demonstrations and protests demanding adequate compensation, waiver of road tax and opening of Char Dham pilgrimage without any restrictions so that the tourism economy of the state gets back to normalcy. We have been writing to the state government and also meeting legislators and cabinet ministers to put forth our demands. It is high time that we are provided with a relief package, said the president of Tour Operator Association Haridwar, Abhishek Ahluwalia. Taxi Maxi State Association (TMA) president Girish Bhatia that all thirteen Akhadas are being provided one crore rupees each but the tour-travel industry has not been provided with any similar relief package or financial assistance, waiver of loan instalments for at least one year. From ferrying pilgrims, tourists to catering to government work during elections and disaster management, it is this sector which plays a pivotal role but now when it needs assistance to sustain, we are only getting meagre assurances, said Bhatia. Eyeing Mahakumbh fair to be held early next year, the tourism fraternity has urged the state government to ensure that the Kumbh Mela is organised amidst certain restrictions. Ranipur Trader Association (RTA) president Sanjeev Chaudhari said, We will take to the streets if Mahakumbh is not organised in its usual set up. The trader community here has been waiting for this grand fair for past 11 years and if it is not organised then it will bring traders, teerth purohits and travel-tour-hotel industry on verge of poverty, said Chaudhari. When contacted, cabinet minister Madan Kaushik said that state government is trying its best to ensure Char Dham pilgrimage witnesses more and more pilgrims and Mahakumbh is successfully organised but all depends on the impact of coronavirus pandemic at that time (January-April 2020). Tourism minister Satpal Maharaj said the state government is making sincere efforts to help the tourism sector. Tourism has been given the status of the industry in the state. Over 2.43 lakh people associated with the tourism sector have been provided financial assistance. Taxi-maxi, cab, auto, rickshaw, e-rickshaw, Vikram drivers are being provided Rs 1,000 each. Similarly, photographers registered with the tourism department are also being provided a similar amount, he said. anjan_c2007 Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: India Posts: 6,932 Thanked: 12,169 Times View My Garage Has Mahindra & Mahindra really missed the bus? Lost opportunities & sales? The point to be made is that with so many ambitious forays on a continuous basis in so many market segments, is Mahindra losing it's dominance on the area of it's core competence ? The half a dozen new sub four metre launches viz. Quanto, NuvoSport, KUV 100, Verito Vibe, TUV 300 and XUV 300 have failed to enthuse the buyers. And lately, the two dated but very well accepted models, the Bolero and Scorpio together with the farm equipment division sustain the huge automaker for all it's other activities generating income, though the balance sheets reported huge losses during the Q1 of FY 2020-21. Bolero appears at # 16 (4360 units) and Scorpio at # 20 (3135 units) in the Top 20 best sellers list. The XUV 500 reported sales of just 839 units last month (source teambhp figures for numbers despatched to dealers). And # 20 indicates the borderline, so the Scorpio has just managed to stay afloat. Though the company has newer strategies being enunciated by it's ED for auto and farm sectors Mr Jejurkar saying about the all new XUV 500 (W 601) and Scorpio (Z101) and other plans. But the compact SUV space has already been occupied by many other newer entrants in this segment. Mahindra's mismatched launches and late or almost no apt response with a proper portfolio in the compact SUV segment, where a spiralling demand is evident and is for here to stay, can be called as a major policy failure. Their handling of too many recipes at a time could have been a factor, that has allowed competitors have a cake walk on Mahindra's turf - a sad saga for the auto major ! Some excerpts from the Economic Times reported interview with Mr Jejurkar, ED :- Quote: Taking charge of the automotive business after a gap of almost five to seven years, Jejurikar has taken stock of what went wrong with the past portfolio. The Mahindra SUVs stand for being tough, edgy, and unique. Wherever we have done that, we have been successful. You will see that in the next three launches, which will help us consolidate our position, he said. Demand for the Bolero, Scorpio, XUV 500 and pickups is strong, but a large part of the portfolio launched recently hasnt done as well. Between 2013 and 2019, M&M launched about half a dozen sub-4 metre SUVs (Quanto, NuvoSport, KUV 100, Verito Vibe, TUV 300 and XUV 300). Most of them failed to sustain the excitement. The company has sorely missed out on the compact SUV and MPV segments, where the market size has more than doubled since 2013. M&M saw its volumes come off-peak from 2.8 lakh in FY-12 to 1.8 lakh in FY-20 and market share dropping from 55% to 19% in the same time frame. Hormazd Sorabjee, Editor, Autocar India says the product quality at Mahindra has transformed to compete hard with global players. For sure, Mahindra needs a differentiated approach and stand out products, but how much would this yield in terms of volumes remains to be seen. The company has got the design and price value equation a wee-bit off. If it is corrected, M&M surely can find its own mark in the competitive market, added Sorabjee. The company sorely missed a Renault Duster or Hyundai Creta rival or a Maruti Suzuki Ertiga rival. From a leader, it was expected that the company would participate in that space, but M&M decided to stick to its core. Finally, M&M will be introducing a soft-roader B SUV in alliance with Ford, but it will come only by 2023. https://auto.economictimes.indiatime...ative/77648790 Getting relegated to # 4 next to Tata Motors, as seen by the July 2020 monthly sales, Mahindra has been losing space in the very space it helped create decades ago, with it's SUV's, MUV's and UV's. During those decades, there was no real challenger their leadership in these segments. The car segment was left for other players, who with their respective expertises dominated or were left out in the race. With Ford, Mahindra entered the car space in the mid 1990's and the Escort came along. After moving together for not even a decade, they parted ways. Some ten years later, Mahindra went with Renault and the parting with the French car maker was with it's vesting rights for manufacture of it's dated Logan alias Verito with Mahindra. A sliced sub-4000 mm Verito Vibe was also born (or was it still-born?) as a hatch variant. These never sold well, but the company still lists these and their EV versions on the portfolio. The Ssangyong purchase was a distraction of focus as the story is currently ending on a sad note, going by the market reports. And the purchase of the EV brand Reva and it's transformation into the Mahindra E2O and so on is another Achilles heel for the auto major. It ain't going nowhere as we can conclude. Their American dream with the Roxor is a story of struggle, but it's too early to say as to whether things will get even for Mahindra in the US market, due to the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) copyright issues and so on. Mahindra's two wheeler forays with their purchase of the Pithampur facility in M.P. from Kinetic Engineering is also nothing very encouraging to write about, not even their tie-up with Classic Legends for manufacturing Brand Jawa motorbikes as pf now.The point to be made is that with so many ambitious forays on a continuous basis in so many market segments, is Mahindra losing it's dominance on the area of it's core competence ? The half a dozen new sub four metre launches viz. Quanto, NuvoSport, KUV 100, Verito Vibe, TUV 300 and XUV 300 have failed to enthuse the buyers. And lately, the two dated but very well accepted models, the Bolero and Scorpio together with the farm equipment division sustain the huge automaker for all it's other activities generating income, though the balance sheets reported huge losses during the Q1 of FY 2020-21. Bolero appears at # 16 (4360 units) and Scorpio at # 20 (3135 units) in the Top 20 best sellers list. The XUV 500 reported sales of just 839 units last month (source teambhp figures for numbers despatched to dealers). And # 20 indicates the borderline, so the Scorpio has just managed to stay afloat. Though the company has newer strategies being enunciated by it's ED for auto and farm sectors Mr Jejurkar saying about the all new XUV 500 (W 601) and Scorpio (Z101) and other plans. But the compact SUV space has already been occupied by many other newer entrants in this segment. Mahindra's mismatched launches and late or almost no apt response with a proper portfolio in the compact SUV segment, where a spiralling demand is evident and is for here to stay, can be called as a major policy failure. Their handling of too many recipes at a time could have been a factor, that has allowed competitors have a cake walk on Mahindra's turf - a sad saga for the auto major !Some excerpts from the Economic Times reported interview with Mr Jejurkar, ED :-The full report on this newslink :- Last edited by anjan_c2007 : 24th August 2020 at 19:17 . At a time when experts, both in India and abroad, have stressed on strict safety norms to prevent the spread of Covid-19, Delhi Police have fined at least 188,578 people for not wearing masks in public, collecting a total of Rs 9.42 crore from people guilty of the violation since June 14, according to data accessed by HT. Addressing a press conference on the marginal rise of Covid cases in the city, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday urged people to continue wearing masks and not mind if authorities were issuing fines because they were doing it for a greater good. Confidence is good but it should not lead to complacence at any cost...... In case one if fined, one must understand that it is for a greater good, he said adding that he has directed authorities to strengthen enforcement of rules. Also read | Covid-19: What you need to know today The penalty for not wearing a mask is a Rs 500 on-the-spot fine under a rule passed by the Delhi government under the Delhi Epidemic Diseases, (Management of Covid-19) Regulations, 2020, approved by the Delhi L-G in June. The drive to penalise those moving about in public spaces without a mask was launched on June 14. A senior Delhi police officer, who did not wish to be named, said that a majority of people fined were those who could afford a mask but still stepped out in public without one. Most of these people have no reason whatsoever not to wear masks. Issuing fines is not the solution but it serves as a deterrent. We do not fine the underprivileged persons. Instead of issuing fines, we distribute masks among them. Till Tuesday, we have distributed 221,735 masks. Our teams are visiting areas in the Capital where underprivileged citizens live, the officer said. Dr VK Paul, member(health) at Niti Aayog, had on Sunday said that while Delhi has done well in terms of testing, surveillance, containment measures, contact tracing, and scaling up health infrastructure, leading to a drop in overall cases, the lack of caution among residents has emerged as impediment in preventing a further reduction in number of cases. Theres laxity in peoples behaviour as far as adopting preventive measures is concerned, which is extremely important along with surveillance and other epidemiological measures, to bring down the rate of infection, Paul told HT. Also read| Delhi at an inflection point in Covid battle According to the police data, least number of fines were imposed in the New Delhi district, which includes the Lutyens zone. Till 23 August, 6,482 people were found without mask in New Delhi. The maximum number of violations, 22,136, were reported from Outer Delhi district -- which includes places like Mangolpuri, Aman Vihar, Sultanpuri and Kanjhawala, followed by West Delhi where 16,772 people without mask were fined. Data suggests that more people in South Delhi are complying with the mask rule now since on July 20, the district which has areas such as Defence Colony, Hauz Khas, Lodhi Colony and Mehrauli, had the maximum violations at 5,539. The district has reported total 15,331 violations till August 23. Second maximum violations had been reported from Southwest district at 4,564. This includes RK Puram,Vasant Vihar, Delhi Cantonment and Vasant Kunj. Police officers in outer district said while many people have gamchhas (a cotton cloth), they do not cover their faces. They said a lot of people are not aware that not wearing a mask can attract a penalty. In many cases, when we ask people that they could be fined for not wearing a mask or covering their faces properly, people dont believe us. Some even smile and apologise. If the violator is a factory worker or labourer, we usually counsel them, make them cover their face and let them go with a warning, a patrolling officer, who has been involved in the drive, said requesting anonymity. Other officers said fines are proving a deterrence. In places such as south Delhi or New Delhi, we could see a change within days of people learning that police had started issuing fines. The word spread quickly so those districts managed to reduce the number. It will take time, but violations will decrease in other districts too, a senior police officer, who did not wish to be named, said. HT reached out to at least three people who were fined for not wearing a mask but all of them refused to speak to the media. The police clarified on Tuesday through their Twitter account that wearing a face mask is mandatory even for those who are driving alone in their car. Police officials pointed out instances in which people driving cars argued with them that they couldnt be penalised since they were alone in the vehicle. Experts stressed that wearing masks and hand hygiene were essential to contain the spread of the disease. I strongly advise citizens to wear masks and wash hands.This is basic and the first level of protection, which should not be ignored. There are many reasons why people are now moving around without a mask. Maybe they think there is no risk. Many perceive that the threat from the virus is to others and not to them. Some may also be fed up of the virus. A minor reason could also be fake news from irresponsible social media companies, which say that wearing masks is harmful. Until the day, we find a cure, or the virus mutates to a weaker strain or we develop herd immunity, it is important to wear masks, wash hands frequently and maintain social distancing, said Dr Puneet Mishra, professor of community medicine, AIIMS. Delhi added 1,693 fresh Covid-19 cases and 17 fatalities on Wednesday, according to the Delhi governments daily health bulletin. The total number of infections in the capital now stands at 165,764 and the toll at 4,347. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A retired Delhi Police sub-inspector (SI) allegedly shot his son twice on Wednesday night following a domestic dispute before turning his licenced revolver on himself and died at his home in Dadri. The son, who was shot at in the chest and leg, is undergoing treatment. His condition is stated to be critical, the police said. The SI, identified as Bachhan Singh (65), lived in Escorts colony under the jurisdiction of Dadri police station. The police said the family members were often involved in domestic disputes over money and property matters among themselves and his two sons would also object to Singhs drinking habit. We have found out that domestic disputes were common in the household. The incident occurred at around 10:30 pm on Wednesday. It appears that following another round of altercation, Singh took out his licenced revolver and opened fire at one of his sons in the chest and leg. He then shot himself and died on the spot. The son was taken to a local hospital, where he is undergoing treatment, said Vishal Pandey, additional deputy commissioner of police (APCP), Zone 3, Greater Noida. Singhs body has been sent for an autopsy. Taking cognisance of the 112 call (police helpline), the body has been sent for an autopsy. His family is yet to file a complaint, said the ADCP. Police said Singh was estranged from his wife, who lived elsewhere with one of their sons. The reason for the domestic dispute on Wednesday late evening is still not clear, the police said. It is yet to be ascertained whether Singh took his own life and fired at his son under the influence of alcohol. The autopsy would confirm whether he had consumed alcohol before the incident occurred, the police said. A probe is in progress, ADCP Pandey added. Mumbai, Aug 27 : Actress Celina Jaitly is thanking the audience for accepting an outsider like her. The actress looked back at her Bollywood journey as she penned a note to mark 15 years of her film, "No Entry", which had released in 2005. "Yesterday marked the 15th year Anniversary of my film NO ENTRY. Thank you audience for accepting an outsider and giving your love for so many consecutive years to this film. This is still one of the "MOST WATCHED" films on all platforms," she wrote on Instagram on Thursday, as she shared a video montage of clips from the film. Looking back at the shooting of the film, she said: "I had the opportunity to work with some of the finest technical and creative talents in our film industry. At the age of 22 I was so naive and young and overwhelmed during the shoot." "Thank you @aneesbazmee for teaching me so much about comedies and film making. This song 'ISHQ MEIN'' by the iconic music director @anumalikmusic ( Sung by the master talents @sunidhichauhan5 @krishnakumarkunnath KK ) was choreographed by the legendary @prabhudevaofficial sir. Each beat literally had 32 beats to catch within it, even as a trained classical & jazz dancer I was shaking," she added. "We shot this song in South Africa ( Cape Town), Thailand & Mauritius over a period of 8 Months thanks to most incredible producers like late @sridevi.kapoor & @boney.kapoor," she mentioned. She also went on to talk about her co-stars, and said: "Working with a senior like @anilskapoor I learnt a lot about comedy timing. Thank you costars @beingsalmankhan #fardeenkhan . This was also the beginning of many special friendships with amazing girls @imeshadeol @bipashabasu @larabhupathi ... 'NO ENTRY' will always hold a special place in my life and career. Thank you universe and all my fans. More than 1,500 police officers infected with Covid-19 in Bengaluru Countries around the world raced to develop a vaccine for coronavirus (Covid-19) as the pandemic continues to rage. India reported 75,760 new cases of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) and 1,023 deaths in the last 24 hours, pushing the tally to 3,310,234, according to the Union health ministry's dashboard. Globally, India is the third worst-hit nation from the pandemic. India may overtake Brazil sometime in the next two weeks if the cases continue to grow at the same pace. Click here for complete coronavirus coverage Meanwhile, the global coronavirus tally has gone up to 24,335,741 cases and 829,676 deaths, according to worldometer. Follow latest updates on Covid-19 here: Bloomberg photo by Daniel Acker. In every U.S. presidential election since 1964, more women than men have turned out to vote. And since 1980, the two genders have differed markedly in their preferences at the ballot box, with women tending to choose candidates from the Democratic Party more than men do. Though this gender gap in voting is not just in the U.S. - women around the world have become more likely to vote for candidates on the left, particularly in western Europe and Canada - it's become a defining feature of American politics and more pronounced under President Donald Trump. Why have women and men diverged, and what does it mean for elections to come? - The situation: In his surprise 2016 victory over Hillary Clinton, the first woman nominated for president by either of the two major parties, Trump won 52% of votes cast by men but only 41% of those cast by women. That gender gap of 11 percentage points tied the biggest recorded in the four decades it's been tracked in U.S. presidential elections. Tauranga school students will get another year of free bus use. The decision to extend the trial has been made at a Bay of Plenty Regional Council Public Transport Committee meeting today. The Tauranga schools fare free trial commenced on January 27 this year, and was intended to end December 18. It was established to see whether free fares for students can assist in Taurangas traffic congestion. The committee agreed today to extend the free service until December 2021. Committee chairman Andrew von Dadelszen says in June 2019 there were 46,252 student trips and this increased to 60,280 in June 2020. Covid has had a big effect on our bus patronage but it was great to see a 30 per cent jump in use by students year to year, says von Dadelszen. Bike racks on Tauranga buses are also seeing a significant increase in usage and von Dadelszen says it shows multi-modal travel, combining cycling with public transport. Use of these bike racks has increased by over 60 per cent from July 2019 to June this year and supports patronage growth, he says. In June 2020 the bike racks were used 790 times compared to 483 times in July 2019. Bay of Plenty Regional Council also reviewed the SuperGold Card free travel trial period and it has been extended until 30 June 2021 on all Bayhopper and Cityride services. During the trial period eligible card holders, aged 65 and over, will have free bus travel on the regional network from 9am weekdays and all day on weekends and public holidays. Two final-year BTech students from Indian Institute of Technology-Bombays (IIT-B) department of civil engineering have developed a free-of-cost mobile application that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to scan documents and read them aloud to the user. The AIR Scanner app offers document scanner features such as scanning, organising and sharing documents. What sets it apart from the existing document scanners is the AI-enabled reading assistant which understands words in a page. The students, Rohit Kumar Chaudhary and Kavin Agrawal, were inspired to create the application after the Centre banned several commonly-used Chinese apps. The AI reading assistant has two significant features a dictionary and a narrator, said Chaudhary. With a single tap on word boxes, the user gets its full-fledged meaning including examples, synonyms, pronunciation and translation in over 40 languages. Users can also import e-books and newspaper snippets and have the mobile application read it aloud to them. Currently the app supports only English language for assisted reading. But soon we will be rolling out an update that will support Hindi and other local languages, said Chaudhary. The developers are mulling filing a patent for the technology. Meanwhile, the institute claimed that the application would give stiff competition to existing document scanning applications. In the times of Covid-19 pandemic, along with the online education and work-from-home model, it can prove to be of great help, said the institute in a statement. Convicted Felon Pleads Guilty to Possessing Rifle During Unrest in Virginia A convicted felon pleaded guilty this week to possessing firearms during civil unrest in Richmond, Virginia, in June. Matthew Lee Frezza, 37, was pulled over on June 12 after driving recklessly around the Robert E. Lee monument, a focal point for demonstrations in recent months. The statue was ordered taken down by Gov. Ralph Northam, a Democrat, in June, but courts have blocked the removal twice. Police officers saw that Frezza, who was riding in the passenger seat, and the two others inside the truck were carrying firearms. Police officers asked all three occupants to exit the truck. Soon after, they determined Frezza was a convicted felon and placed him under arrest. Frezza possessed a Taurus, Model G3, 9mm caliber, semi-automatic pistol and a homemade rifle without a serial number. Because of his status as a felon, Frezza is forbidden from possessing a firearm and ammunition. The statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee that stands in the middle of a traffic circle on Monument Avenue in Richmond, Va., on June 27, 2017. (Steve Helber/AP Photo) Instead, he chose to openly flout state and federal law by unlawfully possessing multiple firearms and eight magazines of ammunition, G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, said in a statement. Firearms in the possession of a convicted felon are always a public safety concern, but especially so when multiple weapons are recovered during a potentially volatile situation, such as civil unrest, Ashan Benedict, special agent in charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division, added. This defendants guilty plea confirms that the unlawful possession of a firearm is a serious offense and we are grateful to U.S. Attorney Terwilliger and our law enforcement partners in Richmond for this successful outcome. Frezza faces up to 10 years in prison. He is due to be sentenced on Dec. 10. The case is part of Project Guardian, a federal effort to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Intersec, the worlds leading security, safety, and fire protection trade fair, will open doors early next year in Dubai, with organiser Messe Frankfurt Middle East providing a safe and vital environment to reconnect and restart business in 2021. The 23rd edition will take place from January 24 to 26, 2021 at the Dubai World Trade Centre, DWTC, reported Wam. Intersecs Patron HH Sheikh Mansour bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum offered a heartfelt message for participants to the annual three-day event: "For more than 20 years, Intersec has played a pivotal role in the development of the international security, safety, and fire protection industries, and its relevance only grows stronger as we together chart a course toward a post-pandemic world. "We welcome attendees from across the globe to Intersecs 23rd edition at the Dubai World Trade Centre, where they can reconnect and position themselves for a commercially successful start to the year. "Dubai is safe, Dubai is secure, Dubai is open, and we look forward to welcoming everyone to their second home in January 2021," said Sheikh Mansour. At the forefront of returning exhibitors to Intersec 2021 are its key government partners and supporters the Dubai Civil Defence, Dubai Police, the Security Industry Regulatory Agency, SIRA, Dubai Police Academy, and Dubai Municipality. "We also have a great mix of returning brands and quite a few new brands next year," said Alexandria Robinson, Intersecs Show Director. Intersec will have a fresh look to it next year, with a number of new developments. First, the event will adopt a hybrid format in 2021, meaning visitors and exhibitors can participate physically or virtually. "An important part of the hybrid offering is an AI-powered matchmaking app using behaviours as well as interests to match suppliers and buyers together, whom can then go on to a one to one communications platform for further discussion." Intersecs revamped conference line-up includes the technical Fire Summit, which has been created to not only cover a wider range of essential topics including passive fire learnings, but also to allow professionals to delve deeper into industry specific fire challenges and trends such as the energy and utilities industries. "The Future Security Summit this year returns afresh with a different module format targeting different groups of security professionals from task force to c-level," concluded Ms. Robinson. Intersec 2021 is set to feature close to 1,000 exhibitors from 50-plus countries at the Dubai World Trade Centre, and will take place with all the appropriate health and safety measures in place to keep attendees safe.TradeArabia News Service DMCC, a global free zone and Government of Dubai Authority on commodities trade and enterprise, has partnered with Indias CropData Technology to launch a technology-driven agri-commodity trading and sourcing platform. Agriota E-Marketplace uses blockchain to help bridge the gap between millions of rural farmers in India and the UAEs food industry. The Agriota platform provides Indian farmers the opportunity to connect directly with the entire food industry in the UAE, including food processing companies, traders and wholesalers. The marketplace allows them to bypass intermediaries, optimising the supply chain and ensuring traceability to create value for all stakeholders. Farmers can participate directly with the large demand from the UAEs market. This type of aggregation has the potential to empower local communities, deliver better quality farm-to-shelf products and expand the UAEs long-term food security. Initially, the platform will offer cereals, pulses, oil seeds, fruits, vegetables, spices and condiments. The launch was attended by Pavan Kapoor, Ambassador of India to the UAE and focused on how the Agriota platform will positively impact the UAEs food security and economy and the way in will also boost trade ties with India Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, DMCC, said: Harnessing the power of blockchain technologies within the commodity space is a top priority for DMCC, and launching Agriota is the next natural step in this journey. The UAE has a significant history with India, and our agricultural commodities platform takes this symbiotic relationship even further, benefitting the millions of farmers throughout India whilst simultaneously providing greater food security for the UAE. He added: The UAE has a comprehensive plan in place to ensure food security and champion agribusiness trade facilitation, with the ultimate goal of positioning our nation as a world leading hub in innovation-driven food security. The launch of an innovative model like Agriota will inch the UAE closer to the top of the Global Food Security Index. The online marketplace provides end-to-end traceability and transparency through last-mile verification and extension infrastructure in a blockchain environment. Additionally, the introduction of a proprietary banking system with a multi-tier escrow structure, will guarantee secure transactions of funds when using the platform. In 2019, India exported more than $38 billion of agricultural and processed food products, with one of their largest markets being the Middle East. In July 2020, DMCC announced its plans to replicate the successful business model behind its tea and coffee operation by building a new infrastructure and logistics centre in Jafza to attract, facilitate and promote the trade of cacao, pepper, chillies and spices, with the flexibly to expand to other agro commodities including cardamom, nutmeg, cinnamon, cumin, cloves, ginger, sesame seeds and cashew nuts. This latest initiative builds on the comprehensive strategy of DMCC to attract innovative companies to Dubai and contribute to the nations wider economic diversification strategy. TradeArabia News Service On the overcast evening of August 26, freelance photographer Dasha Sapranetskaya was shooting a gathering of protesters on Minsks Independence Square when, as she told RFE/RL, it started to rain, then it got darker, then OMON [riot police] appeared. A few meters from the protest, Sapranetskaya noticed several people -- protesters as well as some passersby -- sheltering in an alcove of the Catholic Church of Saints Symon and Alena, a towering redbrick structure in the city center. As Sapranetskaya hurried to shelter, she says she felt a press of bodies from behind. A cluster of helmeted OMON officers were effectively herding people inside the church. Sapranetskaya says many of us were close to the entrance of the church and ran inside almost instinctively for safety. Some people started to run through the inside of the church to try to escape through side doors. I dont know whether they were arrested or not. Then as soon as I was inside the church the OMON guys pushed the doors closed behind us. Black-clad police then moved around to block the side exits. Dozens of people -- protesters, as well as priests and worshippers who had gathered for an evening mass -- were trapped. Amid reports of widespread torture taking place in Belarusian police stations since protests first broke out after a disputed presidential election on August 9, Sapranetskaya says the atmosphere in the echoing church nave was tense and frightened. Some people were making plans to spend the night in the church rather than face whatever was waiting for them on the street. One woman, holding the hand of her young child, cracked open the churchs entrance door to ask if she could leave. A policeman responded ominously: Are you sure you want to be outside? The situation grew more tense when Internet connections were cut. After a priest attempted to speak to the riot police but was ignored, Sapranetskaya says everyone -- protesters and worshippers -- gathered together and began to pray. The group went down on their knees beneath an icon that many Christians turn to in times of desperation. Muslim teen beaten, head shaved by family in France because she 'loved a Christian' Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Family members of a teenage Bosnian girl will face abuse charges after they were accused of beating the child and shaving her head when she admitted to having a relationship with a Christian man. Prosecutors are charging the parents, uncle and aunt of the teenage girl after they were accused of assaulting her last Monday in their apartment in the eastern city of Besancon, according to Agence France-Presse. The act was condemned on Twitter by French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, who wrote on Twitter that he was deeply shocked by the act of torture and claimed the child was beaten and shaved because she loved a Christian. This barbarism calls for the most severe sanctions, Darmanin wrote, according to an English translation of the tweet. As first reported by the French newspaper L'Est Republicain, the 17-year-old girl had fallen in love with a 20-year-old man of Serbian origin. While she is of Muslim faith, he is a Christian. "The two families knew each other and [their relationship] was not a problem, Deputy Prosecutor Margaret Parietti told AFP. But when they started talking about marriage, the girl's parents told her: 'We are Muslims, you cannot marry a Christian. The family arrived in France over two years ago from Bosnia and Herzegovina. The parents initially took away the daughters phone and stopped her from speaking with her boyfriend. This led the young couple to flee for four days before returning to the apartment where the girl lived with her family. "The first blow came from the mother, then there was an outbreak of violence. She was taken to a room and beaten, Parietti explained. She was shaved, according to her testimony, by her uncle her father's brother while being beaten. The parents of the young man were also said to be at the apartment at the time of the beating but dared not intervene. Parietti said the man left to report what had happened to the police. After police arrived, the girl was taken to a hospital, according to LEst Republicain. The child reportedly suffered a broken rib and bruises all over her body. She also lost her hair. In France, head shavings were used to shame women accused of having relationships with Nazi occupiers after World War II. Parietti said the girls parents and her aunt and uncle were detained and will be tried for violating a law banning violence against minors. All four were released under judicial control. However, they are banned from contacting the girl who is now under protection. Marlene Schiappa, minister delegate in charge of citizenship, also condemned the act. Violence, humiliation, torture, and even [shaving]! the minister wrote in a tweet. Shame on those parents, on that vile uncle. These acts must be condemned. Support for this young girl, for her freedom, her integrity, her dignity. And thanks to her boyfriend who helped save her. The French Interior Ministry reports that in 2019, there were 1,052 recorded anti-Christian incidents committed in France. Most of those incidents were attacks on churches and other religious property. The Vienna-based Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination Against Christians in Europe has warned that theres been about a 285% increase in the number of anti-Christian incidents reported in France over the last decade-plus. The French government reported 275, what they call, anti-Christian acts [in 2008]," OIDACE Executive Director Ellen Fantini told The Christian Post in July. If we look at 2018 and 2019, the numbers are little over 1,000 [per year]. So the increase from 275 to a little over 1,000 works out to 285% increase. Fantini said that anti-Christian acts can be anything from targeting a church [or statue] in some way with vandalism or it could be actual assaults against French Christians with an anti-Christian bias." Fantini said that the French government submits data about hate crimes committed with a bias against Christians to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. Those numbers, the most recent figures for hate crimes, were nearly 2,000 in 2018, she explained. So when people react with shock when we say that this works out to about three a day, we are taking conservative numbers. When we take even the governments own numbers of hate crimes against Christians, it works out to more than five a day. Spurred by the stand-off with Peoples Liberation Army in Ladakh, the Narendra Modi government is all set to clear acquisition of two PHALCON airborne warning and control systems (AWACS) as early as next week. India has three PHALCON AWACS with a 360 degree rotodome mounted on top of the aircraft and two DRDO-built AWACS with 240 degree rotodome. China has 28 AWACS and Pakistan has seven for directing the air battle in the worst case scenario. While the government is tight-lipped about the entire process, the acquisition was given a final official go last week and has been put up before the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS). This is the second time it has reached the CCS. The last time, the CCS sent the proposal back to National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and sought some clarifications. The PHALCON radar is going to cost about $1 billion with another $1 billion going towards the purchase of the platform, in this case Russian A-50 aircraft. The radar and the platform will be integrated in Israel. It will take about two to three years for the delivery of the complete system. Also Watch | Precious friend India: Israel-UP govt sign deal for flagship water project The need for more AWACS was first felt during the Pakistani aerial dogfight after the February 26 Balakot strike by the Indian Air Force. While Pakistan was flying two Swedish made AWACS round the clock to detect and repel any intrusion into its air space, the IAF was, at times vulnerable due to the limitation of its resources. The requirement for more AWACS or eyes in the sky were felt after the PLA unilateral aggression in East Ladakh and their reluctance to restore status quo ante even after the Special Representatives on both sides agreed to both dis-engagement and de-escalation. Apart from this the Modi government has decided to push road connectivity towards the Daulat Beg Oldie sector with the Border Roads Organization asking permission of the Ministry of Home Affairs to cut a road over the glaciated Saser La to link up DBO with Sansoma via Murgo as an alternative to the Darbuk-Shyok-DBO road. The BRO has already built the road from Murgo to Saser Brangsa, which sits on the mouth of the Saser La. Even though Saser La is a glaciated moraine, the BRO has the ability to build a road over it for the present and a tunnel under the permafrost in the future. Once the road is built, it will allow Indian Army to rapidly move troops from the Siachen sector into Sub-Sector North depending on the requirement. Sansoma, on the banks of Nubra River is an important logistics base for the Siachen Glacier troop deployments. Apart from the high-value AWACS, the Indian Army is also acquiring 200 tactical drones for its battalion commanders so that the immediate battle theatre is transparent. This drones has been developed locally in collaboration with the DRDO and has undergone trials. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON By Lou Fancher Bay City News Foundation Prepare to be toppled by Black riders on horses -- especially the majority of people claiming to know the complete culture and history of equestrians in the American West. Often, public awareness and scholarly education about cowboys, rodeo riders and professional, competitive horse riders is blindingly white. Or, if it includes people of color at all, it tacks on brazenly racist depictions of war-painted Native Americans that demean Indigenous people. The presence of Black equestrians in the West is largely overlooked or forgotten. Only within the last 10 years have Black cowboys gained attention from the likes of BBC News and Smithsonian magazine. It is estimated that in the mid-1800s, 25 percent of the Old West's 35,000 cowboys were Black. In a 2017 article titled, "The Lesser-Known History of African-American Cowboys," former Smithsonian reporter Katie Nodjimbadem's subtitle reads: "One in four cowboys was black. So why aren't they more present in popular culture?" That question posed in a phone interview to Oakland Black Cowboy Association President Wilbert McAlister, draws immediate response: "Caucasians, Black people, Asians and all others don't even know the original meaning of the word 'cowboy.' I want the public to know the word cowboy is a slave term." McAlister, 79, has been involved with the Oakland Black Cowboy Association since 1999. The non-profit organization is best known for the annual Black Cowboy Parade and Festival and community outreach to educate people about the contributions of Black cowboys in Oakland and Western American history. A native of Madera, McAlister takes special pride in his grandfather's legacy as a rancher. He says history left out of books and films fails to teach about Black cowboys who built towns, moved cattle, respected mankind, rarely carried guns -- or thrilled rodeo enthusiasts with impressive skill and style. It wasn't until 1972 that a posthumous tribute came to renowned rodeo athlete Bill Pickett, 40 years after his death, when he was made the first Black honoree in the Rodeo Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. "During slavery -- which I'll have you know didn't end in the 1860s and continues today -- they had house boys and field boys," McAlister said. "They had another boy to take care of the horses they called a 'cowboy.' Black cowboys couldn't marry or go to church with the white folks." Which doesn't mean McAlister resists the term. He remembers four young white boys taunting him by yelling racist words. "I was dressed in my finest cowboy clothes and they yelled (the N-word) and 'cowboy' at me," he said. "They were trying to insult me, but I was going to tip my hat to them in a country way because they had said 'cowboy.'" Leaping forward in time to 2020, McAlister says canceling this year's parade because of the coronavirus pandemic was devastating. "It's affected our budget 100 percent," he said. "That's the biggest day we have of the year to produce revenue. That's when we do our mission to provide educational information to the public about Black cowboys and Black cowgirls." The relevance of the missed opportunity intensified after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25. "After George Floyd got killed -- well, growing up, we knew about Emmet Till," McAlister said. "That 14-year-old boy was lynched in 1955 by a mob after talking to a white woman in a store. We were told as Black kids how to talk, who to talk to. Yes sir, no sir, hold your head up. I had to teach my kids. As an adult, I had to watch my p's and q's; tiptoe on the line; not speed on the highway." The tiptoeing is over in 2020. That fact is known to anyone awed by the site of professional equestrian and business owner Brianna Noble astride her 17-hand horse, Dapper Dan, while leading a massive crowd of Black Lives Matter protesters through downtown Oakland on May 29. The powerful image of a Black woman rider on a large Appaloosa gelding -- a handwritten "Black Lives Matter" poster pinned to her saddle -- garnered national attention from The New York Times, Vogue, The Guardian and major radio and television outlets. A GoFundMe campaign launched to support Humble, a program she founded and operates that offers equine programs to underprivileged and marginalized communities, has raised nearly $64,000 toward a $100,000 goal. McAlister says he does not know Noble personally or professionally, but is well aware of the iconic imagery her urban ride represents. "I know about this sister, and I'll say that horse had to be really well trained because they get nervous around big crowds," he said. "I'm glad they made note of her, although there's nothing new about a Black horse rider. White folks just have to wake up. More people are conscious, but when that policeman killed that boy [George Floyd] on that camera, he had his hand in his pocket and he looked like, I don't give a damn. Now, more Caucasian people know what's going on, but they should have known ages ago." Noble says she's not as well-versed as experts on the history of Black riders and therefore chooses her words carefully. "I'm a believer in people sticking to what they're good at," she said. "I'm passionate about and have a good understanding of the need and ways of finding a safe space for young people of color in the equestrian community. It can be hard and challenging to go into a world where no one looks like you and everybody stares at you. What do I believe I can do to change that? I want to bridge the economic gap for those kids so we can see more brown faces in the equestrian world," she said. As a girl at 5 or 6 years old, Noble aimed to become the first African American to show jump at the Olympics. Beezie Madden was an early heroic figure that helped Noble look past the singularity, otherness and outright stares she endured as a person of color. After attending Oakland School for the Arts as a teen, she jumped to enroll in junior college courses in veterinary technology. Today, as a 25-year-old mother married to Adolfo Gutierrez, Noble says the childhood Olympic dream dissolved, but a passion for bringing inner-city youth into the horse world remains. "If you gave me $30,000 right now I'd put it into my program with Humble," Noble said. "I'm in Briones, and it's 20 minutes from Oakland, but I want to go into Oakland and Richmond and make the program more accessible." Noble mentions locations she plans to or would like to hold programs: Oakland City Stables, a 7.2-acre equestrian property off Skyline Boulevard owned by the city of Oakland, and Sequoia Arena, a corral in Joaquin Miller Park. Horseback riding, Noble says, fosters leadership skills, provides a sense of family and puts up a mirror to a person's soul. "This beautiful creature allows you to look within yourself and make a change," she said. "If I tell a child they need to calm down, that the way a child is behaving is inappropriate, they say 'Huh, who are you?' But if I say -- when they're around a big, powerful animal -- to go touch it, that teaches self-control without human judgment. Horses are an amazing teaching tool." Asked if her ride can be a teaching tool to reach adults and inspire the dismantling of systemic racism in the United States, Noble says hope is hard to find. In recent interviews, she has said Black people experience racial hostility every single day -- in the workplace, society, classrooms and basically, everywhere. "There's not much you can do about it," Noble said. "This is the first time in history I've seen where you can even have this conversation and not get your ass burned. You associate with an idea or say something on a ranch and -- it's messed up, but you won't get work. You won't be invited back to work at ranches. People have come up and tried to pet me like I'm an animal. If I say 'No, that's not appropriate,' I may not be asked back to work there. There's no governing body in the equine world. All you can do is suck it up. Things are changing, but there's no place to report a violation in the horse world." Following Floyd's murder, frustration finally roiled Noble's usual calm, steady state. The response to her ride after photos and videos went viral on social media was a surprise. "There's nothing that could have prepared me for this attention," she said. "The night before, I was just pissed off. Ten years after Oscar Grant happened; here we are again. I just thought I'd get notoriety in Oakland, with local papers. I thought it might change the narrative in Oakland. It's gone to every large publication and magazines in France, Germany, Australia, everywhere. I don't like the fame, but it's put me in a place where I can brush aside the attention and say 'Hey, here's what we can do for society and the kids.'" What Noble can do if large companies begin to fund her programs is make the horse world more accessible to people of color. Importantly, Humble will also launch a study into the impact of equine experiences on inner-city youth who have suffered trauma. "I want measures and data we can share," Noble said. "To grow the programs, companies we ask for support will want impact statements and measures they can see. To have a few years of statistics, we hope the study will support ours and other programs in other parts of the country so they can do what we want to do." 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. On August 26, Fisheries minister of Mauritius said, eighteen melon-headed whales washed up on the shores of Mauritius and commenting on the incident he dismissed any link of the oil spill, which happened earlier this month. According to international media reports when whales reached on shores of south-eastern beaches of Grand Sable, some of them were alive and injured but later they died. Read: Mauritius Residents Cutting Off Hair To Make Nets And Tubes To Soak Catastrophic Oil Spill Fisheries minister Sudheer Maudhoo, while speaking to the press said that all 18 of the whales, a member of the dolphin family, had died, but that there was "no trace of hydrocarbons on them or in their respiratory system". On August 26 autopsy report of the giant fishes was carried out. While talking to the international news agency, local official Preetam Daumoo said locals found the bodies on the shore and they feared that this incident was a result of the recent oil spill. Earlier this month a Japanese bulk carrier ran aground on a coral reef around 10 kilometers from Grand Sable, because of this incident 1000 tonnes of oil spilled into the clear and pristine water. On the other hand, experts said it was too soon to come to a conclusion on this matter. Read: Mauritius Oil Spill: PM Jugnauth Says Almost All Leaked Fuel Has Been Pumped Out Mauritius oil spill According to earlier reports, MV Wakashio, a Japanese ship owned by Nagashiki Shipping rammed into a reef off the coast of Mauritius on July 25. The ship was carrying about 3,800 tons of very low sulfur fuel oil and 200 tons of diesel oil from China to Brazil when it broke down near the island. The ship had three oil tanks and one of which is reported to have already started leaking before the vessel split into two pieces on August 15. Read Mauritius Oil Spill: Crew Set To Sink Ship Despite Opposition From Environmentalists Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth declared the incident an environmental emergency as the spill was close to two protected marine ecosystems and the Blue Bay Marine Park reserve. So far, the captain of the ship has been arrested for endangering the life of marine life in an environmentally protected area. Read US Secy Pompeo Terms Israel As America's 'most Reliable Partner In The Middle East' Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 16:07:10|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close by Xinhua writer Gao Wencheng BEIJING, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Washington announced on Wednesday its decision to blacklist Chinese enterprises and individuals involved in China's construction in the South China Sea, further exposing its intention to foment division and spur tensions in the region. The move marks yet another one of Washington's blatant attempts to meddle in the region's maritime territorial disputes with arbitrary sanctions, an ostentatious breach of its commitment to not taking any side among related parties. For starters, China has indisputable sovereignty over the islands in the South China Sea and their adjacent waters. China's infrastructure construction on its own territory is an exercise of national sovereignty in accordance with international law. Seeking to justify its ill-founded decision, Washington falsely accused Beijing of so-called "militarization of disputed outposts in the South China Sea," while trying to portray itself as a keeper of peace in the region. Yet, the truth is that the United States has sent military aircraft to the region more than 2,000 times in the first half of this year alone. That clearly shows who is posing a threat to regional peace. By rolling out such provocative unilateral actions, the White House aims to create divisions in the region. It tries to drive wedges between China and related Southeast Asian nations, push those countries to the front and enlist them as pawns in its anti-China agenda. Furthermore, the attempt of those China hawks in Washington to stoke up waves in the South China Sea reveals a deeper intent to obstruct China's development and pursue hegemony in the region. Washington's malign scheme to make the South China Sea another anti-China battleground will certainly fail. Since regional countries share a common aspiration to maintain stability and prosperity in the South China Sea, which is the only way to best serve their fundamental economic and security interests. "The South China Sea is the shared home for the countries in the region and should not be a wrestling ground for international politics," Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Xinhua earlier this month, urging all regional countries to be vigilant, and prevent the region's hard-won peace and development from being sabotaged by the United States. Likewise, Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said recently that the Philippines would not join the navies of other countries, like the United States, in maritime drills in the South China Sea for fear of raising tensions in the area. Meanwhile, according to Ren Guoqiang, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of National Defense, relevant negotiations in the region have made positive progress. Thanks to shared efforts by all related parties, the South China Sea has remained generally stable. And since the COVID-19 outbreak, China has been working with regional countries to contain the deadly pathogen, while cargo ships and airplanes loaded with medical supplies for the coronavirus battle have been busy navigating through the South China Sea, providing a lifeline underpinned by mutual help in these troubled times. Those have demonstrated regional countries' similar stance to settle disputes through dialogue among countries directly concerned and oppose external forces interfering in regional affairs. Looking into the future, China, as it has done before, will continue to strengthen maritime cooperation with other related parties, deepen mutual security confidence, and advance joint development, so as to make the South China Sea "a sea of peace, friendship and cooperation." Enditem A Home Office tweet which blamed "activist lawyers" for "disrupting" migrant deportation flights has sparked fury among lawyers and politicians. The video, which also criticises EU laws on migration, was posted on the official Home Office Twitter account amid a row over migrant crossings and came after another deportation flight left the UK on Wednesday, the Government body said. "We are working to remove migrants with no right to remain in the UK," the video said, alongside a moving graphic of deportation planes leaving the UK. "But current return regulations are rigid and open to abuse, allowing activist lawyers to delay and disrupt returns. "Soon we will no longer be bound by EU laws and can negotiate our own return arrangements." The tweet prompted criticism from lawyers and politicians, who accused the Home Office of spreading "Trump-like propaganda" with the "appalling" video. The Law Society condemned the video and the reference to immigration lawyers as "activist lawyers". In a statement, Law Society president Simon Davis said: "Attacks on the integrity of the legal profession undermine the rule of law. Solicitors advise their clients on their rights under the laws created by parliament. "To describe lawyers who are upholding the law as 'activist lawyers' is misleading and dangerous. "We should be proud that we live in a country where legal rights cannot be overridden without due process, and we should be proud that we have legal professionals who serve the rule of law." Nazir Afzal, former north west chief crown prosecutor, said on Twitter: "'Activist lawyers' ensure that humans have rights. "They ensure OUR laws are followed. This is scandalous." The author of the award-winning Secret Barrister book said: "Civil servants are now being enlisted to spread Trump-like propaganda denigrating 'activist lawyers' who ensure the Home Secretary follows our democratically enacted laws. "They lie about the law so they can get away with breaking it. Dont let them lie to you." And Jessica Simor QC said the Government was tweeting "full blown lies". She said on Twitter: "Lying. Our government is now tweeting out full blown lies. A civil servant was presumably made to do this - I hope s/he sought a Ministerial direction and kept records of all communications." Former MEP Catherine Rowett posted on Twitter: "The UK helped to design and approve the current EU migration laws. "Sadly the EU did not implement a fair, equitable, or hospitable system for accepting those fleeing from less fortunate places. "But shame upon the Home Office. The UK should be trying to improve upon the EU laws." While the Green Party's Sian Berry added: "If you want an example of abuse, try the abuse of human rights that is our whole hostile environment policy." Other social media users said the video graphics had a "hint of Dad's Army". One Twitter user said: "Is the animation deliberately like the opening credits for Dads Army?" Another said: "A new level of propaganda with a hint of Dads Army. Proud to be an activist lawyer'." A third wrote: "Difficult to choose the worst bit. The Dads Army graphics? The spiteful activist lawyers barb? The incorrect insinuation that sea arrivals have no right to asylum? The ridiculous wording of unnecessary? The gleeful advertising of deportations?" Meanwhile, Andrea Leadsom, MP for South Northamptonshire, said: "Not only illegal but also incredibly dangerous to cross in a small boat. This has to stop." The Standard has approached the Home Office for comment. Priti Patel described the death of a 16-year-old Sudanese migrant a "tragic loss of life" / PA More migrants arrived in Dover on Thursday morning. The new arrivals brought in on Border Force speedboats were taken ashore in the Kent port. Todays arrivals come after several days where the high winds of Storm Francis rendered crossings dangerous and no migrants are known to have made it to the UK in that time. Meanwhile, dozens of pro-migrant demonstrators rallied outside the Home Office earlier this week. The demonstration, organised by campaign group Stand Up To Racism, demanded that the right of safe passage be given to "desperate" migrants making the crossing between England and France. Their calls came after a Sudanese migrant was found dead on a beach near Calais after his makeshift vessel capsized. Home Secretary Priti Patel said the death was "an upsetting and tragic loss of a young life". The Enforcement Directorate (ED) probing the money laundering angle in Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajputs death questioned Rhea Chakrabortys father for the second time for nearly six hours on Thursday. Officials summoned Indrajeet Chakraborty to the Axis Bank branch in Mumbais Vakola and was asked to bring the keys to his familys bank lockers, people familiar with the developments told Hindustan Times. After he sought police protection, a Mumbai police constable escorted Rheas father to the bank at around 2:30 pm. He returned home at 9.30 pm. The central agency had earlier questioned Chakraborty, her father and her brother Showik on August 10. Chakrabortys manager Shruti Modi and Sushant Rajputs friend and roommate Siddharth Pithani have also been questioned by the ED. Also read: Rhea Chakraborty shares video of her father being mobbed by the media After Rajputs father KK Singh filed an FIR against Chakraborty in Bihar on July 28, the ED had registered an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) in the case on July 31. Investigators had earlier gathered information about the formation of four companies by Rajput and Chakraborty, and her family. Two of these companies were registered while the other two were under the process of getting registered. They wanted to go through the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed during the formation of these firms to find out the profit sharing agreement. People in the agency familiar with the development have said that Chakraborty had responded to all the questions but could not divulge details of the exact sequence of events. ED has also questioned Rajputs house manager Samuel Miranda, Chakrabortys chartered accountant Ritesh Shah, and Rajputs chartered accountant Sandeep Sridhar in the case. Rajput was found dead at his Mumbai apartment on June 14. Dont expect a wary city council to unanimously welcome back LRT even if an awfully big if the province offers to resurrect the cancelled project. The Spectator published exclusive details Tuesday of a previously confidential LIUNA proposal to build the long-planned 14-kilometre light rail transit line for $3.5 billion using a mix of public and private cash ideally, without a municipal capital contribution. The Progressive Conservative government, which killed a Hamilton LRT project mid-procurement in December, is now studying its own task force recommendations to spend $1 billion on either light rail or bus rapid transit in the city. But some councillors say the pandemic crisis and a slew of conflicting budget estimates for the axed LRT have changed the political outlook on council for a project that was controversial at the best of times. Light rail has always had solid support from at least six council members, including Mayor Fred Eisenberger. Timeline on LRT project in Hamilton But a survey of councillors and their recent public statements suggests at least half of councils 16 members now either publicly oppose LRT, have concerns based on cost or want to look at bus rapid transit instead. (The Spectator is still waiting to hear from some councillors.) For anyone who has a clear grasp of municipal finances its more than obvious that the LRT project is dead, said Coun. Chad Collins. The Ward 5 councillor reluctantly voted to support the project in 2017 but now argues any pandemic stimulus funding should go to dire needs like housing, rather than feel-good capital projects. Coun. Tom Jackson, another past soft-supporter of LRT, said he would now prefer to use provincial rapid transit cash to expand electric, express bus service from coast to coast across the city. COVID has changed so much for us, he said. Councillors Brad Clark, Maria Pearson and Brenda Johnson have all said they want to explore bus rapid transit. (BRT is usually defined as express buses running in separated lanes with platforms or stations.) Coun. Judi Partridge recently wrote an opinion piece urging the city to abandon LRT, while Coun. Terry Whitehead wrote to the provincial transit task force in March urging support for bus rapid transit. A longtime LRT supporter, Coun. Lloyd Ferguson also said Wednesday he is now uncertain about the project in part over wildly varying cost estimates cited by the province versus LRT supporters. Ferguson said he reviewed LIUNAs proposal, but it did not answer the one important question: What will the City of Hamilton share need to be? LIUNA vice-president Joe Mancinelli said the the goal of Fengates research was to find capital funding sources that require little or no city contribution, like private investment, infrastructure bank loans and federal-provincial grants. Operating costs, however, were not the focus of the review. It doesnt help that confusion remains over what a LRT project would actually cost. The previous Liberal government promised to cover 100 per cent of capital costs and publicly referred to Hamiltons LRT as having an up to $1 billion budget. Then Transportation Minister Caroline Mulroney announced in December the project was cancelled because of a budget that had ballooned to $5.5 billion. Critics accused the Tories of comparing apples to oranges in particular, tallying up all costs over 30 years of a private consortium building and running the transit line, including life-cycle, financing and operating costs. Ontario has refused to release a full accounting of its estimate. The province also claims, again without explanation, that it would cost the city $1 billion just to run LRT. Eisenberger, a staunch LRT supporter, said he always understood the 30-year cost of building and maintaining the project would be higher than the base capital costs advertised by the former Liberal government. He argued that former government pledged to cover additional life-cycle and other building-related costs, rather than the local taxpayer. A leaked Metrolinx memo from last fall does show a government-approved $3.6-billion budget for project capital, life-cycle and financing costs. Eisenberger said he is hopeful the federal government will help fund LRT if asked but added council cannot debate any transit options without knowing the provinces plans. The government has had five months to review the findings of its transportation task force, the mayor noted. Its definitely time for them to announce their findings, he said. A series of domestic disputes preceded the March 2012 disappearance of a Cumberland County woman whose husband is accused of killing her and incinerating her corpse in the fireplace of their home. Chief Deputy District Attorney Courtney Hair LaRue called a parade of Silver Spring Township police officers to the witness stand to testify about the couples problems as the homicide trial of Hap Seiders, 66, resumed Tuesday afternoon. LaRue is contending Hap Seiders killed his 53-year-old wife Rabihan because she was starting to free herself from his control. Defense attorney George Matangos is claiming Rabihan is a liar and a thief who stole $3 million from her husband and may have purposely disappeared. Prosecutors havent proved shes dead, Matangos insisted. This image of Rabihan Seiders was shared after her 2012 disappearance. Sergeant William Burger testified that Hap Seiders came to the Silver Spring police station on Nov. 14, 2008 and asked police to remove Rabihan from his home in the 100 block of Willow Mill Park Road. Burger said he told Hap Seiders police couldnt assist him. Sergeant Todd Lindsay said that five days later police answered a 911 call from the residence. He said Rabihan told him Hap Seiders had jumped at her which caused her to be fearful and that she had grabbed a knife to defend herself. She was upset. She told me this had happened before, Lindsay said. She told me if anything happened to her her friends would know Hap did it. On cross-examination by Matangos, Lindsay said Hap Seiders had made the 911 call and claimed his wife was chasing him with a knife. On April 16, 2009, Hap Seiders again came to the police station, claimed Rabihan had threatened him with a knife, and asked police to help him evict her, Officer Matthew Walters said. Walters said he advised Hap to send Rabihan a no trespassing letter, which he did. Rabihan told police she grabbed a knife when her husband threatened her with a chair, the officer said. The jurors heard the next 911 call, placed by Rabihan on August 30, 2011. Rabihan was crying and sounded frantic on that recording as she spoke to the dispatcher in accented English. Hap got on the line and told the dispatcher his wife had fallen. He pushed me down! Rabihan yelled. Near the end of the call, as officers were having trouble finding the house, she said, Its OK. They dont have to come. Officer Joseph Craven, who responded to that 911 call, said Rabihan told him Hap assaulted her as they argued over finances. She had a lump on her head. She was very emotional. She was crying, Craven said. He said he charged Hap with simple assault and harassment. They encountered Rabihan in a hallway and Hap suddenly went limp, Craven said. He did this the second Rabihan would have seen him. He began gasping and moaning as if he was in pain. Yet Hap began walking normally once they were out of Rabihans view, the officer said. Matangos asked Craven if he knew Hap has blood pressure issues. The officer said he did not. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 27) The United States announced on Wednesday the imposition of visa restrictions on Chinese individuals involved in militarization activities in the South China Sea. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the move is Americas way of showing support for a free and open South China Sea. We respect the sovereign rights of all nations, regardless of size, and seek to preserve peace and uphold freedom of the seas in a manner consistent with international law, Pompeo said in a statement. Pompeo elaborated those Chinese persons who will not be given visa are those responsible for, or complicit in, either the large-scale reclamation, construction, or militarization of disputed outposts in the South China Sea. He also mentioned Chinese who are coercing Southeast Asian claimant nations to inhibit their access to offshore resources as part of the restricted list. Also included in the visa restrictions list are workers of 24 Peoples Republic of China (PRC) state-owned enterprises including subsidiaries of China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) and immediate family members of all those who fall in the tally stated by Pompeo. The United States will act until we see Beijing discontinue its coercive behavior in the South China Sea, and we will continue to stand with allies and partners in resisting this destabilizing activity, remarked Pompeo. The US emphasized China has been using its state-owned corporations to dredge and reclaim more than 3,000 acres of disputed features in the South China Sea, destabilize the region, trample on the sovereign rights of its neighbors, and cause untold environmental devastation. Washington particularly mentioned CCCC which led the destructive dredging of Beijings South China Sea outposts and is involved in corruption, predatory financing, environmental destruction, and other abuses across the world. The PRC must not be allowed to use CCCC and other state-owned enterprises as weapons to impose an expansionist agenda, Pompeo added. In an interview with CNN Philippines last August 7, Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian flagged American presence in South China Sea and stated they should stop trying to make trouble in the region. "While we talk about US as outsiders, we expect outsiders to respect the efforts of regional countries in maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea. Its a regret that we have seen US meddling vigorously in the South China Sea issue," Huang said. In July, the US Navy conducted two massive drills in the hotly contested South China Sea by sending two aircraft carriers. These acts were heavily condemned by China. In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled as invalid Beiings sweeping territorial stakes in the South China Sea and recognized Manilas sovereign rights within its exclusive economic zone which China claims. Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei and self-governing Taiwan also have their own territorial claims in the South China Sea. CLAIM Partys Kheri chief says it was passed on the directives of an office bearer of state unit Lucknow: The controversy over a resolution demanding action against senior Congress leader Jitin Prasada has taken a new turn. Prasada was one of the 23 signatories to the letter that senior party leaders had sent to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, asking for a full-time, effective, active and visible party president. Now, Lakhimpur Kheri District Congress Committee (DCC) president Prahalad Patel has claimed the resolution was passed on (Wednesday) on the directives of an office bearer of the state party unit and it was sent by a functionary close to the top party leadership. Yes, the resolution was provided to us by Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee secretary incharge for Lakhimpur Kheri (Kumud) Gangwar, said Patel. Although Patel refused to say anything beyond this, he is heard pointing towards the role of a party functionary close to the top leadership, in an audio clip being circulated on the social media. I have been appointed the district president. I have to do whatever I am asked to do. This resolution condemning 23 leaders was sent by Dheeraj Gujjar. I refused to sign due to objections to some lines in the (draft) resolution. Three lines were removed thrice. Gangwar is in charge (of Lakhimpur Kheri) and he was also being pressured, Patel allegedly said in the audio. Patel was also heard hinting at a turf war and the influence of a former MPs son on the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC). When contacted UPCC secretary Kumud Gangwar said there was no question of any pressure on him or the DCC president. I was present at the DCC meeting being incharge of the district. There was no pressure on me or the DCC. I spoke to DCC president after the audio came to notice. DCC president is denying saying anything, said Gangwar. While the UPCC is keeping a close watch on the developments, other senior office bearers refused to say anything on record. DCCs resolution against Jitin Prasada is an expression of the feelings of partymen, said a senior UPCC leader. Another leader said the resolution may have been the outcome of a turf war between Prasada and a former Congress MP from the region. In a tweet, senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal said, Unfortunate that Jitin Prasada is being officially targeted in UP. Congress needs to target the BJP with surgical strikes instead of wasting its energy by targeting its own. Sibal, along with Prasada, was one of the 23 signatories to the letter sent to Congress president Sonia Gandhi. Senior leader and former Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) president Raj Babbar too had signed the letter. Yes, I had signed the letter. But the issue has been already resolved at the Congress Working Committee. I am not aware about the demand being made for action against Prasada, said Babbar. Prasada too had on Wednesday said the issue was over after discussions before Congress president Sonia Gandhi. Earlier, Lakhimpur Kheri District Congress Committee, in its resolution passed on Wednesday, said: Mrs Sonia Gandhi is the unanimous leader of the Congress. We fully trust the leadership of Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi. If there is any change in the leadership, Rahul Gandhi should be made the Congress president. These leaders have pointed fingers towards Mrs Sonia Gandhis leadership at this time of Covid-19 pandemic. Mrs Sonia Gandhi is not in good health and the BJP has been targeting the Congress governments in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. Under such a situation, signing the letter indicates that they (leaders) dont have any faith in the leadership of Sonia Gandhi and the Congress. These leaders have done whatever the BJP is doing. The District Congress Committee (DCC) demands disciplinary action should be taken against all those who signed the letter and they should be expelled from the party.All over UP, there is only one leader, former minister Jitin Prasada, who has signed the letter. His family has been against the Gandhi family. His father, the late Jitendra Prasada, had contested election against Sonia Gandhi. Despite this, Sonia Gandhi gave him the Lok Sabha ticket and he was made a minister. His act is gross indiscipline and action should be taken against him, read the resolution. Earlier, a day before the Congress Working Committee meeting, UPCC president Ajay Kumar Lallu, Congress Legislature Party leader Aradhna Mishra Mona, legislators and other senior party leaders too had signed a joint statement targeting those who had signed the controversial letter. Some leaders claiming to be representing the feelings of partymen from across the country have sent a letter to the Congress president. The truth remains that they dont represent feelings of workers and office bearers in different states. Congress workers across the country are fully aware that they have remained cut off from the Congress brave fight against the BJP and have derived maximum advantage from the Congress. Their claim to be representing the feelings of party workers was baseless and unnecessary, said the leaders in their joint statement. For all of us, this is the time to unitedly stand by the leadership of Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi and fight the forces destroying Constitutional values and democracy and we will fulfil this responsibility, they said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Regulatory News: Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd. (LN:PSH) (LN:PSHD) (NA:PSH) ("PSH") today announced that it has purchased, through PSH's agent, Jefferies International Limited ("Jefferies"), the following number of PSH's Public Shares of no par value (ISIN Code: GG00BPFJTF46) (the "Shares"): Trading Venue: London Stock Exchange Ticker: PSH Date of Purchase: 27 August 2020 Number of Public Shares purchased: 22,112 Shares Highest Price Paid Per Share: 2,020 pence 26.64 USD Lowest Price Paid Per Share: 2,000 pence 26.38 USD Average Price Paid Per Share: 2,013 pence 26.55 USD Ticker: PSHD Date of Purchase: 27 August 2020 Number of Public Shares purchased: 15,327 Shares Highest Price Paid Per Share: 26.60 USD Lowest Price Paid Per Share: 26.60 USD Average Price Paid Per Share: 26.60 USD Trading Venue: Euronext Amsterdam Ticker: PSH Date of Purchase: 27 August 2020 Number of Public Shares purchased: 23,671 Shares Highest Price Paid Per Share: 26.75 USD Lowest Price Paid Per Share: 26.40 USD Average Price Paid Per Share: 26.58 USD PSH will hold these Public Shares in Treasury. The net asset value per Public Share related to this buyback is 38.62 USD 29.38 GBP which was calculated as of 25 August 2020 (the "Relevant NAV"). After giving effect to the above buyback, PSH has 193,082,910 Public Shares outstanding, or 199,113,510 Public Shares calculated on a fully diluted basis (assuming that all Management Shares had been converted into Public Shares at the Relevant NAV). Excluded from the shares outstanding are 17,873,840 Public Shares held in Treasury. The prices per Public Share were calculated by Jefferies. The number of PSH Management Shares and the one special voting share (held by PS Holdings Independent Voting Company Limited) have not been affected. 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. Category: (PSH:ShareRepurchases) View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200827005625/en/ Contacts: Camarco Ed Gascoigne-Pees Hazel Stevenson +44 020 3757 4989, media-pershingsquareholdings@camarco.co.uk In 2009, the Te Puke Fire Brigade led a fundraising effort to raise $50,000 for Te Puke High School to help replace equipment not covered by insurance after a fire at the school. The great relationship between school and brigade continues to be built, with students from Te Puke High School presenting to the brigade a $4500 cheque from fundraising efforts this year. In March, eight students from Te Puke High School took part in the Mitre 10 Round Te Puke Walkathon fundraiser, a 27-hour walk around Te Puke. This event was organised by the students to raise money for the Te Puke Fire Brigade and their own Malaysian and Singaporean Educational Adventure -MASEA. Representatives from the volunteer fire brigade joined the students walking in shifts over the 27 hour period, clocking up about 55 km each. All of the students stayed overnight with their parents and caregivers on the main field at Te Puke High School for the duration of the 27 hours, supporting each other. Members of the Te Puke Fire Brigade, family and friends accompanied the students on their walk as they strode day and night through a 5km loop around the town. It was an incredibly successful fundraiser, with local businesses getting behind the students and the cause, says a Te Puke High School spokesperson. Lily Rose Ludbrook, one of the students who walked during the fundraiser wanted to especially thank the Te Puke businesses who generously donated funds toward their MASEA trip and to the Te Puke Fire Brigade. She would also like to thank the parents and caregivers who gave their amazing support, along with the community who got involved over the 27 hour period. Mitre 10, Seeka, Evocom, Shawn Williams Builders, Te Puke Auto Electric, New World Te Puke, Bridgestone, Eastpac, Alan Lee Auto, Deacon Construction and Te Puke Auto were the Te Puke businesses who donated to this special fundraiser as major sponsors. The high school says that with the advent of the lockdown restrictions of COVID-19 the overseas trip that the students were fundraising for had to be cancelled. Peppa Brady, another student involved in the walkathon, spoke about the weekend back in March. Although I was disappointed the trip couldnt go ahead, the experience was amazing, says Peppa. I got to meet students at school and form close relationships with them over the 27 hours of the walkathon. As much as the walk was challenging, knowing that we were raising money for the Fire Brigade kept us all motivated. After Lockdown Level 4 and 3, on Wednesday August 12, just before the Te Puke Volunteer Fire Brigades AGM, six of the eight students went to the fire station to hand over the money they had raised. It was such a privilege to be able to represent Te Puke High School and give the cheque to the fire brigade, says Haylee-Jayde Montgomery, one of the students present on the night. I felt honoured to speak on behalf of the walkathon group of students, says Peppa. I told the members of the fire brigade who were part of the walkathon how thankful we were for the support the students received up to and during the walkathon, and how pleased we were to be able to give the money to the brigade. Glenn Williams, the Chief Fire Officer of the Te Puke Fire Brigade, accepted the $4500 cheque on behalf of the brigade. The brigades share of the funds will be going towards our vintage fire truck project which will require a shed to house the new acquisition, says Glenn. It seems a long time now since the walk but our members were absolutely thrilled to be invited to join them in their effort to raise the funds. Glenn remembered that the walk wasn't without incident. We got a callout at about 3am on the Sunday morning when the walkers at the time had just passed the fire station. Glenn says the brigade has had a great relationship with Te Puke High School, even more so since the big fire in 2009, when the brigade led a fundraising effort to raise $50,000 for the school to help replace equipment not covered by insurance.  The Narcotic Control Commission (NCC) has emphasised that it is still illegal to cultivate cannabis in the country without a licence, despite the passage of the Narcotic Control Act (1019), this year, in relation to medicinal and industrial use of the plant. Mr Francis Opoku Amoah, Head of Communication and Media Relations at NCC said this in an interview with the Ghanaian Times yesterday in Accra. This followed the destruction of about 67 acres of the plant in Boso in the Eastern Region by a team of security personnel last week upon a tip-off. He made it clear that, Section 39 of the Act specified that: A person shall not without lawful authority proof cannot own, cultivate, grow or harvest a plant that can be consumed as a narcotic drug or plant, or from which a narcotic can be extracted or processed. Mr Amoah said the perception that cannabis has been legalised in the country fell within Section 43 of the Act which made special provision to the cultivation of cannabis in the country by specifying that, an active ingredient known as THC, which causes mental delusions in the usage of the plant, should be less than 0.3 per cent during cultivation, before it could be used for industrial and medicinal purposes. He said, even then, one has to obtain a licence from the Minister for Interior before any commercial farming of the cannabis could take place. Mr Amoah said the NCC was frantically working on the Legislative Instrument to serve as guidelines for those interested in the commercial farming of the plant and pleaded for all to exercise restraint until the final documentation of the Legislative Instrument. Touching on the security operation at Boso, he said when the NCC had the tip-off, a team of military and police personnel together with operatives of the NCC were dispatched to the area to scout for the cannabis farms, adding that though the farms were located, no arrest were made, because the perpetrators had absconded. Mr Amoah said, the farms were destroyed and several farming implement which were being used for the cultivation of the cannabis were seized as investigation continues to unravel those behind the cultivation of the cannabis for prosecution. Source: The Ghanaian Times 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 China installs new modular container-based accommodations for its troops near LAC in eastern Ladakh India hits out at China; rejects fresh allegations against it over eastern Ladakh standoff No signs of talks on LAC, but Chinese psy ops in full swing Complete disengagement requires re-deployment of troops by each side on LAC: MEA India oi-Madhuri Adnal New Delhi, Aug 27: A complete disengagement in eastern Ladakh requires re-deployment of troops by each side towards their regular posts on the respective sides of the Line of Actual Control(LAC), India said on Thursday on the prolonged border row with China. "Thus it is important to bear in mind that achieving this requires agreed actions by both sides," he said at an online media briefing. The importance of a third route to Ladakh and why the govt is pushing for it The MEA spokesperson also referred to last week''s talks between the two sides under the framework of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) on border affairs. "In this context, in the last meeting of the WMCC the two sides have agreed to resolve the outstanding issues in an expeditious manner and in accordance with the existing agreements and protocols," he said. NEET & JEE-MAIN: Education minister says that students want exams at any cost | Oneindia News "Both sides also agree that full restoration of peace and tranquility in the border areas would be essential for the overall development of bilateral relations," he added. Srivastava further said the two sides had also agreed to continue their engagements both through diplomatic and military channels. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, August 27, 2020, 20:00 [IST] TANZANIA, Tanzania - Reports of Syrian health care facilities filling up and increasing death notices and burials appear to indicate that actual coronavirus cases in the war-torn country far exceed official figures confirmed by the government, a senior U.N. humanitarian official said Thursday. Syria has so far reported more than 2,500 cases of COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus, including 100 deaths. However, U.N. Assistant Secretary-General for humanitarian affairs Ramesh Rajasingham told the U.N. Security Council that rising patient numbers are adding pressure to the fragile health system in Syria, now in its 10th year of war. Many people are reluctant to seek care at medical facilities, leading to more severe complications when they do arrive, he said, adding that health workers still lack sufficient personal protective equipment and associated supplies. Of the virus cases confirmed by the Syrian Ministry of Health, Rajasingham said, the majority cannot be traced to a known source. He said several health facilities briefly suspended operations this month because of capacity issues and staff becoming infected by the coronavirus. In the Al Hol camp in northeast Syria, where 65,000 mainly women and children connected to Islamic State fighters are detained, Rajasingham said 12 health facilities had to suspend operations this month due to staff becoming infected, having to self-isolate, or due to lack of personal protective equipment. Both field hospitals at the camp have since resumed operations, he said. Germany and Belgium, who are in charge of Syrian humanitarian issues in the Security Council, said in a joint statement that the spread of COVID-19 across the country is increasing exponentially. Testing capacities remain very low, so most cases may go unnoticed, they said. Numbers we hear may only represent the tip of the iceberg. They also warned that the destruction of health facilities and the shortage of health workers dramatically imperil any response. Germany and Belgium urged greater humanitarian access, sharply criticizing demands by Syrian ally Russia that led to the closing of the Al Yaroubiya crossing from Iraq to northeast Syria in January and last months closing of the Bab al-Salam crossing point from Turkey to northwest Syria. What is needed is distribution to all people and health care facilities and not the regime deciding who is worthy of receiving aid and who is not, they said. The burden of responsibility lies on those countries that have systematically limited humanitarian access to Syria. U.S. political co-ordinator Rodney Hunter expressed concern at reports of a massive coronavirus outbreak in the Damascus region and elsewhere in regime-controlled areas. He called on Syrian authorities to grant access to the U.N. and international organizations to collect statistics and determine the scale of the pandemic in the country, saying so far there has been no transparency by the government. The coronavirus is absolutely exacerbating the Syrian humanitarian crisis, he said. Hunter said the United States is deeply saddened by reports from the U.N. childrens agency UNICEF earlier this month that eight children under the age of five died in the Al Hol camp in less than a week. We understand that four of those deaths were caused by malnutrition-related complications, he said. These deaths were completely preventable if the thousands of camp inhabitants still received the life-saving combination of deliveries from Damascus across conflict lines and from Iraq through the Al Yaroubiya crossing, Hunter said. Russias U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia expressed confidence that once logistics were adjusted, the U.N. would be able to increase supplies through the one remaining border crossing from Turkey at Bab al-Hawa. He pointed to a recent article in the British medical journal, The Lancet, which said that the Syrian health system, already fractured by years of conflict, is being further destroyed by sanctions. Entitled EU guidance impedes humanitarian action to prevent COVID-19 in Syria, it says: Widespread co-operation to ensure efficient delivery of medicines and equipment to combat COVID-19 in Syria is lacking. Nebenzia also pointed to an Aug. 25 statement by three key foreign powers in the Syrian conflict Iran and Russia, which support Syrian President Bashar Assad, and Turkey, which backs the opposition on the sidelines of a meeting in Geneva of government and opposition figures on drafting a new constitution for the country. Those three countries rejected all unilateral sanctions, Nebenzia said. He denounced the hypocrisy and double standards of Security Council members that continue to support sanctions against Syria. The demonstration zone for the integration of the Yangtze River Delta called for the participation of different parties to pilot green growth in the region during a developers' conference in Shanghai on Wednesday. The zone sits at the border of Shanghai and two neighboring provinces with an area of 2,300 square kilometers. It will lead the implementation of the region's integration, a national strategy announced by President Xi Jinping in 2018. Li Qiang, secretary of the Shanghai Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China, said in his opening speech at the conference that rice and fish have been abundant in the area since ancient times. He added that the demonstration zone should embody the concept of sustainable development, break down administrative barriers and accelerate innovation. "The area will be a land of miracles, and to achieve our goals we need a group of ambitious developers with passion and entrepreneurship," he said. Twelve entities founded a developers' alliance during the conference, including companies such as Huawei and Alibaba; academic representatives from Fudan University and the China Academy of Urban Planning and Design; and financial institutions such as the US-China Green Fund and the China International Capital Corporation. The China Three Gorges Corporation will serve as the first rotating chair of the alliance. Wang Lin, general manager of the Three Gorges company, said the corporation will work with other members to explore ways to develop the delta while protecting the environment. Also during the conference, officials from the National Development and Reform Commission, Shanghai and the city's two neighboring provinces called for design plans for a 35-square-kilometer area called "The Living Room of the Jiangnan Watertown", which is located in the middle of the demonstration zone. "We are looking for ideas across the globe that can incorporate international standards with Chinese characteristics in building an environmentally sustainable watertown," Duan Jin, an academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences, said during his keynote speech on the guiding principles of the development of the area. Duan added that details about the submission will be released online on Thursday. A slew of developmental projects and agreements were signed during the conference, including the creation of an integration index to assist policymaking, a collaboration agreement between design and urban planning institutions, and the integration of healthcare systems among Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang and Anhui. Xia Kejia, director of the Shanghai municipal healthcare security bureau, said they have completed a cross-city medical expense system in more than 5,000 hospitals in all the 41 cities in the Yangtze River Delta last year. "By July, around 2.1 million patients have used that direct payment service with total transactions of 17.5 billion yuan ($2.5 billion) in medical expenses," Xia said. Xia added that the bureaus are working on removing other inconveniences. For example, they are seeking a resolution that would enable people to pay for healthcare in other cities in the zone by using their health insurance. Currently, people who visit hospitals outside of the city where they pay their premiums must pay for medical procedures out of pocket, or apply for insurance in the city where they are receiving care. Liu Jun, president of Bank of Communications, said the bank will provide financing services to green projects in the delta region, such as upgrading environmental protection equipment and reinventing traditional industries. "We believe being green has its value," Liu said. I started out as a gofer, he said. I loved the Rotary Club because it helped people and assisted in important things, such as education. If anyone all over the world needed supplies, clothes or food anything they could do to help people, the Rotary was interested in helping them. Back in those days (1975) there was a lot of discrimination. The Rotary Club helped people regardless of race, creed or color and thats why I wanted to join. What will the Centre and the Tamil Nadu government do to answer the queries and fears of investors who will want to be doubly sure they would not be harassed at a later date, as has been happening to Sterlite, should be interesting to watch, says N Sathiya Moorthy. Independent of the issues involved and the legal questions that will be agitated in the Supreme Court, the recent Madras high court verdict upholding the Tamil Nadu governments shutting down of private sector Sterlite copper in the southern port-town of Thoothukudi may have unwelcome consequences for the state, in terms of economic prosperity, job creation and revenue collection. The judgment also raised questions about the need and way to balance development and environment -- and how to enforce the law to ensure that both co-exist without one shutting out the other, that too at a time the Centre has recrafted the EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) rules to ensure that the process did not come in the way of delaying investments and/or the setting up of factories that had been cleared otherwise. Sterlite has been in the news for the past 25 years of the copper-smelters existence, and for all wrong reasons. Rarely has anyone in the state underscored the factorys contribution to ending import dependence for copper, which has great industrial applications. If anything, the two-year long shutdown had caused copper exports, instead, when the Centres increasing focus has been on Make in India -- and for the rest of the world, as well. This does not mean there were no issues with the plant. Even during the early years of the Thoothukudi plant, MDMK founder Vaiko, who is from those parts, moved the state and central governments as also the courts, all the way up to the Supreme Court, complaining of violation of pollution control norms. At the end of it, Sterlite was allowed to continue operations, after verification of pollution control measures and alterations where required and advised. The current shutdown followed months of protests, sponsored by local civil society organisations, with support / sympathy from the Catholic church in the region. The church, as may be recalled, was also in the forefront of the anti-Koodamkulam protests in the neighbourhood. In both cases, protestors alleged anticipated loss of lives, chronic health issues, environmental and ecological degradation, all of which was leading to loss of livelihood, especially for the local fishers. The current shutdown followed police firing on anti-Sterlite protestors, who were on the streets for the 100th day agitation, leading to the death of 13 persons. The state government and Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami seemed less inclined to blame the police, and sought to shift much of the blame on the alleged provocation by the protestors. But the official narrative changed by the evening when social media showed up police action, especially uniformed men with blazing guns atop police vehicles, as if they were more trigger-happy than seeking to control a mob that had gone out of control. It was also the case with police lathi-charge on protestors, where the official reaction and competing social media posts were too late in coming and said too less compared to what was already doing the rounds. Nothing explains the confusion -- and contradiction -- than the converse reactions of superstar Rajinikanth, who had announced his intention to launch a new political party only a few months earlier. On the day of the protests, he sounded like backing the government action. But a day or two later, he sympathised with the families of the dead men, if not with the protestors. He even visited Thoothukudi post-haste and called on the families of the victims of police firing just days later. In a way, the follow-up state government revival of pending pollution-related issues, over which too the protestors had raised slogans, possibly centred more on nationwide condemnation and criticism of the police firing than possibly on the facts and circumstances of the complaints against Sterlite. It looked as if up to that point, the government was keeping the pollution issue at the legal and official levels, without yielding to public pressure and sympathy. Looking back, the nationwide criticism of the police action did not stop with what all was on show on social media. Prior to the Thoothukudi protests, and beginning with the very successful Jallikattu agitations across the state in January 2017, particularly the closing hours at the main Marina venue in state capital Chennai, had given a bad name to the police. This was followed by specific, environment-centric public protests against the Centres decision to re-commence processes for hydro-carbon projects in Neduvasal in the state, and acquiring agriculture lands for a new Chennai-Salem eight-lane expressway, jointly proposed by the Centre and the state. That Salem happened to be the native place of CM Edappadi and there was already a six-lane highway connecting the two cities did not go down well with the protesting farmers, mostly small land-holders in the five districts through which the new expressway was to pass. The daily farmers protests against the proposed expressway and the government forcibly taking over lands with police assistance against the expressed stay orders of the high court too had painted the police in black colours. In the light of the previous events and episodes, the state police was also under seeming pressure at Thoothukudi to prove its worth in crowd control and attendant law and order front. So, when the police opened fire, fertile public memory recalled all that had gone wrong with the uniformed services in the months earlier. Neither the police, nor the government, did anything to recast the public imagery of the force. Instead, what was being attempted was to present the state police as a tough task-master. This image got even more instilled when in the days and weeks after the firing, the police took great pains to track down individual protest leaders, seeking to paint them in bad light, as anti-socials, anti-nationals and worse. That did not help matters, either. In between, CM Palaniswami and his deputy O Panneerselvam broke the Dravidian political tradition and travelled abroad, to canvas FDI in the state. It was the reverse of their mentor, the late chief minister Jayalalithaa organising colourful annual investment seminars in Chennai, where much was promised and not all of it was carried out. The state government too was found wanting in many cases. Given the huge debt burden on the state government even before Covid struck, the state government was taking a serious look at all methods to attract investments, create jobs and increase family incomes and government revenues. Suffice to point out that even before re-opening State-run monopoly liquor shops, the government began signing investment agreements over video-conference, always not missing the point to underline the more jobs that were expected to be created. There is also the other, even more popular side to the governments investment initiatives. With assembly polls due next year, and rival DMK under Leader of the Opposition M K Stalin taunting the ruling party leadership over the pre-poll promise of 2016, to shut down liquor shops in phases, questions will be asked, possibly even in and by courts, on the implementation of the said promise. The state government, in the face of Covid-19 pandemic, has appointed a high-level committee headed by former RBI chairman S Rangarajan to suggest ways to boost revenues. The revenues could come under much greater stress if the liquor ban becomes an even greater issue than for the 2016 elections, especially now that the hasty, post-lockdown reopening of State-owned TASMAC shops has produced only mixed results, at best. Following Justices T S Sivagnanam and V Bhavani Subbaroyan upholding the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Boards closure order issued to Sterlite, and with no stay of the same, counsel for Sterlite expressed surprise over the order and also moved the Supreme Court in appeal on Wednesday. Considering that the legally-constituted National Green Tribunal (NGT), the nodal agency for the purpose, had upheld the copper corporates submissions, including those on compliance of the TN boards multiple directives, the question arises if the judiciary should have powers to reverse what is basically a highly technical issue, not stopping with relevant questions relating to the processes and enforcement. By extension, especially in the light of the new EIA proposals, which go as far as to bar third-party, private complaints on industrial pollution and also the under-implementation EIA clearance, a further question arises if the Centre would seek to be an intervenor in the Supreme Court. This should be separate from any independent challenge that may lie against the EIA changes, when officially notified after the so-called public hearing and all. If for nothing else, such a gesture alone would send out a positive message to both foreign and domestic investors that the Union of India too is concerned, as the Sterlite case involves the closing down of a factory full 25 years after commencement of its massive operations, which provide jobs to about 50,000 persons, including those upstream and downstream. In doing so, the Centre should also put down proposals for stricter implementation and reporting of pollution control boards instructions by the licensee unit, and also a better communication mechanism involving the locals, whose anxieties needed to be addressed, and not in the way the state government did at Thoothukudi -- only to follow up on it with a closure order. For the state government, rather the ruling party in Tamil Nadu, there will be internal pressure ahead of the assembly polls by May next. Be that as it may, it will be interesting to see how the government, especially in the state, will react if an early Supreme Court order, including an interim stay of the high court verdict with fuller safeguards than already, came up for implementation / enforcement, between now and the polls. Alternatively, should the Supreme Court uphold the high court verdict, what will the Centre and the Tamil Nadu government, and also other states, do to answer the queries and fears of investors, who will want to be doubly sure that they would not be harassed at a later date, as has been happening to Sterlite. After all, the new EIA aims at removing starting troubles the kind of which ended the investment hopes of big-time corporates, including Sterlites parent Vedanta, and rendered many of them insolvent and also contributed to the electoral crash of UPA-2 in more ways than one. N Sathiya Moorthy, veteran journalist and political analyst, is Distinguished Fellow and Head-Chennai Initiative, Observer Research Foundation. Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 15:37:27|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close LOS ANGELES, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer has quit the company one day after the Los Angeles-based tech firm filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over an executive order banning any transactions with its parent company ByteDance. ByteDance confirmed the news to Xinhua on Wednesday night. In a news release, ByteDance said the company respected Mayer's decision and thanked him for his efforts for TikTok's development, adding TikTok's U.S. General Manager Vanessa Pappas will take up Mayer's position and continue working as leader of the team in the country. The 58-year-old Mayer joined TikTok on June 1. Prior to his appointment as the company's CEO, he was chairman of the Direct-to-Consumer and International division of The Walt Disney Company. Mayer on Wednesday sent a letter to employees, noting that ByteDance's founder Zhang Yiming understood his decision and supported it, saying this decision "had nothing to do with the company, what I see for our future, or the belief I have in what we are building." "In recent weeks, as the political environment has sharply changed, I have done significant reflection on what the corporate structural changes will require, and what it means for the global role I signed up for. Against this backdrop, and as we expect to reach a resolution very soon, it is with a heavy heart that I wanted to let you all know that I have decided to leave the company," the letter reads. "At the same time, I understand that the role that I signed up for -- including running TikTok globally -- will look very different as a result of the U.S. administration's action to push for a sell-off of the U.S. business." Mayer also emphasized that even though he quit, he had tremendous confidence that TikTok is a safe, unique, creative and inclusive platform to its almost 100 million American users. TikTok is a video-sharing, music and social networking service owned by Chinese technology company ByteDance, and specializes in user-made short videos. Trump and a number of other U.S. politicians have repeatedly speculated that TikTok poses a national security threat because it is owned by a Chinese company, though no evidence has been provided to support these allegations. Earlier this month, Trump cited the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and issued executive orders banning any U.S. transactions with TikTok and WeChat, starting in 45 days. TikTok filed a lawsuit over the executive order Monday, arguing that the order is unconstitutional and a misuse of the IEEPA. "We cannot at this point predict the outcome of the litigation with certainty, but a U.S. court will be reluctant to rule against the president on an issue of national security," Dan Roules, managing partner of the Shanghai office of law firm Squire Patton Boggs, told Xinhua on Tuesday. Roules, who has been working in China over the past 25 years for the renowned international law firm, agreed that the lawsuit could buy time for ByteDance to close the deal on the sale of TikTok to any of several possible U.S. companies interested in purchasing, including Microsoft, Twitter and Oracle. Enditem STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Todays archive page is from Dec. 12, 1951. Manhattan Furniture urges readers to dress up their home for Christmas. Highlights include: A mahogany book case, priced at $24.50; a barrel chair for $59.50; a coffee table priced at $29.50. Buy now -- pay April 1st at no extra charge, the ad reads. Manhattan Furniture is located in Port Richmond. If you have trouble viewing the below page, click here to enlarge it. To effectively deal with the Southern Kaduna crisis, the Buhari administration will not sweep the major issues underlying the conflict under the carpet, according to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo. According to him this includes ensuring justice, fixing economic marginalization and the prosecution of persons responsible for these murders -this is to ensure that the impunity doesnt worsen. Mr Osinbajo spoke at the ongoing Nigeria Bar Association Annual General Conference on Thursday during a special conversation featuring him and the speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila. The Vice President also urged those who have concerns about the recently signed CAMA legislation to approach the National Assembly for possible amendments, since we are in a democracy. Speaking on the way forward in the Southern Kaduna conflict and making reference to his personal experience, the Vice President said, I have been involved since 2001 through the work of the Macedonian initiative, an NGO that focused on providing relief materials to displaced persons in Southern Kaduna and several other places especially in North Central part of Nigeria. There have been judicial commissions and all sorts, but the problem remains. So, there is the need to address the underlying issues. You cant sweep under the carpet, justice and the cries of economic marginalization. The fact is that we must prosecute persons responsible for these murders or otherwise impunity will worsen. And also support those who have lost their bread winners. Continuing, the Vice President said the mindless callous killings in Southern Kaduna are heartbreaking. And again we must condole those who have lost loved ones and those injured or who have suffered loss of property. These tragedies are unacceptable and they are avoidable. Highlighting what the Federal Government has done and is currently doing to deal with the situation, Mr Osinbajo said, First is the improvement of security in Southern Kaduna. Now, we have a military base there, for the first time. We also have a lot of Air Force surveillance. We have about 500 conventional and Mobile Policemen in Zangon-Kataff and Kaura Local Government Areas and then the combined military team of the Army and the Navy who are also on ground 24 hours. This is basically to just take care of the volatile situation there. Continuing, the Vice President said the President has also had several Security Council meetings and I have attended all of those, where the issues were discussed and the possibilities of engagement have also been discussed. On a personal note, the Vice President added I have also engaged with community leaders in Southern Kaduna and also I have engaged with the governor to look at what peacemaking efforts are possible. The Vice President expressed optimism that the issues would be resolved noting that some of the peacemaking efforts have been fairly successful as recent peace efforts between the Zangon-Kataff and the Fulani communities would yield positive results. READ ALSO: He said but there is also a lot of work going on to ensure that some of these fundamental issues are being addressed and its an evolving situation, but its something we cant afford to ignore and its gone on for far too long and its redressable and possible for us to resolve. Responding to the issue of the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) 2020, the Vice President said the solution to the concerns is evident, noting that an amendment to the CAMA Act could be sought by those expressing concerns about sections of the law. He said we have a process by which this can be redressed. Whatever the proposal for amendment may be, whatever the view of the leadership of the church may be, regarding the question of how the trustees, whether they are interim trustees or not, can be put into a proposal that will be brought to the National Assembly for consideration for amendment to the law, that is the process which is entirely opened and ought to be pursued. We are in a democracy and there is a process by which things can be done and that process is the one where you bring forward amendments to the National Assembly and they will do whatever is considered useful in the circumstance. Speaking on the Federal Governments reaction to the contraction of the economy as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and related issues, Prof. Osinbajo said the Buhari administrations response is robust and focused on local production using home-grown resources. Citing the example of specific efforts of wealth and job creation using local resources, the Vice President said under the agriculture component of the National Economic Sustainability Plan (NESP-AGRO), 5 million farmers whose produce would be off-taken by government have been registered. He added that progress is also been made under the housing component of the plan known as NESP-HOUSING with 11 State governments already given land and more states expected to join with the target of building about 100, 000 housing units, including 2-bedroom apartments at between N1.8 N2 million cost, and in the process, engaging young architects, builders, among others. Commenting on the other aspects of the stimulus package, the Vice President said, the Federal Government has, as part of the NESP, a survival fund and payroll support for artisans, private school teachers and small businesses. The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, spoke about the collaboration between the Executive and the Legislature under the Buhari administration in addressing some of the critical issues facing the country. He said the actions of the House of Representatives would continue to be guided by the legislative agenda adopted by the House at its inauguration in 2019 which is in line with the vision of President Muhammadu Buhari. Laolu Akande Senior Special Assistant to the President, Media & Publicity Office of the Vice President 27th August 2020 Advertisements Copyright 2020, Office of the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, All rights reserved. Sir Ed Davey today admitted the Liberal Democrats have 'lost touch' with voters as he was elected the party's new leader. Sir Ed, who served as a Cabinet minister in the Coalition Government, said the party needed to 'wake up and smell the coffee' after suffering three crushing general elections in a row. The MP for Kingston and Surbiton had been the party's acting leader since Jo Swinson lost her seat at the 2019 general election. Today it was announced that he had defeated his only challenger, Layla Moran, by 42,756 votes to 24,564 to secure the leadership on a permanent basis. However, in a sign that the contest had failed to grip even the Lib Dem membership, turnout was just 57.6 per cent. Sir Ed wasted no time in spelling out the challenge facing the party as it battles for political relevancy. Sir Ed Davey was today elected as the new leader of the Liberal Democrats. He had served as acting leader since Jo Swinson lost her seat at the 2019 general election Sir Ed Davey: The Coalition Cabinet minister who lost the previous Lib Dem leadership contest Sir Ed Davey has been a prominent figure in the Liberal Democrats for decades and now faces a battle to revive the party's fortunes. At the height of the Lib Dems' influence under Nick Clegg, Sir Ed sat at the Cabinet table as energy and climate change secretary during the coalition with the Tories. But the decision to join forces with David Cameron proved disastrous for the party, with Sir Ed among dozens of Lib Dem casualties in the 2015 election, losing his Kingston and Surbiton seat to his Conservative rival. He won the seat back in 2017 but did not stand for the leadership after Tim Farron quit, explaining that he wanted to spend time with his family - wife Emily, their severely disabled son John and daughter Ellie. In the 2019 leadership contest, prompted by the resignation of Sir Vince Cable, 54-year-old Sir Ed was defeated by Jo Swinson, who subsequently lost her own seat in December's general election. It has been a long road to the leadership for Sir Ed, who was first elected in 1997 and was chief of staff to former leader Sir Menzies Campbell. In 1994, before entering Parliament, Sir Ed won a bravery award for rescuing a woman who had fallen on to the tracks at Clapham Junction station in south London. His early life was marked by tragedy, with his father dying when he was four and his mother when he was 15. Sir Ed attended the private Nottingham High School - former Labour minister Ed Balls was in the year below - and then studied politics, philosophy and economics (PPE) at Oxford. The scale of the task now facing the new leader is clear - the Lib Dems won 62 seats in 2005 and 57 in 2010 but have since struggled in general elections. In 2015 they were reduced to a rump of just eight MPs; in 2017 that rose to 12 but fell back to 11 in 2019. But with Labour moving towards the centre following Sir Keir Starmer's leadership victory, the space for the Lib Dems in British politics may be further squeezed. Advertisement The Lib Dems won 57 seats at the 2010 general election, entering government with the Tories, before slumping to just eight in 2015 and then recovering to 12 in 2017. The party had hoped that a bold strategy of fighting to reverse Brexit at last year's snap general election would resonate with Remainers and potentially even power the Lib Dems to an unlikely overall victory. But ultimately the Lib Dems went backwards, finishing with 11 MPs as Ms Swinson was humiliatingly kicked out of Parliament after leading her party's campaign. Sir Ed said today that it was time for the party to 'face up to uncomfortable truths'. He vowed to 'rebuild the Liberal Democrats to national relevance' but acknowledged: 'None of this is going to be easy, none of this is going to be straightforward. 'And none of it is going to be quick or simple to achieve.' At an event in London to announce the leadership result, Sir Ed said: 'We have to wake up and smell the coffee. Nationally our party has lost touch with too many voters. 'Yes, we are powerful advocates locally. Our campaigners listen to local people, work hard for communities and deliver results. 'But at the national level, we have to face the facts of three disappointing general election results. 'The truth is: voters don't believe the Liberal Democrats want to help ordinary people get on in life. 'Voters don't believe we share their values. And voters don't believe we are on the side of people like them.' There has been a revolving door at the party leader's office ever since Nick Clegg quit in 2015. His replacement Tim Farron lasted until 2017, Sir Vince Cable took over but was gone by July 2019 and while Ms Swinson only lasted until December 2019. The party was largely defined in recent years by its opposition to Brexit and its differences to Jeremy Corbyn's Labour Party. But with the UK now having left the EU and with Labour a much different force under the new leadership of Sir Keir Starmer, Sir Ed will need to redefine his party. 'Voters have been sending us a message but we have not been listening. It is time for us to start listening,' he said. 'As leader I am telling you: I have got that message. I am listening now.' Ms Moran, who lost by more than 18,000 votes, congratulated the new leader and said: 'I look forward to working with him to campaign for a better future for Britain.' The ultimate challenge is: Can a college student live independently away from their parents? You may receive a scholarship, a grant, or a loan to cover your tuition fee. Or you could work part-time in order to manage all your expenses somehow. If you are thinking of residing solo, there are numerous differences you should keep in check between living with roommates and living solo. There is a share of advantages and disadvantages of living alone or having roommates. The more suitable option will be the one you would have to make before resorting to housing options, reported Uloop. Balancing college life and finances is not easy. These memorable years require students balancing their education and social lives, reported College Parents of America. Here are know-hows for college independence: 1. Make a game plan with your parents There should be a thorough conversation with your parents. Discuss financial obligations, their expectations, and your expectations, reported Make your best efforts to acquire a college education as it will shave off the burden from your parents. On your spending habits, monitor all your expenses thoroughly and gain control by prioritizing educational needs from personal wants. 2. No rules = Shoulder too much responsibility Staying up until 5 AM watching Netflix is all well and good if you have the freedom. However, if you have a class before 2 PM, you should exercise self-control. Staying up late into the wee hours is different when you live alone with the night seemingly like a wild stallion. No rules imposed translate to far too much responsibility. Also Read: New Jersey Teen Suing Parents UPDATE: Rachel Canning Receives Huge Scholarship for College of Her Choice 3. You can have people over whenever you want Even if you are an introvert with your own designated room, with a dormitory full of people, you never really have alone time entirely; You may have your own room, but the apartment will always be busy. Ensure that your personal space is respected and take a breather from the bustling dormitory life. Living alone poses that you could choose when to invite friends over and when they leave. Hello, peace and quiet; solitude. 4. Maintain cleanliness Living alone poses that you have the freedom to keep your place as clean as you wish to. If you like cleaning up as a very tidy person, then you can happily say goodbye to roommates' prospective piles of unwashed dishes and mounted dirty clothes on the floor. Clean your dorm room whenever and however you want. 5. Learn to cook basic meals According to data procured by the United States Department of Education, a campus meal plan costs an estimated $4,300 for a 19-meal-per-week bundle or $7.50 per meal, reported Realtor. However, you should learn how to cook for yourself as an essential life skill. Cooking meals at your place and alleviating from eating out could help save you money. A simple Google search (try typing "college cooking recipes") will lead you to easy and non-time-consuming recipes. Related Article: Success of University Programs to Promote Rural Healthcare in Japan @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Are we blowing it? As recently as a month ago the trend of COVID-19 in Canada was heading in the right direction. Even hot spots like Toronto and Windsor-Essex seemed to be gaining control if not flattening the curve entirely. Now, something has changed, or is changing. Many Ontario jurisdictions, Niagara, Kawartha and Waterloo Region, are still reporting minimal new infections. Others, Hamilton, Toronto and Peel Region included, are inching in the wrong direction. Overall, Ontario had a healthy trend of decreasing numbers, but that trend has reversed and new infections have slipped above 100 daily again (Wednesdays was back down again slightly to 88). Nationally, too, the trend is worrisome. British Columbia, the acknowledged leader in pandemic response, has started to report infections are rising. If that trend continues the province could end up with more infections than it had during the pandemics peak by early fall. Quebec, which was hit nearly as hard as Ontario, seems to be stabilizing, and Atlantic Canada seems under control, thanks in large part to the bubble which has restricted travel from outside the region. Still, the tone of optimism evident a month ago is faded. The same is true in other parts of the world. New Zealand seemed to have done everything right, but is dealing with new outbreaks. America was a mess a month ago and it remains one at least the U.S. is consistent. It has become all too common to point fingers of blame at younger people. In some ways that is unfair, but the truth in many jurisdictions is that is where infection rates are increasing. Its true in Ontario and British Columbia as well. Public health experts and the punditry say it has something to do with social isolation fatigue and that youthful feeling of relative invincibility. But to accept that, you also have to accept that younger people dont comprehend that their health isnt the only thing at risk. Its true that they tend to get less sick with COVID, but there are tragic exceptions, such as the 19-year-old who died in Quebec last week. The problem isnt so much that younger people get sick with the virus, its that they can and do pass it along to other older people, who are at greater risk of much more serious health outcomes. Some clearly dont care, such as the Victoria, B.C. man who had a party of up to 50 people in his one-bedroom apartment, with no masks and no distancing. Officials, who issued tickets including one for $2,300 to the party host, said it was so crowded the windows fogged. Even more disturbing was the hosts response. Nate Christian, 20, says he plans to fight the ticket and did nothing wrong. I had a party, man. Not even a party, it was like a hangout. And everyones mad at me about it, the aggrieved host complained on a radio report. Lets not make the mistake of thinking most young Canadians are like Christian. But the evidence shows they can and are making mistakes, socializing in big groups, without distancing and absent masks. What can the rest of us do about it? Social shaming is not a great option with the potential negative side effects, but it may be the best of a set of bad alternatives in some cases. We can and should call on health and legal authorities to enforce Phase 3 rules so people understand the consequences are real and serious. But maybe the best thing we can do, not just for younger Canadians but for all of us, is accept the fact that we face a long and wearying road until a vaccine is widely available. That is the way it is, and this is not the time to take our eye off doing things right, safely and respectfully. The owners of two Carrier Circle Marriott hotels are down $6.5 million in revenue this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, but their insurance company and corporate franchise have left them to fend for themselves, they claim in a lawsuit. Fairfield Inn & Suites and Springhill Suites on Weighlock Drive in DeWitt earlier this month sued Marriott International and Zurich American Insurance Company, arguing the local hotels over the years paid handsomely for the international, sophisticated companies to protect them from risk. Yet in the local owners moment of need, the insurer and franchise were nowhere to be found, according to the lawsuit. The hotel owners have been denied any insurance coverage, as they continue to lose millions of dollars and most of their business to the pandemic, court documents said. The local hotels join more than 1,000 business owners around the country challenging their insurance companies for denials of business interruption claims. The University of Pennsylvania law school started a Covid Coverage Litigation Tracker to monitor how the courts handle these cases, which are in uncharted territory for insurance law. Attorney Martin Lynn of Syracuse filed the lawsuit in Onondaga County Supreme Court on behalf of the two limited liability companies that own the businesses. Lynn declined to comment on behalf the business owners. Marriott officials also did not respond to a request for comment A Zurich executive has discussed the brewing business interruption insurance debate publicly in recent months. The company is facing 23 lawsuits around the U.S., according to the UPenn tracker. Those lawsuits include ones by In-N-Out Burger, a Missouri barbecue joint and a Minnesota fitness chain. In May, according to the Insurance Journal, Zurich CEO George Quinn said the company estimated it would cover $750 million in claims related to Covid-19, including for business interruption. But Quinn said most contracts excluded virus-related claims. More than 99% of our contracts in North America will have that wording, he said. The hotels on Weighlock Drive in DeWitt are suing the Marriott, and Zurich Insurance Company, for losses suffered due to the coronavirus pandemic. (Julie McMahon | jmcmahon@syracuse.com) Essential, but crippled Hotels were allowed to remain open throughout shutdowns in New York state. They were deemed essential, but that doesnt mean business was thriving, according to the narrative provided in the lawsuit. The court filings detail how the coronavirus decimated the hotels. The Fairfield lost $3.97 million. The Springhill Suites, $2.54 million. They submitted proof of their losses to the insurance company in June. The court documents emphasize what a hit the businesses took just as they were approaching spring, the busy season, in March. They were poised for another strong year, until state and local governments began to hand down restrictions on gatherings and activities. Syracuse University announced its graduation was cancelled, dealing a difficult blow, according to the suit. Travel that sustains the hotels was effectively barred, it argues. ...Business travel became for most illegal and the events that brought many visitors to the hotels were cancelled because of the virus and government edict. Even essential travelers were restricted at the hotels, they said. Pools and fitness centers had to close. Breakfast buffets and conferences were out of the question. With business basically at a standstill, the hotel owners had discussions with Marriott about closing, either temporarily or permanently, according to the lawsuit. Nowhere to be found When the Weighlock Drive hotel owners began to assess the damage and reach out to their corporate partners for help, they say they were met with an answer many business owners report they are hearing across the country. Zurich, like many insurance companies, swiftly denied their claims. Without even a cursory investigation, according to the hotels lawsuit. Marriott, meanwhile, denied all responsibility, the lawsuit says. The plaintiffs argue Marriott (and affiliated brands Springhill and Fairfield) are liable because they were under an agreement to provide all-risk insurance to the hotels. The hotel owners say this was a part of their management agreements. When the hotel owners first contested the insurance claim, they say Marriott produced its contracts with Zurich showing there were exclusions to the coverage, including a clause on communicable disease. The hotel owners are fighting against that, saying they were never informed of any exclusions to their coverage. They say they were promised an all-risk insurance policy, but Marriott and Zurich then agreed to weigh down that all-risk policy with exclusions. Like hundreds of other businesses around the country, the local business owners are questioning what their insurance fees were for if not a moment like this one. Or as their lawsuit put it, they obtained coverage, intended to and marketed as insurance for exactly these types of events: when, through no fault of their own, a foreign substance caused damage that threatened the entire economic foundation of their business. CNY BACK IN BUSINESS Le Moyne offers virtual interns to local businesses, non-profits: Need help on a project? Looking for work during coronavirus? See list of resources for Central NY job seekers New boutique focused on sustainable fashion coming to downtown Syracuse No dancing, cornhole or arcade games. But axe-throwing at a bar is OK, state says Small business owners with federal coronavirus loans: Beware of phishing scams More from CNY Back in Business Sign up for the Back In Business newsletter to get small business advice delivered to your email inbox Small business owners: Have a question or a story to share about how youre coping through the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent shutdown? We want to hear from you. Contact Back in Business reporter Julie McMahon: Email | Twitter | 315-412-1992 OTTAWA - Canadas foreign minister was bound for London for private talks with a trusted ally after butting heads with leading figures from Lebanon and China, capping a bubble-bursting, four-country tour amid an unprecedented global pandemic. Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne met face to face Thursday with Lebanese President Michel Aoun in Beirut, exhorting him to bend to the will of his countrys street and heed their calls for reform. A day earlier in Rome, Champagne crossed paths, unexpectedly, with his Chinese counterpart, the hard-nosed Wang Yi, and told him in no uncertain terms that Canada has the worlds liberal democracies on its side as he ratcheted up his push for the release of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor. I was very clear that coercive diplomacy is not going to lead to the desired outcome, Champagne said in a conference call from Lebanon on Thursday, where he had the first chance to rebut a Chinese ministry spokesman dismissing his latest advocacy for the two Michaels. He (Wang) is well-aware that the international community is seized of that issue. This is not just two Canadians being detained arbitrarily. Those are two citizens of liberal democracy, and every liberal democracy in the world should be concerned. Champagne said his meeting with Wang a robust 90-minute talk that focused on the two Michaels and human rights concerns was brokered by the Italian foreign ministry after he discovered they were in the same city. Kovrig and Spavor have been imprisoned in China since December 2018 in what is widely seen as retaliation for Canadas arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou on an American extradition warrant. Champagne pushed Wang to allow Canadian diplomats to visit Kovrig and Spavor, access that has been denied since early this year. China says it cant allow access to their prisons during the COVID-19 pandemic. I reminded him that Canada will always insist of having consular access to both Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, and that we expect them to respect the spirit and the letter of the Vienna Convention, said Champagne, referring to the international agreement on consular access. While winning the release of Kovrig and Spavor remains Champagnes top priority, the Aug. 4 explosion in Beirut, which exacerbated a simmering political crisis in Lebanon, is also galvanizing the minister for a very real domestic political reason the 200,000-strong Lebanese community in Canada has also been loudly calling for change in their homeland. The Aoun meeting was the centrepiece of a four-country trip this week that saw Champagne shed his COVID-19 cocoon of video diplomacy and join the likes of Wang and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in taking to the worlds skies. He flew on commercial airlines and will have to quarantine for 14 days when he returns to Canada. Prior to arriving in Lebanon, he visited Switzerland and Italy, where he also met a series of politicians and host of representatives from international agencies. Champagne appeared grim faced in a tweeted photo of his meeting with Aoun, in which he affirmed Canadas solidarity with the people of Lebanon who have been demanding change since the explosion that killed 200 people, injured 6,000 and flattened districts of Beirut. My key messages to President Aoun today was: There cannot be aid without real reforms. That impunity must cease. That youth, young women, the street has spoken. And that the way forward is clear now, Champagne said. Lebanese people have taken to the streets demanding an independent investigation into the explosion and to protest widespread corruption in their country. Champagne also met with victims, rank-and-file Lebanese, first responders and international agencies trying to help the country. I thought there was something symbolic to be one of the first foreign ministers to come here and to show support and to listen to the people, he said. And to speak loud and clear to the authorities as to what we see is needed to ensure a more inclusive and better future for Lebanon. Champagne posted a video on Twitter from the burned-out hulk of the citys decimated port after his meeting with Aoun. You can smell destruction. You can feel destruction, you can see also the resilience of the Lebanese people, the minister said, against a vast backdrop of brown and grey ruin. We have said we will be there for Lebanon and I can assure you what youre seeing is only part of the destruction. You cannot even see with your own eyes the size of that destruction. Champagnes trip will end in London where he will meet in person with British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab. The two will talk behind closed doors face-to-face and without the long-distance digital link that already brings them together at least once a week. China, as well as the instability in Hong Kong, Belarus and Mali, along with his first-hand account of Lebanon, and descriptions of his meetings with various figures were all going to feature in his discussion with Raab, said Champagne. He said the talks would be part of his efforts to broaden an alliance of liberal democracies to confront various global crises. Im sure we could spend a day, Champagne quipped. With Secretary Raab, we have one of the closest relationships I have built between a foreign minister, and I think its serving Canadian interests very well. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 27, 2020. Read more about: Coming off from his duty as the head of three ministries work, power and housing during President Muhammadu Buharis first term, very few had doubts that Babatunde Fashola would be renominated. So it became no surprise when his name was one of the 43 ministerial nominees sent to and screened by the Senate. Mr Fashola came with a rich dossier in the public sector, notably: a two-term governor and about-to-be two-term minister. This perhaps informed why his session with the Senate took about two grilling hours as himself would reckon on his Twitter page. On 29 July, I was screened by @NGRSenate as a ministerial nominee of President @MBuhari . It was about 2hrs of healthy interaction with the distinguished Senators. Here, for the records, is the transcript. Hope youd find it illuminating. https://t.co/QaPFrknxfQ Cc: @SPNigeria Babatunde Fashola (@tundefashola) August 7, 2019 Questions he fielded ranged from what he would do differently, why certain projects have not reached certain parts of the country, depending who his interviewer was. Regaled in his traditional agbada and his trademark cap, every question thrown at him, he tossed aside in measured, lawyerly tones. This renomination imposes a sense of immense responsibility, he began when Senate President Ahmed Lawan asked him to tell the lawmakers what his CV was silent on. We recovered 720 containers of transmission equipment belonging to the Nigerian government that had been left at the port for over a decade, he added, lapping his agbada on his shoulder for the umpteenth time. After about two hours, he took a bow and left. He would later be appointed the minister of works and housing, with power yanked off, and Abubakar Aliyu was appointed the minister for state to assist him. Saleh Mamman now heads the ministry of power. PREMIUM TIMES, in this report, examines how the ministry headed by Mr Fashola has fared in the last one year. Works: How far thus far Infrastructural development has been a focal reference point of the Buhari-led administration. A bulk of this has been piloted by the ministry of works and housing. Across the six geopolitical zones, there are over 200 ongoing highway projects, all of which stretches to a total of 7,483.04 km with N2.4 trillion worth of contracts. Some are funded by local and external loans as well as sukuk bonds. This is alongside flyovers and bridges, particularly the second Niger River bridge, which, according to presidential publicist Femi Adesina, should be completed by Q1 2022. Also is the Loko-Oweto bridge linking Benue and Nasrawa States. As I speak to you, we are executing over 600 roads across all states in Nigeria, including in universities, Mr Fashola told ChannelsTV in June. Also is Bodo-Bonny bridge, Lagos-Ibadan expressway, Abuja-Kaduna highway, which Mr Fashola said will be delivered in Q1 2022, the Kano-Maiduguri, Benin-Lokoja highways, all done in collaboration with state governments. Accused of imbalanced distribution of the projects across states during the parliamentary screening, Mr Fashola downplayed this, saying preference is given to road projects on the basis of seven criteria. This includes roads with heavy traffic, roads leading to port, roads sponsored by counterpart funding, which connects border communities, roads leading to agro areas and roads inside universities. Although the coronavirus pandemic halted the construction projects for a while, but contractors have been remobilised since the first easing of the nationwide lockdown. As of July, 11 construction companies are now executing 53 projects in 26 states, the lawyer said in an interview on TVC. He added that later in the month, FERMA, the road maintenance agency under the ministry, would be directed to begin the repair and maintenance of roads across 92 locations in 24 states. Maintainece has since begun on a flank of the Third Mainland Bridge, a concrete serpent of about 12km and Nigerias busiest bridge, as well as some sections of the Lokoja-Abuja and Abuja-Keffi roads. FASHOLA INSPECTS ONGOING REPAIRS AND RESTORATION WORKS ON THE THIRD MAINLAND BRIDGE IN LAGOS [PHOTO CREDIT: worksandhousing] Termed the Highway Project and Management Initiative, Mr Fashola said in June that the federal government planned to concession 10 highways to raise a total of N163.32 billion and over 23,000 jobs at the initial phase. The roads include: OnitshaOwerriAba; ShagamuBenin; AbujaKeffiAkwanga; KanoMaiduguri; LokojaBenin; EnuguPort Harcourt; BeninAsaba; IllorinJebba; KadunaKano; and AbujaLokoja. Advertisements In its first five months, the ministry reportedly impacted on 514 highways projects that covered, 826.84 producing about 144,395 jobs (49,080 direct, and 95,350 indirect jobs). FERMA also maintained 2075.24 km stretch of road, involving 406 contractors and 150 people. Housing: How far thus far As a spillover from his first coming, the minister, last year, told lawmakers that there were ongoing housing projects in 34 states, the FCT inclusive. The three exceptions were yet to be incorporated because their state governments have not provided land for the projects, the minister said. He said to bridge the housing deficit in the country, the ministry rolled out a national cooperative housing scheme which gives 80 per cent developmental loans to cooperative groups. Funded by the Federal Mortgage Bank, the initiative has under its radar about 5,301 mortgages worth N38 billion. (We are) moving to cooperative housing. You register yourselves as a cooperative, design your lands after getting permit from the state governments and you will be given 80 per cent of the developmental loan, Mr Fashola said. The bank provides funding for interested cooperatives to build houses of choice, sell at affordable prices to members, who then pay back installmentally at an annual rate not exceeding 10 per cent. In February, 150 houses comprising 82 units detached two-bedroom bungalows and 68 units detached three-bedroom bungalows, were launched in the North-east. Each respectively sold at N6.3 million and N7.5 million. The ministry also saw to the housing documentation and issuance of certificates of occupancy. Mr Fashola said he has issued about 3,450 CofOs and granted consent to almost 2,000. The minister also said a sites and services scheme has kickstarted in Edo and Imo. Under the scheme, state governments provide sites free from all encumbrances, and the FG designs the site, provides infrastructure and allocates to the public to build. How fair in works? Although not completely a function of bad roads, roads mishaps have continued to be recorded on federal roads. In 2019, an average of 12 people died on all roads. By 2020 first quarter, 3,947 road crashes and 1,758 deaths were recorded by the federal road safety corps. Likewise, while the minister has repeatedly downplayed the bad roads in the country, saying they are not as bad, bumpy roads continue to give commuters nightmares. An example is the road from Isua, Ondo State, to Okene, Kogi State. I spent almost an hour on that road. I had to pay N1,200 to some guys who helped pull out my car from the ditch. Their own trailers too were stuck, Yusuf Mojeed, who plied the route when he traveled for Sallah break, said. It was a sad experience, he added, as I had to spend thousands in fixing my car bumper and fender, which were shattered. Sections of the bad road from Isua to Okene. [Photo Credit: Yusuf Akinpelu] Sections of the bad road from Isua to Okene. [Photo Credit: Yusuf Akinpelu] Femi Osuntokun, a Port Harcourt-based development expert, said relative to other regions, the South-south still grapples with bad roads. He mentioned Aba-Port Harcourt road, East-West road, Calabar-Itu road as some roads that could open massive economic jackpot for the region if fixed. Some of the roads in the region, however, are domiciled with the Niger Delta ministry. Mr Fashola has often been criticised for his assessment of some of the bad roads. His critics say he lacks empathy for the plight commuters face. Bamidele Salam, an Osun lawmaker, recently challenged him to a 90-day road tour last year. How fair in housing? Before it was revised, the 2020 budget planned to build 2,383 homes. Meanwhile, Nigeria needs at least 700,000 units annually to breach its housing deficit, a world bank data the minister has repeatedly denounced. Mr Fashola said because the country has not conducted a recent census and empty houses in the urban centres were not factored in, the housing deficit in the country cannot be conclusive. Asked if the ministry has an estimate of its own, the ministers publicist, Hakeem Bello, directed PREMIUM TIMES to its director of housing, Architect Odusanya, who declined comments. Even so, the APC administration promised to build four million new homes in its 2019 manifesto. But Mr Fashola said to measure that, the private sector has to be factored in. The national housing story cannot be told without mentioning what the private sector does, he said in June, adding that the administration has done a commendable job compared to the mess we inherited. Joy Armah, a real estate expert, said to make housing affordable, the government needs to create a friendly atmosphere for developers. At times, it is developers that would be responsible for construction of roads leading to sites, Ms Armah said. This is not supposed to be as they may not sell the property at an affordable rate. On his part, Mr Osuntokun urged the government to partner with the private sector while also simplifying land ownership procedures. Mortgaging needs to be simplified and the acquisition of CofO be made easier, he said, recalling how difficult it has been for his acquaintances to secure the document. More so, cases of building collapse persist. In May, two people died in a collapsed building in Imo. By June, another crumbled building killed two children in Lagos. By July, a two-storey building collapsed in Abuja, trapping ten and injuring one. Some analysts believe the mayhem persists because of the absence of a National Building Code. Ms Armah noted that the problem is largely because there are no strict regulations. She said building approvals are granted without proper on-site monitoring. Rating: Average New Orleans police on Thursday asked the public for help in finding a gray Nissan Sentra that was at the scene of a killing in the Central Business District five days earlier. The car with dark tinted windows is being sought by detectives investigating the shooting death of Romero Butler, 33, in the 200 block of Baronne Street on Saturday night, police said. Police havent named any suspects in the case or discussed a motive, and they asked people with information to call Crimestoppers at (504) 822-1111. Tipsters may be eligible for a cash reward. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang (Photo: VNA) Hanoi - Chinas organisation of consecutive military exercises in the waters to the north-northeast of Vietnams Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelago has violated Vietnams sovereignty over the archipelago, said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang on August 26. Responding to reporters query, the spokesperson made it clear that Chinas act runs counter to the spirit of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and complicates the situation, which is unfavourable for the current negotiations between China and the ASEAN on a Code of Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (COC) and the maintenance of a peaceful, stable and cooperative environment in the East Sea. Vietnam demands that China respect Vietnams sovereignty over the Hoang Sa archipelago, stop and not repeat such violations, Hang said. Rhea Chakraborty shared a video of her father being mobbed by the media present outside her house and asked Mumbai Police to intervene. Actor Rhea Chakraborty on Thursday, 27 August, said there was a threat to her and her family's life and requested the Mumbai Police for protection. Rhea took to Instagram and shared a video where her father was seen being hounded by the media outside her building compound. She said they have been trying to get out of the house to cooperate with various investigating agencies probing actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death. "The man in this video is my father Indrajit Chakraborty (retd. army officer). We have been trying to get out of our house to co-operate with ED, CBI, and various investigation authorities to cooperate. "There is a threat to my life and my family's life. We have informed the local police station and even gone there, no help provided. We have informed the investigation authorities to help us get to them, no help arrived. How is this family going to live?" the 28-year-old actor wrote. Rhea said basic law and order restrictions should be provided especially amid the coronavirus pandemic. "We are only asking for assistance, to cooperate with the various agencies that have asked us. I request @mumbaipolice to please provide protection so that we can cooperate with these investigation agencies. In COVID times, these basic law and order restrictions need to be provided. Thank you," she added. Rhea shared a video of her father being mobbed outside her residence. In another video, she filmed her building security guard, who claimed of being attacked by the mob. Here are the videos Ram is my buildings watchman,He is hurt ,he was hit .Media people have entered my building compound and hurt the security guards and my father . Is this not a crime? Is there any law at all? Arewe barbarians? #justiceforram Will the concerned authorities kindly take notice . pic.twitter.com/YTVkiwB6GU Rhea Chakraborty (@Tweet2Rhea) August 27, 2020 Earlier in the morning, Rhea's brother Showik Chakraborty arrived at the DRDO guest house here for questioning by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). This is the first time that a member of Rhea's family is being questioned by the investigating agency. Rajput's flat-mate Siddharth Pithani was also called by the CBI for the seventh consecutive day for questioning in the actor's death case. The Supreme Court last week upheld the transfer of an FIR, lodged by Rajput's father in Patna against Rhea, the late actor's girlfriend, and others for allegedly abetting his suicide and misappropriating his money, to the CBI. (With inputs from Press Trust of India) * A collection of Suicide prevention helpline numbers are available here. Please reach out if you or anyone you know is in need of support. The All-India helpline number is: 022 2754 6669 The Committee of the (ICRC) said it has registered nearly 44,000 people as missing in with nearly half of them children, amid the restrictions imposed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In a statement on Wednesday, the ICRC said Nigeria, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Somalia, Libya, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Cameroon make up for 82 per cent of the agency's missing caseload in the continent, reports Xinhua news agency. Sophie Marsac, regional advisor for the missing and their families in for the ICRC, said the development came at a time when the ongoing restrictions have posed as new challenges in the search for missing people "This caseload is a drop in the ocean to the true scale of people whose family members are searching for them," Marsac said in a statement issued in Nairobi ahead of the Day of the Disappeared on August 30. "Conflict, violence, migration, and climate shocks have not stopped separating families in the pandemic, but our work to find missing people has become even harder," she said. The worst-hit country is Nigeria with nearly 23,000 missing people, almost entirely due to the conflict in the northeast of the country. "All seven countries have seen a rise in the number of people registered with the ICRC as missing in the first half of 2020," the statement said. "Many countries suspended domestic travel between states or provinces, making it more difficult for searches to be done over wider geographic areas. "Access to places of detention, where the ICRC would look for cases, is suspended in some places to limit the risk of Covid-19 exposure," it added. The ICRC called on authorities to acknowledge the tragedy of missing people and the impact that it has on families and to do everything in their power to prevent people from disappearing and to provide information to families on the fate and whereabouts of their loved ones. " Day of the Disappeared should remind us that an untold number of families in are searching for a loved one, many of them parents looking for a child," said Marsac. "Families of the missing often suffer psychologically and face economic and legal challenges. The tragedy of missing people is a humanitarian crisis and one that cannot be forgotten as the world focuses on fighting the Covid-19 pandemic," she added. --IANS ksk/ (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 National Public Health Emergency Team is meeting meet today to review the latest trends on Covid-19 and the situation in Co Kildare, which remains under partial lockdown. The number of cases has been falling sharply since August 15 when 81 were recorded as the first lockdown was imposed. There were 164 new cases of Covid-19 reported last night, with 22 cases in Kildare. However there were only five cases in Kildare with 17 and 13 the previous two days. Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly said that while the restrictions in Co Kildare are working, the difficult question for NPHET to consider is if the infection rate has been reduced enough, as lifting restrictions could cause it to increase again. Acting Chief Medical Officer Dr Ronan Glynn said yesterday that a significant number of cases had been seen in Dublin, Tipperary, Limerick, Cork and Carlow over the past number of days. Remarkably, there are still only 28 confirmed Covid-19 cases in hospitals across the country, with just four of these patients in intensive care. The number of suspected cases in hospitals has reduced from to 102 from 181. Seven of these are in intensive care. Three meat processing plants - which were shut down earlier this month after Covid-19 outbreaks among workers caused local lockdown restrictions - have begun a phased reopening this week. Kildare Chilling Co in Kildare town confirmed it began a gradual reopening of its facilities on Monday as did OBrien Fine Foods in Timahoe. Irish Dog Foods in Naas also said it expects to be fully operational this week. The current lockdown is due to remain until September 6. People living in Co Kildare should only travel within the county and the only exceptions include travel to work, to medical appointments and to collect medicines for vital family reasons, such as providing care to children, elderly or vulnerable people. Businesses such as cafes and restaurants can only offer take-away food and allow 15 people dine outdoors. Venues such as cinemas, theatres, leisure centres and betting shops are closed. Statistical expert, Conor Riordan displayed a graph on Twitter to show that Kildare has fallen bellow the 50 level (for cases per 100,000 population) for the first time in 21 days. He added: "Excellent progress and very positive position for lockdown exit. "Slight rise tomorrow based on the 22 cases announced today but nothing to be too worried about yet. Still on track to be exit this month." Moderna and Pfizer, the companies leading the U.S. race for a coronavirus vaccine, disclosed this week they have enrolled more than half the people needed for the 30,000-person trials that represent the final phase of testing. But only about a fifth of participants are from Black and Hispanic communities, which have been hit hardest by the virus - lagging in what several experts said should be the bare minimum of diversity. An online registry that people can use to express interest in the vaccine trials - a list of about 350,000 volunteers - had only about 10% to 11% Black and Hispanic people as of late last week, according to James Kublin, executive director of the federal HIV Vaccine Trials Network, based at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. The HIV trials network is being repurposed to test coronavirus vaccines. "We are working a bit uphill, in the Sisyphean task to get the studies representing the diversity [of the U.S.] - and that goes into the historical legacy of not just discrimination, but of outright unethical medical practices" on minority communities, Kublin said. Creating vaccine trials that, at minimum, mirror the racial and ethnic breakdown of the American population, which is about one-third total Black, Hispanic and Native American, has been a major focus - a necessity to make sure any vaccine works for everyone and is broadly accepted. Current enrollment numbers lag even that target. And, in recent weeks, debate in scientific circles focused on how trials for a coronavirus vaccine need to go beyond simply reflecting the composition of the nation's population. Instead, many scientists argue, enrollment efforts should reflect the disproportionate burden of disease, hospitalizations and deaths borne by Black, Hispanic and Native American communities. "The intent is to make a vaccine safe and effective for all Americans. Since there's disproportionate burden of disease, enrolling people based on census numbers is a minimal target. I personally don't think we should go below that," said Nelson Michael, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. Michael is working on community engagement for vaccine trials in Operation Warp Speed, the federal program to speed up development of vaccines and treatments. "What I can tell you is that lots of people are spending lots of times, right now, trying to make sure we can move the needle away from that minimal target to something better than that," Michael said. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the rate of coronavirus cases is more than 2.5 times higher among Black, Hispanic and Native American communities as in the White community, and hospitalization rates are 4 to 5 times higher. Death rates from covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus, are twice as high in Black communities and 1.4 times higher in Native American communities, compared with the White community. Moderna, the biotechnology company partnered with the federal government to develop a coronavirus vaccine, disclosed on a Wednesday call with investors that it had enrolled 15,239 people in its trial. Blacks, Hispanics and Native Americans made up 19% of those participants, according to the company. Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer is also more than halfway through enrollment, and 19% of the participants are Black or Hispanic, and 4% are Asian, Pfizer senior director of Vaccine Clinical Research and Development Nicholas Kitchin told a CDC advisory committee. Leaders from both companies have said they are committed to trials that reflect the people at highest risk. Scientists say diversity matters critically for understanding how a vaccine is likely to perform in the real world. "A question we always ask ourselves, when we do clinical trials, are how generalizable will results be to people who suffer from the disease?" said Onyema Ogbuagu, who is leading a study of the Pfizer vaccine at Yale New Haven Hospital. "If you did a study in a majority-White population with very little Black individuals, when we do get results from the study, it will always be a question: Does it work the same in Black [people] as compared to others? And that's even more so for covid." The numbers illustrate the speed at which trials, which began administering first doses of a vaccine or placebo at the end of July, have moved. But they also lay out the urgent challenge in improving diversity in ongoing trials and to make it a priority in future studies. Such outreach typically takes time and requires building trust with communities that may distrust the medical system because of systemic racism and a legacy of research abuse against minorities. HIV physicians and scientists, who have provided much of the federal infrastructure for the clinical trial effort, have been building relationships with some marginalized communities for decades, but a much wider swath of the population and older people are at risk for covid-19. Hala Borno, a medical oncologist at the University of California at San Francisco, studied a handful of coronavirus clinical trials that disclosed racial data and found that Blacks were underrepresented. She said trials must reflect the diversity of the population and should strive for more. "That's sort of the bare minimum," Borno said. "The reality is, the way that scientific research goes, is you need a sufficient sample to power your analysis, to determine there is a real difference for that population. You need to oversample racial and ethnic minorities." Peter Hotez, dean of the School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, said he thinks U.S. coronavirus vaccine trials should at least have 35% representation among minority groups. "Given that covid-19 has disproportionately caused severe illness and deaths among Hispanic, African American, and Native American populations in the U.S., it's of critical importance that vaccine trials adequately reflect this reality," Hotez said in an email. To increase diversity, recruitment at clinical trial sites that are mostly enrolling White people may slow while others intensify their efforts. Clinical trial sites are also planning to use mobile vans to go into communities, instead of forcing volunteers to travel to their sites - and are working on other forms of outreach. "We do have a community engagement effort, and in a strange way all the community engagement and materials development such as TV ads, radio - these have taken longer than getting through some of these [scientific] steps with the vaccines," Kublin said. "It's very exasperating for me." CHARLOTTE, N.C. - A North Carolina police department supervisor has been disciplined after saying officers confronting demonstrators protesting George Floyds death in June were about to hammer them. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg police sergeant was suspended for two weeks without pay after comments he made during the June 2 protest in which officers deployed tear gas, pepper balls and other chemical agents against largely peaceful demonstrators, The Charlotte Observer reported. According to the video, the unidentified sergeant told officers with the departments bicycle unit that the plan called for those marching to be bottle-necked on a downtown street. Then, as the protesters passed by chanting Hands up, dont shoot, the officer says: Hey, wave goodbye. Theyre all about to get gassed.` Witnesses and participants have detailed injuries from the protests, in which nearly 200 people were blocked from escaping the tear gas as police officers advanced on them from two directions. The dozens of videos released Wednesday provided a detailed look at an incident that led to condemnation of CMPD and calls for reforms within the department. Word of the discipline came as the city prepared to release previously unseen footage captured on body-worn and surveillance cameras. The footage was made public Wednesday afternoon. Now-retired Chief Kerr Putney previously described the use of chemical munitions on protesters as the safest form of crowd control. On Wednesday, Putneys successor, Johnny Jennings, reiterated that no other CMPD officers have been disciplined in connection to the incident, which has already led to a lawsuit, significant policy changes and a now-expired temporary restraining order against the department to restrict use of chemical agents on peaceful demonstrators. The Charlotte City Council in June voted to restrict funding for tear gas. Charlotte City Council and Mayor Vi Lyles reviewed the body-worn camera footage during a closed-session meeting Tuesday, city spokesman Cory Burkarth said. A spokesperson for Lyles did not respond to the newspapers request for an interview Wednesday, but in June, Lyles sharply criticized CMPDs tactics, saying the night was one of those times that none of can be proud of. Economists say Malis economy will worsen because of sanctions imposed by ECOWAS following the August 18 coup. Malis economy will worsen because of sanctions imposed by regional bloc ECOWAS following the August 18 coup, economists say. The sanctions have cut off trade and travel with the landlocked country already suffering from violence amid COVID-19. As Al Jazeeras Ahmed Idris reports from Abuja, millions of people are struggling to find money and food. Sophia Antipolis, France - 27 Aug 2020: Bacteria and other microorganisms in the digestive tract are linked with dozens of health conditions including high blood pressure, high blood lipids, and body mass index (BMI) according to research presented today at ESC Congress 2020.1 "Our study indicates that microbiota might have an important role in maintaining health and could help us develop novel treatments," said study author Dr. Hilde Groot of University Medical Centre Groningen, the Netherlands. The human gut microbiome is the totality of microorganisms (generally bacteria and single-celled organisms called archaea) and their collective genetic material present in the digestive tract. Small-scale studies have suggested a link between the gut microbiome and individual diseases. This study, for the first time, investigated multiple diseases and other traits in one cohort - revealing the staggering extent to which the microbiome influences sickness and health. The analysis used genetic data as a proxy for microbiome composition. Dr. Groot explained: "Previous research has shown that the human gut microbiome composition could be partially explained by genetic variants. So, instead of directly measuring the make-up of the microbiome, we used genetic alterations to estimate its composition." The study included 422,417 unrelated individuals in the UK Biobank who had undergone genotyping to identify their genetic make-up. Information was also collected on a wide range of diseases and other characteristics including BMI and blood pressure. The average age of participants was 57 years and 54% were women. The researchers found that higher levels of eleven bacteria (estimated from genetic data) were associated with a total of 28 health and disease outcomes. These included chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), atopy (a genetic tendency to develop allergic diseases like asthma and eczema), frequency of alcohol intake, high blood pressure, high blood lipids, and BMI. To take one example, higher levels of the genus Ruminococcus were linked with increased risk of high blood pressure. Regarding alcohol consumption, Dr. Groot said: "What we eat and drink is connected to microbiome content, so we studied the links with meat, caffeine, and alcohol. We observed a relationship between raised levels of Methanobacterium and drinking alcohol more often. It is important to stress that this is an association, not a causal relation, and more research is needed." A real strength of the study was conducting a broad analysis in the same group of people. Dr. Groot said: "Considering that the results were observed in one cohort, this cautiously supports the notion that microbiota and the substances they produce (called metabolites) provide links between numerous diseases and conditions. The findings may help identify common pathways. Nevertheless, more research (for example in other cohorts) is needed to validate our findings." She concluded: "Follow-up studies are required to study causality before giving concrete advice to the public and health professionals. This study provides clues where to go." ### Notes to editors Authors: ESC Press Office Mobile: +33 (0)7 85 31 20 36 Email: press@escardio.org The hashtag for ESC Congress 2020 is #ESCCongress. Follow us on Twitter @ESCardioNews This press release accompanies an abstract at ESC Congress 2020 - The Digital Experience. It does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the European Society of Cardiology. Funding: None. Disclosures: None. References and notes 1Abstract title: Human genetic determinants of the gut microbiome and their associations with health and disease: A phenome-wide association study. About the European Society of Cardiology The European Society of Cardiology brings together health care professionals from more than 150 countries, working to advance cardiovascular medicine and help people lead longer, healthier lives. About ESC Congress 2020 ESC Congress is the world's largest gathering of cardiovascular professionals contributing to global awareness of the latest clinical trials and breakthrough discoveries. ESC Congress 2020 takes place online from 29 August to 1 September. More information is available from the ESC Press Office at press@escardio.org. The Armenian Defense Ministry has called for the creation of a nationwide militia that would reinforce Armenias armed forces in times of war. A bill drafted by the ministry cites the need to expand Armenians involvement in national defense, which has until now mainly taken the form of compulsory military service performed by male citizens and call-ups of army reservists. Under the bill, the new auxiliary force would be formed on a territorial basis in Yerevan and towns and villages across the country and consist of units commanded by deputy heads of relevant local governments. It would be subordinate to the Armenian army command. One of the proposed amendments to several Armenian laws lists the tasks to be performed by the militia. In particular, the latter would have to confront, neutralize and destroy enemy special forces trying to strike key military and civilian facilities deep inside the countrys territory. The auxiliaries could also be deployed at endangered sections of Armenias borders or line of contact with the adversary. The Defense Ministry bill posted on a government website on Tuesday has not yet been discussed and approved by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinians cabinet. Defense Minister Davit Tonoyan and other military officials have not publicly commented on it so far. The bill was praised and endorsed on Wednesday by Sasun Mikaelian, an influential lawmaker affiliated with Pashinians My Step bloc and a prominent veteran of the 1991-1994 war in Nagorno-Karabakh. Mikaelian said the Armenian military needs such a volunteer militia because we are surrounded by enemies. He also spoke of an increased threat of Turkeys direct military intervention in the Karabakh conflict on Azerbaijans side. The militia must have at least 100,000 members, Mikaelian told RFE/RLs Armenian service. There could be a sudden enemy attack at any moment and we must be prepared for it. The proposed volunteer force would not be a substitute for a possible wartime mobilization of Armenian army reservists. The army called up tens of thousands of such reservists during what it described as strategic military exercises held in Armenia and Karabakh in September 2019. Mikaelian also heads the Yerkrapah Union of Karabakh war veterans. Many of its members as well as thousands of other Armenian volunteers joined Karabakhs Armenian-backed army in April 2016 during large-scale hostilities that nearly escalated into an all-out Armenian-Azerbaijani war. Failte Ireland has updated its rules and guidelines for wedding venues under the latest Government Public Health Advice. So, what are the headline rules for wedding receptions? - There can be a maximum of 50 people in the function area including employees - The function area must be self-contained and only one function per area/room - Businesses must follow updated Public Health advice to ensure that all wedding guests leave the function/bar areas by 11.30pm. Public Health advice states that these areas should be cleared of all guests by 11.30pm. However, this does not include staff members who will carry out closing procedures. - Face coverings should be worn by employees in customer-facing roles where no other protective measures are in place e.g. protective screens and where physical distancing of 2 metres* is not possible. - Face coverings should also be worn by guests when arriving to and leaving their table. What are the rules for guests on arrival? - Where possible, guests must be directed to enter and exit through separate doors that are automated or manually operated by an employee. Doors may be propped open if fire regulations allow. - Hand sanitisers (including touchless dispensers where possible) must be readily available at each access point. These must have a minimum alcohol content of 60%. Signage must encourage all guests to use this when they enter and leave. - Prominent signage must explain current physical distancing practices. This must be accompanied by clear and visible markings that illustrate the safe distancing protocol. What about at the drinks reception? - Service stations must use physical distancing queuing systems. - Tea/coffee/drinks and canape stations must be managed by service personnel. There must be no self-service stations. Canapes must be in individual portions. - Remove as much loose furniture (e.g. sofas, etc.) from the room to ensure maximum space for physical distancing. And what about at dinner? - Entrance doors should be opened whilst guests are entering the dining area. - Review the seating capacities to meet the current physical distancing guidance. There must be adequate spacing between customers at each table in accordance with Government physical distancing guidelines. - Hand sanitisers (including touchless dispensers where possible) must be readily available. Consider providing hand sanitiser on each table. These must have a minimum alcohol content of 60%. Signage must encourage all guests to use this when they enter and leave. - Management must ensure appropriate signage is in place to welcome guests and reassure them that employees have been trained in line with the Governments Public Health advice. - There must be no shared items at the table. Instead: - Water jugs must be poured by service personnel only. - Salt and pepper shakers, butter dishes should be available only on request. - Instead, each guest should be given individual portions/sachets. - Face coverings should be worn by staff during the service of the meal - There must be no family-style service of food (i.e. no shared vegetable/gravy dishes, etc.). - Wedding afters must be served directly to each guest fully plated. And the dancing? - Signage on tables and dance floors must ask guests to respect physical distancing guidelines. - Employees must monitor and manage distancing. Additional Considerations - All third-party suppliers must ensure they adhere to the Governments Public Health advice. - Multiple gatherings are allowed in venue facilities provided they are in separate defined spaces and there are systems to prevent intermingling in common spaces (e.g. entrances, exits and toilet facilities). - Limit the number of service personnel per group of guests to the smallest number that is practical. - Where at all practical, service personnel should provide services to only one gathering and should not move between multiple gatherings in different venue locations. - Where possible, facilities such as toilets should not be used simultaneously by multiple gatherings. However, if they are cleaned in between usage, they may be used separately by different gatherings, within the same time period. Chad Welsh lives in Sulphur, Louisiana, a suburb of Lake Charles. He and his family, like so many others in his family, made the decision to evacuate as Hurricane Laura approached the Gulf Coast. Slate spoke with Welsh to learn what it is like to evacuate during a pandemic and face a potential major loss during a major economic crisis. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Molly Olmstead: When did you realize you would have to evacuate? Advertisement Chad Welsh: I didnt believe it was going to come because Ive lived in Louisiana all my life. Im 45. I didnt think anything of it. I said, that isnt gonna come here. Because they always say it is, and it doesnt. But that morning, Monday morning, my dad called me and said, Weve got to go, they just put a mandatory evacuation [order]. And we just had to pack and grab everything. It was my wife and my sonhes 16and my mom and my dad in a car. We followed each other in a caravan. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Where are you now? Were in Waco, Texas. It took us seven and a half hours to get to Waco. That was the only place that we could find a hotel at a reasonable price. We didnt think it would be bad, so we were just trying to find a place Sunday night, Monday night, so we had to last-minute find a place. Were at a Holiday Inn Express. And luckily, the people here were nice: we were only supposed to be here for two nights, but theyre letting us stay here another night. We were all having to bunch up in one room. I was on this little couch. My wife had to sleep on the floor, and we switched back and forth. Her thighs were hurting, our sides were hurting, my neck is hurting. Now weve finally got our own room. So we have our room and they have their own room, my mom and dad. Advertisement Advertisement How long have you been living in Sulphur? Weve been living there about 15 years. Ive been working at the local casino, and, well, we got hit bad by COVID. And I had high blood pressure, so I couldnt go back to work when they called us back, because Im one of the individuals that has to stay home. And they laid me off on the 15th of August, after 15 years of service. Advertisement What was it like getting ready to evacuate? The bad thing about it was we just got on Medicaid. And it was an issue trying to get my wifes blood pressure medication. I was worried she was going to have a high blood pressure problem because she had two pills left. Walgreens wasnt even going to give us the medication, they were going to charge us $400 out of pocket. So we had to come over here and try to find some money. I have high blood pressure too, but I had a 90-day supply, and Im good for another 30 days. I had to buy her five pills to last$20 for five pills. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What was the evacuation like for you, financially? The total for two nights was $200-something. We had to get gas. Were trying to save money, so we went to the Walmart, and all weve been having is like sandwiches, stuff like that. We spent about $40 the other night just trying to get a little lunch meat. I had to pay my electric bill, and the electric bill charges $323, and I havent told my wife, but I havent paid the house payment since March. And we owe $7,400. Theyve been deferring the payments. Ive been going in the red, and my dads been given me money, but he got laid off too. He worked as an electrician, but they laid him off and hes 65 years old. The only thing that might help us is FEMA is going to be given out hotel vouchers around here, so we can get a free night in the hotel. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Have you been worried about COVID during the evacuation? Oh, yeah. Because I dont even know what its like over in this city with COVID. I havent had time to research it. But we wear the masks everywhere we go. We have just stayed in the hotel. I feel safer now, [the hotel is] very good. A congregation of people outside when we first got here didnt have masks on. But I think someone called the cops on them, because the cops came. What have you been doing since you got to Waco? Basically all weve been doing is stay in the hotel, on the phone, trying to see whats going on. Yesterday I stayed up until about 3 or 4 a.m. watching the Weather Channel. Were trying to get updates: you know, how your house iswe dont we dont know yet. We dont have pictures, so Im not seeing some of the damage at all. You know, your mind starts to imagine. I have a cousin thats going to go look, but we dont know if we have any damage yet. Weve got to wait, because with all the power lines out on the ground, theyre not going to let us in. Theyve got the roads closed going into Lake Charles. So we probably will stay here until we can try to find someplace else, someplace cheaper, maybe. Advertisement Advertisement One of my friends in San Antonio said theyve got a voucher for two nights free from FEMA. We have to search in the area where we would go to register. They give you an arm band, and then youve got to come back later and pick up a voucher. You have to go in there, with all those people. How have you been feeling during all this? I guess you could say [Im] numb. At first you dont know whats going on. I try not to think about it. I have bad anxiety attacks. Driving over here, I almost had to pull over on the side of the road because I felt like I couldnt breathe. You sometimes have a sick feeling in your stomach, like youre going to throw up. Like yeah you might be comfortable right now, but the stuff you had to deal withyou had to put yourself in a financial strain to be comfortable for that time. But once you get home, you dont know what youre gonna get. Once they say we can go home, if we have a home, we might be theres two weeks without electricity in Louisianas heat. Thats not comfortable. Its not comfortable not knowing if you have a home left to go home to. Especially when you dont have a job. What would you do? Wed have to get in touch with insurance. We do have insurance on the house. I would stay with [my parents]. But it gets stressful when you have all those families on one roof. So we would have to figure out what to do with the building. Would we move? I have some friendly people on Twitterone person sent me $50, another person sent me $25 on CashApp, and I wasnt expecting that. Turkey may have reached a milestone last week in its dreams to become energy independent. Although the Erdogan governments timeline appears dubious and there is understandable domestic skepticism, various technical, financial and political dynamics will decide whether Turkey will grab or pass this gas and oil opportunity. On Aug. 21, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced a big find of natural gas off Turkeys western Black Sea coast. While Erdogan addressed the nation during the live broadcast from Istanbuls historic Dolmabahce Palace, Erdogans son-in-law and Minister of Economy Berat Albayrak, together with Energy Minister Fatih Donmez, joined the spectacle from the main deck of the Fatih drilling ship, which made the discovery. The event was suffused with nationalist and religious symbols. The gas field, alternatively dubbed Tuna-1 and Sakarya, reportedly holds 320 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas, which Erdogan promised to supply to Turkish consumers by 2023. One expert cited in a previous Al-Monitor story called the 2023 goal technically impossible. Even the pro-government newspaper Yeni Safak cited officials who estimated that it would take seven to 10 years for production to begin. Many in the opposition questioned the veracity of the Turkish governments claims, calling it a rabbit out of a hat trick. Veteran journalist Rusen Cakir, however, took a different tone. Cakir ascribed the announcement to Erdogans need for good news because Turkey has not been governed well for a long time. Or, more accurately, it has been governed very poorly. And for that reason, the country is in a serious crisis in every area economic, political, cultural. Cakir added how Erdogan has trouble in exciting base but even such news may not help him: There is no possibility to pull a rabbit from the hat because there is no hat. Turkish consumption has averaged about 45 bcm (1.59 trillion cubic feet) in recent years, so the Tuna-1 field could lessen imports from Iran and Russia if fully tapped. Turkey imports 70% of its energy needs, which constitute 20% to 25% of overall Turkish imports. Removing that burden would practically end Turkey's current account deficit headaches. The good news is that by the time gas from Tuna-1 comes online later this decade, most contracts with Iran and Russia are set to expire. But not so fast, warns Volkan Emre, a US-based energy security consultant. In an email to Al-Monitor, Emre pointed out the significant downward trend in natural gas prices since 2009 (from $13.3 per thousand cubic feet to $2.5 per thousand cubic feet) primarily driven by the massive expansion of shale gas production in North America. Emre added that the coronavirus pandemic and the recent discovery of mega-fields such as Egypts Zohr will increase excess supply. Under the assumption that the price of natural gas will remain flat both in the short and the long term, the economic rationale of a multi-billion-dollar investment is highly questionable. The price tag matters because it has been the main consideration for Turkey in the past. Turkey has been looking for oil and gas in the Black Sea since the late 2000s. Mehmet Uysal, general manager of the state-owned Turkish Petroleum Company from 2007 to 2013, often brought good tidings that big oil and gas treasures could be delivered to Turkish consumers by the late 2010s. Yet all those plans assumed high hydrocarbon prices that would justify the high investment costs. Oil and gas prices are at an all-time low because of the pandemic, while the Turkish economy has entered a dangerous debt spiral. To be sure, energy independence is a necessity for Turkey. But Tuna-1s current reserves pale in comparison to reserve estimates in Russia and Iran a whopping 39 trillion cubic meters and 32 trillion cubic meters, respectively. To make the extraction of Black Sea gas and supplying it to Turkish consumers viable, greater reserves would have to be discovered near Tuna-1. At any rate, just as reserve estimates in Russia and Iran are liable to change, if Tuna-1s reserves prove to be lower than 320 bcm, the costs to extract that gas will become even higher. Emre distinguishes between contracts with Russia and Iran: It would be naive to think that Turkey, the second-largest natural gas importer of Russian gas, would transition away from its 33-year-long contractual relationship with Russia, a country that has a track record of using natural gas, especially natural gas pipelines, as a major foreign policy and geopolitic[al] tool. Iran, however, is different. Emre said, if Tuna-1 / Sakarya could be verified as a reliable production source, it wont be surprising to see Turkey transition away from Iranian gas at the end of its contractual obligations in the mid-2020s [because] Iranian gas in comparison with Azerbaijani and Russian gas is expensive [and] there has been significant inefficiencies in the gas inflow from Iran due to infrastructural problems on the Iranian side, and Iran doesnt use natural gas as a strong geopolitical tool like Russia. Turkey can mitigate potential problems with Iran more easily. In fact, Ankara could use the expiry of its gas contracts with Moscow and Tehran as a bargaining chip over the ongoing tensions in the eastern Mediterranean with its Western frenemies especially France and Greece. By playing a careful diplomatic game and reaching an understanding with Greece, not only could Turkey thwart the risk of European Union and US sanctions, it could secure financing and technical partners to extract its share of the gas from the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. It would not be wrong to read Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglus remarks that Turkey is open to talks with Greece in that light. Big bonanza or hot air, smart diplomacy holds the keys to Turkeys dreams of becoming an energy giant. One of the victims in the deadly shootings at a protest Tuesday night in Kenosha, Wisconsin, was shot five times, including in the head, and a second was shot in the chest, according to a criminal complaint filed Thursday. The violence occurred late Tuesday near a gas station in Kenosha, some 40 miles south of Milwaukee, amid a third night of protests over the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old Black man, who remains hospitalized in serious condition. The two victims died from their injuries, according to the Kenosha Police Department. A third gunshot victim was taken to a hospital with "serious, but non-life-threatening injuries," police said. Cellphone video from Tuesday night's protests showed a white man, armed with a semiautomatic rifle, running past police and being chased by demonstrators. The footage showed the man trip and fall and appear to open fire on protesters. He then is seen running away. The alleged gunman, identified as 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse of Illinois, surrendered to authorities in Antioch, Illinois, before dawn Wednesday, according to Antioch Interim Police Chief Geoff Guttschow. Rittenhouse was arrested based on a warrant issued by authorities in Wisconsin's Kenosha County, charging him with first-degree intentional homicide. He's also being held on a charge of "fugitive from justice," for purposes of extradition to Wisconsin, Guttschow said. PHOTO: Demonstrators take part in a protest against the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Aug. 26, 2020. (Stephen Maturen/Reuters) Charges against Rittenhouse were officially filed in Wisconsin on Thursday, and included two homicide counts and one attempted homicide count. Rittenhouse was also charged with two counts of recklessly endangering safety and possession of a dangerous weapon by a juvenile. A criminal complaint filed Thursday identified the two people killed as Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber, and the injured victim as Gaige Grosskreutz. Rosenbaum followed Rittenhouse and threw a plastic bag at him in the parking lot of the auto repair shop Car Source Auto Service, according to the complaint. Based on a video prosecutors reviewed, Rosenbaum approached Rittenhouse following a loud bang. After four more bangs, Rosenbaum fell to the ground. After allegedly shooting Rosenbaum, Rittenhouse made a phone call and said, "I just killed somebody," the complaint said. An autopsy found that Rosenbaum was shot five times -- in the right groin, back, left hand, left thigh and right side of his forehead, according to the complaint. Story continues MORE: Authorities identify Kenosha cop who shot Jacob Blake, say Blake had knife Rittenhouse was then chased by protestors and fell, according to the complaint. At that point, Huber tried to pull Rittenhouse's gun away when he was allegedly shot and killed, according to the complaint. Rittenhouse then allegedly shot Grosskreutz, who had his hands in the air, in the right arm, according to the complaint. Huber's autopsy showed he had a gunshot wound to his chest that perforated his heart, aorta, pulmonary artery and right lung, the complaint said. The long gun allegedly used in the shootings was a Smith & Wesson AR-15 style, .223 rifle, court records show. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is assisting in tracing a firearm recovered Wednesday that is believed to have been used in Tuesday night's shooting, a law enforcement official told ABC News. PHOTO: Protesters raise their fists during a demonstration against the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Aug. 26, 2020. (Kerem Yucel/AFP via Getty Images) Authorities investigating social media accounts associated with the suspect's name have found references of support for President Donald Trump and a video that appears to show the poster at a Trump rally, law enforcement officials told ABC News. The social media accounts were deactivated Wednesday and are now part of the investigation into the deadly shooting. Investigators are looking to determine whether the accounts are legitimate and are scrubbing them for any information pertinent to the probe, two law enforcement officials told ABC News. Local law enforcement agencies are not commenting on the social media accounts. Trump's reelection campaign issued a statement Wednesday night distancing itself from the alleged shooter. "President Trump has repeatedly and consistently condemned all forms of violence and believes we must protect all Americans from chaos and lawlessness," Tim Murtaugh, communications director for the Trump 2020 campaign, said in a statement. "This individual had nothing to do with our campaign and we fully support our fantastic law enforcement for their swift action in this case." Rittenhouse is currently being held at the Lake County Juvenile Detention Center in Vernon Hills, Illinois, according to Guttschow. MORE: Harris calls Jacob Blake shooting 'sickening,' says it 'pierced the soul of our nation' Antioch Fire Chief Jon Cokefair confirmed to ABC News that Rittenhouse was a cadet with his fire department from September 2018 to March 2020. The Grayslake Police Department in Illinois has also confirmed to ABC News that a former public safety cadet from its youth program is a suspect in the Kenosha protest shootings. Attorney John Pierce of Los Angeles told ABC News that he has been retained to represent Rittenhouse. "We will obtain justice for Kyle," said Pierce, adding he was headed to Wisconsin Thursday night to meet with his client's family and appear at Rittenhouse's bail hearing on Friday. Pierce said he has established a legal defense fund for Rittenhouse through a Texas 501(c)(4) nonprofit called #FightBack Foundation Inc. that was formed by him and Georgia attorney L. Lin Wood. "That will be the sole authorized vehicle to fund Kyle's defense," he said. PHOTO: Demonstrators march past a burned out building damaged during protests against the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Aug. 26, 2020. (David Goldman/AP) The civil unrest in Kenosha unfolded Sunday evening after Blake was shot by police in broad daylight. Cellphone video taken by a witness shows three Kenosha police officers following Blake around his SUV, and at least one of them is seen shooting Blake multiple times in the back as he opened the driver's side door and entered the vehicle, where his three young children were still inside. The officers involved in the shooting have been placed on administrative leave, according to the Wisconsin Department of Justice's Division of Criminal Investigation, which is leading the probe into the incident. The Kenosha Police Department does not have body cameras. Authorities, in a statement, later said that officers attempted to stop Blake with a stun gun but that efforts were unsuccessful. MORE: Authorities issue citywide curfew after police shoot Black man in Wisconsin Since then, hundreds of protesters have converged at the Kenosha Police Department headquarters and the Kenosha County Courthouse. Some have smashed patrol car windows and set fires to buildings. Police in riot gear have repeatedly deployed tear gas, flash bangs and rubber bullets to disperse the crowds. The violence prompted Trump and Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers to mobilize additional members of the National Guard to Kenosha. Blake's family has repeatedly called for peaceful protests. PHOTO: The carcasses of the cars burned by protestors the previous night, during a demonstration against the police shooting of Jacob Blake, are seen on a used-cars lot in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Aug. 26, 2020. (Kerem Yucel/AFP via Getty Images) A statement released Wednesday night by the Wisconsin Department of Justice identified the officer who shot Blake and provided more details on the incident. Officers from the Kenosha Police Department were dispatched to a residence Sunday, after a female caller reported that her boyfriend was there and "was not supposed to be on the premises," according to the statement. During the incident, the officers tried to arrest Blake and deployed a stun gun in an attempt to stop him, but "the taser was not successful," according to the statement. Blake then walked around his car, opened the driver's side door and "leaned forward," according to the statement. Officer Rusten Sheskey, who has been with the Kenosha Police Department for seven years, fired his gun seven times into Blake's back while holding onto his shirt, according to the statement. No other officer fired their weapon, the statement said. The officers "immediately provided medical aid" to Blake, who was then flown to a hospital in Milwaukee, according to the statement. During the investigation following the initial incident, Blake "admitted that he had a knife in his possession," according to the statement. Investigators recovered a knife from the driver's side floorboard of Blake's vehicle. No additional weapons were found, according to the statement. When taking questions from reporters at a press conference Wednesday night, Wisconsin Department of Justice officials would not say whether Blake was the person who the female caller said was at her home. PHOTO: A protester holds a 'Black Lives Matter' sign during a demonstration against the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Aug. 26, 2020. (Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images) Prominent civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump, who is representing Blake's family, said his client was attempting to de-escalate a domestic incident when police drew their pistols and stun guns on him. Crump said Blake was walking away to check on his children when police shot him. He told ABC News that Blake's family is calling for the officers involved in the shooting to be terminated from the police force and charged with attempted murder. "Where is humanity? Where is the professionalism? Where is the training? Why is it again that we're seeing another African American who the police are supposed to protect and serve like anybody else use this brutal, excessive force?" Crump said. "It was done in front of his three little boys a who were all sitting in the car. Eight years old, five years old, three years old. Can you imagine the psychological issues these babies are going to have?" MORE: Jacob Blake paralyzed by police shooting, father says Blake's family told ABC News he is currently paralyzed from the waist down but that doctors hope the paralysis is temporary. Blake is handcuffed to his hospital bed, his father, Jacob Blake Sr., told ABC News. A warrant was issued on July 7 for Blake's arrest on sexual assault and domestic abuse charges, yet it is unclear at this time if that is why he is handcuffed. Despite his condition, Blake has been the one trying to comfort family. "That tells you what kind of man he is," Blake's uncle told ABC News in an interview that aired Wednesday on "Good Morning America." ABC News' Andy Fies, Sabina Ghebremedhin, Whitney Lloyd, Will Steakin and Jim Vojtech contributed to this report. Wisconsin gunman charged, allegedly shot protester 5 times: Criminal complaint originally appeared on abcnews.go.com "You are never going to see the volume of business travel that you've seen in the past," former American Airlines CEO Robert Crandall recently told The Wall Street Journal, predicting that business travel will fall by one-third to one-half even after the pandemic is over. That's alarming news for airlines that depend on business travelers to turn a profit. "Everybody who depends on business travel is going to have to rethink their game plan," Crandall acknowledged. But is it bad news for the average entrepreneur or professional not directly financially impacted by a fall off in business trips? A deeper look at the future of post-pandemic travel doesn't sound bad at all actually. Fewer road warriors, more digital nomads If you are one of those rare birds who relishes the life of the road warrior, you can stop reading now. You're not going to be happy with the predictions some of the biggest names in the industry are making. But if you found traveling for work to be a grind before, then you just might love travel after Covid. Airbnb was forced to lay off 25 percent of its staff in May because of the virus, but the company is already bouncing back and is filing for an IPO this year. As CEO Brian Chesky explained to Business Insider, there are reasons the company is expecting the happy news to continue. While business travel will continue to crater, Chesky predicts our appetite for getting offline and out in the real world will shoot up after the virus is under control. "We used to do a lot of travel for work, and then we entertained ourselves on screens. That's going to inverse," Chesky told BI. "I think we'll work more on screens and entertain ourselves in the real world." Which sounds pretty amazing to me. As does another of Chesky's predictions. Not only will we spend more time enjoying the real world after our months (hopefully not years) stuck at home, many of us will also be unshackled from the office thanks to widespread remote work. The result will be more people exploring the world as digital nomads. Several countries are already trying to attract remote workers for extended stays with new longer-term visas, but even just hopping between various U.S. cities may become more common. Finally, navigating airports may become less horrible thanks to investments in technology made during the pandemic. "Facial-recognition systems for everything from checking bags to passport control are likely to become far more widely adopted to reduce person-to-person contact. Security, passport, and customs lines themselves may get redesigned. Video links may enable processing of international passengers before they depart," predicts the same WSJ article. So, just to recap, that all adds up to less soulless business travel, more fun trips, a healthier balance between on- and offline leisure, and a smoother airport experience. It's horribly sad that it took a pandemic to make this vision possible, but it doesn't sound bad at all from the traveler's perspective. #xHuman #xMachine #17at17 COVID-19 is the Spanish Flu of our generation. One major difference is that our digital infrastructure made it possible for us to live much of our lives online. This may set the stage for humanity's greatest migration, further empowering the xHuman.Radia Funna, founder, Build n Blaze Today, Build n Blaze announces the launch of its YouTube channel as its primary engagement platform for Build n Blaze TV. Launched as a pop-up studio at last years UN General Assembly, Build n Blaze TV will now go all social on its YouTube channel as well as all the organizations social media channels: @BuildnBlaze and @BuildnBlazeTV on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Subscribe to Build n Blaze TV on YouTube. The arrival of COVID-19 has changed the rules of engagement by constraining the UNs ability to gather in person for this year's General Assembly, while underscoring the importance to gather. A representative of Build n Blaze said. It is critical to beat back this pandemic by maintaining social distancing and wearing masks. So this year, we will pass on the in person studio and Build n Blaze TV will live solely online where it was meant to live. Build n Blaze TVs 2019 launch was futurist and Build n Blaze founder, Radia Funnas invitation to a new generation to engage with the UN administered Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on issues such as ending hunger, reducing inequality and addressing climate change. COVID-19 changed everything. Spreading human suffering and upending the lives of billions of people around the world, it continues to lay bare our greatest vulnerabilities. Driving us to our homes to reduce the spread, it created a different kind of migration, one that Funna, has seen happening over the last fifty years. It is this general migration that created the environment for "The xHuman @ the UN General Assembly" to go fully digital this year. It drove us online." Funna said. "COVID-19 created a digital migration like the world has never seen. I have spent years advising clients about the importance of transforming their operations to create resilience in the fourth industrial revolution. Then, just like that, a worse case scenario that has us all scrambling to develop our digital infrastructure. With Build n Blaze TVs online transition, we are taking our own medicine. 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/ #xHuman #xMachine #17at17 A new beauty product with pumpkin flesh as its star ingredient is being heralded as the 'ultimate' skin smoother - and thousands of customers are purchasing it. UK brand Bybi Beauty, which is sold at Australia's Sephora stores and online, released its Acid Gold AHA Face Mask ($37) earlier this month to high praise. It has been the fastest selling launch to date for Bybi and has become a bestseller in a matter of weeks, with credit given to the pumpkin enzyme inside that gently exfoliates, enhance cell renewal and replenishes skin firmness, texture and bounce. Scroll down for video UK brand Bybi Beauty, which is sold at Australia's Sephora stores and online at Clean Beauty Market, released its Acid Gold AHA Face Mask ($36.50) earlier this month to high praise It has been the fastest selling launch to date for Bybi and has become a bestseller in a matter of weeks, with credit given to the pumpkin enzyme inside Bybi Beauty Acid Gold AHA Face Mask The pumpkin flesh used by the brand is a by-product of the pumpkin seed industry and would otherwise be thrown away. Acid Gold also contains a potent blend of natural Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHAs) including lactic (derived from bilberry extract), glycolic (derived from sugar cane extract), malic and tartaric (derived from sugar maple extract). The blend of AHAs with added papaya enzymes work to reduce bacteria in the skin, helping to prevent breakouts and blemishes. The pumpkin flesh used by the brand is a by-product of the pumpkin seed industry and would otherwise be thrown away (a customer wearing the mask) Combined with sea buckthorn oil and moisturising agent glycerin, Acid Gold doesn't strip or dry out the skin. Photos of the bright orange mask have been popping up all over social media, with customers sharing exactly how to get the most out of it. The website recommends applying a thin layer to clean skin using the brush included in the pack. Leave it on for between five and 15 minutes and rinse thoroughly with warm water. The acids and enzymes may cause a slight tingle and a little redness immediately after use, but this is normal. The acids and enzymes may cause a slight tingle and a little redness immediately after use, but this is normal (customer using the mask) The website recommends applying a thin layer to clean skin using the brush included in the pack 'I don't expect instant results from any product but I am thoroughly impressed by this mask,' one woman said. 'The ingredients list alone is highly suggestive of its brightening power and the results are evident once you rinse it off. The truth is in the tingle so not the best for sensitive skin but if you are no stranger to AHA definitely try it.' 'My skin was playing up massively during the lockdown until I got hold of this beauty! It's honestly done absolute wonders for my skin,' said another. A third added: 'I've been looking for an alternating face mask to go with a peel I already use and this is great. It leaves my skin soft and smells so good'. The board of Siemens has approved the sale of its mechanical drives (MD) business for Rs 440 crore to Flender Drives, a subsidiary of Flender GmbH, which in turn is a subsidiary of Siemens AG. The sale and transfer of MD business is as going concern and on a slump sale basis, with effect from 1 January 2021. The MD business within Siemens achieved a revenue of Rs 683.80 crore for FY19 and had an operating loss of Rs 55.30 crore. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 26 August 2020. Sunil Mathur, the managing director (MD) and chief executive officer (CEO) of Siemens, has said that: "Potential growth in this business will require substantial Capex and moreover, there are no synergies with the existing businesses of Siemens. Keeping the interests of the shareholders in mind, the board of Siemens has approved the sale of this business to Siemens AG which has also announced their intention to publicly list this business via a spin-off." On a consolidated basis, Siemens reported net loss of Rs 1.90 crore in Q3 June 2020 compared with net profit of Rs 250.10 crore in Q3 June 2019. Net sales tumbled 59.2% to Rs 1,276 crore in Q3 June 2020 over Q3 June 2019. Shares of Siemens fell 0.48% to Rs 1,225.70. The stock hit a high of Rs 1244.45 and a low of Rs 1223.30 in intraday. Siemens focuses on the areas of power generation and distribution, intelligent infrastructure for buildings and dis-tributed energy systems, and automation and digitalization in the process and manufacturing industries. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Union Defence Rajnath Singh on Thursday asserted that in the coming time, defence equipment worth Rs 1.40 lakh crore will be purchased domestically. Speaking at the Defence Industry Outreach Webinar, Singh said that the government has made several bold policy reforms to promote self-reliance in the defence sector. On the Defence Ministry issuing a negative list of 101 defence items on the valuable suggestion of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Singh said, After a certain period of time these items will not be procured from outside. This list is the beginning of a process that has the potential to transform the defence industry. This list of 101 items includes not only minor parts but also warfare systems, integrated platforms, combat vehicles. This list is just a beginning so that in the coming time, defence equipment worth Rs 1.40 lakh crore will be purchased domestically. He said that the bold policy reforms in the defence sector include increasing the limit to 74 per cent for Foreign Direct Investment through automatic route in the defence sector and setting up of defence corridors in UP and Tamil Nadu in addition to Strategic Partnership (SP) Model to promote investments, liberalisation of Industrial License regime, and 'Defence Investor Cell' to address the problems of investors. Singh said, Self-reliance is actually another form of our confidence and strength. According to the formula presented by our Prime Minister five 'I', i.e., Intent, Inclusion, Investment, Infrastructure and Innovation, we have taken steps towards increasing our own strength. Its results have also started coming in front of us. Speaking about the urge of nations to become self-reliant, the Defence Minister said, The spirit of self-reliance has always been present in our society, our education and values. It has existed as part of us, from our tradition to modern times. It has existed from 'the Vedas' to 'Vivekananda Ji', from 'the Geeta' to 'Gandhi Ji', and from 'Upanishads' to 'Upadhyay' (Deendayal) ji. Everyone, whether they have been our great men or our governments, in their own way accepted the importance of self-reliance. But in the recent past, the emphasis placed on the call of our Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Aatmanirbharta is unprecedented. While answering questions from the participants, Singh said that corporatisation of Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) would be completed within a year. In response to another question, he replied that the two Defence Industrial Corridors in Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu were targeted to attract thousands of crores of investments in the next five years. Industry representatives also sought clarifications on various reforms introduced in defence acquisition procedure including offset provisions, reservation of items for procurement from MSMEs, the definition of Indian vendor etc. Singh listed out the salient features of the recently announced first Defence Production and Export Promotion policy at the Atmanirbhar Bharat Defence Industry Outreach Webinar which was jointly organised by Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers (SIDM), Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and Department of Defence Production (DDP), Ministry of Defence (MoD) here today. It may be recalled that PM Modi had highlighted the need for achieving self-sufficiency in defence production in his clarion call on Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan during his announcement of COVID-19 related economic package of Rs 20 lakh crore on May 12, 2020. He further outlined his vision for the same on June 02, 2020; wherein five pillars of Atmanirbhar Bharat were identified as economy, infrastructure, systems, vibrant demography and demand. The defence sector has already been identified as one of the core areas to boost Make in India where immediate transformation is required. The PM also spelt out his vision of achieving five billion USD (Rs 35,000 crore) defence-related exports target to become a net exporter of defence equipment in the next five years. To promote Atmanirbhar Bharat in the defence manufacturing, a separate budget of Rs 52,000 crore has been set aside for procurement from domestic vendors. Towards this end, a draft Production and Export Promotion policy has been formulated and it was placed in the public domain seeking suggestions from various stakeholders. The draft of Production and Export Promotion policy aims at providing greater visibility of Armed Forces requirements to the defence manufacturing industry. The policy proposes the establishment of an aero-engines complex with a focus on Maintenance Repair Overhaul (MRO) as well as critical technologies. Under this policy export target has been set as 25 per cent of the revenue. By 2025, this policy aims at achieving Rs 1.75 lakh crore in annual turnover. Check out the news you should not miss today: Society Vietnam reported no new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday morning. The countrys tally stood at 1,034, with 632 recoveries and 29 deaths, according to the Ministry of Health. Australia will contribute AUD80 million (US$57.9 million) to help secure COVID-19 vaccines for coutries in the Pacific Islands and Southeast Asia, including Vietnam, the Australian Embassy in Hanoi said on Wednesday. Border guards in the north-central province of Quang Tri on Wednesday said they were investigating a ring which illegally transported people across the border to Laos after local authorities detected 13 people about to cross the border on Sunday. Local authorities in Hanoi on Wednesday detained more than ten metric tons of confectionery and milk tea of unknown origin planned to be sold in the coming Mid-Autumn Festival, which falls on October 1 this year. The Children's Hospital in the southern province of Dong Nai on Wednesday said in the past month, the hospital had successfully operated on and saved two child patients who were separately hospitalized with liver rupture and serious blood loss after accidents. Police in the northern city of Thai Nguyen on Wednesday evening said local authorities were tracking down a shooter who allegedly shot a woman and a man while the two were traveling on a motorbike in Tuc Duyen District. The woman died on spot while the man was hospitalized with injuries. Business The UK-ASEAN Economic Dialogue co-chaired by UK Secretary of State Liz Truss and Vietnam Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh on Wednesday marked the first formal economic engagement between the kingdom and the grouping, as well as providing an opportunity to discuss how to best mitigate the economic impact of COVID-19, strengthen supply chains, develop a digital economy, and build a clean and resilient future, the British Embassy in Hanoi reported on its verified Facebook page. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal Viviana Ortega has considered Lobo Village her second home for the past three years, so when it came time to renew her lease last October, she didnt give it a second thought. The third-year early childhood education major was looking forward to continuing her education at the University of New Mexico, then the COVID-19 pandemic hit. By July, Ortegas scheduled classes moved completely online and the pandemic began causing financial issues for her family. To lessen the financial burden, Ortega transferred to a community college in Santa Fe for the fall semester. So when I had contacted (Lobo Village) and told them the situation that I wasnt going to attend UNM any more, that I have to go back home, they told me that (Lobo Village) didnt have a cancellation policy at the time, Ortega said. We understand that we did sign a contract. A contract is a contract, but youd think that with everything going on they would help students out. Even though Ortega left UNM, her family continues to pay $560 a month for an empty apartment. Institutions of higher education are in uncharted waters as classes resume amid the global pandemic. Almost 30% of colleges are moving primarily to online classes, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education. Students like Ortega, meanwhile, who are looking for ways to cut costs, are running into obstacles with companies such as American Campus Communities (ACC), the nations largest developer, owner and manager of student housing, holding students to their leases. ACC, in a statement, told the Journal it expects its tenants to honor their contractual obligations just as any other off-campus housing provider would. We will continue to provide housing for students whether classes are in-person, remote or a hybrid of the two learning methods, Kate Lowery, a spokesperson for ACC, said. Lease agreements require that our communities remain open and provide essential services to residents and, additionally, we are obligated to continue paying our onsite team members, utilities and local contractors. While UNM owns the land where Lobo Village sits, it has no control over the operation of those dormitories, according to a UNM spokeswoman. UNM has requested that they allow flexibility with UNM students regarding their housing agreements during the pandemic, said UNM spokesperson Cinnamon Blair. Our understanding is they have made the decision to follow their re-let process, and that a dozen or so students were interested in doing so. Ortega isnt alone in her grievance against ACC. By March, complaints against the company across the country began pouring into the Better Business Bureau website from students and parents of students not being able to end their leases despite the pandemic. In response to a complaint filed by a parent of another UNM student, Casas del Rio, one of ACCs properties, suggested that students and families could try to sublet their apartments. If we are unable to fill the space with a re-let, the contract will continue to be valid and binding, the company said in its response. UNM has taken a different approach with the student housing it controls. In July, the university was expecting almost 1,400 students to be living on campus in student housing. Now, the university has 1,000 students staying on campus. For the next few weeks, UNM will be waiving early cancellation fees. For her part, Ortega is scrambling to find someone willing to take over her lease. Three weeks have passed since Ortega advertised her lease on Craigslist. Two people have asked about the lease, but she still hasnt found anyone willing to take it over. Looking at the circumstances, its frustrating that (Lobo Village is) not doing anything to help the students and the people who have been loyal, you know, Ortega said. By PTI MUMBAI: Actor Rhea Chakraborty on Thursday said there was a threat to her and her family's life and requested the Mumbai police for protection. Rhea took to Instagram and shared a video where her father was seen being hounded by the media outside her building compound. She said they have been trying to get out of the house to cooperate with various investigating agencies probing actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death. "The man in this video is my father Indrajit chakraborty (retd. army officer). We have been trying to get out of our house to co-operate with ED, CBI and various investigation authorities to cooperate. "There is a threat to my life and my family's life. We have informed the local police station and even gone there, no help provided. We have informed the investigation authorities to help us get to them, no help arrived. How is this family going to live?" the 28-year-old actor wrote. Using the hashtag #SafetyForMyFamily, Rhea said basic law and order restrictions should be provided especially amid the coronavirus pandemic. "We are only asking for assistance, to cooperate with the various agencies that have asked us. I request @mumbaipolice to please provide protection so that we can cooperate with these investigation agencies. "In COVID times, these basic law and order restrictions need to be provided. Thank you," she added. Earlier in the morning, Rhea's brother Showik Chakraborty arrived at the DRDO guest house here for questioning by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). This is the first time that a member from Rhea's family is being questioned by the investigating agency. Rajput's flat-mate Siddharth Pithani was also called by the CBI for the seventh consecutive day for questioning in the actor's death case. The Supreme Court last week upheld the transfer of an FIR, lodged by Rajput's father in Patna against Rhea, the late actor's girlfriend, and others for allegedly abetting his suicide and misappropriating his money, to the CBI. In this October 2018 photo, residents of Seonggeo-eup town in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, demand construction of a floating photovoltaic system at the town's reservoir led by the Korea Rural Community Corporation be shut down. The banner reads: "We object to PV facility disguised as being eco-friendly." Korea Times file By Ko Dong-hwan In 2018, in Boseong County, South Jeolla Province, the minimum legal distance between photovoltaic (solar power) systems and roads or residential areas in agricultural or fishery towns was reduced from 500 meters to 200 meters as the county revised its land planning regulations. It resulted in an increase in license applications for PV panels in the county from 230 the previous year to about 1,000 that year as developers found ideal spots for their systems more easily near the community than on uneven, mountainous terrain. But local residents, seeing the PV panels as an unwelcome encroachment, filed complaints. The county council, to appease them, not only changed the regulations back to the original but also introduced another regulation obligating future PV developers to obtain local residents' agreement. A similar story unfolded in Okcheon County, North Chungcheong Province, where the county had revised its separation regulations reducing the 200 meters from roads to 100 meters and the 300 meters from residential areas to 100 meters. It also made residents' agreement non-mandatory when there were no more than four households in a residential area. But the revision enraged county residents, who learned that the adjacent counties of Boeun and Yeongdong were enforcing a 500-meter distance. Jangheung County in South Jeolla Province dropped a regulation that PV developers who offer a public fund to draw local residents' approval could be exempted from the solar panel distance ban. The county office's civic engineering division chief said: "Most of the county residents oppose the idea of PV panels no matter how much they get compensated. "We discarded the exemption clause that will only arouse disputes (between residents and PV developers)." Solar panels on a mountain in Maejeon-myeon town in Cheongdo County, North Gyeongsang Province, were destroyed by heavy rain and wind in July 2018. Because of the county's separation regulations revised in 2017, the panels could not be built on safer ground. Courtesy of Cheongdo County Office Separation regulations in Korea's remote countryside regions have been local residents' trusty companion in their battle against PV systems, preventing the panels from being installed. The villagers oppose them because they say they are unsightly on mountains or paddies in the townships. They also fear the systems will cause environmental hazards like light pollution or contamination of town streams from panel cleaning chemicals. Of the country's 229 cities and counties, 112 now enforce separation regulations, according to renewable energy analyst Yoon In-taek in his book. The distances vary depending on the jurisdictions from 100 meters recommended by the central government to 1,000 meters. Most jurisdictions, 33 percent, enforce 500 meters. The number of cities and counties introducing the regulations is increasing, limiting the areas where PV developers can install their panels. According to a guideline on PV system sites released in 2017 by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, there were 51 jurisdictions with the regulation in March that year. By the end of 2019, the figure had jumped to 112 in regard to roads and 104 concerning residential areas. Jurisdictions that ignored the guideline's recommended distance of 100 meters numbered 40 in 2017, rising to more than 80 by the end of 2019. Describing the varying distances as "unanchored," Yoon said: "Introducing the regulation out of necessities deriving from geographical landscapes is OK but enforcing it to simply pamper complaining local residents or reduce public workers' workloads isn't right." Drone shots of Jangsu County's Gyebuk-myeon town in North Jeolla Province show the village in 2015, left, and four years later when much of it was covered by solar panels. Korea Times file Political cause? The nation's PV operators are increasingly perturbed that local governments' renewable energy policies are outweighed by the interests of local residents who despise the facilities, according to the country's PV systems advocacy group. It says the reason is politically motivated winning elections and votes. "Local residents against PV systems say the panels affect their townships' landscapes," Korea Solar Energy Development Association (KOSEDA) president Hong Ki-woong told The Korea Times. "But the argument's absurdity is no different from saying that 'vinyl houses have become an eyesore so we no longer want them on our fields.' "Our country's PV system industry and other renewable energy facilities supported by the central government's futuristic Green New Deal policies aren't gaining traction because local authorities, conscious of people's votes, keep cringing in front of their clueless complaints, even minor ones." Local governments issue the development rights for PV system operators. Even if operators have already attained licensing rights for their solar panels, the systems cannot be installed when authorities do not approve the facilities' deployment in favor of disgruntled residents. This has led to countless legal battles between PV developers and local communities over whether the solar panels can be installed at sites of clashing interest. Time and money spent processing the disputes have been burdensome on both sides, delaying the facilities' expansion throughout the country. Hong said that to stop the problem, the central government must step in, singularly handling the development rights for PV panels nationwide based on transparent and scientific facts. Rep. Eoh Kiy-ku of the Democratic Party of Korea. Yonhap "Local jurisdictions' regulations in general are amended by mayors and lawmakers from those regions and could have been written not supportive of renewable energy facilities," Hong said. Take the separation distance regulation for example. Despite the central government's 100-meter guideline, many local authorities ignore it and enforce their own rules that are harsher on PV developers. Hong said the regulation doesn't exist in other countries. The energy ministry's New and Renewable Energy Policy Division official Lee Song-yi, who administers the regulation, told The Korea Times the ministry had launched internal discussions about the central government taking control of the regulation. The ministry, to expand renewable energy facilities, has been giving local governments financial incentives. Among what determines the amount are population and land area. Hong said the criteria must now include how much electricity each local government aims to produce from renewable energy resources and how much they actually accomplish. "It is not only a legitimate way for local governments to increase their budget, but also will encourage the authorities to become more willing to expand renewable energy facilities in their jurisdictions," Hong said. The energy ministry confirmed it has begun what Hong suggested. Lee said the ministry started this year to include the amount of electricity from renewable energy resources in indexes of determining "ordinary incentives," and also includes the amount of electricity from new renewable energy facilities for "special incentives." Rep. Eoh Kiy-ku of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea has taken on the problematic separation distance regulation. In early August, he proposed a revision to the New Energy and Renewable Energy Development, Use and Spread Promotion Act to have the regulation terminated nationwide. The revision was aimed at expanding renewable energy facilities and stopping the conflict between PV panel developers and local communities. It could also offset problems where PV developers had bought land but had to resell it because the distance regulation prevented installation of solar panels. Rep. Eoh's office declined to speak to The Korea Times over whether he has plans to deal with the possible repercussions from local residents once the revision passes the National Assembly and allows PV facilities near their communities. The office said it remains a "sensitive issue" and has no comment on the matter. Goseong County in South Gyeongsang Province and the Korea South-East Power in June 2017 launched agrivoltaic farming facilities above fields in the county's Hai-myeon town. Courtesy of Goseong County Office Evangelical leaders denounce QAnon as political cult,' satanic movement Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Some Christian leaders, including a couple of prominent conservative evangelicals, have denounced the conspiracy theory movement gaining traction in conservative circles known as QAnon. Created by an anonymous online figure in 2017, QAnon claims that President Donald Trump is in a war with a Deep State government, battling entities like elitist pedophile rings and satanism. The conspiracy alleges that a Satan-worshipping "deep state" faction that includes A-list celebrities is working to defeat Trump and engage in child sex abuse. Since its launching, the QAnon conspiracy theories have reportedly garnered growing support among some evangelical churchgoers and other mostly conservative communities. It has also gained notable supporters such as a Georgia congressional candidate and a U.S. Senate candidate in Oregon. QAnon has gotten enough traction to be addressed by Vice President Mike Pence in an interview on CBS' CBS This Morning. In the interview last Friday, Pence said he does not know anything about QAnon. And I dismiss it out of hand, Pence added, decrying the fact that he had to spend time on a major network to talk about some conspiracy online theory. The theory has garnered criticism from multiple Christian leaders, including Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President Albert Mohler Jr. On an episode of his podcast, The Briefing, posted online on Monday, Mohler compared QAnon and conspiracy theories in general to the early church heresy of Gnosticism. Gnosticism is the belief that only a few, an elite, a privileged few are able to see, have inside information, explained Mohler. The ancient Gnostics believed in one way or another that this particular secret knowledge was the key to salvation or illumination, or whatever would be the promise of this particular information. Christianity has nothing to do with the secret truth. It has everything to do with a public Gospel, the theologian added. Christians don't have secret beliefs we hide from the world. We're not saved because we have come to some secret knowledge. Tyler Huckabee, senior editor at Relevant Magazine, a Christian lifestyle bimonthly, wrote in a piece published earlier this month that QAnons claims are farfetched and fueled by confirmation bias. Huckabee also considered QAnon a logical extension of the culture war, providing real plot and vocabulary to the us vs. them model that became popular with the rise of the Moral Majority. There are no easy answers about what can be done about QAnon, he wrote. But the fact that Christians seem extra open to conspiracies does reveal that something is deeply broken in how people of faith are spreading their worldview. When Christianity is set up as a cultural battle instead of an opportunity to serve, others are seen not as people in need of love but enemies who need to be feared and mistrusted, Huckabee continued. Author and pastor Joe Carter denounced QAnon in a column published by The Gospel Coalition in May. Carter, the executive pastor at the McLean Bible Church Arlington campus in Virginia, labeled QAnon a political cult and satanic movement that poses [a threat] to the global church. The QAnon movement frequently engages in slander, which James calls demonic behavior (James 3:1516). The QAnon movement often traffics in lies, which Jesus says are associated with Satan. The QAnon movement repeatedly sides with demonically inspired falsehoods that divide professed Christians from faithful believers, wrote Carter. And the QAnon movement has a tendency to call evil that which is good, and good that which is evil, and to put darkness for light, and light for darkness (Isa. 5:20). As movement of Satan, QAnon is incompatible with Christianity. Carter called on Christians to work to guard those who would fall for such deceptions and to plead with QAnon supporters within the church to return to the faith. It is neither too early nor too late for Christians to launch a counterattack on the demonic influence of QAnon, he concluded. Last week, President Trump said that he does not know much about the QAnon conspiracy theory but understands that its supporters like him and "love America." While the FBI labeled QAnon a domestic terror threat last year, the Department of Homeland Security Acting Secretary Chad Wolf said in an interview this week that QAnon is not a "significant threat." But he stressed that he doesn't have any reason to disagree with the FBI's assessment. Jha Washington: US former spy chief has claimed that three weeks before the January 2017 presidential inauguration, Joe Biden in his capacity as the vice president had asked intelligence officials to uncover the hidden information" on the incoming national security advisor of then president-elect Donald Trump. Trumps first national security advisor Michael Flynn was the highest ranking official snared by the special counsel inquiry into Russian meddling in the 2016 election. Flynn was forced to resign early in the Trump presidency for lying to Vice-President Mike Pence about his contacts with Russian government officials. During his address to the Republican National Convention (RNC) on Wednesday, former Acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell broadly condemned the Obama administrations inquiry into possible Trump-Russia collusion in the 2016 election. As Acting Director of National Intelligence, I saw the Democrats entire case for Russian collusion. And what I saw made me sick to my stomach," he said. The former spy chief alleged that the Obama-Biden administration secretly launched a surveillance operation on the Trump campaign, and silenced the many brave intelligence officials who spoke up against it. They presented bogus information as facts. They lied to judges. Then they classified anything that undermined their case," he alleged. After Donald Trump won the election, when they should have continued the American tradition of helping the president-elect transition into the White House, they tried instead to undercut him even more. Former Vice President Joe Biden asked intelligence officials to uncover the hidden information on President Trumps incoming National Security Advisor (Flynn) three weeks before the (presidential) Inauguration, Grenell alleged. In his RNC speech, Grenell also praised Trumps America First foreign policy. In four years, Trump has led even some Washington Democrats to agree on the Chinese threat. On trade deals that benefit Americans first. On alliances that share responsibility, he said. In four years, Donald Trump didnt start any new wars. He brought troops home. He rebuilt the military, and signed peace deals that make Americans safer. The Washington elites want you to think this kind of foreign policy is immoral. And so they call it nationalist. That tells you all you need to know. The DC crowd thinks when they call Donald Trump a nationalist, theyre insulting him. As if the American president isnt supposed to base foreign policy on Americas national interests! A return to the Biden way of thinking means America gives the radical terrorist regime in Tehran a plane load of cash in the middle of the night," Grenell said. He said one must be clear that when those who seek freedom take tremendous personal risks in places like Hong Kong, Tehran, or Minsk, there is no doubt who President Trumps administration supports. We will always stand with the people who fight for their God-given freedoms." Trump rightly calls his foreign policy America First, he said. America First does not advance the interests of one group of Americans at the expense of any other. It has no bias about red or blue, educated or not educated, urban or rural. America First is simply the belief that politicians should focus on the equality and dignity of every American, he said. And that this duty is fulfilled by promoting the safety and wealth of the American people above all else. Thats America First. Thats the Trump Doctrine," Grenell said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said India has the potential to become a reliable weapons supplier to friendly foreign countries, strengthen its strategic partnerships and consolidate its role as a net security provider in the Indian Ocean as it takes strides towards self-reliance in the defence sector. Speaking at a seminar on self-reliance in defence, the PM said the governments resolve for Atmanirbhar Bharat was not inward-looking but aimed at making the global economy resilient and strong as well as promoting world peace. The Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers (SIDM), Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and the defence ministrys defence production department jointly organised the online seminar. There was no mention of the PMs address in the line-up of events circulated before the seminar. In the surprise appearance, he spoke for 18 minutes, touching upon different aspects of self-reliance in the defence sector, the role of the domestic industry, steps taken by the government to transform India into a global hub for defence manufacturing and reforms towards ease of doing business. Enumerating the measures taken by the government for self-reliance in the defence sector from creating a separate budget for the purchase of locally produced military hardware to notifying a negative import list and raising the foreign direct investment (FDI) limit the PM said the domestic industry could look forward to more orders in the coming times as a result of initiatives taken to boost self-reliance. Earlier this month, the government announced a separate budgetary outlay of ~52,000 crore for domestic capital procurement and came out with a negative import list. In a significant step on the long road towards self-reliance in defence, India on August 9 announced it will ban the import of 101 different types of weapons, systems and ammunition over the next five years from artillery guns to light military transport aircraft and conventional submarines to long-range land attack cruise missiles. Modi said more defence items would be progressively added to the negative import list to encourage the domestic industry. The government is likely to notify a second negative import list early next year. We have to collectively achieve the target of Atmanirbhar Bharat. It is a win-win situation for everyone including the public sector, private sector and foreign companies. The government is committed to providing a better eco-system for this, he said. The PM said it was the best option for Indias foreign partners to start production in the country looking at its market size. He said the countrys focus was on a co-production model involving joint ventures with foreign partners. We are witnessing a new mindset in the defence sector. For a modern and Atmanirbhar Bharat, self-confidence in the defence sector is very important, he said, adding that the governments focus was on cutting red tape and rolling out the red carpet for the industry. The PM said that it was no secret that India was one of the biggest arms importers in the world but things were changing and the government had taken several steps to unshackle the defence sector during the last few years. India was the third-biggest military spender in the world last year after the United States and China, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri) said in a report released in April. Imports account for 60-65% of the countrys military requirements and it has signed contracts worth billions of dollars during the last decade for weapons and systems including fighter jets, air defence missile systems, submarine hunter planes, attack helicopters, heavy-lift choppers and lightweight howitzers. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON CNBC.com's MacKenzie Sigalos brings you the day's top business news headlines. On today's show, CNBC's Contessa Brewer breaks down how the disaster response to Hurricane Laura is complicated by Covid-19 safety protocols. Plus the latest on today's suspenseful TikTok drama, and CNBC's Bob Pisani explains how the the unbalanced stock ownership levels in America help the rich get richer. Hurricane Laura blasts a destructive, life-threatening path through Louisiana and Texas Hurricane Laura pounded the Gulf Coast for hours with ferocious wind, torrential rains and rising seawater as it roared ashore over southwestern Louisiana near the Texas border early Thursday, threatening the lives of people who didn't evacuate. Authorities had ordered coastal residents to get out, but not everyone did in an area devastated by Rita in 2005. Laura's howling winds battered a tall building in Lake Charles, blowing out windows as glass and debris flew to the ground. Police spotted a floating casino that got loose and crunched against a bridge. But hours after landfall, the wind and rain were still blowing too hard to check for survivors. A GOLD miner lost US$20 000 after three suspects masquerading as Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc) officials stormed his house in Gwabalanda suburb and demanded documents authorising him to conduct mining activities before they took away his money. The suspects ordered the complainant to get into their car under the guise that they were taking him to Luveve Police Station for further investigations. They dumped him along the way and disappeared with his money. The incident occurred on August 4 at around 2AM, but the complainant only reported the matter to the police over the weekend after he got suspicious when the suspects failed to contact him again. The victim was asleep when the trio knocked on the door in the early morning hours. When he opened the door, they stormed into the house and demanded mining documents. The victim failed to produce them and the suspects searched his house and took a bag containing US$23 000 and a gold detector. They ordered him to get into their getaway car and later dumped him along the way. National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the incident yesterday, saying investigations are underway. I can confirm that we have launched a manhunt for three suspects who posed as Zacc officials before they robbed a Bulawayo man of US$23 000. What is of concern to us as police is that the incident occurred on August 4, but the complainant only reported it a few days ago, he said. The complainant was asleep at his house in Gwabalanda when he heard a knock on the door at around 2AM. Upon opening the door, the three suspects stormed into the house and demanded mining documents, which he failed to produce. Asst Comm Nyathi said the suspects searched the house and took a gold detector and a bag containing US$23 000 and left the house together with the complainant whom they later dumped along the way. Initially, the suspects took the complainant with him under the pretext of taking him to Luveve Police Station. They returned his gold detector before they later and dumped him along the way and drove away, he said. It appears the suspects knew that the complainant was into mining and posed as Zacc officials. As police, we urge people who are into business to be extra careful. They must not release information regarding their businesses to strangers, especially in terms of how they run their business. The incident occurred at a time when police have intensified campaigns to educate members of the public against keeping huge amounts of money in their houses. Of late there has been an increase in the number of cases where unsuspecting victims have been losing money and other valuables to thieves who steal from houses and cars. In June, a gold mine manager lost nearly US$50 000 to thieves who broke into his car minutes after he had sold gold to a dealer in Bulawayo. BERLIN (Reuters) - NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg called on Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Thursday to respect fundamental rights and said it would be unjustified to use the defence alliance as an excuse for a crackdown. "The regime in Minsk must demonstrate full respect for fundamental rights including freedom of speech and the right to peaceful protest," said Stoltenberg, who is in Berlin for talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel. "NATO has no military build up in the region so any attempt to use that an excuse to crack down on peaceful protesters is absolutely unjustified," he said, adding it was up to the people of Belarus to decide their future. (Reporting by Madeline Chambers; Editing by Maria Sheahan) Washington Mail-in voting for the November presidential election is safe from foreign intervention, intelligence and election security officials said Wednesday, saying that standard security measures and decentralization make the United States' election system extremely difficult for a foreign power to penetrate and change the results. The assessment contradicts President Donald Trump's attacks on mail-in voting and comments by Attorney General William Barr that have also sowed doubt about its security. The United States also has no intelligence that any nation-state is making a coordinated attempt to undermine absentee voting or create fake mail-in ballots, a senior official from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said. The official and others briefed reporters on the condition that they not be named. "We have yet to see any activity to prevent voting or to change votes, and we continue to think it would be extraordinarily difficult for foreign adversaries to change vote tallies," the deputy attorney general under Barr, Jeffrey Rosen, said in separate remarks for the Center for Strategic and International Studies. In July, and again this month, Trump raised the possibility, without evidence, that foreign adversaries would forge mail-in ballots and rig the election. He said the widespread use of mail-in and other absentee balloting was "going to be the greatest election disaster in history." "You guys like to talk about Russia and China and other places," Trump said in July. "They'll be able to forge ballots. They'll forge them. They'll do whatever they have to do." Raising the dubious prospect of forged ballots from Russia in particular contradicts Trump's own deep skepticism of intelligence assessments that Russia interfered in the 2016 vote on his behalf, although there is no evidence that Kremlin operatives tampered with ballots. Trump has more broadly stressed a difference between absentee and mail-in ballots experts say they are interchangeable terms and he and other administration officials have voted absentee. Critics accuse him of trying to undermine both mail-in voting and the post office because he believes expanded access to the ballot box is an advantage for Democratic candidates. (That may no longer be true.) Trump has warned without evidence that mail-in voting makes fraud easier and has suggested it could lead to a rigged result that wrongly denies him reelection. Barr has also repeatedly raised concerns about the security of mail-in voting, as well as the threat of election interference. He told NPR News in June that he did not think an election conducted by mail-in vote could be secure. Barr told lawmakers in July that he "had no reason to think" the November election would be rigged but said mail-in voting increased the risk of fraud. And he defended Trump's claim that foreign governments could print fake mail-in ballots, saying that "it is not disinformation." Under further questioning he said he did not have evidence that foreign governments could sway American elections with fraudulent ballots but suggested it was common sense that they would try to do so. The officials speaking Wednesday contradicted those assessments. An FBI official said that the pandemic had created "a new environment" for voters to embrace mail-in ballots but that foreign governments would have great difficulty conducting coordinated voter fraud that could affect a national election. The hyperlocal nature of ballots and elections is a natural barrier to fraudulent schemes, especially for national campaigns. Mail-in ballots are also scrutinized closely; they must be signed, and elections officials compare the signatures to those already in voters' registration files. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. Rosen said Wednesday that foreign governments were, however, still trying to influence voters in other ways. Intelligence officials have outlined disinformation campaigns by Russia aimed at influencing the 2020 vote, and the State Department has detailed how Moscow's intelligence services spread conspiracy theories. In recent weeks, William Evanina, a top intelligence official, has issued warnings about efforts by Russia, China and Iran to interfere in the election, including a stark admonition that Russia has spread disinformation about former Vice President Joe Biden in an attempt to hurt his candidacy and lift Trump's. And top election security officials held a briefing with state election officials Wednesday to update them on the latest threat reporting, including efforts by Russia, China and Iran to potentially influence election results. The Department of Homeland Security and the FBI have installed sensors on all state election computer networks as well as many local election systems to track any efforts by hackers to conduct reconnaissance or hack into voting systems, officials said. The sensors have helped federal officials understand better the types of attempts to break into election systems. Most of the attempts have failed, according to homeland security officials, and largely amounted to efforts to find vulnerabilities that could be exploited later. The Department of Homeland Security has been conducting tests and computer network security reviews, using information from those reviews and from the new sensors to develop warnings about vulnerabilities that hackers, including from foreign governments, could try to use before the election. Some ransomware attacks on county governments have damaged election systems by locking them down, but those attacks were not aimed at halting voting, the federal officials said. They nonetheless prompted election officials to make adjustments. Election security officials said they are worried about foreign influence operations not just before Election Day, but also in the days after, particularly if absentee voting creates delays in counting votes. A septuagenarian woman and a 12- year-old girl were killed after a portion of a three-storey building collapsed in Nagpada area of south on Thursday, civic officials said. The incident occurred around 1 pm, they said. "The toilet block portion of Mishra building, an old structure, located on Shuklaji Street caved in," an official of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said. "A girl identified as Aliya Riyasat Kureshi, and a 70 -year-old woman, Noor Kureshi, were rescued from under the rubble. They were rushed to the J J Hospital, where they were declared dead," he added. The search and rescue operation there is still on, the official added. Meanwhile, two women were injured after portions of residential structures fell on them in separate incidents that took place in eastern suburbs of Chembur and Deonar in the afternoon, the officials said. A 54-year-old woman suffered serious injuries on her head and chest and was admitted to the ICU of Rajawadi Hospital after some part of a balcony caved in at Mahatma Phule Nagar in Chembur East. Another woman sustained minor injuries when a portion of a two-storey structure collapsed in Gautam Nagar area in Deonar. She was admitted to the nearby Shatabdi Hospital, the civic official said. (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.) Car trading companies are complaining about high inventories and sharp profit decreases as people have cancelled car purchase plans amid Covid-19. Savicos finance report shows that its revenue in Q2 was VND3.107 trillion and post-tax profit VND15.3 billion, a decrease of 29 percent and 56 percent, respectively, in comparison with the same period last year. Its cumulative revenue in H1 was VND6.253 trillion, or 27 percent lower than H1 2019, while the post-tax profit dropped by 79 percent to VND24.1 billion. Savico distributes cars, and provides repair and maintenance services. It has 50 sales agents which distribute cars for many brands. City Auto, the distributor of Ford and Hyundai products in Vietnam, is in the same situation. Its H1 finance report showed that revenue from sale and services was VND2.151 trillion, a sharp decline compared with the VND2.945 trillion H1 2019. The post-tax profit dropped from VND48.6 billion to VND783.1 million. Meanwhile, the profit of the holding company plunged from VND42 billion to VND1.3 billion, or 97 percent. Car trading companies are complaining about high inventories and sharp profit decreases as people have cancelled car purchase plans amid Covid-19. Haxaco, which distributes Mercedes cars, reported a 68.5 percent decrease in post-tax profit of Q2 to VND8 billion. In H1, the company got VND2.01 trillion in revenue, a decrease of 13 percent, and earned VND11 billion in post-tax profit, a decrease of 62.3 percent. As retail has been going slowly, car assemblers and importers have also suffered. VEAM, a partner in three automobile joint ventures, Toyota Vietnam, Honda Vietnam and Ford Vietnam, reported VND790 billion in profit from the three companies, just 37.5 percent of Q2 2019. In H1, it had VND1.165 trillion worth of profit sharing from joint ventures and affiliated companies. As for truck manufacturing, TMT JSC reported profit of VND1.183 billion in H1, or 10 percent lower than the same period last year. MOIT confirmed that all enterprises in the automobile industry, from manufacturers and assemblers, to importers and retailers, have seen their revenue drop sharply in H1. According to VAMA, automobile manufacturers faced difficulties in H1 because of the impact of Covid-19. Most companies have had to recalculate their production and business targets for 2020 in new conditions. Because of social distancing, enterprises could not organize production in the first half of Q2. In May and June, the demand was still very weak, which led to the sharp fall in sales in the entire system. The current situation is different from 2018, when demand was strong and supply could not satisfy demand. Buyers had to pay additional money to get deliveries quickly. It was estimated that for the 10 best selling models alone, customers had to pay VND1 trillion more to get quick deliveries. Tran Thuy Local automobile manufacturers look forward to big preferences What should automobile manufacturers do import cars for domestic sale or assemble cars domestically? They prefer the second solution, though the first brings higher profit. Harry Elias was one of the first 12 people appointed Senior Counsel in 1997. Among other accomplishments, he helped set up the Law Societys Criminal Legal Aid Scheme (CLAS) in 1985. (Photo: Harry Elias Partnership) SINGAPORE Prominent top lawyer Harry Elias died on Wednesday (26 August) at the age of 83. He was one of the first 12 people to be appointed as Senior Counsel in 1997. Among his many accomplishments, he helped set up the Law Societys Criminal Legal Aid Scheme (CLAS) in 1985 to help the less fortunate get free legal representation. He was also the societys president from 1984 to 1986. In a statement announcing his passing, the law partnership he founded in 1988, and which bears his name, said on Thursday (27 August), Mr Elias had a remarkable influence and impact on many people. He was truly a unique human being and his legacy is palpable in the spirit and character of the firm he founded. While we may mourn his passing, we must celebrate his life, and now live his legacy. The firms managing partner Philip Fong said, For our firm, Harry was our founder, leader and mentor. For our profession, Harry was the epitome of a fearless and first-class advocate. For our society, Harry was a trailblazer with lasting legacy. For us personally, Harry was a true friend, a teacher and a kind and generous soul. We are honoured to have walked with him for a part of his impactful life. Senior Counsel Gregory Vijayendran, president of the Law Society of Singapore, said in a statement, He was a Silk [Senior Counsel] with exceptional persuasion, peroration and panache. Vijayendran recalled a hearing in a judges chambers nearly 30 years ago in which Elias ultimately persuaded the judge in classy advocacy. Vijayendran, who was a pupil at the time, said, That left a deep impression on me as the watching apprentice. It was pure poetry in motion. There is now a void in the Law Society with this sad loss of one of its finest gems, said Vijayendran. He added, Yet the greatest legacy he left behind for the Law Society is that he gave justice to the weakest in society. In the corridors of time, Harry Elias name will forever be inextricably linked with the Criminal Legal Aid Scheme that provides access to justice for the indigent. 35 years on and going strong, CLAS, like its visionary architect, is pure class and now Singapores Office of Private Defender. Story continues In a Facebook post, Minister for Law K Shanmugam recounted how he first met Elias as a pupil in 1984. He was already a much storied lawyer. I did some work for him and over time we became friends. And as a person, he was a gem of a man, larger than life, the life and soul of any meeting, party, gathering. In and out of court, he was a gentleman, known for his dry wit, and disarming charm. Large footprints, a man you would never forget, once you met him. You will find many who have wonderful things to say about him, and hardly anyone with anything negative to say about him. He was an icon, said Shanmugam. A man who made an impact on my life and whom I can never forget. The legal profession is poorer for the loss, he added. Minister in the Prime Ministers Office Indranee Rajah also paid tribute to Elias who was one of her first bosses at law firm Drew and Napier in 1988. In a Facebook post, Indranee said, Harry was one of Singapores foremost litigators and strode large across the stage of the legal profession. He was one of our greats with a big booming voice, and rapier sharp as he did battle in court. He was often in the headlines, his clients a list of whos who. He was a kind boss but he didnt cosset either. He didnt hesitate to tell me point blank and in no uncertain terms if I got things wrong. But he never failed to teach. Harry had a good heart and a zest for life, a wonderful enthusiasm that was both infectious and uplifting. He also had tremendous wit and a great sense of humour, she said. School association St. Andrews Alumni also paid tribute to Elias, who was its president from 1995 to 1997. In a Facebook post, the association said, He played a key role in the change of the association's name from 'St Andrew's Old Boys Association' to 'St Andrew's Alumni' to be inclusive of female students who were in pre-university classes of yesteryear in SASS and eventually in SAJC. Harry will be dearly missed by the SAA and our family of schools. May he rest in peace. Stay in the know on-the-go: Join Yahoo Singapore's Telegram channel at http://t.me/YahooSingapore Other Singapore stories: Teacher who took meth was suffering from mental disorder after father's death: lawyer Teens in 'how to spread Wuhan virus' video given probation Special COVID-19 tests available for passengers on China-bound flights Why is Mike Pence on the Republican ticket? This is not meant to be a rhetorical question or an insult to the vice president. I am seriously wondering: It is no longer the case, if indeed it ever was after, say, April 2016, that Trump needs to win over the conservative base. As his almost totally affectless speech surrounded by roughly 8,000 American flags at the end of the third night of the Republican National Convention on Thursday reminded us, Pence doesnt really strike the right notes in 2020. Two themes have emerged at the end of this campaign: the raw unpolished toughness of the president himself and a historically interesting if largely straitened attempt to appeal to women and minority voters. The current vice president adds nothing to either of these; nor can he speak credibly to the handful of areas in which Trump has attempted to deviate from the GOP line. It is just about possible to imagine a universe in which Trump shocks the world by removing Pence from the ticket in favor of nominating someone like Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina. What would Pence have done if he had been given the boot a month ago, though? Written a book? Joined the editorial staff of The Bulwark? Convinced the state of Indiana to stay at home? It seems more likely that he would have taken his lumps and quietly plotted a revenge that consisted of something like asking his wife, Karen, to make a carrot cake for him to smash at the next Pence family birthday party. But perhaps this is the point. Trump could not be the president he is with a more interesting or capable vice president. He needs the most boring straight man imaginable, someone capable of repeating all of his own talking points on crime, immigration, the economy, and hokey stuff like "the American dream" with roughly one one-millionth of the energy or crude wit. By the time Pence arrived at the end of his lengthy remarks on Wednesday a peroration on the American flag with all the gravity of an old Norm Macdonald anti-humor punchline it was painfully clear: he is happy to oblige. More stories from theweek.com 7 scathingly funny cartoons about the Republican National Convention That 'famous' Lincoln quote in Lara Trump's RNC speech? He never said it. New jobless claims decline but stay above 1 million By Kim Yoo-chul The Financial Services Commission (FSC) said Thursday that it would extend a ban on short-selling for another six months as the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic continues. "In order to stabilize investment sentiment for retail investors, we decided to extend the short-selling ban for another six months to March 15, next year," the FSC said in the statement. The extension will be applied to all listed companies on the KOSPI, Kosdaq and Konex. The decision came a few hours after the head of the top financial regulator, Eun Sung-soo, told chief executives of the country's leading securities companies that the agency was reviewing "various scenarios" in order to stabilize "investment sentiment" for retail investors including readjusting policies relevant to short-selling. In March this year, in an apparent attempt to bring stability to the market hit hard by the pandemic, the FSC announced a temporary six-month ban on short-selling of listed stocks and certain other products listed on the Korea Exchange. The ban was scheduled to end Sept. 15. At the time of the announcement, the FSC said it would review market conditions thoroughly at the end of the six-month period and consider extending it. "The FSC doesn't intend to ban short-selling permanently as we are aiming to readjust policies relevant to this strategy," Eun said at the start of the meeting with executives from the country's top five securities firms held on Yeouido. FSC Chairman Eun Sung-soo "The National Assembly will soon review the Capital Market Law for a possible readjustment which mandates the financial authorities to level up punishment for illegal short-selling. Plus, the FSC will assess the functionality and roles of market makers and liquidity providers both from necessity and an adverse effects standpoint," the FSC chief told them. From a political standpoint, the extension of the short-selling ban and improvement of relevant policies are necessary as President Moon Jae-in and his economic team are hoping to demonstrate that they are doing an "excellent job" controlling the coronavirus outbreak and win backing from their supporters who are increasingly disappointed over soaring housing prices in the Seoul metropolitan area. "The Financial authorities have long been assisting institutional investors. However, we have to treat retail investors equally. If equal opportunity isn't provided to retail investors in major aspects of investment they feel is unfair, then we have to readjust policies and we are ready to do that," Eun said urging local securities firms to cut commission rates for stock trading in sync with steady cuts in the central bank's benchmark rate. The FSC statement also backed up Eun's statement on teaming up with other relevant agencies to specify details on how to deal with market players contravening the short-selling ban. Because of the "accommodative monetary policy" pursued by the Bank of Korea amid the ongoing pandemic, the FSC chief warned that ample liquidity in asset markets may destabilize the financial market. "If companies that have growth potential are listed continuously and the listings lead stock price rises, then that will be beneficial to both investors and companies. This would also be a plus for the stock market in terms of running through liquidity quite positively. We are considering easing rules to help companies that have growth potential go for early IPOs," Eun said. Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 00:10:13|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Photo taken on Aug. 21, 2020 shows a logo of the video-sharing social networking company TikTok's Los Angeles Office in Culver City, Los Angeles County, the United States. (Xinhua) "There is absolutely no evidence that TikTok poses a threat to U.S. national security," said a former U.S. Treasury official and now a senior research fellow. WASHINGTON, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- U.S. economists and business leaders have raised questions and voiced concerns over the Trump administration's actions against TikTok, highlighting a lack of evidence for its national security threat allegations and warning of undesirable consequences. "There is absolutely no evidence that TikTok poses a threat to U.S. national security," Gary Hufbauer, a former U.S. Treasury official and nonresident senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, told Xinhua. "The claim is based on speculation that any mobile device with a Chinese app can be used to spy on Americans," Hufbauer said. "Paranoia pure and simple." The remarks are in response to President Donald Trump's Aug. 6 executive order banning any U.S. transactions with TikTok's Chinese parent company ByteDance, starting in 45 days. A similar order was issued for WeChat, a messaging and social media app owned by Chinese tech giant Tencent. TikTok filed on Monday a lawsuit against the Trump administration over its executive order, accusing the U.S. authorities of stripping the rights of the company without presenting any evidence to justify the extreme action, and of issuing the order without any due process as guaranteed by the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution while banning the company with no notice or opportunity to be heard. TikTok's U.S. content moderation is led by a U.S.-based team which operates independently from China, and the popular application stores U.S. user data on servers located in the United States and Singapore, the company reiterated. Members of local social media star "The Trending Gang" dance with fans during a TikTok filming session in Vilnius, Lithuania, Aug. 10, 2020. (Photo by Alfredas Pliadis/Xinhua) Craig Allen, president of U.S.-China Business Council (USCBC), said that while he supports the administration's goal to protect data privacy and national security, he thinks the U.S. government should "share the evidence" that it has upon which it has based its decision. "The evidence has been presented in very vague terms without any level of granular reality that would give one comfort that rule of law and due process has been fully given to foreign companies operating in the U.S. market," Allen told reporters at a press conference earlier this month. "We need to treat Chinese companies in the United States that we wish American companies in China to be treated," added Allen, whose organization represents more than 200 U.S. companies doing business with China. Trump's Aug. 6 executive order against TikTok and ByteDance draws its legal authority from the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), but past administrations had never used it against a global technology company, according to a report from The New York Times. In its 39-page indictment acquired by Xinhua, TikTok argued that the executive order is a misuse of the IEEPA, authorizing the prohibition of activities that have not been found to be "an unusual and extraordinary threat" in this case. According to the Los Angeles-based tech firm, the total number of TikTok's monthly active users in the United States soared to 91,937,040 as of June, and based on quarterly usage, 100 million Americans use the application to express themselves and connect with each other. Also citing national security risks, Trump issued another executive order on Aug. 14 that will force ByteDance to divest the U.S. operations of TikTok within 90 days. Microsoft Corp, Twitter and Oracle have joined negotiations, according to a report by CNBC. "The value of TikTok is clearly some combination of the masses of data the company has about users and the algorithms it uses to match content with individual users' tastes. That is why major U.S. firms like Microsoft and Oracle are interested in acquiring TikTok," Geoffrey Garrett, dean of University of Southern California (USC) Marshall School of Business, told Xinhua. Garrett noted that the Trump administration's claim that Chinese ownership of TikTok is a national security risk seems much harder to sustain than its claim against Huawei, but he expects Trump will force ByteDance to divest, at minimum, the U.S. operations of TikTok. A woman uses TikTok to create video for girls at the Smile Safari, an Instagram and TikTok museum, in Brussels, Belgium, Aug. 7, 2020. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong) "The actions against TikTok and WeChat are to weaken China's role in the global digital economy generally, mainly for geopolitical reasons," Jeffrey Sachs, an economics professor at Columbia University and a senior United Nations advisor, told Xinhua via email. "Of course there is a link with Trump's white evangelical electoral base, which is anti-foreign in general, and is now strongly anti-Chinese, as exemplified by Pompeo," Sachs said, referring to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, whose recent anti-China speech has drawn wide criticism. Echoing Sachs' remarks, Hufbauer said he sees U.S. actions against TikTok as "a political move to rescue Trump's flagging prospects." Despite the U.S. administration's groundless accusation, Hufbauer said that he is skeptical that TikTok will prevail "because the U.S. courts give wide deference to the president whenever he declares a national security threat or a national emergency." Allen said he is concerned that the scope of the executive orders against TikTok and WeChat might be broader than intended, and encouraged the administration to "appropriately calibrate the scope" of the orders. Noting that WeChat is not only a popular messaging app U.S. companies rely on to engage with their customers in the Chinese market, but also a very important payment platform, the USCBC president said there will be "commercial implications" if American companies are not allowed to use WeChat. The U.S. business leader is also worried about potential consequences of such executive orders. "If we single out individual companies, we should anticipate that other governments will do the same to American companies," Allen said. Prayagraj, Aug 27 : The Yogi Adityanath government on Thursday tightened its grip on mafia don-turned-politician, former Samajwadi Party MP Atiq Ahmed. Five properties of Ahmed worth nearly Rs 25 crore have been attached in Prayagraj. Along with this, other assets are also being seized. Prayagraj Senior Superintendent of Police Abhishek Dixit said, "Action has been initiated to attach five properties worth 25 crore of former strongman and MP Atiq Ahmed. The assets acquired through crime were attached at the behest of the District Magistrate. These include two houses worth two-and-a-half crore in Chakiya, two properties worth two-and-a half crore in Om Prakash Sabhasad Nagar and Kalindipuram and a property worth Rs 20 crore in the Civil lines, MG Road." Action is also being taken to attach the properties of the gang members of Ahmed, who has been a Samajwadi Party MP from Phulpur in Prayagraj. Police and administration teams are looking at the Civil Lines, Khuldabad and Dhumanganj areas to attach the properties created through criminal activities by Ahmed in Prayagraj. These teams have pasted notices to attach the assets. A police team is also engaged in attachment of property at Ahmed's residence in Chakiya. Prayagraj District Magistrate Bhanu Chandra Goswami has ordered attachment of seven properties of Ahmed by August 28 under the Gangster Act. The attachment of 13 other properties is also under the consideration of the Prayagraj DM. In 2005, Richard Perez gave incoming City Manager Sheryl Sculley some pungent advice on how to clean up San Antonio City Hall: Fire everybody if you need to and start over. A fiscal conservative, he was a District 4 councilman at the time and then-Mayor Phil Hardbergers lieutenant. And he was exasperated with the shoddiness of city staff and its inability to deliver basic services efficiently, especially street repairs. His quote comes from Sculleys recently published memoir, Greedy Bastards: One Citys Texas-size Struggle to Avoid a Financial Crisis. Perez, 53, was one of the few elected officials Sculley identified by name in the 212-page book. Within two years of proffering his advice, Perez had moved over to the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, where he still serves as president and CEO. The inside view was that Perez would eventually run for mayor, and that the chamber job would keep him in the public eye and help him tie up the support of business leaders. I did have and I still have thoughts of running for mayor, but it just didnt work for me at the time, said Perez, the first Latino to lead the San Antonio Chamber. He had a family to support, and the job of mayor paid an embarrassingly bush-league sum of $4,040 per year at the time. (San Antonio mayors now earn $61,725, thanks to voters approval of a 2015 city charter amendment.) Thirteen years later, Perez is still in the public eye. But hes also at odds with the times. Hes fastidious, plain-spoken and friendly, ending many of his conversations with some variant of so long, my friend. His political beliefs are largely standard issue for the head of San Antonios largest business advocacy organization. The main one is that less regulation is better for business. His modus operandi is private meetings with elected officials. In a political milieu that rewards shouting, he may be genetically incapable of fist-pounding oratory. I like to work in a quiet way that doesnt bring a lot of controversy, Perez said. And I will tell you sometimes that probably hurts me because Im not yelling it from the streets. Im working quietly behind the scenes, but thats the way I do it. That approach, however, didnt work out particularly well with mandatory paid sick leave for San Antonios private-sector employees, which City Council approved last year over his and most other business leaders objections. We have a very different council than weve had in a long time, he said. The members of the council, I would say several of them can clearly fall into a very liberal category. They have been promoting issues like paid sick leave, which the chamber does not believe is a place for them to be providing policy. It was very clear to me, he said, that the council had the majority to push that forward. And so our play was going to be at the state level. (Business leaders expected the Legislature to bar local governments from requiring paid sick leave. That didnt happen, so business organizations sued, and a state court judge blocked San Antonios ordinance.) I see the sick-leave clash a little differently than Perez does. Its true that the current City Council is more lefty than almost any of its predecessors. But MOVE Texas, the Texas Organizing Project and other liberal groups forced the issue in 2018 by collecting well over 100,000 signatures in support of paid sick leave. They tapped into what a lot of people feel that income inequality is raging unabated and government at all levels has given up on protecting workers, but not the wealthy. Under Perezs leadership, the chamber has won several rear-guard actions. For example, it helped soften the citys Climate Action and Adaptation Plan and kill the labor peace agreement at San Antonio International Airport. But Perezs business-community critics often come back to paid sick leave. If he has such close ties to City Hall, they ask, why couldnt he stop it? Why didnt he make a more compelling case to the public? And why couldnt he curtail other initiatives they viewed as anti-business? These questions came up in conversations I had with six executives and former chamber board members. All of them spoke on condition of anonymity. In other words, Perez maintains enough support that they saw no benefit in challenging him publicly. For one thing, he has the strong backing of Adam Hamilton, CEO of Southwest Research Institute and this years San Antonio Chamber chairman. Hes an incredible asset for the business community and for the city of San Antonio, Hamilton said. Hes very well-connected, and he knows the business communitys needs. The paid sick leave vote, he added, was an uphill battle... That was a populist-type movement. It wouldve made little sense for Perez to press hard and risk alienating the mayor and council, Hamilton said. Yet, fairly or unfairly, Perezs performance is a hot topic in San Antonios business circles. Underlying the complaints is the sense that the chamber has lost a measure of its power, prestige and influence. Theres some nostalgia for the days of USAAs Robert McDermott and Red McCombs in his prime. But its not all about the past. One former chamber board member pointed to the rise of Tech Bloc, the industry group that launched in 2015 and barreled through obstacles at City Hall to make rideshare regulations workable in San Antonio. Why doesnt the chamber exhibit that kind of dynamism? San Antonios economy is in flux, and Tech Bloc reflects that reality. Cybersecurity and advanced manufacturing are coming into their own, and San Antonios status as a low-wage town where too many workers lack in-demand skills is finally being viewed as unacceptable. Thanks to the pandemic. But at least its happening. Amid all this disruption, its not surprising that chambers of commerce arent the powerhouses they once were. The San Antonio Chamber is a nonprofit, which means its tax returns are open to public inspection. So I looked over its IRS Form 990s for 2018, 2014 and 2008, Perezs first full year as CEO. The numbers revealed an organization that was barely holding its own, at least by the numbers. In 2018, the chamber reported revenue of $3.1 million, including $2.4 million in membership dues, and showed a loss of $37,203. Four years earlier, it reported revenue of $2.9 million, including $2.4 million in dues, and a shortfall of $41,383. That counts as stagnant until you compare it to 2008, when the chamber took in revenue of $4.2 million, much of it from dues, and enjoyed a surplus of $307,713 . I asked Perez why his organization seemed to be slipping. The not-for-profit business is an extremely competitive business, he said. And in the chamber business, its even more competitive because theres 12 or 13 different chambers in the city of San Antonio. So its a busy marketplace. All of us are working to find members, to find membership dollars, to provide programming. The San Antonio Chamber currently has 1,850 members, after losing about 200 in the economic shakeout of recent months. Perez, who earned $273,174 in 2018, is right about San Antonios mosh pit of chambers. His organizations biggest rival, the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, fared worse from 2014 to 2018, with revenue falling 13 percent over the five-year period to $2.1 million, according to its tax returns. On the other hand, the North San Antonio Chamber of Commerce now under the leadership of Cristina Aldrete boosted its revenue 17 percent in the same period, reporting $1.4 million in revenue in 2018. Yet that wasnt much more than the $1.2 million it recorded in 2008. Its kind of a cultural change, Hamilton said, from back when chambers were more powerful than they are now. greg.jefferson@express-news.net Kidulthood star Noel Clarke has today backed down on his claim that he demanded producers 'fix' the lack of diversity on 'day one' of shooting a new ITV project. Speaking at the Edinburgh TV Festival yesterday, the 44-year-old actor initially claimed that he had immediately called in producers and insisted upon quick action to apparently dismiss some staff and replace them with trainees. But Mr Clarke has since backtracked on his statements, instead suggesting that nobody had lost their job and 'it wasn't as big as it was made out to be'. He told Nihal Arthanayake on BBC Radio 5 Live today: 'I come onto set and I look around , probably wasn't day one - probably more like day two - and I'm like this is not enough. And I spoke to people and they said yeah fine you're right, we'll do something about it. It wasn't as big as it was made out to be. 'I was like 'it's a production in association with my company. I'm here leading the show, this is not how it should be.' It was a five minute conversation where the person said - I completely agree with you we're on it. 'Nobody's losing any jobs, nobody's getting replaced or anything like that. It's so there's space to get people on the ladder. And that's what's happened.' While not revealing the name of the project, his initial comments came the same day ITV announced he would be starring in gritty new police show Viewpoint. Mr Clarke had said: 'I'm on a job now which I can't mention and I came in on day one and I'm the lead actor and I was like, 'The crew's not diverse enough, fix it, fix it.' 'I don't care if there's trainees, because this job's trainees is the next job's runner, then the next job's assistant, then they're a supervisor, then in five year's time or three year's time, we have more people in the business from different backgrounds; socio-economic, not just about colour.' ITV has not responded when asked if Viewpoint was the show in question, or if there was a wholesale change in production personnel as a result of Mr Clarke's request. The actor has regularly spoken out about racism and previously claimed TV channels refused to back his Sky One show Bulletproof because it was led by two black actors. Mr Clarke and Hollyoaks actress Bronagh Waugh will be starring together in Viewpoint - the first ITV drama to begin filming since the coronavirus pandemic. The programme, which is headed up by Fleabag director Harry Bradbeer, follows a tense police surveillance investigation into a close Manchester community. Clarke spoke out at the TV festival where discussion about diversity have been a hot button issue - in the week when the BBC is embroiled in a row about censoring the lyrics of The Proms anthems Rule Britannia and Land of Hope and Glory. Noel Clarke and Bronagh Waugh are starring in a gritty new police show Viewpoint Filming has started in Manchester and yesterday a fight scene took place on the city streets The corporation is embroiled in a row about being 'out of touch' over its decision to censor the lyrics of Proms anthems - while simultaneously broadcasting offensive content such as presenters using the N-word.' Diversity 'underpins EVERY conversation at the BBC' and is a 'non-negotiable' part of making programmes, head of comedy reveals BBC bosses discuss diversity in 'every conversation' about new programmes and the issue is 'non-negotiable', the outlet's head of comedy says. Shane Allen, who is responsible for the commissioning of all scripted comedy programmes to BBC channels, says director of content Charlotte Moore has been constantly telling staff not to forget to factor in diversity, The Guardian reports. He said: 'I've been part of regimes where you have to be seen to do something. With Charlotte it's non-negotiable, it's a thing that underpins every conversation: what's the diverse element to this? And can it not be set in London?' Advertisement BBC Newsnight's editor Katie Razzall also shared her embarrassment at the festival at being appointed as a white woman to chair a session on 'racism in TV newsrooms' at a media festival. The 49-year-old Ms Razzall told the online Edinburgh TV Festival this week: 'My chairing this panel as a white woman is indicative of the challenge we are all facing.' But her own show and the BBC's current affairs programme has come under fire for lack of BAME presenters, which has resulted in it being nicknamed 'Newswhite'. Another BBC producer told the Edinburgh TV festival that corporation bosses discuss diversity in 'every conversation' about new programmes and the issue is 'non-negotiable', the outlet's head of comedy says. Shane Allen, who is responsible for the commissioning of all scripted comedy programmes to BBC channels, says director of content Charlotte Moore has been constantly telling staff not to forget to factor in diversity, The Guardian reports. He said: 'I've been part of regimes where you have to be seen to do something. With Charlotte it's non-negotiable, it's a thing that underpins every conversation: what's the diverse element to this? And can it not be set in London?' The BBC has come under furious criticism this week over its decision to censor the lyrics to Rule Britannia and Land of Hope and Glory at this year's Proms. It will have an orchestrated version without lyrics after organisers allegedly wanted to reduce patriotic elements to reflect the Black Lives Matter anti-racism movement. The former head of BBC News has compared the top of the corporation to the comedy spoof W1A. Roger Mosey said the mockumentary, which sends up the corporation's politically correct bureaucracy, reflects 'a lot of truth'. The 62-year-old also told the Edinburgh TV Festival that too many of the BBC's big decisions are made in London by 'white liberals' and that its executives should better reflect the 'diversity of thought' found across the whole of Brexit Britain. Adulthood star Noel Clarke (pictured left, with Danny Dyer) has regularly spoken out about racism and previously claimed many TV channels refused to back his hit Sky One show Bulletproof because it was led by two black actors Finnish conductor of the Proms 'did NOT axe Rule Britannia' A Finnish conductor caught up in a row over the Last Night of the Proms is not responsible for axing Rule Britannia and would never have been 'arrogant' enough to suggest it, her friends say. BBC sources had reportedly claimed Dalia Stasevska, 35, demanded the patriotic anthem, along with Land of Hope and Glory, be pulled from the performance due to their links to British imperialism. But friends last night insisted that BBC bosses made the decision to not have the songs sung, adding that Ms Stasevska would not have had the 'arrogance' to insist on such a change. A source close to Ms Stasevska told The Telegraph: 'From Dalia's point of view there has been a lot of unpleasantness and some of the stuff that has been written is heart-breaking. 'It is frightening, unpleasant, scary stuff and she can't say anything as she can't be a part of any of that.' Advertisement He said: 'The W1A sitcom is a parody of course, but it does have an awful lot of truth in it about the way the organisation, the BBC, works and its kind of mindset and breaking that down. 'I do think geography is a really key part of it. It's all very well having Salford, and everywhere else, but I really think decisions should be made there. 'I know you've got Five Live and Breakfast [based in Media City, Salford] but every single powerful BBC executive is still in London, ditto ITV and Channel 4, although they've got Leeds, it still feels very London. 'I think breaking down these kinds of barriers should have happened.' Mr Mosey, who is now the Master of Selwyn College, Cambridge, was addressing a debate on diversity in the industry. He said: 'I feel passionately, there should be more people from ethnic minority backgrounds in newsrooms, making decisions, and diversity is something the industry has to commit itself to. 'The only thing I'd add really is I think diversity is very broad though. In a sense, it's also about diversity of thought. It's about Left and Right, it's about liberal and conservative. And if you think about the missing voices last year ... they also included people in the red wall, people who voted for Brexit, people who were from working class areas in the north of England ... and pretty much every major decision in television is still taken in London. 'And part of that diversity is getting the sense of a whole UK with this amazing canopy of people in it and getting newsrooms to be more representative of everybody in the UK, rather than what it used to be really which was white liberals in London.' Asked if it was a missed opportunity when the BBC appointed a white man, Tim Davie, as its next director-general, Mr Mosey said: 'Yes, I think it's a real problem.' Bronagh was seen wearing a rainbow mask during filming yesterday in Manchester Fresh BBC race row as Jamaica's foreign minister complains over Famalam sketch showing Caribbean men leering at women and high on cannabis on Countdown Kamina Johnson-Smith branded the BBC Three show 'outrageous and offensive' The episode sees a male host stare at female character and pretend to have sex It also features a panellist high on marijuana, who forgets an answer to question The BBC is already under fire over lyrics in two songs in Last Night of the Proms The BBC is involved in a fresh race row as Jamaica's foreign minister complains over a Famalam sketch showing Caribbean men leering at women and high on cannabis. Kamina Johnson-Smith branded the BBC Three clip, which created a Jamaican version of Channel 4 show Countdown, 'outrageous and offensive'. The episode sees a male host stare at a character playing maths boffin Rachel Riley, before he pretends to have sex with her. It also features a panellist high on marijuana, who forgets an answer to a question, and plays on the stereotype that black men are well endowed. The BBC is already under fire after deciding to play Land of Hope and Glory and Rule Britannia without lyrics at the Last Night of the Proms. Kamina Johnson-Smith branded the BBC Three show (pictured), which created a Jamaican version of Channel 4 show Countdown, 'outrageous and offensive' Ms Johnson-Smith tweeted: 'This is outrageous and offensive to the incredible country which I am proud to represent along with every Jamaican at home and within our #Diaspora. I will immediately be writing formally on this! #StopThisShow.' She was replying to a tweet from entrepreneur Nathaniel Peat, who wrote: 'As the Global Jamaica Diaspora Counsel Rep for South UK @bbcthree the Jamaican community in the UK have expressed serious concerns at how offensive the content in this show is. 'This doesn't reflect our culture well Nd many are upset. @Ofcom @kaminajsmith @mfaftja.' But the BBC defended Famalm, with channel controller Fiona Campbell saying it was not 'malicious', adding: 'We stand by the creator's brand of humour.' She told the Edinburgh TV Festival: 'Famalam is now in its third series and it is very successful. 'It is not malicious humour and I think if you followed on social, the creators themselves said they are poking fun at all stereotypes. 'There isn't malice in the type of content.' White BBC comedy chief Shane Allen added: 'Don't diss my beloved Famalam. If you are going to do something about tricky topics it needs to be from those communities, from those people who've got that voice.' A BBC spokesman said: 'Famalam... now in its third series, has an established brand of humour in line with audience expectations and is well known for confronting issues.' Jamaica's Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Kamina Johnson Smith speaks during the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly at the United Nations in New York in 2007 The broadcast announced it would play Land of Hope and Glory and Rule Britannia without lyrics at the Last Night of the Proms due to an association with colonialism. It said 'new orchestral versions' of the hugely popular anthems would feature in the rousing finale of its concert next month. Neither will be sung even though a soprano will perform the National Anthem, Jerusalem and You'll Never Walk Alone. The songs are part of the last night's finale, when thousands of flagwaving 'prommers' traditionally pack the Royal Albert Hall. But critics claim the lyrics to Rule Britannia, including the line 'Britons never, never, never shall be slaves', are overtly racist given the UK's role in the slave trade. The 1902 lyrics of Land of Hope and Glory were reputedly inspired by Cecil Rhodes, an imperialist whose statue is being removed from an Oxford college. The broadcast announced it would play Land of Hope and Glory and Rule Britannia without lyrics at the Last Night of the Proms due to an association with colonialism. Pictured: Jamie Barton waving the the rainbow flag at the Last Night of the Proms at the Royal Albert Hall in London last year, while singing Rule Britannia It was reported at the weekend the conductor for this year's Last Night, Dalia Stasevska of Finland, was keen to reduce the patriotic elements of the event. This year, without an audience, was seen as the perfect moment to bring about change. It led to a huge backlash, with even the Prime Minister and Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden getting involved. In a bid to defuse the row, BBC bosses finally announced the Last Night on September 12 would still feature 'familiar, patriotic elements'. Russian lawmakers urge tougher punishments for unlawful debt collection activities RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov 12:35 27/08/2020 MOSCOW, August 27 (RAPSI) Russias State Duma Committee on Security and Combating Corruption has developed a bill envisaging more serious punishments for those employing unlawful debt collection methods involving violence and threats, as well as those inflicting harm to citizens and their properties, according to the Committee Chair Vasily Piskarev. The bill is to amend respectively Russias Criminal Code and Code of Criminal Procedure. The Central Bank has already backed the bill, responses of the Supreme Court and the Government are expected soon; after that the document is to be submitted to the lower house of Russias Parliament, Piskarev says. The document envisages longer prison terms up to 5 years for individuals, in case unlawful debt collection methods are employed by organized gangs their members may spend behind bars up to 12 years. The legislation currently in force needs to be amended as citizens submit an enormous number of complaints that debt collectors use such methods as violence, threats, and damage of property, often not only with respect to debtors, but their relatives, colleagues, or neighbors; over two preceding years the Federal Bailiff Service has registered more than 47,000 complaints against collectors, the lawmakers observes. The measures envisaged in the bill are to improve the current situation; it was not by chance that President Vladimir Putin instructed the Bailiff Service to settle the issue, Piskarev adds. The dispute arose after Nissan alleged that Tamil Nadu hadnt paid certain incentives under a 2008 agreement to set up a car plant at Oragadam, near Chennai. Weeks after settling the $660 million tax dispute with the Tamil Nadu government, Japanese automajor Nissan Motor withdrew its petition related to the dispute from the Madras high court. The state government and Nissan Motor filed a joint compromise memo for withdrawal of the case filed by the former to restrain the firm from pursuing international arbitral proceedings with respect to alleged unpaid incentives of $660 million (Rs 5,000 crore). Madras high court Chief Justice Amreshwar Pratap Sahi and Justice Senthikumar Ramamoorthy allowed the parties to withdraw the petitions after they filed a joint compromise memo for withdrawal of the case. Sources said Nissan is expected to receive Rs 1,400-1,800 crore as per the agreement. Nissan India and government officials did not immediately respond to requests for comments. While the state government will continue to offer the incentives as promised, Nissan will give up its claims on input tax credit to settle the dispute, said sources. The full terms of the settlement were not immediately clear and Business Standard could not independently verify them. The dispute arose after Nissan alleged that Tamil Nadu hadnt paid certain incentives under a 2008 agreement to set up a car plant at Oragadam, near Chennai. Nissan and its French partner Renault have invested around Rs 6100 crore in the facility and can produce 4 lakh cars every year. Nissan initiated an international arbitration against India in 2016, claiming Rs 2,100 crore in unpaid dues and Rs 2,900 crore in damages and other costs. Tamil Nadu has been trying to reach a settlement with Nissan for several years. Nissan went for arbitration by invoking the provisions of Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement between Japan and India (CEPA). After taking over as Chief Minister four years ago, K Palaniswami asserted that Nokia and Nissan -- two high profile tax cases -- will be resolved to boost investor sentiment. The state managed to revive Nokia's mobile making facility, once World's largest, and closed since 2014 due to Rs 21,000 crore tax dispute. Salcomp, Foxconn and other companies have acquired the 210-acre facility in parcels. On the other hand, while the case was pending before the high court, the state government and Nissan initiated efforts to arrive at an out-of-court settlement and reached for an agreement. Photograph: Reuters Over 400 bodies will be coming together on September 5 through a nation-wide campaign to raise their voice against various issues faced by marginalised sections of society, activists said on Thursday. In a press briefing, the activists said the campaign 'Hum Agar Uthe Nahi Toh' will be launched through protests on streets and also on social media. Activist Shabnam Hashmi said the campaign aims to reach every section of society across the country. "Due to COVID-19, we will not be able to come out on streets in large numbers but there will be videos on issues and there will also be social media live sessions and also posters, art, paintings can be made on the subject people wish to raise their voice on," Hashmi said. Anjali Bhardwaj, co-convenor of the campaign for people's right to information and a founding member of Satark Nagrik Sangathan, claimed that there has been an "unprecedented attack" on India's democracy and the citizens' constitutional rights. "The COVID-19 crisis the way it was handled also exposed the anti-poor regime. The way lockdown was announced how it hit the farmers, migrant workers or sex workers how they have lost all employment and the government has done little to fix the problem," she alleged. Kavita Krishnan, secretary of the All India Progressive Women's Association, said many movements have come together to say something through this campaign and these are the movements that try to make India the best place it could be. "The government is moving fast to change the India we know. If we look at the Education Policy, it is bringing graded inequality. In case of Environment Impact Assessment, they are getting rid of environmental assessment measures and they are moving fast to get rid of labour laws," Krishnan claimed. "These are urgent times so that is why we have to come together and protect India's Constitution and democracy," she said. Annie Raja, general secretary of the Federation of Indian Women, said there needs to be discussions on all sorts of issues whether it is violence against women or atrocities against marginalised sections of society. "The government is not thinking that's why there is unprecedented increase of violence against women. If we don't speak up now then it would be a tragedy," she said. Mariam Dhawale, general secretary of All India Democratic Women's Association, said the campaign is a timely intervention. "The government is using the pandemic to change the entire nature of the country thinking the country is grappling with the pandemic and will not be able to revolt," she said. "There is a hunger crisis, rise in violence. The government is rushing through laws by changing them. The campaign will be launched on the day when journalist Gauri Lankesh was assassinated three years back on September 5," she claimed. (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 45-year-old man was arrested in South East London today on suspicion of war crimes relating to the first and second Liberian civil wars. He was detained by detectives from the Metropolitan Police's war crimes team on suspicion of offences against section 51 of the International Criminal Court Act 2001. Scotland Yard said the man, who has not been named, was arrested at about 7.20am this morning and taken into custody at a police station in Central London. The arrest, announced at 11.30am today, follows an allegation of offences relating to the first and second civil wars in the African nation between 1989 and 2003. Young recruits for the National Patriotic Front of Liberia raise their weapons at a training camp in Gborplay, Liberia, in June 1990 Forces from the National Patriotic Front of Liberia ambush the town of Harbel in June 1990 Officers said they were searching an address in South East London and inquiries were ongoing. From 1989 to 2003, up to a quarter of a million people in Liberia were killed in a civil war, while thousands more were mutilated and raped. The civil war began when minister Charles Taylor started an uprising in a bid to topple the government. Backed by a rebel group, the National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL), he gained control of large areas of the country and rose to become one of Africa's most prominent warlords. The NPFL has been accused of a wide range of human rights abuses and the large numbers of deaths during the conflict eventually led to the involvement of the UN and the Economic Community of West African States. Liberian war refugees seek safety at a US Omega radionavigation station in Paynesville in 1990 Nigerian peacekeepers drive past cheering crowds in Monrovia, Liberia, on August 7, 2003 A final peace agreement led to the election of Taylor as president of Liberia in 1997. A second civil war broke out in 1999 and Taylor was forced into exile in 2003. Former Liberian president Charles Taylor is serving 50 years in a British prison after being found guilty by an international tribunal of crimes against humanity. His ex-wife Agnes Reeves Taylor was charged by British police with torture in 2017. However, the case against her was dismissed two years later after a judge said there was a lack of evidence of governmental control at the time of the alleged crimes. A Liberia militia commander exults after firing a rocket-propelled grenade in Monrovia in 2003 Former Liberian president Charles Taylor (file picture) is serving 50 years in a British prison after being found guilty by an international tribunal of crimes against humanity A Metropolitan Police spokesman said today: 'Officers from the Met Police War Crimes Team have today, Thursday August 27, arrested a man on suspicion of war crimes, contrary to section 51 of the International Criminal Court Act 2001. 'Detectives arrested the 45-year-old man in South East London at approximately 7.20am this morning. He has been taken into custody at a central London police station. 'The arrest follows an allegation of offences relating to the first and second Liberian Civil Wars, between 1989 and 2003. 'Officers are currently searching an address in South East London. Enquiries are ongoing.' Born and raised in New Orleans, Dominque Jones had a vision for change, back in May of 2018. As an adult child of an incarcerated parent, she faced the challenges of growing up without a biological father. Her father was sentenced to life in prison in 1982 and has been behind bars since Dominque was born. The impact of having a parent in prison can be far-reaching; from affecting mental health and behavior, to limiting a childs prospects in life and education. Often the children of the incarcerated feel shame, sadness, confusion and anger as they attempt to navigate life without their parent. I realized the uniqueness that I had to offer to all children impacted by parental incarceration, Dominque told Dateline. And so I started Daughters Beyond Incarceration (DBI), along with my incarcerated father. Dominque Jones (left), two mentees (middle), and Bree Anderson, Co-director and mentor (right). Daughters Beyond Incarceration was founded to help daughters form strong and positive relationships with their incarcerated fathers while they are in prison. According to the Pew Charitable Trust, in 2010, 54% of inmates are parents, including 120,000 mothers and 1.1 million fathers. Dominque told Dateline that, as of now, they are mentoring 53 girls between the ages of 8 and 18 in low-income communities of New Orleans. The mentors work to ensure that these girls are developing and navigating life in positive ways. Dominque said, The one thing that nobody does in this work is ask us how were doing, how were developing, and what ways were going about navigating this life. Its important for us to heal. Dominque said that of her mentees, about 10 have fathers currently in the Louisiana State Penitentiary, commonly known as Angola. She said that it has been difficult to work with the prison, as many of the young girls are not allowed to visit unsupervised since they are under the age of 18. We are currently working on implementing policies that will allow joint visits between families, Dominque told Dateline. This will make a lasting impact on all children of incarcerated parents. Story continues DBI plans to attack the issues of mass incarceration by eliminating the barriers that affect the communication gap between fathers and daughters. Their goals include helping the fathers re-enter society successfully and reducing recidivism. One thing Dominque noted was that it is difficult for the children in 2019, with all of the changes in social media. We dont know what its like to be 8 or 12 or 16 right now [in a world revolving around social media], Dominque said. All of the girls, just like me, experienced an adverse childhood in some way, we just experienced it at different phases. But, weve all had periods of neglect and embarrassment and we all have that one situation we will never forget that involved our incarcerated loved ones. Dominque told Dateline the organization holds many events and spends time with their mentees multiple times a month. We do trauma-informed care workshops, Dominque said. Through those workshops, we try to help those girls heal, instead of bottling it up and running away from their feelings. We also communicate with the dads to talk about positive ways to communicate with your daughter. Dominque told Dateline that, once youre in, youre in, and that DBI will continue to support their mentees, even after their parent may have been released, because the traumas the children faced dont immediately dissipate. While this program is beneficial to the children, it is in the same way impactful on the parent. Dominque said that, the biggest change I see is that the fathers dont feel like failures anymore. Even if a father isnt here, he can still parent from prison. As for the stigma felt by children of incarcerated parents, Dominque said, We all dont end up in prison. We all are not high-school dropouts. And changing the narrative is extremely important to us. We are definitely the definition of resilient. Read more about Daughters Beyond Incarceration. --- Editors Note: In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, we reached out to Dominque Johnson and discussed mounting concerns she continues to face as both a leader of marginalized children, and as a daughter of an incarcerated father herself. Earlier this year, Dominque gave birth to twin sons, but instead of being able to celebrate with her father, they were kept apart by COVID-19. She spent the subsequent months racked with guilt and unease. She constantly worried if he would remain healthy, but still had to maintain her professional obligations. "I still had to answer to all of these girls about what's going to happen to [their] dads, and apply for grants," Dominque said. "And I had other fathers calling asking me, 'Can you help me talk to my daughter? Can you help me stay connected?' It was a complete train wreck." Thankfully, her father was able to avoid the worst of COVID-19 as prisons around the country shut down, but that left her without the same connection to her father. The state opted to substitute in-person visits with videocalls she stated had many technological issues. To her, it was poorly thought out and only heightened families anxiety. [They] retraumatized a group of children, Dominque told Dateline. A group of people who are already left out of the conversation. "We never really had faith in the justice system, but now we don't have faith in our city leaders, our state leaders, and our local leaders," Dominque said. "There were so many decisions made about children that didnt include children. How do you ignore someone that you consider you love the most? This feeling of neglect prompted advocacy groups to join forces with Louisiana State Representative, C. Denise Marcelle, to work on a bill that would ensure they would have a voice in future conversations at the state level. In July, Governor John Bel Edwards signed their bill that established the Council on the Children of Incarcerated Parents and Caregivers; which DBI will be represented in with one member. Despite these challenges, DBI has continued its efforts in mentoring, safeguarding, advocating virtually for the more than 60 girls that they oversee. In September, the organization has two town hall meetings set that will feature impacted youths, there to discuss the needs and concerns amid the pandemic. Dominque wistfully commented that it was time that DBI expand throughout Louisiana, Weve taken care of this in New Orleans. NOLA knows us, NOLA loves us, Dominque said. So, we want to go to Baton Rouge, Lafayette, we want to go to Shreveport. These children need our love across the state, and we need the money, we need the support to do that. Spring was unscathed by the Category 4 hurricane that made landfall near Cameron, Louisiana Thursday morning. But the Spring Fire Department was prepared and ready to help should the area have fallen in Hurricane Lauras path. Spring Fire Department Chief Scott Seifert said the department had begun following the hurricane when Marco first became a tropical storm late last week, before shifting to Laura as that formed. Wednesday night, he said the department had staffed 16 additional firefighters on duty, an additional district chief, as well as three additional trucks along with high-water vehicles and boats in case they were needed. Hurricane Laura: The latest on storms impact on Texas, Louisiana We were definitely prepared better than all of our previous events, Seifert said. All of our apparatuses were in service. Our staff was ready and waiting and willing to do what it took to be successful. Seifert called the event a good dry run, as no actual rain hit Spring the night the hurricane touched down on the shore of the gulf coast, near the Texas-Louisiana border. There was no event, not even really much wind, he said. Then we released some of our people in the emergency operations center around 1 or 2 a.m. and the rest spent the night and just waited until morning. On HoustonChronicle.com: State leaders credit luck, proper planning to avoiding worst of Hurricane Laura's wrath Since there was no storm, Seifert said they sent extra staff home in the morning and went back to regular staffing levels, after having about 55 people staffed for the hurricane that night. It had been slow the night of and the day after the storm as well. I think a lot of people got off early, got supplies and stayed home, he said. All of Spring Fire Department personnel are trained on evacuation rescue boats, he added, as well as trained in driving high-water vehicles and how to load and unload victims from the vehicles. They also had extra personal protective equipment, along with water and Gatorade. Seifert said it was around midnight when the hurricane made landfall and they realized it wasnt likely Spring would be affected by the hurricane, but they still had a couple of people monitoring the weather overnight. Id rather be prepared and not need to do it then need to do it and not be prepared, he said. When Spring is hit by storms, Seifert said there are some areas around the community they know are more affected by flooding so they anticipated having to evacuate some people if they were hit by rain, along with some power outages. 'There ain't no way to get to them': Storm victims who rode out Hurricane Laura asking for help For future hurricanes, Seifert said residents need to have enough food and water stocked to last them a week or two, as well as make sure their vehicles are filled with gas and to not try to drive through water if they are caught out during a storm If it does look like its gonna hit us, make plans to get yourself out of town before you are not able to due to traffic, Seifert said. Hurricane Ike, I remember it very well at Louetta and North Freeway. I could look north and south as far as you can see and there was just everybody sitting still on the freeway. That was an eye opener for me. The Ponderosa Volunteer Fire Department was prepared for the storm as well. Their chief, Fred Windisch, said they had been ensuring their boats and high-water vehicles were ready to go in the days ahead of the hurricane, and they had about 21 people across their three fire stations overnight Tuesday and Wednesday ready for the storm. Windisch said they were concerned about the wind more than rain, as they live in a heavily wooded area and needed to be ready to clear roadways should any trees fall over. We were kind of ready for it and then, nothing, Windisch said. paul.wedding@hcnonline.com A massive fire has broken out at a chemical facility outside of Lake Charles, Louisiana after Hurricane Laura battered the area last night. BioLab, a household chemical product manufacturer in Westlake, Louisiana and owned by Canadian company KIKCorp., caught fire after the storm according to multiple companies in the area, the Houston Chronicle reported. Louisiana Gov. John Edwards issued a shelter-in-place order for residents of the Westlake-Moss Bluff-Sulphur area. HURRICANE LAURA: 14-year-old girl confirmed as first fatality A HAM radio operator told the National Weather Service that part of I-10 is closed due to a massive chlorine leak in the area, the Lafayette Daily Advertiser reports. Huge clouds of smoke can be seen coming from the plant. WDSU reports that state police, hazmat and emergency officials are at the scene. The Lafayette Daily Advertiser reports that KIKCorp. is also deploying a specialized team to the site to assist. "We can confirm that, as a result of damage sustained during Hurricane Laura, there is currently a fire at our plant located at our Biolab Lake Charles, LA facility," the company said on its website. "Our priority is the safety and well-being of the Lake Charles community of which we are a part. We are deploying a specialized team to the site, and we are working with first responders, local authorities, and environmental agencies to contain and mitigate the impact of this incident as quickly as possible. The facility had been evacuated when the hurricane was upgraded to category 4 after following shut-down protocols, and all employees are confirmed to be safe at this time. We will provide additional information as it becomes available." Hero Australian firefighters who battled devastating bushfires over summer will now fly to the US to help contain California's fierce blazes. The New South Wales Rural Fire Service will send 55 firefighters to America's west coast in a desperate attempt to control the fires that have ripped through 1,300 homes and killed at least seven. Australia will be lending a hand to the US after hundreds of American firefighters were deployed to help extinguish the bushfires over the 2019-2020 summer. 'We're returning the favour. After helping us last fire season, 55 Australian firefighters will travel to the USA to assist with fires burning on the west coast,' the NSW RFS tweeted on Thursday. NSW RFS firefighters will fly to California to help battle fierce wildfires (pictured, NSW RFS firies battling a fire near Bilpin west of Sydney last December) NSW Rural Fire Service tweeted out this message on Thursday, confirming they would be travelling to help their American friends American firefighters are seen arriving at Melbourne Airport in January to help battle devastating bushfires (pictured) The three largest fires the SCU Lightning Complex, the LNU Lightning Complex and the CZU Complex - continue to rage in northern California (pictured in Boulder Creek on Sunday) 'These firefighters will undertake specialist incident management, aviation and field supervision roles.' It's estimated more than 170,000 Californians were forced to flee their homes after 13,000 lightning strikes sparked hundreds of fires in the state's north last week. The whole state is currently in a state of emergency and more than one million acres have been scorched, leaving seven people dead and 1,700 buildings destroyed. 625 fires are still raging across the state. Governor Gavin Newsom earlier indicated he would ask Australia for help in fighting the devastating blazes already described as the worst in his state. Mr Newsom said on Saturday that Australia is home to 'the world's best wildfire fighters.' NSW RFS firefighters are well equipped to take on the Californian fires after the state experienced one of its worst bushfire seasons on record, dubbed the Black Summer. It will be the first time NSW firefighters have been deployed to the US. Firefighters from the US were sent to Australia in January to help battle bushfires that tore through 18 million hectares of land (pictured at Melbourne airport on January 2) Firefighters from America and Canada were given this shirt (pictured on a firie on January 1) to commemorate their time helping in Australia The wildfires causing devastating California on the US west coast have been described as one of the state's worst (pictured, the city of Napa on August 18) The 2019-2020 bushfire season was one of the worst in Australian history, burning across an estimated 18.6 million hectares of land and destroying almost 6,000 buildings, including 2,779 homes, as well as killing 33 people. The 33 lives lost included 25 in NSW, three in South Australia and five in Victoria. Hundreds of US firefighters were deployed to Australia last summer, which saw the tragic death of three heroic firies. US servicemen Ian McBeth, Paul Hudson and Rick DeMorgan Jr were killed when their large air tanker crashed south of Canberra. Firefighters and aircraft from ten other US states began arriving in California on Saturday to relieve exhausted firies who have spent the last week on the frontline. The Californian wildfires have already destroyed more than 1,000 buildings and claimed seven lives (pictured, airplane drops fire retardant in Napa, California) NSW RFS shared this picture of an American flag signed by US firefighters (pictured) which is framed in their office Canada is also expected to receive a receive an request for assistance. 'We simply haven't seen anything like this in many, many years,' Governor Newsom told reporters. 'These fires are stretching our resources, our personnel.' The three largest fire complexes the SCU Lightning Complex, the LNU Lightning Complex and the CZU Complex - continue to rage in northern California The SCU Lightning Complex is currently the largest fire in California, raging east of San Jose across seven counties, and burning more than 365,700 acres. This is the second-largest fire in the states history. The LNU Lightning Complex follows behind, burning more than 356,300 acres north and northeast of San Francisco, destroying more than 970 homes and other structures. This blaze is the deadliest of them all, killing five people, two in Solano County and three in Napa County. Firefighters try to battle a blaze at a house in Boulder Creek in California on Sunday (pictured) NSW RFS firefighters will be deployed to the US for the first time. Pictured is a firefighter battling an out of control blaze west of Sydney last December The three US firefighters who died were remembered as heroes. Captain Ian McBeth, from Montana, First Officer Paul Hudson, from Arizona, and Flight Engineer Rick DeMorgan Jr, from Florida, were all on board the C-130 Hercules, Zeus when they lost control on January 23. The three men had been flying in a water-bombing airplane when it crashed. The jet exploded into a fireball on impact near Peak View in New South Wales after losing contact with the ground. Fire chiefs hailed the men as 'remarkable', well-respected professionals with decades of experience on both sides of the Pacific. McBeth, a 44-year-old father-of-three from Great Falls, Montana, was an experienced pilot who had dedicated years of his life to fighting fires in the military and with Coulson Aviation. Pictured: Captain Ian McBeth, from Great Falls, Montana, was an experienced pilot who had dedicated years of his life to fighting fires in the military and with Coulson Aviation Pictured: Flight engineer Rick DeMorgan is survived by his wife and two children. He had more than 4,000 hours experience He is survived by his beloved wife, Bowdie, and three children, Abigail, Calvin and Ella. First Officer Paul Hudson, 42, from Buckeye, Arizona, served in the United States Marine Corp for 20 years. He is survived by his wife, Noreen, with whom he had just finished building a new house in Buckeye, Arizona. DeMorgan, 43, from Navarre, Florida, is survived by his two children, Lucas and Logan. He served in the US Air Force, with 18 years spent as a flight engineer on the C-130. He had more than 4,000 hours experience, including 2,000 in a combat environment. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 27, 2020) - Sienna Resources (TSXV: SIE) (WKN: A1XCQ0) (FSE: HRJ1) (OTC Pink: SNNAF) (the "Company") is pleased to announced that it has entered into an option agreement with EMX Royalty Corporation (NYSE: EMX) (TSXV: EMX) to acquire the "Bleka and Vekselmyr Gold Projects" in Norway. These projects are greenstone-hosted gold systems in southern Norway (see Figure 1). In particular, the Projects were acquired on the basis of past gold production at Bleka from historic mining activities and the documentation of outcropping gold mineralization in orogenic-style veins at Vekselmyr. Both Projects contain extensions of the structures that host gold mineralization that have not been tested by historic exploration programs. This now gives Sienna 4 separate projects in Scandinavia. Figure 1: Sienna Property To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/854/62638_10d22f40b4a29a0d_002full.jpg Jason Gigliotti, President of Sienna states, "This is a tremendous opportunity for Sienna to acquire a high quality gold project in a politically stable, mining friendly jurisdiction. We have been searching for a high quality, high potential gold project and we feel these two new gold targets provide this to Sienna immediately. This gold belt has been underexplored and we plan to commence work right away. There is a 3 km unique vein swarm within this greenstone hosted orogenic plug with a folded nose formation. This area is highly prospective for gold and we plan to focus on this area. We are extremely optimistic about Sienna's short and long term prospects when you factor this new project coupled with work expected to commence shortly on our Finland and Ontario projects at a time when we just closed an oversubscribed placement of 2 million dollars. Sienna will be very active at a time of historically high commodity prices, including gold recently making new all-time highs." Story continues Overview of the Projects. The Projects are located in an underexplored greenstone belt in southern Norway with areas of historic gold production and documented gold occurrences. The Bleka Vein was discovered in 1880 and mined intermittently until 1940, with historic production reported as 165 kilograms (i.e., ~ 5,300 troy ounces) of gold sourced from mineralized material with an average grade of 36 g/t gold.1 The Bleka project covers the historic mining area and swarms of similar veins that extend for at least three kilometers along strike. The nearby Vekselmyr license covers outcropping gold mineralization in similar orogenic-style veins. Figure 2: Bleka Gold Project To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/854/62638_10d22f40b4a29a0d_003full.jpg Figure 3: Bleka Gold Project To view an enhanced version of Figure 3, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/854/62638_10d22f40b4a29a0d_004full.jpg Figure 4: Vekselmyr Gold Project To view an enhanced version of Figure 4, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/854/62638_10d22f40b4a29a0d_005full.jpg Vekselmyr Gold Project *Historic assay values quoted above are from the NGU, from (Report No. 84-23-38, 1984). SIE has not performed sufficient work to verify the published data reported above, but SIE believes this information is considered reliable and relevant. (NGU Deposit Area 911-010) Summary of Commercial Terms. Sienna can earn a 100% interest in the Bleka and Vekselmyr Projects in Norway, subject to 3% NSR royalty interests retained by EMX, by: Issuing an additional 500,000 shares of SIE to EMX within 5 days upon exchange approval; Spending a minimum of C$250,000 per year on exploration on the Projects over the next two years; Reimbursing EMX for its acquisition costs and expenses related to the Bleka and Vekselmyr Projects; and, Issuing 1,500,000 additional shares of SIE to EMX at the end of the two-year option period. If Sienna satisfies the earn-in conditions of the Agreement and elects to acquire the Projects, EMX will receive annual advance royalty ("AAR") payments of US$25,000 for each property commencing on the first anniversary of the option exercise date, with each AAR payment increasing by US$5,000 per year until reaching a cap of US$75,000 per year. Under certain conditions, 0.5% of the 3% NSR royalties retained by EMX can be repurchased by Sienna. This agreement consists of an execution of an amendment to its option agreement with Sienna Resources Inc. (TSXV: SIE) ("Sienna"), originally signed in December, 2017 for the Slattberg nickel-copper-cobalt-PGE (Ni-Cu-Co-PGE) project in southern Sweden. The amendment adds EMX's Bleka and Vekselmyr projects in southern Norway (the "Projects") to the Option Agreement (the "Agreement"), whereby Sienna will enter a two year option period to acquire 100% interest in the Projects by satisfying work commitments and making payments of cash and equity to EMX, with EMX retaining 3% net smelter returns ("NSR") royalty interests. The technical contents of this release were approved by Greg Thomson, PGeo, a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. *Historic assay values quoted above are from the NGU however SIE has not performed sufficient work to verify the published data reported above, but SIE believes this information is considered reliable and relevant. If you would like to be added to Sienna's email list please email info@siennaresources.com for information or join our twitter account at @SiennaResources. Contact Information Tel: 1.604.646.6900 Fax: 1.604.689.1733 www.siennaresources.com info@siennaresources.com "Jason Gigliotti" President, Director Sienna Resources Inc. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release. 1 Gamst & Thomsen (1998) Gold Exploration in The Seljord and Hjartdal area of Telemark, Southern Norway, Norwegian Geological Survey Report 4655 (https://dirmin.no/sites/default/files/bibliotek/BV4655.pdf). Bleka Gold Mine in Seljord, Telemark, summary report 1998, Norwegian Geological Survey Report BV4654 (https://dirmin.no/sites/default/files/bibliotek/BV4654.pdf) *Historic assay values quoted above are from the NGU, from (Rapport nr 4661). SIE has not performed sufficient work to verify the published data reported above, but SIE believes this information is considered reliable and relevant. (BV4661.PDF) To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/62638 Staff members inspect the Sino-Russian 500 KVA (kilo-volt-amp) back-to-back converter station in Heihe, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Aug. 22, 2019. (Xinhua/Wang Jianwei) BEIJING, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin exchanged congratulatory letters on Wednesday marking the start of the Year of Scientific and Technological Innovation between the two countries. "As each country is the other's largest neighbor, China and Russia have been working together and helping one another as the COVID-19 pandemic rages across the globe," Xi said in his letter, stressing that launching the Year of Scientific and Technological Innovation between the two countries as scheduled has "fully reflected the high level and exceptionality of their comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era." He expressed his belief that the two countries' successful practice in jointly fighting the pandemic and tiding over difficulties would surely be transformed into a powerful driving force for strengthening bilateral exchanges and cooperation. "China and Russia, as responsible major countries in the world as well as scientific and technological powers with important influence, should move forward with the tide of the times, grasp the trend of development, and advance the all-round, multi-level and wide-ranging exchanges and cooperation between the scientific and technological personnel of the two countries, so that they can make greater contributions to the reform of the global governance system and the building of a community with a shared future for humanity," Xi said. Putin said in his congratulatory letter that scientific and technological innovation is one of the most promising areas of cooperation between Russia and China that will determine the future of the two countries and have a bearing on the improving of the living standards of the two peoples. "Activities under the framework of the Year of Scientific and Technological Innovation are rich in content, covering scientific research, exhibitions and academic exchanges," Putin said. He noted that the governments as well as medical and scientific research departments of the two countries have conducted close cooperation in the battle against COVID-19 and attained a series of important results with broad impact. "I sincerely wish that the Year of Scientific and Technological Innovation will be a success and add new substance to the development of the Russia-China comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era," he said. During Xi's visit to Russia in June 2019, he and Putin announced that 2020 and 2021 would be designated the Year of Scientific and Technological Innovation, the first national theme year titled "scientific and technological innovation" between the two countries. GREENWICH The new fire chief in Greenwich began his career with the Sound Beach Volunteer Fire Department in Old Greenwich, where he served as a firefighter and then as a lieutenant. Joseph McHugh, who is now a battalion chief with the New York City Fire Department, was named Thursday to the top position in the Greenwich Fire Department. McHugh is replacing Fire Chief Peter Siecienski, who retired in May. Now a resident of Port Chester, N.Y., McHugh is a former Greenwich resident and graduate of Greenwich High School. / contributed He joined the ranks of the Fire Department of the City of New York in 1991 as a firefighter in Manhattan. During his career, he has served as a lieutenant in the Bronx and as a captain in Manhattan. He more recently earned the rank of battalion chief in the Bronx. McHugh currently serves as battalion chief in safety command and is the executive officer of FDNY Safety Command operations. He is responsible for the safety of FDNY members at all major fires, emergencies and catastrophic events, according to a statement from the Office of the First Selectman, Fred Camillo. Chief McHugh brings an enthusiasm to this position, with an appreciation of the work and dedication of the both the professional and volunteer firefighters who stand ready to protect our residents 24/7, Camillo said. I look forward to working with him as we work to build upon the strengths and accomplishments achieved by the department under the tenures of Chief Siecienski and Interim Chief Robert Kick. An applicant pool of 40 candidates were considered for the job. McHughs wife, Pamela, is a teacher at Cos Cob School. His late father, Edward, spent 20 years with the Greenwich Fire Department and retired as a fire inspector in 1985. An outdoor swearing-in ceremony will be held for McHugh at 10:30 a.m. Monday, Aug. 31, at the Greenwich Public Safety Complex. He will officially assume his new role Sept. 14. Kick will continue serving as interim fire chief until then. McHugh has been an expert witness at trials in Connecticut, and he has investigated numerous line-of-duty deaths involving FDNY personnel. He has also been an instructor in the fire services, and he earned a degree from the University of New Haven. The Greenwich Board of Selectmen voted Thursday morning to make his appointment official. Central Pennsylvanians could see fast-moving thunderstorms, wind gusts and hail starting late Thursday afternoon, forecasters said. The bulk of Thursdays bad weather should hit between 4 and 8 p.m., according to the National Weather Service. Meteorologist David Martin said residents should be alert because conditions can rapidly change. Wind gusts anywhere from 40 to 60 mph could cause damage Thursday, Martin said. Some areas of the midstate could see hail, but Martin said it is not likely to be a widespread issue. Less than an inch of rain is expected because storms are expected to move through the region between 30 and 40 mph, Martin said. Hazardous conditions could affect parts of Dauphin, Cumberland, Lebanon, Adams, York and Lancaster counties, the NWS said. Most of the severe weather is expected to stay to the north, Martin said. The NWS recommends taking shelter if a weather warning is issued or if conditions drastically worsen. Residents should stay away from trees or other objects that can be affected by wind if gusts pick up, Martin said. The NWS said this weeks showers and storms were a result of Hurricane Laura moving up from the South. The stormy weather is projected to peak Saturday as remnants of Laura head north and then toward the East Coast. READ MORE: Deadly Hurricane Laura reaches U.S., slams Louisiana coast with 150 mph winds Police identify woman who died after being trapped in burning Dauphin County home Woman drove more than a mile with man stuck to hood of her car: police One of the group of Northern Bottlenose whales that died after live stranding at Rossnowlagh is still missing. The exceptionally high tides last week carried two of the perished whales out to sea. One of them was found on nearby Murvagh beach on Friday. It was removed by Donegal County Council after being examined by the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG). The group are keen to locate the missing whale. A spokesperson for Donegal IWDG is calling on people to report any sighting of the missing whale. If anyone comes across a large whale along the shore please get in contact with the IWDG or ourselves so we can get samples asap, said the spokesperson in a social media post. This will aid to find out: are they a family group? are they a group of juveniles and young adults who are part of the same population but not a family? The group can be contacted via Donegal IWDG on Facebook Nowhere is the effect on the country more palpable than in Basra, Iraq's only coastal province With its neighbours activating new dams, Iraq's historic twin rivers could run dry -- unless new infrastructure projects and tense talks with Turkey and Iran bear fruit. Nowhere is the effect on the country more palpable than in Basra, Iraq's only coastal province. Here, the Tigris and Euphrates -- on which millions of Iraqis rely to farm -- meet at the Shatt al-Arab waterway before spilling into the Gulf. But with flows already heavily weakened, seawater is pushing back into the freshwater rivers, strangling wildlife and human settlements that have survived on these banks for millennia. "Salinity has gone up in recent years and it's killing the farmlands," said Abu Shaker, a 70-year-old who has spent decades growing Iraq's famed date palms. Now, with such little fresh water, Abu Shaker and fellow farmers have left their ancient palms withering on cracked and salty earth, moving north in search of potable water. "Before, we could sell our dates in the Gulf and as far as the United States," he said. "Now, you can see with your own eyes. This whole river died." Iraq's water woes aren't new. But with increasing regional desertification and population growth, Turkey and Iran are keener than ever to keep precious water resources for themselves. Their new dams on the Tigris and Euphrates, and the tributaries that feed them, have reduced water flows into Iraq by half, said Baghdad's Water Minister Mehdi al-Hamdani. But he remains hopeful, with plans in the works to improve access across the country and guarantee drinking water to all, even in a worst-case scenario. 'Total interruption' Hamdani, who headed Iraq's dams directorate before becoming minister, said there were plans to build a large reservoir in Makhoul, north of Baghdad. "It would allow us to store more water, generate electricity and protect Baghdad in case of floods," he said. It would be one of the biggest infrastructure projects in Iraq since 2003, when a US-led force toppled dictator Saddam Hussein and unleashed years of conflict. Since then, government plans to rehabilitate dilapidated power grids, water networks and roads have been regularly derailed by warfare, most recently the years-long fight against the Islamic State group, which Iraq declared defeated in late 2017. A health crisis sparked by a shortage of safe drinking water hospitalised some 100,000 people in Basra in 2018. This year, an unprecedented fiscal crunch caused by low oil prices forced the government to suspend infrastructure investments. But new dams alone won't save Iraq's waterways, experts warn. Sustainable access, they say, will only be secured through water-sharing deals with Ankara and Tehran. Talks with Turkey, which have focused on the enormous Ilisu dam on the Tigris, were suspended for two years but resumed in May, when Iraq's new cabinet came into power. Hamdani vowed that an ongoing air and ground assault by Ankara on Kurdish militants in northern Iraq would not derail the "positive" talks, which included a deal to regulate filling the Ilisu. Iran to the east has also activated dams, causing flows to the Dukan and Darbandikhan reservoirs in Iraqi Kurdistan to drop "from 45 cubic meters per second to seven cubic meters per second," according to the ministry. In some parts, flows are at a meagre "two cubic metres per second -- that is to say, an almost total interruption." Hamdani was again optimistic, however, saying comprehensive negotiations with Tehran were proceeding smoothly. Troubled waters ahead But as a receiving country, Iraq has little leverage, lamented Mohammed al-Chaleyhawi, who leads a farming cooperative in the southern agricultural heartland of Diwaniyah. "Turkey can launch a water war at any moment, whenever it suits it," Chaleyhawi told AFP. The droughts that wrecked Iraq's harvests between 2016 and 2018 were a taste of what may come, he said, warning that within five years, the Tigris and Euphrates could dry up, killing wildlife and limiting potable water. "Iraq only has one solution: using economic pressure against Turkey," said Chaleyhawi, suggesting Baghdad could restrict the import of Turkish goods and services. Others have suggested trading crude for water, like under the 1990s United Nations-led programme that allowed an Iraq under crippling sanctions to trade barrels for food and medicine. But Iraq, OPEC's second-largest producer, needs to act fast. Already the world is using less crude, and Iraq's nearly 40 million people need 71 billion cubic metres of water yearly, according to the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization. By 2035, when Turkey and Iran's dams are set to be completed, Iraq is set to receive just 51 billion cubic metres. And the population of the "land between the two rivers" will have swelled to more than 50 million, for whom the life-giving waters could be just a distant memory. Search Keywords: Short link: A MAC-10 submachine gun nicknamed spray and pray is among the latest terrifying weapons seized by police tackling a dramatic spike in fatal shootings in London since lockdown eased. Detectives revealed a member of the public discovered the weapon hidden with eight rounds of ammunition in a bag in south London. It earns its nickname because of its ability to pump out 1,000 rounds a minute and its lack of accuracy. The discovery came as police vowed to crack down on criminal gangs using guns after eight people were shot dead in London since June, bringing the years total so far to 11. That compares with 12 last year and 15 in 2018. Detective Chief Superintendent Craig Turner said his officers aimed to make the city a hostile environment for anyone using, carrying or storing weapons for drug gangs. The Mac-10 submachine gun Mr Turner thanked the person who discovered the Mac-10 in Mandela Way, Bermondsey, last month for bringing it straight to them. A gang used one to kill Pc Sharon Beshenivsky during a raid on a travel agent in Bradford in 2005. He said the Met are investigating 25 linked series shootings, some of which were fatal. Analysis has discovered that the same weapons were used in a quarter of about 500 firearm discharges each year, as a shortage forces gang rivals to rent the same guns from middlemen. Since July, police have discovered two gun factories in north and south London set up to supply gangs with dozens of converted firearms and homemade ammunition. Officers recovered 25 weapons, mainly revolvers, of which some were loaded, at a house in Hadley Road, Enfield. A kitchen workshop included a bullet moulding press, lathes, bullet cases, heads and other component parts. Mr Turner put the surge down to tit-for-tat gang tensions and feuds in hotspot areas that were not reconciled before lockdown. He said: Our determination is to make London a hostile environment for those with firearms or those who plan to use them. At the height of lockdown, there werent very many places to hide. You stood a very good chance of being stopped by the police. As we move out of lockdown, those opportunities to settle old scores present themselves. A woman, 45, and a 25-year-old man have appeared in court charged with possessing a firearm and ammunition with intent to endanger life or enabling another to do so in connecting with the gun factory in Enfield. The Board of Directors of Saudi Arabian Military Industries (Sami) has appointed Eng Walid Abukhaled as CEO of the company. The decision comes following his role as Acting chief executive officer and is based on his proven ability and competence to manage the companys business effectively during the past months. The Board recognised Abukhaleds nearly 30-year-long global experience in defence and military industries, during which he held several leadership positions, most prominently CEO for the Middle East at defence giant Northrop Grumman, Deputy Minister of Industrial Affairs at the Saudi Ministry of Commerce and Industry, President and CEO of General Electric in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, and Chairman of the Operations Board and Director of Strategic Investments Group at BAE Systems in the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia. Samis Board wished Abukhaled success in his new role, expressing their confidence in his leadership of the company for the next stage. Launched in May 2017, Sami is a state-owned military industries company that is mandated to develop and support the military industries in Saudi Arabia and enhance its self-sufficiency. Aiming to be among the top 25 military industries companies in the world by 2030, Sami is playing a key role in supporting the localisation of 50% of the kingdoms total government military spending, working under the directives outlined in the Saudi Vision 2030.--Tradearabia News Service The 2020 Presidential candidate of the Convention People's Party (CPP), Ivor Kobina Greenstreet has cautioned Ghanaians against re-electing President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo or voting for the flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress, John Mahama in the December 7 elections. According to him, it will be a complete ''waste of votes'' should Ghanaians elect the President for a second term. Ivor Greenstreet was elected as CPP flagbearer during the party's National Congress held in the Eastern Region, to lead the party into the 2020 Presidential race. He was also the 2016 flagbearer for the Convention People's Party but lost the bid to become President of the Republic. Mr. Greenstreet, delivering his acceptance speech during the Congress, also urged Ghanaians to ignore former President John Dramani Mahama, who is contesting the Presidency on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress (NDC). To him, the CPP is the only party that can improve the living conditions of the Ghanaian populace and therefore asked that he will be given the nod to ascend the Presidential seat this year. He stressed; ''For the last 28 years our country has been governed by the NDC and the NPP who have ruled more to serve the interests of they themselves and not the interests of the people of Ghana. In actual fact, voting for the NDC or NPP is a wasted vote. Whereas A VOTE FOR CPP IS A VOTE FOR YOURSELF.'' ''Our country needs the CPP desperately: We are the Only, Only we are the ONLY Party with Alternative policies, Totally Alternative policies that will deliver to the long suffering people of Ghana. We are the only Party that truly represent Your interests which means that A VOTE FOR CPP IS A VOTE FOR YOURSELF. Our country needs a Government that will deliver for All the people of Ghana. Everywhere that we have gone on the campaign trail all we get told is Where is the CPP that will deliver for the people of Ghana? Today we give you our pledge that the CPP will deliver for all Ghanaians'', he further stated categorically. Read full acceptance speech below: Ivor Kobina GreenStreet's 2020 Acceptance speech A VOTE FOR CPP IS A VOTE FOR YOURSELF Over the weekend the Convention Peoples Party (CPP) held its National Congress to elect new leaders and we thank all of those who contributed in making that event a successful program. We thank the Electoral Commission who kindly and very efficiently oversaw the elections held on a regional basis for the first time due to the Covid 19 crisis. We also thank the Police who ensured that the event was held safely and incident free. We thank the Council of Elders in general under the wise leadership of Felix Amoah and his secretary Mallam Issah as well as the Interim Organization Committee (IOC) in particular for the special and committed way they have intervened and solved many of the problems the Party faced prior to Congress. Special thanks go to the energetic and indefatigable R. O. Frimpong Manso, the Chair of the IOC and its members, Madam Salifu Dagarti, Kofi Amponsah, Nana William Buckman, Christian Zigah and their secretary Adjetey Sowah. We also thank the Chairman of the Vetting Committee Professor Nii Noi Dowunna and the Chair and secretary of the Congress Committee Dr Adolf Lutterodt and Justice Kofi Henaku as well as all other members who have availed themselves for all this important work culminating in today. We also thank the contestants and all Party members and last of all and perhaps most importantly we thank the previous leadership in general and in particular the acting Chair and Leader Hajia Ham Datu and the acting secretary James Kwabena Bomfeh for their very hard and committed work over a significant period of time without which we would not have been able to go to Congress. To the elected representatives of the party, as well as all Party members I hope that we will all see the urgency of the situation in Ghana and bury all our differences for the sake of the party and the wider cause of our country. After all, the Party is supreme. I for my part say that if I have said or done anything either directly or indirectly which has offended any party member I am sorry. May the spirit of the founders of the party continue to live in us who have taken on the mantle of leadership. Forward ever backwards never. People of Ghana A VOTE FOR CPP IS A VOTE FOR YOURSELF For the last 28 years our country has been governed by the NDC and the NPP who have ruled more to serve the interests of they themselves and not the interests of the people of Ghana. In actual fact, voting for the NDC or NPP is a wasted vote. Whereas A VOTE FOR CPP IS A VOTE FOR YOURSELF. Our country needs the CPP desperately: We are the Only, Only we are the ONLY Party with Alternative policies, Totally Alternative policies that will deliver to the long suffering people of Ghana. We are the only Party that truly represent Your interests which means that A VOTE FOR CPP IS A VOTE FOR YOURSELF. Our country needs a Government that will deliver for All the people of Ghana Everywhere that we have gone on the campaign trail all we get told is Where is the CPP that will deliver for the people of Ghana? Today we give you our pledge that the CPP will deliver for all Ghanaians. We will deliver the Social justice that will make Ghana a more equal nation: A VOTE FOR CPP IS A VOTE FOR YOURSELF. We shall implement the Self-Reliance that this country has been crying out for: A VOTE FOR CPP IS A VOTE FOR YOURSELF. We will continue to work towards the African unity that our founding fathers saw as the only way that independent African countries could develop: A VOTE FOR CPP IS A VOTE FOR YOURSELF. We will give our people access to good quality healthcare: A VOTE FOR CPP IS A VOTE FOR YOURSELF. We will give our people good education and Skills Skills Skills: A VOTE FOR CPP IS A VOTE FOR YOURSELF. We will reduce the cost of living and give our people better housing and transportation: A VOTE FOR CPP IS A VOTE FOR YOURSELF. The CPP will deliver because our country is a rich country, our country is endowed with all the raw materials BUT, successive governments after the first republic have lacked the resourcefulness, the strategies, the vision and the desire to transform these into sustainable wealth. The CPP has that vision to take Ghana and Africa into the next steps of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, to leapfrog us into a Future Industrialized First World Nation where the people will forge forward in a new spirit of Work with Happiness. Today is not the day for making promises our manifesto and other programs, policies and events will come out almost immediately. Today is the day for Action the day when the Campaign for Government starts Forward into victory Forward ever, Backwards Never AND REMEMBER AND NEVER FORGET: A VOTE FOR CPP IS A VOTE FOR YOURSELF Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Bengaluru, Aug 27 : Cash-starved Karnataka on Thursday urged the Central government to increase GST on luxury goods to make up for the revenue shortfall caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, an official said on Thursday. "State Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai, who represents Karnataka in the GST Council and participated in its 41st meeting through video conferencing on Thursday, told Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to put more tax on luxury goods, tobacoo and pan masala for increasing the revenue and compensating states like Karnataka, which have been hit by the pandemic," a finance department official told IANS here. Admitting that the Covid-induced lockdown since March 25 and its extension till May 31 impacted revenue collection due to subdued economy and continued restrictions on a number of tax generating activities, Bommai said the state would miss the revenue target of Rs 1.8 lakh crore set for this fiscal (2020-21). "With the war on containing the pandemic costing the state heavily, the Centre has to compensate us to make up for the revenue shortfall from lower tax collection in Covid times," Bommai told the Finance Minister, who is a Rajya Sabha member from the southern state. Though Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa also holds the finance portfolio and presented the state budget for this fiscal in the Assembly on March 5, he could not attend the GST Council meet as he is resting after recovering from Covid-19 earler this month. Goods and Service Tax (GST) compensation for the state since April is Rs 13,764 crore, and its collection in the first four months was 71.61 per cent. "The Centre should borrow more to compensate the state, which is reeling under financial crisis due to Covid disrupting life, livelihood and the economy and causing untold hardship since mid-March," Bommai said. A special cess is levied on the highest tax slab of 28 per cent on luxury goods to compensate the states for the revenue loss due to the GST subsuming state's taxes and local levies. "A reduced share in Central taxes, delay in GST compensation and loss of revenue due to the Covid-19 lockdown have pushed the state into financial stress," added the official, citing the minister. Blue Ocean Global Group, a Dubai-based diversified business conglomerate, recently acquired three international brands to its growing portfolio of brands in distribution. These are Fanvil, a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephone brand, Honeywell Evaporative Air Cooler and Aeris Air Purifiers. Among the newly-acquired products, Swiss brand Aeris delivered 93.99 percent success in removing air pollutants in a recent test following the Covid-19 pandemic. People were reporting that their respiratory problems were finally being addressed, and others reported feeling more energised than they had in years. The introduction of the three new global brands is going to strengthen our position as a key distributor of global brands in the region. We are introducing 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, said Shahzad Ahmed, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Blue Ocean Group. 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! 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 (Dh211 billion) in 2019 and is expected to reach $69.3 billion (Dh254.33 billion) in 2020, according to a report. Parmesh Venkateshwaran, Commercial Director for the Middle East at Black & Decker, said: Blue Ocean Global Groups growing network is helping us increase our market share in all the major small domestic appliances segments and despite the Covid-19 crisis, the business is continuously growing to our satisfaction. As we move forward, we are strengthening our partnership with the Blue Ocean Global Group to make our products available widely across all traditional & online channels. Among new products, Honeywell Evaporative Air Coolers are an environmentally 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 with success. All the products are currently in high demand due to Covid-19 crisis and the demand is expected to grow further. Air quality at home and office has become a cause for concern for all of us. Many people have started installing and air purifiers at home and offices to deal with the rising threat of air pollution, germs and viruses. The new products are going to address these concerns. Consumer electronics sale is expected to cross US$3 billion (Dh11 billion) in the UAE in 2020, according to Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry. According to the analysis based on latest UAE retail sales data from Euromonitor, the portable consumer electronics sub-category is expected to keep its lead with a 2020 sales forecast of $1.27 billion. The computers and peripherals sub-category is forecast to retain its size at $937 million (Dh3.43 billion), whereas in-home consumer electronics are expected to gain some traction to reach $900 million (Dh3.3 billion), Dubai Chamber said in a report. Blue Ocean Global (BOG) Group, which has distribution activities in 40 countries, last year set up operations in the United Kingdom where it has started distributing its own products through Amazon UK since the second quarter of this year. The company has also witnessed a 50 percent jump in online distribution business that offsets a decline in the physical distribution segment. Shahzad Ahmed said: Our distribution of household appliances, telecom, electronic and electrical products and accessories, has grown over the last few months despite the Covid-19 pandemic. The growth in online distribution has jumped quite a lot that has offset the decline in physical distribution business. Overall, the business is growing, despite the crisis. This is partly due to the efficient handling of the Covid-19 crisis, especially the way the UAE has combated the virus through lockdown and disinfection drive in April and May this year. TradeArabia News Service With kindergarten orientations suspended until further notice, five-year-old Olive Meishke will not be able to visit her classroom or explore the playground with her buddies-to-be before she begins big school next year. Her mother, Christie, is concerned missing out will make starting school harder for her. And she worries that if a ban on groups of parents visiting school grounds is not lifted by January, she will be unable to walk Olive through the gate on her first day. Thats really playing on my mind, she said. Christie Meishke worries that missing out on kindy orientation will make the first day of school harder for Olive. Credit:Nick Moir Teachers say the lack of face-to-face orientation for both kindy and year 6 will make the transition to school and high school tricker for students, and leave staff unable to assess students needs before term begins next year. Doctors employed by Kenyas Nairobi County government resumed work on Thursday following a six-day strike over delayed salaries and a lack of protective equipment when handling patients who may have COVID-19, a union official said. Nairobi County Secretary-General of the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union, Thuranira Kaugiria, said this in a WhatsApp message in Nairobi. Mr Kaugiria said that the doctors had returned to work after signing an agreement with county officials on Wednesday. In the agreement, the government promised to pay doctors on the fifth day of every month, failing to which the doctors were free to stop work without notice. The agreement also provides doctors with two isolation facilities in the event that they contract COVID-19. The county government also committed to providing the doctors with adequate supplies of high quality personal protective equipment, the agreement said. The 320 striking doctors walked out last week, citing poor quality protective gear, too few isolation wards, and inadequate health insurance. The strike only affected hospitals run by the county government and not those run by the national government or those that are privately run. Kenya has 33,016 confirmed coronavirus cases, 564 deaths and 19,296 recoveries out of 429,513 tests conducted, according to the ministry of health. The majority of confirmed cases have been in the capital, although the government says the numbers have started rising faster in rural areas. (Reuters/NAN) Fresh arrests in Belarus as Nobel laureate defies investigators Belarusian car workers marched Wednesday in support of strikers detained by police Police arrested around twenty people protesting the disputed reelection of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko Wednesday, hours after Nobel Prize-winning author Svetlana Alexievich recounted her meeting with investigators in a criminal probe into the opposition. Roughly one thousand people had gathered late Wednesday on Independence Square in the capital Minsk, the scene of unprecedented anti-government demonstrations in recent weeks. AFP journalists saw around 20 of them arrested by the large numbers of riot police present at the event. Since the August 9 election, mass demonstrations have pushed back against Lukashenko's claim to have won 80 percent of the vote and yet another term as president after 26 years in power. Last Sunday saw a crowd of more than 100,000 hit Minsk streets for the second Sunday in a row. But the government crackdown on marches and strikes in key industries has intensified in step with the protests. Earlier Wednesday, Nobel prizewinner author Alexievich met briefly with officials investigating the opposition's Coordination Council, of which she is a member. She left soon after arriving for questioning, saying she had invoked her right not to testify against herself and that the council's only goal was "to unite society". Just before the meeting, she had told AFP: "I am completely calm. I do not feel guilty. Everything we are doing is legal and necessary." - 'Unite society' - The council was formed to oversee a peaceful transition of power after opposition leaders rejected Lukashenko's claim to have won a sixth term, but was swiftly targeted by a criminal probe. Seventy-two-year-old Alexievich was named a member of the council's presidium but has not attended its sessions. Alexievich, who won the Nobel Literature Prize in 2015, is an outspoken critic of Lukashenko and has supported leading opposition figure Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who fled to neighbouring Lithuania after claiming victory in the vote. Story continues Also Wednesday, Iouri Rovovoi, a strike leader at fertiliser maker Grodno Azot, said in an Instagram message that he had fled to Poland as he feared arrest. The European Union's chief diplomat Josep Borrell and Canadian Foreign Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said in a joint statement the EU and Canada "stand by the people's wish for democratic change" in Belarus. "The presidential elections were neither free nor fair," they added, urging an "open and constructive national dialogue" -- echoing an earlier statement from the Council of Europe. - 'Trumped-up charges' - Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin, who backs Lukashenko, told Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte "any attempt to interfere in the internal affairs (of Belarus) and to put pressure on its authorities would be counterproductive", according to a Kremlin statement. At least three other members of the Coordination Council in Belarus have been detained this week, including former diplomat and culture minister Pavel Latushko, who was questioned by investigators for several hours on Tuesday and who signed an agreement barring him from discussing the meeting. Latushko was forced from his job as director of the state Janka Kupala Theatre after calling for new elections and dozens of staff resigned Wednesday in a show of solidarity, a spokesman said. Two other members of the presidium were detained earlier this week and sentenced to 10 days in police detention for organising unauthorised rallies. Police searched the home of Valery Tsepkalo, a leading candidate in the elections who fled ahead of the vote fearing arrest, his spokesman Alexei Urban told AFP. The European Union has rejected the results of the election and said it will impose sanctions on between 15 and 20 people it believes are responsible for election fraud and for cracking down on peaceful protesters. International advocacy group Amnesty International and 15 other rights groups on Wednesday urged the UN Human Rights Council to "convene a special session to address the human rights crisis in Belarus". In an open letter, the groups accused Lukashenko's government of carrying out "arbitrary arrests, prosecutions under trumped-up charges, and torture and other ill-treatment in relation to the 2020 presidential elections". tk-jbr/tgb/har Ron Fonger is not prone to hyperbole, so when he calls something a bombshell, you know its a big deal. Thats how Fonger refers to the announcement last week that the state of Michigan is going to pay $600 million to settle claims related to the damages caused in the Flint Water Crisis. But as the foremost expert journalist covering the water crisis, Fonger is also a realist. Optimistically, if the settlement ends up getting accepted by the U.S. District Court and we get to the point where they start to accept claims and (in 2021) when some of the settlement starts getting distributed, that would be closing one chapter. But, were nowhere near done. This announcement of a settlement is not a settlement itself, and many details remain to be worked out. Eighty percent is supposed to go to children who were victims of exposure to lead-tainted water. How will claims be made? How will that money be distributed? Where will the state of Michigan get the money? Will it be held in trust? How much will be lost to lawyers, and other costs? And there are scores of other civil lawsuits involving the city, consultants and federal agencies. There are other bombshell questions still to be answered. Some are about culpability: Who ultimately should be held responsible for decisions that ended up poisoning a city with lead, and causing a bacterial infection that killed a dozen people? State Attorney General Dana Nessel dropped all existing criminal cases after she took office in 2019, and said she was relaunching investigations from scratch. Fonger notes there has been precious little inkling of where that stands in the year since. Some go to the origins of the water crisis itself: The terrible chain of events that began in 2014 was possible only because the city of Flint already was in other forms of crisis faltering institutions, dysfunctional government, broken budgets. That left the door open for the state to appoint emergency managers, and the disaster that followed. None of the $600 million will go toward that. I dont know what its going to do for the city, because Flint has a lot of institutional problems you see every time you sit through a seven-hour city council meeting, Fonger said. All of the problems we had before the water crisis, weve still got. Still, this settlement is progress in moving past the water crisis itself. And there is other good news. The federally funded effort to replace water service lines into homes is nearing completion, after several painstaking years. The water has been deemed safe to drink for more than three years now. And this settlement is the beginning of healing the physical damages caused to the lives of people in Flint, as well as a giant, overdue acknowledgement of who bears the blame for the crisis. It is an admission of a shortcoming, of a failure, in terms of how the state related to Flint, Fonger said. How could it be otherwise? The state is in no position to give Flint $600 million because they like the people here. Theres a reason theyre settling these cases. To hear more from Fonger on the status of the Flint Water Crisis, including how the crisis unfolded, the potential for criminal charges against former state officials, and how the settlement process will play out, click the play button below for this weeks Behind the Headlines podcast. John Hiner is the vice president of content for MLive Media Group. If you have questions youd like him to answer, or topics to explore, share your thoughts at editor@mlive.com. VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Aug. 27, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The federal government is potentially wasting more than $22 billion of $81.6 billion in COVID recession spending because the assistance is not being adequately targeted to those in need, finds a new study released today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank. Our research shows that billions are being borrowed to finance transfers to people whose need is at least questionable, and this at a time when Ottawa is running historic deficits, said Jason Clemens, Executive Vice President at the Fraser Institute and co-author of Federal Government Wasting Billions on Poorly Targeted Assistance . That means more than one-in-four dollars (27.4 per cent) of the COVID-related spending analyzed is potentially being wasted due to a lack of targeting, commented Clemens. The study finds that a total of $22.3 billion of the federal governments new program spending (CERB and CESB) and one-time payments linked to Old Age Security, Guaranteed Income Supplement, and the Canada Child Benefit is potentially being sent to individuals with questionable need. In particular, young dependent children and others living in families with household incomes of at least $100,000 in 2019. The potentially wasteful spending includes: Canadian Emergency Response Benefit (CERB): Up to $11.8 billion for young people ages 15 to 24 with 2019 earnings between $5,000 and $24,000 living with their parents as dependents in households with at least $100,000 in household income. In almost every case, the benefits provided to these young people almost 1 million of them under CERB exceeds their monthly earnings in 2019. Spouses eligible for CERB: $7.0 billion for an estimated 581,000 spouses eligible for CERB who earned between $5,000 and $23,999 in 2019 and are living in families with at least $100,000 in household income. Canadian Emergency Student Benefit (CESB): $1.6 billion for an estimated 324,900 students aged 18 to 24 who are eligible for CESB while living with their parents in households with at least $100,000 income. One-time payment to seniors: $1.4 billion was sent to seniors not eligible for the Guaranteed Income Supplement, which is a program specifically targeted to low-income seniors. One-time top-up to the Canada Child Benefit: $503.5 million, or one-in-four dollars of the CCB top-up, is estimated to have gone to families with household incomes of at least $100,000 in 2019. Story continues Stabilizing peoples income during a recession is sound economic policy, but the money should go to people who are actually in need, and it should replace lost income, not make people better off than they were before the recession, said Clemens. MEDIA CONTACTS: Jason Clemens, Executive Vice President Fraser Institute To arrange media interviews or for more information, please contact: Drue MacPherson, Fraser Institute (604) 688-0221 ext. 721 drue.macpherson@fraserinstitute.org Follow the Fraser Institute on Twitter | Like us on Facebook The Fraser Institute is an independent Canadian public policy research and educational organization with offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, and Montreal and ties to a global network of think-tanks in 87 countries. Its mission is to improve the quality of life for Canadians, their families and future generations by studying, measuring and broadly communicating the effects of government policies, entrepreneurship and choice on their well-being. To protect the Institutes independence, it does not accept grants from governments or contracts for research. Visit www.fraserinstitute.org Errands such as renewing drivers licences and health cards or registering vehicles have led to long waits in the hot sun for too many Niagara residents visiting Service Ontario offices. Niagara Centre MPP Jeff Burch said he has fielded numerous complaints from people about lineups at local Service Ontario offices. Similar problems are occurring across the province. The New Democrat said many complaints have come from seniors, who are concerned about the risk of being infected with the coronavirus while waiting in line, in addition to the inconvenience theyre facing. Considering the people are trying their best to physically distance, lineups are not a great idea, especially for seniors, Burch said. Its having an effect on constituents at a time when they dont want to be lining up. Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates said he drove by the Service Ontario location Thursday, and the line stretched from the doors of the office, through the parking lot and onto the side of Thorold Stone Road in his city. Its absolutely ridiculous. Gates said the problem predates the pandemic. He said he asked the province to add a second location for the city more than two years ago. But obviously COVID-19 has made things even worse. I cant stress enough that Niagara Falls needs a second location. In an email, Government and Consumer Services Ministry spokesman Nicko Vavassis said the province appreciates the patience of people using the services, as the situation continues to evolve. Many Service Ontario locations are privately run businesses and throughout COVID-19, some offices have chosen to close, others have reduced their hours, he said, adding as of Wednesday all publicly operated offices were open, and 90 per cent of privately operated offices were open, with more locations re-opening and returning to regular hours of operation every day. But even trying to use the provinces Service Ontario website has led to frustration for many people, said Burch, who tried to renew his licence plate sticker online in July, but the system continually crashed. I gave up and waited about a week, and then after a couple more tries, I finally got on. Its been difficult, he said. The online services, he added, are not user-friendly enough for many seniors who prefer to do their business over the counter. If its crashing, it would seem to me that more people are using the online service. But then why are we also getting complaints that there are long lineups and trouble getting in-person service? Vavassis did not respond to reports that users are having problems with the online services, instead advising people to use them. Now, and moving forward, we encourage Ontarians to make use of the more than 40 services that are available online, he said. Vavassis said the province has extended the validity period of several products such as health cards and drivers licences to reduce the need to visit a Service Ontario location. Burch suspects one reason for the problems could be a $4.9-million funding cut to Service Ontario in the 2019-20 budget. It seems to me that service levels have declined, he said. Its really about providing a good service to people. We pay a lot of taxes and were trying to make sure that people can access services safely. The cut was ill advised, and wed like the Ontario government to pay some attention to this and restore the level of service that people expect. St. Catharines MPP Jennie Stevens said her office has heard similar complaints from constituents, who have reported long, slow-moving lines at Service Ontario on St. Paul Street. In addition to impacting people who are visiting Service Ontario, the lineups are hurting neighbouring shops, making it difficult for customers to enter. RELATED STORIES Niagara Region Long lineups some days as St. Catharines DriveTest centre clears backlog Local MPPs said although hardworking staff at the locations are not to blame for the lines, they are often having to deal with angry people as a result. I sympathize with workers at Service Ontario, Stevens said. You can imagine the long hours they have to deal with and people who come in who are outraged because theyve been standing outside in the heat. Tom Rakocevic, the NDPs critic for government services and consumer protection, and MPP for Humber RiverBlack Creek, issued a media release Wednesday, asking the province to reverse the budget cut, keep the offices open longer hours including evenings and weekends, and designate seniors-only service hours. People continue to contact my office and the offices of my fellow NDP MPPs, expressing frustration about long waits and crowded lineups at Service Ontario centres around Ontario, Rakocevic said in the media release. During the pandemic, we have heard from seniors that having to wait in a long and crowded line-up makes for a stressful and risky experience. Joel Harden, the NDPs accessibility and persons with disabilities critic, shared concerns about the impact the situation is having for people with disabilities across the province. The Ottawa Centre MPP said the lines amount to more risk and more barriers for people with disabilities. We need expanded hours, including evening and weekend options, and hours exclusively for seniors and vulnerable people, so theyre not left waiting in long, crowded lines, risking their health and safety, he said in a media release. Read more about: Thousands of anti-rape campaigners have been tear-gassed by police in the Liberian capital Monrovia on a third day of protests. The demonstrators were attempting to gather in front of the Liberian foreign ministry to present their petition calling on the government to declare rape a national emergency. The protest, under the banner "March for Justice" was organised after a 19-year-old boy in rural Liberia allegedly used a razor blade to mutilate the genitals of a 3-year-old girl, which he reportedly thought would enable him to rape her more easily. Organisers said some 5,000 people have turned out for the protests. People wore black as a sign of solidarity for victims and survivors of rape, holding signs that said Justice for all Liberian girls and women", "Stop Rape" and She could be your daughter". They marched on Thursday from the Sinkor neighbourhood to Capital Hill, the seat of the Liberian government. They gathered in front of the foreign ministry, where President George Weah's office is housed, until they were tear-gassed. Organisers told RFI that they will remain until Weah receives their petition. Former president encourages marchers Some of marchers were prevented from going to the foreign ministry by the police, and gathered in a field across from former Liberian president Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf's home. She saw the women outside, and went to meet them. "Given the cases that have recently come out where young babies, three months old, ten years old, are violatedthe women felt they had to act," she said, commending them for their peaceful protest. "Today, they gathered in front of my yard. I could not stay in my house and see all those women out there demonstrating for something that is good for the country and not go there to show solidarity with them." The march was organised country-wide, including in the rural areas. Several counties, including Bong County in central Liberia, Nimba County, Grand Bassa County and Maryland County held their own marches to protest the rise of rape cases. Enough is enough. We are in a sexual and gender-based violence pandemic in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, says Naomi Tulay-Solanke, founder and executive director of Community Healthcare in Monrovia. In the last few months, as confirmed cases of the coronavirus continue to increase in Liberia, the country has registered a surge in cases of sexual and domestic violence, which has pushed people to protest, says Tulay-Solanke. The protesters are calling for the government to take this issue seriously, especially after the Ministry of Justice Bureau of Correction reported that 900 people are behind bars in connection to allegations of rape. The rape campaigners say in a seven-month period, from January to July this year, 960 rape cases were reported across the country, not including those that occurred in hard-to reach communities. The numbers are higher than what we had last year, says Liberia Gender, Children and Social Protection Minister Williametta E. Saydee-Tarr. The Petition The groups' petition was presented to the legislature by 14-year-old Irene Smith, who called for the courts that handle rape cases to be decentralised, as well as increase funding for the courts. Strengthen the judicial system for speedy trials of rape and other sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) cases, says Smith. Hire more judges to hear and determine rape and SGBV cases in a speedy and expeditious manner." The protesters also called on the government to ensure there are functional safe houses to accommodate survivors of rape and other SGBV cases across the country. Tougher punishment for rapists Some, including Saydee-Tarr, have advocated stricter punishment such as chemical castration for those sentenced for crimes of rape. We will keep pushing that. It's something the Legislature can look into. We can pass that into law. I think I will help reduce the cases, she says. A number of others are also on board: former foreign minister Olubanke King Akerele and Mulbah Morlu, Chairman of George Weah's ruling Coalition for Democratic Change party. Both have proposed chemical castration for rapists. Morlu says his party has zero tolerance for rape and will support the legislation of any move intended to end the culture of impunity for rapists. The Association of Mayors and Local Government based in Monrovia, but with offices around the country, are also backing calls for capital punishment for convicted rapists. Saydee-Tarr says social media is helping to report alleged cases occurring in communities than previous years. We have social media now, so cases are coming up unlike before when these cases were compromised in communities, she says. The lasting effects of trauma But while modern technology has helped in some instances, it has created additional obstacles, according to Mmonbeydo Nadine Joah, executive director and a legal counsel for the Women and Children organisation. The prevalence of the internet and exposure to violent sex videos have added to the rise in cases, she maintains. But remnants of the civil wars in Liberia (1989-1997, 1999-2003) still haunt the country says Joah, with perpetrators evading prosecution. Those who didn't fight in the war are still here, she said. They suffered the effects of the war because those who committed sexual crimes then are explaining their stories to people, who then try to execute exactly what was done during the war, she said in a telephone interview with RFI. She believes in a need for vigorous reforms in the justice system as well as specialised training for law enforcement officers investigating rape allegations and other gender-based violence. For F. Philip L. Nushann jr, the head of the Lutheran Church in Liberia Trauma Healing and reconciliation program, a grassroots-based solution is key. It is time for the government partner with local communities to address the matter, he says. He believes that using a broad-based approach aimed at educating people on the domestic violence law and the rape law will lead to fewer cases, as well as naming and shaming convicted rapists in order to address the issue. When somebody is raped, the trauma that person faces is untold, Nushann told RFI. So any woman, any child that is raped will face physical and emotional pain, and it leads some of them wanting to commit suicide." He expressed fear that the majority of girls who have been raped risk being not able to bear children in the future due to the severity of most of the cases. The rise in the number of cases relates to customs and traditions where people normally see women as less important in society, he says. Government response The government has not received the protesters' petition. Some members of the Weah administration, like Deputy Information Minister Eugene Fahngon, who also joined the anti-rape march, said the government is worried about the number of rapes being reported. He said the Weah-led government is the first to have enacted a domestic violence law to create a safe space for women and girls in the country. President George Weah has instructed the finance minister to procure two DNA machine to help prosecute rape cases. So I am here to support the protest and to be in solidarity with the victims of rape, that's why I am here, he said, dressed in black. At the moment, the country do not have a single functional DNA machine to help in the prosecution of cases going to court. The more we keep people in prison for long time, the less likely we are to have a deterrent for others not to follow. So that is why we have an increase. What we need to do right now is to enforce the laws we have on the book and to expedite our cases more quickly and robustly then we done in the past, he said. By Akbar Mammadov Azerbaijani Air Defence Force units have destroyed another Armenian tactical unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), the Defense Ministry said on August 27. On August 27 at about 09:45, using the tactical UAV, the units of the Armenian armed forces attempted to carry out a reconnaissance flight over the positions of the Azerbaijani Army's units in the direction of the Fuzuli district. The ministry said that the Azerbaijani Air defence units immediately detected and destroyed the Armenian tactical UAV. This is the eighth tactical UAV of the Armenian armed forces destroyed by the Azerbaijani Air Defense units since 16 July. It should be noted that Armenia has stepped up its military provocation recently, staging sabotage both on the border and on the line of contact. On July 12, Armenian forces shelled Azerbaijan's positions in Tovuz, Azerbaijan's strategically-important district on the border. The Armenian attack killed 12 Azerbaijani servicemen, including an army general, as well as a 76-year-old civilian. Armenian forces retreated after suffering losses in Azerbaijan's retaliation. Azerbaijan and Armenia are locked in a conflict over Azerbaijans Nagorno-Karabakh breakaway region, which along with seven adjacent regions was occupied by Armenian forces in a war in the early 1990s. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and around one million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities. --- Akbar Mammadov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AkbarMammadov97 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz CAIRO Based on the directives of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and as an attempt on Egypts part to show solidarity with the Sudanese people, Egypt sent Aug. 18 a medical aid shipment to those affected by the floods in Sudan. A military plane with a shipment of medicines and medical supplies took off in coordination with the Egyptian Ministry of Health in a bid to alleviate the suffering of the Sudanese people affected by the torrential rains that recently swept across Sudan. Heavy rains in August caused massive floods in Sudan, leading to the death of more than 36 people and the destruction of dozens of villages, while thousands of Sudanese families have been displaced. The floods have also caused landslides that damaged around 5,000 homes and infrastructure in 14 of the 18 Sudanese states. The Egyptian aid comes amid heightened tensions witnessed by the negotiations over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia, and in light of the lack of a binding agreement on the dams operation and filling between the three countries so far. Egyptian Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouly concluded Aug. 15 a one-day official visit to Sudan at the head of a delegation that included a number of ministers to discuss a wide range of common issues. Chief among these was the GERD. During the visit, Madbouly and his Sudanese counterpart Abdalla Hamdok held bilateral talks during which they agreed to enhance trade exchange between the two countries and develop a plan of action to overcome obstacles hindering the flow of commercial traffic, especially transport routes leading to land ports, in addition to develop cooperation in the field of investment and transportation. Marine navigation and increasing the capacity of the Egypt-Sudan electricity interconnection project between the two countries from 70 megawatt to 300 MW were also on the agenda. The Aug. 18 final joint statement said that Egypt and Sudan had agreed on the need for the GERD negotiations to reach a binding agreement on filling and operating the dam in a way that preserves the rights and interests of the three countries. It continued that no unilateral measures shall be taken before reaching a satisfactory agreement for the three parties. On Aug. 12, head of Egypt's General Intelligence Service Abbas Kamel and Minister of Health Hala Zayed, accompanied by a number of officials, inaugurated the new Egyptian Medical Center in the capital Juba, South Sudan. Tarek Fahmy, professor of political science at Cairo University, told Al-Monitor, What Egypt is currently doing is part of its strategy to support Sudan in the north and south. This was confirmed by the recent Egyptian delegations visits to North and South Sudan. Fahmy added that the medical aid Egypt sends to Sudan is not politically motivated, because the aid is provided due to the special relations between the two countries. But, in general, Egypt is seeking to have the Sudanese position converge with its own in regard to the dam, and this will inevitably affect the negotiations and empower the two sides in relation to Ethiopia. Fahmy noted that Sudans position vis-a-vis the GERD during the transitional phase that followed the fall of the regime of President Omar al-Bashir at the end of 2018 was supportive of Ethiopia given Ethiopian promises to Sudan at the time. He said that had the Egyptian-Sudanese agreement occurred at the beginning of the dam crisis, it would have made a difference in the course of the negotiations. Fahmy added that Sudan is currently beginning to show compatibility with the Egyptian position in light of its direct interests, and because the Sudanese side is well aware that Egypt is a country that can provide assistance not only in the medical field but in other fields as well. Madbouly said during a Cabinet meeting in the city of el-Alamein in western Egypt Aug. 19 that there is consensus in the Egyptian and Sudanese positions regarding the GERD, and that there is an Egyptian interest in strengthening relations with the Sudanese people, as well as a clear Sudanese interest in attracting Egyptian investors. Rakha Hassan, a member of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs, concurred. He told Al-Monitor over the phone that the existence of a consensus between the Egyptian and Sudanese positions regarding the GERD would create a strong front during the current negotiations between the three countries. He said that Egypt takes an interest in consolidating Egyptian-Sudanese relations because the two sides represent a strategic depth for the other, and because Sudan is an important crossing point for the Nile waters toward Egypt. "Egypt is always keen on joint cooperation with Sudan regardless of the differences," Hassan added. He continued that Sudans recent position has begun to shift toward the Egyptian position vis-a-vis the GERD and stressed the need to reach a binding legal agreement regarding the dam. I hope that Sudan will maintain its position so that the African Union headed by South Africa can solve the problem before the end of its current session in February, he said. Egypt and Sudan have special bilateral relations. On the political level, there are several joint dossiers, the most prominent of which is the Nile water, security and stability in the Red Sea Basin and the Horn of Africa, and the fight against terrorism and extremism. As for the economic aspect, the volume of Egyptian investments in the Sudanese market is estimated at $10.1 billion, according to 2017 statistics by the Egyptian State Information Service. Also, 315 Sudanese companies operate in Egypt and their investments include industry, trade, agriculture and financial services. Add to this the Egypt-Sudan electricity interconnection project. Amani al-Taweel, director of the African program at Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, refused to link any of Egypt's behavior toward Sudan to the GERD issue. Egypts water security is a fundamental concern, but Egyptian-Sudanese relations are not limited to politics and they date to the 1970s, he said. Taweel added that there are factors that determine the Egyptian interests in Sudan and they go beyond the GERD, including security factors associated with the Egyptian vision for Sudans stability, which by extension constitutes stability for Egypt. The fourth round of UDAN, the government's regional connectivity scheme, has seen airlines keenly vie for routes in the northeast. Of the 78 routes that have been awarded, about 40 are from the region. Among the airlines, IndiGo, Air India unit Alliance Air Aviation (AAAL) and newbie Big Charter are among the prominent winners, sources in the industry told Moneycontrol. The government-owned Pawan Hans, the helicopter service company, has also won bids to start services in the region. Big Charter's branded airline Flybig plans to start operations in October, as this Moneycontrol story had reported. Some of the destinations in the northeast that will be connected include Shillong, Guwahati, Rupsi, Tezpur and Imphal. From rest of the country, destinations like Shimla, Diu, Agatti, Shravasti and Bilaspur are the ones who will now come on the aviation map. SpiceJet, said sources, may have won the bids to operate flights from Agatti, located in Lakshadweep. A release from the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MCA) added that 29 served, eight unserved (including two heliports and one water aerodrome), and two underserved airports have been included in the list for approved routes. This is the first time a water aerodrome and heliports are being connected undertone scheme. Overall, 766 routes have been sanctioned so far under the UDAN scheme. Of these, 274 routes have been operationalised, connecting 45 airports and three heliports. UDAN, or Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik, was launched in 2017 as a regional connectivity scheme to bring access to smaller cities and towns. The government provides support through viability gap funding. For the fourth round of the scheme, the funding could to the tune of Rs 257 crore a year, with the average funding per route at Rs 3.29 crore, a senior executive told Moneycontrol. New Delhi: Epic Games has confirmed that the upcoming season of Fortnite will not be available to players on iPhones, iPads or Mac due to the company's legal battle with Apple. "Apple is blocking Fortnite updates and new installs on the App Store, and has said they will terminate our ability to develop Fortnite for Apple devices. As a result, Fortnites newly released Chapter 2 - Season 4 update (v14.00), will not release on iOS and macOS on August 27," Epic Games said . Check out the trailer of Fortnites newly released Chapter 2 - Season 4 update. Fortnite was removed from the Apple App Store on August 13 for adding an in-app payment system in violation of the App Store rules. "If you still want to play Fortnite on Android, you can access the latest version of Fortnite from the Epic Games App for Android on Fortnite.com/Android or the Samsung Galaxy Store," the company said. Apple had threatened to terminate Epic Games' developer account by August 28 which would cut the company off from iOS and macOS development tools. Fortnite remains available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC, GeForce Now, and the Epic Games app on Android. Your account, progression, and purchases also remain available on these platforms. Earlier this week, a US judge has ruled that Apple cannot delete the developer account of Epic Games that supports open and real-time 3D creation platform Unreal Engine but can keep the Fortnite game away from App Store for violating its policies. Epic Games claimed that developers were already leaving Unreal Engine as uncertainty loomed over its future in the Apple ecosystem. Microsoft had declared its support for the Unreal Engine platform by Epic Games in an additional filing. Epic Games has announced 'Unreal Engine 5' to be released by late-2021. Launched in 2017, Fortnite features a battle royale format where 100 players compete to survive as the last player standing on a remote island. The popular game has amassed a huge following of 350 million players, and is available on multiple platforms. - Raila was a strong critic of the late former president Daniel Arap Moi and was detained thrice - The dreaded Special Branch squad began another hunt for the fourth time in a bid to nab the ODM leader and possibly harm him - To avoid being tracked and arrested, Raila donned religious attires and variously disguised as a Catholic priest by the name Father Augustine and also as a Legio Maria adherent - The opposition figure revealed he worked closely with Father Mark Opiyo and Sister Dianne from the US who helped him safely go past police roadblocks to reach Kisumu - From there, he was ferried on a makeshift boat to Uganda and later found his way to Norway Opposition Leader Raila Odinga has opened up about his dramatic and tense escape from Kenya to Uganda and later to Norway in a bid to flee the brutal hand of late former president Daniel Arap Moi's stinging squad., the Special Branch. Raila who was then a thorn in the flesh of Moi's government was a marked man and the president's dreaded Special Branch officers were baying for his blood and kept on sniffing around the country to nab him. READ ALSO: William Ruto hosts former president Daniel Moi's press secretary Lee Njiru in his Nairobi office Opposition leader Raila Odinga in a past political rally. Photo: Raila Odinga. Source: Facebook READ ALSO: Tanzanian woman who touched governor Ngilu's heart at Uhuru Park undergoes successful surgery Hid in Mukhisa Kituyi's house As the frantic search to trace his whereabouts continued, one of Raila's friends, then working in the US Embassy in Nairobi, informed him that Moi's men had made up their mind to physically harm him since they had learned he was not afraid of being arrested and detained. The tip-off shook the former premier who together with close friends embarked on a mission to find a way of fleeing the country. He first hid at Mukhisa Kituyi's house in Mountain View estate and spent several days there before moving to other places in a bid to avoid being tracked by the Special Branch detectives. As he kept on hibernating, his friends continued laying cautious and well-thought-out plans to evacuate him from the country. READ ALSO: Jamaa ashtuka kugundua mrembo aliyemwalika kwake usiku ni mwanamume Raila Odinga with Robert Njura (left), a man who stirred the boat that evacuated the ODM leader from Kenya to Uganda. Photo: Raila Odinga. Source: Facebook The journey Speaking to the press on Thursday, August 27, to mark 10 years of the 2010 Constitution, Raila disclosed he donned religious attires and variously disguised as a Catholic priest and a Legio Maria adherent. "I was escaping a fourth detention. I was evacuated by the Catholic Church. Father Mark Opiyo Sister Dianne from the US took me in that journey early in the morning. The Father was wearing a collar and the Sister was wearing white and myself was wearing a priest's collar and I was given the name of Father Augustine from Machakos. We passed all roadblocks from Nairobi to Kisumu," recalled Raila. READ ALSO: Gabriel Magalhaes: Arsenal set to announce signing of Brazilian star after he penned 5-year deal He was transferred to Rangala Mission in Ugenya where he was introduced as a priest. The opposition figure was later taken home and hid in a house where nobody knew about his whereabouts apart from Father Opiyo and Sister Dianne "I was taken from there late afternoon and taken to Sirongo BeachI boarded a makeshift boat to Ndeda Island where I met Robert Njura," recalled the ODM leader. Njura was then 19-years old and was working as a boat rider for one Hezron Orori, a well-connected businessman who used to deal in the importation of timber and other goods from Uganda to Kenya. Orori called Njura and his friend Sylvester Wademi and informed them that there was an emergency and that he wanted their help that evening. The two youngsters responded to the call and showed up at the beach ready for the late evening task, little did they knew they were going to save the life of Kenya's political supremo and be part of the country's history. They took off to Uganda and along the way, passed by several islands, including Mageta, and arrived at Sigulu Island near the Ugandan side of the lake about 12 hours after they set off from Olago Beach. "These are the people who gave us the ride...I was in that with my friend (Njura) whom I have never met since that time up to today. It was night but they were navigating using the moon using stars and travelling along the shores until we passed what they called the Mageta Island and sailed until we saw a boat which was moored in the lake and we were told that was Uganda," Raila narrated. Opposition leader Raila Odinga. Photo: Raila Odinga. Source: Facebook It is after getting to Uganda that plans were made for him to get a flight to Norway where he sought refuge. Do you have an inspirational story you would like us to publish? Please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Tuko news I started my business with Ksh 1600, it's now worth Ksh 750,000 | Tuko TV Source: TUKO.co.ke GoFundMe Removes Fundraisers for Shooting Suspect Kyle Rittenhouse GiveSendGo keeps fundraiser up The GoFundMe fundraising website took down multiple pages seeking to raise money for Kyle Rittenhouse, the teenager arrested for at least one shooting in Kenosha, Wisconsin this week, while a competing website opted to keep a fundraiser for the teen up. I can confirm that the fundraisers to support Kyle Rittenhouse have been removed from the platform because they violated GoFundMe Terms of Service, and all donors have been refunded, a spokesperson for the website said in an email to The Epoch Times. GoFundMes terms of service say that people cannot use the site to raise funds for the legal defense of alleged crimes associated with hate, violence, harassment, bullying, discrimination, terrorism, or intolerance of any kind. A number of fundraisers remain live for people arrested for crimes during demonstrations. Over $1 million has been raised for a bail fund for people arrested for protesting in Portland, where riots have taken place nearly every night since May 28. One of the fundraisers for Rittenhouse raised nearly $3,400 before being taken down. The organizer called for supporting the teen because hes in jail for defending himself against Mobs. Another said the teen was charged after protecting his life and shooting 3 attackers. On the other hand, GoFundMe has promoted the campaigns for the three people who were shot in the Wisconsin city. A fundraiser for Rittenhouse created on an alternative fundraising website, GiveSendGo was remaining up, a spokeswoman told The Epoch Times in an email. GiveSendGo is committed to giving both sides of the political culture in our society an equal chance to let their voices be heard. We will not be removing this campaign, Heather Wilson said. GiveSendGo describes itself as a Christian crowdfunding site. Another employee said the site was being cyber attacked because of the campaign. In this still image obtained from a social media video, a man is shot in his arm during unrest in Kenosha, Wis., on Aug. 25, 2020. (Brendan Gutenschwager/via Reuters) Rittenhouse was charged on Thursday with six counts, including one count of first-degree reckless homicide. He is slated to be extradited from Illinois to Wisconsin following a hearing on Friday. A police chief in Illinois confirmed to The Epoch Times that the teen was part of the agencys youth police cadet program. Rittenhouse posted pro-police messaging on social media. Video footage appeared to show the teen shooting three people in Kenosha on Tuesday night. While some say he is at fault, others argued that he was acting in self-defense. Lin Wood, an attorney, said that he connected with the teens family and help is on the way. Kyle will have excellent legal representation. We owe him a legal defense, said Wood, who is representing Covington Catholic high school student Nicholas Sandmann in defamation cases against news agencies and reporters. Others said the men Rittenhouse appeared to shoot were trying to protect others. He put his life on the line for others. Thats what he did, a friend of Anthony Huber, one of the men who died, told CBS 58. Hannah Gittings, Hubers partner, told demonstrators Wednesday night that Huber took down an armed gunman with his skateboard. Kenosha Police Department Dan Miskinis told reporters in a press conference that the shootings were a case of senseless violence. He said he didnt know what led to the gunshots. In an update Thursday, he said he had no further information. Editors note: This story has been updated with information from GiveSendGo and about the charges Rittenhouse faces. They hunkered down and braved the storm, but now some residents in southwestern Louisiana are asking for help in the aftermath of Hurricane Laura's devastating landfall near Lake Charles. "There are some people still in town, and people are calling...but there ain't no way to get to them,"Calcasieu Parish's president of police jury Tony Guillory told the Associated Press. Orange resident Joe Cole is one of the many locals who stayed behind to ride out the storm. He and others are now stranded and calling for emergency help, but downed power lines and flooding have hampered efforts to reach them. HURRICANE GUIDE: Get complete storm coverage for the duration of hurricane season "Trees down in the backyard, water flooding, water coming from out under the house. That's about three inches of water," Cole said in photojournalist Lola Gomez' Twitter video. Cole describes his neighborhood in Orange as a "mess." "We are safe and the generator up and running...the neighborhood and town is a mess through trees everywhere and car ports and roofs gone in a lot of places," Cole said. Laura's devastation extended to downtown Lake Charles, where the Capital OneTower was hammered with 150-mph winds, rendering the tallest building in town a "mangled mess." Storm chaser Jeff Piotrowski captured footage of downtown Lake Charles as the building was lashed by the high winds of Laura's eyewall. "Many skyscrapers have blown out windows. Some of the buildings may be total losses," Piotrowski tweeted. In a Thursday morning tweet Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards told residents to stay home and listen to local officials as the hurricane continues through the state. "As we wake up today, everyone must remember the threat Laura poses to Louisiana is ongoing. Stay home, continue to heed the warnings and instructions of local officials and monitor your local news to stay informed." Edwards' deputy chief of staff Christina Stephens confirmed the hurricane's first fatality--14-year-old girl who died when a tree fell on her home. "We do expect that there could be more fatalities," Stephens tweeted. Watching Korean dramas with love triangle involved is always a roller coaster ride of emotions, most especially when some characters in the drama act awkwardly and funnily when they are faced with a fit of jealousy. When there is more than one character interested in the main lead, then surely the jealousy scenes are present. It is then that the actors who portray these characters give life to the story with their cute jealous emotions. If you want to feel the excitement as well as the giddiness of some K-Dramas that include funny scenes of jealousy, then here some K-Dramas that include funny scenes of jealousy. Scroll down to see if you have watched some of these series of if any of the Korean actors who star in it is your favorite. We have also included a brief synopsis of these dramas to encourage you to see them just in case you haven't watched them yet. GOBLIN The story of this drama is about a girl named Eun Tak, who, since her childbirth, can already experience seeing the unseen or, in other words, ghosts, who always tells her that she is the chosen bride of an immortal being. Until one day, she meets this immortal one who, on the other hand, have waited for the said bride to end his eternal life. They eventually meet and lived in the same house. Yes! They were destined to fall in love, but even the goblin himself, who has lived for hundreds of years, has no immunity to the feeling of jealousy when it comes to his girl. The fantasy drama"GOBLIN" is starred by Kim Go Eun and Gong Yoo. THE HEIRS "The Heirs" is also another drama that presents the story of a love triangle, and when we hear the words 'love triangle', you know that the story will involve a lot of jealousy scenes. In this drama, it is about two boys who were once the best of friends and later on became enemies because of misunderstanding. However, things will begin to change when an ordinary girl named Cha Eun Sang enters their lives by becoming a student at their prestigious school, their lives will begin to be attached, and both boys will try to win over Eun Sang's heart. This drama is starred by Hallyu celebs Park Shin Hye, Lee Min Ho, and Kim Woo Bin. DOCTOR CRUSH "Doctor Crush" will center the story on Yoo Hye Jung, who is a rebellious teenager with no goal or dreams at all. But she began to change when she transfers to the school, and she meets Hong Ji Hong, a teacher who is also a doctor. Then she eventually realized what she wants to do with her life and inspired her to pursue her dreams. And even though they were separated due to some unfortunate circumstances, fate will find them again when they both start working within the same hospital. There you will see how jealous Hong Ji Hong will be over Yoo Hye Jung's guy friend. DESCENDANTS OF THE SUN "Descendants of the Sun" is a romantic drama that revolves around the story between two guys who is a sergeant and a captain in the Korean army that became best of friends. They are both best at what they do, almost perfect with their jobs; however, when it comes to matters of love, things don't work out perfectly. Sergeant Seo Dae Young likes Myung Yoon, who is an army doctor who also loves him dearly, but her father disagrees with their relationship and does everything to keep them apart. On the other hand, Captain Yoo Shi Jin doesn't seem to have time for love, not until he meets Mo Yeon, who is a successful doctor with whom fate will insist on reuniting them. You will find a cute jealous scene when both women received a package containing photos of the boys sitting beside two unknown girls. The drama stars ex-couple Song Hye Kyo and Song Joong Ki. In a show of unity when the political odds are weighed heavily against them, 22 opposition parties are likely to meet soon to chalk out a plan for a united peoples movement against the Narendra Modi government. The meetingmost likely to take place onlinewill be held before Parliaments monsoon session begins on September 14. according to opposition leaders involved in planning the event. A similar meeting took place on May 22 in which the parties were critical of the Modi governments decision to impose a nationwide lockdown in the aftermath of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic, called the Rs 20 lakh crore economic stimulus and relief package a cruel joke on the country and how under the current regime, the spirit of federalism is all but forgotten. Also Read: Congress dissenters letter outlines 11-point agenda for internal reforms The upcoming meeting is expected to chalk out a plan to launch a campaign espousing key issues, keeping in mind keeping in mind Covid-19 related restrictions. The leaders have identified the governments failure in both containing the pandemic and providing relief, the need to protect the constitutional order which is being eroded and the need to give immediate relief to people in the backdrop of economic troubles, the leaders cited above said. The parties will also discuss how the Centre and its agencies acted with bias in the February communal violence in Delhi violence that left 53 people dead and how any voice of dissent is dubbed anti-national, invoking sedition or UAPA provisions, the leaders involved in the planning said. UAPA is short for the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act . The Congress, or the largest opposition party, will be at the centre-stage of this programme that will also try to showcase united protests. According to one opposition leader involved in the planning, We wanted to hold it in August but the Congress managers told us they are preoccupied in the Rajasthan crisis. Then, they wanted time till the CWC {Congress Working Committee} meeting gets over. Now, we are trying to talk to each other to decide on a suitable date. Also Read: Congress seniors demoralised Rahul Gandhi more than Modi-Shah, BJP: Shiv Sena Apart from top leaders of the Congress, former Prime Minister and Janata Dal (Secular) leader HD Deve Gowda, Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray of the Shiv Sena, his West Bengal and Jharkhand counterparts Mamata Banerjee and Hemant Soren, Nationalist Congress Party president Sharad Pawar, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagams MK Stalin, Communist Party of India (Marxist) chief Sitaram Yechury, and leaders of the Communist Party of India, Loktantrik Janata Dal (LJD), Rashtriya Janata Dal, Indian Union Muslim League, National Conference, All India United Democratic Front and Rashtriya Janata Dal are expected to join the meeting. Smaller parties such as Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP), Revolutionary Socialist Party, Forward Bloc, Kerala Congress (Mani), Swabhiman Paksh, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi and Telangana Jana Samithi will also be invited. The meeting may also set the agenda of the Opposition for Parliaments monsoon session, but the main topic of discussion is a larger fight against the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) regime. As Covid-related restrictions also include a ban on big political congregations, the parties will have to settle for an online campaign and hold small demonstrations to reach out to their supporters. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is chairing the 41st GST Council meeting via video conferencing in New Delhi today. The meeting was attended by MOS Anurag Thakur, besides finance ministers of states & UTs and senior officers from Union government and states. The Finance Minister held a virtual media briefing on the outcome of the meeting following the meeting.The meeting took place amid a major revenue shortfall for both Centre and states. Non-BJP ruled states have made their anger clear over the Centre's inordinate delay in paying GST compensation. Some states have started calling for more say in ways to raise GST collection if the Centre fails to compensate the states. Check out all the latest updates on 41st GST Council meeting on BusinessToday.In live blog 5:15 PM: "There may be some states that might prefer to get hard-wired compensation rather than going to market to borrow. The option was tailor-made so that states can take a call depending on compensation they expect to come. Govt will give a further relaxation of 0.5% in states' borrowing limit under FRBM Act as second leg of Option 1. States can choose to borrow more, beyond expected compensation itself, since that is the injury caused by coronavirus," said Sitharaman. 5:04 PM: "During April-July 2020, total GST compensation to be paid is Rs 1.5 lakh crore. There was hardly any GST Collection in April and May. Annual GST compensation requirement is estimated to be around Rs 3 lakh crore, and cess collection is expected to be around Rs 65,000 crore, leaving us with an annual compensation gap of Rs 2.35 lakh crore," said Revenue Secretary 4:59 PM: "Not a minute was spend today to discuss rate increases," said FM Nirmala Sitharaman. 4:54 PM: Finance Minister Sitharaman said, "Once the arrangement is agreed upon by GST Council, we can proceed fast and clear these dues and also take care of the rest of the financial year. These options will be available only for this year." 4:52 PM: Two options have been presented: One is to provide a special window to states, in consultation with RBI to provide Rs 97,000 crore at a reasonable interest rate. The other one is that the entire GST compensation gap of Rs 2,35,000 crore of this year can be met by states, in consultation with RBI. These options will be sent to states for a view within seven days. 4:49 PM: Compensation gap is due to coronavirus pandemic as well. The shortfall in compensation due to the implementation of GST has been estimated to be Rs 97,000 crore 4:46 PM: As mentioned by Finance Minister in GST Council meeting held in March, legal views of the matter were sought from the Attorney General of India who said that GST compensation has to be paid for transition period from July 2017 to June 2022: Finance Secretary Ajay Bhushan Pandey 4:40 PM: Central govt released more than Rs 1.65 lakh crore as GST compensation to states for FY20, including Rs 13,806 crore for March. Total amount of compensation released for 2019-20 is Rs 1.65 lakh crore, whereas cess amount collected was Rs 95,444 crore: Finance Secretary 4:30 PM: GST collection has been severely impacted this year, due to pandemic. As per GST Compensation Law, states need to be given compensation: Finance Secretary 1.47 PM: GST cut on two-wheelers back on the table A GST cut on two-wheelers is back on the table after FM Nirmala Sitharaman said they are not sin product. Motorcycles, scooters and mopeds are in the highest slab of 28% GST right now. A 10% cut to the next slab of 18% will see significant reduction in prices. The sale of two-wheelers has declined by over 60% in first four months of this fiscal so far. Motorcycles are witnessing a faster recovery in sales. Also read: Once bitten twice shy, industry hopes FM will deliver the goods this time 12.05 PM: GST compensation from Centre The central government had last released GST compensation of Rs 13,806 crore to states for March 2020. The total compensation paid to the states in 2019-20 was Rs 1,65,302 crore whereas the amount of cess collected during the period was Rs 95,444 crore, a shortfall of Rs 70,000 crore. Also read: GST Council meeting: States seek more control over GST revenue ahead of 41st meet 12.00 PM: What does the GST Act say? Under the current GST structure, taxes are levied under four slabs -- 5, 12, 18 and 28 per cent. The government also charges a cess on luxury, sin and demerit goods on items under the 28 per cent tax slab. The funds collected via this cess are shared with states to meet the revenue shortfall.Since FY16, states are entitled to get 14 per cent hike in revenue for the next five years till 2022, though COVID-19 has badly hit the Centre's coffers. The Centre has been of the view that states can be compensated for the revenue shortfall from compensation cess only. Also read: GST meet: From talks on compensation to market borrowings; here's what to expect today 11.50 AM: None of contention between Centre, states States have not been compensated since May. The issue of GST compensation has become a bone of contention between the Centre and states, with the government clearly telling the parliamentary standing committee on finance that it's in no position to pay for the GST dues to states as per the current revenue sharing formula as the COVID-19 has severely affected the businesses. Also read: Centre must compensate states for loss of revenue, says Attorney General 11.40 AM: GST Council may find more ways to raise funds Even as states and Centre are likely to deliberate on finding ways to fill the compensation gap, some states have called for more say in ways to raise GST collection if the Centre fails to compensate them. 11.30 AM: Will Centre and States find middle path? With the Central government showing inability to compensate states for revenue losses as per the agreed formula under Goods and Services Tax (GST), the question is whether the two sides can find a middle path between GST and the older tax regime where states had more say on the revenue collected. Also read: GST Council may consider proposal to cut tax on two-wheeler 11.15 AM: Agendas for 41st GST meeting The Goods and Service Tax (GST) Council members in their virtual meeting on Thursday will discuss the crucial single point agenda of compensation to states. The members will discuss ways to address the issue of revenue shortfall, including borrowing from market, as COVID-19 pandemic affects the entire Indian economy. 11. 00 AM: GST Council Meet starts Finance Minister Smt. @nsitharaman will chair the 41st GST Council meeting via video conferencing at 11 AM in New Delhi today. The meeting will be attended by MOS Shri. @ianuragthakur besides Finance Ministers of States & UTs and Senior officers from Union Government & States. pic.twitter.com/HeqCaGwMbc a Ministry of Finance (@FinMinIndia) August 27, 2020 ALSO READ: West Bengal FM urges Centre to pay compensation cess ahead of GST meet Houston Congressman Dan Crenshaw was one of the only speakers during the Republican National Convention who did not mention President Donald Trump by name, instead delivering a largely apolitical message about American heroism. Crenshaw didnt mention former Vice President Joe Biden either during his nearly 4-minute speech that was pre-recorded on the Battleship Texas in La Porte before being aired just before 8 p.m. Instead, Crenshaw talked about American soldiers overseas fighting for freedom and the defeat of ISIS in the Middle East. And he wove in his own back story as a Navy SEAL who was rescued by fellow soldiers in Afghanistan after an improvised explosive device left him blind in one eye and nearly killed him. But heroism goes beyond the battlefield and can be seen in everyday Americans as the nation deals with COVID-19, he said. Its the nurse who volunteers for back-to-back shifts caring for COVID patients because she feels thats her duty, Crenshaw said. Its the parent who will re-learn algebra because theres no way theyre letting their kid fall behind while schools are closed. IN DEPTH: Dan Crenshaw aims to build his own GOP brand Crenshaw, 36, declared America a nation of heroes that understand self-sacrifice and grace. A people that has sacrificed time and again for our freedom, and the freedom of others, he said. Crenshaw, first elected to Congress in 2018, is the only Texas Republican elected official to speak so far during the national convention. He represents the 2nd Congressional District, which runs from west Houston, north to Spring and east into Humble. A role at the convention is another landmark in Crenshaws growing national profile. He has been a regular on national talk shows, one of the most prolific fundraisers in Congress, and has garnered the attention of other national figures such as former U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley who attended a youth summit Crenshaw organized last year in Houston. While the national spotlight has been good for Crenshaw, his political opponents have attacked him for it, saying its distracting him from representing his district. Democrat Sima Ladjevardian, who is challenging him in November, said Crenshaws inclusion in the convention only further shows he is too aligned with Trump for a district that is more moderate. FRESHMAN ON STAGE: Dan Crenshaw is only Texan given speaking role at RNC Hes just being rewarded for his unwavering loyalty to Trump, Ladjevardian said. But the fact that Crenshaw was one of the only speakers in three days not to mention Trump by name also points to his past differences with Trump. During his 2018 campaign for Congress, he was blasted by his GOP primary opponents for not supporting the president enough and for social media posts in 2015 in which he said Trump was insane and an idiot. Crenshaw has often backed the president but has publicly broken with him on key foreign policy issues including how to deal with Syria and the Middle East. Hes also chided Trump on social media for criticizing former U.S. Sen. John McCain, a Navy hero and former prisoner of war. The Vietnam Fisheries Association opposes Indonesias illegal arrest of fishermen from the central province of Khanh Hoa and has demanded the return of the illegally arrested fishermen and three fishing boats. The Central Committee of the Vietnam Fisheries Association has sent a document to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and relevant ministries and agencies to request assistance to help Khanh Hoa provinces fishing vessels that were captured by Indonesia authorities while fishing in Vietnamese waters. According to Khanh Hoa authorities report, on August 10, three fishing vessels (KH98168-TS, KH91558-TS of Le Tru Co., Ltd. and KH-95758-TS of fisherman Pham Gium) with a total of 26 crew members, while operating in Vietnams waters, were illegally arrested by Indonesian authorities and led out of Vietnamese waters. The Vietnam Fisheries Association officially protested Indonesias acts and asked the Indonesian side to ensure the safety of the arrested people and their property, to return the three fishing vessels and those fishermen to Vietnam, and to not repeat similar acts. The Vietnam Fisheries Association also suggested that the Vietnamese authorities take measures to protest against this wrongdoing by the Indonesian side, while carrying out measures to protect Vietnamese citizens and bring them home soon and safely. At the regular press conference of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on August 20, spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang said that after receiving the information, following the instructions of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Vietnamese Embassy in Indonesia contacted the local authorities to request clarification and verification of the case, and was ready to take measures to protect Vietnamese citizens. Thanh Nam Recognizing the indispensable need for finger-tip pulse oximeters and infrared/Non-contact thermometers amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Tushti International Pvt Ltd today launched both products in India. The pulse oximeter & IR thermometers are based on all-digital technology and are intended for non-invasive measurement of functional oxygen saturation and body temperature respectively. Both products, now extremely useful for early detection and management of coronavirus, are cost-efficient and easy to use. Tushti has also roped in actor Sonu Sood as its brand ambassador. "As India slowly re-opens during the Unlock phases, oximeters and IR thermometers have now become a necessity for everyone as they step out of their homes for work and essential services. We, at Tushti, noticed that many un-branded or even fake products with zero credibility have been flying off the shelves, whether at pharmacies or online marketplaces. Such products carry inaccurate health readings, which misleads the consumer. With bringing 100 per cent Made-in-India oximeters and IR thermometers into the market, we aim to remedy this problem of unreliable products and serve consumers with nothing short of the best. We are honoured to have joined hands with our nation's beloved actor Sonu Sood as the face of our brand, who has been doing commendable work at the forefront of India's fight against the pandemic. Together, we believe that we are merely doing our bit to tackle the spread of coronavirus as responsible citizens of India," said Shobhit Agarwal, Chairman-cum-Managing Director, Tushti International Pvt Ltd on the launch of the products. "As India goes through phases of Unlock, and restrictions on the movement of people ease across various parts of the country, there is an increased social responsibility on each of our shoulders. There is now, more than ever, a dire need for oximeters and infrared thermometers in every household of the country. When one person takes all necessary precautions for their safety, they inadvertently also take care of those around them. I feel a deep sense of pride in being associated with Tushti, which aims to make each citizen of India aware of how best they can take care of themselves. With the company's new offering of oximeters and IR thermometers, one can continuously monitor vital body signs and be assured of their health," said Sonu Sood, Actor, about his association with Tushti. Tushti's offerings boast of high quality and accuracy and hold certifications from international bodies such as FDA, WHO-GMP, CE, & QAA. The brand's completely made-in-India oximeters and infrared thermometers are priced at Rs 1,999/- and Rs 2,999/- respectively, and come with a one-year warranty. The brand aims to educate people across the country about the correct use of the products, and how they are vital in gauging and keeping a close check on one's health, especially as we remain uncertain of how the pandemic unfolds. This story is provided by BusinessWire India. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. DISCLAIMER (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (SC/ST) communities dont constitute a homogenous group and can be further sub-classified to ensure the benefits of reservation in government jobs and higher education institutions percolate down to weaker sections, the Supreme Court observed on Thursday in a ruling that may have far-reaching political ramifications. In the ruling likely to reignite the debate on application of the so-called creamy layer principle to SC/STs, a five-judge Constitution bench headed by justice Arun Mishra said there are unequals within SC/ST groups, necessitating their sub- classification, which state governments are entitled to do. The bench also called for review of a past top court ruling that SCs and STs were homogenous communities. In case benefit which is meant for the emancipation of all the castes, included in the list of Scheduled Castes, is permitted to be usurped by a few castes, those who are adequately represented, have advanced and belonged to the creamy layer, then it would tantamount to creating inequality whereas in case of hunger every person is required to be fed and provided bread. The entire basket of fruits cannot be given to mighty at the cost of others under the guise of forming a homogenous class, the bench observed. Also Read: The Supreme Courts jurisprudence on reservations has gaps | Opinion The bench also said reservation for weaker sections was not contemplated by the Constitution makers in perpetuity and the constitutional goal of social transformation cannot be achieved without taking into account changing social realities. Creamy layer is a term used to describe better-off individuals among Other Backward Classes (OBCs) who are ineligible for reservations. Households with annual income above Rs 8 lakh fall under creamy layer. SCs have a 15% quota and STs a 7.5% quota in government jobs and university seats. OBCs have a 27% quota. Governments have been against extending this principle to quotas for SCs and STs on the grounds that they have been socially disadvantaged and backward for centuries and application of the creamy layer principle to them will defeat the object of reservation. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party declined to comment. The Congress said it was studying it. Also Read: No obligation on government to provide reservation, says Supreme Court Supreme Court judgments are ultimately binding on us but subject to prescribed method of reviews and reconsideration. As of now, even the ink has not dried and therefore we are studying the judgment as it deals with a major social issue. Only after we finish reading what the apex court has said will we be able to formulate our views. said the Congresss Abhishek Singhvi. . Communist Party of India (Marxist) politburo member Brinda Karat said: We are against applying creamy layer to scheduled castes and scheduled tribes which would mean that some sections of these communities would be deprived of affirmative action. So we oppose these comments of the SC on applying creamy layer to SCs and STs. However. within the reservations there is already some sub-reservations, for example in tribal areas in Rajasthan; within the quota there is a specific quota for Bhils who form the majority. In Telangana, there is an issue between hill tribes and plains tribes. So it depends on the concrete situation in each state. This has not been taken into account by the Supreme Court.. Attorney general KK Venugopal argued in 2019 against application of the creamy layer principle to SC/STs during the hearing of a plea by a non-government organisation (NGO) before the Supreme Court seeking exclusion of creamy layer among SC/STs from reservation benefits. The top court will now re-examine its 2004 judgment in E V Chinnaiah v. State of Andhra Pradesh in which it was held that SC/STs form a homogenous class and cannot be further sub-classified for reservations. Chinnaiah is required to be revisited by a larger Bench; more so, in view of further development and the amendment of the Constitution, which have taken place, the bench, which also comprised justice Indira Banerjee, MR Shah, Vineet Saran and Aniruddha Bose, said . Since the Chinnaiah case was also decided by a bench of five judges, the court directed that the matter be placed before Chief Justice of India SA Bobde to constitute a bench of seven or more judges to hear the case. The case, State of Punjab v. Davinder Singh, stemmed from a law enacted by the Punjab government in 2006 requiring 50% of vacancies in the quota for SCs in recruitment to be filled by the members of the Balmiki community and 50% by those from the Mazhbi community Section 4(5) of the Punjab Scheduled Caste and Backward Class Reservation in Service Act, which stipulated this condition, was challenged before the Punjab & Haryana high court by a person belonging to Shikriband caste, which is also classified as SC. The high court ruled that section 4(5) was unconstitutional and contrary to the Chinnaiah judgment. When the case came up in appeal before the Supreme Court, a three-judge bench in August 2014 referred the matter to a Constitution bench. A major argument raised on behalf of the Punjab government was that the Chinnaiah verdict erroneously proceeded on the premise that reservation given by states by extending preference to certain SCs tinkers with the Presidential List under Article 341 of the Constitution. The Presidential List specifies the castes, races or tribes which are considered SCs. However, the apex court held that only inclusion or exclusion in the Presidential list is by Parliament and there is no bar on states taking further affirmative action . It cannot be said to be violative of the list under Article 341 and 342A as no enlisted caste is denied the benefit of reservation. In the federal structure, the State, as well as the Parliament have a constitutional directive for the upliftment of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, the court said. (Saubhadra Chatterjee contributed to this story) Pastor John Gray accused of another inappropriate relationship; lawyers say hes being blackmailed Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Lawyers for megachurch pastor John Gray said Monday that he is being blackmailed and extorted after the leader of Relentless Church in South Carolina was accused of engaging in another inappropriate relationship. "There are allegations that there were phone conversations between the two parties, and thats essentially the extent of the allegations," attorney Devon Puriefoy of the law firm Truluck Thomasontold Greenville News. "When you take her own words, she says there was no affair, no physical contact, they never met each other, they never saw each other." Puriefoy was not immediately available to discuss the situation when contacted for comment by The Christian Post Tuesday. The latest allegation against Gray came last Friday from a 48-year-old Houston woman who identified herself as Mary during an interview with online personality Tasha K, which was broadcast on YouTube. The Houston woman said during her interactions with Gray, she sent him partially nude photos at his requests and he video-chatted with her while revealing his underwear. She claimed that he also met with her in Houston and invited her to visit his home and she declined because she feels he may have wanted to sleep with her. Mary explained in the interview that she connected with Gray after the death of her brothers wife in April as the coronavirus pandemic was in the early stages of sweeping the nation. Her brother, who is a pastor in New Jersey, and Gray, she said, are friends. Gray spoke at the memorial service for her sister-in-law. Mary said after the service she told Gray thanks for his words of support on Instagram in the comments section of a photo of his wife a photo she said he would go on to delete. Gray later requested her friendship on Instagram and began liking her posts. A month ago, she said, Gray asked her where she worked and she told him she was a hairstylist in Houston and told him the name of her business. A couple days after that he called my job and I answered the phone. Im the manager of the hair salon and I answered the phone and he said Hey Mary, its John Gray, she said. Mary said she was shocked and told him it wasnt a good time to talk but she gave him her personal number, which she described as a bad decision in hindsight. Due to the relationship between Gray and her brother, she said she felt comfortable sharing it at the time. I just felt him and my brother were cool; theyve known each other for a long time, she said. She explained that over time her conversations with Gray became sexual, noting that he asked for her measurements and requested explicit photos. Tasha K shared a video on Instagram highlighting Gray complaining to Mary that his wife doesnt cook for his family and noted that Mary also shared evidence with her of Gray inviting her to fly with him to Cabo, Mexico, during the pandemic. #PastorJohnGray Facetimed his sidechick Mary! He says his wife doesn't cook and feeds their son Pizza every night, He asks his sidechick to fly with him to Cabo privately during the pandemic! wrote Tasha K. He was in Alabama where his wife is from. He told me he was getting a divorce He facetimed me and he was laying in the bed. He was showing me his underwear I was so shocked by it all, Mary said. Despite Marys claims, however, Puriefoy told Greenville News that there is evidence of extortion in the case and it will be handed to the Greenville County Solicitor's Office and the Greenville office of the FBI to be investigated. "A formal investigation will be conducted into extortion claims about the individual that's making the allegations. There's clear evidence of extortion from the release of this information," Puriefoy said. "I don't think there's a question under South Carolina law or Texas law or federal law." Early this year, Gray publicly revealed he had wanted to end his life and received prayer from Bishop T.D. Jakes as allegations of infidelity clouded his marriage. Gray had earlier told his congregation that his wife, Aventer, discovered that he had started listening to the wrong voices and let some people get too close she set it off just like a good wife should. Aventer Gray then revealed to their congregation that one of those wrong voices belonged to a strange woman, whom she fought off with prayer and Scripture. "So you want me to leave my husband because you spoke to the 16-year-old that couldnt get a date? And he listened. So Im supposed to leave my husband because you spoke to a place of brokenness that had not yet been submitted back to the Father? But because I know the tricks of the enemy and Im learning them every day, I can stand here in boldness for everybody that tried to sneak in, thank you, because I got closer to God because of it. I got in that Word come on, Aventer Gray said. I put Scripture on that strange woman. I put Scripture on that strange woman. She dont want it with me and she dont want it with yall, amen! The pastor revealed last year on talk show "The Real" that the situation with the "strange woman" was "an emotional affair." He said he confided in someone when he was having marriage difficulty and admitted it was wrong. Erik Trautmann / Hearst Connecticut Media NORWALK The city has filed a motion asking to participate in the Public Utilities Regulatory Authoritys investigation into Eversources preparedness and response to Tropical Storm Isaias. The city is also asking PURA to impose sanctions and penalties on Eversource as part of its investigation into the early August storm, which left more than half the citys residents without power in its initial aftermath. The Congress on Wednesday announced that it will hold countrywide protests on August 28 to oppose the governments decision to hold NEET, JEE exams during the pandemic. In a statement AICC general secretary KC Venugopal said the move is in line with concerted opposition to this dictatorial move of the government. State units of the Congress will be holding protests on Friday at 11 am in front of central government offices at state and district headquarters, he said. In a statement, Venugopal said lakhs of students and parents from across the country are rightfully agitating and demanding postponement of the JEE-NEET exams, scheduled to be held in September. He said the governments decision to hold these exams during the COVID-19 crisis has created huge concern among the students and parents. Apart from the very obvious vulnerability to and risk of infection, the decision to hold the exams will undoubtedly make it increasingly difficult for students to appear for the exams due to the availability of limited transport and lodging during the pandemic. While holding exams during COVID-19 crisis has put the students in a state of extreme mental stress, the grim flood situation in states like Assam and Bihar will further put students from those states at a severe disadvantage, he said. Venugopal said all these protest gatherings will take place following strict social distancing protocols issued by the respective health and civic authorities. He said the party has also decided to organise a massive nationwide online campaign, #SpeakUpForStudentSaftey on the same day from 10 am onwards, through videos and posts protesting this decision, on any of the social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Youtube. Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said health and safety of 25 lakh students are being jeopardised in the ensuing JEE, NEET exams as students are protesting across the country. He also wondered why the government was refusing to listen to their grievances, deliberate upon them and find a solution acceptable to all. Posing a set of questions, Surjewala asked who will oversee that the guidelines and protocols do not remain an empty paper formality. He further asked what special arrangements have been made for students of flood affected Bihar and Assam. There has been growing chorus for postponement of the NEET-JEE exams. An international team of researchers has discovered a new group of Chlamydiae - Anoxychlamydiales - living under the ocean floor without oxygen. These Chlamydiae have genes that allow them to survive without oxygen while making hydrogen gas. The researchers found that our single-cell ancestors 'caught' these hydrogen-producing genes from ancient Chlamydiae up to two-billion years ago - an event that was critical for the evolution of all complex life alive today. The results are published in Science Advances. Life on Earth can be classified into two main categories: eukaryotes (e.g., plants, animals, fungi, amoeba) and prokaryotes (e.g., bacteria and archaea). In comparison to relatively simple prokaryotic cells, eukaryotic cells have complex cellular organization. How much cellular complexity evolved has puzzled scientists for decades. The prevailing hypothesis for the evolution of eukaryotes involves the merger, or symbiosis, of two prokaryotes - an archaeon and a bacterium - nearly two-billion years ago, in environments with little oxygen. Scientists assume that these microbes co-operated with each other to survive without oxygen by exchanging nutrients. While we do not know what these nutrient were, many scientists think that hydrogen might be the answer. To find an answer to this two-billion year old mystery, scientists look at genomes of modern prokaryotes and eukaryotes to find genes for living without oxygen and nutrient metabolism with hydrogen. Much like fossils, genomes hold clues to the evolutionary history of their ancestors. In our cells, we have a specialized factory called the mitochondrion - or powerhouse of the cell - that helps us make energy using the oxygen we breathe and the sugar we eat. However, some mitochondria are able to make energy without oxygen by producing hydrogen gas. Since hydrogen has been proposed to have been an important nutrient for the origin of eukaryotes, scientists think that hydrogen production was present in one of the two-billion-year-old partners: the archaeon or the bacterium. However, there is no evidence for this with the present data. In an article published in Science Advances, a team of international researchers has discovered an unexpected source of these genes at the bottom of the ocean from the Anoxychlamydiales, a newly discovered group of Chlamydiae. Anoxychlamydiales live without oxygen and have genes for producing hydrogen - a trait that has never before been identified in Chlamydiae. The researchers were surprised to find that the chlamydial genes for hydrogen production closely resembled those found in eukaryotes. This strongly suggests that ancient chlamydiae contributed these genes during the evolution of eukaryotes. "In our study we identified the first evidence for how eukaryotes got the genes to make hydrogen and it was from a completely unexpected source!" says co-lead author Courtney Stairs, postdoctoral researcher at Uppsala University in Sweden. Fellow co-lead author Jennah Dharamshi, PhD student from Uppsala University, adds: "We found new evidence that the eukaryotic genome has a mosaic evolutionary history, and has come not only from Archaea and the mitochondrion, but also from Chlamydiae". "Understanding where hydrogen metabolism came from in eukaryotes is important for gaining insight into how our two-billion-year old ancestors evolved," says senior author Thijs Ettema, Professor at Wageningen University and Research in The Netherlands, and coordinator of the international team of researchers. "For years, I thought that if we ever found out where eukaryotic hydrogen metabolism came from, we would have a clearer picture of how eukaryotes evolved - however, finding out that these genes might have come from Chlamydiae has raised even more questions", Courtney Stairs adds. How did the eukaryotes get a hold of these genes? "We know that microorganisms routinely share genes with each other in a process called 'gene transfer'. We can find these transfer events by building family trees of each gene and looking for patterns in their evolution" explains Courtney Stairs. Today, the closest relatives of the archaeon that participated in the initial symbiosis are Asgard archaea. These archaea are also found at the bottom of the ocean where Anoxychlamydiales reside. "Asgard archaea and Anoxychlamydiales are both found living under the ocean floor where there is no oxygen" Thijs Ettema explains, "their cohabitation could have allowed for genes to be transferred between the ancestors of these microbes". Finding chlamydiae that can live without oxygen has important implications in itself. These bacteria are typically known as pathogens of humans and other animals, even though they can also infect single-cell eukaryotes such as amoeba. All chlamydiae known to date live inside eukaryotic cells. Finding chlamydiae that might be able to live without oxygen, produce hydrogen, and live outside a eukaryote challenges our previously held conceptions. our findings suggest that chlamydiae may be important members of the ecosystem on the ocean floor and that perhaps all chlamydiae are not that bad after all." Jennah Dharamshi, PhD Student, Study Co-Lead Author, Uppsala University ANKARA, Turkey (AP) Germany's foreign minister on Thursday called for an end to military drills in the eastern Mediterranean to defuse tensions and create conditions for NATO allies Greece and Turkey to resolve a dispute over offshore energy exploration rights. Foreign Minister Heiko Maas' comments came ahead of discussions in Berlin on Friday by European Union foreign ministers, who will try and persuade EU-member Greece and its much larger NATO ally and neighbor Turkey to pull back from the brink of a conflict. The ministers were expected to debate sanctions and other policy options that might deter Turkey from prospecting for potential oil and gas reserves in parts of the eastern Mediterranean where Greece claims but has not tried to exercise exclusive rights. Maas, who visited both Athens and Ankara on Tuesday, stressed the need to create the conditions for Turkey and Greece to resolve their problems directly with each other. The situation remains very difficult, Maas said. The precondition for these talks is that the maneuvers that are going on in the eastern Mediterranean be ended ... because for sure the parties wont sit down at the table if warships are facing off in the eastern Mediterranean. Tensions have been running high for weeks after Turkey sent its survey vessel, Oruc Reis, to carry out seismic research, escorted by Turkish warships, between Crete, Cyprus and southern Turkey. Athens, which says the ship is operating over Greeces continental shelf, sent warships to observe and track the Turkish flotilla. Turkey disputes Greeces claims, and accuses Athens of trying to grab an unfair share of the eastern Mediterraneans resources. Both countries have been conducting military maneuvers in the area. On Thursday, France was set to join Italy, Greece and Cyprus in three-day air and sea military exercises off the east Mediterranean island. Greek military officials said Thursday the United Arab Emirates have sent four fighter jets and five military transport planes to an airbase on Crete for joint training with Greek forces. Story continues Turkey, meanwhile, said it would hold live-fire exercises Sept. 1-2 off its southern coast, opposite Cyprus. It also extended Oruc Reis' operations until Sept. 1. President Donald Trump on Wednesday held separate calls with the leaders of Greece and Turkey. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Thursday he was in constant contact with Athens and Ankara. Cypriot Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides said Turkeys illegal and provocative actions" threatened Europe's credibility. A union of 27 member states must stand up for international values, for a global, international order based on the values and principles of the European Union," he said. Turkish officials, meanwhile, accused France of stoking tensions by holding military exercises with Greece and Cyprus. Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said Turkey would not be deterred by the show of force. To believe that it would be possible to thwart the Turkish Armed Forces operations with exercises and similar activities is nothing more than a pipe dream, Akar told the state-run Anadolu Agency. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his country will never compromise on what belongs to us. We are determined to do whatever is necessary in political, economic and military terms. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Greece is planning to exercise its legal right to extend its territorial waters along its western coastline, which faces Italy, from six to 12 nautical miles. This wouldn't affect the territory at the center of the Greek-Turkish dispute, however. Turkey has warned in the past that an extension of Greek waters to 12 nautical miles in the Aegean Sea would be seen as a reason to declare war on Greece. On Thursday, Greece's parliament ratified an agreement with Egypt demarcating maritime boundaries and Exclusive Economic Zones between the two countries in the Mediterranean. The treaty has angered Turkey. Akar, the Turkish defense minister, reiterated that Turkey favored dialogue with Greece, but was determined to safeguard its rights. If our Greek counterparts agree, we would be pleased to host them here, Akar said. Greek government spokesman Stelios Petsas said the tensions were not being generated by Greece. "We are waiting for the Turkish side to officially express its positions. One way of course to express oneself is by ending any provocative action in the area, he said. ___ Geir Moulson reported from Berlin. Derek Gatopoulos in Athens, Greece, and Lorne Cook in Brussels, contributed to this report. Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-28 04:17:06|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BAGHDAD, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- A Katyusha rocket on Thursday landed near the heavily fortified Green Zone in the Iraqi capital Baghdad without causing casualties, the Iraqi military said. The attack took place in the evening when the rocket was fired from al-Dora highway in the south of the Green Zone and landed in the al-Jadriyah neighborhood, the media office of the Iraqi Joint Operations Command said in a brief statement. An Interior Ministry source told Xinhua that the rocket was targeting the Green Zone but failed to reach the zone, which houses the U.S. embassy and some Iraqi government offices. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack, but the military bases housing U.S. troops across Iraq and the Green Zone in Baghdad have been frequently targeted by mortar and rocket attacks. The Iraqi-U.S. relations have witnessed a tension since Jan. 3 when a U.S. drone struck a convoy at Baghdad airport, which killed Qassem Soleimani, former commander of the Quds Force of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, deputy chief of Iraq's paramilitary Hashd Shaabi forces. The U.S. airstrike prompted the Iraqi parliament on Jan. 5 to pass a resolution requiring the government to end the presence of foreign forces in the country. More than 5,000 U.S. troops have been deployed in Iraq to support the Iraqi forces in the battles against the Islamic State (IS) militants, mainly for training and advisory purposes. Enditem Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 27) As several countries shunned participation in the "world's largest maritime exercises" this year, a United States Navy official said he is "just more than happy" that the Philippines has decided not to back out despite several domestic concerns, including the impact of the pandemic and its "on-again, off-again" approach in dealing with its U.S. military alliance. "I would say, upfront, we are very happy to have the Philippines participating in RIMPAC with their ship, (BRP) Jose Rizal," U.S. Navy's Third Fleet Commander, Vice-Admiral Scott D. Conn told a media forum on Thursday. Eight other nations sent their naval forces to join the biennial Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC 2020), with the U.S. Navy's Indo-Pacific Command hosting its 27th iteration from Aug. 17 to 31 in Hawaii. They are Australia, Brunei, Canada, France, Japan, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, and Singapore. Only about 5,300 sailors, 22 ships and a submarine made it to this year's naval drills. In 2018, a total of 26 countries, consisting of 25,000 naval personnel, as well as 52 ships and submarines, took part in the exercises. "While RIMPAC 2020 may look a little different due to the COVID 19 pandemic, I can assure you that its just as important and just as valuable than those exercises that had preceded," said Conn, who helped oversee this year's wargames. Conn lauded the Philippine's participation in RIMPAC 2020, saying it is doing "a phenomenal job" in sharing "the values of a free and open Indo-Pacific region." "We must have those personal relationships and trust already well-established because while we have the ability to surge ships and people, what we cannot surge is trust," Conn said. "It has to be built. That is what makes RIMPAC so important." The Philippines is one of three member-states of the Association of Southeast Nations (ASEAN), and the only claimant-country in the long-drawn South China Sea maritime dispute, to deploy a contingent to Hawaii. This is despite facing many issues back home, including the staggering increase in COVID-19 cases, as well as internal and external security threats. Aside from tensions with China over maritime issues, the country is also dealing with recent suicide attacks in the southern island-province of Sulu. READ: China hits back at PH after diplomatic protest: Stop illegal provocations On top of the maritime cooperation and training from RIMPAC, Philippine Navy chief Vice-Admiral Giovanni Bacordo told CNN Philippines that he had to consider the following "arguments" in deploying a team to Hawaii: RIMPAC is the only naval exercise where the Philippine Navy is exposed to the four dimensions of naval warfare This is the first mission of FF 150 (BRP Jose Rizal) and also the first time for all of its 100 organic personnel to work as a team It is through this prolonged deployment when the imperfections of the BRP Jose Rizal will come out and be addressed by the ship's manufacturer, while still under warranty period Bacordo also defended his decision to send out BRP Jose Rizal to RIMPAC 2020 instead of prioritizing its deployment, either in patrolling West Philippine Sea or supporting combat operations against extremist groups in Mindanao. The logistics fill-up (ammunition, quartermaster supplies, etc.) of the vessel is not 100% yet, and cannot be used for these purposes yet, he said. The Philippines earlier suspended the termination of the Visiting Forces Agreement, its two-decade military pact with the US. Aside from naval drills with the U.S., Bacordo said the Navy will also participate in joint exercises with ASEAN and Australia. "It is through these exercises that we test our interoperability, and synchronize our techniques, tactics and procedures, with our allies and exercise partners," Bacordo explained. Punjab & Sind Bank slipped 0.38% to Rs 13.25 after the public sector lender on Wednesday said it has declared its exposure of Rs 815.44 crore to Dewan Housing Finance Corporation (DHFL) as fraud. Punjab and Sind Bank informed that a non-performing asset (NPA) account, viz. DHFL with outstanding dues of Rs 815.44 crore has been declared as fraud and reported to the Reserve bank of India (RBI) as per regulatory requirement. Further, bank has already made provision of Rs 203.86 crore as per the prescribed prudential norms. On a standalone basis, Punjab & Sind Bank reported a net loss of Rs 116.89 crore in Q1 June 2020 as compared to a net loss of Rs 30.28 crore in Q1 June 2019. Total income declined 12.7% to Rs 1,954.39 crore in Q1 June 2020 over Q1 June 2019. Punjab & Sind Bank's business segments include treasury operations, corporate/wholesale banking, retail banking and other banking operations. The bank offers international banking and domestic banking services. Its international banking services include non-resident indian (NRI) services, export/import services, foreign exchange (forex) treasury and gold card schemes, among others. As of 30 June 2020, the Government of India held 83.06% stake in the bank. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) LONDON, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Federation of St Kitts and Nevis is committed to supporting economic growth on the islands, as reiterated by Prime Minister Timothy Harris during his weekly Leadership Matters programme on Tuesday. According to PM Harris, St Kitts and Nevis ranks third among sovereign states in the Western Hemisphere for per capita income and number one in the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, St Kitts and Nevis achieved several economic milestones credited to the government prioritising the nation's fiscal management. Last year, the islands welcomed nine consecutive months of accumulating a surplus and the fifth year of continuous economic growth. Additionally, St Kitts and Nevis is the first independent state in the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union to align its debt-to-GDP ratio to international standards twelve years before the deadline. Last week, Prime Minister Timothy Harris reiterated these economic achievements: "In the last five years, the prudent fiscal performance of the Team Unity administration saw St Kitts and Nevis being viewed as the 'best example of a well-managed small island state," said PM Harris. "The Federation had been adjudged the best in the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States by independent and prestigious authorities on various indices, including fiscal balances, information and communication technology development and per capita income." One of the main drivers of economic growth on the islands is the Citizenship by Investment (CBI) Programme. Introduced in 1984, the Programme enables wealthy investors and their families to attain the nation's citizenship once making an economic contribution to the country's Sustainable Growth Fund (SGF). The fund option is one of the fastest and straightforward routes to St Kitts and Nevis citizenship. It offers successful applicants a wealth of opportunities from increased global mobility to enhanced business prospects. Investments made to the SGF are used to support St Kitts and Nevis' national development. One of the projects to come from the CBI Programme is the Poverty Alleviation Programme which supports low-income households with a monthly stipend of EC$500. Investors interested in becoming economic citizens of St Kitts and Nevis can take advantage of the limited-time offer under the SGF, which enables families of four to obtain citizenship for US$150,000 rather than $195,000. New citizens can work, study and travel visa-free or visa-on-arrival-to nearly 160 destinations around the world. Contact: [email protected] www.csglobalpartners.com SOURCE CS Global Partners Related Links https://csglobalpartners.com Visitors stand outside Lunar House, a U.K. Visas and Immigration office, operated by the Home Office in Croydon - Bloomberg There has been a total crash in the number of visa applications to the UK during the coronavirus outbreak, in the clearest indication yet of the impact of the pandemic on migration. The number of visas granted fell by 99 per cent in the second quarter of 2020, compared with data from the first. New Home Office figures also found that between April and June the number of people granted skilled worker visas plummeted by 95 per cent on a year earlier. The issuing of student visas in the second quarter also fell abruptly, declining 99 per cent compared with data from 2019. It comes as the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed that net migration had reached its highest level in four years in the year up to March, fuelled by rising numbers of Chinese and Indian students. Rob McNeil, deputy director of the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford, said that two sets of data painted a picture of a distant past and the modern world. Mr McNeil said the ONS data showing a rise in net migration was ancient history from a universe that no longer exists. He said: Its from a universe of a highly mobile, globalised workforce where people travelled and commuted. That world has ceased to exist. The world were living in right now is much better represented by the visa data in which we can see a total collapse in the number of people. The impacts of coronavirus are seen right across the board, with many fewer people getting visas for work, study and family. The ONS data in the year up to March, found that some 715,000 people moved to the UK compared with around 403,000 who left. Net migration has risen by around 92,000 since March last year and is the highest level since March 2016, when net migration was an estimated 326,000. Jay Lindop, director of the Centre for International Migration at the ONS, said: "After a period of stability, we were seeing migration levels begin to increase in the past 12 months leading up to the coronavirus pandemic. "This was being driven by increases in non-EU student arrivals, mainly from China and India." However, he admitted that the figures did not take into account the significant impact the pandemic has had on international migration since then". A brand new electric car is preparing to hit the U.S. and its either going to take EVs by storm because its super cheap, or its going to meet the same fate as the Yugoslavian Yugo in the early 1990s, which began the butt of every good car joke. Chinese electric carmaker Kandi has announced its official American debut, and the price tag will make these EVs the cheapest in the country. The only question now is: Do you get what you pay for? Two models, currently ready to pre-order, are arriving as early as the end of 2020, starting in a limited area in Texas and sold through Texas-based Kandi America, the trade name of Kandis wholly-owned subsidiary SC Autosports, LLC. The model K27 comes with a 17.69 kWh battery and a range of up to 100 miles and starts at $20,499. Its also eligible for the $7,500 federal income tax credit, which would put it at just under $13,000. The larger K23 has a 41.4 kWh battery and a driving range of more than 180 miles with starting price just under $30,000, again, before applying federal incentives. Both of the models, even without the federal incentives, are less expensive than other EVs sold in the U.S. Kandi says it is now actively looking to build an electric car factory in North America. And while its largely unknown to most Western consumers, Kandi is a big name in China. Its a joint venture between Kandi Vehicles and one of China's largest automakers, Geely Group, which in turn is the parent company of Sweden's Volvo. Related: Oil Major Equinor Stops Drilling In U.S. Shale Patch Kandi Chairman Xiaoming Hu said in a statement that the target group is middle-class American who have few affordable EV choices. owning the (EV) car often eluded consumers who desired a great EV alongside all the other comforts of modern living. Kandi is changing that by revolutionizing the EV-buying experience for many. Kandis mission is to make electric cars accessible to all, the statement said. So while the affordability boxes are ticked here, reliability and performance remain big unknowns. Kandi launched EV production in 2007 and on the domestic market their cars are mostly used by the car-sharing companies. However, China has a different set of safety standards. So far, it has been difficult for Chinese automakers to break into the U.S. market as vehicles sold here require approved safety equipment, such as anti-lock brakes, airbags, traction control, and exterior lighting. In addition, all vehicles sold in the U.S. are subject to crash testing by the NHTSA. In February last year, Kandi announced it had received approval from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to import mentioned two models which are still not being sold on the Chinese market. However, Kandi is not listed on the EPA's fuel economy website or among the NHTSAs crash tests, so progress on certification is not clear. CNN wrote that its reporters in China were unable to find any records of crash tests of those two models or other Kandi models. As for Yugo, in the early 1990s, UN sanctions on what was left of Yugoslavia halted exports and that was the end of the Yugo in America. Despite the fact that Yugo was labeled as the Worst Car Ever and Worst Car of the Millennium but also the cheapest, it still sold almost 140,000 cars in the U.S. during its 8-year tenure on the market. Due to the popularity and tech features, none of them are on the U.S. roads now. By Safehaven.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: TEHRAN, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- The recent decision of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to normalize relations with Israel has been a "strategic mistake" as it may pose security threats to the region, the Iranian government spokesman said on Wednesday. Iran would consider the UAE "accountable" for any security threat that Israel may pose against Iran, Ali Rabiee told reporters. Also, Iran will hold the UAE responsible for the consequences of any "dangerous interference" of Israel in the regional developments, he added. "We expect the UAE officials to be vigilant about the (Israeli) regime's activities inside their country ... and we cannot remain indifferent to anti-security measures of our Zionist (Israel) enemy near our borders," Rabiee noted. Iran has strongly condemned the recent agreement between Israel and the UAE to normalize ties. On Aug. 13, Israel and the UAE reached an agreement, brokered by the United States, to work towards a "full normalization of relations." RDX being weighed on a scale, Fidayeen Adil Ahmed Dar making the IED, WhatsApp chats and the audio notes the National Investigation Agency has attached a treasure trove of video and audio evidence to its 13,500-page chargesheet in the Pulwama terror attack case. But getting here wasnt easy. Officials familiar with the investigation told News18 that till late last year the agency was groping in the dark to reveal the Pulwama conspiracy. It was then that they learnt of a battered Samsung phone lying at the Nowgam police station of South Kashmir. This phone was recovered from the encounter site where Jaish terrorists Umer Farooq and Kamran were gunned down. Repeated requests were made at the junior level of NIA to Jammu and Kashmir police for handing over the phone but it was finally a phone call to IG Vijay Kumar that the job was done," a senior NIA officer heading investigation told News18. The phone, however, was under double layer of encryption and NIA sent it to Central Forensic Science Laboratory and CERTIN for data extraction. The Computer Emergency Response team (CERTIN) broke through the encryption and gave NIA the big breakthrough. The Federal Bureau of Investigation also came to NIAs rescue. Just hours after the attack, a Jaish-e-Mohammed spokesperson had sent a WhatsApp to a Kashmiri news agency claiming responsibility for the attack. This WhatsApp number was traced to a woman in Budgam. WhatsApp servers are in US, so informally FBI does help all countries with such investigations," a NIA officer told News18. The lead from FBI conclusively established the Pakistan connection to the Pulwama blast. The Budgam woman had died long before the attack. Her photo and I-card were used to procure a SIM and a WhatsApp account was created. The technical evidence that foreign agencies provided showed the account was being operated from Muzaffarabad by a Jaish spokesperson Mohammed Hussain," NIA said. Armed with the POK lead and the photos, WhatsApp chats and videos from Uner Farooqs phone, the NIA arrested one over ground worker after the other. Their interrogation tied the remaining lose ends. The NIA now plans to send letter rogatories to Pakistan to find out who owned the bank accounts from where 10,30,00 PKR was transferred to Farooqs pakistani bank accounts in January and February 2019 days before the attack. The NIA in its chargesheet has attached screenshots of WhatsApp communication between Farooq and his handlers where he presents account of expenses incurred for the Pulwama attack. The ASEAN Connectivity Coordinating Committee held an online consultation with dialogue partners and other partners on August 26 under the chair of Ambassador Tran Duc Binh, head of Vietnams delegation to ASEAN. Diplomats at the online consultation between ASEAN Connectivity Coordinating Committee and partners on August 26 (Photo: VNA) Partner countries highly valued the progress in the implementation of the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity (MPAC) 2025 despite COVID-19 caused difficulties facing many projects. Ambassadors of ASEANs partners, including the US, China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia, Germany, Canada, New Zealand and Norway, applauded the blocs efforts in enhancing connectivity within ASEAN, as well as between the bloc and partners. They affirmed that their countries will continue assisting ASEAN to implement projects within the MPAC 2025 in particular and connectivity projects in general, such as the US-supported ASEAN Single Window, the ASEAN-China Young Leaders Scholarship Programme, and the Japan-supported ASEAN Smart Cities Network, so as to promote the connectivity in the ASEAN Community building, between the bloc and partners, and in regional economic recovery and development. At the consultation, participants also discussed measures to bolster the MPAC 2025 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, affirming that the strategic areas in this master plan highly match the post-COVID-19 recovery plan of ASEAN. They underlined the need to strengthen the coordination and connectivity between the MPAC 2025 and some connectivity initiatives of partners, and to step up the implementation of statements between the bloc and its partners, including the ASEAN Plus Three Leaders Statement on Connecting the Connectivities Initiatives, the Joint Statement of the 22nd ASEAN-Japan Summit on Connectivity, and the ASEAN-China Statement on Synergising the MPAC 2025 and the Belt and Road Initiative. The MPAC is a strategic plan adopted by ASEAN leaders in Hanoi in October 2010, aiming to bolster connectivity within the bloc, along with between ASEAN and partners, towards a seamlessly connected ASEAN community. Regional leaders approved the MPAC 2025 in Vientiane, Laos, in September 2016 with a vision of creating a seamlessly and comprehensively connected and integrated ASEAN./.VNA One person has been shot and killed during a third consecutive night of protests in the midwestern U.S. city of Kenosha, Wisconsin over the shooting of a Black man by police on Sunday. The victim was one of several people who were shot and wounded as protests stretched from Tuesday night into early Wednesday morning. News outlets say the shooting occurred during a confrontation between protesters and several bystanders several blocks from the city courthouse, where protesters had clashed with police for several hours until they were forced out of the area. Cell phone video on social media reportedly showed a man firing into a crowd after he fell to the ground. Tuesdays violent protests came hours after the father of 29-year-old Jacob Blake, the Black man who was shot Sunday, said his son is paralyzed from the waist down. Blakes father, who is also named Jacob Blake, told the Chicago Sun-Times newspaper Tuesday his son has eight holes in his body from his confrontation with police. He said doctors do not know if the paralysis will be permanent. Ben Crump, the lawyer for the injured man, said it would take a miracle for him to walk again. He said Blakes spinal cord was severed and his vertebrae shattered. Another family lawyer said several organs were damaged as well. Police have so far released almost no information about what led up to the shooting Sunday evening other than to say they were responding to a domestic dispute. Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers on Tuesday doubled the number of National Guardsmen deployed in Kenosha, a working-class city between Milwaukee and Chicago, and declared a state of emergency in the state. We cannot allow the cycle of systemic racism and injustice to continue, Evers said in a statement. We also cannot continue going down this path of damage and destruction. Kenosha Fire Chief Charles Leipzig told the Kenosha News fires started during the protests destroyed or badly damaged 30 businesses as well as an unknown number of residences. On Tuesday, Kenosha County Sheriff David Beth warned people to stay away from the city and urged residents to abide by the curfew that would be in effect from 8 p.m. Tuesday until 7 a.m. Wednesday local time. Blakes mother, Julia Jackson, pleaded for calm Tuesday, saying the damage doesnt reflect my son or my family and that she has been praying for the country to heal. Cellphone video of the incident on Sunday shows Blake walking around the front of an SUV, in which three of his children were sitting. Two police officers appear to be following with their guns pointed at him. When Blake opens the car door and leans in, an officer appears to grab his shirt from behind and fires. In the video, seven shots were heard along with people screaming and shouting. Crump told ABC News one officer fired all seven shots, four of which hit Blake. Crump said there is no sign Blake was armed, adding he was trying to break up an argument between two women. It is unclear who the women are and their ties to Blake and his children. Sundays shooting came after a spring and summer of nationwide protests sparked by the death of George Floyd, a Black man who died in May while in the custody of Minneapolis police officers. There have also been other highly publicized killings of African Americans by police. The shootings gave new life to the Black Lives Matter movement, and elevated racism and law and order into key issues for the presidential campaign. The officers involved in Sundays shooting are on administrative leave. The president of the Kenosha police union, Pete Deates, is urging people not to jump to conclusions about Sundays incident. As always, the video currently circulating does not capture all the intricacies of a highly dynamic incident, he said. Pastor Norma Urrabazo of the International Church of Las Vegas included Blake as she led the opening prayer on the second night of the Republican National Convention Tuesday. "We pray for healing and comfort to Jacob Blake and his family. We pray for your protection over those who put their lives in harm's way to bring safety and security to our streets," she said. Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden said Monday These shots pierce the soul of our nation. Equal justice has not been real for Black Americans and so many others we must dismantle systemic racism. Oregon man caught in Lyon County with $900,000 worth of marijuana DUBLIN, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Mobile Cardiac Telemetry Systems Market By Application (Lead based and Patch Based), By End User (Hospitals, Cardiac centers and Other End-user), By Region, Industry Analysis and Forecast, 2020-2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The Global Mobile Cardiac Telemetry Systems Market is expected to reach $1.4 billion by 2026, rising at a market growth of 11.3% CAGR during the forecast period. In the cases of earlier types of monitoring, the patient is expected to wear a device that is expected to log all of their records, either return it to the doctor or give it to the doctor for review. This presents an apparent problem - a time gap between the presentation of the question and the doctor seeing it. MCT monitoring is remarkable as the system automatically identifies and transmits ECG rhythm to a remote diagnostic testing laboratory without any intervention of the patient. The diagnostic laboratory that receives abnormal ECG activity consists of certified and trained personnel under the general supervision of a physician. Cardiac monitoring is continuous monitoring of the activity of the heart using electrocardiography techniques to understand the rhythm of the heart and to detect anomalies in the functioning of the heart. Cardiac monitoring is a critical part of the diagnosis of health care, as several functions of the body can be understood by carefully analyzing the rhythm of the heart. Remote cardiac telemetry is one of the newest developments in cardiac monitoring that enables direct control of patients situated at a distance from physicians. The major strategies followed by the market participants are Partnerships and Product Launches. Based on the Analysis presented in the Cardinal matrix; ScottCare Corporation is the major forerunner in the Mobile Cardiac Telemetry Systems Market. Companies such as BioTelemetry, Inc., Asahi Kasei Corporation, Hill-Rom Holdings, Inc., Applied Cardiac Systems, Inc., Medicomp, Inc., G Medical Innovations Holdings Ltd., Preventice Solutions, Inc., and Biotricity, Inc. are some of the key innovators in the market. The market research report covers the analysis of key stakeholders of the market. Key companies profiled in the report include Hill-Rom Holdings, Inc. (Welch Allyn), Asahi Kasei Corporation (Zoll Medical Corporation), ScottCare Corporation (Berkshire Hathway, Inc.), iRhythm Technologies, Inc., Biotricity, Inc., G Medical Innovations Holdings Ltd. (Telerhythmics LLC), BioTelemetry, Inc., Applied Cardiac Systems, Inc., Medicomp, Inc., and Preventice Solutions, Inc. Strategies Deployed in 2020 Jul-2020: Biotricity signed partnership agreement with Verizon for developing EMS solutions for First Responders by integrating its Bioflux solution. Bioflux is a high-precision, single-unit mobile cardiac telemetry (MCT) device that provides real-time monitoring and transmission of patients' ECG information. Combining the Bioflux solution into Verizon's EMS platform fulfill an unmet need for First Responders, enabling them to access critical, potentially life-saving data in real-time and respond immediately in a crisis. Apr-2020: Medicomp, Inc. partnered with New York based Lenox Hill Hospital, part of the Northwell Health system. Following the partnership, Lenox Hill Hospital will be using Medicomp's TelePatch mobile cardiac telemetry (MCT) monitor for measuring the heart's electrical conduction for abnormalities in patients that have been prescribed certain medications in the treatment of COVID-19. Apr-2020: G Medical Innovations Holdings got FDA approval for its Prizma medical smartphone case. Prizma has been allowing consumers to turn their smartphone into a mobile medical monitor to measure a range of vital signs including temperature, heart rate, stress levels and blood oxygen saturation which can be used to detect symptoms associated with infection and chronic illness. Key Topics Covered Chapter 1. Market Scope & Methodology 1.1 Market Definition 1.2 Objectives 1.3 Market Scope 1.4 Segmentation 1.4.1 Global Mobile Cardiac Telemetry Systems Market, by Application 1.4.2 Global Mobile Cardiac Telemetry Systems Market, by End User 1.4.3 Global Mobile Cardiac Telemetry Systems Market, by Geography 1.5 Methodology for the Research Chapter 2. Market Overview 2.1 Introduction 2.1.1 Overview 2.1.2 Market Composition and Scenario 2.2 Key Factors Impacting the Market 2.2.1 Market Drivers 2.2.2 Market Restraints Chapter 3. Competition Analysis - Global 3.1 Cardinal Matrix 3.2 Recent Industry Wide Strategic Developments 3.2.1 Partnerships, Collaborations and Agreements 3.2.2 Product Launches and Product Expansions 3.2.3 Approvals 3.2.4 Mergers & Acquisitions 3.3 Top Winning Strategies 3.3.1 Key Leading Strategies: Percentage Distribution (2016-2020) 3.3.2 Key Strategic Move: (Acquisition and Mergers: 2017, Feb - 2019, Aug) Leading Players Chapter 4. Global Mobile Cardiac Telemetry Systems Market by Application 4.1 Global Lead based Market by Region 4.2 Global Patch Based Market by Region Chapter 5. Global Mobile Cardiac Telemetry Systems Market by End-user 5.1 Global Hospitals Market by Region 5.2 Global Cardiac centers Market by Region 5.3 Global Other End-user Market by Region Chapter 6. Global Mobile Cardiac Telemetry Systems Market by Region 6.1 North America Mobile Cardiac Telemetry Systems Market 6.2 Europe Mobile Cardiac Telemetry Systems Market 6.3 Asia-Pacific Mobile Cardiac Telemetry Systems Market 6.4 LAMEA Mobile Cardiac Telemetry Systems Market Chapter 7. Company Profiles 7.1 Hill-Rom Holdings, Inc. (Welch Allyn) 7.2 Asahi Kasei Corporation (Zoll Medical Corporation) 7.3 ScottCare Corporation (Berkshire Hathway, Inc.) 7.4 iRhythm Technologies, Inc. 7.5 Biotricity, Inc. 7.6 G Medical Innovations Holdings Ltd. (Telerhythmics LLC) 7.7 BioTelemetry, Inc. 7.8 Applied Cardiac Systems, Inc. 7.9 Medicomp, Inc. 7.10 Preventice Solutions, Inc. For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/4ltfez Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research. Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1904 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 SOURCE Research and Markets Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Monday it was reported that three Conservative Ohio State Reps, led by John Becker, had drafted Articles of Impeachment against Republican Governor Mike DeWine, claiming his response to the Coronavirus pandemic violated the Constitution and his authority in Ohio. Clermont County Rep. Beckers impeachment effort was co-sponsored by state Reps. Nino Vitale from Champaign and PauI Zeltwanger of Warren. The three have since been joined by Rep Candice Keller, another Republican, from Middletown. Ohio Republican Party Chair Jane Timken and Ohio House Speaker, Republican Rep. Bob Cupp lead the overwhelming opposition. Since the impeachment effort stands zero chance of passing, its been dismissed as a publicity stunt. Who seeks bad publicity for Ohio and themselves? Complete Stooges, thats who. Sony has yet to announce the price of the PS5, but it looks like youll be able to pre-order soon as Sony just opened up a website where you can register to do so. If you want a chance at pre-ordering the console, this is something you will absolutely want to do. To pre-order the PS5, you will need to receive an invite from Sony, which you can only get if you register to place the pre-order. That being said, this does not guarantee that you will get an invite to purchase the console. It is however your best chance to be one of the first to buy one and play once the console launches. FOMO aside, if you had any intentions of buying the console as soon as possible, register now or potentially miss a chance to get one in the first wave of shipments. Advertisement Register for your chance to pre-order the PS5, or potentially miss out Sony has made it clear that once the PS5 launches, units ready for shipment before the holiday season will be limited. This is why youll want to register to pre-order the console. At least, if you want a chance to be one of these consumers. You can register to pre-order the console by heading here. Youll need to log in with your PSN account and enter your PSN ID. Once done, Sony gives you a Thank You message and basically tells you to watch your email inbox. Invites will be sent out to the email associated with your PSN ID and PSN account. So make sure those match up. Lest you miss an invite. Advertisement Invites are sent out on a first-come-first-serve basis The basis of Sonys message here is dont dawdle. To put it another way, move quickly. Make sure you keep tabs on your email. Act as quickly as possible to pre-order once Sony gives you the opportunity. Invites are sent out on a first-come-first-serve basis. And with units being limited, Sony will only have so many consoles to go around initially. It wont be holding any spots. So if you dont move to pre-order nearly right after you get the email, there is a chance you may not get to pre-order at all. At least not from Sony. Advertisement The company hasnt said anything about whether pre-orders would be available outside of its own store. So you may want to keep your options open and watch for pre-order opportunities on places like Amazon and elsewhere. BERLIN, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Spark Networks SE (NYSE American: LOV), one of the world's leading online dating platforms leveraging premium, complementary brands including Zoosk, EliteSingles, Jdate, Christian Mingle, eDarling, JSwipe, and SilverSingles, today reported first half 2020 financial results. "I am pleased with our execution and performance in H1 2020," said Eric Eichmann, CEO of Spark Networks. "Our increased revenue and Adjusted EBITDA guidance reflects strong business momentum thanks to the delivery of meaningful marketing and product enhancements. We have seen an uptick in both engagement and average paying subscribers year-over-year, showing that our business is Covid-19 resilient and setting a good foundation for future growth." "Earlier this month, we raised full-year 2020 revenue guidance to the range of $224 to $228 million (190 to 193 million) and Adjusted EBITDA to the range of $34 to $36 million (29 to 31 million)," added Bert Althaus, CFO of Spark Networks." First Half 2020 Financial Results *First half 2020 results represent the first full-period reporting to include newly acquired Zoosk's financials Revenue for the first half of 2020 was 103.4 million, an increase of 54.2 million from 49.2 million in the first half of 2019, and an increase of 3.5 million from 99.9 million in the second half of 2019. The significant increase in revenue is primarily attributable to the integration of Zoosk following the Spark Networks / Zoosk Merger in July 2019 . . Net Loss was 0.4 million in the first half of 2020, an improvement of 4.5 million compared to Net Loss of 4.9 million in the first half of 2019, and an improvement of 9.9 million compared to Net Loss of 10.3 million in the second half of 2019. The year over year improvement in Net Loss was primarily due to increases in revenue and contribution driven by the addition of Zoosk. The improvement in Net Loss in the first half of 2020 compared to the second half of 2019 was primarily attributable to an increase in contribution driven by a decrease in direct marketing spend in the North America and International segments, and a decrease in operating expenses primarily related to lower personnel and overhead costs for Zoosk. and International segments, and a decrease in operating expenses primarily related to lower personnel and overhead costs for Zoosk. Adjusted EBITDA was 17.1 million in the first half of 2020, an increase of 13.3 million compared to 3.8 million in the first half of 2019, and an increase of 12.8 million compared to 4.3 million in the second half of 2019. The Company ended the first half of 2020 with 12.0 million in cash and 88.8 million in debt. Key Performance Indicators Average Paying Subscribers increased to 915 thousand in the first half of 2020, compared to 445 thousand in the same period of 2019. Monthly Average Revenue Per User, or Monthly ARPU, increased to 18.85 in the first half of 2020, compared to 18.44 in the same period of 2019, due to an increasing share of revenue in North America . Financial Outlook Due to increased user engagement and a better than anticipated response to shelter-in-place restrictions, management expects to deliver 2020 annual revenue of $224 to $228 million (190 to 193 million) and Adjusted EBITDA of $34 to $36 million (29 to 31 million). For the second half 2020, the Company expects to achieve revenue of $110 to $114 million (87 to 90 million) and Adjusted EBITDA of $16 to $18 million (12 to 14 million). Key Metrics - Half Year Six months ended Growth Rates % 6/30/2020 12/31/2019 6/30/2019 1st Half 2020 vs. 1st Half 2020 2nd Half 2019 1st Half 2019 2nd Half 2019 1st Half 2019 Revenue 103.4 Million 99.9 Million 49.2 Million 3.5 % 110.1 % Contribution1 51.9 Million 43.2 Million 20.4 Million 20.2 % 155.0 % Net loss (0.4) Million (10.3) Million (4.9) Million (96.0) % (91.5) % Adjusted EBITDA2 17.1 Million 4.3 Million 3.8 Million 292.9 % 345.3 % Cash Balance 12.0 Million 15.5 Million 12.5 Million (22.6) % (4.1) % Total Registrations3 7,668,580 8,229,976 4,488,104 (6.8) % 70.9 % Avg. Paying Subs4 914,798 1,017,321 444,857 (10.1) % 105.6 % Monthly ARPU5 18.85 16.37 18.44 15.1 % 2.2 % SPARK NETWORKS SE SEGMENT6 RESULTS FROM OPERATIONS (Revenue, Direct Marketing and Contribution figures in thousands) Six Months Ended Growth Rates % 6/30/2020 12/31/2019 6/30/2019 1st Half 2020 vs. 1st Half 2020 2nd Half 2019 1st Half 2019 2nd Half 2019 1st Half 2019 # of Registrations North America 5,177,620 5,283,710 2,224,249 (2.0) % 132.8 % International 2,490,960 2,946,266 2,263,855 (15.5) % 10.0 % Total # of Registrations 7,668,580 8,229,976 4,488,104 (6.8) % 70.9 % Average Paying Subscribers North America 600,126 665,023 185,364 (9.8) % 223.8 % International 314,672 352,298 259,493 (10.7) % 21.3 % Total Average Paying Subscribers 914,798 1,017,321 444,857 (10.1) % 105.6 % Monthly ARPU North America 21.07 17.53 23.88 20.2 % (11.8) % International 14.61 14.18 14.56 3.0 % 0.3 % Total Monthly ARPU 18.85 16.37 18.44 15.1 % 2.2 % Total Net Revenue North America 75,857 69,947 26,561 8.4 % 185.6 % International 27,583 29,970 22,663 (8.0) % 21.7 % Total Net Revenue 103,440 99,917 49,224 3.5 % 110.1 % Direct Marketing North America 39,946 42,132 16,160 (5.2) % 147.2 % International 11,582 14,586 12,706 (20.6) % (8.8) % Total Direct Marketing 51,528 56,718 28,866 (9.2) % 78.5 % Contribution North America 35,911 27,815 10,401 29.1 % 245.3 % International 16,001 15,384 9,957 4.0 % 60.7 % Total Contribution 51,912 43,199 20,358 20.2 % 155.0 % SPARK NETWORKS SE UNAUDITED PRO FORMA FINANCIAL INFORMATION (in thousands) Six months ended June 30, (in thousands) 2020 (actual) 2019 (pro forma) Revenue(7) 103,440 119,815 Net loss(7) (412) (4,422) The following table presents certain selected information and Adjusted EBITDA(2) for the unaudited pro forma periods presented: Six months ended June 30, (in thousands) 2020 (actual) 2019 (pro forma) Net loss(7) (412) (4,422) Net finance expenses 6,219 5,741 Income tax expense 2,458 421 Depreciation and amortization 5,100 5,829 Impairment of intangible assets and goodwill 3 Share-based compensation expense 2,125 3,045 Acquisition costs and other 1,580 267 Adjusted EBITDA(2) 17,070 10,884 Six months ended June 30, Summary of acquisition costs and other (in thousands) 2020 (actual) 2019 (pro forma) Project consultant costs 194 Merger integration costs 39 Other employee payments 939 27 Severance costs 602 46 Total adjustments 1,580 267 Investor Conference Call Spark Networks will discuss its financial results during a live teleconference today at 8:00 a.m. Eastern time. Toll-Free (United States): 1-877-705-6003 Toll-Free (Germany): 0-800-182-0040 International: 1-201-493-6725 In addition, Spark Networks will host a webcast of the call which will be accessible in the Investor Relations section of the Company's website at https://investor.spark.net/investor-relations/home. A replay will begin approximately three hours after completion of the call and run until September 10, 2020. Replay Toll-Free (United States): 1-844-512-2921 International: 1-412-317-6671 Passcode: 13707517 Foreign Currency Exchange Rate: Euro guidance referenced in this release applied a Euro to USD conversion rate of 1-1.18, which reflects the conversion rate as of August 20, 2020. This disclosure relates to amounts within the financial outlook only. This is not the conversion rate applied to actual results. Safe Harbor Statement: This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, statements involving known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause Spark Networks' performance or achievements to be materially different from those of any expected future results, performance, or achievements. These statements include statements regarding Spark Networks' strong business momentum, Spark Networks' financial outlook and guidance for the second half and full year 2020, including with respect to Adjusted EBITDA and revenue, the impact of Covid-19 on Spark Networks' business and the Company's foundation for future growth. Any statements in this press release that are not statements of historical fact may be considered to be forward-looking statements. Written words, such as "believes," "hopes," "intends," "estimates," "expects," "projects," "plans," "anticipates," and variations thereof, or the use of future tense, identify forward-looking statements. By their nature, forward-looking statements and forecasts involve risks and uncertainties because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that will occur in the near future. There are a number of factors that could cause actual results and developments to differ materially, including, but not limited to, the risk that the benefits from the acquisition of Zoosk, Inc. may not be fully realized or may take longer to realize than expected; risks related to the degree of competition in the markets in which Spark Networks operates; risks related to the ability of Spark Networks to retain and hire key personnel, operating results and business generally; the timing and market acceptance of new products introduced by Spark Networks' competitors; Spark Networks' ability to identify potential acquisitions; Spark Networks' ability to comply with new and evolving regulations relating to data protection and data privacy; general competition and price measures in the market place; risks related to the duration and severity of Covid-19 and its impact on Spark Networks' business; and general economic conditions. Additional factors that could cause actual results to differ are discussed under the heading "Risk Factors" in Spark Networks' Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2019 and in other sections of Spark Networks' filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), and in Spark Networks' other current and periodic reports filed or furnished from time to time with the SEC. All forward-looking statements in this press release are made as of the date hereof, based on information available to the Company as of the date hereof, and the Company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement except as required by law. About Spark Networks SE: Spark Networks SE is America's second largest dating company, listed on the New York Stock Exchange American under the ticker symbol "LOV," with headquarters in Berlin, Germany, and offices in New York and Utah. The Company's widening portfolio of premium and freemium dating apps include Zoosk, EliteSingles, Jdate, Christian Mingle, eDarling, JSwipe and SilverSingles, among others. Spark Networks SE in its current form is the result of the merger between Affinitas GmbH and Spark Networks, Inc. in 2017 and the addition of Zoosk, Inc. in 2019. Spark has approximately one million monthly paying subscribers globally. For More Information Investors: Christopher Camarra Vice President of Investor Relations [email protected] 1 Contribution is defined as revenue, net of refunds and credit card chargebacks, less direct marketing. Direct Marketing is defined as online and offline advertising spend, and is included within Cost of Revenue within Spark Networks' Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income/(Loss). 2 Adjusted EBITDA is not a measure defined by IFRS. The most directly comparable IFRS measure for Adjusted EBITDA is our net income/(loss) for the relevant period. This measure is one of the primary metrics by which we evaluate the performance of our businesses, budget, forecast and compensate management. We believe this measure provides management and investors with a consistent view, period to period, of the core earnings generated from ongoing operations and excludes the impact of items that we do not consider representative of our ongoing operating performance. This includes: (i) items such as share-based compensation, asset impairments, gains or losses on foreign currency transactions and interest expense, and (ii) items related to acquisitions or other costs that are non-recurring, infrequent, or unusual in nature including transaction and advisory fees, merger integration costs, other employee payments, and severance. Adjusted EBITDA should not be construed as a substitute for net income/(loss) (as determined in accordance with IFRS) for the purpose of analyzing our operating performance or financial position, as Adjusted EBITDA is not defined by IFRS. A reconciliation of the Adjusted EBITDA for the six months ended June 30, 2020, December 31, 2019, and June 30, 2019 can be found in the table below. Adjusted EBITDA is defined as earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization, share-based compensation, impairment of intangible assets and goodwill, and acquisition or other costs. Statements regarding our expectations as to the second half and full-year 2020 Adjusted EBITDA do not include certain charges and costs. The adjustments to EBITDA in future periods are generally expected to be similar to the kinds of charges and costs excluded from Adjusted EBITDA in prior periods, including (i) items such as share-based compensation, asset impairments, gains or losses on foreign currency transactions and interest expense, and (ii) items related to acquisitions or other costs that are non-recurring, infrequent, or unusual in nature including transaction and advisory fees, merger integration costs, other employee payments, and severance. The exclusion of these charges and costs in future periods will have a significant impact on our Adjusted EBITDA. We are not able to provide a reconciliation of our non-IFRS financial guidance to the corresponding IFRS measures without unreasonable effort because of the uncertainty and variability of the nature and amount of these future charges and costs. 3 Total registrations are defined as the total number of new members registering to the platforms with their email address. Those include members who enter into premium subscriptions and free memberships. 4 Paying subscribers are defined as individuals who have paid a monthly fee for access to premium services, which include, among others, unlimited communication with other registered users, access to user profile pictures and enhanced search functionality. Average paying subscribers for each month are calculated as the sum of the paying subscribers at the beginning and the end of the month, divided by two. Average paying subscribers for periods longer than one month are calculated as the sum of the average paying subscribers for each month, divided by the number of months in such period. 5 Monthly Average Revenue Per User, or Monthly ARPU, represents the total net subscriber revenue for the period divided by the number of average paying subscribers for the period, divided by the number of months in the period. 6 In accordance with segment reporting guidance, Spark Networks' financial reporting includes detailed data on two separate operating segments. The North America segment consists of operations in the United States and Canada, and the International segment consists of all other operations except for the United States and Canada. 7 The unaudited pro forma financial information in the table below presents the combined results of the Company and Zoosk as if the Spark Networks / Zoosk Merger had occurred on January 1, 2019. The unaudited pro forma financial information includes adjustments required under the acquisition method of accounting but excludes certain costs and charges that are deemed to be non-recurring in nature. This presentation is for informational purposes only and is not necessarily indicative of the results that would have been achieved had the acquisition actually occurred on January 1, 2019 or in future periods. SPARK NETWORKS SE CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (in thousands) June 30, 2020 (unaudited) December 31, 2019 ASSETS Non-current assets 299,563 304,322 Intangible assets and goodwill 276,157 278,862 Internally generated software 6,341 5,040 Licenses and domains 132 160 Brands and trademarks 101,791 101,523 Purchased software 12 94 Intangible assets under development 2,023 3,159 Other intangible assets 7,129 10,658 Goodwill 158,729 158,228 Property, plant and equipment 1,819 2,317 Leasehold improvements 39 69 Other and office equipment 1,209 1,445 Right-of-use assets 571 803 Other non-current financial assets 6,357 7,040 Other non-current non-financial assets 220 251 Non-current income tax assets 86 85 Deferred tax assets 14,924 15,767 Current assets 26,737 27,720 Current trade and other receivables 14,212 11,911 Trade receivables 8,243 5,808 Other current financial assets 2,967 3,218 Other assets 3,002 2,885 Current income tax assets 566 359 Cash and cash equivalents 11,959 15,450 TOTAL ASSETS 326,300 332,042 SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY AND LIABILITIES Shareholders' equity 144,352 142,120 Subscribed capital 2,662 2,662 Capital reserves 183,349 183,349 Share-based payment reserve 8,156 6,031 Accumulated deficit (54,729) (54,317) Accumulated other comprehensive income 4,914 4,395 Non-current liabilities 89,421 96,275 Non-current borrowings 78,126 85,157 Other non-current provisions 17 17 Other non-current financial liabilities 6,297 7,167 Deferred tax liabilities 4,099 3,054 Non-current income tax liabilities 879 876 Non-current contract liabilities 3 4 Current liabilities 92,527 93,647 Current borrowings 10,717 10,682 Other current provisions 2,322 2,047 Current trade and other payables 40,615 43,263 Trade payables 22,433 25,873 Other current financial liabilities 13,322 14,429 Other liabilities 4,860 2,961 Current income tax liabilities 1,357 815 Current contract liabilities 37,516 36,840 Total liabilities 181,948 189,922 TOTAL SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY AND LIABILITIES 326,300 332,042 SPARK NETWORKS SE CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME/(LOSS) (unaudited, in thousands, except per share data) Six Months Ended 6/30/2020 12/31/2019 6/30/2019 Revenue 103,440 99,917 49,224 Cost of revenue (63,483) (70,001) (33,301) Gross profit 39,957 29,916 15,923 Other income 182 1,558 Other operating expenses (31,874) (36,934) (20,277) Sales and marketing expenses (2,126) (3,382) (2,726) Customer service expenses (3,492) (4,537) (2,293) Technical operations and development expenses (11,652) (15,279) (4,154) General and administrative expenses (14,604) (13,736) (11,104) Operating income/(loss) 8,265 (5,460) (4,354) Finance income 1,399 3,813 423 Finance costs (7,618) (12,644) (542) Net finance expenses (6,219) (8,831) (119) Income/(loss) before taxes 2,046 (14,291) (4,473) Income tax (expense)/benefit (2,458) 3,991 (401) Net loss (412) (10,300) (4,874) Other comprehensive income 519 3,661 Total comprehensive income/(loss) 107 (6,639) (4,874) Loss per share Basic loss per share () (0.16) (3.90) (3.75) Diluted loss per share () (0.16) (3.90) (3.75) Reconciliation of Net Loss to Adjusted EBITDA: Net loss (412) (10,300) (4,874) Net finance expenses 6,219 8,831 119 Income tax expense/(benefit) 2,458 (3,991) 401 Depreciation and amortization 5,100 6,043 1,653 Impairment of intangible assets and goodwill 703 Share-based compensation expense 2,125 260 2,075 Acquisition costs and other 1,580 2,799 4,459 Adjusted EBITDA(2) 17,070 4,345 3,833 Summary of acquisition costs and other: Gain realized upon sublease commencement (1,259) Transaction and advisory fees 348 4,413 Merger integration costs 39 493 Other employee payments 939 2,052 Severance costs 602 1,165 46 Total adjustments 1,580 2,799 4,459 SOURCE Spark Networks SE Related Links http://www.spark-networks.com Miranda Kerr said she is so happy for ex-husband Orlando Bloom and his new partner Katy Perry following the birth of their first child together (PA) Miranda Kerr said she is so happy for ex-husband Orlando Bloom and his partner Katy Perry following the birth of their first child together. Australian model Kerr was married to British actor Bloom for three years from 2010 and they have a son, nine-year-old Flynn. Bloom, 43, and Perry, 35, have welcomed daughter Daisy Dove. The couple announced the news through Unicef and Kerr, 37, was one of the celebrities to congratulate them on the new arrival. Kerr, who is married to billionaire Snapchat co-founder Evan Spiegel, said: Im so happy for you guys. Cant wait to meet her. Other stars sending the couple their best wishes included Stranger Things actress Millie Bobby Brown, who wrote: Yay!!! Congratulations so happy for you guys. Hollywood actor Justin Theroux said: DAISSSSYYYY!!!!! WELCOME!!!! and Love to both Mama and Papa. And Marvel star Josh Brolin commented: Yes!!!!! Perry and Bloom who have been dating since 2016 and are engaged announced the birth of their daughter on Thursday, saying they are floating with love and wonder. The pair are both goodwill ambassadors for Unicef and marked Daisys arrival by setting up a donation page in aid of new mothers and their children. Video of the Day Alongside a black-and-white snap of Perry and Bloom holding Daisys tiny hand, the couple said: By supporting Unicef, you are supporting a safe start to life and reimagining a healthier world for every child. We hope your (heart) can bloom with generosity. Perry is set to release her new album, Smile, on Friday. US officials have attacked HSBC for its treatment of pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong, and accused China of 'bullying' the bank. Donald Trump's chief foreign affairs adviser, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, alleged the lender was maintaining bank accounts for sanctioned officials but cutting off those 'seeking freedom'. It is the latest salvo in a row that has caught HSBC between the world's greatest superpowers. Under fire: Mike Pompeo, alleged the lender was maintaining bank accounts for sanctioned officials but cutting off those 'seeking freedom' The lender is under scrutiny after backing a security law imposed on Hong Kong by China. In response, the US has issued sanctions against Chinese and Hong Kong officials. While HSBC makes most of its money in Asia, it has a significant presence in the US and provides a lot of the financial plumbing between the East and the West. Pompeo said HSBC was 'maintaining accounts for individuals sanctioned for denying freedom for Hong Kongers, while shutting accounts for those seeking freedom.' He added: 'Free nations must ensure that corporate interests are not suborned by the Chinese Communist Party to aid its political repression.' New Delhi: India has asked Pakistan to take credible action against Dawood Ibrahim, wanted for 1993 Mumbai blasts, and other terrorists listed by United Nations Security Council (UNSC). "Pakistan has never taken any credible and verifiable action against terror entities or listed individuals, including the most wanted ones... Pakistan must take credible action and ensure that the listed individuals are prosecuted," said Anurag Shrivastava, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson, in response to a Zee Media question. MEA said, "Pakistans assertion that the SRO does not mean that it admits to the presence of listed individuals on its territory" on these listed individuals "lays bare the insincerity of Pakistan in responding to legitimate expectations" that Islamabad will "track down international terrorists based on its soil". Anurag Shrivastava further said, "Pakistan has not only maintained its opposition to this international consensus but it has also chosen not to act against them." The UN list of terrorists, most of them being Pakistani citizens gives details such as passport number, house address. According to the list, Dawood who was listed as an international terrorist in 2003 has 3 houses in Pakistan's southern port city of Karachi. The development comes even as Pakistan earlier this month issues a Statutory Regulatory Orders (SRO) reproducing the listed terrorist by 1267 committee of UNSC which included Masood Azhar and Dawood Ibrahim. Pakistani foreign ministry later issued a clarification saying that doesn't mean acceptance of Dawood's presence in the country. Ontario vowed to end the appalling practice of tossing inmates with mental illnesses into solitary confinement after a particularly tragic case of a woman held in those brutal conditions for more than 200 days. In a landmark 2013 settlement, Ontario acknowledged the terrible harm caused by solitary confinement 22 hours or more a day in a six-by-nine-foot cell. It committed to banning its use for inmates with mental illnesses, except as a rare last resort, and imposing a 15-day limit for everyone else. And yet, for the second time since then, the Ontario Human Rights Commission has filed court documents to try and force the province to live up to those basic and necessary obligations. That this latest motion, filed on Tuesday, is necessary is sadly indisputable. A report last spring by an independent reviewer, retired judge David Cole, found the use of solitary confinement has actually increased since Ontarios commitment seven years ago to reduce it. Placing people in solitary, or segregation as its officially called, is still common practice in Ontarios correctional facilities. And, says the report, prolonged segregation (15 days or longer) remains a routine practice for individuals with mental health and/or suicide risk alerts on file. The report also found that Ontarios prisons use segregation at a rate well above that in British Columbia, demonstrating there is another and clearly better way to treat inmates. Most troubling of all, the counsel for the human rights commission says the data shows that people with mental health disabilities are actually placed in segregation more often and for longer than other prisoners. How can that be seven years after the province explicitly recognized the particularly harsh effect that solitary confinement has on people with a mental illness? Ontarios Correctional Services has shown, yet again, that it cant be trusted to implement the changes it is legally bound to implement. Ontario is not alone in that problem. The federal government, which has taken steps to reduce the use of solitary, now claims that changes made last year means solitary no longer exists in its prisons. That is an unconscionable stretching of the truth. It gave solitary a new name structured intervention units and dropped it to 20 hours a day, conveniently falling just outside the United Nations technical definition. Even worse, though, is that the Correctional Service of Canada has refused to provide the expert panel convened to monitor those changes with the data it needs to do its work. This week the panel publicly stated that its term is finished and it basically has no idea whats happening in federal prisons. That provides the public no reason to be confident that anything has changed for the better. So two governments have committed to reduce or eliminate solitary confinement and both appear to be failing badly. We know prisoners are not a popular bunch, but this cant be allowed to continue. The debilitating effects of solitary confinement on prisoners mental health are well known. Theres a reason the UN defines stints in solitary beyond 15 days as torture. It should be used only as a last resort and not, as it so often is, to put a troubled inmate out of sight and out of mind, or as a way to maintain security in the face of under-staffing or lack of appropriate mental health care inside institutions. Solitary is not a fix-all for the challenges of running a prison; it is, as Ontarios highest court said last year, an outrage to standards of decency and amounts to cruel and unusual treatment. We mustnt lose sight of the fact that rehabilitation is the primary aim of our prison system, and the extreme deprivation of solitary causes substantial harms that get in the way of that goal. Its long past time to deliver on the promised reforms. Russias Interior Ministry said on Thursday it was launching a probe into the hospitalisation of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny over what his allies suspect was a poisoning, TASS news agency reported. Navalny is in a medically induced coma in a Berlin hospital where he was airlifted on Saturday after collapsing during a flight. The German clinic treating him said its initial medical examination pointed to poisoning, though Russian doctors who had treated Navalny in a Siberian hospital have contradicted that diagnosis. Ever since The Stand was announced, Stephen King fans have been waiting for news on the upcoming CBS project. Luckily, along with their fall TV lineup, the network just revealed a premiere date for the anticipated horror series. bespectacled-stephen-king-scaled What is The Stand about? Based on Kings 1978 novel, The Stand is set in a world ravaged by a deadly virus referred to as Project Blue, the superflu, and Captain Trips. The story begins with an infected soldier who accidentally starts spreading the disease after it leaks containment at a secret U.S. military lab. Eventually, the contagious virus spreads across the globe, killing 99.4 percent of Earths population. The novel follows the stories of some of the remaining survivors, who are plagued by nightmares of an evil being called The Walking Man, aka Randall Flagg. Others dream of a kind-hearted 108-year-old woman named Mother Abigail who calls them to her home in Nebraska. Some people are drawn to Flagg, while the rest head out to join Mother Abigail. In this post-apocalyptic world, the remaining survivors find themselves in the middle of a battle between good and evil. RELATED: Stephen King: The 10 Scariest Movies Based On His Books, Ranked Who is in the cast of CBS series? The star-studded cast of The Stand features some of the biggest names in Hollywood. Academy Award-winning actor Whoopi Goldberg will take on the role of Mother Abigail. And Emmy and Golden Globe winner, Alexander Skarsgard, will play the villain, Randall Flagg. Westworld star James Marsden will join the cast, along with Amber Heard, Greg Kinnear, and Odessa Young. Hamish Linklater, Marilyn Manson, Jovan Odepo, and Heather Graham will also appear in leading roles. RELATED: Both Alexander and Bill Skarsgard are Now Stephen King Villains When will The Stand premiere? Fans have been waiting to get a definitive timeline on The Stand. And luckily, CBS just announced the exact date to expect it. The series will premiere on CBS All Access on Thursday, Dec. 17. The nine-episode series will air weekly on Thursdays for streaming subscribers. Another bit of exciting new for fans is that King is writing the ninth episode himself. And according to TV Line, the horror guru will be adding a coda into the series that was never featured in the novel. I think many have been waiting for this information, so here it is. The Stand airs December 17th on @CBSAllAccess pic.twitter.com/UNo7DmJkcb Whoopi Goldberg (@WhoopiGoldberg) August 25, 2020 RELATED: Why Stephen King Doesnt Want You to Compare the Coronavirus to The Stand This is no fake news, what you see in the picture is the actual funeral poster of Mrs. Irma, who died at age 84 in Spadarolo, close to Rimini. You might also be wondering if the poster is the result of a terrible mistake, but its not. The family actually chose the photo of the woman, portrayed with the middle finger raised and a sly smile. The daughter and granddaughters explained to the local newspapers: "We chose this photo because our mother was exactly like this, she didn't care about anything and anyone. A great woman born in the wrong period because of her open-mindedness". The funeral of Mrs. Irma, who died on 18 August, was held on 20 August and the ashes rest in the cemetery of San Maria in Cerreto. In case you were curious if the photo of the poster will also be used for the funeral plaque, the answer, of course, is yes. Ph: Facebook fan page Matti di Rimini Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday stressed upon the need for India to become self-reliant in the defence sector. A decision has been taken to permit up to 74 per cent foreign direct investment (FDI) in defence manufacturing through automatic route with an aim to realise the goal, Modi also said while addressing Atmanirbhar Bharat Defence Industry Outreach Webinar. Our resolve for 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' is not inward-looking, but for making India capable and boosting global peace and economy, said PM Modi. He added that the ecosystem for defence manufacturing, which could have provided many jobs, had remained limited over the years. "For many years, India has been one of the biggest defence importers. When India got independence, it had great capability in defence manufacturing and an ecosystem of defence manufacturing established over 100 years. Unfortunately, this subject couldn't get requisite attention," said PM Modi. Modi said that in the last few years, it has been the constant effort of the government to unshackle the defence manufacturing sector in India from its problems. Speaking on the occasion, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that PM Modi has laid unprecedented focus on self-reliance. Modi wants India to be self reliant in contributing to global supply chains, Singh added. The Defence Minister also said that he expects 1.4 crore of defence procurement domestically. Meanwhile, in a major push to boost domestic defence industry, the government recently announced restrictions on import of 101 weapons and military platforms including light combat helicopters, transport aircraft, conventional submarines and cruise missiles by 2024. Also read: Atma Nirbhar Bharat: India should develop digital games inspired by its culture, folk tales, says PM Modi Also read: Why Modi govt's Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan would fail At a typical political convention, political staffers would be relegated to behind-the-scenes spin rooms. On Wednesday, the spin room took center stage. President Trump's senior counselor Kellyanne Conway and White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany got prime speaking slots at the Republican National Convention on Wednesday. Convention speeches from campaign and White House staffers are exceedingly rare, but Trump's RNC has broken a number of norms. Both used their remarks to try to appeal to the suburban women voters who the GOP lost during the 2018 midterm election. The appearance had added significance for Conway, one of Trump's longest-serving aides, who announced this week she would be departing her White House post at the end of the month. Conway served as Trump's third campaign manager, and when he won in 2016, she became the first woman to successfully run a presidential campaign. Conway, wearing white to pay tribute to suffragists, used her speech to argue that Trump, who has faced multiple allegations of sexual impropriety, is a champion of women. "A woman in a leadership role still can seem novel. Not so for President Trump," Conway said. "For decades, he has elevated women to senior positions in business and in government. He confides in and consults us, respects our opinions and insists that we are on equal footing with the men." She highlighted the historic nature of her role in Trump's 2016 campaign. "President Trump helped me shatter a barrier in the world of politics by empowering me to manage his campaign to its successful conclusion," Conway said. "With the help of millions of Americans, our team defied the critics, the naysayers and conventional wisdom and we won." The 53-year-old relished her role as one of Trump's most vocal and forceful defenders in the White House, but was involved in a number of controversies during her tenure, from using the phrase "alternative facts" to describe administration lies to multiple violations of the Hatch Act, a federal law that bars federal employees from participating in certain political activities. Story continues Conway is married to conservative attorney George Conway, a vocal Trump critic and co-founder of the anti-Trump Lincoln Project, which has been actively supporting Democratic nominee Joe Biden's presidential bid. The couple has four children, one of whom is a liberal social media influencer who has increasingly talked about her parents and politics online. On Saturday, the teen announced she planned to seek emancipation from her parents. Soon after, Conway announced she would step down from her White House post and her husband announced he would step back from his work for the Lincoln Project. Conway did not mention her upcoming departure during her speech. White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany speaks at the convention. (Associated Press) McEnany, the fourth White House press secretary of Trump's term, was named to the post in April. She had been in the Trump orbit well before that starting as a rare pro-Trump pundit on CNN during the 2016 presidential campaign and serving nearly three years as the Republican Party's spokeswoman. Like many in the administration, she has taken a combative posture toward the media; in July, Jonathan Karl, the ABC News correspondent and then-president of the White House Correspondents Assn., wrote an op-ed criticizing her daily news briefings as rife with contradictions. In her remarks, McEnany introduced herself not as press secretary but as "a supporter of President Trump." "Tonight Im here to share with you how he supported me both as a new mom and as an American with a preexisting condition," she continued. McEnany's address was more personal than political, sharing how Trump called to check on her after she had a preventative mastectomy and asking about her young child. "The same way President Trump has supported me, he supports you," she said. McEnany said her experience demonstrated how he "stands by Americans with preexisting conditions." Trump has said he'd pursue executive action to protect those with preexisting conditions, but such health coverage is already provided under the Affordable Care Act, which his administration has sought to undo. Conway and McEnany are particularly high-profile members of Trump's staff, but they are hardly the only White House aides taking their turn behind the convention lectern. Also speaking on Wednesday was Keith Kellogg, national security advisor to Vice President Mike Pence. White House policy advisor Ja'Ron Smith and social media director Dan Scavino are expected to speak Thursday. That's in addition to Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo, who was shown on video Tuesday from an official trip to Jerusalem, a break from his own department's rules that bar political activities; the House Oversight Committee said it would investigate his appearance. /* custom css */ .tdi_75_336.td-a-rec{ text-align: center; }.tdi_75_336 .td-element-style{ z-index: -1; }.tdi_75_336.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_75_336.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; }@media (max-width: 767px) { .tdi_75_336.td-a-rec-img { text-align: center; } } Advertisement Resolutions of the MOSOP Central Committee (Steering Committee) Held at the MOSOP National Secretariat, Peace and Freedom Center, Bori-Ogoni on Monday, August 24, 2020 The Central Committee (also called Steering Committee) of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) met at the Peace and Freedom Center, Bori-Ogoni on Monday, August 24, 2020 and resolved as follows: 1. The Central Committee called for the exoneration of Ogoni civil rights campaigner, Ken Saro-Wiwa, and nine others executed with him on November 10, 1995. The Central Committee held that the Nigerian authorities need to show goodwill towards the Ogoni people to facilitate a resolution of the protracted Ogoni conflicts. 2. The Central Committee extended the appreciation of the Ogoni people to the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO) and all other foreign partners whose continual support for the struggle of the Ogoni people for basic rights have remained a great source of strength and hope. MOSOP urged for greater international pressure on Shell and the Nigerian Government to respect the rights of the Ogoni people to self determination as a distinct ethnic nationality in Nigeria. /* custom css */ .tdi_74_fff.td-a-rec{ text-align: center; }.tdi_74_fff .td-element-style{ z-index: -1; }.tdi_74_fff.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_74_fff.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; }@media (max-width: 767px) { .tdi_74_fff.td-a-rec-img { text-align: center; } } 3. The Central Committee condemned current moves by Shell and their Nigerian oil industry allies to resume oil production against the wishes of the Ogoni people. The MOSOP Central Committee held that Shells recent actions along with those of its allies were condemnable, provocative and represented fresh plots to unleash violence on the Ogoni people using the Nigerian security forces. 4. The Central Committee called on the Nigerian Government to accept MOSOPs proposals for peaceful dialogue to resolve all legacy issues between the Ogoni people, Shell and its partners. 5. The Central Committee rejected the claims of the Nigerian Federal Government of a credible cleanup program being undertaken in Ogoni. The Committee held that the cleanup had been lacking in transparency, enmeshed in corrupt practices and not acceptable to the Ogoni people. The committee recommended an immediate reconstitution of the governing structures of the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project, HYPREP, to address the credibility crises facing the agency. 6. The Central Committee unanimously confirmed Comrade Alex Akori as the substantive Secretary-General of MOSOP. 7. MOSOP urged all Ogoni people to remain vigilant and supportive of each other during this difficult times of battling with the threat of COVID-19 and Shells un-relentless divide and rule tactics. 8. MOSOP called for greater unity among Ogonis, urged various Ogoni groups to embrace peace and reconciliation to boost our collective desire for peace and progress. Done this day, the 24th of August, 2020 Fegalo Nsuke President Rhea Chaktraborty On Claims Of Her Living Off Sushant Singh Rajput's Money The actress said that her 2019 Paris trip had been arranged by a company that had hired her for a fashion shoot, but Sushant insisted that they make the most of it. Rhea told India Today, "I had a fashion shoot by the clothing trip Shein in Paris. The company sent me the tickets. Sushant thought it was a great idea to make a Euro trip out of this, so he cancelled those tickets. I have those tickets, in case I now I have to prove everything and booked first class tickets, and the rest of the trip he paid for the hotels. He wanted to, and I didn't have a problem with that." Rhea Chakraborty On Sushant Singh Rajput's Lifestyle The actress said, "I had a problem with how much he was spending. I thought it was a very expensive trip, but that was how he was. Who was I to question that?" Rhea Chakraborty Claims Sushant Loved Living Like A Star She continued, "Even before this trip, he went to Thailand with six of his male friends. He booked a private jet for that trip and spent Rs 70 lakh. So, it was not like he spent the money just on me. He was like that as a person. He loved living like a star. I was not living off Sushant Singh Rajput's money. We were living like a couple." Rhea Breaks Her Silence On Her Brother Showik's Equation With Sushant The actress revealed that her brother Showik had accompanied her and Sushant on their Europe trip, and said that the late actor shared a great bonding with Showik. She said that they used to joke that Showik was her "sautan." Rhea said that she, Sushant and Showik were partners in a company called Rhealityx, which dealt with artificial intelligence, and that the late actor had named the company after her. She was quoted as saying by India Today, "To be a partner in the company, one has to pay Rs 33,000. I paid for Showik as he couldn't pay because he didn't have a job. Showik was preparing for CAT exams and was skeptical if he should join us. Sushant insisted Showik to join us in our Europe trip." President Trump built a television persona around his catchphrase, Youre fired, on The Apprentice. But he also gave away prizes and presented himself as a benefactor a role that he has revived during the Republican National Convention, The Timess chief television critic, James Poniewozik, noted. He wrote: In a series of taped segments, the Republican National Convention has tried to resurrect that Donald Trump for prime time: the president as gracious, generous host; the benefits of democracy (citizenship, a pardon, a presidential audience, freedom itself) as the prizes; the White House in potential violation of the Hatch Act as his soundstage. Monday night, the program had Mr. Trump meet with a group of Covid-19 frontline workers and a group of American hostages, released from captivity overseas. Tuesdays installments used presidential powers even more brazenly as campaign favors. First, he granted a pardon to Jon Ponder, a felon who founded Hope for Prisoners, a group that helps the once-incarcerated re-enter society. Later, he spoke at a naturalization ceremony for five immigrants, welcoming them to our great American family. Both segments were deeply emotional, embodying the chance for reinvention that America offers at its best. They were also deeply cynical, illustrating how willing the president is to leverage the office for his own reinvention, via a TV production. The stunts were reminiscent of this years State of the Union address, an extravaganza of surprise twists, in which Mr. Trump handed out a scholarship, arranged a viral-video-style military reunion and graced the right-wing shock jock Rush Limbaugh with a Presidential Medal of Freedom. In the R.N.C. pieces, he sometimes speaks off the cuff, sometimes from a script. But in his familiar TV-host role, he seems more comfortable than he ordinarily does reading an address off a teleprompter. HANOI/BANDAR LAMPUNG, Indonesia V ietnams domestic coffee prices jumped to their highest level in a year on Thursday following a rise on the ICE and tight supplies at the end of the crop season, while prices in Indonesia extended their decline due to higher supply. Farmers in the Central Highlands, Vietnams largest coffee-growing area, sold coffee COFVN-DAK at VND34,000-34,500 ($1.47-$1.49) per kg, a level unseen since August last year, according to Refinitiv Eikon data. November robusta coffee reached a six-month high on Wednesday, settling up $6, or 0.42%, at $1,427 per tonne. Inventories have run almost empty. Those who have to fulfil their signed contracts have to buy at those high prices, said a trader based in the Central Highlands. Its not possible to turn to Indonesia for beans now although supplies are rising there as beans from the ongoing harvest are only enough for Indonesian roasters and exporters. Vietnams next 2020/21 crop has been progressing well in the Central Highlands coffee belt. Rain has become relatively more regular, and cherries appear to be as big as those last year, another trader at a foreign company said after conducting a survey in the region. Traders in Vietnam offered 5% black and broken grade 2 robusta COFVN-G25-SAI at a premium of $80 per tonne to the November contract, compared with the $80-90 range premiums last week. In Indonesias Lampung province, prices of Sumatran robusta beans have extended their decline due to higher supply from ongoing harvest, traders said. One trader quoted $140 premium to the November contract, down from $160 premium last week, while another quoted $200 premium for the November through March contracts, down from a $210 premium last week. Trade is pretty busy and supply is plentiful, one of the traders said. Harvest may last until the end of October. ($1 = VND23,174) Very few people have remained constant in President Donald Trumps orbit amid three years whipsawing between scandals. And then theres Rudy Giuliani. The former New York City mayor has ties to two indicted Ukrainians, has consorted with a third whom the Trump administration says is a conduit for Russian propaganda and figured in Democrats impeachment case against Trump more than 500 times on the Senate floor. The left loathes him and some Republicans have counseled the president to cut him off. Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) has even told the president that having him around is bad for the administration and America, a spokesman confirmed this week. Yet there hell be on Thursday, the final night of the Republican National Convention, making a prime-time case for Trumps reelection even as he has come under scrutiny from the feds. To Trumps defenders, its the ultimate display of loyalty to a man who has protected and stuck with him throughout his presidency. But to his fiercest critics, its confirmation that the president continues to elevate his own interests above those of the country. He doesnt care that his intelligence agencies are warning the country that Russian disinformation is being laundered. He is willing to use one of the launderers in prime time during the convention, said House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), the lead impeachment manager in the presidents Senate trial, in an interview. Schiff, whose committee unsuccessfully sought documents and testimony from Giuliani during the impeachment inquiry, said the decision to put Giuliani on a pedestal tells you all you need to know about Trumps lack of moral character, his willingness to once again accept foreign help, his eagerness to advance Russian conspiracy theories. Giulianis brash defenses of Trump have endeared him to the president while others have grown skittish of the former mayors influence. Trump has defended him as a little rough around the edges when others thought Giuliani was setting Trumps impeachment defense ablaze. To Trump, Giulianis image is frozen in time in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, when his hard-charging resilience helped ease the pain of a city and nation in mourning. And he earned Trumps loyalty when he stood by then-candidate Trump in 2016 after the Access Hollywood tape surfaced. Story continues So now they are after the legendary crime buster and greatest Mayor in the history of NYC, Rudy Giuliani, Trump said as the Houses impeachment battle raged, adding that he considers Giuliani a great guy and wonderful lawyer. Giulianis appearance Thursday, on the final night of the convention when the president himself is set to accept the GOP nomination, underscores the extent to which Trump has turned the GOP convention into a celebration of himself rather than his party. Its the president thumbing his nose at everybody, thumbing his nose at the impeachment, said Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee who also served as an impeachment manager for the Senate trial. Giuliani did not respond to requests for comment for this story. If Giulianis Twitter feed is any indication, his speech Thursday will be similar to his address at the 2016 GOP convention, when he went after Hillary Clinton for, among other things, the Benghazi attack. I finally succeeded in getting the number of words in my convention speech below the number of small time Marijuana smokers Comrade Kamala put in prison, Giuliani wrote on Twitter this week, referring to Sen. Kamala Harris of California, the Democratic vice presidential nominee whose record as a prosecutor has drawn scrutiny. And on Thursday morning, Giuliani said he would not delve into the spurious charges he has leveled against Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden instead focusing his primetime address on the violence and looting in major cities in connection with the mostly peaceful protests spurred by police shootings of unarmed black men. Not in my speech. Not in this one. Thatll be for another day, Giuliani told WABC when asked if he would bring up his investigations into the Bidens. This one is on the current issue of the day. Right now I think you can't really escape what's going on in Chicago, in New York, in Kenosha. I think that's the issue that's the emergency issue. Trumps aides and some of his Capitol Hill allies have at times been exasperated by the presidents embrace of the former mayor. Giuliani was at the center of Trumps effort to pressure Ukraine to investigate Biden and his son Hunter over discredited corruption allegations, pushed by pro-Russia forces in Kyiv, that formed the basis of the Democrats impeachment case. He leaned on top Ukrainian officials to further the effort, and Trump repeatedly urged aides and diplomats and even Ukraines newly elected president, Volodymyr Zelensky to connect with him. Giuliani helped engineer the smear campaign that preceded the ouster of Marie Yovanovitch, the career foreign service officer and longtime U.S. ambassador to Ukraine. He also helped amplify a debunked Russia-backed theory that Ukraine, not the Kremlin, interfered in the 2016 election and hid a server full of evidence. Trump asked Ukraines president about that server during a July 2019 phone call that helped precipitate the impeachment effort. During the House impeachment inquiry last year, Republicans routinely criticized Giuliani in private and sought to separate the president from Giuliani in public, as Democrats were seeking to make the case that Trump knew the intimate details of, and even directed, Giulianis efforts in Ukraine to dig up dirt on Biden. One of those Republicans, then-Rep. Mark Meadows of North Carolina, who has since become Trumps chief of staff at the White House, sought to portray Giuliani as a solo actor, telling POLITICO at the time: I would not, on my dime, send a private attorney looking for some server in a foreign country. Meadows also frequently emphasized that Giuliani may have been acting on his own in Ukraine, despite Trumps consistent embrace. This is an impeachment of Rudy Giuliani. The last time I checked, hes not the president, Meadows told reporters during the House impeachment hearings. Last month, Meadows appeared on Giulianis podcast, and the two shared a moment lamenting the investigations and impeachment that had the potential to topple the Trump presidency. During the Senate impeachment trial, Trumps legal team even dedicated an entire segment to defending Giuliani, led by attorney Jane Raskin, who heaped praise on the former mayor and accused Democrats of using him as a colorful distraction. One might argue that he is everything Clarence Darrow said a defense lawyer must be outrageous, irreverent, blasphemous, a rogue, a renegade, Raskin said. Yet after three months of an impeachment inquiry and trial, some Senate Republicans who insisted on Trumps innocence nevertheless torched Giuliani, saying he imperiled the president and U.S. foreign policy. One certainty from this episode is that Americas Mayor shouldnt be any presidents lawyer. Its time for the president and adults on his team to usher Rudy off the stage, Sasse wrote the day before voting to acquit Trump, warning of Giulianis murky financial interests. Other Republicans said Giuliani had damaged Americas foreign policy in Ukraine, which has centered on efforts to combat Russian aggression in eastern Ukraine. But Trump was never prepared to ax Giuliani, and insider accounts have since confirmed the presidents intentions. Madeleine Westerhout, Trumps former executive and director of Oval Office operations , recounted in her recent book that Giuliani had earned Trumps eternal, unwavering loyalty for sticking with the embattled GOP presidential nominee at the lowest point of the campaign the day the Access Hollywood tape, in which Trump bragged about groping women without their consent, was leaked. [Trump] has been hurt so many times by people he trusted that when somebody comes through, as Rudy did, he will remember it for the rest of his life, Westerhout wrote, later recounting how a group of us would practically beg Trump not to allow Giuliani on television because he was embarrassing himself and the administration. The president would hear none of it, Westerhout added, quoting Trump as saying: He is the only one who stood up for me. Rudy is my guy. Jason Miller, a senior adviser to the Trump campaign, said the president, who signs off on all convention speakers, wanted Giuliani to appear. Miller credited Giuliani with helping defeat the impeachment witch hunt. He has a larger than life footprint. Hes the personal lawyer and friend of the president, Miller said. Hes one of the most loyal, smartest and hardworking people that I ever met. Were lucky to have him in the convention. The other lawyers who worked alongside Giuliani to protect Trump from indictment and impeachment said they are unsurprised that Trump is willing to feature Giuliani on the final, most high-profile day of his convention. I have known Rudy for over 40 years. He is very able and demonstrated his excellence as mayor of New York, said John Dowd, Trumps former lawyer. He is a great friend to and very effective advocate for the president. I think he has served the president very well and I am delighted he was chosen to speak He is a great American. Jay Sekulow, who defended the president with Giuliani amid special counsel Robert Muellers two-year Russia investigation, similarly hailed Giuliani as a tremendous leader and lawyer. Yet Giuliani has continued to court controversy even since the impeachment trial ended. Most notably, federal prosecutors in Manhattan and the Justice Departments criminal division in D.C. were eyeing Giuliani, though the status of those probes is unclear. And Giulianis own investigations targeting Biden and other Democrats have included meetings with Ukrainian officials who have a history of pushing false, debunked narratives that are often echoed by the Kremlin. More recently, U.S. intelligence officials named one of them, pro-Russia Ukrainian lawmaker Andriy Derkach, as being engaged in a foreign disinformation plot aimed at denigrating Biden. It just shows you what a group of grifters are at the heart of Trumps GOP that they would choose to profile someone who has been knowingly trafficking with someone who the intelligence community identifies as advancing Russian propaganda, said Schiff said. Derkach did not respond to requests for comment. Giuliani was also deeply intertwined with two Ukrainians Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman who were indicted last October on campaign-finance charges and are scheduled to go on trial in February. Giuliani, who is not facing charges related to the pair, deployed Parnas and Fruman to Ukraine as on-the-ground fixers to access senior government officials and lean on them to investigate Biden. Parnas has since renounced his alliance with Giuliani and cooperated with House investigators during the impeachment trial. He says its no surprise Trump continues to hug Giuliani close. Their bond is even deeper than it appears they have skeletons in the closet between the two of them. Im aware of a few, Parnas said in an interview. He knows Rudys going to go out there and speak on his behalf. What he doesnt understand is that Rudy doesnt have that same impact he did back in 2016. Since Parnas and Frumans indictment, Giuliani has also met with Andrii Telizhenko, a former Ukrainian diplomat who has promoted an unsubstantiated claim that the Ukrainian government colluded with the Democratic National Committee in 2016. The FBIs Foreign Influence Task Force briefed a GOP-led Senate committee about Telizhenko as the panel was preparing to subpoena him in an investigation involving Bidens son, Hunter, and his role on the board of a Ukrainian energy company. POLITICO reported at the time that the briefing touched on Telizhenkos unsubstantiated theories, and the committee later withdrew the subpoena effort. In a text message to POLITICO, Telizhenko said it was very positive that Giuliani was selected to speak at the GOP convention, noting that Giuliani is close to President Donald Trump who I think [trusts] Mr. Giuliani. For months, there have been questions about whether Giuliani remains legally exposed in the case that landed Parnas and Fruman under indictment. A shake-up at the U.S. Attorneys Office in Manhattan, orchestrated by Attorney General William Barr in June, led some Trump critics to worry that efforts were underway to upend investigations of the presidents allies. Last week, the office indicted Steve Bannon, Trumps former campaign boss and senior adviser, on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering in connection with an alleged plot to use a fundraiser for a border wall to pay personal expenses. You know, the president only has so many options of people to surround himself with who are currently out of custody, Schiff quipped. And Giuliani, I guess, is one of them. Anita Kumar contributed to this report. In response to a growing demand from travellers, AXA Gulf, one of the largest international insurers in the GCC, has introduced a cover for Covid-19 to all its travel insurance policies. The insurer has moved quickly to adapt its travel cover after research from IATA (International Air Transport Association) revealed that 44% of travellers would increase their likelihood to start flying again if Covid-19 insurance was made available, said a statement. As travel restrictions are relaxed, customers are looking to get away and an increasing number of destinations are opening up to them. AXA has identified the top 10 countries where visitors are not required to quarantine, and the good news is theres something for everyone. The countries are: Seychelles; Greece; Tanzania; Bulgaria; Czech Republic; Italy; Croatia; Kenya; Indonesia and Austria. For anyone testing positive AXAs travel policies now include the cost of Covid-19 emergency medical expenses and the insurer will also meet expenses associated with the rescheduling of a return flight caused as a result of the virus, the statement said. Franck Heimburger, Chief Personal Lines Officer at AXA Gulf, said: Covid-19 has had an unprecedented impact on global travel and with many people in the region spending time in isolation over the last few months, its no surprise that they are eager to travel and seek a change of scenery. Vacations and travel are clearly a top priority post-lockdown purchase for many people and in line with our purpose to protect what matters, it made sense to provide the necessary peace of mind to those individuals and families looking to travel safely. As one of the largest global insurers, our team is available around the clock for any medical emergency assistance you may need worldwide. Benson, Nessel reviewing racist robocall seeking to suppress voting by mail Benson, Nessel reviewing racist robocall seeking to suppress voting by mail AUGUST 27, 2020 Call makes false claims about safety of mail voting using racial stereotypes The Michigan Department of State and the Attorney Generals office are partnering to determine the source of a robocall received by a Detroit resident using racially-charged stereotypes to deter voting by mail. Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Attorney General Dana Nessel completely debunked the voicemail, while warning Michigan voters to be vigilant against such types of misinformation, which will likely become more prevalent in the weeks and months ahead. The departments are reviewing the incident to determine next steps. This is an unconscionable, indefensible, blatant attempt to lie to citizens about their right to vote, said Benson. The call preys on voters fear and mistrust of the criminal justice system at a moment of historic reckoning and confrontation of systemic racism and the generational trauma that results and twists it into a fabricated threat in order to discourage people from voting. The Attorney General and I will use every tool at our disposal to dispel this false rhetoric and seek justice on behalf of every voter who was targeted and harmed by this vicious attempt at voter suppression. The recording claims that voting by mail will allow police departments to track down old warrants, credit card companies to collect outstanding debt and for the CDC to track people for mandatory vaccines. It closes by warning the listener to not be tricked into giving your private information to the man and to beware of vote by mail. Though the caller claims to be associated with Jack Burkman and Jacob Wohl two political operatives with a known reputation for spreading misinformation in an effort to gain notoriety the source of the call is still unknown. Voting by mail, or any other method of casting your absentee ballot in Michigan, is a safe, secure and time-tested method of voting, and does not expose personal information any more than simply registering to vote. This is an unfortunate but perfect example of just how low people will go to undermine this election, Nessel said. This robocall is fraught with scare tactics designed to intimidate Black voters and we are already working hard to find the bad actors behind this effort. We are grateful to WWJ radio and reporter Sandra McNeill for bringing this to our attention and helping us with our efforts, and we are especially grateful to the person who received the call and alerted WWJ. The minute we heard about it we pulled in our robocall team and they are alerting our counterparts across the country. Information the robocall team needs to be effective in its review of a robocall includes: The recipients phone number; The recipients carrier; The robocalls caller-ID number; Exact time and date of robocall; and A recording of the message. A recording of the voicemail is available on Youtube. Anyone who has received this call or others with similar content should contact AG Nessels robocall team by logging onto mi.gov/robocalls and report it to elections@michigan.gov. # # # For media questions, contact Tracy Wimmer at 517-281-1876. We welcome questions and comments at the Contact the Secretary of State page. Customers may call the Department of State Information Center to speak to a customer-service representative at 888-SOS-MICH (767-6424). AUSTIN As the Texas fiscal year closes amid the coronavirus pandemic, state agencies are quietly moving forward with budget cuts through a process controlled entirely by top Republicans, putting services for low-income Texans in jeopardy at a time advocates and some lawmakers say they are needed most. More than $380 million in cuts were set for the fiscal year that ended Aug. 31, without formal input from the Legislature, which negotiates the state budget. An additional $670 million is scheduled for the coming fiscal year, and nearly 5,000 full-time jobs are at risk over the biennium, according to a recent budget document obtained by Hearst Newspapers. The largest agencies, including the Texas Education Agency and the Health and Human Services Commission, have declined to say whether all the cuts for fiscal 2020 went into effect or exactly whats on the table for 2021. That lack of transparency has left providers and advocates in the dark about cuts to programs used by millions of vulnerable Texans including specialized health care programs, oversight of child care facilities and the states system for enrolling children and families in services such as food stamps and Medicaid. IN-DEPTH: Proposed state budget cuts would delay Texas food stamp, Medicaid enrollment Under the proposals, donations to food banks and meal deliveries to senior citizens would be slashed through cuts to the Department of Agriculture. Rural hospitals would receive less money to make capital improvements and purchase updated medical equipment. The University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M University would downsize by more than $61 million, cutting hundreds of faculty and staff and scaling back research funding. Thousands of students would lose state-granted financial aid. Rep. Sarah Davis, R-Houston and a member of the House Appropriations Committee, has repeatedly opposed cuts to health programs but says she hasnt been able to get any firm answers from top leaders or agency officials about the status of the reductions. Some of the proposals including cuts to services that help domestic violence survivors, child advocacy programs and adult care facilities are horrifying in light of the pandemic, she said. Davis said she is unsure how some agencies are already planning to slash funds without lawmakers approval. There is a lot of grumbling that is taking place because the Legislature has historically held the power of the purse, Davis said. So, for changes to be made to a budget without our input, its not the process that were used to. House Speaker Dennis Bonnen, Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick had asked agencies to submit proposals for 5 percent budget cuts in May as the coronavirus ravaged economic activity. Bonnen said officials asked agencies to present budget plans early on to allow them to cut from either fiscal year, possibly lessening the effect on fiscal year 2021. TEXAS TAKE: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox Typically, agencies move forward with cuts unless informally directed not to by top officials. Bonnen said some have already enacted prudence cuts in the current fiscal year say, reductions to capital spending projects. Under a statutory provision passed amid a 2011 budget crisis, the 10-member Legislative Budget Board is required to conduct a public hearing to discuss interim cuts before they can be implemented. Bonnens staff indicated that such hearings will be held this fall. Bonnen, who chairs the board alongside Patrick, noted that in-person hearings have been difficult because of the pandemic, though agencies have been holding virtual meetings for other issues. Aides for Patrick and Abbott did not respond to requests for comment. Bonnen said some of the most hot-button proposals are not yet finalized, including cuts to womens health programs, which have elicited the most outcry from advocates. The reductions are all being discussed, he said, while warning that the 5 percent cuts are likely only the beginning as the state faces an increasingly grim financial picture. The Department of Public Safety, the Texas Military Department and the Department of State Health Services, which is managing the pandemic response, are among the entities exempted from cuts. Heading off a deficit Last month, the state comptroller estimated an $11 billion loss in revenue from the pandemic, setting up a roughly $4.6 billion deficit over the biennium, which runs through next August. That could grow even bigger as the pandemic plays out in the coming months. Infections have slowed after a summer surge, but public health experts worry they could grow as schools reopen for the fall. I recommend everyone quit losing their minds because that number theyre going to wish thats all they had to cut, Bonnen said. The Health and Human Services Commission said in a statement that its reductions are not final and that it is working closely with the governor, the Legislature and stakeholders to make sure all budget decisions put Texans first. The Texas Supreme Court plans to slash $1.2 million from legal aid for low-income families, $900,000 of which is slated for 2021. The Department of Criminal Justice is considering laying off hundreds of parole officers and support staff to save over $7 million next fiscal year. While most of the $3.8 million in cuts to womens health programs are scheduled to begin during or after November, providers have not heard how much funding theyll have until then to spend on critical services such as contraception and cancer screenings. By the fall, the funding for some could be eliminated entirely. It would be extremely devastating to our entire community, said Martha Zuniga, who manages a network of family planning clinics in and around Corpus Christi. Since March, her staff has taken in an influx of patients as county health departments and other entities have become overwhelmed by the pandemic response. About 70 percent of their revenue comes from the state, she said. If I lose funding, Ill probably have to cut several clinics, Zuniga said. Some family planning providers are still rebuilding from funding cuts during the 2011 crisis, which resulted in 84 clinics closing. Evelyn Delgado, a former state health official who now heads advocacy group Healthy Futures of Texas, said women who dont have access to effective contraception are 38 percent more likely to have an unplanned pregnancy. And of those, more than half end up being paid for by the state. Not only is it an impact for that womans future, but also to the state financial impact, she said. $434 million cut to education programs Rep. Donna Howard, D-Austin, a nurse and vocal family planning advocate who sits on the appropriations committee, said she and others have asked Bonnen to include them in the budget discussions, to no avail. The response we got was we could do whatever we wanted in our committee hearings, which there have been none, she said. The appropriations committee has not met, and its chair, Rep. Giovanni Capriglione, R-Southlake, declined to comment. Though public education was spared from the 5 percent rollbacks, higher education took one of the largest hits in the proposed budget adjustments. More than $250 million in cuts are proposed to come directly from higher education institutions, more than half of the $434 million reduced from education programs statewide. These are substantial cuts, and the result is that you see many institutions, unfortunately, implementing layoffs, not filling vacant positions and in some cases mandatory furloughs for staff, said Rep. Chris Turner, D-Grand Prairie, chair of the House Education Committee. All of those things compound to create a very challenging budget environment for our colleges and universities. Bonnen said the budget planning is being done exactly as it always is its being done transparently and openly. He said activists, who lobby for the same causes year after year, pretend to somehow not understand the process when they dont like it. Eva DeLuna, a budget analyst with left-leaning think tank Every Texan, said the slew of cuts in 2011, which followed the Great Recession, were pretty publicly understood. This time, though, nobody knows whats being cut or if it already happened. The everyday person has trouble understanding the budget in normal times, DeLuna said. Its just kind of closed, generally, even to legislators who are on the budget committees. This just makes it even more difficult to advocate. In practice, advocates and lawmakers say the reductions will undercut essential programs at a critical time, as unemployment is high and many Texans are newly uninsured. That includes programs such as respite services for low-income families who need help caring for children with complex medical needs. Jolene Sanders, the advocacy director for the Coalition of Texans with Disabilities, said the program is a last resort for many struggling families and indirectly helps prevent against child neglect and abuse. It stands to lose all its annual funding $400,000. These families are particularly now under enormous amounts of stress. Theyve either lost their jobs or have children with complex medical needs, Sanders said, adding, Its not this nice thing were mom goes to the spa, this is a critical piece of this system to prevent abuse and neglect of children. jeremy.blackman@chron.com cayla.harris@express-news.net First in situ radiation measurements 21 km up into the air over Tibetan Plateau Radiation variations over the Tibetan Plateau (TP) are crucial for global climate and regional ecological environment. Previous radiation studies over the TP were widely based on ground and satellite measurements of the radiation budget at the surface and at the top of the atmosphere. In situ vertical radiation measurements from the surface up to the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UTLS), about 10~22 km in altitude, are rare over the TP or even over a large territory of China. Dr. Jinqiang Zhang from the Institute of Atmospheric Physics (IAP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), in collaboration with scientists from the Aerospace Information Research Institute of CAS, developed a balloon-based measurement system to measure stratospheric radiation. This original system, for the first time, provides in situ measurements of multiwavelength radiation profiles from the surface up to the UTLS over the TP. Using this system, scientists can study how and why radiation profiles vary over the TP during the Asian summer monsoon period. The observation campaigns were conducted three times in the summer of 2018 and 2019, of which the longest flight observation lasted more than 30 hours and achieved a breakthrough of diurnal radiation variation in the UTLS. According to the team, the stratospheric balloon-based radiation profiles, combined with simultaneous operational radiosondes, ground measurements, satellite retrievals and radiative transfer model simulations, are valuable because the data can be used to study radiation variations and the radiative forcings of clouds and aerosols over the TP during the Asian summer monsoon period. The radiation retrievals from the radiative transfer model simulations and satellite observations are also validated. "The results of these campaigns can improve our understanding of radiation properties in the UTLS and help us better comprehend the thermal conditions associated with clouds and aerosols over the TP during the Asian summer monsoon period," said Zhang. ### Their findings were published in Environmental Research Letters, Journal of Environmental Sciences and Atmospheric Pollution Research. The research was supported by the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the National Natural Science Foundation of China. This story has been published on: 2020-08-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Malis military junta said they have released ousted President Ibrahim Keita who had been detained since the coup last Tuesday. The junta, which calls itself the National Committee for the Salvation of the People (CNSP), has been controlling Mali since August 18 when they arrested Mr Keita and forced. He was then detained. The military takeover followed months of unrest and protests by the opposition against what they called Mr Keitas inept rule and failure to contain insurgency in the country. SEE ALSO: On Thursday, the military leaders in a Facebook post said they were informing public and international opinion that former president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita has been released and is currently in his residence. He was freed this morning, (and) he has returned to his home, a spokesman for the junta, Djibrilla Maiga, told AFP, without giving further details. According to AFP, Mr Keitas whereabouts could not immediately be confirmed. His residence in Bamako appeared deserted at midday with no sign of the usual security presence outside, a local resident told AFP. But his release followed demands by Malis international partners, especially the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which has held several unsuccessful mediation talks with the junta. Last weekend, the regional bloc also sent a delegation led by Nigerias former President Goodluck Jonathan to Malis capital Bamako to negotiate with coup leaders over the release of Mr Keita and the return to civilian rule. They have promised to oversee a transition to elections within a reasonable amount of time. In another development, on Thursday, Frances foreign minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, said the coup would not stop French military operations against insurgents, following the European Union and United States suspension of their military cooperation in Mali. It also called for a swift transition of power. Rusten Sheskey, the police officer who authorities say shot Jacob Blake in the back on Sunday, is a seven-year veteran of the Kenosha Police Department who long aspired to a law enforcement career and once described police work as a customer service job, and the public is our customer. Officer Sheskey, 31, has been put on administrative leave while Wisconsin officials investigate the confrontation caught on video in which he is seen shooting while Mr. Blake leans into the drivers side of his car. Mr. Blake remains in stable condition in a hospital, though his familys lawyers say he is paralyzed. State authorities said Officer Sheskey fired his weapon seven times while holding on to Mr. Blakes shirt during an arrest. They also said that investigators found a knife on the drivers-side floorboard after the shooting. But a lawyer for Mr. Blakes family, Benjamin Crump, has said that Mr. Blake did not have a knife in his hand, and that he was trying to get into his car to protect his three sons, who were in the back seat. The Kenosha police have not released Officer Sheskeys employment file. The only disciplinary infraction that has surfaced during his time with the department was a one-day suspension without pay in 2017 for an unspecified violation of policy related to the safe use of department vehicles. This new office space will be the first of its kind... Irvine, California based Premier Workspaces, one of the largest privately-owned flexible workplace operators in the US, and Canoga Park, CA based developer California Home Builders are proud to announce the planned opening of Q Work powered by Premier Workspaces at 21045 W Erwin Street, Woodland Hills, CA 91367. Were excited to collaborate with the developers of The Q to release a project thats both innovative and engaging. This new office space will be the first of its kind, located within a luxury apartment community that shares our dedication to hospitality. Its a natural partnership that will allow the two brands to meet the shifting needs of remote and corporate workers who prefer to work closer to home. Its an exciting opportunity, said Michael Pollack, the VP, Director of Real Estate at Premier Workspaces. Open to residents and non-residents, Q Work will be located within The Q Variel Luxury Apartment Community. Known for its distinct architecture, rich services, and proximity to the best dining and shopping, The Q is the premier address in the Valley. Design of the workspace will echo the look and feel of the apartment community. Inside, clients will appreciate the professionalism that built the Premier brand. With a focus on premium private offices, meeting rooms, common areas, and well-appointed amenities, this location wont disappoint. As an added bonus, it will also offer a selection of virtual packages and memberships. All options can be easily customized to meet the needs of any business from one person to a larger team. Clients also enjoy the added benefit of flexibility with options from 1 hour to 2 years. We are eager to welcome clients to this new location, said Amy Fuller, the SVP of Sales & Marketing at Premier. It embodies the best of our 18 plus years of experience, marketing power, and service expertise to deliver an experience thats unsurpassed, she continued. Indeed, Premier is known for a commitment to service that begins with a warm welcome at the front desk and extends throughout the client experience. Each location is fully equipped and independently staffed with on-site management. They also have the full support of a corporate team that specializes in all areas of operations, accounting, and marketing. Q Work will be 6,000 square foot of workspace with 37 private offices, coworking, meeting rooms, and common areas. Pre-leasing now at (818) 224-6060 https://www.premierworkspaces.com/california/woodland-hills-the-Q About Premier Workspaces: Premier Workspaces (http://www.premierworkspaces.com) operates one of the largest privately owned executive suite, coworking and shared workspace companies in the United States with locations in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas, Washington, and the District of Columbia. Founded in 2002, the company has grown from 9 to over 90 centers under lease or management, providing over 1.6 million square feet of commercial office space and serving more than 16,000 clients daily. Premier offers fully serviced offices, meeting rooms, and virtual offices, enabling businesses of any size to maximize productivity and profits and establish an immediate professional presence at major business locations throughout the country. About The Q Brand: The Q is a new collection of communities that reimagine luxury apartment living in the San Fernando Valley. The Q embodies an urban spirit with a sense of community and connection and is built on a collaboration of inspiring architecture, innovative technology, and best-in-class service. With on-site retail, state-of-the-art amenities, and our premier co-working space branded Q Work, residents can work here, play here, and live here. WE Charity Documents Show Early Contact With Government on Student Grant Program, Cozy Relations OTTAWAThe 5,000 pages of documents released on the WE Charity affair have shed more light on early contacts between WE and the Liberal government ahead of the awarding of a $43 million contract to the organization to run a nearly $1 billion student grant program. The documents released to the House of Commons finance committee also revealed a cozy relationship between WEs executives and cabinet ministers. Central to the opposition parties probe into the scandal is whether cabinet members pushed for the awarding of the contract to WE Charity to administer the Canada Student Service Grant (CSSG) program. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and now-former finance minister Bill Morneau have both apologized for not recusing themselves from the cabinet decision to award the program to WE on May 22, given ties between their family members and the organization. The Liberal government maintains it was the public service that recommended outsourcing the administration of the $900 million program to WE Charity, and that cabinet only acted on this recommendation. We Charity stood to receive up to $43.5 million in fees for administering the program. Opposition MPs have honed in on a call between WE Charity and Youth Minister Bardish Chagger on April 17, two days before public service contacted WE about the program, to examine if Chagger had any involvement in shaping WEs proposal for the program. WE Charity co-founders Craig (L) and Marc Kielburger speak on stage during WE Day California at the Forum in Inglewood, Calif., on April 25, 2019. (Valerie Macon/AFP via Getty Images) During her testimony before the House finance committee on the issue on July 16, Rachel Wernick, an assistant deputy minister with Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC), said WE Charity was an obvious option for handling the student service grant program given the organizations prior experience in similar initiatives, and so she called WE on April 19 to discuss its potential involvement. Wernick noted that WE Charity had already previously reached out to some cabinet ministers and government officials proposing a social entrepreneurship for youth program, which the organization had indicated could be adapted as required. The government did not adopt the proposal, but Chagger says that WE Charity had spoken about it with her during their April 17 call. Chagger insists she didnt talk about the Canada Student Service Grant in the call, nor did she direct WE to adjust any of its proposals. An April 22 email in the governments released documents, however, shows WE Charity co-founder Craig Kielburger saying Chagger has provided his organization with a suggestion regarding a summer service opportunity. Our weekend team has also been hard at work to adapt your suggestion of a second stream focused on a summer service opportunity, Kielburger wrote to Chagger in his email. Contact With PMO The CSSG program was announced by Trudeau on April 22. He has testified that he only learned on May 8 about ESDCs proposal to have WE Charity handle delivery of the program. The released documents show that WE Charity co-founder Marc Kielburger had sent an email to Trudeaus chief of staff, Katie Telford, on April 13, thanking her for all that you and the prime minister do, to which she never responded. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Sophie Gregoire Trudeau appear on stage during WE Day UN in New York City on September 20, 2017. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press) But Craig and Marc Kielburger discussed the CSSG on the phone with PMO Director of Policy and Cabinet Affairs Rick Theis on May 5, and Craig later sent Theis an email. WE Charity raised their ongoing work with ESDC on the CSSG, the released records say. The records also say, At no point were expenses discussed, nor any commitment, assurances or advice given by Mr. Theis to WE on any subject, other than to contact ESDC. An earlier email, sent on April 20 by Christiane Fox, Privy Council Office deputy minister of intergovernmental affairs, shows that the PMO had in fact been in touch with WE Charity on a revised version of a service program at least as early as April. I understand WE has been in touch with some of you (or your teams) on a proposal they have for social innovation picking up from discussions they had with us pre-COVID. I am told they met with Ministers [Mary] Ng, Chagger and other to discuss this + a revised version of the service program, Fox writes to public service officials from other departments. They reached out today as they are also working with DPMO [Deputy Prime Ministers Office] and PMO. Besties In an email sent on May 5 to Theis at the PMO, Craig Kielburger attaches an updated version of the project plan and budget. A page in the package titled a sample of our Canadian celebrity ambassadors shows photos of Trudeaus wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau and mother Margaret Trudeau among the featured celebrities. Trudeaus brother and mother have received over $280,000 for speaking at WE Charity events, and his wife has received $1,400 for participating in a WE event in 2012, before Trudeau became leader of the Liberal Party. Then-Finance Minister Bill Morneau rises in the House of Commons after delivering a speech presenting the governments fiscal snapshot on July 8, 2020 in Ottawa. (The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld) Morneau repaid $41,000 to WE Charity in July for expenses incurred on trips his family took to Ecuador and Kenya with the organization to visit its projects there. One of Morneaus daughters also works for the charity. Morneau resigned from his cabinet post and as an MP on Aug. 17, saying he had mulled his departure for some time. He said he decided to step down because he was not planning to run in the next election and wanted to ensure the government had a finance minister for the long haul. He announced he would seek the secretary generalship of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Ethics Commissioner Mario Dion is currently investigating Trudeau and Morneau under the Conflict of Interest Act for not recusing themselves from the WE Charity decision. In a May 7 email to Wernick at ESDC, deputy minister for finance Michelle Kovacevic describes the relationship between the finance ministers office and WE as besties, the governments released documents show. An email sent by Kielburger on April 10 to Chaggers direct email account begins by wishing her a happy belated birthday. Another email sent a few minutes later to Morneau begins by wishing him and family members, by name, a good Easter holiday. During their testimony before the finance committee on July 28, WE Charity co-founders Craig and Marc Kielburger were pressed by New Democrat MP Charlie Angus on why they hadnt registered as lobbyists. Angus later filed a complaint with the Lobbying Commissioner over WEs unregistered activities. The lobbying registry is full of charities except WE, Angus told the Kielburgers at the committee hearing, adding that and yet none of them, say, for example, hire the prime ministers mother or the prime ministers brother. Craig Kielburger responded that having a mother of an elected official, not [in] an elected official capacity, but as a speaker on mental health, these things I dont believe are actually defined as lobbying. He also said It was highly unusual for us to be spending any significant amount of time with the federal government on these types of proposals. Under the Lobbying Act, in-house lobbyists are required to register with the Office of the Commissioner of Lobbying within two months after starting their lobbying activities. We Charity officially registered as a lobbyist on Aug. 13, listing 18 employees as in-house lobbyists. The log of the federal lobbyist registry notes 65 contacts between WE and federal officials or ministers beginning in January 2019, including the April 17, 2020, communication with Youth Minister Chagger, and 10 days earlier with Mary Ng, minister of small business, export promotion, and international trade. Concerns Opposition critics like Conservative MP Pierre Poillievre questioned why a third party program administrator was necessary when the Canada Revenue Agency was already managing applications for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit and would dole out student benefit payments of $1,250 per month in a separate stream under the $9 billion student aid package. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau rises during a sitting of the Special Committee on the COVID-19 Pandemic in the House of Commons in Ottawa on July 22, 2020. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press) The CSSG would be an additional program to pay eligible student volunteers $1,000 for 100 hours of community service up to a maximum of $5,000. On May 4, a day before Youth Minister Chagger would present the proposal to a special COVID-19 cabinet committee, officials from the Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS), the federal governments accountant, expressed some general misgivings. TBS notes that ESD [ESDC] has not provided evidence to suggest that WE Charities possess the capacity to undertake this work, especially under accelerated timelines. Furthermore, the tracking of hours by a third-party could be challenging and result in potential integrity concerns should students not be honest about hours accrued. An additional $12 million recommended by Morneau for 20,000 paid youth jobs under WE Charities is also flagged by TBS. There should be a clear line between these proposals, particularly to ensure clarity between paid jobs and service placements. An internal email between ESDC officials on June 13 notes that some of the opportunities look like they should be paid employment to me. Even with COVID in the description, the opportunities feel like jobs. Twenty days later, on July 3, 2020, the government announced that its cancelling the deal with WE Charity. 8:17pm: Judge left after experiencing tightness in his calf area, manager Aaron Boone told James Wagner of the New York Times and other reporters. Asked about a potential MRI for Judge, Boone said, Well see. 8:06pm: Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge didnt get through his entire first game in his return from the 10-day injured list Wednesday. Judge departed after five innings against the Braves, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports. Its unclear why Judge exited, but the team replaced him with Clint Frazier while nursing a 1-0 lead. Judges latest IL stint came as a result of a mild right calf strain that shelved him for the minimum period of time. Yet another notable injury for Judge would be a significant blow to an injury-battered New York club that entered Wednesday night with four straight losses and now sits a game and a half back of the Rays in the AL East. The Yankees do own a wild-card spot right now, but theyre in a weakened state with DJ LeMahieu, Giancarlo Stanton, Gleyber Torres, James Paxton and Zack Britton on the IL. As has been the case throughout his career, Judge has been one of the driving forces behind the Yankees success this year. The hulking slugger has slashed .292/.343/.748 with nine home runs in 71 plate appearances a month into 2020. Theres no realistic hope of replacing that production, though Frazier, Aaron Hicks and Mike Tauchman have also provided above-average numbers from the Yankees outfield. On the other hand, the long-steady Brett Gardner has gotten off to a woeful start this year. (CNN) The United States government has imposed sanctions on dozens of Chinese companies for helping Beijing advance its territorial claims in the South China Sea the first punitive action of its kind over the disputed waters, and one that is almost certain to escalate tensions between the countries. In a statementbuild) Wednesday, the US Commerce Department said the 24 state-owned companies including several subsidiaries of the China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) played a "role in helping the Chinese military construct and militarize the internationally condemned artificial islands in the South China Sea" and "must be held responsible." The companies will be added to the Commerce Department's Entity List, which restricts American firms from selling US goods and technology to them without a special license, according to the statement. Separately, the State Department announced Wednesday that it would impose visa restrictions on Chinese individuals "responsible for, or complicit in, either the large-scale reclamation, construction, or militarization of disputed outposts in the South China Sea, or the PRC's use of coercion against Southeast Asian claimants to inhibit their access to offshore resources." Under the restrictions, the individuals will not be allowed into the US, and their immediate family members may also be subject to restrictions. The State Department did not name the officials or specify how many of them are subject to the restrictions. Bilateral relations between Washington and Beijing have plunged to their lowest point in decades, following the coronavirus pandemic and ahead of the US presidential election in November. The Trump administration has previously sanctioned Chinese companies and officials over Beijing's crackdown on Muslim minorities in the Xinjiang region, tightening control on Hong Kong and national security concerns over varying forms of advanced technology. But this is the first time the US government has taken punitive action against Chinese entities over the South China Sea years after Beijing started to accelerate its construction and militarization of artificial islands in the strategic waterway. The Chinese government has yet to comment on the decision. Since 2013, China has dredged and constructed more than 3,000 acres (12.1 square kilometers) across seven features in the South China Sea, which include air defense and anti-ship missile features, the Commerce Department statement said. In its statement, the state department said the CCCC "led the destructive dredging" of Beijing's South China Sea outposts and is also one of the leading contractors used by Beijing in its "Belt and Road" global infrastructure initiative. Other companies listed include Beijing Huanjia Telecommunication Company, Changzhou Guoguang Data Communications, Guangzhou Guangyou Communications Equipment Company, Shanghai Cable Offshore Engineering Company, Tianjin Broadcasting Equipment Company, and research institutes attached to China Electronics Technology Group Corporation and China Shipbuilding Group. "The entities designated today have played a significant role in China's provocative construction of these artificial islands and must be held accountable," said Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in a statement. China claims almost all of the 1.3 million square mile, resource-rich waters as its sovereign territory, but they are contested by a handful of other governments in the region, including the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei and the self-governing island of Taiwan. On Thursday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian called the sanctions a gross interference in China's internal affairs and a violation of international law. "China's relevant construction on its own territory is entirely within the scope of sovereignty and has nothing to do with militarization. The participation of Chinese enterprises and individuals in the country's construction activities is reasonable and legal, and it is understandable. There is no reason for Chinese companies and individuals to participate in relevant illegal sanctions in their own country," said Zhao. The US doesn't have any claims in the waters, but has repeatedly conducted freedom of navigation operations aimed at challenging China's claims. Last month, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declared most of China's claims illegal. "Beijing's claims to offshore resources across most of the South China Sea are completely unlawful, as is its campaign of bullying to control them," he said in a statement. "The world will not allow Beijing to treat the South China Sea as its maritime empire. America stands with our Southeast Asian allies and partners in protecting their sovereign rights to offshore resources, consistent with their rights and obligations under international law." Home to vital shipping lanes, the South China Sea is widely deemed as a potential flashpoint for military conflicts between the US and China. The countries have recently stepped up military actions in the narrow waterway. Last month, the US Navy staged exercises involving two aircraft carrier strike groups in the South China Sea -- the first time it had done so in six years. This week, China launched three military exercises on Monday alone in Pacific waters, from the South China Sea in the south to the Bohai Sea in the north. This story was first published on CNN.com, "US sanctions 24 Chinese companies over South China Sea island building." It can be seen that before the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) took effect, a number of Vietnamese exporters had been gradually affirming their position in the EU market with the increasing volume of export goods. As the EVFTA has now officially come into effect, many new and bigger opportunities will open up for various industries, and not just for Vietnam's tra fish industry. Besides the unprecedented large tax incentives, regulations in EVFTA also help Vietnamese enterprises avoid the risk of unfair competition by building up technical non-tariff barriers. If enterprises can make good use of the agreement, there will be more room and potential for domestic production towards export. However, besides the opportunities and advantages, there are also many challenges that Vietnamese enterprises must pay attention to. It should be mentioned the language barriers, cultural differences as well as limited understanding of the regulations in the EU market are among these issues. Successful transactions depend on many factors besides the satisfaction of the basic requirements for product quantity and quality. These factors include websites; marketing documents on social networks; the sales team and their language ability, working style, and legal and cultural knowledge; amongst others. These intangible factors actually play a very important role in competing with other rivals. Most of the purchasing staff of EU businesses use English professionally as an official language. Meanwhile, Vietnamese enterprises still have many gaps to fill compared to competitors from other countries in terms of working style and dealing with European customers. In addition, the EU market also has strict standards for requirements on quality, food hygiene and safety, labour conditions, environmental impact, and others that not all Vietnamese businesses can meet. To enjoy tax incentives under EVFTA commitments, enterprises must meet stringent rules on the origin of raw materials for processed and manufactured products in the areas of garments, textiles, footwear, wood and others in addition to sanitary and quarantine standards for agricultural products. However, from a business perspective, it is advisable to see the above challenges as opportunities for businesses to study and overcome in order to take advantage of the agreement. The Egyptian Drug Authority (EDA) said in a statement on Thursday that it has activated a package of incentive measures for contract manufacturing pharmaceuticals and medical supplies so as to open new markets and increase the export value of Egyptian pharmaceutical products and increase incentives for pharmaceutical investment. Contract manufacturing allows manufacturing with the aim of export only. EDA spokesman Aly El-Ghamrawy said that contract manufacturing has been applied to pharmaceutical products and medical supplies which are unregistered with the EDA that are produced locally for export. El-Ghamrawy said that four pharmaceutical companies have applied for contract manufacturing in 2019 and 2020, and 57 products have been approved for export to Sudan, Saudi Arabia, the UK, Canada, Cyprus and Yemen. In addition, three pharmaceuticals were exported according to this system in 2019 to Sudan, and two others during 2020 to Syria and the UK. Forty-four import approvals were issued to release production materials for export for five medical supply factories during 2019, and 11 import approvals were issued to release production materials for export in favour of three medical supply factories in 2020. Search Keywords: Short link: Amid a chorus by non-NDA ruled states for compensation of GST revenue shortfall, the Centre on Thursday presented two options to states under which they can borrow from the market to make up for the estimated deficit of Rs 2.35 lakh crore this fiscal. IMAGE: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman chairing the 41st GST Council meeting via video conferencing in New Delhi on Thursday. MoS (Finance) Anurag Thakur, finance ministers of states and UTs and senior officers from the Union government and states are also present in the meeting. Photograph: ANI Photo. At the end of a five-hour long meeting of the GST Council, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said there was no proposal to raise tax rates to make up for the shortfall that has been compounded by the Covid-19 pandemic. Citing a legal opinion from the attorney general, she ruled out the Centre making good the shortfall from either its coffers or borrowing against its balance sheet. The deficit can be made good by states borrowing using a special window, she said, adding gthat this loan can be repaid after five years from the collection of GST cess. If states agree to either of the options, it would effectively mean that cess would continue beyond five years of the GST rollout. In 2017, all states agreed to subsume their local taxes such as VAT into the new, nationwide Goods and Services Tax in return for the Centre promising to make good any loss of revenue in the first five years. But with the economy slowing down, Rs 70,000 crore shortfall was seen in the last fiscal and this year it is estimated to widen to Rs 2.35 lakh crore. Revenue Secretary Ajay Bhushan Pandey said out of this amount, only about Rs 97,000 crore is attributable to the implementation of GST, while the rest in on account of the coronavirus pandemic hitting the economy. Pandey, who is also the finance secretary, said while GST collections have been impacted by the pandemic this year, there was a shortfall of Rs 70,000 crore in 2019-20 (April 2019 to March 2020) which was made good from the surplus of previous two years. When GST was implemented in 2017, the Centre had promised to compensate states for any revenue loss for five years from a pool created by levying cess over and above the GST on luxury and sin goods. This cess pool generated a surplus in the first two years but witnessed a deficit in FY20 as well as the current fiscal. Detailing the options presented to the states, Sitharaman said the Centre, in consultation with the RBI, will provide a special window to states to borrow Rs 97,000 crore at a reasonable rate of interest. This money can be repaid after five years from the collection of cess. The other option is that the states borrow the entire GST compensation gap of Rs 2,35,000 crore through the special window. The states have seven working days to decide which option they want, she added. Sitharaman said, "The interest from borrowing would be repaid from the cess collected in the years beyond the first five years of GST implementation." "There will be no additional burden on the states," she said, adding that the states have been asked to borrow through the RBI to ensure they do not rush for the borrowing and there is no hardening of bond yields. The minister said the GST Council decided that the borrowing arrangement would be for the current fiscal and a review would be done at the beginning of the next financial year. "We very clearly said in both the options... that we shall facilitate talking to the Reserve Bank and getting it at a G-Sec proportionate number of years linked rate for all the states so that each state does not have to go running for the loan and face different situations and in the process the bond yields (turn) higher. "So we said we will facilitate it, but the borrowing can be done in the name of the states and all states roughly can get the same rate of interest," Sitharaman said. A detailed note on the two options would be shared with the states and they would give their views on it in seven working days. The minister said as soon as an arrangement was agreed upon by the GST Council, the Centre will clear the pending bi-monthly compensation. The compensation amount due for April-July period stands at Rs 1.50 lakh crore. "This year we are facing an extraordinary situation... We are facing an act of God which might even result in a contraction of the economy, to what percent I am not getting into. "Therefore, we said that a portion (of compensation) which strictly is hardwired in the (GST) Act, we will arrange, give it to you...," Sitharaman said. She said both the options hinge upon the fact that borrowing will be done by the states. "We explained why it would be preferable for the states to borrow and not the Centre and also we said if states are going to borrow, instead of crowding out people, we will facilitate the process through the central bank," she said. The Centre had released over Rs 1.65 lakh crore in 2019-20 as GST compensation. However, the amount of cess collected during 2019-20 was Rs 95,444 crore. The balance of about Rs 70,000 crore was paid from the excess cess collected in 2017-18 and 2018-19. The compensation payout amount was Rs 69,275 crore in 2018-19 and Rs 41,146 crore in 2017-18. Lome, Togo (PANA) - The Togolese justice system on Wednesday in Lome freed 15 political detainees who had supported former Prime Minister, Gabriel Agbeyome Kodjo, candidate for the February 22 presidential election, PANA learned from official sources in the Togolese capital on Thursday Burma Subsidiaries of Chinese Firm Involved in Myanmars New Yangon City Project Blacklisted by US Yangon Region Minister for Electricity, Industry, Transport and Communications Daw Nilar Kyaw, who also serves as chairperson of the New Yangon Development Company (seated at right), and Tang Qiaoliang, president of China Harbor Engineering Company, a subsidiary of CCCC, sign a framework agreement on infrastructure development proposals for the New Yangon City project at the Yangon Regional Government Offices Mingalar Hall on April 30, 2018. / Yangon Regional Government / Facebook YANGONSubsidiaries of a Chinese state-owned construction company that is involved in a controversial New City project in Myanmars commercial capital, Yangon, are included in the United States latest trade blacklist of companies it says are helping Beijing build islands in disputed areas of the South China Sea. On Wednesday, the United States added 24 Chinese companies to its Entity List, accusing them of enabling China to reclaim and militarize disputed outposts in the South China Sea. The list includes subsidiaries of China Communications and Construction Company (CCCC), including CCCC Dredging Group Co. Ltd., CCCC Shanghai Waterway Bureau and CCCC Guangzhou Waterway Bureau. CCCC is one of the biggest builders of Chinas ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) infrastructure projects along corridors stretching from Asia to Europe. In Myanmar, the company signed an agreement with the Yangon regional government-backed New Yangon Development Company (NYDC) to draw up a proposal worth US$1.5 billion (2.01 trillion kyats) to construct the initial infrastructure for the New Yangon City project across the Yangon River from Myanmars commercial hub. The project is one of the pillars of the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor (CMEC), which is a local element of the BRI. In the statement on Wednesday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused the CCCC of leading destructive sand dredging and land reclamation to create outposts in the South China Sea. Pompeo said China is using CCCC and other state-owned enterprises on the entity list as weapons to impose an expansionist agenda, adding that CCCC and its subsidiaries have engaged in corruption, predatory financing, environmental destruction and other abuses across the world. As a result of the sanctions, the US State Department said the individuals named in the blacklist would not be permitted to enter the US, and their immediate family members may be subject to visa restrictions as well. In a separate statement, the US Department of Commerce said the Entity List comprises persons (individuals, organizations, companies) reasonably believed to be involved, or to pose a significant risk of becoming involved, in activities contrary to the national security or foreign policy interests of the US, and to whom the export, re-export and in-country transfer of items subject to the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) are restricted. It also said additional license requirements apply to exports, re-exports and in-country transfers of such items to listed entities, adding that the availability of most license exceptions is limited. Despite its framework agreement with the Yangon government on the New Yangon City project, CCCC hasnt been green-lighted for project implementation. In line with official procedures, it will have to go through the so-called Swiss Challenge selection process, in which other candidate firms would be invited to beat CCCCs bid. Currently, the government is finalizing the hiring of an international consultant to assist the selection process. You may also like these stories: Myanmar Amends Privacy Law to Protect Citizens From State Intrusion Myanmar Sets Out Re-entry Rules for Foreign Staff Myanmar Opposition MP Questions Govt Online Monitoring Body By Kim Bo-eun Korea Development Bank Chairman Lee Dong-gull All eyes are on whether Korea Development Bank (KDB) Chairman Lee Dong-gull will be able to prompt Hyundai Development Company (HDC) to push on with the deal to acquire Asiana Airlines. While the KDB, which leads Asiana's creditors, did not provide details of Lee's meeting with HDC Chairman Chung Mong-kyu, Wednesday, the state-run lender stated it "held discussions, keeping all possibilities regarding acquisition conditions open." It appears Lee has offered significant concessions in terms of reducing the cost burden for HDC to bring the company back to the table. The consortium led by HDC had agreed to sign a stock purchase agreement on the acquisition of Asiana from Kumho Industrial, the construction unit of Kumho Asiana Group, in December. But in June, HDC requested a review of the deal be conducted from scratch after the COVID-19 pandemic greatly affected the airline industry. HDC has called for a 12-week due diligence of Asiana to look into its financial condition, as circumstances have worsened from eight months earlier. Kumho and the KDB refused the request, instead offering to make concessions on acquisition conditions. Hyundai Development Company (HDC) Chairman Chung Mong-kyu Coronavirus cases linked to the massive Sturgis Motorcycle Rally have been confirmed in eight states, including South Dakota, which hosted the 10-day event. The North Dakota Health Department said Monday 17 people with connections to the rally have tested positive for coronavirus. Other cases have been confirmed in Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming and host state South Dakota, which reported 40 cases. Minnesota officials said it has identified 15 people who attended the rally who later tested positive for coronavirus, including one who had to be hospitalized. Nebraska has identified seven cases believed to be tied to the event. The rally, held Aug. 7-16 in Sturgis, drew more than 460,000 vehicles, down roughly 8 percent from last years 500,000. Here are the latest coronavirus headlines from around the country: Florida adds 3,220 new cases Florida added 3,220 new COVID-19 cases and 153 additional resident deaths on Wednesday. The state currently has 602,113 coronavirus cases with 10,733 deaths among Florida residents. There have been more than 4.4 million COVID-19 tests administered in Florida with a positive rate of about 14%. There are currently 4,430 COVID-19 patients hospitalized in the state. New York positivity rate below 1% again New York state has posted 19 straight days with less than 1% of its COVID-19 tests coming back positive. There were 71,189 tests reported to the state on Tuesday with 566 positives or a 0.79% rate. New York has had 431,340 total coronavirus cases since March with 25,305 deaths. Tech event a likely super spreader A superspreader event may be connected to about 20,000 COVID-19 cases in the Boston area, researchers said. The event was a biotech conference attended by about 200 people in late February. More than 90 cases were diagnosed in people associated with the conference or their contacts, officials added. Superspreading occurs when one or a few infected people cause multiple transmission of an infected disease. New WhatsApp messages, accessed by a news channel, allegedly reveal actor Rhea Chakrabortys conversations about procuring drugs. Times Now claims to have accessed hundreds of messages between Rhea and other members of Sushant Singh Rajputs staff. Sushant died on June 14, and his death is being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation, with separate investigations being carried out by the Enforcement Directorate and the Narcotics Control Bureau. In a January 2020 exchange, Sushants house manager Samuel Miranda texted Rhea, Hi, can you give Dipesh Rs 17,000 for 2 bags of weed? 1 for us & another for him & he will transfer it to us, to which she replied, Ya, we could. Also read: 8 hard drives destroyed on day Rhea Chakraborty left Sushant Singh Rajputs house, Siddharth Pithani tells CBI: report In April 2020, Dipesh texted Rhea, Getting green for Rs 5K, 1 bag. Rhea also asked Dipesh, We currently have hash, right? Dipesh is also reported to have texted Rhea, One of my friends called me said his Peddy is gonna deliver it her in Bandra it is the same stuff we get from our ped. Rhea texted, Dont get for now. In a November 2019 exchange between Rhea and her talent manager Jaya Saha, the actor reportedly thanked her for procuring certain substances for her. So glad youve sent this, Rhea texted Jaya, and Jaya asked, Did it help at all? Yes calmed him down quite a bit, Rhea wrote back. In previously accessed conversations between Rhea and Sushants business manager Shruti Modi, they discussed his use of marijuana. He was to completely stop weed and he said he quit it since yesterday. He has gone off to sleep I am leaving for the day, two messages, from a contact saved as Shruti 2, read. The messages also suggest that despite constant medical care, Sushant was still not healing and that his doctor should be consulted about further treatment. Rheas lawyer has dismissed the reports. Rhea has never consumed drugs in her life ever. She is ready for a blood test, he said in a statement. Responding to the messages, Vikas Singh, the lawyer representing Sushants family, said that it was highly illegal for drugs to be administered to the late actor without his knowledge. He also denied that Sushant was a drug user. Sushant was a fitness freak, someone who believed in yoga and meditation. He never did hard drugs or had such a clandestine lifestyle and consumption, he told Pinkvilla. Also read: Sushant Singh Rajput promised to quit marijuana, claims new WhatsApp chat between Rhea Chakraborty, Shruti Modi: report The ED during its investigation found evidence of a drug angle to the case, following which the Narcotics Control Bureau launched its own investigation. We received a letter from ED on Tuesday evening, stating that during their probe into the financial aspects, they found that drug was supplied to Rhea and Sushant. An NCB team will now conduct an inquiry and people involved will be questioned, NCB director Rakesh Asthana told Hindustan Times. Follow @htshowbiz for more SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON "Follow your positive energy and thoughts. Fear and negativity can be useful in our decision-making but do not allow these things to consume you or to become your main focal point. When focusing on your positive thoughts and energy, you will typically have a better end result..." "Follow your positive energy and thoughts. Fear and negativity can absolutely be very useful in our decision-making; however, do not allow these things to consume you or to become your main focal point. When focusing on your positive thoughts and energy, you will typically have a better end result; not only for your real estate transactions but in regards to life in general," Tiffany states. This is a concept that is heavily highlighted within the team's day-to-day activities among each other and with their clients. Tiffany Durant of Tiffany Durant and Associates, LLC / Century 21 Intown Atlanta has the necessary experience to assist you with navigating today's continuously changing real estate market within the states of Georgia and Florida. New agents are being interviewed within the upcoming weeks to prepare to build their growing network of agents. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday addressed Atmanirbhar Bharat Defence Industry Outreach Webinar through video conferencing. During the conference, PM Modi emphasised the need of making India self-reliant in the defence sector. Here are the highlights of the speech: To make India capable and boost global peace Our resolve for Aatmanirbhar Bharat not inward-looking, but for making India capable and boosting global peace and economy, said PM Modi. To boost Indias ability of being net security provider in Indian Ocean Our work for Aatmanirbhar Bharat will also boost Indias ability of being net security provider in Indian Ocean, said PM Modi. To permit up to 74% FDI in the defence manufacturing A decision has been taken to permit up to 74% FDI in the defence manufacturing through automatic route, said PM Modi. Give big role to private players in defence sector Efforts being made to boost defence production, develop new technology and give big role to private players in defence sector, said PM Modi. Reform exercise not going to stop now We also saw labour reforms recently; reform exercise not going to stop now. They will continue and we will not be tired from it, said PM Modi. For many years, India has been one of the biggest defence importers For many years, India has been one of the biggest defence importers. When India got independence, it had great capability in defence manufacturing and an ecosystem of defence manufacturing established over 100 years. Unfortunately, this subject couldnt get requisite attention, said PM Modi. To increase defence manufacturing in India We aim to increase defence manufacturing in India, said PM Modi during the conference. T ikTok CEO Kevin Mayer has resigned from his post "with a heavy heart" amid US pressure for Chinese owner ByteDance to sell the popular video app. In a letter to employees, Mr Mayer, a former Disney executive, said he made the decision after "significant reflection", adding that the political environment has sharply changed. It comes after US President Donald Trump ordered a ban on TikTok unless parent company ByteDance sold its US operations to an American company within 90 days. The White House believes the app is a security risk. I have done significant reflection on what the corporate structural changes will require, and what it means for the global role I signed up for, Mr Mayer said in the letter. Against this backdrop, and as we expect to reach a resolution very soon, it is with a heavy heart that I wanted to let you all know that I have decided to leave the company. Mr Mayer joined TikTok as CEO in May. TikTok said it respected Mr Mayers decision. We appreciate that the political dynamics of the last few months have significantly changed what the scope of Kevins role would be going forward, and fully respect his decision, the company said in a statement. We thank him for his time at the company and wish him well. 8 p.m.: Some Southeast Texas residents were facing rolling power outages Thursday as a result of widespread outages near the Texas-Louisiana border. According to a press release from Entergy, the company is taking the action to avoid a more extensive, prolonged power outage that could severely affect the reliability of the power grid. The issue is a combination of the extensive damage to Entergys transmission system caused by Hurricane Laura and the anticipated high demand for electricity due to high temperatures. The company did not provide a timeline on the power outages, but the outages would continue until the integrity of the power system is no longer threatened. Entergy officials are asking customers to help reduce the demand on the system by reducing electricity use. 1:35 p.m.: The city of Port Neches and Nederland will keep their curfews through tonight as no more than 20% of residents across the two cities have had power restored. Port Neches' curfew is expected to run from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. tonight and then be lifted, according to Jefferson County public information officer and tax assessor-collector/voter registrar Allison Getz. Nederland's 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. curfew is extended until further notice. Port Neches continues to be under a boil water notice, as is the city of Groves. Initial efforts by Jefferson County assessment teams show the county did not suffer extensive damage as a result of Hurricane Laura, roads are clear in most places and there are no reports of residential flooding, according to Getz. First responders are battling four fires in Port Arthur, but no other significant impacts have been reported. 9:40 a.m.: Hardin County Judge Wayne McDaniel is lifting his county's evacuation order, effective at noon. However, he said more than 10,300 homes and businesses still are without power with no estimate as to when it will be restored. Additionally, most gas stations, grocery stores, convenience stores and other businesses remain closed, also with no estimate for reopening. "Hardin County dodged a bullet on major storm damages, but our neighbors to the southeast, east and northeast were not so lucky," he said in a Facebook post. "Please keep them in your prayers -- Hardin County stands ready to assist them in any way that we can." County offices are expected to resume normal operations on Friday. Original Jefferson County is lifting its mandatory evacuation order, clearing the way for residents to return home earlier than expected after Hurricane Laura passed to the east of the Texas-Louisiana border and spared Southeast Texas major problems. High winds - 75 mph was the highest reported sustained wind speed in the county overnight, with some gusts as high as 86 mph - left nearly 75,000 people without power in the 3-county area. Jefferson County Judge Jeff Branick signed an order lifting the evacuation order there, effective at 10 a.m. Given the forecast still pending Wednesday evening, Branick had hoped to let people return in perhaps a "couple of days." Laura's determined path to our east speeded up the timeline here. The historically powerful storm wreaked havoc after in Louisiana after coming ashore at Cameron about 1 a.m. As daylight approached, officials in Jefferson, Orange and Hardin counties all reported no major emergencies and only a few calls for service, mostly no major emergencies. Crews were headed out to assess the situation and begin clearing debris. Entergy spokeswoman Allie Payne said the company has nearly 10,000 workers ready to assess the damage and work to restore power Thursday morning. It's possible that a good portion of those workers could be redirected to hit-hard areas of western Louisiana, however. Payne urged customers to stay away from down power lines and wait for workers to show up. Vidor Police Chief Rod Carroll said most people in his Orange County community had heeded evacuation calls, and there were only six or so calls to 911 for service, mostly regarding trees felled by the wind or knocked into homes. Carroll said officers told folks to shelter in place until daylight, when police would be by. The chief said he did not yet have anything further to report. Orange County Judge John Gothia said response crews will be dispatched at daylight as well to help clear roadways and deal with any other damage. No calls came into the county's emergency center. "It was very quiet tonight, which I guess is a good thing," Gothia said. Jefferson County emergency officials rode out the storm at the courthouse and were digesting the reports. There was a smattering of calls to law enforcement for "minimal" service and no major disasters, said Allison Nathan Getz, the tax assessor-collector who serves as county spokeswoman. No calls came in overnight at the Emergency Operations Center in the courthouse, where one relieved worker marveled, "I don't know what we did to deserve this." "Its amazing based on what they were predicting," Getz said. "Just incredibly thankful," she added. Beaumont is not quite 60 miles from Lake Charles, where early reports were far more consequential. Jefferson County Judge Jeff Branick acknowledged the difference those miles made for his community. High winds arrived later than had been earlier forecast. Once they arrived, they were impressive to watch from the safety of the courthouse but far from anything obviously life-threatening. Street lights also remained visible through the falling rain. When conditions are deemed safe, crews will begin looking for debris from fallen trees, power lines and even livestock, Emergency Management Coordinator Michael R. White said. White said clearing that debris would be the focus of efforts once the wind dies down. Getz said officials were not ready to let down their guard. We're still monitoring the outer bands (of the storm), making sure it doesnt rotate toward us before leaving our region," she said. Getz, whose office TV featured a meteorologist talking about the unpredictability of Mother Nature, checked social media accounts of people she knows for reports. Downed trees were all she found. Branick had said on Wednesday that he hoped residents who evacuated would be allowed to return as roads are deemed passable. The would not be required to wait until power is restored at their homes, he said, acknowledging frustrations from past wind emergencies. Branick also said talks had already begun with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Small Business Administration in hope of expediting assistance. More to come in this developing story. DENVER, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- CenturyLink Inc. (NYSE: CTL) today announced that Qwest Corporation, its indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary ("Qwest"), issued notices to redeem $250 million outstanding aggregate principal amount of its 6.625% Notes due 2055 (the "Qwest Notes"). Pursuant to these notices, on Sept. 15, 2020, $250 million outstanding aggregate principal amount of the Qwest Notes will be redeemed at par plus accrued and unpaid interest to, but excluding, the redemption date. Additional information regarding the redemption of the Qwest Notes is available from U.S. Bank National Association. This press release does not constitute a notice of redemption with respect to the Qwest 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," 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 Qwest's cash requirements or financial position; unanticipated delays in redeeming our outstanding debt securities as described above; changes in general market, economic, tax, regulatory or industry conditions; corporate developments that could preclude, impair or delay the above-described transactions due to restrictions under the federal securities laws; and other risks referenced from time to time in CenturyLink's or Qwest's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). You should be aware that new factors may emerge from time to time and it is not possible for CenturyLink or Qwest to identify all such factors, nor can CenturyLink or Qwest predict the impact of each such factor on its plans, or the extent to which any one or more factors may cause actual results to differ from those reflected in any of their forward-looking statements. 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. SOURCE CenturyLink, Inc. Related Links http://www.centurylink.com Presidential candidates often pick their running mates because they are strong on the attack. They want someone who can bash their opponent in no uncertain terms and in ways that might appear over-the-top coming from a president or would-be one. Donald Trump did not pick Mike Pence in 2016 for that reason. Trump did not need an attack dog. Trashing the opposition was his job. Presenting a kinder, gentler spirit was part of Pences. Last night, however, the vice president proved that he can be strong on the attack. After a fairly saccharine beginning to his speech, Pence tore into Joe Biden and the Democratic party. Here are some key excerpts: My fellow Americans you deserve to know, Joe Biden criticized President Trump following his decision to rid the world of both of those terrorists [Abu Bakr al-Baghdad and Qassem Soleimani. But its not surprising because history records that Joe Biden even opposed the operation that took down Osama Bin Laden. Its no wonder Bob Gates, Secretary of defense under the Obama Biden Administration said Joe Biden had been wrong on nearly every major foreign policy and national security issue over the past four decades. Last week, Joe Biden didnt say one word about the violence and chaos engulfing cities across this country. Let me be clear: the violence must stop whether in Minneapolis, Portland, or Kenosha. Joe Biden says America is systemically racist. And that law enforcement in America has a, quote, implicit bias against minorities. And when asked whether hed support cutting funding to law enforcement, and he replied, Yes, absolutely. Joe Biden would double down on the very policies that are leading to unsafe streets and violence in Americas cities. The hard truth is you wont be safe in Joe Bidens America. Under President Trump, we will stand with those who stand on the Thin Blue Line, and were not going to defund the police not now, not ever. (Emphasis added) As biting as these comments were, Pence was just warming up. He reached the crescendo with this: Joe Biden has referred to himself as a transition candidate. But many are asking: A transition to what? Last week, Democrats didnt talk much about their agenda, and if I were them, I wouldnt want to either. Bernie Sanders, did tell his followers that Joe Biden could be the most liberal President of modern times, and confirmed that, quote, Many of the ideas we fought for, that just a few years ago were considered radical, are now mainstream in the Democratic Party. At the root of their agenda, is the belief that America is driven by envy, not aspiration that millions of Americans harbor ill-will toward their neighbors, instead of loving our neighbors as themselves. The radical left believes the federal government must be involved in every aspect of our lives to correct those American wrongs. They believe the federal government needs to dictate how Americans live, how we should work, how we should raise our children and, in the process, deprive our people of freedom, prosperity, and security. Their agenda is based on government control; our agenda is based on freedom. Where President Trump cut taxesJoe Biden wants to raise taxes by nearly $4 trillion. Where this President achieved energy independence for the United States. Joe Biden would abolish fossil fuels, end fracking, and impose a regime of climate change regulations that would drastically increase the cost of living for working families. Where we fought for free and fair trade this President stood up to China and ended the era of economic surrender. Joe Biden has been a cheerleader for communist China wants to repeal all the tariffs that are leveling the playing field for American workers and actually criticized President Trump for suspending all travel from China at the outset of this pandemic. Joe Biden is for open borders; sanctuary cities; and free lawyers and healthcare for illegal immigrants. President Trump has secured our southern border and built nearly 300 miles of the wall. Joe Biden wants to end school choice. President Trump believes every parent should have the right to choose where their children go to school regardless of their income or area code. Joe Biden supports taxpayer funding of abortion right up to the moment of birth. President Donald Trump has been the most pro-life President in American history. When you consider their agenda its clear: Joe Biden would be nothing more than a Trojan horse for a radical left. (Emphasis added) Its hard to imagine a better summation of the case for re-electing President Trump. Pence delivered it forcefully, but with his characteristic calmness the quality that made him the perfect choice to be Trumps running mate four years ago. The NSCN (I-M) was still insisting on its demand for a separate flag and constitution The Centre is firm on its September deadline to conclude the decades-old Naga peace talks by signing a final peace accord in which all stakeholders will be signatories. Noting that the first deadline to end the Naga talks was October 31, 2019, that was extended at the NSCN (I-M)s request, home ministry sources told this newspaper the Centre will not extend the deadline further as almost all substantiative issues had been finalised. The Centre, they said, had already told the Naga leadership what were the issues on which the Centre can agree or not, adding no one can blackmail the government at gunpoint. The ball is now in the court of stakeholders, they can avail the opportunity to be a part of the historic Naga peace accord, the sources added, clarifying that a majority of stakeholders in Nagaland, including Naga tribal groups and the Naga National Political Groups (NNPG) had given their consent to signing of the peace accord. Saying the NSCN (I-M) leadership was still camping in New Delhi, the sources said they were kept engaged in meetings with Intelligence Bureau officers, though most key issues with the NSCN (I-M) had been settled. Admitting that the NSCN (I-M) was still insisting on its demand for a separate flag and constitution, the sources said they had been advised they could hold talks on these rhetorical issues even after the peace accord was signed. Barely three days after the Akwa Ibom State governor, Udom Emmanuel, announced that a student writing the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examinations examination in the state had tested positive for COVID-19, 20 more students participating in the terminal exams have been confirmed to have the infectious disease. Mr Emmanuel, who made the disclosure in a media chat in Uyo, did not mention the name of the student nor the school involved. Similarly, on Thursday, the Permanent Secretary, Bayelsa State Ministry of Health, Inodu Apoku, said 20 students have tested positive for the contagion. SEE ALSO: Mr Apoku said the 20 positive cases were among 600 candidates writing the WAEC in the state that were screened, according to This Day newspaper. Due to the rise in the number of COVID-19 infections, the Nigerian government had said it will not allow candidates in the country to sit for WAEC, a terminal examination for secondary school students in four West African nations Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, The Gambia, and Liberia. The examination has been rescheduled twice by WAEC also because of the COVID-19 incursion. Making a U-turn after a virtual consultative meeting with relevant stakeholders, the education minister, Adamu Adamu, announced that Nigerians students will join others from the other West African countries to write the exams starting August 17. Schools reopened from August 4 for students in exit classes for them to prepare for the exams. Mr Apoku, the official at the Bayelsa health ministry, said it was the safety measures put in place to check the contagion that aided the discovery of the 20 positive cases. A recent data from the World Health Organization (WHO) had cautioned governments on ensuring full safety protocols before reopening schools, warning that 43 per cent of schools around the world lacked access to basic handwashing with soap and water in 2019 a key condition for schools to be able to operate safely in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Bayelsa official did not indicate if the students will write the exams in the isolation centres. Meanwhile, PUNCH newspaper reported how the Gombe health commissioner, Habu Dahiru, on Wednesday, said seven students writing WAEC in the state tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of students infected with the virus to eight in the state. The newspaper had also reported that an unnamed student who tested positive for the virus, began his WAEC from the Gombe state isolation centre on Monday. Calls and texts messages to Chikwe Ihekweazu, the Director of Nigerias infectious disease centre, NCDC, seeking to find out if the agency is aware of reports of students writing WAEC that tested positive to COVID-19 in some states were not returned or responded to as at press time. Nigeria has recorded over 53, 000 coronavirus cases leading to the death of more than 1, 000 people in the country. This is the second time Phil Hogan has been forced to resign from office under a cloud of controversy. Commonly referred to as Big Phil, Mr Hogan was forced to quit as junior finance minister in 1995 after details of the budget were faxed to newspaper offices. Phil Hogan and Mr Justice Seamus Woulfe at the Church of the Sacred Heart Donnybrook after the funeral of former attorney general and statesman Peter Sutherland in Dublin. Photograph: Leah Farrell/RollingNews.ie I am proud to belong to Fine Gael, a party with the highest ideals, values of honesty and integrity, whose members have always put the country rather than the individual first," he said at the time. "To avoid any possibility of damaging a Government led by Taoiseach John Bruton - a man of the utmost decency and outstanding qualities - I have tendered my resignation from Government and it has been accepted." Phil Hogan meeting His Holiness Pope Francis ahead of the an African Union-European Union Agriculture Ministerial in Rome. Mr Hogan, a Kilkenny native, entered national politics in 1989 winning a seat for Fine Gael in the Carlow/Kilkenny constituency, having served two years in Seanad Eireann. In his early years in the Dail, he held a number of frontbench positions in opposition. Between 1989 and 1994 when Fine Gael entered government, he served as spokesman on food, forestry, consumer affairs and then regional affairs and European development. Phil Hogan at the Fine Gael Ard Fheis, 13/2/1999. Photo: RollingNews.ie Known to be close to John Bruton, he was appointed a minister of state at the Department of Finance in the Rainbow Coalition with the Labour Party and Democratic Left. Seen as the fall-guy in the budget leak affair, Mr Hogan was later elected as chairman of the Fine Gael parliamentary party. In 2002, Fine Gael suffered a disastrous election where they won just 30 seats and culminated in the resignation of Michael Noonan as leader. Mr Hogan contested the leadership contest but lost out to Enda Kenny. For the second time in a row in 2007, Mr Hogan was appointed as Director of Organisation for the general election that year which saw Fine Gael win 50 seats. In 2010, during the botched heave against Mr Kenny, Mr Hogan played a pivotal role in seeing off Richard Brutons challenge and was rewarded by his leader when Fine Gael and Labour were swept to power in 2011 with a Cabinet ministry. As Minister for the Environment, Mr Hogan had responsibility for overseeing the introduction of Irish Water, which by any standard was a calamity. He also oversaw the abolition of 80 town councils, which was introduced at a time of austerity. Protest at the Quad, UCC for the visit of Minister Phil Hogan, TD on Friday 19th April 2013. Pic: Larry Cummins In what was seen as payback for helping him survive, Mr Kenny rewarded Mr Hogan with the plum job of Irelands Commissioner in 2014, despite his perceived mishandling of the Irish Water issue. His successor as Environment Minister, Alan Kelly, slammed Mr Hogans handling of the issue, saying: I was handed the greatest hospital pass in Irish political history. Mr Hogan is said to have guided Mr Varadkar in his bid to become the leader of Fine Gael in 2017 and was duly rewarded in 2019 with a second term as Irelands EU Commissioner. EU chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier (right) with Phil Hogan. Picture: Getty Images Seen as an effective operator, Mr Hogan was given the highly powerful trade portfolio by new President Ursula von der Leyen which was seen as a major achievement for Ireland. His departure in the current circumstances is a blow in the context of the ongoing difficult Brexit negotiations. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The NYPD is asking for the publics help via social media to identify a man and woman sought for questioning in connection with an alleged assault where a worker was punched at a cell-phone store on Forest Avenue in Port Richmond. The incident allegedly occurred at about 1:40 p.m. on Aug. 14 inside the Verizon store at 1267 Forest Ave., according to a spokeswoman for the NYPDs Deputy Commissioner of Public Information. A 23-year-old female employee told police that unidentified individuals punched her about the body after a verbal dispute over a bill, the police spokeswoman said. The victim sustained minor injuries and refused medical attention on scene, police said. Photos posted on the NYPDs 121st Precinct Twitter show a man and woman sought for questioning in the incident, as well as a dark-colored Chrysler 200 with a Texas plate. WANTED for Assault The 121 Detective Squad is seeking assistance in identifying the below depicted subjects for assaulting an employee at Verizon store. Subjects flee in a Chrysler Texas plate# JDH3716 Any info contact 718-697-8712. You can remain anonymous by #800577TIPS pic.twitter.com/BwCdN3Sg03 NYPD 121st Precinct (@NYPD121Pct) August 27, 2020 INFORMATION NEEDED THE 121 DETECTIVE SQUAD IS ENDEAVORING TO LOCATE THIS VEHCILE, A DARK COLORED CHRYSLER 200 TEXAS PLATE #JDH3716 USED TO FLEE THE SCENE OF AN ASSAULT ON 8/14/20 AT 1267 FOREST AVE Any info contact 718-697-8712. You can remain anonymous by #800577TIPS pic.twitter.com/JzkrkL7rYw NYPD 121st Precinct (@NYPD121Pct) August 27, 2020 Police described the male sought for questioning as having a dark complexion, standing about 510 and weighing about 230 pounds, with short black hair. He was seen wearing a white shirt, black pants and white shoes. Police described the female sought for questioning as having long black hair and a light complexion, standing about 53 tall and weighing about 110 pounds. She was seen wearing a white shirt, white shorts and black sandals. Anyone with information is asked to call the 121st Precinct detectives at 718-697-8712 or the NYPDs Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-8477 (TIPS). For Spanish, dial 1-888-577-4782 (PISTA). The public also can submit tips on the Crime Stoppers website, or by texting tips to 274637 (CRIMES), then entering TIP577. All calls are strictly confidential. Television news veteran George Donikian has revealed he is considering a move into politics to save Victorians from 'totalitarian rule'. Donikian has told Daily Mail Australia he is investigating his opportunities after being inundated with support for his recent views on Victoria's COVID-19 crisis. 'Ive always had an intense interest in politics,' Donikian told Daily Mail Australia on Thursday. 'I feel I could make a real contribution to the community.' TV news veteran George Donikian is considering a move into politics after becoming fed up with the state of Victoria Daniel Andrews has come under fire for attempting to string out his emergency powers for another year Police question a man on the streets of Melbourne during Stage Four lockdown The move comes a day after anti-lockdown walkers were doused with pepper spray and struggled with cops as community frustration with Melbourne's draconian Stage 4 restrictions reached boiling point. Just hours earlier, the 68-year old news icon had delivered another scathing attack on Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews. In an eight-minute video, Donikian claimed Victorians were living under 'totalitarian rule' and likened the premier's leadership to a 'modern-day Stalin'. Victoria recorded 23 deaths and 113 new coronavirus cases on Thursday - the lowest number of new cases for weeks. Donikian, who has appeared on three different networks since 1980, doubled down on his views on Thursday where he took aim at Opposition Leader Michael O'Brien. 'There needs to be a stronger opposition in Victoria and a stronger opposition leader,' he told Daily Mail Australia. 'Currently the opposition is non-existent and Michael OBrien is like Casper the Angry Ghost. Hes never seen. If there is such a State of Emergency, then Daniel Andrews must invoke a unity cabinet or reign in his demands.' George Donikian has been encouraged to enter politics amid Victoria's COVID crisis Donikian said he had been encouraged to enter politics by Victorian business leaders and large sections of the community. He has also gained a following on social media where angry Victorians have pushed him to throw his hat into the political ring. 'We need a smart, wise, educated leader with compassion,' one woman posted online. 'Finally someone is saying the truth,' another wrote. 'Please become our prime minister and fix this mess.' A movement within Victoria to elevate Donikian from the hosting chair onto the political hot seat follows a series of scathing editorials delivered by the newsman over the past few weeks. On Wednesday, Donikian attacked the Victorian premier's plans to extend the state's emergency status for a further 12 months. 'Victorias deep dark hole is about to get deeper. Victoria is cut off from the rest of the country. And while the rest of the country continues to emerge from their hiatus, we remain a leper colony,' Donikian said. Victorian opposition leader Michael O'Brien has been compared by George Donikian to Casper the Angry Ghost George Donikian has gained support from sections of the Victorian community fed up with lockdown restrictions Television icon George Donikian says Premier Daniel Andrews has blood on his hands Donikian, who fronts online video news website The Informer, slammed the premier's handling of Victoria's COVID crisis and claimed history would condemn Mr Andrews. 'The destruction of families and relationships because of domestic violence and the homelessness it is creating; the destruction of Victoria for our future generations; the pending economic disaster we now face; the dismantling of the sacrifice past generations of Victorians have made toward building Victoria gone,' Donikian said. 'As sad as the 400 plus lives COVID has taken, it is minuscule compared to lives lost to suicide because of the uncertainty and helplessness Victorians are facing and the psychological decimation it has created.' Donikian claimed the states coronavirus emergency was an 'SOS' and urged Prime Minister Scott Morrison to help. 'It is inexcusable by the prime minister to ignore Victorias plight and fate. Because by doing so is not only signing Victorias death warrant but the entire country,' Donikian said. 'Scott Morrison cannot sit by and watch the destruction of Victoria continue. He can no longer tinker around the edges. And he cannot continue to watch the destruction of Victorian lives go on. 'Prime minister, Victoria needs your help.' Veteran news presenter George Donikian has called for Victoria to become a territory and placed under Commonwealth control Police and soldiers patrol the streets of Melbourne under new stage four lockdown conditions Premier Daniel Andrews' handling of the coronavirus outbreaks within the state's aged care network has been condemned COVIDiot Eve Black would have been jailed under tough laws proposed by veteran news presenter George Donikian The World According To George Jail anti-mask protesters and those that fail to self isolate Remove stage-four restrictions and allow businesses to re-open Make Victoria a territory under control by the Commonwealth Government Remove the entire Victorian government and bring on a royal commission into the handling of the COVID crisis Advertisement Donikian caught the attention of Victorians last month when he slammed Mr Andrews in an opening salvo. 'The premier has on his plate a bit of a kale pache - a stew. And it's one made from boiled cow or sheep parts. And that's what Victorians have been served and I've got to tell you, it's not a very tasty dish,' he said at the time. 'Victorians have fallen victim to a collective stupidity and we will have to endure a painful legacy because of it,' he said. Donikian went onto list a series of blunders he placed at the feet of the Andrews Government. 'We were told that COVID was an old persons disease, yet the state government failed to safeguard our most frail in our aged care unit because of a lack of foresight and clear mismanagement,' he said. Donikian hit out at the premier for lifting the initial restrictions that began in March too early. 'Hey, that was a major bungle. Then of course there was the inept quarantining of overseas travellers - another disaster and this one with quite serious implications,' he said. Police in Victoria have been putting on a show of force throughout the Stage 4 lockdown Police threaten to pepper spray walkers in Dandenong on Wednesday Police have been criticised for heavy handed tactics throughout Victoria's COVID disaster He further criticised the government's handling of the Black Lives Matter protest, the 'Cedar Meats fiasco', housing commission lockdown and allowing infected people to leave their homes. The television presenter saved specific criticism for Victorian Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton. Donikian attacked Mr Sutton for giving mixed messages on the wearing on masks, which went from 'not required' to 'mandatory'. 'Premier Andrews need not only to sack (Health Minister Jenny) Mikakos, (Housing Minister Richard) Wynne and Sutton, but he also needs to seek out the advice of experts - people who can properly steer a course that we can all follow,' he said. Donikian conceded Victoria's COVID death toll was unacceptable, but claimed the stage-four restrictions threatened to do even greater harm. Donikian claimed the people had spoken. 'Victorians have lost faith in you and your government,' he told the premier. George Donikian is a highly respected news anchor who has been a journalist since 1975 Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 27) - Although he felt relieved a day after stepping down as president of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), Ricardo Morales assured the public that he will not be exempted from any probe on the alleged anomalies in the state health insurance firm. I feel relieved. I can now focus on my health and my family," said Morales in an exclusive interview with CNN Philippines on Thursday. "This is what I thank the President for, for allowing me to step down. Of course, my resignation does not, in any way, absolve me if I was involved in any regularities," he added. "I have filed a bank secrecy waiver, we have subjected ourselves to the lifestyle check, and we are open to investigation. Morales, who is battling lymphoma or cancer of the lymph nodes, tendered his resignation on Wednesday amid the ongoing probe on the alleged corruption and fraudulent schemes at PhilHealth. However, he insisted that the agency has always been a "fertile ground for fraud." Fraud is not new in PhilHealth," said Morales. "Before I was in PhilHealth, it is there now and unless the right thing is done, its going to continue. PhilHealth has 35,000 transactions a day, so that is really a fertile ground for fraud. President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered an interagency task force to investigate the alleged irregularities within PhilHealth. The ongoing probe found that there were centers of fraud inside the agency. The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee on Tuesday recommended the immediate firing of all regional directors in PhilHealth, alleging that some were part of the mafia behind the fraudulent schemes. Morales, who led the agency for more than a year, agreed that there could be a mafia operating within. Whatever you call it, mafia or collusion, its possible that there are people colluding with the agents, "he said. PhilHealth pays money out to hospitals," he also said. "The hospitals receive the payment and these are not paid to the employees. If there is a collusion between the hospital and the healthcare provider, that has to be investigated. That is a source of fraud. Morales said that the agency should seek outside assistance to fix and clean up its mess. Fix the information system and clean up the database, the membership database, and for these, they would need outside assistance," he said. "Because PhilHealth does not have it in its resources, its personnel to transform the organization. PhilHealth is going to be the biggest GOCC (government-owned and controlled corporations) that we have," he added. "Spending more than 200 billion a year, it cannot perform that task as it is now organized. Despite the allegations against the state insurer, Morales assured that PhilHealth has enough money to continue its services. PhilHealth, despite everything that has been said about it, is run by responsible people, honest and hardworking," he said. "And we are supported by the economic managers of the government. We are confident that with the support from the Department of Finance and the Department of Budget and Management, we can sustain the level of support we are giving now to the members, added Morales. South Africa: Labour investigating claims of unpaid TERS benefits Employment and Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi says his department is looking into the non-payment of relief funds by employers to their employees. Nxesi said this when Ministers in the economic cluster appeared before the National Assembly to field oral questions. Addressing the house via a virtual link, Nxesi said around 700 000 beneficiaries have indicated that they have not been paid by their employers, who submitted claims on their behalf. We are following up on employers who have not paid. We have made an undertaking that no matter how long it takes, if people are owed their monies, they will have to be paid after we have done proper investigations, and we have satisfied ourselves of the proper documentation, because it is equally dangerous to simply pay if the documentation is not proper, Nxesi said. Nxesi had been asked how his department was dealing with the challenges of employers, who have received the Temporary Employer-Employee Relief Scheme (TERS) benefits, but have not passed on the money to their employees. The Minister was also asked what further steps would be taken to hold those involved in alleged corruption accountable for placing the livelihood of employees at risk. To date, some R34 billion in benefits has been distributed through employers in 7.4 million payments to recipients, in line with a commitment to provide income support for three months. During the same period, a further R4 billion was disbursed in normal UIF benefits in 677 000 payments to beneficiaries. Addressing the house on Wednesday, Nxesi said the non-payment of TERS benefits was being followed up. Nxesi said in some instance, employers received the money but have not handed it over to employees. In other instances, employees are foreign nationals, whose documentation is not sorted out because of their identification. We are trying to work with employers collaboratively, to deal with those issues, the Minister said. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2020-08-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. The Helena City Commission kicked off its latest series of public discussions regarding Helena Police Department's policies and practices Wednesday evening. Police Chief Steve Hagen provided a detailed overview of HPD training, hiring practices and department policy as well as thorough reports on calls for service during the virtual meeting, which lasted about an hour and a half. According to Hagen, traffic stops in the last five years involved predominately white motorists, about 94%. About 1.55% were Black. Nearly 2% were Native American. Of the 10,403 total arrests HPD made between 2015 and 2019, more than 73% were men, nearly 86% were white, 9.4% were Native American, and 3.2% were Black. In that same time frame, HPD officers used force in 4% of those arrests, or about 420 times. According to the statistics provided by Hagen, about 83% of use-of-force incidents involved a white individual, nearly 10% involved Native American individuals, and exactly 4% involved Black individuals. City Commissioner Heather O'Loughlin expressed some concern about the data, stating that percentages of minorities involved in what she called higher-stress encounters with law enforcement were not in line with county demographics. "The way that you all are coding the person you're interacting with (during traffic stops) largely reflects the demographics of Lewis and Clark County more or less," O'Loughlin said. "I think as you get into sort of those other statistics, you see a disproportionately high number of American Indians who are being arrested and who are also experiencing use of force in some way." Hagen agreed that the percentage of incidents involving use of force against Native Americans is concerning, but that a more comprehensive, case-level look would be required to tease out the cause. "It does show what appears to be a disproportionate reflection on the Native American and Black" communities, Hagen said when O'Loughlin asked for what he thought the data demonstrate. "I don't know exactly what it means, I guess is the short and long of it. I think we need to look at it closer, and it would need to be a review of individual incidents." The police chief also gave a detailed outline of his department's hiring and training practices. Within the first year, a newly hired officer must complete a 12-week "law enforcement officer basic course" at the Montana Law Enforcement Academy. At 80 hours per week, new officers are given 960 hours of training. For context, the Montana Academy of Salons offers a course designed to prepare budding cosmetologists to pass the state's exams. That course is 44 weeks, or 1,500 hours, long. After the initial training at MLEA, HPD officers spend 14 weeks riding along with a senior officer before being sent out on solo patrol. The "in-service" training includes firearms, use-of-force and disability awareness lessons, among others, according to Hagen. The department has 48 of the 54 sworn officer positions filled currently. With a full roster of sworn officers, HPD would sit at about 1.6 officers per 1,000 residents. The national average according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation is 2.1 police officers per 1,000 residents. Seven of HPD's 48 officers are women, putting HPD among the Montana law enforcement agencies employing the highest percentage of female officers. With women making up nearly 15% of Helena's police force, HPD ranks higher than the national average in cities between 25,000 and 50,000 residents of 9.5%. Hagen also included the racial make-up of his force. Of the 48 sworn officers currently guarding the city, two are Native American, one is Asian and one is Hispanic. There are also four LGBTQ community members among the department's ranks, according to Hagen. Also in Hagen's department breakdown, the chief noted 17 of the 48 officers have a bachelor's degree. No timeline for future iterations of the ongoing discussion on policing in Helena has been set. Another meeting that will follow a similar presentation format is expected to occur in September, but no date has been determined. Future meetings on the topic may look more like a city government work session intended to generate recommendations, according to interim City Manager Melinda Reed. Love 3 Funny 5 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 3 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. San Francisco, Aug 27 : Epic Games has confirmed that the upcoming season of Fortnite will not be available to players on iPhones, iPads or Mac due to the company's legal battle with Apple. Fortnite was removed from the Apple App Store on August 13 for adding an in-app payment system in violation of the App Store rules. "Apple is blocking Fortnite updates and new installs on the App Store and has said they will terminate our ability to develop Fortnite for Apple devices," Epic Games said in a blog post on Wednesday. "As a result, Fortnite's newly released Chapter 2 - Season 4 update (v14.00), will not release on iOS and macOS on August 27". A US judge ruled earlier this week ruled that Apple cannot delete the developer account of Epic Games that support open and real-time 3D creation platform Unreal Engine but can keep the Fortnite game away from App Store for violating its policies. She decided that Apple will not be required to bring the banned Fortnite game back to the App Store. Apple welcomed the decision on the removal of Fortnite game, saying "it's ready to welcome Fortnite back if Epic Games decides to remove the direct payment option and return to the status quo". "We agree with Judge Gonzalez-Rogers that 'the sensible way to proceed' is for Epic to comply with the App Store guidelines and continue to operate while the case proceeds". Launched in 2017, Fortnite features a battle royale format where 100 players compete to survive as the last player standing on a remote island. The popular game has amassed a huge following of 350 million players, and is available on multiple platforms. tvN and Netflix's original series "It's Okay To Not Be Okay" received sanctions for the violations for using slander, genitalization, and justifying sexual harassment. On August 26, a meeting was conducted by Korea Communications Standards Commission's broadcasting review subcommittee (Chairman Heo Mi Sook) and announced that "It's Okay To Not Be Okay" complaints were submitted to the plenary session. It contains concerns of the drama that will be sanctioned - male genitalization, justification of sexual harassament, and verbal abuse. The resolution from the Commission stated as follows: "Selected scenes in question being considered is an expression to highlight characters in the drama content has probably centered on the libido on non-sexual objects that symbolize the sex organs and justify sexual abuse. It shows the lack of gender sensitivity of the production staff. There are scenes with excessive verbal abuse that are used in the drama that is broadcast during the youth viewing protection time which has led to court sanctions." Should the sanctions be considered severe upon the broadcasting review committee there will be penalties or judicial punishments. This will be decided in the plenary session of all the members of the review committee after subcommittee's recommendation. In addition, with the degree of the violation the network will also get fines, legal sanction or demerits with its broadcasting evaluation conducted yearly by the Korea Communication Commission. Ewarly in June the commission received 50 formal complaints relating about sexual harassment. The show received unfavorable criticism which led to the KSCS office. This was in relation to episode 3 of "Its Okay To Not Be Okay" wherein the scene took place when Ko Mon Young gets inside the male dressing room and Moon Gang Tae with no upper clothes. He was changing uniforms as his shift ended. Mon Young reaches out and touches his well-defined abs and he was surprised as he quickly puts a stop to it. In another scene, Mon Young expresses in her lines that she wishes to sleep with Sang Tae. Such scenes had been the cause of some discussions in the social media which for others was a sign of sexual harassment by making it the subject of humuor by the show. Other viewers find the segments to be justifiable since the characters like Mon Young have issues in regards to her personality disorder. The network and the production of tvN "It's Okay To Not Be Okay" have not yet responded to their side of the details from KSCS. Social media is a strange beast. From Kim Kardashians resplendent glutes to Chris Hemsworths abs, were all low key intrigued by documenting the human figure. Not to mention selfies. Some parts of the world, however, have remained adrift from the clutches of The Rectangular Screen. Or so we thought. With smartphones spreading around the developing world faster than computers (Pew research suggests more than 5 billion people have mobile devices right now, over half of them smartphones) it appears many old school rituals are now intermingling with new. Enter: Hariandi Hafid, a Freelance Photojournalist based in Indonesia whose recent shots document what a centuries-old ritual in Indonesias South Sulawesi now looks like. The Manene festival, which translates as The Ceremony of Cleaning Corpses, has been held for (at least) hundreds of years by The Toraja Tribe, and involves digging up dead loved ones, dressing them up and lighting cigarettes for them. Photographer Hariandi Hafids shots show this year, the ritual, for some, included posing for family snaps and selfies. The ritual is performed every three or four years, during harvest season (July, August and September), depending on the familys wishes. More than 1 million cubic yards of sand and sediment will be removed from the San Jacinto River after Kingwood officials waged a years-long campaign to secure federal funds for the flood mitigation project. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will carry out the new operation as it also plans another $40 million dredging project in the West Fork San Jacinto River, Houston city councilmember Dave Martin announced on Aug. 22. PHOTOS: Looking back at Harvey 3 years later The upcoming project is moving forward after FEMA officials agreed on July 9 that much of the remaining sand and sediment in the Kingwood mouthbar was deposited during Hurricane Harvey, Martin said. It comes on the heels of a $70 million dredging project in 2019 that targeted the mouthbar which altered the direction of the flow of the river and increased flooding. The additional dredging was not included in the initial $70 million project because federal officials initially said much of the mouthbar was deposited before or after Hurricane Harvey. Federal dollars used to fund the dredging project stipulated that it can only be used for damage specifically caused during the 2017 storm. As we enter another hurricane season in Texas, I am grateful that the USACE re-evaluated this project, U.S. Representative Dan Crenshaw said in a statement. We will finally be able to remove the additional debris near the mouth bar from Harvey. This will greatly assist our efforts to prepare for this hurricane season, which is why I worked so hard with FEMA and (the Texas Division of Emergency Management) to win this appeal for the City of Houston. Most of the details in the new project are pending but will be processed when possible, including the timeline for the project, Martin said. They are also working to prepare construction documents, identifying disposal sites for the debris, selecting a dredging method and receiving the estimated cost. HURRICANE LAURA: The storm left a trail of destruction in Louisiana, East Texas Rodgers Gully at Lake Houston, where approximately 200,000 cubic yards of sand and sediment were deposited and have created a mouth bar, is one of the potential locations for dredging. The campaign for additional dredging began after the City of Houston submitted a 94-page report to FEMA showing 1,012,000 cubic yards of sand and sediment from Hurricane Harvey had not been removed by the USACE following the $70 million emergency dredging project. The USACE responded with a four-page report, detailing that they had completed the dredging for deposits from Harvey. For the past two years I have advocated for the dredging of this area due to the sand deposits from Hurricane Harvey, and I was committed to making sure we got this taken care of before our next major storm, Martin said in an email It is very rewarding personally, and fantastic for our community to finally get to this point, however, there is still a great deal of work to be done. Additionally, Martin said he and Crenshaw worked alongside State Representative Dan Huberty, State Senator Brandon Creighton, Texas Division Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd, Mayor Sylvester Turner and Chief Recovery Officer Stephen Costello to appeal for federal funding for the additional dredging. Crenshaw, along with Congressman Kevin Brady, Senator Ted Cruz and Senator John Cornyn, wrote a signed letter in Oct. 24 last year advocating for additional dredging. I look forward to staying on top of this as we wait to receive these funds and I know Congressman Crenshaw is ready to continue to be our watchdog during this process, Martin said. The project will also require local funds from the state of Texas, Houston and Harris County. The city and county will supplement the remaining funds from Senate Bill 500, which was approved by the Texas Legislature in 2019 and set aside $30 million for dredging projects in the San Jacinto River. Breaking News: Get email alerts from Chron.com sent directly to your inbox The city of Houston also plans to coordinate with the Harris County Flood Control District to use a portion of the $10 million earmarked for Kingwood projects from the $2 billion voter-approved bond to fund the removal. County funds are expected to be available sometime between July 2021 and March 2022, at which point the city of Houston would be capable of starting dredging within 30-45 days. Up until now weve been lucky, but this work needs to get done ASAP, Martin said. savannah.mehrtens@chron.com YEREVAN, AUGUST 27, ARMENPRESS. President of Artsakh Arayik Harutyunyan has received a motion from the Ministry of Defense to posthumously award the Hero of Artsakh title to Captain Armenak Urfanyan, the 26-year-old serviceman who was killed in action during fierce battles in 2016 when Azerbaijani military launched an offensive in what became known as the April Four Day War. There were numerous discussions about Armenak Urfanyans selfless and patriotic conduct. To worthily appreciate his heroic character, I believe this will be the best decision on the holiday of the Artsakh Republic declaration. I will be happy and proud to approve this decision, Harutyunyan said in a statement. Overnight April 1-2, Captain Urfanyan and his troops came under heavy enemy fire in a heavily outnumbered ambush from Azerbaijan. During the fierce battle, the captain destroyed multiple attacking enemy fighters and one engineering-reconaissance armored vehicle. He was killed in action from a tank fire. He was awarded the posthumous Medal for Combat Service of Artsakh and the 1st Class Combat Cross Medal of Armenia. Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan Corrections: An earlier version of this article erroneously stated that the motion was filed by the President to the Defense Ministry. In fact, the Defense Ministry submitted the motion to the President. The Morrison government has refused to publicly rebuke Liberal backbencher Craig Kelly for using the Federal Parliament and his social media account to attack its reliance on clinical evidence in banning the controversial COVID-19 treatment hydroxychloroquine. The federal member for Hughes took aim at the independent medicines regulator, which advises against prescribing the drug to COVID-19 patients due to a lack of evidence that it is effective or safe, in a speech to Parliament described by public health experts as "dangerous". Liberal MP Craig Kelly has twice used Parliament to air his criticisms of his own government's approach to regulating a controversial drug. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen, AP In a speech now being promoted on social media by conspiracy theorists - including celebrity chef Pete Evans - Mr Kelly claimed on Tuesday evening that "groupthink" and the "complete abandonment of reason" were driving a "war" on hydroxychloroquine. Dr Margaret Heffernan, an RMIT lecturer who researches attitudes to vaccination, described Mr Kelly's speech as "extremely dangerous" and warned MPs had a responsibility to ensure the views they aired were accurate as many people lacked the health literacy to "separate misinformation and fantasy" from fact. NEET, JEE mains 2020: Raising their voices against the Centres decision to hold Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) and National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) amid the Covid-19 pandemic in September, many opposition parties in the state plan statewide agitation against it. Despite growing opposition, the National Testing Agency (NTA) which is tasked with conducting various entrance examinationson Tuesday announced that it would conduct the twin exams as per the schedule. The apex examination agency said NEET will be held on September 13 and JEE will be held from September 1 to 6. Samajwadi Party (SP) national president Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday released a one-page open letter detailing all reasons for his objection. Within hours after the letter was released, volunteers of the SPs students wing Samajwadi Chattra Sabha and those of the youth wing Samajwadi Yuvjan Sabha reached the gate of Raj Bhavan to stage a protest, defying police instructions to not demonstrate there without prior permission. The face-off led to police lathi-charge on them. the volunteers said they would intensify their protest on Friday. Congress has already announced a nationwide agitation from Friday and the UP Congress Committee (UPCC) and its student wing the National Students Union of India (NSUI) would follow it in the state. Meanwhile, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) handed over a memorandum to the Lucknow administration at GPO Park on Thursday morning demanding postponement of NEET, JEE entrance examinations. The partys state unit had planned a sit-in at GPO in protest against the exams but the Lucknow administration refused to give permission in view of the Covid-19 pandemic and imposed a complete ban of such events in the state capital till September 15. We handed over a memorandum to the Lucknow administration demanding postponement of the NEET, JEE entrance tests, said AAP Lucknow district unit president Mahendra Singh. SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, in his one-page document over the issue, said, How could the arrogant BJP government hold the deadly exam on the pretext of the popular demand of students, parents. The government should deploy its cabinet ministers, members of parliament, members of states assemblies outside the exam centres across the country to ensure no rules, regulations, and Covid-19 SOP was not violated. The way arrangements are made during buying and selling of legislators, the exam candidates should get similar arrangements for their commuting, lodging, and flooding, he added. In the times when trains and buses are disrupted in corona times, how the candidates will commute. And not all students have the capacity to hire taxis. Even if they can, are their enough taxis to cater to such a large number of students?. Jaan ke badle exam nahin chalega (Say no to exam that endangers life), he said in the document which he also posted on twitter. In another tweet, Akhilesh said, Only the candidates from the affluent and urban background would be able to reach exam centres. Its a conspiracy against by poor and rural people by the government of the rich--BJP government. The JEE (Main) exam will be held at 660 centres across India from September 1 to 6 while NEET candidates would take the exam at 3,842 centres on September 13, according to the central government announcement. According to a central government official, the education ministry is keen to hold the exams as it will not only help keep the academic year on the track but also save students from remaining in perpetual uncertainty. Asked if any criteria could be chosen to select students for admission, the official said there was no alternative to these exams especially because colleges like IITs and AIIMS were highly coveted. The NTA has been emphasising that it will hold the exams safely and that a detailed protocol has been put in place to ensure it. Shiv Sena MP from Maharashtras Parbhani, Sanjay Jadhav, tendered his resignation from membership of Lok Sabha on Wednesday saying he was unable to do justice with party workers of his area. Jadhav sent his resignation letter to Sena chief and Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. If Im unable to do justice with Shiv Sena workers of my area. I have no right to be an MP of the party, his letter read. The appointment of non-governmental administrator of Jintur Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) in Parbhani District has irked the MP. I have been following the matter for the last 8-10 months. Now a person from NCP has been appointed as non-governmental administrator and this is an insult to Shiv Sena workers, he said. Jadhav is also a member of the Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. (with ANI inputs) ALONE, the organisation which supports older people is calling on Government to reassess its approach to pensions and to reform the current system to protect future generations, as well as those currently in receipt of pensions. ALONE have also noted the fact that older people who were working up until the arrival of COVID-19 in Ireland are not entitled to receive the Pandemic Unemployment Payment. This is a concern which has been raised in calls made to the National Support Line. Since March, ALONEs Support Line has received in excess of 30,973 calls for support. ALONE staff and volunteers have made more than 166,656 calls to older people who needed support, and provided more than 25,318 units of practical support, including collecting groceries and prescriptions. ALONE is providing ongoing support to more than 14,522 older people who require support for difficulties with loneliness, health, finance, housing, accessing services, COVID-19 and other challenges. The organisation believes that urgent action is required to reform Irelands current pension system, to protect the retirement security of current and future pensioners A statement from ALONE said: "With financial issues being one of the biggest concerns raised by the older people who use ALONEs services, we see daily reporting in the lack of quality in their day-to-day lives due to inadequate funds. They are calling on the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection to increase the state pension by 7 in Budget 2021, to ensure that older people are protected during difficult economic times, like now. ALONE are in agreement with government policy, outlined in the Roadmap for Pensions Reform 2018 2023, that pension rates should be equal to average weekly earnings. Ultimately, ALONE are seeking to work towards an overall increase of 26.92 to the state pension, raising it to 275.22. This is based on 35% of an average weekly wage of 786.33, as per data from the Central Statistics Office in 2019. (CSO, Q4 2019)" The statement said: "ALONE have also noted the fact that older people who were working up until the arrival of COVID-19 in Ireland are not entitled to receive the Pandemic Unemployment Payment. This is a concern which has been raised in calls made to the National Support Line. ALONE are mindful of this issue and recognise the unjust and discriminative act of excluding a specific cohort of people simply because of their age. They are working to raise awareness of this with Government in order to try and reach a solution for individuals in this situation." Tom* is 72 years old and is a self-employed entertainer in nursing homes. He contacted ALONEs Support Line to highlight the fact that the COVID-19 unemployment payments were very discriminative towards older people. Many older people supplement their Old Age Pension by continuing to work, and are not entitled to any supplemental income as the rest of the country due to current crisis. Tom wrote a letter to his local TD who responded stating that he should be happy with his extra bags of fuel, especially because he doesn't pay PRSI. Tom started work at 15 years of age and has paid PRSI all his life, until he became self-employed in later years, when he started paying his ROS tax annually and on time. ALONE encouraged Tom to contact his Social Welfare department and Citizen's Information to see if they know of any additional benefits he may be able to claim at the moment, as he's down about 800 a month and has commitments he is obliged to maintain. While ALONE welcome the news that the government will implement an auto-enrolment system for pensions, the organisation would like to see a clear timeline for its implementation, with more details announced on this as soon as possible. ALONE is also urging the government to implement a universal pensions model, as set out by Social Justice Ireland. A universal pension is a flat-rate entitlement paid to all residents over a certain defined and qualifying age, regardless of their previous social insurance contributions. Sean Moynihan, CEO of ALONE said, ALONE have been receiving calls to the National Support Line from older people regarding the fact that older people who were working were not entitled to the COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment. We are aware of this issue and we offer our support to those who find themselves in this difficult situation. We hope that by raising this issue with Government, a solution will be reached to try and rectify this. He continued, The State Pension in Ireland is based on the assumption that the recipient has no mortgage, rent or other housing debt to be covered by the pension payment. It is designed to cover the cost of living, but not every day living costs. This issue will be only exacerbated in the coming years by our ever growing population, which is causing an increase in those over the age of 65. We believe that that structure, continuity and ongoing commitment is needed from Government to address the long-term issue of pension reform. Since March, ALONEs Support Line has received in excess of 30,973 calls for support. ALONE staff and volunteers have made more than 166,656 calls to older people who needed support, and provided more than 25,318 units of practical support, including collecting groceries and prescriptions. ALONE is providing ongoing support to more than 14,522 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 if you have concerns about your own wellbeing, or the wellbeing of an older person you know. Further information can be found on www.alone.ie Lebanon's central bank set out a plan to revamp the country's ailing financial industry that rests in part on the shaky proposition of persuading those with possible links to politicians to repatriate some funds. The regulator in Beirut issued a series of instructions on Thursday, asking lenders to boost capital and offer clients securities in return for their deposits. Officials have in the past accused bankers of transferring billions of dollars outside Lebanon to evade capital controls and protect their money during the crisis. The circular also told banks to repatriate some funds from people -- including their shareholders -- considered "politically exposed," a designation used to identify those with possible ties to politicians or in control of companies that count politicians as partners or equity owners. Faced with a currency collapse and the worst economic meltdown in decades, Lebanon is looking to claw back capital as it contends with financial losses triple the size of its gross domestic product. The measures outlined on Thursday should have been part of a comprehensive plan that evaluates the central bank's own liabilities and assets and government debt, according to Adel Afiouni, a former banker and ex-minister of state for information technology. "I can't see how banks can recapitalize and call for new capital from investors or depositors without a clean and transparent balance sheet," Afiouni said. "It's also wishful thinking when it comes to asking banks to try to repatriate funds and convince depositors to convert their deposits to instruments." Since protests erupted last October, banks have imposed de facto capital controls on accounts in the U.S. currency, effectively banning dollar withdrawals and transfers abroad. Clients were allowed to withdraw money by converting dollars into the local currency at a weaker rate than the official fixed exchange rate. International donors now say Lebanon can't count on their support without a solid reform agenda including an overhaul of the financial industry and the central bank. A devastating explosion in the capital prompted the government to resign this month. Starting in 2016 and for several years later, the central bank, also known as Banque Du Liban or BdL, conducted so-called financial engineering to boost its foreign-exchange reserves. It provided high returns in liras and in the U.S. currency on new dollar bank deposits at the central bank. The International Monetary Fund has estimated the operations attracted over $24 billion from banks through February 2019 in sales to or as deposits with the central bank. The banking revamp as outlined by the BdL is an attempt to find a middle ground after the government put forth a program following its bond default in March that sought to restructure the country's $90 billion in debt. Many lenders feared for their survival under the government's proposal that could have wiped out billions from shareholder capital. The plan, which had the backing of the IMF, envisaged a full bail-in of existing shareholders and sought to draw back the sums that have allegedly been transferred during the crisis and profits made from the financial engineering. It also sought to restructure the BdL's balance sheet including its liabilities. The central bank owes about $80 billion to lenders. Commercial banks have responded by urging the government to repay what it owes to the BdL by setting up a $40 billion "defeasance fund" that could settle its debt to the central bank. Under the central bank's roadmap, lenders are asked to encourage clients who transferred at least $500,000 abroad from July 2017 until now to deposit 15% of the amount in a fixed-rate account for five years. "Politically exposed persons" should deposit 30% of the money taken out of Lebanon. Banks should use these deposits to finance foreign operations to stimulate the economy and should adopt a legal agreement between them and their clients to return the deposit upon maturity, according to the circular. The central bank also asked lenders to conduct a fair valuation of their assets and liabilities to restructure their capital or increase it by the first quarter of 2021. The regulator has previously asked banks to increase their capital by 20% by June of this year. Lenders were also told to set aside provisions against their dollar deposits at the BdL and the government's securities in dollars and the local currency for a five-year period. For their holdings of Lebanese government Eurobonds, banks would have to set aside money under the assumption of a 45% loss in value. The regulator will gradually lower the requirement. Clients whose deposits have already been impaired due to the currency crisis can convert their deposits into shares or into redeemable, tradable and convertible perpetual bonds, the circular said. She's an internet sensation, turned model, turned actress. And now Charlotte McKinney is kicking off her career as a YouTuber. The Florida born beauty, 27, launched her very own channel on Wednesday, offering fans a new way to connect with the blonde bombshell. Content queen: Charlotte McKinney is now a YouTuber after launching her own channel on Wednesday Charlotte's channel currently has two videos published, along with a teaser shared one month ago. The first is a how-to on McKinney's favorite makeup look. Offering pro tips, Charlotte was joined by makeup artist Carly Fisher in the 12minute clip. Another video featured a quick Q&A from the Baywatch star's recent Hamptons Magazine cover. In it she revealed her favorite place to travel, her go-to sushi roll, her guilty pleasure and more. Charlotte announced the launch of her new project with an Instagram teaser yesterday. 'Surprise I finally got a @YouTube channel !,' she wrote along with a montage of some of her greatest moments. Hey guys! Charlotte's channel currently has two videos published, a makeup tutorial and a quick Q&A Start small: Charlotte's channel is still getting started, with only 156 subscribers at the time of publication 'Only took me a couple years to do but hey Im here. Had some time on my hands during quarantine. will be sharing some fun stuff !' She may have to be patient about her subscriber count. At the time, Charlotte only has 156 people following her on the video platform. The beauty's new channel actually signals a return to her internet roots. McKinney first found herself in the spotlight through her sexy Instagram page, which now boasts 1.5million followers. Her sultry shots and hourglass figure eventually caught the attention of Wilhelmina Models and classic fashion brand Guess. Eat your heart out: In 2015 Charlotte became a global viral sensation after appearing in a cheeky Super Bowl commercial for Carl's Jr.'s All Natural Burger But in 2015 Charlotte became a global viral sensation after appearing in a cheeky Super Bowl commercial for Carl's Jr.'s All Natural Burger. Though many critiqued the suggestive ad - which flirted with the phrase 'All Natural' by showing Charlotte saunter through a farmers market wearing next-to-nothing - McKinney says she has no regrets about the spot. 'It was a huge part of my career and I am so grateful for it. There is nothing I would have done differently. I don't come from a family who worked in the industry that was my breakout; that was my big moment. I'm not ashamed of it,' she told Ad Age in 2018. Charlotte currently has two projects in the pipeline: a comedy called The Argument and another laugher titled Guest House. Both are set for a September 4 release. In what can definitely be termed as a shot in the arm for the government facing Opposition flak, a long list of academicians including professors from Delhi University, JNU, Central University of Kerala, California University among others have written to Prime Minister supporting the conduct of JEE- in the hope that students will not lose a year. The initiative is coordinated by a group of concerned academicians. "We the members of academic fraternity fully support the government decision to conduct JEE and exams," they wrote. Hitting out at the naysayers, they wrote: "The dreams and future of our youth and students cannot be compromised at any cost. However, some are trying to play with the future of our students simply to propel their own political agenda and oppose the government. "We hope and strongly believe that under your able leadership, the central government will successfully conduct the JEE and taking full precautions to ensure that the future of students is taken care of and the academic calendar for 2020-21 is rolled out." They say that they "wholeheartedly welcome" the government's move, while citing the Supreme Court dismissing a petition for postponement of these saying that any further delay in conducting the tests would result in waste of precious year for students. They wrote that "Youth and students are the future of the nation but in the wake of Covid-19 pandemic, clouds of uncertainty have gathered over their careers too". There are a lot of apprehensions about admissions and classes which, they say, need to be resolved at the earliest. Prof. C.B. Sharma of IGNOU, Prof. Prakash Singh of the Delhi University, Prof. Sanjeev Sharma, the VC of MGCUB in Bihar's Motihari, Prof. Jayaprasad, the Pro-VC of Central University of Kerala, Prof. Ainul Hasan of the JNU are among some of the academicians who wrote the letter to PM Modi. --IANS abn/pgh/ (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.) UN Security Council President Rejects US Demand To Restore Iran Sanctions Radio Farda August 26, 2020 The president of the UN Security Council (UNSC) has rejected Washington's demand to snap back international sanctions on Tehran that were lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal. Responding to Russia and China's questions on the issue, Indonesia's UN ambassador who holds the council's rotating presidency this month announced the rejection Tuesday, August 25. "It is clear to me that there is one member who has a particular position on the issues, while there are significant numbers of members who have contesting views," Ambassador Dian Triansyah Djani said during a virtual Security Council meeting on the Middle East. "In my view, there is no consensus in the council," he said, adding, "Thus, the president is not in the position to take further action." Firing back, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., Kelly Craft, blasted Djani for the decision. "Let me just make it really, really clear. The Trump administration has no fear in standing in a limited company on this matter, in light of the unmistakable truth guiding our actions," she said in a speech during the UNSC meeting. "I only regret that other members of this council have lost their way and now find themselves standing in the company of terrorists," Ms. Kraft asserted. Accusing the Security Council of lacking "courage and moral clarity," Ms. Craft emphasized that the United States "will not abandon the people of Iran or the region." Meanwhile, she insisted, "We will never allow Iran, the world's number one sponsor of terrorism, to buy and sell weapons of war freely." Based on a UN Resolution linked to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) or Tehran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, the international arms embargo against the Islamic Republic will expire on October 18. The U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo traveled to New York last week to formally notify the United Nations that Washington was initiating the snapback process to reimpose all U.N. sanctions on Tehran that were lifted under the JCPOA deal. Earlier, the Security Council resoundingly had rejected a U.S. resolution to extend an arms embargo on Iran that is expiring on October 18. Restoring the pre-JCPOA sanctions would extend the arms embargo. Nonetheless, Washington has argued that it is still a party to the nuclear deal defined by a Security Council resolution that backed the JCPOA, even though President Trump withdrew from it on May 8, 2018. For their part, the other permanent members of the UNSC and parties to the nuclear deal, Britain, China, France, and Russia, along with Germany, have begged to differ. Since Washington has dropped the nuclear deal, it cannot demand applying the JCPOA's "trigger mechanism," or snapback, and reimpose the international sanctions on Tehran, the other powers argue. At the same time, despite Tuesday's announcement, the U.S. mission to the U.N. reiterated that the United States is "is on the firm legal ground to initiate the restoration of sanctions." "The fact that some Council members expressed disagreement with our legal position in an informal VTC (virtual meeting) does not have any legal effect," the U.S. mission said in a statement Tuesday, the Associated Press reported. Meanwhile, the UNSC could revisit the issue next month when Niger takes over the presidency. But Niger has also expressed its opposition, dismissing the U.S. move as illegal. Source: https://en.radiofarda.com/a/un-security- council-rejects-us-demand-to-restore -iran-sanctions/30803151.html Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Diane Stahura on Thursday entered into a deferred prosecution agreement where she acknowledges that the government has sufficient evidence to charge her with wire fraud, court records show. She will not be prosecuted under the agreement so long as she cooperates with the IRS fraud investigation, agrees to a restitution plan and halts any misuse of funds. In an early morning emailed letter addressed to friends and colleagues, the 64-year-old mayor said he has accepted a plea agreement, which will result in his resignation in the coming days. In the email, Stahura stated he takes "pride in supporting Region businesses and casinos," and that he cares "deeply about our family and (does not) hesitate to help when they need it." Stahura declined comment when reached by The Times and deferred all questions to his attorney. "I can't really talk about it ... I made a plea, and we'll just leave it at that," Stahura said. Stahura's attorney, Kerry Connor, said her client's "reputation as a dynamic mayor and dedicated family man are well known across the Region." Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 19:16:53|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close MOSCOW, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Russia has blamed the United States for a recent collision between Russian and U.S. military vehicles in Syria. On Wednesday, Chief of the Russian Armed Forces General Staff Valery Gerasimov told Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley that a day before Russia notified the command of the U.S.-led coalition in advance of the passage of the Russian military police convoy in northeast Syria, the Russian Defence Ministry said in a statement. In violation of existing agreements, U.S. military personnel attempted to block the Russian convoy, which "took the necessary measures to prevent an incident and to keep fulfilling its task," Gerasimov said. According to a draft statement by U.S. Central Command, Russian vehicles "unsafely" pursued U.S. forces in Syria on Tuesday and a Russian vehicle intentionally rammed a coalition vehicle, leading to four U.S. troops being injured. Videos of the encounter on Twitter showed that U.S. and Russian vehicles were chasing and attempting to block each other's paths, with Russian helicopters overhead. Enditem The National Chairman, Peoples Democratic Party, Prince Uche Secondus has urged the Federal government and Independent Electoral Commission to adopt digital registration and electronic voting during election. The National Chairman made this known at the grand finale of Peoples Democratic Party Local Government Area mega campaign in Pa Ngele Oruta stadium, Abakaliki Ebonyi state. He said that they will ask Federal government and Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) to do the same stressing that with such measure on ground, the electoral process will be devoid of struggle, killing and desperation. Prince Secondus maintained that if people can be at the comfort of their homes and vote, their votes will count, Nigerians can equally do the same bearing in mind that Nigeria Bar Association has tried it and it worked for them. He further stated that PDP controlled States have sustained governance in Nigeria urging all the states not controlled by PDP to go to Ebonyi and all other PDP controlled States to learn good governance. On the PDP candidates for the local government election, the National Chairman charged them to follow the footprint of their leader, the Governor of Ebonyi state who has distinguished himself in the art of good governance. " I commend Governor Umahi for his numerous accomplishments in the area of Infrastructural development of the State and I also support in proposing e-Voting System during general elections in the country. "There should be e-voting. It will stop all forms of desperation from politicians. This is possible. We will tell the Federal Government about it; the killings and desperation are too much. This is a task that must be done. It will stop all the killings", he concluded Earlier, Ebonyi state governor, Chief David Umahi said he will never disenfranchise anybody who wants to contest for any position in the state stressing that people are to exercise their franchise as many times as possible as far as their people want them. Umahi further assured the people that he will never impose any candidate on them rather he would allow the will of God and that of the people to prevail since power belongs to the people. He said that the state has put transparent measures in place to ensure that the peoples choice emerge victorious adding that that was what transpired in the just concluded primaries for the local government elections. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has joined four other opposition parties in Parliament in demanding an explanation from Facebook over reports of alleged bias while censoring hate speech by members of the ruling party. CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury told Hindustan Times that the party will take up the issue in Parliament. The party also has one member in the Information Technology parliamentary panel, which has asked Facebook to offer an explanation on September 2. Hindustan Times, on August 22, had reported that members of the DMK, TRS, TMC and Congress wanted Facebook to explain the role of its India policy head Ankhi Das for alleged violations of the social media companys hate speech policy. Also Read: Why Facebook is wrong, yet again |Opinion The IT panels request for an explanation had drawn severe criticism from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, with its MP Nishikant Dubey writing to the Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla to seek the dismissal of panel chair Shashi Tharoor for misusing his position. On Wednesday, Dubey also asked the chair to cancel the meeting on the Jammu and Kashmir Internet shutdowns as it is in contravention with the Speakers advisory that says the panel cannot take up matters pending in front of courts. Also Read: Delhi assembly panel to probe Facebook inaction on hate speech, bias charges According to Yechury, the Facebook controversy has far-reaching implications on the countrys right to unbiased information. How can a social media platform so blatantly violate the right of citizens to access information free from bias, Yechury said. The partys IT panel member may also write to the Speaker raising these issues. Yechury, however, declined to comment on that since the proceedings of the panel are confidential. But according to leaders in the CPI(M), the main issues that the party is slated to flag are the role of social media companies such as Facebook and WhatsApp in a democratic country, the selective takedown of content and the impact on the integrity of elections. How can the business prospects of a company supersede democracy, said Yechury. The way Facebook has tried to influence voters in favour of the BJP is an interference in the Indian electoral process by a foreign corporate house. We need to launch a criminal investigation to establish the exact nature of the relationship between Facebook and the BJP. Until the inquiry is completed, the social media network should be banned from working in close cooperation with any of the governments bodies, he added. ROME, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Visiting Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said here Tuesday that starting "a new Cold War" is to reverse the course of history and kidnap the whole world. Wang made the remarks at a press briefing here with Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio after their talks. Responding to a question regarding China's comments on the so-called "new Cold War" that China and the U.S. are possibly heading into, Wang said China does not intend to engage in such a Cold War and is firmly against any hype about a so-called "new Cold War." Claiming to launch "a new Cold war" is to reverse the course of history, to serve one's own interests and to kidnap people from all over the world, he said. In Wang's view, such an attempt "is against the world development trend. And I think countries in the world are not going to be behind this mentality. Instead we are going to join hand to oppose anyone who is trying to drag us back into that 'law of the jungle'." Italy is the first leg in Wang's first foreign tour as the COVID-19 epidemic eases. The official visit in Europe from Aug. 25 to Sept. 1 will also take him to the Netherlands, Norway, France and Germany. Washington: Vice-President Mike Pence has claimed that America is on track to have a coronavirus vaccine by the end of the year, describing the US as a "nation of miracles" in his address to the Republican National Convention. In a speech painting an optimistic picture of a country emerging from a pandemic that has claimed almost 180,000 American lives, Pence criticised Democratic nominee Joe Biden for saying that "no miracle is coming" on COVID-19. Mike Pence accepting the nomination for vice-president. Credit:RNC/CSPAN "What Joe doesnt seem to understand is that America is a nation of miracles and were on track to have the worlds first safe, effective coronavirus vaccine by the end of this year," Pence said on Wednesday night (Thursday AEST) before a crowd of around 130 people in Baltimore, Maryland. The audience members were seated close together and few were wearing masks. By Express News Service NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to allow Muharram processions across the country, observing it may lead to chaos and targeting of a particular community for spreading Covid-19. The bench, headed by CJI SA Bobde, emphasised that such generic directions cannot be issued in exercise of Article 32 of the Constitution and declined to entertain a PIL by Syed Kalbe Jawad, a Shia cleric from Lucknow who sought permission for Muharram processions in a limited manner amid pandemic. You are asking for a general order and then if we allow this, there will be chaos. Particular community will be targetted for spreading Covid. We as a court cannot risk the health of all the people, the bench told Jawad, asking him to move the Allahabad High Court with his plea. As the petitioners lawyer sought to refer to the Supreme Courts order allowing Jagannath Puri Rath Yatra, the bench said that case was an entirely different one. Jagannath Puri case was one specific place where Rath was to go from point A to point B. If it was one specific place, we can assess the danger and so we passed that order. That is not the case here, CJI said. Petitioner also referred to the courts recent decision of allowing three Jain temples in Mumbai to open during the Paryushan festival. In both, the petitioners had limited prayers. We cannot pass general directions. Ganesh Chaturthi was not allowed in Tamil Nadu. We cannot pass general orders. It is not possible to give general directions, added the bench. ALSO WATCH: We are honored to once again be recognized as a 2020 Top Client Rated Alpharetta HVAC Company by Find Local Contractors. Complete customer satisfaction is our priority, and receiving this award shows that our efforts are noticed and appreciated, says a ClimateSmith LLC representative As a result of the excellent ratings, testimonials and recommendations that ClimateSmith LLC has received, Find Local Contractors has named them a 2020 Top Client Rated Alpharetta HVAC Company. ClimateSmith LLC is a trusted and dependable HVAC company based in Alpharetta, Georgia, providing premier heating and cooling services,. With licensed and trained technicians, this respected business guarantees quality results and solutions to meet the specific needs of their valued clients. Find Local Contractors is an established online directory that recognizes local contractors and companies who have received superior reviews based on service and performance. ClimateSmith LLC is among the select few HVAC companies to receive this award from Find Local Contractors. Many customer reviews have commented on the extensive knowledge and professionalism this company provides. It has been recognized by clients for fast response times and honest, reliable technicians with extensive knowledge of industry standards and products. Services from ClimateSmith LLC include air conditioning and heating for homes and businesses, along with HVAC maintenance, service, repair, replacement and installation. Their experienced technicians also perform heat pump installation and repair, furnace repair and replacement, home/commercial insulation and the installation of a variety of accessories to monitor air quality. To measure energy consumption, costs and potential savings, ClimateSmith LLC also offers a full system efficiency analysis and HVAC inspection for residential and commercial clients. We are honored to once again be recognized as a 2020 Top Client Rated Alpharetta HVAC Company by Find Local Contractors. Complete customer satisfaction is our priority, and receiving this award shows that our efforts are noticed and appreciated, says a ClimateSmith LLC representative. More About ClimateSmith LLC: As one of Georgias leading heating and air conditioning service companies, ClimateSmith LLC provides customized solutions for residential and commercial property owners, with unsurpassed service quality and customer care. ClimateSmith LLC provides turnkey services that are professional and reliable. For more information about ClimateSmith LLC and the HVAC services it provides, please visit http://www.alpharetta-hvac.com or call (770) 475-9555. As soon as the votes were in, some of the protesters began chanting the names of the members who favored the contract, cursing them along with Mayor Lori Lightfoot and the Chicago Police Department. Youth leaders put out calls for more supporters of police-free schools to show up to CPS headquarters, saying the school board had ignored their voices for too long. Tony Abbott's climate change denial caused such frustration to Barack Obama that as president he ad-libbed barbed comments about the death of the Great Barrier Reef in a speech during a visit to Australia. The diplomatic slight came during a G20 meeting of the leaders of the world's largest economies hosted by Mr Abbott in Brisbane in 2014. Barack Obama and Tony Abbott at the 2014 G20 meeting in Brisbane. Credit:Andrew Meares Two months before the event Mr Obama's then-chief of staff John Podesta, who recalls Mr Abbott as "the Donald Trump of the times" had a "frank and forthright" exchange with Australian officials in Washington DC about climate change, according to a new book called The Carbon Club by journalist Marian Wilkinson about the influence of fossil fuel interests in Australian politics. Mr Abbott opened the summit with a speech in which he celebrated his success in ending Labor's "carbon tax", but hours later Mr Obama gave a speech at the University of Queensland in which he took a swipe at the Australian government line that coal lifted people out of poverty, and said developing economies should be helped to break free of the "false choice between development and pollution". Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 18:59:46|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIRUT, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Director-General Audrey Azoulay said on Thursday that 159 private and public schools and 85,000 students were affected by Beirut's explosions. "We need approximately 22 million U.S. dollars to rehabilitate destroyed walls in these schools," Azoulay said during her tour at the Port of Beirut after her visit to schools in Achrafieh, an area heavily affected by the explosions, al-Jadeed TV channel reported. UNESCO is keen to support Lebanon's education and culture sector since "a future of a nation can only be built through schools," she noted. Azoulay also emphasized the need to support Lebanon in the field of online education given the outbreak of COVID-19. "We have coordinated efforts to identify needs and mobilize funds to start rehabilitation work when sanitary circumstances permit it," she said. Two huge explosions rocked Port of Beirut at around 6:10 p.m. local time (1510 GMT) on Aug. 4, shaking buildings all over the Lebanese capital, while killing at least 183 and wounding around 6,000 others. Enditem (Photo : Unsplash) Harvard University Harvard University's social media pages are weirdly trending on online platforms and have been receiving a lot of talks from netizens. The epicenter? Southeast Asian country, Philippines. The esteemed Ivy League university based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is stirring a lot of talks in its Facebook page and confuses some social media users as to different testimonies coming from people who haven't studied there were sharing their insights. Inquirer.net states that this is not a hoax, a technical glitch, or a paid advertisement campaign, and indeed not a hack. Instead, a handful of Filipino social media users who invaded the university's Facebook pages and posts by commenting and pretending to be students of the Ivy League university. This weird internet trend's roots are not identified and remain unknown. Basically, it just started as a handful of Filipino users in Facebook sharing their "testimonies" during their time in Harvard as a "student," carefully recounting their happy moments and even the weird ones. The posts and comments made by the Filipinos even attracted the attention of people who might even be affiliated with Harvard or its students, asking whether their testimonies are real. ALSO READ: Neuralink Update: Ethereum's Vitalik Buterin Warns Over Elon Musk's Brain Chip Implant Harvard University's Social Media Status Because of the Filipino's engagements, Harvard's Facebook likes grew 5.6 percent over the past week. The Ivy League university gained 336,000 more likes and currently exceeded six million page likes and followers. Harvard's four social media posts on Facebook gained a total of 18.6 million reactions, comments, and shares collectively. This is a massive surge for the university's Facebook page that is only used to less than 10,000 collective engagements on their previous post in July. What's Happening? Some of the comments and shares that the Filipinos who did not go to Harvard include their sentiments about how they miss the campus. Other testimonies included reviewing for examinations, meeting the love of their life, and even allegedly starting their freshman year there. The profiles of the people who said these sentiments list another school's name, thus voiding them of their affiliation to Harvard. Filipinos who engaged in the online "gag" to Harvard went as far as engaging comments with foreign national accounts who were merely commenting their opinions about the Harvard post. In a very different move-in this year, a limited number of students were welcomed to campus yesterday. Photo: Jon Chase/Harvard Staff Photographer Posted by Harvard University on Monday, August 24, 2020 Where did it start? Harvard's post about the campus that shows an image of the tree captioned "A quiet campus" was the first post that Filipinos started to share and put their captions in. Soon after, each post got weirder and weirder. Other posts by Harvard were also spammed by Filipino social media users, including its back-to-school limited dorm accommodations amidst COVID-19. Some foreign nationals questioned this bizarre moment in social media but were given indirect responses that included lyrics from songs and native Filipino languages. However, harsh comments also attacked Filipinos, saying that they have the lowest IQ in the Southeast Asian region. ALSO READ: Auschwitz Memorial Condemns TikTok Holocaust Challenge; Hurtful and Offensive for Victims This article is owned by Tech Times Written by Isaiah Alonzo 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland Bern, 27.08.2020 - The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland has filed an indictment against two accused on charges of betraying and/or exploiting trade secrets, industrial espionage and bribery of private individuals. One of these two accused also faces charges of exploiting insider information. The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland (OAG) has charged Hans Ziegler, one of the two accused, with multiple counts of betraying manufacturing or trade secrets (Art. 162 para. 1 Swiss Criminal Code [SCC] and Art. 6 in conjunction with Art. 23 Unfair Competition Act [UCA])*, multiple counts of aggravated industrial espionage (Art. 273 SCC), accepting bribes (Art. 322novies para. 1 SCC and Art. 4a para. 1 let. b in conjunction with Art. 23 UCA)* and multiple counts of exploiting insider information (former Art. 40 Stock Market Act / Art. 154 para. 1 Financial Market Infrastructure Act)*. The OAG has charged the second accused with multiple counts of exploiting manufacturing or trade secrets (Art. 162 para. 2 SCC and Art. 6 in conjunction with Art. 23 UCA)*, multiple offences of industrial espionage (Art. 273 SCC) and with bribery (Art. 322octies SCC and Art. 4a para. 1 let. b in conjunction with Art. 23 UCA)*. Alleged offences The OAG opened criminal proceedings against Hans Ziegler in April 2016 based on a complaint from the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority FINMA outlining suspicions of exploiting insider information. After detection of additional facts, the criminal proceedings were extended in July 2017 to include the second accused as well as the offences of breaching manufacturing or trade secrecy and the bribery of private individuals. Following authorisation of the prosecution by the Federal Department of Justice and Police FDJP in May 2018, the OAG extended the proceedings against both accused to include the offence of industrial espionage. This offence involves the disclosure of a manufacturing or trade secret to, amongst others, a foreign private enterprise or its agents. The OAG has filed the indictment because Hans Ziegler, as a member of the board of a company, between the end of 2013 and November 2016 on several occasions disclosed trade secrets to the second accused when he was not authorised to do so. This charge primarily relates to the sale of a foreign subsidiary to foreign potential buyer whose advisor was the second accused. The charge of accepting bribes is based on the allegation that after the sale was concluded, Hans Ziegler demanded the payment of CHF 150,000, which had been promised to him for disclosing the trade secrets. The payment was subsequently made to a company belonging to Hans Ziegler. The indictment further alleges that Hans Ziegler, as a member of the board of four stock exchange listed companies and as senior adviser to two consulting companies, on several occasions exploited insider information in connection with commercial transactions involving securities from a total of eleven companies. As a result, he made a profit of almost CHF 2 million for himself and for two legal entities with which he is associated. The OAG has filed an indictment against the second accused because on several occasions between the end of 2013 and November 2016 he exploited the trade secrets that Hans Ziegler had disclosed to him. The charge of industrial espionage is based on the allegation that he chose on multiple occasions to send secrets relating to two companies to other people abroad for their further use. The charge of bribery results from the fact that he promised Hans Ziegler the above-mentioned sum of CHF 150,000 for the trade secrets received and thereafter organised the payment of this sum. Information in connection with bringing an indictment The OAG will make its application at the hearing before the Federal Criminal Court (FCC). The accused are presumed innocent until they have been convicted in a legally binding judgment. With the filing of the indictment, the FCC becomes responsible for providing further information. * Information on the offences charged: Breach of manufacturing or trade secrecy: The betrayal and exploitation of trade secrets under Art. 162 SCC and Art. 4a para. 1 let. b in conjunction with Art. 23 UCA is only prosecuted in response to a criminal complaint from an aggrieved party. Industrial espionage: The disclosure of a manufacturing or trade an external official agency, a foreign organisation, a private enterprise, or the agents of any of these under Art. 273 SCC is prosecuted ex officio and requires the authorisation of the Federal Council under Art. 66 para. 1 of the Criminal Justice Authorities Act. Bribery of private individuals: Under Art. 4a para. 1 UCA in conjunction with Art. 23 UCA, the bribery of private individuals is prosecuted on complaint if the offence was committed before 1 July 2016. Offences committed after 1 July 2016 are prosecuted ex officio under Art. 322octies and 322novies SCC. Exploiting insider information: For offences committed between 1 May 2013 and at the end of 2015, the legal basis is the former Art. 40 of the Stock Market Act; for offences committed from 1 January 2016, Art. 154 of the Financial Market Infrastructure Act forms the legal basis. Address for enquiries Communication Service of the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland, info@ba.admin.ch Publisher Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland http://www.ba.admin.ch/ The Fine Wine & Good Spirits store in the Stefko Shopping Center in Bethlehem reopened Wednesday following a renovation, and grand opening specials are planned next week. The 1844-A Stefko Blvd. location offers around 2,875 brands in 3,650 square feet of retail space, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board said in a news release announcing the reopening. To celebrate, all in-store wines, spirits and accessories will be 10% off during regular business hours from Monday, Aug. 31, through Wednesday, Sept. 2. Due to the desire to promote responsible social distancing, there will be no official ribbon-cutting ceremony, and the 10% off sale typically held on the day of the official opening will be held over three days, the PLCB says. The store closed for renovations Feb. 23, prior to the coronavirus forcing the temporary closure statewide of all Fine Wine & Good Spirits shops. Following the resumption of initially online-only sales, stores reopened as counties went from red to yellow under Gov. Tom Wolfs economic reopening plan. All counties are now under green. That green phase still carries restrictions, and the PLCB says to expect the following public health precautions and COVID-19 mitigation efforts as the Stefko Boulevard store opens: A limited number of customers will be allowed in the store at any time in order to maintain social distancing best practices. The first hour each store is open each day will be reserved for customers at high risk for COVID-19, including those 65 years of age and older. Voluntary compliance is encouraged in the interest of protecting those customers health and safety. Customers and employees will be required to wear masks and practice social distancing, guided by signage throughout the stores. Signage will also direct customers to follow one-way patterns to avoid cross-traffic and encourage them to refrain from touching products unless they intend to buy them. Store employees will perform enhanced and frequent cleaning and disinfecting, and store hours will be modified to ensure appropriate time for cleaning and restocking. All sales are final, and no returns will be accepted until further notice. This Fine Wine & Good Spirits is designed to offer a warm, welcoming atmosphere for consumers to browse the extensive selection, the PLCB says. It features promotional items and educational materials for customers such as: Answers to frequently asked questions about wine and spirits. Food pairing information. A party planning guide. A calorie chart. Tips for responsible hosting and consumption. Material from the PLCBs award-winning Know When. Know How. alcohol education campaign. The store has a Made in Pennsylvania section to highlight wines and spirits produced in-state, and also sells Pennsylvania Lottery tickets. The PLCB says that throughout the redesign and construction, it was committed to developing a store that is attractive and environmentally responsible. The majority of store lighting is state-of-the-art LED or energy-efficient compact-fluorescent lighting, using a fraction of the energy of traditional lighting. The Stefko Shopping Center Fine Wine & Good Spirits hours are 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to lehighvalleylive.com. Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Senaat, an Abu Dhabi-based industrial investment holding company which is part of ADQ, announced on Thursday the refinancing of a revolving three-year loan facility amounting to AED980.6 million ($267 million). The facility replaces a loan which matured in December 2019, and will be used to support Senaats general corporate requirements, the company said in a statement on Thursday. The competitively priced facility was increased after its initial call for $200 million was heavily oversubscribed. The resulting facility is to be allocated among 12 local, regional and international lenders in proportion to their proposed subscriptions. "We are pleased to see such a resounding vote of confidence from the regional and global financial community as indicated by the response received for Senaats debt refinancing. Khalifa Sultan Al Suwaidi, Chairman of Senaat and Chief Investment Officer at ADQ, said: "Senaats operating companies are strong and competitive industrial businesses that are the cornerstone of Abu Dhabis industrial sector and are contributing to the diversification of Abu Dhabis economy." BNP Paribas acted as sole coordinator and bookrunner on the financing.-TradeArabia News Service W e should all want Rolls-Royce to succeed. Along with fish n chips and Manchester United, its one of the emblems of the UK still recognised in every corner of the planet. But success has been far from its reach for several years. Major engineering problems with its Trent 1000 engines bits started cracking far sooner than they should have have meant the company spent a bomb servicing them for their furious airline clients. Covid has caused those airlines to cancel orders for new planes and slash the amount of flying hours, hitting Rolls servicing revenues. Oh yes, and another engine, the Trent XWB-84, is now having issues, too. Teething problems are not uncommon in major, once-in-a-generation new product launches of such scale. Boeings 737 Max being a case in point. But Rolls does seem more plagued than most. Todays announcement contains a whole host of new horrors, including losses of 5.4 billion quid. Little wonder so many investors - even activist ValueAct have cut and run. Rolls wants those whove stuck around to stump up some 2 billion as an equity raise to keep the business afloat. However, many worry that this could not only be good money after bad, but not enough cash to work. After all, net debt is currently 1.7 billion, rising perhaps to 5 billion next year. Around 1 billion of cash is set to flow out of the business in the current half-year alone. The good news is that Rolls is thinking the unthinkable plotting the sale of around 2 billion of businesses to add to the money hoped for from the rights issue. But given the current state of the markets, there can be no guarantees of either plan. A key disposal is likely to be an aero engines business called ITP Aero, but talks to sell that last year collapsed. In these markets, whos to say they wont again? And, while fund managers have been willing to back many equity raises since April, theyre only prepared to support businesses with a clear and obviously bright future. One suspects Rolls has some way to go until it persuades them of that. CLEVELAND, Ohio Blount Small Ship Adventures, a small cruise company with a long-time presence in the Great Lakes, is exiting the cruise business. The companys small, nimble ships, holding fewer than 100 passengers, were a regular summertime presence in Cleveland, docking along the Cuyahoga River with disembarking travelers eager to explore the city. The Rhode Island-based company, previously known as American Canadian Line, owned three small cruise ships the Grande Mariner, Grande Caribe and Niagara Prince which are all for sale. Marcia Blount, president of Blount Boats, told WorkBoat magazine that the company was exiting the cruise business and would concentrate on its ship-building operation. It was really just the requirement that all the cruise lines had to shut down for Covid, and at this point we decided not to start again, she said. Its the latest blow for the cruise industry, which has been devastated by the coronavirus pandemic. Great Lakes cruising, which had been enjoying a resurgence in recent years with new ships, more passengers and emerging ports of call, including Cleveland has come to a dramatic halt this summer because of the health pandemic. Victory Cruise Lines, the largest operator of cruises in the Great Lakes, in May canceled all its cruises for 2020. Among the reasons why: the continued closure of the border between the United States and Canada. Most Great Lakes cruises go back and forth between the two countries. One popular Great Lakes Blount itinerary, however, the 16-day Great American Waterways tour, stayed entirely U.S. waters, traveling from New York City to Chicago, with stops in Buffalo, Cleveland, Mackinac Island and more. Victory, and several other lines, are scheduled to resume operations in 2021. For information: cruisethegreatlakes.com, greatlakescruising.com. Read more: Victory Cruise Lines cancels all Great Lakes sailings for 2020, leaving Cleveland port without cruise passengers A massage therapist in Atlantic County has lost his license permanently after he was convicted in municipal court of touching a clients genitals, the state Division of Consumer Affairs announced Thursday. John R. Popper, 48, of Little Egg Harbor, is the ninth licensed massage therapist whose license was revoked by the New Jersey Board of Massage and Bodywork Therapy since July 2019, said Paul R. Rodriguez, acting Director of the Division of Consumer Affairs. The client reported the unwanted sexual contact immediately after her appointment with Popper in 2017 at a Hand and Stone spa in Somers Point. Popper was convicted of harassment by offensive touching in Somers Point Municipal Court for touching the clients vagina during a massage. He appealed, but the conviction was upheld by a Superior Court Judge in Atlantic County last year. The board, after holding hearings voted to revoke Poppers license last month, released a final order Tuesday that said his conduct was so egregious and morally reprehensible, and so fundamentally at odds with anything that we would expect of a massage therapist that nothing short of permanent revocation would be sufficient to protect the public health, safety and welfare. When you see a massage therapist you put your trust in their hands, Rodriguez said. Therapists who violate that trust can cause real and long-lasting damage to their victims and are a danger to our community. The revocations are part of a review by Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal of how its 51 professional boards address allegations of sexual misconduct and abuse. The boards collectively license 720,000 professionals, including doctors, nurses, plumbers and massage therapists. No client or patient should ever have to fear for their personal safety while interacting with a licensed professional in this state, Grewal said in a statement. By revoking the licenses of massage therapists who prey on their clients, the Board is carrying out its duty to protect the public. A telephone message left for Popper was not returned. Popper, according to the boards order, said he received inadequate legal representation in municipal court and accused the client of setting him up in order to file a lawsuit. The other massage therapists who lost their licenses in the last year are: Asad Aliyev on July 25, 2020, for allegedly touching a female client inappropriately during a massage therapy session at a Hand and Stone spa in Allendale. Aaron Coile on Jan. 28, 2020, for allegedly inappropriately touching a female client during a massage therapy session at the Sage Body and Mind spa in Voorhees. Premkumar Perumal on Oct. 22, 2019, for allegedly touching a female client inappropriately during a massage therapy session at a Hand and Stone Massage & Facial Spa in Clark. Perumal also allegedly inappropriately touched another female client at a Massage Envy in Hoboken. Magdy Masek on Oct. 22, 2019, for allegedly inappropriately touching a female client during a massage therapy session at a Massage Envy in Piscataway. Frank Giordano on September 24, 2019, for allegedly touching two female clients inappropriately during massage therapy sessions at Alternative Bodyworks in Nutley. Michael Egan on September 19, 2019, for allegedly inappropriately touching a female client during a massage therapy session at a Massage Envy in Closter. Leonardo Drittij on September 18, 2019, for allegedly touching a female client inappropriately, engaging in a conversation of an intimate sexual nature with her, and failing to drape her properly during a massage therapy session at a Massage Envy. Jonathan Higgins on July 16, 2019, for allegedly inappropriately touching a female client during a massage therapy session at a Hand and Stone Massage & Facial Spa in Brick. Higgins faces criminal sexual assault charges. The Board also adopted new rules last year which requires massage therapists to report criminal and civil actions filed against them; report other therapists for misconduct they witness; require clients under age 18 to obtain written permission for services; and require clients under age 16 to have a parent or guardian in the room during the massage, Rodriguezs announcement said. Clients who believe that they have been treated by a licensed massage therapist in an inappropriate manner can file a complaint online by visiting the State Division of Consumer Affairs website or by calling 1-800-242-5846 (toll free within New Jersey) or 973-504- 6200 to receive a paper complaint form by mail. Local journalism needs your support. Subscribe at nj.com/supporter. Susan K. Livio may be reached at slivio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SusanKLivio. Hong Kong: Kindergartens to receive grants The Education Bureau will implement two pilot schemes for the renovation and relocation grants in the 2020-21 and 2021-22 school years to help kindergartens under the kindergarten education scheme improve their school environments. Together with a website enhancement grant set for the 2020-21 school year for kindergartens which have joined the scheme, all the grants will incur about $75 million in estimated total funding. The bureau issued circular memoranda to scheme kindergartens today announcing the details. Each kindergarten approved for the relocation grant will receive $1.5 million while each kindergarten approved for the renovation grant will receive $500,000. It is estimated that 50 kindergartens will be provided with the renovation grant in each of the next two school years. The bureau will take into account the kindergartens operating standards, financial position and sustainability as well as genuine needs, the works urgency and other factors when vetting and approving applications. Additionally, non-Chinese speaking childrens parents are encouraged to send their children to kindergartens with an immersive Chinese language environment as early as possible to facilitate their early exposure to and learning of the Chinese language. The one-off website enhancement grant aims to assist kindergartens in enhancing their school websites to provide both Chinese and English school information for parents. All scheme kindergartens should provide basic school information in both Chinese and English, including information on support for non-Chinese speaking children. The bureau will provide each school with a $10,000 grant. Schools that can provide all information on their websites in both Chinese and English will be provided with a $20,000 grant. This story has been published on: 2020-08-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. LEHI, Utah, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- BGZ brands is proud to promote Leslie Greve, originally Vice President of Category Management, to Chief Marketing Officer. As CMO, her responsibilities include listening to the market and focusing on customers' needs, setting and executing the BGZ brands global marketing strategy, and managing and developing the company's marketing team. Greve's new role will also generate an acceleration of tools and messaging that demonstrates the company's forward-thinking approach to people, products and processes ensuring their sustainability initiative and value of giving back are the driving force to do good things with the earth and the people on it. BGZ brands "Leslie's talent, experience, and deep concern for people align perfectly with our brand values. Our future continues to burn bright and Leslie's vision will be a key contributor in our taking BGZ to the next level," said Kirk Feller, CEO. Greve's passion for the fast-paced wireless industry came from its constantly evolving technology and dynamic innovation. She has propelled the BGZ team forward by utilizing and interpreting data to make sense of trends and to uncover future needs for consumers. As the new CMO, Greve plans to unite the BGZ brands departments to speak with a singular voice for the express purpose of creating a world-class customer experience. "We will make data-based decisions which will result in customers feeling at home in our products and brands. We want them to think, 'This is something I never knew I needed.'" Greve continued, "At a time when a lot of companies are pulling back on investments due to COVID-19, BGZ brands is doubling down on innovation, people and investments. We are planning for a bright future, with the voice of our customers woven through the fabric of what we do. We are ready to meet our consumers in fresh ways." Prior to joining BGZ brands in 2015, Greve grew her career in consumer packaged goods companies, working in sales, category, branding, and strategy. She spent 10 years at TESSCO Technologies where she served as Product Business Unit Leader, working with brands and retailers in wireless. She is also a regular contributor with Women in Consumer Tech, an organization where she leads a Connect Circle to empower and mentor other females advancing within the CE industry. About BGZ brands BGZ brands' mission is "to enhance our customers' lifestyles through branded products and services of elevated value and quality." BGZ brands has become the powerhouse parent company of three distinct consumer electronic accessory brands BodyGuardz, a leading device protection company; Lander, gear made modern; and MOXYO, modern accessories for you. For more information, visit BGZ brands. Media Contact: Alycia Garner Phone: (801) 495-3514 Email: [email protected] Related Images image1.png SOURCE BGZ brands Related Links http://www.bgzbrands.com Incessant rains in Karachi since early morning on Thursday left daily life and business activities paralysed in the metropolitan city as people found themselves stuck on flooded roads and struggled to reach the safety of their homes At least 18 people have died in floods that hit Pakistan's Karachi since Tuesday, and heavy rainfall inundated main roads and paralysed business activities in the country's financial hub. Pakistan's meteorological office said that the rainfall in August had broken a 90-year-old record. "The monsoon rainfall has been prolonged and abnormal this year and this pattern will continue for a few more days," PTI quoted a spokesman for the Met office as saying. Incessant rains in Karachi since early morning on Thursday left daily life and business activities paralysed in the metropolitan city as people found themselves stuck on flooded roads and struggled to reach the safety of their homes. Videos posted on social media and footage on television channels painted a grim picture of a major collapse of the civic structure in Karachi, with rain water even entering homes in some areas while most main roads remained flooded and closed for traffic. Karachi Rains pic.twitter.com/QcIDltaQRJ Mansoor Ali Khan (@_Mansoor_Ali) August 27, 2020 Oh this roud houses Supreme Court Karachi Registry the office of Former damfool fund Baba #KarachiRain pic.twitter.com/irQB8dotCm Muhammad Junaid (@junaidmuhammadd) August 27, 2020 Bahria Town, Karachi This place is located near boundary wall of Btk (20 km inside the main gate). pic.twitter.com/1H5Yqm18rW Siasat.pk (@siasatpk) August 27, 2020 This cant be any more Karachi even if he tried pic.twitter.com/o86KwOOgIB Alia Chughtai (@AliaChughtai) August 27, 2020 Karachi Commissioner Muhammad Suhail Rajput urged people not to leave their homes. Instances of heavy rain and severe flooding across Karachi have led to power outages with the Karachi Electric also tweeting that people should be prepared for long power breakdowns. Since Tuesday, when the monsoon rainfall began at intervals, rescue and police officials said around 18 people had died from rain-related incident. A top rescue official said at least 50 people had died in Karachi from rain-related incidents since the monsoon season began in the city in July. Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said that heavy rainfall had caused a "disastrous situation" in Karachi. He has instructed the Provincial Disaster Management Authority to provide food, water and other essential items, PTI reported. Vehicles could be seen submerged as rain continued to lash the city and even the heavy containers in the Saddar area which have been brought in by the law enforcement agencies for the Muharram processions were seen floating around on the heavy flooded roads. Reuters reported that Karachi authorities were making efforts to settle displaced families into school buildings, while the military conducted rescue operations. Pakistan's chief meteorological officer, Sardar Sarfaraz was quoted by the report as saying that around 484 milimetres (19 inches) of rain had fallen this month, 130 milimetres of rain were received on Thursday alone. With inputs from agencies Meeting concurrent with handover of Socotra water project to Yemeni authorities RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program for Yemen (SDRPY) Supervisor Mohammed Al Jabir and numerous development specialists held a comprehensive virtual meeting with leaders of the Yemeni Private Sector Cluster (YPSC) to coordinate development plans and strategies, discuss cooperation to expand the scope of development efforts, and examine the general potential of the cluster for participation in development, reconstruction and economic recovery in Yemen. The meeting established alignment between YPSC and SDRPY development goals, which include raising efficiency in vital sectors of the Yemeni economy and providing increased and improved basic services to as many Yemeni beneficiaries as possible. YPSC gave a presentation on establishment of the cluster, its achievements, and its concept of the framework for future partnership with SDRPY. SDRPY projects, initiatives and partnerships with international organizations were also subjects of mutual interest. At the conclusion of the meeting, the parties agreed to form a working group to devise a strategy for cooperation, and to monitor and enhance the private sector's contribution to development, reconstruction and economic recovery in Yemen. SDRPY observes best practices in development and reconstruction and exercises thought leadership in sustainable development with the aim of strengthening the historical, cultural and economic relationship between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Republic of Yemen. Through its offices around Yemen, and in cooperation with the Yemeni government, local authorities and the private sector, SDRPY has launched over 188 projects in more than 7 sectors: health, energy, transportation, water, education, agriculture and fisheries, and government-entity capacity building. SDRPY teams have also repeatedly provided emergency response and disaster recovery assistance in a range of Yemeni provinces over the past two years. Concurrent with the virtual meeting, SDRPY completed the handover of its water resources management project for the province of Socotra to local authorities. The improved supply and distribution of water in the archipelago as a result of this project is estimated to serve 30,000 beneficiaries. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1244868/SDRPY_YPSC_1.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1244869/SDRPY_YPSC_Joint_Logo.jpg New Delhi: A five-member team of Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has left for Mumbai to probe the drug angle in actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death case. The team has been constituted under the supervision of Deputy Director of Operations (NCB) KPS Malhotra. The NCB on Wednesday registered a case against Sushant's actress girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty and others in connection with the case. The case was registered under various sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, including Section 27 which specifies punishment for consumption of any narcotic drug or psychotropic substance and 29 which provides for punishment in case of abetment and criminal conspiracy. Rhea Chakraborty's deleted WhatsApp chats have hinted at a possible drug conspiracy in Sushant's case. The retrieved chats unfolded the conversation between Rhea and Gaurav Arya - an alleged drug dealer. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) investigation in Sushant's case has revealed details about Rhea's conversation about drugs in the WhatsApp chat. Meanwhile, Sushant's father KK Singh on Thursday also alleged that Rhea Chakraborty was giving poison to the actor for a long time and she is his "murderer". He demanded that the investigating agency must arrest Rhea and her associates and ensure that they face justice for their misdeeds. People are being encouraged to shop local as a new survey reveals that six out of 10 Canadian small businesses are concerned that consumer spending will remain low after the COVID-19 pandemic. The survey results, released Wednesday by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB), show that the only bigger concern for small business owners is the impact of the pandemic on the economy, with 70 per cent reporting that as a concern. I would say they are very worried about the change in customer behaviour that may be permanent and not temporary, said Laura Jones, executive vice-president at the CFIB. Theyre quite worried that customers wont come back to the strength they were pre-COVID. The CFIB reported that as of Wednesday, 66 per cent of small businesses are fully open, 40 per cent are fully staffed and only 28 per cent are back to normal sales levels. I think many are waiting to see what happens in early fall, thats going to be a critical period for a lot of business owners, Jones said. She said other major concerns that remain for small businesses include access to rent relief, as Sept. 1 approaches and the rent is due. The rent subsidy program launched earlier this year by the federal government is dependent on the landlord applying for it, and many businesses have complained that their landlords have not applied. Jones said her organization is hopeful that with a new finance minister in Ottawa, they may get some traction on improving the rent relief program. She said some businesses have also struggled to access the governments loan program for small businesses. We know that consumers have their own worries, so were certainly not being critical of the lack of spending, but just encouraging consumers that this is an important individual action that matters a lot right now, she said. Amazon is doing really well, but your local business owner is likely still wondering whether they can make it through this. Businesses are also facing staffing issues, she said, as some workers have not come back, as the government transitions people over from the $2,000-a-month Canada Emergency Response Benefit to Employment Insurance . Ultimately, you have to transition away from subsidies back to sales. Businesses will only survive if their customers come back, said Jones. The CFIB has launched the #SmallBusinessEveryDay campaign to encourage people to shop local. The organization also highlighted that this weekend will be RBCs Canada United campaign, in which people who shop or dine at eligible local businesses can enter to win one of 25 $10,000 cash prizes. Our shopping now more than ever has moral implications, said Jones. The choices we make say something about our values and what we want our communities to look like going forward. URBANA, Ill. - Representing some of the most troublesome agricultural weeds, waterhemp, smooth pigweed, and Palmer amaranth impact crop production systems across the U.S. and elsewhere with ripple effects felt by economies worldwide. In a landmark study, scientists have published the most comprehensive genome information to date for all three species, marking a new era of scientific discovery toward potential solutions. "These genome assemblies will greatly foster further research on these difficult weed species, including better understanding the ways in which they evade damage from herbicides," says Pat Tranel, professor and associate head of the Department of Crop Sciences at the University of Illinois and co-author on the Genome Biology and Evolution study. Draft genomes had already been published for waterhemp and Palmer amaranth, but techniques used in the Genome Biology and Evolution study provide a much clearer and richer picture of the species' gene sequences, a requisite for many genomic studies. All three genomes were assembled using advanced long-read sequencing, which maintains the integrity and continuity of the genome similar to the way large puzzle pieces provide a clearer picture of the whole than small pieces. In Palmer amaranth, an additional sequencing technology (chromatin conformation capture sequencing) was used to further order pieces of the genome that were assembled using the long-read information. "The goal of any genome assembly is to reveal the complete arrangement of genes in the genome, broken into chromosome-sized fragments. Unfortunately, until recently, quality genome assemblies have been very labor intensive and expensive. The previously published draft genomes for these species reported the genome broken into thousands of pieces, while the assemblies we report are down to hundreds. The vast majority of the sequence is now assembled into very large fragments," says Jacob Montgomery, a graduate student working with Tranel and first author on the study. To further improve the assembly of the genomes for waterhemp and smooth pigweed, the team used an innovative approach known as trio binning, developed in cattle. Not only had this technique never before been fully utilized in plants, it had also not been used with parents from different species. In normal reproduction, male and female parents each contribute one copy of every gene to their offspring. In this case, offspring are diploid, meaning they have two copies of every gene. In the study, the team created hybrid offspring from two separate species: waterhemp and smooth pigweed. These offspring are still diploid, but the trio binning technique allowed the researchers to pull apart and isolate the two copies from each parent species, resulting in haploid (single copy) genomes for each. "This approach resolved a problem in the previous waterhemp genome assembly. When parent alleles (copies of each gene) are very different from each other, as is often the case in outcrossing species such as waterhemp, the genome assembly program interprets them to be different genes," Tranel says. "With only one allele from each species, we were able to obtain a much cleaner assembly of their gene sequences." Detlef Weigel, director of the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology and co-author on the study, adds, "I am a big fan of the new advanced sequencing techniques, but even though they should theoretically be sufficient to sort out the arrangement of genes, in practice they are not. This is where genetics can help out, using information on whether genes were inherited from mom or dad. This allowed us to assign each gene to either a maternal or paternal chromosome." The researchers specifically chose waterhemp as the male parent in the smooth pigweed waterhemp cross because the previously published waterhemp genome was from a female plant. Tranel is pursuing research to understand the genetic basis for maleness and femaleness in waterhemp and Palmer amaranth, with potential applications toward introducing female sterility as a future control method. "The genomes of the male waterhemp and Palmer amaranth already have enabled my group to make rapid progress on identifying the potential genes that could be responsible for the determination of sex (male or female) in both species," Tranel says. Importantly, the genomes for all three species could start to chip away at the problem of herbicide resistance in these weeds. More and more, scientists are uncovering evidence of non-target-site or metabolic resistance in waterhemp and Palmer amaranth, allowing the weeds to detoxify herbicides before they can cause damage. Unfortunately, it is usually very difficult to determine which specific enzyme, among hundreds, is responsible for detoxifying the herbicide. Now, researchers will essentially be able to sort through a list to find the culprit with the hope of either knocking out the enzyme responsible or modifying the herbicide molecule to evade detoxification. "Innovation is essential for the future of agriculture. We at BASF are working continuously on improving our products and services including sustainable solutions for the management of herbicide-resistant weeds. We want to better understand the amaranth biochemical resistance mechanisms in order to offer farmers new products and solutions for optimal control of key weeds," says Jens Lerchl, head of early biology research on herbicides at BASF and study co-author. Lerchl coordinated the Palmer amaranth genome work with KeyGene/Wageningen -The Netherlands. "The area of genome sequencing is highly dynamic. That is why BASF chose KeyGene as the partner for both latest sequencing technology and bioinformatics. Together with the expertise of the University of Illinois and Max Planck Society, we were able to compare genomes and address specific biological topics," Lerchl says. In addition to collaborating on this research, BASF is also a founding member of the International Weed Genomics Consortium, led by Colorado State University aiming at the sequencing and analysis of ten high priority key weeds. ### Co-authors from KeyGene endorse the societal relevance of the results and of the public availability of the data. "In plant sciences, studying weed genetics is important for sustainability of future agriculture. Our results will hopefully stimulate scientists around the globe to start, continue, and boost research on the genetics of important weeds that currently reduce yields, increase costs, and cause environmental burden," says Antoine Janssen, genome informatics expert at KeyGene. The article, "Draft genomes of Amaranthus tuberculatus, Amaranthus hybridus, and Amaranthus palmeri," is published in Genome Biology and Evolution [DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evaa177]. The research was supported by USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture, the International Max Planck Research School, and the Max Planck Society. The Department of Crop Sciences is in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois. 1 If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this Got news tips, gossip, suggestions, complaints?E-mail us: progressivecharlestown@gmail.com We strive to avoid errors in our articles. Our correction policy can be found here President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that Gov. Tony Evers has agreed to accept federal policing assistance in Kenosha as the city braces for a fourth day of racial unrest. Evers issued a statement about a half hour later announcing he is doubling the number of National Guard members in Kenosha for the second day in a row, for a total of 500. Evers said Guard members would only be used "to provide support to local law enforcement and to protect critical infrastructure and cultural institutions necessary for the well-being of the community, and to provide support to first responders such as the Kenosha Fire Department. The Wisconsin National Guard may not be used to impede the ability of people to peacefully protest or impede the ability of the media to report on this situation." The announcement came after Assembly Speaker Robin Vos blamed the killing of two people in Kenosha late Tuesday night by what appeared to be a vigilante gunman on Evers not deploying enough National Guard members to address protests spurred by the police shooting of Jacob Blake. Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, of Antioch, Illinois, was arrested on suspicion of first-degree homicide by Antioch police on Wednesday. The city is about 15 miles from Kenosha. "That is entirely on Gov. Evers' shoulders because he refused to do what the locals asked for," Vos said Wednesday in an interview on WISN radio. In a statement Wednesday, Evers said "we should not tolerate violence against any person," adding he was "grateful there has already been swift action to arrest one person involved. The individual or individuals whose actions resulted in this tragic loss of life must be held accountable." "A senseless tragedy like this cannot happen again," Evers said. "I again ask those who choose to exercise their First Amendment rights please do so peacefully and safely, as so many did last night." Just after noon President Donald Trump tweeted that he had spoken with Evers and that the governor would be accepting federal assistance. "We will NOT stand for looting, arson, violence, and lawlessness on American streets," Trump tweeted. "My team just got off the phone with Governor Evers who agreed to accept federal assistance (Portland should do the same!)... ...TODAY, I will be sending federal law enforcement and the National Guard to Kenosha, WI to restore LAW and ORDER!" Evers spokeswoman Britt Cudaback said Wednesday afternoon the governor has been working with several state partners to get additional National Guard and state patrol support. She said Evers spoke with Trump's chief of staff Mark Meadows and that the federal government is planning to assist in facilitating conversations with other state partners and provide FBI support to our state response. Protests over the death of Blake, who was shot multiple times in the back by police responding to a domestic incident on Sunday, turned violent in downtown Kenosha for the third straight night Tuesday. Evers initially called up 125 Wisconsin National Guard members to assist local law enforcement on Monday, and then doubled that number for Tuesday after more than 30 businesses were damaged or destroyed. But Evers on Tuesday turned down an offer from Meadows to provide additional support from the Department of Homeland Security, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported. DHS raised alarm among civil liberty advocates last month for arresting protesters using unmarked vehicles. Kenosha Police said at about 11:45 p.m. Tuesday that a shooting in the area of 63rd Street and Sheridan Road resulted in two fatalities and a third gunshot victim who was transported to a hospital with serious, but non-life threatening injuries. No further details were released. A video of the incident shared widely on social media shows a white man with a long gun running through the streets amid protesters and then falling to the ground, at which point he opens fire. The man then gets up and runs toward a line of police vehicles with his hands up as bystanders shout that he was the shooter. Video shows people running in the street and people falling to the ground as shots ring out. In another video, the man is seen running, holding his rifle and talking on his phone he can be heard saying I just killed somebody as he ran. Sen. Van Wanggaard, R-Racine, said in a letter to Evers Wednesday the two deaths could have been prevented. He said the Kenosha County Board on Tuesday night asked for 1,500 National Guard members to assist Wednesday, and implored Evers to reconsider Trump's offer. "Without massive resources, violence will only escalate," Wanggaard wrote. Wanggaard also criticized Evers for not accepting the offer of federal assistance, calling "disgusting and insulting." "Asking for resources for COVID, but refusing assistance for Kenosha is unconscionable and a slap in the face to every resident of Kenosha," he wrote. "When your house is on fire, you do not refuse your neighbors hose to help douse the flames because you are also hungry. Two people are dead tonight in Kenosha because of Wisconsins inability to control the riots." Republicans have widely condemned Evers for not calling for calm on Sunday night in the immediate aftermath of the Blake shooting. Instead his message focused on justice for Blake. He has since called for protests to remain peaceful. Vos said the episode is "an example of how picking the right leader for the right time really matters." "We have a feckless governor who does almost nothing, even at the request of local elected officials who are by and large Democrats," Vos said. "He ignores them and now people are literally dead because people had to take to themselves to protect their own property." The Democratic Party of Wisconsin issued a statement Wednesday afternoon turning the political blame on Trump. This is Trumps America," state Democratic Party chairman Ben Wikler said. "Last nights violence is the inevitable result of President Trumps racist, disturbing rhetoric that has defined his time in office. Yesterday, an emboldened Kenosha militia issued a call to 'take up arms.' Last night, an out-of-state gunman, Kyle Rittenhouse, did exactly that. Two human beings now lay dead." The Associated Press contributed to this report. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Borsa Italiana non ha responsabilita per il contenuto del sito a cui sta per accedere e non ha responsabilita per le informazioni contenute. Accedendo a questo link, Borsa Italiana non intende sollecitare acquisti o offerte in alcun paese da parte di nessuno. Sarai automaticamente diretto al link in cinque secondi. CANBERRA, Australia - The Australian government will have the power to cancel deals struck with foreign nations by lower levels of government if it decide they violate the national interest under laws it will propose next week, officials said Thursday, as China warned against disrupting co-operation. An agreement signed by the southern state of Victoria with Beijings Belt and Road Initiative to build trade-related infrastructure is among 135 deals with 30 countries that need to be reviewed, said Foreign Minister Marise Payne. China is Australias biggest trading partner, but Australian leaders are sensitive about Chinese political and economic influence. This week, regulators blocked a Chinese companys purchase of Japanese brewer Kirins Australian beverage unit as contrary to the national interest. Prime Minister Scott Morrison declined to comment on whether the Belt and Road deal might be scrapped. The Chinese foreign ministry cautioned against disrupting successful pragmatic co-operation with Victoria. Australia should see two sides co-operation under the BRI in an objective and reasonable manner and not set obstacles artificially for normal exchanges and co-operation, said a ministry spokesman, Zhao Lijian, in Beijing. Morrison said the legislation doesnt target China. My biggest concern is Australias national sovereign interest, he told reporters. Australia in 2018 passed sweeping national security laws that ban covert foreign interference in domestic politics. Beijing protested that the laws were prejudiced against China and poisoned Chinese-Australian relations. On Thursday, Attorney-General Christian Porter told Parliament the first investigations were being conducted in New South Wales state under those laws. They carry penalties including up to 20 years in prison. Two entities have been formally asked why they failed to register as agents for a foreign principal, Porter said. He did not identify the entities or the countries they are suspected of acting for. The proposed legislation would give Payne power to scrap international deals struck by state governments, public institutions such as universities and sister-city partnerships. Future deals would need federal approval and could be revoked. The recent decision to block the $430 million sale of Kirins dairy business, Lion Dairy and Drinks, to China Mengniu Dairy Co. was unusual because it involved the transfer of an asset that already was foreign-owned. Lawmakers worry Victorias memorandum of understanding with Beijing could increase Chinese interference in Australias second-most-populous state. The state pursued the deal despite the federal governments stance that Australia was not going to commit itself to those types of arrangements, said Peter Jennings, executive director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute think-tank . I just dont see that that is something that should be sustainable, Jennings added. James Laurenceson, director of University of Technology Sydneys Australia-China Relations Institute, questioned whether the proposed legislation was an overreaction. We know the Australian government has been running a very tough line on China, thats been consistent and it hasnt been affected by the belt and road memorandum of understanding at all, Laurenceson said. Yves here. Aiee, another way Covid-19 wreaks unexpected havoc, as in recovering too often isnt clear cut. These accounts are important to underscore the importance of taking precautions and to provide intel in case a relative or friend is similarly afflicted. By Martha Bebinger, WBUR. Originally published at WBUR and Kaiser Health News Frank and Leslie Cutitta stand outside their home in Wayland, Massachusetts, where a banner still hangs for his return from the hospital. (Jesse Costa/WBUR) Leslie Cutitta said yes, twice, when clinicians from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston called asking whether she wanted them to take and then continue extreme measures to keep her husband, Frank Cutitta, alive. The first conversation, in late March, was about whether to let Frank go or to try some experimental drugs and treatments for COVID-19. The second call was just a few days later. Hospital visits were banned, so Leslie couldnt be with her husband or discuss his wishes with the medical team in person. So she used stories to try to describe Franks zest for life. Frank used to joke that he wanted to be frozen, like Ted Williams, until they could figure out what was wrong with him if he died, said Leslie Cutitta. It wasnt a serious end-of-life discussion, but Cutitta knew her husband would want every possible lifesaving measure deployed. So the Cutittas hung on and a small army of ICU caregivers kept working. On April 21, after 27 days on a ventilator, Franks lungs had recovered enough to remove the breathing tube. After the removal, it typically takes hours, maybe a day, for the patient to return to consciousness. The body needs that time to clear the drugs that keep the patient sedated and comfortable able to tolerate intubation and mechanical ventilation. But doctors across the U.S. and in other countries have noted a troubling phenomenon associated with some COVID cases: Even after extubation, some patients remain unconscious for days, weeks or longer. Theres no official term for the problem, but its being called a prolonged or persistent coma or unresponsiveness. Frank Cutitta, 68, was one of those patients. He just didnt wake up. It was a long, difficult period of not just not knowing whether he was going to come back to the Frank we knew and loved, said Leslie Cutitta. It was very, very tough. Doctors studying the phenomenon of prolonged unresponsiveness are concerned that medical teams are not waiting long enough for these COVID-19 patients to wake up, especially when ICU beds are in high demand during the pandemic. As Franks unresponsive condition continued, it prompted a new conversation between the medical team and his wife about whether to continue life support. Although he no longer needed the ventilator, he still required a feeding tube, intravenous fluids, catheters for bodily waste and some oxygen support. Leslie Cutitta recalled a doctor asking her: If it looks like Franks not going to return mentally, and hes going to be hooked up to a dialysis machine for the rest of his life in a long-term care facility, is that something that you and he could live with? She struggled to imagine the restricted life Frank might face. Every day, sometimes several times a day, she would ask Franks doctors for more information: Whats going on inside his brain? Why is this happening? When might something change? Their candid and consistent answer was: We dont know. Because this disease is so new and because there are so many unanswered questions about COVID-19, we currently do not have reliable tools to predict how long it will take any individual patient to recover consciousness, said Dr. Brian Edlow, a critical care neurologist at Mass General. Given all the unknowns, doctors at the hospital have had a hard time advising families of a patient who has remained unresponsive for weeks, post-ventilator. Some families in that situation have decided to remove other life supports so the patient can die. Edlow cant say how many. It is very difficult for us to determine whether any given patients future will bring a quality of life that would be acceptable to them, Edlow said, based on what theyve told their families or written in a prior directive. Theories abound about why COVID-19 patients may take longer to regain consciousness than other ventilated patients, if they wake up at all. COVID-19 patients appear to need larger doses of sedatives while on a ventilator, and theyre often intubated for longer periods than is typical for other diseases that cause pneumonia. Low oxygen levels, due to the viruss effect on the lungs, may damage the brain. Some of these patients have inflammation related to COVID-19 that may disrupt signals in the brain, and some experience blood clots that have caused strokes. So there are many potential contributing factors, Edlow said. The degree to which each of those factors is playing a role in any given patient is still something were trying to understand. One of the first questions researchers hope to answer is how many COVID-19 patients end up in this prolonged, sleeplike condition after coming off the ventilator. In our experience, approximately every fifth patient that was hospitalized was admitted to the ICU and had some degree of disorders of consciousness, said Dr. Jan Claassen, director of neurocritical care at New Yorks Columbia University Medical Center. But how many of those actually took a long time to wake up, we dont have numbers on that yet. An international research group based at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center expects to have in September some initial numbers on COVID-19 brain impacts, including the problem of persistent comas. Some COVID patients who do eventually regain consciousness still have cognitive difficulties. To try to get a handle on this problem at Columbia, Claassen and colleagues created a coma board, a group of specialists that meets weekly. Claassen published a study in 2019 that found that 15% of unresponsive patients showed brain activity in response to verbal commands. A case reported by Edlow in July described a patient who moved between a coma and minimal consciousness for several weeks and was eventually able to follow commands. This spring, as Edlow observed dozens of Mass General COVID-19 patients linger in this unresponsive state, he joined Claassen and other colleagues from Weill Cornell Medical College to form a research consortium. The researchers are sharing their data to determine the cause of prolonged coma in COVID-19 patients, find treatments and better predict which patients might eventually recover, given enough time and treatment. The global research effort has grown to include more than 222 sites in 45 countries. Prolonged or persistent comas are just one area of research, but one getting a lot of attention. Dr. Sherry Chou, a neurologist at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, is leading the international effort. Chou said families want to know whether a patient can wake up and be themselves. Answering that question depends on how accurate we are at predicting the future, and we know were not very accurate right now. A CT scan of Frank Cutittas brain showed residue from blood clots but was otherwise clean. From what they could tell, there was no brain damage, Leslie Cutitta said. And then, on May 4, after two weeks with no signs that Frank would wake up, he blinked. Leslie and her two daughters watched on FaceTime, making requests such as Smile, Daddy and Hold your thumb up! At least we knew he was in there somewhere, she said. It was another week before Frank could speak and the Cutittas got to hear his voice. Wed all be pressing the phone to our ears, trying to catch every word, Leslie Cutitta recalled. He didnt have a lot of them at that point, but it was just amazing, absolutely amazing. Frank Cutitta spent a month at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital. Hes back home now, in a Boston suburb, doing physical therapy to strengthen his arms and legs. He said he slurs words occasionally but has no other cognitive problems. While he was in the ICU, Cutittas nurses played recorded messages from his family, as well as some of his favorite music from the Beach Boys and Luciano Pavarotti. Frank Cutitta said he believes the flow of these inspiring sounds helped maintain his cognitive function. The Cutittas said they feel incredibly lucky. Leslie Cutitta said one doctor told the family that during the worst of the pandemic in New York City, most patients in Franks condition died because hospitals couldnt devote such time and resources to one patient. If Frank had been anywhere else in the country but here, he would have not made it, Leslie Cutitta said. Thats a conversation I will never forget having, because I was stunned. Frank Cutitta credits the Mass General doctors and nurses, saying they became his advocates. It could have gone the other way, he said, if clinicians had decided Look, this guys just way too sick, and weve got other patients who need this equipment. Or we have an advocate who says, Throw the kitchen sink at him, Frank said. And we happened to have the latter. Many hospitals use 72 hours, or three days, as the period for patients with a traumatic brain injury to regain consciousness before advising an end to life support. As COVID-19 patients fill intensive care units across the country, its not clear how long hospital staff will wait beyond that point for those patients who do not wake up after a ventilator tube is removed. Joseph Giacino, director of rehabilitation neuropsychology at Spaulding, said hes worried hospitals are using that 72-hour model with COVID-19 patients who may need more time. Even before the coronavirus pandemic, some neurologists questioned that model. In 2018, the American Academy of Neurology updated its guidelines for treating prolonged disorders of consciousness, noting that some situations may require more time and assessment. Some patients, like Frank Cutitta, do not appear to have any brain damage. Whatever caused his extended period of unconsciousness cleared. Unless a patient has previously specified that she does not want aggressive treatment, we need to really go slow, said Giacino, because we are not at a point where we have prognostic indicators that approach the level of certainty that is necessary before making a decision that we should stop treatment because there is no chance of meaningful recovery. Doctors interviewed for this story urged everyone to tell their loved ones what you expect a meaningful recovery to include. If confronted with this situation, family members should ask doctors about their levels of certainty for each possible outcome. Some medical ethicists also urge clinicians not to rush when it comes to decisions about how quickly COVID-19 patients may return to consciousness. A significant number of patients are going to have a prolonged recovery from the comatose state that theyre in, said Dr. Joseph Fins, chief of medical ethics at Weill Cornell Medical College. This is a time for prudence because what we dont know can hurt us and can hurt patients. Leslie and Frank Cutitta have a final request: Wear a mask. This disease is nothing to be trifled with, Leslie Cutitta said. Its a devastating experience. Frank Cutitta worries about all of the patients still suffering with COVID-19 and those who have survived but have lasting damage. Im not considering myself one of those, he said, but there are many, many people who would rather be dead than left with what they have after this. This story is part of a partnership that includes WBUR, NPR and KHN. Before he took his rifle to confront the unrest Tuesday in Kenosha, Wis., and was charged in a fatal shooting at the protests, Kyle Rittenhouse seemingly idolized one thing: the police. Growing up in Chicago's far northern suburbs, the 17-year-old shadowed local law enforcement as a cadet and filled his social media feeds with posts declaring that "Blue Lives Matter." There were videos from the front row of a Trump rally, and photos of himself posing with guns. Rittenhouse attempted to join the Marine Corps in January, but was disqualified from serving after discussing his options with recruiters, said service spokeswoman Yvonne Carlock. She declined to specify why he was disqualified, citing the service's privacy guidelines. Much else is still unknown about Rittenhouse. He was charged Thursday with six counts -- including two homicide charges -- in a criminal complaint that accused him of killing two people and injuring a third during the Kenosha unrest on Tuesday night. But brief accounts from neighbors and local institutions paint the picture of a high school dropout who viewed law enforcement officers as his personal heroes. So much so that, when massive protests, looting and fires broke out in Kenosha following the police shooting of Jacob Blake on Sunday, he crossed state lines to offer his support to local policemen - at times, speaking as if their duties were his, too. "People are getting injured, and our job is to protect this business," he told the Daily Caller on Tuesday night, hours before he would allegedly start shooting. The following day, those officers he so lionized arrested him at his home in Antioch, Ill. As of late Wednesday night, the 17-year-old suspect was being held without bond in an Illinois juvenile detention facility about 45 minutes south of Kenosha as he awaits extradition back to Wisconsin. Although self-declared militia members and armed counterprotesters have descended this week in Kenosha, authorities have not said whether Rittenhouse is a member of any of those groups. Before the deadly shooting, Rittenhouse lived with his mother, Wendy Rittenhouse, a single mom and nurse's assistant, in a quiet apartment complex beside a park in Antioch, a bedroom community that sits just south of the Wisconsin border. According to court records reviewed by the Chicago Tribune, Wendy Rittenhouse sought an order of protection from police in January 2017, claiming that a classmate of her son's had been threatening him and calling him "dumb" and "stupid." The Washington Post was unable to immediately reach her for comment. According to court records, Rittenhouse had received a pair of traffic tickets in Kenosha County earlier this month. The court filings show that on Aug. 4, he received a citation for driving 24 mph over the speed limit on a freeway and another for operating without a valid license.The records give the same Antioch, Ill., address included on the police complaint filed there in connection with the deadly shooting this week. That police complaint labels him a fugitive, saying Rittenhouse was charged with homicide in Wisconsin and fled to avoid prosecution. Jim McKay, the superintendent for the school district that includes Antioch, said in a statement to The Post that Rittenhouse attended Lakes Community High School for a semester in the 2017-18 school year and did not re-enroll in either local high school afterward. Two unnamed neighbors told the Chicago Sun-Times that he had dropped out of Lakes. Outside school, Rittenhouse participated in cadet programs with both the Antioch Fire Department and the Grayslake Police Department, according to department newsletters. The police initiative offers participants from ages 14 to 21 "the opportunity to explore a career in law enforcement" through ride-alongs with officers on patrol and firearms training, according to since-deleted pages on its website. Philip L. Perlini, the Grayslake police chief, declined to comment to The Post but said his agency was cooperating with an investigation by the FBI and Kenosha police. More recently, Rittenhouse worked as a part-time lifeguard at a YMCA in Lindenhurst, Ill., the Tribune reported. Man-Yan Lee, a representative for the organization's metro Chicago branch, said in a statement to The Post that Rittenhouse was furloughed in March. A few weeks earlier, he attended a Trump rally in Des Moines, sitting in the front row and posting a TikTok video from the Jan. 30 event, BuzzFeed News reported. The video, which has since been deleted, appeared to match C-SPAN footage of Rittenhouse standing just to the left of the lectern, according to the news site. The Trump campaign distanced itself from Rittenhouse and his video late on Wednesday, with spokesman Tim Murtaugh telling The Post that the president had "repeatedly and consistently condemned all forms of violence." "This individual had nothing to do with our campaign," Murtaugh said, "and we fully support our fantastic law enforcement for their swift action in this case." Besides the Trump rally, the public posts on Rittenhouse's Facebook are almost entirely dedicated to honoring police, with Blue Lives Matter graphics, photos of officers killed in the line of duty, and the "thin blue line" flag associated with support for law enforcement. In December 2018, he started a Facebook fundraiser for Humanizing the Badge, a nonprofit that Rittenhouse said looks to "forge stronger relationships between law enforcement officers and the communities they serve." His TikTok account, meanwhile, showed him in recent weeks assembling or firing two different types of guns, BuzzFeed News reported: an AR-15-style rifle as well as a firearm he identified as a 12-gauge shotgun. On Tuesday, as Kenosha erupted into demonstrations following the police shooting of Blake, Rittenhouse appeared to bring the same rifle with him to the scene. The 17-year-old drove about 20 miles from Antioch to Kenosha, also toting a medical kit, to partake in what referred to as his "job." "Part of my job also is to protect people," Rittenhouse told the Daily Caller moments before he allegedly began shooting. "If someone is hurt, I'm running into harm's way. That's why I have my rifle. I've got to protect myself, obviously." Rittenhouse and the other armed civilians shown in videos with him were violating Kenosha's 8 p.m. curfew, and at 17, he is too young to openly carry a gun in Wisconsin, the Tribune reported. But police did not challenge him on either front. One live stream from the scene appears to show police in an armored vehicle throwing bottles of water to him and others in his group, telling them: "We appreciate you guys. We really do." On Wednesday afternoon, Antioch police stationed vehicles inside the apartment complex where Rittenhouse has a listed home address, allowing only residents to enter the buildings and walk through the parking lot. Tammy Blanton, 34, who lives a four-minute walk away, said the arrest at the complex stunned her, particularly because Rittenhouse is about the same age as two of her children. "I was really surprised because I never see any cops around, I never hear any bad news, it's a very quiet town," she said. "We go to the park right here, down the street, and knowing there's someone like that in the neighborhood - I still want to know the full story of what happened - but it's pretty scary." Local government officials in Antioch issued a curfew on Tuesday night, citing the potential for civil unrest. Residents were asked to stay home, businesses shuttered, and both local high schools were entirely closed into Wednesday, the district said on its website. Standing with her son on the sidewalk across from Rittenhouse's apartment complex, Blanton said Rittenhouse seemed to have crossed a line. "Maybe he thought he was doing the right thing, but you don't kill somebody," she said. "That's not your business to kill someone for messing with someone else's business. That's for the cops to deal with." - - - The Washington Post's Erin Chan Ding in Antioch, Ill., and Mark Berman, Tim Craig, Jennifer Jenkins and Dan Lamothe in Washington contributed to this report. A high-level delegation from the European Union (EU) Commission and the French Development Agency (AFD) toured urban development and infrastructure projects under construction in the working-class neighourhood of Ard El-Lewa, Giza. The 15-million-euro projects, which are being implemented by Egypt's Medium, Small and Micro Enterprises Development Agency since 2017, are funded by the EU and the AFD. In a statement on Thursday, the Egyptian development agency said the delegation visited a drinking-water reservoir project, whose storage capacity is up to 6,000 cubic metres and provides water for 35,000 families living in the district. The project costs EGP 24 million, the statement added. Two projects are being carried out at the same district: one for replacing and renewing the water and sewage network at a cost of EGP 61 million; the other for delivering water from the under-construction reservoir to the water networks at a cost of EGP 25 million. The projects aim to develop the infrastructure in the neediest areas through hiring semi-skilled and unskilled workers instead of using modern machinery and equipment, said Executive Vice President of the MSMEs Development Agency Tariq Shash. Shash added the projects target providing both thousands of work opportunities for irregular workers and a proper environment to establish small and micro enterprises. Search Keywords: Short link: Vietnams first all-women police escort unit made its debut in Ho Chi Minh City on Tuesday. The team comprises 58 female traffic police officers who each received over a month of training on operating specialized vehicles and handling simulated motorcade scenarios. They also honed their observational skills and simulated several high-pressure situations. This is the first all-female escort unit in Vietnam. They will be tasked with leading motorcades transporting important individuals, including world leaders visiting Ho Chi Minh City, as well as parading during the nations major holidays. The policewomen led their first official motorcade on August 16, escorting Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and National Assembly Vice-Chairwoman Tong Thi Phong during separate visits to Ho Chi Minh City, according to national radio station Voice of Vietnam (VOV). Traffic police officers at the launch of the 58-policewoman escort unit in Ho Chi Minh City on August 25, 2020. Photo: Thu Dung / Tuoi Tre Speaking at Tuesdays launch ceremony, Senior Colonel Le Hong Nam, director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Police, offered praise and encouragement to the policewomen who overcame personal circumstances to successfully complete their training. Policewoman Tran Ly Vinh Hanh told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that participating in the squad is a huge point of pride for her. After the launch ceremony, the escort team patrolled Tran Hung Dao Street in District 1. The all-female escort team patrol on a street in Ho Chi Minh City, August 25, 2020. Photo: Thu Dung / Tuoi Tre The all-female escort team patrol on a street in Ho Chi Minh City, August 25, 2020. Photo: Thu Dung / Tuoi Tre Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! The coronavirus is spreading across Syria, with regime controlled area seemingly worse hit, as some hospitals close their doors to non-coronavirus related illnesses. The Ministry of Health has recorded 72 new cases of coronavirus in Syria, including 28 in Damascus and six in its countryside, including 14 recoveries (seven in Damascus and two in the countryside) with three deaths, one in each of Damascus, rural Damascus, and Homs. According to the official announcement, the number of people who have tested positive for the virus has risen to 2,365, including 533 recoveries and 95 deaths. The SY 24 correspondent said that, more than 100 cases have been confirmed in the city of Douma between last Friday and Tuesday evening, noting that several elderly people from the city have died after a struggle with the disease, and were not provided with any kind of healthcare. The correspondent confirmed that, among the infected are young men belonging to the regimes army, and their infection was confirmed after they had been in contact with Iranian militia members. They ended up being quarantined in the 601 Military Hospital in al-Mazzeh district. He explained that, the Health Directorate imposed a quarantine on the families of the soldiers who tested positive for the virus, because they had visited them a few days prior. The city of Douma, in eastern Ghouta, has been witnessing an increase in the number of infections, without any action taken by the regimes government to limit the spread of the virus. Furthermore, in the countryside of Damascus, al-Tal Hospital have not been able to admit non-coronavirus cases, in light of the high number of coronavirus cases in the city. A medical source told Sowt Al-Asima that the al-Zahraa Military Hospital and the Hassan clinics have been receiving approximately 20 coronavirus cases daily, knowing that the number of cases did not exceed three in the past month. Al-Zahraa Hospital in particular suffers from weak medical capabilities, and difficulty in receiving non-coronavirus cases, while the clinics continue to receive sick cases to the best of their ability, according to the source. At least four people, out of the total daily infections, are categorized as critical cases, and most often they are people over fifty years old. The daily death toll has not been less than three since the beginning of August. On Saturday, the city saw the passing of Dr. Adnan Hijazi, the first death among its medical cadre, as a result of the coronavirus. 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. Chants of Not your body, not your rules rang out outside Peter Nygards former business on Wednesday afternoon during a demonstration in solidarity with sexual violence survivors. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 26/8/2020 (511 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Chants of "Not your body, not your rules" rang out outside Peter Nygards former business on Wednesday afternoon during a demonstration in solidarity with sexual violence survivors. "A small group of determined women can start a movement, but it takes strong, sustained, collective action to force change on an unwilling establishment," University of Manitoba labour studies professor Julie Guard said to the crowd. "We are part of that movement. We can change the world." Around 50 people attended the gathering, named Time's Up Nygard, which was first announced Aug. 17 through Instagram. The Notre Dame building where the group rallied was once a Nygard business property and was briefly his temporary residence, but is now in the process of being sold. Organizers of the demonstration include members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees local 2348, Migrante Manitoba, Womens March Winnipeg and the Workers United Canada Council. Nygard, once considered a Winnipeg success story for the fashion empire that bears his name, is the subject of a class-action lawsuit first filed Feb. 13, in which 57 people have said Nygard was sexually abusive to them over the last four decades. On Aug. 16, two of Nygards sons filed a lawsuit in U.S. court alleging their father had paid a sex worker to rape them as teenagers. About 50 people attended the Time's Up Nygard rally. (Jesse Boily / Winnipeg Free Press) Susan Rodriguez, who spoke at the rally, has lived in Winnipeg for 20 years. Since she arrived, she said, she has spoken out in support of migrant workers and is currently a volunteer with advocacy group Migrante Manitoba. Women who are migrant workers are particularly vulnerable to abuse and exploitation, Rodriguez said, because employers are aware of their precarious worker status. "Theres so many fears," she said. "You want to better your life, but then, at the same time, you dont want to be deported. If something unfortunate happens, you just keep it to yourself." People gathered in front of Peter Nygards former business on Wednesday during a demonstration in solidarity with sexual assault survivors. (Jesse Boily / Winnipeg Free Press) The intersectional nature of violence against women and workers' rights was discussed several times during the rally. Activist Leslie Spillett, who acted as a union representative for the International Ladies Garment Workers Union in the 1980s, said her experience working with Nygard brought up memories of "an exploiter of primarily female workers of colour." "In addition to being a serial sexual predator, Peter Nygard is an exploiter of women and labour, and a union buster," Spillett said to the crowd. Nygard has denied all allegations and no accusations have been proven in court. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. The demonstrations included a group recital of "Un Violador En Tu Camino" -- "A Rapist in Your Path" in English -- a Chilean protest song against the impunity enjoyed by many sexual abusers. People gathered to bring awareness to what they say is Peter Nygards legacy of sexual abuse outside of Peter Nygards Notre Dame property on Wednesday. (Jesse Boily / Winnipeg Free Press) Sarah Nick and Rhiannon Smith came together to support the rally, and both said they hoped demonstrations like these would provide both solidarity to survivors and a chance at education for allies. "If this has never happened to you, I think its good that you get out there, you educate yourself, so you can have a better understanding of what people go through every day, to be empathetic, and then you can stand up for what you believe in," Nick said. "I think just raising awareness of how common rape and sexual assault is (is important), especially from people in positions of power, and how scary it can be for these people to come out, but once they do, theres that domino effect," Smith said. "It can bring people out and make people more aware." malak.abas@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: malakabas_ People hold signs at the Time's Up Nygard protest against Canadian fashion mogul Peter Nygard on Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2020. (Kelly Geraldine Malone / The Canadian Press) President Donald Trump has added a briefing at FEMA to his Thursday schedule as Hurricane Laura pounds the southern part of the United States but first he'll attend a fundraiser at his Washington D.C. hotel. The president is scheduled to arrive at his Trump International Hotel at noon on Thursday - the day he formally accepts the Republican Party's nomination for a second term - for a sitdown with his supporters staying there. Then he'll head to FEMA for the briefing on Laura as the Category 4 storm system smashed into Texas and Louisiana with 150 mph winds. President Trump - seen with first lady Melania Trump on the third night of the Republican National Convention - has added a FEMA briefing to his Thursday schedule Trump will attend the briefing after he goes to a fundraiser at his Trump International Hotel, where he will rake in $10 million for his campaign The fundraiser will rake in $10 million for Trump's campaign coffers. 'The roundtable fundraiser this afternoon will raise $10 million for Trump Victory,' the Republican Party said in a statement, adding that precautions had been taken against the coronavirus. 'The event site is professionally cleaned and sanitized prior to the event. The White House Medical Unit and U.S. Secret Service will evaluate all attendees in order for them to gain access to the event. All attendees will test negative for COVID-19 on the day of the event, complete a wellness questionnaire, and pass a temperature screening,' the party said. The briefing comes as images from the hurricane threaten to overshadow Trump's big night, when he formally accept his nomination for a second term with a live speech in front of a crowd of 1,500 people on the South Lawn at the White House. He will acknowledge the storm, according to Marc Short, the chief of staff for Vice President Mike Pence, who told MSNBC that the president will address the hurricane during his speech. His speech will address his 'law and order' theme that he has stressed the past few weeks. It comes as the hurricane strikes the south and the coronavirus pandemic rages across the United States with 5.84 million people infected and more than 180,000 deaths. 'This is a very very big deal. As we have a once in a century pandemic, we have a once in a century hurricane,' outgoing White House counselor Kellyanne Conway told reporters at the White House on Thursday morning. 'It's good we have a leader who's willing to monitor that and respond to that forcefully.' White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany told Fox News that President Trump spoke to Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards late Wednesday and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday morning as they grapple with the storm. The Category 4 monster made landfall at 1am with the strongest winds that Louisiana has seen since 1856 and warnings that the storm could rip apart buildings and penetrate up to 200 miles inland. Hurricane Laura smashed into Texas and Louisiana as a Category 4 with 150mph winds, bringing devastation and leaving 500,000 without power early Thursday morning A street is seen strewn with debris and downed power lines after Hurricane Laura passed through Lake Charles, Louisiana, on Thursday Louisiana Gov John Bel Edwards reported that the state has one fatality from the hurricane that became a Category 1 hurricane shortly after 9am. The storm's first victim, a 14 year old girl, died when a tree fell on her home, according to the governor's office. The office said they do expect more fatalities as the hurricane continues to pass through the state. Laura reached land near the small town of Cameron around 30 miles from the Texas border, where officials went door-to-door pleading with people to flee the path of the storm amid fears the entire parish will be inundated. SAGINAW, MI A Saginaw woman alleges she was fired from her job as a mental health therapist after she went public about a noose and racist note found in her husbands vehicle. About 7:30 a.m. on July 12, Donald Simon went to his truck parked outside his home in the 2200 block of North Carolina Street. Inside the truck, he found a noose with a handwritten note saying, Accessory to be worn with your BLM T-shirt! Happy protesting! HACKENSACK, N.J., Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Hackensack Meridian Health, New Jersey's largest and most comprehensive health network which treated more COVID-19 patients than any other health system in the state, is now enrolling individuals in a COVID-19 vaccine clinical trial. The national COVE Trial aims to study the mRNA-1273 vaccine, co-developed by Moderna and the NIH, in 30,000 individuals. Hackensack University Medical Center, the network's flagship academic medical center, is one of the nearly 90 sites around the country assessing its safety and effectiveness. "Hackensack Meridian Health has been at the forefront of delivering innovative breakthroughs in the pandemic and offering high-quality compassionate care in the most challenging circumstances,'' said Robert C. Garrett, FACHE, chief executive officer of Hackensack Meridian Health. "We are proud to support the development of a vaccine to fight this global menace.'' "Our health network has been involved in virtually every facet of COVID-19 research," said Ihor Sawczuk, M.D., FACS, president of Hackensack Meridian Health's Northern Market, and the chief research officer of the network. "We're eager to do our part with vaccines, which have such enormous potential for millions of people." The SARS-CoV2 virus binds to the human cells via its spike protein, causing the viral fusion and cell entry that leads to infection. This novel vaccine candidate aims to capitalize on that spike protein. The vaccine uses a messenger RNA (mRNA) delivery system. The vaccine is expected to trigger the immune system to mount a response by encoding for a protein that targets against the binding receptor on the spike protein (the antibodies) and also stimulates the host T cells to clear the infection quicker. If the person who is vaccinated then gets exposed to the SARS CoV-2 virus, the immune system could potentially quickly recognize the virus and be able to prevent, and/or lessen, the intensity of the disease. The vaccines being tested are made from the genetic code of the virus copied from SARS-CoV-2, not the whole virus. Therefore, the vaccines cannot cause infection or cause COVID-19 illness. This is a phase III study to test the safety and efficacy of the vaccine. Hackensack Meridian Health investigators expect to enroll 300 individuals. These individuals are required to be older than 18 years of age, must not be pregnant or breast feeding, must not have had the SARS-CoV2 infection (COVID-19), and must not have some conditions like certain bleeding disorders, active infection or other immune disorders. The randomization of the groups will be stratified based on age and risk factors. Members of diverse communities are especially sought, to ensure the enrollment group is representative of a wide variety of people in order to understand how it works in different groups, especially those at highest risk for COVID-19. Those anonymously selected will receive two injections in the arm muscle, 28 days apart. Half of the enrolled patients will receive the vaccine, and the other half will receive a placebo as part of the randomized blinded, Phase III trial. Safety calls will be made and electronic diaries will be given to the subjects, to monitor for adverse events, and to surveil for COVID-19 infection. Anyone who does become infected with COVID-19-like illness will be assessed further with lab tests and will be assisted in getting care with their primary care provider, who will be given the results. "We are eager to be a part of this very crucial and important work," said Bindu Balani, M.D., senior attending physician at Hackensack University Medical Center's Division of Infectious Diseases, and a faculty physician at Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine. "I think social distancing and doing the due diligence of personal protection is very important throughout this pandemic, but this study has the opportunity of being one of the solutions to this pressing issue. "Vaccine studies will work if vaccinations occur, and we thank the volunteers in advance for being a part of this important research," Balani added. For more information about the trial, those interested can contact (551) 996-5977 or visit https://www.hackensackmeridianhealth.org/covid19/. ABOUT HACKENSACK MERIDIAN HEALTH Hackensack Meridian Health is a leading not-for-profit health care organization that is the largest, most comprehensive and truly integrated health care network in New Jersey, offering a complete range of medical services, innovative research and life-enhancing care. Hackensack Meridian Health comprises 17 hospitals from Bergen to Ocean counties, which includes three academic medical centers Hackensack University Medical Center in Hackensack, Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, JFK Medical Center in Edison; two children's hospitals - Joseph M. Sanzari Children's Hospital in Hackensack, K. Hovnanian Children's Hospital in Neptune; nine community hospitals Bayshore Medical Center in Holmdel, Mountainside Medical Center in Montclair, Ocean Medical Center in Brick, Palisades Medical Center in North Bergen, Pascack Valley Medical Center in Westwood, Raritan Bay Medical Center in Old Bridge, Raritan Bay Medical Center in Perth Amboy, Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank, and Southern Ocean Medical Center in Manahawkin; a behavioral health hospital Carrier Clinic in Belle Mead; and two rehabilitation hospitals - JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute in Edison and Shore Rehabilitation Institute in Brick. Additionally, the network has more than 500 patient care locations throughout the state which include ambulatory care centers, surgery centers, home health services, long-term care and assisted living communities, ambulance services, lifesaving air medical transportation, fitness and wellness centers, rehabilitation centers, urgent care centers and physician practice locations. Hackensack Meridian Health has more than 36,000 team members, and 7,000 physicians and is a distinguished leader in health care philanthropy, committed to the health and well-being of the communities it serves. The network's notable distinctions include having four of its hospitals are among the top hospitals in New Jersey for 2020-21, according to U.S. News & World Report. Additionally, the health system has more top-ranked hospitals than any system in New Jersey. Children's Health is again ranked a top provider of pediatric health care in the United States and earned top 50 rankings in the annual U.S. News' 2020-21 Best Children's Hospitals report. Other honors include consistently achieving Magnet recognition for nursing excellence from the American Nurses Credentialing Center and being named to Becker's Healthcare's "150 Top Places to Work in Healthcare/2019" list. The Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, the first private medical school in New Jersey in more than 50 years, welcomed its first class of students in 2018 to its On3 campus in Nutley and Clifton. The Hackensack Meridian Center for Discovery and Innovation (CDI), housed in a fully renovated state-of-the-art facility, seeks to translate current innovations in science to improve clinical outcomes for patients with cancer, infectious diseases and other life-threatening and disabling conditions. Additionally, the network partnered with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center to find more cures for cancer faster while ensuring that patients have access to the highest quality, most individualized cancer care when and where they need it. Hackensack Meridian Health is a member of AllSpire Health Partners, an interstate consortium of leading health systems, to focus on the sharing of best practices in clinical care and achieving efficiencies. To learn more, visit www.hackensackmeridianhealth.org. SOURCE Hackensack Meridian Health Related Links http://www.hackensackmeridianhealth.org World's biggest oil exporter Saudi Aramco has appointed Mahdi Aladel as the chief executive officer (CEO) of its venture capital and investments arm, according to a Bloomberg report. Mahdi Aladel, who was previously the head of Aramco's base oils and lubricants division, will take over as CEO of Saudi Aramco Energy Ventures (SAEV), the report said. Moneycontrol could not independently verify the report. But as per Aladel's LinkedIn profile says he assumed the position in August 2020. Majid Mufti, who was the head of SAEV for four years, told Bloomberg that he is stepping down, and did not provide further details. Aramcos media office had not yet responded to a request for comment by Bloomberg. SAEV, which aims to start a $500 million fund, typically invests in early-stage oil, gas, renewable and chemicals technologies. Since 2012, the company has backed 45 technology companies, primarily in the US and Europe, Mufti said in January 2020. "The program has been running since 2012, we started making our investments in 2013, and over the past seven years we have managed to deploy a fair bit of capital into investments across 40 different opportunities," Mufti said in an another interview this year. Ibrahim Boubacar Keita released from detention, 10 days after mutinying soldiers unseated him from power. Release of Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and other leaders was a continuous demand by Mali's neighbours and allies and international organisations. Mali's new military rulers have said that ousted President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, who was detained during the country's coup on August 18, had been freed. The junta, which calls itself the National Committee for the Salvation of the People (CNSP), said on Facebook it was "informing public and international opinion that former president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita has been released and is currently in his residence." Keita's release had been a key demand of Mali's neighbours and international organisations, including the African Union and European Union. "President IBK is free in his movements, he's at home," a spokesman for the junta, Djibrila Maiga, told AFP news agency, referring to Keita by his initials, as many Malians do. A Keita relative, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the 75-year-old former leader had returned overnight to his house in the Sebenikoro district of the capital Bamako. The junta leaders say they mutinied because the country was sinking into chaos and insecurity which they said was largely the fault of poor government. They have promised to oversee a transition to elections within a "reasonable" amount of time. Released after ECOWAS mediation Keita, prime minister Boubou Cisse and other senior officials were seized by rebel troops led by young officers who staged a mutiny at a base near Bamako. In the early hours of August 19, Keita appeared on national TV to announce his resignation, saying he had had no other choice, and wanted to avoid "bloodshed." The release of Keita and other leaders has been demanded by Mali's neighbours and allies and international organisations. Former Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan, heading a team from the regional bloc ECOWAS, was given access to Keita last Saturday, and said he seemed "very fine." The CNSP told a delegation of West African mediators that they want to stay in power for a three-year transition period, Nigeria said on Wednesday. In contrast, the regional bloc is seeking for a transitional government of no more than one year. Source: Reuters 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 States and union territories (UTs) may require a whopping Rs 3.12 lakh crore Goods and Services Tax (GST) compensation in the current financial year, an 89% jump over 2019-20 because of a sharp fall in the tax revenue, as the economy has been severely hit by the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic and the resultant 68-day nationwide lockdown restrictions, two people aware of the matter said ahead of crucial GST Councils meeting that will dwell on this key issue on Thursday. The GST law assures states a 14% increase in their annual revenue for five years from July 1 and also guarantee them that their revenue shortfall, if any, would be made good through the compensation cess levied on luxury goods and sin products such as liqour, cigarettes, aerated water, automobiles, coal and tobacco products. According to an estimate, GST compensation cess requirement for the financial year 2020-21 is pegged around Rs. 26,000 crore per month because of the unprecedented Covid-19 situation. An average monthly compensation cess of about Rs 13,775 crore was paid to states and UTs in 2019-20, even though the average monthly collection was only Rs 7,953.6 crore a month, they said requesting anonymity. Though the impact of nationwide lockdown restrictions on business activities was confined to a few days of the previous financial year that ended on March 31, the compensation cess collection was substantially lower than the actual payout. Nationwide lockdown restrictions were enforced from March 25 in a bid to contain the spread of the contagion. According to an official statement released on July 27, the total amount of compensation paid to states and UTs in 2019-20 was Rs 1,65,302 crore, while the total amount of cess collected in that year was Rs 95,444 crore. The lower revenue collection was primarily due to subdued economic growth. Indias gross domestic product (GDP) had slowed to 4.2% in fiscal 2019-20, which is the lowest in 11 years. States and UTs were fully compensated in 2019-20, as there was some surplus in the compensation fund from previous years. Besides, some cess collected in the current financial year was also used, the persons mentioned above said. The last tranche of compensation worth Rs 13,806 crore for the previous financial year was paid in the third week of July, according to the July 27 statement. A note circulated in the 40th GST Council meeting, held on June 12, said the compensation cess collected in 2017-18 was Rs 62,612 crore that rose to Rs 95,081 crore in 2018-19 and increased to Rs 95,444 crore in 2019-20. However, the compensation paid in 2017-18 was less than the total collection at Rs 41,146 crore, and Rs 69,275 crore (2018-19). So far, the government has paid compensation cess for three fiscal years since the roll-out of the GST regime in July 2017, but this year the gap between cess collection and compensation requirement has widened and needs to be resolved by the GST Council, one person said. The loss of revenue is for both the Centre and states. In that context, the critical situation should not be viewed as only the problem of the states. The Centre is also equally facing an extraordinary fiscal crisis. This is not only because of a massive dip in GST collection but also of income tax, customs, excise, etc. Its a collective problem and must not be viewed as the Centre vs. states problem, the person said. The Covid-19 outbreak and the resultant slowdown impact causing loss of revenue is not arising on account of implementation of GST, the second person said. Its a force majeure situation and the Centre and states have to collectively resolve it, according to the true spirit of the GST Act under the federal framework. It is not the Centres responsibility alone. The GST Council will have to put its collective decision-making mechanism at work to resolve this critical issue, the person added. The person cited the Attorney-General (A-G) of India KK Venugopals opinion that there was no obligation on the Centre under the GST laws to compensate for the loss of revenue on account of natural disaster, Covid-19, or economic slowdown, as they are not related to the implementation of GST. The GST council has to decide how to meet the shortfall in such circumstances and not the Central government, the person said. Even the then Union Finance Minister [Arun Jaitley] categorically stated that compensation to the states due to shortfall of GST implementation cannot be paid from the Consolidated Fund of India. However, if required, market borrowing could be an option to compensate and later the same can be repaid through the future collection of cess, the person said. However, some states say that as per the letter and spirit of the GST regime the Centre is committed to pay the compensation. In a letter to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday, West Bengal finance minister Amit Mitra said, It is surprising that that the constitutional guarantee given to the states is being interpreted in a manner that the Centre is not responsible to compensate the states and it is the states (in the GST Council), which will have to find means to compensate themselves! Nothing can be more damaging, unfair and unjust than this. Those who are forwarding such views are either not aware of the spirit and intent of the Constitutional Amendment, or are consciously turning a blind eye to renege the sovereign promise to the states, he said in the letter reviewed by HT. Mitra said there can be no going back on the fact that compensation has to be paid. The rate of 14% is sacrosanct, as it was unanimously decided by the GST Council. Under no circumstance, states should be asked to borrow from the market, as it will increase their debt servicing liability. It may also lead to cut state expenditure which is not desirable at this juncture, when the economy is witnessing severe recessionary trend, he said. Reminding her promise to pay compensation to states at the 39th meeting of the GST Council, Mitra said the tax regime is hailed world over as an example of cooperative federalism, which is based on mutual trust. Some dent in this trust has already occurred due to delayed payment of GST compensation. Let us not do anything that will give a death blow to this unique collective effort, the letter further stated. . MIDDLETOWN As public school students and families in communities throughout Connecticut approach the start of the school year during the COVID-19 pandemic, Mercy High School, a parochial girls school attended by students from 49 towns across the state, is ready to open. Mercy, with more than 350 students, begins classes Wednesday, and staff have spent much of the summer carefully developing a detailed, multi-faceted plan to insure the safety of students, faculty and staff, according to a press release. Students and their families were provided with a detailed 15-page guide explaining the new requirements. The plan provides students and teachers with flexibility to attend class in-person or learn/teach remotely in this continuing time of caution, and assures the continuity of coursework and emphasizes a safe in-school environment, the release said. Orientations begin Friday for transfer students, Monday for freshwomen and juniors, and Tuesday for seniors and sophomores. The first full day of classes is Wednesday. Students will arrive on campus to find one-way hallways and stairways, live streaming classes, hands-free water bottle filling stations, ventilation and exhaust in every classroom and bathroom, plexiglass in the main office and other high traffic areas, face masks worn at all times, and hand sanitizer throughout the school, according to Mercy. Those arriving at the high school will be asked each morning to verify their wellness through a web form to be completed at home. They will be received immediately by school administrators. Staff members will conduct temperature checks for anyone who has not submitted a one through the online program before they can walk through the building. All faculty and staff have been given training in COVID-19 procedures (proper mask wearing/cleaning/storing, how to disinfect, and understanding symptoms) during faculty meetings prior to student orientation. We take the safety of our students, and everyone on campus, very seriously. For us, education and safety go hand-in-hand, President Alissa DeJonge said in a prepared statement. Working collaboratively, we have cautiously and thoughtfully implemented changes to our building and our classes that will foster learning, and do so safely. The tremendous input weve received from students, faculty and staff has been very helpful, and were pleased with the initial response across our school community. We will stay vigilant should the situation change in Connecticut, which would necessitate additional revisions to our health and safety procedures, she said. The school has constructed an innovative, flexible set of school day options for the new school year. They include in-person with virtual accommodations (Level 1), a hybrid (Level 2) or a fully online option (Level 3), if public health circumstances make it necessary. In addition, the daily class schedule includes a 40-minute activity period at the end of each day, so that students can meet with teachers for tutoring, and for students to pursue their interests in the many clubs. Subjects include subjects from robotics to business to journalism: where our community can build upon the personal connections that we care about so much, DeJonge added. The school will follow a block schedule, with fewer classes having longer class period lengths to reduce the number of students traveling through the hallways. Students desks face in one direction and are spaced to be socially distant. Socially distanced assemblies will be held, with a lower capacity of students in the auditorium and additional students watching the event through live streaming in their classrooms or remotely. In addition, disinfectant wipes and non-latex gloves will be provided throughout the school for student use. Students, faculty and staff have been encouraged to bring their own hand sanitizer to use throughout the day, and there will be sanitizing stations throughout the school building. All rooms will be cleaned, desks disinfected, all touch points and restrooms cleaned and disinfected every evening, the release said. Student lockers are not being assigned; instead, students will carry backpacks, which can include hand sanitizer or wipes. For information, visit mercyhigh.com. Starbucks on Thursday said it will ensure that its baristas won't have to choose between working and voting as part of a nonpartisan push to raise turnout on Election Day despite the coronavirus pandemic. The coffee chain has long pushed for its employees and customers to practice civic engagement and vote. In 2016, the company partnered with TurboVote on a tool that registers its baristas to vote and sends them reminders. Eight years earlier, it offered a free tall coffee to anyone who stopped by on Election Day. (Election laws prohibited the chain from restricting the promotion to only those who voted.) But this year, the election is arriving while the country battles the coronavirus. States across the country are making voting by mail easier in an effort to keep Americans from risking their lives at the polls. "This isn't about a particular election or a particular candidate. We do recognize that with the impact of Covid, that could add complexity," said Zulima Espinel, head of global public policy at Starbucks. Espinel said the company's effort begins with conversations between managers and their employees to make sure its nearly 200,000 workers have the tools and time to vote. The chain has created a portal for its baristas with tools to register and vote. "It's not about one particular method. It's about 'OK, this works best for my life. I know where I can go to get the resources I need,'" Espinel said. The Starbucks mobile app will include tools for customers to register to vote and confirm where and what method they should be using to do so. Other corporations are also encouraging their workers and customers to head to the polls on Nov. 3. For example, the chain &pizza is closing its restaurants on Election Day and giving employees paid time off. And more than 700 companies, from Coca-Cola to Sweetgreen to Abercrombie & Fitch, have joined the nonpartisan coalition Time to Vote and committed to making it easier for their employees to vote, whether that means giving them a few hours of paid time off or making it a workday free of meetings. Espinel said Starbucks will continue to advocate for safe and accessible voting for everyone. CEO Kevin Johnson said in a letter to baristas announcing the initiative that the company will share more about its commitments to racial equity, justice and opportunity in coming weeks and months, including more transparency about diversity and inclusion data. "The bottom line being: Starbucks will not wait for change, we will make change of our own," he wrote. US President Donald Trump speaks on the first day of the Republican National Convention at the Charlotte Convention Centre on 24 August 2020 in Charlotte, North Carolina: (2020 Getty Images) Speaker Nancy Pelosi has urged Joe Biden not to take the stage for the three scheduled debates with Mr Trump in September and October, warning that doing so just provides the president another prime-time opportunity to spread misinformation and division. It comes as hundreds of former staffers for former GOP presidents and presidential candidates disavowed Mr Trump and said they plan to vote for his Democratic opponent. Even several of the president's own former advisers have ditched him in favour of Mr Biden, as one former counter terrorism official has said that Mr Trump's 'racism' fuelled white supremacist violence in the United States. The US president, whose recent appeals to Americas suburban housewives come amid other sexist remarks, will accept the Republican nomination on Thursday following a Wednesday night programme including White House counsellor Kellyanne Conway, South Dakota governor Kristi Noem, and White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany. Please allow a moment for our liveblog to load. RTHK: Tough talk, war games mark Turkey-Greece row President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday warned Turkey would make "no concessions" in the eastern Mediterranean and told Greece to avoid taking steps that could lead to its "ruin". His remarks come just hours after Athens said it would launch military exercises with France, Italy and Cyprus in the region, where tensions between the two neighbours have escalated in recent weeks. "In the Mediterranean, Aegean and Black Sea, Turkey will get what is rightfully ours," Erdogan said in the eastern province of Mus on the anniversary of the 1071 Battle of Malazgirt where pre-Ottoman tribes defeated the Byzantines. The victory has been celebrated with increasing fervour in modern Turkey in recent years, and this year was no different with a socially-distanced audience listening to Erdogan. "We don't have our eye on someone else's territory, sovereignty and interests, but we will make no concessions on that which is ours," he said in the televised speech. "We invite our counterparts to change their ways and avoid wrongs that will be the path to ruin," Erdogan added in pointed remarks to NATO ally Greece. "We want everyone to see Turkey is no longer a country whose patience, determination, means and courage will be tested. If we say we will do something, we will do it, and we will pay the price," he said. Greece and Turkey are already divided on significant issues including migration and Byzantine heritage in Istanbul. But the discovery of hydrocarbon reserves in the eastern Mediterranean has further strained relations, with Turkey rejecting calls from the EU and Athens to immediately stop energy exploration in the region. Turkey sent the Oruc Reis research vessel accompanied by warships to disputed waters on August 10. Its activities were meant to end on last Sunday but were extended to Thursday. Germany has led the charge in Europe to defuse tensions, dispatching its foreign minister to Ankara and Athens on Tuesday to resolve the issue through dialogue. Both sides said they were open to dialogue after talks with the German minister, and there will be an informal EU foreign ministers' meeting in Berlin on Thursday and Friday. France, which is joining military exercises with Greece, also appealed for calm. "The eastern Mediterranean is turning into an area of tension. Respect for international law must be the rule and not the exception," Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly said on Twitter, adding that it "should not be a playground for the ambitions of some". Three Rafale fighter jets and a warship equipped with a helicopter will be part of the joint military exercises, she said. "Our message is simple: priority to dialogue, cooperation and diplomacy so that the Eastern Mediterranean becomes an area of stability and respect for international law," Parly added. (AFP/Reuters) This story has been published on: 2020-08-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Arizona has long been a testing ground for anti-immigrant laws and talk, but the state has seen a political shift. Analysts suggests that demographic changes, including a growing number of transplants from more liberal states and Latino voters, are responsible for the shift. This is partially true, but the origins of Arizonas evolution into a pivotal battleground state can be attributed to a longer history and a broader cast of characters. The extremism of the states Republican leaders has alienated voters, and given rise to coalitions of Democrats, Independents and even Republicans, who have come together to work toward a lasting political transformation of the desert Southwest. Their efforts have come to bear. In 2011 voters recalled the architect of the nations toughest immigration laws, in 2016 they ousted a controversial sheriff, and in 2018, they sent a Democrat to the Senate for the first time in 30 years. Joe Biden is currently polling ahead of Donald Trump. Arizonas anti-immigrant surge predates Joe Arpaio, but his election as the sheriff of Maricopa County in 1993 was a galvanizing moment for the activism that is now helping turn the state. In the 1990s, Mr. Arpaio built Tent City, an outdoor Arizona jail that he once described as a concentration camp. Under his watch, Maricopa County entered into an agreement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement that allowed the local police to enforce federal immigration laws. Immigrant rights activists led the charge against Russell Pearce, the state senator who sponsored Arizonas Senate Bill 1070, and Jan Brewer, then governor, who signed the bill into law in 2010. Known as the show me your papers law, it required the police to verify the immigration status of any detained or arrested person they suspected of being in the state illegally. Its passage was a flash point in the battle over immigration, giving birth to a new generation of young immigrants that organized protests, boycotts, and mounted legal challenges. The Supreme Court will, on Friday, pronounce its verdict on a batch of petitions seeking scrapping of final year/ terminal semester university examinations in view of the Covid-19 pandemic. A 3-judge bench headed by justice Ashok Bhushan will pronounce its verdict at 10.30 am on the validity of the July 6 directive of University Grants Commission (UGC) asking universities across the country to hold final year examinations by September 30. Several students and organizations had challenged the July 6 guidelines issue by UGC citing the risk posed by the Covid-19 pandemic. A Covid positive student was one of the petitioners who raised the demand for the exams to be cancelled. Shiv Senas youth wing Yuva Sena was also a petitioner before the court. The petitioners have demanded the apex court to consider scrapping online/offline test and instead direct UGC to declare results based on the past performance of the students or internal assessment. The UGC had, on April 29, published guidelines for universities to follow regarding holding of examinations taking into account the Covid-19 situation. As per the same, examinations were to be held in July 2020. The guidelines were issued based on a report by an expert committee headed by Chairperson of Central University of Haryana, RC Kuhad. The guidelines said that universities could conduct examinations in online or offline mode and by ensuring adherence to social distancing guidelines. However, in view of the evolving situation of Covid-19 pandemic, the UGC, in June, requested the expert committee to revisit the guidelines. Based on the expert committees recommendations, fresh guidelines were then issued on July 6, directing holding of examinations by the end of September. States including Delhi, Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh have cancelled university exams including final year exams taking into account the spread of Covid-19. Delhi and Maharashtra governments told the apex court that they have decided to abort the final year examinations by invoking powers under the Disaster Management Act of 2005. The Disaster Management Act is a law intended to ensure effective management of disasters and it empowers central and state governments to take measures to mitigate disaster situations. The UGC, however, maintained that degrees cannot be conferred on graduating students without holding final year examinations and it alone can take a call on whether or not exams should be cancelled. State governments cannot cancel examinations. That power lies with the UGC, solicitor general Tushar Mehta, appearing on behalf of UGC told the top court on August 8. The Ministry of Home Affairs supported UGC and filed an affidavit before apex court on August 13 stating that it has permitted limited opening of educational institutions across the country for holding final year examinations. Final-year/ terminal semester examinations are important because the learning process of a dynamic interaction where the only way to figure out what the students know is to seek evidence of their knowledge. Academic evaluation of final-year students is, therefore, a very important milestone in any education system, UGC said. It was a daring mission behind enemy lines which paved the way for victory in the bloodiest battle of the Falklands conflict. Captain John Pettinger, of the Parachute Regiment, carried out six reconnaissance operations before the Battle of Mount Longdon. The retired hero is now selling the Distinguished Conduct Medal he gained for his exploits along with five other medals he gained in his career for an expected 120,000 at auction. Captain John Pettinger, of the Parachute Regiment, is selling his Distinguished Conduct Medal along with five other medals he gained in his career for an expected 120,000 at an auction The Falklands paratrooper is selling the bravery medals and his transcript (above) with London auctioneers Dix Noonan Webb, who will put them up for auction on September 17 In his Longdon mission, Captain Pettinger used the cover of darkness to identify Argentine machine gun and mortar positions and even entered enemy trenches undetected. He later guided the men of B Company in the 12-hour assault and killed three Argentines. A total of 23 UK and 31 enemy soldiers died in the battle which left the British occupying a key position around the Argentine garrison at Port Stanley in 1982. The fighting ended two days later. The Distinguished Conduct Medal is second only to the Victoria Cross for acts of gallantry. Captain Pettinger, 67, is selling it through London auctioneers Dix Noonan Webb next month. He said: 'I no longer have any need to wear my full-size medals and now seems the right time to sell them to ensure that they are kept for posterity and the small part that I played in the Falklands war can be recorded for future generations.' Captain Pettinger (left) carried out six reconnaissance operations before the Battle of Mount Longdon, identifying Argentine machine gun and mortar positions The 67-year-old joined the Army aged 15 and then joined the Parachute Regiment in 1971. Pictured, men of The Parachute Regiment display a flag on Mount Longdon in 1982 The money from the sale will help support him in retirement. The war hero, from Blackburn, joined the Army aged 15 in 1968. He signed up for the Parachute Regiment in 1971 and completed several Northern Ireland tours during the 1970s. In a transcript being sold with his medals, Captain Pettinger recounts his nerve-wracking work ahead of the assault at Mount Longdon. He wrote: 'Numerous enemies were seen and heard, often only a few metres away, and machine gun and mortar positions were found and noted.' He recalled that all hell broke loose when a British commander stood on a mine which exploded. He added: 'The sky turned red with tracer and chaos ensued.' The sale takes place on September 17. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 27) The board of directors of embattled Philippine Health Insurance Corp. has appointed a new officer-in-charge, but some lawmakers are not convinced of his qualifications due to his reported medical conditions. During a hearing of the House of Representatives joint panel on Thursday, PhilHealth corporate secretary Jonathan Mangaoang revealed that the board members have delegated EVP and COO Arnel de Jesus as the state-run health insurance company's new officer-in-charge on Wednesday, following the resignation of its president and CEO Ricardo Morales and senior vice president Rodolfo del Rosario this week. "The board yesterday approved the designation of EVP COO Arnel De Jesus as an officer in charge, PCEO (president and chief executive officer), effective upon the acceptance of the resignation of BGen. Morales, following the general rules on succession, Mangaoang said, noting that there was no discussion on De Jesus' medical condition during the board meeting. It can be remembered that De Jesus had sent a letter requesting to skip congressional probes due to a scheduled follow-up check-up of "emergency medical procedures" recently performed on him. He left in the middle of a House hearing on August 17 due to a "medical emergency." Cavite Rep. Jose Remulla cited De Jesus' supposed use of a pacemaker to control his heart rhythm, but noted that this should not hinder one's presence in the House deliberation, especially with many other pending questions on controversies hounding the agency. Defensor then asked how De Jesus will be able to perform his function, and advised PhilHealth to reconsider how the agency will run in the middle of a crisis. "Paano gagawin 'yang trabaho niyo? I am not blaming Mr. De Jesus. I'm not saying anything. Pero may sakit siya ngayon," he said. [Translation: How will he be able to do his job? I am not blaming Mr. De Jesus. I'm not saying anything. But he is sick right now.] "Effectively wala pong leadership ang PhilHealth. Yung pamamalakad sa PhilHealth sa gitna ng COVID, nakakatakot na walang kumukumpas," Defensor added. [Translation: Effectively, PhilHealth has no leadership. PhilHealth's operation in the middle of the pandemic sends chills when no one manages it.] Del Rosario tendered his resignation on Monday, while Morales stepped down from his post on Wednesday. Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque confirmed Thursday that President Rodrigo Duterte had already received Morales' letter of resignation, but noted that his replacement must be someone with 'no whiff of corruption,' and with proper managerial skills and knowledge on insurance and health service. The United Nations is calling on governments worldwide to prioritize education, warning the COVID-19 pandemic is putting the future of a whole generation of children on the line. A global fund created to help children in crisis get an education reports more than a billion young people are out of school as a direct consequence of the pandemic. Education Cannot Wait, which is hosted by the U.N. Childrens Fund, warns many of these children may never be able to go back to school. But, it says, many others can, if given a helping hand. Executive Director of the Fund, Yasmine Sherif, tells VOA Education Cannot Wait is set up to provide this help. It is not how we can do it because we are actually doing it," Sherif said. "It is happening as we speak. We are delivering education and we are doing it from a crisis perspective. Sherif explains the Fund was specifically created to function in crises and emergency situations. Education Cannot Wait as a Fund, was designed to deal with disasters and onsets of catastrophes, onsets and escalations of conflict and even pandemics too," Sherif said. The Fund was established at the World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul in 2016. Since then it has reached 3.5 million children caught in conflict, living as refugees, displaced within their own countries or affected by climate-related disasters. Beneficiaries include young people in the Sahel region of West Africa, in sub-Saharan Africa, in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and the Middle East. Sherif says the Fund currently operates in 35 countries. She says the pandemic has forced a radical change in the way its U.N. and non-governmental partners are delivering education. She says they have had to adapt to the realities of social distancing. She says new methods have been devised to compensate for the inability of many students in developing countries to access remote learning during school closures. So, we use technology. We use radio," Sherif said. "We use teachers. We use school facilities to address health and sanitation and also school feeding, so that children do not lose their daily meal that is so important for them. Before the pandemic, an estimated 75 million children and youth in crises were unable to get an education. Sherif says that number has grown with the advent of COVID-19. She says Education Cannot Wait is urgently appealing for $310 million to reach vulnerable girls and boys most at risk of being left behind. Sioux Valley Dakota Nation students will remain at home for the first three months of the school year beginning Sept. 8 as educators and leadership move forward with the most proactive plan of three to ensure COVID-19 does not enter the community. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 26/8/2020 (512 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Advertisement Advertise With Us Sioux Valley Dakota Nation students will remain at home for the first three months of the school year beginning Sept. 8 as educators and leadership move forward with the most proactive plan of three to ensure COVID-19 does not enter the community. Plan 3 is a combination of homework packages and virtual learning. Kevin Nabess, education director for Sioux Valley Dakota Nation, said the decision came from intensive conversations among teachers and other education staff, including bus-driving staff, in conjunction with the COVID-19 incident command lead and chief and council. The Plan 1 proposal was more closely aligned with the provinces back-to-school scheme, which resembles a normal school start, but with "fundamentals" in place. Plan 2 involved staggered classes, with half the students in class for two days, the other half in class the next two school days and the fifth day relegated for deep sanitizing. "Its a more proactive strategy than the province, given the safety of our students and the spiking numbers of COVID-19 in the Westman area," said Nabess, an educator for 30 years. "Sioux Valley Dakota Nation is the closest reserve to Brandon and many of the members of Sioux Valley have a lot of interaction with Brandon. The possibility of COVID-19 entering the community is very real. Having zero cases at the moment, we would like to see that continue." The teaching staff will begin work a week early to ensure homework packages and other systems are in place. Those who helped make this decision will revisit the situation for Oct. 1. At that point, there will be a decision on whether to go virtual for the entire school year or adjust the plan to reflect whichever reality has presented itself. "Like every other school system, were trying to evolve as the situation evolves, which could be on an hourly basis," he said. "I strongly believe this is a smart decision." However, in a letter to parents, education staff stated that if a different plan is instituted after reassessment, and some type of in-school learning returns, Head Start and kindergarten students will remain at home to the end of November due to flu season. "Our youngest learners will have a difficult time understanding and following distancing measures and frequent cleansing. Disinfectant will be present on all surfaces and we dont want them to rub their eyes or face if they come into contact with disinfectant," the letter states. Staff will work at the school, observing provincial "fundamentals," and a classroom has been set aside for one-on-one for students with special programming. The First Nation will ensure each home is able to engage in virtual education, with laptops and internet access. This includes working with other departments to ensure child care, as needed, is available. Should COVID-19 enter the community, which has many elders and close relationships, the results could be dire, even devastating. Further, Nabess said Sioux Valley decision-makers have closely watched global conditions. Where schools have opened, much like the province hopes to open schools, that initial decision has proved to be a wrong or questionable decision. Nabess said back-to-school decisions are community-driven, and he hasnt had any parents message or call him to object. mletourneau@brandonsun.com Michele LeTourneau covers Indigenous matters for The Brandon Sun under the Local Journalism Initiative, a federally funded program that supports the creation of original civic journalism. NEW YORK and ANN ARBOR, Mich., Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Inc. magazine revealed that WRS is 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 segment its 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. WRS ranked number 2328 on the 2020 Inc. 5000. "We're honored to be named on the annual Inc. 5000 list and I'm proud of the work our team has accomplished," said Scott Loewe, founder and managing partner of WRS. "We are on a mission to eradicate opioid dependency in orthopedics, and we are just getting started. WRS is committed to providing best in class, pain management and recovery solutions for injured workers so they can return to work as quickly, and safely, as possible. We are proud to serve these essential workers who drive America forward during uncertain and challenging times." Loewe founded WRS in 2009 because he thought there was a better way to manage orthopedic post-operative pain and rehabilitation. Now, as a musculoskeletal healing company, WRS provides strategic offerings to help combat the opioid epidemic. WRS is the national leader in Cold Compression Therapy (CCT). The companies on the 2020 Inc. 5000 are 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. 5000's aggregate revenue was $209 billion in 2019, accounting for more than 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." The annual Inc. 5000 event honoring the companies on the list will be held virtually from Oct. 23-27, 2020. As always, speakers will include some of the greatest innovators and business leaders of our generation. 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/. More about WRS As a national provider of world-class cold-compression therapy and point of care dispensing, WRS is focused on developing innovative programs that make patient recovery more efficient and effective, without driving up the cost to the payors. Their multi-modal approach to pain management combats the runaway opioid epidemic head on, and helps drive consistently better outcomes for patients. WRS Pharmacy Solutions and U.S. WorkForce Rx provide non-opioid based pharmacy benefit management solutions for workers compensation patients. The WRS family of companies helps patients who have suffered a work-related accident get back to their pre-injury and productive lifestyle, as quickly and as pain free as possible. To learn more, visit www.wrs.us. SOURCE WRS Related Links https://wrs.us Actor Rhea Chakraborty has asked for the Mumbai Polices assistance in providing security for her and her family, as public attention mounts in the ongoing investigation into her boyfriend Sushant Singh Rajputs death. Rhea has been accused by Sushants father of abetting the actors suicide, prompting multiple investigations. Rhea has said that the constant media pressure outside her home is not allowing her to safely coordinate with the CBI, the ED, and now the NCB. In an Instagram post -- her first since July 24 -- she shared a video of her father being hounded by the press outside their home. She wrote in her caption, This is inside my building compound , The man in this video is my father Indrajit Chakraborty (retd. army officer). We have been trying to get out of our house to cooperate with ED , CBI and various investigation authorities to cooperate . There is a threat to my life and my familys life . We have informed the local police station and even gone there , no help provided . We have informed the investigation authorities to help us get to them , no help arrived . How is this family going to live ? We are only asking for assistance , to cooperate with the various agencies that have asked us . I request @mumbaipolice to please provide protection so that we can cooperate with these investigation agencies . #safetyformyfamily. In covid times , these basic law and order restrictions need to be provided . Thankyou. Rhea has turned off the comments on her social media posts. In a second video, posted minutes after the first, she filmed her building security guard, narrating a story of how he was attacked by the media. She wrote, Ram is my buildings watchman for the last 10 years , He is hurt , he was hit by #media. Media people have entered my building compound and hurt the security guards and my father . Is this not a crime ? Who is responsible for this ? Is there any law at all ? Are we barbarians? #justiceforram. Will the concerned authorities kindly take notice , there are children and elders living in this building too . Or is this the system we live in ? Also read: Rhea Chakraborty denies claims of living off Sushant Singh Rajput: He lived king size On Thursday, Rhea broke her silence on the allegations made against her by Sushants family. In an interview to India Today, she denied living off his money and having gotten him hooked onto drugs. Follow @htshowbiz for more SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Many villagers in remote rural areas of Tongshan district, Xuzhou, east Chinas Jiangsu province, like Xiezhuang village and Shalou village, suffered difficulty in getting safe drinking water for generations and sometimes even had to drink water with high fluoride content and bitter and salty water. Instead of asking about the GDP growth, local villagers were much more concerned when they could have access to the same drinking water as that enjoyed by urban residents, recalled Wang Weifeng, secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Tongshan district committee. Fortunately, such sad experience was all ended for good in 2018, thanks to the completion of an integrated rural and urban water supply project. Today, people in Tongshan district are enjoying high-quality water from the same sources and the same network as residents in downtown Xuzhou. In an effort to guarantee safe drinking water for rural areas, Tongshan district has input a total of 1.2 billion yuan (about $173.88 million) in the integrated rural and urban water supply project, which covers more than 1,000 villages in over 20 townships and has pipelines spreading 12,000 kilometers. As a matter of fact, Tongshan district is not the only area in China that has resolved the problems blocking peoples access to safe drinking water. Similar achievements have been witnessed across the country over the past years. Located at the eastern reaches of Horqin grassland in north Chinas Inner Mongolia autonomous region, Tongyu county in Baicheng, northeast Chinas Jilin province, suffered from severe drinking water problem as it sees an average annual precipitation of only 350 millimeters and the underground water in the county is generally undrinkable because of excessive content of fluorine, iron, and manganese. By the end of 2019, Tongyu county had solved drinking water safety problems troubling its rural areas and guaranteed peoples access to 100 percent qualified drinking water by building 655 centralized water supply facilities in the county, with the water supply network stretching for 4.54 million meters. On May 20, 2020, the urban and rural safe drinking water project of Payzawat county, Kashgar prefecture, northwest Chinas Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, was put into use. Consisting of three major parts covering drawing, transportation, and distribution of water and with a total investment of nearly 1.75 billion yuan, the project includes a main waterworks with a daily handling capacity of 85,000 cubic meters, and 17 newly built, transformed, or extended branches. It represents the greatest amount of investment in Chinas domestic water safety projects so far. With the completion of the project, the 15,300 impoverished people in Payzawat county have got access to safe drinking water, marking a historic moment when all poor people in Xinjiang were freed from bitter and salty water forever and guaranteed safe drinking water. Drinking water safety in rural areas has always been regarded as an important and major undertaking of the Chinese government. By the end of July, China had improved the level of water supply safety for 256 million of its rural residents, resolving problems hindering drinking water safety for 17.1 million impoverished population, according to a press conference held by the State Council Information Office on August 21. China has completely resolved the drinking water safety problems for its poor population in terms of the current standard. Chinas Ministry of Water Resources will then focus on consolidating the fruits of the country's poverty alleviation campaign and further enhancing water supply safety in rural areas, said Chen Mingzhong, an official with the Ministry of Water Resources. Efforts should be made to find out leftover problems and improve weak links in relevant projects, with priority being given to those areas that have not shaken off poverty, Chen said. For counties that have already got rid of poverty, monitoring and troubleshooting should be enhanced so as to prevent recurrence of old problems, Chen noted. The country should also establish a long-term mechanism for operation, management, and maintenance of relevant projects, assign responsibilities for management of these projects and materialize funding for maintenance of these projects, as well as improve and perfect its emergency water supply plan, he added. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 27) PhilHealths legal department failed to file thousands of cases against erring employees and healthcare institutions, according to the task force investigating the beleaguered agency. The multi-agency task force headed by the Justice Department flagged this low and slow rate or prosecution in a statement on Thursday, disclosing results of an earlier hearing. Thousands of administrative cases against PhilHealth employees were listed in the corporations case inventory, but only 70 were processed, while a meager 50 resulted in the filing of charges, the task force quoted resigned Senior Vice President for the legal sector Rodolfo del Rosario, Jr. as saying. One of the cases against PhilHealth's ranks even involved 2.1 billion, the task force said without going into detail. Meanwhile, around 1,700 cases were listed against various healthcare facilities, Del Rosario said. He admitted that while his office endorsed 1,003 of these to regional offices for the lodging of criminal complaints, only 11 have been filed. These include fraudulent claims worth around 4.7 billion, he said. READ: 51 hospitals with fraud cases still got 1.49 B from PhilHealth lawmaker Del Rosario explained that management policy favored settlement over prosecution of cases so as not to dampen esprit de corps, the task force said. The alleged lack of resources in PhilHealths regional offices also delays the filing of complaints, Del Rosario said. A team from the task force will focus on PhilHealths legal department and will recommend possible action on complaints against employees and healthcare providers. Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said they plan to recommend structural reforms and even an overhaul of the state health insurer. The Senate and the House of Representatives are also conducting legislative inquiries into the alleged corruption and other irregularities in PhilHealth, and will submit their findings to the task force. Senators said they have gathered "more than enough" evidence to recommend the filing of complaints against several PhilHealth officials for misappropriating funds through the controversial interim reimbursement mechanism. PhilHealth has since suspended the cash advance scheme to review its implementation, but its officials have denied pocketing billions of pesos through the system. President Rodrigo Duterte is now finding a replacement for resigned PhilHealth President and CEO Ricardo Morales. Duterte has been pressed to sack Morales as fresh allegations of fraud and anomalies cropped up in June, but he refused to do so without sold evidence. Finally, on Tuesday, Duterte said "it would be best" for Morales to resign, but only cited his medical condition as he had been undergoing chemotherapy for lymphoma. Latest edition of ICSF's newsletter on gender and fisheries, Yemaya No.61, dated August 2020, published August 27,2020 | Source: ICSF The issue Yemaya No.61, August 2020 features articles and interviews from Brazil, Costa Rica, France, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Senegal, lead article on Small-scale fisheries and food security and photo essay which depicts the practice of Aratu fishing in mangroves of Brazil. The Costa Rica article by Maria Suarez Toro looked at the harsh economic impact of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic-related lockdown has spurred fisherwomen to return to their traditional sources of livelihood. Emmanuelle Yhuel -Bertin looks at the impact of the Covid-19 lockdown on small-scale fishing in Lorient and how it is vividly captured in the pages of a diary maintained by a gillnetter skippers spouse. The article is translated from French b Daniele Le Sann.One article from Indonesia, authored by Dedi Adhuri points out, incomes from both harvest and post-harvest have dried up, leaving fishers in the lurch and adding to the anxieties of women who must make arrangements to survive from one day to the next. Ines Lopez-Ercilla, Jorge Torre, Neyra Solano, and Francisco Fernandez, in their article on Mexico, argues that as in other countries, the experience of sheltering at home has led to increased domestic violence against women. Women in the small-scale fishing sector in Mexico are key drivers ensuring food security and community wellbeing during the Covid-19 pandemic. Ria Fitriana and Maria Kurupat in their article on Indonesia looks at how the changing land use patterns threatens the livelihood of female crab collectors in Merauke, Papua, Indonesia. The article by Julie Lalluet -Geffroy and translated from French by Gildas, A resolute mussel farmer looks at how Amelie Dennebouy has challenged gender stereotypes to become a successful mussel entrepreneur in Penestin, France. Nicole Franz in her article provided a brief overview of relevant international legal instruments and processes on small-scale fisheries contributions and rights to food and nutrition security, with a focus on the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. In Assane Demes interview (transcript prepared by Beatrice Gorez and translated from French to English by Gildas)with Mme Diaba Diop, general secretary of Pencum, Senegal, she pointed out that, it is imperative that States extend all possible support to fishing communities, particularly to women and other vulnerable sections in order to mitigate the dual challenge of growing food insecurity amidst the spread of Covid-19 and there is a need for rehabilitating the processing sites. Women would require field training to master new techniques. Beatriz Mesquita,Lorena Franca, and Luciecia Cristina Moraiss da Silva in their interview with Sandra Gomes, President of the Association of Indigenous Communities of the Middle Negro River (ACIMRN) speaks about the challenge indigenous communities are facing due to Covid-19. Vishakha Gpta, in Yemaya recommends pointed out that the film, Seguridad Alimentaria (Food Security) shows that how activities such as fishing and clam gathering in particular are experiences through which the community connects and continues to pass their heritage forward. In Profile column, Nasser Kasozi writes about how the work of Lovin Kobusiye is an example of new entrepreneurship emerging in pan-African fisheries and aquaculture. In Whats New webby? Manas Roshan writes about how ICSFs new website, https://covid.icsf.net presents information on specific sectoral issues affected by Covid-19 and also disseminate new information as signs of recovery from the pandemic. In Milestones, Ahana Lakshmi speaks about how the new book, The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2020 indicates that women now have better access to decision making positions at the local level, mainly through legislated quotas. This issue of the Yemaya also carries the ever-popular cartoon strip, Yemaya MamaA fishy deal. This issue can be accessed at: https://www.icsf.net/en/yemaya/article/EN/61.html?limitstart=0 Representative image Supporting the demand for postponement of JEE and NEET examinations in view of the novel coronavirus pandemic, seven chief ministers of non-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ruled states on August 26 decided to jointly move the Supreme Court on the issue. Parties like the DMK and the AAP too joined the growing chorus against the holding of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) and Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) at a time when COVID-19 cases were rising. At a meeting convened by Congress chief Sonia Gandhi on a range of issues ahead of Monsoon Session of Parliament, the seven chief ministers unanimously agreed to the need for filing a review petition urging the Supreme Court to reconsider its recent order rejecting the postponement of the competitive exams. Among the chief ministres who attended the meeting were West Bengal's Mamata Banerjee (TMC), Maharashtra's Uddhav Thackeray, who is heading the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress government, Punjab's Amarinder Singh (Congress), Jharkhand's Hemant Soren (JMM), Rajasthan's Ashok Gehlot (Congress), Chhattisgarh's Bhupesh Baghel (Congress)and Puducherry's V Narayanasamy (Congress). A decision was taken to discuss the matter and evolve a joint strategy in this regard. Sonia Gandhi said the Congress party was on board on the issue and asked Banerjee, who proposed a joint appeal by the states in the apex court, to work out with Amarinder Singh and other chief ministers on the legal recourse. She said whatever steps need to be taken in the interest of students should be taken unitedly. 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 Batting for the students who are demanding postponement of the exams due to COVID-19, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi urged the central government to listen to their grievances and find an amicable solution. "NEET-JEE aspirants are worried about their health and future. They have genuine concerns of: fear of Covid19 infection, transport and lodging during pandemic and flood-mayhem in Assam and Bihar," he said on Twitter. "GOI must listen to all stakeholders and find an acceptable solution," he said. Read more: NEET & JEE exams: Prominent politicians, celebrities urging the government to reconsider its decision The Congress also announced protests by its state units on August 28 in front of central government offices at state and district headquarters, besides a nationwide online campaign, #SpeakUpForStudentSaftey. Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia separately said medical and engineering entrance exams NEET and JEE should be postponed and the central government should work on alternative methods for selecting students. "They (Centre) are saying protocols will be followed. Following the same protocols that the Centre wants 28 lakh students to follow, lakhs of Indians have tested positive," the Aam Aadmi Party told reporters. "How can we take the risk of sending 28 lakh students to exam centres and be assured that they will not be infected," Sisodia asked. DMK chief MK Stalin welcomed the decision of the seven chief ministers to appeal to the Supreme Court for postponement of NEET, JEE exams and thanked Sonia Gandhi for her efforts. He said the Tamil Nadu government should also move the Supreme Court. Earlier, during the chief ministers' meeting, Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren suggested meeting the president and prime minister on the issue, to which Banerjee and Amarinder Singh said there was no time for that, considering JEE Mains are scheduled to be held from September 1 to 6. Sonia Gandhi set the stage for a discussion on the JEE, NEET issue by mentioning in her opening remarks that the government was looking at the students' issue "uncaringly". Banerjee then urged other CMs to jointly move a review petition in Supreme Court, saying the students are facing a lot of hardships. The Punjab CM endorsed her demand, saying the atmosphere is not conducive for holding exams physically as the number of COVID cases were rising. "I have written to the prime minister twice requesting him to postpone the decision to hold NEET/JEE exams. I also requested him to intervene as the Supreme Court has already passed an order and the Centre can appeal against it. "But there has been no response. So if the Centre can't appeal then the states for the sake of the students should jointly appeal and move the SC on this issue," Banerjee said. Thackeray also said that the time is not right for holding the competitive exams and pressed on the need for postponing them. He said the assembly session was curtailed due to the rising number of COVID cases. Singh asked the Punjab Advocate General to coordinate with his counterparts in other opposition-ruled states for filing a collective review petition in the Supreme Court, to seek deferment of the NEET-JEE exams. "23 MLAs in Punjab are down with Covid19. If this was the state of legislators and ministers, one can only imagine how grave the situation on the ground was. The scenario was not conducive to holding physical examinations," Singh said. He suggested holding JEE, NEET and other entrance exams online. While Gehlot and Baghel also endorsed the view, Narayanasamy said the central government would be held responsible if students get infected with COVID. "Conducting NEET and JEE will lead to a rise in COVID-19 cases and the central government will be held responsible if students get affected," Narayanasamy said. The Joint Entrance Examination (Main) and the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET-UG) will be conducted in September as scheduled, the Ministry of Education officials had said on Tuesday. The Supreme Court had last week dismissed a plea seeking postponement of the two exams, saying a "precious" academic year of students "cannot be wasted" and life has to go on. While a total of 9.53 lakh candidates have registered for JEE-Mains, 15.97 lakh students have registered for NEET. The NEET is to be held on September 13 and engineering entrance exam JEE Main is scheduled from September 1-6. (Alliance News) - Grafton Group PLC on Thursday decided to pay no dividend for the first half of 2020, as profit fell sharply on declining revenue from all of its businesses except for the Netherlands due to the Covid-19 pandemic. For the six months to the end of June, the FTSE 250 building materials distributor said pretax profit dropped by 76% to GBP20.5 million from GBP84.4 million a year before, on revenue that declined by 29% year-on-year to GBP1.06 billion from GBP1.48 billion. On a constant currency basis, revenue dropped by 20%. The fall in revenue mostly stemmed from the UK and Ireland as a result of action taken by both countries to prevent the spread of Covid-19 through the shutdown of branches amid lockdown measures, instead of a lack of demand in customers. Revenue from UK Distribution declined by 30% to GBP605.4 million, while the Irish Distribution segment fell by 16% to GBP190.2 million. However, revenue from Netherlands Distribution increased by 71% to GBP138.1 million, due to a milder lockdown in the country resulting in a less severe downturn in the economy compared to other countries in Europe. Due to the virus's effect on trading, Grafton will not pay an interim dividend, compared to the 6.5 pence per share payout made the year before. However, the Dublin-based company said it will consider whether it will pay the suspended second interim dividend for 2019, and a full payout for 2020. Looking ahead, for the period from July 1 to August 16, average daily like-for-like revenue increased by 3.8%, due to a 12% rise in Irish Distribution and 34% rise in Retailing, more than offsetting declines in the UK Distribution, Netherlands Distribution and Manufacturing divisions. Based on current trends, Grafton expects its adjusted operating profit for the second half of 2020 to be similar to that for the same period the year before. "Grafton's resilience, market positioning and geographic diversity together with its low debt and strong liquidity leaves the group well positioned for continuing progress. We are very encouraged by the performance of the group in recent months as it emerged in a strong position from the Covid-19 lockdown and based on current trends the group should deliver a similar level of adjusted operating profit in the second half to the comparable period last year," said Chief Executive Officer Gavin Slark. Shares in Grafton were 5.8% higher at 788.50 pence on Thursday in London. By Dayo Laniyan; dayolaniyan@alliancenews.com Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. By Trend Over the past 24 hours, Armenian armed forces have violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops 29 times, Trend reports referring to Azerbaijani Defense Ministry. Armenian armed forces were using large-caliber machine guns. 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 Anti-lockdown walkers were doused with pepper spray and struggled with cops as community frustration with Melbourne's draconian Stage 4 restrictions reached boiling point. Police issued $15,000 in fines and arrested four men during a wild afternoon clash at Dandenong in Melbourne's southeast on Wednesday - amid fears the nightly walks could soon escalate into full scale riots. In video shared on social media, police can be seen aiming pepper spray at walkers as officers tackle a man to the ground. A police officer on Wednesday charges at walkers wielding pepper spray after his colleagues took down a man who was not wearing a mask A man is taken down by police in Dandenong on Wednesday evening after going for a group walk One of the walkers shows his injuries from a scuffle with police Confronting footage shows officers take a man down from behind by the neck amid screams from the crowd that he was simply going for a walk. The man, who was not wearing a mask, was pulled off the road and tackled while other officers scurried to fend off the crowd. Another man has a can of pepper spray pushed into his face and sprayed at near point blank range after shrugging off an officer and walking away. Among those arrested were a a 28-year-old Dandenong man, who was subsequently charged with assaulting police, resisting arrest, failing to state his name and address and breaching the chief health officer directions. A 19-year-old Dandenong man was also charged with use threatening words, failing to state his name and address and breaching the chief health officer directions while a 22-year-old Dandenong faces similar charges. All three were released pending summons, but all nine were fined $1652 each for breaching the stage four lockdown restrictions. Tensions in Dandenong - south east of Melbourne - have been flaring for days after a large group of residents decided to start walking at the same time and place. Under Stage Four restrictions Melbourne residents can only leave their homes for four reasons, to buy essential items like groceries, for care or to give care, exercise and work. There is also a nightly curfew from 8pm until 5am. Photos show one of the men taken down by police covered in blood and grazes on his face. Angry residents have already indicated the nightly walks could turn into a full blown riot. 'That female cop is a joke, on a power trip, the lot of them,' one person posted under a video of the arrest. 'They need to watch out, the riots will begin in no time.' 'Straight outta Nazi germany,' another posted. 'Probably were cryogenically (sic) frozen SS officers.' Police have warned they will consider issuing penalty notices to anyone else found to be in breach of the directions issued by the Chief Health Officer. Officers have been seen cruising the nightly walks and filming the crowds from the safety of their vehicles. The uprising comes as the political stoush ramps up over a proposed 12-month extension to Victoria's state of emergency to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. Victoria recorded 23 deaths and 113 new coronavirus cases on Thursday - the lowest number of new cases for weeks. This man was sprayed in the face with pepper spray after pushing past police on Wednesday in Dandenong An older man is placed in handcuffs after going for a walk in Dandenong on Wednesday An officer warns walkers to stand back or they will cop a spray of pepper in their eyes A police officer grapples with an unmasked man moments before he is taken down Dozens of people, including women, children and families, can be seen thumbing their noses at Stage Four lockdown laws in Dandenong in video posted to social media on Tuesday. The latest video emerged days after a video of police busting up a group exercise session in the same suburb was posted online. In that video, a man filmed an expletive-laden rant in which he described mask-wearing police officers as 'Nazi dogs' and accused them of cashing in on the pandemic. In a video posted by a Dandenong local on Tuesday night, police can be seen shadowing dozens of people as they walk along a busy street. 'Let the Nazis do their work,' someone is heard shouting as police cars appear around them. Police officers can be seen marching down the middle of the road and shouting at the people to stay off the road. 'You get off the f**king road,' they respond. 'Youse are looking for it. Youse are dogs.' A man is heard commentating as he conducts his hour-long walk within the allowed 5km radius of his home. 'People need to wake up. This is what we're dealing with here,' he says. Residents can be heard booing police as they stop to question sections of the crowd. 'We pay them to follow us walk ... we pay these dogs to follow us walk,' the man says. One officer can be seen with his pepper spray in hand ready to use at any moment. When questioned, the man hands over his identification and explains that he is simply going for his hour-long walk. Most of the walkers appear to be wearing masks. The policeman warns the man he will be fined if he saw him again later that day on another walk. This man had pepper spray squirted straight into his face after he pushed past police in Dandenong on Wednesday A police officer attempts to arrest a man in Dandenong on Wednesday People enjoy a cheeky stroll in Dandenong, south east of Melbourne Police descended on a crowd of ten young people who were exercising at the George Andrews reserve on Monday At present, the declaration can only run for six months and will expire on September 13 along with Melbourne's Stage Four lockdown and regional Victoria's Stage 3 rules. On Monday, Victoria premier Dan Andrews said his government won't be able to dictate guidelines such as mandatory mask use and isolation rules without a 12-month extension. 'We've got to protect public health, there can be no economic rebuilding until we fix this problem,' he told reporters. The man in Tuesday's video warned that Melburnians were fed up with the current police state of Victoria. 'People are already starting to lose their minds,' he says as he continues his walk. 'Now imagine another year on top of that. Imagine the businesses that are going to go bankrupt. Imagine the suicides.' Police are about to unleash pepper spray into this man's face in Dandenong A police officer (far left) pulls out his pepper spray in anticipation of trouble on Tuesday night Police cars blocked the road as they filmed people going for a walk in Dandenong in Tuesday People in Dandenong continue to taunt police with large groups of people all walking at the same time On Monday, tempers flared when a convoy of nine police vehicles were seen pulling up to George Andrew reserve in Dandenong. 'Wake up you Nazi dogs, you are f****** Victoria Police you are not f****** Nazis!' a man in that video told police. The angry resident, along with a number of other locals, confronted the officers after witnessing the squad cars pull into the park. 'Look at this? For what, for ten kids around here doing exercise, they are kids mate! Wake up to yourselves,' the man said. He accused police of wasting tax payers money and state resources before asking if they 'feel great' about themselves while people around them had 'lost everything'. 'We lost our jobs, you have your jobs, we lost our homes, you have your homes,' the man said. 'You got a pay rise because of us mate!' Victoria Police received close to a three percent pay rise after agreeing to a new deal with the State Government in December, 2019. The Dandenong local became increasingly agitated after one of the officers told him 'we are all in this together'. A Dandenong man labelled Victoria Police 'Nazi dogs' after dozens of officers descended on a park where people were exercising during the COVID-19 Stage Four lockdown (pictured) After officers forced the man and others from the park (pictured) he chastised them saying they were acting like Nazis, not Victoria Police, before telling the cops to 'go f*** yourselves' Melania Trump's former close friend and adviser Stephanie Winston Wolkoff reportedly secretly taped the first lady making disparaging comments about her husband and stepdaughter Ivanka. Wolkoff drew on those tapes and years of friendship with Melania to write a book about their tumultuous relationship, "Melania and Me: My Years as Confidant, Advisor and Friend to the First Lady." In an excerpt of her book published Thursday, Wolkoff describes Melania's tense relationship with Ivanka and an effort by the first lady to minimize her stepdaughter's role in the inauguration. An administration official denied Wolkoff's account of Melania's efforts to block Ivanka's face from appearing on TV during the inauguration and accused Wolkoff of having an "odd obsession with the Trump family." Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Melania and Ivanka Trump on election night at the New York Hilton Midtown on November 9, 2016. JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images First lady Melania Trump's former close friend and adviser Stephanie Winston Wolkoff secretly taped the first lady making disparaging comments about her husband and stepdaughter Ivanka, according to multiple media reports. Wolkoff drew on those tapes and years of friendship with Melania to write a book about their tumultuous relationship, "Melania and Me: My Years as Confidant, Advisor and Friend to the First Lady." The New York Times reported that Wolkoff likely planned to hand the tapes of Melania over to a news outlet ahead of the book's September 1 release. Wolkoff joined the first lady's office as an unpaid adviser after the inauguration, The New York Times reported. She resigned amid controversy over the inauguration's finances and reporting that she was paid $26 million for her work. "Was I fired? No," Wolkoff said in 2018. "Did I personally receive $26 million or $1.6 million? No. Was I thrown under the bus? Yes." 'Operation Block Ivanka' An excerpt of the book published Thursday in New York magazine details the buildup and immediate aftermath of President Donald Trump's inauguration, which Wolkoff played a key role in organizing. Story continues Drama with Ivanka Trump was an issue from the start, according to Wolkoff. Ivanka, whom Wolkoff says Melania referred to as "princess," wanted to play a more central role in the inauguration than the incoming first lady was comfortable with, according to the book. "It was Donald's inauguration, not Ivanka's," Wolkoff writes. "But no one was brave enough to tell her that. Melania was not thrilled about Ivanka's steering the schedule and would not allow it. Neither was she happy to hear that Ivanka insisted on walking in the Pennsylvania Avenue parade with her children." Wolkoff said this led to "Operation Block Ivanka," an effort to ensure Ivanka would not be shown by TV cameras on the inauguration stage during key moments of the ceremony, including when Donald Trump was sworn in or when he took the oath of office from Chief Justice John Roberts. "Yes, Operation Block Ivanka was petty," Wolkoff writes. "Melania was in on this mission. But in our minds, Ivanka shouldn't have made herself the center of attention in her father's inauguration." An administration official denied Wolkoff's account of "Operation Block Ivanka" and accused Wolkoff of having an "odd obsession with the Trump family." "I'm not sure how that could be possible when Ivanka was on stage for the swearing in, and at every inaugural event just like her brothers and sister," an administration official told Business Insider. "This sounds like more of Stephanie's bizarre storytelling, and odd obsession with the Trump family." Melania and Ivanka Trump at the White House on January 20, 2017. Mark Wilson/Getty Images Family turf wars Things got only more tense once the Trump family began settling in at the White House. Since Melania was in Manhattan for the first months of the Trump administration which The Washington Post's Mary Jordan would later write in her book was part of Melania's effort to acquire leverage in renegotiating her prenuptial agreement and secure a better inheritance for her son Barron Wolkoff was left to serve as the first lady's "linebacker" in a turf war with Ivanka and her husband, Jared Kushner. Wolkoff writes that she and Melania Trump immediately suspected Ivanka was leaking to the press when they started seeing "reports that the East Wing was a dark, lonely, sad, cobwebbed place." "We suspected Ivanka immediately," she writes. "According to Vicky Ward's book Kushner, Inc., Ivanka said during the transition that the First Lady's office would become, under Daddy's administration, the 'Trump Family Office.'" Wolkoff adds, "The West Wing wasn't big enough for the Kushners. They wanted the East Wing as well." Wolkoff also blasts Ivanka for using a private email account to conduct official White House business the same charge so effectively weaponized by the Trump campaign against Hillary Clinton. "Ivanka was asking her work contacts at the White House to write to her at her private email the exact offense the Trumps had lambasted Hillary Clinton for during the general election," she writes. "Would anyone chant 'Lock her up!' about Ivanka's private server? Doubtful. The email thing was hypocritical, to say the least. But the Trumps made their own rules." Wolkoff's book is being published by Simon & Schuster, which is behind other recent books by close former Trump associates, including the president's niece Mary Trump and former national security adviser John Bolton. The publishing house said Wolkoff's book would provide new details about Melania's reactions to the "Access Hollywood" tape and allegations that her husband had affairs and made hush-money payments, as well as why the first lady controversially wore a jacket with the words, "I really don't care, do u?" printed on it. Read the original article on Business Insider The New York Times Kevin Mayer, the chief executive of the Chinese-owned video app TikTok, said on Wednesday that he was resigning after the company came under sustained pressure from the Trump administration over its ties to China. In a note to employees, which was reviewed by The New York Times, Mayer said that a series of changes to TikToks structure prompted him to leave. He did not address the timing of his departure. The app, which is owned by the Chinese internet company ByteDance, has been ordered by the White House to sell its US operations by mid-September. In recent weeks, as the political environment has sharply changed, I have done significant reflection on what the corporate structural changes will require, and what it means for the global role I signed up for, Mayer, 58, wrote in the email. Against this backdrop, and as we expect to reach a resolution very soon, it is with a heavy heart that I wanted to let you all know that I have decided to leave the company. He added that he had signed up for a global role and that leading a global team had been a big draw for him. Mayers departure underscores the difficulties facing TikTok as it has become a geopolitical pinata amid worsening US-China tensions. As part of a campaign of being tough on China, President Trump and other White House officials have said that TikTok poses a national security threat because of its Chinese ownership. That led to Trumps signing an executive order on 6 August to block TikTok if ByteDance did not sell the apps US operations within 45 days. A week later, he issued another executive order giving ByteDance 90 days to close such a deal. The White Houses moves have pushed ByteDance and TikTok to seek a buyer for the apps US operations. Microsoft, Oracle and other bidders have been discussing a potential deal, with prices ranging from $20 billion to $50 billion, though talks are fluid and no deal may be reached. At the same time, TikTok has pushed back against the Trump administration. On Monday, the company sued the US government, accusing it of depriving it of due process by forcing a sale using an executive order. In a statement on Wednesday, TikTok said, We appreciate that the political dynamics of the last few months have significantly changed what the scope of Kevins role would be going forward, and fully respect his decision. Vanessa Pappas, general manager of TikTok in North America, will take over as the interim global head of the company. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Mayer, who was the top streaming executive at Walt Disney Company, joined TikTok in May as its chief executive. He also gained the title of chief operating officer of ByteDance. His hiring was part of a shift by TikTok to bring on more American executives as Washingtons scrutiny of the apps Chinese ownership grew. TikTok also hired more employees in Los Angeles, New York and more than a dozen other places in the United States with plans to add over 10,000 new jobs in the country. But things changed drastically shortly after Mayer joined the company, with White House pressure ramping up and the signing of the executive orders this month. Officials at TikTok were shocked by the orders, people with knowledge of the situation have said. For months, the company had worked to satisfy the White House by holdings talks to reduce its Chinese ownership and to find a way to store data on its American users in the United States. TikTok has said it currently stores US user data on servers in Virginia and Singapore. c.2020 The New York Times Company Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Dzulfiqar Fathur Rahman (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, August 27, 2020 07:45 511 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c40bfcf0 1 Business economic-recovery,Sri-Mulyani-Indrawati,UI,expert,poverty,SDGs Free Indonesias recovery from the economic effects of the pandemic must focus on the sectors where the greatest number of workers have fallen into poverty, according to a researcher from the University of Indonesias Social and Economic Research Institute (LPEM UI). This would mean that agriculture would take priority in most of the provinces of Java as it has seen the most significant increase in poverty of any sector in those provinces, according to LPEM UI head of environmental studies Alin Halimatussadiah. In the Bangka Belitung islands, the priority sector would be mining, she added. This is the distribution of COVID-19s impact on poor citizens, said Alin. This is how we tell the government that there are large numbers of poor people who have been hit in these sectors. The government expects 4 million people to fall below the poverty line this year as a result of the pandemic, increasing the number of poor people in the country to 28 million, about 10.6 percent of the population. The SMERU Research Institute, however, has a grimmer estimate. The institute predicts that 8.5 million people will fall into poverty this year, increasing the poverty rate to 12.37 percent, a figure last seen in 2009. The economy shrank by 5.32 percent year-on-year (yoy) in the second quarter of this year as most sectors experienced pandemic restrictions and household consumption and investment fell. Alin said the ongoing health crisis threatened the countrys Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), including progress in the alleviation of poverty, the development of infrastructure and the promotion of more equal access to quality education. The government has earmarked Rp 695 trillion (US$47.39 billion) in spending to boost the economy and strengthen the healthcare system during the pandemic. Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said in early August that the government planned to expand its social aid programs and incentives for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) by reallocating Rp 70.8 trillion from existing ineffective stimulus packages. Under the plan, the government expects to allocate Rp 4.6 trillion to increase the amount of rice given to the 10 million recipients of the Family Hope Program (PKH) to 15 kilograms per month. It also plans to disburse Rp 500,000 to 10 million Staple Food Card recipients this month. The government has earmarked Rp 37.7 trillion for a wage subsidy program for workers earning less than Rp 5 million per month. The program will target 15.7 million workers. Masyita Crystallin, a special advisor to the Finance Minister, said the pandemics impact on poverty would depend on which sectors were prominent in a given province. The pandemic has hit agriculture, trade, construction and manufacturing the hardest, and these sectors tend to employ informal workers with less education. These are the sectors that were hit first by the pandemic, said Masyita. The government is therefore focusing on supporting labor-intensive sectors first. Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. Entrance mats are soothing and appealing to eyes when they are correctly and finely designed either at home, restaurants, or any other place. Manufacturing of quality entrance mat is a boon to technology and construction industry. Market Research Future reveals that the global entrance matting market is ready to expand at a CAGR of 4.6% during the estimated period from 2018 to 2023. The extensive study has segmental analysis, reviews of factors that can sway the market in the coming years, and expert views for an all-engrossing understanding of the market in a detailed manner. ALSO READ: https://www.abnewswire.com/pressreleases/entrance-matting-market-2019-size-share-comprehensive-analysis-opportunity-assessment-future-estimations-and-key-industry-segments-poised-for-strong-growth-in-future-2023_432684.html Market Drivers & Trends The entrance matting market is likely to witness a sustainable growth throughout the forecast period with the increased consumption of matting products such as walk-off mats, anti-fatigue, and logo & specialty mats mainly in residential as well as commercial areas. These factors are booming the construction industry, which is directly influencing the entrance matting market. In the past years, the sales of the entrance mats have been improved a lot, which has grabbed more demand for these mats in the coming years. Such establishment of the market is touted to achieve more valuation during its growth period. At the same time, the supportive government regulations & initiatives have also further anticipated influencing the market prospects in terms of demand and sales. On the other hand, the growing flooring market coupled with rising in focus on interior and exterior decorations to attract customers have also impacted the entrance matting market and is going to experience impressive growth during the forecast period. Other factors, such as rapid urbanization and industrialization, have exponentially enhanced the demand for remodeling and renovation activities, which in turn, largely contributes to the tremendous growth of the global entrance matting market. Market Segmentation The segmental analysis of the global entrance matting market has been done on the elements of type, material, application, and usage. In terms of type: anti-fatigue, walk-off mats, logo, and specialty are the segments. Among these, walk-off mats segment is likely to exhibit a maximum growth rate owing to soar in commercial flooring products for hospitality, retail, sports, workplaces, healthcare, and more. In terms of material: Nylon, rubber, polypropylene, vinyl, and others are the segments. The nylon segment accounted for the largest market share in 2017, which will retain its dominance by 2023. Nylon mats offer superior moisture absorption features which reduce the risk of tripping on a wet floor. Regional Outlook The region-wise analysis of the global entrance matting market has been done under the key regions of North America, Europe, Asia-pacific, and Rest of the World. Among these, North America is recorded to have the largest market for entrance matting as this region also accounted for the leading market share in 2017. Such a significant market share is credited to the surge in adoption of walk-off mats along with the increase in the event shows in the USA, which has enhanced the growth of entrance matting market more than before in this region. Asia-Pacific region is also ready to exhibit maximum growth rate over the forecast period, owing to the surge in the hospitality industry, mainly in developing countries such as India, China, and Indonesia. Such proliferation is creating hike in demand for entrance matting, which is simultaneously gaining popularity in the upcoming years. Key Players The well-known players in the entrance matting market are listed as Birrus Matting, Superior Manufacturing Group, 3M, Unifirst Corporation, Bergo Flooring AB, Cintas Corporation, Forbo Holdings AG, Eagle Mat & Floor Products, and among others. FOR MORE DETAILS https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/entrance-matting-market-7173 Child protection advocates and opposition politicians have slammed Daniel Andrews over recent law changes that punish sex abuse victims who speak out about their ordeals. Under laws passed in February, Victorian rape and sexual assault victims cannot chose to identify themselves publicly - such as in media reports or even autobiographies - unless they get permission from a court. Survivors could be jailed for up to four months or face $3,000 fines for telling their stories using their real names without a court order, which could cost them at least $10,000 to obtain. Child protection advocates have slammed Daniel Andrews (pictured) over recent law changes that punish sex abuse victims for speaking out without permission The founder of child protection organisation Bravehearts, Hetty Johnston (pictured), said the law 'protects the identity of convicted sex offenders while ignoring the victims' As a movement to change the law kicked off this week, campaigners told Daily Mail Australia that the Victorian law protects rapists and abusers at the expense of victims. The founder of child protection organisation Bravehearts, Hetty Johnston, said the law 'protects the identity of convicted sex offenders while ignoring the innocent victims'. 'I have spent 24 years fighting for sexual assault victims to be heard and then this draconian government comes and changes the law,' she said. 'We need to end the culture of silence but they have taken us back to the 18th century. It's a disgrace.' Attorney-general Jill Hennesy (pictured) has ordered an urgent review and is considered changing the law Ms Johnston said the Victorian government had silenced victims who want to tell their stories to empower others who may also be facing abuse. 'There's no excuse for protecting the accused at the expense of the victims,' she said. 'Silence has aided and abetted paedophiles and survivors are committing suicide. 'Who does this government think they are that they can silence people? 'I hope Daniel Andrews and his cronies know that we're not going anywhere. This is not going to stand it's a travesty.' WHY WAS THE LAW CHANGED? The Open Courts and Other Acts Amendment Act 2019, which commenced in February this year, allowed victims of sexual or family violence to apply to courts to lift bans on publishing material that would reveal their identity. Before the 2019 amendments, victims did not have a clear mechanism to seek the removal of court orders protecting their identity, which caused uncertainty for those who wished to speak openly about their experiences. But the consequence is that it is now an offence to speak out without court permission - even if the victim consents - in cases where the offender is guilty or proceedings are ongoing. A spokesman for Daniel Andrews referred Daily Mail Australia to Attorney-general Jill Hennesy. She said: 'The changes that took effect in February were about reducing barriers and improving clarity for victims who want to talk about their experiences, not about introducing new restrictions for survivors who want to go public with their story. 'I am aware of the concerns raised by victims and advocacy groups regarding the effect of these reforms and have asked the Department of Justice and Community Safety to urgently look at whether further changes are needed to ensure they are effective'. Advertisement When Victoria began the process of changing the law in 2018, the attorney general said victims will 'be empowered to share their stories under a new process enabling courts to lift bans on publishing a victim's identity.' But shadow attorney general Edward O'Donohue told Daily Mail Australia that the laws are not working and may need to be changed. 'The Liberal Nationals have long advocated for greater transparency in the operation of the justice system,' he said. 'Attorney-general Jill Hennessy needs to explain to the community why the legislation is not working to support victims as promised.' Ms Hennessy said in a statement that she has ordered an urgent review and is considered changing the law. 'I am aware of the concerns raised by victims and advocacy groups regarding the effect of these reforms and have asked the Department of Justice and Community Safety to urgently look at whether further changes are needed to ensure they are effective,' she said. The new law applies retrospectively, meaning victims who have lawfully spoken out previously are now censored from speaking out publicly. The law protects the identity of convicted sex offenders while ignoring the innocent victims Bravehearts founder Hetty Johnston Media outlets who defy the law can also be prosecuted and face fines of up to $8,000. The only way for victims to identify themselves and tell their stories is to obtain a court order - which is not only time consuming, but would cost more than $10,000 in legal fees. Dr Rachael Burgin, lecturer in the Swinburne Law School, described the change in the law as a 'major victory' for convicted paedophiles and rapists. She said thousands of survivors will now find they cannot tell their stories. Not only can victims no longer use their real names, they cannot provide any identifying features such as photos in publications such as memoirs and autobiographies unless they get a court order. 'There is no way that I would just have $10,000 sitting around to pay to do this. (I'd) be taking money away from (my) family,' Maggie*, an adult survivor of child rape told news.com.au. Changes to the Judicial Proceedings Reports Act were quietly introduced in February. Pictured: The Supreme Court of Victoria Sexual assault survivors are now fighting for their right to share their stories, with the #LetUsSpeak campaign launched on Wednesday. The campaign, which is a collaboration between Rape and Sexual Assault Research and Advocacy (RASARA), Marque Lawyers, End Rape On Campus Australia, and news.com.au is calling on the government to reform the law. Melbourne mother Maggie, 44, was raped from age eight by her father, who also sexually abused her older step sister Kate*. When Maggie was 17, he was arrested and charged with rape and gross indecency as well as multiple counts of bestiality, after Kate reported her abuse to police. In May 1997, four days before the trial was set to begin, he shot Kate dead at work after tracking her down using a private investigator. A recent Victorian law criminalises sexual assault survivors from speaking out He was sent to prison the following year, after pleading guilty to murder in exchange for the sexual offences being dropped. With his parole eligibility date looming, Maggie decided to come forward, resulting in her father receiving a nine-year jail sentence for multiple counts of incest and rape against her. In March this year, the Supreme Court of Appeal slashed his sentence for the crimes against Maggie and ruled he could serve them concurrently with his murder sentence, leaving him eligible for parole in June 2022. 'I'm now a mother of three beautiful children and I wouldn't want him out in any community. I'm not just scared for my children. I'm scared for all children. I also have to be the voice for my sister too. She never got justice for the sexual abuse she experienced either,' Maggie said. Maggie contacted Australian media outlets to draw attention to the lenient sentences given to paedophilles, only to learn of the new law that makes it a crime for the media to publish her name, or her father's, as it could indirectly identify her. 'My sister was murdered for trying to tell her story and now I'm stopped from telling mine. He has all the power again. It has to change,' Maggie said. Victorian Attorney-General, Jill Hennessy has written to Maggie and other members of the #LetUsSpeak campaign to say she is 'very sorry' to hear of their experiences. She has requested the Department of Justice and Community Safety look into the cases. A GoFundMe page has been set up to cover the court costs of survivors battling to overturn the gag law. Similar gag laws were overturned in the Northern Territory and Tasmania earlier this year as a result of #LetUsSpeak campaign. *Names changed for legal reasons. Chinese software developer Bytedance, which owns TikTok, is moving fast to resolve problems it is facing in India and the US, its founder Zhang Yiming said Thursday, hours after the embattled companys top executive quit a few months into the job. we are moving fast to find solutions to the problems we face globally, especially in India and the United States, Beijing-based Zhang told his employees in a letter. Zhangs letter was released after the companys chief executive Kevin Mayer quit TikTok, which has been banned in India and accused by the Donald Trump administration of breaching USs national security. Thirty-six-year-old Zhangs letter seemed an attempt to assuage the worries of those working in the company, which is under increasing international scrutiny for its ties with the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC). First of all, I want to thank Kevin for joining us when we encountered our biggest challengesespecially in India and the United States, Zhang wrote in Mandarin. Second, I hope everyone understands that we are moving fast to find solutions to the problems we face globally, especially in India and the United States. I cant say too much now. But I can guarantee that we are looking for solutions that are in line with the interests of users, creators, partners, and employees, Zhang wrote. The Indian government banned the popular short-video sharing app TikTok on June 29, two weeks after Indian and Chinese troops violently clashed in eastern Ladakh, causing fatalities on both sides for the first time in decades. Dozens of other Chinese apps were also banned. Also Read: How to download all your videos from TikTok before you lose access to the app In a statement, New Delhi said the apps were prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order. The compilation of the data, its mining and profiling by elements hostile to national security and defence of India, which ultimately impinges upon the sovereignty and integrity of India, is a matter of very deep and immediate concern which requires emergency measures, the statement added. The company denied breaking any law in India. TikTok continues to comply with all data privacy and security requirements under Indian law and has not shared any information of our users in India with any foreign government, including the Chinese government, TikTok India tweeted the statement after the ban. The company faced new problems in the US weeks after. In early August, US President Donald Trump threatened to ban TikTok on the basis of national security concerns. Trump then signed two Presidential executive orders banning US transactions with the Chinese companies that own TikTok and WeChat, owned by Chinese tech giant, Tencent, saying Washington must take aggressive action in the interest of national security. TikTok this week sued the US government over the executive orders. Until recently, TikTok was one of the most downloaded mobile apps. According to the report by Sensor Tower, which provides market intelligence and analysis on the mobile app market, said in April that TikTok had crossed the 2 billion-mark. Of the 2 billion, Indians had downloaded the app 611 million times, the most in the world. Turkey says it will hold live-fire exercises in the eastern Mediterranean on September 1 and 2, the latest in a series of military drills that have fuelled tensions with Greece, Al Jazeera reports. The Turkish navy issued the latest advisory, known as a Navtex, on Thursday saying it will hold the shooting exercises in the eastern Mediterranean off the coast of Iskenderun, northeast of Cyprus. The two NATO states have been locked in a bitter dispute over control of eastern Mediterranean waters that escalated after Ankara sent a seismic survey vessel to the disputed region this month - a move that Athens called illegal. Turkey accused France of stoking tensions after Paris said it would join Italy, Greece and Cyprus in three-day air and sea military exercises in the eastern Mediterranean. Covid screening for all diagnosed Tuberculosis (TB) patients and TB screening for all Covid-19 positive patients should be conducted, said the Union Health Ministry on Thursday. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) issued a guidance note on bi-directional TB-Covid screening and screening of TB among influenza like illness (ILI) and severe acute respiratory infections (SARI) cases. Both TB and Covid-19 primarily attack the lungs, and the prevalence of TB among Covid-19 patients has been found to be 0.37 - 4.47 percent in different studies, the note read. It further added that there has been an overall decline in TB notification by 26 percent during January to June 2020 as compared to the previous year, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Tuberculosis is associated with a 2.1-fold increased risk of severe Covid-19 disease. In addition, TB patients also tend to have co-morbid or living conditions (malnutrition, diabetes, smoking, HIV etc) that increase their vulnerability, the note said. Therefore, the Ministry has advised for all newly diagnosed TB patients or those currently on treatment should be tested for Covid-19. Based on its result, further management should be undertaken as per the MoHFW guidelines and the treatment of TB should continue uninterrupted. Further, all Covid-19 cases should be screened for TB symptoms using the 4-symptom complex (Cough for over 2 weeks, persistent fever for over 2 weeks, significant weight loss, night sweats), history of contact with TB case, history of TB and those symptomatic should be offered chest X-ray and upfront Nuclear Acid Amplification Test (NAAT)- CBNAAT/TrueNat) for diagnosis of TB. It has also advised linkages of TB service facilities with Covid isolation facilities for intensive management of TB-Covid co-morbid patients. Further for ILI and SARI cases, testing for TB should be conducted, the Ministry advised. After 75,760 new cases were recorded in the last 24 hours, Indias coronavirus tally crossed the 33-lakh mark on Thursday, according to the MOHFW. With 1,023 new deaths, the cumulative toll has reached 60,472 deaths. The Covid-19 case tally in the country climbed to 33,10,235 including 7,25,991 active cases, and 25,23,772 cured/discharged/migrated. With 1,73,195 cases, Maharashtra has the highest number of active cases and 23,089 patients have succumbed to the disease in the state. According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), 9,24,998 samples were tested on Wednesday and over 3.85 crore samples have been tested so far. Japan Center, the cluster of malls that make up the heart of San Franciscos Japantown, is home to dozens of restaurants, from intimate omakase spots to grab-and-go snack kiosks hawking mochi doughnuts and takoyaki. Previously, restaurants benefited from the bustling location, drawing in hungry shoppers looking for a tasty respite in between hitting up Daiso and the Kinokuniya bookstore. But to be a restaurant located in a mall during the COVID-19 pandemic is a distinct disadvantage: Since March, apart from a brief month this summer when malls could reopen before being ordered to shut down again due to rising cases, San Francisco malls have been closed to customers. Restaurants in Japan Center are permitted to remain open for curbside pickup, and third-party delivery drivers are allowed to enter the mall to pick up orders. But hidden away inside the closed-to-the public doors of Japan Center, they cant rely on people to just stumble upon their eateries anymore. At first, they didnt know how to outreach to the audience that normally would just drop in the mall, said Greg Viloria, director of community affairs and marketing for the Japan Center malls. Thats been the hardest transition for restaurants: from everyone coming to Japantown on weekends to have a meal, look at retail stores and hang out in the plaza, to now just going to takeout and delivery. Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE To be located within an indoor mall means outdoor dining is off the table, too. The shopping center has also seen the cancellation of various festivals that are the neighborhoods bread and butter, namely the Cherry Blossom Festival in April, which draws about 200,000 people. And of course, no tourists are staying in the Hotel Kabuki, which brought business to Japan Center. In addition, Japantown felt the stigma of being an Asian neighborhood quite acutely in the early days of the pandemic, as Rosalyn Tonai, executive director of the National Japanese American Historical Society in San Francisco, told The San Francisco Chronicle. Oma San Francisco Station, a tiny eight-seat omakase counter serving masterful nigiri in the corner of Japan Center West, has seen its business cut in half since the pandemic hit. Its really bad for us, our situation, but we had no choice we picked this location, said Omas Chef Wilson Chan. We didnt know this would happen, though. Entering the takeout game for the first time ever, Chan has had to make some challenging adjustments to his food, from selecting fish that will last longer in takeout boxes, to experimenting with new marinating techniques and even introducing bento to the menu. But despite his best efforts, business is nowhere near what it used to be. RELATED: Heres how much Bay Area restaurants have spent to be COVID-19-prepared Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE Takeout orders have been even slower than before, I think just because the economy is going down, estimated Chan. While Oma has lowered prices for their to-go meals (10 pieces of nigiri and five pieces of pressed sushi is $60; before, 12 pieces of nigiri plus one hand roll was $85), its still not likely to be in the price range for the many who are unemployed or financially struggling during the pandemic. These restaurants haven't been left entirely on their own, though. In late July, right around when the mall was ordered to close once again, the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California (JCCCNC) launched Picnic at the Plaza: a transformation of the Japantown Peace Plaza each weekend into a festive, socially distanced outdoor seating area. For diners to enjoy their takeout under the pagoda, they must present a receipt from a Japantown restaurant or market. Every weekend, people who bought food from us can hang out there, so I think thats helping us in a way, said Taisuke Yamamoto, director of dueling popular snack spots Mochill Donuts and Takoyaki Yamachan. We see people gathering, so I think thats a good sign. Yamamoto says his familys business is still seeing a 50% decrease in sales, but they are getting by. According to Viloria, Mochill Donuts is one of the most popular food destinations in Japan Center, with hundreds of sweet tooths still lining up to pick up doughnuts on weekends. Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE Picnic at the Plaza is a boon to many of these imperiled restaurants, but unfortunately, the grant given to JCCCNC to help fund the program will run out after Sept. 27. Meanwhile, Viloria has another lifeboat for Japan Center up his sleeve. As of Aug. 21, Japan Center has launched Restaurants at the Plaza: a program providing tents for restaurants to take to-go orders outdoors at the Upper Peace Plaza seven days a week, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Restaurants still cant cook outside, but the tents definitely give them more visibility to passersby. Some eateries catch eyes (and stomachs) with full-color photos illustrating their menus; others even display tantalizing fake food. Theres also no outdoor seating provided on weekdays, but nothing is stopping diners from picnicking in the public park. Its nowhere near in-room dining theyre clear about that with me, explained Viloria. But for some, theyve told me that its a little bit better than the takeout delivery model, because in a way this is like a food court. People can go from tent to tent and check out the menus. Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE Despite these efforts, though, some businesses inevitably still get left behind. Festa Karaoke Bar, also located in Japan Center, has remained closed for the entire duration of the pandemic, with no end in sight. We are a karaoke bar, so we cant do to-go or anything, explained Festa Karaoke Bar owner Masae Matsumoto Beresford, who says she is still paying rent and utilities despite being completely closed. My business especially is more damaged We will be the last place to open our business. Back in May, Viloria told The Chronicle that management was working with merchants on adjustments on leases, but declined to offer an update for this story. Despite the adversity, Beresford is holding out as long as she can for her adoring customers, who continuously remind her that they cant wait for the day theyll be welcomed in for a cocktail and a chance to sing once again. RELATED: Three employees at this Berkeley restaurant tested positive for COVID-19. Here's what they went through to reopen Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE Many customers send emails saying that Festa is the best karaoke, please dont close, she said. They keep sending tips to our Venmo almost $2,000 to our staff. Financially I am having hardship but I try to keep the business open because there are so many customers. Other Japan Center businesses have been innovating entirely new business models to keep themselves afloat. An Japanese Restaurant, a snug, upscale sushi spot, has shifted to a pop-up model: they are open for a limited number of to-go orders just three days a week, every other week (although they recently increased operations to every week), and customers must place their orders in advance. This way, says chef-owner Kiyoshi Hayakawa, none of the fresh fish goes to waste, and anticipation builds in between sushi-ordering opportunities. Its a marketing move that has paid off while Hayakawa says their business is mostly supported by dedicated regulars, his wife Ayumi Hayakawas social media efforts have also been instrumental. Im an old guy, but my wife has tried to do a little bit of Instagram, said Hayakawa. Were trying Facebook advertising, too, and we got quite a lot of new customers, so I think thats going to help. Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE Many restaurants have found social media to be vital to their survival during the pandemic. Trendy Hakata-style tonkotsu ramen destination Marufuku Ramen, whose original location is inside Japan Center, uses another company to run its accounts. Social media plays a big role now, just because Marufuku is a small company and we don't have all the resources your big brands will have, like McDonalds, said Carlos Herrador, Marufuku's executive vice president of franchise operations. Social media now fills that gap to continue to talk to our customers. According to Viloria, however, many Japan Center business owners are 50+ and English is not their first language, so social media might not be as accessible to them. The language barrier also has made it challenging for some merchants to apply for financial aid, including Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans. What we did is we [at Japan Center] got some of the documents translated into Japanese, and then we would go to each one of these people and ask, Do you need help? Do you understand this? said Viloria. On the ground advocacy is exactly what you need in this time with these restaurants, because theyre fighting they're not checking their email. Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE It may seem like the odds are stacked against them, but Viloria kept returning to a Japanese word to describe the mindset of the Japan Center business owners. Shoganai: it means it cant be helped, or it is what it is, said Viloria. Thats the spirit they embody we dont complain, we just make the best of the situation and move forward. Its true, too, that while COVID-19 is an unprecedented challenge, the Japantown community has endured through all kinds of adversity since the neighborhood first emerged after the 1906 earthquake, from internment to displacement. I dont think we are thinking that everything will be OK, we just do what we have to do, said Chan, echoing Vilorias mention of shoganai. We dont know what will happen tomorrow we just try to survive. Madeline Wells is an SFGATE reporter. Email: madeline.wells@sfgate.com | Twitter: @madwells22 Liberal Party elder and former defence minister Kevin Andrews has launched a savage attack on the Chinese government in a private party forum, saying President Xi Jinping was running "the most complete totalitarian regime that we've seen probably on the face of this earth". In what are among the most unguarded comments yet about China by an Australian government MP, Mr Andrews, who chairs the human rights sub-committee of Australia's joint standing committee on foreign affairs, defence and trade, accused the "regime of Xi Jinping" of "trampling on human dignity, on human rights in China". He said China had an "egregious" human rights record in Hong Kong and its troubled western province of Xinjiang, and had displayed "bellicose nationalism from President Xi Jinping" in the South China Sea. He accused the Victorian government of "adding propaganda value" to the Chinese Communist Party by signing up to its contentious Belt and Road Initiative. Mr Andrews made his comments on August 13 in an online forum alongside embattled cabinet minister Michael Sukkar as the pair tried to encourage members of Christian church networks to sign up new Liberal Party members to stave off a preselection challenge in Mr Andrews' seat of Menzies. Rating Action: Moody's withdraws ratings of Travelex Global Credit Research - 27 Aug 2020 London, 27 August 2020 -- Moody's Investors Service, ("Moody's") has today withdrawn the Ca corporate family rating (CFR) of a foreign currency exchange specialist TP Financing 3 Limited ("Travelex") and the company's Ca-PD/LD probability of default rating (PDR). Moody's also withdrew the Ca rating assigned to the E360 million guaranteed 8% senior secured notes due 2022 issued by Travelex Financing plc, a subsidiary of Travelex. RATINGS RATIONALE This rating action reflects that the rated notes are no longer outstanding following the agreement with the bondholders to equitize the bond as a result of which the bondholders of Travelex became its new shareholders. The new equity owners also advanced about GBP80 million to the company for immediate liquidity needs. In addition, the outstanding GBP90 million revolving credit facility was converted into a term loan. In line with Moody's practice, the agency is withdrawing ratings due to the rated obligation no longer being outstanding. Domiciled in Jersey, TP Financing 3 Limited, a holding company owner of Travelex, an independent retail foreign exchange business, with a wide network of stores (more than 1,500) and ATMs (more than 1,100) concentrated in some of the world's busiest international airports and tourist locations in 30 countries. The company also provides wholesale foreign exchange currencies to central banks, financial institutions and travel agents and has partnerships with supermarkets, high street banks, travel agencies, hotels and casinos as a provider of outsourced foreign currency services. REGULATORY DISCLOSURES 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. Story continues 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. 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Lance Rohrer, 59, is accused of plotting with at least two others to kidnap his car dealership boss' 12-year-old son and hold him for a $2million ransom. He was arrested Wednesday Arizona police arrested a man Wednesday who allegedly plotted with others to kidnap his car dealership boss' 12-year-old son and hold him for a $2million ransom. Mesa Police Department said Lance Rohrer, 59, was tracked by an undercover detective who infiltrated the scheme. The investigation first began on July 27 when police said they were contacted about a case involving kidnapping. According to the Mesa Police report, detectives obtained 'numerous audio recordings of Rohrer speaking to another person actively planning the abduction'. Rohrer also met with the undercover cop and began 'making plans'. Rohrer allegedly said that he would kill the boy if he didn't receive the ransom money as planned. 'Rohrer was heard multiple times talking about killing the kid and being okay with it if the abduction plans did not work,' cops claimed. Two other suspects were arrested Wednesday as part of the kidnapping plot but have not yet been identified. The undercover detective discovered that the suspect had three burner phones ready and was planning the logistics for the extortion of the boy's parents after the kidnapping. The plan was to keep the boy in a cheap motel, WFTV 9 reported, as he pushed his employer for the money. He even told the cop the boy's name and possible address, according to AZFamily. Mesa Police Department, pictured, infiltrated the scheme and recorded Rohrer Rohrer was taken into custody accused of conspiracy to commit murder, conspiracy to commit kidnapping and conspiracy to commit theft by extortion. All the charges are felonies. His next court appearance is scheduled for September 1. According to Maricopa Public Records, Rohrer was previously arrested in June 2017 on a charge of possession of dangerous drugs for sale. A popular fashion blogger and influencer is being accused of having body dysmorphia and promoting unhealthy beauty standards with a new Instagram post. Danielle Bernstein, who runs the site We Wore What and has 2.5 million Instagram follows, posted two photos of herself in the same outfit this week, each shot differently and the 28-year-old's caption indicates that one shows is more 'flattering' while the other shows her cellulite. But the nearly identical photos have many Twitter users scratching their heads, insisting that they couldn't even tell which was supposed to be the 'bad' photo and that she doesn't actually have cellulite. Spotlight: Influencer Danielle Bernstein, who runs the site We Wore What, shared two photos on Instagram in the same outfit to show people how they can hide their cellulite Spot the difference: The 28-year-old said one was more 'flattering' and the other (pictured) showed her 'cellulite,' insisting that lighting can 'dramatically' change how someone looks 'Both are beautiful, but a quick 180 can dramatically change the look. Just thought Id share,' she wrote Danielle posted the two photos on August 24, writing: 'Same outfit, same body, different lighting.' She went on: 'Swipe to see the difference that lighting can make for your photo. The first has the sun behind me, so Im back lit [sic] and its more flattering. The second is direct sunlight which shows my cellulite. 'Both are beautiful, but a quick 180 can dramatically change the look. Just thought Id share.' The first photo shows Danielle on a front stoop, one leg elongated on a higher step than the other. She's wearing a beige top tucked into high-waisted black shorts, accessorized with black loafers, sunglasses, and a small Gucci bag. She is in shadow, with slightly darker lighting. In the second photo, she's wearing the same outfit, with the sun in front of her and to her left. She is leaning back, still with one leg stretched out. Wait, what? On Twitter the blogger is being called out for promoting unhealthy beauty standards Identical: Many have said they can't tell which is supposed to be the 'bad' picture On Instagram, commenters praised her for her 'authenticity.' There don't appear to be any negative remarks, but Danielle has limited the comments. On Twitter, however, the blogger is being called out for promoting unhealthy beauty standards. 'Thin people, I need you to get a grip,' a woman named Stella wrote in a viral tweet. 'If you think these types of posts are doing anything but teaching young ppl how to hide their flaws in photos you have brain worms. Later, she added that she was 'not shaming her body or invalidating experiences thin ppl have w/ bad body image, but this trend of influencers showing how they hide their flaws that arent flaws reinforces oppressive beauty standards!!! talk about body image without doing the weirdo side by sides!!! Pls!!!' Thousands of people agreed, calling Danielle's post 'absurd' and 'thin person nonsense,' Body image issues: Others said that all Danielle's post did was make women who actually have cellulite feel worse 'Is this what happens when you get Too Much Validation online?' asked one. 'Anyone can have body dysmorphia,' added another. Many pointed out that without reading the caption, it was impossible to tell which photo Danielle believed was 'a 180.' 'I cant even tell which one she means to be the bad one,' remarked one Twitter user. Others said that all Danielle's post did was make women who actually have cellulite feel worse. 'I am so confused, I dont want to invalidate her as we can all feel s*** about ourselves no matter what size. But she had zero cellulite and both pictures are lovely. The only questionable thing is the random use of my 2002 year 8 school shoes,' wrote one. 'Cellulite? Bbygirl thats just what skin looks like,' said another. 'This backfired big time. my legs have cellulite no matter what i do and i dont really think about it, but seeing her point it out makes me self conscious. i think to myself "is this something i should hide?"' said another. Struggling: Danielle hasn't responded to the backlash, but the New York native has spoken out about struggling with body image quite a lot in the past 'Ive had insecurities that have stemmed from within for years, and Im constantly learning how to be healthy in my mind and body,' she said last month 'I thought she was gonna compare them artistically and I was like oh yes of course the second one is better but then shes talking about cellulite? What cellulite???' yet another commented. Danielle hasn't responded to the backlash, but the New York native has spoken out about struggling with body image quite a lot in the past. 'Im constantly working on self-love while under the lens of millions of people and their opinions every day,' she wrote on July 7. 'This hasnt been an easy journey for me, but I realized that sharing this with you is just as important as sharing other aspects of my life. 'Im far from perfect and am not saying I wont smooth out a stretch mark here or tuck in some bloating there, but I hope by opening up and sharing my vulnerabilities, it will show that youre not alone. 'Ive had insecurities that have stemmed from within for years, and Im constantly learning how to be healthy in my mind and body,' she added later in the month. (Natural News) Purchasing organic foods means youre supporting more environmentally and animal-friendly means of manufacturing food products. But not all companies are forthcoming about their practices. One such company, Natural Prairie, one of the largest producers of certified organic milk in America, has been accused of mistreating and neglecting their animals. The concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFO) operator has also been allegedly violating federal law by filling in ditches and wetlands. Adding more fuel to the fire are reports that Natural Prairie has been greenwashing its operations for government approvals. Allegations of animal abuse OrganicEye will be filing a formal legal complaint against Natural Prairie to address what the organic industry watchdog claims is the industrialization of the organic farming movement. OrganicEye, the investigative arm of Beyond Pesticides, acts as corporate and governmental watchdogs. The group aims to educate the public and prevent the exploitation of the guidelines that the organic movement was founded upon. OrganicEye also functions as a public interest group that oversees the conduct of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The group also campaigns for the elimination of toxic ingredients in food production, homes, schools and communities. OrganicEye reports that Natural Prairie, which has operations in Texas and a new facility under construction in Indiana, breached federal organic regulations. Undercover video footage shot by the advocacy group Animal Recovery Mission (ARM) in 2019 shows how Natural Prairie, which is said to be managing 25,000 head of cattle near Dalhart, Texas, is involved in the extreme mistreatment and neglect of animals. In the ARM footage, viewers can see overcrowded, feces-ridden indoor housing where Natural Prairie cows spend 95 percent of their lives. The video also shows cows chased by workers as they give birth. Within seconds, calves are separated from their mothers. Female calves are shown in cages, where they are isolated for at least three months. Minutes after giving birth, cows are shown being flamed. Udder flaming is a common dairy industry practice wherein farmers pass a large flame beneath helpless dairy cows to burn off hair from their udders. Farmers claim that the practice prevents bacterial growth and mastitis, an infection common in nursing mammals. The horrific ARM footage convinced the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to investigate. Mark A. Kastel, Director of OrganicEye, notes that protecting Natural Prairie despite the companys shortcomings hints at a conspiracy between an influential lobby group, the Organic Trade Association, and the USDA that aims to corrupt organic agriculture, something truly sustainable and regenerative, into something that adapts to high-production confinement livestock management that is practiced in conventional operations. Kastel added that OrganicEye is filing a formal legal complaint in a bid to convince the USDA to reopen their investigation into animal welfare abuse at Natural Prairie and past allegations of cheating on the important grazing requirement for cattle. Cover-ups and inexperienced investigators Aside from the 2019 ARM footage, OrganicEye also obtained documents through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), which suggests that no qualified investigators with a background in organic livestock management looked into the violations documented in the ARM video. In lieu of qualified investigators, the National Organic Program (NOP) employed staff from USDAs Livestock and Poultry Program who almost exclusively work with conventional farmers and ranchers. The FOIA documents show that the NOP used audits from Natural Prairies organic certifiers at the Texas Department of Agriculture that was authorized by the USDA for systemic malfeasance, along with two dairy industry groups that allegedly greenwash conventional factory dairy, Validus and the National Milk Producers Federation. Both groups are compensated by Natural Prairie and other CAFO operators. Kathie Arnold, Policy Chair of the Northeast Organic Dairy Producers Alliance, which represents hundreds of family farms, has expressed her disappointment in the matter. Arnold commented that it is outrageous for the NOP to hire subcontractors instead of experts in organic animal husbandry and organic certification compliance, particularly when looking into serious allegations that require interviews with initial witnesses. Arnold asserts that the help of experts in organic livestock production and regulations is necessary to determine any violations of organic standards. But Kastel notes that this scandal is nothing new since the USDA has been involved in other questionable operations. OrganicEye posited that federal investigators rarely interview witnesses or closely examine initial evidence. Instead, federal investigators let less-than-qualified staff observe themselves and only after suspected violators have already been tipped off and have had time to cover up violations. Kastel expressed his concern for the victims of these deceitful practices: The ethical, hard-working organic farm families who observe the law and consumers who support organic products. Severe environmental degradation and greenwashing The CAFO operator is also facing several lawsuits filed by Indianas Hoosier Environmental Council. The organization is accusing Natural Prairie of illegally filling in ditches and wetlands during the construction of a 4,350-cow facility in the Kankakee River basin, one of Indianas most fragile ecosystems. Natural Prairie is also expanding and constructing an additional industrial-scale facility in Newton County, Indiana. Kim Ferraro, staff attorney for the Hoosier Environmental Council, said that Natural Prairie has greenwashed its operation in order to get government approvals. She added that the CAFO operators applications to the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) were misleading. The company presented a different story about its planned operation compared to the version it told local zoning officials, the media and the public about its intentions. Initially, Natural Prairies local application and press release stated that the dairy would be certified organic and use a revolutionary green technology that can turn cow waste into clean water, all without needing an environmentally risky manure lagoon. But in Natural Prairies initial application to state regulators, the company didnt say anything about being certified organic or dispersing manure through grazing. In the end, the operation approved by IDEM was an ordinary industrial CAFO with a large, nine-acre waste lagoon. (Related: Deconstructing the 3 biggest LIES that attack organic farming.) Ferraro added that there is overwhelming evidence showing how Natural Prairie filled federally regulated ditches and farmed wetlands, a clear violation of the federal Clean Water Act. Natural Prairies questionable actions are particularly alarming since the group is building its polluting factory farm in one of Indianas most ecologically sensitive and historically significant areas. The group also started construction without obtaining the required permit from the Army Corps of Engineers. Kastel explained that environmental protection is crucial to acquiring organic certification. Natural Prairies Indiana operations are certified by Oregon Tilth Certified Organic (OTCO). OTCO is a prominent member of the industrys lobby group, the Organic Trade Association. It is also the certifier of other factory dairies. OrganicEye has also filed a formal legal complaint against OTCO because it approved an operation that clearly disregarded the environmental prescriptions in federal organic law. Kastel explained that consumers who buy organic food willingly pay more because they believe that they are supporting more humane animal husbandry standards and exemplary environmental stewardship as required by law. While organic products cost more, part of the extra cost helps support family-scale farmers with eco-friendly practices. The National Organic Program has been corrupted during both Democratic and Republican administrations and OrganicEye is working to eliminate the institutional rot at the agency, said Kastel. He concluded that the best way to do this is for Congress to take action and protect the American peoples food supply. Sources include: OrganicEye.org 1 OrganicEye.org 2 AnimalRecoveryMission.org TheDodo.com Laptop carriers designed to be both stylish and functional A former flight attendant from Newbury has designed a new brand of luxury leather bags that offer the seemingly unobtainable a laptop bag that is protective, comfortable to carry and that looks stylish. After launching her company Alder on International Womens Day in March last year, Sarah McGill has already won a loyal fanbase thanks to a range of bags that strike a balance between utility and elegance. She is also a finalist in the National Business Womens Awards for Best New Business in November. Ms McGills previous career working as air crew for an airline meant she travelled extensively and was familiar with the world of international travel, luggage and bags. The Alder range is the result of lots of listening to what customers want. Ms McGill jokes that she used to run up to commuters at train stations to ask them about their laptop bags and to get an insight into what people wanted. She involves her social media followers in every step of the process and uses this feedback to help her design her range. The product is then handmade by fourth-generation artisan leather workers in Somerset. Ms McGill has designed the collection so that women can feel comfortable wearing the bags to work on the train, in the boardroom and socially after work, knowing that it never looks out of place. The range is renowned for its luxury finish and sleek, minimal look and special touches to ensure the bags are as adaptable and flexible as possible. For example, Ms McGill has designed a strong integral strap that converts it seamlessly between a shoulder bag, cross-body bag and rucksack. Wide straps distribute the weight evenly and having the option to vary the ways to wear the bag helps to reduce stress on the back and shoulders. Ms McGill said: Alder is aimed at the professional woman who wants to remain stylish and feminine in their work environment but also wants something practical for their daily commute or work travel. As jobs become more transitory and less office-based, more and more women are carrying their laptop, tablet and other electronic devices with them frequently. Theres a real need for a lightweight, hands-free laptop bag that doesnt compromise on style, yet is practical and hard-wearing. Alder bags are luxurious and dont look corporate and functional. Ms McGills Welsh background has inspired the brand and name. The Alder is her birth tree in Celtic tree mythology and those born under this sign are said to be strong and bold with a desire for adventure and to experience new places. The Alder tree was seen by ancient Celts as a protector which fits with an Alder laptop bag which protects the tech and contents. Ms McGill said: I am looking forward to the challenge of being recognised worldwide as a respected British brand that is renowned for its quality, innovation and style. Volunteer Tang Yong teaches at the day care center last month. [Zhao Xinying/China Daily] A day care center in a residential community for relocated families in Shaanxi Province is helping "left-behind" children, whose parents work away in large cities and towns. In 2016, a child development center was established in the Xiyuan residential community, which is home to more than 180 poor families in Shiquan County. The center cares for many children in the community, but especially those whose parents are working outside the county, said Lu Longjun, the community's Party chief. "Many of our residents lived in underdeveloped parts of the county and led hard lives. In 2015, they were moved into our community with the help of the county government. Some are now working in other counties or cities to earn more money," he said. "The center was set up to reduce their burden by looking after their children." More than 60 children now attend the center, with about 80 percent classified as "left behind" and living with their grandparents. During the summer holiday, the children are sent to the center in the mornings by their grandparents. After studying, playing games and socializing, they return home in the afternoon. On school days, they stay at the center after school and return home at dinnertime. Lu said that more than 40 volunteers oversee the children to ensure their safety and help with their studies. Most of the volunteers are local residents, but a few are college students who volunteer to work there during the holidays. Tang Yong, 35, is one of the volunteers. The former teacher in East China's Zhejiang Province returned to Shiquan in 2016. "My hometown was developing rapidly thanks to a number of helpful policies. Its further development requires the efforts of talented young people," he said. During his shifts at the center, Tang teaches the children to read and write Mandarin. Sometimes, he talks with them, adopting the role of a parent. "Although the kids can have video chats or telephone calls with their parents, they still miss them and thirst for parental care and love," he said, adding that he hopes to bring comfort to the lonely children. Liu Yuxin started attending the center last year. The 8-year-old's mother works for a toy manufacturer in the county, while her father is a migrant worker in Ankang city, 60 kilometers away. Yuxin said she likes the center because she is treated well there. "What I enjoy most is doing my English homework under the teacher's guidance," she said. "The teacher always encourages me, saying I've done a good job." Sun Ruonan contributed to this story. (Source: China Daily) The East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) has cleared a proposal seeking termination of suspended Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) councillor Tahir Hussains membership. Hussain is currently in jail for his alleged involvement in the Delhi riots in February. The Delhi police have named Hussain as one of the prime conspirators of the riots that left 53 people dead and around 400 injured. The proposal to terminate Hussains membership was passed on Wednesday as he has not attended EDMCs meetings during its three successive sittings. Nirmal Jain, EDMC mayor, cited the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act and said if a councillor remains absent from meetings of the corporation for three successive times, without permission, his/her membership can be ended. Tahir Hussain has not attended any of the House meetings in the last 3-4 months. He has not informed me or the corporation about the reasons behind his absence. So, on Wednesday in a House meeting of the EDMC, we have passed a proposal to terminate his membership on the grounds that he skipped at least three successive House meetings without informing the corporation. Jain added the proposal will now be sent to the EDMC secretary for further administrative proceedings. A senior EDMC official said that invites of every house meeting were sent to Hussains office but there had been no response. He remained absent from the house meetings in January 2020, February 2020, June 2020 and July 2020. House meetings were not conducted in March, April and May this year due to Covid-19 pandemic. Now that the house has approved the proposal, so his membership stands cancelled and his seat (ward 59E) can be considered vacant. The proposal will be sent to the lieutenant governor (Anil Baijal) to inform him about the decision, the EDMC official said. Senior advocate KK Manan, Tahirs lawyer, said that his client was in the police custody and the police should have taken him for the house meetings. The move was initiated after the Bharatiya Janata Party on August 11 demanded termination of Hussains membership. Hussain was elected as a councillor from the Nehru Vihar ward. AAP suspended him after allegations of his involvement in the north-east Delhi riots emerged. The Delhi police have said they found petrol bombs and explosives from the terrace of his house in Chand Bagh in Northeast Delhi. Hussain is in jail for the murder of Intelligence Bureau staffer Ankit Sharma, who was killed during the riots, and conspiracy. Hussain has denied the charges and said he was being framed as part of an alleged political conspiracy. A Delhi court took cognisance last week of a charge sheet filed against him and is due to start his trial. The AAP refused to comment on the issue. The Egyptian Association of Graduates of Russian and Soviet Universities has congratulated Russias ambassador to Egypt, Georgy Borisenko, on the 77th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries on 26 August, 1943. The congratulations are directed to ourselves and to our Russian friends, who have proven throughout modern history that they are the most loyal friends of the Egyptian people, said association president Sherif Gad said. In cooperation with the Soviet Union, about 100 projects were built, which are the most important infrastructure for the Egyptian economy, above all the Aswan High Dam, he added. Gad said that the depth of bilateral relations is evident in the complete understanding between the two countrys leaderships and the great congruence in international positions shared by the two countries, and by the fact that joint cooperation continues in the construction of major projects such as the El Dabaa nuclear power plant and the Russian industrial zone in the Suez Canal region. Fathy Toughan, secretary-general of the association, said that the Egyptian people regard Russia as the countrys main partner in development and that they are looking forward to more achievements through the agenda of the new ambassador. Members of the association welcomed the decision of leadership in the two countries to transfer the activities of the Egypt-Russia Cultural Year 2020 to 2021 so that we can take advantage of this historic and unprecedented event in the history of bilateral relations between the two countries, said Toughan. Search Keywords: Short link: Flt Lt Gunjan Saxena and her coursemate Flt Lt Sreevidya Rajan have butted head in the aftermath of Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girls release. But Gunjan hopes that the controversy doesnt distract from the message that the film is trying to convey. It would be unfair to generalise everything. No two individuals were the same. But after some time in the Unit, I was able to mix well with other male officers Gunjan told Indian Express. It will not be fair to name any individuals. But since no bias was at institutional level, it did not hamper my professional growth in any way. Sreevidya, who raised objections about the films alleged factual inaccuracies, had written in a Facebook post that while it took some time for her to acclimatise herself in the IAF, we never faced any humiliating physical strength demonstrations as shown in the film. We were received with the usual preconceived notions from a few colleagues. However, there were enough officers who supported us. The film suggests that Gunjan was the first female pilot to have flown for the IAF in a combat zone, a claim that Sreevidya has contested. Gunjan responded to the allegations in an NDTV interview, and said, From July 1999 till today, my name has featured in a number of headlines, in a number of articles, and in the Limca Book of Records, and in one of the promotion exams taken by the air force. Also read: Gunjan Saxenas coursemate Sreevidya Rajan says I was the first woman pilot to fly in Kargil, slams factually incorrect biopic She told Indian Express that she hopes for the film to achieve what it set out to do, which is to inspire others. I think the intention of the filmmakers was to inspire people to dream and chase their dreams. One must always believe in their dreams and work hard to achieve them, despite all oddsIn the armed forces, nothing is a walk in the park. I had my share of struggles, like others have had theirs, and those hardships have made me what I am today, she said. Several people have raised objections about the events shown in the film, and its depiction of the IAF. Retired Wing Commander Namrita Chandi, in an open letter, had also accused the filmmakers of peddling lies. She wrote, Sreevidya Rajan was the first lady pilot who flew to Kargil not Gunjan. Though, I am certain that Srividya has no complaints about this credit being taken away from her. The IAF in a complain to the CBFC, Netlix and Dharma Productions questioned its undue negative portrayal. Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl, directed by Sharan Sharma and starring Janhvi Kapoor, has received positive reviews. It was released on Netflix on August 12. Follow @htshowbiz for more SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Regulations to contain "immoral" behaviour across the financial sector may be needed, a Reserve Bank board member has conceded while revealing his own shock at the findings of the banking royal commission. Ian Harper, a member of the 1990s-era Wallis inquiry into the financial services sector that advocated disclosure as the best way to protect consumers, on Thursday said the Hayne royal commission's revelations had forced him to question his own views on financial regulation. RBA board member Ian Harper admits regulation may be needed to deal with the "immoral" actions in some sectors of the economy. Credit:Bradley Kanaris Businesses are pressing the Morrison government to cut so-called red tape and regulation in the wake of the coronavirus recession as a way to boost the broader economy. Professor Harper, who headed the Fair Pay Commission and now sits on the RBA board, used a public address to admit his faith in deregulated markets had been shaken by the "immoral albeit efficient outcomes" in some sectors. California Sen. Kamala Harris, the Democratic partys vice presidential pick for the 2020 elections, said Wednesday that a Joe Biden administration would not place new conditions on future US military assistance to Israel. The statement is the latest sign the Biden campaign is still seeking to distance itself from unprecedented criticism of Israels policies emanating from the Democratic partys left wing in recent years. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who failed in his bid to become the Democratic nominee, said last year that if elected, he would leverage billions in US military aid to Israel to push for more humane policies toward Palestinians. Joe has made it clear: He will not tie security assistance to political decisions Israel makes, and I couldnt agree more, Harris told political supporters Wednesday in a conference call with Jewish donors, according to Israel's Haaretz newspaper. Harris also sought to one-up the Trump administration over reports it offered the United Arab Emirates the possibility of purchasing the F-35 fighter jet, in potential violation of a decadeslong understanding between the US and Israel. Harris said a Biden presidency would ensure Israels military superiority in the region, known as its qualitative military edge, would not be eroded. Support for Israel and its policies has waned in recent years among younger Democratic voters all the while President Donald Trump has made bold moves in support of the right-wing government of Benjamin Netanyahu. In 2018, the Trump administration moved the US Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, angering those who have long seen the city's status as a topic for negotiations and the capital of a future Palestinian state. Earlier this year, the White House unveiled a peace plan spearheaded by Trumps son-in-law Jared Kushner. Democratic Reps. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York have also been critical of Israel during their two years in Congress. Critics have slammed Omar and Tlaib for anti-Semitic comments, most notably when Omar suggested AIPAC campaign donations were behind Republican lawmakers support for Israel, which she said practiced apartheid. Omar later apologized for the comments. Harris on Wednesday reiterated the Biden campaigns support for the Jewish state, casting the 2015 Iran deal in light of Israels interests. The Trump administration unilaterally withdrew from the deal in 2018, replacing it with a clampdown on Irans economy. We will not allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon, period, Harris said. The deal blocked Irans pathways to a nuclear weapon and it was working. Israels Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long opposed the deal. Earlier this week, Israeli Ambassador to the United States Ron Dermer told Al-Monitor that Israel had been the guinea pig in the Iran nuclear deal, which he called a failed experiment. Dermer did not rule out a new deal, but said Israel prefers steps that would more effectively block Irans potential acquisition of a nuclear weapon, including by not allowing uranium enrichment. The Trump administration says Iran has exploited the deal to expand its ballistic missile program and has supported proxy militias in conflict zones in Iraq, Syria and Yemen. Biden has said he would try to rejuvenate the deal with Iran under new terms, including ones that address Irans ballistic missile program. The position has reportedly inspired confidence among some officials in Israel who see fixing the Iran problem as a greater potential win than fulfilling Netanyahus plan to unilaterally annex swaths of the Palestinian West Bank which Biden opposes. A giant snowman erected on the bank of Songhua River in Harbin, the capital of Northeast Chinas Heilongjiang province, has drawn much attention online. Around 2,000 cubic meters of snow was used to create the 18.5-meter-tall figure dressed in a red hat and scarf. Since December, ice and snow sculptures featuring Winter Olympics and Lunar New Year elements have popped up across the city famed for its ice festivals, drawing many visitors Jan 20, 2022 06:19 PM Pedestrians are reflected in the window of an Abercrombie & Fitch store in New York. Abercrombie & Fitch shares are soaring after the apparel retailer reported a surprise quarterly profit Thursday morning and impressive online revenue growth of 56% during the coronavirus pandemic. Its stock was recently trading up more than 9%. Even though overall sales were down, investors were encouraged to see that Abercrombie managed to keep its costs down, amid such rapid online growth, boosting its profitability. Typically, when a retailer's online sales rise and store sales shrink, that comes with added expenses such as packing and shipping that weigh on margins. But Abercrombie seems to have it all figured out at least in the latest quarter. The company said shoppers flocked to its brand's websites, which include Hollister, to stock up on sweatpants, pajama sets and other cozy clothes to wear at home. "As long as you can reduce fixed costs, this shift to digital can be profitable," CFO Scott Lipesky said in a phone interview. During the pandemic, the retailer has been cutting costs in stores, including by adjusting employees' hours, he explained, to fuel its e-commerce business. "We thought it would take a little bit longer to get here," he added, but the pandemic has accelerated these adjustments. Its store and distribution expenses were down almost 18%, while marketing costs were down 16%. Abercrombie reported net income during its fiscal second quarter ended Aug. 1 of $5.5 million, or 9 cents per share, compared with a loss of $31.1 million, or 48 cents a share, a year ago. Excluding one-time charges, the retailer earned 23 cents a share, better than the 83-cent loss expected by analysts, based on Refinitiv data. While its net sales fell to $698.3 million from $841.1 million a year ago, that was also still better than the $658.44 million expected by analysts. "These numbers are actually better than the prior year when the company made a loss at both the operating and net level," GlobalData Retail Managing Director Neil Saunders said. "Some of this is the result of a tight grip on costs and some is a function of better margins resulting from lower inventory and less discounting," Saunders said. "We also believe the past corrective actions of management especially exiting underperforming retail locations have been very beneficial." Like a number of other retailers, including Kohl's and Victoria's Secret parent L Brands, Abercrombie is calling out a slower-than-normal start to the back-to-school season this year due to the pandemic and the looming uncertainty around how classes will be instructed. Some parents are expected to spend more money on new electronics for home schooling than on apparel. Chief Executive Fran Horowitz told CNBC she expects back-to-school sales could drag all the way into October, as shoppers spread out their spending this fall. She said the same trend will likely emerge around the holidays, referring to it as a "flattening of the curve." "Maybe the peak [around] Black Friday isn't as big, but there is still a lot of opportunity in December to do a lot of business," she said. Abercrombie has not offered an outlook for the remainder of the year. Its stock, which has a market value of about $759 million, is down about 28% year to date. Police representatives complied with the ruling issued by Kyiv's Shevchenkivsky District Court. A GPS-tracking ankle monitor has been removed from volunteer and pediatric surgeon Yulia Kuzmenko, who is suspected of complicity in the murder of Belarusian journalist Pavel Sheremet in Kyiv in the summer of 2016. "Police representatives complied with the ruling issued by Kyiv's Shevchenkivsky District Court and removed an ankle monitor from Yulia Kuzmenko," her lawyer Taras Bezpalyy wrote on Facebook on August 26, 2020. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, August 27, 2020 18:36 511 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c40f4753 1 National djoko-tjandra,corruption-case,graft Free The cycle of graft surrounding Bank Bali corruption convict Djoko Tjandra continues to spin with the Attorney Generals Office (AGO) naming him a suspect on Thursday for allegedly bribing prosecutor Pinangki Sirna Malasari. The investigators have named another person a suspect, who is identified as JST, Supreme Court spokesman Hari Setiyono said as quoted by Kompas.com. Pinangki was arrested on Aug. 12 for allegedly accepting US$500,000 in bribes. The AGO supervisory unit previously stated that Pinangki had committed an ethics violation by going on nine trips abroad in 2019 without permission. She is suspected of having meet with Djoko, a fugitive at the time, during the trips. Djoko was convicted in 2009 for his role in the 1998 Bank Bali corruption case. The Supreme Court sentenced him to two years in prison and ordered him to pay Rp 546 billion (US$37.19 million) in restitution. However, he fled the country a day before his conviction and remained at large for more than a decade. The AGO investigators questioned Djoko in his capacity as a witness on Tuesday and Wednesday. Read also: Police generals admit to accepting bribes from Djoko Tjandra Hari also suspected that Djoko bribed the prosecutor to stop the latter from requesting a non-legal binding opinion from the Supreme Court. Investigators are continuing to investigate the roles of each suspect regarding the non-legal binding opinion request. We are still investigating if the bribe was given directly or through other forms, Hari said. Previously, Djoko admitted to paying off Brig. Gen. Prasetyo Utomo and Insp. Gen. Napoleon Bonaparte. The two police generals have admitted to accepting bribes in exchange for helping Djoko evade capture. New Delhi: The Union Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday promulgation of an ordinance to penalise persons holding junked Rs 500, 1,000 notes. Here are important highlights of the ordinance approved by the Union Cabinet on Wednesday- 1. Promulgation of the ordinance approved to impose a penalty, including a jail term, for possession of the scrapped 500 and 1,000 rupee notes beyond a cut-off. 2. The Cabinet also approved an ordinance to amend the RBI Act to extinguish the liability of the government and the central bank on the demonetised high-denomination notes to prevent future litigations. 3. The ordinance has been cleared, but did not say if the penal provisions would apply for holding the junked currency after the 50-day window to deposit them in banks ends as of December 30 or after March 31, till which time deposit of old currency notes at specified branches of the Reserve Bank after submitting a declaration form is open. 4. The penalty for holding old currency in excess of 10 notes may include financial fines and a jail term of up to 4 years in certain cases. 5. While announcing the demonetisation of the old currency on November 8, the government had allowed holders to either exchange them or deposit in bank and post office accounts. While the facility to exchange the old notes has since been withdrawn, depositors have time till Friday to deposit the holding in their accounts. 6. The name of the Ordinance is 'The Specified Bank Notes Cessation of Liabilities Ordinance'. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. The winners of the BBNaija Pepsi Challenge, Ozo, and Trikytee, aside from winning N1 million each will also fly to Dubai on a fully-expense paid trip. This has really surprised Trikytee who seemed to have not travelled outside Nigeria before. In a video we have sighted, he was heard showing how surprised he was to hear he will be going to Dubai soon. In the video, he was heard saying; Ive never flown any international flight before.. All my travels has been within Nigeria.. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates Federal Judge Blocks Execution of Man Convicted of Killing 10-Year-Old Girl A federal judge on Aug. 27 blocked the execution of a convicted murderer who kidnapped and killed a 10-year-old girl, just one day before the event was scheduled to take place. U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan halted the execution of Keith Dwayne Nelson, saying that the government needs to comply with the requirements of a federal law that regulates drugs before they can carry out the execution. Chutkan ruled that the government needed to obtain a prescription for the use of pentobarbital, the drug to be used in the lethal injection, in order to meet the requirements of that law. The governments failure to acquire a prescription for the use of pentobarbital in Nelsons execution is contrary to law and thereby violates the [Administrative Procedure Act], Chutkan wrote (pdf). The federal government has appealed the decision to the Circuit Court. Nelson kidnapped 10-year-old Pamela Butler who was rollerblading in front of her Kansas home and raped her in a forest behind a church before strangling the young girl to death with a wire. His execution date had been set for Aug. 28. This comes hours after Lezmond Mitchell, a 38-year-old convicted murderer, was put to death in Terre Haute, Indiana. Mitchell was convicted of murdering 63-year-old Alyce Slim and 9-year-old Tiffany LeeSlims granddaughteras part of a carjacking in Arizona in October 2001. The federal government also successfully carried out three federal executions in July after fighting off last-minute legal challenges. The Trump administration has been criticized for scheduling the executions during the pandemic, with critics saying that the scheduling had no regard for the safety and health of those involved. Meanwhile, anti-death penalty, religious, and other groups have criticized the decision to resume the death penalty after the 17-year pause over moral and religious concerns. The administration has said the resumption of the death penalty is a way to bring justice for victims and family members. Nearly 19 years after Lezmond Mitchell brutally ended the lives of two people, destroying the lives of many others, justice finally has been served, Justice Department (DOJ) spokesperson Kerri Kupec said in a statement on Wednesday about Mitchells execution. U.S. Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey A. Rosen wrote in a recent op-ed, published in The New York Times, that the decision as a legal issue is straightforward, as the U.S. Constitution expressly contemplates capital crimes, and Congress has authorized the death penalty for serious federal offenses. He added that the DOJ also has an obligation to carry out the law. The DOJ has also set the date of two additional federal executions of convicted murderers for dates in September. Ever since Kangana Ranaut tweeted, "I am more than willing to help @narcoticsbureau but I need protection from the centre government, I have not only risked my career but also my life, it is quiet evident Sushanth knew some dirty secrets that's why he has been killed," netizens have come out in support of the actress, and have been urging the Government to provide security to the Rangoon actress. Kangana's tweet was shared in the wake of the Rhea Chakraborty's alleged involvement in drugs. After netizens, late actor Sushant Singh Rajput's sister Shweta Singh Rajput also urged PM Narendra Modi to look into the matter, and provide security to Kangana. She tweeted, "Requesting @PMOIndia @narendramodi to look into providing security for Kangana @KanganaTeam so that she can help with the investigation of @narcoticsbureau." Kangana was quick to thank her fans and followers for coming out in support of her, and tweeted, "Thank you friends for trending #____ means a lot, I don't feel alone in this battle anymore, this overwhelming protectiveness has made me even more responsible of my duties and aware of your love and concern." Kangana Ranaut Fumes As 'Boycott Kangana' Trends On Twitter! Kangana also shared her quirky take on drugs, and tweeted, "Drugs might take you high for sometime but inevitably it throws you down in to the depths of depression, consume things that only take you up never down, earth has so much to offer, look at this freshly squeezed chilled sugarcane juice with a pinch of pink salt and lemon juice." Islamabad, Aug 27 : Active coronavirus cases in Pakistan fell below the 10,000 mark, while less than a dozen deaths have been reported on an average in the last 25 days, according to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC). On Wednesday, the NCOC claimed that there were only 8,987 active Covid-19 cases across the country presently, reports Dawn news. Out of 1,920 ventilators dedicated for Covid-19 patients, only 113 were being used and there is no patient on ventilator in Pakistan occupied Kashmir, Gilgit Baltistan and Balochistan. A total of 153 persons died due to Covid-19 on June 20 and nine-day average, from June 17 to 25, was 118 casualties per day. The NCOC also said that around 7,000 healthcare workers were infected with the virus but 80 per cent or 5,644 of them have already recovered. Meanwhile, the positivity rate among daily tested samples has also drastically dropped, Dawn news reported. The Centre revealed that there was over 20 per cent positivity on July 17 but it dropped to only 1.96 per cent on August 26. As many as 6,825 cases were reported on July 14 but only 482 people were tested Covid-19 positive on August 25. Despite the optimistic figures, the NCOC has voiced concern over violation of SOPs at tourist spots and urged provinces and regions to focus on additional testing. It further urged people to wear masks and maintain social distancing. As of Friday, the total number of coronavirus cases in Pakistan stood at 294,638, with 6,274 deaths. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) (Photo : 4 Ways to Bypass Internet Filtering and Censorship) Let's face it: it sucks to open a YouTube video only for the message 'unavailable' to scream at your face. Internet censorship and filtering are a norm in countries like China, Iran, and Saudi Arabia. You can't access Facebook, Twitter, Netflix, and YouTube in China. Nonetheless, there are still ways to access blocked websites. Blocked sites have become more popular with governments that force ISPs to start filtering their Internet connections. Regardless of where you live, chances are that you have come across a blocked site. If you ever get to a blocked website, these tips can help you get around the barrier. 1. Use a VPN A cost-effective alternative to unblock blocked sites is to invest in a virtual private network (VPN). You can use a VPN to unblock YouTube videos and Facebook, among many other sites. It creates a secure tunnel through an ISP link to a VPN service provider with an unrestricted internet connection. Free alternatives like UltraVPN and CyberGhost are available, but they typically have download or speed restrictions. A premium VPN service that is reliable and efficient will be a great choice. Another consideration is how easily you set up your web browsing or privacy level free from unwanted censorship. You can do all the work and tasks you need. 2. DNS servers can bypass regional blocking DNS servers are the keys to the Internet's ability to function. Names such as google.com can be converted to their corresponding IP address every time your browser sends a request. Each time you connect to a network, your ISP will set up DNS servers in your settings. So the easiest way they can block a site is by deleting entries on the DNS server. Luckily, there are a variety of free DNS services run by individuals, including OpenDNS and Google. You only need to open your network link property in the Control Panel to manually enter the IP address of your chosen DNS server. 3. Proxy servers Proxies are not as reliable as a VPN or as functional as a new DNS server. However, they offer other advantages. You can easily bypass a workplace content filter via a web-based proxy without changing the device settings. You may also configure the browser to only use a proxy server when accessing blocked websites. Some browsers let you use proxies, while others do not. However, a proxy server isn't an all-in-one solution like a VPN. 4. URL shorteners The method is not foolproof, but it's easy, quick, and even non-savvy people can use it to access a lot of blocked websites. Most URL shortcut services won't be blocked from your domain so you can trick your browser into believing that it's an entirely different website by using the service to configure the URL you're trying to access. You'll still be locked out if your shortened URL is redirected to the original, but it's worth trying. Endnote A VPN is still the safest and easiest way to unblock restricted content. With a premium VPN that offers a high-speed connection, you can have the freedom and anonymity you want. That said, other tricks mentioned above will help you get around without leaving a dent in your pocket. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Opposing the plea, additional public prosecutor Aruna Kamat Pai said the police were investigating the case and will file a chargesheet Mumbai: The Bombay high court imposed a fine of `25,000 on a woman for filing a false rape complaint against her boyfriend, as it struck down the case after she filed a petition saying she did not wish to pursue the matter. The HC on Tuesday directed the woman to pay `25,000 to the Maharashtra Police Welfare Fund within four weeks. A division bench of Justices R.D. Dhanuka and V.G. Bisht said if the fine is not paid, then its order quashing the FIR against the man shall stand vacated. The woman had registered an FIR against her boyfriend at Nalasopara police station in Palghar district on March 16, alleging that he had drugged and raped her. Last month, the complainant, however, approached the high court seeking to quash the case, saying she had filed the FIR under pressure from her family. In her plea, the woman claimed that she was in a relationship with the man, but when her family found out she concocted a false story that he had raped her. Opposing the plea, additional public prosecutor Aruna Kamat Pai said the police were investigating the case and will file a chargesheet. If the court was inclined to quash the FIR, then a heavy fine should be imposed on the woman, she said. The court accepted this argument and said, In our view, the case of the petitioner cannot be accepted simpliciter that the complaint was filed by her due to pressure from her family members. However, since the petitioner does not want to pursue the complaint, we are inclined to quash the FIR but on the condition that the petitioner pays `25,000 to the Maharashtra Police Welfare Fund within four weeks, the court directed. But Ernst invoked an aggressive environmental road map known as the Green New Deal as evidence that rural areas would be hurt by the Democratic approach. If given power, they would essentially ban animal agriculture and eliminate gas-powered cars, Ernst said. It would destroy the agriculture industry, not just here in Iowa, but throughout the country. Ernst also spoke at the 2016 Republican convention, when the party tapped her to go after that cycles Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton, on foreign policy matters. It was intended to highlight Ernst as a rising GOP star, but the speakers before her went so long that most of the delegates had left by the time she spoke. Wednesdays address was on time as Ernst talked up her background growing up on a small family farm in Iowa, going off to college, embarking on a military career and now serving as a U.S. senator. She recounted how, while she was serving in the National Guard, the Guard helped Iowa communities devastated by historic floods in 2008. Mr Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen, the Minister of Trade and Industry, Thursday unveiled the Ghana Business Regulatory Reforms Portal to provide information on business related laws and regulations for prompt decision-making. The Portal is an electronic registry with about 5,000 business laws and regulations uploaded onto it, which can be accessed through www.brr.gov.gh. It also contains regulatory and administrative notices, directives and procedures as well as administrative fees, forms and charges. It is an interactive platform to allow policymakers easily consult businesses and individuals in a transparent, inclusive and timely manner on policy issues geared towards achieving Government's objective of making the nation the most business-friendly destination in Africa. At the official launch of the Portal in Accra, Mr Kyerematen said businesses anywhere in the world could easily view and obtain business-related laws and regulations being implemented in Ghana. He said it formed part of Government's vision of achieving a "Ghana Beyond Aid" through attracting capital investments from the private sector for accelerated economic growth and industrial transformation. The event was attended by government officials, captains of industry, heads of public and private sector institutions as well as the business community. The online portal was developed by the Ministry of Trade and Industry with funding from the Department of International Development (DFID), a UK Government Agency for administering foreign aid. The Trade Minister said the platform would improve transparency and inclusiveness as well as promote dialogue and feedback between government and all its stakeholders to enhance quality service delivery. "It is government's agenda of making Ghana the most business-friendly nation in Africa. Therefore, one of the most critical success factors for enhancing private sector performance and growth is the effectiveness of the private sector's contribution in defining and improving the policy and regulatory environment within which they operate," Mr Kyerematen said. He said while the nation was weaning itself from foreign aid dependency, it was imperative to replace that with private sector capital to promote investments, job creation and ensure self-reliance, especially as the Covid-19 pandemic had affected the global supply chain. Mr Philip Smith, the DFID Country Director, in brief remarks via Zoom, assured of the UK Government's commitment towards supporting Ghana's trade and investment drive. He said his Government would continue its partnership with Ghana in various sectors including trade, manufacturing, investment and agriculture to boost their economies, create jobs and alleviate poverty. There were solidarity messages from some identifiable business associations including the Ghana Association of Industries, Ghana Chamber of Commerce, Association of Small Scale Industries and Private Enterprises Federation. They lauded government's e-Registry initiative and expressed the belief that it would help in building competitive, responsive and resilient businesses. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-26 22:41:45|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close LONDON, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- The University of Cambridge announced on Wednesday that a newly developed SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate has received funding support from the British government and could start clinical trials in late autumn or early next year. The program is a collaboration between the University of Cambridge, Cambridge spin-out company DIOSynVax, and the University Hospital Southampton NHS (National Health Service) Foundation Trust. Innovate UK, the British government's innovation agency, has provided the program with 1.9 million pounds (around 2.5 million U.S. dollars) in funding. Called DIOS-CoVax2, the vaccine candidate is developed using banks of genetic sequences of all known coronaviruses, including those from bats, the natural hosts of many relatives of human coronaviruses. The team said they have developed libraries of computer-generated antigen structures encoded by synthetic genes that can train the human immune system to target key regions of the virus and to produce beneficial anti-viral responses. "We're looking for chinks in its armor, crucial pieces of the virus that we can use to construct the vaccine to direct the immune response in the right direction," said Professor Jonathan Heeney, head of the Laboratory of Viral Zoonotics at the University of Cambridge, and founder of DIOSynVax. "Ultimately we aim to make a vaccine that will not only protect from SARS-CoV-2, but also other related coronaviruses that may spill over from animals to humans," said Heeney. The vaccine candidate is designed to be delivered pain-free without a needle into the skin, using a simple jet of air. And it can be freeze-dried as a powder and is therefore heat stable, meaning that it does not need to be cold-stored. This makes transport and storage much more straightforward. The team said that this is particularly important in low- and middle-income countries where the infrastructure to make this possible can be costly. Enditem An international group of hearing specialists has released a new set of recommendations emphasizing that cochlear implants should be offered to adults who have moderate to severe or worse hearing loss much more often than is the current practice. The group hopes the recommendations help increase usage of such devices, potentially improving hearing and quality of life for millions worldwide. The consensus statement, published Aug. 27 in JAMA Otolaryngology, was developed by a panel of 31 hearing experts representing more than a dozen countries. Craig A. Buchman, MD, the Lindburg Professor and head of the Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, led the panel. Unlike hearing aids, which amplify sound for people who retain some ability to hear, cochlear implants help people hear by directly stimulating the auditory nerve. The committee of hearing experts, which includes otolaryngologists and audiologists, said that the estimated 50 million people living with hearing loss severe enough to negatively affect quality of life could benefit from cochlear implants. The recommendations also are intended to raise awareness among primary care doctors and other health-care providers who potentially could diagnose hearing loss and refer patients to hearing specialists. "Even though cochlear implants have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration since 1985, less than 10% of adults who could benefit from them actually receive one of these devices," Buchman said. "There may be a misconception that cochlear implants are only for young children born with profound hearing loss. But these devices can be extremely effective for adults who have lost hearing later in life. Adults who have difficulty talking on the phone, for example, are probably candidates for a cochlear implant." Buchman also said adults and their doctors may turn to hearing aids because they assume such devices will solve the problem and help avoid what is perceived by many to be a major surgery. "Cochlear implants can be implanted in an outpatient procedure that typically takes about an hour," Buchman said. "It's a safe procedure and highly effective. In addition, hearing aids only work for those who need some amplification. But as hearing diminishes, people start to lose clarity as well. Making unclear speech louder doesn't help with comprehension -- people start to sound like the teacher who mumbles in the Charlie Brown cartoon. At that degree of hearing loss, a cochlear implant is the recommended intervention because it can restore clarity." The consensus paper reports 20 statements that the panel of experts voted to include in the document. The recommendations, which were arrived upon following a review of scientific literature on cochlear implants, cover seven categories for adults with moderate to severe or worse hearing loss in both ears. They focus on: Awareness of cochlear implants. Best practice guidelines for diagnosing hearing loss. Best practice guidelines for cochlear implant surgery. Clinical effectiveness of cochlear implants. Factors linked to outcomes after cochlear implant surgery. Relationship between hearing loss, depression, social isolation and dementia. Cost implications for cochlear implants. Buchman said another possible barrier to wider adoption is that hearing loss is surprisingly difficult to diagnose. Primary care offices do not always have the specialized equipment used to test hearing, and patients are adept at finding ways to cope with diminishing ability to hear. "During a one-on-one checkup, it's actually quite easy for doctors to miss even severe hearing loss," Buchman said. "Hearing loss can happen gradually, and people may not notice the degree to which they are relying on lip reading and the context of what they can hear to compensate for what they're missing. But to compensate for lost hearing successfully, they need to have face-to-face interactions." "If you are a doctor having a wellness visit with a patient, a simple way to screen for hearing loss is to go to the sink and wash your hands," he said. "With the water running and your back to the patient, try asking a few questions. If the patient doesn't respond in that situation, it's appropriate to start a conversation about hearing loss with him or her and discuss whether formal hearing tests are appropriate." Hearing loss has been associated with social isolation, depression and dementia. Though research is ongoing to understand the role of hearing loss in these problems, Buchman and his colleagues said strong evidence suggests that improving hearing can have a significant impact on quality of life. "Research indicates that hearing loss is the single largest modifiable risk factor for dementia, and cochlear implants can perhaps lessen that risk," he said. "We hope these recommendations will eventually lead to formal clinical practice guidelines. Such guidelines could increase access to cochlear implants worldwide, address disparities in care, and lead to improved hearing and quality of life for adults living with debilitating hearing loss." ### Funding was provided by Advanced Bionics in Valencia, Calif.; Cochlear Ltd in Sydney, Australia; MED-EL in Innsbruck, Austria; and Oticon Medical in Smorum, Denmark. Buchman reports equity interest in Advanced Cochlear Diagnostics; and is a consultant for Advanced Bionics, Envoy Medical and IotaMotion; and has received grant funding from the U.S. Department of Defense. Buchman CA, et al. Unilateral cochlear implants for bilateral severe, profound, or moderate sloping to profound sensorineural hearing loss -- a systematic review and consensus. JAMA Otolaryngology. Aug. 27, 2020. Washington University School of Medicine's 1,500 faculty physicians also are the medical staff of Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Children's hospitals. The School of Medicine is a leader in medical research, teaching and patient care, ranking among the top 10 medical schools in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. Through its affiliations with Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Children's hospitals, the School of Medicine is linked to BJC HealthCare. Bank of Moscow ex-presidents 14-year sentence for 200 mln embezzlement upheld Bank Of Moscow press service 16:45 27/08/2020 MOSCOW, August 27 (RAPSI) The Moscow City Court on Thursday upheld a 14-year prison sentence passed on ex-president of the Bank of Moscow Andrey Borodin in absentia for embezzling over 14.5 billion rubles (about $200 million at the current exchange rate), the courts press service told RAPSI. Moscows Meshchansky District Court convicted and sentenced Borodin in March. In addition to the jail term the court ordered the former banker pay a 2.5 million-ruble (over $33,000 at the current exchange rate) fine. Borodins former first deputy Dmitry Akulinin was sentenced to 12 years in jail and a 2-million-ruble fine (about $30,000) in absentia. The defendants are on the international wanted list. However, the UK earlier refused to extradite them to Russia. Investigators believe that Borodin along with his accomplices embezzled over 14.5 billion rubles from the Bank of Moscow between 2008 and 2011 by granting knowingly unrecoverable loans and making loss forex trading transactions through companies controlled by them. Borodin, whose Bank of Moscow functioned as the capital's chief investment vehicle under its then-mayor Yury Luzhkov, fled to the UK in 2011. In November 2011, the Russian Interpol bureau put Borodin and Akulinin on the international wanted list. In March 2013, Borodin was granted political asylum in the UK. In 2016, Moscows Meshchansky District Court sentenced former top managers of the bank Konstantin Salnikov and Alla Averina to 4.5 and 4 years in prison respectively for embezzling over 1 billion rubles (about $15.6 mln) from the bank. Later, the Moscow City Court reduced prison term for Salnikov to 4 years. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Thu, August 27, 2020 20:08 511 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c40f6d3c 2 Health heart,heart-disease,selfie,health,artifical-intelligence,technology Free A study published on August 21 in the European Heart Journal has presented an innovative method for the widespread detection of heart disease. It suggests that people should provide their doctors with selfies that can be analyzed by deep learning machines configured to predict the presence and the particular stage of the disease. This is an apt example of the growing importance of artificial intelligence (AI) in medicine. Here is a list of just some of the applications that have been in the news recently. Early detection of Alzheimer's Deep learning can play a major role in the early detection of Alzheimer's. Scans that measure the level of glucose in the brain can be used to diagnose this neurodegenerative disease, but the interpretation of these images is far from easy when Alzheimer's is in its initial stages. At the same time, early detection is crucially important if treatment is to be effective before the disease has gone too far. Conducted by researchers at the University of San Francisco, a pioneering 2018 study developed an AI algorithm that succeeded in detecting Alzheimer's in scan images some six years before it would have otherwise been diagnosed. New drug discovery Several companies are launching machine learning programs in the race to discover new drugs. The goal is to make use of vast amounts of biological data in the design of new more effective treatments. Most of these companies have their own proprietary methods and tools, but all of these programs are based on the same three-stage process: leveraging of AI's capacity to analyze vast datasets, the use of stem cells to model diseases so as to understand how and why they develop, and finally confirming findings with a combination of computer and laboratory experiments. The sector is still in its infancy, but is already attracting a lot of attention, as evidenced by the recent 143 million dollars raised by the Californian company Insitro. Read also: AI helps doctors fight COVID-19 in Brazil Cancer AI is already used in the diagnosis and follow-up phases for several types of cancer: breast cancer, melanoma, and lung cancer. In July 2019, a study published in the American scientific journal Archives showed that Google's deep learning AI, LYNA, could detect breast cancer metastases more effectively than pathologists. The study proposed using the algorithm to improve diagnosis and reduce the number of false negatives, an idea that has since been adopted by the European Desiree project. With regard to melanomas, the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research Inserm found that a database of at least 50,000 images was required to train an algorithm to identify signs of the pathology. Diabetes According to a study by a team of scientists from the University of California, which was recently published in the journal Nature Medicine, it is now possible to diagnose diabetes with a smartphone. The algorithm the team created uses a smartphone camera to conduct a new and wholly unprecedented non-invasive test for the condition, which it successfully identified in more than 80 percent of cases. What about COVID-19? AI is already playing a major role in the fight against the global pandemic. On July 15, researchers published a method to predict the worsening of symptoms in coronavirus patients in the journal Nature. The method, which was created by a deep learning machine working on data provided by some 3,000 Chinese patients, has now resulted in the development of a digital tool to orient new cases admitted to hospital on the basis of the risk that they will develop severe symptoms. A giant type of avocado, known as an Avozilla, which is up to 10 times bigger than a normal avocado, will go on sale at Tesco stores on Friday. The Avozilla weights in at an average of 1.5 kilograms and is up to 50 per cent bigger than any previous avocados of this type. This is due to a bumper harvest in the foods native South Africa, which has seen the product grow larger than previous years. The Avozilla previously went on sale at the British supermarket in 2013, when it was five times bigger than a regular avocado, but now it has doubled in size. The Avozillas available this year have an average length of nine inches and circumference of four and a half to five inches. Previous iterations had an average length of seven inches and a circumference of three and a half to four inches. Tesco chilled salad and avocado buyer Jordan Blandford, said: These amazing whoppers are guaranteed to stop anyone in their tracks. The fruit is extremely rare and comes from just a relatively small number of trees grown by one of the worlds biggest suppliers of avocados, in South Africa. Blandford explained that Avozillas only grow every other year because the plant bears such large fruit it takes longer than 12 months to be ready to grow again. Avocado acres - In pictures Show all 17 1 /17 Avocado acres - In pictures Avocado acres - In pictures Darren Bradley/Surfside projects Avocado acres - In pictures Darren Bradley/Surfside projects Avocado acres - In pictures Darren Bradley/Surfside projects Avocado acres - In pictures Darren Bradley/Surfside projects Avocado acres - In pictures Darren Bradley/Surfside projects Avocado acres - In pictures Darren Bradley/Surfside projects Avocado acres - In pictures Darren Bradley/Surfside projects Avocado acres - In pictures Darren Bradley/Surfside projects Avocado acres - In pictures Darren Bradley/Surfside projects Avocado acres - In pictures Darren Bradley/Surfside projects Avocado acres - In pictures Darren Bradley/Surfside projects Avocado acres - In pictures Darren Bradley/Surfside projects Avocado acres - In pictures Pics by Surfside Projects Avocado acres - In pictures Darren Bradley/Surfside projects Avocado acres - In pictures Darren Bradley/Surfside projects Avocado acres - In pictures Darren Bradley/Surfside projects Avocado acres - In pictures Darren Bradley/Surfside projects Last year we hardly had any but this year we also had very good growing conditions and these two factors combined to help produce the far larger fruit, he explains. The Avozilla is perfect if you are making a party size portion of guacamole as you only need to remove the skin of one fruit. One of these monsters makes a huge bowl of guacamole. The Avozillas will cost 4 each and will go on sale exclusively at around 300 Tesco stores across the UK on 28 August. In October 2019 a family in Hawaii won the Guinness World Record for the worlds heaviest avocado weighing an impressive 2.54 kilograms. It was grown by the Pokini family on the island of Maui in the family avocado tree which measures 20 feet tall. It was first planted when Mark and Juliane Pokinis son, Loihi, was born 10 years ago. New Delhi/Mumbai, Aug 27 : A day after the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) registered a case against late actor Sushant Singh Rajput's girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty, the agency is all set to question 20 people in the coming days. According to senior NCB sources related to the probe, the agency has prepared the list of 20 suspects over supply of drugs in the case including Gaurav Arya, Suved Lohia, Kwan Entertaiment partner Jaya Saha, ex-Big Boss contestant Ejaz Khan, Farookh Batata, and Bakul Chandani, among others. The development comes a day after the NCB registered a case under Sections 20 (b) 28, 29 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act against Rhea Chakraborty, her brother Showik, Saha, Sushant's co-manager Shruti Modi, and Arya. The sources said that Arya is absconding with Akshit Shetty. They also said that on August 16, a rave party was raided in Goa in which Arya was involved in supplying drugs. According to NCB sources, Khan was arrested by Navi Mumbai Police for dealing in drugs in October 2018 while Chandani, owner of Sarvodaya video library in Mumbai's Khar, was arrested in December 2018 by the Anti Narcotics Cell of Mumbai Police with cocaine and LSD. After Rhea's nexus with the drug peddlers became public, the NCB was roped in on the request of the ED. Earlier in the day, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) made some sensational findings from the two confiscated mobile phones of Rhea which indicted several players including her in the case. The ED documents reveal the painstaking work by the probe agencies and Rhea's alleged bank fraud and suspicious nexus with the drug peddlers. Rhea allegedly stole Sushant's debit card passwords and for that she took the help of Samuel Miranda, the house manager of the late actor, sources said. The 34-year-old actor was found dead under mysterious circumstances in his Bandra flat in Mumbai on June 14, and Rhea was named the prime suspect by his family in a case registered at Patna police station on July 25. Latest updates on Sushant Singh Rajput Death Mystery -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Bryan Metzhua, 12, helps clear weeds on a farm in southern Mexico. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) This month Bryan Metzhua was supposed to begin seventh grade. Instead, he woke up each day at sunrise, pulled on a pair of ripped jeans and work boots and began the steep hike toward his father's field. The soft-spoken 12-year-old passed his days bent toward the earth whacking weeds with a machete, stopping only to wipe sweat from his brow. The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the lives of children across the world, but it has especially hit those living in poor communities. With so many families struggling economically, children have become a crucial source of labor, raising the specter that even when schools reopen, many students may never return. Policymakers are increasingly worried about a lost generation and a reversal of some of the long-term gains in educational attainment that have brought down birth rates, increased economic output and improved public health across the globe. Here in the soaring mountains of southern Mexico, a lack of technology makes remote learning all but impossible and an economic recession is forcing many young people into the workforce. When federal authorities announced this month that they were indefinitely canceling in-person schooling nationwide, they unveiled a program to broadcast academic instruction on television and radio, saying online classes were not an option because roughly 40% of homes lack an internet connection. Yet 8% of homes nearly 3 million households do not have a TV, according to the National Institute of Statistics and Geography, and many don't have a radio either. Guadalupe Altamirano Gonzalez, 34, with twin daughters Fatima, far left, and Alondra, 12, at their home in El Porvenir, Mexico. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) That includes the Metzhua residence, a concrete structure on the side of a winding two-lane highway in Zomajapa, a mostly indigenous town of 600 in Veracruz state. There is no cell signal in the area and only piecemeal coverage by internet providers. When the new school year started Monday, Bryan and most of his classmates had no way to tune in. So, many followed their parents to work. Before the pandemic, Mexico had made important strides in reducing child labor and sending more students to school. Story continues In 2017, 8% of Mexicans ages 5 to 17 were engaged in economic activity, down from 13% a decade earlier, according to the National Institute of Statistics and Geography. At the same time, the number of people ages 25 to 34 who had completed secondary school rose from 35% in 2008 to 50% in 2018. Now, teachers and youth advocates complain that authorities are overlooking the fate of the nation's most vulnerable young people as they seek to contain the virus and rebuild the economy, which contracted 19% in the second quarter of this year compared with the same period in 2019. "It's worrying that they aren't prioritizing this," said Malcom Aquiles, a policy advocate for World Vision, a Christian aid organization that works with children in Veracruz. "In the short term we're going to have a generation of children who are more vulnerable and more poor. Later on, that's going to have serious consequences for the nation." Bryan's father, Jose Metzhua, 53, said he would much rather his son spend the coming months learning about history (his favorite subject) or math (which he hates). But Bryan's help in the family's banana, orange and coffee groves has allowed his father to save the $7 a day he would typically spend on outside labor a big advantage given that virus-related travel restrictions have hampered the family's ability to sell its products in nearby towns. Mexico canceled in-person classes in spring and is broadcasting lessons on television. Bryan Metzhua, 12, does not have access to a TV, so he goes to work with his father. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) It's worrying," said Jose Metzhua, a former elected community leader, in a wide-brimmed straw hat. "He wont be able to study the way he should. But what can we do? He and his wife have done their best to home-school Bryan after he finishes in the field, asking him to sit down with a book or to practice writing ("You have to respect the commas and the periods," his father counsels). But Bryan misses his classmates and his favorite teacher, Doris. "She always made us laugh," he said. His parents say they are hampered by their own lack of education: Both left school as young children to help their families, and both struggle to read and write. Children in households with parents who speak one of Mexico's dozens of indigenous languages are often at a further disadvantage. Guadalupe Altamirano Gonzalez, 34, and her husband, Eustaquio Jimenez, 44, are among the roughly 1.7 million Mexicans who speak a variation of Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs. The couple do not have a radio or television or running water, for that matter in their two-room wooden home in El Porvenir, a town half an hour from Zomajapa. Their twin daughters, Alondra and Fatima, have been invited to watch televised classes at a friend's house. But Gonzalez worries that she will not be able to answer the questions her 12-year-old girls bring home because she didn't go to school and doesn't speak much Spanish. "It's not the same as with a teacher," she said on a recent afternoon as a clutch of newborn chicks circled her feet. When in-person school was canceled in the spring, the shy, lanky twins began accompanying their parents to work on nearby coffee plantations. Their parents say they will continue to do so on days that they don't watch classes on TV with their friend. The couple's two older sons left school years ago to start earning. The boys, now 16 and 17, struggled with Spanish instruction and decided making money was more important than studying, their father said. "They wanted good shoes," he explained. Bryan's family is hopeful that once the pandemic passes, he will be able to return to in-person classes, and even one day go to college. "That's the hope," said his father. "But the truth is that it is hard." For now, his father is intent on giving him a different kind of education on the farm, which Bryan and his brothers will one day inherit. Each day he teaches them something new: The life cycle of an arabica coffee tree, or how to plant the marigolds that will eventually adorn the family's Dia de Muertos altar. On a recent hot morning, his father stopped to explain how to clear the brush without getting the machete caught in the dirt. Bryan stood there watching, chest heaving. "Are you tired, Bryan?" one of his brothers called out. "No," the child answered, as he crouched down to resume work. Cecilia Sanchez of The Times' Mexico City bureau contributed to this report. Turns out that I take bad pizza personally. I dont even get angry at the restaurant, just at myself for eating it. My stomach turns, my soul aches and sadness slowly overwhelms me, like being buried in an avalanche of plastic-tasting Parmesan cheese from a can. Perhaps because I learned to make pizza at home, I can look at a slice and almost immediately tell whether the kitchen put the care in. What I want is an ideal balance of crisp crust, bright sauce and creamy cheese, with the occasional topping to add an emphatic exclamation point. But far too often, restaurants smother their slices in cheese and toppings, ruining the precious harmony, leading to a greasy, overloaded mess that Id prefer to hurl at a wall in anger. Lets move on. The Calcutta high court has let off a lawyer with a warning after dropping contempt proceedings against him after he apologised for sharing on a screenshot of a recent virtual hearing of the court on social media. The court initiated contempt proceedings against Shiv Ratan Kakrania, saying sharing the screenshot was like taking a photograph of a physical court hearing. The court also took exception to a comment Kakrania made in his social media post. In its order on Tuesday, a single judge bench of Justice Rajasekhar Mantha said, ...Kakrania has filed an affidavit dated 19th August, 2020, in answer to the Rule. He has tendered an unconditional apology and has accepted that the publication of the screenshot of Court proceedings without the leave of the Court was incorrect. He has also said that it was deleted immediately after it was notified to him by his Counsel. He has also explained that the statement made in the publication was wholly unintentional. The contempt proceedings are dropped with a warning, however, to Mr. Shiv Ratan Kakrania not to repeat such conduct in the future. The rule is discharged, Justice Mantha said in his order. Calcutta high court lawyers said this was the first incident of its kind since virtual hearings started to ensure social distancing in view of the Covid-19 pandemic. The apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohaneze Ndigbo, has expressed grief at the killings recorded last Sunday when members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and security operatives clashed in Enugu. While describing the incident as unwarranted, the group said it was still studying the incident with a view to unravelling the circumstances surrounding the killings. PREMIUM TIMES had reported how two Department of State (DSS) officials and some members of the outlawed separatist group were killed in the incident which happened at Emene axis of Enugu City. The organisation in a statement said it was working with the Enugu State Government with a view to finding the truth before making its position known in the coming days. The statement was signed by Emeka Attamah, who is the Special Adviser on Media Affairs to President General Ohanaeze, John Nwodo. In the last two days, news has broken out about clashes between IPOB and security agencies in Emene, Enugu State. Since the outbreak of this development, Ohanaeze has been involved in getting to the root cause of this development. Whilst these investigations were going on, fake Twitter accounts and fake Facebook accounts and press releases bearing the name of the President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, John Nnia Nwodo, have inundated the social and mass media. It has become necessary to make it abundantly clear that Nwodo, until now, has not commented on this development, the statement noted. Mr Attamah said that Ohanaeze is saddened by the grave fatalities occasioned by the development and is determined to get to the root cause of this unfortunate event. We mourn the sad loss of all our children and other Nigerians whose lives were wasted by this sad development. We await the outcome of the Enugu State Security Council inquisition and advise all and sundry to discountenance all false releases attributed to the President General. Our final statement on this subject will be made in due course. The Secretary to Enugu State Government, Simon Ortuanya, confirmed that Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi has summoned an emergency Security Council meeting to discuss the tragic incident. The meeting, according to Mr Ortuanya, will be held on Tuesday, September 1, 2020, at the Executive Council Chambers, Lion Building, Government House, Enugu by 2 p.m. A 16-year-old boy of the Eastern Division is expected to appear before a Magistrate virtually today, charged with the August 24 murder of Kows Rockhopper Exploration has sold its 18.3pc stake in Ireland-based United Oil & Gas for $4m (3.4m). The deal announced tonight concludes Uniteds reverse takeover earlier this year of Rockhoppers Egyptian subsidiary and its operations in the Abu Sennan oil field for $15.5m (13m). Rockhopper effectively underwrote that deal by accepting as partial payment more than 114 million new shares in United Oil. It originally was not supposed to sell those shares for 12 months. However, both firms announced in post-trading statements tonight that those shares have been sold in their entirety to a mix of institutional and private investors for 2.66 pence (0.03) each, following an investor roadshow to drum up interest. That is at a 6.7pc discount to United's closing share price. Read More Rockhopper said this meant its original $11.9m investment to acquire Egyptian oil assets four years ago has produced a pay-out of $15.5m. That is about $500,000 less than Rockhoppers expected gain from the Egyptian sale when it was announced in February. At that time, United paid Rockhopper $11.5m in cash and issued the 114.5 million shares with a stated value of $4.5m. But given the battering in value that many oil assets since have experienced during the Covid-19 crisis, both sides expressed relief that Rockhopper had been able to cash in its shareholding so quickly and at close to the original valuation. We are delighted to have attracted such strong support from institutional and private investors at a time of relative uncertainty within our sector, said United chief executive Brian Larkin, a former executive at Tullow Oil. Mr Larkin said the placing of Rockhoppers shares was oversubscribed and strengthens the companys shareholder base considerably. He thanked Rockhopper executives for the important role they played in facilitating our transformational acquisition of Rockhopper Egypt. They have been an excellent partner and enabled United to achieve this orderly transition. Rockhopper is focused on exploiting South Atlantic oil fields in Falkland Islands waters. The monetisation of our entire shareholding in United after a short holding period of under six months strengthens our balance sheet at a particularly challenging time for the sector, said Rockhopper chief executive Sam Moody. Rockhoppers representative on the United board, Stewart MacDonald, has stepped down as part of the shares sale. (Natural News) Mainstream media was buzzing in the last few days with news of an unprecedented twin hurricane that could hit the southern U.S. The news emerged after the National Hurricane Center (NHC) forecast that then-Hurricane Marco and Hurricane Laura might hit New Orleans. But records dating back to a few centuries prove that such twin hurricanes are not unprecedented. Its also untrue that hurricanes will grow stronger, as predicted by Al Gore when Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005. Research including a United Nations (UN) report demonstrated that there is little evidence that hurricanes are increasing in number and strength in the past several years. In fact, recent forecasts ruled out the possibility of the two hurricanes hitting within a hair of each other Marco fell apart as it crossed the Gulf of Mexico earlier this week. Laura, a category-4 storm, became a lone straggler that made landfall on Thursday, August 27. Media lies about hurricane history Various publications called back-to-back hurricanes unprecedented. One CNN story had the headline, Unprecedented back-to-back hurricanes will target the same state, forcing evacuations in Louisiana. In the article, Marco and Laura were forecast to arrive within two days of each other and make landfall between New Orleans and Mobile, Alabama. For this reason, its author deemed the event unprecedented. A guest commentary published in the USA Today claimed that the Trump administration was not responding well to the incoming hurricanes. Author and opinion contributor Monica Medina wrote that U.S. President Donald Trump was apathetic to environmental crises facing the nation today. These include not only the two hurricanes but also the wildfires in the West. Climate change is wreaking havoc on peoples lives right now. This month alone, not a section of the country has been spared a devastating event, Medina wrote. It is important to note that the wildfires seen in the West today, including in California, are seasonal, part of the effects brought about by the summer and fall seasons. Even meteorologists are prone to spread misleading information. Jason Dunning, a television meteorologist at NBC2 WBBH-TV in Fort Meyers, Florida, wrote in a now-deleted Facebook post, [It] would be the first time in recorded history with two hurricanes in the gulf at the same time. (Related: Media terrorizing Americans with HURRICANE HYSTERIA.) But these claims are rather misleading; various records show that a back-to-back storm had happened in the country in the past. Hurricanes not increasing or intensifying Climatologist Roy Spencer wrote a book titled Inevitable Disaster: Why Hurricanes Cant Be Blamed On Global Warming. In a Facebook post, he shared that when he was researching for the book, he encountered several back-to-back hurricanes in the New Worlds 500-year history. For example, there were the Twin Mobile Hurricanes and the two separate hurricanes that hit within one week of each other in the Gulf Coast region around Mobile. These 1740 hurricanes wreaked great damage to Louisiana. Spencer clarified that when the NHC said something is first in recorded history, the agency is only referring to the last 150 years. According to experts, the tendency of some news and weather agencies to interpret something as unprecedented goes straight to the heart of climate alarmism. Medinas statements in her commentary talked smack-dab of climate change in relation to Hurricanes Laura and Marco. Meanwhile, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration claimed that global warming will cause an increased number and intensity of tropical cyclones. But other studies contradict these claims. According to a 2018 report by the UNs Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, data on climate history offers only low confidence for the attribution of any detectable changes in tropical cyclone activity to anthropogenic influences. Spencer also looked at all the hurricanes that hit Louisiana since 1851 using the NHCs database. He discovered that hurricanes neither increased in strength or number in the state over the last 170 years. In 2005, former Vice President Al Gore warned that events like Hurricane Katrina would be the new normal. But his prediction fell flat as the U.S. coasted from 2005 to 2017 without being hit by a hurricane classified as category 3 and above. As these revelations show, this months Laura and Marco are not new. But recent coverage has blown them out of proportion. Sources include: WattsUpWithThat.com USAToday.com Facebook.com TheCajuns.com GFDL.NOAA.gov IPCC.ch [pdf] ClimateAtAGlance.com The ravines, which are sharp, steep mud hillocks, stretch over three states - Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh, once home to several dreaded dacoits have long been the subject of several projects and government schemes to make them agriculturally viable. Ramprakash Kansana from Nayakpura village in Morena district of Madhya Pradesh is apprehensive about the latest government move to flatten the Chambal ravines that lie close to his village to make them suitable for farming. The ravines, locally called, 'Bihad', which were once home to several dreaded dacoits have long been the subject of several projects and government schemes to make them agriculturally viable. It is absolutely not possible to level the entire ravines and make them agriculturally suitable as the soil here is sandy and loose. "The more you cut themthe gorges deepen. At best small parcels could be developed, Kansana said. The ravines, which are sharp, steep mud hillocks, stretch over three states Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh. Last month, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, who hails from the Gwalior-Chambal division held a high-level meeting with senior officials from Madhya Pradesh agriculture department, academicians, and representatives from the World Bank to prepare a project report on how the ravines could be reclaimed and levelled for agriculture purposes. Preliminary Project Report has to be submitted within a month. Tomar is of the view that 300,000 hectares of rugged land is not cultivable, which if improved will help in the integrated development of the Bihad area in Gwalior Chambal region. Past attempts Governments at the Centre and states have been coming up with various ravine reclamation programs since the 1960s. Back in 1971, the central government launched a mega ravine reclamation project. The idea was to develop 55,000 hectares of ravines for agriculture and about 25,000 hectares for forestry in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh. The cost of the project, to be implemented in four phases over 27 years, was Rs 1,250 crore. In all 19 projects were undertaken in the area over 25 years, but only about 2,000 hectares of land could be reclaimed. Then, in a massive effort in the 1980s and 1990s, the state government set up the aerial seeding division to airdrop seeds of various plant species in the ravines. Aerial seeding was introduced for species like babool (Acacia nilotica), vilayti babul (Prosopis) and jungle jalebi (Pithecellobium dulce). But it also failed. The seeds dropped by the government aircraft would get washed away in the rains or get stuck at one place and germinated even in the nearby fields. "This made farming even more difficult even though the Bhind-Morena region has fertile alluvial soil, a former bureaucrat said. The last such attempt to develop the Chambal ravines, before the current initiative was made as late as 2015, when the then Shivraj Singh Chouhan government had placed before the union agriculture ministry an ambitious plan for levelling the ravines of Chambal and turning them into cultivable fields. Called the Integrated Approach for the Reclamation of Ravines in the Chambal Region of Madhya Pradesh, the state government identified ravines mostly along the rivers Chambal, Sindh, Betwa and Kwari as well as the tributaries of Yamuna (Chambal is Yamunas tributary). The plan envisaged converting the entire ravine area of 68,833 hectares falling in the three districts of Morena, Sheopur and Bhind into farm land. For this, it sought Rs 900 crore from the Central government. The total cost of the proposed project was estimated to be around Rs 1,100 crore, with the state government and the beneficiaries (farmers to whom the reclaimed land will be allotted) sharing the remaining burden. While the note made a strong case for reclaiming the ravines, the cost of levelling these jagged geographical formations was big. Chouhan lost power in the hustings a few years later before the plan could take any formal shape. Sources said after the BJP has wrested power back in the state earlier this year, after a brief period of Congress rule it is once again trying to revive the project. The problems "Levelling the entire ravines is not a practical idea and should not be tried because the soil is loose, the depth of gorges is huge and even if someone tries to level them, rains will wash the soil and ravines will form again. "A more realistic and pragmatic strategy should be adopted to make the ravines suitable for farming," former vice-chancellor of Gwaliors Rajmata Vijayaraje Scindia Agriculture University Vijay Singh Tomar told Business Standard. He said conventional cereal cultivation can never be successful in the Chambal ravines and instead small parcels should be identified where horticulture plants such as guava, amla (gooseberries), pomegranate, kinnow, mango, berries, neem, babool etc should be tried. Singh, during his tenure as the vice-chancellor has in fact tried experimenting with growing horticulture crops around 25-30 acres of land in the ravines in Eisaah village near Dimni area of Morena, which was fairly successful. After I left, Im not aware if anyone carried on with the project or it was abandoned altogether, Singh said. Small food processing units which require minimum land clearance could be set up in the ravines based on the horticulture plants, he said. A research by the Gwalior-based Madhav Institute of Technology and Science had shown that setting up industry in the ravine area would cost 1.5 times more than it does in the plains. The area has to be first levelled and the soil, which is prone to erosion, has to be strengthened, the research showed. Ecological issues Not only this, levelling the ravines to make agriculture suitable could also create ecological problems as the area which borders the Chambal river is home to several kinds of fish, alligators, and crocodiles and is also the homing ground of many migratory birds. Manoj Jain, the wildlife activist who has long worked in the Chambal region, says though the ravines need to be developed, it should not lead to ecological disaster for the highly sensitive zone. "Both the Chambal Expressway road Project and also any move to level the ravines will have some impact on the ecology of the area and it remains to be seen how the government compensates for this," Jain said. He said the Chambal river is well known for its alligators and also Gangetic Dolphins which were first sighted around 1967 in the river as the conditions were found suitable for its growth. Though the Chambal Expressway has been planned almost 1.5 kms away from the Chambal river but during construction birds and aquatic animals could get disturbed due to movement of heavy machinery and equipment. "If their habitat is continuously disturbed they might even migrate from the area, Jain said. By-polls link Local observers are also drawing a link between the latest announcement to develop the ravines with the forthcoming by-elections to the state assembly which will determine the fate of the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government. Of the 27 seats for which by-elections are to be held as many as 16 (almost 60 per cent) fall in the Gwalior-Chambal region. "This is nothing but an announcement made with an eye on the by-elections, said Jayant Tomar, political and social analyst from Gwalior. He said the timing of the move and the impact it could have on the crucial by-polls also raises several questions. The big question is will the farmers stand to benefit. "Such announcements sound good on paper but many times in the past it has been seen that their on-ground implementation remains highly patchy, Tomar said. Photograph: Courtesy, Twitter Cement prices rise in Malawi 27 August 2020 Cement prices in Malawi have reportedly increased by 33 per cent in the past two weeks to MWK8000 (US$10.79) per 50kg bag, with the hike attributed to a shortage, according to The Business Times (Malawi). Cement Products Ltd (CPL) has condemned traders for raising the prices saying the wholesale price has not changed. Meanwhile, the countrys Ministry of Trade has reported that the increase is due to a rise in the price of imported cement from Zambia. "We are in talks with the local manufacturers to up their capacity and CPL will be producing an additional 500tpd in the next few days, Lafarge is also bringing 15,000t and they are loading as we speak," said Minister of Trade, Sosten Gwengwe. Published under Adria-Joi Watkins poses with her second cousin Jacob Blake in Evanston, Ill., in September 2019. (Adria-Joi Watkins via AP) DOJ Opens Civil Rights Probe Into Jacob Blake Shooting The Justice Department has begun a civil rights investigation into the shooting of Jacob Blake by a police officer in Kenosha, Wisconsin, during an arrest. The federal investigation will be led by the FBI, in cooperation with the Wisconsin Division of Criminal Investigation and other state authorities. Prosecutors from the U.S. Attorneys Office and the Criminal Section of the Justice Departments Civil Rights Division will oversee the progress of the probe. Blake, 29, was shot seven times in the back by a Kenosha police officer while officers were responding to a domestic incident on Aug. 23. A female caller had told the police that her boyfriend was present and wasnt supposed to be on the premises. Attempts to arrest Blake, who was the subject of an arrest warrant for sexual assault, using a Taser were unsuccessful. At one point, the 29-year-old walked around his vehicle, opened the drivers side door, and leaned into his car. One of the officers shot Blake seven times in the back while holding onto his shirt. The officer has since been identified as Rusten Sheskey, who has been a Kenosha Police Department officer for seven years; hes been placed on administrative leave. The Wisconsin Department of Justice, which has also launched a separate investigation, said on Aug. 26 that during an investigation, Blake admitted that he had a knife in his possession. Department agents also found a knife on the drivers side of the floorboard of Blakes car. He was rushed to a hospital in critical condition, where he remains. Family attorneys told the media on Aug. 25 that Blake had undergone multiple surgeries. A criminal complaint obtained by The Epoch Times showed Blake was charged in July with trespassing, third-degree sexual assault, and disorderly conduct. Demonstrators stop a car on a street in Kenosha, Wis, on Aug. 24, 2020. (Brendon Bell/Getty Images) Demonstrators chant in front of a burning truck in Kenosha, Wis., on Aug. 24, 2020. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images) Blakes shooting sparked unrest in Kenosha and other U.S. cities, which has led to at least two deaths amid rioting, looting, and arson incidents. The unrest was triggered after a viral video appeared to show Blake being shot at close range. The 29-year-olds mother, Julia Jackson, has denounced the violence, saying that her family is very hurt and quite frankly disgusted. And as his mother, please dont burn up property and cause havoc and tear your own homes down in my sons name. You shouldnt do it, Jackson said Aug. 25 during an appearance on CNN Tonight. People shouldnt do it anyway, but to use my child or any other mother or fathers child, our tragedy, to react in that manner is just not acceptable. And its not helping Jacob. Its not helping Jacob or any other of the men or women who have suffered in these areas, she added. The Wisconsin Department of Justice stated that all law enforcement officers involved in the incident have been placed on administrative leave and are cooperating with the investigation. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump said on Aug. 26 that Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, has accepted federal assistance to help quell the rioting in Kenosha. My team just got off the phone with Governor Evers who agreed to accept federal assistance, Trump wrote in a tweet. TODAY, I will be sending federal law enforcement and the National Guard to Kenosha, WI to restore LAW and ORDER! Zachary Stieber and Isabel Van Brugen contributed to this report. 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 trip to northern Ontario to rescue 50 dogs will cost Niagara SPCA and Humane Society about $25,000 a sum it hopes donors can offset. On Saturday, four staff members will embark on a trip to Thunder Bay to bring back a mix of large and small canines, as well as several puppies and cats. They will leave at 4 a.m. towing a trailer and return Monday afternoon with the new collection of pooches that will be put up for adoption at the SPCAs shelters in Welland and Niagara Falls. The transfer is in partnership with Save a Dog Network and Northern Manitoba Paws in Need, organizations that rescue dogs in remote communities. It will be a round trip of more than 3,000 kilometres, a costly one when fuel, food and accommodations are factored in. An online campaign to raise funds is underway. In March, the SPCA rescued more than 100 dogs and 90 cats through its relationship with organizations up north. All have been adopted, executive director John Greer said Thursday. The team being sent on the mission usually stops every four or five hours to make sure the trip is as pleasant as possible for their precious cargo. Well bring them out for a little fresh air and exercise, clean out their cages and make sure everything is tidy, said Greer. A team of about 15 volunteers will be waiting in Thunder Bay to assist with getting the animals onto the trailer, he said. The animals will be temporarily housed in shelters for two weeks for medical examination to ensure they are healthy and ready for adoption, said Greer. Neha Dhupia, who has called marrying Angad Bedi in 2018 the best decision of her life, did not fall in love with him at first sight. While he made no secret of his feelings for her, she considered him to be one of her closest friends in Mumbai and someone she could always rely on. As Neha turns 40 on Thursday, here is revisiting her love story with Angad. In an interaction with Humans of Bombay in 2018, she had said, He wasnt low key about his feelings for me. I was shooting in Punjab & told him about a role for him. He didnt ask for any details. He only cared about spending time with me & flew down immediately. After that shoot, he showed up at my parents doorstep & asked for my hand in marriage.I had no idea about it! This was when I was dating someone else! When Angad met my boyfriend, he was nice to him, but wasnt subtle about his love for me! It was their friend, Karan Johar, who finally played Cupid for Neha and Angad. She revealed, Finally, at a party, Karan Johar took us aside & screamed, Can you not see this?! Are you blind? You shouldve seen the look on Angads face. He had I told you so! tattooed on his forehead. Also Watch | Sushant knew some dirty secrets, was killed: Kangana Ranaut on drugs angle When we finally decided to get married, he didnt go down on one knee & propose. He told me Id already wasted 4 years & declared Chalo Dilli! to meet his parents. Then he said, Before you change your mind, pick an outfit because were getting married in 2 days! Also read | Fact check: Man in viral photo with Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone and Sandip Ssingh is not Dawood Ibrahim Neha and Angad got married in a low-key Anand Karaj ceremony at a gurdwara in Delhi on May 10, 2018. In an Instagram live on their second wedding anniversary, she asked him what was the scariest part of getting married to her and what was going on in his mind during the pheras. Honey, when I decided that I should be married to you and you should be my wife, there was nothing scary at all. In fact, I enjoyed our lovely, small wedding. I was very happy, even when I was taking that last phera, because I was getting married to the love of my life, he said. In an earlier interview with Hindustan Times, Neha had said that she has no regrets about not getting more time to plan her wedding with Angad. Sometimes, the best things happen in life so quickly but I dont regret it. If I was given even six months or a year to prep for my wedding, I would have had a small wedding, would get married in baby pink and would do an Anand Karaj and would want to get married to Angad again. There is nothing else that I want. Six months after their wedding, Neha and Angad welcomed their first child, a baby girl named Mehr. She will turn two in November. Follow @htshowbiz for more Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 27) The House of Representatives will no longer deliberate on any charter amendments for the rest of the year, to focus on the government's COVID-19 response and budget talks. Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, chairman of the House Committee on Constitutional Amendments, said Thursday that Cha-cha deliberations will resume early 2021, as advised by House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano. "The Committee on Constitutional Amendments following the Speaker's suggestion will meet in January or February next year," Rodriguez said in a statement. "We have to concentrate on the measures against COVID-19 and the 2021 proposed budget." Rodriguez has filed House Bill 7430 which seeks to increase the share of provinces, cities, towns, and barangays from taxes collected by the national government. It is one of the Charter change proposals previously recommended by his panel. The lawmaker, however, did not indicate when the measure will be tackled. Rodriguez initially said in July that the panel would eventually convene to revive Cha-cha talks once the 18th Congress resumes session. President Rodrigo Duterte recently denied ties to a private group's shift to a revolutionary government to supposedly fast-track the establishment of federalism when his term ends in 2022. Malacanang earlier said that the President has also not floated the idea of pushing through with Charter reforms anytime soon, while the government grapples with the prevailing crisis. Tiffany & Co. returned to profitability after losses earlier this year, while the $16.2 billion deal with LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton remains on hold for another three months. The New York-based luxury jeweler reported quarterly results Thursday before the market opened, falling short on both top and bottom lines, but making improvements from the prior quarter. More from WWD We were excited to see that the encouraging trends we cited for the first quarter namely, increased sales in Mainland China and global e-commerce accelerated during the second quarter and propelled our return to quarterly profitability, Alessandro Bogliolo, chief executive officer of Tiffany, said in a statement. Total revenues for the three-month period ending July 31 fell 29 percent to $747 million, compared with $1.04 billion the same time last year. Comparable sales fell 24 percent during the quarter, compared with a year earlier. By region, the Americas, Europe and Japan all saw sales declines during the quarter, while sales in the Asian-Pacific region were flat on a year-over-year basis. Total profits fell 77 percent to $31.9 million as a result, down from $136 million the same time a year ago. But with stores closed, Tiffanys global e-commerce business grew 123 percent during the quarter, year-over-year. Retail sales in Mainland China also sharply rebounded, increasing 80 percent during the quarter, compared with the same time last year. Bogliolo added that global sales trends accelerated in the month of August, with preliminary month-to-date worldwide sales through Aug. 25 being slightly positive as compared to the same month-to-date period in the prior year. I firmly believe that Tiffanys best days remain in front of us because of the teams demonstrated agility in response to unforeseen hurdles and our stated strategies, which continue to prove sound, Bogliolo said. Our second quarter results and August trends to date, in light of these challenging times, confirm the power and resilience of this venerable brand. Story continues Meanwhile, LVMHs $16.2 billion agreement to buy Tiffany & Co. is on hold for now. The transaction, originally set to close on Aug. 24, was extended another three months, or until Nov. 24, according to a regulatory document filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission earlier this week. In addition, the deal is still subject to regulatory clearance from the European Commission, the Japan Fair Trade Commission, the Mexican Competition Authority and the Taiwan Fair Trade Commission. As WWD reported earlier this year, LVMH seemed to be getting cold feet about the union amid the coronavirus pandemic and global recession, as well as civil unrest following the murder of George Floyd Stateside. There were also concerns regarding Tiffanys ability to cover all its debt covenants at the end of the transaction. Tiffany ended the most recent quarter with more than $1 billion in cash on hand and about $1.5 billion in debt. Selling, general and administrative expenses decreased 15 percent during the quarter, despite a $7 million cost during the quarter related to the merger, thanks to decreased marketing, labor and store occupancy expenses. The company is expecting mid-single digit sales declines for the quarter ending Jan. 31, 2021. The retailer ended the quarter with 322 stores, including 123 in the Americas, 88 in the Asia-Pacific region, 59 in Japan, 47 in Europe and five in the United Arab Emirates. On Monday, the company revealed that it is turning the top floor of its Fifth Avenue flagship into a glass showroom for exhibitions, events and clienteling. The project is expected to be completed by spring 2022. Shares of Tiffany, which closed down 0.39 percent Wednesday to $121.52 a piece, are up about 47 percent year-over-year and rose nearly 2 percent Thursday pre-market. India oi-Oneindia Staff By Anuj Cariappa New Delhi, Sep 11: As many as seventy four per cent candidates, of those who had registered for the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) Main this year, had appeared for the exam, official data released by Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank revealed. According to information shared by the minister in a series of tweets, 8.58 lakh candidates had registered for JEE (Main), 6.35 lakh of whom appeared for the exam held from 1-6 September. Newest First Oldest First Govt revises SOP for exams ahead of NEET 2020 Out of 8.58 lakh JEE Mains applicants, 6.35 lakhs appeared for the exam, he tweeted. However the complete lockdown in West Bengal on 11 September will remain in place and no public activity will be allowed on that day. Mamata Banerjee tweeted that the decision was taken after numerous requests from the student community on lifting lockdown norms on 12 September considering the NEET 2020 examination scheduled on 13 September. The West Bengal government has revoked its earlier decision of complete lockdown in the state on September 12 in the interest of the students appearing for NEET exam on September 13, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee announced today. The Metro Railway in Kolkata on Wednesday said it will operate special services on September 13 to help the students who are appearing for the NEET 2020. Eight-year-old climate and environment activist, Licypriya Kangujam, has personally submitted a letter to President Ram Nath Kovind and PM Modis office, asking to postpone The body was sent to a government hospital for autopsy, an office said. Vignesh had secured a seat in agricultural sciences last year, but he had decided to study harder to crack NEET. Even as inquiries into the possibility of a suicide are underway, Vigneshs father said his son had failed to clear the test in two earlier attempts and was anxious over his score this time round. The 19-year-old boys body was found floating in a well four days ahead of the exam. NEET (National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test) aspirant died by suicide at Ariyalur district of Tamil Nadu on Wednesday. As per updates, a total of 66 trains 33 each in up and down directions will be run on September 13 from 11 AM to 7 PM from the two terminal stations, Noapara and Kavi Subhash. To avail the metro facility, students need to show NEET admit cards at the gates of Metro stations as no token will be issued to them. These services will be available in every 15 minutes for the students. Issuing a statement, the Kolkata Metro authorities said that the service will be exclusively for medical entrance examinees and their guardians. The Metro Railway in Kolkata on Wednesday said it will operate special services on September 13 to help the students who are appearing for the NEET 2020. Justice Mishra had said "Life cannot be stopped. We have to move ahead with all safeguards and all.... Education should be opened up. Covidmay continue for a year more. Are you going to wait another year? Do you know what is the loss to the country and peril to the students." The apex court bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra ordered for the dismissal of the petition and said Career of students cannot be put under jeopardy for long." The top court on 17 August had refused the plea for deferment of medical and engineering entrance exams in plea seeking directions to postpone and cancel the exams scheduled to be held in September. Senior Advocate KTS Tulsi arguing for one of the petitioners, cited the number of fresh virus cases being reported everyday, while requesting the apex court to defer the exam Covid-19 cases are increasing and now there are 90,000 daily case," he said. Refusing his request, Justice MR Shah, a part of the bench, submitted that there cannot be different dates for different states. Senior Advocate Arvind Datar apprised the bench headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan that Bihar has only two exam centres and requested to postpone it by three weeks. The Supreme Court had on September 4 dismissed petitions, including the one filed by ministers of six opposition-ruled states, seeking review of its August 17 order which had paved the way for holding NEET and JEE exams. A bench headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan said that authorities will take all necessary steps for conducting the NEET-undergraduate exam amid the COVID-19 pandemic for admission in medical courses. While rejecting the petitions, the Supreme Court observes, "Even review petitions have been dismissed. Authorities will take all steps. Some petitions had cited Bihar floods for deferment, some others weekend lockdowns. etc" The Supreme Court refuses to entertain a batch of fresh petitions seeking postponement of NEET 2020. On August 17, a Supreme Court bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra had dismissed the pleas seeking the postponement of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) and Joint Entrance Examination (JEE). So far, the Supreme Court has already rejected pleas for postponement of NEET 2020 and JEE Main 2020 twice. The NTA is scheduled to conduct NEET 2020 for over 15 lakh registered candidates is scheduled for September 13, 2020. The fresh plea has factored in the recent orders of the Supreme Court and its firm stand to conduct the examination. As such, the new plea seeks relief for students by offering a middle road and better provisions to mitigate risk. 15.67 lakh students are required to appear for NEET 2020 examination on September 13. There are many exam centres which would have more than 600 students! How would social distancing be maintained? questions students. The fact that 9 lakh students were spread over 7 days for JEE Main examination was also pointed out. Speaking on the delay of exams after Diwali, he has pointed out that after Diwali Chhatt festival would be conducted and that would push the exams to December with the results getting announced in 2021. Following up on the meeting of the opposition CMs called by Sonia Gandhi yesterday, Punjab Chief Minister, Amarinder Singh has asked the State's Attorney General to file a review petition in the Supreme Court, asking for the exams to be postponed. After a day filled with voices asking for JEE and NEET 2020 to be postponed, experts and academicians have come forth to answer the queries and request that no further postponement of the examinations should be allowed. Continuing the public push to postpone the examinaitons, an online petition was started on change.org to postpone JEE and NEET 2020 examinations. The petition, started 6 days ago, has garnered over 1 lakh signatures so far. In another news, NTA has reported that over 14 lakh admit cards have been downloaded since the services were activated on the NEET website. Voicing cocerns over possible delay of JEE and NEET 2020 examination, Education Secretary Amit Khare has said that the examinations must be conducted now to save the academic year. Speaking on the delay of exams after Diwali, he has pointed out that after Diwali Chhatt festival would be conducted and that would push the exams to December with the results getting announced in 2021. Samajwadi Party Chief, Akhilesh Yadav has also voiced his dissent against the decision to conduct JEE and NEET 2020 examination. "Exams for life. This will not work, this will not work," he tweeted in Hindi on social media, calling for the exams to be postponed till the situation was normal again. Former Karnataka CM and Congress leader Siddaramaiah slammed the BJP government amid the ongoing chorus against upcoming NEET, JEE exams to be held amid a record rise of daily Covid-19 cases in India. "Despite opposition from everyone, BJP government is adamant on conducting NEET & JEE. Coronavirus cases are increasing rapidly in the country & yet students are being forced to take risk. Should they pledge their lives to take the exams?," Siddaramaiah said. Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over telephone this morning and requested him for postponement of NEET and JEE in view of Covid-19 situation and also as many parts of our state are in the grip of flood, which is why students may face difficulties in appearing in the exam. "Traveling is not safe for students, accommodation is difficult, public transportation is not fully functional & yet students are expected NOT to be anxious to write exams. PM Narendra Modi should be more sensitive towards young students & postpone exams. #AntiStudentsModiGovt," said Former Karnataka CM and Congress leader Siddaramaiah. Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh Wednesday directed the state Advocate General to coordinate with his counterparts in other opposition-ruled states for filing a collective review petition in the Supreme Court, to seek deferment of the NEET-JEE exams. Over 14 lakh admit cards for the medical and engineering entrance exams -- NEET and JEE -- were downloaded after the National Testing Agency (NTA) released them on Wednesday The Tamil Nadu government on Wednesday urged the Centre to dispense with NEET this year and promulgate an ordinance to facilitate admissions to medical and dental courses based on class 12 marks, as it flagged concerns about safety of students in view of COVID-19 pandemic. Many students from across the country are protesting against the upcoming NEET, JEE exams to be held amid Covid-19. Amid rising concerns regarding the conduct of JEE Main 2020 and NEET 2020 in September, IIT Kharagpur Director Virendra Tiwari said that holding entrance exams is crucial for admission to engineering and medical colleges. NEET & JEE examinations are not examinations of class third or fourth. People passing these examinations contribute to nation-building. These examinations are essential. Therefore, this should not be made an issue: Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra Over 150 academicians from various universities in India and abroad have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that delaying the medical and engineering entrance exams -- JEE-Mains and NEET 2020 -- any further will mean compromising the future of students. Samajwadi Party workers stage protest outside Governor House in Lucknow against NEET JEE exams. At the entry point, the temperature of the students and staff would be taken. If the body temperature of a candidate is more than 99.4 degree Fahrenheit, they will be taken to another room. If the individual's temperature does not come to normal in some time, they will be permitted to take the exam in a separate room. To download the NEET UG Admit card, visit the official website at ntaneet.nic.in. Now, click on the Admit card link appearing on the homepage. Enter your application number, password and date of birth. Your admit card will show on the screen. Download the same and take a print out. Meanwhile, the admit card of JEE Main 2020 for April session was released on August 17, while the one for the January session, was released in December. Samajwadi Party workers stage protest outside Governor House in Lucknow against NEET JEE exams. Registering his objection to holding the NEET and JEE examinations, former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday sought to know should the students "pledge their lives to take the exams." Siddaramaiah joined the bandwagon of the opposition parties seeking that the two important examinations for admission to medical and engineering courses in premier institutes of India be deferred. The National Testing Agency (NTA) has made adequate arrangements for maintaining social distancing norms in the examinations centre for JEE (Mains) and NEET (UG), which are scheduled from September 1-6 and September 13, respectively. "For ensuring social distancing outside the examination hall, the entry and exit of candidates has been staggered. "The pandemic has already disrupted the academic plans of many students and institutions and we don't see the virus going away anytime soon. We should not let this be a zero academic year as it might have consequences on the bright future of several students," Ajit K Chaturvedi, Director, IIT Roorkee, told PTI. JEE exam centres have been increased to 660 from 570 while there are now 3,842 NEET centres, up from 2,546 for the convenience of students. Students have also been allotted exam centres of their choice: Ramesh Pokhriyal, Union Education Minister NTA DG told me that 7.5 lakhs out of 8.58 lakhs candidates in JEE have downloaded admit cards. For NEET, over 10 lakhs out of 15.97 lakhs candidates downloaded admit cards in 24 hrs. It shows that students want that exams are held at any cost: Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Central Government should not conduct NEET-JEE 2020 exams due to rising COVID19 infections in the country. Tomorrow, we will hold protest against the Centre over its decision to conduct the exams: Rajasthan Education Minister and State Congress Chief Govind Singh Dotasra AUSTIN An event hosted by the Travis County Republican Party and attended by U.S. Sen. John Cornyn and U.S. Reps. Dan Crenshaw and Chip Roy on Friday is under investigation as local authorities look into a complaint that the event violated state and county coronavirus orders. The Ronald Reagan Gala, held this year at the Star Hill Ranch in Bee Cave just west of Austin, is a fundraiser that the party holds annually. Other high-profile attendees included Texas state Sens. Donna Campbell and Dawn Buckingham, who was a speaker and the recipient of a Rising Star Award. Several GOP candidates made appearances as well, including Texas House nominees Bill Strieber and Justin Berry. Ticket prices started at $150 for an individual and ran up to $10,000 to sponsor a VIP table. North Austin resident Kevin McKay said he filed a complaint Wednesday after seeing photos of the event that were posted online by Buckingham and other attendees. The photos showed groups of the politicians posed without masks and several dozen people seated at tables listening to speakers at the outdoor event. Should these politicians be exempt from the county and statewide mask mandate? Absolutely not, McKay said. Our COVID numbers in Texas are still really high, and theres just no reason why any group should be getting together 100-plus people in the middle of the pandemic. TEXAS TAKE: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox In an email to McKay obtained by Hearst Newspapers, Assistant Travis County Fire Marshal Gary Howell said the department was investigating and expected to be finished by the end of the week. A county spokesman, Yoojin Cho, confirmed the county was investigating and said officials are coordinating with city of Bee Cave to determine jurisdiction. Crenshaws spokesman said in a statement that the congressman wore a mask during the entirety of the event other than when he was speaking and for a few, brief photos that were taken outside. Buckingham, Campbell, Cornyn and Roy did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The statewide mask mandate requires that Texans in counties with more than 20 coronavirus cases wear face coverings in public. Travis County also requires as much through its own order; it also, as of Aug. 16, prohibits gatherings of more than 10 people. NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT: Houston Rep. Dan Crenshaw gets starring role at Republican National Convention Travis GOP Chair Matt Mackowiak said in a statement participants observed the same public health guidelines that are used for weddings at the venue. Social distancing was enforced, Mackowiak said. Hand sanitizer was readily available. The entire event was outdoors. Masks were worn by attendees, except while eating and drinking and in some cases when taking photos. If social justice protests are acceptable, safe events like this should be also. The Texas mask requirement allows exceptions for eating and drinking and public speaking. Photo-taking, however, is not one of the listed exceptions. Under the statewide order, a first-time violator of the face-covering requirement should receive a verbal or written warning, and a second-time violator can be fined up to $250. Each subsequent violation can also be punished by a fine of up to $250. The order gives local law enforcement and other officials the ability to enforce the order. Texas Democratic Party spokesman Abhi Rahman in a statement blasted the Texas GOP and event attendees for putting entire communities at risk. This isnt funny. This isnt cute. This is downright reckless, and Texans are sick of this type of behavior, Rahman said. They are putting all of our sacrifices at risk. To ensure that John Cornyn, Chip Roy and the rest of the Texas Republicans stop putting us in danger, voter blue up and down the ballot in November. Our lives depend on it. A previous version of this article incorrectly listed U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul as an attendee. Though the Travis GOP website listed him as an expected attendee, a spokesman for McCaul said he did not attend. The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed a public interest litigation seeking permission for taking out Muharram processions, saying a general direction for the entire country in this regard will lead to chaos. It is not possible to give general directions for the entire country. It will create chaos. That particular community will be targeted for spreading Covid-19... we do not want that, a three-judge bench headed by the chief justice of India SA Bobde said. The bench said such an order can put the entire community in difficulty and noted that states were also not made parties by the petitioner, Muslim cleric Kalbe Jawad. The petitioner cited the concessions given by the court this month to the Jain community to worship at three of their temples in Mumbai for the last two days of the Paryushan festival. He said a similar relief was also granted by the court for conducting the Rath Yatra in Puri. The bench said in the Jain and Puri cases, they could assess risk as they were happening at a particular place. You are seeking directions for the entire country. It added that if the request was made for one place, it could be considered. Jawads lawyer, Azim H Laskar, pointed out that a majority of Shia Muslims, who mainly take out Muharram processions to mourn the killing of the Prophets grandson Hussain and other members of his family in the battle of Karbala in the seventh century, are concentrated in Lucknow. He said the processions are to be held on Saturday. The bench allowed the petitioner to approach the Allahabad High Court. We cannot know what are the conditions there [in Lucknow]. You approach the High Court, said the bench. Two petitions have been filed in the Supreme Court seeking permission for taking out Muharram processions. Two days ago, the Supreme Court heard a similar plea seeking permission for taking out Muharram processions.The bench, headed by CJI Bobde, directed the petitioner, one Sipte Mohammad from Uttar Pradesh , to include all states in his petition and posted the matter for a hearing after four weeks. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The number of new coronavirus cases in Alabama has been falling in recent weeks, a promising turn in the states struggle with the virus. But that could change soon, as students returned to many public universities in the last two weeks and cases are now climbing on campus. Auburn University, the second largest in the state, reported more than 200 new cases last week - five times the number of new cases the week before. And on Monday the University of Alabama reported more than 500 students, faculty and staff had tested positive. Students at both campuses have filled local bars since the return to school, prompting Tuscloosa Mayor Walt Maddox to temporarily shut down the citys bars this week in an attempt to slow the spread. For as much as we know about the numbers in some of Alabamas public universities, theres more we dont know. Only a handful of schools are making coronavirus data public, and none are doing so uniformly. Heres a breakdown of the numbers as they are available. The University of Alabama began its fall 2020 semester, as students hit campus for the first day of classes with new COVID-19 policies in place on Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2020. (Ben Flanagan / AL.com) The University of Alabama The largest university in Alabama made headlines this week with 531 cumulative cases among the schools faculty, staff and student body since August 19. These positive cases did not come from entry testing, which earlier this month accounted for another 310 cases among the schools student body. The positivity rate at the University of Alabama was just over 1 percent for entry testing. Testing data was not made available for the 531 cases that have been confirmed since Aug. 19. The dashboard doesnt seem to include positive cases that were found prior to Aug. 19 that werent part of entry testing. The dashboard also doesnt break down how many of the new positive cases are among students, faculty or staff, instead grouping them together, though the dashboard did update on Tuesday evening to show the breakdown of entry testing between faculty and staff and students. UA uses isolation space to separate potential or confirmed virus cases from the rest of the student body. The school reports on its dashboard that 19.8 percent of the 450 beds set aside for isolation space are currently being used. The university plans to update its coronavirus case numbers once a week. Despite the spread on campus, cases are not rising in surrounding Tuscaloosa County, which currently has a 7-day average for new virus cases of just over 40 per day, or nearly two cases per 10,000 people per day. Thats the 25th highest rate in Alabama as of Wednesday. Alabama reports coronavirus cases by primary residence, which for most undergraduate students would be their home county. A sign on Auburn's campus declares that people must wear masks both inside and outside whenever they are on campus. The rule was put into place on Tuesday, August 18, 2020. (Photo by Giana Han) Auburn University The second largest university in Alabama currently reports data once a week on its web site. For the week ending Aug. 21, Auburn reported 203 students and five employees had tested positive for the virus, bringing the cumulative totals since March 16 to 557 students and employees across all of the schools campuses. The vast majority of those - 545, were at the main campus in Lee County. Auburn notes that before this month, most of the students with positive tests were away from school when they got the results, though still taking online classes. But hundreds of new positives come as students have returned to campus. Like the University of Alabama, Auburn releases its numbers just once a week. Unlike Alabama, Auburn does break down how many of its new positive cases are among students, instead of lumping them together with faculty and staff. Auburn also provides a breakdown of how many cases have been found at each of its campuses. For the moment, Auburns numbers dont include results from re-entry testing. According to the website, those numbers will be added once they are finalized. Its unclear whether they will combine the positive cases from re-entry testing with the positives found later, which could muddle the picture of the schools current situation. The university doesnt currently provide testing information on its website. Many of the new positive cases come from students who have self-reported, but others came from tests given at Auburn University Medical Clinic. The school also doesnt report how many students are currently in isolation. Lee Countys 7-day average for new cases is currently just under 17 cases per day, or 1 case per 10,000 people. Thats among the lower rates in Alabama. The University of Alabama at Birmingham UABs coronavirus data are reported along with the rest of the schools in the University of Alabama System. UAB has the third-highest enrollment of any of the the public universities in Alabama, with just over 22,000 enrolled for the fall of 2019, compared to over 30,000 for Auburn and more than 38,000 for Alabama, according to the Alabama Commission on Higher Education. But UABs coronavirus numbers look very different than the other two. UAB reports just six confirmed coronavirus cases among students, faculty and staff. Another 21 cases have been confirmed among employees at the schools clinical enterprise, which is listed separately on the dashboard. There was some recent confusion about UABs numbers. The school appeared at the top of a New York Times list of U.S. colleges and universities by coronavirus cases. UAB called the list misleading, and said the 972 cases listed in the Times article included cases in UABs clinical enterprise - including employees at UAB hospital, clinics and other non-university locations. Entry testing data is also available for UAB. 72 of more than 10,200 entry tests given at UAB came back positive, for a positivity rate of 0.7 percent. Like UA, UAB has isolation space available for students who test positive, but the dashboard shows 0 percent of that space is currently being used. Since the data at UAB and UA are from the same place, they share the same problems. There is no testing data for the new cases, nor any breakdown of whether cases are among students, faculty or staff. And UAB, unlike both UA and UAH, doesnt have data on re-entry testing for faculty and staff. Jefferson County, home of Birmingham and UAB, is the only county in Alabama currently averaging more than 100 new virus cases per day. Its currently averaging more than 104 new cases per day, or around 1.6 cases per 10,000 people. Troy University Located in Pike County, in southeast Alabama, Troy University had an enrollment of just over 16,000 people in 2019. The school updates its website each weekday, reporting new cases individually, along with where students live (either in a dorm, Greek housing or off-campus). It only reports cases that came within the last 14 days, and doesnt provide total counts. As of Wednesday afternoon, the site showed 78 students and eight employees, or 86 total virus cases since Aug. 11. Troy provides a more thorough breakdown of student vs. faculty and staff cases. But the positive cases they do report come only from self-reported cases. The site says the list includes only cases the school has been made aware of. Pike County is averaging fewer than nine new coronavirus cases per day, which equates to 2.7 cases per 10,000 people, the sixth highest rate in Alabama. The University of South Alabama USA in Mobile is the states fifth largest public, four-year university. They are following a similar path as some of the states other large universities, publishing coronavirus data on a dashboard once a week on Monday. The school reports 58 students and five employees have tested positive since August 8, for 63 total cases. 26 of those cases came in the week ending Aug. 21. The webpage shows 5,334 USA students have been tested as of Aug. 24, with a positive test rate of about 0.5 percent. The school doesnt list a number for positive entry tests, but the math comes out to about 28 students. USAs data also comes from students and faculty who have self reported. Mobile County currently has the states second highest 7-day average for new cases at more than 66 per day, down significantly since last month. At 1.6 new cases per 10,000 people, Mobile Countys new virus rate is around the same as Jefferson Countys. The University of Alabama in Huntsville UAH, like UAB and UA, has data reported on the University of Alabama System dashboard. That dashboard shows eight cases among students, faculty and staff at UAH since Aug. 19, along with 18 positive cases among the 5,940 tests given during re-entry. At UAH, 15.4 percent of the isolation space set aside for positive cases was in use as of Monday. There is also data for faculty and staff entry testing for UAH on the dashboard, which shows 3 positive cases out of 522 tests performed. Madison County, home of Huntsville, is currently seeing 34 new cases per day, or just 0.9 per 10,000 people. Its one of just 13 Alabama counties averaging less than 1 new case per 10,000 people over the last seven days. Jacksonville State University JSU, in Calhoun County in east Alabama, reports its coronavirus data on a dashboard, which last updated on Wednesday. It shows 112 cases which it considers to be active, and which are currently being followed by its coronavirus task force. Its unclear whether these cases are among students, employees or both, and no testing breakdown -- entry testing or otherwise -- is given. Calhoun County currently has a 7-day average of nearly 27 new cases per day, or 2.4 per 10,000 people - the 14th highest rate in Alabama. The University of Montevallo The University of Montevallo also reports some coronavirus data on its website. As of Thursday morning, the page shows 18 active student cases, 17 of which are listed as in isolation off campus, with the other being isolated on campus. The page also shows six students have recovered, for a total of 24 cumulative student cases. The page reports no employee cases, and that 1.1 percent of re-entry tests came back positive. Other Schools The rest of Alabamas public four-year universities dont report coronavirus data on their websites. With a fall 2019 enrollment of nearly 8,000 students, the University of North Alabama is the largest university in Alabama that doesnt publicly report its coronavirus data on its website. Instead, the schools website links to coronavirus data from the Alabama Department of Public Health on cases in Lauderdale County, where the school is located. Lauderdale currently has a 7-day average of 12.3 daily cases, or 1.3 per 10,000 people. Samford University, in Jefferson County, is a private school, but is posting some coronavirus data online. Rather than students and employees, Samford reports 56 known, laboratory-confirmed cases of the virus among all people who have set foot on campus since the start of the pandemic. Alabama A&M University in Madison County also doesnt report data publicly. But in a memo sent to students and posted on its website, the school confirmed that at least one student had tested positive on Aug. 23. In the same memo, the school said it is requiring students to complete daily health checks in the GuideSafe app to be allowed on campus. The school is requiring students to respond to questions about body temperature, symptoms, and level of exposure each day to receive a passport on their phone that will be scanned on campus. The University of West Alabama, Auburn University at Montgomery, Alabama State University and Athens State University - the states remaining public, four-year universities - dont currently post coronavirus data online. Do you have an idea for a data story about Alabama? Email Ramsey Archibald at rarchibald@al.com, and follow him on Twitter @RamseyArchibald. Read more Alabama data stories here. Insurance fraud seems like it might be an easy thing to do. Insurance companies are often so huge, one wonders how they might not even notic... 100Gbps Vorboss connectivity at 22 Bishopsgate is powering the future of smart buildings Vorboss is now providing 22 Bishopsgate, the most technologically advanced and people focused building in Central London, with industry-leading 100Gbps connectivity, helping to deliver its vision of a connected community and power 'smart building' technology designed to drive real-time, data-driven insights on sustainability, space, health and?productivity. AXA IM Real Assets, the developers behind 22 Bishopsgate, commissioned Vorboss to install a high-bandwidth 100Gbps service with dual resilience throughout the 62-storey tower. "22 Bishopsgate is setting new standards for workspaces in London and reliable internet connectivity is essential to not only its tenants, but its core operations," said Timothy Creswick, Vorboss CEO. "When AXA IM Real Assets explained their requirements for a smart building, we immediately understood how critical our service would be and knew we could help fulfil their vision, delivering the most bandwidth to a single customer location." End-to-end Vorboss fibre is providing 'plug-and-play' functionality to every tenant and powering Microsoft's Azure Digital Twins IoT platform, which embeds machine learning insights into the core building management system. The 100Gbps service will also support technology amenities like facial recognition, environmental sensors, and advanced energy usage analytics. "We built 22 Bishopsgate with people at the heart of our plans," explains Harry Badham, AXA IM Real Assets Head of UK Development. "Our partnership with Vorboss gives us the confidence that our residents will get the reliable connectivity they need and that we have the technology foundation required to support our residents, now and in the future." 22 Bishopsgate intends to create a connected community over its 1.275m square feet, meaning Vorboss will be powering seamless, speedy connectivity to tenants as they move throughout the building. The unparalleled fibre service helped 22 Bishopsgate become a WiredScore Platinum building, the industry's highest certification for infrastructure, wireless coverage, connectivity and power. "This is essential infrastructure and waiting weeks for installation is no longer acceptable," adds Creswick. "Our service allows tenants to move in and get connected within a matter of days. We want our clients focused on growing their businesses, not worrying about connectivity." The tenant-centred offering has embedded infrastructure throughout the building, with access to termination points on every floor. Businesses can rapidly access Vorboss internet services and easily scale as the business grows, with the confidence that Vorboss connectivity is able to support the highest technological requirements and ensure this 'smart building' is future-proofed for years to come. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200827005518/en/ Contacts: Press: Paige Wilson Paige.wilson@vorboss.com 020 3582 8500 Under the disguise of the so-called national security and data security, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has recently been selling his clean network plan, trying to force other countries to establish a coalition of clean countries in an attempt to suppress Chinese high-tech firms. Such blatant hegemonic practice not only undermined the equity of international trade rules, but also damaged the free market environment of the world, receiving wide condemnation from the global public opinion. Whats certain is that facing a tech war continuously escalated by the U.S., China will take necessary measures to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises. Speaking of a clean network, the notorious U.S. shall clean itself first. According to Wall Street Journal, an American company that has ties to U.S. military and intelligence agencies drew location data from more than 500 apps with hundreds of millions of users. Its evident that there are more companies doing similar stuffs. From cyber security cases of Snowden leaks and WikiLeaks, to the PRISM, Equation Group and Echelon cyber espionage, solid evidences have proved that the U.S. is indeed the largest source of cyber-attacks and the biggest threat against global network security. Out of the worries for U.S. monitoring, the Court of Justice of the European Union (ECJ) invalidated the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield framework. The ECJ stressed that the U.S. domestic laws put national security and law enforcement interests ahead of personal privacy, which does not ensure the level of protection required by the GDPRthe EUs General Data Protection Regulation. U.S. Attorney General William P. Barr recently exposed U.S. plot against China. Since the 19th century, the U.S. has been the worlds leader in innovation and technology. It has been Americas technological prowess that has made us prosperous and secure. Our standard of living, our expanding economic opportunities for our young people and coming generations, and our national security all depend on our continued technological leadership, he said in a recent speech, adding that Chinas current technological thrusts pose an unprecedented challenge to the U.S. Proposing to build the so-called coalition of clean countries, the U.S. aims at elimination. It cannot accept the fact that Chinese high-tech firms are gradually becoming industry leaders, so it is doing everything to contain them, just to maintain its monopoly in the tech field and deprive other countries of their legitimate right to develop. The clean countries plot of these U.S. politicians, which is dirty indeed, is nothing different from writing hegemony on their faces. What they have done has drawn wide condemnation from the international community. The State Department has a new vision for a clean internet, by which it means a China-free internet, said American website The Intercept. Russian media also criticized that the U.S. side was being dirty and cunning, and has set a dangerous precedent in international practices. Russian Foreign Ministrys spokesperson Maria Zakharova put it bluntly that the actions of the U.S. authorities run counter to the basic principles of a free market economy and violate rules of the World Trade Organization, calling it egregious. The Russian side hope that specialized international structures and human rights organizations will react appropriately and give an impartial assessment of these actions, she added. The U.S. practices also encountered criticism and doubts from American enterprises and scholars who believe that the move will eventually make the U.S. itself suffer from losses. Over 10 U.S. multinationals, including Apple, Ford, Walmart and Disney expressed concerns over White Houses executive order for WeChat, saying the order could undermine their competitiveness in the worlds second-biggest economy. Professor James Rae with California State University, Sacramento, pointed out that the clean network program is a gross violation of international principles and practice, and will further undermine American economic competitiveness and recovery. The attempts of certain U.S. politicians to pull down a tech iron curtain has set an alarm. International observers noted that these U.S. politicians just want to revive the fascism and McCarthyism that have been abandoned by history. The hands of time shall never be turned back by these U.S. politicians, and going against history will only hurt the U.S. image and create trust deficit. (Zhong Sheng is a pen name often used by Peoples Daily to express its views on foreign policy.) Sushant Singh Rajput death case: KK Singh, the father of the late actor Sushant Singh Rajput on Thursday alleged that Rhea Chakraborty is the "murderer" of his son and demanded her arrest by the probe agency. In a fresh turn of events, KK Singh, the father of the late actor Sushant Singh Rajput on Thursday alleged that Rhea Chakraborty is the murderer of his son and demanded her arrest by the probe agency. He said in a self-made video that Rhea Chakraborty was giving poison to his son, Sushant for a long time, she was his murderer, the investigating agency must arrest her and her associates. His statement came just a day after the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) registered a case against Chakraborty and others in connection with the death case of Sushant Singh Rajput. The NCB had registered the case under various sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, including Section 27 which specifies punishment for consumption of any narcotic drug or psychotropic substance and 29 which provides for punishment in case of abetment and criminal conspiracy. Also read: Focus on Agri exports would double farmers income: Commerce Committee Chairman Vijaysai Reddy Also read: Jharkhand fixes fee for private hospitals for Covid-19 treatment According to NCB Director-General of the bureau, Rakesh Asthana, has constituted a team from Delhi and Mumbai under the supervision of Deputy Director of Operations (NCB) KPS Malhotra which will investigate the case. Meanwhile, Maharashtra State Human Rights Commission (MSHRC) had sent a notice to Cooper Hospital and Mumbai Police for allowing actor Rhea Chakraborty to enter the hospitals mortuary and has sought details of the rule under which she was permitted to do so. Yesterday, Sandip Shridhar, Rajputs Chartered Accountant, arrived at the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) guest house in Santacruz for questioning, where the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) team investigating the actors death case, is staying. A team of Enforcement Directorate (ED) on August 3 questioned Shridhar about the transactions regarding bank accounts of Rajput. The ED has recorded his statement and will question further if required, an official had told ANI. The ED had on July 31 registered an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) in the late actors death case after a First Information Report (FIR) was filed by Rajputs father KK Singh against actor Rhea Chakraborty in Bihar on July 28. On August 19, the Supreme Court had asked the probe agency to investigate the case related to the actors death, while holding that the FIR registered in Patna was legitimate. The agency has registered an FIR against Chakraborty and others in connection with the actors death after the Centre accepted Bihar governments recommendation to transfer the probe in the matter from Patna. Rajput was found dead at his residence on June 14. Also read: Andhra SEB arrests 50,172 people in 3 months, including 133 govt officials TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / August 27, 2020 / Magna Terra Minerals Inc. (the "Company" or "Magna Terra") (TSX-V:MTT) is pleased to announce that it has expanded the Cape Spencer Project ("Cape Spencer" or "Project"), located in Southern New Brunswick, via two option agreements on the Marigold and Armstrong Properties. The acquisition of these 5 mineral claims (118 units), immediately along strike to the northeast of the Cape Spencer Deposit and numerous other prospects, expands the property size by 2,680 hectares (113%) and adds additional strategic exploration targets along a 15 kilometer strike (Exhibit A). The Company has also initiated a systematic exploration program at Cape Spencer that comprises prospecting, geological mapping, soil sampling and geophysical surveying to refine existing targets and generate new gold targets. These will be followed up by a planned fall and winter program consisting of trenching and diamond drilling. Project Highlights 5,045 hectares along 15 kilometres of strike of a regional-scale gold bearing structure - the Millican Lake Fault and associated structures; Newly expanded Project is host to large untested gold bearing alteration systems including: 2.5-kilometre alteration and gold bearing Emilio Trend with drill intercepts up to 7.86 grams per tonne ("g/t") gold over 7.4 metres; Marigold Prospect with drill intercepts up to 8.71 g/t gold over 2 metres; Birches Zone with drill intercepts up to 5.23 g/t gold over 4.0 metres; The Cape Spencer Deposit has an Inferred Mineral Resource Estimate of 1,720,000 tonnes at an average grade of 2.72 g/t gold for 151,000 contained ounces in two zones: Northeast Zone - Inferred Mineral Resource of 740,000 tonnes at an average grade of 4.07 g/t gold, for 96,000 contained ounces at a cut-off grade of 2.5 g/t gold in a conceptual underground development; and Pit Zone - Inferred Mineral Resource of 990,000 tonnes at an average grade of 1.71 g/t gold, for 54,000 contained ounces at a cut-off grade of 0.5 g/t gold in a conceptual open pit. Mineral Resources are not Mineral Reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability. All Mineral Resource Estimates were prepared in accordance with NI 43-101 and the CIM Standards (2014). Please refer to the NI 43-101 Technical Report with effective date January 23, 2019 by Harrington and Cullen (2019) as detailed below for the Cape Spencer Project. See further details on Technical Reports below. "We are pleased to acquire these additional prospective mineral lands immediately along strike of the Cape Spencer Project. The addition of ground extends our control over the eastern extension of the Millican Lake fault and the faulted contacts between the Millican Lake Granite and bounding sedimentary and volcanic rocks that represent the ideal host environment to gold mineralization. The addition of the Marigold Prospect provides another excellent, early stage, high-grade gold target and is in a similar geological environment to the Cape Spencer Deposits. With Galway Metals demonstrating (at their Clarence Stream Gold Project) that southern New Brunswick can be host to large gold deposits, Magna Terra is launching exploration at Cape Spencer with the goal of making the next significant gold discovery in the region." ~ Lew Lawrick, President and CEO, Magna Terra Minerals Acquisition Details At the Marigold Property, 4 mineral claims (88 units, 1,998 hectares) were acquired via an option agreement with a local prospector ("Marigold Vendor"), covering the Marigold Prospect and adjacent ground. Under the terms of the agreement, the Company can earn a 100% interest in the Marigold Property by paying to the Marigold Vendor a total of $95,000 and issuing $105,000 in cash or equivalent-value MTT shares (subject to TSX-V and regulatory approval) over a 4-year period. The Property is subject to a 2% Net Smelter Return Royalty ("NSR") payable to the Marigold Vendor with 1% NSR purchasable by MTT for $1,500,000 and right of first refusal on the remaining 1% NSR. At the Armstrong Property, 1 mineral claim (30 units, 682 hectares) was acquired via an option agreement with a local prospector ("Armstrong Vendor"), covering the along strike continuation of the Emilio Trend. Under the terms of the agreement, the Company can earn a 100% interest in the Armstrong Property by paying to the Armstrong Vendor a total of $45,000 and issuing $45,000 in cash or equivalent value MTT shares (subject to TSX-V and regulatory approval) over a 3-year period. The Property is subject to a 2% Gross Metal Royalty ("GMR") payable to the Armstrong Vendor with 1% purchasable by MTT for $1,000,000 and right of first refusal on the remaining 1%. Exploration Program The Company has started a systematic exploration program focussed on the Cape Spencer Project that will comprise collection of 2,000 B-horizon soil samples, systematic prospecting and geological mapping, and airborne magnetic and electromagnetic surveys. The initial exploration program will be followed up with trenching of priority targets in late 2020 and diamond drilling in early 2021. The current program will initially focus on the Emilio Trend targeting the 2.5 by 0.3 kilometre altered and mineralized zone, the Marigold Prospect and assessing the regional potential of the property. The Company has critically considered logistical matters given the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, to ensure that this Exploration Program and all future programs are executed in a way that ensures the absolute health and safety of our personnel, contractors, and the communities where we operate. The Company would like to thank the Government of New Brunswick for partial funding of the exploration program under the NBJMAP Program. About the Cape Spencer Project The Cape Spencer Project is an exploration stage project that has a history of past-production and the potential for near-term discovery and resource growth. Cape Spencer is located 15 kilometres southeast of Saint John, New Brunswick, comprising 8 mineral claims (224 units) covering 5,045 hectares of land. The Cape Spencer Project is centered along the gold bearing Millican Lake Fault, a regional splay of the Caledonia and Cobequid Fault zones. The Property is underlain by Precambrian Millican Lake granite, and Coldbrook and Cape Spencer volcanic and sedimentary rocks. The Precambrian stratigraphy is unconformably overlain by and in fault contact with younger Carboniferous sedimentary rocks of the Lancaster Formation. Gold mineralization at Cape Spencer is hosted within Precambrian Millican Lake granite or bounding Coldbrook and Cape Spencer volcanic and sedimentary rocks, with mineralization and alteration focussed along strongly faulted and sheared contacts between the two lithologies. Alteration consists of pervasive and patchy illite + pyrite + quartz iron carbonate sulfide veins and stockworks with 2-5% total sulfides consisting of pyrite, galena, chalcopyrite or sphalerite, and locally show trace amounts of visible gold. There are several gold prospects that warrant additional exploration over a 15-kilometre strike outside of the Pit and Northeast Zones particularly in the eastern half of the property that will initially be a primary focus for Magna Terra. Highlights from historic exploration work outside of the main deposit areas from 1982 to 2004 include: Emilio Trend - includes the Emilio Prospect at Eastern end of Property 7.86 g/t gold over 7.4 m (AB-04-06; near surface); 12.00 g/t gold over 1.4 m (chip) and 2.77 g/t gold over 3.0 m (chip); and Surface grab samples up to 168.00 g/t gold Zone A - Grab samples up to 53.50 g/t gold. Zone C - Grab samples up to 8.92 g/t gold and chip sample of 2.77 g/t gold over 3.0 m. Zone D - Five occurrences of visible gold with grab samples up to 7.12 g/t gold. Birches Zone - 300-metre-long gold-bearing alteration zone south of the Northeast Zone. 17.85 g/t gold over 1.0 metre within a zone grading 5.23 g/t gold over 4.0 metres (MR-150); 9.48 g/t gold over 1.0 metre within a zone grading 4.01 g/t gold over 4.0 metres (MR-149); and 3.60 g/t gold over 5.0 metres (AB-04-08). Marigold Prospect Historic drill assays of 8.71 g/t gold over 2.0 metres (drillhole MGB-88-2); and Historic grab samples up to 4.41 g/t gold. Note: Analytical results in this press release section are sourced in the Cape Spencer Project Technical Report (2019) - see "Technical Reports and Documentation Notes" below; "grab samples" are selected samples and are not necessarily indicative of mineralization that may be hosted on the property. Qualified Person and Technical Reports This news release has been reviewed and approved by David A. Copeland, P. Geo., Chief Geologist with Anaconda Mining Inc., a "Qualified Person," under National Instrument 43-101 - Standard for Disclosure for Mineral Projects. Widths from drill core intervals reported in this press release are presented as core lengths only. True widths are unknown. All quoted drill core sample intervals, grades and production statistics have been compiled from historic assessment reports obtained from either the Government of New Brunswick. The Mineral Resource Estimate quoted in this press release regarding the Cape Spencer Project refers to the technical report: "NI 43-101 Technical Report and Mineral Resource Estimate on The Cape Spencer Gold Deposit, Saint John County, New Brunswick, Canada," (the "Cape Spencer Report") with an effective date of January 23, 2019, and authored by Michael Cullen, P.Geo. (Independent Qualified Person), and Matthew Harrington, P.Geo. (Independent Qualified Person). About Magna Terra Magna Terra Minerals Inc. is a precious metals focused exploration company, headquartered in Toronto, Canada. Magna Terra owns two district-scale, advanced gold exploration projects in the world class mining jurisdictions of New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador. Further, the Company maintains a significant exploration portfolio in the province of Santa Cruz, Argentina which includes its precious metals discovery on its Luna Roja Project, as well as an extensive portfolio of district scale drill ready projects available for option or joint venture. Forward Looking Statements 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. Cautionary Statements Regarding Forward Looking Information Some statements in this release may contain forward-looking information. All statements, other than of historical fact, that address activities, events or developments that the Company believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future (including, without limitation, statements regarding potential mineralization) are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are generally identifiable by use of the words "may," "will," "should," "continue," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "believe," "intend," "plan" or "project" or the negative of these words or other variations on these words or comparable terminology. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company's ability to control or predict, that may cause the actual results of the Company to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include, among other things, without limitation, failure to establish estimated mineral resources, the possibility that future exploration results will not be consistent with the Company's expectations, changes in world gold markets or markets for other commodities, and other risks disclosed in the Company's public disclosure record on file with the relevant securities regulatory authorities. 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, the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statement. Exhibit A: Marigold and Armstrong Property acquisitions, property geology and gold occurrences FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: Magna Terra Minerals Inc. Lewis Lawrick President and CEO, Director 647-478-5307 Email: info@magnaterraminerals.com Website: www.magnaterraminerals.com SOURCE: Magna Terra Minerals Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/603614/Magna-Terra-Doubles-Land-Position-and-Initiates-Exploration-at-the-Cape-Spencer-Project One of the dead dolphins found on the Mauritius beach near the site of the Wakashio oil spill. (Reuters) Seven dead dolphins have been found on a Mauritius beach, a day after 17 carcasses washed up near an oil spill caused by a tanker that struck a coral reef. The stranded dolphins were discovered less than 10 miles from the site of the oil spill caused by the Japanese-owned MV Wakashio, which ran aground on July 25 and began to spill oil about a week later. An estimated 1,000 tonnes of fuel spilled into the area. Jasvin Sok Appadu from the fisheries ministry said: "We found seven more dolphins this morning in a state of decomposition. Greenpeace called on the government of Mauritius to launch an "urgent investigation to determine the cause of the deaths and any ties to the Wakashio oil spill". Sol Appadu said yesterday the 17 dead dolphins had several wounds and blood around their jaws, no trace of oil however. The ones that survived, around ten, seemed very fatigued and could barely swim. Locals recovering the dead dolphins who have been sent for autopsies. (Reuters) The dead dolphins have been taken to the Albion Fisheries Research Centre for an autopsy. A spokeswoman for local Mauritian environmental group Eco-Sud called for the autopsy results to be released publicly and said the group wanted to be present during the autopsy. The full impact of the spill is still unfolding, but scientists have warned of a major ecological disaster. The wildlife at risk include the critically endangered Pink Pigeon, endemic to the island, the seagrasses, clownfish and mangrove forests, whose roots serve as nurseries for fish. Mauritius' tourism dependent economy could be severely damaged by the oil spill. (Reuters) The Mauritius Marine Conservation Society said 15 kilometers of coastline have been affected by the spill and it is moving towards the Blue Bay Marine park, home to 38 types of coral and 78 species of fish. Mauritius tourism-dependent economy was already suffering after the country closed its borders in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the oil spill threatening even more longer-term harm. The tanker was scuttled last week in a way that avoided causing further harm to the damaged reef. Greenpeace has warned the oil spill could be a major ecological disaster. (Reuters) Japans Nagashiki Shipping managed to recover 2,800 tonnes of heavy oil and about 200 tonnes of light oil as fuel as of July 25 and prevented an already bad situation from becoming much worse. The ship was travelling on a well-known route when it changed course and ended up hitting the reef. An investigation into what happened is still underway, two of the ships officers have been arrested on charges of endangering safe navigation. 1. Yes. Too many kids are staying home. They need a virtual learning option to keep up. 2. Yes. Teachers are out sick and subs cant handle the load. Online learning is needed. 3. No. Its too late in the school year to make a wholesale switch in teaching platforms. 4.No. Many parents arent in a position to stay home while their kids learn virtually. 5. Unsure. It may seem like a good idea from a health standpoint, but it has shortcomings. Vote View Results Jawaharlal Nehru University Vice-Chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar on Wednesday said that the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) and National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) exams should be conducted as planned in September keeping the future of the students in mind. Keeping the future of the students in mind, I strongly feel that the JEE and NEET exams should be conducted as planned in September. These two exams have been twice postponed in the last few months. The National Testing Agency (NTA) which conducts these two exams has made it very clear that they have increased the number of testing centres and they have also come up with Standard Operating Protocols which the students can follow to keep themselves safe in the examination centres, Jagadish said. For example, recently in Goa, 19,000 students from secondary and higher secondary schools successfully wrote their examinations. The Goa state entrance test was also conducted successfully, he added. He said during these times when students are preparing for the entrance test, they are already anxious. We should not cause further anxiety by insisting on postponing these entrance examinations. If you see the number of students who have downloaded the admit cards from the portal, it is very clear that a large number of students would like to write these entrance examinations, Kumar said. He said that educational institutes were ready to admit a new batch of students and move on with their academic programmes. I completely agree with the views of the Supreme Court, that life should go on and students cannot waste one whole year. We all must ensure that both JEE and NEET are held as per the schedule in September, he added. Apple fans, mark your calendars: The predicted dates for this years apple harvests in Michigan are just around the corner. According to Michigan State University Extension, data collected earlier in the growing season suggested that the 2020 harvest dates would be just a few days later than normal. Each year, MSU Extension releases a list of predicted harvest dates for some of the most popular and well-known apple varieties. This years list put the possible dates at nearly normal to a few days later than normal. Predicted peak harvest dates are collected for several regions around the state; the following are for the Grand Rapids area, to use as a general guide: Veteran apple farmer John Kilcherman inspects one of his many varieties of heirloom apples at his farm in Northport, Mich. in 2016. | Emily Rose Bennett Paula Red: August 28 Ginger gold: August 30 Gala: September 14 McIntosh: September 19 Honeycrisp: September 23 Empire: September 28 Jonathan: September 30 Jonagold: September 30 Golden Delicious: October 2 Red Delicious: October 6 Ida Red: October 11 Rome: October 16 Fuji: October 26 Braeburn: October 26 Goldrush: November 2 RELATED: Crystal Mountain unveils Spa Days lineup with special rates RV rental program delivers campers to your Michigan state park campsite Inn at Bay Harbor offers bed-and-breakfast package for fall vacations Migrants: Palermo-Montpellier mayors appeal for Ocean Viking (ANSAmed) - PALERMO, AUGUST 27 - Palermo Mayor Leoluca Orlando and Montpellier Mayor Michael Delafosse wrote an appeal for the release of the SOS Mediterranee ship Ocean Viking, which works in search-and-rescue at sea and has been subject to an administrative stop by Italian authorities in Porto Empedocle since the end of July. The stop, according to the Italian Coast Guard, was imposed because "the ship was transporting a number of people higher" than authorised. In Orlando and Delafosse's appeal, they said that "in recent years, civil rescue NGOs at sea have rescued tens of thousands of men, women, and children in danger of imminent death, bridging a gap left by the European states in the Mediterranean". "New shipwrecks and new deaths at Europe's doors can be prevented, nevertheless, rescuers are being prevented from their vital rescue mission. Is this the price to pay for the irresponsibility and the failure of the European states?" they said. "As mayors, Mediterranean citizens, and Europeans, we can't accept it and we denounce these harmful policies. We call on all citizens to sign the petition calling on Italian maritime authorities to release the ship: https://www.change.org/p/liberate-la-ocean-viking". (ANSA). Iran urges JCPOA parties to block US efforts to use UNSC as tool for own sake Iran Press TV Wednesday, 26 August 2020 2:57 PM Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh calls on the remaining parties to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal not to allow the US to use the UN Security Council as a tool to advance its own agenda. "We hope that our partners in the JCPOA (the nuclear deal officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) as well as all permanent and non-permanent members of the Security Council will show that they will not allow the United States to make, through intimidation, an instrumental use of the UN Security Council and violate the international law," the spokesperson told IRIB on Wednesday. The remarks came after the US suffered another debasing defeat at the UN Security Council to clinch support even from its allies to trigger the return of all UNSC sanctions against Iran. The president of the UNSC said during a council meeting on Middle East on Tuesday that the 15-member body was "not in position to take further action" on the bid by the United States to trigger "snapback" sanctions against Iran due to a lack of consensus among members. The US had gone to great lengths to rally support for its anti-Iran move. However, 13 UNSC members expressed their opposition to the US bid on Friday, arguing the move is void as the Donald Trump administration had already quit the deal in 2018 and was no more a signatory to the landmark accord, which was signed between Iran and world powers. This comes as the US says it has the legal right to trigger the "snapback" process enshrined in the JCPOA, even though Trump had pulled out of the nuclear deal, arguing UNSC Resolution 2231 that endorses the agreement names Washington as a participant. The US also suffered another resounding defeat after on August 14 the UNSC almost unanimously rejected a US bid to extend an arms embargo on Iran beyond its expiration in October. "It may be the first time in the history of the Security Council that in less than ten days a permanent member of the Security Council has faced a 'big no'," the Iranian spokesperson said. Khatibzadeh added that for the first time, the president of the Security Council has officially stated that the United States has essentially no capacity to circulate such declarations among its members, noting, "The statement by the president of the Security Council that the US request is void and invalid bears many legal consequences." He said that the US was totally enraged as even its European allies did not support its move, prompting the US ambassador to attack them at the meeting. The move by the UNSC president drew an angry rebuke from the US ambassador to the UN. "Let me just make it really, really clear: the Trump administration has no fear in standing in limited company on this matter," Kelly Craft hit back after Djani spoke, adding "I only regret that other members of this council have lost their way and now find themselves standing in the company of terrorists." In addition to Russia and China, the US' European allies, namely Britain, France and Germany, were all united in declaring the US action ineffective on grounds that a party could not withdraw from a deal and then use the resolution that endorsed it to reimpose sanctions. French deputy UN ambassador Anne Gueguen said 13 of the 15 council members, including the three European nations still party to the JCPOA, agree the US is no longer part of the deal and therefore its notification of "snap back" has no effect. She said the trio are willing to work with council members, including the other JCPOA participants, Russia and China, "to seek a realistic path forward that could secure the support of the council." 'Iranian nation's resistance led to US defeat vis-a-vis our diplomats' Also on Wednesday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani told a cabinet meeting that the nation's resistance defeated the United States before Iranian diplomats, adding, "The fact that the United States suffers back-to-back defeats in the Security Council is due to the nation's resistance and endurance." "The people resisted despite all the pressures and hardships. The people endured hardships in their lives, but did not surrender to the enemy. They wanted to bring us to the point of collapse and said that you will not last until the end of winter," but they failed in their bid, Rouhani added. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address National Assembly Chairwoman and Chair of the 41st AIPA General Assembly Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan (centre) at the launch ceremony of the website, mobile app, and identifier of the AIPA Chair Year 2020. (Photo: VNA) In 2020, Vietnam assumes the role of non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, ASEAN Chairman, and the countrys National Assembly (NA) assumes the role of Chairman of AIPA. This is the 3rd time that the Vietnamese NA assumes AIPA Chairmanship, after 2002 and 2010. This year is the first time in history that the AIPA will be held online. The AIPA 2020 Chairmanship started in October 2019. Since then, along with the Vietnamese Government's activities, the Vietnamese NA has carried out many online parliamentary diplomacy activities, demonstrating its responsibility as AIPA President. On March 30, NA Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, as AIPA's Chairperson, sent a letter to the AIPA member Parliament Speakers to share the losses caused by COVID-19 pandemic, and call on the AIPA member parliaments to unite, strengthen actions, and accompany the Governments in dealing with the pandemic. Representatives of the Vietnamese NA have participated in many online meetings with the AIPA member parliaments and with IPU to promote the parliamentary role in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to ease the difficulties of parliaments of the countries severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, together with the efforts and contributions of the Government, in May, the NA and NA Chairwoman presented masks and medical supplies to nearly 40 countries, including AIPA member parliaments such as Laos, Cambodia, Indonesia, Singapore, the Philippines and Malaysia, and the AIPA Secretariat. In the framework of ASEAN Summit 36 in the form of online meeting, on June 26, the dialogue session between ASEAN leaders and AIPA was held successfully, contributing to implementing the tasks of Vietnams ASEAN President Year and the AIPA Chairmanship, which was highly appreciated by the ASEAN member countries parliaments. The Vietnamese NA successfully hosted the 3rd AIPA Advisory Council on Dangerous Drugs (AIPA CODD 3) on June 29, 2020, and the Parliamentary Partnership on Educational and Cultural Cooperation for Sustainable Development (AIPA ECC) on July 30 in Hanoi. In the year of President of AIPA 2020, the important task of the host countrys NA is to successfully organize the 41st AIPA. This is an important highlight in the foreign affairs of the 14th National Assembly, contributing to heightening Vietnam's achievements in State diplomacy and parliamentary diplomacy. The 41st AIPA agenda, in 3 days from September 8-10, is expected to discuss political issues relating to the East Sea and the Korean Peninsula./. Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 13:02:41|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close PHNOM PENH, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia will reopen the academic institutions on Sept. 7 after temporary closure since mid-March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Education Ministry on Thursday. Education Minister Hang Chuon Naron said in a press release that the schools must properly follow the standard operating procedure (SOP) set out by the Ministry of Health in order to ensure students' safety. "The schools must comply with safety and hygiene measures, especially maintaining social distancing by not allowing students to gather in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19," he said. The number of students in a classroom must not be more than 20, the news release said. It added that the new academic year 2020-2021 will start from Jan. 11, 2021 onwards. Cambodia has seen success in controlling the spread of the COVID-19. The kingdom has recorded a total of 273 confirmed COVID-19 cases to date, said a statement from the Ministry of Health on Wednesday, adding that none have died and 264 have recovered. Enditem Advertisement New Zealand has demanded Christchurch mosque terrorist Brenton Tarrant be transferred to an Australian prison so his victims' families don't have to fund his lifetime behind bars. Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters said the Islamic community and all of New Zealand has 'suffered enough' without being forced to pay 'astronomical costs to keep him safe in our prison system'. 'Now is the time for Australia's Minister of Home Affairs, Peter Dutton, to receive and carry out the terrorist's sentence in Australia,' he said on Thursday after Tarrant was sentenced to life in jail without possibility of parole. Tarrant is an Australian citizen from Grafton in New South Wales, and moved to New Zealand about two years before he shot dead 51 Muslim worshipers at two Christchurch mosques on March 15, 2019. But Scott Morrison said on Thursday morning the New Zealand Government hadn't asked him about the possibility of extraditing the 29-year-old. 'This is not a matter which the Prime Minister Ardern has raised with me,' Mr Morrison said. Tarrant is an Australian citizen from Grafton in New South Wales, and moved to New Zealand about two years before he shot dead 51 Muslim worshipers at two Christchurch mosques on March 15 last year Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters said the Islamic community and all of New Zealand has 'suffered enough' without being forced to pay 'astronomical prison costs to keep him safe in our prison system' Scott Morrison said on Thursday morning that the New Zealand Government hadn't asked him about the possibility of extraditing the 29-year-old Australian-born terrorist New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Tarrant's crime was one that the country 'has never seen the likes of before and this is a sentence we've never seen before' 'It's normal practice that criminals convicted of these offences serve their sentences in that jurisdiction, and that's my understanding of what the arrangements are and no request has been made to Australia for that to be any different.' Australian Attorney-General Christian Porter's office also warned there is no agreement to transfer Tarrant back to home soil. Mr Porter's spokesman said the Australian Government can only transfer prisoners from a country which is recognised as a 'transfer country' under the ITP Act. 'New Zealand is not a "transfer country" under the ITP Act as it does not have any agreement or arrangement for prisoner transfers with Australia,' the spokesman said. Tarrant currently costs over NZ$4,930 (AUD$4,512) a day due to additional security at Auckland's Paremoremo Prison. Just the first two years of his sentence alone will cost $NZ3.59 million ($A3.33 million). The sentence, the harshest penalty ever doled out by a New Zealand court, guarantees that Tarrant will die behind bars regardless which country he is in. Earlier on Thursday, Prime Minister Ardern said Tarrant's crime was one that the country 'has never seen the likes of before and this is a sentence we've never seen before'. 'It gave me relief, to know that person will never see the light of day,' she said. 'The trauma of March 15 is not easily healed, but today I hope is the last where we have any cause to hear or utter the name of the terrorist behind it. 'His deserves to be a lifetime of complete and utter silence.' Tarrant currently costs over NZ$4,930 (AUD$4,512) a day due to additional security at Auckland's Paremoremo Prison. Just the first two years of his sentence alone will cost $NZ3.59 million ($A3.33 million) A survivor of the mosque shooting raises his crutches in the air and celebrates after walking out of the courtroom where Tarrant had just been sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole In Thursday's sentencing at the High Court in Christchurch, Judge Cameron Mander, condemned him as 'inhuman', and said his actions were 'brutal and beyond callous'. He added: 'Your crimes are so wicked, that even if you are detained until you die it will not exhaust the requirements of punishment and denunciation.' The sentence came at the end of three harrowing days of testimony from 91 of Tarrant's victims and their families, almost all of whom had urged the judge to ensure that he would never again see the free world. As news of the sentence broke, it sparked scenes of celebration outside the court, with people cheering, hugging, and waving banners proclaiming 'we are one'. Hina Amir, who survived the shooting at Al Noor mosque where most of the victims died, said bluntly: 'He got what he deserved.' Mohamed Jama, president of the Muslim Association of Canterbury, hugs with members of the community outside the High Court in Christchurch, following Tarrant's sentencing Members of the public wave banners proclaiming 'we are one' as they wait to hear the news that Tarrant has been sentenced to spend the rest of his life in jail in New Zealand For three days at this week's sentencing, Tarrant sat unmoved as a procession of his victims made powerful and emotionally-charged statements of their loss. On Thursday, his gaze was fixed on the Crown solicitors who argued for a life sentencing without parole, and Justice Cameron Mander, who agreed to lock him up and to throw away the key. 'It is difficult to look past the wickedness of each murder ... however you are not only a murderer but a terrorist,' Justice Mander said. 'Your actions were inhuman. You deliberately killed a three-year-old infant as he clung to the leg of his father.' As victims in the public gallery sobbed, Justice Mander took the time to make a verbal tribute to every murdered and wounded person in his sentence. One widow described herself as 'alive but not living'. 'Accountability, denouncement, deterrence, and protection of the community must be the court's focus,' Justice Mander said. 'No matter how appalling the crime, the potential for rehabilitation must always give a court pause ... but I remain unmoved.' Survivors stood hand in hand smiling outside of the court on Thursday afternoon after the sentence was handed down. Survivors arrive for the sentencing of Brenton Tarrant, the gunman being sentenced for 51 counts of murder, 40 counts of attempted murder and one terrorism charge after attacks on two mosques last year, at the High Court in Christchurch, New Zealand on August 27 Al Noor Mosque shooting survivors Mustafa Boztas, Wasseim Alsati and Temel Atacocugu (L-R) celebrate as they leave Christchurch High Court following the sentencing of Brenton Harrison Tarrant The attacks targeting people praying at the Al Noor and Linwood mosques shocked New Zealand and prompted new laws banning the deadliest types of semi-automatic weapons. They also prompted global changes to social media protocols after the gunman livestreamed his attack on Facebook. Tarrant was sentenced to life without parole on each of the 51 counts of murder, for 12 years on each of the 40 attempted murder counts, to be served concurrently, and another life sentence for terrorism. New Zealand's prime minster Jacinda Ardern spoke shortly after sentencing, acknowledging the strength of the Muslim community. 'You relived the horrific events of March 15 to chronicle what happened that day ... I hope you felt the arms of New Zealand around you.' She went on to say there would be no need to think of Tarrant or remember him beyond today. 'He deserves a lifetime of complete and utter silence.' There are now mounting calls for the killer to be deported back to Australia to serve his time. However, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he has not received a request for the terrorist to serve his life sentence in Australia. Survivors celebrate with supporters outside the High Court in Christchurch, New Zealand, after the shooter was sentenced to life behind bars Victims and relatives embrace as they wait to enter the Christchurch High Court for the final day in the sentencing hearing for Australian Brenton Harrison Tarrant, in Christchurch, New Zealand In a New Zealand legal first, the Australian man has been denied the possibility of ever seeking or gaining his freedom after killing 51 people in last year's attack (pictured are survivors outside of court) Sazada Akhter is seen during victim impact statements in the sentencing of mosque terrorist Brenton Tarrant 'It's normal practice that criminals convicted of these offences to serve their sentences in that jurisdiction and that's my understanding of what the arrangements are,' Mr Morrison said. 'No request has been made to Australia for that to be any different.' The prime minister paid tribute to survivors of the New Zealand shootings, saying he and wife Jenny Morrison met with a group who showed incredible grace. KEY POINTS FROM SENTENCING: -The Crown pushed for life without parole for 'clearly New Zealand's worst murderer'. -Tarrant did not oppose being locked up for life. -He claimed in a pre-sentence report that he was not racist or xenophobic. -He said his political and social views at the time weren't real, saying he felt ostracised and had wanted to damage society. -But he accepted it was without doubt a terror attack. -The Crown said it was clearly ideologically driven, saying Tarrant was a dangerous narcissist who warranted a life without parole. Advertisement In making his argument, crown prosecutor Mark Zarifeh drew on Australia's worst mass shooting, the 1996 Port Arthur massacre in Tasmania. 'The enormity of offending in this case is without comparison in New Zealand's criminal history,' he began. Mr Zarifeh said Tarrant displayed 'calculated and militaristic determination in carrying out his plan', 'expressed disappointment in not having killed more people' with 'calculated sadism and depravity'. 'Many of those who were shot were on their knees in prayer with their backs to the offender,' he said. 'Life without parole is the only proper sentencing option.' As foreshadowed on Wednesday, Tarrant did not speak at his own sentencing despite opting to represent himself. He uttered just a smattering of words over the four-day hearing, saying 'No, thank you' when Justice Mander gave him one final chance to address the packed courtroom. His stand-by counsel Philip Hall said Tarrant did not oppose the sentence of life without parole. Throughout the sentencing, New Zealand's worst mass shooter was a passive presence. Surrounded by four security guards at all times and clad in a grey fleece tracksuit, he was attentive but meek in the dock. In the absence of his own submissions, Justice Mander appointed an independent 'amicus curiae', Kerry Cook, to give integrity to the sentencing. Drawing upon private sentencing reports that Tarrant had changed some of his views, Mr Cook made an argument that a no-parole sentence contravened the universality of human rights. 'Offending is not an inherent characteristic ... there is hope, albeit faint, for rehabilitation,' he said. 'Rehabilitation is constitutionally required in any community that places human dignity as its centrepiece.' According to psychologist, Tarrant 'proudly' saw himself as a white European with air of superiority and grandiosity. The March 2019 attacks targeting people praying at the Al Noor and Linwood mosques shocked New Zealand and prompted new laws banning the deadliest types of semi-automatic weapons (pictured is Al-Noor Mosque) The psychologist said at the time of the attack Tarrant was in a 'poisoned mental state'. He said he felt 'ostracised by society' and 'wanted to damage society as act of revenge'. Tarrant told the psychologist he 'wasn't thinking right at the time' and was 'acting on delusional beliefs'. Justice Mander said Tarrant had 'no apparent mental orders or psychiatric conditions' and there weren't any cognitive disorders present. 'There was no evidence of a personality disorder but his racist beliefs 'developed and intensified' as he got older. But Justice Mander dismissed those reports as 'uncorroborated, self-serving and a relatively recent phenomenon'. Growing up in the northern New South Wales city of Grafton, Tarrant had an unremarkable upbringing' and had no previous convictions. He moved to New Zealand in 2017 before settling in the South Island town of Dunedin where he remained isolated from the community. Justice Mander said Tarrant was 'empty of any empathy' for his victims. He said the shooter appeared entirely self-centred and remained 'detached'. Survivors celebrate with supporters outside the High Court in Christchurch, New Zealand, Thursday, August 27, 2020 Ahad Nabi is seen during the sentencing hearing for Christchurch mosque gunman Brenton Tarrant on August 26 'My name is Sara Qasem. Daughter of a hero. Daughter of a shining, glimmering man ... daughter of a martyr. Of Abdelfattah Qasem. Remember that name,' Sara Qasem said firmly (pictured) This week admirable human dignity was on display from Tarrant's many victims. For three days in the High Court, they stood metres from the terrorist and bared their souls, crying for lost loved ones, reliving the trauma of being present in their houses of worship during the attacks. Tears flowed as victims spoke about their torment following the shooting, many saying they still have trouble sleeping. Perhaps the most startling testimony came from Ahad Nabi, who lost his 71-year-old father Haj during the attack, who described Tarrant as 'coward', a 'maggot' and 'the trash of society'. Clad in a New Zealand Warriors rugby league jersey, Ahad raised both his middle fingers at Tarrant and flexed his muscles, while branding the killer 'weak'. He added: 'Your father was a garbage man and you became trash of society. He is ashamed of your identity. You deserve to be buried in a landfill. This world was created with colour, a peasant like you will never change the human race. 'You hurt my father but you never took him away from me. What I mean by this is that you physically hurt him but you gifted my father with becoming a martyr and he's returned to Allah.' Mosque shooting survivor Wassiem Daragmih thanks supporters as they leave the Christchurch High Court after the sentencing hearing for Australian Brenton Harrison Tarrant, in Christchurch Mosque shooting survivor Mustafa Boztas waves as he leaves the Christchurch High Court after the sentencing hearing for Australian Brenton Harrison Tarrant He described Tarrant as a coward after he shot at 'defenceless people who were not aware what was going on until it was too late'. 'Your actions were of a gutless character. There is nothing heroic of your actions,' Nabi said. Mr Nabi said he did not forgive Tarrant before asking a special request of the judge. Another victim, Sara Qasem, was not originally listed on the court plans but rose to speak on behalf of her father Abdelfattah, murdered at Al Noor mosque. 'My name is Sara Qasem. Daughter of a hero. Daughter of a shining, glimmering man ... daughter of a martyr. Of Abdelfattah Qasem. Remember that name,' she said firmly. 'My dad never left. He could have left but he stayed behind to help his brothers. Putting others before himself.' Ms Qasem drew tears from every corner of the courtroom as she grieved for her lost father. 'I'd never really known what the meaning of a broken heart was until then,' she said. A mosque shooting survivor reacts as he leaves the Christchurch High Court after the sentencing hearing for Australian Brenton Harrison Tarrant, in Christchurch A student holds a tribute message as he stands outside the High Court to support relatives of victims killed 'I want to go on more road trips with him. 'Smell his home cooking. His cologne.' Crying, she composed herself and eyeballed Tarrant, saying 'these tears are not for you'. 'To hear his deep belly laugh,' she continued. 'I want to hear him tell me more about the olive trees in Palestine. I want to hear his voice.' Abdul Aziz, who saved lives by running at the gunman at the Linwood Islamic Centre, celebrates with members of the public outside Christchurch High Court following the sentencing of Brenton Harrison Tarrant on Thursday Members of the public gather in front of the High Court to support relatives of victims killed in the 2019 twin mosque shootings Ms Qasem's moving testimony came alongside those who gave more pointed addresses. The rich displays of emotion inside the courtroom contrast sharply with the everyday collegiality in the halls of the Christchurch courthouse between sessions. With limited space in the court due to COVID-related social distancing restrictions, victims forfeited their right to having a support person nearby to allow more victims to take seats inside the small courtroom. They wore or carried white roses on their lapels, carried pictures of dead family members, while one carried a toy panda. Modular classrooms are a quick study in filling vital needs The classrooms are relocatable and come in many sizes. By AMANDA WILSON Special to the Journal Wilson In the fall of 2019, about 56.6 million students attended elementary, middle and high schools in the United States. The need for efficient, modern and safe teaching spaces is growing at a staggering rate. To cater to the yearly increase in student strength, some schools have constructed new buildings and classrooms, but even making minor changes to traditionally built classrooms is a tedious and time-consuming task. A construction site is no safe space for children, and schools cannot pause classes in the middle of the school year to construct the classrooms and facilities students require. Modular classrooms are an effective solution to this pressing matter; they are flexible, budget-friendly, and can be constructed quickly. They might just be the one-fits-all solution that schools can adopt to provide students with an environment that makes learning easy. Why portable classrooms? [enlarge] Photo courtesy of Mobile Modular Portable classrooms are a cost-effective way to accommodate long-term and temporary classroom overcrowding problems. Regardless of public, private or charter schools, portable classrooms are a cost-effective way to accommodate long-term and temporary classroom overcrowding problems. Schools can rent or purchase state-of-the-art prefab classrooms, depending on their requirements. Private schools can smartly maneuver tight budgets and preserve working capital for other investments by opting for modular classrooms. For those few private schools that arent bogged down by tight budgets, portable classrooms can be equipped with endless upgrades that are affordable and of high quality. For charter schools that are growing quickly or require large capital expenditure, temporary modular buildings are the ideal solution. They are relocatable and come in many different sizes so that charter schools can get exactly what they need and are not tied down by limitations on the amount of classroom or office space. Overcrowding Portable classrooms can solve these school problems: Due to shifting demographics and other factors, predicting the number of enrollments has become difficult for schools. The fluctuating enrollment demands for flexible classroom sizes and modular classrooms provide this flexibility. Renting modular classrooms is a quick fix for an unexpected intake of students to preventing overcrowding. To solve the immediate school needs, an alternative cost-effective and time-saving solution is to buy portable classrooms. Various modular construction companies, such as Mobile Modular, provide a list of classrooms on sale to choose from. Summer vacation is the only time schools can carry out any heavy renovation or construction. This limited renovation time is often not enough for schools to get prepared for the next academic year. By going modular, schools dont have to wait until summer and can renovate while simultaneously running classes. Schools dont have the financial firepower to invest in traditional construction practices due to tight budgets. Schools can get fully equipped classrooms without having to pay the full price by leasing or buying portable classrooms. Schools in Palm Beach The School District of Palm Beach County in Florida is a great example of how modular classrooms have saved the day. Palm Beach County is the 10th largest district in America and the fifth largest in Florida. It successfully serves a student population of 193,000 along with 12,800 teachers. To keep its promise for a well-rounded education, the district had to completely modernize the outdated Verde and Addison Mizner elementary schools. These schools were relocated to a temporary campus for two years to prevent the disruption of education. In the meantime, the existing facilities were demolished and replaced. Mobile Modular delivered and installed all 78 buildings in six months and created a learning environment that aligns with student empowerment and growth. Mobile Modulars temporary classrooms helped the schools of Palm Beach County deal with the following problems: Interruption of classes. Since most of the modular construction work is carried out in a factory, and only the assembly happens on-site, fewer workers and machinery are required at the school premises. Hence, the schools were able to run classes even when other modular classrooms were being set up while students and staff were not exposed to the harmful residues of a traditional construction site. Budget constraints. Modular construction is twice as quick as traditional construction; this decreased time frame means the schools were able to save significantly on labor costs, material cost and time. Construction hazards. With children running around, all construction and equipment operations need to follow certain safety standards. Modular classrooms come with built-in safety features and incorporate additional protection measures, as requested by the school. Mobile Modular provides steel-clad exterior doors, self-closers, panic hardware, and a solid core, fire-rated classroom door with a large window and locking system to ensure the safety of students. Doors can be equipped with an optional alarm and electronic entry control, and can be easily integrated with the primary security system. Overcrowding of classrooms. Temporary classrooms provided a safe learning space for thousands of students and teachers. Spaces can be expanded in no time! Portable classrooms come in a wide range of sizes and can be customized according to specific requirements. Schools also have an option to buy classrooms from the modular construction companies that fits their needs and budgets. Quality issues. Since construction takes place in a controlled environment, each component is built to a specific tolerance. As the same process is repeated for each component, the margin for error is less compared to traditional construction methods. Along with superior quality, modular classrooms are also environmentally friendly. COVID-19 era Social distancing has become the new normal in all aspects of life. Once schools reopen, they need to be prepared to offer students enough space to move around without breaking social distancing norms and follow other public health instructions. Temporary or permanent additional space requirements can be fulfilled by modular units that offer the flexibility to meet various health standards. Schools can place desks at least 6 feet apart, increase administrative space, and make room for a nurses office or on-campus triage and testing clinics by opting for a modular solution. Modular classrooms are built quickly and delivered to the campus, decreasing the time and increasing savings. This is a huge benefit for school districts that are held back by strict budgets due to COVID-19. Modular adapts Schools are meant to be versatile; they must adapt to accommodate the growing student population and requirements. Traditional construction practices are rigid and dont allow schools the flexibility they need to match the fast-paced changes that are taking place. By choosing to go modular, especially during a pandemic, schools can take advantage of shorter construction times, customization options, energy efficiency, less disruption, and greater flexibility to make sure students get a good learning environment. Amanda Wilson is a freelance writer covering education and higher learning sectors. Other Stories: System error error: Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. context: ... 21: 22: 23: % foreach my $c (@categories) { 24: <%perl> 25: my $category_id = $c->get_id(); 26: my @stories = Bric::Biz::Asset::Business::Story->list ( { element_type_id=>1148, category_id=>$category_id , Order=> 'cover_date', publish_status => 't' , OrderDirection=> 'DESC' , Limit=>10 } ); 27: 28: 29: ... code stack: /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html:25 /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm:951 /var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj:17 /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html:149 Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. 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Alibaba, which has fueled the growth of several Indian start-ups, will not put in fresh funds to expand its investments in the country for at least six months, the sources said. However, there are no plans to reduce its stakes or exit investments, they added. The sources declined to be identified as the talks are private. Alibaba did not respond to a request for comment. The Chinese conglomerate and its affiliates Alibaba Capital Partners and Ant Group have invested more than $2 billion in Indian companies since 2015 and participated in funding rounds of at least another $1.8 billion, according to data from PitchBook, which tracks private market financing. Hitting the brakes could slow fundraising plans for some of Alibaba's investee companies in India, which include payments platform Paytm, restaurant aggregator and food delivery service Zomato, and e-grocer BigBasket. Ant Group, which is preparing for an IPO, on Tuesday called out the challenges it faces in India. In its IPO filing, Ant said a change in foreign investment rules in India had led to a "further evaluation of the timing" of its additional investment in Zomato. Ant also said it counted Paytm owner One97 Communications, in which it has a 30% stake, as an associate or joint venture partner over which it has "significant influence". India, in April, put investments from China and other bordering countries under greater scrutiny to prevent opportunistic takeovers amid the Covid-19 pandemic. However, a border clash in June, in which 20 Indian soldiers were killed, escalated tensions, and India imposed stricter curbs on Chinese goods and businesses amid calls for boycotts. "Alibaba and a few others have put on hold their India investment plans for six months and they are hoping that things would cool off a bit after that," said one of the sources. "No one is planning to put their stakes in Indian ventures on the block given the market condition and the fact that there aren't many buyers," the person said. Indian start-ups are heavily funded by Chinese investors such as Alibaba and Tencent. Bankers have previously said they were looking to bolster their presence in the country with an aim to grow their revenues outside China. There is a lot of interest from European and U.S.-based investors to fill the gap left by the Chinese, said Arjun Sinha, partner at Indian law firm, AP & Partners. "Deal making, however, may take slightly longer as these will be new relationships as opposed to further funding rounds," said Sinha. US troops injured in interaction with Russian forces in Syria Iran Press TV Wednesday, 26 August 2020 6:26 PM A number number of US forces in Syria were injured during an interaction with the Russian troops, Reuters reported, quoting two US officials. The injuries have been the result of a collision and not exchange of fire, one of the officials said. The incident occurred earlier this week in northeastern Syria and the injuries are mild, according to the other official. Videos of the encounter that emerged on Twitter on Wednesday appeared to show a Russian vehicle ramming an American vehicle, and a Russian helicopter flying low over US forces. So far, the US military's Central Command and the Pentagon have refused to comment about the incident. This comes as many observers believe that such interactions, which are not rare, are the result of close proximity between the US and Russian forces in the region, something that may lead to a full-scale conflict. Last month, a US paratrooper was also killed during a vehicle rollover accident in eastern Syria. Washington has deployed about 500 troops in Syria, mostly in the northeastern part of the country. The US officials claim their troops are fighting to destroy the remnants of the Deash terrorist groups. But, the Syrian government, 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. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address (Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc on Thursday launched its first fitness band and app, Halo, as the e-commerce giant looks to take on Apple, Fitbit and Samsung in an increasingly crowded fitness tracker market. The Halo band, which does not feature a display screen unlike most of its rivals, is priced at $99.99, while the app membership costs $3.99 per month, Amazon said. The scope of growth in the fitness band market has prompted tech giants such as Apple Inc and Samsung to introduce many sophisticated features for health tracking, including electrocardiogram and blood pressure sensor. In comparison, Amazon has featured a relatively new technology in the market called tone analysis, which reviews users' tone during conversations. When enabled, a microphone on the band listens to detect emotions such as happiness, confusion or affection in the speaker's tone. It remains to be seen if consumers would embrace this feature or would it spark privacy concerns. Amazon said the technology was designed in a way that protects privacy. The company said the water-resistant band, with a battery life of up to 7 days, also contains an accelerometer, a temperature sensor, a heart rate monitor and can measure body fat percentage. Alphabet Inc-owned Google is also making strides into the fitness market. Google in November said it would buy Fitbit Inc for $2.1 billion, a deal that is currently under regulatory scrutiny. The market is also crowded by cheaper offerings from China's Huawei Technologies Co Ltd and Xiaomi Corp. (Reporting by Akanksha Rana and Munsif Vengattil in Bengaluru and Jeffrey Dastin in San Francisco; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri and Shinjini Ganguli) She has jetted to Greece with her husband and their two children for an idyllic getaway. And Billie Faiers displayed her enviable frame in a sizzling swimsuit snap as she posed in the sea on Wednesday. The Mummy Diaries star, 30, put on a cheeky display as she posed with her back to the camera in the white swimsuit. Peachy: Billie Fiers displayed her enviable frame in a sizzling swimsuit snap as she posed in the sea on Wednesday. As well as drawing the eye to her pert derriere, she also revealed her bronzed legs and tiny waist. She accessorised with a cream and gold sunhat as she looked out at the crystalline waters. The beauty captioned the snap: 'Greece 2020, you have been a dream' and revealed the snap was taken by husband Greg Shephard. Billie looked sensational on Tuesday as she took to Instagram and displayed her toned figure in the tiny white plunging swimsuit which had a matching belt to highlight her svelte waist. Wow: Billie looked sensational on Tuesday as she took to Instagram and displayed her toned figure in the tiny white plunging swimsuit which had a matching belt to highlight her svelte waist Cute: Billie also shared a snap of her children Nelly, six, and Arthur, three, reuniting with cousin Rosie, three Billie teamed the item of swimwear with a pair of stylish tortoise shell sunglasses, diamond earrings and a gold watch. The mother-of-two styled her blonde locks into a sleek sweptback bun, she added a slick of sun-kissed make-up. Billie knew how to work her best angles as she posed up a storm in the crystal clear sea for the holiday snap. Feeling reflective, she captioned the photo with: 'Paradise [seashell emoji] feeling very grateful for the wonderful memories I am making with my family .' Quality time: It comes after Billie posed for a sweet family snap in Greece , which she shared to Instagram on Sunday It comes after Billie posed for a sweet family snap in Greece, which she shared to Instagram on Sunday. The Mummy Diaries star looked radiant and relaxed in a colourful checked bikini for the family picture. The blonde beauty showed off her lithe legs and holiday tan as she posed with her cheeky kids Nelly, six and Arthur, three, who looked sweet in their swimwear. Billie completed her summery beach outfit with huge gold sunglasses and wore her light tresses in a stylish top knot. Sweet: Billie also shared an adorable selfie with daughter Nelly as they all made the most of a day on the beach Cute: Clearly enjoying the holiday Billie simply captioned the post: 'My beach babies' along with a series of heart emojis Clearly enjoying the holiday Billie simply captioned the post: 'My beach babies,' along with a series of heart emojis. The reality star also took to her Instagram Stories to show the family enjoying a lunch together and Arthur posing in his sunglasses. She also shared an adorable selfie with daughter Nelly as they all made the most of a day on the beach. The family were no doubt celebrating on their trip away after Billie and Greg, 33, won their battle to build a 1.4million dream home in Essex last week. Adorable: The reality star also took to her Instagram Stories to show the family enjoying a lunch together and Arthur posing in his sunglasses Golden hour: Earlier in the week the family shared another snap from their holiday as they headed to dinner The pair bought a run down 1920s property in Brentwood and submitted plans to turn it into a five-bedroom luxury home, but faced a war with their neighbours as the project was branded 'too grand'. However The Sun has reported that nearby residents have written to the council accepting amended plans, giving the reality stars the green light to begin work. According to the publication, The Highway Authority are now happy with the proposal if the couple ensure a number of conditions are met. Earlier this month, it was reported that after a number of changes and compromises by the TV personalities, neighbours had finally deemed their plans 'acceptable'. A neighbour told the council: 'I give my response to the amended drawings for the above property which, whilst I would have liked to have had similar window treatment to bedroom 4 as that of bedroom 2, I find to be acceptable in principle.' Further comments went on to say that if the couple's house 'fits the character of the area' 'it would have my support'. Renovations: The Greek holiday comes just after Billie and husband Greg won their battle to build a 1.4million dream home in Essex In the paperwork, the regulatory body stated that 'from a highway and transportation perspective the impact of the proposal is acceptable.' Among the changes that were in the revised plan were to make the height of the planned extension 50 centimetres lower and to ensure their home is further from their neighbours. Billie and Greg married in a lavish Maldives ceremony last year in front of their family and friends. Its a disaster for the industry and would be catastrophic, no two ways about it. It would cost thousands of jobs and be devastating for breeders, Meadowlands Racetrack Owner Jeff Gural has said in regard to the announcement that New Jersey Governor Phil Murphys revised budget proposal includes the elimination of the $20 million purse subsidy for horse racing. Gural emphasized that its critical that NJ horse racing stakeholders contact their legislators before the budget is approved. Everyone in our industry needs to reach out to their local legislators, urged Gural. The budget wont be finalized until the end of September. We have a month to convince the governor and legislators not to eliminate the subsidy. To contact your local NJ legislators, click here, enter your municipality and send an email to each one. To call your representatives in the NJ Senate and Assembly, click here and select your district for phone numbers. In Wednesdays (Aug. 26) njonlinegambling.com story, John Brennan reported that among Gov. Murphys revised budget proposal cuts to try to counteract the loss of revenue due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is a $20 million cut from an annual horse racing purse subsidy that was signed into law in February 2019. That money was to be split each year equally between the Thoroughbred horsemen at Monmouth Park and the harness racing communities of Meadowlands Racetrack and Freehold Raceway. The subsidy is a mere fraction of the hundreds of millions in slot machine revenue subsidies allocated to racetracks in New York and Pennsylvania, but it has helped the bottom line of all three tracks in both 2019 and 2020, wrote Brennan. In addition, AJ Sabath, President/CEO of the Advocacy & Management Group, which serves as a government affairs advisor to the Standardbred Breeders & Owners Association of New Jersey, issued the following statement: Yesterday (August 25), the Governor proposed what he wanted the budget to look like from his vantage point. I want to reassure you that this is only the beginning of the budget process. The budget is now in the hands of the Legislature. Between now and the September 30th budget deadline, the Legislature will be negotiating their own budget with the Governor. Legislative leaders have their own budget priorities with the power to add and remove what is in the final budget. This is not the time to be discouraged that the $20 million for purse appropriation was not in the proposed budget. We need to keep advocating for our industry. The foundation of our years of advocacy has made it clear to policy makers that our industry is part of the fabric of what makes New Jersey the state it is in the Union. To read the complete njonlinegambling.com story, click here. (USTA) Business insurance protects your company from financial loss in the event of an accident or crisis. There are several types of business insurance that can protect you and your property against liability and disaster. The best combination of insurance depends on your specific business needs. This article is for entrepreneurs, startups and small business owners who want to know what types of business insurance are available. Accidents happen, whether you prepare for them or not. One way to protect your small business against the inevitable is by acquiring small business insurance. There are various types of small business insurance, depending on what you want to protect (e.g., liability, property, automobiles). The best way to choose the right insurance for your business is to learn about your options. We've compiled a list of 25 types of business insurance for you to consider. What is business insurance? Business insurance is a form of risk management, used to protect you and your company from financial loss in the event of an accident or crisis. According to Rorie Devine, interim chief technology officer at GRO.TEAM, it is vital for businesses to apply for insurance because it will help cover the costs associated with property damage and liability claims. "If you are without business insurance, as an owner you could run the very real risk of having to pay out of pocket for costly damages and legal claims against your company," Devine told Business News Daily. "Depending on the cost, this could effectively shut down your business without insurance, meaning that, although you may not need to claim on insurance often, just one use could see the insurance cost paying for itself straightaway." Key takeaway: Business insurance helps protect you from financial loss in the event of an accident like property damage or a liability claim. Protect your business against liability Some of the most important types of business insurance protect you from liability. The type of liability insurance you need will depend on your business and the services you provide. Learn about some popular types of liability insurance available. General liability insurance General liability insurance, also known as business liability insurance, is essential coverage for a variety of claims, like bodily injury, property damage, personal or advertising injury, medical payments, products completed operations and damages to premises rented to you. Virtually every type of small business owner or contractor should have some form of general liability insurance. When comparing policies, keep in mind that your rates will depend on the specific features of your business. Editor's note: Looking for the right liability insurance for your business? Fill out the below questionnaire to have our vendor partners contact you about your needs. Business owners policy (BOP) If you are seeking both general liability insurance and property coverage, you can package them together in a business owner insurance policy, also known as BOP insurance. This provides liability coverage for customer injury, property damage and product-related claims, in addition to commercial building and movable property coverage. This is ideal coverage for small and midsize businesses like restaurants, retail stores and wholesalers. Keep in mind that BOP insurance doesn't cover your employees. Employment practices liability insurance (EPLI) Small businesses with employees often benefit from employment practices liability insurance. This type of insurance protects you if an employee files a claim against you for wrongful discipline or termination, sexual harassment, discrimination, negligent evaluation, breach of employment contract, mismanagement of employee benefits or wrongful infliction of emotional distress. Some insurers offer EPLI as stand-alone coverage, whereas others offer it as an endorsement to their BOP. The terms and conditions of your policy will depend on what type you sign up for. Your business type, number of employees and various risk factors all play a part in the cost of EPLI. Professional liability insurance Professional liability insurance, also known as errors and omissions (E&O) insurance, protects businesses that offer professional services. This is often used by B2B businesses for protection against claims stating their services caused financial distress to clients. This type of insurance is essential for professional service providers like consultants and financial advisors. Contractors professional liability insurance (required) If your business is in the design-build or construction management industry, you are required to purchase some form of contractors professional liability insurance. This coverage protects professionals against construction errors or losses incurred when designing, engineering and constructing a building. It can also protect you from errors made by third-party vendors associated with a project. Directors and officers (D&O) liability insurance If your business has a corporate board of directors or advisory committee, you will want D&O insurance. This insurance protects the personal assets of your directors and officers if they are personally sued for wrongful acts in company management (e.g., failure to comply with workplace laws, fraud, theft of intellectual property, misrepresentation of company assets, misuse of company funds). Management liability insurance This is a combination of insurance coverages that are used to protect private, public and nonprofit companies for a variety of board-level exposures. It protects against the risks of managing a business and is purchased by organizations that have a board of directors. A typical management liability insurance package includes coverage for employment practices liability, fiduciary liability and D&O liability. Product liability insurance This type of insurance provides more protection and security than a simple product warranty or product guarantee. For example, it protects your business in the event that your product causes damage or injury to a third party, or if your business faces a product-related lawsuit. This is important for companies that repair damaged products. Key takeaway: Nearly every business can benefit from liability protection like a business owners policy, management liability insurance, professional liability insurance or product liability insurance. Protect your business property and equipment Your company property is essential to running your business, and it can be very costly to repair if damage occurs while it's uninsured. There are various types of property insurance to protect your buildings, automobiles or other equipment, and the type you need will depend on the property you own or rent. Commercial property insurance (required) Commercial property insurance protects your physical assets (your building, equipment, inventory, tools, furniture and personal property) and covers financial losses due to property damage from fire, theft or loss. Coverage for property insurance can vary from basic to comprehensive (and pricing scales to reflect that), although small and midsize businesses with physical assets typically need some form of this coverage. Unless you own your commercial property outright (meaning there is no lien or mortgage against it), your lender will require you to have this coverage. Homeowners insurance (required) If you have a home-based business or store business property in your house, check the business coverage under your homeowners insurance. Homeowners insurance often only provides limited coverage (e.g., $2,500) for business property or equipment stored in your home, and some policies don't cover business property at all. Those with a home-based business should seek fuller business coverage through a homeowners policy endorsement or an in-home business policy. Much like commercial property insurance, a homeowners policy will be required by your lender until the mortgage is paid. Business renters insurance Business renters insurance is important for businesses operating in one or more rented spaces. It will cover incidents within the space, like fire, floods, accidents, and building or property damage due to natural disasters. This type of insurance covers many of the same things other policies do, but for rented spaces specifically. Personal auto insurance (required) If you are self-employed and drive your personal vehicle for business purposes, you may be covered under your personal automobile insurance. If you personally own your car, truck or van and only use it occasionally for work, you may be able to skate by with standard personal auto insurance. However, if you operate a company-owned vehicle, your vehicle is specifically designated for work or you need higher coverage, you may need a commercial automobile insurance policy. Commercial auto insurance (required) This type of insurance coverage is similar to personal automobile insurance, as it protects your cars, trucks or vans in the event of damage, injury or liability claims. However, commercial auto insurance provides more coverage, like property and liability trailer exposure, loading and unloading exposure, hired-vehicle coverage, non-owned vehicle coverage, and higher coverage limits. You will likely need this form of auto insurance if you have vehicles used for business purposes, dump trucks, tow trucks, snow plows, semi or commercial trailers, vehicles exceeding 10,000 pounds, or vehicles with installed business equipment (e.g., toolboxes or ladders). Business overhead expense (BOE) insurance Business overhead expense disability insurance, commonly known as business expense insurance, goes hand in hand with your disability insurance. BOE insurance covers the cost of running your business (based on actual expenses like utility bills and employee salaries) in the event that you become disabled and can no longer operate your business on your own, but it does not pay your own salary (as an employer) while you are out of work. This type of insurance is a common purchase for small law firms, medical practices, and architecture and accounting firms. Key takeaway: Small businesses need to protect their property with policies like property insurance and auto insurance. Protect your executives and employees One of the most important assets to your company is your team. It is important that you have the appropriate insurance coverage to protect you and your employees. The type of insurance you need will depend on you and your team (and legal requirements). Learn about the popular types of insurance available to protect you and your team. Workers' compensation (required) Workers' compensation insurance, also known as workers' comp or workman's comp, covers medical costs and a portion of lost wages to an employee who has suffered a work-related illness or injury. If an employee accepts the benefits of workers' comp, they relinquish their ability to sue your company for the illness or injury. This insurance is often required by law. Disability income insurance (required) Disability insurance is similar to workers' comp in that it temporarily covers an employee's lost wages if they are unable to work because of a disability. However, disability insurance will cover injuries or illnesses that occurred on or off the job, whereas workers' comp only covers work-related ones. This type of insurance is sometimes required by law. Key person insurance Key person insurance, also known as key man insurance or key woman insurance, helps replace lost revenue due to the death of a key executive of your business. Your business pays the premium while the key person is alive, and then collects a death benefit after their passing. These benefits can be essential to continuing the operation of your business and/or finding someone to fill their role. Life insurance You, and any member of your business, can acquire a life insurance policy. This is similar to key person insurance, providing a beneficiary with financial assistance in the event of your death. This can give you peace of mind that your family or business partners will not be financially burdened by your death. Key takeaway: Policies like workers' compensation and disability insurance are often required by law. Protect your business from disasters If your business falls victim to an unexpected disaster, you'll want to be insured. One calamity can cost an uninsured business more than the company is worth, resulting in irreparable financial loss and legal suits. To protect your business, you will need some combination of disaster insurance. Business interruption insurance Business interruption insurance, also known as business income insurance, is one of the most common types of coverage most small businesses need. If a disaster strikes (such as a fire, flood, theft, building collapse or civil authority incident) and your business is required to shut down for a period of time, business interruption insurance will help to cover lost income or operating expenses like mortgage or rent, loan payments, taxes, and payroll. Business interruption insurance can be bundled into your BOP. Comprehensive crime insurance Crime insurance can protect your business from financial loss due to criminal activity, including computer and funds transfer fraud, employee dishonesty, forgery and alteration, loss of money and securities, and theft of your clients' property. If you have employees or work with sensitive information, you will want some form of crime insurance. Before purchasing a policy, make sure the provider covers your industry. Credit insurance Small businesses with loans or credit cards can purchase credit insurance, also known as payment protection insurance, to ensure that their payments will still be made in the event of financial shock that prevents them from paying (such as a death, disability or unemployment). Unlike disability insurance, credit insurance does not pay the employer; it simply pays your lenders what you owe. Cyber insurance In the digital era, protecting your company's technology is imperative. Small businesses should seek cyber insurance to protect against loss from cyberattacks like ransomware, viruses and data breaches. Cyber insurance can include data breach insurance (which is good for helping small businesses recover) and cyber liability insurance (which is geared toward larger businesses that need more coverage). Product recall insurance If your business sends out a defective product and needs to recall it from the market, product recall insurance can financially help you do just that. This insurance is typically necessary for manufacturers to cover recall costs related to customer notification, shipping and disposal. Inland marine insurance Small businesses that have movable business property can purchase inland marine insurance to protect their equipment, products, or materials while they're in transit via truck or train. Although "marine" implies water, this insurance only covers transportation over land, as well as property being temporarily warehoused by a third party. Commercial umbrella insurance For an extra layer of protection, business owners can seek out umbrella insurance. Commercial umbrella insurance (similar to personal umbrella insurance, but with higher policy limits) covers the cost of additional liability that exceeds the limits of an underlying policy, such as your general liability or commercial auto insurance. Though often referred to interchangeably with excess liability insurance, commercial umbrella insurance can also sometimes cover claims that the underlying policy wouldn't otherwise cover. Key takeaway: You can protect your business against losses from physical and technological disasters with policies like business interruption insurance and cyber insurance. Choose a combination of insurance There isn't one type of insurance that meets the needs of every business you will need a combination of business insurance plans based on your location, company and industry. Alex Roje, partner at Lathrop GPM, said each small business owner should assess their specific needs and liabilities to come up with the combination that best protects their business. "Consider what sorts of liabilities or issues keep you up at night, and then sit down with a reputable experienced insurance broker and discuss a plan to cover those, and to get her assessment of additional coverages you may need," said Roje. Once you've determined the type of coverage you need, it is imperative that you choose an insurance plan that is comprehensive (or basic) enough to match your associated risk and liability. Roje said pricing shouldn't be the sole driver of the insurance products you buy. "Cheaper is not always the right choice," said Roje. "You may be buying the Pinto version of coverage when you really needed the Ferrari, or at least the Toyota." Key takeaway: Choose a combination of insurance policies that adequately protects you, your business and your employees. How to choose business insurance Finding the right policy for each type of insurance as well as combining the policies you need can be a large task. A few tips can help you navigate this world and optimize your selection without needing to become a bona fide insurance expert. Tally your assets. This is the first step because you need to know exactly what your insurance is supposed to cover. Think about your risks. Every business is subject to a unique set of risks. A company that rents jet skis has very different risks from a dog groomer, but either could be sued if something goes wrong, and both companies have plenty to lose from theft or natural disaster. Consider your responsibilities. Professional services are subject to a whole different kind of risk. You are liable for being an expert when you provide these services. That means honest mistakes or bad advice could get you into legal and financial trouble. It is important to know your responsibilities and have adequate liability coverage for them. Compare coverage to cost. Money is always the great consideration. It's tempting to buy just the minimum coverage to save a few dollars, but it's worth your time to look at comprehensive plans, extra coverage and the fancy add-on features to see everything that might make sense for your circumstances. Editor's note: The contents of this article do not offer legal, business or insurance advice related to the needs of any specific individual business. Please consult your attorney and/or small business insurer to discuss your situation and coverage. Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 22:16:14|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close JAKARTA, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia plans to vaccinate millions of people against COVID-19 at the end of this year in the hope of slowing down the fast transmission of coronavirus in the country. Deputy Chairman of the COVID-19 and National Economic Recovery Committee Erick Thohir said on Thursday that a total of 15 million people would be inoculated with the COVID-19 vaccine in the months ahead. As many as 30 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to be received from the cooperation with the Chinese biopharmaceutical producer Sinovac Biotech and the G42 firm from the United Arab Emirates will be used for the vaccination, he said. "One person will need two doses of vaccine. The vaccination will start at the end of 2020 should the clinical trials run smoothly," Thohir told lawmakers in a session at the parliament. Head of the Food and Drug Control Agency Penny Kusumastuti Lukito said on July 21 that Indonesia has entered the third phase of clinical trials of the vaccine, meaning that the vaccine is close to being approved. Thohir who is also minister for state-owned enterprises pointed out that one person will be vaccinated twice with the second shot given two weeks after the first one. For next year, he said that the government has planned to secure 290 million to 340 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. In addition to cooperation with the two firms, Minister Thohir said Indonesia kept striving to produce vaccines for the virus by itself. President Joko Widodo has stressed that priority of the vaccination would be put on the group of people who are vulnerable to the virus transmission, such as the elderly group and the paramedics. COVID-19 has been spreading in Indonesia with daily confirmed cases at over 1,500. The Health Ministry reported 2,719 new cases on Thursday, bringing the total to 162,884 with the fatalities totaling 7,064. Enditem The above photos are some of the creatures MacKenzie Snovell found in the intertidal zones at Hungry Point on Friday, Aug. 21. Despite the gloomy weather last week, nine students explored the natural world in this year's summer science camp. Every year, the University of Alaska Fairbanks Alaska Sea Grant and the Petersburg Marine Science Center host a summer camp for middle school aged kids in town to expose them to career opportunities in science right here in Petersburg. Normally, the weeklong camp includes hikes, camping trips and whale watching, but because of the COVID-19 pandemic Sunny Rice, of the Alaska Sea Grant and a volunteer with the Petersburg Marine Science Center, had to think of creative alternativ... A teacher at an exclusive Sydney private school has been arrested by the child abuse squad in front of shocked students over the alleged grooming of a 13-year-old girl online. Alexander David Simpson was taken into custody while on campus at Trinity Grammar School, in Summer Hill, in the city's inner west, at 3pm on Thursday. Police will allege the 39-year-old English teacher was sending sexually explicit texts and images to who he believed was a 13-year-old girl, sending some messages while at school. Simpson was taken to Burwood Police Station and charged with two counts, sending indecent material to an under-16 and soliciting child abuse material. Police allege Alexander Simpson (pictured, bottom row) spoke about sexually explicit acts and believed he was sending sexually explicit images to a 13-year-old girl Simpson was arrested while on campus at Trinity Grammar School, in Summer Hill, in the city's inner west, at about 3pm on Thursday (pictured) In an email sent to parents, the school's headmaster, Tim Bowden, moved to reassure parents there was no suggestion any of their children had been mistreated. 'I am writing to inform you that on Thursday August 27, a member of the teaching staff at the Summer Hill campus was placed under arrest by police from the Child Abuse Squad,' Mr Bowden said in a statement to parents on Thursday. 'I am relieved to be able to share that the police have informed me there is no suggestion that offences have been committed against students of the school.' The school came under scrutiny in 2019 after Daily Mail Australia revealed the school spent $1million in school funds fighting a compensation case over a paedophile teacher. Police executed a search warrant at Simpson's home in Padstow Heights, Sydney's south-west, seizing electronic devices and clothing following his arrest. He was refused police bail to face Burwood Local Court on Friday afternoon. 'Police will allege in court that the man believed he was speaking to a 13-year-old girl and engaged in conversations about sexually explicit acts and sent sexually explicit images,' NSW Police said in a statement. 'It will also be alleged that the man was engaging in these conversations on his mobile phone while at work.' The teacher (pictured) was arrested at the elite private school in Sydney's inner west on Thursday The school's headmaster, Tim Bowden, moved to reassure parents there was no suggestion any of their children had been mistreated Simpson, who has a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Teaching from Western Sydney University, has been at the school since 2015. He is involved in multiple co-curricular activities and is a senior member of staff in the school's Cadet Unit. He is also a Year 8 House Tutor and was a member of the Year 10 Charity and Community Committee, according to the school's annual publication, The Triangle. In 2015, he was also a leader in a school voluntary Christian group. Fees at Trinity Grammar School can cost $34,770 annually for students in Year 11 and 12. Neil Futcher, 70, a former teacher at the school, was jailed for 18 years in 2016 for abusing six boys as young as 11 between 1974 and 1981. The school has denied responsibility for Futcher's abuse, claiming it took place during extra-curricular activities including school camps. The matter is still in the NSW Supreme Court. Do you know more? Contact daniel.piotrowski@mailonline.com The teacher (pictured), who has a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Teaching, has been teaching at the school since 2015 Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Laurie Goering (Thomson Reuters Foundation) London, United Kingdom Thu, August 27, 2020 09:45 511 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c40cb2cf 2 World UN,climate-fund,sexism,Racism,harrasment Free Seventeen employees of the world's largest global climate fund, based in South Korea, have complained of sexism, racism and harassment within the troubled United Nations-led project. The current and former Green Climate Fund (GCF) workers said they also suffered or witnessed instances of inappropriate relationships and abuse of power in the workplace in the last three years, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday. In response, the fund's secretariat said it "strongly refutes claims of systematic staffing problems affecting GCF's mission to empower developing countries in taking climate action". It said the fund's Independent Integrity Unit had only substantiated two out of 39 complaints about staff misconduct filed in 2018 and 2019. "We have zero tolerance for all forms of discrimination and abuse," Yannick Glemarec, executive director of the GCF, which is headquartered in Songdo, 30 km southwest of the South Korean capital Seoul, said in a statement. "As the organization matures, we are continually strengthening all our prevention, reporting and investigation mechanisms, and will continue to do so." The allegations come as the #MeToo movement - which began with reports of abuse by former movie producer Harvey Weinstein - has inspired millions to share their stories of harassment. Weinstein was convicted of rape and sexual assault this year. The GCF was created at UN climate change negotiations in 2010 to help developing countries reduce their planet-heating emissions and adapt to climate shifts. It has a $6.2 billion portfolio of projects in more than 100 developing countries, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, and approved $879 million in new projects this month. The staff who made the allegations about the GCF said in a letter seen by the Financial Times that they aimed to hold management accountable for "systemic" sexism and racism and behavior that had "jeopardized" the fund's mission. The fund also has faced criticism after four people who attended a GCF board meeting in Switzerland in March tested positive for the new coronavirus. One, an environmental expert from the Philippines, died this month. The meeting had been shifted from South Korea to Geneva, which at that time had no reported cases of the virus, in an effort to avoid infections, GCF officials said. The fund has previously faced discord over its decision making processes and choices of projects to fund, and has seen turnovers in management. The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono is proud to feature the 'glamour boy' division, the three-year-old pacers, in the last two Pennsylvania All-Stars races of the year. First off, though, the fillies will head postward on Saturday afternoon before the colts take to the track for the Sunday twilight card. There will be a pair of $35,000 divisions of stakes performers in both contests. Sundays action for colts and geldings will find Cattlewash starting from the rail in Race 10, which is the second of the day's All-Stars divisions. Cattlewash seems to be coming into top form now. He recently recorded a 1:50.1 victory at Pocono during sire stakes action, which was then followed up by a good second-place finish to the developing No Lou Zing. David Miller is scheduled to pilot Cattlewash for Poconos leading trainer, Ron Burke. Barrage Hanover has drawn the rail for Sunday's first All-Stars spilt, which has been carded as Race 5. Barrage Hanover was second to Cattlewash in the recent sire stakes race and he also shows a Stallion Series win to his credit. Corey Callahan is down to drive the late-developing Barrage Hanover for trainer Chris Ryder. Tru Lou and Manticore also figure to have some say in the race. Switching the page to Saturday's filly action, the most hotly-anticipated of the races is Race 10, which will feature two superstar fillies, Rocknificent and JK First Lady, in a head-to-head challenge. The two fillies each won Pennsylvania Sire Stakes races at Harrah's Philadelphia nine days ago. Andrew McCarthy and JK First Lady are set to line up in Post 6 for trainer Nancy Takter, while Rocknificent and driver Scott Zeron will start from Post 1 for trainer Linda Toscano. Saturday's second division, which has been carded as Race 11. Five of the race's seven entrants are heading into the tilt off of recent victories in the Pennsylvania Stallion Series (the fastest of those wins belonged to Marloe Hanover, who won in 1:50.4). The Saturday race card begins at 12:30 p.m., while Sundays card has a 5 p.m. first post. (With files from PHHA/Pocono) Every name on the BrandBucket marketplace is exclusively listed with BrandBucket. That means that all of our sellers are very responsive, making for quick domain transfers. A dedicated BrandBucket agent will manage your domain transfer from beginning to end, ensuring a secure and easy transaction. They will manage the receipt of the domain into one of BrandBuckets secure registrar accounts and then complete the transfer to you. 1. 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Once we know where you would like the domain transferred, BrandBucket will request the domain from the seller. All of our sellers are very responsive, making for a quick process. 3. Transfer the name into your account As soon as we receive the name from the seller, we start the transfer into your account and guide you through the whole process. 4. Verify with the buyer that the transfer is complete Once we confirm that you have received the name, we consider the escrow process to be complete. Only then do we release payment to the domain seller. MINNEAPOLIS - After a Black man fatally shot himself on a pedestrian plaza in downtown Minneapolis, rumours of another police shooting in the city still reeling from the death of George Floyd began spreading quickly on social media, sending concerned residents and activists to the area many of them anxious and some of them misinformed. Tensions and anger have been running high in Minneapolis since Floyds May 25 death, and some activists say community members are mobilizing more quickly as incidents occur refusing to wait for explanations from a city police department they dont trust. But others say the unrest that unfolded Wednesday which damaged multiple business and resulted in more than 130 arrests had nothing to do with anger, but was due to opportunists intent on committing crimes. I just think that things have reached a boiling point and people are fed up, said community activist Nekima Levy Armstrong. Now were at a breaking point where there is no tolerance for even a hint of police abuse or police murder. Emotions have remained raw over the death of Floyd, a handcuffed Black man who died after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee against Floyds neck for nearly eight minutes. Floyds death sparked protests worldwide, including several nights of violence in Minneapolis. Demonstrators also gathered in Minneapolis this week to protest after Jacob Blake, a Black man, was shot multiple times by police in Wisconsin on Sunday, leaving him paralyzed. Wednesdays unrest began after a man who was suspected in a homicide shot himself in a retail area as police were closing in. Police released surveillance video within 90 minutes that confirmed the police account of a suicide, as Police Chief Medaria Arradondo tried to dispel rumours circulating on social media. Levy Armstrong said she went to the scene and showed the video to demonstrators, and some of them left. But she said she understands why some people would think the police were to blame, saying: Theres no reason to trust the Minneapolis police, based on their years of egregious and abusive conduct. Jaylani Hussein, executive director of the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said Floyds death has changed the way people respond to police incidents. I think as soon as something like this happens, you are going to see people immediately hit the streets upset. I think this is the new norm and we just have to create better communication, he said. We are in a different time when people are more concerned. People are not just walking by police misconduct anymore. Businesses were burglarized during the unrest and authorities said two officers were injured. The Fire Department responded to four fires at area businesses. Mayor Jacob Frey and the chief said future violence would not be tolerated, as workers at various businesses boarded up windows and swept broken glass from the sidewalk. Members of the National Guard were activated to help and Frey set another curfew for Thursday night, when officers made more than 30 arrests in the first hour after the curfew but the protests remained mostly peaceful. Tanzil Sallahudiin, 22, a Black man from Minneapolis, who was taking photos downtown, said it was sad to see buildings broken into because some people couldnt get their facts straight. A lot of people are just tired, pretty much, tired of the same stuff. And automatically people are guessing that the police killed him, because thats what were used to seeing, I guess. A lot of people are just programmed that way, he said, adding that after people see a man die in the street, they automatically think its the police. Misinformation has fueled unrest elsewhere too. Earlier this month, hundreds of people streamed into downtown Chicago after a video circulating on Facebook falsely claimed that Chicago police had shot and killed a 15-year-old boy. Vandals smashed the windows of dozens of businesses and made off with merchandise and cash machines. But there was no teenage boy shot and killed by police. Police had shot and wounded a 20-year-old man they say had fired at them. Police Superintendent David Brown said the shooting of the man prompted a social media post urging people to form a car caravan and head to Chicagos business and shopping district. Police made over 100 arrests, and 13 officers were hurt. Minneapolis City Council Member Jeremiah Ellison, a leader of the effort to overhaul the police force following Floyds death, called for understanding about why the violence broke out. MPD did not kill him, but people assuming they did is rooted in a steep distrust, he tweeted. That distrust is our failure to own. Seeing windows broken and items stolen can be beyond frustrating, especially when all that rage was sparked (this time) by misinformation. But so often our policing institutions have themselves been the source of misinformation. We forfeited our goodwill and this is the ugly cost. Longtime peace activist KG Wilson also went to the scene after he heard someone had been killed. He learned after arriving that it was a suicide, but said members of the crowd wouldnt listen to him or didnt care. Some insisted the man was shot by police, while others just seized on the opportunity to create chaos. Im down there trying to tell this angry mob of people who are ranting and raging, using profanities and throwing bottles at police Just calm down, just stay peaceful, Wilson said. But, he said, even after it was clear that the incident was not a police shooting, a group of opportunists used the confusion to commit crimes. They were wrong last night. They were completely, 100% wrong. There is no, I was mad about something else, Wilson said. You are going to be held accountable for this. The Abokobi District Police Command on Wednesday arrested 11 land guards at Danfa for terrorizing landowners in the area. They are Sulley Seidu, 48, Hamidu Abass, 45, Mohammed Mubarrack, 40, Agbesse Kwame, 35, Daniel Awase 44 and Mussah Teiru, 32. Others are Sanussi Alhassan, 29, Donkor Alhassan, 37, Abdul Gafal, 24, Andrews Opata, 35 and Salam Dauda, 29. Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Effia Tenge, Head of Public Affairs Unit of the Accra Regional Police Command on wednesday told the Ghana News Agency in Accra. She said at about 1030 hours on August 26, 2020, the Abokobi District Command received tip off that there was an ongoing land guard activities at Danfa, a suburb of Abokobi. DSP Tenge said The District patrol team swiftly proceeded to the scene and met the under listed suspects who were identified as land guards, who had been persistently terrorizing, harassing and driving away innocent land owners from their building sites. She said Police subsequently rounded the susupects up to the Ayi Mensah Police Station for questioning. She said during the operation, a Mercedes Benz 4x4 vehicle with registration number GT 6700-Y and two unregistered motorbikes used by the said land guards around the area were also impounded. DSP Tenge said land guard activities had been rampant in Abokobi and its environs, which had become a threat to security in the Municipality. She said the exercise would continue eliminate these deviant characters from the area. GNA New Zealand mosque gunman Brenton Tarrant waived his right to speak at his sentencing hearing in Christchurch on Wednesday, in a dramatic twist after the court heard more than 90 horrific victim statements. Tarrant, who sacked his lawyers last month, had admitted 51 charges of murder, 40 of attempted murder and one of terrorism over the attacks at the Al Noor and Linwood mosques in Christchurch on March 15 last year. Defendants in New Zealand have the right to address the court and there had been speculation Tarrant would use his sentencing to promote his extremist views, leading to strict restrictions on media reporting the case. But when judge Cameron Mander asked if he wanted to speak -- after sitting through three days of anguished and angry testimonies from more than 90 survivors and bereaved families in which he was frequently called "a loser" and "a coward" -- Tarrant declined. A court-appointed lawyer will make a brief statement on his behalf before Mander delivers his sentence on Thursday. The Australian white supremacist, 29, is expected to become the first person in New Zealand imprisoned for life without prospect of parole. Shortly before waiving his right to speak, Tarrant was face-to-face with Abdul Aziz, who was hailed a hero when he chased the gunman from the Linwood mosque. "I saw the fear in his eyes when he was running for his life," Aziz told the court. "You know the face, the one who chased you out," he told Tarrant who sat a few metres away, maintaining the same passive demeanour he had shown throughout the three days of harrowing testimony. - 'The fire awaits you' - When Tarrant opened fire through a window at the mosque, the 49-year-old Aziz grabbed a credit-card payment machine and ran outside, passing the bodies of an elderly couple, until he saw "this coward, gutless person" and threw the machine at him. "Then he started shooting at me directly from three or four metres. I ducked in between the cars," he said. Story continues "I went to the back car park and told him, 'Come here. You looking for me?' I didn't want him to go inside the mosque. At that time I knew I was going to lose my life." But Tarrant ran to his car, allowing Aziz the chance to pick up a discarded rifle and throw it at the vehicle. "When it smashed his side window I could see in his eyes he feared for his own life... you should thank God on that day I did not catch you," Aziz told Tarrant. "You will never forget these two eyes you ran from." Aden Diriye, the father of three-year-old Mucaad Ibrahim who was shot dead at close range by Tarrant, called the killer an "evil man" whose atrocity had failed in its goal to sow hatred and fear. Diriye told Tarrant to "know that true justice is waiting for you in the next life and that will be far more severe (than prison). I will never forgive you for what you have done. "You have killed my son and to me that is as though you have killed the whole of New Zealand. "I will never forget how he would play in the mosque and make friends with every worshipper who attended, young and old. He was adored by all. "Your atrocity and hatred did not turn out the way you expected. Instead it has united our Christchurch community, strengthened our faith, raised the honour of our families and brought our peaceful nation together." - 'Rot in hell' - Hasmine Mohamedhosen, whose brother Mohamed was killed, called Tarrant the "son of a devil" who she wanted to "rot in hell between the four walls of your cell for eternity". Ahad Nabi, whose father Haji Daoud Nabi was killed in Al Noor mosque, said Tarrant should never be allowed to walk free. "While you are in prison you will come to realise that you are now in hell and only the fire awaits you," he said. Mustafa Boztas, who was shot in the leg, likened Tarrant to "a rotten cloth that has been thrown away after dirty work. "You are not even a human, not even an animal, since animals are beneficial to the world," he said. John Milne, whose 14-year-old son Sayyad was murdered, said since the killings his mental health had suffered, leading to a spell in a psychiatric ward. "There is a huge hole in my heart that will only heal when I meet Sayyad again in heaven," he said. "I hope to see you there too, Brenton, and if you get the chance I'd love you to say sorry to Sayyad. I'm sure he's forgiven you too." cf/arb/ns/kaf By June, the Mets director, Max Hollein, was apologizing for a botched statement of solidarity with Black Lives Matter after the killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor ignited online arguments over museums past and present wrongdoings. Later that month he had to apologize again, after a senior curator misstepped on Instagram as protesters nationwide pulled down statues. Mr. Hollein, using far more direct language than his predecessors, conceded that There is no doubt that the Met and its development is also connected with a logic of what is defined as white supremacy. So the museum that reopens to the public Saturday, after by far the longest closure in its history, has taken some knocks, and Making the Met now has to answer weightier questions. Just what kind of institution is this? How does this museum, does any universal museum, give an account of itself today? Andrea Bayer, the Mets deputy director for collections and administration, and Laura D. Corey, a senior researcher at the museum, have tried to craft that account with a team of hundreds, all credited by name at the entrance to Making the Met. Its more than 250 objects are displayed, roughly speaking, by the date the Met acquired them rather than the period or place they were made. This unusual organizing principle lets you map the growth of the Met from room to room, even as it creates strange, riveting juxtapositions across time. Canadian intelligence assessments of Saddams Iraq got it right, new research paper says, Aug. 23 Many pundits and politicians have claimed that ungrateful Iraqis rejected Americas gift of freedom and chose sectarian violence after the 2003 U.S. invasion. That slipshod incursion created the conditions for violent chaos and inspired Al Qaeda and later ISIS to enter the country. Since the illegal 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, more than 1.5 million Iraqis have been killed by military assaults, sectarian violence, terrorism, starvation and disease. The Canadian Press recently reported that Canadas accurate 2003 assessment of Iraqs weapons of mass destruction capabilities contradicted the U.S. position later used to justify the invasion and occupation of Saddam Husseins Iraq. In spite of Jean Chretiens refusal to commit Canadian troops to Iraqi combat, he did approve ammunition sales to the U.S. military for use in Iraq. While perfectly legal, such deals are a prime example of the sort of detached cynicism that views armed conflict as a business opportunity. In 2008, Prime Minister Stephen Harper admitted that his public support for the 2003 U.S. invasion had been a mistake. While there is no way to predict the human cost had Canadian combat troops deployed to Iraq, the U.S. casualty rate is instructive. As John Tirman of MIT says, Expediency (has) usually trumped principle in U.S. foreign policy The result has predictably, been a growing antipathy for America and its hypocrisies The avatar of that antipathy has been militant Islam. We remain deaf to this lesson, at our peril. The US is pushing Chinese firms listed on Wall Street to become more transparent or risk being kicked off US exchanges. China says it has made concessions in proposing to let U.S. regulators to audit some of its most sensitive companies and is calling for direct talks to solve a years-long dispute that threatens global markets. In an interview in Beijing on Wednesday, Fang Xinghai, vice chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, said China is sincere in wanting to solve the standoff over the accounting issues. U.S. officials have recently stepped up a push to gain access to audit working papers for Chinese companies that trade in the U.S., threatening rules that would trigger delisting shares such as those of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. and Baidu Inc. if the request isnt met. The standoff has dogged relations for years and deteriorated since 2017, after a trial inspections done jointly by Chinese and American regulators failed to yield an agreement. Fang said on Wednesday that earlier this month, the CSRC sent the U.S.s Public Company Accounting Oversight Board a fresh proposal, which would allow the U.S. to pick any of its state-owned enterprises for another trial run. China though would still insist on redacting some information because of national security concerns, a condition Fang described as an international norm. As both sides gain confidence we can proceed to handling these sensitive issues so that both sides are satisfied, he said. They are a bit more urgent. We are very sincere, but on the other hand we are also serious about protecting national security information. Chinas securities regulator had previously proposed in April that joint inspections begin with private-sector companies before moving onto state-owned entities, which are more likely to involve security concerns, Fang said. Though some materials for private-sector firms could also be redacted because companies such as Alibaba and Baidu have contracts with the government and other sensitive agencies, he said. The PCAOB, however, wanted to be able to begin with state-owned entities, which China has agreed to in its latest proposal. Fang said he has reached out to the U.S. to hold a video or phone meeting, but has yet to get a response. As to why another pilot auditing project hasnt taken place since 2017, Fang said it could be due to the general atmosphere. When Fang went to the U.S. in September 2019 to try to solve this issue, the chairman of the PCAOB refused to meet him and instead sent one of his department heads, said a person familiar, who declined to be named discussing a private matter. In the past, the previous PCAOB chairman had been happy to meet and talk, the person said. For more than a decade we have sought to establish a cooperative relationship with China that is consistent with others around the world, PCAOB Chairman William Duhnke said in a Wednesday statement. Such a relationship, however, cannot be meaningfully pursued without the Chinese first embracing our core access principles. Despite the CSRCs recent claims, its proposals remain materially deficient. Financial Fears After a protracted trade dispute that has roiled markets over the past three years, tensions between China and the U.S. are now spilling over onto the financial and technology sectors with tit-for-tat sanctions over a crackdown on Hong Kong and threats against some of Chinas biggest companies. Fang said that no one stands to gain from a financial decoupling between the two nations and that it would be bad for both New York as a financial center and for Chinese companies. The disputes are playing out against a backdrop of China this year opening its financial markets more fully to Wall Street giants such as Goldman Sachs Group Inc., counting on them to provide fresh investments and foster a more competitive local industry. This has proceeded unhindered with the most approvals being granted to U.S. financial institutions and is expected to gain pace as the Chinese economy gathers steam, Fang said. The presence of foreign investors in our market has provided kind of an anchor, he said. The continued presence of foreign investors in our market will help promote the quality of our stock market. Both from a demand and supply point of view I do expect that foreign participation in our market, whether its providing services or providing capital, will accelerate. Former deputy attorney general Yassin Choukri was arrested by police in Ontario on Wednesday, 12 days after a Canada-wide warrant was issued for his arrest on fraud charges. Choukri is in the custody of Peel regional police, Alycia Bartlett, a spokesperson for the Fredericton police, said Thursday morning. "Plans are currently being made to return Mr. Choukri to New Brunswick to answer to the fraud charges and continue with court proceedings," she said in a statement. In an earlier release Bartlett said Choukri had turned himself in but later clarified he had been arrested by the Peel regional police. She added more information will be available later. A warrant was issued earlier this month for the disbarred Fredericton lawyer, who is charged with eight counts of fraud for allegedly misappropriating more than $700,000 from clients before he disappeared from New Brunswick several years ago. Choukri, 53, has been charged with seven counts of indictable fraud over $5,000, and one count of indictable fraud under $5,000. Choukri's last known address is in the Greater Toronto Area. Choukri was disbarred by the Law Society of New Brunswick in 2017 after a discipline hearing determined he had misappropriated more than $720,000 from 10 former clients over several years. The law society handed its evidence over to the Fredericton police in late 2017. Wardrobe stylist Lindsey Clough, who works primarily on commercials, at Cargo Costume in Los Angeles. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) For Lindsey Clough, June 15 was a memorable date. The wardrobe stylist celebrated her 38th birthday on the same day filming finally resumed after the COVID-19 pandemic had shut down production. The Eagle Rock mother of two had spent nearly 100 days at home with her family, without even a visit to a grocery store. Then she was back on a South L.A. set filming a commercial for a big brand. She expected to see mask wearing, social distancing, widespread sanitizing and other safety protocols. But she was alarmed by what she saw. "I started to notice that some things just weren't happening," said Clough, who has worked on commercials for McDonald's, BMW and other big brands. The van used to transport crew to and from set wasn't sanitized between uses. Windows were sometimes closed and crew members occasionally took off their masks to eat in the van, she said, contrary to guidelines developed for commercials producers. She raised her worries with the person in charge of compliance with COVID-19 safety, but says her concerns were ignored. She decided to drive her own car on set. "They might have thought I was overreacting, but I have the right to a safe workspace and to get the things that I was promised," Clough said. As Hollywood returns to production, crew members have voiced concerns that some commercial shoots are cutting corners on safety measures intended to protect workers from outbreaks of the virus. Last month, Clough was among 700 crew members who signed a letter to the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), calling for more stringent COVID-19 safety protocols for those working on commercial sets. They argued that the existing guidelines are lax compared with the more rigorous measures that apply to film and TV productions, which require mandatory testing and COVID-compliance officers. "We are each working under individual and variable levels of safety," stated the petition, first reported on by Deadline. Story continues Jonas Loeb, spokesman for IATSE, which represents 150,000 crew members working on productions in the U.S. and Canada, declined to comment. Commercial productions are big employers in Southern California. Advertising-related shoots, including live-action commercials, have accounted for half of permits issued in the Los Angeles region since production resumed in June, compared with the typical level of 25% before the pandemic, according to FilmLA, which handles film permits for the city and county. FilmLA President Paul Audley said he was not aware of any safety compliance problems on commercials permitted to film in the county. After months without work, some crew worry about having to turn down jobs in order to keep their families safe from disease. "Once you're actually there and on set, you start to feel as people really fall back into their old way of working because we're just so conditioned to please and to work very quickly and to say yes to everything," Clough said. "You don't know that in a crew of 60-plus people, that everybody takes this virus as seriously as you do." Hollywood unions are still hashing out the finer details around safety guidelines agreed to earlier this summer with major studios. The measures require employers to use effective testing methods and outline protocols around protective equipment, social distancing and sanitization of gear and equipment, including vans. The unions released a more detailed paper in June called the Safe Way Forward, including steps such as how often different cast and crew should be tested given their exposure and requirements for compensation if a member gets sick. The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers has yet to agree to this. The guidelines developed in June by the Assn. of Independent Commercial Producers, whose members are involved in making 85% of all commercials aired nationally, differ in many ways from either of those two. For example, while the AMPTP and union-formed white paper suggests "one or more autonomous COVID-19 Compliance Officer(s) with specialized training, responsibility and authority," the AICP guidelines recommend nominating a COVID-19 compliance assistant. Evan Rohde, a Venice-based production designer who helped organize the petition to IATSE, wants the same level of safety across productions. "When you look at all these stories put together, it's not that one production screwed up or one production succeeded, but the inconsistency across the board is what's so challenging," Rohde said. He has relied on his savings and got a small loan to tide him over as he doesn't believe it is safe to go back to work. Production designer Evan Rohde was involved in organizing a petition over conditions on commercials sets. (Evan Rohde) One other complicating factor is that crew can work both non-union and union productions. Non-union productions don't have to comply with union guidelines. AICP President Matt Miller said the letter to IATSE was the "opinion of a handful of [union] members not based on fact." He said it's not practical for commercial producers to follow the same set of guidelines as film and TV crews, which have larger crews and shoot over longer periods. Miller said the association's guidelines have kept commercial sets safe from outbreaks of the virus. "Certainly we've seen cases, but they haven't led to outbreaks, which says that when you are doing all the things that need to be done," he said. Under the AICP guidelines, testing for fevers or for presence of the virus in a crew member is not mandatory. Instead, the guidelines require a questionnaire about symptoms that crew fill out themselves. L.A. County health officials have exempted short-running productions such as commercials from testing workers. "The opt-out recognizes the unique nature of commercials and the size of the crew as well as the duration," said Miller. The fastest antigen tests are not as reliable as nasal swabs, and the more reliable ones are less available, Miller added. Matt Miller, President of the Association of Independent Commercial Producers. (AICP) Miller said his group has asked union representatives to flag any safety issues they witness. "Anybody seen not complying with the protocols should be fired immediately and sent packing and not rehired," he said. SAG-AFTRA, which represents 160,000 actors and other performers, believes commercials should be testing like bigger shoots. SAG-AFTRA's Duncan Crabtree-Ireland. (SAG-AFTRA) "We view the fundamental safety protocols as applicable across all types of work," said Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, SAG-AFTRAs chief operating officer and general counsel, who is leading the unions safety and reopening initiative. "Testing should be in place unless an exception is warranted, such as when performers work entirely from home. How anyone can say there's no value in getting tested because the production is of short duration, our scientists disagree completely with that, and logic disagrees with that." Moreover production assistants should not double up as COVID compliance supervisors, he said. "They have to have a level of authority that people will take them seriously," he said. L.A-based director Kim O. Nguyen, who has worked remotely on three commercials since the restart, said she told employers to plan for new working conditions. "It's important for myself as a director that I have conversations with clients and agencies to discuss how important safety is, that things will take longer, that we need to be more patient," she said. West Hollywood-based camera assistant Daisy Smith, who signed the petition, worries about the rush to return to production, noting that film sets are typically busy, crowded places with crews rushing around to meet tight deadlines. On one job, a crew member had tested positive and production was suspended until all the crew could be tested, said Smith, a 30-year veteran of commercial shoots. On another job, a person in charge of compliance did not appear to enforce rules and there were no hand-washing stations. "The hand sanitizer ran out and I came away from that just thinking nothing has changed at all about the way production is run, except now we wear masks," Smith said. Similarly, Clough witnessed others doing what she believed was unsafe, such as 15 people crowding into the bedroom of a house to film a scene. Part of the problem, she said, was often that the person charged with enforcing safety guidelines either wasn't around or didn't seem empowered. "They are such well-meaning documents," she said of the safety guidelines. "But when things start costing money and things start going very quickly, they will be thrown out the window." The sister of a man fatally shot by a Tennessee police officer last year has filed a wrongful death lawsuit in federal court alleging excessive force. Channara Tom Pheap, 33, was running away and posed no imminent threat to Knoxville Police Officer Dylan Williams when Williams shot him in the back last August in the parking lot of an apartment building, according to the lawsuit filed Wednesday by Pheaps sister Sophia Pheap. Williams has disputed that account and said he shot Pheap after the man tried to choke him and then wrestled away his Taser and shocked him with it. In November, Knox County District Attorney General Charme Allen ruled that Williams use of deadly force was appropriate and legal. The lawsuit says the city and the police department have consistently failed to properly train and discipline officers who use force. It seeks $10 million in damages from the city, news outlets reported. Police spokesman Scott Erland said Thursday that the city doesnt comment on pending litigation. At the time of the shooting, police said Pheap, who is of Cambodian descent, was killed after a physical struggle. The lawsuit says Williams, who is white, was looking for a female driver suspected of fleeing a traffic accident and stopped Pheap and began to search him. The lawsuit says Pheap tried to get away and the two struggled. Williams fired his weapon when Pheap was more than 13 yards (12 metres) away and fleeing, according to the lawsuit. At the moment Officer Williams fired the two shots at Mr. Pheap and killed him, the altercation between the two men had ended, the lawsuit states. They were separated by approximately 40 feet, by one witness account, with Mr. Pheap unarmed and running away from Officer Williams. Williams said he fired his weapon because Pheap had shot him with a stun gun, and he thought the hit-and-run suspect would incapacitate him. Prosecutors last year determined that Williams feared for his life and said forensic evidence and witness accounts backed up Williams version of events. The lawsuit says the incident is an example of how officers are improperly trained in nonviolent de-escalation techniques and the proper use of nonlethal force. Don Bosch, Williams attorney, told WBIR-TV on Wednesday that his client was not at fault. While Mr. Pheaps death was tragic, Officer Williams was left with no other choice but to defend himself and others from Mr. Pheaps unlawful actions. We are confident, as with past legal reviews, that any future legal scrutiny will demonstrate Officer Williams acted appropriately. A soldier who hacked a female colleague's Snapchat account and blackmailed her with explicit photographs to 'distress and humiliate' her has been jailed for three years. Private Michael Kewley, 22, of 4 Regiment Royal Logistic Core, threatened to send the images of the woman to her friends and family and told her she would be 'punished' unless she sent him more nude pictures. He also sold the images online, offering 50 per cent discounts for the first customers, and in one month made at least 200 from the photographs. Over a period of nearly a year he 'systematically' sent hundreds of messages to the female Private, who cannot be named for legal reasons, from various accounts. Private Michael Kewley (pictured outside Bulford Military Court in Wiltshire), 22, hacked into a female colleague's Snapchat account and threatened to sent out explicit images of her to her friends and family On Wednesday Bulford Military Court in Wiltshire heard that the woman was initially contacted on Facebook messenger by a 'Joshscott1004' who said that he had explicit photos of her. He said that he would send them to all her friends and family unless she sent him more. A few months later, an account called 'Joshgibbbo' messaged her, again requesting more explicit photos. She then began to receive daily messages from the fake accounts. Prosecuting, Lindsay Zalkin, said: 'The messages got increasingly more threatening. 'He said he would f**k her life up, that she would be punished, and that her and her parent's family information would be stolen. '[He] created several accounts and hacked into Snapchat accounts and removed photographs that he has then used as part of the blackmail. 'His conduct was intended to maximise distress and humiliation.' Around this time a friend of the woman spoke to her to say that she had also been contacted by a 'Joshgibbo' who had tried to blackmail her. She said that she had been sent naked images of the victim and was warned that she would also be hacked if she didn't send him images. Eventually, in an attempt to get the messages to stop, the victim decided to send a few explicit photographs. She sent nine photos of herself in underwear and one in which she was completely naked. She soon became aware that the photographs had been sent to ten people via her own Instagram account, which had also been hacked. A short while later she received another Facebook request from an account under the name of 'Sarah Glass'. The account said it was 'Josh and he was back'. He said that he would be adding her friends and sending out her photographs. The soldier was sentenced to three years and four months in prison at Bulford Military Court in Wiltshire The woman was then contacted by an ex-partner who told her he had also been sent a message by 'Sarah Glass' including five or six images of the victim alongside the comment '50 per cent off if you buy before midnight'. Finally, after reporting the messages to the RMP and the police, IP address analysis of the phone was undertaken to establish who was accessing the woman's social media accounts. It led officers to Kewley's house, which he shared with his wife. The ex-Private's phone was found to contain 361 images and videos of the victim. His bank statement from December 2018 also showed he was in receipt of 200 via PayPal for the pictures. Kewley left the armed forces in January of this year. Bulford Military Court, Wilts, heard a statement from the victim, which said: 'It had an impact on my trust in people. The information he knew was information only people close to me knew about. 'I had no idea who this person was and I became paranoid because I thought he was getting this information from my friends. 'On one occasion he sent me a screenshot of a map showing he was at [my base]. He knew where I was.' In mitigation, Andrew Stone, said: '[He] was not himself at this time, despite the fact that these events took place over a considerable number of months.' Sentencing him, Assistant Judge Advocate General Alistair McGrigor said: 'Your behaviour was deliberate, consistent, systematic and controlling. 'You were clearly getting some satisfaction from this behaviour. 'They [the victims] were clearly very distressed by your unrelenting behaviour and lost trust in their service colleagues.' Kewley, who had pleaded guilty to two counts of blackmail and a third count of disclosing sexual photographs, remained emotionless as he was sentenced to three years and four months in prison. YEREVAN, AUGUST 27, ARMENPRESS. Issues related to the mechanisms of investing universal declaration of income of citizens were discussed at the Government on August 27 headed by PM Pashinyan. As ARMENPRESS was informed from the office of the Prime Minister, a number of proposals and observations were presented during exchange of ideas. Nikol Pashinyan highlighted the investment of the culture of income declaration, emphasizing that the aim of this reform is shaping state-oriented mentality and civic responsibility. The PM tasked to continue the works for elaborating mechanisms for universal income declaration and present proposals. Woolworths boss Brad Banducci has called for a structured, step-by-step approach to ending the stage four restrictions in Victoria after the state government's regulations created chaos for supermarkets in early August. The supermarket giant reported bumper sales for the 2019-20 financial year, with revenue rising 8.1 per cent to $63.6 billion off the back of coronavirus panic buying. Sales have continued to grow in the current financial year, up 12.8 per cent across the company since the start of July. Panic buying has boosted Woolworths' revenues. But the increased demand came at a price. Credit:Renee Nowytarger However, those sales were almost derailed in Victoria due to the government's stage four restrictions on warehouse and distribution centre staffing, which were modified after supermarkets warned they could lead to food shortages. "It was a very challenging couple of weeks for us all," Mr Banducci said. "It's nice to [now] be in a world where the rules are clear." 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. Subscriber content preview SEATTLE An office building at 2124 Fourth Ave. sold for $15.5 million, according to King County records. The seller was Lady White Investments LLC, which acquired the property in 2014 for a bit over $10 million. . . . Bakanov has called on other agencies to focus on proper information and technical support of the election process. Security officials will make additional efforts to prevent the attempts of interference in the Central Election Commission's automated systems, says SBU chief Ivan Bakanov. Speaking at the meeting of the National Security and Defense Council's meeting on August 27, Bakanov called on other agencies to focus on proper information and technical support of the election process. The security chief pointed to the "Local Elections" automated system. Read alsoSBU says persons cooperating with Russia should be banned from running for electionsThe SBU will "use additional means to prevent any attempts to interfere in the operations of the CEC's automated systems," Bakanov concluded. Local elections in Ukraine: background The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, the country's parliament, on July 15 scheduled the next local elections for October 25. They will be held in line with the new electoral legislation that came into force on January 1, 2020. President Volodymyr Zelensky has instructed the relevant authorities to prepare for the holding of local elections given the current epidemiological restrictions due to COVID-19. RACINE If you walked or drove by Olympia Brown Unitarian Universalist Church, Monument Square or near Pershing Park Boat Launch in Downtown Racine Wednesday morning and early afternoon, you may have felt transported back in time to the early 20th century. A group of women gathered at Olympia Brown, 625 College Ave., dressed in white gowns, hats and purple sashes traditional attire of the suffragette movement and hoped to spread their message to vote in the coming election and be counted in the census that is underway. These 25 women honored the suffragist women of 100 years ago by commemorating the adoption of the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution. Wednesday was Womens Equality Day the commemoration celebrating Aug. 26, 1920, the date American women won the right to vote. Celebrating 100 years After organizing at about 10 a.m., they held a banner that was used 25 years ago during a celebration at Memorial Hall and in the Fourth of July Parade. They also partook in a program of song and speeches. The speeches honored women, the suffragists and acknowledged the recent events of violence in Kenosha following the shooting of James Blake by police. Pastor Karen Norton of Gospel Mission Ministries was a speaker and she called upon the audience to examine their hearts in a moment of silence for James Blake. A drive-by was also planned because it adhered to COVID-19 guidelines of not gathering in large groups, and those who did gather outside the church were masked. Cars filled with 10 women in 10 different caravans drove past Olympia Brown Church, honking and hollering in support of the cause. They also drove through neighborhoods to spread the message to vote and be counted in the census. The women either standing by the church or driving by included those from: the 9to5 Association of Working Women; the Wisconsin Action Network, an organization backing progressive causes; the Racine County Counts census promotion organization; the George Bray Neighborhood YMCA; District 2 Alderman Mollie Jones; District 5 County Board Supervisor Jody Spencer; and representatives from three churches St. Patricks Catholic Church, Gregg Chapel Christian Methodist Episcopal Church and Olympia Brown Church. I think there was a good diversity of people involved, said Rachel Trobaugh, who dressed as a suffragette and is a member of Olympia Brown UUC. She wore a dress Wednesday she made 25 years ago for the celebration then. Ive sewed since I was in eighth grade, so it was natural thing for me to do, she said. I wanted to look old-fashioned or more authentic for the occasion. Gretchen Cabrera and Julieta Flores crafted the purple sashes for everyone at the church. A significant milestone Trobaugh has known Diana Garza Valencia for at least 25 years and the two planned the event together. One hundred years, thats a significant anniversary. (Garza Valencia) and I both felt we couldnt let it slide by without doing anything, Trobaugh said. Garza Valencia is a part of 9to5 and she said the event was exciting. She asked friends to join and gathered everyone via email. These friends included someone she met at McDonalds and someone she met through the Visioning a Greater Racine Choir. Weve had a lot of good things and good people inspiring us to keep moving forward because this is difficult to do (without support), Garza Valencia said. Its very important that we all come together and are working together to make a big difference. After the program, the Olympia Brown UUC group gathered near the Pershing Park Boat Launch, 1 Fifth St., for photos. The League of Women Voters also gathered in Monument Square for similar reasons. Some LWV members are also a part of the Olympia Brown UUC group. Overall, the event was very successful, Garza Valencia said. I had a lot of fun. I think the other women also enjoyed it very much, Trobaugh said. Its very important that we all come together and are working together to make a big difference. Diana Garza Valencia, commemoration co-organizer Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. How do you pick the next stock to invest in? One way would be to spend days of research browsing through thousands of publicly traded companies. However, an easier way is to look at the stocks that smart money investors are collectively bullish on. Hedge funds and other institutional investors usually invest large amounts of capital and have to conduct due diligence while choosing their next pick. They don't always get it right, but, on average, their stock picks historically generated strong returns after adjusting for known risk factors. With this in mind, lets take a look at the recent hedge fund activity surrounding Humana Inc (NYSE:HUM) and determine whether hedge funds had an edge regarding this stock. Humana Inc (NYSE:HUM) has experienced an increase in support from the world's most elite money managers lately. Our calculations also showed that HUM isn't among the 30 most popular stocks among hedge funds (click for Q2 rankings and see the video for a quick look at the top 5 stocks). Video: Watch our video about the top 5 most popular hedge fund stocks. So, why do we pay attention to hedge fund sentiment before making any investment decisions? Our research has shown that hedge funds' small-cap stock picks managed to beat the market by double digits annually between 1999 and 2016, but the margin of outperformance has been declining in recent years. Nevertheless, we were still able to identify in advance a select group of hedge fund holdings that outperformed the S&P 500 ETFs by more than 56 percentage points since March 2017 (see the details here). We were also able to identify in advance a select group of hedge fund holdings that underperformed the market by 10 percentage points annually between 2006 and 2017. Interestingly the margin of underperformance of these stocks has been increasing in recent years. Investors who are long the market and short these stocks would have returned more than 27% annually between 2015 and 2017. We have been tracking and sharing the list of these stocks since February 2017 in our quarterly newsletter. Even if you aren't comfortable with shorting stocks, you should at least avoid initiating long positions in stocks that are in our short portfolio. Story continues Lee Ainslie MAVERICK CAPITAL Lee Ainslie of Maverick Capital At Insider Monkey we scour multiple sources to uncover the next great investment idea. Currently, investors are pessimistic about commercial real estate investments. So, we are checking out this contrarian play to diversify our market exposure. We go through lists like the 10 most profitable companies in America to pick the best large-cap stocks to buy. Even though we recommend positions in only a tiny fraction of the companies we analyze, we check out as many stocks as we can. We read hedge fund investor letters and listen to stock pitches at hedge fund conferences. If you want to find out the best healthcare stock to buy right now, you can watch our latest hedge fund manager interview here. With all of this in mind let's analyze the fresh hedge fund action surrounding Humana Inc (NYSE:HUM). Hedge fund activity in Humana Inc (NYSE:HUM) At the end of June, a total of 73 of the hedge funds tracked by Insider Monkey were bullish on this stock, a change of 4% from the previous quarter. Below, you can check out the change in hedge fund sentiment towards HUM over the last 20 quarters. So, let's check out which hedge funds were among the top holders of the stock and which hedge funds were making big moves. When looking at the institutional investors followed by Insider Monkey, Lone Pine Capital, founded by Stephen Mandel, holds the most valuable position in Humana Inc (NYSE:HUM). Lone Pine Capital has a $939.9 million position in the stock, comprising 4.7% of its 13F portfolio. On Lone Pine Capital's heels is Renaissance Technologies, founded by Jim Simons, holding a $902.4 million position; the fund has 0.8% of its 13F portfolio invested in the stock. Other peers that hold long positions comprise Cliff Asness's AQR Capital Management, Lee Ainslie's Maverick Capital and Ric Dillon's Diamond Hill Capital. In terms of the portfolio weights assigned to each position BloombergSen allocated the biggest weight to Humana Inc (NYSE:HUM), around 8.19% of its 13F portfolio. Maverick Capital is also relatively very bullish on the stock, earmarking 6.33 percent of its 13F equity portfolio to HUM. With a general bullishness amongst the heavyweights, some big names have been driving this bullishness. Senator Investment Group, managed by Doug Silverman and Alexander Klabin, established the largest position in Humana Inc (NYSE:HUM). Senator Investment Group had $135.7 million invested in the company at the end of the quarter. Aaron Cowen's Suvretta Capital Management also made a $61.7 million investment in the stock during the quarter. The other funds with new positions in the stock are Steve Cohen's Point72 Asset Management, Michael Rockefeller and KarlaKroeker's Woodline Partners, and Dmitry Balyasny's Balyasny Asset Management. Let's go over hedge fund activity in other stocks similar to Humana Inc (NYSE:HUM). We will take a look at Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC), Global Payments Inc (NYSE:GPN), Sea Limited (NYSE:SE), Truist Financial Corporation (NYSE:TFC), CNOOC Limited (NYSE:CEO), Boston Scientific Corporation (NYSE:BSX), and Intercontinental Exchange Inc (NYSE:ICE). All of these stocks' market caps resemble HUM's market cap. [table] Ticker, No of HFs with positions, Total Value of HF Positions (x1000), Change in HF Position NOC,47,990004,2 GPN,66,3311740,-1 SE,82,6358325,6 TFC,33,287639,-1 CEO,13,166646,2 BSX,66,2312667,7 ICE,60,2754652,-1 Average,52.4,2311668,2 [/table] View table here if you experience formatting issues. As you can see these stocks had an average of 52.4 hedge funds with bullish positions and the average amount invested in these stocks was $2312 million. That figure was $4698 million in HUM's case. Sea Limited (NYSE:SE) is the most popular stock in this table. On the other hand CNOOC Limited (NYSE:CEO) is the least popular one with only 13 bullish hedge fund positions. Humana Inc (NYSE:HUM) is not the most popular stock in this group but hedge fund interest is still above average. Our overall hedge fund sentiment score for HUM is 80.7. Stocks with higher number of hedge fund positions relative to other stocks as well as relative to their historical range receive a higher sentiment score. This is a slightly positive signal but we'd rather spend our time researching stocks that hedge funds are piling on. Our calculations showed that top 10 most popular stocks among hedge funds returned 41.4% in 2019 and outperformed the S&P 500 ETF (SPY) by 10.1 percentage points. These stocks gained 28.2% in 2020 through August 24th but beat the market by 20.6 percentage points. Unfortunately HUM wasn't nearly as popular as these 10 stocks and hedge funds that were betting on HUM were disappointed as the stock returned 4.7% during the same time period and underperformed the market. If you are interested in investing in large cap stocks with huge upside potential, you should check out the top 10 most popular stocks among hedge funds as many of these stocks already outperformed the market so far this year. Get real-time email alerts: Follow Humana Inc (NYSE:HUM) Disclosure: None. This article was originally published at Insider Monkey. Related Content (Bloomberg) -- Microsoft Corp. is teaming up with Walmart Inc. in a contest against Oracle Corp. to buy the U.S. assets of the popular video-sharing app TikTok from Chinas ByteDance Ltd. Oracle and Microsoft, with its new partner, both submitted bids in a deal that could come within the week, according to people familiar with the deliberations. Walmart would also own a stake in a newly spun off TikTok business, alongside Microsoft, the people said. Competing offers have been made in what augurs the closing process of a deal, although it will take longer for final details to be worked out, one person said, requesting anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the negotiations. Walmart confirmed in an email that it is in partnership with Microsoft in its pursuit of TikTok, a move to bolster the retailers third-party marketplace and nascent advertising arm. A Walmart-Microsoft bid would meet both the expectations of U.S. TikTok users while satisfying the concerns of U.S. government regulators, Walmart said. TikTok and Microsoft declined to comment, while Oracle didnt immediately respond to a request for comment. In China and other countries, ByteDances apps offer e-commerce features along with video clips, which havent been available in the U.S. so far. Adding Walmart to the deal would enable the retail giant to play that role for the U.S. TikTok app, said a person familiar with the planning. Microsoft and Walmart are already collaborating on cloud applications, brought together by mutual rivalry with Amazon.com Inc., which is the biggest cloud-infrastructure software seller, followed by Microsoft. The White House has been pushing for a sale of TikToks U.S. operations due to concerns over its ties to China and implications for national security. Microsoft had emerged as the top contender to buy the company, announcing in a blog post earlier this month that it was in talks to acquire TikToks business in the U.S., New Zealand, Australia and Canada. Microsofts discussions are now centered around TikToks U.S. business, narrowing the scope from its original plans to include the three other countries, according to two people familiar with the matter. Story continues While ByteDance is asking about $30 billion for TikTok in the U.S., bidders have not been willing to offer that amount, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday, citing people familiar with the negotiations. Executive Order U.S. President Donald Trump has issued an executive order with a mid-September deadline for TikTok to be sold to an American company or prohibit U.S. people and companies from doing business with the app. The announcement set off a flurry of interest from other companies. A later order required ByteDance to sell TikToks U.S. assets within 90 days. Its not clear whether other parties have entered the process or plan to bid. The departure Wednesday of TikTok Chief Executive Kevin Mayer, after less than three months at the company, suggests a deal is imminent. Mayer had left a long career at Walt Disney Co. to join TikTok in June. Mayers appointment was held up as an example of how the company was distancing itself from its Chinese roots and was seen as a way to smooth relations with Washington. As we expect to reach a resolution very soon, it is with a heavy heart that I wanted to let you all know that I have decided to leave the company, Mayer said in an internal memo obtained by Bloomberg News. In recent weeks, as the political environment has sharply changed, I have done significant reflection on what the corporate structural changes will require, and what it means for the global role I signed up for. In a town hall with TikToks U.S. and European employees on Thursday, executives reassured employees that they will know more in the next couple of weeks, according to people familiar with the company who were not authorized to speak publicly. Analysts and bankers have pegged the value of TikToks U.S. business anywhere from $20 billion to $50 billion, a wide range that reflects the complexity involved in separating TikToks American and global businesses, in determining a reliable number of users, and how revenue breaks out just for the markets at stake in the deal. Public Scrutiny With some 100 million monthly active users in the U.S. and a unique platform for making and sharing short videos, TikTok has drawn interest from an array of companies. Google parent Alphabet Inc. weighed pursuing a stake as part of a coalition that later came unraveled, people with knowledge of the matter told Bloomberg this month. Walmart, it turns out, was part of that group, alongside SoftBank Group Corp., some of the people said Thursday. SoftBank, led by Japanese billionaire Masayoshi Son, already owns a stake in ByteDance. Representatives of Alphabet and SoftBank declined to comment. CNBC previously reported Walmarts involvement with the Google grouping. Aside from being crowded, the negotiations around TikTok have also become unusually public. Trump economic adviser Peter Navarro, who has come out against a potential sale to Microsoft and advocated banning TikTok completely, has been at odds with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who wants the app sold, according to a person familiar with the deliberations within the White House. A Treasury spokeswoman declined to comment. Navarro said there were no tensions whatsoever between himself and Mnuchin. Mnuchin had come around to support a TikTok purchase by Oracle, this person said, before Walmart entered the picture. The person asked not to be named because they werent authorized to speak publicly on the matter. Its unclear whether the entry of Walmart into deal negotiations changes the administrations views on which suitor is best positioned to satisfy the governments national security concerns. The move to ban TikTok or force a deal has drawn rebukes from Democrats. David Cicilline, the U.S. representative leading a high-profile antitrust investigation into Silicon Valleys biggest companies, said in an interview this week that the government should embrace challengers to Facebook Inc., not hinder them. We need more competition in this space, he said. What we dont need is the president of the United States injecting himself into a transaction. Deal terms would also have to be palatable to the Chinese government, which has criticized the Trump administration for its actions against TikTok. Microsoft will want to avoid going so low on its proposed price that China feels ripped off, a person familiar with the matter said. White Knight Walmarts partnering with Microsoft is the final piece of the puzzle that ultimately cements a successful acquisition of TikToks U.S. operations for $35 billion to $40 billion, Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives wrote in a note to investors. He called Microsoft the only true white knight. Oracle has proposed a deal of $20 billion in cash and stock, according to a report in Hollywood publication The Wrap. Oracles offer would be made up of $10 billion in cash and $10 billion in Oracle stock plus 50% of annual TikTok profit would flow back to ByteDance for two years, one unidentified person told The Wrap. The deal could be complicated by a lawsuit seeking to block the Trump administration from banning the app, a move that many of ByteDances investors sought to stop. Executives at General Atlantic and Sequoia Capital, two major backers of ByteDance, tried unsuccessfully to dissuade Chief Executive Officer Zhang Yiming from moving forward with the lawsuit, people familiar with the matter said. They were concerned, in part, that challenging Trump would backfire and that the administration would respond by enacting additional roadblocks to completing a sale of the TikTok business, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the discussions were private. General Atlantic and Sequoia Capital declined to comment. Bill Ford, CEO of General Atlantic, and Doug Leone, a managing partner at Sequoia Capital, have been acting as emissaries to the Trump administration on behalf of the Chinese company. Their main mission is to avert a ban by securing a deal, said the people. Even with Microsofts and Oracles bids submitted, they may need an extension beyond the deadline set by the president to work out details. But ByteDances legal team was eager for a fight, and Zhang was happy to oblige, one of the people familiar with the discussions said. Investor Concerns The Trump administration hasnt been particularly eager to embrace Leones overtures, either. Leone has sought to develop relationships with Mnuchin and the presidents son-in-law, Jared Kushner, people familiar with the discussions have said. One official in Washington has described Leone as overconfident and aloof to the problems Sequoias large presence in China presents to the administration. However, the investors concerns were warranted, said two officials in Washington who asked not to be identified amid the litigation. The lawsuit is likely to have repercussions on the administrations leniency toward any proposed deal, they said. Oracle has a decent shot of winning approval, two officials said, thanks to a public endorsement by Trump, the presidents relationship with its top executives and a collaboration between the company and the administration on 5G mobile infrastructure. Navarro echoed that endorsement Wednesday during an appearance on Fox News. If you look at Microsoft versus Oracle, the one thing that separates the two companies with respect to national security is that Microsoft has a large footprint in China, Navarro said. Oracle on the other hand has a strong reputation of really putting a great firewall between its operations and China and thats an important thing. (Updates with details on SoftBanks involvement in possible deal in 13th paragraph) For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. Breonna Taylor's ex-boyfriend Jamarcus Glover, 30, who cops were looking for the night they shot the EMT dead in the botched no-knock raid, has been arrested on drugs charges Breonna Taylor's ex-boyfriend, who cops were looking for the night they shot the EMT dead in the botched no-knock raid, has been arrested on drugs charges. Jamarcus Glover, 30, was booked into Louisville Metro Corrections Thursday morning after warrants were issued for his arrest last month on charges including trafficking a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. His arrest comes as leaked police documents revealed he had mail sent to her address and gave her phone number as his own in the run-up to his ex-girlfriend's death. Taylor, 26, was shot eight times while sleeping in her bed with her boyfriend Kenneth Walker when three plain clothes officers performed a no-knock arrest warrant at her Louisville apartment on March 13. Convicted drug dealer Glover was one of the targets of the bungled swoop on Taylor's home, where police said they believed he could have been keeping drugs or money. No drugs or cash were found at Taylor's home and Glover had already been arrested at his home 10 miles away and taken into police custody before the midnight raid at her address. Outrage continues to build across America over Taylor's death as - five months on from her slaying - the three cops continue to walk free of all charges. EMT Taylor, 26, was shot eight times while sleeping in her bed with her boyfriend Kenneth Walker when three plain clothes officers performed a no-knock arrest warrant at her Louisville apartment on March 13 Glover was arrested the night Taylor died but was later released on bail. He was arrested and booked into police custody at 11:32 a.m. Thursday, Louisville Metro jail records show after he failed to pay bail on separate drug offenses last month. On July 21, a grand jury indicted him on several drugs charges in connection with two 2019 criminal cases and his bond was increased to $50,000. The charges included complicity possession of a controlled substance for cocaine and heroin, complicity trafficking in marijuana, complicity tampering with physical evidence and complicity to trafficking cocaine. Glover failed to pay the bond within the required three days and two bench warrants were issued for his arrest on July 27. On Wednesday, Glover's lawyer said he didn't know where his client was after the drug dealer skipped a recent court appearance. His bond remains set at $50,000. Glover's arrest comes as new details have emerged about the evidence officers presented to get the warrant to raid hardworking EMT Taylor's home. Thirty-nine pages of leaked documents, obatined by WAVE 3 News, revealed Taylor's ex-boyfriend had his bank account registered to her address, gave her phone number as his own and allegedly borrowed a car hired under her name that would later be connected to a murder investigation of one of his associates. The report was written by an investigator in the Place Based Investigation team which was working on the drugs case against Glover - but which is not part of the probe into Taylor's death. On February 14, just one month before Taylor died, Glover passed off Taylor's phone number as his own when he tried to file a complaint against a cop for towing his car, the report reveals. In the following 10 days, investigators verified that Glover was also using Taylor's home address - 3003 Springfield Drive - and that her property was listed as the mailing address for his Chase Bank account, it shows. Mail addressed to Glover was reportedly seized from Taylor's apartment in the aftermath of her shooting. The report also documents a series of prison phone call transcripts between Glover and Taylor, when the convicted drug dealer was behind bars. Leaked documents this week revealed Taylor's (pictured) ex Glover had mail sent to her address and he gave her phone number as his own Drug dealer Glover was one of the targets of the bungled swoop at Taylor's home, with police saying they believed he could have been keeping drugs or money at her home. Pictured Taylor In one conversation on January 3, Glover asked Taylor if she had talked to 'Doug', identified as Adrian Walker. 'You talk to Doug?' Glover asked Taylor. 'Yeah, I did,' Taylor responded, Wave reported. 'He said he was already back at the trap.' Adrian Walker, 27, was the second suspect alongside Glover sought by police in the raid at Taylor's home. He was also not present at the property when police broke in. Two hours later, Glover and Taylor spoke again on the phone where he thanked her for checking on him, to which she allegedly responded: 'When you're around I stress more... I just always be worried about you... not like you and b****, but just period with the police, like all kind of s***.' In another call that day the two said they loved each other. Between January 2016 and January 2020, Glover called Taylor 26 times from jail, the records state. The report also states that on January 2, the day before these calls were made and when Glover was not in police custody, he pulled up to 'trap house' 2424 Elliott Avenue driving Taylor's car. Taylor was allegedly spotted on surveillance visiting the home on occasion. Glover's vehicle - a red Dodge Charger - also made six trips to Taylor's home in January where he was sometimes pictured collecting packages, the report says. Detectives believed Glover had been stashing money or drugs at her home to avoid detection from law enforcement. Neither money nor drugs were found there on March 13. Photos from Taylor's apartment shows how bullet holes riddled the building in the exchange of fire The documents also allege in 2016 a vehicle rented under Taylor's name was found with a dead body inside. The deceased was Fernandez Bowman - brother of Damarius Bowman, a known associate of Glover's who has been arrested with him on several occasions, they state. Taylor told cops at the time she didn't know the victim and had let Glover - who was present at her home when officers arrived to question her - use the vehicle after dating him for several months. The report says she gave cops her phone number - the same number Glover later claimed was his in February this year. The documents also state Glover claimed in a jailhouse phone call to the mother of his child just hours after Taylor's slaying that the EMT had $8,000 of his money. 'Bre got down like $15 (grand), she had the $8 (grand) I gave her the other day and she picked up another $6 (grand),' he said on March 13, according to the documents. He then claimed: 'Bre been handling all my money, she been handling my mone ... She been handling s*** for me and cuz, it ain't just me.' Three months later on April 24, the dealer also told the woman cops 'took my car' and found Taylor's address on a bank statement in the armrest. 'Boom it got Bre's address on there,' he said. Attorneys for Taylor's family blasted investigators for withholding the report, saying they only learned of its existence after its leak to the press. 'It's unfortunate that the city did not provide LMPD's post-death report and that we only learned of it until it was leaked to the media,' Sam Aguiar told WAVE 3 News on Wednesday. 'Either way, it doesn't change whether she should've been killed or the unlawful actions surrounding her killing.' The three officers in the case - Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly and Officers Brett Hankinson and Myles Cosgrove (left to right) - have not been charged in the shooting. No drugs or cash were discovered at Taylor's home and Glover had already been arrested at his home 10 miles away before the raid despite cops seeking him in the raid at Taylor's home He added: 'Good or bad, either way, everyone has the right to know all the facts in association in the case.' Sadiqa Reynolds, the CEO of the Louisville Urban League, questioned the motive behind the report's release. 'I think that whoever leaked that report wants to say, "See, this is why. Now you understand why we did this,"' Reynolds said at a press conference Wednesday. 'What we want to say back is it doesn't justify her death.' Taylor was sleeping in bed when three cops - Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly and Officers Brett Hankinson and Myles Cosgrove - burst into her home after midnight on March 13. Her boyfriend Kenneth Walker, a licensed firearm carrier, thought robbers were entering the home and opened fire, hitting one officer in the leg in self-defense. The cops responded by firing more than 20 rounds into the apartment, striking and killing Taylor. The officers claim they identified themselves as police upon arrival at the property but Walker and Taylor's family have disputed this. The cops were not wearing bodycameras at the time. A search warrant later revealed the officers were seeking Glover and Adrian Walker in the search - not Taylor or Kenneth Walker. However, Glover had already been arrested earlier that day at his home at 2424 Elliott Ave - the so-called 'trap house'. Suspected marijuana, assorted pills, crack cocaine, cash and surveillance cameras were taken from that property, police records show. No drugs were found in Taylor's apartment and Taylor and Walker had no arrest records. Protesters demand justice for Taylor (above). Taylor's death has sparked outrage across America as five months on none of the three cops involved have been charged with murder Anger over her death was ignited further following the death of black man George Floyd in Minneapolis on Memorial Day at the hands of a white cop Kenneth Walker has been charged with first-degree assault and attempted murder of a police officer for shooting at the cops. Meanwhile, the three cops have not been arrested for Taylor's death. They were each placed on administrative leave and an internal Louisville police investigation was launched. In June, Hankison was fired for violating deadly force standards after interim police chief Robert Schroeder said he showed 'extreme indifference to the value of human life' when he 'blindly fired 10 rounds' into Taylor's apartment. Hankison, 44, has previously been accused of sexual assault on the job by multiple women. Louisville PD has repeatedly come under fire for its handling of the case. At one point, the force released a heavily redacted incident report which said Taylor had no injuries despite her having been shot eight times and killed in the raid. Taylor's death sparked outrage across America which has been fueled further by the stream of incidents in recent months where black men and women have been killed and seriously injured by cops. Protesters have been taking to the streets of the nation demanding an end to police brutality and systemic racism, and calls are mounting for widespread police reform following the 'murder' of George Floyd in Minneapolis on Memorial Day at the hands of a white cop. This week, father-of-six Jacob Blake was shot seven times in the back by a cop in front of his three young children in Kenosha, Wisconsin, leaving him paralyzed. Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-28 07:02:01|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BOGOTA, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Colombia's capital Bogota emerged from lockdown on Thursday with a gradual reopening plan called "New Reality," aiming to reactivate the economy while containing the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak that has claimed more than 18,000 lives. Bogota Mayor Claudia Lopez said the initial reopening phase, which will last until December, limits businesses to operating at 60 percent of capacity to ensure social distancing, and imposes other safety measures. "Of the main economic sectors, the ones with the lowest risk are services and offices. These will operate six days a week with half (of their staff) working from home," Lopez said. Churches will hold services outdoors or limit them to individuals or small groups. Restaurants will be able to serve outdoor tables as they begin the process of adapting interiors to the new spacing guidelines. The city's mass transit system, meanwhile, will increase passenger capacity from the current cap of 35 percent to 50 percent. However, an existing program to restrict mobility will remain in force, limiting entry to establishments according to the last digit of residents' identity documents. Likewise, nightclubs and alcohol sales in bars and restaurants are still off limits. "Commerce is a blessing because it employs many people, but it is an epidemiological nightmare because it means more people, interaction, customers and cash," Lopez said. The mayor urged residents to remain vigilant despite the easing of restrictions, noting the virus is still active. Enditem Greater Houston remained vigilant Wednesday in readying for the arrival of Hurricane Laura, even as the increasingly powerful storm remained on track to make landfall near the Texas-Louisiana border, likely sparing the region of triple-digit winds and devastating Gulf surges. Forecasters projected Lauras western edge would produce gusts resembling a tropical storm throughout the Houston area and modest storm surges in Galveston by late Wednesday and early Thursday a more manageable result given the Category 4 hurricanes potential for damage. Power outages and downed trees remained as the most likely impacts for much of the Houston region, local forecasters and government officials said. Were cautiously optimistic, but until the storm has left, I dont want anyone to let their guard down, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said Wednesday. Because of the magnitude and intensity of this storm, there will still be wind and there will still be rain. To the east, however, residents in Beaumont, Port Arthur and southwestern Louisiana braced for the worst of Laura, with winds potentially hitting 170 mph and storm surges up to 20 feet. In Galveston County, which was in line for the Greater Houston areas most significant impact from Laura, County Judge Mark Henry said the Bolivar Peninsula remained his primary concern. National Weather Service projections showed the peninsula seeing sustained winds of 60 mph, gusts of up to 80 mph and a potential storm surge of 6 feet. At a Wednesday afternoon briefing, Henry said about 40 residents stayed behind on the peninsula, while county sheriffs deputies stationed there planned to remain in place. On HoustonChronicle.com: Get updates throughout the day on Hurricane Lauras impact on Texas For the rest of Galveston County, strong winds have the potential to knock out power for days, Henry said. CenterPoint Energy, which services most of the county, had trucks staged at Jack Brooks Park in Hitchcock, ready to respond to power outages. With those kinds of winds youre going to have flying limbs, debris, its going to knock out power, Henry said. In Galvestons Strand Historic District downtown, which frequently floods during storms from the bay side of the island, pedestrians largely vacated the area and most storefronts were bolstered by sandbags and door barricades. City officials issued a mandatory evacuation order for the island Tuesday. Elizabeth Punches, a painter who owns an art gallery downtown, walked outside her studio with a coffee mug in hand Wednesday morning. Punches does not own a car, so she decided to stay behind and hunker down in her apartment with her two dogs. Still, she was not taking the weather lightly. Weve all got our storm shields up, were also barricaded inside with rubber mats, plastic sheeting and everything, Punches said. We have two additional levels, so if (water) compromises the first level, theres a second level. And, of course, since our electricity is only about a foot off the ground and live, we put duct tape over everything. On HoustonChronicle.com: Stragglers hunker down in Galveston despite evacuation order Much of Harris, Montgomery, Fort Bend and Brazoria counties remained under a tropical storm warning Wednesday, denoting the possibility of winds ranging from 40 to 70 mph. Local officials, however, toned down dire warnings after a late Tuesday shift in the storms projected path all-but-assured Greater Houston would avoid a direct hit. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo issued a disaster declaration Wednesday, but the move represented a cautionary action more than a harbinger of widespread damage. The declaration gives the county added flexibility to access recovery response resources and activated its emergency management plan. Weve had the tools we need to prepare and no unmet needs, said Rafael Lemaitre, a spokesman for Hidalgo. We hope that doesnt change, but we want to be prepared should we need to exercise additional authority during and after landfall. If the Houston area emerges largely unscathed, the local American Red Cross could ramp up its support for residents of the Texas-Louisiana border, regional communications manager Ekland Durousseau said. Were anticipating the majority of support will be needed in areas like Beaumont and Port Arthur, so we did a lot of pre-positioning of supplies last week and early this week, Durousseau said. Right now, were kind of in a holding pattern to see what happens next. The Red Cross had partnered with one Houston-area shelter operator as of Wednesday afternoon, choosing instead to direct evacuees to Austin, San Antonio and other areas farther inland. In The Woodlands, which sits on higher ground about 40 miles north of Houston, the townships nonprofit convention and visitors bureau arm reported 13 hotels with about 2,000 rooms are open to evacuees. I anticipate all of our hotels will either be sold out or nearly sold out, said Nick Wolda, president of Visit The Woodlands. Its been a very brisk day of people making reservations. Despite the sunnier forecast for Houston, preparations for Laura halted many services and businesses across the region Wednesday. The city of Houston and its municipal courts shuttered buildings at 2 p.m., followed by the Metropolitan Transit Authority suspending bus and rail service at 4 p.m. On HoustonChronicle.com: See whats open, closed due to Hurricane Laura in our searchable database As of Wednesday afternoon, officials at the George Bush Intercontinental Airport reported 414 canceled flights, while William P. Hobby Airport registered 66 canceled flights. All of the Greater Houston areas largest school districts, with the exception of Katy ISD, were closed Wednesday and planned to remain shuttered Thursday. Several districts are waiting to survey the impact of Laura before deciding whether to resume classes Friday, including Clear Creek, Conroe, Humble and Pasadena ISDs. Other districts preemptively announced the cancellation of Friday classes, including Aldine, Alief and Spring ISDs. The regions largest colleges and universities all ended classes Wednesday and planned to remain closed through at least Thursday. Brittany Britto, Zach Despart, Jeff Forward, Emily Foxhall and Jasper Scherer contributed to this report. jacob.carpenter@chron.com nick.powell@chron.com FP Trending Facebooks personalised news section under Facebook News was launched for the United States users back in June this year. Following a positive response, the company is now extending the feature to Facebook apps in other countries including India. In a company blog, Campbell Brown, VP of Global News Partnerships at Facebook, said, Helping publishers reach new audiences has been one of our most important goals, and weve found over 95 percent of the traffic Facebook News delivers to publishers is incremental to the traffic they already get from News Feed. The blog then elaborated on Facebooks plans of bringing the feature to the UK, Germany, France, India and Brazil within the next six months to a years time. Brown said that news publishers will be paid in every country for the delivery of news on the app. It also mentioned how the experience of Facebook News could be different in every nation as consumer habits and news inventory vary by country, stating that they will work closely with news partners in each country to adapt the experience and test ways to deliver a valuable experience for people while honouring the business models by publishers. While the social media giant is working on expanding its market, it might come across varying laws regarding the use of news snippets in different countries as well. According to a TechCrunch article, France had become the first European Union nation to ask Google to pay news publishers in Google Search and Google News for the reuse of news articles. Australia also has passed a law recently that makes Facebook and Google pay for articles. The report added that a few other EU countries were also bringing such laws that can force corporate companies to pay publishers for the news items. Lecturers under the aegis of Congress of University Academics (CONUA) have informed the Federal Government of their readiness to resume academic activities. The lecturers expressed their willingness to resume in a press statement released on Wednesday after CONUAs National Executive Council meeting in Abuja. In the statement, the lecturers urged FG to reopen universities as soon as possible. The statement said, The meeting called on the government to reopen universities as soon as possible as CONUA members are ready to resume work. It however added that everything necessary in terms of COVID-19 protocols must be put in place before reopening the universities in order to prevent students and staff from contracting the disease. CONUA further stated that the education sector cannot continue to stagnate, as it appears that COVID-19 would continue to be a threat and we must, in the circumstance, learn to strive to lead our normal life. Union thus urged the government to make available everything that can help our universities to resume work as is being done elsewhere in the world. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates Olvier Douliery-AFP/Getty Images Ten states plus the District of Columbia haven't yet received federal approval to offer unemployed workers an extra $300 a week in benefits. Delaware, Illinois, Kansas, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, North Dakota, South Carolina, Washington, D.C., and Wisconsin haven't yet received federal approval. South Dakota's governor said the state won't apply for the subsidy. Meanwhile, at least six states have begun paying the supplement. Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards President Trump signed an executive measure creating the Lost Wages Assistance program more than three weeks ago. The program offers workers $300 a week on top of current benefits. (States may opt to kick in an additional $100 a week, but few have chosen to do so.) It has been slow to roll out, at a time when unemployed workers haven't received a prior $600 weekly enhancement for about a month. 40 states First states Arizona, Louisiana and Missouri were among the first states to receive federal approval for the lost wages assistance, almost two weeks ago. Texas followed shortly thereafter. Montana was most recent state to bring its program on line, on Thursday. The state received four weeks' worth of funding, according to the state Department of Labor and Industry. Arizona planned to complete all retroactive payments last week, according to the state's Department of Economic Security website. I think unemployment benefits are safe for now. Sarah Miller lecturer in emergency and disaster management at Georgetown University Texas paid out more than $424 million last week, out of its total $1.38 billion in approved funding, according to spokesman Francisco Gamez, spokesman for the state Workforce Commission. Louisiana paid out $240 million to almost 300,000 eligible workers on Wednesday, according to a statement from the state's Workforce Commission. Tennessee started issuing the aid Wednesday, according to Chris Cannon, spokesman for the Department of Labor and Workforce Development. The state received $236 million in initial funding. Missouri began processing the $300 federal supplement Tuesday night and workers should "soon" start receiving payments, according to a statement from the Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations. Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards The state was approved for $200 million in total funding for roughly 100,000 eligible workers, according to the statement. It expected to issue the first retroactive payment by the end of last week, while the rest should be received by the end of this week. A spokeswoman for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which is overseeing funding for the lost wages assistance program, declined to say whether additional states had begun disbursing the aid. It may be several weeks before many other states start making payments, due largely to administrative challenges. The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment estimates payments won't arrive until mid- to late September, for example. Alaska believes it will take six to eight weeks to reprogram changes in the state's technology systems necessary to disburse the aid, according to Cathy Munoz, deputy commissioner of the state's Department of Labor and Workforce Development. A $600 weekly federal supplement ended in July after Congress couldn't agree on the structure of additional relief. Around 27 million workers were collecting unemployment benefits as of early August. Disaster funds Unemployed workers will likely get about four or five weeks' worth of the financial assistance, depending on how many states participate and how quickly they draw down the $44 billion funding allocation, FEMA officials estimate. But program parameters leave open the possibility that workers wouldn't get more than the minimum three weeks. Payments would cease if FEMA's Disaster Relief Fund the same pot of money used for weather-related and other disasters dips below $25 billion. With wildfires raging in California and the destruction left behind by Hurricane Laura, a Category 4 storm that made landfall last week in Louisiana, some fear the fund could be depleted before the full $44 billion is paid out. Brolen glass left on north coast beaches has been slammed as a "disgraceful act" which poses a major hazard for children and pets. Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council issued the warning after a number of incidents over the weekend. At Benone Strand, a large amount of cans and broken bottles were left close to the beach boardwalk, while glass was also found on the sand at Castlerock along with discarded belongings and other items including plastic bottles and bags. There are concerns that groups are congregating to use beaches and dunes as "drinking dens". The council has issued a reminder that there is a "zero tolerance" approach to littering with offenders facing an 80 Fixed Penalty Notice. Those found drinking illegally can also face further enforcement action. Mayor Mark Fielding said: "I want to appeal directly to anyone who visited our coastal locations at the weekend. What did you do with your rubbish? Did you think it was acceptable to leave it behind? Did you expect someone else to clean it up for you? Litter is proving to be a huge challenge at this time, and we need everyone to take more responsibility. "Our beaches are one of our greatest assets and they are there for everyone's enjoyment. "Leaving broken glass where it can injure visitors, children and pets is a disgraceful act. I would ask those who did this how they would feel if a member of their family was badly injured because of their completely unacceptable behaviour? "Parent and carers should share this message with their children so they realise that littering of any kind is wholly unacceptable." To report littering contact Environmental Health by ringing 028 2766 0200 or email environmentalhealth@causewaycoastandglens.gov.uk The Muslim spy was killed by the Nazis at Dachau concentration camp in 1944 She was the first female radio operator to go to Nazi-occupied France in 1943 The plaque will mark her family home on Taviton Street in Bloomsbury, London Noor Inayat Khan is the first Indian-origin woman to have a blue plaque honour A Muslim spy who was executed by the Nazis at Dachau concentration camp in 1944 is the first Indian-origin woman to be honoured with a blue plaque. Noor Inayat Khan, of Indian and US descent, served in the Special Operations Executive (SOE), which was set up by Sir Winston Churchill in 1940. The English Heritage tribute will mark her London family home on Taviton Street in Bloomsbury. The 'unlikely' spy was the first female radio operator to be flown into Nazi-occupied France in 1943 and was 'Britain's first Muslim war heroine in Europe', English Heritage said. Noor Inayat Khan is the first Indian-origin woman to be honoured with an English Heritage blue plaque for her efforts as an undercover spy in Nazi-occupied Paris in the Second World War The blue plaque will be unveiled by Khan's biographer Shrabani Basu in a virtual ceremony at her London family home on Taviton Street in Bloomsbury on Friday For three months, Khan single-handedly ran a cell of spies across Paris until she was betrayed and captured by the Gestapo. Khan, whose codename was 'Madeleine', managed to escape from prison after her arrest, but was recaptured shortly afterwards. She was tortured for information about SOE operations by the Gestapo for ten months, but she refused to reveal anything to her captors - not even her real name. Khan was eventually executed at Dachau concentration camp on September 13, 1944, aged just 30. Shrabani Basu, Khan's biographer, who is unveiling the plaque, said: 'When Noor Inayat Khan left this house on her last mission, she would never have dreamed that one day she would become a symbol of bravery. She was an unlikely spy. 'As a Sufi she believed in non-violence and religious harmony. Yet when her adopted country needed her, she unhesitatingly gave her life in the fight against Fascism. The 'unlikely' spy was the first female radio operator to be flown into Nazi-occupied France in 1943 and was 'Britain's first Muslim war heroine in Europe' Khan, whose codename was 'Madeleine', single-handedly ran a cell of spies across Paris until she was betrayed and captured by the Gestapo 'It is fitting that Noor Inayat Khan is the first woman of Indian origin to be remembered with a Blue Plaque. As people walk by, Noor's story will continue to inspire future generations. 'In today's world, her vision of unity and freedom is more important than ever.' The unveiling will take place at 7pm on Friday on English Heritage's Facebook channel. It will take place at the address that Khan scratched on the base of her feeding bowl to communicate with other prisoners, after being captured by the Gestapo. Her biographer previously managed to get Khan's bravery permanently recognised in England with a bronze bust in central London. The bust was erected close to her family home and was the first memorial in Britain to either a Muslim or an Asian woman. When campaigning for the bust, Shrabani Basu told the Independent: 'I feel it is very important that what she did should not be allowed to fade from memory, particularly living in the times that we do. Khan's biographer Shrabani Basu managed to get the spy's bravery permanently recognised with a bronze bust, which was unveiled by Princess Anne in November 2012 'Here was a young Muslim woman who gave her life for this country and for the fight against those who wanted to destroy the Jewish race. She was an icon for the bond that exists between Britain and India but also between people who fought for what they believed to be right.' Khan was born on New Year's Day 1914 in Moscow to an Indian father and an American mother. She was a direct descendant of Tipu Sultan, the renowned 18th century Muslim 'Tiger of Mysore' who refused to submit to British rule and died in battle. Her father, who was an Indian Muslim preacher, moved his family to London and then to Paris, where Khan was educated and later worked writing children's stories. After the fall of France to Nazi Germany, Khan and her brother Vilayat fled to England. Despite having no loyalty to Britain, she joined the Women's Auxiliary Air Force in November 1940. Two years later, her quiet dedication and training in radio transmitting attracted the attention of the SOE and led to her being flown to France in June 1943. Khan was tortured by the Gestapo for ten months, but refused to reveal anything. She was executed at Dachau concentration camp (left and right) on September 13, 1944, aged just 30 There were doubts about her suitability for the role, but nonetheless she became the radio operator for the 'Prosper' resistance network in Paris, with the famous instruction to 'set Europe ablaze'. After many members of the network were arrested, Khan remained in France and, frequently changing her appearance and alias, she spent a summer moving from place to place, trying to relay messages back to London. Noor Inayat Khan served in the Special Operations Executive, which was set up by Sir Winston Churchill in 1940 She was eventually betrayed by a Frenchwoman, supposedly the jealous girlfriend of a comrade, and was arrested by the Gestapo. The Nazi secret police discovered that she had unwisely kept copies of all her secret signals and the Germans used her radio to trick London into sending new agents - straight into the hands of the waiting Gestapo. In November 1943, she was sent to Pforzheim prison in Germany where she was kept in chains and in solitary confinement. She was transferred to Dachau concentration camp in 1944 and was shot alongside three other female SOE agents. Khan was posthumously awarded the George Cross in 1949 and the French Croix de Guerre. The news of Khan's plaque comes after English Heritage admitted the proportion of women celebrated by the scheme is 'still unacceptably low'. Only 14% of more than 950 London blue plaques celebrate women. Plaques planned this year will include tributes to secret agent Christine Granville and artist Barbara Hepworth. The charity said that 'if we are to continue to see a significant increase in the number of blue plaques for women, we need more female suggestions'. Thank you for reading! Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue. A teenager accused of killing two protesters in Kinosha, Wisconsin during demonstrations against the police shooting of Jacob Blake posted a TikTok video from a Donald Trump rally in January. Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, frequently posted his support for the president and law enforcement on social media, while news footage from a campaign rally in Des Moines, Iowa, also shows the suspected shooter standing near the stage on 30 January. His appearance there was first reported by BuzzFeed News. Months later, the Illinois teenager allegedly armed himself with a long gun and headed to Kenosha, Wisconsin, as protests continued for a third night following the police shooting of Mr Blake, a black man left paralysed from below the waist after police officers fired several rounds into his back as he got into his SUV. Three of his children were reportedly inside. Videos from Tuesday's protests show him speaking with police officers moments before the killings. Kenosha Police Chief Daniel Miskinis identified the victims as a 26-year-old Silver Lake resident and a 36-year-old Kenosha resident. A 26-year-old West Allis resident was hospitalised with non-life-threatening injuries. Rittenhouse was considered a "fugitive of justice" after allegedly fleeing the state, where he awaits first-degree intentional murder charges. He lives in Antioch, Illinois, roughly 30 minutes from Kenosha. He "fled the state of Wisconsin with the intent to avoid prosecution for the offence", according to the Antioch Police Department. In a statement, police said that the suspect "is currently in custody of the Lake County Judicial System pending an extradition hearing to transfer custody from Illinois to Wisconsin". "Our Village of Antioch is deeply saddened by all loss of life," Antioch Mayor Lawrence Hanson said in a statement. "Our hearts and prayers extend to the friends and family who lost a loved one." He also expressed support for "Blue Lives Matter" on social media, and BuzzFeed confirmed that he was enrolled in a Public Safety Cadets programme through Hindenhurst, Grayslake and Hainesville police departments in Illinois that "offers boys and girls the opportunity to explore a career in law enforcement" through "hands-on career activities", according to the programme's website. The teen's Facebook page and the cadet programme's website and social media pages have been disabled. Video footage from the scene in Kenosha on Tuesday night shows a gunman in the middle of the street brandishing a rifle before firing shots that hit multiple people. Witnesses said the gunman was allowed to walk past police without being stopped. In another video, protesters shout at police to call attention to the suspect. The Arria-formula meeting was jointly held by Vietnam, Indonesia, Belgium, Estonia, and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The ambassador said protecting essential infrastructure against the risk of cyberattacks has significant economic, social, defence, and security meaning. He underlined the need to strengthen regional and international cooperation as well as public-private coordination in sharing information, building trust, preventing the risk of conflicts in cyberspace, building common understanding, and strengthening national information technology capacity. Activities in cyberspace must comply with the UN Charter and international law as well as voluntary and non-binding rules on national responsible behaviour in cyberspace, he added. If you and your home have been affected by Hurricane Laura, heres where to turn for help: Power outage Centerpoint: To report a power outage, Houston-area customers can contact Centerpoint Energy, which maintains the power lines in the Houston area. Call 1-800-332-7143. The centerpointenergy.com site includes a map of all reported power outages. If youre experiencing financial hardship as a result of the weather, call 1-866-222-7100 to see if you qualify for a payment extension or a deferred payment plan. Through the Community Assistance by Reliant Energy program, you can apply for Reliant CARE assistance. Call 211 and tell the agent you are a Reliant customer and youd like to apply for assistance. You can also visit 211texas.org for CARE agency partners near you. Entergy: Entergy, the power company that supplies electricity to the Beaumont area, as well as suburban areas of Houston including The Woodlands, has started periodic power outages to its customers in Texas to prevent long-lasting damage to its power grid. Its asking customers to reduce usage. Call 1-800-368-3749. Check the sites outage map at entergy.com. Emergency shelter Red Cross: To find an open shelter, visit redcross.org. Shelters are following COVID-19 protocols and volunteers will be taking evacuees temperatures before entry. Houston locations include Forge for Families, 3435 Dixie; and Cesar Chavez High School, 8501 Howard. In Kountze, Cornerstone Baptist Church, 1600 S. Pine; redcross.org. Or call 211. Reception centers: The state has reception centers for evacuees in San Antonio, Austin, Mesquite and Ennis. For information, check gov.texas.gov/hurricane. Harris County: Harris County Housing and Community Resource Center helps residents with locating emergency shelter, rental properties and financial assistance. Call 713-696-1998. Flooded roads Check Drivetexas.org for flooded roads and conditions. Government assistance Disaster assistance: FEMA will be setting up disaster recovery centers in the storm area. Go to DisasterAssistance.gov to fill out a questionnaire to begin the process of applying for federal aid from FEMA. Apply for federal aid for recovery of storm-caused damages and loss at fema.gov, or call the FEMA helpline at 800-621-3362. (TTY 800-462-7585. If you use 711 or Video Relay Service, call 800-621-3362.) To register for recovery you will need: Address of location where damage occurred. Current mailing address. Your Social Security number. If you dont have one, you still may be eligible for aid if there is someone in your household with one. For businesses, you will need the Social Security number of the party responsible for the business. Insurance information. Financial information. Your familys gross total household income at the time of the disaster. Contact information. Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) or direct deposit information (optional). Banking information: bank name, type of account, routing and account number if you are approved for assistance. Description of damage. Tax relief: IRS.gov offers information on tax relief available for those living in disaster areas. Go to IRS.gov or call 800-829-1040, available 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Friday. Legal The State Bar of Texas Disaster Hotline is answered in English, Spanish and Vietnamese and connects low-income people affected by a disaster with legal aid providers who can help with issues such as replacing lost documents, answering insurance questions, helping with landlord/tenant problems, and handling consumer protection concerns such as price-gouging and contractor scams during the rebuilding process. Callers can leave a message at any time at 800-504-7030. The Houston Bar Association: Volunteer attorneys will assist affected residents with legal advice on landlord/tenant matters, insurance, FEMA assistance, property, lost documents and other storm-related issues. Call 713-759-1133 or 866-959-1133. Food assistance The Houston Food Bank offers a list of food pantries and other food assistance. Call 832-369-9390. SNAP: For disaster food stamp benefits, call the Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program at 877-541-7905. Galveston County Food Bank: The mobile food pantry is closed, but the bank will be open for food assistance. Follow the banks Facebook page and Twitter for the latest information. Call 409-945-4232. Southeast Texas Food Bank: Situated in Beaumont, the food bank will likely be assisting an influx of people who lost power during the storm. To find ways to donate your time, money or extra non-perishable food items, visit SETXFoodBank.org and click on the Donate tab or Volunteer tab. Call 409-839-8777. Property The National Flood Insurance Program: Get answers to questions about the claims process at 800-621-3362. Car help: To find an abandoned car, go to findmytowedcar.com or call 832-394-4869. The Texas Department of Insurance: For advice on what to do if your home or vehicle was damaged, the insurance claims process or contractor fraud prevention, call 800-252-3439 or go to tdi.texas.gov. Nonprofits United Way of Greater Houston offers a 24-hour helpline to help disaster victims get the resources they need. unitedwayhouston.org/ Call 211. Interfaith Ministries of Greater Houston provides help for those in need, focusing on homebound seniors, evacuee families and other vulnerable populations who need resources after the storm. Call 713-533-4900. Salvation Army of Greater Houston: The organizations Family Residence at 1603 McGowen is open to assist evacuees. The facility provides care for women and families needing temporary emergency shelter or transitional living. The organization can also help with spiritual and emotional needs, as well as groceries. 713-650-6530. salvationarmyhouston.org/ Missing persons To report or locate a missing child, call the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 866-908-9570. To find family or friends or to register yourself as safe, go to safeandwell.communityos.org/cms/. Returning home Listen to local officials for information and special instructions. On Thursday morning, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said it is safe for residents who evacuated to return; tolls will continue to be waived Thursday. Be careful during clean-up. Wear protective clothing and work with someone else. Do not touch electrical equipment if it is wet or if you are standing in water. If it is safe to do so, turn off electricity at the main breaker or fuse box to prevent electric shock. Avoid wading in flood water, which can contain dangerous debris. Underground or downed power lines can also electrically charge the water. Save phone calls for emergencies. Phone systems are often down or busy after a disaster. Use text messages or social media to communicate with family and friends. Document any property damage with photographs. Contact your insurance company for assistance. Halton police have arrested an inmate after he was accidentally released from Miltons Maplehurst Correctional Complex earlier this month. Amritpal Singh Aujla, 28, of Brampton, was last seen leaving the correctional complex on foot when he was released on August 17. On Thursday, Halton police located the man in North York and arrested him on additional charges relating to his release. Police did not disclose these charges. The Ministry of the Solicitor General has since launched an internal investigation to determine why Aujla was released in error. He was in custody awaiting a video court appearance for charges laid by police in Peel Region at the time of his release. The charges include possession of property obtained by crime, breach of a probation order, failing to comply with an undertaking, failing to comply with a release order, three counts of possession of a controlled substance (cocaine, heroin and methamphetamines), and two counts of possession for the purpose. This is the second time in four months that an inmate has been released through error at Maplehurst Correctional Complex; on April 14, Lee Madore was released after a clerical error. Miriam Lafontaine is a breaking news reporter, working out of the Star's radio room in Toronto. Follow her on Twitter: @mirilafontaine Greece ratified an accord on maritime boundaries with Egypt on Thursday, hours after Turkey extended the operation of a seismic survey vessel in the Eastern Mediterranean and said it will hold firing exercises in the region next month. NATO allies Greece and Turkey are at odds over the rights to potential hydrocarbon resources in the area, based on conflicting claims over the extent of their continental shelves. Tensions escalated this month after Ankara dispatched the Oruc Reis seismic survey vessel in a disputed area following the pact between Athens and Cairo. Turkey has said the pact infringes its own continental shelf. The agreement also overlaps with maritime zones Turkey agreed with Libya last year, decried as illegal by Greece. The Aug 6 maritime deal has already been ratified by Egypt's parliament and was approved by a majority of Greek lawmakers on Thursday evening. Earlier, the Turkish navy issued the latest advisory, known as a Navtex, saying it will hold the shooting exercises in the eastern Mediterranean off the coast of Iskenderun, northeast of Cyprus on Sept 1-2. It also extended the seismic work of the Oruc Reis vessel southwest of Cyprus, until Sept 1. Greece says the Turkish advisories are illegal. Maritime zones give a state rights over natural resources. Largely unexplored, the east Mediterranean is thought to be rich in natural gas. As the dispute widened, France said on Wednesday it was joining military exercises with Italy, Greece and Cyprus in the eastern Mediterranean. Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy said the deployment of French military aircraft in Cyprus violated treaties regarding the control and administration of the island after independence from Britain in 1960. Aksoy said that France's stance was dangerously encouraging Greece and Cyprus to further escalate tensions in the region. Cyprus was divided in 1974 following a Turkish invasion triggered by a Greek-inspired coup. Turkey recognises the Turkish-populated north of Cyprus as a separate state, which is not recognised by other countries. Greece said on Wednesday it plans to extend its territorial waters in the Ionian Sea to 12 nautical miles from its coast, from six nautical miles, after the ratification of a maritime deal with Italy. To the east of Greece, Turkey has warned that a similar move by Athens in waters east of Greece would be a cause for war. Search Keywords: Short link: Global warming is dramatically increasing the risk of extreme hurricanes in the Caribbean, but meeting more ambitious climate change goals could up to halve the likelihood of such disasters in the region, according to new research. The study, led by the University of Bristol, analysed future projections of hurricane rainfall in the Caribbean and found it to be particularly vulnerable to climate change, resulting in extreme hurricane rainfall events being as much as five times more likely in a warmer world. "Hurricane research has previously focused on the United States, so we wanted to look at the Caribbean region, which has fewer resources to recover. The findings are alarming and illustrate the urgent need to tackle global warming to reduce the likelihood of extreme rainfall events and their catastrophic consequences, particularly for poorer countries which take many years to recover," said lead author Emily Vosper, Research Student at the School of Computer Science, at the University of Bristol. The researchers generated thousands of synthetic hurricanes under three climate scenarios: present day conditions compared to the Paris Agreement goals of 1.5 degrees Celsius and 2C warming above pre-industrial levels. The main objective of the Paris Agreement, a global framework to tackle climate change, is to hold the global average temperature increase to well below 2C above pre-industrial levels and endeavour to limit the temperature increase to 1.5C. Focusing their analysis on the Caribbean region, the study generated rainfall statistics by applying a physics-based model to the synthetic hurricanes. The model takes into account several factors including the land features and large-scale winds, and has been shown to give realistic results compared to observations of real-life hurricanes. The study, published in Environmental Research Letters, found that extreme hurricane rainfall events affecting the Caribbean, those which typically happen once every 100 years under the current climate, occur more often under the Paris Agreement scenarios. But a 1.5C warmer world would see significantly fewer intense Caribbean hurricanes, reducing occurrence by as much as half in the Eastern regions, compared to a 2C warmer world. Hurricane Maria brought as much as a quarter of normal annual rainfall to some regions of Puerto Rico when it made landfall in 2017 and storms of this magnitude are roughly once in a 100-year events. The results show that in a 2C warmer world, an event of similar size to Maria would be more than twice (2.3 times) as likely, occurring once every 43 years. Similarly, a 100-year storm affecting the Bahamas would be 4.5 times as likely under the 2C Paris Agreement scenario compared to the present day. Under the more ambitious goal of 1.5C warming, such extreme hurricane rainfall events affecting the Dominican Republic would occur roughly once every 57 years, which is half as likely compared to the 2C warming scenario where they would occur once every 30 years. Emily said: "We expected extreme hurricanes to be more prevalent in the 2C global warming scenario, but the scale of the projected increases was surprising and should serve as a stark warning to countries across the globe underscoring the importance of keeping climate change under control." The projections reinforce the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change special report, which concludes that restricting global warming to 1.5C would limit the risk of climate-related hazards, such as torrential rainfall, drought, and temperature extremes. Emily said: "Our findings show that the impacts of a 2?C warming above pre-industrial levels are set to disproportionately affect the Caribbean. By focusing efforts to stabilise global warming to the more ambitious 1.5?C goal, we could dramatically reduce the likelihood of extreme hurricane rainfall events in the area, particularly in the Eastern Caribbean region." It takes at least six years for even the richest of the Caribbean countries to rebuild after a major hurricane hits, stalling economic growth. Building resilient infrastructure throughout the islands is not feasible due to financial and time constraints. The study recommends its findings could be used to inform a multi-hazard, multi-scale approach which identifies the most at-risk areas so resilience funding and strategies can be more effectively targeted. Emily said: "Resources to mitigate damage are limited, so our findings could help highlight the hotspots in greatest danger and need. An integrated climate risk approach is needed to fully understand the threat of future hurricanes to Caribbean populations. "Further studies could therefore incorporate factors that directly affect the health and well-being of local populations - such as storm surge, flood and landslide modelling - into the rainfall results to quantify such threats and feed into adaptation and resilience planning. "Reducing the likelihood of extreme hurricanes should be the overriding priority. Our research clearly illustrates how vital it is to keep striving to meet the lower global warming temperature target, and the collective responsibility all countries, cities, communities, governments and individuals share to make that happen." ### Paper 'Extreme hurricane rainfall affecting the Caribbean mitigated by the Paris Agreement goals' by Emily Vosper, Dann Mitchell, and Kerry Emanuel in Environmental Research Letters. Notes to editors For more information and/or to arrange an interview with the lead author, please email emily.vosper@bristol.ac.uk or call: 07860110242. After the events of the last few months, the start of term will be a unique experience for parents and children across the country. But while the world may have changed, the back-to-school excitement and butterflies are very much the same. Such a long time out of a normal routine might mean parents are a little rusty about what they need to buy to get their children ready for the classroom. Luckily we have teamed up with Aldi to think of everything you need to make going back to school an easier and more enjoyable experience. Many parents, and children, will feel anxious alongside the understandable excitement, about going back after so long at home 1. Take time to talk Juggling homeschooling, working from home and lockdown has left many parents feeling desperate for schools to reopen. And while children are excited to see their friends, most children will feel nervous and awkward about going back for one reason or another. It's important to raise this with your child, and make them understand it is fine to have a few worries. Why not say something like 'it's okay to feel nervous going back, everyone else will too', and invite them to open up about any concerns they have. Giving them space to talk, and making sure they know you are there to listen and support them will go a long way to calming any anxiety. 2. Boss the lunch box It probably will have been months since you last made a packed lunch, so here are some ideas about what you can include to make it exciting for your son or daughter. A nutritious lunch is essential for children, but giving them a healthy meal that they actually want to eat - without spending a fortune (or hours preparing it) - can be a challenge. Thankfully Aldi have lots of inspiration to help parents fill lunchboxes with delicious treats on a budget, without compromising on quality. Why not try a Ham Pitta Pocket with cream cheese, ham, lettuce and cherry tomatoes (left)? Or their Chicken, Coleslaw and Houmous Wrap is sure to please even the fussiest of eaters Salads and even fritattas like this Aldi recipe easy Pancetta, Tomato & Spinach Fritatta make a great alternative to sandwiches and wraps Why not try making a Ham Pitta Pocket with cream cheese, ham, lettuce and cherry tomatoes? Or try whipping up their Chicken, Coleslaw and Houmous Wrap, which is sure to please even the fussiest of eaters. Why not whip up this Tuna Pasta Salad packed full of fresh veg for them to take into school? And remember to get inventive. Salads and even fritattas make a great alternative to sandwiches and wraps. Try this super easy Pancetta, Tomato & Spinach Fritatta recipe or whip up this Tuna Pasta Salad packed full of fresh veg for them to take into school. 3. Get back to routines Remember your child may have got used to having a relaxing lie in and no school run. So get them used to the new routine the week before term starts, by making sure they go to bed earlier and waking them a little earlier each day. Why not try setting the alarms 10 minutes earlier each day for a week or so before term starts, so that its not such a shock to the system on the first day of term? 4. Safety first There will likely be a whole range of new safety guidelines and procedures at your child's school to help reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19. It might be helpful to familiarise yourself and your child with them well ahead of going back so they know what to expect. If the school has not yet sent out information, try contacting them to ask for the guidelines, and then put them into practice at home beforehand. Safety will of course be at the forefront of everyone's mind and it is important that you and your family make sure you do whatever makes you feel most comfortable Having them leave the house and come into contact with others may also mean you want to think about your own safety routines. For example, ensuring your child washes their hands thoroughly for at least 20 seconds when they return from school. Or asking your child to tell you if they have shared their stationary or other objects with anyone that day. Aldi have a great range of award winning cleaning products that are perfect for keeping your home spick-and-span, as well some guest brands, like the WYX Disinfectant Multipurpose Cleaner. Keep uniforms super clean with Aldi's Fabulousa Laundry Cleanser (left) and disinfect them in between washes with the Fabulosa Spray and Wear Opulence (right) They also can help you take care of those uniform washes with their Fabulousa Laundry Cleanser, and the ingenious Fabulosa Spray and Wear Opulence which freshens up and disinfects clothes in between washes (in store from 30th August). Make sure you do whatever makes you feel most comfortable, alongside official guidelines. 5. Create a homework haven Months of homeschooling will likely have taken a toll on your home (as well as your nerves!). The week before term starts it can be a good idea to have a serious tidy session of their work space; throwing away any old piles of unneeded papers or broken crayons, sorting out workbooks and removing any distractions that may have crept in, like toys or comics. The week before term starts it can be a good idea to have a serious tidy session of their work space You could even re-paint the table if you felt motivated! If not simply giving it a good clean and maybe laying out their new stationary or putting some flowers there can make all the difference. After having being chained to their home work space for months, chances are your child doesn't feel especially warm towards it. Cleaning and refreshing it will help get them in a positive mindset about homework for the new academic year. 6. Get snack savvy It is also important to remember that during lockdown your child will most likely have become used to being able to wander into the kitchen whenever they felt peckish and pick up something to nibble. It is worth checking your school's policy on eating outside of lunchtime before they head back Pack healthy snacks that they can munch on in between classes to avoid them being distracted by hunger. Fresh fruit is always a great choice, and for the first two weeks back (starting Thursday 27th August) Aldi's famous Super 6 includes a seven pack of mini bananas, a 6 pack of mini-apples or a 5 pack of mini pears, all for just 49p. Pack them as they come or jazz them up by slicing them into a plastic container and topping with a blob of peanut butter or a drizzle of honey. Aldi's famous Super 6 is a great, budget friendly, way to give them healthy snacks - and the options change each week! (pictured are Super 6 week commencing Thursday 27th August) It is worth checking your school's policy on eating outside of lunchtime before they head back. For a savoury option that can help bulk up their lunchbox, pop in some cherry tomatoes and sugarsnap peas (both just 49p as part of Aldi's Super 6) alongside their main lunch. A mini tub of humous or soft cheese makes a fab dip for them. Or give them a handful of Aldi's Tropical Trail Mix (1.25) or Seed Mix (1.29) for an extra energy boost. 7. A little treat goes a long way While children are generally excited about seeing their friends (and yes, teachers) again, it is likely that parents may experience a little resistance and grumpiness to going back to school full time. This is totally normal, and it make take a few weeks for them to get back into the swing of things. In the first few weeks you might consider rewarding good behaviour like not making a fuss about getting up earlier and ready for the school run Why not try setting up a few enjoyable treats in the first weeks that your child can look forward to as a reward for a positive attitude to going back? A trip to the park, letting them chose the film for movie night at the weekend, cooking up their favourite meal on Friday night, or even an hour on the iPad. There are lots of little treats that can help ease them back into the routine and encourage good behaviour. 8. Stay on top of stationery In all the change and excitement, it might be easy to forget the essentials. Children will need new stationery heading back into school. A good idea is to lay out everything they have been using over lockdown and look for anything missing (a compass? a protractor? pencils?) or anything looking on its last legs. Aldi have everything you need from pens and calculators to Trolls and Marvel stationery sets, all at budget friendly prices. In all the change and excitement, it might be easy to forget about the essentials like stationery Once you have everything you need, why not make a checklist of what is in the pencil case? Each week you can check that everything is still there, which not only will allow you to quickly replace anything missing, but also give you peace of mind that they are not sharing their stationery. You could even use a label maker to ensure your child's stationery is clearly identifiable on the school desk. 9. Dinner matters Dinners at home after school are something children really look forward to - and need after a long day of learning and playing. Many families started cooking from scratch and eating together during lockdown, and there's no reason why this needs to end when school starts. Why not try some of Aldi's crowd-pleasing family meals like turkey mince enchiladas? After school dinners are something children really look forward to, and with Aldi it is easy to whip up healthier alternatives to their favourite meals - like fish and chips And while we are all thinking more about our finances, thanks to Aldi, there is no need to compromise on quality - or taste! To help with family dinners Aldi are selling Family Packs from 27th August all at amazing 'Super Low' prices. Offers shown available from Thursday 27th while stocks last Family Packs will include such mouthwatering treats as Red Thai Pork Chops (2.89), Garlic and Herb cook-in-the-bag chicken (3.85), and Duck Breast Portions (3.49) - all perfect for tasty, quick mid-week meals. There are also plenty of options for more fussy eaters, like Red Leicester Sausages (1.99), Cheese and Beans Chicken Kiev (1.49) and Ashfield Farm Chicken Goujons (2.49). If you are looking for more inspiration, why not try some of Aldi's crowd-pleasing family meals like turkey mince enchiladas or homemade healthy fish and chips? 10. Be understanding This is an entirely new situation for everyone - teachers, parents and children. There are bound to be a few hiccups or unforeseen challenges along the way. It is important to be kind to yourself and remember that no one knows exactly what to do - and that we are all in this together. If California in the United States has the 'Walk of Fame', then Mumbai -- the home of Bollywood -- has a brand new 'Walk of Shame'. While the 'Walk of Fame' is sign of honour for celebrities, the 'Walk of Shame' as you can imagine from the name, is used to shame certain people, preferably from India. Indian street artist, who goes by the name Tyler is behind this novel concept. Republic TV journalist Arnab Goswami found his name as part of this project. Photograph: @tylerstreetart/Instagram According to Tyler, the idea behind this initiative is to connect people, 'by calling out the shameless public figures in the most non-violent way'. Photograph: @tylerstreetart/Instagram Actor Kangana Ranaut also finds her name in the 'elite club'. Tyler says that the aim is to have a list of 25 such 'most shameless' people and create a 500-metre long Walk of Shame. Ranaut, the self-pronounced leader of the fight against nepotism has recently been quite vocal, dismissing depression as a real problem among other things. Photograph: @tylerstreetart/Instagram Sudhir Chaudhary, the editor-in-chief of Zee News, is the third person to be honoured on the 'Walk of Shame'. The TV journalist has been accused of lying and spreading hate in the past. Photograph: @tylerstreetart/Instagram On this Indepence Day (August 15), the street artist had announced the launch of the 'Walk of Shame'. Tyler said the idea for such public shaming came to him around four years ago. Explaining the need for such a project, he explained on his Instagram handle, "These public figures were well-liked and celebrated for their work. We have looked up to them, supported them, and even believed in them to do the right thing. However, they have become mouthpieces for political parties and have been instrumental in spreading propaganda that causes widespread destruction, violence and stupidity". Photograph: @tylerstreetart/Instagram The post termed the exercise as a "public led initiative" that is "purely in the interest of the people." Photograph: @tylerstreetart/Instagram Germany has extended its furlough scheme until the end of next year at a likely cost of 27billion. It is hoped that the move will help the economy to recover after the coronavirus pandemic saw the country's GDP fall by 11.7 per cent over the first six months of the year. More than 10.1 million workers, including one in three in the industrial sector, were on furlough at the peak of the Covid-19 lockdown. Although this figure dropped to around 5.2 million by late July, it is thought that the economy will not get back on its feet until the end of 2021 or early 2022. Germany has extended its furlough scheme until the end of next year at a likely cost of 27billion (German Chancellor Angela Merkel pictured) Angel Merkel's party had previously voiced reservations about extending the furlough scheme due to the extensive cost. But after an eight-hour negotiation among her coalition government they struck an agreement last night to extend the scheme by 12 months. The German furlough scheme, known as Kurzarbeit, is open to any company which can demonstrate that at least 10 per cent of staff jobs are at immediate risk. Recipients are initially paid a minimum of 60 per cent of their regular salary by the state but this rises to 70 per cent after three months and 80 per cent after six months - with those caring for children receiving slightly more. More than 10.1 million workers, including one in three in the industrial sector, were on furlough at the peak of the Covid-19 lockdown. Pictured: One worker wearing a face mask on the production line at the Adam Opel AG automobile component factory after retuning last month It is thought that the economy will not get back on its feet until the end of 2021 or early 2022. Pictured: Another worker fixing parts of an engine at a component factory in Kaiserslautern after returning from furlough The scheme has so far cost the German Federal Employment Agency (GFEA) around 12billion. Labour Minister Hubertus Heil described it as 'the stablest bridge over a deep economic valley'. But he has suggested that the bill might now rise to as much as 36billion. This would exhaust the GFEA's cash reserves and would therefore require the finance ministry to intervene. It comes as Germany continues its battle with the coronavirus pandemic. The country has now recorded a total of more than 239,000 coronavirus cases and 9,352 Covid-19 related deaths It was also agreed that the government would grant up to 20 days of paid leave to workers who were caring for relatives as well as extend its 25billion 'bridging assistance' fund aimed at small and medium sized businesses until December. It comes as Germany continues its battle with the coronavirus pandemic. The country has now recorded a total of more than 239,000 coronavirus cases and 9,352 Covid-19 related deaths, according to data from Worldometers. A 15-year-old girl from Uttar Pradeshs Mirzapur district was allegedly drugged and forced into prostitution by a beauty parlour owner in Ramnagar area of Varanasi, police said, adding that the matter came to light on August 16 night when the girl managed to escape from the captivity and reached police outpost in Ramnagar and narrated her story. A police officer said that the victim belongs to a village in Mirzapur. She informed that a woman from her village in Chunar area of Mirzapur promised her a job in a beauty parlour in Ramnagar on June 15 and brought her there. She started working at the beauty parlour from the same day. The police officer said that the girl further added that everything went normally for about a fortnight. But thereafter, the beauty parlour started giving her sedative pills and drugs and forced her into prostitution. She claims to have been held hostage by the beauty parlour owner in a house in Gola Ghat area where a youth allegedly raped her. Thereafter, she was raped by around a dozen people. After listening to the girl, the police officer contacted Chunar police station to inform them about the matter. Chunar police said that a person had lodged a complaint on July 21 that her niece had gone missing. As the FIR about the missing girl was registered in Chunar, Ramnagar police handed over the girl to Chunar police. The police officer said that the girl gave out names of around a dozen persons including three females in her statement. All the accused are on the run even as the police are conducting raids to nab them. Chunar police station in-charge Inspector Manoj Kumar Singh said that the relevant sections have been added to the previous FIR registered on July 21. Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act has also been imposed. Evidence is being collected and strict action would be taken against all the accused, he said and added that the girls statement could not be recorded before the magistrate as she has been ill. Her medical examination has also not been done so far. Also Read: Mayawati slams UP govt over law and order situation in state On August 25, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi tweeted, UP CM speaks about the speed of the government and the crime meter starts running at twice the speed. Pratyaksham kim Pramanam (What is evident, needs no proof). This is the crime meter of only two days in UP. The UP government repeatedly cover-ups the incidents of crime, but crime is doing Tandav (fierce dance) on the streets of the state, she further added. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON President Donald Trump will cap off the 2020 Republican National Convention Thursday with his acceptance speech from the White House. Trump will speak at around 10:30 p.m., during the time when the networks are broadcasting the event. The presidents use of the iconic building for his acceptance speech drew objections from both Republicans and Democrats. I think anything you do on federal property would seem to be problematic, said U.S. Sen. John Thune, R-S.D. But Trump said the venue would be cost-effective. If I use the White House, we save tremendous amounts of money for the government in terms of security, traveling, he said. In addition, Trump will be able to deliver his remarks in front of a live audience and receive cheers and applause, something denied most other speakers the coronavirus forced most of the convention to conducted remotely. Earlier in the day, Trump will hold a fundraiser at his downtown Washington hotel. The event will bring in $10 million, according to the Republican National Committee. The site will be cleaned and sanitized and attendees must test negative for COVID-19, pass a temperature screening and fill out a wellness questionnaire, the committee said. He also will visit Federal Emergency Management Agency headquarters for a briefing on Hurricane Laura, according to the White House. Preceding Trump at the convention will be Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-2nd Dist., who switched parties sitting next to the president in the Oval Office and then joined him at a political rally in Wildwood, as well as Housing Secretary Ben Carson, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy of California, Ivanka Trump and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. A top Hong Kong media executive said Thursday that HSBC had frozen his account after he and others from his pro-democracy newspaper were arrested under a new national security law Beijing imposed on the city. Cheung Kim-hung, chief executive officer of Next Digital Limited, told the group's flagship newspaper Apple Daily that he could not withdraw or transfer money from his personal HSBC account, although his credit card was still working. "The bank did not notify me," Cheung said. "I found some functions were unusable only when I wanted to use them." His revelation came a day after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo blasted the British bank for maintaining accounts of officials Washington has sanctioned for curtailing the freedoms of Hong Kongers, while freezing the accounts of those seeking freedom. "The United States is dismayed to learn the Chinese Communist Party continues to bully our British friends and their corporate leaders," Pompeo wrote in his tweet, an apparent reference to the pressure Hong Kong-based banks have been put under by Beijing. Pompeo was retweeted by Jimmy Lai, the owner of Apple Daily and a fierce critic of Beijing, who was arrested alongside Cheung. Lai aide Mark Simon told the South China Morning Post that HSBC had frozen the media tycoon's personal and credit card accounts, although Next Digital's business accounts remained active. Cheung said the freeze came after August 10, when around 200 police officers raided the newsroom of Apple Daily, which is unapologetically pro-democracy, and arrested 10 executives. Six of those arrested -- including Lai and prominent activist Agnes Chow -- were accused of "collusion with foreign forces", a newly created national security offence. International banks in Hong Kong are caught in the crossfire between the United States and China as the superpowers clash over the city's future. US President Donald Trump has signed a bipartisan bill sanctioning Chinese and Hong Kong officials responsible for the current crackdown on political freedoms in the city. Story continues But China's new security law also bans Hong Kong businesses from complying with foreign sanctions. Banks such HSBC are taking flak from both sides. Politicians in the US and Britain have castigated the British bank for supporting the national security law in Hong Kong. China's state media, meanwhile, have accused the bank of helping US prosecutors build a case against Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou for allegedly breaching Iran sanctions. The bank published a rebuttal on its Chinese Weibo account, which was quickly censored. su/jta/fox BEIJING, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Yiren Digital Ltd. (NYSE: YRD) ("Yiren Digital" or the "Company"), a leading fintech company in China, today announced its unaudited financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2020. Second Quarter 2020 Operational Highlights Wealth ManagementYiren Wealth Cumulative number of investors served reached 2,223,250 as of June 30, 2020 , representing an increase of 0.2% from 2,218,181 as of March 31, 2020 and compared to 2,185,513 as of June 30, 2019 . , representing an increase of 0.2% from 2,218,181 as of and compared to 2,185,513 as of . Number of current investors was 195,211 as of June 30, 2020 , representing a decrease of 11.5% from 220,568 as of March 31, 2020 . , representing a decrease of 11.5% from 220,568 as of . Number of current non-P2P investors was 31,530 as of June 30, 2020 , representing an increase of 19.7% from 26,346 as of March 31, 2020 , and compared to 17,133 as of June 30, 2019 . , representing an increase of 19.7% from 26,346 as of , and compared to 17,133 as of . Total assets under administration ("AUA") for P2P products on Yiren Wealth was RMB 25,896.8 million ( US$3,665.4 million ) as of June 30, 2020 , representing a decrease of 15.2% from RMB 30,536.4 million as of March 31, 2020 , and compared to RMB 43,249.9 million as of June 30, 2019 . ( ) as of , representing a decrease of 15.2% from as of , and compared to as of . Total AUA for non-P2P products on Yiren Wealth was RMB 2,528.6 million ( US$357.9 million ) as of June 30, 2020 , representing an increase of 47.6% from 1,713.1 million as of March 31 , 2020,and compared to RMB 352.7 million as of June 30, 2019 . ( ) as of , representing an increase of 47.6% from 1,713.1 million as of , 2020,and compared to as of . Sales volume of non-P2P products amounted to RMB 2,186.2 million ( US$309.4 million ) in the second quarter of 2020, representing an increase of 1.1% from RMB 2,163.3 million in the first quarter of 2020 and compared to RMB 284.8 million in the same period of 2019. Consumer CreditYiren Credit Total loan originations in the second quarter of 2020 reached RMB 2.4 billion ( US$0.3 billion ), representing an increase of 30.6% from RMB 1.8 billion in the first quarter of 2020 and compared to RMB 9.7 billion in the second quarter of 2019. ( ), representing an increase of 30.6% from in the first quarter of 2020 and compared to in the second quarter of 2019. Cumulative number of borrowers served reached 4,917,635 as of June 30, 2020 , representing an increase of 2.2% from 4,810,184 as of March 31, 2020 and compared to 4,491,334 as of June 30, 2019 . , representing an increase of 2.2% from 4,810,184 as of and compared to 4,491,334 as of . Number of borrowers served in the second quarter of 2020 was 107,568 representing a decrease of 6.8% from 115,420 in the first quarter of 2020 and compared to 135,246 in the second quarter of 2019. The percentage of loan volume generated by repeat borrowers was 0.3% in the second quarter of 2020. 25.0% of loan originations were generated online in the second quarter of 2020. Total outstanding principal balance of performing loans reached RMB 33,454.4 million ( US$4,735.2 million ) as of June 30,2020 , representing a decrease of 20.5% from RMB 42,063.0 million as of March 31,2020 . "With the pandemic still not far behind us and the changing market environment in the second quarter, we are making comprehensive progresses towards our business transition in our credit-tech business and have achieved meaningful scale in our wealth management business growth," said Mr. Ning Tang, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Yiren Digital. "For our credit-tech business, our new online product initiatives are tracking very well. Our new revolving loan product, Yi Xiang Hua, accounted for 13% of our total loan volume this quarter, growing over 500% quarter over quarter. Meanwhile, by leveraging our vast offline service network coverage, we are ramping up auto loans nicely, achieving a 51% growth from last quarter. Moreover, we have made great strides in repositioning our credit business by moving from a P2P funding model to a loan facilitation model. In the second quarter, 63% of loans facilitated were funded by institutional intuitional partners and we expect this proportion to reach close to 100% by the end of this year with a diversified partner base." "On wealth management business, we are seeing very strong growth momentum particularly for our fund products. As of June 30, 2020, the number of current non-P2P investors increased 20% from last quarter to 31,530, and total AUA for non-P2P products increased by 48% quarterly to RMB 2.5 billion. Moreover, average AUA per investor for non-P2P products also sees steady growth, with average AUA per investor for bank's fixed-income products exceeding RMB 100,000 and for funds over RMB 50,000, which is well above industry average" "We are delighted to see a notable acceleration in loan originations from prior quarter to RMB 2.4 billion, thanks to our strategic initiatives this year in diversification of our loan products," said Mr. Zhong Bi, Chief Financial Officer of Yiren Digital. "To provide relief to our borrowers who were significantly affected by the pandemic as well as medical workers who fought on the frontlines, we proactively granted a concession totaling RMB 245 million for over 50,000 borrowers in principal, interest and late fees, this represents a one-time hit to our revenue. On the balance sheet side, our cash position remains strong with approximately RMB 3.4 billion of cash and short-term investments as of June 30, 2020. " "Thanks to our continued efforts in risk management, the delinquency rates have shown a progressive improving trend. 15-90 days delinquency has decreased to 5.5% as of June 30, 2020 from 8.9% as of March 31, 2020. 15-90 days delinquency further decreased to 5.2% as of July 31, 2020 as a result of our strengthened efforts in tightening controls and improving borrower's credit quality." said Mr. Michael Ji, Chief Risk Officer of Yiren Digital. "To mitigate the risk caused by covid-19 and help customers went through the financial hardship, we have launched 7 relating special collection projects in the second quarter, including continued 'pandemic customer care program', which offered payment relief for the customers who were hit by covid-19 and healthcare givers who were fighting the disease. These special collection projects helped us achieve a decline in NCL by over 10% as compared with projection at the beginning of the year, even facing the economic headwind. We will continue to strengthen our risk management and expect delinquency rates to further improve in the second half of the year. Second Quarter 2020 Financial Results Total amount of loans facilitated in the second quarter of 2020 was RMB 2,402.5 million (US$340.1 million), compared to RMB 9,673.8 million in the same period last year. As of June 30, 2020, the total outstanding principal amount of the performing loans was RMB 33.5 billion (US$4.7 billion), decreased by 20% from RMB 42.1 billion as of March 31, 2020. Total net revenue in the second quarter of 2020 was RMB 754.7 million (US$106.8 million), compared to RMB 2,216.6 million in the same period last year. Revenue from Yiren Credit reached RMB 432.3 million (US$61.2 million), representing a decrease of 73% from RMB 1,624.3 million in the second quarter of 2019. Revenue from Yiren Wealth reached RMB 322.4 million (US$45.6 million), representing a decrease of 46% from RMB 592.4 million in the second quarter of 2019. Sales and marketing expenses in the second quarter of 2020 were RMB 508.5 million (US$72.0 million), compared to RMB 1,208.6 million in the same period last year. Sales and marketing expenses in the second quarter of 2020 accounted for 21.2% of the total amount of loans facilitated, as compared to 12.5% in the same period last year mainly due to the decline of loan volume. Origination and servicing costs in the second quarter of 2020 were RMB 165.2 million (US$23.4 million), compared to RMB 162.9 million in the same period last year. Origination and servicing costs in the second quarter of 2020 accounted for 6.9% of the total amount of loans facilitated, compared to 1.7% in the same period last year due to the decline of loan volume. General and administrative expenses in the second quarter of 2020 were RMB 172.6 million (US$24.4 million), compared to RMB 175.5 million in the same period last year. General and administrative expenses in the second quarter of 2020 accounted for 22.9% of the total net revenue, compared to 7.9% in the same period last year. Allowance for contract assets and receivables in the second quarter of 2020 were RMB 168.7 million (US$23.9 million), compared to RMB 500.9 million in the same period last year. Income tax benefit in the second quarter of 2020 was RMB 47.6 million (US$6.7 million). Net loss in the second quarter of 2020 was RMB 232.2 million (US$32.9 million), compared to net income of RMB 154.5 million in the same period last year. Adjusted EBITDA (non-GAAP) in the second quarter of 2020 was net loss of RMB 269.4 million (US$38.1 million), compared to net income of RMB 239.9 million in the same period last year. Basic income per ADS in the second quarter of 2020 was net loss of RMB 2.5 (US$0.4), compared to a basic income per ADS of RMB 1.7 in the same period last year. Diluted income per ADS in the second quarter of 2020 was net loss of RMB 2.5 (US$0.4), compared to a diluted income per ADS of RMB 1.7 in the same period last year. Net cash used in operating activities in the second quarter of 2020 was RMB 86.8 million (US$12.3 million), compared to net cash generated from operating activities of RMB 36.4 million in the same period last year. Net cash used in investing activities in the second quarter of 2020 was RMB 164.6 million (US$23.3 million), compared to net cash provided by investing activities of RMB 240.9 million in the same period last year. As of June 30, 2020, cash and cash equivalents was RMB 2,935.5 million (US$415.5 million), compared to RMB 3,195.0 million as of March 31, 2020. As of June 30, 2020, the balance of held-to-maturity investments was RMB 4.1 million (US$0.6 million), compared to RMB 4.4 million as of March 31, 2020. As of June 30, 2020, the balance of available-for-sale investments was RMB 513.0 million (US$72.6 million), compared to RMB 456.1 million as of March 31, 2020. Delinquency rates. As of June 30, 2020, the delinquency rates for loans that are past due for 15-29 days, 30-59 days and 60-89 days were 1.4%, 2.0%, and 2.1%, respectively compared to1.6%, 4.1%, and 3.2%, as of March 31, 2020. Cumulative M3+ net charge-off rates. As of June 30, 2020, the cumulative M3+ net charge-off rate for loans originated in 2017 was 16.7%, compared to 16.5% as of March 31, 2020. As of June 30, 2020, the cumulative M3+ net charge-off rate for loans originated in 2018 was 17.6%, compared to 15.8% as of March 31, 2020. As of June 30, 2020, the cumulative M3+ net charge-off rate for loans originated in 2019 was 9.4%, compared to 5.2% as of March 31, 2020. Recent Development Management Change Mr. Zhong Bi has resigned from his position as the Company's Chief Financial Officer ("CFO") to pursue other opportunities, effective on September 10, 2020. The board of directors of the Company has appointed Ms. Na Mei as the Company's new CFO, effective on September 10, 2020. Over the past two months, Ms. Mei has been working with Mr. Bi on daily CFO duties to ensure a smooth transition. Ms. Mei joined CreditEase Consumer Credit Division, now part of Yiren Digital, in 2015. She has served as the financial controller for this business unit and the head of business finance department. Prior to joining CreditEase, Ms. Mei had worked 12 years at PricewaterhouseCoopers. She brought in seasoned experience in finance management, taxation, internal control and consulting, along with years of first-hand exposure dealing with publicly listed companies in China and abroad. Ms. Mei obtained her bachelor's degree from Capital Economic University and is a certified public accountant. 2020 Share Incentive Plan Yiren Digital adopted a 2020 share incentive plan (the "2020 Plan") in the second quarter of 2020. The 2020 Plan has a ten-year term, and has a maximum number of 18,560,000 ordinary shares available for issuance pursuant to all awards under the 2020 Plan. Yiren Digital may grant restricted share units and other form of awards pursuant to the 2020 Plan. In connection with the adoption of the 2020 Plan and to prevent dilution to existing shareholders, CreditEase Holdings (Cayman) Limited, the parent company of Yiren Digital, will surrender for cancellation and for nil consideration 18,560,000 ordinary shares of US$0.0001 par value each standing in its name in the register of members of Yiren Digital. Non-GAAP Financial Measures In evaluating the business, the Company considers and uses several non-GAAP financial measures, such as adjusted EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA margin as supplemental measures to review and assess operating performance. We believe these non-GAAP measures provide useful information about our core operating results, enhance the overall understanding of our past performance and prospects and allow for greater visibility with respect to key metrics used by our management in our financial and operational decision-making. The presentation of these non-GAAP financial measures is not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for the financial information prepared and presented in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("U.S. GAAP"). The non-GAAP financial measures have limitations as analytical tools. Other companies, including peer companies in the industry, may calculate these non-GAAP measures differently, which may reduce their usefulness as a comparative measure. The Company compensates for these limitations by reconciling the non-GAAP financial measures to the nearest U.S. GAAP performance measure, all of which should be considered when evaluating our performance. See "Operating Highlights and Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP measures" at the end of this press release. Currency Conversion This announcement contains currency conversions of certain RMB amounts into US$ at specified rates solely for the convenience of the reader. Unless otherwise noted, all translations from RMB to US$ are made at a rate of RMB 7.0651 to US$1.00, the effective noon buying rate on June 30, 2020, as set forth in the H.10 statistical release of the Federal Reserve Board. Conference Call Yiren Digital's management will host an earnings conference call at 8:00 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time on August 27, 2020 (or 8:00 a.m. Beijing/Hong Kong Time on August 28, 2020). Participants who wish to join the call should register online in advance of the conference at: http://apac.directeventreg.com/registration/event/9992747 Please note the Conference ID number of 9992747. Once registration is completed, participants will receive the dial-in information for the conference call, an event passcode, and a unique registrant ID number. Participants joining the conference call should dial-in at least 10 minutes before the scheduled start time. A replay of the conference call may be accessed by phone at the following numbers until September 3, 2020: International +61 2-8199-0299 U.S. +1 646-254-3697 Replay Access Code: 9992747 Additionally, a live and archived webcast of the conference call will be available at ir.yirendai.com. Safe Harbor Statement This press release contains forward-looking statements. These statements constitute "forward-looking" statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates," "target," "confident" and similar statements. Such statements are based upon management's current expectations and current market and operating conditions and relate to events that involve known or unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, all of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond Yiren Digital's control. Forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any such statements. Potential risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, uncertainties as to Yiren Digital's ability to attract and retain borrowers and investors on its marketplace, its ability to introduce new loan products and platform enhancements, its ability to compete effectively, PRC regulations and policies relating to the peer-to-peer lending service industry in China, general economic conditions in China, and Yiren Digital's ability to meet the standards necessary to maintain listing of its ADSs on the NYSE or other stock exchange, including its ability to cure any non-compliance with the NYSE's continued listing criteria. Further information regarding these and other risks, uncertainties or factors is included in Yiren Digital's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. All information provided in this press release is as of the date of this press release, and Yiren Digital does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required under applicable law. About Yiren Digital Yiren Digital Ltd. (NYSE: YRD) is a leading fintech company in China, providing both credit and wealth management services. For its credit business, the Company provides an effective solution to address largely underserved investor and individual borrower demand in China through online and offline channels to efficiently match borrowers with investors and execute loan transactions. Yiren Digital deploys a proprietary risk management system, which enables the Company to effectively assess the creditworthiness of borrowers, appropriately price the risks associated with borrowers, and offer quality loan investment opportunities to investors. Yiren Digital's marketplace provides borrowers with quick and convenient access to consumer credit at competitive prices and investors with easy and quick access to an alternative asset class with attractive returns. For its wealth management business, the Company targets China's mass affluent population and strives to provide customized wealth management services, with a combination of long-term and short-term targets as well as different types of investments, ranging from cash and fixed-income assets, to funds and insurance. For more information, please visit ir.Yirendai.com. Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations (in thousands, except for share, per share and per ADS data, and percentages) For the Three Months Ended For the Six Months Ended June 30, 2019 March 31, 2020 June 30, 2020 June 30, 2020 June 30, 2019 June 30, 2020 June 30, 2020 RMB RMB RMB USD RMB RMB USD Net revenue: Loan facilitation services 1,237,718 358,541 171,084 24,215 2,292,764 529,625 74,964 Post-origination services 241,321 146,520 126,477 17,902 537,600 272,997 38,640 Account management services 549,024 413,166 300,720 42,564 1,037,364 713,886 101,044 Others 188,577 105,433 156,408 22,138 329,320 261,841 37,061 Total net revenue 2,216,640 1,023,660 754,689 106,819 4,197,048 1,778,349 251,709 Operating costs and expenses: Sales and marketing 1,208,647 616,441 508,466 71,969 2,336,592 1,124,907 159,220 Origination and servicing 162,945 102,918 165,183 23,380 335,068 268,101 37,947 General and administrative 175,534 149,041 172,568 24,425 433,241 321,609 45,521 Allowance for contract assets and receivables 500,861 143,385 168,708 23,879 691,965 312,093 44,174 Total operating costs and expenses 2,047,987 1,011,785 1,014,925 143,653 3,796,866 2,026,710 286,862 Other income/(expenses): Interest income, net 25,213 25,116 16,950 2,399 49,088 42,066 5,954 Fair value adjustments related to Consolidated ABFE 5,787 (26,020) (32,957) (4,665) 40,785 (58,977) (8,348) Others, net 17,480 12,184 (3,510) (496) 177,703 8,674 1,228 Total other income/(expenses) 48,480 11,280 (19,517) (2,762) 267,576 (8,237) (1,166) Income/(loss) before provision for income taxes 217,133 23,155 (279,753) (39,596) 667,758 (256,598) (36,319) Share of results of equity investees (816) - - - (5,773) - - Income tax expense/(benefit) 61,856 3,936 (47,558) (6,731) 138,390 (43,622) (6,174) Net income/(loss) 154,461 19,219 (232,195) (32,865) 523,595 (212,976) (30,145) Weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding, basic 184,608,337 185,600,961 185,613,735 185,613,735 184,865,964 185,607,348 185,607,348 Basic income/(loss) per share 0.8367 0.1036 (1.2510) (0.1771) 2.8323 (1.1475) (0.1624) Basic income/(loss) per ADS 1.6734 0.2072 (2.5020) (0.3542) 5.6646 (2.2950) (0.3248) Weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding, diluted 186,667,233 186,166,429 185,613,735 185,613,735 186,621,626 185,607,348 185,607,348 Diluted income/(loss) per share 0.8275 0.1032 (1.2510) (0.1771) 2.8057 (1.1475) (0.1624) Diluted income/(loss) per ADS 1.6550 0.2064 (2.5020) (0.3542) 5.6114 (2.2950) (0.3248) Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Cash Flow Data Net cash generated from/(used in) operating activities 36,352 557,762 (86,768) (12,281) (622,083) 470,994 66,664 Net cash provided by/(used in) investing activities 240,896 (524,479) (164,623) (23,302) (9,035) (689,102) (97,537) Net cash (used in)/provided by financing activities (73,385) (65,637) 39,905 5,648 420,004 (25,732) (3,642) Effect of foreign exchange rate changes 1,532 1,206 (86) (12) (664) 1,120 159 Net increase/(decrease) in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash 205,395 (31,148) (211,572) (29,947) (211,778) (242,720) (34,356) Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, beginning of period 2,617,311 3,269,142 3,237,994 458,308 3,034,484 3,269,142 462,717 Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, end of period 2,822,706 3,237,994 3,026,422 428,361 2,822,706 3,026,422 428,361 Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (in thousands) As of December 31, 2019 March 31, 2020 June 30, 2020 June 30, 2020 RMB RMB RMB USD Cash and cash equivalents 3,198,086 3,194,993 2,935,543 415,498 Restricted cash 71,056 43,001 90,879 12,863 Accounts receivable 3,398 33,902 27,309 3,865 Contract assets, net 2,398,685 1,873,548 1,356,886 192,055 Contract cost 160,003 149,917 145,809 20,638 Prepaid expenses and other assets 1,333,221 868,462 1,134,257 160,545 Loans at fair value 418,492 313,267 246,475 34,886 Financing receivables 29,612 33,381 54,876 7,767 Amounts due from related parties 988,853 1,583,859 1,560,376 220,857 Held-to-maturity investments 6,627 4,399 4,126 584 Available-for-sale investments 460,991 456,061 513,013 72,612 Property, equipment and software, net 195,855 188,880 184,957 26,179 Deferred tax assets 45,407 42,084 49,051 6,943 Right-of-use assets 334,134 291,028 224,067 31,715 Total assets 9,644,420 9,076,782 8,527,624 1,207,007 Accounts payable 43,583 39,068 40,324 5,708 Amounts due to related parties 106,645 112,034 184,325 26,090 Liabilities from quality assurance program and guarantee 4,397 3,487 2,660 377 Deferred revenue 358,203 254,933 190,712 26,994 Accrued expenses and other liabilities 2,338,745 1,946,205 1,981,040 280,397 Refund liability 1,801,535 1,760,942 1,501,318 212,497 Deferred tax liabilities 218,888 216,304 162,016 22,932 Lease liabilities 282,334 259,197 205,056 29,024 Total liabilities 5,154,330 4,592,170 4,267,451 604,019 Ordinary shares 121 121 121 17 Additional paid-in capital 5,038,691 5,045,268 5,050,226 714,813 Treasury stock (37,097) (37,097) (37,097) (5,251) Accumulated other comprehensive income 21,855 18,671 23,474 3,323 Accumulated deficit (533,480) (542,351) (776,551) (109,914) Total equity 4,490,090 4,484,612 4,260,173 602,988 Total liabilities and equity 9,644,420 9,076,782 8,527,624 1,207,007 Operating Highlights and Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP Measures (in thousands, except for number of borrowers, number of investors and percentages) For the Three Months Ended For the Six Months Ended June 30, 2019 March 31, 2020 June 30, 2020 June 30, 2020 June 30, 2019 June 30, 2020 June 30, 2020 RMB RMB RMB USD RMB RMB USD Operating Highlights Amount of p2p investment 11,939,582 5,203,747 4,017,751 568,676 23,375,170 9,221,497 1,305,218 Number of p2p investors 157,973 78,256 63,066 63,066 320,054 108,252 108,252 Amount of non-p2p investment 284,782 2,163,313 2,186,210 309,438 613,490 4,349,523 615,635 Number of non-p2p investors 10,235 18,809 30,392 30,392 19,370 39,443 39,443 Amount of loans facilitated 9,673,818 1,839,454 2,402,494 340,051 20,608,740 4,241,948 600,409 Number of borrowers 135,246 115,420 107,568 107,568 280,634 220,731 220,731 Remaining principal of performing loans 58,071,303 42,063,039 33,454,423 4,735,166 58,071,303 33,454,423 4,735,166 Segment Information Wealth management: Revenue 592,378 415,876 322,381 45,630 1,113,812 738,257 104,493 Sales and marketing expenses 213,168 67,326 45,454 6,434 357,072 112,780 15,963 Consumer credit: Revenue 1,624,262 607,784 432,308 61,189 3,083,236 1,040,092 147,216 Sales and marketing expenses 995,479 549,115 463,012 65,535 1,979,520 1,012,127 143,257 Reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA Net income/(loss) 154,461 19,219 (232,195) (32,865) 523,595 (212,976) (30,145) Interest income, net (25,213) (25,116) (16,950) (2,399) (49,088) (42,066) (5,954) Income tax expense/(benefit) 61,856 3,936 (47,558) (6,731) 138,390 (43,622) (6,174) Depreciation and amortization 31,112 27,171 24,368 3,449 63,614 51,539 7,295 Share-based compensation 17,732 4,541 2,954 418 32,431 7,495 1,061 Adjusted EBITDA 239,948 29,751 (269,381) (38,128) 708,942 (239,630) (33,917) Adjusted EBITDA margin 10.8% 2.9% -35.7% -35.7% 16.9% -13.5% -13.5% Delinquency Rates Delinquent for 15-29 days 30-59 days 60-89 days All Loans December 31, 2015 0.7% 1.2% 0.9% December 31, 2016 0.6% 0.9% 0.8% December 31, 2017 0.8% 1.0% 0.8% December 31, 2018 1.0% 1.8% 1.7% December 31, 2019 1.2% 2.0% 1.7% March 31, 2020 1.6% 4.1% 3.2% June 30, 2020 1.4% 2.0% 2.1% Online Channels December 31, 2015 0.5% 0.8% 0.6% December 31, 2016 0.5% 0.9% 0.8% December 31, 2017 1.1% 1.1% 0.9% December 31, 2018 1.2% 2.3% 2.2% December 31, 2019 1.6% 2.9% 2.5% March 31, 2020 1.9% 5.2% 3.8% June 30, 2020 1.4% 2.4% 2.7% Offline Channels December 31, 2015 0.7% 1.2% 1.0% December 31, 2016 0.6% 0.9% 0.8% December 31, 2017 0.6% 0.9% 0.7% December 31, 2018 0.9% 1.6% 1.5% December 31, 2019 1.0% 1.7% 1.5% March 31, 2020 1.6% 3.7% 3.1% June 30, 2020 1.4% 1.8% 2.0% Net Charge-Off Rate Loan Issued Period Amount of Loans Facilitated During the Period Accumulated M3+ Net Charge- Off as of June 30, 2020 Total Net Charge-Off Rate as of June 30, 2020 (in RMB thousands) (in RMB thousands) 2015 53,143,029 4,441,696 8.4% 2016 53,805,112 5,057,850 9.4% 2017 69,883,293 11,693,408 16.7% 2018 63,176,149 11,131,294 17.6% 2019 39,103,048 3,688,712 9.4% 2020Q1 1,320,428 6,388 0.5% M3+ Net Charge-Off Rate Loan Issued Period Month on Book 4 7 10 13 16 19 22 25 28 31 34 2015Q1 0.8% 2.0% 3.4% 4.7% 5.7% 6.5% 7.1% 7.5% 7.7% 7.8% 7.8% 2015Q2 0.8% 2.3% 3.8% 5.2% 6.4% 7.3% 7.9% 8.3% 8.5% 8.7% 8.8% 2015Q3 0.4% 1.6% 3.1% 4.4% 5.6% 6.5% 7.1% 7.6% 7.9% 8.1% 8.4% 2015Q4 0.4% 1.6% 3.1% 4.4% 5.5% 6.3% 6.9% 7.4% 7.9% 8.3% 8.5% 2016Q1 0.3% 1.2% 2.5% 3.6% 4.5% 5.2% 5.8% 6.4% 7.0% 7.4% 7.6% 2016Q2 0.4% 1.6% 3.1% 4.3% 5.2% 6.0% 6.8% 7.6% 8.1% 8.4% 8.7% 2016Q3 0.3% 1.6% 3.1% 4.3% 5.4% 6.6% 7.8% 8.6% 9.2% 9.5% 9.8% 2016Q4 0.2% 1.5% 2.9% 4.4% 5.9% 7.4% 8.4% 9.3% 10.0% 10.4% 10.7% 2017Q1 0.3% 1.5% 3.2% 5.1% 7.1% 8.6% 9.8% 10.8% 11.5% 12.0% 12.2% 2017Q2 1.1% 2.9% 5.6% 8.4% 10.4% 12.1% 13.5% 14.5% 15.3% 15.8% 16.0% 2017Q3 0.3% 2.9% 6.4% 9.1% 11.6% 13.6% 15.0% 16.2% 16.9% 17.5% 2017Q4 0.5% 3.9% 7.3% 10.5% 13.2% 15.3% 16.9% 18.0% 18.8% 2018Q1 0.4% 3.0% 6.6% 10.1% 12.9% 15.2% 16.9% 18.2% 2018Q2 0.5% 3.6% 7.4% 10.8% 13.6% 15.8% 17.7% 2018Q3 0.4% 3.0% 6.2% 9.1% 11.7% 13.9% 2018Q4 0.3% 2.5% 5.6% 8.6% 11.7% 2019Q1 0.2% 2.5% 5.6% 9.0% 2019Q2 0.3% 2.9% 6.9% 2019Q3 0.3% 3.4% 2019Q4 0.3% SOURCE Yiren Digital Related Links http://ir.yirendai.com/ Intellectuals are supposed to speak truth to power. Unfortunately, some seem to be more interested in saying what everyone expects them to say, which only reinforces the status quo. Thankfully, a few scholars are resisting this trend, fighting for what is true rather than what is popular. Case in point: a recent Hoover Institution paper on A Pro-Growth Fiscal Consolidation Plan for the United States by economists John Cogan, Daniel Heil and John Taylor, which makes the case for a reduction in spending now in order to positively impact the economy. Its refreshing to see their research, considering that we live in a world where pundits and even economists bend over backward to make the case that more debt is not a problem and that more fiscal stimulus is desirable. Never mind that the arguments that intellectuals offer to defend these claims arent supported by the academic literature. Consider the mistaken notion that more spending will stimulate the economy and somehow reduce the debt burden of the policy in the first place. Research overwhelmingly confirms that, for a variety of reasons, the return of government spending on economic growth is much less than the money spent. Then theres the argument that interest rates are low and hence, its a good time to take on more debt despite the chance that variable interest wont always be that low. But more debt, even at low rates, still means more interest payments. Before COVID-19, the United States paid close to $400 billion in interest payments annually, or 8% of our budget. Its only going to get worse now. Japan, for instance, has a massive amount of debt, despite its 0% long-term interest rates. Its debt repayments are its second-largest budget item. I wish reporters and economists would stop asserting, like The Wall Street Journal recently did, The example of Japan has shown that debts can rise for a long time, well above 200% of GDP, without sparking a fiscal crisis. Really? I would have thought that Japans two decades of no growth and wage stagnation could be considered a crisis. Moreover, Japan is quite different than the United States and can get away with more overall debt than we could. Thats because most Japanese securities are held in the Social Security trust fund thats owned by the government. This means that net public sector debt is actually significantly lower in Japan than in the United States. Enter the new paper by Cogan, Heil and Taylor, which finds that, when faced with an inevitable debt explosion in our future, the only viable and desirable option is for Uncle Sam to limit expenditures as a share of GDP, around the 20% ratio that prevailed before the pandemic. The authors find that this approach avoids the potentially large increase in future federal taxes. Better yet, they actually find that the policy would boost both short- and long-term GDP. This research will be added to decades of empirical evidence that spending-based consolidations are expansionary in the long term and, sometimes, can boost growth in the short term, too. However, my excitement with the paper is actually rooted in their scholarship and methodology, not just their conclusions. Heres why: The traditional objection against spending cuts is that they hurt demand (consumption), but this study shows that a reduction in spending actually increases consumption in the short run and into the long run. Thats because, in the same way people tend to increase their savings during a recession due to fear of the future, consumers also consider the long-term tax implications of todays spending measures. Theyll increase their spending and investment habits in anticipation of future tax cuts or, at the very least, no future tax hikes. The result is that the growth in output resulting from the spending restraint is driven primarily by consumption, which should be politically salient. The authors, however, also highlight that, as expected, investment reacts positively in the long run. At a time when flawed arguments for more government spending and more debt are reemerging, this paper goes against the big government status quo and offers a blueprint for us to not only regain control of our spiraling debt but also do so in a way that will boost short- and long-term economic growth by boosting demand and then investment. Veronique de Rugy is a senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) leader Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy on Wednesday slammed for his criticism of the Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy, saying that Naidu was criticising the government as "he could not loot the people any longer". "Chandrababu called our Chief Minister's rule destructive. He has to clearly explain what kind of destruction took place," Reddy said. He said the Chief Minister has introduced welfare schemes, is delivering corruption-free governance and has faced the COVID-19 pandemic efficiently. "Where is this destruction? Chandrababu was the one who had caused destruction in the system. He had looted the public exchequer by bringing loans to the tune of more than Rs 3 lakh crores. It seems Chandrababu is worrying that the destruction took place during his regime is over now and there is no scope for it in Jagan's regime," Reddy said. He asked Naidu where he and his son were when the pandemic was spreading in the state. "Chandrababu sat in Hyderabad, spending time on Zoom meetings and creating hurdles for the Jagan government. No other state in the country has an opposition like the TDP which hampers the development of the state. Chandrababu Naidu is trying to make the Amravati agitation a state issue, as he lost the opportunity to loot thousands of crores while the Chief Minister does justice to 11,000 farmers in Amravati," Reddy added. "Why are the Left parties not questioning the TDP which is hampering the allotment process of land pattas to the poor? How can they hold protests along with TDP? The decision of decentralization of administration has been taken after a one-year discussion and has been taken for the benefit of the people. TDP is trying to create hurdles but we believe in the judiciary and that justice will be done," 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.) NEW YORK Fox News Tucker Carlson, no stranger to the hot seat for his commentary, is being criticized for suggesting that no one should be surprised by the killing of two demonstrators during social unrest in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Authorities stood back and watched Kenosha burn, he said on Fox News Channel on Wednesday. So are we really surprised that looting and arson accelerated to murder? How shocked are we that 17-year-olds with rifles decided they had to maintain order when no one else would? Kyle Rittenhouse, a 17-year-old Illinois resident and police supporter, was taken into custody on suspicion of homicide after the killings of two people involved in unrest following last weekends police shooting of a Black man, Jacob Blake. Carlsons commentary drew an angry response online because it was seen as sympathetic to Rittenhouse or offering justification for murder. Former Labor Secretary Robert Reich tweeted the Fox management is complicit in Tucker Carlsons racist, murderous rants if they take no action against him. Author Don Winslow called the comments disgusting. Fred Guttenberg, whose daughter was killed in the Parkland shooting, called Carlson a lunatic who will get people killed. You should be removed for the safety of our kids. But presidential son Donald Trump Jr. tweeted that the left-wing media is willfully twisting Tucker Carlsons words to smear him. He never endorsed vigilante justice. He just pointed out that when leaders cede control of our streets to the mob, it leads to heartbreaking consequences. Twitter flagged a link in one of Carlsons tweets for sensitive content. Carlsons tweet had quoted words he used on the air. Carlson, who usually competes with colleague Sean Hannity to be the most popular news host on cable television, has been criticized in the past for comments considered sympathetic to white nationalists. Last month his shows head writer quit after it was revealed he was posting racist comments online under a pseudonym. When asked for comment Thursday, Fox provided a transcript of Carlsons segment from the night before. Fox management infrequently comments on individual statements by its personalities. Instead, Fox is more likely to express displeasure by taking someone off the air temporarily or permanently and Carlson is expected at his post on Thursday. He didnt stand alone in his commentary, either. Conserative provocateur Ann Coulter tweeted about Rittenhouse: I want him as my president. Three hours before Carlsons statement, Foxs Jesse Watters said Rittenhouse acted inappropriately and unfortunately this is what happens when a governor abdicates his responsibility to keep the streets safe. Former Fox personality Megyn Kelly trended on Twitter for a series of retweets, including one that said Jacob Blake was armed with a KNIFE when cops shot him. While authorities found a knife in Blakes car after he was shot by police, it wasnt clear if he had possession during the confrontation. She also emphasized a quote in a Real Clear Politics article by Ben Shapiro: The narrative has been set. The (police) shooting was unjustified, and racist at that. No evidence has been presented, none need be. And if the facts dont match the accusations, the facts will be put aside. Kelly declined comment on Thursday. In an article on the website Outkick.com, writer Jason Whitlock wrote that professional athletes who have sat out competitions due to police shootings are useful idiots convinced that some police shootings were examples of racism when they were really about resisting arrest. In the publication American Spectator, author Scott McKay said that while 17-year-olds should not cross state lines to carry rifles into demonstrations, protest groups like Black Lives Matter bear total responsibility for Rittenhouse doing so. What did you morons think was going to happen? McKay wrote. That you could continue to burn down a small city in middle America without any resistance? But Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace on Thursday rejected any notion that Rittenhouses alleged actions are justifiable. Vigilante justice is a completely inappropriate response to rioting in the street, Wallace said. There is no justification for what happened in Kenosha and vigilante justice is a crime and should be punished as a crime. Two of the immigrants naturalized during a White House ceremony claimed Wednesday they did not know that it would be aired the second night of the Republican Convention. Sudha Narayanan and Neimat Awadelseid, two of the five individuals who took the oath of citizenship Tuesday, told the Wall Street Journal that they did not mind being featured in the convention and that they found out just minutes before the ceremony that President Donald Trump would attend. Even after the ceremony concluded, the two said they were not aware that it would be included in the convention program that night. While the two women are unconcerned with the events as they celebrate their newly granted citizenship, Democrats have faulted the move as Trump's campaign politicizing government functions. Two women who were part of the prerecorded naturalization ceremony at the White House Tuesday said they were not aware that it would be aired as part of the Republican Convention Trump has also come under fire for the Tuesday convention for issuing a pardon for a convicted bank robber who has now dedicated his life to helping transition prisoners upon release. It is unclear of the three other individuals granted citizenship Tuesday were aware ahead of time of the use of the video in the convention or if they were OK with the move. 'We were just happy it was happening in a special place,' Narayanan said. 'It was just a happy moment that I was cherishing with my husband.' She added: 'This is a very great honor that the United States has extended to me.' Critics claim it was wrong not to inform participants that they would be part of a political event. And other have noted the Trump administration's hardline illegal immigration policies, which have been denounced by many on the left. Hillary Clinton railed against Trump on Wednesday for making the naturalization ceremony part of the convention, insinuating there was hypocrisy in the move due to his stances on illegal immigration. 'Trump has spent his entire political career demonizing immigrants. He's caged migrant babies at the border. He's used fear of 'caravans' as a political prop,' Clinton lambasted in a tweet Wednesday. 'Watching him preside over a naturalization ceremony last night was like watching a fox bless a henhouse,' she continued. The Trump campaign and RNC pre-recorded the ceremony at the White House for the five individuals becoming American citizens, which aired Tuesday night as part of the convention. That move appeared to fly in the face of the Hatch Act, which prevents the use of government property and personnel to campaign for a candidate. The White House said they had uploaded video of the ceremony to a website of which the Trump campaign has access. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton suggested Wednesday there was hypocrisy in the move and claimed Trump was using the event as a 'political prop' as she pointed to the administration's hard line immigration policies Acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf headed the ceremony and read the oath off to the candidates for naturalization. 'On behalf of the Department of Homeland Security, it is my honor to call you My Fellow Americans,' Wolf said at the conclusion of the oath before handing the podium over to Trump. 'Mr. President. I want to again commend you for your dedication to the rule of law, and for restoring integrity to our immigration system. Thank you for hosting such a patriotic celebration here at the White House today.' Trump congratulated the five recipients of citizenship: 'You are now fellow citizens of the greatest nation on the face of God's Earth.' 'You followed the rules, you obeyed the laws, you learned your history, embraced our values and proved yourselves to be men and women of the highest integrity. It's not so easy. You went through a lot,' Trump said of the legal process to become an American citizen. The five countries represented at the ceremony were Bolivia, India, Sudan, Lebanon and Ghana. The Trump administration has become known for its hardline illegal immigration policies as Democrats have lambasted the president for separating families at the southern border. There are concerns over Hatch Act violations as Acting Department of Homeland Security Chad Wolf read the oath aloud from the White House He came under extreme fire from Democrats for policies on holding migrants in facilities along the border as they attempted to filter in earlier in his presidency with many claiming refugee status. Trump has also faced fire for delivering on his promise to build a wall spanning the entire southern border. While it is very far from being complete, several hundred miles of border wall have been erected during his presidency and is one of the key platforms he ran on in 2016 when he defeated Clinton. First lady Melania Trump, an immigrant herself, delivered remarks to close out the second night of the convention. Derick Dillard has been more than happy to talk about the Duggar family in recent months. In December 2019, Derick, who married Jill Duggar in 2014, broke his silence on the family rift. He hasnt stopped talking since, and Amy Duggar has gotten in on the action, too, albeit in a much more subdued fashion. The one person who hasnt opened up about the trouble between the Dillards and the Duggars is Jill. That might be changing. She has recently started to subtly shade her family, and critics think shes about to break her silence. Jill has been subtly shading her parents in recent months Jill appears to be getting one step closer to publicly acknowledging the Duggar family rift. Over the last several months, shes thrown subtle shade. First, she failed to recognize her family for the holidays. Then, she completely skipped over wishing her mother a happy Mothers Day on Instagram in May. She recognized Jim Bob Duggar for Fathers Day, but let his birthday pass by without a mention. In fact, Jill and Derick spent time with Amy and her husband, Dillon King, at a lounge instead of hanging out with the Duggars for Jim Bobs birthday celebration. RELATED: Counting On: Jill Duggar Just Broke Duggar Protocol by Enrolling Her Son in School All of the missed acknowledgments have led fans to believe Jill is getting ready to act out, but her most recent public statement has followers thinking that moment is coming sooner rather than later. Jill recently posted about her husbands last first day of school and her sons first day of kindergarten. She took to Instagram to thank all of her friends for their word of encouragement. There was no mention of family. It would make sense that the Duggars wouldnt wish Israel good luck on his big day. The Duggars dont believe in public education. Jill and her 18 siblings were all homeschooled. Will Jill ever speak about the feud? While family followers strongly suspect some of Jills snarkier statements are directed at her famous family, she has yet to disparage them outwardly. That job has been left up to Derick, and he has taken it on with gusto. Family critics cant help but wonder why Jill has yet to speak out. There are a couple of reasons she may be staying quiet. There is the possibility that Jill signed a contract before she married Derick. Jim Bob may have his children sign non-disclosure agreements when they become legal adults, although none have said they signed anything. Derick has noted that he was asked to sign paperwork but refused. AJ Calloway, Jill Duggar and Derick Dillard | D Dipasupil/Getty Images for Extra RELATED: Counting On: Does A Recent Instagram Picture Prove Jill Duggar Isnt Allowed to Spend Time With Her Siblings? If Jill did not sign a contract, she could technically speak out against her family but may be reluctant to do so for fear of complete alienation. While her relationship with Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar seems especially strained, she appears to be closely linked to at least a couple of her siblings. Speaking out against her parents may alienate her further from her brothers and sisters. It has already been suggested that Jim Bob and Michelle refuse to let Jill spend one-on-one time with her siblings. Any further rebellion could cut her off from them for good, especially since many of the Duggar kids are completely dependent on Jim Bob for their financial survival. If a few more Duggar kids decide to step away from their parents, Jill may begin to feel more comfortable speaking openly. If it never happens, thats OK, though. The mother of two has been working hard to set boundaries and heal from past traumas. Derick has made it clear that she is seeking help from a licensed counselor, and appears to be happy and at peace with her decisions. Derick still plans to pen a book, too. He told The U.S. Sun that Jill will work on the non-fiction offering with him. Perhaps her feelings will come out in the book. Time will only tell. Michelle Duggar seems to be shading Jill right back If Jill is getting ready to talk, its likely because of the actions of Michelle Duggar and Jim Bob Duggar. In April, it looked as though Michelle was trying to fix her issues with the Dillards. In March, she took to Instagram to wish Israel a happy birthday. The following month, the family wished Derick a happy birthday, too. The sudden interest in the Dillards birthdays took family followers by surprise. The Duggars hadnt acknowledged the family on social media in more than two years before the posts. If Jim Bob and Michelle were attempting to make everything seem okay, they are over it now. RELATED: How Old Were Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar When They Got Married? In July, fans were quick to point out that Michelle purposefully cropped Jill out of a family photo. The picture, taken at Joy-Anna Duggars baby shower, created a ton of controversy. Michelle insisted that the image was only cropped because it was too big to include everyone. Fans, however, were quick to dismiss the notion. Many believe Michelle cut Jill out of the photo because she was wearing clothing that didnt fit in with the Duggar familys modest rules. Jill did appear in a different picture from the day, but she was largely covered by one of her younger sisters. The Secretariat of Kyrgyzstans Security Council, in close cooperation with independent experts involved, has developed a draft of a new State Strategy for 2021-2024 to combat corruption in the Kyrgyz Republic and eliminate its causes, Trend reports citing Kabar. The document will be submitted to the upcoming meeting of the Security Council, Secretary of the Council Damir Sagynbaev reported Wednesday to Kyrgyz President Sooronbay Jeenbekov. According to the press service of the Kyrgyz president, the secretary presented information on the preparation for the regular meeting of the Security Council, which will sum up results of law enforcement bodies work to combat corruption in the republic for two and a half years, and will consider and approve the draft of a new State Strategy to combat corruption. Damir Sagynbayev noted the new strategy meets modern challenges and threats, provides for the introduction of new anti-corruption mechanisms aimed at systemic fight against corrupt practices in state bodies, and includes other innovations that strengthen the anti-corruption policy of the country. "This draft law introduces effective anti-corruption mechanisms and significantly tightens control over expenditures and incomes of officials of all levels. With its adoption, our declaration campaign will be much more effective," concluded Secretary Sagynbayev. President Sooronbay Jeenbekov emphasized the new strategy should become the basic anti-corruption document of the country for the coming years, which will increase the revenue part of the republican budget, increase transparency and efficiency of the process of providing public services to the population and strengthen public confidence in the government. Mrs. Theodosia Jackson has advocated the development of a curriculum that enhances creative thinking among recipients of Ghanaian education. The principal of Jackson College of Education said this in an interview with the media in Kumasi. She added that Ghana is confronted with myriads of problems which need vibrant and well-nurtured young people to defy the odds in solving existing national problems. According to the principal, technical and vocational schools must be promoted and resourced adequately to enable students to undergo rigorous practical training for sustainable livelihood and job creation. She further intimated that technical schools are not meant for students who are academically handicapped but people who are poised to solve challenges and create jobs for themselves and other people. "We should make technical education more competitive as this will reduce graduate unemployment among the youth", she said passionately. U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen E. Biegun, during a meeting with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, expressed readiness to hold a new meeting of the Ukraine-U.S. Strategic Partnership Commission. "Kuleba proposed to hold another meeting of the Strategic Partnership Commission adding new ambitious goals to Ukraine-U.S. bilateral agenda and received assurances that the U.S. side is principally interested in holding such a meeting," the press service of the Foreign Ministry said. They discussed a wide range of issues aimed at strengthening Ukraine-U.S. strategic partnership in areas of defense and security, energy, reforms, trade and investment, and others. Counterparts paid specific attention to Europe's energy security in the context of Russian Nord Stream 2 project. They agreed to further joint efforts to ensure that Europe's energy supply remains diversified. Sides also discussed the situation in the temporarily occupied territories in the East of Ukraine and Crimea. Kuleba informed his counterpart on Ukraine's progress in establishing the Crimea platform which will be aimed at consolidating international efforts on de-occupation of the Ukrainian peninsula. He called on the U.S. to support the initiative and consider a possibility to join it. "The American side reiterated its continued ironclad support of Ukraine in countering Russian aggression and implementing reforms. Biegun assured that he shares a very optimistic view of the future of Ukraine-U.S. bilateral relations and stated that the U.S. sees Ukraine as a reliable partner," the message reads. In his turn, Kuleba underlined that Ukraine highly values the bipartisan support it enjoys in the U.S. The Minister of Foreign Affairs reiterated that Ukraine aims to further expand volumes of trade and investment between the two countries and also reminded of Ukraine's invitation to American companies which might be leaving other countries to localize in Ukraine. Kuleba expressed his deep appreciation for the U.S. support of Ukraine's response to COVID-19. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Fadli (The Jakarta Post) Batam, Riau Islands Thu, August 27, 2020 18:03 511 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c40f24b3 1 National COVID-19,border-tourism,Singapore,Riau Free Riau Islands is gearing up to implement stricter health measures across the province as the central government enters into discussions with Singapore on opening up a travel corridor between the two countries. Governor Isdianto said the provincial administration would put its best effort into preparing necessary regulations to ensure the safety of travelers while visiting the province. It is necessary to implement strict health protocols if the talks eventually lead to something, the governor told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday. Riau Islands places second for foreign tourist arrivals in Indonesia after Bali. Last year, the province attracted 2.59 million international visitors, almost half of whom 47 percent were from Singapore. Isdianto went on to say that he had handed over a request to the government to open its borders with Singapore to Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan during the latters visit to Batam in July. I told him that we, especially the people, are longing for foreign tourists to come to our islands, he said. Read also: Singaporeans still advised to defer all travel abroad, minister says Several areas often visited by foreign visitors, such as Batam, Bintan and Karimun, have been labelled as having a low COVID-19 risk. Separately, Batam Mayor Muhammad Rudi said he had requested the Batam chapter of the Indonesian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) to lobby the Singapore government to open the border between the city and the neighboring country. If Singapore and Malaysia agree [to reopen their borders to us], we will immediately prepare to implement health protocols, said Rudi. Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi had a bilateral meeting on Tuesday with her Singaporean counterpart, Vivian Balakrishnan, to discuss several issues, including plans on the Travel Corridor Arrangement (TCA) for essential businesses. The ministers agreed to assign their respective teams to start negotiations at the first opportunity. (dpk) by Vladimir Rozanskij About a hundred protesters took refuge in the religious building. For Archbishop Kondrusiewicz, the police action is inadequate and contradictory and constitutes an attack against religious freedom. It cannot lead to reconciliation. Moscow (AsiaNews) The Belarus Special Purpose Police Detachment[*] yesterday blocked access to the Red Church,[] a Catholic church located in central Minsk where about a hundred protesters had found refuge after being chased by police. Metropolitan Archbishop Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz, head of the Catholic Church in Belarus, slammed the attempt to deny the right of sanctuary and limit the rights of believers. The prelate said that police "are by definition called to protect the fundamental freedoms of people, including religious freedom, not hinder them. In a statement posted on the website of the Catholic Church in Belarus, the prelate described the police action as "inadequate and contradictory", and called for an investigation into the incident, demanding that perpetrators be punished in accordance with the law. The communique goes on to say: At a time when the Catholic Church is working with all its power for reconciliation and dialogue, these and similar actions by law enforcement do not help ease tensions in favour of a speedy restoration of peace and harmony in Belarusian society and the resolution of a political conflict never seen before in our country. The archbishop was joined by Bishop Yury Kasabutski, vicar general of the Archdiocese of Minsk-Mohilev, who, in a statement posted on catholic.by, said: The ban on entering and leaving the church contradicts peoples right to freedom of conscience and religion, guaranteed by the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus; it offends the feelings of believers and oversteps the limits of the laws of men and God. Last night, the police dispersed thousands of protesters in Minsks Independence Square. About a hundred fled to the Red Church where some worshippers were celebrating Vespers. The Special Police blocked the entrances for hours, and after opening the doors arrested several people coming out of the church. [*] AMAP (Belarusian: , i.e. Special Purpose Police Detachment) or OMON (Russian: , i.e. Special Police Detachment). [] , transl. Cyrvony kasciol. Drive south-east from Darwin Airport for 30 minutes and you will arrive at an old mining camp the Manigurr-ma Village for fly-in, fly-out natural gas workers. Until recently, this complex was abandoned. Today, it is perhaps the most popular travel destination for Melbourne escapees. Travellers in quarantine at Howard Springs. Credit:Ben Sale Welcome to the Howard Springs Quarantine Facility. With hard border closures across the country, and exemptions nearly impossible to obtain, a 14-day stay at this facility is the surest way out of stage four lockdown. I'm here to quarantine before work with an Aboriginal legal service in Darwin. There are hundreds of others. There's a Melbourne mother who spent the past weeks home-schooling her three young boys by day and doing her own job at night. They're desperate to reunite with the boys' Darwin-based father. By Express News Service THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A day after a fire in the protocol section of the Government Secretariat triggered a political wildfire, the state witnessed widespread protests and violence on Wednesday with the Opposition UDF and the BJP turning it into major political campaigns against the Left government. While the Congress-led UDF observed a Black Day, the BJP marked a Protest Day. They alleged the fire was a deliberate attempt to destroy evidence related to the gold smuggling case. The government and the CPM fortified their defences accusing the Congress and the BJP of attempting to start a riot in the state. Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala urged Governor Arif Mohammed Khan to summon the Chief Minister and the Chief Secretary. He also shot off a letter to the Governor demanding his intervention in the issue as the fire occurred in a critical section that had evidence related to the gold smuggling case. Therefore, I appeal to Governor to come in the exercise of his constitutional powers to summon and direct the Chief Minister to submit all documents and evidence called for by the investigating agencies and ensure their safe transmission within a short reasonable time frame, Chennithala said in the letter. Meanwhile, the two high-level teams tasked with probing the fire incident got down to work. Led by ADGP Manoj Abraham and Disaster Management Commissioner A Kowsigan, the teams collected evidence from the spot on Wednesday. Sources said preliminary examinations suggested the fire occurred due to a short-circuit, ruling out sabotage. Earlier, the Cantonment Police registered cases against BJP state chief K Surendran and Congress MLA V S Sivakumar on the charge of trespassing into the Secretariat premises. A total of 12 cases were registered in connection with various incidents related to the protests. The state cabinet on Wednesday looked into the incident and observed security lapses in activists entering the Secretariat premises. It tasked the Additional Chief Secretary (Home) with taking immediate steps to ensure foolproof security at the Secretariat. The government insisted the fire was a normal one and that none of the important files were destroyed. State Industries Minister E P Jayarajan said no files were gutted completely. Agitation part of conspiracy To put the Opposition on the defensive, minister E P Jayarajan alleged the agitation were part of a conspiracy hatched by the Congress and the BJP, and that BJP workers entered the Secretariat premises armed with weapons.Sources in the General Administration Department ruled out the possibility of a fire set off by a section of people to destroy files. The agencies probing the gold smuggling case told TNIE that they had collected almost all details required from the office of the chief protocol officer in connection with the smuggling case. Pulwama: JeMs plans of eulogising suicide bomber was shelved after Balakot strike India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Aug 27: The Jaish-e-Mohammad had planned on eulogising the Pulwama bomber Adil Dar and use his clips to inspire the youth of Kashmir. Further, a massive propaganda programme was being planned to use images showing the bodies of the martyred CRPF jawans, who lost their lives in the attack. The National Investigation Agency's chargesheet in the Pulwama attack details the chat transcripts between the terrorists who plotted and executed the attack. Most of the data had been deleted and it was with the help of the forensics department that the agency managed to retrieve the data. The transcripts retrieved by the NIA helped pierce together the 13,500-page chargesheet. While the JeM had major plans of eulogising Dar and also put out propaganda videos to inspire the Kashmir youth, the plan was put on hold following the Balakot attack. Also Read: This was revealed in a voice packet exchange between Rauf Asghar, brother of JeM chief, Maulana Masood Azhar and Umar Farooq, the main accused in the attack who was later killed in an encounter by the security forces. Post the Balakot strike, Asghar asks Farooq about the strike. He also asks him if he has any information on the movement of the Indian Air Force aircraft. It was following the strike that they decided not to go ahead with the propaganda programme. NIA sources tell OneIndia that the JeM had also planned another big attack on the lines of the Pulwama strike. However, the attack was shelved after the Balakot strike. It was an unexpected hit for the JeM and they had not anticipated the same, the source cited above also said. The Jaish-e-Mohammad did not have to look for a suicide bomber for the Pulwama attack as Adil Ahmed Dar had offered himself much before the plan was finalised. It was in October 2018 following the killing of Usman Haider in an encounter with the Indian security forces, JeM chief Maulana Masood Azhar gave a speech calling for the martyrdom of Kashmiris. Dar had decided after the speech that he would be available as a suicide bomber whenever the JeM needed him, an NIA officer said. The main accused, Mohammad Umar Farooq also visited Afghanistan for explosives training in 2016-17. He infiltrated into India through International Border at Jammu-Samba Sector in April 2018 and took over as Jaish-e-Mohammad Commander of Pulwama. Mohammad Umar along with his Pakistani compatriots viz. Mohd. Kamran, Mohd. Ismail alias Saifullah and Qari Yasir and local associates, Sameer Dar and Adil Ahmad Dar planned and prepared for the attack on security forces using IEDs. BJP tops Facebook political ad spending at Rs 4 crore & more news | Oneindia News Accused Shakir Bashir, Insha Jan, Peer Tariq Ahmad Shah and Bilal Ahmad Kuchey provided all logistics and harboured the JeM terrorists in their houses. From December 2018 onwards, Shakir Bashir started doing reconnaissance of the movement and deployment of security forces on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway. A still from bystander video posted to Twitter, showing police following Jacob Blake. @davenewworld_2/Twitter The Kenosha police officer who shot Jacob Blake was Officer Rusten Sheskey, the Wisconsin Department of Justice said in a statement Wednesday. Sheskey shot Blake, a 29-year-old Black man, several times in the back as he was approaching his SUV with his three children inside. "While holding onto Mr. Blake's shirt, Officer Rusten Sheskey fired his service weapon seven times," a department press release said. "Officer Sheskey fired the weapon into Mr. Blake's back. No other officer fired their weapon." Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. The Wisconsin Department of Justice identified the Kenosha police officer who shot Jacob Blake as Officer Rusten Sheskey. On Sunday, Sheskey shot Blake, a 29-year-old Black man, several times in the back after officers initially responded to what the department described as a "domestic incident." "Mr. Blake walked around his vehicle, opened the driver's side door, and leaned forward," a department press release said. "While holding onto Mr. Blake's shirt, Officer Rusten Sheskey fired his service weapon 7 times. Officer Sheskey fired the weapon into Mr. Blake's back. No other officer fired their weapon." The release said that Sheskey has been a law enforcement officer with Kenosha Police Department for seven years. According to the press release, officers attempted to subdue Blake with a taser but were "not successful in stopping" him. Sheskey and the other officers present were not wearing body cameras to record the incident because the Kenosha Police Department does not have body cameras, the statement read. After he was shot, the Wisconsin Department of Justice said police "immediately" gave Blake medical aid, and he was later transported to Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee, according to the statement. Blake is in stable condition in the ICU, and his family and attorney said he is paralyzed from the waist down. Story continues The incident is currently being investigated by the state's Division of Criminal Investigation with assistance from the FBI, Wisconsin State Patrol, and Kenosha County Sheriff's Office, according to the release. During the investigation following the incident, Blake told officers that he had a knife in his car, and police located the knife and no additional weapons after a search of the vehicle. Officers who were involved in the incident are "fully cooperating with DCI during this investigation," according to the Wisconsin DOJ, and those involved have been placed on administrative leave. The incident sparked statewide protests in Wisconsin, and Gov. Tony Evers activated the National Guard in response on Monday. This is a developing story. Check back for updates. Read the original article on Insider Looters descended on Minneapoliss Nicollet Mall on Wednesday night after false rumors spread that the police had shot an African American man. At around 6 p.m. a man who is suspected of committing a homicide walked by Nicollet Mall in the citys downtown area. Police spotted him and approached, but the man shot himself before police could make an arrest. The incident was captured on a security camera, and video of the suicide was released by police to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, confirming officers version of events. This video has been released to help quell rumors and hopefully thwart civil unrest, police spokesman John Elder told the Tribune. We are able to release the video in this instance because they are city cameras and our officers were not involved in any deadly use of force. Had that been the case, we would have turned all of this over to the [Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.] Crowds that gathered at the site of the suicide were convinced that officers had shot the suspect, however. Police in riot gear have arrived at the scene, and looters have smashed windows of stores at the mall. Sheriff deputies in riot gear just showed up. People continue to try and cross the line theyre holding. I heard them say they are about to start making arrests. pic.twitter.com/4AIApwPwSx Courtney Godfrey (@courtneygodfrey) August 27, 2020 Minneapolis, its time to heal. We must rebuild and recover. Dangerous, unlawful behavior will not be tolerated, Minnesota governor Tim Walz wrote on Twitter. The State Patrol is headed to Minneapolis to help restore order. I remain in close contact with the city and every state resource stands ready to help bring peace. In late May, Minneapolis officers killed African American resident George Floyd while arresting him, setting off massive demonstrations and riots across American cities. Rioters in Minneapolis burned down businesses, a police precinct, and caused millions of dollars in damages. More from National Review Hector Garza, president of National Border Patrol Council - Local 2455, traveled to Yuma, Arizona last week as President Donald Trump accepted the endorsement of the National Border Patrol Council. The endorsement was conducted through the delegation process of NBPC members across the country, Garza said. For the past five years, the local National Border Patrol Council in Laredo has had numerous meetings with President Trump and his administration, Garza said. ... We thought it was very important to continue to support our president. NBPC - Local 2455 favors building a border wall in Laredo and through other parts of the border because they believe it will save lives. By having people coming into our country illegally, a lot of them are being victimized on their way over here. That means that the cartels in Mexico, these smuggling organizations in South America, are victimizing a lot of innocent people, he said. By having policies that encourage illegal immigration, that means that these people are being placed under severe risk and harm. And the wall discourages illegal immigration, Garza said. He added that members of the National Border Patrol Council, including some local agents, will be present at the Republican National Convention on Thursday night. Julia Wallace may be reached at 956-728-2543 or jwallace@lmtonline.com OTTAWA Lynn Beyak, the Ontario senator who was booted from the Conservative caucus for refusing to remove racist letters from her official website, is now a Peoples Party of Canada donor. After years of reliably contributing to the Conservatives, Beyak gave $1,000 last June to the right-wing splinter party founded by former Quebec MP Maxime Bernier, Elections Canada records show. Beyak was appointed to the Senate by prime minister Stephen Harper in 2013. She currently sits in the upper chamber as a nonaffiliated senator. Beyak did not respond to voice mails and emailed questions from the Star on Wednesday. Peoples Party spokesperson Martin Masse said by email that privacy rules prevent him from saying whether Beyak is now a party member. He noted that Beyak is still nonaffiliated in the upper house and declined to comment on the senators controversial statements and actions in recent years. Bernier was a Quebec MP when he founded the Peoples Party in 2018 after a failed run for the leadership of the federal Conservative party. The Peoples Party styles itself as a right wing populist movement that would impose strict fiscal discipline in Ottawa. It has also called for substantially fewer immigrants and the end of official multiculturalism in Canada. Beyak became a locus of outrage and controversy in 2017, when she claimed that national reckoning with the horrors of government-funded residential schools for Indigenous children overlooked the abundance of good that occurred in the institutions. For more than a century, Indigenous children were taken from their families and home communities to be indoctrinated in the languages and religions of Canadian settler society. In its final report on the government- and church-run schools in 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission concluded the schools represented an attempted cultural genocide. Students were also permanently damaged from sexual and physical abuse. More than 3,200 children died in the schools, where many of them were buried in unmarked graves, the report said. Beyak initially defended the comments and refused to remove a series of supportive letters that she posted on her website, which were widely condemned as racist. In January 2018, Beyak was ejected from the Conservatives caucus of MPs and senators and was subsequently suspended twice from the red chamber after the Senates ethics officer determined she breached its ethics code. Beyak finally apologized last February in an address to the Senate, stating it was wrong to post offensive and hurtful letters to the chambers website. She was reinstated to the Senate in June after completing a four-day educational program with professors from the University of Manitoba that was meant to guide her conduct and understanding in relation to Indigenous matters, according to a report from the ethics committee. She also submitted an apology letter, published in the Senate Journals on June 16. In it, Beyak praises the educational program teachers who taught her new concepts and an essential, further understanding of history. She wrote, My intent was never to hurt anyone. I further acknowledge that posting the letters caused pain and hurt to Indigenous people, and adversely impacted my Senate colleagues and the institution of the Senate. My actions did not have their desired effect, which was to promote open and constructive dialogue to the national conversation on this critical issue. I accept full responsibility for my wrongful conduct. This Page Is Under Construction - Coming Soon! Why am I seeing this 'Under Construction' page? The controversial "one-stop shop" environment approval system the Abbott government tried and failed to create is being resurrected under a Morrison government bill introduced to Parliament on Thursday. The Streamlining Environmental Approvals Bill brought by Environment Minister Sussan Ley would create a "one-touch regime" for assessments of major projects, which would hand state governments responsibility for approval and management of major project development impacts on threatened species, habitat and biodiversity as well as World Heritage areas. Environment Minister Sussan Ley is seeking to change environment laws to implement a "one touch" major project assessment system. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Ms Ley's bill would deliver the most significant changes to the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act since it was created by the Howard government in 1999. Labor, the Greens and several crossbench MPs and Senators have voiced objection to the bill, but the government is expected to have the numbers for it to pass. French operator Bouygues Telecom said Thursday it will withdraw 3,000 mobile phone antennae by 2028 in "very dense population areas" at the government's behest over purported 5G security issues. "We shall no longer have any Huawei antennae in very dense areas by 2028," said president Olivier Roussat in a conference call to accompany half-yearly results, saying that meant dismantling 3,000 of some 21,500 across the country. "The government has chosen pragmatic management" of the issue "which gives operators time to adapt," said Sylvain Chevallier, telecoms specialiste and associate at Bearing Point consultancy. "But ultimately it is clear -- there will no longer be any Huawei" in the French 5G network. The move comes as the United States piles pressure on allies to cut Huawei, world number two in mobile phones and market leader for 5G equipment, from their latest internet infrastructure. Washington alleges Chinese firms are used to spy for Beijing, allegations which China denies. Bouygues Telecom, which does not use Huawei antennae in Paris, will now be unable to use the firm's equipment in Strasbourg, Brest, Toulouse and Rennes, with those cities home to strategic military or cybersecurity installations. In four other unnamed cities Bouygues will be able to carry on using Huawei antennae for 5G until 2023, and until 2025 for another nine cities. In other major population areas the deadline is now 2028. In the 57 percent of the country which is not designated as densely populated, Roussat, who said the timeframe for dismantling was "fairly reasonable in terms of financial impact on our operating results," said in principle Huawei equipment could be used. His firm is negotiating with Paris for financial compensation for the cost of dismantling. lby/soe/cd/er This article will be updated throughout the week with coronavirus case counts and other need-to-know information about the pandemic in San Antonio. COVID-19 numbers: To avoid another post-holiday spike in coronavirus cases, residents are being urged by Bexar Coutny officials to continue social distancing and avoid gathering with others outside their households. The San Antonio Metropolitan Health District reported 110 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, continuing a downward trend as the spread of the coronavirus slows. August 29 COVID-19 numbers: The city of San Antonio reported an additional 208 cases of COVID-19 Saturday as the spread of the virus continued slowing for another week. As of Saturday, 46,291 in total had tested positive for coronavirus since the onset of the pandemic more than five months ago. The city verified 13 deaths on Saturday, growing the toll to 793. August 28 COVID-19 numbers: The number of Bexar County residents who have been infected with novel coronavirus soared past 46,000 Friday with 272 new cases reported, the highest one-day increase since Aug. 12. The countys death rate continues to be among the highest in the state; the Metropolitan Health District verified 13 more deaths from the virus Friday Dr. Bryan Alsip, chief medical officer at University Health System, said the upcoming Labor Day holiday will be a natural experiment in how the disease spreads or doesnt spread. August 27 COVID-19 numbers: The number of confirmed COVID-19 deaths in Bexar County continued to rise Thursday as the Metropolitan Health District verified 13 new deaths. Mayor Ron Nirenberg reported 45,811 people have now tested positive, up from 45,622 Wednesday. San Antonios hospitals are still considered to be under high stress, but the numbers continue to improve; there were 412 people with COVID-19 in the hospital, down from 436 Wednesday. Marriott lays off half its staff: The JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa, one of the regions premiere luxury hotels, is laying off 462 workers, or half its staff, according to affected employees. Downtown Marriott properties are also cutting staff. COVID-19 deaths higher per capita in Bexar: Bexar County has suffered more deaths per capita from COVID-19 than any other large urban area in Texas, according to state and federal data. The reason for this grim distinction, experts say, is a majority Latino population thats older and more likely to suffer from underlying conditions that increase the risk of dying from COVID-19, including obesity, diabetes and heart and chronic kidney disease. August 26 COVID-19 numbers: San Antonio officials reported 134 new cases of COVID-19 and 13 more deaths on Wednesday. The numbers signaled that the virus is spreading more slowly. The Texas Department of State Health Services listed 1,007 COVID-19 deaths in Bexar County as of Wednesday 253 more than Metro Healths total. Local officials say those 253 deaths are under investigation to verify that the patients lived in Bexar and had tested positive for the virus. August 25 COVID-19 numbers: San Antonio and Bexar County reported a modest 124 newly diagnosed coronavirus cases Tuesday, indicating continued local progress on bringing infections down from the large numbers recorded earlier this summer. That includes 16 more deaths reported Tuesday, which occurred between July 21 and Aug. 18. August 24 COVID-19 numbers: For the first time in months, a key indicator of novel coronavirus infections in Bexar County dropped below 10 percent on Monday. The positivity rate measures the proportion of people tested for COVID-19 who turn out to have the virus. San Antonio Metropolitan Health District on Monday reported 109 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total in Bexar County to 45,364. Students unable to contact school: Thousands of students in Northside Independent School District on Monday were unable to log on for their first day of school courses, possibly due to a Zoom outage. We are aware of an issue affecting the MyNISD portal. We are working with our vendor on a resolution. Thank you for your patience, district officials wrote on its social media pages about an hour after it posted a video of Superintendent Brian Woods welcoming students back to school. FooEngine Takes Remote Working to New Levels with Telestream Cloud Services New and radically different approach long-form media processing harnesses Telestream Cloud to hit the ground running from day one Nevada City, California( ) Telestream , a global leader in file-based media workflow orchestration, media streaming and delivery technologies has announced a significant Cloud Services contract with UK-based broadcast tech start-up, FooEngine. Having opened its doors last month, FooEngine is the world's first media processing platform for long-form programs, which leverages computing power to enable super-fast media processing 24/7. FooEngine is using Telestream Cloud Services to enable the central architecture of its intelligent media workflows. These services include QC as a Service for technical inspection and validation of master and final deliverable content. Also, it is using Telestreams Cloud Flip Service for transcoding to common distribution formats. At the core of the new platform is Vantage Cloud Port, which is used for transcoding and media processing to advanced broadcast deliverable formats, and advanced frame rate conversion (with Cinnafilm Tachyon). This includes the use of Telestreams Timed Text Flip for subtitle and closed caption processing. With the pandemic causing exponential increases in demand for high quality media content for broadcast and streaming, many content owners and service providers are caught in a Catch 22 situation since socially distanced staff are unable to work within their facilities. Now, FooEngine offers an intuitive and very aggressively priced alternative cloud-based solution, which can be easily accessed from any continent. Already, FooEngine has acquired a major North American broadcast customer, which is using FooEngine to re-purpose its content for distribution throughout Latin America. Within three weeks of opening, FooEngine has processed around 40TB of data, including 4629 separate episodes and incidents. With Machine Learning and specialized code, created to detect breakpoints FooEngine harnesses media information that is used to drive data centric workflows allowing 100,000s of hours of content to seamlessly pass through the platform. FooEngine focuses on media processing for streaming partners. Its revolutionary new platform can accept any format from 640x480 to 8K, any framerate and any video codec. It offers the world's first SaaS solution for audio, offering DolbyE encode and decode, channel swapping, upmixing and downmixing with world standard loudness correction or analyzing. With the ability to detect media offline, black and silence detection, FooEngine analyzes each file at 600x real time to produce reports for operators to access the file remotely in FooEngines private platform. We use Telestream Cloud Services to drive some of our orchestration pipelines via powerful API and SaaS opportunities, explains Ben Smith, Co-founder of FooEngine. If it is video QC, format conversion or more powerful broadcast format workflows including subtitle and caption conversions, we are covered with the Telestream Cloud Services Toolkit. Like FooEngine, Telestream Cloud is cloud agnostic, so this fits perfectly with our tech stack. As school boards grapple with what classrooms will look like when students return in a few weeks, the outdoors could likely play a big part in the school day amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Health experts have said the novel coronavirus has less of a chance to spread in outdoor settings, which also allow for easier physical distancing. Combined with concerns around children's safety as they return to classrooms this fall, that has put a spotlight on "forest schools" in which students learn through interaction with nature. Advocates of the schools have long touted the benefits of children spending more time outside. "When you walk outdoors, you're interacting with wildlife, with people, with history," said Andrew McMartin, executive director of the Pine Project, which has been operating in the Toronto area for about a decade. "You're interacting with technology. You're moving your body." Lisa Xing/CBC McMartin said something as simple as collecting acorns could teach kids to count, and also about biology and ecology because they can be eaten by people and animals. "The connections are all right here." The not-for-profit organization traditionally holds after school, March break and summer programs for kids. "We get to go on hikes in the woods. You get to carve cool stuff. I'm making a spoon right now. It's hard, but really fun," said Oliver, a camper who's 9. Lisa Xing/CBC Now, the Pine Project has received so much interest this school year it has expanded its programming to full days as parents look for solutions amid worries about the pandemic. "We're opening up more programs because we're hearing from a lot more people," McMartin said. For McMartin, the pandemic wasn't his preferred method of drawing more attention to his cause, but he's excited about more parents wanting to get their kids involved. "It's building resilience, building physical health, their mental health, creating problem solving skills and positive approaches to facing challenges." Story continues 'Unprecedented times' For the Forest School Canada, the professional learning arm of the Child and Nature Alliance of Canada, the pandemic provides the perfect opportunity for teachers to explore adapting their lessons to outdoor settings. "These really are unprecedented times," said manager Petra Eperjesi, whose organization is based in Ottawa. "It's going to require educators to change the way they teach. "Why not make that change to include more of the outdoors? Being outside carries mental and emotional benefits. We also see rich learning outcomes." Both the Pine Project and Forest School Canada run their own programs and work with school boards and teachers to incorporate more outdoor learning into the curriculum. Lisa Xing/CBC Canada's biggest school board, the Toronto District School Board, has several dedicated Outdoor Education Centres that strive to get students outside while adhering to the Ontario curriculum. Its principal, David Hawker-Budlovsky, is now involved in helping teachers incorporate elements of outdoor education into their teaching. He said the school board has created a map listing parks within 100 metres of every TDSB school for teachers as a starting point. "It can really happen anywhere," he told CBC's Metro Morning. "It could be as simple as reading a book under a tree or taking a walk through your local community." That's exactly what Eperjesi is hoping will happen once the school year begins. "We're not advocating for everybody to move everything outside," she said, adding it's simply about incorporating more time outside so children can "direct the learning." "Does that mean that's the only way you'll meet the curriculum? Maybe not, and that's okay." LAINATE, Italy, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Cassiopea SpA (SIX: SKIN) today announced that the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Winlevi (clascoterone cream 1%) for the treatment of acne in patients 12 years and older. Notwithstanding acne being the most prevalent skin condition in the U.S. affecting up to 50 million Americans annually1, the last FDA approval of an acne drug with a new mechanism of action (MOA) occurred nearly 40 years ago. Acne is a multifactorial skin condition, affected by four distinct pathways: excess oil (sebum) production, clogged pores (hyperkeratinization), bacteria growth (C. acnes), and inflammation2. Topical treatment options that target androgens, which largely drive sebum production and inflammation, presented a significant unmet need in the acne treatment market until now. "The approval of WINLEVI is an exciting breakthrough in acne treatment. This game-changing topical drug offers a non-antibiotic approach to people with acne, by targeting the androgen receptors directly in the skin. It fills a longstanding gap in acne therapy," said Michael Gold, M.D., Investigator and Medical Director, Gold Skin Care Center and Tennessee Clinical Research Center. "After 40 years, it provides a much-anticipated, complementary new approach to treat acne." Cassiopea's first-in-class topical androgen receptor inhibitor, WINLEVI, tackles the androgen hormone component of acne in both males and females. Androgen receptor inhibitors act by limiting the effects of these hormones on increasing sebum production and inflammation3. In pivotal clinical trials, WINLEVI demonstrated treatment success and reductions in acne lesions and was well tolerated when used twice a day. The most frequently observed local skin reaction was mild erythema4,5. Diana Harbort, CEO of Cassiopea, said: "This milestone approval marks the introduction of a new class of topical medication in Dermatology. Dermatologists have said targeting androgen hormonal activity in the skin is 'the holy grail' of acne treatment for both males and females. We are proud to bring this new innovation to acne patients. This approval rewards many years of hard work and positions Cassiopea as a leader in Dermatology. Now we look forward to expanding our franchise and advancing our next investigational drug candidate for androgenetic alopecia." WINLEVI is expected to be available in the United States in early 2021. Complete prescribing information is available on www.WINLEVI.com. About Winlevi (clascoterone cream 1%): Winlevi (clascoterone cream 1%) is approved for the treatment of acne vulgaris in people aged 12 and older. Although WINLEVI's exact mechanism of action is unknown, laboratory studies suggest the active ingredient, clascoterone, competes with androgens, specifically dihydrotestosterone (DHT), for binding to the androgen receptors within the sebaceous gland and hair follicles6. Indication Winlevi (clascoterone cream 1%), is an androgen receptor inhibitor indicated for the topical treatment of acne vulgaris in patients 12 years of age and older. Important Safety Information CONTRAINDICATIONS: None. WARNINGS Local Irritation: Pruritus, burning, skin redness or peeling may be experienced with WINLEVI cream. If these effects occur, discontinue or reduce the frequency of application of WINLEVI cream. Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis suppression may occur during or after treatment with WINLEVI. In the PK trial, HPA axis suppression was observed in 1/20 (5%) of adult subjects and 2/22 (9%) of adolescent subjects at Day 14. All subjects returned to normal HPA axis function at follow-up 4 weeks after stopping treatment. Conditions which augment systemic absorption include use over large surface areas, prolonged use, and the use of occlusive dressings. Attempt to withdraw use if HPA axis suppression develops. Pediatric patients may be more susceptible to systemic toxicity. Hyperkalemia: Elevated potassium levels were observed in some subjects during the clinical trials. Shifts from normal to elevated potassium levels were observed in 5% of WINLEVI-treated subjects and 4% of vehicle-treated subjects. ADVERSE REACTIONS Most common adverse reactions occurring in 7 to 12% of patients are erythema/reddening, pruritus and scaling/dryness. Additionally, edema, stinging, and burning occurred in >3% of patients and were reported in a similar percentage of subjects treated with vehicle. About Cassiopea Cassiopea is a specialty pharmaceutical company developing and commercializing prescription drugs with novel mechanisms of action (MOA) to address long-standing and essential dermatological conditions, particularly acne, androgenetic alopecia (or AGA) and genital warts. Cassiopea is investing in innovation that is driving scientific advancement in areas that have been largely ignored for decades. The portfolio comprises four unencumbered clinical candidates, for which Cassiopea owns the worldwide rights. Once approved, the Company plans to commercialize the products directly in the U.S. and partner the products for countries outside of the US. For further information on Cassiopea, please visit www.cassiopea.com. Next events: HC Wainwright Annual Global Investors Conference 14-15 September 2020, Virtual Investora 23 September 2020, Zurich Jefferies Global Health Care Conference 17-19 November 2020, London Credit Suisse Small & Mid Cap Conference 18-20 November 2020, Zurich Contact for Investors: Cassiopea S.p.A. Dr. Chris Tanner, CFO & Head of Investor Relations Tel: +39 02 868 91 124 Contact for US Media: Syneos Health Edie Elkinson Tel: +1 310 430 6838 The American Academy of Dermatology. Skin conditions by the numbers. American Academy of Dermatology. https://www.aad.org/media/stats/conditions/skin-conditions-by-the-numbers. Accessed August 20, 2020 . Lai J-J, Chang P, Lai K-P, et al. Arch Derm Res. 2012;304(7):499-510 Elsaie ML. Clin Cosmet Investig Dermatol 2016;9:2418. Hebert A, et al JAMA Dermatol. 2020;156(6):621-630 Eichenfield, L., et al. JAAD Published: April 26, 2020 .. https://www.jaad.org/article/S0190-9622(20)30703-9/fulltext Rosette C, et al. J Drugs Dermatol. 2019; 18(5):412-418. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31141847 Some of the information contained in this press release may contain forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties, and that actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors. Cassiopea has no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements. SOURCE Cassiopea Related Links https://www.cassiopea.com The team at SBS has changed the way I connect my services with my customers in an efficient and creative manner. If youre serious about growing your brand locally, regionally, or even nationally; SBS is your partner. - Chris Hershberger, owner of Black Belt Pro Fitness, LLC Most business owners acknowledge that marketing is essential to their business growth. Yet, too often these same business owners cant confidently say their marketing is delivering the results they need to grow. And its not necessarily their fault. Marketers are not always clear on what they will deliver and how it will impact a companys bottom line. This is an industry problem that needs to be solved. Business owners should never have to wonder if they are getting a return on their investment. The goals of a marketing campaign should be tied to a companys goals and key performance indicators. Both the marketer and the company they are working with should know if a campaign was successful. How much could companies grow if their marketing was delivering results that mattered? Many business owners are being taken advantage of by marketing companies that sell strategies and plans that are not tied to their goals. Business owners should understand the impact a marketing campaign had on their bottom line, but this is not always the case. Without effective marketing, businesses often fail to grow. Even worse, they could lose business to a competitor, face layoffs, or close altogether. Ohio-based Source Brand Solutions understands this problem, so the agency decided to become StoryBrand certified. StoryBrand is a marketing framework developed by New York Times best-selling author, Donald Miller. It leverages the power of narrative combined with best practices in marketing strategy to create meaningful results for businesses of all sizes and industries. The StoryBrand framework is based on the idea that every story has a hero and a guide. Most marketing tries to position the business as the hero in their story. However, StoryBrand is transforming the marketing industry by flipping the script and positioning the business as the guide in its customers story. It asserts that effective marketing is simple to understand and clearly demonstrates how a business solves its customers problem. Most importantly, the framework gives an easy to follow path that turns leads into customers. The certification process included months of intensive training and practical experience. This certification positions Source Brand Solutions in an elite group of only 17 other marketing agencies nationwide. We are thrilled to be able to take our professional knowledge and expertise to the next level, said Angie Cirone, sales director. This certification means we will be consistently developing our skills through the StoryBrand network to help businesses gain more customers and increase revenue. Since 2018, Source Brand Solutions has created marketing campaigns for businesses in many industries including education, retail, nonprofits, fitness, banking, and real estate. "The team at SBS has changed the way I connect my services with my customers in an efficient and creative manner. If youre serious about growing your brand locally, regionally, or even nationally; SBS is your partner, said Chris Hershberger, owner of Black Belt Pro Fitness, LLC. Through Sept. 30, Source Brand Solutions is offering a free website audit to new and existing clients. A companys website is the most important marketing tool it has. Its the place where almost all customer relationships begin. Business owners can sign up today, and a team member will send a customized video with suggestions on how they can convert more site visitors into customers. Its easy to sign up. First, give us your name, email and website at https://sourcebrandsolutions.com/website-audit/. Then, an SBS Digital Marketing Specialist will send a customized video within 1-2 days with practical suggestions that can be implemented right away. So if youre wondering if your website is making your money or preventing you from gaining customers, sign up for the website audit today! Imagine a year from now when you have confidence in your marketing strategy and messaging resulting in new customers and unprecedented growth. Business owners should never have to wonder if they are getting a return on their marketing investment. Source Brand Solutions is equipped to help transform the marketing industry and deliver results for companies. About Source Brand Solutions Too many business owners have no clue if their marketing dollars are producing any kind of meaningful results for their business. At Source Brand Solutions, we develop and execute on results-driven marketing plans so you never have to wonder if you just wasted time and money on marketing that didnt work. MBABANE Stop Mangwaneni demolitions and construction. This was an order issued by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development to the Municipal Council of Mbabane and residents of the area following demolitions of three houses last Friday that resulted in some casualties. A skirmish that lasted over three hours between police and angry Mangwaneni residents saw one of the residents being shot with a rubber bullet in the head, allegedly by the police. The injured resident, Sanele Sukati, is currently admitted to the Mbabane Government Hospital. Patiently Speaking during a press conference in his office, Principal Secretary in the ministry Clifford Mamba, who was representing Minister Prince Simelane, appealed to all concerned parties, including council and the residents, to patiently wait for the matter to be concluded by the traditional structures where it was currently being deliberated. The minister said while it was true that the gazetted boundaries of Mbabane city dictated that Mangwaneni was within the perimeters of the city, they were awaiting further guidance from the traditional authorities. Meanwhile, Mbabane Mayor Sikhumbuzo Dube said council would stop the demolitions of the illegal structures pending finalisation of the matter within the traditional structures and provision of a long-term solution. Dube said they welcomed the ministers advice that all residents of Mangwaneni were also expected to desist from constructing structures during this period. Further, he noted councils commitment to governments development plans for Mangwaneni and guiding legislation based on a long-term plan for the area that held historical significance for the city of Mbabane. Mangwaneni overseer Mlungisi Dlamini said they commended the ministry for stopping the demolitions. Dlamini said all concerned parties should respect the fact that the issue was now with traditional structures. After council served the residents with demolition orders, I pleaded with them not to demolish the structures and they promised me that they will not, Dlamini said. He wondered what will happen to those residents whose houses were demolished by council and also those who were injured during the protests. The COVID-19 pandemic has turned the entire world upside-down, but it has also highlighted some of our biggest shortcomings. From energy usage to infrastructure and public policy, there are a lot of things we need to address as our population continues to grow. Smart cities will by no means tackle every problem we are grappling with, but they will play a necessary role in our growth as an ever-more-connected society. Saudi Arabia recently unveiled its plan for a $500 billion smart city, funded, in part, by the country's energy ministry. The futuristic mega-city, Noem, is set to be built in the desert on the Red Sea, and while all the details are still shrouded in mystery, the smart city is said to include artificial rain, a fake moon, robotic maids, and holographic teachers. Saudi Arabia's ambitious plans may seem over-the-top, but the harsh reality is that these wild innovations will be necessary to support a global population set to reach nearly 10 billion people in the next 30 years. So, what, really, are smart cities? Technology has already connected the world in ways we could have never imagined even 30 years ago, and as the 5G revolution looms, another wave of inter-connection is set to follow. Higher wireless internet speeds and greater access to this network will bring what has coequally been called "The Internet of Things" into our lives in an entirely new way. And it's all built on data. Related: 3 Energy Stocks To Consider Even As Markets Remain Stagnant When it boils down to it, we are all walking, talking data machines. While giving up this data does come with some privacy concerns, it also has real-world applications that are poised to transform entire cities and create a way of life that most people are still struggling to understand. Data collected from our basic movements and interactions with the world around us will play a key role in a completely new transportation system. With the development and rollout of technologies such as self-driving cars, interconnected micro-sensors will provide connectivity between smart vehicles, creating a virtual highway on top of the physical highway. The development of this web of connection will be vital to navigation and safety of tomorrows self-driving fleet of cargo trucks and personal cars. But that's only one piece of the city of tomorrow. This tech revolution - or should I say, data revolution - will also help regulate energy usage, manage water and waste systems, tackle traffic buildup, streamline governance and city planning, and even potentially prevent crime. The dangers of smart cities Smart cities offer a number of promising solutions to some of the biggest problems with which humanity is grappling, but they also come with plenty of risks that need to be addressed. The rise of data collection raises certain ethical concerns over our individual privacy, for instance. Already, a number of cities are equipped with CCTV systems that, using publicly scraped data, can leverage artificial intelligence and facial recognition to identify individuals on the street without consent. Not only does that draw our own freedom of movement into question, but the technology is also still fairly new - leading to a lot of misidentifications which could lead to serious consequences. Related: Bullish EIA Inventory Report Pushes Oil Prices Higher Another issue to consider is the security of these smart systems. Hackers have already crippled major government organizations, energy plants, and even taken over the social media accounts of some of the most influential people on the planet. When building new smart cities, it will be of the utmost importance to take every potential threat seriously and build technological infrastructure to keep this web of data safe. Controlling the weather or creating artificial moons may be decades away, but cities are growing smarter by the day. And though there are still a lot of ethical issues and potential risks to address regarding privacy and data management, this move towards technology is inevitable. As a society, we will need to start considering the risks and benefits of how we interact with this technology, and we will need to push for policies that ensure our safety as this revolution kicks into high gear. By Michael Kern for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: BGR Dmitry Kokh, a Russian underwater and wildlife photographer, has shared once-in-a-lifetime photos of polar bears that took over an island. The island in question is Kolyuchin Island, located in the Chukchi Sea. This remote part of the Russian arctic used to be home to a meteorological station, but humans have long since abandoned it. Now, The post Polar bears took over an abandoned island and moved into empty houses appeared first on BGR. Former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden accepts the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination during a speech delivered for the largely virtual 2020 Democratic National Convention from the Chase Center in Wilmington, Delaware, August 20, 2020. Joe Biden accused President Donald Trump on Thursday of "rooting for more violence" in cities where protests over police brutality and racism have boiled over. Biden made his comments in an interview with MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell, hours before Trump's formally accepts the GOP presidential nomination on the last night of the Republican National Convention. They marked some of his most heated criticisms yet against Trump's handling of the racial crisis that has gripped the nation since the death of George Floyd on Memorial Day. "He views this as a political benefit to him," Biden said when asked about demonstrations in Kenosha, Wisconsin, that sprang up following the police shooting of Jacob Blake over the weekend. "He's rooting for more violence, not less," Biden said. When pressed on the accusation, Biden quoted Trump senior advisor Kellyanne Conway, who said in a Fox News interview that "the more chaos and anarchy and vandalism and violence reigns, the better it is for the very clear choice on who's best on public safety and law and order." MSNBC TWEET VIDEO Trump campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh responded in a statement to CNBC that Biden's "desperation is showing," adding that Trump has "repeatedly condemned the violence erupting in Democrat-led cities." "This is election is a choice between President Trump's strong stance with law and order and Joe Biden's acquiescence to the anti-police left and siding with rioters," Murtaugh said. The White House declined to comment on Biden's remarks. Video footage of Sunday's police shooting of Blake, a 29-year-old Black man, sparked another wave of outrage toward law enforcement. Protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin, gave way to clashes between demonstrators and police. Armed vigilante groups were also present at the demonstrations. One person was arrested Wednesday and is facing homicide charges after allegedly shooting three people, killing two, on Tuesday night, NBC News reported. Trump and his supporters have focused intently on the violence throughout the Republican National Convention this week, lumping Democrats in with "anarchists" and "rioters" seen at some events. Trump will reportedly blast Biden as "extreme" when he delivers his keynote speech at the White House on Thursday night. Biden, who accepted his party's presidential nomination at the Democratic National Convention last week, laid blame for much of the strife squarely at the feet of the president, striking back at criticisms launched Wednesday night by Vice President Mike Pence, who said told the GOP convention that Americans "won't be safe" under a Biden administration. "The problem we have now is, we're in Donald Trump's America," Biden responded. He accused Trump of "pouring gasoline on the fire," citing the president's 2017 remarks that there were "very fine people on both sides" of a White supremacist protest in Charlottesville in which a counterprotester was killed. Biden on Wednesday condemned the violence in Kenosha, while expressing outrage over the video of Blake's shooting. "You know, as I said after George Floyd's murder, protesting brutality is a right and absolutely necessary. But burning down communities is not protest, it's needless violence," Biden said in a video posted to social media. Trump has called for the federal government to intervene in Kenosha to clamp down on the unrest but has not tweeted or commented publicly about Blake's shooting. TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer has left the Chinese-owned video app firm just three months since joining, and only days since the company sued the administration of US President Donald Trump over an executive order effectively banning it in the United States. He will be replaced by US General Manager Vanessa Pappas on an interim basis, TikTok said in a statement. The resignation comes at a tricky time for super-fast growing TikTok as it tries to persuade both the United States and India that it is not a security threat, while at the same time holding discussions with prospective buyers following a second US order demanding the sale of its US operations. Mayer was Walt Disney Cos top streaming executive before becoming chief executive officer of TikTok and chief operating officer of parent ByteDance on June 1. In recent weeks, as the political environment has sharply changed, I have done significant reflection on what the corporate structural changes will require, and what it means for the global role I signed up for, Mayer said in an letter to employees. Against this backdrop, and as we expect to reach a resolution very soon, it is with a heavy heart that I wanted to let you all know that I have decided to leave the company. ByteDance founder and CEO Zhang Yiming said in a separate letter reviewed by Reuters that the company was moving quickly to find resolutions to the issues that we face globally, particularly in the US and India. He said Mayer had joined just as the company was entering arguably our most challenging moment. It is never easy to come into a leadership position in a company moving as quickly as we are, and the circumstances following his arrival made it all the more complex, Zhang said. LITTLE SURPRISE ByteDance employees told Reuters they were not surprised by Mayers decision given TikToks unpredictable future, and also because the ex-Disney executive has not had a significant role in some important decisions as he was still new to the team. Zhang has been the key person in TikTok sale talks, said two people with knowledge of the matter. But Mayer represented TikTok to discuss with senior executives of interested buyers just days ago, a third person said. TikToks decision to launch a $200m creator fund in July was spearheaded by TikToks former head Alex Zhu, though Mayer was also directly involved, said two of the people. The project was initiated internally much earlier than Mayers arrival, one of the people said. The learning curve was steep for him, from daily operations to geopolitical implications, said one of the people. ByteDance did not immediately respond to Reuters request for comment. Whether TikTok reaches an agreement to sell its US business or decides to duke it out in the courts, the role for Mayer will not be anything like that he had envisioned when he joined, said Mark Natkin, managing director of Marbridge Consulting in Beijing. Mayers departure is not a great boost for company morale right now, Natkin said. His successor Pappas joined TikTok in January 2019 as US general manager. She was previously global head of Creative Insights at Googles YouTube, her LinkedIn profile showed. U.S, INDIA CHALLENGES Amid growing distrust between Washington and Beijing, Trump complained that TikTok was a national security threat and could share information about users with Chinas government. Trump issued an executive order banning US transactions with TikTok on August 6, effective in mid-September. He issued a separate order about a week later giving ByteDance 90 days to divest of TikToks US operations and data. ByteDance has been in talks to sell TikToks North American, Australian and New Zealand operations which could be worth $25bn to $30bn to companies including Microsoft and Oracle, people with knowledge of the matter have said. The company has also been targeted in India, where TikTok was one of 59 Chinese apps banned by the Indian government in June following a border clash between India and China. That month, Mayer wrote to Indias government saying Chinas government has never requested user data, nor would TikTok turn it over if asked. TechCrunch reported earlier this month that ByteDance was in talks with Indias Reliance for investment in TikTok. TikTok has become a global sensation since ByteDance launched the app in 2017, with operations in countries such as France, South Korea, Indonesia, Russia and Brazil. In April, the app hit two billion downloads globally. (This is the final installment of a series that brought State Fair food to you. Believe it or not, you can make some of your favorite Fair foods at home. We asked Fair vendors their secret to making their signature foods. While they wouldnt divulge their recipes, they let us in on a few of their secrets. We then tried it ourselves.) *** Syracuse, N.Y. We saved the sweetest, most fattening and probably the most dangerous State Fair food for last. Over the past month, weve grilled steak, chicken and gyro meat. We smoked turkey drumsticks. Weve blended wine and fruit. We also came pretty close to copying the best waffles in the whole world. Now its time to deep-fry some sweet stuff. Were going to take a page right out of the Shamrock Taverns State Fair cookbook. (One of these days, owner Steve Sommers might actually publish such a manual, and its sure to be a best-seller.) What have we fried over the years? Its more like What HAVENT we fried, over the years, said Sommers, whos run the Shamrock Tavern stand at the Fair since the early 1990s. Weve done candy bars, Spam, pie. You name it. But it all started with Oreos. Indeed it does, so thats what we started with. Everything you need to deep-fry stuff at home.Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com The first lesson when deep-frying at home is to not be intimidated. We State Fair civilians are used to letting others deal with the hot oil in those industrial-strength appliances. Most of us dont have those at home. Worry not. All you really need is a stove top, a deep pan and a thermometer. Oh, and a fire extinguisher. Earlier in the month, I tried making pizze fritte in my kitchen. It ended up being an oily mess, and while the fried dough tasted pretty good, it was nothing like the real thing made at the Villa stand. A reader Mike from Westvale felt sorry for me and suggested I try this round of deep-frying in his back yard, using the side burner on his propane grill. I gladly took Mike from Westvale up on his offer because I just couldnt stomach waking up to the smell of dirty oil for another week. I showed up with a gallon of canola oil, a basket full of junk food and some kitchen utensils. Sommers suggests heating the oil to 375 degrees. We tried, but it was taking too long so we topped out at 350. For the batter, we used New Hope Mills pancake mix, a premium product made in Auburn. Sommers batter contains flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and malt vinegar. A few deep-frying experts shared two rules for the whole process: keep the batter thick so it sticks to the main ingredient, and refrigerate whatever it is youre cooking up. If you skip that step, youll be sorry, Sommers said. You dont want it to melt or fall apart, so it needs to be cold. Mike from Westvale thoroughly coated each chilled cookie with the thick batter and gently lowered each one into the oil, one by one, waving the cookie back and forth so the dripping dough didnt break apart and create curly fries that tasted like pancakes. Deep-frying Oreo cookies at home.Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com These cooked quickly. We flipped them after a minute, when it was clearly turning golden. The second side browned in 30 seconds. We skimmed them out, put them on a drying rack and sprinkled them with powdered sugar. The first batch lost a lot of the coating because, as we were warned by all the experts out there, the batter was too watery. The subsequent batch, Im happy to report, was true State Fair quality. I doubt that, Sommers said. No, it really was. They just didnt look as good as the Shamrocks Oreo cookies. Deep-fried Oreo cookies at home.Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com From there, we moved to deep-fried Twinkies. Mike from Westvale followed the same process, coating the cold Hostess cream-filled sponge treat with extra-thick pancake batter and swirling it into the oil bath. After 90 seconds, we had a Twinkie that was truly better than any Twinkie to come out of a box. Hostess should deep fry all of their Twinkies. We then tried Pop Tarts (one iced strawberry and one iced brown sugar). Then it was a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. To save time, we fried frozen pre-made Uncrustables PB&Js. They all held their form, and they all pretty much tasted like deep-fried sugar. Deep-fried Pop Tarts at home.Charlie Miller | cmiller@syracuse.com We saved the worst for the last. Who knew that candy bars could be so difficult to deep-fry? Mike from Westvale certainly didnt, but we tried anyway. We thought we had given them a thick-enough coating of batter before dropping them into the oil. The problem, though, was that after an hour of cooking stuff, the oil dropped in temperature. We shouldve waited for it to heat back to 350 (or 375 if we wanted to truly do it right). While the oil wasnt quit hot enough, it was hot enough to melt the chocolate off of the end of the Twix bars. Or maybe that was the Kit Kat. We couldnt tell. They looked and tasted the same after coming out of the oil and getting doused with powdered sugar. The good news in all of this was that we didnt have to use Mike from Westvales fire extinguisher, and we learned how to deep-fry stuff. Theres even some better news: Sommers will be back at the State Fair with some new items on the Shamrock menu. Weve been working on some fun stuff already, he said. We had hoped to show it off this year, but it can wait. Itll be worth it. Yes, it will be. The Shamrock Tavern at the 2018 New York State Fair. It faces the Midway not far from the entrance to the new Expo Center. Don CazentreDon Cazentre MORE ON STATE FAIR Your guide to a DIY 2020 New York State Fair (video) No State Fair? No worries! How to make Boscos Potatoes ORielly and prime rib sandwich at home No State Fair? No worries! How to make Pizze Fritte at home No State Fair? No worries! How to make Maurices Belgian waffle sundaes at home No State Fair? No worries! How to make wine slushies at home No State Fair? No worries! How to make gyros at home No State Fair? No worries! How to make smoked turkey legs at home No State Fair? No worries! How to make a hot beef sundae at home Charlie Miller finds the best in food, drink and fun across Central New York. Contact him at 315-382-1984, or by email at cmiller@syracuse.com. Oregon-based Sheriffs Deputy Jason McLaughlin hit a milestone in his career of keeping the roads safe on Aug. 21 when he arrested the 2,000th impaired driver of his 16-plus years of service. Preventing driving under the influence of intoxicants is a cause close to McLaughlins heart. His passion was bolstered by a friend who died in a DUI accident. I have worked my entire career working graveyard, he told the Washington County Sheriffs Office, who later quoted him on Facebook, sacrificing family time to make sure the roads are safe, saving lives every night, reminding people not to take risks with their lives. While his 2,000th arrest for driving under the influence marks a triumph for Washington County road safety, McLaughlin is less concerned about the accolade and more about the impact. I dont like to look at the number, the deputy told KATU-2. Its more about the lives saved and the families who didnt have to go to a loved ones funeral because we got that impaired driver off the road. This is a crime that is 100 percent preventable. Washington County Sheriffs Office in Hillsboro, Ore. (Screenshot/Google Maps) While deaths resulting from DUI infractions have dropped by a third in the last 30 years, drunk-driving accidents still claim more than 10,000 lives in the United States every year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). That number equates to almost 30 deaths per day, or one death every 50 minutes. McLaughlin advocates community accountability; if you see someone driving dangerously or suspect that a driver is intoxicated, he advises, pull over and report it to local authorities. It could save a life. Washington County Sheriffs Office, posting their advice on Facebook, implored all citizens to be responsible in their use of alcohol or other intoxicants. Plan ahead, they said, by arranging a designated driver: a friend, a taxi, or even a ride-share service. Hundreds of netizens responded positively to the news of McLaughlins milestone arrest record. Many commended the deputys efforts; some commented on the issue of those who drive under the influence itself. You will never know how many lives youve saved by arresting these impaired drivers, one netizen praised. You are a hero! Congratulations! wrote another. But sad to think there are so many people still drinking and driving with so many options not to Honestly hoping he struggles to find any, and can focus on other violations. McLaughlins career with the Washington County Sheriffs Office began in 2004, and he worked his way up from patrol deputy to join the Crash Analysis Reconstruction Team (CART) and the Traffic Safety Unit. To date, he has served as the departments dedicated DUII Enforcement Deputy for seven years. Since finding his passion for keeping the streets safe from intoxicated drivers, McLaughlin has qualified as a Standardized Field Sobriety Tests (SFSTs) Instructor. He taught at the Department of Public Safety Standard and Training (DPSST) Police Academy between 2009 and 2014, sharing his wealth of experience in curbing DUIs and keeping Oregon safe. We would love to hear your stories! You can share them with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.nyc An extreme tattoo lover has spent over 6,000 to have his ears removed so that his head looks like a skull. Sandro, known as Mr Skull Face on social media, insisted his transformed appearance made him feel more confident even though others called him disturbed and sick'. The 39-year-old from Finsterwalde, Germany now keeps the pair of lobes in a jar and is planning to have his eyeballs tattooed and the tip of his nose removed. Sandro from Germany (pictured left before the surgery), known as Mr Skull Face on social media, insisted his transformed appearance (pictured right) made him feel more confident Sandro said he first became interested in the world of body modification in 2007 when he saw someone with spikes embedded in their head on TV. He has now had both of ears removed Sandro said he first became interested in the world of body modification in 2007 when he saw someone with spikes embedded in their head on TV. Over the past 13 years, Sandro has had 17 body modifications, including tongue-splitting surgery and a contactless payment chip embedded in his wrist. He also underwent operations to insert implants in his forehead, forearm and hand. Sandro believes that his appearance has made it difficult for him to find a job or a relationship, but it has also boosted his confidence. Over the past 13 years, Sandro, from Finsterwalde, Germany, has had 17 body modifications, including tongue-splitting surgery and a contactless payment chip embedded in his wrist Over the past 13 years, the tattoo fanatic from Germany has had 17 body modifications, including tongue-splitting surgery. Sandro is pictured undergoing tongue splitting surgery He said: Friends have tried to talk me out of the modifications, especially when it came to cutting off my ears, but I'm just a person who likes to go his own way. If people stare I really dont care. If someone says something like 'you are a sick old man' then I will answer with 'thank you for the compliment. He claims that negative comments go in one side and out the other. It has strengthened my self-confidence above all,' Sandro added. Sandro has also undergone operations to insert implants in his forehead, forearm and hand But he warns those who are interested in exploring body modification to make careful decisions and make sure they're doing it for the right reasons. He said: If you're a beginner, do long and thorough research, think carefully about everything and take your time. Above all, never do something just because you want to be more blatant or cool with it; it has to come from the heart and be for yourself. The Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center, also known as the Criminal Courts building in downtown Los Angeles, pictured here in 2017. Proposed legislation would change the ability of prosecutors to keep people off criminal trial juries. (Los Angeles Times) The nation has far to go to make its justice system truly just, a point that has been driven home by continuing protests against not just police killings of Black Americans but the racism built into the structure of U.S. society and law. Several key bills pending before the California Legislature would push the state in the right direction if lawmakers are able to approve them and send them to the governors desk despite a coronavirus-related halt to proceedings. Assembly Bill 3070, by Assemblywoman Shirley Weber (D-San Diego), addresses discrimination in jury selection, a problem that on paper does not exist, yet one that in practice is all too real. No prosecutor (or judge or defense lawyer, for that matter) may legally strike a prospective juror because of race. Yet race comes into play anyway, for example when a prosecutor removes a prospective juror for living in a high-crime neighborhood, being a repeat crime victim and therefore being desensitized to violence. That example is one of many cited in a report by the Berkeley Law Death Penalty Clinic that studied prosecutors stated reasons for keeping people off juries. Other cited examples include a prospective juror who said he had been falsely accused and had spent four months in jail, leading to the prosecutors assertion that the juror would have a lot of sympathy for the defendant. A prosecutor rejected another would-be juror because she said the criminal justice system unfairly leads to disproportionate arrests of people of color. Prosecutors struck one juror for a hairstyle deemed incompatible with being part of a cohesive group, another for wearing dollar-sign diamond earrings, another for extraordinarily long fingernails, another for wearing dreadlocks, which the prosecutor said were somewhat associated with a Reggae culture that promotes drug use. Each of these prospective jurors was Black. On average, people of color are disproportionately burdened by poverty and as a result live in less-choice neighborhoods with higher crime rates. Greater police presence in those communities, coupled with implicit bias among some officers, prosecutors and judges, makes them disproportionately likely to be falsely arrested and to have a more jaundiced (and perhaps more realistic) view of the criminal justice system. Story continues One corrective measure is to ensure that their perspectives are included on juries yet too often they are excluded precisely for possessing the experiences and outlooks that should make them an indispensable part of the system. That's because they are subject to peremptory challenge exclusion from the jury for reasons the prosecutor need not explain. In a landmark 1986 ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court disallowed peremptory challenges to prospective jurors based on their race (the ruling has since expanded to include gender and sexual orientation). But the decision in Batson vs. Kentucky leaves much of the burden of showing discrimination on the defendant, and permits prosecutors a great deal of leeway to argue that they had a nonracial motivation for excluding the juror such as being from a rough neighborhood or wearing the wrong hairstyle, clothing or jewelry. Webers bill would allow criminal defendants in California courts to ask the reasons for a prosecutors peremptory challenge. It would then be up to the judge to examine whether the explanations justify exclusion for reasons unrelated to race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation or national origin. Its the right move, even if it makes peremptory challenges more like challenges for cause. Jurors should not be excluded absent good cause in any event. AB 2542 by Assemblyman Ash Kalra (D-San Jose) is a companion bill directed at the other end of criminal proceedings after conviction, when evidence arises of racism that affected the pretrial, trial or sentencing phases. Current law like Batson, established in the 1980s by the U.S. Supreme Court requires defendants who are challenging racial bias in their prosecution to demonstrate that the bias was intentional. Thats a high burden that sweeps away what our society has slowly come to recognize: that for racism to do its damage to individual defendants and to the integrity of our system of justice, it need not be blatant or explicit. Bias remains real and toxic even, and perhaps especially, when it is unconscious and implicit. The California Racial Justice Act would prohibit the state from seeking a conviction or imposing a sentence on the basis of race, regardless of intent, and would allow a defendant already convicted or sentenced to seek a new trial upon producing persuasive evidence that proceedings were tainted by such bias. Lawmakers still have time to advance other crucial criminal justice reforms as well. AB 3234 by Assemblyman Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) would strengthen Californias diversion programs by allowing the judge, rather than the prosecutor, final say in whether to direct a defendant away from criminal proceedings to a treatment program or other alternative. SB 776 by Sen. Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley) would enhance recent laws requiring public disclosure of police records. AB 1185 by Assemblyman Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento) would permit county boards of supervisors to create the type of sheriff oversight commission we have in Los Angeles County. Each of these bills would make incremental but important improvements that would shore up the justice in the states criminal justice system. CHICAGO, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Wyzant , the largest tutoring marketplace in the U.S., today announced its Wyzant for Business education benefits package. The corporate benefit will give businesses the option to subsidize personalized, online instruction to employees who are looking to supplement learning for children or even for themselves to upskill in their careers. With Covid-19 infections high across many states, more and more school districts across the country are opting for remote learning-only to kick off the school year. Parents across the country are now facing another school year trying to balance full time remote work while also supporting a robust learning program for their children at home. The recession has also created a strong need among workers to look for ways to upskill and re-skill for career growth and longevity. "When no one's in the office, perks like free lunch and onsite gym memberships aren't very meaningful," said Elaine Richards, president and COO of Wyzant. "We're happy to be able to work directly with businesses looking to supplement employees and their families with online learning benefits. Some people might be looking to learn from professionals in their same field and others are looking for tutors who specialize in the reading or math curriculum taught in their school. We cover it all." Wyzant for Business works by giving businesses the option to acquire tutoring credits at a discounted enterprise rate to then disperse to their employees. This summer, Wyzant has seen requests surge among large corporations to offer this type of benefit to their employees. Wyzant has a wide selection of K-12 tutors and also recently launched the group and individual homeschooling tutor concierge service which is designed to connect parents with tutors to fit their students' learning needs during the pandemic. With more than 65,000 active tutors, Wyzant is able to cover an unmatched breadth of academic and professional subjects, experience levels and expert profiles that enable consumers to find the best match for their student and situation. About Wyzant: Since 2005, Wyzant has offered a platform featuring high quality tutors instructing in subjects ranging from math and science to computer programming and foreign languages. Our powerful online system allows you and your student to connect with a professional tutor, book lessons and attend sessions from the safety of your home. With Wyzant, there are no commitments or expensive pre-paid packages. Every lesson is pay-as-you-go, and if you don't love your first hour with a new tutor, it's free, guaranteed. Media contact: Inkhouse for Wyzant [email protected] SOURCE Wyzant Related Links https://www.wyzant.com/ LOS ANGELES, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Ernst & Young LLP (EY US) announced today that GT Dave, Founder and CEO of GT's Living Foods is a finalist for The Entrepreneur Of The Year 2020 Awards in Greater Los Angeles. Now in its 34th year, the Entrepreneur Of The Year program honors entrepreneurial business leaders whose ambitions deliver innovation, growth and prosperity as they build and sustain successful businesses that transform our world. GT Dave was selected as a finalist by a panel of independent judges. Award winners will be announced through a special virtual event on October 8, 2020 and will join a lifelong community of esteemed Entrepreneur Of The Year alumni from around the world. This year, unstoppable entrepreneurs who have provided extraordinary support for their communities, employees and others during the COVID-19 crisis will also be recognized for their courage, resilience and ingenuity. GT, the creator of the Kombucha category in the US, started brewing Kombucha in his parents' kitchen as a teenager 25 years ago. Now, GT's Living Foods is the #1 Kombucha brand across the globe and the leader of the near-billion-dollar marketplace. GT continues his quest and calling to share a message that food is medicine through always raw, unpasteurized and fully fermented offerings. "During this challenging year of self-isolation and social distancing, it has been incredible to connect with the brilliant people in the Entrepreneur Of The Year 2020 program," said GT. "Throughout this journey, I have listened to the entrepreneurs' ups and downs; their determination and passion remains unaffected. Not only am I honored to be included among my fellow finalists, but the experience has been a reminder of how resilient and unwavering the entrepreneurial spirit is. The commitment and drive that is a common thread in this special group has left me inspired and optimistic for the year ahead." Entrepreneur Of The Year is one of the preeminent competitive award programs for entrepreneurs and leaders of high-growth companies. The nominees are evaluated based on six criteria, including overcoming adversity; financial performance; societal impact and commitment to building a values-based company; innovation; and talent management. Since its launch, the program has expanded to recognize business leaders in more than 145 cities in over 60 countries around the world. For additional information about the Entrepreneur Of The Year Greater Los Angeles program, please visit www.ey.com/us/eoy/greaterla. Join the conversation on social media using #EOYGLA and #EOYUS. Regional award winners are eligible for consideration for the Entrepreneur Of The Year National Awards, to be announced in November during a virtual awards gala. The Entrepreneur Of The Year National Overall Award winner will then move on to compete for the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year Award in June 2021. Entrepreneur Of The Year Award winners become lifetime members of a global, multi-industry community of entrepreneurs, with exclusive, ongoing access to the experience, insight and wisdom of program alumni and other ecosystem members in over 60 countries all supported by vast EY resources. Sponsors Founded and produced by Ernst & Young LLP, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards are nationally sponsored by SAP America and the Kauffman Foundation. In Greater Los Angeles, local sponsors include Platinum sponsor: Marsh; Gold sponsors: Avitas Wealth Management and Tangram; Silver sponsor: Cresa; and PR sponsor: Olmstead Williams Communications. About GT's Living Foods: Since 1995, GT's Living Foods has revolutionized how people think and feel about Kombucha and fermented foods in the Western World. From the womb, founder GT Dave was raised vegetarian and taught that food can be medicine. He and the company continue to uphold that philosophy with always pure, potent and plant-derived fermented offerings produced in their most authentic form, never compromised. The fiercely independent, family-owned and operated company is available in over 55,000 retailers across North America and Europe. Today and beyond, GT's Living Foods' driving purpose is to spread a global message that food can be medicine and through proper nutrition one can heal thyself. For more information, please visit www.gtslivingfoods.com. About Entrepreneur Of The Year Entrepreneur Of The Year is the world's most prestigious business awards program for unstoppable entrepreneurs. These visionary leaders deliver innovation, growth and prosperity that transform our world. The program engages entrepreneurs with insights and experiences that foster growth. It connects them with their peers to strengthen entrepreneurship around the world. Entrepreneur Of The Year is the first and only truly global awards program of its kind. It celebrates entrepreneurs through regional and national awards programs in more than 145 cities in over 60 countries. Winners go on to compete for the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year title. ey.com/us/eoy About EY Private As Advisors to the ambitious, EY Private professionals possess the experience and passion to support private businesses and their owners in unlocking the full potential of their ambitions. EY Private teams offer distinct insights born from the long EY history of working with business owners and entrepreneurs. These teams support the full spectrum of private enterprises including private capital managers and investors and the portfolio businesses they fund, business owners, family businesses, family offices and entrepreneurs. Visit ey.com/private About EY EY is a global leader in assurance, tax, strategy, transaction and consulting services. The insights and quality services we deliver help build trust and confidence in the capital markets and in economies the world over. We develop outstanding leaders who team to deliver on our promises to all of our stakeholders. In so doing, we play a critical role in building a better working world for our people, for our clients and for our communities. EY refers to the global organization, and may refer to one or more, of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. Information about how EY collects and uses personal data and a description of the rights individuals have under data protection legislation are available via ey.com/privacy. For more information about our organization, please visit ey.com. SOURCE GT's Living Foods Related Links https://gtslivingfoods.com Lima, Aug. 27, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lima, August 27th, 2020 Credicorp Ltd. announced today its proposal for Leslie Pierce to stand for election at a Special General Meeting of Shareholders. Mr. Pierces candidacy is the result of a director search process following shareholder approval at the 2020 Annual Meeting [held on June 5th] to expand Credicorp Board of Directors from 8 to 9 members. The director search process, announced on June 26th, was led by the Boards Compensation and Nominations Committee and welcomed shareholder input. We are extremely pleased to announce Leslies candidacy as our 9th director. His extensive knowledge of the Peruvian economy and leadership and experience in a variety of roles in business and government would be invaluable to the Board, said Luis Enrique Romero Belismelis, Credicorps Executive Chairman. In particular, Leslies experience evolving consumer-facing businesses would be strategically important to our Board-level decisions. Mr. Pierce has served in executive leadership positions, primarily of Peruvian companies, for almost 40 years. He served as CEO of Alicorp (BVL: ALICORC1), Perus largest consumer goods company with operations throughout Latin America, from 1991 to 2011. Prior to that, Mr. Pierce served as General Manager of Hormec Constructora, Hormec Transportes, and Ganaderia Shilcayo from 1984 to 1991. He served as a Vice Minister of Commerce in Perus Ministry of Economy and Finance from 1983 to 1984. He currently serves as a director in a number of private businesses including Empresa Siderurgica del Peru, S.A.A., Huamani & Vargas (H&V) Peru S.A.C., Macquinarias, S.A., Latina Media S.A.C., Ransa Comercial S.A., Corporacion Primax S.A., Grupo Celima Trebol and Grupo Romero. He also serves as a community leader through philanthropic organizations such as Vida Peru, Banco de Alimentos del Peru and Crea+. Leslies energy, strategic mindset, and track record in building and leading large organizations within Peru would make him an excellent addition to our Board, added Romero Belismelis. We would benefit greatly from his expertise and leadership contributions. Story continues Mr. Pierce holds a B.A. in Economics from Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Peru and Post-Graduate studies in Economics from, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile. After completing Credicorps Board of Directors with Mr. Pierces election, 5 of 9 directors would be independent under the new, more stringent criteria approved by the Board, incorporating the highest international standards. Credicorp would have also completed a careful and thoughtful process of bringing more diversity and independence to the board, among several steps towards improving corporate governance as announced in February this year. The Special General Meeting of Shareholders to approve Mr. Pierce as a director will be held entirely virtually on October 16, 2020. Shareholders will be duly informed of the means to be used, as well as the information related to the matter to be discussed in the Special General Meeting of Shareholders, in the Notice of Special General Meeting of Shareholders that will be distributed in accordance with the Company's Bye-laws. About Credicorp Credicorp Ltd. (NYSE: BAP) is the leading financial services holding company in Peru with a presence in Chile, Colombia and Bolivia. Credicorp has a diversified business portfolio, which is organized into four lines of business: Universal Banking, through Banco de Credito del Peru - BCP and Banco de Credito de Bolivia; Microfinance, through Mibanco and Encumbra; Insurance & Pension Funds, through Grupo Pacifico and Prima AFP; and Investment Banking & Wealth Management, through Credicorp Capital, Wealth Management at BCP and Atlantic Security Bank. For further information please contact the IR team: Investorrelations@credicorpperu.com Investor Relations Credicorp Ltd. TikTok Chief Executive Officer Kevin Mayer has left short video app firm just three months since joining - and days after TikTok sued the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump over an executive order banning transactions with it in the country. He will be replaced by U.S. General Manager Vanessa Pappas on an interim basis, TikTok said. Mayer was Walt Disney Co`s top streaming executive before joining TikTok on June 1. He was also appointed as chief operating officer of TikTok`s Chinese parent ByteDance. "In recent weeks, as the political environment has sharply changed, I have done significant reflection on what the corporate structural changes will require, and what it means for the global role I signed up for," Mayer said in an letter to employees and reviewed by Reuters. "Against this backdrop, and as we expect to reach a resolution very soon, it is with a heavy heart that I wanted to let you all know that I have decided to leave the company." TikTok, in an emailed statement, confirmed Mayer`s departure and Pappas` interim appointment. It also confirmed the contents of the letter sent by Mayer earlier in the day. ByteDance founder and CEO Zhang Yiming said in a separate internal letter reviewed by Reuters that they were "moving quickly to find resolutions to the issues that we face globally, particularly in the U.S. and India". He said Mayer had joined just as the company was "entering arguably our most challenging moment." "It is never easy to come into a leadership position in a company moving as quickly as we are, and the circumstances following his arrival made it all the more complex," Zhang said. Amid growing distrust between Washington and Beijing, Trump complained that TikTok was a national security threat and could share information about users with China`s government. Trump issued an executive order banning U.S. transactions with TikTok on Aug. 6, effective in mid-September. He issued a separate order on Aug. 14 giving ByteDance 90 days to divest of TikTok`s U.S. operations and any data TikTok had gathered in the country. ByteDance has been in talks to sell TikTok`s North American, Australian and New Zealand operations which could be worth $25 billion to $30 billion to companies including Microsoft Corp and Oracle Corp, people with knowledge of the matter have said. The company has also been targeted in India, where TikTok was one of 59 Chinese apps banned by the Indian government in June following a border clash between India and China. That month, Mayer wrote to India`s government saying China`s government has never requested user data, nor would TikTok turn it over if asked. Pappas joined TikTok in January 2019 as U.S. general manager. She was previously global head of Creative Insights at Google`s YouTube, her LinkedIn profile showed. A week long Janata Parliament concluded on Wednesday, in which 250 people from different civil society organisations participated, and asked the government to hold a longer session of Parliament so that important people-centric issues can be discussed in detail. Several opposition party leaders, who participated in the concluding session, said there was a need for a common minimum programme to challenge the Central government on different issues and alleged that the present government has undermined the Parliament by not calling a session since March 22, when the nation-wide lockdown was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. A common minimum programme should be prepared for the unity of opposition on different issues and bring on board civil society groups, said Sitaram Yechury, Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary. He said pillars of Indian democracy and the Republic are under attack and peoples right to information and food are almost defunct. This battle against the government cannot be fought by one party or one movement, he said, adding that CPI(M) will cooperate with all political parties on framing a common agenda. K. Raju, who represented the Congress, was in agreement with Yechurys suggestion on a common minimum programme and recalled that the first Janata Parliament was addressed by Congress President Sonia Gandhi in 2019. He also said that the Congress would be working in future for a basic income by transferring money directly into bank accounts of poor people and for a universal public distribution system (PDS) without Aadhaar linkage. Also Read: Opposition gets battle-ready for Parliament, five key issues to watch out for Congress chief whip in Lok Sabha, Kodikunnil Suresh, said he was concerned about the number of ordinances promulgated by the Central government in the past five months; some of them having vital policy implications for Indian agriculture and the economy. He referred to three farm sector related ordinances, against which farmers are protesting in several parts of India including Punjab and Maharashtra. Aam Aadmi Partys Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh said the Central government was looking to convert the on-going pandemic into an opportunity to disinvest in various national assets such as Steel Authority of India (SAIL), Coal India and the Indian Railways. The Centre is looking to escape questioning and is therefore not convening the Parliament, he said and added that the NDA has not given adequate relief to people during such extraordinary times. Also Read: Parliamentary committee business not to be leaked: Venkaiah Naidu to MPs RJD spokesperson Manoj Jha said that there would be limited time available for the members to raise important issues as one house will run only for four hours every day and there would be a lot of government business to take care of as well in the limited time. Jha said he was apprehensive that Parliamentary forum would not be available to MPs to bring issues to the attention of the public. He said a common agenda of opposition parties would also be useful for his party in the upcoming elections in Bihar. Aruna Roy, former member of National Advisory Council, said Janata Parliament which started on August 21 had passed crucial resolutions on issues of national importance including expanding MGNREGA, universalisation of PDS and right to free health and education. She also urged the political parties to raise people centric issues in the Parliament. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Two US armored vehicles pursued a Russian patrol convoy in Syria on Tuesday, the head of the Russian Center for Reconciliation of the Opposing Parties, Alexei Posunko, told a briefing on Thursday, TASS reports. After the convoy on a patrol duty "entered the zone of control of the international anti-terrorist coalition, two US MRAP armored vehicles began pursuing the convoy," he said. Further on the route, "the road was blocked by two more American armored cars," Posunko told the briefing. Politico daily reported earlier this week, citing its unnamed source in the Pentagon, that four US military servicemen were diagnosed with "mild concussion-like symptoms" after a Russian military vehicle crashed into their patrol vehicle in the northeastern part of Syria. Washington claimed that Russia violated de-conflicting protocols during the incident in northeastern Syria, in which the US troops were injured. National Security Council Spokesman John Ullyot said that "during this interaction, a Russian vehicle struck a Coalition Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected All-Terrain Vehicle (M-ATV) causing injuries to the vehicles crew." In order to de-escalate the situation, the coalitions patrol left the area. The Russian Defense Ministry, for its part, said that the coalition forces had been notified in advance about the passage of a convoy of Russian military police and that Russian military had acted in response to attempts by the US to block the passage of the Russian convoy in violation of the agreements. First Bank & Trust Company offers a comprehensive Management Associate Program for new employees who meet the qualifications for acceptance. The program emphasizes the development of strong analytical and lending skills. The curriculum contains two phases, and covers consumer, retail and commercial lending as well as operational banking and investment topics. Once accepted into the Management Associate Program, individuals are allowed to explore career options by participating in all aspects of banking to determine the best career path for their skill set. Five employees are currently enrolled in First Bank & Trust Company's Management Associate Program: Brittany Stapleton, a graduate of University of Virginia's College at Wise, Caleb Gingues, a graduate of Liberty University, and Tracy Christenson, Courtney Phillips and Garrett Shumate, all graduates of Virginia Tech. In addition to offering post-graduation programs, First Bank & Trust Company has options for students who are still in college. Students who are interested in testing the water in banking and finance may be interested in First Bank & Trust Company's Internship Program. This program is conducted in cooperation with the Virginia Banker's Association. It is a mentor driven, rotational program that provides an excellent opportunity for students to gain valuable work experience in the financial services industry. Each intern is required to complete an online course in Banking Fundamentals, and must present a capstone project on a relevant subject that is determined by First Bank & Trust Company Management. This year, First Bank & Trust Company hosted four area college students in its internship program. After completing the eight-week program (the normally ten-week program was cut short due to COVID-19) all four interns were offered a job at First Bank & Trust Company, and all four accepted. "Our people are truly our biggest asset. Any good banker can make a loan, but the very best banker knows it's not a one-size-fits-all approach," stated Julia Hayter, Senior Vice President and Professional Development Officer. "We train our officers so that they are equipped with the skill to recognize a customer's unique needs, then we can customize our services around those needs and fill in the gaps." First Bank & Trust Company's rotational training program allows Management Associates hands on experience so they can begin to immediately develop their talents and grow their careers over the long term. Something all First Bank & Trust Company employees can take advantage of is the opportunity to enhance their retirement by participating in the Bank's Employee Stock Ownership and Savings Program, (ESOP) which currently has a 98% participation rate. There is opportunity for professional growth within the company as well as paid time off for civic and community involvement projects. For more information about the Management Associate Program, contact Julia Hayter at [email protected] or 423-646-1845. About First Bank & Trust Company First Bank & Trust Company, one of the top community banks in the United States, is a diversified financial services firm with office locations in southwest Virginia, northeast Tennessee, and New River and Shenandoah Valleys. Financial objectives are addressed by offering free checking products for personal and business accounts, and assessing lending solutions managed by mortgage, agricultural and commercial lending divisions. Comprehensive financial solutions are available through trust and brokerage service representatives. For more information, visit www.firstbank.com or contact Nicole Franks [email protected] SOURCE First Bank & Trust Company Related Links https://www.FirstBank.com School master sentenced to death for gold-shop murder-robbery THAILAND: The Criminal Court today (Aug 27) sentenced a school master to death for shooting dead three people, a young boy and two adults, while robbing a gold shop in a Lop Buri mall on Jan 9. murderviolencedeathcrime By Bangkok Post Thursday 27 August 2020, 03:32PM Prasittichai Khaokaew, 38, front centre, former director of a primary school in Sing Buri province, arrives at the Criminal Court in Bangkok today (Aug 27) for sentencing for murder and robbery at a gold shop in Lop Buri province, in which a young boy and two adults were killed, on Jan 9. Photo: Pornprom Satrabhaya. Prasittichai Khaokaew, 38, former director of a primary school in Sing Buri province, was taken to the court, on Ratchadapisek Road in Bangkok, to hear the judgement. Public prosecutors arraigned him on nine counts, including three murders and attempted murder. The court was presented with evidence that Prasittichai was armed with a pistol fitted with a long sound suppressor when he robbed a gold shop shop inside Robinson shopping mall in Lop Buri on Jan 9. He killed Theerachat Nimma, a security guard at the mall, two-year-old Panuwit Wongyoo and Thidarat Thongthip, a woman employee of the gold shop. He also shot and seriously wounded a fourth person before fleeing on a motorcycle with 33 gold necklaces worth about B665,470. He was later caught and confessed to all charges. The court found him guilty on all counts and sentenced him to death, with a fine of B1,000, and ordered him to pay compensation to the families of all victims, plus interest at 7.5% per year. The callous murder and robbery occurred at Aurora gold shop inside Robinson shopping mall on Phahol Yothin Highway in tambon Kok Ko of Lop Buris Muang district about 8.44pm on Jan 9. Surveillance camera footage showed the robber shooting with a pistol at customers and gold shop staff as he walked up to the store counter. He fired without hesitation at a two-year-old boy walking past the shop with his mother. The robber shot dead a security guard as he left. After a weeks-long manhunt, police investigators finally arrested Prassitichai. Some of the loot was found hidden in his fathers carport roof. He had posted pictures on his Facebook page of himself and his wife, also a school teacher, taking a child to a milk shop on Jan 11, two days after he robbed the gold shop. It was Childrens Day. KYODO NEWS - Aug 27, 2020 - 15:21 | All, Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the head of the U.S. Space Force on Thursday agreed to enhance bilateral defense cooperation in outer space, where regional rivals China and Russia are building up their capabilities. Chief of Space Operations Gen. John Raymond was visiting Japan for the first time since the creation of the Space Force and his appointment in December last year. He was the first high-ranking foreign official to meet with Abe since late February, with such meetings halted due to the coronavirus pandemic. Abe and Raymond discussed strengthening cooperation between the Space Force and the Japan Air Self-Defense Force's Space Operations Squadron, as well as the U.S. plan to send astronauts back to the Moon by 2024, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry. Created in May with just 20 members, the Space Operations Squadron is tasked with monitoring threats to Japanese satellites such as space debris and meteorites. It is expected to grow in size and become fully operational in 2023. The Space Force, meanwhile, is a full-fledged branch of the U.S. military with 16,000 airmen and civilian personnel. It was launched by President Donald Trump to counter the ambitions of Russia and China, which have been accused of developing anti-satellite weapons, as well as ballistic missile threats from North Korea. Related coverage: Japan, U.S. vow to work closely on lunar exploration project Japan's Kounotori cargo transporter ends final space mission Japanese company planning space debris removal by laser on satellite Raymond, who during his Air Force career was stationed at Yokota Air Base from 2010 to 2012, told Abe the United States considers Japan its most important partner in outer space, the Foreign Ministry said. Abe last met with a high-ranking foreign official on Feb. 28, when he received a courtesy call from Chinese foreign policy chief Yang Jiechi. Raymond also met with Defense Minister Taro Kono, science and technology minister Naokazu Takemoto and senior vice foreign minister Keisuke Suzuki on Thursday, a day after participating in a comprehensive Japan-U.S. dialogue on space. By ANI MUMBAI: The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) team from Mumbai has been asked to start "analysing the network" of the drug ring in the city in connection with Sushant Singh Rajput death case. Moreover, it has also been asked to look into the overall Bollywood drug network as well. "Meanwhile, a team has been formed and left from Delhi for investigation in the drugs-related matter in the Sushant Singh Rajput death case," Rakesh Asthana, Director General, Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) told ANI on Thursday. He informed that the investigation has been put into motion. The NCB on Wednesday registered a case against actor Rhea Chakraborty and others in connection with the case. The NCB has registered the case under various sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, including Section 27, which specifies punishment for consumption of any narcotic drug or psychotropic substance and Section 29, which provides for punishment in case of abetment and criminal conspiracy. ALSO READ| Sushant Singh Rajput case: Narcotics Bureau files criminal case against Rhea Chakraborty, others According to Asthana, a team from Delhi and Mumbai has been constituted under the supervision of Deputy Director of Operations (NCB) KPS Malhotra, which will investigate the case. The ED had on July 31 registered an Enforcement Case Information Report in the late actor's death case after a First Information Report (FIR) was filed by Rajput's father KK Singh against actor Rhea Chakraborty in Bihar on July 28. On August 19, the Supreme Court had asked the probe agency to investigate the case related to the actor's death, while holding that the FIR registered in Patna was legitimate. The agency has registered an FIR against Chakraborty and others in connection with the actor's death after the Centre accepted Bihar government's recommendation to transfer the probe in the matter from Patna. Rajput was found dead at his residence on June 14. The Youth Employment Agency (YEA) through its Ashanti Regional Secretariat on Wednesday, 26th August 2020 donated items worth thousands of Ghana cedis to the Association of Fashion and Salon Apprenticeship in the Ashanti region. Addressing a group of over 350 beneficiaries, the Regional Director of YEA, Mr. Seth Twumasi charged beneficiaries to make use of these items to the benefit of themselves and others in their respective communities. The items donated include full sets of Electric Sewing Machines, Clippers (barbering machines), Android Tablets, Mobile phones, and other items aimed at supporting artisans and vocational entrepreneurial development in Ghana. Madam Margaret Owusu, a Deputy Ashanti Regional NADMO Director who represented the Deputy Regional minister in her address advised the artisans to handle their share of the items with care so that, they can reap full benefits of them through regular maintenance culture. She stated, the attitude where people fail to attach serious care to things they get for free must cease in this regard. Some of the beneficiary artisans who spoke on behalf of their colleagues expressed their gratitude to the management of YEA and the President of Ghana for the great support extended to them. They promised to make good use of the equipment to vindicate the president's vision and why he brought this equipment to them. Also present at the donation were Mr. Razak Abubakar (YEA Kumasi Metro Director), Hon. Kwabena Nsenkyiren (the Regional NADMO Director), Mr. Akwasi Kyei (fashion designer), other staff of YEA in various districts and the regional secretariat. Ashanti Regional YEA Secretariat BEIJING, Aug. 27 -- Chinas recent military exercises in waters of the Yellow Sea and the South China Sea are not targeted at any country, said Senior Colonel Wu Qian, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense of China, at a regular press conference on Thursday. Wu Qian said that according to the annual military training arrangement, the Chinese military recently organized routine military exercises in the sea and airspace to the southeast of Qingdao and to the west of Lvshun, in the sea and airspace around the Nansha islands and reefs, and in the sea and airspace of the Xisha Islands and to the north of Xisha Islands. Wu stressed that the above exercises are not targeted at any country. Suzanne M. Fisher, 71, died Wednesday, August 17, 2020, after a long battle with cancer. According to Fishers obituary, she was a Fulton City School District teacher and taught at Lanigan Elementary School from 1970 to 2006. She graduated from Oswego Catholic High School in 1966 and State Univeristy College at Oswego with a bachelor of science in education and master of science in science and reading. She was active in the Fulton community, serving on the City-Wide Labor Council, Drug Committee and United Way. Within the Fulton School District, Fisher developed reading, science, language arts and social studies curriculum. She was Teacher of the Year and nominated for New York State Teacher of the Year. Throughout her career, Suzanne served the Fulton Teachers Union acting as a Building Representative, Secretary, First Vice President for Negotiations and President. She served as Oswego County Teachers Association President, instructed teachers on accelerated reading techniques, hosted nearly 100 student teachers, led Fulton Bible School, served as a Brownie Leader, Eucharistic Minister, scripture reader and church school teacher. If you have a suggestion for a feature obituary, please email the link and any other information youd like to share to bduncan@syracuse.com More recent feature obituaries: Contact Brenda Duncan anytime: 315-470-2265 | Email | Twitter You are here: China Northeast China's Liaoning Province lifted a red alert for Typhoon Bavi at 1 p.m. Thursday after its impact on the province weakened, the local meteorological authorities said. The typhoon, the eighth of this year, made landfall at around 8:30 a.m. in the coastal areas of the North Pyongan province in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), according to the Liaoning provincial meteorological bureau. It entered Kuandian Manchu Autonomous County, Liaoning, at around 11 a.m., and left the province at around 2 p.m., it said. The social order has gradually returned to normal in the affected cities across the province, with several shops reopening and transportation services resuming. As of 6 a.m., 51 reservoirs in Liaoning had exceeded the flood limit, and more than 100,500 people had been relocated as of 10 a.m. China's national observatory renewed a red alert, the highest warning level, for Typhoon Bavi at 6 a.m., which is expected to bring gales and rainstorms to northeast China. It has halted classes and transportation services in northeastern Chinese provinces. In Changchun, capital of Jilin Province, the typhoon has forced the temporary closure of multiple middle schools, primary schools and kindergartens. Changchun's education authority issued a notice on Wednesday night, asking all local education bureaus and schools to prepare for the typhoon to ensure the safety of the public. The notice said schools could adjust their schooling arrangements or stop classes according to the changes in weather. In Changchun, eight flights had been canceled by 8:30 a.m. Thursday, in addition to the cancelation of some train services on Thursday and Friday. Jilin has launched an emergency response to the typhoon. Typhoon Bavi also affected train services in Shenyang, capital of Liaoning, with China Railway Shenyang Group Co., Ltd. halting 108 trains to ensure the safety of passengers. China has a four-tier color-coded weather warning system, with red representing the most severe weather, followed by orange, yellow and blue. Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 22:38:29|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close LUSAKA, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Zambia on Thursday launched an online children protection strategy aimed at protecting children from online abuse and cyberbullying. The National Child Online Protection Strategy has been developed following a rise in the use of social media which has further fueled abuse and cyberbullying. Minister of Transport and Communication Mutotwe Kafwaya said the strategy was anchored on the national child policy of 2015 which addresses the development and welfare of children in the country. He said the overall vision of the strategy was to ensure a safe and secure cyberspace for all children. The strategy will, among other things ensure the implementation of programs dealing with child online risks, education of children on the safe use of the Internet, provide practical tools that will encourage various stakeholders to ensure a better online experience for children. While acknowledging that the surge in the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) has brought economic benefits, the Zambian minister noted that this has also resulted in an increase in online abuse. According to him, children have become susceptible to inappropriate content, cyberbullying, as well as interaction with fellow children and adults exposing them to aggressive messages. "It is for this reason that the government has decided to address the vulnerabilities faced by children online. Our children's best interest is the primary consideration of the government," he said. Enditem The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted emergency use authorization to another rapid COVID-19 test from Abbott Laboratories. The COVID-19 test BinaxNow COVID-19 Ag Card can show results in 15 minutes that appear directly on the card. Abbott has paired it with an app called Navica that is intended to work as a "temporary digital health pass" for people who test negative. Abbott said it is increasing its productions by up to 50 million COVID-19 tests per month and will provide it for $5. The COVID-19 test BinaxNow works with a nasal swab sample and a credit card-sized reactive card, where it would detect the antigen from SARA-CoV-2.Abbott said health professionals could use it at any location. A company's executive officer said it could be used at a massive scale to help overcome the current waiting game for COVID-19 test results. This is if Abbott's COVID-19 test lives up to its promises. "We intentionally designed the BinaxNOW test and Navica app so we could offer a comprehensive testing solution to help Americans feel more confident about their health and lives," Robert B. Ford, president and chief executive officer of Abbott, said in a statement. Ford noted that BinaxNow and the Navica app give people an affordable, easy-to-use, portable, with digital health tools to help people have a bit of normalcy in their lives. The COVID-19 test BinaxNow demonstrated a sensitivity of 97.1 percent, which is a positive percent agreement, and 98.5 percent negative percent agreement in patients suspected of being infected by the disease. Joseph Petrosino, Ph.D., who is a virology expert, said the massive scale of this COVID-19 test and app would let tens of millions of people to have access to rapid COVID-19 testing. Petrosino said with lab-based tests, you get excellent sensitivity but might have to wait days or longer for the results. "With a rapid antigen test, you get a result right away, getting infectious people off the streets and into quarantine so they don't spread the virus," Petrosino said. BinaxNow can be used as the first line of defense to identify people who are currently infected and those who should isolate themselves. Navica Mobile App Aside from the COVID-19 test, Abbott is also offering a mobile app with no charge. It will allow people to display their results obtained through a healthcare provider when entering facilities needing proof of testing. Abbott's mobile app allows people to store, access, and display their results with organizations that accept the results. The app can be used by both Android and iOS users. Navica will also be available in public stores across the country. Ford said they are taking their know-how from their digitally connected devices and applying it to their diagnostics at a time that people expect their diagnostics. Navica would display a digital health pass via a QR code if the results came back negative. If it is positive, people will receive a message to quarantine and they should talk to their doctor immediately. Check these out: 100 Million COVID-19 Test a Month: FDA Approves Intravenous Antibody Test COVID-19 Saliva Test Partly Funded by NBA Gets FDA Emergency Use Approval How To Avoid COVID-19 Testing Scams But we also agreed that it will not be used until the situation gets out of control and until extremist elements, under the guise of political slogans, cross certain borders start looting, start setting cars, houses and banks on fire, seize administrative buildings and so on, Putin said, adding that there is no such need now, and I hope there will be no such need. Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 22:41:55|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close JAKARTA, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia has received financial assistance from the United Nations-backed Green Climate Fund to help trim carbon emission output and fight deforestation as the country has been weathering budget pressures amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Indonesian Minister for the Environment and Forestry Siti Nurbaya Bakar said on Thursday that the country has been granted about 103.8 million U.S. dollars from the reducing emissions from deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+) program which is backed by the UN forestry conservation scheme to fight climate change. The minister noted that the funds were in compensation for the success of Indonesia in reducing carbon emission and fighting deforestation. "Indonesia has got acknowledgement from the global community," she told a virtual press briefing. Indonesia has been striving to overcome the threat of forest and bush fires this year, and so far there has been no huge fires like the ones happening in the previous years. Indonesia aimed to trim carbon emission by 29 percent by 2030 and pledged to extend the goal to 41 percent on condition that the country receives international aid. Enditem Gov. Tom Wolf unveiled his ideas Thursday for the best ways to de-bug Pennsylvanias revamped election systems as county officials and candidates finalize their preparations for a high-turnout, presidential election this fall. The governors plan highlighted areas of both early agreement and disagreement with legislative leaders. In the spring primary, which played out during the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic, about 1.4 million voters cast ballots through Pennsylvanias new vote-by-mail process, or about half of the total state turnout. Bottlenecks in processing those ballots caused vote counting delays of a week or longer in several Pennsylvania counties. With no changes in procedure, some observers are bracing for an even longer count this fall, given the expected swell of turnout for the general election. Leaders in both parties are eager to avoid a scenario in which a protracted count in Pennsylvania - with its big 20-vote allocation in the Electoral College - helps to cause a delayed outcome in the presidential election. Chief among Wolfs proposals is a plan to let county elections staff start to open and process received mail-in ballots up to 21 days before election day. Called pre-canvassing, this would permit officials to scan and verify ballot envelopes, match the voters signature to voter rolls, open the mail and remove and scan ballots, literally putting them in the same stored position as the in-person vote registered on voting machines on Election Day itself. Under Wolfs plan, no results could actually be tabulated or reported until after the polls closed. But just doing the pre-canvassing, supporters say, should set things up for a much quicker tabulation and report of results after the polls close. The major task ahead appears to be settling on the right time window. Senate Republicans, in an election bill introduced Monday, proposed a much shorter window that would start on the Saturday before Election Day. Another area of potential disagreement, but with some clear room for compromise, is in making sure all voted ballots get in to county elections officials in time. Wolf, in his proposal Thursday, called for law changes allowing counties to count eligible ballots postmarked by Election Day and received by the Friday after. The Democratic governors position is this would allow everyone who has actually met the requirement of casting a ballot before polls close the ability to get their vote counted, and not leave them counted out because of spotty mail service. Earlier this month, U.S. Postal Service officials notified some 46 states across the country, including Pennsylvania, that based on their current deadlines for voting by mail, it would likely face problems ensuring that all mailed ballots would be received by elections officials in time to be counted. The GOP leaders, who control the state House and Senate that also need to sign off on these changes, would rather have all ballots in by 8 p.m. election night, but let counties have the option of letting voters worried about missing mail cut-offs turn in their mail-in ballots in person at remote, secure locations that could even include precinct polling places on Election Day. Wolf said Thursday that he, too, thinks the use of county-sanctioned drop boxes or some system like that is appropriate, so there appears to be be room for compromise there. Other changes pushed by Wolf Thursday, during an appearance at a Harrisburg area church that is used as a Susquehanna Township polling place, are: Requiring counties to start sending mail-in ballots to voters at least 28 days before the election, rather than 14 days as currently required. Counties can send out ballots even earlier now if they have them ready, but Wolf noted this change in the drop-dead date ensures that all voters who apply early will have at least four weeks to receive and return their ballot. GOP leaders have signalled support for this change. Providing counties flexibility to appoint poll workers to vacant positions earlier than five days before an election. Republicans go further here, seeking the ability for would-be poll workers in a given county to be assigned to any precinct in that county, and to permit poll watchers - party members or candidate supporters who are there to observe the process - to serve at any precinct in the state. The governor has initially opposed another change being pushed by legislative leaders to reset the deadline for requesting a mail-in ballot from the current seven days before Election Day to 15 days. County elections officials have said that extra week could dramatically help them in noting for precinct polling place workers which voters have already received mail-in ballots. The voter lists are a safeguard against potential double-voting and the idea, supporters of this change say, is to help elections officials have them as current as possible on Election Day. People who have requested a mail-in ballot are supposed to cast provisional ballots if they show up at the polls on Election Day. Those ballots would then be counted when and if county officials have verified that the mail-in ballot was never returned. Jerry Feaser, director of elections and voter registration in Dauphin County, said moving the application date back for mail ballots makes sense both in terms of limiting Election Day chaos at the polls, and in creating a more realistic time frame for ballots to go out to voters, get cast, and then be returned by Election Day. To him, Feaser said, with a 15-day mail-in application cut-off, all of this other stuff stops. Negotiations on any final election law changes are expected to be given top priority when the House and Senate return from their summer recess, starting next week. The most promising part of Thursdays roll-out was the air of cooperation that surrounds the upcoming talks. After a summer full of fights between Wolf and legislative leaders over the governors pandemic policies, both sides Thursday expressed high interest in finding common ground on the election changes. There are a lot of things we have to talk about and discuss, Wolf said. But everything we do - Republicans and Democrats.... should be focused on increasing access to the vote. Making sure its secure. Making sure its safe. But giving people an easier ability to run the democracy thats theirs. Senate GOP leadership, in a statement released after Wolfs appearance, said they believe their proposal goes further than the governors in ensuring a secure and safe election, but added we look forward to working with him to fulfill the legislative responsibility to ensure fair elections and trust in the election process. One county official who appeared with Wolf Tuesday said his main concern is that the conversation ahead move swiftly. Election Day is Nov. 3, Centre County Commissioner Mike Pipe noted, and while elections officials have become expert in recent years at adapting to late changes in procedure, time is not unlimited. If they can get us some guidance by the end of September, that would be terrific, Pipe said. I mean, ideally it would be tomorrow. But, were pragmatists. New statewide polling has shown that as many as one-third of the likely general election voters will exercise their rights to vote by mail or absentee ballot, with more than 60 percent still planning to vote in person. Four U.S. military personnel were injured Tuesday when their vehicle was side-swiped by a Russian military armored vehicle during a tense encounter with Russian troops in eastern Syria, according to a U.S. official. Multiple videos posted on social media showed a chaotic scene between American and Russian military vehicles and a Russian helicopter that hovered above a U.S. vehicle for an extended period. The incident occurred on Tuesday as a U.S. military patrol encountered a Russian military patrol in eastern Syria. "At approximately 10 a.m. (Syria Time), Aug. 25, a routine Defeat-ISIS Coalition security patrol encountered a Russian military patrol near Dayrick, in northeast Syria," said John Ullyot, a spokesman for the National Security Council, in a statement. "During this interaction, a Russian vehicle struck a Coalition Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected All-Terrain Vehicle (M-ATV) causing injuries to the vehicles crew." A U.S. official said the collision occurred after the Russian vehicle carried out what was characterized as "a reckless move." The injuries to the U.S. service members were characterized as concussive-type injuries that were minor in nature, the U.S. official said. "To de-escalate the situation, the Coalition patrol departed the area," said Ullyot. "Unsafe and unprofessional actions like this represent a breach of de-confliction protocols, committed to by the United States and Russia in December 2019." "The Coalition and the United States do not seek escalation with any national military forces, but U.S. forces always retain the inherent right and obligation to defend themselves from hostile acts," the statement continued. In addition to the actions by the Russian military vehicles, Russian military helicopters in the vicinity also hovered above the tops of the American vehicles for some time, according to the U.S. official. Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, called Gen. Valery Gerasimov, the chief of the Russian General Staff by telephone on Wednesday to discuss the incident. Story continues "In accordance with past practice, both have agreed to keep the specific details of their conversation private," said Col. DeDe Halfhill, the spokesperson for the Joint Chiefs of Staff. At least 500 American troops continue to operate in eastern Syria to help protect oil fields operated by Kurdish forces from ISIS. American troops come into almost daily contact with Russian military forces that operate in northern Syria, and U.S. officials say the large majority of those interactions are professional in nature. But the U.S. official said Tuesday's incident occurred "clearly inside the eastern security zone that the Russians have agreed to stay out of." A U.S. official confirmed that videos posted by Russian websites captured Tuesday's chaotic incident. One video appears to show an apparent collision between an American armored vehicle and a Russian armored vehicle. At one point, a Russian military helicopter hovered directly above a stationary American vehicle in an apparent attempt to make it move from its location 4 US troops injured after collision with Russian vehicle in Syria originally appeared on abcnews.go.com KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Many Kansas City Chiefs fans will likely miss out on the Arrowhead Stadium experience this fall, due to limited seating during the pandemic. But thousands of city residents may yet find themselves heading out to Arrowhead for a different reason this fall. And not on a Sunday. When one of my friends was younger, her mum cut her eyelashes in the hopes that they'd grow back longer. They didn't. If your eyes are the windows to your soul, and your lashes frame your eyes it can't hurt to make them open up a bit more, can it? Sisters Kendall and Kylie Jenner. Credit:Instagram/kendalljenner I'm pretty happy with my lashes. They're dark and long but they are very straight. Sure it's nothing an eyelash curler and mascara can't fix, but who has time for that? After microblading my eyebrows, I'm always on the hunt for a shortcut. A Dallas-area taxi driver wanted by the FBI for the 2008 suspected honor killings of his two teenage daughters was captured on Wednesday in a small North Texas town. FBI SWAT team members arrested Yaser Abdel Said, 63, without incident in Justin, 36 miles northwest of Dallas. The Egyptian-born suspect had been sought on a capital murder warrant since the New Year's Day 2008 fatal shootings of the two Lewisville High School students, Sarah Yaser Said, 17, and Amina Yaser Said, 18. The FBI also announced the arrests of Yaser's Said's son, Islam Said, 32, and his brother, Yassim Said, 59. They both face charges for harboring a fugitive. Scroll down for video The FBI on Wednesday arrested Dallas-area taxi driver Yaser Said (pictured left in his mugshot) in the 2008 honor killings of his daughters, Amina, 18, and Sarah, 17 (pictured together, right) A family member told investigators Said (left) had threatened 'bodily harm' against Sarah (2nd right) for going on a date with a non-Muslim The FBI also announced the arrests of Yaser's Said's son, Islam Said, 32 (left), and his brother, Yassim Said, 59 (right), for allegedly harboring a fugitive A police report in 2008 said a family member told investigators that the suspect threatened 'bodily harm' against Sarah for going on a date with a non-Muslim. Sarah and Amina's mother, Patricia Said, fled with her daughters to Oklahoma in the week before their deaths because she was in 'great fear for her life'. Gail Gattrell, the sisters' great-aunt, has called the deaths an 'honor killing,' in which a woman who is dating outside the Muslim faith is murdered by a relative to protect her family's honor. It is suspected that Said thought his daughters had brought shame on the family so decided to kill them. He has been described as an overly protective parent who exercised a lot of control over his daughters. According to a press release from the FBI, on January 1, 2008, Said persuaded his estranged daughters to visit him. He said he was going to take them to get something to eat. Instead, he allegedly drove them in a cab to a remote location and allegedly killed them with a handgun. The teenage sisters were found shot multiple times in Said's abandoned taxicab outside the Omni Hotel in Irving, a Dallas suburb. Police found them after one of the girls called 911 from a cellphone and said she was dying. The Egyptian-born taxi driver allegedly shot Amina twice in the chest. Sarah was found suffering from nine gunshot wounds The FBI put Said on its list of Ten Most Wanted Fugitives in December 2014 'Help,' said a crying voice on the 911 recording, later determined by police to be that of Sarah Said. 'I'm dying. Oh my God. Stop it.' Police could not immediately find the teens after the 7.33pm call. Much of what Sarah said in the recording was unintelligible, and the dispatcher's repeated requests for her to provide an address went unanswered. An emergency dispatcher received another call about an hour later from an Irving motel. The sisters' bodies were in a cab, one in the front passenger seat and the other in the back. The caller said he could see blood. 'They don't look alive,' said the caller, whose name was deleted from the recording. Amina was found shot twice in the chest. Sarah was shot nine times. The story of the sisters' murders is the subject of the 2014 award-winning documentary The Price of Honor, and it was also featured on an episode of the Investigation Discovery channel show Forbidden: Dying for Love. In the documentary Ruth Trotter said: 'Amina always knew that Yaser was going to murder her, it was just a question of when and where.' Amina was dating Trotter's son, Joseph, when she died, and Sarah also had a boyfriend, though both had tried to keep this from their father. When Amina was 15 years old, Yaser took both his daughters to Egypt to find husbands for them. Trotter said he picked one man who was almost 50 for Amina to marry but she begged and pleaded with her mother to come back home. Their maternal grandmother recounted how she alerted the police when the girls confided that their father was sexually touching them in 1998, when they were eight and nine, respectively. But she said Amina and Sarah recanted, urged on by their American mother to keep their father out of jail. The makers of the film uncovered a video showing Yaser Said spying on one of his daughters as she worked in a convenience store and his anger when she smiled at a customer. Home movies obtained in 2017 by Crime Watch Daily showed Said lurking in his daughters' bedrooms and leering at them. In one clip, the father says: 'Nice legs. Mmm very nice.' He tells this to his teenage daughters as he pans over their legs with the camera as they lie in bed. 'Sarah sleeps with her pants? Mmm, very nice. Wow, look at those eyes. I got my eye on you,' Said says. The girls seem harassed by their father and yell at him to get out of their room. Amina was a senior at Lewisville High School when she was killed. She would have turned 31 this past March In another disturbing part of the footage, Amina is seen playing with a gun. In December 2014, the FBI added Said's name to the agency's list of Ten Most Wanted Fugitives and offered a reward of up to $100,000 for information leading to his arrest. 'Even after 12 years of frustration and dead-ends, the pursuit for their killer never ceased,' Irving Police Chief Jeff Spivey said in a statement Wednesday. 'Todays arrest of their father, Yaser Said brings us closer to ensuring justice is served on their behalf.' The FBI believes that besides Said's son and brother, there were others who helped him evade the authorities for the past 12 years. 'We do expect that there were others who provided aid and comfort to this fugitive for a long period of time,' FBI Special Agent in Charge Matt DeSarno said. In a nutshell: Nvidia's upcoming Ampere consumer cards will help tighten its grip on the dedicated GPU industry, an area that it already dominates. According to a new report, team green has seen its dGPU market share jump from 75% in Q1 2020 to 80% in the second quarter. Jon Peddie Research's Q2 2020 "Market Watch" report shows that desktop graphics add-in board sales increased 6.55% from Q1 2020. Intel doesn't (yet) have any product in this field, so Nvidia's 5% quarterly increase has come from AMD, which drops to 20%. It's a different story when it comes to overall graphics, which Intel rules because of the integrated GPUs it offers in many of its CPUs. Chipzilla takes 64% of this sectordown 3%while Nvidia's share jumped from 16% to 19%, and AMD was up 1% to 18% QoQ. It was good news for both gaming giants, as AMD's overall unit shipments were up 8.4% QoQ while Nvidia's jumped 17.8%. Intel, however, was down 2.7%. Jon Peddie notes that the second quarter is usually down compared to Q1, but the increase in people working from home and gamingboth a result of the pandemicmeant this quarter was up. "The pandemic has been disruptive and had varying effects on the market. Some sales that might have occurred in Q3 (such as notebooks for the back-to-school season) have been pulled in to Q2 while desktop sales declined. Intel's manufacturing challenges have also negatively affected desktop sales," wrote Jon Peddie, President of JPR. "We believe the stay at home orders have continued to increase demand in spite of the record-setting unemployment levels. As economies open up, consumer confidence will be an important metric to watch." Ampere already looks exciting, but Nvidia will have to contend with AMD's Big Navi release this year, while 2021 sees the launch of Intel's Xe HPG Gaming GPUs. More competition for Jensen Huang's firm, but more choice for consumers. Continuano le azioni di Fondo di Garanzia Pmi e prestiti garantiti Sace a sostegno di credito e liquidita per famiglie e imprese Russia has sent 500 coronavirus test kits and reagents to Peru, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 27th August, 2020) Russia has sent 500 coronavirus test kits and reagents to Peru, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday. "Following the Peruvian government's request for humanitarian assistance, the Russian side has delivered 500 test kits and reagents to Lima on August 19 on a Nordwind charter flight," Zakharova told reporters. According to the diplomat, the Russian Industry and Trade Ministry is actively working on additional supplies to Peru. "This testifies to a true partnership between our countries," Zakharova noted. Peru has so far confirmed over 600,000 COVID-19 cases and about 28,000 related deaths. The World Health Organization declared the outbreak of the new coronavirus a pandemic on March 11. The global case tally tops 24.2 million, with over 826,000 deaths and more than 15.8 million recoveries. GlobalGiving announced today that Trang Trinh State Farm has been selected to receive a $5,000 COVID-19 relief and recovery grant from The Red Backpack Fund, an opportunity for small businesses and nonprofits made possible by The Spanx by Sara Blakely Foundation. This grant will be used to further create career opportunities during this pandemic. Its my mission to develop the best talent in the industry, while delivering the highest level of customer service, said Owner Trang Trinh. Despite these COVID times, Ive been able to grow my business from California into Oregon, while building an outstanding team. Trinh continued, Additionally, 10% of this grant will go towards charitable contributions to non-profit organizations. Its my social responsibility as a business owner to pay it forward, just as Sara has, and Im grateful for this honor and ability to do so. Trinh grew up as a wartime refugee on welfare and understands the importance of helping others through community service. The Spanx by Sara Blakely Foundation donated $5 million to support female entrepreneurs in the wake of COVID-19 and teamed up with GlobalGiving to establish The Red Backpack Fund. My hope is that this gift will help alleviate some of the pressures caused by this horrible pandemic. Twenty years ago, I started Spanx with $5,000 in savings, and I see this as a time to pay it forward. Small business is the backbone of our culture. I know what its like to be a small business owner, and I want to provide some relief to these entrepreneurs during this time, said Spanx Founder Sara Blakely. Thousands of business owners and nonprofit founders from across the United States and its territories applied to receive a grant from The Red Backpack Fund to combat economic hardship caused by COVID-19. Trang Trinh State Farm was selected for the grant based on its outstanding application, its urgent need for COVID-19 relief, and its demonstrated capacity to overcome COVID-19 setbacks. GlobalGiving, a 501(c)(3) organization with nearly two decades of grantmaking experience, will award grants to at least 1,000 women entrepreneurs from now through September 2020 through The Red Backpack Fund. GlobalGiving has assembled a 100% women-led team to lead the grantee selection process. The team includes grant specialists, social workers, female entrepreneurs, analysts, and monitoring and evaluation experts. "We're proud to announce the grantees of The Red Backpack Fund. They have successfully undergone GlobalGivings rigorous vetting process, and we believe this grant will help them continue to thrive, despite the shifting economic circumstances brought on by this crisis," said GlobalGiving CEO Alix Guerrier. "The world needs more women-led organizations who are a key force in overcoming COVID-19 and establishing a better normal." Learn more about The Red Backpack Fund at http://www.globalgiving.org/redbackpackfund. About Trang Trinh State Farm Founded in 2017, Trang Trinh State Farm provides insurance and financial services for customers in California and Oregon, including life insurance, auto, homeowners, renters, business, motorcycle, health, disability and more. The company is 100% owned by Trinh, a female immigrant whose family fled to the United States one week before the fall of Saigon. The companys mission is to provide career opportunities for Team Members, while providing the highest level of customer service and paying it forward to the community. Trinhs former experience includes being named the first female President and General Manager in the history of the Kuni Automotive organization, and corporate positions with Lexus and Toyota. Prior to opening Trang Trinh State Farm, Trinh founded a social media marketing agency representing celebrities such as comedian, DL Hughley. Her honors include being named to the Detroit Automotive Hall of Fame for Young Leaders, and Portland Business Journals 40 Under 40 Business Leaders. Trang Trinh State Farm is based in Torrance, CA. Learn more at http://www.teamtrinhinsurance.com. About The Spanx by Sara Blakely Foundation Since its inception in 2006, the Spanx by Sara Blakely Foundation has donated millions to charities around the world, focusing on charities that empower underserved women and girls. In 2013, Sara Blakely became the first self-made, female billionaire to sign the Giving Pledge, created by Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett, promising to give at least half her wealth to charity. In 2020, Sara and the Spanx by Sara Blakely Foundation launched the Red Backpack Fund in partnership with GlobalGiving. Back by Sara Blakely, the $5 million fund supports the recovery and revitalization of female-owned businesses in the U.S. impacted by the coronavirus crisis. While many of the worlds resources are being depleted, one is waiting to be unleashed: Women. The Spanx by Sara Blakely Foundation is on a mission to support women and help them SOAR through education, entrepreneurship and the arts. Learn more at http://www.spanxfoundation.com. About GlobalGiving GlobalGiving is a 501(c)(3) registered nonprofit that makes it safe and easy to support important causes around the world. When a crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic strikes, GlobalGiving quickly delivers funds to vetted organizations that are best-suited to lead immediate and long-term relief and recovery. As part of its mission to accelerate community-led change, GlobalGiving provides tools, training, and support to help nonprofits, donors, and companies increase their impact and make the world a better place. Learn more at http://www.globalgiving.org. Media Contact: Trang Trinh, Trang Trinh State Farm trang@teamtrinhinsurance.com On Saturday Tim Davie will replace Tony Hall, otherwise known as Baron Hall of Birkenhead, as director-general of the BBC. The outgoing director-general may well have hoped that the last week of his seven-year term would be a quiet week. But if that was his wish he has certainly been disappointed. The BBC has been splashed across the front pages of a number of national newspapers because of its decision to axe the singing of two patriotic songs at the forthcoming Last Night of the Proms. Yes, it was put down to Covid and social distancing, but there was a widespread suspicion that this was the BBC using the pandemic as an excuse to prepare the way for the total exclusion of the songs. Rule Britannia and Land Of Hope And Glory have been part of the Last Night of the Proms since 1905 and many viewers who watch the programme at home will be singing along, however tunelessly, as they enjoy the rousing renditions from the Royal Albert Hall. Many of them will even feel a sense of patriotic pride in their Britishness and, however much the Marxist-inspired liberal-Left may hate it, theres nothing wrong with being British. When he was interviewed on the six oclock news on BBC television on Tuesday Lord Hall said that this year the two tunes would be embedded in a medley of instrumentals playing around sea shanties. Some of us saw that as an indication that the BBC planned to bury the two songs before banishing them altogether. Rather ominously, Lord Hall added: Who knows what will happen next year? Yes, indeed, no singing this year and then who knows what will happen next year? In view of the past record of the BBC those words merely exacerbated the concern about the BBCs intentions. His interview was run on news programmes in parallel with Boris Johnsons intervention in support of the two songs. He said: I cannot believe that the BBC is saying that they will not sing the words of Land Of Hope And Glory or Rule Britannia as they traditionally do at the end of The Last Night of the Proms. I think its time we stopped our cringing embarrassment about our history, about our traditions and about our culture. Actor Laurence Fox, who starred in the BBC programme Lewis, commented: I feel so honoured to be British and part of the incredible and diverse nation we have become. Without the past we wouldnt be where we are today. I wish the BBC would stop hating Britain so much. He also tweeted: Defund this shameful Britain-hating organisation and start again. The lunatics are in charge of the asylum. His view about defunding was backed by former Labour MP Kate Hoey. Meanwhile, Inaya Folarin Iman, director of the Free Speech Union and herself a woman of colour, tweeted: Cancelling our past does not help our future. Then suddenly, lo and behold, later in the evening the BBC announced: For the avoidance of any doubt, these songs will be sung next year. In a matter of hours the BBC position had shifted from who knows? to they will be sung. However, the BBC did provide another insight into their thinking with the comment that they were aiming for a more inclusive event. Humpty Dumpty said: Words mean what I want them to mean. And with the liberal-Left inclusion is usually a prelude to the exclusion of those with whom they disagree. So, were those newspapers raising unfounded and unjustified fears? No, they were not. The British Broadcasting Corporation has a long history of cultivating the national sickness of self-loathing and self-flagellation about our nations past. For more than a generation the liberal-Left has been on what the German communist Rudi Dutschke called the long march through the institutions and today they dominate so many of our national institutions, both cultural and educational, including the BBC. However, it has been encouraging to see that two versions of Land of Hope and Glory by the late Vera Lynn have reached numbers one and two in the iTunes charts. At least thats one thing the BBC cant control. A chlorine fire that erupted near Lake Charles, La., during Hurricane Lauras devastating trek through the area Thursday morning forced Louisiana Gov. John Edwards to order nearby residents to shelter in place hours later. The fire started after chlorine leaked from a BioLab chemical manufacturing facility in Westlake, according to Louisiana State Police. A small crew at BioLab, which manufacturers chlorine and household chemical products, made several unsuccessful attempts to extinguish flames during the storm. BioLab reported the fire to police at about 10 a.m., authorities said during an afternoon news conference. As this type of chlorine begins to decompose, it generates heat, and it began to burn, said Col. Kevin Reeves, Louisiana State Police superintendent. 'FEROCIOUS': Hurricane Laura leaves trail of destruction in SE Texas As the chemical burned, it began to release chlorine gas into the air, he said. The chlorine gas plume, which looked like an ominous white and black cloud hovering over the area, is expected to largely be absorbed into nearby Lake Charles, which will dilute the chlorine, State Fire Marshal H. Butch Browning said. State environmental regulators didnt detect chlorine at ground level, Browning said, but the shelter-in-place was ordered because the risk to the public was unknown. Officials urged residents to stay indoors and close windows and doors. We are doing everything we can to get that situation under control, Gov. Edwards said during an afternoon briefing. We know its a serious situation. Today is about saving lives. Westlake Fire Chief Jacques Picou said private emergency response teams and the Louisiana State Police hazmat unit are responding to the fire, which was still burning Thursday afternoon. First responders were working with plant managers to contain the leak. BULLET DODGED: Following days of warnings, Houston spared by Hurricane Laura BioLab workers at the site had been evacuated when the hurricane was upgraded to a Category 4 storm, according to a statement from KIKCorp., the Canadian company that owns BioLab. Several other facilities in the area also halted operations ahead of Hurricane Laura. KIKCorp. said in a statement that it deployed a team to the site and that it will work with first responders, local authorities and environmental agencies. All employees are confirmed to be safe at this time, KIKCorp. said in a statement. Our priority is the safety and well-being of the Lake Charles community of which we are a part. Emergency responders initially had trouble reaching the BioLab site to fight the fire, Edwards said, because of the amount of storm debris blocking roads. The Westlake Fire Department also was responding to other fires, gas leaks and building collapses, but it was hampered by downed power lines and widespread debris. Its like spaghetti there are power lines everywhere, Picou said. Were stifled as far as our response. Our city took a big hit. Migrants: Bosnia, clashes in reception centre in northwest Police intervene, injuries and gunshots (ANSAmed) - BELGRADE, AUGUST 27 - A major clash between migrants broke out late Wednesday evening in the migrant reception centre in Bihac in northwest Bosnia-Herzegovina at the border with Croatia, and police had to intervene to put down the riot. According to Serbian media, gunshots were heard, likely fired by a police officer to defend himself from a knife attack by one of the migrants. About 150 refugees participated in the clashes, and several were wounded. The situation is currently under control, but tension remains high across northwestern Bosnia-Herzegovina, where about 10,000 migrants are currently crowding the Balkan Route in an attempt to cross in any possible way into Croatia and continue towards countries in Western Europe. The local Bosnian population has been protesting for weeks against violence, intimidation, and thefts by migrants, and the locals say they no longer feel safe in their own homes. (ANSAmed).. Opening night of the Republican National Convention was dominated by fear the notion that a Democratic victory in November will be the end of religious freedom, the Second Amendment, safe streets and even suburban life. Night two was about the advantages of incumbency, even if the use of government resources appeared to be in blatant violation of the Hatch Act, a 1939 law designed to maintain some semblance of distance between public service and political activity. The most vitriolic of the opening night speakers was Kimberly Guilfoyle, a familiar face to San Franciscans. But those who remember her as a skilled prosecutor and the first lady of San Francisco could hardly recognize the ex-wife of Gavin Newsom who is now the significant other of Donald Trump Jr. She railed against the Golden State she once called home, painting it as a socialist dystopia of discarded heroin needles in parks, riots in streets and blackouts in homes. Naturally in this age of social media, Guilfoyles unhinged rant became the subject of myriad memes. Rep. Matt Gaetz, one of Trumps most strident defenders on Capitol Hill, even went so far as to suggest the a Trump loss would mean Theyll disarm you, empty the prisons, lock you in your home, and invite MS-13 to live next door. On the second night, Republicans tried to instill at least a little dignity and decorum to their infomercial, but they did so at your expense, audaciously defying that 80-year-old federal law designed to prohibit the use of government resources for political campaigns. As our editorial stated: President Trump has turned the White House and some federal employees even Marine guards, most shamefully into props for what is indisputably campaign programming to advance his re-election. On the third night, the Trump campaign featured a succession of speakers who tried to soften the presidents image. But the evening was capped with Vice President Mike Pence reverting to a theme of fear, warning: You wont be safe in Joe Bidens America. The final night will be left to President Trump. Brace yourselves. What else were saying in editorials Police reform is overdue: Less than three months after a Minneapolis police officers killing of George Floyd drove nationwide demonstrations against police violence and racism, the recorded close-range shooting of Jacob Blake as he walked away from officers in Kenosha, Wis., has caused more outrage and unrest. The unending series shows that protest alone, no matter how forceful, cant transform police practices. Our editorial Politics vs. science: President Trump is once again toying with science in his bid to dodge blame for the coronavirus crisis hes worsened. Hes promoting convalescent plasma taken from recovered patients as a curative therapy, a very historic breakthrough in his judgment. Our editorial Guest opinions High cost of underspending: As a nonprofit policy director with several years experience overseeing federal, state, and local contracts for homeless services, I have firsthand experience with the practical limitations of public funding and the impacts on people particularly homeless people and the frontline workers caring for them. Read the piece The 19th Amendments centennial: As leaders of organizations getting out the vote, we can think of no better way to honor a century of womens voting rights than to get every eligible female voter to the polls. Read the piece In case you missed it My Sunday column explored the issue of whether domestic election interference has become as serious a threat as that from foreign countries, even as the latest U.S. intelligence assessment warned that Russia remains active in trying to re-elect President Trump. Most unsettling of all, the domestic and foreign efforts may be complementary. My column Letter of the Week Ive been thoroughly enjoying the contributions from Bay Area poets in recent months, including this lovely entry, Little Cherries, from Kate Adams of Mountain View: Encroaching, now, that twilight age expects, deepened by the twilight of an age. We sit out on the patio still wet from summer rain, watch another day recede. You make me a Martini, set it down with care, those little cherries bless your heart. So full With outrage all the rage, you still dispense cool sanity, the tastes of dawn ... I lift my glass in fading light; you sit, sip yours. We let our masks slip down. Six feet between us still, but in your eyes the closeness holds. Here we sit in our twilight, growing old. But little cherries, drowned in alcohol, now taste of summers end, full fall. And please check out our other letters of the day responding to this and other matters. You can send us a letter via this form. Where to follow us We have a Twitter channel, Opinion Central (@sfc_opinions). Please add it to your stream. Youll catch our editorials and opinion pieces, as well as our drive-by comments on assorted subjects in the news. Follow me on Twitter: @JohnDiazChron Just a reminder The Chronicles editorials represent the collective judgment of our Editorial Board, which includes the publisher as well as the writers and editors from the opinion team. Our editors and reporters on the news side are not involved in those decisions (including election endorsements). They are charged with reporting fairly and objectively without regard to our editorial positions. It is one of the core values here at Fifth and Mission streets. Opinion Central is a thrice-weekly newsletter from John Diaz, The Chronicles editorial page editor, and the rest of the Editorial Board. Follow along on Twitter: @sfc_opinions The government on Thursday defended its move to go ahead with National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) and Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) exams despite mounting pressure to defer them, saying over two-thirds of candidates have downloaded the admit cards which shows that students want these exams to be conducted at any cost, and asserted that it won't let the Congress party 'spoil' students' future to find relevance. IMAGE: Police personnel detain Samajwadi party workers during a protest against the central government for conducting NEET and JEE exam amid the coronavirus pandemic, near Raj Bhawan in Lucknow, on Thursday. Photograph: PTI Photo Noting that over 17 lakh out of nearly 25 lakh candidates have already downloaded admit cards for the medical and engineering entrance exams, Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' said his ministry has been receiving e-mails from students and parents that these exams should not be further postponed. The minister's remarks came a day after seven chief ministers of non-Bharatiya Janata Party ruled states agreed to the need for filing a review petition urging the Supreme Court to reconsider its recent order rejecting the postponement of the competitive exams. Congress and various opposition parties have demanded that NEET and JEE examinations be deferred due to the COVID-19 pandemic and floods in parts of the country, even as the Union government has made it clear that they will be held as per schedule with due precautions. On Thursday, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik also spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the phone and requested him to postpone NEET and JEE exams, in view of the COVID-19 pandemic and the flood situation in the state, a senior CMO official told reporters in Bhubaneswar. Two days ago, Patnaik had also written a letter in this regard to Nishank. During his conversation with the prime minister, the chief minister explained that Odisha is in the grip of a pandemic as well as flood, and students might face difficulties in appearing for the examinations, the official added. Amid the growing chorus for postponement of the exams, over 150 academicians wrote to the prime minister to assert that delaying the medical and engineering entrance exams any further will mean compromising the future of students. Directors of several Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) also said that more delay in conducting these exams will lead to a 'zero academic year' and any quick alternative to the crucial exams will dilute the quality of education and have cascading effects. "National Testing Agency (NTA) officials told me that over 7 lakh candidates have downloaded JEE-Main admit cards while over 10 lakh aspirants have downloaded NEET admit cards. This shows that students want the exams be held at any cost," Pokhriyal said. He also added that 'we have received mails from students and parents who are in favour of holding exams as they have been preparing for the exams from at least two three years. 'The Supreme Court too opined that full academic year can't be wasted. After two deferments, exam dates have been finalised'. The issue, which has been a matter of intense public discourse for past few months, has evoked contrasting views with many backing the holding of the tests fearing that it may lead to a zero academic year for students, and the Opposition and activists demanding their postponement in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. Accusing the Congress of playing politics, BJP general secretary Bhupender Yadav said the opposition party 'believes students must lose a year so it doesn't lose an opportunity for politics'. 'Over 85 percent #JEENEET candidates don't agree and have downloaded admit cards. The Modi government won't let Congress spoil students' future to find relevance,' he tweeted. While the NEET is slated to be held on September 13, engineering entrance exam JEE-Mains is scheduled between September 1-6. Around 8.58 lakh candidates have registered for JEE-Mains and 15.97 lakh students have registered for NEET. The group of over 150 academicians from various universities in India and abroad also said in the letter to Modi that 'some are trying to play with future of students to propel their own political agenda'. 'The government has announced the dates for JEE-Mains and NEET any further delay in conducting the exams will result in waste of precious year for students. 'The dreams and future of our youth and students cannot be compromised at any cost. 'However, some are trying to play with the future of our students simply to propel their own political agenda and oppose the government,' the letter said. Meanwhile, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam president M K Stalin on Thursday urged the Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala and Odisha to join seven other states and approach the Supreme Court to seek deferment of this year's NEET and the JEE. The Left parties also opposed the Centre's decision to hold the exams in September amid the COVID-19 pandemic and said it completely undermines the health concerns of students. However, heads of various IITs had a different opinion on the issue. Sarit Kumar Das, Director, IIT Ropar, who is also a member of the Joint Admission Board (JAB) of IITs, said the decision to conduct the exams in September has not been taken overnight but after due consideration. According to Virendra Tewari, Director, IIT Kharagpur, 'the exams have a global reputation for seeking excellence and are considered one of the toughest and prestigious examinations in the world. A quick alternative to these tests will certainly not be as gratifying as competing for this examination by all fair means.' Tiwari also said an alternative could be misused as a precedent to dilute the entire admission process to the IIT system which may prove to be harmful for the quality of undergraduate education at the IITs. "I urge the aspirants to take it up as a challenge and show their mettle and sincerity to the world," he added. These exams have already been deferred twice in the wake of the novel coronavirus pandemic. JEE-Main was originally supposed to be held from April 7-11, but postponed to July 18-23, NEET-UG was originally scheduled for May 3, then pushed to July 26. A woman who stabbed her lovers girlfriend has been charged in court alongside her boyfriend. Catherine Njeri Wanjiru, 20, was charged with causing grievous harm to Sharon Iminza Malela outside their boyfriend Alvin Jumba Mitsamis house on January 4. A Kibera court heard that on the said date, Alvin Jumba called Ms Malela asking her to come to his house in Zimmerman estate, Kasarani, Nairobi where the complainant found Wanjiru waiting for her with a knife. A commotion ensued as Alvin Jumba restrained Wanjiru from stabbing Malela, who fled from the house. Undeterred, Wanjiru reportedly chased after Malela and caught up with her along the stairs and stabbed her on the back. The victim sustained significant injuries and was rushed to hospital where she was admitted in serious condition. In her defense, Wanjiru claimed that her love rival turned up at Alvin Jumbas house with three men to attack them for cohabiting while he was still dating Malela. Appearing before senior principal magistrate Derrick Kuto, Wanjiru and Jumba denied the charges. They were freed on a Sh200,000 cash bail each or an alternative Sh400,000 bond. The case will be mentioned on September 17. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Aug.27 By Nargiz Ismayilova Trend: Azerbaijan exported 773,700 tons of oil and petroleum products worth $282.9 million to India in the first half of 2020, down 62.1 percent compared to the same period of 2019 (1.2 million tons of oil), Trend reports referring to the State Statistics Committee. Azerbaijan exported 19.5 million tons of oil from January through July 2020, which is 0.02 percent more compared to the same period of 2019, according to the statistical report of the State Customs Committee. According to the report, the total volume of exports of petroleum products in the reporting period amounted to $6.3 billion, showing an annual decrease of 48.6 percent. During seven months of 2020, the volume of exports of petroleum products amounted to almost 705,797 tons, which is 15.4 percent increase in comparison to the same period of last year. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @IsmailovaNargis Keanu Reeves has gained star status with his two action franchise movies- The Matrix and John Wick. While The Matrix released many years ago and is currently being revived for a fourth installment, action film fans have pegged Reeves more recent action outing- John Wick- as one of the most thrilling and deadliest characters to have been portrayed on screen. John Wick too is being revived for a fourth and fifth installment. However, Reeves was recently posed with a difficult question that concerned his mythical characters from The Matrix (Thomas Anderson aka Neo) and John Wick franchises. Talk show host Stephen Colbert questioned him about who will win if the two characters were to battle it out. Surprisingly, Reeves chose to remain diplomatic in his answer as he said that they wouldnt fight. Even in a situation in which Neo accidentally hits John Wicks dog with his car, Reeves claimed Neo would bring the dog back to life by manipulating the Matrix and then team up with John. They wouldnt fight," he said (via). But maybe John Wick would try and help Thomas Anderson out in the real world. Maybe against the machines," Reeves wound up his response on the ultimate John Wick vs Neo battle question. The Matrix 4 is currently filming in Berlin with unit, cast and director Lana Wachowski. Priyanka Chopra Jonas is said to have been signed on to play a part in the film as well. SAN ANTONIO, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- WellAware, an industry leading remote monitoring and technology company announced a new smart air purification service in their product line. This new offering, PureAware, improves air quality to create a safer space for customers and employees, especially as they return to work during COVID-19. PureAware is the only remotely monitored air purification service which is safe for humans, destroys up to 99.98% or airborne viruses, and filters 99.97% of PM0.3 particulate matter. PureAware uses patented 4-layer filters developed by their manufacturing partner and is made in the USA. "This level of protection is unmatched in the industry, as HEPA filters do not actually kill viruses and bacteria, and other filtration systems leave behind harmful ozone. With a virus like Coronavirus, you want to make sure the pathogens are destroyed for maximum safety," said Director, Product Management, John McDonald. In addition to capturing and destroying pathogens in the air, PureAware displays air filtration status results directly to web and mobile apps to track performance and air filter quality in real-time. "As people return to work, school, and our new normal lives, our top priority at WellAware is to help assure the safety and well-being of as many people as possible. With the PureAware active air purification service, we have been able to help mitigate the risk of airborne transmission of viruses and bacteria without costly HVAC upgrades," said Matt Harrison, Co-Founder & CEO of WellAware. "Not only does the business owner, school administrator, or doctor's office know they are keeping their people safe, but a customer, parent, or student can see it for themselves on their phone before ever stepping foot in the door. That reassurance is immeasurable." For more information about PureAware, please visit www.wellaware.us/pure-air. About WellAware WellAware empowers organizations to be efficient, safe and sustainable by streaming mission critical data to their employees, so they can remotely monitor and control physical assets. Our open technology is easy to deploy, affordable and secure. WellAware is headquartered in San Antonio, Texas with a world-class team of management and advisors. To learn more, visit www.wellaware.us. Contacts [email protected] SOURCE WellAware Holdings, Inc. Related Links https://wellaware.us INDIANAPOLIS, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Sanctuary Wealth, home to the next generation of elite financial advisors, has named Kelly Tramontano to the position of Chief Operating Officer. An experienced business owner, Kelly has been an executive level consultant working with broker-dealers, RIAs, and hybrid platforms in developing best-in-class processes, procedures, and practice management effectiveness. "Sanctuary's growth has been rapid and that's continued this year even in the face of everything going on in the world around us," said Jim Dickson, CEO and Founder of Sanctuary Wealth. "Kelly has been working with Sanctuary since last year as a consultant and will be a key member of our executive team. As Sanctuary's COO, she'll be responsible for oversight of all operations, compliance, and technology. We're constantly improving our platform but doing it in a very process-oriented way, so everything is repeatable for new advisors joining the platform. Kelly has the background and experience to see the systems are in place to make that happen." "I'm very excited to be joining Sanctuary Wealth at this point in the firm's growth," said Kelly Tramontano, Chief Operating Officer, Sanctuary Wealth. "I've always enjoyed helping build businesses and with Sanctuary being a relatively new firm, there's tremendous opportunity for future development in a number of areas. My professional background is different from the rest of the executive team at Sanctuary, but highly complementary in that I come from the independent rather than the wirehouse space. I'm excited to add my experience to theirs and continue building something great." Kelly's 28 years of experience in the investment industry includes a 17-year tenure as CEO & President of SWBC Investment Services in San Antonio. With visionary leadership, Kelly created, designed, and built the firm's broker-dealer, RIA, and fixed income capital markets desk, all with the focus on evolving the business into a multi-faceted, multi-distribution entity. She began her career at SWBC as a financial advisor, after gaining prior experience at Robert Baird and Arvest Bank Group. She graduated cum laude from University of Arkansas with a BSBA in Finance and Financial Management. "The investment community in San Antonio is relatively small and as a result I've known Kelly both professionally and personally for many years," said Vince Fertitta, President, Wealth Management. "I have the utmost respect for her and what she accomplished as CEO at her previous firm, including establishing a proprietary fixed income disk, developing portfolio models, and launching an executive benefits solutions group. We're confident she will be a major contributor to Sanctuary's continued growth and glad to have her on our team." About Sanctuary Wealth Sanctuary Wealth (sanctuarywealth.com/) is the advanced platform for the next generation of elite, top-performing advisors, who have the entrepreneurial spirit to build and own their own practices, and desire the freedom to deliver the tailored service each client deserves. Creating an ecosystem of partnered independence, Sanctuary provides a complete technology and operations platform, as well as support from a community of like-minded advisors and the resources of invaluable affiliated businesses all designed to empower each partner firm to achieve their full potential. Currently, the Sanctuary Wealth network covers 16 states and includes 38 partner firms with over $10 billion in assets under advisement. The Sanctuary Wealth Group includes the fully owned subsidiaries Sanctuary Advisors, a registered investment adviser, and the broker-dealer Sanctuary Securities, as well as Sanctuary Asset Management, Sanctuary Insurance Solutions, Sanctuary Capital Markets, and Sanctuary Global Family Office. CONTACT: Michaela Morales JConnelly 973 224 7152 [email protected] SOURCE Sanctuary Wealth ROSARIO, ARGENTINA / ACCESSWIRE / August 27, 2020 / Bioceres Crop Solutions Corp. ("Bioceres" or the "Company") (NYSE American:BIOX), a fully-integrated provider of crop productivity solutions designed to enable the transition of agriculture towards carbon neutrality, announced today that management will participate virtually in the LD 500 Conference from Tuesday, September 1 to Friday, September 4, 2020. Mr. Enrique Lopez Lecube, Chief Financial Officer of Bioceres, will present at the conference and meet with select participating investors. A copy of the Company's latest investor presentation, which provides an overview of the business, will be available in the Investors section of Company's website, https://biocerescrops.com/, on the days that Mr. Lecube will meet with investors. About Bioceres Crop Solutions Corp. Bioceres Crop Solutions Corp. (NYSE American: BIOX) is a fully integrated provider of crop productivity technologies designed to enable the transition of agriculture towards carbon neutrality. To do this, Bioceres' solutions create economic incentives for farmers and other stakeholders to adopt environmentally friendlier production practices. The Company has a unique biotech platform with high-impact, patented technologies for seeds and microbial ag-inputs, as well as next generation crop nutrition and protection solutions. Through its HB4 program, the Company is bringing digital solutions to support growers' decisions and provide end-to-end traceability for production outputs. For more information, visit https://investors.biocerescrops.com Investor Relations Contact Maximo Goya, Investor Relations +54-341-4861100 maximo.goya@biocerescrops.com Forward-looking statements This communication includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of words such as "forecast," "intend," "seek," "target," "anticipate," "believe," "expect," "estimate," "plan," "outlook," and "project" and other similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of historical matters. Such forward-looking statements include estimated financial information and, among others, statements related to the expected or potential impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, and the related responses by governments, clients and the Company, on our business, financial condition, liquidity position and results of operations, and any such forward-looking statements, whether concerning the COVID-19 pandemic or otherwise, involve risks, assumptions and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, whether (i) the health and safety measures implemented to safeguard employees and assure business continuity will be successful, (ii) the uncertainty related to COVID-19 in the farming community will be short lived, and (iii) we will be able to coordinate efforts to ramp up inventories. Such forward-looking statements are based on management's reasonable current assumptions, expectations, plans and forecasts regarding the Company's current or future results and future business and economic conditions more generally. Such forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause the actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievement of the Company to be materially different from any future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, and there can be no assurance that actual results will not differ materially from management's expectations or could affect the Company's ability to achieve its strategic goals, including the uncertainties relating to the impact of COVID-19 on the Company's business, operations and financial results and the other factors that are described in the sections entitled "Risk Factors" in the Company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings updated from time to time. Therefore, you should not rely on any of these forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements contained in this release are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are or were made, and the Company does not intend to update or otherwise revise the forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this release or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by law. SOURCE: Bioceres Crop Solutions Corp. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/603637/Bioceres-Crop-Solutions-Corp-Announces-Upcoming-Participation-at-LD-500-Conference Students and community members protest Wednesday in front of El Camino Real Charter High School in support of a teacher who wore an "I can't breathe" T-shirt while teaching an online class. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) On the first day of class at El Camino Real Charter High School, an English teacher appeared before her ninth-grade students online wearing a T-shirt with the words I can't breathe" written across the front in big block letters. She had just attended a workshop at her school about how to create an anti-racist curriculum. Her gesture was part of a national program called Black Lives Matter at School, a colleague wrote. The slogan she wore has become a rallying cry for a national movement against police brutality. The three words were among the last spoken by George Floyd, a Black man who died in May after a Minneapolis police officer put a knee on his neck, and by Eric Garner, a Black man who died after a police officer restrained him in a chokehold in New York in 2014. But one parent thought his daughters teacher had gone too far. He just wanted his daughter to "go to English class and learn about English," he told KCBS-TV Channel 2. He shared a screenshot of the teacher on social media unleashing nearly two weeks of turmoil as a national divide over race and policing infiltrated the high school in suburban Woodland Hills. After a conservative media personality reposted the father's screenshot, a torrent of threats poured in on social media, frightening the teacher enough that she fled her home with her daughter and sought restraining orders against the parent and the media commentator. The school's principal has tried to quell the uproar and mediate the controversy among parents amid calls by the teachers union for the school to better support and protect faculty. On Wednesday, hundreds of teachers across the Los Angeles Unified School District wore Black Lives Matter shirts to class to show solidarity with the El Camino Real teacher. Outside the school's campus Wednesday afternoon, about 100 students gathered to support her and "to end racial injustices and silence within our school systems," according to an Instagram post publicizing the event. Story continues UTLA President Cecily Myart-Cruz wears a Black Lives Matter T-shirt. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) "What happened at El Camino is a travesty," said United Teachers Los Angeles President Cecily Myart-Cruz. "No one should have to endure those kinds of attacks, and surely the school should be doing a much better job in addressing the attacks as well as shielding the educators that work at the school site." The fury took off Aug. 16, when Elijah Schaffer, who hosts a podcast and YouTube show called "Slightly Offens*ve," posted the screenshot to his Twitter account. "A concerned father reached out to me because his daughter was not being taught English in her online English class," Schaffer wrote. That's when the death threats started coming in, according to the teacher. "Haven't felt safe enough to go home since 8/18/20," she wrote in her petition for a restraining order filed Monday in the Van Nuys Courthouse East. "Can't work." She also listed "mental anguish" and "fear for my child's safety" among the harms caused by the harassment. Junior Ashton Summers, 16, wears a Black Lives Matter mask as he joins fellow students and community members protesting in front of El Camino Real Charter High School to show support for a teacher who wore an 'I can't breathe' T-shirt to online class. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) Before going to court, the teacher sent an email to her students saying that she wouldn't be in school and that her administration had not supported her. "Please let other students know that the school has abandoned me, ironically after we had a whole day of professional development on how and why to create an anti-racist curriculum," she wrote in the email. She described her curriculum in a television interview as including "authors of color writing, talking about being Black in a biased world." The Times is not naming the teacher because of her safety concerns. Reached by email, she declined to comment and referred a reporter to Myart-Cruz. Myart-Cruz said the teacher, a single mother with a ninth-grade daughter, is "afraid for her life" and moving out of her home because her address was posted online. Myart-Cruz said that what the teacher was doing "was exactly right" in line with standards that encourage educators to talk about current and local events and with the goal of cultivating critical thinkers. Myart-Cruz sent a letter to the school's executive director, David Hussey, on Monday. "Educators need to be able to teach about racial and social injustice without threats, harassment, bullying, or scare-tactics," she wrote. "UTLA believes Black Lives Matter, has provided resources, and emphasizes that simply saying Black Lives Matter is not enough: educators and administrators must actively show it in their work in creating and promoting anti-racist curriculum." Students and community members protest in front of El Camino Real Charter High School. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) Hussey sent a schoolwide email Monday evening. The school "believes that all people are equal and that all voices should be heard, valued and included," it said. "We also recognize the need to end systemic racism that disproportionately harms, disciplines, and fails our Black students. Therefore, ECR is dedicated to racial justice within our education." In an interview, Hussey said administrators last week reached out to the teacher, who has taught at El Camino Real for more than 10 years, "to try to help her and support her as best as we can." He declined to comment further, citing confidentiality issues. Hussey said the teacher had not violated any school policies by wearing an "I can't breathe" T-shirt, but he said the employee handbook was ambiguous on this specific point. "We're going to have to reevaluate our policies," he said. "We're in a new era now." El Camino Real is a charter high school within Los Angeles Unified. Its teachers are represented by UTLA. About 40% of its students are white, 30% are Hispanic or Latino, 10% are Asian, and 4% are African American, according to California Department of Education data. Hussey said he has received emails from people who support the teacher and from those who have asked why he was allowing students to be "indoctrinated." He said that in conversations with the latter group, he expresses unequivocal support for the Black Lives Matter movement, but he wants teachers to facilitate "a safe space to have courageous conversation" rather than impose a specific viewpoint. "It's not just Black lives," he said. "It's gender equality, it's abortion. There are a lot of hot topics that we want our students to be able to form their own thoughts [about] and have the fortitude to stand up for them." Reached by text, the father who posted the first screenshot declined to comment, on the advice of his attorney, he said. He told KCBS that it was "horrible" that the teacher had received death threats and that he had not sought to get her fired. He said in the text message that he too has had to "deal with protecting my family" and asked that his name not be used. One freshman student who attended Wednesday's protest to show support for the targeted teacher said her English teacher also wore a Black Lives Matter T-shirt on the first day of classes. "I was very happy that she wore it," the 13-year-old said. "I thought it was very brave of her. I knew that there could of course be some sort of backlash." She was critical of the parent who circulated the teacher's image on social media, which she attributed to dissatisfaction with a curriculum in which students learn about current events. The student, whose name was withheld, said she feared retaliation in the charged atmosphere. "As a grown adult youre supposed to set an example," she said. "The fact that you cant even stand that your childs going to learn about whats going on in the world today is really sad." Land Rover has installed state-of-the-art Pivi infotainment, new efficient petrol and diesel mild-hybrid engines, and unique special editions on its best-selling compact SUVs, the Range Rover Evoque and Land Rover Discovery Sport. The Range Rover family is celebrating its 50th anniversary and the new Range Rover Evoque Autobiography sits at the pinnacle of the compact SUVs line-up, embodying the refinement and luxury synonymous with Range Rover across five decades. The flagship Evoque Autobiography edition features distinctive and elegant exterior design accents and a luxurious interior. A plug-in-hybrid version is also available, for customers looking for a more sustainable, efficient luxury compact SUV. Professor Gerry McGovern OBE, Chief Creative Officer, Land Rover, said: The Range Rover Evoque Autobiography delivers the promise of Range Rover, with refined modernity and sophistication both on the exterior and interior. Since its introduction in 2010 the characterful Evoque has turned heads, and elegant details such as the copper lettering and accents on the outside of the Range Rover Evoque Autobiography enhance its sophisticated character. Also available for 2020 is the new Evoque Lafayette Edition, featuring a distinctive contrast roof in Nolita Grey. Inspired by fashionable New York City neighbourhoods and based on the Evoque S, the Special Edition features a carefully curated selection of options, and is available as a P300e plug-in hybrid. The Discovery Sport Black brings a sporting derivative to the line-up. Powered by a turbocharged petrol engine producing 290PS* for effortless and refined performance, the Discovery Sport Black features a host of exterior and interior design enhancements for the perfect blend of eye-catching looks, family versatility and Discovery Sports hallmark all-terrain capability. Following the launch of the P300e plug-in hybrids earlier in 2020, a number of additional new engine options are now available for the Range Rover Evoque and Land Rover Discovery Sport. Two updated, efficient next-generation four-cylinder Ingenium diesel engines are now available, both featuring Mild Hybrid Electric Vehicle (MHEV) technology. Using a belt-driven starter motor and battery pack, vehicles fitted with MHEV technology harvest energy normally lost under deceleration, feeding back to the vehicles 48-volt battery. The result is a smoother stop-start operation and optimised fuel economy giving customers a taste of the benefits of an electrified vehicle without needing to plug-in and charge. Available in 165PS and 200PS outputs, these are more powerful and efficient than the engines they replace, with CO2 from 158g/km? and fuel economy of up to 46.7mpg (from 6.0l/100km)? for the Range Rover Evoque, and CO2 from 165g/km? and fuel economy of up to 44.7mpg (from 6.3l/100km)? on the Land Rover Discovery Sport. The first 1.5-litre Ingenium three-cylinder petrol engine for the Evoque the P160 is introduced with an automatic eight-speed transmission, offering customers an efficient yet refined entry point8. The advanced three-cylinder P160 the same engine which powers the plug-in hybrid P300e produces 160PS (118kW) and 260Nm of torque, delivering a compelling blend of performance and economy thanks to its lightweight construction and front-wheel drive set-up ?. Discovery Sport and Evoque customers continue to have a wide selection of additional petrol engines to choose from with P200, P250 and P300 options, all fitted with MHEV technology. Unique special editions Refined luxury: New Range Rover Evoque Autobiography combining renowned Range Rover luxury with sophisticated design details and a refined interior with state-of-the-art technology Powerful New Edition: Discovery Sport Black features 290PS*Ingenium engine, offering enhanced performance and refinement Efficient new engines: Powerful and efficient mild-hybrids introduced alongside recently launched P300e plug-in hybrids including two new, more efficient Ingenium diesels in addition to debut of three-cylinder 1.5-litre Ingenium petrol engine for Evoque Latest infotainment: Land Rovers most advanced system, Pivi, is now available on both vehicles. Redesigned intuitive menu structure takes users to most popular features and functions from a single home screen in no more than two taps Greater connectivity: Online media includes Spotify integrated directly within the infotainment menu for the first time, with data included, Bluetooth connectivity for two phones at once, plus wireless charging with signal-boosting option Software-Over-The-Air: Dual-modem embedded SIM allows scheduled vehicle software updates with no need to visit a retailer to ensure customers always have the most up-to-date apps, services and vehicle software Occupant wellbeing: New Cabin Air Filtration system? filters out fine particulates, allergens, pollen and even strong smells. Check the levels on the touchscreen Intelligent ADAS: Comprehensive new technology includes a 3D Surround Camera, plus new Rear Collision Monitors TradeArabia News Service DAKOTA CITY -- For several hours on Nov. 2, 2016, Dakota County Sheriff Chris Kleinberg hoped to find Kraig Kubik. A large spot of blood on the ground outside Kubik's home along Nebraska Highway 35 near Emerson had led Kleinberg to believe that someone or something had been seriously hurt. "It was enough blood for me to be concerned with whatever it was that was there," Kleinberg testified Thursday during the first day of evidence in the trial of Andres Surber, who is charged with killing Kubik and dismembering his body. As Kleinberg and deputies searched Kubik's property, they found no sign of him. After Kleinberg received a call from Dixon County Sheriff Don Taylor about a report of activity at an abandoned farm several miles from Kubik's home near Ponca, Kleinberg drove there to meet Taylor and a Nebraska State Patrol trooper. After about half an hour of searching, Kleinberg said he noticed a smudge of what appeared to be blood on the back bumper, below the trunk, on a light-colored car parked there. "My heart kind of sank," Kleinberg said. Special Deputy Dakota County Attorney Corey O'Brien, of the Nebraska Attorney General's Office, showed Kleinberg and the jury a photo of the contents of that trunk after it had been opened. Clearly visible was a severed human arm and leg. "It ended my hopes of finding Mr. Kubik alive," Kleinberg said. Surber, 29, of Wakefield, Nebraska, has pleaded not guilty in Dakota County District Court to first-degree murder, use of a firearm to commit a felony and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. He is accused of shooting Kubik with a 9mm firearm on Nov. 1, 2016, and cutting up the body, parts of which were found in the car at the farm 24 miles away and in a culvert a few miles from the car. An autopsy would later show that Kubik was killed by a shot behind the ear from a small-caliber firearm, but no gun has been recovered. Kleinberg had been asked to check on Kubik after his son, then-5-year-old Kraig Kubik Jr., had arrived about an hour late to kindergarten at Emerson-Hubbard Public School and repeatedly told his teacher and other students that his father was dead. The boy was taken to superintendent/principal Lindsey Beaudette, who testified she became concerned when her call to Kubik's cellphone immediately went to voice mail. She called the Dakota County Sheriff's Office and requested a welfare check on the boy's father. When Kleinberg and other deputies arrived, they found the blood spot next to a red Dodge Charger, a broken-down car Kubik had agreed to buy from Surber. They found two boots and two socks along what appeared to be a trail where something had been dragged. Grass and leaves along the trail appeared to have blood on them. Suspected blood also was found on the hose of an air compressor near the Charger, which had a flat tire. O'Brien showed now-retired State Patrol investigator Terry Kenny, who was the lead investigator into Kubik's death, a series of photos of those leaves, boots and blood stains taken at the crime scene. Kenny said it appeared that something had been dragged about 20 yards from the Dodge Charger to another car, then the red stains ended. Kubik's girlfriend, Jaclyn Mahr, testified that she had left his home at 7:30 the night before his disappearance. They were communicating via text message later in the night until Kubik stopped texting at 10:30 p.m. Mahr said she returned to Kubik's home the following morning and found his son alone. She looked for him inside his trailer and outside, where she said she observed the blood and his boots. She did not call police. "I just thought I was going to find him somewhere," she said. She drove Kubik's son to school and returned to the trailer, where she continued her search and also looked at video from Kubik's surveillance cameras. Video footage showed Surber and Brayan Galvan-Hernandez entering Kubik's home sometime after 10:30, and the three later exited the trailer together. Mahr said she recognized Surber because he was frequently at Kubik's home talking to him about the Charger, which Kubik still had not paid for. Mahr said she had wanted Kubik to get rid of the car because she had become concerned it was causing "a little bit" of conflict between Kubik and Surber. Galvan-Hernandez, 22, of Wakefield, is serving 50-60 years in prison after pleading to attempted second-degree murder and accessory to a felony. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 1 Angry 0 Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 11:06:43|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close A woman poses for a photo in front of the statue of women's rights pioneers in Central Park of New York, the United States, Aug. 26, 2020. The 14-foot-tall bronze statue featuring women's rights pioneers Sojourner Truth, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony was unveiled in Central Park on Wednesday. The month of August marks the 100th anniversary of women's right to vote in the United States, and underscores women's key role as a crucial voting bloc in the United States. (Xinhua/Wang Ying) A New Jersey man was killed and five others were injured Wednesday in a seven-vehicle, chain-reaction traffic crash on U.S. 206 in Burlington County, authorities said. The accident occurred at about 6 p.m. when a pickup truck traveling south in Southhampton Township crossed over the center line and collided with an SUV headed north near milepost 21.5, according to the New Jersey State Police. The driver of the SUV, Daniel Pacheco, 35, of Burlington, died at the scene, officials said. Five other vehicles were also involved in the crash, leaving three women and two men with minor to moderate injuries, said State Police Sgt. Philip Curry. On Thursday, investigators were still trying to piece together how the other crashes occurred. All lanes in both directions on US-206 were closed between State Road 38 and Retreat Road for about seven hours after the crash, Curry said. 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. A 15-minute covid test from Abbott Laboratories that will be priced at just $5 has been granted emergency authorization for use in the U.S., a breakthrough that could ease the bottleneck that has crimped much of the nation's testing capacity. The company's shares climbed as much as 13% in pre-market trading. The product, dubbed BinaxNOW, works without relying on laboratory equipment at a time when labs can take as long as two weeks to produce results. It uses a nasal swab and a small reactive card, and it can be administered by a range of health-care workers, including pharmacists, at almost any location. Abbott will start shipping the test within two weeks and intends to manufacture 50 million tests a month by October. The aim: Meet a surge in demand from Americans seeking to return to in-person schoolrooms and work. Demand for an antigen test "could be ENORMOUS -- think about employers, restaurants, games/events, transportation etc. using these tests for ensuring safety," Vijay Kumar, an analyst at Evercore ISI, wrote in a note to clients. "This test approval represents a key requirement for society to ultimately return to a sense of normalcy," said Robbie Marcus, an analyst at JPMorgan, in a note. He forecast Covid-19 related testing may generate $2.7 billion to $2.8 billion of revenue for the year, "a sizable tailwind for a company already better exposed to the virus than many in our coverage." The test uses so-called lateral flow technology, similar to the method used in at-home pregnancy tests. Essentially, these tests run a liquid sample along the surface of a pad with reactive molecules to show a result. While a pregnancy test is designed to detect a hormone, Abbott's BinaxNOW looks for an antigen, a tiny portion of the coronavirus protein that's collected from inside the nose. "It's detecting them at a critical point in the infection cycle, when they are at the highest risk of spreading disease," said John Hackett, divisional vice president of applied research and technology at Abbott Diagnostics. "This will be a powerful tool in preventing the transmission of the virus and helping us return to normal life." While several other companies are selling antigen tests that also work quickly, they require some equipment to get the results. The technology also sometimes yields lower accuracy in exchange for working faster. The BinaxNOW is 97.1% sensitive, meaning it correctly diagnoses those with the infection that often, and 98.5% specific, meaning an infection is correctly ruled out that often. BinaxNOW is the sixth test Abbott has launched to track coronavirus, including molecular tests that detect current infections and antibody tests that show someone has successfully fought off the pathogen. Since the first one was launched in March, the company has sold more than 27 million of its tests so far in the U.S. Through Wednesday's close, Abbott's shares had climbed 19% for the year. At the same time, Abbott is launching a mobile app called Navica that will be connected to the test, giving users an electronic record of their coronavirus status. The results could be used much like a boarding pass to allow those who are negative to return to everyday activities. Those with a positive result will be told to quarantine and contact their doctor. Health-care workers who conduct the tests are required to report positive results to public health officials. The U.S. is currently running about 800,000 tests a day nationwide, or 24 million a month, according to the Covid Tracking Project. Abbott built two new manufacturing facilities in the U.S. to produce BinaxNOW, allowing it to more than double the number of tests available to 50 million a month. "Our nation's frontline health-care workers and clinical laboratory personnel have been under siege since the onset of this pandemic," said Charles Chiu, a professor of Laboratory Medicine at University of California, San Francisco. "The availability of rapid testing for covid-19 will help support overburdened laboratories, accelerate turnaround times and greatly expand access to people who need it." CHICAGO, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- LaSalle St., a family of wealth management firms encompassing independent broker-dealer and registered investment adviser (RIA) platforms, today announced the recruitment of Retirement Services Group, a Northbrook, Illinois-based firm specializing in profit sharing and 401(k) plans, which oversees approximately $625 million in assets. The addition of Retirement Services Group builds on a surge in fast-growing and innovative financial advisor teams joining LaSalle St. this year. Mark Contey, Senior Vice President of Business Development for LaSalle St., said, "We are thrilled that Retirement Services Group has joined the LaSalle St. family. The team has long stood out as an innovator in its field for both plan sponsors and plan participants. Our recruitment of Retirement Services Group is a prime example of how LaSalle St.'s nimble and comprehensive home office support adds value to a diverse array of practices. We are committed to fostering a highly responsive atmosphere that enhances their long-term growth potential." Retirement Services Group was founded in 1993 by Peter Kearney, who has more than 25 years of experience in wealth and investment management and also serves on the American Funds Advisory Council. He has deep expertise in everything from clarifying a firm's retirement plan objectives and goals to helping firms manage their relationships with plan providers. Mr. Kearney works closely at Retirement Services Group with his colleague Jeff Kinzler, a financial advisor who has 30 years of industry experience. Mr. Kinzler specializes in working with individuals and business owners in both the pre- and post-retirement phases of their lives. The firm was also very excited recently with the addition of Patrick Kearney to its team. Patrick, a 2016 graduate of the University of Notre Dame, will work within the practice to further develop its client acquisition and servicing activities. Retirement Services Group provides a full range of sophisticated and customized solutions for small and medium-size companies in need of profit sharing and 401(k) retirement plans. These include plan consultation and strategic design, annual investment review and analysis, education and promotion of plans to employees, as well as administration and recordkeeping. Retirement Services Group is an industry leader in maximizing plan participation and contribution rates while minimizing fees and expenses. Peter Kearney, President of Retirement Services Group, said, "Our decision to join LaSalle St. became clear when we realized how greatly we would benefit from open access to senior management, and from the level of professionalism among home office staff. The best teams in our field leverage such advantages into exceptional retirement plan experiences for employers and employees. With LaSalle St. as our partner, we will become even better at doing so for our clients. During the current market upheaval, that's more important than ever." Dan Schlesser, LaSalle St.'s Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, said, "We look forward to helping Retirement Services Group, and every practice that joins us, reach new heights in the years to come. That is why we have rolled out new offerings for them this year, such as our Zero-Rate M&A Loan Program and our Fund and Annuity Direct Help Desk. Thanks to our strong balance sheet and private ownership structure, LaSalle St. is poised to accelerate both our recruitment and the development of our support infrastructure in the months ahead." About LaSalle St. LaSalle St. is a family of firms comprising LaSalle St. Securities, an independent broker-dealer; LaSalle St. Investment Advisors, a SEC-registered investment adviser; and LaSalle St. Insurance Services, a provider of annuity and insurance products. It has a singular mission of supporting the growth and success of independent financial advisors across the country. Founded in 1974 and based in Chicago, Illinois, LaSalle St. supports more than 300 financial advisors, has approximately $10 billion in total client assets and is registered in all 50 states. The LaSalle St. companies offer a wide range of services, including brokerage, advisory, investment and insurance. The firm clears primarily through National Financial Services, with custodial services through NFS parent Fidelity Investments. For more information, visit https://www.lasallest.com/ Media Inquiries Michael Dugan / Chris Latham Haven Tower Group 424 317 4852 or 424 317 4856 [email protected] or [email protected] SOURCE LaSalle St. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin A. Muh. Ibnu Aqil (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, August 27, 2020 09:00 511 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c40c4e61 1 National zoonosis-elimination,COVID-19,Agriculture-Ministry,office,infection,health Free The recent discovery of a COVID-19 cluster in the Agriculture Ministry has added to a growing list of such office outbreaks and had raised concerns about possible transmission between animals and humans in Indonesia. About 350 employees of the ministrys directorate general for livestock and animal health have been tested for the virus, and at least 17 have been found positive, according to department spokesperson Aryani Gumelar. Aryani said all ministry employees had been instructed to work from home from Monday to Wednesday and that authorities had sealed off part of a building in the ministrys complex in Jakarta for disinfection. The infection was traced to floors six through nine of Building C in Ragunan, South Jakarta. The outbreak is the latest in a series of office clusters that have emerged in the capital. By the end of July, the Jakarta administration had reported around 90 office clusters as economic activity in the city gradually resumed. But the Agriculture Ministry cluster has raised additional concerns in scientific circles because the people who were infected likely had recent contact with animals. Diseases that can be transmitted from animals to humans and vice versa are "zoonoses". This category includes some of the worlds most common diseases, such as tuberculosis, rabies, toxoplasmosis and malaria. According to the UN Environment Program, some 60 percent of human infectious diseases originate from animals. Further research is required to determine all the factors that have caused the pandemic, but so far, much of the scientific world suspects that bats and pangolins acted as carriers of the virus. However, Aryani did not believe the ministrys cluster was the result of zoonotic transmission. For the spread of the virus itself, we confirmed that it did not originate from animals and that it was most likely caused by human transmission, Aryani told The Jakarta Post on Monday. She said that while the directorate general handled technical matters pertaining to livestock and animal welfare which meant staff members were likely to come in contact with animals all of the staffers had been cleared to work in the office or in the field. Standard health protocols remained in place, including physical distancing, augmented personal hygiene practices and a 50-50 split for in situ and remote work. Aryani said that only staff members had been infected and that management was safe. She did not say which employees had tested positive. The ministrys head of public relations, Kuntoro Boga Andri, said that the ministry had formed a COVID-19 task force with medical doctors and health workers to trace and isolate the virus. The task force is now periodically conducting rapid tests on ministry officials and will follow up with swab tests when necessary. Kuntoro said the ministry had stepped up its tracing and detection efforts because most of its staff actively worked in the field. We are still working to serve farmers, ranchers and people who need the support of the ministry during this pandemic, Kuntoro said in a statement on Tuesday. Every time we go out into the field, we are routinely tested. Nearly 24 million people worldwide have caught COVID-19 and more than 820,000 people have died of the disease. The virus is believed to have first appeared in animals sold at a wildlife market in the Chinese city of Wuhan late last year, although newer studies have cast doubt on this theory. While the ministry has insisted that the new cluster was not the result of zoonotic transmission, Laura Navika Yamani, an epidemiologist at Airlangga University, said that contact tracing was urgently needed to discover the origin and potential extent of the cluster. The people who have tested positive for COVID-19 must be intensively interviewed about who they interacted with at the office, Laura told the Post on Monday. While new pandemics were not often associated with animals already in close contact with humans, such as livestock, Laura urged caution because other pathogens from animals could still infect humans, making them more vulnerable to COVID-19. The epidemiologist also called for a review of the ministrys COVID-19 protocols to better protect other staff members. She criticized the ministry for its three-day closure of the suspected site of infection, comparing it to the global practice of sealing off such areas for fourteen days. Disinfecting rooms may eradicate [the virus itself], but it will not ensure that the place will be free of virus carriers, she said. The virus may incubate for up to 14 days in the human body before symptoms become apparent. Microbiology researcher Sugiyono Saputra of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) said that some animals may be able to contract COVID-19 from humans, such as cats, dogs, tigers, lions and minks, although livestock such as swine and poultry were not vulnerable to the virus. He said the keys to controlling zoonotic disease transmission from animal to human and vice versa were basic biosecurity measures and good hygiene. People suspected or confirmed to have contracted COVID-19 should not be allowed in direct contact with animals, including pets, and vice versa. They must be isolated from other animals and humans, Sugiyono said. One of the best ways to get engagement on your intranet sites is to bring in a relevant Yammer community to SharePoint using Yammer Conversations. Instead of creating a destination to ask a question, this allows you to bring Yammer directly into your intranet and engage your users where they are. But what about when you are in Yammer? The SharePoint site associated with a Yammer community is a team site that is independent from the communication sites on your intranet. You can bring Yammer into the intranet, but can you bring the intranet into Yammer? Yes, if you follow these steps. Bring Yammer conversations into intranet sites I often find myself adding Yammer communities to intranet sites to create a conversation space. For example, if I have an Executive Corner intranet site (see figure 1), I like to bring in the Leadership Connection Yammer community by adding the Yammer Conversations web part to the page. On a Finance site, I might bring in an Ask Finance Yammer Community. And on a Microsoft 365 help site, I will always bring in the Microsoft 365 Champions community! Bringing in a Yammer Community is also a great way to connect communities created for employee resource groups (ERGs) to a communication site associated with that group. The communication site for the ERG helps increase visibility and provides a way to tell a great story about the group, offering additional context for the conversation space in Yammer. Microsoft Executive Corner intranet site. However, when I am in Yammer, the connected site for the Yammer community is the Microsoft 365 groups team site that hosts the files and images added to Yammer posts. If you click the See all link from the Conversations web part on the Executive Corner site in Figure 1, you go to the community in Yammer. From there, if you click the About tab, you will learn more about the community and see a link to two SharePoint resources: a SharePoint library and a SharePoint site. (See figure 2) Microsoft About resources in a Yammer community. The SharePoint library hosts the documents shared in Yammer posts. We need this library, of course, and we want the permissions on the library to be open so that any member of the Yammer community can attach a document or image to a post. But what about the SharePoint site? By default, that link takes you to the home page of the team site associated with the Microsoft 365 Group that was created for the Yammer community (see figure 3). If you reached the Yammer community from the Executive Corner, you might expect that link to take you back there to the Executive Corner site. But instead, it takes you to a team site that probably wont get used for anything other than storing documents and images. Wouldnt it be great if you could make that link point back to the communication site? Microsoft Team site associated with the CEO Connection Yammer community. Link your Yammer community back to the communication site This trick will allow you to re-direct where the SharePoint Site link points so that instead of going to the home page of the team site, it goes back to the communication site. Note: You must be the owner of the Yammer group to use these steps. First, make sure you have the URL for the home page of the communication site you want to link to. Second, click the SharePoint site link in Yammer. On the home page of the site in the News section, click the dropdown to add a News Link. Use the URL for the communication site for the News Link. Third, navigate to the Site Pages library on the team site. (Gear > Site Contents > Site Pages). Select the page you just created and click the three dots (vertical ellipsis) and click Make homepage (see figure 4). Since the News Link page is effectively a re-direct, what you have just done is re-directed a link to the home page of the team site to the home page of the associated communication site! Microsoft Set the News Link page as your home page. Now, any time a user in Yammer clicks the SharePoint site link, they go back to the communication site associated with your community. Simple, easy and no code! Just in case you want to get back to the team site, click the SharePoint Library link in Yammer. This takes you to the Documents library and you can use the left side navigation to get to Site Contents if you want to change the home page to point to a different site or work with any of the other content on the team site. If you want to go back to the original home page, follow the steps above and make Home.aspx the home page again. Our brand is recession-resilient, Sean Manning, CEO of Payroll Vault, told The Denver Business Journal in August. We launched Payroll Vault in 2008 during the last recession. Were confident the business model is sustainable. Payroll Vault, a boutique-style, full-service payroll company designed for small businesses, ranked number 16 in The Denver Business Journals list of the Largest Colorado-Based Franchisors for 2020. The ranking comes concurrently with Payroll Vault CEO and Founder Sean Manning sharing with the publication that since March, the company has seen between three and four times more inquiries about purchasing a franchise. Our brand is recession-resilient, Manning told The Denver Business Journal in August. We launched Payroll Vault in 2008 during the last recession. Were confident the business model is sustainable. Manning was quoted as part of the report, which examines franchisor growth statewide. Franchisors forecast even bigger growth in 2021. The feature delves into the fact that because of present economic uncertainty, many people are looking into business ownership, to take charge of their own destiny. Payroll Vaults business model enables small businesses to have much of their payroll and HR services managed online an attractive proposition during times of social distancing. For more information about Payroll Vault franchise opportunities, please visit https://www.payrollvault.com/franchise/. About Payroll Vault Payroll Vault is a boutique-style full-service payroll company designed for small business. Founded by a career CPA who identified the benefits of separating payroll from traditional accounting to achieve more efficient results, Payroll Vault focuses on the needs of local small and mid-size businesses to help them achieve their business growth objectives faster. In response to Pragers request, Emma Bailey, a 9-year-old Brownie from Brownie Troop 323, agreed. Sunday night, Bailey and her mother drafted an email to Dusch requesting the proclamation. It was sent Monday morning. By Tuesday afternoon, the mayor had responded, sending an email with the proclamation. After the proclamation was sent, Baileys mother sent an email to Prager describing Baileys reaction. She was so (sic) excited. When I showed her the document and read it to her, her eyes lit up, Baileys mother wrote in an email. Prager said she was also excited to hear the news. I dont think Emma thought it was going to happen. I was hopeful that it was going to happen, Prager said. I didnt think it would happen so quickly. We were very excited about that. The rest of the girls in Pragers troops were also excited about the proclamation, she said. And this was not only an example of civic involvement, it was a good teaching moment about pursuing a cause, Prager said. UNITED NATIONS: The president of the International Committee of the Red Cross warned Wednesday that the frequency of sophisticated cyber attacks against hospitals, electricity and water supplies, and other critical civilian infrastructure is increasing. Peter Maurer said the ICRC is increasingly concerned about the destructive effects of cyber operations that cut off electricity supplies and water systems in war-affected countries and halted hospital services in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as an attempted attack against a petrochemical plant and especially alarmingly, cyber-attacks against nuclear facilities. If hospitals cannot provide life-saving treatment in the middle of a health crisis or an armed conflict, whole communities will suffer, he told an informal virtual meeting of the U.N. Security Council. If electricity supply is interrupted, there is a real risk that water, health care, and other essential services will be disrupted," the ICRC chief said. And if even nuclear facilities are not considered off limits, we risk seeing severe and widespread humanitarian consequences. Over recent years, Maurer said, cyber attacks against critical infrastructure have caused significant economic harm, disruption in societies, and tensions among nations although the ICRC cant confirm any cyber operations that have resulted in human casualties. He said the frequency of cyber attacks against civilian infrastructure is increasing and evolving faster than anticipated only a few years ago. While most appear not to be linked to conflict, he said, we are concerned that cyber capabilities used in future conflicts will cause graver consequences, in particular for civilians. Several countries have stated publicly in recent years that they used cyber operations in military actions, Maurer said, and as an increasing number of states are developing military cyber capabilities, the ICRC expects that their use is likely to also increase in future conflicts. He welcomed the Security Councils engagement on the issue of harmful cyber operations, alongside ongoing discussions in the U.N. General Assembly. Russia won General Assembly approval in December for a resolution that will start the process of drafting a new international treaty to combat cyber crime over objections from the European Union, the U.S. and others. They said it would undermine international cooperation to combat cyber crime. Russia has said substantive work on the new convention will begin in 2021. Maurer said preventive measures are needed. The ICRC has called on all countries to reaffirm and clarify the legal framework that protects critical civilian infrastructure against cyber operations, especially particular during conflict including health systems, water and sanitation systems, electricity supply and installations containing dangerous forces, he said. But Maurer cautioned that a strong legal framework is not by itself sufficient to effectively shield civilians and civilian infrastructure from hostile cyber operations. He said confidence-building measures and a broad range of technical and operational measures are also needed. No state can succeed in this alone, Maurer said. Instead, broad collaboration among states, as well as between states, the private sector, and academia is essential." 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 SCHENECTADY Tom McOwen thought his ship had come in when the Rivers Casino opened more than two years ago. The Utica-area native had been working at a casino in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., but jumped at the chance to return to upstate New York, where he has children from a prior marriage. A 20-year veteran of the industry, McOwen, 40, quickly worked his way up to the position of Table Games Manager at Rivers and things were humming along just fine. He had a used Cadillac, bought a house in the city and took his kids on annual trips to places like Disney World. But thats all on hold as Rivers and New Yorks four other state-licensed casinos remained closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since going dark in March, about 1,000 Rivers employees and more than 5,000 casino workers statewide remain idled and they are running out of funds. Thats been especially true since late July when the federal governments $600 weekly supplements to state unemployment insurance payments ran out. Now with that gone, McOwen, 40, and others are juggling their bills. This year, McOwen said, theres no Florida trip. And dining on occasional steaks has given way to bulk shopping for basics like hamburger meat and potatoes as well as peanut butter and jelly. Were just buying the essentials, he said. Credit card bills are piling up and McOwen is worrying about his $1,500 mortgage payments. The bank deferred some payments for a while, but not any longer and any arrears will have to eventually be paid. Hes got one daughter planning to attend Mohawk Valley Community College and his former wife has only recently gone back to work as a food server in the Utica area. LaChelle Rick and her husband Jimmy have decimated their 401(k) and they are both considering casino jobs in other states where the facilities have reopened. Rick, a Kentucky native, and her husband both have more than 25 years in the casino business. Theyve worked in West Virginia, Illinois, Indiana and in Erie, Pa., which like Schenectady, used to have a vast General Electric workforce but which has looked to gaming as a new source of middle class jobs such as these that can pay from $50,000 to $85,000 or more. A table games manager, Rick 49, and her husband like this area but wonder how long they can hold out. The landlord at their apartment complex in Scotia has been understanding but they know that cant last forever. We want to work, she said. McOwen and Rick were among the several dozen Rivers employees who stood outside the darkened casino in a torrential rain Thursday hoping to exert some pressure on Gov. Andrew Cuomo to allow the casinos to reopen, or at least offer some clear guidance as to when that might happen. So far, casinos in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Ohio, Rhode Island and Massachusetts have reopened. And according to the American Gaming Association trade group, 866 casinos nationally are reopened compared to 124 that remain closed. The management of Rivers has chipped in, saying on Friday the casinos executive team will be passing out care packages to all furloughed team members between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. That will include fresh produce, household supplies like laundry detergent and gift cards to local businesses so they can purchases essential items. Team members will just need to drive into Valet Parking at Rivers to pick the packages up. Thursdays demonstration marked the second time in a week that casino workers have rallied for a reopening. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. They held a similar gathering last Thursday in front of the state Capitol. And this Thursdays event was replicated at all five of New Yorks state-licensed casinos (those on Indian lands had already re-opened). It remains unclear when New Yorks casinos may get the green light to reopen. State Budget Division spokesman Freeman Klopott in an email noted that other states are rolling back some reopening plans as COVID spreads. Weve already seen casinos in California, Arizona and Miami re-open and then close due to COVID. Klopott said. In New York, we will continue to track the data, the science and activity at casinos around the country, and will make a decision on re-opening them here when health experts determine it is safe to do so. McOwen said his hopes were buoyed in June when the regional phased reopenings for other businesses were starting. He even came into Rivers to help with the planning and to move gaming tables around so they would be socially distanced. But then came news that casinos were not in the reopening plans, so the employees went home. So now, he waits and pores over his weekly expenses, hoping to see a reopening sooner rather than later. Were waiting for the word, he said. rkarlin@timesunion.com 518 454 5758 @RickKarlinTU Wednesday, August 26, 2020 at 10:00PM by Claudio Alves For some people, the word handsome isn't enough. Such beauty defies description and almost seems to bend reality, becoming uncanny in its perfection. French star Alain Delon is one such person. It's no wonder that many a master filmmaker has lost themselves looking at the actor, making devotional songs to his besotting allure in the shape of cinema. Antonioni, Clement, Godard, Malle, Melville, Visconti were some of those masters of cinema and their works have immortalized Alain Delon in poems of celluloid that are some of the best films ever made In the face of his odious words in old age, it's easy to see why modern cinephiles would want to avoid hagiographic homages and turn their back to this celebrity. One wouldn't blame anyone for rejecting Delon. Still, thanks to a new collection on the Criterion Channel, we are reminded of the quality of his filmography. Despite being a reproachful man, Alain Delon is also a fascinating actor, an aesthetic phenomenon of immeasurable sensuality, an unforgettable movie star. If you doubt such praise, take a look at some of the highlights from Criterion's selection. PURPLE NOON (1960) Directed by Rene Clement and adapted from Patricia Highsmith's The Talented Mr. Ripley, Purple Noon is a tale of social facades and bloody deception. A dream of eroticism with a sharp edge of danger, the film's so beautiful we can almost feel ourselves turn to mush while gazing at its crystalline images. In the role that would later be embodied by Dennis Hopper, Matt Damon, and a panoply of other actors, Alain Delon delivers a performance of frightening emptiness. His Tom Ripley's a perfect manifestation of surface-level attraction, a void that sucks in other people that are too dazed to notice his vampirical wiles. It's a masterclass of lacing lust with cyanide, a beguiling star turn that made Delon into an international sensation. For a more leather-clad sort of sexiness, Criterion's also streaming Delon's psychedelic The Girl on a Motorcycle. That's a film that positively erupts in paroxysms of lust. ROCCO AND HIS BROTHERS (1960) If the young Alain Delon looked menacingly hypnotic in full-color, he's ethereal when shot in black-and-white. Luchino Visconti knew how to take full advantage of that, molding the titular character of Rocco and His Brothers into the near-religious image of an icon. Bloody, crying, utterly vulnerable, and beaten down for other people's enjoyment, Delon's Rocco looks like he belongs on a church altar rather than in the streets among mortals. As for the film that contains and punishes him, Rocco and His Brothers is a triumph of transcendent melodrama, a tearstained affair that's as close as Italian Neorealism ever came to opera. L'ECLISSE (1962) Alain Delon may be beautiful, but he's also an unnerving screen presence. His eyes are pools of impossible depth, as gem-like as they are inscrutable. Because of that, it's interesting to note that one of his looser performances comes from the film he did with the king of cinematic alienation, Michelangelo Antonioni. The last chapter in the director's trilogy of "incommunicability" is a shot of existential unrest injected straight to the audience's veins. The end of L'Eclisse is justifiably legendary, and it proves that Delon's presence is so intense, its ghost haunts the film even after the man evaporates into nothingness. LE SAMOURAI (1967) No filmmaker that better understood the reptilian magic of Alain Delon than Jean-Pierre Melville. 1967's Le Samourai represents the first of these cineastes' three collaborations and it's their best too. In it, Melville shoots Delon as if he were a work of art, impossibly cool and ritualistically detached, so opaque he's almost alien. This odd approach to the actorly element of narrative cinema fits into the way Melville depicts his story's criminal milieu. The director makes violence into something so aesthetically curated it nearly becomes abstract. All that and the movie still manages to be thoroughly entertaining, even poignant in its melancholy. Le Cercle Rouge and Un Flic, the two other Delon-Melville pictures, are also available to stream on the Criterion Channel. MR. KLEIN (1976) In some regards, Mr. Klein represents the apotheosis of Alain Delon's trajectory as a performer of the big screen. The impenetrability of the actor and his devastating good looks were often at the center of his earlier successes, but Joseph Losey's last masterpiece takes these elements to twisty conceptual extremes. Delon plays an individual of soluble identity, an art dealer in World War II-era France who finds himself consumed by the existence of another man with which he shares a name. Watching Mr. Klein is akin to observing a person being eaten by their own shadow. It's a disturbing story told with glacial disaffect, a prolonged implosion of selfhood that plays out beneath the placid mask of French cinema's most beautiful idol. For other examples of Delon playing with self-destructive identity, see Spirits of the Dead. That omnibus flick is part of the Criterion Channel's selection and it features him acting as two men with the same name trapped in a tragic danse macabre. Are you a fan of the films of Alain Delon? If so, which is your favorite? Kim Kardashian isn't a stranger to a photoshoot, but this one was out of her control. (Getty Images) Kim Kardashian-West, 39, has shown just how difficult it can be to get a good photo of your children in a series of images posted on her Instagram account. The mum-of-four played photographer to her two daughters, North, seven and Chicago, two and the results were really not what she - or they - expected. My girls wanted to do a photo shoot together sitting up on this rail. Swipe to the right to see how it ended, she shared with her 186 million followers. Spoiler alert: It ended with one of them face down in the mud. The photos begin with a cute snap of the pair beaming at the camera, but as the montage unfolds, chaos ensues. By the end of the series of photos, North can be seen running away while Chicago is face down on the grass after falling over. Read more: Paris Hilton reveals Kim Kardashian encouraged her to freeze her eggs The cute siblings take on a variety of different poses, which includes North - the oldest sibling - teaching Chicago how to pout. Theyve learnt from the very best, but Kardashian-West has been relegated to a role behind the camera for this adorable display of sisterly love. Omg the cutest EVER!!!!! Kims sister Khloe Kardashian wrote in response to the photos. Brother Rob Kardashian added: Omg, with a range of heart eyed emojis. Read more: Kim Kardashian launches Skims shapewear As well as the two girls, reality star Kardashian-West is mum to Saint, four and Psalm, one with husband, Kanye West, and regularly posts updates of what she and her family are getting up to. The pair famously welcomed Chicago in January 2018 via a surrogate. While the Kardashian-West clan might have moments of silliness in front of the camera, theyre usually pretty well-versed when it comes to taking a good family photo. Lets not forget their Fathers Day portrait which saw North wearing a custom look by British-Nigerian designer Mowalola Ogunlesi, alongside her parents who were both supporting the Central Saint Martins graduate. Story continues While the same cant necessarily be said for the other three children - who seemed mildly pre-occupied with anything but the camera, North owned the cowgirl aesthetic. The family all went for the ranch theme owing to the fact that the photoshoot took place on their Wyoming ranch. The health ministry said that the COVID-19 recovery rate rose to 76.24 percent, while the COVID-19 case fatality rate has declined to 1.83 percent in India India's tally of coronavirus cases crossed 33 lakh on Thursday with a record single-day jump of over 75,000 cases. Meanwhile, the number of recoveries rose to 25,23,771, according to the Union Health Ministry. A total of 75,760 new infections were reported in 24 hours, taking the coronavirus caseload in the country to 33,10,234. The toll climbed to 60,472, with 1,023 new casualties being reported in 24 hours. The ministry added that the recovery rate rose to 76.24 percent, while the COVID-19 case fatality rate has declined to 1.83 percent. There are 7,25,991 active cases of coronavirus infection in the country, which is 21.93 percent of the total caseload, the ministry said. India's COVID-19 tally had crossed the 30 lakh-mark on 23 August. According to the ICMR, a cumulative total of 3,85,76,510 samples have been tested up to 26 August, with 9,24,998 samples being tested on Wednesday. Bengal govt imposes 'stringent' lockdown; violations reported in some districts Normal life was affected in Kolkata on Thursday as a complete shutdown was enforced across West Bengal to stem the spread of COVID-19 cases, while violations of lockdown restrictions were reported in some districts. The restrictions were imposed on Thursday as part of the state government's decision to enforce a bi-weekly total lockdown to curb the increasing number of coronavirus cases in the state. All public transport, government and private offices, banks and other commercial establishments, barring those dealing with essential services were closed due to the lockdown. Flight operations in and out of the Kolkata international airport were suspended for the day, while long-distance trains were rescheduled. Ferry services through inland waterways were also suspended. Essential services like medicine shops and health establishments remained open as these were kept out of the purview of the complete shutdown. Petrol pumps are also allowed to remain open on the lockdown days. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday also announced the extension of closure of educational institutes till 20 September and the dates for the complete lockdown in September. The state will observe lockdown rules on 7, 11, and 12 September, PTI reported. Meanwhile, the Kolkata Metro body said that it will restart services on receiving the go-ahead from the Union Home Ministry and the Railway Ministry. Banerjee said on Wednesday that the Metro Railway authorities can resume services, maintaining all COVID-related safety protocols. After receiving the go-ahead, the Metro authorities will discuss the modalities of running the services in the city with the West Bengal government, Metro Railway spokesperson Indrani Banerjee was quoted as saying by PTI. Union minister Krishan Pal Gurjar tests COVID-19 positive Union minister Krishan Pal Gurjar tested positive for coronavirus, becoming the latest member of the Narenda Modi government to catch the infection. The Minister of State tweeted his COVID-19 report and urged others to take precautions. "I consulted doctors and will undergo treatment. I urge all those who came in my contact over the past few days to take coronavirus seriously and get themselves tested," Gurjar said. Earlier this month, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Ayush Minister Shripad Naik, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Arjun Ram Meghwal and Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat had tested positive for coronavirus. Gurjar, 63, is an MP from Faridabad in Haryana. Additionally, Punjab minister Brahm Mohindra also tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday, a day before the Monsoon Session of the state Assembly is set to begin. The Punjab Legislative Assembly will convene a one-day Monsoon Session on Friday amid the coronavirus pandemic. Mohindra is the fifth minister of the Amarinder Singh-led state government to have contracted the disease. According to reports, at least 30 MLAs in Punjab have contracted the virus. Meanwhile, Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot cancelled all his meetings after 10 people in his staff tested positive for coronavirus on Thursday, The Indian Express reported. Ramesh Pokhriyal says students want JEE, NEET to be conducted 'at any cost' Union minister Ramesh Pokhriyal referred to the number of downloads of the admit cards to deduce that the 'majority of students' want to appear for the NEET and JEE (Main) exams. "National Testing Agency (NTA) officials told me that over seven lakh candidates have downloaded the JEE-Main admit cards while over 10 lakh aspirants have downloaded the NEET admit cards. This shows that the students want the exams be held at any cost," Pokhriyal said. His comments came amid a growing clamour for the postponement of the medical and engineering entrance exams in view of a spike in the number of COVID-19 cases in the country. Several journalsits also took to Twitter to report on problems that NEET and JEE aspirants living in villages and flood-affected areas might face if the Centre goes ahead with the exams in September. While the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) is scheduled to be held on 13 September, engineering entrance exam JEE-Main has been planned from 1 to 6 September. Around 8.58 lakh candidates have registered for the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE)-Main and 15.97 lakh have registered for the NEET. The exams have been deferred twice in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Polling for local civic bodies conducted in Mizoram amid COVID-19 pandemic Polling for 538 village councils in nine of Mizoram's districts and for 59 local councils within state capital Aizawl was conducted on Thursday amid the COVID-19 pandemic, by adhering to health protocols, PTI reported. State election commission secretary Teresy Vanlalhruaii was quoted as saying that polling took place peacefully for 10 hours from 7 am till 5 pm. According to the Election Commission, the total voter turnout was 64.29 percent, which could increase as detailed reports were awaited from the respective districts. Counting is in progress and the results are expected by Thursday night. Opposition parties, including Zoram Nationalist Party (ZPM) and Congress, had earlier opposed holding the elections during the pandemic and asked the state election commission to defer the polls for the rural civic bodies, but the voting took place with due precautionary measures against the virus in place. According to Vanlalhruaii, social distancing was strictly maintained during polling and all voters wore masks. She said that thermal scanning was done on voters and sanitisers, soaps and waters were made available at all the polling stations. Medical teams were deployed in all district headquarters to oversee elections in case medical emergencies and all election officials were provided with masks and gloves. State-wise cases and deaths Meanwhile, Maharashtra reported 14,718 new cases and 355 deaths on Thursday, taking total number of cases to 7,33,568, including 5,31,563 recoveries and 23,444 deaths. Tamil Nadu reported 5,981 new cases of coronavirus, 5,870 recoveries, and 109 deaths. The tally of COVID cases in the state has risen to 4,03,242, including 52,364 active cases, 3,43,930 recovered cases, and 6,948 deaths to date, according to the state's health department. In Delhi, 22 deaths and 1,840 COVID-19 cases were reported, which is the highest single-day spike in the month of August. The total number of cases is now 1,67,604, including 13,208 active cases, 1,50,027 recoveries, and 4,369 deaths. Kerala reported 2,406 new cases, 2,067 recoveries, and 10 deaths. There are 22,673 active cases and 43,761 recovered cases so far in the state. Andhra Pradesh reported 92 deaths and 10,621 new cases of coronavirus. The total number of cases is now 3,93,090, including 94,209 active cases, 2,95,248 recoveries, and 3,633 deaths. Karnataka recorded 9,386 new COVID-19 cases, 7,866 discharges, and 141 deaths in the last 24 hours, taking active cases to 84,987 and toll from the virus to 5,232. West Bengal reported 2,997 new cases, 3,189 recovered cases and 53 deaths on Thursday. The total number of cases stands at 1,50,772, including 26,709 active cases, 1,21,046 discharged cases, and 3,017 deaths so far. Punjab reported 1,746 new cases, taking the state's total case tally to 47,836, including 15,608 active cases, 30,972 discharged cases, and 1,256 deaths. With inputs from agencies By PTI NEW DELHI: In a clear message to those who recently wrote a dissent letter challenging her leadership, Congress president Sonia Gandhi Thursday formed a five-member panel in Rajya Sabha including her confidants and elevating two young MPs to senior positions in Lok Sabha. Ahmed Patel, KC Venugopal and Jairam Ramesh will be part of the Rajya Sabha Committee, which will also include Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad and party's deputy leader Anand Sharma. Azad and Sharma are signatories to the letter that demanded an overhaul of the Congress party and a new "full-time and visible" party president. They were attacked by party leaders in the Congress Working Committee meeting on Monday, where some even sought action against them. Ramesh has also been appointed the chief whip in Rajya Sabha, a post that fell vacant after Bhubaneswar Kalita quit the party and joined the BJP. Former minister and Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal, who was also a signatory to the letter, did not find a place in the strategy committee. The group will take a call on the party's floor strategy with sources saying the idea is to strengthen floor management. ALSO READ | Conspiracy to finish off Rahul': Sena hits out at Congress leaders who wrote letter to Sonia Gandhi In the Lok Sabha, Gandhi elevated party MP from Assam Gaurav Gogoi and made him the deputy leader of Congress, while Ludhiana MP Ravneet Singh Bittu was made the party's whip. The two, along with leader of the Congress in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, chief whip K Suresh and another whip Manickam Tagore would form a five-member Committee of floor leaders in the lower house. It is a move by the Congress to strengthen its team of floor leaders in the Lower House, party leaders said, adding it is also a message to dissenters like Shashi Tharoor and Manish Tewari in Lok Sabha and Azad and Sharma in the upper house. Bittu, a three-time MP from Punjab who has been entrusted with the responsibility as the Congress whip in the Lok Sabha, trumps his Punjab colleague Tewari, also a three-time MP. Currently, Bittu represents Ludhiana, which had earlier elected Tewari, who now is MP from Anandpur Sahib. Bittu had won from Anandpur Sahib in 2009. Party leaders said Tewari and Tharoor were aspiring for positions in Lok Sabha. The opposition party did not have a deputy leader in Lok Sabha -- the last was in the previous Lok Sabha when Amarinder Singh was on the post before he became the chief minister of Punjab. The appointments came ahead of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, which is likely to commence from September 14. Gogoi hails from Assam, where Assembly polls are due early next year. The MP from the Kaliabor Lok Sabha constituency, he was the party's whip in the House till now and has been elevated. Gogoi is the son of former Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi. House Democrats this week reiterated their demand for an investigation into the firings of Army Lt. Cols. Alexander and Yevgeny Vindman, citing new allegations of White House retaliation for the twin brothers' roles in the impeachment of President Donald Trump. The new allegations involved charges by Yevgeny Vindman that White House National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien and his aides "misused government resources" and created a hostile work environment in an effort to force him out of his White House job as an ethics lawyer on the National Security Council. Read Next: Army OKs Push-Ups, PT as Punishments for Minor Infractions The call for an investigation by Acting Pentagon Inspector General Sean O'Donnell came from Rep. Adam Schiff of California, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee; Rep. Adam Smith of Washington., chairman of the House Armed Services Committee; and Rep. Carolyn Maloney of New York, chair of the House Oversight Committee. There was no response from the IG's office to a previous call for an investigation by the Democrats. In a letter to O'Donnell Wednesday, the Democrats charged that Yevgeny Vindman faced retaliation for looking into whether O'Brien, his chief of staff Alex Gray and others "misused government resources, excluded women from meetings, and made sexist and demeaning remarks to female NSC staffers, including inappropriately commenting on women's looks and 'talk[ing] down' to women." In his complaint, Yevgeny Vindman wrote that, "while any of these infractions are serious, together they form a disturbing pattern of flagrant disregard for rules." The Democrats asked that the IG determine whether those alleged actions amounted to "unlawful retaliation" and whether White House officials "sought to create an inhospitable work environment for the two brothers during their service at the White House." In a statement, White House Communications Director Alyssa Farah dismissed the allegations as "ridiculous and false." "These allegations are an example of precisely what's wrong with Washington -- a junior-level disgruntled former detailee, with whom Ambassador O'Brien had almost no interaction -- can launch baseless attacks for partisan purposes," Farah said. The Vindmans, both born in the former Soviet Union, were detailed from the Army together to the National Security Council -- Alexander as an expert on Ukraine, and Yevgeny as an ethics lawyer. Alexander Vindman, who earned a Purple Heart in Iraq, testified under subpoena before the House impeachment inquiry regarding Trump's July 25, 2019, phone call to Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky. In the call, Democrats charged that Trump demanded damaging information on former Vice President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter, in return for freeing up military aid to Ukraine. Trump has repeatedly denied the charge and claimed that his phone call was "perfect." In his testimony, Alexander Vindman said he was "concerned" by the call. "I did not think it was proper to demand that a foreign government investigate a U.S. citizen, and I was worried about the implications for the U.S. government's support of Ukraine," he said. Trump was impeached by the House, but acquitted by the Senate. In February, the brothers were fired from their National Security Council jobs and marched out of the White House. In July, following a delay concerning whether his name was included on the selection board for promotion to full colonel, Vindman announced that he was retiring from the Army after 21 years of service. Yevgeny Vindman has remained in the Army as a lieutenant colonel and military lawyer. -- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com. Related: Vindman Retiring from Army, Lawyer Blames Trump Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 18:40:25|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close HARARE, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- The Zimbabwean government has said it will take care of civil servants who contract COVID-19 while on duty and grant them up to six months sick leave on full pay. It will also pay medical bills for frontline health staff, the government-controlled Herald newspaper reported Thursday. Generally, civil servants are entitled to 90 days' sick-leave on full salary, but possible complications due to COVID-19 have led the government to revise the regulation. The World Health Organization's latest protocols give two weeks as the longest recovery period, but there have been cases of people who, while no longer infectious, still suffer from complications and recurring symptoms. Secretary for the Public Service Commission Jonathan Wutawunashe said the commission was looking at several adjustments to protect its workers. "We have adjusted a lot of things to protect our workers, such as for how long can you be ill and still being paid a full salary. It has been adjusted from 90 days to 180 days. It is an adjustment of what is normal. "There is normal coverage of the medical expenses for all civil servants, and we are also taking care of the medical expenses for frontline workers," he said. The government has since instructed that the bulk of its workers should work from home in a bid to curtail the spread of COVID-19. "We have said most government workers should work from home. You will recall that we said 15 percent should report for their workplaces physically and that move is receiving huge support. "But we realized that there is a need for more adjustments to cater for those who are going to work, risking their health and life to provide essential services to the people. As government we are very grateful for the sacrifices and effort being put by our workers during this period," he said. He added that negotiations were still continuing on a final agreement on improving civil servants' terms of employment including their salaries and wages. Enditem Fossil evidence of 'hibernation-like' state in 250-million-year-old Antarctic animal Hibernation is a familiar feature on Earth today. Many animals -- especially those that live close to or within polar regions -- hibernate to get through the tough winter months when food is scarce, temperatures drop and days are dark. According to new research, this type of adaptation has a long history. In a paper published Aug. 27 in the journal Communications Biology, scientists at the University of Washington and its Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture report evidence of a hibernation-like state in an animal that lived in Antarctica during the Early Triassic, some 250 million years ago. The creature, a member of the genus Lystrosaurus, was a distant relative of mammals. Antarctica during Lystrosaurus' time lay largely within the Antarctic Circle, like today, and experienced extended periods without sunlight each winter. The fossils are the oldest evidence of a hibernation-like state in a vertebrate animal, and indicates that torpor -- a general term for hibernation and similar states in which animals temporarily lower their metabolic rate to get through a tough season -- arose in vertebrates even before mammals and dinosaurs evolved. "Animals that live at or near the poles have always had to cope with the more extreme environments present there," said lead author Megan Whitney, a postdoctoral researcher at Harvard University who conducted this study as a UW doctoral student in biology. "These preliminary findings indicate that entering into a hibernation-like state is not a relatively new type of adaptation. It is an ancient one." Lystrosaurus lived during a dynamic period of our planet's history, arising just before Earth's largest mass extinction at the end of the Permian Period -- which wiped out about 70% of vertebrate species on land -- and somehow surviving it. The stout, four-legged foragers lived another 5 million years into the subsequent Triassic Period and spread across swathes of Earth's then-single continent, Pangea, which included what is now Antarctica. "The fact that Lystrosaurus survived the end-Permian mass extinction and had such a wide range in the early Triassic has made them a very well-studied group of animals for understanding survival and adaptation," said co-author Christian Sidor, a UW professor of biology and curator of vertebrate paleontology at the Burke Museum. Paleontologists today find Lystrosaurus fossils in India, China, Russia, parts of Africa and Antarctica. These squat, stubby, creatures -- most were roughly pig-sized, but some grew 6 to 8 feet long -- had no teeth but bore a pair of tusks in the upper jaw, which they likely employed to forage among ground vegetation and dig for roots and tubers, according to Whitney. Those tusks made Whitney and Sidor's study possible. Like elephants, Lystrosaurus tusks grew continuously throughout their lives. The cross-sections of fossilized tusks can harbor life-history information about metabolism, growth and stress or strain. Whitney and Sidor compared cross-sections of tusks from six Antarctic Lystrosaurus to cross-sections of four Lystrosaurus from South Africa. Back in the Triassic, the collection sites in Antarctica were at about 72 degrees south latitude -- well within the Antarctic Circle, at 66.3 degrees south. The collection sites in South Africa were more than 550 miles north during the Triassic at 58-61 degrees south latitude, far outside the Antarctic Circle. The tusks from the two regions showed similar growth patterns, with layers of dentine deposited in concentric circles like tree rings. But the Antarctic fossils harbored an additional feature that was rare or absent in tusks farther north: closely-spaced, thick rings, which likely indicate periods of less deposition due to prolonged stress, according to the researchers. "The closest analog we can find to the 'stress marks' that we observed in Antarctic Lystrosaurus tusks are stress marks in teeth associated with hibernation in certain modern animals," said Whitney. The researchers cannot definitively conclude that Lystrosaurus underwent true hibernation --which is a specific, weeks-long reduction in metabolism, body temperature and activity. The stress could have been caused by another hibernation-like form of torpor, such as a more short-term reduction in metabolism, according to Sidor. Lystrosaurus in Antarctica likely needed some form of hibernation-like adaptation to cope with life near the South Pole, said Whitney. Though Earth was much warmer during the Triassic than today -- and parts of Antarctica may have been forested -- plants and animals below the Antarctic Circle would still experience extreme annual variations in the amount of daylight, with the sun absent for long periods in winter. Many other ancient vertebrates at high latitudes may also have used torpor, including hibernation, to cope with the strains of winter, Whitney said. But many famous extinct animals, including the dinosaurs that evolved and spread after Lystrosaurus died out, don't have teeth that grow continuously. "To see the specific signs of stress and strain brought on by hibernation, you need to look at something that can fossilize and was growing continuously during the animal's life," said Sidor. "Many animals don't have that, but luckily Lystrosaurus did." If analysis of additional Antarctic and South African Lystrosaurus fossils confirms this discovery, it may also settle another debate about these ancient, hearty animals. "Cold-blooded animals often shut down their metabolism entirely during a tough season, but many endothermic or 'warm-blooded' animals that hibernate frequently reactivate their metabolism during the hibernation period," said Whitney. "What we observed in the Antarctic Lystrosaurus tusks fits a pattern of small metabolic 'reactivation events' during a period of stress, which is most similar to what we see in warm-blooded hibernators today." If so, this distant cousin of mammals isn't just an example of a hearty creature. It is also a reminder that many features of life today may have been around for hundreds of millions of years before humans evolved to observe them. ### The research was funded by the National Science Foundation. For more information, contact Sidor at casidor@uw.edu and Whitney at meganwhitney@fas.harvard.edu. Reference: "Evidence of torpor in the tusks of Lystrosaurus from the Early Triassic of Antarctica" by Whitney MR and Sidor CA. DOI: 10.1038/s42003-020-01207-6 Grant numbers: PLR-1341304, DEB-1701383 Link to Google Drive folder containing images, caption/credit information, and copies of the embargoed release and FAQ document: https:/ / drive. google. com/ drive/ folders/ 1aVLwWJo9gKWmyW66rW6Ld1Yo1rWN4sDw?usp= sharing FROM: James Urton University of Washington 206-543-2580 jurton@uw.edu This story has been published on: 2020-08-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. IN 20 years of writing about Russias President Vladimir Putin he was completely obscure before 1999 I have never before had reason to mention him and Saint Thomas a Becket in the same sentence. Finally, however, the time has come. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 27/8/2020 (511 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Opinion IN 20 years of writing about Russias President Vladimir Putin he was completely obscure before 1999 I have never before had reason to mention him and Saint Thomas a Becket in the same sentence. Finally, however, the time has come. Finnish President Sauli Niinisto phoned the diminutive Russian strongman at the behest of German Chancellor Angela Merkel last Thursday and assured him that he was not a suspect in the poisoning of opposition leader Alexei Navalny. The goal, of course, was to persuade Putin to let Navalny be flown to Germany for treatment. Niinisto is clearly a persuasive man, because Putin agreed. (Did Putin know how long various poisons remain in the body? Hard to say. He was only in the KGB for 16 years.) Indeed, Putin even promised to "get the rat behind this." Which sounds a bit like a Cosa Nostra godfather on a bad day, but at least the man wants to see justice done. So you can see why the late Thomas a Becket, archbishop of Canterbury, sprang instantly to my mind. Putins position is rather similar to that of Englands King Henry II, who ordered the assassination of that martyred cleric by accident, so to speak, and was then covered by shame and regret for his murder (or so he subsequently claimed). It was in 1170, and Thomas a Becket was being difficult. He was the head of the Church in England, and he was resisting the kings attempt to make the church courts subordinate to the civil courts, which answered to Henry. Its a bit of a stretch, but you could say that Archbishop Becket was the closest thing in 12th-century England to the leader of the opposition. Henry II was used to getting his way, and in the course of one of his rants against the cleric he was heard to say, "Who will rid me of this meddlesome priest?" Four knights at the court, hearing this, decided that the quickest way to rise in the kings service was to go to Canterbury and carry out the kings bidding, so off they went to do it. They found Thomas a Becket at the altar of his cathedral, in front of a large congregation, and hacked him to pieces with their swords. This caused a great outcry throughout a horrified Christendom, and the knights did not get their desired promotions. Indeed, the king swore that it had all been a ghastly misunderstanding: he was only venting, not giving actual orders. It was all smoothed over, as these things usually are. The knights fell into disgrace, the churchs law courts kept their independence, and the king did penance: he walked barefoot wearing sackcloth through the streets of Canterbury while 80 monks flogged him (gently) with branches. Could something similar have happened in Russia last week? It wont end up with Putin barefoot being flogged by monks, of course, but maybe his minions just exceeded their instructions? After all, that was Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salmans excuse when his henchmen chopped up journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi embassy in Istanbul two years ago, and no government has officially questioned MBSs word on that. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. The problem in Putins case is that this is not the first time: becoming the leader of the opposition in Russia automatically invalidates your life insurance policy. Navalnys predecessor Boris Nemtsov was shot dead within sight of the Kremlin five years ago, and Navalny himself is partially blind in one eye as the result of a 2018 attack. Moreover, poison is a favourite tool of Putins security services. Critical journalist Anna Politkovskaya survived a poisoning attempt in 2004 (she was later shot to death). Defector Alexander Litvinenko was poisoned with polonium in London in 2006. Double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter nearly died from a nerve agent in Salisbury, England, in 2018, and the Russian would-be assassins were caught on CCTV. Maybe the boss doesnt sign off personally on each of these attacks, but it is very hard to believe that he doesnt know what is going on. The Russian counter-claim that all these incidents are actually "provocations" staged by hostile Western intelligence services is quite implausible: Russia is simply not important enough to justify the scale of the effort that would be required. So what we are left with is smaller than it sometimes seems. Its a great state that has fallen into the hands of crooks in suits no longer shiny suits; sartorial standards among the Russian criminal aristocracy have risen dramatically who occasionally rub somebody out to protect their nationwide protection racket or just to maintain discipline within the organization. And they only kill other Russians. Move along, please. Theres nothing more to see here. Gwynne Dyers latest book is Growing Pains: The Future of Democracy (and Work). Two teenage boys were allegedly tortured and raped before being buried alive in Sweden. The boys were set upon allegedly by a 21-year-old and an 18-year-old at around 11pm on Saturday evening in Solna, Sweden. The perpetrators offered to sell the boys drugs and when they refused, they were taken against their will into a cemetery, police say. The boys were set upon allegedly by a 21-year-old and an 18-year-old at around 11pm on Saturday evening in Solna, pictured above There, the victims were subjected to torture-like assault and sustained cuts to their legs among other injuries. The boys were allegedly also raped, according to a report in Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet. The two victims, whose exact ages are not known, were forced to take off their clothes before getting into a pit in the ground where they were buried alive, police allege. The alarm was sounded by a passer-by at 8.39am on Sunday morning, ten hours after the boys were first abducted. Officers arrived at the scene and the boys were found alive and undressed. The extent of their injuries is not known, although police confirmed that they are 'responsive'. Seven minutes later, at 8.46am, officers arrested the first suspect, an 18-year-old man. Sixteen minutes later, police also detained the 21-year-old suspect. They have been charged with kidnapping, aggravated assault, rape and aggravated robbery. One of the suspects was wearing items of the victim at the time of his arrest, Aftonbladet reported. Both suspects have denied the charges against them. Earlier this month, the city council voted to make the statues removals permanent. It is now conducting a 30-day review process to determine what to do with the figures; the family of Gen. J.E.B. Stuart has requested that his likeness be sent to his ancestral home in southwestern Virginia. Richmonds Valentine museum has agreed to take the Davis statue. The city is sorting through those and other offers. Do you want to make 2020 a memorable year for your career? Are you ready to take one step further and consolidate your professional future? Then you should notice that cloud computing is becoming more popular these days, so it is obvious that companies will need more experts in handling this technology and will shift their attention toward hiring certified specialists. Visit ExamCollection is one of the two exams required for Azure Solutions Architect Expert certification. Not everyone manages to pass both tests and obtain a credential without intensive preparation. As we know how important training is, we decided to create this article to help you understand which are the most important skills you need to excel in this test. Don't miss the information we outlined below. Which Are the Necessary Skills to Pass AZ-304 Test? Any IT specialist who wants to become a certified Azure Solutions Architect Expert will have to pass both AZ-900 Microsoft Azure Fundamentals Tests . Their difficulty level is quite high and each of them focuses on different skills. 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The fourth section relates to AZ-303 Microsoft Azure Architect Technologies VCE Dumps - ExamLabs . In case anything breaks down, you will need to have solid backup and recovery policies to ensure no breaks in the business processes. The fifth domain focuses on compute solutions and infrastructure design. A quarter of the total exam questions will include items that cover this topic. Therefore, you should be ready to come with answers related to application architecture and network solutions. It is obvious that the test is quite difficult. So, you should be organized when it comes to training. You can use the materials available on the vendor's website and then check your preparedness level by Visit Web Page . Conclusion Exam Labs Visit is the final step you need to take to get Azure Solutions Architect Expert certification. If you want to be successful in this exam, you should have the list of skills very clear in your mind. Also, you should use only verified materials if you want to learn the correct concepts and get the MS-101 Microsoft 365 Mobility and Security Certification Training Course - Exam Labs from the first attempt. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. [August 27, 2020] Pikes Peak Online School Welcomes Students for New Year In the face of a global pandemic, the new school year has been a constant worry for families throughout Colorado. According to one survey, 2/3 of parents support keeping brick-and-mortar schools closed until there is no risk. Even more, students who need additional education assistance are concerned about their dwindling options. Pikes Peak Online School (PPOS), an online public school, will welcome students for the 2020-2021 school year on Monday, August 31st. PPOS is a tuition-free, public school at home option available for students statewide in 9th through 12th grade. "We are able to provide students with an option to continue their education without disruption," said PPOS Head of School Nicole Tiley. "With a rigorous curriculum and our years of experience with online learning, we are excited to start a new school year of helping students reach their full potential." PPOS provides a personalized approach to learning, delivering engaging curriculum entirely online. In pursuit of their high school diplomas or a GED, PPOS students take advantage of the school's rigorous curriculum and myriad support services to ensure their academic and personal success. PPOS ensures students are ready to learn and succeed after high school with its Student Success Program. Resources such as the school's Family Academic Support Team empowers students to overcome academic, social, emotional, medical, or other challenges as they chart a path towards high school completion. Students take benchmark assessments at the beginning of the school year to identify strengths and challenges, and the results are used to develop an individually tailored learning plan for each student. For many, this Individualized Learning Plan (ILP) expands beyond current academic objectives to include post-secondary goals for college or a career. Throughout the school year, PPOS builds a sense of community for students across the state. Virtual clubs and student organizations allow students to further explore their interests together in the online setting. To learn more, visit ppos.k12.com, follow PPOS on Facebook, or download the K12 mobile app for iOS and Android (News - Alert) devices. About Pikes Peak Online School Pikes Peak Online School (PPOS) is an accredited, full-time online public school program of the Colorado Digital Board of Cooperative Education Services that serves Colorado students in grades 9-12. As part of the Colorado public school system, PPOS is tuition-free, and gives parents and families the choice to access the curriculum provided by K12 Inc. (NYSE: LRN), the nation's leading provider of K-12 proprietary curriculum and online education programs. For more information about PPOS, visit ppos.k12.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200827005009/en/ [ Back To www.mobilitytechzone.com\LTE's Homepage ] The defendant was arrested while trying to flee the country on Tuesday. There ninth defendant's whereabouts are yet unknown Egyptian authorities arrested one of the defendants in the Fairmont Nile City Hotel gang rape incident pending investigations into the crime that has stirred uproar on social media over the past two months. Egypt's prosecution ordered on Wednesday the detention of Amir Zayed for four days pending investigations, a statement by the prosecution read. Zayed was arrested on Tuesday as he attempted to flee the country, the statement added. Seven defendants in the case left the country via Cairo International Airport in July, days after the alleged crime went viral on social media, according to a previous statement by the prosecution. The whereabouts of the ninth defendant are yet unknown. "The prosecution has taken measures to arrest all the defendants via Interpol and the investigation is ongoing," the statement stressed. Three days earlier, a travel ban was issued for the defendants who were also put on watch lists to be interrogated. The shocking incident has been under investigation by the Egyptian authorities since 4 August upon a complaint referred to the country's prosecutor-general about the offence. The complaint was first sent to the National Council of Women (NCW) by a woman alleging she was raped by several people at the luxurious hotel six years back. The victim and a number of witnesses were questioned by the prosecution, the prosecution revealed on 24 August. The alleged sexual assault surfaced in July on different social media platforms since an anonymous Instagram account published posts accusing a group of young men of being involved in a gang rape following a party at the hotel. The incident gained widespread attention on social media, spawning viral hashtags in Arabic and English, including #Fairmont incident. The incident was dubbed by social media users as the Fairmont incident. In statements to AFP in late July, the Fairmont Nile City Hotel administration said there is an ongoing internal investigation into the allegation. Search Keywords: Short link: Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 09:20:28|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Visiting Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok pose for a photo before their talks in the Hague, the Netherlands, Aug. 26, 2020. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong) THE HAGUE, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- China and The Netherlands should jointly uphold multilateralism and set an example for safeguarding free trade, ensuring mutual openness, and advocating fair competition, visiting Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said here on Wednesday. He made the remarks while meeting with Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok on the second leg of his European tour. Noting that multilateralism is facing challenges, Wang said that upholding multilateralism is the universal rule of the international community and a necessity for most countries, especially small and medium-sized countries, to survive and develop. Without multilateralism, the world would be dragged back to "the law of the jungle," which is to reverse the course of history, he added. China, he said, firmly supports multilateralism and stands ready to work with all countries including The Netherlands to practice multilateralism and safeguard it with concrete actions. Meanwhile, Wang called on China and The Netherlands to set an example for safeguarding free trade. Globalization represents an inevitable trend of human development and a manifestation of social progress, he said, adding that The Netherlands advocates free trade while China is also a beneficiary of free trade. The two countries should jointly promote the reform of the World Trade Organization (WTO) so that the WTO will continue to play its role as the cornerstone of the free trade system, he said. Wang also called on both countries to set an example for ensuring mutual openness. Openness is a foundation of The Netherlands and also China's consistent policy, he said, adding that adhering to mutual openness is key to the common progress of the two countries. China, he added, will build a new open economic system at a higher level and is willing to share its market opportunities with other countries. Also, China and The Netherlands should set an example for advocating fair competition, Wang said. He expressed the hope that all parties will adhere to the principle of fair competition, give full play to the decisive role of the market in allocating resources, and provide a fair, just, open, and non-discriminatory business environment for enterprises from all countries. Enditem Information about the detention of more than 100 Israeli citizens at Boryspil airport does not correspond to reality, the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine speaker Andriy Demchenko has said. "This information does not correspond to reality. There was no detention of Israeli citizens at Boryspil airport," he told Interfax-Ukraine on Thursday. Demchenko said that border guards are guided exclusively by the norms of the legislation that regulate the crossing of the Ukrainian state border. "I would like to emphasize that, in addition to the documents that give the right to cross the border, foreigners must also clearly say the purpose of their trip to our state, and if they cannot prove the purpose of their trip to our country, such foreigners may be denied entry into the territory of Ukraine," the speaker said. Demchenko also said that there was no detention of Israeli citizens at the border, but the border clearance procedure was underway. "There was a procedure for passing border control, which, in fact, provides that foreigners, traveling to our state, must confirm the purpose of their trip," he said. Earlier, the Ynet resource reported that 116 Israeli citizens were detained at Boryspil airport (Kyiv region), some 12 of whom were denied entry into the country as they were unable to properly explain the purpose of their visit. DOYLESTOWN >> A man convicted of attempted homicide for shooting a man during an assault in February 2019 at a Falls Township trailer park was sentenced on Jan. 19 to 18 to 40 years in state prison. Thomas Zorrer, 39, was convicted on all counts against him by a Bucks County jury in December. Besides attempted homicide, he was also... President Donald Trump's Washington D.C. hotel was party central Wednesday night for MAGA supporters, offering them a 'convention celebration' with the first family and a chance to sip bourbon with Senator Rand Paul. With the convention speeches centered around the White House or the Andrew Mellon Auditorium, it was the Trump International Hotel D.C. that became ground zero for the panels, parties and events that typically surround the a presidential coronation. Called a 'convention celebration,' attendees wore badges like a delegate would with their name on the front and the Trump Pence campaign logo on the back. The badge got them a large goodie bag - woven gold material with the presidential seal on it - and access to the first family, prominent Republican lawmakers and some of the top names in the Trump administration - all in the president's hotel lobby and conference rooms. Lara Trump and Eric Trump in the Trump International Hotel on Wednesday evening President Trump's DC hotel was ground zero for parties, panels and events surrounding the Republican National Convention - and there was good people watching in the lobby Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin in the lobby of President Trump's hotel on Wednesday evening Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz at the Trump hotel Wednesday was the main party evening. Donald Trump Jr. and girlfriend Kimberly Guilfoyle hosted 'A Toast to America Reception' along with Tiffany Trump and her boyfriend Michael Boulos and John Pence, the nephew of Vice President Mike Pence. There was also a special reception with Peter Navarro, the administration's senior adviser on trade issues and, later in the evening, was a bourbon tasting with Kentucky Senator Rand Paul. But simply camping out in the ornate lobby of the hotel offered a chance to see some of the Trump world stars. Excited attendees sneaked iphone photos of Navarro and lined up down the hall to get into a private reception with him. Seated in the corner on a couch, sprawled and comfortable, was Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, looking amused. Guilfoyle was in out of the lobbying throughout the day and evening - wearing a fire-engine red pants suit in the afternoon and a cream dress in the evening - walking and talking in stiletto heels. Eric and Lara Trump hung out at one of the small tables in the bar evening Wednesday evening, chatting with anyone who stopped by. Andrew Giuliani ran around most of the night - dashing between tables and making the rounds to talk to guests. Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, the president's personal attorney, spent much of the past two days behind the velvet rope of the closed-off BLT Prime steak house in the hotel, appearing to record a podcast or some time of program. The steak house, one of the president's favorite places to have his steak with ketchup, salad with ranch dressing and a coke, is closed because of the coronavirus pandemic. Closed to the general public that is. Members of the Trump family used it as their private dining spot. On Wednesday, Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump and Tiffany Trump were all spotted in its upstairs dining room at lunch time. And being there was about being seen. The third night of the Republican National Convention played on giant TV screens on either side of the bar - two TVs tuned to CNN, two to Fox News - but music filled the area, not the political speeches. Later Wednesday evening the volume on Fox News was turned up so the convention could be heard, resulting in a cheer from the crowd. And when Vice President Mike Pence finished speaking and President Trump joined him on stage at Fort McHenry, the crowd at Trump's hotel stood for the 'Star Spangled Banner.' There was a special reception with Peter Navarro, the administration's senior adviser on trade issues, at the president's hotel The agenda for attendees of the 'Convention Celebration' at Trump's hotel Other Trump allies were spotted walking through during the evening, including Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz of Florida, and there were random sightings, like that of Jackie Siegel, who was the subject of the 2012 documentary film 'The Queen of Versailles.' Marla Maples, the mother of Tiffany Trump and second wife of President Trump, slipped through the lobby in a red dress on Wednesday evening, the day after her daughter addressed the convention. The evening receptions capped off a day of MAGA-friendly program, including, according to a copy of the agenda obtained by DailyMail.com: The Failed Coup: Defeating the Deep State with Matt Whitaker, Pami Bondi and Dr. Sebastian Gorka The Real Joe Biden with Corey Lewandowski, David Bossie, Paris Dennard, and Katrina Pierson The Right View LIVE! with Kimberly Guilfoyle, Mercedes Schlapp and Katrina Pierson Celebrating 100 Years of Women's Suffrage with RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, Kayleigh McEnany, and special guests The Honorable Seema Verma Big Tech Censorship: How Silicon Valley Wants to Silence Conservatives with Donald Trump Jr and Charlie Kirk Big Tech Censorship: How Silicon Valley Wants to Silence Conservatives with Donald Trump Jr and Charlie Kirk Hotel staff wore face masks and so did attendees of the 'convention celebration' and members of the first family. Don Jr and Guilfoyle wore simple black masks but some attendees wore more distinctive face gear - including flag masks or red masks that read 'Trump 2020.' Unclear was how many people were invited and how the invites worked - and the cost. Marla Maples, the mother of Tiffany Trump and second wife of President Trump, was at the Trump hotel for the convention Lara Trump speaks with Jackie Siegel, who was the subject of the 2012 documentary film 'The Queen of Versailles' A banquet room in President Trump's hotel The hotel was sold out Wednesday and Thursday night with prices hitting nearly $800 for a basic room. The Republican Party and the Trump campaign did not respond to requests for comment about Wednesday's events. 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The shooting happened early Thursday morning. Police Chief Scott P. Gardner said paramedics took the man to University Hospital after the shooting. His condition was unavailable. Gardner says that at about 12:30 a.m., police began chasing a vehicle that had been reported stolen. Three males were in the vehicle. The chase ended near the intersection of East 105th Street and South Boulevard and the three males got out of the car and began running. Officers chased the driver, who then raised a firearm sideways while running from police, Gardner said. The unidentified officer shot the driver. Gardner did not say how many officers fired shots. The Cleveland Police Homicide Unit is investigating the shooting. More crime-related content on cleveland.com: Cleveland man gets prison sentence for 2019 crime spree, police shootout Cleveland man who killed acquaintance in Olmsted Falls apartment complex gets life in prison Heartless Felons gang member found guilty in slaying of Olmsted Falls man Cleveland man charged with murder in Olmsted Falls killing Man shot to death at Olmsted Falls condominium This article by Haley Britzky originally appeared on Task & Purpose, a digital news and culture publication dedicated to military and veterans issues. The soldier found dead on Tuesday near Fort Hood had been told the Army found his sexual assault report unsubstantiated prior to his disappearance, an Army investigator told reporters during a Wednesday press conference. "Our investigation has been completed and is with the command and their legal team for further action if warranted," said Special Agent Damon Phelps of the Army's criminal investigative command, or CID. "I can also share that the subject of the investigation took and passed a polygraph examination, and we found no witnesses that could corroborate Sgt. [Elder] Fernandes' allegations." "There was a thorough legal review, and the allegations were unsubstantiated." When asked if Fernandes knew of the outcome of the investigation of his report, Phelps said that "in any sexual assault investigation we routinely brief the victims during the course of the investigation, and the outcome of the investigation, so yes." It remains unclear when exactly the investigation ended, though Phelps said it was "fairly recently." According to Fernandes' family attorney, Natalie Khawam, Fernandes was allegedly groped by another male soldier in April. "He was very upset, he was embarrassed, he was hurt, he was really angry," his family's attorney, Natalie Khawam, said of the alleged assault. "He reported it." Fernandes, 23, joined the Army in 2016. He was working as a chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear specialist with the 553rd Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 1st Sustainment Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division. Lt. Col. Justin Redfern, commander of the 553rd CSSB, described Fernandes as a "leader in the formation," who the chain of command "felt was exemplary." Redfern also said on Wednesday that in mid-March, the chain of command "noticed a change in behavior." "He re-enlisted to stay in the Army, and that was right around the same time his behavior began to change," Redfern said. "In April, he moved off the installation, as he absolutely has a right to do, and his behavior continued to spiral downwardly, unfortunately." Redfern said that the change in behavior "preceded the unwanted touching." Redfern explained that on Aug. 10, Fernandes was identified as "failure to report," and did not come into work. He said that after reaching out to Fernandes' family, they were able to get in contact with him, and they were "able to gain contact with Elder again." Fernandes' family told local NBC-affiliate KCEN-TV that he was admitted to the Carl R. Darnell Memorial Hospital on Aug. 11, and that he told them "very little" about why he was there. Fort Hood officials told the family that Fernandes was suicidal, per KCEN-TV. He was released on Aug. 17. Redfern confirmed that Fernandes received medical care from Aug. 11-17, and then "cleared all protocols as necessary" and requested to be "dropped off at his house." That was the last day that Fernandes was seen or heard from. His aunt, Isabel Fernandes, told Task & Purpose on Tuesday that it didn't make sense that her nephew wouldn't contact them -- or at the very least his mother, her sister, who she said he is very close with. She said there was "no way Elder would let his mom go through this agony that she is going through right now." "To know that he has the option to contact his mom and he's not doing it, that is not the Elder that we know," she explained. "The last conversation he had with his mom was, 'I promise when I get out of here tomorrow, I'll give you a call.'" Isabel described her nephew as "very happy, very responsible ... and very family-oriented." Shortly after the press conference concluded, a Fort Hood press release confirmed that the body found on Tuesday was that of Fernandes. "The Wagonmaster Family is heartbroken with the news of Sgt. Fernandes' passing," said Col. Patrick Disney, commander of the 1st Cavalry Division Sustainment Brigade said in the press release. "Since his absence was reported, we have made a significant, concerted effort to search for him throughout Central Texas .... We send our deepest and most heartfelt condolences to his family and friends." More articles from Task & Purpose: Arson suspected in Bonhomme Richard fire, defense official says Marine Corps eliminates photo requirement for promotions in military-wide diversity effort Video shows US and Russian military vehicles colliding in Syria, injuring American troops Ajith PJ, the Managing Director of Aries Group of Companies, and Founder Chair of Society of Naval Architects & Marine Engineers UAE Section, has been honoured with the Fellow Status by Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME), USA. Ajith is the youngest member from the GCC region to be honoured with this status, said a statement. An engineering graduate in Naval Architecture & Ship Building with MBA in Technology Management, Ajith has 20+ years of professional experience in the field of naval architecture and marine engineering. Currently, he is enrolled as research scholar pursuing PhD in Port & Shipping. He has been working in GCC for the past 19 years, playing a core role in developing Aries Marine as the largest marine consultancy in the region with more than 1,650 engineers. Aries Founder Chairman and CEO Sohan Roy said: Aries has always believed in providing world class reliable and efficient services to our clients across the globe. This success of Aries is not imaginable without dedicated employees like Ajith. With almost 2 decades of service, he has always been a pillar of support to our mission of developing maritime consultancy and survey services to diversified level. He has also been responsible for handling many prestigious new building and refurbishment projects in the maritime and recently been engaged in setting up advanced technologies by remote ship surveys using unmanned aerial and underwater vehicles. SNAME Fellowship is accorded exclusively to individuals who have made outstanding personal contributions to naval architecture, marine or ocean engineering through significant achievements in design, research, production, operation, education, or associated management Aries Group of Companies is a 100% service-oriented business consortium that has become one of the trusted brands in the world maritime market in the engineering and inspection sector. From investing in Research and Development to delivering innovative technology solutions, Aries has not just created an impressive line-up of creative concepts and products but has touched the lives of millions of people across the globe. With 53 companies, 1,800 employees and operations in 16 countries, Aries Group holds firm to its one philosophical mission: To achieve excellence in quality, reliability, safety, training, and operational efficiency, it said. - TradeArabia News Service RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif., Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- To help ensure access for seniors and persons with disabilities to resources and communication through digital technology, Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP) has awarded Rolling Start Inc., a non-profit organization serving people with disabilities, with a $5,000 sponsorship to support its new Digital Access Pilot Program. In addition to the sponsorship, IEHP will encourage interested employees to volunteer for the program, launching September 1. Rolling Start Inc.s Digital Access Pilot Program will provide eligible individuals who have restricted or no internet access with paid access for up to three months, a Chromebook and instructional courses. (Photo credit: Envato) Aiming to reduce the digital divide and social isolation experienced by seniors and persons with disabilities in the face of COVID-19, Rolling Start Inc.'s Digital Access Pilot Program will provide eligible individuals who have restricted or no internet access with paid access for up to three months, a Chromebook and instructional courses. Program participants will be required to complete all instructional courses within a designated time to keep their devices. IEHP team members will use this training as a tool to teach program participants how to navigate social media websites, access telehealth benefits, and how to use the tool to improve communication with their medical providers. "While we are in the early stages of this program development, we have purchased 50 Chrome Books and have identified 30 qualified individuals who could benefit from a program like this," said Lisa Hayes, executive director of Rolling Start Inc. "With IEHP's partnership, we hope to connect with even more individuals and work to empower individuals to access what they need, when they need it from the convenience and safety of their personal digital device." To date, Rolling Start Inc. is one of 27 Independent Living Centers in California that are specifically designed to assist people of all disabilities and ages by offering an array of services that include: program referral, assistive technology, advocacy and other services. After recently receiving a grant from the San Bernardino County Department of Aging, Rolling Start Inc. will become an Aging Disabled Resource center, providing additional services to seniors in San Bernardino County. "Partnering with Rolling Start in this way will allow us to further develop a program referral process through our Connect IE Platform," said Carmen Ramirez, IEHP's disability program manager. "This will allow IEHP and other organizations to refer eligible individuals to this innovative program and get them connected. Research and experience tell us that seniors and people with disabilities experience disproportionate rates of social isolation when compared to other populations, this project aims to significantly reduce rates of social isolation." To learn more about Rolling Start Inc., visit RollingStart.com About IEHP IEHP, Inland Empire Health Plan, is one of the top 10 largest Medicaid health plans and the largest not-for-profit Medicare-Medicaid plan in the country. With a network of more than 6,400 Providers and more than 2,000 employees, IEHP serves more than 1.2 million residents in Riverside and San Bernardino counties who are enrolled in Medicaid or Cal MediConnect Plan (Medicare-Medicaid Plan). Through a dynamic partnership with Providers and Community, award-winning service and innovative products, IEHP is fully committed to advocating for our Members and providing them with quality, accessible and wellness-based health care services. For more information, visit iehp.org. SOURCE Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP) Related Links http://www.iehp.org A report found that lockdown restrictions have had significantly adverse consequences for childrens education (PA) Officials will avoid adopting a wide-sweeping brush to remove all children from a school if a pupil is diagnosed with Covid-19, the HSE said. Abbey Collins, a HSE public health consultant, said isolating a whole class or school can be counter-productive, as well as harmful and disruptive to students education. It comes as a report found that lockdown restrictions have had significantly adverse consequences for childrens education. HSE chief executive Paul Reid told a briefing that primary schoolchildren and children with additional learning needs have been most affected. If a child who has been in class is diagnosed with Covid-19 I would not expect routinely to be calling all of that class a close contact and excluding a whole class Abbey Collins, HSE Dr Collins said that if a positive Covid-19 test is detected in a school, public health authorities would adopt a measured approach. If a child who has been in class is diagnosed with Covid-19 I would not expect routinely to be calling all of that class a close contact and excluding a whole class. I hope it would be more measured than that, she said. It would be based on the information we get from the case, the circumstances of the case and within the school. Our hope is that we would be more measured because the recommendations, plans and implementations within schools settings will hopefully facilitate that. If we deem there is genuine concern of onward spread and transmission within either a class or a broader setting in the school then we will act fast and hard on that as appropriate. Speaking about the report, Mr Reid said: It shows that primary school children are most affected because they were unable to participate in self-directed learning and that has issues and consequences and drives a need for more support and direction, he said. Children with additional learning needs are disproportionately affected and anxiety levels for children may increase due to lack of socialisation and loss of routines. #CovidTrackerApp is a free app that you can download and use to help in the fight against #coronavirus in Ireland. The app alerts you if you've been in close contact with another app user who has tested positive for #COVID19. Download the app at https://t.co/LejqNxtl9B pic.twitter.com/wIEIbZocVS HSE Ireland (@HSELive) August 26, 2020 Mr Reid said that Irelands spike in Covid-19 cases is not a second surge but rather a significant ramp-up of cases. He said the biggest defence is by following public health measures to avoid needing strict measures to be enforced locally, regionally or nationally. The end-to-end turnaround time for tests last week was 2.2 days. The number of HSE workers carrying out contact tracing will be trebled by the end of the week. Thats largely due to volume and due to more complex cases that were having to contact and thirdly because people have more contacts, Mr Reid said. He also acknowledged there have been issues with the Covid-19 Tracker App and that a large number of users have deleted it. He said that while there had been 1.65 million downloads, there are about 1.2 million active users. More than 300 people diagnosed with Covid-19 have uploaded their anonymous key to the app and almost 700 people using it have received a close-contact notification since the app was launched. Iran 'Voluntarily' Grants Access To 'Suspected" Sites To IAEA Inspectors Radio Farda August 26, 2020 Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi and Head of Iran's Atomic Energy Agency Ali-Akbar Salehi announced in a joint statement on Wednesday that Iran will "voluntarily" provide the international atomic watchdog with access to two locations suspected of historical nuclear activity. "Iran and the IAEA reached an agreement on the resolution of the safeguards implementation issues specified by the IAEA, in good faith," Grossi and Salehi said in the statement, adding that dates for the IAEA access and the verification activities have both been established. One of the two suspected sites where undeclared nuclear activities may have taken place in the early 2000 is located near Shahreza in Esfahan Province, and the other, a factory near the village of Turquzabad, is south of Tehran. Both sites were demolished in 2003 and 2004, possibly to eliminate traces of enriched uranium. Iran says the allegations of undeclared nuclear activity were based on evidence "fabricated" by Israeli agents. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu alleged in 2018 that Iran had a "secret atomic warehouse" at Turquzabad that once housed 15 kilograms (roughly 33 pounds) of unspecified radioactive material, and urged the IAEA to visit the site immediately. Iran previously engaged in a months-long standoff with the IAEA over providing access to the two sites since July, with Grossi warning Iran of "bad" consequences if the country did not grant IAEA access to the two sites by the end of July. In a June report, the IAEA said Iran had not provided access to the two sites for four months. Subsequently, on June 19, the IAEA passed a resolution proposed by the European sides of the 2015 nuclear agreement known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) against Iran, the first IAEA resolution against Iran since 2012. Source: https://en.radiofarda.com/a/iran-voluntarily- grants-access-to-suspected-sites-to- iaea-inspectors/30804263.html Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Jason McDonald, owner of Casual Hair Salon in Torontos Little Jamaica, said hes received more government financial support during COVID-19 than he has over the past nine years as hes struggled to weather the LRT construction outside his window. He has watched other businesses close around him, leaving For Rent signs in the nearby windows along Eglinton Ave. West. McDonalds foot traffic has all but dried up because of the construction of the Crosstown LRT, which has been delayed more than once he would have closed years ago if not for his longtime clients. The Little Jamaica McDonald describes from 1994 the sound of reggae music, the smell of patties and jerk chicken is all but gone. When this whole construction is done, there wont be a lot of remnants of Little Jamaica. There might be one or two stores still around. Im trying to be one of those stores. Local advocates are renewing the push for official recognition of Little Jamaica and support to help the area recover from the effects of COVID-19, construction and gentrification a call that has been ongoing since the Metrolinx Crosstown LRT project broke ground in 2011. A youth-led group called Reclaim, Rebuild Eg West is the latest voice on the scene. In an emailed statement, group member Victoria Rodney said RREW was inspired by seeing the wave of protests after the deaths of George Floyd, Regis Korchinski-Paquet and DAndre Campbell. In partnership with Black Urbanism Toronto, they have set up a GoFundMe to raise money for grants to help Black-owned businesses in Little Jamaica. They are also holding a rally August 29 in support of their cause. The group is asking for support from the city and the three business improvement areas (BIAs) that cover Little Jamaica, which they say do not adequately represent Black-owned businesses. As a result of this, there have been many decisions made that do not reflect or consider the sustainability and livelihood of Black businesses/livelihood in the area, said Rodney. Rodney outlined multiple ways this support could manifest, including financial compensation from Metrolinx (the provincial agency in charge of the LRT construction project) to help struggling businesses, assessing the benefits that could arise from an official branding of Little Jamaica, and inclusionary zoning to keep newer developments accessible. Many of these solutions come from a July report penned by Black Urbanism Toronto after speaking with Black-owned businesses in Little Jamaica earlier this year. Dane Williams, co-founder of Black Urbanism Toronto, said the LRT construction has caused some 140 businesses in Little Jamaica to close since it began. The pressure of COVID-19 has exacerbated the need to have the area officially recognized as Little Jamaica by the BIAs and the city, he said, but added the BIAs have long been reluctant to support officially branding the area. Little Jamaica is covered by three BIAs York-Eglinton, Eglinton Hill and Fairview Village making the interests of the businesses even more fragmented, he said. In an emailed response, York-Eglinton BIA chair Nick Alampi said two of the organizations seven board directors are Black business owners. We understand the daily struggles of our retailers, and we have always been proud of the history of Little Jamaica along Eglinton West. We are committed to working closely with our local city councillors and grassroots organizations to recognize our neighbourhoods past, celebrate the present and secure our future, he said. Steve Tasses, chair of the Eglinton Hill BIA, said in an email that the organization has always involved the Jamaican/Caribbean community in its events, such as hiring local performers. They currently have two board members who are of Jamaican descent, he said. The Fairbank Village BIA did not respond to requests for comment. Everett Cooper, who has owned several businesses in the area and worked for more than 20 years with the Eglinton Hill BIA, said Little Jamaicas businesses have gone through one thing after another. The LRT construction weakened the businesses, he said, making them more vulnerable to COVID-19. He said branding Little Jamaica would add value to the area, acknowledging the important role the Jamaican community has played in Torontos history. But he believes any funding given to the community should be put straight in the hands of those who have lived and worked there for decades, those who know the community well and what it needs. Another new voice on the scene is a website called The Little Jamaica, a community initiative by the Black Business and Professional Association (BBPA) in partnership with the City of Torontos Economic Development and Culture division and the citys Confronting Anti-Black Racism unit. Nadine Spencer, president of the BBPA, said her organization was brought in by the city to work with Little Jamaica businesses, which she said have been disadvantaged by the LRT construction and COVID-19. You can see the vacancy, she said of the area, adding that many of the businesses werent equipped to deal with the e-commerce boom during the pandemic, and couldnt access funding to help them get through the construction. She said the current branding of the area as International Market doesnt do it justice, and agrees its time Little Jamaica was recognized for its history and significance to the city. It is Little Jamaica. Thats what it is. But McDonald is cautious. He said everyone already knows this area as Little Jamaica, and that any sort of official recognition will be meaningless without actual change and support. I havent gotten a dollar, he said. In April 2018, Toronto announced initiatives to help Little Jamaica businesses including $100,000 to help them enhance their online presence. Metrolinx promised $10,000 a year to business improvement areas (BIAs) on Eglinton. Toronto city councillor Josh Matlow, who represents Ward 12 Toronto-St. Pauls, came onto the scene during the last election. He said he found Metrolinx had treated the local business community like collateral damage, and he is concerned that with more development on the way, the Black-owned businesses that havent closed due to construction or COVID-19 will be pushed out because they cant afford the new spaces. Theres a real concern that the character, the story, along with the Black-owned businesses in Little Jamaica could be lost to history. A spokesperson for Metrolinx said in an emailed statement that it continues to work with the BIAs, other neighbourhood groups and the city to figure out solutions, and have supported advertising campaigns for the Caribbean, West Indian and Filipino communities. They added Metrolinx is aware of the report by Black Urbanism Toronto, and that it is being reviewed in the context of the March 9 announcement by the Ontario government of $3 million in funding to promote businesses impacted by the LRT construction along Eglinton Avenue. They said they cant yet provide details on how this funding will be used, but that it could provide marketing funds, direct business supports and more. Matlow wants the city to focus on two things, the first being economic development to help the remaining Black-owned businesses survive. This could include affordable spaces in any new developments, he said. The second is public improvement in the form of art, street names and other initiatives with a focus on preserving the areas character and history. Matlow said he has been talking with city planners, social development staff and the anti-Black racism unit to create a planning framework that includes all the different groups advocating for change, making the community co-authors of the framework. The meetings with community members, business owners and city staff started pre-pandemic and will continue this fall, he said. People love Little Jamaica, said Matlow, but it hasnt had support over the years the way other cultural pockets have, like Chinatown or Little Italy. Its time to reverse that trend. Read more about: BRUSSELS, Aug 26 (Reuters) - NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday that any attempt by the Belarusian government to use the Western alliance as a scapegoat and crackdown on protests was "wrong and unjustified." Speaking in Berlin before a meeting of European Union defence ministers, Stoltenberg also called for free and fair elections in the country after an Aug. 9 election that opponents of President Alexander Lukashenko say was rigged. "There is no military NATO buildup in the region, so any attempt by the regime in Belarus to use NATO as an excuse or a pretext to crack down on demonstrators in their own country is absolutely wrong and absolutely unjustified," he told reporters. (Reporting by Robin Emmott) New Delhi, Aug 27 : Actors Saqib Saleem and Shweta Basu Prasad have resumed shooting for their upcoming film, Comedy Couple, in Delhi and Gurgaon, amid safety measures. The Mumbai schedule for the film is complete and the makers are in the process of wrapping up the Delhi-NCR schedule soon. "We had a fantastic and safe Mumbai schedule and our Delhi-NCR one is super smooth as well. It is also quite evident from our behind-the-scenes video that while we are having a great time, we also took necessary precautions," Saqib said, adding that the film has a fresh concept. Shweta added: "We are among the few films that have started shooting during the lockdown and are able to achieve success despite the circumstances. It's been a challenging time for everyone, but we are adapting to the new normal. Fewer staff and social distancing are a must! I feel lucky to be back in front of the camera." Directed by Nachiket Samant, the film is a com-rom based in Gurgaon and is set against the backdrop of the burgeoning stand-up comedy scene in the city. "Comedy Couple" is based on a story by Bikas Mishra?with screenplay by Raghav Kakkar and Kashyap Kapoor. It will drop on Zee5 soon. PITTSBURGH, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- LyGenesis, Inc., a biotechnology company focused on regenerative medicine, announced today that four peer-reviewed papers have been published on its organ regeneration technology. LyGenesis' lead development asset is liver regeneration, which was the focus of the first two papers. Development of Ectopic Livers by Hepatocyte Transplantation into Swine Lymph Nodes by Fontes et al. was published this month in Liver Transplantation, demonstrating that functional mini-livers could be grown using the lymph node as a bioreactor. In this swine model using surgically-induced liver injuries, liver cells were isolated from the animals and then transplanted into lymph nodes in the abdominal region of the animal. In 100% of the animals the transplanted liver cells engrafted into the lymph nodes, proliferated, and formed ectopic mini-livers, which had the same structure and function as native liver tissue. The cell transplant procedure was safe, well tolerated, and as expected, the amount of liver mass generated by the ectopic livers was proportional to the degree of the native liver's damage. The second paper, Ex Vivo Cell Therapy by Ectopic Hepatocyte Transplantation Treats Porcine Tyrosinemia Model of Acute Liver Failure by Nicolas and colleagues was published in Molecular Therapy: Methods & Clinical Developments. In this study, a human liver disease (tyrosinemia Type I) was modeled in swine, and liver cells transplanted into lymph nodes were capable of forming ectopic livers that cured all of the animals of otherwise fatal liver disease. The engraftments were again shown to be safe and also structurally and functionally similar to native liver tissue. "The development and FDA approval of novel therapies for life-threatening diseases requires a rigorous approach to preclinical studies and our ability to grow ectopic organs to support failing organs in patients is no exception," said Dr. Paulo Fontes, LyGenesis's Chief Medical Officer and former Director of the Liver Transplant Program, Starzl Transplant Institute at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. "Showing that our cellular therapy was able to safely and effectively induce organogenesis the forming of a novel, well-vascularized organ within the body in multiple models of liver disease in large animals was a crucial step toward beginning our forthcoming clinical trial for patients with end stage liver disease who are currently ineligible for standard liver transplantation." The other two published peer-reviewed papers focused on kidney regeneration. KidneyinaLymph Node: A Novel Organogenesis Assay to Model Human Renal Development and Test Nephron Progenitor Cell Fates published in The Journal of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine by Francipane and colleagues replicated and extended previous findings in mice showing that human ectopic kidney tissues could also be grown using the lymph node as a bioreactor. The paper also demonstrated the lymph node's remarkable ability to promote vascularization, a key rate-limiting issue for many transplant technologies, which brings blood flow and effective oxygenation to ectopic organs including kidney tissues engrafted into lymph nodes. In the paper Host Lymphotoxin- Receptor Signaling is Crucial for Angiogenesis of Metanephric Tissue Transplanted into Lymphoid Sites published in The American Journal of Pathology Francipane and colleagues have begun to unravel some of the molecular signaling focusing on the lymphotoxin- receptor (LTR) pathway in particular that appears to be crucial for engrafted kidney tissue to grow and function properly. "For a decade and supported by multiple NIH grants, my laboratory has been laying the scientific foundation for the advancement of our organ regeneration technology. Having previously published work showing that we can use the lymph node as a bioreactor to produce functioning ectopic organs including the liver, pancreas, thymus and kidney, we are now rapidly advancing those technologies, while simultaneously expanding our understanding of the molecular mechanisms that support organogenesis", said Dr. Eric Lagasse, LyGenesis's Chief Scientific Officer and Associate Professor in the Department of Pathology and also Director of the Cancer Stem Cell Center at the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh. About LyGenesis, Inc. LyGenesis is a biotechnology company whose organ regeneration technology platform enables a patient's lymph nodes to be used as bioreactors to regrow functioning ectopic organs. LyGenesis's lead allogeneic cell therapy program is focused on liver regeneration for patients with end stage liver disease. Its pipeline with positive preclinical data includes thymus, pancreas, and kidney regeneration. Privately held, LyGenesis is headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. To learn more, please visit lygenesis.com. Publication References Fontes P, Komori, J, Lopez, R, Marsh, W, Lagasse, E, Development of ectopic livers by hepatocyte transplantation into swine lymph nodes. Liver Transplantation (2020). Nicolas CT, Kaiser RA, Hickey RD, Allen KL, Du Z, VanLith CJ, Guthman RM, Amiot B, Suksanpaisan L, Han B, Francipane MG, Cheikhi A, Jiang H, Bansal A, Pandey MK, Garg I, Lowe V, Bhagwate A, O'Brien D, Kocher J-PA, DeGrado TR, Nyberg SL, Lagasse E, Lillegard JB, Ex vivo cell therapy by ectopic hepatocyte transplantation treats the porcine tyrosinemia model of acute liver failure, Molecular Therapy: Methods & Clinical Development (2020), doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.omtm.2020.07.009. Francipane MG, Han B, Oxburgh L, SimsLucas S, Li Z, Lagasse E. Kidneyinalymph node: A novel organogenesis assay to model human renal development and test nephron progenitor cell fates. J Tissue Eng Regen Med. 2019;13:17241731. https://doi.org/10.1002/term.2924. Francipane, Maria Giovanna, Bing Han, Leif Oxburgh, Sunder Sims-Lucas, Zhongwei Li and Eric Lagasse. Kidney-in-a-lymph node: a novel organogenesis assay to model human renal development and test nephron progenitor cell fates. Journal of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine (2019). https://doi.org/10.1002/term.2924. Contact Information Media contact: Michael Hufford (858) 603-2514 [email protected] SOURCE LyGenesis, Inc. Related Links https://www.lygenesis.com Diabetes. Hypertension. Infant and maternal mortality. COVID-19. All of these issues are more likely to affect and kill Black Hoosiers at a disproportionate rate. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 14.2% of diabetes cases in Indiana are found in African Americans, compared to 12.7% for whites. The American Heart Association found African Americans nationwide are twice as likely to develop hypertension which can cause heart attacks and strokes than whites, and Black women and babies are significantly more likely to die during birth than white women and babies. During a press conference earlier this month, Gov. Eric Holcomb touted Indianas infant and maternal mortality rate which is at its lowest since 2012 as a sign that racial disparities in health care are improving, although he noted theres still a long way to go. Despite the lowering numbers, the racial disparity still exists. Dr. Lindsay Weaver, chief medical officer for the Indiana State Department of Health, said Black infants are more than twice as likely than white babies to die within their first year of life. And while Black infant mortality is down from 15.3 infants out of every 100,000 in 2017, 13 African American babies per 100,000 live births will die or be stillborn, as opposed to 6 out of every 100,000 live births for white babies. Clearly, we have a lot of work to do, Weaver said. Weaver said the health department, led by State Health Commissioner Dr. Kristina Box, has launched the OB Navigator program, which helps pregnant women find obstetricians and gynecologists near them. The department has also partnered with organizations to help make care and information readily available, particularly in Black and brown communities. State Rep. Vanessa Summers, D-Indianapolis, however, said its not enough, especially not for Black women. Summers plans to introduce legislation on infant and maternal mortality when the General Assembly returns to the Statehouse in 2021. In Indiana, 53 Black women die out of every 100,000 through childbirth, Summers said. When he [Holcomb] talks about OB Navigator, he isnt digging down and helping the African American community. He isnt addressing implicit bias, or doctors who dont believe what their patients are telling them. While many say the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is shining a light on racial disparities in health care throughout the country, Summers said it isnt a new phenomenon. The evidence is simply reaching a new audience. Its nothing that we didnt already know, Summers said. What has happened is white folks see it now. Thats the difference. Weve been knowing, and weve been fighting. Roughly 10.8% of the 88,421 COVID-19 cases statewide are found in African Americans, despite African Americans making up only 9.8% of Indianas population. In Marion County, Black residents make up 23% of the 35,380 positive cases and 32.3% of COVID-19-related deaths. Weaver said the state health department plans on tackling racial disparities in COVID-19 similarly to how it handled disparities in infant and maternal mortality: through information campaigns and increasing accessibility. We want to make sure there is good access to testing, Weaver said. Before COVID, we recognized there were disparities, so we werent surprised to see disparities because of COVID. Were making sure were providing resources and working with local coalitions, whatever we can do to help us make sure were sending the right message and addressing concerns in the community. While the state doesnt track socioeconomic status as it relates to COVID-19 positivity and morbidity, Weaver said she wouldnt be surprised if like other medical conditions there was a correlation between testing positive for COVID-19 and having a lower income. If youre worried about paying the bills so you can keep your lights on getting those good, healthy foods becomes more difficult, Weaver said. Having regular doctor appointments, prenatal visits those types of things truly affect people when it comes to socioeconomic issues. Thats where the newly created Chief of Equity and Inclusion Officer, announced by Holcomb in a press conference earlier in August, will hopefully come in. The position, which Holcomb wants filled as soon as possible, would entail working to ensure equity in state businesses and to increase accessibility to workforce development. Tracy Barnes, chief information officer for the state, said increasing diversity and equity across the board would likely impact other areas of life through policy changes. When you talk about diversity in the workplace, it helps any conversation by bringing a different perspective to the conversation that may or may not be presented if folks from diverse backgrounds are not at that table, Barnes said. That helps the boardroom, small office meetings when conversations are happening with folks that can speak to the true impact of those decisions and those policies that are being set. Contact staff writer Breanna Cooper at 317-762-7848. Follow her on Twitter @BreannaNCooper. The government on Thursday defended its move to go ahead with NEET and JEE exams despite mounting pressure to defer them, saying over two-thirds of candidates have downloaded the admit cards which shows that students want these exams to be conducted at any cost, and asserted that it won't let the Congress party "spoil" students' future to find relevance. Noting that over 17 lakh out of nearly 25 lakh candidates have already downloaded admit cards for the medical and engineering entrance exams, Union Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' said his ministry has been receiving e-mails from students and parents that these exams should not be further postponed. The minister's remarks came a day after seven chief ministers of non-BJP ruled states agreed to the need for filing a review petition urging the Supreme Court to reconsider its recent order rejecting the postponement of the competitive exams. Congress and various opposition parties have demanded that NEET and JEE examinations be deferred due to the COVID-19 pandemic and floods in parts of the country, even as the Union government has made it clear that they will be held as per schedule with due precautions. On Thursday, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik also spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the phone and requested him to postpone NEET and JEE exams, in view of the COVID-19 pandemic and the flood situation in the state, a senior CMO official told reporters in Bhubaneswar. Two days ago, Patnaik had also written a letter in this regard to Nishank. During his conversation with the prime minister, the chief minister explained that Odisha is in the grip of a pandemic as well as flood, and students might face difficulties in appearing for the examinations, the official added. Amid the growing chorus for postponement of the exams, over 150 academicians wrote to the prime minister to assert that delaying the medical and engineering entrance exams any further will mean compromising the future of students. Directors of several Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) also said that more delay in conducting these exams will lead to a 'zero academic year' and any quick alternative to the crucial exams will dilute the quality of and have cascading effects. "National Testing Agency (NTA) officials told me that over 7 lakh candidates have downloaded JEE-Main admit cards while over 10 lakh aspirants have downloaded NEET admit cards. This shows that students want the exams be held at any cost," Pokhriyal said. He also added that "we have received mails from students and parents who are in favour of holding exams as they have been preparing for the exams from at least two three years. The Supreme Court too opined that full academic year can't be wasted. After two deferments, exam dates have been finalised." The issue, which has been a matter of intense public discourse for past few months, has evoked contrasting views with many backing the holding of the tests fearing that it may lead to a zero academic year for students, and the Opposition and activists demanding their postponement in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. Accusing the Congress of playing politics, BJP general secretary Bhupender Yadav said the opposition party "believes students must lose a year so it doesn't lose an opportunity for politics." "Over 85 percent #JEENEET candidates don't agree and have downloaded admit cards. The Modi government won't let Congress spoil students' future to find relevance," he tweeted. While the NEET is slated to be held on September 13, engineering entrance exam JEE-Mains is scheduled between September 1-6. Around 8.58 lakh candidates have registered for JEE-Mains and 15.97 lakh students have registered for NEET. The group of over 150 academicians from various universities in India and abroad also said in the letter to Modi that "some are trying to play with future of students to propel their own political agenda". "The government has announced the dates for JEE-Mains and NEETany further delay in conducting the exams will result in waste of precious year for students. The dreams and future of our youth and students cannot be compromised at any cost. However, some are trying to play with the future of our students simply to propel their own political agenda and oppose the government," the letter said. Meanwhile, DMK president M K Stalin on Thursday urged the Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala and Odisha to join seven other states and approach the Supreme Court to seek deferment of this year's National-Eligibility-cum-Entrance-Test and the Joint Entrance Examination. The Left parties also opposed the Centre's decision to hold the exams in September amid the COVID-19 pandemic and said it completely undermines the health concerns of students. However, heads of various IITs had a different opinion on the issue. Sarit Kumar Das, Director, IIT Ropar, who is also a member of the Joint Admission Board (JAB) of IITs, said the decision to conduct the exams in September has not been taken overnight but after due consideration. According to Virendra Tewari, Director, IIT Kharagpur,"the exams have a global reputation for seeking excellence and are considered one of the toughest and prestigious examinations in the world. A quick alternative to these tests will certainly not be as gratifying as competing for this examination by all fair means". Tiwari also said an alternative could be misused as a precedent to dilute the entire admission process to the IIT system which may prove to be harmful for the quality of undergraduate at the IITs. "I urge the aspirants to take it up as a challenge and show their mettle and sincerity to the world," he added. These exams have already been deferred twice in the wake of the novel coronavirus pandemic. JEE-Main was originally supposed to be held from April 7-11, but postponed to July 18-23, NEET-UG was originally scheduled for May 3, then pushed to July 26. (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.) Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 22:52:32|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KATHMANDU, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- The Nepali government reported the record high single day spike in COVID-19 cases on Thursday as the Himalayan country witnessed over 1,100 cases in the last 24 hours. "With 1,111 new cases in the last 24 hours, total COVID-19 cases reached 35,529," Jageshwor Gautam, spokesperson at the Ministry of Health and Population, told a press conference. The previous single-day high was on Aug. 18 with 1,016 cases. Although Nepal had been witnessing sharp decline in COVID-19 cases since July 3, the infections started to surge once again after the government ended the lockdown on July 22, allowing almost all economic and social activities to resume. "Now, the infection rate is growing rapidly day by day and it is estimated to grow further in the upcoming few days," said Gautam. "So, the government is increasing tests in the areas where there is more risk of infections." He said the country is facing more challenges due to resurging COVID-19 cases which have spread among the communities. In the initial months of outbreak, most of the COVID-19 cases were confined among the migrant Nepali workers who had returned home and were housed in several quarantine centers. The Nepali authorities have been blaming tendency of people not following health protocol and going out without face masks as the major reason behind resurgence in cases. The capital Kathmandu, which has the thickest settlements, has emerged as new hotspots of the coronavirus in Nepal, with the Kathmandu valley alone detecting 377 new cases on Thursday. Meanwhile, the Nepali Health Ministry also confirmed eight new deaths from COVID-19 in the last 24 hours. "Five women and three men died in the last 24 hours bringing the total death toll from the pandemic to 183," said Gautam. As the virus spreads in communities, both deaths and critical cases are also on the rise in Nepal. According to the ministry, there are 147 COVID-19 patients getting treatment at intensive care units, while 17 have been kept with the support of ventilators. Enditem BJP leader on Wednesday hit out at over Sonia Gandhi's virtual meeting with opposition chief ministers and said the opposition party should first aim for unity in its own cadres before talking with other parties. " should first aim for achieving unity within its own workers. The 23 leaders group (of which wrote the letter) have openly revolted. The response to that has not yet been given by Sonia Gandhiji or Rahul but they are holding talks with other opposition parties," Hussain told ANI here. "The question is when Congress is itself weak then who will join ranks with them," he added. During the meeting, Sonia Gandhi hit out at the Centre and said that "refusal" to pay Goods and Services Tax (GST) compensation to states "is nothing short of betrayal" on the part of the government. Hussain also hit out at Rahul Gandhi over his remarks on the economy. "Our country's economy is still strong and it is in strong hands. India's economy is an ideal for the world even during the corona pandemic. The economies of America, Europe and other nations have suffered massive losses, while ours is still strong. If the opposition does not understand economic matters it should refrain from making statements on it," Hussain said. (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.) Bar owners, including one who estimates he has lost 100,000 during lockdown, have reacted with dismay to a delay in the reopening of drink-only pubs. An industry body warned that the Executive had dealt a catastrophic blow to the hospitality sector by postponing the reopening of wet pubs and must now urgently implement a rescue package. Drink-only pubs, along with theatres and private members clubs, across Northern Ireland had been expected to reopen next Tuesday. However, the Executive Office said yesterday the date had been postponed because of a rise in the number of Covid cases. With the increased transmission rate of the virus in the community and the R number at around 1.3, the Executive agreed that no further restrictions would be lifted at this time, a spokesman said. The indicative date of September 1 for the opening of wet pubs, private members clubs and audiences returning to theatres has not been ratified by the Executive. Officials have engaged with the different stakeholder bodies and no new indicative dates have been set. Yesterday a further 72 local people were diagnosed with Covid-19, bringing the total number of positive cases to 384 over the last seven days, according to the Department of Health. No new deaths were recorded and as of last night there were 17 Covid patients in hospital, one of whom was in intensive care. Expand Close Publican John Bittles / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Publican John Bittles John Bittles, who owns Bittles Bar in Belfast city centre, called on the Executive to act urgently to save businesses across the province with a new financial rescue package. I wasnt surprised. Our suppliers have been telling wet pubs to be very careful about what stock to buy as we mightnt be open, Mr Bittles told the Belfast Telegraph. It is a huge setback. In fairness to bar owners, were responsible people. Ive been in the trade for 45 years and were not going to fill the place. Were trying to keep the doors open and keep jobs. Even though Im open on a limited basis, its only to pay bills and keep staff. Im taking as little as I can. I dont smoke, drink or gamble and I dont have a big lifestyle, so Im living on the bare minimum myself. Staying open isnt for any personal financial gain. There are people with much bigger premises as well and theres no financial package in place. We have no date about when we might be open. Will it be Christmas or longer? Thats causing major anxiety. Mr Bittles said his weekly trade was down by at least 50%. Were a city centre pub. Our business is hugely based on tourists, like people off the cruise ships, but theres been none of that, he added. I would estimate that since March weve lost around 100,000. Ive now had to take a bounceback loan to cover some of the uncertainty. Expand Close Publican Pedro Donald / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Publican Pedro Donald Pedro Donald, owner of the Sunflower and American bars in Belfast, said wet pubs should be allowed to reopen as long as the rules around social distancing were properly enforced. Its obviously not good news but probably understandable. I dont blame the Executive for not giving us a definite date. They cant see into the future or if theres going to be another spike or not, he said. I would question what the difference is between being in a cafe and a pub. The virus isnt discriminatory about whether someones having a glass of wine or a cup of coffee. A big problem is the bars that are breaking the rules at the minute. The current rules about table service and limited numbers would work fine in wet pubs. They just need to be enforced. I dont have an exact number on how trade has been affected, but its way down at least below 50%. As long as I turn over enough to keep the wheels going, Im happy enough. Im not making money, but as long as everyone keeps their job and can pay their rent or their mortgage, Im happy enough. If pubs cant open and dont get any assistance, the government will have to decide whats more important, jobs or everything folding and people ending up on the dole. Who is going to pay for that? Expand Close Publican James Huey / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Publican James Huey James Huey owns the Walled City Brewery and restaurant in Londonderry. Although he has been able to open for customers, he supported calls for a financial package to help wet bars. I do understand that social distancing is harder to direct in bars. In running a restaurant we find that people stay in their social bubble and then leave, Mr Huey said. If bars are to remain closed they will need some kind of financial assistance. Its simply not sustainable with the furlough scheme ending in October. A lot of bar owners will be concerned about their future. Expand Close Hospitality Ulster chief Colin Neill / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Hospitality Ulster chief Colin Neill Colin Neill, chief executive of Hospitality Ulster, said affected pubs should receive emergency financial support. The decision to keep traditional non-food pubs closed is a catastrophic blow and a sacrifice were being asked, and told, to make, he said. The Executive should have made the announcement along with some sort of financial support package for the hundreds of pubs and thousands of jobs. It is my understanding that they didnt even have a meeting to discuss this. For 12 ministers to not even meet to discuss the futures of thousands of people, I just think its unacceptable. Mr Neill said it would be unforgivable if Stormont did not meet the needs of those who have endured financial hardship. These hard-working publicans are paying the price with no income and a stack of bills running into the thousands of pounds each week. This is just not sustainable, he added. (The Executive) hasnt even been given another suggested indicative date, removing any hope pubs may still have. The Hospitality Ulster chief stressed the sector had not been presented with any definitive evidence to suggest traditional non-food pubs were at a higher risk of virus transmission. Indeed, the experience in the rest of the UK would suggest otherwise. We are now calling on the Executive to take another look at this and find a workable and practical solution to resolve this major problem, he said. His plea came after Economy Minister Diane Dodds warned that more than 100,000 people across Northern Ireland could find themselves unemployed by the end of the year. Separately, Education Minister Peter Weir said yesterday there would be bumps along the road after a primary school recorded a positive Covid-19 test. Cairnshill Primary School in south Belfast announced it had shut part of its building and told some pupils and staff to self-isolate for 14 days. Ive indicated from the start in relation to this that there will be bumps along the road (and) there will at a time need to be interventions, Mr Weir told Good Morning Ulster. There will be times when the Public Health Agency says an individual student needs to isolate, or a group of students, or indeed a school. Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. The engineered wood, sometimes known as man-made wood or composite wood, is used as a substitute to hardwood and concrete in the construction sector. Latest report on the global engineered wood market, published by Market Research Future (MRFR), asserts that this market could witness progress at 12.82% CAGR between 2017 and 2023. By value, the market can be worth the USD 24.12 Mn by the end of the forecast period. The primary factor advancing the global engineered wood market growth is a set of advantages that are offered by engineered wood. Such advantages include ease of customization, cost efficiency, better quality, waste reduction, longevity, easy maintenance, and uniqueness of colorful design. Other factors backing the market include growing demand for engineered wood, reduced disposal costs, less product damage, eco-friendly nature, less labor cost, and lastly, government regulations to encourage the use of engineered wood. ALSO READ: https://www.benzinga.com/pressreleases/19/08/ab14290368/engineered-wood-market-2018-2023-swot-analysis-global-industry-size-historical-analysis-top-leade Market Segmentation The global engineered wood market segmentation covers the application and product type. MRFRs report peeks into the market to understand various facets of the market. The application-based segmentation of this market covers residential and non-residential. Based product type, the market has been segmented into Cross Laminated Timber (CLT), Glulam, Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL), I-beams, and Plywood. Regional Segmentation A geographical outlining of the global engineered wood market encompasses Asia Pacific, Europe, North America, and Rest of the World (RoW). Asia Pacific region holds the dominating share in the global market due to rising demand from countries like China and India. Market growth in these two countries has made the Asia Pacific region, the fastest-growing regional market. Growing demand from the residential & non-residential construction industries is also driving the market growth. Technological advancement makes Japan a prominent country-specific market of this region. Holding a major market share, Europe occupies a dominating position in the global market due to the growing use of engineered wood products in construction and increased cost competitiveness. New construction business models are promoting institutional changes that include revising wood-framed multi-storey building standards. Vital country-specific markets in this region include France, Germany, Spain, and the UK. In North America, the market is strong due to technological advancement, the existence of strong infrastructure, and the presence of major market players in the USA. After USA, Canada is the most important country-specific market. Key Players Major players in the global engineered wood market include Boise Cascade Company (USA), Celulosa Arauco y Constitucion (Chile), CST Timber Co (USA), Georgia Pacific Wood Products LLC (USA), Huber Engineered Wood LLC (USA), Kahrs Group (Sweden), Lowe's Companies Inc.(USA), Rockshield Engineered Wood products ULC (USA), Roseburg Forest Products (USA), Universal Forests Products Inc. (USA), and Weyerhaeuser (USA). Latest Industry News For the renovation of two buildings in Surrey-based Cranleigh School in the UK, the laminated veneer lumber (LVL) products of Metsa Wood's Kerto have been used. The newly renovated structure has been turned into the van Hasselt Centre. 31 JUL 2019 Structural wood products distributor Eastern Engineered Wood Products and patented WEBshield panel manufacturer Pinkwood have forged a partnership. Under the terms of the partnership, the two businesses have reached a distribution agreement to business with pro lumber dealers, component manufacturers, and regional wholesalers, in New England and through the Mid-Atlantic and North Eastern states. 26 JUL 2019 On the lines of 18-storey Brock Commons tower in Vancouver, the Canadian Government has sanctioned some initiatives to sanction the use of engineered wood to construct similar skyscrapers in different cities of Canada. 22 JUL 2019 To facilitate a cross-laminated timber (CLT) unit in its Zdirec mill in the Czech Republic, Stora Enso has initiated feasibility studies. Stora Enso is also sending a new construction beam unit to Ybbs mill in Austria. The company has plans to consolidate production with an increased focus on efficiency and to streamline the asset base. 19 JUL 2019 FOR MORE DETAILS https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/engineered-wood-market-4791 TORONTO - Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerces earnings took a tumble as it allocated an increasing amount of money towards bad loans triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Toronto-based bank said Thursday that it earned $1.17 billion or $2.55 per diluted share in its third quarter, down from nearly $1.4 billion or $3.06 per diluted share a year earlier. Provisions for credit losses were $525 million for the period ended July 31, up from $291 million a year ago, but down from $1.41 billion in the second quarter. CIBC executives blamed the drop in profit and hike in loan loss provisions on COVID-19 and the banks exposure to low oil prices, though they are starting to see signs of a rebound. The Bank of Canadas message last month underscored that the path to a full recovery could be both lengthy and uncertain. In the U.S., while many states reopened during the quarter, the continued spread of the virus could translate into a prolonged recovery, chief executive Victor Dodig told financial analysts. Against this backdrop, we remain cautiously optimistic and believe that our strong core franchise, client-centric focus and diversified business will enable us to get back to pre-COVID levels of profitability. Requests for payment relief have been on a steady decline after peaking in April, Dodig said. In the last six weeks, the number of new requests have been minimal, he said. Residential mortgages account for the majority of the deferrals and uninsured mortgages represent approximately 60 per cent of the outstanding balances. Most Canadian business banking clients who negotiated deferrals have now finished accessing the banks relief program, added chief risk officer Shawn Beber. The commercial clients coming off payment deferrals are not exhibiting higher delinquencies than the overall book, which remains very low, and weve had almost no requests for deferral renewals, he said. His remarks came as CIBC said on an adjusted basis it earned $2.71 per diluted share in its third quarter, down from an adjusted profit of $3.10 per diluted share a year ago. Analysts on average had expected an adjusted profit of $2.15 per share, according to financial markets data firm Refinitiv. CIBCs Canadian personal and business banking business earned $508 million in the quarter, down from $658 million in the same quarter last year. The banks Canadian commercial banking and wealth management business earned $320 million, down from $344 million a year ago, while U.S. commercial banking and wealth management earned $62 million, down from $173 million last year. Capital markets earned $392 million, up from $235 million a year ago. The bank is trying to invest for the long-term so that it can emerge from the pandemic and take advantage of growth and existing relationships, said Dodig. The investments that weve made over the past several years to simplify and to modernize our bank and deepen client relationships have positioned us well, he said. The results this quarter reflect the resilience of our bank. Companies in this story: (TSX:CM) BLOUNTVILLE, Tenn. (AP) A Tennessee teenager was indicted Wednesday on felony murder and other charges in the death of her 15-month-old daughter, whose disappearance prompted a search across three states, officials said. Megan Boswell, 19, of Blountville, was already being held in the Sullivan County jail on charges she had lied about her daughter's whereabouts. The remains of Boswells daughter, 15-month-old Evelyn Mae Boswell, were found five months ago inside a shed owned by her grandfather. A family member reported the child missing on Feb. 18 though the child had not been seen since December, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said. Boswell initially told state investigators that her daughter was with the childs father, who is stationed with the Army in Louisiana, but he did not have Evelyn, media reported. Boswell later said her mother took her daughter to a campground in Virginia, but authorities found no sign of the girl there. A Sullivan County grand jury charged Boswell with two counts of felony murder; one count each of aggravated child abuse, aggravated child neglect, tampering with evidence, abuse of a corpse and failure to report a death under suspicious, unusual or unnatural circumstances; and 12 counts of false reports. Her attorney, Brad Sproles, said he had not had a chance to see evidence used in the case and had no comment on the charges. A major project that is intended to solve sewer and water main problems on a section of East Street in Fairport Harbor Village should be completed by early next month. Woodford Excavating of Leavittsburg started working July 27 to enhance the operation of storm and sanitary sewers and water mains located on East Street between Sixth and New Fourth streets. It is going pretty well, said village Engineer Clyde Hadden, as he assessed the status of the project during the Aug. 18 meeting of Village Council Late last year, council accepted the bid of Woodford Excavating to complete a list of infrastructure improvements on East Street for $473,757. Although Woodford initially was scheduled to begin work at the site in early April, the company postponed those plans because of health and safety risks created by the novel coronavirus pandemic. Woodford instead kicked off the project in late July, and so far has completed point repairs, as required, to the existing sanitary sewer, sanitary laterals, and sanitary manholes in the targeted portion of East Street. Last week, the company also wrapped up repairs and strategic replacement of failing storm sewers in the same area. About 1,200 feet of original storm sewers that 10 are inches and 12 inches in diameter were replaced with 24- and 30-inch sewers. This will greatly increase the stormwater management capabilities of this system, village Administrator Amy Cossick said last year, after council awarded the project contract to Woodford. Cossick noted that undersized storm sewers had been responsible for street flooding in the area. Woodford crews are focusing their attention this week on strategic water main and valve replacements as warranted, Cossick said in an Aug. 24 email. The new water mains and valves will help improve water flow and reduce future maintenance costs for these parts of the water system in the project area. As the excavating company aims to meet an anticipated project completion date of Sept. 7, they also are drawing praise from Village Council members and administrators. Councilman Tony Bertone said the company has been very organized in carrying out its work on East Street. Even with the shutdown of the traffic flow, I dont think its impacted the village very much, he said. Mayor Tim Manross said the East Street infrastructure project has been many, many years in the making, and hes glad to see that its almost finished. It should alleviate a lot of problems in that general area for many years to come, he said. Moscow considers the United States decision to add two research institutes of the Russian Defense Ministry and the State Research Institute of Organic Chemistry and Technology to its blacklist to be groundless and will ask for clarification from Washington, Russian Ambassador to the U.S. Anatoly Antonov said. The notice by the Bureau of Industry and Security of the U.S. Department of Commerce argued that the U.S. authorities had reason to suspect Russian research institutes of having links with the chemical and biological weapons program. "Yes, we certainly paid attention to the mentioned announcement of the US authorities. It seems confusing to us. Especially since no evidence were presented. Familiar vague terms are used such as there is a reasonable cause to believe," TASS cited Antonov as saying. "Furthermore, the fact was ignored that Russias full compliance with the respective Conventions obligations regarding the destruction of chemical weapons stockpiles was confirmed by the international community in 2017 represented by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). We would like to receive some clarifications from our colleagues regarding these groundless allegations," the embassy quotes him as saying on its Facebook page. The diplomat recalled that "today the United States remains the only possessor of the significant stockpiles of chemical warfare agents and delays their elimination under various pretexts." "We call upon the U.S. side to stop searching problems where they do not exist and do its best to achieve chemical demilitarization as soon as possible," the ambassador said. The U.S. Department of Commerce earlier blacklisted the 33rd Central Research and Testing Institute and the 48th Central Research Institute of the Russian Defense Ministry, as well as the Moscow State Research Institute of Organic Chemistry and Technology. The notice specified that, in the case of the 48th Central Research Institute, restrictive measures will apply to all of its three facilities in Sergiev Posad, Yekaterinburg and the Kirov Region. The document stated that the U.S. authorities had reason to suspect the 33rd Central Research Institute of having links with the Russian chemical program and the chemical weapons test site. It also alleged that the State Research Institute of Organic Chemistry and Technology had links with the Russian chemical weapons program and the 48th Central Research Institute - with the Russian biological weapons program. The US Defense Department said Thursday that Chinese test launches of ballistic missiles in the South China Sea were threatening peace and security in the region. Confirming reports that Beijing's forces launched as many as four ballistic missiles during military exercises around the Paracel islands, the Pentagon said the move called into question China's 2002 commitment to avoiding provocative activities. China's "actions, including missile tests, further destabilize the situation in the South China Sea," the Pentagon said in a statement. "Such exercises also violate PRC commitments under the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea to avoid activities that would complicate or escalate disputes and affect peace and stability," it said, referring to China by the initials of its official name, the People's Republic of China. Over the past decade China has built up military installations on several disputed reefs and outcroppings in the South China Sea to assert its sovereignty over much of the region against territorial claims by Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Taiwan and Indonesia. The Pentagon said the Chinese military's August 23-29 military exercises near the Paracels -- which it calls Xisha -- were "the latest in a long string of PRC actions to assert unlawful maritime claims and disadvantage its Southeast Asian neighbors." It said the United States had urged China in July to reduce its "militarization and coercion" in the region. Instead, "The PRC chose to escalate its exercise activities by firing ballistic missiles," it said. Earlier Thursday Beijing blasted Washington over its blacklisting of two dozen state-owned Chinese companies involved in building and supplying China's South China Sea bases. "The US's words grossly interfere in China's internal affairs... it is wholly tyrannical logic and power politics," said foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian. "China will take firm measures to uphold the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies and individuals," he said. pmh/acb (Reuters) - Shares in German drugs company Bayer AG fell 3% on Friday after it said there were "bumps" in sealing its $11 billion settlement of U.S. lawsuits over its Roundup weed killer after a U.S. judge cast doubt on the progress of the agreement. Bayer in June struck an agreement on about 75% of the 125,000 claims stemming from its $63 billion takeover of seed and chemical company Monsanto in 2018. It has indicated that settling existing cases is contingent on some form of agreement on future cases, and has proposed a scientific panel to rule on any future claimants that agree to submit to the out-of court procedure. U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria threatened to restart the litigation and let it move forward after questioning if Bayer was going back on the settlement, according to a Bloomberg News report. ([https://bloom.bg/34EJ9Mj]) "There are often some bumps in the road in implementing a resolution of this magnitude, but we remain confident that a comprehensive settlement will be finalized and executed," Bayer said in a statement. Its shares had dropped to 54.78 euros by 0936 GMT. One of the leading lawyers involved in the Roundup litigation said he was prepared to bring cases to trial again. "I agree that these Monsanto shenanigans need to stop. Either settle or don't -- at this point the only enemy is indecision," Brent Wisner told Reuters. Chhabria told the parties to continue to finalize the settlement and to confer about next steps should the litigation resume, scheduling a Sept. 24 hearing to discuss progress, according to a source who monitored the hearing. Bayer said it expected litigation to remain on hold at least until then. "While we support the courts dual track approach over the next 30 days, we are optimistic that the finalization of the settlements over this time will make any further steps on the litigation track unnecessary, it said. Chhabria raised concerns in July over the plan to create an independent panel of scientists to assess whether glyphosate-based weedkillers such as Roundup caused cancer, delaying a key part of the proposed settlement. Story continues Bayer's proposal to simultaneously address any future cases, which it said it remained committed to in July, is unprecedented because glyphosate will remain on the market without a cancer warning. Chhabria said on Thursday he was inclined to make public several confidential letters from consumer lawyers complaining that Bayer's Monsanto unit is reneging on the deal, Bloomberg News said. (Reporting By Mrinalika Roy in Bengaluru and Tom Hals in Wilmington, Ludwig Burger in Frankfurt, Delaware; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta and Tom Brown and Kirsten Donovan) August 27, 2020 Amsterdam, the Netherlands Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA), a global leader in health technology, today announced that it has signed an agreement to acquire Intact Vascular, Inc., a U.S.-based developer of medical devices for minimally-invasive peripheral vascular procedures. Intact Vascular will enhance Philips image-guided therapy portfolio, combining Philips interventional imaging platform and diagnostic and therapeutic devices with Intact Vasculars unique, specialized implantable device to optimize the treatment of patients with Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD). PAD develops when plaque builds up in arteries and reduces blood flow to the limbs, most commonly the legs. It affects more than 200 million people worldwide [1]. PAD symptoms include recurrent fatigue, leg pain, and foot or leg wounds that do not heal or heal very slowly. Critical Limb Ischemia (CLI) is an advanced stage of PAD, and is typically associated with high rates of amputation and mortality. Acquiring Intact Vascular will expand our portfolio of minimally invasive therapy options for Peripheral Artery Disease with the Tack Endovascular System [2], a much needed implant that effectively restores blood flow in small limb vessels, promotes healing and preserves limbs, said Chris Landon, Senior Vice President and General Manager Image Guided Therapy Devices at Philips. Through the integration of our interventional imaging systems and diagnostic and therapeutic devices, we will be able to provide clinicians with a complete procedural solution to optimize the treatment of patients with this disease. Philips market leading peripheral vascular portfolio already includes advanced interventional imaging systems for precision guidance; intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) catheters to assess the location of the disease and lesion morphology and guide and confirm the treatment; peripheral atherectomy devices to remove blockages; and peripheral therapy devices, such as Philips Stellarex drug-coated balloon, to treat lesions. Intact Vascular will strengthen this portfolio with the Tack Endovascular System, which reinforces standard and drug-coated balloon PAD treatment results. Intact Vasculars Tack [2] implant is a first-of-its-kind, minimal-metal, dissection repair device that provides precision treatment of peripheral arterial dissections following balloon angioplasty in above-the-knee (ATK) and below-the-knee (BTK) therapeutic interventions [3]. The Tack implant leaves less metal behind compared to stents, preserving future treatment options and ultimately preserving limbs. Moreover, Intact Vasculars Tack implant offers a solution for repairing dissections and optimizing post-angioplasty outcomes in the challenging CLI patient population. We are excited about the strategic fit between our team, expertise and unique therapeutic device, and Philips Image-Guided Therapy business, said Bruce Shook, President and CEO of Intact Vascular. We share the same vision of complete procedural solutions to improve existing procedures and expand treatment options. We look forward to completing the transaction and working closely with Philips on a seamless transition. The transaction, which is subject to customary closing conditions, is expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2020. Philips will acquire Intact Vascular for an upfront cash consideration of USD 275 million (approx. EUR 234 million), and deferred payments for which the company expects to recognize a provision of USD 85 million (approx. EUR 72 million) upon completion of the transaction. Intact Vascular was founded in 2011 and is headquartered in Wayne, Pennsylvania, in the U.S. On completion of the transaction, Intact Vascular will become part of Philips Image-Guided Therapy business. [1] J. Shu J. and G. Santulli; Update on peripheral artery disease: Epidemiology and evidence-based facts; Atherosclerosis, 2018 Aug; 275: 379-381. [2] Tack Endovascular System and Tack are trademarks of Intact Vascular, Inc. [3] The Tack Endovascular System has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for ATK and BTK dissection repair interventions. For further information, please contact: Ben Zwirs Philips Global Press Office Tel.: +31 6 15213446 E-mail: ben.zwirs@philips.com Derya Guzel Philips Investor Relations Tel.: +31 20 59 77222 E-mail: derya.guzel@philips.com About Royal Philips Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) is a leading health technology company focused on improving people's health and enabling better outcomes across the health continuum from healthy living and prevention, to diagnosis, treatment and home care. Philips leverages advanced technology and deep clinical and consumer insights to deliver integrated solutions. Headquartered in the Netherlands, the company is a leader in diagnostic imaging, image-guided therapy, patient monitoring and health informatics, as well as in consumer health and home care. Philips generated 2019 sales of EUR 19.5 billion and employs approximately 81,000 employees with sales and services in more than 100 countries. News about Philips can be found at www.philips.com/newscenter . Forward-looking statements This release contains certain forward-looking statements with respect to the financial condition, results of operations and business of Philips and certain of the plans and objectives of Philips with respect to these items. Examples of forward-looking statements include statements made about the strategy, estimates of sales growth, future EBITA, future developments in Philips organic business and the completion of acquisitions and divestments. By their nature, these statements involve risk and uncertainty because they relate to future events and circumstances and there are many factors that could cause actual results and developments to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these statements. Attachments Eamonn Holmes has been criticised for his handling of a television debate on whether songs like Rule Britannia are racist. The debate followed reports that the BBC may drop the patriotic song and others which contain perceived references to slavery and colonialism. Mr Holmes faced a backlash on Twitter yesterday after asking political campaigner Femi Oluwele why he objected to the use of the word 'slave' which is featured in the Irish national anthem and others. Mr Holmes said: "I'm asking you do you have an explanation for the context of it, because every time the 'S' word seems to be used you have an issue with it." Mr Oluwele replied: "It's an issue within the context of Rule Britannia on the basis that we were bragging about how we were in a position of enslaving other countries whilst not ourselves being slaves." He also argued that the wider issue of systemic racism in the UK was a more important matter than the songs in question. Hurricane Laura has made landfall near Cameron, Louisiana as a category 4 storm, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said on Thursday. The hurricane, packing maximum sustained winds of 150 miles (240 kilometers) per hour is located about 40 miles (70 km) east of Port Arthur, Texas and is expected to move inland across southwestern Louisiana on Thursday morning, the NHC said. The hurricane is reported to be one of the most powerful to ever hit the state. Panic evacuations A hurried evacuation of a half million Texas and Louisiana residents ahead of Hurricane Laura has clogged highways, while coronavirus precautions slowed public transportation for evacuees who needed it and complicated temporary housing arrangements. The storm strengthened and is forecast to bring 145 mile (233 km) per hour winds to the Texas/Louisiana border. Warnings for an "unsurvivable storm surge" and "catastrophic damage" led officials in each state to call for residents to flee inland. Local officials advised residents with personal vehicles to take them. For those boarding buses out of the area temperature checks were required. Evacuees were being assigned to far-flung hotels to avoid large groups at shelters. Full screen Hurricane Laura approachesA sign referencing the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and Hurricane Laura is seen in Galveston, Texas, U.S., August 26, 2020. REUTERS/Julio-Cesar Chavez JULIO CESAR CHAVEZ (REUTERS) In Galveston County, Texas, which ordered a mandatory evacuation of low-lying areas, buses brought residents inland, but capped the number on each at 15 to 20 people because of the pandemic, said county official Zach Davidson. Officials also arranged for ambulances for those diagnosed with Covid-19. "We have stressed to people, when you're building your hurricane kit, put in a mask, hand sanitizer, gloves," he said. Texas state officials were directing those fleeing the storm to hotels in Dallas and elsewhere after an Austin intake centre was overwhelmed with requests for housing overnight. Risk of Covid-19 infection grows Large-scale evacuations could increase Covid-19 cases in evacuees' origin and destination counties, according to a study by Columbia University and the Union of Concerned Scientists. It advised evacuees to be assigned to areas with low virus activity and encouraged them to follow social distancing guidelines and to wear masks and protective gear. Texas and Louisiana were both hot spots for the pandemic earlier this year, but new case trends have since declined. Darrell Pile, chief executive of the Southeast Texas Regional Advisory Council, which helps coordinate disaster response, said the group received buses, ambulances and personal protective equipment to assistance with evacuations. Even with the pandemic risks, residents should obey mandates. "If it is suggested that you evacuate, you follow those instructions," said Pile. "Especially if you have medical needs, it could be days before workers can reach your home." Tegucigalpa. Honduras, Aug. 27, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The company has contributed to food security in Honduras by assuring dairy and beverage supply to its consumers and by delivering 1,456,941 food parcels in the months of March, April and May 2020, supporting 20 communities and reaching more than 60,000 families, including their employees. In the wake of the pandemic that has affected the world and aligned with its corporate values, LACTHOSA, a leading company in Honduras and Central America in the production and distribution of milk, juices and beverages, undertook a series of actions in order to sustain its operations, and at the same time, support national efforts to contain the epidemic in Honduras. The actions of this exemplary company were to provide medical and biosecurity equipment to hospitals and front-line personnel, guarantee food security in the low-income centers that it has always supported, maintain resilience in communities of influence and job stability of their more than 3,000 employees. LACTHOSA, our dairy company, with presence in Central America, the Caribbean and the United States, has been a model of resilience by keeping its operation running in times of Covid-19, providing security to its collaborators, clients, suppliers and above all, guaranteeing a continued purchase of raw milk to dairy farmers and the production and distribution of our products so as not to interrupt the food chain in Honduras expressed Mr. Schucri Kafie, founder of LACTHOSA. Support to employees The company has donated 5,770 food parcels, representing 992,440 food plates, to guarantee food security for all employees and their families. Additionally, the company has arranged transportation for all employees that meets the social distancing requirements as well as the hygiene protocols in the vehicles. Additionally, during their workday, as a token of appreciation to their commitment and hard work, they have received a meal every day at the companys cafeteria. Every employee has received Personal Protective Gear and equipment such as body suits, face masks and shields, boots, gloves all according to the requirements and nature of their work. The company has invested over $800,000.00 to ensure the safety and wellbeing of their staff during these past months. Support to clients LACTHOSA through its brand SULA and CETECO has donated 15,000 personal protection masks to the grocers, heroes and strategic partners who have been working nonstop supplying local communities. To ensure food security through supermarkets and convenience centers, SULA has ensured that the supply chain is stocked and has implemented La Ruta SULA, an initiative that allows consumers to stock up on products through home deliveries. Support to communities In support to communities, it has delivered a total of 200,288 food parcels for medical personnel from five hospitals, 120,000 food baskets to the National Police; and to benefit the vulnerable population, it donated 11,000 cups of yogurt, 17,095 glasses of milk, 2,193 glasses of orange juice. In the framework of World Milk Day, in alliance with the Honduran Milk Chamber (CAHLE) and Tetra Pak, LACTHOSA donated 100,000 glasses of milk to the Honduran Food Bank, destined to benefit 70 organizations, benefiting 16,012 people in 15 municipalities of Honduras. Additionally, LACTHOSA joined the project "Businessmen to Save Lives" in alliance with the Latin American Business Council (CEAL), to give an important donation of medical equipment that included 20 respirators, electric beds, electrocardiographs and infusion pumps to the Secretary of Health, valued at 15.8 million lempiras. We know that in extraordinary situations like the one we are experiencing, resilience is essential, as a company we have taken actions to protect our collaborators and their families, we have had a strong projection with society and this union of efforts makes it possible for us to fight against It is a pandemic", said Mrs. Elena Kafie, LACTHOSA representative and member of the Board of Directors. Kafie Foundation For its part, the Kafie Foundation founded by the entrepreneurs Schucry, Luis and Eduardo Kafie who acts as the social arm of LACTHOSA in several projects, has also joined in providing food and important hygiene supplies and personal protection equipment to the four main hospitals from Tegucigalpa that are in the battle line against Covid-19: El Torax Hospital, San Felipe Hospital, Honduran Social Security Institute (IHSS) and Hospital Escuela, delivering a total of 1,000 gallons of chlorine, 400 personal protection masks, 40 gallons of antibacterial gel, 4,000 food servings including Sula, Ceteco, Quaker products and 1,000 liters of water for medical and support staff. All actions are oriented in the firm belief that we will emerge from this pandemic together, more resilient, more committed and in solidarity. For more information visit: https://bit.ly/2ZtKxOw Attachment A brave seven-year-old girl is fighting cancer for the second time in just over a year after the illness came back. Ayla, from Sydney, was diagnosed with Hodgkin Lymphoma for the first time in July 2019 after developing a month-long cough. At first doctors dismissed the cough as it was the middle of winter and was 'most likely a viral infection'. But when Ayla started to feel constantly tired, one of the doctors she had seen ordered a blood test with concerns she had pneumonia. That same night she was diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease instead. Ayla (pictured), from Sydney, was diagnosed with Hodgkin Lymphoma for the first time in July 2019 after developing a month-long cough But when Ayla (pictured with her dad in hospital) started to feel tired constantly, one of the doctors she had seen ordered a blood test with concerns it may be pneumonia Ayla (pictured with her mother Prasadi) was diagnosed with the potentially fatal illness the same day she got the blood test 'I think my husband and I were both numb. It seemed so surreal that it could be happening,' Ayla's mother Prasadi told Daily Mail Australia. 'At the time, like we didn't use the word cancer to Ayla. She knew she was sick and she knew she had to go in for surgery.' Prasadi said the family then slowly started to introduce the word to Ayla, who then quickly began reading about the illness so she knew what to expect. Ayla's mother said her daughter is now actively involved in her treatment, asking about her chemotherapy, its side effects and how long it will take. Prasadi said knowing everything helps Ayla deal with what is happening to her. Ayla went through two cycles of chemotherapy - which can range from two to six weeks long - before a scan showed she was in remission. 'That was amazing news,' Prasadi said. Ayla's family initially didn't use the word 'cancer' around her so she wouldn't be scared 'Then she had two more rounds of chemo just to kind of make sure, which is the protocol.' But a later scan showed that there was a dot, which nobody believed was cancer. But doctors ordered another scan six weeks later just to be sure. Six weeks later, Ayla and her family were devastated to discover that the cancer was back. Since, Ayla has had endlessly chemotherapy and even had to have a bone marrow transplant, which is an attempt to create new stem cells that will fight the cancer cells in Ayla's body. Ayla (pictured in hospital) went through two cycles of chemotherapy - which can range from two to six weeks long - before a scan showed she was in remission 'This is our first experience with anything like this so we thought when it's gone it's gone,' Prasadi said. 'Now that I know so much more about cancer, I understand that it can relapse months or years later - but at the time we were blissfully ignorant.' Prasadi said it was an extremely devastating discovery to find out it was back. However she said when dealing with something such as cancer, practicality is needed so she and her husband just looked at treatment and what was next for Ayla. However a later scan showed that there was a dot, which nobody believed was cancer But doctors ordered another scan six weeks later just to be sure. Six weeks later, Ayla and her family were devastated to discover that the cancer was back Prasadi said her friends always ask how she copes with her daughter being sick, how she turns up at work and goes about her life. 'You just never know what the future holds,' she said she tells them. She said people leave their home every day thinking it is going to be a normal day but could suddenly be hit by a car and die. 'So we try not to dwell on the "what ifs" and "what could go wrong" and we just try to keep ourselves happy,' she said. 'Every day that Ayla is energetic and happy is a good day for us.' One organisation that never fails to put a smile on Ayla's face is Starlight, a charity designed to help sick children and their families Ayla is unable to go to school and see her friends due to the bone marrow transplant and the threat of COVID-19 in NSW. However, one organisation that never fails to put a smile on Ayla's face is Starlight, a charity designed to help sick children and their families. Ayla first discovered Starlight through the hospital where she gets her treatment. 'My daughter loved going [when the Starlight room was open before COVID-19] after every treatment or appointment,' Prasadi said. 'Since COVID-19, while the Starlight Express room is shut, the captains still come around to the wards in masks and personal protective equipment on. Ayla (pictured with a Starlight captain) first discovered Starlight through the hospital where she gets her treatment Ayla was in hospital for her birthday and was unable to see any of her friends, so the Starlight captains threw her a birthday party WHAT IS HODGKIN LYMPHOMA? Hodgkin Lymphoma is a blood cancer that starts in the white blood cells. Every year in Australia 647 are diagnosed with the illness. Classical Hodgkin Lymphoma typically impacts people aged 1529 and older people aged over 70. Symptoms include swelling in neck, armpits or groin, fatigue, night sweats, itching and unexplained weight loss. In some cases, the disease is fatal. However most people do beat the illness. Advertisement 'She just likes talking to them - they treat her with respect and as an equal. They make her laugh. It is like family.' Ayla was in hospital for her birthday and was unable to see any of her friends, so the Starlight captains threw her a birthday party. 'They just went above and beyond. They did this little video montage of her and they had all these buntings with her face and photos printed,' Prasadi said. Starlight is launching their Tour de Kids campaign in September, which encourages cyclists to go the distance to raise money for the foundation. Cyclists are encouraged to jump on the bike every day to inspire donations. Prasadi said she just wants her daughter to be able to go back to being a little kid once again. She said she just wants the whole ordeal to be over because her daughter has been so patient during everything. Prasadi also urged anyone going a similar situation to accept help when it is offered and don't be afraid to ask for it. More information about Tour de Kids can be found here. Description GIS 27 August 2020: An informative meeting about the evolution of the forthcoming phases englobing the environmental, social and legal aspects associated with the grounding of MV Wakashio and the subsequent oil spillage that occurred, was held, today, at Newton Tower, in Port Louis. It was chaired by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade, Mr Nandcoomar Bodha, and was attended by members of the Diplomatic Corps and representatives from international institutions and friendly countries. Discussions also focused on how the various partners can help Mauritius during these phases. At the very outset, Minister Bodha expressed gratitude to all friendly countries for their quick response in terms of logistics and expertise following the oil spill. During the emergency phase, he recalled that local institutions together with experts have undertaken the cleaning up of the lagoon and the shoreline. Henceforth, several issues such as data collection, technical consultancy, and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) need to be finalised, he emphasised. Speaking about data, Minister Bodha indicated that these have been collected by Ministries, local institutions, the University of Mauritius (UoM), the Mauritius Oceanography Institute, the private sector such as the hotel industry, and experts from friendly countries. For him, all these data need to be stored under one depository namely the UoM and under one format. This data which has scientific value, he stated, is crucial as regards the rehabilitation of the coast. It is also important for policymakers and from a legal perspective as it can be used as evidence for claim. He invited stakeholders to provide research analysis and reports to the UoM. A Call for Technical Consultancy on the way forward with regards to the rehabilitation of the shoreline, tourist industry, and the community, will be launched, he announced. The Minister stated that a main National Claim of the State of Mauritius will be made and will encompass the claims from the community and the private sector. People also have access to Help Desks in the community where they can explain the prejudice caused by the wreck of MV Wakashio and the ensuing oil spill, he said. As regards the EIA, it will be carried out under the Agence Francaise de Developpement and the World Bank where key documents will have to provide evidence and substantiate the claims, he added. Minister Bodha highlighted that experts will help to draft an Action Plan pertaining to the rehabilitation and the restoration of the flora, fauna, and coastline in the short, medium and long terms. Furthermore, Government is envisaging the setting up a Foundation which will collect grants to help the community, he said. GENEVA (Reuters) - The World Health Organization said on Thursday it was looking into whether "observed irregularities" in a COVID-19 PCR swab test made by China's BGI Biotechnology (Wuhan) Co, Ltd were linked to how it was used in Sweden. The WHO said it had asked the maker for a "root cause analysis". China's BGI Genomics said on Wednesday its diagnostic coronavirus testing kit has "relatively high accuracy", a day after Sweden said about 3,700 people received false positive results due to a fault in the company's product. The WHO, which has approved the tests for emergency use, said in reply to a Reuters query: "WHO was notified and has activated the complaint procedure for in vitro diagnostics ... to gauge if the observed irregularities were due to the way the test was used. "Specifically, WHO has contacted the manufacturer and requested a root cause analysis... We are continuing the work with BGI to determine if further action is required," it said. (Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva, Roxanne Liu in Beijing and Miyoung Kim in Seoul; writing by Stephanie Nebehay; ; editing by John Stonestreet) African music is still breaking boundaries through its numerous talents and one such young dynamic act is Cool Boii known in private life as Mbah Amstrong Mbakwa. Cool Boii is an Afrobeat and highlife Artiste. His Francophone fusion with modern afrobeat jam makes him so distinct in the show business. His mother is a Ghanaian while his father is a Camerounian but Ghana is mostly his base. Cool Boii sees Ghana as his home hence it is not surprising that he is promoting his talent here. Cool Boii is the 3rd born of five siblings and have been the most musically inspired. He so far has three songs to his credit but two are making waves currently which are "Take You Far" and La Danse De Gorila. In an exclusive interview on Accra-based Kasapa FM afternoon Drive Show 'Di Wo Lane Mu', Cool Boii revealed that he discovered his love for music and has since become his passion so he decided to follow his dreams. "Most of my songs fit into the Afrobeat category but I do Highlife as well. I'm not in the industry to look up to people, I want to look up to myself and I pray and hope that I will take African music to places. I have very solid management team and we are all working very hard," he said. Source: Modernghana 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 Kellyanne Conway, a top White House counselor, said during her speech at the Republican National Convention (RNC) that President Donald Trump has "elevated women." In Conway's RNC speech, she hailed Trump as a champion of women and an "empathetic leader." These comments are important as polls had suggested that Trump is losing support among the women who backed him in his 2016 run, reported The Washington Post. The RNC appearance is believed to be Conway's last major public appearance as part of the Trump administration, noted Politico. Conway served as Trump's third campaign manager in 2016 and, when he won, she became the first woman to have successfully run a presidential campaign. Appealing to Women Voters Conway wore white during her speech to pay tribute to suffragists. Along with White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnancy, she appealed to the suburban women that the GOP lost in the 2018 midterm election. "A woman in a leadership role still can seem novel. Not so for President Trump," Conway said. She said Trump has elevated women for decades into senior positions in business and government. "He confides in and consults us, respects our opinions and insists that we are on equal footing with the men," she said. Conway also talked about the importance of her role during Trump's 2016 run. For her, Trump helped her "shatter a barrier" in the world of politics. She said her stint in the campaign empowered her to manage it to its "successful conclusion." Both Conway and McEnany made their personal case on Trump's relationship with women in his office. Their involvement in the RNC is quite rare, as political staffers are often put behind the scenes, noted Los Angeles Times. Conway announced her exit as one of Trump's longest-serving advisers on Monday. Her reasons for leaving the White House aren't related to Trump's leadership, though. She said she's leaving the White House to focus on her family. Conway's White House Exit Using family as reasons for leaving the White House had been the favorite cloak for Washington workers who were forced to step down from their posts. But in Conway's case, a family crisis really has been playing out, the Fox Atlanta noted. She is married to conservative attorney George Conway, who is a vocal Trump critic and a co-founder of anti-Trump Lincoln Project. Conway's husband has been an active supporter of Democratic nominee Joe Biden's presidential bid. The couple has four children. One of them is a liberal social media influencer who has talked more about her parents and politics online. The teen announced her plans to seek emancipation from her parents on Saturday and, soon after, Conway announced her step down from the White House. Her husband also announced that he will step back from the Lincoln Project and social media. "This is completely my choice and my voice," Kellyanne Conway stressed in an online statement. She added that for their children, there will be "less drama and more mama." There was no mention of Conway's upcoming departure during her speech. Check these out! Kellyanne Conway Announces White House Departure to Focus on Family Melania Trump Redeems Self in Republican Convention Speech, Talks about COVID and Racial Issues Republican Convention Airs Naturalization Ceremony for 5 New US Citizens KENOSHA, WI - AUGUST 24: Demonstrators retreat from tear gas in front of the Kenosha County Courthouse on August 24, 2020 in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Additional law enforcement were deployed to protect the courthouse. Civil unrest occurred after the shooting of Jacob Blake, 29, on August 23. Blake was shot multiple times in the back by Wisconsin police officers after attempting to enter into the drivers side of a vehicle. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images) (Getty Images) The arrest of a teenager on charges of killing two people amid clashes in this city over the police shooting of a Black man has stoked the nation's culture wars yet again and presented an incendiary challenge to President Trump's reelection campaign. Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, a white youth who has often praised police, is charged with homicide in what officials described as a vigilante act that resulted in three protesters being shot, two fatally, late Tuesday night. After the incident, onlookers alerted police that Rittenhouse who was underage and not allowed to openly carry a weapon was roaming the street with a semiautomatic rifle slung around his neck. Since his arrest Wednesday across the border in Antioch, Ill., details have emerged that Rittenhouse posted to social media in support of the pro-police Blue Lives Matter movement. He spoke to reporters before the shooting about being a self-styled citizen patrol who came to Kenosha to protect businesses from vandalism. He appears in photos at a Trump rally this year in Des Moines. A TikTok video from the account @kylerittenhouse33, first reported by BuzzFeed and later deleted, appeared to show Rittenhouse's recording from the rally. The account had the bio of "BLUE LIVES MATTER and Trump 2020." Demonstrators retreat from tear gas in front of the Kenosha County Courthouse. (Getty Images) Rittenhouse's alleged actions coincide with this week's Republican National Convention, where the president's campaign promise of "law and order" is a dominating theme. Speakers this week have warned about "crime, violence, mob rule" and spiraling "chaos and violence into our communities." Those warnings were largely directed at nationwide protests that erupted after the death at police hands of George Floyd nearly three months ago in Minneapolis. Trump has portrayed liberal cities as overrun with anti-police liberals bent on violence. Rittenhouse complicates that story even as it springs out of demonstrations against another episode of alleged police brutality and racial injustice. Story continues Jacob Blake, the 29-year-old Black man Kenosha police shot on Sunday seven times in the back as he tried to enter an SUV where his three children sat lay paralyzed in the hospital as the city entered a fourth night of unrest, with authorities saying Wednesday that he had a knife in his car but no gun. The incident happened when police responded to a domestic dispute. Late Wednesday, the Trump campaign released a statement on the shooting in which Rittenhouse is charged. "President Trump has repeatedly and consistently condemned all forms of violence and believes we must protect all Americans from chaos and lawlessness," said campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh. "This individual had nothing to do with our campaign and we fully support our fantastic law enforcement for their swift action in this case. Officials in Kenosha, a majority-white city of 100,000, said that they were unprepared and unaccustomed to consecutive nights of up to 1,000 people protesting, some of which turned violent and left businesses burned and charred in Kenosha's Uptown business district. Democratic Gov. Tony Evers accepted the president's offer to send federal law enforcement to the city after initially rejecting it. The governor said they would reinforce the Wisconsin National Guard and local police who patrolled downtown streets. Roads have been barricaded, and the county courthouse, the main site of demonstration clashes, is surrounded by a fence. Democrats have accused the president of instigating violence by dispatching federal forces to cities experiencing unrest, such as Portland, Ore., where city officials said they didn't want the troops' presence. One of Trump's tweets in particular this summer has been singled out. After riots in Minneapolis, he wrote that "when the looting starts, the shooting starts." The phrase harks back to the 60s, when it was used to describe police crackdowns on Black civil rights activists. A building burns in Kenosha. (Morry Gash / Associated Press) "My heart breaks for the families and loved ones of the two individuals who lost their lives and the individual who was injured last night in Kenosha, Evers said in a statement. We as a state are mourning this tragedy. The governor has called the protests in Kenosha a reflection of the "pain, anguish and exhaustion of Black people in our state and country." Kenosha's mayor, John Antaramian, said Wednesday that a 7 p.m. curfew had been extended through at least Sunday and expressed shock at the state of his city. "I'm not good at this," said the Democrat, who was mayor from 1992 to 2008 and elected again 2016. "I've been mayor for a long time. This is not what I'm used to." Police Chief Daniel Miskinis and Sheriff David Beth said they believed armed individuals, possibly members of militia groups, were behind some of the violence. "I don't want violence regardless of which side of any issue you are on," Miskinis said. In Uptown Kenosha, a business district near the shore of Lake Michigan that has rapidly undergone redevelopment over the years, store owners, some of them supporters of and participants in the protests, boarded up or guarded their doors Wednesday afternoon after driving in past the ashes of a Mexican restaurant, furniture store and used-car dealership that had burned down. "I grew up here, and I usually know the people who are out protesting. These folks out there, though, I don't recognize a lot of them, and I wonder where they've come from," said Alvin Owens, a Black community organizer who recently opened up a barbershop and teen resource center off Sheridan Road, a main north-south street at the heart of much of the unrest. As tear gas fills the air, police try to push back demonstrators. (Scott Olson / Getty Images) "I'm in pain for Blake and his family, and there is no way you can watch the video of police shooting him and think it's OK," said Owens, 52. "As someone who was out there myself protesting pepper-sprayed one night, tear-gassed the other, I also am concerned about police tactics. But Black Kenosha loves its city, and we don't need to destroy our own downtown." Joseph Centeno, who two years ago moved his pet supply store, K-9 Kibble, to a now-scorched stretch of Sheridan Road, said he was "praying" for peace. "I don't want to lose focus here; the incident with Mr. Blake is tragic. I pray that he heals and the family gets better. But I think there is an opportunity for the principles of Black Lives Matter to move forward positively." The U.S. Justice Department has opened a civil rights investigation into Blake's shooting. Wisconsin law enforcement agencies on Wednesday released more details in the Blake case and on the shooting in which Rittenhouse faces charges. The people who died Tuesday, in an area near a gas station where demonstrators congregated after police dispersed them from in front of the county courthouse, were a 26-year-old from Silver Lake, Wis., and a 36-year-old from Kenosha. Of the three officers now on leave as the Wisconsin Department of Justice investigates Blake's shooting, the department identified the one who shot him as Rusten Sheskey, who has been with the force for seven years. In a statement, the department said police were called Sunday to a home after a woman said her "boyfriend was present and not supposed to be on the premises." Kenosha police do not wear body cameras, but the statement matches what's seen on bystander videos, which show police trying to arrest Blake before he walks to his car door, opens it and is shot in the back after Sheskey grabs him by his tank top. Blake falls onto the car horn, which goes off continuously. The state Justice Department said police tried to Taser Blake before the shooting, which "was not successful in stopping Blake." Blake's lawyer, Benjamin Crump, has said Blake was simply trying to do the right thing by intervening in a domestic incident" and described the officers as "irresponsible, reckless and inhumane. Crump, who has represented the families of several other Black men shot or arrested by police, including Floyd, said Blake's sons, ages 3, 5 and 8, were in the car as police shot him. The state Justice Department said it will release its report on the shooting to the district attorney, who will decide whether to press charges, next month. Kaleem reported from Kenosha and Megerian from Washington. OAKLAND, Calif., Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Axiom Cloud Inc. and Turntide Technologies announced an agreement in which Turntide will become a minority investor in Axiom and license its technology. By removing technological barriers and providing ongoing support, Turntide will help Axiom Cloud accelerate its impact on retail grocery and other markets with commercial refrigeration assets. As part of the agreement, Axiom will license portions of its IoT infrastructure to Turntide to support Turntide's mission to eliminate the 25% of global electricity consumption that is wasted by legacy motors. Axiom Cloud's IoT Platform "We are thrilled to announce this new chapter for the Axiom team, with Turntide's support," said Amrit Robbins, CEO of Axiom Cloud. "Our mission remains the same: create a more sustainable future by transforming commercial refrigeration. However, we are now singularly focused on delivering scalable value through intelligent software and IoT systems." "It is clear that Axiom Cloud can create value for the grocery industry," said Ryan Morris, CEO of Turntide Technologies. "We are excited to work with Axiom, and we look forward to driving the synergies between Axiom and Turntide's HVAC and refrigeration solutions." Retail grocery customers can subscribe to one or more of Axiom Cloud's apps today and experience a simple payback of under 1 year. "Virtual Technician" autonomously predicts and prevents equipment failures before they cause painful refrigeration outages. "Virtual Battery" transforms frozen inventory into an intelligent thermal battery to reduce energy bills and unlock new revenue streams. These apps run on Axiom Cloud's noninvasive IoT Platform. Axiom Cloud is currently serving multiple top-20 grocery chains throughout North America. About Axiom Cloud Inc. Axiom Cloud uses Artificial Intelligence and automation to transform the world's commercial refrigeration systems into intelligent, flexible, and resilient assets. Axiom's mission is to create a more sustainable future by improving the way the world's cooling systems interact with the power grid and the atmosphere. axiomcloud.ai About Turntide Technologies Turntide Technologies (formerly Software Motor Company) has developed the world's most efficient and intelligent electric motor system. Turntide seeks to eliminate the 25% of global electricity consumption that is wasted by legacy motors, thus accelerating the world's transition from fossil fuels. Turntide has installed Smart Motor Systems with dozens of customers, reducing their motor electricity consumption by an average of 64%, and is powering the systems of leading OEMs. turntide.com Media contact: Amrit Robbins [email protected] 5106835200 SOURCE Axiom Cloud Inc. WASHINGTON When she took the stage for the Republican National Convention Wednesday, U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-Schuylerville, took a different tack than virtually every other speaker of the GOP convention by directly reminding viewers of the historic impeachment of President Donald Trump. Even the word impeachment had been almost entirely absent from both the Democratic and Republican National Conventions, never mind discussion of the months-long inquiry that made Trump the third U.S. president in history to be impeached. A handpicked member of Trump's so-called impeachment defense team, Stefanik did not shy away from the topic that gave her a national profile this fall. "Since his first day in office, President Trump has fought tirelessly to deliver results for all Americans, despite the Democrats' baseless and illegal impeachment sham and the media's endless obsession with it," she said in a short speech Wednesday night. "I was proud to lead the effort standing up for the Constitution, President Trump and most importantly the American people." Accusing Democrats of using impeachment to try to overturn the results of the 2016 election, Stefanik told viewers: "This attack was not just on the president, it was an attack on you your voice and your vote." From a public relations point of view, impeachment did not shine favorably on either party, prompting both sides to largely avoid it at their conventions, said Clifford Brown, a government professor at Union College. The impeachment proceeding was not a good public relations success for the Democrats. Trump actually gained ground in terms of his approval rating," Brown said. "On the Republican side, I think they dont want to bring it up because they know hes guilty. They were all mumbling that they know he did it but it was not an impeachable offense. ... Besides its not a great triumph for him. Stefanik's brief impeachment comments could be a "trial balloon" to a test a focus group's reaction to impeachment messaging before the final night of convention speeches scheduled for Thursday, Brown hypothesized. He noted that the impeachment proceeding was not "illegal," as Stefanik alleged, but followed the process laid out in the U.S. Constitution. Impeachment quickly faded from public consciousness with the coronavirus and racial unrest emerging as leading political issues in the past six months. Trump was impeached on Dec. 18 by a vote of the U.S. House of Representatives charging the president with abuse of power and obstruction of justice, after a House probe revealed evidence that the president used the powers of his office to compel Ukraine to conduct an investigation into the son of former Vice President Joe Biden now the Democratic presidential nominee that could benefit Trump politically in the 2020 election. Only Democrats voted to approve articles of impeachment against Trump. On Feb. 5, Trump was acquitted by the U.S. Senate after a contentious trial that reviewed the evidence for and against removing the president from office. As the GOP rallied behind Trump, U.S. Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, was the only Republican to cross party lines and vote to convict the president. Stefanik played a stand-out role in the affair, launched by her tough and succint questioning of House impeachment witnesses in televised committee meetings during the trial. After the House voted to impeach, the White House asked Stefanik to continue her defense of the president by giving media interviews and participating in strategy meetings with a small group of other House members during the Senate trial. Stefanik's advocacy for the president flooded the NY-21 congressional race with contributions from across the country, handing millions to Stefanik's campaign, but also bolstering her 2020 Democratic opponent Tedra Cobb, whom Stefanik defeated in 2018. Cobb and her supporters encouraged contributions to her campaign during Stefanik's speech Wednesday night as well. While Stefanik's convention speech and impeachment defense have enmeshed her with Trump, she also carries a record of bipartisan cooperation in Congress. "One speech wont erase that anymore than her high-profile role during the impeachment hearings will. It is true that Cobb used the impeachment hearing to raise a lot of money, but its not clear that will translate into votes," said Matt Dickinson, a political science professor at Middlebury College. "Indeed, the reason she was tapped in both roles is because she is viewed as relatively moderate (and a woman) so the hope is she softens some of the hard edges associated with the Republican Party." In a counter to Gov. Andrew Cuomo's speech at the Democratic National Convention last week, U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-Shirley, who was also a member of the Trump impeachment defense team, focused on Trump's response to the coronavirus, praising the supplies and resources the president's administration sent to New York as the virus began rocking the state in March. Former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, who served on Trump's legal team during the Senate trial, reprised a similar line of attack from the trial in her convention speech Wednesday. She tried to lay out evidence of conflicts of interest and "opportunism" by Biden and his family members, including Biden's son Hunter, who was a highly paid member of a Ukrainian energy firm's board of directors while Biden was vice president. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. Many other convention speakers this week described "relentless" attacks on the president by Democrats since he took office a general reference to impeachment and also the investigation of Special Counsel Robert Mueller into contacts between the 2016 Trump campaign and Russia. That 22-month investigation found the Trump campaign did not collude with Russia to swing the election in his favor, but the special counsel did not take a clear position on whether the president and his team engaged in obstruction of justice. In her convention speech, Stefanik framed herself as a product of the American dream that she said Trump is fighting to deliver for all. "I believe in the American dream because I've lived it. Like millions of Americans, I grew up in a small business family where I learned the values of hard work and determination," she said. "I was the first person in my immediate family to graduate from college, ran for Congress to serve upstate New York, and am proudly the youngest Republican woman elected to Congress in history." She warned voters against Biden's "far-left, failed policies" and highlighted her district with nods to the Battles of Saratoga, the Miracle on Ice and Fort Drum. In a separate convention video featuring Stefanik and Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel, Stefanik highlighted the role of Elizabeth Cady Stanton in the women's suffrage movement in a clip shot at the Johnstown Historical Society Museum. Republicans are putting the national spotlight on Stefanik for a reason, Dickinson said. "What it does do is mark her as someone the party views as a rising star," he said. "You get these slots because the party thinks it will benefit from using you." Speaking to press this week, Stefanik also defended the unprecedented speech of sitting Secretary of State Mike Pompeo from Jerusalem, a campaign video shot during a taxpayer funded trip. Im excited Secretary Pompeo is delivering a speech on the presidents strong record when it comes to foreign policy and national security issues, Stefanik said. Secretary Pompeo has publicly stated hes doing this in his personal capacity and I support him delivering that record like many of our other leaders are delivering their support for the president as well publicly. She also said the frequent use of federal property, including the White House by the Republican National Committee during the convention, was necessitated by COVID-19. Trump and other top administration officials participating in the convention have come under fire by critics who cite a federal law that bars the mixing of political activities and official duties, but his campaign attorneys have said no violations occurred. Stefanik was scheduled to attend Trump's nomination acceptance speech at the White House Thursday night with other Republican members of Congress. Also expected at the White House for the speech were New York GOP Chair Nick Langworthy; Andrea Catsimatidis, the Manhattan GOP chair; former New York City comptroller candidate John Burnett; former U.S. Senate candidate from New York Bruce Blakeman; and Tom Dadey, longtime Onondaga County GOP chairman, said Jessica Proud, spokeswoman for the New York Republican party. Three men were arrested at a hospital after a 16-year-old was stabbed during a violent break-in at a Stoughton home Tuesday night, police said. The 16-year-old, police say, broke into a home on Canton Street with a group of people. Then, he was stabbed by an 18-year-old man living in the home. The 18-year-old, police said, grabbed a knife and stabbed the teenager in self-defense after the teen repeatedly stomped on his chest. Police dont expect to file charges against the 18-year-old and didnt release the name of the 16-year-old. However, police arrested Cameron McGarry, 20 of Stoughton, Jacob Oknin, 18 of Sharon, and Anthony Myers, 23 of Holbrook. McGarry and Oknin were charged with conspiracy to commit a crime. Myers is facing charges of breaking and entering in the nighttime with the intent to commit a felony, assault and battery and conspiracy to commit a crime. Police anticipate more charges will be filed at a later date. Officers responded to a report regarding the break-in around 10:15 p.m. on Tuesday, police. After arriving, police described the scene as chaotic and discovered a lengthy trail of blood in the home. Witnesses told police the 16-year-old stomped the 18-year-old resident in the chest. Authorities said shoe marks were left on the mans chest as a result of the incident. Fearing for his life, police said, the victim grabbed a nearby knife and stabbed the teen in the leg. The injury was serious enough to require surgery, police said, but the 16-year-old is expected to survive. A Massachusetts State Police trooper responded to Good Samaritan Hospital in Brockton after hearing the radio traffic and found someone had been admitted with a stab wound. Officers in Stoughton went to the hospital as part of the investigation and eventually arrested the three suspects. They were scheduled to be arraigned in Stoughton District Court on Wednesday Supporting first responders and residents impacted by Hurricane Laura, World Central Kitchen(WCK) is on the ground ready to feed those in need. As Hurricane Laura made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane along the Texas-Louisiana border, two relief teams were sent to Beaumont and Lafayette, Louisiana, from the humanitarian organization to begin cooking meals. ORGANIZATIONS HELPING THOSE AFFECTED BY HURRICANE: How to help people in Hurricane Laura's devastating wake Founded by Jose Andres in 2010 after a devastating earthquake that hit Haiti, according to their Facebook page, WCK was created "with the belief that food can be an agent of change." "From serving children in the shelters on our border with Mexico to making deliveries by lamplight to those keeping watch over beaches in Indonesia, our fight to feed the hungry has taken us to more places than we ever expected," said Andres via the website. Chef Tim Kilcoyne, director of chef operations for WCK, shared a video on Twitter as his team was preparing to settle down for the night in Beaumont to wait out the storm Wednesday night before starting to cook. "Our @WCKitchen teams are safe and locked down on both sides of Hurricane #Laura! Kitchens are stocked, generators fueled, and stoves ready to fire... As always we will be ready to adapt & support those in need of a plate of food in the days ahead," said Andres in a Twitter post. Sam Bloch, director of field operations with WCK, shared a video on Twitter providing the update for his team that was hunkered down Wednesday night in Lafayette, Louisiana, prior to beginning cooking for those residents affected by Laura. "Right now we have a couple of folks accessing for us on the ground in Lake Charles to determine the size of the need there," said Chef Kilcoyne. "As soon as that is determined, then we'll figure out if we need to send both of our teams to one location." Currently, the teams are busy getting hot meals and sandwiches made and will be taking these, along with fresh fruit to first responders in Port Arthur and communities affected by Hurricane Laura in Sulphur and Lake Charles, according to a recent Facebook post. "You can always have a plan of having food needs taken care of, but until the actual event happens you don't know where extra help is needed," said Kilcoyne, who also shared they provide food to first responders to help them get through the long hours they face. "It's good to be able to provide a meal to someone that has gone through something a bit devastating," said Kilcoyne. "It's one less thing they need to worry about and now they can focus on what they need to get done to move on or to get their life back in order." STAY INFORMED: Sign up to receive breaking news alerts delivered to your email here. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das today advised banks to deeply look within and focus on reorienting business model post COVID-19 pandemic."Extreme risk aversion can be self-defeating. It is certainly not desirable," said Governor in a keynote at a virtual banking summit. Shaktikanta Das said the banks should look for opportunities in sunrise sectors. "There are opportunities in the rural sector, start up, renewables, logistics, value chain etc," said Das. The banks have turned risk-averse in last few years as slowdown in the economy impacted asset quality adversely. While the RBI has been cutting rates and keeping the liquidity tap in surplus mode, the banks are lining up at the reverse repo window to deposit back the money. Also read: GST Council Meeting Live Updates: Nirmala Sitharaman to hold presser at 3 PM In its annual report, the RBI has revealed that it absorbed surplus liquidity of Rs 284.4 lakh crore through reverse repos in 2019-20. This has resulted in loss of interest of Rs 12,904 crore to the central bank. There are also indications that surplus liquidity would continue in order to support the economy since the risks of recession is real. RBI Governor also assured the market that the central bank has not exhausted its ammunition. While the market believes that there is just a 25 basis points room available to cut the repo rate, Governor said the monetary policy committee (MPC), while keeping the rates unchanged in August policy, has decided to keep its gun powder dry. The RBI is also keeping an eye on the 2-year restructuring window provided by it to banks for restructuring loans of corporate and retail borrowers. "We expect an efficient and diligent implementation of the resolution plan," said Das. There are fears in the market that the restructuring window would be misused as many corporates have done in the past by colluding with bank officials. In fact, K V Kamath committee has been tasked with recommending the parameters for one-time restructuring. The banks have the freedom to set their own parameters for individual retail loans. Also read: How online frauds are growing in the digital payment space As per latest figures, as high as 40 per cent of the loan book of the entire banking sector is under a six months moratorium ending August this month. There are expectations that these loans would come for a restructuring post August. The RBI has given time till December to restructure the loans. SPRINGFIELD The man who was shot Wednesday evening in front of a home in the Liberty Heights neighborhood has died, leaving police to investigate the crime as a homicide. A man was shot at about 5:55 p.m. on Wait Street. He was brought to Baystate Medical Center by ambulance and died at the hospital, said Ryan Walsh, police spokesman. The Springfield Police Detective Bureau is investigating the shooting, Walsh said. Police responded to an audio ShotSpotter activation on Wait Street. When officers arrived, they found a male victim who was seriously injured, he said. Police detectives have blocked off part of the street with crime scene tape and multiple orange evidence markers have been placed near the front entrance and fence at a home at 100 Wait St. and the Springfield Police Forensic Investigation Unit is parked at the scene. A K-9 officer and members of the Police Departments Metro C3 unit also responded to the shooting. Neighbors who gathered outside said people recently moved into the home and said the victim is one of the residents or a friend of one of the residents. I was on the computer and I heard it and I called 911. They said, Were they fireworks? I served in the infantry for 20 years and I know the sound of gunshots, said Brian Dunn, a Wait Street resident who retired from the military as a major. He said the gunshots sounded like they came from a small-caliber weapon. Neighbors said they heard anywhere between seven and a dozen shots. They believed the victim was shot multiple times. I didnt know the victim. The house has been vacant. They had been doing a lot of renovations. They did a good job, Dunn said. This is the 13th homicide in the city this year and the third shooting that has occurred in two days in Springfield. A man and a woman were injured in a shooting in a parking lot at 1400 West Columbus Ave. at about 1 a.m. on Wednesday. Both received wounds that are not life-threatening, Walsh said. On Tuesday afternoon a man was hit by gunfire on Canon Circle. He was taken to Baystate Medical Center with serious injuries after the shooting that occurred at about 1:35 p.m. and is expected to survive, Walsh said. Police are asking anyone who has information about any of the shootings or may have a video camera that captured anything suspicious that took place around the time of the crimes to call the Detective Bureau at 413-787-6355 or text-a-tip anonymously by dialing 2-7-4-6-3-7 or CRIMES and then typing solve at the beginning of the message, Walsh said. Related Content: Advertisement The National Guard will send troops from three additional states, Arizona, Alabama and Michigan, to Kenosha to assist with operations there, officials said Thursday. Gov. Tony Evers had already authorized the deployment of the Wisconsin National Guard to Kenosha. Evers declared a state of emergency Tuesday and enforced an overnight curfew lasting until Sunday. On Thursday it was announced that additional agents had been summoned from Arizona, Michigan and Alabama following Tuesday night's violence in which two men, Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, of Kenosha, and Anthony Huber, 26, of Silver Lake, were shot dead. Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, was arrested on Wednesday at his home in Antioch, Illinois, accused of killing the protesters following riots over the shooting of Jacob Blake. 'They will be here and hopefully be assisting us as early as tomorrow night in some cases', the head of Wisconsins National Guard Major General Paul Knapp told a news conference. In Washington, the Justice Department said it was sending in more than 200 federal agents from the FBI, U.S. Marshals Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The White House said up to 2,000 National Guard troops would be made available. The Justice Department also announced that the U.S. attorney's office and FBI would conduct a civil rights investigation into the shooting of Blake, in cooperation with Wisconsin state law enforcement agencies. Two members of the Wisconsin National Guard talk to a police officer, left, during a third night of unrest Tuesday in the wake of the shooting of Jacob Blake by police officers Maj. Gen. Paul E. Knapp, Adjutant General of the Wisconsin National Guard, speaks at a news conference on August 26 The two men who were killed were Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, of Kenosha, and Anthony Huber, 26, of Silver Lake, about 15 miles west of the city. The wounded person, Gaige Grosskreutz, 26, of West Allis, about 30 miles northwest of Kenosha, was expected to survive, police said. Groups that had taken to Kenosha's streets with long guns were nowhere to be seen early Thursday following somber protests and no widespread unrest for the first night since the weekend police shooting of Jacob Blake. Marchers were solemn during Wednesday night's protests in the southeastern Wisconsin city between Milwaukee and Chicago following the chaos of the previous night, when authorities say a 17-year-old from a nearby Illinois community killed two demonstrators and wounded a third in shootings largely caught on cellphone video and posted online. The attack late Tuesday and the shooting by police Sunday of Blake, a 29-year-old Black father of six who was left paralyzed from the waist down, made Kenosha the latest focal point in the fight against racial injustice that has gripped the country since the May 25 death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody. Members of the Wisconsin National Guard bow their heads in prayer at the start of a news conference Thursday A Kenosha police vehicle is parked outside a defensive perimeter that has been erected around the Kenosha Municipal Building in response to the protests in the city on Thursday Blake, who is a father of six, is now in a stable condition in hospital after undergoing surgery Jacob Blake was shot in the back by Wisconsin police on Sunday as his three young sons watched on. He is now paralyzed from the waist down after his body was riddled with bullets, his father says. Blake is pictured above being treated just moments after the shooting Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers had already authorized the deployment of 500 members of the National Guard to Kenosha, doubling the number of troops in the city of 100,000. Evers declared a state of emergency Tuesday and enforced an overnight curfew lasting until Sunday There were no groups patrolling Kenosha's streets with long guns Wednesday night as there had been during previous nights' protests. Protesters also stayed away from a courthouse that had been the site of standoffs with law enforcement. Unlike the previous two nights, when dozens of fires were set and businesses were ransacked and destroyed, there was no widespread unrest. Protesters marched past the intersection where two people were killed Tuesday night, stopping to gather around the spot where one person was shot, and to pray and lay flowers. Daijon Spann said he decided to join the demonstration because one of those killed the night before was a friend. 'I couldn't take it any more,' he said. 'I couldn't just sit there and watch my friend die.' While the investigation into the shooting of Blake proceeded on one track, Kenosha police faced questions about their interactions with the gunman the night of the killings. According to witness accounts and video footage, police apparently let the gunman walk past them and leave the scene with a rifle over his shoulder and his hands in the air as members of the crowd were yelling for him to be arrested because he had shot people. As for how the gunman managed to slip away, Sheriff David Beth described a chaotic, high-stress scene, with lots of radio traffic and people screaming, chanting and running conditions he said can cause 'tunnel vision' among law officers. Much of Rittenhouse's Facebook page is devoted to praising law enforcement, with references to Blue Lives Matter, a movement that supports police. In photos posted on his page, which has since been locked down, he also can be seen holding an assault rifle. Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, has been charged with first degree intentional homicide following the shooting death of two protesters in Kenosha on Tuesday. Social media photos show the teen had a strong admiration for law enforcement and guns Disturbing new footage has emerged which appears to show the police-obsessed gunman, left, charged with the murder of two BLM protesters in Kenosha shooting dead his first victim before running away The man with the skateboard stumbled away from the gunman clutching his chest (right) as another man appeared to put his hands up in front of the shooter In a photo posted on his mother's page, he is wearing what appears to be a blue law enforcement uniform as well as the kind of brimmed hat that state troopers wear. Blake was shot in the back seven times Sunday as he leaned into his SUV, in which three of his children were seated. On Wednesday three days after the shooting state authorities identified the officer who shot Blake as Rusten Sheskey, a seven-year veteran of the Kenosha Police Department. Authorities said Sheskey was among officers who responded to a domestic dispute, though they have not said whether Blake was part of the dispute. Sheskey shot Blake while holding onto his shirt after officers first unsuccessfully used a Taser, the Wisconsin Justice Department said. State agents later recovered a knife from the floor on the driver's side of the vehicle, the department said. State authorities did not say Blake threatened anyone with the knife. Ben Crump, the lawyer for Blake's family, said Tuesday that it would 'take a miracle' for Blake to walk again. He called for the arrest of Sheskey and for the others involved to lose their jobs. State officials have announced no charges. Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-28 01:55:52|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close WASHINGTON, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Thursday that she doesn't believe there should be any presidential debates between sitting President Donald Trump and 2020 Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden. "I don't think that there should be any debates," Pelosi said during a press conference on Capitol Hill. "I do not think that the president of the United States has comported himself in a way that anybody has any association with truth, evidence, data and facts." "I wouldn't legitimize a conversation with him nor a debate in terms of the presidency of the United States," she added. The top congressional Democrat instead proposed that the candidates take separate stages and answer questions about their policies in a "conversation with the American people" rather than "an exercise in skulduggery" but acknowledged that the Biden campaign "thinks in a different way about this." Andrew Bates, a spokesman for the Biden campaign, said that they "certainly agree with Speaker Pelosi on her views of the president's behavior," "But just as she has powerfully confronted that behavior in the Oval Office and the Cabinet Room, Joe Biden looks forward to doing the same on the debate stage," Bates added. Trump and his campaign have sought to cast doubt on Biden's mental fitness and pushed for more debates and for them to take place sooner. In a recent interview with ABC News, Biden, 77, said that he thinks "it's a legitimate question to ask anybody over 70 years old whether or not they're fit and whether they're ready." "But I just, only thing I can say to the American people, it's a legitimate question to ask anybody," he said. "Watch me." On Wednesday, Trump said he will request both Biden and himself take drug tests before the first presidential debate in September, suggesting without providing any evidence that drugs had improved the former vice president's debate performance against Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont in March during the Democratic primary. "We are going to call for a drug test," Trump said during an interview in the Oval Office with the Washington Examiner. "I don't know how he could have been so incompetent in his debate performances and then all of a sudden be OK against Bernie." The Commission on Presidential Debates has scheduled three debates between Biden and Trump and one between Vice President Mike Pence and Biden's running mate, Senator Kamala Harris of California, in coming two months. Enditem NEW DELHI: The East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) has moved a proposal to terminate suspended AAP councillor Tahir Hussains membership as he has not attended the councils meetings during its three successive sittings. Hussain, who has been named by the Delhi Police as one of the prime conspirators of the riots that left 53 people dead and around 400 injured, is currently in jail for his alleged involvement in the February riots in the national capital. The proposal to terminate Hussains membership was cleared on Wednesday. Sharing more details, EDMC mayor Nirmal Jain said if a councillor remains absent from meetings of the corporation for three successive times, without permission, his/her membership can be ended as per the provisions of the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act. The EDMC mayor added the proposal will now be sent to the EDMC secretary for further administrative proceedings. The move was initiated after the Bharatiya Janata Party on August 11 demanded termination of Hussains membership. Hussain was elected as a councillor from the Nehru Vihar ward. AAP suspended him after his role emerged in the riots. During its probe into Delhi riots, the police have found petrol bombs and explosives from the terrace of Hussains house in Chand Bagh in Northeast Delhi. Hussain in jail in connection with the murder of Intelligence Bureau staffer Ankit Sharma, who was killed during the riots, and rioting conspiracy. Hussain has denied the charges and said he was being framed as part of an alleged political conspiracy. A Delhi court took cognisance last week of a chargesheet filed against him and is due to start trial in the case. L iverpool has called on young adults to abide by social distancing guidance following a rise in coronavirus cases across the city. The City Council appealed to adults under 40 to abide by the measures after a spike in cases within the age group. The authority said there had been a steady increase in the rolling weekly total over the last fortnight and those aged 40 and under account for half of the cases. As the risk of getting seriously ill from coronavirus increases with age, there are fears many younger people have been left with a false sense of security against the disease. Throughout the pandemic, police have responded to mass gatherings or illegal raves attended by crowds of youth. Liverpool's deserted waterfront at the heigh of lockdown / PA With schools set to reopen next week, Liverpudlians are being urged remain vigilant to help avoid cases in the community. Director of public health Matt Ashton urged people to stick to the two-metre social distancing rule as well as wear masks in confined spaces, wash their hands regularly and get tested if they had symptoms. Coronavirus hits the UK - In pictures 1 /81 Coronavirus hits the UK - In pictures A deserted Westminster Bridge PA A man wearing a face mask or covering due to the COVID-19 pandemic, walks past customers sat outside a restaurant AFP via Getty Images Boris Johnson addresses the nation on the Coronavirus lockdown Andrew Parsons Runners pass cardboard cutouts of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and Prince William during the London Marathon in London AP An empty escalator at Charing Coss London Underground tube station Jeremy Selwyn Electronic bilboards displays a message warning people to stay home in Sheffield PA A sign is displayed in the window of a student accommodation building following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Mancheste Reuters People take part in a 'We Do Not Consent' rally at Trafalgar Square, organised by Stop New Normal, to protest against coronavirus restrictions, in Londo AP People sing and dance in Leicester Square on the eve on the 10PM curfew Reuters Hearts painted by a team of artists from Upfest are seen in the grass at Queen Square, following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Bristol Reuters Graffiti reads 'good luck and stay safe', as the number of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases grow around the world, under a bridge in London Reuters A sign is pictured in Soho, amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in London Reuters Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures, during a coronavirus briefing in Downing Street, London AP A person runs past posters with a message of hope, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues in Manchester REUTERS Riot police face protesters who took part in a 'We Do Not Consent' rally at Trafalgar Square, organised by Stop New Normal, to protest against coronavirus restrictions in London AP An image of The Queen eith quotes from her broadcast to the UK and the Commonwealth in relation to the Coronavirus epidemic are displayed on lights in London's Piccadilly Circus PA Military vehicles cross Westminster Bridge after members of the 101 Logistic Brigade delivered a consignment of medical masks to St Thomas' hospital Getty Images Durdle Door in Dorset Reuters Captain Tom Moore via Reuters Mia, aged 8, and Jack, aged 5, take part in "PE with Joe" a daily live workout with Joe Wicks on Youtube to help kids stay fit who have to stay indoors due to the Coronavirus outbreak PA An NHS worker reacts at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital during the Clap for our Carers campaign in support of the NHS Reuters Goats which have taken over the deserted streets of Llandudno @AndrewStuart via PA Tobias Weller PA Novikov restaurant in London with its shutters pulled down while the restaurant is closed London Landscapes: Hyde Park and the Serpentine, central London. Matt Writtle A newspaper vendor in Manchester city centre giving away free toilet rolls with every paper bought as shops run low on supplies due to fears over the spread of the coronavirus PA Theo Clay looks out of his window next to his hand-drawn picture of a rainbow in Liverpool, as the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continue Reuters A young man cuts another man's hair on top of a closed hairdresser in Oxford Reuters General view of the new NHS Nightingale Hospital, built to fight against the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in London via Reuters Jason Baird is seen dressed as Spiderman during his daily exercise to cheer up local children in Stockport, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues Reuters A woman wearing a face mask walks past Buckingham Palace Getty Images A man holds mobile phone displaying a text message alert sent by the government warning that new rules are in force across the UK and people must stay at home PA Medical staff on the Covid-19 ward at the Neath Port Talbot Hospital, in Wales, as the health services continue their response to the coronavirus outbreak. PA Prime Minister Boris Johnson taking part in a virtual Cabinet meeting with his top team of ministers PA A shopper walks past empty shelves in a Lidl store on in Wallington. After spates of "panic buying" cleared supermarket shelves of items like toilet paper and cleaning products, stores across the UK have introduced limits on purchases during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some have also created special time slots for the elderly and other shoppers vulnerable to the new coronavirus. Getty Images People on a busy tube train in London at rush hour PA Mia, aged 8 and her brother Jack, aged 5 from Essex, continue their school work at home, after being sent home due to the coronavirus PA Children are painting 'Chase the rainbows' artwork and springing up in windows across the country Reuters Social distancing in Primrose Hill Jeremy Selwyn A general view of a locked gate at Anfield, Liverpool as The Premier League has been suspended PA Homeless people in London AFP via Getty Images A piece of art by the artist, known as the Rebel Bear has appeared on a wall on Bank Street in Glasgow. The new addition to Glasgow's street art is capturing the global Coronavirus crisis. The piece features a woman and a man pulling back to give each other a kiss PA The Queen leaves Buckingham Palace, London, for Windsor Castle to socially distance herself amid the coronavirus pandemic PA A general view on Grey street, Newcastle as coronavirus cases grow around the world Reuters Matt Raw, a British national who returned from the coronavirus-hit city of Wuhan in China, leaves quaratine at Arrowe Park Hospital on Merseyside PA Britain's Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty (L) and Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance look on as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures as he speaks during a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) news conference inside 10 Downing Street Reuters The ticket-validation terminals at the tram stop on Edinburgh's Princes Street are cleaned following the coronavirus outbreak. PA Locked school gates at Rockcliffe First School in Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear PA A sign at a Sainsbury's supermarket informs customers that limits have been set on a small number of products as the number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases grow around the world Reuters Jawad Javed delivers coronavirus protection kits that he and his wife have put together to the vulnerable people of their community of Stenhousemuir, between Glasgow and Edinburgh AFP via Getty Images A sign advertising a book titled "How Will We Survive On Earth?" Getty Images A man who appears to be homeless sleeping wearing a mask today in Victoria Jeremy Selwyn A pedestrian walks past graffiti that reads "Diseases are in the City" in Edinburgh AFP via Getty Images Staff from The Lyric Theatre, London inform patrons, as it shuts its doors PA A quiet looking George IV Bridge in Edinburgh PA A quieter than usual British Museum Getty Images A racegoer attends Cheltenham in a fashionable face mask SplashNews.com A commuter wears a face mask at London Bridge Station Jeremy Selwyn A empty restaurant in the Bull Ring Shopping Centre Getty Images A deserted Trafalgar Square in London PA Passengers determined to avoid the coronavirus before leaving the UK arrive at Gatwick Airport Getty Images He said: It is really important that as schools start to reopen and more workplaces are getting back to normal, we all take responsibility and follow the guidance to limit the spread of cases as far as possible. The big risk is infection coming in to the school through the community, for example through people who dont know they are carrying it mixing with staff or pupils outside and it infecting them," he added. "It is therefore essential that we all socially distance whenever possible, and when not, use face coverings." It comes as Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the Government has been working very, very closely with public health authorities in local lockdown areas, which are battling with Covid-19 spikes. Commenting on the Test and Trace system, he added: This is all about strengthening a system that didnt even exist a couple of months ago, that has had some quite serious scrutiny, but is now working incredibly effectively, but we want to make it work better. And we want to make sure that everybody, no matter their income level, gets the support they need to do the right thing. Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Ashwini Kumar Choubey has slammed the leaders opposing the NEET, JEE Main examination in September due to COVID-19 conditions and said it is important to look at the future of students and unnecessary objections should not be raised. I think the opposition which is creating a fuss should look at the bright future of the students. They should not make an issue. No one will benefit from playing with the interests of the students. I would urge political parties to not raise unnecessary objections, Choubey told ANI. He said that a years gap in examinations would mean that the country would not produce thousands of doctors and appealed to students that exams are in their interest and in the interest of the country. Whatever decision the government takes, it is taken by keeping the interest and future of students in mind. National Testing Agency (NTA) will conduct the examinations at the national level and those who will succeed in the exam will get a chance to become good doctors and engineers in the future. If we stop the process for a year, then their future will be impacted, the Minister said. He said all necessary arrangements will be made to prevent the spread of COVID-19 infection and said that the students need to increase their confidence. Referring to COVID-19 vaccine, Choubey said that human trials were underway and the government is in touch with various countries to get the vaccine as soon as possible. Whether it is America, Britain, or Australia, wherever the vaccine trials are happening, Indian institutes have signed an agreement to make the dose. The human trials are going on, and it may take some time. If all goes well, by next year we will be successful in sending vaccines from door to door, he said. The minister said India is producing good quality of PPE kits and also exporting them. Today we are making ventilators. Indian scientists are working day and night, he said. The minister also said Prime Minister has made arrangements to give free ration to poor people till November. He added that if the opposition wants to discuss its issues in the upcoming session of Parliament, the government is ready for it. We are ready to discuss whatever the opposition would like to discuss, following parliamentary decorum. I am sure there will be some meaningful discussion in Parliament, he said. Bangkok: Facebook sparked fear and anger among Thailands social media users after its Safety Check feature triggered a false bomb alert in Bangkok. The check-in feature allows users to signal to friends that they are safe after an event in their area such as a terror attack or natural disaster. But it appeared to misfire on Wednesday, creating an alert called The Explosion in Bangkok that said a blast in the capital had been confirmed by multiple sources. The page gave no other details about the incident but linked to articles about a bombing in Bangkok in August 2015 which killed 20 people. After numerous city residents marked themselves as safe, the alert was deactivated around an hour later at 10pm, leaving netizens relieved but also frustrated over the false alarm. Facebook issued false news that has destroyed Thailands image, wrote Thai user Prasit Silhanisong. Its close to the New Year and now tourists might not come, he added, calling on the social media giant to apologise. Facebook swiftly defended the algorithm, saying the alert was activated by reports of small explosives that a protester had thrown near Government House earlier on Tuesday. The incident, which caused no injuries or damage, was covered in the local press. Safety Check was activated yesterday in Thailand following an explosion, a Facebook spokesperson said in a statement to AFP, adding that a trusted third party had confirmed the incident. It is not the first time the check-in feature has caused controversy. In March the company apologised after a bug sent a Safety Check notification to users around the world following a deadly suicide bombing in Pakistan. The social network also faced criticism in November 2015 for selectively activating the feature after attacks in Paris but not in Beirut. For all the Latest Business News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. This spring, as countries around the world told people to stay home to slow the spread of the coronavirus, doctors in neonatal intensive care units were noticing something strange: premature births were falling, in some cases drastically. It started with doctors in Ireland and Denmark. Each team, unaware of the others work, crunched the numbers from its own region or country and found that during the lockdowns, premature births especially the earliest, most dangerous cases had plummeted. When they shared their findings, they heard similar anecdotal reports from other countries. They dont know what caused the drop in premature births and can only speculate as to the factors in lockdown that might have contributed. But further research might help doctors, scientists and parents-to-be understand the causes of premature birth and ways to prevent it, which have been elusive until now. Their studies are not yet peer-reviewed and have been posted only on preprint servers. In some cases the changes amounted to only a few missing babies per hospital. But they represented significant reductions from the norm, and some experts in premature birth think the research is worthy of additional investigation. These results are compelling, says Dr Denise Jamieson, an obstetrician at Emory Universitys School of Medicine in Atlanta. About one in 10 US babies is born early. Pregnancy usually lasts about 40 weeks, and any delivery before 37 weeks is considered preterm. The costs to children and their families financially, emotionally and in long-term health effects can be great. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, babies born premature, especially before 32 weeks, are at higher risk of vision and hearing problems, cerebral palsy and death. The best way to avoid these costs would be to prevent early births in the first place, said Dr. Roy Philip, a neonatologist at University Maternity Hospital Limerick in Ireland. Philip had been vacationing abroad when his country entered lockdown March 12, and he noticed something unusual when he returned to work in late March. He asked why there had been no orders while he was gone for the breast milk-based fortifier that doctors feed to the hospitals tiniest preemies. The hospitals staff said that there had been no need because none of these babies had been born all month. Intrigued, Philip and his colleagues compared the hospitals births so far in 2020 with births between January and April in every year since 2001 more than 30,000 in all. They looked at birth weights, a useful proxy for very premature birth. Initially, I thought there is some mistake in the numbers, Philip says. Over the past two decades, babies under 3.3 pounds, classified as very low birth weight, accounted for about eight out of every 1,000 live births in the hospital, which serves a region of 473,000 people. In 2020, the rate was about one-quarter of that. The very tiniest infants, those under 2.2 pounds and considered extremely low birth weight, usually make up three per 1,000 births. There should have been at least a few born that spring but there had been none. The study period went through the end of April. By the end of June, with the national lockdown easing, Philip says there had still been very few early preemies born in his hospital. In two decades, he says, he had never seen anything like these numbers. By staying home, some pregnant women may have experienced less stress from work and commuting, gotten more sleep and received more support from their families While the Irish team was digging into its data, researchers in Denmark were doing the same thing, driven by curiosity over a nearly empty NICU. Dr Michael Christiansen of the Statens Serum Institut in Copenhagen and his colleagues used newborn screening data to compare births nationwide during the strictest lockdown period, March 12 to April 14, with births during the same period in the previous five years. The data set included more than 31,000 infants. The researchers found that during the lockdown, the rate of babies born before 28 weeks had dropped by a startling 90 per cent. Anecdotes from doctors at other hospitals around the world suggest the phenomenon may have been widespread, though not universal. Dr Belal Alshaikh, a neonatologist at the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada, said premature births across Calgary dropped by nearly half during the lockdown. The change was across the board, though it seemed more pronounced in the earliest babies, he says. At Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, Dr Irwin Reiss, a neonatologist, saw a smaller drop-off in premature births. At Mercy Hospital for Women outside Melbourne, Australia, there were so few premature babies that administrators asked Dr Dan Casalaz, the hospitals director of pediatrics, to figure out what was going on. In the United States, Dr Stephen Patrick, a neonatologist at Vanderbilt Childrens Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee, estimated there were about 20 per cent fewer NICU babies at his hospital than usual in March. Although some sick full-term babies would stay in the NICU, Patrick says preterm babies usually made up most of the patients, and the drop-off seemed to have been driven by missing preemies. When Patrick shared his observation on Twitter, some US doctors shared similar stories. Others said their NICUs were as busy as ever. Some groups in other countries have said they didnt see a change, either. If lockdowns prevented early births in certain places but not others, that information could help reveal causes of premature birth. The researchers speculated about potential factors. The stress of unemployment and financial insecurity may have affected communities unevenly (AFP/Getty) (AFP via Getty Images) One could be rest. By staying home, some pregnant women may have experienced less stress from work and commuting, gotten more sleep and received more support from their families, the researchers said. Women staying at home also could have avoided infections in general, not just the new coronavirus. Some viruses, such as influenza, can raise the odds of premature birth. Air pollution, which has been linked to some early births, has also dropped during lockdowns as cars stayed off the roads. Jamieson says the observations were surprising because she would have expected to see more preterm births during the stress of the pandemic, not less. It seems like we have experienced tremendous stress in the US due to Covid, she says. But all pregnant women may not have experienced the lockdowns in the same way, she says, as different countries have different social safety nets in general, and the stress of unemployment and financial insecurity may have affected communities unevenly. Some later premature births also might have been avoided during lockdowns simply because doctors werent inducing mothers for reasons like high blood pressure, Jamieson says. But that wouldnt explain a change in very early preterm births, as the Danish and Irish authors found. The causes of preterm birth have been elusive for decades, and ways to prevent preterm births have been largely unsuccessful, Jamieson says. According to the CDC, premature births in the United States rose in 2018 for the fourth straight year. White women had about a 9 per cent risk of premature birth in 2018, while African American womens risk was 14 per cent. If the trends in the data are confirmed, the pandemic and lockdowns could be something like a natural experiment that might help researchers understand why premature birth happens and how to avoid it. Maybe some maternity leave should start before a mothers due date, for example. The Danish and Irish researchers have now teamed up and are building an international group of collaborators to study how Covid lockdowns affected early births. For years, nothing has advanced in this very important area, Christiansen says, and it seems it took a virus attack to help us get on track. The New York Times West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has asked state Education Minister Partha Chatterjee to inquire if the National Testing Agency (NTA) has included Bangla and other regional languages for Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Mains aspirants. The exam is scheduled to be held on September 3-4 and Banerjee has already expressed concern over holding it as well as NEET. For NEET aspirants, the option of appearing for the examination in Bangla and other regional languages is already there. For JEE, they (NTA) told us that from 2021 the option of Bangla as a language will be included. This year, the option is not there for JEE aspirants," said Chatterjee. The language row over NEET and JEE examinations came to light after the NTA made available the JEE (Mains) paper in Gujarati language late last year. Banerjee had then questioned why other regional languages, including Bangla, were not included. Afterwards, the NTA clarified it had decided to make available the JEE (Mains) paper in Gujarati since Gujarat was the only state to have approached it regarding the issue. NASA's orbital views of a strengthening, dangerous major hurricane Laura Astronauts aboard the International Space Station provided images of Hurricane Laura as it continues to strengthen in the Gulf of Mexico. Laura is pushing waters from the Gulf of Mexico that could inundate coastal areas miles inland and evacuations are in progress. Watches and Warnings on Aug. 25 On Aug. 25, NOAA's National Hurricane Center (NHC) posted several watches and warnings on major Hurricane Laura. A Storm Surge Warning is in effect for San Luis Pass, Texas to the mouth of the Mississippi River. A Storm Surge Warning means there is a danger of life-threatening inundation, from rising water moving inland from the coastline, during the next 36 hours in the indicated locations. Some of the storm surge forecasts are extreme. From Sea Rim State Park to Intracoastal City, La. including Sabine Lake and Calcasieu Lake, a 10- to 15-foot storm surge is forecast. From Intracoastal City to Morgan City including Vermilion Bay an 8- to 12-foot storm surge is forecast. For additional areas and storm surges, visit: http://www. nhc. noaa. gov . A Hurricane Warning is in effect from San Luis Pass, Texas to Intracoastal City, Louisiana. A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect from Sargent, Texas to San Luis Pass and for areas east of Intracoastal City, Louisiana to the mouth of the Mississippi River. A Storm Surge Watch is in effect for Freeport, Texas to San Luis Pass, Texas, from the mouth of the Mississippi River to Ocean Springs, Mississippi, and for Lake Pontchartrain, Lake Maurepas, and Lake Borgne. A Hurricane Watch is in effect for from east of Intracoastal City to west of Morgan City, Louisiana. International Space Station Finds a Large Hurricane Astronaut Chris Cassidy aboard the International Space Station captured this photo of Hurricane Laura on Aug. 25, 2020 as it moved through the Gulf of Mexico and continued to strengthen. Laura is a large hurricane. On Aug. 26, hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 70 miles (110 km) from the center and tropical-storm- force winds extend outward up to 175 miles (280 km). NASA Sees Laura from One Million Miles Away NASA's EPIC Camera aboard NOAA's DSCOVR satellite in orbit one million miles from Earth, captured a full disk image of the Atlantic Ocean side of the globe. Hurricane Laura is seen moving through the Gulf of Mexico. Laura's Status on Aug. 26, 2020 at 7 a.m. EDT NOAA's National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported at 7 a.m. EDT, the eye of Hurricane Laura was located near latitude 26.4 degrees north and longitude 91.4 degrees west. The eye is about 280 miles (450 km) south-southeast of Lake Charles, Louisiana and about 290 miles (465 km) southeast of Galveston, Texas. Laura is moving toward the northwest near 15 mph (24 kph) and this general motion should continue today, followed by a north-northwestward motion tonight. Data from NOAA and Air Force Hurricane Hunter aircraft indicate that maximum sustained winds have increased to near 115 mph (185 kph) with higher gusts. Laura is a dangerous category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale, and is forecast to continue strengthening into a category 4 hurricane later today. Buoy 42395, located just east of Laura's eye, recently reported a sustained wind of 74 mph (119 km/h) and a wind gust of 107 mph (172 km/h) and a wave height of 37 feet (11 meters). The latest minimum central pressure estimated from NOAA and Air Force reconnaissance aircraft data is 963 millibars. Laura's Forecast from NHC The NHC warns that Laura may make landfall as a Category 4 hurricane and bring devastating effects. Heavy rain, dangerous storm surge, isolated tornadoes and hurricane-force sustained winds are expected. On the forecast track, Laura should approach the Upper Texas and southwest Louisiana coasts this evening and move inland near those areas tonight or Thursday morning. NASA Researches Earth from Space For more than five decades, NASA has used the vantage point of space to understand and explore our home planet, improve lives and safeguard our future. NASA brings together technology, science, and unique global Earth observations to provide societal benefits and strengthen our nation. Advancing knowledge of our home planet contributes directly to America's leadership in space and scientific exploration. ### For updated and detailed forecasts, visit: http://www. nhc. noaa. gov By Rob Gutro NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center This story has been published on: 2020-08-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Bollywood actress Rhea Chakraborty has opened up about the media trial and what happened before June 14, the day her alleged boyfriend actor Sushant Singh Rajput was found dead in his Bandra Apartment. In an interview with Aaj Tak, she started with, Sushant is not here to tell the truth. While talking about her average day in the current scenario, she said, I just want a normal day when I can spend a day with my family. When my loved ones are not targeted. But I will fight. She added, There is a conspiracy to break my spirit. Kangana is saying its a systematic breakdown of a fragile mind. What is happening with me then? Koi vish kanya bula deta hai, koi mujhe aukaat yaad dila deta hai, anything is happening. This is my life. When the interviewer Rajdeep Sardesai asked her what inspired her to do the interview, she said, Sushant came in my dreams. Though he has been coming in many peoples dreams even the ones who never knew him. He told me to talk about our relationship. She further said, We met at Yash Raj studios in 2013. My first film had already released and his film Kai Po Che was either released or was about to release. We had the same manager. We kept meeting at different award shows. I liked him and there was something different about him. We then met at Rohini Iyers party in April, 2013, and then it started. Sushant told me that he fell in love with me in one day but I had asked for 2-3 month time. I love you was such a big word and I didnt know that I would have to be punished like this for love. She added, I always wanted a chhota Sushant, same like him, and it was our running joke, something we used to discuss as a couple. He was the most honest human being I have ever met. Rhea revealed that Sushant wanted to shift to Coorg. By mid-May, Sushant was preparing to shift to Coorg and he was talking to his lawyer about it. He previously wanted to shift to Bir. He was not a big fan of the city life. Contrary to allegations, I was very supportive because long distance relationship works too. She also talked about the events on June 8, when she left Sushants house. Sometimes he was fine, sometimes he was sick. It was diagnosed as the bipolar disorder. Lately, he was up and down very frequently, and thus I contacted his psychiatrist on June 3 and asked Dr Kersi Chavda to talk to Sushant. He wanted me to shift somewhere also because my anxiety issues were also kicking in. I had a therapy session with Dr Susan Walker on June 8. I wanted to leave the place after the therapy session but he wanted me to go. He was constantly talking to his family members but there was no confirmation from their side. He wanted me to leave before his sister Meetu ji arrived. There was not a cordial relationship between his family and me. Now, its very apparent. San Francisco, Aug 27 : Amazon on Thursday opened a new grocery store in Los Angeles which enables customers to skip the checkout line, and also manage their shopping lists with new Alexa features. The e-commerce giant said that the "Amazon Fresh" grocery store is a new grocery store designed from the ground up to offer a seamless grocery shopping experience, whether customers are shopping in-store or online. The company said that the newly introduced Amazon Dash Cart will make shopping trips at the store quicker. Customers can simply place their bags in the cart, sign in using their Fresh QR code in the Amazon app, shop, and exit through the Dash Cart lane to automatically complete their payment. The cart uses a combination of computer vision algorithms and sensor fusion to identify items put in the cart. "I'm excited to announce that starting this week, we're opening our doors to a select group of invited customers in Woodland Hills, California, to shop the store before it opens widely to the public in the coming weeks," Jeff Helbling, Vice President, Amazon Fresh Stores, said in a statement. Amazon said that customers at the store will find everything one typically finds at a grocery store, including a wide assortment of national brands. Prime members will get free same-day delivery, Amazon said. Ahead of the GST Council meeting, the Bihar deputy CM said states have to be compensated to the tune of Rs 3.65 lakh crore in the current fiscal Patna: Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi on Wednesday said the central government is "morally bound" to compensate states for the revenue shortfall on account of low GST collections in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. He said the Centre should explore funding options to compensate the states. "It is the commitment of the central government to compensate the states for the shortfall in GST collections. Its true that it is legally not binding on the Centre, but morally, it is," Sushil Modi told PTI. He said the Union government could either borrow from the market or become guarantor on behalf of states so that they can take loans. The 41st meeting of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council is slated to be held on Thursday via video conferencing, and it has just one agenda for discussion - making up for shortfall in states' revenues, sources said. Sushil Modi said states have to be compensated to the tune of Rs 3.65 lakh crore in the current fiscal, out of which Bihar's share is around Rs 12,000 crore for 2020-21. Usually, states are paid from the 'Compensation Cess Fund' for the shortfall, but there is a small sum left in that fund now, he added. Earlier in the day, Congress president Sonia Gandhi said "refusal" by the Centre to pay GST compensation to the states is nothing short of a betrayal of the trust of the people of India. Success On The Way Ask Dr. Jeanette: Detangling The Past World View We can all learn something new and we can certainly learn from past experiences to help us for the future. This would hopefully give us a smoother, better outlook as we move through the day to day continuum of our lives. How can we unravel the past? Detangling what has happened is difficult, maybe impossible. What happens to those who make things more difficult, when if they would stop and consider carefully the matters, they would be better positioned to guide a brighter future. My thinking is really on this: the United States is moving into a new era. The country is divided. Some say this. Others say that. Where is agreement? How can two walk together and be in disagreement? Our country has multiple problems: pandemic COVID-19: huge problem. But, we had problems before coronavirus. Lets review some of the residuals of the COVID-19: death toll uncountable; (I know the news has been reporting deaths from coronavirus and sickness; expansive unemployment; close of businesses; loss of health; what places to bury the dead; people moving away; violence in the streets and no control; loneliness; school closures; mounting tensions everywhere; quick, unthoughtful decisions; hypertension; shutdown of factories; cant sit down and have a great dinner as comfortably as before; diminishing of everyday supplies, like toilet tissue and paper goods; mounting anger; global economy [effecting production, by creating supply chain and market disruption; emotional changes; social distancing (which could create problems of feeling isolated). We dont know future effects of COVID 19. Its kind of like slavery. Some people think that slavery should not be having effects on people about something that happened so long ago. But things dont work like that. People have memories from parents, grandparents of earlier times. Discrimination doesnt just happen and you say, Well it happened, so get over it. It just does not work like that. People suffer. Jobs are lost and not even created. Its a lot and more than what I can speak of here. The residuals are yet to be seen. And before you know it, something else may come upon us. Now that we have looked at some of the effects of coronavirus and a new President is coming in, what are we going to do to change and make things better for the people? What about the homeless? I do become and am concerned about the homeless. There has to be a better way, without having to be drawn into socialism. I believe we can work together to help homeless and unemployed. Large corporations could train people for jobs; teach them about interviewing; overcoming fear. I just believe homelessness and unemployment can be greatly diminished. I cannot imagine having to sleep outside in warm or cold weather, no home to go to; no place to take a bath or shower in the mornings, not knowing where your next meal will come from What about education and parents right to choose alternative education? Its difficult for parents to stay at home with distance learning. How about parents having to pay for child care? This is a lot to juggle. Anyway, lets put great thoughts to what are we going to do? Thanks for reading! Jeanette Grattan Parker, Founder-Superintendent Todays Fresh Start Charter School 323-293-9826::todaysfreshstart.org; [email protected] [email protected] (tm) Inquiring minds want to know. copyright. all rights reservedAskdrjeanetteparker.com (tm) [ref. DeLoitte Insights by Gopi Billa.Principal; Leader, global market sensing and scenario planning.Deloitte.Consulting LLP.[email protected]+1 212 436 3787 ADVERTISEMENT Lara Trump, daughter-in-law and campaign adviser for US President Donald Trump, pre-records her address - Chip Somodevilla/POOL/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Lara Trump, Donald Trump's daughter-in-law and a campaign adviser to the US president, praised him for appointing women and pushed his "law and order" policy in her address on Wednesday night. Lara, the wife of Mr Trump's middle son Eric, was the only family member to talk on the third night of the Republican convention. "It didnt surprise me when President Donald Trump appointed the most women to senior level positions of any administration in history," she said. "The Secretary of the United Nations, Secretary of the Air Force, the first female CIA Director, the first African American female director of the Fish and Wildlife service and countless ambassadors, just to name a few. "He didnt do these things to gain a vote or to check a box - he did them because they are the right things to do." She echoed her father-in-law's position on "law and order" and critcised the call to defund police by the "radical Left". "In recent months, we have seen weak, spineless politicians cede control of our great American cities to violent mobs," she said. "Defund the police is the rallying cry for the new, radical Democrat Party. Joe Biden will not do what it takes to maintain order. To keep our children safe in our neighborhoods and in their schools. To restore our American way of life." She also described the famous family as "down to earth" and played up her North Carolina roots. "Any preconceived notion I had of this family disappeared immediately," she said. "They were warm and caring, they were hard workers, and they were down to earth. They reminded me of my own family - they made me feel like I was home." Lara finished her address urging people to vote for Mr Trump, a "good man" who loves his family". "If youre watching tonight and wrestling with your vote on November 3rd, I implore you: tune out the distorted news and biased commentary and hear it straight from someone who knows," she said. "I wasnt born a Trump. Im from the South. I was raised a Carolina girl. I went to public schools and worked my way through a state university. "I learned that he is a good man. That he loves his family. That he didnt need this job." He will be replaced by U.S. General Manager Vanessa Pappas on an interim basis, TikTok said in a statement TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer has left the Chinese-owned video app firm just three months since joining, and only days since the company sued the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump over an executive order effectively banning it in the United States. He will be replaced by U.S. General Manager Vanessa Pappas on an interim basis, TikTok said in a statement. The resignation comes at a tricky time for super-fast growing TikTok as it tries to persuade both the United States and India that it is not a security threat, while at the same time holding discussions with prospective buyers following a second U.S. order demanding the sale of its U.S. operations. Mayer was Walt Disney Co's top streaming executive before becoming chief executive officer of TikTok and chief operating officer of parent ByteDance on June 1. "In recent weeks, as the political environment has sharply changed, I have done significant reflection on what the corporate structural changes will require, and what it means for the global role I signed up for," Mayer said in an letter to employees. "Against this backdrop, and as we expect to reach a resolution very soon, it is with a heavy heart that I wanted to let you all know that I have decided to leave the company." ByteDance founder and CEO Zhang Yiming said in a separate letter reviewed by Reuters that the company was "moving quickly to find resolutions to the issues that we face globally, particularly in the U.S. and India". He said Mayer had joined just as the company was "entering arguably our most challenging moment." "It is never easy to come into a leadership position in a company moving as quickly as we are, and the circumstances following his arrival made it all the more complex," Zhang said. LITTLE SURPRISE ByteDance employees told Reuters they were not surprised by Mayer's decision given TikTok's unpredictable future, and also because the ex-Disney executive has not had a significant role in some important decisions as he was still new to the team. Zhang has been the key person in TikTok sale talks, said two people with knowledge of the matter. But Mayer represented TikTok to discuss with senior executives of interested buyers just days ago, a third person said. TikTok's decision to launch a $200 million "creator fund" in July was spearheaded by TikTok's former head Alex Zhu, though Mayer was also directly involved, said two of the people. The project was initiated internally much earlier than Mayer's arrival, one of the people said. "The learning curve was steep for him, from daily operations to geopolitical implications," said one of the people. ByteDance did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment. "Whether TikTok reaches an agreement to sell its U.S. business or decides to duke it out in the courts, the role for Mayer will not be anything like that he had envisioned when he joined," said Mark Natkin, managing director of Marbridge Consulting in Beijing. Mayer's departure is not a great boost for company morale right now, Natkin said. His successor Pappas joined TikTok in January 2019 as U.S. general manager. She was previously global head of Creative Insights at Google's YouTube, her LinkedIn profile showed. U.S, INDIA CHALLENGES Amid growing distrust between Washington and Beijing, Trump complained that TikTok was a national security threat and could share information about users with China's government. Trump issued an executive order banning U.S. transactions with TikTok on Aug. 6, effective in mid-September. He issued a separate order about a week later giving ByteDance 90 days to divest of TikTok's U.S. operations and data. ByteDance has been in talks to sell TikTok's North American, Australian and New Zealand operations which could be worth $25 billion to $30 billion to companies including Microsoft Corp and Oracle Corp, people with knowledge of the matter have said. The company has also been targeted in India, where TikTok was one of 59 Chinese apps banned by the Indian government in June following a border clash between India and China. That month, Mayer wrote to India's government saying China's government has never requested user data, nor would TikTok turn it over if asked. TechCrunch reported earlier this month that ByteDance was in talks with India's Reliance for investment in TikTok. TikTok has become a global sensation since ByteDance launched the app in 2017, with operations in countries such as France, South Korea, Indonesia, Russia and Brazil. In April, the app hit 2 billion downloads globally. Search Keywords: Short link: CLEVELAND, Ohio Ohio reported another decline in the number of people filing for jobless benefits as many of those claimants await word on when they could receive additional financial assistance amid the coronavirus pandemic. Ohio reported 344,409 continued unemployment claims during the week ending Aug. 22, according to the latest data from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. Thats 15,166 fewer than the state reported last week. Continued unemployment claims represent anyone whos filed for benefits more than once, so the ODJFS has cited them as a sign of whether people are returning to work after coronavirus shutdowns. The state reported 18,988 initial jobless claims, which represent anyone filing for benefits for the first time. That total is 2,675 fewer than the state reported one week earlier. The states latest unemployment statistics come as many who are out of work in Ohio are waiting for updates on when they could receive an extra $300 in weekly unemployment benefits from the federal government. President Donald Trump announced the temporary assistance last month after negotiations over a relief package faltered in Congress. Word came Wednesday night that the federal government has approved Ohio to offer the extra $300 in weekly benefits. Checks are expected by mid-September and payments will be retroactive to Aug. 1, officials have said. The number of continued unemployment claims filed last week is approximately 44 percent of the record 776,302 that Ohio reported at the peak of the pandemic surge, during the week ending April 25. The state reported an average of roughly 70,000 continued jobless claims per week in February and early March, before Gov. Mike DeWine ordered businesses to close and issued a stay-at-home order to combat the coronavirus. Initial unemployment claims peaked at a state-record 272,188 during the week ending March 28. Last weeks total of 18,988 is less than 7 percent of that peak. Ohio has reported more than 1.6 million initial unemployment claims over the past 23 weeks, more than it reported over the last four years combined. The ODJFS has processed more than 94 percent of those claims, the agency said Thursday. The ODJFS has distributed more than $6.1 billion in unemployment benefits to more than 790,000 claimants during the pandemic. It has also issued more than $5.3 billion to more than 542,000 people through the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program, which the federal government set up for self-employed workers and independent contractors who do not qualify for traditional unemployment benefits. Read more from cleveland.com: Wheres my $300 extra for unemployment? How about my missing stimulus check? - Q&A with Thats Rich! Ohioans can now get 20 more weeks of unemployment benefits: What you need to know State of Ohio asks feds for more than $3 billion loan to fund unemployment claims Ohios unemployment rate improved in May but still remains near historic high FAQ: Everything you need to know about getting Ohio unemployment amid coronavirus outbreak COLUMBUS, OhioThe heads of three Ohio colleges and universities painted an overall rosy picture of the school year, telling Gov. Mike DeWine on Thursday that students returning to campus are excited and that the transition to online classes has generally been smooth. Students seem really happy, said University of Findlay President Katherine Fell during DeWines televised coronavirus briefing. I think with every week that passes, theyll be even happier. Theyre delighted that were not having to go home. At Cuyahoga Community College, where 80% of classes this school year are being taught remotely, school president Alex Johnson said both students and faculty did an admirable job quickly converting to remote instruction. The outcomes have been tremendous, he added, including increased graduation rates and increased graduation numbers. Each of the three schools has imposed anti-coronavirus rules for people on campus, including wearing face masks, limiting class sizes, and enforcing social distancing. Jim Tressel, the president of Youngstown State University, said some students are barbing each other on social media to take anti-coronavirus precautions. (Theyre) saying, Hey look, dont mess this up for us, he said. A little peer pressure always helps, DeWine responded jokingly. But the presidents outlined some concerns as well. Tressel indirectly referred to his university scolding students who attended a large party off campus earlier this month. Were all anxious because were social beings, you know, to be back together in groups, Tressel said. And we are preaching on every one of our campuses that we know how excited our students are to be here -- and in order to stay here, weve got to do a great job with that social distance. Tressel also acknowledged the sacrifices YSU employees have had to make, mentioning nearly $2 million worth of pay cuts and furloughs for university workers. Johnson said that even though students are really responding to our efforts, Tri-C still has gaps that need to be filled regarding providing broadband internet access, emergency funding, and other aid to economically disadvantaged students, students of color, and some high-school students who have not quite made up their minds about where they need to go. Tri-C, Johnson also said, is setting up additional training locations called access centers around Cuyahoga County, including one in the Slavic Village area and another in Euclid. Since the summer began, Johnson said no one has reported contracting COVID-19 at Tri-C. Fell said that at the University of Findlay, 163 people have been tested since spring, 15 of whom tested positive. Currently, five UF students on campus are in isolation and 10 others are in quarantine, she said. Tressel didnt provide statistics on the number of coronavirus cases at Youngstown State. K anye West has sued Ohios election chief in a bid to be placed on the US presidential ballot. The rap stars West's filing comes after Secretary of State Frank LaRose deemed him unqualified as an independent candidate. The election's chief rejected the nearly 15,000 signatures and other paperwork West submitted earlier this month in an attempt to run for president, citing mismatched information on documents. Attorneys for West's campaign in Ohio alleged it is Mr LaRose's duty to accept any petition for an independent candidate as long as there is no protest filed against the petition and it does not violate Ohio law. Ohio was one of a number of states that denied West's petition to appear on their ballot last week. On Friday, the state elections board in Illinois said West had not submitted enough petition signatures and would not be on the ballot. On Thursday, Wisconsin election officials decided to keep West off the battleground state's presidential ballot because his campaign turned in his nomination papers moments after the deadline, while officials in Montana also said he fell short of petitions. Earlier this month, West without explanation withdrew his petition to appear as a presidential candidate on New Jersey's ballot. He also missed deadlines or was rejected in numerous other states this summer, including California, Florida and Pennsylvania. West is currently on the ballot in states that include Arkansas, Colorado, Oklahoma, Utah and Vermont. The business mogul publicly supported Republican President Donald Trump before announcing his own presidential bid on July 4. Republican operatives in various key states have been helping West with his White House bid in what Democrats see as an effort to siphon votes away from Democratic nominee Joe Biden. While West has seen momentum in some states, it remains unclear what the status of his presidential campaign is less than three months from election day. Kardashian-West Family Album - In pictures 1 /32 Kardashian-West Family Album - In pictures Kim Kardashian West and Kanye West attend the Travis Scott Astroworld Tour 2018 Getty Images Kardashian West Christmas Card 2019 @kimkardashian Kim Kardashian and Kanye West Wedding E! Kim Kardashian seen with all her children, before getting Psalm, Chicago and Saint baptised in Armenia SplashNews.com Kim Kardashian shares her first photo of baby girl Chicago @kimkardashian The Kardashian-West's with Chicago, Saint and North @kimkardashian Kim Kardashian and North West seen leaving Electric Lady Studios Getty Images Kim Kardashian shares her first photo of Saint @kimkardashian Psalm West @kimkardashian Kim Kardashian West takes North and Saint West out for lunch in NYC SplashNews.com SplashNews.com Kim Kardashian and North lighting candles in Armenia @kimkardashian Kim Kardashian seen with all her children, before getting Psalm, Chicago and Saint baptised in Armenia SplashNews.com Chicago and Saint West in August 2018 @kimkardashian Kim Kardashian and son Saint West in 2018 @kimkardashian Kim Kardashian and daughter North West in 2017 Getty Images Kim Kardashian, Kanye West and Kris Jenner attend the Balmain show as part of the Paris Fashion Week Womenswear Fall/Winter 2015/2016 on March 5, 2015 in Paris, France Getty Images Kanye West with his daughter North in Bethlemhem being baptised in 2015 AFP/Getty Images Kim Kardashian arrives at the LACMA Art + Film Gala 2015 in Los Angeles, California Reuters Kim Kardashian, North West and Kanye West attend the Alexander Wang Fashion Show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall 2015 Getty Images Kanye West and Kim Kardashian kiss the 57th annual Grammy Awards in 2015 Getty Images Kim Kardashian and her rapper husband Kanye West with their daughter North West spotted in New York Rex Features Kim Kardashian and Kanye West watch the Los Angeles Lakers in 2012 Getty Images Kim Kardashian and Kanye West kissing at their wedding in Florence, Italy E! News His wife, Kim Kardashian West, asked for the public's empathy and said West is bipolar after he delivered a controversial address at his campaign introduction speech in South Carolina last month During the address he proposed a one million dollar payout to mothers and decried Harriet Tubman for her work on the Underground Railroad. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has congratulated Zbigniew Rau on his appointment as new Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland and invited him to visit Ukraine. The two ministers had a phone conversation on August 26, the Foreign Ministrys press service reported. Kuleba assured his Polish counterpart of his readiness to develop relations between Ukraine and Poland. In addition, the ministers reaffirmed the importance of the Lublin Triangle platform, consisting of Ukraine, Poland and Lithuania, and its strengthening as an important regional format of interaction. The interlocutors agreed on further contacts and cooperation. Kuleba invited his Polish counterpart to pay a visit to Ukraine. In turn, the new Polish foreign minister expressed his conviction in further fruitful cooperation for the successful development of Ukrainian-Polish relations. He stressed that the talk with his Ukrainian counterpart was one of his first phone conversations, which testifies to the importance of relations between the two states. As reported, on August 20, Polish President Andrzej Duda appointed Chairman of the Sejm Foreign Affairs Committee Zbigniew Rau as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland. ish The Netflix series showing China's nine-dash line violating Vietnam's sovereignty has been opposed by the Vietnamese people in general and the Cinema Department in particular. Vi Kien Thanh, director of the Cinema Department, made the remarks Tuesday, after learning "Put Your Head On My Shoulder", a Chinese series streaming on Netflix, includes a scene featuring the nine-dash line in its ninth episode, when a female character reads out a weather forecast on TV. Many Vietnamese netizens have expressed their anger over the issue. "I will boycott this series," a user commented in a Facebook group of youngsters with more than 390,000 members. According to Thanh, since the series is streaming online, the department cannot control or censor its content. A screenshot of "Put Your Head On My Shoulder" on Netflix. The Ministry of Information and Communications Department of Broadcasting, Television and Electronic Information also said it would work with the streaming platform to tackle the issue. The department in July sent a document to Netflix requesting it to comply with Vietnamese law as to broadcasting television services in the country. Previously, Netflix also caused community backlash after the ancient town of Hoi An was dubbed a Chinese landmark in American series "Madam Secretary". Last year, Hollywood animation "Abominable" was removed from Vietnamese cinemas after viewers spotted Chinas nine-dash line representing Chinas fraudulent East Sea claim in flagrant violation of Vietnamese sovereignty over it waters. The nine-dash line, claiming 90 percent of the 3.5-million-square-kilometer East Sea, known internationally as the South China Sea, has met strong opposition from the international community. "Put Your Head On My Shoulder" was aired in 2019 before hitting the international streaming platform. Turkey on Thursday blamed France for escalating tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean, the Associated Press reported. The accusation of Turkey sounded amid the upcoming meeting of the EU FMs in Berlin to dissuade Greece and Turkey from the looming conflict related to the illegal production of gas by Turkey. In particular, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar sharply commented on the forthcoming participation of France in joint military drills with Italy, Greece, and Cyprus, saying that Ankara would not be restrained by a demonstration of military force. To believe that it would be possible to thwart the Turkish Armed Forces operations with exercises and similar activities is nothing more than a pipe dream, Akar said in an interview with state-run Anadolu Agency. Germany has taken up shuttle diplomacy between Athens and Ankara to ease tensions. In turn, US President Donald Trump on Wednesday held separate phone calls with the leaders of Greece and Turkey. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said that he maintains constant contact with Greece and Turkey. Plattsburgh, N.Y. SUNY Plattsburgh officials suspended 43 students Wednesday after a party on Lake Champlain, becoming the latest school to clamp down on students violating rules designed to limit the spread of the coronavirus. College officials said the students violated campus health and safety policies when they gathered at the closed Sailor's Beach park in Plattsburgh on Friday. Police said students failed to socially distance and very few, if any, wore face coverings. Under the suspensions, the students are required to leave their residence halls rooms and will not be permitted on campus until further notice. They cannot attend class or go to campus facilities. The state college near the Canadian border called them interim suspensions, saying there will be a separate campus judicial process to determine the future status of the students. Campus and the wider Plattsburgh communitys health and safety is our highest priority, said President Alex Enyedi, who imposed the suspensions. Actions have consequences, and this demonstrates we mean what we say. Marist College recently suspended 15 students who attended an off-campus party and did not follow coronavirus precautions. Syracuse University last week suspended 23 students following a large on-campus gathering. MORE ON CORONAVIRUS: Coronavirus update: 19 new cases in Onondaga County Health officials warn of potential coronavirus exposure at Skaneateles pub Upstate NY casino workers plan more rallies to protest continued shutdown Airlines began using the Max in 2017. There were nearly 400 in service when the planes were grounded after a 2018 crash in Indonesia and a 2019 crash in Ethiopia. Investigators have pointed to the role played by flight-control software called MCAS that pushed the noses of the planes down based on faulty sensor readings. Subscriber content preview [enlarge] Plymouth will partner with Inland Group on 81 units planned on the Corrys dry cleaning corner in Ballard. Plymouth Housing announced the recent completion of its $59.1 million PROOF campaign, which along with other funding sources will help build 600 new affordable units by 2023. Paula Rosput Reynolds and Matt Griffin led the campaign. Donors included Providence St. Joseph Health, Swedish Health Services, Microsoft, Connie and Steve Ballmer and Amazon. Plymouth CEO Paul Lambros said in a statement, The PROOF campaign has shown when we work together, we are in a stronger position to meet the needs of the most vulnerable in our community. We close the campaign with one project completed and five actively underway. The 102-unit Bob and Marcia Almquist Place recently opened in Little Saigon. The 91-unit 2nd & Mercer, near Seattle Center, is under construction. Expected to break ground soon is the 17-story, 365-unit 1400 Madison St. venture with Bellwether Housing. Plymouth and St. Francis House are planning to redevelop the latter's property near Yesler Terrace with 103 units. Plymouth will partner with Inland Group on 81 units planned on the Corry's dry cleaning corner in Ballard. And, with Eastside nonprofit Congregations for the Homeless, it has early plans at an unspecified site in Bellevue. . . . PUNE: A case has been registered against 54 people living near the blue line of Pawana river for dumping debris and waste. The booked people are mainly residents living near the blue line in Kasarwadi area of Pimpri-Chinchwad, according to the police. They are small-time farmers living nearby. It is not a major encroachment as we see it. It is the job of municipal corporation, but since they have lodged a complaint, we have registered a case. A panchnama will be conducted and due process will be followed, said senior inspector Shankar Awtade of Bhosari police station. The complaint was lodged by Rajendra Vasantrao Dumbre, deputy engineer in the building permission department at Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC). They had been served with notices in the past. As the PCMC noticed that the debris is still there, they lodged a complaint and a case was registered. After the notice served months ago, PCMC officials realised that they had not moved the debris, said sub-inspector Bhimsen Shikhare of Bhosari police station who is investigating the case. There are several spots along the Pawana as well as the Mula-Mutha rivers that run through the city. The issue of debris dumping must be discussed in the light of flash floods and intense rainfall in the city in the past few years. Satellite images could be a solution to finding these spots in an efficient manner, according to Sarang Yadwadkar, architect and environment activist from Pune. One can use Google Earth and go back on the timeline and then check for spots to find out where debris has been dumped and where new constructions have cropped up. It can be compared with images from different points in the timeline. The issue, however, with Google Earth is that it is two dimensional. I have presented such images before court as well (for Mula-Mutha river bed). In fact, the state government had come up with a notification to have high resolution satellite images taken in city as well as river bed. But no corporation has followed the notification, said Yadwadkar. A case under Section 53 of Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning Act, 1966 along with Sections 260, 261, 267 and 472 of Maharashtra Municipal Corporation Act, 1949 was registered at Bhosari police station against the offenders. Chinese Vice Premier Sun Chunlan attends the opening ceremony of China and Russia's Year of Scientific and Technological Innovation via video link on Aug. 26, 2020. China and Russia launched their Year of Scientific and Technological Innovation on Wednesday. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova also attended the opening ceremony via video link. (Xinhua/Yue Yuewei) BEIJING, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- China and Russia launched their Year of Scientific and Technological Innovation on Wednesday. Chinese Vice Premier Sun Chunlan and Russian Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova attended the opening ceremony via video link. With concerted efforts from both China and Russia, the number of activities scheduled to be held under the Year of Scientific and Technological Innovation has exceeded 1,000, which showed the huge potential of the two sides' cooperation on scientific and technological innovation, Sun noted. Sun called for better cultivation of strategic flagship projects, the utilization of joint labs and research centers, exchanges of personnel, and coordination in entrepreneurship and investment, so as to intensify the two countries' comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era. Golikova said Russia and China, both as major countries in science and technology, would benefit from innovation cooperation. The Year of Scientific and Technological Innovation is expected to help better align the Eurasian Economic Union with the Belt and Road construction, and promote bilateral ties, Golikova said. Amritsar: A team of 10 Pakistani engineers will cross over to India at 11am on Thursday to meet officials of the Border Security Force (BSF), National Highway of India (NHAI) and Land Port Authority of India (LPAI) at Dera Baba Nanak town of Gurdaspur district and discuss the construction of a bridge in the Kartarpur Corridor. According to official sources, the engineers will discuss the construction of a bridge on a low-lying stretch near the border on the Pakistan side. They will also conduct a survey of the portion of the bridge built on the Indian side. The standard operating procedure (SOP) on preventive measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus will be observed during the meeting, a senior BSF official said. BRIDGE AND SHARE OF CONSTRUCTION The 420-metre bridge was to be constructed under the Kartarpur Corridor project last year. India built the 100-metre stretch of the bridge in its territory before the corridors inauguration last year. Pakistan had expressed its inability to construct the 320-metre portion in the stipulated time but promised to complete the construction in the coming days. The construction of bridge was necessitated as the low-lying area of the border gets inundated when the Ravi river is in spate every year. Pakistan had built a causeway on the low-lying stretch as a temporary measure. FIRST MEETING SINCE COVID OUTBREAK This is the first meeting between officials of India and Pakistan since the borders were closed due to the Covid-19 outbreak in March. India temporarily suspended the pilgrimage and registration for the Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara in Pakistan on March 16 in view of the pandemic. Pakistan also closed the corridor after Indias decision. On June 29, Pakistan announced it has reopened the corridor for pilgrims from India. Amid rising Covid cases, the Indian government is yet to decide on the matter. On Wednesday, the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC) urged the Indian government to reopen the Kartarpur Corridor for Sikh devotees on the occasion of Guru Nanaks Joti Jot Diwas, the day of immersion in eternal light, on September 20. The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has seized 11,785,800 tramadol tablets in Lagos. They were packed in a total of 607 cartons. Head of Public Affairs, Jonah Achema, made the announcement in a statement on Wednesday. It quoted the Chairman, Muhammad Abdallah, as saying the interception was with the assistance and cooperation of the Customs Area Command, Apapa. This was discovered in another container number TCNU 9465832 belonging to the same suspect transferred to NDLEA by the Police. This is making it 3 containers used to carefully conceal illegally imported tramadol and other medicines to Nigeria, he said. He said recent discovery of more tramadol using the same route from Pakistan Asia Hamburg, Europe Nigeria showed the system of operation by the drug cartel to beat security operatives. NAN reports that Police detectives in Apapa Area Command intercepted a 40-foot container laden with drugs suspected to be tramadol and codeine on August 6. During investigation, another 40 foot container discovered had 255 cartons of different types of tramadol and other banned medicines on August 19. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates At a news conference Wednesday in Berlin, Health Minister Jens Spahn said during recent weeks -- the peak vacation season, when many citizens traveled abroad -- Germany nearly doubled its tests to 900,000 per week at airports, train stations and road stops. The German health ministry announced Wednesday the country will end its mandatory virus testing for travelers returning from foreign risk areas and focus its testing strategy on people with symptoms or possible exposure to COVID-19 instead. The new measures mean that instead of mandatory tests, travelers returning to Germany will need to go into quarantine. Spahn told reporters as the vacation period ends and people are traveling less, the risk would go down again. He said the government will resume testing people with symptoms and with contact to COVID-19 patients after the end of the travel season in September. The free tests were introduced in the first week of August after new coronavirus cases passed the 1,000-a-day threshold for the first time since May, fueling fears of a return to lockdowns. Some health professionals felt the tests were ineffective as some travelers, who had tested negative at airports, produced positive results several days later. There have also been staff and equipment shortages. More decisions regarding testing strategy are expected after Chancellor Angela Merkel meets with the country's state governors Thursday. FILE PHOTO: The company logo of the Didi ride-hailing app on a car door at the IEEV New Energy Vehicles Exhibition in Beijing BEIJING (Reuters) - Local city regulators in China have asked Didi Chuxing to suspend its new standalone ride-hailing service, citing a lack of operating licenses for the platform in their regions. Didi, China's biggest ride-hailing company and backed by Japan's SoftBank, in July launched a new service named "Huaxiaozhu" that targets younger customers and offers cheaper rides compared to its main app. The eastern city of Hefei said on Wednesday on its website it has asked Huaxiaozhu to stop operating in the city as it did not obtain all the required licenses to offer ride hailing service. In coastal Tianjin city, transport regulators in July said in a social media post on their official Weibo account that Huaxiaozhu should suspend service, until they update the business status and connect its data with the regulator. Transportation officials in eastern Nanjing city told local television this week they found several drivers who worked for Huaxiaozhu platform operated without a license and some cars failed to meet requirements for ride hailing service. In Qingdao, transportation regulator said in a Weibo post it would fine Huaxiaozhu platform as it does not have a license for ride hailing service in the seaside city. Nanjing and Qingdao authorities did not say whether they would shut down the service in their cities. China is home to the world's largest ride-hailing market and authorities are developing rules to regulate the industry. Authorities suspended Didi's hitch carpooling service in 2018 following the murder of a female passenger by her Didi driver. Didi later rolled out new improved safety rules and relaunched the service. In a statement, Didi said it will continue to work closely with authorities, and provide safe and affordable services to users. Didi launched new delivery and logistics services this year in an expansion of its operations in China with its CEO Cheng Wei setting a goal of completing 100 million orders a day and reaching 800 million monthly active users globally by 2022. Outside of China, Didi also operates ride hailing services in places like JapanAustralia, Russia and several South American countries. Its daily global orders reached 50 million trips a day for the first time on Aug. 26. (Reporting by Yilei Sun and Brenda Goh; Editing by Shri Navaratnam) Canadian Startup Joins Prestigious Silicon Valley Accelerator TORONTO, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - Toronto-based OpenUnit today announced it has raised $150,000 in pre-seed funding from US accelerator Y Combinator. The company is one of a few Canadian startups to receive funding from the high-profile accelerator. OpenUnit joined its Winter 2020 (W20) batch and received mentorship in California at the beginning of the year. Silicon Valley-based Y Combinator has been the seed accelerator for household names including Airbnb, DoorDash, Instacart and Stripe, among others. Joining Y Combinator is a big step in helping OpenUnit launch its products into the $40B self-storage market. Being a Y Combinator alum is a mark of distinction for any high-growth company. Participating in the program exposed OpenUnit co-founders Taylor Cooney and Lucas Playford to the expertise of Silicon Valley and helped their team to further develop its products. "Y Combinator presented a significant opportunity for OpenUnit to connect with top early-stage investors and mentors while accelerating the development of the company," said Taylor. The financing is helping build OpenUnit's web-based platform, which is the first free management solution for self-storage facilities. With this capital, OpenUnit will be launching their management software and payments offerings, while also expanding its services directly by way of a marketplace that provides listings for self-storage units. By offering facilities modern tools to manage transactions, connect teams, and power customer experience, OpenUnit's free-to-use pricing model is unique in the $40B self-storage industry and challenging the status quo of incumbent software providers. OpenUnit generates revenues primarily from payment processing fees via its merchant solution, OpenUnit Payments, enabling the company to offer the fully featured management suite at no additional monthly cost. OpenUnit Payments is a fully integrated payment processing solution that allows merchants to accept credit cards at attractive rates alongside a mobile point-of-sale product that's designed to accept payments in-person at self-storage facilities. "We can solve a lot of problems for self-storage facilities and take care of many things that banks and other vendors do not," said Lucas Playford, co-founder and COO of OpenUnit. "74% of self-storage facilities are small and self-reliant, and current solutions are overkill for these kinds of facilities. While OpenUnit fulfills the needs of the long-tail of the industry, it is also a great fit for facilities and teams of every size. There are no setup fees. No monthly fees. Processing rates are fixed, and transparent bringing cost certainty for facilities." The company was self-funded until it raised this investment from Y Combinator and the backing of Y Combinator provides OpenUnit more than funding, "The validation from Y Combinator really speaks to how attractive the market is and gives us the confidence to continue moving forward", said Taylor. "Y Combinator looks for disruptive opportunities and this signals to us that we are on the right path." The company will likely look for more money to scale up growth of its management platform. "It will definitely be within the next year. Probably before Winter, maybe even in the next two to three months," said Lucas. For more information about OpenUnit, visit www.openunit.com. SOURCE OpenUnit Related Links https://www.openunit.com The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to restrain Patanjali Ayurved from using the trademark Coronil for its immunity-boosting products released and sold during Covid-19 pandemic. The case pertained to a trademark dispute, not related to the merits of branding or the efficacy of the formulation of products marketed under the brand name Coronil. A bench headed by Chief Justice of India, SA Bobde declined to interfere with an interim order passed by a division bench of Madras High Court which had, on August 14, granted relief to Patanjali by staying an earlier order of a single judge of the high court. The single judge had, on August 6, restrained Patanjali from using the trademark Coronil and also slapped a fine of Rs 10 lakh on it in a trademark infringement suit filed by a private firm, Arudra Engineers Private Limited. In these Covid times, if we prevent the use of word Coronil, it will be terrible for the product (of Patanjali), CJI Bobde remarked when the appeal filed by Arudra challenging the interim order of division bench came up for hearing on Thursday. Also read: Patanjali will step in if no other Indian company bids for IPL title, says Ramdev The top court dismissed Arudras plea and asked the firm to pursue the matter before the division bench of the high court. The division bench is slated to hear the matter in September. Arudra has claimed that the trademark Coronil is owned by them since 1993 for its product used for industrial cleaning and chemical preparations. The single judge, while allowing Arudras plea, had noted that Patanjali exploited the publics fear and panic by projecting and advertising its Coronil products as a cure for Covid-19. The defendants (Patanjali) have repeatedly projected that they are a 10,000 crores company. However, they are still chasing further profits by exploiting the fear and panic among the general public by projecting a cure for the coronavirus, when actually their Coronil Tablet is not a cure but rather an immunity booster for cough, cold and fever, the single judge had noted while imposing fine of Rs. 10 lakh. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Gov. John Bel Edwards speaks during the first ofhis two Sunday media briefings about the state's activity related to Hurricane Marco and Tropical Storm Laura, Aug. 23, 2020 in the Emergency Operations Center at the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness. Both storms are forecast to impact Louisiana next week as hurricanes, in a rare 'one-two punch.' We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form A study recently unveiled by First Book highlights the educational crisis intensified by COVID-19. According to the study, there are two key factors contributing to this educational crisis: the mental/social-emotional health of kids and families and a widening digital divide making the need for resources even more critical. "As a country, we're facing multiple and interlocking crises in educational equity. The first is a crisis of digital access. According to our study, more than 40% of kids in need face 'back to school' without access to the internet or devices, essentially locking them out of learning. In addition, our study indicates that 91% of their educators have cited the mental health of their students as a top concern," said Kyle Zimmer, President, CEO and Co-founder of First Book. "In addition, issues of racial equity also permeate our schools. First Book has stepped up to provide resources and expertise to directly address these barriers so children in need are ready to learn whether that's in the classroom or from their homes." Responding directly to the concerns and needs expressed by the First Book Network, the organization and its partners have deployed a battery of resources and programming via its back-to-school microsite. Managing Mental Health: Addressing Grief, Trauma and Social & Emotional Learning From basic unmet human needs like food and clean clothes to trauma intensified by the isolation and added stress resulting from COVID-19, kids are living and learning without the added support and normalcy that schools provide. Educators are deeply concerned about their ability to address these issues without support. In response, First Book offered a free webcast and Q&A for educators on August 11 to discuss tangible ways to support grieving children. Presented by First Book partner, the New York Life Foundation, the webcast featured Dr. David Schonfeld, a leading developmental-behavioral pediatrician and founder of the National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement. In addition, First Book offers a range of tools and resources to help educators and programs support Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) skills development and address trauma including a Trauma Toolkit, the Promoting Respect and Empathy Toolkit and the Grief, Loss and Healing Toolkit. Bridging the Digital Divide First Book's survey of educators also revealed that 40% of children in need in the U.S. do not have reliable internet and almost 40% are without access to functioning devices. As kids head back to school with a majority facing distance learning or a hybrid approach what was an existing crisis in education for children in poverty has now been exacerbated as millions of students do not have access to enable virtual learning. These children are isolated without educational support and are falling further behind. To take a step toward addressing the digital divide that is crippling our nation's educational system, First Book worked with Intel, CDW-G and the LEGO Foundation to provide a comprehensive package of distance learning resources to 45 school districts in need across the country. Creating Learning Connections provides learning solutions designed to fuel education during this critical time by supporting thousands of students and families in Title I schools impacted by the pandemic. Students will receive critical at-home and inthe-classroom learning resources, including internet connectivity, technology devices and hands-on STEAM learning solutions. Addressing Race, Representation & Inclusivity In a 2019 survey of educators registered with First Book, 66% said they would like to engage their students more proactively in conversations about race. Based on these findings, First Book partnered with Pizza Hut to compile a series of resources informed by leading anti-bias, antiracist experts Britt Hawthorne, Tiffany Jewell, Liz Kleinrock, Cornelius Minor, Catherine Wigginton Greene, and Christine Platt to provide educators with guidance on engaging in these conversations. Empowering Educators includes an introductory guidebook on antiracist pedagogy, an instructional video series, and other forthcoming educational resources. Developed for K-12 educators, the collection includes suggested books and activities to use with children at various ages, and features guidance on conversation modeling as well as answers to some of the most asked questions received in First Book's 2019 survey. Empowering Educators resources can also be used by organizations, community action agencies, and families looking to build their understanding and awareness around creating equity in education. The series was launched with a webinar attended by nearly 7,000 educators, Empowering Educators: A Convening on Racial Equity in Education, was a collaboration between First Book, Pizza Hut, and American University's Antiracist Research and Policy Center, and featured the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature and award-winning author Jason Reynolds, award-winning teacher Liz Kleinrock, and Christine Platt, Cheryl Holcomb-McCoy and Amanda Taylor of American University. This inspiring conversation provided actionable input for educators as well as expert guidance on teaching humanity and the importance of antiracist teaching. As a companion to the Empowering Educators Collection, Pizza Hut and First Book have selected five of the most popular diverse titles on the First Book Marketplace and re-issued them in first-ever, affordable paperback editions. The soon-to-be-released paperbacks are warm, affirming picture books that explore meaningful elements of identity that will be relatable to all readers. Pizza Hut selected these titles from First Book's Stories for All Project, which curates new, relevant, high-quality books representing diverse characters, voices, and life circumstances and makes them available and affordable to educators who support kids in need. Teaching About Diversity in STEM/STEAM Educators are looking to broaden the scope of their curriculum to be more inclusive, providing diverse viewpoints for all students and to ensure that all students can see themselves in STEM careers. In response, First Book and the Aerospace Industries Association launched an online Diversity in STEM Calendar, to celebrate culture, diversity and inclusion throughout the school year. The August 2020 July 2021 calendar features month-long observances, religious holidays, and dates with cultural, historic or inclusive significance in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math. To foster budding scientists of all kinds, the calendar also features easy science experiments that can be conducted in classes, community programs or at home. The calendar adds to the existing STEM/STEAM resources already available on the First Book Marketplace under the Books and Activities categories. Educators, parents-as-educators and others looking for ways to engage and support conversations around culture, diversity and future careers in STEM can download the free Diversity in STEM Calendar here. METHODOLOGY This study was designed by First Book Research & Insights and polled 2,623 educators. Participants from this study were registered First Book members, who work in Title I or Title I eligible classrooms or programs in which at least 70 percent of the children served come from low-income families. The survey, fielded from April 28 - May 5, 2020, polled the First Book Network, the largest network of professionals more than 475,000 working with kids in need to remove barriers to quality education. The survey was underwritten by the Intel Corporation. To view the full survey results, visit FirstBook.org/COVIDResearch. ABOUT FIRST BOOK Founded in Washington, D.C., in 1992 as a 501(c)3 nonprofit social enterprise, First Book is a leader in the educational equity field. Over its 28-year history, First Book has distributed more than 200 million books and educational resources, with a retail value of more than $2 billion. First Book believes education offers children in need the best path out of poverty. First Book breaks down barriers to quality education by providing its Network of more than 475,000 registered teachers, librarians, after school program leaders, and others serving children in need with millions of free and affordable new, high-quality books, educational resources, and basic needs items through the award-winning First Book Marketplace nonprofit eCommerce site. The First Book Network comprises the largest and fastest-growing community of formal and informal educators serving children in need. First Book also expands the breadth and depth of the education field through a family of social enterprises, including First Book Research & Insights, its proprietary research initiative, and the First Book Accelerator, which brings best-in-class research to the classroom via relevant, usable educator resources. First Book Impact Funds target support to areas of need, such as rural communities or increasing diversity in children's books. For more information, visit firstbook.org or follow the latest news on Facebook and Twitter. Contact: Melissa Vigue, [email protected], 914.527.0322 SOURCE First Book Related Links http://www.firstbook.org A Black man who participated in a sit-in at the Woolworth lunch counter in 1960 in Greensboro, North Carolina spoke on night three of the Republican convention Wednesday and urged Americans to support President Donald Trump. Clarence Henderson, a civil rights activist from the 1960s, used his remarks to discuss peaceful protests and the president's record of trying to help Black Americans. "Donald Trump is not a politician, he's a leader," Henderson said. "Politicians are a dime a dozen, leaders are priceless." "His policies show his heart," Henderson said. "He has done more for black Americans in four years than Joe Biden has done in 50. Panaji, Aug 27 : In a joint operation by the Goa and Karnataka authorities, two persons were arrested by the Crime Branch in connection with smuggling of hippopotamus teeth and passing them off as elephant tusks. The two persons Vishnu Harmalkar (24) and Anil Parsekar (30) both from Goa, were arrested on Thursday, Superintendent of Police (Crime Branch) Shobhit Saxena told reporters here. "Vishnu had procured the contraband and had paid Anil money to transport it across the border in Karnataka," the official said. The duo were on the radar of the Goa and Karnataka Forest Departments for the alleged smuggling of hippopotamus teeth and tusks, a racket which had been busted in Karnataka's Shivamogga district on August 25. Nine hippo teeth had been seized in the raid by the Karnataka Forest Department, which had also resulted in the arrest of three other persons, who were passing them off to buyers as elephant tusks. Egypt's New Cairo Misdemeanour Court on Thursday upheld a one-year suspended sentence for the former head of the countrys Central Auditing Organisation (CAO), Hisham Geneina, in addition to fining him EGP 20,000 on charges of spreading false information against the state. Geneina was sacked in as top auditor of the country's main anti-corruption agency in 2016 after he made statements to the media saying that widespread graft had cost Egypt EGP 600 billion in the period from 2012 to 2015. The state security prosecution said previously that Geneinas claims about government corruption were inaccurate. In addition, a statement issued by the general prosecutors office said that Geneinas statements exaggerated the amount of corruption, claiming that the former auditor stated during investigations that those numbers included other years as well, and other reasons than just corruption. In July 2016, Geneina was convicted in a lower court and given a one-year prison sentence, suspended by a EGP 10,000 bail payment, and a EGP20,000 fine. The former chief auditor challenged the ruling and in December 2016 the New Cairo Misdemeanour Appeal Court gave him a suspended one-year sentence. Following the acceptance of the appeal for a retrial, the case was referred to the New Cairo Misdemeanour Court, which started its first session in July of this year. After three sessions it issued a ruling upholding the one-year suspended sentence on Thursday. Geneina is currently serving a five-year sentence on a separate conviction in a military court in 2018. The military prosecution charged him with "offensive statements towards the state" following his claims during an interview with the HuffPost Arabi news website that former military chief Sami Anan possessed documents containing state secrets and evidence relating to major events since 2011. Geneina was a leading figure in Anan's short-lived 2018 presidential campaign, before Anan was barred from running in the elections by the National Elections Authority for not obtaining the approval of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces as an active member of the military. In April 2018, an Egyptian military court sentenced him to five years in prison for spreading false news about the armed forces and the country's internal affairs. The verdict was upheld by the military appeals court in March 2019. Search Keywords: Short link: BAKU, Azerbaijan, Aug.26 By Rufiz Hafizoglu Trend: Carpet exports from Turkey to Azerbaijan decreased by 22.7 percent in the period from January through July 2020, compared to the same period in 2019, and amounted to $2.6 million, Turkish Ministry of Commerce told Trend on August 26 In July 2020, carpet exports from Turkey to Azerbaijan decreased by 90.5 percent compared to July 2019 and amounted to $60,000. In the period from January through July 2020, carpet exports from Turkey to worldwide market decreased by 7.3 percent compared to the same period of 2019 and amounted to $1.2 billion. Carpet export accounts for 1.4 percent of the country's total exports for the mentioned period. In July 2020, Turkey exported $249 million worth of carpets to world markets, which is 12 percent more than in the same month in 2019. Carpets exports in July 2020 accounted for 1.7 percent of the country's total exports. For the last 12 months (July 2019 - July 2020) Turkey exported carpets worth $2.4 billion. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 19:54:22|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close DAMASCUS, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- The Turkey-backed rebels sent reinforcements to frontline areas in the countryside of Syria's Idlib Province over the past few days, a war monitor said Thursday. The rebels' move coincided with arrival of the military backup of the Syrian army in the same region, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The situation in southern Idlib has been tense over the past few weeks with shelling and clashes between the rebels and the Syrian army. The Observatory said the clashes continued on Thursday in areas in southern Idlib. Four Syrian soldiers were wounded when the rebels fired a missile overnight on Syrian military positions, it added. In parallel with the clashes, the Turkish forces sent 20 new military vehicles after mid-night to Turkish observation points in Idlib. The observation points were set up to monitor a cease-fire that was brokered by Turkey and Russia and went into force in March. Enditem Thailand's prime minister on Wednesday described the country's future as dire if escalating political tensions over demands by pro-democracy demonstrators for his government to resign aren't resolved. Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said political polarisation due to the growing protests could destroy the nation. If each side insists on defeating the other politically, our country will collapse, he told reporters. If that happens, just wait and see, everyone will live on a fiery land, consumed by flames. If that happens I am at a loss for what to do. The student-led protests in many schools across have been non-violent. Leading activists have been arrested on the serious charge of sedition, but courts so far have allowed their release on bail and authorities have made little serious effort to ban demonstrations. Prayuth faces threats by the demonstrators to escalate their campaign, as well as pressure from conservative groups that oppose the protesters, especially when some extend their criticism to the monarchy, a sacrosanct institution protected by law. He also is under pressure in Parliament, where a major coalition partner opposes military plans to include funding for two submarines in the new national budget. Prayuth has framed the problem as one of contending political viewpoints rather than singling out the student protesters for blame. However, he professed a similar position as army commander in 2014 of seeking to restore calm during more serious political confrontations, but then led a coup that favored the interests of royalist conservatives over pro-democracy forces. Prayuth served as prime minister in the post-coup military regime and returned as prime minister after a general election last year. Laws guiding the election were widely seen as so heavily rigged in Prayuth's favor that victory was all but guaranteed, which is why protesters seek new polls. They also want the army-installed constitution to be amended and harassment of government critics to cease. Police on Wednesday continued their crackdown on the protest movement, arresting two more activists on charges of sedition and several other offenses. Those arrested Tattep Ruangprapaikitseree and James Panumas Singprom are members of the Free Youth movement, a key part of the growing pro-democracy protest coalition. A total of 13 activists have now been charged in connection with the recent protests. All including the two arrested Wednesday have been released on bail. The arrests have done little to deter the activists. They have declared they will hold a major protest in September if their demands are not met. (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.) JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. You should upgrade or use an You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.You should upgrade or use an alternative browser Fire season has arrived in Northern California, bringing with it a deadly combination of heat, smoke and flames that can affect not only people but their pets. When we have poor air quality, our animals breathe in the same air, said Dr. Wailani Sung, a veterinary behaviorist at the San Francisco SPCA. We need to be concerned about their response, too. Pets are just as vulnerable to the hazards of wildfires as their owners from burns and smoke inhalation to secondary complications from evacuations. But there are ways to mitigate those risks, experts say, and it begins with a little bit of preparation. Here are a few things that can keep pets safe during wildfire season. Avoid exposure to smoke If there is an air quality advisory, it applies to animals, too. Keep pets indoors as much as possible, the experts advise, except for letting dogs outside for brief bathroom breaks. Take extra measures to protect older, more vulnerable pets especially those with heart and lung issues. We know people with breathing difficulties may be a lot more sensitive to the smoke than people without respiratory issues. Dogs and cats are the same way, Sung said. Sometimes they may not express difficulties until theyre pretty severely affected. She advised owners to watch for signs of smoke inhalation, such as difficulty breathing, eye irritation, nasal discharge, prolonged periods of panting, fatigue or disorientation. Limit outings Taking dogs out for a long walk, or letting them play in the park, is not advisable if the smell of smoke is in the air. Avoid any activities that get dogs hearts pumping or causes them to pant. You dont want them to suck in the air so much because the air quality is so poor, Sung said. She advised taking short walks long enough for pets to do their business and then keeping them engaged with sensory activities indoors. These can include anything from delivering their meals in puzzle feeders to using wild animal scent markers on toys and playing hide-and-seek with them. Prepare an emergency kit Pack a plastic tub with at least two weeks worth of pet food and essential supplies that can be grabbed quickly during an evacuation. Make sure to include bowls, leashes and harnesses, a can opener, medicine, toys and plenty of cat litter, plastic bags or other cleanup gear. Include extra water pets drink more when under stress. Also include a pet first aid kit, with disinfectant, bandages, tweezers and antibiotic ointment. If possible, add a portable drive with your pets digital medical records on it. All you have to do is grab that huge tub and put it in the car, Sung said. Get all the dogs and cats and birds in there, and youre set to go. She advised having a meeting plan in place, too, in case your family becomes separated, especially in areas with poor reception. Gabrielle Lurie / The Chronicle Dont abandon animals If ordered to evacuate, always take animals. If its not safe for you, its not going to be safe for them, Sung said. Many people mistakenly believe that pets will tap into their primal instincts and take care of themselves in dangerous situations. Animals left behind in wildfires typically perish. Its really important if you evacuate to take them with you and not think, Im just going to leave the doors and windows open and they will fend for themselves, Sung said. Thats not going to be the case. Train pets to ride in a car and pet carrier. Remember, not all hotels and motels allow pets. Make a list of those nearby that do. Keep pets close Evacuation situations can be highly stressful for people and pets alike. Experts do not recommend dropping them off at a shelter. Theyre not going to know whats going on, and thats going to be scary for them, Sung said. If they cant seek comfort from their family, it might escalate their anxiety. Fire Tracker Follow wildfires across the state Latest updates on wildfires burning across Northern and Southern California If animals are seriously distressed during the evacuation process, she recommends contacting a veterinarian about short-term anti-anxiety medications so the focus can stay on more pressing matters. You dont want to suffer because your pet is suffering, she said. If your pet is less worried, you can concentrate on other things instead of being displaced and having to take care of your anxious pet. Things to watch for are animals pacing, panting, trying to escape, hiding or refusing to eliminate. When things get bad If staying at an unfamiliar place, such as a hotel or a friends place, stresses out a pet, there are a few steps that can be taken. You want to set up safe spaces for your pets, Sung said. That might mean providing a carrier for your cat to hide in or a crate for your dog to settle in. Try not to leave pets unsupervised while away from home. But what happens when the human is the one feeling distressed and having an animal companion becomes too much of a burden? The safest option for the pet is to stay with the owner, Sung said. If its not possible, you can look into if any facilities, or a friend or family member, can offer temporary housing for your pets while you get your affairs in order. She also suggested putting the word out on social media, asking if anyone can care for a pet until things settle down. If there are extenuating circumstances, the last resort would be relinquishing animals. We dont want people to do that as their first option, Sung said. Once you relinquish your animal, you may never get your animal back. Its very traumatic for them, too. Aidin Vaziri is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: avaziri@sfchronicle.com JOHNSON Citing an increase in the number of coronavirus cases and putting the onus squarely on college students and young people frequenting bars with no social distancing, Gov. Kim Reynolds ordered bars, taverns and nightclubs in six counties to close, effective at 5 p.m. Thursday. Bars in Black Hawk County, as well as Dallas, Johnson, Linn, Polk and Story counties, were ordered to close until Sept. 20. The establishments were still allowed to sell alcoholic beverages for consumption off-premises, according to the text of the proclamation. Restaurants that serve alcohol in those six counties were also ordered to stop selling and serving alcohol after 10 p.m. each night, effective immediately, Reynolds said in a Thursday morning news conference. Black Hawk County, Johnson County and Story County are the homes of the University of Northern Iowa, University of Iowa and Iowa State University, respectively. As the kids started to go back to school, we saw an increase again, the governor said, adding, I dont take these decisions lightly. Reynolds said the action is required to slow the COVID-19 spread especially among those aged 18-40 to prevent negative impacts on Iowas workforce, health care and school settings. She also requested hosts of gatherings of more than 10 people to maintain 6-foot social distancing and she is encouraging Iowans aged 2 and older to wear masks in public settings. Reynolds said the statewide level of positive COVID-19 cases among Iowans aged 19 to 24 has increased by 23% with dramatic spikes in Johnson and Story counties. Johnson County saw a jump in positive cases of 58% in the last 14 days and 69% in the past seven days while Story Countys numbers were up 67% over the last 14 days and 74% in the past week. Really the data is compelling, she said, adding that her emergency action is intended to balance various factors in the face of increasing virus activity that threatens to increase hospitalization rates, impact staffing in health care facilities and schools and cause other workforce issues. Reynolds said case investigation will identify problem areas going forward, and enforcement mechanisms would be in place. My hope is that well be able to dial back these restrictions in the near future, Reynolds said, though a timeline for that was not immediately discussed. But if they (college students) simply move large-scale parties and other high-risk activity elsewhere, then were going to be prepared to do more. Black Hawk County saw an increase of 63 cases of coronavirus between Wednesday and Thursday, county health director Dr. Nafissa Cisse Egbuonye said Thursday. More than 60% of those were people between ages 18 and 40, mirroring trends in the past two weeks, she added. It is important for me to emphasize, once again, that these numbers are people, and COVID-19 is a serious matter, Egbuonye said. She said Black Hawk County business owners with questions on the recent proclamation were welcome to contact her department. UNI President Mark Nook said the university welcomes Reynolds decision. Todays action by the governor will help our community protect against the spread of COVID-19, Nook said in an email sent by the university Thursday. But College Hill Partnership director Kathryn Sogard, which represents businesses and neighborhoods near UNI, warned the shutdown of bars would not have the desired effect. As noted in the Cedar Falls City Council work session yesterday, when you start dispersing groups of people who want to be in a social setting, it will just move them from one area to the next, she wrote in an email to The Courier. With this proclamation, the Governor is placing the burden on a few instead of asking a small sacrifice from all. This new order demonstrates a void of leadership without implementing a mask mandate, Sogard added. Concerned about COVID-19? Sign up now to get the most recent coronavirus headlines and other important local and national news sent to your email inbox daily. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. LONDON, UK / ACCESSWIRE / August 26, 2020 / Gabriel Resources Ltd. ("Gabriel" or the "Company") announces that it has granted an aggregate of 130,924 incentive stock options under the Company's stock option plan (the "Option Plan") and 103,582 deferred share units under the Company's deferred share unit plan (the "DSU Plan") to certain directors of the Company as non-cash directors' fees for Q2 2020 (the "Director Grant"). All incentive stock options issued under the Director Grant are exercisable for a period of ten years at $0.46 per share and vest immediately from the date of grant. The Option Plan allows for the issuance of up to 10% of the issued and outstanding share capital of the Company in the form of incentive stock options. As of the date hereof, a total of 31,108,537 common shares of the Company are allocated for issuance in respect of outstanding incentive stock options granted under the Option Plan, representing approximately 5.2% of the issued and outstanding share capital. 3,441,231 common shares of the Company are currently allocated for issuance in respect of outstanding deferred share units granted under the DSU Plan. For information on this press release, please contact: Dragos Tanase President & CEO Phone: +40 730 399 019 dt@gabrielresources.com Richard Brown Chief Financial Officer Mobile: +44 7748 760276 richard.brown@gabrielresources.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. About Gabriel Gabriel is a Canadian resource company listed on the TSX Venture Exchange. The Company's principal focus has been the exploration and development of the Rosia Montana gold and silver project in Romania. The Rosia Montana Project, one of the largest undeveloped gold deposits in Europe, is situated in the South Apuseni Mountains of Transylvania, Romania, an historic and prolific mining district that since pre-Roman times has been mined intermittently for over 2,000 years. The exploitation license for the Rosia Montana Project is held by Rosia Montana Gold Corporation S.A., a Romanian company in which Gabriel owns an 80.69% equity interest, with the 19.31% balance held by Minvest Rosia Montana S.A., a Romanian state-owned mining company. Story continues Upon obtaining the License in June 1999, the Group focused substantially all of their management and financial resources on the exploration, feasibility and subsequent development of the Rosia Montana Project. Despite the Company's fulfilment of its legal obligations and its development of the Rosia Montana Project as a high-quality, sustainable and environmentally-responsible mining project, using best available techniques, Romania has blocked and prevented implementation of the Rosia Montana Project without due process and without compensation. Accordingly, the Company's current core focus is the ICSID Arbitration. For more information please visit the Company's website at www.gabrielresources.com. Forward-looking Statements This press release contains "forward-looking information" (also referred to as "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements are provided for the purpose of providing information about management's current expectations and plans and allowing investors and others to get a better understanding of the Company's operating environment. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements. In this press release, forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by the Company at this time, are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies that may cause the Company's actual financial results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied herein. Some of the material factors or assumptions used to develop forward-looking statements include, without limitation, the uncertainties associated with: the ICSID Arbitration, actions by the Romanian Government, conditions or events impacting the Company's ability to fund its operations (including but not limited to the completion of further funding noted above) or service its debt, exploration, development and operation of mining properties and the overall impact of misjudgments made in good faith in the course of preparing forward-looking information. Forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties, assumptions, and other factors including those set out below, that may never materialize, prove incorrect or materialize other than as currently contemplated which could cause the Company's results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such 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, identified by words or phrases such as "expects", "is expected", "is of the view", "anticipates", "believes", "plans", "projects", "estimates", "assumes", "intends", "strategy", "goals", "objectives", "potential", "possible" or variations thereof or stating that certain actions, events, conditions or results "may", "could", "would", "should", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved, or the negative of any of these terms and similar expressions) are not statements of fact and may be forward-looking statements. Numerous factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements, including without limitation: the outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID19) may affect the Company's operations and/or the anticipated timeline for the ICSID Arbitration; the duration, required disclosure, costs, process and outcome of the ICSID Arbitration; the advancement of Romania's nomination of the "Rosia Montana Mining Landscape" as a UNESCO World Heritage site; changes in the liquidity and capital resources of Gabriel, and/or the group of companies of which it is directly or indirectly parent; access to funding to support the Group's continued ICSID Arbitration and/or operating activities in the future; equity dilution resulting from the conversion or exercise of new or existing securities in part or in whole to Common Shares; the ability of the Company to maintain a continued listing on the TSX Venture Exchange or any regulated public market for trading securities; the impact on business strategy and its implementation in Romania of: any allegations of historic acts of corruption, uncertain fiscal investigations; uncertain legal enforcement both for and against the Group and political and social instability; regulatory, political and economic risks associated with operating in a foreign jurisdiction including changes in laws, governments and legal regimes and interpretation of existing and future fiscal and other legislation; volatility of currency exchange rates; and the availability and continued participation in operational or other matters pertaining to the Group of certain key employees and consultants. This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect any of the Company's forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements, and investors should not infer that there has been no change in the Company's affairs since the date of this press release that would warrant any modification of any forward-looking statement made in this document, other documents periodically filed with or furnished to the relevant securities regulators or documents presented on the Company's website. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to the Company or persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by this notice. The Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly or otherwise revise any forward-looking statements or the foregoing list of assumptions or factors, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, subject to the Company's disclosure obligations under applicable Canadian securities regulations. Investors are urged to read the Company's filings with Canadian securities regulatory agencies which can be viewed online at www.sedar.com. ENDS SOURCE: Gabriel Resources Ltd. View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/603487/Issuance-of-Incentive-Stock-Options-and-Deferred-Share-Units New Delhi: The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) has filed a prosecution complaint under Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 against Brajesh Thakur, and his family members and others at PMLA special court in Patna on Wednesday (August 26), in connection with a case relating to misappropriation of government funds. Brajesh Thakur is currently serving a life sentence in Muzaffarpur shelter home sexual assault case. In February 2020, a Delhi court had sentenced him "rigorous imprisonment till the remainder of his life" besides imposing a fine of Rs 32.20 lakh on him. The prosecution complaint was filed with a prayer for awarding punishment to the accused of committing the offence of money laundering and confiscation of the attached assets worth Rs 8.8 crores in the form of movable and immovable properties in his name and in the name of his family members and others, according to an ED statement. The ED initiated an investigation under the provisions of PMLA on the basis of 2 FIRs registered by Mahila Police Station, Muzaffarpur, and an FIR lodged by CBI, SCB, Patna against Brajesh Thakur and others under Section 420, 467 and 120B of IPC for misappropriating the funds/grant-in-aid received from government and other agencies in the name of NGO, Sewa Sankalp Ewam Vikas Samiti, and its sister NGOs. Brajesh Thakur was the de facto owner, who in connivance with others misappropriated the fund/grant-in-aid to the tune of Rs 7.57 crores. Investigation under PMLA revealed that Brajesh Thakur and others diverted/siphoned off the funds/grant-in-aid received for the welfare of girl children and others and used the funds for his personal gain by acquiring huge movable and immovable properties in his name and in the name of his family members viz. Kumari Asha, Rahul Anand, Manorama Devi, and others for acquiring huge movable and immovable properties including payment of fees for his younger son Mehul Anands medical education, the ED said. Earlier a provisional attachment order (dated March 13, 2019) was issued attaching assets worth Rs 7.3 crores which has been confirmed by the Adjudicating Authority under PMLA. Recently another provisional attachment order (dated August 7, 2020) was also issued attaching assets amounting to Rs 1.5 crores. Now, a prosecution complaint has been filed by ED against the accused Brajesh Thakur and others before the Special Court for the PMLA, Patna has been filed. The matter against Brajesh Thakur had come to light on May 26, 2018, after Tata Institute of Social Sciences submitted a report to the Bihar government highlighting the alleged sexual abuse of girls in the shelter home for the first time. A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind. I am excited about the future of the Huron Daily Tribune and all of the Hearst companies. In August last year, I left a company that had a collective audience of approximately 43,000 people spread across three counties in Northeast Michigan. This company was owned by a single individual who lived part-time in the region we served, so stepping into a large corporation lifestyle was not something I took lightly. Prior to joining Hearst, I was of the mindset that a small company cared more about its employees than a corporation. This thought carried over to the community as well, and if at the time you would have asked me, I would have told you that my former employer certainly cared more for a community than any big corporation ever could. However, I have experienced firsthand how wrong I truly was. Since joining the Tribune last October, I have been directly and indirectly involved in more discussions regarding how to best serve the communities we represent under the leadership of a corporation than I ever had with a direct owner, despite the fact my job title is the same. In my former stomping grounds, it seemed the majority of my day was spent playing damage control after the business owner or publisher launched a personal vendetta against someone and I was constantly held accountable for things that were well beyond my ability to control. This made the task of gaining people's trust extremely difficult because of the reputation of others in the company. At the Tribune things are quite different. Sure, the role of an editor or in my case an assistant editor always involves some damage control because people love to hate the local newspaper. However, that work is only a small portion of my role and what damage control I have to do isn't because of someone else's actions. Instead, every day our newsroom receives encouragement from leadership, and support from the company to better enable our ability to serve our communities and in turn, our readers. Before the pandemic, we started a drive to bring more local content and more community engagement. We launched items like InFocus and our Focus on the Thumb stories, sharing the heart behind the businesses and organizations in our region and the communities we serve. When the pandemic took hold and businesses started to struggle, newsrooms began to see more shakeups like what had occurred in 2008, and many reporters found themselves looking at pink slips once again. However, we were fortunate that our company was quick to call us into corporate leadership meetings and assure us that we would adapt and endure. We were encouraged to push forward with our mission to Focus on the Thumb. This wasnt because we found ourselves in some niche where the pandemic didnt effect us. Instead, it was because we have a corporation that believes in its staff, its staffs ability to push through the pain, and the need our communities have for our products. Being a newspaper journalist isnt a glamorous job. We are often scrutinized for the things we report, or sometimes the things that we dont report. People certainly dont become journalists to get rich either, because there are certainly easier ways to do that. Instead, I chose to be a journalist because it allows me to fill a need for the community that sometimes the community doesnt even realize it has. Short of scandals, you will never see a TV news reporter in a public meeting. You rarely see them shopping in your stores, or frequenting your businesses. However, as a journalist serving a community, we are with you in the good times and in the bad times. We arent here to make a quick buck and we certainly arent here for the fame and fortune. I chose this job because I want to serve the community and before I joined the Tribune and joined the Hearst family, I thought my time as a journalist had come to an end. I felt like I wasnt supported in serving my community, but instead directed in serving someones pocket instead. Now I am part of a team of people in our communities, in our state and across the country and world that wants better for our communities and am blessed to work for a company that enables and empowers us to do so. With what feels like all of the support of the world behind me and our team I am left looking forward to the future. I welcome those meetings, look forward to the challenges and enjoy a renewed excitement in the field of journalism. Scott Nunn is the assistant editor of the Huron Daily Tribune and he can be reached at scott.nunn@hearstnp.com Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 12:52:47|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KABUL, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- At least 122 people were killed, 147 others wounded and several others went missing in torrential floods in Afghanistan's 12 eastern provinces, the office of state minister for disaster management and humanitarian affairs said Thursday. "The initial information indicated 112 people have been killed and 147 wounded in floods since Tuesday night in the eastern Afghan region," a statement from the ministry said. The latest casualties are reported in eastern Kapisa and neighboring Panjshir provinces Wednesday night when 10 people were killed in Kapisa and three died in Panjshir, according to local sources. Some 85 people were killed and 110 others wounded during Tuesday night in the worst-hit Parwan province, where at least half of provincial capital Charikar city was affected by the floods. "The rescue operation ended late Wednesday night in central part of Parwan and was started Thursday morning by disaster officials supported by the army as many victims are still missing," Ahmad Tameem Azimi, spokesman of the state ministry for disaster management, told local media. The remaining casualties, including 24 killed and 37 wounded, took place in Kabul, Wardak, Nangarhar, Logar, Paktia, Paktika, Nuristan, Laghman, and Khost provinces. The disaster management officials and the Afghan army have been providing food and other relief items to the affected families since early Wednesday. The deadly floods also destroyed 1,500 houses, 23 shops, and more than 1,100 hectares of agriculture land in the region while 600 farm animals had lost during the floods, according to the ministry statistics. Enditem According to a report by Hindustan Times, of the total vacancies, 39 posts are for HOD Electronics Engineering, 37 are for HOD Civil Engineering and 35 are for HOD Mechinical Engineering Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) has released online recruitment notifications to fill 111 vacancies for the posts of Head of department (HOD) in Govt. Polytechnic/ Govt. Women Polytechnic Institutes under Science & Technology Dept., Govt. of Bihar. The registration process will commence from 28 August. Candidates can register themselves online at bpsc.bih.nic.in or onlinebpsc.bihar.gov.in by 16 September. The application process will end on 28 September. The last date to pay the application fee is 21 September. According to a report by Hindustan Times, of the total vacancies, 39 posts are for HOD Electronics Engineering, 37 are for HOD Civil Engineering and 35 are for HOD Mechinical Engineering. Candidates applying for the posts should be minimum of 33 years old as on 1 August 2020. As per a report by Jagran Josh, candidates belonging to general category will have to pay application fees of Rs 100. SC/ST candidates of Bihar, residents of Bihar (Reserved/Unreserved), female, and PWD candidates will have to pay Rs 25. After submitting the online application, candidates will have to submit the hard copy of the form to the Commission by 5 October 2020 till 5 pm. Candidates applying for the posts should have PhD degree in Electronics Engineering / Technology and first class at Bachelors or Masters level in the Electronics Engineering / Technology. Applicants must have 12 years of experience in Teaching/ Research/ Industry, out of which at least 2 years shall be post PhD experience minimum at the level of lecturer (Selection Grade-I). For more details on the BPSC 2020 recruitment, click here - http://www.bpsc.bih.nic.in/Advt/NB-2020-08-26-06.pdf Russia on Thursday blamed the United States for a tense confrontation in Syria in which Russian military vehicles and helicopters surrounded US armoured vehicles, leaving US troops injured. The White House National Security Council said in a statement a Russian vehicle struck an American mine-resistant all-terrain vehicle, causing injuries to the vehicles crew. Russias defence ministry released a statement saying it had warned the US-led coalition in advance that a column of its military police would pass through. In spite of this, in breach of the existing agreements, the US troops attempted to block the Russian patrol, it said, adding that Russian military police took necessary measures to end the incident and carry on their mission. The chief of the Russian General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, gave full explanations in a phone call with General Mark Milley, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Moscow said. Videos shared on Twitter, apparently filmed by bystanders and the Russians themselves, appear to show Russian troop carriers and attack helicopters trying to box the US vehicles in and then force them from the area, near Dayrick. Vehicles appear to bump each other and at one point possibly at the beginning of the confrontation one of the helicopters hovers very low over the halted Americans, blasting them with prop wash. There were no details available from the White House National Security Council or the Pentagon on how many crew were injured and what the extent of the injuries was. National Security Council spokesman John Ullyot said the US vehicles were a security patrol of the anti-ISIL (ISIS) coalition. He said the patrol departed the area to de-escalate the situation. Unsafe and unprofessional actions like this represent a breach of de-confliction protocols, committed to by the United States and Russia in December 2019, said Ullyot. The coalition and the United States do not seek escalation with any national military forces, but US forces always retain the inherent right and obligation to defend themselves from hostile acts. US and Russian troops frequently interact in Syria, but confrontations have been rare. Quang Ninh province To help South Koreans become well-informed about the business environment and other benefits in Quang Ninh province, an investment promotion conference is to be held on August 28. The aim of the event is to raise awareness and interest from investors who are looking to pour money into electronics part manufacturing, and clean and high-tech industries, especially from investors operating in seaport services in the province. According to reports from Quang Ninh Economic Zones Management Authority, land reserves for industries in the province are plentiful, and enough to sustain the demand of investors who need big land banks. Several industrial zones (IZs) are also deemed to be suitable for South Korean investors, such as at Viet Hung, Quang Yen, and Van Don. According to Quang Ninh Investment Promotion Agency (IPA Quang Ninh), by the end of 2019, the province hailed 11 projects from South Korea with total investment volume at a modest level of $65 million. The initiatives are mostly focused on manufacturing, agriculture, catering, wholesaling, media, and education, with most located in regions with convenient transport connections such as Halong Bay with seven projects, and Cam Pha, Quang Yen, Dong Trieu, and Mong Cai with one apiece. Besides that, five other ventures are owned by Quang Ninh Peoples Committee. Two of which are backed by official development assistance (ODA), and the rest financed by non-refundable aid from the Asian Development Bank, the Japan International Cooperation Agency, the World Bank, and the governments of India and South Korea. The most notable project among them is the Vietnam-South Korea Trade School 1, backed by ODA from South Korea. Since 2016 the school has attracted more than 2,000 students majoring in metal cutting, automotive technology, mining technologies, and more. Vu Thi Kim Chi, vice director of IPA Quang Ninh, stated that since 2012 the province has welcomed 44 groups of investors from South Korea showing interest in tourism, real estate, and commerce. However, in that time the province has faced numerous difficulties with transportation facilities, leading to limited success with attracting investors. Major groups such as Lotte and Hundai E&C, however, have recently expressed more interest in the province. According to statistics from the Ministry of Planning and Investment, South Korea was the biggest foreign investor in Vietnam last year, with total investment touching $67 billion, but only a small portion of that came to Quang Ninh. The general figures demonstrate that the province has much room for improvement in order to secure interest from South Korean investors in particular. Transport connections to Quang Ninh have been improving over recent times, with direct highways heading Hanoi and Haiphong and extending to the border with China. The province also has deepwater seaports, international airports, dedicated cruise ports, and more besides, which are all helping to improve Quang Ninhs image as an attractive investment beneficiary. By investing in Quang Ninh, South Korean businesses have the chance to approach a large market. Within five hours of flying, goods from the province can make their way to several international markets with potentially a total of three billion consumers, whose GDP totals about $22 trillion, or approaching Chinas market of nearly 1.4 billion people. In recent years, Quang Ninh has seen its growth rate of over 10 per cent annually, significantly higher than other regions in Vietnam, while the average annual income was $6,100 in 2019. Furthermore, around 14 million tourists have been visiting Quang Ninh on an annual basis up to last year. The purchasing power and the market in Quang Ninh are therefore sizeable. By investing in the province, businesses could have access to top-class services such as Vinmec hospitals, KinderWorld Singapore International School, and Halong Bay and its surrounding hotels, resorts, and theme parks. Another important factor is the determination and commitment of the local authority for businesses and investors. The rankings of Quang Ninhs Provincial Competitiveness Index and Public Administration Reform Index both remain high nationally. In addition, Quang Ninhs policies regarding foreign investment also heavily benefit investors from South Korea. The province placed its focus in the fields of manufacturing, electronics, real estate, civil engineering, logistics, commerce, and finance, which are the fields generally attractive to South Korean investors. That country is also an important tourist destination for Quang Ninh and Vietnam in general. Palantir's technologies can also help track the spread of the coronavirus, as it is now doing for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And they can help find immigrants living in the country without legal permission, which is how Immigration and Customs Enforcement, under orders from the White House, is using these technologies, according to recently released federal documents. The company is deeply wedded to its work inside the government. Although some Palantir employees have protested its work with ICE and other parts of the government, it has not backed off. For investors, it is a bit of a Rubik's Cube. Daniel Ives, managing director of equity research at Wedbush Securities. In a letter to potential investors, included in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Tuesday, Karp pointedly jabbed at fellow Silicon Valley companies and said he was proud of Palantir's work with federal agencies. "Our company was founded in Silicon Valley. But we seem to share fewer and fewer of the technology sector's values and commitments," he wrote. He added that "software projects with our nation's defence and intelligence agencies, whose missions are to keep us safe, have become controversial, while companies built on advertising dollars are commonplace." In recent years, Palantir has tried to expand its work in the private sector, serving big-name businesses like JPMorgan Chase, Airbus and Ferrari and offering new software tools that businesses can use on their own. A little more than half of Palantir's revenue comes from commercial businesses, according to the SEC filing. The 2500-employee company holds about a 3 per cent share of what has become a $US25 billion ($35 billion)"data analytics" market, according to PitchBook, a firm that tracks the performance of private companies. "That is a small but significant share," said a PitchBook analyst, Brendan Burke. Worth $US20 billion, no profit Palantir has raised more than $US3 billion in funding and is valued by private market investors at $US20 billion, but it has not turned a profit since it was founded in 2003. In 2019, Palantir's revenues topped $US742.5 million, a nearly 25 per cent increase over the previous year. But it lost more than $US579 million, about the same as it lost in 2018, according to the financial documents made public on Tuesday. The company recently announced that it was moving its headquarters to Denver, which could cut expenses. A Palantir spokeswoman declined to comment for this article. Although the company has won an impressive array of federal contracts in the last four years, it landed at least $US741 million in guaranteed money and potentially as much as $US2.9 billion, according to the documents it has also stoked controversy among competitors and federal employees. In 2016, the company sued the Army over the procurement process for a new version of an intelligence analysis system, claiming the process was unlawful and wasteful. Palantir ended up winning the contract, which accounts for $US1.7 billion of the $US2.9 billion in potential federal contract money it has won since 2016. In April, an anonymous government official sent a lengthy memo to Joseph D. Kernan, the undersecretary of defense for intelligence, describing the inner workings of a flagship Pentagon operation, Project Maven. An effort to remake US military technology through artificial intelligence, Project Maven has drawn on the expertise of more than 20 US companies, including Palantir. The project points to how Palantir works with customers. It often deploys specialists, called "forward deployed engineers," who spend weeks, months or years customising and expanding its software for the task at hand. The company builds whatever data software that needs building databases and software connections and on-screen visual displays that help people get their work done. Loading The details of Palantir projects can vary. It usually connects different sources of data and provides a way for everyday employees to search through it. But in Project Maven, it is offering tools that help seasoned, AI specialists build complex mathematical systems, called deep neural networks, that can recognise objects in images. Inside Project Maven, Palantir provides software that holds enormous amounts of video footage captured by flying drones operated by the Army and the Air Force. AI specialists then use this software to build systems that can automatically identify buildings, vehicles and people in the footage. The memo, obtained by The New York Times, said that although Palantir had come late to Maven, the company had grown to "touch almost every aspect" of the project through contracts worth about $US40 million a year. The document accused Maven leadership of skirting Pentagon rules and ethics in giving preferential treatment to the startup, whose employees had developed unusually close relationships with their partners inside the military. Considerable influence The memo and related emails showed the company's considerable influence inside the government. Among other complaints, the memo to Kernan claimed that a Palantir employee had sat in on a meeting where government officials some of whom did not know the Palantir employee was in the room discussed future contracts and their dollar amounts, which could give the company an "astounding" advantage when bidding for new work. After the memo, the US Defense Department began a formal inquiry into Project Maven, according to two people familiar with the matter who were not allowed to speak about it publicly. The outcome is not yet known. A Defense Department spokesman for Project Maven declined to comment. Palantir's unusual business model is not always a perfect fit for military contracts. Although Palantir sells a combination of software and consulting services, all costs are folded into a single software license negotiated with the customer. In other words, the consulting work done by its engineers is layered into the software licensing fees, according to company financial documents. Typically, the government pays for consulting work separately from software licenses. This means customers often pay for technology that is not yet built. "It is very unusual," said Jeff Peters, head of global business development at Esri, a longtime government contractor that competes with Palantir. "The business model is different from almost any other technology company." VMware Pivotal Labs, a division of Dell, has adopted a similar model to Palantir, saying that it helps customers produce software that actually does what it is supposed to do. This unusual business model has led to complaints, including in the memo to Kernan, that Palantir locks customers into its technology. Although the company is in ways building custom software, that software is still owned by Palantir because it is sold under a commercial software license. That means Palantir can sell that customised software to other clients. All this hangs over the company as it prepares to go public. If Palantir stumbles, many competitors are poised to build similar technology for the government, including traditional government contractors like Oracle as well as Amazon, Microsoft and a growing number of other tech companies. "There has been an assumption that Palantir is the only major player in this space," said Jack Poulson, executive director of Tech Inquiry, which tracks the government work of tech companies. "But it is clear that is not the case." SURGEONS should be given regular emotional intelligence training as an explicit part of their professional development - to combat epidemic levels of burnout in the profession. Thats according to a leading UK psychologist, who argues the sessions are urgently needed to protect both surgeons and their patients. Emotional intelligence is defined as someones ability to understand their own emotions, and those of the individuals they interact with. Training sessions in emotional intelligence are commonly used in the business world to improve mental wellness but arent yet being fully utilized in the medical community. And Dr Lorna Bourke, Principal Lecturer in Psychology at Liverpool Hope University, says this type of training could help to reduce the stigma associated with anyone who reaches out for emotional support. Urgent action is needed to improve the workplace environment for surgeons, and doctors, and to ensure they are supported as well as possible. And Emotional Intelligence should be an explicit part of ongoing contemporary surgical training and education. These are committed, resilient, driven individuals who are being lost to the profession while at their peak. For a surgeon, a bad day at the office would be a typical persons worst nightmare. Yet they often regulate their emotions by putting up a barrier without processing it properly, which can create real problems. We need a system where surgeons are given regular Emotional Intelligence testing and training, and strategies put in place to help them - where they can really talk about what theyve been through, without them feeling as if they need to mask it. Dr Lorna Bourke, Principal Lecturer in Psychology at Liverpool Hope University Burnout among both surgeons and others in the medical professions continues to be a huge issue in England. Last year the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) issued a report highlighting the need for surgeons to be better equipped to recognize the early signs of deteriorating mental health. The RCS said symptoms of burnout include feeling emotionally drained, fatigued and frustrated at work, feeling unable to accomplish much and not enjoying working with patients anymore, while adding: Surgeons who are burnt out can begin to treat others as if they were impersonal objects, not really caring about colleagues or work, becoming callous and blaming others. A study in 2018, by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) School for Primary Care Research, described doctor burnout as an epidemic that affects patient safety, quality of care and patient satisfaction. And in January this year the British Medical Association (BMA) warned a third of doctors were reporting burnout and compassion fatigue. For Dr Bourke, twice-yearly Emotional Intelligence training sessions for surgeons could make a big difference. Earlier this year she joined forces with two surgeons based in Australia - Gary Sharp, of the Institute of Academic Surgery, Sydney, and Matthew Rickard, of The University of Sydney - to co-author an academic review of the benefits of emotional intelligence in both the medical and business communities. The study, published in the ANZ Journal of Surgery, concluded: Higher Emotional Intelligence (EI) levels may reduce stress and burnout, improve leadership and improve patient trust. The surgical community as a whole must be mindful that those factors deemed to affect EI most; lack of sleep, long working hours, poor job satisfaction and interpersonal relationships, are those that surgeons face on a daily basis. As such, surgeons should be the first to enrol in EI continued professional development modules to reduce stress, increase positive emotions and improve patient care. While Dr Bourke recognizes that Emotional Intelligence is factored-in to medical degrees, its often forgotten about during ongoing professional development. She reveals: Emotional Intelligence needs to be an ongoing concern. You should become more skilled, more adaptive. It should be part of professional development, not just initial training. Emotional intelligence isnt just a personality trait. Rather its a skill that you can nurture and develop - which is where training comes in. And it boils down to a recalibration of skills, rather than developing a brand new skill set. Emotional Intelligence is typically taught through role-playing scenarios, helping surgeons to identify subtle symptoms of burnout at the earliest stage possible. While Dr Bourke acknowledges that surgeons may be reluctant to undergo this extra training, she adds: We need to break the entrenched ways of doing things. The key is in striking a balance between something thats non-threatening for the surgeon but which also doesnt result in the surgeon feeling as if theyre wasting their time doing it. I think we need to be doing the sessions once or twice every year as part of this recalibration. And it needs to be treated like going to the dentist - normalized, where surgeons can check in, or request more sessions, if they think it would be beneficial. Crucially, Emotional Intelligence training doesnt need to be expensive. Its used widely in the business community and there are many online providers. Compared to the cost of training a surgeon or medic, its negligible. You have mental health practitioners in the hospital setting - but medics may be reluctant to access them because of the stigma associated with seeking help. Emotional Intelligence lessons are, instead, a way to start destigmatising the issue. Surgeon and study co-author Gary Sharp says Emotional Intelligence is also key to doctor-patient trust. The Sikkim Education Department on Thursday directed all heads, faculty members, support staff and other employees of government schools, colleges and educational institutions to attend their duty compulsorily from September 1. This also includes Adhoc teachers and Adhoc assistant professors. An official order stated that the staff has to be present "even if the schools, colleges and educational institutions do not reopen". The official order read, "All Heads, teaching faculty, support staff and other employees of government schools, colleges and educational institutions including ad-hoc teachers and ad-hoc Assistant Professors must attend duty compulsorily from 01-09-2020 even if the schools, colleges and educational institutions do not reopen." "They should be engaged in digital and mine mode of classes from their workplace. Special care should be given to the upkeep and maintenance of the institutions. Further, wide dissemination on National Education Policy 2020 should be undertaken from 5th-25th-09-2020 along with the Panchayati Raj Institutions. For this appropriate Resource persons should be selected and deputed by District Heads, SCERT, School and College Heads," added the order. Sikkim till August 26 a total of 1,486 COVID-19 cases, news agency PTI reported. There are 407 active cases and 1,076 patients have been cured of the disease. Three persons have died due to COVID-19 in the state, according to PTI. East Sikkim district has registered the highest number of cases where 981 people tested positive followed by 461 in South Sikkim district, 43 in West Sikkim district and one in North Sikkim district, according to PTI. The state has tested 38,951 samples so far, reported PTI. Belaruss authoritarian president of 26 years, Alexander Lukashenko, is facing widespread daily protests against his re-election to a sixth term, which came in a vote on August 9 the opposition claims was rigged. Mr Putin told Russias state television that Mr Lukashenko has asked him to prepare a Russian law enforcement contingent to deploy to Belarus if necessary to help stabilise the country. Mr Putin has agreed, but said there is no such need now, and I hope there wont be. He said he and Mr Lukashenko agreed Russia will send a contingent to help only if the situation spins out of control and extremist groups unleash violence and try to seize government buildings. In an apparent jab at the West that condemned Mr Lukashenkos crackdown on protesters and urged him to launch a dialogue with the opposition, Mr Putin accused unidentified foreign forces of trying to win political advantages from the turmoil in Belarus. Advertisement Russia has a union agreement with Belarus for close political, economic and military ties, and sees its neighbour as a key bulwark against Western expansion and an important conduit for Russian energy exports. Mr Lukashenko on Thursday accused Belaruss other neighbours of open interference in its affairs with a push for a new election in what he described as a hybrid war and diplomatic carnage. He claimed Poland is harbouring plans to take over the Grodno region on the border, prompting the deployment of additional Belarusian troops to the frontier. The United States and the European Union have criticised the August 9 election that extended Mr Lukashenkos rule as neither free nor fair, and have encouraged Belarusian authorities to engage in a dialogue with the opposition. The Belarusian leader, who has ruled the nation of 9.5 million with an iron fist since 1994, has dismissed the protesters as Western puppets. After a brutal crackdown on demonstrators in the first days of post-election protests, which caused international outrage and helped swell protesters numbers, the authorities changed tactics and let daily demonstrations go unhindered for nearly two weeks. The government, meanwhile, has maintained pressure on the opposition with threats and selective jailing of its leaders. On Wednesday, police dispersed protesters who gathered on the capitals main Independence Square, detaining dozens. The action signalled a return to force, albeit without violence that marked the post-election crackdown when nearly 7,000 people were detained, hundreds were injured and at least three protesters died. Over the past two years, Armenia has seen 72% growth of public procurement from one source. This is what second President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan told economic reporters. Public procurement is the most tempting sector for corruption. How can citizens of Armenia believe that the government is fighting against corruption and that there is no systemic corruption when the government is making unplanned expenditures in the amount of $120,000,000 and in the form of bonuses? The government justifies its actions by saying that it has retrieved $105,000,000. I tried to use my knowledge and understand where the money went, and I only saw that AMD 2-3,000,000,000 has been retrieved. Either the government is lying, or the funds havent been entered into the budget. Every citizen will believe the funds have been pocketed so long as the government hasnt shown where the funds went and what the money was spent on. If we add the amounts, the total is $225,000,000, and thats just the amount declared by the government, Kocharyan said, adding that there are many specialized organizations that understand the level of real corruption in this or that country only through indicators. Im also surprised by the statements of several embassies and EU representatives. Dont they see all this when they state that they are extremely content with the level of the fight against corruption in Armenia? Kocharyan said. President Donald Trump speaks with members of the media before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Thursday, Aug. 6, 2020. Read more President Donald Trump will be squarely in the spotlight Thursday as he delivers his acceptance speech to end the Republican National Convention. Trump said on Thursday he considered delaying his speech due to the impact of Hurricane Laura, which devastated parts of southwest Louisiana overnight and into the morning. I was actually prepared to postpone the speech tonight and make it Monday, Trump said during a briefing on the storm by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The Trump campaign drew widespread criticism for using White House as a backdrop during the conventions second night (including claims of Hatch Act violations). Despite that, Trump is expected to deliver his acceptance speech from a platform built on the South Lawn of the White House, a first for any sitting president seeking reelection. At least 1,500 people are expected to attend. Amid growing protests over the police shooting of Jacob Blake (including here in Philadelphia), more fencing has been erected around the White House complex. Several parks and streets surrounding the White House will also be closed to the public, a move the Secret Service said was done in an effort to maintain the necessary security measures and ensure public safety for scheduled events at the White House on Thursday, August 27. Also scheduled to speak Thursday is New Jersey Rep. Jeff Van Drew, the former Democrat who voted against Trumps impeachment in December, became a Republican the next day, and pledged his undying loyalty to Trump. Much like the end of the Democratic National Convention, a fireworks show is expected to follow Trumps speech, emanating from the Washington Monument around 11:30 p.m. Heres everything you need to know to watch or stream the final night of the 2020 Republican National Convention: What time does the final night of the 2020 Republican National Convention start? The final night of the Republican National Convention is scheduled to begin at 8:30 p.m. Eastern and last two and a half hours. The convention will stream live on the RNCs website and across all their social media channels. In Philadelphia, it will also air live on NBC, ABC, CBS, and WHYY, with most networks opting to carry the final hour beginning at 10 p.m. CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News will also offer live coverage starting hours before the event begins, each offering their own analysis. Comcast Xfinity X1 subscribers can watch all the programming by simply saying RNC into their remote. You can also watch live on Inquirer.com, via the Washington Post: Who will be speaking at the RNC Thursday night? Notable speakers highlighted by Republicans expected to take part Thursday, in no apparent order, include: President Donald Trump Ivanka Trump Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani New Jersey Rep. Jeff Van Drew Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell California Rep. Kevin McCarthy Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton Ultimate Fighting Championship President Dana White Evangelist Franklin Graham JaRon Smith, assistant to the president for domestic policy READ MORE: How Trump's Republican convention is playing in Pennsylvania Democrats will offer their own counterprogramming with Kamala Harris On the final night of last weeks Democratic National Convention, Trump spoke at a business just outside Bidens hometown of Scranton, Pa., in an attempt to draw attention away from the festivities. On Thursday, Democrats will attempt something similar with vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris. The California senator will speak in Washington, D.C., hours before Trumps speech, where shes expected to condemn the presidents handling of the coronavirus pandemic. Part of what I will be talking about is that theyre dealing in lies, but also they are not grounded in reality, Harris said during a Wednesday fund-raiser, adding that Americans want better than this, and we are better than this, she said. What are conventions like this actually for? While political conventions have largely grown into television events designed to promote political parties and their leaders, the business of the convention includes formally nominating the primary winner in this case, Trump as the partys official presidential nominee. That roll call vote (with a reduced delegate count due to coronavirus regulation) took place in Charlotte on Monday Another important function that usually takes place is formalizing a party platform. On Sunday, Republicans announced due to the scaled back convention they will adjourn without adopting a new platform. Instead, according to a new resolution, Republicans will continue to enthusiastically support Trump and his agenda. Created by Hat Trick International, written by Chris Brandon (Red Rock) with executive producer Jed Mercurio behind global hits Line of Duty and Bodyguard the four-part Northern Ireland-based crime thriller stars James as a veteran detective going into his own dark past to try an solve a cold case.When an expensive car containing a suicide note - but no body - is pulled from the sea, veteran Northern Ireland police detective Tom Brannick (Nesbitt) instantly sees the connection to an infamous cold case that holds enormous personal significance for him - a notorious and long-buried series of mysterious disappearances. Bloodlands follows Brannicks obsessive campaign to identify and unmask the semi-mythical figure behind these events a figure code-named Goliath, after the giant shipyard cranes, Samson and Goliath that dominate the Belfast skyline. Its a case that comes from the dark past of both Brannick and his country.The Acorn TV Original will make its US and Canadian premieres soon after BBC Ones UK premiere this coming autumn. Bloodlands marks the first commission for Jed Mercurios production company, Hat Trick Mercurio Television (HTM). Commenting on the launch, Acorn TV SVP of programming Don Klees said: After Acorn TVs success with Line of Duty, were thrilled to partner with Jed Mercurio again as well as Hat Trick and talented writer Chris Brandon to bring this excellent crime thriller to US audiences. With a powerhouse lead performance from James Nesbitt and a riveting script, we cant wait for US audiences to see Bloodlands.Sarah Tong, director of sales at Hat Trick International, added: Im delighted that Bloodlands has landed in the US and Canada on Acorn TV. Created by the exceptional combination of Chris and Jed and starring multiple-award-winning James Nesbitt, Bloodlands is a prime example of the type of dynamic and suspenseful drama that audiences throughout the world are eager to see. Send to Email Address Your Name Your Email Address Post was not sent - check your email addresses! Email check failed, please try again Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. Horasis, a global visions community advancing unified solutions for sustainable growth, has declared that the Horasis China 2020 Meeting, which was supposed to take place in October in Armenia, has been postponed and will take place on October 24-25, 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic and the restrictions on travel. During the Horasis China Meeting organized by Advanced Tomorrow (ATOM) Foundation and the China Federation of Industrial Economics and held under the high patronage of President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian, through a two-day intensive program, over 300 representatives of governments and business circles will discuss the challenges facing Chinese companies and the opportunities for overcoming them successfully through global engagement. Simultaneously, the Horasis China Meeting will help provide a platform for discussions on and development of the strategy on trade and foreign investments between Armenia and China, taking into consideration the wide perspectives for cooperation within the scope of the Belt and Road Initiative. During the special meeting of Horasis on October 1, 2020, there will be a remote session devoted to the advancement of Armenias knowledge-based economy, providing the opportunity to discuss the investment climate in Armenia and the prospects for growth in spite of the economic uncertainties around the world due to the coronavirus. The Horasis China Meeting is the longest running meeting of the analytical center that has become the annual top meeting of business leaders and their global partners in China over the past 16 years and has been held in various cities throughout the years. The 41st item on the agenda of todays government session represented amendments to seven laws at once. It was a 60-page package of recommendations on management of epidemiological situations without declaring a state of emergency, but most of the recommendations were related to the restrictions on the rights of people, legal entities and communities. This is what founder of Menu.am Vahan Kerobyan posted on his Facebook page, adding the following: For instance, in some cases, the government can instruct people to self-isolate or close roads of villages, settlements and state borders. The package of laws has been in circulation since June and is aimed at organizing everything to live with the epidemic without declaring a state of emergency. The justice minister delivered a report, after which Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan informed and complained that the Office of the Human Rights Defender received the package of amendments yesterday, and the defense minister said the Ministry of Defense hadnt received the package at all. I repeat that the government hasnt discussed with the Human Rights Defender and the Ministry of Defense the package of laws, the adoption of which will entail opportunities to set major restrictions on the rights of people and will address the movement of people within and beyond the boundaries of the country. I believe such an essential change cant be made urgently and superficially. The Prime Minister wasnt able to conceal his anger, but is getting angry enough in such a case? P.S. There was no discussion on the economic situation in Armenia and the 10.2% economic decline in July. Five more businesses visited by COVID-positive patients have been added to a public health alert and a wider timeframe has been applied to two already on the list. The total number of sites visited by virus carriers at different times rose from 83 on Wednesday to 90 on Thursday evening after two new coronavirus cases were detected in Queensland overnight. The Good Guys in Browns Plains, one of two The Good Guys stores added to the public health alert. Credit:Google Maps Among those new cases was a male trainer, aged in his 60s, who worked at the Queensland Corrective Services Academy and tested positive on Wednesday. The other was a Cairns resident who tested positive in hotel quarantine after returning from Papua New Guinea. (@FahadShabbir) Jihadists have killed 14 people on a Cameroonian island on Lake Chad near the border with Nigeria after their town decided to block food supplies to the insurgents, security sources said Thursday Kano, Nigeria, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 27th Aug, 2020 ) :Jihadists have killed 14 people on a Cameroonian island on Lake Chad near the border with Nigeria after their town decided to block food supplies to the insurgents, security sources said Thursday. Fighters from the so-called Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) landed on the island of Bulgaram aboard speedboats from an enclave on the Nigerian side late Tuesday, they said. "They came around 6:30 pm (1830 GMT) while people were preparing for evening prayers and shot dead 14 community leaders," a security source told AFP. Some of the victims were shot in their homes while others were killed in the mosque where they had gone to pray, said another source, who gave a similar toll. The assault was launched after the town -- a major logistical route for ISWAP jihadists on the Nigerian side of the lake -- decided to cut off food supplies for the jihadists. In recent days, local chiefs had invoked the Koran at a town hall meeting and placed a curse on any resident allowing supplies to the jihadists. The insurgents viewed the decision as a betrayal and a show of support for the local authorities. The past week has seen several Nigerian air raids on ISWAP strongholds that have inflicted heavy casualties, according to military and local sources. "The terrorists believe the blockade is part of the ongoing military operation aimed at starving them while they are under bombardment," a source added. The Lake Chad area is a vast marshy area shared by Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon and Chad. Western parts of the lake have become havens for Nigerian jihadists, whose 10-year-old campaign has claimed tens of thousands of lives. A ndrea Leadsom has appealed to Donald Trump to ensure the suspect accused of killing Harry Dunn faces trial. In a direct on-camera plea for the US President to personally intervene to help the teenage biker's relatives, Mrs Leadsom urged the billionaire businessman to think of his own family members. The former business secretary and South Northamptonshire MP, speaking on the anniversary of Mr Dunns death , said today is an incredibly sad day for his family and friends. Mrs Leadsom said: I never had the pleasure of meeting him myself but over the last year, having met on a number of times with his family, I can see how very, very loved Harry Dunn was. "This is such a difficult time for his family. Precisely because - not that anybody deliberately hurt him or set out to be careless or to drive carelessly - but that something terrible happened and the person who caused Harry's death has walked away with the help and support of the United States government. And that simply cannot be allowed to stand." Anniversary of Harry Dunn's death: 'I won't stop' until Anne Sacoolas goes through UK justice system, says Harry's mother As dozens of bikers assembled nearby to pay their own tribute to Mr Dunn on the anniversary of his death, Mrs Leadsom issued a plea to President Trump to take a personal interest in the case. Appealing for the president to ensure that suspect Anne Sacoolas faces a virtual trial, Mrs Leadsom pointed out that he has previously met with Mr Dunn's parents. Sacoolas returned to the US after claiming diplomatic immunity . Mrs Leadsom told reporters: "He knows what they're going through - I know he is very sympathetic to their situation. "So I want to make a real appeal to you Mr President - please give this family closure. Give them the virtual trial and the justice that they are demanding for their son Harry." Key events following the death of teenager Harry Dunn Family members were also present at the site, and spoke to Mrs Leadsom for several minutes before and after she made her plea to President Trump. The US State Department issued a statement on Thursday in which it again offered its sincere condolences and sympathy to the Dunn family. After pointing out that the United States government had declined the UK's extradition request, the statement said it would continue to engage with British counterparts to find a reasonable resolution. Family spokesman Radd Seiger spoke after Mrs Leadsom, telling members of the media: "Today is the first anniversary of Harry Dunn's passing and it's been an incredibly painful year for the family. "I guess today is just as painful as any other day and, like Andrea said, I admire this family - their courage and their fortitude in the face of the most appalling adversity." Referring to the statement from authorities in the US which he said could signal the start of discussions between Washington and London, Mr Seiger added: "That's given the parents a real boost today. "We are not getting carried away... but we are incredibly positive and optimistic today - more so than ever that there will be justice for Harry." COLUMBUS, Ohio, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Covail announces its renewed partnership with TruSTAR, an Intelligence-Centric Security Automation and Management Platform built for security operations teams, to expand its cybersecurity and business optimization software offerings to its rapidly growing list of national clients. The partnership will deliver security intelligence management solutions that enable customers to align risk posture with business objectives and results. Since 2015, Covail's experts in artificial intelligence (AI), automation, cybersecurity, and risk management have been helping enterprises create agile, innovative, and Intelligent Operations using our collaborative partnering approach and results-driven methodologies. "Modern security practices must be intelligence-driven and supported by effective information sharing among defenders," said Jeff Schmidt, Vice President and Chief Cyber Security Innovator at Covail. "We are excited to partner with TruSTAR to manage and automate intelligence to heighten and accelerate security operations within the enterprises." With Covail, enterprises nationwide can benefit from the following capabilities: Security Community: Collaborate with other professional defenders covering everything from highly technical topics to effective board communications. Collaborate with other professional defenders covering everything from highly technical topics to effective board communications. Threat-Informed Vulnerability Management: Understand your vulnerabilities as it relates to attack surface with actionable prioritization to improve your risk. Understand your vulnerabilities as it relates to attack surface with actionable prioritization to improve your risk. Adversary Emulations and Offensive Exercises: Use innovative engagements that test your people, process, and technology as they react to real-world threats. Use innovative engagements that test your people, process, and technology as they react to real-world threats. Controls Assessments & Governance: Manage compliance against industry standard frameworks. Manage compliance against industry standard frameworks. Third-Party Risk Programs: Help understand and manage the risk associated with vendors and other third parties. Help understand and manage the risk associated with vendors and other third parties. Attack Detector Solution: Identify malicious activity quickly and reliably within your network. With TruSTAR, Covail customers can accelerate automation and reduce mean-time-to-detect and respond, leveraging the following key benefits: Streamlined Workflows: With automated processes of intelligence, observables are transformed via TruSTAR intel pipelines and applied to business processes. Analysts can work in-app or native to TruSTAR, depending on workflow needs. With automated processes of intelligence, observables are transformed via TruSTAR intel pipelines and applied to business processes. Analysts can work in-app or native to TruSTAR, depending on workflow needs. Secure Access and Governance : Allow users to securely disseminate by applying global access permissions based on user role, account type, and use case. TruSTAR also offers additional multi-factor authentication per user and SSO at the company level. : Allow users to securely disseminate by applying global access permissions based on user role, account type, and use case. TruSTAR also offers additional multi-factor authentication per user and SSO at the company level. Advanced Search: TruSTAR provides advanced filtering options to search across IOCs and reports, giving you rapid access to the intel you need. TruSTAR provides advanced filtering options to search across IOCs and reports, giving you rapid access to the intel you need. Prioritized Scores: Prioritized scoring is based on normalization of intel scores from commercial and open sources. Prioritized scoring is based on normalization of intel scores from commercial and open sources. Dashboard and Analytics: Insights are derived from intelligence and data to help users prioritize and make faster, smarter decisions for detection, triage, and investigation. "Total prevention has become an unrealistic dream that's led security leaders to make key investments in ways to prioritize and accelerate security operations," said Patrick Coughlin, CEO, TruSTAR. "TruSTAR is proud to partner with Covail to enable customers to transform and automate intelligence across their security operation ecosystemimproving security effectiveness and business results." Covail and TruSTAR will be hosting a webinar outlining new shared security solutions of their new partnership titled "Vulnerability Management with Covail and TruSTAR," on Wednesday, September 2 at 10:00 a.m. PT / 1:00 p.m. ET. The webinar will be led by TruSTAR's Lead Intelligence Architect Kevin Libby and Covail's Director of Security Innovation Troy Vennon and will cover the value threat intelligence can play in detection, triage, and prioritization. Attendees can register at https://www.trustar.co/covail_webinar. About Covail Covail is a trusted solutions partner, enabling organizations to optimize through Intelligent Operations solutions that lower total risk and cost for key business functions, equipping them to transform from a position of strength. Since 2015, Covail's experts in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Automation, and Cybersecurity have been delivering business results for leading Fortune 500 companies across industries. Trustworthy, Intelligent Operations. Accelerated. Learn more at covail.com. About TruSTAR TruSTAR is an Intelligence-Centric Security Automation and Management Platform built for security operations teams. TruSTAR uses machine learning and AI to accelerate operational efficiency through automation. The most valuable security data is often locked inside silos in and across companies. TruSTAR breaks down these silos within enterprises to align security effectiveness with business objectives, improving cyber resilience and operations. TruSTAR is the technology infrastructure that powers many of the world's largest enterprises spanning across Finance, Retail, Healthcare, and IT as well as the largest U.S. ISACs and ISAOs. Learn more at http://www.trustar.co and follow us on Twitter at @TruSTARtech. Media Contact: Brad Ashbrook (614) 591-0440 [email protected] SOURCE Covail Related Links http://www.covail.com Diplomats at the online consultation between ASEAN Connectivity Coordinating Committee and partners on August 26 (Photo: VNA) Jakarta The ASEAN Connectivity Coordinating Committee held an online consultation with dialogue partners and other partners on August 26 under the chair of Ambassador Tran Duc Binh, head of Vietnams delegation to ASEAN. Partner countries highly valued the progress in the implementation of the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity (MPAC) 2025 despite COVID-19 caused difficulties facing many projects. Ambassadors of ASEANs partners, including the US, China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia, Germany, Canada, New Zealand and Norway, applauded the blocs efforts in enhancing connectivity within ASEAN, as well as between the bloc and partners. They affirmed that their countries will continue assisting ASEAN to implement projects within the MPAC 2025 in particular and connectivity projects in general, such as the US-supported ASEAN Single Window, the ASEAN-China Young Leaders Scholarship Programme, and the Japan-supported ASEAN Smart Cities Network, so as to promote the connectivity in the ASEAN Community building, between the bloc and partners, and in regional economic recovery and development. At the consultation, participants also discussed measures to bolster the MPAC 2025 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, affirming that the strategic areas in this master plan highly match the post-COVID-19 recovery plan of ASEAN. They underlined the need to strengthen the coordination and connectivity between the MPAC 2025 and some connectivity initiatives of partners, and to step up the implementation of statements between the bloc and its partners, including the ASEAN Plus Three Leaders Statement on Connecting the Connectivities Initiatives, the Joint Statement of the 22nd ASEAN-Japan Summit on Connectivity, and the ASEAN-China Statement on Synergising the MPAC 2025 and the Belt and Road Initiative. The MPAC is a strategic plan adopted by ASEAN leaders in Hanoi in October 2010, aiming to bolster connectivity within the bloc, along with between ASEAN and partners, towards a seamlessly connected ASEAN community. Regional leaders approved the MPAC 2025 in Vientiane, Laos, in September 2016 with a vision of creating a seamlessly and comprehensively connected and integrated ASEAN. ORLAND PARK, IL A new business has opened in Orland Park with ties to well-known Chicago restaurant Babys Cheesesteak and Lemonade. Eggsperts Breakfast & Lunch Cafe, located at 9218 W. 159th St., opened its doors to the public after months of set back due to COVID-19 restrictions. MJ Sughayer, part owner of the new restaurant and Orland Park native said the place was completely remodeled prior to opening, and that the restaurant was scheduled to open in late March prior to the stay-at-home order issued in Illinois. Eggsperts offers a platter for the entire table to share. (Courtesy of Andres J. DeLeon) We were ready to open, Sughayer said. We started construction in 2019. We completely gutted this place and made it what it is today; an upper-scale breakfast, lunch cafe. From the booths to the ceiling, we even have marble tables. Sughayer said he has been in the restaurant business for over 20 years. With a pharmacy background, Sughayer said his father started Babys Cheesesteak & Lemonade when he was still a teenager. My father may God rest his soul started the cheesesteak restaurant years ago. It was a family business and now the cheesesteaks are known all over the Chicagoland area, he said. We grew up in the restaurant business thanks to my dad. We are very passionate about food. We eat to live and we live to eat. We are always joking where we will eat next. Sughayer said Eggsperts was created as a segue from Babys, to create a different kind of space for people to enjoy different kinds of foods. "We are redefining breakfast," Sughayer said. We do a nice chicken and waffle, breakfast pizza, vegetarian items, breakfast nachos our number one item is our breakfast egg rolls with scrambled eggs and beef tenderloin. We even have 14 homemade sauces. You dont see your typical breakfast and lunch here, this is a place to be unique. A popular menu item at Eggsperts, beef tenderloin and eggs wrapped in a homemade egg roll. (Courtesy Andres J. DeLeon) Sughayer also said that the coffee served at the new spot is made with fresh imported beans that are steamed and placed in a sealed bag before cooling. He also said that the milk is imported from a farm in southern Illinois. Story continues Our coffee station serves lattes and smoothies, he said. We dont add any added sugars or sweeteners. One of our popular drinks is a honey cinnamon latte, which sounds off until you try it. We all know honey is great in tea, but after having it in coffee, we joke we will never drink coffee with sugar again. The part-owner said that the goal of creating the restaurant was to have something on their menu for every person. Breakfast pizza at Eggsperts (Courtesy Andres J. DeLeon) We have Mediterranean-style breakfast, classic American style breakfast, gluten-free options if you dream of a food we will create it for you, he said. People who go to the gym come in to get their protein shakes. We have a drink for everyone on this planet and that was the main goal of creating this restaurant; inclusion. According to Sughayer, with the COVID-19 pandemic in place, Eggsperts has guidelines customers must follow prior to dining. We take temperatures at the door. It might be the pharmacy in me, but we want people to feel safe. We have sanitizer in a variety of places around the restaurant, he said. You dont have to touch the handle in the bathroom because we put a foot stand to open the door. Sughayer said Eggsperts has the restaurant fully disinfected before and after the weekend, along with cleaning during the week. Skillet from the menu at Eggsperts (Courtesy Andres J. DeLeon) We're all in the same boat. We're all in this little bubble right now, he said. Sports brings everyone together, but I think food brings everyone together. At Eggsperts, we just want to bring everyone together and enjoy a one-of-a-kind experience. The restaurant is open from 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. daily. For more information on Eggsperts Breakfast and Lunch Cafe, visit their Facebook Page. This article originally appeared on the Orland Park Patch SEATTLE, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Horace Anderson- father of Lorenzo Anderson -- the special needs teenager murdered on June 20, 2020 amid the lawlessness that occurred within Seattle's seven-block zone known as "CHOP/CHAZ" has filed 3 separate $1 billion claims against the City of Seattle, the County of King and the State of Washington. It is by far the largest claim filed in connection to the government's failure to protect its citizens amid the CHOP/CHAZ fiasco. Additional documentation for the claims can be seen here. The claim was filed today by Oshan & Associates, P.C. ( Oshan Law ) on behalf of Horace Anderson. It claims that the actions and inactions by the City of Seattle, County of King and State of Washington are directly responsible for creating a hazardous, and lawless situation that resulted in the shooting death of his son. Attorney Evan M. Oshan said, "This case warrants punitive or exemplary damages in order to punish the City of Seattle, County of King, the State of Washington and their agents for their outrageous conduct that allowed lawlessness to reign. Such failure to protect citizens must not be allowed to happen again." "It is important to hold our government leaders accountable so this will not happen again," added Mr. Oshan. "Those in positions of power must not be allowed to hide from their duty to act responsibly and protect citizens. With power and prestige comes responsibility!" Attorney Evan Oshan and Horace Anderson are available for Zoom interviews. Contact: Evan M. Oshan/ [email protected] / 206.335.3880 - Text or Voice SOURCE Oshan & Associates, P.C. Related Links oshanandassociates.com The firm is expanding with its revolutionary Public Access Lagoons, also known as PAL accessed via ticketed-entry, and master licensing agreements involving a significant number of PAL. The firm is negotiating with Middle Eastern investors and foreign funds, interested in their profitability, long-term security, limited risk as Covid and Amazon-proof alternatives, and potential due to the region's culture and climate. Interest in PAL has transformed these amenities into the meeting point of the 21st century, following their success in Japan, at the forefront of technology, and the U.S., particularly in Texas and Florida, with both projects generating US $50,000 in daily ticket revenues, 1,200 visitors and reservations selling-out. These crystalline lagoons surrounded by white sand beaches become the most beautiful place in the city. The firm offers investment models with more or less infrastructure, with the most complete options including areas for road shows, food-halls, weddings and concerts in multiple set-ups such as beaches, terraces, domes, as well as an array of gastronomic offerings, retail and amphitheaters. Other markets to have signed key master agreements, contracts that involve a significant number of PAL, are the U.S. (16 PAL), Korea (30 PAL), Pakistan (15 PAL) and Central America (18 PAL). "Investors envisage that, as these projects are built, they generate a financial pyramid. Despite a low initial investment, a company can achieve a very high present value," says Alastair Sinclair, Crystal Lagoons Regional Director. "The hotel industry has identified an increase in value in rates and food and beverage consumption up to 200% when hotels include a beach, compared to hotels inland. Investors have corroborated that, on lower-value land, a hotel combining a beach and PAL elements can benefit from very attractive returns," adds Sinclair. The multinational is negotiating 19 developments in countries such as Saudi Arabia, U.A.E., Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrein and Oman. Contact information Alastair Sinclair asinclair@crystal-lagoons.com Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1233037/Epperson_FOTO_1.jpg Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1233038/Lago_Mar_FOTO_2.jpg Related Links http://www.crystal-lagoons.com SOURCE Crystal Lagoons By 1883, Feneon was writing art and literary criticism for small publications, some of which he co-founded. He also contributed unsigned tracts that railed against the oppressions of the Third Republic. By the next year, he had asserted in his writing, the purpose of all government should be to make government unnecessary. In April 1894, he was arrested with 29 others and accused of conspiracy in the bombing of a restaurant. Jailed for four months awaiting what became known as the Trial of the Thirty he taught himself English and translated Jane Austens Northanger Abbey into French. His witty ripostes on the stand, reported in the press, may have contributed to his acquittal. Today, Feneon is perhaps best remembered for his critical insights, which he began publishing in 1883. His career as an art critic largely ended with the notoriety of the Trial of the Thirty, after which he excelled as executive editor of the literary magazine La Revue blanche. He was the discoverer of Georges Seurat, and coined the term Neo-Impressionism for the art movement that Seurat spearheaded with Paul Signac and the erstwhile Impressionist Camille Pissarro. This was in 1886, the year Seurats great masterpiece, Sunday Afternoon on La Grande Jatte, was first exhibited. Pleased with Feneons writing on his work, Seurat gave him the final study for La Grande Jatte, which begins the show, on loan from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Stakeholders in the education sector are considering reviewing the ban on mobile phone usage in schools. Mrs Esther Jones Safo, Ga North Municipal Director of Education, who disclosed this in Accra on Thursday, said the review would be done so that mobile phones could be used strictly for academic purposes. She said this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency after the inauguration and swearing in of Executive Members of the Ga North Municipality Conference of Heads of Basic Schools (COHBS) at Pokuase in the Greater Accra Region. The inauguration was on the theme: Providing Quality Education in the Midst of COVID-19 Pandemic, the Role of the Head Teacher. COHBS seeks to bring together head teachers within the various directorates to share experiences, ideas, concerns and successes in the running of schools. Mrs Safo entreated students to desist from visiting restricted websites on phones and computers and rather take advantage of the Ghana Education Learning programmes on the various television channels. She noted that in the era of COVID-19 head teachers must adopt strategies to help provide quality education. Head teachers play a major role in the school management system and they are expected to come up with efficient and cost effective strategies to improve on teaching and learning, Mrs Safo said. In these challenging times, head teachers are expected to explore various options for distance learning tools including online virtual lessons and downloadable lessons. She said currently, schools around the world were being encouraged to reduce the rate of contact teaching and resort to the remote learning system in order to curb the spread of the pandemic. She, therefore, advised the head teachers to encourage their students to patronise radio and television programmes as well and appreciate distance learning. Mrs Safo drew their attention to the launch of the Ghana Accountability for Learning Outcomes Project (GALOP) by the Government in June, this year, which aimed at improving the quality of low performing basic schools and strengthening education sector accountability. The project would also employ the phased approach to accommodate the gradual rollout of the new curriculum by government, which would begin with early grade (KG to primary six), she said. It would be expanded to other levels of basic education as the new curriculum is rolled out. The learning interventions are expected to reach approximately 10,000 poorly performing public schools (KG, primary and Junior High Schools), Mrs Safo said. She entreated members of the Ga North COHBS to remain united to propel growth. Nii Tettey Okpe II, Amamole Mantse and Chairman of the occasion, urged members of the newly constituted Ga North COHBS to double up their efforts to catch up with their counterparts who were inaugurated some time ago and called for team work among teachers and head teachers. Mr Edward Obeng Anim Pabi, COHBS Chairman for Ga North, explained that the Ga North Municipality was created in 2019 out of the Ga Central Municipality. He said that resulted in head teachers not belonging to any of the groups, hence the need to mobilise them under one umbrella. Mr Addo Nicholas Nii Kpakpoe, Greater Accra Regional Chairman, COHBS, urged members to set out and share their visions and missions with teachers to spur excellence in teaching and learning. There was solidarity messages from the La Nkwantanang, Ga Central, and Weija/Gbawe COHBS. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Toward the end of its last Unpacked press conference, Samsung spent a surprising amount of time talking about its new Galaxy Z Fold 2 before promising more detail on September 1st. Now, the company has made those plans more concrete: Rather than a news dump or PR blast, Samsung will stage a streamed event at 10AM Eastern/7AM Pacific that day to focus on the foldable. In years past, such an announcement would've been made on the ground at the IFA trade show in Berlin, but continued concerns over the novel coronavirus pandemic forced Samsung to back out of the event in July. The Z Fold 2 was leaked fairly thoroughly in the run-up to Samsung's summer Unpacked event, and its many rumored improvements -- a bigger external display, a redesigned hinge and a faster Snapdragon 865 Plus chipset -- were spot-on. And more recently, at least one YouTuber has managed to obtain the phone and give it the full (and flashy) video review treatment. In other words, most of the usual smartphone bits to get excited over are fairly well-understood, so the most valuable information Samsung is sitting on now is considerably more practical. Samsung has previously said that pre-orders for the Z Fold 2 would also begin on September 1st, but it has yet to provide any guidance on its price. The original model cost just shy of $2,000 at launch, so expect the sequels price tag to land in the same ballpark. (That said, Samsungs choice of improved components may have forced the company to jack up the price slightly.) And while AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon have all committed to carrying this updated foldable in the US, there's still no word on a release date. For now though, all thats left to do is wait for Samsung to fill us in on the final details unless some intrepid leakers beat it to the punch again. The Supreme Court will pronounce its final judgement in the UGC final year exam case at 10.30 am on August 28. The matter pertains to students' pleas against the University Grants Commission (UGC) asking universities, colleges to conduct final year exams by September 30. Students had moved the apex court against this UGC decision. The petitioners want that the final year candidates be assessed based on the performance in the previous semesters. Track this LIVE blog for all the latest updates on UGC Guidelines On August 18, SC had reserved its order in the students' plea against the University Grants Commission's decision to make final-year exams compulsory. This plea is against UGC's July 7 decision asking institutes to conduct final year exams by September 30. SC had asked all the parties to give a note on their submissions within the next three days. The hearing concluded on August 18. Also Read: What is the plea in SC against UGC all about? On July 7, UGC said the end-term examination for all final year UGC students would have to be mandatorily held by the end of September 2020 in offline (pen & paper), online or blended mode. This was opposed by several state governments like that of Maharashtra, West Bengal as also by final-year university students. SG Tushar Mehta said in the July 27 hearing that out of 818 universities in India, 209 have already completed the examinations while 394 are in the process of completing the examinations. He added that 35 universities have not reached final year exams. On July 30, UGC had informed the SC that if students are unable to appear for the examinations by September 30, he/she will be given an opportunity to appear at a specially conducted exam at a later date. However, the 31 lead petitioners in the SC case refused to accept this reply and said that the UGC's response does not take into consideration the hassles faced by students if exams keep getting postponed. The petitioners had also said job prospects and future admission opportunities for students will be hampered. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi doubled down on her advice to Joe Biden - don't bother debating President Donald Trump. 'Why even waste everybody's time listening to what he has to say?' Pelosi said Thursday evening on MSNBC. She said her assessment wasn't due to Biden's debating ability. 'Why I said he shouldn't debate him has nothing to do with Joe Biden. Joe Biden will be - he is great as a debater,' Pelosi said. 'What it is is about how totally inappropriate, that's the nicest word I can think of, the president is. He has not even the slight flirtation with truth, fact, evidence, data.' By the time Pelosi appeared on 'The Beat' with Ari Melber, Biden had already said Thursday that he would debate Trump. 'As long as the commission continues down the straight and narrow as they have, I'm going to debate him,' Biden said Thursday on MSNBC with Andrea Mitchell. 'The debates are going to take place,' the former vice president added. Biden said he'd be playing the 'fact-checker on the floor,' accusing Trump of always 'lying, lying, lying.' House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (right) doubled down on her advice to Joe Biden - that he shouldn't debate President Donald Trump - during an appearance with MSNBC's Ari Melber (left) Democratic nominee Joe Biden said Thursday he would debate President Donald Trump, though said he envisioned his role as being a 'fact-checker on the floor' House Speaker Nancy Pelosi first advised Biden to skip the three scheduled debates with Trump at her weekly press conference, suggesting the president would engage in 'skullduggery' onstage Trump's campaign has tried to push the commission that sponsors the debates to move the final debate into the first week of September, pointing to how many states have early voting 'I think everybody knows this man has a somewhat pathological tendency not to tell the truth,' Biden said. Pelosi originally floated the idea of Biden walking away from debating Trump at her weekly press conference. 'I don't think there should be any debates,' Pelosi said. She added, jokingly, that reporters shouldn't tell Biden this was her opinion. 'I do not think that the president of the United States has comported himself in a way that ... has any association with truth, evidence, data and facts,' Pelosi said. 'I wouldn't legitimize a conversation with him,' she added. The House speaker also said Trump would engage in 'skullduggery' onstage - a fancy word for underhanded behavior. On Melber's show she added, 'The president has not shown any respect for the office that he holds. And I don't expect that he will have any respect for the debates for that office.' Trump and Biden are scheduled to face off in three official presidential debates with their running mates, Vice President Mike Pence and California Sen. Kamala Harris, slated to meet once. The first debate will take place in Cleveland, Ohio on September 29. Next will come the VP debate in Utah on October 7. Trump and Biden will then square off again in Miami on October 15 and in Nashville on October 22. The presidential election will take place on November 3. Trump's campaign has complained to the Commission on Presidential Debates that the schedule is outdated, as many Americans will be able to cast their ballots before the series of debates concludes. Rudy Giuliani, in a letter to the commission penned earlier this month, called the current schedule an 'outdated dinosaur and not reflective of voting realities in 2020.' 'For a nation already deprived of a traditional campaign schedule because of the COVID-19 global pandemic, it makes no sense to also deprive so many Americans of the opportunity to see and hear the two competing visions for our country's future before millions of votes have been cast, the former New York City mayor wrote. Giuliani encouraged the commission, which has handled the presidential debates since 1988, to move the final debate to the first week of September instead. On Wednesday, Trump also floated he would ask Biden to get drug tested before the debates, commenting on his improvement through the Democratic primary cycle. 'I don't know how he could have been so incompetent in his debate performances and then all of a sudden be OK against Bernie,' Trump told The Washington Examiner. The president made similar comments about asking Hillary Clinton to get drug tested in the run-up to their three face-offs in 2016. Food-hailing action nothing but a drop in ocean of plastic Entering a Vietnamese food vendor in Hanois Ba Dinh district, a handful of food-delivery drivers from GrabFood, Now, and South Korean newcomer Baemin Vietnam are waiting to pick up orders for customers. Nguyen Van Quan, a partner at GrabFood, told VIR that during lunchtimes he usually handles 30-40 deliveries, with each delivery consisting of orders for 2-4 customers. The orders grew rapidly over the last pandemic, and are rising even more now that the pandemic has returned to Vietnam, he said. So, at lunch and dinner time, I have gotten used to being tied up in receiving and delivering the orders. The latest wave of COVID-19 in the country has lowered the demand for eating outside, but is benefiting the food delivery applications that fulfil the eat-at-home need. Taking advantage of the trend, apps such as GrabFood, Now, Gojek, and Baemin have increased advertisements on YouTube and Facebook in the past month. Q&Me, the provider of Vietnamese market research for business, released a survey in April on the increasing food delivery demand in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City during the first pandemic scare in the country. The report showed food delivery services in Vietnam increased in popularity due to the social isolation measures imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Notably, among existing food delivery app users, 70 per cent increased use of the services at that time and with pandemic effects more serious in certain locations this time around, the popularity could be even greater, especially in Central Vietnam. According to Spanish market research company Kantar Worldpanel, GrabFood is leading the market with a solid 65 per cent, running laps around second-place Now, which has 7 per cent. Indeed, earlier in the year, services like GrabFood and GrabMart saw impressive growth. Pointedly, GrabMart in late March saw a hike of 91 per cent in the number of orders against the day before national social distancing. GrabFood also recorded a spike of 26 per cent in the average value of each order because local people tended to order more items for their family members. Over the first half of 2020, the service also saw an on-year increase of nearly 1,800 per cent in the number of orders, following a report from Kantar Worldpanel. Plastic abundance Notwithstanding, along with the blossoming prospects of food delivery companies, the local environment is being burdened by a huge volume of plastic rubbish being contributed in part by plastic and nylon bags released by food producers. Launched in Vietnam almost five years ago, and based on the initial idea of food rating website Foody.vn, Now has risen as the dominant food delivery app with more than 25,000 orders a day. GrabFood reported a 250-fold growth in orders and thousands of restaurant partners after just one year in operation. Assuming that the two delivery giants Now and GrabFood get the same number of orders, they would conduct a total of 50,000 deliveries a day, discharging hundreds of thousands of plastics boxes and nylon bags into the environment every day, which all require hundreds or even thousands of years to decompose. Nguyen Hoang Trung, chief executive of Vietnamese multi-delivery service Loship that has more than 160,000 food vendor and 20,000 driver partners, told VIR said that plastic waste is a huge problem, which was difficult to control even before the pandemic emerged on the scene. When COVID-19 broke out, the increase in demand for food delivery only exacerbated the issue. According to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, about 80 tonnes of plastic waste is released every day in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Moreover, only 10 per cent of plastic rubbish in Vietnam is recycled, while the remaining 90 per cent is concreted or discharged into the environment. Vietnam is one of four countries in Asia that causes more than four million tonnes of plastic waste ending up in the worlds oceans every year, according to estimates by environmental advocacy group Ocean Conservancy. Feeble attempts As the environment has been suffering mounting volumes of plastic waste, food delivery operators have yet to offer any real solutions on the issue. GrabFood has launched an eco-friendly window in its app to introduce restaurants which use environmentally-friendly materials and packaging. Grab, the operator of GrabFood, last year also began a plastic reduction initiative allowing consumers to refuse plastic cutlery with their orders. However, the function alone cannot so much as the mountain of plastic packaging used to wrap food and does little to promote a green lifestyle. Loship chief executive Trung told VIR that his group is working with Thai firm Biodegradable Packaging for the Environment Plc. to bring alternative packaging solutions for the companys restaurant partners. These products include paper bowls and straws, as well as bags and recycled packages. Being the first representative in the Vietnamese food delivery sector to implement this solution, Loship expects to contribute to changing the habits of both customers and restaurants about using plastic packages. Although these environmental-friendly packages are quite expensive, 300 of our partners have already switched to these products, Trung said. It seems only GrabFood and Loship have rolled out activities to decrease plastic waste, and their efforts will change the habits of only a fraction of consumers and partners. Loship is aware of how hard it is to change habit at a moments notice, but every small change by restaurants and food delivery companies will gradually spread the no single-use plastic message to the people, Trung added. A 91-year-old woman had to climb 60 stairs to reach her east London flat because of faulty lifts in her high-rise block. Jordan Thompson shared a video of his grandma Violet Thompson clambering up four storeys with a cane in Evering Road, Clapton. My 91 yr old grandma, having to walk up several flights of stairs because @hackneycouncil can't sort out their lifts, Mr Thompson wrote. Please retweet and share! Something needs to be done. It was watched more than 440,000 times on Twitter, shared by nearly 15,000 users and attracted a flurry of furious comments, with people branding it absolutely disgraceful and terrible. A spokesman for Hackney Council said they responded to the fault "as a priority" and said it was fixed hours after it was reported, although Ms Thompson's family claim there have been repeated issues with the lift "for several years". Geoff Thompson, 62, Violet's son, told the Standard: "It's my mother, she's 91, she's been living with this issue for a number of years now. "It's because I'd seen the mental, physical and emotional deterioration of my mother that I'd brought her back home during Covid-19 because of her right to an independent living experience, only to find her having to take on one of her biggest challenges in her advancing years. "Her whole social program - pensioners' club, going to the leisure centre, shopping, going to church, all of that has ended [because of the lift]." He added: "In the event of a Grenfell, my mother would be very much at risk with her advancing disabilities to be successfully safe on that floor. "All I'm asking for is a quality of life that befits what she brought to this country as the Windrush generation. My mother matters." Hackney Councils social media team responded asking for the name of the block, before later adding: To update, we now know which block it was and the lift was fixed yesterday evening, within 3 hours of it being reported. We're going to contact all the residents in the buildings to apologise, and explain what we will do to prevent this happening again. But Mr Thompson, a professional boxer, hit back on Twitter: Are you guys serious? It being fixed isnt the problem. It's [sic] constantly been breaking down for several years. Stop funding the BS you guys fund and get a new lift sorted. How you guys are trying to make out your doing something great is mad [sic]. Aside from the outrage, many Twitter users also offered to help the elderly womans plight. After left-wing commentator Owen Jones waded in to his one million followers, the mayor of Hackney Philip Glanville, responded on Twitter: Thanks Owen & Jordan, I've emailed both Ms Thompson's children who are my contacts when trying to help in the past. I've also raised this with Director of Housing. While I'm told lift is back on, after a 3hr outage y'day, this constant disruption is unacceptable & we must fix it. Zak Shafique replied: Hello pal, I work for the London fire brigade. Is this also a fire lift? If so give me the details and I will refer it to fire safety as an emergency Job. Many others praised the grandma, with user Charlotte Moore writing to local Labour MP Diane Abbott: Amazing woman!!! 91!! @HackneyAbbott please give the council a nudge. This woman should be in her home with a cup of tea not clambering up the stairs. Please. A Hackney Council spokesperson said: We always respond to broken lifts as a priority, and in this instance the lift was fixed and working again within three hours of the fault being reported to us. Loading.... However, we know that there have been general issues with the reliability of this lift, and we are working to resolve these permanently. We are sorry about the disruption that this has been causing, and have spoken with the family of the resident in the video to apologise directly." Chinese FM spokesperson hits back at US defense chief's groundless accusations against PLA Global Times Source: Global Times Published: 2020/8/26 17:37:42 In response to the US Defense Secretary's provocative comments that the Pentagon is preparing for China, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs presented one piece of advice, two facts and three questions to squash his groundless accusation against China, saying that any US politicians who respect the facts will get straight answers to their questions. In his article, titled "The Pentagon Is Prepared for China," US Defense Secretary Mark Esper claimed that the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) "belongs toand servesa political entity, the Chinese Communist Party," and creates "conditions to allow the Chinese Communist Party to coerce other countries and impede their sovereignty." In response to Esper's remarks, foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said on Wednesday that he has "one piece of advice, two facts and three questions" for Esper. The advice would be to read an article originally compiled by the Xinhua News Agency on Monday that listed facts and statistics that refuted the lies and groundless accusations of the "China threat." The two facts would be: the Chinese army has participated over 20 times and sent more than 40,000 military personnel to UN peacekeeping operations since 1990, which makes China the country that has sent the most troops in peacekeeping operations among the five permanent members of the UN Security Council. During the 240 years since the US was established, the country hasn't been engaged in wars for only 16 years. The country's military budget exceeded $716 billion in 2019, equivalent to the combined total for the military budgets of the nine countries after it. Zhao also threw three questions at Esper: Can the US make the same proclamation as China in sticking to peaceful development and opposing hegemonism? Which one is it that owns hundreds of military bases all over the world, and illegally launched a war against Iraq, Libya and Syria, and sends aircraft far away from its soil to flex its muscles? And the last question: who is clinging to the Cold War mentality and keeps tearing up agreements, withdrawing from organizations and breaking global rules? "If US politicians respect the facts, they will come up with the right answer," said Zhao. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Tunisia: record estimates for olive oil exports Despite Covid, marketing never stopped (ANSAmed) - TUNIS, AUGUST 27 - Tunisian olive oil exports for the current season, totaling about 340,000 tonnes of product, will generate record revenue of more than two billion dinars (about 619,671,034 euros), compared to 1.2 billion dinars last year, said the president of the Tunisian Oil Office (ONH), Chokri Bayoudh. Bayoudh said the revenue should contribute 4.25% to the country's state budget. Tunisian olive oil exports, at the end of July 2020, reached nearly 294,000 tonnes at a value of 1.7 billion dinars, compared to 100,000 tonnes at a value of 1.2 billion dinars the previous season, Bayoudh told Tunisian news agency TAP. "Packaged olive oil exports rose to 20,000 tonnes. We hope that they reach 25,000 tonnes by the end of this season," he said. "At the end of this season, November 2020, we foresee exporting about 340,000 tonnes, which will generate overall revenue of more than two billion dinars," he said. He said that despite the coronavirus emergency, Tunisian olive oil marketing was never interrupted. "During the block that was decreed in March and April, we were able to export an average of 45,000 tonnes per month," Bayoudh said. Eighty percent of olive oil exports went to the EU (26 countries), 15% to the US and Canada, and 5% to the rest of the world. For many years, Tunisia worked to diversify its export markets and entered into new markets, including Asian ones, in particular China and India, said Bayoudh. Tunisia also increased its presence in US and Canadian markets, which are registering annual growth between 5% and 8%, said Bayoudh. Tunisian olive oil is now exported to 54 countries around the world. (ANSAmed). Quick-thinking crew members aboard an NY Waterway ferry plucked a man from the waters of the Hudson River as it was en route to Hoboken Terminal on Thursday morning. Capitan David Dort was operating the ferry Empire State when he saw the man in the river near Pier 25 in New York after departing from the World Financial Center/Brookfield Place ferry terminal for Hoboken Terminal, said Pat Smith, an NY Waterway spokesman. We were just about to back out when I saw something in the water. The deckhands deployed as we moved up and they got him out, Dort said in a release. This is why we do our drills. The man was turned over to New York police, Smith said. NYPD had no additional information about the incident, a spokesman said. This was the third rescue in three years for Dort and deckhands Gregorio Pages and Andrew Galarza. Capt. Dort and his crew rescued two people in separate incidents in the same area in 2017. In 33 years, NY Waterway crews have rescued almost 300 people from the waters of New York Harbor, including 143 people rescued from U.S. Airways Flight 1549 in The Miracle on the Hudson, using a flotilla of ferries. It has been called the most successful marine rescue in aviation history. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com. TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer has stepped down, the Financial Times reported. Mayer will be temporarily replaced by the general manager of the company Vanessa Pappas. The new personnel changes in the company became known from the TikTok letter to its employees, Reuters reported. Earlier, US President Donald Trump signed executive orders on combating the TikTok threat and on Combating the WeChat threat, in which he set aside 45 days for the termination in US jurisdiction of any transactions with the company that owns the ByteDance app and transactions related to this mobile app from China. The US administration has accused TikTok of being able to transfer data from Americans to the Chinese authorities, the owners of the app deny this. Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 15:31:18|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BERLIN, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Germany's COVID-19 cases rose by 1,507 within one day to 237,936, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) said on Thursday. The death toll rose by five to 9,285. "Almost half of the registered cases with us come from back-home travelers, meaning imported from abroad," Lars Schaade, RKI's vice president, said last week. To curb the continued rise in COVID-19 cases, the German federal government has extended its travel warning for more than 160 non-European Union (EU) and non-Schengen area countries and regions. The warning, which also applies to the United Kingdom, will remain in effect until Sept. 14. Enditem Douglas A.J. Latchford, a pre-eminent collector of Cambodian antiquities who earned praise for his scholarly works on Khmer Empire art, only to be indicted last year by American prosecutors for illicitly trafficking in the selfsame objects, died on Aug. 2 at his home in Bangkok. He was 88. The cause was organ failure brought on by complications of Parkinsons disease, according to his death certificate. A bon vivant and bodybuilding buff, Mr. Latchford was known for a half-century as a cultured accumulator of museum-quality Khmer sculptures and jewels. In 2008, the Cambodian Government granted him the Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Monisaraphon, the equivalent of a knighthood, for donating money and exhibits to its state museums. It invited him to become a citizen. Cambodia has always recognized Mr. Latchfords unique contribution to scholarship and understanding of Khmer culture, Chhay Visoth, the director of Cambodias National Museum, said in an email. One of the great myths when you journey beyond Corks borders is the allegation that people from the Rebel County have a regard for their own place that is somehow exceptional and exclusive. Seriously. The narrative goes along these lines: Cork people will never pass up an opportunity to tell outsiders that, yes, they are from Cork, and, at the drop of a hat, they will detail the many advantages enjoyed by Cork people, advantages that are, sadly, not available to other mortals. (This is not confined to Cork people, by the way. John Updike once wrote that the true New Yorker secretly believes that people living anywhere else have to be, in some sense, kidding.) This notion about Cork people has even been lampooned by comedian Tommy Tiernan in his routine about the impossibility of the president of Ireland ever coming from Leeside, on the basis that if said president ever addressed the UN, for instance, the opening lines of said speech would be to announce himself or herself as the president, before adding, ... but, more importantly, Im from Cork. All in all, this is an idea that has taken root firmly: Not so much that Cork people are singularly convinced of Corks convincing singularity, but that their commitment to this mode of thinking outstrips the commitment of others to their places of origin. I have to say, I disagree. Cork people are far less guilty than others of celebrating their homeplace. Furthermore, in the countrys acknowledged forum for national discussion, hamlets and conurbations far smaller than Cork have louder advocates and more passionate partisans. I refer to people who speak of their own native places in terms that make the Athens of Pericles seem a shoddy backwater in comparison, the Vienna of Freud and Klimt a humdrum provincial crossroads. Allow me to explain. In a previous life, yours truly worked in Leinster House, described by one of its occupants as the cockpit of democracy in this country. (When Christmastime came around and the annual parties kicked off, it became more like the moshpit of democracy in this country, but thats for another day.) A far more common phenomenon was the hymn to ones own place, usually delivered in a strange combination of tones at once plaintive and pleading, while also sounding a boastful and celebratory note. Time after time, your correspondent sat in the chamber of either Dail or Seanad to hear a public representative describe his or her homeplace, in unblushing terms, as a true ornament of Western civilisation, the fons et origo of heroes and prodigies, beloved by visitors from far and wide, a land of milk and honey though somewhat lacking in an essential service, such as a garda station manned 24 hours a day, or some such facility that was the actual reason the oration was being given. This puzzled me, until one night, in the Dail bar, a Cork representative introduced me to the hard facts of life about those who liked to preach the staggering virtues of some of these small settlements. Ill tell you something thatll put you on your heels. They actually believe that nonsense theyre talking. They think these industries and colleges and hospitals should be put in these places. That theyd be better off there than in . . . Cork? Dont laugh. Im serious. I wasnt laughing. And I knew he was serious. The reflexive move for any Cork person hearing the delights of (insert name of village or town here) extolled is to retaliate in kind. Read More Gerard Howlin: Golfgate shows the government has the wrong clubs in the bag Any advantage or benefit accruing to inhabitants of this supposed Eden is matched and exceeded by those afforded by life in Cork. Whatever appeals to you in your ho0800meplace, it cannot compare to the air/views/roads/cakes on offer in Cork, why let me tell you ... This is entirely the wrong approach, of course. A lofty disregard, or polite condescension, is the best response for such ruffians, but if you find your blood is running too high, consider the following outline as a more mature response. Native or visitor, when you walk down the South Mall, the remnants of the waterway that once filled this broad thoroughfare are obvious. You need only look at the steps running up the first-floor offices on the Imperial Hotel side of the street to see where the ships were once berthed. Anyone who has read books like Francis Spuffords Golden Hill will form a mental picture of fussy clerks hurrying down those steps to inspect cargoes, and brash captains crashing up the same steps with their bills of lading, eager to be off about the town with their money. The concentration of commercial enterprises along the street is hardly an accident, given that natural hinterland, but the influence of water on the citys business life is visible in other places, as well. For instance, Cornmarket St was a waterway in the 18th century the clue is in the commonly-used name, the Coal Quay and linked up with another waterway, which would eventually become the Grand Parade. This was a natural disembarkation point, particularly for goods that had been processed through the old custom house in the city, which occupied a site near the modern Opera House: Christy Ring Bridge was centuries in the future when customs officers were carrying out their inspections on cargoes that had come up the North Channel. This was a time the 18th century when the city existed primarily along the spine of North Main St and South Main St, and suburbs were unheard of. Towards the end of that century, the merchants in places like the South Mall decided to reclaim the centre of the marsh, the area east of those main streets, and what we now know as St Patrick St was created. So far, so good. But the point you need to make to your audience of small-town sceptics is this: Cork is without equal when it comes to accommodating rising sea levels, as when that time comes, the city can simply revert to its 18th-century state. Water can resume its mastery of the Mall, the Grand Parade, the Coal Quay, and St Patrick St and life in Cork will continue largely unperturbed. Canoes and kayaks may be needed, and a few vaporettos wouldnt go amiss no gondola jokes, thanks but life will continue much as it does now. Anyone questioning Corks uniqueness now has the ultimate answer. Its not so much that the city is future-proofed against future events: Its future-looped against them. The conversion of miles of waterway to streets is revealed to be temporary, and nature only needs to be given its head for a seamless return to the original arrangements. In the end, this is why Cork people dont need to make so much noise about how unique their own place is. Less fortunate souls can make their case, but time will be the true arbiter. And the weather. The latest graphic novel presented by the Association of the United States Army is all about Mary Walker, the U.S. military's first -- and only -- female recipient of the Medal of Honor. The graphic novel, part of a Medal of Honor series produced by AUSA, was created in collaboration with some of the top comic book writers and artists in the field, including Chuck Dixon, who has worked on Marvel's "The Punisher" and other projects; Peter Pantazis, a Marvel colorist; Karl Moline, an artist who has worked on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Fray comics; and Troy Peteri, an award-winning letterer. Read Next: Repairing Fire-Damaged USS Bonhomme Richard Would Likely Take Years, Admiral Says "The AUSA Book Program works with publishing partners to produce military titles that foster an understanding of, and appreciation for, the U.S. Army and its role in national defense," Joseph Craig, director of the AUSA Book Program, told Military.com. "We work with university presses and trade publishers on biographies, military histories and books devoted to Soldiers' issues." Craig said each story in AUSA's series is carefully vetted by historians and scholars to make sure we present the details as accurately as possible. "We have received an overwhelmingly positive response from readers," he said, noting the books are distributed free of charge. "It is particularly satisfying to see ROTC cadets and young Soldiers enjoying the work." Dixon, who wrote the text of the new graphic novel, said he learned about a new piece of history in the process. "It surprised me that, despite reading a lot of books on the American Civil War, I had never heard the story of Mary Walker, a woman of courage and well ahead of her time," said Chuck Dixon, the scriptwriter of Medal of Honor: Mary Walker. "I appreciate the chance to make the life of America's only female Medal of Honor winner known to a larger audience. Including me!" Mary Walker was one of the first women to earn a medical degree in the United States, and served as a surgeon for the U.S. Army during the Civil War. She also used her medical skills to treat civilians on both sides of the conflict. In one of her trips across enemy lines, she was captured by the Confederate Army and imprisoned in Castle Thunder Prison Camp in 1864. Several months later, she was released in a prisoner exchange and received a contract as an "acting assistant surgeon" with the U.S. Army. In 1865, President Andrew Johnson awarded Mary Walker the Medal of Honor in recognition of her courageous war efforts, though her career and gender meant the move was a significant break with tradition. The U.S. government withdrew Walker's medal in 1917 after determining she was ineligible because she was a civilian not a uniformed service member. Nevertheless, she refused to return the medal and continued to wear it. In 1977, Mary Walker's Medal of Honor was posthumously restored by President Jimmy Carter. She spoke out for women's rights and refused to be restricted by her gender throughout her life. "Walker's actions in life are an inspiration to me. With many forces against her telling her she did not belong, she rose up to the challenge and became a leader as well as a healer," said Peter Pantazis. "Having been the colorist for each Medal of Honor comic, every one holds a special place in my heart." According to AUSA, the next issue about Tibor Rubin, the Holocaust survivor who moved to America and later fought in Korea, will be released soon. "This is a very rewarding project to work on," Craig said. "The stories of the Medal of Honor recipients are inspiring, and we have been fortunate to work with a top-notch creative team to help bring them to life." -- Bing Xiao can be reached at bingxiao2020@u.northwestern.edu. Related: New Graphic Novels Honor Medal of Honor Recipients For all the newfound co-operation that the national cabinet has brought to relations between the federal, state and territorial governments, Prime Minister Scott Morrison's proposed Foreign Relations Bill is a dramatic move to exert his authority. It would allow Mr Morrison to scrap any agreement that universities or his fellow national cabinet members have signed with foreign countries, on the grounds of national security. While it will cover deals signed with any nation, this is really only about one. The Prime Minister's growing concern about China's influence in Australia is no longer being left to backroom discussions between diplomats. His backing of the international inquiry into the origins of the coronavirus pandemic and warnings of "foreign" nations using cyber attacks on Australia are just two of his recent public declarations that make it clear that Mr Morrison is not always going to play nice. Nor should he. China's embrace of capitalism had many hoping its global outreach would steer it towards becoming a pluralist democracy but President Xi Jinping has ensured that its authoritarian ways are here to stay as demonstrated by its crackdown on opposition groups in Hong Kong. It's at this thorny juncture that Australia now finds itself. While the economic benefits of dealing with China are enormous, navigating a diplomatic path of opposition to Beijing's autocratic tendencies is no easy task. The communist state is nothing but forthright in its hostility to anyone it views as interfering in its affairs. While standing up to China is mostly a headache for the national government, it is right that the relationship should be managed at this level. Access to intelligence and diplomatic input mean it is the only government well enough informed to do so in a balanced manner. Laura strengthened Wednesday into a menacing Category 4 hurricane, raising fears of a 20-foot storm surge that forecasters said would be "unsurvivable and capable of sinking entire communities. Ocean water topped by white-capped waves began rising ominously as the monster neared land. Authorities implored coastal residents of Texas and Louisiana to evacuate, but not everyone did before winds began buffeting trees back and forth. The storm grew nearly 87% in power in just 24 hours to a size the National Hurricane Center called extremely dangerous. Drawing energy from the warm Gulf of Mexico, the system was on track to arrive during high tide late Wednesday or early Thursday as the most powerful hurricane to strike the U.S. so far this year. Evacuees traveled as far as Ennis, Texas, a city south of Dallas thats roughly 200 miles (320 kilometers) from the coast, as incoming Hurricane Laura rapidly gained power hours before its expected landfall. Forecasters predicted a life-threatening storm surge would pound a wide stretch of the coast. Full reports: An employee counts U.S. banknotes among Vietnamese banknotes at a bank in Hanoi. Photo by Reuters/Kham. Vietnam expects overseas remittances to fall this year as an economic fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic. Can Van Luc, chief economist at the Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam (BIDV), estimated that remittances to Vietnam this year could drop by around 10-15 percent year-on-year or even higher. Several economists have actually forecast that remittances could drop by as much as 40 percent this year, as the pandemic has not shown signs of ending, while Vietnam is facing a second wave. Economist Nguyen Tri Hieu said the remittances mainly come from Vietnamese workers living and working abroad. However, many of them are now unemployed due to the pandemic impacts on overseas economies. Nguyen Hoang Minh, deputy head of the central bank's Ho Chi Minh City branch, said remittances to the city topped $3 billion in the first seven months this year, down 1.2 percent year-on-year. HCMC is usually the country's largest remittance recipient. The World Bank said Vietnam was the ninth highest remittance recipient last year with $17 billion, equivalent to 6.5 percent of Vietnams GDP. Of this, HCMC attracted $5.3 billion. Haiti - FLASH : Eastern resumes its flights between New York and Port-au-Prince Starting August 29, Eastern Airlines will begin scheduled service flights on Wednesdays and Saturdays between New York JFK International Airport and Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-au-Prince PAP. Introductory fares start at $124 one-way including taxes and fees with one free checked bag (up to 70 lbs). Flight No. 2D 661, on Wednesday, Saturday, from JFK (12:15 PM) to PAP (arrival 4:25 PM) for $124 (*) Flight No. 2D 662, on Wednesday, Saturday, from PAP (6:15 PM) to JFK (arrival 10:25 PM) for $194 (*) Promotion 1st checked bag (up to 70 lbs.) flies free, no checked baggage limit. (*) Seats are limited and may not be available on all flights. Tickets must be issued on/before September 30, 2020 by 23:59pm ET. No advanced purchase required. Each guest is permitted to bring one personal item, one carry-on, one piece of checked luggage, and one piece of sporting equipment free of charge. Baggage fees apply for additional pieces, oversized, or overweight luggage. These fares are nonrefundable and not changeable. Prices include government taxes and fees. All fares are in U.S. dollars and are subject to change without notice, and other restrictions apply. Some markets may not operate daily service See full terms and conditions for more information. HL/ HaitiLibre Shown is the San Gorgonio Wilderness, where day hiking permits will be required starting Sept. 1. (Mary Forgione / Los Angeles Times) Heads up, hikers: You'll soon need day-use permits for trails leading to popular high-elevation peaks in the San Bernardino National Forest. Starting Sept. 1, the number of hikers in the San Gorgonio, San Jacinto and parts of the Cucamonga wilderness areas will be limited to avoid overcrowding at trailhead parking lots and trail damage, a recent forest news release said. "A key characteristic of wilderness is experiencing solitude," forest supervisor Jody Noiron said in a statement. "We have lost that on many of our wilderness trails and sorely need a place for it in busy metropolitan Southern California." Permits are free, but you need to get one before you go. They will be available up to 90 days in advance of your scheduled hike date. Here's the tricky part: Many ranger stations are closed because of the pandemic, so you'll need to call ahead (even if you have to leave a message) to reserve. San Gorgonio Wilderness has been closed temporarily through Sept. 1 because of the aftermath of the Apple fire. You can reserve a spot online with the San Gorgonio Wilderness Assn. at sgwa.org or contact the Mill Creek Visitor Center at (909) 382-2882. San Jacinto Ranger Station at (909) 382-2921 will issue just 30 permits a day for the Devil's Slide Trailhead. The quota will be in place Saturdays and Sundays from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Permits for midweek and off-season dates are required for all trails. (Permits issued for the state wilderness will be honored.) Cucamonga Wilderness begins at Icehouse Canyon near Mt. Baldy. This wilderness area is shared by the Angeles and San Bernardino national forests. Permits will be required only for Cucamonga Peak, Etiwanda Peak and the Lytle Creek area. Contact the Lytle Creek Ranger Station at (909) 382-2851. Also, day-use permits limit group size to 12 people, and overnight trips require permits too. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Stephen Miller, center, with Jared Kushner, left, and Stephen Bannon in the Oval Office. (Evan Vucci / Associated Press) If you buy books linked on our site, The Times may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookstores. It takes a particular audacity to hold an outdoor event near El Paso in July, but the backdrop was the draw: a half-mile stretch of privately funded border fencing. Stephen K. Bannon, former senior advisor to President Trump, was the event director, cajoling a chorus of far-right influencers, politicians and border officials in attendance: Quiet on set! After the 2019 photo-op, Bannon offered to give Jean Guerrero, an Emmy-winning investigative reporter, a ride back to her hotel. On the drive, Bannon raised a recent Fox News hit by Stephen Miller, as Guerrero recounts in her new book, "Hatemonger: Stephen Miller, Donald Trump, and the White Nationalist Agenda." It was Bannon, the self-proclaimed brains behind Trumps 2016 campaign shocker, who brought Miller into Trumps orbit. According to Guerrero, he referred endearingly to the aide who has outlasted him and most everyone else in the White House as an evil robot. A few days later, a 21-year-old white man murdered 22 people at an El Paso Walmart after posting a manifesto decrying a Hispanic invasion of Texas, according to authorities, and declaring, "This is just the beginning of the fight for America and Europe." Last week, Bannon, who has been advising Trumps reelection run , was arrested off of a yacht owned by a dissident Chinese billionaire and business partner. The Justice Department charged Bannon and others with defrauding those contributors who put up some $25 million for the We Build the Wall effort behind that half-mile of barrier. This week, familiar apocalyptic rhetoric echoed from the Republican National Convention as Trumps most loyal defenders called him the bodyguard of Western civilization. The orchestrator of this recurring theme isn't Bannon, but Miller. (He did not respond to requests for comment for this article.) Having had a hand in every major speech Trump has given for nearly four years, Millers takeover of GOP establishment politics will effectively be complete on Thursday, when a weary nation wracked by the coronavirus and racial injustice hears his message his mission straight from the president's mouth, straight from the White House. Story continues Guerrero told The Times that Miller, unlike Bannon and others surrounding the president, is not an opportunist or self-promoter but "a true ideologue, a true fanatic. Much has been made of the question of what motivates Miller, 35, whose prior experience consisted mostly of PR work for C-list lawmakers before leveraging a single-minded obsession with immigration into the office of then-Sen. Jeff Sessions and then into speechwriting for Trumps nascent 2016 presidential campaign. Author, Jean Guerrero poses for photos on Friday, Aug. 28, 2020 in La Mesa, CA. (Jarrod Valliere / The San Diego Union-Tribune) (Jarrod Valliere / The San Diego Union-Tribune) Guerreros book is an exhaustive investigation into not just the how, but the why. She continues to brave threats of violence after conducting more than 100 interviews and researching the darkest corners of the American consciousness to unpack a strange (but not rare) phenomenon: the radicalization of a privileged young white man though this one, the descendant of Jewish refugees, grew up in an increasingly diverse Southern California. Guerrero spoke with The Times over the phone from her home in San Diego, a conversation edited for clarity and length. By her account, Miller was primed and groomed starved for attention, yearning for belonging, and fighting what was, then, a lonely war. Why did you decide to write this book? I started to become interested in Miller during family separations at the border. I remember how he and officials kept talking about law and order but the case started with a mom who also presented legally, at a port of entry. And then, if this isnt about law and order what is it about? I could only really answer that question if I looked at the person who was crafting these policies and tried to understand his motivations. I just kept reading about him, and as I did, it began to become all the more clear to me that he was the one really pulling the strings. Do you think it was an advantage or a disadvantage being based in San Diego and outside the Beltway of Washington, D.C.? It made it easier for me to separate the White House narrative from the reality on the ground. When Trump was talking about invasion at the border, I was talking to the actual asylum-seeking families to find out who these people really were. It was a lot harder for me to just accept the narrative that theyre criminals and invaders. A majority of people being demonized by the White House were fleeing violence with children and wanted to seek asylum the legal way but found themselves turned away at ports of entry, in ways that had never happened before. How did you do it, in particular without Miller's participation? Weve seen many White House access books on this administration. I knew the strength of the book was going to be providing readers with an understanding of how Miller became who he is, an understanding of his early life. I really wanted to get inside of Millers head to the best of my ability, not being able to speak with him, so it was reading everything that I learned had inspired him really trying to see things from his perspective, every single article ever written by him, and reaching out to people who knew him directly. For me it was really trying to bring my understanding of Southern California in the 90s, growing up at the same time as Miller did, and remembering what it was like to have that anti-immigration hostility broadcast statewide. Some people who have this idea of Southern California as this fiercely and uniformly liberal place often seem surprised to find out that Miller grew up here. To flip that on its head: Could Miller only have come from Southern California? Absolutely California is a central part of why Miller is who he is today. Millers brand of conservatism is a combative, reactionary type of conservatism, reactionary to an environment that was becoming more inclusive and diverse and celebrating of multiculturalism. The white fear we saw in California in the 90s was really rooted in fears about demographic replacement, and in that decade whites became a minority in California for the first time. This rhetoric about an end to civilization in California, the Third World taking over, that sort of apocalyptic thinking, its unique to California. Its this very Hollywood-style battle between the forces of light and dark. And this is what binds Trumps reelection strategy that the entire Democratic Party, and immigrants, and Black Lives Matter, is an existential threat to our country. Stephen Miller in his junior year at Santa Monica High School. (File) What did it mean for you personally to write this book? I grew up with this anti-immigration hostility too then I grew out of it. Its part of what helped me approach Miller as a subject from an empathetic point of view. Im the daughter of a Mexican immigrant dad and a Puerto Rican mom, and there was a sense of shame associated with being Mexican. I used chamomile shampoo to try and keep in the blond. Theres a lot of shame, being perceived as other. He is the descendant of Jewish refugees to me, it makes perfect sense ... wanting to be perceived as American, with all of the privileges that is supposed to guarantee. To me the anecdote that best illustrates this is when Miller ended his friendship with Jason Islas because of his Latino heritage, but also around the same time, expressed embarrassment to be seen being dropped off at school by the Latin American housekeeper. It was about being seen as poor, and it coincided with this period in his family life where he had a loss of privilege, moving to a less affluent part of Santa Monica. His dad was getting into all sorts of legal disputes. He was very aware of this change of fortune and wanted to hide it, and he associated his Mexican friend, the Latina housekeeper with it. He wanted to be perceived as elite. And he learned that if he started to express these really hostile viewpoints, it was a way of standing out and getting attention and getting power, taking back some agency. In the book, many people requested anonymity because they feared Miller. How does a 30-something guy with so little government experience really inspire that much fear? On Capitol Hill people were talking about how he was going to go to Breitbart, so they had to watch everything they had said and make sure it wasnt too compromising. Ever since he was a teenager, he was really great at networking, getting alliances with people in positions of power, especially in the media which scares people. He might leak something about you. Its this fear: He made Trumps reputation; hell break theirs. One line that struck me in the book was the suggestion that the way to effectively confront Miller was to make it clear to Trump that Miller is the one in charge. Why hasnt Trump turned on Miller like so many others? From early on in his childhood, Miller really mastered how to negotiate with power and to handle a sensitive ego. A close friend told me when they were teenagers they used to run into celebrities, and he would go up to the celebrity and tell them he loved their work in the most obscure movie of theirs he knows how to flatter people in that way. Miller is comfortable in Trumps shadow; he never gets out ahead of Trump and depicts himself as a mere devoted vehicle for Trumps agenda. Unlike Steve Bannon, who exaggerated his role and loves media attention. I honestly believe that the most important reason Miller has been able to stay so long and have such an outsize impact is that he is a true ideologue, a true fanatic. More than anyone else in the White House, he believes that he is actually saving the world through what he is doing. Strategically that has worked out for him and Trump has found whenever he takes a more moderate line on immigration or anything, he ends up getting ridiculed as weak, which Trump hates. What they have in common is this idea that you have to be a killer in society. Trump has this morbid fascination with violence, and Millers contribution to Trumps speeches really has tapped into Trumps most violent imagination, his most aggressive voting base. And Trump believes that he needs that base for reelection. He believes Miller is the reason he won in 2016, and he needs him there to win again in November. (William Morrow) The media, myself included, clearly struggled to cover the first Trump campaign and then administration. Did you grapple with the concern that people may write off the book due to their politics? I did thats why nowhere in the book do I call Miller racist or xenophobic, or anything like that. We dont know what is in a person's heart with absolute certainty. I grappled with that. Neutrality is necessary for journalistic integrity, an integral pillar of our democracy, and we absolutely need that, but also this reluctance weve had as journalists to use these words has created space for white supremacists to operate with impunity. What I tried to do in the book is show what Miller is doing and saying, and the white supremacist sources, so that people can draw their own conclusions. I did not write this book to tell you that Miller hates anyone. I can say, with the confidence of my reporting, that he is fluent in hate and deliberately traffics in hate and communicates with people who hate. Ive been getting threats of violence calling me a hatemonger. I anticipated this I prepared with PEN America to make sure my information and my familys information was protected so that we cant be doxxed. Then theres the intentional psychological warfare. You look at the strategy paper telling the Republican Party to remake itself around initiating fear. It really is so effective you start to question your own perception of reality. Whats in it for Miller, who, especially if former Vice President Joe Biden wins in November, will forever be associated with cruel policies, many of which could be undone? I would be surprised if Joe Biden made it a priority to reverse the actions of Miller not just because of the pandemic, but because both the Democratic and Republican party have been so effective at marrying the concepts of immigration and criminality. Immigration is a wedge issue thats why Miller was able to use it to rally people around Donald Trump. Its a lot easier to scapegoat an entire group for societys problems than actually try and solve them in their complexity. I think Miller is always going to have allies in the nativist movement and the white nationalist movement, hes always going to find a place. He is very ambitious. Hes told people his ultimate goal is to become a senator, and I wouldnt be surprised if he ran for office somewhere. But I dont think hes allowed himself to envision an alternate reality where Trump doesnt win reelection. I dont think Miller and everything he represents is going to go away after November. Hes going to continue to rally people around his ideas, which are not just his ideas. The thing with Bannon and Donald Trump is, theyre out to con people. Miller is accountable for his own actions and responsible for everything hes done, but he was indoctrinated at a very young age into this idea that he needed to save the United States from this imagined threat of Black and brown people. To me, its more of a sad story than it is an angry story. D eliveroo is to offer customers a discount in September to encourage them to eat in to help out. The delivery giant will offer 5 off orders of 20 or more every Monday to Wednesday until the end of the month. For many Britons the move will help cushion the blow as the Government's restaurant subsidy scheme draws to a close next Monday. Eat Out To Help Out has seen Britons enjoy half-priced meals, up to a maximum of 10, over the course of August. More than 64 million meals were eaten under the initiative during its first three weeks, according to data released on Tuesday. Rishi Sunak has hailed the Eat Out to Help Out scheme as a success / PA On Wednesday, the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) became the latest organisation to call on Government ministers to extend the scheme into September after hailing its success. Later, Deliveroo announced its would be offering money off the first 100,000 orders at small restaurants each week until the end of the month. National chains will not be part of the deal, unless they pick up the tab themselves. The London restaurants extending EOTHO deals into September 1 /60 The London restaurants extending EOTHO deals into September Brindisa The longstanding tapas restaurant will continue to offer September deals at its locations across the capital. Diners can get the same discount with the same cap as Eat Out to Help Out, but itll be available for an extra day in the week, from Monday to Thursday. Diners will, however, need to quote the Spanish word Comemos when making a booking. Homeslice The 20-inch pizza purveyor will continue to offer 50 per cent (up to 10) off until the end of September, meaning its supersized pies with inventive toppings come in at as little as a tenner. As before, the deal will only be available from Monday to Wednesday across their four open locations in Shoreditch, the City, White City and Fitzrovia. Hutong At three of the Aqua Groups London locations, diners can still get up to 10 off a meal until the end of September. At Aqua Shard, Aqua Kyoto and Hutong (its Chinese restaurant, also in the Shard), guests can continue to get 50 per cent off their meals, with the same 10 cap though there is a minimum spend of 30 per person. Mama Shelter London This stylish east London hangout will be matching the governments discount throughout September same discount, same cap, same days. This means diners can continue to get its array of evening kebabs with fillings including cardamom paneer and zaatar chicken for as little as 6.50 a pop. Manteca David Carters collaboration with Chris Leach is also getting in on the act, extending its 10 EOTHO menu to be available from Monday to Wednesday in September too. The excellent value selection includes focaccia and a choice of either in-house-made mortadella or chicken liver parfait, followed by a pasta dish, with options including tonnarelli with brown crab cacio e pepe, and ox cheek pappardelle. Kricket From Kricket fans, 2020 is starting to look a little bit brighter. The acclaimed Indian restaurant group will continue to offer 50 per cent off food and soft drinks on Mondays only, but will get rid of the 10 cap and make the offer available every week until the end of the year. Keralan fried chicken for 4.50? Yes please. Smokestak David Carters barbecue restaurant had been offering a 4For10 deal during Eat Out to Help Out, feeding diners a set menu of four dishes for just 10. The restaurant will continue the offer from Monday to Wednesday in September, upping the price ever-so-slightly to 15 still a cracking deal, particularly with its signature brisket bun included. Barboun The Levantine-inspired restaurant in Shoreditch will not only continue to offer 50 per cent discounts up to 10 per person, but itll also do it on the most popular dining days of the week. During September, Barboun will offer half price food and soft drinks from Wednesday to Sunday, meaning diners can also tuck into the weekend brunch on the cheap. Farzi Cafe West End Indian restaurant Farzi Cafe will be offering the Eat Out to Help Out deal (same discount, same cap) until September 12. Its not for the whole month, but the upmarket venue will run the offer at dinner from Monday to Friday (5pm to 10.30pm), and every Saturday at lunch (12pm-5pm). Aqua Shard At three of the Aqua Groups London locations, diners can still get up to 10 off a meal until the end of September. At Aqua Shard, Aqua Kyoto and Hutong (its Chinese restaurant, also in the Shard), guests can continue to get 50 per cent off their meals, with the same 10 cap though there is a minimum spend of 30 per person. The Gilbert Scott Marcus Wareings elegant restaurant at the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel will also continue an Eat Out to Help Out-style deal on every Tuesday and Wednesday in September, at both lunch and dinner. This means diners can tuck into the restaurants three-course set menu with a cocktail for as little as 25. Jose Pizarro Restaurants Spanish chef Jose Pizarro will be stepping into the governments shoes to pay 50 per cent of the bill (up to 10) at all four of his greater London restaurants. The offer will be available at restaurant Pizarro and tapas bar Jose in Bermondsey, as well as at Jose Pizarro in Broadgate Circle, and his Esher pub The Swan, from Monday to Wednesday during September. The Cheese Bar During Eat Out to Help Out, the Camden restaurant not only offered a 10 discount, but it offered it on bottomless raclette every Wednesday night. The restaurants says it's already gone through more than half a tonne of Ogleshield cheese in August, and so will continue the weekly deal throughout September, charging just 12 per person. Aqua Kyoto At three of the Aqua Groups London locations, diners can still get up to 10 off a meal until the end of September. At Aqua Shard, Aqua Kyoto and Hutong (its Chinese restaurant, also in the Shard), guests can continue to get 50 per cent off their meals, with the same 10 cap though there is a minimum spend of 30 per person. Pick & Cheese The Cheese Bars spin-off conveyor belt restaurant in Seven Dials Market said it was booked up for the entirety of August within four hours of announcing its EOTHO bottomless cheese deal. Pick and Cheese will now continue to offer unlimited plates of British cheeses for just 20 per person, running it every Thursday to Sunday in September. Jurema At the Mandrake Hotels terrace bar and restaurant Jurema, diners can tuck into an EOTHO-style deal throughout September. Latin American dishes of prawn ceviche, empanadas, fried fish tacos and more can be enjoyed in its leafy al fresco space for 50 per cent off, with a cap of 10 from Monday to Wednesday. Bala Baya The Tel Aviv-inspired restaurant in Southwark will continue to offer the governments discount in September. Diner from Monday to Wednesday can enjoy up to 10 off Israeli sharing plates, or tuck into chef Eran Tibis Taste of Tel Aviv menu, which serves diners a choice of their two favourite small plates, a pita and a dip for just 10 per person on the designated days. Madera The Treehouse London hotel is continuing an Eat Out to Help Out-style deal at its rooftop restaurant Madera on Tuesdays and Wednesdays during September. This means diners can get 50 per cent (up to 10) off its Cali-Mexican food, with dishes including halibut ensenada tacos, beef barbacoa enchiladas and tequila marinated prawns. Simon Brown Photography Sam's Riverside Sam Harrison doesnt want the mid-week good vibes to end at his riverside restaurant, and so will continue to offer a 50 per cent discount every Tuesday and Wednesday in September, calling it the Feel Good Factor continues at Sams deal. Diners will be able to enjoy main dishes of pan-fried hake with chilli and lemon and a cheeseburger and chips for less than 10 each. Gaucho Argentinian steak restaurant group Gaucho has said it will match the governments offer in September, giving diners 50 per cent off up to the value of 10 for every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday next month. This means their cheapest steak cut could cost as little as 8, while diners can also get a beef burger for just 6.50. Ola Smit Hicce Pip Laceys Coal Drops Yard restaurant will offer the same deal as it did during August, but will be loosening up the days a little bit. Starting from September 2, Hicce will offer the 50 per cent discount (with a 10 cap) on Tuesday and Wednesday dinners, but also at lunchtime on Thursdays and Fridays. Itll be available for booked tables only, and diners will need to quote #eatoutout in order to claim the discount. M Restaurants M Restaurants a sibling concept to Gaucho will also match the governments August offer (same days, same discount, same cap) during September. At its locations in Victoria and Threadneedle Street, guests will be able to tuck into steak for as little as 9.50 or a crab and truffle sando for just 5. Norma Ben Tishs Sicilian-inspired restaurant wont be taking 10 off your bill anymore, but it will be offering diners the opportunity to enjoy a meal with them for a tenner. From Monday to Thursday in every week of September, the Fitzrovia restaurant will be offering a large portion of a pasta special for just 10 usually, main-sized pasta dishes at the restaurant cost between 17 and 24. Kris Kirkham Photography Sticky Mango The critically acclaimed South East Asian restaurant in Waterloo will be offering its diners the same deal as the government did last month (same discount, same days, same cap). That means you can enjoy its 39.50 nine-course tasting menu for just 29.50 per person, with dishes including Malaysian chicken curry puffs, Thai green mango salad, and its signature dessert of mango with black sticky rice. Adrian Lourie Top Cuvee Having operated at Shop Cuvee during lockdown, this north London neighbourhood venue has reopened as a restaurant and wine bar (also securing a new spot for Shop Cuvee down the road). In September, Top Cuvee will be offering 25 per cent off all food bills every Wednesday co-founder Brodie Meah likes to think of it as a thank you to its loyal customers who helped them get through the last few months. Murano Angela Hartnett will be continuing an Eat Out to Help Out-style deal (same discount, same days, same cap) across three of her London restaurants, including her Michelin-starred dining room Murano. Shell also be offering a 50 per cent off (up to 10) at her more casual Cafe Murano locations in Bermondsey and St James, where primi plates of pasta all come in at under a tenner. Cafe Murano Angela Hartnett will be continuing an Eat Out to Help Out-style deal (same discount, same days, same cap) across three of her London restaurants, including her Michelin-starred dining room Murano. Shell also be offering a 50 per cent off (up to 10) at her more casual Cafe Murano locations in Bermondsey and St James, where primi plates of pasta all come in at under a tenner. Shoryu From Mondays to Wednesdays in September, Japanese ramen house Shoryu will be offering 50 per cent off all its curry and ramen dishes technically up to the value of 10 per person, but none of the included dishes top 20 anyway. The group currently has five of its London locations open Shoreditch, Liverpool Street, Carnaby, Regent Street and Stratford. Boxpark Across its three London sites in Croydon, Shoreditch and Wembley, the street food market group will be offering 20 per cent off food from more than 30 traders from Monday to Wednesday, with visitors also able to get the same discount the rest of the week with the use of a Boxpark Black Card. Those visiting in the earlier part of the week can also get 20 per cent off drinks, including wine, beer and alcoholic slushies. Paladar This Latin American courtyard restaurant in Elephant and Castle will maintain the offer 50 per cent (up to 10) off its gluten-free menu on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays in September. The only food you wont be able to apply the discount to is its set lunch menu, but you can still fill up on ceviches, tacos, tostadas, skewers and more. Dalloway Terrace Bloomsburys florally festooned all-seasons terrace restaurant is back, blossoming with roses, and offering diners a discount during September too. If guests order a main course on a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday, theyll receive 50 per cent off their bill up to the value of 10. Arabica Levantine restaurant Arabica has said that they will donate all the 10 repayments they receive from the government for Eat Out to Help Out meals to a selection of Lebanese charities supporting the relief effort in Beirut, following the devastating explosion earlier this month. If you need any more reason to go and support them in September, the Kings Cross and Borough Market restaurants will also be offering an EOTHO-style deal (same discount, same days, same cap) next month too. Scarlett Green, Ziggy Green Specialising in Australian-style brunches, the Daisy Green group is usually all about the weekend. In September however, itll be starting the party early by continuing to offer the governments deal (same discount, same days, same cap) on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays at Scarlett Green in Soho and Ziggy Green in Mayfair, two of its 10 London locations. Shack-Fuyu This Soho Japanese restaurant with a Westernised edge will extend the governments deal (same discount, same days, same cap) throughout September. If you apply this to their set lunch or pre-theatre menus, this means diners can eat two courses with choices including Korean fried chicken wings and Irish beef fillet with chilli yakiniku sauce for just 9.50. Flesh & Buns Shack-Fuyus sibling restaurant Flesh & Buns is also continuing the governments deal in September, but will extend it to include meals on Thursdays too. Bao buns are the name of the game here: apply the discount and you can get two steamed buns filled with the likes of chilli miso brisket for 9.20, or portobello mushrooms and wasabi mayo for just 5.25. Grosvenor Estates Grosvenor Estates is not a restaurant but it is a property company that owns the buildings which some of the West Ends top restaurants call home. As such, theyve taken it upon themselves to allow its resident restaurants in Mayfair and Belgravia to continue the Eat Out to Help Out scheme, with Grosvenor Estates footing the bill. Dozens of restaurants will be participating, including Hunan, Roka Mayfair, Pizza Pilgrims Victoria, The Mayfair Chippy, La Poule au Pot, Wild by Tart, Jones Family Kitchen and more. Bill's The all-day dining chain will be putting on set menus for the Eat Out to Help Out days, and will also throw in a free glass of wine when you order one of them. Choose from either the All Day Set Menu (two courses for 15.50 or three courses for 19.95) or the Incredible Menu (two courses for 19.95 or three courses for 24.95) and get a complimentary glass of red or white wine included. With the discount applied, that means you can enjoy a meal with wine for as little as 7.75. By Chloe The LA-hailing vegan fast food joint will keep with the governments deal (same days, same discount, same cap) throughout September, offering its Guac burgers, salad bowls and tofu fish and chips half price. Brand partner Loui Blake said, At a time when sustainability and health is so high on the national agenda, its important were able to champion these foods. Sam Keller Emilias Crafted Pasta Both locations of the east London handmade pasta joint (one in Aldgate, another in St Katharine Docks) will be offering diners a discount during September, granting customers 50 per cent off their pasta dishes on Mondays and Tuesdays. That means you can get a dish of rigatoni with homemade tomato sauce and chopped basil for just 4.25, or ravioli stuffed with lamb, parsley and parmesan for 7. Kanishka Atul Kochhars Mayfair restaurant Kanishka is not only extending an Eat Out to Help Out-style deal into September, but itll be offering it from Tuesday to Thursday, and on Sundays too. Guests can get 50 per cent (up to 10) off a la carte dishes or any set menu, including King Kanishka's six-course tasting menu, which will cost the diner just 45. Humble Grape Wine bar group Humble Grape now has all five of its London locations open, and it will be offering a discount on its food across all of them in September. From Monday to Wednesday theyll be doing the same deal (50 per cent off, 10 cap) on its food menu, which includes cheese and charcuterie, but also small plates of crab flatbreads and sea bream tartare and larger dishes of steak and day boat fish. Applebee's Fish This family-run seafood restaurant in Borough Market will offer a 50 per cent discount (with a 10 cap) throughout September, on Mondays and Tuesdays only. The menu changes daily due to whats available from their fishmongers, but the discount will get diners the likes of fish and chips for 7.50, a tuna steak with Mediterranean vegetables for 9.50, and a Brixham turbot fillet with potato rosti and pesto for as little as 13.50. Kahani Peter Josephs Kensington restaurant will stick with the governments discount (50 per cent off, up to 10) during September, but will extend it to run from Tuesday all the way through to Saturday. On those days, the Indian restaurant will be open for dinner serving the likes of guinea fowl tikka with smoked tomato makhni sauce and venison keema with a truffle naan. Heliot Steak House The steak restaurant at the Hippodrome Casino in Leicester Square will also be continuing its Eat Out To Help Out deal. Not only will they be offering the same discount (with the 10 cap) in September, but it will also extend the deal to run on Sundays too. Hot Stone This Japanese restaurant in Islington is offering discounts on its sushi and hot stone-seared steaks throughout September. It will continue to offer the Eat Out to Help Out deal (same discount, same cap) on Tuesdays and Wednesdays for the duration of the month. This means you can get its seven-piece sushi selection box reduced to 19, or knock a tenner off your 120 portion of premium Japanese kobe beef steak. Deliveroo is passionate about supporting local restaurants, who are central to our business and to so many high streets across the UK, Deliveroo boss Will Shu said. Our restaurant partners play a vital role in our economy, just as they do peoples everyday lives, bringing people the food they love. "We know they have been hit hard recently, and we hope Our Eat IN to Help Out scheme can play a part in helping their businesses through this difficult period. Chancellor Rishi Sunak said: This has been an incredibly difficult time for the hospitality sector, both during the lockdown and emerging from it. Thousands of restaurants and cafes forced to close during lockdown were thankfully able to continue trading in some way using delivery services such as Deliveroo. Loading.... Around 16,000 local restaurants will be involved in the scheme, Deliveroo said. Customers will be given a code to use to apply the discount. The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic is ravaging across the globe and has now infected more than 24.1 million people and claimed over 825,000 lives. There is no known vaccine or treatment for COVID-19, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), but physical distancing, proper hand hygiene, and wearing of masks are known ways to prevent infection. Now, a team of scientists at Britain's Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) has shared preliminary findings of their research, showing that a product in insect repellent can kill the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Defense scientists conducted the study to see if insect repellents would provide a protective layer against COVID-19, which contains Citridiol, a clinically proven insect repellent that is naturally sourced and a flagship product of Citrefine International Ltd. Insect repellent study In the study, which has not yet been externally peer-reviewed, DSTL was tasked by MoD Surgeon General to examine the antiviral activity of Citriodiol, and Mosi-Guard Natural spray against SARS-CoV-2 virus. The team released two trials, which were performed by the United Kingdom government laboratory at Proton Down. The team adopted two approaches of the antiviral activity of the product when directly applied to the virus as a liquid drop and assessment of the product after application to latex synthetic skin. The trials In the standard assay or liquid contact, the team mixed a virus suspension with Mosi-guard Natural spray, or selected constituent components have reduced the SARS-CoV-2 strain, England-2, isolate titers after just one minute. The first trial confirmed that the product, traditionally sold as in insect repellent containing 30 percent Citriodiol, has a significant effect on SARS-CoV-2. When the mixture was slightly diluted, the product still demonstrated at least 99.99 percent inactivation of the coronavirus within just one minute. In the test, there were 10,000 live virus particles, but in just ten minutes, the number went down to 10 active particles. In the second test, the team studied the effect of Mosi-guard Natural on a surface. The researchers chose to dry off any alcohol in the product, which can interfere with the results of the experiment. They found that the product had reduced the viruses on the surface by up to 99 percent almost immediately and continuing to inactivate the remaining particles over the next four hours. After four hours, about 99.99 percent of the virus particles have been inactivated. "We are very excited by these findings and have several new studies either already going through laboratories or planned," Jacqueline Watson, Managing Director of Citrefine, said. The team said that the experiments used the SARS-CoV-2 England-2 isolate, which was isolated from a patient in the United Kingdom obtained from the Public Health England (PHE) Colindale. "Although other isolates may behave differently within the experimental design described, it is assumed that all isolates and subsequent passages will behave similarly," the researchers said. Sky News reports that Military troops are being given the insect repellent that may provide a new layer of protection against the coronavirus disease. What is Citriodiol? Citriodiol is a trading name for commercial preparation of Eucalyptus citriodora oil, which contains the major component, p-menthane-3,8-diol. Formulations containing Citriodiol are widely used as mosquito repellents. A major component of Citriodiol is p-menthane-3,8-diol (PMD). The product is considered the most effective insect repellent and is a naturally sourced active ingredient against several biting insects. It is derived from the oil of the Eucalyptus cirtriodora tree, also called Corymbia citriodora. Close-up of gum nuts and citrus-scented eucalyptus leaves of the Lemon Scented Gum, Australia (Eucalyptus citriodora) or (Corymbia citriodora). Image Credit: Peter Krisch / Shutterstock COVID-19 situation The COVID-19 pandemic has now reached 188 countries and territories, wherein the United States and Brazil are the hardest-hit nations. The U.S. has seen over 5.82 million people infected with the coronavirus, while more than 179,000 people have died. In Brazil, there are at least 3.71 million confirmed cases and more than 117,000 deaths. India and Russia follow with more than 3.3 million cases, and at least 968,000 people are infected, respectively. When a company like Bang & Olufsen talks about its philosophy of purposeful design, you know youre in for some luxury gadget porn. The company has unveiled the BeoPlay H95, its flagship wireless headphones with active noise cancellation (ANC), high-end sound and lots of bespoke features aimed at well-heeled travelers. The over-ear headphones are built around 40mm titanium drivers with neodymium magnets and custom processors. The ANC system is Bang & Olufsens most advanced yet, based on digital processing and using two kinds of microphones for extra noise reduction, the company said. It also comes with ACC and aptXTM Adaptive codecs that are supposed to deliver low-latency, low-bit rate, high quality wireless audio over Bluetooth 5.1. Bang & Olufsen launch money-no-object luxury travel headphones Bang & Olufsen promises 38 hours of battery life on a charge, even with ANC turned on. It includes four voice microphones for added call clarity, with advanced mic noise reduction that enhances clarity while reducing background noise. Naturally, the H95s are built with top end materials, including a brushed aluminum framework, lambskin ear covers and a leather headband. With special pivoting hinges, they fold flat into a small size to fit into the aluminum carrying case with matching textiles inside, of course. The earpad design in soft memory foam creates good contact to the skin, offering extra passive noise cancellation on top of the ANC. It also comes with aluminum dials on each side inspired by the focus rings on the lenses of high-end cameras, to control ANC, volume and sound transparency. Bang & Olufsen launch money-no-object luxury travel headphones All these luxe features (and marketing) wont come cheap. The Beoplay H95 headphones will arrive in select retailers and Bang & Olufsen stores on September 10th for $800, or 700 in the UK. Ahead of that date, the company is selling a limited run of 95 numbered pairs (celebrating its 95th anniversary) starting today. It didnt mention where you can find those nor at what price. A German laboratory that closed due to its animal testing practices may reopen after a court battle. The Laboratory of Pharmacology and Toxicology (LPT) in Hamburg-Neugraben was closed in February after animal rights activists discovered that dogs and monkeys were mistreated during experiments. After the discovery was made public thousands of protesters took to the streets of Hamburg to demonstrate against animal testing. However, the laboratory may be able to reopen at the end of August, subject to personnel changes and proof that the animals are no longer being mistreated. Animal rights activist Friedrich Mulln told German radio station NDR 90.3 that the ruling was a "scandal". "It is a scandal that Hamburg is apparently being appeased by cheap personnel damage from the LPT and not even waiting for the criminal proceedings, in particular because of allegedly falsified animal studies for over a decade," he said. "This shows that in red-green (SPD/Green party) Hamburg, profit from outdated animal experiments takes precedence over the protection of people and animals." Meanwhile the ruling Green Party has announced a federal council initiative to campaign for more animal welfare at the federal level. "Improvements in the protection of laboratory animals are urgently needed and long overdue," Hamburg's Justice and Consumer Protection Senator Anna Gallina said. KITCHENER A government grant will help Community Justice Initiatives and the Coalition of Muslim Women of Kitchener Waterloo address hate incidents through restorative justice measures. Fauzia Mazhar, executive director for the coalition, said both organizations will share $75,000 from the Ontario Trillium Foundation to address hate incidents such as Islamophobia, racism and xenophobia. They hope to use measures such as restorative circles with the person who was harmed by the act. We want to use the unfortunate incidents to learn and heal and reconcile, she said in an interview Thursday. Penalties just increase the hate, Mazhar said. The associations Islamophobia in Waterloo Region report found that women who identify as Muslims are disproportionally victimized by hate incidents. DALLAS, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Ashford Inc. (NYSE American: AINC) ("Ashford" or the "Company") today announced that it received a letter from the NYSE American LLC (the "NYSE American") dated August 26, 2020, notifying that the Company is no longer in compliance with NYSE American continued listing standards. Specifically, the letter states that the Company is not in compliance with the continued listing standards set forth in Sections 1003(a)(i) and (ii) of the NYSE American Company Guide (the "Company Guide"). Section 1003(a)(i) requires a listed company to have stockholders' equity of $2 million or more if the listed company has reported losses from continuing operations and/or net losses in two of its three most recent fiscal years. Section 1003(a)(ii) requires a listed company to have stockholders' equity of $4 million or more if the listed company has reported losses from continuing operations and/or net losses in three of its four most recent fiscal years. The Company reported a stockholders' deficit of $159.1 million as of June 30, 2020, and has had losses from continuing operations and/or net losses in each of its five most recent fiscal years, except for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018. However, Section 1003(a) states that the NYSE American will not normally consider suspending dealings in, or removing from the list, the securities of a listed company which is below standards (i) and (ii) of Section 1003(a) if the listed company is in compliance with the following two standards: (1) total value of market capitalization of at least $50 million; or total assets and revenue of $50 million each in its last fiscal year, or in two of its last three fiscal years; and (2) the listed company has at least 1.1 million shares publicly held, a market value of publicly held shares of at least $15 million and 400 round lot shareholders. As of August 26, 2020, the Company was in compliance with the first standard because it had total assets and total revenue of at least $50 million in its last fiscal year and was in compliance with the second standard, except that the current market value of publicly held shares was below $15 million. The Company must submit a plan of compliance (the "Plan") by September 25, 2020 addressing how it intends to regain compliance with Sections 1003(a)(i) and (ii) of the Company Guide by February 26, 2022, or sooner if the NYSE American determines that the nature and circumstances of the Company's continued listing status warrant a shorter period of time. The Company intends to fully comply with the NYSE American's requests and will submit its Plan accordingly. The Company's stock will continue to be listed on the NYSE American while the Company evaluates its various alternatives. The Company's receipt of such notification from the NYSE American does not affect the Company's business, operations or reporting requirements with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Ashford provides global asset management, investment management and related services to the real estate and hospitality sectors. Follow Chairman and CEO Monty Bennett on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MBennettAshford or @MBennettAshford. Ashford has created an Ashford App for the hospitality REIT investor community. The Ashford App is available for free download at Apple's App Store and the Google Play Store by searching "Ashford." Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements and assumptions in this press release contain or are based upon "forward-looking" information and are being made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the federal securities regulations. When we use the words "will likely result," "may," "anticipate," "estimate," "should," "expect," "believe," "intend," or similar expressions, we intend to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements are subject to numerous assumptions and uncertainties, many of which are outside Ashford Inc.'s control. These forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated, including, without limitation: the impact of COVID-19 on our business and investment strategy; the ability for each of Ashford Hospitality Trust, Inc. and Braemar Hotels & Resorts Inc., two of the Company's key clients, to continue as a going concern; the timing and outcome of the Securities and Exchange Commission's investigation; anticipated or expected purchases or sales of assets; our projected operating results; completion of any pending transactions; our ability to restructure our current or obtain future financing arrangements; our understanding of our competition; market trends; projected capital expenditures; and the impact of technology on our operations and business. Such forward-looking statements are based on our beliefs, assumptions, and expectations of our future performance taking into account all information currently known to us. These beliefs, assumptions, and expectations can change as a result of many potential events or factors, not all of which are known to us. If a change occurs, our business, financial condition, liquidity, results of operations, plans, and other objectives may vary materially from those expressed in our forward-looking statements. You should carefully consider this risk when you make an investment decision concerning our securities. These and other risk factors are more fully discussed in Ashford Inc.'s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The forward-looking statements included in this press release are only made as of the date of this press release. The Company can give no assurance that these forward-looking statements will be attained or that any deviation will not occur. We are not obligated to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or circumstances, changes in expectations or otherwise. SOURCE Ashford Inc. Related Links http://ashfordinc.com Republicans are set to propose a new stimulus bill that includes relief aids where the two parties have common grounds to give what millions of Americans need. Republican lawmakers are set to propose a new stimulus bill to deliver what the millions of Americans need in this time of economic fallout where millions as well lost their source of income. White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows also said that he will continue to negotiate for a new stimulus bill before September ends. The month of October is the most crucial part for the candidates of Republicans and Democrats. It is a month before the election which is scheduled on November 3. However, September is the most crucial month for millions of Americans because this is the last month of government operation. This means that any talks between the Republicans and Democrats about the stimulus bill should be discussed before September ends or else millions of Americans will wait for another session which is more likely to start in February next year. However, Republicans are set to propose a new bill for the second round of the stimulus bill. The senior administration officials and three people who have the knowledge about the new stimulus bill told the news outlet CNBC that Republicans could release as soon as this week the new stimulus bill. However, the new stimulus bill will only include expanded unemployment insurance, a new authorization of small business loans, and money for schools and COVID-19 testing, treatment, and vaccines. These are the only areas that have bipartisan support. It is also not clear if the plan includes another direct stimulus checks. Moreover, the Republicans assured that they included unemployment benefits that will help laid-off and unemployed individuals to receive around $300 to $400 per week. It can be recalled that Pres. Trump signed and issued an executive order that expanded the unemployment benefits after Congress did not act on the second round of the stimulus bill. He mandated the Federal Emergency Management Agency to use its unspent budget for the unemployed individuals across the country. However, the budget intended for the unemployment claims will only last for three weeks. That is why the Republicans and the White House keep on pushing for the second round of stimulus bill but the top negotiators from the Democrats also continue to reject the offer. In fact, Meadows challenged the Democratic-dominated Congress to return to the Capitol Hill and discuss on the floor the stimulus bill that will give aid to millions of Americans amid the global pandemic. But, during the rare Saturday vote, Congress voted for the U.S.P.S. funding instead of voting for a bill that will help the countrymen. Meadows already said that Pres. Trump will immediately sign the bill on the second round of stimulus once it is on his table. Meanwhile, the White House Chief of Staff also tried to communicate and have a meeting with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi but he was told that the Democratic leader was in a meeting. As much as the Pres. Trump and the Republicans want to help the heavily impacted Americans in the country through another round of stimulus bill, but it will unlikely become law if Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will not allow this talk to progress. Chcek these out! Panjab University (PU) vice-chancellor professor Raj Kumar was conferred the rank of honorary colonel and colonel commandant of the National Cadet Corps (NCC) on Thursday. The government of India honours distinguished persons who can contribute to NCC activities with the rank, which is announced through a gazette notification. Kumar is the only officer to hold the coveted rank in Chandigarh. The honorary rank and certificate was issued by NCC director general Lt Gen Rajeev Chopra, PVSM, AVSM. It was presented by major general Beji Mathews, ADG, NCC directorate, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh and brigadier Harsh Chhibber, group commander, NCC group headquarters. NCCs second Chandigarh battalion is responsible for NCC activities in Panjab University and provides training and coordinates social service contribution by cadets. . Mike Pence has formally accepted the Republican vice-presidential nomination for the November 3 election. Pence, 61, accepted the nomination on the third night of the National Republican Convention on Wednesday as a crowd in Baltimore, Maryland, cheered, "Four more years." "Four years ago, I answered the call to join this ticket because I knew that Donald Trump had the leadership and the vision to make America great again," Pence, the current Vice President, said. "And for the last four years, I've watched this President endure unrelenting attacks but get up every day and fight to keep the promises that he made to the American people," Pence said. Also read: Donald Trump challenges Joe Biden to take drug test before presidential debate "So with gratitude for the confidence president Donald Trump has placed in me, the support of our Republican Party and the grace of god, I humbly accept your nomination to run and serve as vice president of the United States," he said. Pence and Trump will challenge Democratic Party's presidential candidate Joe Biden and his running mate Indian-origin Senator Kamala Harris in the November election. By David Morgan and Tracy Rucinski WASHINGTON/CHICAGO (Reuters) - President Donald Trump is weighing executive action to avoid massive layoffs at U.S. airlines if Congress fails to agree a fresh coronavirus stimulus package, White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said on Wednesday. His remarks came a day after American Airlines said its workforce will shrink by 40,000, including 19,000 involuntary cuts, in October without an extension of government aid as the pandemic continues to devastate travel demand. "If Congress is not going to work, this president is going to get to work and solve some problems. So hopefully, we can help out the airlines and keep some of those employees from being furloughed," Meadows said in an interview with Politico. He suggested, however, that assistance would require legislative action, saying: "It would take a CARES package, I believe, to do it," referring to the $3 trillion coronavirus relief package that Congress passed earlier this year. Airline shares were lower in early trading <.DJUSAR>. U.S. airlines received $25 billion in payroll aid under the CARES Act to protect jobs through October and the industry has lobbied for another $25 billion to keep workers employed through March, when they hope travel demand will be stronger. Meadows said he had spoken with officials from American, as well as from United Airlines and Delta Air Lines . "We will continue to work with the administration and our bipartisan supporters in Congress and hope to come to a resolution in a timely fashion," American said in a statement. United has warned that 36,000 jobs are at risk. Delta said Monday that it would furlough 1,941 pilots but has not detailed cuts across other employee groups. "Executive orders will not save our jobs," said Sara Nelson, international president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA told union members at 19 airlines including United. "It will definitely take Congress acting to keep all of the job requirements in place," she said on Twitter, while adding: "Good to see WH wants to restart talks." Talks between Meadows, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer ended in early August, with top Democrats and the administration far apart on new legislation. "Unfortunately, COVID-19 continues to spread and wreak havoc on our industry, and demand for air travel has not returned as anticipated," the main industry lobby A4A said in a statement, pointing to a challenging fall as airlines prepare to cut jobs and service without additional aid. (Reporting by David Morgan and Tracy Rucinski; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Alistair Bell) MANAMA, BAHRAIN Bank of Bahrain and Kuwait (BBK), one of the largest commercial banks in Bahrain, and Ithmaar Holding, the parent of Ithmaar Bank, which operates the largest Islamic retail banking network in Bahrain, have entered into initial talks with regards to exploring a potential acquisition by BBK of Bahrain operations of Ithmaar Bank. The acquisition also includes specific assets of IB Capital, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ithmaar Holding. The plans, which are subject to shareholder and regulatory approvals, are still in the preliminary discussions phase and subject to the completion of due diligence by both parties. When implemented, the plans will significantly expand BBKs already large operations in Bahrain and add a turn-key, full-service Islamic banking solution, while also bolstering the already well established Ithmaar Bank brand and position it to better capitalize on opportunities for growth. Details of the plans will be announced in due course, following necessary approvals. The chairmen of both institutions issued a statement welcoming the announcement: BBK has long played a key leadership role in the Kingdom of Bahrains banking and financial services industry, said BBK Chairman Murad Ali Murad. To maintain this leadership role, and as part of its ongoing business expansion strategy, BBK has been exploring opportunities to expand its activities and diversify its offerings, particularly in Sharia-compliant banking businesses. Ithmaar Bank seems a natural fit, and we look forward to exploring this possible acquisition further, he said. Ithmaar Bank, an Islamic retail bank, played a pioneering role in the establishment and subsequent development of Islamic banking in the region, said Ithmaar Holding Chairman, His Royal Highness Prince Amr Al Faisal. A wholly-owned subsidiary of Ithmaar Holding, Ithmaar Bank is a growing, resilient bank that continues to invest in the future and plays a key role in the community. This transaction is in line with Ithmaar Holdings strategy of creating value for its shareholders, and we look forward to exploring this possible opportunity further, he said. Recent immigrants to Canada have been more affected than the Canadian-born population by changes in employment resulting from the economic downturn caused by the pandemic, according to a recent Statistics Canada study. New immigrants most affected by job disruptions due to pandemic Recent immigrants to Canada have been more affected than the Canadian-born population by changes in employment resulting from the economic downturn caused by the pandemic, according to a recent Statistics Canada study. New immigrants most affected by job disruptions due to pandemic Recent immigrants to Canada have been more affected than the Canadian-born population by changes in employment resulting from the economic downturn caused by the pandemic, according to a recent Statistics Canada study. New immigrants most affected by job disruptions due to pandemic Recent immigrants to Canada have been more affected than the Canadian-born population by changes in employment resulting from the economic downturn caused by the pandemic, according to a recent Statistics Canada study. Alexandra Miekus Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif Sans Font Size A A The pandemic has led to a decline in employment for a large part of the Canadian population, but even more so for recent immigrants. During the sharp economic downturn in March and April 2020, the Canadian labour market lost 3 million jobs. From May to July, as activity picked up, 1.7 million jobs were regained. According to a Statistics Canada Labour Force Survey released on August 20, recent immigrants were more likely than the Canadian-born to lose their jobs in March and April. When the pandemic hit, the transition to unemployment increased for all three groups included in the study: immigrants who had arrived in Canada within the last 10 years, immigrants who had arrived in Canada more than 10 years ago, and those born in Canada. However, the increase in the rate of people who transitioned to unemployment was much more significant for recent immigrants, reaching a peak of 17.3% compared to 13.5% for the Canadian-born and long-term immigrants during the month of April. Recent immigrant women experienced the largest increase in the rate of transition to unemployment during the economic downturn. Nearly 20% of recent immigrant women employed in March did not have a job in April, compared to 13% of Canadian-born women. This gap narrowed to only 2 percentage points in June and virtually disappeared during July. Find out if you are eligible for any Canadian immigration programs Factors contributing to higher transition rates to unemployment among recent immigrants Recent immigrants may find it more difficult to transfer their educational and occupational qualifications to the Canadian labour market and to find stable, well-paying jobs. As a result, a larger share of recent immigrants works in lower-paying jobs, short-term jobs and jobs in accommodation and food services. In February, for example, before the impact of the pandemic, 31% of recent immigrants had been employed for less than a year, compared to 15% of Canadian-born workers. Similarly, in February, 22% of recent immigrants were employed in low-paying jobs, compared to 12% of Canadian-born workers. The data show that recent immigrants tend to have jobs of shorter duration than their Canadian-born counterparts and that workers with short-term jobs are more likely to be laid off during an economic downturn. The fact that job losses in March and April were heavily concentrated in lower-paying jobs helps to explain why recent immigrants were harder hit by job loss during this period than their Canadian-born counterparts. Employment in low-paying jobs grew more slowly among recent immigrant women during the period of partial economic recovery According to the survey, from February 2019 to April 2020, all three groups experienced similar transition-to-work rates, with recent immigrants even recording slightly higher rates than the Canadian-born in most months. However, during the partial recovery period and as the transition to employment began to improve, recent immigrants had lower transition rates than the Canadian-born in May (5%), June (3%) and July (1%). Recent immigrant women had the largest difference with their Canadian-born counterparts, especially in May and June (5%), with a slight improvement in July (2%). For recent immigrant women, these differences with Canadian-born women became even more pronounced when taking into account factors such as age, education and geographic location. From April to July, recent immigrant women lagged behind Canadian-born women in terms of employment growth in accommodation and food services (4% compared to 72%), although they experienced similar employment growth rates in other important industries. At the same time, employment in low-paying jobs grew much more slowly (11%) for recent immigrant women than for Canadian-born women (36%), while their rate of growth in high-paying jobs was comparable. Canadian labour market recovery is strong Data released in July and August by Statistics Canada show that the initial recovery of employment in Canada since the restrictions were lifted has been stronger than in previous economic downturns. According to a recent Labour Force Survey, about 55% of the 3 million jobs lost since April have been recovered as of July. Some 419,000 jobs were added in July, an increase of 2.4% over the previous month. This follows a 5.8% growth rate in June. Results from Statistics Canadas recent surveys of employment, payroll and hours of work show that the economic slowdown due to the coronavirus is bouncing back strongly after a significant decline in previous months. Find out if you are eligible for any Canadian immigration programs 2020 CIC News All Rights Reserved 24/7 free crisis hotline now available to those in need: 1.877.757.7587 CHICAGO, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - Morneau Shepell has opened its national 24/7 crisis support hotline to offer professional emotional support to individuals living in the Gulf of Mexico, who are dealing with the impacts of Tropical Storm Marco and Hurricane Laura. A crisis or traumatic event can trigger overwhelming emotional responses. When calling the crisis line available through LifeWorks by Morneau Shepell, individuals receive crisis counseling support and/or referral to community resources. Anyone affected by the tropical storm and hurricane can reach the free crisis support line at 1.877.757.7587. "It's devastating to face loss of homes and loss of life anytime, as people in the Gulf are facing now. But in the midst of a pandemic the situation can feel hopeless, and no one should be left alone to feel that way." said Neil King, president, LifeWorks and executive vice president, Morneau Shepell. "We opened our crisis line to everyone impacted by these destructive storms so they have somewhere to turn for immediate support and compassionate assistance in the midst of very tragic circumstances. We're here for them." The Company's employee assistance program is also available to the employees of existing clients of Morneau Shepell through the designated toll-free number or by visiting workhealthlife.com/us and lifeworks.com. About Morneau Shepell Morneau Shepell is a leading provider of technology-enabled HR services that deliver an integrated approach to employee wellbeing through our cloud-based platform. Our focus is providing world-class solutions to our clients to support the mental, physical, social and financial wellbeing of their people. By improving lives, we improve business. Our approach spans services in employee and family assistance, health and wellness, recognition, pension and benefits administration, retirement consulting, actuarial and investment services. Morneau Shepell employs approximately 6,000 employees who work with some 24,000 client organizations that use our services in 162 countries. For more information, visit morneaushepell.com. SOURCE Morneau Shepell Inc. Related Links http://www.morneaushepell.com/ CAIRO - Amnesty International on Wednesday urged for the release of at least six protesters abducted when armed men, apparently allied with Libyas U.N.-supported government, fired live ammunition to disperse a demonstration in the capital. The incident took place on Sunday when protesters rallied in Tripoli and elsewhere in western Libya against deteriorating economic conditions and corruption. Amnesty said armed men in military uniform opened fire on the crowd without warning, using AK-style rifles and truck-mounted guns. The Interior Ministry accused outlawed infiltrators of firing at the protesters on Sunday and said an investigation was opened. The London-based group said that along with the six abducted, several protesters were wounded in the shooting, which happened in an area thats under control of the Nawasi militia that nominally operates under the U.N.-supported government in Tripoli. Amnesty said, citing eyewitness accounts and its Nawasi contacts, that there were strong indications that this militia was behind the attack on the protesters. The protests continued Wednesday for the fourth day in row. Footage circulated online showed demonstrators marching and chanting slogans against the U.N.-backed government. Militiamen also opened fire at the protesters in Tripolis Martyrs Square, which was the scene of Sundays attack, according to a protester who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal. He said dozens of protesters were detained and their whereabouts were unknown. Interior Minister Fathi Bashaga acknowledged that a Tripoli-allied militia fired live ammunition at peaceful protesters. He said in a statement early Thursday that the militias, which it did not name, abducted some of the protesters who were forcefully disappeared. Meanwhile, Libyan Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj Monday said in televised comments that the protesters did not obtain necessary permits for the rally. In a meeting with military and security officials Wednesday, he described the demonstrations as riots, according to a statement from his office. He also announced a 24-hour curfew lasting four days to fight the coronavirus, a move protesters say is meant to stop their continued rallies. The protesters defied Sarrajs decision and took to the streets after his announcement., before being dispersed by militias. Libya has seen a surge in coronavirus infections in recent weeks, with most of the cases in the countrys west. So far, authorities have reported more than 11,800 cases, including 210 deaths, though the actual numbers are thought to be far higher, in part due to limited testing. Diana Eltahawy, Amnestys deputy regional director, criticized Sarrajs government for not reining in abusive, unaccountable militias and armed groups and instead relying on them for security, law enforcement and fighting its rivals. She urged for an immediate release of those abducted and called for an independent investigation, as did the U.N. mission in Libya. It said the protests were motivated by frustrations about sustained poor living conditions, shortages of electricity and water and a lack of services throughout the country. Protests over the deteriorating economic situation continued this week in Tripoli and western Libyan towns backed by the U.N.-supported government. There were also protests in the southern town of Sabah and the eastern town of Quba, both under control of Sarrajs rival, troops under commander Khalifa Hifter, Amnesty said. Sarrajs Cabinet last week proposed a cease-fire across the oil-rich country and called for demilitarizing the strategic city of Sirte, controlled by Hifters forces. Hifter on Sunday dismissed the cease-fire offer. His spokesman, Ahmed al-Mosmari, warned of Turkish warships approaching the coast of Sirte, allegedly to enforce the Tripoli-allied militias preparing to attack the city. There was no immediate comment from Ankara. The proposal, which came after international pressure, was seen as a breakthrough amid rising fears of a new escalation in the chaotic proxy war, as rival sides mobilize for a battle over Sirte. Hifters rejection of the offer has added to those concerns. Oil-rich Libya was plunged into chaos when a NATO-backed uprising in 2011 toppled longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi, who was later killed. The country is now split between rival east- and west-based administrations, each backed by different armed groups and foreign governments. Read more about: People walk as they wear face masks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Beirut BEIRUT (Reuters) - Caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab said on Wednesday that Lebanon was at risk of losing control over the coronavirus outbreak after a rise in the number of cases following the explosion in Beirut on Aug 4. Cases doubled in the two weeks following the blast as infections spread in hospitals where victims were being treated, medics say. "The number of cases is increasing greatly, and if this continues, we will lose control of this epidemic," Diab said in a statement issued by the Supreme Defence Council. Lebanon registered 557 new COVID-19 infections and one death on Wednesday. It had registered a record 12 deaths the previous day. The health minister for Lebanon's caretaker government, Hamad Hassan, who also spoke to the Council, said hospital capacity needed to be increased to help combat the rise in cases. The government imposed a partial lockdown last Friday to help fight community spread. But the shutdown, which includes a curfew from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., still allows for clearing rubble, making repairs and giving out aid in neighbourhoods damaged by the explosion. The airport will remain open, with travellers having to take PCR tests before boarding and on arriving in the country. Amid concerns over the rise in cases, the union representing hotels, bars, cafes and restaurants said it would encourage defiance of the curfew by its members, leading to criticism by caretaker Interior Minister Mohammed Fahmi, who said security forces would crack down. A popular food delivery app said it would restart deliveries until 11 p.m. On Wednesday, caretaker President Michel Aoun said the government's coronavirus committee was discussing how to safely reopen businesses given their vital importance to the economy. (Reporting by Ellen Francis; writing by Raya Jalabi; Editing by Hugh Lawson and Angus MacSwan) BEAUMONT Soldiers with the Texas Army National Guard were waiting for orders Thursday hours after Hurricane Laura brushed past the Beaumont area. The storm arrived after midnight but left only light damage on the Texas side of its wake across Beaumont, Orange, Port Arthur and Sabine Pass. A Texas Guard spokesman, Gregory Illich, said it included some downed trees and some downed power lines but minimal flooding. People on the ground said no more than a foot of water in the Orange area, he said. Thats not official, coming from the Department of Emergency Management. The area was hard hit in 2005 by Hurricane Rita. Around 80 guardsmen with the 386th Engineering Battalion were among 200 emergency responders who waited out Hurricane Laura at the Ford Park Arena in Beaumont along with others from Texas A&M Task Force 1, and a number of fire department units from around the state, one of them from San Antonio. Nine helicopters were waiting in the arenas sprawling parking lot. At least three San Antonio EMS trucks were being refueledat there Thursday morning. Other vehicles belonged to Texas Parks and Wildlife Department game wardens, with inflatable and flat-bottom boats at the ready. A larger force of 1,050 soldiers and airmen were involved in the states hurricane response, with 25 helicopters and C-130 Hercules aircraft delivering cargo. The helicopters included UH-60 Black Hawks and CH-47 Chinooks. Many slept fitfully at the arena as the storm enveloped the area, delivering winds that topped 70 mph and heavy rain. At one point, soldiers gathered around a door and opened it, listening the howling wind. Around 3:15 a.m., the arena lost power and it remained out as the day ensued. But there were few signs of damage or flooding in the immediate vicinity, a relief given expectations some had for the city of Orange, in particular. Laura had threatened to bring what one task force member called an unsurvivable storm surge in low-lying areas. The surge never came. By 8 a.m., Texas Guard reconnaissance teams were searching for high water and structural damage but most of the soldiers waited with their high-water trucks. No orders had arrived by noon. Weve put people out in the field to do surveys and recon missions, to do damage assessment, to see if there was a need for our services, and were in constant contact with the local authorities, Task Force leader Danny Snell said. Fortunately for the citizens of the state of Texas, weve not had any requests to do any evacuations or rescues, so thats a good thing. It doesnt always work that way. This storm had huge potential. It was a very tight, compact and strong storm and rapid moving, which was good because it moved fast enough that the storm surge didnt pile up and stay inland, and it came up and went away real quick, and the damage was in a very focused, narrow path, so we dodged a really big bullet, Snell said. On ExpressNews.com: Border security, hurricanes, Mideast deployments coronavirus is only the latest Texas Guard mission The Guard soldiers were ready to work with Task Force 1, a team of about 80 specialists sponsored by the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service, to rescue flood victims from their homes. The service is a state agency under the Texas A&M University System. Task Force 1 typically enters flooded areas in boats to rescure people and get them to the Guards high-water trucks. The urban search team operates in and out of state and also can search for earthquake victims. It has existed since 1997 and rescued thousands of Texans in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey in 2017. There are 28 such teams across the United States, coordinated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, but Task Forces 1 and 2, which are based in College Station and Dallas, respectively, are the most frequently deployed because of turbulent weather in the Lone State State. This time, they had little to do, even as other teams were being deployed in Louisiana. Sig Christenson covers the military and its impact in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. To read more from Sig, become a subscriber. sigc@express-news.net | Twitter: @saddamscribe Mystery surrounds the disappearance of two young schoolgirls who were reported missing in the same week. The frantic search for a blonde-haired, blue eyed 11-year-old has stretched into its tenth day. She was last seen at about 8.30pm on Tuesday August 18 on Cronin Avenue in Main Beach on Queensland's Gold Coast. The frantic search for a blonde haired and blue eyed 11-year-old (pictured) has stretched into its ninth day Police described her as 150cm tall and white with a slim build. She was last seen wearing a grey hoodie with black shorts, but it is believed she may also be carrying a pink hoodie. A Mercedes was seen in the area around the same time, but it is not know if it is connected to her disappearance. 'The girl has no money or a phone and is known to visit Burleigh Hill, Keebra Park and the Southport Pony Club,' police said in a statement. The 13-year-old (pictured) is described as 160cm tall and Caucasian with a slim build, long brown hair and brown eyes A hunt is also underway for a second girl who was last seen in Browns Plains in Logan, south of Brisbane and an hour north of where the 11-year-old was last seen, on Monday, August 24. The 13-year-old is described as 160cm tall and white with a slim build, long brown hair and brown eyes. Police have urged anyone with information on the whereabouts of either girl to get in touch. Little is changing in the forecasts issued by the National Weather Service for the metro area through the weekend. Thursdays weather will be much like Wednesdays was, with clear blue skies and a high temperature of nearly 83 degrees. The biggest change in the forecast for the next few days will be a short spike in temperatures Friday, followed by a quick drop Saturday. This see-saw effect comes as a result of a weak high pressure system that will shift east by Friday. The high pressure ridge will allow temperatures to climb to near 85 degrees on Friday under sunny skies. Some locations along the Willamette Valley and the Columbia River Gorge could see high temps in the upper 80s. The ridge quickly moves out late Friday, and a system dropping southeastward from British Columbia will bring cooler air and windy conditions to most of western Oregon. Highs in Portland will drop to around 78 degrees under sunny skies. Much of central Oregon and the Columbia River Gorge will go under another fire weather watch Saturday due to gusty winds. Current fires in the area may spread or have new activity through Saturday. NWS Pendleton Current forecasts warn of a shift in winds Sunday that may allow wildfire smoke to seep into the valleys, especially south of Salem. Plus, Bill's Message of the Day, who are the most admired people in America? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices A blind Chinese dissident whose escape to the U.S. was facilitated by the Obama administration is calling on other countries to support President Donald Trump in leading a coalition to stop Chinas aggression. Standing up to fight unfairness is not easy. I know. So does President Trump, Chen Guangcheng said Wednesday night at the Republican National Convention, but he has shown the courage to wage that fight. Chens 2012 flight to the U.S. Embassy in Beijing sparked a six-day diplomatic tussle between the U.S. and China, threatening to derail then-Secretary of State Hillary Clintons strategic talks intended to build trust between the worlds superpower and its up-and-coming rival. An international symbol for human dignity after running afoul of local government officials for exposing forced abortions carried out as part of Chinas one-child policy, Chen was subjected to years of persecution and illegal detention for advising villagers on how to counter official abuses. After serving four years in prison on what supporters called fabricated charges, Chen was kept under house arrest until escaping in 2012, dodging a security cordon around his home in east Chinas Shandong province and placing himself under the protection of U.S. diplomats. After six days holed up inside the American embassy in Beijing, he was taken to a nearby hospital. U.S. officials said they had extracted from the Chinese government a promise that Chen would reunite with his family and be allowed to start a new life in a university town. In a telephone interview from his hospital room, a shaken Chen told The Associated Press that U.S. officials told him the Chinese authorities would have sent his family back to his home province if he remained inside the embassy. Help my family and me leave safely, Chen said, appealing again for help from U.S. officials. Clinton prevailed on Chinese officials to allow Chen to leave for the U.S., where he lived in New York after his escape. In a 2015 memoir, Chen wrote of pressure from Clintons aides to accept Chinas deal and disputed Clintons own assertions that the State Department had acceded to his demands. In her own memoir, Clinton has described the case as a hallmark achievement of her tenure at the State Department, saying it reminds us of our responsibility to make sure our country remains the beacon for dissidents and dreamers from all over the world. We need to support, vote, and fight for President Trump, for the sake of the world, Chen said to close out his remarks Wednesday. ___ Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP Advertisement Kim Kardashian was back on the beach Wednesday, hard at work after taking a brief break from the celebrity grind to focus on her relationship with husband Kanye West during an emergency family vacation with their four kids. The raven-haired bombshell, 39, looked fierce as she struck of series of dramatic poses wearing a skimpy snakeskin bikini which put her every curve on display. Instead of fretting about her marriage, Kimberly gave her full focus to the Malibu photoshoot, which happened just a stone's throw away from the upscale beach house where she and sisters Khloe and Kourtney have been filming the next season of Keeping Up With The Kardashians with mom Kris. Strike a pose: Kim Kardashian was back to work on a photoshoot in Malibu on Wednesday after taking a brief break from the celeb hustle to spend time mending her relationship with husband Kanye Weset Kim sizzled in her beach look, which consisted of a tiny brown and tan, python print triangle top and matching tie-up bottoms. Her only accessories were a pair of odd-shaped hoop earrings. She wasn't hiding her hourglass figure, but instead proudly paraded her full chest, cinched waist and sexy hips. Kim's time with her personal trainer was evident from her toned abs, shoulders and legs. First the beauty dipped her toes in the ocean, before walking back up with beach to meet her photographer. There, she was given a chilly drink in a tall glass as a prop. Knowing Kardashian isn't big on alcohol, the caramel-colored concoction appeared to be iced tea. Kim knelt down in the sand holding her beverage while sending a smoldering stare towards the camera. The star was done up with a smoky bronze eyeshadow, contoured cheeks, a nude pout and glowing skin. She had her tresses plaited down the part of her hair and into a long, twist that hung down to her hips. Thirsty: The raven-haired bombshell, 39, looked fierce as she struck of series of dramatic poses wearing a skimpy snakeskin bikini which put her every curve on display In the moment: Instead of fretting about her marriage, Kimberly gave her full focus to the Malibu photoshoot On the job: Her photoshoot was just a stone's throw away from the upscale beach house where she and sisters Khloe and Kourtney have been filming the next season of Keeping Up With The Kardashians with mom Kris Hot, hot, hot: Kim sizzled in her beach look, which consisted of a tiny brown and tan, python print triangle top and matching tie-up bottoms Fitness fanatic: Kim's time with her personal trainer was evident from her toned abs, shoulders and legs Just a dip: First the beauty dipped her toes in the ocean, before walking back up with beach to meet her photographer While Kim was hard at work, it looked like Kayne was doing his own thing independently. On Thursday, the rapper/fashion designer/aspiring politician shared a candid Instagram snap with longtime pal Dave Chapelle. Both talents were drenched in red light while hanging out indoors. Kayne looked very comfortable as he sat on a couch and threw his hands up mid-statement while a drink sat at his feet in a clear, disposable cup. It looked like he and Dave were having a good time, as the 8:46 comic stood up besides his friend and hammed it up for the camera while holding his own beverage. Sipping pretty: While back on the beach Kim she was given a chilly drink in a tall glass as a prop Cheers: Kim knelt down in the sand holding her beverage while sending a smoldering stare towards the camera Braidy lady: She had her tresses plaited down the part of her hair and into a long, twist that hung down to her hips Boys' club: While Kim was back to work in California, it seems like Kanye was also doing his own thing. On Thursday he shared an Instagram from hanging out with pal Dave Chapelle Kayne seemed to be focusing on his own projects - which include a new album and a presidential campaign - after a family vacation to the Caribbean and a subsequent visit to LA where his wife and kids live. West's presidential ambitions have been front and center lately. This week the musician decided to sue the Ohio election chief after the Buckeye State's Secretary Of State determined he was ineligible for a spot of the November ballot following widespread inconsistencies in the nearly 15k signatures gathered for his campaign. In their suit Kanye's legal team argue that the Secretary Of State must accept any petition for an independent candidate as long as it doesn't violate Ohio law or find itself challenged by in court, according to the Associated Press. Ohio was one of a number of states that denied West's petition to appear on their ballot last week, joining his native Illinois, Wisconsin and Montana. West had been largely away from his family in recent months, hunkered down at his Wyoming ranch to work on his vast array of interests. Doing her thing: Kayne seemed to be focusing on his own projects - which include a new album and a presidential campaign - after a family vacation to the Caribbean and a subsequent visit to LA where his wife and kids live Balance: A source told PEOPLE last Sunday that the rapper had returned to LA to spend some quality time with his family after their vacation together. 'He is still busy working on his music and presidential campaign, but really missed the kids and flew to see them' A source told PEOPLE last Sunday that the rapper had returned to LA to spend some quality time with his family after their vacation together. 'He is still busy working on his music and presidential campaign, but really missed the kids and flew to see them,' the source said. 'They are all spending the weekend at their Hidden Hills house and catching up as a family.' Meanwhile another People insider previously claimed Kanye had been self-isolating at his Wyoming property away from his wife and children before the Caribbean trip and 'wants to live' there. However a DailyMail.com source clarified that Kanye, who is running for President Of The United States this year, was 'never living apart' from Kim. Just independent: A DailyMail.com source clarified that Kanye, who is running for President Of The United States this year, was 'never living apart' from Kim This insider explained: 'He does a lot of work in Wyoming and she works in LA. They're focused on their family now and rarely talk politics.' 'They had a good family week in the Dominican Republic,' an insider dished to People after the family returned to America. 'Kim and Kanye are getting along. They both seem much happier,' continued the insider on August 9, 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.' Getting along: 'Kim and Kanye are getting along. They both seem much happier,' continued the insider on August 9, the day the family arrived in Miami Kanye praised Kim's mother Kris Jenner on Twitter after his return to America, 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. 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.' American Wisper - a film about a suburban family found murdered in their home, and the husband's quest to find the truth. A Roller-Coaster of Emotion, as the Father Tries to Uncover the Truth. (Open Communications Inc.) American Wisper is the true story of the unsolved murders of an African American family. In the summer of 2016, a mother and her three children were found shot to death in their suburban New Jersey home. They were discovered by father and husband Josiah Wisper a brash businessman who owned bars, restaurants, stores and real estate properties in Harlem, New York. Wisper quickly became a pariah in the Harlem community and was viewed with suspicion by friends, relatives, and people he had known for nearly half his life. The film is based on true events, and based on withheld police reports issued at the time of the murders. And, according to Writer/Producer Howard Nash, the ending will leave audience members speechless. The producers want it known that they are seeking to have the original case reopened, and feel that a film in wide release is the only way to make that happen. But, a clarion Call to Action isnt as easy as it sounds. Howard Nash revealed, Ive noticed a fair amount of bias when it comes to smaller, independent films with African American leads. The smaller movie sites and platforms arent even selecting them. So it becomes even more important to get the word out, so that people can see things for themselves. Nash raised his funding independently, and today remains gratified that he ignored Hollywoods professional advice to abandon the project while it was still in development. Nash maintains American Wisper is the movie that Hollywood hoped would never get made. When presenting the project to major studios, he was repeatedly warned that no one will ever come and see it. And one of the most powerful producers in Hollywood once told Nash to make the family White, as doing so would make the project a lot more marketable. American Wisper has now played at festivals all over the world, won nine International Film Festival awards, and is currently nominated for seven more. But more importantly, it continues to expand its audience, having garnered over 850,000 views on Amazon, DVDs and other platforms since its release in March, 2020. American Wisper a very tight thriller thanks to a tight directorial effort, a tense script and strong performances by all involved. its a genre movie that shouldnt be missed. Mike Haberfelner / SMT News & Reviews Now streaming: Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/americanwisperfilm Amazon Prime: https://bit.ly/american-wisper Watch for Free: https://tubitv.com/movies/520032/american_wisper Visit on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/americanwisper/ live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More The Indian market benchmarks ended flat with a positive bias, thus ending in the green for the fifth consecutive session, on August 27, amid mixed global cues. Investors traded with caution on expiry day of the August F&O series. The Nifty ended with nominal gains despite opening above the 11,600 levels. The Sensex closed 40 points, or 0.1 percent, higher at 39,113.47. The Nifty settled 10 points, or 0.08 percent, up at 11,559.25. The BSE Midcap index closed flat while the Smallcap index ended 0.35 percent higher. "The market has been more or less listless in the last two sessions despite a rise in the domestic currency and decline in bond yields. Investors will be eyeing the Fed president's speech at the Jackson Hole Symposium. On August 28, the Nifty could look for support at 11,480 and 11,450 levels while 11,660-11,700 would be major hurdles. The strategy must be to purchase on dips with a final stop loss at 11,350," said Shrikant Chouhan, Executive Vice President, Equity Technical Research at Kotak Securities. We have collated 15 data points to help you spot profitable trades: Note: The open interest (OI) and volume data of stocks given in this story are the aggregates of three-month data and not of the current month only. According to pivot charts, the key support levels for the Nifty is placed at 11,527.43, followed by 11,495.67. If the index moves up, the key resistance levels to watch out for are 11,604.13 and 11,649.07. Nifty Bank closed 0.80 percent higher at 23,600.35. The important pivot level, which will act as crucial support for the index, is placed at 23,474.96, followed by 23,349.63. On the upside, key resistance levels are placed at 23,714.86 and 23,829.43. Maximum Call OI of 57.5 lakh contracts was seen at 11,600 strike, which will act as crucial resistance in the September series. This is followed by 11,700, which holds 45.52 lakh contracts, and 11,800 strikes, which has accumulated 26.10 lakh contracts. Call writing was seen at 11,600, which added 24.09 lakh contracts, followed by 11,700, which added 14.45 lakh contracts. Call unwinding was seen at 11,500, which shed 17.46 lakh contracts, followed by 11,400 strikes, which shed 5.65 lakh contracts. Maximum Put OI of 44.20 lakh contracts was seen at 11,500 strikes, which will act as crucial support in the September series. This is followed by 11,400, which holds 32.59 lakh contracts, and 11,300 strikes, which has accumulated 30.85 lakh contracts. Put writing was seen at 11,500, which added 4.32 lakh contracts, followed by 11,600, which added 3.76 lakh contracts. Put unwinding was witnessed at 11,400, which shed 7.26 lakh contracts, followed by 11,200, which shed 3.8 lakh contracts. A high delivery percentage suggests that investors are showing interest in these stocks. 3 stocks saw long build-up Based on the OI future percentage, here are the top 10 stocks in which long unwinding was seen. An increase in OI, along with a decrease in price, mostly indicates a build-up of short positions. A decrease in open interest, along with an increase in price, mostly indicates a short-covering. Based on the OI future percentage, here are the top 10 stocks in which short-covering was seen. Rollovers Mehul Kanubhai Patel bought 1,79,39,973 shares of Banco Products India at an average price of Rs 97 per share through a bulk deal on the BSE. Overseas Pearl sold as many shares at the same average price. Dhoot Instruments bought 1,25,500 shares of Dhoot Industrial Finance at an average price of Rs 27.50 per share via a bulk deal on the BSE. Aditya Birla Retail sold 1,23,339 shares of the company at the same average price. Plutus Wealth Management bought 12,47,059 shares of Saint Gobain Sekurit India at an average price of Rs 65.71 per share through a bulk deal on the BSE. Plutus Wealth Management bought 13,040 shares of Wendt (India) at an average price of Rs 3,800.12 per share via a bulk deal on the NSE. Westbridge Crossover Fund sold 4,07,419 shares of CEAT at an average price of Rs 950 through a bulk deal on the NSE. Castor Investments bought 1,40,000 shares of Sentinel Tea And Exports at an average price of Rs 61.13 per share through a bulk deal on the NSE. Secura India Trust also bought as many shares of the company at an average price of Rs 61.10. Asian Markets Securities and Biyani Financial Services each bought 25,000 shares of Thejo Engineering at an average price of Rs 683.55 per share through a bulk deal on the NSE. Porinju Veliyath-owned Equity Intelligence India bought 50,000 shares of Thejo Engineering at an average price of the Rs 675.11. India Opportunities Fund sold 1,71,400 shares of Thejo Engineering at an average price of Rs 679.81. Archies, Centum Electronics, GP Petroleums, Industrial Investment Trust, Inox Wind, Khadim India, Kohinoor Foods, Magnum Ventures, SJVN, Polytex India, etc. NMDC: The company reported a 55 percent YoY decline in Q1 FY21 PAT at Rs 533 crore. Revenue from operations fell almost 41 percent YoY to Rs 1,937.50 crore. GMR Infrastructure: Consolidated net loss for the June quarter more than doubled to nearly 834 crore against Rs 335 crore loss in the same quarter of FY20. PNC Infratech: Q1 consolidated PAT declined 48 percent YoY to Rs 92 crore. Revenue declined 28 percent YoY to Rs 1,093 crore. Mahindra & Mahindra: The company announced the introduction of the Marazzo with BS-VI technology. Fund flow Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) bought shares worth Rs 1,164.32 crore, whereas domestic institutional investors (DIIs) sold shares worth Rs 809.27 crore in the Indian equity market on August 27, as per provisional data available on the NSE. In addition, more viewers were watching in 2020 via streaming and on PBS and C-SPAN and arent initially included in the totals. When former First Lady Michelle Obama spoke on the first night of the convention, CNN was the most watched locally, with about a 3.9 rating from 10 p.m. MSNBC was a close second at 3.6. Fox News viewers werent as interested. Normally the top-rated cable news network in prime time in Western New York, it finished fifth out of six channels with a 1.5 rating. Interestingly, Fox News had much higher local ratings 50 to 100 percent higher on various nights for the 2016 Democratic Convention than it did this time around. That suggests its viewers arent as interested in hearing counterarguments to the Fox News brand as they were four years ago. The three broadcast channels had only a combined 4.2 rating points, with channel 7 getting a 0.3 rating during that time. The channel 7 rating may have been hurt a little because the station is still off of the Dish network. In 2016, the three broadcast channels had a total of 7.9 ratings points, so the Big Three almost lost half of their household audience compared to four years ago. PATNA Hindustani Awami Morch (Secular) president Jitan Ram Manjhi on Thursday met Bihar chief minister and JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar at the latters residence, setting off speculation that his party was set to join the NDA. On August 20, the HAM-S had quit the oppositions Grand Alliance, after spending 30 months as a constituent. For the record, Manjhi, a former chief minister, denied having any political deliberations with Kumar and told reporters that the talks centred on local issues and problems. Political talks have not yet taken place, they are likely to be held soon. Wait till August 30 about partys decision. Todays talks with Kumar were on local issues, Manjhi said as he emerged from the CM residence. Recently, Manjhi joined one of the virtual inauguration programmes of Nitish Kumar. The CM notice the HAM-S chief only at the end of his speech and welcomed him for supporting government programmes and policies. The HAM chief is the lone member of his party in the Legislative Assembly currently. According to NDA sources, HAM wants to contest 15-20 seats, mostly in the Magadh region, but JD(Uis willing to give his party 10-12 seats. Some of these seats are also considered BJPs stronghold. I will talk to you (media persons) on August 30, he said, when asked about seats offered by JD (U). NDA in Bihar comprises BJP, JD(U) and LJP at present. JD (U) sources said Manjhi could be a Dalit face of the party after the exit of Shyam rajak, who joined the RJD. Manjhi, however, made it clear his party was not going to merge with any other political outfit, contrary to speculation. Manjhi, formerly with JD(U), quit the party in 2015 after he was forced to step down as the chief minister to make way for the return of Nitish Kumar to the post. He later formed the HAM(S) and joined the BJP-led NDA. With Kumar returning to the NDA in July 2017, Manjhi quit the alliance and joined the opposition alliance in Bihar. His party unsuccessfully contested three Lok Sabha seats in the 2019 general elections. Mahadalits and Dalits form 16% of Bihars population of Bihar, as per the 2011 census. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON While the the Centre's decision to hold NEET, JEE exams amid COVID-19 has found support among academicians, more Opposition leaders have joined the bandwagon opposing the move A day after seven chief ministers of non-BJP ruled states decided to jointly move the Supreme Court against the Centre's decision to hold the NEET and JEE (Main) exam amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the tug of war over the exams continued on Thursday with more voices joining both sides of the argument. Even as the Congress-affiliated NSUI continued its nationwide protest against the exams, more voices from Opposition including the Samajwadi Party joined the protests. .@TSNSUI have begun the indefinite hunger strike in staunch protest against the cruel, senseless and irresponsible decision of the Central & State govt to conduct the examinations during this pandemic.#AntiStudentNarendraModi#AntiStudentsModiGovt#HungerStrikeForStudentsSafety pic.twitter.com/TxzCg7P6Xn NSUI (@nsui) August 27, 2020 Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik and DMK chief MK Stalin too reiterated their opposition the exams. On Thursday, Stalin even urged the chief minsiters of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana to join the Opposition as they unite to move the SC against the exams. In the letter to @CMO_Odisha @AndhraPradeshCM @TelanganaCMO @CMOKerala urged them to join in solidarity and approach the Supreme court on postponement of NEET and JEE exams. #PostponeNEET_JEEinCovid pic.twitter.com/cKoFC8ydfY M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) August 27, 2020 However, the Centre's decision to hold the exam amid the pandemic has found support not only from within its ranks, but also among academicians. While 150 academicians wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying any further delay will compromise students' future, directors of several IITs warned that that academic year will turn 'zero academic year' if exams are not held as scheduled. "The government has announced the dates for JEE-Mains and NEET, any further delay in conducting the exams will result in waste of precious year for students. The dreams and future of our youth and students cannot be compromised at any cost. However, some are trying to play with the future of our students simply to propel their own political agenda and oppose the government," 150 academicians said in the letter, accordign to PTI. "Like every year, this year too millions of students have passed their Class 12 exams and are now waiting at home to eagerly take the next step," the letter added. Meanwhile, heads of IITs appealed to students to students to trust the institutions conducting the exam. "The pandemic has already disrupted the academic plans of many students and institutions and we don't see the virus going away anytime soon. We should not let this be a zero academic year as it might have consequences on the bright future of several students," Ajit K Chaturvedi, Director, IIT Roorkee, told PTI. He also said students and their parents need to have faith in the system. "The decision to conduct these exams has been taken after considering every aspect of the current situation. The government has been ensuring that all necessary arrangements are made to safeguard the health and safety of the students. Delaying the exams would have a cascading effect so we should come together in understanding its importance and support the system in conducting it seamlessly," he added. According to Virendra Tewari, Director, IIT Kharagpur, "The exams have a global reputation for seeking excellence and are considered one of the toughest and prestigious examinations in the world. A quick alternative to these tests will certainly not be as gratifying as competing for this examination by all fair means". However, Samajwadi Party president and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav opposed the decision to conduct the exams in an open letter on Thursday. He said the BJP-led government at the Centre is unnecessarily putting the students' health at risk. "Funny and illogical things are being spread by the BJP that when people can come out for other work, why can't they give exams? It has forgotten that people are moving out in compulsion and even those who want to stay at home to save themselves are now being forced to come out of their homes in the name of examinations," Yadav said in the letter. The Samajwadi Party chief asked who will be held responsible if students contract the infection. He claimed that the saffron party is only concerned about people who vote for it. "It appears that the BJP has come to know that the youth dealing with unemployment problem would no longer vote for them therefore, it is acting in a revengeful manner against the youth and their guardians," Yadav alleged. Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik too supported the call postpone the exam. On Thursday, he spoke to the prime minsiter over the phone and requested him to postpone NEET and JEE exams, in view of the COVID-19 pandemic and the flood situation in the state, a senior official said. Patnaik, during his conversation with the prime minister, explained that Odisha is in the grip of a pandemic as well as flood, and students might face difficulties in appearing for the examinations, the official at the chief minister's office told reporters. Around 50,000 students in Odisha are set to appear for NEET, and over 40,000 for JEE (Main), officials said. The Odisha chief minsiter's phone call came two days after he wrote a letter in this regard to Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank. The CM, in his letter had urged the Centre to take steps for postponing the JEE (Main) and NEET exams as it "will be unsafe for students to physically appear for the exams amid the pandemic". Former karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah joined the bandwagon of the opposition parties, stating that the existing restrictiions in public transportaion and accomodation facilities due to COVID-19 is likely to add to student's anxiety. In a series of tweets, the Karnataka Congress Legislature Party leader said that traveling is not safe for students, accommodation is difficult, public transportation is not fully functional and yet students are expected not to be anxious to write exams. "Despite opposition fromeveryone, @BJP4India govt is adamant on conducting NEET &JEE." "The COVID-19 cases are increasing rapidly in the country and yet students are being forced to take risk. Should they pledge their lives to take the exams?" Siddaramaiah pointed out. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi should be more sensitive towards young students and postpone exams," he tweeted. The Central Government, however, made its stand clear on Thursday with Union Education Minsiter Ramesh Pokhriyal stating that only a "section of students" are against conducting the exams. "National Testing Agency (NTA) officials told me that over 7 lakh candidates have downloaded JEE (Main) admit cards while over 10 lakh aspirants have downloaded NEET admit cards. This shows that students want the exams be held at any cost," Pokhriyal argued in a tweet. "We have received mails from students and parents who are in favour of holding exams as they have been preparing for the exams from at least two three years," he added. NTA DG told me that 7.5 lakhs out of 8.58 lakhs candidates in JEE have downloaded admit cards. For NEET, over 10 lakhs out of 15.97 lakhs candidates downloaded admit cards in 24 hrs. It shows that students want that exams are held at any cost: Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal pic.twitter.com/LfOcHfRXSU ANI (@ANI) August 27, 2020 According to ANI, Pokhriyal also said that "JEE exam centres have been increased to 660 from 570 while there are now 3,842 NEET centres, up from 2,546 for the convenience of students. Students have also been allotted exam centres of their choice." While the NEET is scheduled to be held on 13 September, engineering entrance exam JEE Main has been planned from 1-6 September. Around 9.53 lakh candidates have registered for JEE-Mains and 15.97 lakh students have registered for NEET. These exams have already been deferred twice in the wake of the novel coronavirus pandemic. JEE-Main 2020 was originally supposed to be held from 7-11 April, but postponed to 18-23 July, NEET-UG was originally scheduled for 3 May, then pushed to 26 July. They were postponed again and are now scheduled in September. With inputs from PTI Researchers from Osaka University have developed eco-friendly polymer materials with extended functional lifespans that are self-healing, tough and recyclable, by innovatively using a planetary ball mixing method Osaka, Japan - Plastics are ubiquitous in modern life; unfortunately, once they lose function, they pollute the environment. Now, researchers at Osaka University have developed polymer materials that combine self-healing with strength and recyclability that could extend the functional lifetimes of manufactured plastics, thus minimizing the surging problem of discarded remnants. Polymers are versatile substances, composed of many repeating molecular subunits, with essential and diverse functions in biological processes and industry. Sadly, their durability is double-edged: waste plastics generate litter and can contaminate our environment for centuries. About 50 kg of plastics is produced annually for every human; this doubles every decade. By the year 2050, there may be more plastics in our oceans than fish. As plastics are indispensable, extending their functional life by enhancing durability, self-healing and recyclability can help reduce waste. Host-guest interactions, a fascinating branch of supramolecular chemistry, describes molecular complexes held in unique structural relationships by non-covalent bonding. These physical linkages allow molecular recognition and are ideal for preparing materials with rapidly reversible properties. "We prepared supramolecular materials by mixing host and guest polymers of acetylated -cyclodextrin and adamantane," explains Junsu Park, lead author. "We compared three mixing methods: conventional casting, planetary kneading and ball-milling. Ball-milling employs zirconia balls in a zirconia grinding jar on a sun-wheel revolving eccentrically in reverse. The additional rotational forces on the grinding surfaces and the interplay between impact and friction cause nanoscale mixing." The researchers analyzed the polymers by wounding, re-joining, as coating of a glass substrate and after repeated ball-milling. Using dynamic mechanical analysis, thermal property measurements, small angle X-ray scattering measurements, and confocal laser scanning microscopy, etc they assessed scratch resistance, deformability and tensile strength. The results were remarkable. Planetary mixing efficiently produced tough, self-healable, and recyclable supramolecular materials. Surface scratches disappeared in seconds and fractured fragments united in minutes. Moreover, mechanical properties were preserved even after repeated milling. "Ball-milling disentangles the polymer chains in the materials and increases their mobility while facilitating their re-formation," Park explains. "This maintains the number of host-guest interactions, ensuring both self-healing and toughness." Senior author Yoshinori Takashima describes the potential of these discoveries: "We can develop tough materials capable of self-repair that retain these properties even when recycled. Prolonging their functional lifespan is key to saving the environment as they are being increasingly deployed in manufacture. Additionally, their unique biomimetic properties open up avenues of application in fields such as artificial skin for prostheses, robots and even vehicles." ### The article, "Extremely rapid self-healable and recyclable supramolecular materials through planetary ball milling and host-guest Interactions," was published in Advanced Materials at https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/adma.202002008 About Osaka University Osaka University was founded in 1931 as one of the seven imperial universities of Japan and is now one of Japan's leading comprehensive universities with a broad disciplinary spectrum. This strength is coupled with a singular drive for innovation that extends throughout the scientific process, from fundamental research to the creation of applied technology with positive economic impacts. Its commitment to innovation has been recognized in Japan and around the world, being named Japan's most innovative university in 2015 (Reuters 2015 Top 100) and one of the most innovative institutions in the world in 2017 (Innovative Universities and the Nature Index Innovation 2017). Now, Osaka University is leveraging its role as a Designated National University Corporation selected by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology to contribute to innovation for human welfare, sustainable development of society, and social transformation. Website: https://resou.osaka-u.ac.jp/en/top A battle is won by those who are firmly resolved to win, said Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor Shaktikanta Das at his address on Thursday at the Unlock BFSI 2.0. Das is appreciative of banks for maintaining operational continuity in COVID-19 times. But, reading between the lines, the key message from the governor, also a former finance secretary in the central government, seems to be that banks should resume lending. That's exactly what the government, the majority owner in state-run banks, also wants. Das wants lenders to identify sunrise sectors that have the potential to bounce back. Being overly risk-averse is self-defeating for banks, said Das. Also Read: Exclusive | Yes Bank investigating allegations of misselling of AT1 bonds by executives, says MD & CEO Prashant Kumar How will banks take this advice? Lets look at the bank credit flow scenario so far. On a year-on-year (y-o-y) basis, non-food bank credit growth at 6.7 percent in June 2020 was nearly the same as in May 2020 but lower than the growth of 11.1 percent in June 2019. Credit growth to agriculture and allied activities increased by 2.4 percent in June 2020 as compared with a higher growth of 8.7 percent in June 2019. Of this, credit growth to industry grew by 2.2 percent in June 2020 as compared with 6.4 percent growth in June 2019. Within industries, credit to large industries increased by 3.7 percent in June 2020 as compared with 7.6 percent in June 2019. Remember, these are the latest bank credit growth figures. The RBI started infusing massive amount of liquidity into the banking system in March last week. There has been a total of 115 basis points reduction in RBIs key lending rate since then. The RBI has launched multiple rounds of targeted long-term repo operations (TLTRO) and special liquidity facilities. Despite all these measures, bank credit growth isnt picking up. Why? As Das said, the villain in the story is high risk aversion. In an adverse economic scenario, banks become cautious in taking fresh exposure to companies. This is because the assumption is that the demand slump will stay for a prolonged period and continue to hurt the cash flows of companies. This could lead to fresh loan defaults. Banks do not want additional non-performing assets (NPAs) to burden their balance sheets. Already the Indian banking system is saddled with huge amount of sticky loans. Total Gross NPAs stood at 8.5 percent as on March, 2020. In its latest financial stability report, the RBI said the gross NPAs could jump to 14.7 percent by March 2021 in a worst case scenario. This means out of every Rs 100 lent by banks, Rs 14.7 will not come back. Why banks fear bad loans? Thats because if a loan turns bad, banks need to set aside significant amount of money to cover these losses in the form of provisions. This affects banks profitability. This isnt the first time the RBI has stressed on the need for banks to shed risk aversion. Also Read: RBI's annual report: Central bank says Indian banking 'has to be liberated' from high risk aversion In its latest annual report, the central bank said Indian banking has to be liberated from the risk aversion that is impeding the flow of credit to the productive sectors of the economy and undermining the role of banks as the principal financial intermediaries in the economy. Will banks pay heed to RBIs demand? There are two views among banks on whether this is the right time to restart lending or not. For example, take a look at countrys two top bankers SBI chairman Rajnish Kumar and Kotak Mahindra CEO, Uday Kotak. Kumar is of the view that this is the best time to lend but Kotak says his bank would be very cautious in giving new loans. Those banks, with high moratorium loan book (indicating chances of high potential stress if economy doesnt improve soon) and already high chunk of bad loans, may not heed to RBIs request in the immediate future. These banks, mainly private sector lenders, may continue to be extra cautious and selective in giving fresh loans. On the other hand, PSBs which are directly under the control of government, may step up lending under government pressure to boost economic growth. Both will be risky bets. Mali's new military rulers said Thursday that former president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, who was detained during the country's coup on August 18, had been freed. The announcement came on the eve of a summit by Mali's neighbours, who are to decide whether to ratchet up pressure on the fledgling junta. Keita's ouster by rebel troops sent shockwaves through the region and in France, which sees Mali as a linchpin in its campaign against jihadism in the Sahel, where more than 5,000 French troops are based. "President IBK is free in his movements, he's at home," a spokesman for the junta, Djibrila Maiga, told AFP, referring to Keita by his initials, as many Malians do. The junta, calling itself the National Committee for the Salvation of the People (CNSP), said on Facebook it was "informing public and international opinion that former president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita has been released and is currently in his residence". A Keita relative, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the 75-year-old former leader had returned overnight to his house in the Sebenikoro district of the capital Bamako. The source did not say whether he was still subject to any restrictions. Keita, prime minister Boubou Cisse and other senior officials were seized by young officers who mutinied at a base near Bamako. In the early hours of August 19, Keita appeared on national TV to announce his resignation, saying he had had no other choice, and wanted to avoid "bloodshed". His release -- and other leaders -- is a key demand of Mali's neighbours, its ally France and international organisations, including the African Union and European Union. His son Karim, an MP whose flamboyant lifestyle made him the target of protestors demanding his father's resignation, has fled to a "neighbouring country," sources familiar with his whereabouts told AFP Thursday. ECOWAS Summit Former Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan, heading a team from the regional bloc ECOWAS, was given access to the former president last Saturday, and said he seemed "very fine." The announcement Thursday came on the eve of a virtual summit by the 15-nation ECOWAS -- the Economic Community of West African States -- which has imposed sanctions against Mali for the coup. Those measures include a closure of borders and a ban on trade that threaten to worsen Mali's already severe social and economic troubles. Jonathan's three-day mission to Bamako foundered on the question of the transition to civilian rule. The junta have promised to enact a political transition and stage elections within a "reasonable time" but not spelt out details. Discussing progress with Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari, Jonathan said the coup leaders wanted to stay in power for a three-year transition period, an offer rejected by the mediators, according to a statement from the presidency. "We also told them that what would be acceptable to ECOWAS was an Interim Government, headed by a civilian or retired military officer, to last for six or nine months, and maximum of 12 calendar months," Jonathan was quoted as saying in the presidency statement late Wednesday. Jihadist Attacks Keita was elected in 2013 as a unifying figure in a fractured country and was returned in 2018 for a second five-year term. But his popularity plummeted as he failed to counter a bloody jihadist campaign that has claimed thousands of lives and driven hundreds of thousands from their homes, and to reverse the country's downward economic spiral. The army announced that four troops were killed and 12 wounded in an ambush on Thursday that it attributed to "terrorists," its typical term for jihadists. It was the second time that the armed forces have suffered a loss on this scale since the coup. Both attacks have happened in central Mali, a volatile, ethnically diverse region. In a visit to the Estonian capital of Tallinn on Thursday, the head of the French armed forces, Francois Lecointre, said, "Our wish is to maintain the Malian army's commitment in the fight against armed terrorist groups." "We are going to see if the Malian armed forces are able to maintain the momentum... we have told them that this appears essential to us," said Lecointre. Search Keywords: Short link: NEW HAVEN A Yale student has tested positive for the coronavirus and been moved to isolation housing on campus, according to a letter from Marvin Chun, dean of Yale College, to the school community. Chun said in the email that the student tested positive as part of the screening of all young people enrolled to live in residential dorms. The student is asymptomatic, is resting comfortably, and is in isolation housing that has been designated for students as they test positive for the virus throughout the semester. Contact tracers have notified the relevant authorities and everyone who has been in close contact with the student. Protocols in place for bringing students back to campus are working as they should, said Chun. Chun reminded students and staff to continue following social distancing and other pandemic-related safety measures. Nevertheless, this is a moment to stress the importance for everyone in the community to comply with testing and quarantine requirements; follow the practices of physical distancing, frequent hand washing, and wearing face coverings; and abide by the terms of the community compact, which all students enrolled in residence must sign as a condition for returning to campus, said Chun. Future positive cases will not be announced individually, but instead listed on the universitys website at https://covid19.yale.edu/yale-covid-19-statistics, Chun said. Students and faculty were invited to take part in an online discussion of the reopening of Yale College, including coronavirus-related safety measures, on Friday as part of the email. I thank the faculty and staff for their efforts to prepare the campus to open as smoothly as it has and to welcome students back with such a successful move-in week. I look forward to starting the semester with you all, said Chun. University spokesman Karen Peart confirmed Friday that a student had tested positive and shared a copy of Chuns email. She noted the email contained links to the universitys health and safety guidelines for the pandemic, which can be found here. August 27, 2020 The United Nations recently hosted its 20th anniversary Global Compact Leaders' Summit. On June 16, the Global Compact South East Asia Regional Networks (ASEAN) participated in a discussion on sustainable, resilient supply chains, deliberating on how small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and corporations in Southeast Asia can work together to strengthen the sustainability of SMEs. They also discussed how these actions can make them more adaptable and resilient to future crises and how converting their full potential is a key pillar of contributing to the sustainable development goals. Participants included: Ho Meng Kit, chief executive officer of Singapore Business Federation; Pieter Nuboer, Asia Pacific president of DSM (News - Alert) Nutritional; Shahamin S. Zaman, executive director of GCN-Bangladesh and Asia Pacific Regional Network council chair of the UN Global Compact; and Vijay Eswaran, executive chairman of the QI Group of Companies. Moderated by Bart Edes, representative of the Asian Development Bank, the panel came together during a global pandemic. With economies suffering, businesses changing their concept models, and people adjusting their work-life conditions, it is an essential time to discuss how the future will be impacted indefinitely. According to Edes, the panelists covered imperative topics related to sustainable and resilient supply chains, including: The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on SMES in Southeast Asia. Practices of companies and suppliers in responding to the health and economic crises and ensuring business continuity. Innovative and collaborative actions between SMEs and corporations that will make sustainability initiatives for SMEs more feasible. How businesses can make internal improvements to drive and support sustainability efforts throughout their supply chains. The goal of the discussion was to provide viewers with a "renewed sense of business leadership and motivation underpinned by the global goals to cascade positive change through their own supply chains and the communities in which they operate." Vijay Eswaran, founder and executive chairman of the QI Group of Companies a multinational conglomerate with diverse interests, including direct selling, real estate, education, retail, and hospitality was one of the four panelists present. His decades of experience and understanding of global changes provided him with unique insight into the changes foreseeable in the future. Shift to E-Commerce To start the panel, Edes prompted the panelists to share introductory thoughts on the session topic and provide some thoughts on how they see the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated economic crisis on business in ASEAN. Eswaran spoke about the shift to e-commerce. Vijay Eswaran started his company more than 22 years ago with the core concept of selling products and services. Even at this time, the company utilized e-commerce; however, this was in conjunction with more traditional selling methods, including direct selling. This method permitted the company to grow exponentially, and now, it serves more than 30 countries and has more than one million people in its database. However, as the COVID-19 pandemic swept across the world, this hybrid method is no longer optimal, and according to Eswaran, it is one of the most significant challenges that companies are facing. Today, there has been a transition to a totally digital, internet-based experience, and it has come as a surprise and challenge to many. Eswaran further discussed the variations in business models and outlined his perspective on how companies can adapt to these deviations to find future success. COVID-19 Impact on Suppliers Moving forward in the discussion, Edes shifted the topic to a question on sustainability, specifically regarding how companies and their suppliers can work together to mitigate the risks of the exposed sustainability hotspots across supply chains. In essence, economies around the world have been reporting how COVID-19 has impacted their systems, and for many, this has included a disruption in supply chains. The majority of these reports have indicated a negative response to supply chains; however, Eswaran identified the current and future potential of such changes. First off, Eswaran confronted the topic of governments assisting businesses and how the aid supporting their ongoing functions is not sustainable. In hopes to keep economies moving forward and alive, stimulus packages have been provided to residents and businesses to ensure that operations continue. However, as the pandemic shifts how consumers interact with purchases, businesses must adapt as well. Old methods may no longer be optimal in the near future. Eswaran reflected on the changes that the QI Group has made as a result of the pandemic: We had to re-engineer everything we had done, so the first few weeks of COVID [were] devastating for everyone, including us. Sales took a dive, but then, after that, just as any other internet company and companies in the supply chain, some of them have taken off; they have been seeing triple-digit sales moving through the last couple of months, and we have been one of those [that] have been fortunate enough to be able to change fast enough that our sales basically [have] started to surpass the norm, so to speak, within the digital space. However, not all industries have witnessed this phenomenon. Eswaran identified that his companys subsidiaries, such as its hotels and university, had to make drastic changes to try to survive during these times. They have only kept the necessary people active to keep the operations running, and sales have been on a decline. He concluded that "moving forward, [there] will have to be a hybrid. [Businesses] cannot just rely on a mall and people walking in; malls may not be something that we need to see or may not be part of the landscape in the next decade or so. Things are changing, and they are going to be changing in my mind permanently." A Focus on Sustainability: One Planet, One Purpose, One People Another aspect that has been present throughout the pandemic is society's shift to focusing on developing a more sustainable future. As we have witnessed the ongoing impact of a global pandemic, consumer demands have shifted. We are starting to see the true impact that our destructive lifestyles have had on the world around us, and we are beginning to reimagine a more sustainable future. Eswaran recognized this idea not only from the perspective of the consumer but also regarding the impact on the earth. He said that the fact of the "matter is we need to come to terms with a new reality We're [going to] have to treat planet Earth a lot better because she's needed this reprieve; she's needed this break." Therefore, suppliers, just like anyone else, require a complete redesign. Eswaran believes that they need to conform to the changing dynamics and address the issues of sustainability. To help assist in the transition, Eswaran's company developed a code of ethics: One Planet, One Purpose, One People. The idea is to implement a new standard that requires products to be a sustainable part of the circular economy. No longer will suppliers limit their outlook on price and profit; instead, they must look at the overall impact of their products. Though the impact has been evident, suppliers were not the only industry impacted by COVID-19. We have also seen a transition to working at home, retailers trying new sales methods, and new companies arising to accommodate the unique needs of consumers. If anything, COVID-19 has brought a new awareness to the need for change, and it has forced a revolution in how we operate businesses, proof that adaptability is a must for all businesses. A five-year-old is being hailed as a hero on the Internet for his actions. The boys quick thinking helped save his moms life. His story was shared on Facebook and chances are this young ones presence of mind will make you want to applaud him. Taking to Facebook, West Mercia Police in UK detailed that the incident took place last month. The boy, named Josh, was in his home with his mother and brother when his mom fell unconscious. Josh, without wasting any time, rang 112, the number for emergency services in Europe, which helped his mother get treatment at the right time. What is astonishing is that he called the number after noticing it on his toy ambulance. The police department also shared a link to a report which describes the incident in detail. This was an incredible thing for Josh to do, his quick thinking saw him ring the number on his toy ambulance as he was worried about his mum, said Telford local policing commander, Superintendent Jim Baker, as described in the report. He was very brave and stayed on the line while we were able to get to the familys home and make sure his mum got medical assistance. Josh has already proved he would make a brilliant police officer in the future, hopefully well see him again when hes old enough as a new recruit! Baker added further. The Facebook post is complete with an image of Josh: Since being shared, Joshs story has received tons of love from people. Well done to that young man, wrote a Facebook user. Amazing little boy, well done. You will have one very proud and grateful mummy, commented another. Well done young man, your mummy must be so proud, posted a third. Well done Josh how clever you are for doing this, said a fourth. Youre a hero, wrote a fifth and indeed he is. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Sushant Singh Rajput Death Anniversary: A Timeline of the of events that have transpired so far Mumbai cops escort Rhea Chakraborty's father out of house for ED questioning India pti-Madhuri Adnal Mumbai, Aug 27: A team of Mumbai police reached the residence of actress Rhea Chakraborty, who is accused of abetting actor Sushant Singh Rajput's suicide, in Santacruz here on Thursday and took her father along for a questioning by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), an official said. The police team reached Chakrabortys house as per the request made by the ED, the official said. "The ED requested the Mumbai police to reach their house and escort Rhea's father Indrajit out as it wants to question him," the police official said. Sushant Singh Rajput case: Rhea's brother Showik reaches DRDO guest house for questioning "Accordingly, some police personnel reached their residence in the afternoon and took her father along for a questioning by the central agency," he added. Sushant Death Case: Rhea Chakraborty claims 'threat to life', seeks police protection| Oneindia News However, he did not specify whether her father was taken to the ED office in south Mumbai or some other location. Earlier in the day, Rhea said in a social media post that there was a threat to her and her family's life and requested the Mumbai police for protection. She took to Instagram and shared a video where her father was seen being hounded by the media outside her building compound. It appears that Rhea Chakraborty gave banned drugs to Sushant to 'control his mind': Family lawyer The ED is probing a money laundering angle into the death of Rajput and has questioned Rhea twice earlier. It has obtained "deleted WhatsApp messages" after forensic examination of her phone. Rajput was found hanging at his flat in Bandra on June 14. His father had lodged a complaint against Rhea Chakraborty and other, accusing them of abetting his son's suicide and misappropriating his money. The Supreme Court had last week upheld the transfer of probe into the FIR, lodged by Rajput's father in Patna, to the CBI. Earlier in the day, Rhea's brother Showik Chakraborty arrived at the DRDO guest here for questioning by the CBI, a police official said. China has accused Australia of 'putting bacteria' in the relationship between the two nations after Scott Morrison tabled a plan to scrap Victoria's controversial Belt and Road agreement with Beijing. Premier Daniel Andrews signed the Chinese Communist Party initiative in 2018 after secret negotiations to drive jobs growth and boost Sino-Victorian investment. But senior members of the Australian federal government are highly skeptical of the authoritarian regime's push to finance and build a global trade and infrastructure network. The Belt and Road Initiative, since it was announced by President Xi Jinping in 2013, has been viewed from abroad as a Chinese propaganda campaign to snatch power and influence by piling developing nations with unsustainable levels of debt. Late last night, federal MP and former Australian Defence Minister Kevin Andrews accused Xi's totalitarian government of 'trampling on human dignity and on human rights in China'. Victoria's Belt and Road deal will also be examined. Pictured: Premier Daniel Andrews and Chinese ambassador Jingye Cheng The prime minister wants new laws to stop states and territories signing deals with foreign powers that go against Australia's national interest When asked in Beijing on Thursday about the Australian government's plan to tear up Victoria's deal, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Zhao Lijian sang the praises of the initiative and lashed out at Canberra. 'We hope Australia will view such cooperation objectively and reasonably, and stop putting bacteria into this relationship and do more to improve our mutual benefits,' The Australian reported. 'China's cooperation with the Victorian state under the BRI has enhanced the benefits for people on both sides of the deal.' Several federal politicians, fearing the expansion of Chinese power and influence, have urged the Victorian government to scrap its deal under China's Belt and Road Initiative - but it has refused. Under the proposed Foreign Relations Bill, the Foreign Minister will be able to terminate the deal and any private contracts that are part of it. Once the law is in place, governments and universities will have six months to reveal their foreign deals to the foreign minister, who will then decide which ones must be stopped. Daniel Andrews (pictured in China's Tiananmen Square) signed a deal with China under the country's controversial Belt and Road Initiative in October 2018 Sydney's partnership with the Chinese city of Guangzhou will also come under scrutiny. Pictured: Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore welcomes Guangzhou Vice Mayor Mr Wang Dong The law will cover dozens of deals with China and other nations including India and Israel in areas such as culture, education, health, science, tourism, infrastructure and even sister-city arrangements. It will also require states get approval from the federal government to start negotiating a foreign deal and seek approval again when the negotiations are done. Under current laws, states can make a deal and not even tell the foreign minister for three months. Daniel Andrews caused outrage by only telling the Morrison government about his Belt and Road agreement on the day it was signed. Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton described the Belt and Road Initiative as 'a propaganda initiative from China' that could lead to an 'enormous amount of foreign interference'. He said: 'Victoria needs to explain why it is the only state in the country that has entered into this agreement.' The Belt and Road Initiative is a Chinese plan to establish maritime trade routes and invest in infrastructure projects around the world, set up by President Xi Xinping (pictured) in 2013 The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (pictured) is an example of a project being financed by China under the country's Belt and Road Initiative In an August 13 video conference call to members of a Christian Church network, Kevin Andrews warned that Victoria was 'playing into China's propaganda.' 'If we don't stand up to it now, it's going to do a lot more damage to the people of China and to the rest of the world,' he said in the recording obtained by The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald on Thursday. 'We've seen aggression in the China Sea, both the South China Sea and the East China Sea. We've seen more oppression in China. We've seen this bellicose nationalism from President Xi Jinping. 'And we've seen people now being arrested in China, simply for proclaiming some sort of democratic rights and being told that they're being treasonous to China.' MP Kevin Andrews, who is now the chair of the human rights sub-committee of Australia's joint standing committee on foreign affairs, defence and trade, said Uighur people, Hong Kongers and anyone seeking religious freedoms are being 'trodden on' by Chinese authorities. But on Thursday, Premier Daniel Andrews hit back at the federal government and reiterated that the Belt and Road deal he had penned did not pose any national security threats. The Victorian leader said he was only told about the Prime Minister's plan last night and criticised him for not focusing on fighting coronavirus. 'Well, look, if the Prime Minister has time to be doing those things, that's fine for him,' he said. 'I don't. I'm exclusively focused on fighting this virus.' Mr Morrison countered by arguing: ''Australians rightly expect the federal government they elect to set foreign policy.' 'These changes and new laws will ensure that every arrangement done by any Australian government at any level now lines up with how we are working to protect and promote Australia's national interest.' This graphic shows how the existing laws work. Under current laws, the state can make a foreign deal and not even tell the foreign minister for three months This graphic shows how the new law will require states get approval from the federal government to start negotiating a foreign deal and seek approval again when the negotiations are done It comes amid increasing political and economic tensions between Australia and China. Beijing and Canberra have been at loggerheads after Australia led global calls for an independent inquiry into the origins of the coronavirus crisis. Soon afterwards, China slapped an 80 per cent tariff on Australian barley, suspended beef imports and told students and tourists not to travel Down Under in an apparent attempt to damage the Australian economy. On Tuesday Treasurer Josh Frydenberg blocked a $600million bid by Chinese company Mengniu Dairy to buy Aussie drinks company Lion, citing national security concerns. On Wednesday Wang Xining, deputy head of mission at the Chinese embassy in Canberra, said Chinese people felt deeply betrayed by Mr Morrison's call for independent scientists to enter China and investigate coronavirus. Daniel Andrews' deal with China In October 2018, the Victorian Labor government signed a memo of understanding with China under the country's Belt and Road Initiative. The BRI is a Chinese plan to establish maritime trade routes and invest in infrastructure projects around the world. More than 170 memos of understanding have been signed with 125 countries. Premier Andrews said he wanted to increase Chinese participation in Victorian building projects, manufacturing, and trade. Pictured: Chinese President Xi Jinping (left) and Premier Li Keqiang on May 22 In October 2019, Mr Andrews reached a 'framework agreement' with China that vowed to make a roadmap for cooperation on specific initiatives. So far the roadmap has not been published. Critics say the BRI is a tool to expand influence and power across the globe. Federal Liberal MP Andrew Hastie told Daily Mail Australia that Mr Andrews had 'gone off the reservation by conducting his own foreign policy with China'. As trade tensions with China mount, Mr Andrews has been urged to scrap the agreement, which he claims creates jobs for Victorians. Michael Schoebridge of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, said: 'The Victorian government's BRI activities are simply out of step with the new international and economic environment, including the now openly coercive directions that Beijing is taking with Canberra over trade and in government relations.' Victorian Labor senator Kimberley Kitching, chair of the Senate Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade References Committee, said: 'The Victorian government should not have entered into an agreement with the Chinese government on the Belt and Road Initiative - it is bad policy and bad optics.' Advertisement 'All of a sudden, there was this shocking proposal from Australia, supposed to be a good friend of China,' he said. 'It is approximately identical to Julius Caesar on his final day when he saw Brutus approaching him and said et tu, Brute?' Minister Wang admitted the virus was 'first identified' in China but said 'we should leave the work to scientists' to find out where patient zero came from. The Communist Party official's comments are at odds with the global scientific consensus that the deadly virus first originated at the Wuhan Seafood Market. The Australia's Foreign Relations (State and Territory Arrangements) Bill 2020 will be put before federal parliament next week in the hope it will be signed off this year. Minister Wang Xining (pictured) poses for a photo at the National Press Club in Canberra How things have changed in the past one year! The same time last year, the media was rife with discussions on recommendations by the Bimal Jalan committee. The committee was formed amidst enormous drama in the economy. The year 2019 saw several friction points between the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the government leading to resignation of the RBI Governor. One point of friction was the government wanting a larger share of the RBI surpluses and reserves. The new RBI Governor immediately set up a committee under former RBI Governor Bimal Jalan to review the contentious matter. The committee took almost eight months to submit its report amidst several disagreements between committee members. As per the committee, the RBI transferred Rs 1759 billion in 2019, of which Rs 1230 billion was on account of dividends, and Rs 530 billion via the suggestions of the committee. There was huge criticism that the government is increasingly relying on the RBI to manage its fiscal position. Fast forward to 2020, and we have an opposite situation. Given how the pandemic has created a hole in the fisc, there were talks of the RBI once again giving a large dividend transfer to the government. Such a transfer might even have been acceptable as one has seen even the most fiscally conservative economists agree to the RBI monetisation of government deficits. The transfer of dividends would be like hitting two birds with a stone: eases government fisc and eases the pressure to monetise deficits. However, nothing of this sort has happened. The RBI transferred Rs 571 billion to the government and instead chose to transfer extra profits of Rs 736 billion to its contingency fund. One recommendation of the Jalan committee was to maintain the contingency fund at 5.5-6.5 percent of the RBI balance sheet. As per the committee, the contingency fund is for the countrys savings for a rainy day (a financial stability crisis) which has been consciously maintained with RBI in view of its role as Lender of Last Resort (LoLR). In 2019, the RBI agreed to keep the contingency fund at 5.5 percent and transfer the excessive to the government. The RBI balance sheet expanded by 30 percent from Rs 41,029 billion in 2018-19 to Rs 53,347 billion in 2019-20. Thus, in order to keep the contingency fund at 5.5 percent, the amount under the fund had to be increased. This led the RBI to transfer Rs 736 billion to the contingency fund increasing the fund from Rs 1,963 billion in 2018-19 to Rs 2,600 billion. The Jalan committee ended up doing the opposite of what it was initially speculated to do. The earlier speculations were that the committee will make it easier for the government to get a constant source of funds from the RBI. However, what it has done is the opposite. Now there is a rule which ensures that once the RBI balance sheet expands, the contingency fund will expand as well to protect the balance-sheet. This is like the countercyclical buffer which implies that when the balance sheet is expanding one is also adding to the risk buffers so that these funds can be used if there is a financial stability crisis in the future. Before the committee, the RBI was not really rule bound in transferring income towards reserves. For instance, in 2011-13, it transferred large amounts towards the contingency fund and asset development fund. In 2013-16, during the tenure of Raghuram Rajan, the entire profits were transferred to the government. In his last speech as RBI Governor in September 2016, Rajan explained the rationale for this complete transfer. He said that the RBIs then equity position of around Rs 1000 billion was enough and the RBI therefore has paid out the entire surplus generated to the government" amounting to Rs 660 billion each year "without holding anything back. He added that that in his three years at the RBI, the central bank paid almost as much dividend to the government as in the entire previous decade. However, in the next two years, once again the RBI transferred funds towards the contingency fund. The Jalan committee has framed a rule for such transfers which is welcome. The pandemic has pushed central banks worldwide to a corner and the case of the RBI is no different. Even before the pandemic, the RBI faced a lot of flak for losing its autonomy and bowing to the government. The recent dividend transfer decision shows things are not all that bad. It also shows the importance of having the rules which do away with discretion and uncertainty. EDWARDSVILLE Circuit Judge Richard Tognarelli has denied a motion by an alleged abuser to dismiss 70 counts of violating orders of protection. Michael J. Consiglio, 30, of Granite City, was in the Madison County Jail when he was served with an order of protection after allegedly beating his girlfriend in her Glen Carbon home. A court document claims the victim was found in a pool of blood while her four children were screaming that their mother had been beaten. Consiglios lawyer, Brian Polinske, argued at a hearaing last week that his client was not properly served with the order. But Assistant Madison County States Attorney Kerri Davis played for the judge a recording of one of the 70 phone calls Consiglio allegedly made from the jail. They just gave me an order of protection, so I guess I cant call (the victim) anymore, the judge heard on the recording. Madison County Deputy Lt. Tim Hernandez testified that he gave the order to Consiglio while he was locked in a holding cell at the Madison County Jail. Consiglio is being held without bail; he made the alleged calls from his jail cell. The order was signed in April, but Consiglio was not served with notice of it until May 20 after he was arrested and held in the Madison County Jail without bail At a previous probable cause hearing, a deputy testified Consiglio is charged with aggravated domestic battery for allegedly choking a victim on April 7. He was also charged with a Feb. 28 domestic battery in New Orleans. Officer Jeremy Coppotelli testified Consiglio was also charged with aggravated domestic battery as a result of an April 27 incident in which police arrived at the Glen Carbon home to see four young children crying and screaming, stating their mother was beaten. Coppotelli said the victim suffered three fractures to bones in her face and a fracture to her finger. A sworn statement alleges the victim was barely conscious and breathing. Her face was covered in blood, and she was taken to a hospital for treatment. Coppotelli has testified previously that Consiglio used a Madison County Jail cell mates phone to call his former girlfriend and order her to stay home and not talk to anybody. The officer said Consiglio blamed the victim for his confinement. Assistant Madison County States Attorney Phil Voss said Consiglio has been blocked from calling the victim. He said the Illinois Supreme Court has ruled authorities cannot forbid prisoners from using the telephone. Consiglio has a record dating to 2007 when he was convicted of felony theft. He also has convicted for theft, attempted burglary, two counts of violation of probation. He served 30 months in prison for a 2009 theft charge and four years in prison for a 2011 burglary conviction. He also has two prior convictions for domestic battery and three counts of probation violation. He has two misdemeanor domestic battery convictions, a misdemeanor battery conviction and a conviction for driving under the influence. He is currently on probation for driving under the influence. She said everywhere she goes people are talking about health care and the economy, not party politics. I thought that for somebody who talks a lot about being bipartisan it was very much the Trump talking points and just another example of how he has traded parties for his own self interest, Kennedy said. Its very similar to the rally we saw (in Wildwood) ... yet we havent seen any payoff for the people of South Jersey. State Sen. Michael Testa Jr., R-Cape May, Cumberland, Atlantic, said he appreciated Van Drews speech and said it showed his courage in leaving the Democratic Party. He realizes exactly who is in control of the party he left. The Bernie Sanders, Nancy Pelosis and Chuck Schumers of the world are a far cry from the party of JFK, Testa said. Former President John F. Kennedy is the uncle of Amy Kennedys husband. Van Drew said Democratic presidential nominee former Vice President Joe Biden will not be ready, willing or able to resist pressure from radicals. South Korea's parliament was shut down on Thursday and a group of lawmakers were in self-quarantine as the country recorded more than 400 new coronavirus infections. The country endured one of the worst early outbreaks of Covid-19 outside mainland China before bringing it broadly under control with extensive tracing and testing, but is now battling several clusters mostly linked to Protestant churches. Thursday's 441 new cases were mostly in the greater Seoul area and are the latest in a series of near-six-month highs after several weeks with numbers generally in the 30s and 40s. The National Assembly was closed after a photojournalist who covered a ruling party meeting on Wednesday was later tested and confirmed to have contracted Covid-19. The result prompted more than 10 top Democrats -- including the party chairman and its parliamentary leader -- to undergo tests of their own and go into self-isolation. Officials on Wednesday held late-night talks on how to handle the situation and ordered all parliamentary activities suspended from Thursday, with both the assembly and a building housing lawmakers' offices closed. Opposition parties also cancelled scheduled meetings. The parliamentary shutdown is the second over coronavirus concerns, after a February closure when an attendee at an event tested positive. Thursday was the 14th consecutive day of triple-digit increases in case numbers, bringing the country's total to 18,706. The largest current cluster is centred on the Sarang Jeil church in Seoul, headed by a controversial right-wing pastor who is a leading figure in protests against President Moon Jae-in. Pastor Jun Kwang-hun spoke at an anti-government rally held earlier this month in defiance of calls to avoid large gatherings, and has since tested positive. Authorities have filed police complaints against him, accusing him of deliberately hindering efforts to contain the epidemic. All religious services were banned earlier this month in the greater Seoul area to try to prevent the virus spreading and Moon met with more than 15 Protestant church leaders on Thursday, asking for their cooperation. Story continues "Worship or prayer may give you peace of mind, but it cannot protect you from the virus," he told them, according to his office. "All religious organisations have to accept that prevention measures are not a matter of faith, but a matter of science and medicine." But Kim Tae-young, who heads the United Christian Churches of Korea, one of the country's biggest Protestant groupings, said that for believers, religious freedom was a value "that cannot be surrendered even if it costs one's life". South Korea is the world's 12th largest economy and a capitalist democracy, but during its decades of military rule its widespread evangelical Christian churches framed North Korea and Pyongyang sympathisers as evil. Such churches still have enduring political influence in the South, and many are critical of Moon's left-leaning government. kjk-cdl/slb/leg Eight years ago, Gov. Chris Christie stood on the stage at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida, and delivered a keynote address he hoped would propel him into the top tier of prospective 2016 GOP presidential candidates. Four years ago, Christie used his primetime convention speech in Cleveland to deliver a scathing takedown of Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, interrupted by chants of Lock her up! But when Republicans gathered remotely for this years convention in support of President Donald Trump, Christie didnt join them. He had no speaking role, and even gave up the traditional job as chairman of the New Jersey delegation and let party chairman Doug Steinhardt cast the states 49 votes to renominate Trump on Monday. This time, Christie is discussing the convention as an analyst for ABC News, one of his first jobs after leaving the governorship. He declined to comment. As a panelist on ABCs convention coverage Tuesday, he discussed how the economy remained President Donald Trumps strong point, despite the current coronavirus-induced recession. The only category he has over Joe Biden is the economy, he said. One, its his background. They elected him for that reason in the main as a businessman who they thought could restore the economy to greater growth and they did. Now they think he can use those very same skills to bring the country back. Earlier, on ABCs Powerhouse Politics podcast, he said Trumps campaign had to have a different message in 2020 than it did in 2016. It has to be more optimistic and less dire, he said. It has to be one that talks about what they want to do and how they want to leave the country at the conclusion of their eight years in. While Christie hasnt ruled out another run for president in 2024, several other prospective candidates had the opportunity to energize the Republican faithful during the convention, albeit remotely this time due to the coronavirus. The list includes Vice President Mike Pence, who speaks Wednesday night; U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, who spoke Monday; Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who spoke Tuesday; and Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton, who speaks Thursday. One Christie ABC appearance during the Democratic National Convention sparked controversy and outrage on social media after he went after a former fellow governor and 2016 presidential rival, John Kasich of Ohio. He called Kasich as a backstabber and untruthful guy after the Ohio governor spoke at the Democratic convention in support of Joe Biden. U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, who called Christie out after that 2016 convention speech, said what was notable was not Christies absence but that of so many other prominent Republicans. You have pretty significant Republicans who went out of their way to say very publicly that they want no part of this convention, Booker said. This is stunning. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. By Kazeem Ugbodaga Nigerias former President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday briefed President Muhammadu Buhari on the Mali crisis at the State House, Abuja. The meeting came ahead of an extraordinary virtual summit by ECOWAS heads of state and leaders, scheduled for Friday. Jonathan led ECOWAS Special Envoy to Mali where a military coup had toppled the elected government of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita. He briefed the President on dialogue with the military coup leaders, who were seeking to stay in power for three years, before holding elections. They call themselves National Committee for the Salvation of the People. We asked them to allow ousted President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita to return to his personal residence, where he would be given tight security, but they said he could travel abroad, and not return to answer questions they may have for him, he said. Jonathan also said the team told them that what would be acceptable to ECOWAS was an Interim Government, headed by a civilian or retired military officer, to last for six or nine months, and maximum of 12 calendar months. He said the Interim Government would then organize elections to restore full constitutional order. The former president disclosed that his team was allowed to meet with the ousted President, who confirmed that he resigned voluntarily, adding that he was no longer interested in returning to his former position. He added that the military leaders wanted ECOWAS to lift sanctions put in place, as it was already affecting the country, but that the team told them that the authority to do such was only in the hands of ECOWAS heads of state. In his response, Buhari said the priority in Mali now should be securing the country, which is largely occupied by terrorists. According to Buhari, about two-thirds of Mali was occupied by terrorists, and that it made common sense to secure the country, rather than pursuing individual interests. He said the sub-region would take a common position on the issue when the leaders meet on Friday, hoping that an amicable and generally acceptable position to all interested parties would be arrived at. Related Advertisement The teenage Kenosha gunman accused of shooting dead two protesters on Tuesday night with an AR-15 sat front row at a Trump rally earlier this year and is an avid Blue Lives Matter activist who boasted about his role as a vigilante before the shootings. Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, was arrested on Wednesday at his home in Antioch, Illinois, some 20 miles from Kenosha, where riots over the shooting of Jacob Blake have been raging now for four nights. He is accused of killing two people at the protests on Tuesday night while trying to 'defend' the city. Disturbing videos from Tuesday night's protests show Rittenhouse walking through the streets with an AR-15 before the shootings and appearing to surrender to cops after them. He walked towards police vehicles with his hands in the air as other protesters yelled at the cops to arrest him, claiming he'd just shot two people. Shockingly, the teenager was not arrested until the following day. Now, he is in custody and has been charged as an adult. In January this year, Rittenhouse sat front row at a Trump rally in Des Moines, Iowa. Scroll down for video Police-obsessed gunman, Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, charged with murder of two BLM protesters during Kenosha riots sat front row at a Trump MAGA rally at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa in January this year Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, has been charged with first degree intentional homicide following the shooting death of two protesters in Kenosha on Tuesday. Social media photos show the teen had a strong admiration for law enforcement and guns The teenager's arrest came hours after video footage emerged showing Rittenhouse walking up to police with his hands in the air and his semi-automatic rifle slung across his body just moments after the shooting. He was apparently allowed to walk by despite members of the crowd yelling for him to be arrested Shortly before the attack, and armed with a rifle slung across his body, Rittenhouse told the reporter he was a certified EMT and explained he was patrolling the streets of Kenosha to provide medical attention to anyone who had been injured, as well as protecting businesses from looters The young Trump fan also once participated in a youth public safety cadet program. On Tuesday, shortly before Rittenhouse opened fire, he gave an interview to right-wing news outlet The Daily Caller. Armed with a rifle slung across his body, the teen told the reporter he was a certified EMT and explained he was patrolling the streets of Kenosha to provide medical attention to anyone in need and was helping protect local businesses from looters and rioters. 'People are getting injured. Our job is to protect this business and part of my job is to also help people,' Rittenhouse said of his militia. 'If there's somebody hurt, I'm running into harm's way,' added Rittenhouse, who was seen earlier guarding a local car shop with a group of armed militia members. 'That's why I have my rifle because I can protect myself, obviously. I also have my medkit.' He also claimed he had been 'de-escalating' a potentially violent situation earlier in the night, during which he and the rest of his vigilante crew ordered protesters to leave a church that they had targeted. Much of Rittenhouse's Facebook is devoted to praising law enforcement, with references to Blue Lives Matter - the movement that supports police. He also previously participated in a youth public safety cadet program (right), according to social media A TikTok account believed to belong to Rittenhouse shows he had attended a Trump rally in January this year. The account has since been suspended Facebook removes 'Kenosha Guard' militia group with 3,000 members asking 'patriots to take up arms and defend our city tonight from the evil thugs' Facebook on Wednesday launched an investigation into a group called 'Kenosha Guard,' containing 3,000 members, after it had promoted an event encouraging armed civilians to take to the streets to defend the city on Tuesday. The militia group had hosted an event titled, 'Armed Citizens to Protect our Lives and Property', according to screen grabs obtained by The Verge. 'Any patriots willing to take up arms and defend our city tonight from the evil thugs?' the group said in a post. 'No doubt they are currently planning on the next part of the city to burn tonight.' In a statement to the website, Facebook confirmed it had deleted the group for violating its policy, but said it had not found any evidence linking Rittenhouse to the group or event. 'At this time, we have not found evidence on Facebook that suggests the shooter followed the Kenosha Guard Page or that he was invited on the Event Page they organized,' the company said. 'However, the Kenosha Guard Page and their Event Page violated our new policy addressing militia organizations and have been removed on that basis.' A member of the group also told The Verge it was unaware if the shooter 'was answering the Kenosha Guard Militia's call to arms.' 'Just like with the shooting of Jacob Blake, we need all the facts and evidence to come out before we make a judgement. God Bless and stay safe Kenosha!' the statement said. Advertisement When asked if the outcome would have been different if police officers responded to the scene instead, Rittenhouse replied: 'I feel like there would be a lot more casualties and a lot more people injured.' 'So I think the police are fine where they're at and [should] let us run the medical, because EMS is not coming in', he continued. 'Us citizens, we need to help each other.' In a press conference addressing the shooting, Kenosha County Sheriff David Beth told reporters it was possible the gunman was part of an armed militia that had earlier asked the department if they could become part of the police force to help protect the city. In Wisconsin, it is legal for people 18 and over to openly carry a gun without a license but it is not legal for anyone under 18 to own a gun. Beth said: 'And I'm like, 'Oh, hell no.' What happened last night is the perfect reason why I wouldn't.' The sheriff called it a 'scary thought' that untrained members of the public might ever be given the same duties or privileges as police. 'Oh, hell no. What a scary, scary thought that would be in my world,' he said. But footage from the night shows police thanking a group of armed militia that Rittenhouse was a part of and giving them water. 'We appreciate you being here,' an officer was heard saying to the group over a loudspeaker. The sheriff later defended officers by saying, 'Our deputies would toss water to anybody.' Earlier in the evening, Rittenhouse invited the Daily Caller reporter to join him as he searched for people who needed medical assistance. He was confronted by protesters who said he'd been threatening them with his gun. As Rittenhouse approached the group to offer medical help, one man tells him: 'I remember you, you were telling us to get off the car [makes gun gesture] now you're talking about medical?' Rittenhouse, who appeared stunned by the confrontation, quickly walks away from the man, ignoring his comments and continued to search for people in need of care down the street. After the chaos on Tuesday night, a Facebook group called the Kenosha Guard popped up. It quickly amassed 3,000 members and issued a call to 'patriots'. 'Any patriots willing to take up arms and defend our city tonight from the evil thugs? 'No doubt they are currently planning on the next part of the city to burn tonight,' it said. The group was deleted by Facebook. Much of Rittenhouse's Facebook was devoted to praising law enforcement. In a photograph posted by his mother, Wendy Rittenhouse, he is wearing what appears to be a blue law enforcement uniform as well as the kind of brimmed hat that state troopers wear. Records show that in January 2017 his mom claimed a classmate of her son's had been calling him 'dumb' and 'stupid' and threatening him as she sought an order of protection from police. Kenosha Police Chief Dan Miskinis later appeared to blame protesters for being out past the dawn to dusk curfew. 'Everybody involved was out after the curfew. I'm not going to make a great deal of it, but the point is that the curfew is in place to protect,' he said. 'Had persons not been out in violation of that, perhaps the situation that unfolded would not have happened.' Rittenhouse, identified in court papers as a lifeguard at a YMCA in Lindenhurst, Illinois, was assigned a public defender in Illinois for a hearing on Friday upon his extradition to Wisconsin. Rittenhouse was among the volunteers spotted earlier on Tuesday cleaning graffiti from a high school near the Kenosha County Courthouse following another night of unrest in the city As for how the gunman managed to slip away, Sheriff David Beth (pictured) described a chaotic, high-stress scene, with lots of radio traffic and people screaming, chanting and running - conditions he said can cause 'tunnel vision' among law officers Cellphone videos from Tuesday night captured the horrifying violence. The footage emerged before Rittenhouse was identified or arrested. They showed the gunman running away in the moments after the gunshots rang out and he could be heard saying: 'I've just killed somebody'. Anthony Huber has been identified as one of the men who was shot dead during the protests on Tuesday night Onlookers were filmed desperately trying to put pressure on the injured man's head wound with a t-shirt as they yelled: 'We've got to keep him alive' and 'put pressure, put pressure.' It is not yet clear what happened in the lead up to the initial shooting but police fear it may have stemmed from a conflict at a gas station between 'self-styled militias' defending local businesses from looters. Separate videos that captured the other two shootings showed a group of protesters tailing the gunman as he ran down the middle of the street. Someone in the crowd can be heard asking 'What did he do?' and another responds that the man had shot someone. The videos show the gunman stumbling and falling in the street before one pursuer took a flying kick at him, while another appeared to strike him with a skateboard. The gunman fired three of four shots from a seated position, hitting at least two people, including one who fell over clutching his chest and another who stumbled away putting pressure on his arm, according to the videos. As the crowd scattered, the shooter stood up and continued walking down the street as police cars arrived. Kyle Rittenhouse was arrested on Wednesday afternoon in his hometown of Antioch, Illinois and charged with first degree intentional homicide over the shooting death of two protesters in Kenosha, Wisconsin last night. He will be extradited for a hearing on Friday in Wisconsin - where anyone 17 and over is treated as an adult Cellphone videos from the scene in Kenosha, Wisconsin on Tuesday night show a white man brandishing a semi-automatic rifle in a confrontation with demonstrators following a shooting just moments earlier where a man was shot in the head. Protesters chased the gunman down the street before one kicked him to the ground Another man could be seen hitting the gunman over the head with a skateboard before struggling with the gunman as gunshots rang out and people fled from the scene The gunman appeared to fire a shot at the man brandishing the skateboard while he was still lying on the ground. The man who initially kicked the gunman to the ground can be seen running (right) as the gunshots broke out The man with the skateboard stumbled away from the gunman clutching his chest (right) as another man appeared to put his hands up in front of the shooter The man who put his hands up can be seen above attempting to cover himself as the gunman fired off his rifle That same man was subsequently shot in the arm by the gunman (above). The man who was initially shot in the chest can be seen collapsed on the ground behind him The armed man got back to his feet while the man who was shot in the chest laid on the ground and bystanders screamed and ran in terror Cellphone video posted online shows that the ordeal unfolded after one man was shot in the head outside a nearby auto garage. The victim is pictured on the ground on the left while the gunman stands nearby. The videos showed the gunman running away (right) in the moments after the gunshots rang out and he could be heard saying: 'I've just killed somebody' The same man was seen walking the streets of Kenosha carrying his gun. This image is believed to have been taken earlier in the evening prior to the shootings. Police said they fear that the shooting stemmed from a conflict between 'self-styled militias' defending local businesses but they have not officially confirmed if the gunman was part of the militia group Several civilians were carrying weapons during the protests on Tuesday night and the gunman (far left and right) was believed to have been guarding a local car shop at some point prior to the shootings, according to videos posted online. At one point, police drove by and offered the group water Witness Sam Dirks, 22, from Milwaukee, said he had seen the suspected gunman earlier in the evening and he was yelling at some of the protesters. 'He was definitely very agitated. He was pacing around, just pointing his gun in general. Not necessarily at anyone specifically,' Dirks said. Another witness, Julio Rosas, 24, said that when the gunman stumbled and fell, 'two people jumped onto him and there was a struggle for control of his rifle. At that point during the struggle, he just began to fire multiple rounds and that dispersed people near him.' 'The rifle was being jerked around in all directions while it was being fired,' Rosas said. Another protester Devin Scott told the Chicago Tribune that he witnessed the initial shooting and helped provide aid to the victim shot in the head. 'We were all chanting 'Black lives matter' at the gas station and then we heard, boom, boom, and I told my friend, thats not fireworks,' the 19-year-old said. 'And then this guy with this huge gun runs by us in the middle of the street and people are yelling, 'He shot someone! He shot someone!' And everyone is trying to fight the guy, chasing him and then he started shooting again.' Scott said he rushed to help the injured man, saying: 'I was cradling him in my arms. I was trying to keep this kid alive and he wasn't moving or nothing. He was just laying there. 'I didn't know what to do and then this woman starts performing CPR. There was no pulse. I don't think he made it.' In the wake of the killings, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers authorized 500 members of the National Guard to support local law enforcement around Kenosha, doubling the number of troops sent in. The governor's office said he working other states to bring in additional National Guard troops and law officers. Cellphone video posted online shows that the ordeal unfolded after one man was shot in the head outside an auto garage. It is not yet clear what happened in the lead up to the initial shooting. Onlookers were filmed desperately trying to put pressure on the injured man's head wound with a t-shirt as they yelled: 'We've got to keep him alive' Footage from the scene showed this man after being shot in the arm. Police later said his injuries were not believed to be life threatening and that he was treated in hospital This man appeared to suffer a gunshot wound to the arm during the ordeal. Police say he was treated in hospital for his injuries The man shot in the chest is pictured above being dragged by two demonstrators before onlookers started giving him CPR Before the gunfire erupted, police in riot gear fired rubber bullets, tear gas and flash-bang rounds to push back demonstrators who defied a dawn-to-dusk curfew and gathered outside a courthouse and adjacent park. About 300 demonstrators defied the city's 8pm curfew again after Governor Tony Evers declared a state of emergency earlier following a night of violence and destruction that saw rioters set fire to businesses and vehicles across the city. The shooting of Blake comes three months after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis which sparked nationwide protests against police brutality and racism. The Kenosha County Sheriff's Department also deployed at least four armored patrol vehicles fitted with roof turrets from which deputies fired tear gas canisters into the crowd, many of whom hurled water bottles, bricks, firecrackers and other objects back at police. But there was no immediate sign of buildings or cars being set ablaze, as happened on Monday night. Demonstrators, some of whom were wearing helmets and equipped with makeshift protective gear, were seen trying to storm a black iron fence that had been installed earlier to protect the court from rioters. Meanwhile, officers dressed in riot gear stood guard behind the barrier, holding up shields as protesters shouted expletives and hurled bottles at them. Footage from the scene also showed people throwing fireworks in the direction of cops as they ignored their orders to disperse. In one video shared by a journalist on Twitter, one man was seen trying to set fire to an American flag before being deterred by pepperballs fired by police. A crowd of protesters continue their demonstrations in Wisconsin last night after the governor declared a state of emergency Armed civilians stand in the streets of Kenosha to protect the area against the arson during third day of protests over the shooting of a black man Jacob Blake by police officer in Wisconsin, United States this morning Police in riot gear clear a park during clashes with protesters outside the Kenosha County Courthouse late Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020, in Kenosha, Wis Protesters were seen hurling water bottles, bricks, firecrackers and other objects back at police as they fired rubber bullets and tears gas towards the crowds Law enforcement pleaded with people to leave the area through loud speakers on armored vehicles while delivering a constant barrage of less lethal munitions and tear gas against a hostile crowd which kept up a return fire of lasers, debris, rocks, bottles and explosive devices as the cops moved to push the crowd People, including members of the press, were seen running away as police fired tear gas towards the crowds Chaos rocks Kenosha for a third night: Protests defied curfew and gathered outside the county courthouse on Tuesday night, clashing with police Demonstrators were seen trying to topple over a black fence that was installed around the court earlier as officials braced for another night of destruction Protesters gathered outside wearing helmets and masks, and some held makeshift shields as they prepared to face off with police A man stood in front of law enforcement officers as they braced for a clash against protesters A woman was seen shouting and flipping off police during the protest outside the courthouse on Tuesday Kenosha County sheriffs deputies warned crowds over loud speaker that they were participating in an unlawful gathering while urging them to leave the area. The crowd responded by chanting 'black lives matter', prompting police to fire rubber bullets. Several military-style armored patrol vehicles were also called in and were seen maneuvering around the county courthouse, firing tear gas at the crowd. About three hours after declaring the protest an unlawful assembly, authorities had managed to push Tuesday night's crowd out of the downtown park, with demonstrators scattering down streets. The disturbances came hours after Governor Evers vowed to deploy additional National Guard troops in a bid to restore order in the town, while Blake's mother publicly appealed for calm during a press conference held outside the court. On Tuesday, President Trump, who has consistently denounced the BLM protests that have rocked the country in recent months, urged Wisconsin officials to call in the National Guard to quell the unrest, despite troops already being on the ground. 'Governor should call in the National Guard in Wisconsin. It is ready, willing, and more than able. End problem FAST!' Trump tweeted. White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows later revealed Governor Evers had turned down Trump's offer for federal assistance, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported. A spokeswoman for Evers told the paper: 'The governor informed them that we would be increasing Wisconsin National Guard support in Kenosha and therefore would not need federal assistance in response to protests but would welcome additional federal support and resources for our state's response to COVID-19.' A protester is seen tossing an object toward police as cops deployed tear gas and other crowd control munitions Protesters took cover behind a trash bin as police fired tear gas and armored vehicles moved to the outside of the iron fence in front of the court People were seen using umbrellas and plastic shields to protect themselves from tear gas and rubber bullets A protester shielded himself with an umbrella and took cover behind a dumpster during clashes outside the Kenosha County Courthouse Members of the crowd came armed with makeshift protective gear ahead of Tuesday's night skirmish A law enforcement officer was seen emerging from the hatch of an armored vehicle to fire rubber bullets at protesters after they ignored orders to clear the area Flares are seen near a Kenosha County Sheriff vehicle during the protests on Tuesday night An explosive device detonates as a protester pushes back on an armored vehicle clearing the nearby park where crowds had gathered Blake, 29, a father of six, was struck from behind at point-blank range in a hail of bullets fired on Sunday by police who were following him with guns drawn as he walked away from officers to his car and opened a door to the vehicle. Three of his young sons inside the automobile - aged three, five and eight - witnessed their father being gunned down, according to civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who represents the Blake family. A bystander captured the encounter in video footage that immediately went viral, unleashing outrage over the latest in a long series of instances in which police have been accused of using indiscriminate lethal force against African Americans. Blake, who had been attempting to break up a quarrel between two women, was struck by multiple gunshots fired at him, all by one officer. Crump also revealed Blake was undergoing surgery for his injuries, adding that the bullets severed his spinal cord and shattered his vertebrae. Another attorney said there was also severe damage to organs. 'It's going to take a miracle for Jacob Blake Jr to ever walk again,' Crump said. An armored vehicle moves to the outside of the iron fence in front of the County Court House as police fired teargas towards protesters after they failed to clear the area About three hours after declaring the protest an unlawful assembly, authorities had managed to push Tuesday night's crowd out of the downtown park, with demonstrators scattering down streets Kenosha County sheriff deputies eventually moved to the streets to clear a park of protesters after they ignored police orders to disperse Protests over the shooting of Jacob Blake on Sunday began started off peacefully before descending into chaos as protesters defied curfew and targeted police Protesters burn a small American flag during a third night of unrest in the wake of the shooting of Jacob Blake by police officers, in Kenosha The legal team plans to file a civil lawsuit against the police department over the shooting. Police have not explained why Blake was shot. At a news conference earlier in the day, Blake's parents expressed anguish over the shooting while decrying two previous nights of looting, vandalism and arson that overshadowed peaceful street protests. 'They shot my son seven times, seven times, like he didn't matter,' Jacobv Blake Sr said tearfully as he spoke to reporters alongside other family members and lawyers. 'But my son matters. He's a human being and he matters.' Blake's mother, Julia Jackson, said the damage in Kenosha does not reflect what her family wants and that, if her son could see it, he would be 'very unpleased.' His uncle, Justin Blake, told TMZ the family are already looking into therapy for Jacob's children after they witnessed his shooting. A GoFundMe for Blake and his family has already raised more than $1.7 million. After a night during which protests devolved into unrest, Gov. Evers had called for calm Tuesday saying: 'We cannot allow the cycle of systemic racism and injustice to continue.' 'We also cannot continue going down this path of damage and destruction.' The night before crowds destroyed dozens of buildings and set more than 30 fires in the southeastern Wisconsin city's downtown. On Monday, heavily armed residents were also seen standing guard outside buildings and local shops in case they were targeted by rioters. In footage shared online, a group of men were seen carrying rifles and wearing combat gear as they protect local shops. They denied they are part of a militia. Blake, who is a father of six, is now in a stable condition in hospital after undergoing surgery Jacob Blake was shot in the back by Wisconsin police on Sunday as his three young sons watched on. He is now paralyzed from the waist down after his body was riddled with bullets, his father says. Blake is pictured above being treated just moments after the shooting CANBERRA, Australia: Australias prime minister said Friday he was open to allowing an Australian who slaughtered 51 worshipers at two New Zealand mosques to serve his life sentence in his homeland, but the victims wishes were paramount in any decision. Brenton Harrison Tarrant, 29, was sentenced Thursday to life in prison without parole after pleading guilty to the Christchurch massacre in March last year. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said while no official request had been made by New Zealand authorities for Australia to take Tarrant back, the Australian government was open to such a proposal. Im pleased that that terrorist will never be released anywhere ever again, Morrison said. Well have an open discussion and look at the issues around this. Most of all, were concerned about what the views of the families would be for those affected, and we want to do the right thing by them, he added. New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters is among the most vocal proponents for Australia taking responsibility for imprisoning Tarrant and taking the cost off New Zealanders. Tarrant is the first person to be denied a possibility of parole in New Zealand, and he has to be kept under enhanced security for his own safety. Peters said lawmakers could only consider making a request to Australia since Tarrant was sentenced. Given this unprecedented circumstance and all the regard to the cost of looking after the victims in our country who survived and their families and also the 50 million New Zealand dollar plus ($33 million) downstream in real terms of providing safety for this terrorist, then the sound, reasonable, logical thing to do would be to ask Australia to step up, Winston told Nine Network television. Winston said sending Tarrant back could require the parliaments of both countries to pass special laws because the near-neighbors do not have a legal framework for prisoner transfers. Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton said he would take legal advice on whether Tarrant might become eligible for parole if he entered Australias prison system. Wed have to look at what happened in terms of parole or the way in which our legal system would work here, Dutton said. First priority is to keep him in jail for the rest of his life, and well work very closely with New Zealand on any request that they provide, Dutton added. New Zealand has criticized Dutton for deporting increasing numbers of New Zealander criminals once they have been released from Australian prisons, accusing the minister of exporting Australias problems. Some criminals have lived in Australia since childhood and have no family or social networks in their homeland. The New Zealand government argues that Australia should take responsible for them turning to crime. 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 13 Vietnamese are caught trying to sneak into Laos and then to Thailand for jobs from Quang Tri Province in central Vietnam, August 23, 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Quang Ha. Border guards in central Vietnam are investigating 13 people who paid a smuggling ring to help them enter Laos, and later Thailand, to find jobs. On the night of August 23, guards at Lao Bao international border gate in Quang Tri Province detected a group of 13 Vietnamese trying to cross the border into Laos. The residents of central Thanh Hoa and Ha Tinh provinces said they had paid VND17 million ($735) each to be smuggled into Laos, Quang Tri Border Guard announced Wednesday. In the afternoon of August 23, they were taken by bus from their hometown to Lao Bao where they registered at a motel. Promised jobs in Thailand, the group was supported by an unnamed individual, said to have since fled. From April 1, Laos had shut its entire border shared with Vietnam to curb the Covid-19 spread. Quang Tri Border Guard has set up 84 stations since February and deployed over 400 personnel to prevent illegal entry along the 179 km shared boundary with Laos. Thousands of kids across the Philadelphia region are soon returning to school from a seat inside their home. If your kid is one of them, its time to start thinking about creating a functional, comfortable workspace. Enjoying breakfast from bed is one thing, but math class in bed? Avoid it if you can. Throughout school, learning how to learn is perhaps the most important thing, and that involves organizational skills, keeping schedules and routines, learning responsibilities and how to think ahead, says Todd Levy, an occupational therapist at the Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia. Those are particularly challenging virtually, but its possible, and a good setup will help. Every kid is different. And these are new waters were all navigating. In trying to create the right learning space, adjustments are inevitable. But you have to start somewhere. Weve asked experts for advice on how to set up a desk where your kid will actually learn. READ MORE: Our kids calendar has ways to keep your kids busy while you try to work Designate a specific workspace It doesnt matter if its an entire spare bedroom or a folding table in the corner of your living room. But it should be consistent, to build routine. A set school space will help transition kids from a lounging-in-my-pjs-eating-breakfast mind-set into a learning mind-set. If youre using a shared space, like the dining room table, try outlining a section with painters tape. The priority should be to have a dedicated space, but if that has to change because of the routine going on in the household, thats OK as long as [the new location] still looks like a learning space, and everyone knows thats the learning space, says Levy. Just dont expect your kid to stay glued to their chair. Regular movement is important. Some kids may need to take short breaks as frequently as every 20 minutes, says Levy. Others might benefit from switching to a different room periodically. But encourage learning location changes to be brief, especially if it means moving to the couch or floor. Kids are developing their posture and can get into posture habits very quickly, says Levy. If they feel like they need 10 minutes here or 20 minutes there to change their position, thats very reasonable, but not for long periods of time. Make sure the desk is the right size No desk? No problem. All sorts of flat surfaces can serve as your childs workspace as long as they can sit in a healthy, upright position. Their knees and hips should form 90-degree angles, with their laptop or device at eye level. Feet should always touch the floor. If our feet are hanging, its not good for circulation, and if theyre able to swing their legs, it can be distracting, says Levy. If needed, put a game box or something solid beneath them. Fidgety kid? Try an exercise ball. If your kid is having trouble sitting still, first, make sure their chair is comfortable. Still fidgety? Try replacing their seat with an exercise ball. Some children may need more movement to keep them focused, says Levy. Give your kid a locker' Designate a container to store school supplies at the end of the day, especially if the workspace needs to serve double duty, like the dining room table. It will also help keep your kid be organized: No one wants to see their child running around in search of a marker in the middle of a virtual Zoom class. It can be any sort of container, from a shoebox to a plastic bin, says Janet Bernstein, certified professional organizer and owner of the Organizing Professionals. My colleague went to the store and let her kids pick out their own backpacks, and at the end of the day they put everything back into the backpack. Its a great option, especially for getting younger kids to cooperate. Pay attention to lighting Proper lighting helps prevent eye strain and headaches. Make sure the workspace is bright enough for reading, and pay attention to where the windows are: Windows directly behind or in front of a computer screen can create distracting glares. Get rid of clutter (even if you have to fake it) By nature, we are visually distracted beings, says Levy. The fewer distractions, the easier it will be for your kid to be productive. So declutter, but dont let it overwhelm you. Invest just a little bit of time each day it can be a half hour to declutter, and get the kids involved, says Bernstein, who recommends putting on a timer, and starting at one end of the room. When 30 minutes are up, take note of where you stopped, and pick back up the next day. Dont have the time? Or the mental energy? We hear you. Throwing a sheet over cluttered areas may be better than nothing, says Levy. Minimize distractions Minimize the distractions you have control over. Turn off the TV. Put away all tempting snacks. And put away those smartphones. Have time scheduled and a separate space where students can stay connected with their friends to keep those social connections, says Levy. But its really important to keep devices that arent related to school away from the workspace. Multiple kids working within the same room is an added challenge. Noise-canceling headphones can be a good investment if you can afford them, but even a simple screen divider can help. This can simply mean hanging a sheet from the ceiling to separate the room into two. Setting up a tri-fold board or a sheet behind the desk can also help to eliminate distractions for others who are watching the kid through Zoom, so theyre just seeing a blank background, says Sierra Filucci, mother of two and editorial director at Common Sense Media, an education and family advocacy organization that recently launched Wide Open School, a platform full of distanced learning resources for parents. Designate a quiet zone' Map out a schedule on a whiteboard or large sheet of paper to let each family member know when others cant be interrupted. But of course, dont expect younger kids to always follow the rules. You can also have a sign that you put on a door or table that signals Im busy right now, says Filucci. Ideally, you want to sit down to get everyone on the same page and brainstorm What are some ways that we can make it easier for each other to work and learn? Let your kid make the space their own Letting your kid have a say in the setup will help get them excited about showing up. Encourage them to decorate with a favorite poster or their own artwork. If you have the resources, allow them to pick out a few new items, like a colorful pencil case or journal. Even though schools not starting in the same way, theres something exciting about back-to-school shopping, says Filucci. But it doesnt have to cost money it can just be decorating a piece of paper with their name to hang over the desk. Even if a permanent workspace isnt an option, you can personalize electronic devices, with a cute case or a sticker with their name. As parents, we have to pull out all the stops to get our kids motivated for this different kind of learning, says Filucci. By all means, go to town and make it a really special physical space for them. Give yourself a break This isnt easy. Not everyday will go smoothly. Its really tough thats part of the advice, says Filucci. There will be distractions, and as a parent, you have to give yourself a little leeway, to understand that were all just doing our best. Two weeks of political conventions with the two major U.S. political parties nominating their presidential candidates come to a close Thursday with President Donald Trump giving his acceptance speech to the Republican National Convention. Trump is set deliver his speech from the South Lawn of the White House, with a fireworks display on the National Mall to follow. Thursdays schedule of convention speakers also includes Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senator Tom Cotton, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, and one of Trumps daughters, Ivanka. With more racial unrest roiling the United States, Vice President Mike Pence on Wednesday night told voters that "you won't be safe in Joe Biden's America," attacking the Democratic presidential candidate as a willing partner of those who want to curb police funding. "Joe Biden says America is systemically racist," Pence said on the third night of the Republican National Convention. "And that law enforcement in America has a quote, 'implicit bias,' against minorities. And when asked whether he'd support cutting funding to law enforcement, he replied, 'Yes, absolutely.'" "The hard truth is... you won't be safe in Joe Biden's America," Pence said in an address at Baltimore's Fort McHenry, where U.S. troops repelled a British attack in 1814 in the country's early years. That battle inspired the writing of the U.S. national anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner." President Donald Trump and many of his supporters have charged that Biden supports Black Lives Matter and other liberal activists' call for "defunding" local police departments, an assertion Biden has strenuously denied. But Pence was right in saying Biden and his running mate, California Senator Kamala Harris, are open to trimming police spending and using the savings for other community agencies to help curb crime. "I don't want to defund police," Biden said earlier this month. "I want to get police more money in order to deal with the things they badly need, from making sure they have access to community policing, that they have also in the departments social workers, psychologists, people who in fact can handle those god-awful problems that a cop has to have four degrees to handle." Bidens Deputy Campaign Manager Kate Bedingfield said in a statement Wednesday that Pence in his speech gave only debunked scare tactics and gaslighting in an attempt to further divide us. She said Pence made little mention of the virus killing thousands of Americans each week, and of the major hurricane making landfall along the U.S. Gulf Coast. Nomination Pence formally accepted renomination to serve a second term as Trump's second in command if they win reelection November 3. With his wife, Karen, and about 130 people listening, Pence vowed that he and Trump "will stand with those who stand on the Thin Blue Line, and we're not going to defund the police not now, not ever." The crowd, many of them older military veterans, were seated in close proximity to each other and were not wearing face masks as health experts have recommended to curb the spread of the coronavirus. In the midst of the convention, racial turmoil has erupted in the 100,000-resident Midwestern city of Kenosha, Wisconsin, where the police shooting Sunday of a Black man, Jacob Blake, touched off street protests against police while some buildings were set afire. A 17-year-old youth from the neighboring state of Illinois was arrested in the killing of two protesters and the shooting of a third. Trump and Pence, along with numerous convention speakers, have portrayed their administration as a staunch supporter of law enforcement, standing against violent protests that have erupted against racial injustice and police abuse of minorities since the May 25 death of a Black man, George Floyd, while in police custody in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Pence declared: "The violence must stop, whether in Minneapolis, Portland or Kenosha," and that the Trump administration would guarantee "law and order" for every citizen. In his remarks, he said "President Trump and I know the men and women that put on the uniform of law enforcement are the best of us. They put their lives on the line every day." "The American people know we don't have to choose between supporting law enforcement and standing with African American neighbors to improve the quality of life in our cities and towns. From the first days of this administration, we have done both. And we will keep doing both for four more years in the White House," he said. President, first lady make appearance Afterward, Trump and first lady Melania Trump walked to the stage at Fort McHenry to greet Pence and his wife as they all listened to country crooner Trace Adkins sing the national anthem. In another convention speech, Kellyanne Conway, one of Trump's top advisers who is set to leave the White House in days to devote more time to her family with four children, characterized Trump as someone "who picks the toughest fights and will stand up for you." Wednesday's roster of speakers also included Senators Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee and Joni Ernst of Iowa, as well as Richard Grenell, the former acting director of national intelligence. Polls show Biden leading Trump by an average of 7.6 percentage points, according to an aggregation of polls by the Real Clear Politics website. However, Biden's edge is a bit thinner in several key battleground states that could once again prove decisive in the election. Only two U.S. presidents have lost reelection contests after a single term in office in the past four decades, Jimmy Carter in 1980 and George H.W. Bush in 1992. author: Steven Lerner Anti-fraud platform Secure-D revealed that thousands of low-cost mobile devices sold in Africa from Chinese manufacturer Transsion (SHA: 688036) had pre-installed malware, according to an investigation by BuzzFeed News. Despite the negative press, Transsion's stock price has continued to perform well on the STAR Market of the Shanghai Stock Exchange. On Wednesday, its stock closed 5.41% higher. The investigation concluded that Transsion's Tecno W2 phone was infected with malware that drained data and unknowingly signed users up for subscriptions that stole money. xHelper and Triada, the viruses that were found on the devices, have been known to cybersecurity experts for several years now. A fix for the trojan viruses was championed by Transsion in 2018, which involved users downloading an update to their phones. Problem solved, right? Nope. The recent investigation found out that the problem still persists. New devices from the company still have the malware pre-installed. Secure-D blocked more than 800,000 transactions stemming from the malware on Transsion's devices in 2019. The devices in question were sold in South Africa, Ethiopia, Cameroon, Egypt, Ghana, Indonesia, and Myanmar. Secure-D said that Transsion accounts for 4% of its users in Africa, and contributes to nearly one in five of the suspicious clicks. Transsion blamed an anonymous "vendor in the supply chain process." "We have always attached great importance to consumers' data security and product safety," a Transsion spokesperson told BuzzFeed News. The company did not reveal the total number of its devices that were malicious. Shenzhen-based Transsion is the fourth-largest phone maker in the world. The company launched its first device in 2014. It specializes in entry-level devices aimed at new mobile users in low-income markets. Along with Tecno, Transsion's other mobile brands include Itel and Infinix. It is currently the largest manufacturer of phones in Africa and among the fastest growing mobile brands in India. While Transsion is far from the only phone maker in China found to have pre-installed viruses, it does serve as another example of a Chinese tech company surrounded by a controversy related to data concerns. Will news like this will further damage the reputation of bigger, market moving Chinese tech companies? 3 1 of 3 Oakland Police Department Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Oakland Police Department Show More Show Less 3 of 3 A large and mostly peaceful protest in Oakland against the police shooting of a Black man in Kenosha, Wisc., reportedly turned chaotic when some in attendance began vandalizing property and heckling police officers. The demonstrations drew between 600-700 people, the Associated Press reported. Some "agitators" among them, however, set fires, broke windows, and vandalized businesses, the Oakland Police Department said on Twitter. Police also said some within the crowd were chanting "burn it down" as they lit fireworks and set trash cans on fire. In response, BART closed its 19th Street station. Bazaar Corporate Radar | Feb 22, 2021, 12:00 AM IST Bazaar Corporate Radar Bazaar Corporate Radar is your window into the minds of top CEOs, Boardrooms, global economists, fund managers and sector analysts. If it?s making news, you?ll find it on Bazaar Corporate Radar. At the virtual meeting of opposition chief ministers convened by Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday, Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel said that everyone will have to fight collectively to protect the federal structure of the country. We have to fight a collective fight to maintain the federal structure of the country, he said as he lashed out at the Centre for diverting attention from economic issues. Baghel also protested against the sale of public sector undertakings (PSUs) in the country by the Centre. We must come forward to fight against the privatization. The Centre has been selling PSUs one by one right from Kerala to Jammu and Kashmir. During former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayees government at the Centre, state-run Balco in Korba district was sold. A steel plant (of NMDC) is under construction at Nagarnar in Bastar district. While the plant is yet to be ready for commissioning, it has been put on the privatization list, the CM said. Talking about the new education policy of the central government, Baghel said it is harmful for the states and also expressed his disagreement on the new environmental law for the establishment of industries. Baghel also criticised the Centre for not paying Chhattisgargh its share of GST. There was talk of giving GST compensation to the productive states by 2022. For the last four months, no state has been given a single paisa of compensation, while depending on the need, GST compensation should be given till 2027. Chhattisgarh should have got Rs 2,828 crore under GST compensation, which has not been received. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON BUENOS AIRES, Argentina - When Augusto Briceno hugged his mother in her bed in the COVID-19 intensive-care ward, he said he sensed the warmth of her body through his protective gloves, and felt full of peace. I closed my eyes and tried to forget the gloves were there, the 59-year-old pediatrican said. He stroked her hair and soon after, she died. Despite his grief, Briceno said he felt lucky. The Mater Dei sanatorium in Buenos Aires is one of the few but growing number of medical facilities in Latin America that allow relatives to be with patients dying of the novel coronavirus, clad in face covering, shield and protective clothing against infection. Visits to COVID patients are becoming normal in Europe and more common in the United States. Britain eased its rules on visiting COVID-19 patients in April after politicians and the public were horrified to hear that 13-year-old Ismail Mohamed Abdulwahab died alone in a London hospital after contracting the virus. In Germany at the start of the outbreak, hospitals across the country ended all patient visits as a precaution, but reinstated them in May with restrictions. At Berlins largest hospital, Charite, patients are allowed only one visitor per day, though those considered seriously ill have no such restrictions. But at the same time, visitors are restricted on a case-by-case basis for patients deemed to be still infectious. In Spain, most hospitals and nursing homes now allow such visits in a controlled environment. At Madrids 12 de Octubre Hospital, one of the biggest in the Spanish capital, relatives are given protective equipment and have to take turns in going into the patients room or intensive care unit. Such visits are still barred in Italy. In Latin America, hit relatively late by the novel coronavirus, family visits remain rare regionwide. Some hospitals in Chile and Brazil allow them. At least 11 hospitals in Argentina already allow them, and more are considering it, according to physicians consulted by The Associated Press Fernanda Mariottis mother was hospitalized in another facility in Buenos Aires, where doctors refused to let her daughter see her because the facilitys rules for COVID-19 patients did not allow it. Mariotti, 53 and also a pediatrician, said she was convinced her mothers death last month was due partly to the pain and fear of feeling separated from her family. Mariotti launched an online campaign pushing for hospitals to allow visits to critically ill coronavirus patients, and has seen many responses from around the region, many recounting traumatic tales of isolation from dying loved ones. She says aging or disabled patients in particular needed visits from at least one relative. Argentina has had roughly 370,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and more than 7,000 deaths. Cristian Garcia Roig, the head of pediatric intensive care at Mater Dei, said he believed that if medical staff could safely treated COVID patients, relatives could safely visit them using the same precautions. Starting in April, Mater Dei began to allow relatives 15-minute visits accompanied by medical personnel. Less seriously ill minors or patients with developmental or psychological problems are also allowed to be accompanied full-time by a relative who must complete a two-week quarantine after leaving the hospital. The Dr. Rodolfo Rossi General Hospital in the Argentine city of La Plata allows some dying patients with COVID to be visited by a relative as long as that person is not in a high-risk group and wears protective equipment, said Maria de los Angeles Mori, the hospitals head of palliative care. She said the ability to be with a dying loving one was more than worth the risk for many. Dying alone is not the same as being accompanied, she said. Saying goodbye and not saying goodbye are very different. ____ Contributing to this story were David Rising in Berlin, Danica Kirka in London, Aritz Parra in Madrid, Eva Vergara in Santiago, Chile, and Marcelo Silva de Sousa in Rio de Janeiro. Read more about: There were no groups patrolling Kenosha's streets with long guns Wednesday night as there had been during previous nights' protests. Protesters also stayed away from a courthouse that had been the site of standoffs with law enforcement. Unlike the previous two nights, when dozens of fires were set and businesses were ransacked and destroyed, there was no widespread unrest. Protesters marched past the intersection where two people were killed Tuesday night, stopping to gather around the spot where one person was shot, and to pray and lay flowers. Daijon Spann said he decided to join the demonstration because one of those killed the night before was a friend. "I couldn't take it any more," he said. "I couldn't just sit there and watch my friend die." The two men who were killed were Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, of Kenosha, and Anthony Huber, 26, of Silver Lake, about 15 miles west of the city. The wounded person, Gaige Grosskreutz, 26, of West Allis, about 30 miles northwest of Kenosha, was expected to survive, police said. Kyle Rittenhouse, of Antioch, Illinois, about 15 miles from Kenosha, was taken into custody Wednesday in Illinois on suspicion of first-degree intentional homicide in the shootings late Tuesday. Cengage, the largest U.S.-based education and technology company serving the college market, provides course materials to almost half of the 20 million students pursuing higher education in the U.S. "Ivy Tech faculty have always embraced innovative strategies such as online learning and eight-week courses. Our partnership with Cengage is another example of that innovation as it is providing enhanced faculty academic freedom in choice of course materials, while simultaneously reducing the financial burden and time burden for students to get course materials. This is yet another way that our faculty continue to meet students where they are and support their success in any way possible," said Kara Monroe, Senior Vice President and Provost at Ivy Tech. The cost of course materials is a top financial stress for students, according to a recent Morning Consult survey. Previously, Ivy Tech students spent on average more than $1400 annually on textbooks. Following the agreement with Cengage, Ivy Tech students whose courses use Cengage won't have to pay for textbooks this academic year. "Research suggests that more than a quarter of community college students don't purchase books, typically, because they have other more pressing financial needs as many are low income, working in low wage jobs, and shouldering family responsibilities. And those statistics were pre-COVID. We are pleased to partner with Cengage in offering free course materials across the college helping reduce the financial strain on tens of thousands of Ivy Tech students," said Sue Ellspermann President at Ivy Tech. Ivy Tech used funding allocated to the institution under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act to provide students with Cengage materials. The Cengage Unlimited content license model made it easy for Ivy Tech to acquire learning materials across courses, while also providing greater value for students. "Too many students around the country have struggled for too long with cost being a barrier to education. Covid-19 has only accelerated this struggle," said Michael E. Hansen, CEO, Cengage. "At the same time, higher education institutions are under greater pressure than ever before to lower the cost of college and adapt to new learning models while facing budget cuts and enrollment uncertainty. "Ivy Tech and Cengage are coming together in this pioneering partnership to give students access to a wide variety of high quality, affordable learning materials that are designed to be used whether teaching is in-person, online or in a hybrid model. We're impressed by Ivy Tech's vision and shared commitment to quality and affordability," continued Hansen. Students will be able to access their Cengage course materials through the university learning management system starting on the first day of class. Students who also want print materials can rent up to four free hardcopy textbooks, with a limited shipping cost for each. Ivy Tech's bookstore partner, Barnes & Noble Education, is facilitating the distribution of Cengage Unlimited. Cengage Unlimited gives students access to more than 22,000 products, including eTextbooks, online homework platforms, study guides, and college success and career support. Institutions deliver Cengage Unlimited at scale through a model called Cengage Unlimited for Institutions. Ivy Tech is one of more than 100 higher education institutions that have partnered with Cengage to provide course materials at scale through a content license model. The license model delivers value based on an institution's unique implementation and enrollment needs. In addition to affordable student access to eTextbooks and award-winning digital learning platforms, Cengage Unlimited for Institutions offers scalable academic services to help administrators make the transition to hybrid or online learning, as well as new professional development resources to help faculty teach online. More than 2.2 million U.S. college students have subscribed to Cengage Unlimited, and they've saved more than $200 million on course materials. For more information, visit: www.cengage.com/unlimited-institutional. About Ivy Tech Community College Ivy Tech Community College serves communities across Indiana, providing world-class education and driving economic transformation. It is the state's largest public postsecondary institution and the nation's largest singly accredited statewide community college system. It serves as the state's engine of workforce development, offering high-value degree programs and training that are aligned with the needs of its communities, along with courses and programs that transfer to other colleges and universities in Indiana. It is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association. About Cengage Cengage is the education and technology company built for learners. As the largest US-based provider of teaching and learning materials for higher ed, we offer valuable options at affordable price points. Our industry-leading initiatives include Cengage Unlimited, the first-of-its-kind all-access digital subscription service. We embrace innovation to create learning experiences that build confidence and momentum toward the future students want. Headquartered in Boston, Cengage also serves K-12, library and workforce training markets around the world. Visit us at www.cengage.com or find us on Facebook or Twitter. Media Contacts : Emily Featherston Cengage [email protected] Jeff Fanter Ivy Tech Community College [email protected] SOURCE Cengage Related Links https://www.cengage.com For a few minutes at the end of each month, when the night grows dark and Karl wraps the city in its cool embrace, Grace Cathedral's gothic exterior will be lit with images of resilience. Called "Projecting Grace," the installation will echo the European tradition of illuminating the after-dark facades of illustrious churches (think Westminster Abbey and the Rouen Cathedral of Notre Dame) but with a San Francisco twist: "Art at Grace Cathedral is very tied to social justice," says cultural programs director Rebecca Nestle. "Art is not only the best of what makes us human, but it's also a way for people to reflect on issues and to connect with themselves and with others. We're trying to help people find those transformative moments." At the start of the pandemic, the design lab Amplifier issued a global open call for public art to promote wellbeing and social change. "I was immediately drawn to this idea because for me, as an artist and graphic designer, the first thing I do in times of crisis is art," said Michelle Regenbogen, founder of the San Franciscobased design firm Macchiatto, who reached out to Grace Cathedral with her idea. With its commitment to social justice not to mention its stunning facade, the church is an ideal canvas for the project. In fact, Nestle says they'd been wanting to do a projection for some time. "When Michelle contacted us about the Amplifier project, we were really excited." This month's projection will be the third in a series that has already honored victims of police violence and racial intolerance, and explored themes of love and inclusion. In each installation, 12 to 15 images are displayed three at a time beginning around nightfall. Much of the artwork comes courtesy of Amplifier, including Shirien Damra's portraits of Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery, both of which graced Grace's first illumination. The team hopes to feature more Bay Area artists going forward17-year old Jett Fitch's "Wild Pride" was included in the July 26th projection. Jett Fitch's "Wild Pride" (center), during a recent installation of "Projecting Grace" at Grace Cathedral. (Courtesy of Grace Cathedral) "The piece ties together themes of BLM, LGBT pride, and environmentalism. I wanted to show how interconnected these movements are [and how] they support and build on each other," Fitch says. "Seeing my art piece projected onto Grace Cathedral's walls, accompanied by many other astounding artists, gave it a powerful sense of completion." Because the installations are fleeting, the team behind "Projecting Grace" is able to be nimble and timely with the themes and imagery they choose. "Some of the issues that we want to address with these art works are really current, like John Lewis passing, the murder of George Floyd, and the pandemic," says Nestle. "Everything is happening so fast," agrees Regenbogen. "We've been pushing as much as we can to show images of people of color and trans folks and inclusion. It feels very inclusive to me and very San Francisco." Grace Cathedral isn't promoting 'Projecting Grace" on its website and, while its ephemerality fosters a sense of community among those lucky enough to be present when the lights go up, there's a practical reason for that: Covid-19. "One day when it's safer to gather, we're excited about having an audience there and having a more extensive projection, making it more of a festival event with live performances," Nestle says. In the meantime, "Projecting Grace" will briefly light up Nob Hill around nightfall the last weekend of each month through at least the end of 2020. Upcoming themes for September and October are expected to revolve around inclusivity and voting. Find photos of the artwork and projections on Grace Cathedral's Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages. // 1100 California St (Nob Hill), gracecathedral.org The introduction of cigarette-like mentholated 'cigarillos' (mini cigars which are leaf-wrapped) to the UK is helping big tobacco companies to bypass strict public health measures intended to reduce smoking, say researchers. Writing in the BMJ's Tobacco Control in an article published Thursday 27 August 2020, the team from the University of Bath focus on the introduction and marketing of cigarillo products which mimic cigarette brands, are as dangerous to health, yet are not subject to the same public health measures or taxation. Whereas the UK has some of the strictest tobacco control legislation in the world for cigarettes and Roll-Your-Own (RYO) tobacco - including restrictions on minimum pack sizes, standardised packaging, and most recently a ban on menthol cigarettes - cigarillos can be sold in small pack sizes, with striking colourful pack designs, and still remain mentholated. The researchers identify that these products are clearly aimed at cigarette smokers. Earlier this year, in January 2020, one company Japan Tobacco International (JTI) launched 'Sterling Dual Capsule Leaf Wrapped', officially sold as cigarillos but closely resembling previous cigarette products from the same company and with the same brand. Other tobacco companies, Imperial and STG, have since launched similar products suggesting they are also keen to exploit these loopholes. In March 2020, packs of 10 of these cigarillos were being sold for 4.60, significantly less than half the price of a 20-stick packet of Sterling Dual Capsule cigarettes (purchased for 10.95 in a convenience store). The researchers behind the study say the low pack purchase price is enhancing its consumer appeal, especially for poorer smokers. Dr Rosemary Hiscock from the Tobacco Control Research Group at the University of Bath, who has been involved in a number of studies evaluating recent tobacco legislation, explains: "Although cigarillos have to carry large pictorial health warnings, they can still be sold in colourful branded packaging, in 10-stick packs, can feature price markings which keep prices low, and can include characterising flavours, like menthol. Cigarettes, by contrast, must be sold in standardised olive-coloured packets of at least 20 sticks featuring the brand name only in a standard font and without any price markings or flavours. Future legislation needs to extend existing rules for cigarettes to all other tobacco products and accessories." Tobacco tax expert and lead author on the study, Dr Rob Branston from the University of Bath's School of Management adds: "Currently the market for cigarillos in the UK is relatively small, but this could grow rapidly in view of industry efforts to market these products as a new cheaper alternative and this should worry us all given the health impact of a cigarillo is broadly the same as a cigarette. To address this the UK should consider a variety of measures, including urgent adjustments to the tax system so that cigarillos packs can't be sold so cheaply. "As an immediate first step we would like to see the Treasury extend a minimum excise tax to cigarillos, in order to appreciably raise the pack purchase price. If they are going to be sold as being cigarettes, they should be taxed like it too." The authors advocate that taxation offers the most immediate way forward; amending UK tobacco regulation is the ideal solution but will take significantly longer to change than taxation and would require public consultation. The recent announcement on the proposed abolition of Public Health England (PHE) likely further complicates any such pro ### cess, they add. The researchers suggest that tobacco duty can be changed relatively quickly and therefore offers the most immediate way to reduce the incentives behind such products until tobacco control legislation can be revised. This work was supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies Stopping Tobacco Organizations and Products project funding, and by the UK Prevention Research Partnership (MR/S037519/1), which is funded by the British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research UK, Chief Scientist Office of the Scottish Government Health and Social Care Directorates, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, Economic and Social Research Council, Health and Social Care Research and Development Division (Welsh Government), Medical Research Council, National Institute for Health Research, Natural Environment Research Council, Public Health Agency (Northern Ireland), The Health Foundation and Wellcome. The full study 'Cigarette-like cigarillo introduced to bypass taxation, standardised packaging, minimum pack sizes and menthol ban in the UK' is published on Thursday 27 August (0001) in Tobacco Control; doi:10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2020-055700. Addressing the delegates at the 16th Marketing Conclave organized by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), Chief Guest Shri Prakash Javadekar, Minister of Information & Broadcasting, Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises, Government of India today said that fake news is a deadly virus, and the way forward to tackle the menace is self-regulation by the digital platforms. Terming fake news as more dangerous than paid news, the minister said that the government has taken serious note of the menace of fake news and as a first step to counter disinformation, started PIB fact check units in all states and two to three fake news are identified every day. He stressed on the need to counter fake news and said: how to spot fake news is a new lesson we need to educate the masses on, he said. Seeking greater accountability from social media platforms, he said misinformation weakens the functioning of a democracy and there should be a calibrated approach to thwart the spread of lies and disinformation. With all villages in India set to be connected, thanks to Bharatnet, there is a greater need to educate the masses about detection of fake news. Speaking about the importance of digital medium, the minister said that digital advertising is the future. We must understand that with the speed it is growing and with number of smart phones users increasing, digital content and digital advertising has become very important because of its reach and speed. Acknowledging the importance of the medium, he said that even the government has started to leverage the medium and are advertising through the medium. The two-day virtual conference, the theme of which is Towards the tipping point is focused on rejuvenating consumer demand, creating new demand in semi-urban and rural areas among the 500 million-plus internet users; creating new opportunities for Indian owned brands by leveraging digital technologies and bring back the Indian digital media business to its post global pandemic levels by expanding its outreach. The lead speakers from media and platforms at the conference include Anant Goenka, executive director, The Indian Express; Harsh Mariwala, founder and chairman, Marico; Satyan Gajwani, vice-chairman, Times Internet; Girish Agarwal, director, Dainik Bhaskar Group; Mark Read, CEO, WPP; Nitin Paranjpe, chief operating officer, Unilever; among others. With more than 55 sessions, 110 speakers and 2,000 plus delegates, the conclave is one of the largest marketing conferences this year. How Biden, Trump Diverge in Their Approaches to China News Analysis The camps of Democrat presidential candidate Joe Biden and President Donald Trump see Chinathe worlds second-largest economythrough very different lenses. While both camps have presented a campaign agenda thats tough on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)past dealings and comments paint a more contrasting picture. Trumps reelection campaigns second-term agenda includes a specific section headlined End our reliance on China, which lists some key goals such as bringing back manufacturing jobs from China and holding the CCP accountable for its poor handling of the outbreak of the CCP virus, among others. The Biden campaign repeatedly mentioned tackling China under its Made in All of America plan, which includes goals such as bringing back supply chains and reducing dependence on China by taking aggressive trade enforcement actions. Americans view of China as a whole, particularly since the outbreak became a global pandemic, has largely worsened. A July Pew Research survey found 73 percent of U.S. adults viewed China unfavorablyan increase of 26 percent compared to 2018. There is a widespread sense that China mishandled the initial outbreak and subsequent spread of COVID-19, the authors wrote. Biden on China While on the campaign trail, Biden repeatedly downplayed the threat posed by China. At a campaign stop in Iowa last May, Biden said, China is going to eat our lunch? Come on, man. I mean, you know, theyre not bad folks, folks, he said. But guess what, theyre not competition for us. Biden, as a U.S. senator, supported Chinas 2001 entry into the World Trade Organization, giving it permanent normal trade relations with the United States. In a pitch to union members last May, Biden said, We have the most productive workers in the worldthree times as productive as workers in Asia. Biden also opposed the travel ban on China that Trump added in January in a bid to stop the spread of the virus, according to the Trump campaign. This is no time for Donald Trumps record of hysteria and xenophobia, hysterical xenophobia, and fear-mongering, he said in March before reversing his position on the ban. Bidens relationship with Xi Jinping goes deeper. They got to know each other when Biden was vice president. In 2015, Biden noted that he and Xi have had countless private discussions that go well beyond the typical talking points. I told the president [Xi] this after our multiple meetingsthat I came away impressed with the presidents candor, determination, and his capacity to handle what he inherited. At a 2011 roundtable in Beijing, Biden said, President Obama and I, we welcome, encourage, and see nothing but positive benefits flowing from direct investment in the United States from Chinese businesses and Chinese entities. U.S. intelligence officials recently concluded that Beijing wants Trump to lose. William Evanina, director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center said they assess that China prefers that President Trumpwhom Beijing sees as unpredictabledoes not win reelection. Trump on China Trump during the 2016 campaign promised to confront China over its unfair economic practices. During his first term, Trumps administration implemented an all-of-government national security approach to counter Chinas infiltration of the United States, a large-scale effort not seen from previous U.S. administrations. Trump has sanctioned Chinese officials on multiple occasions, including for supporting Chinas new authoritarian national security law and for human rights abuses against Uyghurs and other minorities. A number of Chinese-backed companies have also been blacklisted by the United States over Chinas human rights abuses. In January, Trump signed a phase one trade deal with China. But in July, he said the relationship had been severely damaged and that signs of a phase two deal were slim. Trump also said a complete decoupling from China remains an option. Under Trump, arrests of Chinese spies have gone up. No one had been charged with spying for China during the last four years of the Obama administration, while the Trump administration indicted four alleged spies in 2017 alone. FBI Director Christopher Wray recently revealed that the bureau currently has more than 2,000 active investigations that trace back to the CCP, marking a roughly 1,300 percent increase in economic espionage probes with links to the Chinese regime. He said the bureau opens a new counterintelligence investigation that ties back to China every 10 hours. Other notable actions to counter China include ending the United States special relationship with Hong Kong, pushing back against Chinas claims in the South China sea, and shutting down Chinas Houston consulate. Police responded to what was called a passenger vehicle call on Tuesday at 43rd Street. There the officer spoke to the complainant, who said she found her stolen vehicle at the Wesco tow yard. She said her Jeep had been reported as stolen since July, which was later confirmed. Police said the victim provided the title and registration, which was in her name. She said she had recently purchased that vehicle on Facebook Marketplace, and that a person named Terry Lee Duckett had wanted to buy the vehicle as well. Police said she told them Duckett, 56, was mad she purchased the vehicle before he did. She believed he took the vehicle with a tow truck. The victim said she was able to find the stolen vehicle because a bill was sent to her from the tow yard, which had her name and address, and was asking for payment for a diagnostic and storage fee. Police said after this, they met with Duckett in the tow yard. He said he purchased the Jeep on Facebook, but could not provide any proof of ownership aside from a Facebook conversation with the original seller. Police said Duckett told them the vehicle was picked up by one of the tow truck drivers at the Wesco company after the purchase. Police said Duckett told them he had been trying to report the vehicle as stolen, and that the vehicle had sat in the yard since that time. After this, Duckett was taken into custody and transported to the Hamilton County jail. Duckett is charged with theft over $10,000. Four troops were killed and 12 were wounded on Thursday in an ambush in central Mali, the army said, blaming the attack on jihadists who launched an insurgency eight years ago. The troops, from an anti-poaching unit, fell into a trap set by "terrorists", the army said on social media. It was the second time that the armed forces have suffered a loss on this scale since the military took over the country on August 18. Search Keywords: Short link: Bau Bang Industrial Zone (IZ), photo: becamex.com.vn Tan Sri Dr Lim Wee Chai, executive chairman of Top Glove Corporation Bhd, told VIR that the company is building its first glove factory in Vietnam at Bau Bang Industrial Zone (IZ) in the southern province of Binh Duong. Estimated capital expenditure for phase 1 (which consists of blocks 1 and 2) is about $70 million, while the factorys annual initial production capacity is approximately 4.8 billion gloves from its 20 production lines. The gloves produced by the factory will be for both domestic and export markets. However, the majority are intended for export as the factory will be producing vinyl gloves, which are mainly sold to the US and European markets. According to Chai, Block 1 will be operational by next month and Block 2 will be operational by August 2021. The company has a big parcel of land to work with, he said. We very much appreciate the Vietnamese governments support of our investment and look forward to investing further here. Like Top Glove, CIMB Bank (Vietnam) Ltd., under Malaysias CIMB Group, is also expanding operations. CIMB Bank recently teamed up with South Korean fintech unicorn Toss to launch a co-branded virtual card in Vietnam. Toss Card powered by CIMB is the countrys first-ever bank account that can be opened and maintained straight from the non-bank app. Through the partnership, CIMB Bank and Toss will be able to access established customer segments loyal to financial institutions, and lean on the banks experience of working in a highly-regulated environment. Thomson Fam Siew Kat, CEO of CIMB Bank Vietnam said, We realised that fintech collaboration is even more essential for banks. We join forces with mature fintech like Toss to map, co-create products, and innovatively enhance our most critical comprehensive digital financial ecosystem. In February, CIMB Bank also formed a strategic partnership with Sendo JSC to promote fast digital loans on Sendos platform. This is the first collaboration between an international bank and a Vietnamese e-commerce platform to deliver digital experience to users. Raphy Md Radzi, trade commissioner of MATRADE Ho Chi Minh City, said that in 2020 he can see a wave of movement and investment in Vietnam recording very positive figures. In general, Vietnam is still the ideal destination for investors especially during the US-China trade war, Radzi said. We can also see some Malaysian companies making a presence in this market such as Techbond, that is building a $2.7 million factory for industrial adhesive manufacturer; and also Tan Chong Group adding an extra $50 million onto a new car factory in Hoa Khanh Industrial Zone in the central city of Danang. In general, Vietnams foreign direct investment (FDI) remains kind of positive despite the pandemic. In the first seven months of 2020, foreign-invested ventures disbursed $10.1 billion, equivalent to 95.9 per cent over the same period last year. As of July 20, the accumulated investment capital of Malaysian investors in Vietnam recorded a figure of $12.76 billion, accounting for about 3.6 per cent of total FDI in Vietnam. Radzi of MATRADE added that Malaysian investors are looking at potential sectors such as real estate, construction, renewable energy, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, and manufacturing. In the field of property development, Malaysian companies have been present in Vietnam for years like Berjaya, IJM Land, Guocoland, SP Setia, and Samling. Among them, Gamuda Land is also a popular brand in the market. The developer has thus far introduced two townships Celadon City in Ho Chi Minh City and Gamuda City in Hanoi. Meanwhile, Danang Industrial Zone in Danangs Son Tra district has been developed and managed by MASSDA Land Co., Ltd. under Malaysian South-South Corporation Berhad (MASSCORP) since 1993. It is now fully occupied and MASSCORP is in the midst of developing residential and commercial projects in the surrounding area in stages. In oil and gas, Petronas Carigali Vietnam Ltd. was the first foreign company to be awarded a production sharing contract in partnership with PetroVietnam in 1991 to operate blocks 01 and 02 in the Mekong Basin. Throughout its venture, the company operated several other oil and gas blocks along Vietnams north and south coastlines and has invested a total of $4.8 billion so far. In addition, Petronas Carigali Vietnam is also actively pursuing further investment in its downstream business in the country, particularly in lubricants and petrochemicals. Another successful Malaysian company is Yinson Vietnam, specialising in construction and consulting and project management services. Yinson has diversified its businesses to venture into port and warehousing, commodity trading, and offshore support services, mostly serving oil and gas, as well as logistics in Vietnam. India on Thursday demanded Pakistan should prosecute the perpetrators of the 2019 Pulwama terror attack and 2008 Mumbai carnage, saying the main accused in last years suicide bombing Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar continues to be sheltered by Islamabad. New Delhi also called on Islamabad to act against UN-designated terrorists such as Dawood Ibrahim, saying Pakistans assertion that its actions to enforce the global bodys sanctions doesnt mean it admits to the presence of such individuals on its territory reflects its insincerity in tracking down global terrorists operating from Pakistani soil. Indias response to Pakistans rejection of the National Investigation Agencys (NIA) chargesheet in the Pulwama terror attack was outlined during a weekly news briefing by external affairs ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava, who said Islamabad was evading its responsibility even after New Delhi had shared enough evidence on the suicide bombing. The chargesheet filed by the NIA in a court in Jammu on Tuesday named Masood Azhar, his two brothers Abdul Rauf Asghar Alvi and Ammar Alvi, his nephew Mohammad Umar Farooq and 15 others who carried out the bombing at Pakistans behest. The attack killed 40 Indian troopers and triggered a brief stand-off between the two countries. Pakistan rejected the chargesheet on Wednesday, contending it contained fabrications to further the Indian governments anti-Pakistan rhetoric and its narrow domestic political interests. It also said the Indian side had failed to respond to two requests for further information on the terror attack. Responding to a question on whether India will share further information with Pakistan on the attack, Srivastava said: Jaish-e-Mohammed had claimed the responsibility of the Pulwama attack. The organisation and its leadership are in Pakistan. It is regrettable that Masood Azhar, the first accused in the chargesheet continues to find shelter in Pakistan. He added, Enough evidence has been shared with Pakistan but it continues to evade responsibility. The chargesheet, Srivastava said, was filed after an investigation lasting a year-and-a-half since the attack on February 14 last year. It has been filed to address the act of terrorism and to bring perpetrators of such a heinous crime to justice. Our aim is not to simply issue statements or notifications, he said. Srivastava also pointed out that Pakistan was yet to take any credible action against perpetrators of the Mumbai terror attacks of 2008, which claimed 166 lives, including 25 foreign nationals. The Mumbai attacks were carried out by a 10-member team of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). Pakistani security agencies arrested seven men, including LeT operations commander Zakiur Rahman Lakhvi, in the weeks after the attack but their trial has made little headway even after scores of hearings. Lakhvi was released on bail in 2015 and his current whereabouts are unknown. Pakistan also recently issued two statutory regulatory orders (SROs) to enforce UN Security Council sanctions on hundreds of terrorist individuals and entities, including Masood Azhar, LeT founder Hafiz Saeed and Dawood Ibrahim ahead of an expected assessment of its counter-terror financing actions by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). One of the orders listed three addresses in Karachi for Ibrahim, though Pakistan has long denied the mob boss presence in the country. After the matter was widely reported in the Indian media, Pakistans foreign ministry said in a statement the SROs didnt amount to Pakistan admitting to the presence of certain listed individuals on its territory. Asked about this matter, Srivastava said: Pakistans assertion that the SRO does not mean that it admits to the presence of listed individuals on its territory or that it would impose any new measures on these listed individuals, lays bare the insincerity of Pakistan in responding to legitimate expectations of the world that they will track down international terrorists based on its soil. Pakistan, he said, has not only maintained its opposition to this international consensus but it has also chosen not to act against the terrorists. Pakistan has never taken any credible and verifiable action against terror entities or listed individuals, including the most wanted ones, he added. Srivastava said the denial by Pakistans Foreign Office calls into question their intentions and it would not mislead the world community in believing its propaganda. He added, Pakistan must take credible action and ensure that the listed individuals are prosecuted. Ibrahim, wanted by India for his role in the 1993 Mumbai bombings, has regularly featured in lists of wanted terrorists and dossiers provided by India to Pakistan. In response to another question, Srivastava reiterated that Pakistans envoy to the UN had issued a statement on August 24 about addressing a Security Council meeting on Monday on threats to international peace and security from terrorism that subsequently turned out to be untrue. The briefing and discussions at this UNSC meeting were confined to members only and we had sought clarification from the Indonesian chair, who informally confirmed to us that there was no scope for any non-member to speak in this discussion. Our permanent mission to the UN has clearly rebutted all allegations made by Pakistan in this statement, he said. Sameer Patil, fellow for international security studies at Gateway House, said it is important for the Indian government to keep highlighting the issue of terrorism emanating from Pakistan even if such assertions hadnt resulted in any change in the neighbouring countrys behaviour. The statement on Pulwama may be more for domestic consumption since cross-border terrorism remains an emotional issue. Not to highlight it could be seen as some sort of acquiescence on the issue, and no Indian government, least of all a BJP government, will want a charge like that levelled against it. But highlighting it also shows India is still pursuing the issue and this is important from the domestic and international perspective, he said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Texas: Houses were flooded, industrial buildings were demolished, and four people have died as hurricane Laura tore through parts of Texas and Louisiana, and forecasters warned a turn would again make the storm a looming threat to the densely populated Eastern Seaboard. The storm could re-energise and pose a threat to several north-east states by Saturday, forecasters said. The category four hurricane made landfall around 1am on Thursday, US time, with winds of up to 240km/h, in what was one of the most powerful storms to hit the Gulf Coast in decades. New tornado warnings were issued after nightfall in Mississippi and Arkansas. Buildings and homes are flooded in the aftermath of Hurricane Laura. Credit:AP While four deaths have been recorded so far, governors from the two most affected states said the impact was not as catastrophic as expected, largely due to the mass evacuation of thousands of people in the days leading up to the event. Chef Jeff Perri starts up the wood-fired twin "Doppio" oven. Mozzeria offers all our customers an inclusive and highly visual dining experience that no other restaurant can match. Our employees are committed to ensuring that our guests feel welcome. Come in with an open mind and empty stomach and leave with a fresh perspective and even fresher pizza! Mozzeria, an award-winning pizzeria and San Franciscos first Deaf-owned and -operated restaurant, will open its second location at 1300 H Street, NE at 11am EDT on September 4th, 2020. Carry-out service will be available to customers, who can order online via Mozzerias website or upon visiting the restaurant. Founded by Deaf entrepreneurs Melody and Russ Stein in 2011, Mozzeria quickly gained global acclaim for its authenticity and high standards by the International Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana (VPN). Mozzeria has maintained its mission of providing customers a welcoming, memorable, and visual environment to experience Deaf culture while working to increase career opportunities for Deaf people. According to the American Community Survey conducted in 2017, only half of deaf people were employed, compared to over 75% of the non-deaf population. [Cofounders] Russ and Melody established Mozzeria with the goal of reducing the significant employment disparities faced by Deaf people, stated Ryan Maliszewski, Chief Executive Officer. Beyond serving delicious wood-fired pizza to our customers, were creating career opportunities for our community at Mozzeria, and showing the world creative ways to be inclusive. Mozzeria prepares our employees with the skills to advance in their careers and inspire prospective employers to hire them. In 2017, Mozzeria partnered with the CSD Social Venture Fund, the first deaf-led social venture fund in the country, with the goal of scaling the business beyond San Francisco. Its presence in Washington, DC demonstrates the incredible success of, and demand for, Mozzerias ever-popular brand. Designed by award-winning DC-based design studio CORE architecture + design, the restaurant was created using DeafSpace principles. These principles incorporate open space design and strategic placement of windows, lighting, and seating designed to maximize the effective visual experience for Mozzeria customers and employees. As Ryan Maliszewski adds, Dont know sign language? No problem! Mozzeria offers all our customers an inclusive and highly visual dining experience that no other restaurant can match. Our employees are committed to ensuring that our guests feel like part of our community. Come in with an open mind, an empty stomach, and leave with a fresh perspective and even fresher pizza! The first 50 patrons to place an order through Mozzerias website or at the restaurant on September 4th will receive a complimentary official Mozzeria T-shirt. For the safety of all during the COVID-19 pandemic, Mozzeria is currently providing carry-out service only. About Mozzeria, Inc. Melody and Russ Stein founded Mozzeria in 2011 and since then, customers across the globe have flocked to Mozzeria to get a taste of our famous authentic wood-fired Neapolitan pizzas. Mozzeria was created with the goal in providing customers a welcoming, memorable, and visual environment to experience Deaf culture while working to increase career placement opportunities for Deaf people. Mozzeria is proud to be a place where our employees can demonstrate their talent and feel a shared sense of belonging while serving delicious pizza and cuisine inspired from the Campania region in Italy to our customers! Visit http://www.mozzeria.com and follow @EatMozzeria on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. About CSD Communication Service for the Deaf (CSD) is the largest deaf-led social impact organization in the world. For more than four decades, CSD has been a leader in creating and providing accessible and innovative solutions for the deaf community. Today, CSD continues its work to create opportunities for personal and economic growth within the deaf community, specifically addressing leadership and employment. CSDs Social Venture Fund is one of the first angel funds and incubators in the world supporting deaf entrepreneurs and deaf owned and operated businesses. For more information please visit: http://www.csd.org ### Emirates Group celebrates the contributions of Emirati Women. Image: Emirates Airlines Abdulaziz Al Ali, Emirates Group executive vice president human resources said: "Women play a vital role in supporting the UAE's development, and their passion and skills will continue to help drive the nation's success. The theme of this year's celebration is in line with the UAE's aspirations to prepare for the next 50 years and women are hugely instrumental in shaping our collective future. At the Emirates Group, we will continue to provide a nurturing environment that supports the fresh perspectives and ideas of women, and champions their efforts and career goals in the workplace." Maryam Bin Ismail, Emirates' Boeing 777 first officer said: "The beginning of the pandemic was very challenging. We took all precautionary measures to protect the health and safety of all those on board, including being tested for COVID-19 after every flight we operated. We also had to go through self-quarantine for 14 days after returning from each flight to ensure the safety and health of ourselves and our communities. There were many new procedures and adjustments that we had to make at work and in our personal lives. These experiences taught me that Emirati women are important pillars of UAE society, can achieve their goals, and there is no limit to what a woman can accomplish." Vietnamese National Assembly deputy Pham Phu Quoc will be subjected to explaining his case and giving personal views on the ongoing controversy regarding his Cypriot citizenship status, an NA official said. Tran Van Tuy, head of the Deputies Affairs Committee under the NA Standing Committee said on Tuesday that information regarding Quocs foreign citizenship will be reviewed by relevant agencies. Dozens of major political figures and their families have bought Cyprus citizenship through the golden passport program of the Cypriot government, Al Jazeera reported on Monday after obtaining what they call 'The Cyprus Papers.' Such papers are a batch of leaked documents containing more than 1,400 approved applications for the Cyprus Investment Programme (CIP) run by the Republic of Cyprus. The programme allows people to buy a Cypriot passport, and by extension become European Union citizens, by investing at least 2.15 million ($2.5 million) in the country, Al Jazeera wrote in their investigative report. Named in the papers is Pham Phu Quoc, a current NA representative from Ho Chi Minh City whose five-year tenure will be completed in 2021. The revelation of Quocs dual citizenship has been a hot topic in Vietnamese media over the past week. Quoc on Tuesday confirmed his Cypriot citizenship status in an interview with Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper where he addressed the controversy. I started having Cyprus citizenship in mid-2018. However, it came about from the petition of my family, so the notion that I bought a second citizenship is false, he told Tuoi Tre. Tuy said he has mobilized the support unit of the Deputies Affairs Committee to verify this information. The official refused to comment further on the issue, citing a lack of information as well as respect for the NA deputys legislative immunity as prescribed in Vietnams Constitution and laws. We are going to request NA deputy Pham Phu Quoc to provide specific information, while the Ho Chi Minh City NA Delegation and the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee in Ho Chi Minh City will provide their input, Tuy said. Subsequently, the Standing Committee of the National Assembly will review the situation in accordance with related regulations of the law." In the Al Jazeera report published on Monday, Quoc was classified as one of 'Politically Exposed Persons' those who are at higher risk of corruption because they or their family members hold some form of government position. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! A 73-year-old protester was seen struggling with riot police in Belarus in a video posted on Franak Viacorka's Twitter account on August 26. Great-grandmother Nina Bahinskaya was demanding they return the flag they had snatched from her, the country's old white-red-white banner, which is banned in Belarus. The altercation occurred after police were deployed to clear a crowd outside the government offices, on what was the 18th consecutive night of protest against a presidential election widely seen as rigged. Click below for a profile of Bahinskaya, who has cut a distinctive figure at opposition protests for decades. The 'Mummy Ki Sari' project started by queer activist Vikramaditya Sahai encourages mothers to pass on their used saris to trans and gender non-conforming (GNC) individuals. The project which is closely connected to Sahai's journey has acted as a catalyst to increase maternal love and acceptance. Scroll below to read our in-depth conversation with them: Q. What pushed you to start 'Mummy Ki Sari' project? I have been fortunate to be surrounded by people who have given me saris, so much so that I have almost stopped buying them. My friends pick them up during their travels and their mothers' closets. Although, when I started wearing them, it wasn't the same. Most saris in my closet were borrowed from friends and loved ones, money was ill-spent on them. When you're a woman, your first sari is mostly the one you wear for your school farewell, and over time you collect more; either during some occasions or they are passed on by your mother. In a 'conventional family', parents won't question their daughters while purchasing them. Although if your child is Trans, then buying it is a far cry. The home turns into a site of inexplicable and inarticulate violence. When you are trans, GNC or non-binary and want to wear saris, you rely on those whom you can borrow from since you spend whatever money you have on surviving and buying those increases the cost. I'm out about my identity at the university in Delhi where I teach. Being surrounded by young queer folx, I often give away the garments, except for the ones which have special memories which I cannot part away with. Eventually, when I started running out of them. These reasons led to the 'Mummy Ki Sari' project. Q. What is the aim and vision behind the project? A notable incident occurred before I began the project. Once, my housemate's mother was over at ours for a night. While I was away, she had seen a pile of clothes in my room and the wardrobe and appreciated their beauty. While leaving back for her home when my housemate asked her what she thought of me, she responded vaguely, hinting that I was a nice boy. When coaxed further about my sexuality and gender, she mentioned that though I was a nice boy, she couldn't bring herself to accept me. A few days passed. Whenever aunty was on the phone I would convey my regards. Once she called me to check which Tant sari I had admired from my mother's closet in reference to the conversation I had with her when she had visited us. She had purchased a black and yellow Tant sari for me as a gift. The incident allowed me to rethink some of the political grammar I was too quick to use. Aunty had not come to some acceptance or tolerance of my sexuality and gender. It is to vocabularies other than those most prized by LGBTQIA+ politics, acceptance and pride that the Mummy Ki Sari project is attempting to be a testament to. Over time, many mothers have sent their saris over; it's not that these mothers are progressive or radical (I'm aware of this through their children) but that the impulse of the project is precisely to step away from this judgment. These things often don't move forward or backwards, but things happen in tandem. The project makes possible kinship and generational memory between abandoned queer folx and women condemned to emotional lives. The initiative allows mothers to give away their old saris and yet when given to a queer, GNC and trans person; they are abundant with joy, specialness, and occasion. For married women and trans individuals, the sari isn't just a piece of fabric; it is a feeling. For instance, precious kanjeevarams, Balucharis, Mukaishs, and Banarasis are usually gifted; they symbolise shared futures, blessings and mark a memory. Sometimes, I have anecdotes and photographs to share about these mothers and their relationship with the unstitched garment when I give them to someone. I'm not sure if I aim to do more than just deliver them, but I know they do more than just exchange hands. Pre-loved saris shared given by mothers for GNC and trans folx. Q. Personal meaning that a sari holds for you? My taste in saris is borrowed from my mother and my grandmother. Growing up, I have seen them wear it to work and church, respectively. Both of them wore cotton in the summer and silks in the winter. The minutes getting ready were preparation for the day, a meditative choreography, armour for a world not of their making as I would like to put it. These women tried very hard to fit in, be accepted, be exceptional to rise above the tarnish of their locations; they did everything they needed to do in order to survive, to offer their children and grandchildren a normal life. Q. How do you go about with the process of sourcing saris from the contributors? I had initially just put up a post on Instagram and then followed up on responses. I have collected the garments in person, they have sometimes been sent with someone, sometimes they are just parcelled over with sweet notes. Now, the project has a memory of its own, so every now and then folx reach out to ask if I want some Mummy Ki Saris. There is no criteria, of course. The mothers put in so much thought and love in sending them. Q. How have social media platforms like Instagram helped you to catalyse this initiative/reach out to wide and diverse audiences? What was the initial response of the people like? I think my outreach will be diverse in some ways and not in others. The project cannot be "inclusive", it is not a policy, and there is no way to judge effectiveness. I have got sarees from many different states, but either the mothers or their children have all been in cities. I have sent the saris to some small cities and towns, but that had depended on someone from there reaching out to me via social media. Q. Where do you see this project in the next five years? The project isn't imagined as something more than what it is. It's not about scaling up or outreach. As long as I get DMs on Instagram about saris that need new wearers, I shall continue to put out calls. Government TechnologyIn this months installment of the Innovation of the Month series, we explore a collaboration between Carnegie Mellon University, Allies for Children and several other community groups in Allegheny County, Pa., applying machine learning technology to addressing the disruption to school meal programs caused by COVID-19. MetroLabs Ben Levine spoke with Karen Lightman and Stephen Smith at Carnegie Mellon University about the background and development of their project.Can you describe the origin and objective of this project and who has been involved in it?This project was conceived in collaboration with Allies for Children, a local nonprofit focused on the welfare of K-12 school children in Allegheny County. In late 2019, the Metro21 Institute at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) established a collaboration with Allies for Children to investigate the potential to use machine learning to develop more cost-effective transport of K-12 students to charter and private schools through consolidation of bus routes across school districts. Then, as public schools were forced to close when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March 2020 and school meal programs were disrupted, many families in need were scrambling to provide meals to their children who normally would receive breakfast and lunch at school. Therefore, given our partnership with Allies for Children, it was natural to consider how school buses could be alternatively used to remotely deliver school meals, even if existing school bus routes might not offer the best solution.Metro21s sister organization, Traffic21 Institute , offered some startup funding and Allies for Children connected us with the Penn Hills School District, an area where students were particularly vulnerable to food insecurity. Other critical partners to this deployment include the United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania, Greater Pittsburgh community Food Bank, ACCESS Transportation Systems and Eatn Park Restaurants. I also meet weekly with a group of community leaders and volunteers to ensure that the project is coordinated, and not duplicative, with other food security programs.How did you determine where to place the stops on these routes? What kind of data did you collect to design the model?We used the existing set of school bus stops as candidates, recognizing that the constraints for remote food delivery are somewhat different than those for transporting students. For example, it is acceptable to stop traffic while students are boarding and alighting, but not for extended stops to deliver meals. Using student home address data provided by the district together with a maximum walking distance constraint, we developed a search procedure informed by a machine learning algorithm to determine the most effective set of stops and produce a set of vehicle routes for visiting them. At each step of the search, the number of students that could be serviced at each remaining candidate stop is computed, and the stop capable of servicing the most is chosen. This stop is then assigned to one of the available delivery vehicles so as to maximize the number of meals that can be delivered within the overall meal delivery time window. This process is repeated until either (1) no additional stops can be fit into the existing vehicle itineraries, (2) the carrying capacity of delivery vehicles has been exceeded or (3) all students have been serviced. Once final routes were generated, each was physically driven to determine whether there were any factors not considered by our model, such as heavy traffic or no parking space, that could impact the safety of delivering meals at the chosen stops. Stops found to have problems were eliminated as candidates, and new nearby stops were substituted.What challenges did you encounter while designing and implementing this project?One of the first challenges we encountered is that while we originally thought wed have access to bus drivers and buses in Penn Hills, we soon learned that this would not be feasible. Thankfully, through our partners at United Way, we were connected to ACCESS Transportation who had several shuttle buses and drivers willing and able to participate. We also were challenged by how to communicate the bus stop locations where food would be delivered; we overcame this challenge by working closely with a wide network of community leaders and volunteers to get the word out. Allies for Children paid for yard signs to identify the bus stops, they printed handouts to be delivered at other food pickup and pantry locations, and our network used social media to help spread the word. Based on feedback from our partners, we then realized that it wasnt clear that the shuttles were the vehicles that were carrying the meals, so we secured magnets to put on the side of the vehicles and help promote and advertise. At each step, we addressed the challenges by reaching out to our network of partners who helped us problem-solve. It truly has taken a village.What was the process for pivoting this project from its original intent? Are there other, similar technologies that might be adapted to address COVID-19 challenges?For many years, my research lab has focused broadly on artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques for automated planning, scheduling and optimization, and we have built up a substantial set of software systems and tools for solving these types of problems. Although the remote meal delivery problem has presented some unique routing and scheduling challenges, our ability to leverage this technology base has enabled us to pivot to this application domain and provide useful results as quickly as we have been able to. That said, we are continuing to refine our current route planning and scheduling engine, and we believe there are additional opportunities to utilize machine learning technology to enhance the quality of generated delivery routes. Determination of the areas of greatest need in a given region, for example, may be enhanced through use of more sophisticated multi-dimensional clustering. We are also interested in exploring the use of techniques for discovering patterns in video data as a means of autonomously recognizing desirable features of candidate stops, like the presence of a nearby parking lot, that are not captured in the current optimization model.How are other communities using your model? Does this have the potential to be implemented at an even larger scale?Word soon spread about the success of our meal delivery deployment in Penn Hills. Since launching the Penn Hills project, we have received interest from other municipalities in the greater Pittsburgh region, as the issue of food insecurity is widespread and nationwide. Working in collaboration with our regional partners, we are exploring the expansion of our model into other school districts. Weve also received funding from the National Science Foundations Rapid Response Research (RAPID) funding in direct response to COVID-19. This funding will enable our work to expand and address the challenges of changing food security needs of our regions children. We are very confident that this model is replicable and can be deployed at a larger scale. Whats probably most important is that the right partners are at the table so they can inform the model, using machine learning in an iterative manner to continuously improve it. Another critical component is data; we get weekly reports on the daily delivery of meals, stops and routes so we can use that information to ensure that needs are met and families are fed. We recently tweaked the model in Penn Hills so that we could offer meals to seniors, for example.What are your next steps? Where do you see the project going from here?As mentioned previously, we recently received funding from the National Science Foundation that will allow us to continue to support the Penn Hills meal delivery program as we move into the fall school year, and proceed with efforts to establish similar services in other school districts. It will also allow us to improve our algorithms and heuristics for solving this class of delivery problem, and to formalize and provide reference problems for the broader research community. With the prospect of a hybrid model of remote versus in-person school options, which will remain fluid and ever-changing, we expect that the food security of school children will become more complicated which is exactly the kind of dynamic problem we love to solve at CMU. Georgia Love has admitted she's been struggling with Melbourne's harsh stage four lockdown. In a post on Twitter on Thursday, the 31-year-old former Bachelorette confessed she was desperate for beauty salons to reopen in Victoria. Sharing a close-up photo of the lower half of her face, Georgia revealed she'd burnt herself during a DIY waxing misadventure. In isolation: Georgia Love (pictured) has admitted she's been struggling with Melbourne's harsh stage four lockdown Tagging Victoria's Premier Daniel Andrews in the post, the TV journalist begged the 48-year-old politician to 'reopen beauty salons ASAP'. 'Hello @DanielAndrewsMP could you please reopen beauty salons ASAP so I dont have to try to wax my own mo and rip half the skin off my face again please thank yooooou,' she wrote. In the photo, the skin around Georgia's mouth appears red raw, with her upper lip bearing the brunt of it. Ouch: In a post on Twitter on Thursday, the 31-year-old former Bachelorette confessed she was desperate for beauty salons to reopen in Victoria Despite the mishap though, Georgia has managed to maintain her sense of humour amid lockdown. Earlier this month, she shared a photo of herself standing in front of a suburban transmission tower, a tiger-print mask covering half her face. 'What travel ban? I [love heart] Paris,' she captioned the unassuming photo. Ooh la la: Earlier this month, she shared a photo of herself standing in front of a suburban transmission tower and captioned it, 'I [love heart] Paris' She added the hashtags: '#wanderlust #wanderlost #isobored #ouioui #eiffelforthisjoke'. Georgia also recently shared a glamorous selfie of herself from before the pandemic, with her hair styled in loose waves and heavy makeup. 'Just a reminder of what I looked like before lockdown. Not so much for you guys TBH, I just needed to see it for myself,' she wrote. Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 14:46:17|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close SYDNEY, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Australian Buy-Now-Pay-Later (BNPL) company and recent share market favorite, Afterpay, on Thursday reported a doubling in revenue for the 2020 financial year, to 519.2 million Australian dollars (375.4 million U.S. dollars). Despite a surge in usership, triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, the company still ran at a loss of 22.9 million Australian dollars for the year (16.5 million U.S. dollars), compared with losses of 43.8 million Australian dollars (31.7 million U.S. dollars) the year before. Confirmation of the result initially pushed Afterpay's share price to a new record high of 95.97 Australian dollars (69.56 U.S. dollars), more than 10 times what it was worth in March of this year. Afterpay allows online purchases to be paid off in instalments, charging retailers a commission, and in the past 12 months has grown to over 10 million users worldwide. Plans for overseas expansion backed up by interest from the global tech firms including Chinese behemoth Tencent, have helped see Afterpay become one of Australia's top 20 companies in terms of market capitalization in recent months. In May, it was revealed that Tencent had purchased a 5-percent stake in Afterpay, valued at roughly 300 million Australian dollars, giving the company's stock price a further boost. Afterpay reiterated global expansion plans in its FY20 results announcement, with growth so far strongest in the U.S. market which saw a 330 percent increase in underlying sales compared with the year before. Company co-founder, Anthony Eisen said that BNPL providers like Afterpay had deliberately ridden a wave of more conservative consumer practices and a shift away from traditional credit over the past decade which intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic. Eisen asserted that compared to other BNPL firms and credit providers, Afterpay places less burden on the customer, taking more of its revenue from merchants, capping late payments which do not accrue over time, and dealing mostly in smaller transactions of around 100 U.S. dollars. Enditem A significant danger that is only now being appreciated by more sectors of society is the indelible impact that humans have made on the planet. Climate change, according to Columbia University, will affect every one of us, regardless of color, class, creed, or religion. However, while we look at the gloom-and-doom aspect of climate change, many lawyers see a shift in their practices. More and more legal professionals are incorporating climate change into their training. Even universities have started offering courses that are focused on how climate change impacts the legal profession. But how is climate change actually beneficial to environmental law? A Formerly Niche Field All About Law mentions that, in the recent past, environmental law was seen as a specialized, yet low-demand field. However, we are seeing all around us how ecological impacts are affecting the lives of ordinary human beings. From the bushfires in Australia and California to the lack of ice covering on Greenland, all of these things have shifted focus to addressing the looming climate change problem. World leaders and activists both have opinions (usually in the opposite direction) of dealing with this issue. At the heart of it is a legal system that should seek the best interests of humanity while considering the environment's importance. Massive Legal Work Coming for Environmental Lawyers As the world starts to face the pending challenge head-on, environmental law will become even more critical. Not to say that there won't be a place for malpractice law firms like seattlemalpracticelawyers.com, but the cases they handle may have more of a focus on environmental issues as time goes on. Public pressure will see more of these lawyers specialized in the environment enter the public eye. For them and their firms, the goal is to ensure fairness throughout the climate change crisis and facilitate a balance between government intervention and market forces. Without both of these stakeholders involved, any attempt at solving this crisis will cause more chaos. Seeing The Big Picture Climate change knowledge is essential, but it's not the only thing that these lawyers need to arm themselves with. They need to display quick, yet flexible thinking to face the unique challenges that this field presents. Environmental lawyers will tend to focus on advisory work and corporate oversight. They may also be necessary to help governments draft and finalize legislation to help deal with the threat of climate change. Because of their positions in government and multinational corporations, these lawyers are in a unique spot to effect real social, economic, and legal reform to benefit us all. A Rising Profession Environmental law is still on the fringes of the legal practice, but for how much longer that remains true is anyone's guess. With each day, the world moves a step closer to irreversible damage to the climate. We can do what we can as individuals to slow the process, but without a full and clear legislative push by governments, those small changes may not be cumulative enough to bring about genuine change. It may be up to environmental lawyers to save us from ourselves through the smart implementation of legislation. The Houston Chronicles Live Updates blog documents the latest updates regarding Hurricane Laura, as the storm nears Houston and Southeast Texas. The Houston Chronicles ongoing coverage is available to subscribers. Subscribe now for full access and to support our work. Resources on storms and Texas weather: With our powerful Texas Flood Map and Tracker, you can follow rainfall location and intensity, as well as real-time, continuously updated flooding alerts and street closures as storms sweep through the area. We also have the latest weather forecast maps, as well as a complete list of closures and cancellations around Houston. You can see the latest stories, as well as forecasts for the next few hours and week on our Weather in Houston page. Latest updates from today 9:30 p.m. Tropical Storm Laura has weakened to a tropical depression over Arkansas with wind speeds of 35 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. The system is expected make its way to the Mississippi Valley on Friday and the mid-Atlantic states on Saturday before veering over the western Atlantic on Sunday. Widespread flash and urban flooding is still possible along it's path. 8:05 p.m. East Texas was mostly spared the sucker-punch Hurricane Laura instead walloped on Louisiana, something state officials credited to sheer luck and the local planning efforts that readied resources and got many of the most vulnerable out of harms way, reports Dug Begley. We dodged a bullet, Gov. Greg Abbott said after an aerial tour and meeting with federal, state and local officials. Damage was worst inside Orange city limits, Abbott said, due in part to a huge number of downed trees in subdivisions that pulled power lines with them. Areas close to the Sabine River also found streets flooded but passable, with water slowly receding. 6:54 p.m. The U.S. Postal Service resumed mail delivery and retail services Thursday to evacuated areas of the Texas Gulf Coast, according to a news release. Mandatory evacuations ahead of Hurricane Laura led the USPS to temporarily suspend services to those areas. The offices that have resumed services include: Anahuac Post Office 411 S Main St Anahuac, TX 77514 M-F 8:30am-4:30pm, Sat Closed Galveston Post Office 601 Tremont St. Galveston, TX 77550 M-F 8:30am-5:00pm, Sat Closed Kemah Post Office 1129 Hwy 146 Kemah, TX 77565 M-F 9:00am-4:30pm, Sat 10:00am-12:00pm Seabrook Post Office 1600 Main St Seabrook, TX 77586 M-F 8:30am-4:30pm, Sat 9:30am-12:00pm 6 p.m. Montgomery County residents should expect rolling power outages for the next three days while officials work to restore the area's power grid back to full strength, according to a tweet from the Montgomery County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. The utility company Entergy was forced to start the rolling outages because Hurricane Laura badly damaged its transmission system. The outages mainly will occur in the heat of the day, when demand peaks and the grid becomes unbalanced, officials said. "This takes time to do so safely and in a balanced way to avoid damaging the grid," according to a tweet from the Montgomery County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. Some parts of the county were starting to see power come back online as of 6 p.m. Thursday. 5 p.m. Like The Woodlands, the Bolivar Peninsula also is experiencing widespread power outages, according to Galveston County Officials. Entergy, the utility company, started periodic outages because of extensive damage to the company's transmission system from Hurricane Laura, according to a news release. The company is taking the action "as a last resort and in order to prevent a more extensive, prolonged power outage that could severely affect the reliability of the power grid," the release said. 3:45 p.m. Montgomery County may have avoided flooding and strong winds from Hurricane Laura but residents in The Woodlands were facing rolling power outages Thursday as a result of widespread outages near the Texas-Louisiana border. According to a press release from Entergy, the company is taking the action to avoid a more extensive, prolonged power outage that could severely affect the reliability of the power grid. The issue is a combination of the extensive damage to Entergys transmission system caused by Hurricane Laura and the anticipated high demand for electricity due to high temperatures. The company did not provide a timeline on the power outages but they would continue until the integrity of the power system in no longer threatened. Energy officials are asking customers to help reduce the demand on the system by reducing electricity use. -Reporter Catherine Dominguez 3:30 p.m. The chemical fire in Westlake, La. started after chlorine started leaking from the BioLab chemical manufacturing facility, according to the Louisiana State Police, reports Erin Douglas and Paul Takahashi. A small on-site crew from BioLab made several unsuccessful attempts to extinguish flames during the storm, and around 10 a.m. Thursday, reported the fire to the police, authorities speaking at Gov. Edward's press conference said. The fire started when an undetermined amount of chlorine started leaking and decomposing. "As this type of chlorine begins to decompose, it generates heat, and it began to burn," said Col. Kevin Reeves, superintendent of the Louisiana State Police. That began to release chlorine gas into the atmosphere, he said. The chlorine gas plume, an ominous cloud hovering over the area since this morning and sparking the shelter-in-place order, is expected to largely be absorbed into nearby Lake Charles, said State Fire Marshal H. "Butch" Browning. That, he said, was good news because the water will dilute the chlorine. Browning said that state environmental regulators did not detect chlorine at the ground level where people would be, but that the shelter-in-place was ordered since the risk to the public is still unknown. The Fire Marshal, State Police and governor urged the public to stay indoors and close windows and doors. "We are doing everything we can to get that situation under control," Louisiana Gov. John Edwards said during an afternoon briefing. "We know it's a serious situation. Today is about saving lives." 3 p.m. Texas refineries and chemical plants told state regulators they released millions of pounds of air pollution into the air in recent days as the plants rushed to close facilities ahead of Hurricane Lauras landfall. Shutting down industrial plants often releases a significant amount of toxins, well above the facilities allowed limits, since the plants must burn off remaining product. Together, Texas facilities announced plans to release 4 million pounds of air pollution in the Beaumont and Port Arthur areas before Laura hit, according to a tally of state notices by Environment Texas, an environmental nonprofit group in Texas. Thats the equivalent of putting about 140,000 additional passenger cars on the road for a single day. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates a passenger car emits an average of 10,000 pounds of carbon dioxide per year. -Reporter Erin Douglas 2:56 p.m. President Donald Trump announced that he expects to visit Laura-hit areas in Texas and Louisiana on Saturday or Sunday, reports the Chronicle's Jeremy Wallace. 2:55 p.m. Because she needed to check on her neighbors, Lachaunte August stepped across bricks, wood and nails in flip-flops. Mama, that is some damage, she said, leaning against her neighbors first-floor door. Maybe now the ownerll fix the place and well get you somewhere to go safe. Linda Drounette, Augusts 73-year-old neighbor and friend of eight years, took a puff of her cigarette. Its God, she said. God kept me safe. The two women rode out Hurricane Laura at the Suffolk Manor Apartment Homes in Lake Charles, La. They surveyed the damage the next morning. The wind stripped the pointed roof on the front building down to the beams; they could see clear through it to the sky. The courtyard pool had turned muddy green; wet wood panels covered the courtyard. A serrated tin roof from the Busy Bee convenience store across the street sat crumpled in the complex entrance. -Reporter Sarah Smith 2:50 p.m. For one Louisiana family, surviving Hurricane Laura seemed like a miracle, writes the Chronicle's Emily Foxhall. It looks like a war zone, said Carlissa Eagleson, 21, of the Grand Lake neighborhood south of Lake Charles. 2:30 p.m. Evacuees have come to Houston for shelter. The Chronicle's Julie Garcia spoke to some Lake Charles residents who are in Houston's Third Ward. I just got back on my feet, and now I have to start all over again, said Becky Peterson, who is one of about 70 people at the shelter. Whatcha gonna do? Take it a minute at a time; not day by day. 1:15 p.m. Where a disaster hits, World Central Kitchen goes, reports Emma Balter. Volunteers and staffers from the nonprofit arrived in Southeast Texas and Southwest Louisiana on Wednesday, ready to feed people in need after Hurricane Laura. 12:33 p.m. The Houston Fire Department will deploy 10 of its firefighters to assist in recovery efforts in Jefferson County and four to Beaumont to support Texas Intrastate Fire Mutual Aid System and Southeast Texas Regional Advisory Council. 12:25 p.m. Gov. Greg Abbott, Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz will brief the media following their tour of storm damage in Orange and surrounding counties. Watch the Chronicle's Facebook Live feed of the presser here. 11:52 a.m. From flooded roadways in Orange, to severe wind damage in Lake Charles, La., Chronicle photographers are capturing images of the aftermath of Hurricane Laura's devastation in South East Texas and Louisiana. 11:31 a.m. A massive fire broke out at a chemical facility in Westlake, La., just outside of Lake Charles on Thursday morning after Hurricane Lauras destructive trek through the region. Louisiana Gov. John Edwards issued a shelter-in-place order for residents of the Westlake-Moss Bluff-Sulphur area Thursday morning. Residents are advised to shelter in place until further notice and close your doors and windows, Edwards wrote on Twitter. Follow the directions of local officials. BioLab, a household chemical product manufacturer owned by KIKCorp., a Canadian company, caught fire in the aftermath of the storm, multiple companies in the area said. KIKCorp. and BioLab were not immediately available for comment. The fire originated from a chlorine leak, according to Louisiana State Police. Reports from local news stations and residents in the area show huge clouds of smoke. -Reporters Erin Douglas and Paul Takahashi 11:07 a.m. A possible chlorine leak has caused a fire near Lake Charles, La., closing part of I-10, reports the Lafayette Daily Advertiser. As the city assesses the damage caused by the hurricane, thick plumes of gas and smoke are spreading west of the lake. The fire appears to be coming from an oil refinery or a chemical plant, the Daily Advertiser reports. 10:52 a.m. Houston Health Department-affiliated COVID19 testing sites will re-open Friday. 10:50 a.m. After knocking out power, battering buildings and tearing down trees with 150 mph winds in southwest Louisiana, Hurricane Laura lapsed into a Category 1 storm late Thursday morning. Winds abated to sustained speeds of 75 mph by 10 a.m. as Hurricane Laura moved north toward Shreveport, La., according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm made landfall around 1 a.m. near Cameron, La. as a ferocious hurricane just shy of Category 5 strength. At least one death has been reported in Louisiana. Damaging winds and flooding spread inland over central and northern portions of Louisiana and high water levels remained along the Gulf coast as of late Thursday morning, the hurricane center reported. -Reporter Anna Bauman 10:30 a.m. As the damage is assessed in the aftermath of Hurricane Laura, the FBI warns those impacted to beware of fraud schemes. To report suspected fraud to The National Center for Disaster Fraud, call 866-720-5721 or file a complaint online. 10:15 a.m. City of Houston operations have returned to normal. To report debris, call 3-1-1. 10 a.m. If you and your home have been impacted by Hurricane Laura, heres where to turn for help. 9:47 a.m. President Donald Trump will visit FEMA headquarters Thursday for an update on the damage caused by Hurricane Laura and details on the response so far, his press secretary told CBS News Reporter Mark Knoller. 9:40 a.m. Want to know how you can help those affected by Hurricane Laura? The Chronicle's Ana Khan has compiled a list of organizations that need assistance as they respond to the hurricane's wreckage. 9:20 a.m. Most if not all of Orange County is without power as emergency officials fan out across the region. Orange County spokeswoman Lori Ardoin said crews were expecting to receive areas in need and prioritize them soon. Orange, especially its downtown and eastern neighborhoods along the Sabine River, were some of the hardest hit. Water flooded some downtown streets, easing its way back to the riverbank. Trees pulled down power lines, with utility crews streaming into the area to restore power. The citys fire department is moving trucks and equipment back to the downtown station. Bridge City, which officials feared would take a strong surge if the storm had tracked just slightly west of the border, woke up Thursday largely unscathed. -Reporter Dug Begley 9:18 a.m. The morning after Hurricane Laura, John Knox looked around his neighbors yard and thought, well, I guess the pecans are harvested. Knox, 65, lives in a yellow house on Highway 12 east, 2 miles outside of the East Texas town of Deweyville. Fallen trees and power lines have made stretches of the highway feel like an agility course. We got an hour of sleep last night, he said. But it could have been worse: The most damage his home got was the shingles torn from parts of the roof. Hed been worried about the front windows blowing out. In the morning, they were unscathed. -Reporter Sarah Smith 9:02 a.m. Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said hes received the first report of of a fatality from Hurricane Laura: a 14-year-old girl who was crushed to death when a tree fell on her home. Edwards said search and rescue teams are in action. Widespread fatalities are a possibility, the Associated Press reports. Edwards said the state is only beginning to assess the damage. In an NBC News interview Thursday morning, Gov. Greg Abbott credited the evacuations of thousands of people in Texas for preventing deaths in the state. 8:54 a.m. Hurricane Laura ended up not being much of a worry at all for Galveston. The islands streets were mostly clear of any debris early Thursday morning, with trees and homes still intact. Elevated tides from the storm spilled over the seawall at times but never surged toward peoples homes. Save for some street flooding in the Strand Historic District downtown, nearly all streets were passable. Danny Weber cruised around the Strand on his moped looking for a clear path to get back into his apartment. He was pleasantly surprised at the islands good fortune. All the flooding that we had like this is all tide-related, Weber said, pointing to the lightly flooded streets downtown. While he stayed behind in Galveston rather than evacuate, Weber acknowledged acknowledged he was nervous Wednesday until Hurricane Laura made its eastward turn towards the Louisiana coast. I was waiting for it to turn like everybody else, he said. We were very, very fortunate. -Reporter Nick Powell 8:51 a.m. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo issued a statement Thursday morning thanking the community for being prepared for the worst ahead of Hurricane Laura's landfall. "Laura was the strongest recorded Hurricane to ever hit the Louisiana coast," Hidalgo said in a Tweet. "It would have devastated us. We got lucky. This was a reminder that vigilance is the cost of living in this beautiful place we call home. Thank you all for listening to recommendations & staying prepared." 8:32 a.m. Laura isn't over yet for inland western and central Louisiana, according to the National Weather Service's latest update. Damaging winds and flooding rainfall are continuing to spread and move north. Life-threatening storm surge will continue over much of the Louisiana coastline. 8:30 a.m. The lights were on at the Kemah Boardwalk, fish markets were open early for fishermen buying bait and Pine Gully Park in Seabrook was open at sunrise, as usual, in the wake of the storm that didnt materialize in Houstons suburbs. Businesses such as Pier 8 restaurant east of Texas 146 and CVS west of the highway had boarded up windows and laid sandbags in case Hurricane Laura brought her worst. Instead, the Kemah-Seabrook-LaPorte area got little, if any, rain and winds likely didnt top 20 miles an hour. -Reporter Diane Cowen 8:14 a.m. As daylight hit Lake Charles, La., the full extent of the damage from Hurricane Laura became clear. Nearly all of the windows on one side of the city's 22-story Capital One Tower were shattered, social media photos show. Telephone poles in residential neighborhoods were toppled, a communication tower became a heap of twisted metal and roofs were torn off of buildings. 7:59 a.m. Galveston County Judge Mark Henry announced Thursday morning that residents are free to return to their homes. Those who live on the Bolivar Peninsula are asked to wait before trekking back to give road crews more time to clean up debris. 7:52 a.m. Following days of warnings and calls to take Laura seriously, Houston and Harris County awoke to a typical late August day Thursday, virtually unscathed by the category 4 hurricanes overnight landfall in western Louisiana, reports the Chronicle's Zach Despart and Dylan McGuinness. The city and county saw occasional wind gusts of about 20 miles per hour but did not experience any of Hurricane Lauras more damaging effects, officials said. The National Weather Service said it had no reports of storm damage in Houston as of 6:30 a.m. The only noticeable effect was the occasional wind, according to Janice Maldonado, a meteorologist with the agency. Houstons Office of Emergency Management, which activated to maximum readiness in advance of the storm, began sending workers home overnight as the storm passed. 7:48 a.m. Hurricane Laura landed as a near-Category 5 hurricane just before 1 a.m. Thursday in southwest Louisiana's Cameron County, knocking out power for more than 513,000 people and destroying buildings as it swept through the south. About four hours after landfall, the storm's wind downgraded to 110 mph, a Category 2 level. It will continue to lose speed Thursday, even as the region remains under hurricane, tornado and flood watches, according to the National Hurricane Center. Experts put Laura among the top 10 most powerful hurricanes to hit the U.S. The storm is also the strongest hurricane on record to hit this part of the Gulf coast, with wind speeds that reached nearly 150 mph before landfall, according to Space City Weather. -Reporter Currie Engel 7:45 a.m. Houston saw occasional wind gusts of about 20 miles per hour but did not experience any of Hurricane Lauras more damaging effects, officials said. The National Weather Service said it had no reports of storm damage in Houston as of 6:30 a.m., according to Janice Maldonado, a meteorologist with the agency. Houstons Office of Emergency Management, which activated to maximum readiness in advance of the storm, began sending workers home overnight as the storm passed. From my understanding, Houston was pretty much spared, said Cory Stottlemyer, spokesman for the agency. About 330 CenterPoint customers in the metro area do not have power, but the company said that was standard for its system. Maldonado said there remains a possibility of scattered thunderstorms and rain showers Thursday afternoon, as the outer bands of the hurricane make their way through the region. Also, it is expected to be hot and humid. The heat index in Houston could reach to between 102 and 107 degrees, Maldonado said. -Reporter Dylan McGuinness 7:20 a.m. Damaging winds and flooding rainfall spread inland through western and central Louisiana around 7 a.m. Thursday as Hurricane Laura moved north at 15 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. The hurricane was still producing winds of 100 mph, but it was expected to continue weakening and degrade into a tropical storm later Thursday. Laura was located 20 miles north of Fort Polk, La., around 7 a.m. A storm surge warning remains in place from High Island to the mouth of the Mississippi River. A hurricane warning for the same area was downgraded to a tropical storm warning, officials said. The storm is expected to dump 6 to 12 inches of rainfall on parts of Louisiana, Mississippi and Arkansas. Flash flooding in those areas is expected. 6:40 a.m. First responders in eastern Chambers County on Wednesday morning woke to find crisis averted. Outside, there was a light wind, no rain. It was dark. They had prepared for the worst, staging their boats and high water vehicles in Anahuac and Winnie. They had braced for flooding and high winds, strongly encouraging residents in low-lying areas to evacuate. But Hurricane Laura had tracked far enough East to spare them: deputies all night were able to stay out keeping watch, with winds never exceeding the 40 miles per hour that they expected might bump them off the road. Water rescue crews from Austin and San Antonio, part of Texas A&M TEEX, packed up belongings in the hurricane-proof cafeteria where they spent the night. There were others elsewhere to help. --Emily Foxhall 6:30 a.m. Nearly 70,000 more outages were reported as residents in Texas and Louisiana awoke on Thursday. Total power outages reported by The Weather Channel hit near 513,000. The Lake Charles area is currently seeing 8 feet of water due to storm surges. 6:15 a.m. Power outages across the region now reaching 440,000 for Texas and Louisiana as wind speeds continue to decrease and now clock in around 105 mph. 6 a.m. Even after officials urged residents to evacuate coastal areas of southwest Louisiana, some did not, the Associated Press reports. Now, the president of Calcasieu Parish's police jury is saying he is getting calls asking for aid, but knows rescue teams won't be able to get to work until later in the morning once the storm has passed. The parish is experiencing a lot of structural damage, especially in Lake Charles, where winds are still about 50 mph. The same report suggests that around 150 people did not evacuate the Cameron Parish area. The full extent of injuries will likely remain uncertain until recovery teams are able to start rescue and recovery efforts in a few hours. The Weather Channel suggested later in the morning that there had been reports of some injuries due to flying glass. 5:15 a.m. The Weather Channel is reporting that around 415,000 people across Texas and Louisiana are now without power as areas continue to face storm surges. Calcasieu Parish in Louisiana is currently facing rising water levels around six feet. Meteorologists are saying it is unlikely that the Lake Charles area will see the fully predicted 15 feet of storm surge. 5 a.m. Hurricane Laura has now further downgraded to a Category 2 hurricane four hours after making landfall, now logging 110 mph winds. Hurricane warnings remain in effect for much of southern Louisiana. Areas to the east and west of Freeport are still on alert for coastal flood warnings as storm surges and rain continue. Portions of Arkansas are also on flood watch and some areas are likely to experience power outages, as well. Water levels from storm surges in Lake Charles have caused water to rise over four feet in the past two hours, according to reports from CNN. 4:57 a.m. Houston Metro has said they plan to continue service Thursday morning with some adjustments to route schedules. Riders are asked to monitor Metro's social media pages for up-to-date information. 4:35 a.m. Tornado and hail warnings continue for areas of Louisiana including Franklin, Jeanerette, and Baldwin. 3:47 a.m. As Laura continues northward, sustained winds drop to 120 mph, downgrading the hurricane to Category 3 level winds. The hurricane is expected to downgrade further to a tropical storm later Thursday. Several storm surge warnings and tropical storm watches are discontinued for areas of eastern Texas. Laura will keep traveling across southwestern Louisiana early Thursday, moving across the state throughout the day. The storm is expected to move over Arkansas Thursday night before passing through the mid-Mississippi Valley on Friday, and moving towards the mid-Atlantic on Saturday, the National Hurricane Center reported. Outages across Louisiana have reached nearly 280K power outages, according to The Weather Channel. Storm surge flooding will continue as the hurricane continues passing through. 3:25 a.m. The Weather Channel reports that nearly 250K in Louisiana alone are now without power as Lake Charles starts reporting wind gusts around 133.5 mph as they head into the deeper parts of the second eyewall. Howling winds and broken glass in the Lake Charles area demonstrate the extreme impact and strength of this storm. 3:10 a.m. Laura's wind speeds have decreased to 130 mph even as the storm continues moving northward. Cameron, Louisiana is still reporting gusts up to 117 mph as the storm's southern eyewall passes, according to the National Hurricane Center. 3:02 a.m. As power outages across Louisiana and Texas reach around 170K, some areas may experience outages for weeks. Entergy Texas suggested in a news release that the storm's intensity in addition to necessary COVID-19 precautions may result in some delays in restoration of power. The Houston district's Department of Transportation is offering support for areas affected by Laura. 2:53 a.m. Louisiana Gov. Edwards closed Interstate 10 from outside of Lafayette all the way into part of Texas after several stretches are expected to face dangerous levels of flooding. 2:40 a.m. Reports from Orange, Texas, suggest that power is out across the whole city. Orange is the easternmost city in Texas, and has had a mandatory evacuation order in effect since early Tuesday. "Those choosing to stay and face this very dangerous storm must understand that rescue efforts cannot and will not begin until after storm and surge has passed and it is safe to do so," Louisiana's Vermilion Parish Sheriff's Office wrote in a Facebook post Wednesday ahead of the storm. The office emphasized the mandatory evacuation measures for residents. The post also urged people choosing to stay to write their name, address, social security number and name for next of kin and put the information in a ziploc bag in their pocket. 2:32 a.m. Tornado warnings are in effect for Iberia, St Martin and St. Mary in Louisiana until 3 a.m. Louisiana Gov. Edwards to close Interstate 10 from outside of Lafayette all the way into part of Texas, because several stretches within that area are expected to flood due to Hurricane Laura. 2:28 a.m. On Wednesday, Citizen airmen with the 136th Airlift Wing lent a hand, bringing supplies to Beaumont ahead of Laura's landfall. They delivered about 2,400 pounds of water and 500 pounds of cots and sleeping bags throughout the day-- all of which will come in handy as power outages continue across the region. 2 a.m. Hurricane Laura is now moving at wind speeds of 140 mph, down about 10 mph from when it made landfall an hour ago. Texas power outages reach over 45,000 as strong winds continue. The National Ocean Service tide station in Calcasieu Pass in Louisiana is observing over 9 feet of rising water levels, according to the National Hurricane Center. As of 2 a.m., Laura was about 40 miles east of Port Arthur. 1:30 a.m. Power outages have begun in areas of eastern Texas and Louisiana. Over 100,000 are without power in Louisiana already, and more are expected as Laura continues on her path. 1:23 a.m. As Lake Charles approaches the eye of the storm, meteorologists record 128 mph winds. Extreme wind warnings are in effect until at least 3 a.m. 1:06 a.m. Galveston and High Island have been put on tropical storm alert. Galveston remains about 100 miles east-southeast of the storm, and High Island is about 85 miles east-southeast, according to the National Weather Service. Beaumont has been projected to miss the western eyewall, but Orange and Port Arthur still may be hit. The storm is continuing to move inland at 15 mph with 150 mph winds. Tropical Storm Warnings have been cancelled for Fort Bend, Grimes, Madison and Waller counties. 1 a.m. The center of Laura's eye makes landfall in Cameron, Louisiana, along the state's southwest coastline. The storm was just 7 mph shy of a Category 5 hurricane when it made landfall, with a 20 to 30-mile wide eye. As the storm keeps moving inland, the eyewall also approaches Orange, Texas. 12:38 a.m. American Airlines issued a statement regarding their travel alert for Hurricane Laura. With several airports along the Gulf affected by the storm, travelers whose plans are impacted can rebook without change fees. They're also adding reduced, last-minute prices for customers in cities that are impacted by Hurricane Laura. 12:00 a.m. Lauras northern eyewall is moving over Cameron Parish, Louisiana, according to the National Hurricane Center. Sustained wind speeds are currently reported about 84 mph with gusts of 110 mph. A hurricane's landfall is considered to be the place where the eye of the storm first passes over land, so meteorologists await the hurricane's exact positioning as it heads inland. The Texas Department of Transportation in Beaumont reported that the Rainbow and Veterans Bridge access points in Port Arthur and Orange have been closed as a result of unsafe wind speeds. BRACING FOR LAURA: On patrol in Chambers County: 'Its blowing out here' Laura is still about 40 miles south of Lake Charles and 45 miles southeast of Port Arthur. 11:37 p.m. As Galveston Bay reaches high tide, tides are already 3 feet higher than normal, according to John Wayne Ferguson, a senior reporter at The Daily News in Galveston. 11:24 p.m. Texas Storm Chasers catalogued wind speeds at or above 160 mph from their perch in a parking garage in Lake Charles, which would suggest Laura has hit a Category 5 level. As they broadcast live from YouTube, the storm chasers video shows a large buffeting Wendys sign, an indication of wind strength before the hurricane makes landfall. 11:15 p.m. As Laura's eyewall nears the Louisiana coastline, the Lake Charles area issued an extreme wind warning. As of their 11 p.m. briefing, the National Weather Service expects Laura to touch down in Cameron Parish in southwest Louisiana. Wind speeds remain around 150 mph. 11 p.m. State Highway 87 on the Bolivar Peninsula is currently impassable, according to a tweet from the Galveston County Office of Emergency Management. Ferries are also no longer running, which means travel to and from the island is no longer possible as Hurricane Laura hurtles towards the coast. (Photo : Downloaded from Getty Images) Green Keeper Africa, a startup from Benin, developed a way to reduce the rapid growth of water hyacinth, an invasive species, and clean up oil spills at the same time. The company's solution also generated jobs for many locals. In the late 1800s, water hyacinth was introduced to Africa's lands from South America. The floating aquatic plant has broad green leaves with beautiful light purple flowers. In Benin and other parts of Africa, the abundance of water hyacinth clogs lakes and waterways. The destruction of ecosystems due to the weeds also have an economic impact by getting in the way of the locals' livelihoods. During the rainy season, the weeds prevent floodwaters from flowing through irrigation canals and into the rivers. They also intrude on the fragile ecosystems of mangrove forests, which are necessary for preventing floods and soil degradation when sea levels rise. Since 2014, Green Keep Africa has been using the water hyacinth to create a fibrous substance that can be used to clean up oil spills. Commercial director Genevieve Yehounme said, 'First, to take out the plant from the environment. And second, to provide an absorbent that could be used to control industrial pollution.' Processing the Weeds The company gathers weeds from Lake Nokoue where the water hyacinth has been a disturbance to the local communities. The livelihood of many locals relies on fishing, which 'is jeopardized because of water hyacinth,' said Yehounme. Massive amounts of water hyacinth create thick mats of weeds that overtake fishing zones and block the sunlight and oxygen that fish need. After harvesting the plant, the hyacinth is dried out and broken down into a loose fiber they call GKSORB. The fiber can then be used to stuff bags, pillows, and socks. These products are used as emergency spill kits that can soak up to 58 gallons of liquid, including oil. Puma Energy Benin and other oil and gas companies purchase these products, shared the company. The fiber is an eco-friendly alternative to cleaning up spills on the land and in water. READ: Oil Drilling Will Continue in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Cleaning Up Oil Spills They are also useful for cleaning up oil spills. In the recent Mauritius oil spill, people all over the world donated hair to help with the clean-up, since fibers best absorb oil. Also, some sorbents are synthetic, which are harmful to the environment despite oil spills being cleaned up. The fiber used to absorb oil spills are also disposed of properly since Green Keeper Africa works with a partner that burns the oil-soaked stacks. As the stacks are incinerated, the energy is used to power a cement kiln. Yehounme explained that the company does not want to 'bury the waste, so we make sure that the loop is closed from raw material to the destruction of the waste.' There are also social benefits of Green Keeper Africa's use of water hyacinth by creating jobs. More than 1,000 people from local villages (80% are women) have been hired to harvest the plant. The company hopes to expand its environmental and social impact to nearby countries which has been postponed due to the pandemic. READ: Bunkering Activity in Algoa Bay Are a Major Threat to African Penguin Populations Check out more news and information on Oil Spills on Science Times. Stacker counts down the most intelligent pups based on research published by Stanley Coren in his 2006 "The Intelligence of Dogs." The requested page is currently unavailable on this server. Back to [RTHK News Homepage] Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-28 03:15:28|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIRUT, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab on Thursday launched a platform to ensure transparency in dealing with the donations following the deadly blasts in Beirut. The Donor Coordination Platform, the first of its kind on the governmental level, will optimize the synchronization among donors, improve responsiveness and ensure transparency, said a statement issued by the government. "From the moment Lebanon started receiving aid and support, I was clear on the need for transparency to declare everything that is received, and how it is distributed," Diab said at a meeting held to launch the platform. This platform, which is being continuously updated, "will be key to success for both humanitarian and recovery components of the response," Diab was quoted as saying. Ambassadors and representatives from over 40 countries as well as international organizations including the United Nations, European Union and World Bank, attended the meeting. Two huge explosions rocked Port of Beirut on Aug. 4, killing at least 183 people and wounding around 6,000 others. The explosions prompted several countries and international organizations and agencies to send all kinds of donations to help Lebanon cope with the repercussions of the disaster. Enditem Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden on Thursday laid blame on Republican President Donald Trump for the way the coronavirus pandemic and racial strife have spread across the United States. "The problem we have right now is we`re in Donald Trump`s America," Biden said on MSNBC in his first public reaction to this week`s Republican convention, where speakers have alleged a Biden administration would produce chaos and disorder. "He just keeps pouring fuel on the fire. He`s encouraging this. He`s not diminishing it at all. This is his America now," Biden said, as the campaign heats up ahead of the Nov. 3 election. "If you want to end where we are now, we`ve got to end his tenure as president." His comments come as Trump prepares to unleash a blistering attack on Biden, who served two terms as vice president under Trump`s Democratic predecessor, Obama Barack. "We have spent the last four years reversing the damage Joe Biden inflicted," Trump is expected to say Thursday night, according to excerpts of his remarks. Trump in recent weeks has stepped up his verbal attacks on protests - largely peaceful but marked with pockets of arson and looting - in which Americans have voiced their anger at police shootings of Black men, including Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Sunday. Democrats have dismissed Trump`s focus on "law and order" as an attempt to distract from his slow response to the coronavirus pandemic. In his interview, Biden countered that "the biggest safety issue is all the people dying from COVID," referring to the COVID-19 disease caused by the novel coronavirus, which has caused the world`s highest death toll of 180,000 in the United States. "More people have died on this president`s watch than just about any time in American history on a daily basis," Biden said. "COVID is out of control." The Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council is set to discuss the single-point agenda of compensation to states. The meeting would try to reach a consensus on the issue of market borrowing to solve the compensation problem. According to the GST law, the Centre is expected to pay compensation to states for the states' loss of revenues because of subsuming of taxes. However, due to a slowdown that the Indian economy was facing even before COVID-19 happened, and the consequent slowing of revenues led to delayed payments to states. The outbreak of COVID-19 and the nationwide lockdown imposed to tackle it, brought economic activities to a standstill. This has exacerbated the compensation issue so much so that the Centre now is not in a position to compensate states if the current method of calculation has to be followed. Why should the Centre pay states? Under the GST law, states were guaranteed to be paid for any loss of revenue in the first five years of the GST implementation from July 1, 2017. The shortfall is calculated assuming a 14 percent annual growth in GST collections by states over the base year of 2015-16. States are promised compensation for any revenue shortfall till 2022, in case they go below the 14 percent annual growth since the GST rollout in 2017. After the implementation of GST, states lost the ability to raise revenues as most were subsumed under GST. Revenue would now be collected in states where goods and services were being consumed instead of states where it was being produced. This change led to states facing revenue uncertainty. And to address this issue, the GST (Compensation to States) Act was enacted in 2017 on the recommendation of the GST Council. A GST compensation cess on certain luxury and sin goods such as cigarettes and tobacco products, pan masala, caffeinated beverages, coal, and certain passenger vehicles is levied by the Centre. According to the GST Act, the Centre has to credit this cess revenue into a separate Compensation Fund. All compensation grants to states are required to be paid out of the money available in this fund. Why has the Centre delayed payments? In 2019-20, passenger vehicles sales fell by as much as 18 percent. Coal offtake from domestic coal companies reduced by nearly 5 percent on year. Thus, cess collections grew by 0.4 percent in 2019-20. But the compensation requirements of states increased by 104 percent, resulting in a shortfall of funds of nearly Rs 70,000 crore. The states faced a delay in payment of compensation as Centre did not have sufficient funds. The funds raised by levying a compensation cess on the sale of certain goods, was affected by the economic slowdown. How will Centre pay states then? The 2020-21 Budget estimated a 10 percent growth in nominal GDP. But the outbreak of Covid-19 and the lockdown imposed to contain it, the actual growth in 2020-21 is being projected to be much lower. The GST revenue of states would also be much lower than expected, thus leading to a higher compensation requirement. But the Centre would be able to pay compensation demands depending on the cess collected, which are also expected to be hit this fiscal. One of the measures being considered to compensate states adequately is through market borrowing which would be repaid through future cess collections. To do this, the GST Council can recommend levying of cess beyond the five year period - after June 2022. The other options before the council could be to rationalise GST rates, cover more items under the compensation cess or increase the compensation cess, or recommend higher borrowing by states to be repaid by the future collection into the compensation fund. Can states take Centre to court? The law mandates that the Centre should compensate states for revenue shortfall, making the central government legally liable. States have warned that if the Centre fails to honour the commitment, they would have no option but to take it to court. The Centre had in March sought views from Attorney General K K Venugopal on the legality of market borrowing by the GST Council to make up for any shortfall in compensation fund - a corpus created from levying compensation cess on luxury and sin goods to compensate states for the loss of revenue on account of their taxes being subsumed into GST. The attorney general opined that the Centre has no statutory obligation to make up for any shortfall in GST revenues of states from its coffers. Earlier in August, Finance Secretary Ajay Bhushan Pandeyinformed the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance that the government was in no position to pay the GST share of states in keeping with the current revenue sharing formula. Has the Centre paid states for FY 2019-20? On July 27, the central government released more than Rs 1.65 lakh crore as GST compensation to states for 2019-20 financial year, including Rs 13,806 crore for March. The total amount of compensation released for 2019-20 is Rs 1.65 lakh crore, whereas the amount of cess collected during the year was Rs 95,444 crore. How many retail, food, and service establishments are there on the streets of New York City? How about Evanston, Illinois? Or Sacramento, California? It turns out the amount of urban street commerce is strikingly related to population size. The biggest metro areas in the U.S. have one retail, food, or service establishment for roughly every 120 people, while the smallest metro areas have roughly one for every 100 people. Store clusters also tend to occur in predictable spatial patterns -- with typically a few large clusters of stores, notably more medium-size clusters, and a lot of smaller neighborhood clusters, located at fairly predictable distances from each other. And store types are strongly affected by how often we visit them: There is one restaurant for every 445 people in U.S. cities and towns, but it takes around 13,000 people to support a bookstore in a typical U.S. metro area. Of course, there are limits to these regularities. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, has twice as many businesses as most places its size (thanks to tourists), while Brownsville, Texas, has many fewer. And plenty of neighborhoods within big cities either surprisingly lack shopping amenities or lose them over time. In short, while urban commerce has clear patterns, it is still unpredictable and depends heavily on local conditions -- including policies and planning. Enter MIT Associate Professor Andres Sevtsuk, whose new book, "Street Commerce: Creating Vibrant Urban Sidewalks," published by the University of Pennsylvania Press, digs into the science of commerce and examines salient cases about sustaining main streets, from the U.S. and beyond, including London, Singapore, and Tallinn, Estonia. While the book's research was completed before the Covid-19 pandemic hit, the empirical principles detailed in the book should apply to the rebuilding of street commerce after the pandemic as well. "We now have the spatial science for understanding where retail clusters work and where they will do well," says Sevtsuk, the Charles and Ann Spaulding Career Development Associate Professor of Urban Science and Planning in MIT's Department of Urban Studies and Planning. "However, this knowledge is not really absorbed into practice very much. City governments often still zone for commerce not really based on evidence about where it would work best." Where people encounter each other In the book, Sevtsuk also makes the case that lively shopping areas do more than provide access to goods and services: They are civic and social spaces where people mingle and gain access to opportunities. "Commercial clusters are one of the few remaining places in contemporary cities where diverse sets of people can encounter each other," Sevtsuk says. "So they're also important venues for community building and for democracy. ... We encounter people of different incomes, classes, races, and interests along main streets, which helps us establish new social connections and better understand the society around us." And when retail clusters include locally owned businesses, Sevtsuk notes, "they really feed the local economy more than big box stores." Spending at a local business, rather than a chain store, keeps more money in the local economy, because local establishments source more of their own supplies and services locally. Convenient commercial streets, whether accessible on foot or by public transport, also help cities tackle climate change and emissions. Because over two-thirds of all trips people make are for commercial, social, recreational, and family purposes, walkable commerce lowers our carbon footprint, Sevtsuk notes: "The more errands and social activities we can complete without having to drive, the more sustainable and energy-efficient our cities will be." And yet only about 15 percent of Americans live within a 15-minute walk of a cluster of amenities. (Another 56 percent are within 3 miles of one.) In order to capture the social, economic, and environmental benefits that vibrant street commerce has to offer, cities should consciously plan and support street commerce, and not just in exurban malls, Sevtsuk argues. Just like transit-oriented development has become a widely accepted model, amenity-oriented development should too. In the book, Sevtsuk suggests a number of strategies and tactics to support and grow main streets, emphasizing novel policy tools like affordable commercial space requirements for new developments, which apply the lessons learned from affordable housing requirements. For one thing, successful store clusters are more likely to crop up around spots of unusually good accessibility, such as street corners and intersections for small neighborhood clusters. Clusters of establishments are also more likely to develop at places that welcome them architecturally, featuring walkable streets that are easy to cross and ground floors of buildings that can be easily converted to retail spaces. And neighborhood clusters often benefit from larger anchor businesses like supermarkets, which produce a lot of foot traffic -- something MIT's Kendall Square Initiative has encouraged. "It is often to everyone's benefit to have a good supermarket or otherwise frequently attended establishment on the corner," Sevtsuk says. "Anchors produce a positive ripple effect on nearby stores." Anchors are what Sevtsuk calls "complementary" to most neighboring stores, but having multiple groceries in close proximity rarely works, because they compete with each other. However, some thriving clusters do feature businesses that compete with each other, where proximity gives customers more choice and thereby attracts a larger clientele. Restaurants, clothing stores, bookstores, or antique stores, are often found shoulder to shoulder in competitive clusters that make all stores better off. Public transit access, surrounding building density, and mixed land uses also help store clusters thrive, according to Sevtsuk. "Density is a real friend for commerce, though mostly people think about density in a negative way -- having to share space and amenities with more people," Sevtsuk says. "But density sustains amenities. And for retail clusters to work, we do not need a uniform swath of density everywhere, but rather local density, immediately along commercial streets and transit corridors." Planning for a rebound "Street Commerce" has been praised by urban studies scholars; Ed Glaeser of Harvard University says it "provides an invaluable guide to the present and future of urban retail" and "reminds us that modern cities are built around gains from trade." And while Sevtsuk's work precedes the Covid-19 pandemic, he acknowledges the hardship it has had on business. "I really feel for these business owners at the moment and I think inevitably we are going to have huge turnover, shops going out of business, new stores coming in, with a different retail market and different main streets emerging," Sevtsuk says. Still, he notes, retailers have defied predictions of doom before, such as those involving e-commerce. Instead of vanishing, stores offering a richer customer experience have tended to thrive -- and the balance of street business has tilted a bit more toward services and food establishments. Ultimately Sevtsuk thinks there are several major lessons about helping street commerce flourish. There is no one-size-fits-all template for cities and towns, since each has a unique population, urban form, and history. Some are denser, some have better public transit, and some have long-established patterns of commerce that remain influential. But the same broad economic, organizational and spatial principles influence store patterns everywhere. Street commerce flourishes when city governments, civil society organizations and developers alike support and cherish it. But while a corporation such as Starbucks has its own dedicated resources to identify good store locations and suitable building types, and to detect contemporary clustering dynamics, towns and cities typically do not. For that reason, Sevtsuk hopes policymakers and town officials can absorb the lessons of research and apply them to their own locales. "There are certainly many things that a public official or planner can do to nudge the course of street commerce and support it," Sevtsuk says. "If there is one good lesson from cities where street commerce has been successfully introduced, bolstered, or reinvented, or where the forces of gentrification have been equitably balanced, it is that successful street commerce almost never emerges or survives as a result of pure market forces alone. Good street commerce usually also represents the fruits of conscious planning choices." ### Written by Peter Dizikes, MIT News Office Additional background Book: "Street Commerce: Creating Vibrant Urban Sidewalks" https://www.upenn.edu/pennpress/book/16100.html A Texas meteorologist reporting on Hurricane Laura was live on the air just before the arrival of the monstrous Category 4 storm when a transformer attached to electrical power lines blew up, causing quite a scare. Justin Horne of San Antonio-based KSAT-TV was doing a live shot from the coastal town of Orange, Texas, near the border with Louisiana late on Wednesday before Hurricane Laura made landfall. Horne started reporting amid fierce wind gusts and heavy rain when a loud explosion was heard a few feet behind him. The blast created a bolt of blue light, prompting Horne to quickly move out of the way. He was not hurt. Thats not good, Horne said as he moved away from the power lines. Were gonna get out of the way of that. Justin Horne, a meteorologist for San Antonio-based KSAT-TV, was reporting live late on Wednesday from Orange, Texas, a coastal town near the border with Louisiana just before Hurricane Laura made landfall During his report, a loud explosion took place just a few feet away near damaged powerlines The image above shows a startled Horne begin to move out of the way immediately after the blast Thats not good, Horne said as he moved away from the power lines. Were gonna get out of the way of that. Horne later tweeted that the explosion was caused by a faulty transformer Initially, there were fears that the explosion was caused by falling power lines. But Horne posted a tweet early on Thursday morning clarifying that the transformer exploded. Hurricane Laura made landfall early on Thursday in southwestern Louisiana as one of the most powerful storms to hit the state, shattering glass windows and tearing roofs off buildings in Lake Charles as it moved northward to drench the inland. Residents of Lake Charles, Louisiana, heard Lauras winds howling and the sound of breaking glass throughout the night as the storm passed through the city of 78,000 with winds of 85 miles per hour and gusts up to 128 mph, in the hour after landfall. The windows of the citys 22-floor Capital One Tower were blown out, street signs were toppled and pieces of wooden fences and debris from collapsed buildings lay in the streets, video footage on Twitter and Snapchat showed. Laura made landfall just before 1am as a Category 4 storm packing winds of 150 mph in the small town of Cameron, Louisiana, the National Hurricane Center said. It rapidly weakened to a Category 2 storm Thursday morning with maximum sustained winds of 100 mph, and was forecast to become a tropical storm later in the day. However, the NHC warned that the threat of possibly deadly storm surge would continue along the Louisiana coast as Laura moved north and then northeast. The area where Laura made landfall in Cameron Parish has a population of just under 7,000 and is home to a national wildlife refuge. The marshland there is particularly vulnerable to the storm surge of ocean water. This is one of the strongest storms to impact that section of coastline, said David Roth, a National Weather Service forecaster. We worry about that storm surge going so far inland there because its basically all marshland north to Interstate 10. There is little to stop the water. Meteorologist Justin Horne of KSAT-TV in San Antonio is seen above Department of Homeland Security acting Secretary Chad Wolf told Fox News on Thursday that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) had pre-positioned teams throughout Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia to respond as the sun rose. The next 48 hours are really going to be critical from a life safety standpoint, Wolf said. Almost 800,000 homes and businesses in Louisiana and Texas were without power Thursday, and local utilities in the storms path warned the outage numbers would certainly climb as the storm marched inland. The eastern coastal counties of Texas that had braced for the worst were largely spared Lauras rage. Galvestons acting mayor, Craig Brown, told MSNBC he was canceling the island citys evacuation on Thursday after the storm turned more toward Louisiana and was offering emergency support to communities hit harder to the east. Beaumont, Texas, Mayor Becky Ames told MSNBC the situation there was manageable. About 620,000 people were under mandatory evacuation orders in Louisiana and Texas on Wednesday. Texas Governor Greg Abbott said on Thursday that between 5,000 and 10,000 people had evacuated in his state. A Lake Charles police officer helps clear the streets in the downtown area after Hurricane Laura passed through on August 27, 2020 in Lake Charles, Louisiana . The hurricane hit with powerful winds causing extensive damage to the city A street is seen strewn with debris and downed power lines after Hurricane Laura passed through Lake Charles, Louisiana, on Thursday Reginald Duhon prepares to work at his home on Thursday in Lake Charles, Louisiana, after Hurricane Laura moved through the state People walk past a destroyed building after the passing of Hurricane Laura in Lake Charles, Louisiana on Thursday Hurricane Laura smashed into Texas and Louisiana as a Category 4 with 150mph winds, bringing devastation and leaving 500,000 without power early Thursday morning Laura could spawn tornadoes on Thursday over Louisiana, Arkansas and western Mississippi, and was expected to drop 6 to 12 inches of rain over the region, the NHC said. Besides threatening life, the storm was barreling toward the heart of the US oil industry, forcing oil rigs and refineries to shut down production. The oil-refining town of Port Arthur was just west of where Laura made landfall. The city of 54,000 was a ghost town late on Wednesday, with just a couple of gas stations and a liquor store open for business. Just hours before Laura smashed into the coast, Port Arthur resident Eric Daw hustled to fill up his car on his way to a shelter in San Antonio. There, instead of worrying about the storm, he was concerned with avoiding exposure to the coronavirus, echoing the concerns of many others. They say we are all supposed to socially distance now, he said. But how am I supposed to socially distance in a shelter? A woman in upstate New York admitted to spitting on a letter carrier. Reuters A Buffalo, New York woman pleaded guilty to assaulting a United States Postal Service employee, the US Department of Justice announced Wednesday. Prosecutors say the woman, Melissa Daniels-Johnson, threatened to infect a letter carrier with COVID-19 and spat on him. Daniels-Johnson faces up to one year in prison and a $100,000 fine. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. A Buffalo, New York woman pleaded guilty to assaulting a United States Postal Service employee by spitting on him and threatening to give him COVID-19, the US Attorney's Office for the Western District of New York announced on Wednesday. Prosecutors said the incident began around 6:50 p.m. on March 19, when Melissa Daniels-Johnson, 39, entered the parking lot of the Cheektowaga Branch Post Office through the exit driveway. A letter carrier gathering mail from the mailboxes in the parking lot told Daniels-Johnson she'd entered the wrong way, prosecutors said, after which Daniels-Johnson "shouted profanities at the letter carrier and threatened to cough on him to give him the coronavirus." The branch's manager walked outside to calm the situation, according to prosecutors, and Daniels-Johnson then drove out of the parking lot. Prosecutors said on her way out, Daniels-Johnson passed the letter carrier once again and stopped her vehicle, telling the carrier that her husband would beat him up and then spitting on him, hitting him in the leg. The guilty plea comes amid an increased spotlight on the US Postal Service at a national level, ranging from its current funding crisis, operational changes, and health concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic to attacks on mail-in voting from US President Donald Trump. Daniels-Johnson's guilty plea to assaulting a federal officer carries a maximum penalty of one year in prison, along with a $100,000 fine. Read the original article on Business Insider Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 27) A lawmaker has filed a bill seeking a bigger share of national taxes for local government units. Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez announced on Thursday that he has filed House Bill 7430 which seeks to increase the share of provinces, cities, towns, and barangays from taxes collected by the national government. This share is called internal revenue allotments (IRAs). The bill, filed on August 19, seeks to amend provisions of the Republic Act 7160 or the Local Government Code of 1991. It's not clear when the proposal will be tackled. Rodriguez, chair of the House committee on constitutional amendments, has been considering the inclusion of larger IRAs for localities, along with other Charter change proposals previously recommended by his panel. He said his panel will follow the House leadership's suggestion to postpone deliberations on constitutional change proposals to January or February next year. However, he said a bigger IRA would entail a better COVID-19 response on a local scale. At this time of a prolonged Covid-19 pandemic, more than any time in history, our LGUs (local government units) need more funds to take care of the health and economic needs of their constituents. The resources of the LGUs are fast drying up because of this pandemic, he said in a statement. The proposed measure will reflect the recent ruling of the Supreme Court in the Mandanas case which "widened the base amounts" for computing IRA, and can potentially allow LGUs to have more money "for development purposes, he said. The Department of Finance is currently limiting the share of LGUs from national taxes to levies collected by the Bureau of Internal Revenue. Under the bill, national taxes to be used as base for computing IRA will cover the following: National internal revenue taxes enumerated in Section 21 of the National Internal Revenue Code collected by the BIR and the Bureau of Customs. Tariff and customs duties collected by the Bureau of Customs. 50 percent of value added taxes in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Muslim Region in Mindanao and 30 percent of all other national taxes collected in such region. 60 percent of all national taxes raised from the exploitation and development of the national wealth. 85 percent of excise taxes from locally manufactured Virginia-type cigarettes and other tobacco products. Five percent of the 25-franchise tax on horse races. Provinces will share 23 percent of IRA, cities will receive another 23 percent, towns will get 34 percent, while barangays will be allocated 20 percent. In July, House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano addressed the plea of some municipal mayors to start revising the Constitution and agreed that the proposal will pave the way for economic federalism. However, he noted that it is not the current priority of the House due to the crisis. Its a website for fellow daydreamers. Born from a desire to know more about a new town before packing up and leaving, and from the mobility that working from home during COVID-19 offers, new website Ninety minutes from Toronto maps out 55 towns and cities outside Toronto along with everything you could want to know about them. The site is the brainchild of Audra Williams and her partner, Haritha Gnanaratna. The pair often take day trips to smaller towns throughout southern Ontario and fantasize: about a new life, in a new town, in an affordable home. During a picnic in Paris, Ont., Williams looked up the towns demographic data and found the population was 97 per cent white. Having had experiences in places that maybe Haritha didnt quite feel as comfortable, theres lots to keep in mind, she said. Over three months, Williams committed to sourcing demographic information, voting patterns, the existence of public transit and average housing prices for 55 communities across southern Ontario. For at least one month, she worked out exactly what information she wanted to feature. Each town or city has its own profile on the website with a link to local activities, the existence of hiking trails or a waterfront, whether the town celebrates pride or has an LGBTQ-friendly church, and whether there is evidence of support for the Black Lives Matter movement. And, yes, each of the places mapped is within a 90-minute radius of Toronto. To the best of her knowledge, the information is correct, Williams said. But shes also encouraging people to do their own research and help keep her work up to date or make corrections. Williams pulled the data largely from census reports, as well as Google searches of each town. Im trying to present the data in as many ways as possible, she said, adding that there is a spreadsheet that can be sorted based on the metrics a person is looking for. In the future, she plans to add an interactive element. What was most surprising in the data was that some places turned out to be more diverse than expected, Gnanaratna said. Like Brantford is pretty close to Paris, but twice as diverse. Also it was a positive surprise how many places had Black Lives Matter events. Williams was taken by the vast number of new places she came across, and how many had little downtowns that had bookstores and cafes and so many things that I would look for in choosing a neighbourhood in Toronto. Much of the inspiration for Ninety Minutes came from the pairs day trips and Gnanaratnas experience with being a person of colour in majority-white towns. In the early stages before Audra put all the data together, we would go out and Id be consciously making note of others: There are a few people of colour around here and the town seems nice, Gnanaratna said. But of course thats not a solid statistical footing, because those people could have also just come from Toronto. Price is a motivating factor in deciding where to move to, Gnanaratna said, but I feel like its also really important that youre looking for a community as well. You know, the things that contribute to your quality of life, because you cant sequester yourself at home forever. Gnanaratna said hes lived in Toronto his entire life and the idea of leaving the city feels daunting. But having the data in front of you is just so, so helpful. While the couple loves Toronto and the apartment they share in Parkdale, the pandemic has also meant that jobs are going remote or being eliminated completely. What mostly keeps us in this city is the people that we love and places that we like to go, Williams said. And the people that we love may end up leaving and the places that we like to go may be closed forever. Staying put has become a lot less appealing as a result. With both of their jobs possible to do remotely Williams is a writer and Gnanaratna is working on a recipe book the time to jump to a different city might finally be right. I think its been really normalized to just kind of be elsewhere and so it kind of opens up that possibility of moving, Williams said. While theyre not going to move for another year or so, sourcing the data on what would make a town livable for them has meant taking the idea more seriously. Maybe you dont even really know what youre looking for until you kind of have that data in front of you, Williams said. I just kind of wanted to put it all in one place for people, particularly having done all the research already. Jenna Moon is a breaking news reporter for the Star and is based in Toronto. Follow her on Twitter: @_jennamoon Help.org, a trusted online resource for individuals who struggle with addiction and their loved ones, has announced the Best Rehab Facilities in Grand Junction, Colorado for 2020. The informational guide recognizes the top 3 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 Grand Junction, deaths related to opioid abuse increased significantly from 2011 to 2015. Substance abuse among adolescents is also escalating in Grand Junction 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 Grand Junction. 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 Grand Junction, Colorado please visit https://www.help.org/drug-and-alcohol-rehab-centers-in-grand-junction-co/ 2020 Best Rehab Facilities in Grand Junction, Colorado (in alphabetical order) Alpha Center 1170 Colorado Avenue Grand Junction, CO 81501 970-241-2948 Mesa County Criminal Justice Services Department 650 South Avenue Grand Junction, CO 81501 970-244-3300 Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Program Grand Junction 1235 N. 4th Street Grand Junction, CO 81501 Mens Recovery 970-242-3119 Womens Recovery 970-242-3127 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/. MOUNT PLEASANT, MI - The Central Michigan District Health Department has identified more than 100 likely COVID-19 cases stemming from students returning to Central Michigan Universitys Mount Pleasant campus. The health department found 98 confirmed cases and 8 probable cases, for a total of 106, the agency reported Wednesday, Aug. 26. The health departments numbers include current and former students, as well as community members associated with other cases involving the return of students, according to the release. The university identified 54 new positive cases among students during the week of Monday, Aug. 17, according to its COVID-19 webpage. CMU President Bob Davies, in a letter to the community, apologized for making an appearance at welcome weekend gatherings and encouraged students to practice personal responsibility if they want to be able to stay on campus. Remaining on campus this fall relies on every member of our community accepting the responsibility to protect ourselves and others, Davies said in the letter. Please, do your part to keep yourself and others safe. Davies has asked students to keep wearing masks, social distance and avoid large gatherings, and encouraged them to cooperate with contact tracers if they call. The university has suspended in-person Greek life activities and has threatened to fine and suspend students involved in large gatherings, and the Central Michigan District Health Department has declared a health emergency in Mount Pleasant limiting outdoor gatherings to a maximum of 25 people. Read more: Thursday, Aug. 27, coronavirus data by county: Mid-Michigan county moves to highest risk level Central Michigan University reports 54 students with coronavirus, suspends in-person Greek activities CMU football heroes, coaching legends join Hall of Fame CMU threatens to suspend partying students as coronavirus numbers spike A team of scientists from Cornell University and the University of Pennsylvania has developed a new class of microscopic robots that incorporate semiconductor components, allowing them to be controlled and made to walk with standard electronic signals. The new walking robots are about 5 microns thick, 40 microns wide and between 40 and 70 microns in length. Each consists of a simple circuit made from silicon photovoltaics that essentially functions as the torso and brain and four electrochemical actuators that function as legs. The robots operate with low voltage (200 millivolts) and low power (10 nanowatts), and remain strong and robust for their size. In the context of the robots brains, theres a sense in which were just taking existing semiconductor technology and making it small and releasable, said co-lead author Professor Paul McEuen, of Cornell University. But the legs did not exist before. There were no small, electrically activatable actuators that you could use. So we had to invent those and then combine them with the electronics. Using atomic layer deposition and lithography, Professor McEuen and colleagues constructed the legs from strips of platinum only a few dozen atoms thick, capped on one side by a thin layer of inert titanium. Upon applying a positive electric charge to the platinum, negatively charged ions adsorb onto the exposed surface from the surrounding solution to neutralize the charge. These ions force the exposed platinum to expand, making the strip bend. The ultra-thinness of the strips enables the material to bend sharply without breaking. To help control the 3D limb motion, the scientists patterned rigid polymer panels on top of the strips. The gaps between the panels function like a knee or ankle, allowing the legs to bend in a controlled manner and thus generate motion. The authors control the robots by flashing laser pulses at different photovoltaics, each of which charges up a separate set of legs. By toggling the laser back and forth between the front and back photovoltaics, the robot walks. While these robots are primitive in their function theyre not very fast, they dont have a lot of computational capability the innovations that we made to make them compatible with standard microchip fabrication open the door to making these microscopic robots smart, fast and mass producible, said co-lead author Professor Itai Cohen, also from Cornell University. This is really just the first shot across the bow that, hey, we can do electronic integration on a tiny robot. The team is exploring ways to soup up the robots with more complicated electronics and onboard computation improvements that could one day result in swarms of microscopic robots crawling through and restructuring materials, or suturing blood vessels, or being dispatched en masse to probe large swaths of the human brain. Controlling a tiny robot is maybe as close as you can come to shrinking yourself down, said lead author Dr. Marc Miskin, from the University of Pennsylvania. I think machines like these are going to take us into all kinds of amazing worlds that are too small to see. The teams work was published in the journal Nature. _____ M.Z. Miskin et al. 2020. Electronically integrated, mass-manufactured, microscopic robots. Nature 584, 557-561; doi: 10.1038/s41586-020-2626-9 This article is based on a press-release provided by Cornell University. The foundations of a 5,700-year-old Neolithic house, evidence of Bronze Age burials and Iron Age smelting have been discovered by archaeologists as a result of excavations at the sites of two road realignment projects in Co. Cork. They were unearthed in a total of eight separate excavations carried out after the county council undertook two road realignment projects on the N73 (the main road between Mallow and Mitchelstown) close to the villages of Shanballymore and Kildorrery. On one of the sites, archaeologists discovered the foundations of a Neolithic house dating back to approximately 3,700 BC, which they believe may have belonged to some of the first farming families to inhabit the area. Evidence of iron smelting was also found at the townland of Annakiska South. It's believed it once formed part of a small rural settlement founded by these pioneering early farmers. Pottery, stone tools and grain from the same period were also discovered at the site. It's believed that farming knowledge would only have arrived in Ireland around 200 years before this community was established in the North Cork area. Read More Ilen sets sail on voyage to bring seafaring traditions to the modern age Neolithic settlers were also the first people in Ireland to produce pottery and used distinctive stone tools, examples of which were found at the site. In the townland of Glencor South archaeologists discovered stone tools and pottery deliberately buried in holes during the Middle Neolithic era. They concluded this was some kind of ritual, which may have been associated with human burials, or offering gifts to the 'Gods of the Underworld'. A number of charcoal pits were also discovered of varying ages at some of the sites in the townland of Waterdyke. Charcoal was needed to increase heat in the smelting process for the production of Iron. These sites were dated from 266AD through to 1214AD. Neolithic settlers were also the first people in Ireland to produce pottery and used distinctive stone tools. Evidence of iron smelting was also found at the townland of Annakiska South. Smithy sites were found in both townlands dating back from the time when the road was first constructed in the late 17th century. This suggested that they were set up to look after passing trade along the route, such as shoeing of horses, as well as looking after the needs of the indigenous community by providing metal tools to the mainly farming population. Other discoveries included what archaeologists believe could be a 17th-century enclosure as well as old clay pipes and glass. The story map was created by Ken Hanley, TII project archaeologist, and Ed Lyne, Cork County Council resident archaeologist. Edel Ruttle and Graham Hull were the site excavation directors. Archaeologists also found old clay pipes left behind by the mainly farming population. The results of the archaeologists' work have been published in an 'online story map' by Cork County Council, in conjunction with TII (Transport Infrastructure Ireland). The online mapping site also includes details of previously disclosed archaeology discovered along the route of the new Macroom Ballyvourney road, which is now under construction. Details of both can be found at www.corkcoco.ie/en/news/tales-archaeological-discovery-along-n73-north-cork-bilingual. Rajesh Kumar, who is popularly known for his character of Rosesh from Sarabhai vs Sarabhai, is currently shooting for Star Bharat's show Excuse Me Madam. Reports suggest that the actor has tested positive for Coronavirus. Apparently, the actor had started shooting just a few days ago, and had mentioned that he was taking all safety measures on the sets. However, he has been tested positive for COVID-19. As per India Forum report, the actor is having no symptoms and is under home quarantine. He is being treated at home. Rajesh shared a note on his Instagram story, which read, "I would like to inform my beloved fans and well wishers that I have Asymptomatic positive COVID-19. I am asymptomatic and under home quarantine. I am being taken care of very well. I thank you all for your prayers and good wishes. See you soon in 'Excuse Me Madam' on Star Bharat. Love you all." Of late, there were rumours that Rajesh had quit acting and turned to farming in his home state Bihar. He denied the rumours and said that although he had started farming in his hometown two years ago, he has not quit acting. He is still working and in fact, waiting for the right scripts. In an earlier interview with BT, he spoke about the pandemic and revealed that he was reading scripts and would finalise something soon. He had also expressed his wish of doing more comedy roles in future to entertain viewers. Taking about Excuse Me Madam, it has Divya Drishti actress Nyra Banerjee playing the role of Rajesh's boss while Sucheta Khanna is essaying the role of his wife, who has a constant watch on her husband. Also Read: Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai: Mohsin Khan & Shivangi Joshi Test Negative For COVID-19 Also Read: Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai: After Sachin Tyagi, Swati Chitnis & Samir Onkar Test COVID-19 Positive Health Minister Nelu Tataru told Digi 24 private broadcaster on Thursday that he is expecting the COVID-19 caseload to decrease in Romania but the decrease will be gradual instead of rapid, from one week to the next. "We are expecting a decrease in the case count. Not a very fast one, but it will be a decrease from one week to another. We felt that in the last two weeks, but we have not escaped danger. The conditions remain the same; this pandemic will not be settled in hospitals," said Tataru. He said about 150 to 170 COVID-19 patients are currently mechanically ventilated. "We currently have around 1,050 fully equipped COVID intensive care beds, dedicated to COVID pathology. We have up to 500 cases daily in this intensive care unit and up to 150-170 cases requiring invasive mechanical ventilation," said Tataru. AGERPRES . 27.08.2020 LISTEN Yaw Dabie Appiah-Mensah, a leading member of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) has showered praises on First Lady Mrs Rebecca Akufo-Addo for her outstanding role at improving maternal and child health in the country in the last few years. He described as unparalleled the contributions of the First Lady as well as the Second Lady, Mrs Samira Bawumia and the Chief of Staff, Mrs Akosua Frema-Opare toward the overall development of the country. Mr Yaw Dabie who was once an NPP Regional Organiser for the then Brong-Ahafo Region said these in an interview with modernghana.com in Sunyani. He observed that the selfless and dedicated services of the three stateswomen in the past three years in government were unmatched, describing their capabilities as a virtuous picture of biblical womanhood. Throwing more light on some of the successes chalked by the First Lady, Mrs Rebecca Akufo-Addo, the NPP Firebrand advised Ghanaians to renew the mandate of the government in the Election 2020. He emphasised the construction of mother-baby units, adolescent health corners and public libraries in parts of the country were unprecedented and indices of uncorrupted administration, adding the trio needed another opportunity to contribute towards national reconstruction processes. Mr Dabie noted that President Akufo-Addos government had done a lot to better the lives of the people, and it was up to the media and the NPP communication team to highlight the achievements to guide voters to make informed decisions when they go to the polls on December 7. These three stateswomen are working hard in government to help alleviate the socio-economic plight of women. Indeed, they have not failed the government in their respective leadership positions and Ghanaians must reward them for that. In his opinion, the most appropriate way to reward for them is to ensure that we all vote to retain the NPP in power so that an opportunity would be created for them and other women of substance to serve in government. African Development Bank president, AFDB, Akinwumi Adesina, has been reelected. Adesina, who returned unopposed, formally requested for a second term as AfDB president, saying he was doing it with an acute sense of duty and commitment. I do it to serve Africa and our bank, in an unbiased way, to the best of the abilities that God has given me. Adesina was cleared of controversial corruption charges after facing questions from a panel on the affairs of AfDB. An independent panel of experts, headed by former Irish president Mary Robinson, has cleared the beleaguered leader of the African Bank of Development (AfDB) of corruption, according to a report obtained by AFP. Akinwumi Adesina, 60, a charismatic speaker known for his elegant suits and bow ties, became the first Nigerian to helm the AfDB in 2015 but a 15-page report earlier this year claimed that under his watch the bank had been tarred by poor governance, impunity, personal enrichment and favouritism. The panel of three experts, led by Robinson alongside Gambias Chief Justice Hassan Jallow and the World Banks integrity vice president Leonard McCarthy, cleared Adesina of all charges alleged by whistleblowers. The Panel concurs with the Committee in its findings in respect of all the allegations against the President and finds that they were properly considered and dismissed by the Committee, Mondays report concluded. The African banking institution and Adesina who is the sole candidate for the banks Augusts presidential elections has been battered by the rollercoaster of allegations after the whistleblowers complaints were leaked to the media in April. The former Nigerian finance minister had always stated he was innocent of the charges. Robinson who led Ireland from 1990 to 1997 before serving as the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights until 2002 dismissed the 16 whistleblower allegations against Adesina. The panel did not investigate the charges themselves, as that was not within their mandate. The AfDB plays an important if largely behind-the-scenes role in African economies, financing projects in agriculture, health, energy, education, transport and other development sectors. 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 Karachi, Aug 27 : The Turkish drama series "Dirillis Ertugrul" (Resurrection) is Pakistans most viewed, loved and adored series. However, Pakistan's biggest Islamic educational institution has declared watching the series against Shariah. This is after Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan had called on all Pakistanis to watch the drama as it holds a great message for the Muslim world and would bring them together on principles, originated from the teachings of Islam. After its Urdu dubbed version hit the Pakistani state television screen, its viewership shot up, with appreciation pouring from all parts of the country, rocketing its online viewership in Pakistan to over one million in no time. The drama gained and garnered over three billion views and translated into 39 languages, claiming a spot in the Guiness Book of World Record for being the best dramatic work in the history of global dramas. The drama series, gifted to Pakistan by Turkey, fast became the most favourite series to watch online or on television. Records show that till date, at least 133.28 million Pakistanis have watched it, proving that no other drama, films or documentary has appealed to so many Pakistanis ever before. However, the religious section of the Pakistani society has a different approach on the hit Turkish series. In a latest, Karachi's Jamiatul Uloom Islamia Allama Muhammad Yousaf Banuri Town has declared watching dramas or movies, including the Turkish series 'Ertugrul' as prohibited in Islam. The Fatwa (ruling on a point of Islamic law given by a recognized authority) issued by one of Pakistan's biggest Islamic educational institutions, belonging to the Deoband school of thought, has stated that "while the Turkish drama details the history of the Ottoman Caliphate, all incidents shown in the drama are not verified". https://www.banuri.edu.pk/readquestion/... "If the drama makers had aimed to propagate piousness, they used film-making to send their message, which is not allowed in Islam. Hence, Islam doesn't allow watching the Turkish blockbuster or other dramas even if they highlight Islamic history," read the Fatwa. The ruling (fatwa) by the religious school has expressed its prime concerns over the medium of television and film media, used to propagate the intended message across to the world. Religious scholars believe that the medium used should not contradict Islamic Shariah. In this regard, another fatwa, issued by DarulLifta during May 2020, in which, Jamia Banuri Town explained that Shariah declares those acts permitted that meet two conditions: Intensions behind the act and Methods used to achieve your goal which don't contradict Shariah. In another ruling (fatwa), the institution has suggested that making history books and literature on the subject, which is made readily available, can highlight the history of Ottoman Caliphate. "Portraying Islam and Islamic personalities or their deeds through dramas or films is tantamount to insulting the dignity of these personalities themselves because the possibility of misrepresentation is huge," read the fatwa of Jamia Daul Uloom. "Hence calling it an Islamic drama or considering it as a service to Islam by playing the role of high-profile personalities in the form of dramas is not right," the fatwa claimed. The fatwa went on to detail that dramas like 'Ertugrul' "attributes their own costumes, dress and speech, which is not, in fact, a service to Islam but part of a conspiracy against Islam, so making, watching and showing such films is a sin". -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Scientists of the School of Natural Sciences of Far Eastern Federal University (SNS FEFU) with colleagues from Russia, South Korea, and Australia suggest the breaking new ground approach to manage spin-electronic properties and functionality of the thin-film magnetic nanosystems. The method is important for the development of a new generation of tiny electronics (spin-orbitronics) and superfast high-capacity computer memory. A related article appears in NPG Asia Materials. Scientists from the SNS FEFU Laboratory for Thin Film Technologies propose to control the functionality of a magnetic nanosystem through the surface roughness of a magnetic film sandwiched between heavy metal and a capping layer. Modulating the roughness amplitude on the bottom and top surfaces (interfaces) of the magnetic film in the range of less than a nanometer, which is about the size of atoms, the researchers have maximized useful spin-electron effects important for the operation of electronics. They also found that the roughness at the bottom and upper interfaces of the magnetic film should correlate. The efficacy of the approach was first demonstrated on the example of a magnetic system consisting of a palladium (Pd) layer with the thickness ranging from 0 to 12 nanometers (nm) covered with a 2-nm-thick platinum (Pt) layer and a 1.5-nm-thick ferromagnet (CoFeSiB alloy). The multilayer structure had been covered with a layer of magnesium oxide (MgO), tantalum (Ta), or ruthenium (Ru), due to the different capping materials are expanding the possibilities for manipulating the magnetic properties of the nanosystem. "In contemporary electronics, transistors are constantly getting reduced in size. Along with that, the general development trend is to obtain atomically smooth defect-free surfaces", explains Alexander Samardak, the author of the research idea, FEFU Vice-President for Research, "However, it would be a big mistake to strive for ideal interfaces, because a lot of new and practically interesting physical effects lie outside the atomic ordering and ideally flat surfaces. With permanent miniaturization of the functional elements in electronics, the role of surface roughness is skyrocketing. Mainly due to the development of highly sensitive analytical equipment, only now we have begun to reveal the nature of the discovered phenomena and understand the role of roughness and atomic mixing at interfaces. The main message of our research is that atomic roughness can serve for the benefit of implementation of new spin-orbitronic devices with improved properties". The scientist explained that a new field of physics, i.e. spin-orbitronics, has been actively developing in the world over the past five years. It studies not just the spin of the electron (the intrinsic angular momentum of the electron which is a quantum property and doesn't associate with the motion (displacement or rotation of the electron as a whole), but the spin-orbit interaction. This interaction occurs between an electron orbiting around an atomic nucleus and inducing a magnetic field, and its own magnetic moment conditioned by the electron spin. The advantage of spin-orbitronics is that the functionality of such devices (for example, magnetic memory) is provided directly through the control of the spin-orbit interaction in their constituent nanomaterials, for example, in heavy metals. Heavy metals of the platinum group (Ru, Rh, Pd, Os, Ir, Pt) have a fairly strong spin-orbit interaction. If bring one of these metals into contact with an ultrathin, several-atomic-layers-thick magnetic film (for example, Co, Ni, Fe, Py or their alloys), the electronic and magnetic properties of the system will be radically changed. "First, it is possible to manage magnetization and prepare nanosystems magnetized perpendicularly to the plane of the film. This is how it implemented in modern hard disk drives and under-development new electronic carriers in order to increase the density of information storage, accelerate the speed of data writing/reading and increase the number of rewriting cycles. Second, the strong spin-orbit interaction in a heavy metal leads to the "deformation" of the electron orbitals of atoms of the magnetic material (film). That results in spin effects such as magnetic damping and the interfacial Dzyaloshinsky-Moriya interaction appearing at the interface between the heavy metal and magnetic layer. This antisymmetric exchange interaction leads to the transformation of the ferromagnetic order and the appearance of nontrivial spin textures such as skyrmions and skyrmioniums. Such spin textures have enormous potential for the electronics of the near future, playing the role of non-volatile information carriers. For example, on their basis, one can make computer memory components that will work with no magnetic heads, where bits will be moved and switched by current pulses due to the manipulation of electron spins. Such devices shall operate at bit moving rates up to several km per second thanks to the electric current only and will store an order of magnitude more data because tiny spin textures," says Alexander Samardak. For the experiment, researchers grew a series of palladium films with an ideal single crystal structure (Figure 1 (a)) using molecular-beam epitaxy. Since the Pd grows as three-dimensional islands, the authors have found that the rough surface of Pd films can be described via a sinusoidal function. Varying the thickness of the Pd films in the range from 0 to 12.6 nm, they managed to control the amplitude and period of roughness in the range from 0 to 2 nm and from 0 to 50 nm, correspondingly. After that, the surface of palladium was coated by thin films of platinum and a magnetic alloy (Pt (2 nm) / CoFeSiB (1.5 nm)) using magnetron sputtering in a vacuum. The system was capped with different variants of materials such as magnesium oxide, tantalum, ruthenium, Fig. 1 (b). The capping material influenced the magnetic anisotropy strongly, while the influence on the Dzyaloshinsky-Moriya interaction was not so significant. In this case, the deposited Pt and CoFeSiB layers repeated the morphology of the Pd surface. As a result, researchers found out that with no change in the composition of the magnetic system, only via modulating the surface roughness in the sub-nanometer range by varying the thickness of the Pd layer, it is possible to change its functional properties dramatically. For example, the magnitude of the Dzyaloshinsky-Moriya interaction increased 2.5 times when the Pd layer was 10 nm thick. At this thickness the roughness of the bottom and top interfaces of the magnetic film maximally correlated to each other. According to Alexander Samardak, about four years were necessary to conduct the study and one more year to publish the article in the prestigious journal of Nature group. For a long time, the reviewers could not believe in the possibility of controlling the spin-orbit properties via modulating the interface roughness. During the correspondence, the authors managed to convince the reviewers and defend their approach. At the time being, scientists are preparing new magnetic samples to study how interface roughness affects the spin Hall effectand the spin-orbit torques. These future findings will make it possible to get closely to the implementation of memory cells whose magnetic moment is switched only by electric current. ### The work was carried out within the framework of the State task No. 0657-2020-0013 of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation "Multifunctional magnetic nanostructures for spintronics and biomedicine: synthesis, structural, magnetic, magneto-optical and transport properties." FEFU Scientists run fundamental research and practical development in the different priority areas including such as New Materials necessary for the transition to technologies of the future. NEW YORK, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Maven, the world's largest virtual clinic for women's and family health, today announced the appointments of Sonia Millsom as Chief Commercial Officer and Michael Kopelman as Chief Financial Officer. Millsom is a healthcare industry veteran who will join Maven from Iora Health where she serves as Chief Growth Officer. Millsom previously held sales and business development leadership roles at Best Doctors, Health Dialog and UnitedHealthcare. Kopelman previously led finance and strategy teams at WeWork, HBO, and Time Warner, and began his career in equity research. Kopelman and Millsom will help Maven fuel its momentum with employers and health plans and expand its footprint in new markets. "Covid-19 exposed significant gaps in care for women and families, who represent the largest consumers of healthcare and are underserved by the current standard of care. As more employers and health plans invest in digital health solutions to improve patient outcomes across fertility, maternity and family health, Maven has an opportunity to significantly expand our category," said Katherine Ryder, Founder and CEO of Maven. "Sonia and Mike are experienced operators who will help us capitalize on our momentum and accelerate expansion into new markets." A healthcare industry veteran, Millsom will bring her deep experience working with employers, payers, and providers to oversee Maven's Sales and Client Success functions and scale the company's partnerships with leading employers and health plans. She has successfully executed multi-year growth plans, expanded new lines of business, and delivered revenue growth for large national payers, mid-sized services companies and startups. Millsom's passion for maternal health dates back to the early stages of her career as a volunteer in the Peace Corps in Morocco where she focused on programs to decrease maternal and child mortality and increase overall health literacy. Kopelman brings 18 years of experience leading global businesses at scale. He will play a key role in driving strategic growth investments and building systems and processes to efficiently scale the business. Kopelman most recently served as Global Head of Planning at WeWork, where his responsibilities spanned Financial Planning & Analysis, regional finance, business partnering, and capital and long range planning. Kopelman previously served as SVP of Financial Planning & Analysis at HBO, and led investor relations for Time Warner prior to that. He began his career in equity research, where he worked closely with both public and pre-IPO companies and was recognized as an All-Star analyst by Institutional Investor while at Merrill Lynch. In February, Maven raised its $45 million Series C round of funding, bringing the company's total funding to $90 million. Since then, Maven has launched several new products including Maven Wallet, an integrated payments product to facilitate reimbursements for fertility treatments and adoption benefits; Maven Planning, the first preconception product to be fully integrated with a fertility and maternal health solution; and acquired a behavioral health company, Bright Parenting, to fuel the launch of its forthcoming Parenting and Pediatrics product in Q4 2020. Since March 2020, Maven has also deployed short-term, emergency telemedicine solutions in maternity and pediatrics to support employers and health plans with urgent needs due to COVID-19, including MassHealth. ABOUT MAVEN Maven is the world's largest virtual clinic for women's and family health. Its unique care model enables employers and health plans to improve clinical outcomes and lower maternity-related costs, while empowering parents to grow their families while growing their careers. Founded in 2014 by CEO Katherine Ryder, Maven has been recognized as Fast Company's #1 Most Innovative Health Company. Maven has supported over 5 million women and families, and raised $90 million in funding from leading investors like Sequoia Capital, Oak HC/FT Partners, Icon Ventures, and Female Founders Fund. Learn more at www.mavenclinic.com or engage with Maven on LinkedIn and Twitter . SOURCE Maven Clinic Related Links http://www.mavenclinic.com President Recep Tayyip Erdogan favors hard talk in his international dealing. His approach is usually laced with insults and military threats. He abhors compromise and looks on traditional diplomacy with disdain. Under his rule, Turkey has become a disruptive international player that has few friends or allies of any significance left. It has left Ankara with more enemies and detractors than at any time since the founding of the republic nearly a century ago. This isolation, however, is of no consequence for Erdogan, who frequently expresses his readiness to use Turkeys military might as a first choice to resolve problems rather than the diplomatic track. Erdogan has also been true to his word, ordering three military incursions into Syria as well as embroiling Ankara in the Libyan civil war. Ankara is now flexing its military muscles in the eastern Mediterranean to disrupt the joint energy exploration activities of Greece, Cyprus, Egypt and Israel. It says these countries who are backed by France and the United States, among others are disregarding Turkeys rights in the region as well as the rights of Turkish Cypriots. Meanwhile, the anti-Turkish coalition this dispute has spawned is growing, with hardly any country paying attention to the merits of Ankaras arguments. Few Turks dispute Ankaras right to defend its interests in the Mediterranean, especially if the countrys traditional rival Greece is involved. Nevertheless, many are concerned that military bravado will ultimately prove to be counterproductive. There is also concern that Turkey will be sucked into a conflict that involves not just regional but also outside powers. The fear is that a hot confrontation in the Mediterranean could starkly demonstrate how politically isolated Erdogans Turkey has become. Many Turkish analysts believe that diplomacy is the only rational way to move forward in this crisis. Turkey may appear at first glance to have secured some benefits from Erdogans hard-line approach to foreign policy, which Saban Kardas from the German Marshall Fund defines as coercive diplomacy backed by military instruments. For example, Turkey controls parts of Syrian territory today, along its 911-kilometer (566-mile) border with the country, as a result of its three major military incursions since August 2016. Nevertheless, it failed to achieve its main objectives, the first and foremost of which was the eradication of the US-backed People's Protection Units (YPG) from northern Syria. Turkey considers the Syrian Kurdish group a terrorist organization that threatens its security. US President Donald Trump facilitated Ankaras Operation Olive Branch against the YPG in northeastern Syria in 2019 by pulling back US forces from the Turkish border. But the US military did not leave Syria, as Ankara expected, and left the bases it evacuated to Russia instead of handing them over to Turkey. Meanwhile, the YPG continues to consolidate its position with the US backing east of the Euphrates River in regions that are inaccessible to Turkey. Ankara reacted angrily earlier this month to Washingtons support for an oil deal between an American company and the YPG. Retired Brig. Gen. Naim Baburoglu says Turkeys neighbors to its southeast today are the United States and Russia, and no longer Syria. Military might is not always sufficient for getting definitive results. The actors Turkey faces on this front have the ability to prevent its moves Baburoglu wrote for the news portal Gercek Gundem. Underlining the need for effective diplomacy in securing Turkeys interests, Baburoglu warned that making headway with actors that have the ability to influence the course of events is commensurate with one's geopolitical strength. Ankaras other principal aim in northern Syria was to establish a 480-kilometer (300-mile) by 32-kilometer (20-mile) safe zone under its exclusive control. Its intention was to settle a large part of the 3.6 million Syrians who have sought shelter in Turkey in this zone to alleviate the burden they pose. Ankara also planned to populate this whole region with Sunni Syrians who are friendly to Turkey, thus establishing a buffer zone between itself and Kurdish settlements in the region. It failed, however, to secure international support for this project because of its insistence on exclusive military and administrative control over the proposed zone. As for territory west of the Euphrates, Turkey launched Operation Spring Shield earlier this year to gain control over the whole of Idlib province. Its intention was once again to settle Syrian refugees there and to use the province as a military springboard for strikes against the YPG. However, Ankara ended up settling for much less once again after Russia refused to let Turkish forces move too far south and gain control of the strategic M-4 highway that runs through the middle of the province. The meeting in Moscow in March between Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin resulted in Turkey having to halt its operation in Idlib. The meeting highlighted once more the limitations Turkey faces in Syria from the United States and Russia. When confronted with powerful actors that command escalation dominance, Turkey has backed down or settled for face-saving deals, as was the case with the Moscow memorandum in March over the situation in Idlib, Kardas wrote in an article for the German Marshall Fund. Moscow has called on Ankara to turn over territory captured by Turkish forces in northern Syria from the Islamic State or the YPG to the regime. Erdogan has rejected this demand. Russia also continues to demand that Turkey eradicate radical Islamist groups in Idlib some of which are Ankaras proxies. Turkeys failure or unwillingness to do so is providing Moscow and the Syrian regime with an excuse to strike targets in the portion of Idlib north of the M-4 highway that is controlled by the Turkish military and its proxies. In the meantime, Turkey is reinforcing its forces in Idlib in anticipation of more trouble ahead. It clearly aims to hang on to what it holds today by using military force if necessary. As Metin Gurcan has underlined in Al-Monitor, the situation in the province remains highly volatile, with a military escalation looming large. Turkeys military involvement in Libya and its success in preventing warlord Khalifa Hifter from seizing the capital Tripoli appear to vindicate Erdogans coercive diplomacy. Libya, however, may end up as another half-finished project. Turkey has put its money on one horse in this crisis and needs the predominantly Islamist government of Fayez al-Sarraj to gain full control of the country. Otherwise, Turkeys position in that country will remain shaky. The division of Libya, which would leave Hifter with control over most of the country and its oil wealth, remains a nightmare scenario for Ankara. It is not clear, therefore, if Turkeys abandoning of impartiality and military embroilment in the Libyan conflict will deliver a return on these investment. Ankaras involvement in the crisis has poured more fuel on growing Arab animosity toward Turkey. Foreign policy analyst Murat Yetkin notes that Erdogans Islamist orientation, his support of the Muslim Brotherhood and his many references to Ottoman dominance of the region have increased resentment against Turkey among Arab regimes. What unites the Arabs today is no longer an anti-Israel but an anti-Turkey stance. What is surprising is that Erdogan does not want to see this, Yetkin wrote in his popular Yetkin Report. Kardas argued that Turkey's frequent military threats underscore its failure to draw on a wider array of diplomatic instruments. The most notable failure in this regard, he maintains, is a deficiency in coalition-building. If mishandled, [Turkeys] current engagements can trigger an uncontrolled spiral of escalation and drag Ankara into a difficult choice between backing down or getting entrapped in dangerous military encounters over issues of questionable importance, he said. A notorious poacher believed to have killed more than 500 elephants has been jailed for 30 years in the Republic of Congo. Mobanza Mobembo Gerard, known as Guyvanho, was found guilty of ivory trafficking and the attempted murder of park rangers. Since 2008, he had led poaching expeditions that sparked the deaths of hundreds of animals, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). The group hailed the case as a milestone in the fight to hold wildlife criminals to account. Two security officers at the Nouabale Ndoki national park show a gun and ivory tusks seized from poachers / AFP via Getty Images Gerards trial and sentencing last week marked the first criminal conviction of a wildlife trafficker in the central African country. Previously, environmental crimes were tried in civil courts and incurred a maximum sentence of five years, the WCS said. The sentence sends an extremely strong message that wildlife crime will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted at the highest levels, the societys regional director Emma Stokes said in a statement on Monday. Congolese judicial authorities could not immediately be reached for comment. The attempted murder charges against Gerard were connected to a 2019 incident when his poacher group allegedly fired at and wounded members of a ranger patrol in Nouabale-Ndoki National Park. The park covers 4,000 square kilometres (1,540 sq miles) in the north of the Congo Republic. Its dense lowland rainforest has been a refuge for the regions rare forest elephants, which were only confirmed to be a separate species from the larger African savannah elephant in 2010. - Kontrol BioCloud Technology - TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / August 27, 2020 / Kontrol Energy Corp. (CSE:KNR)(OTCQB:KNRLF)(FSE:1K8) ("Kontrol" or "Company") is pleased to announce that the Kontrol BioCloud (or "BioCloud") fully functioning prototype was able to operate in real-time and has received positive lab test results. "Following lab testing, we have demonstrated that our fully operating prototype, previously announced on August 10, 2020, can detect COVID-19 specific components in air samples under a controlled experiment," says Paul Ghezzi, Chief Executive Officer of Kontrol. "This was a critical milestone that we achieved as it ensures the safety and operating capability of BioCloud and we can now move quickly to testing against the live aerosolized COVID-19 virus. We remain on track with achieving our specific milestones and anticipate live COVID-19 virus testing during the week of August 31." The controlled testing was conducted by the lab of independent consultant, Dr. David Heinrichs, PhD (Heinrichs Laboratory) - experts in the study of Microbiology and Immunology. Next Major Milestones The company has now tested both its proprietary detection chamber as announced on August 19, 2020 and its fully operating prototype. Following testing with the live COVID-19 virus, the Company anticipates that it will be in a position to move to commercialization and production of operating units shortly thereafter. We continue to fund all BioCloud technology development through internal cash generation and Kontrol will not raise capital to complete testing and pre-commercialization work. When testing against the live COVID-19 virus the Company seeks to establish the lower detection limits of BioCloud and set final parameters for applications based on room size and number of individuals. These lower detection limits will be part of commercialization specifications. Commercialization Plans "We are excited to have a working prototype and a successful result given all the hard work that has gone into the BioCloud," says Gary Saunders VP of Kontrol. "We have sourced all the components required for commercialization and have our supply chain ready to go. The Canadian Government has recently announced $2 billion in federal funding to help schools reopen safely. BioCloud has the potential to be an important tool in creating safe spaces by seeking to detect for the virus and assessing the effectiveness of HVAC system improvements by continuously sampling air in real-time." The Company anticipates a selling price in the range of $12,000 US per BioCloud unit based on the current supply chain components. The detection chamber is replaceable and represents a potential secondary source of commercialized revenue for Kontrol. Any time the detection chamber comes into contact with the COVID virus it must be disposed of safely and replaced. New Applications beyond COVID-19 During testing the Company has determined that BioCloud has the capability to detect other airborne viruses in addition to COVID-19. This determination was made based on working with the independent lab consultants and a review of the detection mechanism and specifications. While COVID-19 is the most pressing concern for creating safe spaces, other airborne viruses may have similar characteristics that BioCloud may be able to detect. About Kontrol BioCloud BioCloud is a real-time analyzer designed to detect airborne viruses. It has been designed to operate as a safe space technology by sampling the air quality over time. With a proprietary detection chamber that can be replaced as needed, viruses are detected, and an alert system is created in the Cloud or over local intranet. BioCloud has been designed for spaces where individuals gather including classrooms, retirement homes, hospitals, mass transportation and others. It can be an important technology which supports the entire system of individual testing and contact tracing. The Company is not making any express or implied claims that its product has the ability to eliminate, cure or contain the COVID-19 (or SARS-2 Coronavirus) at this time. About Kontrol Energy Kontrol Energy Corp. (CSE: KNR) (OTCQB: KNRLF) (FSE: 1K8) is a leader in the energy efficiency sector through IoT, Cloud and SaaS technology. With a disciplined mergers and acquisition strategy, combined with organic growth, Kontrol Energy Corp. provides market-based energy solutions to our customers designed to reduce their overall cost of energy while providing a corresponding reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Kontrol Energy is one of Canada's fastest growing companies in 2018 and 2019 as ranked by Canadian Business and Maclean's. Additional information about Kontrol Energy Corp. can be found on its website at www.kontrolenergy.com and by reviewing its profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. For further information, contact: Paul Ghezzi, Chief Executive Officer paul@kontrolenergy.com or admin@kontrolenergy.com Kontrol Energy Corp., 180 Jardin Drive, Unit 9, Vaughan, ON L4K 1X8 Tel: 905.766.0400, Toll free: 1.844.566.8123 Neither IIROC nor any stock exchange or other securities regulatory authority accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements contained herein that are not clearly historical in nature may constitute forward-looking information. In some cases, forward-looking information can be identified by words or phrases such as "may", "will", "expect", "likely", "should", "would", "plan", "anticipate", "intend", "potential", "proposed", "estimate", "believe" or the negative of these terms, or other similar words, expressions and grammatical variations thereof, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" happen, or by discussions of strategy. Where the Company expresses or implies an expectation or belief as to future events or results, such expectation or belief is based on assumptions made in good faith and believed to have a reasonable basis. Such assumptions include, without limitation, that sufficient capital will be available to the Company and that technology will be as effective as anticipated. However, forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties, and other factors, which could cause actual results to differ materially from future results expressed, projected, or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks include, but are not limited to, that sufficient capital and financing cannot be obtained on reasonable terms, or at all, that technologies will not prove as effective as expected, that customers and potential customers will not be as accepting of the Company's product and service offering as expected, and government and regulatory factors impacting the energy conservation industry. In particular, successful development and commercialization of the Kontrol BioCloud Analyzer are subject to the risk that the Kontrol BioCloud Analyzer may not prove to be successful in detecting the virus that causes COVID-19 effectively or at all, uncertainty of timing or availability of any regulatory approvals and Kontrol's lack of track record in developing products for medical applications. Accordingly, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements and the forward-looking statements contained in this press release are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements contained herein are made as at the date hereof and are based on the beliefs, estimates, expectations, and opinions of management on such date. Kontrol does not undertake any obligation to update publicly or revise any such forward-looking statements or any forward-looking statements contained in any other documents whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise or to explain any material difference between subsequent actual events and such forward-looking information, except as required under applicable securities law. Readers are cautioned to consider these and other factors, uncertainties, and potential events carefully and not to put undue reliance on forward-looking information. SOURCE: Kontrol Energy Corp. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/603665/Kontrols-COVID-19-Technology-Prototype-Receives-Positive-Lab-Test-Results Ex-President Jerry John Rawlings has hit hard at National Democratic Congress (NDC) stalwart, Professor Kwamena Ahwoi over the latters supposed ploy to misrepresent the relationship that existed between the NDC founder and the late John Evans Atta Mills in the run-up to the 2008 general elections. It will be recalled that Mr. Ahwoi in his controversial book Working with Rawlings, accused the former President of attempting to sabotage Prof. Mills presidential ambitions by trying to replace him with Ato Ahwoi. Jerry Rawlings invited Ato Ahwoi to his Ridge residence and prevailed on him to contest the presidential primaries against Prof. Mills. Ato says he was astounded because Jerry knew his relationship with Prof. Mills and also knew the role that he had played in 1996 in convincing Prof. Mills to agree to become his running mate, portions of the book read. But in a statement , Rawlings explained that Prof. Mills had called him to South Africa, where he had gone to receive medical treatment, to indicate his desire to forego the presidential race owing to his medical state. Rawlings described as bizarre, Kwamena Ahwois lengthy diatribe about how he [Rawlings] coerced Prof. Ahwos brother [Ato Ahwo] to contest Mills ahead of the NDCs primaries leading to the breakdown of their healthy relationship. According to Rawlings, Mr. Ahwoi instead forced Prof. Mills to contest the polls despite his ill health against his will. When Professor Mills returned to Ghana, meetings were held with him without the knowledge or participation of President Rawlings, where Professor Mills was convinced by those present, not to withdraw his candidature and actually made to believe that President Rawlings was working to undermine him, Rawlings said in his response. That, was when the mistrust began, and Mr. Kwamena Ahwoi was and is well-known to be one of the master-architects of that manipulative agenda that pushed a very unwell candidate Mills into the 2008 General Election, he added. Following the conversation, Rawlings said he informed and urged party members to identify recognizable party members who could step in, insisting that some known personalities in the party should position themselves for the role. Rawlings, therefore, rejected claims that Ato Ahwoi was forced to contest Mills in the NDCs primaries ahead of the 2008 general elections. In the statement, the office of the former President said there was no attempt to undermine, sabotage, betray or malign Professor Mills as the author shamelessly infers in his book. It should be stated on record, that President Rawlings took the responsible and pragmatic approach after he received that politically unnerving call from Professor Mills. He consulted the Party leadership to take strategic steps to fill the gap which by Professor Mills' account was imminent. It is rather telling of him (Kwamena Ahwoi) to deny this well-known crisis merely in his bid to deride and denigrate the genuine efforts of former President Rawlings to arrest a crisis, Rawlings clarified. citinewsroom China's Alibaba Group has put on hold plans to invest in Indian companies, two sources aware of the plans told Reuters, amid souring business relations and rising political tension between the two nations after a clash on their Himalayan border. Alibaba, which has fuelled the growth of several Indian start-ups, will not put in fresh funds to expand its investments in the country for at least six months, the sources said. However, there are no plans to reduce its stakes or exit investments, they added. The sources declined to be identified as the talks are private. Also read: India home to 21 startups valued over $1 billion, just a tenth of China's: Hurun Global Unicorns List Also read: Trump may exert pressure on other Chinese firms like Alibaba after TikTok ban An Ambala resident was booked for allegedly taking 8.5 lakh from a youth on the pretext of providing a job in the Haryana Police department, the police said on Thursday. In his complaint to the deputy commissioner of police (DCP, Panchkula), Mandeep of Bhalu Patti Rapria, Kaithal, Haryana, leveled allegations against Dharamvir, a resident of Kakru village, Ambala, of cheating, fraud, and criminal intimidation. Mandeep wrote that in 2018, after he had applied for the post of constable in Haryana Police, his family friend had told him about a person with high links in the Haryana government, who could get him the job. In December, 2018, Mandeep met the man, Dharamvir, along with his friend. Dharamvir assured that he could arrange one post of male constable and demanded 16 lakh for it, to be given in two equal instalments; one before the written examination and the rest before the physical examination. The first payment of 8 lakh was made before December 3, the date of written examination. Mandeep said that in January, Dharamvir demanded 50,000 as necessary to clear the written examination as the signature of the complainant is mismatched in OMR sheet. When Mandeep failed the written exam, he contacted Dharamvir who told him not to worry as he will clear it during re-checking. He also took Mandeeps signatures on a blank paper. In February, 2019, the final list was published and Mandeeps name was not on it. When he realised that he had been duped, he asked for his money back. But Dharamvir threatened to kill me and my family if I asked for the money again. He also threatened to misuse my signatures, Mandeep said in his complaint. A case under Section 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code was registered on Wednesday. NEW YORK, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Pison Stream Solutions today announced that its White Type III Topcoat powder coating meets the newest United States military specification approval for CARC (chemical agent resistant coating) powder topcoats. This prestigious designation officially places Pison on the U.S. Government's Qualified Products Database by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Army Research Laboratory, which manages, tests and qualifies manufacturers who can produce military specification coatings for U.S. military applications. Getting an approval from the DoD on new coating specifications is a challenging and lengthy scrutinized government process. CARC applies to various military vehicles, tanks, personnel carriers, equipment transporters, and other military components and assets. For a topcoat to be approved, it must be highly chemical resistant, absent of infrared detection and provide excellent durability properties. In addition, a CARC-designation means the materials are easily decontaminated after exposure to resist chemical and biological warfare agents and prevent infrared (IR) detection by enemy forces. "We are pleased and honored to be the first manufacturer to receive the Type III government approval for the CARC powder specification, which will help protect American military workers," said CEO Joseph H James. "The validation by the Department of Defense and inclusion on their Qualified Products List (QPL) is a result of the hard work and dedication of our experts who have spent many years on research to develop innovative products and solutions to protect men and women in uniform and the public at large." Specifications for CARC powder coating primers and topcoats are issued by the U.S. Army Research Laboratory with the intent of increasing the military's use of powder coatings on military vehicles and components conducting operations to safeguard our troops. The new regulations adhere to the US Environmental Protection Agency's standards to decrease volatile organic compounds, volatile organic hazardous air pollutants and inorganic hazardous air pollutants. Pison's corporate sustainability values and innovative product research and development (R&D) are aligned perfectly with this mission to create products that are more sustainable and effective for use by all members of the US Armed Forces. Simultaneous to this accomplishment, Pison R&D has also developed a new surface cleaning platform that has been independently-verified to combat both bacterial and viral pathogens. Pison R&D is diligently seeking EPA Registration 18 Emergency Exemption for this new product to launch. This odorless, colorless cleaning solution could, with the requisite EPA approvals, be marketed for use in fighting the current global Coronavirus Pandemic (COVID-19) and also combat bacterial growth on surfaces. Potential applications for this new product can change the way you think about protecting vulnerable high-touch surfaces by providing a durable antimicrobial coating with lasting-protection. Pison R&D technology is designed to be well-suited for use across industrial, commercial, educational and home environments. This liquid super-durable cleaner is formulated for both hard surfaces (from metals to ceramics) and various fabrics (from cotton to leather). Pison's surface cleaning technology is a complement to daily hygiene practices and not a substitute to hand-washing and common sense. Likewise, Pison advocates safety as a number one priority as they collectively pursue solutions to help our world in need. About Pison (PSS) Pison Stream Solutions (pronounced PieSun) founded in 2010, is a multi-platform, highly engineered, innovative coatings and green technology, research and development corporation. Pison holds numerous USPTO Patents and continuously develops technologies for specialized niche coating markets. Pison is also dedicated to promoting workforce diversity. Furthermore, being led by committed diverse talent is critical to Pison achieving a corporate global mission focused on giving back to societycreating better product platforms that help solve critical needs today and tomorrowwith the environment and sustainability at the forefront. Pison's other specialty coating platforms, in addition to military/defense coatings, include functional coatings, powder coating additive platforms, renewable energy coatings, and various antimicrobial research and development technologies. The Pison Stream Solutions corporation operates from their Centre of Expertise and R&D Laboratory in Greater Cleveland, Ohio and Pison Global Headquarters from One World Trade in New York City. To learn more, visit: www.pisonstreamsolutions.com. Media Contact: Sharon Baden, CBO, Global Communications Direct: 646.345.5613 [email protected] Juanita Scarlett, Bolton St. Johns Direct: 917.280.4885 [email protected] SOURCE Pison Stream Solutions Planning for the event began early last week when White House officials reached out to the Washington office of the citizenship and immigration agency with a request to organize a naturalization ceremony at the White House, according to a senior administration official. Naturalization ceremonies have been held at the White House under previous presidents and Mr. Trump himself, but this appears to be the first time one has been broadcast during a political convention. As the weekend approached, the White House officials requested information about the potential candidates for the ceremony and suggested the agency find immigrants from Mexico something of a turnaround from Mr. Trumps usual messaging on Mexico. When he announced his candidacy in 2015, he warned of Mexican rapists coming to the United States, and he has spent nearly four years trying to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border. But Mr. Trump has been more complimentary this year after Mexico directed security forces to halt migration from Central America. As it happened, no one from Mexico was at the ceremony. Ms. Narayanan, from India, had traveled to the United States with her husband, who came on a student visa. Ms. Narayanan accompanied him on an F2 visa that allows spouses and dependents of foreign students at American schools to temporarily stay in the United States. In July, the Trump administration proposed stripping international students of their visas if they exclusively took online courses during the coronavirus pandemic, but after an outcry from colleges and universities, the rule was rescinded. Ms. Narayanan, who has two children born in the United States, obtained lawful permanent residency in 2013. She said she took her citizenship test and had her required interview just a week before she received a call about the ceremony at the White House. It was very warm and welcoming, Ms. Narayanan said of the event with the president. I told him it was such an honor to meet him. Ms. Awadelseid, from Sudan, studied at the University of Wyoming twice, first to get her masters in the early 1980s and then her doctorate in 1994. She said both degrees were in animal nutrition. She arrived in the United States permanently in 2000, and eventually got a green card through sponsorship by her brother, who had already become a citizen. The situation in Sudan was really not good politically and economically and everything, she said. When we found the chance to be a permanent resident here in the U.S.A., we stayed. It will be long before the Indian economy recovers to pre-COVID-19 levels because of uneven recovery caused by an increase in supply and low consumer demand, said Amitabh Chaudhry, MD and CEO, Axis Bank. In an interview with the Economic Times, Chaudhry said that the economy is nowhere out of the woods and is currently operating at 70-75 percent of capacity. "The recovery remains uneven with a faster rise in supply than demand. We cant expect a miracle overnight. The recovery will take some time, it is a bit of a long haul," he was quoted as saying. He further said that Indian economy is likely to return to pre-COVID-19 levels between the first and second quarter of next calendar year, subject to availability of vaccines on a scale that gives people the confidence to step out of their homes. Also Read: RBI's annual report: Economic recovery post COVID-19 will be different from that of 2008 global crisis Asked whether banks should be blamed for being risk-averse, Axis Bank MD said that the bank is answerable to shareholders. "We have to ensure that we lend conservatively and keep all our risk factors in mind before we give money to the customers. That is what the shareholders expect of us and that is what the RBI expects of us." Citing the RBI's latest annual report, Chaudhry said that the RBI governor has been warning the banks to be careful with money and raise capital. "Recapitalisation plan for public and private sector banks assumes critical importance. The minimum capital requirements, which are calibrated on the basis of historical loss events, may no longer suffice to absorb post-pandemic losses," the RBI said in its report. RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das, too, had recently asked banks to prepare for the COVID shock by enhancing their capital strength. A series of banks, including Axis Bank, recently raised capital from the market to guard against the bad loan shock. According to Chaudhry, banks will continue to remain risk-averse for some time. "The banks have learnt their lesson after the last crisis, they are not going to be in a lending hurry," he told the newspaper. Speaking about the bank's plan to raising more capital, Chaudhry, "Nothing is happening at this stage. But at the right price, if the right deal was to come along and it is long term money, we dont want to deprive ourselves of the money," he said, as per the report. The "Europe Utility Communication Market Forecast to 2027 COVID-19 Impact and Regional Analysis by Technology; Utility Type" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The utility communication market in Europe was valued at US$ 2,510.5 million in 2019 and is projected to reach US$ 7,895.5 million by 2027; it is expected to grow at a CAGR of 15.7% from 2020 to 2027. In European countries, communication solutions play an integral role in various industries such as oil gas, energy and power, and water utilities. Owing to the increasing adoption of technology-based solutions among businesses, the demand for advanced communication solutions is growing in Europe. Moreover, the growth in offshore drilling activities is opportunistic for market growth in Europe. These factors play a vital role in boosting the utility communication market in Europe. Based on technology, the utility communication market was led by wired segment. Power Line Carrier (PLC) communication has gained the confidence of wired communication network users when it comes to robustness in access, efficiency, and security with an advancement of efficient PLC technologies led by PRIME PLC over the past decade, and the latest development of PRIME 1.4 technology. ABB Ltd, Fujitsu Limited, General Electric Company, Honeywell International Inc, and Rockwell Automation Inc, are among the key players present in the European utility communication market. Key Topics Covered 1. Introduction 1.1 Study Scope 1.2 Report Guidance 1.3 Market Segmentation 2. Key Takeaways 3. Research Methodology 3.1 Coverage 3.2 Secondary Research 3.3 Primary Research 4. Utility Communication Market Landscape 4.1 Market Overview 4.2 PEST Analysis 4.2.1 Utility Communication Market Europe PEST Analysis 4.3 Ecosystem Analysis 4.4 Expert Opinions 4.5 Premium Insight 4.5.1 Technological Trends on SONET/SDN, IP/MPLS, and MPLS-TP 5. Utility Communication Market Key Industry Dynamics 5.1 Market Drivers 5.1.1 Adoption of Smart Grids and Mobile Devices Driving the Market 5.1.2 Rising Need for Personalized Communication Networks due to Alterations in Billing Process 5.2 Market Restraints 5.2.1 Cyber-attacks Risk to Energy and Utility Organization 5.3 Market Opportunities 5.3.1 Rising Investment in Utility Application 5.4 Future Trends 5.4.1 Rising Trend of Digitalization and Smart Cities 5.5 Impact Analysis of Drivers and Restraints 6. Utility Communication Market Europe Market Analysis 6.1 Utility Communication Market Overview 6.2 Utility Communication Market Revenue, and Forecast to 2027 (US$ Million) 7. Utility Communication Market Analysis By Technology Type 7.1 Overview 7.2 Utility Communication Market Breakdown, by Technology, 2019 2027 7.3 Wired 7.4 Wireless 8. Utility Communication Market Analysis By Utility Type 8.1 Overview 8.2 Utility Communication Market Breakdown, by Utility Type, 2019 2027 8.3 Private Utility 8.4 Public Utility 9. Europe Utility Communication Market Country Analysis 10. Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Europe Utility Communication Market 11. Industry Landscape 11.1 Market Initiatives 11.2 Mergers and Acquisitions 11.3 New Developments 12. Company Profiles 12.1 ABB Ltd. 12.2 FUJITSU Limited 12.3 General Electric Company 12.4 Honeywell International Inc. 12.5 OMICRON Electronics GmbH 12.6 Rockwell Automation, Inc. 12.7 Schneider Electric SE 12.8 Siemens AG 12.9 Tejas Networks 12.10 Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/585n9j View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200827005322/en/ Contacts: 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 OPINION: From Sarah Palin to Fox News host Tucker Carlson, White Republicans cant seem to put respect on the vice presidential nominees name Why is it that Republicans and conservatives in the GOP bubble cant seem to properly pronounce Kamala Harris name, or dont seem to care what they call her? For the record, its pronounced comma-la. Unfortunately, considering these folks who have no shortage of experience calling Black women out of their name and disrespecting them in general, this is to be expected. Nonetheless, it is offensive and outrageous. Just like they did to Obama, the Republicans are turning the senator and Democratic vice-presidential nominee into the other, the foreigner with the funny-sounding name. Considering the source, that is predictable. And that is 100% unadulterated racism. Read More: Kamala Harris cartoon in Murdoch newspaper declared racist When asked on Fox News about a Biden-Harris ticket, Sarah Palin mispronounced Kamalas name in jest. Well, it is a different type of combination when you consider what was said in the primary, you know Kamala (CAMel-eh) Kamala (Comma-lah) you say tomato, I say tomahto, I hate to say the name wrong because Im going to get clobbered for that, Palin said. Sarah Palin posted some advice for Kamala Harris the latest woman to run for VP. (Photos: Getty Images) Similarly, Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who essentially plays a White nationalist on TV, disrespected Sen. Harris when he mispronounced her name. After his guest, Democratic political consultant Richard Goodstein corrected him, he did it again. Tucker, can I say one quick thing. This is something that will serve you and your fellow hosts on Fox. Her name is pronounced comma, like the punctuation mark, lah. Kamala, Goodstein said. Tucker Carlson loses it when a guest corrects his pronunciation of Kamala Harris's name pic.twitter.com/1fHIrPGuwN nikki mccann ramirez (@NikkiMcR) August 12, 2020 OK. So what! Carlson replied. I think out of respect for somebody whos going to be on the national ticket, pronouncing her name right. Its kind of a bare minimum, Goodstein shot back. Story continues So Im disrespecting her by mispronouncing her name unintentionally? Carlson responded, laughing. So it begins, youre not allowed to criticize Comma-lah Harris or Camel-eh Harris or whatever. Comma-lah. No, no, no, its not whatever, Goodstein added. OK, look I unintentionally mispronounced her name, Carlson conceded. But I love the idea that shes immune from criticism. Read More: Fox News and stars Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson and Ed Henry accused of sexual harassment in new lawsuit On the surface, the mispronunciation of someones name might seem like a harmless or minor thing to some people. However, this is all about racism and xenophobia, specifically racial microaggressions those subtle or even not-so-subtle insults that Black and Brown people experience on a daily basis, and which take a massive toll on their mental health. These verbal acts of violence create anxiety and self-perception problems among their victims, a sense of othering that their culture and identity dont matter, and they are not true Americans. In a society where White people are the only acceptable leaders, leaders of color and outspoken women leaders of color such as Reps. Ilhan Omar, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rashida Tlaib are denigrated and told to go back home as their names are butchered. This is all about name-calling, and yet there is much more to unpack because the assumption is that if you cant pronounce their names, you cant trust them. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) speaks with media gathered outside Mercado Central on August 11, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota on the day of the primary election. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images) And it matters little that Black people have lived in this country for over 400 years. We are still not American, they tell us. Having a Black-sounding name and a clear ethnic identity means you wont get that job unless you whiten it up. We saw the disrespect and disregard of Barack Obama in full view with the Birtherism movement, of which Trump was its leader. Republicans making fun of Obamas name with an emphasis on his Arabic middle name Hussein was part and parcel of a campaign to paint then-Senator and presidential candidate Obama as a foreign-born noncitizen whose presidency would be illegitimate. Birtherism returned in an offensive and patently false Newsweek op-ed questioning Harris eligibility for vice president, arguing she is not a natural born citizen because her Indian mother and Jamaican father were not U.S. citizens when she was born. When Black and Brown folks occupy previously White spaces, it is a cause for celebration for some, and an occasion for mourning for others. Just as Obama was a source of pride not only in Black America but in his fathers native Kenya, people in Jamaica and India are celebrating Kamala Harris, who would become Americas first Black, South Asian-American and woman vice president. Democratic presidential candidates former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) speak after the Democratic Presidential Debate. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images) Read More: Radio broadcaster fired for calling Sen. Kamala Harris colored That is an unsettling history-making reality for the GOP, which has doubled down on White supremacy, White entitlement and White racial grievance, in the hopes of returning to an America where the White man reigned supreme. In a nation where children of color are now in the majority and the enhanced melanization of America is imminent, Republicans are waging war against shifting racial demographics. This is why they are sabotaging the post office and rigging the election, criminalizing Black Lives Matter, caging and trafficking migrant babies, and disrespecting Black leaders for their name. Ultimately, they fear Kamala Harris, because they remember how she destroyed Attorney General Bill Barr and his predecessor Jeff Sessions on the witness stand, and they know she will do to current Vice President Mike Pence with even greater ease. Mispronouncing Kamalas name is an effort to render her invisible, in the hopes she and other Black women will simply go away. That is wishful thinking. Put respect on her name. Follow David A. Love on Twitter at @davidalove. Have you subscribed to theGrios podcast Dear Culture? Download our newest episodes now! The post The not-so-hidden racism behind mispronouncing Kamala Harriss name appeared first on TheGrio. Water scarcity is not the only danger Egypt fears from the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). Egypt and Sudan are both concerned the GERD will undermine their agricultural sector and affect their food security. The African Union-sponsored talks on the GERD were suspended earlier this month. A study published in July by the Egyptian Institute of National Planning indicated that 12 fish species endemic to the Nile River, lakes and fish farms in Egypt could become scarce or even extinct due to the GERD. The study, titled The potential implications of the GERD on fish production in Egypt and means of mitigating its effects, found that the fish production in Lake Nasser, the Nile River and its tributaries and other waterways and freshwater fisheries is threatened by the GERD. Former Egyptian Minister of Irrigation Mohammed Nasr Allam told Al-Monitor that the GERD will greatly affect Egypt and regional stability in general. He explained that it will turn large Egyptian agricultural areas into wastelands, decrease the groundwater, cause seawater to flow into the Nile Delta and increase pollution of the Nile, canals and drains. Ethiopia claims the massive multi-billion-dollar dam is crucial to its economic development and will provide much-needed electricity to Ethiopia's 110 million people, half of whom currently live without it. Allam expressed doubt that the main goal of constructing the dam was development or supplying the Ethiopian people with electricity. He noted that the dam is located in a border area far from Ethiopian cities and villages and that the cost of transmission and distribution of electricity will exceed its production cost. In a phone call with Al-Monitor, Ahmed Abdel-Wahab Barania, a professor of economics and fish resources development at the Institute of National Planning's Environmental Planning and Development Center, clarified the potential repercussions of the GERD on the fish stock in Egypt. He explained that fish resources are dependent on the quantity and quality of water available in bodies of water, including fish farms. With the decrease in the water level and the increase in salinity, a change in Egypts fish stock map is expected, he warned. Species will disappear either due to the insufficiency or high salinity of the water. Barania explained that Egypt's freshwater fish production amounts to 75% of the total national production, with an estimated value of more than 28 billion Egyptian pounds ($1.7 billion). He warned that tilapia, the cornerstone of fish farming and the most consumed in Egypt, will be the most affected. Tilapia makes up more than 60% of the total fish production in Egypt, he added. The impact will appear five years from now on the prices of meat and poultry, due to the expected decrease in fish production, Barania said. Twelve species of fish endemic to the Nile River, lakes and fish farms, in addition to freshwater crayfish, could become scarce or extinct. He explained that five freshwater crayfish factories currently operate in Egypt, with investments exceeding $31 million. They provide jobs for thousands of workers, he explained. Egypt exports crawfish to Europe, China and the United States, at a value of $32 million a year. Khaled Ahmed al-Sayed, head of General Authority for Fish Resources Development, told Al-Monitor the authority is currently working to double the production of fish farms. He noted that Egypt is the sixth largest aquaculture producer in the world, and fish farming currently makes up 80% of total production at 1.9 million tons annually. Sayed said agreements are in place between the ministries of agriculture and irrigation to begin issuing licenses on a large scale to establish what are called integrative farms that depend on groundwater in desert areas, then use the water fertilized with fish excrement to grow plants. Egypt has been working to expand the industry. Fish farms were established in Port Said on an area of 19,000 feddans and an area of 4,000 feddans in Kafr el-Sheikh. These farms produce freshwater fish, most notably of tilapia and shrimp. Sayed said his organization is currently working to promote the use of aquaculture cages in the Red and Mediterranean seas in cooperation with Tunisia, Egypt's Ministry of Environment and in coordination with the Egyptian Armed Forces. He said that Tunisia has extensive experience with aquaculture cages. Experts from Tunisia came to Egypt to cooperate on this project. A team from the authority visited Tunisia to learn more about the latest technologies in this field. This project will be implemented first in the Sharq el-Tafriaa project in the Mediterranean. Researchers are attempting to understand why the steadily high rate of new Covid-19 cases in France is not mirrored in hospitalisations or deaths. The main reason, other than more testing, appears to be that the epidemic is now affecting younger people who have either no symptoms or relatively mild ones. "The virus is circulating four times more among people under 40 than those over 65," French Health Minister Olivier Veran told the weekly Journal du Dimanche. "Young people tend to be asymptomatic, or have fewer medical complications. This doesn't mean they aren't at risk," warned Veran, who has for weeks urged young people to exercise precaution as infection rates among them soared. More testing Veran said testing for Covid-19 had become more widespread since the beginning of the crisis and that the government target of 700,000 tests per week had been surpassed. But more testing is not the sole explanation for the rise in numbers, experts point out, citing public health figures between 3 and 9 August that show a clear rise in the younger bracket. The number of cases per 100,000 people was three times higher among the 15-44 age group (28.9 cases per 100,000) than the 75+ age bracket (9.6 cases for 100,000). The infection rate went up across all age groups but much more markedly among the 25-29 and 30-34 age groups. Back-to-school worries As the number of tests carried out increased, the number of positive tests also increased across the board (+41 percent), highlighting the fact that more younger people are in fact carrying the virus, without realising it. Pascal Crepey, epidemiologist from Rennes said milder forms of the disease are affecting younger generations, who are less likely to go to hospital but they account for the rise in figures all the same. He says older people and those at risk, continue to protect themselves and don't frequent the same places as younger people (bars, workplaces), which explains their numbers remaining steady. Story continues However, young people should be wary of the consequences of not respecting the mask-wearing rule and other hygiene measures and the effect it could have on those around them particularly as schools re-open next week. "Older people will be at risk of family contamination," he explained to France Info. "It might take longer to emerge, but if a renewal of the epidemic is not controlled, we'll see the virus spread quickly, regardless of the age group." Intergenerational transmission Health Minister Veran pointed out the example of the Bouches-du-Rhone area, in the south of France which has recently been labelled a high risk zone due to the number of cases. "In the Bouches-du-Rhone area, where there are 188 new cases for 100,000 people between the ages of 20 and 40, we have seen a rise in the number of positive cases in the last three weeks in the senior age group," he said. "Transmission between generations has already begun to occur, which means we're also seeing a rise in the number of admissions to hospitals and intensive care." As of 25 August, there were 4,600 people in hospital, 410 of those in intensive care. France has over 248,000 confirmed cases across the country, and 30,554 deaths attributed to Covid-19. Overall, despite recent increases, the health ministry says the situation is under control in the country's hospitals, with only 8 percent of intensive care beds taken up by Covid-19 patients compared to 136 percent on 8 April at the peak of the epidemic. European Commission approves BLENREP (belantamab mafodotin) for the treatment of patients with relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma Details Category: Antibodies Published on Thursday, 27 August 2020 11:49 Hits: 1841 BLENREP is the first anti-BCMA (B-cell maturation antigen) therapy approved in the European Union Marketing authorisation follows the recent US approval of BLENREP LONDON, UK I August 26, 2020 I GlaxoSmithKline plc today announced the European Commission has granted conditional marketing authorisation for BLENREP (belantamab mafodotin) as monotherapy for the treatment of multiple myeloma in adult patients who have received at least four prior therapies and whose disease is refractory to at least one proteasome inhibitor, one immunomodulatory agent, and an anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody, and who have demonstrated disease progression on the last therapy. BLENREP is a first-in-class humanised anti-BCMA (B-cell maturation antigen) treatment for these patients whose disease has progressed despite the current standard of care. Dr Hal Barron, Chief Scientific Officer and President R&D, GSK, said: The approval of BLENREP marks an important step forward for patients in Europe where nearly 50,000 new cases of multiple myeloma are diagnosed each year. Unfortunately, most of these patients will relapse or stop responding to current therapies so I am pleased that todays news will give patients with limited treatment options access to the first approved anti-BCMA therapy. The approval is based on data from the pivotal DREAMM-2 (DRiving Excellence in Approaches to Multiple Myeloma) study, including 13-month follow-up data. These data demonstrated that treatment with single-agent BLENREP, administered as a 2.5 mg/kg dose every three weeks (Q3W), resulted in an overall response rate of 32%. The median duration of response was 11 months and median overall survival was 13.7 months. The safety and tolerability profile were consistent with previously reported data on BLENREP. The most commonly reported adverse events in the 2.5 mg/kg arm (greater than or equal to 20%) were keratopathy/microcyst-like epithelial changes or MECs (71%), thrombocytopenia (38%), anaemia (27%), blurred vision events (25%), nausea (25%), pyrexia (23%), increased aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (21%), infusion-related reactions (21%), and lymphopenia (20%). Dr Katja Weisel, Deputy Director and Associate Professor of Haematology/Oncology in the Department of Oncology, Haematology and Bone Marrow Transplantation with Department of Pneumonology, University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf in Germany and an investigator for the DREAMM-2 trial, said: Despite advances in treatment, multiple myeloma remains incurable and patients continue to cycle through therapies, with their prognosis worsening with each relapse. The approval of BLENREP, with its novel mechanism of action, represents a new class of treatment that patients can turn to when their cancer stops responding to other standard of care options. BLENREP employs a multi-faceted mechanism of action and is directed toward BCMA, a cell-surface protein that plays an important role in the survival of plasma cells and is expressed on multiple myeloma cells.[1] Dr Brian G.M. Durie, Chairman of the Board of the International Myeloma Foundation, said: The EC approval of BLENREP is good news for patients with refractory multiple myeloma whose cancer continues to progress and are in dire need of new treatment options. We appreciate GSKs efforts to bring this new therapy to patients in the EU and for the commitment to addressing the needs of the multiple myeloma community. BLENREP was granted PRIME designation in 2017 and the Conditional Marketing Authorisation Application was reviewed under European Medicines Agencys accelerated assessment procedure, which is given if the EMAs Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use determines the treatment is of major interest from a public health perspective and represents a therapeutic innovation. Earlier this month, the US Food and Drug Administration approved BLENREP as a monotherapy treatment for adult patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma who have received at least four prior therapies including an anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody, a proteasome inhibitor and an immunomodulatory agent, following a priority review for the companys Biologics License Application. About DREAMM-2 DREAMM-2 is an open label study of BLENREP. Patients in the trial had actively progressing multiple myeloma that had worsened despite current standard of care and were randomised to two arms to receive either 2.5 mg/kg or 3.4 mg/kg BLENREP Q3W. Overall, patients in DREAMM-2 had more advanced disease, poorer prognosis and performance status and also had a greater number of prior lines of therapy in comparison with patients in DREAMM-1, the first time in human study of BLENREP. About multiple myeloma There are approximately 48,000 new cases of multiple myeloma diagnosed each year across Europe.[2] Research into new treatments is needed as most patients will relapse or become refractory to available therapies.[3] About B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) The normal function of BCMA is to promote plasma cell survival by transduction of signals from two known ligands, BAFF (B-cell activating factor) and APRIL (a proliferation-inducing ligand). This pathway has been shown to be important for myeloma cell growth and survival. BCMA expression is limited to B cells at later stages of development. BCMA is expressed at varying levels in myeloma patients and BCMA membrane expression is universally detected in myeloma cell lines.[4] About BLENREP BLENREP is an antibody drug conjugate comprising a humanised anti-B cell maturation antigen (BCMA) monoclonal antibody conjugated to the cytotoxic agent auristatin F via non-cleavable linker. The drug linker technology is licensed from Seattle Genetics; monoclonal antibody is produced using POTELLIGENT Technology licensed from BioWa. Important information for BLENREP in the EU Indication BLENREP is indicated as monotherapy for the treatment of multiple myeloma in adult patients, who have received at least four prior therapies and whose disease is refractory to at least one proteasome inhibitor, one immunomodulatory agent, and an anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody, and who have demonstrated disease progression on the last therapy. Important safety information Contraindications: Hypersensitivity to the active substance or to any of the excipients Warnings and precautions: Corneal adverse reactions have been reported with BLENREP (keratopathy or microcyst-like epithelial changes in corneal epithelium with or without changes in visual acuity, blurred vision, and dry eye symptoms). Ophthalmic examinations including assessment of visual acuity and slit lamp examination, should be performed at baseline, before the subsequent 3 treatment cycles and during treatment as clinically indicated. Patients experiencing corneal adverse reactions may require dose modifications or treatment discontinuation based on severity of findings. Cases of corneal ulcer (ulcerative and infective keratitis) have been reported with BLENREP. These should be managed promptly and treatment with BLENREP should be interrupted until the corneal ulcer has healed. Due to the risk of thrombocytopenic events, complete blood counts should be obtained at baseline and monitored during treatment. Patients on concomitant anticoagulant treatments may require more frequent monitoring and should be managed with a dose delay or reductions. If a moderate or severe infusion-related reaction occurs, interrupt infusion and provide supportive treatment. Once symptoms resolve, resume at a lower infusion rate. If anaphylactic or life-threatening infusion reaction, BLENREP should be permanently discontinued. Undesirable effects: The most commonly-reported adverse reactions were keratopathy and thrombocytopenia. The most commonly reported serious adverse reactions were pneumonia, pyrexia and infusion related reactions. Very common (1/10): Pneumonia, thrombocytopenia, anaemia, lymphopenia, leukopenia, neutropenia, keratopathy, blurred vision events, dry eye, nausea, diarrhoea, pyrexia, fatigue, increased aspartate aminotransferase, increased gamma glutamyltransferase and infusion related reactions. Common (1/1000 to <1/10): Upper respiratory tract information, photophobia, eye irritation, vomiting and increased creatine phosphokinase Refer to the BLENREP Prescribing Information for a full list of adverse events and the complete important safety information. GSK in Oncology GSK is focused on maximising patient survival through transformational medicines. GSKs pipeline is focused on immuno-oncology, cell therapy, cancer epigenetics, and synthetic lethality. Our goal is to achieve a sustainable flow of new treatments based on a diversified portfolio of investigational medicines utilising modalities such as small molecules, antibodies, antibody drug conjugates and cells, either alone or in combination. About GSK GSK is a science-led global healthcare company with a special purpose: to help people do more, feel better, live longer. For further information please visit www.gsk.com/about-us. [1] Trudel S, Lendvai N, Popat R, et al. Antibodydrug conjugate, GSK2857916, in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma: an update on safety and efficacy from dose expansion phase I study. Blood Cancer Journal. 2019;9(4). DOI:10.1038/s41408-019-0196-6. [2] Multiple Myeloma. World Health Organization International Agency for Research on Cancer. https://gco.iarc.fr/today/data/factsheets/cancers/35-Multiple-myeloma-fact-sheet.pdf. Accessed August 2020. [3] Nooka A, Kastritis E, Dimopoulos M, Lonial S. Treatment options for relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma. Blood. 2015;125(20):3085-3099. DOI:10.1182/blood-2014-11-568923. [4] Lonial, S, et al. Belantamab mafodotin for relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma (DREAMM-2): a two-arm, randomised, open-label, phase 2 study. Lancet Oncol. 2020; 21(2):20721. SOURCE: GlaxoSmithKline China's soybean imports will keep increasing From:ChinaDaily | 2020-08-27 08:16 With the virus' impact on trade limited, nation will boost purchases from the US China's soybean imports will continue to rise in the coming months as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on trade is limited, and the purchases of soybeans from the United States will be ramped up, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said on Wednesday. The country imported over 55.1 million metric tons of soybeans from January to July, up 17.6 percent year-on-year. In July alone, 10.1 million tons of soybeans were imported, a 16.8 percent increase from last July, according to Tang Ke, head of the ministry's market and economic information department, who cited data from the General Administration of Customs during a news conference. Disruptions caused by the pandemic on supply chains and port operations have been limited so far. On the contrary, the spread of the novel coronavirus and low oil prices have dampened global demand for soybeans, thus creating a favorable environment for expanding soybean imports, according to Tang. "Global supplies of soybeans are sufficient to meet demand, and overall prices for soybeans on the international market are stable, both of which bode well for soybean imports into China," Tang said. "In the future, soybeans produced in North America will be released into the market. With the implementation of the Phase 1 trade deal between China and the United States, imports of soybeans, including shipments from the US, are expected to rise, contributing to stable prices and sufficient supplies of soybean meal and oil in China," he said. In addition, domestic soybean stocks and newly harvested soybeans will gradually enter the market, further securing supplies and helping drag down prices recently buoyed by rising demand, according to Tang. Monitoring data show that in July, purchase prices for domestic edible soybeans in Heilongjiang province-a major soybean-planting region-stood at 5.5 yuan (80 cents) per kilogram, up 51.2 percent year-on-year. In China, imported soybeans are mainly used to make vegetable oil and soybean meal for livestock feeding. Brazil, the United States and Argentina are the top three exporters. The country buys about 80 million to 90 million tons of soybeans annually, which would otherwise take up over 40 million hectares of fields if being produced domestically, according to Pan Wenbo, head of the ministry's plantation department. "Among all major grains in China, the largest supply gap exists in the soybean sector," Tang said. "Though areas growing soybeans have increased from 6.7 million hectares to 9.3 million hectares in recent years, the gap between production and demand continues to widen. Maintaining a moderate amount of soybean imports has now become part of efforts to ensure food security." Meanwhile, ministry officials stressed that China will remain largely self-sufficient in supplies of rice, wheat and corn. Though the disease outbreak, regional drought and flooding this year have cast uncertainties over grain production, China is set to see a bumper harvest in the absence of major disasters for the rest of the year, according to Tang. Grain reserves are also abundant, with current stockpiles of rice and wheat equaling the total consumption amounts of urban and rural residents in one year, he said. Corn reserves are being consumed at a rapid pace, and the purchase prices for corn in northeastern and northern regions have soared by 30 percent compared to the beginning of this year. Tang said the price increases are reasonable and will soon stabilize thanks to new harvests and expanding imports. He also appealed to consumers, farmers and traders to refrain from hoarding or panicking due to uncertainties triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. "In the first half of this year, China has seen sufficient grain stocks, strong processing capacity, powerful market regulation, an emergency response mechanism and a well-developed logistics system," he said. "There is no need to be overly anxious or resort to panic buying." BJP MP Subramanian Swamy on Thursday said the party is not converting India into a Hindu state and the Constitution also forbids it while asserting that it will remain in power till its Hindutva ideology remains intact. Claiming that the Congress formed governments in the past by uniting minorities and dividing Hindus, Swamy said politically, Hindus should be united as a community by sinking their differences. He made these remarks at a webinar organised by the Foreign Correspondents Club, where AIMIM Chief Asaduddin Owaisi was also invited to put forth his views. "For years and years, the Congress was able to divide the Hindus and unite the minorities and therefore, it was able to form governments easily time after time," Swamy said. The Hindus were allegedly divided by the Congress on the basis of "bogus" historical ideas such as the Aryans and Dravidians, castes and so on, he said. The BJP leader said the vote share of the saffron party has gone up because of its Hindutva ideology. "If the Hindutva ideology is intact, then we are going to win elections after elections no matter what the economic performance is unless it goes to really bad," he said. Urging Hindus to sink all their differences and unite to become a community, Swamy said, politically, they must not let themselves get divided on the basis of caste, region or language. Countering the BJP leader's pitch for Hindutva, Owaisi said the beauty of India, where people of different religions live, is in its diversity. "But Swamy, for his Hindutva ideology, is only concerned about the people who believe in this ideology and not even Hindus," he said. Owaisi said the idea of Hindutva clearly says a majority religion can have primacy over other religions and people who do not subjugate themselves to that religion will be treated as second-class citizens. 1st National Bank of Scotia and MK Decision at ICBA Live 2020 MK Decision has set the bar high for our expectations of working with a vendor. They are proactive and listen to our needs to come up with creative solutions. MK Decision (MK) announced today that 1st National Bank of Scotia, N.Y., has selected MKs Credit Card Origination System (CCOS), to implement a mobile-first credit card application centered on creating a seamless digital experience for customers. 1st National Bank of Scotia was introduced to MKs CCOS product while attending the first Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) ThinkTECH Accelerator powered by The Venture Center in Little Rock, Arkansas in January of 2019. The bank was impressed by the product and seamless customer onboarding workflow. Encouraged by its support from ICBA Bancard, bank officials decided to pursue a partnership with MK. ICBA Bancard vets all of its vendors for us, they negotiate the contracts, John Buhrmaster, president & CEO of 1st National Bank of Scotia said. When they let me know that they were in negotiations with MK Decision that was all I needed to know that the company had been properly vetted and had an excellent product to help community banks grow their credit card portfolios. By implementing CCOS, 1st National Bank of Scotia has enabled their customers to apply for credit cards online through MKs digital platform. SalesFunnel helps the bank's customers make educated decisions by providing detailed credit card landing pages. AppFlow guides the bank's customers through an intuitive online application with digital signatures on disclosures via MK's SecureSign. And MK's Messaging system sends automated updates to customers throughout the approval and onboarding process. Throughout the partnership, MK has been attentive to 1st National Bank of Scotias requests for customization, and aims to cultivate the best customer experience possible. Chris Hebbard, senior credit officer at 1st National Bank of Scotia, stated, MK Decision has set the bar high for our expectations of working with a vendor. They are proactive and listen to our needs to come up with creative solutions. As forward-thinking community banks continue to partner with MK Decision, were exceeding rising customer expectations for online access to financial products. With MK at their side, 1st National Bank of Scotias digital transformation will provide their customers with intuitive online shopping and application experiences, said Har Rai Khalsa, CEO of MK Decision. About MK Decision MK Decision's mission is to help community financial institutions thrive by receiving more deposits and more loans. With a commitment to strengthen local economies, MKs platform gives community financial institutions a competitive advantage through simple, beautiful customer experiences and streamlined banker workflows. The MK platform supports a variety of financial products including checking & savings accounts, credit cards, and consumer, commercial, small business, and indirect loans. So far, MK has helped over 190 community banks acquire customers online. The company was founded in 2015 and is headquartered in San Diego, California. For more information, visit http://www.mkdecision.com. About 1st National Bank of Scotia 1st National Bank of Scotia is an independently owned and operated bank located in the Capital Region of New York State. Founded in 1923, 1st National is proud to provide creative financial solutions and personalized customer service to generations of families and businesses. For more information please visit http://www.firstscotia.com. Writer/director Sofia Coppola was initially going to figure out what was exchanged later and add the dialogue during post-production, but ... she never did. For her, the whisper was acknowledged what that week in Tokyo meant to them, and that was enough. But that decision has meant people regularly asking Coppola what he said; she likes Murray's answer: That it's between lovers. It's tough to overstate how much people are bothered by the fact that nobody really knows what he whispered. In 2013, Vulture ran an article about whisper theories, calling the whisper "one of the biggest mysteries in recent film history." Some of the ideas mentioned ranged from "Tell him (Charlotte's husband) the truth" (based on faint traces of audible words) to the whole scene being Bob's dream to Bob Harris revealing he's actually Charlotte's husband, time-traveling from the future. ("Also, buy a lot of stock in something called 'Netflix.'") Continue Reading Below Advertisement And that's just the tip of the iceberg. The internet is awash with other articles discussing exactly what Murray whispered. In addition to Coppola, Murray also gets asked about it all the time. A clip of the audio manipulated to the whisper kinda-sorta audible has over 1.5 million views. A North Carolina doctor who drove his Tesla on 'autopilot mode' while watching a movie on his cell phone slammed into a police car on Wednesday morning. Devainder Goli, a 66-year-old emergency room doctor from Raleigh, was charged with a move-over law violation and operating a vehicle while 'viewing any television, computer, or video player'. Authorities said the incident happened just after midnight on Highway 64 near mile marker 440, which sits near the Franklin - Nash county line. Goli was driving home from Halifax Regional Center with his Tesla on autopilot while watching a movie on his cell phone. Authorities have not disclosed what movie Goli was watching at the time. DailyMail.com has reached out for further details. Dr. Devainder Goli crashed his Tesla into Nash County Sheriff's Office cruiser on Wednesday morning in North Carolina Goli (pictured), an emergency room doctor, has been charged with a move-over law violation and operating a vehicle while 'viewing any television, computer, or video player' Tesla has branded the autopilot mode the 'future of driving' and says on its website it is 'designed to assist you with the most burdensome parts of driving'. The feature allowed vehicles to steer, accelerate and brake by itself while within a lane. Further down the road, a Nash County deputy and a State Highway Patrol trooper were conducting separate tasks near the roadway. The deputy was completing a lane closure overnight on part of Highway 64, near Spring Hope, while the highway trooper was investigating a separate crash that occurred the day before. Both deputies were standing outside their respective vehicles as Goli's Tesla sped down the roadway with little supervision. Goli's Tesla slammed into a Nash County Sheriff's Office cruiser (pictured), which then crashed into a North Carolina Highway Patrol vehicle Suddenly, Goli's Tesla appeared to miscalculate and rammed into the Nash County deputy's cruiser. The initial impact of the crash sent the cruiser plowing into the State Highway Patrol vehicle, too. Move Over Law Move over laws were implemented in all 50 states in America and are meant to keep law enforcement safe on roadways. The U.S. Department of Transportation said 'Cars and trucks speeding by just inches away leaves too little margin for error and could so easily result in a disastrous crash.' 'Americas first responders police, fire, EMT's face this peril every day in the line of duty.' The law requires residents to move over a lane or slow down if a vehicle with emergency lights are on. Since 1997, more than 150 law enforcement officers have been struck by speeding vehicles. Between 2007 and 2017, 39 per cent of law enforcement deaths were credited to traffic-related incidents. Advertisement The deputy and trooper were knocked to the pavement during the incident, but neither suffered any injuries. 'Luckily, the state trooper pushed our deputy out of the way when he heard the tires squall and in an instant we could have lost a life or several lives.' Nash County Sheriff Keith Stone told WRAL. 'It could have been very horrific.' Tesla's website added that current autopilot software required active driver supervision and don't make the vehicle autonomous. Photos taken at the scene showed the Sheriff's cruiser and Goli's Tesla taking the brunt of the damage. The Tesla's front bumper was completely ripped off and much of the front has been scratched, dented and pulled apart. The Nash County cruiser took significant damage to the driver side, with the entire back left wheel detached and the steel crumpled like a piece of paper. 'There needs to come a time when we need to understand that automation can not do everything,' said Stone. 'Its not enhancing our safety, and in this situation, it could kill two law enforcement agents.' Stone's sentiments are echoed by the North Carolina Governor's Highway Safety Program, which reminded residents that the move over law is still very much in effect. 'Autonomous or not, the rules of the road still remain #moveovernc,' they wrote, adding, 'We're so very glad everyone left the crash scene alive.' The Nash County Sheriff's Office wrote on Facebook reiterated the law on Facebook, as well as admitted they 'don't recommend watching a movie while driving down the road, even if your car is driving for you.' Tesla, created by billionaire tech giant Elon Musk, has heralded its autopilot technology since it first introduced in 2015. Last October, the company boasted in its third quarter report that cars using autopilot were nine times safer than the average driver. According to Tesla, autopilot vehicles were involved in one car accident for every 4.34million miles driven during that quarter. The average accident rate for human drivers in the United States is one accident every half million miles. Still, a number of Tesla crashes involving autopilot have been recorded and the National Transportation Safety Board criticized the design, as well as federal safety regulations. In March 2018, Apple engineer Walter Huang died when his Tesla Model X crashed into a concrete barrier along a California highway. Data from Huang's crash showed his SUV did not brake or try to steer around the barrier in the three seconds before the crash. The car also sped up from 62mph to 71 mph just before crashing. Walter Huang, an Apple engineer and father-of-two, died after his Tesla veered off U.S. 101 in Silicon Valley and into a concrete barrier in March 2018. The wreckage of his Tesla is pictured above Walter Huang (pictured) reportedly complained about his Tesla's autopilot before he died during a fiery crash in 2018 In addition to the description of the autopilot malfunction, the documents also included data that showed Huang had been using his phone at the time of the crash and didn't have his hands on the steering wheel. In February 2020, court documents filed by Huang's family claimed her had previously complained about the autopilot feature. 'Walter said the car would veer toward the barrier in the mornings when he went to work,' the Huang family's attorney wrote in a response to NTSB questions. In April 2020, the family of Yoshihiro Umeda, 44, of Japan, sued Tesla after he was fatally hit by a Model X in 2018. Pictured: Dash cam footage shows the Tesla Model X crash after Umeda was run over on Tomei Expressway Documents filed in San Jose federal court by widow Tomomi Umeda and daughter Miyu Umeda claimed Umeda was the victim of a 'patent defect' in Tesla's technology. The driver of the Model X had fallen asleep behind the wheel and the vehicle's autopilot features did not recognize Umeda standing along the roadway. Court documents referred to Tesla's autopilot system as 'half-baked' and 'non-market-ready' The plaintiffs took fault with the uncertainty of the vehicle's ability to adapt to roadways in real time. There have been four fatal self-driving car accidents involving Tesla since 2016. Police Blotter: Man Thinks His Girlfriend Is Cheating And Not At Her Mother's; Man Says His Dad And Stepmom Forged Documents To Keep Him From Joining Marines Latest Hamilton County Arrest Report Man Arrested After Stealing Public Works Truck; Driving It Through Security Gate A man on West 37 th Street told police he was upset with a woman because he thinks she's out running around on him and doesn't think she is hanging out with her mother as she tells him. The woman ... (click for more) Here is the latest Hamilton County arrest report: BAILEY, TRENTON DEVON 2601 OLVER STREET CHATTANOOGA, 37440 Age at Arrest: 29 years old Arresting Agency: Hamilton County DOMESTIC ... (click for more) The Malibu home where former Friends actor Matthew Perry has spent much of his coronavirus quarantine has just hit the market for $14.95 million. The two-floor property, which Perry described in a recent social media post as his kick-ass Malibu house, features four bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms spread over 5,500 total square feet and directly faces the Pacific Ocean. Anthony Barcelo Real estate records indicate that Perry first bought the home back in 2011 for $12 million from Southern California developer Scott Gillen, who was responsible for the propertys update and upgrade a decade ago. CBS, CW And Showtime 2015 Summer TCA Party Axelle/Bauer-Griffin Perry has listed the home with celebrity brokers Josh Flagg and Bobby Boyd of Rodeo Realty. Flagg, whos best known for his ongoing role on the Bravo television series Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles, considers the Perry home to be particularly desirable as wealthy buyers seek havens from the ongoing COVID crisis. "I have sold several homes on the water in Malibu, but it is super hard to find something of this quality level, Flagg says. In today's market, the inventory is low because everyone is flocking to buy beach houses as they want to get out of the city." The homes sale was first reported by Variety, which notes that not only is it located on one of Malibus most prestigious streets, but the nautical-inspired abode features vast, loftlike living and entertaining areas that orbit around a freestanding central fireplace and spill own through vast banks of floor-to-ceiling windows. The home offers Pacific Ocean views from nearly every room, along with a firepit where Perryaccording to social media postshas been spending much of his time during the pandemic. Hes taken to baking cookies and lambasting passing beachgoers whove not adhered to strict social-distancing measures. The Malibu listing comes as Perry realigns much of his lucrative real estate portfoliowhich city records note is costing him some $400,000 in annual property taxes. Three years ago, Perry spent $20 million on a grand Century City penthouse that he then listed for $35 millionmaking it the priciest penthouse in Los Angeles, according to Mansion Global. Story continues At the time, Perry indicated that he was selling the 9,300-square-foot home in order to spend more time in New York City. Variety says that Perry recently reduced the penthouse price by 20%, and it remains on the market for $27 million. Perrys Malibu listing comes as Los Angeles sees continued strength in the luxury and ultraluxury markets even amid the coronavirus pandemic. Although sales figures plummeted by nearly half during the early months of the crisis, Bloomberg reports a return to robust activity as wealthy Angelenos seek even larger and more lavish homes for long-term isolation and quarantines. Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest India on Thursday emphasised the need for a diplomatic solution to the stand-off with China based on agreements on the border issue, saying the disengagement of troops can move forward only if both sides implement actions they have agreed on in several rounds of diplomatic and military talks. The external affairs ministry outlined Indias latest position on the protracted stand-off hours after the Chinese defence ministry said New Delhi should look at the big picture of bilateral ties and work with Beijing to bring the relationship back on track while avoiding misjudgements. External affairs ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava referred to remarks made in a recent interview by external affairs minister S Jaishankar, who noted that several border incidents in the past had all been resolved through diplomacy. Jaishankar further said that when it comes to finding a solution, this must be predicated on honouring all agreements and understandings and not attempting to alter the status quo unilaterally, he added. At the same time, Srivastava pointed out, India believes complete disengagement requires re-deployment of troops by both sides towards their regular posts on their respective sides of the Line of Actual Control (LAC). It is natural that this can be done only through mutually agreed reciprocal actions. Thus, it is important to bear in mind that achieving this requires agreed actions by both sides, he said. In Beijing, defence ministry spokesperson Col Wu Qian told a monthly news briefing that China expects India to work with it to maintain peace and tranquillity on the border while bearing in mind the big picture of bilateral ties and putting the border issue in an appropriate position in this big picture. India should avoid misjudgement, keep divergences from escalating into disputes, and take concrete steps to bring the bilateral relations back to the right track of normal development, Wu said. Wus comments echoed remarks in a recent speech by Chinas envoy to India, Sun Weidong, who described the June 15 border clash that killed 20 Indian soldiers as a brief moment from the perspective of history, and said the two sides should now seek common ground while reserving differences. Like the Chinese foreign ministry, Wus statement, published on the official military website, put the onus on India to restore normalcy in ties, currently the worst in decades. The remaining issues at the LAC should be handled properly and both sides further cool down the China-India border situation, Wu said. The big picture advice in Chinas diplomatic narrative appeared to suggest that Beijing doesnt want the border tensions to impact other components of the relationship, such as trade and economic cooperation. But it was evident at the end of the last meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) on border affairs on August 20 that the two sides had been unable to bridge differences on troop disengagement. New Delhi said there were outstanding issues that need to be resolved speedily at the meeting, and Jaishankar said in his recent interview the current situation was surely the most serious situation since the 1962 war, and that the quantum of forces currently deployed by both sides at the LAC is also unprecedented. Srivastava said at the last meeting of WMCC, the two sides reaffirmed they will continue to sincerely work towards complete disengagement of the troops in line with agreements reached by the two foreign ministers and the two Special Representatives (SRs) during their conversation on July 5. Both sides also agree that full restoration of peace and tranquillity in the border areas would be essential for the overall development of bilateral relations. The two sides had also agreed to continue their engagements both through diplomatic and military channels, Srivastava said. Experts, however, believe the Chinese side is glossing over Indias concerns, with several statements from Chinas foreign ministry projecting a positive picture of the disengagement process. Former ambassador Rajiv Bhatia, distinguished fellow for foreign policy studies at Gateway House, said: I think developments are moving in the expected direction, with the level being raised from the operational military and diplomatic level to the political level. The external affairs ministers statement about the situation being the most serious since the 1962 war is the governments position articulated by a cabinet minister. For the moment, we have no option but to talk to the Chinese but the gap between the two sides hasnt been reduced at all. The Chinese are underplaying the seriousness of the situation, while India is emphasising the gravity and complexity of the total relationship with China. This is the woman who bravely stood up to a Black Lives Matter mob in Washington DC, refusing to raise her fist on their command. Lauren B. Victor, a 49-year-old urban planner, was aggressively heckled by marchers on Monday night while she was dining with a friend in the Adams Morgan district. Footage, which showed the demonstrators yelling at Victor, has now gone viral and sparked a widespread backlash. It showed Victor, a MBA graduate of Columbia Business School, stand her ground. She later told The Washington Post that she felt that she was 'under attack'. Ironically, Victor is a supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement and has participated in many marches, but didn't want to be 'coerced' into showing support. 'In the moment, it didn't feel right,' she stated. 'I wasn't actually frightened. I didn't think they'd do anything to me. I'm very much with them. I've been marching with them for weeks and weeks and weeks.' Scroll down for video Lauren B. Victor has been widely praised for standing up to a BLM mob on Monday night Victor was shouted at by white protesters outside a restaurant in DC on Monday 'It just felt overwhelming to have all of those people come at you. To have a crowd with all that energy demand that you do this thing. In the moment it didn't feel right,' she added in an interview with the Washington Post after the incident. 'On one level, my best guess was no one was going to hurt me. But those things turn on a dime.' Victor began her further education at Bryn Mawr College, studying for a degree in growth and structure of cities before attending the University of Pennsylvania, where she worked for a MA in city and regional planning. She then, according to her LinkedIn page, studied at Columbia, where she was active in the student newspaper, on womens' forums, and in the area of sustainable business. After Columbia she moved to Jordan, where she worked for a year in the capital, Amman, at the Jordan American Business Association. Victor then moved back to DC and worked her way up the urban planning and real estate ladder to become a consultant. She also served as chair of the board of a non-profit, The Dupont Underground, a community arts organization. Victor was not the only one to be targeted by the mob on Monday night. Protesters walked through Washington DC on Monday to protest the shooting of Jacob Blake Even young children were made to raise their fists by protesters at several outdoor restaurants The protesters threatened and filmed white diners at DC restaurants on Monday night The crowd, which has come together to protest the shooting of Jacob Blake in Wisconsin, gathered outside restaurants, alternately accusing diners of enjoying 'white privilege' and encouraging them to show support for their protest. At one table, a young man who objected to the intrusion tried to explain that he worked for a nonprofit organization committed to addressing mental health care for black people and other underserved populations. Protesters crowded in further around the table, shining video lights in the diners' eyes and exchanging angry words. As they moved into the Adams Morgan district, the unrest continued, with Victor's table outside a Mexican restaurant, Los Cuates, being singled out. White protesters were reportedly encouraged to go to the front, to challenge their fellow caucasians. 'White silence is violence!' protesters chanted, many with fists in the air. 'Are you a Christian?' a protester demanded, yelling into her face, before others demanded she raise her fist. Victor refused, even after her dining companion complied. She said she felt that it was wrong for hundreds of people to surround a small group of diners, approach them with their hands raised, and try to cow them into making a show of support. 'It just felt overwhelming to have all of those people come at you. To have a crowd with all that energy demand that you do this thing. In the moment it didn't feel right,' she told The Washington Post. 'They like to think because I raise my fist it means something or other.' Victor said she did 'appreciate their anger,' but was concerned the situation could escalate. 'Those things turn on a dime,' she said. Many accused the protesters of acting like an 'aggressive mob' and using 'intimidation tactics' to order diners into submission. Responding to the footage, MSNBC host Joe Scarborough described the activists as 'horrible people'. Another Democrat apologized, saying that she disagreed entirely with their tactic. Author Robert Tracinski, who has written an analysis of Ayn Rand's classic Atlas Shrugged, said that Victor 'is my new hero'. Muriel Vieux, whose Twitter bio said she was a fervent Democrat, apologized for the mob Author Robert Tracinski, who has written an analysis of Ayn Rand, praised Victor's bravery A large crowd of Black Lives Matter protesters accosted white diners outside several Washington, D.C. restaurants on Monday night, demanding that they raise their fists to show solidarity with the movement Many accused the protesters of acting like an 'aggressive mob' and using 'intimidation tactics' to order diners into submission Many on Twitter took issue with Black Lives Matter protesters accosting Victor. Others stated that it would turn people away from supporting the movement. 'You don't win supporters by screaming in people's faces and intimidating them. How many people have watched this video and been turned off? Is it about making a real change or just ego gratification? Another bluntly theorized: 'This gives Trump four more years.' Meanwhile, other videos showed the protesters screaming at another couple at a separate restaurant, calling them 'trash' for refusing to raise their fists. There has been overwhelming public support for Black Lives Matter protests, which have been taking place across the country following the death of unarmed black man George Floyd on Memorial Day. However, there have been instances where some have questioned whether the movement's leaders have gone too far in trying to subordinate both supporters and passersby. Back in June, several white police officers and community members gathered to wash the feet of black faith leaders in North Carolina. Back in June, several white police officers and community members gathered to wash the feet of black faith leaders in North Carolina. Some argued that white people appeared to be in a state of capitulation, and that the feet-washing symbolized submission, as opposed to equality While many believed the act would bring racial groups closer together, some argued that white people appeared to be in a state of capitulation, and that the feet-washing symbolized submission, as opposed to equality. Elsewhere, white protesters have also knelt in front of black community members and asked for forgiveness. Meanwhile, disturbing video circulating on social media back in June showed a black man ordering random white pedestrians in New York City to kneel down in front of him and apologize. Armenias government gave on Thursday the green light for the relocation of an entire village as part of a $71 million project to build a new reservoir and irrigation system in northwestern Shirak province. The construction of the Kaps reservoir on the Akhurian river had begun in Soviet times but stopped after the catastrophic 1988 earthquake that devastated many local communities and the provincial capital Gyumri in particular. Armenias former government decided to revive and complete the project. Germanys state-run development bank KfW agreed to lend it 50 million euros ($59 million) for that purpose in 2014. The government pledged to provide the remaining 10 million euros needed for building the irrigation facilities. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinians cabinet has also been committed to the project designed to improve supplies of irrigation water to farmers in Shirak. It approved on Thursday a plan to relocate Jradzor, a village 22 kilometers north of Gyumri which would be fully or partly submerged by the Kaps reservoir. Jradzors 350 or so residents are to be resettled in a new village that will be built from scratch several hundred meters away. The plan commits the government to providing all of them with new and free housing. This will cost the state an estimated 4.9 billion drams ($10 million), according to Vache Terterian, a deputy minister for local government. The Jradzor mayor, Gevorg Hovakian, and several other local residents interviewed by RFE/RLs Armenian service said they look forward to the relocation. The impoverished village was severely damaged by the 1988 earthquake and never completely rebuilt. Terterian told Pashinian and cabinet members that work on the new village will likely start next year and be completed by 2024. He gave no time frames for the construction of the reservoir itself. Pashinian stressed the strategic significance of these and other irrigation dams planned or already built in Armenia. Approximately 7 billion cubic meters of water originates in the territory of Armenia every year, he said. But we can now manage only a fraction of these resources: around 10-15 percent. We must be able to achieve much more serious strategic objectives in this area. A police officer who was stabbed with a machete during a routine traffic stop has been honoured with one of Metropolitan Polices top awards. Pc Stuart Outten was working a night shift in August 2019 when he signalled for a van with no insurance to pull over. The van driver eventually stopped, shouted at officers and attempted to drive off but when Pc Outten stopped him, he was punched twice in the face and knifed with a two-foot machete. Pc Outten fired his taser to incapacitate the driver but sustained life-changing injuries during the attack. These included six deep wounds to the head with associated multiple fractures to the skull, and two wounds to the lower part of his right arm with multiple fractures of the fingers. Footage of the attack on Pc Stuart Outten / Met Police Now back at work and hoping to return to full duties soon, Pc Outten was enshrined with the Commissioners High Commendation for extreme courage and extraordinary bravery. Pc Outten said: I will never forget what happened that night but I would never let it stop me doing the job I love. Luckily my training kicked in and thankfully the Taser was effective the second time. Handyman Found Not Guilty Of Trying To Kill Pc Stuart Outten I have had a huge amount of support both internally and from members of the public and I am honoured to have now received this commendation it means a huge amount. His attacker, Mohammed Rodwan, was found guilty of causing grievous bodily harm with intent and sentenced to 16 years in prison with a further three years on extended licence. Other officers commended by the commissioner include former detective constable Steve Harvey, who pursued an armed suspect in 1982 in Peckham, London, and Detective Constable Natasha Holing, who fought her way through a smoke-filled building to evacuate a number of residents in Norbury, in the south west of the city, in 2018. A number of other awards were also handed out at the ceremony, including to Pc Allan Parker, who received the Royal Humane Society silver medal and the police medal for preventing a distressed 16-year-old stepping out into rush hour traffic in July 2018. Simon Geary and Callum White were awarded the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) police public bravery award gold medals, while Oliver Tonkin and Sharon Bettesworth received NPCC police bravery award certificates of commendation. Met Police Commissioner Cressida Dick, said: I am extremely proud to commend these officers and members of the public who acted without a thought for their own safety in order to protect others. Their quick thinking, bravery and professionalism is outstanding and I thank them for their selfless actions. (Natural News) An illegal alien from Mexico was arrested after he opened fire during a Black Lives Matter demonstration in Denver, Colorado on May 30, authorities said. (Article by Zachary Stieber republished from TheEpochTimes.com) Felix Missael Alva was charged with being an alien in possession of a firearm. He does not yet have a lawyer listed and no pictures of him were available. According to a criminal complaint, a Denver police detective approached a white Jeep Grand Cherokee with a Hispanic male in the passenger seat. The man told the detective, This aint no peaceful protest, [expletive] twelve! He then produced a large black handgun that he soon pointed upwards, where a Denver Police Department helicopter was flying. Alva indicated that the gun was for them and began firing, according to the complaint. The detective fled in fear of being shot and the driver of the Jeep sped away. A witness called 911 to report the gunfire and later spoke to the detective. He saw the white Jeep speeding past his residence. Traffic cameras captured the Jeep moving away from the scene and obtained a search warrant for the vehicle. Records from a previous arrest linked to the vehicle led police to Alva, who said his wife owned the vehicle. The detective who saw the shooting recognized Alva during the execution of a warrant on Alvas home. Police officers recovered a handgun that the detective said was the firearm he witnessed being used. Alva told officers that he and his wife did attend a protest in Denver in the Jeep. He said he didnt shoot or own a gun. He said they lit fireworks from the Jeep. Law enforcement records showed Alva was previously deported from the United States in 2010. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Alva has not legally entered the country since then. The case is part of Project Guardian, a Department of Justice effort to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearm laws. Read more at: TheEpochTimes.com Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 21:53:08|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close By Ndalimpinga Iita WINDHOEK, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- An online education forum is harnessing the use of technology among educators in Namibia to bridge gaps perpetuated by COVID-19 restrictions. Kopano Online Education Forum, developed through the UNESCO-China Funds-in-Trust project, is an inter-institutional platform aimed to address education quality gaps in Africa. Loide Kapenda, an education officer in Namibia, accessed virtual resources on Kopano Online Education Forum. Kapenda, who works in the public service, said that Kopano has been instrumental in enhancing her knowledge and learning amid COVID-19 pandemic. "I am not only able to access rich resources but also to exchange best practices with fellow educators. It is a hub that sparks innovation and fosters new ideas for lifelong learning," she said Thursday. According to Kapenda, the platform had helped many educators cope with the demand of online education provision amid the call for the education fraternity to maximize virtual platforms. "The forum came in handy, and it continues to enable us to achieve more by learning better through discussions and other virtual engagements," she added. Launched in March 2019, the forum, hosted by Center for Professional Development, Teaching and Learning Improvement at the University of Namibia, has grown over time. Absalom Absalom, with public relations office in the Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture, said that so far some 13,000 educators in Namibia are registered on the virtual platform, a significant increase from the initial number at its launch in March 2019. The official said that benefits had been derived from the platform. "One of the many benefits is skills diversification. Not only is that, but educators on the platform also register in their areas of specialization or interest to communicate their ideas around their topic of interest, content or subject," he said. The use of Kopano would also aid the realization of Namibia's vision of attaining a knowledgeable community of educators as set out in the national development agenda, according to Kapenda. The forum is being implemented in 10 African countries, including Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Namibia, Togo and Zambia. Enditem A man is wounded by gunfire amid rioting in Kenosha, Wis., on Aug. 25, 2020. (@Louriealex/Instagram via Reuters) 3 Struck by Bullets During Rioting in Wisconsin Identified The two people killed during rioting in Kenosha on Tuesday night were identified by friends and acquaintances, as was a third who was struck by bullets but survived. A 17-year-old Illinois resident was arrested Wednesday for homicide. Law enforcement authorities said theyre not sure whether the teen, Kyle Rittenhouse, was involved in all of the shootings. Video footage from reporters on the ground suggest he was. The man rushed to the hospital with serious, non-life threatening wounds was named Gaige Grosskreutz of West Allis. Friends told TMJ 4 that Grosskreutz volunteered as a medic during Black Lives Matter demonstrations in Milwaukee over the summer. He was acting as a medic during rioting when he was shot, they said. Video footage shows the man identified as Grosskreutz run after Rittenhouse before being shot. Grosskreutz was carrying a gun. According to a GoFundMe fundraiser page, the man was shot on August 26 in Kenosha while peacefully protesting, filming the protest, and providing medical aid to others. Grosskreutz was in Kenosha with the Peoples Revolution Movement, which calls for radical change and supported self-described socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in his presidential runs, a spokeswoman told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Grosskreutz was shot in the arm and is facing multiple surgeries to save the limb. According to online court records, Grosskreutz was found guilty of being armed with a gun while intoxicated in 2016. Authorities didnt identify the deceased by name but said they were a 26-year-old Silver Lake resident and a 36-year-old Kenosha resident. The Silver Lake man was named by those who knew him as Anthony Huber, who grew up in the area. Anthony Huber (L), in an undated photograph. (Help Hannah/GoFundMe) Still images from videos captured on the scene showed Huber running toward Rittenhouse and brandishing a skateboard to hit the teen. I heard he was trying to save somebody from being shot, Max Seebeck, a friend, told the Journal-Sentinel. He is a peaceful person, a friend told CBS 58. He didnt go out looking to beat people up. Hes more of a defender. And he put his life on the line for others. Thats what he did. Others described the situation differently. Hannah Gittings, Hubers partner, told demonstrators on Wednesday night that Huber took down an armed gunman with nothing but his [expletive] skateboard. A GoFundMe fundraiser set up for Gittings says she needs money very fast because she cant retrieve her house or car keys from his body or see him until they find a funeral home and pay for it. According to online court records, Huber was found guilty of disorderly conduct in 2018, possession of drug paraphernalia in 2015, and domestic abuse and false imprisonment in 2012. Joseph Rosenbaum in an undated photograph. (FUNERAL COSTS for JoJo Rosenbaum/GoFundMe) The other man shot dead was Joseph Rosenbaum, according to his friends. A GoFundMe fundraiser says his girlfriend is trying to raise money for a funeral. Rosenbaum was captured on video telling people, shoot me, in front of a gas station a few minutes before he was shot. He also used a racial slur. According to the states sex offender registry, Rosenbaum was convicted in Arizona in 2002 of sexual conduct with a minor. According to online court records, Rosenbaum was charged last month with battery, disorderly conduct, and bail jumping. The chaotic series of events on Tuesday were captured on video by reporters on the ground. Rittenhouse told one reporter he was in the area to help protect businesses and assist anyone who needed medical attention. He was carrying a rifle. Several videos showed Rittenhouse involved in a chase outside Car Source, a dealership that has been torched twice since Sunday, before gunshots were heard. A man wearing clothing that matched what the teen was wearing made a phone call before running away. The teen was soon pursued by several people, including a man brandishing a skateboard and another who was holding a pistol. After Rittenhouse was on the ground, he turned and fired at the men, one of whom came into direct contact with him. Rittenhouse appeared in court on Wednesday and is set to appear in court regarding his extradition on Friday. The Lake County, Illinois Public Defenders Office told The Epoch Times on Thursday that it didnt have information on which public defender is representing the teen. Kyle Rittenhouse in an undated photograph. (Kyle Rittenhouse/Tik Tok) A GoFundMe for Rittenhouse was later removed from the website. GoFundMe didnt immediately respond to a request for comment. Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul told reporters on Wednesday that what happened the previous night was despicable, charging that some and quite possibly many of the people inflicting destruction or committing violence in Kenosha have come from outside the city. This community has been through some extremely traumatic events in the last few days. The people of this community deserve to have the opportunity to grieve, he added, saying later that people coming to the area to commit arson or violence are creating chaos. Kenosha District Attorney Michael Graveley said his office will be making at least preliminary decisions about charges against Rittenhouse by the end of Thursday. In a separate briefing, Kenosha Police Chief Daniel Miskinis said the shootings may not have taken place if people were abiding by the curfew set by city and county authorities. The investigation into the shootings is active and its not clear what prompted them, Miskinis added. Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 23:07:27|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close A health worker conducts a COVID-19 test with a sample of blood at a health center in Baghdad, Iraq, on Aug. 27, 2020. The Iraqi Health Ministry on Thursday confirmed 3,651 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total nationwide infections to 219,435. (Xinhua/Khalil Dawood) BAGHDAD, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- The Iraqi Health Ministry on Thursday confirmed 3,651 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total nationwide infections to 219,435. The ministry also reported 72 more deaths, raising the death toll from the infectious virus to 6,740 in the country. The new cases included 783 in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, 299 in Najaf, 260 in Karbala, 254 in Basra, 242 in Maysan, and 240 in Wasit, while the other cases were detected in the other provinces, the statement said. It also said that 3,794 people recovered during the day, bringing the total recoveries from the disease to 161,009. The new cases were recorded after 22,318 testing kits were used across the country during the day, and a total of 1,524,864 tests have been carried out since the outbreak of the disease, according to the statement. Meanwhile, Sayf al-Badr, Spokesman of the ministry, said in a press release that the health situation in Iraq is still under control despite logistical difficulties, which are mainly the result of decades of failure to support the Iraqi health system. Separately, Ghaiyb al-Omairi, a member of the parliamentary health committee said in a press release that "the increase or decrease in the number of infections in Iraq is due to many reasons, including the compliance or non-compliance of the citizens with the health preventive measures." Iraq has been taking a series of measures to contain the pandemic since February when the first corona case appeared in the country. 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. Dr. Carolyn Spiro-Levitt was 20 weeks pregnant when she was diagnosed with an incompetent cervix. Like most women, the 31-year-old clinical psychologist in New York City, had never heard the term before. My first thought was, What a cruel and insulting name, Spiro-Levitt told TODAY Parents. An incompetent cervix, also called a cervical insufficiency, is when the cervix opens in the second trimester as the baby grows. According to Dr. Ashley Roman, director of Maternal Fetal Medicine at NYU Langone Health, the condition is believed to be caused by weak cervical tissue. The problem with incompetent cervix is that many women have no symptoms or they have symptoms that overlap normal symptoms associated with pregnancy such as an increase in vaginal discharge or pelvic pressure, Roman told TODAY Parents. The reason why it is often diagnosed too late is because cervical dilation is painless. Carolyn Spiro-Levitt and her husband, Josh Levitt. (Courtesy Carolyn Spiro) Spiro-Levitt knew something was terribly wrong when her chatty ultrasound tech suddenly went silent during her babys 20-week anatomy scan in June. My heart sank, she recalled. Spiro-Levitt, who wasnt due until November, soon learned she was three centimeters dilated, and nearly 100% effaced. But how could that be? Spiro-Levitt felt totally fine. With her husband, Josh Levitt, by her side, doctors laid out three scenarios. We could terminate the pregnancy, we could do nothing, which wasnt really an option because I would go into labor, or I could have a procedure called an emergency cerclage, Spiro-Levitt explained. The couple chose the third option, which is essentially at stitch in the cervix used to prevent a premature birth. It was very risky. I was told that it could give me a significant amount of time or that I could go into labor the next day, Spiro-Levitt recalled. "I put myself on bedrest. I was afraid to sneeze. I was afraid to go to the bathroom. Every time I moved, I felt guilty. The emergency cerclage bought Spiro-Levitt an additional three weeks. Story continues On July 5, she delivered a baby boy named Eli, knowing he wouldn't survive. Our son came out sucking his thumb. He was born alive. But by the time they handed him to me, he had passed, she told TODAY Parents. He was incredibly beautiful with a little button nose. But it was also so devastating because we could see that he really looked like Josh. Carolyn Spiro-Levitt and her husband, Josh Levitt, are raising incompetent cervix awareness after losing their son, Eli. (Courtesy Carolyn Spiro) Now, nearly two months after losing her child, the grieving mom is speaking out in hopes of raising awareness about IC. IC affects one in 100 pregnancies and yet it was something I was never told about, she said. Im angry. Earlier this month Spiro-Levitt wrote an op-ed for the The Washington Post urging women to advocate for ultrasounds or internal checks of the cervix betweens weeks 16 and 18 of pregnancy. Most of the time, IC is picked up at the 20-week anatomy scan, but for many women and their babies, it is already too late to save them, Spiro-Levitt wrote. Emergency cerclages placed earlier have much better outcomes and offer chances for a successful pregnancy. Spiro-Levitt also wants women to trust their gut if something feels off. She experienced pelvic pain and pressure before her diagnosis. I messaged my doctor and she wrote that I should monitor for cramping and bleeding. Since I wasnt having either of those things, I thought I was OK. I stopped worrying, Spiro-Levitt said. I wish I had known there was a possibility my cervix was dilating. If only Id asked more questions. The 'what ifs' are painful." The media law signed in this week by President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo contains positive clauses but is still unfortunately saddled with punitive provisions and onerous restrictions that will adversely impede media independence. The new law requires all types of publishers and journalists to apply for vetting and license that may be arbitrarily rejected or revoked based on the opaque article 22 if determined to have infringed on laws. Overseeing the new register of journalists stipulated in article 18, is the new Somali Media Council (SMC) appointed and falling under the ministry of information. The council consist of 9 equal members drawn from private media, government press, and civil society organizations. According to the new law, local journalists will have to prove they are qualified that is, they have to show if they possess relevant skills or professional experience. Similarly, to register media outlets, article 9 calls for vague requirements such as to show proof of adequate financial capacity, furthering media diversity and unspecified amount of mandatory deposit. At the signing ceremony, caretaker Prime minister, Mahdi Mohamed Guled promised to continue consultations to align the new law with international standards. FESOJ wishes to take this opportunity to welcome PM Mahdis pledge and reiterate its call to revise and reform the media law. Secretary General, Mohamed Moalimuu called for the removal of all clauses that violate the constitutional sanctity of media freedoms and to decriminalize journalism, repeal the defamation laws and reform the archaic Somali penal code of 1964. In collaboration with the media fraternity, FESOJ will press forward in our advocacy for a media law that fully guarantees freedom of expression and the media. Moalimuu expressed regrets that the current media law still falls short of President Mohameds reform promises in line with international standards and human rights. Speaking at the ceremony Moalimuu also lauded some notable reforms introduced by the new law. In many important respects, the amended media law is significantly improved compared to the 2016 law. Hence, FESOJ wishes to also commend the gains made in protecting media workers against unwarranted arrests, the laws intent to create public service broadcasting and the SMC. With the election approaching, its crucial for the Somali media to be able to report freely, without fear or favor. Numerous measures in new law will have a chilling effect on Somalia already repressed media climate, in particular, we are concerned that the broad and vague language used in many areas within the law may be used to intimidate journalists and stifle independent media. The former Disney executive had joined TikTok only four months ago. He told employees in a letter that the role he signed up for will look very different once TikToks US business is sold off. TikTok chief Kevin Mayer has quit just after four months of being the chief executive. Mayer sent out a letter to all employees announcing his decision to resign, reported Financial Times. Mayer told employees at TikTok and ByteDance of his decision to resign on Thursday. Vanessa Pappas, who is currently general manager of TikTok, will act as interim head, according to Mayers letter. Mayer, who joined TikTok after working with Disney, made the decision to quit after US President Donald Trump ordered TikTok to be banned in the country unless its sold its US assets to an American company within 90 days. Mayer wrote in his letter that he had reflected on what the corporate structural changes will require given the sharp change in the political environment and what it means for the global role he signed up for. Mayer went on to write that while the company is expected to arrive at a resolution soon, hes decided to leave. Also Read: Read TikTok CEOs message to employees in India after ban I understand that the role that I signed up for including running TikTok globally will look very different as a result of the US administration's action to push for a sell off of the US business, Mayer wrote in the letter. The whole face-off between the Trump administration and TikTok began weeks after Mayer officially came on board in June. People familiar with the matter said that Mayer had not anticipated the extent to which TikTok would become involved in the US-China tensions as the Trump administration and regulators raised concerns about data privacy and national security. A person in the know told Financial Times that Mayer has not signed up for this. One person who is familiar with Mayers stint at Disney told Financial Times that Mayer put himself in a sensitive political zone and that he would have to align himself with both his Chinese masters and public scrutiny in the US. Earlier this month Trump said that his administration had credible evidence that ByteDance might take action to hurt US security. We appreciate that the political dynamics of the last few months have significantly changed what the scope of Kevin's role would be going forward, and fully respect his decision. We thank him for his time at the company and wish him well, TikTok said in a statement to Financial Times. In its 35-year history, the Irish Venture Capital Association has only appointed one woman as its chairperson: the Western Development Commission's investment manager, Gillian Buckley. Adrian Weckler asks her whether the venture capital business is a boys' club, whether Irish financiers lack ambition, whether further state incentives are likely and what the sector is doing to keep things going during a pandemic. Adrian Weckler [AW]: Do Irish venture capitalists have too short an investment time horizon? Are they too limited in their ambition and scope? More and more Irish founders that raise significant funds say they now automatically look abroad first, partially because the time allowed to grow and scale the startup is longer with VCs overseas, particularly in the US. Gillian Buckley [GB]: I don't think we have too short a time horizon. VCs do have to make a return for their own funders. There need to be other mechanisms to do that, like secondary markets and IPOs as alternatives for early investors. It would be great if there were more opportunities for people to get off the bus early on while still allowing the companies to drive on. The IVCA is constantly highlighting opportunities around developing a fund of funds, that would allow more institutional investors, who have a much longer time horizon, to participate more. This would include the pension funds and insurance companies. Also, bear in mind how far we've come in the last 30 years. When I started 20 years ago, the term venture capital was hardly understood. So we've come an awful long way in Ireland and I don't think we give ourselves enough credit. AW: Are we really to be congratulated for keeping pace with the growth of the VC industry? Have we performed that well relative to other western European countries our size? GB: I think we have. If you look at IVCA portfolio companies over the last 15 years, they've supported the development of 100,000 jobs with 25,000 directly created. Those are high quality jobs with 77pc graduate employment and relatively high salaries. I think we're doing an amazing job for a small country on the periphery of Europe. AW: But Sweden is a fairly small country on the periphery of Europe and it produces companies like Ericsson and Spotify. You could say the same for Finland and others. GB: Okay, but think where Ireland has come from in the last 50 to 100 years. I think it is a very different scenario. Our starting point was very different from most other countries AW: Is 25,000 jobs over 15 years, or 100,000 with a presumed multiplier, really a high figure? In the context of all the industrial development here by multinationals? GB: I believe it is. These are all very high quality jobs. If you take the medtech sector, we're on the third generation of entrepreneurs here. The first generation came from the multinationals. The second and third generation are coming out of the startups. So that's a relatively short period of time. I certainly think that the tech sector in Ireland is very strong. And our talent base is very strong. We wouldn't have nine of the top 10 multinational tech companies here unless Ireland was offering something very significant. Sure, we need to develop our own multinationals. And that's where I think a lot more needs to be done in drawing in more private money so we can look at the long term horizon and then we can really scale those businesses to the next level. You mentioned Sweden earlier. Their use of the tax code is something we might look at. It encourages much more productive investment and an equity culture. There is much more spreading of risk as well as reward. Smaller investors can get involved. In Sweden they quadrupled their IPO market in a space of three years. They're now twice the size we are. It shows you how things can change dramatically when retargeted initiatives are put in place. AW: The IVCA has been lobbying for a 'fund of funds' for several years. Do you think it will actually happen? GB: We'd be hopeful that we would see some movement on it in the next year or two. AW: On supports for indigenous tech companies, do you think there needs to be more stimulus or aides from the state? GB: If you look at some of the recent supports, startups fell into a difficult category. A lot of startups are pre-revenue. There is still a danger that they will fall beneath the cracks. And this is happening in a time of Brexit. We need to make sure we're not disadvantaged vis a vis the UK, especially with the very aggressive tax rates the UK government is introducing. We need to keep on top of ensuring that we have a level playing field for our startups and that we don't lose new startups to another jurisdiction. AW: What do you say to those who see just another lobby organisation looking for public purse interventions? GB: Well, we represent members who invest in Irish indigenous startups and companies that want to scale. We help create jobs. That's the bottom line. Job creation is one of the most important ways of creating a vibrant economy and society, not to mention regional development. So ensuring that we have a vibrant venture capital market, which itself has long term access to sustainable finance, is the aim. The VCs themselves are in a continuous fundraising mode. If you can take that pressure off them, they can spend more time developing their portfolio knowing that they have different types of funding mechanisms. The companies are in it to scale globally. I think that's to all our benefit. AW: What about gender balance in tech and venture? You're the first female chairperson of the IVCA in its 35-year history. Is it generally a boys' club? GB: I suppose I don't have that experience. We ourselves [in the Western Development Commission] are a small team with a fifty-fifty gender. More widely, it's improving. But we've definitely more to do. AW: Yet the ratio of VC money that goes to female founders is still very low in Ireland, as elsewhere. GB: Yes it is. As a country, we have things to do to encourage more female tech founders. We want them to become the norm, not the outliers that they currently are. We need to encourage girls to take science and technology subjects at second level. If they're not doing it a second level, they won't be doing it later and there won't be competition to your tech founders. It might take 10 years before you see that fully coming through. But I've already seen it happen somewhat in the medtech side of things. One lecturer I spoke to found that biotech and biomedical engineering had a much higher intake of female students than any of the other engineering disciplines. When asked about this, the female students said that they were giving something back. Women arguably have this caring aspect to our nature. We need to understand how to talk to girls and women about how they can impact on society through taking technology jobs. AW: In terms of your day job with the Western Development Commission, is there politics involved in that? Is there a quota for investments by county? GB: We don't have a quarter on sectors or counties. Because it's an evergreen fund, we have the flexibility of taking quite a long term horizon. So we're not under pressure all the time to exit. AW: One of the outcomes of the pandemic - home working and remote working - dovetails a little with your own message around the advantages of being in the West. How is that working out? GB: A lot of people are attracted to living and working in rural areas like the west because it inspires them. We want to make sure that we have the infrastructure to facilitate those people to work in the area. So at a high level, we have been working for the last 18 months on putting the network of enterprise hubs and co-working spaces across the west along the Atlantic Economic Corridor. We've mapped out 101 enterprise centres that could facilitate remote working. This gives you the option of human interaction, peer networking. And also the broadband and other facilities that people need to work. AW: How is the West doing, generally? GB: The West is doing reasonably well. Some of the work we're doing as an organisation is to look at what sectors can really suit the west of Ireland as a location and how to grow them faster. Obviously medtech is a success. And that's happened in a matter of 25 years, coming from almost no base to being a world leader. So we want to replicate that across other sectors for the west of Ireland. Pascal Affi NGuessan and Henri Konan Bedie oppose incumbent President Ouattaras decision to run for a third term. Two main opposition leaders in Ivory Coast, who pose the strongest threat to incumbent President Alassane Ouattara, have filed their names to become official candidates for their parties ahead of October elections. Pascal Affi NGuessan of the Ivorian Popular Front party of former President Laurent Gbagbo presented on Thursday his candidacy after the courts rejected a bid from the former president to run again. NGuessan, a former prime minister and telecoms engineer, is running against Ouattara for a second time after losing to him in the 2015 presidential election with about 9.2 percent of votes. He presents himself as a unifying candidate, though his own party faces internal struggles with some members loyal to Gbagbo. Supporters of the former president, who lives in Belgium after being acquitted of war crimes by the International Criminal Court last year, on Wednesday said they will file candidacy in his name for the October 31 elections. On Tuesday, though, a court confirmed the decision of the electoral commission to not include Gbagbo in the rolls because of criminal convictions. Gbagbo was sentenced in absentia to a 20-year term last November for the looting of the local branch of the Central Bank of the West African States (BCEAO) during the civil war. Former Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo appearing before the International Criminal Court in The Hague [File: Jerry Lampen/Reuters] The former presidents supporters say Ouattaras government is trying to silence political opponents before the election. Gbagbos return to national politics is highly sensitive as the country remains scarred by a conflict that erupted after presidential elections in 2010 when Gbagbo refused to accept defeat and hand over power to Ouattara. The other member who filed his candidacy is former president Henri Konan Bedie for the PDCI-RDA party. The 86-year-old led the country from 1993-1999. The two opposition leaders object to Ouattaras decision to run for a third term in the October elections, calling his candidacy unconstitutional. Opposition parties have called on him to withdraw his candidacy. Ouattara, who has been in power since 2010, had initially said he would not stand again, but changed his mind following the sudden death of Prime Minister Amadou Gon Coulibaly, his anointed successor. The constitution limits presidents to two terms, but Ouattara and his supporters argue that a 2016 constitutional tweak reset the clock, allowing him to seek a third. Opposition and civil society groups say his move to stand again in the vote amounts to a coup. Following his controversial re-election announcement, deadly protests erupted in which at least eight people were killed and about 100 wounded. WASHINGTON: Vice President Mike Pence headlined the third night of the Republican National Convention, as speakers praised President Donald Trumps support for heroes," including law enforcement, the military and healthcare providers. Here is a takeaway from Wednesdays program: ONLY ONE VULNERABLE SENATOR ONSTAGE The most vulnerable Republican senators up for re-election Colorados Cory Gardner, Maines Susan Collins, North Carolinas Thom Tillis and Arizonas Martha McSally among them have been absent from the convention, in what may be a nod to Trumps lukewarm approval ratings. But Joni Ernst, the senator from Iowa who is locked in a tough battle with Democratic challenger Theresa Greenfield, made a prime-time appearance on Wednesday, delivering remarks in front of a tractor and hay bales in her home state. The speech was politically innocuous Ernst focused on Trumps assistance for farmers during the coronavirus pandemic and the administrations response to destructive storms. But it stood out mostly because of the absence of her fellow vulnerable legislators, who face a difficult balancing act: creating some distance between themselves and an unpopular president while avoiding angering his passionate base of supporters. WOMEN FOR TRUMP Two of the most visible women in Trumps administration, senior adviser Kellyanne Conway and White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany, spoke about their private interactions with Trump in an effort to humanize a president who has rarely shown empathy in public. McEnany offered a deeply personal story about her decision to undergo a preventative mastectomy, describing how Trump called her afterward a gesture she characterized as supporting an American with a pre-existing condition. In fact, the Trump administration will try this autumn to persuade the U.S. Supreme Court to invalidate the Obama-era Affordable Care Act, which bars health insurers from canceling coverage for people with pre-existing conditions. Conway, who is leaving the White House soon to focus on her family, portrayed Trump as a champion of women, giving him credit for making her the first woman to oversee a successful presidential campaign. I have seen firsthand, many times, the president comforting and encouraging a child who has lost a parent, a parent who has lost a child, a worker who lost his job, an adolescent who lost her way to drugs, Conway added. That is a side of Trump that most Americans have not seen after national tragedies, such as mass shootings or the coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than 177,000 Americans. LAW AND ORDER Within the first 15 minutes of the conventions third night, one of the main themes of the evening was already apparent: law and order. That is the message President Donald Trump has delivered, repeatedly and forcefully, throughout months of civil unrest following the May police killing of George Floyd, a Black man in Minneapolis. He has called protesters thugs and anarchists and deployed federal agents to cities despite opposition from local leaders. Two of the evenings early speakers, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem and U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, accused Democrats of trying to undermine police while allowing violence to consume their cities. From Seattle and Portland to Washington and New York, Democrat-run cities across this country are being overrun by violent mobs," Noem said, although most of the protests since May have been peaceful. The violence is rampant theres looting, chaos, destruction and murder." Later in the night, Pence was expected to say: Under President Trump, we will stand with those who stand on the thin blue line, and were not going to defund the police - not now, not ever," according to excerpts released ahead of his speech. Republicans have accused Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden of wanting to defund the police, although he has rejected that position. The bellicose rhetoric took on added significance given the increasingly combustible protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin, after a Black man, Jacob Blake, was shot in the back by police officers. On Wednesday, a white teenager was arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of two protesters. The speeches were in stark contrast to the Democratic convention last week albeit before the Kenosha unrest began when multiple speakers proclaimed that Black Lives Matter." 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 chief executive of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has said that the internet is less likely to remain open and that Chinese and Western markets would each become more insular. The prediction comes in the wake of the United States and the UK restricting the smartphone manufacturer Huawei, for reasons that vary from national security concerns to the ongoing economic war between the US and China. President Donald Trump has also recently signed executive orders against Chinese apps like TikTok and WeChat. There are two plausible scenarios for the future of the internet geopolitically: one is we continue forward with an adapted version of the western-led system, with quite a lot of integration, particularly in the unseen parts - the physical structure, the software - with China and other non-western powers, Ciaran Martin told the Financial Times. Or theres bifurcation. It is less likely that the first model survives, but it is not inevitable that we end up with the second. Recommended TikTok chief executive quits amid row with Trump administration Western countries would need to make sure that our technological development keeps pace with, and outpaces, any competing model. Thats what really matters, Martin added. Such concerns stem from Chinas rapid progress in the technological space, in a range of cutting-edge areas including quantum technology, and studies that suggest China will become the world leader in artificial intelligence technologies by 2030. Martin said the governments decision to intervene in mergers and acquisitions on national security grounds is beneficial, arguing that this would protect UK-based technology startups from being controlled by foreign countries who are purportedly working against Britains interests. Such a concern was echoed in April by John Sawers, the former Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service otherwise known as MI6. We need to do more to protect Western technology from being bought up by Chinese companies and I think the efforts being made to ensure Imagination [Technologies] isnt pulled out of the UK and bought up by China is the right thing to do, he said. Imagination Technologies was purchased by Canyon Bridge, a private equity firm which is backed by the state-owned China Reform holdings, in 2017. The split between Chinese ecosystems and Western ones is not impossible. China already has a thriving ecosystem of services local to the country, and has closed the doors to competition from US technology companies such as Google and Facebook, hidden behind its Great Firewall. With regards to the TikTok ban, arguments have been made that Western companies should not do business in China, as the open internet should only be promoted to companies that want to operate openly. Such a decision could have severe ramifications for Western companies. Apple and Disney have warned the Trump administration that retaliation for its Huawei ban or forthcoming TikTok and WeChat ban could direly affect the sale of iPhones. Many Chinese users would rather swap to Android from iOS than forgo WeChat which as a messaging platform, payment service, app platform, and more is nearly-ubiquitous in China in a way similar to Google Pay or Maps. This idea is not new. The notion of a splinternet where digital software and services that should be available globally are locked to specific regions has been the goal of countries such as Russia, which intended to reroute all internet activity through the country. Similarly, TikTok UK operations may be banned from moving data out of the country. These effects are not limited to Eastern countries. Since 2012, Twitter filtered posts from a neo-Nazi group from view in Germany at the request of the local authorities. It was the sites first ever instance of country-specific censorship. The UK also proposed laws last year, following the Online Harms white paper, to deal with the dangers posed by content being distributed on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. Campaigners have said it could create a massive censorship operation. T he UK has seen its highest number of daily coronavirus cases recorded since mid-June, after a further 1,522 people tested positive. The jump, which is the highest daily case number since June 12 at 1,541, brings the total to 330,368. It comes as a further 12 people died in the UK after testing positive for coronavirus. The Government said 41,477 people had died in the UK within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19 as of Thursday, an increase of 12 on the day before. Separate figures published by the UKs statistics agencies show there have now been 57,200 deaths registered in the UK where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate. Regionally, seven people who tested positive for coronavirus have died in hospitals in England, bringing the total number of confirmed reported deaths in hospitals to 29,531, NHS England said on Thursday. Four deaths were reported in the north west, two in London and one in the north east and Yorkshire. The patients were aged between 77 and 90, and all had known underlying health conditions. Another six deaths were reported with no positive Covid-19 test result. Meanwhile, no new coronavirus deaths have been reported in Scotland in the last 24 hours, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said. A total of 2,494 patients have died in Scotland after testing positive for coronavirus. Coronavirus: Face coverings become mandatory in shops 1 /14 Coronavirus: Face coverings become mandatory in shops A shopper wearing a face mask in Marks and Spencer on Oxford Street, London, as face coverings become mandatory in shops and supermarkets in England PA A shopper wearing a face mask in a supermarket in East London as face coverings become mandatory in shops and supermarkets in England PA A shopper wearing a face mask in a supermarket in East London as face coverings become mandatory in shops and supermarkets in England PA Shoppers wearing a face masks in Selfridges on Oxford Street, London, as face coverings become mandatory in shops and supermarkets in England PA Jeremy Selwyn Jeremy Selwyn Jeremy Selwyn Jeremy Selwyn PA PA Jeremy Selwyn Speaking during the Scottish Governments daily briefing, the First Minister said 20,056 people have tested positive for the virus in Scotland, up by 68 from 19,988 the day before. Nine of these new cases are in the Grampian health board area, 21 in Greater Glasgow and Clyde, eight in Lanarkshire and 15 in Tayside. There are 257 people in hospital with confirmed or suspected Covid-19, an increase of eight in 24 hours. Of these patients, two were in intensive care, no change from the previous day. The R number in Scotland - the average number of people infected by each person with the virus - is still estimated to be between 0.8 and 1.2, Ms Sturgeon said. Public Health Wales said another person has died having tested positive for coronavirus, bringing its total number of deaths since the beginning of the pandemic to 1,595. The number of cases of Covid-19 in Wales increased by 35, bringing the revised confirmed total to 17,843. In Northern Ireland, one new death was reported, but it did not occur in the last 24 hours, health officials said. Another 69 people have tested positive for Covid-19, bringing the seven-day total to 418. One patient with coronavirus is on a ventilator in hospital in Northern Ireland. This case was so sad and infuriating to read. Hope he rots in jail. Reply Thread Link Sadly not surprising. Ive read the story, but I still dont understand how the University couldnt enforce rules against him living in their housing. Reply Thread Link They probably could but chose not to because it was easier. FWIW it's very easy to have randos living in those dorms. There is no security or front desk in any of the buildings, it's just swipe access with your student ID. Follow someone in who's swiped, get someone to open the door for you, or hell just walk in after students prop open the doors and done. Reply Parent Thread Link I see. I guess my dorms were basically the same, but I just didnt think about those possibilities at the time. I will say though, my roommates girlfriend stayed with her for like two weeks our senior year, and at some point I said something to the RA, who went to my roommate about it and she had to leave soon after I think. Looking back, it was a bitchy thing to do since we had an on campus apartment with our own bedrooms. I cant remember, did the other students parents ever say anything to Sarah Lawrence? Is there some way to hold them accountable since they let him stay? Reply Parent Thread Expand Link I mean, even when I was in college my roommate had her boyfriend (who was expelled) living with us after she bailed him out of jail for drunk driving underage. I finally told the RA and he got kicked out, but the rest of the year was a living nightmare until she disappeared for two months and turns out she moved off campus and left all her stuff. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link he sounds like a fucking nightmare, so i wouldn't be surprised if they just threw up their hands not realizing the tragic scale of the consequences. Reply Parent Thread Expand Link This case is bizarre and it blows my mind the school allowed this man on property for as long as they did. I would be so infuriated if I was a student living in that dorm that he had lived in/had so much access to. Reply Thread Link I was a student at SLC in 2010 and it blows my mind that this was happening. I mean, it doesn't, because that school is weird, but it does, because I guess he was on campus at the same time I was. Creepy AF. I transferred after 1 year. Reply Thread Link holy shit i almost forgot about this guy Reply Thread Link this man is sick. Reply Thread Link This entire story is such a wtf, I feel so bad for the students who ended up his victims. And I still can't believe a university let him stay that long in student housing even if those buildings were basically like isolated little houses - they had a duty of care to their students and they failed it quite spectacularly. Reply Thread Link whoa this is the first time i'm hearing about this case. wtf? Reply Thread Link It's worth a read. Reply Parent Thread Link buckle up tbh Reply Parent Thread Link How they still allow him to communicate with people from outside? jfc Reply Thread Link Learn more about LiveJournal Ratings in Hello! Your entry got to top-25 of the most popular entries in LiveJournal!Learn more about LiveJournal Ratings in FAQ Reply Thread Link Anyone else getting some serious Vincent D'Onofrio vibes from that picture? Reply Thread Link This guy and Keith Raniere (and Miscavige lbr) deserve to burn in hell sooner rather than later. Reply Thread Link This case is awful and I hope this guy rots. Reply Thread Link I wonder how his daughter is doing. But fuck this guy forever. Reply Thread Link The following column is the opinion and analysis of the writer. On Thursday I learned heartbreaking news about a very dear friend who draws cartoons a world away in Amman, Jordan. Emad Hajjaj, a brilliant cartoonist, and an utterly charming man, was arrested Wednesday. He faces five years in prison for a cartoon described as a cyber crime that insulted another Arab country. Hajjajs cartoon questioned Israels rapprochement with the United Arab Emirates, depicting an Israeli dove soiling the face of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed of the United Arab Emirates. Daryl Cagle, who syndicates Emads cartoons writes, Emads drawing shows that Israel has embarrassed Mohamed bin Zayed by blocking the sale of F-35s after UAE agreed to the peace deal. Hajjaj and I became good friends in Mexico City. Our worldview and sense of humor are similar. We spent much of the Paris Cartooning Forum, and the St. Just-le-Martel satire festival together. Emads wife Lena and my wife Ellen became good friends on that excursion. We have kept our friendship alive with Skype and texts. Emad has a boy my son Matts age. We have no clue what will happen to his family. Press Release 27 August 2020 Thomas Willms announced in Frankfurt today that he will step down from his position as CEO of Steigenberger Hotels AG and of Deutsche Hospitality with effect from 30 September 2020. "Over the past three years, working in conjunction with the Supervisory Board, my esteemed Executive Board colleague Matthias Heck and together with the associates of Deutsche Hospitality in particular, I have had the privilege of writing a new chapter in the history of Deutsche Hospitality," said Thomas Willms. "My task has now been completed. I am looking forward to seeing the vision, perfection and passion of the DH Family as it continues to shape this transformation process." Advertisements A new brand environment Under the leadership of Thomas Willms, Deutsche Hospitality has established coverage of every segment of the travel market by expanding its number of brands to five. This has included the launching of MAXX by Steigenberger and the successful acquisition of the Danish economy brand Zleep Hotels which is currently being rolled out at locations right across Europe. Thomas Willms took highly effective charge of Steigenberger Hotels & Resorts, which is celebrating its 90th anniversary this year, and also went on to steer the IntercityHotel and Jaz in the City brands to both national and international success. With Thomas Willms at the helm, the company has won regular awards and accolades for innovation and customer satisfaction. Thomas Willms: "The introduction of our new cross-brand loyalty programme H Rewards is a sure sign that the Deutsche Hospitality brands have become a brand family. It's now time for me to move on and seek new challenges." "Thomas Willms has been a hotelier of high international repute for several decades," stated Andre Witschi, Chair of the Supervisory Board. "He has also guided and further developed Deutsche Hospitality's brands and hotels over the past three years. We fully respect his decision to leave the company. We will be deciding on a successor over the course of the next few weeks. In order to secure a smooth transition, our Chief Financial Officer and Director of Human Resources Matthias Heck will also assume the responsibilities of CEO for the time being. We would like to take this opportunity to thank Thomas Willms for everything he has achieved for Deutsche Hospitality during the last three years." Opalesque Industry Update - In line with its current business activities and ambition to expand further as a global player, Privium is proud to announce that from September 1st this year it will open an office in Singapore. Located in the Central Business District area, the new office will work on both domestic and international fund launches within the Privium network. After establishing the Hong Kong office in 2016, the reason for selecting Singapore as the next footprint in Asia is due to the international capital flows that are managed in Singapore and the domestic fund structures that will be a key driver for this growth. Furthermore, the launch of the Variable Capital Company structure earlier this year is a great opportunity for established and emerging fund managers to benefit from the financial grants available and from the cooperation treaties that Singapore has in place with various countries in the region. Established in 2008, Privium currently services over 70 portfolio teams with collective assets under management of over 2.5 billion and is looking at continuing its upward trajectory in 2021. Privium's Group CEO Clayton Heijman: "The success of Hong Kong as our hub in Asia led us to think of further expansion in the Asia Pacific region. With Hong Kong as our primary gateway into Mainland China, we were looking for an additional element to improve the service offering to our clients. Our exploration and research commenced around two years ago, and we are happy to have the right management and legal structure for us to start. Furthermore, the strong connectivity of allocators within Privium's network in Asia and Europe will be a tremendous asset for fund managers in Singapore looking to leverage off our global presence and adept knowledge of investor preferences. Also, our team in Asia has the required language capabilities and the knowledge of the complex regulatory landscape to meet our clients' needs within the Asia Pacific region. With business leads from the rest of our global network we are confident to hit the ground running." Since inception, Privium Hong Kong has seen a steady increase in the number of strategies on its platform, varying from the traditional equity long/short, global macro and relative value. Also, increasingly it has seen an increase in more illiquid strategies such as venture capital and private credit, indicating a greater interest in outsourcing operational activities to an institutional infrastructure provider while focusing on deal flow and sourcing of limited partners. In terms of asset raising, the Hong Kong market has seen a strong interest from traditional and new allocators who are expanding their allocation to Hong Kong and Singapore. Privium is currently onboarding investment structures with portfolio managers carrying out liquid quantitative strategies as well as illiquid direct investments. Investors require a solid infrastructure and a trusted business partner to the portfolio management team. The allocation of investmentsis often dependent on the outcome of the allocator's operational due diligence. With the global diversification of investments, Asia is a key focus to them. Given the current landscape of investment opportunities, Privium expects this trend to increase rapidly in Hong Kong as well as Singapore. Privium's Singapore CEO How Teng Chiou: "After working in Singapore for over a decade and with my international experience in Hong Kong and London, I anticipated the need for an international player like Privium to establish itself here. The growth of new initiatives and need for an institutional setup is very much required in the current business environment. We will be able to cater to a variety of fund strategies both liquid and illiquid and to a growing demand for managed accounts driven by investor preference. Furthermore, given the various fund vehicles Privium has in place globally we will be able to meet our clients' various needs for fund setups. Privium's large network of early-stage investors across the world brings an attractive addition to the development of the Singapore market." Geo News, August 22, 2020 by Mazhar Abbas Mir Hasil Khan Bizenjo was only a student when he made history. In 1983, a young Bizenjo appeared as a witness to defend six communist leaders before a military court. His father, the late Mir Ghaus Bakhsh Bizenjo, also recorded his statement in the same court. For the first time, a father and son appeared as witnesses in a case that came to be known in our political history as the Jam Saqi case. Others who recorded their statements included Benazir Bhutto, who was also very young at that time. She was brought from detention, under heavy security, to the courtroom. All those named were later sentenced to seven years in prison on charges of sedition. Charges they all denied. Shabber Sher, one of the accused in the case, recalled Hasilas appearance. aYou are young. You are a student,a a military officer said to Hasil, asking why he was adamant to record his statement. Hasil replied that students had played a key role in the struggle for the restoration of democracy, such as the 1953 students movement, against One Unit and against Ayub Khan. aI am the chairman of the United Students Movement at Karachi University,a Hasil went on, aI believe that the accused are fighting for peopleas rights, against a military dictator, who has usurped power through illegal and unconstitutional means.a I also had the privilege of meeting his father and former governor of Balochistan, Mir Ghaus Bakhsh Bizenjo. Hasil took me to see him. His father was very ill and was living in a small house near the Sea View in Karachi. As we talked, it seemed to me that Mir Bizenjo was more interested in passing on his legacy to his eldest son. aHasil,a I remember him saying, ais too young. He should concentrate on his studies. But I know he has political germs.a I told him that I saw in Hasil a leading politician, considering how he tackled campus politics. His father merely smiled. Mir Bizenjo was one of the architects of the 1973 constitution. He told me that during the making of the constitution, the National Awami Party decided to boycott the negotiations. aZ. A.Bhutto called me that night and asked me to convey to Mengal and Wali Khan that if they rejected the talks, he would be left with no other choice but to give in to the right wing,a Mir recalled. aHe [Bhutto] was right.a Mir Bizenjo later died of cancer. It was not easy for me to write about Hasil. He knew death was coming for him from the day he was diagnosed with cancer, which is why we called him aa fighter.a I met Hasil 40 years ago at a cafe at Karachi University. A friend, Abdullah Baluch, introduced the two of us. From that day on, we stayed friends. Although when I joined journalism, I became his critic. In the last three months, I have lost two great friends from Balochistan. Both were active in politics a Ayatullah Durrani from the Pakistan Peopleas Party and Mir Hasil Bizenjo. Interestingly, I met Durrani before the 2018 elections at a hotel in Karachi. When I asked him about PPPas chances of winning the election, he said: aBhai sahib, iss bar tender Zardari sahib ko nahi melay ga.a (This time the tender will not go to Zardari). The three of us would spend our days and nights at the campus and hostel. Hasil was associated with the Baloch Student Organisation (BSO) while I was involved with the Progressive Front. One day, in 1981, a conflict emerged between activists of the Islami Jamiat-e-Talaba (IJT), Rafiq Afghan and Salamullah Tipu, who later hijacked a PIA Boeing aircraft. The tussle turned violent. Tipu came to campus and began firing indiscriminately killing an IJT activist, Hafiq Aslam. In retaliation, Jamiats armed men barred entry of all the Progressive Front activists on the campus grounds. Therefore, in response, it was decided to form the United Student Movement. Hasil was made its president. The activists decided to return to campus with young Hasil leading them. But things became so tense that a year later Hasil escaped an attempt on his life with a bullet wound. Photo here [Caption] In 1990, Hasil Bizenjo contested the election for the first time and became a member of the national assembly from his native town, Khuzdar. He was reelected in 1997 File photo Later, in 1990, Hasil Bizenjo contested the election for the first time and became a member of the national assembly from his native town, Khuzdar. He was reelected in 1997. When the Pakistan Muslim League-N won national polls and bagged enough seats in Balochistan, a meeting was called in Murree to discuss the formation of a coalition with the National Party, headed by Dr Abdul Malik Baloch and Hasil Bizenjo. At that time, I was among a dozen journalists who had gathered outside the building. I managed to get inside and was greeted by Hasil. aWhat is going on?a I asked him. Mian Nawaz Sharif wants to name Baloch as chief minister, he told me, but Sanaullah Khan Zehri is resisting. Then, he said he saw Shehbaz Sharif take Zehri into another room, where it was decided to let Baloch be chief minister for half a term and Zehri for the other half. Malik Baloch and Hasil had both tried to bring hardline nationalists and separatists like Allah Nazar and Brahumdagh Bugti into mainstream politics. They even used their influence to get missing persons recovered. Maybe, if Baloch had been given a full term, things would have been different. But Hasil always credited Nawaz Sharif for at least sending a positive message by putting his support behind nationalists in the province. Recently, during Senate elections, Hasil Bizenjo tried his best to get the top slot for Raza Rabbani, but he could not get any support from then-president Asif Ali Zardari. When Sadiq Sanjrani was elected chairman, Hasil delivered a fiery speech in the Senate. I called him that night. aOh bhai, take a break. No need to get emotional,a I joked. Hasil fought a brave battle against cancer, a deadly disease, but in the end, he lost. Now that he is gone, Pakistan has lost a politician who stood for what he believed in and one who never changed loyalties. That is a rarity. Rest in peace, dear friend. a Abbas is a senior columnist and analyst of GEO, The News and Jang. He tweets @MazharAbbasGEO Manilas top diplomat said Wednesday the Philippines would continue to patrol the South China Sea and call on the United States for support under the Mutual Defense Treaty, if necessary, in response to Chinas accusations that such actions were illegal provocations. Philippine Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said the government would not dismiss any means to protect the nations sovereignty and freedom, according to a transcript from his office of an interview with ANC, a Philippine news channel. Were going to continue our patrol[s] because its ours, Locsin said. They will continue to call it an illegal provocation, but thats their right thats the free world. He was responding to a question regarding Chinas complaints about Philippine actions in the South China Sea. Yes, we need the U.S. presence in Asia, Locsin said. [O]n the military aspect, we need them because our whole defense posture depends on the Mutual Defense Treaty. Still, Locsin said, he would not turn his back on China. For me, first and foremost are Philippine interests, he said. I have repeatedly said even while affirming the necessity of American military presence in the region and hopefully, its growing economic presence Ive also said that I will not tu against economic opportunities offered by China, he said. Opportunities that, in fact, offer the prospect for mutual progress. Locsins comments came days after his department on Aug. 20 filed a diplomatic complaint against China for its alleged harassment of Filipino patrol aircraft and for confiscating devices of local fishermen. Philippine officials said fishermen had complained of Chinese ships blocking their boats from hauling their catch, especially in the Scarborough Shoal. The shoal lies just west of the main Philippine island of Luzon in the South China Sea. Beijing effectively seized control of the triangle-shaped reef in 2012 during a territorial standoff with the Philippines, while President Benigno Aquino III was in office. Aquino filed a complaint with the Permanent Court of Arbitration over boundaries in the South China Sea. In July 2016, shortly after Rodrigo Duterte succeeded Aquino as president, the court ruled in favor of Manilas claim to the shoal. China rejected the verdict and has since ignored it. Duterte has refused to enforce the tribunals ruling and instead sought closer bilateral ties with Beijing while distancing from the U.S., its traditional ally. The president has said repeatedly that he was powerless to enforce the ruling because of Beijings military might. Chinas response In response to last weeks diplomatic protest, Beijing said the Chinese coast guard had acted well within its mandate, as China urged Manila to stop what it said were provocative activities. Citing historical rights, China has established a so-called nine-dash line claiming nearly the entire South China Sea, including waters claimed by the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Taiwan and Brunei. Last weekend, Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana told reporters that Chinas territorial claim was a fabrication. Their so-called historical rights over an enclosed nine-dash line dont exist except in their imaginations, Lorenzana said. Earlier this week, Philippine presidential spokesman Harry Roque downplayed the tension, saying Duterte would not give an inch of territory to Beijing. Our diplomats lodge protests like that if we believe our sovereign rights are violated, Roque said, according to transcripts released by the presidential palace. Last weeks diplomatic protest was at least the third bilateral one filed against China this year. Manila filed two in April against perceived aggressive actions by China. The protests were over the unilateral creation of two new administrative districts in the South China Sea and about an incident in February where a Chinese navy boat pointed a radar gun at a Philippine Navy ship near the Philippine-occupied Rizal Reef. US sanctions Chinese firms Meanwhile, the U.S. on Wednesday announced sanctions against 24 Chinese companies and individuals linked to those firms over their alleged roles in constructing artificial islands in the South China Sea. The companies were placed on the U.S. Commerce Departments Entity List, which restricts exports to businesses abroad because of their activities contrary to the national security or foreign policy interests of the United States. The sanctions follow a U.S. declaration that Chinas historical claims to the South China Sea are unlawful. Locsins comments on Wednesday came two days after a Chinese candidate was elected to be one the 21 judges on the International Tribunal for Law of the Sea (ITLOS). Duan Jielong, the Chinese ambassador to Hungary, ran unopposed. Jay Batongbacal, director of the University of the Philippines Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea, said Duans victory would not affect the 2016 ruling by an international tribunal favoring the Philippines claims in the South China Sea. The [South China Sea] arbitration case is already decided and in international arbitration there is no process of review of reversal of decided cases, Batongbacal told BenarNews, adding ITLOS is an entirely separate body from the ad hoc arbitral tribunal that decided the Philippines versus China case. Reported by BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service. The Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Pakistan expressed sympathy to the people and government of Pakistan over heavy rains and floods which resulted in the death of dozens of people, Trend reports citing IRNA. Seyed Mohammad Ali Hosseini in his tweet on Thursday offered condolences to the families of Pakistan flood victims. "Deeply saddened over the loss of precious lives due to heavy rains and floods, he said. The ambassador prayed Allah Almighty to forgive all those died in the flood-related incidents in Pakistan. According to local media, torrential rains in various parts of the country, especially in the city of Karachi, have claimed more than 100 lives in recent days, destroying 1,000 homes. Heavy rains continue even today in parts of Pakistan, and the local government in Karachi and some southern parts of the country has declared a state of emergency. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Aug. 27 Trend: The cabinet of ministers in Uzbekistan approved the 'program for the restoration of rare local varieties of agricultural plants with rare features and characteristics that are on the verge of extinction', and the organization of original seed production on their basis, Trend reports, referring to the Norma information portal. Ministry of Agriculture and the Academy of Sciences identified the list of tasks that include increasing the efficiency of seed production based on modern technologies. Also, non-traditional agricultural crops from foreign countries, taking into account the conjuncture of the domestic and foreign markets will be introduced. The mentioned plants of agricultural crops will be tested and included in the state register. Within a month, the ministry of agriculture together with the academy plans to develop and approve criteria and form working group for assessing local varieties of agricultural plants with rare features and traits that are on the verge of extinction. In addition, the ministry of agriculture, together with the ministry of Innovative Development, was instructed to ensure modernization of the material and technical base of organizations involved in breeding and seed production in 2020-2022. Police officers stand guard as protesters and rioters clash with police after a homicide suspect killed himself as police closed in on him in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, 26 August 2020: (EPA) The National Guard was activated in Minneapolis on Wednesday evening, as protests and looting took place after false reports said that a murder suspect had been shot and killed by police officers. On Wednesday afternoon, a man and woman were approached by another person in a car park in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and a confrontation broke out between the three of them. After a brief confrontation, the man allegedly shot the person who confronted them, before the couple fled the scene, according to the Daily Mail. The woman was taken into custody by police not long after, but when officers approached the man outside the Nicollet Mall in the downtown area of the city, he pulled out a gun and fatally shot himself. Soon after, false rumours spread that the murder suspect had been fatally shot by police, and protesters gathered in the city just months after the death of unarmed black man George Floyd, who died while in police custody in Minneapolis. Mr Floyds death sparked protests in every state in the US in opposition to police brutality against African Americans, and Black Lives Matter protests have been taking place across the US for the last three months. Demonstrations have also taken place across the US this week, after officer Rusten Sheskey of the Kenosha Police Department, Wisconsin, was filmed shooting Jacob Blake in the back seven times as he held him by his shirt. On Wednesday evening, as looting took place across the city, a curfew was called by mayor Jacob Frey, as Minnesota governor Tim Walz activated the US National Guard to help control the crowds and announced a peacetime emergency. Mr Walz did not confirm how many service members were deployed, but told reporters on Thursday morning that 150 Minnesota State Patrol troopers were sent out to deal with protesters. Some shop windows were smashed and people looted from stores, including a Target, Saks 5th Avenue and a Footlocker, as Britts pub was set on fire during demonstrations. Story continues More looting in downtown Minneapolis. Theyve now breached the Saks 5th Avenue store on 6th and Nicollet and people are making out with lots of goods. pic.twitter.com/tgUIyoIMvf Courtney Godfrey (@courtneygodfrey) August 27, 2020 Minneapolis Police Department chief Medaria Arradondo attempted to calm residents down by informing them that officers were not involved in the suspects death, and he added: I will not allow to add more trauma to a city thats still grieving from May 25, in reference to Mr Floyds death. Minneapolis police spokesman John Elder also confirmed that police officers did not open fire during the incident, and told reporters that at least one officer was injured during Wednesdays demonstrations. Police officers alongside the National Guard were deployed to deal with the crowds of people on the citys streets, and some officers were seen macing demonstrators, according to the Mail. The police also released footage of the suspects death, that showed that officers did not shoot the suspect. One man, who had seen the footage released by the authorities, walked through the city with a megaphone and attempted to calm residents by informing them that police did not shoot the suspect. Mr Frey, who had imposed a citywide curfew of 10pm until 6am, urged residents to go home: What were calling for right now is peace. This destruction and property damage just takes away from that underlying goal. Minneapolis, its time to heal. We must rebuild and recover. Dangerous, unlawful behavior will not be tolerated. The State Patrol is headed to Minneapolis to help restore order. I remain in close contact with the city and every state resource stands ready to help bring peace. Governor Tim Walz (@GovTimWalz) August 27, 2020 Mr Walz also asked crowds to go home and condemned those who were damaging shops and looting during the protests. Minneapolis, its time to heal. We must rebuild and recover. Dangerous, unlawful behaviour will not be tolerated. The State Patrol is headed to Minneapolis to help restore order, the governor said. He added: I remain in close contact with the city and every state resource stands ready to help bring peace. Read more What we know about teen who killed two at Jacob Blake protest Matt Hancock today insisted it will be up to schools to make sure supply teachers do not unwittingly spread coronavirus if they teach lessons at different locations. Concerns have been raised about the prospect of supply teachers working in more than one school and the risk of them carrying the virus from one institution to another. The situation has drawn comparisons to what happened in care homes at the start of the pandemic when agency workers did shifts at multiple facilities. The Health Secretary said this morning that a strict adherence to social distancing would minimise the risk of the disease spreading. Matt Hancock today said social distancing will be key when he was asked how the Government intends to protect against supply teachers spreading coronavirus Schools across England are due to return next week. Pictured is a school in Hyde in July Tens of thousands of supply teachers work across the UK and Mr Hancock was asked this morning what protections the Government is putting in place to guard against the risk potentially posed by staff moving between schools. He told Sky News: 'The answer is that the school, in each school, needs to have in place a system of social distancing. Pushed again on whether there would be any additional protection measures rolled out, he said social distancing between pupils and teachers 'is the goal here'. The principle is that we want to keep teachers socially distanced from pupils because there is all sorts of circumstances where a teacher might need to teach classes that are in different bubbles within the school,' he said. The pupils are put within bubbles and the bubbles shouldnt meet and the goal is to keep the teachers socially distanced. This is just one example of how challenging it is for all sorts of parts of society to minimise the impact of Covid. My answer to you is that it is the social distancing between the teacher and the pupils that is the goal here but our total focus is on getting the schools back from next week. Meanwhile, Mr Hancock also insisted that the Government's top scientific experts were involved in the decision to U-turn on the issue of secondary school pupils in England being required to wear face masks. He said that chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance and chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty were both consulted on the issue. The UK Government had initially said that face masks would not need to be worn by pupils and staff. But a U-turn was announced yesterday which will mean pupils and staff who attend schools in coronavirus 'hotspot' areas will have to wear coverings in communal areas. Head teachers of schools in non-local lockdown areas will also have the discretion to ask for masks to be worn. This page requires Javascript. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings. DALLAS, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- International research firm Parks Associates will reveal findings from its latest research exploring consumer attitudes towards data sharing via tracking technologies at its seventh annual Connected Health Summit: Consumer Engagement and Innovation, September 1-3. Sponsors of the virtual event include Alarm.com, Nortek Security & Control, athenahealth, Softeq, Becklar, and Sprosty Network. Parks Associates: Interest in Remote Monitoring-Based Telehealth Services Connected Health Summit "Connected health device owners are particularly interested in sharing data from their devices and apps with remote visit telehealth services," said Kristen Hanich, Senior Analyst, Parks Associates. "Owners of connected medical devices such as heart monitors, pulse oximeters, connected glucometers, and connected blood pressure cuffs show particularly high levels of interest in sharing such data. By integrating data from these devices into their services, telehealth and care providers are able to enhance the value proposition of their remote offerings." Connected Health Summit will explore strategies to design and implement connected health solutions that will help traditional health systems deliver consumer-centric care in the home. The session on Thursday, September 3, "Tracking Health: Technology, Privacy, and Pandemic," includes consumer insights from Parks Associates, followed by a presentation from Angie Kalousek Ebrahimi, Executive Director, Mind-Body Medicine, Blue Shield of California, who will discuss "Healthcare's evolution in a time of pandemic and humanitarian crisis." "Next-Gen Connected Health Analytics: Insights from COVID-19" will explore consumer attitudes to data sharing and industry perspectives on the role of technology and data analytics in guiding public health. Speakers: Frances Ayalasomayajula , Head of Population Health Worldwide, HP , Head of Population Health Worldwide, Brenda Cass , Data Science Strategist, Validic , Data Science Strategist, John Showalter , MD, MSIS, Chief Product Officer, Jvion , MD, MSIS, Chief Product Officer, Kristen Valdes , CEO and Founder, b.well Connected Health "As data sources continue to multiply, an organization's data lake can grow in size but not relevance. Analytics should be able to facilitate valuable connections and inferences from data," said John Showalter, MD, MSIS, Chief Product Officer, Jvion. "More importantly, analytics should account for gaps when they appear. Now, because of COVID-19, there are more gaps in data than ever." "Consumer attitudes toward connected health and privacy have shifted with the pandemic, and more are now willing to share health information as they return to work and other normal activities," said Kristen Valdes, CEO and Founder, b.well Connected Health. "As these attitudes continue to evolve, digital health companies need to find the right balance between data privacy requirements and enabling consumers to share their data for the public good. That's all part of providing a personalized digital care experience that is easier, less fragmented, and more effective in improving health." The agenda for Connected Health Summit includes visionary presentations from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center / Harvard Medical School, Blue Shield of California, Care Planning Institute, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cox Communications, People Power, and UnitedHealthcare and participation from over 400 industry executives. Throughout the event, Parks Associates will feature its latest data from COVID-19: Impact on Telehealth Use and Perspectives, COVID-19: Impact on Seniors, Caregivers, and Independent Living Solutions, and Wearables: Health and Wellness Use Cases. Registration is open , and media are invited to attend. For more information, contact Rosey Ulpino, [email protected], 972.996.0233. About Connected Health Summit: Consumer Engagement and Innovation Parks Associates' Connected Health Summit is an executive conference focused on the impact of connected devices and IoT healthcare solutions on consumers at home. www.connectedhealthsummit.com Rosimely Ulpino Parks Associates 972.996.0233 [email protected] SOURCE Parks Associates Related Links http://www.parksassociates.com Rail builders work on tracks of the Fuzhou-Pingtan railway at Fuzhou South Railway Station in Fuzhou, Fujian province, on Wednesday. HU PENG/FOR CHINA DAILY China's first cross-sea bridge accommodating both vehicles and railway traffic-the longest of its type in the country-has started its static load tests and is expected to open to traffic by the end of this year, according to the China Railway Nanchang Bureau Group. Two heavy freight trains with a combined load of 2,392 metric tons started a six-day test on the Pingtan Haixia Rail-Road Bridge on Saturday to see if the overall performance of the bridge can meet the safety requirements. The 16.3-kilometer bridge, which began construction in 2013, is designed to support six lanes of vehicles with a maximum speed of 100 kilometers per hour on its upper path, and two tracks below carrying trains traveling up to 200 km/h. The span is built over seawater, where about 300 days a year the wind is heavy and impedes construction, and had to overcome severe meteorological, hydrological and geological problems, according to the company. The dual-use bridge is an important section of the Fuzhou-Pingtan railway, with a length of 88 kilometers connecting downtown Fuzhou, Fujian province, and the island county of Pingtan off the east coast of Fujian. The railway is also expected to be put into use by the end of this year. Pingtan is the nearest mainland county to the Taiwan Island-just 68 nautical miles from Taiwan's Hsinchu city. It has been a development bottleneck because of poor transportation in the past. In 2010, the Strait Bridge began operating for cars only. It links Pingtan with an outlying county of Fuzhou and is currently the only entrance and exit for the island. It takes about two hours to get from the island to downtown Fuzhou. After it is put into use, the new span will cut travel time from two hours to about 30 minutes between the two areas, the company said. "As an important passage connecting to Taiwan in the long-term, the bridge will play a positive role in promoting cross-Straits infrastructure," it said. In the draft outline of the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20), a high-speed railway linking Beijing and Taipei, Taiwan, was proposed. The Fuzhou-Pingtan railway represents the southeast end of that railway. For the remainder of the distance-Pingtan to Taiwan-an underwater tunnel has been proposed. /* custom css */ .tdi_75_ff1.td-a-rec{ text-align: center; }.tdi_75_ff1 .td-element-style{ z-index: -1; }.tdi_75_ff1.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_75_ff1.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; }@media (max-width: 767px) { .tdi_75_ff1.td-a-rec-img { text-align: center; } } Advertisement Kwara State Governor, Mallam Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq, has expressed fresh support for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, stressing that the Commission needs the support of every stakeholder to achieve its mandate. He expressed this support on Wednesday, August 26, 2020, when the Ilorin zonal head of the EFCC Oseni Kazeem Oluwasina, paid him a Courtesy Visit. According to him, the EFCC has offered enormous support to the Kwara State Government in tackling graft and stabilising the government and any hand of fellowship offered to the Commission would be a gesture in the right direction. /* custom css */ .tdi_74_f63.td-a-rec{ text-align: center; }.tdi_74_f63 .td-element-style{ z-index: -1; }.tdi_74_f63.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_74_f63.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; }@media (max-width: 767px) { .tdi_74_f63.td-a-rec-img { text-align: center; } } It is a good thing you are here, I thank you for the service you rendered for the Kwara State, humanity and Nigeria as a whole, EFCC is an organisation that must not be allowed to collapse, all the Stakeholders must support the Commission in achieving its mandate as regards the fight against corruption Your efforts have helped us to stabilise our Government, I recall in May 2019 at the eve of the handing and taking over of Government, when about Four Billion Naira came to the account of the State Government, some corrupt government officials attempted to withdraw the money and share it , but the EFCC prevented them , we appreciate your contributions so far Responding, Oluwasina says the presence of the Commission in Kwara State is to further the war against corruption and mobilise the people against economic and financial crimes Its my pleasure to pay you a Courtesy visit, we felt obliged to pay you the visit and identify with your government. We are here to sensitise the people against economic and financial crimes in the society. The EFCC is here to fish out criminal elements and deal with them according to the provisions of the law, he said. Oluwasina reiterated the commitments of the EFCC to the rule of law, saying that The Acting Chairman of the EFCC, Mr Umar Muhammed has directed that we must act according to the provisions of the law and that is not negotiable, well continue to operate within the provisions of the law. He solicited more support from the government and enjoined the people t offer more useful information to the Commission. We want the people to come out and give us information that will assist the Commission to know the criminal elements in the society . He also used the occasion to announce the additional recovery of over One Hundred and Thirty Million ( N130, 000, 000) from treasury looters for the State Government. She's reunited with her Titanic director James Cameron for two Avatar sequels. And Kate Winslet has given a glimpse into what the director is demanding of his stars for the movie that's being shot using motion caption technology. 'I had to learn how to free-dive to play that role in Avatar, and that was just incredible. My longest breath hold was seven minutes and 14 seconds, like crazy, crazy stuff,' Winslet, 43, revealed in a cover interview for The Hollywood Reporter. New skill: Kate Winslet, seen in photo shared by producer Jon Landau in May, said she learned to free-dive for her role in Avatar sequels being made using motion capture technology The British actress plays a character called Ronal, 'a water person', in Avatar 2 and 3. She shot her role on the New Zealand set in 2018. 'It was so wonderful to work with Jim again,' Winslet said of reuniting with Cameron. 'Time has changed him. Jim has become a father a few more times over. He is a calmer person. Chilled. You can just feel him enjoying it more this time.' Winslet's starring role in 1997's Titanic catapulted her, at age 21, to international stardom as it did for her co-star Leonardo DiCaprio, then 22. Free-dive: 'My longest breath hold was seven minutes and 14 seconds, like crazy, crazy stuff,' Winslet, 43, revealed in a cover interview for The Hollywood Reporter published Wednesday Back together: 'It was so wonderful to work with Jim again,' Winslet said of reuniting with her Titanic director. Time has changed him.... You can just feel him enjoying it more this time' Made her famous: Winslet's starring role in 1997's Titanic catapulted her, at age 21, to international stardom as it did for her co-star Leonardo DiCaprio, then 22 In June, Cameron and his crew returned to New Zealand to resume production after it had been halted in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They were allowed back on economic grounds. Producer Jon Landau, after completing the mandated 14-day quarantine, told the country's 1News: 'This one production alone is going to hire 400 New Zealanders to work on it.' He added: 'We're going to spend, in the next five months alone, over $70 million here.' Technology in action: Motion capture is fundamental to bringing to life on screen the virtual world of Pandora and the humanoid species, the Na'vi Back in action: The sequels to the groundbreaking 2009 sci-fi blockbuster are being made at Stone Street Studios , a complex of four state-of-the-art sound stages in Wellington The highly-anticipated sequels to the groundbreaking 2009 sci-fi blockbuster are being made at Stone Street Studios , a complex of four purpose-built, state-of-the-art sound stages in Wellington. The studios have been used for several high-profile productions including the Lord Of The Rings trilogy, The Hobbit trilogy, King Kong and the original Avatar. Cameron is working on Avatar 2 and Avatar 3 simultaneously with the first of the sequels scheduled to premiere in December 2021. The filmmaker has previously revealed that Avatar 2 will be followed by Avatar 3 in December 2023, Avatar 4 in December 2025, and Avatar 5 in December 2027. Avatar 2 stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Giovanni Ribisi, Joel David Moore, Edie Falco, Cliff Curtis, Oona Chaplin, Vin Diesel, Michelle Yeoh and David Thewlis. The Queensland government is yet to reveal whether it will allow year 12 students to celebrate the end of their schooling on the Gold Coast this year as the coronavirus lurks in the state. Schoolies is a rite of passage for tens of thousands of Australian teenagers who flock to the Gold Coast after graduation for a week of partying. The state government is set to decide on Friday whether schoolies would be cancelled this year. Credit:Michelle Smith While the state government does not organise the event, it may impose public health restrictions on event planners to shut down the party this year. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk was expected to announce on Friday morning how, and if, the event could go forward. Specifically, Director of UNAIDS in Vietnam Marie-Odile Emond, Country Director of US CDC in Vietnam John Michael Blandford and Deputy Country Director Paula Morgan, were honoured for their valuable contributions to Vietnams health sector as a whole and to the countrys fight against HIV/AIDS in particular. Addressing the event, Acting Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long recognised, highly appreciated and expressed sincere thanks to the three experts for their tireless efforts towards the success of the HIV/AIDS battle in Vietnam over the past few years, prominently regarding the coordination of resources and the provision of policy support and advice for Vietnams government agencies to design the HIV/AIDS prevention and control strategies. With the efforts made by the health sector and relevant ministries, as well as the active coordination from international organisations and experts, the Prime Minister recently approved the Vietnam National Strategy on ending AIDS by 2030, the official said. Acting Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long speaks at the event. (Photo: VOV) He stated that Vietnam has been one of the worlds bright spots in coping with the HIV/AIDS pandemic, with the number of new infections and fatalities in the country having constantly decreased since 2008. Long called on foreign experts and organisations to continue supporting Vietnam in HIV/AIDS prevention and control, affirming that Vietnams health sector is willing to open the door and create favourable conditions for international organisations towards closer international cooperation and coordination. At the awarding ceremony, the honoured experts offered their sincerely thanks to the Vietnamese Ministry of Health for giving them opportunities to closely cooperate in health activities in general and HIV/AIDS prevention and control in particular. They voiced their belief that with the drastic implementation of policy campaigns and action programs on HIV/AIDS prevention and control, Vietnam will soon achieve the goal of ending the HIV/AIDS pandemic by 2030. A top House Democrat rebuked President Donald Trump for commenting on the potential acquisition of the domestic operations of the popular TikTok video app by a US company, but at the same time said such a deal could protect American interests. Rhode Island Representative David Cicilline, who is leading a probe of the technology industry, told Bloomberg News on Wednesday that its the job of federal enforcement agencies to determine whether TikTok, which is owned by China-based ByteDance Ltd., promotes competition or compromises national security and said that the president shouldnt insert himself into the outcome of those decisions. Trump issued an executive order August 14 forcing TikToks Chinese owner to divest its US assets, citing national security grounds. He subsequently weighed in on possible bids by Microsoft Corp. and Oracle Corp. Cicilline said its not the presidents role to decide who that buyer should be. What we dont need is the president of the United States injecting himself into a transaction in the way that he did, Cicilline said. I think thats dangerous -- that kind of politicization of that company and their practices. Trump has stepped up his attacks on TikTok as his administration increased pressure on China ahead of the November presidential election. Earlier this month, Trump threatened to shut down TikTok if its owners didnt sell the business to a US company by Sept. 15. Then, on August 6, he signed a pair of executive orders prohibiting Americans from doing business with TikTok and another app, WeChat, which is also Chinese-owned, effective in 45 days. I dont mind whether its Microsoft or someone else, a big company, a secure company, a very American company buys it, Trump told reporters on August 3. Itll close down on September 15 unless Microsoft or somebody else is able to buy it and work out a deal, an appropriate deal, so the Treasury of the United States gets a lot of money. In an Aug. 19 speech in Arizona, Trump praised another possible bidder, Oracle. Oracle is a great company, said Trump during the speech. I think its owner is a tremendous guy. Hes a tremendous person. I think that Oracle would be certainly somebody that could handle it. Trump ordered TikTok to sell its US assets after an investigation by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the US, or Cfius, which reviews acquisitions of American businesses by overseas investors for national security risk. Cfius found ByteDances 2017 purchase of the app Musical.ly and merger with TikTok did raise concerns and Trumps order effectively called for a reversal of that transaction. Cfius will have to certify that a sale to a US buyer resolves all outstanding national security concerns. I guess Microsoft wants it and so does Oracle, and probably so do other people, Trump told reporters earlier this month. But they have to also make sure the United States is well compensated because were the ones making it possible. Very simple: Were the ones making it possible. So our Treasury has to be very well compensated. Cicilline said if a US company buys TikTok, the purchase could give Facebook Inc. much-needed competition in the social media market and keep valuable data on American users out of the hands of Chinese authorities. I think we have to obviously be conscious of the implications when that kind of data is collected by a foreign adversary, Cicilline said, referring to TikTok. I think its perfectly appropriate in reviewing a transaction to take into account the national security interests of the United States. Cicilline, who chairs the antitrust panel of the House Judiciary Committee, has been investigating whether companies such as Facebook, Alphabet Inc.s Google, Amazon.com Inc. and Apple Inc. are too dominant in the marketplace. Last month, the chief executives of the four US technology giants appeared before the subcommittee to answer questions about whether they use their power to crush rivals. Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 22:04:46|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close GAZA, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- The health system's weakness in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip is a big hazard to combat the spread of the coronavirus, officials warned on Thursday. On Monday, the Hamas-run ministry of health recorded the first four cases of people not coming from abroad either from Egypt or through Israel. The Gaza Strip is home to two million Palestinians who live under high poverty and unemployment rates since the start of the Israeli blockade in 2007. Kamal al-Shakhra, in charge of coronavirus file in the Palestinian Health Ministry, told reporters that the situation of the pandemic in the Gaza Strip "is so dangerous." Al-Shakhra said there is fear that there are more cases in the besieged coastal enclave which have not been discovered yet. In spite of the political and geographical division between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, al-Shakhra said that the Health Ministry in Ramallah "is on a permanent contact with the medical teams in Gaza." "We are in contact with the medical teams to work on conducting more examinations and studying the epidemiological map in the Gaza Strip," al-Shakhra said, adding that the Health Ministry in Ramallah "is preparing to send urgent medical supplies to Gaza within the coming hours." On Monday, the Health Ministry in Gaza said that since the outbreak of the disease on March 5, it recorded 138 cases in Gaza, including three deaths, 72 recovered cases and 63 active cases. Since the outbreak of the disease in Palestine, Hamas authorities hold all those who return from abroad, either through Rafah crossing point with Egypt or Erez crossing point with Israel, under quarantine and isolation centers far from the densely populated areas. However, on Monday, the health ministry said it recorded four COVID-19 cases in a refugee camp in central Gaza Strip and had immediately imposed a full lockdown on the entire enclave's district for five days. The fear of a rapid spread of the virus in Gaza increased when the health ministry said it recorded nine COVID-19 cases among the medical teams who work at hospitals and clinics all over the Gaza Strip. Yahya A'abed, member of the pandemic committee in Gaza, told Xinhua that the pandemic map of coronavirus in Gaza "is very diverse and is currently distributed in various governorates, with the exception of Rafah and Khan Younis districts in southern Gaza Strip." "We are currently conducting hundreds of tests, including medical teams, hospital workers, and admitted patients," said A'abed, warning that the available swabs to conduct tests are currently threatening to run out within one month. He clarified that all government hospitals in the Gaza Strip have only 10 new ventilators, stressing that the hospitals need more ventilators "as urgent as possible." "The Gaza Strip is one of the most crowded areas in the world. It suffers from social fragility and a severe shortage of resources and medical supplies, which puts its people into a dangerous stage in combating the disease," A'abed said. Meanwhile, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) warned in a press statement of "catastrophic consequences if the virus largely spreads in the Gaza Strip amid tight siege, shortage of electricity and other basic needs." Enditem This September, all children in England will go back to school. A few nerves are normal, as things may be a little different to what were used to, but everything is in place for a safe and secure return SCHOOL ISNT JUST ABOUT ACADEMIA, ITS ABOUT BUILDING A HUMAN In preparation for Years 7-11 returning safely to Doncaster secondary school Outwood Academy Adwick this September, staff have been moving mountains. For the first time since March, all 1,000 of its 11- to 16-year-olds are expected back next week, and one senior leader who can barely wait is head of English Laura Vance. Words cant describe how excited I am, she says. Weve missed the children so much! For some of our more deprived students, seeing staff waving good morning at the school gates might be the first smiling face of the day the first thing anyones said. School isnt just about academia; were building humans. Aside from getting learning back on track, the return to school will bring some routine and normality to students lives, as Laura explains. 'Words can't describe how excited I am': Laura Vance, head of English at Outwood Academy Adwick in Doncaster, says it is 'crucial' that students go back to school now after months away The children have been away from education for months now, which has led to loneliness, anxiety and isolation all crippling issues that will be reviewed on an ongoing basis. Its crucial that our students come back now, and weve moved mountains to get it right. The school will reopen on Wednesday with a special day dedicated to Year 7 pupils, who have missed vital support in their transition from primary school. For existing students, the school day and grounds may look a little different to when they left in March. Starting this term, our doors will always be open, reducing touch points throughout the school and helping us follow distance markers in the corridors. In our new model, students will be assigned to a classroom bubble of around 30. Here, they will have their own desk with a pencil case provided full of stationery to avoid them borrowing or taking equipment home. For lessons, our teachers will rotate into different classrooms, which are laid out for distancing. Between changeovers, engaging tasks will actively hook students into their next lesson. Students will have their own desk with their own stationery pack which they'll leave at school There is no replacement for school life, so staff have taken every step to keep it as safe as possible Student hygiene is also of paramount importance, with new outdoor basins to encourage regular hand washing. Plus, additional cleaning staff will routinely deep clean the school. To reassure children and parents about the changes, academy staff have worked tirelessly to regularly update their website and social channels. To assess any concerns, weve strived to phone every household, says Laura. Particularly within the BAME community, we have spoken to many concerned parents who want to shield their students for longer, but they should know we are taking every precaution to safeguard their children. Our bubbles will help enforce the test and trace system and stop the spread efficiently. If we did need to quarantine a subsection of the school, we have a ready-made online curriculum, which is a short-term solution. Ultimately, there is no replacement for school life. HOMESCHOOLING HAS BEEN AMAZING BUT CHILDREN NEED THEIR FRIENDS This September marks an exciting time for 11-year-old Lily Rushforth, who transitions from primary school to high school in Barnsley, South Yorkshire. She says: Im not nervous about the virus at all Im just excited to start my new school, make new friends and have teachers around to help with my favourite subjects. Lilys mother Clare, 41 who has worked throughout lockdown as a dental practice manager says remote learning at Outwood Primary Academy Littleworth Grange has been amazing, although Lily has missed the social side of school. 'Not nervous at all': Lily Rushforth, 11, is moving to high school in Barnsley, South Yorkshire Its important for Lily to get back to routines and spending time with children her own age, says Clare. Thats a big part of starting high school: meeting people and having new experiences. Lily will start at Outwood Academy Shafton next week, and the schools efforts for a smooth transition for new and returning students has already impressed parents like Clare. For a large school, it has done an amazing job of controlling the situation and reassuring parents that its safe for children to go back in September, says Clare. Starting high school is a scary experience, but I think that communication has helped Lily to feel excited about this next step. EDUCATION IS CRUCIAL FOR SHAPING THE FUTURES OF YOUNG PEOPLE For students starting or returning to further education this term, teaching may be a little different to what theyre used to. However, support for the adjustment will be close at hand, says college principal Dr Paul Phillips CBE, 62, who has been at Weston College of Further and Higher Education in Somerset for 20 years. Students will be coming back to a disciplined and supportive environment, where mental health and wellbeing are as much a priority as physical safety, he says. The more face-to-face tuition our learners get, the better it is for their wellbeing, social development and focus on their programmes of study. The environment will have changed for everyone, but for our new learners especially, coming in at age 16, starting college as soon as possible will be hugely important for adjustment. Dr Paul Phillips CBE, principal of Weston College, says 'the more face to face tuition our learners get, the better it is for their wellbeing, social development and focus on study' Each campus has been completely redesigned since Covid-19, with input from parents, governors and health and safety officials. There is now one main entrance and a one-way system throughout, plus regular hand-sanitisation stations to encourage good hygiene. Sophisticated barrier systems will also track entry and exit to trace learners who have been on the same campus at any given time. To support learning, huge investments have been made in mentorship and one-to-one style teaching, as well as increasing the number of mental health advisors and support workers available on site. Now, all thats left to do is welcome the students back. Going for gold and raring to go: The future for students at Weston College in Somerset is bright Dr Phillips says, The future is extremely bright for our further education students. There has been a real sense of ambition, perseverance and entrepreneurship throughout lockdown, and were ready to channel that into careers for our students. Were going for gold this term and raring to go! Why is it so good to get children back in school? Experts say the benefits of returning to school go far beyond academic success. Family therapist Dr Kalanit Ben-Ari, right, says: Its very positive to get children back in school, both for their social development and mental health. Children of all ages need face-to-face and non-verbal communication with peers, not to mention the benefits of movement and fresh air. I believe they will catch up quickly and settle back in well. Children are more resilient than we think. kalanitbenari.com What are the risks to childrens health at school? Last week, Professor Chris Whitty said that children faced greater danger from missing school than they did from Covid-19. We spoke to Dr Tim Ubhi, clinical director and consultant paediatrician at the Childrens e-Hospital, about the health risks to children. He says, Going back to school is safe for children. They are at a very low risk of Covid-19 compared to adults, and rarely develop any significant symptoms. There is no data to suggest that children from minority ethnic groups are more at risk, and the advice is the same for everyone: be sensible, encourage good hygiene and if a child develops symptoms, keep them home. e-hospital.co.uk India writes to UN on Paks false claim of making statement in Security Council International oi-Vicky Nanjappa United Nations, Aug 27: India has formally written to the United Nations about Pakistan's false claim of making a statement in a Security Council meeting on terrorism, which was not open to non-Council members. India on Monday exposed Pakistan's litany of lies it peddled in the UN after Islamabad's UN envoy claimed to have given a statement in the Security Council meeting that was not open to non-members of the 15-nation UN body. India has now formally written to the UN and put on record about Pakistan's claim that it had made a statement in the Council, which is false. Ahead of big take over UNSC, India adds might to diplomatic network India on Monday had put out a strong point-by-point rebuttal of the remarks that Pakistan said it made to the Security Council meeting. The Pakistan Mission falsely claimed that its UN envoy Munir Akram had given a statement at the Security Council debate on Report of the Secretary-General on Threats to International Peace and Security posed by Terrorism Actions. However, the Security Council meeting on threats to international peace and security was not open to non-members of the Council. A photograph of the meeting tweeted by the German Mission to the UN showed only envoys of the 15 Security Council members participating in the meeting. Pakistan is not a member of the Council. "We have seen a statement put out by the Pakistan Mission to the UN, claiming that these remarks were made by the Permanent Representative of Pakistan at the UN Security Council. "We fail to comprehend where exactly did the Permanent Representative of Pakistan make his statement since the Security Council session today was not open to non-members. Be that as it may, the five big lies of Pakistan lies exposed," India's Permanent Mission to the UN had said. Calling out Pakistan's lie that it has been a target of cross-border terrorism for decades, India had said "a lie repeated a hundred times will not become truth. The biggest sponsor of cross-border terrorism against India now tries to masquerade itself as a victim of terrorism by India," India's Mission to the UN had said on Monday. On Akram's claim that Pakistan has decimated al-Qaeda from the region, India said perhaps the Permanent Representative of Pakistan is "not aware that Osama bin Laden was hiding in their own country in plain sight, and it is the US forces which got him inside Pakistan. Nor have they heard their Prime Minister refer to Osama bin Laden as a martyr." Giving a strong rebuttal to Pakistan's lies, New Delhi termed Pakistan's claim that India has hired terrorists as mercenaries to hit them as "laughable". "Coming from a country which is a known sponsor of cross-border terrorism which has made the world suffer due to its actions, this claim is nothing short of being preposterous!", India said, adding that Pakistan is home to the largest number of terrorists proscribed by the UN and many of the sanctioned terrorists and entities continue to operate with impunity inside Pakistan. Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan himself had admitted at the General Assembly last year about the presence of 40,000-50,000 terrorists inside Pakistan. Laying bare another lie by Pakistan about Indian nationals in the 1267 al-Qaeda Sanctions List of the UN Security Council, India said the Sanctions List is "public and the world can see none of these individuals are in it." "The 1267 Committee works on the basis of evidence and not random accusations thrown in to divert their time and attention," India said in response to a lie made by Pakistan that it has submitted names of some Indians to be proscribed under the Sanctions List. BJP tops Facebook political ad spending at Rs 4 crore & more news | Oneindia News In a strong response to Islamabad raking up the issue of Jammu and Kashmir in the remarks it falsely said Akram gave to the Council, India said Pakistan makes "ridiculous assertions" about internal affairs of India. "This is a country whose minority population has dropped drastically from 1947 to what it is today, which is just about 3 per cent, which is nothing short of systemic cleansing. This is in addition to false allegations about India's sovereign actions in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, which are for the welfare of the people," India said. This past week, the nation has watched California experiencing its first intentional rolling blackouts since the states 2001 energy crisis. Governor Gavin Newsom, pointing out that solar panels dont work at night and acknowledging the unusually calm winds which dont move turbines, called the situation unacceptable. That situation, the one created by government leaders supplanting reliable, inexpensive, domestic, abundant fossil fuels for the en vogue yet inadequate green energy, isnt getting better, either, as the energy demand is only increasing and likely to exceed the record reached in 2006. The Wall Street Journals Editorial Board referred to this as Californias green new normal. If Democratic vice presidential nominee and California Senator Kamala Harris is given the reins to Americas energy policy, rolling blackouts, a consistent lack of energy, and much worse will become a nationwide norm. Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has been inconsistent regarding his energy policy platform throughout the campaign trail. During one of the Democratic presidential debates earlier this year, Biden was very explicit in saying that he would make sure its [fracking] eliminated and no more subsidies for either one of those [fracking and coal], either Since then, his campaign team has stated that he does not support a nationwide fracking ban but still wants to stop all oil and gas drilling on federal lands. A recent study found that this plan which the continuously left-moving Democrats are labeling as moderate would cost almost 200,000 jobs, deny the U.S. government billions of revenue dollars, and push offshore production to other countries. Relative to the agenda of Bidens new running mate, that policy and those losses are moderate. Senator Harris has been remarkably consistent in her stance on fracking. Harris has repeatedly bragged about her intention to ban fracking and enforce a series of restrictions on the natural gas and oil industry. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortezs (D-NY) Green New Deal is a codification of the eco-lefts radical agenda Harris is a proud co-sponsor. At a minimum, the Green New Deal would impose a large and recurring cost on American families. According to a Power The Future study, it would cost a typical household at least $74,000 in the first year of implementation and more than $40,000 every year thereafter. Another report by the U.S. Chamber of Commerces Global Energy Institute estimates that a ban on fracking in 2021 would lead to the loss of 5.9 million jobs in seven states within the next five years. About 600,000 of these job losses would take place in Pennsylvania, a key swing state. The majority of voters doubt that Biden would be able to serve out a full term in office that makes Harris radical agenda even more substantial. California, under Harris watch, has come closer than any other state to actually implementing the sweeping, radical Green New Deal. As a result, for the privilege of not being able to turn on their lights or use air conditioning, Californians pay 61 percent above the national average for electricity. Californias Independent System Operator has been warning for years that the states increasing dependence on intermittent renewables, especially solar, is making it harder to ensure reliable power. Californias Governor Newsom even acknowledged gaps in reliability while the state continues to rely more and more on renewable energy. Still, he said that the state remains committed to radically changing the way we produce and consume energy. Thats a warning. Radically changing how we consume energy means government rationing. Will electricity use be illegal between 2am-6am? Will thermostats not go below 78 degrees? Will the electric meter turn-off after a homeowner hits the limit? Can the rich pay for more energy? I dont think California elites, be they Hollywood celebrtities or Silicon Valley moguls, are going dark anytime soon. If these seem implausible, your wrong: they are inevitable. Remember Newsom said the states energy consumption must radically change. We should take him at his word. If the Biden-Harris ticket wins, and even a fraction of the Green New Deal and other radical, illogical, unscientific environmental proposals are advanced nationally, Californias misery will be expanded on a national scale. Biden has long been pandering to the eco-left to gain the support of Bernie bros, but choosing Harris as a running mate cements this Democratic ticket as the most radical weve ever seen. And, if youre curious about how that experiment might end, look no further than Harris home state. Look now while you still have light. Daniel Turner is the founder and executive director of Power The Future, a national nonprofit organization that advocates for American energy jobs. Contact him at daniel@powerthefuture.com and follow him on Twitter @DanielTurnerPTF . HONG KONG, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- NetDragon Websoft Holdings Limited ('NetDragon' or the 'Company'; Hong Kong Stock Code: 777), a global leader in building internet communities, today announced its financial results for the first half of 2020. NetDragon's management team will hold a conference call and webcast at 10:00am Hong Kong time on 28 August 2020 to discuss the results and recent business developments. Mr. Dejian Liu, Chairman of NetDragon, commented, "We are excited with our overall achievements in the first half and the unique opportunities that are ahead of us. Our revenue reached RMB2,822.9 million with 5.6% year-over-year growth, and at the same time we achieved a 25.7% year-over-year increase in operating cashflows. While the Covid-19 global pandemic has presented short-term challenges, it has put the world in a position to embrace the adoption of education technologies in a way that has never been seen before." "Our education business recorded revenue growth of 8.5% year-over-year in the first half, as our subsidiary Promethean continued to build on its global market leadership position to gain further market share[1], resulting in 25.6% panel volume shipment growth year-over-year despite global school closure. The growth that we have achieved in this market is a testament to our differentiated product value proposition and our unique sales network. The pandemic also led to accelerating demand of blended learning solutions around the world, and to further capitalize on this opportunity, we have launched Edmodo Enterprise, a fully-integrated blended learning platform designed with a SaaS monetization model. In the past few months, the go-to-market of Edmodo Enterprise has scaled quickly, leading to country or state-wide adoptions in Egypt, Ghana, Thailand and the US. We are also excited to announce that in August, we signed an MOU with the Ministry of Education of Egypt with a mutual commitment to deliver a customized country-wide blended learning solution that integrates our Promethean and Edmodo offerings which will generate sizable multi-year revenue stream." "In China, we continued to strengthen user coverage and monetization foundation. With over 1 million of monthly active users of our flagship teacher-facing lesson preparation and delivery platform 101 Education PPT, we are aggressively developing premium services with the platform to expand use cases and drive user engagement. Meanwhile, our One-Stop Learning platform, a platform that enables teachers and students to communicate, teach and learn, recorded increased average monthly active users of over 10 times compared to second half of last year, with peak MAU of 5 million. With higher traffic and broader user coverage, we are in discussion with multiple provincial educational authorities to pilot different services with a SaaS monetization model." "Our gaming business maintained its growth trajectory with 4.5% year-over-year revenue growth in the first half. We continued to see rising players' activities and engagement in our flagship IP Eudemons, leading to a 41.4% year-over-year increase in DAU which provides us with a solid foundation to build our future growth. We are also pleased with the performance of our overseas games that generated very strong revenue growth year-over-year, as our targeted marketing aiming at overseas new users has paid off. Looking forward, we have a robust pipeline of exciting new games to be launched within the next several months across multiple IPs. In addition, we are introducing IP rejuvenation initiatives for the Eudemons IP to expand to young gamers as part of our growth strategy to maximize IP values." [1] Based on report issued by Futuresource Consulting dated 10 August 2020, incorporating actual shipment volumes (excluding China) of the Company. 2020 First Half Financial Highlights Revenue was RMB2,822.9 million , representing a 5.6% increase year-over-year. , representing a 5.6% increase year-over-year. Revenue from the gaming business was RMB1,647.3 million , representing 58.4% of the Company's total revenue and registering a 4.5% increase year-over-year. , representing 58.4% of the Company's total revenue and registering a 4.5% increase year-over-year. Revenue from the education business was RMB1,137.9 million , representing 40.3% of the Company's total revenue and registering an 8.5% increase year-over-year. , representing 40.3% of the Company's total revenue and registering an 8.5% increase year-over-year. Gross profit was RMB1,869.3 million , representing a 0.2% increase year-over-year. , representing a 0.2% increase year-over-year. Core segmental profit [2] from the gaming business was RMB943.6 million , representing a 0.5% decrease year-over-year. from the gaming business was , representing a 0.5% decrease year-over-year. Core segmental loss [2] from the education business was RMB377.3 million , representing a 33.6% increase year-over-year. The increase was due partly to increased staff salaries on a stable headcount, and higher hosting charge as our active users ramped up significantly during the Covid-19 school closure. from the education business was , representing a 33.6% increase year-over-year. The increase was due partly to increased staff salaries on a stable headcount, and higher hosting charge as our active users ramped up significantly during the Covid-19 school closure. Cash inflow from operating activities was RMB528.4 million , representing a 25.7% increase year-over-year. , representing a 25.7% increase year-over-year. Non-GAAP operating profit [3] was RMB509.2 million , representing a 6.2% decrease year-over-year. was , representing a 6.2% decrease year-over-year. Non-GAAP profit attributable to owners of the Company [3] was RMB449.5 million , representing a 5.5% decrease year-over-year. was , representing a 5.5% decrease year-over-year. The company declared an interim dividend of HK$0.25 per share for the six months ended 30 June 2020 . Segmental Financial Highlights 2020 First Half 2019 First Half Variance (RMB '000) Gaming Education Gaming (restated) Education (restated) Gaming Education Revenue 1,647,334 1,137,941 1,575,849 1,048,529 4.5% 8.5% Gross Profit 1,583,529 285,208 1,513,024 351,916 4.7% -19.0% Gross Margin 96.1% 25.1% 96.0% 33.6% +0.1 ppts -8.5 ppts Core Segmental Profit (Loss)[2] 943,605 (377,294) 948,701 (282,425) -0.5% 33.6% Segmental Operating Expenses - Research and development (305,790) (258,219) (255,204) (239,038) 19.8% 8.0% - Selling and marketing (178,765) (242,625) (160,730) (251,962) 11.2% -3.7% - Administrative (157,773) (141,526) (147,376) (128,330) 7.1% 10.3% [2] Core segmental profit (loss) figures are derived from the Company's reported segmental profit (loss) figures (presented in accordance with Hong Kong Financial Reporting Standard 8 ("HKFRS 8") but exclude non-core/operating, non-recurring or unallocated items including government grants, fair value change, finance cost and exchange loss of financial instruments, intercompany finance cost, impairment loss (net of reversal), impairment of goodwill and intangible assets, fair value change of convertible preferred shares and interest expenses and exchange loss of convertible and exchangeable bonds. [3] To supplement the consolidated results of the Company prepared in accordance with Hong Kong Financial Reporting Standards ("HKFRSs"), the use of non-GAAP operating profit (loss) measure is provided solely to enhance the overall understanding of the Company's current financial performance. The non-GAAP operating profit measure is not expressly permitted measure under HKFRSs and may not be comparable to similarly titled measure for other companies. The non-GAAP operating profit of the Company excludes share-based payments expense, amortisation of intangible assets arising on acquisition of subsidiaries and impairment of goodwill and intangible assets and fair value gain of financial assets at fair value through profit or less. Gaming Business Our gaming business revenue increased by 4.5% year-over-year to RMB1,647.3 million in the first half. Covid-19 has impacted players' in-game spending to a certain extent, as well as the development and testing of our gaming contents. Despite these challenges, our flagship IP Eudemons continued to record solid revenue growth driven primarily by substantial increase in number of active players in the first half as we focused our effort on generating more traffic, higher user engagement, and stronger IP recognition, which will serve to build a solid foundation to sustain our future growth. In the overseas markets, our revenue growth was its strongest in recent years driven by our implementation of aggressive targeted marketing to bring in new users, as well as sales channels and pay points optimization. We are also pleased with the performance of our other two major IPs. Conquer Online performed well in the first half, as its ninja-themed new expansion pack with enhanced graphics and new game features has stimulated engagement and spending among gamers. Heroes Evolved also continued to focus on strengthening its IP value in the first half. During the period, we ran IP crossovers with popular anime OVERLORD to drive user engagement. Looking forward, we will continue to drive revenue and profit growth by maximizing our IP values, as well as expanding our IP portfolio. In addition, we will continue to implement our strategy to expand our overseas revenue, which represented 11.9% of our revenue in the first half with significant room for future growth given the strength of our IPs and our development capabilities. Further, as part of our strategy to maximize IP values, we are introducing rejuvenation initiatives for the legendary Eudemons IP to increase the IP's appeal to young gamers, in both China and overseas. Last but not least, our pipeline is robust with multiple new games ready to be launched by the end of this year. Our upcoming new titles include Legends of Eudemons, Eudemons II, Eudemons Storm II, and Under Oath, all of which have obtained regulatory licenses. Education Business For the first half of 2020, our education business recorded revenue of RMB1,137.9 million, up 8.5% year-over-year. To capitalize on the opportunities presented by Covid-19, we are making strong progress in leveraging our core competencies of being able to provide best-in-class classroom learning and distance learnings solutions the result is a unique blended learning model, a model that educators around the world are embracing as we transitioned into the new normal of learning. Under that backdrop, Promethean performed exceptionally well by gaining significant market share amid a challenging market which saw a significant drop in market volume in the second quarter. The market challenges also provided us with an opportunity to solidify our market leadership position, as Promethean's panel shipment outgrew the market growth in the first half by 20.5%[1]. Its performance was particularly strong in emerging markets, highlighted by a sizable tender order in Egypt during the first half. As a result of unprecedented demand for distance learning under Covid-19, our Edmodo learning platform has seen substantial uptick in its users, with our monthly active users ("MAU") reaching a record high of over 17 million during the first half[4]. Such growth was driven by the launch of our Edmodo Enterprise platform in the first quarter. Edmodo Enterprise is a fully-integrated blended learning platform that enables educational authorities to drive top-down adoption of a unique blended learning experience across an entire school, district and country, implemented with a SaaS or subscription monetization model. Since its official rollout, we have quickly built and scaled the sales and marketing network as well as the operating infrastructure, and are now in a strong position to scale the commercialization of this platform at a global scale. Edmodo will also leverage the existing strong sales network of Promethean as we continue to pursue a 2G and 2B go-to-market model with this new platform. In the past few months, we have seen country- or state-wide adoptions in Egypt, Ghana, Thailand and the US. With this traction, we are excited about the prospect of significantly scaling up our Edmodo monetization in the second half. We are also excited to announce that in August, we signed an MOU with the Ministry of Education of Egypt with a mutual commitment to deliver a customized country-wide blended learning solution that integrates our Promethean and Edmodo offerings which will generate sizable multi-year revenue stream. The implementation of this contract is expected to commence in the near term, and we will also aim to replicate this country-wide model as we continue to scale our "Country Strategy" globally. In China, our strategy is to strengthen both user coverage monetization foundation. Similar to our overseas business, the rising demand for distance learning under Covid-19 has resulted in sharp uptick in user traffic for our learning products. With over 1 million of monthly active users of our flagship teacher-facing lesson preparation and delivery platform 101 Education PPT, we are aggressively developing premium services with the platform to expand use cases and drive user engagement. On the other hand, our One-Stop Learning platform, a learning platform that enables teachers and students to communicate, teach and learn, recorded increase in average monthly active users by 10 times compared to second half of 2019, with peak MAU of 5 million. In view of high user coverage, we are exploring SaaS monetization opportunities with multiple provincial educational authorities on delivering 2G, 2B and 2C services. Lastly, we rolled out services and resources in July for the National Center for Educational Technology ("NCET") VLAB Teaching Service System. In the fall semester of this year, NCET will launch pilot projects of virtual experimental teaching in primary and secondary schools in nearly 70 schools in 6 provinces across the country. It is expected that after the completion of the pilot, the service will be promoted to primary and secondary schools across the country through a SaaS model and generate revenue. Looking forward, as blended learning becomes a global new normal, we believe that our unique capabilities and our integrated product offerings will put us in the strongest position to capitalize on the opportunities ahead, and as such, we are excited about our outlook in the second half as we focus on addressing exactly what the market needs with a sustainable monetization model. [1] Based on report issued by Futuresource Consulting dated 10 August 2020, incorporating actual shipment volumes (excluding China) of the Company. [4] Highest level since acquired by NetDragon in April 2018. Management Conference Call NetDragon's management team will hold a conference call and webcast at 10:00am Hong Kong time on 28 August 2020 to discuss the results and recent business developments. Details of the live conference call are as follows: International +852 2112 1888 Mainland China 4008 428 338 HK (China) +852 2112 1888 US 1 866 226 1406 UK 0800 032 2849 Passcode 6142028# A live and archived webcast of the conference call will be available on the Investor Relations section of NetDragon's website at http://www.netdragon.com/investor/ir-webcasts.shtml. Participants in the live webcast should visit the aforementioned website 10 minutes prior to the call, then click on the icon for "2020 Interim Results Conference Call" and follow the registration instructions. About NetDragon Websoft Holdings Limited NetDragon Websoft Holdings Limited (HKSE: 0777) is a global leader in building internet communities with a long track record of developing and scaling multiple internet and mobile platforms that impact hundreds of millions of users, including previous establishments of China's first online gaming portal, 17173.com, and China's most influential smartphone app store platform, 91 Wireless NetDragon was included in the Hang Seng TECH Index on 27 July 2020. Established in 1999, NetDragon is one of the most reputable and well-known online game developers in China with a history of successful game titles including Eudemons Online, Heroes Evolved and Conquer Online. In recent years, NetDragon has also started to scale its online education business on the back of management's vision to create the largest global online learning community, and to bring the "classroom of the future" to every school around the world. For investor enquiries, please contact: NetDragon Websoft Holdings Limited Ms. Maggie Zhou Senior Director of Investor Relations Tel.: +852 2850 7266 / +86 591 8390 2825 Email: [email protected] Website: ir.netdragon.com CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF PROFIT OR LOSS AND OTHER COMPREHENSIVE INCOME FOR THE SIX MONTHS ENDED 30 JUNE 2020 Six months ended 30 June 2020 2019 (Unaudited) (Unaudited) RMB'000 RMB'000 Revenue 2,822,858 2,672,547 Cost of revenue (953,587) (807,554) Gross profit 1,869,271 1,864,993 Other income and gains 105,907 52,753 Impairment loss under expected credit loss model, net of reversal (15,242) (81) Selling and marketing expenses (427,022) (421,809) Administrative expenses (441,632) (431,654) Development costs (568,906) (502,390) Other expenses and losses (84,054) (79,080) Share of losses of associates (2,043) (951) Share of losses of joint ventures (1,850) (1,418) Operating profit 434,429 480,363 Interest income on pledged bank deposits 1,595 1,513 Exchange (loss) gain on secured bank borrowings, convertible preferred shares, derivative financial instruments and convertible and exchangeable bonds (22,726) 123 Net gain on convertible preferred shares - 13,436 Net gain on financial assets at fair value through profit or loss 14,930 - Fair value gain on derivative financial instruments 6,971 - Finance costs (64,677) (11,374) Profit before taxation 370,522 484,061 Taxation (92,728) (108,575) Profit for the period 277,794 375,486 Other comprehensive income (expense) for the period, net of income tax: Item that may be reclassified subsequently to profit or loss: Exchange differences arising on translation of foreign operations 9,145 (478) Item that will not be reclassified to profit or loss: Fair value gain on equity instruments at fair value through other comprehensive income 1,390 63 Other comprehensive income (expense) for the period 10,535 (415) Total comprehensive income for the period 288,329 375,071 Profit (loss) for the period attributable to: - Owners of the Company 336,499 421,026 - Non-controlling interests (58,705) (45,540) 277,794 375,486 Total comprehensive income (expense) attributable to: - Owners of the Company 346,368 420,844 - Non-controlling interests (58,039) (45,773) 288,329 375,071 RMB cents RMB cents Earnings per share - Basic 60.93 79.66 - Diluted 60.84 79.52 CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION AS AT 30 JUNE 2020 30 June 20 31 December 219 (Unaudited) (Audited) RMB'000 RMB'000 Non-current assets Property, plant and equipment 1,909,854 1,918,697 Right-of-use assets 467,548 467,250 Investment properties 81,476 95,090 Intangible assets 712,243 675,737 Interests in associates 72,612 54,655 Interests in joint ventures 16,496 12,346 Equity instruments at fair value through other comprehensive income 5,841 4,514 Financial assets at fair value through profit or loss 266,102 - Loan receivables 11,888 9,573 Prepayments and deposits 55,405 57,829 Deposits made for acquisition of property, plant and equipment 5,676 11,486 Goodwill 336,390 313,328 Deferred tax assets 48,172 47,317 3,989,703 3,667,822 Current assets Properties under development 485,979 469,070 Properties for sale 20,640 20,640 Inventories 476,685 237,478 Loan receivables 23,144 27,354 Trade receivables 583,698 689,360 Other receivables, prepayments and deposits 347,926 328,369 Contract assets 14,288 18,333 Amount due from a related company 655 849 Amounts due from associates 2,163 2,262 Amounts due from joint ventures 901 279 Amount due from a director - 400 Tax recoverable 14,936 6,689 Financial assets at fair value through profit or loss 1,596 1,492 Restricted bank balances 15,089 15,089 Pledged bank deposits 145,799 145,787 Bank deposit with original maturity over three months 35,398 - Bank balances and cash 3,910,220 2,125,637 6,079,117 4,089,088 Current liabilities Trade and other payables 1,162,691 980,522 Contract liabilities 515,169 529,497 Lease liabilities 59,841 54,603 Provisions 63,906 69,867 Derivative financial instruments 81,941 - Amounts due to a related company - 105 Amounts due to associates 281 257 Secured bank borrowings 191,796 161,135 Dividend payable 128,780 - Tax payable 90,223 107,120 2,294,628 1,903,106 Net current assets 3,784,489 2,185,982 Total assets less current liabilities 7,774,192 5,853,804 Non-current liabilities Other payables 8,640 16,275 Convertible preferred shares - - Convertible and exchangeable bonds 1,001,497 - Secured bank borrowings 281,861 246,068 Lease liabilities 116,197 108,803 Deferred tax liabilities 114,153 121,610 1,522,348 492,756 Net assets 6,251,844 5,361,048 Capital and reserves Share capital 41,163 38,822 Share premium and reserves 6,314,455 5,557,499 Equity attributable to owners of the Company 6,355,618 5,596,321 Non-controlling interests (103,774) (235,273) 6,251,844 5,361,048 SOURCE NetDragon Websoft Holdings Limited Related Links http://www.netdragon.com The Indo-Pacific is the epicentre of "great power competition" with China which wants to project its power globally, Defence Secretary Mark Esper has said as he underlined America's efforts to strengthen ties with partners like India to get Beijing to respect the international rules-based order. Esper in his keynote address to the Daniel K Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies in Hawaii said that to advance the agenda of the ruling Chinese Communist Party, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) continues to pursue an aggressive modernisation plan to achieve a world-class military by the middle of the century. This will undoubtedly embolden the PLA's provocative behaviour in the South and East China Seas, and anywhere else the Chinese government has deemed critical to its interests, he said on Wednesday. China is engaged in hotly contested territorial disputes in both the South China Sea and the East China Sea. Beijing claims almost all of the 1.3 million square mile South China Sea as its sovereign territory. China has been building military bases on artificial islands in the region also claimed by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam. Unlike America's Armed Forces, the PLA is not a military that serves its nation or a Constitution rather, it serves a political entity, the Chinese Communist Party, in its attempts to undermine rules and norms across the globe, Esper said. In fact, China's global ambitions include establishing a security presence at strategic access points such as its base in Africa to enhance its ability to project power globally, and across all domains, Esper said. Esper said that the Indo-Pacific faces some of the world's most dynamic security challenges, to include a defiant North Korea; violent extremism; and a host of transnational threats such as piracy, human and arms trafficking, natural disasters, and now, a global pandemic. But most importantly, the Indo-Pacific is the epicentre of great power competition with China, said the US Defence Secretary. In addition to strengthening ties with allies, Esper said that the US is also looking to expand our engagement with new and emerging partners throughout South and Southeast Asia. For instance, we have upgraded defence relationship with India to a Major Defence Partnership, and we held our first-ever joint military exercise with them last year, along with combined naval exercises earlier this summer, he said. Additionally, this past spring, we conducted the second-ever US carrier visit to Vietnam in over four decades a sign of our deepening relationship, he added. The United States and its allies have taken decisive action to counter China's attempts to manipulate, disrupt, and undermine the technological edge, namely by denying access to its high-risk 5G vendors something Japan, Australia, and New Zealand did early on. I continue to encourage all like-minded partners to carefully consider their choices regarding telecommunications infrastructure, and assess the long-term, collective risks of using Chinese state-backed vendors, he said. As the Trump administration continues to implement its Indo-Pacific strategy, the US needs its allies and partners to contribute in ways that are fair and equitable, he said. We need them to pursue close alignment in policies that uphold a free and open order and reject decisions that would benefit malign actors to our collective detriment. "And, we need them to make the necessary investments to improve their capabilities so that, together, we can safeguard our interests, strengthen our readiness, and defend our sovereignty and values, Esper said. He alleged that under the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Beijing has repeatedly fallen short of its promises to abide by international laws, rules, or norms despite continuing to reap the benefits of the international system and free markets. Beijing's self-serving behaviour, however, is not isolated to just the Indo-Pacific region," he said. "Increasingly, our like-minded partners around the world are experiencing the CCP's systematic rule-breaking behaviour, debt-backed economic coercion, and other malign activities meant to undermine the free and open order that has benefitted nations of all sizes China included, Esper said. For example, China's illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing has wrought economic and ecological damage in the Caribbean and Latin America, Africa, the Pacific Islands, and beyond. Further, Beijing has failed to uphold its obligations under the World Trade Organisation, and hampered global efforts to control the coronavirus pandemic due to its lack of transparency with the World Health Organisation, he added. China seeks to undermine the free and open order itself, which impacts every nation supporting and benefitting from this system. That is why this institution's forward location and unique role on the front lines of our long-term competition here in the Indo-Pacific is so important, he said. Esper said that one of the major ways that the US is enhancing interoperability and bolstering its partners' capabilities is through an improved and expanded Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programme. We are providing F-35 aircraft to Japan, Seahawk and Apache helicopters to India, and F-16 fighter jets and M1 Abrams tanks to Taiwan, to name a few examples, he said. Further, we continue to make progress in deepening our defence relationships across the region," he said. . China imported a record amount of U.S. crude oil in July, marking the highest monthly volume since the data series began in 2008, official data showed. In July, U.S. crude exports to China surged by 139% year-on-year to nearly 3.7 million tons, up over sixfold from the previous month, making the U.S. the fifth-largest crude supplier to the Chinese market, Chinas General Administration of Customs revealed Tuesday. The previous record for oil imports from the U.S. was 2 million tons in January 2018. China is accelerating its energy product purchases from the U.S. to meet its commitments under the phase one trade deal, multiple industry insiders said. In January, the worlds two largest economies reached a truce in their trade war with the phase one trade agreement, in which China promised to buy $52.4 billion worth of additional energy products from the U.S. over the following two years from a 2017 baseline. The products range from crude oil to refined products. In a six-month review of the trade deal on Monday, the two countries top trade negotiators made positive statements after a phone call, saying that they see progress and are committed to taking the steps necessary to ensure the success of the agreement, with the U.S. side calling Chinas increases in purchases significant. China has resumed crude imports from the U.S. since May as its economy has recovered from the fallout of the domestic coronavirus outbreak. From December, when the outbreak emerged, to April, China did not import any U.S. crude, except for less than 1 ton in March. U.S. crude exports to China are likely to see a further boost in the coming months, multiple analysts said. In September, at least 12 very large crude carriers, better known as VLCCs, are expected to ship up to 25.1 million barrels or at least 3 million tons from the U.S. to China, up from an estimated six VLCCs this month, according to data compiled by energy consultancy Argus. Six of the 18 oil tankers were chartered by a trading arm of state-owned behemoth China Petrochemical Corp., better known as Sinopec Group. The surge from the U.S. coincided with drops in imports from major crude producers including Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iraq and Brazil. In July, Chinas crude oil imports from the four countries all fell from the previous month. Saudi Arabias shipments suffered the largest drop, down 39.7% from the previous month, slipping from Chinas top two supplier spots for the first time since July 2018. Russia was Chinas biggest oil supplier in July. Taking advantage of cheap international oil prices, Chinas crude oil imports have grown significantly this year. In the first seven months, China bought 320 million tons of crude oil, an increase of 12.1% (link in Chinese) from the same period in 2019, with crude oil imports in July up 25% year-on-year, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. Read more In Depth: Cheap Oil Hasnt Been Good for the Worlds Largest Crude Importer Contact editor Michael Bellart (michaelbellart@caixin.com) Support quality journalism in China. Subscribe to Caixin Global starting at $0.99. AUSTIN, Texas, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Vyopta, the leading provider of Unified Communications (UC) monitoring and analytics, has increased support for Zoom to include Zoom Rooms and Zoom Video Webinars . Now UC and IT professionals have more tools to optimize and improve the user experience for their Zoom deployments including Zoom Meetings , Rooms, and Webinars. Zoom Meetings For over three years, Vyopta has offered monitoring and analytics for Zoom Meetings. With alerts, in depth call quality metrics, and historical analytics, UC and IT professionals use Vyopta to proactively monitor and improve the user experience for Zoom Meetings. In addition, through customizable dashboards and reporting, IT teams can set up actionable reports to ensure high service levels and optimize the adoption of the Zoom platform. Zoom Rooms As organizations send essential, and even non-essential workers back to the office, IT teams are tasked with monitoring and analyzing the quality of the conference room experience. With Vyopta, enterprises can now monitor the status of all their Zoom Rooms to proactively identify and resolve issues quickly. In addition, UC professionals can now use Vyopta to monitor all of their video enabled conference rooms whether they are Zoom Rooms or rooms with endpoints from Cisco, Microsoft, Poly, Lifesize, or other endpoint vendors. Zoom Video Webinars As more enterprises use Zoom for video communications, enterprises are using Zoom Webinars increasingly for critical one-to-many communications like all hands meetings and customer presentations. With Vyopta, IT teams can now monitor Zoom Webinars along with traditional Zoom Meetings to track overall performance and proactively address any issues. Leading financial services, healthcare, insurance, and federal agencies around the world use Vyopta to optimize their Zoom deployments including Meetings, Rooms, and Webinars. These new features are added to Vyopta's existing Zoom support that includes: Single pane of glass to optimize Zoom and the other major UC vendor (e.g., Cisco, Microsoft, BlueJeans, Pexip, etc.) systems deployed in most large enterprises. (e.g., Cisco, Microsoft, BlueJeans, Pexip, etc.) systems deployed in most large enterprises. User tagging to create actionable reporting on Zoom metrics that matter most to UC and IT teams (by geography, department, VIP users, buildings, etc.) that matter most to UC and IT teams (by geography, department, VIP users, buildings, etc.) Customizable and dynamic dashboards to identify Zoom performance issues quickly and avoid having to wade through static reporting to find potential problems. to identify Zoom performance issues quickly and avoid having to wade through static reporting to find potential problems. Configurable alerts that integrate into ServiceNow and other IT support systems to improve help desk productivity and proactively resolve issues before they escalate. About Vyopta Incorporated Vyopta is a leading provider of collaboration performance management and meeting room insights solutions. With coverage that spans video, voice, and messaging from Cisco, Microsoft, Poly, Pexip, Zoom, BlueJeans by Verizon, and more, Vyopta helps companies improve quality of experience, accelerate workplace transformation and optimize investments across UC and conference rooms. Vyopta monitors and analyzes over 10 billion meeting minutes annually across the largest enterprises in the world, including Workday, AstraZeneca, Stanford University, Shared Services Canada and the US Department of Veterans Affairs. SOURCE Vyopta Inc Related Links http://www.vyopta.com Digital ILC 2020: Promising safety results on three different novel treatments for advanced or unresectable HCC represent a further step towards new options for patients with poor prognosis 28 August 2020: New treatment options for people with advanced or unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) may now be a step closer after three research groups presented safety and efficacy data at The Digital International Liver Congress (DILC) 2020. After a decade in which systemic treatment for advanced HCC was limited to a single option, sorafenib,1 these results build on other developments in recent years that could significantly improve the lives of patients with this difficult-to-treat condition. Liver cancer is the second most common cause of cancer fatalities worldwide, with HCC accounting for over 90% of primary liver cancers. Around 90% of HCCs are associated with widespread risk factors such as chronic hepatitis B and C infection, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), alcohol intake and aflatoxin exposure. The prognosis for patients with HCC remains poor; in Europe for example, the 3-year survival rates for patients diagnosed with any-stage HCC while under surveillance is estimated to be 47.3%, and as low as 21.8% for those diagnosed while not under surveillance. However, an increasing number of emerging treatments in recent years have the potential to improve this outlook. The IMbrave150 study, presented at DILC 2020 and now published in the New England Journal of Medicine, investigated the combination of atezolizumab and bevacizumab (atezo+bev) against the standard systemic therapy, sorafenib. In this randomized, open-label trial, patients with unresectable HCC who had not received prior systemic therapy were treated with either atezolizumab 1,200 mg intravenously (IV) + bevacizumab 15 mg/kg IV or sorafenib 400 mg twice daily. Improvements in overall survival and progression-free survival with the combination therapy have been previously reported in this trial. Median treatment durations were 7.4 months for atezolizumab, 6.9 months for bevacizumab and 2.8 months for sorafenib. Adverse events (AEs) of grade 3-4 were reported in 57% of patients receiving atezo+bev (n=329) and 55% of those receiving sorafenib (n=156). The most severe grade 5 AEs occurred in 5% and 6% of patients, respectively, and more patients receiving atezo+bev than sorafenib required corticosteroid treatment (12% vs 3%). The rate of immune-mediated hepatitis was comparable between treatments, while other AEs of special interest also occurred at similar rates and were mostly mild (grade 1-2). "Atezo+bev was generally well-tolerated, and adverse events of interest in this class of therapy were manageable," said Professor Michel Ducreux of the Gustave Roussy Cancer Center in France. "Combined with previous efficacy results, these data suggest that atezo+bev should be considered as the new standard of care in patients with unresectable HCC who have not received previous systemic therapy." A combination of the multikinase inhibitor lenvatinib and pembrolizumab, an antiprogrammed death receptor-1 monoclonal antibody, has also been investigated in a Phase 1b study in a first-line population. Patients received lenvatinib 12 mg/day (8 mg/day if weighing <60 kg) and pembrolizumab 200 mg IV every 21 days. In an initial safety phase (Part 1) with six patients, there were no dose-limiting toxicities reported. A second phase (Part 2) included 80 patients as of 31 October 2019, with a median duration of treatment of 8.5 months and a median follow-up of 11.5 months. Median overall survival was 22.0 months (95% CI 14.6-not estimable) and median progression-free survival was 8.6 months (95% CI 6.9-9.7). The objective response rate was 43.8% (95% CI 32.7-55.3), with a median time to response of 2.4 months (range: 1.2-11.8) and a median duration of response of 12.6 months (95% CI 6.5-18.7). Disease control (defined as complete response + partial response + stable disease for ?5 weeks) was achieved in 83.8% (95% CI 73.8-91.1) of patients. Treatment-related AEs occurred in 95% of patients, including 35% who experienced serious adverse events and three fatalities. Encouraging results for patients with advanced HCC previously treated with sorafenib were also presented following a subgroup analysis of the CheckMate 040 trial. This study assessed the efficacy and safety of nivolumab + ipilimumab in three different dose combinations. In the cohort receiving ipilimumab at 3 mg/kg and nivolumab at 1 mg/kg, among 50 patients previously treated with sorafenib, the overall response rate was 32%, including 4 patients achieving complete response, and median overall survival was 22.8 months. This combination has been approved by the FDA as a second-line treatment after sorafenib. The results were further analyzed by duration of prior exposure to sorafenib (up to 6 months vs more than 6 months). Response rate (36% vs 29%), disease control rate (63% vs 46%), and median overall survival (25.5 vs 19.2 months) were numerically higher in the subgroup of patients with longer duration of prior sorafenib. However, less favorable disease characteristics at baseline in the subgroup with shorter duration of prior sorafenib may have had an impact on these outcomes. In terms of safety, treatment-related adverse events of any grade and grade 3 or higher were reported at similar rates. The same was true for liver toxicities although aspartate aminotransferase (AST)/alanine aminotransferase (ALT) elevations of grade 3 or higher were more frequent among patients with a shorter duration of prior sorafenib. The low numbers of patients in subgroups mean that a cautious interpretation of these data is warranted. "Nivolumab and ipilimumab led to clinically meaningful benefits and a manageable safety profile in patients previously treated with sorafenib," said Professor Bruno Sangro of the Clinica Universidad de Navarra, Spain. "Altogether, our results indicate that the NIVO1+IPI3 combination is a promising new treatment option for advanced HCC in the second line, independent of the duration of prior sorafenib administration." "This clinical research will have an important impact on the current landscape of advanced HCC treatment, as it marks an evolution from one single agent to multiple options for these patients," said Professor Maria Reig of the Hospital Clinic of Barcelona, Spain, and EASL Governing Board member. "Physicians have the responsibility and challenge to select the best sequential treatment for each individual patient. In this regard, EASL is committed to supporting patient organizations and physicians in this incredible and complex clinical decision-making challenge, which is conditioned not only by treatment and patient characteristics, but also geographical factors." ### About The International Liver Congress This annual congress is EASL's flagship event, attracting scientific and medical experts from around the world to learn about the latest in liver research and exchange clinical experience. Attending specialists present, share, debate and conclude on the latest science and research in hepatology, working to enhance the treatment and management of liver disease in clinical practice. This year, the congress is being held entirely digitally due to the global health situation. The Digital International Liver Congress 2020 will take place from 27-29 August 2020. For more information on attendance and registration, please visit https://ilc-congress.eu/. About The European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) Since its foundation in 1966, this not-for-profit organization has grown to over 4,500 members from all over the world, including many of the leading hepatologists in Europe and beyond. EASL is the leading liver association in Europe, having evolved into a major European association with international influence, and with an impressive track record in promoting research in liver disease, supporting wider education and promoting changes in European liver policy. Contact For more information or to speak to an expert, please contact Sean Deans in the ILC Press Office at: - Email: press@easloffice.eu - Telephone: +44 (0) 1444 811099 Session details Session title: Phase III Oncology Date and time of session: Friday 28 August 2020, 15:30-15:45 Presenter: Richard Finn Abstracts: A phase 1b study of lenvatinib plus pembrolizumab in unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma Session title: Phase III Oncology Date and time of session: Friday 28 August 2020, 15:45-16:00 Presenter: Michel Ducreux Abstracts: Atezolizumab + bevacizumab versus sorafenib in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma: safety results from the Phase III IMbrave150 study Session title: Phase III Oncology Date and time of session: Friday 28 August 2020, 16:00-16:15 Presenter: Bruno Sangro Abstracts: Nivolumab + ipilimumab combination therapy in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma: subgroup analyses from CheckMate 040 Author disclosures Richard Finn has received consulting or advisory fees from Pfizer, Bayer, Novartis, Bristol Myers Squibb, Merck, Eisai, Lilly, Genentech/Roche, AstraZeneca, Exelixis, and C Stone Pharma. He has received research funding (paid to his institution) from Pfizer, Bayer, Novartis, Eisai, Lilly, Merck, Bristol Myers Squibb, and Roche/Genentech. He has also provided expert testimony for Novartis and Bayer. Michel Ducreux has received speaker fees from or participated in advisory boards for Roche, Merck Serono, Bayer, Servier, Amgen, Ipsen, Halio DX, Pierre Fabre, MSD, Keocyt, and Lilly. He has also received clinical trial funding from Roche, Merck Serono, Bayer, and Keocyt. Bruno Sangro has received consulting, advisory role, or honoraria fees from Adaptimmune, Bayer, Bristol Myers Squibb, BTG, H3 Biomedicine, Ipsen, Lilly, Merck, Onxeo, Roche, and Sirtex Medical. His institution has also received grant fees from Bristol Myers Squibb, and Sirtex Medical. References 1. EASL. EASL Clinical Practice Guidelines: Management of hepatocellular carcinoma. J Hepatol. 2018;69(1):182-236. 2. Estes C, et al. Modeling the epidemic of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease demonstrates an exponential increase in burden of disease. Hepatology. 2018;67(1):123-33. 3. Akinyemiju T, et al. The burden of primary liver cancer and underlying etiologies from 1990 to 2015 at the global, regional, and national level. JAMA Oncol. 2017;3:1683-91. 4. Singal AG, et al. Early detection, curative treatment, and survival rates for hepatocellular carcinoma surveillance in patients with cirrhosis: a meta-analysis. PLoS Med. 2014;11(4): e1001624. 5. Finn RS, et al. Atezolizumab plus bevacizumab in unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma. N Engl J Med. 2020;382:1894-905. " " Doctors perform a laparoscopy on a woman in preparation for in vitro fertilization. Yvonne Hemsey/ Getty Images Once a donor and recipient have been matched and the associated legal and preliminary medical criteria are complete, the women begin a multi-step medical process before egg harvesting. The donor and recipient's menstrual cycles must first be synchronized. Synchronization involves many steps, and donors are taught to administer their own medications -- both through injections and pills. On the first day of menses, a physician assesses the donor's ovarian function through blood tests and a vaginal ultrasound, and the donor begins taking birth control pills. Advertisement The next step is to suppress the donor's natural ovulation. This is managed through daily injections of gonadotropin (GnRH) agonists that shut down hormones secreted naturally by the pituitary gland. A cycle takes about four weeks, and in addition to birth control pills and GnRH agonist injections, a donor undergoes routine blood tests and vaginal ultrasound examinations to monitor progress. To bring this cycle to an end, the donor stops taking birth control pills and has a menstrual period that is synched with the recipient's cycle. During the process's next stage, the ovarian stimulation process, the donor injects herself with hormones to help stimulate the release of multiple mature eggs. Normally, women release only one egg each month. The recipient also uses medication to suppress her own ovulation and to thicken the lining of her uterus for upcoming embryo implantation. During the ovarian stimulation phase, the donor undergoes frequent blood tests and ultrasounds to monitor egg follicle development. When the follicles are fully developed, the donor injects herself with human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG), helping her eggs separate from the follicle walls for retrieval. At this time, the recipient adds progesterone injections to her list of medications that prepare her body for the embryo transfer. The timing of the hCG injection is crucial to successful egg retrieval, and eggs are collected about 34 to 36 hours after the hCG injection by ultrasound-guided needle while the donor is under anesthesia [source: WebMD]. The harvested eggs are combined with sperm -- either from a sperm donor or from the recipient's husband or partner -- and after a few days of incubation, two to four embryos are placed in the recipient's uterus via a thin tube inserted through her cervix [source: CDC]. This is in vitro fertilization (IVF). Typically, all the eggs harvested in a cycle are inseminated. If there are any remaining embryos, they legally belong to the recipient and can be saved through cryopreservation for future pregnancy attempts. Egg donation is not risk-free. Medications used to synchronize menstrual cycles sometimes cause hot flashes, mood swings and breast tenderness. Also, the medications used during the ovarian stimulation process may cause ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS), fluid retention and swelling of the ovaries. There are varying degrees of OHSS, from mild abdominal pain to life-threatening blood clots. However, with careful monitoring, a donor has less than a one percent chance of developing severe or life-threatening OHSS [source: WebMD]. Long-term risks of egg donation and ART are unknown but a link between fertility drugs and an increased risk for ovarian cancer is being studied [source: Department of Health, State of New York]. In recent years, regulations and guidelines have gone into effect concerning donor cells and tissues, procedures and compensation. As part of the FDA's "Good Tissue Practices," clinics are required to test donors for infectious diseases and maintain accurate records. Additionally, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine's (ASRM) Ethics Committee reports that compensating donors more than $10,000 is unreasonable and risked coercion. As we've learned, ASRM recommends women be compensated no more than $5,000 [source: ASRM]. For more information about pregnancy, infertility and assisted reproductive technologies, visit our list of links on the following page. Dublin, Aug. 27, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Feed Binders Market by Type (Lignosulfonates, Plant Gums & Starches, Gelatin & Other Hydrocolloids, Clay, Molasses, and Others), Livestock (Poultry, Cattle, Swine, Aquatic Animals, Dogs & Cats, and Others), Region - Global Forecast to 2025" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The global feed binders market size is estimated to account for a value of USD 4.5 billion in 2020 and is projected to grow at a CAGR 3% from 2020, to reach a value of USD 5.1 billion by 2025. The demand for feed binders is rising due to the increasing meat consumption, growing awareness toward animal health, and rising meat production. To maintain structural integrity and reduce the loss of feed ingredients, feed manufacturers use feed binders to maintain the high-quality of the meat products. The governments shut down borders and economies for restricting the spread of the coronavirus. This resulted in businesses observing major impacts on their international trades. Many markets are focusing on fulfilling their requirements for feed additives, and feed binders by domestic companies. This is, however, causing an imbalance between the demand and supply quantities. However, some regions are completely dependent on imports and are facing tough situations. The lignosulfonates segment, on the basis of type, is projected to be the largest segment during the forecast period By type, the lignosulfonates segment is projected to hold the largest share in the feed binders market. Lignosulfonates are the most commonly used feed binder as they are highly cost-effective and are utilized across various types of feed. The relatively low toxicity of lignosulfonates makes them a preferred binder among feed manufacturers. They are used to improve the feed properties of pellets. They also have the properties of emulsification and dispersing due to which they have been gaining popularity in the production of compound feed. Thus, lignosulfonates is projected to witness significant demand over the years. The poultry segment to witness the fastest growth during the forecast period By livestock, the feed binders market is segmented into poultry, ruminants, swine, and other livestock (aquatic animals, pet animals, and equines). The per capita consumption of poultry meat is significantly higher than that of beef and pork due to the increased breeding of poultry birds and rising prices of red meat products as compared to poultry. The poultry sector is witnessing a shift in focus toward high-quality compound feed products due to the development of organized farm sectors. This has led to the increased usage of binders by poultry feed manufacturers to ensure the supply of high-quality and value-added feed products. Asia Pacific is projected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period Asia Pacific is the fastest-growing region in the feed binders market due to the presence of some of the primary compound feed, feed additives, and feed binder producers in the world, such as China and India. Most of the South East Asian countries also focus on the production of feed binders due to the growing livestock population. The increasing trend of meat consumption in the Asia Pacific region has also led to the rise in the production of feed binders. Research Coverage This report segments the feed binders market on the basis type, livestock, source and region. In terms of insights, this research report focuses on various levels of analyses - competitive landscape, end-use analysis, and company profiles - which together comprise and discuss the basic views on the emerging & high-growth segments of the feed binders industry, the high-growth regions, countries, government initiatives, market disruption, drivers, restraints, opportunities, and challenges. Leading Players Profiled Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) Roquette Freres Darling Ingredients, Inc. Ingredion, Inc. Gelita AG Kemin Industries, Inc. DuPont Borregaard ASA J. M. Huber Corporation BENEO Uniscope, Inc. Avebe U.A. IRO Alginate A.F. Suter & Co Ltd. Bentoli Bonaventure Animal Nutrition Cra-Vac Industries, Inc. Fuzhou Wonderful Biological Technology Co. Ltd. Baltivet Chemorse Ltd. Allwyn Chem Industries Vetline Visco Starch Vetsfarma Ltd. Natural Remedies Pvt. Ltd. Key Topics Covered 1 Introduction 2 Research Methodology 3 Executive Summary 4 Premium Insights 4.1 Opportunities in the Market 4.2 Feed Binders Market, by Key Livestock 4.3 Asia-Pacific: Feed Binders Market, by Key Type and Country 4.4 Feed Binders Market, by Livestock & Region 4.5 Feed Binder Markets, by Key Country 5 Market Overview 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Macroindicators 5.2.1 Growth in Feed Production 5.2.2 Increase in the Demand for Animal Products in Developing Countries 5.3 Market Dynamics 5.3.1 Drivers 5.3.1.1 Strong Growth in the Compound Feed Industry 5.3.1.1.1 COVID Impact on the Global Meat Consumption 5.3.1.2 Growing Concerns Regarding Animal Health 5.3.1.2.1 COVID Impact on the Global Trade of Feed Equipment and Production 5.3.2 Restraints 5.3.2.1 Price Volatility and Availability of Raw Materials 5.3.2.2 Regulatory Bans and Restrictions 5.3.3 Opportunities 5.3.3.1 Increased Popularity of Natural Solutions for Pet Food Nutrition 5.3.3.2 Strategic Growth Initiatives for Manufacturers to Enter Untapped Markets 5.3.4 Challenges 5.3.4.1 Low-Quality Products Can Be a Challenge in Developing Economies 5.3.4.2 to Identify Cost-Efficient Nutritive Binders 5.4 Pre & Post COVID-19 Impact on Feed Binders Market 5.5 Industry Trends 5.6 Value Chain Analysis 5.7 Regulatory Framework 5.7.1 European Union 5.7.2 US 5.7.3 China 5.7.4 Canada 5.7.5 Brazil 5.7.6 Japan 5.7.7 South Africa 6 Feed Binders Market, by Type 6.1 Introduction 6.2 Lignosulfonates 6.3 Plant Gums & Starches 6.4 Gelatin & Other Hydrocolloids 6.5 Molasses 6.6 Clay 6.7 Other Types 7 Feed Binders Market, by Source 7.1 Introduction 7.2 Natural 7.3 Synthetic 8 Feed Binders Market, by Livestock 8.1 Macroindicators 8.2 Introduction 8.3 Poultry 8.4 Swine 8.5 Cattle 8.6 Aquatic Animals 8.7 Dogs & Cats 8.8 Other Livestock 9 Feed Binders Market, by Region 9.1 Introduction 9.2 North America 9.3 COVID-19 Impact on North America 9.4 Europe 9.5 COVID-19 Impact on Europe 9.6 Asia-Pacific 9.7 COVID-19 Impact on Asia-Pacific 9.8 South America 9.9 COVID-19 Impact on South America 9.10 Rest of the World 9.11 COVID-19 Impact on Rest of the World 10 Competitive Landscape 10.1 Overview 10.2 Market Share Analysis 10.3 Competitive Leadership Mapping 10.3.1 Stars 10.3.2 Emerging Leaders 10.3.3 Pervasive Players 10.3.4 Emerging Players 10.4 Competitive Scenario 10.4.1 Expansions & Investments 10.4.2 Acquisitions 10.4.3 Agreements & Joint Ventures 11 Company Profiles 12 Adjacent & Related Markets For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/8vtyd6 Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research. (Bloomberg) -- TikTok held a virtual town hall meeting with thousands of U.S. and European employees on Thursday to reassure them that they still have jobs and promised more clarity on the future of the besieged video-app soon, according to people familiar with details of the event. The meeting came after the surprise resignation of Chief Executive Officer Kevin Mayer. The former longtime Walt Disney Co. executive is leaving TikTok after only three months at the helm. In a letter to employees Wednesday, he cited the Trump administrations push for the apps Chinese parent, ByteDance Ltd., to sell its U.S. operations due to national security concerns. Many employees who were sleeping when Mayer sent a letter to staff late Wednesday woke up to the news reports, or were informed during early morning meetings. As we expect to reach a resolution very soon, it is with a heavy heart that I wanted to let you all know that I have decided to leave the company, he wrote in an internal memo obtained by Bloomberg. Oracle Corp. and Microsoft Corp. have submitted bids to ByteDance for TikToks U.S. operations in a deal that could come within the week, people familiar with the matter said. Microsofts bid includes a partnership with Walmart Inc., which would also take a stake in the company and help TikTok expand its e-commerce operations. During the hour-long town hall, employees lobbed a stream of anonymous questions to interim TikTok chief Vanessa Pappas, general counsel Erich Andersen and Blake Chandlee, vice president of global business solutions. The executives acknowledged media reports of bids by Oracle and Microsoft-Walmart and assured employees that they will be able to tell them a lot more in the next couple of weeks. The town hall had already been scheduled for Thursday, but the company moved it a few hours earlier to address employee concerns. The executives answered questions about Mayers departure and whether the decision was mutual, striking a calm yet upbeat tone and telling people not to worry about their paychecks or let the corporate drama interrupt day-to-day operations, one person said. Story continues For weeks, chatter among TikTok employees about what some have begun to refer to as D-Day, or simply Sept. 15 have popped up in video meetings and the companys internal messaging app, Lark. The date was originally set by U.S. President Donald Trump for a potential ban on the app if it was not sold to an American buyer by then. But the president later issued a separate order with a 90-day deadline. Pappas has been scrolling through the Lark threads and responding to employees concerns in hopes of heading off any unsubstantiated rumors and calming fears. In an interview with Bloomberg last week, Pappas said shes made clear to TikToks employees and business partners that the company strongly disagrees with the Trump administrations stance and that TikTok will remain in the U.S. regardless of the threats to shut it down. She said the company had multiple paths forward depending on what happens. For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. JOHNSTON Gov. Kim Reynolds has invoked a new public health emergency proclamation that will close all bars, taverns, breweries and nightclubs in six counties where spikes in positive coronavirus cases recently have ramped up, especially among people in the 19 to 24 age range. The proclamation takes effect in Black Hawk, Dallas, Johnson, Linn, Polk and Story counties and will remain in effect until at least Sept. 20. Restaurants in those counties that serve alcohol can remain open but must stop serving alcoholic beverages after 10 p.m. under the new order. I dont make these decisions lightly, the governor told a news conference in Johnston, but these actions are absolutely necessary. All three of Iowas public universities began the fall semester this month and at all three, crowds of students showing little regard for masks or social distancing inundated bars. Reynolds said the action is required to slow the COVID-19 spread especially among the 18 to 40 age cohort to prevent negative impacts on Iowas workforce, health care and school settings. She also asked hosts of gatherings of more than 10 people to maintain 6-foot social distancing and encouraged Iowans aged 2 and older to wear masks in public settings. Reynolds said it is her hope that she will be able to dial back the restrictions next month but she also noted that more stringent action also may considered if parties and social gatherings where COVID-19 mitigation practices are not being observed just merely move to another venue outside of bar settings. Were fully ready to take additional action if necessary, she said. We want to make sure that we get in front of this especially as we move into the flu season. Reynolds said the statewide level of positive COVID-19 cases among Iowans aged 19 to 24 has increased by 23 percent. Nine percent of the COVID-19 cases in Cerro Gordo County are those under 18. Really the data is compelling, she said, adding that her emergency action is intended to balance various factors in the face of increasing virus activity that threatens to increase hospitalization rates, impact staffing in health care facilities and schools and cause other workforce issues. Love 1 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 1 Angry 1 Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 08:49:09|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close CANBERRA, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Australia's Acting Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Paul Kelly has described the number of healthcare staff who have caught COVID-19 as "unacceptable." Kelly said on Wednesday afternoon that the federal government was seeking the "best expert advice" on how to protect workers in "high-risk settings" from the virus. "It's unacceptable that so many people have been infected," he told reporters. "We need to really understand that's why the case and what else can we be doing as a nation to protect our healthcare workers, our aged care workers, our disability workers who are on that frontline of caring for people with COVID, and therefore at higher risk." At the peak of Victoria's second wave of infections earlier in August, healthcare workers accounted for about 11 percent of the state's active cases of COVID-19. Kelly said that it was "absolutely fundamental" that health authorities identify the "main risk factor" responsible for the infections. "And an important finding of this particular work is that 70 to 80 percent - according to the Victorian report at least - were in healthcare settings," he said. "So, was that at the bedside? Was it in some other parts of the hospital? What else can we learn about those particular issues so that we can protect our healthcare workers? "People should be able to go to work and feel safe from harm, and that's a really important component." His comments came about one week after the Australian Medical Association (AMA) criticized the government for providing healthcare workers with "ill-fitting" face masks. Omar Khorshid, president of the AMA, said that medical workers caring for COVID-19 patients had not been properly fitted for masks, leaving them exposed to the virus. "It's a basic requirement for workplace safety that is not being observed in most states," Khorshid told the Guardian Australia. "Many state health departments have completely dropped the ball on healthcare workers safety and appear to be wilfully ignoring repeated calls from clinicians to make sure that everybody who is likely to be the frontlines, and likely to be required to wear an N95 mask, is being properly fit-tested, "It's something that must be achieved and it's appalling that it hasn't been done already." Enditem UNIVERSITY of Limerick, Limerick Institute of Technology and Mary Immaculate College are to share over 2.8m for capital works and equipment. Minister for State at the Department of Further and Higher Education, Niall Collins, has announced an allocation of 25 million for higher education institutions nationally. UL is to receive 1,356,000; 1,023,000 for LIT and 443,000 for Mary I. The funding will allow institutions address small-scale capital investment and equipment needs based on their own priorities including health and safety works, infrastructure upgrades, ICT and equipment renewal, and energy-related upgrades. The funding forms part of ongoing investment in the higher education sector under Project Ireland 2040. The allocation represents a significant increase from the 10 million provided in recent years. Previously limited to the technological sector, grant funding for the coming academic year is being extended to the university sector for the first time since 2011. Minister Collins said he is very pleased to announce a significant increase in the devolved capital grant for the higher education sector and the extension of the grant to universities for the first time in nearly a decade. "It is essential that higher education institutions can reinvest in their existing estate, renew and update their equipment, and can make capital investments to respond to developments in online and blended learning. "Ongoing capital investment is essential to ensuring a high quality academic environment and a positive campus experience for students and staff. This flexible funding complements other targeted capital investments in the sector that will help expand availability of student places and transform campus infrastructure over the coming years. "It also comes at an important time as the sector begins to prepare for the return of students next month," said Minister Collins. Todays announcement is in addition to the 168 million package of Covid 19-related supports for further and higher education institutions announced on 22 July. The grant will be allocated to individual institutions in accordance with a model based primarily on student numbers, weighted by course type and mode of student. Funding will be provided by the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science through the Higher Education Authority (HEA). Previous allocations under the Devolved Capital Grant have had a significant positive impact on campus development, facilitating initiatives such as upgrading of laboratories, replacement of obsolete ICT equipment, installation of energy efficient lighting, and repurposing of existing spaces in line with the needs of students and staff. Patna, Aug 27 : The Bihar Home Department has directed the state police headquarters to assess the work and physical fitness of all police personnel aged above 50. It has also directed Superintendents of Police to submit status reports of such police personnel for analysis to the police headquarters. The SP-rank officers have also given the assignment to test physical fitness and efficiency of the personnel on the ninth of every month, and the future of these personnel will depend on the performance reports. The police headquarters will analyse reports of every individual police personnel, to recommend whether they should be retained in service or not. The move has evoked protests, with Mritunjay Kumar Singh, the President of Bihar Policemen's Association, expressing his opposition to the decision. "It is a conspiracy to throw senior police personnel out. Police personnel aged above 50 years will get victimised in during the preparation of the reports," he alleged. "We have demanded that the state government rollback the decision. The option to go on agitation is open if the government refuses," Singh added. "My fellow Americans, we are going through a time of testing, the vice president hummed in his customary solemn tone. "But if you look through the fog of these challenging times, you will see our flag is still there." Rarely has such a splendid metaphor been conjured so unwittingly. Mike Pence was right. Through the rhetorical fog of his acceptance speech 37 minutes of paeans to Americana and warnings of his noble countrymen under siege from the socialist left the only thing visible was the flag. Nowhere to be seen was a policy proposal, a specific set of ideas to sell to the masses, or an overarching vision for governing the country and improving voters lives over the next four years. The only thing discernible was symbolic populism, a comically ambiguous pledge to make America great again, again. Pence noted how Democrats, at their convention, "didnt talk much about their agenda, and if I were them, I wouldnt want to either. Its true that Democrats went light on policy; its also true that Joe Biden has some semblance of a legislative wish list he hopes to pursue as president. Meanwhile, to watch Pence speak Wednesday night was to witness precisely what I described in The Grand Old Meltdown. The vice president barely even bothered to speak in vague, non-committal terms about what Americans could expect by way of policy over the next four years. Instead, he spent the bulk of his speech flattering President Trump (35 mentions in 37 minutes), touting the accomplishments of the administrations first term and contrasting them against Bidens record. Its customary and effective for a politician to draw these distinctions. Pence is a gifted attack dog for a guy who once swore off negative campaigning. His calm demeanor and Im not mad, Im disappointed routine likely plays well with certain voters. The problem is, all of the comparing and contrasting Pence did was backward-looking. Almost every single action-oriented argument he made for Trump was rooted in the past tense: cut achieved fought for secured has been. Story continues To the extent Pence offered promises of concrete improvements to come, it was that Trump would rebuild the economy and deliver "the worlds first safe, effective coronavirus vaccine by the end of this year. This was perhaps the most specific pledge weve heard all week, but its a rhetorical check that the administration might not be able to cash. Beyond that, Pence devoted his remarks to stoking a sense of cultural unease on the right. He positioned himself and Trump as bulwarks against the creeping menace of secular socialism. He tipped his cap to the Star Spangled Banner and called on Americans to "do their part to defend freedom. He advised his countrymen to "fix our eyes on Old Glory and all she represents. He claimed that at stake in this election is "not so much whether America will be more conservative or more liberal, more Republican or more Democrat. The choice in this election Is whether America remains America." Its safe to say America is going to remain America no matter who wins in November. Its also safe to say Mike Pence is going to remain Mike Pence. Any expectation that the vice president would use this keynote as a launching pad to distinguish his brand ever so subtly from Trumpism, to forge his own hybrid appeal that mixes populist nationalism with intellectual conservatism was sorely misplaced. After four years of being depicted as a lonely traditionalist, a somewhat reluctant subject of the MAGA court, Pence showed the world on Wednesday that this is his permanent political residence. Rather than trying to stand out, he was content to fit in. Instead of projecting confidence and optimism, he settled for scare tactics. "The hard truth is, Pence said, lowering his voice, "you wont be safe in Joe Bidens America." Its the culmination of a long, winding political journey for Mike Pence: from folksy radio host, to ideologically-charged congressman, to occasionally pragmatic governor, to proud sidekick of the man who remade the Republican Party into something Pence never could have imagined. If there was any smoldering doubt about Pences comfort with that transformation his and the partys Wednesdays speech stomped it out for good. Other takeaways: 10:43 p.m. ET Race on Repeat It seems that every nominating convention features a single line, a single catch-phrase, that gets used and re-used to the point of echoing in viewers ears by the time the event has wrapped up. In 2012, it was You didnt build that the quote from Barack Obama, taken somewhat out of context, that Republicans recited approximately one thousand times over the course of four days to argue that the president was hostile to small businesses. In 2016 it was "Lock her up," from General Michael Flynn about Hillary Clinton. This time, its an abbreviated quote from Joe Biden: You aint Black. The remark came at the end of a testy interview between Biden and Charlamagne tha God, a popular black radio host who pressed the Democratic nominee on his commitment to the Black community. When the host expressed disappointment that Bidens time was up, saying he had more questions to ask, Biden told him, "Youve got more questions? Well I tell you what, if you have a problem figuring out whether youre for me or Trump, then you aint Black. Biden came under immediate heat for the comment and quickly apologized. But it has provided valuable ammunition for Republicans to argue that Democrats in general and Biden in particular are taking Black voters for granted. From what Ive seen, every single Black speaker at the GOP convention and if I recall, at least one or two white speakers slammed Biden for the you aint Black quote. That it has become a staple of the programming reflects well on the people who produced it: Never before has a Republican convention featured so many Black speakers, and clearly, the attack carries far more weight coming from them. It surely is maddening to Democrats, who have made Trumps racist rhetoric a foundation of their appeal not only to minority voters but to college-educated whites, that Republicans are turning the tables and accusing their nominee of racial antagonism. But there can be no question: Biden brought this on himself. "Truly stunning how many Black folks at the RNC reference Bidens 'aint Black comment, and no matter how opportunistic theyre being, theyre not wrong, tweeted Briahna Joy Gray, the national press secretary for Bernie Sanders 2020 campaign. "Biden gave them that ammunition when he decided he didnt have to earn the Black vote. 10:15 p.m. ET Tim the TV Critic One observation about the programming flow: After a stale, crawling show on Monday speeches, speeches, more speeches, many of them from unremarkable figures Republicans spiced up the convention on Tuesday. The second act was far more engaging, an interesting mix of segments touching on different themes that were interwoven with more compelling speeches. But Wednesday night feels a lot more like Monday than Tuesday. The production value is decent enough, but things are moving awfully slow, and there hasnt been any change of pace to keep the audience engaged. Its a surprising step back after Tuesdays relative success. Were entering the stretch now, so don't expect any major surprises just a few more speeches before Vice President Mike Pence delivers the nightcap. 9:58 p.m. ET The Catholic Breach Republicans arent just using the issue of abortion to argue for a second Trump term theyre wielding it subtly as a weapon to undermine the religious bona fides of Joe Biden, a lifelong Roman Catholic. Sister Dede Byrne, a nun who belongs to the Little Workers of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary and once attended medical school at Georgetown, delivered one of the most direct appeals on the issue of abortion that I can remember. "As Christians, we first met Jesus as a stirring embryo in the womb of an unwed mother and saw him born nine months later in the poverty of the cave. Its no coincidence that Jesus stood up for what was just and was ultimately crucified because what he said wasnt politically correct or fashionable, she said. "As followers of Christ, we are called to stand up for life and against the politically correct or fashionable today. We must fight against a legislative agenda that supports and even celebrates destroying life in the womb. She added: "Which brings me to why Im here tonight. Donald Trump is the most pro-life president that this nation has ever had, defending life at all stages. His belief in the sanctity of life transcends politics. President Trump will stand up against Biden/Harris who are the most anti-life presidential ticket ever, even supporting the horrors of late-term abortion and infanticide. The claim that Trump is "the most pro-life President that this nation has ever had is undisputed in the anti-abortion community. More than George W. Bush or Ronald Reagan, activists say, Trump has consistently and forcefully backed their policies and legislative priorities. Its one thing to hear this from a lawmaker or grassroots organizer; the assertion carries more heft coming from a nun. Sister Byrne could have left it there, but the contrast she drew between Trump and Biden using equally definitive language, calling him the most anti-life presidential nominee ever, will raise more than a few eyebrows in the Catholic community. It wasnt accidental that her speech was allowed by an appearance from Lou Holtz, the famed Notre Dame football coach. He picked up right where Sister Byrne left off. "One of the important reasons he has my trust is because nobody has been a stronger advocate for the unborn than President Trump, Holtz said. "The Biden-Harris ticket is the most radically pro-abortion campaign in history. They and other politicians are 'Catholics in Name Only' and abandon innocent lives. President Trump protects those lives. Ive covered abortion politics for a long, long time. Catholics in Name Only is something Ive never heard before. And my guess is that the one-two punch of Holtz and Sister Byrne will make for a popular video package that will be circulating among Catholics before weeks end. 9:35 p.m. ET Focus on the Family It turns out, there may be a better way to reach the "suburban housewives of America, on whom Trump has focused recently, than Twitter. If Tuesday nights GOP convention messaging was targeted toward energizing a loyal bloc of supporters, the religious right, Wednesdays programming aimed to stop the bleeding with arguably the most important demographic in this election: suburban women. Rather than rely on scare tactics to woo these voters, as the president is wont to do, Republicans deployed a series of women who attempted to connect on an intimate, emotional level with these voters. There was Tera Myers, a mom who shared the story of learning that she was pregnant with a child who had Down Syndrome and encouraged by her doctor to terminate the pregnancy. "I knew my baby was a human being created by God and that made him worthy of life, Myers said. "I am thankful that President Trump values the life of the unborn." There was Kayleigh McEnany, the White House press secretary, telling of her agonizing decision to undergo a preventative mastectomy and how days later, as I recovered, my phone rang. It was President Trump, calling to check on me. I was blown away. She also told of the presidents interest in her family: "When I started working for President Trump, my husband and I became pregnant with our first child, I would see President Trump at rallies. He would routinely ask me how my baby was doing. There was the second lady, Karen Pence, who drew attention to the military spouses more precisely, military wives who "experience frequent moves, job changes, periods of being a single parent while their loved one is deployed, all while exhibiting pride, strength, and determination and being a part of something bigger than themselves. The second lady also celebrated the 100-year anniversary of the the 19th Amendment and what it means to her as a mother: "Because of heroes like Susan B. Anthony and Lucy Stone, women today, like our daughters, Audrey and Charlotte, and future generations, will have their voices heard and their votes count. Finally, capping off this first-hour thematic blitz, there was Kellyanne Conway, the White House counselor, who told of how "Trump helped me shatter a barrier in the world of politics by empowering me to manage his campaign to its successful conclusion. Recalling how she was" raised in a household of all women who were "self-reliant and resilient, Conway tipped her cap to the mothers, particularly the single mothers, "who nurture us, who shape us, and who believe in us. Conway made a final point that hasnt been mentioned much, if at all, during the convention: that Trump has taken a special interest in combating opioid addiction. Its unclear how effective this messaging will be. But its perfectly clear who its aimed at 9:05 p.m. ET Whats in a Name? In this image from video, Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, speaks from Houston, during the third night of the Republican National Convention on Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2020. (Courtesy of the Committee on Arrangements for the 2020 Republican National Committee via AP) I believe we have a first at the 2020 Republican convention: a featured speaker who did not utter the name of the president. Dan Crenshaw, a freshman Republican congressman from Texas, gave a fine speech paying tribute to the heroes in our midst the theme of Night 3. Crenshaw, a former Navy SEAL who was injured during his third deployment in Afghanistan, told the story of a fallen comrade. He heralded the parents educating their kids at home. He saluted the nurses working around the clock to help Covid-19 patients. The one hero Crenshaw didnt name or even make reference to was Donald Trump. Im not sure if that omission was deliberate. But at a convention that has been defined by rhetorical presence of the president, it was conspicuous. Women in power The lineup Wednesday was dominated by female voices: South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany and counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway, among others. If portions of Tuesday's programming the pardon of a black ex-convict, the naturalization ceremony of five people of color were meant to combat the narrative of Trump being a racist, then the heavy presence of conservative women on Wednesday suggested an effort to neutralize allegations of presidential sexism and misogyny. Youth movement At the halfway point, this convention hadn't featured a whole lot of speeches from elected officials. Whats particularly notable is that Republicans have made scarce efforts to promote their up-and-coming crop of future party leaders. That will change Wednesday night. A host of 40-and-under Republican officeholders will take the stage on night three, including Stefanik, Texas Rep. Dan Crenshaw, New York Rep. Lee Zeldin. Also featured was 25-year-old Madison Cawthorn, the Republican nominee for Congress in North Carolinas 11th District. How these and other young Republicans perform this week will give a good window into the quality of the partys farm system, which will be tested in the post-Trump era. Secret of the locust swarm is uncovered by research leader Le Kang, professor of entomology and ecology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Institute of Zoology. This years locust season has been the worst in a generation. Hundreds of billions of insects, in thick and devastating swarms, have descended on crops in a corridor of destruction from Lake Victoria to the Bay of Bengal and beyond. The root of the menace however, is not only the swirling mass of insects, the invisible pheromone whirling amid it: a chemical that they believe reprograms a harmless solitary insect into one that causes Biblical plagues. The research was published in the journal Nature. Its production was triggered in the insects when as few as four to five solitary locusts came together, precipitating swarming behavior. "As the most widely distributed and one of the most dangerous locust species, the migratory locust represents a serious threat to agriculture worldwide," Kang added. Swarms can include billions of locusts and span hundreds of square kilometres as the insects voraciously consume crops, imperiling food security. Migratory locusts inhabit Asia, Africa, Australia and New Zealand, attacking pastures and critical crops such as wheat, rice, corn, millet, barley, oats, sugarcane and sorghum. Kang said further research is needed on whether 4VA exists in other locust species such as the desert locust, called Schistocerca gregaria, that is ravaging parts of Africa and the Middle East. The chemical insecticides used to suppress locust outbreaks raise concerns about human health and safety. The identification of 4VA could inspire new methods. A chemical could be developed to block 4VA's effects to prevent swarming, Kang said, or a synthetic version could lure locusts into traps to be killed. SRINAGAR: Two persons have been arrested by the Jammu and Kashmir Police during a Cordon and Search Operation in Qamarwari in Srinagar on Thursday. According to reports, two brothers were arrested by police from Barthana area of Qamarwari in Srinagar and a pistol magazine along with 12 rounds of AK-47 rifle has been seized from them. A J&K Police official said that two persons were arrested during cordon-and -search-operation launched in the Barthana area during which two persons, who are brothers, were arrested. During the searches, the police claimed that a pistol magazine and 12 rounds of AK-47 were recovered from the house. Further investigation into the matter is underway, the police sources said. A Vietnamese man from the Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang has come under criticism for posting photos on social media of dead animals that look like a species of wildcat and boasting about killing them. The photos were uploaded on Sunday to the Facebook account of Huu Cuong Huynh, allegedly run by a local in Tan Thanh Ward, Cai Be District, Tien Giang. How big these are! Three captured in seven days. Todays catch was the biggest at 4.5 kilograms, the caption reads. Many netizens expressed their anger at the photos, which appear to capture a species of wildcat, with hostile comments on the mans deed, forcing the account owner to take down the post as of Thursday. A screenshot captures a Facebook post on August 23, 2020 by the account 'Huu Cuong Huynh' boasting about killing animals that look like wildcats. A senior official of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper they would cooperate with local authorities to conduct a detailed investigation and severely punish any illegal acts. Meanwhile, Lieutenant Colonel Tran Thanh Tung, director of the Tien Giang Province Police Department, said on Wednesday afternoon the provincial police had not received any formal request from Education for Nature Vietnam for an investigation into the case. Closer inspection is required to see whether the animals belong to a rare wildlife species, Tung said. A dead animal that looks like a wildcat is seen in this photo uploaded to the Facebook account 'Huu Cuong Huynh' on August 23, 2020. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! CLEVELAND, Ohio Researchers in different parts of the world have confirmed three cases in which patients were reinfected with COVID-19, raising questions about the development of vaccines and immunity. The cases under review occurred in Hong Kong, Belgium and the Netherlands. New York Facing a staggering financial crisis and a stalemate in Washington, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority threatened Wednesday to adopt a doomsday plan if it did not receive as much as $12 billion in federal aid, including slashing subway and bus service in New York City by 40 percent. The plan paints a bleak picture for riders: Wait times would increase by 8 minutes on the subway and 15 minutes on buses; Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North trains would run at 60- or 120-minute intervals. Upgrades to the subway's signal systems, which have been the source of many delays, would be scrapped. The MTA which runs the city's subway, buses and the two commuter rails laid out the plan as part of a broader political strategy to pressure Washington to provide assistance. The agency is facing a staggering $16.2 billion deficit through 2024, after the coronavirus pandemic wiped out its operating revenue which comes from fares, tolls and subsidies virtually overnight. Ridership on the subway, which plummeted by 90 percent in April, has only reached a quarter of usual levels, even as more and more New Yorkers return to work. The state-run transit agency has requested $12 billion in aid to cover its operating losses through 2024. But after negotiations over the next stimulus package stalled earlier this month, immediate federal support did not appear to be forthcoming. "The future of the MTA and the future of the New York region lies squarely in the hands of the federal government," the authority's chairman, Patrick J. Foye, said Wednesday. "Without this additional federal funding, we will be forced to take draconian measures, the impact of which will be felt across the system and the region for decades to come." Description GIS 27 August 2020: Food supplies were distributed, yesterday, among 400 fishermen from the regions of Riviere des Creoles and Deux Freres, who have been affected by the ecological crisis which resulted from the grounding of the MV Wakashio. The distribution was held at the Bambous Virieux Social Multi-Purpose Complex and the Grand Sable Social Welfare Centre. The supplies were donated by the National Insurance Company and the State Insurance Company of Mauritius Ltd. The Minister of Financial Services and Good Governance, Mr Mahen Kumar Seeruttun, and the Minister of Blue Economy, Marine Resources, Fisheries and Shipping, Mr Sudheer Maudhoo, were present. In his address, Minister Seeruttun dwelt on the various measures and financial support provided by the Government to the families adversely affected by the grounding of the bulk carrier at Pointe dEsny. He also invited people who have suffered losses to express their grievances at the level of Citizens Advice Bureaus. The Minister likewise expressed gratitude to all the volunteers who have helped in cleaning up the oil spill at sea and from the shore. Experts, he pointed out, have been dispatched to Mauritius to provide technical assistance to the Government and to help reduce the impact of this marine pollution on our ecosystem. For his part, Minister Maudhoo indicated that those fishermen and commercial yachtsmen, whose activities have been affected by the oil spill in the southeast lagoons, will be entitled to a solidarity grant of Rs 10 200 as from August 2020. This monthly grant is intended for those registered with the authorities. Some 635 registered fishermen in the region will benefit from Rs 10 200 and the Bad Weather Allowance of Rs 7 650, totaling to Rs 17 850 for the month of August, he said. Around 230 banyan fishermen of the region are also eligible for the solidarity grant of Rs 10 200, the Minister recalled. In addition, skippers affiliated with the Tourism Authority will benefit from this financial assistance, which will be maintained until the situation returns to normal. In addition, about 306 fishermen who applied for a Fishermen Registration Card in this part of the region will also benefit from Rs 10 200, he added. CLEVELAND, Ohio Steve Arndt says he remembers the conversation clearly: A lobbyist for FirstEnergy Corp. told Arndt, then a member of the Ohio House, that he needed to sponsor a bill to help a FirstEnergy subsidiary. The lobbyist, Arndt said, gave him an ultimatum: Put your name on the bill or your political future is over. A total of 106 policemen tested positive for COVID-19, while two succumbed to the deadly virus in the last 24 hours in Maharashtra, according to a statement from the The state police have reported a total of 14,295 total cases, including 2,604 active cases and 11,545 recoveries. So far, the novel has claimed the lives of 146 police personnel. Maharashtra, which is worst affected by the pandemic, reported 14,888 new COVID-19 cases and 295 deaths on Wednesday, informed the State Health Department. The total count of cases in Maharashtra now stands at 7,18,711, including 5,22,427 recoveries and 1,72,873 active cases. (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.) Centier Bank in Merrillville, the Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, General Insurance Services in Valparaiso, Peepers by PeeperSpecs in Michigan City and Starin Marketing in Chesterton have been honored as among the state's top workplaces. The Indiana Chamber of Commerce recognized 125 companies across the Hoosier state as the 2020 Best Places to Work in Indiana. Bedford-based employee benefits provider JA Benefits, Indianapolis-based design-build construction firm Performance Services, insurance brokerage Hyland and tech firm Microsoft took home the top honors statewide. Congratulations to these companies for providing the best atmospheres and bringing out the best in their employees, Indiana Chamber President and CEO Kevin Brinegar said. Their message is coming through loud and clear: Its all about the employees. All should be proud of the perks, programs and opportunities they offer to emphasize a healthy work-life balance, community involvement and professional development." Best Companies Group evaluated nominees based on employee surveys and a review of company policies. He's been pictured spending time at the beach in Malibu, California, for the past month with his wife of fifteen years, Luciana Barroso. But on Wednesday, Matt Damon hit the waves without his family, as he enjoyed a day of surfing solo, then was later accompanied by a female friend for a game of catch on the sand. Matt, 49, showed off his impressively buff physique in his wet suit, while his pal also displayed her toned bikini body in a blue two-piece. Pals: Matt Damon and a bikini-clad friend display their toned beach bodies while surfing and playing ball in Malibu on Wednesday The Good Will Hunting star has been taking numerous trips to the beach lately with large groups of friends - and was recently seen with his buddy Ben Affleck and his new girlfriend Ana de Armas. Matt and Luciana share three children, Isabella, 14, Gia, 11, and Stella Damon, nine, while Luciana also has a 21-year-old daughter Alexia Barroso from her previous marriage to Arbello Barroso. Earlier this year it was first revealed that Matt and his family were isolating in Ireland after becoming stuck by a travel ban enforced on the country. Playing ball: Matt, 49, showed off his impressively buff physique in his wet suit, while his pal also displayed her toned bikini body in a blue two-piece Matt first spoke about living in lockdown in the Emerald Isle during an interview with Graham O'Toole and Nathan O'Reilly on Ireland's Spin 103.8's Fully Charged. During the interview the star also revealed that Alexia had made a full recovery from coronavirus while living in New York City. Despite her being from Luciana's previous relationship however he referred to her as his 'eldest daughter.' Buff! Matt showed off his fit physique while taking to the waves in Malibu He said: 'Our oldest daughter is in college, she's in NYC. She had COVID really early on, along with her roommates and got through it fine. But everybody's OK...' 'For Lucy's mum and my mum, it's scary for that generation. I think we've all got the message now, everyone's doing the isolation and social distancing and hand-washing and everything we can to mitigate this but it's frightening, certainly for our parents.' Speaking about his time in Ireland, he said: 'It's incredible. This is one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. It feels a little like a fairytale here. Bono lives over there, Enya lives over there'. The star and his family have since jetted back to their home in California where they can make the most of the sun-soaked beaches and beautiful weather. Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-28 03:09:11|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close STOCKHOLM, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- The Swedish government proposed on Thursday a historic budget that worth over 100 billion SEK (about 11.5 billion U.S. dollars) for 2021 to boost its economy, which is severally affected by the pandemic. The restart package will go to welfare, investments in climate initiatives, job creation and support for the unemployed, said a government press release on Thursday. "In order to get Sweden out of the recession as quickly as possible, a restart of the Swedish economy is needed. Therefore, we present a historic budget with proposals that total more than SEK 100 billion," said Minister for Finance Magdalena Andersson in the press release. "Now the government is starting to shift from a temporary crisis policy to investments to make the wheels turn in the economy and create new jobs," Andersson explained. The pandemic and its consequences have drastically changed the outlook for economic development in Sweden and the rest of the world. GDP is expected to fall sharply this year worldwide. At the same time, activity in the Swedish economy seems to have bottomed out in the spring and the recovery has now begun. In Sweden, GDP is expected to fall by 4.6 percent this year, according to the release. "With strong public investment in welfare and climate change, we will get the whole of Sweden to work and advance our way out of the crisis together," said Andersson. Earlier this month, Statistics Sweden (SCB) said Sweden's economy shrank by 8.6 percent in the second quarter of this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the largest quarterly decline in 40 years. SCB statistics also showed that Sweden's current unemployment rate stood at 9.3 percent, the highest of the past 20 years. (1 U.S. dollar = 8.72 SEK) Enditem The Trump administration has also been pushing American exports of liquefied natural gas, which it likes to call freedom gas. Texas, Mr. Cruzs state, would be the biggest beneficiary. German and European Union supporters of the pipeline argue that Europe is already buying huge amounts of Russian gas, and that only the route is changing to make supplies more secure. To soften the blow to Ukraine from the loss of transit fees, the Germans prevailed on Russia to agree to a five-year extension of shipping gas through Ukraine. These arguments have gone back and forth for many years, fanned by a perception of Russia as an enemy that must be punished and isolated. The Obama administration, including Joe Biden, also opposed the construction of Nord Stream 2, though it did so diplomatically. Bipartisan opposition in Congress finally led to a threat of sanctions under the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act, which halted construction on the last stretch of the pipeline and compelled Russia to deploy its own pipe-laying ships. They could complete the project in about a year. Last month, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo turned up the pressure by lifting an exemption for the pipeline from a 2017 bill known as the Countering Americas Adversaries Through Sanctions Act. In effect, anyone helping to construct the pipeline was potentially vulnerable to sanctions. It was this threat that the three senators invoked in their letter: Board members, corporate officers and shareholders of the owners of the port would be barred from the United States, and any property or interests in property they have within our jurisdiction will be frozen. As the owners of the port are mostly Sassnitz and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, that would make many elected officials and civil servants of a close and friendly ally subject to the sort of sanctions applied against rogue nations. New Delhi: India's auto giant Ashok Leyland has launched Oyster staff bus in Saudi Arabia, the third product from India's second largest commercial vehicle manufacturer in the kingdom in six months. Hinduja's flagship brand had launched Falcon 66 seats and 56s school bus in July, Oyster midi-41 seater school bus in November and now come up with Oyster 33 seater staff variant. "We are launching Oyster in a phased manner. Our products are received well in the kingdom and it is satisfying to see customers coming back for repeat purchases. This stands testimony to our promise on better comfort, safety and higher profitability to customers," said Rajive Saharia, President Global Sales and Distribution of Ashok Leyland said. "Ashok Leyland products together with our strong after sales network is an excellent proposition for our customers," Arshad Pathan, Global Marketing Head, Western Auto said. 34 years after his family fled the Sri Lankan civil war, Toronto-based Tamil rapper SVDP has foregrounded the violence inflicted on his community, with Made in Jaffna, his third album. Shan Vincent de Paul was only four when his family fled Sri Lankas civil war, in 1986. Thirty-four years later, the Toronto-based Tamil rapper, known now by the moniker SVDP, has foregrounded the violence inflicted on his community, in Made in Jaffna, his third album. The 12-track compilation will be released in late September, but a single One Hundred Thousand Flowers from the album was released recently, which SVDP calls the most important song of his life. The title of the track refers to the one hundred thousand innocents killed during the 26-year war between the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, which ended in 2009. When we connected over a call, SVDP recalled how his mother brought his siblings and him to India, with the help of an underground network, before boarding a flight to Canada. Im told the moment my mother got on the airplane, she flushed our passports down the toilet as people seeking refugee status could not hold passports, he says. Shans father joined them in Montreal later. *** His parents rarely talk about the hardships they face; perhaps its their way of coping, SVDP says. They do reminisce about the good times, before they were forced to leave behind their home in war-torn Jaffna, the northernmost province of Sri Lanka that was also the worst affected by the conflict. In Jaffna, they could leave us siblings outside to play, and the entire village used to take care of us. In Canada, we dont even speak to our neighbours, SVDP notes. His parents havent yet seen the video for his anthem, which comes with Tamil subtitles; SVDP knows it would worry them, but my responsibility towards my community trumps my safety, he says. One Hundred Thousand Flowers is bigger than my life, its about what my community suffered collectively. As a privileged Tamilian, who witnessed the horrors of the war from a great distance, unlike his aunt who stayed back in Jaffna and lived through it for decades, SVDP feels he must use his art to keep the demand for justice alive. Made in Jaffna, which follows Saviours (2016) and Trigger Happy Heartbreak (2017) is his most autobiographical album, SVDP says, where I talk of growing up in a white suburb, dealing with racism, the relationship with my parents, how education affected my identity, etc. *** Shan was in high school when he was introduced to hip-hop and rap battles. With his knack for words and writing short stories, and no necessity for a musical training, he developed an affinity for the vocal art form. Eight of us in school formed a rap group and things got serious from there, he remembers. There was also the minor matter of overcoming his parents apprehensions. They didnt understand why Shan was interested in Black music and prioritising it over his education. So SVDP grudgingly enrolled at the University of Toronto to study Anthropology and English. On graduation day, he handed his diploma to his parents with a Heres what you wanted and took off for the recording studio. I dont hold it against them, says SVDP, and no young artist should. If we can prove to our parents that we are in it for the long haul, theyll come around. His parents did, as SVDP started touring for shows, getting press, winning awards, and making money. Their measure of success, you know, is different. It has to be quantifiable, he quips. *** In 2016, SVDP was part of the Brown artist renaissance surging through the world alongside artistes like Raja Kumari, Abhi The Nomad, Anik Khan, Divine, Naveeni Philip and Yanchan Rajmohan, among others. I was about to become a father when my rap collective Magnolius decided to separate. The thought of restarting my career as a solo artist was scary, SVDP reveals. He recorded and filmed Die Iconic the day after his daughter Remedios (who he calls Mimi) was born. It would become the breakout track of his debut album Saviours, with its take on identity politics, as also SVDPs evocative lyricism and razor-sharp rapping winning over many fans. I know rap is a political art but my take is mostly emotional. I dont want to be involved in politics. I am skeptical of most governments, he says. Last year, SVDP connected with legions of Indian fans with his Mrithangam Raps series, featuring English-Tamil rap set to the beats of the mridangam, played by frequent collaborator Yanchan Rajmohan, and a dash of a Rajinikanth dialogue. Fans rechristened him the Carnatic rapper. SVDP returned the adulation by sampling AR Rahmans iconic 90s number, Mustafa, and embarking on a five-city tour here in February 2020. I felt like I had come home. The fans were so accepting, and in the Indian rappers I saw a hunger to do more, he says. On the subject of home, however, it is clear that performing in Sri Lanka may not be quite as easy for SVDP certainly not after One Hundred Thousand Flowers. I visited Jaffna with Mimi in 2017, SVDP tells me. It was such a bittersweet experience I saw the home I was born in and also the physical remnants of the war. But, yes, Id love to perform in Jaffna and Colomboeven move back and set up a studio there someday. Featured photo of SVDP courtesy Gajan Balan New Delhi: BJP on Wednesday slammed Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi for persistently accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of sacrificing the common man in yagna against black money. BJP national secretary Shrikant Sharma said, Rahul Gandhi should first answer who benefited from the mota maal in VVIP Chopper scam. Rahul Gandhi while addressing party workers on the 132nd Congress Foundation Day upped the ante against Centres demonetisation drive. As animals are slaughtered in yagnas, similarly Prime Minister Modi has sacrificed the common man in yagna against black money, said Gandhi. ALSO READ: (Congress will stand with people and defeat ideology of Narendra Modi and RSS: Rahul Gandhi on 132nd Congress Foundation Day) He further added that demonetisation yagna is aimed at benefitting the rich. Later, Rahul addressed media and raised black money issue to target PM Modi. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. A common, specious refrain from journalists and their favored sources is that the countries hit hardest by covid-19 have one thing in common: populist leaders. Last month, the Associated Press reported on the link between coronavirus outbreaks and anti-science sentiment in government. The story, which was picked up around the world, pits populism against democracy: Academics have been fretting about whether liberal democracythe political system that helped defeat fascism in World War II, set up international institutions like the World Health Organization and seemed to have triumphed in the Cold War three decades agocan muster the stuff to take on the new populism and address complex 21st-century challenges. The terms populist and populism appear eleven times in the story, but the definition of the term the story provides is misleading. It suggests that populism is necessarily anti-science: Populism in politics means pushing policies that are popular with the people, not the elites and the experts. The storys sources elaborate on this theme. Populists by naturehave a disdain for experts and science that are seen as part of the establishment, laments one, the head of a Washington think tank. The coronavirus hits every blind spot that the populists have, says another, a political scientist with the Brookings Institution. Also last month, in a Washington Post column that explores a drop in support for populist leaders amid the pandemic, a political scientist and an economist note that early cross-national evidence suggests that populist governments implemented far fewer health measures and mobility restrictions when the pandemic began compared with non-populist governments. This politics piece, including the Post headline and subheads, uses populism or populist twenty-two times but does not appropriately qualify it with right-wing until its twentieth mention, in the penultimate graf. Such attitudes are perhaps even more pervasive in cable news, where youre never more than a few minutes of political analysis away from misguided takes on populism as a perilous force. Sign up for CJR 's daily email These are but the latest iteration of careless misuse of the term in recent years throughout the news media. Populist leaders, one would gather from headlines, are all science-denying fools, not to mention aspiring autocrats intent on bending the worst of human impulses toward a more racist, sexist, xenophobicand, now, diseasedworld. It is true that many such rulers make populist appeals. Populism has proved, historically, a comfortable vehicle for illiberal radicals whose viewssay, climate change denial or religious fundamentalismare challenged by science and other realms of quantifiable expertise, the experts among which may be vilified as elites. But populism is neither right nor leftnor anti-scienceby definition. It is merely a concern, whether genuine or feigned, for the common people. Todays most prominent populists include Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, and Sen. Bernie Sanderspeople who base their policies on valid evidence and have given their lives to fighting everything that the far right represents. Indeed, the most crucial progressive political movements of our timeBlack Lives Matter and #MeToo, climate marches and gun-reform ralliesare by nature populist. Founded at ground level, often by victims of racism, sexism, environmental injustice, and lax gun laws, they were then energized by the fed-up masses. Similarly, during the 1890s, a group of Kansas farmersbankrupt due to falling crop prices, drought, greedy railroad monopolies, and a federal government serving powerful interestscoined the phrase populist to describe an alliance of the people. Within a year, their Peoples Party, or Populist Party, was a national coalition of farmers, unions, and workers organizations. Their radical ideas included labor rights, corporate regulation, the progressive income tax, womens suffrage, popular election of senators, and the eight-hour workday. No movement to overthrow corrupt power will get far without true unity, and the party was thwarted by racism and nativism within its own ranks. The Democratic Party platform today, though, owes much to their efforts. Yet populist remains a dismissive, even pejorative descriptor in prominent liberal discourse, a polite way of hinting at bigoted fools wearing red trucker hats. Journalists surely know what populism actually means, but they apply it to dangerous reactionary movements far more readily than to progressive uprisings. This habitual, unchecked misuse of the term perhaps betrays an unexamined distrust of, or even distaste for, the proletariatwhose power might upend the capitalist structures from which plenty of liberals, including the most influential voices of establishment media, benefit. This is the sad grain of truth beneath working-class resentment of the so-called media elite, and it provides fodder for condemnation of our essential, often heroic free press. If Joe Biden wins the presidency this November, I imagine some journalists will be quick to analyze, with implied relief, the defeat of populismas though the sizable populist faction of Bidens own party had no hand in his victory, and as though democracy has been saved because populism was defeated. Instead, at the very least, journalists and commentators should provide an ideological qualifier when tossing populism around: right-wing populist, progressive populist. The more precise word for describing leaders such as Jair Bolsonaro, Vladimir Putin, Boris Johnson, and Donald Trump, though, is not populist but demagogue. The latter is by definition disingenuous, exploiting social fissures, manipulating media, and misleading the electorate in pursuit of selfish gain. A demagogue may use populist strategies to win support but has little or no concern for the masses. After missing the direction of the 2016 election, a remorseful press sought to correct its blind spots. Conscious efforts have since been made, some more successful than others, at addressing the socioeconomic gulf between those who discuss the nation and those who are at best the ill-understood subjects of discussion. Some aspects of that gulf reach beyond editorial decisions to the often subconscious realm of word choice. Many well-intentioned journalists likely are not aware of their classist handling of populist. Words matter, not only for their effect on an audience but for revealing our absorbed biases of class, race, gender, and beyond. Trump laughs off the tyranny of his own language, carelessly inflicting harm while insisting theyre just words. In such a climate, we must be impeccable with ours. COVERING CLIMATE NOW: An emergency, not an issue Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today Sarah Smarsh Sarah Smarsh is a journalist who has covered socioeconomic class, politics and public policy for the New York Times, the Guardian, the Nation, and many other publications. Her first book, Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth, was a short-list finalist for the National Book Award. Smarsh was a Shorenstein Fellow at Harvard Universitys Kennedy School of Government in 2018 and is a frequent speaker and commentator on economic inequality. Her new book, She Come By It Natural: Dolly Parton and the Women Who Lived Her Songs, will be published in October 2020. She lives in Kansas. On Tuesday night, 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse allegedly shot three people in Kenosha, Wisconsin, with an AR-15-style rifle, killing two. Videos of the event tell us an incomplete story of what, exactly, happened that night. But they appear to clearly show this much: Rittenhouse traveled to the protests in illegal possession of an assault weapon to act as a vigilante. He placed himself at the center of the violence, then escalated it by shooting a man in the head. Minutes later, he shot two more people who appeared to be trying to disarm him, then fled across state lines. For this bloody spree, prosecutors charged Rittenhouse with first-degree intentional homicide. In short, a teenager obsessed with law enforcement decided to play the role of a cop and wound up, according to law enforcement, committing murder. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Some on the right, however, see Rittenhouse differently. As footage of the incident emerged, conservative media figures began crafting a counternarrative in which the teenager is not a delusional vigilante but a well-intentioned if overzealous patriot who shot two violent assailants in self-defense. Rittenhouse, they suggest, is essentially a martyr who took action because Democrats would not let police do their jobs. This narrative rests on a racist belief, deeply rooted in American history, that white people must sometimes break the law to enforce it. The near-instant rehabilitation of Rittenhouse on the right should remind us that white Americans most heinous acts of violence can always be justified by their ideological allies. Subscribe to the Slatest newsletter A daily email update of the stories you need to read right now. We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again. Please enable javascript to use form. Email address: Send me updates about Slate special offers. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms Sign Up Thanks for signing up! You can manage your newsletter subscriptions at any time. Kenoshas protests began on Sunday after Officer Rusten Sheskey, who is white, repeatedly shot Jacob Blake, who is Black, in the back in front of his children. Video indicates that Blake was walking away from Sheskey when the officer began shooting. He appeared to pose no threat. Blake is alive, but is reportedly paralyzed from the waist down. A mix of peaceful protests and riots broke out across the city, which is majority white but has a sizable Black community. By Tuesday, men carrying firearms who identified as members of a private militia stood outside local businesses, allegedly to protect them. A video shows Kenosha police handing water to these gunmenincluding Rittenhousetelling them: We appreciate you guys, we really do. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Rittenhouse, who traveled to Kenosha from Illinois, initially joined this putative militia but later peeled off. A video later in the evening showed him being chased by a group of Black and white protesters into a parking lot. Someone else fired a gun into the air, and Joseph Rosenbaum lunged at the armed teenager. Rittenhouse responded by firing four times, shooting Rosenbaum in the head and killing him. He then fled the scene. Protesters pursued him as one shouted, Thats the shooter! Rittenhouse tripped, and multiple people made an apparent attempt to disarm him. He fired four shots. One bullet hit Anthony Huber in the chest, killing him; he was wielding a skateboard, which he seemed to use to try to subdue Rittenhouse. The other bullet hit Gaige Grosskreutz in the arm; he was holding a handgun, though not aiming it at anyone. Rittenhouse then walked past a group of police officersthe beginning of his flight back to Illinois. They did not stop him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is almost dizzying to count all the ways Rittenhouse appears to have broken the law on Tuesday. He allegedly twice drove across state lines carrying a firearm he was not legally permitted to possess. He then illegally brandished this firearm in the streets. He violated the Kenosha curfew that provided the basis for police to arrest protesters. He fled out of state after shooting three people. And, most obviously, he killed two protesters. The footage indicates that twoand possibly all threeof Rittenhouses victims were trying to disarm him. Advertisement Advertisement And yet, almost as soon as video of the shootings emerged, conservative media began to defend Rittenhouse. They mocked Huber for using a skateboard to attack a man packing a rifle. Erick Erickson said Rittenhouse was not the bad guy because he was firing on people who were attacking him. Fox News guests asserted that Rittenhouse effected vigilante justice because he filled a void left by police. And all these claims built toward the inevitable conclusion: Rittenhouse didnt commit first-degree intentional homicide; he didnt even commit murder at all. He was merely defending himself against a pack of thugs hellbent on beating him, possibly to death, because he tried to keep the peace. In Tucker Carlsons words: How shocked are we that 17-year-olds with rifles decided they had to maintain order when no one else would? Advertisement Advertisement This narrative transforms Rittenhouse from an unstable killer to a Second Amendment hero. And you need only accept a few fictions to buy into it. First, you must believe that the protesters chasing down Rittenhouse and attempting to wrest his gun away were not trying to prevent further bloodshed, but simply to brutalize him. Second, you must agree that even if these protesters were trying to confiscate Rittenhouses gun, they were wrong to do so, because they were the vicious lawbreakers and he was the vulnerable peacekeeper. Third, you must embrace a definition of self-defense so capacious that it allows a gunman to legally shoot a civilian dead when that civilian is trying to seize a weapon the gunman has used to kill someone. Or, as the New York Times Jamelle Bouie put it, if someone is trying to stop you after you killed someone, you can continue shooting and killing in self-defense. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement It is much easier to accept the first two propositions if you are predisposed to believe that white people are more likely to uphold the law and Black people are more likely to break it. Like many protesters in Kenosha, Rittenhouses victims were white. But they were part of a diverse group that pursued the 17-year-old in an apparent effort to stop him from shooting more people. That group included many Black people, who were also imperiled when Rittenhouse tripped and fired his weapon indiscriminately. The claim that these protesters had a malign plan to assault or kill Rittenhouse, rather than disarm him, rests on the racist assumption that a white vigilantes motives must be purer than a racially diverse group of demonstrators. Advertisement The third propositionthat the gunman was merely defending himselfrests on a chilling vision of self-defense that would excuse homicide and limit civilians ability to forestall future shootings. Wisconsin law only licensed Rittenhouse to shoot his pursuers to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm. The video of the second shooting makes it quite clear this did not happen. While the circumstances surrounding the first shooting remain murky, it is evident from the footage that Rittenhouse ran away carrying his rifle, pursued by protesters who rightly believed he might shoot more people. When he tripped, his pursuers immediately tried to seize his gun. These are not the actions of thugs eager to inflict bodily harm, but of good Samaritans trying to stop what looked like the beginning of a mass shooting. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Indeed, the argument for self-defense boils down to this: If civilians try to seize a weapon from a gunman who just shot somebody in the head, that gunman has a right to shoot them. If this theory were legally correctthankfully, it isntthen a person who tries to grab a mass shooters gun may be legally killed by the shooter himself. Rittenhouse ultimately proved to be a mass shooter, one in illegal possession of a firearm, a gun that police allowed him to carry even after he had apparently shot three people a block in front of their squad cars. The cops who ordered protesters to disperse for violating curfew did not order an obviously underage teen to put down his assault weapon. Tucker Carlson got it backward; the question here is why anyone is shocked that protesters tried to disarm a vigilante when law enforcement refused. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement After all, as University of Washington professor Dan Berger pointed out after the Charlottesville, Virginia, catastrophe, police have a lengthy history of complicity with right-wing insurgents. American law enforcement have viewed far-right paramilitary groups as allies in the fight against true subversives and radicals, such as the civil rights demonstrators of the 1960s. They assume that white gunmen toting assault weapons who speak favorably of law enforcement are more trustworthy and peaceable than racially diverse protesters who criticize the cops. When officers thanked Kenoshas militia while threatening to arrest protesterseven though the militia and the protesters were both violating curfewthey carried on this tradition. When Kenosha Police Chief Daniel Miskinis blamed protesters for their own deaths because they broke curfew, he carried on this tradition. When officers let Rittenhouse walk past them, illegally armed with a gun he had just used to kill two men and injure another, and drive back to Illinois, they carried on this tradition, too. These officers perceived a racially diverse group of demonstrators to be more of a threat than a cadre of heavily armed white men. It is not difficult to guess why. Advertisement After Jacob Blakes shooting, conservative media hunted for evidence that might exonerate the officer, fixating on the presence of a knife in Blakes car. After Rittenhouse shot three protesters, the right hunted for evidence that might exonerate the shooter, settling on the fantasy that those protesters were the real vigilantes who got what was coming to them. The lesson here is simple: A white man with a gun is innocent until proved guilty; his victims are guilty until proved innocent. It is a lesson tragically embedded in American history, and one that racist far-right militias around the country will surely take to heart this week. For more of Slates political coverage, subscribe to the Political Gabfest on Apple Podcasts or listen below. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo meets the new Sultan of Oman. This is the last meeting as part of his tour of the Middle Wotosk countries, the purpose of which was to promote a deal on the normalization of relations between Israel and the UAE, concluded with the mediation of the United States, AP reported. Pompeo's plane landed in Muscat, the capital of Oman, and he went to meet with Sultan Haitham bin Tariq. Pompeo later tweeted that the parties spoke of the importance of building regional peace, stability, and prosperity through the joint Gulf Cooperation Council. The six-nation GCC has been split by a decades-long boycott of the Qatar councilor by his counterparts Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Two other GCC members, Kuwait and Oman, have pushed for reconciliation between countries, like the US amid the Trump administration's policy of maximum pressure on Iran. The Omani state news agency described Pompeo's visit as a short visit to the sultanate, without specifying what was discussed. Pompeo has already visited Israel, Sudan, Bahrain, and the UAE. NORTH BETHESDA, Md., Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Federal Realty Investment Trust (NYSE: FRT) was presented with three awards from the Alliance for Workplace Excellence (AWE), an organization that recognizes employers throughout the United States for their exemplary commitment to building excellent places to work. "At Federal, we strive to meet the needs of our employees' physical, emotional, and financial wellbeing. After all, any company is only as great as its people, and we want to ensure that everyone feels valued and rewarded through programs that foster an excellent workplace culture," said Laura Houser, director of human resources for Federal Realty. "Being recognized by AWE for the thirteenth year is an honor and a reinforcement of our commitment to seeing all our co-workers thrive." This year marked another record-breaking year for the company, extending its record as recipient of the Workplace Seal of Approval and the Health & Wellness Seal of Approval for the 13th consecutive year, and the EcoLeadership Award for the 10th consecutive year. Federal Realty was among the 39 award-winning companies that underwent a rigorous assessment process led by an independent review panel of business professional and Master's and/or Ph.D. level students in the fields of business, industrial and organizational psychology, human resources, environmental science, public health and diversity and inclusion. Among the benefits and programs offered at Federal Realty, the company offers a competitive compensation and benefits package, a health and wellness program, opportunities for community involvement, structured learning and development curricula, discount programs, and quarterly recognition awards. To learn more about careers at Federal Realty, visit www.federalrealty.com/careers. About Federal Realty Federal Realty is a recognized leader in the ownership, operation and redevelopment of high-quality retail-based properties located primarily in major coastal markets from Washington, D.C. to Boston as well as San Francisco and Los Angeles. Founded in 1962, Federal Realty's mission is to deliver long-term, sustainable growth through investing in densely populated, affluent communities where retail demand exceeds supply. Its expertise includes creating urban, mixed-use neighborhoods like Santana Row in San Jose, California, Pike & Rose in North Bethesda, Maryland and Assembly Row in Somerville, Massachusetts. These unique and vibrant environments that combine shopping, dining, living and working provide a destination experience valued by their respective communities. Federal Realty's 104 properties include approximately 2,900 tenants, in 24 million square feet, and approximately 2,800 residential units. Federal Realty has increased its quarterly dividends to its shareholders for 53 consecutive years, the longest record in the REIT industry. Federal Realty is an S&P 500 index member and its shares are traded on the NYSE under the symbol FRT. For additional information about Federal Realty and its properties, visit www.federalrealty.com. About AWE The Alliance for Workplace Excellence (AWE) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization founded in 1999 by Discovery Communications, Mental Health Association (now EveryMind.), and Montgomery County, MD. Over the past 20 years, AWE has been dedicated to empowering employers to build excellence in the workplace as a means of supporting the quality of life for employees, their families, and the community at-large. AWE is devoted to increasing the number of excellent workplaces within the business community through education and recognition, as a means to enhance the quality of life of its citizens and empower economic growth. For more information: www.excellentworkplace.org. Inquiries: Brenda Pomar, Corporate Communications Manager 301.998.8316 / [email protected] SOURCE Federal Realty Investment Trust Related Links https://www.federalrealty.com Scientific researcher Jane, from Melbourne, entered the company's 'What's The Flavour?' competition every day from May until it closed at the end of July A Pringles lover who thought she'd won $10,000 in a mystery flavour competition only to be told she was ineligible for the prize has finally managed to get her hands on the cash. Scientific researcher Jane, from Melbourne, entered the company's 'What's The Flavour?' competition every day from May until it closed at the end of July. The 37-year-old and her friend correctly guessed the flavour in Pringles 'mystery tubes' - which were sold across Australia during the promotion - was 'carbonara'. On August 13, Pringles got in touch to tell Jane she had won, but when asked to send her ID to the company for validation, she realised she had entered the New Zealand version of the competition. A Pringles representative told her only New Zealand permanent residents were eligible to enter the competition and she wouldn't be receiving a cent. After Daily Mail Australia exclusively broke the story last week, Jane revealed to A Current Affair on Thursday the company offered her a case of free Pringles as a consolation prize. But Pringles have since budged and awarded Jane the $10,000 prize after her story gained media attention. 'I couldn't believe it. I got the phone call and I was just amazed that it happened, and I am so grateful for this outcome,' Jane said. 'I am a winner after all this. It's amazing. It's so great!' Jane said the reason for the bungle was confusion over the Australian and New Zealand landing pages for the competition - which look almost exactly the same. 'I didn't even know there was a New Zealand mystery flavour - I just clicked on a link that came up,' she told Daily Mail Australia last week. 'I don't know why it came up with the wrong one but if you go and type in the New Zealand one and you have a look at that page it's exactly the same. The 37-year-old and her friend correctly guessed the flavour in its 'mystery tubes', which were sold across Australia during the promotion, was 'carbonara' Melbourne-based scientific researcher Jane, 37, (pictured) entered the company's What's The Flavour? competition every day from May until it closed at the end of July 'I guess once I'd done it once it came up in my history so I have no idea how many times that happened.' She said in no way was it obvious she was on the wrong website and believes the company should 'do the right thing' and give her the money. 'I don't really know what their obligation is but I feel like they should have some notice of what competition it is and make it clearer on their page. 'When you enter other competitions they have check boxes or make it very clear which country you are applying to.' The Pringles Mystery Flavour competition has been running around the world for a number of years, but only reached Australia in 2019. Jane (pictured) said she had somehow confused the Australian and New Zealand landing pages for the competition - which look almost exactly the same apart from a slight difference The popular potato chips company packaged the mystery-flavoured Pringles into its iconically shaped cylindrical tube with the logo: 'WTF: Whats the Flavour? Entrants were teased with a number of clues throughout the course of the competition with several videos posted to the Pringles social media pages. The first clue showed a cheese grater slowly shredding a block of cheese. The second one showed three eggs lined up before one of them exploded. Another clue showed the brand's mascot photoshopped into several locations across Italy. Jane said the company offered her a case of free Pringles as a measly consolation prize, before finally awarding her the $10,000 after the story made headlines Some clued-up entrants guessed the flavour might be Italian themed and suggested a 'mac 'n cheese' flavour. Others were wide of the mark and guessed 'bacon' or 'nachos.' Pringles was launched in 1967 and changed from the hands of Procter and Gamble to Kellogg's in 2012. The chips have become a household favourite and are sold in more than 140 countries. Following the abrupt end to its planned merger with Airtel Kenya, Telkom Kenyas leadership has announced what it calls the "bold decision to carve out a new direction" for the company. There are a number of aims behind this move. One, says Telkom Kenya, is to better position the companys infrastructure asset base and services to drive digital transformation within a number of sectors. The company also intends to work on bridging the digital divide; in this context it refers to 4G and LTE expansion as well as the Loon project, which is bringing airborne base stations to remote areas. The company also mentions its aim to create a future smart landing hub for the majority of submarine cables in the region, along with plans to upskill its employees. There will be no loss of jobs as a result of these changes, the company adds. To pursue this vision, Telkom has restructured its service delivery units. The newly formed Telkom Consumer will focus on data, financial services, partnerships and digitisation of products and customer service channels. The role of the other new service delivery unit, Telkom Digital, is slightly less clearly defined but involves the use of the Internet of Things, cloud, big data and analytics to drive digital transformation. This business restructuring, says Mugo Kibati, the companys chief executive officer, will enable Telkom to sharpen its efficiencies in areas like service provision and customer experience, and also to partner more strategically with like-minded entities. He also refers to the companys vast infrastructure asset base, terrestrial fibre and 4G network, all of which will no doubt come into play as the company attempts to reassert itself in the market after the failed merger. However, although it is a powerful force in fixed communications, Telkom Kenya is well behind Safaricom and Airtel Kenya in the mobile communications market and mobile finance market. [music] [applause] Crowd: Four more years! Four more years! Joe Biden said that we were living through a season of darkness. But as President Trump said, where Joe Biden sees American darkness, we see American greatness. Four years ago, I answered the call to join this ticket, because I knew that Donald Trump had the leadership and the vision to make America great again. And for the last four years, Ive watched this president endure unrelenting attacks but get up every day and fight to keep the promises that he made to the American people. My fellow Americans, were passing through a time of testing, when in the midst of this global pandemic, just as our nation had begun to recover, weve seen violence and chaos in the streets of our major cities. President Trump and I will always support the right of Americans to peaceful protest, but rioting and looting is not peaceful protest, tearing down statues is not free speech, and those who do so will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. [applause] So let me be clear: The violence must stop whether in Minneapolis, Portland or Kenosha. Too many heroes have died defending our freedom to see Americans strike each other down. We will have law and order on the streets of this country for every American of every race and creed and color. [cheering] President Trump has stood up for our heroes every day. He stood by our law enforcement, our military and the freedoms we hold dear. Hes made good on his promise to put America first. And I hope you will stand with me as we send him back for four more years, with a clear message to the Democrats: You will never cancel our heroes. You may know me as a supporter of President Trump. But tonight Im here to share with you how he supported me both as a new mom and as an American with a pre-existing condition. When I was 21 years old, I got a call that changed my life. It was my doctor, informing me that I had tested positive for the BRCA2 genetic mutation, a mutation that put my chances of breast cancer at 84 percent. On May 1, 2018, I followed in my mothers footsteps, choosing to get a preventative mastectomy. As I came out of anesthesia, one of the first calls I received was from Ivanka Trump. As I recovered, my phone rang again. It was President Trump calling to check on me. I was blown away. Here was the leader of the free world caring about my circumstance. I was raised in a household of all women. They were self-reliant and resilient. Their lives were not easy, but they never complained. Money was tight, but we had an abundance of what mattered most: family, faith and freedom. I learned that, in America, limited means does not make for limited dreams. The promise of America belongs to us all. I wasnt born a Trump. Im from the South. I was raised a Carolina girl. I went to public schools and worked my way through a state university. Mrs. B. from my seventh-grade English class was right. What I learned about our president is different than what you might have heard. I learned that hes a good man, that he loves his family, that he didnt need this job. We cannot dare to dream our biggest dreams for ourselves or for our children while consumed by worry about the safety of our families. President Trump is the law-and-order president, from our borders to our backyards. [music, Hail to the Chief] [cheering] Washington, Aug 27 : A 17-year-old teenager has been arrested on murder charges in the US city of Kenosha, Wisconsin after two people were killed amid violent protests against the police shooting of an African-American man in the state earlier this week. On Wednesday, Kyle Rittenhouse was charged with first-degree intentional homicide and was arrested in his hometown of Antioch, Illinois, about 30 minutes away from Kenosha, Xinhua news agency reported. Video of the incident shows a man, alleged to be Rittenhouse, running down the street with an AR-15-style rifle as he's pursued by others attempting to apprehend him. Rittenhouse falls to the ground, then proceeds to turn around and begin shooting at the people trying to disarm him. At a press conference on Wednesday, police officers identified the three victims as a 26-year-old and a 36-year-old who died, and another 26-year-old who was injured. An investigation led by the Kenosha police and FBI has not yet determined whether both deaths are connected to Rittenhouse. The shootings took place during the third night of unrest in Kenosha against the shooting of 29-year-old Jacob Blake by the police. The state's Governor Tony Evers has declared a state of emergency, and said on Wednesday that the number of Wisconsin National Guard members deployed in Kenosha would be 500, up from 125 on Monday and 250 on Tuesday. A video posted on social media shows Blake appearing to be shot by police seven times in the back at close range as he was walking to his gray van in Kenosha on Sunday evening. Blake was later taken to hospital and remains in critical condition. At a news conference on Tuesday, Blake's attorney Ben Crump said that his client is paralyzed and it would "take a miracle" for him to walk again. Blake's family plans to file a civil lawsuit against the Kenosha Police Department over the shooting, he added. The Division of Criminal Investigation under the Wisconsin Department of Justice is investigating the case. The division aims to provide an incident report to the prosecutor within 30 days. Blake's shooting comes after George Floyd, an unarmed African-American man, was killed by police brutality on May 25 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng will speak at the Republican National Convention on Wednesday to endorse US President Donald Trump for re-election, indicating increasing efforts by the party to portray the Democrats as too weak on Beijing. Chen's scheduled appearance was announced by the Trump campaign, describing him as a victim of persecution by Chinese authorities "for exposing the depravity of the Chinese Communist Party". Chen, a legal activist who campaigned for the rights of workers and farmers, left China with the help of American diplomats in 2012, after he had escaped house arrest and taken refuge at the US embassy. Chinese state media at the time launched a vitriolic attack against then-US ambassador Gary Locke over the affair, calling him a "guide dog" for assisting Chen, who is visually impaired. Beijing said the US' actions violated Chinese law and constituted interference in China's affairs. But Chen is a divisive figure not only in China. Among the overseas dissident community, he has faced criticism for espousing right-wing views that many other activists consider to be antithetical to the fight for human rights in China. On Monday, he tweeted a video of a pro-Trump protester defacing a Black Lives Matter mural in New York and shouting at people to take off their masks. He posted the video along with the caption: "Freedom". Despite fleeing China with the help of diplomats in the Obama administration - notably then-secretary of state Hillary Clinton - Chen has become a fervent supporter of the Trump administration, accusing past administrations of pursuing a strategy of appeasement with Beijing. Chen did not respond to a request for comment other than to confirm his appearance at the convention. He is currently a fellow at the Catholic University of America's centre for human rights. Teng Biao, an exiled human rights lawyer who previously represented Chen while still in China and who describes himself as a friend, said he was "stunned" by Chen's decision to appear at the convention. Story continues "For Chinese human rights defenders, there is zero logical consistency to supporting Trump," said the New Jersey-based Teng. Trump had no interest in pushing for human rights and democracy in China, Teng continued, pointing to accusations made by former national security adviser John Bolton that the US leader had privately encouraged Chinese President Xi Jinping to build internment camps for Muslims in China's northwest. "I am a good friend and [former] lawyer of [Chen's]," he continued. "[But] I completely oppose what he is doing." This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright 2020 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Copyright (c) 2020. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. The resort to grassroots campaign in wards across Edo State appears to be adding to rising profile of Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the September 19 governorship election. The Head of Media and Publicity of the APC Campaign Council for the Edo Election, Prince John Mayaki, in a statement in Benin City on Thursday, disclosed that Pastor Ize-Iyamu has again been honored with another title in Ora, Owan West Local Government Council, where he was named the Oyakhire of Ora clan. Mayaki said that the Okpojenaga of Ora, Joshua Akhikero, conferred the honorary title on Ize-Iyamu when the APC candidate visited his Palace on Thursday in continuation of his ward-to-ward campaign across Edo State. According to Mayaki, the Oyakhire title, meaning the one who has come to wipe our tears, was indicative of the acceptance of Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu in the Local Government and the hope that his administration will erase the pains and failures of the incumbent government in the state. The APC Campaign Council Head of Media and Publicity added that the Okpojenaga of Ora explained the responsibility associated with the title when he hinned that he conferred the title on Pastor Ize-Iyamu because of his demonstrated competence and ability to solve problems. The traditional ruler had clarified that the title is honorary because the people of Ora are aware of Ize-Iyamus status as an ordained Pastor; noting that he will not confer on him a traditional title that contradicts his religious belief. The Okpojenaga of Ora, Joshua Akhikero, stated: We know that you are a Christian and we cannot give you a title that will make you start serving idols. This title is honorary, and we gave it to you because we know you are a man who wipes away the tears of people. Ize-Iyamu, accompanied by his running mate, Mallam Gani Audu, and APC leaders, on the ward campaign trip expressed gratitude to the Ora clan for the honor. He noted that although he came to solicit for votes, the reception and acceptance he got exceeded his expectation. Izd-Iyamu promised to live up to the title conferred on him as the wiper of tears and solver of problems by using the instrument of state to eradicate poverty, provide infrastructure, and create jobs for youths across the three senatorial districts of the state if he is supported to become the next Governor of the State. Ize-Iyamu also promised to bring development to the council by revamping and building new infrastructure to boost commerce and improve security in partnership with the traditional institutions. At the venue of the campaign rally in the locality, he promised to build a standard police station in the community and support local vigilante groups to ward off kidnappers and strengthen intelligence gathering in the combat of crime so that businesses and banks that deserted the community over insecurity would return. Mayaki further disclosed that Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, APC candidate, had earlier visited the palace of the Onotare of Ozalla, Owan West, where he was also warmly received and offered royal blessings. PV: 9 WASHINGTON, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- NASA will broadcast a Space Launch System (SLS) rocket full-scale booster test at 2:40 p.m. EDT Wednesday, Sept. 2, on NASA Television and the agency's website , followed by a media teleconference. The Flight Support Booster-1 test builds on three full-scale development test firings and two qualification test firings NASA and Northrop Grumman successfully completed with the five-segment solid rocket motor in preparation for the first three Artemis missions. The Sept. 2 test at Northrop Grumman facilities in Promontory, Utah, will help teams evaluate potential new materials, processes, and improvements for the boosters that will power deep space missions beyond Artemis III. The test also will provide another opportunity to evaluate motor manufacturing and performance. About an hour and 30 minutes after the test, media will have the opportunity to participate in a teleconference with: Bruce Tiller , manager of the SLS boosters office at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama , manager of the SLS boosters office at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Charlie Precourt , vice president of propulsion systems at Northrop Grumman, in Promontory To participate, media must contact Kathryn Hambleton at 202-358-1100 or [email protected] no later than noon Tuesday, Sept. 1. During the broadcast, anyone can submit questions on Twitter using the hashtag #AskNASA. Updates on the test will be posted on the Artemis blog. Powered by four RS-25 engines and two boosters, the SLS rocket produces more than 8 million pounds of thrust to power missions to the Moon and, ultimately, Mars. The twin five-segment solid rocket boosters produce more than 75% of the rocket's thrust during the first two minutes of ascent. This latest booster test will take place as teams at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida begin assembling the boosters for Artemis I, the first launch of SLS and NASA's Orion spacecraft. The SLS rocket, Orion spacecraft, Gateway, and human landing system are part of NASA's backbone for deep space exploration. The Artemis program is the next step in human space exploration and is part of America's broader Moon to Mars exploration approach, in which astronauts will explore the Moon. Experience gained there will enable humanity's next giant leap: sending humans to Mars. For additional resources, including imagery and interviews for the test, visit the digital press kit: https://www.nasa.gov/media/flight-support-booster-test.html For more on NASA's SLS, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/sls SOURCE NASA Related Links http://www.nasa.gov Ministers have published a guide on 5G masts in a bid to dispel 'quack' theories that the new technology could harm people's health. Conspiracy theories have emerged claiming that the 5G network, which will provide super-fast internet speeds while on the move once fully rolled out, was behind the coronavirus outbreak. The theorists have claimed that the network could damage public health by emitting dangerous levels of radiation. The misinformation campaign has led to some communication masts being vandalised, including one being set on fire in April in Solihull, West Midlands, which conspiracy theorists failed to realise was, in fact, a 4G tower. Ministers published a guide on 5G masts in a bid to dispel 'quack' theories that the technology could harm people's health. Pictured, a telecoms mast in Dagenham was damaged in a fire The theories have led to some 5G masts being vandalised. A mast was set on fire in April in Solihull, West Midlands, (above) but conspiracy theorists failed to realise was a 4G tower The Government have warned the vandalism could cost lives, as damaging the towers could prevent calls to the emergency services from being made. Digital infrastructure minister Matt Warman and local government minister Simon Clarke have written to councils to promote a new guide on the masts, 5G Mobile Technology: A Guide. The information pamphlet will be made available to worried constituents in a bid to dispel the misleading theories circulating on social media. It explains how 5G works and states that watchdog Ofcom found wave emission readings taken from the masts are 'a small fraction' of the amount permitted by the International Commission for Non-Ionising Radiation Protection (ICNIRP). The guide, published on Thursday, says: 'Companies have been rolling out 5G in the UK since 2019. 'However, some people have raised concerns that the introduction of 5G could affect people's health and have even linked it to the coronavirus pandemic. 'These claims are completely unfounded and should not be used as a basis to block or delay 5G rollout.' Mr Warman and Mr Clarke, in their letter to local authorities, also called for more to be done to help find sites for masts and the installation of full fibre broadband. Telecoms companies need to secure rights to install their infrastructure on public sector land and buildings but there are concerns some deals are not progressing quickly enough. Government warned vandalism of 5G masts could cost lives, as it may stop emergency calls being made. Pictured, EE network 5G mast was attacked by an arsonist in Liverpool on May 28 Boris Johnson's Conservative Party manifesto vowed to 'bring full fibre and gigabit-capable broadband to every home and business across the UK by 2025'. Mr Warman said: 'Councils have a vital role to play in the roll-out of digital infrastructure and while there is good work going on up and down the country, there is more we can do. 'Today I'm writing to local authorities with new guidance and advice to help them break down some of the barriers to roll-out and give them the tools they need to quell quack theories about 5G.' The Government is encouraging councils, which are obliged to get 'best value' when agreeing land access agreements, to take into account 'non-monetary benefits' such as enhanced connectivity. Philip Marnick, spectrum group director at Ofcom, said: 'The UK has a great opportunity to be a world leader in 5G making the most of the benefits this new technology offers people and businesses. 'So it's important that public bodies work together to address some of the myths and misinformation around 5G, and that decisions are based on sound evidence.' Labour shadow digital minister Chi Onwurah said legislation needed strengthening to properly protect against 5G misinformation. He said: 'We welcome the Government's moves to tackle the dangerous misinformation about 5G and the coronavirus which is putting lives at risk. Ministers Matt Warman and Simon Clarke have written to councils to promote an information pamphlet on the network called 5G Mobile Technology: A Guide. Above, damaged 5G mast after it was set on fire in Liverpool Boris Johnson's Conservative Party manifesto vowed to 'bring full fibre and gigabit-capable broadband' to every UK home and business by 2025. Pictured, graffiti in Bute Park, Cardiff 'But sadly, this guidance will not solve the problem without the Government doing what is needed on the online harms bill to tackle misinformation on social media.' In their correspondence with councils, Mr Warman and Mr Clarke pointed to Cambridgeshire and Kent as examples of where local authorities have worked effectively to encourage next-generation gigabit broadband networks. The West Midlands 5G project, part of the Government's 200 million 5G testbed and trials programme, was cited as having successfully addressed some of the challenges councils face when deploying 5G technology. The West Midlands also is one of the areas in the country with the highest available coverage of gigabit capable broadband, while others include Hull, Dunbartonshire, Reading, Edinburgh, Southampton and Liverpool. Councillor Mark Hawthorne, the Local Government Association's digital connectivity spokesman, said: 'This new suite of guidance will complement the work councils are already doing, alongside central government and local partners, to support the roll-out of digital infrastructure across local areas.' Alaskas Attorney General Resigns Hours After We Published Uncomfortable Texts He Sent to a Younger Colleague An Anchorage Daily News and ProPublica investigation revealed Kevin Clarkson texted a much-younger state employee hundreds of times, often using kiss emoji and commenting on her appearance. ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox. Alaska Attorney General Kevin Clarkson resigned Tuesday following the publication of an Anchorage Daily News and ProPublica investigation showing he sent hundreds of text messages to a younger state employee that Clarkson acknowledged had made her uncomfortable. Records obtained by the newsrooms found Clarkson sent at least 558 text messages between March 5 and March 31 to a woman whose job required she sometimes interact with the attorney general. In at least 18 messages he invited the woman to come to his home. Gov. Mike Dunleavy, a Republican, said in an email Tuesday that he had accepted Clarksons resignation. This administration has and always will expect the highest level of professional conduct in the workplace, a statement from Dunleavy said. There is nothing more important than the protection of our state employees, and that includes feeling safe when an employee is at work. Kevin Clarkson has admitted to conduct in the workplace that did not live up to our high expectations, and this is deeply disappointing. This morning he took responsibility for the unintentional consequences of his actions and tendered his resignation to me. I have accepted it. State law provides guidelines and protections for all state employees including confidentiality on personnel matters. The Governors office is bound by and conforms to those laws. My administration will continue to insist upon professional conduct from all our employees, regardless of their position in state government. Kevin Clarkson texted a much-younger state employee to come to his house at least 18 times, often using kiss emoji and commenting on her appearance. Hes been on unpaid leave for weeks, but the state never told the public he was gone, or why. https://t.co/NuqrxVy8tC ProPublica (@propublica) August 26, 2020 While Clarksons resignation came within hours of the storys publication, it came more than two months after the news organizations began asking questions and requesting records about his text messages. The newsrooms learned of Clarksons behavior in June and first requested copies of the messages from the Department of Law which he oversees on June 4. In a June 19 response , the Law Department said the state has no records. The Daily News and ProPublica have sent multiple requests since then. This month, in response to a records request, the Department of Law shared an email that had been sent to employees in its civil division that said the attorney general was on leave for the month of August and that his authority had been delegated to another lawyer in the office. On Friday, the department confirmed that Clarkson was on unpaid leave and that none of his three predecessors had been off for the length of time he had been. Given repeated opportunities to comment, the governors office has declined to answer questions about when Dunleavy learned of the behavior and what actions were taken between the discovery of the messages and Clarksons leave of absence, which began Aug. 1. On Monday, it cited employee privacy, and Dunleavys statement on Tuesday reiterated that. Earlier this month, Dunleavy spokesman Jeff Turner said Clarkson was expected to return to work Sept. 1 and declined to say if the attorney general was on paid or unpaid leave, citing personnel rules. Clarkson has not responded to repeated interview requests, but he sent a statement to the conservative blog Must Read Alaska on Monday night acknowledging errors in judgment and apologizing for placing a State employee in an uncomfortable environment in her workplace. Within two hours of the publication of the investigation on Tuesday, Dunleavy announced the attorney general had resigned. In his resignation letter, provided by the governors office, Clarkson said there was nothing remotely salacious about his texts. I believed we had a positive friendship borne of mutual respect and interests, he said of the woman. What I failed to recognize is the impact that these interactions had on this person, due to the disparity in our workplace rank. Under state and federal law it is illegal to create a hostile work environment for a fellow employee through unwanted and persistent behavior. In early April, the woman sent Clarkson a text asking him to stop messaging her personal phone. In the resignation letter, Clarkson apologized to Dunleavy, who appointed him in late 2018. I wish to create no unnecessary distractions for you or your administration, he wrote. Clarkson has been seen as a crusader for conservative positions on same-sex marraige and abortion. In its article Tuesday, the Daily News and ProPublica report also noted two restraining order applications made by Clarksons estranged wife in the 1990s. One was granted. The governors office declined to answer questions about whether the governor was aware of them when he nominated Clarkson to his position in late 2018. The allegations did not come up publicly during Clarksons confirmation hearings last year. This year, Dunleavy sent a letter to President Donald Trump asking for help to secure visas for Clarksons wife and stepson to leave Colombia and come to Alaska. He cited Clarksons work and his commitment to family. It is unclear what became of the request. The former president of the Maldives, Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, said he had tested positive for COVID-19, as the tourist-dependent island nation reports a pick-up in cases since re-opening its borders last month. I have tested positive for COVID-19. May Almighty Allah bless me and all other sick people with a speedy recovery and good health," Gayoom said in a tweet on Tuesday night. The 81-year-old former president was one of Asias longest serving leaders, having ruled the Maldives for 30 years. According to a family source, the former autocrat was tested for COVID-19 following a medical consultation on Tuesday morning, after he developed a fever on Monday night. The source said Gayoom is doing well and is expected to be admitted to the newly built Dharumavantha Hospital in the capital, Male. Heavily reliant on foreign tourism, the Indian Ocean archipelago lifted a lockdown in the capital in June and opened up its borders for tourists in July. Since the end of the lockdown in June, the number of COVID-19 cases in the Maldives has tripled, while deaths have risen from five to 28. The Maldives Health Protection Agency has confirmed a total of 7,047 COVID-19 cases in the country, out of which 2,580 cases are currently active. Just over 5,000 tourists visited the Maldives in the month to August 15, according to Maldives Immigration, a fraction of last years monthly average of more than 100,000. T he UK saw temperatures reach new heights earlier this summer, but its end looks likely to be a wet and windy washout. The Met Office has issued weather warnings for thunderstorms and heavy downpours as Britain heads into the August bank holiday weekend. Yellow weather warnings cover Thursday and Friday for large parts of the country. Localised flooding and travel disruption are anticipated by forecasters, which could hamper millions of Brits trying to make it to destinations around the UK for the long weekend. A yellow warning for heavy rain on Thursday, covering most of southern England and parts of south Wales, is due to last until 7pm. Storm Francis brought gusts of more than 80mph with conditions causing homes to be flooded earlier this month / Getty Images On Friday, another yellow weather warning for heavy showers and thunderstorms has been put in place for 11am to 8pm, covering a slightly larger area of south Wales and southern England. Meteorologist Alex Burkill told PA Media that on Thursday "there will be some localised flooding perhaps, but also really quite treacherous driving conditions". He said: "Tomorrow we have the risk of some really heavy torrential downpours, with some large hail and lightning and thunder mixed in too. "But it's during the intense downpours that we're quite likely to see some surface water flooding in a few places and again really quite difficult driving conditions. "Obviously, it's the Friday before the bank holiday weekend, so lot's of people will be planning to take to the roads and so they do need to be aware that even if they're enjoying sunny spells at one moment a hefty shower could come along very quickly and make conditions very, very difficult." Many holidaymakers are shunning a three-day break abroad in favour of a so-called staycation as the travel industry continues to be devastated by the coronavirus pandemic. The forecaster explained that many areas could see wind gusts of 30 to 40mph, particularly on the eastern and northeastern coast of England - although these are not covered by a warning as they will not have the heavy intense downpours expected further south. Driving conditions may be difficult / PA In a glimmer of hope for staycationers, Mr Burkill said the weather outlook was "an improving picture" for the bank holiday weekend itself - although temperatures are set to remain cool and in the low 20s "at best". He said: "Maybe a bit wet and windy for some to start Saturday but turning dryer through the day and then mostly fine, but cool, on Sunday into Monday. "It is going to be quite cool, so some people may feel a little hard done by for the last weekend of summer." Mr Burkill highlighted that last year's August bank holiday Monday was the hottest on record, with temperatures reaching 33C. "We're definitely not going to beat it this year," he said, adding: "I would bet my house on it." This week's weather warnings come off the back of a wet and windy August, with Storms Ellen and Francis battering the country within the space of a week. Since 2015, when it started naming storms, the Met Office had previously never named one in August. Storm Francis brought gusts of more than 80mph with conditions causing homes to be flooded, trees toppled, rail lines blocked and campers and elderly residents rescued from floodwater. Agencies contributed to this report. After news about the North Korean leader in a state of comatose surfaced earlier this week, the photos of a healthy Kim Jong Un were released by the nation's state news media. In the past few days, reports about Kim Jong Un's sister, Kim Yo Jong, taking over some of the authority in the hermit kingdom spread due to news that the dictator has become indisposed. In order to squash the rumors, Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) syndicated photos through the Associated Press showing the dictator presiding a meeting of the Worker's Party politburo on Tuesday. Based on the reports, the meeting discussed the measures that would be taken by the country to combat COVID-19. The images, however, were cannot be independently verified and independent journalists weren't given access to the meeting. However, the state's news agency stated that several defects in the state of emergency against COVID-19 were addressed in the meeting. As of the moment, North Korea has not yet reported a single confirmed case of the disease that has plagued nations in the entire world. But it can be noted that just last month, Kim Jong Un announced that a possibility that the virus has entered their border exists. Aside from COVID-19 the meeting also discussed the measures done by the state in dealing with Typhoon Bayi and measures to protect their crops to avoid food shortage. The report also stated that the economy of the hermit kingdom took a major blow due to the border closures amid the pandemic and the damage caused by floods. Read also: Kim Yo Jong Gets More Powerful in NoKor as Kim Jong-Un Delegates Part of his Authority to Her Rumors about Kim Jong Un's Health Continue to Circulate Meanwhile, the health condition of the rogue nation's leader once again made headlines this week after a diplomat from South Korea claimed that he had information about Kim Jong Un being in a comatose. Late South Korean President Kim Dae-Jung's former aide, Chang Song-min stated that he had intel about the condition of the dictator. Song-min also claimed that Kim Jong Un's sister Kim Yo Jong was delegated some of his authority while the dictator is not fit. According to the New York Post, the National Intelligence Service of North Korea stated that while Kim Jong Un is still considered as the nation's "absolute power," some of his authorities are being gradually transferred to his sister. Meanwhile, South Korea's spy agency stated that the delegation of the powers was done in order to help manage several affairs of the state. Earlier this year, Kim Jong Un's health condition also made headlines after he disappeared from the public for two weeks. There were rumors that he was already dead, while some claimed that a heart surgery gone wrong caused the dictator to become severely ill. Satellite images showing the location of the dictator's train were taken and many assumed that he was kept under medical observation. The rumors, however, did not last very long as in May photos of Kim Jong Un attending a ribbon-cutting ceremony at a fertilizer plant were released by the state media. Related article: Kim Jong Un in Comatose? Kim Yo Jong to Take Over Regime, South Korean Diplomat Says @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The Group Managing Director/Chief Executive of Zenith Bank, Ebenezer Onyeagwu, has called for a concerted effort towards diversifying the countrys export base through the promotion of non-oil exports. He made the call during a webinar themed Prospects of Non-Oil Export During and Post COVID-19 organized by the bank on Wednesday. According to him, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic which has impacted the demand for oil and, by extension, the price of crude oil in the international commodities market, has further exposed Nigerias over-dependency on crude oil earnings and its susceptibility to oil-related shocks. The Zenith Bank chief added that the events of the last couple of months also highlighted the limited range of the countrys value-added products exported to foreign markets. Mr Onyeagwu noted further that boosting non-oil export is imperative in view of the opportunities that exist in the broader contexts of ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) which seeks to create a continent-wide market of 1.2 billion people with combined Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of $2.5 trillion and about $4 trillion in consumer and business spending. Whilst commending the efforts of the government and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to deepen the non-oil export business in the country, Mr Onyeagwu urged players in the non-oil export value-chain including exporters and financial institutions to play their part in the drive towards expanding the nations non-oil export base. Delivering the keynote address, the Director of Trade & Exchange, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Ozoemena Nnaji, who commended Zenith Bank for organizing the webinar at a time like this, observed that the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is a wake-up call for the country, as it has once again exposed the over-dependence of the Nigerian economy on one product. She therefore called for a deeper policy look at the non-oil sector to find ways of genuinely improving the quality and quantity of our non-oil export goods. Also speaking at the Webinar, the Chief Executive/Executive Director of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Olusegun Awolowo commended the efforts of Zenith Bank in promoting non-oil export business in Nigeria. He described Zenith Bank as the Export Trade Bank of Nigeria. Group Managing Director, Chief Executive, Ebenezer Onyeagwu Speaking on the topic Repositioning Non-oil export as a Leading Revenue Earner: Government Plans and Programmes, Mr Awolowo noted that the crash in oil prices following the COVID-19 pandemic and OPECs price war with Russia reinforced what everyone already knows the mono-product economy of the country is not sustainable, calling for a buy-in into the Zero oil policy of NEPC. Zenith Bank says it remains committed to the promotion of the non-oil export sector in Nigeria by identifying emerging opportunities which help in stimulating non-oil exports and developing robust financial products and incentives for operators in the sector. The bank launched the Non-Oil Export Seminar in 2017 as an initiative to deepen the discourse on promoting non-oil export business in Nigeria. Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. A blaze that broke out at Tan Tao Industrial Park in Binh Tan District, Ho Chi Minh City on Wednesday evening destroyed a 4,200-square-meter warehouse there. Ten firefighting units were dispatched to respond to the fire following a fire alarm at 7:05 pm on Wednesday at an appliances warehouse owned by Southern Sunhouse JSC at Tan Tao Industrial Park. The municipal firefighting police said a total of 43 fire engines and more than 300 firefighters were deployed to contain the fire and seal off the surrounding area where it occurred. Once the fire intensified and looked as if it might spread, the emergency mobilization of extra firefighting officers from the neighboring districts was coordinated. A fire consumes a warehouse of the Southern Sunhouse Company at Tan Tao Industrial Park in Binh Tan District, Ho Chi Minh City, August 26, 2020 in this video supplied by police. After hours of active firefighting, the conflagration was declared contained and extinguished. The fire destroyed more than half of the total warehouse area of 7,200 square meters of Southern Sunhouse Company. There were no reports of injuries. Scene investigation is ongoing to determine the cause of the fire. A massive plume of smoke rises from the burned warehouse at Tan Tao Industrial Park in Binh Tan District, Ho Chi Minh City, August 26, 2020. Photo: Minh Hoa / Tuoi Tre Police officers and firefighters cordon off an area where a fire broke out at a warehouse at Tan Tao Industrial Park in Binh Tan District, Ho Chi Minh City, August 26, 2020. Photo: Minh Hoa / Tuoi Tre Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Fulfilling Backlog as Schools Return to the Classroom TOCCOA, GA / ACCESSWIRE / August 27, 2020 / Galaxy Next Generation, Inc. (OTCQB:GAXY) ("Galaxy" or the "Company), a provider of interactive learning technology solutions, is pleased to announce that it has completed successful installations of interactive panels at Newtown County Schools in Georgia and a school in south Florida. The interactive panels were installed under purchase orders from April 2020 of approximately $550,000 from Newton County Schools, Georgia and a school in south Florida. The Newtown County public school district includes 20,000 students and 13 elementary schools, 5 middle schools and 3 high schools for the communities of Covington, Mansfield, Newborn, Oxford, Porterdale and Social Circle. The south Flordia school deployed interactive touch panels campuswide. Gary LeCroy, Galaxy's Chief Executive Officer, commented, "Now that schools are slowly coming back to session we are able to complete previously awarded contracts and purchase orders and clear out the back log that was produced while shut down. The successful installations and collection of revenue provide cash flow for our Company to then be able to fulfill other additional orders." About Galaxy Next Generation, Inc. Galaxy Next Generation (OTCQB:GAXY) is a provider of interactive learning technology solutions that allows the presenter and participant to engage in a fully collaborative instructional environment. Galaxy's products include Galaxy's own private-label interactive touch screen panel as well as numerous other national and international branded peripheral and communication devices. Galaxy's distribution channel consists of 22+ resellers across the U.S. who primarily sell the Company's products within the commercial and educational market. Galaxy does not control where resellers focus their resell efforts, although generally, the K-12 education market is the largest customer base for Galaxy products - comprising nearly 90% of Galaxy's sales. For additional information, please visit our website at: www.galaxynext.us Safe Harbor Statement This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These forward-looking statements are based on the current plans and expectations of management and are subject to a number of uncertainties and risks that could significantly affect the company's current plans and expectations, as well as future results of operations and financial condition. A more extensive listing of risks and factors that may affect the company's business prospects and cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements can be found in the reports and other documents filed by the company with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Investors Contact: IR@GalaxyNext.us p 888-859-1274 SOURCE: Galaxy Next Generation, Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/603564/Galaxy-Next-Generation-Completes-Successful-Installations-of-Interactive-Panels Republican National Convention - Day 3, Baltimore, Maryland, USA - 26 Aug 2020 President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump wave to supporters after attending the third night of the Republican National Convention, at Ft. McHenry in Baltimore, on Aug. 26, 2020. Credit - Shutterstock This article is part of the The DC Brief, TIMEs politics newsletter. Sign up here to get stories like this sent to your inbox every weekday. If you were tuning into American politics for the first time to watch this weeks GOP convention, youd be excused for your confusion over how the Republican Party proposes to run the country. There is no official platform. The planks seem constructed out of personality and feelings, not policy or details. During his three-plus years in office, its leader, President Donald Trump, has erased any lingering doubts that the Republican Party is functioning as more than an appendage of the Trump identity, and that it might be beholden to his brand of gut-driven politics for years. In accepting this reality, Republicans may have made a deal that could give them another four years in the White House, but will set them back decades. After all, Trump wont be around forever to marshal his supporters votes with the flair of a reality show star, and a second-term Trump will have nothing to lose in thrashing norms and institutions the GOP has backed for generations. The party that lionized Ronald Reagans demand that Moscow tear down this wall in Berlin is now silent when Vladimir Putins chief rival is poisoned. Trump takes the stage tonight to close out what has been a week of pandemic-changed staging. But few of the talking points were altered to meet the moment. Shows of empathy for a country that surpassed 180,000 COVID-19 deaths mid-convention were so rare they were newsworthy. Instead, the speakers painted a picture of a Republican Party that is hostile to minorities moving into the suburbs, proudly embraces isolationism and nationalism, and nostalgic for days of yesteryear. Story continues This is not just a choice between Republican and Democrat, or Left and Right, Trumps daughter-in-law and campaign adviser Lara Trump said Wednesday. This is an election that will decide if we keep America America, or if we head down an uncharted, frightening path towards socialism. Or as Vice President Mike Pence put it, in a nod to Trumps successful 2016 slogan: We will make America great again again. Political conventions are never about the minutiae of governance. But they do offer the party leadership an idea of where its membership is going especially among the activists and insiders who labor for years to earn an invite to the less-than-glamorous meetings away from balloon drops and receptions. They form the spine of a partys identity and ideals, if little backbone in practicality. Then they telegraph to the rest of the country what it means to be a member of this tribe. Rather than hash out any of that this year, Trumps convention adopted a one-page resolution saying the GOP has and will continue to enthusiastically support the Presidents America-first agenda. Trying to decode what else Republicans stand for right now yields all sorts of contradictions. First daughter Tiffany Trump apparently forgot that her father literally banned people from countries with Muslim majorities from coming to the U.S. when she uttered this declaration during her Tuesday speech: To all houses of worship and to all people of faith, stripped of our religious freedoms and religious liberties, my father will fight for you. She also said her father had reduced drug prices through an executive order, whose text was supposed to have gone into effect this week but doesnt appear to have ever been released. Similarly, former acting spy chief Richard Grenell declared on Wednesday that for those who seek freedom and take tremendous personal risks, the Trump Administration will support them. Grenell cited Hong Kong, Tehran and Minsk, but left out Russia, where Putins rival was poisoned, and Mexico, where asylum seekers are still trying to find freedom in the United States. Grenell, also a former Ambassador to Germany, defended nationalism in his remarks, and said its no insult when people call Trump a nationalist. Despite this week marking the two-year anniversary of Sen. John McCains death, it drew no mention among the Republicans official program. The lifelong Republican and 2008 GOP nominee had more time in memorial at the Democrats convention last week. Sen. Martha McSally, who was appointed to fill the balance of McCains term and is running for her first full term this fall, didnt utter his name once in her remarks on Wednesday. In turn, The next morning, more than 100 alumni of McCains 2008 campaign announced their support for Biden. They join scores of former aides to George W. Bush and Mitt Romney in doing so. To be sure, there was plenty of traditional Republican imagery and ideology on display: gauzy shots of rural America and promises of freedom, prosperity and economic growth, as Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa said while in a plaid shirt while standing in what appeared to be a barn. But its Trumpism that will define Republicans core ideology on this final day of the convention. So far, only one speaker has articulated the strange place where the party has found itself. In a June primary, Madison Cawthorn elbowed his way past a Trump-selected primary candidate in North Carolina, and made his way onto the stage Wednesday night. If elected, as is expected in the deep Red district, the 25-year-old would be the youngest member of Congress elected in more than 200 years. And he seems to grasp the challenge ahead in his political career in the Republican Party. We are committed to building a new town square. It welcomes all ideas and people. Here, we will have freedom of speech, not freedom from speech, he said on Wednesday. To liberals, lets have a conversation. Be a true liberal, listen to other ideas and let the best ones prevail. To conservatives, lets define what we support and win the argument in areas like health care and the environment. Lets see what that plays out inside the circus tent of Trumps Republican Party once its tentpole leader is gone. Make sense of what matters in Washington. Sign up for the daily D.C. Brief newsletter. President Donald Trump may have changed his official residency from New York to Florida, but he still seems to have a soft spot for his home state. In a largely virtual Republican National Convention that featured a number of high-profile Republicans and Trump loyalists, two New York Congress members took to the podium on the third night of the convention to praise the president. Reps. Elise Stefanik and Lee Zeldin represent a third of the GOP congressional delegation from a state that hasnt voted for a Republican president since Ronald Reagan in 1984. It might be a sign of the president trying to live up to a far-fetched prediction he made earlier this month. In an interview with the New York Post Trump said he is putting New York in play in the presidential election. While the latest poll shows Trump trails former Vice-President Joe Biden by 31 points in New York, showcasing two rising stars from a Democratic stalwart state like New York shows the Republican Party has support in even the most progressive states. And while Zeldins and Stefaniks primetime speeches wont flip the state, they may help rally Republicans in tough congressional races this year, like the challenge Zeldin himself is facing. 2020 is a sharp contrast to 2016, when many of New Yorks prominent Republicans largely avoided backing Trump during the Republican primary and attempted to distance themselves from the man leading their ticket. The most notable exceptions were former Rep. Chris Collins, one of Trumps earliest and staunchest congressional supporters who is now in prison for insider trading and former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, who now is considered by many New Yorkers one of the presidents most unhinged surrogates. But now New York Republicans including relatively moderate ones like Stefanik, with a record of crossing party lines for votes loudly and proudly support the president, appealing to bases in their districts that decisively backed Trump, often by double digits, in 2016. Trump won Zeldins eastern Long Island District by 12 points, and Stefaniks North Country district by 14. The 2018 blue wave that flipped several congressional districts and the state Senate has left the state Republican Party bruised and on the defensive, with more tough races ahead for incumbents and attempts to win back seats. Stefaniks and Zeldins presence at the convention, speaking to an audience of millions, could help to rally that Trump-supporting base that remains present in New York to turnout for down ballot races in November. I think seeing New York Republicans on a national stage would be a boost to the Republican Party in New York, Basil Smikle, a Democratic political consultant in New York, said. I think it helps with the fundraising, I think it helps with their GOTV efforts. However, Smikle doubted that their presence would have any major lasting impacts on the party in the state, and certainly wont help deliver the state in the presidential election. Republican consultant Bill OReilly said that, at this point, support for Trump wont hurt any Republicans in the state because its already baked into the cake, and that giving the two New York Republicans a national stage certainly serves as a reminder to their constituents that they have consequential elections coming up. Zeldin himself is facing a potentially tough challenge in November after winning by four points in 2018. His RNC speech seemed to reflect that, as he recounted how he and the president helped provide for his district during the pandemic. Jared Kushner and I were on the phone late into that Saturday night, after Zeldin learned Suffolk County was running low on personal protective equipment, he said. The very next day, President Donald Trump announced he was sending us 200,000 n95 masks. He spent the rest of his speech praising Trumps pandemic response. Assembly Member Nicole Malliotakis is another Republican facing a tough election shes attempting to unseat freshman Rep. Max Rose and reclaim his Staten Island-based district for the GOP, running on a law-and-order platform. A one-time Marco Rubio supporter who once notably said she wished she hadnt voted for Trump, Malliotakis has now fully embraced the president, who has also endorsed her. She said that Zeldins and Stefaniks invitation to the RNC show that Trump hasnt forgotten his roots and is a great way to showcase conservative voices in a state under one-party rule. Its nice for New York to have a bench for once, Malliotakis said. We have a lot of young Republicans who are getting involved, running for office, and Lee and Elise are leading the way. Other prominent congressional races for Republicans include the one to replace the retiring Rep. Peter King on Long Islands south shore and Rep. John Katkos second challenge from Democrat Dana Balter. Former Rep. Claudia Tenney is also attempting to win back her seat from Rep. Anthony Brindisi in the Mohawk Valley, while Stefanik is fending off a repeat challenge from Tedra Cobb, whom she handily beat in 2018. Certainly, Stefanik and Zeldin are both young rising stars in a party that has been struggling with younger voters. The RNC had a focus on showcasing the diversity of a party overwhelmingly led by old, white men, though the delegates roll call vote was far less diverse than the speaking line up. The two New Yorkers were both part of demographic groups with which the GOP struggles. Though he didnt mention it in his speech, Zeldin is the only Jewish Republican member of Congress, and he has been vocal about anti-Semitism the past. And Stefanik is a young woman the youngest Repbulican woman ever elected to Congress, as she noted in her speech who has made it her goal to recruit more women into the party. Congresswoman Stefanik brings three things to the table: her youth, her gender and her willingness to read the Trump script aloud when the camera lights are the brightest, OReilly said. Those attributes (are) in high demand with this administration. That these lawmakers, who Smikle said could be viewed by Republicans as the future of their party, are from New York is significant as well. I think it's important to remember that New York is a big state, and we have congressional districts that overwhelmingly voted in support of the president, Stefanik told City & State before her speech aired. (Zeldin and I) both flipped districts from blue to red, and it shows that focused, strong Republican candidates with an effective message of delivering results for their districts can win in New York state. In her speech, Stefanik spent about the first minute speaking about the district she represents in the North Country, from the Battle of Saratoga during the Revolution to the Miracle on Ice at Lake Placid in the 1984 Winter Olympics to the modern Fort Drum. Zeldins and Stefaniks high-profile speaking slots could also be viewed as a reward for loyalty to the president during Trumps impeachment. Both lower-profile representatives suddenly found themselves shot into the national spotlight when they took on starring roles in Trumps defense during those hearings late last year. A star is born Trump tweeted of Stefaniks questioning of Marie Yovanovitch, and he has since become even more enamoured with her. Stefanik was one of the only people to bring up impeachment at the RNC, calling it a baseless, illegal sham from Democrats. I was proud to lead the effort standing up for the Constitution, President Trump and most importantly, the American people, Stefanik said during her speech. Zeldin also rose to national prominence thanks to impeachment, emerging quickly as a key public defender of Trump who tried to steer questioning in his favor during depositions. Like so many Republicans in New York, he wasnt always the staunch Trump supporter he is now, although he embraced the president in 2018 when seeking reelection during a Democratic wave year, a strategy that seemed to work well enough to win by four points. Trump also invited other lower-profile loyalists, including Rep. Jeff Van Drew from New Jersey, who abandoned the Democratic Party and joined the GOP after opposing impeachment, and Georgia state Rep. Vernon Jones, a Black Democrat bucking his party to support Trump despite the Georgia GOP reportedly hating him. My loving husband and best friend of 15 years David Perez Rios Smith, 34, passed away on Thursday August 6, 2020 in Rock Springs, Wyoming holding his beloved son. He was a resident of Rock Springs for the last 13 years and is a former resident of Idaho. Mr. Smith attended schools in Idaho and was a 2003 graduate of Cassia High School. He married Chelsey Gale on October 27, 2012 in Rock Springs, Wyoming. David was an amazing man, father, husband, son, brother and friend, David was very accomplished and goal orientated to give his family the life he knew they deserved. David served in the Un... Continue Reading Below Advertisement The museum also reported that staff members tripped and crushed the shoes with a big hammer, before accidentally setting them on fire. The Marcos family denied stealing any treasure from Roxas, but Golden Budha countered by building a formidable alliance of treasure hunters, who swarmed out of the woodwork like shoe termites to testify that Marcos had indeed stolen the treasure. Olof Jonsson descended from the astral plane to testify that he had seen gold bars stacked to the ceiling in Marcos's basement and a golden Buddha statue in the guest house. Robert Curtis testified that Marcos asked him to build a smelter to launder the Yamashita gold, then tried to have him shot in the head in a graveyard when the job was done. Possibly more convincing was the testimony of several metal dealers, who reported that Marcos was indeed interested in laundering large quantities of gold. Continue Reading Below Advertisement Roxas' death in 1993 didn't slow the trial down at all, since he had already signed over his rights to Golden Budha. Slightly more challenging was a competing lawsuit filed by his brother, claiming that he was the rightful heir to the Buddha statue. According to the brother, the statue was never made of gold at all, just bronze or lead, and it should be returned to him to be burned, "so that there will be no evidence against the Marcoses it will not be a cause of shame to our country." But Golden Budha persevered and, in 1996, the Hawaiian courts awarded the Roxas estate $22 billion in compensation. It was described as "the largest verdict probably in the history of jurisprudence in the world," and it was completely uncollectable. The Marcos' billions were hidden in overseas bank accounts and tied up in competing lawsuits from the Philippine government anyway. Continue Reading Below Advertisement Those Philippine lawsuits actually led to a truly spectacular twist in which Imelda Marcos started claiming that her family did possess the Yamashita treasure. In fact, it was the basis of all their wealth, none of which was looted taxpayer money. They simply hadn't mentioned it because their extreme wealth would be too "embarrassing." And that makes sense, since the Marcos family, who once had the Beatles chased out of the country by an enraged mob for merely failing to show up at a palace reception, would want to preserve their reputation for quiet modesty. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison speaks to the media at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, on July 30, 2020. (Sean Davey/Getty Images) Australia Wasnt Built to Have Internal Borders: PM Prime Minister Scott Morrison has signalled that the federal government will ensure Australians have the right to appeal for circumstances related to internal border closures. Australia wasnt built to have internal borders, Morrison told reporters on Aug. 27. He asserted that only extreme circumstances, like the situation in Melbourne, warranted state border closures, and only on proper and transparent medical advice. I will continue to work to ensure that we have a transparent process and a fair process, that there are appropriate appeals rights that are in place for people who are affected by these decisions cause it does affect their lives, he said. However, Wayne Swan, the national president of the Australian Labor Party, thinks the Liberal prime minister is covering for failures in other areas. Swan wrote on Twitter on Aug. 23: Media keeps buying the Morrison line State premier border closures are driven by electoral politics so he can excuse his own massive failures on jobs and age care. Border closures are driven by public opinion correctly informed by science. Federal ministers have previously called out the Queensland government for not releasing the medical advice upon which it based its decision to close the Queensland-New South Wales border. On Aug. 26, the ABC reported that a Sunshine Coast father, Simon Perrow, had not seen his 8-year-old daughter for 18 days. She cried for quite some time, he said, after he tried to explain to her why he couldnt visit her again. The rules came out on that Friday morning, and to be suddenly told that you can no longer see your daughter its heart-wrenching, he told the ABC. As soon as the Queensland government announced the details of the border closure, Perrow drove three-and-a-half hours to see his daughter before the restrictions came into effect. The prime minister suggested border closures had been one issue the national cabinet had not managed to resolve, despite the efforts of the federal government. I can understand Australians are frustrated the border closures are not being addressed as well as wed hope, Morrison told reporters on Aug. 27. That has not been through any lack of effort on the federal governments part, he added. Morrison said the constitutional issues around internal borders were not as clear cut as those relating to the Commonwealths role in foreign affairs. His comments came while announcing proposed new foreign relations laws that will bring alignment among local, state, federal governments on arrangements with foreign nations that affect Australias national interests and foreign affairs. The prime minister said he would have more to say about state borders at a bush summit on Aug. 28. Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk told reporters on Aug. 26 the borders would not open because that was not the health advice she received and because thats what Queenslanders told her they want. If we can minimise the virus coming into Queensland that is keeping the health of our families safe but also it means that we are allowing the economy to open up here and thats good for businesses and thats good for people who are working right across Queensland, she said. The Delhi High Court on Tuesday issued contempt notices to different Army officials and the public works department (PWD) over alleged damage to at least 45 full-grown trees along Ring Road in Dhaula Kuan during the construction of a boundary wall near Delhi Cantonment. The notice was issued to the secretary, Army Environmental Park and Training Area (AEPTA), commandant, Rajputana Rifles Regiment Centre (RRRC), General Officer Commanding (GOC) Station Area and engineer-in-chief of the Public Works Department (PWD). The construction was being carried out by the Station Area (HQs) in the tree line along the periphery of RRRC and AEPTA, while the violated green patch is under PWDs jurisdiction. The PWD and the Delhi forest department had earlier this month issued notices to the Army Station Headquarters for the alleged damage to the trees. The deputy conservator of forest (west) had also issued a restraining order on August 26, asking the Army to stop work. The court directed the principal chief conservator of forests, Delhi government, to submit a status report in the matter before the next date of hearing. The court was hearing a contempt petition filed by a green activist, who had initially complained to the Delhi forest department and the PWD about the violations. The plea pointed at the violation of the courts and the National Green Tribunals (NGT) orders prohibiting any kind of construction activity within one-metre radius of a tree trunk. A senior PWD official on condition of anonymity, said, We have not received the notice so far. We will be in a position to comment only when we see the order. Indian Army spokesperson, Colonel Aman Anand, who denied any damage, said, Our response to the Honble Courts Order will be filed once it is received and studied. Forest officials had earlier said the trenching work for the boundary wall started from the Sawai Man Singh Dwar and goes up to the training area . The stretch is under PWD, which had served a cease and desist notice to the General Officer Commanding of the station area on August 20. Trenching activity within one-metre radius of a tree trunk is a violation of National Green Tribunals 2015 order as well as of the Forest Conservation Act, 1980. It was found that during the trenching work, a total of 45 trees were damaged. The GOC is requested to stop the work in the tree line, it said. The notice says full-grown varieties such as gular, semal, bargad, shehtut, neem and peepal were damaged. Another report by the Delhi forest department based on an inspection on August 7 said 27 trees had been damaged/felled. In case of most trees, the roots have been exposed...The trees are located in a line in front of Metro pillar number 45 to pillar number 79, the report said. When HT visited the spot on Tuesday, work was on. Deep trenches of about 5-6 feet were dug up. A portion had been cleared of trees and levelled with earth. Colonel Anand said a wall was being repaired on certified A1 defence land. The scope involves recasting of plinth in the existing wall along with raising of height of wall at identified places for augmenting security of army area. The work pertains to repair of an existing asset and does not involves fresh construction....neither any trees have been damaged in the process and nor any intent for such an act exists within this organisation. C R Babu, professor emeritus at the Centre for Environment Management of Degraded Ecosystems at DU, said roadside trees and vegetation act as a filter against air pollution. Trees such as gular, bargad, semal and peepal have a high dust-trapping efficiency... Trenching destroys the root system of the trees... SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Debbins is accused of sharing information on his Special Forces units activities and personnel, the names of U.S. counterintelligence operatives, and the name of a fellow Special Forces member he thought might be receptive to recruitment by Russia. In return, prosecutors say, he was given $1,000, a bottle of cognac and a Russian military uniform. In his statement, Debbins said the Russians also offered him the services of prostitutes, which he declined. He said he was asked to provide the Russians with Army field manuals but did not do so. ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- As Valpak continues to innovate within the direct mail environment, the company is excited to announce a strategic partnership with Catalina to help brands leverage point of sale loyalty insights to target specific households within Valpak's trusted audience, all while significantly reducing overall marketing expenditure versus traditional direct mail. Valpak recently announced (April 2020) the advent of a new technology, household select, that allows for in-zone targeting at the household level, becoming the first shared mailer to allow advertisers to select only the households they want to reach while still achieving the postal efficiency of shared mail. To further enhance the value proposition, Valpak has forged a partnership with Catalina to leverage over 30 years of experience and 91 million loyalty card households, records that now can be targeted within Valpak's envelope based on known purchases, preferences and shopper behaviors. "We are very cognizant of the fact that the CPG media landscape is changing, and we want Valpak to help lead that change with a responsive solution" said Jay Loeffler, SVP of National Accounts. "As Valpak continues to scale its industry-leading household select technology, we felt it was a logical progression to tie in with the leader in loyalty to offer brands a new way to reach shoppers based on actual purchase data." The goal of the partnership is to leverage Valpak's 92% open rate and growing audience of 37.5MM monthly households, representing a 6% circulation increase from 2019. This partnership offers brands a new way to target households at a 1-1 level based on messaging that is relevant to past purchase behavior, all for a fraction of what it would cost in traditional direct mail. The partnership has been carefully crafted to adhere to all personally identifiable information (PII) regulations, while revolutionizing the way shared mail can personalize messaging. As a brand, you can now leverage the scale of 37.5MM homes and isolate only the households you want to reach within that universe based on how that household has interacted with your product in the past. Furthermore, you can focus a campaign on brand switching, new acquisition, loyalty maintenance or just pure awareness, all while achieving significant cost savings over what was previously available in direct mail. As the retail landscape continues to become more fragmented and consumers have more choices than ever, the ability to utilize Catalina insights to drive a targeted direct mail message is increasingly relevant. "Consumers today expect first-class service from nearly everything they encounter. First-class service in a world of abundant data is speaking to consumers based on their likes, dislikes and brand preferences. Our expanded partnership with Catalina is a giant step towards having offers customized in each consumer's envelope to their favorite brands, retailers and overall shopping preferences" said Mike Davis, CEO of Valpak. "We are excited to be expanding our partnership with Valpak to include Catalina audiences and measurement services to enable more precision targeting for direct-mail campaigns," said Brian Dunphy, SVP of Channel Sales and Strategic Partnerships at Catalina. "This demonstrates the combined value that Catalina and Valpak can provide to our retailer and brand clients through data-driven execution and the power behind Catalina's multi-channel partner ecosystem program." About Valpak Valpak is the nation's premier direct mailer, trusted by 35,000 businesses to drive sales and brand awareness through easy-to-measure, results-oriented advertising solutions that work. For more than 50 years, Valpak has introduced millions of consumers to local business offers and opportunities. Each month, our Blue Envelope of Savings is mailed to nearly 37.5 million demographically targeted households in the U.S. Valpak's digital products, including valpak.com and Savings.com, reach more than 110 million users. Contact us today to see what Valpak direct marketing can do for your business. Connect with us on Twitter: @Valpak and Facebook: @ValpakAdvertising. About Catalina Catalina is the market leader in shopper intelligence and highly targeted in-store and digital media that personalizes the shopper journey. Powered by the world's richest real-time shopper database, Catalina helps CPG brands, retailers and agencies optimize every stage of media planning, execution and measurement to deliver $6.1 billion in consumer value annually. Based in St. Petersburg, FL, Catalina has operations in the United States, Europe and Japan. To learn more, please visit www.catalina.com or follow us on Twitter @Catalina. Media Contacts Tanya Creel Director, Marketing & Communications Valpak 727-399-3068 [email protected] Wally Petersen Catalina 312-804-3475 [email protected] SOURCE Valpak Related Links www.valpak.com The Bouygues Telecom company logo is seen at a shop in Bordeaux, France, on March 22, 2019. (Regis Duvignau/Reuters) Bouygues to Remove 3,000 Huawei Mobile Antennas in France by 2028 PARISBouygues will replace 3,000 Huawei-made mobile antennas in France by 2028 following a decision by the countrys authorities to remove equipment made by the Chinese company from highly populated areas, Bouyguess deputy CEO said on Thursday. The United States says Huawei equipment can be used by China for spying, an allegation the company denies but which has led many of Washingtons allies to place restrictions on the firm. A number of sites will gradually have to be dismantled, Bouyguess deputy chief executive Olivier Roussat told reporters on a call, adding there were 3,000 sites with Huawei equipment. The dismantling will be carried out over a period of eight years, with a limited impact on our operating results, Roussat said. Bouygues, which also reported forecast-beating first-half results on Thursday, did not say which companys equipment it would use in place of Huaweis. Roussat said Huaweis mobile gear was already banned from the cities of Brest, Strasbourg, Toulouse, and Rennes. Mobile equipment made by the Chinese firm cant be used in Paris either. Bouygues, whose activities span media, construction, and telecoms, has repeatedly said it would seek compensation from the French state if it had to replace Huawei equipment. Asked about that, Roussat said talks were currently taking place with French authorities, declining to comment further. He said the group had also launched several legal procedures in parallel against the French state. The deputy CEO said the bans only targeted highly populated areas so far. By Mathieu Rosemain EXCLUSIVE: Veteran actor Mary Ward may be one of many in Victorias lockdown right now, but at 105 she still has a smile and a twinkle in her eye. Best known for playing Mum on Prisoner from 1979 1981 and devious Dee Morrell in Sons & Daughters in 1983, she may well be Australias oldest living actor. Born in Fremantle in 1915, her lifetime has seen two World Wars, the Spanish Flu and now a Coronavirus pandemic. At 105 she even outlives Hollywood star, Olivia de Havilland. Marys family settled in Broome where her father was a pearler and, later, the local publican. From the age of 5, Mary would set off by boat each year for 9 months of boarding school in Fremantle. In her teen years, she met a young Lang Hancock before he became one of Australias first mining magnates. Mary studied acting in Perth before setting off to London in her early twenties to further her acting career. She also taught elocution and befriended Lionel Logue, who became the speech therapist to King George VI. At the outbreak of WWII, Mary was forced to return to Australia. She joined the ABC and became its first female announcer. Her nightly show was broadcast to the armed forces stationed in the Pacific. She became known as the Forces Sweetheart reading letters and playing music requests. She once said of her role, I was there really to be the girl next door. There were acting roles in UK television and her first film was 1949s Eureka Stockade. In the 1970s she began acting full-time in Australia appearing in such shows as Rush, Homicide, The Young Doctors, I Can Jump Puddles and famously as benevolent Jeanette Mum Brooks on Prisoner (a character serving an 18 year prison sentence for the euthanisation of her terminally-ill husband). Her other credits include The Henderson Kids, GP, The Damnation of Harvey McHugh, Blue Heelers, Jenny Kissed Me, Backstage and Amy. There have also been numerous stage roles, notably with the Melbourne Theatre Company. Nephew Mark Breheny tells TV Tonight, Up until the start of the various lockdowns, my wife and I visited her regularly. She also has visits from her remaining relatives in WA, and to this day remains a proud Western Australian. She really was very much ahead of her time in the pre-war period -an independent, career-minded woman who set off overseas on her own to make her mark. And that she surely did. Unfortunately, the reduced contact she has with people due to the virus lockdowns has slowed her engagement levels but her wonderful smile and the twinkle in her eyes remain. Sitting at a table in his home in Snowflake, Arizona, Steen reads a book encased in a clear, plastic box. The front of the box is fitted with two holes to which latex gloves have been attached. Steen inserts his hands into these gloves and demonstrates how he turns the books pages using wooden pencils inside the box. When asked why he reads books this way, Steen explains: The fumes from the ink is a problem for me, and paper itself is, too. You know, I wouldnt even be able to read a couple of pages before the ink would get to me. Just the ink fumes. Steen is a participant in a 2016 short film by The Guardian[1]that documents the lives of people suffering from what is commonly referred to as multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS). Individuals living with MCS experience a range of symptoms neurological, gastrointestinal, and respiratory from exposure to what are usually considered safe levels of chemicals present in the environment. These chemicals are found in common products such as pesticides, solvents, paint, fragrances and cleaners. People with MCS typically describe the onset of symptoms as coinciding with an accidental exposure to a specific chemical, or occurring after long-term exposure to one or more chemicals in an occupational setting. Once someone has developed MCS, very low doses of many unrelated chemicals may precipitate their symptoms, severely impacting their daily functioning and overall quality of life. However, as the Guardian film reveals, those who suffer the symptoms associated with MCS are often dismissed by the mainstream medical establishment; and the validity of the diagnosis as a real illness has been repeatedly contested by medical professional associations and societies. Thus, whilst people with MCS maintain that their symptoms are physiological in nature and caused by chemical agents producing biological effects, certain medical entities, in concert with insurance companies and worker compensation organisations, have argued that the condition has purely psychogenic origins (Kroll-Smith & Ladd, 1993; Staudenmayer, 1999). At the heart of these debates is the theme of etiology; what are the causes of MCS symptoms, and on what side of the individual-environment binary do they lie? Etiological explanations of MCS have significant political ramifications, and a number of commentators suggest that the deligitimisation of MCS by mainstream medicine has been motivated by specific interests (Kroll-Smith & Ladd, 1993; Gibson, 1997). Today, MCS is variously referred to as universal allergy, 20th century disease, chemical hypersensitivity syndrome, total allergy syndrome, and cerebral allergy. As these names suggest, the experiences of people with MCS point to a deeper epistemological and ontological conflict at the centre of chemical sensitivity. This conflict revolves around who gets to know and what counts as knowledge. More specifically, what kinds of evidence count as real in contemporary society, and how does illness and its causes come to be verified? For instance, chief amongst the arguments of medical professional societies against the validity of MCS are that no clear cause and effect relationships can be identified between specific chemicals and reported symptoms, and that apparent effects occurred at levels of chemicals often orders of magnitudes lower than established toxic levels (AAAAI, 1999). On the other hand, those experiencing MCS exhibit an embodied response to what they argue is a toxic world. The implications of these opposing epistemological regimes[2] (embodied, situated etc vs. biomedical, objective etc.) are relevant for all of us, and can perhaps be captured by the question of whether the apparently banal environment of late capitalist consumer culture, with its ubiquitous plasticisers, pesticides and off-gassing materials, is actually dangerous for human health. If MCS is a real condition, and is really caused by low levels of environmental chemicals, then we are all at risk of developing such responses to the environment. Emerging Patterns of Disease In Mad Travelers: Reflections on the Reality of Transient Mental Illnesses (1998), philosopher of science Ian Hacking develops a model to understand how new diseases arise at particular times and places. According to Hacking, certain illnesses thrive in what he terms particular ecological niches. A niche is formed at the convergence of specific historical, social, technical and institutional conditions, and, when these conditions mutate, the illness recedes. Hackings model was developed specifically with reference to what he terms transient mental illnesses; an illness that appears at a time, in a place, and later fades away[it may] reappear from time to time (1998: 2). Some historical accounts of MCS have argued for a hypothetical continuity between 19th and early 20th century hysterical disorders and modern chemical sensitivities, claiming that these new diseases are in fact new iterations of old diseases. For instance, historian of medicine Edward Shorter (1997) argues that chemical sensitivity is merely a mass hysteria, identical in form to previous cases, but merely attributed to the presence of new chemicals in the environment. One concern with these accounts is that the diagnosis of hysterical conceals more than it reveals; hysteria has often been used as a catch-all diagnosis for any set of physical symptoms with unknown organic causes. Moreover, despite its professed historical grounding, this interpretation of chemical sensitivity is in fact a deeply ahistorical way of explaining the illness. Shorters analysis neglects several components of the historicity of newly described diseases; MCS is able to emerge only under the correct conditions (its niche); the question therefore is not whether an illness called MCS/hysteria has or has not always existed but had different names but rather under what conditions can/does MCS emerge? Because MCS emerges under particular institutional conditions it then exercises its own causal efficacy as a category, and it is in this way that any hypothetical continuity between hysteria and MCS is disrupted. Shorter further argues that chemical causes for chemical sensitivity are historically implausible, stating that the world has been awash for a hundred years in chemicals supposedly responsible for this new disease (1997: 39). According to these arguments, the role of chemicals in chemical sensitivity is of symbolic or psychological relevance only, allowing sufferers to construct an internally consistent belief system that validates the reality and organic nature of their physiological symptoms. However, the second half of the 20th century has seen the creation of (tens of) thousands of new synthetic chemicals (and counting), along with thorough reorganisations of built environments and work patterns. All of this has produced a radically transformed chemosphere to which people are now exposed (Miller and Ashford, 1998; see also Murphy, 2006). Claudia Miller, a Texas based physician and researcher who began her career in occupational health, puts these socio-historical considerations into a biological context, stating on her website that: After World War II, people began using a broad range of synthetic organic chemicals in their homes and work. From cleaning fluids and fragrances, to construction materials and pesticides, many of these chemicals are novel having been invented in the last 70 years. Over this time our genes have not changed. This means our bodies elaborate detoxification systems are not equipped to effectively deal with these new substances[3]. Such substances include the organochloride and organophosphate pesticides, as well as a host of plastic-technologies, pharmaceuticals and other petrochemical derivatives. Through remaining intellectually sensitive to the profound shifts in chemical composition of the built environments and consumer cultures of post World War II, Miller suggests that chemical illness realises an uncoupling between human biology and its modern environment, realised as a result of the contradiction between humanitys inventive capacities (of synthetic chemicals) and its biological limitations. Millers thesis is that the conjunction of the newly transformed chemosphere with human biology is manifesting in disease processes not encountered before. As a physician, Miller has synthesised her clinical observations of chemically sensitive individuals into a new theory of disease that she terms Toxicant Induced Loss of Tolerance or TILT (Miller 1997; 1999). In developing and relaying this model, she repeatedly places emphasis on the importance of taking detailed histories and clinical information from patients suffering from chemical sensitivities. Indeed, through being sensitive to such accounts, the TILT model formalises the internal structure and form of chemical illness and MCS; according to which sensitivity to chemicals appears to be the consequence of a two-step process: loss of tolerance in susceptible persons following exposure to various toxicants, and subsequent triggering of symptoms by extremely small quantities of previously tolerated chemicals (Miller 1997). In Millers model, large or repeated exposures to chemicals exceed the bodies ability to adapt and its homeostatic mechanisms break down. Subsequent exposures are then able to induce symptoms at successively lower doses (Miller 1997; 1999). In one of Millers articles about the TILT model of chemical sensitivity, through drawing reference to the germ and immune theories of disease, the author states that historically, new theories of disease arose when physicians observed patterns of illness that did not fit accepted explanations for disease at that time (Miller 1997). She argues that we are currently in such a time and that MCS is such a pattern of illness. Millers project, therefore, is the development of a new theory of disease, a theory of chronic diseases specific to late industrial society as triggered by chemical contaminants. Chemical illness presents itself as a new pattern of disease emerging in the interstices of increased environmental chemicals, changing scientific knowledge and medical practice and various socio-cultural factors. It is in this context that the TILT model aims at a thorough overhaul of standard toxicological theory, contributing to scientific debate concerning the origins of disease (Miller 1997). The epistemological shift prompted by MCS reflects the limitations of current models of disease origin in explaining its symptoms. Such a shift can be thought of productively inside Hackings ecological niche theory; the constellation of factors surrounding the emergence of chemical illness extends beyond a world awash in chemicalsfor hundreds of years; rather, it is a vast network of visibilities and invisibilities enabled through various medical and social practices. Millers formulation of the TILT model contributes to the construction of this illness niche, as she is creating a larger framework of diagnosis, a taxonomy of illness (Hacking 1998: 2) and it is only within this habitat that MCS can thrive. The Vicissitudes of Biomedicine By design the TILT model remains neutral with respect to specific biological mechanisms at play in MCS. This is because TILT describes a pattern of illness, one that cannot be captured by a singular biological mechanism but by many potentially overlapping pathways. In her book Chemical Exposures: low levels and high stakes (1998), co-authored with Nicholas Ashford, however, Miller does offer some potential immuno and neuro-mediated mechanisms that might contribute to chemical sensitivity. Another chemical sensitivity researcher, William Meggs, who approaches chemical illness less as a clinician and more as a toxicologist, points out that neurogenic inflammation, identified as early as 1910, is a potential mechanism mediating physical symptoms in response to chemical exposure. In neurogenic inflammation, chemicals activate chemoreceptors on peripheral nerve endings leading to the release of inflammatory mediators. This produces symptoms such as local irritation, coughing, burning etc. Moreover, neuronal signals initiated at chemo-receptors by environmental chemicals may be routed through the spinal and central nervous systems to efferent neurons terminating in tissues distal to the insult site. Inflammatory processes may then be set up at these distal sites, resulting in pain, itching etc. This process, referred to as neurogenic switching helps to explain the multi-organ system symptoms of chemical sensitivity and exemplifies objective processes that may underlie unexplained symptoms in response to environmental chemicals (Meggs, 1995; 2017). Meggs also draws our attention to the common chemical sense that renders the human organism exquisitely sensitive to chemicals present in the environment and provides a potential physio-anatomical substrate for chemical sensitivity (Meggs, 1993). The mucous membranes of the nose and throat, as well as the epithelial cells of the eyes and airways are densely innervated with chemo-receptive neurons. Activation and over-activation of these neuronal pathways by environmental chemicals results in their remodelling, leading them to become super-sensitive to future exposures. More recently, mechanisms involving chemo-reception and neuronal sensitisation have been subsumed into psychobiosocial models of MCS (Bell et al. 1996; 2001; Nordin, 2020). This research, often coming out of psychology and psychiatry departments, culminates in notions of allostatic load[4] which distribute the causes of chemical illness amongst many different (social, biological, genetic) factors and events dispersed in time and space, with no true initiating cause. In these analyses, which build on basic biological mechanisms and pathways to (re)-render chemical illness a misinterpretation by the body that the environment is dangerous, chemical exposure becomes just one factor in the calculus of disease. This hypothesis, which stands in contrast to Millers two-step TILT model, also relies on a psycho-biographical situatedness of the subject to explain chemical sensitivity, and tends toward locating illness in individual idiosyncrasy rather than environmental exposure.[5] As the above examples make clear, biomedicine has had a fraught relationship with MCS, and seems to paint the picture of a case in which the experimental paradigm, the test performed, and the expert knowledge deployed embodies the very assumptions being assessed. Regimes of Perceptibility Different approaches to the study of MCS, both within and outside of biomedicine, constitute what Michelle Murphy terms regimes of perceptibility. It is through the specific practices of scientists, toxicologists, psychologists, lawmakers, etc. that certain aspects of chemical illness are rendered legible or illegible. Biomedicines job is therefore not to unearth the essence of chemical illness, but to illuminate certain facets of it, whilst at the same time (intentionally or not) interacting with its object of study. As Murphy writes in the introduction to Sick Building Syndrome and the Problem of Uncertainty: Environmental Politics, Technoscience, and Women Workers (2006), the very terms of the question of is it real or notcan be understood as an effect of historical processes (18). Biomedicine has played a central, if equivocal, role in such processes. Thinking about MCS in the context of regimes of perceptibility therefore challenges the authority of one specific discourse and knowledge system in accessing and representing the true nature of chemical illness. This perspective also allows for a different perspective on the contested nature of chemical illness, as well as some of its political implications. In one sense, a parallel may be drawn between Freuds 18th/19th century hysterics and the chemically sensitive individuals of today. This parallel, however, is not between the essences or true natures of the illnesses, but between how both of the illnesses have been contested over time and provided fertile ground for development of feminist epistemologies. Freuds hysterics were predominantly women subjects who exhibited many mysterious physical symptoms that were, similarly to MCS today, unexplainable by recourse to organic or physiological knowledge available at that time. Using his method of psychoanalysis, Freud argued that these women somatised or physically manifested mental traumas, which he invariably ascribed to sexual incidents. For instance, Freud remarked of Dora, his most famous hysteric, that her cough and aphonia were expressions of her (repressed) desire for oral sex with her father. In response to Freuds interpretations, many commentators have since located the origin of the hysterics trauma within patriarchal oppression, arguing that the hysterics body registered the oppressive forces against which it contended (Hunter, 1983; Moi, 1981, Ramas, 1980). These shifting understandings of hysteria were afforded not by the illnesses niche, but by an intellectual or scholarly niche. In the case of hysteria, there was a temporal gap between its descriptions and interpretations by Frued (1890s 1900s) and its reclamation within feminist psychoanalysis (1980s 1990s) whereas with MCS today, its delegitimisation is synchronous with its contestation. The parallel between MCS and hysteria is that both conditions are contested, being understood differently by people in different positions using different frameworks of understanding. These different understandings are not relative, however. And although one may be no more true than another, they each prescribe vastly different courses of political and ethical action. A good question to ask is why is mainstream medicine or society hesitant to take the bodily symptoms of chemical illness literally, that is, as the effects of chemicals present in the environment? Some scholars argue it is because they do not want to hear the message of the environmentally unwell and chemically sensitive person (Hosey, 2011; Gibson, 1997). The chemically sensitive persons body knows something that consumer and petrochemical culture is aggressively uninterested in (Hosey, 2011) precisely because it is an accusation of the unsustainability and toxicity of that very culture. Feminist Epistemologies Thus, whilst reading hysteria as a symbolic and metaphorical disease could be co-opted within a psychoanalytical framework that reclaimed it for feminist ends, viewing chemical illness as metaphorical risks shift[ing] attention away from the toxic chemicals and consumer practices that might result in illness? (Hosey 2011). Some feminist critiques argue that what renderings of chemical illness require is not a shift internal to the psychoanalytic and metaphorical tradition that focuses on the immaterial and socially constructed causes of disease, but a shift from this tradition to a material understanding of toxic chemicals and their impacts on bodily health. Within such situated feminist epistemologies, the body is conceived of as being coextensive with its environment and ever porous to it. This transcorporeal nature of the body means it acts as a truthful, meaningful and relevant registration of the environments health, despite the claims of an objective biomedicine. This is evident in Stacey Alaimos (2010) encouragement for us to interpret the bodily symptoms of MCS metonymically. She argues that the deterioration of bodily functions in chemical illness participates in a chain of material significations in which environmental illness extends the body outward into a trans-corporal space (2010: 115). In other words, Alaimo argues that a toxic and unwell body implicates a toxic and unwell environment. As the biomedical research reviewed above makes clear, however, these ways of knowing the world are not squarely opposed. A number of the disease models and physiological mechanisms reviewed above are part of a line of research that can be seen as both scientific/objective and situated/embodied and can participate productively in critical and feminist projects. The need for ongoing evaluation of our epistemologies to reflect the changing social and material aspects of existence is underscored well by MCS, as are the political implications of our favoured epistemological regimes. From this perspective, which is relevant for us all, the focus of chemical sensitivity research must extend beyond the unwell individual and onto society, its material practices of chemical production, usage, circulation and contamination, and must continue to be addressed from a number of interdisciplinary and critical perspectives. Aaron Bradshaw is currently a postdoctoral researcher working at University College London (UCL). Bradshaws lab-based work focuses on modelling the biology of neurodegenerative disease in cell culture models. Bradshaw has recently begun focusing more closely on the sociology and philosophy of science, and, in theoretical research, attempting to draw links between the natural and the social sciences to gain new perspectives on both. Bradshaw has a BSc in Pharmacology from the University of Leeds, a PhD in Cellular Neuroscience from UCL and a Graduate Certificate in Psychosocial Studies from Birkbeck College, University of London. Notes [1] Snowflake, Arizona: where the residents are allergic to life. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMzEmvv48pE&t=86s [2] These regimes are neither entirely opposed nor completely stable. One question is whether or not they are incommensurable. I address this towards the end of this essay. [3] From TILT A New Class of Diseases: How Exposures to Chemicals are Undermining Our Mental and Physical Health, available at http://new.drclaudiamiller.com/ [4] Allostatic load is defined as the cost of chronic exposure to elevated or fluctuating endocrine or neural responses resulting from chronic or repeated challenges that the individual experiences as stressful from Sciencedirect. [5] It is important to note that these models (especially Bell et al. 2001) are also explicitly gendered in their explanations of chemical illness. Bell et al. (2001) comment on how females, by virtue of their biology, are more prone to neuronal sensitisation than males. This aspect doesnt invoke individual idiosyncrasy to explain chemical sensitivity, but constructs sensitivity as an intrinsic feature of female biology. A number of publications deal explicitly with chemical illness from a feminist perspective. See, for example, Gibson, 1997; Hose, 2011; and Murphy, 2006 chapter 3 especially. Works cited AAAAI Board of Directors. Idiopathic environmental intolerances. Position Statement. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology 103 (1999): 36-40 Alaimo, Stacey. Bodily Natures: Science, Environment, and the Material Self. Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 2010 Bell, Iris R, Carol M Baldwin and Gary E R Schwartz. Sensitisation studies in chemically intolerant individuals: Implications for individual difference research. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 933 (2001): 38-47 Bell, Iris R. et al. Neural sensitisation and physiological markers in multiple chemical sensitivity. Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology 24 (1996): S39-S47 Gibson, Pamela Reed. Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, Culture and Delegitimization: A Feminist Analysis. Feminism and Psychology 7.4 (1997): 475-493 Hacking, Ian. Mad Travellers: Reflections on the reality of transient mental illnesses. Charlottesville and London: University Press of Virginia, 1998 Hacking, Ian. The Social Construction of What? Massachusetts and London: Harvard University Press, 1999 Hosey, Sara. Canaries and coalmines: Toxic discourse in The Incredible Shrinking Woman and Safe. Feminist Formations 23.2 (2011): 77-97 Hunter, Dianne. Hysteria, Psychoanalysis, and Feminism: The Case of Anna O. Feminist Studies 9.3 (1983): 464-488 KrollSmith, Steve and Anthony E Ladd. Environmental illness and biomedicine: Anomalies, exemplars, and the politics of the body. Sociological Spectrum 13.1 (1993): 7-33 Meggs, William J. Neurogenic inflammation and sensitivity to environmental chemicals. Environmental Health Perspectives 101.3 (1993): 234-238 Meggs, William J. Neurogenic switching: A hypothesis for a mechanism for shifting the site of inflammation in allergy and chemical sensitivity. Environmental Health Perspectives 103.1 (1995): 54-55 Meggs, William J. The role of neurogenic inflammation in chemical sensitivity. Ecopsychology 9.2 (2017): 83-89 MIller, Claudia S. and Nicholas Ashford. Chemical Exposures: Low Levels, High Stakes, 2nd Edition. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1998 Miller, Claudia S. Are we on the threshold of a new theory of disease? Toxicant induced loss of tolerance and its relationship to addiction and abdiction. Toxicology and Industrial Health 15 (1999): 284-294 Miller, Claudia S. Toxicant induced loss of tolerance An emerging theory of disease? Environmental Health Perspectives 105.Sup-2 (1997): 445-453 Moi, Toril. Representation of Patriarchy: Sexuality and Epistemology in Freuds Dora. Feminist Review 9 (1981): 60-74 Murphy, Michelle. Sick Building Syndrome and the Problem of Uncertainty: Environmental Politics, Technoscience and Women Workers. Durham and London: Duke University Press, 2006 Nordin, Steven. Mechanisms underlying nontoxic indoor air health problem: A review. International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health 226 (2020): 113489 Ramas, Maria. Freuds Dora, Doras Hysteria: The Negation of a Womans Rebellion. Feminist Studies 6.3(1980): 472-510 Shorter, Edward. Multiple chemical sensitivity: pseudodisease in historical perspective. Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health 23.Sup-3 (1997): 35-42 Staudenmayer, Herman. Idiopathic environmental intolerances (IEI): myth and reality. Toxicology Letters 120.1-3 (2001): 333-342 White, Mary Terrell, Jeanne Parr Lemkau and Mark E. Clasen. Fibromyalgia. A Feminist Biopsychosocial Perspective. Women & Therapy 23.1 (2001): 45-58 Share this: Share Email Facebook Twitter Reddit Tumblr LinkedIn [view academic citations] [hide academic citations] Overview Doptelet (avatrombopag) - Drug Insight and Market Forecast 2030 report outlays comprehensive insights of the product indicated for the treatment of its approved condition. New York, Aug. 26, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Doptelet (avatrombopag) - Drug Insight and Market Forecast - 2030" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p05865966/?utm_source=GNW A detailed picture of the Doptelet (avatrombopag) in Seven Major Markets, i.e., United States, EU5 (Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom), and Japan, for the study period 20172030 is provided in this report along with a detailed description of the product. The product details covers mechanism of action, dosage and administration, route of synthesis, and pharmacological studies, including product marketed details, regulatory milestones, and other development activities. Further, it also consists of market assessments inclusive of the market forecast, SWOT analysis, and detailed analyst views. It further highlights the market competitors, late-stage emerging therapies, and patent details in the global space. Doptelet (avatrombopag) is a second generation, once daily, orally administered TPO receptor agonist approved for the treatment of thrombocytopenia in adult patients with CLD who are scheduled to undergo a procedure. Doptelet is designed to mimic the effects of TPO, the primary regulator of normal platelet production. Portal vein thrombosis has been reported in patients with chronic liver disease treated with TPO receptor agonists. In the ADAPT-1 and ADAPT-2 clinical trials, there was 1 treatment-emergent event of portal vein thrombosis in a patient (n=1/430) with chronic liver disease and thrombocytopenia treated with Doptelet. The drug should not be administered to patients with chronic liver disease in an attempt to normalize platelet counts. In April 2020, AkaRx announced Doptelet has been granted approval from the China National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) for the treatment of thrombocytopenia in adult patients with chronic liver disease (CLD) who are scheduled to undergo a procedure (i.e., the CLD indication). Scope of the report The report provides insights into: A comprehensive product overview including the product description, mechanism of action, dosage and administration, route of synthesis, pharmacological studies (pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics) and adverse reactions. Elaborated details on regulatory milestones and other development activities have been provided in this report. The report also highlights the drug marketed details across the United States, Europe and Japan. The report also covers the patents information with expiry timeline around Doptelet (avatrombopag) . The report contains historical and forecasted sales for Doptelet (avatrombopag) till 2030. Comprehensive coverage of the late-stage emerging therapies (Phase III) in the space with a brief snapshot of the details. The report also features the SWOT analysis with analyst insights and key findings of Doptelet (avatrombopag) . Methodology The report is built using data and information sourced primarily from internal databases, primary and secondary research and in-house analysis s team of industry experts. Information and data from the secondary sources have been obtained from various printable and nonprintable sources like search engines, news websites, global regulatory authorities websites, trade journals, white papers, magazines, books, trade associations, industry associations, industry portals and access to available databases. Doptelet (avatrombopag) Analytical Perspective In-depth Doptelet (avatrombopag) Market Assessment This report provides a detailed market assessment of Doptelet (avatrombopag) in Seven Major Markets, i.e., United States, EU5 (Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom), and Japan. This segment of the report provides historical and forecasted sales data from 2017 to 2030. Doptelet (avatrombopag) Clinical Assessment The report provides the clinical trials information of Doptelet (avatrombopag) covering trial interventions, trial conditions, trial status, start and completion dates. Report highlights In the coming years, the market scenario for Doptelet (avatrombopag) is set to change due to the extensive research in the treatment of the indicated condition and incremental healthcare spending across the world; which would expand the size of the market to enable the drug manufacturers to penetrate more into the market. The companies and academics are working to assess challenges and seek opportunities that could influence Doptelet (avatrombopag) dominance. The therapies under development are focused on novel approaches to treat/improve the disease condition. Other approved products for the disease are giving market competition to Doptelet (avatrombopag) and launch of late-stage emerging therapies in the near future will significantly impact the market. A detailed description of regulatory milestones, development activities, and some key findings provide the current market scenario of Doptelet (avatrombopag) . Our in-depth analysis of the sales data of Doptelet (avatrombopag) from 2017 to 2030 will support the clients in the decision-making process regarding their therapeutic portfolio by identifying the overall scenario of the Doptelet (avatrombopag) in the market. Key Questions What is the prescribed dosage and strengths of Doptelet (avatrombopag) are available in the market? What are the common adverse reactions or side effects of Doptelet (avatrombopag) ? What is the product type, route of administration and mechanism of action of Doptelet (avatrombopag) ? What are the chemical specifications of Doptelet (avatrombopag) ? How are the clinical trials diversified on the basis of the trial status? What is the history of Doptelet (avatrombopag) , and what is its future? What are the marketed details of Doptelet (avatrombopag) in the seven major countries, including the United States, Europe (Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom), and Japan? How many patents have been granted to Doptelet (avatrombopag) and when these patents will get expire? What are the pros (benefits) and cons (disadvantages) of Doptelet (avatrombopag) ? In which countries Doptelet (avatrombopag) got approval and when it gets launched? What are the clinical trials are currently ongoing for Doptelet (avatrombopag) ? How the safety and efficacy results determined the approval of Doptelet (avatrombopag) ? What are the key collaborations, mergers and acquisitions, licensing and other activities related to the Doptelet (avatrombopag) development? What are the key designations that have been granted to Doptelet (avatrombopag) ? What is the historical and forecasted market scenario of Doptelet (avatrombopag) ? How is the market trend of Doptelet (avatrombopag) is different in the Seven Major Markets (the United States, EU5 [Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom], and Japan)? What are the other approved products available and how these are giving competition to Doptelet (avatrombopag) ? Which are the late-stage emerging therapies under development for the treatment of the indicated condition? Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05865966/?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. __________________________ Story continues CONTACT: Clare: clare@reportlinker.com US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001 The new Australia logo will be reworked after it was widely slammed for looking too much like a coronavirus cell. The design, which features an abstract depiction of Australia's iconic wattle tree and took $10million to develop, was approved by Trade Minister Simon Birmingham in July before being savaged online. Critics said it looked like a microscopic view of a coronavirus cell with its cluster of gold lines topped off with round tips. Once the new logo is finalised it will be used at international trade shows to promote Australian industry, replacing the old design of two boomerangs in the shape of Australia's east and west coastlines. The new Australia logo (pictured) will be redesigned after it was slammed by critics for looking too much like a coronavirus cell under a microscope The logo, which cost $10million to develop, was approved by Trade Minister Simon Birmingham (pictured) in July before it was savaged by critics and scrapped soon after The Federal Government said the final design would still focus on the 'wattle glow' featured in the failed attempt, The Australian revealed. Sky News host Chris Kenny was the first to liken the new logo to a coronavirus cell. 'Really, this logo makes it look like coronavirus under a microscope,' he said. It was also savaged by Australians after being revealed to the public in July. 'Looks just like a coronavirus,' one YouTube user wrote. 'So they wasted $10million on a design that isn't even usable or identifiable. Glad to see funds are being spent wisely,' another replied. 'What a joke. Committees should be banned,' a third user added. The new design is set to replace the old Australia logo (pictured), which featured two boomerangs in the shape of the country, and will be used at trade shows to promote Australian industry Meanwhile the iconic Australian made badge, featuring a yellow kangaroo on a green background, will also be redesigned to appear darker in colour. Minister Birmingham assured people the new Australia logo was never meant to replace the iconic Australian made. According to Roy Morgan Research, the Australian Made design is recognised by 99% of Australians and trusted by 88%. 'The government remains 100 per cent committed to the Australian Made kangaroo logo, providing $5million earlier this year to increase its recognition,' he said. Daily Mail Australia has contacted Mr Birmingham for further comment. HOLLY BEACH, La. Robert Eggert drove up to this battered seaside town early Thursday and nearly lost his breakfast. His stomach churned as he scanned the homes swept from their foundations, crumpled trailers, RVs flipped like toy cars and power poles snapped in half. The small travel trailer and outdoor shower he rented to tourists nicknamed The Runes was nowhere to be seen. Hurricane Lauras center made landfall 10 miles east of here near tiny Cameron, Louisiana, with winds estimated at 150 mph, and demolished nearly everything in its path. I was so sick to my stomach, I was going to throw up, said Eggert, who rode out the storm in nearby Constance Beach, Louisiana. Everythings gone. Eggert joined scores of other residents along the southwestern Louisiana Gulf Coast who emerged from Lauras furious overnight punishment late Wednesday into Thursday morning to witness a landscape decimated by the muscular Category 4 storm. Hurricane Laura battered western portions of Louisiana on Thursday, ripping apart buildings, severing power lines and clogging streets with debris as a dangerous storm surge trailed behind. More than 800,000 customers were without power, and at least four deaths had been reported in the state. Residents take in the widespread destruction in Holly Beach, Louisiana, on Aug. 27, 2020, the day Hurricane Laura hit the Gulf Coast as a Category 4 storm Fortunately, most of the 7,000 residents of Cameron Parish, where Holly Beach is located, had evacuated. But there were reports that anywhere from 50 to 150 people had stayed behind, some planning to ride out the storm in elevated homes and others in recreational vehicles. The result could have been deadly. The storm surge forecast was dire: Up to 20 feet of seawater had been forecast to flood the area. "Its a very sad situation," Ashley Buller, the parish's assistant director of emergency preparedness, said Wednesday before the storm hit. "We did everything we could to encourage them to leave." The whereabouts of many of those who didn't flee remained unknown as of Thursday afternoon. Authorities had yet to reach the hardest-hit areas of the parish. Story continues Hurricane Laura live coverage:: Trump to visit damaged areas; at least 4 dead after 'extensive' damage to Louisiana Widespread destruction is seen in Holly Beach, Louisiana, after Hurricane Laura hit the Gulf Coast as a Category 4 storm on Aug. 27, 2020. Cameron Parish is no stranger to hurricanes. It has been smashed by several in the past, including Audrey in 1957, Rita in 2005 and Ike in 2008. Each one left the parish in various states of ruin. Audrey was especially horrific: It killed 500 people in the state, many of them in Cameron Parish. It remains the deadliest natural disaster in the history of southwest Louisiana, the National Weather Service said. In nearby Vermillion Parish just east of Cameron, according to CNN, the Sheriff's Office had advised residents before Laura hit to "please evacuate, and if you choose to stay and we can't get to you, write your name, address, social security number and next of kin and put it a Ziploc bag in your pocket. Praying that it does not come to this." Hours after the system made landfall, initial reports offered hope that the destruction might be less than originally feared in some areas, but a full damage assessment in the worst-hit areas could take days. "I will tell you the damage was extensive," Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said in an interview with CNN. "The wind speed was as promised. Right now I believe we got a break on the storm surge about half of what was projected." A utility pole was no match for the ferocity of Hurricane Laura in Holly Beach, Louisiana, on Aug. 27, 2020. The storm surge had been forecast for as high as 20 feet in parts of Cameron Parish, but it hit shore at "only" 11 feet in one part of the parish, Edwards said. But National Hurricane Center storm surge specialist Jamie Rhome said that the center's "initial analysis indicate it was as bad as feared in Cameron Parish." The 11-foot reading may have been on the far western side of the parish, not the east side, where the surge was higher, Rhome said. "We don't have any observations, so it is premature to say the surge was X feet," he said. "Our 'hindcast' model analysis suggests the forecast of 10-20 feet (surge) verified, but east of Cameron, Louisiana." Regardless, Laura unleashed its full-frontal fury on southwestern Louisiana, pummeling Holly Beach and Cameron before pushing north into Lake Charles and Sulphur. Holly Beach is a mostly vacation community with vast, unrestricted views of the Gulf of Mexico. It is a vibrant, friendly community that had only recently recovered from widespread damage caused by Hurricane Rita in 2005, Eggert said. Now, the work was starting over. Storm debris spread across the entire town. Walls were blown off homes and businesses, revealing urinals and beer signs inside. Trailers were flipped and roofs of homes were crushed. Some homes built on stilts survived mostly intact; others all but vanished from their foundations. I thought it might be bad, Eggert said, but I didnt know it was going to be this bad. Jervis reported from Holly Beach, Louisiana, Rice from Bethesda, Maryland. Contributing: The Associated Press This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Hurricane Laura decimates Cameron Parish, Louisiana The Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition has unveiled the official logo in Osaka where the event will be held. The winning design was created by a team of six and features a dozen "bouncing" red cells in the shape of an O, the initial of the host city. It was selected from among 5,894 submissions. The creators say the design represents the "brilliance of life" and reflects the Expo's theme, "Designing Future Society for Our Lives." The logo was highly rated for its uniqueness and strong presence. Representing the team of creators, art director Shimada Tamotu said he was stunned by the news. He said he was inspired by the Tower of the Sun, an iconic structure built for the 1970 World Expo in Osaka, which he saw as a child. He said he was aiming to create something original. He added that he is thrilled that the logo will serve as the face of the Expo over the next five years. The secretary general of the Association, Ishige Hiroyuki, said he believes the logo enhances hopes for the future. He pledged to work to make the upcoming Expo appealing to everyone. A distress email from a Delhi woman to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday night (Indian time), seeking his urgent help and threatening to kill herself if help did not reach her in two hours, send the Delhi Police into a tizzy, with officers acting swiftly to locate and rescue her. The sensitive nature of her email had Johnsons office contacting the Indian High Commission in London, which in turn alerted the external affairs ministry (MEA) in Delhi. The ministry wasted no time in passing on the information to the Delhi Police, seeking their immediate intervention in saving the womans life, officers privy to the matter said. The Delhi Police launched a door-to-door search operation and within two hours, they managed to trace her location to a house in Rohinis Sector 21 from where she was rescued, the police said. The woman was found living in an unhygienic condition and it looked like her house had not been cleaned in years. The woman was of poor mental health possibly due to breakdown of her marriage and a huge financial burden from past loans, deputy commissioner of police (Rohini) Pramod Kumar Mishra said. DCP Mishra said on Wednesday around 11pm -- it was around 6.30pm in London -- the 42-year-old woman sent the email to Johnson, seeking his urgent help and sounding to be in an extremely distressed state of mind. She further said that if help is not met in the next two hours, she would commit suicide. The Indian high commission in London immediately contacted the MEA officials in India and sought their quick response as the womans life appeared to be at stake. Subsequently, the information reached Aman Vihar police station from where 10 personnel were sent to locate her, Mishra said. The information sharing procedure from London to the Delhi Police involved multiple channels and took around 45 minutes. The 10-member Aman Vihar police team took around an hour to locate her, said a police officer, requesting anonymity. Asked how the woman got Johnsons email address, DCP Mishra said, She is being counselled. As and when we get this information, we will share it. An officer, who was part of the rescue team, said the rescue was difficult as they only had her name and an incomplete address to go by. The team had to undertake a door-to-door search. All the while, police kept trying the phone number mentioned in the email, but there was no answer. With the help of local security guards and residents, we reached the building where the woman lived alone on the third floor. However, despite our repeated persuasions, the woman did not open the door. So, we called in a team from the fire department and while they were about to break open the door, she opened it, the officer said. DCP Mishra said the woman looked fraught with anxiety and fear.She requested the rescue team to leave and told them that she was okay. Obliging her, only a few officers stayed back while the others left. Thereafter, the officers counselled her and went inside the house to find some 16-18 cats roaming around, he said. During the course of counselling, the officer said, the woman told them that she used to teach at a municipal school but resigned because of personal reasons. The woman also spoke of her divorce, almost a decade ago, and her financial crisis. It appears that the stress of the financial burden took a toll on her mental health. We called in two psychologists and a doctor to address her problems and advise us if we should obtain the requisite assent to shift her to the Institute of Human Behaviour & Allied Sciences for further treatment, DCP Mishra said. A police officer said the woman is currently at her home and is being counselled. Her house has also been cleaned, the officer said. No other official comment was forthcoming on the matter. The suspects in a Wednesday morning armed robbery at Bomgaars in Council Bluffs remain at large. Council Bluffs Police Department officers were dispatched to the store on Kanesville Boulevard around 11:45 a.m. Police said a loss prevention employee at the store spotted a man concealing merchandise. After the man and the woman accompanying him paid for some items, they attempted to leave when the employee asked about the concealed merchandise. Police said the man allegedly pulled a handgun from his pocket and told the employee to leave him alone. The couple exited the store and left in an older black sport-utility vehicle with Iowa license plate ARE008. Police described the suspects as a white man with reddish facial hair and a white woman, both in their late 20s or 30s. Wednesday afternoon police said they were still working to identify the suspects, with the investigation including leads from other stores in the metro area who have encountered the couple. Police said anyone who sees the couple should call 911 and not approach them, as they are considered armed and dangerous. Anyone that recognizes the couple or the vehicle is asked to contact Council Bluffs detectives at 712-328-4728. Callers can remain anonymous by calling 712-328-STOP (7867). Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. After exposing Pakistan's five big lies at the UN by a strong point-by-point rebuttal, India has formally written to the United Nations about Pakistan's false claim of making a statement in a Security Council meeting on terrorism. India on Monday exposed Pakistan's litany of lies it peddled in the UN after Islamabad's UN envoy claimed to have given a statement in the Security Council meeting that was not open to non-members of the 15-nation UN body. The Pakistan Mission falsely claimed that its UN envoy Munir Akram had given a statement at the Security Council debate on Report of the Secretary-General on Threats to International Peace and Security posed by Terrorism Actions. "We have seen a statement put out by the Pakistan Mission to the UN, claiming that these remarks were made by the Permanent Representative of Pakistan at the UN Security Council. We fail to comprehend where exactly did the Permanent Representative of Pakistan make his statement since the Security Council Session today was not open to non-members of the Security Council", Indian mission at UN had said in a statement on Monday. Pakistan gets caught out once again saying Five Big Lies! Read our response to their lies here pic.twitter.com/Y2SD1EckpM India at UN, NY (@IndiaUNNewYork) August 24, 2020 The statement exposed the 'five big lies' being peddled and pushed by Pakistan. Dismissing claims that PM Imran Khan's 'Naya' Pakistan has been a target of cross-border terrorism for decades, the Indian Mission in its statement said, "A lie repeated a hundred times will not become truth. The biggest sponsor of cross-border terrorism against India now tries to masquerade itself as a victim of terrorism by India!" READ | Pulwama attack: NIA files chargesheet, names Masood Azhar, Rauf Asgar as key conspirators "Pakistan is home to the largest number of terrorists proscribed by the United Nations. Many of the sanctioned terrorists and entities continue to operate with impunity inside Pakistan. Prime Minister of Pakistan admitted at the UN General Assembly in 2019, the presence of 40,000-50,000 terrorists inside Pakistan," it added. It further rejected the claim that Pakistan has decimated Al Qaeda from the region. READ | 'Chinese business houses should establish their regional offices in Pak': PM Imran Khan Further, it slammed Pakistan for making "ridiculous assertions" about the internal affairs of India. "Pakistan makes ridiculous assertions about internal affairs of India. This is a country whose minority population has dropped drastically from 1947 to what it is today which is just about 3%, which is nothing short of systemic cleansing," it said. READ | 3 days of rains in Pakistan kill 90, disrupt life in Karachi Here are five big lies of Pakistan Pakistan's lies in New York. Lie Number 1: pic.twitter.com/o3hMypDA9l India at UN, NY (@IndiaUNNewYork) August 24, 2020 Pakistan's lies in New York. Lie Number 2: pic.twitter.com/Y2bvjkta8H India at UN, NY (@IndiaUNNewYork) August 24, 2020 Pakistan's lies in New York. The world has seen through their lies yet again. Lie Number 5: pic.twitter.com/uC2lCf1g92 India at UN, NY (@IndiaUNNewYork) August 24, 2020 READ | Pakistan link to Pulwama EXPOSED: NIA recovers Pak Identity Card of key accused Meghan Markle has allegedly been taken into custody in California. This claim is debunked. Using Her Voice for Greater Good The Duchess of Sussex's recent comment regarding being able to use her voice in a way she had not been to of late is being regarded as a direct message towards the British royal family. Royal writer and expert Phil Dampier cautioned that the duchess will not be silenced in supporting causes of importance to her heart, reported New Idea. New Idea indicated that the 39-year-old has been taken into custody for protesting. Apparently, the royal family and Prince Harry were dismayed by her actions, reported The Geek Herald. Dubious Claim This was debunked as not true as Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are living a quiet life in their Santa Barbara home. The news outlet indicated through a bait-and-switch that Markle "appeared to hint she would have been willing to join (Black Lives Matter) protestors and risk arrest." The cover narrative was implicit with the word busted and the promise of arrest photographs and the ambiguous use of the words appeared, hint, would, and risk, reported Gossip Cop. As Meghan Markle and Prince Harry settle into life in California, they are not away from the media glare particularly on her alleged arrest. The magazine has remarked the former "Suits" actress' comment from a summit wherein she discussed the Black Lives Matter movement and "appeared to hint she would have been willing to join the protesters and risk arrest. Also Read: Did Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Just Hinted at Another Baby? She is apparently putting herself on the brink of being indicted due to her opinionated nature. According to Dampier stated now that she is no longer a senior working royal, it is very likely for Markle to be more involved with various movements. He said, "I believe she will increasingly get involved in politics and may one day try and run for the presidency. Because she is no longer a British royal, she is free to get involved in any causes she pleases, and Harry will just go along with it," reported Entertaintimes. The narrative is a split between an interview about Markle and a series of comments she has made supporting the ongoing demonstrations. The story concludes that the source does not believe that Queen Elizabeth II, Prince William, and Prince Charles will find it favorable but there is little they could do. According to Markle, "If there's any silver lining in that, I would say that in the weeks after the murder of George Floyd, in the peaceful protests that you were seeing, in the voices that were coming out, in the way that people were actually owning their role... it shifted from sadness to a feeling of absolute inspiration, because I can see that the tide is turning. Markle continued that she would like to be a part of the movement against racism. The tabloid alleged that she was ready to partake in a protest for the Black Lives movement notwithstanding the risk of getting indicted. The Geek Herald stated that between Meghan Markle getting arrested and the promise of arrest photographs claimed by New Idea has a far difference. Related Article: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle's New Mansion Features 16 Bathrooms, 9 Bedrooms, Cinema and Spa @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Filipino licensee NOW Telecom has appointed Unicapital to provide financial advice on a potential public offering. NOW Corp chief Mel Velarde noted that Unicapital will also advise on the firms corporate restructuring, as well as its plans to raise funds to deploy a fixed-wireless 5G network in the Philippines. In July 2019, NOW confirmed its aim of competing against established players Smart and Globe (and newcomer DITO) in the 5G arena. In a statement, NOW Telecom said that it did not plan to follow the typical initial public offering (IPO) route, and would likely attempt a Listing by Way of Introduction (LBI). This would forgo the process of underwriting a public offering and instead attempt to procure immediate approval from the relevant stock exchange, allowing for immediate listing and trading. Together with its adviser, NOW Telecom is assessing the suitability of listing its shares on the local bourse or within the region, given its medium-term business plans, said Velarde. The Philippine Daily Inquirer noted that opting for an LBI would enable NOW Telecom to fulfil the terms of its Congressional telecoms franchise. The communications unit of NOW Corp is gunning to be the fourth operator in the Philippines but has not yet decided whether to list domestically or internationally, reports TeleGeography. The operator claims that it already holds 5G-ready frequencies, and is lining up a US$713 million investment into its Metro Manila 5G fixed-wireless network across the next five years. Around US$152 million of this would be spent on 5G radio equipment over the next three years. Study of Asia's hillstream loaches reveals keys to fish family's land-walking abilities In a study published in the Journal of Morphology, a team of researchers from New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), Florida Museum of Natural History, Louisiana State University and Thailand's Maejo University have successfully pieced together the ancestral relationships that make up the family tree of hillstream loaches (Balitoridae), detailing for the first time a range of unusual pelvic adaptations across the family that have given some of its members an ability to crawl, or even walk as salamanders do, to navigate terrestrial surfaces. The team's DNA-based comparative analysis of the fish family, known to currently encompass more than 100 species native to South and Southeast Asia, is the first of its kind to include Cryptotora thamicola -- the only living species of fish known to walk on land in a step pattern similar to tetrapods, or four-limbed vertebrates such as reptiles and amphibians. The results have revealed that three dominant variations of pelvic anatomy in the family, notably including key variations of a robust pelvic girdle and elongated sacral rib among many loaches, which researchers expect are central in explaining the different degrees of land-walking behavior exhibited by the fishes. The team says that the family's modified pelvic features enabling terrestrial locomotion, which were found most pronounced in Cryptotora thamicola, may have been adapted to enhance their odds of survival in rivers and other fast-moving water environments that many Balitoridae inhabit today. "The modified morphology of these Balitoridae, particularly the enlarged sacral rib connecting the pelvic plate to the vertebral column, is a big part of why studying this family is so exciting," said Callie Crawford, the study's corresponding author and Ph.D. candidate at NJIT's Department of Biological Sciences. "These loaches have converged on a structural requirement to support terrestrial walking not seen in other fishes. What we've discovered is three anatomical groupings that have major implications for the biomechanics of terrestrial locomotion of these loaches, and the relationships among these fishes suggest that the ability to adapt to fast-flowing rivers may be what was passed on genetically, more than the specific morphology itself." "Now that we have revealed a spectrum of pelvic morphologies among these fishes, we can compare the extent of skeletal support with the walking performance in a species," said Brooke Flammang, the study's lead principal investigator and assistant professor of biology at NJIT. "This will allow us to measure the mechanical contribution of robust hips to terrestrial locomotion." Unlike most living fishes that feature pelvic fins located more anteriorly and attached to the pectoral girdle, balitorids typically boast a skeletal connection between the pelvic plate (basipterygium) and the vertebral column via a modified sacral rib and its distal ligament. These modifications are understood to help generate force against the ground useful for navigating land. The most extreme example emerged in 2016 with the discovery of Cryptotora thamicola in the fast-flowing aquatic conditions of the Tham Maelana and Tham Susa karst cave systems in northern Thailand. NJIT researchers then first identified that the rare species used a robust pelvic girdle attached to its vertebral column to walk and climb waterfalls with a salamander-like gait. "This trait is likely key to helping these fishes avoid being washed away in the fast-flowing environment that they live in," said Zach Randall, co-author of the paper and biological scientist at Florida Museum of Natural History. "What's really cool about this paper is that it shows with high detail that robust pelvic girdles are more common than we thought in the hillstream loach family." "The sacral ribs allow forces from the fins pressing against the ground to be transferred to the body so that every time the fin pushes down during a step, the body is pushed up and forward," explained Flammang. "The increased surface area of the more modified sacral ribs also offers more room for muscle attachment, so fishes such as Cryptotora thamicola can rotate their hips during walking, producing a salamander-like gait." River Loach Family Factions To better understand the evolution of the river loach family, the team conducted a broad sampling of CT-scan data taken from 29 representative specimens, analyzing and comparing skeletal structures, muscle morphology as well as sacral rib shape across 14 of the 16 balitorid genera. The team also sampled genomic datasets of 72 loaches across seven families to reconstruct the evolutionary relationships in the Ballitoridae tree of life. "We were able to use a large survey of museum specimens and CT scanning to incorporate data even from specimens that didn't have tissue or genetic data intact," noted Randall. The results showed that the loaches fall into three distinct morphotypes, which are expected to correlate to how well they are able to maneuver on land: species with a long, narrow rib that meets the pelvic plate; species with a thicker, slightly curved rib meeting the pelvic plate; and species with a robust crested rib interlocking with the pelvic plate. Of the species sampled, eleven fell into the third category with advanced land-walking abilities, such as Cryptotora thamicola, displaying the most robust sacral rib connection between the basipterygium and vertebral column. "Our analysis showed that the morphotypes are not grouped by closely related taxa, but instead appear spread out across the phylogeny. That indicates to us that the extent of the modification of these features is less reflecting shared ancestry and more likely a product of adaptation to the flow regimes of their environments," explained Crawford. "To better understand how and why these distinct morphotypes developed, we need more knowledge of the habitat of each species, including water flow rates, substrate types and how the rivers and streams change between rainy and dry seasons." Crawford and colleagues now aim to further investigate the stability physics and muscular forces at play that allow certain species to push their bodies off their ground as they walk. The team, including a recent Rutgers University graduate, Amani Webber-Schultz, recently completed fieldwork in Thailand earlier this year to collect more balitorid specimens, which they are studying using high-speed videos of the fishes walking. "This will allow us to study details of their walking kinematics and gain even more insight into how walking performance might change between species with different pelvic morphologies," said Crawford. ### The study was supported by the National Science Foundation's Understanding the Rules of Life Grant # 1839915 to BE Flammang, P Chakrabarty, and LM Page. Crawford, C. H., Randall, Z. S., Hart, P. B., Page, L. M., Chakrabarty, P., Suvarnaraksha, A., & Flammang, B. E. (2020) Skeletal and muscular pelvic morphology of hillstream loaches (Cypriniformes: Balitoridae). Journal of Morphology. https:/ / doi. org/ 10. 1002/ jmor. 21247 This story has been published on: 2020-08-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Russian leader says Lukashenko asked him to prepare a Russian law enforcement contingent to deploy to Belarus if needed. Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that he stands ready to send police to Belarus if protests there turn violent. Speaking in an interview broadcast on Thursday, Putin said currently there was no such need and voiced hope for stabilising the situation in the neighbouring country. Belaruss president for 26 years, Alexander Lukashenko, is facing weeks of protests against his re-election for a sixth term in the August 9 vote, which the opposition says was rigged. Putin told Russias state television that Lukashenko has asked him to prepare a Russian law enforcement contingent to deploy to Belarus if necessary. Putin said he and Lukashenko have agreed that there is no such need now, and I hope there wont be. We have agreed not to use it until the situation starts spinning out of control and extremist elements acting under the cover of political slogans cross certain borders and engage in banditry and start burning cars, houses and banks or take over administrative buildings, he said. In an apparent jab at the West, which has condemned Lukashenkos crackdown on protesters and urged him to launch a dialogue with the opposition, Putin accused unidentified foreign forces of trying to win political advantages from the turmoil in Belarus. They want to influence those processes and reach certain decisions, which they think conform with their political interests, Putin said. Western expansion fears Russia sees the neighbour as a key bulwark against Western expansion and an important conduit for Russian energy exports. The two countries have a union agreement envisaging close political, economic and military ties, and Lukashenko has relied on cheap Russian energy and other subsidies to keep Belaruss Soviet-style economy afloat. Despite the close cooperation, Russia-Belarus relations have often been strained by disputes. Lukashenko has frequently played overtures to the West and accused Moscow of hatching plans to incorporate Belarus. Just before the election, Belarus arrested 32 private Russian military contractors on charges of planning to stage riots. Belarusian authorities released the men shortly after the vote in a bid to mend ties with the Kremlin amid rising Western criticism. In the interview, Putin described the incident as a provocation by the Ukrainian and the US spy agencies, charging that they lured the Russians to travel to Belarus by promising them jobs in a third country and made the Belarusian authorities believe they had a mission to destabilise the country. Seeking Moscows support, Lukashenko has cast the protests as part of a Western plot to weaken Russia. Hybrid war On Thursday, he accused Belaruss neighbours of open interference in its affairs with a push for new elections in what he described as a hybrid war and diplomatic carnage. He charged that Poland was harbouring plans to take over the Grodno region on the border, saying that it prompted the deployment of additional Belarusian troops to the frontier. Polish Prime Minister Morawiecki dismissed such claims last week, saying that Poland fully respects Belaruss sovereignty. On Thursday, Polands Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Belarus ambassador to lodge a protest against the unfounded accusations. With regard to the repeated unfounded accusations from Belarus leaders towards Poland, the Belarus ambassador [was] summoned to the [Ministry of Foreign Affairs] today at 1500 [hours], Deputy Foreign Minister Marcin Przydacz said on Twitter. The United States and the European Union have criticised the August 9 election that extended Lukashenkos rule as neither free nor fair and encouraged Belarusian authorities to engage in a dialogue with the opposition. The Belarusian leader, who has ruled the nation of 9.5 million with an iron fist since 1994, has dismissed the protesters as Western puppets and refused to engage in dialogue with the opposition, which is contesting his re-election to a sixth term. RICHMOND Virginia Democrats this week defeated numerous bills from Republicans attempting to rein the governors emergency powers while bolstering those of the General Assembly. Gov. Ralph Northam has had sweeping authority to handle Virginias coronavirus pandemic, shutting down businesses and schools, ordering people to wear face coverings, and limiting how many people can gather in one place. The executive branch has been singularly making law for some time, said Sen. David Suetterlein, R-Roanoke County. Tired of being largely relegated to observers, some lawmakers mainly Republicans wanted to curb the governors powers. They proposed several bills, all of which died in committees. It is essential to our way of government that policy is made by the peoples representatives, not by the executive branch, said Del. Les Adams, R-Pittsylvania. Currently, a governors executive order issued under an emergency declaration can last until June 30 following the next regular session of the General Assembly, which starts in January. The Republican proposals would have set various expiration times, such as 30, 45 or 60 days. The policies in the orders could continue if the governor called the part-time legislature for a session to take action on them. Weve seen some major policy decisions taking place, said Sen. Steve Newman, R-Lynchburg. The Senate Committee on General Laws and Technology defeated a batch of bills on Thursday from Sens. Mark Peake, R-Lynchburg; Ryan McDougle, R-Hanover; Bill Stanley, R-Franklin County; Newman and Suetterlein on a party-line votes of 8-6. The day before, the House Public Safety Committee defeated legislation from Dels. Mark Cole, R-Spotsylvania, Israel OQuinn, R-Washington, and Adams on a party-line votes of 13-9 Tyranny, Stanley chanted as he walked out of the Science Museum of Virginia, where the Senate is meeting, as the results of the vote were announced. The Northam administration opposed the legislation. The language in the bills are dangerous and pose a constraint on the executives ability to assess and respond and to mitigate emerging threats, said Rita Davis, counsel to Northam. The chief executive, with the power vested by the constitution, needs the ability to react quickly and flexibly and decisively in countering any threat that poses itself to the commonwealth of Virginia. Republicans argued that other states have limits on the duration of emergency orders from the governor. They tried to pitch this as a nonpartisan issue, encouraging their Democratic colleagues to envision a Republican in the executive branch. I dont think when Im governor youll want me to have this power, so Im doing this for you, Stanley said. Im just joking. Democrats werent swayed by that argument. What our governor has done is what had to be done, said Sen. John Bell, D-Loudoun. Any bills that would restrict the governors power or hurt the governors ability to do this would be very dangerous. There were at least two Democrats in the Senate Sens. Lynwood Lewis, D-Accomack, and Chap Petersen, D-Fairfax City who were interested in the idea of limiting the governors powers. Neither of them sit on the General Laws committee. During a debate last week about the issue of the governors emergency powers, Sen. John Edwards, D-Roanoke, said he agreed with the wide latitude the governor has to issue executive orders because the pandemic could last a long time. This pandemic is a moving target, Edwards said. Its like a wild fire. Petersen challenged Edwards about the governor issuing orders for an extended period of time. At some point, we have to resume the role of democracy, Petersen said. Lewis said the special session the General Assembly is currently doing is evidence that lawmakers can reconvene during an emergency to debate policies. Democracy is messy and inefficient, but its the best system in the world, Lewis said. Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The tri-state governors of Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey said Thursday they were disturbed by a change in federal COVID-19 testing guidelines, which they charged substitutes sound science-based public health guidance with the Presidents misinformation. The new recommendations by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say some people without symptoms probably dont need to get tested even if theyve been in close contact with an infected person. The pivot in an attempt to reduce the number of COVID tests, is not acceptable, the governors said. The three states will continue their current programs of tracking COVID outbreaks and tracing patient contacts. The CDC has been a consistent, credible, and reliable guide for our nation for decades, providing clear and science-based guidance on everything from infectious disease to vaccines, said the joint statement from Gov. Ned Lamont, Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York and Gov. Phil Murphy of New Jersey. That role is vital to our collective public health and it must continue. This 180-degree reversal of COVID-19 testing guidelines is reckless, and not based on science and has the potential to do long-term damage to the institutions reputation. The governors, joining an increasing push back by the scientific community, charge that the CDC and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services have not offered a medical reason for the change. COVID has claimed 180,000 lives in the United States. Lamont on Wednesday, at a press conference with his acting public health commissioner, Deidre Gifford, said Connecticut would continue to encourage people to be tested if they believe they have been exposed to COVID-19. I think thats dead wrong, Lamont said of the CDC guidance. If youve been exposed, you can be a carrier, you can be infectious well before you show symptoms. So, we want you to get tested. We are going to test symptomatic and asymptomatic people. And its really important. Obviously an asymptomatic person can be just as infectious or more infectious as somebody who is more symptomatic. He said that the revised CDC guidelines, coming at the start of the week-long Republican National Convention, is obviously political. I think its a very political season and nothing is a coincidence, Lamont said. Lamont said the state is making it easy to test for COVID-19, with 160 testing sites. As of Thursday, the state Department of Public Health reported that 1,111,401 coronavirus tests had been administered in the state. A total of 52,350 cases have been confirmed or are suspected. The DPH on Thursday reported two new fatalities, bringing the total to 4,465, while there was a net decrease of one patient, with those hospitalized statewide was 56. There were 130 new positive cases out of 15,452 tests. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the federal governments top expert on infectious diseases, told CNN he was not part of the decision. The American Medical Association called the change a recipe for community spread and the Association of American Medical Colleges said it was a step backward in fighting the pandemic, the Associated Press reported. This abrupt and ill-informed shift threatens the robust testing regimes our states have worked tirelessly to stand up with our federal partners, the tri-state governors said. Health experts recommend testing close contacts of individuals with COVID-19 to identify and prevent asymptomatic spread. This type of robust testing by our states has been a key factor in our success so far to flatten the curve in the tri-state area. The flap comes in a week when President Donald Trump has brought people together in tightly packed crowds at the Republican National Convention, with few if any participants wearing masks and little social distancing. Herman Cain, a former presidential candidate and prominent Trump supporter, was infected by the virus less than two weeks after attending Trumps indoor rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he was photographed in close quarters with others in the crowd. He died weeks later. Lamont, Murphy and Cuomo said they will continue their programs of testing even asymptomatic people who have had close contact with COVID-positive patients. Also recommended for testing are people who have symptoms; people who live in cities, especially in the minority community; and people who live in congregate housing such as nursing homes, which have their own testing regimes. A story by Ana Radelat of the CT Mirror is included in this report. kdixon@ctpost.com Twitter: @KenDixonCT Five more volunteers were inoculated with the Oxford COVID-19 vaccine candidate in Pune district on Thursday as part of the phase II clinical trial launched in search for an antidote against the viral infection that is showing no signs of abating in the country. Three of the volunteers were administered the Oxford COVID-19 vaccine candidate at Bharti Vidyapeeth's Medical College and Hospital in Pune city, a senior doctor from the medical facility said. Two more volunteers were inoculated with the Oxford COVID-19 vaccine candidate at the KEM Hospital and Research Centre at Vadu in Shirur tehsil, 30km from Pune, an official said. Earlier, two volunteers, aged 32 and 48, were given a shot of the 'Covishied vaccine, being manufactured by the city-based Serum Institute of India (SII), on Wednesday when the phase II clinical trial of the medicine began at Bharti Vidyapeeth's Medical College and Hospital. "On Thursday afternoon, three more volunteers - two females and a male - were administered the vaccine candidate after their reports of RT-PCR test for COVID-19 and antibody test came negative," said Dr Sunita Palkar, in-charge of the research cell at the medical college. Meanwhile, authorities at KEM Hospital and Research Centre at Vadu said five volunteers were screened on Wednesday and reports for COVID-19 and antibody tests came negative for all of them. "Of these five, two volunteers were given vaccine at the hospital's Vadhu facility on Thursday," said a senior official from KEM Hospital. Meanwhile, the vital health parameters of the two volunteers, who were administered the Oxford COVID-19 vaccine candidate at Bharti Vidyapeeth's Medical College and Hospital on Wednesday, are normal, the medical facility's deputy medical director Dr Jitendra Oswal said. "Since yesterday, our medical team is in touch with the two volunteers and both are fine. They do not have any pain, fever, injection-side reaction or systemic illness post-vaccination," he said. "They have been given all the necessary emergency numbers (to contact in case of need) and our medical team is also conducting follow-ups with them," he added. The vaccine dose will be repeated on both the volunteers after one month, the hospital's medical director Dr Sanjay Lalwani earlier said. He said in all, 25 candidates will be given the vaccine in the next seven days. SII, the world's largest vaccine maker has signed an agreement to manufacture the potential vaccine developed by the Jenner Institute of in collaboration with British-Swedish pharma company AstraZeneca. The race for a COVID-19 vaccine is hotting up even as India continues to see a daily rise in number of positive cases. India's virus tally has sprinted past the 33 lakh-mark. (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.) 6 Extinct animals found again RTE (PlutoniumKun). A long time ago, I read a childhood, or at best young adult book (as in narrative-style) about the finding of the coelacanth, so I am weirdly fond of them. Blueberry farmers warn of disaster crop BBC. Oh, no! That is one of the great things about going to Maine, the tiny wild blueberries, sold by farmers on the side of major roads. How cold was the ice age? Researchers now know PhysOrg (Kevin W) Surprising pulses of ancient warming found in Antarctic ice samples Science Magazine (UserFriendly) Russia Just Declassified Footage of the Largest Nuke Ever Tested Vice (resilc) Hurricane Laura postponed due to Covid-19 concerns BeetPress (UserFriendly) Hurricane Laura jumped from Category 1 to Category 4 in a day. Heres why hurricanes are now stronger, wetter, and more frequent. Buiness Insider (Kevin W) United States establishes a dozen AI and quantum information science research centers Science Magazine (David L) Hortillonnages dAmiens : le succes des circuits courts France TV. Colonel Smithers: This feature on French news this evening is about the small scale planters in the marshes near Amiens and how they are increasingly selling directly and cutting out supermarket chains. In the Wye valley, on the border with Wales, farmers are doing the same, if only because Ccovid prevented supermarkets from being able to pick up produce. #COVID-19 China? La belle France Brexit Ireland Mauritius Une dizaine de dauphins sechouent sur les cotes de lile Maurice France TV. Colonel Smithers: Further to the update from my volunteer cousin, French TV reported the number of dolphins washing up dead on the beaches to the north of the wreck. By 5 pm, London time, 17 dolphins had been counted. The number of whales and seals have not been reported. The area where the sea life washed up is a few miles to the north. That suggests the spill is no longer confined to the area around Mahebourg, formerly Port-Napoleon. Around the cape further north, Trou dEau Douce, are some big hotels. These are world class and drive much of the economy. The Mauritian state broadcaster is under pressure to sugar coat the disaster and point fingers away from the government. Private media have been threatened with the loss of authorisation and government advertising, so are beginning to ease up. Social media is keeping the story alive. The Mauritian equivalent of W is nowhere to be seen, but today released a statement, saying insurers would pay. That was later caveated by adding a team of top lawyers is being assembled to fight the claim. Oddly yesterday, the government took the day off, citing the need to celebrate the feast of St Louis, a day that ceased to be a public holiday thirty odd years ago. Considering that the ruling family are Hindu and, when the need arises, anti-Catholic and anti-francophone, that was even weirder. Demonstrations are planned this Saturday. The diaspora are being encouraged to march on Mauritian missions. Syraqistan Big Brother is Watching You Watch Clearview AI CEO Says Over 2,400 Police Agencies Are Using Its Facial Recognition Software The Verge Trump Transition 2020 Will the 2020 census numbers be good enough, and how soon will we know? Science Magazine Black Injustice Tipping Point U.S. consumer confidence at six-year low; underscores concerns about economic recovery Reuters US Media Cant Think How to Fight Fires Without $1-an-Hour Prison Labor FAIR (UserFriendly) California Has a Shortage of Imprisoned Firefighters. Thats Good. New York Magazine (J-LS) GM Sells 15,000 Low-Cost EVs For China In First 20 Days Jalopnik (resilc). Subhead: General Motors seems to have no trouble producing desirable, affordable electric cars. We just dont get them in America. So cute! A little bigger than a Swatch. The Mathematical Model of Modern Monetary Theory 2 ProfSteveKeen (UserFriendly). We had the training wheels version with our Richard Murphy video yesterday. This is Tour de France level. O.C. Catholic donors at odds with with Bishop Kevin Vann Los Angeles Times More evidence that housing has roared back Angry Bear The Dead World of Blippi Current Affairs (UserFriendly) The Bezzle As Bezos Net Worth Tops $200B, Luxury Is Next Stop For Amazon Safe Haven. Misfire in the making. Amazon cheapened Whole Foods, and cant even figure out how to buy decent fish. Small-time scams are dissolving America from the inside The Week. Resilc: Great link. I have a friend who is a foreign service financial officer, there is an uptick of petty financial irregularities with career people too in last few years Class Warfare Antidote du jour. From Elim Garak: I really appreciate your love for cats, so I wanted to share my quarantine kitty with you in the hopes that it might make a good links antidote some day :) So without further ado, I present Geordi LaFeline! We named her for Geordi LaForge, since my partner and I share a love of Star Trek and since both Geordis have very special eyes. We adopted her from a rescue shelter down in Long Beach this past April. I dont know how long she lived on the streets before being found by the shelter, but she cleans up very nicely. She often curls her tail around as pictured, we call it sittin pretty And a bonus (mgl). Otter understandably looks pretty scared. The Anchorage Daily News story explains that the otter debarked safely: See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour here Authorities in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong have detained more than 10 people believed to be Hong Kong activists fleeing to the democratic island of Taiwan amid a national security crackdown in their home city. "At about 9.00 a.m. on Aug. 23, the Guangdong Coast Guard was in Chinese waters southeast of Guangdong and Hong Kong (2154'00''N, 11453'00''E )," the China Coast Guard said via its official account on Weibo. "A speedboat was apprehended, along with more than 10 people suspected of illegally crossing a national border," it said. "Investigations into the case are ongoing." Sources told RFA that the boat, which was stopped by the authorities near Ninepin Islands, had been carrying 12 Hong Kong activists to Taiwan. Among those detained was Andy Li, a member of the pro-democracy group Hong Kong Story, who was released on bail after being arrested by Hong Kong police on Aug. 10. The Dimsum Daily, a Hong Kong online news outlet, reported that Li and the remaining 11 people, including suspects in the Wan Chai petrol bomb case and the Wah Yan College homemade bomb case, took a speedboat arranged by a local triad and departed from Po Toi O in Sai Kung, Hong Kong. They were intercepted by the Chinese maritime police in the Ninepin Islands. It is understood that they intend to apply for political asylum in Taiwan, Dimsum reported. They took a speedboat arranged with the help of a local triad criminal gang, leaving from Po Toi O in the seaside town of Sai Kung. Sources said they had planned to apply for political asylum on the democratic island of Taiwan. Chinese law would enable the arrestees to be jailed for a fixed term of one year on immigration offenses before being deported to Hong Kong. The arrestees are currently in the custody of the China Coast Guard, and the Chinese police are investigating. Others fled earlier Hong Kong's Ming Pao newspaper reported on Aug. 11 that some protesters involved with last year's demonstrators have already fled Hong Kong. An official who answered the phone at the Guangzhou headquarters of the China Coast Guard, which is under the aegis of the People's Armed Police, declined to comment when contacted by RFA on Thursday, saying they knew nothing of the case. Hong Kong police commissioner Chris Tang said the city's police were "actively asking about any relevant information" from the Chinese authorities, but said he was unable to comment further. "For the time being, we do not have any facts about the allegations, so Im not in a position to comment," Tang said. Chiu Chui-cheng, spokesman for Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said that, while the island's government has offered an immigration pathway to Hongkongers fleeing oppression, the authorities don't encourage anyone to enter Taiwan illegally. "We will pursue criminal prosecutions against anyone entering Taiwan illegally, and against anyone helping them," Chiu told reporters. "There is also a huge safety risk attached to doing this, so the government absolutely does not encourage this." "We call on people to respect Taiwan's laws," he said. Incalculable risks Hong Kong barrister Lawrence Lau said the risks taken by people trying to cross the border illegally were "incalculable," but that Hongkongers are now being driven to try it by a rapidly deteriorating situation at home. "In recent decades, it has mostly been mainland Chinese or residents of Southeast Asia who have crossed borders illegally," he said. "But now Hong Kong has gotten to the point where it's impossible to just carry on living a peaceful existence here." "The risks of smuggling yourself across a border are endless," Lau told RFA. "If the smuggling operation, run by snakeheads, goes badly, it can turn into a nightmare." "And the authorities can deploy this weapon, this national security law, with stunning ferocity," he said. "The scale and frequency of raids of this kind will only increase in future." In an interview with RFA in April, Li said Hong Kong Story -- which has built extensive links to overseas parliamentarians in a bid to bolster international support for the protest movement -- had been campaigning for "real freedom" in Hong Kong. Protesters call this strategy the "international front," and have used it to lobby for sanctions on officials behind police violence and human rights violations since protests first escalated in June 2019. "What we are striving for is real freedom, human rights, and justice for the people of Hong Kong," Li said. "The international front is a gift to Hong Kong, a way for Hong Kong people to take control of their own lives and their own freedom." Reported by Lu Xi, Man Hoi-tsan, Gigi Lee and Hwang Chun-mei for RFA's Mandarin and Cantonese Services. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie. I have done significant reflection on what the corporate structural changes will require, and what it means for the global role I signed up for, he said in the letter. Against this backdrop, and as we expect to reach a resolution very soon, it is with a heavy heart that I wanted to let you all know that I have decided to leave the company. WASHINGTON: Kellyanne Conway is making her exit. One of the longest-serving advisers to President Donald Trump is delivering a speech about everyday heroes on Wednesday night at the Republican National Convention. But its also something of a farewell address as she steps away, she said, to spend more time with her family. Thats a favorite cloak in Washington for power brokers forced to step down from their jobs. But in Conways case, a family crisis has been playing out on Twitter, with her marriage to Trump critic George Conway the object of much fascination inside the Beltway. This is completely my choice and my voice," Kellyanne Conway said in her announcement on Twitter, adding that for the couples four children, it will be less drama and more mama. George Conway, who used the platform to attack Trump as mentally unfit for office, said he will step away from The Lincoln Project and take a hiatus from social media. Trumps victory in 2016 made Kellyanne Conway the first woman to lead a successful presidential campaign, and she is a survivor in a White House with an historic rate of turnover. She was close to both Trump and Vice President Mike Pence and had spearheaded many initiatives, including combating opioid abuse. But Conways legacy is shadowed by per propensity to issue dizzying rebuttals and defenses for Trumps most flagrant untruths. She once extolled the virtues of alternative facts to support her case. Conway also has bristled publicly at questions about her marriage, but it was clearly in open conflict. Her husband, George, mused in The Washington Post in 2018 that his wifes problem was not with him, but with her boss, the president. Trump himself has weighed in last year, calling George Conway on Twitter a stone cold LOSER & husband from hell! You. Are. Nuts, came George Conways response. Kellyanne Conways exit comes at an inopportune time for Trump, who faces a deficit in the polls. Asked on CBS whether her departure suggests concern that Trump might lose, White House chief of staff Mark Meadows called the question cynical. Anybody who knows Kellyanne Conway knows that she has never shied away from a fight, Meadows said Sunday on CBS Meet the Press. To suggest that is just not based on the facts. Conway worked for years as a Republican pollster and operative and originally supported Sen. Ted Cruz in the 2016 Republican primary. She moved over to the Trump campaign and that August became campaign manager as Steve Bannon became campaign chairman; Bannon was indicted last week and accused of fraud. ___ Follow Kellman on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/APLaurieKellman 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 power is out for nearly 75,000 Entergy Texas customers in Jefferson, Orange and Hardin counties this morning after a night of high winds brought on by Hurricane Laura. The outages were not as severe as local officials had feared, however, as the historically potent Laura trained its fury on the other side of the Texas-Louisiana border. The storm took a more northerly track a few hours before landfall in Cameron, sparing Texas the worst of wind and tornadoes that created havoc throughout the night in the neighboring state. Entergy spokesperson Allie Payne said the company has nearly 10,000 workers ready to assess the damage and work to restore power when daylight comes Thursday morning. It's possible that a good portion of those workers could be redirected to hit-hard areas of western Louisiana. PHOTOS: Hurricane Laura makes landfall in Louisiana, bringing power outages, destruction Payne urged customers to stay away from down power lines and wait for workers to show up. Vidor Police Chief Rod Carroll said most people in his Orange County community had heeded evacuation calls, and there were only six or so calls to 911 for service, mostly regarding trees felled by the wind or knocked into homes. Carroll said officers told folks to shelter in place until daylight, when police would be by. The chief said he did not yet have anything further to report. Orange County Judge John Gothia said response crews will be dispatched at daylight as well to help clear roadways and deal with any other damage. No calls came into the county's emergency center. "It was very quiet tonight, which I guess is a good thing," Gothia said. Jefferson County emergency officials rode out the storm at the courthouse and were digesting the reports. There was a smattering of calls to law enforcement for "minimal" service and no major disasters, said Allison Nathan Getz, the tax assessor-collector who serves as county spokeswoman. No calls came in overnight at the Emergency Operations Center in the courthouse, where one relieved worker marveled, "I don't know what we did to deserve this." "Its amazing based on what they were predicting," Getz said. "Just incredibly thankful," she added. Beaumont is not quite 60 miles from Lake Charles, where early reports were far more consequential. Jefferson County Judge Jeff Branick acknowledged the difference those miles made for his community. High winds arrived later than had been earlier forecast. Once they arrived, they were impressive to watch from the safety of the courthouse but far from anything obviously life-threatening. Street lights also remained visible through the falling rain. When conditions are deemed safe, crews will begin looking for debris from fallen trees, power lines and even livestock, Emergency Management Coordinator Michael R. White said. White said clearing that debris would be the focus of efforts once the wind dies down. Getz said officials were not ready to let down their guard. We're still monitoring the outer bands (of the storm), making sure it doesnt rotate toward us before leaving our region," she said. Getz, whose office TV featured a meteorologist talking about the unpredictability of Mother Nature, checked social media accounts of people she knows for reports. Downed trees were all she found. Branick had said on Wednesday that he hoped residents who evacuated would be allowed to return as roads are deemed passable. The would not be required to wait until power is restored at their homes, he said, acknowledging frustrations from past wind emergencies. Branick also said talks had already begun with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Small Business Administration in hope of expediting assistance. More to come in this developing story. ONTONAGON, MICH. -- If youd been thinking about planning a trip to Michigans Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park this winter, better act fast. Park officials say that reservations for the parks year-round lodging rentals, which include a handful of cabins and yurts, are filling up quickly for the coming winter, despite it still being months away. Its unusual for the park to see so many winter reservations this far in advance, said Park Supervisor Michael Knack, but it underscores the 2020 trend of more people recreating and vacationing in outdoor spaces. I think whats happening is that a lot of people were hoping to get in this summer or fall, and werent able to get in, and have been looking ahead and booking ahead, Knack said. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources allows visitors to reserve state park campsites and rustic lodging up to six months in advance -- and people have been taking advantage of that, booking as far out as February already, Knack said. But while weekends are filling up, there are still openings to be found for mid-week reservations, he said. Reservations for the Porkies year-round lodging rentals can be made at MiDNRreservations.com by choosing Backcountry under the Camping tab. Park officials took to Facebook this week to give would-be winter visitors a heads up on the diminishing winter rental availability: Wax your skis and lace up your snowshoes...cabins and yurts are filling up quickly for winter rentals at the... Posted by Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park - the Porkies on Monday, August 24, 2020 RELATED: 7 wild and wonderful things to know about Michigans Porcupine Mountains State Park Find last-minute campsites at Michigan state parks on this new DNR map 7 secret spots to explore in Michigans Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park The Irish Republic has much to be ashamed about in its attitude to the hell the Provisional IRA unleashed on Northern Ireland, which has spread south in the modified form of gang warfare, corruption and the erosion of democracy. I am constantly amazed at the staggering ignorance shown by most sections of southern Irish society, including politicians and the media. But though few publicly endorse political violence post-1923, many vote for the Sinn Fein party - even IRA convicts like Dessie Ellis and Martin Ferris - and have no problem with Mary Lou McDonald trekking north to eulogise brutal terrorists like the late Martin McGuinnness and Bobby Storey. If they know, do they care that IRA veterans in Belfast still direct party strategy? What is worse than the ignorance is the extent to which the south seems anxious to believe the worst of unionists and the best even of men of violence. But then nationalists, as we know, are brilliant propagandists, and unionists are absolutely not. Why else would terrorists have found a safe haven in the Republic? Despite hundreds of murders having a cross-border dimension, between 1969 and 1998 only eight out of 113 United Kingdom extradition requests were successful? Which is why I have been delighted with essays gathered by Brian Barton and Patrick Jay Roach in The Northern Ireland Question, a book that looks at received wisdom with a sceptical eye and a reliance on hard evidence. William Matchett, a former detective inspector in RUC Special Branch, author of Secret Victory: The Intelligence War That Beat The IRA and a senior researcher at the Edward M Kennedy Institute for Conflict Prevention in Maynooth University, takes what he describes as "a practitioner's perspective" in his invaluable analysis of the security response to the brutal IRA insurgency, which in turn provoked, often deliberately, an equally brutal loyalist terrorist reaction. There are three phases. 'Reaction' (1969-75) is a period of tumult, confusion and demoralisation. In the first two years alone 16 unarmed police were murdered by the IRA in Catholic neighbourhoods. During 'Adjust' (1976-82), a revitalised investigation-led RUC began taking back control of IRA areas with the support of Roy Mason, a Secretary of State terrorists hated. But when he had gone, with the help of John Hume and therefore Irish Governments' antipathy to the RUC, and naive human rights organisations, a conspiracy of Provos and loyalists succeeded in having Crime Squads and the supergrass system "poleaxed by propaganda". The 'Mature' phase (1982-98) of intelligence-led policing prevented more than 80% of all terrorist attacks, but controversial events led to damaging investigations by senior English policemen who had no knowledge of "the exceptional legal (and indeed moral) complexities peculiar to the sustained operation of an informer placed deep within a terrorist organisation". Since 1998 the RUC has been retrospectively put through the "scapegoat phase" of "squalid deals, lawfare and rewrite" - of which successive British Governments should be, but won't be, mortified. So too should be Irish Governments and nationalists in general for swallowing the big Provo lies about collusion and "dirty war" designed to legitimise their evil and futile murder campaign. Fair-minded people should consider some questions posed by Dr Matchett about common misconceptions. If the RUC was anti-Catholic, how come the murder clearance rate for Catholics killed was almost double that for Protestants? If security was brutal, how does this explain a 99% arrest rate of terrorists, or three times more security forces killed than insurgents? Or a Catholic population in the Troubles that increased from 35% to 43.5%? And if the internal security solution and its normalisation character was not restrained or human rights compliant enough for nationalist leaders and so-called human rights groups, what 'human rights' compliant security solution have they in mind consistent with the necessity of an expected counter-insurgency? If insurgents were defenders, why did they commit the majority of the killings, execute defenceless prisoners and kill twice as many Catholics as the security forces? And if the PIRA were 'peacemakers' and all it took to end the Troubles was to talk to them, why did that not happen in 1972 when they talked to William Whitelaw or in 1974/75 with Merlyn Rees and why the long war strategy?" Maybe journalists might ask the Sinn Fein leadership for answers. A woman who was captured on CCTV footage in the company of Kevin Omwenga before he was killed has recorded a statement with police. The woman who is said to be of Tanzanian origin is among witnesses who have been probed over the fatal shooting of the 28-year-old businessman at his apartment in Kilimani area of Nairobi on the night of August 21. CCTV footage captured the woman and the deceased making their way to his apartment on the seventh floor of Galana Suites on Galana Road. According to sources for Citizen Digital, the woman told police that she was just getting to know Omwenga better. Reportedly, the womans statement noted that she heard a loud blast shortly after the prime suspect, Robert Bodo Ouko, called Omwenga to the bedroom for a discussion she was not privy to. Her statement corresponds with that of Omwengas brother who told detectives that he initially thought there was a gas explosion in the kitchen before Bodo walked out of Omwengas room looking confused. Detectives will also be speaking to a man who was captured on CCTV, identified only as Jamal and believed to be of Arab descent, who is said to be Omwengas neighbour and best friend. Investigators are seeking to establish details of a tour to Dubai he allegedly planned to take with Omwenga this week. Former Americas Got Talent contestant Leon Etienne is continuing to make magic happen amid the coronavirus pandemic. WIVB reports the famed illusionist from Utica has kept busy this summer with socially distanced magic shows in Upstate New York. Covid-19 forced him to cancel tour plans, but hes been able to perform private shows in backyards and driveways, as well as outdoor venues like Earlville Park and the Good Nature Farm Brewery in Hamilton. Its been an absolute pleasure to pivot my business from theaters and casinos, and touring around the world to coming back home to WNY and CNY, he told the Buffalo TV station. And performing social distance shows for people who seem to need them now more than ever. Etienne, whose show is called Magic Rocks, was featured on AGT and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in 2013, Penn & Teller: Fool Us in 2015, and most recently The CWs Masters of Illusion. Life is very interesting these days, he tweeted earlier this month. I was on National Television last night. The NIGHT BEFORE I was performing on top of a picnic table with a corn field as a backdrop. For show dates and more information, including booking Leon Etienne for private magic lessons or a performance, visit magicrocks.com. These two pictures say a lot! Life is very interesting these days. I was on National Television last night. The NIGHT BEFORE I was performing on top of a picnic table with a corn field as a backdrop. pic.twitter.com/wMSJoySuSA Illusionist Leon Etienne (@magicrocksshow) August 15, 2020 Riot police in Belarus dispersed protesters who gathered at Minsk's central square in a Wednesday evening demonstration. The crackdown at Independence Square happened on the 18th straight day of protests which were sparked following the re-election of authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko earlier this month. Dozens of riot police were seen patrolling around the capital's main square. The Belarusian leader who has ruled the nation of 9.5 million for 26 years has refused to engage in dialogue with the demonstrators contesting his August 9 re-election to a sixth term. The United States and the European Union have criticised the Belarusian vote as neither free nor fair. Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 22:57:51|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BAGHDAD, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- The Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi on Thursday met with the Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud in Baghdad and discussed means to enhance bilateral ties and the developments in the Middle East. A statement by his office said that al-Kadhimi emphasized to the visiting Saudi minister and his accompanying delegation that "the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a true partner of Iraq." "Iraq is looking forward to building distinguished relations based on the deep legacy of the historical ties between the two countries," al-Kadhimi said. For his part, the Saudi chief of diplomacy, who arrived in Baghdad earlier in the day, said that his country is looking forward to the upcoming visit of al-Kadhimi to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that would contribute to strengthening cooperation, and to activate the agreements concluded between the two sides, the statement said. Al-Kadhimi also discussed with the Saudi delegation the economic cooperation and means to achieve a balance in oil production of the two countries, in a way that reduces the economic burden on Iraq, which suffers from the low prices of crude oil in the world markets, according to the statement. On July 20, al-Kadhimi postponed his official visit to the neighboring country of Saudi Arabia after the Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud was admitted to hospital for health problems due to an inflammation of the gall bladder. Enditem Looks like the official announcement of Vijay's next with AR Murugadoss is taking more time than expected. Though there were speculations regarding the announcement of Thalapathy 65 on Vinayagar Chaturhti (August 22, 2020), the makers unfortunately did not come up with any update, which eventually disappointed the fans and followers of the actor. Let us tell you that the makers had earlier planned to unveil the massive announcement on the special occasion but later decided to postpone it. Yes, you read that right. It is said that Vijay was very impressed with the narration given by Murugadoss but suggested a few changes in the second half of the script. The actor had apparently also requested the producer of the film Sun Pictures, to officially announce the film only after the complete script is ready. Recent grapevine also suggests that the ace filmmaker is currently busy changing the script, in order to appease the actor. Well, just like the fans and followers of Thalapathy, we too can't wait to witness the mass announcement of the film, which will hopefully be made soon. It is to be noted that Thalapathy 65 will mark the fourth collaboration of the director-actor duo after Thupakki (2012), Kaththi (2014) and Sarkar (2018). The film is expected to be an action-thriller, given that most of AR Murugadoss' films are based on similar genre. Talking about Vijay's upcoming release Master helmed by Lokesh Kanagaraj, the romantic-thriller was earlier scheduled for a release on April 9, 2020. Later, the makers had to postpone the date for an indefinite period owing to the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown. Bankrolled by Xavier Britto under XB Film Creators in association with Seven Screen Studio, Master will also feature Vijay Sethupathi, Malavika Mohanan, Nassar, Shanthanu Bhagyaraj, Sriman, Andrea Jeremiah, Sanjeev, Srinath, VJ Ramya and Azhagam Perumal. Thalapathy 65: Sun Pictures To Announce Vijay's Next On Vinayagar Chaturthi Vijay's Master Will Not Have A Direct-To-OTT Release; Here's Why! Blade Nzimande, minister of higher education revealed the developments - related to his department - that will accompany implementing lockdown level 2 in the country, amid the coronavirus crisis. The minister said that, as of 6 August, there have been 33,985 students living in university-owned residences with more categories expected to return to universities as per lockdown level 2. He explained to the media which groups of students will have the priority to return to universities in the coming days. Nzimande said that a maximum of 66% of students will be able to return to university campuses, while all students that were prioritized to return during level 3 but could not because campuses maximum capacity had already been fulfilled, will be eligible to return under lockdown level 2. Follow all the latest coronavirus-related news in Africa via our dedicated live blog International students will not be able to return until level 1 Also, students in all years of study who require laboratory and technical equipment to complete the academic year will be able to return to their universities, while international students studying at South African universities who are currently out of the country won't be able to return to their campuses until level 1 is implemented as they will need international travel to resume. Nzimande also stated that the ministry has earlier set the target of completing the 2020 ongoing academic year by the end of February, as they plan on commencing the new 2021 academic year between 15 March and 15 April 2021. The seven-man visitation panel set up by the federal government to look into the crisis rocking the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Akoka, has called for memoranda from stakeholders, both within and outside the university community. The panel, which has two weeks to submit its recommendations, issued a notice calling for memoranda shortly after it was inaugurated on Wednesday by the education minister, Adamu Adamu. Mr Adamu said he was mandated to conduct the inauguration by the visitor to the institution, President Muhammadu Buhari. SEE ALSO: The notice, a copy of which PREMIUM TIMES obtained, was signed by the panels secretary, Grace Ekanem. According to Mrs Ekanem, the panels term of reference includes, to review the report of the governing councils subcommittee on review of the expenditure of the university since May 2017, and make appropriate recommendations after affording all those indicted an opportunity to defend themselves; examine the steps taken by the council leading to the removal of the substantive vice-chancellor, Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, and ascertaining whether due process was followed as stipulated in the Universities (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Amendment) Act, 2003, and the principle of fair hearing adhered to. Other terms of reference are, to determine whether the process (if any) leading to the appointment of the acting vice-chancellor for the university was consistent with the provisions of the enabling act; to make appropriate recommendations including sanctions for all those found culpable by the special visitation team on all allegations contained in the report as well as other subsequent actions arising therefrom, and to make any other recommendations that will assist government to take decisions that will ensure peaceful, stable and effective administration of the university. The notice further reads in part; consequently, the university community and all stakeholders are invited to submit their memoranda on any of the terms of reference above. It said all memoranda should be submitted to the panel at the institutions council chamber on the universitys main campus in Akoka. Profile of panel members The panel which has as its chairman, Tukur Saad, a professor and former vice-chancellor, Federal University of Technology, Minna, Niger State; also has Victor Onuoha, Ikenna Onyido, Ekanem Braide, Adamu Usman, Jimoh Bankole, as members with Grace Ekanem as secretary. Mr Onuoha, a lawyer, retired in 2019 as a deputy executive secretary in charge of administration at the National Universities Commission. He also holds a masters in public administration from UNILAG, while Mr Onyido is a professor of chemistry and was between 2006 and 2011, the vice-chancellor of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Abia State. Mrs Braide is a professor of parasitology and epidemiology, who was vice-chancellor between 2004 and 2009 at Cross River University of Technology, Calabar. She was also the pioneer vice-chancellor at the Federal University, Lafia, Nasarawa State between 2011 and 2016. She is currently the president of the Nigerian Academy of Science. Mr Usman is a professor of law at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and incumbent chairman of the board of the Universal Basic Education Commission. Mr Usman was also a senior special assistant to President Buhari on legal matters, research and documentation from 2016 to 2019. While Mrs Ekanem is a legal director at the Federal Ministry of Justice, Mr Bankole is a former bursar at the University of Ibadan, and now serves as bursar at Crescent University, Abeokuta, a private university founded by a former judge at the International Court of Justice, Bola Ajibola. Lucknow: Gangster turned BSP MLA Mukhtar Ansari`s illegally owned property has been demolished near Dalibagh Colony, the Lucknow city administration informed on Thursday (August 27, 2020). "UP police today demolished illegal property of gangster Mukhtar Ansari. All the expenses for the demolition will be realised by the Yogi government from the gangster. Criminals should either give up crime or be ready to face such tough decisions," Mrityunjay Kumar, media adviser to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, said in a tweet. People moved in with earthmovers to demolish the buildings early on Thursday morning. Police were deployed outside the premises while officials concerned removed the illegal encroachments. An FIR has been registered against Mukhtar Ansari`s sons, Abbas Ansari and Umar Ansari, who were declared as `owners` of the property. As the property was illegal, the expenses of demolition will be recovered from Ansari. The Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) had issued orders to raze the buildings on August 11. The official spokesman said two buildings were demolished that had been illegally constructed on an enemy site while the map of the buildings was not sanctioned by the Lucknow Development Authority. In another move, properties worth more than Rs 50 lakhs of Ansari's aide was confiscated by the Varanasi police. Last year, Lucknow Police had seized 6 weapons and 4,431 cartridges from the residence of Ansari`s son Abbas Ansari. Abbas had allegedly procured six weapons on a single license, the police said. The FSB says a serviceman in Siberia is suspected of passing state secrets to Ukraines defence ministry. Russias Federal Security Service (FSB) has arrested a serviceman in Siberia for having allegedly passed state secrets to Ukraine. The serviceman, from Russias Strategic Missile Forces, was arrested in the Siberian city of Barnaul, about 2,900km (1,800 miles) east of Moscow, as he was walking out of a grocery store, FSB footage carried by Russian news agencies showed on Thursday. In a statement carried by Russian agencies, the FSB said the serviceman had allegedly passed state secrets to the Main Directorate of Intelligence in Ukraines defence ministry. It did not provide further details on the nature of the information that had allegedly been passed. The FSB said a criminal case had been opened for state treason. If convicted, the serviceman could face up to 20 years in jail. Relations between Russia and Ukraine have soured since Moscow annexed Crimea in 2014 and pro-Kremlin separatists seized a swath of eastern Ukraine. Russia has spent heavily to integrate Crimea into its territory, and it has been the focus of espionage and military tensions since its annexation. Performax (http://www.performax360.com), an end-to-end stakeholder engagement and business intelligence platform, announced today they are a winner in the 2020 SaaS Awards Program, a part of Awarding & Consultancy International. Performax is placed first in the category for Best SaaS for Stakeholder Engagement. The SaaS Awards (http://www.cloud-awards.com) celebrate excellence in software and accept entries from across the world, including the US, Canada, Australasia, UK and EMEA. Among other categories for the 2020 awards program were Best Enterprise-Level SaaS Product, Best UX or UI Design in a SaaS Product, and Best Security Innovation in a SaaS Product. "For Performax to be named as a winner in the 2020 SaaS Awards is a milestone," said CEO and Performax founder, Dr. Samir Asaf. "It demonstrates our commitment to propelling innovation in the stakeholder engagement space, and our obsession with providing actionable business intelligence and tangible decision-support capabilities to our customers in industries from telecom to pharmaceuticals." Performaxs real-time stakeholder engagement and innovation management platform helps senior executives across industries, accelerate their business transformation journey by seamlessly engaging with relevant internal and external stakeholders at scale. Powered by IBMs advanced artificial intelligence algorithms and stakeholder sentiment analysis capabilities, Performax serves clients by automating their engagement, analytics, and reporting process; delivering contextually relevant and critical insights like never before. Its performance dashboard allows business leaders to eliminate information blindspots through a 3x improvement in engagement - all from one modern platform. This win highlights Performaxs quick rise as an innovative solution for Sales, HR, Operations, Finance, and other teams. By streamlining and automating the stakeholder engagement process, companies across all industries can better understand the hidden risks and opportunities embedded deep within their organizations, while enhancing agility and innovation. Performax was also nominated as the Top 100 Big-Data Solution Providers in 2017 by CIO Review. To learn more about Performaxs vision to help business leaders increase engagement, agility, insights, innovation, and business transformation effectiveness, read our story at http://www.performax360.com/about-us/ The SaaS Awards is now closed for entries and will reopen for 2021 submissions later in the year. Hundreds of organizations entered, with international entries coming from North America, Canada, Australia, UK, Europe and the Middle East. To view the shortlist and list of winners, please visit: https://www.cloud-awards.com/2020-software-awards-shortlist/ About the SaaS Awards The SaaS Awards is a sister program to the Cloud Awards, which was founded in 2011. Both programs are conducted under the guidance of Awarding & Consultancy International. The SaaS Awards focuses on recognizing excellence and innovation in software solutions. About Performax Performax is an end-to-end stakeholder engagement and business intelligence platform, powered by IBM, that makes it easy to manage stakeholder engagement, insights, and ideas for action from one, modern platform. Customers use Performaxs Engagement as a Service (EaaS) to understand the organizational pulse in real-time, and fully leverage the value of their customer and partner eco-systems. Unlike complex, siloed data management systems, Performax provides a simple user experience that easily connects senior management to the strategic and operational insights they need. Contacts Performax Ibtid Sifat Director of Operations ibtidsifat@performax360.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/performax-inc-/?viewAsMember=true For the SaaS Awards James Williams Head of Operations https://www.cloud-awards.com/software-as-a-service-awards/ james@cloud-awards.com Ukraine passes Council of Europe instruments of ratification of convention on access to official documents In August 19, Ukraine passed to the Secretariat of the Council of Europe the instruments of ratification of the Tromso Convention on Access to Official Documents, Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine Emine Dzhaparova has said. "Indeed, on August 19, we passed the instruments of ratification of the Tromso Convention to the Secretariat of the Council of Europe. So, let me congratulate all of us on this act of good will of Ukraine, which demonstrates, in my opinion, European practice and culture," she said during an online discussion on the subject: "Convention of the Council of Europe on Access to Official Documents New Opportunities for Ukraine" on Wednesday, August 26. The Secretariat said that the convention will take full effect on December 1, according to Dzhaparova. "I hope this will also give an impetus to other countries, which have not ratified this convention yet," the deputy minister said. As reported, on May 20, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine ratified the Tromso Convention. Manju Latha Kalanidhi By Express News Service HYDERABAD: Is there a magic code that helped some companies stay afloat and sail away to safer shores while some sank? Yes, says author JVC Sreeram, a Hyderabad-based corporate trainer who has worked for over 100 days since April to talk to hundreds of individuals and corporates to put together a book on what worked and what didnt. No Reference Point, a book on how to succeed during the Covid-19 pandemic and beyond is a compilation of such lives and their anecdotes that would inspire people around the world, he says. Sreeram, a corporate trainer in Kondapur, said that the idea of the book stemmed when his clients asked him to do regular webinar sessions to address their anxieties about the future of the businesses. In the first two months of Covid-19, I managed to reach out to about 5,000 people via social media and webinars. During these sessions, I had elaborate conversations with individuals and companies and understood how they managed to sail or sink. Lt Gen Anil Kapoor, a friend of mine, urged me to bring out a book with key takeaways. I started writing on April 9 and brought out the book on August 24, says Sreeram. Among the case studies is that of Medica Hospitals, a chain of 10 hospitals in Eastern India and how they put together a Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) manual on February 18 on a war footing. The hospital had zero mortality rate. I also spoke to UPL, a `35,000 cr company where the senior management told me how they managed to increase their sales margin by 27 per cent in the second quarter of this year. There are extensive inputs from automobile industry majors and from VP Reliance Jio Trade Centre Veerendra Razdan. Which company particularly impressed him with their strategy? Qiagen India, a Germany-based company which supplies molecular testing kits approved by the WHO did impressively. I spoke to their South Asian head about what testing they were doing and how they were equipped to face the uncertain future. Also, I did not want it to be just a book covering the top ones. I also included rural companies such as Choudhary Millers, a Tanuku-based `200 cr MSME company, he shares. Sreeram straddles between Hyderabad and Kenya as part of is work. Sreeram, who is also a renowned international keynote speaker and a thought leader, says that the book highlights many facets of life and commerce. It dwells on the facets of various people who charted newer paths in these challenging times. The book consists of three parts. The first looks at the VUCA World phenomenon, change and the effects of the change! The second deals with incorporating those changes in daily lives and the best practices followed by some of the organisations. The third and final part of the book is a compilation of the conversation that the author had with several industry leaders, CEOs, doctors, industry consultants, heads of institutions from across industries around the world. The book is ranked #1 in entrepreneurship in Amazon new releases, he adds. 3 key values that helped companies survive Resilience: Companies that were resilient and took decisions for the next six months in the first two weeks after Covid-19 struck us did well Empowerment: Companies that allowed the frontline workers to take decisions without waiting for the CEO in the regional office, away from the action, to take the next step thrived Empathy: Companies that put their employees ahead of everything else enjoyed their confidence and that helped the company move ahead even when the times seemed tough Quick Covid-19 Takes What will work out best in 2021: Auto and agricultural collabs Companies that need to be pulled out of the rut: Automobiles, hospitality, MSME, startups, aviation, higher education institutes and luxury retail In trouble: The travel agent Shocking Hyderabadi fact: A prominent hotel in Hyderabad is making a loss of $1 million per year for the last 12 years Manju Latha Kalanidhi kalanidhi @newindianexpress.com @mkalanidhi Algeria is issuing its three mobile operators with additional spectrum holdings in a bid to restore connectivity after extensive network outages. Agence Ecofin reported that telecoms minister Brahim Boumzar met with senior executives from Algerie Telecom Mobile (Mobilis), Djezzy and Ooredoo after a week of nationwide connectivity problems. Boumzar confirmed that the ministry would work with regulator ARPCE (Authority for Regulation of Post & Electronic Communications) to issue extra spectrum to the operators, although he did not specify the frequencies that would be provided. The meeting was arranged on the order of Algerias President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, who called for a definitive solution to the problem of low internet speed. Data speeds in Algeria have plummeted since 19th August, although TeleGeography reported that this was due to problems with international connections rather than local spectrum availability. Algerie Telecom bore the brunt of the public backlash against the issues, as the operator is largely responsible for the countrys terrestrial cross-border and submarine fibre cable connections. The operator issued a statement about the connectivity issues, saying: This disruption has nothing to do with Algerias national telecommunications network or its basic facilities; it is rather a fluctuation of the international network. Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has cancelled all meetings with visitors as a precaution after 10 personnel in the Chief Minister's Office and residence tested Corona positive, officials said on Thursday. Visitors arriving from different parts of the state come in contact with various members of the staff including security personnel at the Chief Minister's Office and residence. Due to such situations, keeping their health and safety in mind, the Chief Minister has cancelled all meetings with visitors as a precuationary measure. The Chief Minister has requested visitors to avoid travelling to meet him and asked them to cooperate while taking care of their health in view of Covid-19 pandemic. RAC Band Planning Committee update: Proposed Two Metre Band Plan As announced in The Canadian Amateur magazine, the RAC Band Planning Committee has completed the new proposed 2m band plan. Radio Amateurs of Canada band planning committees coordinate the development of National Band Plans to provide guidance for the usage of the Canadian Amateur bands. These committees are made up of representatives from all regions of Canada. The committees prepare interim band plans after consulting with Amateurs across the country. These plans not only take into account the wishes of Canadian Amateurs, but are also coordinated with band usage in other countries through membership in the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU). The RAC Board of Directors extends thanks to the members of the RAC Band Planning Committee for undertaking the task of reviewing and updating the VHF and UHF band plans over the next year. A draft of the band plans is provided on the RAC website for final input before it is submitted to the RAC Board of Directors for approval. Draft plan: https://www.rac.ca/proposed-two-metre-2m-band-plan/ If you have any comments or suggestions please send them to Serge, Bertuzzo, VA3SB, RAC International Affairs Officer, at international@rac.ca. RAC Band Planning Committee Chair: Al Penney, VO1NO Members: Bill Elliott, VE1MR Don Falle, VE2DFO Stuart Truba, VE2XX Dana Shtun, VE3DS Derek Hay, VE4HAY Ken Oelke, VE6AFO Skip MacAulay, VE6BGT Ernest Clintberg, VE6EC Don Moman, VE6JY Mitchell Goodjohn, VE6SM Grant Furnald, VE6TA Ed Frazer, VE7EF George Merchant, VE7GM Dave Miller, VE7HR Serge, Bertuzzo, VA3SB RAC International Affairs Officer Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 05:58:25|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close A Palestinian boy walks on an empty street in Gaza City on Aug. 26, 2020. The Hamas-run ministry of interior announced on Wednesday that it decided to extend the lockdown imposed on all Gaza Strip districts for an additional 72 hours to combat coronavirus. (Photo by Rizek Abdeljawad/Xinhua) GAZA, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Hamas-run ministry of interior announced on Wednesday that it decided to extend the lockdown imposed on all Gaza Strip districts for an additional 72 hours to combat coronavirus. Undersecretary of the interior ministry, Tawfiq Abu N'iem, told a news briefing in Gaza city that the ministry decided to extend the lockdown "because the Gaza Strip is facing a critical stage in light of coronavirus' outbreak." He indicated that besides the full lockdown, the interior ministry will isolate the five Gaza Strip's districts from each other and will close some neighborhoods or buildings to prevent the spread of the virus in the besieged Gaza Strip. "It is possible that we would restore some additional measures in the coming hours to besiege the virus," Abu N'iem said, adding that the ministry will facilitate providing the population with their basic needs during the lockdown. Meanwhile, undersecretary of the Hamas-run ministry of health in Gaza, Yousef Abu el-Reesh, told reporters that the Gaza Strip is passing through a new phase to combat the coronavirus. "This stage requires the highest degree of attention and adherence to preventive health measures," he added, referring to staying indoor and only leaving home for an emergency. Since the outbreak of the deadly virus in Palestine, the Islamic Hamas movement, which rules the Gaza Strip since 2007, held all travelers who return to the enclave in quarantine far from populated areas. On Monday, Hamas announced that it recorded the first four COVID-19 cases in the coastal enclave's populated areas. In light of recording the four cases, Hamas imposed a 48-hour lockdown on the enclave. Spokesman of the Hamas-run ministry of health Ashraf al-Qedra told Xinhua that the Gaza Strip and the ministry of health "live today in an advanced state of the epidemic in light of the severe shortage of medical supplies." Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 06:26:07|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer (L, rear) and the EU high representative for foreign affairs and security policy Josep Borrell (R, rear) attend a press conference after the informal meeting of EU defense ministers in Berlin, capital of Germany, Aug. 26, 2020. Josep Borrell said on Wednesday he would present a wide set of options for solving the disputes in the Eastern Mediterranean over natural gas deposits. (Tom Twardy/Bundeswehr/Handout via Xinhua) BERLIN/BRUSSELS, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Josep Borrell, the high representative of the European Union (EU) for foreign affairs and security policy, said on Wednesday he would present a wide set of options for solving the disputes in the Eastern Mediterranean over natural gas deposits. Attending a video press conference following an informal meeting of the EU defense ministers of in Berlin, Borrell said, "as there is still work in progress," the purpose is not to consider which kind of sanctions would be presented against Turkey. German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer underlined that a further escalation of the situation should be avoided so that space could be created for political solution and an agreement to solve the disputes, mainly between Greece, Cyprus and Turkey. Appearing at the joint press conference with Borrell, the minister said she agreed with her colleagues from Greece and Cyprus that the current situation is tense and must be defused. She added that many fear that events may lead to an unwanted escalation. Earlier Wednesday, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the military alliance needs to find a way to de-escalate the situation and maintain dialogue between the concerned parties. "We need to find a way to resolve the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean, based on the spirit of allied solidarity and international law," said Stoltenberg, who also attended the meeting in Berlin. Both Turkey and Greece are NATO members. We Travel Together benefits expanded to businesses PHUKET: The benefits offered through the government-sponsored We Travel Together domestic tourism campaign have been expanded in the hope of encouraging more people to travel throughout the country. Expats remain excluded from the campaign, but the expansion now allows registered businesses to take advantage of the cheap deals offered. tourismCOVID-19economics By The Phuket News Thursday 27 August 2020, 04:21PM The new benefits now promoted on the official We Travel Together website. The Center for Economic Situation Administration (CESA) approved to increase the benefits offered in order to stimulate domestic tourism and national economy, reports the Phuket office of the Public Relations Department (PR Phuket). The PR Phuket report noted that since the campaign began in July, around 4.46 million people had registered to book deals through the We Travel Together portal. Subsequently, a total of 625,606 guest accommodation rooms had been booked, together valued at around B1.8 billion, rpeorted PR Phuket. The campaign was initially hoped to bring Phuket alone a B100 million boost to the islands suffering tourism industry. Under the initial benefits provided through the scheme, the government paid for 40% of the hotel rooms, but not more than B3,000 per night, limited to five rooms and five nights. However, the CESA has now approved for the 40% hotel room rate support extended from five nights per person to 10 nights, but not more than B3,000 per night. Likewise, the government will continue to subsidise 40% of the price of flight tickets, but with the maximum claim increased from B1,000 to B2,000. To expand the market base for those allowed to claim the government subsidised discounts, the CESA has approved for registered businesses to book holidays through the scheme. Allowing businesses to take part in the campaign has opened the doors for expats living and working in the country to book holidays through the scheme, but leaves other expats, including retirees, still excluded from the campaign. The newly elected President of the Thai Hotels Association, Marisa Nunbhakdi, asked the government to include expatriates in the second phase of tourism stimulus, saying those who pay tax should receive equal rights. The stimulus campaign for locals had run since July 18, but the slow response is a sign of weak domestic consumption as locals opt for stringent saving amid the economic slowdown, Ms Marisa said last week. RTHK: Teen arrested over deaths in protest-hit US city A teenager was arrested on murder charges on Wednesday after two people were shot dead during anti-police protests in the US city of Kenosha, as President Donald Trump said he was sending in additional federal forces. Violent clashes have erupted in the Midwestern city since police shot a black man point-blank as many as seven times in his back as he tried to enter his car. During protests on Tuesday two people were shot dead and a third injured after a man in civilian clothes with an assault rifle opened fire on demonstrators. "This morning Kenosha County authorities issued an arrest warrant for the individual responsible for the incident, charging him with First Degree Intentional Homicide," Antioch police said. "The suspect in this incident, a 17-year-old Antioch resident, is currently in custody of the Lake County Judicial System pending an extradition hearing to transfer custody from Illinois to Wisconsin." Trump announced that additional federal forces were headed to Kenosha as police try to keep control of the volatile demonstrations. "We will NOT stand for looting, arson, violence, and lawlessness on American streets," Trump tweeted. "TODAY, I will be sending federal law enforcement and the National Guard to Kenosha, WI to restore LAW and ORDER!" Trump made the announcement after speaking with Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers, who a day earlier announced he was authorising increased National Guard support for the county to 250 members. (AFP) This story has been published on: 2020-08-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Opposing demonstrators converged outside a Gresham police station Wednesday evening, marking a tumultuous start to the 91st consecutive night of protest against police violence and anti-Black racism in and around Portland. A separate demonstration later unfolded outside a federal building in South Portland. Police responded to both crowds, yet in distinct ways. Gresham police stood between opposing protesters for more than an hour to keep the two sides apart. At the later event, Portland and federal police forces advanced on protesters multiple times after some people threw items including eggs and paint at federal officers. Still, Wednesday marked the first night since the previous Thursday that Portland police did not declare a riot. Here are the key moments of both events: Flag waving in Gresham: The dual protests in Gresham started with a call for a flag waving in support of police Wednesday evening. The event lasted two hours. More than 100 people answered the call, and at least as many people showed up to oppose the demonstration. One side chanted All lives matter and waved signs and flags in support of police and President Donald Trump. Counter-protesters yelled Black lives matter! Gresham police repeatedly urge the combined crowds of 300 people to remain peaceful. For more than one hour, officers stood between the two groups to keep people apart. Before officers arrived outside, a fist fight broke out between one person on either side. The groups mostly traded shouts and chants over the course of two hours. At least four people in the pro-police crowd were carrying firearms. One person in the group, Alan Swinney, had drawn a gun on opposing protesters during dueling demonstrations in downtown Portland on Saturday afternoon. Police did not appear to make any arrests. 26 Demonstrations continue for 91st night outside ICE building in South Portland Federal officers in Portland: Around 10 p.m., a separate group which gathers every night for direct action in protest of police arrived at a South Portland Immigration & Customs Enforcement building. The building, at Moody Avenue and Bancroft Street, has been the site of several other such demonstrations, including some that police deemed to be a riot. Soon after the crowd arrived Wednesday night, some people spray painted messages such as Day 91, we wont quit. One person disabled a camera on the federal building by shooting it with a paintball gun, according to Portland police. Within 10 minutes, dozens of Homeland Security officers carrying batons, other weapons or shields gathered in the street. About a dozen of the officers wore camouflage uniforms and badges that said: Homeland Security Investigations Special Response Team. The two sides faced off on Bancroft Street for about a half hour. Then around 10:40 p.m., someone threw an egg toward police, followed by other people tossing eggs. Police said bottles and rocks were also thrown. Officers stood several yards away and deflected many objects with their shields. One was hit in the leg with a rock, police said. The scene escalated quickly. Federal officials declared the event an unlawful assembly at 10:45 p.m. Officers advanced on the crowd within a minute. Officers shot impact munitions and set off some irritants into the air that released green and white plumes. Neighbors looked on from their high-rise apartments above. At least one person appeared to have been injured in the rush by police. Protesters carried the person away to drive them to a hospital. After about 10 minutes, federal officers used stun grenades, irritants and less-lethal munitions to force the crowd farther north on Moody. Federal officers halted their push about two blocks from the building. Portland police respond: Portland police used a loudspeaker to label the gathering unlawful and order people to leave. It was the first Portland police presence at the protests all night. After the announcement, another standoff ensued between federal officers and protesters. Then Portland police arrived on foot and started running toward the crowd around 11 p.m. City police immediately started arresting people and formed lines to block people from going back to the building. Police vehicles circled the neighborhood with lights and sirens on for several minutes. Protesters weighed their next move around 11:25 p.m. Protesters eventually started marching south and encountered Portland police, who detained at least three more people. Police told people again to leave. At least 70 protesters remained past 11:45 p.m. After police retreated around 12:10 a.m., the diminished crowd of protesters walked back toward the federal immigration building. About 30 federal officers were waiting. People shouted, Quit your job! from across the street for several minutes. By 1 a.m., most people on both sides were gone. Police said that during the demonstration, someone deployed pepper spray at officers and that they were hit by thrown rocks. Arrest figures: Officers arrested 11 people on suspicion of charges including interfering with a peace officer and disorderly conduct. One person faces an allegation of carrying a concealed weapon, and another is accused of harassment and unlawful use of mace or pepper spray. Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt announced earlier this month that his prosecutors wont pursue demonstrators accused of interfering with police, disorderly conduct, criminal trespass, escape or harassment if the allegations dont involve deliberate' property damage, theft or force against another person or threats of force. No riot declaration: Portland police have declared a riot in response to the nightly protests 13 times this month one for every other day thus far in August. Portland police have also arrested more than 20 people every night since Sunday. Its unclear how many people were arrested Wednesday. Police ultimately arrested 23 adults during Tuesday nights demonstrations after a couple hundred demonstrators marched to City Hall. Some people smashed windows or entered the building. Police ultimately declared that event a riot, citing the extreme life safety concerns of security guards on duty. Read more: Beth Nakamura, Sean Meagher, K. Rambo, Jayati Ramakrishnan, Dave Killen and Shane Dixon Kavanaugh of The Oregonian/OregonLive contributed to this report. -- Jamie Goldberg; jgoldberg@oregonian.com; @jamiebgoldberg -- Jim Ryan; jryan@oregonian.com; 503-221-8005; @Jimryan015 Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Whistleblower priest Father Glen Walsh told his next-door neighbour that the Vatican had instructed him to be a hostile witness when he was called to testify against an Archbishop accused of concealing crimes of sexual abuse. Neighbour Jamie Hay said he chatted to Father Walsh in October 2017, about 10 days before he took his life and three weeks before the Archbishop's trial was due to begin. Father Walsh was expecting a visit from a senior member of the clergy, who he planned to take to task over the number of paedophile priests being housed by the Catholic Church. Father Glen Walsh in St Peters Square at the Vatican before his meeting with Pope Francis in 2016. The conversation turned to his disillusionment with the church over its handling of sexual abuse claims and Father Walsh told Mr Hay that he had met with the Pope about the upcoming trial of Archbishop Philip Wilson, in which he was due to testify for the prosecution. "He didn't name anyone in particular, but he said the expectation from Rome was, they didn't ask him but they said, 'You will be a hostile witness'," Mr Hay said. "He was a really devoted servant of the Catholic Church and it was heartbreaking." New Delhi, Aug 27 (UNI) India on Thursday accused Pakistan of evading responsibility in taking action against Pulwama attack mastermind Masood Azhar even after it shared enough evidence. Addressing the virtual weekly press briefing on Thursday here, ministry of external affairs spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said, The charge sheet has been filed after investigation of an year and half since the attack took place on February 14, 2019. It has been filed to address the act of terrorism and to bring perpetrators of such a heinous crime to justice. Our aim is not to simply issue statements or notifications. Stating that Terror organisation Jaish-e-Mohammad had claimed the responsibility of Pulwama attack, the spokesperson said, The organization and its leadership is in Pakistan. It is regrettable that Masood Azhar, the first accused in the chargesheet continues to find shelter in Pakistan. Enough evidence has been shared with Pakistan but it continues to evade responsibility. He also said that Pakistan has not yet taken any credible action against perpetrators of the Mumbai terror attack of 2008 which resulted in loss of 165 innocent lives including 25 foreign nationals. UNI ASH SHK2015 A drug dealer who crashed into a London bus, killing its driver and injuring 14 passengers, has been jailed. Dorjan Cera, an asylum seeker from Albania, sped over a junction and struck the single-decker shortly after 10pm on October 31 last year. Driver Kenneth Matcham, 60, was ejected from the vehicle after the impact caused it to crash into another bus travelling in the opposite direction in Orpington, south-east London. Cera, 20, had no insurance or licence at the time, and was driving a black Skoda Octavia he had hired using false documents, the Old Bailey heard on Thursday. Prosecutor Nathan Rasiah said the case involved an appalling piece of driving, which had catastrophic consequences. Orpington Bus Crash - In pictures 1 /17 Orpington Bus Crash - In pictures Police and recovery workers remove a damaged bus from the scene of a crash in Sevenoaks Road, Orpington, south-east Londo PA Police and London Fire Brigade at the crash scene in Orpington where a car and two buses were in collision Nigel Howard Two buses and a car crashed, killing one and injuring 15 others, in south-east London Nigel Howard Police officers and fire fighters at the scene of the fatal crash in Orpington Nigel Howard Police and recovery workers remove a damaged bus from the scene of a crash in Sevenoaks Road, Orpington, south-east Londo PA Police and recovery workers remove a damaged bus from the scene of a crash in Sevenoaks Road, Orpington, south-east Londo PA A car with its frontage severely damaged is seen after the crash in south-east London Oli Regan Nigel Howard PA PA Nigel Howard PA PA He said: The defendant drove his car at speed across a junction with a main road and collided with a bus. The impact of the collision forced the bus into the wrong lane, causing it to collide with another bus travelling in the opposite direction. Mr Kenneth Matcham, the driver of the first bus, was ejected from the vehicle as a result of the collision and died from his injuries, and a number of the passengers suffered serious injuries. Cera, who remained emotionless in the dock, was sentenced to seven years and eight months in detention and banned from holding a driving licence for 11 years and four months. Kenneth Matcham's daughter described him as 'the most amazing man you could have ever met' / PA Wire In June, he pleaded guilty to causing Mr Matchams death by dangerous driving. He also admitted seven further counts of causing injury by dangerous driving, being unlicensed and uninsured, and possession of an identity document with improper intent. Grandfather-of-seven Mr Matcham had been driving the R11 service which was carrying six passengers when his vehicle was hit. CCTV footage of the incident showed Ceras car failing to stop at the junction before smashing into the front nearside of the bus. Seven people suffered serious injuries, including passenger Paul Wassell, who broke his spine in three or four places when he was ejected from the bus, the court heard. The impact caused the vehicle to hit another single-decker bus, which was travelling along Sevenoaks Road, causing injuries to some of its passengers. One dead and 15 injured after bus crash in Orpington Cera, whose car also hit the second bus, was found in the drivers seat, with the airbags deployed, by a firefighter. After regaining consciousness, he identified himself falsely to police officers, Mr Rasiah said. He tested positive for cocaine during a roadside drugs wipe test, but a subsequent blood test was negative, the court heard. Cera was on licence at the time of the crash, having been sentenced to two years in detention in September 2018 for possession with intent to supply class A drugs, driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence and without insurance, and possession of false identity documents, the court was told. In a victim impact statement, Mr Matchams daughter, Shelley Gardner, described her father as the most amazing man you could have ever met. She said: He was always my hero. I feel so privileged to have been part of his life. Paramjit Ahluwalia, mitigating, said Cera had been diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder and depressive episodes following the crash. She said: There is an evident level of remorse by this 20-year-old. He expressed Every day Im here in the prison, I am reminded of what I have done and I think about it every day. The court heard that Cera had arrived in the UK from Albania at the age of 15 and had his application for asylum rejected in February this year. Washington Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler has begun a study to determine how many organizations in Washington are not paying insurance premium tax as required under state law. The study began with an initial survey sent to about 5,000 businesses and other organizations in Washington asking if they use a captive insurance company. Currently, captive insurers are not authorized under Washington state law. Additionally, companies using them are not paying a 2% premium tax on the insurance they buy. Kreidler last year ordered insurers Olympic Casualty Insurance Co. and ASA Assurance to stop insuring risk in Washington for their parent companies, Starbucks and Alaska Air Group. A year earlier, he fined an Alaska Air captive $2.5 million, and has also hit a Costco captive with a fine. Tax revenue from insurance companies doing business in Washington goes to the state general fund to pay for various public programs. Kreidlers office contracted with Washington-based Milliman, Inc., to conduct the survey and study. The information gathered will not identify organizations failing to pay the premium tax but will show an overall projected amount owed. The state Department of Revenue is assisting with the survey. Kreidlers office will report results of the study to the Legislature later this year. Currently, Washington collects over $1.2 billion in premium tax every two years from more than 2,400 insurance companies doing business in the state. These funds are the states second largest source of revenue. Kreidler last year proposed legislation to authorize captive insurance in Washington and to collect the 2% premium tax owed. Kreidler set up a self-reporting plan for companies in December 2018 that resulted in 16 businesses reporting their use of this arrangement. This led to the initial payment of about $4 million in previously unpaid premium tax, fines and interest. In an effort to understand the magnitude of the amount of unpaid tax, Kreidler suspended enforcement actions against captive insurers, pending results of the survey and study. Related: Topics Washington Getty Images A workshop being co-hosted by Lt. Gov. Julia Stratton and Groupon hopes to draw attention to resources available for minority-owned business facing challenges because of the pandemic. The workshop at 2 p.m. today will conclude states programming for National Black Business Month. Former President Jerry John Rawlings has reacted to what he describes as fabrications in Professor Kwamena Ahwoi's controversial book Working with Rawlings. According to him, "this book appears to have no aim of serving history with facts. It reads as an opportunistic and calculated attempt to ridicule President Rawlings and former First Lady Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, using the personality of the late President John Atta Mills as the bait. From the inception, the author has harboured his own parochial agenda which clashed naturally with the integrity and accountability of Rawlings. Those of such ilk will continue to attempt to rewrite history to suit their selfish ends, but discerning minds will no longer be reticent of nor willing to tolerate such political trickery and subterfuge". Read full text below The Integrity of truth Statement from the office of President Rawlings The Office of Former President Jerry John Rawlings, has noted with concern contents of a book titled Working with Rawlings, authored by a former appointee of the PNDC and NDC who now calls himself Professor Kwamena Ahwoi. The book attempts to chronicle the history of the role Kwamena Ahwoi played as an appointee of the former President, but disappointingly employs fabrications and grapevine accounts to paint a denigrating picture of President Rawlings and his colleagues. Everyone is entitled to his or her opinion. President Rawlings has over the past four decades tolerated various views, recognizing the fact that as a public figure one will not be immune to such, even when said opinions are vicious and derogatory. However, the public deserve to be served the truth as far as some of the contents of the book are concerned. The book is generously economical with the truth given that President Rawlings supported President Mills consistently from the year 2000, much to the chagrin of many of those who morphed into his post-victory supporters in 2006. MILLS PRIVATE CALL TO RAWLINGS After his landslide victory in the 2006 NDC Primaries, candidate Mills travelled to South Africa for medical treatment. While in South Africa, Mills put a call through to President Rawlings and indicated his desire to forego the candidature for the presidential election owing to his medical state. Following this conversation, President Rawlings held a meeting with some leading members of the Party to express concern about the state of candidate Mills health, and urged them to identify recognizable party members who could step in. President Rawlings is on record as having suggested that some known personalities in the party should position themselves to demonstrate that the NDC had enough Presidential material. Bizarrely, Kwamena Ahwoi has written a lengthy diatribe about how Rawlings coerced his brother (Ato Ahwoi) to contest Mills ahead of the primaries, leading to the breakdown of their healthy relationship. It should be stated on record, that President Rawlings took the responsible and pragmatic approach after he received that politically unnerving call from Professor Mills. He consulted the Party leadership to take strategic steps to fill the gap which by Professor Mills account was imminent. Urging some members of the Party to position themselves for a potential contest, was in no way an attempt to undermine, sabotage, betray or malign Professor Mills as the author shamelessly infers in his book. More disappointing is the impression created that he was and is unaware of that critical phone call from Professor Mills (while in South Africa) to President Rawlings. It is rather telling of him to deny this well-known crisis merely in his bid to deride and denigrate the genuine efforts of former President Rawlings to arrest a crisis. When Professor Mills returned to Ghana, meetings were held with him without the knowledge or participation of President Rawlings, where Professor Mills was convinced by those present, not to withdraw his candidature and actually made to believe that President Rawlings was working to undermine him. That, was when the mistrust begun, and Mr. Kwamena Ahwoi was and is well-known to be one of the master-architects of that manipulative agenda that pushed a very unwell candidate Mills into the 2008 General Elections. It must be noted, that at no point did President Rawlings support Professor Mills in his bid for presidency, with the aim or intention to manipulate Professor Mills should he become President, despite the attempts of various individuals to peddle falsehoods and sow disunity. Having worked with Professor Mills on various policy and manifesto achievements during his presidency, the aim was to support him and the NDC party back into government, for the good work of the pre-2000 NDC Administration to continue. After nineteen (19) years of working alongside various individuals with different motives and political beliefs including his political opponents, President Rawlings had acquired enough experience in people management to not be as unsophisticated in his relationship with Professor Mills as the book seeks to misinform. President Rawlings was critical of President Mills administration, there is no denying that, in usual manner, this was done openly and with the best of intentions. He had meetings with President Mills offering counsel and suggestions strictly to the good of Mills presidency and that of his government. Rawlings has always remained consistent in his open and bona fides criticisms of President Mills administration which, to date, are still outstanding matters. These include: The failure of the Mills Government to investigate the assassination of the Yaa-Naa and forty (40) of his elders; President Mills inability to look into the death of Alhaji Issa Mobilla, the late Northern Regional Chairman of the CPP; The failure of the Mills Government to investigate and prosecute genuine fraudulent activities within President Kufuors administration; and The lack of dedication to the Party ideals of probity and accountability, as well as the monetization of the NDC internal electoral processes. THE 2008 NDC CAMPAIGN In his bid to justify his version of events, the author goes as far as stating that President Rawlings was visibly absent from the 2008 national election campaign. Without needing to belabour a well-known and publicized fact, this account is absolutely false! President Rawlings and Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings travelled extensively to campaign for candidate Mills and these campaigns were covered by the media and are a matter of public record. The documentary titled An African Election filmed during the 2008 campaign and election visibly shows the former president on the campaign trail with steely and unparalleled determination. President Rawlings and Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings were actually an integral part of the NDC campaign structure for the 2008 election. He started his campaign in Sankore in the Brong Ahafo Region, and subsequently visited all ten regions, visiting some towns and villages twice, sometimes walking long distances in the process. President Rawlings traversed the whole country and made headlines by being the first to reach Tain, in the Brong Ahafo Region when that town became the eye of the storm during the election, leading to the legendary third round. Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings campaigned in not less than 15 major markets in Greater Accra Region, after which she moved straight to the Volta Region to start work. She also campaigned in the Ashanti, Brong Ahafo and Western Regions. She is also on record as having loaned vehicles and countless other resources to the Party towards the elections. Lest we forget Admiral Owusu Ansah, a courageous and patriotic member of the NDC who in spite of his failing health, joined the campaign trail shunning the comforts of his home in Accra in order to have Mills elected. This is a tribute to Admiral Owusu Ansah and patriots like General Nunoo-Mensah, who have selflessly sacrificed their lives, livelihoods and comforts for the Party; to then have one callously divisive individual, who in an attempt to increase book sales, insults and attempts to nullify the role and importance of these individuals. Admiral Owusu Ansah, the true and dedicated members of the NDC owe you a debt. Unsurprisingly, the author is unaware of the campaign presence of the former President during the 2008 elections. Neither Kwamena Ahwoi, his brother nor majority of their cronies was on the campaign trail, preferring to stay in the comforts of their homes in Accra, perpetually leaving the hard work of getting the party re-elected to others, but always being first in line for political appointments. ATTA KWABENA KUMAH The entire reference to Atta the mortuary man by the author is obviously ill-intentioned, unresearched and yet another attempt to dramatize the well-orchestrated divide in his Rawlings versus Atta Mills tale. Atta Kwabena Kumah popularly known as Attah the mortuary man was a good friend of President Rawlings, who worked at the 37 Military Hospital, Anatomical Pathological Unit for over forty (40) years. He sadly passed away in July of 2011 at the age of 82. They had known each other for close to forty (40) years, during which time Attah Kumah would regale President Rawlings with his life stories and Rawlings would do same. At the introduction of his address at the 2010 NDC Congress in Tamale, President Rawlings cracked a joke (as he is known to do) recounting one of his many interactions with Atta Kumah which got the entire audience laughing and relaxed in anticipation of the more serious task ahead, the election of National Executives of the Party. This particular non-incident has been clarified on so many occasions that one only has to take the time to find sources for clarification. It is rather unfortunate, that even a light-hearted joke that had the intended effect of diffusing the tensions usually experienced at party congresses, has been twisted into yet another Mills versus Rawlings affair ten (10) years later. Clearly, we can all see who seeks the perpetual disunity and failure of the NDC; once operating from the shadows and now clearly in the light. RAWLINGS: HIS VISION AND LEGACY President Rawlings has always stated publicly and unapologetically that throughout his tenure, he served his nation with a team comprised of various experts with different political affiliations each of whom patriotically contributed their talent and intellect to the cause. As a young Air Force officer (in his twenties) who used to fly across the country, former President Rawlings came face-to-face with some stark realities across the country. He and his pilot colleagues, would sometimes go to local markets in places like Yendi to purchase some local produce. He noticed old men selling beans, sorghum etc. and placed close to their legs were containers with a brown looking fluid. He was shocked to the core when on enquiry, he would be informed that the dirty looking fluid was their drinking water. He felt pained knowing that folks in the urban areas were so privileged that they were able to flush their toilets with clean water from the taps while those in the rural areas drank Guinea-worm infested water. Accept it or not, this was our reality as a nation. How could these experiences not have sparked a vision or a philosophical outlook in this young pilots head? Even more disturbing was the fact that large patches of Ghana were without lights when he flew at night. His perspective began to take a more serious tone as he recognized the reality on the ground and the fact that without electricity and water, the populace would be living an unhappy and distressing sub-standard existence, while urban dwellers remained out of touch with the reality on the other side of the country. Years later, President Rawlings priority naturally, was the provision of potable water for the wider populace and the distribution of electricity to the entire country. A vision he can proudly state he largely saw to fruition. The next step in his vision for development was the construction and equipping of regional hospitals across the entire country. Indeed, in the early days (1980s) there was a time when Dr. Joe Abbey informed Flt. Lt. Rawlings that drugs for Government-run hospitals could not last for a week. A most shocking situation! At the time, historical records will clearly show that support from Eastern bloc countries who could be considered natural allies was not forthcoming owing to their own internal challenges. With the urgent need to complement much-needed social development projects, the PNDC Government had no option but to go West to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, where we as a Government and a nation made history by defining our financial needs, terms and method of implementation to those institutions; leading to a complete overhaul in the way the IMF and World Bank approached project funding and implementation globally. President Rawlings has always seen his vision and legacy as a collective one that he hopes each of the dedicated patriots also recognizes as their own legacies as well. It is said, that it is an effective leader that consults with and participates in the backbreaking work of development, but most importantly trusts in the craft, talent and skills of his team to deliver on his and their collective vision. President Rawlings no doubt had a grand vision for Ghana, and in tribute to the dedicated patriots who worked with him to realise this vision, as far as practicable, a few of these achievements are set-out hereunder: Institution of a local government structure, a clear empowering process that has successively been embraced by all Ghanaians irrespective of political affiliation; And credit must go to patriots such Dr. Ayirebi Acquah and Madam Joyce Aryee and several others who played a significant role in implementing the policy. The Rural Electrification Project that ensured that most parts of Ghana were provided with electricity, recognizing the benefits that provision will add to socio-economic development; Prior to the era of Rawlings, travelling from Southern Ghana to Northern Ghana took days. After major roads were constructed to link most parts of the Northern Regions to the South half of Ghana, we became one unified country not just in name but also accessibility. Championing of womens development and affirmative action. The results are there for all to see. Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings and the 31st December Womens movement, were instrumental in agricultural the countrys agricultural development, trade and the development of many of Ghanas health facilities. With food security a priority for Rawlings, agricultural policies were initiated that resulted in the recognition of Ghanas food production growth of 148 percent for the period 1995-1997 as the third highest achievement in the record after Jordan (157%) and China (156%) in the World Banks 1999-2000 Development Report. The introduction of sustainable economic policies that led to: Increased productivity in export produce like cocoa and gold; The establishment of the National Development Planning Commission; The revival of the Ghana Export Promotion Council, all institutions which have survived to date. There were massive developments in the health sector including: The establishment of the Cardiothoracic Centre at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital The establishment of the Korle Bu Radiotherapy Centre The wooing of eminent personalities such as Professor Frimpong Boateng to return to Ghana to serve their country. The Reconstructive Plastic Surgery and Burns Centre was also constructed under President Rawlings watch. RAWLINGS FOUNDER OF THE 4TH REPUBLIC President Rawlings, in 1992, established the 4th Republic of Ghana, the longest running in the history of this nation, which still endures. Following his constitutionally mandated two terms serving as the President of Ghana, he handed over the flagbearership of the NDC to Professor Mills and the leadership of the nation to President Kufuor in 2001. Prior to the return to constitutional rule in 1992, Rawlings initiated and supervised a process of transition to constitutional rule as early as 1986 through the actualisation of the District Assembly concept as a primary grassroots democratic organ. Subsequently, the National Commission on Democracy sought opinions from Ghanaians on the best form of democratic governance to adopt. Eventually the former President was presented with a report that recommended an expansion of the District Assembly system into the Regional and National Assemblies where individuals would nominate themselves for elections. President Rawlings has never shied away from stating that he is not a supporter of multiparty democracy because it tends to allow a minority to manipulate and rule the majority and brings about division. In spite of his strong reservations, he still accepted the integrity of the information from his team, to adopt the multiparty system of democratic governance and actually stood as a presidential candidate in both the 1992 and 1996 General Elections. Due to his faith in his team, and desire to prioritize the national development agenda, he chose not to exercise his veto as Head of State, despite his reservations about the multi-party system. Former President Rawlings set an admirable record on the continent by willingly and smoothly handing over power in 2001 when his party lost the 2000 General Election. The continent is currently strewn with leaders who have entrenched their stay after their constitutionally obligated terms, amending the constitution, rigging elections or simply refusing to step down. Today the precedent established by President Rawlings has ensured that the 4th Republic has enjoyed four smooth political transitions. NANA KONADU AND THE NDC SACRIFICE AND BETRAYAL The role, hard work, strategy and organisational talent that Nana Konadu applied to build and propel the NDC to countless victories can never be eroded. The various attempts to not just discount the central role she played, but to also deride her, is symptomatic of the myopic selfishness of characters within the NDC who cannot appreciate the fact that in so doing to pioneers of the Party like herself and others, you have no history to speak of. To peddle falsehoods in the name of hearsay as a justification for the blatant lies in the book is unbecoming of an academician; albeit with the sole intention of creating the impression that Nana Konadu had a role to play in the so-called Rawlings versus Mills tale. Nana Konadu played an integral role in the development of both the PNDC and the NDC, and the attempts by the author to denigrate her and nullify the key strategic and organisational role she played is yet another disappointment of the book. When the Swedru Declaration was made (prior to the 2000 elections), Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings had in fact been out of Ghana for several months working on a womens health project for the World Health Organisation (WHO). A fact the author could quite easily have verified were he or any of his proof-readers inclined to do so. She was informed about the Declaration while she was abroad. Surely, logic would indicate, that had she any intention to contest that election, she would have been in the country campaigning, or at the very least have set in motion her campaign machinery with which to achieve her Presidential objectives. At no point did she indicate to President Rawlings or members of the Party, that she had any intention or inclination to be the flagbearer of the Party. On her return to the country, she rapidly rolled out her campaign strategy and machinery in support of Professor Mills. Yet another fact that can be easily and publicly verified. April 2000 Congress In writing on the Extraordinary Congress of April 2000, the author again alleges that Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings was unhappy with the proliferation of Mills for President T-shirts and confronted several people who wore the T-shirts including he (Kwamena) and Kofi Totobi-Quakyi. It defies logic for an academician turned author to include this falsehood in his work when President and Mrs. Rawlings had publicly thrown their weight behind Vice-President Mills for the Presidency and indeed after the Congress, they campaigned extensively and comprehensively for the candidate. Further, to insinuate that Mrs. Rawlings was averse to the wearing of Mills for President T-shirts is absurd given that Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings and her womens group were actually responsible for printing thousands of Mills for President paraphernalia to her personal debt. The foregoing is merely a crystallisation of decades of a smear campaign led by Ahwoi to shift the blame for all the many failures of the Party onto Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings. This is indicative of the consistent lack of reflection and the refusal to take responsibility for mistakes, that have led the Party to the point at which it finds itself. Professor Kwamena Ahwoi Afiadenyigba, Ada Incident In 2000, Vice President Mills had been confirmed as the candidate for the NDC. Nana Konadu, as part of her political campaign for the Party, created a programme for the Greater Accra Region. One of the events was the opening of a school in Afiadenyigba, Ada which she invited Mrs Mills to commission, to officially outdoor her to the Dangbe community. Although protocol arranged for the First Lady and Vice-Presidents wife to travel together, Mrs Mills decided to take the lead on the journey. One of the etiquettes that J.J. Rawlings insisted upon at public events, which then became custom, was not to drive into durbar grounds, thereby whipping up dust onto the chiefs, royalty and the community. It therefore became an unspoken rule since the 1980s that government officials arriving at any function were to alight from their vehicles at the periphery of the durbar grounds and walk onto the grounds. When Mrs. Mills arrived at the durbar grounds at Afiadenyegba, her convoy in an attempt to drive onto the sandy durbar grounds was frantically flagged down and stopped by a police officer assigned to the function. Mrs. Mills in a fury demanded the reason for this. The police officer proceeded to explain the rationale for stopping her car which unfortunately did little to diffuse the situation and she said she was leaving. The 31st DWM ladies that organised the event frantically went on their knees to apologise to the Vice-Presidents wife and begged her to stay. This was in full view of the chiefs and people gathered. Nana Konadu eventually arrived at Afiadenyegba to the sight of some elderly organisers on their knees, pleading, with Mrs. Mills who was clearly upset. Nana Konadu enquired as to what had transpired and was briefed by her organisers. In an attempt to de-escalate the situation, Nana Konadu apologised to Mrs Mills on their behalves and explained that all manner of hiccups occurred at public events but that should not bother her. When Nana Konadu proceeded to greet the chiefs and people present, she was met by shocked chiefs, queen-mothers and their subjects, all of whom could have been located to corroborate the incident, was the author so inclined. In the days that followed, it came to light that the police officer in question and his colleagues present were transferred outside of Greater Accra Region. One of the officers wrote a report to the then IGP Peter Nanfuri who also reported the entire matter to President Rawlings. Shocked and upset at the entire incident, President Rawlings asked Vice-President Mills why he would issue such instructions against the officers when they were just doing their jobs. The transfers were subsequently overturned. Nana Konadu was still on her regional campaigns for the NDC and Vice President Mills, unaware of the demotions, transfers and subsequent discussions taking place in Accra. Whilst in Cape Coast, the then Regional Minister Jehu-Appiah and two other persons met with her to enquire as to her knowledge of the incident. She narrated it and they expressed surprise at such a trivial incident taking this turn. Kwamena Ahwoi, John Kwadjo and E.T Mensah, all appointees at the time, authored a report of this incident which lays all the facts bare. This is a matter of public record and were the author so inclined, he would have consulted it as he did with other documents in his possession. 2011 Primaries Prior to her decision to contest President Mills in the 2011 NDC Primaries, Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings was the Vice-Chairman of the NDC, and she achieved that position by sheer merit, winning by a large majority at the 2010 Congress in Tamale. As with any other member of the Party or in the wider sphere, as a citizen of this country, she has a democratic right to contest an election employing hard work, a proven track record and sheer wit to her success. By doing so at the 2010 NDC Congress, she put herself in the spotlight, to be scrutinised and judged by the delegates who made their own decisions. This is in clear juxtaposition to others who never put any work into the success or survival of the NDC Party, have manipulated events and people, to sow seeds of mistrust and disunity whilst promoting their own family agenda. For the record the 2011 NDC primaries campaign of Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, was led by personalities such as Hon. Michael Teye Nyaunu and Hon. Namburr Berrick. PERSONAL OPINIONS Varied personal opinions have been sought by the author in his bid to sully the image of President Rawlings and Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings. A tall list of personalities take turns to offer their apparent view of the Rawlings-Mills relationship. It must be stated, that the claim by named persons in the book that Nana Konadu, at a meeting with Professor Mills requested for the Vice-Presidential slot is an outright fabrication. Nana Konadu never requested, indicated or discussed with any individual an intention or desire to be the running-mate to Vice-President Mills. This book is quite unfortunately, riddled with countless fabrications and assumptions ascribed to said individuals who were thought to have more honour. President Rawlings and President Mills had a good relationship during the latters tenure. They interacted several times via telephone and met a few times either at the Ridge residence or the Castle, Osu and at all times they treated each other with utmost respect. These meetings were at the behest of President Mills, so it is difficult to reconcile the so-called bitterness that Ahwoi portrays in his book to the reality of the relationship between Rawlings and Mills. A number of personalities that the author refers to and others, have written publicly to disassociate themselves from the comments in the book. A clear indication of the credibility or lack thereof of its contents. This book appears to have no aim of serving history with facts. It reads as an opportunistic and calculated attempt to ridicule President Rawlings and former First Lady Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, using the personality of the late President John Atta Mills as the bait. From the inception, the author has harboured his own parochial agenda which clashed naturally with the integrity and accountability of Rawlings. Those of such ilk will continue to attempt to rewrite history to suit their selfish ends, but discerning minds will no longer be reticent of nor willing to tolerate such political trickery and subterfuge. The truth is a debt owed to the memory of the departed as well as current and future generations. The true legacy of the PNDC into the NDC under President Jerry John Rawlings, is one that ought to be acknowledged if there exists a Fourth Republic that has endured. Signed: Kobina Andoh Amoakwa (Communications Directorate) Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Isabella County has entered the highest risk level for the spread of coronavirus, based on a metric developed by the Harvard Global Health Initiative. The mid-Michigan county, which is home to Central Michigan University, is averaging 18.9 new cases per day, or 27 new cases per day per 100,000 residents, according to data from Aug. 20-26. Isabella County moved into the red zone Wednesday, as the Central Michigan District Health Department reported it had identified 106 COVID-19 cases, including 98 confirmed and eight probable. Students have been back in classes on campus since Aug. 17. Earlier this week, CMU President Bob Davies sent an email to students in which he said the university was prepared for an increase in cases and acted quickly with the help of the area health department to identify and instruct those individuals to quarantine. We must all take steps to protect ourselves and others, Davies wrote. Avoid large gatherings, wash our hands often, wear masks and practice social distance. The university does not have a set threshold or number of cases that would trigger a shift to remote instruction, according to its website. CMU will remain open for face-to-face instruction for as long as we are able to manage and mitigate the risks related to COVID-19. Of the remainder of the states 83 counties, six are in the orange zone, meaning they are averaging 10-25 new cases per day per capita over the last week. That includes Menominee, Saginaw, Tuscola, Macomb, Monroe, and Branch counties. Sixty-seven counties are in the yellow zone (1-10 new cases) and the remaining nine are in the green (less than one new case per day). On the map below, readers can put their cursor over a county to see the underlying data. If you cant see the map, click here. Latest on coronavirus testing Macomb and Saginaw counties continue to report the highest percentage of coronavirus tests coming back positive with 7.3% and 5.2%, respectively over the last two weeks. Ontonagon, Monroe, Oakland, Cass, Bay and Menominee counties continue to report a positive rate at 4% or higher, but less than the 5% benchmark set by the World Health Organization to determine if its safe to reopen schools. As a state, Michigan has recently averaged about a 3.3% positive test rate. Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, the chief medical executive, said shed like to see that number drop below 3%. Meanwhile, three counties -- Alcona, Alpena and Keweenaw -- have not reported a single positive test over the last two weeks. Theyve processed a combined 549 tests since Aug. 12. The map below shows the 14-day average testing rate by county. Once again, readers can put their cursor over a county to see the underlying data. If you cant see the map, click here. More localized maps Below are two maps created by the EpiBayes research group at University of Michigans Department of Epidemiology, which has access to sub-county data collected by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. The interactive maps break down the state into 10-kilometer hexagons to provide a more localized look at where coronavirus cases are occurring. You can click here to get to the research project website. The first map looks at confirmed and probable coronavirus cases in the past week. You can click on a hexagon to see the underlying data. You can use the triangle button at the upper right of the map to toggle to the second map, which shows total confirmed coronavirus cases and deaths since the start of the pandemic. As of Wednesday, Aug. 26, Michigan has reported 99,200 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 6,242 known deaths. The state is averaging 703 new cases and 11 new deaths per day, according to a seven-day moving average. For more statewide data, visit MLives coronavirus data page, here. To find a testing site near you, check out the states online test finder, here, send an email to COVID19@michigan.gov, or call 888-535-6136 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays. 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: Small Michigan businesses on brink of destruction, ask Gov. Whitmer for plan to reopen Nursing home deaths in Michigan part of Department of Justice data request Phase 4 vs. Phase 5: Michigan high schools left to navigate competition dilemma Michigan reports 761 new coronavirus cases, 7 new deaths Liberty University's pastor has apologized to students for former president Jerry Falwell Jr.'s 'sinful' behavior after he stepped down this week amid a sex scandal with a pool boy who had an affair with his wife. David Nasser, the university pastor, gave a speech to students after Falwell Jr.'s resignation where he told them they 'deserve better'. The sermon was live-streamed to more than 30,000 people online and outraged Falwell who called Nasser afterwards and demanded to know what sin he'd committed. Falwell Jr., 58, this week stepped down amid a firestorm of claims about his relationship with Giancarlo Granda, a 29-year-old pool boy who had an affair with his wife Becki. Falwell Jr. claimed that he and Becki had an affair, that he found out about it and was devastatsed, but that he was in no way involved. Scroll down for video David Nasser, the university pastor, gave a speech to students after Falwell Jr.'s resignation where he told them they 'deserve better' Jerry Falwell Jr. and his wife Becki. Falwell said the photos were of Becki, in their backyard in Virginia, and that while they weren't 'fully nude', they were of her Granda, however, says he used to watch them having sex, sometimes in his Speedos, and that he was complicit. The tawdry affair brings an end to Falwell Jr.'s rule over the school in Virginia, which his pastor father founded in 1971. It also strays from his strict Christian morals and the goes entirely against what is taught to students at the school. It also comes a year after unnamed staffers at Liberty spoke out against Falwell Jr. anonymously, calling him a 'dictator' who was more concerned with profits than the teachings of the Lord. Nasser told current students: 'I am sorry. In my opinion, you as a Liberty student deserve better. 'And the embarrassment that's been brought upon you as a Liberty student, and more importantly brought upon the name of Christ, is wrong. Giancarlo Granda claims he had a six-year affair with Becki and that Jerry watched them have sex 'I know that many of you are hurting and that breaks my heart. 'Your concerns if you're concerned are valid. If you're not concerned, you should be concerned. He went on to say they were 'right to want to see stern and swift accountable action for sinful behavior.' 'It's okay to call sin, sin. You know why? Because it is the only way to actually start to deal with it. It is not love to simply stay in the dark, and not call shameful what God calls shameful. 'And if we're not willing to stand on that truth, then what in the world are we calling ourselves Christians for in the first place?' Falwell Jr. has not expressed remorse for any of the ordeal. He was outraged by Nasser's remarks and confronted him over them. 'I called Nasser and asked him exactly what sin I committed. He couldn't and wouldn't answer. He just hung up and now won't answer,' he fumed to The News Advance, a local newspaper in Lynchburg, Virginia, where the university is based. In his first statement and ever since, he's claimed to be the victim of an extortion plan by Granda. The saga began on Sunday night, when Jerry gave a long statement to The Washington Examiner, claiming he and his wife were being extorted. He did not name Granda, but revealed that Becki had had an affair. He said he'd chosen to forgive her, but that finding out about it upset him so much he lost 80lbs. He then claimed that their lawyers had told them to stay in touch and remain friendly with Granda, with whom they run a gay-friendly hostel in Miami. Granda, in an interview with Reuters, then claimed that not only did Jerry know about the affair, but that he watched him and Becki having sex. He said the trio met in 2012, when he was working as a pool boy at the Fontainebleau in Miami, and says Becki picked him up. He claims she told him he needed someone more experienced than the young girls he was talking to and that she brought him to her hotel room, where Jerry was waiting in Speedos. Falwell Jr with Giancarlo, his wife, and other members of their family in a photo taken in Washington DC before the relationship soured The pair then had sex in front of Jerry, he claims. In 2015, the couple tried to cut ties with Granda by buying him out of their Miami hostel. It coincided with Donald Trump's first presidential campaign, which they endorsed enthusiastically. Granda did not agree to the terms and they remained in business. In 2018, the relationship soured, he said. The couple have also had legal issues in the past with Gordon Bello, another young man who claims he had a 'personal relationship' with Becki. He said in a lawsuit that he was owed a stake in the hostel. The lawsuit was settled privately for an undisclosed amount last year. The couple have also given a former Liberty University student and personal trainer help setting up his own business. Benjamin Crosswhite trained the couple in 2011 and later. In 2016, Liberty gave him a health and fitness center on campus. The Granda scandal comes after questions and criticism over Jerry's leadership at the Christian university. He was in the past accused of using the university purse to give favors to friends, and disgruntled staffers said he ran it more like a 'real estate hedge fund' than a college. The university has amassed more than $500million in assets since he took over. Much of it is down to him taking in online students. Liberty was founded in 1971 by Jerry's father, Jerry Falwell Sr., or 'big Jerry', as some on campus call him. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 27) - Agriculture Secretary William Dar has enjoined local government units and other government agencies to include frozen chicken meat in relief packs to address the excessive supply of the poultry product. The inclusion of fresh chicken in the relief goods would hike the demand and increase the farmgate prices of broilers, said Dar in a statement. This was in response to the appeal by the United Broiler Raisers Association, whose members along with other poultry raisers in the country continue to reel from weak demand due to the pandemic. This resulted in the oversupply of chicken meat. Dar said that Department of Labor and Employment Secretary Silvestre Bello III is amenable to the idea of including chicken meat in the relief packs for its "Tulong Panghanap-buhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers program. Meanwhile, Dar said he will also present the proposal to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). The DSWD leads the Inter-Agency Task Force task group on food security on procurement, and preparation and distribution of food packs. We need to explore new markets to prop up demand, after a great number of food establishments and restaurants have discontinued or reduced their operations, said Dar. The relief packs from the government usually contain rice, sardines, instant noodles, sugar, and other basic food items. Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-28 06:04:27|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BAGHDAD, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Three Katyusha rockets on Thursday landed in the heavily fortified Green Zone in the Iraqi capital Baghdad without causing casualties, the Iraqi military said. The rockets were fired from the al-Bejiyah area in western Baghdad in late Thursday night and landed in the Green Zone, the media office of the Iraqi Joint Operations Command (JOC) said in a brief statement. The rockets caused no casualties as they landed on an empty field in the zone, the statement said. The attack is the second in the night as the JOC reportedly said that a rocket was fired from al-Dora highway in the south of the Green Zone but failed to reach the zone and landed in the al-Jadriyah neighborhood without causing casualties. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack, but the military bases housing U.S. troops across Iraq and the Green Zone in Baghdad have been frequently targeted by mortar and rocket attacks. The Iraqi-U.S. relations have witnessed a tension since Jan. 3 when a U.S. drone struck a convoy at Baghdad airport, which killed Qassem Soleimani, former commander of the Quds Force of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, deputy chief of Iraq's paramilitary Hashd Shaabi forces. The U.S. airstrike prompted the Iraqi parliament on Jan. 5 to pass a resolution requiring the government to end the presence of foreign forces in the country. More than 5,000 U.S. troops have been deployed in Iraq to support the Iraqi forces in the battles against the Islamic State (IS) militants, mainly for training and advisory purposes. Enditem Hibernation is a familiar feature on Earth today. Many animals -- especially those that live close to or within polar regions -- hibernate to get through the tough winter months when food is scarce, temperatures drop and days are dark. According to new research, this type of adaptation has a long history. In a paper published Aug. 27 in the journal Communications Biology, scientists at the University of Washington and its Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture report evidence of a hibernation-like state in an animal that lived in Antarctica during the Early Triassic, some 250 million years ago. The creature, a member of the genus Lystrosaurus, was a distant relative of mammals. Antarctica during Lystrosaurus' time lay largely within the Antarctic Circle, like today, and experienced extended periods without sunlight each winter. The fossils are the oldest evidence of a hibernation-like state in a vertebrate animal, and indicates that torpor -- a general term for hibernation and similar states in which animals temporarily lower their metabolic rate to get through a tough season -- arose in vertebrates even before mammals and dinosaurs evolved. "Animals that live at or near the poles have always had to cope with the more extreme environments present there," said lead author Megan Whitney, a postdoctoral researcher at Harvard University who conducted this study as a UW doctoral student in biology. "These preliminary findings indicate that entering into a hibernation-like state is not a relatively new type of adaptation. It is an ancient one." Lystrosaurus lived during a dynamic period of our planet's history, arising just before Earth's largest mass extinction at the end of the Permian Period -- which wiped out about 70% of vertebrate species on land -- and somehow surviving it. The stout, four-legged foragers lived another 5 million years into the subsequent Triassic Period and spread across swathes of Earth's then-single continent, Pangea, which included what is now Antarctica. "The fact that Lystrosaurus survived the end-Permian mass extinction and had such a wide range in the early Triassic has made them a very well-studied group of animals for understanding survival and adaptation," said co-author Christian Sidor, a UW professor of biology and curator of vertebrate paleontology at the Burke Museum. Paleontologists today find Lystrosaurus fossils in India, China, Russia, parts of Africa and Antarctica. These squat, stubby, creatures -- most were roughly pig-sized, but some grew 6 to 8 feet long -- had no teeth but bore a pair of tusks in the upper jaw, which they likely employed to forage among ground vegetation and dig for roots and tubers, according to Whitney. Those tusks made Whitney and Sidor's study possible. Like elephants, Lystrosaurus tusks grew continuously throughout their lives. The cross-sections of fossilized tusks can harbor life-history information about metabolism, growth and stress or strain. Whitney and Sidor compared cross-sections of tusks from six Antarctic Lystrosaurus to cross-sections of four Lystrosaurus from South Africa. Back in the Triassic, the collection sites in Antarctica were at about 72 degrees south latitude -- well within the Antarctic Circle, at 66.3 degrees south. The collection sites in South Africa were more than 550 miles north during the Triassic at 58-61 degrees south latitude, far outside the Antarctic Circle. The tusks from the two regions showed similar growth patterns, with layers of dentine deposited in concentric circles like tree rings. But the Antarctic fossils harbored an additional feature that was rare or absent in tusks farther north: closely-spaced, thick rings, which likely indicate periods of less deposition due to prolonged stress, according to the researchers. "The closest analog we can find to the 'stress marks' that we observed in Antarctic Lystrosaurus tusks are stress marks in teeth associated with hibernation in certain modern animals," said Whitney. The researchers cannot definitively conclude that Lystrosaurus underwent true hibernation --which is a specific, weeks-long reduction in metabolism, body temperature and activity. The stress could have been caused by another hibernation-like form of torpor, such as a more short-term reduction in metabolism, according to Sidor. Lystrosaurus in Antarctica likely needed some form of hibernation-like adaptation to cope with life near the South Pole, said Whitney. Though Earth was much warmer during the Triassic than today -- and parts of Antarctica may have been forested -- plants and animals below the Antarctic Circle would still experience extreme annual variations in the amount of daylight, with the sun absent for long periods in winter. Many other ancient vertebrates at high latitudes may also have used torpor, including hibernation, to cope with the strains of winter, Whitney said. But many famous extinct animals, including the dinosaurs that evolved and spread after Lystrosaurus died out, don't have teeth that grow continuously. "To see the specific signs of stress and strain brought on by hibernation, you need to look at something that can fossilize and was growing continuously during the animal's life," said Sidor. "Many animals don't have that, but luckily Lystrosaurus did." If analysis of additional Antarctic and South African Lystrosaurus fossils confirms this discovery, it may also settle another debate about these ancient, hearty animals. "Cold-blooded animals often shut down their metabolism entirely during a tough season, but many endothermic or 'warm-blooded' animals that hibernate frequently reactivate their metabolism during the hibernation period," said Whitney. "What we observed in the Antarctic Lystrosaurus tusks fits a pattern of small metabolic 'reactivation events' during a period of stress, which is most similar to what we see in warm-blooded hibernators today." If so, this distant cousin of mammals isn't just an example of a hearty creature. It is also a reminder that many features of life today may have been around for hundreds of millions of years before humans evolved to observe them. ### The research was funded by the National Science Foundation. For more information, contact Sidor at casidor@uw.edu and Whitney at meganwhitney@fas.harvard.edu. Reference: "Evidence of torpor in the tusks of Lystrosaurus from the Early Triassic of Antarctica" by Whitney MR and Sidor CA. DOI: 10.1038/s42003-020-01207-6 Grant numbers: PLR-1341304, DEB-1701383 Link to Google Drive folder containing images, caption/credit information, and copies of the embargoed release and FAQ document: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1aVLwWJo9gKWmyW66rW6Ld1Yo1rWN4sDw?usp=sharing FROM: James Urton University of Washington 206-543-2580 jurton@uw.edu The Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL), under the Govt. of Uttar Pradesh, has called for online applications from eligible and interested candidates for filling Twenty One (21) vacancies to the post of Assistant Accountant through direct selection on a fulltime basis to be posted across Uttar Pradesh in India. The registration-cum-application process towards the same starts from September 9, 220 onwards and closes on September 29, 2020. CRITERIA DETAILS Name Of The Posts Assistant Accountant Organisation Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL) Educational Qualification Bachelors Degree in Commerce or equivalent Experience Freshers can apply Job Responsibilities null Skills Required null Job Location Uttar Pradesh Salary Scale Rs. 29,800 to Rs. 94,300 per month Industry Power Corporation Application Start Date September 9, 2020 Application End Date September 29, 2020 UPPCL Recruitment: Age Criteria And Fees Candidates interested in applying for Assistant Accountant posts through UPPCL Recruitment 2020 must have attained 21 years of age and not have exceeded 40 years of age as on July 1, 2020 with relaxation (upper age limit) to reserved categories as per the UPPCL norms as specified in UPPCL Recruitment notification. Candidates must remit a prescribed amount of Rs. 1,000 (Gen/UR/OBC/EWS of UP) and Rs. 700 (SC/ST of UP State) as application processing fee for Assistant Accountant posts through UPPCL Recruitment 2020 through online (net-banking/credit/debit) mode or through SBI challan mode as specified in the UPPCL Recruitment notification. NHB Recruitment 2020 For 16 Assistant Managers (Scale I) Posts, Apply Online From August 29 Onwards UPPCL Recruitment: Education And Eligibility Desirous candidates applying for Assistant Accountant posts through UPPCL Recruitment 2020 possess a Bachelor's Degree in Commerce or equivalent from a recognised University/Institution as specified in the UPPCL Recruitment notification. UPPCL Recruitment: Selection And Pay Scale The selection of candidates for Assistant Accountant posts through UPPCL Recruitment 2020 will be done through a Computer-Based Test and Interview. Candidates selected for Assistant Accountant posts through UPPCL Recruitment 2020 will be paid emolument in the scale of Rs. 29,800 to Rs. 94,300 per month. NFL Recruitment 2020 For 40 Manager And Engineer Posts, Apply Offline Before September 25 UPPCL Recruitment: How To Apply Candidates applying for Assistant Accountant posts through UPPCL Recruitment 2020 must register online on the official UPPCL website from September 9, 2020 onwards, and submit the applications on or before September 29, 2020. Download UPPCL Recruitment 2020 PDF for Assistant Accountant LAPORTE A woman led a chase after she was caught with her cellphone in her hand while driving, violating Indianas new driving law, police said. Sheila S. Kinney, 45, of LaPorte, was charged with two counts of resisting law enforcement and she was issued citations for distracted driving with cellphone usage, operating with an expired drivers license, disregarding a stop sign and discarding a lit cigarette from a vehicle, according to the LaPorte County Sheriffs Office. At 9:29 a.m. Wednesday LaPorte County Sgt. Scott Boswell was driving north on L Street approaching First Street when he saw a woman driving while holding a cellphone in her left hand, said LaPorte County Capt. Derek Allen. Since the hands-free driving law went into effect on July 1, it is now illegal to hold a cellphone while driving. Boswell pulled the vehicle over on First Street near Fisher Street and approached the vehicle to talk to the driver. As the officer stood next to the vehicle, the driver suddenly sped away going west on First Street, police said. Boswell got back into his squad car and chased the woman. The worlds first entirely virtual art museum is set to open next month, hoping to bring masterpieces to anyone in the world with an internet connection, according to its British creator. The Virtual Online Museum of Art (VOMA) will feature art from renowned museums such as the Musee dOrsay in Paris and New Yorks Metropolitan Museum of Art, as well as digital-only originals, said Stuart Semple, the artist behind the project. The point of art is to communicate and share ideas ... (but) a lot of people cant travel to a museum, said Semple, whose large-scale public projects have included releasing thousands of smiley faced clouds over London, Moscow and Milan. This is a way to make it a lot more accessible, he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation by phone. The new coronavirus pandemic forced almost all museums around the world to close this year, with some reopening for shorter hours to smaller numbers of mask-wearing visitors while others may never reopen, particularly in developing countries. Admittance to VOMA will be free, which its founders hope will help attract a diverse audience at a time when many artworks are under scrutiny for their links to slavery and colonialism with racial inequality in the spotlight globally. The art world is very much skewed towards the white viewer, Thats because of the way the system has been operating, said VOMA curator Lee Cavaliere, a London-based art dealer. Its basically New York, London, Paris and Hong Kong. So this is an opportunity to break that open. REAL WORLD While virtual tours soared in lockdown, users often feel they are looking at loads of photographs stitched together rather than walking through an art gallery - something VOMA aims to change, Semple said. The museum is set within a digital building, which allows visitors to freely stroll through its grounds and galleries, take a close up look at art using high resolution 3D imagery, read reviews left by others and chat with friends, he said. Purpose-built software developed with input from architects, computer-generated imagery (CGI) designers and gaming experts, aims to create an immersive and interactive experience. On the outside, seasons, weather and time change, affecting light on the inside. So visitors could be seeing the art on a cold rainy morning or a starry summer night. Its important to root this experience in the real world. Ive seen digital art experiences that havent worked because they felt too diffuse and thats slightly alienating, said Cavaliere. Running a space that doesnt actually exist offers extra flexibility, he said, as staff can easily add a room if needed and housing a 10-metre high sculpture is not a logistical nightmare. You can also burn the whole place down, as Kenyan-born multimedia artist Phoebe Boswell plans to do in her inaugural digital-first work for the museum, added Semple. (This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.) Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Matt Hancock veered wildly off-message today by admitting he had 'absolutely no idea' how many of his staff were still working from home and was more interested in 'how effectively people work'. The Health Secretary's comments came amid a massive push by Boris Johnson's Government and business leaders to breathe life into the UK's high streets by refilling the nation's workplaces. He remarks about Department of Health workers came as CBI chief Dame Carolyn Fairbairn warned commercial centres risk being permanent 'ghost towns'. New Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures revealed this morning that Britain's high streets are rebounding at a slower rate than shopping centres and retail parks. They highlighted how the reluctance of staff to return to workplaces is harming businesses. In an interview on Times Radio, Mr Hancock was asked if he knew what percentage of staff in the Department for Health were working at home. 'I have absolutely no idea,' he responded. 'What I care about is how effectively people work and obviously people should come back to the office if that is what they need to do their job. In an interview on Times Radio, Mr Hancock was asked if he knew what percentage of staff in the Department for Health were working at home. 'I have absolutely no idea,' he responded New Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures revealed this morning that Britain's high streets are rebounding at a slower rate than shopping centres and retail parks. 'And also employers need to make sure the offices are Covid-secure, as we have obviously in the Department for Health, as you would fully expect us to. 'But what I care about is that people perform and so the people I work with, some of them have been working from home, some come in sometimes, some are in full-time, and what matters to me is that they deliver and, frankly, they've been delivering at an unbelievable rate. 'I mean, you know, there's sometimes this caricature that people who work in the Civil Service work a 9 to 5 day, it's just completely untrue in my experience. 'And people are working incredibly hard because, ultimately, it's a mission-driven job and, in the middle of a pandemic, the whole department has stepped up to that mission.' This graphic from Centre for Cities shows the average footfall in city centres for the last full week of August, compared to pre-lockdown levels. The darker the green, the closer the city centre is to pre-lockdown levels British workers are the most reluctant to return to the office because of fears of a second wave of coronavirus, a new study has found Writing in the Mail, Dame Carolyn, the director-general of the CBI says getting staff back into offices and workplaces is as important as the return of pupils to school. 'The UK's offices are vital drivers of our economy. They support thousands of local firms, from dry cleaners to sandwich bars. They help train and develop young people. And they foster better work and productivity for many kinds of business,' she said. 'The costs of office closure are becoming clearer by the day. Some of our busiest city centres resemble ghost towns, missing the usual bustle of passing trade. This comes at a high price for local businesses, jobs and communities.' Dame Carolyn's intervention will pressure the Prime Minister to match his rhetoric on the need to return to school with similar words and action about workplaces. But the Health Secretary also said that getting staff back to work is a matter for employers. Mr Hancock said: 'I think that this has got to be done across the board. If you think about the nation as a whole, it's got to be done in a Covid-secure way. 'But employers are doing that and the rules are clear about that.' He added: 'I see that the CBI yesterday put out a statement saying that people need to get back to the office, and I've been talking to the chief of the CBI about what more we can do in addition to saying that the rules are that this is a matter for employers so long as their place of employment is Covid-secure. 'And of course we'll work with the CBI on the things that they want to see to help make this happen.' Governor of the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) Kyrylo Shevchenko has assured representatives of international investment institutions of the regulator's consistent monetary and foreign exchange policy, the NBU press service said on Facebook. "We remain in the program of cooperation with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and make efforts to timely and fully fulfill our obligations. The NBU will continue a consistent monetary policy, as well as a policy of a flexible exchange rate," he said during a meeting with international investors. In addition to Shevchenko, the meeting was attended by deputy heads of the NBU Yurii Heletii and Dmytro Sologub, as well as government commissioner for public debt management Yuriy Butsa. (CNN) Obesity increases the risk of contracting the coronavirus, of landing in the hospital and intensive care unit, and the risk of death from Covid-19, according to a new study from researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The researchers say there's also concern a vaccine could be less effective for people with obesity due to a weakened immune response. Scientists at UNC reviewed data from 75 studies conducted between January and June involving 400,000 coronavirus patients. They found obese people had a 46% greater risk of catching Covid-19 than non-obese people, and a 113% increased risk of hospitalization. Plus their chances of ending up in the intensive care unit were 74% greater than those who were not obese. They also had a 48% greater risk of dying from the virus, the team reported Wednesday in the journal Obesity Reviews. Obesity was already a known risk factor for more severe cases of Covid-19 because the underlying health conditions associated with the condition, including heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure. For example, "the prevalence of individuals with obesity in hospitalized patients was much higher than that in nonhospitalized patients," the researchers wrote. They cited a report on 5,700 obese patients in New York City, which showed 42% of hospitalized Covid-19 patients were obese compared to only 22% of the city's population. "Individuals with obesity are also more likely to experience physical ailments that make fighting this disease harder, such as sleep apnea, which increases pulmonary hypertension, or a body mass index that increases difficulties in a hospital setting with intubation," Melinda Beck, a professor at UNC's Gillings School of Global Public Health who worked on the study, said in a statement. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 42% of the US adult population was considered obese in 2017-2018. As research continues on a potential coronavirus vaccine, Beck pointed to previous research finding a link between adult obesity and a less effective flu vaccine. She suggested the same could be true for Covid-19. "However, we are not saying that the vaccine will be ineffective in populations with obesity, but rather that obesity should be considered as a modifying factor to be considered for vaccine testing," she said. "Even a less protective vaccine will still offer some level of immunity." Growing evidence shows that obesity increases the risks of hospitalization, severity of illness and sometimes death with any viral respiratory infections, the researchers wrote, "increasing the likelihood that obesity may also independently increase the risk for COVID-19." This story was first published on CNN.com 'Obesity increases risk of complications from Covid-19, damages vaccine efficacy, study finds' But lets be clear: Individuals can arm themselves to protect private property in the state of Wisconsin. They can do it here, too, with proper registration. During on-and-off looting in Chicago and surrounding communities this summer, some business owners and groups organized to stave off further looting. Illinois is not an open carry state, but it does allow concealed carry for gun owners who undergo training and background checks, a change in state law forced by court challenge and carried out by a Democratic legislature. Naval Shipbuilder Rides Australian-US Defence Spending Wave Defence contractor Austal has revealed a record financial performance underpinned by growing defence spending from the Australian and U.S. government, despite the effects of COVID-19 on the world economy. In an announcement, the West Australian naval shipbuilder revealed the companys revenue exceeded the $2 billion mark for the first time, up a record 13 percent on the previous financial year. Austal said a large portion of its orders were from the U.S. Navy and Australian Department of Defence. Demand for defence vessels has effectively shielded Austal from the devastating effect of the global lockdown. Cape Class Patrol Boats at Austal Australia in Henderson, Western Australia. (Supplied by Austal) The strong performance shows good operational momentum across all of our U.S. and Australasia operations as we constructed and delivered naval vessels and large ferries, and provided ongoing support services to the U.S. Navy, Royal Australian Navy and the Australian Border Force, said David Singleton, CEO of Austal. Michael Shoebridge, from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, previously told The Epoch Times that despite the difficult economic conditions, government commitment towards defence would remain strong. Thats driven by the urgency and deterioration of our strategic environment, he added. On July 1, Prime Minister Scott Morrison launched the new Defence Update 2020 and Force Structure Plan, in response to a rapidly deteriorating situation in the Indo-Pacific region. One of Chinas man-made islands in the South China Sea, May 21, 2015. (U.S. Navy/Handout via Reuters) Morrison said, The Indo-Pacific is the epicentre of rising strategic competition. We need to also prepare for a post-COVID world that is poorer, that is more dangerous, and that is more disorderly, he continued, alluding to the 1930s and 1940s when Australia began building up to the second World War. The new update saw the government commit a record $270 billion into the armed forces over ten years, including the acquisition of long-range armaments and upgrades to naval vessels. Singleton expects to see demand for heavy vessels increase as a result. At present, the federal government has committed to buy six Cape Class Patrol Boats from Austal in a $324 million contract. Austal is also currently building and delivering 21 smaller Guardian Class Patrol Boats. The company has also expanded its American business with the construction of a $100 million shipbuilding facility in Mobile, Alabama, of which 50 percent will be funded by the U.S. government. U.S.S. Montgomery (L.C. S 8) rolls out of Austals Bay 4 in Mobile, Alabama (Supplied by Austal) This investment in steel shipbuilding will supplement our existing aluminium capability and allow Austal USA to compete for a number of new, major steel shipbuilding programs in Austals size range, that are expected to be tendered in the medium term, according to Patrick Gregg, COO. The U.S. Navy currently deploys Austals Littoral Combat Ship and Expeditionary Fast Transport. SAN JOSE, Costa Rica: Costa Rica has adopted a less strict method of counting people infected with the new coronavirus, suddenly adding thousands of new cases to the countrys COVID-19 totals. The new nexus criteria adopted this month count people who show symptoms of the disease and who had direct contact with someone who tested positive, even if they were not tested themselves. That has added more than 3,000 cases to the countrys reported total of 36,307 COVID-19 infections as of Wednesday. There were 386 reported deaths. Those newly counted under the change are also required to quarantine at home for 14 days. Health Minister Daniel Salas himself entered quarantine on Tuesday after his father tested positive for COVID-19, though Salas hasnt reported suffering symptoms. When he announced the new policy, Salas said the change isnt due to a lack of tests: Its about practicality and finding the greatest effectiveness in what were doing with the resources that we have." It prompted some grumbling from sectors pushing for a faster reopening of the economy and some concerns that raising that increased infection numbers would deter tourists, but Juan Jos Romero, an epidemiologist at Costa Rica National University, said the change makes sense considering the contagiousness of COVID-19. Counting those highly likely to be positive without a test avoids the delay of waiting for test results and potentially keeps infectious people from continuing activities outside the home, Romero said. It also doesnt bar anyone from getting a test if their symptoms worsen and they need medical care. Argentinas government made a similar move this month and began adding the cases of people with symptoms and direct contact with a positive case to their count. The government reported a total of more than 370,000 COVID-19 infections Thursday, but does not provide a break out of test positive cases versus nexus cases. Carla Vizzotti, the national governments health access secretary, said the goal was to respond more quickly to infections. But Buenos Aires regional government announced it would not change to that protocol because it has the capacity to do the testing. Some U.S. states also track probable cases based on clinical and epidemiological information without testing. U.S. health officials came under fire Thursday for a change this week to testing guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that critics say could lead to undercounting infections. The CDC now says its not necessary to test people who have been in close contact with infected people if they dont feel sick. Previously it had recommended the opposite. Studies indicate that infected people can be highly contagious a day or two before feeling symptoms. Costa Ricas Romero rejected the suggestion that counting positives by nexus would inflate the number of infections. Many people infected with the virus never report symptoms, or only light ones, and dont seek medical care. Romero said the real number of infected people is probably three times as high as the official count. The new change goes a little way toward capturing that. ___ Associated Press writer Almudena Calatrava contributed from Buenos Aires, Argentina. 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 Supreme Court Thursday held that its 2004 verdict holding that states do not have the power to further sub-classify the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, for grant of quotas in jobs and admissions to educational institutions, needs to be revisited. A five-judge bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra said the 2004 verdict of a constitution bench in the E V Chinnaiah case needs to be reconsidered and, therefore, the matter be placed before the Chief Justice of India for appropriate direction. The bench, also comprising Justices Indira Banerjee, Vineet Saran, M R Shah and Aniruddha Bose, said in its view the 2004 verdict was not correctly decided and states can make laws to give preferential treatment by subclassifying caste within SC/STs. The bench referred the case filed by the Punjab government against the high court order before CJI Justice S A Bobde for setting up of a larger bench to revisit the earlier verdict. The Punjab and Haryana high court had struck down a state law empowering the government to sub-classify SC/STs for grant of quotas. The high court had relied on the 2004 verdict of the apex court and held that the Punjab government was not empowered to undertake the exercise of sub classifying SC/STs. From September 1 Greece is doubling the number of Israeli tourists it will be allowing into the country from 600 per week to 1,200, Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced. The situation will be reviewed again on September 15, Trend reports with reference to Globes. Since August 16, Israeli passport holders have been allowed to travel to three countries without needing to isolate on entry and on their return to Israel - Greece, Bulgaria and Croatia. But in Greece Israeli tourists were only allowed to travel to four locations - Athens, Thessaloniki, Crete and Corfu and were not allowed to travel freely around the country. However, from September 1, this latter restriction will be lifted and Israeli can travel throughout Greece. While Israelis will still be required to present a valid negative Covid-19 test from 72 hours before their flight before boarding the plane to Greece, not all passengers will now be required to undergo an additional test before entering Greece. Testing at border control before entering Greece will now be on a random basis. WENTWORTH - Curtis Tyrell Watlington, 23, of Reidsville, on Wednesday admitted responsibility for his brothers death and pleaded guilty to a charge of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the February crime in Rockingham County Superior Court. Watlington had faced a second degree murder charge for the shooting death of his brother Derris Watlington, 38, but agreed to the lesser felony charge before Resident Superior Court Judge Stan Allen. Allen handed down a suspended sentence of a minimum of 13 months and a maximum of 25 months, and placed Watlington on probation for 24 months on the condition he be assessed for substance abuse, comply with any recommended treatment, and continue his youth minister training at Reidsvilles Jerusalem United Holy Church of America, Inc., under the direction of pastor Mary Jackson. On Feb. 29, police arrived shortly after midnight to the 500 block of Warriner Street in Reidsville where they found Derris Watlington wounded by a gunshot. Transported to a local hospital, he died from his injuries. At a family gathering to mourn their uncle, an argument ensued between Curtis and his brother, Jason Ross, Watlingtons attorney, told the court. Los Angeles County Launches L.A. VS Hate Campaign to Challenge Hate Crime Increase Los Angeles received the latest news surrounding the COVID-19 outbreak. The city has seen the fluctuations in severity and has met the challenge of managing the spread of the virus. The L.A. Board of supervisors continue to caution the community to remain vigilant and avoid any gatherings, in order to keep the spread at bay. There has been growth in awareness of discrimination among this nation, Los Angeles is looking to make progressive efforts in combating deep rooted racism amid the community. Los Angeles has seen steep declines in COVID-19 metrics since the spike in July, it was at 9% during that time and it is now at 5%. Supervisor Hilda Solis stated, Although infection rates remain high, it is you, our residents who are driving these impressive decreases. Solis went on to explain there has been dramatic changes in the right direction due to the compliance of the Health Officer orders. Wearing a mask, safe work environments, and avoiding gatherings has contributed to the decline of major measurements of the virus. Although the community seems to reflect unity amid the battle against COVID-19, the County is seeing an incline in hate crimes and complaints of discrimination. Solis explained that there has been a steady rise in reported hate acts in the last few years. Adding the energy behind a global pandemic, the severity of hate crimes has intensified, especially towards the Asian Pacific Island Community. From January through July, the 2-1-1 hotline received 256 calls reporting hate. In response the County is launching the L.A. VS Hate Campaign. It is a 3-part strategy to bring the County under one mission of unity, create a system to make reporting hate crime easier, and finally to expand the capacity to act when faced with a hate crime. The campaign uses art inspired programs to uplift the unity in a diversified community. Artists are invited to participate in creative interventions to share a common passion with all residents. ADVERTISEMENT Recent statistics shown on Wednesday reflect 58 additional deaths, 24 of these individuals were over the age of 80, 20 of them had underlining health conditions. 15 people who died were between the ages of 65-79, 13 victims had preexisting health concerns. Nine individuals were between the ages of 50-64, and five of them had underlining health problems. Five people who passed were between the ages of 30-49, all of them had previous medical issues. This brings the total COVID-19 related deaths in L.A. County to 5,663. There were 1,642 new COVID-19 reports. In summary, there is a total amount of 235,386 coronavirus cases in the Los Angeles region. 9,795 incidents were reported in the city of Long Beach and 2,248 cases in the city of Pasadena. The fourth round of L.A. Regional COVID-19 Recovery Fund is looking to be released on August 31. This includes 3.2 million dollars in grants funded by L.A. County, the City of L.A., and Union Bank Foundation. Micro entrepreneurs, small business, and non-profits are eligible for these grants; they range from $5,000-$15,000. The Director of Los Angeles Public Health Dr. Barbara Ferrer shared new reports surrounding COVID-19. She covered hospitalizations, mortality rates by race and ethnicity, and overall case counts. The statistics are reflective of the efforts made by the community and the support from public leadership. Peterborough County council discussed the potential of their future meetings being accessible both in-person and virtually during their online meeting Wednesday morning. After hearing the results of a survey that was completed by council members which found them to be divided on whether to resume in-person meetings, the idea of doing both as an option was raised at Wednesdays meeting I think in the end if we come up with some sort of a combination between being able to do the Zoom with the in-person meetings, its going to beneficial, said Cavan Monaghan Mayor Scott McFadden. Seasonal property owners who dont live in the county over the winter time could take part in meetings without having to drive to the county council chamber in winter if both options were available, he said. A combination meeting would be wonderful because it could meet everybodys needs, McFadden said. Otonabee-South Monaghan Deputy Mayor Bonnie Clark agreed with McFadden and said she believed a combination is appropriate. I see us always now having these meetings accessible, Clark said. North Kawartha Deputy Mayor Jim Whelan said he believes virtual meetings can be more inclusive. Weve been doing our planning meetings I think everybody has and our last planning meeting we had people from Toronto who own cottages and guess where they were? At home in their living room. We had all kinds of people on the screen and none of them wanted to talk, they were just there to listen, Whelan said. Before the COVID-19 pandemic forced the use of virtual council meetings, sometimes only a few members of the public show up to county council meetings or townships council meetings, he said, yet some online streams of meetings have received hundreds of views. Selwyn Mayor Andy Mitchell said lessons have been learned from councils experience over the last few months, providing ideas council could adopt going forward. That may include things like broadcasting our meetings. The ability when necessary to have a remote meeting, or to have a remote presentation. There are times when people want to present to council and they have a long way to come here, having them do that remotely makes the perfect amount of sense, Mitchell said. At the same time the pandemic has taught the need for county council return to return to in-person meetings when it is safe to, he said. Were watching large segments of Ontario return back to the workforce. In a very short period of time, my kids and my grandkids are going to return to school, Mitchell said. Its difficult and challenging for me to say that my 15-year-old, or my eight-year-old grandson, is safe to return to a school environment, but I as a councillor am not safe to return to my council chamber. The first official trailer for the much-anticipated movie The Batman hit the internet this week and viewers have a lot to say about Robert Pattinson's 'emo' take on the title role. The film, which is set for release on October 1, 2021, stars the 34-year-old Twilight heartthrob as Bruce Wayne but Bruce Wayne like fans have never seen him before. Twitter users have a lot to say about the character's moody expression, overgrown hair, and eyeliner, with many mocking him as a 'goth pretty boy' or the new 'Hot Topic Batman. Emo: The first official trailer for the much-anticipated movie The Batman hit the internet this week and viewers have a lot to say about Robert Pattinson's 'emo' take on the title role New 'do: The film, which is set for release on October 1, 2021, stars the 34-year-old Twilight heartthrob as Bruce Wayne but Bruce Wayne like fans have never seen him before The look: Twitter users have a lot to say about the character's moody expression, overgrown hair, and eyeliner The trailer offers the first peek at RPatz in the role, and viewers have been surprised by the hair and makeup choices. 'I like rpatz's version of the batman bc he looks like he reads the twilight saga. look at this man. he adds bella's lullaby to his playlists,' quipped one. 'Why does Robert Pattinson look like a dirty Victorian youth in the new Batman?' asked another. The predominant hot take is that Pattinson looks emo or goth, with some fans imagining a mid-2000s playlist. 'Hot Topic Batman? Imagine a Fall Out Boy music video,' wrote one. 'Robert Pattinson looking like a goth pretty boy who listens to [My Chemical Romance] and has perfected the smokey eye look is the exactly the kind of batman i've been waiting for my entire life,' wrote another. A type: Many social media users have joked that he looks like an emo kid who would listen to My Chemical Romance 'Robert Pattinson as Batman but My Chemical Romance plays in the background,' tweeted a third. Several pointed out that it shouldn't be a surprise that Batman might be portrayed as particularly emo since the character is already a pretty emotional, depressed kind of guy. 'Ppl saying Pattinson looks too emo its literally Batman I dont think theres another comic book character more emo than him,' one person tweeted. 'If you don't think that dressing in all black and dedicating your life to avenging the deaths of your parents and doing it all from a cave is emo then I have some news for you,' tweeted another fan. 'Man, y'all trowing out "emo Batman" like it's an insult like Bruce hasn't been the most melodramatic woe-is-me hero ever. Bruce Wayne is the blueprint for the sad boi,' a third chimed in. Changing things up: Rob's dark portrayal of Bruce Wayne is a sharp shift away from the more clean-cut versions of the past from actors like Ben Affleck (left) and George Clooney (right) Nice! Some are loving the eyeliner and think it looks sexy Some people were particularly concerned with the character's eyeliner though it seems just as many more are intrigued by it. 'Robert Pattinson with eyeliner now lives in my head rent free all I have to say is.... welcome home,' wrote one. 'Shoplifting in gotham city so robert pattinson in eyeliner hunts me down,' joke another. Several have also pointed out that every Batman has worn eyeliner with his costume as a way to darken the skin around his eyes, but fans just aren't use to seeing him with the makeup when the costume comes off. Movie magic: Colin Farrell's incredible transformation into Penguin for The Batman has fans and journalists heaping praise on the prosthetics and makeup work Is that him? Commenters say he looks completely unrecognizable in the trailer Twitter has had a similarly vocal reaction to Colin Farrell's appearance in the trailer, with many remarking that he looks unrecognizable as the Penguin. With the help of some incredible prosthetics and makeup work, Farrell transforms into his version of Oswald Cobblepot/Penguin, who makes three brief appearances in the two-minute-plus teaser. Following the release of trailer, fans and movie industry journalists were quick to comment on Farrell's transformation. 'Wait is Twitter messing with me or is this really Colin Farrell as Penguin in the Batman trailer? If so this is one of the best transformation makeups I've ever seen?' wrote John Squires, editor and chief for @BDisgusting. 'Wow, so #TheBatman teaser trailer is beyond SICK!! What is also astonishing is that this is Colin Farrell as Penguin!! Hes completely unrecognizable! Can't wait to see this!!!!' @MakerBot videographer Mateo Shulman tweeted. Erik Anderson, founder/owner of @awards_watch commented: 'Wait...that's Colin Farrell in #TheBatman?' Mesmerized: Many fans and journalists had to do a double-take when they saw the Irish actor, 44, in the role of Penguin A slew of people commented about how much Farrell's Penguin resembled Mad About You and Spin City actor Richard Kind. 'No lie. I thought Colin Farrell was Richard Kind,' film critic Robert Daniels shared on Twitter. Jamie Jirak, staff writer with @comicbook, was among the many people who had to do a double-take when they first saw the 44-year-old Irish actor in the role. 'I had to search the eyes to confirm this is, in fact, my man Colin Farrell,' he commented. Many Twitter users are excited to see the full film. 'Seeing this photo of Colin Farrell as the Penguin has put me fully in the 'on board' camp for The Batman. Apologies in advance,' wrote one. Advertisement Confronting CCTV footage captured the horrific moment a woman was killed in a horror car crash after driving her Mitsubishi Mirage across two lanes on the Sydney Harbour Bridge and into oncoming traffic. The Mirage was travelling north when it collided with a BMW heading south on the bridge at 7.15am on Thursday. A 40-year-old woman driving the BMW was trapped inside her mangled car for 'some time' before being freed and taken to hospital with a fractured leg and spinal injuries. Her passenger, 40, was miraculously uninjured. The Mirage passengers - two men aged 21 and 23 - were taken to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. The younger man is fighting for his life with critical head injuries while the older man is in a stable condition. Acting Superintendent Paul Dunstan said he has watched 'confronting' CCTV footage of the crash, which is currently being reviewed by investigators and has not been released. 'It would appear at this stage that the vehicle travelling in the northbound direction has crossed two lanes of traffic and collided with the vehicle travelling south which was in its correct lane,' Mr Dunstan said. 'I have seen footage of the incident, and that's how it appears in the early stages.' One woman died and another is fighting for her life after a red Mitsubishi Mirage (pictured left) travelling north crashed head on into a BMW travelling south on the Harbour Bridge at 7:15am on Thursday Acting Superintendent Paul Dunstan (pictured) said he has watched 'confronting' CCTV footage of the crash, which is currently being reviewed by investigators When asked why exactly the red Mitsubishi crossed two lanes of heavy oncoming traffic, Mr Dunstan said it was 'too early to say at this stage'. 'It was peak hour, it was extremely heavy traffic. It does appear that one lane had lighter traffic in it and they've crossed into that perhaps thinking that there was a clear lane of traffic heading in the right direction,' he said. Daily Mail Australia contacted NSW Police to access the CCTV footage but a spokeswoman said they cannot release it yet as it is 'still under investigation'. Police may struggle to piece together what exactly happened as the driver of the Mitsubishi Mirage, a woman in her 30s, died at the scene. Her two passengers suffered head injuries and were taken to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital via rescue helicopter. Emergency teams had to free the driver of the BMW a woman believed to be aged in her 40s who was trapped in the car. The carnage during peak hour brought the city to a standstill with massive queues of traffic stretching in both directions. Emergency teams had to free the driver of the BMW a woman believed to be aged in her 40s who was trapped in the car The wrecked BMW (pictured), which had its roof completely torn off, was later taken away on a truck after police had finished investigating the crash scene The bridge was closed in both directions and motorists were encouraged to work from home. However, the iconic bridge has since reopened to traffic. A witness, who had been on a bus heading into the city at the time, described the scene as 'chaotic' as footage showed dozens of rescuers trying to free the trapped motorist. She said it looked as though the black BMW x4 had been 'completely destroyed'. 'I saw the whole roof of the black car had been sliced off, there were still people in the car, it looked they were trying to get them out,' she told Daily Mail Australia 'There was also a stretcher on the side of the road and there was a blanket over someone.' Initial reports suggest speed may have been a factor in the crash. Horrific scenes on Sydney Harbour Bridge as emergency crews swarm the road after a fatal crash on Thursday morning A Mitsubishi Mirage travelling north and a BMW travelling south collided on the Sydney Harbour Bridge on Thursday morning A woman is dead and another is trapped in her car after a head-on car crash on Sydney's Harbour Bridge on Thursday (pictured: fire crews at the scene) The crash caused massive delays during the morning commute with hundreds of cars backed-up along the bridge (pictured is a helicopter arriving at the scene) Fire crews and paramedics surround a car involved in a fatal crash in Sydney on Thursday, a woman in her 40s is still trapped inside NSW Police investigated the cause of the crash at the scene before reopening the bridge. The collision has caused massive delays during the morning commute with hundreds of cars backed-up along the bridge. Massive queues of traffic were seen before cars were diverted by police. Fire fighters were forced to head to the scene on foot from The Rocks Fire Station because of the traffic chaos. The crash sparked chaos during the morning commute with hundreds of cars backed-up along the bridge A helicopter was at the scene to assist with transporting patients to hospital, gridlock traffic caused issues for emergency teams Motorists were asked to avoid the area and use the Sydney Harbour Tunnel instead, although the advice has now been changed since the bridge reopened. Secretary of the Police Association of NSW Pat Gooley urged drivers stuck in traffic to stop making U-turns. 'What we do have is people doing U-turns, and we have emergency services trying to make their way on the other side of the road,' he said. 'People have to stop doing these U-turns, it's too dangerous.' The head-on crash, which happened shortly before 7.30am on Thursday, caused commuter chaos with massive queues of traffic Civilians in areas controlled by Turkish-back groups and the Syrian Democratic Forces have been subjected to a campaign of raids and arrests, with some taken to Turkish lands writes SANA. Turkish occupation forces and their mercenaries of the terrorist organizations continued their crimes against the locals in the areas under their control in Aleppos northern countryside and kidnapped a number of civilians from the Afrin area and took them to Turkish land. Local sources told SANAs reporter that the Turkish occupation forces and their terrorist mercenaries carried out a campaign of raids against the citizens houses in a number of villages in the Afrin area in Aleppos northern countryside and kidnapped a number of youths in the city and in Deir Sawan village. In Hassakeh and Raqqa, the US occupation forces-backed the SDF militia on Wednesday carried out new storming campaign and kidnapped a number of civilians in Hassakehs northern countryside and Raqqas western countryside. Civil sources told SANAs reporter that the US occupation-backed SDF militia stormed the houses of the citizens in Mjaibra village affiliated to Tel Tamer town, in Hassakehs northern countryside, and kidnapped two civilians. In Raqqas western countryside, the sources said that the SDF militia kidnapped, following raids, a number of youths in al-Mansoura town and the surrounding villages. 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. New Mexico State Police arrested two men accused of firing at officers during a pursuit earlier this month in Clovis. Patrick Gilman, 21, and Joseph Leyva, 24, were booked into the Curry County Detention Center and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer, felon in possession of a firearm and resisting, evading or obstructing an officer in the Aug. 3 incident. Leyva, who police say was driving at the time, is also charged with reckless driving and aggravated fleeing a law enforcement officer. According to a criminal complaint filed in Magistrate Court: Just before midnight a State Police officer attempted to stop a vehicle for driving 100 in a 65 mph zone, without headlights, on N.M. 467. The vehicle drove into a cornfield and got stuck before the people inside fled on foot. Dash cam footage showed muzzle flashes coming from the fleeing vehicle, and inside the abandoned vehicle, officers found ammunition, a cell phone and phone bill with Gilmans name on it. Officers caught up with Gilman a few days later, arresting him after a short foot chase. Officers tracked down Gilmans girlfriend, who told police she was with Gilman and Leyva, the driver, during the Aug. 3 incident. The woman said both Leyva and Gilman were firing at police during the pursuit and, after they crashed, she had to spend the worst night of her life in the cornfield. On Aug. 18 police found Leyva at a home in Clovis and arrested him without incident. CLEVELAND, Ohio Valarie McCall, chief of government affairs for Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson, was illegally paid $57,200 over 12 years to serve on the governing board of the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority, Ohio Auditor Keith Faber reported Thursday. Fabers office ordered Joe Calabrese, who served at the time as the boards secretary/treasurer, his bonding company, and then-board President George Dixon to repay the money because Calabrese and Dixon approved the illegal payments. Ms. McCall was appointed as an employee of the city and in seeking payment, she was effectively receiving double compensation, Faber said in a written statement announcing the order. According to the announcement, Ohio law did not allow for McCall to receive a salary. Neither Calabrese nor Dixon could not be reached for comment. They have both since left the agency. McCalls attorney, Jon Pinney, issued a written statement on his clients behalf. The RTA compensated Board members pursuant to its bylaws for over 30 years., the statement reads. Ms. McCall was no exception. It is very troubling that RTA authorized and issued the board stipend to Ms. McCall and then subsequently raised the matter to the Ohio Auditor. It is even more troubling that she has apparently been singled out by RTA. We are pleased that the Auditor found RTAs former officers jointly and severally liable for reimbursing the RTA and look forward to resolving this matter swiftly. The Jackson administration appointed McCall on July 12, 2006, to serve on the RTA board of trustees and her appointment letter at the time stated that she would not receive any compensation. But in 2014, she asked to start receiving the annual board member compensation of $400 and month and to be paid retroactively for the time she had already served, which amounted to $35,600. Her request for back pay was granted by Calabrese and Dixon, and she would go on to receive another $21,600 from 2014 to 2018. McCall, who still serves on the board, stopped receiving the monthly compensation in 2018, after the RTA board reassessed the situation. In her defense, McCall said at the time that she had been encouraged to take the salary by RTA staff so as to be consistent with other board members. The reason that I am being compensated as an RTA Board Member is because RTA staff told me that my non-compensated status was inconsistent with the by-laws, McCall said in an email to cleveland.com in 2018. RTA said at the time that officials there never told McCall she had to accept the money. Calabrese, who according to the auditors statement had ultimate responsibility over the improper monthly board payments, and his bonding company are being held liable for the full $57,200 paid to McCall, while Dixon is only liable for the $35,600 in back pay. In a separate matter, Fabers office also issued a finding of recovery against Dixon for $132,000 in connection with his pleading guilty to theft in office in December of 2019. He had been charged with underpaying the authority for his health-care coverage. Dixon was ordered by the court in January of 2020 to pay the $132,000 in restitution. The RTA issued a written statement Thursday that said it supports the auditors findings and eagerly awaits return of the money. In addition, appropriate procedures have been put in place to prevent either of these situations from happening again, the statement reads. Prime Minister Scott Morrison says his office has been swamped with letters from Australians with "heartbreaking" stories of being denied medical care and other vital services as a result of the states closing their borders. In his strongest comments yet, Mr Morrison said Australia was designed to operate as one country and not with hard borders between states, which the premiers had imposed as a measure to try to control the coronavirus pandemic. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he had received some "heartbreaking" letters from Australians. Credit:Sky News The border measures are politically popular, leading to tension between the states and the Commonwealth government, which has been pressuring state leaders to lift their restrictions. Mr Morrison continued his campaign when asked about the matter on Sky News late on Thursday night, saying he had received letters from Australians with medical issues unrelated to coronavirus who were now finding it difficult to access medical treatment, or who were unable to accompany loved ones. Before He Fell Ill, Navalny's Every Move Was Tracked. What About The Poisoning? By Matthew Luxmoore August 26, 2020 MOSCOW -- When Aleksei Navalny arrived in Novosibirsk earlier this month to meet with local opposition activists, security services in the Siberian city were already tracking his moves. After he and three colleagues left on August 18 to drive 250 kilometers south to Tomsk, a group of plainclothes officers trailed him. In Tomsk itself, every detail of his two-day visit -- including the location of his rented apartment and the names of people he met -- was recorded. "Law enforcement noted no suspicious contacts that could be linked to a poisoning," read an article by the Moskovsky komsomolets tabloid that detailed the depth of this surveillance and cited anonymous officials in Russia's security services. The article was published on August 21, the day after Navalny collapsed on board a plane flying to Moscow and was hospitalized after an emergency landing in Omsk. Navalny now lies comatose in a Berlin hospital, where German doctors say he appears to have been poisoned with a potentially dangerous chemical. The Kremlin has rebuffed Western calls for an immediate investigation. The fact that details of Navalny's movements were recorded and leaked to a pro-government newspaper wasn't wholly surprising. But the leaks conspicuously omitted the fact that despite the blanket surveillance, security agencies, implausibly, failed to detect the moment when the toxin may have been ingested. For Dmitry Belousov, who formerly worked for a state-controlled TV channel, access by Moskovsky komsomolets and other pro-Kremlin media to sensitive information about opposition activists is part of a broader system of leaks and favors. That system underpins the government's sprawling monitoring apparatus, which targets all opposition activists but first and foremost Navalny, the most prominent critic of state corruption. It's a system reliant not only on covert and open surveillance, but also the collaboration of freelancers who trail Navalny's every move to produce so-called "kompromat," or compromising material that can be shared with friendly media and aired to the population at large, driving the narrative that the opposition itself is venal. According to Belousov, who previously worked as a scriptwriter for REN-TV, it's an operation financed directly or indirectly by the administration of President Vladimir Putin. It's an operation, he said, that often owes its success to the freelance bit-players working on the ground and feeding footage to the press and TV outlets that traffic in pro-government propaganda. "Seminars, meetings, campaign tours: they work at every opposition event, and they do it for money," Belousov told RFE/RL in a phone interview from the Netherlands, where he is seeking asylum. "And their footage then makes it onto REN-TV and other channels. They're [a form of] outsourcing for the big channels." Until 2017, Belousov worked on an investigative program that regularly targeted opposition activists, including by using compromising video footage obtained from the Federal Security Service (FSB). Belousov, who first shared his story with Proekt, a Russian investigative outlet, said the FSB gets paid orders to gather such information on opposition activists in the major cities and far-flung regions. "The FSB fulfills requests of handlers in the presidential administration," he said. "It's not that they want to do it themselves. They're like a store that anyone with access can use to get the information they need. But obviously the president's administration is prioritized." Navalny's Probes For almost a decade, Navalny has been the Kremlin's most vocal critic. He's amassed a vast online following through exposes of top-level corruption among the Russian elite and his successful coordination of large opposition protests throughout the country. His corruption probes have targeted not only government officials but also businessmen with close alleged ties to President Vladimir Putin. That includes Yevgeny Prigozhin, the catering magnate whom Western intelligence services accuse of running the "troll farm" that sowed disinformation ahead of the 2016 U.S. election. Prigozhin also runs the Vagner private military company, which has sent mercenaries to Ukraine, Syria, Libya, and elsewhere. The Kremlin has rejected Western calls for an immediate investigation into Navalny's incapacitation, and tried to refute the German findings, saying that until doctors could pinpoint the specific substance used against him, it's wrong to assert that he was poisoned. "We are categorically against anyone attempting to do any labeling under the current circumstances, we're against calling this condition -- which has not been definitively confirmed as poisoning -- a case of poisoning," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on August 26. He also claimed German doctors were "rushing" to use the word "poisoning." The Russian doctors who initially treated Navalny issued contradictory statements about his health and the presence of toxins in his body. According to Navalny's spokeswoman, his wife, and his private doctor, they actively opposed his transfer to Germany under pressure from police officers and unidentified men who kept watch over the Omsk ward during Navalny's treatment there. The Kremlin has denied surveilling Navalny or working with pro-government channels. But Mikhail Rubin, the author of the Proekt investigation, said the notion that the Kremlin would be clueless as to how he fell ill did not stand up to scrutiny. "With that amount of surveillance, with such a large number of resources focused on Navalny, they should at least have some idea of what happened to him," Rubin told the Meduza news site. "We can state that with certainty." Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/before-he-fell-ill -navalny-s-every-move-was-tracked-what- about-the-poisoning-/30804126.html Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Kenosha Shooting Suspect Was Part of Youth Police Cadet Program: Police The teenager arrested for allegedly shooting at least one person in Kenosha, Wisconsin, this week was part of a youth police cadet program, an Illinois police department confirmed to The Epoch Times. In a statement sent Aug. 27, Grayslake Police Chief Phillip Perlini said the suspect is a former public safety cadet. A Facebook page and a webpage regarding the program appeared to have been taken down sometime after Kyle Rittenhouse, the suspect, was arrested on Aug. 26. The program offers boys and girls the opportunity to explore a career in law enforcement, an archived version of the webpage stated. Cadets were taught different aspects of law enforcement, including traffic stops, domestic disputes, and firearms. An archived version of the Facebook page shows a boy named Kyle dressed in what appears to be a police uniform. Because of the suspects age and Illinois state law, Perlini said the police department couldnt release any further information except to say officials are cooperating with the FBI and the Kenosha Police Department in the investigation. In this still image obtained from a social media video, a man is shot in his arm during unrest in Kenosha, Wis., on Aug. 25, 2020. (Brendan Gutenschwager/via Reuters) Reports indicated that Rittenhouse was a cadet at the Antioch Fire Department. Inquiries sent to the department werent immediately returned. Photographs posted on Rittenhouses social media profiles professed support for the police, including several with versions of the thin blue line, a symbol used by supporters of law enforcement to honor the memory of officers killed in the line of duty. He also indicated support for President Donald Trump and posed holding firearms. The profiles are offline now. According to a TikTok video and footage from the event, Rittenhouse attended a Trump rally on Jan. 30. In an emailed statement Aug. 27, a Trump campaign spokesman told The Epoch Times: President Trump has repeatedly and consistently condemned all forms of violence and believes we must protect all Americans from chaos and lawlessness. This individual had nothing to do with our campaign, and we fully support our fantastic law enforcement for their swift action in this case. Rittenhouse appeared in court on Aug. 26 for a bond hearing and was due for another hearing Aug. 28 regarding the status of his extradition, according to court records. When The Epoch Times asked to speak with the public defender representing him, the Lake County, Illinois, Public Defenders Office said the information wasnt available yet. According to a complaint obtained by The Epoch Times, Rittenhouse was charged in Kenosha County with first-degree intentional homicide. Police Chief Dan Miskinis speaks at a news conference in Kenosha, Wis., on Aug. 26, 2020. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images) The teen fled across state lines with the intent to avoid prosecution for that offense, the document stated. Antioch, Illinois, where he was arrested, is about 21 miles southwest of Kenosha. Kenosha Police Chief Daniel Miskinis told reporters in an Aug. 26 briefing that he wasnt sure what led to the shootings. The chaotic series of events on Aug. 25 was captured on video by reporters on the ground. Rittenhouse told one reporter he was in the area to help protect businesses and assist anyone who needed medical attention. He was carrying a rifle. Several videos showed Rittenhouse involved in a chase outside Car Source, a dealership that had been torched twice since Aug. 23, before gunshots were heard. A man wearing clothing that matched what the teen was wearing made a phone call before running away. The teen was soon pursued by several people, including a man brandishing a skateboard and another who was holding a pistol. After Rittenhouse went to the ground, he turned and fired at the men, one of whom came into direct contact with him. The shooting victims were identified by family and friends. Facebooks shares went up 5% on the news, as investors clearly think that competing ad networks run by the likes of Snap and Twitter are going to be put at a disadvantage while titans like Google and Facebook charge ahead. (Photo | AP) Oakland, California: Facebook is pushing back on new Apple privacy rules for its mobile devices and putting app developers in the middle. Apple will soon require apps to ask users for permission to collect data on what devices they are using and to let ads follow them around on the internet. The social network said Wednesday that those rules could reduce what apps can earn by advertising through Facebooks audience network. Facebook said it expects less impact on its own advertising revenue than on the ad-supported businesses that rely on its audience network to promote their apps. The audience network allows Facebook and Instagram advertisers to place their ads elsewhere on the internet. Apple says the latest version of its mobile operating system, iOS 14, is designed to protect peoples privacy. It will require apps to ask users for permission to collect and share data using a unique code that identifies their iPhones and iPads. The update is due later this fall. Facebook said that because of this change, it will no longer collect the identifier for advertisers on its own apps for iOS 14 devices. It is also asking businesses to create new ad accounts dedicated solely to running ads for apps for iOS 14 users in order to comply with Apples new rules. Facebooks stock jumped more than 5% on the news. Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter said the market sees Apples new rule as likely to shift demand toward Facebooks own targeting system. Advertisers are more likely to go with what they know works, which is Facebook targeting, he said. Pachter said investors clearly think that the competing ad networks run by the likes of Snap and Twitter are going to be put at a disadvantage while titans like Google and Facebook charge ahead. Currently, if an iPhone user looks at an item on the Amazon app, then looks it up on the Best Buy app, advertisers know that someone is shopping around. So they could deliver a promotion to that user, Pachter said. Once iOS 14 is released, that wont be possible unless users opt in. Thats going to limit their ability to track a lot of people, he said. But Facebook will continue to be able to track people through its own systems, which are separate from Apples device identifiers. In Facebooks second-quarter earnings call last month, finance chief Dave Wehner said the company is still trying to understand what these changes will look like and how they will impact us and the rest of the industry. But the very least, its going to make it harder for app developers and others to grow using ads on Facebook and elsewhere. He also called targeted ads a lifeline for small businesses, especially in a time of COVID. Apple, on the other hand, said it is intent on giving people more choice over how they want to be tracked by companies on the internet _ and the ability to say no if they dont. David Chavern, CEO of the news-publisher trade group News Media Alliance, said the change is more annoying than material. But he added that it could still cost publishers money by making ads on their apps less valuable to advertisers. The annoying part comes from the loss of revenue at a time when all revenue is important, and the unilateral nature of Apples decision, he said. They decide and the rest of the world just has to adapt. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. (Bloomberg Opinion) -- Davos Man may have just missed the opportunity to retire gracefully. The globetrotting executives favorite Alpine talking shop has been postponed until early next summer, with organizers settling for a smaller-scale digital alternative in the usual January slot. They are right to say there is an urgent need for the world to reset after the social and economic ravages of a pandemic. Whether the World Economic Forum is the right venue to draw that path to recovery is more questionable. If nothing else, 2020 has shown just how much society needs to listen to new voices. Its also the Davos crowds consistent ability to be overtaken on the main issues of the day that suggests the need for a different kind of assembly. The 50-year-old event hasnt changed the world, despite its lofty mission statement, but it certainly represents an impressive feat. Founder Klaus Schwab turned a gathering at an unremarkable Swiss ski resort into a 3,000-strong shindig that has become shorthand for the global elite, building a not-for-profit thought leadership empire with annual revenue of roughly $380 million along the way. Even he has found it difficult to repeat the miracle with mini versions elsewhere. For all the jokes about out-of-touch billionaires on mountaintops, Davos serves a purpose by bringing together executives, policy makers and campaigners who are rarely in the same place at the same time. It even has some democratic aspects: Decent lodgings close to the congress center are hard for everyone to track down. Even rainmakers, chief executives and Bono have to contend with queues for the coat check and at security. Most delegates get around the towns icy sidewalks on foot.None of that, though, makes Davos the right place to design a new economic and social order, or to fix the deep rifts laid bare by the pandemic. Indeed, almost everything else about the event, from its inaccessible location to the WEFs membership fees, is as far as it is possible to be from the requirements for an inclusive post-Covid world. That would require a place that is willing to silence the thought leadership long enough for quieter views to be heard. Story continues Davos has come a long way from the way it was when I first visited in the mid-2000s. Then, I found few women who werent the fur-clad wives of delegates. My compatriots were almost all serving the coffee. Organizers now press companies to mix up their teams. Still, though, females make up less than one in four attendees, while Asians, Africans and Latin Americans could be far more present. In the end, this is a place that fosters an elite within the elite, where participants get lost in the inflexible hierarchy of color badges and concentric rings of power. Only at Milanese fashion shows have I seen a similar knack for dividing audiences into castes. For all the refugee simulations and womens breakfasts, Davos is out of sync. Its too easy to caricature executives who fly in on private jets to listen to speeches on climate change, or who discuss inequality but not executive pay. Dutch historian Rutger Bregman caused a sensation in 2019 by suggesting there should be less talk of philanthropy and more on tax avoidance. It was a firefighters conference, he joked, where no one was talking about water. He wasnt invited back. Its harder than ever in 2020 for politicians and even executives to justify the trip, especially with other elite gatherings simply opening up by going online, as the U.S. Federal Reserve's annual retreat at Jackson Hole, Wyoming, is doing. My colleague Mark Gilbert wrote in April about fund manager Standard Life Aberdeen, which took the nearly $4 million it would have spent and donated to community projects. Others may choose to follow. But theres a more important reason for finding an alternative forum to decide on what the world should look like after coronavirus. No, its not just that we are turning away from the pan-national, pro-market views that have long kept Davos going. Its quite simply that the Davos crowd is often wrong even if it is rarely self-aware enough to be anything less than certain of its views. It failed to foresee the global financial crisis, and in 2007 and 2008, mostly waved the threat away. It dismissed Donald Trump and didnt expect Brexit, or indeed other populist surges. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was a young reformer to be supported, months before the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. In January this year, few were concerned about the emerging novel coronavirus, though extreme weather and climate have finally made it to the top of the worry list. Thats partly the echo-chamber effect and human bias, but its also the lack of diversity that makes it so hard to actually hear different thoughts. Those, unfortunately, may be precisely the ones we need. This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. Clara Ferreira Marques is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering commodities and environmental, social and governance issues. Previously, she was an associate editor for Reuters Breakingviews, and editor and correspondent for Reuters in Singapore, India, the U.K., Italy and Russia. For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. Walk-in Dermatologys SK-IN Medical Aesthetics Center announced that Loren DePinto, has joined the Walk-in Dermatology team in its Greenvale, New York location. Loren received her New York esthetic license in 2009 from Long Island Nail and Skin Care Institute. She is certified in chemical peels, microdermabrasion, Hydrafacial MD, dermaplaning, facial lymphatic, and various laser procedures. Loren is trained and certified in sculptural lifting/intraoral technique by Yakov Gershkovich. For over 10 years Loren has worked exclusively in dermatology offices, alongside board-certified dermatologists and cosmetic surgeons, helping her clients improve their skin and beautify themselves. Im looking forward to bringing over a decade of experience to Walk-in Dermatologys SK-IN Medical Aesthetics Center, said Loren DePinto. Walk-in Dermatology has built a reputation for offering high-quality and convenient cosmetic services and Im excited to be a part of that mission. Walk-in Dermatology is a full-service medical facility using a convenient care approach to make dermatology care more accessible. In addition to medical services (https://walkindermatology.com/medical-dermatology/), the companys board-certified dermatologists and licensed aestheticians perform the full spectrum of cosmetic procedures (https://walkindermatology.com/cosmetic-dermatology/) including laser treatments, Botox and filler injections, chemical peels, microneedling and other treatments. Walk-in Dermatology also offers Video Visits (https://walkindermatology.com/video-visits/) as an alternative to in-person office visits. This is part of the companys commitment to provide convenient care to patients. A Video Visit is just like an office visit, only instead of traveling to see a dermatologist, patients can video conference with them from their home. The companys board-certified dermatologists can examine a patients skin, make recommendations and even send prescriptions to their pharmacy. Scheduling a visit with Walk-in Dermatology can be done by calling (516) 621-1982 or through the companys online scheduler (https://walkindermatology.com/schedule-an-appointment/). About Walk-in Dermatology: Walk-in Dermatology is addressing the need for convenient, high-quality dermatologic care. The average wait time to see a dermatologist is over 30 days. We think thats too long and were doing something about it. Learn more at https://walkindermatology.com/. Former Disney executive Kevin Mayer was hired as a CEO of TikTok back in mid-May, and he is already stepping down. In a memo to employees, quoted by CNN Business, he details the reasoning behind the move less than four months after being appointed into the position. The message said that following the sharp change of the political environment, Mayer has done significant reflection on what the corporate structural changes will require, and in the end decided to leave the company. The TikTok app A TikTok spokespersons statement said the platform appreciates the political dynamics of the last few months and it changed the scope of Kevin Mayers role. He was also appointed as a COO of ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, but were yet to learn whether hell keep this position. TikTok has been pushed to sell its US business to an American company in order to keep operating on US soil, otherwise, the President of the United States would have to sign an executive order, effectively banning the platform. The latest information is that Oracle is moving into purchasing the business and thus saving TikTok. If that happens, the California-based software company likely wouldve changed the CEO either way, so Mayers departure isnt a huge surprise. Via Close Hurricane Laura predicted to leave some areas 'uninhabitable for months' as it slams into Gulf Coast Hurricane Laura strengthened into a Category 4 storm before it made landfall in Louisiana early on Thursday. The storm arrived with sustained 150mph winds, and officials had warned it would bring an "unsurvivable" storm surge as high as 20ft for coastal areas. Authorities had urged residents on the coast to evacuate, but not everyone did before the storm hit. Four fatalities have been reported, including a 14-year-old girl. More than 825,000 homes and businesses are without power. A fire is burning at a chemical plant near the city of Westlake, with the governor of Louisiana instructing people to stay indoors and turn off their air conditioning. Follow live updates below Please allow a moment for the live blog to load. ANTIGONISH, N.S. - A university student in Antigonish, N.S., has been fined $1,000 for failing to follow the province's COVID-19 health directives. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 27/8/2020 (510 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The RCMP logo is seen outside Royal Canadian Mounted Police "E" Division Headquarters, in Surrey, B.C., on Friday April 13, 2018. RCMP say a university student in Antigonish, N.S., has been fined $1,000 for failing to self-isolate. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck ANTIGONISH, N.S. - A university student in Antigonish, N.S., has been fined $1,000 for failing to follow the province's COVID-19 health directives. RCMP say they received a complaint on Monday about a student from outside Atlantic Canada who was not self-isolating. New measures announced last week require university and college students entering Nova Scotia from outside Atlantic Canada to undergo COVID-19 testing in addition to self-isolating for 14 days. Police say an investigation determined the student was in violation of the province's Health Protection Act. A summary offence ticket was issued Tuesday. Students from outside Atlantic Canada are required be tested three times during their 14-day isolation period. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 27, 2020. How to get help for yourself or someone you know Use the teen power and control wheel to identify signs of an unhealthy relationship. Let a parent or friend know you plan on breaking up with someone. Break up in a public place where there are people around. Dont think you have to explain yourself or meet with the person again to talk more. Dont keep secrets: If you think you or a friend is in danger, get help. If youre a parent, regularly talk to your kids about healthy relationships. More parent tips can be found at www.pcadv.org/about-abuse/prevention/parents/. As a child, Rita Colon watched her father beat her mother. Then, in high school she fell into a toxic relationship with a classmate, one of the popular girls. She was soon depressed, cutting off her friends at her girlfriends request, and rapidly losing weight. That was my first relationship ever, Colon said. I didnt know how to cope or anything like that. Her friends were in abusive and sometimes violent relationships, too. Growing up in North Philadelphia, Colon said, she seldom saw a real-life model of a healthy relationship. A few years ago, one of her high school friends was killed by a boyfriend. It was a story Colon said she wasnt sure ever made the news. In her neighborhood, everyone knows that being with the wrong partner can have serious, even fatal, consequences, said Colon, now 24. It happens over here all the time. The girls down here, were always on guard. Dating violence is not a trauma reserved for adults. Millions of young people experience it each year. One of them was 18-year-old Morgan McCaffery, whose ex-boyfriend is charged with killing her at an Abington Township SEPTA station in July. About 26% of women and 15% of men who have survived dating violence first experienced it before the age of 18, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and young women between the ages of 16 and 24 experience the highest rate of intimate-partner violence of any demographic, nearly triple the national average, according to Loveisrespect, a teen dating violence-prevention project created by the National Domestic Violence Hotline. States dont keep data on teen-dating violence, so trends are hard to track. This type of violence is not just physical or sexual. It can also be psychological and even digital. People who survive any form of it in high school are more likely to experience it again later in life. Those in the LGBTQ community, as well as in Black and brown communities, are even more vulnerable. Arlana Brown, 25, who founded Project SAVE (Survivors Against Violence Efforts) to bring resources to survivors in North and West Philadelphia neighborhoods, said about half of the people she helps are teenagers. People dont think its prevalent, but it happens a lot. Its not just to one gender. Its not just to one age group, said Brown, herself a survivor of domestic and sexual violence. Teens are new to dating. They dont know the expectations. McCafferys murder shook her quiet, suburban community. She had gone to the train station lot to talk with her ex-boyfriend, Gilbert Newton III, also 18, with whom she had broken up earlier in the summer, and his rage boiled over, authorities said. A friend of McCafferys told police it wasnt the first time. That day, he stabbed and slashed her more than 30 times, prosecutors said. READ MORE: Philly teen stabbed ex-girlfriend to death at Montgomery County train station, DA says McCafferys family could not be reached for comment for this article. In the years between the headlines printed next to photos of pretty white women such as McCaffery; Chadds Fords Karlie Hall; and the University of Virginias Yeardley Love (whose murder made the cover of People magazine) have been many more victims, such as Colons friend, whose stories have gone untold. In the county where McCaffery was killed, the Womens Center of Montgomery County hopes to educate people on the warning signs of intimate partner violence and spread the message that it can and does happen everywhere. Most cases wont go to the extreme, said Robin Jordan, the centers director of prevention education and awareness. Yet, she added, the extreme examples are often fatal or result in life-altering injuries. Is it every day in our county? No. But even if its every few years a tragedy happens, thats too much. In the hopes of cutting down on these tragedies, the Womens Center brings their relationship education programs to children as young as preschool age. In preschool and elementary school, the conversations are broad. Jordan said they typically center on being a good neighbor, citizen, and friend, and respecting personal space. With older students, the conversations are more specific. She talks openly about consent, and shows them the teenage power and control wheel, a visual that lays out indicators of an unhealthy relationship. They range from controlling a partners friendships and activities, to using social status to make a partner feel subservient, to making threats of physical violence. When it comes to ending an unhealthy relationship, Jordan said, she advises students to trust their instincts, never break up with someone alone or in an isolated area, and tell a family member or friend about the breakup in advance. A partner who is abusive may demand answers, Jordan said, or want to dissect what went wrong. But she said she tells students to remember: You not wanting to be in a relationship is good enough. I think theres a lot of times where people feel they need to appease a person theyre breaking up with. After almost every talk she gives at public and private schools across Montgomery County, a teenager shares a personal story of abuse or violence, she said. The Womens Center staff has been heartened, she said, to see more openness from teens in recent years. Talking about issues related to sex, for example, used to make many of them blush, but now the topic is less taboo. But Jordan said she also knows even open conversations can do only so much. Unfortunately, its not going to be 100% accurate, she said. Relationships are complicated and people get caught up in them. In the city, Brown said many of the young people she helps dont identify the relationships theyre in as abusive, sometimes because there has yet to be physical violence. On social media, they may see memes or jokes normalizing their partners toxic behavior. They rationalize it, too, she said, saying hes just jealous or I think its cute. As a result, she said, they often havent told a single friend or family member about whats happening or thought about a breakup. Colon knows how easy it is to stay in a bad situation, to tell yourself that it will never escalate, and that being in any relationship, even an abusive one, is better than being alone. Although she was able to extricate herself from her high school relationship, she said, she has since fallen back into another abusive situation. Brown has offered to connect Colon with shelters and other services, but Colon said she cant bring herself to leave, no matter how many times people tell her she should. If you are in the Philadelphia region and experiencing intimate partner violence, call the Philadelphia Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-866-723-3014. The National Domestic Violence Hotline is 1-800-799-7233. Legendary Artistic Director Sheldon Epps takes post at Historic Ford Theatre in Washington, D.C. For more than 20 years renowned director Sheldon Epps served as the artistic director for the Pasadena Playhouse. During his tenure Epps transformed the Pasadena Playhouse Theater into one of the regions most prominent performing arts centers in the country. During Epps run as artistic director he brought to Pasadena a level of unparalleled diversity. The respect and admiration that Epps had within the acting and theater communitys allowed him to make the playhouse one of the leading performance centers for actors, shows and attendees of color. Epps retired from the playhouse in 2017 and since his leaving the Pasadena Playhouse has struggled to garner the same support and variety of shows that it was renowned for prior to COVID-19. Now Epps, has accepted the role of senior artistic advisor for Fords Theatre in Washington, D.C. Yes, the site of President Abraham Lincolns assassination will be lead by an African American. The theater which reopened its doors in 1968 and is operated in partnership with the National Park Service. ADVERTISEMENT Epps will help to shape the companys 2020-21 performance schedule once the theater re-opens post COVID-19. The theater hopes to bring forward a much more diverse audience once live performance return with the hope that Epps will bring the same changes and diversity to the Lincoln Theater that he brought to Pasadena.In a 2017 interview with the Sentinel Epps stated Im very proud of what happened here,(the Pasadena Playhouse) That includes the quality of the work, the status of the theater, variety and diversity or the work weve done. Admittedly some people did not agree with his vision of diversity. However, it attracted far more people to this theater than those made angry and chased away. As turned out it attracted far more people to the theater than those made angry and chased away. If people want to come to a theater where theyre not going to see diversity, then this is no longer their theater, says Epps about his success over 20 years at the Pasadena Playhouse. Epps was also credited with helping to rescue the playhouse from the financial brink in 2010, in part by helping to secure grants from individuals and major groups. ADVERTISEMENT Pasadena Playhouse Board member Brenda Galloway said, because of Sheldon, a new audience of theatergoers became supporters of the Pasadena Playhouse. I believe that I can make important contributions as Fords Theatre continues its already admirable efforts in the areas of diversity, inclusion and ongoing artistic excellence, Epps said in the announcement of his appointment. I am especially happy to be of service at a time when all American theaters are exploring ways to transform todays challenges into creative opportunities for the future. Currently there are no plans for Epps and his lovely wife Leslie to leave California. The current plan is for him to work remotely from his home in Pasadena. A coast guard officer in the United States was forced to open fire on a shark after it was spotted heading for dozens of crew members enjoying a swim. The crew had not been off the ship for weeks and decided to enjoy some time in the sea to "break up the monotony" of being on board. But a shark was soon spotted heading towards the group, and an officer opened fire on the creature to scare it away. The crew confirmed that the shark was not injured and the "goal was to keep it away from shipmates". The story was shared on the US Coast Guard Cutter Kimball Facebook page. The post said: "After completing our operations for the day, there were no vessels around for miles, the weather was perfect, and we were a zillion miles from land. "We had not been off the ship for weeks, were at that point where every day feels like 'Groundhog Day', and were looking for something to break up the monotony." Explaining how the drama unfolded, it said: "As if right out of a Hollywood movie, a six to eight foot shark (no exaggeration) surfaced at the Rescue Door and was swimming towards 30 to 40 people in the water about 30 feet away. "Everyone on the Flight Deck had a bird's eye view. A review of video shot by a crew member reveals it was likely a Long-Fin Mako or Pelagic Thresher Shark - not something to mess with!" A "well-aimed burst" was fired at the shark to protect the crew, who were swimming just metres away, the post said. The crew said the shark was probably just "curious" and not looking for a meal / US Coast Guard "It turned away for a few seconds then turned back. We kept directing people out of the water while keeping a clear line of sight on the shark," it said. "The shark would wave off with each burst but kept coming back towards our shipmates." The crew now had to work together to get everyone out of the water to safety. An officer opened fire on the shark to keep it away from his shipmates / US Coast Guard The post said: "It wasn't the panic of the July 4 scene from Jaws, but once everyone realised what was happening, they moved with a purpose! "Everyone stayed focused and worked the problem. The small boat quickly looked like a vessel overloaded with SAR survivors. Others threw heaving lines to shipmates in the water and helped them aboard via the stern notch." Only one officer suffered an injury as he clambered aboard the boat, which "wasn't even worth a band aid". "We have hundreds of years at sea between all of us and no one has seen or heard of a shark actually showing up during a swim call," the post said. "This goes to show why we prepare for any and everything. We just didnt think it would be a swim call shark attack." The crew members had been enjoying a swim after weeks at work / US Coast Guard For those concerned about the shark's welfare, an update shared on the Facebook page said: "For those asking about the shark, we don't think the shark was injured. Our goal was to keep it away from shipmates, not harm it if possible. "It was most likely curious and not looking for a meal. We picked our location to try and avoid such an encounter but it is their ocean after all. Loading.... "It later joined a few smaller buddies that showed up and they swam off together." The Muslim Bollywood star trolled by Hindu nationalists for meeting Turkish first lady and his popularity in China. On August 15, Turkish First Lady Emine Erdogan posted a picture of her meeting Bollywood star Aamir Khan on Twitter. It soon went viral. I had the great pleasure of meeting @aamir_khan, the world-renowned Indian actor, filmmaker, and director, in Istanbul Emine Erdogan tweeted after meeting the Muslim actor, who was in Turkey to shoot his latest film, Laal Singh Chaddha. Pro-government supporters were furious at Khan for taking a picture with the wife of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has criticised the Indian governments decision to strip Indian-administered Kashmir of its special status last August. Erdogan has backed Pakistan in the dispute over Kashmir, a territory both India and Pakistan claim as its own but rule in parts. I had the great pleasure of meeting @aamir_khan, the world-renowned Indian actor, filmmaker, and director, in Istanbul. I was happy to learn that Aamir decided to wrap up the shooting of his latest movie Laal Singh Chaddha in different parts of Turkey. I look forward to it! pic.twitter.com/3rSCMmAOMW Emine Erdogan (@EmineErdogan) August 15, 2020 New Delhi told Ankara not to interfere in its internal affairs after President Erdogan expressed concern over the deteriorating situation in the Muslim-majority region, which has been under security lockdown since its limited autonomy was removed on August 5, 2019. India also acted against Malaysia for criticising its Kashmir move by banning the import of palm oil from the Asia Pacific nation. Anti-national Khan, one of the biggest Bollywood stars, was soon the top Twitter trending topic along with Erdogan, with Hindu nationalists branding the film star anti-national and unpatriotic for standing with the enemy. His criticism was not limited to social media, where the pro-government users dominate. A recent report by The Wall Street Journal said Facebook India executives failed to act against anti-Muslim posts by governing party leaders. Facebook has about 300 million users in India. Shah Rukh Khan is one of the most successful Bollywood stars in the past 30 years [File: Hannah McKay/Reuters] This week, the right-wing Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) volunteer organisation, which is the ideological parent of the governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), criticised Khans ties with Turkey, saying he was forging friendships with those that are considered enemies of India. The RSS magazine, Organiser, put Khan on its cover calling him The Dragons favourite Khan, a reference to China. The 55-year-old star was attacked for his massive popularity in China, which has been accused of transgressing into Indian territory across Line of Actual Control (LAC) the de facto border between the two Asian countries. Aamir seems to be the favourite of the Chinese Communist Party system and the fact his movies are doing so well is an indication that he is being promoted by Chinese state, the editor of the weekly Hitesh Shankar told a news website. Growing marginalisation of Muslims Khan is a brand ambassador for Chinese smartphone maker Vivo, and is also a major draw on the mainland with films such as Dangal (2016). He has 1.16 million followers on Chinas Twitter-like platform, Weibo. Prime Minister Narendra Modis government has fanned growing hostility towards China following a deadly clash on their disputed Himalayan border on June 15. Modi is a devout Hindu and a lifelong RSS member. Since Modi came to power in 2014, the BJP government has enacted a number of policies that have raised fears of marginalisation among India 200-million-strong Muslim minority. In the past, Hindu right-wing groups have called for boycott of films starring Khans, particularly Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan [Getty Images] Last year, Modis government passed a citizenship law that made faith a basis for acquiring Indian citizenship in the officially secular nation. The new law, which sparked nationwide protests, was dubbed fundamentally discriminatory by the United Nations. The three Khans Bollywood has a long tradition of Muslim movie stars and the so-called three Khans Aamir, Salman and Shah Rukh have dominated the industry for the last 30 years. But Aamir Khan stands out because of his outspokenness. He is one of Bollywoods most bankable leading men and has appeared in dozens of films often playing Hindu or Sikh heroes. He has an enormous fan club, which includes millions of Hindus. Khan was the target of a vicious online campaign in 2015 and forced out of several advertisement campaigns after he said his wife feared for the safety of their children in India. At the time, India was reeling under a climate of insecurity following the lynching of a Muslim man for allegedly eating beef, which many Hindus believe to be sacrilegious. Since then, dozens of Muslims have been lynched by Hindu mobs over rumours of cow slaughter or smuggling. In the past, Hindu right-wing groups have called for boycott of films starring Khans, particularly Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan. In recent years, the three stars have largely remained silent on issues facing the minority community. The BJP has denied its policies are against the minority community but has done little to stop its supporters from indulging in online hate speech against Muslims. CLEVELAND, Ohio Voting-rights groups sued Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose late Wednesday, seeking to dismiss his directive that forces each county to have just one dropbox for absentee ballots. Attorneys filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Cleveland that requests an injunction to prevent the move that advocates say violates residents constitutional voting rights. The suit came a day after the Ohio Democratic Party filed a similar suit in Franklin County Common Pleas Court. The League of Women Voters of Ohio, the A. Philip Randolph Institute, a national organization for African American trade unions and community activists, and the NAACP of Ohio filed the suit. The groups were joined by seven voters who claimed LaRoses move would hurt their ability to vote. Earlier this week, Cleveland City Council and Mayor Frank Jackson pushed for multiple drop boxes placed across the city. City leaders said having a single ballot dropbox is unfair to the poor and the elderly who might not have cars or easy access to public transportation. The issue surrounding drop boxes stems from a combination of the coronavirus and severe cutbacks at the U.S. Postal Service that has slowed mail and significantly reduced voters confidence that mailed ballots will arrive in time. The lawsuit filed Wednesday in federal court in Cleveland seeks to allow multiple drop boxes in each county, as it says LaRoses order unfairly harms voters in the states largest counties, such as Cuyahoga. Simply put, absent immediate injunctive relief, hundreds of thousands of Ohioans stand to have their votes suppressed because of LaRoses action depriving Ohioans of a sufficient number of secure drop boxes, said the lawsuit, filed by attorneys Subodh Chandra, James Schuster and others from across the country. Maggie Sheehan, a spokesperson for LaRose, said in a statement: Secretary LaRose has been and continues to be supportive of legislation that permits additional options for voters to return their absentee ballots. As an executive officeholder, he must follow the law as the legislature writes it. His focus at this time remains on getting the Ohio Controlling Board to permit him to pay postage on absentee ballots, effectively making every blue mailbox an absentee drop box. LaRoses directive prohibits the states 88 county boards of elections from placing a secure drop box anywhere other than the county boards office. The suit said the need for several secure drop boxes in counties were heightened in recent weeks because of well-documented cutbacks with the mail service. On one hand, voters can risk their lives and health by voting in person so that they have more assurance that their ballots will count, the lawsuit said. On the other hand, voters have the choice to protect their lives and health by attempting to vote absentee while facing the real possibility that their ballots will not count because of an insufficient number of drop boxes and U.S. Postal Service delays in timely delivering absentee balloting mail. Beatrice Griffin, a 65-year-old Shaker Heights resident, named as a plaintiff in the suit, fears mailing in her absentee ballot is not a viable option because she believes it will not arrive in time. The suit also cited how President Trumps claims that mail-in voting could lead to fraud affected her. The words and actions of the President of the United States and the U.S. Postal Service have irreparably undermined Ms. Griffins trust that the [postal service] would deliver her ballot to the board of elections in a timely manner, the lawsuit said. Ms. Griffin plans to use a secure ballot dropbox; but if Cuyahoga County has only one secure ballot drop box located at its board of elections office, her right to vote may be lost, as it would be impossible for her to endure sitting in long traffic lines to vote. Dr. Sarah Rikleen, who is in her fourth year of residency at MetroHealth Medical Center, joined Griffin in bringing the lawsuit. It said Rikleen treats a variety of patients each day, including those with the coronavirus. The lawsuit said she does not want to go to a polling place, and her schedule prevents her from leaving the hospital. Her only option is to use the mail. She said it would be easier to drop her ballot off at a library or a dropbox near her home. The suit said she is concerned that the [postal service] delays will prevent her from timely receiving and returning multiple election mailings, including an absentee application and an absentee ballot. The lawsuit seeks a preliminary and permanent injunction that would prevent the directive from taking place. The case is before Judge Dan Polster. Why is LaRose so willing not just to undermine democracy in the most important election of our lives, but to endanger Ohioans? Chandra said. Voters shouldnt have to choose between their lives and their votes. The Council of State has approved the presidential pardon granted late Ambrose Ali, the first democratically elected governor of old Bendel State (now Edo and Delta states). Mr Ali, after whom the Ambrose Ali University in Edo State is named, was controversially indicted over a N900,000 scandal while he was alive. The Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, who briefed journalists after Thursdays council meeting, said Mr Ali was pardoned over N900,000 which he later paid but was convicted. Apart from Mr Ali, others pardoned by the Council of State include two retired army officers, Col Moses Effiong and Major E. J. Olarenwaju, who were said to be involved in a coup attempt during the Ibrahim Babangida military rule. The council also pardoned one Ajayi Babalola. Attorney-general Abubakar Malami also told State House reporters that asides the quartet, pardon was granted to two inmates for pardon, 39 inmates for clemency. What we have today is a consolidation of what has been done and the strategies put in place to see to the decongestion of our correctional centers, Mr Malami said. As you are aware, more than 70 percent inmates in our correctional centers were awaiting trial across the country and a lot of considerations were put in place to ensure our correctional centers are decongested the prerogative of mercy was one of such considerations by Mr. President, he noted. He added that he presented a memo before the Council seeking to appoint Namoso Ekanem (Akwa Ibom, South-south) and Mammud Abubakar Mogaji (Niger, North Central) as representatives of the Nigerian Bar Association at the federal judicial service commission. The law confers on Mr. President to appoint members of the federal judicial service commission, subject to consultation with the council of State, Mr Malami said. The Council of State is an advisory organ of the Nigerian government, chaired by the President and deputized by the Vice-President. President Muhammadu Buhari and Former President Goodluck Jonathan heading to the First ever virtual Council of State meeting (PHOTO CREDIT: @BashirAhmaad) First ever virtual Council of State meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari (PHOTO CREDIT: @BashirAhmaad) It consists of all former Presidents and Heads of the State, all former Chief Justices, President of the Senate, the House Speaker, State Governors and the Attorney-General of the Federation. They, upon being invited, advise a sitting president on how to maintain public order within the country or any other policy issue tabled by the president. Thursdays council meeting was attended by five former Nigerian leaders, Yakubu Gowon, Ibrahim Babangida, Ernest Shonekan, Abdulsalami Abubakar and Goodluck Jonathan, as well as Senate President Ahmad Lawan. American officials are said to be in talks with members of the British Government about creating a potential 'transatlantic air bridge' which would allow air travel between New York City and London amid the coronavirus pandemic. A source said on Wednesday that the 'discussions are going on at a very senior level'. When approached for a comment, a spokesperson from the United Kingdom's Department for Transport did not deny the claims. DailyMail.com has contacted the Federal Aviation Authority and representatives from the New York state and city governments for a statement. Under current rules, UK citizens are prohibited from vacationing in the United States under an order put into place by President Trump back in March. Meanwhile, US citizens are able to fly to the United Kingdom, but are required to isolate for 14 days or risk a $1,245 fine. London calling! American officials are said to be in talks with members of the British Government about creating a potential 'transatlantic air bridge' which would allow air travel between New York City and London amid the coronavirus pandemic. Under current rules, UK citizens are prohibited from vacationing in the United States under an order put into place by President Trump back in March. The creation of the 'air bridge' could bring in floods of tourist direct from London A source told The Telegraph: 'There are discussions going on at a very senior level around opening up London and New York. They are at a very early stage but it is vital to get business going with a major trading partner especially as we near Brexit.' Under the potential new rules, New York City residents would not be required to quarantine in London, and could immediately start sight-seeing. Likewise, residents arriving from London would likely be able to step off the plane and head out to explore the Big Apple. The move may anger some American citizens, given that US residents from 28 states currently have to self-isolate for 14 days after arriving in New York City. It's believed the 'transatlantic air bridge' would only be for residents of New York City and London, as well as surrounding areas where COVID-19 transmission rates are low. The fact that the arrangement would not be open to all UK and US citizens could spark accusations of cultural elitism. The seven-hour plane ride between London and New York City was one of the popular flight paths in the world before the coronavirus pandemic halted all but essential travel between the two cities New York City was once the global epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic, but recent case numbers have been quite low. The cumulative number of new COVID-19 cases over the past week is at 7.2 per 100,000 residents. Last week, Mayor Bill de Blasio revealed that just 0.24 percent of coronavirus tests are now returning positive results. On Tuesday, the Big Apple reported just 260 new cases of the virus. Meanwhile, the cumulative number of new cases in London is a littler higher, at 11.3 per 100,000 residents. However, the city has also managed to flatten its curve. Heathrow Airport (pictured) could soon be reopening flights to New York for London-based tourists eager to see the Big Apple Businesses in both New York City and London have been crushed by the coronavirus pandemic, and many tourist-related enterprises are struggling to survive. While many tourist attractions have been closed for months, several are now starting to reopen, which could give a much-needed economic boost as winter approaches. Museums in the Big Apple have been given permission to reopen at a 25 percent capacity. The Metropolitan Museum of Art is set to start accepting visitors from this coming Saturday. Macy's Thanksgiving Parade will also go ahead in November. However, if the transatlantic air bridge does come to fruition, UK visitors can still expect New York City to look and feel a little different. Broadway will remain shuttered until at least next January, and the city is currently seeing an alarming uptick in violent crime. AURORA, Colo. (August 26, 2020) - A clinical trial at the Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Center and three other pediatric diabetes centers in the United States has found that a new artificial pancreas system -- which automatically monitors and regulates blood glucose levels -- is safe and effective at managing blood glucose levels in children as young as age six with type 1 diabetes. The trial was funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), part of the National Institutes of Health. Results from the trial were published August 26 in the New England Journal of Medicine. The artificial pancreas, also known as closed-loop control, is an "all-in-one" diabetes management system that tracks blood glucose levels using a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) and automatically delivers the insulin when needed using an insulin pump. The system replaces reliance on testing by fingerstick or CGM with delivery of insulin by multiple daily injections or a pump controlled by the patient or caregiver. The study enrolled 101 children between ages 6 and 13 and assigned them to either the experimental group, which used the new artificial pancreas system or to the control group which used a standard CGM and separate insulin pump. Check-ins and data collection were conducted every other week for four months. Study participants were instructed to continue about their daily lives so that the researchers could best understand how the system works in the typical routines of the children. The study found that youth using the artificial pancreas system had 7% improvement in keeping blood glucose in range during the daytime, and a 26% improvement in nighttime control compared to the control group. Nighttime control is of particular importance for people with type 1 diabetes, as severe, unchecked hypoglycemia can lead to seizure, coma or even death. The overall time-in-range goal for the artificial pancreas reflected a nearly 11% improvement, which translated to 2.6 more hours per day in range. "The improvement in blood glucose control in this study was impressive, especially during the overnight hours, letting parents and caregivers sleep better at night knowing their kids are safer," said protocol chair R. Paul Wadwa, M.D., professor of pediatrics at the Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. "Artificial pancreas technology can mean fewer times children and their families have to stop everything to take care of their diabetes. Instead, kids can focus on being kids." Sixteen adverse events, all classified as minor, occurred in the artificial pancreas group during the study, with most due to problems with the insulin pump equipment. Three events occurred in the control group. No cases of severe hypoglycemia or diabetic ketoacidosis occurred during the study. "For decades, NIDDK has funded research and technology development to create a user-friendly automated device that could ease the constant burden of type 1 diabetes, from the finger sticks and insulin injections, to the insulin dose calculations and constant monitoring while improving diabetes control outcomes and preventing both short- and long-term complications of the disease," said Arreaza-Rubin. "The artificial pancreas is a culmination of these years of effort, and it's exciting to see how this technology may benefit children with type 1 diabetes and their families, and hopefully benefit everyone with diabetes in the future." The artificial pancreas technology used in this study, the Control-IQ system, has an insulin pump that is programmed with advanced control algorithms based on a mathematical model using the person's glucose monitoring information to automatically adjust the insulin dose. This technology was derived from a system originally developed at the University of Virginia (UVA), Charlottesville, with funding support from NIDDK. This four-month study was part of a series of trials conducted in the International Diabetes Closed-Loop (iDCL) Study. In addition to CU and UVA, study sites included Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California; and Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut. Jaeb Center for Health Research served as the data coordinating center. Based on data from the iDCL trials, Tandem Diabetes Care has received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use of the Control-IQ system in children as young as age six. "As we continue to search for a cure for type 1 diabetes, making artificial pancreas technology that is safe and effective, such as the technology used in this study, available to children with type 1 diabetes is a major step in improving the quality of life and disease management in these youth," said NIDDK Director Dr. Griffin P. Rodgers. The iDCL Study is one of four major research efforts funded by NIDDK through the Special Statutory Funding Program for Type 1 Diabetes to test and refine advanced artificial pancreas systems. The studies, with additional results forthcoming, are looking at factors including safety, efficacy, user-friendliness, physical and emotional health of participants, and cost. ### This study was funded by NIDDK through grant UC4DK108483 and Tandem Diabetes Care, Inc. Tandem also provided the experimental closed-loop systems used in the trial, system-related supplies including the Dexcom CGM and Roche glucometer, and technical expertise. A paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina was wounded in the left foot today during a live-fire exercise, and is now recovering at the base hospital. Army officials from Bragg would not identify the 1st Brigade Combat Team soldier, but said he suffered non life-threatening injuries, according to a news release from the 82nd Airborne. The incident occurred while soldiers were moving through a shoot-house, clearing rooms and firing live ammunition, according to a Fort Bragg official. Read Next: DC, Marvel Artists Create Graphic Novel About the Only Female Medal of Honor Recipient "Someone engaged a target and a bullet ricocheted and it basically struck the soldier in the foot," the official said. Army officials did not say what weapon was involved in the incident. The soldier was taken to Womack Army Medical Center on base, where he remains and is recovering from the injury, the official said. The incident is currently under investigation, according to the release. "We take the safety and well-being of our paratroopers very seriously and will ensure both the recovery of this paratrooper and the investigation of the incident are handled with the utmost care," Col. Andrew Saslav, 1 BCT commander, said in the release. Matthew Cox can be reached at matthew.cox@military.com. Related: Army Moves to Kick Out 3 Unit Leaders After Deadly Bradley Accident in Korea Ark Encounter opens virtual reality experience taking people 'back in time' to Noah's Ark Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The creationist theme park Ark Encounter in northern Kentucky has launched a $3 million virtual reality experience that aims to show visitors what it would be like to travel back to see Noahs Ark and the Genesis flood. The park, owned by young earth creationist organization Answers in Genesis, officially opened its first virtual reality theatre called Truth Traveler to the public on Monday with the showing of its first virtual reality show titled A Flood of Reality. It is a very high-tech experience, said Answers in Genesis CEO Ken Ham, a Christian apologist and author, in an interview with The Christian Post. The seats are the highest-tech seats you can get. When you put on the virtual reality glasses and then the program is underway, you actually feel like you are flying. While the Ark Encounter theme park doesnt have any rides, Ham said the new virtual-reality attraction makes users feel like they're on an actual ride. The program itself starts at the Ark Encounter and then takes you back in time, he said. You see them building the ark. You fly around the ark and you actually see the floodwaters and you see the ark at the end with a rainbow. You fly through the ark as well and see animals in the cages, he added. It gives you a sense of being there and experiencing it. At the end of the 11-minute virtual tour, the video shows a holographic image of Ham, who gives a Gospel presentation to the audience. It is different from some of the [other parks] you go to where you sit in the seats and you have everything on the screen, Ham explained. This is within the virtual reality glasses. It even gives you more of a virtual reality experience. To experience the virtual reality show, visitors need to purchase a timed ticket for $14.99 as an extra cost on top of the parks admission fee. Ham said the added cost to participate in the Truth Traveler experience is to help offset the cost of construction and development, which was funded by an outside supporter of Answers in Genesis. It was a supporter who is a businessman who funded all this, which is why there is actually an upcharge for it because we are paying back the construction cost and all the rest of it, Ham said. It is a $3 million experience. The Ark Encounter worked with the owner of a company called Virtual Truth Experiences, who is passionate about utilizing VRs potential to share biblical truth. The organization also engaged two leading virtual reality experience companies to develop the interactive program. Those companies are MediaMation, which made the special motion seats; and Groove Jones, which created the programs animation and technology structure. The animation is based on a script provided by Ark Encounter staff. The virtual reality attraction is housed inside a new building on the parks campus. While A Flood of Reality is the first show to be presented at the new Truth Traveler attraction, Ham said they plan to create more virtual reality shows in the future. It just costs a lot to get one show going and working. We plan on doing future shows as well, he said. It costs like $1 million or more to do programming for a show and everything else. Ham said that Answers in Genesis was approached about 18 months ago about the idea of virtual reality experience. In all, he said it took about 12 months to complete the project. In between uses, the Ark Encounter has a special clearing apparatus that sanitizes the virtual reality glasses. Additionally, the seats are cleaned between each use. We are very diligent about it, Ham said. The Ark Encounter, which initially opened in 2016, reopened in June after shutting down during the early months of the coronavirus pandemic. While the park has seen some reduction in attendance since its reopening, Ham said the Ark Encounter has fared well compared to a lot of other amusement parks around the country. [There are] days where we are up to 70% or 80% of last years attendance, he said. The Ark Encounters sister attraction, Answers in Genesis Creation Museum just down the road in Petersburg, Kentucky, has also added exhibits, which include a $1.2 million planetarium that uses laser projection. Both the Ark Encounter and the Creation Museum are following a 45-page COVID-19 preparedness plan to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, such as temperature tests of staff and regular cleaning of facilities. NANCY TO POEA, IATF: LIFT DEPLOYMENT BAN ON HEALTHCARE WORKERS Senator Nancy Binay today urged the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration and the IATF to recall its deployment ban on healthcare workers. According to Binay, the government has no right to prevent healthcare workers from working abroad to provide for the needs of their families. "For healthcare workers, the struggle to survive is real in the midst of risks and trying to feed a family. Sana maunawaan din ng POEA at ng IATF ang kalagayan ng ating mga nurse na 'di lang naman sila full-time sa ospital. Sa totoo lang, mas mabigat ang pressure kung paano maitatawid ang kanilang mga pamilya sa gitna ng pandemya. Yung travel ban hostages their chance to have a decent work-life balance and give their families a better future," she pointed out. Should the POEA insist on continuing the deployment ban, the government must ensure that healthcare workers in the country are given competitive compensation. "Hindi naman gugustuhin ng ating mga healthcare workers na magtrabaho sa ibang bansa kung sapat ang kanilang kinikita dito sa atin. May pandemya po at sino ba naman ang gustong mawalay sa kanilang mahal sa buhay sa panahon ngayon?" Binay said. "They have long been neglected. Kung itutuloy nila ang deployment ban, at the very least the government should provide our healthcare workers with compensation sufficient enough to provide for their families," she added. The senator also allayed fears that the Philippines would lack healthcare workers should the ban be lifted. She cited 2017 data from the Department of Health showing that there are over 750,000 licensed medical professionals in the country, including dentists, med technologists, pharmacists, physicians, and midwives. Of this number, only 204,437 are active in the health sector, meaning more than 500,000 licensed medical professionals are not practicing their craft. "Kung hindi kaya ng pamahalaan na mabigyan ng trabaho at sapat na benepisyo ang ating mga healthcare workers, hindi naman ata tama na pagkaitan natin sila ng pagkakataon para mabigyan ng magandang buhay ang kanilang pamilya. The POEA had earlier issued Resolution 09, temporarily suspending the deployment of all healthcare workers "until the national state of emergency is lifted." The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) likewise issued Resolution No. 64 temporarily suspended the deployment of medical professionals. Iran has agreed to grant inspectors from the United Nations' atomic watchdog access to two suspected nuclear sites, Tehran announced today, as Washington presses on with its bid to restore international sanctions. In a joint statement, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Iran said today that they had reached an agreement on dates for access and verification activities after intensive bilateral consultations. UN inspectors had demanded access to one site near the capital, Tehran, and another near the central Iranian city of Isfahan, where the IAEA suspects Iran has stored or conducted nuclear activity without declaring so to the agency. This week, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi flew to Tehran for meetings with key Iranian officials, including Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and the nuclear agency chief, Ali Akbar Salehi. Both sides recognize the independence, impartiality and professionalism of the IAEA continue to be essential in the fulfillment of its verification activities, the statement from Grossi and Salehi said today. The IAEA is tasked with monitoring Iran's compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal agreed to by Tehran and six world powers that aimed to rein in Irans nuclear activity in return for economic incentives. The Western parties to the deal have accused Iran of enriching uranium beyond what is allowed under the agreement. In June, the IAEAs Board of Governors led by US allies France, Germany and the United Kingdom passed a rare resolution condemning Irans stonewalling of the UN probe. The IAEA breakthrough comes amid escalating tensions between Tehran and Washington. Last week, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo initiated a process to try to reimpose international sanctions on Iran by issuing a formal complaint to the UN Security Council. The Donald Trump administration accuses Iran of failing to comply with the same nuclear deal the United States withdrew from in 2018. On Tuesday, the councils president rejected American efforts to reimpose sanctions on Iran. The standoff at the United Nations comes as the European Union prepares to host a meeting of the nuclear agreements other signatories in Vienna on Sept. 1. Daniel Andrews has slammed Scott Morrison's plan to rip up deals that states have made with foreign powers. In his press conference on Thursday, the Victoria Premier stood by his controversial deal with China and said it did not pose a national security threat. Mr Andrews said he was only told about the prime minister's plan last night and criticised him for not focusing on fighting coronavirus. Victoria's Belt and Road deal will also be examined. Pictured: Premier Daniel Andrews and Chinese ambassador Jingye Cheng The prime minister wants new laws to stop states and territories signing deals with foreign powers that go against Australia's national interest 'Well, look, if the Prime Minister has time to be doing those things, that's fine for him,' he said. 'I don't. I'm exclusively focused on fighting this virus.' The prime minister wants new laws to stop states and territories signing deals with foreign powers that go against Australia's foreign policy and damage the national interest. If the laws pass, Victoria's 2018 agreement to increase Chinese participation in building projects, manufacturing and trade could be cancelled. Mr Andrews demanded to know what alternatives Victoria would have if it was banned from making deals with China that he believes create local jobs. Daniel Andrews (pictured in China's Tiananmen Square) signed a deal with China under the country's controversial Belt and Road Initiative in October 2018 Sydney's partnership with the Chinese city of Guangzhou will also come under scrutiny. Pictured: Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore welcomes Guangzhou Vice Mayor Mr Wang Dong 'Given the announcements the Prime Minister has made today he will no doubt be able to list the full range of other free trade agreements and other markets that we'll be sending Victorian products to. I'll look forward to that,' Mr Andrews said. 'Presumably this approach will include quite soon a very detailed list of alternative trading arrangements, alternative free trade agreements, alternative markets. 'I'll leave that to the PM to announce, but presumably that's coming and coming pretty quickly.' Asked if his deal with China threatens national security, Mr Andrews said: 'No, I would never concede that point.' Several federal politicians, fearing the expansion of Chinese power and influence, have urged the Victorian government to scrap its deal under China's Belt and Road Initiative - but it has refused. Under the proposed law, the foreign minister will be able to terminate the deal and any private contracts that are part of it. Once the law is in place, governments and universities will have six months to reveal their foreign deals to the foreign minister, who will then decide which ones must be stopped. The Belt and Road Initiative is a Chinese plan to establish maritime trade routes and invest in infrastructure projects around the world, set up by President Xi Xinping (pictured) in 2013 The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (pictured) is an example of a project being financed by China under the country's Belt and Road Initiative The law will cover dozens of deals with China and other nations including India and Israel in areas such as culture, education, health, science, tourism, infrastructure and even sister-city arrangements. It will also require states get approval from the federal government to start negotiating a foreign deal and seek approval again when the negotiations are done. Under current laws, states can make a deal and not even tell the foreign minister for three months. Daniel Andrews caused outrage by only telling the Morrison government about his Belt and Road agreement on the day it was signed. Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton described the Belt and Road Initiative as 'a propaganda initiative from China' that could lead to an 'enormous amount of foreign interference'. He said: 'Victoria needs to explain why it is the only state in the country that has entered into this agreement.' Federal Liberal MP Andrew Hastie told Daily Mail Australia that Mr Andrews had 'gone off the reservation by conducting his own foreign policy with China'. In May Victoria Treasurer Tim Pallas told a parliamentary inquiry the state government would 'absolutely not' scrap the deal. He then accused the federal government of 'vilifying' China by pushing for an inquiry into coronavirus. This graphic shows how the existing laws work. Under current laws, the state can make a foreign deal and not even tell the foreign minister for three months This graphic shows how the new law will require states get approval from the federal government to start negotiating a foreign deal and seek approval again when the negotiations are done The Australia's Foreign Relations (State and Territory Arrangements) Bill 2020 will be put before federal parliament next week in the hope it will be signed off this year. Scott Morrison said: 'Australia's foreign policies and relationships must always be set to serve Australia's interests. 'Australians rightly expect the federal government they elect to set foreign policy. 'These changes and new laws will ensure that every arrangement done by any Australian government at any level now lines up with how we are working to protect and promote Australia's national interest. He added: 'Many agreements and partnerships are of a routine nature but it is important that the federal government is notified of all agreements. 'Where any of these agreements undermine how the federal government is protecting and promoting our national interests they can be cancelled.' Daniel Andrews' deal with China In October 2018, the Victorian Labor government signed a memo of understanding with China under the country's Belt and Road Initiative. The BRI is a Chinese plan to establish maritime trade routes and invest in infrastructure projects around the world. More than 170 memos of understanding have been signed with 125 countries. Premier Andrews said he wanted to increase Chinese participation in Victorian building projects, manufacturing, and trade. Pictured: Chinese President Xi Jinping (left) and Premier Li Keqiang on May 22 In October 2019, Mr Andrews reached a 'framework agreement' with China that vowed to make a roadmap for cooperation on specific initiatives. So far the roadmap has not been published. Critics say the BRI is a tool to expand influence and power across the globe. Federal Liberal MP Andrew Hastie told Daily Mail Australia that Mr Andrews had 'gone off the reservation by conducting his own foreign policy with China'. As trade tensions with China mount, Mr Andrews has been urged to scrap the agreement, which he claims creates jobs for Victorians. Michael Schoebridge of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, said: 'The Victorian government's BRI activities are simply out of step with the new international and economic environment, including the now openly coercive directions that Beijing is taking with Canberra over trade and in government relations.' Victorian Labor senator Kimberley Kitching, chair of the Senate Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade References Committee, said: 'The Victorian government should not have entered into an agreement with the Chinese government on the Belt and Road Initiative - it is bad policy and bad optics.' Advertisement It comes amid increasing political and economic tensions between Australia and China. Beijing and Canberra have been at loggerheads after Australia led global calls for an inquiry into the origins of Covid-19. Soon afterwards, China slapped an 80 per cent tariff on Australian barley, suspended beef imports and told students and tourists not to travel Down Under in an apparent attempt to damage the Australian economy. On Tuesday Treasurer Josh Frydenberg blocked a $600million bid by Chinese company Mengniu Dairy to buy Aussie drinks company Lion, citing national security concerns. Minister Wang Xining (pictured) poses for a photo at the National Press Club in Canberra On Wednesday Wang Xining, deputy head of mission at the Chinese embassy in Canberra, said Chinese people felt deeply betrayed by Mr Morrison's call for independent scientists to enter China and investigate coronavirus. 'All of a sudden, there was this shocking proposal from Australia, supposed to be a good friend of China,' he said. 'It is approximately identical to Julius Caesar on his final day when he saw Brutus approaching him and said et tu, Brute?' Minister Wang admitted the virus was 'first identified' in China but said 'we should leave the work to scientists' to find out where patient zero came from. The Romanian Academy manifests its preoccupation towards the consequences that the use of 5G technology could have on public health and believes that the topic is of maximum interest in the context in which Romania analyzes the approval of the strategy to implement the 5G network at the national level. "We draw attention that the exposure of the population to high-power radiofrequency radiation in Europe and, implicitly, in our country is already a topic of debate in the scientific world at the global level. Thus, scientists warn that the future 5G stations will generate electromagnetic fields 100 times stronger than those of the generations already in use, developing practically an artificial ocean of millimetric high frequency radiation (30-300 GHz), with high risk potential, on the medium term, on life," the Academy mentions, in a release sent on Thursday to AGERPRES. According to the forum the World Health Organization, the International Agency for Reseach on Cancer and other international medical authorities have classified the electromagnetic field produced by radiofrequencies as possibly carcinogenic for human. "Concretely, millimetric radiation is absorbed at the level of the skin, to a depth of around 1-2 mm, as well as at the level of the superficial blanket of the cornea, and the local effects can be spread by molecular mechanisms to the rest of the body. Next to the risk of cancer, literature signals, among others, effects such as cellular stress, damage to genetic mechanisms, memory deficits and issues of the learning process, neurological disorders," the quoted source shows. The Romanian Academy believes that, "before putting in place the 5G system, a responsible scientific analysis is absolutely necessary, to target both the evaluation of risks on the health of humans, as well as establishing total maximum exposure standards." "In this context, we bring back to attention Resolution 1815/2011 of the Council of Europe, which mentions that: 'all reasonable measures will be taken to reduce exposure to electromagnetic fields, especially to the radiofrequencies of mobile phones, in particular for children and youths who seem to be exposed to risk of head tumors' and requests the maintaining at the 'lowest achievable level' (ALARA principle) in what regards exposure time, distance and screening. We warn that the implementation of 5G technology, without a concrete evaluation of the risks and vulnerabilities, may have grave consequences on the health of the population and may generate sensibly higher damages than advantages," the release also shows. Hurricane Laura has made landfall in southwestern Louisiana as a ferocious Category 4 monster, swamping a low-lying coast with ocean water that forecasters said could be 20ft deep and unsurvivable. The National Hurricane Centre said the storm, which intensified rapidly on Wednesday before ploughing into land, came ashore near Cameron, a 400-person community about 30 miles east of the Texas border. Potentially catastrophic impacts will continue, forecasters said. Winds gusted above hurricane force to 128 mph while Lauras northern eyewall moved onshore over Cameron Parish. Forecasters said even stronger winds were possible that could rip apart buildings, level trees and toss vehicles like toys. Authorities had implored coastal residents of Texas and Louisiana to evacuate, but not everyone did before howling winds began buffeting trees back and forth in an area that was devastated by Rita in 2005. There are some people still in town and people are calling the building but there aint no way to get to them, Tony Guillory, president of the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury, said over the phone as he hunkered down in a Lake Charles government building that was shaking from the storm. At 1 am CDT, Hurricane #Laura has made landfall in southwestern Louisiana near Cameron as a category 4 #hurricane. Maximum sustained winds were 150 mph, with a minimum central pressure of 938 mb. Potentially catastrophic impacts will continue. More: https://t.co/tW4KeFW0gB pic.twitter.com/GVWRnmGejy National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) August 27, 2020 Mr Guillory said he hopes those stranded can be rescued later on Thursday but he fears that blocked roads, downed power lines and flooding could delay that process. Video and photos on social media showed torrents of rain flying sideways past street lights in Lake Charles, and streets covered with water closer to the coast. A sudden storm surge knocked over cameras meant to capture the hurricanes effects. With hours of violent weather ahead, officials said the extent of destruction likely would not be clear until daybreak, when search and rescue missions will begin. Drawing energy from the warm Gulf of Mexico, the system arrived early on Thursday during high tide as the most powerful hurricane to strike the US so far this year. It looks like its in full beast mode, which is not what you want to see if youre in its way, University of Miami hurricane researcher Brian McNoldy said. Expand Close People looking to evacuate the path of Hurricane Laura arrive at the civic centre where evacuation buses wait (Eric Gay/AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp People looking to evacuate the path of Hurricane Laura arrive at the civic centre where evacuation buses wait (Eric Gay/AP) Earlier on Wednesday, winds picked up as shoppers rushed into a grocery store in low-lying Delcambre. Trent Savoie, 31, said he was staying put. With four kids and 100 farm animals, its just hard to move out, he said. Texas governor Greg Abbott and Louisiana governor John Bel Edwards fretted that the dire predictions were not resonating despite authorities putting more than 500,000 coastal residents under mandatory evacuation orders. Officials said at least 150 people refused pleas to leave and planned to weather the storm in everything from elevated homes to recreational vehicles in coastal Cameron Parish, which could be completely covered by ocean water. Its a very sad situation, said Ashley Buller, assistant director of emergency preparedness. We did everything we could to encourage them to leave. Mr Edwards activated the states entire National Guard. The power of #HurricaneLaura is deadly, & Texans must take action now to get out of harm's way & protect themselves & their loved ones. The conditions of this storm are unsurvivable, Texans in the path of the storm are urged to evacuate immediately.https://t.co/P9NxLLj5tW Gov. Greg Abbott (@GovAbbott) August 26, 2020 In Lake Charles, Guard members drove school buses around neighbourhoods, offering to pick up families. Across the state line in Port Arthur, Texas, few stragglers boarded evacuation buses, and city officials announced that two C-130 transport planes offered the last chance to leave. A Category 4 hurricane can render wide areas uninhabitable for weeks or months and knock out power for just as long. The threat of such devastation posed a new disaster-relief challenge for a government already straining under the coronavirus pandemic. The parts of Louisiana that were under evacuation orders included areas turning up high rates of positive Covid-19 tests. The National Hurricane Centre kept raising its estimate of Lauras storm surge, from 10ft just days ago to twice that size a height that forecasters said would be especially deadly. On Twitter, President Donald Trump urged coastal residents to heed officials. Hurricane warnings were issued from San Luis Pass, Texas, to Intracoastal City, Louisiana, and reached inland for 200 miles. Storm surge warnings extended from Freeport, Texas, to the mouth of the Mississippi River. Laura closed in on the US after killing nearly two dozen people on the island of Hispaniola, including 20 in Haiti and three in the Dominican Republic, where it knocked out power and caused intense flooding. Laura will be the seventh named storm to strike the US this year, setting a new record for US landfalls by the end of August. The old record was six in 1886 and 1916, according to Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach. Christchurch, New Zealand The white supremacist who slaughtered 51 worshippers at two New Zealand mosques was sentenced Thursday to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The judge imposed the maximum available sentence on 29-year-old Australian gunman Brenton Harrison Tarrant, the first time the sentence has been imposed in New Zealand. Judge Cameron Mander said Tarrant's crimes were so wicked that a life time in jail could not begin to atone for them. He said they had caused enormous loss and hurt and stemmed from a warped and malignant ideology. "Your actions were inhuman," Mander said. "You deliberately killed a 3-year-old infant as he clung to the leg of his father." The March 2019 attacks targeting people praying at the Al Noor and Linwood mosques shocked New Zealand and prompted new laws banning the deadliest types of semi-automatic weapons. They also prompted global changes to social media protocols after the gunman livestreamed his attack on Facebook. During the four-day sentencing hearing, 90 survivors and family members recounted the horror of the attacks and the trauma they continue to feel. Some chose to yell at the gunman and give him the finger. Others called him a monster, a coward, a rat. Some sung verses from the Quran or addressed him in Arabic. A few spoke softly to Tarrant, saying they forgave him. Tarrant had earlier fired his lawyers and told the judge that he didn't wish to speak at the hearing. A standby lawyer appointed by the court told the judge that Tarrant did not oppose a sentence of life without parole. Mander noted that Tarrant had recently told assessors that he now rejects his extremist philosophy and considers his attacks "abhorrent and irrational." But Mander said the sincerity of that change of heart was questionable and Tarrant had still shown no empathy toward his victims or sorrow for what he had done. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. Tarrant in March had pleaded guilty to 51 counts of murder, 40 counts of attempted murder and one count of terrorism, reversing his earlier not guilty pleas. Prosecutors said Tarrant had flown a drone over the Al Noor mosque and researched the layout as he meticulously planned his attacks. He arrived with six guns including two AR-15s. Crown prosecutor Mark Zarifeh said he'd aimed to kill as many people as possible. "The offender's actions are a painful and harrowing mark in New Zealand's history," he said. Tarrant was noticeably thinner in his sentencing hearing than when he was first arrested. SAN FRANCISCO The race to buy TikToks U.S. operations has entered its final stages, with two groups submitting bids for the video app, said three people involved in the deal talks. One of the bids was from Microsoft and Walmart, which have teamed up, and the other was from Oracle and could include a coalition of investors, they said. The discussions remain fluid, said the people, who were not authorized to speak publicly. It is unclear which group will secure a deal, and the makeup of the bidders could still change. But TikToks owner, the Chinese internet company ByteDance, will most likely make a decision on the competing bids in the coming days, they said. And whichever bid is selected is likely to set TikToks U.S. business down very different paths. A deal with Microsoft and Walmart could draw on Walmarts digital sales background to turn TikTok into a kind of e-commerce app for both creators and users, people involved in the talks said. That could make TikTok more like Douyin, ByteDances TikTok-like Chinese-language video app, which already has e-commerce integrated into it. A renowned Reverend in Edo State has exposed another grand lie of the All progressives Congress (APC) and its candidate for the governorship in the state, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, over a conjured endorsement. The Reverend refuting the claim, remarked that it is a joke taken too far. Rev Olu Martins in a statement on the recent political development in Edo State, decried that in the past 48 hours, his phone has been inundated with calls and text messages in reaction to his purported endorsement of the APC candidate, Pastor Osagie Ize-iyamu. He noted that unfortunately, he suffered a double jeopardy of losing his Android phone and a failing health, hence, he could not respond to all the lies immediately. The Reverend indicated that he recovered both on Wednesday night, he has to come straight with the facts before this lie wears the toga of the truth. Rev Olu Martins declared: There was never a time I endorsed the candidate of Osagie Ize-iyamu nor joined his campaigns as you cant find any video or text of me doing the same anywhere. Can you endorse someone without saying you did in a formal outing? He, however, admitted that Pastor Ize-Iyamu is his very good friend, and has good relationships with his family who he relates with freely and regularly. He also admitted that Ize-Iyamu has played a pivotal role in his life and continues to do so. The Reverend acknowledged that Ize-Iyamu was instrumental to his marrying of his wife; being key to their meeting and mobilising support to the success of the same. Not many know that my in-laws are even closer to Ize-iyamu having known him for over 25 years. I met Ize-iyamu in 2000 when I was Students Union President in Ekpoma and we have remained close since then, Rev Olu Martins revealed. The Reverend narrated that he visited Ize-iyamu, believing that as friends, politics wont separate them, on Sunday 23rd August to have a private chat with him where he met some friends on the APC/POI divide. He noted that they laughed and joked together as the pictures they posted showed. He, however, insisted that he is an activist and not a partisan politician. I am an activist and not a party person and I can associate freely. That association shouldnt be tagged endorsement or dumping Obaseki when that is not what I came to do. Moreover, since it was indoors in my elder brothers house, I saw no harm until I saw the pictures and the caption that followed, Rev Olu Martins protested. The Reverend maintained: Let me state that wearing a POI cap cant be equated with an endorsement and it doesnt. My relationship with Ize-Iyamu is long and deep as I am usually free at his place. I do not have any issue with him save that I have my preference politically speaking in this election for Godwin Obaseki. I have been a staunch supporter of Governor Obaseki and committed canvasser of his reelection bid having appeared on several media stations both local, national and even internationally, the recent being a massive rally where I was like the spokesperson. I have always been a direct person as I have never been known to probate and reprobate at the same time. When I support you, I do so till the end without wavering. Rev Olu Martins recalled that he supported Ize-Iyamu in 2016 even to the Supreme Court, insisting that he has resolved to do the same in supporting Obaseki in the 2020 election. I supported POI in 2016 and stayed with him till the Supreme Court verdict. I intend to do the same with Godwin Obaseki come rain come shine until he wins his reelection bid by September 19th this year. I dont betray trust and friends. I have always been steadfast in struggles since my university days and that is not going to change any time soon. How can I now see myself working with people I have had issues with and criticized heavily for almost a decade now. God forbid, Rev Olu Martins declared. He narrated that on August 24th some pastors invited him to a meeting which turned out to be an endorsement for POI. He explained that his presence at the meeting was not to endorse Ize-Iyamu but merely spiritual. He noted that if he were there to endorse Ize-Iyamu, it would have been done formally. He added that he did not sign the communique. Rev Olu Martins further declared: My presence there was purely spiritual with ministry intentions only. I wasnt part of those who signed the communique as my role was spiritual and nonaligned. If really were to endorse POI, would it be informally in the midst of friends jesting and laughing? Wouldnt I rather hold a press conference, a rally, or an outing with my team as I have often done for POI in the past? The pictures posted didnt have me standing with POI, himself, a scenario that may have been more believable. A person of my stature and status clearly should know better how to endorse in grand style even if I wanted to. The Reverend argued that the allegation financial inducement was as ludicrous and dumb. He said that N680,000 advancement for an agreed sum of 5 million insinuation sounds like nonsense talk, noting that he has direct access to Governor Obaseki? I have direct access to the Governor. So, if I need 5 million, I can ask him directly. I have had several one-on-one with Governor Obaseki. I have many friends in government, including Phillip Shaibu, the Deputy Governor, who we were in the students movement together as far back as 1999. If I was really money conscious, I would have long sold out and compromised when Oshiomhole was Governor. He made several overtures to me which I turned down. Only a foolish man will leave a performing governor who he has direct access to and who has been good to him to a side that is uncertain and packed full already. I am not anywhere near broke and even if I was, no single individual is richer than the government anyway, Rev Olu Martins said. He stated that a good name, according to the Bible, is better than silver, gold or even being Deputy Governor to POI; suppose that was even possible. He insisted that he cannot come this far and look back when he is not Lots wife. I apologize if my associations in the past few days may have suggested something contrary to what I have always believed and stood for, but I remain on the side of Godwin Obaseki. I am convinced that he means well for the Edo people and has done well for them. He, therefore, deserves our overwhelming support in his bid to rid Edo State of godfathers, careers politicians and lions and tigers whose major and only preoccupation is our common patrimony. I am an unrepentant Obasekist. I did not, cant and wont endorse POI or any other candidate other than Godwin Obaseki. Pastor Osagie Ize-iyamu is my friend and I will continue to respect and admire him. I wish him in his pursuit to be Governor of Edo State but my candidate for the September 19th election is Godwin Obaseki and by the Grace of God, will always win. The lovers of democracy and haters of godfatherism will win standing side by side with Godwin Obaseki, Rev Olu Martins unequivocally declared. PV: 8 Today, Rhea came out and spoke to a news channel regarding the blame game that is being played on social media. Rhea started off by saying she cant believe what is happening with her while shes still trying to process the fact that Sushant is no more. She revealed that she will fight against the scrutiny of the media and wants to live a normal life. About her relationship with Mahesh Bhatt, the actor stated that hes like a father figure to her and denied claims of any other relation between the two. Rhea revealed that after she left Sushants home, she was suffering from the same mental health distress that the late actor was suffering from for a year. During that time, the actress reached to Bhatt after which the filmmaker advised, be strong, think about your father before taking any steps. Rhea so far has been interrogated by the Mumbai Police and Enforcement Directorate. Off late, Rhea Chakraborty has been on the receiving end of several accusations on social media. The unanswered questions surrounding the case have got many people pointing fingers at her since she was living with Sushant Singh Rajput until a week before his demise. A woman looks at an abortion pill (RU-486) for unintended pregnancy displayed on a smartphone in Arlington, Va., on May 8, 2020. (Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images) FDA Asks Supreme Court to Reinstate Safety Rule for Abortion Pill The Trump administration is asking the Supreme Court to reinstitute a rule requiring that an abortion-inducing drug be taken in the presence of a medical doctor, after a judge issued a nationwide injunction in July pausing the safety requirement during the current pandemic. The drug RU486, also known as Mifeprex, is used to end a pregnancy during the first 10 weeks and can cause excessive bleeding, according to the government. Around 85 percent of patients report at least one adverse reaction following the use of the drug, the most common being nausea, weakness, fever/chills, vomiting, headache, diarrhea, and dizziness, according to studies. The emergency application in the ongoing litigation, cited as Food and Drug Administration (FDA) v. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, was filed Aug. 26 with the Supreme Court. The other respondents named in the document are the Council of University Chairs of Obstetrics and Gynecology; the New York State Academy of Family Physicians; Atlanta-based SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective; and Honor MacNaughton, a medical doctor in Malden, Massachusetts. The application, which was referred to Chief Justice John Roberts, remained pending as of press time. Since the FDA approved RU486 in 2000, the agency has required that it be dispensed only by or under the supervision of a certified healthcare provider in a hospital, clinic, or medical office, and only after a patient signs a form acknowledging that she has been counseled about the drugs risks, acting U.S. Solicitor General Jeffrey Wall stated in a brief filed with the court. The FDA has made, and continuously adhered to, the judgment that these requirements mitigate serious health risks associated with the drug, which can increase if the patient delays taking the drug or fails to receive proper counseling about possible complications. Pro-abortion groups say the requirements are outdated and arent medically necessary. In May, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists sued the government in an effort to overturn the rule. On July 13, U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang of Maryland, who was appointed in 2014 by then-President Barack Obama, issued an order preventing the rules enforcement during the pandemic, citing legal precedent and ruling that amid the current public health crisis, it presented a substantial obstacle to womens access to abortion. Particularly in light of the limited timeframe during which a medication abortion or any abortion must occur, such infringement on the right to an abortion would constitute irreparable harm, the judge wrote. By causing certain patients to decide between forgoing or substantially delaying abortion care, or risking exposure to COVID-19 for themselves, their children, and family members, the In-Person Requirements present a serious burden to many abortion patients, Chuang wrote in his opinion. Chuang has locked horns with the Trump administration before. In early 2017, he issued an injunction partially blocking Executive Order 13780, the second iteration of the presidents temporary travel ban that purported to temporarily deny entry to the United States by people from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals refused to stay Chuangs ruling about RU486 while the Trump administration appeals. In the new filing, the administration asked the justices to resurrect the FDA rule during the pendency of the appeal. This Court has made clear that judges are not to second-guess how officials address public-health concerns in areas of uncertainty, yet the district court dismissed the FDAs expert judgment in favor of its own view that the safety requirements are medically unnecessary, Wall argued. And setting the merits aside, the scope of the injunction extends well beyond the district courts remedial authority under Article III and basic equitable principles, Wall wrote in an apparent reference to sweeping nationwide injunctions against government policies. U.S. Attorney General William Barr has taken aim at the growing trend of unelected federal judges vetoing presidential actions by issuing national injunctions against disfavored policies. These nationwide or non-party injunctions reach beyond the controversy being litigated and, according to critics, allow judges to impose their will in parochial or regional disputes on the entire country. Officials at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists didnt immediately respond to a request by The Epoch Times for comment. RENO Inside the new William N. Pennington Engineering Building, President Marc Johnson and College of Engineering Dean Manos Maragakis, with the help of an autonomous robot, opened the 100,000-square-foot building in a hybrid live/online ribbon-cutting ceremony on Aug. 25. President Johnson outlined the goals for the building as an economic catalyst and an incubator for high-impact research that will improve lives the world over. This 100,000-square-foot building provides a modern facility capable of supporting high-tech, cutting-edge research, Johnson said. It will allow the College of Engineering to pursue its strategic vision: serve Nevada and educate future generations of engineering professionals. While construction began in 2018, the concept for a new engineering building as an economic catalyst and research center originated with Maragakiss 10-year plan when he came into office in 2008. The plan received a boost when, under the leadership of Governor Brian Sandoval, the 2017 legislature made a $41.5 million commitment to the project. The University committed $23 million to the $87.5 million initiative and secured $23 million in funding from private donors. At its heart, our field is about solving problems, and we are grateful to everyone, from the governor and legislators to the donors, who saw the importance of the new engineering building to support our high-impact research, Maragakis said. Combined with state-of-the-art curricula and dedicated mentorship from leading faculty, the new laboratories and study spaces will enable our exceptional students to flourish. The William N. Pennington Engineering Building unlocks a tremendous potential to turn visions of a better, safer world into reality. The addition of the massive new building to campus also creates a full engineering complex that includes several other engineering facilities clustered together at the south east end of campus: the world-renowned Earthquake Engineering Lab, the Rogers-Weiner Large-Scale Structures Laboratory, the Harry Reid Engineering Building and the Scrugham Engineering and Mines Building. The College of Engineering is committed to providing students a globally competitive engineering education, Maragakis said. This building propels that goal forward and contributes to the vitality of our region, our nation and our world. Theres a 200-seat classroom on the first floor, 40 laboratories (both wet and dry) and throughout the four stories are 150 graduate workstations that provide masters and doctoral students the space to pursue their goals. The opening of the William N. Pennington Engineering Building is an important milestone not just for the University but for our entire region, Johnson said. In its halls, students and faculty alike will perform groundbreaking research, preparing the next generation of engineers and computer scientists for vital careers to propel our economy forward. With dedicated space for all five engineering departments the Pennington Engineering Building is designed to support members of the College at all stages of their careers. At every step of the process, we are here for our students, Maragakis said. We are committed to the success of all of our students, and as the new building opens, we are also affirming our continued commitment to the principles of diversity, equity and inclusion that are crucial to continued growth and prosperity worldwide. The third and fourth floors of the building house the Department of Computer Science & Engineering. The new space increases the departments footprint from 13,000 square feet to 23,000 square feet and brings all of its research labs under one roof, facilitating collaboration for students and faculty alike. Students and faculty will be able to pursue advances not only in robotics and cybersecurity but also networking, big data and related fields of study in the new computer labs and research spaces, including a 25-seat and a 50-seat computer lab on the first floor. The new building also houses a Class 100 Cleanroom. It is supported by a mechanical room with 10 independent air and water systems. The cleanroom is a carefully calibrated and maintained laboratory that reduces air contaminants from an average of up to 1,000,000 parts per cubic foot down to 100. This degree of air purity is unmatched by publicly available laboratories in the state of Nevada, and it is essential for research in biosensing, nanotechnology and advanced manufacturing industries that have increasingly come to Nevada in recent years. This cleanroom will allow us to build a state-of-the-art multidisciplinary research laboratory, which will in turn allow the University to emerge as one of the premier world institutes in nano/microelectronics and nanotechnology-enabled research, Department of Electrical and Biomedical Engineering Associate Professor Jeongwon Park said. The cleanroom will enhance collaboration with local industry partners and enable collaborative projects with the University, in turn creating further opportunities for student training including internships at global companies and national labs. The new building is key to the ongoing success of the College and all of its students. Everyone in the College of Engineering is united in our common desire to make the world a better place, Maragakis said. We are committed to making sure that our faculty, staff and students work in an environment that will enable them to achieve their goals and contribute to the economic development and quality of life throughout the state, country and around the globe. When the doors of the William N. Pennington Engineering Building opened, they opened for everyone. No matter your background, no matter your identity, no matter your country of origin you are welcome here. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1 It was a lesson he taught me. The point is that he was very spontaneous, very direct. Which is even more incredible because, with fresco, if you make a mistake, you have to dig out the plaster and start all over again. Lawrence also wanted to see the room of Pollocks. When the New York art world sided with Pollock and other Abstract Expressionists during the 1950s, Lawrence fell out of fashion. Looking at the Pollocks now, he said: There are certain figurative works that I can say I think are terrible, and I just dont want to look at them. I dont want to look at them because I feel strongly about them I take them seriously, because theyre meaningful to me. But I couldnt say that about Pollock. It doesnt have that kind of relevance. The Metropolitan Museum of Art At the Met, Lawrence chatted about the group of young Black artists that included Knight who would regularly visit the museum together and make the rounds of cutting-edge galleries like Alfred Stieglitzs An American Place. You felt the same way about going into every art institution or gallery then, he said. It wasnt hospitable but no one would keep you out. Then we would head over to Horn & Hardarts and argue about what wed seen. New Channel Expands Geographic Reach and Potential Customer Base ALPHARETTA, Ga., Aug. 27, 2020, a global provider of mission-critical enterprise software solutions, announced the launch of a new, global partner program designed to expand the company's geographic reach for its Aptean Food and Beverage ERP solutions with world-class channel sellers. The partner program extends Aptean's Microsoft Dynamics 365 platform offerings for Business Central, Finance and Supply Chain Management in select European, Middle Eastern and African (EMEA) countries, as well as in the Latin American (LATAM) and Asian Pacific (APAC) markets. As food and beverage organizations around the world continue scaling their businesses to keep up with consumer demand, their need for best-in-class enterprise resource planning technology becomes critical to finding success in today's unpredictable economic landscape. To navigate margin pressures, improve traceability and quickly adapt to changes in the supply chain, these businesses need specialized software designed for their industries , as well as regional customer support resources that operate in local time zones and languages. "Aptean's Food and Beverage ERP Partner Program recognizes those who have proven to be trusted advisors to their clients and are committed to the food and beverage industry. Additionally, our partners are uniquely positioned to provide the highest quality of service, technology and expertise to ensure customers achieve success with our unified ERP system," said Bob Kocis, Chief Revenue Officer at Aptean. Launching with Velosio , iPlan Global , Notora , Olivia Sistemas S.L. and Rodl & Partner as charter members, this program will enable Aptean to support, recognize and reward its approved partners as they provide sales and support for software both in the cloud and on-premise. "Our partnership with Aptean has strengthened our ability to meet the evolving requirements of food and beverage organizations. Together, we provide the ability to operate more effectively by enhancing visibility and creating more efficient, profitable business practices. Our team is looking forward to gaining momentum in the market, supported by Aptean's partnership approach, delivering on our mutual vision and success," noted James Bowman, Chief Revenue Officer and Chairman of the Board at Velosio. Thomas Blak, CEO and Founder of Notora, added, "We are thrilled to be part of the team providing Aptean's industry-specific ERP solutions to food and beverage suppliers in our market." Partner program participation is available now to strong, long-term partners in select EMEA countries, the LATAM and APAC regions and for select partners in North America. To qualify, partners must meet specific criteria with requirements on training, certification and business volume. Partners then receive extensive benefits including training, access to the latest Aptean technology, sales and services support, recognition via various marketing initiatives and ongoing education to ensure customer success. "We are very excited to offer our partners industry-leading solutions, training, support and incentives. Aptean intends to continue investing in the growth and success of this program and welcomes inquiries from partner candidates interested in joining our extended team," Kocis concluded. To inquire about joining the Aptean Food and Beverage ERP Partner Program, click here . About Aptean Aptean is a global provider of mission-critical, industry-specific software solutions. Aptean's purpose-built ERP and supply chain management solutions help address the unique challenges facing process and discrete manufacturers, distributors and other focused organizations. Aptean's compliance solutions are built for companies serving specific markets such as finance, healthcare, biotech and pharmaceuticals. Over 5,000 organizations in more than 20 industries across 54 countries trust Aptean's solutions at their core to assist with running their operations. To learn more about Aptean and the markets we serve, visit www.aptean.com . Aptean is a trademark of Aptean, Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated. Lance Cpl. Guillermo Perez was loud, adventurous, hyper and dirty as a child, his family said, and loved being out of the house. An obituary on the website of Zoeller Funeral Home in New Braunfels described his boyhood in Kingsville that way. It was good training for a future Marine rifleman. He spent the majority of his childhood outside, avoiding the shower, and always being a kid full of life. It seemed as if he never ran out of energy. On Thursday, family, friends and the Corps paid a final salute to Perez, 20, who was among nine Marines killed July 30 in a training accident off the Southern California coast. A service at Tree of Life Church in New Braunfels, his hometown, was followed by burial at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery. The family welcomed everyone to the church service, but attendance was limited at the cemetery because of its coronavirus pandemic restrictions. Family and friends knew Guillermo Sammuel Carrizales Perez as Willie. His obituary said he was a kid who, once you met, you could never forget. He liked to roughhouse with his family but was helpful and proud. He liked learning new things and took a lot of pleasure in showing off that knowledge. Willie could find any stick outside and chase you with it with continuous laughter in (an) attempt to hit you, his obituary said. Forever fighting with his siblings, especially his brother, we all knew and now cherish the tough love! Others would say he was caring, optimistic, a helper and a loving person which are also true. With him being the youngest, he still did a lot for his family and loved ones. Perez is the third San Antonio-area serviceman to die in the line of duty this year. Spc. Vincent Sebastian Ibarria, 21, of San Antonio was given a soldiers burial at Fort Sam on July 22, nearly three weeks after his death in a rollover accident in Afghanistan. He died July 3 while serving with a 10th Mountain Division combat team in Farah, a town 15 hours west of Kabul. Sgt. 1st Class Javier Jaguar Gutierrez, 28, of San Antonio was buried in late February at Fort Sam. A Special Forces veteran and 2009 Burbank High School graduate, he was killed Feb. 8 with another Green Beret in Afghanistan, Sgt. 1st Class Antonio Rey Rodriguez, 28, of Las Cruces, N.M.. Gutierrez was on his second deployment and Rodriguez on his 10th when they were killed by a man posing as a member of Afghanistans armed forces. The Marines said Perez lost his life when his landing craft took on water off San Clemente Island, Calif. In all, nine Marines died in the incident. Eight other Marines were rescued, two of them injured. The Marines, Navy and Coast Guard searched more than 1,150 miles using helicopters, ships and watercraft, ending the rescue effort after 40 hours. The Marines were in an amphibious assault vehicle used for beach landings since 1972. It can carry a crew of three and 25 Marines and doubles as an armored personnel carrier. Perez was gung-ho about joining the Marines even before graduating from New Braunfels High School last year. He entered the Corps as soon as he got his diploma. He recently had been promoted to lance corporal, earning his Infantry Rifleman certificate and sharpshooter badge. He enjoyed his teenage years, the obituary said, noting that Perez spent 3 years working at Schlotzskys with four of his best friends. He volunteered with the New Braunfels Lions Club throughout high school. When he came back to New Braunfels on leave, he would address Whataburger first, the family wrote. He would then take the time to go visit the entirety of his family surprising his sisters and making it special for them. In his final return home in mid-August, Perez was given a heros welcome, with New Braunfels Police Department officers escorting the casket from San Antonio International Airport, taking it beneath a flag-draped arch formed by a pair of New Braunfels Fire Department ladder trucks as it entered Main Plaza. As Thursday began, the Fire Department parked two ladder trucks at the exit to the church, re-creating the arch. New Braunfels police and other area law enforcement agencies escorted Perez to Fort Sam down Interstate 35 South. Perez is survived by his parents, Romelia and Jose Escobedo and Faustino T. Jr. and Erika Perez, and his fiancee, Monika Mendoza. Not only did we lose a special person, we lost a loving son, brother, fiance, cousin, nephew, and friend! He touched so many peoples hearts, his family wrote. He was literally one of a kind. If you didnt know him, you truly did miss out in one of the good things in life! Sig Christenson covers the military and its impact in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. To read more from Sig, become a subscriber. sigc@express-news.net | Twitter: @saddamscribe Turkey is planning live-fire military drills in the eastern Mediterranean Sea next week amid its escalating standoff with Greece over energy exploration rights in the contested waters. An advisory issued by the Turkish navy on Thursday announced the shooting exercises will take place Sept. 1-2 off Turkeys southern Mediterranean coast, northeast of Cyprus. Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar described the drills as "security related." NATO members Ankara and Athens both claim maritime rights in a part of the sea containing possible offshore gas reserves. Tensions escalated this month after Greece inked a maritime border arrangement with Egypt establishing an exclusive economic zone in the same area of the Mediterranean that Turkey claims as its own. After the Egypt-Greece deal, Turkey announced it would extend the exploratory mission of its seismic research ship and the naval vessels escorting it between the islands of Crete and Cyprus. Greece responded by scheduling nearby naval exercises off Crete. On Wednesday, France said it would be joining Italy, Greece and Cyprus in their military maneuvers in the oil-rich waters. The United Arab Emirates also sent F-16 fighter jets to Crete for joint training drills with Greece. Germany's foreign minister, who met with his counterparts in Turkey and Greece on Tuesday in an attempt to defuse the crisis, called for all sides to end their military drills in the contested waters. We need a diplomatic solution for this conflict. Nobody will solve this conflict with warships in the eastern Mediterranean," Heiko Maas said during an informal meeting of European Union foreign ministers in Berlin on Thursday. The European Union has largely sided with its member, Greece. The Associated Press reports that EU officials are debating a range of options to avert a military confrontation between the regional rivals, including sanctioning Turkey and freezing its candidacy for the 27-member bloc. US President Donald Trump had separate phone calls with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday, during which he urged the two leaders to recommit to dialogue. Winona County hit a new one-day high Thursday with 38 COVID-19 confirmed cases announced by the Minnesota Department of Health. Most of these cases are people between 18 and 24 years old, while five are older than 40 years old. This trend in younger people being diagnosed with COVID-19 has been common since June, largely outweighing the number of people 60 and older who have tested positive. Winona County is performing contact tracing and is actively working with the MDH and local community partners, including educational institutions, to address the recent significant rise in COVID-19 cases. Winona County and MDH will take steps as needed to isolate and quarantine individuals as needed to ensure the safety of Winona County residents, Winona County officials said in a release Thursday. Not all of the younger cases have been confirmed as being college students, the city of Winona said in a release Thursday. These numbers are really disappointing. But I want to be clear that we cannot just broadly blame college students. We dont know for sure where all these new cases came from. We know a majority of young people are working hard to be healthy and keep their schools and universities open, and we appreciate their efforts, Winona Mayor Mark Peterson said. We know the universities have great plans for their students on campus and commend them for it. At the same time, we all know that theres only so much we can do for young people living off-campus, he said as the city has collaborated with the local universities to prepare for the students to return. The citys release said that officials will continue looking closely at COVID-19 data in upcoming weeks to determine how much of an impact the students returning causes. The city has been ahead when it comes to attempts to limit possible COVID-19 spread, including creating a mandatory mask order before Minnesota created a statewide rule. Weve done everything we can to keep our schools, businesses and community open these past months. On top of our new efforts, all were able to do is continue urging everyone to continue the behaviors we know can slow the spread, Winona city manager Steve Sarvi said in the citys release Thursday. All higher education entities in the community have at least some of their students returning to campus for in-person education. Classes started at Winona State University, Minnesota State College Southeast and Saint Marys University this week, which brought back to the city thousands of students. Winona State University confirmed that 20 members of the universitys campus have tested positive for COVID-19 since the start of daily self-assessments on Aug. 10, officials confirmed in a WSU email. The university did say, though, that not all of these community members have been on the Rochester or Winona campus. Additionally, this total is only preliminary, which means it could change. Winona State University has a quarantine and isolation protocol in place. We are closely tracking all reports and are working with those who may have been in contact with individuals reporting positive cases, the university said in the email. Five students at Saint Marys University has tested positive for COVID-19 since students have moved back to campus for the fall semester this month. No staff members, though, have tested positive yet as of Thursday. We are disappointed to see this high case increase in Winona County, but are working now to determine how many of those cases involve Saint Marys students. Since our first-year students began arriving on campus on August 19 and our upperclass students on August 23, we have observed that the majority of our students are complying actively with our COVID-19 safety precautions, Ann Merchlewitz, SMU general counsel and university secretary, said. When we hear of students who are being unsafe, we are addressing them directly and taking whatever steps are necessary to keep our community safe and to keep our learning on ground instead of online. Weve been meeting with first-year students, teams, student leaders and other key groups on campus to be sure they know our safety rules, but also to help them understand that ultimately whether they can remain on campus depends on their behavior. We have actively discouraged them from attending large gatherings (10 or more people) and to avoid bars where social distancing and mask protocols are not observed, she said. No mass testing has been completed on the campus, but testing is available for the SMU campus at the universitys Wellness Center in partnership with Mayo Clinic. The university hopes that it will not have to move all classes online. Should that become necessary, our faculty are ready to move to online learning. We are not surprised to see a few positive cases, and we planned for this. Its our goal to keep that number manageable. Fortunately, because the vast majority of our students live on campus, we believe we are in a better position to monitor their behavior and address it accordingly, Merchlewitz said. As for Minnesota State College Southeast, nobody on campus so far this fall semester has tested positive for COVID-19, college officials said Thursday. One of the colleges community members has tested positive, but has not been on campus and is completely remote. That individual is now self-isolating. No mass testing has occurred on the Southeast campus. We will continue to follow all of our established safety precautions and protocols, including social distancing, mask requirement and a required self-screening assessment prior to entering campus. Our COVID-19 team has been working directly to provide guidance to individuals in our college community who may exhibit symptoms or come into contact with others who have COVID-19, according to an email sent Thursday by Katryn Conlin, communications director for the college. Our primary goal is to keep our campuses safe and limit the spread of COVID-19. We are constantly monitoring the situation on both our Red Wing and Winona campuses, and are prepared to pivot if it becomes necessary. We will continue to work to ensure that students are able to continue their educations. Our instructors are prepared to flex course delivery methods as needed, either on a course-by-course basis or campus-wide basis, depending on the particular situation, the email said. As many college students are hired by local businesses in Winona, their possible positive COVID-19 results will make an impact on the economy. No businesses have announced any of these new cases being their employees, but Christie Ransom, CEO and president of Winona Area Chamber of Commerce, did confirm that some local employees have tested positive at various businesses in the community throughout the pandemic Ransom said that a lot of food and retail services do hire many students from local higher education institutes. She said that all open businesses have created a plan to help prevent spread between their employees and customers, which will help combat any possible outbreaks due to students returning to the city. Ransom did say, though, I think that the students need to realize that their behaviors impact our economy in a big way. She said that if cases continue to increase, especially now that college students are back, curfews may be set by the city or local hotspots for gatherings such as bars may have to close. I'm doing everything within my power to ensure that our economy stays open but know that every time that somebody does test positive and a business needs to take extra precautions, or they have to shut down their business unnecessarily, that is money out of their pocket, Ransom said. So it does hurt, it hurts every business, it hurts every individual and, obviously, any member of our community that gets sick or worse is not an acceptable thing and right now we just have to be careful and do the best that we can, she said. Winona County officials have recommended throughout the pandemic that people wear a mask in public, avoid enclosed areas with multiple people, get tested if showing symptoms, keep six feet from other people, cover coughs and sneezes, wash hands often and thoroughly and avoid touching ones face. Additionally, on Wednesday evening, the county released its weekly data update that includes the countys first 315 cases 17 of which led to death, 12 had to be hospitalized and 50 remained in isolation. The positive residents did range in age from younger than 10 years old to older than 100 years old. The vast majority of these individuals have been residents of Winona. Slightly more than half the cases have been females. The countys infection rate, as of Wednesday, was at 0.620%. In the county, 11,397 tests have been completed, with a positive rate of 2.8%. For daily COVID-19 updates for Winona County and Minnesota as a whole, visit the Minnesota Department of Healths website. Concerned about COVID-19? Sign up now to get the most recent coronavirus headlines and other important local and national news sent to your email inbox daily. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. A terrorist who gunned down 51 people at two mosques in New Zealands worst-ever massacre has been jailed for life without the possibility of parole. White supremacist Brenton Tarrant live-streamed video on Facebook as he sprayed bullets at innocent children and adults attending Friday prayers at the Al Noor and Linwood mosques on March 15, 2019. High Court Judge Cameron Mander described the killings as brutal and beyond callous. Your actions were inhumane, he told the emotionless 29-year-old. You showed no mercy. You are not only a murderer, but a terrorist. You sought to essentially attack New Zealands way of life. Tarrant was sentenced after the High Court in Christchurch heard from dozens of grieving relatives and attack survivors, who confronted the killer during a four day hearing that began on Monday. Its the first time in New Zealand history that such a sentence has been passed, and during the hearings many of the familes had urged the judge to give the Australian national the most severe punishment possible. Judge Mander said a finite term would not be sufficient given the horrific nature of his murderous spree. Your crimes, however, are so wicked that even if you are detained until you die it will not exhaust the requirements of punishment and denunciation, said Mander in handing down the sentence. As far as I can discern, you are empty of any empathy for your victims, he said. The hatred that lies at the heart of your hostility to particular members of the community that you came to this country to murder has no place here it has no place anywhere. The killer pleaded guilty to all charges in March this year, which include 51 charges of murder, 40 charges of attempted murder and one charge of committing a terrorist act. Prosecutors told the court that Tarrant wanted to instil fear in those he described as invaders and that he carefully planned the attacks to cause maximum carnage. His rampage shocked the world and prompted to a ban on firearms in New Zealand and a campaign against hate content online led by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, a response that was hailed as a model for other countries. Tarrant stormed into the Al Noor mosque in Christchurch on March 15 last year, spraying bullets on worshippers, including women and children, before attacking another neighbouring mosque. He was arrested on the way to a third attack and has been in custody since. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates Sandra Mansour established her fashion house in 2010 and her attention to detail and craftmanship, mixed with inspiration from art and her surroundings in Beirut, shines through in all her designs. For the Sandra Mansour x H&M collection, Sandra draws inspiration from elements of nature and female artists such as Toyen, Dorothea Tanning, Lena Leclercq, and Bibi Zogbe. The result is a feminine and strong range of dresses, blouses and skirts, a tailored blazer, and a printed T-shirt and hoodie. Fit and flare shapes and ruffled hems are mixed with volume and statement details in an earthy color palette of greys, ivory and black. Mansour names each of her collections, and the Sandra Mansour x H&M collection is titled "Fleur du Soleil" after becoming fascinated with the way a sunflower follows the sun from day into night. Dot, floral and sunflower motifs enrich sheer, delicate fabrics and emphasize the craftsmanship, while the feminine silhouettes exude power and urban edge. "The inspiration for the H&M collaboration was nature and natural elements. Especially the sunflower, which represents the cycle of life, and its dependency on sun and light. Poetry and painters inspired the selection of fabric the dark laces, jacquards, and embroidered organza. With the Fleur du Soleil collection, I want to talk to woman around the world by sending a message of hope, something we really need right now," said Sandra Mansour, CEO and designer. "The first things you notice about Sandra Mansour's designs are their dreamy qualities and sheer beauty, but then you get further drawn into the craftsmanship, the storytelling and the modern youthfulness. There's also something empowering about the femininity. We're proud to be collaborating with such a trailblazer and look forward to launching the collection worldwide!" says Maria Ostblom, Head of Womenswear Design at H&M. For campaign images, please click here For still life images, please click here To shop the collection, please click here Contact Information: Media Relations [email protected] SOURCE H&M Related Links www.hm.com UWT project focuses on equity, justice and design The schools Welcoming Center for Equity and Inclusion will be a gathering spot for students of all backgrounds. By SHONA BOSE AND SEONG SHIN Bose Shin This year has brought renewed attention to inequities deeply rooted in our society. These inequities cut through all aspects of our lives, including architecture and equal access to shared spaces. Architectural design and the design process have a unique opportunity to respond to and help promote change towards a more equitable and just society. The University of Washington Tacoma (UWT) is bringing together three units on the downtown campus into a Learning Commons with the intention of being an agent of such change. These three units are the Center for Equity and Inclusion (CEI), the Teaching and Learning Center (TLC), the UW Tacoma Library. A new technology hub will be created in this space and managed by the Library. This new Learning Commons focuses on inclusion, integrated learning, knowledge and technology in equal parts to infuse the universitys core values into the buildings at the heart of campus. Bringing together these diverse program types and designing purposefully democratic educational spaces for today requires an inclusive design process, with curiosity for the diverse lived experiences of students and an awareness of the historical cultural context of the place. Inclusion in the design process Images courtesy of McGranahan Architects [enlarge] A concept sketch for the Welcoming Center for Equity and Inclusion shows the collaborative power of both working and learning. Throughout the planning and design phases, McGranahan sought to engage the people we are designing for, to hear and understand their interaction with the university. In these in-person and online meetings, it was not about the questions that we-as-the-architect asked, but that we-as-the-whole-team developed a sense of trust and belonging. We had to create a psychologically safe environment by setting some ground rules for all our meetings in order to be this vulnerable with each other. From the beginning, our intent was to include as many voices in the process as possible and give them equal weight. All opinions and perspectives were respected, and every conversation was approached with curiosity. We would conclude each meeting with Wows and Wonders (a quick roundtable method of recalling highlights from the meeting) to make sure everyones voice was heard. These meeting practices require time, discipline and sometimes a bit of awkwardness to establish in a group, but it is worth the effort for projects of all sizes/scales. For a project as complex as the Learning Commons, with so many unique units coming together, it was essential to slow down the process and truly hear everyones point of view. The relationships that were formed through this process not only informed the design but have shaped connections between the units. As the narrative and floor plans developed, the mindset of the group shifted towards one of partnership and collaboration, which will inevitably flow into the spaces created from the drawings. Connecting people and place As with any project, we heard about the many services offered by each program and the current challenges they face; however, with this project, we also heard about the cultural and historical connections that run throughout campus and the surrounding community. These connections enforce the feeling of belonging, so it was essential to understand and create space for them. Most students commute to this campus, so the Learning Commons is one of the few shared spaces where all students find a common university experience. The UWT student population is diverse in ethnic and family backgrounds, age, interests and experience levels. First generation college students make up more than half the student population. There is a kaleidoscope of perspectives and needs on the UWT campus. UW Tacoma is an urban university that opened in 1997, located in the heart of the citys historic warehouse district. It is physically tied to Tacomas 19th century emergence as the terminus of the Northern Pacific Railroad. This railroad was built by Chinese migrant laborers who were not allowed to make their homes in Tacoma. Many of the buildings that UWT inhabits today were originally used as commercial business buildings because of their proximity to the terminus, including a vibrant community of Japanese-owned businesses that were lost to the internment of Japanese people during WWII. In the larger context of Tacoma, UWT resides within and acknowledges the territory where the Puyallup people lived for thousands of years. It also must grapple with the redlined neighborhoods that have a lasting mark on Tacoma to this day. Design response access for all [enlarge] At University of Washington Tacoma, this navigation spine concept connects buildings, resources and knowledge. This is a small project, rich with design opportunities and challenges, but the inclusive and engaging process has allowed us to listen to all stakeholders, see through their lenses, and give birth to a UWT HUB a Learning Commons with efficient solutions including these three design moves: Relocation of CEI and technology lab/maker space on to the first floor of the main entry. Navigation spine connecting all four units with a one-stop-shop main desk and other resource-specific check-in desks. Variety of active learning, flexible and open spaces for all. Relocating the CEI to the first floor of the new Learning Commons will complete the universitys vision of creating a welcoming campus for all students. At the beginning of the design process, the Center for Equity and Inclusion asked the design-build team, the university leadership, and the other units to trust that they could anchor the whole program by placing them prominently on the first-floor near the main entry to the Learning Commons. This was a highly coveted location, which evolved through many conversations and design iterations. As we arrived at the iteration where the CEI and the new technology hub hold the first floor, the whole project started to come into focus. The CEI is a natural connector already creating joint programming with other units. They give space where historically marginalized communities can be in closer proximity to one another while maintaining a sense of their own space. They celebrate belonging and culture where everyone can participate. In addition to this, co-locating the technology lab/maker space with the CEI creates a 21st century Learning Commons where equal access is a priority. Enhancing the navigation experience was one of the clients primary goals. The new spine connecting the buildings and the service points of all four units provides logical wayfinding, clear sightlines and a welcoming experience. The spine also functions as a curated gallery space to showcase local histories, diverse community stories and UWT-focused projects. It was important to students, staff and faculty to reflect on and consciously transform the way they want to learn, study and engage in this new space. The environment will be open, connecting to both natural light and campus views. A variety of furniture types, reservable study rooms and active learning spaces addresses the communitys diverse and unique learning styles. There will be a prayer and meditation space with an ablution sink for ritual washing. This space was designed with the help of the Muslim Student Association and can be reserved by any group needing a place to express their personal beliefs. Bringing together unique services and resources, while also honoring history and lived experiences, has allowed us to create a welcoming hub for diverse learners to navigate integrated services, technology-rich resources and safe physical spaces. As a result of these new conversations and partnerships, the Learning Commons as a built environment will embody UWT values and place knowledge, learning and inclusion at the heart of this historic campus. Seong Shin is a director of interior design and Shona Bose is a project designer, both with McGranahan Architects. Other Stories: Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content. Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist. If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter . Support our mission and join our community now. Undated file photo shows the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force conducting a joint combat patrol mission in the South China Sea. (Xinhua) The U.S. has sent military aircraft to the region more than 2,000 times in the first half of this year alone. The U.S. tries to drive wedges between China and related Southeast Asian nations, push those countries to the front and enlist them as pawns in its anti-China agenda. Washington's malign scheme to make the South China Sea another anti-China battleground will certainly fail. by Xinhua writer Gao Wencheng BEIJING, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Washington announced on Wednesday its decision to blacklist Chinese enterprises and individuals involved in China's construction in the South China Sea, further exposing its intention to foment division and spur tensions in the region. The move marks yet another one of Washington's blatant attempts to meddle in the region's maritime territorial disputes with arbitrary sanctions, an ostentatious breach of its commitment to not taking any side among related parties. For starters, China has indisputable sovereignty over the islands in the South China Sea and their adjacent waters. China's infrastructure construction on its own territory is an exercise of national sovereignty in accordance with international law. Aerial photo taken on July 29, 2020 shows the Kantan No.3 offshore oil platform and its supply ship in the northern waters of the South China Sea. (Xinhua/Pu Xiaoxu) Seeking to justify its ill-founded decision, Washington has falsely accused Beijing of so-called "militarization of disputed outposts in the South China Sea," while trying to portray itself as a keeper of peace in the region. Yet, the truth is that the United States has sent military aircraft to the region more than 2,000 times in the first half of this year alone. That clearly shows who is posing a threat to regional peace. By rolling out such provocative unilateral actions, the White House aims to create divisions in the region. It tries to drive wedges between China and related Southeast Asian nations, push those countries to the front and enlist them as pawns in its anti-China agenda. Furthermore, the attempt of those China hawks in Washington to stoke up waves in the South China Sea reveals a deeper intent to obstruct China's development and pursue hegemony in the region. Washington's malign scheme to make the South China Sea another anti-China battleground will certainly fail. Since regional countries share a common aspiration to maintain stability and prosperity in the South China Sea, which is the only way to best serve their fundamental economic and security interests. "The South China Sea is the shared home for the countries in the region and should not be a wrestling ground for international politics," Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Xinhua earlier this month, urging all regional countries to be vigilant, and prevent the region's hard-won peace and development from being sabotaged by the United States. The 15th Senior Officials' Meeting on the Implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) is held in Changsha, central China's Hunan Province, June 27, 2018. (Xinhua/Zhang Xiaoyu) Likewise, Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said recently that the Philippines would not join the navies of other countries, like the United States, in maritime drills in the South China Sea for fear of raising tensions in the area. Meanwhile, according to Ren Guoqiang, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of National Defense, relevant negotiations in the region have made positive progress. Thanks to shared efforts by all related parties, the South China Sea has remained generally stable. And since the COVID-19 outbreak, China has been working with regional countries to contain the deadly pathogen, while cargo ships and airplanes loaded with medical supplies for the coronavirus battle have been busy navigating through the South China Sea, providing a lifeline underpinned by mutual help in these troubled times. Those have demonstrated regional countries' similar stance to settle disputes through dialogue among countries directly concerned and oppose external forces interfering in regional affairs. Looking into the future, China, as it has done before, will continue to strengthen maritime cooperation with other related parties, deepen mutual security confidence, and advance joint development, so as to make the South China Sea "a sea of peace, friendship and cooperation." FRANKFURT The auto parts maker Continental became the latest German company to issue a confessional study of its Nazi past Thursday, saying it was a pillar of the National Socialist armaments and war economy that employed around 10,000 slave laborers, often in inhumane conditions. During the war, when Continental supplied tires for military aircraft and vehicles, the company used concentration camp inmates to test products and the inmates often died as a result, according to the study by Paul Erker, a historian at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich commissioned by Continental to examine its past. Yet after the war, top managers of the company managed to escape punishment and pursue successful careers, according to Mr. Erker, who spent four years doing research for an 800-page book on Continentals wartime history. The study also looked at firms that Continental acquired after the war, like VDO, a maker of auto electronics that supplied guidance systems for V-1 rockets fired at Britain by Germany during World War II. Such studies have become obligatory for German companies, which often used slave laborers, profited from the Nazi regime and took part in the persecution of European Jews. But Continental, a member of the benchmark DAX index with 230,000 employees worldwide, is far behind other blue-chip companies, like Volkswagen or Deutsche Bank, that laid bare their wartime pasts decades ago. The Lagos State Police Command, on Wednesday, arraigned a pastor, Nduka Anyanwu, before the state Magistrates Court in Yaba for allegedly defiling and impregnating two sisters. Anyanwu was alleged to have slept with the sisters, aged 17 and 13, on several occasions and impregnated them. The suspect was arraigned on two counts bordering on defilement before Chief Magistrate A. Adedayo. He pleaded guilty to the charges. The prosecutor, Roman Unuigbe, told the court that Anyanwu committed the offences sometime in June 2020 at a church complex in the Oshodi area of the state under the pretext of praying for the victims. Punch Metro gathered that the mother of the victims had tried to prevent the police from arresting the defendant on the grounds that he was a man of God. According to Unuigbe, the offences contravene Section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015. Following the defendants plea, Magistrate Adedayo ordered him to be remanded in custody and adjourned the case till September 15, 2020, for presentation of facts and sentencing. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has backtracked some of the agency's changed guidelines on coronavirus testing. Earlier this week, the CDC suddenly amended its testing recommendations to say that people who have come into contact with COVID-19 patients but don't have symptoms 'do not necessarily need a test.' Public health experts admonished the agency, arguing more tests are needed, not fewer, and that it is well-known the virus can be spread by asymptomatic people. On Thursday, director Dr Robert Redfield issued a statement saying 'testing may be considered for all close contacts of confirmed or probable COVID-19 patients,' The New York Times reported. However, the new testing guidelines released on Monday remain on the CDC's website and do not appear likely to change. CDC director Dr Robert Redfield (pictured) issued a statement on Thursday saying coronavirus 'testing may be considered for all close contacts' of COVID-19 patients It comes after the CDC revised guidelines to say those exposed to the virus with no symptoms 'do not necessarily need a test' unless they are 'vulnerable individuals.' Pictured: Cindy Rivera, 19, self swabs for a coronavirus test in Rancho Cucamonga, California, August 20 'Testing is meant to drive actions and achieve specific public health objectives,' Redfield wrote in his statement, defending the changed guidelines. 'Everyone who needs a COVID-19 test, can get a test. Everyone who wants a test does not necessarily need a test; the key is to engage the needed public health community in the decision with the appropriate follow-up action.' He added that the CDC wants to focus on specific populations rather than just anyone who has come into contact with coronavirus patients. Redfield says this includes: Individuals with symptomatic illness Individuals with a significant exposure Vulnerable populations including nursing homes or long term care facilities Critical infrastructure workers, healthcare workers and first responders Those individuals who may be asymptomatic when prioritized by medical and public health officials An official told The Times that the director was attempting to clarify the policy change with his statement. But many experts fear that the less aggressive testing guidance could allow cases to go undetected and spur future outbreaks. 'This is potentially dangerous,' Dr Krutika Kuppalli, an infectious disease physician in Palo Alto, California, told The Times. 'You're not looking for a lot of people who are potential spreaders of disease. I feel like this is going to make things worse.' According to CDC guidelines, 'close contact' is defined as spending more than 15 minutes with a person with a COVID-19 infection and less than six feet away. 'You do not necessarily need a test unless you are a vulnerable individual or your health care provider or State or local public health officials recommend you take one.' the agency's website states. 'You should monitor yourself for symptoms. If you develop symptoms, you should evaluate yourself under the considerations set forth above.' Other testing guidelines remained unchanged, including regular testing for those who work or live in nursing home, healthcare providers and first responders. The CDC did not explain the reason for the change, but Redfield said the new guidelines were 'coordinated in conjunction with the White House Coronavirus Task Force' in his statement During a media call with reporters on Wednesday, US 'testing czar' Adm Brett Giroir said the updated recommendations were discussed with members of the White House coronavirus task force, including Dr Anthony Fauci. But Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, told CNN he 'was under general anesthesia in the operating room and was not part of any discussion or deliberation regarding the new testing recommendations.' Several media reports say the CDC was pressured into changing the guidelines from top officials at the White House and Department of the Health and Human Services. President Donald Trump has argued for less testing, claiming that case numbers are increasing due to test administration. However, clinicians say this is inaccurate and that the true measure of how well the country is doing is the rate of tests coming back positive. She embarked on her modelling career at the age of 16, after she was spotted by a talent scout while attending Reading Festival 20 years ago. And Alexa Chung showed off her modelling skills on Wednesday as she shared a stunning selfie to her Instagram. In the shot, the TV star, 36, looked radiant as she went makeup-free and displayed her flawless complexion. Radiant! Alexa Chung showed off her modelling skills on Wednesday as she shared a stunning makeup-free selfie to her Instagram Alexa opted for a green sparkly triangle bikini for the sun-kissed snap as she smouldered to the camera. She styled her brunette locks into a loose relaxed hairdo and fastened it back with a pink floral headscarf. Alexa captioned the photo with: 'Getting the shot while nobody's looking.' It comes after Alexa proved she has always had a flair for fashion, when she shared a snap of herself posing in stylish summer garb as a young girl in July. Stylish: It comes after Alexa proved she has always had a flair for fashion, when she shared a snap of herself posing in stylish summer garb as a young girl in July The image, which was uploaded to Instagram, showed the British star looking adorable in a purple floral collared dress, teamed with a wide-brimmed hat. Complementing her mid-sleeved gown with a pair of light grey half leggings, the budding star wore her honey brown locks in curls, which peeked from under her hat. Captioning the snap, Alexa acknowledged her ensemble as she wrote: 'Child me fully nailed my summer wardrobe 2020.' The star's Instagram post comes after it was confirmed that her show, Next In Fashion, has been cancelled after just one season on Netfix. Rise to fame: Alexa embarked on her modelling career at the age of 16, after she was spotted by a talent scout while attending Reading Festival 20 years ago. Pictured in January Designer Tan France, 37, spoke with Variety about the streaming platform's decision not to move forward with the show co-hosted by model and presenter Alexa saying he was proud to be a part of it. Revealing the news, he explained: 'We're not doing a second a season. This is a one-season show, we don't know what will happen in the future. 'But it was honestly one of the proudest things I've ever worked on. I love the show and Alexa so much,' he gushed. While he had teased the possibility of the show returning, Tan said of his future plans: 'My focus is definitely on Queer Eye and moving forward with that.' Curtain call: It was recently announced that Alexa's show Next In Fashion has been cancelled after one season on Netflix, as co-host Tan France gushed about how proud he was of it The fashion competition show saw a group of innovative designers go head-to-head to become the next big name in the industry, and win a $250,000 cash prize and the chance to debut their collection with Net-a-Porter. South Korean designer Minju Kim was crowned the winner of the first season, after beating 17 hopefuls for the top spot. Prior to her appearance on the show, Minju won the H&M Design Award and also designed clothing for K-Pop girl group Red Velvet and for megastars BTS. Her collection has debuted with Net-a-Porter, and she recently admitted to the brand that being a part of the show made her realise she is 'capable of anything'. Competition: The show saw a group of innovative designers go head-to-head to become the next big name in the industry, win $250,000, and debut their collection with Net-a-Porter Let Your Children Engage In The Okada Business First - Kennedy Agyapong To Ex-President Mahama Tough-talking politician, Kennedy Agyapong, has condemned former President Mahamas decision to legalise the activities of commercial bike riders. To the Assin Central legislator, the decision is not in the best interest of the nation, hence expects Ghanaians to kick against it. Mr Agyapongs comment comes after the flagbearer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) promised to make the business, popularly known as Okada, legal in the country. Speaking in an interview on Oman FM, Mr Agyapong advised Mr Mahama to first allow his children engage in the business. Why wont he rather think of something better for the people than legalisation of Okada; does he expect people to graduate from school to engage in Okada business? he fumed. He added: It is an insult to Ghanaians and Im surprised people are hailing the decision. Meanwhile, the Vice President and Policy Analyst of IMANI Ghana, Kofi Bentil, has backed Mr Mahamas decision. To Mr Bentil, it is a major service provider of choice in traffic locked urban areas and underserved rural areas and elsewhere. Listen to Mr Agyapong in the attached audio: 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. Featured Video The two volunteers who were administered the Oxford Covid -19 vaccine doses at a Pune-based hospital as part of the phase II clinical trial have reported to be stable a day on even as shots were given to three more candidates on Thursday. According to Bharti Vidyapeeth Medical College and Hospital, the first two candidates, both men, aged 32 and 48, have not reported any complaints and all their vital parameters appeared to be normal even after 24 hours. Also read: Moderna vaccine likely to work well on adults, says study I have not reported any fever and pain since Wednesday. I have also started my routine work, said one of the candidates who comes from the health sector and was also a candidate for the swine flu vaccine. Two volunteers were given doses of the Covishield vaccine, made by Oxford and being manufactured by Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII), at Bharti Vidyapeeth Medical College and Hospital at its Katraj campus on Wednesday. A day later, three more volunteers, two females and a male, were given shots of the vaccine. All these candidates, according to Dr Jitendra Oswal, deputy medical director at Bharti Vidyapeeth Medical College and Hospital, will once again be given another dose after a month. We are in touch with the two candidates who were given vaccine doses. Neither of them has reported systemic illness or pain and fever in the 24 hours ending Thursday afternoon. We will continue to monitor all the candidates being given the shots, said Dr Oswal. The hospital has deputed doctors to monitor health condition of each candidate on an hourly basis. All the five volunteers were allowed to go home within minutes of being administered the vaccine, said hospitals medical director Dr Sanjay Lalwani. SII had asked the hospital to carry out clinical trials on over 300 candidates. We are planning to inject vaccine doses in at least 25 candidates within a week, said Lalwani. According to him, the eligibility criteria is that the person must be aged between 18-99 years without any co-morbidities. He or she has to be tested negative for the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes Covid-19, and also for antibodies of the virus. So, the person must not be currently, or previously have been, infected by Covid. SII, the worlds largest vaccine-maker, has signed an agreement to manufacture the potential vaccine developed by the Jenner Institute of Oxford University in collaboration with British-Swedish pharma company AstraZeneca. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump once called Rep. Elise Stefanik a "new Republican star" as she defended him against Democratic criticism. But as she takes the national stage Wednesday to implore voters to give Trump four more years, Stefanik is trying to sell constituents back home on a different sort of reputation: centrist. Once considered among the most moderate members in the House, Stefanik over the past two years has become one of Trump's most vocal champions on Capitol Hill, surprising even some of her own colleagues while propelling the youngest Republican woman in the House to GOP stardom. During the Trump impeachment proceedings last year, she was a regular on Fox News, forcefully rejecting complaints that Trump abused his oath of office in pressing a foreign leader to investigate his domestic political rivals. More recently, Stefanik has campaigned for the president, flying to at least one rally in Tulsa during the coronavirus pandemic to appear by his side. Yet Stefanik, 36, has long branded herself a Rockefeller Republican - a pragmatic moderate in the mold of former New York governor and onetime vice president Nelson Rockefeller. She has easily won reelection in a district that stretches from the outskirts of Saratoga Springs across the Adirondack Mountains to the Canadian border. The race in the North Country district, which backed Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012 and then went for Trump by 14 points in 2016, is not considered competitive and Stefanik is favored to win. Still, she has played up that centrist image while promoting Trump. "One of the most bipartisan members of Congress," says the moderator in one ad airing in her New York district. "Elise Stefanik, independent, delivering results." The ad makes no mention of Trump. The dual brand - both centrist and Trump champion - is rare for the GOP. Often Republicans are either conservative and adamant Trump defenders, or moderates who keep their dislike of Trump quiet for fear of the base. Stefanik's move to be both had elicited criticism. Ahead of Stefanik's convention appearance, her Democratic challenger, Tedra Cobb, attacked her as "shilling" for Trump, more intent on growing her national profile than in representing her district. "Her fealty to him has left us behind," said Cobb, who lost to Stefanik 56 to 42 percent in 2018. "We are a district that is very independent . . . so we know that people want a representative who will stand up when we need them to . . . and unfortunately that's not Stefanik." She added: "Elise Stefanik has time to go to Iowa [for Trump] and time to go to Tulsa and time to show and talk and stump for the president - but she's not here to fight for our families." On issues, Stefanik remains among the more moderate House Republicans. She opposed Trump's 2017 tax cut, has been a vocal supporter of equal rights for LGBTQ Americans, and has pushed to give legal status to young undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children. On Saturday, Stefanik broke with the president, voting for a bill to give the U.S. Postal Service $25 billion and block operational changes to ensure that mail-in-ballots for the November election will be counted on time. Trump, meanwhile, has said he wants to curb the agency's funding to undercut absentee voting that he fears will hurt his reelection bid. Overall, the Lugar Center ranked Stefanik as the 14th most bipartisan lawmaker in the House in 2019. The conservative Club for Growth, meanwhile, has put her at 197th most conservative. Still, Democrats who have worked with Stefanik on bipartisan issues say they don't recognize her anymore as she moves to embrace a president she once kept at arm's length. She used to tout her work reaching across the aisle, but now she blasts Democrats for being "radical" while saying little - if anything - about Trump's own controversies. "She's trying to have it have it every which way," said one House Democrat who has worked with her, speaking on the condition of anonymity to be frank. "She's not a 'Trumpy.' Her views aren't 'Trumpy.' I supposed she's trying to use this as a fast pass to the leadership table." At the very least, Stefanik's move toward Trump has been a fundraising boon. She has brought in $7.8 million this cycle and has $4.5 million on hand, according to the latest Federal Election Commission report. That's almost triple her $2.8 million fundraising from the 2018 midterms. Stefanik's bid to promote what Democratic critics consider contradictory positions comes as Republicans have started privately jockeying for a post-Trump world. Many Republicans think Stefanik has leadership ambitions and is setting herself up to be someone who can pull the party together and set it on a more centrist path should Trump lose. Republicans speculate that the party will be looking for a Republican who backed Trump on most policy matters - but who was not afraid to speak out at times. Stefanik's office declined to make her available for an interview. But in a statement, her campaign spokeswoman Maddie Anderson said she was not interested in a leadership position - and highlighted an area of dispute with the president. Stefanik, her aide said, does not support the QAnon conspiracy theory, even as Trump has sought to welcome those who do into the Republican fold, even inviting one follower - House candidate Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia - to the White House for his acceptance speech on Thursday. Adherents of the conspiracy theory believe Trump is secretly battling a cabal of "deep state" saboteurs who worship Satan and run a child sex-trafficking ring. The FBI has identified QAnon as a potential domestic terrorism threat. Still, Anderson said Stefanik backs Trump wholeheartedly. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. "Congresswoman Stefanik strongly supports President Trump's reelection and is proud to serve as his New York Campaign Co-Chair," she said in the statement. "She is running on her record of results, as she has done in every single election going back to her first reelect. Similar to President Trump, many of these significant results such as USMCA [U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement], veterans issues, support for seniors and rural hospitals and small businesses, investing in defense - are bipartisan results." Elected in 2014, Stefanik attended Harvard University before joining the Bush White House as an aide. In 2012, she advised and befriended then-vice-presidential candidate Rep. Paul D. Ryan, prepping the Republican from Wisconsin for the campaign debates before deciding to launch her own bid to join him in the House. When Trump won the nomination in 2016, she followed the advice Ryan, then speaker, gave many moderates: keep a safe distance from the controversial candidate and instead highlight policy work on the trail. But in the 2018 midterms, many moderates who followed Ryan's guidance and spoke out against Trump lost, as the House flipped to Democratic control. And by the time Democrats started impeachment proceedings in fall 2019, Stefanik, a member of the House Intelligence Committee overseeing the probe, began to emerge as a Trump defender. Her performance during the panel's high-profile impeachment hearings caught Trump's attention. The president would retweet clips of her questioning witnesses, skyrocketing her to fame in GOP circles after she spent years avoiding speaking his name. In June, Stefanik flew to Oklahoma to introduce Trump during a campaign rally. But the president - seething over the small crowd amid the pandemic - skipped her introduction entirely, then mispronounced her name onstage. Still, Stefanik's campaign announced that in a 48-hour period surrounding the event, she raised $150,000 as part of what they called a "Trump Rally Money Bomb." The Trump campaign has also benefited from the relationship. The president faces a gender gap, and Republicans think Stefanik's support for Trump will help him with female voters. Stefanik receives high marks from even some GOP critics of Trump. As one of only 13 women in the House, she decided in late 2018 to jump-start an outside group to support female GOP candidates, privately scolding House Republican leaders for not doing more to support Republican women. And she has delivered: The GOP now has a record number of women running for Congress this year, in part because of her effort. "She's doing a great job recruiting women . . . and I respect that," said Sarah Chamberlain, a GOP campaign strategist focused on female voters. "And if she happens to be endorsing Trump, I respect that as well." Alex DeGrasse, her senior political adviser, also noted that she has the endorsement of 37 local Democratic leaders in her district. - - - The Washington Post's Mike DeBonis contributed to this report. By Joanna Torreano Joanna Torreano Joanna Torreano of Lockport, a former teacher, published her second book, Written From the Heart, in May. &*& *(*% ) &^%@ &)+& ? Can you read that? Neither can I. But thats what the letters of the alphabet look like to a beginning reader. Some kids can break the code, others will struggle. Many parents are making the agonizing decision regarding school. Ive written this for parents who will be assisting in the teaching of reading. First and foremost, read to your child. Your child will pick up on the fact that those funny symbols are letters and those letters form words. Those words flow left to right. If you read a book with few words on a page, your child will pick up the book and begin reading it themselves. I can hear you say, Yeah, they are just parroting, thats not reading. Youre correct. They are parroting, but they are reading. They will learn that when reading, the words are situated left to right. Theyll absorb the fact that there are spaces between those squiggly lines. You can point out a word to them. For example, ask them to point to the word the. Get a newspaper and a highlighter and ask them to highlight all the words. What youre doing is building confidence, which leads to success. Syracuse, N.Y. -- A 10th person has been arrested in Junes fatal Rye Day shooting. Lamar Rouse Jr., 20, of Syracuse, turned himself in to police on Tuesday, police said. Rouse was charged with second-degree murder and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, police said. 17-year-old Chariel Osorio was killed in the June 20 shooting at Performance Park, between Wyoming and West streets. Eight other people were also shot and injured that night. Seven of the 10 people arrested and charged with murder or attempted murder in the case are 22 years old or younger. Nine of the 10 were charged with murder. Authorities have said members of the Bricktown and 110 gangs shot at each other at the party with their allies. Hundreds of party-goers had to flee for cover as shooters exchanged gun shots. Security cameras in the area helped identify the first nine people arrested in the shooting. The person who prosecutors believe shot Osorio has not yet been publicly named. Ken Christopher, who is defending one of the teens charged in the shooting, said during a hearing prosecutors have identified the suspected killer. Christopher, and lawyers for other defendants, have argued that only the person who shot Osorio should be charged with murder. Rouse is currently being held at the Onondaga County Justice Center without bail. The others arrested in the case include: Hansome Rice, 18, second-degree murder and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. Devar Williams, 20, second-degree murder and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. Eric Williams, 36, second-degree attempted murder and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. Lamar Cepada, 16, second-degree murder and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. Amir Titus, 20, second-degree murder and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. Carlos Ortiz-Carrasquill, 31, second-degree murder and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. Carmello Johnson , 16, second-degree murder and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. Quintell Stepney, 22, second-degree murder and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. Noreon Jackson, 19, second-degree murder and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. Got a tip, comment or story idea? Contact Chris Libonati via the Signal app for encrypted messaging at 585-290-0718, by phone at the same number, by email or on Twitter. Days after the recent murder of a television journalist in Uttar Pradeshs Ballia district, a scribe and his family were attacked inside their house in Meerut on Wednesday allegedly by a leader of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). A case has been registered in this regard and one person has also been arrested while search is on to nab others. The incident was reported from Jagriti Vihar colony of the Medical Police Station area where the assailants entered the house of journalist Naveen Singh at around 10 pm and attacked him and his family members. Singh, who works for a local newspaper in Meerut, was injured in the attack while his elder brother Avinash also suffered serious injuries and got stitches on his head. Speaking to reporters, Singh said that he received a call and was asked to meet a BSP leader named Raviraj, who then held him by his collar and hit him. He said that had met Raviraj for the first time, however, he had known the formers uncle for quite some time. Singh also claimed that the attack was carried out on him with the help of a man named Prince Yadav who lived in the neighbourhood. I received a call from a BSP leader named Raviraj and he said that he wants to meet. When I went out, he held me by my collar and started hitting me. Prince Yadav and Anshu Yadav, who live in this neighborhood, helped Raviraj. Meanwhile, when elder brother Avinash tried to intervene the attackers broke his head," he said. Raviraj had been arrested, while Anshu and Prince are still absconding. Both have gone to jail in the past in a murder case, he added. Singh also said that in order to show his bullying in the colony, Raviraj had attacked and threatened to kill him. Earlier on Tuesday, UP Police had arrested six men accused of murdering journalist Ratan Singh late on Monday night in the Fafna area of UPs Ballia district. Ratan Singh worked with a Hindi television news channel in Ballia. Ballia Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Sanjay Yadav said that Phephana police station in-charge, Shashi Mauli Pandey, had been suspended in connection with the case and efforts were on to nab the remaining accused. Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Awanish Kumar Awasthi told News18 that the main accused named Arvind Singh, Dinesh Singh and Sunil Singh, had been arrested in the case. While the police have claimed that Singh was killed over an ongoing land dispute, his family had accused the police of building a false narrative. COLUMBUS, Ohio - Gov. Mike DeWine is expected to discuss a variety of education topics during his coronavirus briefing, scheduled for Thursday afternoon. During his Tuesday briefing, DeWine said he hoped on Thursday to unveil a state system that would announce in real time new coronavirus cases of students and adults in Ohios schools. Ive tasked my team with coming up with a consistent state plan, he said. His spokesman didnt confirm whether the plan was going to be unveiled but said a handful of education topics would be discussed. Watch live, broadcast by the Ohio Channel, below at 2 p.m. Lt. Jon Husted will join the governor as the briefing. Other coverage: State officials advise people arriving in Ohio from 4 states to self-quarantine: travel advisory map Ohio coronavirus deaths exceed 4,000: Wednesday update 2.2% of Ohioans who have been tested by American Red Cross have coronavirus antibodies, far from herd immunity Irish novelist Eugene McCabe has died at the age of 90. Mr McCabe was an Irish novelist, short story writer, playwright and television screenwriter. He was in Glasgow in July 1930 to Irish parents but lived in Clones in his later years. His family returned to Clones in Monaghan in the early 1940s and he attended University College, Cork. In the early seventies, Mr McCabe wrote a trilogy of television plays on the differing traditions in Northern Ireland entitled 'Victims' and consisted of 'Cancer', 'Heritage' and 'Siege' and they were broadcasted on RTE. In 1992 he published his novel 'Death and Nightingales'. He received many awards for his work including the Irish Life Theatre Award in 1964 for 'King of the Castle', the Legum Doctorate from University of Prince Edward Island, Canada 1990 and the Butler Literary Award for Prose from Irish American Cultural Institute in 2002. Mr McCabe was a member of Aosdana. Joe Biden announced plans on Thursday to start traveling to swing states, promising not to violate "state rules about how many people can in fact assemble." Why it matters: Biden's announcement comes after Axios first reported that the campaign was considering how to travel in a way that honored local regulations while reaching voters in important states. As some polls suggest Biden's lead is narrowing, some Democrats worry that President Trump could gain a tactical advantage at crunch time if he's campaigning in person and Biden's only out there virtually. Still, many Biden advisers remain convinced that there's a strategic benefit to drawing a sharp contrast with President Trump when it comes to curbing travel and social distancing as well as a public health benefit. What he's saying: "We plan on, without jeopardizing or violating state rules about how many people can in fact assemble," Biden told a group of donors, according to reporters present. "One of the things we're thinking about is I'm going to be going up to Wisconsin, and Minnesota, spending time in Pennsylvania, out in Arizona." "But we're going to do it in a way that is totally consistent with being responsible, unlike what this guy's doing," Biden added, referring to Trump. "He's on the White House lawn tonight first of all violating the Hatch Act. Virtually throwing every major rule in the dustbin ... he's totally irresponsible." "I'm going to be traveling throughout the country where I can do it consistent with the state rules about how many people can be assembled." Biden continued: Im a tactile politician. I really miss being able to, you know, grab hands, shake hands, you cant do that now. But I can in fact appear beyond virtually, in person, in many of these places. Biden said his campaign would get out and meet people in communities and local businesses, not at "irresponsible rallies." Between the lines: Biden has been saying for months that he'd only travel if its medically safe, as he seeks to draw a contrast with Trump, who has addressed rallies during the pandemic and who has had live audiences for Republican National Convention events this week. But Biden campaign officials have long said they would reevaluate their travel posture around Labor Day and let the virus dictate whether and where its safe to fly. Biden likely will opt for some short trips but not like Trump. He also is likely to scrap any potential plans if doctors and scientists advise against them. Be smart: There isnt the same grassroots groundswell for Biden to travel to swing states as Trump finds in his own base. Many Democratic activists and lawmakers share Bidens view that its simply too dangerous to gather large crowds with case positivity still so high. Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal Debate at Wednesdays Santa Fe City Council meeting set off fireworks, leaving an ordinance that at one point seemed certain to pass on the backburner. Councilors decided to postpone a vote on a sizeable reorganization of city hall because the mayors office had violated city code by not including required documents in the meeting packet. Mayor Alan Webber introduced a plan in July to restructure city government, mainly by consolidating several divisions into three new departments: Community Development, Community Engagement, and Community Health and Safety. And despite some concerns from councilors about the process of implementing the plan, a majority of the eight-person council had voiced support for the reorganization in some fashion in the weeks leading up to the vote. But that apparent support was soon turned on its head as Councilor Michael Garcia started discussion by launching into a heated argument against approving the ordinance. He argued it did not include a fiscal impact report, which he said violated city code. Santa Fes city code does, in fact, require that all proposed ordinances include a fiscal impact report. Garcia said that, without the report, any approval of the reorganization would violate the rules, and he asked the council to suspend proceedings. This is an extremely dangerous precedent to set if we move forward with something that goes against our city code, he said. Webber said the citys overall budget approved earlier this month is the fiscal impact report, since the reorganization served as a model for how the budget was shaped. However, City Attorney Erin McSherry confirmed an actual fiscal impact report is mandatory. This is sloppy and this is not transparent, Councilor JoAnne Vigil Coppler said of the reorganization plan. Webber said he wished these concerns had been addressed at earlier committee meetings where councilors had approved the ordinance. While every councilor agreed to postpone the vote, the timeline for reviewing the proposal proved even more contentious. Most said it could wait two weeks, while Garcia, Vigil Coppler and Renee Villarreal said more time was needed to allow input from employees. Eventually, the vote to postpone for two weeks passed 6-3, with those originally advocating for the proposals delay saying the two-week timeline was unacceptable. This is another example of hogwash, Vigil Coppler said, visibly frustrated. Employee unions also voiced opposition to the reorganization. Adan Lopez, president of the International Fire Fighters Association Local 2059, said budget cuts have prevented workers in his department from assisting on multiple wildfires in the area and that this was the wrong time to reorganize. In the biggest-ever drugs bust in its history, the CCB said it had seized 204 kg of ganja worth Rs 1 crore that was being smuggled into Bengaluru from a remote part of coastal Andhra Pradesh. A team of the CCBs Anti Narcotics Wing (ANW) intercepted a tanker truck just when it was about to offload the contraband onto a car near Devanahalli, North Bengaluru, on Wednesday night. The banned substance was to be supplied to sub-peddlers in various parts of the city and other districts of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The CCB said it had arrested two main drug peddlers Qaisar Pasha alias Zakir, 41, of Mysuru, and Ismail Sharif, 38, of Gauribidanur, and Mysuru native Sameer, the truck driver. It was the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) that tipped the CCB about the drug smuggling around 15 days ago. A team consisting of ANW assistant commissioner of police Gautham, inspector Bollethin M S and others started tracking the suspects. Bengaluru Police Commissioner Kamal Pant said the gang had purchased the ganja through one Shiva Reddy in Tuni, a town in the East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh, and used a tanker truck to smuggle it into Bengaluru in order to avoid scrutiny at police checkpoints. The ganja was grown in a hilly region near Tuni. The bust reflects the ambitions of the drug mafia to cater to the rising demands of drug users not only in Bengaluru but also in other parts of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The seized ganja is enough to serve two lakh people. According to Pant, the drug peddlers have links with sub-peddlers in Mysuru, Ramanagar, Chikkamagaluru, Shivamogga, Chikkaballapur, Kolar and other districts. We will take the case to a logical conclusion. There will be more arrests, he said. A CCB officer whos part of the investigation said Pasha and Sharif placed orders with Reddy over the phone and made the payment online. Sameer was tasked with taking delivery and bringing it safely to Bengaluru. Sameer has been driving trucks for the past 10 years. He usually transports motor vehicles and other heavy material in his container truck from Odisha and Andhra Pradesh to Jharkhand. His container truck came in handy in smuggling the ganja. After reaching Devanahalli, he would take a right turn which leads to an almost-deserted stretch. Here, he would offload the ganja bags into a car. We have got in touch with Andhra Pradesh police about nabbing Shiva Reddy who lives in a hilly region near Tuni and buys the ganja from local farmers, the officer said. The gang was exclusively into ganja peddling. It would buy one kilo of ganja for about Rs 50,000 and sell it at a profit of Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000. It always purchased more than 100 kilos, the officer said. The ganja was mostly supplied to college-goers, IT professionals, businessmen and labourers through an organised network, a senior officer said. Role of drugs in riots? Pant said that a few people arrested for the August 11 riots in Pulakeshinagar were into drugs, and promised stringent action against them. BEIJING - China on Thursday accused the United States of violating international law by imposing sanctions on officials and companies involved in Beijings military buildup in the disputed South China Sea, but gave no indication of how it might retaliate. The sanctions add to conflict over control of the sea, one of the worlds busiest shipping lanes. The U.S. rejects Chinas claim to virtually the entire waterway, portions of which are also claimed by Vietnam, the Philippines and other governments. The relevant U.S. acts grossly interfere in Chinas internal affairs, violate international law and relevant international norms, which are totally out of hegemonic logic and power politics, foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said. The U.S. Commerce Department on Wednesday announced penalties against an unspecified number of Chinese officials and 24 companies for their role in building artificial islands to enforce Beijings territorial claims. The companies were added to an entity list that limits access to U.S. exports without government permission. China will take firm measures to resolutely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of its enterprises and individuals, Zhao said. Chinese officials frequently make such vows, although specific responses are rare. The Commerce Department said the companies were targeted for their role in building the artificial islands through dredging and other activities that cause environmental damage and infringe on other nations claims. The relevant construction China carried out on its own territory is entirely within the scope of sovereignty and has nothing to do with militarization, Zhao said. There is no reason for the U.S. side to impose illegal sanctions on Chinese enterprises and individuals because of their participation in relevant domestic construction. Tensions in the South China Sea have been building as the U.S. and others push back against Beijings moves to cement its control over the area. U.S.-China relations have declined to their lowest level in years amid disputes over trade, technology, Taiwan, Hong Kong and human rights. China is currently holding live-fire military exercises in both the South and East China Seas and a Hong Kong newspaper reported Thursday that the military test-fired two missiles into the South China Sea, including one seen as specifically designed to attack a U.S. aircraft carrier. The DF-26B and DF-21D missiles fired Wednesday targeted an area between the southern island province of Hainan and the Paracel Islands, the South China Morning Post reported, citing unidentified sources close to the Chinese military. The Ministry of Defence said the Peoples Liberation Army conducted military exercises in the area but gave no confirmation of missiles being fired or other details. Read more about: 11,100+ people from 60+ countries participated in the two-day, online-only auction HOUSTON, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - This week in Houston, TX, Ritchie Bros. sold more than 5,300 equipment items and trucks for US$57+ million, setting new site records for total gross transactional value for an August auction and total number of registered bidders. The August 25 26 Houston auction, which was conducted with online-bidding only, attracted 11,100+ registered bidders from more than 60 countries. U.S. buyers purchased approximately 90 percent of the equipment, including 40 percent purchased by Texas buyers, while international buyers from such countries as Argentina, France, and Saudi Arabia purchased 10 percent of the equipment. "We had a great two days down here in Houston, and were very fortunate that the approaching Hurricane Laura didn't affect our operation in any way," said Alan McVicker, Regional Sales Manager, Ritchie Bros. "We had a record turnout of online bidders and consignors were very happy with the enthusiastic bidder participation and results. We had a nice mix of construction gear, material handling equipment, cranes, oilfield-related assets and a huge number of trucks, so there was really something for everyone at this auction. And that, together with the volume of bidders, resulted in strong pricing across the board." Equipment highlights in the Houston auction included 380+ truck tractors, 425+ trailers, 150+ boom & scissor lifts, 140+ excavators, 45+ wheel loaders 45+ dozers, and more. All items were sold without minimum bids or reserve prices. AUCTION QUICK FACTS: HOUSTON, TX (August 2020) Total gross transactional value US$57+ million *new August auction site record US$57+ million *new August auction site record Total registered bidders 11,100+ *new site record 11,100+ *new site record Total lots sold 5,300+ 5,300+ Total number of sellers 680+ "Thank you to all our consignors for trusting us to deliver results for your assets," added Mr. McVicker. "For any companies looking to sell assets, we have solutions to meet every customer need, including onsite auctions, weekly online auctions, oil & gas specific events through Kruse Energy, and our Marketplace-E reserved solution." For a complete list of upcoming auctions and equipment available, visit rbauction.com and ironplanet.com. About Ritchie Bros.: Established in 1958, Ritchie Bros. (NYSE and TSX: RBA) is a global asset management and disposition company, offering customers end-to-end solutions for buying and selling used heavy equipment, trucks and other assets. Operating in a number of sectors, including construction, transportation, agriculture, energy, oil and gas, mining, and forestry, the company's selling channels include: Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers, the world's largest industrial auctioneer offers live auction events with online bidding; IronPlanet, an online marketplace with featured weekly auctions and providing the exclusive IronClad Assurance equipment condition certification; Marketplace-E, a controlled marketplace offering multiple price and timing options; Mascus, a leading European online equipment listing service; and Ritchie Bros. Private Treaty, offering privately negotiated sales. The company's suite of multichannel sales solutions also includes Ritchie Bros. Asset Solutions, a complete end-to-end asset management and disposition system. Ritchie Bros. also offers sector-specific solutions including GovPlanet, TruckPlanet, and Kruse Energy Auctioneers, plus equipment financing and leasing through Ritchie Bros. Financial Services. For more information about Ritchie Bros., visit RitchieBros.com. Photos and video for embedding in media stories are available at rbauction.com/media. SOURCE Ritchie Bros. Schoolchildren in sub-Saharan Africa are the worst affected, while those affiliated with the poorest households and rural areas in all parts of the world are 'at high risk of missing out' At least 463 million children around the world lack access to remote learning due to the coronavirus-related closure of schools, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said on Thursday. Noting in a tweet that around 1.5 billion schoolchildren were affected by school closures, the UN agency described the situation as a "global education emergency." The sheer number of children whose education was completely disrupted for months on end is a global education emergency. The repercussions could be felt in economies and societies for decades to come, said Henrietta Fore, UNICEFs executive director. After analysing information from 100 countries, UNICEF concluded that some children may not be able to learn remotely because of "competing factors at home" even when they have access to the necessary platforms. These factors include "pressure to do chores," "being forced to work," "a poor environment for learning," and "lack of support in using the online or broadcast curriculum." This is the case for children from pre-primary to upper-secondary school levels, the UN body warned. Schoolchildren in sub-Saharan Africa, UNICEF reported, are the worst affected, while those affiliated with the poorest households and rural areas in all parts of the world are "at high risk of missing out during closures." Globally, 72 per cent of schoolchildren unable to access remote learning live in their countries poorest households. In upper-middle-income countries, schoolchildren from the poorest households account for up to 86 percent of students unable to access remote learning, according to the report. UNICEF called on governments to prioritise the safe reopening of schools when they begin easing lockdown restrictions, along with urgent investment to facilitate digital access for children. When reopening is not possible, [we] urge governments to incorporate compensatory learning for lost instructional time into school continuity and reopening plans, said the agency, explaining that school opening policies and practices must include expanding access to education, including remote learning, especially for marginalised groups. The body also stressed that education systems must be capable of adapting to new changes or crises. Search Keywords: Short link: Niall O'Connor is in his office at Aldi's Irish headquarters in a newly locked-down Co Kildare. But he might as well be orbiting the earth, at least when it comes to making contact via Zoom. At first, there's just audio, and then like some sort of tense sci-fi flick where ground control is trying to guide home a crippled spacecraft, the video feed suddenly fills the screen. Indeed, for weeks of the nation's lockdown, this and the head office of other grocery retailers around the country played a key role in navigating intense consumer demand as first fear and panic, and then cabin fever fuelled a shopping surge. For many of us, the day the schools closed on March 12, precipitating what would be a full-scale lockdown, is one that will remain forever etched in our collective memory. O'Connor (50), was en route to visit a new Aldi store at the seaside village of Laytown in Co Meath. "As I was travelling, I got a phone call. It was mid-morning and I was about 10 minutes away from the Laytown store," he recalls. It was from a member of Aldi's risk and crisis team, which O'Connor says had been meeting daily from January as it became evident the Covid-19 virus was spreading. "The schools are closing," said the voice on the other end of the phone. O'Connor wasn't fazed. "We had been planning for a long time," says the Cork native, who has worked with Aldi for 20 years and promoted to group managing director for Ireland in late 2019. "The plan was being put in place and rather than it being frenetic and chaotic, it was a time for calmness, reassurance and comfort in the knowledge that, look, we didn't suddenly wake up and fall into this thing. We'd been working on it." But even though there may have been an efficient calm behind the scenes, grocery stores around the country became frontlines as shoppers laid siege. Toilet paper, handwash and sanitiser became just some of the must-have items. "I arrived in Laytown, met the team and within 20 minutes the car park was wedged. As I left the store, there were cars abandoned in the street beside the store for as far as the eye could see," says O'Connor. It was a scene replicated throughout the country as shelves were stripped bare. According to research group Kantar, Irish consumers spent an additional 629m on groceries in the 12 weeks to June 14 compared to the corresponding period last year. "Everyone will remember that day, where it just went mental," says O'Connor. Even so, Aldi's top-selling products in the three weeks after lockdown started were relatively mundane - milk was number one, followed by butter, carrots and bananas. Toilet paper didn't even feature in the top 20. Go figure. Still, for shoppers it was - for a while at least - end of days. For retailers, it presented challenges from keeping staff safe to keeping stores stocked. The chain employs more than 4,000 people here. "What people didn't realise is that we were talking about it for a long time, we were in touch with our suppliers, we had a plan in place to sustain availability of all those key lines," explains O'Connor. "So long as people behaved rationally, we knew we could deliver that." Irrationality, however, persisted for a while. But now those early lockdown days and weeks seem like a distant memory. And life goes on. Differently, but goes on nonetheless. With 20 years under his belt at Aldi, O'Connor was managing director of the chain's Mitchelstown region, which covers Munster and Connaught, before ascending to his current role. Prior to that, he was group buying director for Ireland, a position he took on in 2010. It's a very different road to the one he could have travelled. O'Connor left Cork in 1989 to study applied chemistry at the University of Greenwich in London, graduating in 1993. "I wouldn't say I'd any particular love of being a chemist, but it was a science degree and a good degree," he says. "I loved science and I loved maths. As part of that course, you got to spend a year in industry. Many headed up to the north of England to some pretty bleak places to work in pharmaceutical and industrial chemistry labs. I didn't." Instead, he caught the retail bug. O'Connor worked with Marks & Spencer at its head office and at the end of his placement year, he stayed on working as a department manager in its flagship Marble Arch store in London, doing late nights and weekends, helping to finance college. He was the youngest M&S manager at the time - a record it's difficult to imagine has yet been broken. "I was about 20," he recalls. "In the evenings, I was directly responsible for the second floor at Marble Arch, which was all of ladieswear, for my joys. On Saturdays, I was responsible for the food hall, but as it happened, I was the overarching manager of the store but with specific responsibilities." He also studied law for a year, but realised he was a "bit straight to be a lawyer". "If I didn't believe in something, I wasn't in a position to defend it." M&S wanted him back and he joined as a graduate trainee, becoming a buyer and staying until the end of 1996. He moved back to Ireland then, joining what was then still the family-owned Avoca group as group retail manager (it's now owned by US catering giant Aramark). "I opened a newspaper in April 2000, and there were a couple of ads that took my fancy," he says. "One of them was for a German crowd that were offering all kinds of challenges. I was 30 at the time and thinking do I want to stay in Avoca forever or have a go at something a bit bigger?" He was hooked, and in the past 20 years since the German discounters made their first foray to Irish shores, they have evolved significantly. That's in everything from store formats, operations to product offering. When O'Connor joined Aldi, it had a range of about 650 products in Ireland. It now carries 1,800. That's still much fewer than rivals do, but both Aldi and Lidl have gone big on pitching Irish products, and given many of those goods a geographic shop window that they could never have dreamed of. Behind O'Connor's desk is a table bulging with goods made by Irish producers that have been lucky enough to secure listings with Aldi. Among them are freeze-blasted pizzas that have been cooked in a wood-fired oven in Co Cork; Kombucha made by the Kildare Brewing Company as it performed a pivot when the pubs closed; and Walls Honest Chips from Cork, with the maker having secured recently a 1m annual contract with Aldi. This year, the supermarket chain will spend about 850m with Irish suppliers. The volume of goods bought from them has jumped 24pc during the crisis. For small Irish producers in particular that have been feeling the pandemic's economic strain, supermarket chains that have continued to embrace locally-made goods could provide an essential lifeline. Also, a change in consumer shopping behaviour - which in the last recession saw a shift towards Aldi and rival Lidl as people tried to make their money stretch further - could well be further embedded as a result of the current crisis, putting those products in front of more shoppers. Kantar data from 2012 gives a glimpse of how consumers responded during the depths of the last downturn. Both Aldi and Lidl performed ahead of the market then. In the 12 weeks to October 28 that year - which included the key back-to-school period - Aldi's share of the then roughly 9bn grocery market soared 30pc year-on-year to 6.5pc. At that stage, it was its highest ever share. Latest Kantar figures - published last week - show that Aldi had a 12.6pc share of a bigger market in the 12 weeks to October, while Lidl had 12.8pc. Musgrave-controlled SuperValu has a 22.3pc share - the biggest slice. The figures are based on the value of sales, rather than volume, where both Aldi and Lidl would almost certainly exceed rivals. Still, it means that Aldi's Irish arm - which like Dunnes, Tesco and Lidl doesn't disclose revenue or profit figures here- likely has annual turnover in the region of almost 1.8bn. That's based on Supervalu's figures, with Musgrave disclosing that chain had 3bn in revenue last year when it held about a 21.7pc market share. "What we've seen in the last few months, for sure, is that there has been a change in consumer behaviour," he says. But he concedes that there has been a shift - short-term, he insists - towards branded products as people faced with continuing restrictions indulged themselves a little more. "There's been a change to convenience. Consumers have spent more. Sales of branded goods have increased and all of our competitors' growth has come from the growth in brands," he says. During the lockdown, savings ballooned, possibly prompting shoppers to splash out a little on more convenient, and expensive foods, while restaurants, pubs and other outlets remained closed. But O'Connor says Aldi is starting to see consumers move away again from spending more on brands. "During lockdown, the only social distraction was actually going to shop for your groceries," he says, adding that it's no surprise that healthier bank balances probably spurred people to spend more. "Things are changing. Things probably aren't going to be as rosy as they would have been towards the end of last year. That is going to provide people with a significant challenge," O'Connor thinks. "From an Aldi point of view, it's almost like 2008, where it's coming into our time again. There's an opportunity for us again to deliver our message to the consumer over coming months." He points out that the after-effects of Brexit are also looming on the horizon, having been understandably in the shadows for people in the past few months. The UK - which has already left the EU - could hit the end of 2020 without a trade deal as its transition period expires. "The ESRI (the Economic and Social Research Institute) have told us that an average family will be spending an extra 1,350 on their groceries." The ESRI made its latest prediction on the annual increase in grocery costs per family last November, warning that the hikes would probably hit poorer families harder. "If that is the case, I can see that there will be a further change in habits," says O'Connor. "The slight change that took place during Covid towards the brands, I think will correct and go in the opposite direction. We stand in a great position to bring more value to the Irish consumer at a time when they're going to be hard-pressed." Aldi recently opened a new outlet in Belmullet, Co Mayo, bringing its tally in Ireland to 143. There's a solid pipeline of new outlets around the country, and O'Connor points out that the chain has spent 1.4bn on building and fitting out stores here and its expansion plans are "unwavering". Four more outlets will open here within the next six months. However, planning objections to its stores by rivals - both Aldi and Lidl have previously claimed that about 80pc of their store developments are objected to by either SuperValu or Tesco, or both - contribute to a slower store roll-out here than might otherwise be possible. "It's a delaying tactic, I would say," O'Connor claims. He laughs that his wife is a town planner, which leads to debates at home about why the planning process can be so slow. In the UK, he says the lead time for opening a store is generally about half what it is in Ireland. "It is frustrating," he says of the rivals' objections, adding that Aldi engages extensively with planning and local authorities before any application for a new store is even made. "The frustrating part of it is when we have the observations put forward by the competitor set, the planning means that they do require to be investigated and that takes time. Our competitors know that," he says. Still, the plan is to open six or seven stores a year for the foreseeable future. "We need to remember our roots, which are from a time in Germany just after the war when people were desperate," says O'Connor. "It wasn't a wealthy economy." The Albrecht brothers - Karl and Theo - reputedly inherited their first shop, in Essen, from their mother. A later disagreement over the sale of cigarettes prompted a split of the chain. "Their philosophy was a limited range, really have quality and get it to the people," he adds, pointing out that simplicity of range remains a key principle and one where Irish suppliers are playing a key role. "Ireland is famous for great food, great land and great product. We needed to tap into that." WORCESTER, Mass., Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (NYSE: THG) today announced John C. Roche, president and chief executive officer, and Jeffrey M. Farber, executive vice president and chief financial officer, will participate virtually in a fireside chat at the Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Insurance Conference on Thursday, September 10 from 10:30 to 11:10 a.m. E.T. The discussion will be broadcast live through the company's website on hanover.com, under "Investors." A replay of the event will be available on The Hanover website for 90 days, starting approximately one hour after the conclusion of the presentation. Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements made during this discussion may constitute forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by these forward-looking statements as a result of various internal and external factors, including those discussed in the Company's most recent annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly report on Form 10-Q and other documents on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission and which are also available on hanover.com under "Investors." About The Hanover The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. is the holding company for several property and casualty insurance companies, which together constitute one of the largest insurance businesses in the United States. The company provides exceptional insurance solutions through a select group of independent agents and brokers. Together with its agent partners, The Hanover offers standard and specialized insurance protection for small and mid-sized businesses, as well as for homes, automobiles, and other personal items. For more information, please visit hanover.com. SOURCE The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. Related Links www.hanover.com By BERNARD CONDON The U.S. Justice Department on Wednesday sent letters to the governors of New York and three other Democratic-led states, seeking data on whether they violated federal law by ordering public nursing homes to accept recovering COVID-19 patients from hospitals actions that have been criticized for potentially fueling the spread of the virus. Prosecutors said the fact-finding letters also sent to New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Michigan were aimed at determining whether the orders "may have resulted in the deaths of thousands of elderly nursing home residents." "We must ensure they are adequately cared for with dignity and respect and not unnecessarily put at risk," Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Division Eric Dreiband said. Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf said his office was reviewing the request. Spokespeople for New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said the fact that all the states are led by Democrats and the timing of the move in the midst of the Republican National Convention spoke volumes about the political nature of the inquiry. "Americans would all be better served if the Trump administration stopped the partisan games and focused on delivering a real plan to defeat COVID-19," said Whitmer spokesperson Tiffany Brown. Eric Dreiband testifies before a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Sept. 6, 2017, on Capitol Hill in Washington regarding his nomination to be Assistant Attorney General, Civil Rights Division. The Justice Department is seeking data about "orders which may have resulted in the deaths of thousands of elderly nursing home residents," sending letters Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2020, to the governors of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Michigan. Dreiband said that the federal government must ensure vulnerable nursing home patients "are adequately cared for with dignity and respect and not unnecessarily put at risk."AP File Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta The governors' actions at the height of the pandemic were designed to ensure hospitals had enough bed space for the most serious COVID cases, but were almost immediately criticized by nursing homes and relatives for potentially putting frail, elderly care home residents at risk. The New York order issued March 25, for example, specifically told homes they could not refuse to accept recovering COVID-19 patients from hospitals as long as the patients were "medically stable." The order barred homes from even testing such patients to see if they still had the virus. Some homes said they feared they would lose their licenses if they didn't comply. Cuomo, who said the state was following guidelines from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, reversed the order under pressure May 10, long after New York's death toll in care homes had climbed to among the nation's highest. Long-term care facilities represent less than 1% of the U.S. population, but they account for 42% of the COVID-19 deaths, with more than 70,000 fatalities reported by the COVID Tracking Project. In its statement announcing its request for data, the Justice Department said that hospital patients were sent "often without adequate testing" to ensure they would not spread the virus to residents. It also cited federal data showing New York, with nearly 32,600 dead, leads the nation in COVID-19 deaths, and is second only to New Jersey in the number of deaths per population. The Justice Department's civil rights division said it is evaluating whether to initiate investigations under a federal law called the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act that protects the rights of people in nursing homes and other facilities. The law applies only to nursing homes owned or run by the states. Most nursing homes are privately owned. The news was welcomed by Republican lawmakers, including U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana, who is pursuing a congressional inquiry into Cuomo's handling of nursing homes. Scalise called Wednesday's announcement "the right step toward holding Gov. Cuomo and other Democratic governors accountable for issuing deadly 'must admit' orders at nursing homes." "These orders resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of nursing home patients," he said. "Our nation's seniors and their loved ones deserve better." The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine, known as AMDA, warned at the time that Cuomo's March 25 order posed a "clear and present danger." Our concern was we were making decisions in a very hasty way when the hospitals were overcapacity, Alex Bardakh, the groups director of public policy and advocacy, said Wednesday. Decisions were being made so quickly that they werent considering ramifications. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to lehighvalleylive.com. HELSINKI, Finland, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Dispelix, the technology leader in see-through augmented reality (AR) displays, is pleased to announce the hiring of Josh Littlefield to strengthen the team in the United States and lead sales efforts in North America. Littlefield brings over 20 years of sales experience to Dispelix and has a strong background in the AR/VR industry, including most recently at Magic Leap where he served as Senior Director, Defense & Enterprise Alliances. Prior to that, Littlefield served as Chief Revenue Officer at the VR company LUCI and as Director of Sales at pioneering AR company Daqri. "Dispelix's diffractive single-layer waveguide technology is a key enabler for all-day wearable AR devices due to its low weight and high-transparency components, and I'm looking forward to leading the sales effort of this innovative product," says Littlefield. "We are thrilled to have Littlefield on board," says Jussi Rahomaki, President at Dispelix USA. "He is an outstanding addition to the team and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience." The appointment of Littlefield supports Dispelix's strategy. Though headquartered in Espoo, Finland, in 2019, the company announced the creation of a US-based subsidiary, Dispelix USA Inc, in San Mateo, CA. "North America is an increasingly important target market for us," says Antti Sunnari, CEO at Dispelix. "We further plan to expand our local operations in the United States to actively reach and support customers and partners across North America." Further information for the press Jussi Rahomaki President, Dispelix USA, Inc. [email protected] This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com https://news.cision.com/dispelix-oy/r/dispelix-welcomes-josh-littlefield-as-executive-vice-president-of-sales,c3182295 The following files are available for download: https://news.cision.com/dispelix-oy/i/josh-littlefield-joins-dispelix,c2817879 Josh Littlefield joins Dispelix https://news.cision.com/dispelix-oy/i/josh-littlefield-headshot,c2817880 Josh Littlefield Headshot SOURCE Dispelix Oy In a bizarre turn of events, the CBI has ordered a special psychological autopsy to carry out the Supreme Court-mandated inquiry into the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput. Thousands of the actors fans were doused into mourning in June after the actor was found hanging in his apartment in Bandra, Mumbai. While Mumbai Police termed it a suicide, the case soon turned into a political battle with Bihar police pushing for further probe into the 32-year-olds death after his family accused several persons including alleged former girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty of defrauding him and abetting in his suicide. Following a face-off between Maharashtra and Bihar police in a case that has turned into an electoral issue ahead of Bihar state elections, the SC has now mandated a CBI probe into the issue. What is a psychological autopsy? The process of psychological autopsy was first developed by the director of LA Suicide Prevention Center Edwin Schneidman, who came up with the method to find out the exact intent of the deceased at the time of death in order to analyse and reduce risk factors to prevent suicide. In cases of death by suicide, a psychological autopsy can be conducted to reconstruct the deceaseds circumstances and mental state in the days preceding the death. This is done by carrying out intensive interviews with those who were close to or even acquainted with the deceased including family, friends, health care providers, colleagues etc. It also involves in-depth analysis of the deceased public and private records including phone, message and WhatsApp history and his medical records and prescriptions among other documents. When is a psychological autopsy conducted? Psychological autopsy is usually employed as a method of investigating cases of death by suicide were the cause of death in uncertain. The analysis reveals the mental make up of the deceased vis-a-vis the risk factors that may lead one to suicide. By assessing these factors along with the deceaseds personal records and entries including journal diaries, social media posts, etc along with his medical reports and notes from known associates, medical examiners and investigators try to arrive at how likely a candidate for suicide the deceased was. Has psychological autopsy ever been used before in India? As it turns out, yes. Twice. Psychological autopsy was first used as a method of investigation following the death of Congress MP Shashi Tharoors wife Sunanda Pushkar, who was found dead in Delhis Leela Palace Hotel on January 17 2014. The investigation at the time was being carried out by Delhi Polices Special Investigation Team who had extensively questioned Pushkar and Tharoors families and friends. The second time it was used was in more recent 2018 Burari mass suicide case. In this bizarre incident, a family of eleven had been found hanging inside their homes in Burari. The psychological autopsy helped the CBI confirm the mass suicide the result of an accident that occurred during a ritual and that none of the deceased had actually planned on taking their lives, Zee News reported. Why a psychological autopsy in SSRs death? In India, a psychological autopsy is usually used in the rarest and high-profile cases. And Rajputs suicide has turned out to be the most high-profile death of the year. The case instantly launched a discussion about mental health and depression with many claiming it to be the cause of the actors death. While Mumbai Police initially called Sushant Singh Rajputs death as suicide, his familys allegations against Rhea Chakraborty and others for harassing Rajput and defrauding him of money caused a shock reaction as lakhs of his fans demanded a probe into his death. The matter was raised by actors such as Kangana Ranaut who initially blamed nepotism in the film industry for the actors death. The matter went to court after Rajputs familys allegations against Chakraborty, who has already been questioned twice by the Enforcement Directorate in regard to the case. The CBI is yet to question her. While the death has caused immense upheaval in public sentiment with fans launching several petitions seeking justice for Sushant, the case has also become an electoral issue with Bihars politicians including CM Nitish Kumar throwing their weight behind the Justice for Sushant slogan as a poll plank. Is psychological autopsy legal? While a psychological autopsy can help investigators form a composite picture of the deceaseds mind before the fatat moment, the autopsy report is itself not primary evidence. It has no legal validity in itself. Investigators can only use it as supportive evidence to build their case. And then it was over. At 10 oclock, with an unsigned and barely rationalized opinion issued over four signed dissents, the court barred all further counting. The justices had left the building. All the public saw that night were television correspondents, bundled against the wind on the courts plaza, frantically turning pages to try to figure out what to tell their audience. Could something like that happen again? Two weeks ago, Slate asked 10 election-law and constitutional experts to describe the scenario that keeps them up at night. Most of what they described couldnt plausibly involve the Supreme Court or could it? For example, Prof. Bruce Ackerman of Yale Law School conjured a meltdown in which the election is thrown into Congress and Vice President Mike Pence, as president of the Senate, and Nancy Pelosi, as speaker of the House, cant agree on how to proceed and there is violence in the streets as Inauguration Day dawns without an agreed-upon president. The Presidential Succession Act would seem to make Speaker Pelosi the president under such circumstances. Would the Supreme Court feel moved to so declare? Or suppose, as Daniel Carpenter of the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard suggests in the Slate article, that Republican-led legislatures in potentially decisive states embrace the presidents claim of fraud and refuse to certify a clear Biden victory. Some of these states have Democratic governors or secretaries of state. What happens if each tries to block the others slate of electors? The most fully developed dystopian forecast is a recently published book by Lawrence Douglas, a professor at Amherst College. Titled Will He Go? Trump and the Looming Election Meltdown in 2020, the book is most frightening not for its authors fertile imagination about what could possibly happen but rather for its account of how few actual safeguards stand between order and chaos. Nothing compelled Gore to concede, Professor Douglas writes of the losing candidates rapid acquiescence to the Supreme Courts decision. Gores action reminds us of an essential truth: Our Constitution does not secure the peaceful transition of power, but rather presupposes it. And statutory law isnt much more helpful than the Constitution, Professor Douglas points out. For example, the Electoral Count Act of 1887, which Congress enacted to avoid another crisis like the Hayes-Tilden debacle of 1876, fails to specify what would actually happen if an election was thrown into Congress amid a dispute over which electors represent a states vote. Stacker pored through presidential historical societies and libraries, Whitehouse.gov, and the Library of Congress to create a list of where every U.S. president went to collegeif they did at all Dublin, Aug. 27, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Aquaponics Market - Forecast (2020 - 2025)" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. Association of organic commodities consumption with wellness is taking the consumer products arcade towards epidemic innovations. As per the U.S Department of Agriculture, organic food sales have increased by 20% annually, and has surpassed the $10 billion mark in 2003, up from merely $3 billion in 1997. Owing to such trends, the global aquaponics market size is valued at $580 million - $630 million as of 2020, as per the findings of this business intelligence report. The report forecasts the demand to grow at CAGR of 14.5% -15.5% going through to 2025. Aquaponics basically combines orthodox aquaculture with hydroponics (cultivating plants in water) in a symbiotic environment. In this organic setting excretions from the aquatic-animals (snails, fish, crayfish or prawns) are procured by hydroponic system which acts like a settling basin, the by-products breaks down as nitrites and nitrates and are utilized by the plants as nutrients. The whole process in return filters the water for aquaculture, hence it is beneficial for plants and organisms in the process as well. As per an acute analysis of the aquaponics market regional aspects, growing uptake has propelled the North America region to hold a major 42.0%- 45.0% of the global aquaponics market size under its own territory as of 2020. Aquaponics requires minimal aquatic space for farming herbs, fruits, vegetables, which contributes highly towards market growth. Since the produce is free of pesticides and herbicides, fruits and vegetables produce type leads the segment and is progressing with a CAGR of 14.5% - 15.5% during the forecast period of 2020 to 2025. Global Aquaponics Market Growth Drivers: Aquaponics utilizes least aquatic space for husbandry of vegetables, which contributes highly towards its market traffic. This is an imperative facet for aquaponics salability as arable lands are shrinking owing to rapid urbanization and industrialization. According to Nelson and Pade, a USA based company, aquaponics produces eight times more food per acre in 1/6th of the space required by traditional agriculture Such economic and ecological aspects are forecast to stroke the market with abundant demand. Organic produce acquired from aquaponics culture is free from any pesticides or fertilizers. The World Bank's Fertilizer Price Index observed a rise of 9% in 2020 and is expected to rise 2% in 2020. Fish waste acts as natural fertilizers for the vegetables that grow inside the water solvent thus curbing fertilizers expense. This whole process refrains from the employment of any expensive farm equipment, agricultural machinery and fertilizers. These characteristics make aquaponics market highly profitable owing to the economic efficiency and environment sustainability that it offers. Global Aquaponics Market Challenges: Sustainable Agricultural practices like hydroponics, vertical farming, and organic arable farming are witnessing growth from the past few years with the increased adoption of sustainable practices. This could be a challenge that could hinder the growth of the Aquaponics market. But tracing the investments (The World Bank Group is a leading financier of agriculture, with US$ 6.8 billion in new IBRD/IDA commitments in 2020) made globally into agricultural domains to feed billion of individuals, this ecological and organic arcade displays all the operational caliber to divert a huge chunk of investments into its revenue pockets defeating its competitors. Global Aquaponics Market Players Perspective: Some of the top market players profiled in the publisher's global aquaponics market report are The Aquaponic Source, Nutraponics Canada Corporation, Nelson and Pade, Inc., My Aquaponics, Greenlife Aquaponics, ECF Farmsystems GMBH, Aquaponic Lynx LLC, Aqua Allotments and Backyard Aquaponics. Nelson and Pade, one of most trusted entity and pioneer in the field of aquanomics, provides aquaponic systems, aquaponic systems part, water quality kits and monitoring systems. Apart from a range of products it also offers classes, seminars and aquaponics greenhouse tours. Such educational practices acts as a free marketing tool for the aquaponics market and divert potential traffic towards being market participants. Global Aquaponics Market Trends: The Aquaponics Source concentrates in the development of aquaponics culture. They farm floras, and faunas in a recirculating ecosystem' that promotes perpetual aquatic symbiosis with maximum profits and returns. In 2016, the company relocated from Longmont to Boulder in Colorado to exploit its production and distribution operational facilities. 98% of their revenue generates from E-commerce websites, implying the aquaponics market to be directly proportional to the blooming urban population. The Company has made a name for itself in the aquaponics market by also offering education in the similar domain to the general public. One of their most popular school systems is the 60 Gallon Mobile Aquaponics System which has settings to display on wheels for mobility, making public demonstrations easier. Aquaponics Market Research Scope The base year of the study is 2020, with forecast done up to 2025. The study presents a thorough analysis of the competitive landscape, taking into account the market shares of the leading companies. It also provides information on unit shipments. These provide the key market participants with the necessary business intelligence and help them understand the future of the aquaponics market. The assessment includes the forecast, an overview of the competitive structure, the market shares of the competitors, as well as the market trends, market demands, market drivers, market challenges, and product analysis. The market drivers and restraints have been assessed to fathom their impact over the forecast period. This report further identifies the key opportunities for growth while also detailing the key challenges and possible threats. The key areas of focus include the types of equipment in the Aquaponics Market, and their specific applications in different phases of industrial operations. Key Topics Covered: 1. Aquaponics Market - Overview 1.1. Definitions and Scope 2. Aquaponics Market - Executive summary 2.1. Market Revenue, Market Size and Key Trends by Company 2.2. Key Trends by type of Application 2.3. Key Trends segmented by Geography 3. Aquaponics Market 3.1. Comparative analysis 3.1.1. Product Benchmarking - Top 10 companies 3.1.2. Top 5 Financials Analysis 3.1.3. Market Value split by Top 10 companies 3.1.4. Patent Analysis - Top 10 companies 3.1.5. Pricing Analysis 4. Aquaponics Market Forces 4.1. Drivers 4.2. Constraints 4.3. Challenges 4.4. Porters five force model 4.4.1. Bargaining power of suppliers 4.4.2. Bargaining powers of customers 4.4.3. Threat of new entrants 4.4.4. Rivalry among existing players 4.4.5. Threat of substitutes 5. Aquaponics Market -Strategic analysis 5.1. Value chain analysis 5.2. Opportunities analysis 5.3. Product life cycle 6. Aquaponics Market- By Aquaponics Method (Market Size -$Million / $Billion) 6.1. Market Size and Market Share Analysis 6.2. Product Revenue and Research Trends 6.3. Product Segment Analysis 6.3.1. Raft (deep water culture) 6.3.2. Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) 6.3.3. Media filled beds 6.3.4. Drip irrigation 6.3.5. Ebb and Flow System 7. Aquaponics Market- By Components (Market Size -$Million / $Billion) 7.1. Fish tanks 7.2. Soil-free plant bed 7.3. Clarifiers 7.4. Filter tanks 7.5. Degassing tanks 7.6. Troughs 7.7. Sump 7.8. Base additions tank 7.7. Settling basins 7.10. Bio filters 7.11. Tubes 7.12. Pumps 7.13. Hydroponics sub systems 7.14. Others 8. Aquaponics Market - By Cultivation (Market Size -$Million / $Billion) 8.1. Fishes 8.2. Herbs 8.3. Fruits and vegetable plants 9. Aquaponics Market- By Equipment (Market Size -$Million / $Billion) 9.1. Water Heaters 9.2. Pumps and Valves 9.3. Monitoring and Alarms 9.4. Water Quality Testing 9.5. Fish Purge Systems 9.6. Complete Systems 9.7. Growing Accessories 9.8. Growing Media 9.9. Nutrients and Supplements 9.10. Pest Control 9.9. Plant Support 9.12. Pots and Containers 9.13. Stands and Trays 9.14. Aeration Systems 9.15. Others 10. Aquaponics Market - By Application (Market Size -$Million / $Billion) 10.1. Commercial 10.2. Community 10.3. Home production 10.4. Research centers 10.5. Agriculture & Farming 10.6. Others 11. Aquaponics Market- By Geography (Market Size -$Million / $Billion) 11.1. Aquaponics Market - North America Segment Research 11.2. North America Market Research (Million / $Billion) 11.3. Aquaponics Market- South America Segment Research 11.4. South America Market Research (Market Size -$Million / $Billion) 11.5. Aquaponics Market- Europe Segment Research 11.6. Europe Market Research (Market Size -$Million / $Billion) 11.7. Aquaponics Market- APAC Segment Research 11.8. APAC Market Research (Market Size -$Million / $Billion) 11.9. Aquaponics Market- Middle East Segment and Africa Segment Research 11.10. Middle East & Africa Market Research (Market Size -$Million / $Billion) 12. Aquaponics Market - Entropy 12.1. New product launches 12.2. M&A's, collaborations, JVs and partnerships 13. Aquaponics Market Company Analysis 13.1. Market Share, Company Revenue, Products, M&A, Developments 13.2. Nelson and Pade Inc. 13.3. Pentair Aquatic Eco-Systems Inc. 13.4. ECF Farmsystems GmbH 13.5. AquaCal AutoPilot Inc. 13.6. Japan Aquaponics 13.7. Green Life Aquaponics 13.8. Backyard Aquaponics Pty Ltd 13.9. Lucky Clays Fresh 13.10. Aponic Ltd 13.11. LivinGreen 13.12. MyAquaponics 13.13. The aquaponik manufaktur GmbH 13.14. NutraPonics Canada Corporation 14. Aquaponics Market -Appendix 14.1. Abbreviations 14.2. Sources For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/sgy4er Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research. Just under 20 residents gathered outside the post office in downtown Flagstaff Tuesday, taking part in a national rally in support of the agency. Holding signs, speakers encouraged attendees and passersby to contact representatives asking that Congress approve $25 billion of additional funding for the U.S. Postal Service as it struggles during the pandemic. The shortage in funding has led to the slowing of operations in some areas of the country, including the removal of post boxes in Oregon and Montana and the possible elimination of some mail sorting machines. And that has some worried, especially as voters may be more reliant on mail-in voting during the upcoming election. Denise Hudson, who worked out of the Flagstaff Post Office where she carried mail for 30 years before she retired in 2007, was one of those attending the rally. Hudson said she has real concerns that the reductions caused by the funding shortage could impact the election. Now Im afraid for this essential service, Hudson said. You know, I hear from people who still work [with USPS] that they arent staffing, they arent filling positions when people retire. It just doesnt bode well for a smooth operation and we sure need it now more than ever. Hudson said with her experience working for the post office, she understands just how complex and difficult the job is and how important it is for the agency to have the funding it needs to get the job done. Still, USPS spokesperson Rod Spurgeon said he is confident the Postal Service will be more than able to accommodate all the mail sent through the election season in Arizona. Spurgeon said they always expect to see significantly more mail being sent during holiday seasons and major elections, and they wont have any issues getting that mail where it needs to be. The agency is also in contact with election officials across the state, Spurgeon said. He added they have not removed any postal boxes in Arizona, nor are there plans to reduce the number of mail sorting machines as of now. Coconino County Recorder Patty Hansen said that is also the message she has received from the Postal Service. But Hansen said she is still suggesting that voters send in mail ballots earlier than they might have otherwise to ensure the agency has the time it needs to get all that mail delivered. Just in case, Hansen said Coconino County will be adding nine more early-ballot drop boxes around the county to ensure voters can get their ballots turned in without needing to send them through the mail. Hansen said her office has received many messages from county voters concerned they will not be able to get their ballots in because of disruptions in mail service. There is a lot of concern in the community and were definitely encouraging people to vote earlier, Hansen said. As the pandemic remains a concern, voting early is the safest thing for the voters and for our poll workers, Hansen said. And early voting is something more residents seem to be utilizing. During the August primary election, 86% of votes cast were early ballots, either sent in the mail or dropped off at a ballot box, Hansen said. The number of voters taking advantage of mail-in ballots has been steadily rising through the years, she added. But even so, the number of voters using mail-in ballots was significantly higher in August than during the 2016 primary election when the number was 71%. While Spurgeon said the post office will not have decreased service during this November election, he still left open the possibility the agency may reduce the number of mail sorting machines in the future. The Postal Service has seen a steady reduction in letter mail over the years, Spurgeon said. At the same time, the number of packages they are processing has increased drastically as a growing number of people shop online. Currently, there are two letter sorting facilities in Arizona, one in Phoenix and a second in Tucson, through which all mail in Arizona is routed. An additional facility in West Valley is devoted to sorting parcels. Love 6 Funny 15 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. An officer from the Conway Police Department, Arkansas, who was handling the theft case of a bicycle stolen from a young boy decided to right the wrong in the best way possible. Not settling for anything less, the big-hearted Detective Tim Gray showed up at Bryan Jeffreys home at his 7th-birthday party with a very special present: a brand-new bicycle, helmet, and bike lock. The birthday boys teary eyes went wide at the amazing gift. I wasnt expecting this, Bryan told local newspaper Log Cabin Democrat. I was very surprised. Bryans mother, Carmen Jeffrey, said: I am definitely in awe with law enforcement and the police department, especially detective Gray. Detective Tim Gray (L) and 7-year-old Bryan Jeffrey. (Courtesy of Conway Police Department) Young Bryan was gifted the bike by his family as a Christmas present. However, on July 14, 2020, while he was shopping at Wal-Mart with his sister, his treasured bicycle was stolen outside the store, the local news outlet reported. Bryans family reported the theft to the police. After the police released the footage of the theft, the suspect returned Bryans bike to the same spot outside the store. However, Gray and his team werent able to track down the suspect despite surveillance footage. When I initially received this case, I noticed that his birthday was on the 23rd, the detective told the Log Cabin Democrat. I thought, Thats awful for a 6-year-old to lose his bicycle right before his birthday. The officer and his team didnt let the boy be crushed by the theft. After residents heard about the theft, many good Samaritans came forward to help the little boy. Local citizen Carla Evans heard about Bryans story and then found and purchased a bike almost identical to the one that had been stolen. I thought back to my son at that age and it just broke my heart, Evans told the outlet. I just wanted to help him smile again. Other community members stepped up to help make Bryans Batman-themed birthday special, including the bike shop The Ride, which safety-tested the new bike for free. A drive-through parade was arranged that allowed friends of the family and police officers to wish Bryan a happy birthday from a safe distance. Bryans mom praised all those in the Conway community who came together to make the birthday extra special. Writing on the Conway PDs Facebook post, the mother said: Detective Gray, I really applaud every step you took and considered my son for a whole day. You played with him, laughed, cried (as you say the wind blew in your eyes), and ate with him. I really thank you all, no words can explain the way you all made my son face light up, she wrote. In response, the police department let her know that their kind gesture wasnt just a one-off. We were honored to meet him and be a part of his special day, the department responded. He always has a friend in CPD. We would love to hear your stories! You can share them with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.nyc 'As far as people like Kamala Harris are concerned, it's okay to share a culture, but wrong to play domestic Indian politics during American elections,' notes Vir Sanghvi. Photograph: Carlo Allegri/Reuters Some months ago, when she was still running for the Democratic nomination for US president, Kamala Harris shot a video with Mindy Kaling, the American actress who was born Vera Mindy Chokalingam. Kaling made masala dosas and Harris, whose mother was Tamil, helped her in the kitchen. While Harris has publicly identified herself as black (her father is Jamaican), I was intrigued to see how much of her South Indian heritage she retained. She described how masalas were stored in her mother's kitchen and rushed up to Ms Kaling's father, when he entered the kitchen, calling him 'uncle', in the best Indian tradition. After Joe Biden named Harris as his running mate, that Kaling-Harris video went viral, drawing delighted responses from Indians and Indian-origin people in the Diaspora. The general reaction was, 'Look! She's so Indian!' Within a couple of days, on Twitter at least, the mood had changed. Critics dug up Ms Harris's positions on such issues as Article 370 and complained that rather than being loyal to India, she was actually obsessed with human rights. (It is sad that we are at a stage where these two positions are regarded as being opposed to each other.) And some tweeters called her 'anti-Hindu', for reasons that tell us something about the relationship that the mother country has with its American Diaspora. The US is a nation of immigrants. Its culture is a mix of the cultures that the immigrants brought with them. Take Italian-Americans, who have contributed so much to America's food traditions -- the pizza, for instance. Or take European Jews, who more-or-less created both Hollywood and the popular music business. Nobody in America denies or questions their contributions. But equally, it is clear that while immigrant communities are welcome to tip their cultures into the melting pot that is America, they are Americans now. At a political level, there is no question of divided loyalties. If America fought a war against the countries those immigrants came from, the immigrants would be expected to fight for America. Thousands of Americans of German origin and Italian Americans enlisted during World War II to fight Germany and Italy. Because there was some doubt (needless) about the loyalty of Japanese-Americans, thousands were (quite shamefully) interned during the War. Even some Italian-Americans were interned. America did not tolerate even the suggestion of divided loyalties. The distinction between culture and politics is one that we have yet to fully understand in India. Even though so many foreign countries (the US, Canada, Australia, the UK, etc) have sent Indian-origin diplomats to Delhi and those diplomats have always made it clear that they have no political loyalty to India, we still cling to the belief that anyone with Indian blood must support our political positions. One reason for the confusion is the role played by the Indian Diaspora. Till recently, Indians who made it in public life in the US did not always draw too much attention to their Indian roots. Piyush Jindal became Bobby Jindal and converted to Christianity before entering politics. Nimrata 'Nikki' Randhawa married a man called Haley, took his name and converted to Christianity in 1997. Neither politician had much interest in Indian issues. That's changing now. Even though they regard themselves as American, members of the Indian Diaspora treat it as their right to take sides in domestic Indian politics. Many Indian-origin American citizens were part of Indian National Congress-affiliated organisations in the US during the Rajiv Gandhi era. Atal Bihari Vajpayee would regularly address Sangh Parivar-linked Indian-American bodies when he went to the US. So this not necessarily new. But at no time in our history have non-resident Indians become so passionate about Indian politics as they have under Narendra Modi. Modi is now so popular with the diaspora that he might well sweep to victory in an election in parts of New Jersey. BJP-supporting NRIs are active on social media, often taking fundamentalist Hindu positions, disparaging Indian secularism and cheering the prospects of Modi and his party. The Internet allows them to keep up with domestic Indian politics on a real time basis. And Twitter lets them be heard. While all immigrant communities in the US retain some links to the politics of their countries of origin, few (if any) communities display the vigour and passion that Indian-Americans do about Indian politics. They regard it as their right to tell people who have Indian passports and have chosen to live in India, how India should be run. As far as they are concerned, the perspective from New Jersey is often clearer than the view from New Delhi. So great is the BJP's respect for the Diaspora that NRI bodies believe that it is only a matter of time before foreign passport holders of Indian origin will be allowed to vote online in Indian elections. Certainly, they have lobbied for it. This may or may not happen, but it offers an insight into how sections of the Indian right wing see Kamala Harris. Harris may feel that she is an American with only a cultural connection with India. But the distinction between the cultural and the political is often blurred when it comes to the Diaspora. Despite holding US passports and US jobs, many NRIs believe they can immerse themselves in Indian politics, with the active encouragement of the ruling party. In this kind of environment, it is sometimes easy to forget that not every American with some Indian roots is as obsessed with the politics of the land of his or her forefathers. They are Americans and, as much as they love Indian culture, their politics are America-focused. But because we have given the Diaspora a voice in Indian domestic politics, we reckon that every American of Indian origin must fight for this government's interests. But they haven't. And they won't. As far as people like Harris are concerned, it's okay to share a culture, but wrong to play domestic Indian politics during American elections. We mustn't let the rise of the Hindutva-loving Diaspora blind us to that important distinction. Masala dosas and politics don't always mix. Vir Sanghvi is a journalist and TV presenter. Princeton University will have a major leadership role in one of the five new multi-institution centers for the advancement of quantum science research announced by the U.S. Department of Energy. The Co-Design Center for Quantum Advantage (C2QA), headquartered at Brookhaven National Laboratory, will develop quantum technologies to serve as the platform for the computing innovations of the future, promising benefits for national security, pharmaceutical development, optimization of resources, and more. The announcement was made Wednesday by the Trump Administration. "This is a monumental opportunity for Princeton to contribute to the fast-evolving technological future of quantum computing," said Princeton University Provost Deborah Prentice. "Our deep strengths in fundamental research make Princeton well-positioned to contribute to this endeavor, which is central to the advancement of computing technology in the 21st century." "Princeton is excited to contribute to the leadership and scientific activity of this tremendous team of universities, a national laboratory and industry that will work together to advance the field of quantum computing," said Princeton Dean for Research Pablo Debenedetti. "We look forward to the many contributions in the science and engineering of quantum technologies that will emerge from this collaborative effort." The center will receive up to $115 million over five years to develop materials, devices, software and applications that will serve as a platform for the next generation of quantum computing capabilities. The goal is to overcome the limitations of today's early stage quantum computers and propel the field forward to unlock new capabilities to tackle real-world challenges. C2QA is one of five new centers selected for creation by the DOE Office of Science following the National Quantum Initiative Act of 2018, which aims to enhance national security and retain the nation's global leadership in scientific research and development. With involvement from 24 research institutions and over 70 lead investigators, C2QA will include several Princeton faculty members in major leadership roles. The deputy director, second in command, will be Princeton Professor of Electrical Engineering Andrew Houck. Houck said the focus of the center is to develop the technology needed to achieve quantum advantage, defined as solving vitally important, unsolved problems faster than is possible on a regular computer. "Right now we're at the stage where we can do things on a quantum computer that are hard to simulate on a regular computer," Houck said, "but they're not really useful problems. We want to bring the science and engineering to the point where we have the fundamental technologies needed to achieve quantum advantage." The center takes a "co-design" approach, defined as the development of new technologies in parallel with close coordination to ensure that the technologies can work seamlessly together. "One of the big challenges in quantum computing is that it's a massively multi-disciplinary enterprise," Houck said. "The functioning of the final product depends on the materials, the devices, and the software architecture. All of these areas rely on expertise that doesn't necessarily overlap." "The idea behind co-design is that rather than making decisions independently, we gather expertise in all of these layers, and have people coordinate what they are doing, including understanding the trade-offs that their decisions may impose on the other layers," Houck said. The center will have three main areas or thrusts: Materials, Devices, and Software/Applications. Materials: Exploring new materials that have quantum properties for computing. Devices: Incorporating new materials into the components of a quantum computer, and building these up into larger systems. Software and applications: Writing the software and designing the programs that will enable the quantum computer to solve real-world problems. A fourth organizational layer will enable co-design by integrating findings and coordinating efforts in ways that ensure that advances in each thrust can be combined to achieve the goal of useful quantum calculations. Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering Nathalie de Leon will lead the Materials thrust. "This center is an exciting opportunity to supercharge some of the collaborative research we have begun at Princeton on new solid state atomic qubits and systematically rooting out microscopic sources of noise and loss in superconducting qubits," de Leon said. "Our approach in these projects forms the basis for the general strategy in the materials thrust. With C2QA, we have an opportunity to expand this research program by working closely with other quantum information processing experts at Yale, MIT, and other academic institutions, as well as material scientists at Brookhaven." Within the Materials thrust, Princeton faculty will lead two of the four sub-areas: Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering Jeffrey Thompson will lead the Qubits for Computing and Networks topic while Robert Cava, the Russell Wellman Moore Professor of Chemistry, will lead the Materials Purification, Crystal Growth, and Processing for QIS topic. "This center will have a transformative impact on the field, bringing together experts from many disciplines in a very focused, close collaboration," Thompson said. Margaret Martonosi, the Hugh Trumbull Adams '35 Professor of Computer Science, will be a key scientist in the Crosscutting Co-Design Integration Team. Additional faculty members who will participate as researchers in the center are Ali Yazdani, the Class of 1909 Professor of Physics, and Professor of Electrical Engineering Stephen Lyon. The center will address two technology bottlenecks in today's quantum computing: improving the performance of the basic units of computation, known as superconducting qubits, and improving the technologies that enable quantum computers to communicate with each other. In addition to his leadership role as deputy director, Houck will oversee an outreach and workforce development program for the center to provide students with educational opportunities. Princeton has already been active in educating undergraduates through its quantum computing classes and through the Quantum Undergraduate Research at IBM and Princeton summer program. The center will foster collaboration with IBM, one of the center members, to help institutional researchers obtain the industry perspective on the challenges that they face in scaling these systems for industrial use. Large center grants enable multiple researchers across disciplines and institutions to work together on tough challenges, Houck said, and Princeton's strengths in quantum science make it ready to play a key leadership role for the C2QA. "At Princeton, we have under one roof some of the very best materials people, some of the very best device people, and some of the very best architecture and algorithms people," Houck said. "I don't know of any proposal that has quite this breadth of expertise, where you really have the very best people in the world, all working together towards one shared goal." ### Another of the five new DOE-funded centers, the Quantum Science Center headquartered at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, will support research by M. Zahid Hasan, Princeton's Eugene Higgins Professor of Physics in the area of topological qubits based on Majorana fermions and anyons. The center will focus on materials discovery and qubit design, quantum algorithms and simulation, and practical applications such as quantum information devices and sensors. The director of C2QA will be Steven Girvin, the Eugene Higgins Professor of Physics at Yale University and a dual appointee in Brookhaven's Energy and Photon Sciences Directorate. The partnering institutions on C2QA are Ames Laboratory, Caltech, City College of New York, Columbia University, Harvard University, Howard University, IBM, Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, Johns Hopkins University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Montana State University, National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Ames Research Center, Northwestern University, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Princeton University, State University of New York Polytechnic Institute, Stony Brook University, University of California-Santa Barbara, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, University of Pittsburgh, University of Washington, Virginia Tech and Yale University. President Donald Trump has finally given up on his MAGA rallies. After he formally accepts the Republican nomination for president Thursday night, Trump will launch a general election campaign with a new playbook: short speeches, mostly outdoors, multiple times a day, with the occasional stop at a diner or store to greet people, minus the handshakes. Many of these events, described by four people familiar with the plans, will take place at airports. Trump will fly in on Air Force One to greet crowds of no more than a few hundred people, as his campaign playlist blares and U.S. flags wave around him. Welcome to the most unusual election season in modern presidential history where the coronavirus outbreak has forced the most nontraditional candidate to embrace a more traditional campaign style. Obviously youd love to see the president hold his signature arena rallies, but a retail politics approach could end up being a blessing in disguise, said Charlie Kirk, founder of the conservative student activists group Turning Point Action. It will humanize him for millions of voters who either only ever see him on stage, in official White House settings, or otherwise just believe the news medias caricature of him. It took Trump months to agree to trade in his raucous mega-rallies with thousands of adoring fans for more understated events. He initially started scheduling old-school Trump rallies in June, but was soon forced to scuttle those plans as the coronavirus resurged across the country. Now, Trump has finally settled on a mega rally-free campaign model he can live with for the next nine weeks. Hes expected to travel a couple times a week, with the number of trips increasing as Election Day draws closer. His first stop after convention wraps up will be Manchester, N.H., where he will deliver remarks at an airport. Hell dominate the local media market in multiple stops a day, said a Republican who speaks to the president. Story continues Trump hopes to draw a contrast to Democratic nominee Joe Biden, who has participated in only a few live campaign events outside his Wilmington, Del., home, since the pandemic struck. Trump employed a similar strategy in 2016 against Democrat Hillary Clinton, who he tried to portray as weak and lacking stamina. The more the president is out, the more it puts pressure on Biden to do more, said a Republican close to the campaign. Bidens team has focused on virtual events, a nod to the ongoing travel restrictions as the coronavirus continues to circulate in large numbers. I think Vice President Biden has an understanding of the gravity of the pandemic and the need to emphasize safety and model safety, said Rep. Ami Bera (D-Calif.), a doctor and Biden surrogate. Certainly he is starting to do more but again in an appropriate physically distanced way. This is all new campaigning for all of us. Trumps team hopes the presidents travel may force Biden, known for his gaffes and lack of message discipline, to do more events where he could make a mistake. Last week, both Trump and Vice President Mike Pence visited Wisconsin, the official host of the Democratic National Convention before it was transformed into a virtual event. After not stepping foot in Wisconsin for 661 days, Joe Biden outwardly snubbed the Badger state once again and spent DNC week hiding in his Delaware basement, said Trump campaign spokeswoman Thea McDonald. Meanwhile, President Trump and Vice President Pence are safely hosting in-person events in states like Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and Arizona, allowing them to bring their message directly to the American people. Its a balancing act for Trump. National and battleground state polls show him lagging behind Biden in large part because of his much maligned response to the coronavirus outbreak. He has tried to counteract some of the criticism by restoring regular briefings and sometimes wearing a mask while traveling. But Trump will be chided in the coming months if he appears to be flouting social-distancing rules during campaign stops. The Trump campaign said all events headlined by Trump and Pence, who travels more frequently than the president, will adhere to local regulations. All attendees will be given masks, hand sanitizer and temperature checks, the campaign said. Trump was slow to forego his rallies even as infection rates surged this summer. He has relied on them almost exclusively to campaign holding more than 300 rallies during the 2016 campaign and nearly 100 more since he was elected a departure from most candidates who engage in small stops at diners, bus tours and hefty policy speeches. Since he was sworn in as president, Trumps rallies have morphed into multi-day events, complete with live music, food trucks and high-profile surrogates. During the early part of his first campaign, Trump dabbled in retail politics particularly in the early nominating states. But he eventually abandoned the more intimate events once he realized he could summon thousands to a venue with a tweet. He really is a person who draws energy from the crowd even more than most do, said Peter Wehner, a speechwriter in the last three Republican administrations. And so I think that's really going to be telling. It's going to make it really, really difficult. He needs that kind of affirmation and if he's denied it, it means that he has to find other ways. He's so desperate for it that he's going to find other ways to try and get it. And it usually causes him to trip up. Trumps last rally in June in Tulsa, Okla., drew a much smaller crowd than expected, perhaps in part because of coronavirus fears. Oklahoma later reported a record number of Covid-19 cases, and state health officials said the presidents appearance combined with counter-protests likely contributed to the surge. Trump planned another rally for New Hampshire but it was abruptly scrapped. Campaign officials said it was due to an oncoming storm but Trump later acknowledged it was because of the pandemic. He understands its not like the big crowds arent showing up, they cant show up, said Bryan Lanza, who worked on the 2016 campaign and remains close to the White House. Its not that theres no interest its because of Covid. Theyre adapting to the environment. With just two months left until the November election, Trump cant afford to wait for his rallies to start anew. He has already started testing out smaller events as part of his presidential duties, scheduling quick stops around the country that have centered on the economy, law enforcement and immigration. In Trumpian fashion, he sprinkled each stop with campaign-style attacks. Last week, Trump visited five states. On Monday, he delivered economic speeches at airports in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Now Biden wants to lock all Americans in their basements for months on end, which would inflict permanent irreversible harm on our nation's children, families health and economy, he told the crowd in Oshkosh, Wisc. On Tuesday, after receiving a briefing on storm recovery at the Eastern Iowa Airport in Iowa, Trump delivered remarks at an airport in Arizona. Biden's plan is the most radical, extreme, reckless, dangerous and deadly immigration plan ever put forward by a major party candidate, he said. It must be defeated. And it will be defeated on November 3. On Thursday, he traveled to a building products factory in Old Forge, Pa., before making an unannounced stop at a pizzeria, greeting the waiting crowd and employees, saying he wanted to stop by because they have great pizza. Campaign officials say they dont expect Trump to do many retail stops in part because of the difficulty in doing them with his large entourage. But hes expected to do some. Lobbyist David Urban, a former senior Trump adviser who was pivotal in helping him win Pennsylvania in 2016, was the one who suggested Trump make the pizza shop stop last week, according to a person familiar with the visit. After last Thursdays trip was over, Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien took to Twitter to mock Biden for traveling 6,504 miles since March while touting Trumps 6,668 miles in just one week. They can continue to ignore people in large swaths of the country and the president will continue to show up, said White House counselor Kellyanne Conway. That's the best counter-programming." Michael Kruse contributed to this report. Following the announcement regarding the normalisation of ties between UAE and Israel, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called the deal a remarkable achievement for two of the world's most forward-leaning, technologically advanced states. Earlier, US President Donald Trump on Thursday, August 13 had announced the historic move. Read: Netanyahu Greets UAE, Israel Diplomatic Relations 'Significant Step Forward' In his statement, the US Secretary of State said, "After vigorous diplomatic outreach, President Trump, along with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Emirati Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Zayed, signed an agreement to fully normalise relations." He added that it was a "historic day and a significant step forward for peace in the Middle East." Mike Pompeo also noted that the decision to normalise relations is a confirmation that both UAE and Israel were prepared to tackle common problems and threats in the Middle East. A joint statement released by the US, Israel and the UAE stated that President Donald J. Trump, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, and Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the United Arab Emirates spoke to one another and agreed to the full normalisation of relations between UAE and Israel. Read: Hamas Slams UAE-Israel Deal To Establish Ties As per reports, in the coming weeks' representatives from both nations will meet to sign bilateral agreements on investment, tourism, direct flights, security, telecommunications, technology, energy, healthcare, culture, environment, establishment of reciprocal embassies, and several other aspects. The US Secretary of State also said he hopes that the coming weeks will mark the end of 72 years of hostilities in the region. However, not all are optimistic about the Israel-UAE agreement. Hamas has condemned the move and raised concerns about the fate of Palestinians in the region. (With agency inputs; Image Credits-AP) Read: Trump: More Middle East Talks After UAE-Israel Deal Read: Israel And United Arab Emirates Sign Landmark Deal To Normalise Diplomatic Relations As the threat of Hurricane Laura intensifies, storm chasers like Emmy winner Jeff Piotrowski are naturally in their element, warning coastal residents to evacuate as this formidable Category 4 storm nears. What's particularly threatening about Laura is the storm surge, especially for the Gulf Coast communities including Port Arthur, Vinton, Cameron Parish and Lake Charles which are directly in the storm's path. "Get of town right now. You don't want to be here in the aftermath. It's gonna be a mess, a big mess," Storm chaser Jeff Piotrowski said in his Laura update in Vinton, Texas. "This is bad one, a really bad one coming in." Piotrowski added that this storm surge would be utterly devastating to any community in its path. "Close to a 20-foot storm surge. So this is a catastrophic, life-threatening storm surge, " Piotrowski said. "In NHC's official words, this is an unsurvivable storm surge, if you're on the coastline or even inland." The National Hurricane Center describes storm surge as the unprecedented rise of water generated by a storm, over the predicted tides. The rise in high water can trigger extreme flooding in coastal areas. Storm surge can often the greatest threat to life and property along the coast. However, flash flooding is a different phenomenon than storm surge, as NOAA describes it being caused by heavy or excessive rainfall in short period of time, generally less than six hours. "In my 45 years of storm chasing and hurricane chasing, this is the most dangerous hurricane in terms of storm surge," Piotrowski said. "This whole parish--Cameron Parish. This is the one of the most dangerous counties right now in the U.S. in terms of getting trapped and drowning. I'm just gonna tell it like it is. If you're anywhere in this area on these roads, you've got to get out. You've got to get completely out of those counties." Storm surge from Laura could reach as far as 30 miles inland, according to The National Weather Service. "Sabine River is just east of town here. I-10 is going to go under water 3 to 5 feet. 100 percent. I-10 will be blocked when the storm surge comes in. You will not be able to escape this town." Piotrowski added. Piotrowski reiterated that if you live in these threatened areas, you must take action now. "My message is for the Gulf Coast all the way to I-10, when this storm starts at 5, 7, 8, 9the chances of you getting out of town is about 0 after about sundown tonight," Piotrowski said. "When these winds start picking up, and they will come up enormously after dark, and the trees and power lines coming down and the lines start flooding the road, youre stuck, youre trapped." alison.medley@chron.com The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service has said does not consider it necessary for some members of its staff to self-isolate after workers at a Co Armagh hospital tested for Covid-19. Around 20 members of hospital staff are self-isolating after it emerged on Tuesday that three employees in the Respiratory Emergency Department had tested positive for the virus. In a separate cluster at Craigavon Area, five patients have tested positive for the virus on the Haematology ward, where some cancer patients are treated. One further in-patient was also identified, according to the Southern Trust. The two Covid-19 clusters prompted Health Minister Robin Swann to insist no stone will be left unturned in dealing with two Covid-19 clusters at Craigavon Area Hospital. Speaking on Tuesday, Mr Swann said he was being kept up to date about the Craigavon outbreak which he says illustrated that the virus "does not discriminate against individuals and places of work". He added it was vitally important to protect the NHS workforce and patients as the number of cases picks up. "There will be no stone left unturned in regards to the work being done there because it is vitally important, as we've said throughout this pandemic that we protect our workforce and patients," he said. The NIAS issued the statement yesterday after this newspaper was contacted by a concerned individual who said that no ambulance staff have been told to self-isolate or undergo testing. A spokesperson for the NIAS said that is aware of the current situation at Craigavon Area Hospital. "NIAS does not consider it necessary for any of our staff to self-isolate as a result of this, given that close contact between emergency department and NIAS staff is typically brief when handing over a patient and all staff will be wearing appropriate level of PPE," they added. Russia, N.Y. A Herkimer County man fatally shot his wife Wednesday afternoon and then shot himself in an apparent murder-suicide, state police said. Troopers were called to 266 Roberts Road in the town of Russia around 4:01 p.m. Wednesday, state police said in a news release Thursday. There they found the body of 65-year-old Ronald J. Johnson on a deck outside the home, police said. Troopers searched the home and located the body of 68-year-old Kathleen F. Johnson in an upstairs bedroom with an apparent gunshot wound. Police said they believe Ronald Johnson shot Kathleen Johnson before turning the gun on himself. The investigation is ongoing. Ankhi Das apologised to company staff for post that dubbed Muslims in India a degenerate community, BuzzFeed reports. A Facebook India executive has apologised to Muslim staff for sharing a post that dubbed Muslims in India a degenerate community, according to a report by BuzzFeed News. The post, originally written by a police officer last year in response to nationwide protests against a new citizenship law, said for Muslims, nothing except purity of religion and implementation of Shariah matter. The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) passed last year by Indias Hindu nationalist government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi fast-tracks nationality for non-Muslim minorities from neighbouring Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. The United Nations has termed the law fundamentally discriminatory. The intent of my personal Facebook post was not to denigrate Islam, Ankhi Das, the social media giants policy director for India and South and Central Asia, wrote in an internal message obtained by BuzzFeed News. The intent of my personal Facebook post was not to denigrate Islam. Ankhi Das, Facebook's policy director for India and South and Central Asia It was to reflect my deep belief in celebrating feminism and civic participation. I value all perspectives I have heard over the past days about how the post was received and as a result I have deleted the post. I genuinely regret any hurt it may have caused, including to my Muslim colleagues in the company. Hate speech and Islamophobia Some Muslim employees of the company commented on Dass apology. As a company, we now need to do an honest reflection of hate speech and Islamophobia against Muslims on our platform, an employee said as reported by BuzzFeed. We cannot allow any manipulation of our hard-earned democracy through bias, fake news & hate speech. As exposed by @WSJ, Facebooks involvement in peddling fake and hate news needs to be questioned by all Indians. pic.twitter.com/AvBR6P0wAK Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) August 18, 2020 Facebook is under fire after The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this month that Das refused to apply the companys hate speech policies to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) politicians and other Hindu nationalist individuals and groups. Facebook ignored its hate speech policy and allowed anti-Muslim posts on its platform to avoid ruining the companys relationship with Indias governing party (the BJP), said the report by The Wall Street Journal. Journalist Rana Ayyub writing in The Washington Post accused Facebook of debilitating Indian democracy [File: Jeff Chiu/AP Photo] The companys top public-policy executive in the country, Ankhi Das, opposed applying the hate-speech rules to [T Raja] Singh and at least three other Hindu nationalist individuals and groups flagged internally for promoting or participating in violence, the WSJ report said based on interviews with current and former Facebook employees. Singh, the BJPs only legislator in the southern state of Telangana, is known for his anti-Muslim rhetoric. The WSJ said the right-wing politician had demanded mainly-Muslim Rohingya refugees be shot, called Indias Muslims traitors and threatened to demolish mosques in his Facebook posts and public speeches. Das filed a police complaint saying she received death threats after the WSJ report drew social media fury. She has said that some individuals online had intentionally vilified her. With nearly 300 million users, India is Facebooks biggest market, while the social medias messaging service, WhatsApp, has nearly 500 million users in the South Asian nation of 1.4 billion people. Critics have accused the social network of prioritising profit over ethics as it has allowed hate speech on its platforms. On Instagram, owned by Facebook, a verified account, @HindustaniBhau, which has 3.4 million followers, recently called for violence against minorities. His post was only taken down after public outcry. Journalist Rana Ayyub, writing in The Washington Post, accused Facebook of debilitating Indian democracy. A platform that was once meant to spread ideas and opinions has now become a tool that enables and encourages fascism, she wrote. Non-partisan platform Last Friday, the social media giant said it was a non-partisan platform where people can express themselves freely. We take allegations of bias incredibly seriously, and want to make it clear that we denounce hate and bigotry in any form, Ajit Mohan, Facebooks India head, said in an online post. We take allegations of bias incredibly seriously, and want to make it clear that we denounce hate and bigotry in any form. Ajit Mohan, Facebook's India head There is no place for hate speech on our platform. We have an impartial approach to dealing with content and are strongly governed by our Community Standards We have removed and will continue to remove content posted by public figures in India when it violates our Community Standards. Mohan however, admitted the social media firm needed to do more. Accusations of bias comes in the wake of criticism directed at Facebook for platforming white supremacists in the West and far-right groups in other parts of the world, including Myanmar, where Buddhist nationalists have demonised Muslim-majority Rohingya. Nearly one million Rohingya have been forced to flee after years of anti-Muslim hate propaganda online, including Facebook. The BJP and four other Facebook pages with links to the party account for about 64 per cent of the total ad spend by the top 10 advertisers in the social issues, elections and politics category on the social media platform, reports @Krishn_ https://t.co/kBubnPTObb The Indian Express (@IndianExpress) August 27, 2020 In the United States and around the world, Facebook employees are raising questions about whether adequate procedures and content regulation practices were being followed by the India team, sources familiar with discussions told the Reuters news agency. An open letter written to Facebooks leadership by 11 employees on one internal platform, and seen by Reuters, demands company leaders acknowledge and denounce anti-Muslim bigotry and ensure more policy consistency. The letter also demanded that Facebooks policy team in India (and elsewhere) includes diverse representation. On Tuesday, Delhi state legislature began proceedings against Facebook and recommended to summon officials from the company. An Indian parliamentary panel will also question Facebook executives about the companys hate speech regulation policies in India on September 2. Indias main opposition Congress party has called for a parliamentary panel to investigate what it has described as favourable treatment by Facebooks India team towards the countrys governing right-wing party. The possibility of an early lifting of the Covid-19 semi-lockdown in Kildare ahead of September 6 will be decided today. Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said an early reprieve from the measures imposed in the county - sparked by major outbreaks of the virus in factories - would be reviewed at a meeting of the National Public Health Emergency Team (Nphet). He was speaking before it was announced yesterday that another 164 people had been newly diagnosed with Covid-19 nationally, 22 of whom were in Kildare. "There is a very difficult call for Nphet to make," the minister said in response to a question from Kildare Fianna Fail TD James Lawless at the Special Committee on Covid-19 Response. Nphet will have to judge if the cases are low enough to have reduced community transmission. "We know the restrictions are working and inevitably there will be risk if the relaxations are reduced early. I salute what the people of Kildare have done," he said. He had explicitly asked Nphet to look at Kildare yesterday to see if there was a case to speed up reopening the county. "I cannot pre-empt the decision and I don't want to create any false expectation but as we all know the rate is very high in Kildare," he said. "The cut-off point for Ireland's Green List was no more than five per 100,000 over the previous two weeks. Kildare was at nearly 200 per 100,000. It was very high." Last night, the head of the Kildare Chamber of Commerce urged Nphet to lift the local lockdown. CEO Allan Shine said despite the new cases yesterday, the numbers continued to drop. "The numbers of positive cases over the past few days demonstrate that citizens and businesses in Kildare have done their job," he told the Irish Independent. "We have suppressed the virus to a level that requires the lifting of restrictions." He said the restrictions imposed on Kildare were having a devastating effect on the local economy with businesses fearing for their survival. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs set a record on Thursday by discussing various aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic and its handling in the National Capital Territory of Delhi for almost five hours without a break. IMAGE: Healthcare workers conduct door to door thermal screening of residents during a check-up campaign for COVID-19, at Dharavi, in Mumbai. Photograph: Niharika Kulkarni/ANI Photo Officials said several witnesses were heard on the impact of the pandemic. They added that this was the longest meeting of the panel without a break so far. The committee, chaired by Rajya Sabha member Anand Sharma of the Congress, also set another record by holding two successive meetings of more than four hours each to discuss the issue. The last meeting of the panel, also on the pandemic, had also lasted for over four hours. The officials said this was the third meeting of the committee during this intersession period of Parliament and it has so far spent 12 hours and 11 minutes discussing the pandemic with various stakeholders. At Thursday's meeting, the handling of the pandemic in the NCT of Delhi was discussed at length, following a detailed presentation by Delhi Chief Secretary Vijay Kumar Dev. Additional Secretary, Union Home Ministry Govind Mohan also participated in the deliberations. The committee also interacted with Union secretaries Debashis Panda (Department of Financial Services) and Sudhanshu Pandey (Food and Public Distribution System), besides representatives of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), National Statistical Survey Office (NSSO) and Indian Statistical Institute (ISI). At the earlier meetings of the committee, the Union secretaries of Home Affairs and Micro, Medium and Small Enterprises, senior officials of the Union health ministry, Director General of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Director of the AIIMS, Delhi and representatives of MSME organisations appeared as witnesses, among others, the officials said. If you're just looking to hide your business website's IP address for privacy reasons, you can use any type of proxy. There are times, however, when you need a proxy for a specific country. This allows you to access sites as though you were browsing from that country. Among other things, you will be able to enjoy specific benefits that are accessible to residents of the country you are pretending to be browsing from. All this in addition to the regular privacy you get from proxies. How proxies generally work A proxy is an intermediary server that helps you browse without revealing your IP address. The server receives your traffic and redirects it to the website you want to visit. The website, therefore, handles your traffic as though it was coming from the server's IP address and not yours. The proxy server then receives the traffic from the website and 'delivers' it to your device. Different locations have different IP addresses. A website can, therefore, identify the geographical region you are browsing from based on your IP address. When using a proxy, the website records the proxy server's location instead of yours since your IP is masked. Some proxy service providers have pools of IP addresses from different countries. If you use these proxies, you will be accessing websites as though you are from a different country. For instance, if you use Romanian proxies, websites will identify you as a browser from Romania. So why would you want to change your digital location? For market research When running a business, you need to conduct market research regularly. The aim of market research is to identify new trends, learn your competitor's practices, and customer behavior. To identify all this, you first need to collect data. Due to the immense digitization of businesses, you can get all this data through online data mining and web crawling. That's basically sending automated programs into websites and collecting the data from those sites. Some foreign sites, however, may restrict you from accessing their site if they identify your IP to be from a different region. To gain access to such sites, you can use proxies whose IP addresses are from that particular country. The sites will then allow your programs access just like you were a local internet user. Purchase products abroad The prices of some products vary depending on geographical regions. If you are in a country where a certain item is expensive, you might want to purchase the products in a different country where it is cheaper. But companies that practice regional pricing know this could happen. So, they restrict IP addresses from the expensive regions from accessing their ecommerce platforms. You can overcome this barrier by getting a proxy whose IP is from the country with lower prices. You can even purchase the items in bulk and sell in your region for profit. This is what many sneakers sellers in countries such as the US do since the industry is notorious for regional pricing. Due to how rampant the practice is, there is a whole section of proxies known as sneaker proxies. They are specially designed to avoid being detected by the original sneakers' websites. This is also common in buying video games and computer programs that are also priced differently per region. You can save a significant amount of money this way if you are buying programs for your business. Cheaper prices and promotions The transport and hospitality industry players often charge different prices for customers from different regions of the world. Airlines, hotels, and cab services do this all the time. Often, the home country customers get the lowest prices. Those from countries with lower-earning and purchasing power may also get preferential prices. Since it would be tedious to do this manually, such companies design their website systems to identify the browsers' locations and display the appropriate price. Customers from certain regions may even get some services or products that are not available to others. First, you need to research to determine if there are such disparities in prices charged and to identify which countries are favored. Next, get a proxy from the favored country and order the product or service. This can be especially helpful if you are booking the services for a group of employees or clients. Conclusion Although we claim that the world is one big village thanks to the internet, there are still some digital boundaries. Proxies from different countries help you overcome such restrictions and interact with global websites as though you were from the same country. Even as you use these proxies, you need to beware of the cyber laws in different countries. In some countries, for instance, data scraping is illegal. It would, therefore, be illegal to use a proxy to access websites in such a country for data mining. You also shouldn't use proxies to purchase items that have been banned from resale in a specific country. @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Healthy children do not die of coronavirus and only those who were seriously ill before they caught the disease are at risk, a major government-funded study has confirmed. No healthy child has died of the virus yet in the UK, researchers said. Six children have died but all had other serious health problems such as cancer or cerebral palsy when they were struck down by Covid-19. Research found that the risk to children is 'strikingly low', only a tiny proportion of them end up in hospital and deaths are 'exceptionally rare'. Six children under the age of 15 have died of coronavirus in England and Wales since the start of the pandemic, along with nine 15 to 19-year-olds. This compares with 52,082 victims in all other age groups up to August 14, according to the Office for National Statistics. Scientists led by the University of Liverpool found that one per cent of hospitalised children died, compared to a significantly higher 27 per cent of adults. This means that while one in four adults who ended up in hospital with Covid-19 died of it, only one in 100 children did. The research, published in the prestigious British Medical Journal, comes amid a fiery debate about whether children in England should return to school in September, with critics saying there is not enough evidence they will be safe. Parents should be reassured that their children will not be put in danger by returning to school, the scientists who led the study said. But unions and other experts are concerned that schools reopening will not put children at risk but their parents, grandparents and adult staff at the school as children transport it between households. The latest study, published in the British Medical Journal, comes amid a fiery row about the Government's pledge to force children to return to school in England in September (Pictured: Prime Minister Boris Johnson visiting a school in Coalville, Leicestershire) 'The study is reassuring,' said Dr Liz Whittaker, an infectious disease expert at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. 'It echoes other studies which have reported low numbers of Covid infection over a six month period 651 children out of a paediatric population of 16million. 'Very low numbers of children have been admitted to critical care and the researchers reported a very low death rate particularly in comparison to adults, but also in comparison to the death rate due to other infections and other causes of childhood death.' Professor Calum Semple, an expert in outbreak medicine and child health at the University of Liverpool who led the study, said: 'Severe disease is rare and death is vanishingly rare. 'They should be confident that their children are not going to be put at direct harm by going back to school and we do know that they are harmed by being kept away from school because of the lack of educational opportunities, and thats affecting mental health.' The team was funded by the National Institutes of Health Research (NIHR), which is funded by the UK Government, and also the Medical Research Council. They considered the cases of 651 children and teenagers under the age of 19 who were admitted to one of 138 hospitals in the UK between January and July. All had Covid-19 and were followed up by doctors for at least two weeks after they were admitted. The most common symptoms among the youngsters were fever, coughing, breathlessness and vomiting. Six of the children (one per cent) died in hospital. All of them, the researchers said, had 'profound comorbidity'. This means they were seriously ill with long-term health conditions even before they caught the coronavirus, making them especially vulnerable to infection. Professor Semple added: 'We did not have any deaths in otherwise healthy school-aged children.' He said that the types of conditions children had were very severe and not common conditions like asthma or even cystic fibrosis. In general, the researchers said 'the in-hospital case fatality rate for children and young people was strikingly low'. CHILDREN 'LESS LIKELY TO GET SICK' IF THEY CATCH COVID-19 Data shows children have an almost non-existent chance of dying of Covid-19 and scientific evidence, although still in early stages, suggests youngsters are also less likely to get sick at all or to spread it. Researchers at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine published a study in June that found only two in 10 children with coronavirus have any symptoms of it. They saw that under-20s are half as likely to become sick with Covid-19 as over-70s, and only 21 per cent of infected 10 to 19-year-olds had symptoms. In comparison, the rate of symptoms among over-70s the group most vulnerable to the disease was three times higher at 69 per cent. The LSHTM experts said understanding that children are less affected by the disease could influence how strict school closures have to be in the future. In a meeting in May with members of the House of Lords, LHSTM infectious disease experts Dr Rosalind Eggo and Professor John Edmunds explained that children appear to be less likely to spread the disease as well. Dr Eggo said: 'We think that children are less likely to get it so far but it is not certain. 'We are very certain that children are less likely to have severe outcomes and there are hints that children are less infectious but it is not certain.' Scientists cannot say why children seem to have some level of natural protection from COVID-19. There have been suggestions that it because they don't have as much age-related lung damage or ill health, or because they have considerably lower rates of illnesses which increase the risk of complications, such as diabetes and high blood pressure. Professor Edmunds, who is a member of SAGE, the group of scientists advising the government, today told members of the Lords: 'It is unusual that children don't seem to play much of a role in transmission because for most respiratory viruses and bacteria they play a central role, but in this they don't seem to.' Office for National Statistics data shows that, in England and Wales, 15 people under the age of 20 have died of Covid-19 during the entire outbreak up to July 10. This was just 0.03 per cent of the total 51,096 counted by that date. Advertisement Around one in five of the children (18 per cent) had to go into intensive care at some point. These children were more likely to be younger than one month old, between the ages of 10 and 14, or of black ethnicity. In total, around 11 per cent of all hospitalised patients in England, Wales and Northern Ireland ended up in intensive care. However, far fewer children have been diagnosed with the disease because it barely affects most of them, meaning only the sickest children are hospitalised in the first place. The paper noted that black children appeared to become seriously ill more often than white ones, but the reasons for this were not clear. Studies of adults have found that non-white people are worse affected. It has blamed this on poverty, higher infection rates in their communities, more people with conditions like diabetes and obesity, and a lower likelihood of seeking early medical treatment. One in 10 of the children in the study (11 per cent) had Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C), as defined by the World Health Organization. In the UK this is known as Paediatric Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome (PIMS). It is a rare condition that develops in a tiny minority of children with Covid-19, in which their illness worsens quickly and they need intensive care. The Royal College of Paediatrics' Dr Whittaker, one of the doctors who first discovered the condition, said: 'As reported in other studies, despite two or three of the children with presumed PIMS in this cohort becoming unwell and requiring critical care, the outcomes were good. 'As in other studies, those children of black ethnicity are more commonly affected with the very rare PIMS condition. This reflects the higher incidence of SARS-CoV-2 [coronavirus] infection in these communities. 'On the whole, parents and paediatricians should be reassured by the findings of this paper.' Dr Olivia Swann, from the University of Edinburgh, echoed the sentiment and said: 'The absolute risk of any child in the UK being admitted to hospital with Covid is tiny. The absolute risk of them being admitted to critical care with Covid is even tinier. 'Nothing is ever risk free, but for myself as a parent, as a childrens doctor and as a researcher, I find this study and these numbers extremely reassuring. 'I hope that they do reassure parents throughout the UK.' The issue of whether children spread coronavirus and whether it is safe to return them to school has been contentious in recent weeks. Teaching unions have argued there is not enough scientific evidence to say it's safe, while the Government insists keeping children at home is harming them more than Covid-19 ever will. Boris Johnson this week issued a fresh plea to parents to send their children back to classrooms in England next week. The Prime Minister insisted 'schools are safe' and warned that pupils had 'lost too much time' in the classroom already. The Government announced that face masks will be compulsory in the communal areas of secondary schools in parts of England which are subject to local lockdowns. A decision on whether to wear masks in non-lockdown area schools will be left to individual head teachers. The change came after days of ministers and Government experts insisting there were no plans to change the guidance in England which had said masks were not necessary if all other hygiene measures were adhered to. But Mr Johnson's hand appeared to be forced after Nicola Sturgeon said secondary school pupils in Scotland will be required to wear a mask when travelling between lessons. Speaking during a visit to a school in Leicestershire on Wednesday, Mr Johnson said pupils and staff wearing masks in communal spaces in hotspot areas 'does make sense'. He also appeared to concede that the UK Government had shifted because of action taken in Scotland where schools have already been back for two weeks. Teachers have warned the masks decision could lead to 'mayhem' amid fears of increased bullying, of pupils wearing dirty reused masks and of it being harder to challenge bad behaviour in corridors because it may be unclear which children are responsible. We attempted to send a notification to your email address but we were unable to verify that you provided a valid email address. Please click here to update your email address if you wish to receive notifications. Otherwise, you may click here to disable notifications and hide this message. Local Ambition, a global web show of www.alwayslatetv.com, has fared better than many artistic endeavors since the pandemic began. Local Ambition, a soap opera about a reality modeling competition and all the crazy, dangerous drama that happens to the characters involved in it, was created by Kevin Edwards, who lived in Grafton, where his family lives, when he started the show eight seasons ago. This year will mark Local Ambitions ninth season, which will available for streaming in November, a few months later than planned because of filming delays due to the pandemic. More Information Binge watch "Local Ambition" "Local Ambition" is a real modeling competition built into a reality series "with a dark secret." The cast sign up in the hopes of advancing their careers, but find out that there is more to worry about than what to wear. This series combines elements of reality shows, like, competition stages and confessional-style interviews, with over-the-top soap opera drama. Last year's season is available free with purchase and new episodes of this year's season will be available each Monday beginning in November. Season 8 episodes are: 1. Episode 1 - Lovestruck 2. Episode 2 - Screwed 3. Episode 3 - Truth Schmuth 4. Episode 4 - A New Dawn 5. Episode 5 - Nature Sucks 6. Episode 6 - The Tale of Greg 7. Episode 7 - Bea's Big Secret 8. Episode 8 - Go "Local Ambition" is for mature audiences, available worldwide. Stream and download anytime. Watch on iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku and Chromecast. More information at www.alwayslatetv.com. If you go: What: Always Late TV Photo Meetup - Fantasy Theme When: Noon-4 p.m., Sunday, Aug. 30 Where: World's Fair Pavilion, Forest Park, St. Louis Info: Open to the public. Tickets to participate as a model or photographer cost $15, available at www.alwayslatetv.com and at the event. Models and photographers pay the fee and shoot with each other, the photos they take are eligible to be published in Local Ambition magazine's November 2020 issue. See More Collapse Edwards also films in Metro East, including Godfrey and at a family friends property out in the sticks. We had to postpone filming for three months and reschedule dates whenever theres a substantial increase in new COVID-19 cases in the St. Louis region, explained Edwards, who will finish filming Oct. 4. With COVID, our schedule is all out of whack. We had a direction that we wanted to take this season, back in February when filming began, but we have had to change that direction because of the pandemic. Because we can be so free with the writing, its easier to switch gears with the writing and creative direction. The singular presentation and format of the show has allowed Edwards and his team to be fluid in their creativity, making it easier to ebb and flow with current circumstances. Every crazy idea we come up with is on the table and will be considered, he said. Before the pandemic, our online reach was pretty good, but it has gotten better since it happened. I believe the reason for this is because more people are at home and not outside. Im sure television and streaming services have also seen an uptick in business as well. Even though the presentation and format have not changed, production has. We have had to change the way we film scenes and conduct business on set, Edwards noted. In the past, it didnt matter how many people we had on set or how close they were, physically, to one another. Now, we keep everyone six feet apart whenever possible and, when that cant happen, we have cast and crew wear masks. And now we take everyones temperatures and ask questions about overall health at the beginning of the day to determine if they are capable of participating. The show spawned the Local Ambition magazine, which first went on sale last fall, in November, with the winner of last seasons show, Caterina Clayton, shot by Ashli Brooke-Wallace, gracing the cover of the first issue, edited by Edwards, now of St. Louis. The winner of this years season will be on the cover of November 2020s issue. The magazine features exclusive photos, information, and artwork about the Local Ambition series, as well as photos taken by local photographers who attend Always Late TV Photo Meetups throughout St. Louis. This Sunday, Aug. 30, Always Late TV hosts such a meetup from noon to 4 p.m. at the Worlds Fair Pavilion at St. Louis Forest Park, 5595 Grand Drive. Everyone who comes to the meetup can network with one another and, if theyre interested, they can submit photos from the event, to us, to be considered for publication in this Novembers magazine, Edwards said. Guests can create their own fantasy inspired looks and bring them to this special photo meetup event. Local Ambition magazine is professionally printed and distributed with more than 100 full-color pages and available for purchase at www.alwayslatetv.com, sold through MagCloud.com, available in digital and print. The Local Ambition web series is for mature audiences and is available worldwide at www.alwayslatetv.com. Visit www.alwayslatetv.com, Facebook.com/localambition or email alwayslatetvcasting@gmail.com for more information. She has always been one to defy age when it comes to her looks. And on Thursday, 54-year-old veteran A-list actress turned director Halle Berry was absolutely radiant as she posted a stunning topless selfie to her Instagram. The Oscar-winning star was the picture of elegance and resilience as she posed shirtless in a pair of cream pants. Self-love: Halle Berry, 54, defies age in a topless selfie posted to Instagram on Thursday. The A-list actress posed in a pair of cream pants as she cusped her torso Sitting with her legs crossed on the ground, Halle gracefully hugged her torso as she covered her breasts with her toned arms. Her caramel locks shielded her face as she turned away from the camera letting her stunning body speak for itself as she showed off for 6.5M followers. The red carpet icon was feeling herself with good reason, as she captioned the image, 'Self-love is never selfish.' Nothin' but a number: Berry hardly looks her age as the stunner turned 54 last week. She posted a youthful photo of herself on a skateboard to commemorate the occasion Tangerine dream: Halle strolled on the beach in front of her Malibu mansion as she shows off her incredible physique Despite quarantine and being a mother to two, Nahla, 12, and Maceo, 6, Halle Berry has managed to balance an active couple months with poise and youthful ease. The Catwoman star who celebrated her 54th birthday a week ago, has been dedicated to her fitness, doing photoshoots, and preparing for the release of her directorial debut, Bruised. On her downtime, she has been taking advantage of the beach in front of her Malibu mansion, spending a lot of time exercising with her trainer Peter Lee Thompson. Despite leading a beautiful life, Berry has recently been dragged back into legal territory. Fitness Fridays: The actress trains her incredible body on the beach with her trainer Peter Lee Thompson a few times a week Feeling herself: Berry posted another sultry selfie to her Instagram a few weeks ago. 'She comes in colors' the actress wrote as she quoted the Rolling Stones song, She's a Rainbow Breaking ties: Halle and her ex Olivier finalized their divorce in 2016, apparently a proper custody agreement was never set into motion when it comes to their six-year-old son, Maceo Though Halle and her ex Olivier Martinez finalized their divorce in 2016, apparently a proper custody agreement was never set into motion when it comes to their six-year-old son, Maceo. Halle opted to tackle this matter without representation after her previous attorney signed off on her request on August 12. Her film Bruised drops September 12 at the Toronto International Film Festival. The MMA-centric drama is the first feature where Halle will be both acting and directing. The police in Andhra Pradeshs Guntur district on Thursday busted an Aadhaar manipulation racket and arrested eight persons, including two belonging to Aadhaar centre who were involved in it. Guntur (urban) superintendent of police R N Ammi Reddy said the accused had indulged in forgery of signatures of gazetted officers to prepare fake birth certificates of people and use them to obtain Aadhaar cards for securing benefits of government schemes. Reddy said the accused had lured gullible women by promising them monetary benefits under government schemes like YSR Cheyutha and YSR pension schemes. Under YSR Cheyutha scheme, financial support of 17,500 per year would be extended to women aged between 45 and 60 years for a period of four years so as to encourage them to become small entrepreneurs. Under YSR pension scheme, women above 60 years would get a pension of 2,250 per month. Taking advantage of the YSR Cheyutha scheme, the gang members lured women in the age group of 35 making them eligible for the scheme by manipulating their Aadhaar data, changing their age to above 45 years, the SP said. Similarly, the gang manipulated the Aadhaar cards of some other women in the age group of 50-59 years to show their age as above 60 years so that they would become eligible for the YSR Pension scheme. Reddy said the gang created stamps in the name of some gazetted officers and issued fake birth certificates to these women. Later, the gang uploaded these certificates along with the Aadhaar data updating request forms so that they would get fresh Aadhaar cards. This way, the gang tampered with the data of at least 500 women using fake age and address proofs. The gang members collected between 3,000 and 5,000 from each woman, the SP said. The arrested A Tirupathi Reddy, A Sai, Shaik Khaza, R Sai Seshu, A Sai Kumar, N Sivannarayana, G Venkata Nagi Reddy and P Durgaprasad were booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and sent in judicial remand for 14 days. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Stranded Australians would be evacuated from overseas and placed into quarantine in facilities in remote areas of Australia under rescue missions being drawn up by the Morrison government. At least three federal government departments are working on a large-scale plan to bring back Australians who urgently need to fly home and have been blocked by strict caps on international arrivals. The government could rely on airlines such as Qantas to get stranded Australians home. Credit:Kate Geraghty It can also be revealed desperate Australians who are trying to get back to the country are being coached by government officials to start GoFundMe-style crowdfunding campaigns if they are running out of money, as international travel has ground to a near halt during the coronavirus pandemic. The rescue plan is not imminent, but it is being worked on to respond to a range of scenarios including if a country started deporting Australians because they had cancelled their visas and wouldn't renew them. Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-28 01:00:56|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BUDAPEST, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- A Hungarian driver was arrested on the highway en route towards Austria for carrying 24 illegal migrants on his truck, the Hungarian news agency MTI reported on Thursday. "Hungarian police stopped a truck on the M1 motorway in the Gyor area on Thursday morning in a coordinated action covering four counties," MTI quoted a statement from the local police in western Hungary. Most of the migrants onboard are believed to be Syrian and Afghan nationals, according to the statement. "As the passengers of the vehicle could not prove the legality of their stay in Hungary and their identity in a credible way, the police arrested the driver and the foreigners," said the statement. After interrogation, illegal migrants will be escorted back to the southern border of Hungary in accordance with the Hungarian legislation, and proceedings will be initiated against the driver for human trafficking, the statement concluded. After the 2015 migrant crisis, the Hungarian government had a fence built along the southern border of the country to stop the flow of refugees. Enditem US President Donald Trump "is no hawk" and he believes in seeking peace instead of perpetual conflict, a top national security official from the White House told Americans Wednesday as he urged them to re-elect him in the November presidential election. "President Trump challenged, and continues to challenge, an increasingly provocative and militant China. But make no mistake, President Trump is no hawk, Lt Gen (retired) Joseph Keith Kellogg Jr., who is the National Security Advisor to Vice President Mike Pence, said in his address to the Republican National Convention. "He wisely wields the sword when required, but believes in seeking peace instead of perpetual conflict, Kellogg said in his address on the third day of the convention. The Republican National Convention will on Thursday formally re-nominate President Donald Trump as its candidate for the November 3 presidential election. President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence will be challenged by the Democratic Party's presidential nominee Joe Biden and his Indian-American running mate Senator Kamala Harris. In his remarks, Kellogg said that just over a week ago, Trump brokered a peace agreement between the United Arab Emirates and Israel, the first in the Middle East in over 25 years. And this week, Afghan negotiators, with help from American officials, will start peace negotiations between the Taliban and the Afghan government to end America's longest war, he said. "Ask yourself, has this President kept his promises...to keep us out of needless conflicts and to pursue ending wars without end? Has he defended your interests in renegotiating trade deals that previously hurt Americans and our national security? Has he fulfilled his Commander in Chief role by decisively going after our Nation's enemies? You and I know, the answer is yes, Kellogg said. The choice is clear, he said. This is the most important election of our lifetime. The next four years will decide the course of our country for decades to come. I am asking you to stand up and be counted, so we never have to look back and recall what it was once like in America when men and women were free, our families were secure -- and we had a President who served the people, he said. Over the past three-and-a-half years, Kellogg said, he has witnessed every major foreign policy and national security decision by the President. I have been in the room where it happened. I saw only one agenda and one guiding question when tough calls had to be madeis this decision right for America? he said. When President Donald Trump took office, decades of failed foreign policy had crippled us. He faced wars without end in sight, creation of failed states like Libya and Syria, a past that allowed a terrorist caliphate to grow, and leadership in Washington that allowed our military to atrophy while we spent trillions of dollars abroad instead of investing at home, he said. Kellogg said that Trump has reversed the decline of military and restructured national security strategy. With historic investment and vision, the military is now better equipped, better resourced and better manned than any military in the world, he asserted. President Trump demolished the terrorist ISIS Caliphate in the Middle East and eliminated its leader, al-Baghdadi, one of the world's most brutal murderers, he said. Trump took decisive action against Iranian terrorist mastermind Qasim Soleimani -- a man responsible for the deaths of hundreds of American servicemen in Iraq, he added. When our NATO allies failed to meet their commitments as we upheld ours, President Trump demanded parity. NATO members have now increased their contributions over USD 100 Billion this year and NATO's Secretary General creditsPresident Donald J. Trump, Kellogg said. BANGALORE, India, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The global smart mobility market size was USD 34.04 Billion in 2019 and is projected to reach USD 70.46 Billion by 2027, registering a 20.2% CAGR. The major factors driving the Smart Mobility Market size are technological advancements to improve the consumer experience, growing government initiatives and PPP models for smart transportation, rising urbanization, and increasing adoption of IoT and automation technologies to enhance technical optimization. View Full Report: https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/ALLI-Manu-2B32/smart-mobility COVID-19 IMPACT ON SMART MOBILITY MARKET The increase in the number of COVID-19 cases has caused a big blow to the transport industry. With most governments implementing isolation policies, the transportation sector is suffering a drastic decline. Governments are taking many steps to face up to the challenges. All kinds of toll and fare collections have been stopped in countries, such as China and the US. China is now introducing a tariff-free, no-stop, no-check scheme for vehicles carrying emergency supplies. This measure might ease the burden of logistics companies and would ensure the timely delivery of supplies. Get Detailed Analysis of COVID-19 Impact on Smart Mobility Market: https://reports.valuates.com/request/sample/ALLI-Manu-2B32/Smart_Mobility_Market TRENDS INFLUENCING THE SMART MOBILITY MARKET SIZE Technological advancements in the areas of IoT and high-performance networking are expected to fuel the growth of smart mobility market size. Rapid developments in these fields have, in recent years, allowed improved communication of artifacts, resulting in the creation of smarter ecosystems. With current advances, smart networking and control systems are expected to become increasingly intelligent and self-governing. Transportation services can gather data from various channels and exchange it with a single control center using the cloud. Increased autonomous vehicle performance and its growing adoption are expected to create lucrative business growth opportunities. The introduction of autonomous vehicles is essential to the development of the smart mobility market, as such vehicles do not need drivers, which will result in a decrease in costs for mobility service providers. Smart mobility will gradually be a factor in customer preference and how they travel. The value of smart mobility offering is expected to fundamentally change the existing modal difference between various transport options. The autonomous road transport would probably serve as a catalyst in this context, bringing smart mobility solutions to the mainstream. Inquire for Regional Report: https://reports.valuates.com/request/regional/ALLI-Manu-2B32/Smart_Mobility_Market SMART MOBILITY MARKET SHARE ANALYSIS Based on technology, the RFID segment is expected to hold a significant share in the smart mobility market due to its functionality in traffic control capabilities. Furthermore, RFID receives data from various signal control systems and sends it to the data center, helping to develop more reliable traffic tracking and prediction software. Europe is expected to hold the largest smart mobility market share based on the region during the forecast period. This dominance of Europe is attributed to its technology adoption and infrastructure development. TOP COMPANIES IN THE SMART MOBILITY MARKET To succeed in the smart mobility market, businesses will need to position themselves quickly and create products that integrate not just short-term developments but also a long-term market perspective. As the market matures, consumers will want integrated solutions that combine travel services with ancillary services categories. On the one hand, significant market potential and a plethora of possible smart mobility services emphasize the importance of the right service mix to maximize profitability. Top companies in the smart mobility market discussed in this report are Cisco, Excelfore Corporation, Ford Motor Company, Innoviz Technologies. Inc., MAAS Global Oy, QuaLiX Information System, Robert Bosch GmbH, Siemens, TomTom International, Toyota Motor Corporation Others. KEY BENEFITS FOR STAKEHOLDERS This study presents an analytical depiction of the global smart mobility market analysis along with the current trends and future estimations to depict imminent investment pockets. The overall smart mobility market opportunity is determined by understanding profitable trends to gain a stronger foothold. The report presents information related to the key drivers, restraints, and opportunities of the global smart mobility market with a detailed impact analysis. The current smart mobility market is quantitatively analyzed from 2019 to 2027 to benchmark the financial competency. Porter's five forces analysis illustrates the potency of the buyers and suppliers in the industry. KEY MARKET SEGMENTS BY ELEMENT Bike Commuting Car Sharing Ride Sharing. BY SOLUTION Traffic Management Parking Management Mobility Management Others. BY TECHNOLOGY 3G & 4G Wi-Fi GPS RFID Embedded system Others. Buy Now for Single User: https://reports.valuates.com/api/directpaytoken?rcode=ALLI-Manu-2B32&lic=single-user Buy Now for Enterprise License: https://reports.valuates.com/api/directpaytoken?rcode=ALLI-Manu-2B32&lic=enterprise-license SIMILAR REPORTS : Traffic Management Systems Market Report In 2019, the global Traffic Management Systems market size was USD 1785.9 Million, and it is expected to reach USD 3307.7 Million by the end of 2026, with a CAGR of 9.1% during 2021-2026. From 2010 to 2014, due to the intellectualization of traffic management systems, the global traffic management systems industry developed fast with a 13.5 - 17.5% growth rate. China's traffic management systems industry has experienced explosive growth, with an average growth rate of 20%. View Full Report: https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/QYRE-Othe-3W214/traffic-management-systems Parking Management Market Report The key growth drivers for the parking management market size include an increasing emphasis on smooth traffic flow, a decrease in fuel consumption, and a rise in sales of motor vehicles. North America is projected to hold the largest Parking Management Market share during the forecast period due to large-scale investment in the implementation of parking management solutions. The US and Canada have been extensively introducing parking management solutions with the increasing use of mobile apps, as well as increasing emphasis on managing traffic congestion. View Full Report: https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/QYRE-Othe-0V295/parking-management Bike Sharing Market Report The global Bike Sharing market size is projected to reach USD 1591.6 Million by 2026, from USD 1365.5 Million in 2020 View Full Report: https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/QYRE-Othe-2H338/bike-sharing Car-Sharing Market Report The global car-sharing market size was 33.5 Billion USD in 2018 and will reach 103 Billion USD in 2025, with a CAGR of 17.2% during the forecast period. This report focuses on the global Car-Sharing market size, future forecast, growth opportunity, key market, and key players. The study objectives are to present the Car-Sharing development in the United States, Europe, China, Japan, Southeast Asia, India, Central & South America, and Other Regions. View Full Report: https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/QYRE-Othe-1A197/global-car-sharing Ride-Sharing Market Report In 2018, the global Ride Sharing market size was 24400 Million USD, and it is expected to reach 103600 million USD by the end of 2025, with a CAGR of 19.8% between 2019 and 2025. View Full Report: https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/QYRE-Auto-28R2152/global-ride-sharing Mobility as a Service (MaaS) Market Report The Global Mobility as a Service (MaaS) market size will reach 230400 Million USD by 2025, from 43440 million USD in 2019, at a CAGR of 32.6% during the forecast period 2020-2026 View Full Report: https://reports.valuates.com/market-reports/QYRE-Auto-33X48/global-mobility-as-a-service-maas ABOUT US: Valuates offers in-depth market insights into various industries. Our extensive report repository is constantly updated to meet your changing industry analysis needs. Our team of market analysts can help you select the best report covering your industry. We understand your niche region-specific requirements and that's why we offer customization of reports. With our customization in place, you can request for any particular information from a report that meets your market analysis needs. To achieve a consistent view of the market, data is gathered from various primary and secondary sources, at each step, data triangulation methodologies are applied to reduce deviance and find a consistent view of the market. Each sample we share contains detail research methodology employed to generate the report, Please also reach to our sales team to get the complete list of our data sources CONTACT US: Valuates Reports [email protected] For U.S. Toll-Free Call +1-(315)-215-3225 For IST Call +91-8040957137 WhatsApp : +91-9945648335 Website: https://reports.valuates.com Twitter - https://twitter.com/valuatesreports Linkedin - https://in.linkedin.com/company/valuatesreports Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/valuatesreports SOURCE Valuates Reports Teen arrested after 2 are killed amid protests in Wisconsin over police shooting of Jacob Blake James Pride needed help to pay rent on his Lebanon apartment. His landlord, Morgan Properties, told him it wont take part in the state's rental assistance program. Read more Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free weekly newsletter. HARRISBURG It wasnt until the summer, after leaving his job as a drug treatment counselor, that James Pride began to fall behind on rent. Pride, 61, has a chronic lung condition and the risk of getting sick at work was too high. A state program to help people struggling to pay rent because of the coronavirus pandemic seemed like the lifeline he needed. The money wouldnt cover all of his rent, but he hoped it would be enough to stave off an eviction filing. Pride printed off the forms, filled them out, and left the ones his landlord needed to complete at the office of his residential complex in Lebanon. The next day, he said, he got a call from the property manager. His landlord Morgan Properties, which describes itself as the largest apartment owner in Pennsylvania was not taking part in the program. That just took the life out of me, Pride said. Were drowning and Morgan Properties is like, We dont care. The company was not alone in its decision. A Spotlight PA review found that Pennsylvanias primary effort to help renters pay their bills and avoid losing their homes was severely flawed from the start. As a result, many tenants across the state have been left in a perilous position as the statewide ban on evictions is set to expire. So many landlords have refused to take part in the rental assistance program that the state agency overseeing it has been calling for sweeping changes ever since it launched in early July. Despite those requests, the legislature largely on summer break has not fixed it. Renters cannot get aid without their landlords participation and the amount each applicant can receive is capped at $750 per month. In some parts of the state, thats not enough to cover even half of someones rent, and landlords cannot ask renters to make up the difference. If landlords take the money, they cant file for eviction until at least 60 days after the last payment. As a result, many decided the program wasnt worth it. In Philadelphia, for instance, two-thirds of the more than 10,000 applications submitted so far cannot move forward because they come from tenants whose landlords will not participate. Even when landlords do agree to take part, a convoluted application process and burdensome paperwork requirements mean that many applications arrive incomplete and can take weeks to finalize. The money is being paid out so slowly that some local officials worry they wont have enough applications by the Sept. 30 deadline to use up all the funding allocated. The challenges that were built into the program administratively, from the legislation, have made it really hard to drive out the level of assistance we had initially expected, said Bryce Maretzki, director of policy and planning at the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency. The failures of the rental assistance program took on new urgency Monday when Gov. Tom Wolf in a surprise move said he does not have the legal authority to extend the eviction ban for a third time. That means the current moratorium will expire Aug. 31. Housing advocates warn that the end of the ban will bring a wave of evictions that will jeopardize public health, displace families at the start of a new school year, and risk leaving thousands of people homeless, with communities of color hit the hardest. Almost 400,000 households in Pennsylvania were not able to pay rent during the third week of July, data from a Census Bureau survey show. An estimated 15% of tenants had no confidence in their ability to pay next months rent. Some tenants are already receiving letters warning them they will face eviction come September. On Monday, Wolf said the rental assistance program has serious defects and urged lawmakers to address them immediately. The legislature has been largely absent from Harrisburg since mid-July and isnt expected to fully reconvene until September. It hasnt been working, said Sen. Vincent Hughes (D., Philadelphia), who helped write the legislation that created the program. Some people have gotten help, a lot of folks have not, and so weve got to go back to the drawing board and try to come up with something better. Pride said he was eventually able to get financial help from a local community organization, which covered almost one months rent. The state program, by contrast, would have provided six months of assistance. With a maximum of $750 available per month, though, it would have covered only about 60% of his rent. From a business perspective, Pride said, he could understand his landlords decision. But in these times, I dont agree with it, he added. Everyone has to give a little for all of us to survive this and theyre giving nothing. Morgan Properties, which is headquartered in King of Prussia and owns more than 50 apartment complexes across the state, declined to comment. In May, the company announced it would donate $5 for every on-time rental payment to local hospitals and food banks. The goal is simple: to help those most in need, said one email to tenants. I thought that was crazy, Pride said. Like, why wouldnt you try to help the tenants that are here? Flawed from the start The rental assistance program, funded with $150 million Pennsylvania received from the federal CARES Act, was meant to be a win-win for landlords and tenants. Landlords would be able to recoup some of the income they had lost as tenants struggled to pay rent. Tenants would be spared the trauma of being evicted during a pandemic, at a time when business shutdowns to slow the spread of the virus have caused unemployment to skyrocket. With limited funding available, lawmakers decided to cap the amount each applicant could receive. The $750 figure was calculated by using a federal formula to determine the average rent for a two-bedroom apartment and then reducing it by about 10%, according to a legislative source familiar with the process. But the $750 cap failed to take into account regional variations in rent, giving landlords in some parts of the state little incentive to participate. The programs rules say landlords who accept assistance payments must waive their right to collect the rest of the rent, even if the state aid doesnt cover the full amount. As a result, taking part in the program would require many landlords to take a major loss, said Rita Dallago, executive director of the Pennsylvania Residential Owners Association, which represents more than 7,000 landlords across the state. We really thought that it was going to help the tenants cover a major part, if not all, of their rent, but as its written that is not the case, she said. Staff at the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency, which is overseeing the program, knew there were problems almost immediately. Just three days after the program began taking applications, executive director Robin Wiessmann noted in a memo, sent to legislative leaders in both chambers, that the underlying law significantly limits timely, effective implementation and precludes the legislatively approved assistance from having the impact that is intended. In Lancaster County, about 65% of applicants pay more than $750 in rent each month, and landlords refusing to take part is an everyday problem, said Matthew Sternberg, executive director of the county redevelopment authority, which is processing applications locally. Theres a possibility that a good amount of funding will end up getting left on the table unless some of these issues are fixed, he said. Another problem: The funding formula doesn't take into account household size, putting families with children at a disadvantage. Dianne Washington lives in Lancaster with her two children, ages 10 and 4. Shes waiting to hear about her application. Even with a three-bedroom apartment, she qualifies for only $750 in assistance the same amount she would receive if she lived alone in a smaller apartment. After the virus struck, her hours as a cook at a nursing home were cut and the hotel where she worked part time as a bartender closed, she said. Washington said she has been paying what she can each month but keeps racking up late fees that make it difficult to catch up. She lets other bills slide to focus on keeping up with the rent, she said, robbing Peter to pay Paul. Overwhelmed with paperwork, left in limbo The lack of landlord participation isnt the only problem with the rental assistance program. Tenants also have to contend with a complicated application process, onerous documentation requirements, and the inevitable bureaucratic hiccups of a program rolled out in a hurry. In an effort to make sure that assistance payments went to those most in need, the legislation contains strict eligibility criteria. To qualify, renters must have filed for unemployment since March 1, or have lost more than 30% of their income documented with pay stubs and tax returns. They also cant earn more than the median income for their county. Getting all the paperwork, making sure that folks qualify, just the constant back-and-forth takes up a great deal of time, said Jessica Hajek-Bates, a director at Blueprints, the local group processing applications in Washington County. The organization has received almost 200 applications so far. But only about 30% of those have been approved or denied, she said. Most are still in administrative limbo, as staff work with applicants to verify their eligibility, collect the right documents, and make sure all the details match up. In Philadelphia, the combination of low landlord participation and the challenge of standing up a new program so quickly has created serious delays. Almost two months in, no money has actually been paid out. The first payments should go out within the next two weeks, said Gregory Heller, senior vice president of community development at the Philadelphia Housing Development Corporation. That means the money may not start flowing until after the eviction ban has lifted. The agency hopes landlords who have applications pending will hold off on filing for eviction, Heller said. Tiesha Edwards, who lives in Northeast Philadelphia, is counting on the assistance payments to be able to stay in her apartment. Edwards, 35, said she fell behind on rent after she lost her job as a home health aide in April. She gave up a part-time job as a Lyft driver, scared of bringing the virus home to her 2-year-old. Edwards said she applied for the program in early July, the day after it launched, and has been waiting to hear something for almost two months. Sometimes I just feel like shutting down from everybody, she said. I dont know when theres ever going to be a light at the end of the tunnel. Calls for improvements too late for some In light of the programs shortcomings, the governor is calling for major changes. Among them: eliminating the $750 cap in favor of a more flexible standard that would vary from region to region; scrapping a requirement that tenants must be at least 30 days behind on rent to qualify; and allowing landlords and tenants to enter into payment plans for any rent still owed, as well as giving landlords and tenants more time to apply. Without these urgently needed changes, payment assistance is not reaching residents who badly need it and these funds will ultimately be returned to the federal government at the end of the year, Wolf wrote in a letter to lawmakers Monday. A temporary, statewide ban on evictions has been in place since March, the result of a state Supreme Court order and Wolf's executive actions. On Monday, Wolf said he did not have the legal authority to extend the ban further but urged the Republican-controlled legislature to act immediately to continue the eviction protections. In a statement Tuesday, a spokesperson for the House Republican majority criticized Wolf for passing the buck to lawmakers. Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman (R., Centre) slammed Wolfs about-face on the issue, saying it was the first time his caucus had heard about the need for emergency legislation. (A spokesperson for Wolf said Monday was not the first time the governor had raised this issue with members of the legislature.) Both left open the possibility of extending the eviction protections, though time is running out. Sen. Joe Pittman (R., Indiana), the chair of the Senate Urban Affairs and Housing Committee, said he was well aware of the issues with the rental assistance program and had spoken to staff at the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency about legislative changes in July. A hearing on the issue originally set for Aug. 12 had to be rescheduled for early September, he said. Asked whether that would come too late, Pittman said making changes to the program was not characterized as a tie-in to the moratorium. In Allegheny County, local officials realized almost immediately that the state assistance wouldnt be enough, said Lance Chimka, the countys director of economic development. On top of the $750 in rental assistance available through the state program, the county is offering another $750, paid for by CARES Act funding the county received directly from the federal government, plus an additional $200 to cover utilities, court costs, or late fees. The extra funding wasnt enough to convince every landlord, though. One tenant, who lives in a Morgan Properties apartment complex in Allegheny County and asked not to be named for fear of retaliation, said she had been told by several employees that the company was not taking part in the program. She received a 30-day eviction notice at the end of July. She was taken aback to hear that Allegheny County was offering extra funding enough to cover her entire monthly rent. It just defies all logic to me, she said. 100% ESSENTIAL: Spotlight PA relies on funding from foundations and readers like you who are committed to accountability journalism that gets results. If you value this reporting, please give a gift today at spotlightpa.org/donate. When mom-to-be has COVID-19: UB neonatologists paper sets best delivery room practices for health care team Setting up of a birthing room for a patient with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 undergoing labor and delivery. A negative pressure room is preferred with limited number of providers in the room to limit exposure. Additional personnel may be outside the room and be available if extensive neonatal resuscitation is needed. (PAPR: powered air-purifying respirator.) Image Courtesy: Satyan Lakshminrusimha Step-by-step strategies outlined in paper, podcast and infographics on keeping childbirth safe during the pandemic are attracting attention worldwide Download photo of Praveen Chandrasekharan Both parents and physicians must have an understanding of the situation and take adequate precautions to prevent transmission of the disease to both newborn and health care providers. Praveen Chandrasekharan, MD, Assistant professor, Department of Pediatrics Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences BUFFALO, N.Y. Childbirth is an emotional event, filled with both excitement and apprehension. But when the mother-to-be tests positive for COVID-19, or is suspected of having the virus, the stakes get higher. Keeping mom, baby and the health care team as safe as possible adds another layer of concern for everyone involved. Taking steps to minimize risks becomes a priority. In a paper published online this past spring in the American Journal of Perinatology, a University at Buffalo faculty member and international co-authors have outlined the best approaches for handling the delivery of newborns in these cases. The paper, titled Neonatal Resuscitation and Post-resuscitation Care of Infants Born to Mothers with Suspected or Confirmed SARS-CoV-2 Infection, has attracted international attention. Since publication, it has been cited at least 38 times, notably in the European Resuscitation Council COVID-19 guidelines executive summary. Praveen Chandrasekharan, MD, assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at UB, authored the paper with colleagues from California, Italy and Spain. The paper includes easy-to-follow infographics created at the University of California Davis Childrens Hospital. Chandrasekharan discusses the research with his co-authors in a podcast. A video abstract of the article is also available. Chandrasekharan is a neonatologist with UBMD Pediatrics who focuses on neonatal resuscitation and practices at Oishei Childrens Hospital. He has research grants from the National Institutes of Health, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the National Resuscitation Program and the ZOLL Foundation. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it is unclear if pregnant women are at increased risk of contracting COVID-19 or if they are more at risk for developing severe illness if they do contract it. In addition, it remains uncertain whether a COVID-positive woman can transmit the disease to her unborn baby. Resuscitation in the delivery room with precautions to minimize risk to the infant. Appropriate PPE and maintaining at least 6-feet or 2-m distance from the mother with a barrier (curtain) in between is important. Alternatively, infant may be resuscitated in a separate room. (AAP: American Academy of Pediatrics; NRP: Neonatal Resuscitation Program; PAPR: powered air-purifying respirator.) Image Courtesy: Satyan Lakshminrusimha Risks to the infant and health care providers In any event, resuscitating a baby born to a mom suspected of, or positive for, COVID-19 poses risks to both the infant and health care providers. But early on in the pandemic, there was limited literature to direct neonatal teams to the best protocols to use in the delivery room. The importance of using personal protective equipment when resuscitating a newborn in the delivery room, and the concept of shared decision-making, are the most crucial aspects explained in our article, Chandrasekharan said. Both parents and physicians must have an understanding of the situation and take adequate precautions to prevent transmission of the disease to both newborn and health care providers. The options outlined in the article have been used to develop guidelines in different institutions; they have had an impact around the world. The paper makes four key points: The risk of transmission remains unclear. Transmission from family members and providers to neonates is possible. Optimal personal protective equipment (airborne vs. droplet/contact precautions) for providers is crucial to prevent transmission. Parents should be engaged in shared decision-making, with options for rooming in, skin-to-skin contact and breastfeeding. It is imperative to reduce rising fears and optimize strategies to reduce the spread of COVID-19 to neonates and healthcare workers, the paper states. The authors consulted with neonatologists from around the world, including China, Australia, New Zealand, India, Spain and Italy. Based on input and feedback from different institutions, we developed three approaches, with options for management to select based on available resources, Chandrasekharan said. Three levels of care The approaches to caring for at-risk neonates before birth, during delivery and after discharge include options that are stringent, moderate and more relaxed. Keeping the mother masked, ensuring there is proper personal protective equipment for health care workers and transporting the newborn in a covered isolette are elements of all three options. The three approaches provide flexibility and allow perinatal health care providers and parents to determine the best option based on the assessment of risks and benefits, available personnel, space, caseloads and resources, the paper states. The paper urges pre-delivery preparation involving in-depth assessment of the mothers health and the age of the fetus at the time of COVID-19 exposure and at delivery. Each approach offers specific guidance on various aspects of pre-, mid- and post-delivery care, including visitor policy during delivery; the location where neonatal resuscitation takes place; timing of cord clamping; skin-to-skin contact; placement of the infant after birth; COVID-19 testing of the infant; nutritional support; the visitation policy for the baby; discharge plan; and follow-up plans. The paper also includes suggested protocols for caring for babies who develop early onset (within the first week) or late onset (within the first three weeks) COVID-19 themselves. The paper notes that ideally each medical facility would have a dedicated team of health care providers to take care of COVID-positive or possible mothers-to-be. It encourages medical centers to arrange for additional delivery rooms and personnel, and to conduct simulated COVID-19-related deliveries to understand logistics, workflow, use of safety equipment and transition from delivery room to nursery or neonatal intensive care unit. While all of the cited precautions follow CDC guidelines that existed at the time of publication, the authors acknowledge that information about the novel coronavirus is constantly being updated; therefore, the best practices continue to evolve. Chandrasekharan said the biggest challenges for caring for these patients will occur when mom and newborn are sent home because of the fluctuating rates of community transmission. Co-authors on the article were Maximo Vento, MD, PhD, Division of Neonatology, University and Polytechnic Hospital La Fe, Valencia, Spain; Daniele Trevisanuto, MD, Department of Pediatrics, University-Hospital of Padova, Padova, Italy; Elizabeth Partridge, MD, MPH, and Jean Wiedeman, MD, PhD, Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Pediatrics, UC Davis; Mark A. Underwood, MD, and Satyan Lakshminrusimha, MD, Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, UC Davis; and Anup Katheria, MD. Media Contact Information Imperial Valley News Center President Donald J. Trump Is Protecting Americas Food Supply Chain and Ensuring No Family Goes Hungry Washington, DC - "From day one, my Administration has been determined to protect our Nations incredible farmers." ~ President Donald J. Trump PROMOTING FOOD SECURITY: President Donald J. Trump is taking bold actions to bolster Americas food supply amid the pandemic. President Trump is utilizing every resource at his disposal to reinforce the food supply chain through shutdowns caused by the invisible enemy. Facing unprecedented circumstances, President Trump took action to ensure the food supply chain remained safe, secure, and durable even as the rest of the country shut down. At the beginning of the pandemic, President Trump held a meeting with grocery store executives to ensure shelves would continue to be fully stocked with fresh food and goods. Thanks to President Trumps immediate action to identify the food supply chain as Essential Critical Infrastructure, grocery stores like Kroger kept their doors open throughout the pandemic. In the midst of shutdowns, President Trump used the Defense Production Act to ensure Americans had access to a stable supply of food, including beef, pork, and poultry. SUPPORTING AMERICANS IN NEED: President Trump is delivering food to millions of Americans through the Farmers to Families Food Box program. In response to the invisible enemy, President Trump swiftly launched the Farmers to Families Food Box program to aid farmers, redirecting their products through the supply chain to help feed American families. The Trump Administration is purchasing up to $3 billion of fresh American produce, dairy, and meat products for families in need. Today, the President announced that his Administration will provide an additional $1 billion for the Farmers to Families Food Box Program. Through this program, more than 70 million boxes have been delivered to over 10,000 food banks and non-profit organizations, and thousands of jobs have been saved or createdincluding more than 5,000 in the food distribution industry. Distributors are now prioritizing resources to send boxes to Opportunity Zones and areas most in need by providing relief to Americas most underserved communities. In addition, President Trump is including a letter that reinforces COVID-19 safety guidelines and how Americans can best protect themselves and their families. PROTECTING WORKERS AND CRITICAL INDUSTRY: President Trump is providing aid, guidance, and resources to our critical food industry workers amid the pandemic. JACKSON, Miss., Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- EastGroup Properties (NYSE: EGP) announced today that its Board of Directors approved a 5.3% increase in its quarterly dividend, raising it to $.79 per share from $.75 per share. The dividend is payable on October 15, 2020 to shareholders of record of Common Stock on September 30, 2020. This dividend is the 163rd consecutive quarterly distribution to EastGroup's shareholders and represents an annualized dividend rate of $3.16 per share. EastGroup has increased or maintained its dividend for 28 consecutive years. The Company has increased it 25 years over that period, including increases in each of the last nine years. EastGroup Properties, Inc. (NYSE: EGP), an S&P MidCap 400 company, is a self-administered equity real estate investment trust focused on the development, acquisition and operation of industrial properties in major Sunbelt markets throughout the United States with an emphasis in the states of Florida, Texas, Arizona, California and North Carolina. The Company's goal is to maximize shareholder value by being a leading provider in its markets of functional, flexible and quality business distribution space for location sensitive customers (primarily in the 15,000 to 70,000 square foot range). The Company's strategy for growth is based on ownership of premier distribution facilities generally clustered near major transportation features in supply-constrained submarkets. EastGroup's portfolio, including development projects and value-add acquisitions in lease-up and under construction, currently includes approximately 46 million square feet. EastGroup Properties, Inc. press releases are available at www.eastgroup.net. SOURCE EastGroup Properties Related Links http://www.eastgroup.net Widows wept beyond control in front of their children in the Upper East Region on Wednesday as some angry customers of the Gold Coast Fund Management heaped blame on President Akufo-Addo for a decision that has caused their investments to be locked away from 2018 to date. The angry depositors, dominated by pensioners wearing red headbands with scarlet ribbons tied to their wrists, voiced their tortures at a news conference held at Navrongo, capital of the Kassena-Nankana Municipality. A retired educationist, Dominic Atatoga, set the tone for the all-red gathering as he told the audience in his welcome address that the news conference had to be convened after it became clear that the powers that be were dodging us and silence was not going to help us. I deposited my money there so that I could be doing withdrawals little by little to take care of my children. I have been evicted with my children from the house we used to live in. I cant pay house rent. My husband died leaving me with the children to take care of. The money has been locked up for [two] years, accumulating interest. They dont want to give me my money. There is no work to do, Akombasam Awedana, speaking Kassem and Twi, narrated with tears in front of cameras. Another woman, Alice Bapuuroh, raged in a speech punctuated by sighs from the distressed-looking crowd. When two elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers. Why must we be those to suffer? Innocent widows. Innocent children. He (President Akufo-Addo) should be the one to have been wiping our tears. He shouldnt let innocent widows be crying. Innocent children cannot go to school because the little we have saved is lying somewhere we cannot reach, she said. Many pensioners have died; our thumbs will matter tomorrow aggrieved depositors The Chairman of the Aggrieved Customers of the Gold Coast Fund Management, John Brown Chiravira, delivered an emotional statement at the press confab that brought together heartbroken clients from both the Kassena-Nankana Municipality and the next-door Kassena-Nankana West District. Ghanaians will recall that the government revoked the license of Gold Coast Fund Management in October 2018, with the view to reform the financial sector. Depositors were assured of the safety of their monies and that the purpose of the financial sector reform was to clean up the system. The Security and Exchange Commission, through the Consolidated Bank, collected data and acknowledged receipt of claims and gave a contact number 0302963188. During the State of the Nation Address this year, the President emphatically stated that payments would be done soon. Leaders of the Aggrieved Customers of the Gold Coast Fund Management presenting a statement on Wednesday at Navrongo Given those almost two years now nothing has been heard so far, depositors who are mostly pensioners, businessmen and women are now financially distressed. Many pensioners have lost their lives because they could not meet the cost of medication and shelter. Many businesses have collapsed. According to the Alliance for Social Equity and Public Accountability (ASEPA), less than 5% of customers of Fund Management Companies have actually been paid, said the Chairman. Going further, the statement pointed out: If the above is true, why should 95% be left to suffer? 5% of 800,000 is 40,000. This represents the cream (elite) of society whose voices can be heard and need to be silenced for now. This is discriminatory. Remember, Mr President, you are under oath to do good to all manner of persons. The voiceless majority of 760,000 who do not matter today would matter tomorrow since they have thumbs on the 7th of December. Those who exited this world untimely for want of money to treat themselves will be witnesses in heaven and those gnashing their teeth now for the collapse of their businesses are silently appealing to the good Lord for revenge. The good book says, Vengeance is the Lords, and so be it. You were a serious advocate for human rights but baffled depositors to Akufo-Addo The statement the Chairman presented also highlighted a change the disappointed depositors said they had noticed in President Akufo-Addo. We can recall, Mr President, that you were a serious advocate for human and equal rights. But today, we are not seeing that advocacy in action. We think government can do better to salvage its image by paying us our monies, conveyed the statement. As the crowd chanted repeatedly inside an auditorium, We need our money now!, one of the disgruntled retirees, wearing a red hat, ran unexpectedly from his middle seat with an already-opened old book and held the book firmly above his head in display for the entire gathering to see. The National Pledge. I promise on my honour to be faithful and loyal to Ghana, my Motherland, he read out from an opened page in the book with flames of anger in his eyes. The literate participants in the hall recited the line unrehearsed with him as he read. Then, he asked, Is the President going by the Pledge of the nation? No! chorused the charged crowd. Not at all, a lone male voice added from a corner in the hall. A young man called Francis Bugase took over the stage subsequently, making it clear as the saddened crowd interjected his message throughout with a mantra of approval: We want to also add that, devoid of any political party that any of us belongs to, we have to put our money first. We need the money now. We want this message to get to the President today that we have our thumbs and it was these thumbs that voted him in the year 2016 and we are still keeping the thumbs. 7th December is coming. Whoever will pay our money is the person we are voting for! --starrfmonline Andrei Castravet reached an awkward, tentative truce with Charlie and Chuck Potthasthis wife Elizabeth Potthast Castravets brother and fatheron recent episodes of TLCs 90 Day Fiance: Happily Ever After after they nearly came to blows at a restaurant in Moldova. But in a new sneak peek of an upcoming episode, it looked like Andreis in-laws didnt move on as quickly as he might have liked. In the 90 Day Fiance preview, Elizabeths dad and brother spilled the beans about their fight with Andrei to Elizabeths mom, Pamela, and her sister, Jenn, both of whom had just arrived in Andreis home country for the couples second wedding. The family hatched a plan to meet up with Andreis longtime friend, Marcel, in order to find out the truth about Andreis pastand why he left his job as a police detective in Moldova to move to Ireland before marrying Elizabeth. Elizabeth Potthast Castravet and Andrei Castravet | Elizabeth Potthast Castravet via Instagram Chuck and Charlie told Elizabeths mom and sister about their argument with Andrei After their fight with Andrei, Chuck and Charlie half-heartedly accepted his apology. But they wasted no time in telling Jenn and Pamela about the argument after they arrived in Moldova. We actually got into it the other night at dinner, Elizabeths brother confessed. Admittedly leaving out a few details about his own behavior, Charlie explained that Andrei had been incensed by his and Chucks questions about his past. Hes like, Shut up or Ill take you outside, Charlie revealed to his shocked mom and sister. And then he starts telling Dad to shut up. Chuck chimed in, sharing that his son-in-law had even threatened to send him back to the U.S. and uninvite him from the wedding in Moldova. He told me to pack your effing bags and get the eff out of here, Chuck said. Charlie told 90 Day Fiance producers that he felt his mom and sister had a right to know the truth about how the trip had gone so far. I feel bad that were telling them this story right when they got here, but they need to know, Charlie argued. They need to know what happened, and they need to know the true Andrei. RELATED: 90 Day Fiance: Elizabeth and Andrei Answer Fan Questions about Botox, Going Shirtless, How They Fell in Love, and Andreis Command to Listen Double Jenn believed that Andrei was hiding something about his past Elizabeths sister immediately jumped to the same conclusions as Chuck and Charliei.e., that Andrei must be hiding something. Clearly, theres something that has happened or something that hes trying to hide, Jenn mused, with Chuck and Charlie nodding in agreement. He doesnt want us to find out. Elizabeths mom seemed genuinely stricken by the news of her son-in-laws behavior. She wondered aloud about Andreis sudden shift in attitude, especially because their first night with Andreis family had been so warm and welcoming. Yeah, because he was trying to be on his best behavior, Charlie snarked. Talking about Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, thats what we saw, Chuck agreed. Pamela said sadly, That does not seem like the Andrei that I know, so thats very disheartening. To 90 Day Fiance producers, Pamela admitted that she was extremely disappointed to learn about the argument. After all, shed been excited to attend the wedding and to see her granddaughter, Eleanor, be baptized in Andreis church. Now, she wasnt sure they should even go through with it. Were coming here for a wedding, Pamela pointed out. Its supposed to be a happy occasion. And Andrei is telling Charlie to shut the eff up and to go back the eff to America. I mean, who does that? RELATED: 90 Day Fiance: Fans Speculate That Elizabeth Potthasts Family Is Trying to Get Their Own Spinoff The family hatched a plan to unearth Andreis secret, once and for all Despite how badly it had already gone, Chuck and Charlie conspiratorially revealed that they werent ready to give up on finding out what Andrei might be hiding. They thought he might have gotten in trouble of some kind in his home country, or possibly at his job as a detectiveespecially because his next job in Ireland was as a bouncer, which seemed like a step down in his career. The pair also wondered if there might be another underlying reason for Andreis difficulty in landing a lucrative job in the U.S. Elizabeths brother was also concerned that Andrei might have had ulterior motives for getting involved with his sister in the first place. To that end, Charlie told Jenn and Pamela that he planned to meet Andreis friend, Marcel, for drinkswithout Andrei and Elizabeth, of coursein order to learn more about Andrei. He hoped alcohol would loosen his lips, so to speak. Jenn immediately agreed to the plan and wanted to come along too. For sure, Elizabeths sister said. I think we should feed him some drinks and get the truth. Chuck told 90 Day Fiance producers, Im really curious to find out why Marcel and Andrei moved to Ireland. He has a lot more to tell us. Given Andreis reaction to Charlie and Chucks previous probing of his past, its fair to say that he wouldnt be a big fan of their plan. And since the in-laws relationship was already on razor-thin ice, the aftermath would most likely be more than a little explosive. Three people have been arrested in Belfast as part of an investigation into Lithuanian organised crime groups involved in drug and human trafficking in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. It follows five searches in Belfast on Wednesday in a joint operation with judicial authorities and police in Lithuania and the Republic of Ireland. Two men, aged 40 and 44, and a 39-year old woman were arrested under the Misuse of Drugs Act and the woman was arrested on suspicion of being involved in human trafficking. The 44-year-old man was arrested via a European Arrest warrant. The 44-year-old man appeared at Belfast Magistrates Court on Wednesday while the 40-year-old man remains in custody. The woman has been released on bail, pending further enquiries. Detective Inspector Shaw said: The Organised Crime Group targeted is believed to be responsible for trafficking large quantities of heroin into Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. It is also believed that one of the members of this group, who is from Lithuania, is responsible for recruiting and trafficking people from Lithuania for drug trafficking and money laundering in Northern Ireland. The arrests and the seizure of cash and drugs-related paraphernalia would not have been possible without the close collaborative working of all the agencies involved." Since 2014, the PSNI has arrested 54 people with links to the group, who have appeared in court for drug offences linked to heroin. Detective Inspector Shaw said: In 2018 a joint investigation team (JIT) was set up between the Lithuanian authorities and the Police Service of Northern Ireland with financial and analytical support from Eurojust. Authorities in the Republic of Ireland also joined the JIT during this investigation. "The success of this operation, which involved a two and a half year investigation, would not have been possible without the close co-operation and sharing of information and evidence between the Lithuanian, Irish and Northern Irish authorities, as well Eurojusts support in facilitating the judicial cooperation between all the parties involved. "The success of this operation, which involved a two and a half year investigation, would not have been possible without the close co-operation and sharing of information and evidence between the Lithuanian, Irish and Northern Irish authorities, as well Eurojusts support in facilitating the judicial cooperation between all the parties involved. This was a highly complex operation which has proven that taking a collaborative approach can definitely bring about very positive outcomes." White Houses Mark Meadows Says He Reached out to Pelosi for Talks White House chief of staff Mark Meadows said Wednesday that his office reached out to the office of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) for federal stimulus legislation. I actually had my staff reach out again yesterday to Speaker Pelosis chief of staff, Meadows told Politico, adding that he hasnt received a response. Talks between Pelosi and the White House stalled earlier this month, with both sides accusing one another of refusing to make a deal. Democrats have sought a $3.4 trillion deal and Republicans proposed a $1 trillion deal, although Democrats said they would cut about $1 trillion from their proposal. Its really been Speaker Pelosi really driving this train as a conductor more so than really anybody, Meadows said. And I think privately she says she wants a deal and publicly she says she wants a deal, but when it comes to dealing with Republicans and the administration, we havent seen a lot of action. But Pelosis office told Politico that Meadows office didnt reach out for talks. Democrats have compromised in these negotiations, Pelosi spokesman Drew Hammill said in a statement. We offered to come down $1 trillion if the White House would come up $1 trillion. We welcome the White House back to the negotiating table but they must meet us halfway. In their talks earlier this month, the two parties differed on whether to extend the $600-per-week unemployment benefits authorized in Marchs CARES Act and whether to provide $1 trillion in federal funding to state and local governments. Republicans said they were not willing to pass a measure on the $1 trillion, with President Donald Trump saying it would be tantamount to bailing out poorly run jurisdictions. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), 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) Democrats in the Senate, for their part, said that Republicans are unwilling to make a compromise. I actually think there is going to be some motive to really get down to the brass tacks right after the Republican convention, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) told Politico. It was clear the White House, for some reason, they wanted to go into their convention blaming Democrats. Its not clear when the two parties will meet again to negotiate. Last week, Meadows said there is a desire to pass a skinny deal after House Democrats re-convened to vote on a U.S. Postal Service funding bill. Pelosi seemed open to supporting a smaller bill during an interview. Were willing to cut our bill in half to meet the needs right now, she said. Well take it up again in January. However, her spokesperson later said that it was in reference to a previous $2 trillion deal. The Senate is scheduled to return on Sept. 8, and the House will return on Sept. 14. On August 10, a derecho smacked into Iowa with the force of a Category Two hurricane, wrecking buildings and crops. As Lyz Lenz, an Iowa-based writer for CJR and others, wrote afterward for the Washington Post, national media barely covered the impact. Conservatives consternation over the new Cardi B single has gotten more attention than the Iowans left without power or food for what may be weeks, she wrote. And all this, as the pandemic continues to wreak havoc throughout the state. Yesterday, Lenz returned to the theme of overlapping crises in her regular column for the Cedar Rapids Gazette: in the absence of concerted government assistance following the derecho, Iowans have had to help each other, which has, in turn, increased the risk of COVID-19 transmission in the state. Neighbors were helping neighbors up close and unmaskedbreathing heavily, wiping sweat as we cut down trees and handed out food, she wrote. Its hard to think about social distancing when lifting a giant oak off your roof, but COVID hasnt gone away just because we want to come together. Lenz noted, too, that both the storm and the pandemic have hit communities of color hardest. On August 15, a lightning siege in California set swathes of the state ablaze. The fires have since burned through more than a million acres, killing at least seven people; earlier this week, two of the fires became the second- and third-biggest in Californias modern history, trailing only the Mendocino Complex fire, in 2018. Local outlets have covered the fires aggressively; national outlets have covered them, too, though on the whole, they havent really found a sustained grip in the news cycle. (As of this morning, the fires were either invisible or hard to spot on the homepages of many major outlets, several of which led, instead, with banner headlines parroting lines from the Republican convention.) As with the derecho, the pandemic has made responding to the fires harder. Displaced locals have slept in tents and cars to avoid friends places and crowded shelters, and a respiratory illness and relentless smoke make for a noxious combination. As the San Francisco Chronicles Erin Allday reports, the firefighters tackling the blazes arent easily able to socially distance or wear masks. Typically, California relies on prison labor to fight fires. This year, virus outbreaks have kept many inmates away from the frontlines. ICYMI: Journalisms Gates keepers Overnight, Hurricane Laura made landfall in Louisiana as a Category-Four storm, with wind speeds topping 150 miles per hour. Ahead of time, the National Hurricane Center warned of an unsurvivable storm surge, and residents along the Louisiana and Texas coastlines have been ordered to evacuate. Officials in both states are trying to house evacuees in hotel rooms instead of in large communal sheltersan effort to slow viral spread that, according to the Texas Tribune, has already hit logistical hurdles. Communities of color in low-lying places like Port Arthur, Texas, were bracing to be hit especially hard by the storm. The economic fallout of COVID-19, of course, has broadened the burden of such pressures. Taken together, these weather events represent a cascade of mutually-compounding crises: natural disasters, made worse (in the case of the fires, certainly, and possibly in the case of the hurricane, too) by climate change and harder to combat by the pandemic, in ways that have disproportionately impacted Black and other people of color due to the pervasive, intertwined legacies of racism and poverty. The news media finds such complexity disorienting at the best of times, which these are not: 2020 has spat out an ever-accelerating fusillade of bleak news, while simultaneously depleting newsroom resources and consigning many journalists to their couches. Reporters, especially on the local level, have worked tirelessly to situate the recent disasters in this broader context, even as they themselves have had to deal with evacuation orders, power outages, and exhaustion. Others appear to have thrown up their hands and decided that its easier to cover the conventions instead. Sign up for CJR 's daily email We all want 2020 to end already. In the meantime, we should try and treat the slew of disaster stories not as separate balls to be juggledan impossible task to perform without dropping one or twobut as a connected lattice, through which we can pull and combine multiple urgent threads at once. Hurricane Laura is an opportunity to vividly illustrate what systemic racism looks like in practice. The fires in California are an opportunity to put the climate crisis back on the radar of news consumers in a year that has, sadly, seen it superseded as a top priority, as well as an opening to assess the ramifications of mass incarceration. The derecho is an opportunity to cover agricultural issues and food security. All three stories could refocus attention on the ongoing local effects of the pandemic. None of these opportunities is welcome, of course. But that doesnt mean we shouldnt take them. In communicating these connections to news consumers, its essential that we acknowledge that these converging crises dont just represent a confluence of misfortune; their devastating impact is a legacy, too, of chronic mismanagement, underinvestment, and government neglect. Those failures persist in an ecosystem that includes the news media; its our job, after all, to shine a light on them. After the derecho, Zack Kucharski, the executive editor of the Cedar Rapids Gazette, told Lenz that he normally doesnt care when the national press neglects Iowa, but this time, its concerning, especially because there seems to be a correlation between attention and recovery dollars. Local outlets like the Gazette, Kucharski added, cant cry for help all on their own. Were still focused on being able to get out of our homes, he said. Below, more on overlapping crises: Other notable stories: ICYMI: Jacob Blake, Breonna Taylor, and the arbitrariness of the police-shooting news cycle Update: This post has been updated to remove a misleading reference to New Orleans. Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today Jon Allsop is a freelance journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Review of Books, Foreign Policy, and The Nation, among other outlets. He writes CJRs newsletter The Media Today. Find him on Twitter @Jon_Allsop. When Humble ISD became the first Harris County school district to bring back large numbers of students for in-person instruction this week, it did so against the recommendations of Harris County public health officials, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics. It is important to consider community transmission risk as schools reopen, the CDCs school reopening guidance says. Computer simulations from Europe have suggested that school re-openings may further increase transmission risk in communities where transmission is already high. The American Academy of Pediatrics updated its guidance to note that children older than 10 may spread COVID-19 as efficiently as adults and many schools where the virus is widespread will need to adopt virtual lessons. According to the Harris County Public Health color-coded threat level system, schools should not be open for any in-person activities at COVID-19 Level Red, when there are more than 400 new cases a day. All of Harris County is now at level Red. There were 784 new cases in the county on Monday, 881 on Tuesday and 906 on Wednesday. No districts should be open, Dr. Umair Shah, Harris County Public Health Executive Director, told the editorial board. Weve made it clear that right now community transmission is uncontrolled. Opening campuses to in-person learning could put students, parents, teachers and others who work in schools at significant risk of getting sick and increase the virus spread locally. This editorial board has urged school districts to move slowly in reopening campuses and to heed health experts in making decisions about when to begin in-person instruction. We do so again. Districts that have already welcomed students back to campus must be prepared to quickly regroup if community transmission remains high. In the meantime, they shouldnt abandon those students whose parents have taken the prudent step of keeping them at home. That wouldnt just be unfair to those learning virtually now, its short-sighted for those who may need the option in the future. Schools need to have quality virtual instruction up and running if and when an outbreak occurs on campus. Its encouraging that many local school districts are proceeding with caution. Houston ISD, for example, starts online classes on Sept. 8, but is not scheduled to begin in-person learning until Oct. 19. In Aldine ISD, where virtual classes started on Aug. 17, in-person instruction is tentatively set to begin on Sept. 14. We dont believe there has been a significant change that would allow us to move to in-person instruction, Aldine ISD spokeswoman Sheleah Reed said. Thats why its so concerning that other districts, including Humble, have rejected the guidance by county health officials. Ten local superintendents, including Humbles Elizabeth Fagen, wrote Shah to say the countys guidance would shutter campuses too long and deny students valuable in-person class time. Humble ISD spokesperson Jamie Mount said the letter was signed after the superintendents concerns were not reflected in the county plan. They asked, for instance, for the county to differentiate between different areas of the county, which have varying levels of infection. Superintendents, their staffs, their communities, and their boards must consider the entire picture, Fagen said in the statement. Exactly. And heres the entire picture: no city in Harris County is an island. Communities exist side-by-side. We share the same hospital system and contact-tracing teams. We stray from our neighborhoods to work and shop. As health officials clearly state on the countys website: Hotspots anywhere in Harris County impact our ability to manage the viruss impact everywhere. School superintendents do have enormous responsibilities, and balancing often competing priorities that affect children is never simple. But we are in the midst of an unprecedented health crisis. Other states have already learned the risks of re-opening schools too soon. In Mississippi, 720 schools in 74 of the states 82 counties are reporting coronavirus cases. In Georgia, nearly 2,500 students have been ordered to quarantine, as have 62 staff members in one suburban Atlanta school district. Schools operating in-person classrooms must be prepared to switch nimbly to high-quality, all-virtual learning if an outbreak occurs. They should begin by limiting the size of online-only classes now, providing live remote instruction where possible or access to recorded instruction, and ensuring that curriculum and assignments for virtual and in-person learners adhere to the same standards. In Humble ISD, parent Layla Kaiksow was taken aback to learn her sons middle school would not be offering live Zoom instructions for virtual learners. We were not told that we would not be a priority, said Kaiksow, who has children in the sixth and third grades. Our children shouldnt be punished because we are being responsible citizens. Mount, the districts spokesperson, said Humble ISD is ensuring continuity with all learners because students may switch between on campus and online instruction at any time. She also noted that all teachers received professional learning in delivering remote instruction. The extra training is reassuring. Chances are, it will be needed. After all, districts rushing to reopen are likely just setting themselves up for an outbreak and need to be prepared for the consequences. Jefferson County Precinct 2 Constable Chris Bates said he stayed at the subcourthouse in Port Arthur during Hurricane Laura. Bates said he thought as night fell that portions of the city would fall victim to the predicted 15-20 foot storm surge. I was optimistic, but I always had it in the back of my head that I might have to jump into action to save people, he said. Port Arthur, like much of Southeast Texas, was able to avoid the widespread devastation seen in Lake Charles and Cameron Parish in Louisiana. Bates said he has not seen a lot of structural damage. There are power lines that are hanging low, so people still need to be careful, he said. We have people cleaning up roadways. Bates estimated about 50% of residents evacuated. He said many left at the last minute as the storm strengthened. As it got closer, I started getting more and more phone calls from people wanting to know if the buses were still running because they changed their mind. Some got on the bus by fear alone. As the morning sun began to shine on Port Arthur, Bates said he had nothing but gratitude. Now, we are trying to find a way to redirect our resources to Louisiana to help them like they have helped us, he said. This story will be updated. chris.moore@beaumontenterprise.com INDIANAPOLIS, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Renaissance Foundation, established by Renaissance Life & Health Insurance Company of America, announced it will donate $50,000 to the Feeding America COVID-19 Response Fund to help people nationwide who need food assistance. The pandemic has created a rapid and dramatic increase in the number of families across the country who are facing hunger. "The COVID-19 crisis has upended the health, lives and livelihoods of millions of people with devasting effects," says Robert P. Mulligan, President and Chief Executive Officer of Renaissance. "Feeding America food banks are responding with extraordinary efforts to help ensure no one goes hungry during the pandemic, and we are proud to be among those supporting their work." According to Feeding America, 37 million Americansincluding 11 million children and 5.3 million seniorswere already in need of food assistance before the COVID-19 crisis. The organization predicts the pandemic may push 17.1 million more people into food insecurity. The increased demand for food is exacerbated by increased costs and a declining number of food donations, volunteers and fundraising events. "Hunger is an issue that impacts every community in the United States. Feeding America is grateful to Renaissance for their generous donation. Their support will help provide more meals to people who need it most," said Briana Crane, Managing Director of Strategic Gifts at Feeding America. Feeding America's efficient network combines nationally coordinated strategy with on the ground leadership in every U.S. community, so they are uniquely prepared to respond to crises. The organization has a proud history of supporting communities as they prepare for, respond to and recover from disasters of all types. About Renaissance The Renaissance Foundation is a nonprofit, charitable organization established by Renaissance Life & Health Insurance Company with a mission to protect the overall health and well-being of individuals and families. Renaissance Life & Health Insurance Company of America and its sister company Renaissance Life & Health Insurance Company of New York, offer ancillary benefits for employer groups and individuals nationwide. Dental, vision, life and disability insurance comprise the core line of the company's ancillary benefits solutions. With headquarters in Indianapolis, Ind., Renaissance is focused on providing its members and partners with outstanding products and service. Visit www.renaissancebenefits.com, and find us on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. About Feeding America Feeding America is the largest hunger-relief organization in the United States. Through a network of 200 food banks and 60,000 food pantries and meal programs, it provides meals to more than 40 million people each year. Feeding America also supports programs that prevent food waste and improve food security among the people it serves; educates the public about the problem of hunger; and advocates for legislation that protects people from going hungry. Visit www.feedingamerica.org, find them on Facebook or follow them on Twitter. SOURCE Renaissance Life & Health Insurance Company of America Related Links http://www.renaissancebenefits.com GREENVILLE The former BB&T office tower has never been mistaken as a crown jewel of the city's modern architecture. But eight stories of windowless, washed out brick has been transformed into a striking work of art marking the western gateway into downtown. The photo-realistic mural painted by a world-renowned artist on a lone mechanical lift over the course of several weeks was expected to be wrapped up over the weekend. It's a project two years in the making or, you could say, 50 years. The subject is Pearlie Harris. In the years leading up to school desegregation in Greenville County in 1970, Harris served as the only Black teacher at Crestone Elementary a school that, aside from one Black student, was segregated. There, Harris faced relentless discrimination, only to emerge later as one of Greenville's great educators and chair of the board of Bon Secours St. Francis Hospital, which named its breast health center after her. The mural, which depicts Harris looking upon a group of young students, is the work of Australian muralist Guido van Helten, known across the world for similar works that cover otherwise unimpressive structures. Harris handed out homemade caramels Wednesday as van Helten and civic and business leaders spoke about her story and how it uniquely speaks to the power of racial unity in Greenville. This is an inspiration to me," Harris said. "I hope it will be an inspiration to our community, for the people who live here. And I hope they would take something away from this every day as they pass by, and it will say something about our town, our people, what we are and what we plan to be in the future." In introducing the mural, van Helten said he wants any interpretation of it to be in the eye of the beholder. I want people to derive their own meaning from this work, he said. The project was commissioned by The Beach Co., a Charleston-based developer that is renovating what will be called Canvas Tower, along with a companion mixed-use residential and retail project across Buncombe Street the company is calling Canvas. The tower casts a shadow over the Heritage Green cultural complex that includes the Children's Museum of the Upstate, Greenville County Museum of Art and the Greenville Theatre, themselves individual pieces of 1970s-era architecture. That correlation is what fueled the city's interest in a mural project, Mayor Knox White said. In March 2018, The Beach Co. submitted its plan to enlist an international artist in the company's renovation of the tower. At the time, the intention was to turn the office space into apartments, but the developer opted to keep it an office project. The apartment concept could be implemented at some point in the future, The Beach Co. Chief Operating Officer Dan Doyle told The Post and Courier. In February, van Helten visited Greenville to get a sense of the community to determine what his mural would portray. At the same time, Greenville was honoring the 50th year since school desegregation in February 1970. During his visit, van Helten said he read a profile in The Greenville News of Harris' experience as a Black teacher, which inspired him to meet her and other champions of racial equality, like State Rep. Leola Robinson-Simpson and the Rev. Patrick Tuttle, who until recently led St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church downtown. The children depicted in the mural, both Black and White, are reflections of current students at nearby A.J. Whittenberg Elementary School. The mural project was to be completed over the weekend, by necessity. Work awaits van Helten in his home country, the monumental task of crafting a mural to cover a public dam for the government of Western Australia. Because of the coronavirus outbreak, van Helten said he must secure hard-to-come-by flights and spend time in isolation once he returns. Thats kind of put a bit of tightness on the schedule because now, with everything going on, Ive got to quarantine in Australia," he said. "That means I really need to stick to my schedule and get on that plane. The Supreme Court on Thursday disagreed with its 2004 Constitution Bench verdict, which had ruled against giving preferential treatment to certain sub-castes within the Scheduled Castes. The rethink by the top court is set to revive the debate on concept of creamy layer within SCs, and authorising states to give benefits of quota to groups that were not able to get the benefit of reservation. A five-judge bench, headed by Justice Arun Mishra, held that it was of the view that reservations can be made for the sub-castes within the SCs. Such classification would not amount to tinkering with the Presidential Order under Article 341, said the bench on Thursday. Once the State has the power to give reservations, it can also make sub classification to extend benefit to those sub castes not receiving the benefit," said Justice Mishra, reading out the operative part of the judgment. The bench then noted that it was of the view that 2004 judgment in EV Chinnaiah was not correctly decided as it held otherwise. EV Chinnaiah requires a reconsideration," said the bench, pointing out that since Chinnaiah was also decided by a five-judge bench, the matter will have to settled by a larger bench. Therefore, the court said, the matter will be placed before the Chief Justice of India for referring it to a bench of seven judges or more. The bench was ruling on a batch of cases, in which the chief contention was whether states can sub-classify groups among the SCs and provide reservation. The current case arose out of Punjabs appeal against a 2010 judgment by the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The High Court had struck down Section 4(5) of the Punjab Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes (Reservation in Services) Act, 2006 as unconstitutional. Section 4(5) of the Act provided for first preference to the Balmikis and Mazbhi Sikhs castes for Scheduled Caste reservations in public services. In doing so, the High Court had relied on Chinnaiahs judgment, saying only Parliament, not State Legislatures, can exclude castes deemed to be Scheduled Castes from the Presidential List under Article 341 of the Constitution. While high greenhouse gas emissions and biodiversity loss are often associated with rapid land-use change in Indonesia, impacts on local water cycles have been largely overlooked. Researchers from the University of Gottingen, IPB University in Bogor and BMKG in Jakarta have now published a new study on this issue. They show that the expansion of monocultures, such as oil palm and rubber plantations, leads to more frequent and more severe flooding. The multidisciplinary team explains this increase in flooding with a complex interplay of ecohydrological and social processes, including soil degradation in monocultures, the expansion of oil palm plantations into wetlands, and the construction of flood protection dams. The results have been published in the journal Ecology & Society. For the study, the authors conducted almost 100 interviews with Indonesian smallholders, people from the village and decision-makers in the Jambi province of Sumatra. They then compared and supplemented their analyses of these results with scientific measurements of precipitation, river and groundwater levels, soil properties as well as land use mapping from the region. "Many studies on the relationship between land use changes and flooding are only based on analyses by individual disciplines and thus provide only fragmentary insights into the underlying processes," says lead author Jennifer Merten, Department of Human Geography at the University of Gottingen. "It was therefore important for us to use the widest possible range of data from different disciplines and also to include observations from the local population." In their study, the scientists of the German-Indonesian Collaborative Research Centre EFForTS (Ecological and Socio-Economic Functions of Tropical Lowland Rainforest Transformation Systems) show that the current expansion of oil palm and rubber plantations has a significant impact on local water cycles. "The large-scale land-use change leads to a compaction of the soil, so that less rain is absorbed by the soil and the water quickly runs off at the surface," explains co-author Christian Stiegler, Bioclimatology Group at the University of Gottingen. "In particular, the advancing destruction of floodplains plays an important role in this process." From the perspective of the village population, the construction of flood dams and drainage channels also contributes to a change in local patterns of flooding. As oil palm plantations in particular are increasingly cultivated in wetlands such as river floodplains or peatlands, larger plantation owners are trying to control flooding on their land by means of such constructions. "However, such dams often lead to increased flooding on neighbouring smallholder plantations," Merten reports following her experiences from the area. This means that the observed increase in flooding also leads to new social tensions and conflicts. In order to reduce the impact of land use change on the water cycle, soil protection and improved land use planning, especially in floodplains and wetlands, can play an important role. "Yet, it is just as important to regulate and control landscape interventions for flood protection and drainage more closely," says Merten. "Otherwise it might happen that the effects of increasing flooding will affect above all the poorest in society, because larger companies simply pass on the water." ### Original publication: Jennifer Merten et al. Flooding and land-use change in Jambi Province, Sumatra: integrating local knowledge and scientific inquiry. Ecology & Society (2020). DOI: 10.5751/ES-11678-250314 Contact: Jennifer Merten University of Gottingen Institute of Geography Department of Human Geography Goldschmidtstrae 5, 37077 Gottingen Email: Jennifer.Merten@geo.uni-goettingen.de http://www.uni-goettingen.de/en/547570.html Dr Christian Stiegler University of Gottingen Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology Bioclimatology Group Busgenweg 2, 37077 Gottingen Tel: +49 (0)551 3912115 Email: christian.stiegler@biologie.uni-goettingen.de http://www.uni-goettingen.de/de/dr.+christian+stiegler/544871.html According to a watchdog report, NASA can't provide an accurate count of the number of contractor-owned devices connected to its networks, and governance problems are hurting the agency's attempts to get a better handle on overall cybersecurity. According to an Aug. 27 inspector general report, NASA is "not adequately securing its networks from unauthorized access" from partner and employee IT devices and doesn't have controls in place to remove or block devices as needed. Because of these failures, "NASA remains vulnerable to cybersecurity attacks because enforcement controls to block unauthorized IT devices from accessing its networks and systems are not fully in place and operational," the report states. The report offers a look at how the space agency ping-ponged between trying to crack down completely on shadow IT, including contractor and employee devices, and attempting to implement a management system to control access. In April 2018, NASA's CIO tried to take a tough line on shadow IT, banning personal devices. But that policy was relaxed in October of the same year, with rules put in place for employee and contractor devices to connect to networks and enterprise email. The report references two security incidents at NASA: an October 2018 data breach in which data on current and former employees was stolen from an agency server and a 2019 instance of a contract employee using his personal computer to mine cryptocurrency via a NASA network. These events aren't directly linked to NASA's device management policy, however. This May, NASA began to get more aggressive with users who were not keeping the operating systems on their network-connected personal devices up to date. The agency uninstalled its mobile device management system from users who hadn't updated, blocking them from agency e-mail. By the agency's own count, there are almost 1,300 employee personal devices that can connect to the agencys Microsoft Office 365 enterprise email system. According to NASA's CIO, there is not an "authoritative source" for a count of contractor and other partner-owned devices authorized to access NASA networks. Part of the issue has to do with CIO authorities and contracting. While NASA has been trying to centralize technology budgeting and management as required under the Federal IT Acquisition Reform Act, the agency still faces cultural obstacles to central management, and technology officials at the different NASA centers retain significant authority and oversight. The agency has racked up some of the worst grades on the biannual FITARA scorecard released by the House Oversight Committee. On the latest iteration, NASA earned an F grade for CIO authorities and a D for transparency and risk management. On the contracting side, NASA was supposed to have device management enforcement controls in place by December 2019, but that target has slipped, in part due to technical obstacles imposed by multiple contracts that require certification by different entities -- making overarching authentication a problem. The report also notes that there are not enforcement controls in place to ensure that devices that violate supply chain controls aren't permitted to access agency systems. NASA'S Office of Inspector General conducted its audit of the agency's network access and management controls from March 2019 through July 2020. The report only made one mention of the possible consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on NASA's efforts to shore up its device controls, noting that "on-site work restrictions associated with the agency's response to the COVID-19 pandemic have negatively impacted the implementation schedule" of a network access control project and the Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program. The report concluded that despite some improvements, NASA's "decentralized approach to cybersecurity management limits" the CIO's visibility into cybersecurity at the agency's far flung centers. "We acknowledge the inherent difficulty in balancing Center-specific flexibilities and desire for autonomy with the need for a robust, enterprise-wide approach to IT security," the auditors wrote. "However, in the face of persistent cybersecurity threats, NASA needs to quickly move to a more consistent, enterprise-wide approach to identifying and managing these risks." NASA's Acting CIO Jeff Seaton agreed with the conclusions of the report and said that the risks cited therein would be addressed through policy changes and implementing technology tools before the close of 2021. New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party leader Ashutosh claimed on Wednesday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is extolling "non-existent virtues" of demonetisation and said the deadline of 50 days set by him has ended but "misery" was only piling by the minute. Ashutosh questioned Modi's "silence" over the "deaths" directly or indirectly related to the measure announced on November 8. "It has been 50 days. PM had spoken about his readiness to face the people in case the measure failed and had sought 50 days' time. More than a hundred people have died but the PM has not uttered a word," Ashutosh claimed. He claimed that the currency ban move has derailed the country's economy and pushed the farming community towards abject penury. He wondered whether the PM would "apologise" to the nation for having "misled" the country. "Are these small difficulties as the PM says? Modiji spoke about how demonetisation has curbed drug mafia, terrorism and counterfeit note makers. He is extolling these non-existent virtues. Will he resign if there is a terror attack tomorrow?" he asked. Misery is increasing by the minute after the notes ban, he said. On November 13, days into the measure's enforcement, Modi had sought cooperation of the people saying "...help me for 50 days and I will give you the India you desired." For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Hurricane Laura made landfall well to the west of Alabama early this morning, and now it has been downgraded to a tropical storm, but it could bring some rough weather to the state. Tropical Storm Laura will continue to move northward over Louisiana, Texas and into Arkansas today, but the National Hurricane Center expects the weakening system to turn eastward on Friday and track across Tennessee and Kentucky. Isolated to scattered rain and storms will be possible across the state today, and some of those have reached severe limits so far this afternoon. In fact, the Storm Prediction Center as of 3 p.m. has added a marginal risk for severe weather to part of north and central Alabama: The Storm Prediction Center has added a marginal risk for severe storms for central and north Alabama this afternoon and into tonight. A marginal risk is Level 1 out of 5 and means isolated severe storms will be possible. The weather service was tracking strong to severe storms in Alabama on Thursday afternoon from a far outer band of Lauras that was tracking to the north. Those storms could have gusty winds up to 40 mph and torrential rain. Showers and storms are moving northward through the region at this time. Stronger activity is producing heavy rainfall and gusty wind. pic.twitter.com/G1ifrzr1w7 NWS Birmingham (@NWSBirmingham) August 27, 2020 A better chance for severe weather will come on Friday and into Saturday, according to the National Weather Service. Some of the outer bands from Laura could make it into Alabama on Friday, and they could fire up a few strong storms. Those storms could also have some spin to them, and that increases the threat for a few brief tornadoes as well. NOAAs Storm Prediction Center has upgraded and expanded the severe weather risk for part of Alabama for Friday, and added a marginal risk for parts of the state for Saturday. There will be a slight risk (Level 2 out of 5) for much of north and northwest Alabama on Friday. A slight risk means scattered severe storms will be possible. Areas under a slight risk on Friday include Huntsville, Muscle Shoals, Florence and Decatur. The rest of north and part of north-central Alabama will have a marginal risk on Friday. The marginal risk area on Friday will be roughly along the Interstate 20/59 corridor and includes Birmingham, Tuscaloosa, Cullman and Gadsden. The National Weather Service said Lauras outer bands could generate severe storms with damaging winds, and a brief tornado will also be possible. Storms will be possible starting on Friday morning, but they will likely be the most intense and numerous on Friday afternoon when Alabama reaches peak heat and humidity levels. The greatest risk will be near and northwest of Interstate 59. The weather service also said heavy rain will be possible with those tropical rain bands. Up to 2 inches of rain will be possible in some areas that end up under those storms. There will also be a marginal risk for north and north-central Alabama again on Saturday as the remnants of Laura move away from Alabama and to the east: Maasai Mara University Vice-Chancellor Mary Walingo and her co-accused were Wednesday granted bail in a corruption case. Nakuru Chief Magistrate Elizabeth granted Walingo, her deputies Simon Kasaine ole Sano (Administration, Finance and Planning) and John Almadi Obere (Academic and Student Affairs), Finance Officer Anaclet Biket Okumu and Noor Hassan Abdi Sh20 million bond each with surety of similar amount. The magistrate also gave the suspects an alternative of paying Sh10 million bail to secure their release. The suspects pleaded not guilty to a joint charge of stealing Sh177,007,754 from Maasai Mara university on diverse dates between January 24, 2016 and July 19, 2019. Prof Walingo faced four other separate counts of abuse of office and willful failure to comply with the law relating to the management of public funds. She allegedly authorised the expenditure of Sh176 million and Sh82 million held at the universitys bank accounts at Barclays, Equity, Cooperative and National banks without supportive documents. The case will be heard on September 11 for pre-trial hearing. UNDP assesses Phuket tourism woes, strategy for sustainable restart PHUKET: Representatives from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) were in Phuket yesterday (Aug 26) to hear about the depth of the problems caused by the COVID-19 impact on tourism as a part of its research into developing Thailand to be a sustainable tourism destination. tourismCOVID-19economics By Eakkapop Thongtub Thursday 27 August 2020, 11:46AM UNDP Resident Representative to Thailand Renaud Meyer (2nd from right) and his delegation speaks with Phuket Vice Governor Supoj Rotreuang Na Nongkhai (centre) at Phuket Provincial Hall yesterday (Aug 26). Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub UNDP Resident Representative to Thailand Renaud Meyer and members of his delegation were welcomed to Phuket by Phuket Vice Governor Supoj Rotreuang Na Nongkhai and other officers at Phuket Provincial Hall. Phuket is an important tourist destination in Thailand. What will be done in Phuket will affect and help solve the countrys problems as well as become a model for other provinces, Mr Meyer said, referring to the Phuket Model to be followed from Oct 1, when international tourists will be allowed into Phuket, the first province in the country to receive foreign tourists since the COVID-19 outbreak began. This visit aims to hear from local officials about the current tourism situation in Phuket, the problems and solutions, as well as the economic and social effects. This information will be taken for our research in order to find a good solution that meets the needs of local people, Mr Meyer explained. For our research, we want to focus on sustainable development which covers all groups of people affected by the situation. To make this happen, the development needs the engagement and cooperation from officials, the private sector and local people, he added. On June 5, the UNDP signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) to develop and recover tourism from the COVID-19 crisis together, in order to create sustainable tourism under the new normal, Mr Meyer noted. The UNDP and the TAT are working with many educational institutions to conduct research, hoping to change Thailand tourism from mass tourism to sustainable tourism, with more consideration for nature and the local people, he said. We are working closely with the TAT to support new kinds of tourism in Thailand, such as medical tourism, nature-friendly tourism, sport tourism, and others, he added. I want to praise Thai government for effective COVID-19 control measures and the Phuket government for helping sensitive groups of people, such as the Rawai sea gypsies. By giving them equipment to make dried fish, they can make a living, Mr Meyer said. Mr Meyer also praised the Phuket government for its efforts to help people seriously affected by the current economic crisis, such as those working in Patong. V/Gov Supoj pointed out that Phuket re-opening to foreign tourists is being well supported by businesses, but many local people were still concerned and afraid of a possible second outbreak of COVID-19 on the island. We are brainstorming with relevant officers and business owners to find the best way to run the project with high safety, V/Gov Supoj said. The disease control measures being implemented by the PPHO [Phuket Provincial Health Office] work very well and are creating a good reputation for the country, he said. The Phuket government will keep enforcing the measures. However, success in controlling any potential outbreak requires good cooperation from everyone, he said. Young photographer dedicates himself to rural elderly By:Zheng Qian | From:english.eastday.com | 2020-08-27 09:12 Xu Kai, a post-90s generation man, has gone viral on the internet for his photos of Chinese rural old people. Ever since he was in university, Xu has been doing this. Each time he has gone to rural areas, he has taken photos of the local old and then gifted the prints to them. Xu Kai said that for most of the elderly who agreed to be photographed, talking with a young man like him gave them comfort in their lonely life. With each subject Xu spends hours listening to them.Some elderly people perhaps hadnt spoken to a stranger, especially a young one,, for such a long time, said Xu. What impressed Xu most in the past 10 years was that two or three elderly women were even moved to tears after chatting with him and telling him their home life stories, and this even moved himself to tears. Up to now, he has photographed hundreds of rural elderly. (Photo/ People's Daily& Chinadaily) A Superior Court judge has dismissed a lawsuit that challenged the appointment of a Penns Grove borough councilman to an unexpired term. Carl Washington Jr. was appointed to fill a vacancy on the council last year after he lost his seat in the November general election. The seat he filled was previously occupied by fellow Democrat Rafael Leon. After losing his own seat, Washington resigned from that position, was nominated to fill Leons vacancy and was selected by the council Nov. 14 in a 3-2 vote. Carol Mincey and Michael Bercute, third-party candidates who won seats in the general election, filed the lawsuit in July challenging Washingtons appointment, arguing that it violated the states municipal vacancy law and that there was a conflict of interest with the vote. The plaintiffs cited state law that council must fill a vacancy within 30 days or keep the seat open until the next election or completion of the unexpired term. They argued that Leons resignation letter was dated Oct. 4, 2019, while Washingtons attorney, David Avedissian, countered that the resignation was accepted at an Oct. 15 council meeting, meaning Washingtons appointment to the post on Nov. 14 was valid. Avedissian pointed to a motion made during the Oct. 15 meeting accepting Leons resignation as proof. The plaintiffs then pointed to testimony by borough clerk Sharon Williams that she didnt actually receive Leons resignation letter until Nov. 14. Attorneys for the borough and the plaintiffs argued that if the formal resignation letter wasnt received until that date, the councils selection of a replacement at the same meeting was premature. Under state law, the local political party of the departing council member has 15 days to submit the names of three people to potentially fill the slot. The governing body then has 15 days to choose a replacement from that list. In this case, the local Democrats failed to submit names by the deadline, and the council instead accepted nominations at the Nov. 14 meeting and approved Washington. The plaintiffs also argued that then-Mayor John Washingtons tie-breaking vote on Carl Washingtons appointment was a conflict, because John Washington was also chair of the Democratic committee that originally selected candidates to fill the vacancy. The Washingtons are not related. In addition to claiming the case was meritless, Avedissian argued that the suit was filed well after the 45-day statute of limitations for such actions. On July 10, Superior Court Judge Jean Chetney granted a temporary order barring Carl Washington from participating in council-related activities until arguments could be heard in the lawsuit seeking his removal. She lifted that injunction Aug. 14 and scheduled a session for Wednesday to hear from both sides. After reviewing arguments, Chetney dismissed the lawsuit and ordered the borough to compensate Carl Washington and John Washington for their legal fees in the case. Chetney found no violation that warranted overturning the councils decision to appoint Carl Washington to the open seat. Theres no evidence here of a violation of any election law or procedural law governing the filling of a vacant seat, she said. She also found no evidence of knowing concealment of procedural defects in how the appointment was handled by local officials. The procedural defects, to the extent there are any, I have found that they dont rise to the level of invalidating the action that the municipality took, Chetney said. What might be seen as political maneuvering does not equate to fraud or manipulation of statutes where the intent of the statutes has been met. She also found no facts to support the claim that John Washingtons actions were a conflict of interest. All of this means Carl Washington may continue serving on council. Todays ruling negates the possibility that the court will remove Councilman Washington from his seat due to the manner in which he was appointed, Avedissian said. Although that ruling can be appealed, the likelihood of success on an emergent basis on appeal is highly unlikely. Case law serves as precedent that the manner in which Carl Washington Jr. resigned his seat, due to expire December 31, 2019, and was nominated to the vacancy from the Leon seat was entirely legal and proper. Officials with the borough declined to comment on the case. Attorneys for Mincey and Bercute did not respond to a request for comment. Washington is running for a new term on the council in November. He is also facing charges, including official misconduct, conspiracy, theft by unlawful taking and misapplication of entrusted property and property of government charges after being accused of misappropriating $8,200 from the Penns Grove Clean Communities Program. Washington has maintained his innocence, saying the December 2019 charges are the work of a political rival. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Matt Gray may be reached at mgray@njadvancemedia.com. Press Release August 27, 2020 IMEE: NO JOB OPTIONS FOR OFWs COMING HOME Senator Imee Marcos said overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) falling victim to bogus investment schemes could result not only in the loss of their hard-earned savings but also billions in government loans to them going to waste. Marcos, who chairs the Senate committee on economic affairs, urged the government to think beyond the employment facilitation portals it provides, saying these were not enough to address joblessness especially in rural areas where many OFWs have returned amid the COVID-19 pandemic. "To save our OFWs from investment scams, the government needs to diversify livelihood opportunities for them. They have returned to remote rural areas which they left in the first place because of so few employment opportunities," Marcos said. Marcos urged the creation of a data base from which OFWs can choose possible business partners or co-investors among local micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) that have maintained a good track record and are ready to expand. "The lack of financial literacy among OFWs has made them vulnerable to scammers. The sad truth is that often their most trusted relatives, friends, father confessors, and mayors scam their hard-earned savings. Not all OFWs are ready to start up their own business and become instant entrepreneurs," Marcos explained. "Partnering OFWs with accredited MSMEs will make the government's loan programs truly viable. In tandem, both parties also have a greater chance of surviving and recovering financially amid the COVID-19 pandemic," Marcos added. Amid the concerns for food security during the pandemic, Marcos cited the "tremendous opportunities in agriculture," noting that many OFWs who come from remote areas are at least familiar with farming. "We need to make the transition and repatriation phase gentler, steadier and better regulated. We have seen too many tragic stories of hardworking OFWs squirreling away funds for years upon years and suddenly just blowing it all on a bad investment decision," Marcos said. Marcos has also proposed to double the credit assistance extended to OFWs even before they leave for their jobs abroad, from Php50,000 to Php100,000. The "pre-departure loan" will help OFW families with their daily expenses and unforeseen emergencies, while waiting for the breadwinner's salary remittance, Marcos said. People wear masks and gloves as they wait to enter a Walmart in Uniondale, N.Y., on April 17, 2020. (Al Bello/Getty Images) Walmart Joins Microsoft Bid for TikTok as Social Media Apps CEO Quits Walmart said its joining Microsoft in a bid for social media company TikToks U.S. assets, revealing its plans hours after the video companys chief executive said he would step down. CEO Kevin Mayer, a high-profile former Disney executive, is leaving three months after joining TikTok, in the middle of negotiations to sell the Chinese-owned short-form video apps U.S. operations to Microsoft Corp. or Oracle Corp. The sale of TikTok is happening as the company is under fire from the Trump administration as a potential national security risk due to the vast amount of private data the app is compiling on U.S. consumers. The Trump administration has demanded that Chinese tech firm ByteDance, which owns TikTok globally, sell its U.S. operations. Earlier this week, TikTok also filed a lawsuit at a California federal court, naming Trump and government departments as defendants, over an executive order that effectively banned it in the United States. In this photo illustration, the TikTok app is displayed in the App Store on an Apple iPhone in Washington, on Aug. 7, 2020. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images) Walmart lauded TikToks integration of e-commerce and advertising capabilities in other markets and said that a three-way partnership could bring that integration to the United States. The deal would help Walmart reach customers across virtual and physical sales channels and grow its online marketplace and its advertising business. Shares of Walmart rose almost 6 percent on Aug. 27. We are confident that a Walmart and Microsoft partnership would meet both the expectations of U.S. TikTok users, while satisfying the concerns of U.S. government regulators, Walmart said in a statement. Mayer was Walt Disney Co.s top streaming executive before becoming CEO of TikTok and chief operating officer of parent ByteDance on June 1. Challenges Amid growing distrust between Washington and Beijing, the U.S. administration said that TikTok was a national security threat and could share information about users with the Chinese regime. Trump issued an executive order banning U.S. transactions with TikTok on Aug. 6, effective in mid-September. He issued a separate order about a week later, giving ByteDance 90 days to divest TikToks U.S. operations and data. The company has also been targeted in India, where TikTok was one of 59 Chinese apps banned by the Indian government in June following a border clash between India and China. That month, Mayer wrote to Indias government saying the Chinese regime has never requested user data, nor would TikTok turn it over if asked. TikTok has become a global sensation since ByteDance launched the app in 2017, with operations in countries such as France, South Korea, Indonesia, Russia, and Brazil. In April, the app hit 2 billion downloads globally. Little Surprise Mayer was scheduled to leave TikTok as part of the planned sale, as the global role he had been hired for would no longer exist, according to a person familiar with the matter. TikTok, in an emailed statement, confirmed Mayers departure. Mark Natkin, managing director of Marbridge Consulting in Beijing, said Mayers departure isnt a great boost for company morale right now. Whether TikTok reaches an agreement to sell its U.S. business or decides to duke it out in the courts, the role for Mayer will not be anything like that he had envisioned when he joined, he said. By Yingzhi Yang, Kanishka Singh, and Echo Wang YEREVAN, AUGUST 27, ARMENPRESS. Following the call to action by Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia and Trustee of the Hayastan All Armenian Fund, Nikol Pashinyan, the Fund launched the Urgent Support to Lebanese-Armenians fundraising campaign with all funds directed to Armenian educational institutions affected by the devastating explosion in Beirut. The Hayastan All Armenian Fund, in close cooperation with the Public Television of Armenia, has organized a special concert entitled For You Lebanon" to be aired on Saturday August 29th at 10:30pm local time on H1TV. The event will also be livestreamed on their online platform www.1tv.am/hy and on the Funds Facebook page www.facebook.com/HayastanAllArmenianFund. This special event will have performances by renowned artists, special reports from Lebanon and calls to action by Armen Sarkissian, the RA President and Chairman of the Funds Board of Trustees, as well as Atom Egoyan, Arsinee Khanjian, Serj Tankian and many others. "You can join this critical relief effort by donating through the Funds online platform at www.himnadram.org or directly to the Funds dedicated Central Bank accounts and stand in support and solidarity with our compatriots in Lebanon. The Armenian community in Lebanon has for decades supported both the Homeland and Diaspora Communities and it is now our turn to stand with our brothers and sisters in their time of need", the Fund said in a statement. AUSTIN The National Republican Campaign Committee removed language from its website Tuesday that suggested conservatives should criticize Democrat Gina Ortiz Jones for her sexual orientation as she runs for Congress in a district that includes San Antonio. The change followed a Huffington Post report on Tuesday that described the attack line featured on the NRCCs campaign website, DemocratFacts. Originally, the site told supporters to knock Jones because she and her female partner lived and worked near Washington, DC, not Texas ahead of her run for the 23rd Congressional District. The word female was later removed. Jones photo on the page also features her partner though other Democratic candidates on the website are not pictured with their spouses. Washington Republicans efforts to promote bigotry and homophobia have no place in this race, and it shows just how out of touch they are with Texans in this district, Jones campaign manager Lacey Morrison said in a release Wednesday. TEXAS TAKE: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox NRCC spokesman Bob Salera told the Huffington Post that the reference to Jones sexuality was included as a factual statement, but we removed it because her orientation has nothing to do with her being a Washington, D.C., carpetbagger who supports closing local military bases in TX-23 that will cost thousands of jobs. The NRCC did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday afternoon on why Jones picture, still displayed on the website, features her partner when others do not. Jones, a former Air Force intelligence officer and Iraq War veteran, is running her second campaign to represent the 23rd a sprawling swing district stretching from San Antonio to El Paso. U.S. Rep. Will Hurd, who narrowly beat Jones for the seat in 2018, will not run for reelection; instead, her opponent is Tony Gonzales, a former Navy cryptologist. The Jones campaign is also calling out Gonzales for his prior assertion that Jones was running on a transgender agenda. Tony Gonzales should condemn this shameless attempt to stoke hate and answer for his own dangerous rhetoric against the LGBTQ community, Morrison said. Gonzales campaign spokesman Matt Mackowiak said in a statement that the remark referenced Jones support for policies allowing taxpayer dollars to fund gender reassignment surgery in the military, which is out of step with the majority of people in this district. Gonzales also issued a statement on Twitter after the Huffington Post story was published early Tuesday: When I served in Iraq and Afghanistan, I didnt care about the sexual orientation of the person fighting next to me. What I do care about is Gina Jones support for closing our military bases. Dont let her distract you. When the body can no longer compensate the gradual failure of the liver caused by liver cirrhosis, there is a high risk of acute decompensated liver cirrhosis. In some patients this develops quickly into an often deadly acute-on-chronic liver failure, in which other organs such as the kidneys or brain fail. A study by an international team of researchers headed by Professor Jonel Trebicka from the Frankfurt University Hospital and funded by the foundation EF Clif, has discovered which patients are particularly at risk. With their findings, the scientists have laid the foundation for the development of preventive therapy to prevent acute-on-chronic liver failure. The liver has many functions: it stores nutrients and vitamins, produces dextrose, coagulation factors and hormones, and breaks down toxins, drugs and alcohol. Chronic alcohol abuse, viruses or other diseases can damage the liver and lead to chronic liver disease. Without treatment, chronic liver disease leads to liver cirrhosis in the final stages, in which liver tissue turns into connective tissue, making the liver increasingly unable to carry out its functions. The result: the blood's clotting ability is impaired, toxic metabolic products are fortified, the liver is not adequately supplied with blood and blood pressure rises in the portal veins that supply the liver. The body tries to compensate for the reduced liver function. For example, new veins develop as alternative circulation from the oesophagus, stomach and intestines which expand into varicose veins. When the disease progresses to the point that this kind of compensation is no longer possible - physicians speak of acute decompensated liver cirrhosis - the situation becomes life-threatening: tissue fluid (ascites) collects in the abdominal cavity, leading to bacterial infections and internal bleeding, for example in the oesophagus. Difficulty concentrating, mood swings and sleepiness are signs of a poisoning of the brain (hepatic encephalopathy) that can result in a hepatic coma. A European clinical study headed by Professor Jonel Trebicka, and carried out under the umbrella of the European Foundation for the Study of Chronic Liver Failure, has for the first time identified three clinical course variations in patients admitted to the hospital with acute decompensated cirrhosis. 1. The first clinical course is characterised by high blood inflammation values, indicating inflammatory reactions throughout the body. Within three months after admission to the hospital, a number of body organs fail: the acute decompensation becomes "acute-on-chronic liver failure" (ACLF). The physicians therefore call this variation Pre-ACLF. More than half of patients die from it; only a third survive after a year. 2. Patients with the second clinical course do not develop ACLF and have moderate inflammation values. They suffer, however, from significant hypertension in the portal vein. Approximately 20 percent die within the following three months, another 15 percent over the course of the following year. The physicians named this variation "instable decompensated liver cirrhosis". 3. The patients with the third clinical course exhibit neither high inflammation values nor frequent complications. They do not develop ACLF in the first three months. Within a year, however, one in ten dies. The physicians call this variation "stable decompensated liver cirrhosis." Lead investigator Professor Jonel Trebicka, gastroenterologist and hepatologist at Medical Clinic I of University Hospital Frankfurt explains: "We are now working intensively on the development of new diagnostic options, especially for the group of pre-ACLF patients, in order to identify this group before admission to the hospital so that preventive measures can be implemented early on. The development of preventive therapies for the often deadly ACLF is one of our most important research goals in this context." Study co-author Professor Stefan Zeuzem, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Director of Medical Clinic I at Frankfurt University Hospital explains: "Liver diseases are one of the main focal points of Medical Clinic I and we offer numerous specialised outpatient departments for patients with acute and chronic liver diseases. So on the one hand we were able to observe patients for the study. On the other hand, the research findings on improving ACLF prevention and therapies will rapidly benefit all of our patients." ### The research findings are part of a European-wide study called PREDICT. The study observes the clinical course of acute decompensated liver cirrhosis in order to find early indications for the development of acute-on-chronic liver failures (ACLF). The study was funded by the European Foundation for the Study of Chronic Liver Failure. 136 scientists from 47 centres and institutions in 14 European countries are participating in PREDICT. Publication: Jonel Trebicka, Javier Fernandez, Maria Papp, Paolo Caraceni, Wim Laleman, Carmine Gambino, et al.: The PREDICT study uncovers three clinical courses of acutely decompensated cirrhosis that have distinct pathophysiology. Journal of Hepatology, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhep.2020.06.013 Further information: University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University Frankfurt Medical Clinic I Professor Jonel Trebicka Section Translational Hepatology, Medical Clinic I (Director: Professor Stefan Zeuzem) Goethe University/University Hospital Frankfurt Tel. +49 69 6301 80789 (Jennifer Biondo, secretarial office) Jonel.Trebicka@kgu.de. The European Foundation for the Study of Chronic Liver Failure (EF Clif) is a private, non-profit Foundation whose mission is to promote study and research on Acute-on-Chronic Liver Failure and thus, contribute to improving both the quality of life and survival of patients with liver cirrhosis. The EF Clif was created in 2015 to support the research work carried out by the EASL Clif Consortium, a research network of more than 100 European University Hospitals and 200 clinical investigators. In 2013, the Consortium described a new syndrome: Acute-on-Chronic Liver Failure (ACLF), which is the most common cause of death in cirrhosis. Currently, the research activity of the EF Clif is fostered through two chairs: the EASL Clif Chair, to promote observational, pathophysiological and therapeutic studies through the EASL-Clif Consortium's hospital network; and the Grifols Chair, which promotes the development of translational research projects with the creation of a network of centres across Europe: The European Network for Translational Research in Chronic Liver Failure (ENTR-CLIF). To know more about the EF Clif: http://www.efclif.com Twitter: @ef_clif Current news about science, teaching, and society can be found on GOETHE-UNI online (http://www.aktuelles.uni-frankfurt.de) Goethe University is a research-oriented university in the European financial centre Frankfurt am Main. The university was founded in 1914 through private funding, primarily from Jewish sponsors, and has since produced pioneering achievements in the areas of social sciences, sociology and economics, medicine, quantum physics, brain research, and labour law. It gained a unique level of autonomy on 1 January 2008 by returning to its historic roots as a "foundation university". Today, it is one of the three largest universities in Germany. Together with the Technical University of Darmstadt and the University of Mainz, it is a partner in the inter-state strategic Rhine-Main University Alliance. Internet: http://www.goethe-universitaet.de Publisher: The President of Goethe University Editor: Dr. Markus Bernards, Science Editor, PR & Communication Department, Theodor-W.-Adorno-Platz 1, 60323 Frankfurt am Main, Tel: -49 (0) 69 798-12498, Fax: +49 (0) 69 798-763 12531, bernards@em.uni-frankfurt.de [August 27, 2020] Afterpay Announces Full Year Results SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 27, 2020 /CNW/ -- Afterpay (ASX:APT), the leader in Buy-Now, Pay-Later payments, announced today its results for the full year ended June 30, 2020 (FY20). OVERVIEW1 GLOBAL (A$) FY20 FY19 CHANGE Afterpay Underlying Sales 11.1b 5.2b 112% Afterpay Active Customers2 9.9m 4.6m 116% Afterpay Active Merchants1 55.4k 32.3k 72% Afterpay Gross Loss3 as % of Underlying Sales 0.9% 1.1% 24% improvement Group Total Income4 519.2m 264.1m 97% Afterpay Total Income 502.7m 247.0m 103% Afterpay Net Transaction Loss (42.8)m (22.2)m 93% Afterpay Net Transaction Loss as % of Underlying Sales (0.4%) (0.4%) ~ Afterpay Net Transaction Margin 250.2m 119.3m 110% Afterpay Net Transaction Margin as % of Underlying Sales 2.3% 2.3% ~ EBITDA (excluding Significant Items)5 44.4m 25.7m 73% Pro Forma Total Cash6 1,377.3m 233.5m 490% Pro Forma Liquidity & Growth Capacity7 2,039.9m 1,178.4m 73% FY20 Key Operating Highlights Growth momentum continued in all markets with FY20 global Underlying Sales increasing 112% to $11.1b , with a run rate of over $15b per annum (based on Q4 trading). The continued rapid penetration of the US and UK markets is changing the geographic profile of the business. Combined Underlying Sales contribution from these international markets increased from 18% in FY19 to 41% in FY20. Active customers more than doubled in FY20 to 9.9m (exceeding 9.5m target), with the US and UK surpassing significant milestones and reaching 5.6m and 1.0m respectively. An average of 17.3k new customers were added to the Afterpay platform per day during FY20, increasing to 20.5k new customers per day in Q4 FY20. Customers are transacting more frequently the longer they remain on the platform with ~ 90% of underlying monthly sales coming from repeat customers. International markets are following a similar customer frequency trajectory to the blueprint established by the more mature ANZ business. The Afterpay platform generated an average of 14.5 million customer referrals to our retail partners per month in Q4 FY20. Continued strong customer growth, high retention and increasing customer frequency dynamics in all regions, creates a competitive network advantage that delivers greater benefit to our retail partners, while improving Afterpay's financial performance over time. The onset of COVID-19 has had an unprecedented impact on the global retail community. While remaining cautious in our ongoing response, it is clear that Afterpay's predominantly e-commerce and budgeting focused service has been a net beneficiary of the significant shift to online spending and the shift away from traditional forms of credit. During this challenging period, we have continued to support our global retail community in multiple ways: ? Rapidly expanding our SMB business in all markets as the shift to online continues to outpace historic trends. ? Supporting local communities through our Support Small and Afterpay Connect campaigns showcasing hundreds of small businesses. ? Continuing with Afterpay Day sales events in March and August. ? Partnering with charity partners in each region - Thread Together (AU), Dress for Success (NZ), Baby2Baby and Common Thread (US), and NHS Charities Together (UK) - as well as launched 'Add $1 / 1' at the checkout, with the funds going directly to partner charities. FY21 Performance Update Strong performance in Q4 FY20 has continued into FY21 across all regions. Online sales in ANZ accelerated into July and August. The recent on-boarding of large scale, new vertical merchants in ANZ is expected to deliver continued growth into FY21. US underlying sales in July have continued at the record levels experienced in Q4 FY20 and customer acquisition has remained strong. Merchant acceptance in the UK continued strongly since 30 June 2020 with 450 additional active merchants added to the platform. Afterpay Day (bi-annual two day sale event where merchants offer discounts to Afterpay customers) was held on the 20 and 21 of August 2020 in each region. ? Underlying sales were 68% higher compared to Afterpay Day in March 2020 . ? 53% more customers participated compared to Afterpay Day in March 2020 . ? UK also generated its highest ever Underlying Sales over the two day period. Our strong operating and financial performance in FY20, combined with the current macro tailwinds gives us confidence to continue to invest in our global opportunity and extend the leadership position we maintain in our existing markets: ? Launch into Canada in August extends our prominent US market position across North America . ? Acquisition of European-based Pagantis will facilitate the expansion of Clearpay into multiple European markets in FY21. ? Initial steps to explore opportunities in select Asian markets will also be a focus in FY21. An in-region team will be established via a small acquisition of a Singapore -based company operating in Indonesia (EmpatKali). Afterpay will further accelerate investment for growth in FY21. With new markets tracking in line with ANZ blueprint, and additional markets coming online in FY21, we will further accelerate our investment to: ? Enhance our platform and continue to grow our people resources. ? Invest and pursue co-marketing opportunities with our retail partners. ? Consolidate our market-leading position in existing markets. ? Expedite our expansion into new markets to leverage our early mover advantage. While global trading and capital market conditions remain uncertain, Afterpay has a strong balance sheet position with over $1.3b of pro forma cash and over $2b of pro forma liquidity and growth capacity8. This position can facilitate several years of self-sustaining high growth in Underlying Sales. FY20 Key Financial Performance Strong Underlying Sales and revenue growth were matched by strong margin performance in FY20. Group Total Income9 of $519.2m , 97% higher than FY19, driven by strong performance of the Afterpay business which delivered total income of $502.7m , 103% higher than FY19. Sustained merchant margins at 3.9% of Underlying Sales, supported by a growing number of SMBs joining the platform. Average merchant margins are broadly consistent across all geographies. Gross Loss as a percentage of Underlying Sales of 0.9% represents a historic low. The 24% improvement on FY19 was achieved notwithstanding uncertain economic conditions and higher contributions from newer markets. The rapid turnover of Afterpay's receivables book, high returning customer rates, high payment recovery rates (particularly in recent months) and our increasingly sophisticated risk models and risk management techniques have led to consistent loss performance improvements in all markets over several periods. Net Transaction Loss (NTL) of 0.4% was in line with FY19, with the benefit of lower Gross Losses offsetting the decreasing contribution from Late Fees. Late Fees (Other Income) contributed less than 14% of Afterpay Total Income, down from 19% in FY19 and 24% in FY18. Late Fee revenue now represents 0.6% of Underlying Sales, validating our inbuilt customer protections and our budget-focused and differentiated business model. Group Net Transaction Margin (NTM)10 of $261.3m , up 101% on FY19, while Afterpay NTM of $250.2m was up 110%. Afterpay NTM as a percentage of Underlying Sales remained strong at 2.3% despite lower contribution from late fees and an increasing contribution from newer international markets which are initially lower margin early in life cycle. EBITDA (excluding significant items) of $44.4m , up 73% on FY19, driven by growth in Underlying Sales, Income and NTM. FY20 Statutory Loss after Tax of $22.9m . Statutory Loss is impacted by significant items (including one-off items, Share-Based Payments, Net Loss on Financial Liabilities at Fair Value, Share of Loss of Associate, and foreign currency gains) which totalled $20.0m in the year on a pre-tax basis. Employment expenses grew to $86.1m ( $51.4m in FY19) but declined as a percentage of Underlying Sales to 0.8%. Investment in our sales, technology and product functions is reflected in the growth of employees across our regions which reached 665 employees by the end of FY20 (up from 447 employees at the end of FY19). Operating expenses, including marketing, increased to $146.3m ( $73.2m in FY19) representing 1.3% of Underlying Sales (down 0.1% on FY19). ? Marketing investment in H2 FY20 was higher than H1 FY20 as we continued to invest to support sales growth and global expansion, including co-marketing investments with major brand merchants and developing the global re-brand. Strong balance sheet and liquidity positions were further enhanced by a successful capital raise launched in early July 2020 which delivered net proceeds of $769.8m . Inclusive of proceeds from the capital raising, Afterpay's combined pro forma liquidity and growth capacity of over $2b can fund in excess of $30b in annualised Underlying Sales above the current run-rate of over $15b . This excludes additional liquidity that may be created by increasing existing or establishing new receivables warehouse funding facilities. Other capital management initiatives in FY20 included: ? Established a US$200m receivables warehouse funding facility with Goldman Sachs to mature in FY22 concurrently reducing the Citi US receivables warehouse funding facility from US$300m to US$200m . ? Established a NZ$20m receivables warehouse funding facility with Bank of New Zealand to mature FY21, subsequently increasing the facility to NZ$50m and extending the maturity to FY22. ? Extended the existing Citi US receivables warehouse funding facility to FY22. ? Extended the existing AU receivables warehouse funding facilities with NAB and Citi totalling $500m to FY23 achieving an average overall debt facility maturity of ~2 years as at 30 June 2020 . REGIONAL PERFORMANCE GLOBAL FY20 FY19 VARIANCE Underlying Sales (A$) 11.1b 5.2b 112% ANZ 6.6b 4.3b 52% US 4.0b 0.9b 330% UK 0.6b 0.0b na Active Customers 9.9m 4.6m 116% ANZ 3.3m 2.8m 18% US 5.6m 1.8m 219% UK 1.0m 0.0m na Active Merchants 55.4k 32.3k 72% ANZ 42.8k 28.4k 51% US 11.5k 3.8k 202% UK 1.1k 0.0k na ANZ Strong growth continued in ANZ, our most mature market, with Underlying Sales up 52% on FY19 to $6.6b . Online sales grew strongly, up 46% in FY20 on FY19, and in-store growth remained strong despite impacts of COVID-19, with volumes up 81%. High average purchase frequency across the customer base, including ~25 times per annum for earliest customer cohorts. New verticals launched and key new merchants (now live or in the process of integrating), including: eBay, Ticketek, Webjet, Chemist Warehouse, Priceline, SHEIN, General Pants (NZ). Also entered into a strategic partnership with Qantas Frequent Flyer. US + Canada The US market opportunity is still developing and Afterpay is rapidly extending its prominent market position. With higher customer retention and frequency than local competitors, Afterpay delivers significant value to US retailers. Underlying Sales grew substantially and were up 330% on FY19, driven by new global enterprise retailers and an increase in online spend. US contribution to global FY20 Underlying Sales of 36%, up from 18% in FY19. 5.6m Active Customers at the end of June. 86% of monthly orders come from returning customers. In-store offering in the US is progressively being rolled out with merchant partners including: Finish Line, Forever21, Skechers, Levis , Fresh, Solstice Sunglasses as they reopen their storefronts. Successfully launched our loyalty program with ~35% uptake among eligible customers. Signed agreement with Gap Inc, specialty retailer in the U.S., to offer Afterpay across Athleta, Banana Republic, Gap, and Old Navy brands. New merchants contracted or in the process of integrating include: Lululemon, Charlotte Tilbury , Puma, Native Shoes, Huda Beauty, Tatcha, Fenty Skin, vineyard vines, AMOREPACIFIC Group. Pipeline of new and integrating merchants is more substantial than any previous period and we look forward to launching Afterpay with several globally recognised brands ahead of the end of year holiday season. Afterpay went live in Canada in August 2020 with a number of merchants in testing and initial launch phase. A pipeline of integrating merchants, including well-known brands on the Afterpay platform in other jurisdictions, are expected to come online during H1 FY21. UK + Europe $0.6b Underlying Sales achieved in FY20, representing 5% of the global business. 1 million Active Customers milestone exceeded within the first full financial year of operation. 1.1k Active Merchants at 30 June 2020 . Strong growth in merchant acceptance has continued into FY21 with an additional 450 merchants now live on the platform. New merchants contracted or integrating include: Gymshark, Estee Lauder Companies brands (including MAC Cosmetics), Huda Beauty, Everything 5 Pounds, Signet Jewelers, Never fully dressed, Ren. Substantial pipeline of merchants targeted to integrate before the end of the calendar year. Accelerating Clearpay's expansion into Europe , with plans to enter Spain , France , Italy and potentially Portugal in FY21 - a combined addressable e-commerce market in excess of $247b 11 - through the acquisition of Pagantis (as announced on 24 August 2020 ). INNOVATION Afterpay's one-of-a-kind loyalty program, Pulse, successfully launched in the US in July 2020 . ANZ and UK launches will follow. Pulse is the only mass market program of its kind, incentivising customers to make payments on time and rewarding responsible spending. Enhanced flexibility for customers, including introducing limit transparency, the ability to make changes to payment schedules, Variable Payment Upfront. Cross border trade rolled out between ANZ and UK with the US and Canada to be completed in early 2021. New regions will follow once launched. Cross border will enable a global platform that removes borders between our customers and retailer partners and facilitate an additional revenue stream for Afterpay in due course. Successfully launched virtual in-store card in the US with Apple Pay and Google Pay, with Apple Pay also rolled out as a repayment method for customers globally. Global strategic partnerships with Visa and Mastercard began delivering cost efficiencies and accelerating merchant integration. American Express was introduced as a payment option in the US. Integrated with Plaid, as part of enabling direct debits from consumer bank accounts in the US. Plaid enables consumers to connect their financial accounts at more than 11,000 institutions with more than 3,000 digital apps and services across the world. Worldpay is live with Afterpay globally for payments processing, realising cost and scale synergies as well as an ability to accelerate international expansion. DOING THE RIGHT THING While a lot has changed in the five years since the company began, Afterpay's core principles and purposefully different model remain, and continue to resonate with customers around the world: ? Average order value is low at $153 12. ? Repayment periods are short (4 fortnightly payments). ? Accounts are paused as soon as a repayment is missed. ? We do not provide a line of credit. ? We do not allow customers to "revolve" in debt. ? Customers always start on low limits that increase slowly with positive repayment behaviour. ? Our late fees are low and capped. ? We never report adverse information about customers to credit bureaus. ? We have a highly accessible hardship program. Afterpay has consistently maintained significantly lower loss rates than our peers and traditional credit products. Other Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) and traditional credit providers employ credit checks to determine lending decisions, price credit, and potentially impact customers' credit scores and ability to borrow. Afterpay's budget focused and differentiated approach achieves positive outcomes for consumers, which is reflected in the fact that average outstanding balances have remained consistently low across the portfolio ($190) , and ~90% of customers use a debit card on the Afterpay platform. A recent study13 to understand the profile of our largest and rapidly growing US customer base is indicative of our differentiated model: ? Afterpay users are more likely to be in employment than the general population with 78% of users in part-time or full-time work. ? Afterpay users over-index among middle-to-high income Americans and only 25% of users have a household income of less than $40,000 p.a. ? Without Afterpay, 55% of customers now say that would have looked for another store that did have Afterpay or not purchased. Regulation AUSTRAC is still considering the Independent Auditor's Report and Afterpay continues to cooperate fully with AUSTRAC. Feedback from public consultation on the BNPL Code of Practice is being considered by the industry working group, and engagement with ASIC on the Code is continuing. Afterpay has cooperated with ASIC as it has undertaken its follow-up review of the BNPL industry. We expect a public report from ASIC in September 2020 . During COVID-19, Afterpay has also responded to regular requests for information from ASIC as it monitors the BNPL market (and other markets). Afterpay welcomes positive engagement with members of the Senate Select Committee on Financial Technology and Regulatory Technology regarding how best to cultivate Australia as a global FinTech leader. People Afterpay continues to prioritise the health and wellbeing of our team through COVID-19 with the majority of our people still working remotely. All measures are in line with State and National recommendations. We have developed a new Diversity and Inclusion Policy that focuses on driving for greater diversity and inclusion. In FY20 a specific focus on gender balance resulted in a 41% representation of females on the Global Leadership Team. Afterpay supports the Black Lives Matter movement and continues to identify ways to raise awareness relating to racial injustice, and other under-served communities across the world including our indigenous communities in Australia . About Afterpay Limited Afterpay Limited (ASX: APT) is transforming the way we pay by allowing customers to receive products immediately and pay for their purchases over four installments, always interest-free. The service is completely free for customers who pay on time - helping people spend responsibly without incurring interest, fees or extended debt. As at June 30, 2020 Afterpay is offered by more than 55,400 of the world's favourite retailers, and is used by more than 9.9 million active customers globally. Afterpay is currently available in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United States and the United Kingdom, where it is known as Clearpay. Afterpay is on a mission to power an economy in which everyone wins. 1 All currency figures are in Australian dollars unless otherwise stated 2 Active defined as having transacted at least once in the last 12 months. 3 Gross Loss defined as Afterpay receivables impairment expense. 4 Group Total Income includes Afterpay Income, Other Income and Pay Now Revenue. 5 EBITDA (excluding Significant Items) excludes foreign currency gains, share-based payment expenses, net loss on financial liabilities at fair value, share of loss of associate and one-off items. 6 Pro Forma Total Cash includes Cash and Restricted Cash, plus net proceeds from July 2020 capital raising. 7 Pro Forma Liquidity and Growth Capacity includes net proceeds from the July 2020 capital raising. Liquidity includes Cash and undrawn borrowing capacity in the debt facilities as at 30 June 2020. Growth Capacity reflects the difference between the total debt facility limit and the drawn and undrawn capacity in the warehouse facilities. 8 Pro forma for the net cash proceeds from the July 2020 capital raising. 9 Group Total Income includes Afterpay Income, Other Income and Pay Now Revenue 10 Group Net Transaction Margin is equal to Afterpay Net Transaction Margin and Pay Now Gross Margin 11 eCommerce Europe, https://www.ecommerce-europe.eu/research/figures-per-country/ 12 Group average for FY20 13 Independent study commissioned undertaken by AlphaBeta, Accenture and Ipsos in August 2020. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/afterpay-announces-full-year-results-301119541.html SOURCE Afterpay [ Back To www.mobilitytechzone.com/wimax's Homepage ] Just blocks away from Hollywood's iconic walk of fame, protesters yesterday locked off streets and surrounded tents to prevent a major clean-up of a homeless encampment. Members of the Services not Sweeps group took to the streets around Hollywood hoisting banners with the slogans, 'Your sweeps are violent. We will not be silent,' and 'Services not sweeps', as they made a series of demands to LA authorities. The coalition, who raised over $5,000 to fund hotel rooms for 20 residents of Hollywood's homeless Schrader Zone, firstly called on LA officials to use empty hotel rooms to house those people reduced to sleeping on the streets. According to the group, the money they raised is the same cost as a single 'comprehensive cleanup'. LA authorities last month recommenced a city-wide initiative which involves the cleaning of streets where homeless people reside. The process forces unhoused people to move their tents and belongings until the cleaning is finished, which can last a few hours or an entire day. The city, with its estimated 60,000 homeless, finds around 2,000 of those rough sleepers descending on Hollywood hoping to find refuge. Even stretches of Hollywood Boulevard, its sidewalk studded with the names of stars who rose to fame, has become a sleeping spot for the homeless who line the street, and beg for change. Protesters stand against the removal of homeless encampments by Los Angeles' CARE program in Hollywood Protest against the removal of homeless encampents, Los Angeles, USA yesterday Protesters move toward a tent to stop its removal by by Los Angeles' CARE program during a Hollywood protest against the removal of homeless encampments, Los Angeles yesterday Members of the Services not Sweeps group took to the streets around Hollywood hoisting banners with the slogans, 'Your sweeps are violent. We will not be silent,' and 'Services not sweeps', as they made a series of demands to LA authorities Workers from Los Angeles' CARE program clean homeless encampments during a Hollywood protest against the removal of homeless encampments, Los Angeles yesterda Services Not Sweeps said their demonstration was to ensure the sleeping spots of their temporarily housed homeless residents were not taken down in the planned cleanup. LA has created special zones outside the city's shelters which are subject to stricter enforcement from cleanup crews. Protesters were also ordering that these 'zones' be eliminated. Additional demands being made by the coalition are that law enforcement be removed from all outreach efforts and that a new committee be created, made up of homeless people to oversee decisions on encampments. The idea is being explored by council members, according to the LA Times. The cleanup team, rather than proceeding with their planned comprehensive cleanup, decided to 'deescalate' the situation and commence with a 'spot cleanup', which is less invasive and involves teams removing trash from around the individual tents. Homeless residents pack up encampments during a visit by officials of Los Angeles' CARE program in Hollywood Protest against the removal of homeless encampments, Los Angeles yesterday A homeless resident during a visit by officials of Los Angeles' CARE program in Hollywood Protest against the removal of homeless encampments yesterday A homeless resident moves her belongings during a visit by officials of Los Angeles' CARE program in Hollywood yesterday 'One of the things our teams are trained now to do is deescalate, and that's what they did this morning,' Elena Stern, a spokeswoman for the Sanitation Bureau, told the LA Times. 'Our crews are trained not to get into confrontations.' Despite the promise of a less invasive cleanup, Jed Parriott, from Street Watch LA which organized the Streets Not Sweeps initiative, said protesters were forced to defend empty tents after sanitation teams approached them, accusing them of trying to forcibly move unhoused people. Protesters called the cleanups destructive and inhumane, the LA Times reported. 'It makes more sense to get folks indoors than to continue to harass them week after week with sweeps,' Ashley Bennett, co-founder of activist group Ground Game LA, told the LA Times. 'Good cleaning and trash pickup are services we absolutely deserve. But moving things every single week amidst a pandemic it just doesn't make sense.' Bennett also called on LA authorities to find permanent housing for the 20 people Services Not Sweeps had temporarily sheltered. Homeless residents pack up encampments during a visit by officials of Los Angeles' CARE program during a Hollywood protest against the removal of homeless encampments yesterday Veteran publicist Ed Lozzi told the Mail On Sunday earlier this month: 'The city was changing before coronavirus brought us to our knees. The homeless problem has been escalating for years, exacerbated by weak politicians making bad decisions. 'Hollywood has always been the wokest of the woke, so politicians have done nothing to stop people sleeping on the streets. It's not illegal and the weather's nice, so they keep coming. 'There is insufficient housing, inadequate mental health care. Add in Covid and it's a perfect storm. 'When I first arrived in LA 40 years ago, the town smelled of orange blossoms. Now the streets stink of urine.' At the end of July, LA voted to reinstate the comprehensive cleanups after pausing them in March due to the coronavirus pandemic. 'All I'm asking is to simply clean up our streets. Why is that not acceptable?,' said city council member Joe Buscaino. Homeless rights groups and some council members said the move contradicted advice from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who have warned that clearing encampments can help the disease spread as people move through the community. Buscaino countered the claim, alleging that he had seen homeless people failing to isolate in their tents. In April, a court order ruled that the city is unable to seize or destroy large objects, such as mattresses, simply because of their size. However, if the items endanger public safety or block sidewalks they are subject to removal, the LA Times reported. Rights groups have asserted that authorities have continued to defy the order - posting signs that say 'bulky items are always prohibited' ahead of a comprehensive clean. Elsewhere in LA, last year in a landmark lawsuit, which accused the city of using street cleanups as a way of destroying homeless people's property on Skid Row, it was ruled that inhabitants of the 2,000-strong encampment would not be subject to the cleanups. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Treasury Department on Tuesday imposed sanctions on a Chinese national whom it accused of trafficking fentanyl to the United States. Taotao Zhang, a chemist and chemical supplier, had shipped illicit synthetic opioids to the United States, Treasury said in a statement. The Treasury also blacklisted Hong Kong-based Allyrise Technology Group Co, Limited, of which Zhang is director, accusing it of being a front-company for his financial transactions. Fentanyl is a cheap opioid painkiller 50 times more potent than heroin that has played a major role in an opioid crisis in the United States, where more than 28,000 synthetic opioid-related overdose deaths were recorded in 2017. U.S. officials say China is the main source of illicit fentanyl. President Donald Trump has accused Chinese President Xi Jinping of failing to meet promises to help stop the flow of the drug into the United States, a charge Beijing rejects. "The United States remains committed to protecting vulnerable Americans by targeting individuals peddling this deadly drug," Treasury Deputy Secretary Justin Muzinich said. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in a separate statement called on Beijing to accelerate efforts to "regulate its chemical industry and reduce the diversion of precursors into the international black market." "The United States continues to seek cooperation with the PRC to tackle this supply chain threat," Pompeo said. Tuesday's action freezes any U.S. assets of Zhang and the Hong Kong-based company and generally bars Americans from dealing with them. The Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control said it coordinated the move with the U.S. attorney's office for New Jersey and the Drug Enforcement Administration. (Reporting by Daphne Psaledakis; editing by Grant McCool and Leslie Adler) The twist: Not all terrific twists need to come at the end. Actually, the first one comes fairly early on. But when it does, it's a jaw-slackening doozy. They're human clones being harvested for their organs. The only way out of their fate, they believe, is to prove that they're humans who are capable of love. So the three spend their days trying to save themselves before they are harvested to death. Ruth doesn't make it, leaving Kathy and Tommy, who finally find their old school mistress, who gives them some earth-shattering news. It's an ending you may not want, but will never forget. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier (1938) In this dark and soapy romance, a young, shy, and anonymous orphan gets swept off her feet by a much older and colder English gent called Maxim de Winter. She marries him (why, it's hard to tell; he's not a fun guy), before moving into his grand country pile, Manderley. But soon she finds neither she, nor the vast house, can shake the haunting spectre of Maxim's dead wife, Rebecca. The servants, still loyal to Rebecca's memory, go out of their way to make the new Mrs de Winter feel inferior and unwelcome. Rebecca was a vivacious beauty, they repeatedly remind her, and no new model could ever compete. Our heroine is nothing but a thorn in Rebecca's memory, and her marriage to Maxim a stain on the great family. Maxim could never love her like he loved Rebecca. Could he? The twist: Here is a psychological thriller that twists and turns like a python in a sack. The moment you think you know where the characters stand, Du Maurier sweeps the rug with a juddering snap. Was Rebecca the paragon of virtue, as we are at first led to believe? Did Maxim really love her? And how, exactly, did she die? Once the snake's out of the bag, it bites you right in the brain. VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / August 27, 2020 / GGL Resources Corp. (TSXV:GGL) ("GGL" or the "Company") has commenced field work at its 100% owned, road accessible McConnell project located in north-central British Columbia. GGL has also commenced field activities at its past-producing Gold Point gold project in the prolific Walker Lane gold-silver trend, southwestern Nevada. In anticipation of the McConnell work program, the Company has increased the size of the claim block by adding a further 1,151 hectares of prospective mineral claims. McConnell Project, BC The McConnell property is located in the Golden Horseshoe region of north-central BC, approximately 22 km southeast of the past-producing Kemess open pit copper-gold mine and 70 km from the former Lawyers Mine, where Benchmark Metals Inc. is currently conducting a major drill program to expand resources. The McConnell property is accessible by a road that branches off the all-season Omineca mine and hydro grid power road servicing the Kemess Mine. Current field activities underway at McConnell include up to 20 line kilometers of induced polarization ("IP") and ground magnetic surveying over a known copper-gold porphyry zone. The IP survey complements a reconnaissance style IP survey conducted in 2008, which identified an untested buried chargeability anomaly proximal to mineralized outcrops. The 2020 survey is designed to better define the known chargeability target, and to expand geophysical coverage to evaluate the potential for other nearby targets under overburden cover. Exploration done by the Company in 2018 reconfirmed the presence of a potassic-phyllic altered monzonite intrusion hosting supergene and hypogene copper-gold-silver mineralization, which can be traced in scattered outcrop occurrences over 600 meters until it is lost beneath overburden. Rock samples returned assays of up to 20.1% Cu, 4010 ppb Au and 67.1 ppm Ag. These samples were taken from an exposure that was blast-trenched in the 1970s and chip sampled to yield results of 10.97 % Cu, 0.136 oz/T Au and 2.12 oz/T Ag over 12 feet, as described in an assessment report filed with the government. The McConnell project land tenure has been expanded by 1,151 hectares and is now comprised of a total of 8,700 hectares of mineral claims. The newly acquired ground is largely overburden covered and is believed to be prospective, based on structural/alteration targets defined by a recent ASTER/Structural interpretation. To the Company's knowledge, the new claim area has received negligible exploration to date. The McConnell project also contains a major shear-hosted gold zone which occurs at a higher elevation, 3 km east of the porphyry target. This zone can be traced for 12 km and was the main focus of the Company's exploration efforts, prior to its shift to diamond exploration in the 1990s. The McConnell gold target was acquired in 1981 and a majority of its trenching and drilling was completed in the 1980s. Historical highlights include drill intercepts that assayed up to 15.57 g/t Au over 1 m and trench exposures that graded up to 8.16 g/t Au over 4.8 m. Gold Point Project, Nevada The Company has also commenced exploration activities on its Gold Point project located in southwestern Nevada. The Gold Point project is a consolidation of three properties covering an area measuring 5.4 km with camp-scale mining potential. GGL has options to earn 100% interests in two of the properties and a 75% interest in the third. The Gold Point project is located 26 miles south of Goldfield, and covers several historical mine sites that intermittently produced gold and silver from quartz veins between 1882 and 1962. Since 1962, various operators have sought to reopen the mines and revitalize the district. However, there is no evidence that any systematic exploration has been conducted or significant mining performed. The initial exploration program comprises horizontal loop electromagnetic ("HLEM") and ground magnetic geophysical surveys. A total of 25 line kilometers of surveying is planned. These surveys are designed to characterize the geophysical responses over the known past-producing gold-silver veins and associated structures, and to extrapolate them on strike to the east where the wash (overburden cover) obscures any evidence of outcrop or subcrop. This significant sized, overburden-covered section of the property shows little to no evidence of historical exploration. The consolidated Gold Point project hosts a number of high-grade veins typically 1-2 m in width and locally up to 7 m wide. Existing workings are mostly open and dry to approximately 275 m below surface on both the Orleans (1020 ft level) and Western Veins (960 ft level). Records show 35 historical samples collected post-mining across the Orleans Vein, from the 960 ft to 1020 ft levels averaged 0.389 opt (13.3 g/t) gold, including a vein on the 1000 ft level which returned 7.97 opt (273.2 g/t) gold over 0.5 m. Additionally, 21samples from the 600 ft to 1020 ft levels reportedly averaged 0.314 opt (10.77 g/t) gold. Historical production records describe recoveries between 92% to 98% for gold and 53% to 82% for silver, through cyanidation. Exploration Plans The Company plans to drill the McConnell IP chargeability target and any additionally identified targets of merit this fall. Exploration plans at Gold Point include digitization of historical data concerning underground mines and nearby surface workings to produce a comprehensive 3D model, which will aid in underground mapping, sampling and drill testing. A LiDAR survey is also planned to assist in geological interpretation and accurately locate existing surface workings and undocumented disturbances. Upon completion of this work, it is anticipated that underground workings will be rehabilitated where necessary to allow for safe access to conduct underground drilling. Surface drilling to test on-strike continuance and down-dip potential of known veins is also expected to be conducted in the coming program. Results in this news release relating to the Gold Point property are historical in nature and have not been independently verified by GGL. Technical information in this news release pertaining to the McConnell Project has been reviewed and approved by David Kelsch, P.Geo., President of GGL Resources Corp., while information related to Gold Point has been reviewed by Matthew R. Dumala, P.Eng., a geological engineer with Archer, Cathro & Associates (1981) Limited. Both individuals are qualified persons for the purposes of National Instrument 43-101. About GGL Resources Corp. GGL is a seasoned, Canadian-based junior exploration company focused on the exploration and advancement of under evaluated mineral assets in politically stable, mining friendly jurisdictions. The Company holds the McConnell copper-gold porphyry and shear-hosted gold project located 22 kilometers southeast of the Kemess Mine in north-central BC. In addition, the Company has recently acquired the Gold Point project in the prolific Walker Lane District, Nevada which is the consolidation of several past producing high-grade gold-silver mines. GGL also holds key diamond exploration projects in Canada's north in Nunavut as well as the Lac de Gras diamond district in the Northwest Territories. Lac de Gras is home to Canada's first two diamond mines, the world class Diavik and Ekati mines discovered in the 1990s. The Company also holds diamond royalties on mineral leases in close proximity to the Gahcho Kue diamond mine in the Northwest Territories. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD "David Kelsch" David Kelsch President, Chief Operating Officer and Director For further information concerning GGL Resources Corp. or its various exploration projects please visit our website at www.gglresourcescorp.com or contact: Investor Inquiries Richard Drechsler Corporate Communications Tel: (604) 687-2522, extension 262 NA Toll-Free: (888) 688-2522 r.drechsler@gglresourcescorp.com Corporate Information Linda Knight Corporate Secretary Tel: (604) 688-0546 info@gglresourcescorp.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. This news release may contain forward looking statements based on assumptions and judgments of management regarding future events or results that may prove to be inaccurate as a result of exploration and other risk factors beyond its control, and actual results may differ materially from the expected results. SOURCE: GGL Resources Corp. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/603622/GGL-Resources-Commences-Field-Work-at-McConnell-Copper--Gold-Porphyry-Prospect-Central-BC-and-Gold-Point-Project-Nevada Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-28 02:23:53|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Thursday asked the United States to lift unilateral sanctions on Syria. Years of unilateral sanctions have caused tremendous hardships to the Syrian people, and must be lifted immediately. The unilateral coercive measures are damaging the Syrian economy, destroying livelihoods of civilians, and undermining Syria's capacity to respond to COVID-19, said Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the United Nations. The UN secretary-general, his special envoy for Syria and the UN undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs have repeatedly appealed for the waiver of sanctions, he told the Security Council. "China strongly urges the United States to respond actively to these urgent appeals and lift unilateral sanctions without delay." The UN Secretariat and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs should pay high attention to this issue, strengthen research and analysis in this regard and report to the Security Council, said Zhang. He called on all stakeholders, especially UN agencies, to increase input and coordination in humanitarian operations in Syria. "We welcome the recent progress in cross-line humanitarian operations. There have been missions from Damascus to both the northeast and northwest. We call on the UN to continue strengthening cooperation with the Syrian government, and scale up cross-line operations in combination with cross-border deliveries." Donor countries should fulfill their commitment of assistance to Syria as soon as possible. Assistance should not come with preconditions, nor should they be used as tools for political agenda or pressuring the Syrian government, said Zhang. The economic situation in Syria is extremely fragile. The international community should support the Syrian government to revitalize the economy, he said. The Syrian government has made commendable efforts, in order to improve the livelihoods of the Syrian people, including implementing agricultural reform, helping small businesses, facilitating inter-governorate transportation, and combating the COVID-19 pandemic, he said. The international community should support Syria's endeavor with concrete actions and assistance. In addition, the international community should support Syria to defend its sovereignty and manage its own natural resources. Syria's oil fields belong to the Syrian people and cannot be subject to illegal foreign plundering, said Zhang. Enditem Beirut: French President Emmanuel Macron has created a roadmap for Lebanese politicians outlining political and financial reforms needed to unlock foreign aid and rescue the country from multiple crises including an economic meltdown. The two-page "concept paper" seen by Reuters was delivered by the French ambassador to Beirut, a Lebanese political source said. A diplomatic source at Macron's Elysee office said no document had been given to Lebanese parties. A French Foreign Ministry official declined comment. French President Emmanuel Macron and Lebanese President Michel Aoun in Beirut after the explosion. Credit:AP The necessary measures include an audit of the central bank, appointment of an interim government capable of enacting urgent reforms, and early legislative elections within a year. Lebanon's now-caretaker government, which took office in January with the support of the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement and its allies, failed to make progress in talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a bailout due to inaction on reforms and a dispute over the size of financial losses. /* custom css */ .tdi_75_f75.td-a-rec{ text-align: center; }.tdi_75_f75 .td-element-style{ z-index: -1; }.tdi_75_f75.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_75_f75.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; }@media (max-width: 767px) { .tdi_75_f75.td-a-rec-img { text-align: center; } } Advertisement Kano state governor Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje supports the death sentence judgement over blasphemy by a 22-year old Aminu Yahaya Sharif, by a Judge of Kano Upper Shariah Court, Aliyu Kani. The judgement was based on Section 382 (b) of Kano Shariah Penal Code of 2000. He commended all those who participated at the special meeting, that was held at Africa House, Government House, Kano, Thursday. What happened is so important to the state and to the security of the state and the nation in general. What the Court did is absolutely right. And we support it completely. Such kind of irresponsible act, if not because of the state power, nobody could know what would happen in the future, he reminded. /* custom css */ .tdi_74_3ff.td-a-rec{ text-align: center; }.tdi_74_3ff .td-element-style{ z-index: -1; }.tdi_74_3ff.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_74_3ff.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; }@media (max-width: 767px) { .tdi_74_3ff.td-a-rec-img { text-align: center; } } Explaining that, The man who did that, confessed to be a follower of a particular Islamic Sect. But the adherents of those Sect rejected him right away. So we need to understand the importance of this judgement. We are lucky that Scholars maintained that it wasnt a case for a particular Sect, but rather of one who just decided to derail. He said the state government has accepted the death sentence verdict and the rule of law surrounding the case. I will not waste time in signing the warrant for the execution of the man who blasphemed our Holy Prophet of Islam, he assured. He also commended how the Court handled the case and commended all sections of the society for not fomenting trouble when the case was in the court, adding that, Our eyes are there following everything bit by bit. We thank Almighty Allah, that the court sitting went on successfully. Lawyers just told us that the case could go up to Supreme Court. So if that happens, I will not waste time in approving the verdict right away. And the second issue is, if the victim did not take up the case to appellate courts, I will not waste time to give the approval for the execution. I will not take more than few minutes to accept the verdict, he said. Governor Gandujes announcement was in the presence of the Commissioner of Police, Director State Security Service (DSS), Representative of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Eze of Kano Chief Boniface Ibekwe, Representatives of Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Representatives of Muslim Lawyers Association of Nigeria (MULAN), Comptroller of Kano Correctional Centre, among others. Representatives of the Islamic scholars addressed the gathering about why the judgement should be accepted and executed. The Chairman of the Council of Imams of Sheikh Muhammad Nasir Adam, Leader of Izalatul Bidah Waiqamatussunnah Prof Abdullahi Saleh, Malam Usman Yusuf Makwarari and others, gave reasons why the judgement should be executed. Professor Ahmad Murtala from Bayero University, Kano, lend his voice to all those scholars who support the execution of the person involved in the blasphemy act. He hinted that accepting the judgement would strengthen courts in the state and would also mean respecting Kano people and their religious rights. MULAN Chairman Kano State Branch, Barrister Muhammad Sani Garba, reveals that their association would stand very firm behind governors stand on approving the judgement. Adding that, even if the case goes to Supreme Court, nothing could change. NBA Chairman Kano State Branch Barrister Aminu Sani Gadanya, said as an association, they collectively accepted the verdict of the Court, Looking at the legal provisions followed by the Court. We are supporting this judgement 100 percent. Comptroller Nigeria Correctional Centre, Kano, reminded all about other procedures to be followed before the judgement could be executed lastly. Mentioning that, The Law gives the victim the right to take the matter to the High Court to Court of Appeal up to Supreme Court. Just as being said by the Chairman of NBA, Kano state. Other people who spoke at the meeting included the state Commissioner of Religious Affairs. The Imam of Triumph Friday Mosque, Malam Lawan Abubakar reminded how people should try their best in discharging their individual responsibilities on the matter. Sheikh Qariballah Sheikh Nasiru Kabara, the leader of Qadiriyyah in West Africa, who was represented by Dr Ibrahim Matabuli Kabara, commended the governor for being concerned about the issue that affects the dignity of the Holy Prophet of Islam, Muhammad Bin Abdullah, Peace and Blessings of Allahu Be On Him. HURON COUNTY While much of the talk surrounding the return to school has focused on the basics of education, the pandemic has highlighted the need of career and technical education and the skilled workforce it produces. Now, more than ever, there is a huge skills gap of skilled trades, Huron Area Technical Center Director Lane Walker said. No longer do students have to go get a degree. They can get educated in a different way, have a great income and do something that they love. According to Walker, the coronavirus pandemic highlighted the needs for more people to go into the skilled trades, where many workers continued to flourish while other industries found themselves furloughed indefinitely. A lot of the skilled trades kept working during COVID, Walker said. Many of the trades taught at the tech center, which is operated by the Huron Intermediate School District, result in careers that were deemed essential early on during the pandemic, such as automotive technicians, medical workers, machinists and more. As the pandemic set in, machine shops shifted work to aid in the production of ventilators, increased the production of personal protection equipment such as face masks and face shields, and front line workers such as those in the medical industry were hailed as heroes for the crucial work they were doing. However, behind the scenes there continues to be a need for skilled trades workers, which could result in a shortage of people to get the jobs done. Walker said the reasons behind the potential shortages are multifaceted. I am in my 40s and when I left high school everybody had to go to college, Walker said. That mentality contributed to a huge gap in the skilled trades, with a large segment of skilled trades workers approaching retirement age and a large void in the next generation of skilled workers to take over from them. Walker said this issue is compounded by an ever increasing need of skilled trades. There are retirements and there is so much work, he said. There is a gap in people that are willing to take the spots from retirees, an increase in work and less people going into the field. Walker said CTE programs such as those offered by the tech center work to fill those gaps and produce workforce-ready students. Our goal at the tech center is to give kids as much of a head start on life, career and college as possible, he said. When they leave the tech center they have a huge advantage over any kid they are going to apply for a job against. We want them to leave the tech center and have that huge advantage. Walker said tech centers and skill centers are much different today than they once were. Many years ago, centers were a place that schools might send challenging students to learn skills. However, now tech centers are teaching students careers that will yield substantial incomes right out of high school. CTE is strong and loved in Huron County, Walker said. The nice thing is a lot of the students we have now, their parents went to tech center, or they work for somebody that feels strongly about the trades. I feel we have a huge advantage because kids love coming to the tech center in Huron County. Walker said the tech center provides opportunities for students to enter a career they are passionate about while providing ample opportunity for advancement and sizable incomes. According to Walker, the CTE offers skills not only to kids looking for a career in certain fields, but also to college bound students looking to expand their level of knowledge. One of those programs is a career and college readiness program, which focuses on teaching students valuable skills, such as interview tactics, resume skills and job skills. For a couple years we wanted to build soft skills and job skills, Walker said. A lot of kids are lacking the soft skills and communication skills. This past summer we hired a career and college readiness instructor. We want to bridge that gap for career and college readiness, Walker added. We did that to give our Huron County students an advantage. The tech center offers traditional programs such as cosmetology, health sciences and automotive technology, along with trending courses visual communications, electrical technology and more. We try to keep relevant and I think our programs are relevant in Huron County and in todays workforce, Walker said. While some schools across the state are having to quickly adapt to technology, Walker said the tech center has tried to stay on the leading edge for a while. One example is the tech centers virtual reality classroom. In October, we added a virtual reality room, Walker said. The tech center has a virtual reality backhoe, artificial intelligence simulator and a virtual welder, among other things. We offer so many things that are cutting edge, Walker said. I dont know any other tech centers that have a virtual lab with this stuff. The virtual reality equipment gives students the opportunity to learn without the cost of consumables, or some of the dangers during the initial learning curves. Walker said CTE offers students the opportunity to enter into careers they are passionate about while enjoying the comfort of a stable living. Do things you love to do, he said. Dont base it on what other people think or money, do what gets you excited and what you love to do and do the best in. Thankfully we live in a county that is full of great opportunity in the trades. Like all other schools in the state, the ISD and tech center are having to adapt to the current educational climate due to the coronavirus pandemic and the mandates from the governor. As the tech center resumes classes this year in a Phase 4 environment, it will adhere to state guidelines like other schools, such as socially distanced classrooms, enhanced cleaning, and requiring masks be worn by all students and staff. Parents will be asked to pre-screen students prior to sending them to school and all staff will be required to screen for symptoms prior starting the workday. According to the HISD Preparedness Plan, if the state changes to a Phase 3, the district is prepared to adapt to online instruction in accordance with state guidelines. Walker said the ISD is adapting to meet those changing mandates while maintaining the best educational environment for the students. The best approach is to make decisions based on safety first, he said. But a lot of kids coming to the tech center want hands-on learning. If the climate changes and the tech center is forced to offer only online education, or if a student opts for online education from the start, Walker said the district is prepared. We worked all summer and we will be able to do online, he said. Everyone knows that CTE is hands on. We want to be in school and we want kids in our doors but we are governed by the state of Michigan. Is it the best case? No. But we are doing the best given what the circumstances are. For more information on the Huron Area Technical Center visit the ISD website at www.huronisd.org Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 00:18:21|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Rafael Mariano Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), speaks at the board of governors online meeting in Vienna, Austria, June 15, 2020. (Xinhua) Iran agrees to give UN nuclear watchdog access to two specified locations for inspections of "possible" nuclear activities. TEHRAN, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) has agreed to grant the inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Organization (IAEA) with an access to two locations in the country, according to a joint statement by Iran and the IAEA. The agreement was made during a recent visit by the IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi to the Iranian capital Tehran. "Iran will voluntarily provide the IAEA with access to two locations specified by the IAEA and will facilitate the process to settle these issues," the statement was cited as reading by official IRNA news agency. "The IAEA does not have any further questions to Iran, and it does not have further requests for access to locations other than those declared by Iran," the statement said. According to the AEOI, the inspections will be made at two locations, near Shahreza in central Isfahan Province and near capital Tehran. The UN nuclear watchdog had demanded inspections for "possible" nuclear activities in the two locations. Princeton plays major role in new $115 million quantum science center Princeton University will have a major leadership role in one of the five new multi-institution centers for the advancement of quantum science research announced by the U.S. Department of Energy. The Co-Design Center for Quantum Advantage (C2QA), headquartered at Brookhaven National Laboratory, will develop quantum technologies to serve as the platform for the computing innovations of the future, promising benefits for national security, pharmaceutical development, optimization of resources, and more. The announcement was made Wednesday by the Trump Administration. "This is a monumental opportunity for Princeton to contribute to the fast-evolving technological future of quantum computing," said Princeton University Provost Deborah Prentice. "Our deep strengths in fundamental research make Princeton well-positioned to contribute to this endeavor, which is central to the advancement of computing technology in the 21st century." "Princeton is excited to contribute to the leadership and scientific activity of this tremendous team of universities, a national laboratory and industry that will work together to advance the field of quantum computing," said Princeton Dean for Research Pablo Debenedetti. "We look forward to the many contributions in the science and engineering of quantum technologies that will emerge from this collaborative effort." The center will receive up to $115 million over five years to develop materials, devices, software and applications that will serve as a platform for the next generation of quantum computing capabilities. The goal is to overcome the limitations of today's early stage quantum computers and propel the field forward to unlock new capabilities to tackle real-world challenges. C2QA is one of five new centers selected for creation by the DOE Office of Science following the National Quantum Initiative Act of 2018, which aims to enhance national security and retain the nation's global leadership in scientific research and development. With involvement from 24 research institutions and over 70 lead investigators, C2QA will include several Princeton faculty members in major leadership roles. The deputy director, second in command, will be Princeton Professor of Electrical Engineering Andrew Houck. Houck said the focus of the center is to develop the technology needed to achieve quantum advantage, defined as solving vitally important, unsolved problems faster than is possible on a regular computer. "Right now we're at the stage where we can do things on a quantum computer that are hard to simulate on a regular computer," Houck said, "but they're not really useful problems. We want to bring the science and engineering to the point where we have the fundamental technologies needed to achieve quantum advantage." The center takes a "co-design" approach, defined as the development of new technologies in parallel with close coordination to ensure that the technologies can work seamlessly together. "One of the big challenges in quantum computing is that it's a massively multi-disciplinary enterprise," Houck said. "The functioning of the final product depends on the materials, the devices, and the software architecture. All of these areas rely on expertise that doesn't necessarily overlap." "The idea behind co-design is that rather than making decisions independently, we gather expertise in all of these layers, and have people coordinate what they are doing, including understanding the trade-offs that their decisions may impose on the other layers," Houck said. The center will have three main areas or thrusts: Materials, Devices, and Software/Applications. Materials: Exploring new materials that have quantum properties for computing. Devices: Incorporating new materials into the components of a quantum computer, and building these up into larger systems. Software and applications: Writing the software and designing the programs that will enable the quantum computer to solve real-world problems. A fourth organizational layer will enable co-design by integrating findings and coordinating efforts in ways that ensure that advances in each thrust can be combined to achieve the goal of useful quantum calculations. Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering Nathalie de Leon will lead the Materials thrust. "This center is an exciting opportunity to supercharge some of the collaborative research we have begun at Princeton on new solid state atomic qubits and systematically rooting out microscopic sources of noise and loss in superconducting qubits," de Leon said. "Our approach in these projects forms the basis for the general strategy in the materials thrust. With C2QA, we have an opportunity to expand this research program by working closely with other quantum information processing experts at Yale, MIT, and other academic institutions, as well as material scientists at Brookhaven." Within the Materials thrust, Princeton faculty will lead two of the four sub-areas: Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering Jeffrey Thompson will lead the Qubits for Computing and Networks topic while Robert Cava, the Russell Wellman Moore Professor of Chemistry, will lead the Materials Purification, Crystal Growth, and Processing for QIS topic. "This center will have a transformative impact on the field, bringing together experts from many disciplines in a very focused, close collaboration," Thompson said. Margaret Martonosi, the Hugh Trumbull Adams '35 Professor of Computer Science, will be a key scientist in the Crosscutting Co-Design Integration Team. Additional faculty members who will participate as researchers in the center are Ali Yazdani, the Class of 1909 Professor of Physics, and Professor of Electrical Engineering Stephen Lyon. The center will address two technology bottlenecks in today's quantum computing: improving the performance of the basic units of computation, known as superconducting qubits, and improving the technologies that enable quantum computers to communicate with each other. In addition to his leadership role as deputy director, Houck will oversee an outreach and workforce development program for the center to provide students with educational opportunities. Princeton has already been active in educating undergraduates through its quantum computing classes and through the Quantum Undergraduate Research at IBM and Princeton summer program. The center will foster collaboration with IBM, one of the center members, to help institutional researchers obtain the industry perspective on the challenges that they face in scaling these systems for industrial use. Large center grants enable multiple researchers across disciplines and institutions to work together on tough challenges, Houck said, and Princeton's strengths in quantum science make it ready to play a key leadership role for the C2QA. "At Princeton, we have under one roof some of the very best materials people, some of the very best device people, and some of the very best architecture and algorithms people," Houck said. "I don't know of any proposal that has quite this breadth of expertise, where you really have the very best people in the world, all working together towards one shared goal." ### Another of the five new DOE-funded centers, the Quantum Science Center headquartered at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, will support research by M. Zahid Hasan, Princeton's Eugene Higgins Professor of Physics in the area of topological qubits based on Majorana fermions and anyons. The center will focus on materials discovery and qubit design, quantum algorithms and simulation, and practical applications such as quantum information devices and sensors. The director of C2QA will be Steven Girvin, the Eugene Higgins Professor of Physics at Yale University and a dual appointee in Brookhaven's Energy and Photon Sciences Directorate. The partnering institutions on C2QA are Ames Laboratory, Caltech, City College of New York, Columbia University, Harvard University, Howard University, IBM, Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, Johns Hopkins University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Montana State University, National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Ames Research Center, Northwestern University, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Princeton University, State University of New York Polytechnic Institute, Stony Brook University, University of California-Santa Barbara, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, University of Pittsburgh, University of Washington, Virginia Tech and Yale University. This story has been published on: 2020-08-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Cheryl and Corrina Thinn were almost joined at the hip. The sisters, both members of the Navajo Nation, shared an office at Arizonas Tuba City Regional Health Care. Cheryl conducted reviews to make sure patients were receiving adequate care. Corrina was a social worker. Their desks were just inches apart. They lived together, with their mother, Mary Thinn. They helped raise each others children. And they died just weeks apart, at ages 40 and 44, after falling ill with COVID-19. Close friend Lynette Goldtooth, a registered nurse and case manager, wont go near the area of the hospital where they worked, knowing shell break down if she sees their empty seats. Thats where I used to go to see Corrina every morning, Goldtooth said. I used to sit in Cheryls chair. Corrina and I would just start talking, catch up on what we did during our time off, laugh and joke. Corrina Thinn with her sons, Michael (center) and Gary Werito Jr. Cheryl and Corrina are among hundreds of U.S. health care workers who died after helping patients battle the virus. The Guardian and KHN are investigating more than 1,000 of these workers deaths in the Lost on the Frontline project. The Navajo Nation was ravaged by COVID-19 this spring. In May, it reported the highest per capita infection rate in the United States. As of Aug. 21, the sisters were among 489 members of the reservation who had died of the virus, according to the Navajo Department of Health. Experts attributed the spread to the prevalence of multigenerational housing and poor sanitation infrastructure many homes lack running water. Like medical centers across the country, local hospitals across the Navajo Nation experienced shortages of personal protective gear. In early March, Corrina, without personal protective equipment, saw a patient who was showing symptoms of COVID-19, according to her sister Chris. Corrina made sure the patient was comfortable and asked what else she could do to help. A couple of days later, that patient died, and a test for COVID-19 came back positive. Within days after that, she got sick really fast, Chris said. The sisters employer declined to comment for this story. Corrinas first concern was for Cheryl, who started showing symptoms of the virus around the same time that she did. Cheryls job as a utilization review technician required face-to-face interaction with patients to verify their insurance and discuss workers compensation. She had underlying health conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis. Corrina worked with people with RA when she was on Pima reservation, so she knows the effects of having it, Mary, her mother, said. I think thats what worried her the most, because she thought it might make [Cheryls] immune system weaker. Chris remembers calling Cheryl on her 40th birthday, March 19. Cheryl joked about how, as the baby of the four siblings, she was still young and pretty. But she also complained that it was difficult for her to breathe. She was admitted to the Tuba City hospital the next day. Corrinas condition worsened as well, and she checked herself into the emergency room at Tuba City on March 21. Hospital staff tried assisted-breathing treatments on her, to no avail. Cheryl was airlifted to Flagstaff Medical Center on March 24. She never knew that Corrina was briefly in the hospital with her. Corrina was airlifted to Banner Thunderbird Medical Center in Glendale later that night. Corrina and Cheryl Thinn, two of four siblings, lived together with their mother, Mary, and helped raise each other's children. From left: Fabian Thinn, Corrina Thinn, Chris Thinn, Mary Thinn and Cheryl Thinn. Chris said that the last time she spoke with Corrina, she was still in the ER. She just messaged us saying she was going to get flown out, that she loves us and that she was going to be back, Chris said. That was the last time we heard from her. Because of shortages, the sisters werent tested for COVID-19 until they were transferred out of Tuba City. They both tested positive and were then intubated at their respective hospitals. Cheryl died on April 11, and no family members were allowed to be with her. I couldnt even hold my baby, her mother said. I couldnt even hold her hand when she passed. The family had a small service before burying Cheryl next to their father, Navajo Police Sgt. Jimmie Thinn Sr., and Cheryls ex-husband, who died in January. Even after their marriage ended, the two remained close and co-parented Cheryls son, Kyle. Chris said the whole experience felt very lonely. Numbed by the pain of Cheryls death, the family shifted their focus to Corrina. You tell yourself that we just need to get her healthy enough to come home, Chris said. And then all of the sudden, shes gone. Corrina died on April 29 18 days after her sisters death and two weeks after her birthday, which she spent on a ventilator. Although she was unconscious, her nurse sang Happy Birthday. Corrinas oldest son, Gary Werito Jr., had tried for weeks to take leave from his Fort Bliss Army post in El Paso, Texas. His superiors declined his requests out of concerns he might contract the virus while on leave. Separated from his mother by hundreds of miles, Werito tried to reach her through prayer. I would burn cedar, he said. I was trying to talk to my mom. I was telling her, Mom, youre going to get through this. Youre going to come home. Youre going to meet your granddaughter. Werito and his wife were expecting their second child. The baby would have been Corrinas first granddaughter. Werito remembers his mother as a model Navajo. She left the reservation to get an education, and then she came home, he said. She could have worked anywhere else as a social worker, but she chose to help her own people. Before becoming a social worker, Corrina worked for the Tuba City Police District for more than 10 years. She ended her law enforcement career as a senior police officer. Goldtooth, the sisters friend and colleague, said Corrina was particularly effective at the hospital because she spoke English and Navajo fluently. The Native language, which helped the U.S. win World War II as a secret code for communications, is not written down. A lot of people arent fluent in Navajo anymore, she said. When elderly people would come [to the hospital], they dont speak a lot of English. She was there to talk with them. It would really surprise people. Cheryl was more soft-spoken than her sister. Mary remembers her as empathetic and insightful. Her siblings often sought her advice. Thats what we miss about her, Mary said. She might be the quiet one, but she always has important things to say to us. Both sisters left behind young sons. Corrinas son Michael is 14, and Cheryls son just turned 12. The cousins are keeping each other company, reminding Mary of the way her daughters behaved. Honoring her former service with the Tuba City Police District, law enforcement escorted Corrinas body from Flagstaff to Tuba City. Her family was humbled by the outpouring. We had people lined up honoring her return, Mary said. They paid their respects, flying their flags. Some officers were standing along the road saluting her. Since June, the Navajo Department of Health has enforced strict curfews during the week and lockdowns over the weekend. Those measures have been effective, as theyve seen cases decline over the past two months. The Navajo Nation began its first reopening phase in mid-August, allowing most businesses to operate at 25% capacity. In late July, Werito left the Army for good and came home to Tuba City. His daughter was born on Aug. 5 in the same hospital where his mother and aunt worked. Her middle name is Lois, the same as Corrinas. Werito said he sometimes forgets his mother is gone and expects her to come home from work. My grandmother told me its a little peace of mind that Im home now, he said. It kind of fills that void that my mom and my aunt left. This story is part of Lost on the Frontline, an ongoing project from The Guardian and Kaiser Health News that aims to document the lives of health care workers in the U.S. who die from COVID-19, and to investigate why so many are victims of the disease. If you have a colleague or loved one we should include, please share their story. VMware Cloud Verified Logo HONG KONG, Aug 27, 2020 - (ACN Newswire) - CITIC Telecom International CPC Limited (CITIC Telecom CPC), a wholly owned subsidiary of CITIC Telecom International Holdings Limited (SEHK: 1883), today announced it has achieved VMware Cloud Verified status.The Cloud Verified designation indicates that a VMware Cloud Provider offers their customers consistent infrastructure and operations through a complete set of software-defined services for networking, storage and compute. The Cloud Verified badge means customers achieve unmatched levels of consistency, performance, and interoperability for both traditional or containerized enterprise applications, and the confidence that the service is based on the most advanced VMware cloud technologies available."Attaining VMware Cloud Verified status is a milestone achievement for CITIC Telecom CPC. This designation demonstrates that we can provide our customers with services and solutions consistent with the standards of advanced VMware cloud technologies. Working with VMware significantly strengthens our network and cloud offerings," said Taylor Lam, SVP of Product Development & Management, CITIC Telecom CPC. "Market demand for hybrid, multi-cloud, and virtual network solutions is rising rapidly. The VMware Cloud Verified badge signifies that our SmartCLOUD Cloud Computing solutions can keep up with expectations by providing customers with VMware Cloud Infrastructure. With this, we can not only provide our customers with reliable IaaS service but can also deliver flexible virtual network (NSX), virtual storage (vSAN), and SD-WAN solutions that suit our customers' digital transformation needs. It further showcases that the combination of VMware products with our full-fledged ICT portfolio, certified Professional Services and years of managed service experience can provide a unique value to our customers.""Partners that are VMware Cloud Verified provide organizations with complete and advanced VMware Cloud technologies, along with interoperability across clouds for greater advantage for their customers' businesses," said Vijoo Chacko, VMware Cloud Provider Program Leader, APJ, VMware. "Cloud Verified services delivered by VMware Cloud Providers can provide the efficiency, agility, and reliability inherent in cloud computing. We look forward to supporting CITIC Telecom CPC as it empowers organizations with a simple and flexible path to the cloud."VMware's global network of more than 4,300 cloud providers leverage VMware's consistent cloud infrastructure to offer a wide array of services in over 120 countries, provide geographic and industry specialization, and help customers meet complex regulatory requirementsFor information on how to become a Cloud Verified partner, please visit: https://www.vmware.com/partners/service-provider/vmware-cloud-verified-logo.htmlAbout CITIC Telecom CPCWe are CITIC Telecom International CPC Limited ("CITIC Telecom CPC"), a wholly owned subsidiary of CITIC Telecom International Holdings Limited (SEHK: 1883), serving multinational enterprises the world over by addressing their specific ICT requirements with highly scalable tailored solutions built upon our flagship technology suites, comprising TrueCONNECT private network solutions, TrustCSI information security solutions, DataHOUSE cloud data center solutions, and SmartCLOUD cloud computing solutions.As a leading Global Local ICT Solutions Partner with worldwide footprint across East to West and native presence, we truly live our motto, "Innovation Never Stops." Being a preferred Digital Society Enabler, we lead our key markets at the forefront of pioneering ICT development, embracing AI, AR, Big Data, IoT, and other cutting-edge emerging technologies to transform technical potential into real-world value for our customers, helping them achieve higher productivity, agility, cost-efficiency, and ultimately, Digital Globalization.As one of the first managed service providers in Hong Kong to achieve ISO 9001, 14001, 20000, 27001, and 27017 ICT-related certifications, CITIC Telecom CPC delivers on our superior quality commitment through a broad global self-managed infrastructure encompassing some of the highest growth markets in Asia, Europe and America, with over 140 points of presence, 18 Cloud service centers, 30+ data centers, and two dedicated 24x7 Security Operations Centers.For more information please visit www.citictel-cpc.comVMware, VMware Cloud, VMware Cloud Verified and VMware Cloud Provider are registered trademarks or trademarks of VMware, Inc. in the United States and other jurisdictions.Media contact:Rowena LeungCITIC Telecom International CPC Limitedrowena.leung@citictel-cpc.com(852) 2170 7536Source: CITIC Telecom International CPC LimitedCopyright 2020 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) plans to equip 24 more airports by the end of this year with the global navigation satellite system (GNSS), whose approach procedures enable flights to land at airports despite poor visibility due to heavy rain or fog. As many as 45 Indian airports will now have approach procedures that use the global navigation satellite system (GNSS) which enable flights to land at airports despite poor visibility. Over the last eight months, 21 Indian airports have been equipped with GNSS, aviation officials said. Installing GNSS is part of a global plan by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) to make landings more efficient during adverse weather. India started implementing the plan two years ago, aviation officials said. The approach procedure, known as Required Navigation Performance (RNP), will help Indian airports without an Instrument Landing System (ILS, a system that allows pilots to land at an airport when there is low visibility) and those where ILS is dysfunctional because of weather conditions like floods. In Maharashtra, Mumbai, Shirdi, Aurangabad and Kolhapur airports are equipped with this technology. Other Indian airports include Kozhikode, Jabalpur, Indore, Begumpet (Hyderabad), Kolkata, Hubli, Jaipur, Khajuraho, Kannur, Belgaum and Varanasi. A former Directorate General of Civil Aviation official said, It is good to see India taking steps to harness GNSS technology for designing these RNP approaches that make runways accessible in a safe and efficient manner. This is the future of aviation, as most of the expensive ground-based technology will be replaced by cost-effective space-based technology. RNP procedures are expected to not only reduce delay in arrivals due to poor weather conditions but also increase the accessibility of airports as fewer flights are expected to be diverted. For instance, when Mumbai came to a standstill during the floods in July 2005, no ground-based navigation equipment was available for operations, due to which pilots had to land aircraft using a visual approach at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA). A senior AAI official said, For safe landings, aircraft traditionally use ground-based technology like ILS or other navigational aids like VOR (Very High Frequency Omnidirectional Range). However, to install and maintain such equipment at every airport is a costly affair and may not be feasible. A Delhi-based AAI official said, With the recent advancement in technology like aircraft electronics systems (avionics) as well as GNSS, aircraft can navigate using satellites. It is now possible to design an aircraft approach (towards landing) procedure based on this GNSS, which allows the aircraft to operate even in moderately low visibility conditions (as low as 1,500-2,000m) which is not possible with both VOR and during visible approach. AAI officials said that this harnessing of technology is most useful for airports that do not have ILS. Now when ILS is not available, the runway can be accessed in low visibility conditions using the GNSS. A Mumbai airport official said, During the traditional approach (landing) of an aircraft, the minimum visibility required is as high as around 2,400m. Currently, the technology has been made available for Runway 9. It will be made available for Runway 14 on September 10 and for the primary Runway 27, it will be made available in October this year wherein flights will be able to land in visibility as low as 1,500m. A Shirdi Airport official said that Shirdi Airport is one of the best examples of being benefited with this system. Flights from Shirdi airport frequently used to get diverted during poor weather, as the minimum visibility required for an aircraft to land was 5km. However, with implementing this technology, the airport will see lesser flight diversions leading to doubling accessibility of the airport. People participate in a rally outside the US Mission to the United Nations in New York to encourage the State Department to fight for the freedom of the majority-Muslim Uyghur population imprisoned in Chinese internment camps, Feb. 5, 2019. U.S. officials are weighing "various ways" to press China to halt abuses of Uyghurs in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, where as many as 1.8 million members of the minority group have been sent to reeducation camps, a U.S. official said Wednesday after reports Washington was considering labeling the treatment of Uyghurs as genocide . Beijing describes its three-year-old network of camps in the XUAR as voluntary vocational centers that provide job skills and combat extremism, but reporting by RFA and other media outlets shows that detainees are held against their will in poor conditions, where they are forced to endure inhumane treatment and political indoctrination. The Trump Administration has already hit out at Beijings treatment of the Uyghurs, recently sanctioning Chinese officials and state-owned business entities deemed responsible for the camps and for programs of forced labor and population control. The Administration has been consistently vocal about its concerns of human rights violations and abuse of Uyghurs, ethnic Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, and members of other Muslim minority groups in Xinjiang, including coercive population control measures such as forced abortion and forced sterilization, the official said. We are working hard to encourage the Peoples Republic of China to cease its human rights abuses in Xinjiang, and are constantly evaluating various measures. We do not comment on potential actions," the official said, following reports of a multi-agency review of the grounds for a genocide designation for Xinjiang. Talks about the possible genocide designation are now being held by officials at the State Department, National Security Council, and Department of Homeland Security but are still at the early stages, the online journal Politico said in an Aug. 25 report, citing unnamed administration officials. If theres not enough consensus to use the term genocide, the administration could instead accuse the Chinese leadership of other atrocities, such as crimes against humanity or ethnic cleansing, Politico said. The White House declined to comment on the reported genocide deliberations, but NSC Spokesman John Ullyot issued a statement listing recent U.S. sanctions and other measures against forced labor, forced abortions and sterilizations, and other abuses in Xinjiang. Beijings atrocities against the Uyghurs include horrific acts against women including forced abortion, forced sterilization, and other coercive birth control methods, state-sponsored forced labor, sexual violence including through rape in detention, compulsory home-stays by Han [Chinese] officials, and forced marriages, said the statement. The Chinese Communist Partys atrocities also include the largest incarceration of an ethnic minority since World War II, Ullyot added. Bipartisan support in US Nury Turkel, a commissioner on the bipartisan United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), said his independent federal government body wants the Trump administration to move ahead with the proposed designation. USCIRF has been urging the Secretary of State to formally designate the atrocities that Communist China has committed as genocide, Turkel said, adding that Chinas separation of Uyghur children from their families and growing campaign to prevent Uyghur population growth fall within the list of provisions meeting the legal definition of genocide. The U.S. government's official recognition of genocide would help to end atrocities, Turkel said. In response to the Politico report, Andrew Bates, the spokesman for the presidential campaign of Joe Biden, issued a statement saying: The unspeakable oppression that Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities have suffered at the hands of Chinas authoritarian government is genocide and Joe Biden stands against it in the strongest terms. German researcher Adrian Zenz, co-author of a report detailing a dramatic increase in recent years in the number of forced sterilizations and abortions targeting Uyghurs in the XUAR, said he welcomed moves toward designation by the State Department and the sign of bi-partisan support from the Biden camp. Given the overwhelming evidence on the dramatic human rights violations in Xinjiang, it is high time that the state department makes a formal designation regarding the nature of this atrocity, said Zenz, a senior fellow in China Studies at the Washington-based Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation. The Biden campaign's strong statement on the atrocity in Xinjiang is to be welcomed, he added. A U.S. finding of genocide in Xinjiang would galvanize other nations and organizations to go after China and seek legal accountability from the officials involved, along with reparations for the suffering of the Uyghurs, said Dolkun Isapresident of the Germany-based exile World Uyghur Congress. According to the U.S. Holocaust Museum, the U.S. State Department has made statements that genocide has occurred in five cases since the end of the cold War: Bosnia (1993), Rwanda (1994), Iraq (1995), Darfur (2004), and areas under the control of ISIS (2016 and 2017). Reported and translated by Alim Seytoff for RFAs Uyghur Service. Written in English by Richard Finney. (Natural News) Since the year began, the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has affected many businesses in America. But unlike some companies that can allow employees to work from home, restaurants were hit the hardest as they rely on indoor dining, along with takeouts and deliveries, to make a profit. On August 21, Thursday, the New York City Hospitality Alliance demanded that Mayor Bill de Blasio and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo immediately release their plans or a timeline for when indoor dining can resume during the pandemic. Uncertainties and phase three of the state reopening After Mayor de Blasio revealed that he had no plan nor a timeline for when restaurants in the city can resume indoor dining during the COVID-19 pandemic, the NYC Hospitality Alliance threatened to sue the politician. Following Mayor de Blasios announcement that indoor dining was postponed indefinitely, a group of 100 restaurants in Brooklyn and Staten Island have also announced that they will file a class-action lawsuit to pressure New York into letting restaurants resume indoor dining. In a press conference, de Blasio declared that while the situation is being monitored daily, there must first be a significant improvement before he even considers allowing restaurants to accept dine-in customers once again. In early July, New York City entered phase three of Cuomos reopening plan for New York. Indoor dining was part of phase three, but both Cuomo and de Blasio have only allowed outdoor dining in the citys five boroughs. Every other county in New York state is currently allowed to have indoor dining, but only at reduced capacity. A floundering industry that requires immediate government action The NYC Hospitality Alliance aired its complaints about being put on the backburner in plans for the citys reopening. More than six weeks have passed since indoor dining was delayed indefinitely, but there is still no plan on when restaurants will resume normal operations. On the other hand, gyms, which were in phase four, and schools have already received respective reopening guidelines or plans. To date, New York has a positive test rate of 0.72 percent. It is among the lowest in the country and the states infection rate has been below one percent for 14 straight days. (Related: New York City to reopen schools ONLY if coronavirus test rate stays below 3%.) Andrew Rigie, executive director of the NYC Hospitality Alliance, explained that even though New York exceeds and sustains the metrics that have allowed restaurants throughout the rest of the state to reopen, government leaders still havent announced when small business owners, workers and customers can expect indoor dining to resume. Rigie emphasized that the industrys survival over the next several months is contingent on the government promptly developing and implementing a plan so restaurants in the city can safely welcome diners like other dining establishments in the rest of the state. According to the NYC Hospitality Alliance, a survey of 500 restaurants and bar owners revealed that at least 83 percent was unable to pay commercial rent last July. The association added compared to March of this year, restaurants and bars employ 200,000 fewer people. The latest unemployment figures have also found that at least 60 percent of hospitality industry workers are now unemployed. According to the US Department of Labors monthly report released last April 4, a total of 701,000 jobs were lost in March. Restaurants and bars accounted for 419,000 of the jobs axed in the same month. Outdoor dining and lack of compliance After being asked to comment about the NYC Hospitality Alliances demand for a plan, Cuomo said that he understands the plight of struggling businesses in the hospitality industry. He added that this one reason why establishments were allowed to resume outdoor dining amid the pandemic. However, Cuomo expressed his concern about how profitable outdoor dining would be once winter rolls around, especially since customers might be less inclined to eat out in the cold. Defending his lack of a plan for the reopening of indoor dining, Cuomo claimed that restaurants in the city also need to deal with other various factors that establishments dont have to face elsewhere in the state because theyre in different environments. Theyre different demographically, theyre different in population, theyre different by density, theyre different by crowding factor, said Cuomo. The mayor insisted that NYC has to more careful because of these factors and that it would be negligent not to be. Cuomo concluded that while New York and other states have different dynamics, the city is facing a bigger problem: the lack of compliance. The largest settings that affect customers According to data from states and cities across the country, the majority of community outbreaks of COVID-19 this summer were concentrated in restaurants and bars. In Maryland, contact tracers reported that at least 12 percent of new cases from July were traced to restaurants. In Colorado, about nine percent of outbreaks overall were traced to both bars and restaurants. Experts have yet to determine what percentage of workers transmitted the virus among themselves or to patrons. Its also unknown if customers acted as carriers of the virus. Health officials are concerned about the clusters or coronavirus infections since a lot of restaurant and bar employees throughout America are in their 20s. People in this age bracket can bring the virus home and possibly cause household transmissions, as seen in the last couple of days across the Sun Belt and the West. In late June, the majority of popular restaurants in America, such as those in Nashville, Las Vegas, Atlanta and Milwaukee, closed temporarily because of cases among employees. Texas and Florida also closed bars this summer following a surge of new cases in both states. Early on August, 15 of the 39 new cases in community settings were traced back to restaurants in San Diego. In Washington, cases have also been reported after the city reopened indoor dining. In New York City and many other areas, indoor dining is still banned. Public health researchers agree that indoor dining, particularly in bars, is more likely to cause coronavirus outbreaks compared to outdoor settings. Sources include: DailyMail.co.uk QZ.com NTimes.com US conducts provocative close-up recon on PLA drills two days in a row Global Times By Liu Xuanzun and Liu Xin Source: Global Times Published: 2020/8/26 21:28:33 Last Updated: 2020/8/26 21:57:33 China's military exercise announcements send clear message: analysts By sending an RC-135S ballistic missile-detection plane to spy on Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) drills in the South China Sea on Wednesday, the US has deployed its spy aircraft to gather intelligence on two separate PLA exercises two days in a row, following another occasion on Tuesday that saw a U-2 high-altitude aircraft provocatively trespass into a no-fly zone of a live-fire drill by the PLA Northern Theater Command that risked a misfire accident. China announced on Wednesday another navigation restriction zone for military exercises, a move providing transparency to the public and designed to send the US a clear message that the US would need to assume all responsibility if its reconnaissance aircraft got mistakenly shot down by the PLA should they conduct close-up reconnaissance on Chinese drills again, analysts said. An RC-135S of the US Air Force, designed to gather data on ballistic missile launches, re-entry and electronic information, flew across the South China Sea on Wednesday morning, according to monitoring from the Beijing-based think tank the South China Sea Strategic Situation Probing Initiative (SCSPI) on the same day. The aircraft crossed the Bashi Channel from the east, headed southwest into the South China Sea, and returned on the same route, according to a flight trajectory drawn by the SCSPI. It approached near an ongoing PLA exercise in waters off Hainan Island's southeast coast. The PLA drills are being held in the waters from Monday to Saturday, according to a navigation restriction notice released on Friday by the Hainan Maritime Safety Administration, which did not provide further details regarding the drills. It is possible that the US believes the PLA would launch anti-ship ballistic missiles like the DF-21D or the DF-26 in the drills, so it sent the RC-135S to gather intelligence, a Chinese military expert who requested anonymity told the Global Times on Wednesday. The missiles are extremely threatening to US warships, particularly to its aircraft carriers, the expert said, noting that the US must be anxious and eager to find out how to counter them. Fu Qianshao, a Chinese military aviation expert, told the Global Times on Wednesday that China is the only country in the world that has the technology to develop anti-ship ballistic missiles, and the US is eager to learn about China's methodology. China usually tests ballistic missiles inland to keep confidential intelligence away from the prying eyes of other countries, and the PLA also has many other types of exercise subjects that it conducts in the South China Sea, so the ongoing drills do not necessarily feature anti-ship ballistic missiles. If the PLA drills did not feature ballistic missiles, the RC-135S can still attempt to gather intelligence on other types of weapons and equipment with its wide selection of sensors, Fu said. The RC-135S's close-up reconnaissance of the PLA drills in the South China Sea came only one day after a US U-2 high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft trespassed into a no-fly zone that was hosting a live-fire drill by the PLA Northern Theater Command on Tuesday. The U-2 incursion is a blatant, provocative act that could have easily caused misunderstanding and misjudgment, and even triggered an air and maritime accident, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said at a routine press conference on Wednesday. When first making the announcement on Tuesday, Chinese Defense Ministry spokesperson Wu Qian also made similar statements to strongly denounce the dangerous move made by the US. Chinese military experts said that the U-2 could have been mistakenly shot down by the PLA. China has lodged solemn representations with the US, and demanded the US to stop such provocative acts immediately, Zhao said. Amid the two provocative close-up reconnaissance operations from the US on PLA drills, China on Wednesday announced yet another set of live-fire military exercises. The exercises will be held from Thursday to Sunday in the waters of the East China Sea, read a navigation restriction notice the Zhejiang Maritime Safety Administration released on Wednesday. Giving the exact coordinates of the military exercise zone, the notice, released in both Chinese and English, said that any act of trespassing would be prohibited. China openly introduced restriction zones for its drills, as setting similar zones are a common practice for many militaries around the world, including the US. This would leave the US with no excuse to trespass, and if it continues to do so, it should be the one that should be held accountable if any accident were to occur, analysts said. According to a report by the Beijing Daily on Wednesday, China has held at least 22 military exercises in all of its four sea regions, namely the South China Sea, East China Sea, Yellow Sea and Bohai Sea, in the past month. All exercises were announced together with clearly formulated restriction zones. Odds of misfire While China did not announce many details regarding the exercises, Chinese military experts have predicted that many of them could feature anti-ship, air defense and anti-submarine drills. In live-fire air defense exercises, anti-aircraft missiles and close-in weapon systems could be fired, and an aircraft suddenly appearing on radar could be mistaken for a training target, because in realistic drills, troops often do not know how the drills will transpire and can only rely on their own judgments to pass the tests, the above-mentioned expert said. With an exercise zone being restricted, anything on radar that is not friendly is likely to be hostile, the expert said, noting that the PLA must have carefully identified the U-2 and exercised restraint not to let an accident happen, but US planes might not be so fortunate next time. US aircraft could also accidentally stumble into the trajectory of target drones or PLA aircraft, which could risk collision and escalation, analysts said. Unbearable consequences The US keeps playing the dangerous game of testing China's bottom line and stirring up provocations as it is pushing for a cold war against China. But at the same time, the US does not want the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis to repeat again since this time it could not bear the consequences, Lu Xiang, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing, told the Global Times on Wednesday. US provocations against China would do nothing to solve its domestic problems. But the more severe domestic turmoil it suffers, the tougher it wants to act with the hope to deter strategic competitors and maintain dominance with its allies especially in Asia to keep the order it wants, Lu noted. Aside from sending reconnaissance planes, US politicians and military officials also voiced tough rhetoric against China. For example, on Monday, US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper released an article in the Wall Street Journal headlined "the Pentagon Is Prepared for China." He also hyped up the PLA threat and said the US and its allies are ready to defend on every front. Li Haidong, a professor at the Institute of International Relations at the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times that Esper is repeating US mainstream strategies against China - attacking the Communist Party of China and the PLA, which are the cornerstones of ensuring China's security and stability. Esper expressed on July 21 his hope to visit China within the year, which was interpreted by some media as sending a friendly signal. However, Li said that both the remarks in July and in the Wall Street Journal show that "the US' long-term strategy of suffocating China and remodeling the global order by using military competition has never changed." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address H urricane Laura has made landfall on the southern US coast after coming in off the Gulf of Mexico. Authorities have described the storm as "extremely dangerous", with winds of up to 150mph. Locals in parts of Louisiana and Texas have been told to evacuate, with Laura approaching the border between the two states. But where is the hurricane currently, and where has it already been? A single truck is parked in an open lot as heavy rains from hurricane Laura fall in Lake Charles, Louisiana / AFP via Getty Images Where is Hurricane Laura? The hurricane swept over US soil for the first time on Tuesday morning, coming into Louisiana. As of Tuesday morning it was over the small town of Cameron near the Texan border, about 130 miles east of the major city of Houston and 240 miles west of New Orleans. Laura is set to continue north through Louisiana and towards Arkansas, before turning east where it is expected to be much less powerful. Waves from Hurricane Laura crash on the 61st Street fishing pier on August 25, 2020 in Galveston, Texas / Getty Images Have people been evacuated? More than 500,000 people along the Louisiana-Texas border have been ordered out of their homes, as Hurricane Laura could flatten buildings and threaten lives. Forecasters are using "apocalyptic" language, according to Louisiana governor John Bel Edwards in a radio interview. He said: "The language I've heard from the National Weather Service I've never heard before... They're sending the strongest possible message about how serious this storm is." But around 150 people in Cameron have reportedly refused to leave their property, despite the fact it could soon be flooded. A car near Vermilion Bay is seen partially submerged in waters brought by Hurricane Laura approaching Abbeville, Louisiana / REUTERS Which areas in the US have already been affected? Hurricane Laura made landfall on Tuesday, so the impact in the US is mostly still to come. But Laura has already struck the Caribbean, killing 24 people in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The hurricane has been put in category four - which means it could cause damage for weeks or months ahead. Vincent Turner, 6, holds his eight-month-old sister Faith while playing in the front yard of their home ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Laura in Beaumont, Texas / REUTERS Electricity is expected to be out in parts of Texas and Louisiana for even longer than with a normal category four hurricane, as staffing shortages due to coronavirus will cause further delays. Loading.... President Trump has warned people to take care and urged residents to listen to local officials. (Natural News) Pollen can be a problem during the spring and summer months in some countries around the globe. In people suffering from allergic rhinitis, the presence of pollen can trigger uncontrollable sneezing, raise the pressure in their nose and cheeks and induce rashes. In a recent breakthrough, a team of Japanese researchers used tree pollen data collected from 120 sites across Japan to determine annual patterns in the dispersal of allergenic pollen from select species of Japanese trees. The researchers found that the trees had annual on and off phases of dispersing allergenic pollen. Their findings, published in the journal Scientific Reports, also indicated that trees in eastern regions demonstrated greater synchronization in their dispersal of pollen. Japanese trees synchronize pollen release across different regions Past studies on Japanese cedar or sugi (Cryptomeria japonica) and a prized Japanese timber tree called hinoki (Chamaecyparis obtusa), focused on their pollens biological characteristics and total annual count. Sugi and hinoki are some of the largest tree species in Japan that produce allergenic pollen. But according to a pair of scientists from Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, almost all of the studies on either tree had been conducted using data from limited sites near each other. To assess potential synchronizations in the pollen dispersal of sugi and hinoki across Japan, the scientists used data from the pollen observation system nicknamed Hanako-san. The Government of Japans Ministry of the Environment launched Hanako-san in 2003 to record the dispersal of pollen at 120 observation sites. The pair also used an in-phase and out-of-phase approach in assessing the characteristic features of the synchronizations in pollen dispersal. Their assessment indicated remarkable patterns. For instance, the duo noted that sugi and hinoki go through alternating on and off phases of pollen dispersal. This occurs on an annual basis. During the on phase, trees release abundant amounts of pollen and disperse smaller amounts during the off phase. The length of either phase differed depending on the region, but the phases sometimes occurred in-sync across certain regions. For instance, the alternating on-and-off pattern in Hokkaido had been similar to those in Tohoku and Chubu from 20102014. Chubu is located in central Japan, and both Hokkaido and Tohoku can be found in the eastern portion of the island. On the other hand, the alternating on-and-off pattern had been less apparent in regions located in western Japan, including Kansai, Chugoku, Shikoku and Kyushu. Furthermore, pollen dispersal in these regions did not appear to be as in-sync as that in the eastern regions. Interestingly, the scientists observed perfect in-phase synchronization throughout all 120 sites from 2009 to 2010. However, there appeared to be no significant synchronization across the sites from 2015 to 2016. Based on these findings, the scientists concluded that there is a clear intermittent or alternating synchronization pattern of pollen dispersal among sugi and hinoki populations in Japan beginning in 2003. (Related: Climate-based courting: Trees take note of climate when establishing symbiotic relationships.) Predicting pollen abundance and spatial distribution for allergic individuals The scientists noted that the research findings can be used to create accurate predictions and numerical forecasts of airborne allergenic pollen for the benefit of both healthcare professionals and allergic rhinitis patients. Pollinosis, a form of allergic rhinitis, is most severe from February to May, the pollen dispersal season in Japan. Experts estimate that more than 20 million people in Japan develop pollinosis every year by inadvertently breathing sugi pollen. Additionally, lead author Akira Ishibashi says that the exact mechanisms behind the regional differences in patterns of pollen dispersal remain unclear as more long-term data are needed. That being said, he suspects that the regional differences might be related to factors specific to certain regions that are affecting the tree populations there. Further research might help shed light on these factors and explain the mechanisms behind the patterns in allergenic pollen dispersal of sugi and hinoki throughout Japan. Read more articles about trees and pollen dispersal at Ecology.news. Sources include: ScienceDaily.com Nature.com Russian prosecutors said on August 27 that they have no indication so far that a criminal act has been committed against Aleksei Navalny, and requested that German medics treating the opposition leader share his medical records. The 44-year-old anti-corruption campaigner and staunch critic of President Vladimir Putin is currently in an induced coma in a German hospital after collapsing a week ago on a Russian commercial flight from the Siberian city of Tomsk, where he had been conducting his latest corruption investigation. Earlier this week, doctors at the Berlin hospital where Navalny is being treated said their initial medical examination pointed to poisoning. Russian doctors who had treated Navalny in a Siberian hospital have contradicted that diagnosis, while the Kremlin has claimed that German medics were "rushing" to use the word "poisoning." Amid mounting Western calls for a transparent investigation into the case, the Russian Prosecutor-General's Office said that a preliminary inquiry launched last week had found "no evidence" of "deliberate criminal acts committed" against Navalny, and that it saw no basis to launch a criminal investigation. German authorities have agreed to cooperate with Russia on the case, the office said, asking Germany to hand over "the evidence for the initial diagnoses they gave," including test results. Meanwhile, the Siberian branch of the Interior Ministry's transportation unit said that it has been conducting a preliminary inquiry to "establish all the circumstances" surrounding Navalnys illness and determine whether a criminal investigation should be launched. Police said in a statement that they inspected locations that Navalny visited, his hotel room, and the routes he had taken in Tomsk, and examined security-camera footage. They said no potent or narcotic substances were found. In Moscow, Putins spokesman Dmitry Peskov said preliminary checks were always carried out in such situations and that there was no need for a formal investigation. "Nothing has changed, we still don't have any understanding of what caused the state the sick man is now in," Peskov told journalists. Navalny fell ill on a plane from Tomsk to Moscow on August 20. He spent two days in a clinic in Omsk, also in Siberia, before being transferred to the renowned Charite hospital in Berlin. Doctors there said on August 24 that "clinical findings indicate intoxication by a substance from the group of active substances called cholinesterase inhibitors," adding that they do not yet know the specific substance involved. Cholinesterase inhibitors are a broad range of chemicals that are found in several drugs as well as in some pesticides and nerve agents. Russian doctors said their tests did not find any trace of poison while they treated Navalny. His supporters say they think he was poisoned when he drank tea purchased at the Tomsk airport before boarding his flight, and accuse the Kremlin of being behind what they see as a deliberate poisoning. Navalnys team filed a request with Russia's Investigative Committee demanding that authorities launch a criminal investigation on charges of an attempt on the life of a public figure, but said they received no response. Putin rejected "rushed and groundless accusations" when he discussed the case with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte on August 26, according to the Kremlin. The Russian leader underscored Russia's "interest in a thorough and objective investigation of all the circumstances of the incident." On August 27, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said he did not understand why Russia did not opt for transparency, which would be "to their credit." German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas once again urged Moscow to investigate Navalny's condition, saying: If there is no investigation it will be not possible for Moscow to dismiss the accusations. With reporting by Reuters, AFP, and Rikard Jozwiak in Berlin Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian's Regular Press Conference on August 26, 2020 Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the People's Republic of China CCTV: According to the Canadian Foreign Ministry, Canadian Foreign Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne met with State Councilor Wang Yi in Rome on August 25. He talked about the cases of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, calling on the Chinese side to agree to Canadian consular visits to the two Canadians. Can you confirm that? What is your comment? A: China has released a press release on State Councilor Wang Yi's meeting with Canadian Foreign Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne. As for the individual cases you mentioned, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor are suspected of engaging in activities endangering China's national security. The Chinese judicial authorities have been handling the cases in strict accordance with law and protecting their lawful rights. In all our communications with the Canadian side, we have made it very clear that Canada should respect the rule of law and China's judicial sovereignty. I would like to stress once again that things between China and Canada have come to this stage not because of China. The Canadian side is well aware of the crux of the problem. It should take immediate and effective measures to correct the mistakes and create conditions for bilateral relations to return to the right track. Global Times: It is reported that Taiwan authorities plan to open a new representative office in Aix-en-Provence in Southern France, which they say is aimed at fostering cooperation between Taiwan and France and other European countries in culture, tourism, business, innovation, and education. What is China's comment? A: There is only one China in the world and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China. China firmly opposes any country having diplomatic ties with China making any form of official contact and exchanges with Taiwan, including the establishment of official institutions in each other's places. France should abide by the one-China principle and prudently and properly handle issues related to Taiwan. The attempts of the DPP authorities to carry out separatist activities in the international arena will not succeed. Shenzhen TV: Indonesia's Permanent Representative to the UN, who held the rotating presidency of the Security Council in August, reportedly said that the Security Council had no consensus on the US request to activate the snapback mechanism, and the President of the Security Council would not take further action. What is China's comment? Zhao Lijian: China has expounded on its position on the Iranian nuclear issue many times recently. The statement by the current President of the Security Council reflects the position of the overwhelming majority of the Security Council members and the consensus of the international community. As State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi stressed the other day, China supports the establishment of an alternative multilateral dialogue platform on the premise of firmly safeguarding the effectiveness and authority of the JCPOA on the Iranian nuclear issue, where all parties can raise their concerns and forge new consensus on maintaining regional peace and stability. We are ready to work with relevant parties to push for the political and diplomatic resolution of the Iranian nuclear issue. China News Service: Protests in Belarus over the presidential election result have not subsided and the international community is paying close attention to the situation there. What is China's comment? Zhao Lijian: China always respects the development path chosen by the people of Belarus in line with their national conditions, firmly supports Belarus' efforts to safeguard national independence, sovereignty, security and development, and firmly opposes interference by external forces in the country's internal affairs. We are confident that political stability and social tranquility will be restored under the leadership of President Lukashenko. China is ready to continue to push for in-depth development of China-Belarus comprehensive strategic partnership featuring mutual trust and win-win cooperation and deepen bilateral cooperation in all fields to the benefit of the two countries and peoples. CRI: You announced earlier that China sent a team of medical professionals to South Sudan. We now know they have been working to contain the virus and train staff since they arrived. Can you give us more details on that? Zhao Lijian: The team of medical experts, sent by the Chinese government, has been working intensively after they arrived in South Sudan. From August 19 to 24, they visited Juba International Airport and the biggest local commodity market, had discussions with a medical advisory group of South Sudan's special committee on COVID-19, visited South Sudan's national public health lab, and provided professional guidance for local health authorities and Chinese institutions and businesses in South Sudan. During their stay, based on China's training plans and the features in local epidemics, the experts shred as much as possible their knowledge on epidemic prevention and control with local medical workers and answered their questions. This has effectively helped local medical personnel know more about China's experience and measures, and enhanced the capacity of front-line medical institutions in South Sudan. Vice President Abdelbagi of South Sudan met with the Chinese experts and said that South Sudan and China are true friends and good partners. Over the past years, whenever South Sudan faced difficulties, China was always the first to offer help. After COVID-19 broke out in South Sudan, China was also the first to provide emergency medical supplies, making it a true friend in trying times. China chose South Sudan as the first destination to send medical experts after the Extraordinary China-Africa Summit on Solidarity Against COVID-19, demonstrating the Chinese side's deep friendship and high attention attached to South Sudan. Olushayo Olu, WHO Representative for South Sudan, also expressed gratitude for China's strong support for the efforts by African countries and the WHO to fight the pandemic. The Chinese medical experts received wide attention and warm welcome from people in South Sudan, who believe their visit will contribute to bilateral cooperation in health and epidemic containment, enhance South Sudan's confidence and capability in defeating the virus, and help South Sudan and other African countries to bring the epidemics under control as soon as possible. The Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation: The Foreign Minister will visit Norway soon. What are the issues that will be discussed? What's the importance for China of this visit? Zhao Lijian: Thanks for your interest in the visit. While in Norway, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi will meet with Prime Minister Solberg and hold talks with Foreign Minister Sreide to exchange views on bilateral relations and issues of mutual interest. Norway is one of the first European countries to recognize the New China and its market economy status. Recent years has seen sound development in bilateral relations, with frequent high-level exchange and fruitful cooperation in various fields. China stands ready to work together with Norway to act on the important consensus of our leaders and achieve greater development in bilateral relations in the new era. We also hope this visit will inject new impetus into China-Norway practical cooperation, especially negotiation on a free trade agreement. More information will be released as it comes out. Please stay tuned. China Review News: The Wall Street Journal published an article by US Defense Secretary Esper on August 24. The article, titled the Pentagon Is Prepared for China, says that the PLA is not a military that serves the nation, let alone a constitution, as the US armed forces do. The PLA belongs to and serves a political entity, the Chinese Communist Party. It goes on to say that the Chinese Communist Party coerces other countries and impedes their sovereignty. What is your comment? Zhao Lijian: Mr. Esper's allegations are completely groundless. Here I would like to offer one recommendation, two facts and three questions. First, one recommendation. I recommend Mr. Esper read over the full text of Pompeo's Fact-twisting China Speech Versus the Truth released by the Chinese side. It is a compilation of a large number of facts and data that are more than enough to expose and shatter the lies and fallacies of the so-called "China threat". Second, two facts. First fact, since 1990, the Chinese military has participated in more than 20 UN peacekeeping operations and sent over 40,000 military personnel, making China the largest contributor of peacekeeping troops among the five permanent members of the Security Council. Second fact, in the 240-plus years since the founding of the US, only 16 years have passed without a war. The US military budget for 2019 exceeds $716 billion, equivalent to the combined military spending of the next nine countries trailing the US. Third, three questions. First question, China pursues a national defense policy that is defensive in nature. Both the Constitution of the Communist Party of China and the Constitution of the People's Republic of China clearly stipulate that China adheres to the path of peaceful development and opposes hegemony. Can the US pledge the same? Second question, who is the one that owns hundreds of military bases around the world, illegally waged war and military operations against countries such as Iraq, Libya and Syria, and sent ships to and planes over far-flung waters to flex their muscles? Third question, who is the one that has been behaving out of a Cold War mentality, quitting treaties and multilateral organizations and wielding sticks and fists like crazy? The right answers are not difficult to get as long as these US politicians respect the facts. Tass News Agency: According to Chinese military, the US sent a U-2 high attitude reconnaissance plane to the no-fly zone established by the north military command during the live-fire drills. I wonder if the foreign ministry has any comment on this? Zhao Lijian: The spokesperson of the Ministry of National Defense has issued remarks on that. I'd like to stress that the US U-2 high attitude reconnaissance plane arbitrarily intruded into the no-fly zone for live-fire exercises by the Northern Theater Command of the People's Liberation Army. The trespass severely affected China's normal exercises and training activities, and violated the rules of behavior for air and maritime safety between China and the United States, as well as relevant international practices. It could easily have resulted in misjudgments and even accidents. China firmly opposes such blatant provocation and has lodged stern representations with the US. We urge the US to immediately stop such provocative moves and take real actions to uphold regional peace and stability. The Globe and Mail: We saw the readouts from both Canadian and Chinese sides about the meeting that took place yesterday. I just want to ask was there anything on which the two sides agreed? We heard quite a bit about what they disagreed about, so did they agree on anything? Zhao Lijian: We already put out a press release on the meeting. There is consensus on developing bilateral relations. More than half a century ago, pioneering Canadian leaders braved external pressure and took the right step to establish diplomatic relations with China. We hope today Canada will act as a good custodian of what the forefathers built, show the same resolve and take concrete actions to bring China-Canada relations back to track at an early date. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Recovering from a hurricane can be very difficult and we want all of our Texas customers to know that the Mercury claims team is ready to help. Mercury Insurance policyholders who have been impacted by Hurricane Laura can report damages and losses through Mercurys claims hotline at (800) 503-3724. The hurricane strengthened into a Category 4 storm as it reached land, along the Texas and Louisiana border, and more than half a million people have been ordered to evacuate. Recovering from a hurricane can be very difficult and we want all of our Texas customers to know that the Mercury claims team is ready to help, says Christopher ORourke, Mercurys vice president of property claims. We urge residents returning to storm-damaged homes to take the necessary precautions to protect their family and pets, and use extra care when traveling through flooded areas. Mercury claims adjusters will assess wind and rain damage, but homeowners seeking coverage from flood and debris flows should review the National Flood Insurance Program. Mercury representatives are available to help address covered claims while following social distancing procedures. Representatives are also available to arrange temporary housing and provide assistance with living expenses if policyholders are forced to leave their homes in response to mandatory evacuation orders arising out of a covered event. If a claim needs to be filed, ORourke advises policyholders follow a few simple procedures to help speed up the process. When filing a claim Contact Mercury immediately to report your loss. Be prepared to provide your policy number. Do not remove debris or damaged property that may be related to your claim. Steps after filing a claim Prepare a detailed inventory of destroyed or damaged property. Offer photos or videos of your home and possessions to your adjuster, if these are available. Keep copies of communications between you and your adjuster. Keep records and receipts for additional living expenses that were incurred if you were forced to leave your home, and provide copies to your adjuster. Mercury Insurance encourages customers to review their homeowners and auto insurance policies with their local agents on a yearly basis to make sure they have the coverage they need. About Mercury Insurance Mercury Insurance (MCY) is a multiple-line insurance organization predominantly offering personal automobile, homeowners and commercial insurance through a network of independent agents in Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Texas and Virginia. Since 1962, Mercury has specialized in offering quality insurance at affordable prices. For more information visit http://www.mercuryinsurance.com or Facebook and follow the company on Twitter. France's interior minister ensured that no one will be stripped of the right to sunbathe topless. It comes following an "incident" on the beach of Sainte-Marie la Mer, south-west France, where three women got asked by police to cover up after complaints by an "uncomfortable" family with children on August 20. Image For Represenation/Twitter According to AP, topless bathing is legal in France, though local authorities can impose clothing rules in specific areas. No such restrictions were in place for the beach in Sainte-Marie la Mer. Also Read: After 'Bois Locker Room', Kolkata Students Accused Of Circulating Nudes Through Google Drive A press release posted on Facebook by the Pyrenees-Orientales police read, 'Their action was following the request of a family of holidaymakers who said they were embarrassed by the situation due to the presence of children.' [ COMMUNIQUE ] Les medias et reseaux sociaux se font l'echo depuis hier de l'action d'une de nos patrouilles presente... Posted by Gendarmerie des Pyrenees-Orientales on Tuesday, August 25, 2020 Backing the women, the minister, Gerald Darmanin, tweeted: "Freedom is a precious commodity". He said it was wrong the women were asked to put on clothing. It was unfounded when two women were reproached for their clothing on the beach, Gerald Darmanin tweeted. Also Read: Not All Heroes Wear Clothes: Woman Raised Rs 3.5 Crore For Australian Bushfires By Selling Nudes Twitter/@Letribunaldunet Local police released a statement saying the officers were just trying to calm the mood after a vacationing family on the beach told police the topless bathers made them uncomfortable. The national gendarme service spokesman acknowledged a blunder by the police in question, but added, tongue-in-cheek, that youll always see me in uniform. Surveys show that younger women are increasingly concerned about sexual harassment and body shaming on the beach. Less than 20 per cent of French women aged under 50 now sunbathe topless, compared with 28 per cent 10 years ago and 43 per cent in 1984, according to a recent survey by pollster Ifop of over 5,000 Europeans including 1,000 French. Also Read: This Is The Best Phone A Parent Can Buy, It Prevents Kids From Clicking Or Sharing Nudes Coronavirus LATEST Updates: The number of COVID-19 containment zones in Delhi, which currently stand at 716, may be increased owing to further relaxations under 'Unlock' and doubling of coronavirus tests, officials said on Thursday Auto refresh feeds At the meeting, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh said that all chief minsietrs must together approach the Supreme Court seeking that the Joint Entrance Examination (Main) and the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET-UG) exams be postponed. At a virtual meeting called by Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday, Opposition chief ministers mounted an attack on the Central Government over various issues such as pending GST compensation due to the states, and economic situation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The death toll reached 3,804 with 62 patients succumbing to the infection, he added. "Of the 3,244 cases, 1,617 are in Pune Municipal Corporation limits, which has recorded 87,317 cases so far. Pune district reported 3,244 new coronavirus cases since the previous evening which took its case count to 1,53,141, a health official said on Wednesday. "Many states/UTs have performed better with more encouraging figures than the national average for the recovery rate and fatality rate," the ministry said. According to the ministry of health and family welfare, early identification through aggressive testing, comprehensive surveillance and contact tracing, and focus on the timely and efficient clinical treatment of patients have ensured a high number of speedy recoveries. This has also kept the Case Fatality Rate low. The government also aid restriction on flights coming in from six cities, viz. Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Chennai and Ahmedabad, is being partially lifted from 1 September onwards. Flights from these cities can come to the state thrice a week. West Bengal Government in a letter to Union Ministry of Civil Aviation asked the ministry to ensure that there is no flight coming to or going out of any airport of West Bengal on 7, 11 and 12 September as the state will observe complete lockdown on these three days. Narayana said that the department is awaiting guidelines from the central government on conducting offline classes as well as the few degree exams to be conducted in September. The development comes amid the controversy regarding the holding of JEE, NEET examinations. Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and Higher Education Minister Dr Ashwath Narayana CN on Wednesday had announced that academic year for various degree courses will commence from the 1 September with online classes. Offline classes will be conducted starting in October, he said. Social distancing norms will have to be followed and all religious places will be sanitised from time to time, the statement said. District collectors and superintendents of police will carry out inspections and ensure all safety measures are taken, it said. All religious places in Rajasthan will reopen for public from 7 September, months after they were closed due to the coronavirus-induced lockdown, an official statement said on Wednesday. The decision was taken during a review meeting on the coronavirus situation in the state chaired by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot. Moderna Inc said on Wednesday that the initial report shows that its COVID-19 vaccine-induced immune responses in older adults that were similar to younger participants, reports LiveMint . The drugmaker said the immune responses in those aged between 56 and 70 years, above 70 and those in the age-group of 18 and 55 were similar. Indias overall case count rises to 33,10,234 with 75,760 new infections in the last 24 hours. The countrys toll goes up by 1,023 to 60,472. As many as 25,23,771 people have recovered from the infection in the country. Scientists around the world say any widely-used vaccine should first be tested in advanced trials involving tens of thousands of people to prove it is safe and effective before being licensed. The worlds first vaccine against the coronavirus to receive a government go-ahead has caused unease among international medical experts, who called Russias fast-tracked approval and failure to share any data supporting claims of the vaccines efficacy a major breach of scientific protocol. The mayor of Moscow invited residents Wednesday to join trials of a coronavirus vaccine that Russia approved for use earlier this month, in what officials described as a breakthrough on par with the Soviet Unions launch of the worlds first satellite in 1957. Then, there is the big challenge of being able to scale, distribute and allocate fairly around the world without letting the rich countries corner the limited doses, Swaminathan said. On vaccine development for the novel coronavirus, she said: "By early 2021, we should have some good news." Distributing Covid-19 vaccine around the world fairly without letting the rich countries corner the limited doses is going to be a big challenge, the World Health Organisation's Chief Scientist Soumya Swaminathan said on Wednesday. Arunachal Pradesh reported its highest-single day spike in COVID-19 cases as 143 people, including 23 security personnel and a health worker, tested positive for the infection on Thursday, an official said told PTI. The fresh infections have pushed the state's caseload to 3,555, he said. In his lecture titled 'The rise of renewables: shining a light on a sustainable future', Guterres will renew "his call on G20 countries, including India, to invest in a clean, sustainable transition as they recover from the COVID-19 pandemic". Guterres will deliver the 19th Darbari Seth Memorial lecture on 28 August organised by TERI, a global think-tank focusing on a broad range of sustainable development and climate-related issues, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters on Wednesday. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will renew his call to India and other G20 countries to invest in a clean, sustainable transition as they recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, during his virtual address to The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI). Human trials on various COVID vaccines are currently underway across the world, including in India. Gandhi had earlier demanded that the government clearly define an inclusive and equitable vaccine access policy to ensure its affordability and fair distribution. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday asserted that a fair and inclusive COVID-19 vaccine access strategy should have been in place by now and said the government's alleged "unpreparedness" is "alarming". There are 7,25,991 active cases of coronavirus infection in the country which comprises 21.93 per cent of the total caseload, the data stated. With a total of 25,23,771 patients having recuperated so far, the recovery rate was recorded at 76.24 percent while the COVID-19 case fatality rate has declined to 1.83 percent. Rahul Gandhi said the NEET-JEE aspirants are worried about their health and future due to concerns about coronavirus infection and floods in Assam and Bihar. "NEET-JEE aspirants are worried about their health and future. They have genuine concerns of: fear of Covid19 infection, transport and lodging during pandemic and flood-mayhem in Assam and Bihar. GOI must listen to all stakeholders and find an acceptable solution," he said. They stressed that classification of cases into mild, moderate and severe categories based just on respiratory symptoms should be relooked to include other organ involvement. COVID-19 can affect almost all organs besides the lungs and the initial symptoms may be totally unrelated to chest complaints, according to experts at AIIMS in Delhi, reports PTI. Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Thursday said that India has operated more than 1000 flights and more than 200,000 passenger footfalls at airports. "Now we cross the milestone of more than 100,000 domestic passengers in a day, " he tweeted. "Since yesterday, our medical team is in touch with the two volunteers and both are fine. They do not have any pain, fever, injection-side reaction or systemic illness post-vaccination," the medical college and hospital's deputy medical director Dr Jitendra Oswal said. Two men, aged 32 and 48, were given the first shot of the 'Covishield' vaccine, being manufactured by Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII), at Bharti Vidyapeeth's Medical College and Hospital on Wednesday. The dose will be repeated after one month, an official said. Vital health parameters of the two volunteers, who have been administered the Oxford COVID-19 vaccine candidate at a medical college here as part of the phase II clinical trial, are normal, a senior official from the medical facility told PTI on Thursday. Telangana reported 2,795 new COVID-19 cases, pushing the state's overall tallyof positive infections to 1,14,483, reports PTI. The toll rose to 788 with eight more fatalities, a state government bulletin said on Thursday, providing data as of 8 pm on 26 August. Thane city is close to the 25,000-mark as it has so far reported 24,906 COVID-19 cases, an official here said. The number of COVID-19 cases in Thane rose to 1,17,739 on Thursday after 1,326 more people tested positive for the disease in the Maharashtra district, officials said. The district also reported 38 deaths on Wednesday, taking the total number of fatalities to 3,386, they said. Mukherjee was admitted to the Army's Research and Referral Hospital on 10 August and was operated for removal of a clot in the brain. He was also tested positive for COVID-19. He later developed a lung infection. Doctors say a patient is haemodynamically stable when the blood circulation parameters - blood pressure, heart and pulse rate, are stable and normal. Former President Pranab Mukherjee continues to be in a deep coma and on ventilator support, the hospital where he is admitted said on Thursday. According to the doctors treating 84-year-old Mukherjee, he is haemodynamically stable. With 8,580 more people testing positive for coronavirus in Karnataka on Wednesday, the total tally exceeded the 3 lakh-mark. According to the statistics issued by the Department of Health and Family Welfare Services, the cumulative number of Covid-19 cases in the state is 3,00,406. At the same time, in Bengaluru, 3,284 new cases were reported. The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) Thursday commenced trial runs on the new stretch of Namma Metro in Bengaluru between Yelachenahalli and Anjanapura, The Indian Express reported. "This (trial runs) will continue for a 30-day period to check all the system parameters at different speeds for safety," a BMRCL statement read. BJP MP from Jammu-Poonch Lok Sabha constituency, Jugal Kishore Sharma, has tested positive for COVID-19. I got myself tested on my own and my test report has come positive, he tweeted, urging people who had been in contact with him during the past few days to get themselves to take precautions and get tested. The apex court said how can it pass a general order for the whole country. A bench comprising Chief Justice S A Bobde and Justices A S Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian said it would lead to chaos and targeting of a particular community. "You are asking for a general order and then if we allow this there will be chaos. Particular community will be targeted for spreading Covid. We don't want that. We as a court cannot risk the health of all the people," the bench, which heard the matter through video conferencing, was quoted as saying by PTI. The Supreme Court declined permission for carrying out Muharram procession across the country and asked Lucknow-based petitioner to move before the Allahabad High Court with his plea. After receiving the go-ahead, the Metro authorities will discuss the modalities of running the services in the city with the West Bengal government, she told PTI. "We will start the process of resuming services once we receive directives from the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Railway Ministry," Metro Railway spokesperson Indrani Banerjee said. The Kolkata metro railway said that it will restart services on receiving the go-ahead from the Union Home Ministry and the Railway Ministry. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Wednesday that the Metro Railway authorities can resume services, maintaining all COVID-19-related safety protocols. 25,23,771 patients have recovered, taking the recovery rate to 76.24%. Maharashtra remains the hardest-hit state in the pandemic, accounting for 7,18,711 cases. Maharashtra is followed by three southern states, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. India is the country with the third-highest coronavirus caseload in the world after the United States and Brazil. India has registered 75,760 coronavirus infections and 1,023 deaths in the last 24 hours ending 8 am on Thursday, making it the biggest daily rise in the country, Union Health Ministry data shows. Todays jump of cases is the highest that any country has ever recorded on a single day since the start of the outbreak. The fresh cases have pushed the country's coronavirus tally to over 33.1 lakh cases. Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Wednesday announced that all educational institutions in the state till end of Durga Puja vacation in view of the prevailing pandemic situation. The announcement was made by Patnaik after reviewing the situation due to COVID-19 in the state. Dharavi slum colony on Thursday reported 12 new COVID-19 cases, taking the total count to 2,740, a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) official said. The civic body stopped sharing data on fatalities in Dharavi, once a COVID-19 hotspot, since June. Four members of a dwindling tribe in Indias far off Andaman Islands have tested positive for coronavirus, Reuters reported on Thursday as the country reported 75,760 new infections, the highest-single-day rise. The Great Andamanese are one of the six tribes of Mongoloid and African origin, who have lived in the Andamans in the Bay of Bengal for thousands of years. Only about 50 members survive, after thousands were killed by British colonisers in the 19th century or died later due to diseases, the Reuters report said, Andhra Pradesh on Thursday moved closer to the four-lakh mark in coronavirus cases after adding 10,621 afresh in 24 hours. The state's COVID-19 tally now read 3.93 lakh total cases, 2.95 lakh recoveries and 3,633 deaths, leaving 94,209 active cases, according to the latest government bulletin. The state registered 92 related fatalities in 24 hours ending 9 am on Thursday while 8,528 more patients had recovered from the infection. BJP MP from Jammu-Poonch Lok Sabha constituency, Jugal Kishore Sharma, has tested positive for COVID-19. I got myself tested on my own and my test report has come positive, he tweeted, urging people who had been in contact with him during the past few days to get themselves to take precautions and get tested. The apex court said how can it pass a general order for the whole country. A bench comprising Chief Justice S A Bobde and Justices A S Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian said it would lead to chaos and targeting of a particular community. "You are asking for a general order and then if we allow this there will be chaos. Particular community will be targeted for spreading Covid. We don't want that. We as a court cannot risk the health of all the people," the bench, which heard the matter through video conferencing, was quoted as saying by PTI. The Supreme Court declined permission for carrying out Muharram procession across the country and asked Lucknow-based petitioner to move before the Allahabad High Court with his plea. All the pending matters listed before the high court from September 1 to 30 would be adjourned to November 3 to December 7 respectively, the order said. The high court, which has been conducting hearings through video conferencing since March 24 to contain the spread of ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, said the remaining benches shall continue taking up matters through the virtual mode. The Delhi High Court Thursday said five of its benches will start holding physical courts on a rotation basis from September 1, and issued standard operating procedure (SOP) for it. After receiving the go-ahead, the Metro authorities will discuss the modalities of running the services in the city with the West Bengal government, she told PTI. "We will start the process of resuming services once we receive directives from the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Railway Ministry," Metro Railway spokesperson Indrani Banerjee said. The Kolkata metro railway said that it will restart services on receiving the go-ahead from the Union Home Ministry and the Railway Ministry. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Wednesday that the Metro Railway authorities can resume services, maintaining all COVID-19-related safety protocols. 25,23,771 patients have recovered, taking the recovery rate to 76.24%. Maharashtra remains the hardest-hit state in the pandemic, accounting for 7,18,711 cases. Maharashtra is followed by three southern states, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. India is the country with the third-highest coronavirus caseload in the world after the United States and Brazil. India has registered 75,760 coronavirus infections and 1,023 deaths in the last 24 hours ending 8 am on Thursday, making it the biggest daily rise in the country, Union Health Ministry data shows. Todays jump of cases is the highest that any country has ever recorded on a single day since the start of the outbreak. The fresh cases have pushed the country's coronavirus tally to over 33.1 lakh cases. Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Wednesday announced that all educational institutions in the state till end of Durga Puja vacation in view of the prevailing pandemic situation. The announcement was made by Patnaik after reviewing the situation due to COVID-19 in the state. Dharavi slum colony on Thursday reported 12 new COVID-19 cases, taking the total count to 2,740, a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) official said. The civic body stopped sharing data on fatalities in Dharavi, once a COVID-19 hotspot, since June. Four members of a dwindling tribe in Indias far off Andaman Islands have tested positive for coronavirus, Reuters reported on Thursday as the country reported 75,760 new infections, the highest-single-day rise. The Great Andamanese are one of the six tribes of Mongoloid and African origin, who have lived in the Andamans in the Bay of Bengal for thousands of years. Only about 50 members survive, after thousands were killed by British colonisers in the 19th century or died later due to diseases, the Reuters report said, Andhra Pradesh on Thursday moved closer to the four-lakh mark in coronavirus cases after adding 10,621 afresh in 24 hours. The state's COVID-19 tally now read 3.93 lakh total cases, 2.95 lakh recoveries and 3,633 deaths, leaving 94,209 active cases, according to the latest government bulletin. The state registered 92 related fatalities in 24 hours ending 9 am on Thursday while 8,528 more patients had recovered from the infection. The number of COVID-19 containment zones in Delhi has risen from 539 on 1 August to 716 on 27 August. Officials said the rise in the number of containment zones has also been congruent with the increase in cases in the national capital. The number of COVID-19 containment zones in Delhi, which currently stand at 716, may be increased owing to further relaxations under 'Unlock' and doubling of coronavirus tests, officials said on Thursday. COVID-19 tests in Delhi will be doubled to 40,000 per day within a week as there has been a marginal increase in the number of coronavirus cases in the city, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had said on Wednesday, asserting that aggressive testing and isolation will remain his government's strategy to fight the disease. Coronavirus LATEST Updates: The number of COVID-19 containment zones in Delhi, which currently stand at 716, may be increased owing to further relaxations under 'Unlock' and doubling of coronavirus tests, officials said on Thursday. COVID-19 tests in Delhi will be doubled to 40,000 per day within a week as there has been a marginal increase in the number of coronavirus cases in the city Andhra Pradesh on Thursday moved closer to the four-lakh mark in coronavirus cases after adding 10,621 afresh in 24 hours. India has registered 75,760 coronavirus infections and 1,023 deaths in the last 24 hours ending 8 am on Thursday, making it the biggest daily rise in the country, Union Health Ministry data shows. Todays jump of cases is the highest that any country has ever recorded on a single day since the start of the outbreak. The fresh cases have pushed the country's coronavirus tally to over 33.1 lakh cases. The Supreme Court declined permission for carrying out Muharram procession across the country and asked Lucknow-based petitioner to move before the Allahabad High Court with his plea. The apex court said how can it pass a general order for the whole country. Metro services in capital city Bengaluru will be restarted soon as normalcy is slowly being restored in public life, Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa was quoted as saying on Thursday. With 8,580 more people testing positive for coronavirus in Karnataka on Wednesday, the total tally exceeded the 3 lakh-mark. According to the statistics issued by the Department of Health and Family Welfare Services, the cumulative number of Covid-19 cases in the state is 3,00,406. At the same time, in Bengaluru, 3,284 new cases were reported. Indias toll goes up by 1,023 to 60,472. As many as 25,23,771 people have recovered from the infection in the country. India's COVID-19 caseload reached 32.34 lakh on Wednesday amid a growing clamour against the Centre's decision to hold NEET and JEE (Main) exams as scheduled. The chief ministers of seven non-BJP ruled states held a virtual meeting on Wednesday, asserting that the national level entrance exams could put lakhs of students across India at the risk of contracting the virus. In the meeting called by Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi, the chief ministers of the seven non-BJP ruled states agreed to file a review petition urging the Supreme Court to reconsider its recent order rejecting the postponement of the competitive exams. The AAP and the DMK too have supported the demand to postpone the NEET and JEE (Main), with Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia asking the Central government to work out alternative methods for selecting students. Some states on Wednesday also announced measures like cancellation or postponement of state-level exams and to keep educational institutions shut in light of the coronavirus pandemic. In Maharashtra, which recorded its highest single-day surge of 14,888 new infections, the state Cabinet decided to postpone all examinations of the state Public Service Commission. A revised scheduled will be shared at a later date, said Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. In Odisha, which has reported 87,602 cases of the novel coronavirus infection so far, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced that educational institutions will remain closed till the end of the Durga Puja vacation. The five-day Durga Puja festival is slated to be held from 22 to 26 October. Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu chief minister E Palaniswami said that except for final semester exams, all other examinations for undergraduate and postgraduate students are cancelled. However, in BJP-ruled Karnataka, deputy chief minister and higher education minister CN Ashwath Narayan said that the government has given the go-ahead for colleges to resume from 1 October, adding that guidelines in this regard were awaited from the Centre. Online classes would begin next month, the minister said. Educational institutions across the country have remained shut since a lockdown to contain the spread of the viral infection was imposed in March. Meanwhile, the Congress announced protests by its state units on 28 August in front of Central Government offices at state and district headquarters, besides a nationwide online campaign, #SpeakUpForStudentSaftey. India reports 67,151 new cases, 1,059 deaths India's cumulative case count rose to 32.34 lakh on Wednesday with 67,151 more people testing positive for the infection, while the recoveries surged to 24,67,758, said the health ministry its morning update. The toll from the virus climbed to 59,449 with 1,059 more fatalities. The recovery rate rose to 76.30 percent with 63,173 more people recuperating from the disease in the 24 hours ending 8 am on Wednesday. The case fatality rate now stands at 1.84 percent, the ministry said. There are 7,07,267 active cases of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), comprising 21.87 percent of the total 32,34,474 infections, the ministry data showed. According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), 3,76,51,512 tests have been conducted so far, of which 8,23,992 samples were tested on Tuesday. Phase-2 trials of Oxford vaccine begin in Pune Meanwhile, Phase II clinical trial of the Oxford COVID-19 vaccine 'Covishield' , being manufactured by the Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII), began at the city's Bharti Vidyapeeth's Medical College and Hospital, where at least two volunteers were administered doses of the vaccine. "Doctors at the hospital administered the first shot of the 'Covishield' vaccine to a 32-year-old man after his reports of COVID-19 and antibodies tests came out negative," Medical Director of Bharti Vidyapeeth's Medical College, Hospital and Research Centre, Dr Sanjay Lalwani, said, adding that another 48-year-old male volunteer was also given the vaccine. According to Dr Lalwani, a total of 25 candidates will be given the vaccine in the next seven days. Maharashtra defers MPSC exams, Karnataka plans to open colleges in October With several states reporting new cases and fatalities, some state governments announced steps to allay the concerns of students and their parents. Odisha, which registered its highest single-day spurt of 3,371 new cases on Wednesday, decided that all educational institutions in the state would remain closed till the Durga Puja vacations. The state government also announced that school syllabus up to class 12 will be reduced by 30 percent for the current academic session. The fresh infections have pushed the number of active cases in the state to 27,638, while the toll has reached 441. Maharashtra reported its single-day highest spike of 14,888 coronavirus cases which took the case count to 7,18,711. The toll in the state due to the virus reached 23,089 with the addition of 295 fatalities. In Mumbai, 1,854 new cases and 28 deaths were reported during the day. The total number of COVID-19 cases in the city thus rose to 1,39,537 and toll to 7,505. Pune city reported 1,640 new cases along with 37 deaths. State Chief Secretary Sanjay Kumar said that all the MPSC exams were being put off due to the COVID-19situation in the state. In a significant decision for the transport sector hit hard by the lockdown, the government has decided to waive vehicle tax on public transport and goods vehicles, said the CMO. The waiver will be effective for the period between 1 April, 2020 and 30 September, 2020. Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister Dr CN Ashwath Narayan final year examinations will be scheduled for all the undergraduate, diploma and engineering students alongside the commencement of classes, adding that arrear exams will also be held. "The government has decided to get the ball rolling on all academic activities online from next month. In addition, all colleges will start in October and students are expected to attend classes in person," he said. In Tamil Nadu, Chief Minister E Palaniswami said that except the final semester exams, students who have paid fees for subjects related to other semesters and waiting for exams shall be exempted from taking the examinations and they would be awarded marks. Palaniswami said he has directed the Higher Education Department to issue a detailed Government Order on the matter. Tamil Nadu saw 5,958 fresh coronavirus cases that pushed the tally to 3,97,261, while 118 deaths took the toll to 6,839. In Delhi, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said COVID-19 tests will be doubled to 40,000 per day within a week since there has been a "marginal" increase in the number of coronavirus cases in the city. The National Capital recorded 1,693 new cases its highest daily spike in the last 45 days. The total caseload rose to 1,65,764 while 17 fatalities pushed the toll to 4,347. 25 MLAs in Punjab test positive, Tarun Gogoi hospitalised The list of politicians testing positive continued to grow on Wednesday. Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh said that 23 MLAs and ministers are coronavirus positive with just two days to go before the state Assembly Session. Three among the 23 MLAs are Cabinet ministers. "If this is the state of the legislators and ministers, one can only imagine how grave the situation on the ground is," he said, while registering his opposition to the exams being held in September. Former Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi said on Wednesday that he has been diagnosed with COVID-19. The veteran Congress leader urged all those who came in contact with him recently to get tested. Gogoi, who represents the Titabor Assembly constituency in Jorhat district, is the 13th Assam legislator to be diagnosed with COVID-19. His former cabinet colleague Ajanta Neog, the MLA from Golaghat, tested COVID-positive on Tuesday and was admitted to the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital. Another former Congress minister and legislator from Samaguri constituency in Nagaon, Rakibul Hussain, and his wife had earlier tested COVID-positive. Gogoi, who has initially advised home isolation, was admitted to Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) on Wednesday night. Minister for Health and Family Welfare Himanta Biswa Sarma said that a nine-member committee under the chairmanship of the head of Pulmonary Medicine department Dr Jogesh Sarma has been constituted to monitor the health status of the former chief minister. With inputs from PTI DENVER A Denver judge awarded $40,000 to a woman after a man she dated sent a sexually-explicit video of her to her estranged husband. The womans attorney says it is the first trial victory under Colorados revenge porn law. The decision on Aug. 3 in favor of Kristina Hendershott was issued under a 2019 law that allows victims to sue for damages if someone intentionally sends an explicit image or video of them without their consent, said Hendershotts attorney, Malissa Williams. Judge Christopher Baumann said in his ruling that he could not find any other trial verdicts under the 2019 revenge porn statute, Williams said. This certainly gets the word out that victims have civil recourse when intimate images are sent without their consent, Williams said. In July 2019, the man stole from Hendershotts phone an old video of her engaging in sexual conduct with another man, Hendershott told The Denver Post. The man, who was not identified by the Post, then sent the video to Hendershotts estranged husband because he was jealous, she said. In 2018, lawmakers passed a bill that made it easier to charge people with revenge porn. In 2019, the state senate passed a bill that closed civil law loopholes. The government has chosen the middle path in suggesting a way out of the coronavirus-induced difficulties for state governments due to their own dwindling revenue collections and the expected share of GST compensation from the Centre. As it is, the Central government has been pushed between a rock and a hard place on overall GST collections since April, which are expected to fall short by Rs 2.35 lakh crore. So in a crucial GST Council meeting on Thursday, the Centre put two options on the table for state governments 1) for the amount of shortfall expected in the normal course of business, presuming there had been no COVID-19 pandemic and 2) another for the additional amount by which compensation to states would fall short this fiscal due to the pandemic. In the first instance, the Centre has assured states they would not have to bear any additional liability but in the latter case, it is not clear who will ultimately bear the burden of additional borrowings to finance the shortfall. When myriad Central and state-level taxes were amalgamated into a single tax, the Goods and Services Tax (GST), the Centre had promised the states to compensate for any loss in revenue due to the implementation of GST. The base year taken was 2016-17 and it was agreed that if any state reported revenue growth lower than 14% year on year for the next five years, it would be compensated with the differential amount by the Centre. In 2017, a cess had additionally been imposed on certain items to compensate state governments for any revenue loss. In any case, the compensation payable to a state was to be provisionally calculated and released at the end of every two-month period. It was subsequently to be finally calculated for every financial year after the receipt of final revenue figures for five years. So the nub of the current problem lies in the Centre being unable to compensate states according to this formula since the beginning of this fiscal. Two instalments of the compensation are due (April-May and June-July) as on date. What the Centre has now proposed is this: 1) states can approach the RBI to borrow for the compensation gap of Rs 97,000 crore expected this year assuming no outbreak of pandemic. This borrowing can be re-paid by the Centre from the compensation cess fund at a later date. The states will therefore not have any additional liability after borrowing this amount, 2) States can borrow the remaining Rs 1.37 lakh crore, which would be the additional funding gap due to virus-induced fall in cess collection, from the market through government bonds but here, there is no clarity on how this amount will be repaid. While state governments have been given a week to revert with their replies to these two options, the larger fallout is clear: a) there could either be an increase in the period of cess collection beyond the earlier deadline of 2022, b) there could be an increase in the rate of cess, c) there could be an increase in the items which merit this cess. Any or all of these options may be discussed at the next GST Council meeting but the upshot is that prices of some commonly used items such as soft drinks, luxury cars, etc are unlikely to be eased in the near future. According to the GST contours, cess collection was to be have ceased by 2022, but Thursdays deliberations open up the possibility of cess being extended beyond the initial period of five years. If this were to happen, businesses as well as consumers will be hurt. The same fallout can be expected if the council later decides to either raise the cess amount on existing items or include more items under cess. As of now, cess is collected on four categories of products: coal, aerated drinks, tobacco and automobiles. Sachin Menon, partner and head (indirect tax) at KPMG, said, The offer of paying the RBI from the cess compensation fund at a later date means the period of collection of cess will have to be extended beyond five years envisaged in the GST Act. This means the Act will have to be amended. Thursdays meeting came in the backdrop of several states, especially those which have non-BJP governments, calling for complete compensation from the Centre. Punjabs Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal has said the Centre owes his state Rs 4,400 crore in GST compensation dues since April. He said the salary bill of the state is Rs 1800 crore and it is getting difficult for us to run the state The State Bank of India noted earlier this month that the decline in states own tax revenue due to the pandemic could be nearly Rs 3 lakh crore and another Rs 1.5 lakh crore could be the revenue loss from the Centre. Taking into account the additional expenditure of Rs 1.7 lakh crore by states, the total loss comes to around Rs 6.2 lakh crore for major states. This is the amount the states would be set back by through 2020-21. Some relief measures have already been announced by the Centre during the last few months. For example, it has allowed increased borrowing limit for states, giving extra resources of Rs 4.28 lakh crore. But it cannot be denied that the Centre is also in a tough spot. It recently released GST compensation for FY20 at Rs 1.65 lakh crore, which required it to use the balance of cess amount collected during FY18 and FY19. Hence, it no longer has a cushion to bear the additional burden imposed by the pandemic. The SBI analysts had suggested that one way out of this conundrum could be a direct transfer of the combined full amount of Rs 54,000 crore from State Disaster Response Fund (SDRMF) and National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF). An endeavour should be next made to transfer at least 50% of the remaining Rs 2.5 lakh crore through further hike in WMA limits and supporting additional borrowing of states through Open Market Operations by RBI and relaxing some of the conditional ties associated with borrowing. We must appreciate that the states are the most vulnerable as they have limited source of own tax revenue. The fund transfer to states will support also health, immediate payment to contractors for infrastructure work to reduce the stretched working capital cycle which will also have employment and demand boosting properties. According to budget estimates, only four out of 20 large states were earlier expected to have their fiscal deficit above the benchmark 3% of their respective state GDP. However, it seems likely that all states will now register a fiscal deficit much higher than 3% of GSDP as they grapple with lower GSDP growth and reduced taxes, the SBI analysts have said. Church youth leader indicted on over 80 counts of sexual abuse Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A youth leader for a Delaware church was indicted on more than 80 counts of sex abuse stemming from sexual relationships he had with two teenage girls who attended his youth group. John C. Sapp Jr., a 34-year-old from Hartly who served as a youth leader at Maranatha Fellowship of Dover, was recently indicted following a confession to his pastor in February. A spokesman for Delaware's Department of Justice told WBOC on Tuesday that the charges include 33 counts of Unlawful Sexual Contact Second Degree, 29 counts of Sexual Abuse Of A Child By A Person Of Trust First Degree, 13 counts of Rape Fourth Degree Sexual Intercourse Victim Less Than 18 Years Old, and seven counts of Rape Fourth Degree Sexual Penetration Of Another Person Without Consent. Sapp was also charged with three counts of Sexual Abuse Of A Child By A Person Of Trust Second Degree, two counts of Continuous Sexual Abuse Of A Child, and two counts of Loitering On Property Of A State- Supported School, College, Or University. We're awaiting a scheduling order from the courts with respect to case review and trial, said DOJ spokesman Mat Marshall, according to WBOC. Sapp confessed to inappropriately touching a minor in a meeting with a pastor on Feb. 13. Following the meeting, another teenager stepped forward claiming sexual abuse. According to court documents reported on by the Delaware News Journal, one of the victims told Delaware State Police that she and Sapp had a secret relationship that began in October 2017 when she was 15 and ended in June 2019. The second girl told police that she had had a secret sexual relationship with Sapp that went from January 2019 until January of this year, beginning when she was 16 years old. The sexual acts between Sapp and his two victims allegedly occurred at multiple places, including his house, his truck, the parking lot of the Dover Campus of Delaware Technical Community College, the church property, and even on a youth group camping trip, reported the News Journal. Maranatha Fellowship of Dover was founded in 1996 and is affiliated with the Conservative Mennonite Conference. Sapp preached at least one sermon there in December 2013. New reports have revealed new chats messages which claim that actor Rhea Chakraborty procured drugs from Sushant's staff members. The chats were made public by Times Now, and their report revealed some details about hundreds of messages between Rhea- Samuel Miranda and Dipesh. The conversation goes on from procuring natural drugs to consumption of hard drugs and giving it to another person. Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput died on June 14. His untimely death has led to many revelations from Bollywood mafia to alleged drug cartel's involvement. The case is now being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation. Meanwhile, Enforcement Directorate and the Narcotics Control Bureau has joined the team. Parts of the chats released by the news portal show a conversation between Samuel and Rhea in January 2020 exchange. Miranda texted Rhea, "Hi, can you give Dipesh Rs 17,000 for 2 bags of weed? 1 for us & another for him & he will transfer it to us," to which she replied, "Ya, we could." A similar conversation took place in April 2020 when Dipesh texted Rhea, "Getting green for Rs 5K, 1 bag." Rhea then asked Dipesh, "We currently have hash, right?" Rhea's Chat With Her Talent Manager Jaya Saha Dipesh reportedly also texted Rhea about a drug peddler who was in contact with them. The text read, "One of my friends called me said his Peddy is gonna deliver it her in Bandra it is the same stuff we get from our ped." Rhea texted, "Don't get for now." In a November 2019 exchange between Rhea and her talent manager Jaya Saha. The messages show Rhea thanking Jaya for some substance that was sent to her, "So glad you've sent this." Jaya replied asking, "Did it help at all?" "Yes calmed him down quite a bit," Rhea wrote back. Rhea's Chat With Shruti Claims Sushant Quit Use of Marijuana Earlier, similar conversation between Rhea and Sushant's business manager Shruti Modi were made public. Shruti and Rhea spoke about Sushant using marijuana. "He was to completely stop weed and he said he quit it since yesterday. He has gone off to sleep I am leaving for the day," read Rhea's text. More messages followed and Shruti suggested that despite constant medical care, Sushant was still not healing' and a doctor should be consulted for further treatment. Rhea's Lawyer Dismissed Claims Of Drug Consumption While Rhea's lawyer has dismissed the reports by saying "Rhea has never consumed drugs in her life ever. She is ready for a blood test," Vikas Singh, Sushant's family's lawyer said, "Sushant was a fitness freak, someone who believed in yoga and meditation. He never did hard drugs or had such a clandestine lifestyle and consumption." Sushant's Father Alleges Rhea Chakraborty Was Giving Poison To His Son; Says 'She Is A Murderer'" title=" Sushant's Father Alleges Rhea Chakraborty Was Giving Poison To His Son; Says 'She Is A Murderer'" /> Sushant's Father Alleges Rhea Chakraborty Was Giving Poison To His Son; Says 'She Is A Murderer' Sushant's Sister Demands Rhea Arrest, Lashes Out At Her For Giving Interviews FedEx has transported $11 million worth of emergency supplies to Lebanon as disaster relief to help health facilities responding after a deadly explosion ripped through the city earlier this month, putting significant strain on the medical system. More than 60 tonnes of critical aid will soon offer needed relief to medical personnel in Beirut, Lebanon, a statement from FedEx said, adding that FedEx transported the emergency supplies via a dedicated charter flight. FedEx supported this disaster relief effort through its relationship with humanitarian organization Direct Relief, it added. FedEx picked up $11 million worth of medicines, medical supplies and personal protective equipment from Direct Relief headquarters in Santa Barbara, California and trucked the load to Memphis. On August 22, the team members loaded those supplies onto a FedEx Express Boeing 777 at the FedEx World Hub. The flight landed at noon in Luxembourg August 23, where FedEx worked with Cargolux, which also donated its services, to transport the supplies into Beirut. "FedEx has catalyzed and made possible a huge boost of urgently needed assistance to people in Beirut by providing its world-class team, logistics expertise and aircraft, said Direct Relief President and CEO Thomas Tighe. Direct Relief and the many partners with which were working to help, including the American Task Force on Lebanon, are profoundly grateful for FedEx once again providing just an extraordinary example of leadership and action to assist people slammed by a humanitarian crisis. The relief effort is part of the companys FedEx Cares Delivering for Good initiative, where the company uses its global network and unparalleled logistics expertise to help organizations with mission-critical needs in times of disaster. Weve seen the devastation from the explosion and know people are still in desperate need of help. On behalf of our 500,000 FedEx team members, we are proud to be able to use our global network to provide these lifesaving resources, said Richard Smith, executive vice president, Global Support, FedEx Express. We are inspired by Direct Reliefs commitment to making a difference in the lives of others and we are honored to work alongside this incredible organization. The delivery of the lifesaving supplies is also part of the companys FedEx Cares 50 by 50 goal to positively impact 50 million people around the world by the companys 50th anniversary in 2023. FedEx Express is represented in Lebanon by a service provider, Gezairi Express.TradeArabia News Service NEW YORK, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Glia, a leading provider of Digital Customer Service, today announced that it has joined forces with MeridianLink , a developer of multi-channel account opening and loan origination platforms, to bring Digital Customer Service to MeridianLink's bank and credit union clients. By incorporating Glia's modern communications and collaboration platform into the loan origination process, customers can communicate with their institutions through their channel of choice, whether that's voice, messaging, video, or a combination of all three. Lenders can leverage advanced CoBrowsing to view customers' screens and solve problems in real time, often arming borrowers with the knowledge necessary to resolve roadblocks themselves in the future. The partnership will allow MeridianLink's bank and credit union clients to reduce friction, increase efficiencies and ultimately close more loans. "We have digitized the loan origination process to make it easier for borrowers to complete themselves, but some will still have questions or need assistance," said Daniel Johnson, director of branch operations for NASA Federal Credit Union . "Setting it apart from providers we've previously worked with, Glia's platform allows us to bring the human touch into the digital domain and seamlessly transition between channels, resulting in a better overall member experience. Plus, because our representatives can see exactly what the member sees and where they are in the process through CoBrowsing capabilities, we are saving time and making member service more efficient." Partnering with Glia will enable MeridianLink's financial institutions to provide a smoother, more convenient lending experience, eliminating the need for borrowers to waste time authenticating who they are and what their problem is. This practice will improve efficiency for the borrower and the financial institution, while simultaneously allowing the institution to foster a strong, personal customer experience. "The need to digitally transform financial services, including how banks and credit unions approach customer service, has become increasingly apparent this year," said Dan Michaeli, co-founder and CEO of Glia. "Our technology provides customers with a level of continuity and choice that has not previously been available, leading to easier, more natural interactions between borrower and representative. Plus, call times are reduced, and representatives are empowered to help multiple borrowers at once. We are excited about partnering with MeridianLinktogether, we are helping banks and credit unions lower costs, strengthen loyalty and carve out a strong competitive edge." About Glia Glia is reinventing how businesses support their customers in a digital world. Glia's solution enriches web and mobile experiences with digital communication choices, onscreen collaboration and AI-enabled assistance. Glia has partnered with more than 100 financial institutions, insurance companies and fintech providers across the globe to improve top and bottom-line results through Digital Customer Service. The company has won numerous awards for its innovationmost recently recognized by Gartner as a Cool Vendor for 2020. Visit glia.com to learn more. About MeridianLink MeridianLink, Inc., developer of the industry's first multi-channel account opening and loan origination platform, is a leading provider of enterprise business solutions for financial service organizations. The company's passion for excellence is reflected in its browser-based credit reporting, lending and new account opening/deposit technologies, which all enjoy solid reputations as being cutting edge, reliable and affordable. Based in Costa Mesa, California, MeridianLink is committed to creating smart solutions that deliver real value. For more information, visit https://www.meridianlink.com/ . Media Contact: Maggie Wise 678.781.7229 [email protected] SOURCE Glia Related Links www.glia.com Head of the Executive Committee of the National Reforms Council under the President of Ukraine, ex-President of Georgia (2004-2013) Mikheil Saakashvili has said that he is returning to Georgia, where he intends to continue his participation in political processes. "During these seven years there has not been a single day that I was not interested in affairs in Georgia. I know that my work as president was not in vain, and much of what we have done is preserved and works today. But when I hear about the events in Georgia, I know for sure that we can live much better, and every Georgian can be much richer. And together we will succeed. I'm coming back! "Saakashvili said in a video message posted on his Facebook page. The video message was made in Georgian, the politician published its translation into Ukrainian on Facebook. At the same time, he called Ukraine his "second home" and noted that he accepted it "as I am, without any conditions or requirements" and that he really appreciates it. Saakashvili also apologized to the Georgian people for his mistakes and thanked it for making him "a participant in the construction of the Georgian state and a successful historical process." "I am grateful to fate that it gave me the opportunity for the last seven years to realize, rethink Now, from the height of these years, I know how to better serve my country. How to avoid mistakes, and of course there were mistakes. There were also serious mistakes. But God knows, I wanted the best for my people. I wanted my people to live better, much richer," he said. Earlier on Thursday, the politician made a statement in which he noted that he did not stop actively participating in the political life of both Ukraine and Georgia, and intends to do so in the future. "I am Georgian. I am Ukrainian. I have always had and will always have two houses. I have always felt a duty to help both of my peoples. That is why I have never stopped actively participating in the political life of both countries ... Wherever I am, I will always be the faithful son of two friendly countries - Georgia and Ukraine. I will always help my two peoples to become even better, even more successful," Saakashvili wrote on his Facebook page. Katie Price has revealed that she is stepping out of the spotlight on doctor's warning as she has been told to 'rest in order to heal'. The 42-year-old posted a statement to Instagram Stories on Thursday, which read: 'Katie is taking some time out of the media spotlight. 'Her family and Dr's have told Katie that she must rest in order to heal. Katie wants to thank everyone for their ongoing support and will be back when she feels ready.' Tough time: Katie Price has revealed that she is stepping out of the spotlight on doctor's warning as she has been told to 'rest in order to heal' Honest: The 42-year-old posted a statement to Instagram Stories on Thursday, which read: 'Katie is taking some time out of the media spotlight.' Katie's representative told MailOnline: 'Katie is taking a much needed break. Katie has found the past few weeks terribly draining, both mentally and physically challenging and in order to bounce back is convalescing.' Yet despite her Instagram statement, just minutes later, Kate posted a supportive tweet to her pal Kerry Katona, which she hastily deleted. It is likely it was pre-scheduled before her announcement. It read: 'Loved @KerryKatona7's newest YouTube video of their holiday in a 15 MILLION SUPER VILLA!!! Go check out how amazing this place is!!!' she then posted links to Kerry's YouTube. Earlier in the week, she bemoaned the challenges of being in a cast after breaking both her feet, as she attempted to have a bath on Monday. The statement added: 'Her family and Dr's have told Katie that she must rest in order to heal. Katie wants to thank everyone for their ongoing support and will be back when she feels ready.' (pictured with her boyfriend Carl Woods) Bizarre? Yet despite her statement, just minutes later, Kate posted a supportive tweet to her pal Kerry Katona, which she hastily deleted. It is likely it was pre-scheduled before her announcement The former glamour model took to Instagram Stories to share a glimpse of the tiring attempts to get washed off, warning fans she couldn't get her casts wet. Ahead of her statement, Katie had returned to social media on Monday after being rushed to hospital with a suspected infection over the weekend, following surgery on her broken feet earlier this month. On her Instagram Stories, Katie revealed she first had to try and get from her wheelchair into the bath with her feet in the air. She wrote: 'Got to use my upper body strength to get in the bath legs up run the water and CANNOT get my cast wet.. such a mission to have a bath.' It seemed that Katie's attempts to get clean were far from smooth sailing, as after making it into the bath she still had to keep her legs elevated and her casts dry. Annoying: Earlier in the week, she bemoaned the challenges of being in a cast after breaking both her feet, as she attempted to have a bath on Monday In a different video, Katie, clad in a pastel pink crop-top and shorts, displayed her colourful casts as she lay on the sofa at home. The star wrote: 'So boring just lying here. I suppose it's Netflix time.' Katie was joined by her protection dog Blade who licked her face as she recuperated. In a sweet gesture, Katie was presented with a drink of Ribena by her son Harvey, 18, with Katie exclaiming 'I love you Harvey!' as he gave her the drink. Return: Ahead of her statement, Katie had returned to social media on Monday after being rushed to hospital with a suspected infection over the weekend, following surgery on her broken feet last week This comes amid claims Katie has been warned by doctors that she must keep her legs elevated in order to aid her recovery, after she was rushed to A&E at Epsom hospital in Surrey. The star was said to have been in 'excruciating agony' earlier on Saturday when she'd visited the hospital, according to The Sun. A source speaking to the publication claimed: 'Katie has been sent home and told in no uncertain terms that she must keep her legs up or they won't heal properly.' The insider went on to say: 'She's just going to have to lie down and give herself time to heal.' MailOnline contacted Katie's representatives for comment at the time. Sweet: In a sweet gesture, Katie was presented with a drink of Ribena by her son Harvey, 18, with Katie exclaiming 'I love you Harvey!' as he gave her the drink during one update It was reported earlier in the day that she was suspected to have an infection and required further treatment at Chelsea and Westminster hospital, just a week after undergoing major surgery. The star broke both her feet during a freak accident while on a family holiday in Turkey earlier this month. An insider told The Sun: 'Katie was in excruciating agony all night, couldn't eat, couldn't focus and nothing was working. Painkillers weren't touching it so pals rushed her to A&E in Epsom. 'Doctors decided to move her to the Chelsea and Westminster hospital for further treatment but the fear is she could have an infection.' Medical advice: Katie was warned by doctors to keep her feet elevated as she returned home on Saturday after being rushed to hospital following surgery on her broken feet A representative for Katie Price told MailOnline: 'She had a terrible night. I can confirm Katie was taken to her local A&E hospital ( Epsom ) and then referred back to the Chelsea and Westminster.' It comes after Katie was left devastated after a surgeon confirmed the extent of her 'smashed' feet and stated she 'couldn't have done a worse job' of injuring herself. Taking to her YouTube channel earlier this month, Katie explained: 'The surgeon made it clear that I couldn't have done a worse job to myself. 'They're smashed, broken and it's bad, really bad. It's bad, life changing injuries what I've done, so they're just going to do their best.' She shared her doctor's recent diagnosis before entering surgery on August 14 2020, as they confirmed her injuries are 'life-changing' and will leave her with horrendous scars. Pain! An insider said: 'Katie was in excruciating agony all night, couldn't eat, couldn't focus and nothing was working. Painkillers weren't touching it so pals rushed her to A&E in Epsom' Katie discussed her shock at hearing the news while wearing a medical robe and resting on her hospital bed, as she prepared for her next operation at the Chelsea and Westminster hospital. The reality star recorded herself eight hours later following the operation,and she seemed in brighter spirits as the anaesthetic slowly wore off. She revealed that a member of staff told her, when they opened her legs up in surgery, they were more 'smashed and mangled' than they appeared on the x-ray and the op was much harder than anticipated. Katie experienced the horrendous accident after she jumped off a wall at the Land of Legends theme park in Turkey and broke both her ankles and feet. Stay strong: According to the reality star, she is convinced she will make a full recovery and doesn't care about scarring on her feet as long as she is able to walk again It's been a stressful year for Katie after she was admitted to The Priory earlier in 2020 following a string of personal woes, including being declared bankrupt and dealing with her mother Amy's terminal illness. Talking about her rehabilitation centre visit on her reality series My Crazy Life, she admitted that 'the only reason I'm here is because of my children'. Katie was spotted outside the The Priory in February 2020, following a host of rehab stints over the past two years in the wake of legal issues and substance abuse. The episode saw the TV star in the run up to her breakdown with 'severe stress' as she tried to cope with bankruptcy and her split from on-off fiance Kris Boyson. She is now happily loved-up with new beau Carl Woods. Brave: It's been a stressful year for Katie after she was admitted to The Priory earlier in 2020 following a string of personal woes, including being declared bankrupt and dealing with her mother Amy's terminal illness. She discussed her visit on her show My Crazy Life Katie last visited The Priory in September 2018 and spent 28 days in the facility after her family urged her to seek help following wild partying antics in Mallorca. At the time, she was confronted by her loved ones after shocking footage emerged of her rapping 'I love coke' during a booze-fuelled hen do. Katie broke down after the intervention and admitted she needed help to get over her chaotic behaviour, which she blamed on her PTSD. In November 2019, the mother-of-five was declared bankrupt at a court after facing further legal action over her spiralling debts, said to be worth 800,000. The CBB star had been pursued by creditors and the taxman after revealing she has spent her entire 45million fortune. Meanwhile Katie split from fiance Kris, 31, late last year after a nearly two-year on-off relationship. The couple were thought to have rekindled their romance in December with a festive 'make-or-break' trip to New York. Katie admitted she had cheated on the fitness enthusiast twice over the course of their relationship. She was last seen outside The Priory in February 2020 with a source telling MailOnline: 'Katie was at the Priory for an appointment with a welfare doctor as protocol with ITV for filming My Crazy Life'. If you have been affected by this story, you can call the Samaritans on 116 123 or visit www.samaritans.org. Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 10:56:01|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TOKYO, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Tokyo stocks lost ground Thursday morning as the yen's comparative strength against the U.S. dollar weighed on exporter issues amid an already cautious mood ahead of a keenly eyed speech later in the day by U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell. The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average dropped 104.25 points, or 0.45 percent, from Wednesday to 23,186.61. The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, meanwhile, lost 8.06 points, or 0.50 percent, at 1,616.42. Mining, insurance, and real estate-related issues comprised those that declined the most by the morning break. Enditem To be pro-life is to be part of an insurgent political movement that has been disempowered for nearly 50 years. Any such movement needs to obtain and to use political power to effect social change. For pro-lifers, the presidency and reelection campaign of Donald Trump have resulted in considerable debate on just how valuable political power should be to us. In The Bulwark today, Mona Charen, a pro-life advocate (among other things) whom I have great respect for, justifies her impending vote for Joe Biden. First, she restates her opposition to abortion as an abhorrent injustice, but then she warns against what she calls abortion washing or letting the pro-life/pro-choice distinction become the sole determinant of how one will vote. Charen contends that to abortion wash is to fail to do the work of analyzing how one good thing weighs in the balance against other considerations and that it therefore permits the brain to snap shut, the conscience to put its feet up. Instead of succumbing to this heuristic-driven process, Charen argues for plac[ing] abortion within the matrix of factors that go into voting. Expanding upon this matrix, she enumerates the ways that Donald Trump has proven himself unfit for office and catalogues examples of how he has corrupted the conservative movement. Its a damning list, and I agree with Charen that opposing abortion is not enough for a politician to secure my support. Yet to me and to many others, I think it is a prerequisite for such support. Charens case for Biden becomes less solid as she transitions from the general to the specific and becomes dismissive of the deleterious effects a Biden presidency will have on the pro-life movement. Professing to have never believed that electing presidents who agree with me will lead to dramatic changes in abortion law nor to seeing the law itself [as] the only way to discourage abortion, she touts the encouraging fact that the number of abortions performed in the U.S. has been declining for decades. Story continues On the first point, Charen glosses over the details of what is at stake for pro-lifers in presidential elections. True, the president cannot issue an edict making abortion illegal from sea to shining sea. But there are important policies that either come from the Oval Office or can stop there. Take for example the Mexico City policy. Initially instituted by Ronald Reagan in 1984, it bars federal funding for non-governmental organizations that perform or advocate abortion abroad. Since then, it has been rescinded by every Democratic president and reinstated by every Republican one. Per Bidens website, he would be no different and would end the Global gag rule. Yet Charen remains somewhat sanguine about a possible Biden administration. Purporting to remind conservatives that Biden would not govern as far-left as they fear, she says she could have sworn that the Democratic Party nominated Joe Biden last week, not Alexandria Ocasio Cortez or Bernie Sanders. On the issue of abortion, though, is there a difference between the socialist and the former vice president? For the duration of his Senate career, Biden supported the Hyde amendment, which ensures well, is supposed to ensure that federal dollars dont fund abortions. Yet during the primary, Biden reversed course, saying I cant justify leaving millions of women without access to the care they need and the ability to exercise their constitutionally protected right. If the Democrats take the Senate and presidency, as Charen hopes, this longstanding pro-life bulwark could vanish. And although the Trump administration has not been able to fully defund Planned Parenthood, it has, by way of bureaucratic rulemaking, been able to deny it Title X funding that it has had access to since the 1970s. Biden would undoubtedly restore that funding. Unconvinced that judicial nominees are as important as they are made out to be, Charen is also skeptical that more Republican appointments will result in Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey being overturned. Shes right to be. Sandra Day OConnor, David Souter, and Anthony Kennedy all turned out to be disappointments to the pro-life movement, and last months decision in June Medical v. Russo should leave us more pessimistic than ever. But it does not follow that past failure should discourage conservatives from future action. If the status quo is to be changed, all roads lead to Roe. Before any heartbeat bill is to take effect, that constitutionally illiterate and evil ruling must be tossed into the dustbin of history. Because it is hard is not an excuse not to try. Moreover, while we should all be grateful that the total number of abortions has been declining over the long run, there is little reason for rejoicing. In 2017, about 862,000 abortions occurred in the U.S. Its a ghastly and sobering number one that does not lend itself to the case for complacency. Cultural arguments are important, but a legal framework of some sort is inevitable; and right now, that framework is stacked against those who believe in the sanctity of human life. Opposite Charen however, is a group of pro-lifers who not only recognize the value of political power, but worship it. Kristan Hawkins, the president of Students for Life an organization that does invaluable work on campuses around the country found herself among that contingent on Wednesday when she tweeted: Defunding Planned Parenthood would defund one of President Trumps main political opponents. Just sayin, @realDonaldTrump. Hawkins who clearly places abortion at the very top of her decision-making matrix in the voting booth makes an argument that is both politically damaging and morally corrupting. Conservatives should oppose funding Planned Parenthood because of the evil the organization is complicit in, and because continuing to send it federal dollars violates the spirit if not the letter of the Hyde amendment, not to stick it to their political opponents. Hawkinss musing does nothing to persuade anyone to join the pro-life cause. Power worship is in vogue in some quarters of the right today, but it is both unproductive and unrealistic, not to mention wrong. Using the government to punish political opponents was reprehensible when Lois Lerner and the Internal Revenue Service did it to Tea Party groups. It would be reprehensible for conservatives to follow suit. Instead, pro-lifers should see political power as a means, not an end. Charen is right that we all have our own prudential judgements to make when deciding whom to support (or not). Im not here to condemn anyones ultimate decision. But those who count themselves as opponents of Americans prevailing abortion regime should fully and honestly grapple with the implications of their decisions while resisting the siren song of power worship exemplified by Hawkinss advice to the president. Political power is a necessity, but not necessarily a virtue. More from National Review NEW DELHI : Indian state refiners have stopped buying crude oil from China-linked companies, three sources said, after New Delhi's recent regulation aimed at restricting imports from countries that it shares a border with. The new regulation, put in place on July 23, comes after a border clash between India and China that killed 20 Indians and soured relations between the two neighbours. Last week, Indian state refiners decided to stop sending crude import tenders to Chinese trading firm like CNOOC Ltd , Unipec and PetroChina, among others, one of the sources said. State refiners Indian Oil Corp, Bharat Petroleum Corp, Hindustan Petroleum Corp, Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemical did not immediately respond to requests for comment. CNOOC, PetroChina and Unipec parent Sinopec also did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. American Greater New York Chinese Association Hold Unity Parade For Congressional Candidate Thomas J. Zmich "The race is too close to call and could flip control over to the Republican Party," said Thomas J. Zmich. On Saturday, August 15th in Flushing, NY, the American Greater New York Chinese Association held a Unity Parade for Congressional Candidate Thomas J. Zmich (NY-6). Over 2,000 people marched in the parade. The Association wants to mitigate property tax, no property tax increase above 4%, expedite housing court cases, mitigate dob fines and education and greater public safety budget accountability. Thomas J. Zmich is the Republican and Conservative, Libertarian candidate running against Grace Meng, the Democratic incumbent in the NY 6th congressional district. "The race is too close to call and could flip control over to the Republican Party," said Thomas J. Zmich. Thomas J. Zmich is running on a very tight budget and is gathering the support of diverse voters in the district. ABOUT THOMAS J. ZMICH Tom is a proud American who served in the U.S. Army Reserve and wants to continue his service in Washington and will unite our diverse neighborhoods in Queens. Tom's family has a strong history of serving our Country. His grandfather served in the U.S. Army in WWI, his father served in the U.S. NAVY in WWII, his brother served in the U.S. Navy in Vietnam, and Tom is a Veteran of the U.S. Army Reserve where he served during the first Gulf War (1991). Tom is also a 35-year member of BAC Local 1 NY. He has the first-hand knowledge and experience to stand up and continue to fight for our freedom. Zmich for Congress P.O. Box 45 Shirley, NY 11967 917-937-6738 zmich2020@gmail.com https://www.facebook.com/Zmich2020/ Opinion Article 27 August 2020 Prior to COVID, hoteliers all over the world were already working on various programs to support local businesses and showcase the best of the community to guests. Now that the pandemic is practically locking out international travelers, the push for drive market customers and 'local everything' has bloomed exponentially. Advertisements But if you are pursuing a course that many of your competitors are also going after, how do you stand apart? The answer is to go deep into your culture and lore, and simply outdo your rivals through what I call 'extreme local'. Every city is unquestionably proud of its heritage and homegrown success stories. And this is occurring on numerous fronts - culinary classics, sports, attractions, proximity to outdoor activities or emerging economic clusters with impressive commercial goods. Your mission is to dig into your locale and uncover these gems then create programs and packages that incorporate these elements into your operations. To make it extreme, though, these programs must be fully fleshed out and differentiated from what travelers might find at other hotels or, worse, through their own investigations. At its core, extreme means exclusivity but also with a bit of education or personal enlightenment in that you want to leave your guests with a better sense of the world's richness than before. As a straightforward example, while working as the asset manager for a mountain resort in British Columbia, we set about to amp up the in-room experience so that guests felt tied to the natural landscape even when they were just relaxing by themselves. To start, we put binoculars and a quick bird guide by each windowsill so that guests could spot the bald eagles soaring overhead. Next, we teamed up with a local soda company and energy bar manufacturers to offer these items for free in the minibar. In the past month, these have been moved to an on-demand delivery process to limit contact, but the idea still stands - complement the impressive views with treats that can only be found within 50 kilometers of the property. Then of course, to embellish this we set up a myriad of activities and excursions with local partners so guests could experience some one-of-a-kind experiences. Secondly, for a property situated on the East Coast, we created a local shopping program which we called 'Our Passport'. After negotiating exclusive discounts with local retailers and attractions, guests could take advantage of additional savings which could exceed the value of the accommodation expense. Several visitors actually covered their entire weekend through these accumulated price reductions. With the retail softness of the COVID crisis, I am sure that many local shopkeepers would relish an additional business opportunity like this. All you need to do is ask, then work out the details and develop a marketing campaign around it. With F&B as a cornerstone of any great hotel, there are numerous programs that you can undertake to educate your guest on the local fare. Beer flights or wine tastings are obvious ones. Not to limit it to just beverages, when I was last in Stockholm, we were treated to a herring tasting - not only delicious but with exquisite presentation to make it sure fire bait for social media. In one hotel in Quebec, we were invited to a mixology session on how to make the perfect gin and tonic. Though this lesson took place several years ago and such hands-on tutorials may need some rethinking to meet the newfound physical distancing norms, I still recall it fondly. That's the inherent value of experiences; they engage more than just the one sensory input but work across multiple fronts to ingrain positive sentiments into one's memory. Even in the face of the need for touchless interactions, things like maps of walking trails, art tours, history trails, cultural routes, shopping trails, jogging trails are all still useful, and all can be adapted for the phone. While I recognize that everyone already has a map app, developing your own will narrow the guest's focus, prevent 'intrusions' from unwanted sources and allow you to provide more exclusive content to reassure guests of your local expertise. Assembling your tactical plan to initiate a handful of extreme local projects requires a little bit of time but should not require any real expense prior to execution. Readily available software will allow you to compile the necessary materials without significant external input. It's the ideas and their impacts that are important. What is amazing to me is how exciting you can make a leisure stay in your own or neighbouring city, even for locals who may think they already know their home turf. Your mission is to teach all your guests that one does not have to travel on an airplane for several hours to find an exciting new vacation destination - they're already in your own backyard waiting to be discovered. The Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA), has warned that nine states of the federation risk serious flooding beginning from September, 2020 going by an alert from the Niger Basin Authority. According to NIHSA, states like Kebbi, Niger, Kwara, Anambra, Delta, Edo, Rivers, Bayelsa, Nasarawa and Kogi would be most hit because they are contiguous to River Niger. It therefore asked states and relevant government agencies to clear blocked drainages and dredge river channels as a matter of urgency since Nigeria is located downstream other countries in the Niger Basin. It also warned that poor drainage systems might cause flash and urban floods in major cities like Abuja,Lagos, Ibadan, Abeokuta, Ado-Ekiti, Osogbo, ,Asaba, Port Harcourt, Yenagoa, Benin City, Abakaliki, Awka, Nsukka, BirninKebbi, Sokoto, Lokoja, Kaduna, Suleja, Gombe, Yola, Makurdi and Lafia, Recall that the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) had in its 2020 Seasonal Rainfall Prediction (SRP) released recently warned of heavy flooding that would be caused by torrential rains. It said that the earliest cessation date for rainfall in the southern part of the country is December 28 and September 26 for the North. NIHSA urged communities along the coastal lines to move to safe grounds because the remaining days of this month, September and October would come with heavy rains The agencys Director-General, Clement Onyeaso Nze, however, said in a statement that they were monitoring the flood situation along the River Benue axis According to him , information from the regional Niger Basin Authority (NBA) headquarters in Niamey, Niger Republic, had it that last Sunday, the flood level of River Niger was 6.60 metres, an already Red Alert zone. This flood magnitude sighted in Niamey on August 23, 2020, is expected to arrive in Nigeria through Kebbi State around September 6, 2020. Operators of Kainji and Jebba Dams have long been alerted to take appropriate measures in the operation of the reservoirs. Kainji Dam is now spilling water at the rate of 1,000 m3/s, i.e. 86.4 million cubic metres/day. This means that communities downstream Kainji and Jebba Dams could be flooded. The Shiroro Dam on Kaduna River is still impounding, though there is the possibility of spilling water in the weeks ahead. The beginning of the last week of August 2020 witnessed the return of rains in most parts of the country. Expectedly, this will be accompanied by increasing saturation and wetness of the soil. Under this condition of saturated soil, it is expected that any rainfall of high intensity and long duration might translate into flooding in most parts of the country. PV: 6 PALA, Calif., Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued an emergency order after finding the owners of a privately-owned mobile home park on the Pala Band of Mission Indians Reservation were in violation of federal laws that safeguard clean drinking water. In a recent announcement, EPA officials said problems with a faulty septic system and broken water lines at the Lee Bar Ranch mobile home park were so bad that the park's residents have been told to start boiling water to drink. The EPA called the water system at the park, which has no connection to the Pala Band, "a danger to the residents of the park." The mobile home park, located in northern San Diego County, is owned by Jim and Kristin Nichols from upstate New York. The Nichols also run Sharkey's Bar and Grill in the New York community of Liverpool, near Syracuse. "With this order, EPA is ensuring that the water system is properly operated to provide the mobile home park residents safe drinking water," EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator John Busterud said in a statement. He added that the drinking water system on Lee Bar Ranch mobile home park was not registered with the EPA and was out of compliance with all applicable monitoring and reporting regulations under the Safe Drinking Water Act. Inspections between January and May of the mobile home park's sewage and water system found that untreated human waste and sewage was being discharged onto the soil throughout the property as a result of a failing septic systems. A broken water line was also discovered, raising the threat that surrounding pollutants, including fecal bacteria and nitrates, could enter and contaminate the drinking water system. Robert Smith, chairman of the Pala Band of Mission Indians, said the tribe had had tough words for the Nichols. "We are very relieved that the EPA has acknowledged this ongoing pattern of clean water violations and has stepped in to remedy this hazardous situation," Smith said. "Jim and Kristin Nichols owe it to the residents of that mobile home park to clean up the mess they've created, follow federal law and ensure people's drinking water is safe." The problems at the park were uncovered by the Pala Band's Environmental Department, which conducted the tests over the course of several months earlier this year after residents from the mobile home park raised concerns about the raw sewage discharge and numerous failing septic systems on the property that were not being adequately addressed by the property owners or the County of San Diego. Additionally, surrounding tribal neighborhoods had started to complain about sewage odors in the area. Under the terms of the EPA's administrative order, the Nichols are not only required to issue a notice to mobile home park residents to boil water, but also must continue to take drinking water samples to detect coliform bacteria. If contamination is found, the Nichols must provide at least one gallon of drinking water a day for each person served by the water system. They also must draft and carry out a repair plan to correct the problems with the septic and water systems. EPA administrators said they will continue to oversee the Nichols' efforts to comply with Safe Drinking Water Act requirements and may levy civil penalties if the owners fail to meet the compliance provisions in the administrative order. While the mobile home park is a private in-holding that lies within the reservation, the Pala Band of Mission Indians has no direct control or ownership of the septic or water systems. EPA has worked closely with the Pala Band of Mission Indians and consulted with their leadership about the violations. Contact Doug Elmets:(916) 329-9810 Shasta Gaughen:(760) 891-3515 SOURCE Pala Band of Mission Indians Turkey said it was open to bilateral talks with Greece over territorial disputes in the Mediterranean and Aegean seas, rejecting a role for European Union powers that have backed Greek positions. Defense Minister Hulusi Akar called on Thursday for dialogue with Athens without the involvement of third parties. In a televised interview with state-run Anadolu Agency, he accused France of violating international agreements by deploying warplanes in Cyprus in support of the Greek-Cypriot administration. "If our Greek counterparts agree, we would like to host them here in the coming days,"Akar said. "We favor dialogue, let's talk, we want peace but we also want respect for our rights." EU foreign ministers are expected to meet in Berlin on Friday to discuss the bloc's relationship with Turkey amid the heightened tensions in the energy-rich eastern Mediterranean. The region has become an energy hot spot with big natural gas finds for Cyprus, Israel and Egypt. Turkey's push to secure a share of the resources is deepening strains with EU members Greece and Cyprus. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas traveled to Athens and Ankara on Tuesday in an effort to put an end to the escalating conflict over the NATO allies' competing claims. He said ministers would give "special weight" to Greece's voice at their meeting. Speaking in Berlin on Thursday, Maas said that ending naval activity in the region was a condition for talks. Akar, however, said Turkey would carry out its search for oil and gas in the eastern Mediterranean as long as necessary. "There is no deadline or limit for that," Akar said. Greek government spokesman Stelios Petsas said Akar's statement on Turkey's intention to continue exploration activities contradicted his message of dialogue. One "can't send an escalation message on the one hand and a de-escalation message on the other," Petsas said, adding that Greece was waiting for the Turkish side to express itself officially and refrain from "any provocative action in the region." President Donald Trump, in a phone call with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday, said talks with Greece were the "only path to resolving their differences." Tensions have been high as a Turkish seismic survey ship has searched for natural gas over the last two weeks in an area of the Mediterranean that Greece says is within its exclusive economic zone. Greece and Cyprus have called for harsh sanctions against Turkey, which would threaten cooperation with the EU, including Ankara's critical role in containing the flow of refugees to Europe from the Middle East and Africa under a 2016 deal. In the race for resources, Greece says that islands must be taken into account in delineating a country's continental shelf, in line with the UN Law of the Sea, which Turkey has not signed. Ankara argues that a country's continental shelf should rather be measured from its mainland. Offshore gas reserves around Cyprus are especially nettlesome. The Republic of Cyprus is an EU member state and officially has sovereignty over the entire island. But the island has been effectively divided since Turkey's military captured the northern third in 1974, following a coup attempt in which a military junta in Athens sought to unite Cyprus with Greece. The Turkish minority's self-proclaimed state in the north, recognized only by Ankara, lays claim to any energy resources discovered off its coast. Britains Prime Minister Boris Johnson has defended the government's change in position on the use of face coverings in secondary schools in England. Pupils will now have to wear masks between lessons in schools where there are local lockdowns; elsewhere, it will be up to head teachers to decide. In Scotland and Northern Ireland face coverings have to be worn in all secondary schools in communal areas and corridors in secondary schools, and in Wales those aged over 11 are recommended to wear them in places where they can't socially distance. Our education editor Branwen Jeffreys reports. Operations at the Group's main production unit (the Figeac site) are being reorganised in response to the new market reality under a Voluntary Redundancy Plan to be followed by an Employment Protection Plan Other measures are being considered for the Group's other facilities so that it can adapt its cost base in response to this lasting crisis Such measures are essential as they will enable the Group to plan for its future The FIGEAC AERO Group (ticker: FGA), a leading partner for major aerospace manufacturers, announces that it is planning to rescale operations at its Figeac site, the Group's main production facility in France, in response to the economic crisis triggered by the Covid-19 health crisis. France's aerospace industry expanded considerably up until 2020 and the need for adequate production capacity grew rapidly, encouraging FIGEAC AERO to adapt its production facilities and resources to production rates which were increasing at varying speeds. Then the global coronavirus crisis arrived in March 2020, bringing the air transportation industry to an abrupt halt with air traffic plummeting as the epidemic gradually spread. The main aircraft manufacturers have therefore had to reduce their production rates substantially (by more than a third) for the foreseeable future, particularly for long-haul aircraft such as the A350; this is taking an even heavier toll on the Group. FIGEAC AERO launched an operational optimisation plan at the very start of the crisis, including: permanent adjustments to the workforce depending on site capacity utilisation rates as confirmed by our clients: short-time working arrangements in France, staff cutbacks in low-cost subsidiaries and the USA (over 30% of our workforce outside France), less use of temping staff and non-renewal of short-term employment contracts, tight control over the working capital requirement: inventory adjusted, supply chain secured, strict control over trade receivables, a CAPEX and OPEX reduction plan: non-essential spending either postponed or cancelled, outsourced services brought back in-house where possible, insourcing of parts previously manufactured by suppliers. However, the economic downturn in the air traffic industry is likely to continue over the coming years, and its repercussions are forcing FIGEAC AERO to reorganise its operations in France on a large scale so that it can safeguard its competitive standing and protect itself from the economic difficulties looming on the horizon as well as their impact on employment. This Employment Protection Plan applies to the Figeac plant (46) and is expected to include the following measures: the Operations Department Figeac is to be reorganised and rescaled according to the latest business activity forecasts, a certain number of the Group's support and central functions are to be reorganised and rescaled. Thanks to the various government support measures for the aerospace industry and the short-time work scheme, which is being extended for up to two years, FIGEAC AERO should be able to limit its staff cutbacks to 320 jobs out of a total of 966 at the Figeac site, which accounts for over 70% of the Group's revenue. FIGEAC AERO will work alongside its social partners to limit the fallout of this plan and will introduce a series of measures such as voluntary redundancy as well as long-term part-time work in activities suited to such arrangements. The Group is already engaged in management-labour dialogue and hopes to finalise agreements so that they can come into effect in January 2021. The Group continues to explore all avenues and does not rule out other measures that could be brought in at its other sites, the aim being to adapt its cost structure to the ongoing crisis. "The Group is facing an unprecedented economic downturn triggered by the Covid-19 health crisis", says Jean-Claude Maillard, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of FIGEAC AERO. "The Group has managed to take decisions rapidly, temporarily enabling it to mitigate the operational and financial consequences of this crisis. I am aware of the implications that the plan's measures will have for all our staff members. They are, however, crucial if we want to ensure that our Group remains viable and resilient for the long run and enable it to plan for its future." ABOUT FIGEAC AERO The FIGEAC AERO Group, a leading partner for major aerospace manufacturers, specialises in producing light alloy and hard metal structural parts, engine parts, landing gear and sub-assemblies. FIGEAC AERO is a global group operating in France, the USA, Morocco, Mexico, Romania and Tunisia. The Group generated annual revenue of 447m in the year to 31st March 2020. FIGEAC AERO Jean-Claude Maillard - Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Tel.: +33 (0)5 65 34 52 52 Abdelkader Benchiha Head of Institutional Relations VP IR & Public Affairs Tel.: +33 (0)5 81 24 61 90 / abdelkader.benchiha@figeac-aero.com ACTUS Finance & Communication Corinne Puissant - Analyst/Investor Relations Tel.: +33 (0)1 53 67 36 77 / cpuissant@actus.fr Manon Clairet - Press Relations Tel.: +33 (0)1 53 67 36 73 / mclairet@actus.fr ------------------------ This publication embed "Actusnews SECURITY MASTER ". - SECURITY MASTER Key: nW1rk51rYZfGm5ybY8hoa5dmbGlkxWHIbZfKlGVsmMicbZyRlG9ibZecZm9lnG5o - Check this key: https://www.security-master-key.com. ------------------------ Copyright Actusnews Wire Receive by email the next press releases of the company by registering on www.actusnews.com, it's free Full and original release in PDF format:https://www.actusnews.com/documents_communiques/ACTUS-0-64792-fga-nouvelles-mesures-adaptation-crise-vdef-en.pdf This expansion builds on our current Mexico operations where we have over 700 dedicated employees focused on providing outstanding service to our customers high reliability needs We are thrilled to announce our plans for a significant expansion of our manufacturing capacity in Mexico, said Stephen P. DeFalco, Chairman and CEO of Creation Technologies. This expansion builds on our current Mexico operations where we have over 700 dedicated employees focused on providing outstanding service to our customers high reliability needs. The new facility will provide significantly more capacity with a total of 205,000 square feet which will bring the total capacity of our Mexico operations to 330,000 square feet and complement the companys existing capabilities in Mexicali. It will have space for up to 12 highly automated SMT lines and will be a purpose-built greenfield facility designed for lean factory flow with the most modern manufacturing equipment. The new manufacturing site is located three kilometers from the companys current Hermosillo facility, providing a smooth transition for employees and existing customers, and is scheduled to be operational in Q3 2021. In addition to offering efficient product flow, the new facility will provide fully integrated EMS solutions, including dedicated areas for PCB Assembly, System Integration & Test, as well as Forward and Reverse Logistics. About Creation Technologies Creation Technologies (http://www.creationtech.com) provides total electronics product lifecycle solutions including turnkey design, rapid prototyping, manufacturing and fulfillment to support its high reliability customers around the world. The company of approximately 3,200 employees operates ten manufacturing locations, two design centers and a rapid prototyping center in the USA, Canada, Mexico and China. Its OEM customers are in the Aerospace & Defense, Medical, and Tech Industrial markets. Contact: marketing@creationtech.com 877.734.7456 The award ceremony of the 2020 Southeast Regional Film Festival was cancelled because of the COVID-19 crisis and accolades were conferred online. For his debut in the world of screenwriting, however, it was a big day for Dempsey - a life-long writer and editor. "I honestly didn't know my screenplay would make it to the finals," says Dempsey. "It's my very first feature screenplay that I wrote in great creative spirit. But I didn't expect it to stand out among hundreds of scripts submitted to the festival." Dempsey says he plans to write a novel from his feature screenplay. He hopes to see the screenplay produced next year, by which time he expects to get the novel published. In addition to Out There, Dempsey saw the production of first short film The Fourth Dream this summer in Orlando, Florida. The horror short about a group of neighbors who share their most haunting dreams on a Halloween eve is now in post-production. Dempsey is also working on completing his long-pending feature screenplay Silent Interaction, a sci-fi thriller, which he also means to turn into a novel. Yet another short film project that Dempsey has completed with writer and artist friend Annie Harmon is titled A True Friend. The short film, produced and shot in the Houston area, Texas, brings up the problem of academic fraud in today's world of online services and technology. The short film will be posted online after going through editing. "NewsBlaze is thrilled to see Ernest achieving great things. He sets goals for himself and works hard to achieve them, often overachieving! We are so very happy to see his first screenplay receiving awards and getting great reviews," said NewsBlaze Publisher, Alan Gray. About NewsBlaze NewsBlaze was founded in 2004 as an independent online newspaper and information portal, forming relationships with other publishers and wire services. NewsBlaze covers broad topics of interest to readers worldwide, which has helped build a loyal, global following of readers, especially in Australia, North America, Europe and South Asia. In addition, as the lead Syndicate Partner of the World City Press Network, NewsBlaze provides news, editing and content services, including news features, for the publishers that make up the World City Press Network. Visit NewsBlaze.com to learn more. NewsBlaze writers include longtime journalists who like what we do and help us to inform and entertain our readers. The Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of the NewsBlaze news organization is Alan Gray. About Ernest Dempsey Ernest Dempsey has been a NewsBlaze contributor since 2008. In 2010 he was awarded the Outstanding Writer Achievement Award by NewsBlaze for contributing thorough and insightful articles, essays, reviews, and interviews. He continues to contribute to NewsBlaze while also running his own successful blog Word Matters! where he offers critical commentary on current affairs as well as analyzing important news in science, environment, education, and other fields. Media contact: Alan Gray, [email protected], +1 775 241 8446 SOURCE NewsBlaze Related Links https://newsblaze.com Regulatory News: Carrefour (Paris:CA) has reached an agreement to acquire 172 stores under the Supersol banner in Spain, thereby strengthening its number two position in the country. This new acquisition, carried out under attractive conditions, allows Carrefour to accelerate its expansion in its growth formats. The transaction involves 172 convenience stores and supermarkets, located mainly in Andalusia and the Madrid region. The enterprise value of the transaction is 78 million euros. The acquired stores posted net sales of around 450 million euros in 2019. Carrefour plans to convert the acquired stores to the convenience (Express), supermarket (Market) and Supeco formats. Carrefour will thus consolidate its position in Spain by diversifying its store network and strengthening its presence in growth formats, in line with the strategy underpinning the Carrefour 2022 transformation plan. The converted stores will benefit from Carrefour's commercial policy and purchasing conditions. The Group thus plans to improve sales density and optimize the cost structure. This acquisition will also contribute to the development of food e-commerce, with the stores eventually becoming new order pick-up points. Around 90% of the acquired stores are located in large cities (Madrid, Malaga, Cadiz and Seville). The transaction is subject to customary conditions and is expected to close at the beginning of 2021. About Carrefour Group With a multi-format network of more than 12,000 stores in more than 30 countries, the Carrefour Group is one of the world's leading food retailers. Carrefour recorded gross sales of 80.7 billion in 2019. It has more than 320,000 employees who help to make Carrefour the world leader in the food transition for all, providing everyone with access to high quality, affordable food every day in all locations. At end-June, Carrefour operated 1,179 stores in Spain, including 205 hypermarkets, 111 supermarkets, 838 convenience stores and 25 Supeco. The Group posted net sales of 8,799 million in the country in 2019. For more information, visit www.carrefour.com, or find us on Twitter (@GroupeCarrefour) and LinkedIn (Carrefour). View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200826005745/en/ Contacts: Group Communication Tel: +33 (0) 1 58 47 88 80 Investor Relations: Selma Bekhechi, Antoine Parison and Anthony Guglielmo Tel: +33 (0) 1 64 50 79 81 Welcome to Morningstar.co.uk! You have been redirected here from Hemscott.com as we are merging our websites to provide you with a one-stop shop for all your investment research needs.To search for a security, type the name or ticker in the search box at the top of the page and select from the dropdown results.Registered Hemscott users can log in to Morningstar using the same login details. Similarly, if you are a Hemscott Premium user, you now have a Morningstar Premium account which you can access using the same login details. Light-hued wood tones add depth and modernity to any room. BOH rounded up six new pieces that offer a fresh take on classic wooden furniture. The Kelmscott bench by Selamat, being used as a coffee table Courtesy of Selamat Selamat Kelmscott Bench Designed in collaboration with British heritage brand Morris + Co., which was founded in 1861 by textile designer William Morris, the Kelmscott bench is named after the legendary artists idyllic country home outside of London. Featuring hand-carved teak, synthetic twisted hyacinth and brass-capped hardware, the bench has endless possibilities both indoors and out. The Joyce chest of drawers from Pinch Courtesy of Pinch Pinch Joyce Chest of Drawers Led by husband-and-wife team Russell Pinch and Oona Bannon, British brand Pinch focuses on creating beautifully crafted furniture and lighting with a quiet, elegant aesthetic. The Joyce chest of drawers is a modern update on a classic, with the white lacquer exterior perfectly complementing the unfinished wooden drawers. The Heidy accent chair from Lulu and Georgia Courtesy of Lulu and Georgia Lulu and Georgia Heidy Accent Chair The fall collection from Lulu and Georgia explores a balance between organic materials and structured shapes. The Heidy accent chair is a sculptural statement piece, mixing woven seagrass with a honey-hued teak. The Kennedy nightstand from Made Goods Courtesy of Made Goods Made Goods Kennedy Nightstand The new collection from Made Goods is a reimagining of evergreen pieces. Covered in faux shagreen and framed by a raised oak veneer border, the Kennedy nightstand delivers a retro flair that still feels fresh. STC No. 1 Kitchen from St. Charles New York Courtesy of St. Charles New York St. Charles New York STC No. 1 The minimal, seamless and sleek look of the STC No. 1 kitchen comes in multiple wood finishes, but lighter hues like oak and eucalyptus give the cabinetry a modern Scandinavian feel, while the integrated hardware cuts a tailored silhouette. The Brays bar cart from Beth Webb for Arteriors Courtesy of Arteriors Arteriors Brays Bar Cart From interior designer Beth Webbs debut collection for the brand, the Brays bar cart is a lesson in mixed materialsthe undulating curves of the wood and metal combine with a suede-wrapped handle, creating a delicate contrast. The products featured in this article have been sourced from BOHs new Collections vertical, a showcase of the latest debuts from some of the industrys leading brands. Astronauts aboard the International Space Station provided images of Hurricane Laura as it continues to strengthen in the Gulf of Mexico. Laura is pushing waters from the Gulf of Mexico that could inundate coastal areas miles inland and evacuations are in progress. Watches and Warnings on Aug. 25 On Aug. 25, NOAA's National Hurricane Center (NHC) posted several watches and warnings on major Hurricane Laura. A Storm Surge Warning is in effect for San Luis Pass, Texas to the mouth of the Mississippi River. A Storm Surge Warning means there is a danger of life-threatening inundation, from rising water moving inland from the coastline, during the next 36 hours in the indicated locations. Some of the storm surge forecasts are extreme. From Sea Rim State Park to Intracoastal City, La. including Sabine Lake and Calcasieu Lake, a 10- to 15-foot storm surge is forecast. From Intracoastal City to Morgan City including Vermilion Bay an 8- to 12-foot storm surge is forecast. For additional areas and storm surges, visit: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov. A Hurricane Warning is in effect from San Luis Pass, Texas to Intracoastal City, Louisiana. A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect from Sargent, Texas to San Luis Pass and for areas east of Intracoastal City, Louisiana to the mouth of the Mississippi River. A Storm Surge Watch is in effect for Freeport, Texas to San Luis Pass, Texas, from the mouth of the Mississippi River to Ocean Springs, Mississippi, and for Lake Pontchartrain, Lake Maurepas, and Lake Borgne. A Hurricane Watch is in effect for from east of Intracoastal City to west of Morgan City, Louisiana. International Space Station Finds a Large Hurricane Astronaut Chris Cassidy aboard the International Space Station captured this photo of Hurricane Laura on Aug. 25, 2020 as it moved through the Gulf of Mexico and continued to strengthen. Laura is a large hurricane. On Aug. 26, hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 70 miles (110 km) from the center and tropical-storm- force winds extend outward up to 175 miles (280 km). NASA Sees Laura from One Million Miles Away NASA's EPIC Camera aboard NOAA's DSCOVR satellite in orbit one million miles from Earth, captured a full disk image of the Atlantic Ocean side of the globe. Hurricane Laura is seen moving through the Gulf of Mexico. Laura's Status on Aug. 26, 2020 at 7 a.m. EDT NOAA's National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported at 7 a.m. EDT, the eye of Hurricane Laura was located near latitude 26.4 degrees north and longitude 91.4 degrees west. The eye is about 280 miles (450 km) south-southeast of Lake Charles, Louisiana and about 290 miles (465 km) southeast of Galveston, Texas. Laura is moving toward the northwest near 15 mph (24 kph) and this general motion should continue today, followed by a north-northwestward motion tonight. Data from NOAA and Air Force Hurricane Hunter aircraft indicate that maximum sustained winds have increased to near 115 mph (185 kph) with higher gusts. Laura is a dangerous category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale, and is forecast to continue strengthening into a category 4 hurricane later today. Buoy 42395, located just east of Laura's eye, recently reported a sustained wind of 74 mph (119 km/h) and a wind gust of 107 mph (172 km/h) and a wave height of 37 feet (11 meters). The latest minimum central pressure estimated from NOAA and Air Force reconnaissance aircraft data is 963 millibars. Laura's Forecast from NHC The NHC warns that Laura may make landfall as a Category 4 hurricane and bring devastating effects. Heavy rain, dangerous storm surge, isolated tornadoes and hurricane-force sustained winds are expected. On the forecast track, Laura should approach the Upper Texas and southwest Louisiana coasts this evening and move inland near those areas tonight or Thursday morning. NASA Researches Earth from Space For more than five decades, NASA has used the vantage point of space to understand and explore our home planet, improve lives and safeguard our future. NASA brings together technology, science, and unique global Earth observations to provide societal benefits and strengthen our nation. Advancing knowledge of our home planet contributes directly to America's leadership in space and scientific exploration. ### For updated and detailed forecasts, visit: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov Please follow SpaceRef on Twitter and Like us on Facebook. Vector Group (NZX: VCT ) is pleased to announce a steady earnings performance for the 12 months to 30 June 2020, with adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (Adjusted EBITDA) [1] of $490.0 million, $4.2 million ahead of FY19. The Board has determined that shareholders will receive a final dividend of 8.25 cents per share imputed at 10.5%, taking the full year partially imputed dividend to 16.5 cents per share. Group net profit after tax was $97.3 million and includes a non-cash impairment of $32.0 million in respect of E-Co Products Group. Vector Chair Dame Alison Paterson said, We are pleased with our performance this financial year, despite some challenging and uncertain conditions. The Board remains confident in the companys strategy, which is continuing to drive progress towards defining Vector as an innovative energy group providing sustainable shareholder returns through a diverse portfolio of businesses. I would like to thank our people and key partners for the way they have adapted to continue to deliver essential services to our customers throughout the COVID-19 lockdowns. Vector Group Chief Executive Simon Mackenzie said, There were several highlights to the 2020 financial year including the recent announcement of our strategic alliance with Amazon Web Services. Significantly, the sale of the Kapuni Gas Treatment Plant in March to Todd Energy marked a key milestone for our Gas Trading business. Bringing the ownership of the plant and field together clears the way for Todd to invest in developing the field. The deal includes long-term supply agreements which means we can support supply to our natural gas and LPG customers. Our metering business grew strongly with 119,003 advanced meters installed in Australia and 36,350 in New Zealand during the year. In Australia, we are now averaging approximately 10,000 installations per month, which is encouraging growth in this competitive market. New electricity connections increased to 12,231, up from 11,000 in the prior year, while new gas connections were down 3.6% to 3,201. This year we have invested $317.1m in the Auckland electricity and gas networks to improve safety, reliability and resilience of our networks and facilitate Aucklands growth. This is a 21.5% increase on the previous year. Vector Powersmart has completed the building of New Zealands largest solar installation over Watercares waste-water treatment plant. The 1MW floating solar array is the countrys first floating solar array and first megawatt-scale solar system. Under the new regulatory settings which came into effect on 1 April 2020, Vector is subject to a revenue cap over a five-year period, compared to a price cap in the previous period. A feature of the current regime is that any revenue under recovery can be recovered in subsequent years. Given the impact of Covid-19 on revenues, we are changing our previous policy and will use loss rental rebates, allocated by Transpower, to offset future customer prices increases. It is important to note that consumers will not be disadvantaged by this as it will limit future price shocks and any excess will be returned to consumers later. Vectors response to COVID-19: Key actions and initiatives Vector continued to provide essential services throughout the COVID-19 lockdown periods in the reporting period. Acknowledging the necessity of its services, Vector temporarily halted planned outages across the electricity and gas networks to minimise disruption to customers during the first lockdown, with works only going ahead if they were critical for safety, maintenance, or to support other essential services to operate. The company also initiated a programme of work alongside other gas and electricity network providers to offer business customers three-month payment deferral plans. The E-Co Products Group was adversely impacted by the COVID-19 lockdown. Vector has taken a conservative position and impaired the carrying value of this business to reflect the uncertain economic environment Vector is operating in. Looking ahead For the coming financial year Vector is targeting adjusted EBITDA in the range of $480m to $500m. In July 2020, Vector announced a strategic alliance with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to jointly develop the New Energy Platform, aimed at changing how energy is managed, delivered and consumed. Partnering with like-minded global companies such as AWS is evidence of Vectors Symphony strategy in action of leveraging data and innovation in order to deliver cleaner, more affordable and resilient energy options for consumers. We believe partnerships such as this are critical to the new energy future, and our focus in FY21 remains on developing solutions that deliver more choice to consumers, said Mr Mackenzie. We will continue to explore strategic partnerships that enable us to drive our Symphony strategy forward, support decarbonisation and the electrification of vehicles, and bring innovation and customer-centric solutions to the market. In April, we saw a significant negative price reset in our electricity business, with the new Default Price-Path 3 (DPP3) regulatory settings coming into effect. Mr Mackenzie said that Vector remains concerned by regulatory settings and their impact on the companys ability to invest. He said the economic uncertainties as a result of COVID-19 will be with us for some time but Vector remains confident in its strategy; and the current environment further highlights the need for smart investment and an unfaltering focus on customers. Vectors Board of Directors Mr Mackenzie said, I would like to acknowledge Dame Alison Paterson, who will be stepping down as Vectors Chair next month. Dame Alisons governance experience is unparalleled in New Zealand, and we have benefited from her guidance over the past few years. On behalf of Vector, we thank her for her contribution and wish her well in retirement. As announced in June 2020, current non-executive director, Jonathan Mason will take on the role of Chair after Dame Alisons retirement at the Annual Shareholder Meeting on 25 September 2020. Source: Vector Group (NZX: VCT ) Comments from our readers No comments yet Add your comment: Your name: Your email: Not displayed to the public Comment: Comments to Sharechat go through an approval process. Comments which are defamatory, abusive or in some way deemed inappropriate will not be approved. It is allowable to use some form of non-de-plume for your name, however we recommend real email addresses are used. 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Related News: Genesis Energy Limited (NZX: GNE) FY22 Q2 Performance Report Seeka Limited (NZX: SEK) Seeka announces dividend of 13 cents per share 20th January 2022 Morning Report Z Energy Limited (NZX: ZEL) Q3FY33 Operating Data Smartpay Holdings Limited (NZX: SPY) Trading Update Rua Bioscience Limited (NZX: RUA) Shareholders Approve Zalm Therapeutics Share Issue Harmoney Corp Limited (NZX: HMY) HMY achieves cash NPAT profitability in 1HFY22 19th January 2022 Morning Report PaySauce Limited (NZX: PYS) Quarterly Market Update Dec 2021 FTX announced as naming rights sponsor of Australian Blockchain Week 2022 SHANGHAI / ACCESSWIRE / August 26, 2020 / Recently, Counterpoint released "Cellular Technology Transitions and Potential for SoC Players". The report puts forward that the 5G wave is an inevitable trend and the global baseband market sales will exceed $38.7 billion by 2024! The global handset baseband manufacturers have unique advantages in the future 5G network transition process. According to the report, 5G handset shipments are expected to reach 1.16 billion units in 2024, with a CAGR of 137 percent, accounting for 70 percent of total handset shipments. From the perspective of chip suppliers, 5G chips are more complex and with higher threshold. At present, independent chip suppliers are still dominated by Qualcomm, MediaTek and UNISOC. The research points out that Qualcomm is offering an end-to-end portfolio from SoC, modem, complete RF Front End (RFFE) to antenna supporting both sub-6GHz to mmWave. This portfolio is ahead of its competitors from a feature-set to a commercial availability perspective. It has captured more than half of the 5G market share. MediaTek is also ramping up its Dimensity 5G series. And another chip supplier, UNISOC announced its first 2G/3G/4G/5G multi-mode modem V510 at MWC 2019. The 3GPP Rel.15 compliant 5G modem supports both standalone (SA) and non-standalone (NSA) networks, as well as 5G VoNR in SA mode, fitting well into the different stages of 5G development. Together with Hisense, UNISOC successfully commercialized its first generation 5G platform, with the UNISOC V510 powering the Hisense F50 smartphone. Last November, UNISOC V510 modem was awarded the 2019 World Electronics Achievement Award, helping UNISOC further establish a solid foundation as a leading 5G solution provider. In February this year, UNISOC unveiled its next-gen 5G SoC platform - the T7520. Utilizing a more advanced 6nm EUV process, which has 18% higher transistor density and 8% lower power consumption versus current 7nm processes, the T7520 offers compelling performance package with improved power consumption. Its optimized multi-core design incorporates four Cortex-A76 and four Cortex-A55, a Mali-G57 based GPU, an upgraded NPU, as well as enhanced multimedia processing units to enable capabilities of 100MP and multicamera processing, up to 120Hz refresh rate and multi-screen displays. The T7520 also showed significant improvements in terms of 5G experiences, with the support of 5G NR TDD+FDD carrier aggregation, LTE and NR spectrum dynamic sharing, and uplink and downlink decoupling. Importantly, with its innovative 5G super uplink technology, the T7520 can enhance coverage by more than 100%, increase uplink speeds by up to 60% and improve peak downlink speeds to more than 3.25Gbps under SA mode. All of these advanced features make the T7520 highly competitive with mainstream platforms targeting high-specsmartphones. In addition, Counterpoint also points out in the report that 5G not only sets off a wave of smartphone upgrading, but also brings great opportunities in some segments that are easily ignored by the industry. For details, please refer to: Counterpoint website - Chinese version and English version for free download link https://www.counterpointresearch.com/cellular-technology-transitions-potential-soc-players/ Media Contact: UNISOC Technologies Co., Ltd Miranda Wu - UNISOC PR Team E-mail: mengran.wu@unisoc.com Website: http://www.unisoc.com SOURCE: UNISOC Technologies Co., Ltd View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/603581/Qualcomm-MediaTek-and-UNISOC-seize-the-387-billion-global-baseband-market US Sanctions Chinese Companies Over South China Sea Dispute By Nike Ching August 26, 2020 The United States imposed sanctions Wednesday on 24 Chinese companies and several people who allegedly participated in building and militarizing disputed artificial islands in the South China Sea. The U.S. Commerce Department said in a statement the companies played a "role in helping the Chinese military" with the construction project, while U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a separate announcement that it was placing visa restrictions on individuals "responsible" or "complicit" in the project. "Since 2013, the PRC [People's Republic of China] has used its state-owned enterprises to dredge and reclaim more than 3,000 acres on disputed features in the South China Sea, destabilizing the region, trampling on the sovereign rights of its neighbors, and causing untold environmental devastation," Pompeo said. The U.S. action on Wednesday follows a policy update in July that explicitly called out Beijing's "unlawful maritime claims" in the South China Sea. The actions are the latest steps the U.S. has taken against China for its military buildup on territory in the South China Sea, where sovereignty is claimed by several countries. "In doing this, we have various aims, including of course to impose costs on bad actors and to encourage all sorts of parties and institutions and governments around the world to assess risk and reconsider business deals with the sort of predatory Chinese state-owned enterprises that we've identified here," a senior U.S. State Department official told reporters during a Wednesday telephone briefing. The U.S. accused China in June of trying to build a "maritime empire" in the South China Sea, which was denied by Beijing. "We always treat our South China Sea neighbors as equals and exercise maximum restraint," Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian told reporters in July. China did not immediately respond to the sanctions. China claims at least 80% of the South China Sea, which has vast oil and gas reserves. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also claim jurisdiction to parts of the area through which trade valued at $3 trillion passes annually. Among the sanctioned state-owned companies are construction giant China Communications Construction Co., a subsidiary of the China Shipbuilding Group, and a telecommunications company. The 24 Chinese companies added to the U.S. "entity list" will be banned from purchasing technology and other products shipped from the U.S. While other firms can request a license to continue selling to Chinese companies on the U.S. entity list, such requests are often denied. "The party seeking to make that transfer of commodities, equipment, software, or technology to the parties on the entity list has to come into Commerce for a specific license," Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Export Administration Matthew Borman told reporters in a Wednesday briefing. "The licensing policy is presumption of denial for any such proposed exports, re-exports, or in-country transfers," he added. As the U.S. is explicitly endorsing the substance of a binding ruling by a Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague four years ago, China dismissed the ruling. The binding decision issued July 12, 2016, rejected China's maritime claims as having no basis in international law. "The Arbitral Tribunal violated the principle of state consent and exercised its jurisdiction ultra vires. There are obvious errors in fact finding and law application in the Award," said Zhao, the foreign ministry spokesperson, during a press conference July 14. Wayne Lee contributed to this report. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address New Delhi, Aug 27 : The Gujarat High Court has barred Hindustan Oil Exploration Company (HOEC), its directors, employees, officers, agents from assigning, selling and transferring all the movable and immovable assets owned by HOEC including the HOEC House. The case pertains to an international arbitration where the arbitration panel has asked HOEC and government-owned oil and gas explorer and producer ONGC to pay the dues to Hardy Oil - the operator of offshore oil field PY-3 in Tamil Nadu. The ONGC has agreed to comply with the arbitration panel award and make the requisite payments to Hardy Oil. However, as per Hardy Oil's petition, the defaulter HOEC owes more than Rs 27 crore to the operator. The petitioner approached the high court and informed that the HOEC has liabilities aggregating to more than Rs 700cr (to government and service providers) and that gives rise to "reasonable apprehension that HOEC will certainly fail to honour the foreign award". The Gujarat High Court took cognizance of the matter and took urgent interim measure under section 9 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act and barred the company and the directors, agents, employees from any transactions related to movable and immovable assets of the company. In the PY-3 oil field, Hardy is the operator with 18 per cent stake and while HOEC and Tata Petrodyne (now Invenire Energy) each have 21 per cent stake, along with ONGC (40 per cent stake). Production in the field was shut down in July 2011 as one of the contractors (Aban Offshore) stopped work owing to non-payment. On similar grounds, in March 2014 another service provider (Samson) initiated arbitration process against the field operators (HOEC, Hardy, Tata Petrodyne, and ONGC). As per the Joint Operating Agreement (JOA), ONGC, HOEC and Hardy were under obligation to pay the contractors. However, the non-payment by ONGC and HOEC led to the second round of arbitration in which Hardy moved an international arbitration against the joint operators. In February 2021, Hardy won the arbitration and ONGC agreed to comply with the arbitration panel award and make the requisite payment. After HOEC non-payment, Hardy approached the Gujarat High Court. Meanwhile, HOEC had a very good run in the stock markets with the share prices of the company going up by about three times despite no trigger of better oil or gas price or any other positive indicators. The HOEC had not informed the stock market about the Gujarat High Court order till Wednesday -- a delay of more than 10 days, probably confirming petitioner's apprehension about HOEC's transparency and intent to pay up. Former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, a Democrat set to run against President Donald Trump in the November 3 national election, is making his third run for the White House -- but for the first time stands as his partys presumptive nominee. If he wins, and is inaugurated next January, Biden would become the countrys 46th chief executive. By then, he would be 78, the oldest U.S. president ever, surpassing the 74-year-old Trump. Biden has said throughout months of campaigning that he is seeking to put an end to Trumps aberrant administration. Were in a battle for the soul of America, Biden says on his campaign web site. Its time to remember who we are. Were Americans: tough, resilient, but always full of hope. Its time to treat each other with dignity. Build a middle class that works for everybody. Fight back against the incredible abuses of power were seeing. Its time to dig deep and remember that our best days still lie ahead. Biden has characterized Trump as an unfit leader of the Free World, saying, Its time for respected leadership on the world stageand dignified leadership at home. But amid an historic coronavirus pandemic, Bidens campaign through the early days of July has been unlike any modern U.S. run for the presidency. He has largely waged his campaign from his home in the eastern state of Delaware with occasional forays to Wilmington, the states biggest city, and to nearby Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for speeches and policy discussions with small groups of people. The former U.S. senator has held only one news conference over a three-month period and shunned large political rallies for fear of catching or helping to spread the coronavirus if large crowds gathered to hear him speak. Accomplishments and personal life: After graduating from the University of Delaware and Syracuse Law School, Biden, at age 29, became in 1972 one of the youngest lawmakers ever elected to the U.S. Senate. But weeks after the election, personal tragedy struck. Bidens wife Neilia and their one-year-old daughter Naomi were killed in an automobile accident while Christmas shopping. Biden entertained thoughts of resigning his newly won Senate seat to care for the couples two other children, both sons, but instead began daily back-and-forth 90-minute train commutes between Washington and his Delaware home, a practice he followed through six terms --36 years -- in the Senate. Several years after his first wifes death, Biden met and later married Jill Jacobs Tracy, an aspiring schoolteacher, with whom he has a daughter born in 1981. Biden ran for president in 1987 and 2007 but failed to gain much support from voters either time. After Biden dropped out of the presidential race in 2007, then-candidate Barack Obama later asked him to be his running mate. The two went on to win the 2008 election and re-election in 2012. Biden served as Obamas vice president for eight years. Foreign policy: While in the Senate, Biden was a longtime member of the powerful Foreign Relations Committee and served twice as the panels chairman. He opposed the Persian Gulf War in 1991 but voted to authorize the invasion of Iraq in 2003. He advocated for U.S. and NATO intervention in Bosnia in 1994. While serving as vice president under Obama, Biden helped to formulate U.S. policy toward Iraq, including the withdrawal of troops in 2011. He also supported the NATO-led military intervention in Libya in 2011. Biden played other key roles during his years in the Senate, especially in crafting anti-crime bills, including a federal assault weapons ban that stood for 10 years until 2004 but has not been renewed. He backed tough sentencing for convicted criminals, a stance he has modified in his 2020 run for the presidency. Now he says that too many people are incarcerated in the United States and too many of them are black and brown. Biden has said that he considers the Violence Against Women Act the single most important legislation he helped shepherd through Congress during his Senate tenure. But it was his oversight of testimony at the 1991 Supreme Court nomination hearing of Clarence Thomas, a conservative African American put forward by then-President George H.W. Bush, that has rankled some of Bidens Democratic intra-party foes for years. Anita Hill, a lawyer and Thomas co-worker, accused Thomas of sexual harassment and testified against him, allegations that Thomas denied. But Biden, then chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, did not permit further witnesses to buttress Hills testimony. Womens groups and liberal legal activists sharply criticized Bidens handling of the hearings. Eventually the Senate narrowly confirmed Thomass nomination and he sits on the Supreme Court to this day. In April 2019, Biden called Hill to voice regret over the manner in which he conducted the Thomas hearings, but she said later she remained deeply dissatisfied. Platform: A prospective Biden presidency might mirror the eight years of Obamas White House tenure, with policies that advance progressive causes for racial equality and womens rights in the United States and international accords abroad. While Trump has pulled the United States from multinational trade, nuclear and climate deals that he did not consider to be in Washingtons best interests, Biden almost assuredly could be expected to attempt to restore U.S. standing and engagement abroad. At home, Biden over the years has had a reputation of reaching across the political aisle to work with Republican lawmakers, But during the lengthy fight for the Democratic presidential nomination, Biden pushed back against criticism that he is not liberal enough for todays Democratic Party, saying at an event in March, I have the most progressive record of anybody running. Biden emphasized the record of the Obama administration, including expanding health care, supporting efforts to legalize gay marriage, and pushing for the government bailout of the U.S. auto industry. Biden contends that Trump has abandoned the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, adding he would stop the political theater and willful misinformation that has heightened confusion and discrimination. Biden says he would ensure that public health decisions are made by public health professionals and not politicians. While tantrums and taunts on Twitter have been one of Trumps signature White House calling cards, Bidens verbal gaffes have given Trump an opportunity to claim the Democratic nominee is mentally diminished as he ages. In recent weeks, Biden has said he is running for the Senate instead of the presidency and said at another time that 120 million Americans had died from the coronavirus, instead of 120,000. If I ever said something so mortifyingly stupid, the Fake News Media would come down on me with a vengeance. This is beyond a normal mistake, Trump tweeted. But Biden, asked whether his mental capacity has waned, retorted, Look, all youve got to do is watch me and I can hardly wait to compare my cognitive capability to the cognitive capability of the man Im running against. The two candidates are planning to face off in three debates in September and October. A Man sitting outside a lit tent at night using his tablet device with the milky way visible in the sky. The ocean and some islands can be seen in the background. When shelter-in-place was first announced in the United States, most companies in the travel space saw bookings drop. Some shuttered. Hipcamp, a San Francisco-based startup that provides private land for people who want to go glamping or camping, found itself in a similar spot (even though its entire sell is about getting you away from crowds). Bookings took a precipitous drop as people sheltered-in-place, and we actually encouraged people to cancel, founder Alyssa Ravasio said in an interview. The startup conducted a round of layoffs back in April, citing "economic uncertainties." One employee tells TechCrunch that 60% of the company was laid off in two weeks. Hipcamp did not comment directly on the number of layoffs, other than to say the percentage of laid off employees is significantly lower than the 60% report. Months later, Hipcamp is in a far better spot. When stay-at-home orders lifted, bookings spiked with people eager to get outside, which the CDC says is a safer activity than being inside a place with less ventilation. Ravasio says that Hipcamp has even brought back some employees it originally laid off. The startup is currently hiring. Off this new momentum, Hipcamp today announced that it has acquired Australia-based landsharing startup Youcamp, marking its first expansion into an international market. With the new business, Hipcamp will acquire Youcamps existing 50,000 listings, bringing its total to 420,000 listings. Hipcamp declined to disclose the financials of the deal at this time. Youcamp, founded by James Woodford, was born in New South Wales in 2013. Similar to Hipcamp, Youcamp worked to draw urban-based adults to the great outdoors. For its seven years as an independent company, Youcamp racked up listings by working directly with private landowners. Ravasio says she made her first big international bet in Australia partly because of revenue predictability. Expanding to the Southern Hemisphere also helps us account for natural seasonality with outdoor recreation. Between the U.S. and Australia, its an endless summer, the founder said. Story continues The entire team at Youcamp will join Hipcamp, adding five to Hipcamps staff, bringing its employee base to a total of 35. Along with the acquisition announcement, Hipcamp shared that it is officially launching in Canada. The startup already had a number of Canadian hosts, but it will now increase the total by partnering directly with private landowners. The company declined to share profitability or growth statistics, instead pointing to aggregate usage numbers as some sort of cumulative revenue parallel. To date, Hipcamp has helped people spend 2.5 million nights outside across 6,000 hosts in the United States, Australia and Canada. In July 2019, Hipcamp got a tranche of new capital from investors, including but not limited to Andreessen Horowitz, Benchmark, Slow Ventures, Marcy Ventures (co-founded by Shawn Carter, or Jay-Z) and Dreamers Fund (co-founded by Will Smith). The round valued the startup at $127 million. Hipcamp, which has been dubbed by The New Yorker the "Airbnb of the outdoors," is more optimistic than it was in March, as shown by this appetite for acquisition. The progress mirrors what we're seeing out of the actual Airbnb, which has found bookings increasing year over year as people look to stay at properties for local holidays. Since the onset of the pandemic, Inc. has been airing weekly webinars with the most influential names in business. Think of these excerpts as a master class on making it in the new reality. (Edited for length and clarity.) Kendra Scott Founder and CEO of the billion-dollar Kendra Scott jewelry and homewares brand Don't focus on the business. Focus on the customer. Where is she in this moment? How can we serve her? How can we surprise and delight her today? When you bring it down to that basic level, magical things can happen. John Paul DeJoria Serial entrepreneur; philanthropist; and co-founder of John Paul Mitchell Systems and Patron Spirits I'll give you a beautiful exercise. Think about anybody you don't like, who displeases you--anybody you want to get back at for something. And let it go. Forgive them, either openly or silently. It costs nothing, and it's amazing what happens. Something lifts off your shoulders. You get the negativity out of your subconscious, where it can make everything around you look bleak. You just say, that was yesterday. I cannot change yesterday, and I'm not going to let it burn everything else down. All that disrespect, all that jealousy, all that hate--get them out of there and clean up your energy. Seth Godin Author of 19 books, including This Is Marketing and Tribes; founder of altMBA; and host of the Akimbo podcast Attachment to a future outcome is the enemy. It's nostalgia in reverse. Nostalgia for what 2021 is supposed to be like is a recipe for pain. Because 2021 doesn't care what you're hoping for. Simon Sinek Best-selling author of Start With Why, Find Your Why, Leaders Eat Last, and The Infinite Game It's essential that we have uncomfortable conversations with our friends and co-workers, Black and White, about our roles and responsibilities when it comes to race. To think we don't have biases and blind spots is itself a blind spot. Rebecca Minkoff Co-founder and creative director of her namesake New York City-based fashion brand No one's looking for glossy right now. The more you can just be real, that's resonating. Daymond John Shark Tank star; investor; founder of apparel line FUBU; and author of Powershift I've started having open forums with the companies I work with so we can all educate ourselves about one another and the challenges we face. Afterward, employees will say things like, "I work with this African American woman. I've been sitting next to her for 10 years, and I never realized that every day that she's at work, her 16-year-old son leaves the house and she doesn't know if she'll ever see him again." That hits home for people. If you're just one person wondering, "What do I do?" you've got to look into it, just like you would look into any problem you saw in your product or some other part of your company. True entrepreneurs listen and do homework. Jason Fried Co-founder and CEO of software company Basecamp and best-selling author of Rework, Remote: Office Not Required, and It Doesn't Have to Be Crazy at Work The fundamental underpinning of being a great manager is just about giving people the time and trust they need to do great work. Steve Case Internet pioneer and co-founder of AOL; chairman and CEO of Revolution; creator of Rise of the Rest; and author of The Third Wave A more inclusive view of innovation is not just the right thing to do, it's also the smart thing to do, because it will unlock some of the great entrepreneurial opportunities and investment opportunities of the next 10 or 20 years. Alexa von Tobel Founder and managing partner of Inspired Capital, author of Financially Fearless and Financially Forward; and founder of LearnVest A London-based campaign group that helped expose human safaris in the Andaman Islands in 2012, has on Thursday, called for urgent action following reports that at least five members of the Great Andamanese tribe have tested positive for Covid-19, besides others. Survival International said concern was growing for the safety of other tribes on the islands, including the Jarawa and the uncontacted Sentinelese. Earlier this month, it was reported that five welfare staff working with the Jarawa tribe had tested positive for Covid-19. The group added that poachers were allegedly continuing to enter the territory, risking bringing in the virus, while last week eight fishermen were reportedly arrested for illegally entering the Jarawas territory. Sophie Grig, senior researcher with the group, said: It is extremely alarming that members of the Great Andamanese tribe tested positive for Covid-19. They will be all too aware of the devastating impact of epidemics that have decimated their people. The Andaman authorities must act urgently to prevent the virus from reaching more Great Andamanese and to prevent infection in the other tribes. The waters around North Sentinel must be properly policed and no outsiders should enter the territories of any of the Andaman tribes without their consent, she added. The group said in a release that the Great Andamanese are a small group of just over 50 survivors, down from more than 5000 when the British colonised the islands in the 1850s. They suffer from the long term impacts of diseases introduced by the brutal occupation. Tuberculosis and alcoholism are widespread, making them particularly vulnerable to Covid-19, it added. Also Read: Volunteers given first shots of Oxford Covid-19 vaccine are stable, three more get doses The Jarawa are a nomadic hunter-gatherer tribe, who have only had friendly contact with settlers neighbouring their territory since 1998. Due to their isolation, relatively recent contact and the impact of two measles epidemics, they are also likely to be especially at risk from the virus, the group said. It further added that the uncontacted Sentinelese-- the most isolated tribe in the world-- are extremely vulnerable to diseases from outsiders and the risk of them contacting the devastating infection is even greater during the global pandemic. Also Read: Health Ministry advises Covid screening for all TB patients and vice versa Without proper patrolling of the waters around their island, they are at risk of coming into contact with poachers illegally fishing and diving for lobster, said the group expressing their apprehensions about possible career of the disease to the protected tribe. For Belarus's thriving tech industry, it didn't matter much that the country's president referred to the internet as "garbage" and state factories as the engine of economic success. Until now. The sector could become a casualty of weeks of violent political crisis in the east European country, putting at risk a source of foreign income worth 5pc of exports. The staff of international IT companies have joined mass protests and are threatening to quit Belarus after the re-election of President Alexander Lukashenko on August 9 that his opponents say was rigged. Stories of tortured detainees and the sight of plainclothes officers grabbing protesters off the street made working life difficult for the Minsk employees of the California-based software firm PandaDoc, its chief executive Mikita Mikado said. "Everyone in the IT community, all Belarusians inside the country and outside the country were shocked. They were shocked by how blatantly the elections were rigged and by how much violence was applied afterwards," said Mr Mikado. An internal survey showed 83pc of PandaDoc's employees in the country want to relocate. "If this government stays, there will be no PandaDoc in Belarus," Mikado added. At least three protesters have been killed and thousands, including PandaDoc employees, were detained. The Belarus Hi-Tech Park, a hub on the eastern outskirts of Minsk, has grown to 750 companies since its launch in 2006, employing 58,000 people and earning $2bn (1.69bn) in exports, according to government figures from 2019-end. Wargaming, which created the globally popular World of Tanks game, has a major operation in Minsk, as does US-based EPAM Systems, founded by two Belarusians in 1993. Belarusian software engineers are also behind Japanese-controlled Viber messenger. EPAM launched a retraining programme for people to start a career in IT if they were fired for supporting the opposition. Flash China and Russia launched their Year of Scientific and Technological Innovation on Wednesday. Chinese Vice Premier Sun Chunlan and Russian Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova attended the opening ceremony via video link. With concerted efforts from both China and Russia, the number of activities scheduled to be held under the Year of Scientific and Technological Innovation has exceeded 1,000, which showed the huge potential of the two sides' cooperation on scientific and technological innovation, Sun noted. Sun called for better cultivation of strategic flagship projects, the utilization of joint labs and research centers, exchanges of personnel, and coordination in entrepreneurship and investment, so as to intensify the two countries' comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era. Golikova said Russia and China, both as major countries in science and technology, would benefit from innovation cooperation. The Year of Scientific and Technological Innovation is expected to help better align the Eurasian Economic Union with the Belt and Road construction, and promote bilateral ties, Golikova said. To the editor: Maintaining the high quality of our educational program has never been more important than it is in today's difficult times. A valuable teaching tool in that process is a computer called a Chromebook which students can use at home. Two hundred fifty of these were destroyed in the recent flood and must be replaced. Since the schools do not have the necessary funds, a project called Midland Area Schools Chromebook Replacement Project Fund was initiated by the Kiwassee Kiwanis Foundation, and is being managed by the Midland Area Community Foundation. We hope you will join in supporting this much needed project which will benefit the students of our community who are our future. You can do so by contacting the Midland Area Community Foundation. A dolphin carcass lies near the water at Grand Sable, Mauritius: via REUTERS Eighteen dolphins have been found dead on the shores of Mauritius less than three weeks after a large oil spill caused by the grounding of a cargo ship. More dolphins were found close to the shore, alive but in distress, and were carried into deeper waters by local inhabitants and the authorities. The stranded electra dolphins, more commonly known as melon-headed whales, were discovered fewer than 10 miles from where the Japanese-owned but Panamanian-flagged bulk carrier MV Wakashio ran aground, spilling an estimated 1,000 tonnes of fuel oil into the lagoon. Some of the stranded dolphins were bloodied while others had visible injuries around their jaws when they were found by locals in the early hours of Wednesday morning. Bernard Aliphon, a diving instructor from the region who came across one of the stranded dolphins, said: I know those dolphins, I swim with dolphins every day. Its heartbreaking seeing them like this. Its like deaths in the family. Bryan Terasawmy, a 22-year old photographer who found two stranded dolphins on his way to work, added: It is so sad. I think its because of the oil spill. There is oil even on the coastal road. When its high tide, the waves deposit oil there. Authorities warned more dolphins could yet be stranded but said they could not yet establish a link between the deaths and the oil spill. They pointed out that 35 dolphins were found stranded in that region in 2005. Harry Khambule, a senior climate and energy campaign manager at Greenpeace, appealed for "a swift, transparent and public autopsy on the bodies collected. The stranded dolphins were transported to the Department of Fisheries research centre, where preliminary results from from two completed autopsies showed no traces of fuel in the stomachs of the animals. Remaining autopsies are expected to be completed over the next few days. Fat and skin samples have also been taken for toxicology tests, while other samples will be sent to Reunion island for further analysis. Story continues News of the strandings adds to the feeling of helplessness of the region, locals said. Many fishermen are struggling because they can no longer fish in the area of the oil spill. Others who run small businesses that cater to tourists, such as small boat operators, have been effectively out of work since Mauritius closed its international borders in March because of Covid-19. Dr Adam Moolna, an environment and sustainability lecturer at Keele University and a Mauritian, said: There is a community of 15,000 people who live alongside, and are suffering alongside, the wildlife of this small corner of Mauritius." Brummell Laurent, a 52-year old boat operator from the coastal village of Mahebourg, said the community is demoralised. Everyone is depressed. Yesterday, they cut off my internet because I couldnt afford to pay the bills any more. We need to start our lives all over again from zero," he said. Read more Mauritius conservationists race to save rare species from oil spill Mauritius seeks compensation for 'national disaster oil spill Mauritius scrambles to save pristine beaches and coral reefs from cata Floods in north Bihar and the districts of Uttar Pradesh (UP), bordering Nepal, during the monsoon season, cause enormous losses in lives and property. Similarly, large parts of Nepals Tarai get submerged. This tragedy repeats on a loop every year. Heavy rains in the catchment areas of the major trans-boundary river systems the Kosi, Gandak/Narayani and Karnali/Ghagra as well as Rapti and Mahakali/Sharda lead to substantial run-offs as these rivers debouch into the plains, causing widespread flooding. So far, the two countries have adopted flood-control measures that largely comprise river-training works, including embankment construction. This approach comes with its problems. Due to soil erosion and landslides in the upper catchment area, particularly of the eastern rivers, the run-offs are heavily laden with silt. This results in a rise in the level of the river beds. In some places, the Kosi now flows above the surrounding territory. Embankments provide a temporary respite. In the long-run, if the banks are breached, as happened in 2008 to the east afflux bund, there are catastrophic consequences. The problem is further compounded by the fact that the Kosi has made significant oscillations in its course over the last 200 years. Both countries blame each other for the floods. The chief ministers of UP and Bihar complain to the prime minister that Nepal was not providing full cooperation on embankment construction for these trans-boundary rivers and their tributaries, even though some of this activity is financed by India. Nepal, on the other hand, blames India for the flooding of its Tarai plains. It argues that India has constructed roads all along the India-Nepal border without installing adequate drainage. The roads, it contends, act like an embankment and cause submergence of land and villages on Nepals side. A report of a joint India-Nepal technical team that did not find any evidence for this allegation has not been accepted by the Nepali authorities. A longer term more sustainable approach is needed to address the root causes of the problem. India must cooperate with Nepal on the prevention of soil erosion and reforestation projects including in the Chure (Shiwalik) Hills under the Rashtrapati Chure Conservation Programme, a project under the patronage of the president of Nepal. More importantly, we need to revive the many reservoir projects agreed upon in the past and whose implementation has been tardy. The Narendra Modi government provided a huge impetus to the Pancheshwar Hydro-Power Project on the Mahakali/Sharda River that had remained stalled for almost two decades since the mid-1990s. Unfortunately, six years down the road, it has got bogged down again, particularly over Nepals refusal to accept Indias proposal to include the waters of the Lower Sharda Barrage in the existing consumptive usage of the Mahakali waters. If this issue is not sorted out at the political level, the project will be delayed again at a huge cost. The last time the project was delayed, the overall cost increased from ~12,000 crore to ~40,000 crore even as the total capacity has been reduced from 6,720 MW to 5,040 MW largely due to hydrological factors. Another priority should be the revival of the Kosi high dam proposal. Though the Kosi Barrage was built several decades ago, and embankment works have proceeded apace, the high dam proposal has not made much progress since its conception in the 1950s. The joint project office has been unable to complete the survey-related work needed for the preparation of the detailed project report (DPR), even though it was set up in 2004, in part due to resistance from local communities. Considerable efforts are needed to address the concerns of the local population, especially in the area that will be submerged. The Nepali authorities are less than supportive on the grounds that the entire submergence will be in Nepal, while the bulk of the benefits in terms of irrigation and flood control will go to India. The Sun Kosi Storage-cum-Diversion Scheme has been made an integral part of the project keeping in mind Nepals interests. An objective and fair system for sharing the costs and benefits from the project will need to be worked out. So far, India has opted for a bilateral approach. But Bangladesh too is an interested party as the project will regulate water flows into the Ganga and the Padma. Trilateral cooperation will make it easier politically for Nepal to pursue the project. If the project is implemented, an important benefit for Nepal will be the creation of inland waterways along the Ganga and Kosi, which will result in a significant reduction of logistics costs for trade. It will also significantly strengthen sub-regional cooperation. Though relations with Nepal are currently fraught and it is unlikely that solutions will be easily found, India needs to review joint reservoir projects strategically at the political level. Ranjit Rae is former ambassador to Nepal The views expressed are personal Star Wars fans are a passionate bunch. The science-fiction franchise has been around for four decades and although the films have become classics, they inspire intense fan debate on a regular basis. The sequel trilogy is particularly divisive, with many fans blaming the filmmakers involved with ruining the franchise that they love so much. Recently, however, a good-natured discussion occurred on Reddit, that saw fans comparing the most recent Star Wars film, The Rise of Skywalker, to another classic movie, which also happens to be from the mind of George Lucas. Raiders of the Lost Ark is a cinema classic Harrison Ford | Ian Gavan/Getty Images In 1981, Raiders of the Lost Ark was released. The movie, starring Harrison Ford as the intrepid archeologist Indiana Jones, was an instant hit, and did a lot to bolster George Lucas standing as one of Hollywoods top directors. The next few years saw two hit sequels, followed by another sequel in 2008. The Indiana Jones franchise also spawned a television miniseries, comic books, novels, and many video games. The effect that the series has had on pop culture is immeasurable, and for many fans, it is one of the greatest film franchises ever committed to the big screen. The plot is relatively simple but remarkably effective. The story follows Indiana Jones as he races Nazi troops to try to find the mysterious Ark of the Covenant. Ultimately, both Jones and the Nazis come into contact with the Ark, leading to an intense sequence where the Nazis are confronted with the true power of the Biblical artifact. What is The Rise of Skywalker about? RELATED: How The Rise of Skywalker Re-Created Mark Hamills Face to Look Younger Over four decades after Raiders of the Lost Ark hit theaters, The Rise of Skywalker was released. The film was widely promoted as being the finale to the story of the Skywalker family, bringing a dramatic end to a familial saga that billions of people around the world love and cherish. The film itself was controversial, with many slamming the creative direction, the acting, and the writing. Still, for many, it was an emotional and satisfying conclusion to a blockbuster saga. The storyline of The Rise of Skywalker is very different from the plot of the previous film, The Last Jedi. The film features Rey, along with her friends Finn, Poe, and Chewbacca, as they search for a mysterious dagger that would enable them to locate the wayfinder device and defeat the evil Sith Lord, Darth Sidious. Fans recently compared Raiders of the Lost Ark to The Rise of Skywalker While Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Rise of Skywalker are very different on the surface, some fans on Reddit recently discussed the two films, revealing several key similarities in the plot and pacing. One poster praised the plot of The Rise of Skywalker as being very Indiana Jones-like while another directly contrasted the two movies by stating: Indy gets a headpiece that leads him to the location of the map room that points to the location of the ark, at one point he thinks Marion dies but later he finds she is alive and was captured by the bad guys, he gets the ark and the bad guys face melts. Rey gets a dagger that points to location of the wayfinder that leads her to the location of Exegol, at one point she thinks Chewie dies but later she finds he is alive and was captured by the bad guys, she gets to Exegol and the bad guys face melts. Fans loved the comparison, even though The Rise of Skywalker was still deemed as the inferior film by many of the Reddit commentators. As one fan stated, the whole thing raises more questions than it answers, and while it features many of the same elements as other classic adventure movies, it seems as though it will always cause some serious fan division. Although we're hearing a lot about online learning because of arguments about how to reopen schools, colleges and universities, it's been an educational tool for decades. One of the most important factors in learning is motivation: whether students want to engage with the material. Credit:Tanya Macheda Online learning allows flexibility; learning when it suits you rather than attending classes scheduled at particular times, and learning at your own pace. When information is presented online, it becomes accessible to those who might have found it difficult to attend classes in person. Online presentation also offers the chance for students to access material repeatedly if they didn't understand anything first time around. On the other hand, face-to-face learning also offers a number of advantages. Collaboration - sharing discoveries and debating questions - is easier, and students are more likely to establish interpersonal relationships and hone their social skills. Teachers can tell more quickly whether students are engaged with the material and whether they understand it. Both approaches, when presented well, appear to be equally effective. Karen McCutcheon and colleagues at Queen's University Belfast found this even applies to some practical teaching. In a review of 19 studies, they found online teaching of clinical skills to nursing students was no less effective than traditional face-to-face approaches. - A lady with the Twitter handle @itslowlah has flaunted the new whip her parents got her - @itslowlah shared two pictures showing her happy poses beside the new Benz - For those who tried to dampen her joy, she gave them an apt response Our Manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in Parents who know how to take care of their children could be everything. A lady with the Twitter name Lola The Creator++, showcased the new car she got from hers. In a post on the platform on Sunday, August 23, she said: "Parents got my FIRST car" as she struck different poses with the new whip. While many were wowed by the gift, others could not hide their envy as they dropped dampening comments, showing how the car was a bad choice. READ ALSO: It took me 3 years to get M.anifest to do a song with me Fameye Lola did not take the negative reactions lightly as she engaged them in subsequent posts under her initial tweet. She tweeted: "Why are ppl so negative...my parents trust me but they aint letting me drive it for now loll. They have other ones I can practice on so abeg pls shut up with that negative 'shes gonna crash' nonsense" READ ALSO: Eno Barony deserves to win Best Rapper of the Year at this year's VGMAs -Edem The lucky daughter added that she is grateful for the gift as she thanked God for making her parents the source of her joy, saying she would want to follow in their footsteps of giving. READ ALSO: Reggie Rockstone and wife advice youth not to waste time and money on white weddings Though we cannot really tell if she is Nigerian, the lady has the nation's flag on her Twitter profile. Pictures showing the lady with the new Benz. Photo source: Twitter/@itslowlah Source: UGC READ ALSO: MzVee expresses love for Akrobeto Below is her tweet: Below are people's reactions: Meanwhile, it earlier reported that a lady with the Twitter name Belle showed-off the great gift her daddy got her when she graduated college. The 20-year-old said that when she was in high school, her dad struck a deal with her that he would give her a car if she could graduate on time and with good grades. In a tweet on Friday, May 1, the lady said she achieved it as she graduated at 20 and got her B.A. In other related news, one of Chinas richest families gave their 24-year-old son a whopping $3.8 billion (N1,365,035,000,000) gift. The family, also a founder of Sino Biopharmaceutical Ltd, transferred around a fifth of their companys share capital to their son, Eric Tse, an act that instantly made him one of the richest people. It should be noted that this is not the first time there is a passing down of wealth to the next generation. In 2018, four Chinese families transferred more than $17 billion (N6,630,170,000,000) into a family trust. Star Gist: Edem shares the inspiration behind his new EP; Moodswings | #Yencomgh 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 Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards on Thursday asked residents in three southwest communities to stay indoors with windows and doors shut as a chemical plume rose from a fire at an plant in an area hit by Hurricane Laura. Pictures posted on social media showed plumes of smoke billowing from an industrial facility. Bel Edwards, in a tweet, asked residents of Westlake, Moss Bluff and Sulphur to take shelter. Police halted traffic on Interstate I-10 into the city of Westlake due to the smoke. The road is the major link connecting Louisiana to Texas and Mississippi. 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 Joe Budden in April 2017 in New York City. (Johnny Nunez / WireImage) Two years ago, Spotify signed a high-profile deal with Joe Budden, whose popular podcast delves into hip-hop music, news and cultural events. Now, however, Budden is vowing to end his exclusive deal with the Swedish streaming giant, saying his show is undervalued. "Sept. 23, I cannot tell you where this podcast will be, but as it stands I can tell you where it will not be, and that is Spotify," Budden said on "The Joe Budden Podcast With Rory and Mal" on Wednesday. Spotify said in a statement that it had wanted to keep Budden and made him a "considerable offer" that was "significantly larger" than his current agreement but "could not come to terms, and we respect his wishes to find a new home for his show." The company declined to disclose the amount of the offer. Budden's departure would be a blow to Spotify, which has invested heavily in the podcasting space and signed deals with several high-profile figures, including former First Lady Michelle Obama and Joe Rogan. When Budden was first approached by Spotify two years ago about bringing his podcast exclusively to the streaming platform, the industry was much smaller. Since then, Spotify's footprint in podcasting has grown rapidly. The company acquired podcast production companies including Gimlet Media, Parcast and the Ringer. Budden said his podcast helped bring audiences to Spotify, so much so that in his first exclusive episode on the platform the site couldn't handle the traffic. He believes he was underpaid in his original deal. "Spotify never cared about this podcast individually," Budden said. "Spotify only cared about our contribution to the platform." Budden's podcast was ranked 16th on Spotify's top podcasts list in the U.S. on Wednesday night. Budden co-hosts the podcast with Rory Farrell and Jamil "Mal" Clay. Before he took his rifle and drove 20 miles up the road to confront the unrest in Kenosha, Wis., Kyle Rittenhouse seemingly idolized one thing: the police. Growing up in Chicago's far northern suburbs, the 17-year-old shadowed local law enforcement, filling his social media feeds with posts declaring that "Blue Lives Matter" and photos of himself posing with guns. On Tuesday night, Rittenhouse was with fellow armed men self-appointed to protect the streets of a city aflame, insisting he was there to render first aid and protect a business. But asked by a reporter to clarify whether his role was "nonlethal," he cradled his weapon and pointedly disagreed. "We don't have nonlethal," Rittenhouse said. Now the teen is in custody, suspected of shooting three people, two of whom died. Instead of helping to keep the peace, authorities say, Rittenhouse turned an already chaotic situation into a murder scene. Tuesday night's killings were the most violent fallout to date from the Sunday wounding of 29-year-old Jacob Blake, a Black man who is now paralyzed from the waist down after being shot seven times by a police officer. The incident transformed Kenosha - a modest lakeside city of 100,000 - into America's newest symbol in the national movement against police brutality and systemic racism. The summer-long uprising spawned protests from coast to coast, including high-profile boycotts by professional athletes, while becoming a flash-point in the home stretch of the presidential campaign. In Kenosha, peaceful mass demonstrations have been accompanied by destructive riots in which stores were looted and businesses burned. Rittenhouse was charged Thursday with six counts - including two homicide charges - in a criminal complaint accusing him of killing Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and Anthony Huber, 26, amid the unrest in Kenosha on Tuesday night. According to the complaint, investigators reviewed multiple videos recorded on cellphones that showed Rittenhouse - carrying a gun they later identified as an AR-15-style rifle - on the streets of Kenosha. In addition to the video footage, the complaint cites Rittenhouse's statements, medical examiner statements, witness accounts and information from Kenosha police detectives. Rittenhouse was charged with first-degree reckless homicide, first-degree intentional homicide, attempted first-degree intentional homicide and two counts of first-degree recklessly endangering safety, all while using a deadly weapon. The reckless homicide count is for Rosenbaum's death, while the intentional homicide count is for Huber's death. Rittenhouse was also charged with possessing a dangerous weapon while younger than 18. At a news briefing on Thursday, local law enforcement officials praised the demonstrations held the night before, describing them as much calmer than the chaos on Kenosha's streets earlier in the week. Both police and the self-described militia members who were ever-present Tuesday mostly stayed away from protesters Wednesday night. The night's demonstrations began hours after authorities named Rusten Sheskey as the officer who shot Blake, and announced an arrest on a homicide charge for Rittenhouse, who attended the protest with a group of armed men who claimed to be protecting a service station. Sheskey - a seven-year veteran of the department - and two other officers have been placed on leave amid the state investigation into Blake's shooting. The Wisconsin Department of Justice, which is investigating Blake's shooting, said he acknowledged after that he had a knife in his possession. Investigators later found a knife on the floor of his car. It is unclear whether Sheskey or any of the other officers knew about the knife during the shooting. In an interview last year with the Kenosha News, Sheskey spoke about working in the police department's bike unit and described policing as "a huge responsibility" in trying to help people. "We're in a public service job, a customer service job, and the public is our customer," he said. It is not clear precisely what fed Rittenhouse's attraction to the police, which also appears to have extended to the military. He had attempted to join the Marine Corps in January, but was disqualified from serving after discussing his options with recruiters, said service spokeswoman Yvonne Carlock. She declined to specify why he was disqualified, citing the service's privacy guidelines. Rittenhouse lived across the state border in the Illinois village of Antioch. Accounts from neighbors and local institutions paint the picture of a high school dropout who viewed law enforcement officers as his personal heroes. So much so that, when the unrest broke out in Kenosha, he crossed state lines to offer his presence as an armed supplement to overwhelmed local police departments. Speaking to reporters who recorded his statements, he suggested their duties were his, too. He showed off his medical kit, and said he was providing first aid. He was also, he said, guarding private property. "Part of my job also is to protect people," Rittenhouse told the Daily Caller moments before he allegedly began shooting. "If someone is hurt, I'm running into harm's way. That's why I have my rifle. I've got to protect myself, obviously." Other armed men in Kenosha were attached themselves to groups with varying motives and ideologies. None of the groups have claimed Rittenhouse as a member. The armed men were welcomed by police, who thanked them for being in the city - despite the fact that they were violating Kenosha's curfew - and passed out water bottles in gratitude. "We appreciate you guys," one officer tells the men in a live stream video published online. "We really do." But the protesters - both peaceful and violent - were far less welcoming of the men with guns. "I just got pepper sprayed by a person in the crowd," Rittenhouse, his eyes watering, told a reporter for the Blaze, during a video recorded before the shooting Tuesday night. The shooting began with an apparent scuffle at a service station, where armed men and protesters had been in a tense standoff that included pushing and epithets. In videos of the scene, shots are fired and a man - later identified as 36-year-old Joseph Rosenbaum - falls to the ground with a gunshot to the head that would prove fatal. A man whom police believe to be Rittenhouse takes out a cellphone, dials and says, "I just shot someone." He then runs. The shooter is pursued by a number of protesters, including at least one armed with a handgun. When he stumbles, several people rush to try to seize his rifle. One smacks him with a skateboard. But he immediately regains his footing, and starts firing. Anthony Huber, 26, of Silver Lake, Wis., was killed. Gaige Grosskreutz, 26, of West Allis, Wis., was shot in the arm and is expected to recover. Video then shows the shooter attempting to surrender to police, only to be ordered off the streets as vehicles continue moving toward the scene. Authorities believe he then drove back to Antioch, where he was arrested the following day. Before the deadly shooting, Rittenhouse lived with his mother, Wendy Rittenhouse, a single mom and nurse's assistant, in a quiet apartment complex beside a park in Antioch, a bedroom community that sits just south of the Wisconsin border. According to court records reviewed by the Chicago Tribune, Wendy Rittenhouse sought an order of protection from police in January 2017, claiming that a classmate of her son's had been threatening him and calling him "dumb" and "stupid." The Washington Post was unable to reach her for comment. Jim McKay, the superintendent for the school district that includes Antioch, said in a statement to The Post that Rittenhouse attended Lakes Community High School for a semester in the 2017-18 school year and did not re-enroll afterward. Two unnamed neighbors told the Chicago Sun-Times that he had dropped out of Lakes. Outside school, Rittenhouse participated in cadet programs with both the Antioch Fire Department and the Grayslake Police Department, according to department newsletters. The police initiative offers participants from ages 14 to 21 "the opportunity to explore a career in law enforcement" through ride-alongs with officers on patrol and firearms training, according to since-deleted pages on its website. Philip Perlini, the Grayslake police chief, declined to comment to The Post but said his agency was cooperating with an investigation by the FBI and Kenosha police. More recently, Rittenhouse worked as a part-time lifeguard at a YMCA in Lindenhurst, Ill., the Tribune reported. Man-Yan Lee, a representative for the organization's metro Chicago branch, said in a statement to The Post that Rittenhouse was furloughed in March. A few weeks earlier, he attended a Trump rally in Des Moines, Iowa, sitting in the front row and posting a TikTok video from the Jan. 30 event, BuzzFeed News reported. The video, which has since been deleted, appeared to match C-SPAN footage of Rittenhouse standing just to the left of the lectern. The Trump campaign distanced itself from Rittenhouse and his video late Wednesday, with spokesman Tim Murtaugh telling The Post that the president had "repeatedly and consistently condemned all forms of violence." "This individual had nothing to do with our campaign," Murtaugh said, "and we fully support our fantastic law enforcement for their swift action in this case." Trump on Thursday ignored a question about Blake, whose shooting he has not directly commented on. His rival, Democratic nominee Joe Biden, has expressed solidarity with peaceful protesters while condemning the riots. The public posts on Rittenhouse's Facebook are almost entirely dedicated to honoring police, with Blue Lives Matter graphics, photos of officers killed in the line of duty, and the "thin blue line" flag associated with support for law enforcement. In December 2018, he started a Facebook fundraiser for Humanizing the Badge, a nonprofit that Rittenhouse said looks to "forge stronger relationships between law enforcement officers and the communities they serve." On Wednesday afternoon, Antioch police stationed vehicles inside the apartment complex where Rittenhouse has a listed home address, allowing only residents to enter the buildings and walk through the parking lot. Tammy Blanton, 34, who lives a four-minute walk away, said the arrest at the complex stunned her, particularly because Rittenhouse is about the same age as two of her children. "I never see any cops around, I never hear any bad news. It's a very quiet town," she said. Standing with her son on the sidewalk across from Rittenhouse's apartment complex, Blanton said Rittenhouse seemed to have crossed a line. "Maybe he thought he was doing the right thing, but you don't kill somebody," she said. "That's not your business to kill someone for messing with someone else's business. That's for the cops to deal with." - - - The Washington Post's Erin Chan Ding in Antioch, Ill., Mark Guarino and Kim Bellware in Kenosha and Tim Craig, Jaclyn Peiser, Jennifer Jenkins, Tom Jackman, Julie Tate and Dan Lamothe in Washington contributed to this report. Lili Reinhart isnt shy about depression, bisexuality and body image. But she has more on her mind New Delhi: In order to beef up security at airports, all employees working at these facilities across the country will have to furnish their Aadhaar number to obtain the mandatory Airport Entry Passes (AEPs) used for entry and exit. The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), the mandated force for civil airports, will implement the measure from January 1 after the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) issued an order in this regard on its request. From January 1, all AEPs will be made using the Aadhaar number of the individual working or employed at the airport. A committee constituted in this regard has mandated that these passes will only be made using the Aadhaar number. For the old existing passes, the validity has been extended till March 31, CISF Director General O P Singh said. The DG added that the force had made a request in this regard to the BCAS, the agency that frames airport security rules, as it was witnessing instances of fake or tampered AEPs being used by people to enter these sensitive facilities. A senior CISF official explained that at times when an employee working at the airports was found to be indulging in a criminal act and his AEP was suspended or blacklisted, it was found that the individual got enrolled in a different company and again started entering the airport using a new AEP. This system was not ensuring fool-proof ID authentication of employees working across various ranks at airports and hence using the Aadhaar number will allow that no duplicity or forging is done while getting an AEP, they said. The BCAS, in order to ensure that AEPs are not forged and tampered with, keeps changing the design and colour of the passes every year, but linking the creation of such an ID with the biometrics powered Aadhaar number will ensure a fool-proof security, they said. The force has also sought creation of a AEP database so that red flags can be raised against defaulters or those who have been caught in wrongdoing, the official said. Each AEP is checked by CISF security personnel during entry and exit at airports. The force at present guards 59 civil airports in the country. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. No Ukrainian army casualties were reported over the past day. Ukraine has reported one enemy provocation on Wednesday, August 26, as Russia's hybrid military forces violated the newly-agreed truce in Donbas, eastern Ukraine. "Over the past 24 hours, Ukrainian military recorded one ceasefire violation by the Russian Federation's armed formations," the press center of Ukraine's Joint Forces Operation Command said in a Facebook update as of 07:00 Kyiv time on August 27, 2020. In particular, several shots from small arms were heard near the town of Maryinka. Read alsoZelensky hopes to make Donbas war end as early as this yearThe provocation posed no threat to life and health, so the Ukrainian military did not return fire. The Joint Forces were abiding by the ceasefire, being ready to adequately respond to possible attacks by the adversary, it said. No Ukrainian army casualties were reported over the past day. Since Thursday midnight, no attacks by Russian Federation's armed formations have been recorded, the JFO HQ said. The situation is under full control of the Ukrainian military. Background Yes. I like to get it done early. Not yet, but I will soon. Ask me in April. Vote View Results The recent flooding of agricultural land in Gwynedd could have been avoided if essential work had been carried out by authorities, local farmers have said. Torrential rain earlier this month caused river flood banks in the Llanfrothen area, near Porthmadog, to overflow, leaving silage fields severely flooded. To showcase the damage to the land, and to explain the work required to fix the problem, local farmers held meetings with the Farmers Union of Wales (FUW) and Natural Resources Wales (NRW). Staff were shown how the water had flown over the flood bank of the river Afon Croesor, which resulted in flooding of 'excellent agricultural land'. FUW Meirionnydd County Executive Officer, Huw Jones said: The NRW were shown trees and overhanging branches which impede the flow of the river, and where maintenance work is urgently required. "Floodbanks in urgent need of repairs were also shown, with a request that a detailed inspection is carried out as soon as possible, with a view to making repairs as soon as possible. Visits were also made to several important ditches within the Llanfrothen Internal Drainage District (IDD), and the drainage system was discussed in detail. We also provided examples of tree trunks which were partly blocking the ditches impeding the water flow," added Mr Jones. "It also became clear that some length of ditches had not been opened or cleared to the required standard last year, partly contributing to the current problems." The delegation further visited areas around the Afon Dwyryd near Maentwrog, where trees and branches also impede river flow. Here, Mr Jones said there was an urgent need to remove silt from the river bed. Glyn Griffiths, who farms near Llanfrothen and who chairs the local IDD Advisory Group, said there were several matters which required NRW's 'urgent attention'. He noted how there were large areas of agricultural land currently under serious risk of further flooding. "It is imperative that work is carried out as a matter of priority," Mr Griffiths said, adding that the Land Drainage Act 1991 showed NRW had a statutory responsibility as to maintain the drainage within the district. Their powers include both statutory and permissive. As a result of these meetings, the progress of the work will be carefully monitored, and the issues will be under review again in the near future. JobKeeper payments have provided a much-needed lifeline for millions of Australians who otherwise would have been made redundant during the coronavirus pandemic. The generous $1,500 fortnightly payments allowed businesses to keep staff employed even if they had experienced a 20 per cent loss of income due to state-imposed social distancing restrictions. But the wage subsidy is set to change from September 28 as the government scales back support. Here is everything you need to know about JobKeeper 2.0 1) You can claim JobKeeper and JobSeeker at the same time JobKeeper recipients could become eligible to apply for JobSeeker payments too when their payments are cut from $1,500 to $1,200 a fortnight on September 28. This is because their earnings will fall below the $1,256 a fortnight threshold required to receive the unemployment benefit. Currently those on a range of benefits are eligible for the coronavirus supplement payment, which is currently $550 but will fall to $250 a fortnight. From the end of September, those on JobKeeper will also be able to claim the $250 JobSeeker payment meaning their total benefits will amount to $1,450. The Federal Government has suggested the changes to JobKeeper could be revised for Victorian residents still in lockdown 2) Fair Work Act provisions still apply Changes to the Fair Work Act introduced during the coronavirus pandemic have provided more flexibility for business owners to change conditions for workers. These adjustments have meant employers can reduce hours, re-deploy staff to different sites and alter their duties. The Australian Financial Review has reported that some businesses who no longer qualify for JobKeeper, due to an increased turnover, could still qualify for these Fair Work Act exemptions if they can prove they are still 'financially distressed'. Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry CEO, James Pearson, has defended the temporary measures and said they have already proven to work. 'Weve had strong feedback that these changes have been used by sole traders, small businesses and large employers in order to stay afloat and keep Australians in jobs,' he said. Some JobKeeper recipients will be eligible for JobSeeker or other welfare payments. Pictured: retail worker removing her 'sale' flag in Bendigo on August 21 3) You are still obligated to show up to work JobKeeper recipients not showing up for work has been one of the biggest problems reported by Australian employers during the coronavirus pandemic, particularly for those that rely on casual staff. ACCI's deputy director of workplace relations, Tamsin Lawrence, told The Australian, the JobKeeper payment is still mandatory for employers to pass on. 'It's important to remember that regardless of whether an employee is receiving JobKeeper, they are still required to satisfy their obligations under their employment contract,' she said. This includes turning up to work and complying with any reasonable request made by the employer. Services Australia has warned people receiving additional welfare support will need to report their income to avoid receiving a debt that will need to be paid back 4) There will be two phases to the new payment Under the revised two-tiered system which comes into effect on September 28, employees who worked more than 20 hours per week will receive $1,200 per fortnight. For those who worked less than 20 hours the initial $1,500 JobKeeper subsidy falls to just $750 every two weeks. Staff are entitled to the payment if they are currently employed, stood down or re-hired during the period. From January 4, the rate will drop again to $1,000 for eligible employees working over 20 hours and $650 for others. The Federal Government has suggested this could be revised for Victorian residents still in lockdown. 5) You can claim other benefits on top of JobKeeper If employees do not qualify for JobSeeker there are additional income support payments available through Centrelink that help with basic living costs. They are subject to means testing which means they are decided based on factors such as assets, partner income and living arrangements. Income subsidies are available across a range of areas including rental support, parenting payments, disability support and partner allowances. Services Australia has warned people receiving additional welfare benefits will need to report their income, as well as that of their partner, to avoid receiving a debt that will need to be paid back. Another 1 million Americans filed for unemployment last week as the economy struggles to recover jobs lost as the pandemic rages on, and more than 200,000 claims came in California, where the recession has hit workers particularly hard. While the national new claims figure down from 1.1 million a week earlier may suggest that the devastated economy is wobbling toward improvement, economists warn that it doesnt mean much. John Blanchard The number of new claims will probably continue to be bouncy, teetering up and down over the next few weeks, Andrew Stettner, senior fellow at the Century Foundation, a progressive think tank, explained. Even with a slight economic recovery, job losses remain far above pre-pandemic levels, he said. The level of claims reported by the Department of Labor on Thursday for the week that ended Saturday, at 1.006 million, was nearly five times what the government agency reported a year ago, including adjustments for seasonal factors. California reported 209,516 new claims in the period, without adjustments. We may have regained around one third of the jobs lost initially, but we still have a rather sobering level of unemployment, said Sara Johnson, executive director of global economics for IHS Markit. Both Stettner and Johnson said the number of continued claims those who have been receiving unemployment for several consecutive weeks are more indicative of how severe the economic damage is. At 14.5 million, those fell only slightly from the previous week, the labor department said Thursday. We fell into this deep pit of layoffs, and there has been a rapid ascent out of it, but were still towards the bottom, Stettner said, pointing to the millions of people still on unemployment insurance. For the jobless, the future of their benefits is still in chaos. An extra $600 a week in pandemic assistance expired almost a month ago, and Congress still has not passed a new stimulus package. Under an executive order, President Trump created a Lost Wages Supplemental Payment Assistance program, which gives an extra $300 a week to anyone receiving at least $100 a week in regular state or federal unemployment benefits. The extra $300 would be retroactive to Aug. 1. California won approval to participate in the program, but the Employment Development Department has not said how or when this money would get to people, as it is a separate program from regular unemployment benefits. John Blanchard Once the distribution of the money is figured out, the most people are likely to receive is one check for $900, making up for the three-week gap since the $600 expired, Stettner said. Its not something you can count on, he added. Even with the promised stopgap, many of the unemployed arent comforted. Kyle Krueger of Orange County lost his job as a waiter in March. His wife has also been unemployed since last year. Now, the couple are raising their two children, ages 2 and 5, on a mix of unemployment checks and small loans from family members. Krueger said that while hes grateful to have the extra support from his family, it isnt ideal. Its a pride thing, he said. You want to be able to stand on your own two feet and provide for your family. The extra $600 was keeping his family afloat, he said. Without it, he needs help from his family to cover the expenses that come with raising a family and hes frustrated that the government didnt make a decision on a new stimulus package before the Senate adjourned. If theres a national, global crisis when youre deciding legislation or working on legislation, you dont leave for three weeks, he said. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that Democrats and the White House remain trillions of dollars apart on the size of a new stimulus package. The lack of new relief could both hurt individuals and hinder the overall economic recovery, economists said. Putting food on the table or paying rent was easier for people with the $600 supplement, Stettner said, because that kept people whole, which contributed largely to the whole economy. While regular unemployment benefits still can keep people out of poverty, going back to that now puts people in a bad situation, he added. The financial strain on families is evident. Even five months after the initial shutdowns, the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank is serving nearly twice the number of households it did before the pandemic, communications manager Keely Hopkins said. We were already seeing a tremendous influx in need prior to the expiration of benefits, she wrote in an email. The food bank serves an average of 56,000 households per week, compared with 32,000 before the pandemic. The California Association of Food Banks said that as of mid-August, nearly 1 in 4 Californians reported being food insecure, adding up to about 10 million people. They also noted that there is even deeper hunger among African American and Latinx households. Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes The widespread economic hardship is unlikely to let up as the pandemic drags on, IHS Markits Johnson said. A combination of reduced fiscal policy support and an extended pandemic will hit labor markets hard and prevent a rapid recovery in jobs, she said. Liz Hafalia / The Chronicle While Krueger waits for his restaurant job to come back, hes also considering switching industries entirely. He said that the restaurant industry has been decimated by the pandemic, and he isnt sure when itll really be safe to go back to working in that kind of environment. On top of that, new job openings in the industry are few and far between. But finding a different job is tough as well, as its hard to find the right balance between safety, salary and time, he explained. Stettner pointed out that the stress of being unemployed has increased as a result of the pandemic, especially since emergency work like driving for Uber is much harder now. Even if people werent worried about safety, demand for something like ride-hailing apps isnt there, he said. For the long term, sustained high levels of unemployment could mean that more people will drop out of the labor force, as finding a job becomes harder and workers become discouraged, Johnson said. It will take a few years to get back to a more normal level of unemployment, she said. For now, Krueger and his wife are gearing up for starting remote kindergarten with their daughter while they wait. Theres a lot of anxiety about the future, he said. Im just hoping that the (case) numbers continue to trend down and that some kind of normality returns before the end of the year ... but I doubt thatll happen. Danielle Echeverria is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: danielle.echeverria@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @DanielleEchev | By Mary Therese Phelan Wisdom is not a product of schooling but of the lifelong attempt to acquire it. The quote made famous by Albert Einstein reflects the beliefs behind the University of Maryland, Baltimores (UMB) new Academy of Lifelong Learning (ALL). ALLs mission is to create and present health and human services academic content to inspire, engage, and educate learners from middle school through retirement. It is built to engage UMB alumni and the broader community in an online forum where more than two dozen subject matter experts answer questions submitted by the general public. The hot topic right now? The novel coronavirus, of course. Roger J. Ward, interim provost, executive vice president, and dean of the Graduate School, introduces the University of Maryland, Baltimore community to the Academy of Lifelong Learning in a video featured on its website. But long before the COVID-19 pandemic froze us in our tracks, UMB was considering a virtual tool where learning continued through a platform to ask experts questions on a variety of topics, according to Roger J. Ward, EdD, JD, MSL, MPA, interim provost, executive vice president, and dean of the Graduate School, and Nick Kouwenhoven, ALLs executive director. University System of Maryland Chancellor Jay A. Perman, MD, was an early supporter of the project when he was president of UMB. It was consistent with peoples desire, out of curiosity, regarding what is going on at any given time in our society, Ward said about the creation of ALL. Its consistent with the mission of the academy that we should use our expertise to curate our content and make it available to people who have curiosity, who want to learn more about the subject matter, depending on whats going on at any point in time. And, of course, COVID created that opportunity. A lot of people had a lot of questions and wanted to hear directly from experts, Ward added. We have been at the forefront of dealing with this issue. And so it created an opportunity for us to introduce the academy, but within the context of the time we are living in. Kouwenhoven spent nine months meeting with more than 125 experts across UMBs six professional schools and interdisciplinary Graduate School to evaluate interest and resources for the lifelong learning initiative. ALL launched in May with its COVID-19 Response Forum, inviting people to ask questions through an online form and receive answers from UMB experts on coronavirus-related topics including infectious disease, virology, wellness, nutrition, stress management, public health, and the care of children and seniors. Experts have been answering questions submitted by the UMB community. Among them: Why do more men than women die from COVID-19? Is it safe to get vaccines for our children at this time? What does a COVID-19 antibody test tell us? How long will we realistically be dealing with COVID-19? Eventually, the topic may change, but one thing will remain the same: the ability for learners of all ages to expand their knowledge, Ward said. I'm thinking differently about what it means for UMB to educate students, he said. In the traditional sense, institutions tend to think about their education mission mostly in terms of the students who are enrolled at any one point in time. Certainly thats a significant part, and a compelling part of our mission is to make sure that those folks who are enrolled at the institution, regardless of which program theyre enrolled in, receive a quality, relevant, and up-to-date education. After graduation, an institutions responsibility to those students typically ended. Over time as a society, and as we have evolved into becoming a more knowledge-based society, students, individuals, all of us who have graduated over time from institutions, have come to realize or will soon come to realize that learning is an ongoing process, Ward said. A formal college education is important, but to stay current in your profession and advance your career, ongoing learning is essential, Ward said. Current thinking among educators is that learning spans a 60-year period. When you complete your four-year degree, your two-year degree, even if youre eventually going to graduate studies or whatever professional program beyond that formal degree, there is a need to continue to learn because it is required to continue to grow and excel. Its also necessary for your own self-actualization, Ward said. So the whole purpose of the Academy of Lifelong Learning is to begin to offer those ongoing learning opportunities in a variety of ways. Also, as an anchor institution and a public research university with deep expertise in certain areas, it is important that UMB make that expertise available to those who may not have graduated from UMB, or any other institution, but have a desire to learn. People are looking for reliable places that they could go to learn about important topics, and we created that opportunity for people, Ward said. Before the academy launched, Kouwenhoven conducted a survey of nearly 900 UMB alumni to make sure there was a need for a learning community such as ALL. Research has shown that the higher the degree, the more likely a person is to pursue additional opportunities for education, Kouwenhoven said. This is very exciting and I am optimistic that the Academy of Lifelong Learning COVID-19 Response Forum can be a valuable and engaging resource for all Marylanders and anyone else we reach, he said. Content recently added to the ALL website includes a video in which Jane M. Kirschling, PhD, RN, FAAN, dean of the University of Maryland School of Nursing, describes what the school and its graduates and researchers are doing to fight the pandemic. There also are videos by Ward; UMB Interim President Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS; and E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA, executive vice president for medical affairs, UMB, and dean of the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Ward said future forum topics may include UMBs research and global outreach efforts, the University of Maryland School of Social Works expertise on child welfare issues, and community clinics hosted by the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law. These are the things that we will curate and present through the academy to people who may not, unless thats their discipline, know that our schools have expertise in that area, Ward said. The goal is not to necessarily replicate what the schools are doing, but to introduce what the schools are doing to a broader audience. Heres a list of the UMB faculty members participating in ALL: The Managing Editor of the New Crusading Guide newspaper, Kweku Baako Jnr has taken a swipe at flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Mahama. The former President courted controversy when he recently called on President Akufo-Addo to debate him on infrastructure. The ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) however won't have it. Deputy General Secretary of the NPP, Nana Obiri Boahen thinks it is belittling and below standards, for the President to debate Mr Mahama and rather asked him to give such offers to other presidential candidates like Akua Donkor. Adding his voice to this debate in a subtle way, renowned Journalist, Kweku Baako Jnr. described the call as 'Patapaa' insisting that it is a wrong move to use 'takashie' means to call for a debate in the public space. Mr Baako who was contributing to a panel discussion on Peace FM's morning show 'Kokrokoo' stated that, "the surest way to kill the prospects of a serious presidential debate is for one of the contenders to go out there and issue a 'takashi' or 'patapaa' call for a debate in the public space at mini rallies, social media. It's the surest way to kill the prospects of anymeaningful, serious presidential debate. You don't go out there in the public space, at mini rallies, on social media and issue challenges; takashi, patapaa type of challenges to your opponents to come for a debate; you have killed that whole prospects." Listen to him in the video below Source: Rebecca Addo Tetteh/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 The global pandemic has left a huge dent in the economy and a lot of people are suffering. Even though the government is doing its best to make things easy, they have urged people to aid to the best of their ability and Jackky Bhagnani has gone one step further and donated rations for Bandra, Khar and Santacruz COVID wards and the Brihan Mumbai Council thanked him for his help earlier today. BMC thanked Jackky and tweeted, @mybmc MCGM is thankful to @jackkybhagnani and team for their significant and timely contribution towards food and essentials arrangements for COVID - 19 patients and institution quarantine centres of BANDRA, KHAR and SANTACRUZ. We value your true and consistent efforts Replying to the tweet and expressing his gratitude, Jackky wrote, This is the least I could do Folded hands Kudos to @mybmc and the entire team for the splendid efforts. @mybmcWardHW @VVVispute @iqbalsinghchah2 This is the least I could do Kudos to @mybmc and the entire team for the splendid efforts. @mybmcWardHW @VVVispute @iqbalsinghchah2 https://t.co/JafYbSEud6 Jackky Bhagnani (@jackkybhagnani) August 27, 2020 Earlier also, the multifaceted personality Jackky has donated more than 1000 PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) kits to BMC officials. When Jackky found out that these officials were working without these kits, he immediately decided to send those to them. Apart from this, previously Jackky Bhagnani extended support to over 600 dancers families from the All India Film Television and Events Dancers Association. Jackky Bhagnani is currently shooting for Bell Bottom in the UK and is one of the first few producers who have started working while adhering to the new social norms. ALSO READ: Bell Bottom: Akshay Kumar, Jackky Bhagnani And Team Take Off To United Kingdom For Film's Shoot ALSO READ: Akshay Kumar On Resuming Work Amid COVID-19 Pandemic: Taking All The Precautions, Cant Live In Fear Nigerian University Lecturers have asked the Federal Government to reopen tertiary institutions in the country as they are now ready to work following nationwide educational shutdown prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The lecturers under the aegis of Congress of University Academics (CONUA), a breakaway faction of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), released a press statement on Wednesday August 26, after it held a National Executive Council meeting in Abuja. The statement signed by CONUAs National Coordinator, Niyi Sunmonu (pictured), and titled Stop intimidation of CONUA members reads; The meeting called on the government to reopen universities as soon as possible as CONUA members are ready to resume work. Everything necessary in terms of COVID-19 protocols must be put in place before reopening the universities in order to prevent students and staff from contracting the disease. CONUA further stated that the education sector cannot continue to stagnate, as it appears that COVID-19 would continue to be a threat and we must, in the circumstance, learn to strive to lead our normal life. Union thus urged the government to make available everything that can help our universities to resume work as is being done elsewhere in the world. CONUA also revealed that some of its members were allegededly intimidated and harassed by some university administrations and some other unions within the University, condemning the action entirely. While saluting those university administrations which held meetings to promote academic staff members during the COVID-19 lockdown, the Union condemned in strong terms those administrations who failed to organise such exercises, despite that several academic staff have been waiting for their promotions for a long time, with some spanning five to ten years. The Union received information to the effect that some universities held Senate meetings and Congregation elections but refused to convene any meeting to carry out the promotion of its members, simply because some people threatened that such promotions, if ever announced, will be reversed. CONUA leadership felt outraged by such pronouncements and expressed its resolve to support any efforts by university administrations to facilitate the due promotion of academic staff members. The Womens Ministry of PIWC Sakumono has climaxed its weeklong celebration with a call on Christian women to wait patiently for the Lord who remembers in His on time by the Area Womens Leader, Mrs. Cynthia Araba Siaw Agyepong. PIWC Sakumono Womens Ministry took part in the National Womens Ministry week-long activities from Monday, August 17 to Sunday, August 23, 2020. Speaking on Sunday, August, 23rd 2020 on the topic: The Lord God Almighty Remembers Deaconess Agyepong quoted Malachi 3:5 among other Biblical texts and encouraged believers to be steadfast in the faith, serving with all their might as Abraham did and saved his family and household including Lot from disaster. She also made references to Hannah and said after a long time of prayers for the fruit of the womb, the Lord remembered her and gave her a son. Barrenness come in many forms, it could be dryness in business like peter on the sea of Galilea, whatever has become barren will be moved in Jesus name, she encouraged believers adding, the God you have served effortlessly and tirelessly will surely remember and reward you for your handwork. . The District Ministers wife, Mrs. Eunice Kwarteng preached during the first service on the topic, To be a glorious bride with extras oil to possess the nations. She used the story of the 10 virgins recorded in the book of Mathew 25 to encourage women to be ready for Christ, preach the word of God, and be hungry to ring souls to the saving knowledge of the Lord and saviour Jesus Christ. The ministry was privileged in the course of the week to have the wife of the Area Head of Teshie-Nungua Mrs. Rachel Koduah, ministering on the topic, Portraying Gods glory in Hospitality. She read from Genesis 18: 18, 24:15-28, Hebrews 13:6, 1 Peter 4:9. She used the story of how Abraham ministered to three men who were angels and received his long-cherished promise from the lord. She urged women to show hospitality without grumbling and do every act of hospitality from their hearts. On her part, the District leader, Deaconess Mrs. Isabella Gyau Orhin led the ministry to deliberate on the topic, How to manage in difficult times. Some of the difficult situations she talked about included, difficulties at the workplace, betrayal, pollution, aging, losing a loved one, loss of Job, being unmarried, negative viral videos, among others. She encouraged members that their first point of call in any difficult situation is to pray and read the Bible which gives hope and encouragement (Mark 15:4). She cited Deborah, Jael, and Abigail as brave women who used biblical principles and stood their grounds as Christian women. Deaconess Edna Kekrebesi, the Assistant District leader of PIWC - Sakumono, also led the ministry on the topic, Portraying the glory of God in your community. She used the story of Dorcas recorded in (Acts 9: 36-42) as a case study of portraying Gods glory in ones community. Also, Deaconess Mrs. Faustina Hamilton spoke on the topic, Portraying Gods glory at your workplace. He encouraged women to do the will or purpose of God at their workplace, to work hard for the Lord, to be the light in their workplace, and to preach the word of God. Deaconess Mrs. Ewuraba Nkansah Sakyi, the former Assistant District leader of PIWC Sakumono spoke on the topic, Portraying Gods glory in your dressing. She read from Ephesians 5:26-27, 1 Corinthians 16: 19-20, Ezekiel 16:1-15, among others and urged Christian women to dress appropriately since dressing describes ones association, profession, where the person comes from and it gives one his or her identity Other activities included Placard evangelism, the inauguration of Virtuous Ladies, and the appreciation of past executives. Research published recently by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) found that low-income Canadians are twice as likely to be hospitalized due to self-harm than their counterparts in wealthy neighbourhoods. The study also revealed that 25,000 people were either hospitalized or died due to self-harm last year, the equivalent of about 70 self-harm incidents per day. Around 3,800 of the total cases proved fatal. The suicide rate was highest among men aged 45 and over, which suggests growing levels of despair among a section of the population that has lived through a period of a drastic deterioration in the social position of the working class and skyrocketing levels of inequality. The CIHI figures show that residents in Canadas lowest-income neighbourhoods were hospitalized at a rate of 104 per 100,000, compared to 49 per 100,000 in the countrys wealthiest areas. Demonstrating the lack of community mental health resources, the study also noted that around one in nine of those hospitalized have had two or more hospital stays due to self-harm within a year. People are showing up in emergency departments and theyre showing up in hospitals. Thats kind of a place of last resort, remarked Tracy Johnson, director of health systems analysis and emerging issues for CIHI. That says to me that these people require more help than theyre getting. As shocking as these figures are, they are certainly an underestimation of the true extent of the prevalence of self-harm and suicide attempts. The data does not include people who may have been helped by other primary health care providers family doctors or emergency clinics, or those who went to emergency rooms but were not admitted into care. Moreover, it was gathered prior to the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, with the ruling elites disastrous response producing a dramatic rise in mental health problems, drug overdoses, and other signs of social distress. Many of the 4 million people still out of work confront on a daily basis, the fear of long-term joblessness and financial crisis, and uncertainty about what the future will bringall factors known to impact negatively on ones mental wellbeing. The disproportionate impact of the mental health crisis on the poorest sections of the population revealed in the CIHI study is a reflection of the glaring levels of social inequality in Canada. This is a society where the richest 1 percent owns 25.6 percent of all wealth, which is equivalent to the wealth controlled by the poorest 80 percent. The poorest 40 percent of the population possesses a mere 1.2 percent of all wealth. (See: New report exposes staggering level of social inequality in Canada). It is also the product of decades of austerity spending on health care and other critical social services adopted by all of the major parties. Since coming to power in 2015, the federal Liberal government has enforced a mere 3 percent annual increase in the health transfers it makes to the provinces to fund health care servicesvirtually the same terms imposed by its Conservative predecessors. When population increases and rising health care costs due to an aging population are taken into account, this amounts to a substantial cut in health budgets. At the provincial level, governments from the hard-right Progressive Conservatives to British Columbias New Democrats have prioritized balanced budgets and low corporate taxes over funding critical social services. With the onset of the pandemic, they all rallied around the Trudeau governments multi-billion dollar bailout of the big banks and financial oligarchy, and are all enforcing a reckless back-to-work drive that is forcing workers to return to unsafe workplaces with totally inadequate protections against the coronavirus. Warnings about the disastrous consequences for mental health services and social care due to chronic underfunding have been issued repeatedly by professional organizations over recent years, but they are taking on an even more dire tone under conditions of the pandemic. The Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) is calling for resources to cope with the threat of an echo-pandemic, a predicted surge of mental illness and self-harm as a result of the pandemics effects. Experts are already finding a pronounced rise in mental health concerns and suicidal thoughts among surveyed subgroups of socially disadvantaged people, while indicators of social distress, like drug overdoses and homelessness, are worsening. To illustrate the scale of the problem, the CMHA reported that its Nova Scotia branch, which usually processes around 25 requests for help each day, now receives approximately 700. CMHA chief executive Margaret Eaton warned that a severe toll is also being taken on the mental wellbeing of frontline medical workers due to COVID-19. Dr. Joanne Liu, a former international president of the Doctors Without Borders charity, emphasized that widespread fear, stress, and anxiety among medical staff treating COVID-19 patients is being fueled by the failure of governments to provide personal protective equipment and other support. This is nerve-racking. I do understand that we have to use carefully our PPE, but if you want us to care for patients, Im begging you to care for us, to protect us, she told the House of Commons Health Committee. Canada has registered a significant spike in drug overdoses and deaths since the start of the pandemic. Paramedics responded to 2,706 overdose calls in British Columbia alone in July. Ontario and Manitoba have also been hard hit. Toronto reported 27 opioid-related deaths attended by paramedics in July, which is the highest number on record. Winnipeg recorded a 227 percent increase in opioid-related 9-11 calls in June. The desperately low levels of funding for overdose prevention and other critical mental health services are responsible for the worsening crises at overdose prevention sites and other outreach services in Canadas major urban centres. Many of these facilities are staffed by poorly paid workers and volunteers who lack the support and resources to tackle the wide range of social problems their clients face. Thomus Donaghy, a peer worker in Vancouvers West End, was fatally stabbed during his shift on July 27. Peer workers are themselves former drug users and often work on a voluntary basis while continuing to receive government benefits. Homelessness is also expected to increase sharply, as provinces including British Columbia and Ontario move to lift bans on evictions implemented in March. Underscoring that homelessness is affecting ever broader layers of the population, the recently released homelessness count in Victoria, the capital of British Columbia, found that 17 percent of the citys homeless population were in part-time or full-time employment. Given that the count was performed in March, prior to the impact of the pandemic, it is likely that this figure is now even higher. Advertisement A frantic hunt is underway for three young brothers after they were snatched from their foster mother by their knife-wielding Afghan father who feared they were about to be permanently adopted. The Metropolitan Police are hunting Imran Safi, 26, and the children, having already arrested eight relatives and associates of the Afghan national over the abduction of the boys. The children were grabbed as they played in the garden of their foster home in Coulsdon, south London, on Thursday, August 20, with Safi whisking them away in a red Nissan despite the desperate efforts of their foster mother. Police have refused to reveal why the children were in care and would only confirm that their mother is 'in the country'. It took them seven days to raise the alarm and they have admitted the lack of sightings since the abductions means Safi, who has links to Pakistan, may have fled the country with the boys. All ports have been put on alert and at least 100 police officers have joined the hunt for Bilal Safi, six, and his brothers Mohammed Ebrar, five, and Mohammed Yaseen, three. Detectives have launched a public appeal for information after 'exhausting several lines of inquiry'. The three children had been in social care 'for some time' according to police, and the relationship between Safi and their mother is not known. It is understood that the boys were shortly due to be formally adopted, and detectives believe this could be a motivation for the abduction. Police have appealed for help tracing a father who abducted his three children from their foster carer at knifepoint. Pictured: Bilal, 6, Ebrar, 5, and Yaseen, 3 Imran Safi turned up unannounced at his sons' foster home in Coulsdon, south London , last Thursday where he assaulted their foster mother and threatened her with a knife Detectives are now appealing for information regarding the movements of a Nissan Qashqai car throughout the afternoon of Thursday, 20 August in the Croydon area, in particular Coulsdon Road Scotland Yard said the three children were playing in the garden while their foster carer was inside the house at around 6pm on August 20. The foster carer heard footsteps nearby and turned around to see Safi, who she said was armed with a knife and threatened her before forcibly taking the children from the address. She did not suffer any serious physical injuries in the incident but is 'understandably distressed', police said. It is understood that the boys were shortly due to be formally adopted, and detectives believe this could be a motivation for the abduction. The 'all ports alert' was issued shortly after the children were taken, meaning Safi's image and details were circulated to all ports and borders around the UK. It is not yet known if Safi, who is an Afghan national and has links to Pakistan, has travelled overseas. The boys' father was not said to have access to their passports, but, due to a lack of sightings since their disappearance, police believe it is possible they are now abroad. Detectives are working with national and international agencies to identify any travel to a foreign country and an all-ports alert was issued shortly after they were taken. Safi is an Afghani national with indefinite leave to remain. Detectives are appealing for information regarding the movements of a vehicle throughout the afternoon of Thursday, August 20, in the Croydon area. The vehicle is a red Nissan Qashqai, registration PK13 WFO. 'On the afternoon of Thursday, the 20th of August, Imran Safi attended the foster mother's home but he should not have been, and attacked her,' said Commander Savell. 'Thankfully she only has minor injuries but she is very shaken. He used a knife, and he took the three boys and has in effect disappeared. 'The foster mother was able to raise the alarm, and since then there has been an enormous amount of resources involved in trying to find Imran and the three boys 'Our priority is to get the three boys back into social care.' He added that while there was no immediate threat of harm to the boys, they were concerned about the longer term well-being. There are also concerns that Safi has been able to take the boys out of the country, although it is not believed that he had their passports. The three children had been in social care at the home on Coulsdon Road in Coulsdon, south London 'for some time' according to police, and the relationship between Safi, an Afghan national, and their mother is not known Met Police have since arrested eight people on suspicion of involvement in the abduction of the three boys. All have been bailed to a later date. They include a 25-year-old woman and a 32-year-old man were arrested in Kenley on Friday, 21 August. A further two people, a 25-year-old woman and a 37-year-old man were arrested in Kenley on Tuesday. Three men two aged 20 and one aged 17 - were arrested in Croydon on Sunday, 23 August. A 33-year-old man was also arrested in the area on Tuesday. They are all members of Safi's family or associates. Chief Superintendent Dave Stringer added: 'This will be an event that will cause great shock and upset within the local community. Obviously very unusual and very shocking incident. 'We do have reason to believe that there are people in the local area who may have seen activity around the premises. 'We also think there may be people connected with the family who will know what has happened and why things have happened and I would very strongly appeal to them to do the right thing 'These photos show they were happy, they were settled and they should've been returning to school imminently.' Anyone with a dash-cam who may have noticed passing a vehicle of this description in the timeframe outlined is asked to check their footage for sightings. Similarly, anyone who may have seen a vehicle matching this description driving in an unusual manner in the local area should get in contact with officers who are working hard to trace the vehicle's movements. Commander Jon Savell, said: 'Our absolute priority at this moment in time is the welfare of these three children. They have been taken from a place of safety and we are growing increasingly concerned about their wellbeing, particularly as we remain in the midst of a global health crisis. 'While we do not believe at this time there is any immediate risk to their physical safety, their location, access to accommodation, healthcare, and other provisions is entirely unknown. We are concerned about the longer term impact of this on all three children. 'An intense investigation into how this abduction was planned and carried out is being led by detectives in south London, alongside a manhunt being led by specialist detectives within the Met. More than 100 officers are currently working to locate and bring these children home safely. We are, as anyone would expect, working incredibly closely with our law enforcement partners and international colleagues to explore all lines of inquiry. 'This type of investigation is incredibly complex and fast-moving, and for good reason we often don't speak openly about such cases. That is why, until this stage, we have not sought the public's help. But we are now urging anyone who may have any information which could assist us to come forward.' Chief Superintendent Dave Stringer, Commander of the South Area Basic Command Unit, said: 'The abduction of these children will understandably send be a shock to our communities. This incident involved the use of a weapon and violence and we are incredibly concerned for these three young, vulnerable children who are now being hidden by an individual who may be armed with a knife. 'The investigation into how this incident occurred is progressing at pace and we have already arrested eight people on suspicion of being involved in this abduction. We know there are people with detailed knowledge of the whereabouts of these children, and we fully appreciate there may be very good reasons for those individuals not wanting to come forward. But right now I would strongly urge them to do the right thing and assist us in locating them.' Any member of the public who may see Imran Safi should avoid approaching him but call police immediately on 999 quoting the same crime reference number. Anyone who may have information regarding the red vehicle or who believes they have seen Imran Safi and his children since Thursday, 20 August is asked to contact police immediately through the investigation control room on 07942599374 this number is operational 24 hours a day seven days a week. Anyone wanting to provide information anonymously can do so by calling Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 quoting crime reference number 6143/20AUG20. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) London Thu, August 27, 2020 11:17 511 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c40d2b92 2 News tourism,United-Kingdom Free Britain's economy will lose about 22 billion ($29 billion, 24 billion euros) this year on the coronavirus-induced collapse of global travel, which could imperil three million jobs, an industry body forecast Wednesday. International visitor spending could plunge by 78 percent from 2019, equating to a loss of 60 million per day or 420 million a week, the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) predicted in a key report. "Travelers and tourists are staying away from the UK in droves because of continuing uncertainty around travel restrictions designed to curb the spread of COVID-19," the WTTC stated. It continued: "The severe impact on UK travel and tourism is laid bare by WTTC as the economic fallout from coronavirus continues to burn its way through the sector. "Nearly three million jobs in the UK supported by travel and tourism are at risk of being lost in a 'worst case' scenario mapped out by WTTC economic modelling." The nation's economy shrank by one fifth in the second quarter, more than any European neighbor, as the lockdown plunged the country into its deepest recession on record. Tourists remain reluctant to visit because Britain is the European country worst hit by the coronavirus. 'Years to recover' Travel has also been discouraged after the UK government recently re-imposed quarantine on those returning from nations including Austria, Croatia, France, the Netherlands and Spain. The WTTC added Wednesday that London has been hardest hit by the travel collapse because around 85 percent of tourist spending in the capital is from foreign visitors. Read also: Spain visitor numbers climb but still only a fraction of 2019 levels "The economic pain and suffering caused to millions of households across the UK, who are dependent upon Travel & Tourism for their livelihoods, is evident from the latest figures," added WTTC President Gloria Guevara in the report. "The lack of international travel caused by the pandemic could wipe out more than 22 billion from the UK economy alone... from which it could take years to recover. "It could also threaten London's position as one of the world's premier hubs for business and leisure travel which could see other destinations take over. "We urgently need to replace stop-start quarantine measures with rapid, comprehensive and cost-effective test and trace programs at departure points across the country." British tourism's lobbying body VisitBritain had forecast Tuesday that the number of foreign tourists will plummet by 73 percent in 2020 to 11 million people on the back of the pandemic, which has grounded aircraft worldwide. The Congress MLA from Faridabad NIT, Neeraj Sharma, on Thursday urged Haryana governor Satyadev Narayan Arya to withhold his assent to the Haryana Development and Regulation of Urban Areas (Second Amendment and Validation) Bill passed by the state assembly on Wednesday. Speaking at a press conference, Sharma said insertion of a new clause section 3 (a) in the Act which would give power to de-license land parcel has been done to favour influential people, including developers. I have written to the governor, requesting him to withhold his assent to this bill which is not in public interest, the first-time MLA said. He said that party MLA Bharat Bhushan Batra had also sought referral of the bill to a committee of the assembly before it was passed by the legislature. Batra had sought a review of the definition of vacant land under section 7-A of the bill, an argument supported by leader of the opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda. The assembly had on Wednesday passed the bill to validate past actions of the TCP department since 1975, including de-licensing of land taken under the Haryana Development and Regulation of Urban Areas Act. The amendment and validation bill, if assented to by the governor, would come as a relief to the developers of Gurugram-based Ambience Mall besides several similar cases involving de-licensing of land. The Punjab and Haryana high court had in July quashed the TCP departments October 18, 2001 and September 1, 2010 orders to de-license two chunks of land (eight acres and 3.9 acres) out of 18.98 acres approved for constructing Ambience Lagoon Island residential complex. The de-licensed land was then permitted by the department for raising a commercial complex, the Ambience Mall. De-licensing here meant that a part of the land for which a residential licence was issued was taken out of the purview of the residential licence. On HCs orders, the CBI had also registered a criminal case in the matter. Officials said that over 54 similar cases of de-licensing were detected by the department after the HC ruling, which needed to be validated. Violence broke out late Tuesday night during a spat of BLM infighting in Kenosha, Wis., leaving one critically wounded and two dead after a small band of armed men carrying rifles and wearing symbols affiliated with the Libertarian Party found themselves the target of a violent mob. The multiracial libertarian group had been initially supportive of the BLM rioters, immersing themselves in the crowd and clenching their fists while repeating various phrases associated with the movement. "As long as you f--- with the government and not with each other, we are with you. No lives can matter until black lives matter!" one of the men said, the Libertarian Party's porcupine symbol emblazoned on his shirt. The group then proceeded to march down the road, stopping at a boarded up gas station and milling about as protestors marched by. The crowds swelled as the night went on, becoming more confident and aggressive. A band of rioters went into the gas station parking lot to harass the armed libertarians, enraged that they would not be able to loot and vandalize as they pleased. One white rioter walked right up to the armed men and proceeded to taunt them, calling them the n-word. "Shoot me n----! Shoot me n----! Bust on me n---- fo' real!" The situation escalated, and that is exactly what happened. The increasingly aggravated crowd advanced on the libertarians as they ceded ground to appease the crowd. The libertarians eventually fled the location and became separated as the rioters ran after them. Footage during this time frame is scarce, but one recording shows the fate of the man who had taunted the armed group earlier. He is seen with his shirt tied around his face while sprinting across a different parking lot in pursuit of one of the armed men later identified as 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse. A gunshot is heard as Rittenhouse is chased through the lot, his arms down at his sides, gun pointing at the ground. The 17-year-old then slows to a stop, possibly alarmed by the gunfire. He turns around just in time to see his assailant whose arms are raised mid-tackle. The 17-year-old raises his gun and fires four shots, dropping his assailant with a shot to the head. Rittenhouse circles a car before coming back to the downed assailant while three additional shots are heard (unconfirmed origin, possibly warning shots from Rittenhouse). Rittenhouse checks on his assailant's condition and pulls out his phone, calling the authorities. A small crowd begins to converge on his location, prompting the 17-year-old to flee again in fear. Members of the crowd attempt to give medical treatment to the still conscious assailant, accusing each other of the shooting. Additional footage shows Rittenhouse being chased down the street toward the police blockade, clutching his rifle as dozens of rioters run after him in hot pursuit. The 17-year-old receives various blows to the head from rioters before being knocked to the ground. Rioters immediately swarm, shouting "Get his ass!" Rittenhouse, sprawled on the ground, manages to seize his rifle, and sit up just in time to fire twice at a man in a mid-air attempt to kick his head, missing both shots. The assailant runs off uninjured as a second assailant slams a skateboard into Rittenhouse's head and attempts to steal the rifle. A single shot is fired into the second assailant's midsection as he raises the skateboard a second time, forcing the assailant to release the rifle and drop the skateboard before taking a few steps and collapsing to the ground. A third assailant, armed with a handgun, feigns surrender by throwing his hands up. Upon seeing his opportunity to steal the rifle, the third assailant lunges forward only to be shot in the arm, subsequently running to the side of the street and demanding medical attention (it was probably quite the wait, given his fellow rioters' insistence on blocking roads with dumpsters earlier that night). The mob scatters during the third assailant's failure, and distant shots are heard, presumably off camera. Rittenhouse stands up clutching his rifle and slowly begins walking down the street toward a blockade of emergency vehicles several blocks away. Nine close shots are heard in bursts of three (possibly warning shots or pepper balls fired off camera), prompting Rittenhouse to briefly turn around before resuming his march. He picks up the pace as police vehicles arrive ahead of him and members of the scattered mob cry for someone to "Shoot him!" The 17-year-old raises his arms, surrendering to the police vehicles as the anti-police BLM rioters yell at the police to arrest him. Hours later, video surfaced of Rittenhouse being interviewed by a citizen-journalist prior to the escalation. Rittenhouse complains of having been pepper-sprayed by a BLM crowd member earlier that night before cutting the interview short to offer his services as an Emergency Medical Technician to BLM crowd members limping down the sidewalk. There seems to have been miscommunication among law enforcement officials, as the Kenosha County sheriff, David Beth, told local media that no one had been apprehended and that the search was ongoing, despite video clearly showing Rittenhouse surrendering himself to police. He must have been released without charges initially, as Rittenhouse was later arrested at his home nearby in Illinois, a criminal complaint falsely claiming that he had attempted to flee to escape charges. Wisconsin does not have a stand-your-ground law, but the circumstances of the shooting show clear self-defense while retreating from a real threat. Members of the mob repeatedly threatened Rittenhouse, incited other members to attack him, even to shoot him. Rittenhouse had been pepper-sprayed, repeatedly bludgeoned on the head, and pursued over long distances before making it to law enforcement officers. Throughout the ordeal, he fired only at active threats within striking range, even managing to shoot his final assailant in the arm that was holding a handgun after the assailant feigned surrender. Members of the media are currently calling him a vigilante to muddy the waters. Rittenhouse was not attempting to enforce any laws, nor did he shoot anyone to defend property. The only vigilantes shown in the videos are the ones who attack the 17-year-old as he attempts to turn himself in to the authorities. The authorities, turning a blind eye to adult would-be murderers, are more inclined to charge a minor for clear-cut self-defense than to hold the aggressors responsible. If Rittenhouse's first-degree homicide charges stick, it will be an indictment of the American judicial system and the voters and a mortal blow to the Second Amendment. Chanting BLM's slogans, repeating their hand gestures, and offering them medical assistance did not save Rittenhouse from their violence or from being called a white supremacist online. Genuflecting to the will of a collectivist mob failed to save the young libertarian; guns did not fail, and every American should know it. Image credit: NowThis News, screen shot, via YouTube. ALBANY The days of summer glide by as we prepare to greet September. And Andrew Cuomo still refuses to tell us how many nursing home residents in New York died from COVID-19. The governor may not be able to stall for much longer. On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Justice demanded data from New York and three other states that required nursing homes to accept COVID-19 patients. The DOJ said it is weighing an investigation into whether the orders violated the civil rights of nursing home residents. That's a blow to Cuomo, surely, but it's potentially a victory for the many New Yorkers who have been pushing for honest data and a truthful account of how COVID-19 devastated the state's nursing homes. "I'm sitting here in my living room and I'm in tears," said Janice Dean, a meteorologist with Fox & Friends whose in-laws died after contracting COVID-19 in New York nursing homes. "We may finally have a chance to get answers." If you're new to this, here's some of the backstory: In April, as COVID-19 fatalities started to spike, the state changed how it counted nursing home deaths, deciding that residents who were transferred to hospitals before they died from the virus wouldn't be part of the total. That means that the state's official tally of more than 6,000 nursing home deaths from COVID-19 is a significant undercount, even though it's among the highest of any state. Keep in mind that other states don't count nursing home deaths this way. Why did the state change how it counts? As I've said in prior columns, you don't have to be a conspiracy theorist to believe the change was tied to the state's hotly controversial mandate, issued March 25 and kept in place for 46 days, requiring that nursing homes accept COVID-19 patients and forbidding the facilities from even testing for the virus. Cuomo has often used statistics derived from New York's flawed undercount to defend the mandate, which likely explains why he doesn't want the full number released. Accurate data might reveal the true cost of the order. It might make the governor look bad. More Information Chris Churchill is a Times Union opinion columnist. Click here to subscribe to his newsletter. See More Collapse This has been about public relations, then, not policy. Politics instead of honesty. "I just hope the truth will eventually come out," said Dean, who was in Albany last week as part of a bipartisan push for an independent investigation (with subpoena power) of the state's nursing home decisions. "I just want fair questions answered." Cuomo has insisted that no such investigation is necessary. He notes (correctly) that some other states had similar nursing home orders, asserts (falsely) that New York was merely following federal guidelines and claims (also falsely) that criticism of the mandate is only coming from the political right. The Justice Department on Wednesday said orders like the one imposed in New York "may have resulted in the deaths of thousands of elderly nursing home residents." The extent of the review is not immediately clear, because the civil rights law behind the department's request seems to apply only to public nursing homes owned or operated by the state, of which there are few. Still, the request undoubtedly increases the pressure on the Cuomo administration to release the full tally of nursing home deaths and draws new attention to its refusal to do so. The Cuomo administration argued that the probe is ... you'll notice a trend here ... politically motivated, describing it as "nothing more than a transparent politicization of the Department of Justice in the middle of the Republican National Convention." The governor could be right. But that doesn't negate that the Justice Department is seeking information Cuomo should have released long ago, data that's crucial for understanding why so many New York nursing home residents died of COVID-19 as the state prepares for a potential second wave. "To make good policy, we need accurate information," said state Sen. Gustavo Rivera, a Democrat from the Bronx who chairs the Health Committee. "We all know how essential it is to make sure we get this right." Rivera has pushed the Cuomo administration for an accurate count of the state's nursing home toll, but, like the rest of us, has yet to receive the numbers. When I spoke with Rivera last week, he was growing frustrated by the gubernatorial foot dragging and secrecy. "Maybe they should worry more about getting us accurate information than writing a damn book," Rivera said, referring to the COVID-19 memoir Cuomo is set to publish in October. "It seems like this administration is bucking the facts to make themselves look better. But I'm sure there will be an entire chapter in the book about how I'm wrong." The Department of Health has repeatedly promised to release the full count of nursing home deaths. But somehow, as the weeks and months go by, the data is never quite ready. "We're still working on it," DOH spokesperson Jill Montag told me Wednesday. They're still working on it? No, they're hiding the truth or, as the Associated Press put it, keeping New York's nursing home death toll "cloaked in secrecy." But that was before the Justice Department made its announcement, which stressed that protecting the rights of nursing home patients and other vulnerable populations is one of the country's most vital obligations. I don't know how anyone could disagree with that. Nor do I know how anyone could justify Cuomo's refusal to release accurate data. It shouldn't take the Justice Department to pry the truth loose. Correction: An earlier version of this column said New York's official tally of nursing home deaths is the highest of any state. New Jersey's official tally is higher, although its statistic includes nursing home residents who died at hospitals. Also, this column was updated to reflect that the Department of Justice inquiry may only apply to public nursing homes. cchurchill@timesunion.com 518-454-5442 @chris_churchill The question arrives via email, DM, Facebook message. The wording varies, but boils down to this: Do you feel like youre living in your own novel? The Weight of Inkthe book these messages refer tois partially set during Londons devastating 166566 plague outbreak. And yes, theres an abundance of similarities between that 17th century catastrophe and oursso much so that in my replies to these readers, I make sure to also underscore what I find reassuring. Unlike our 17th century counterparts, we live in a world of genome sequencing and double-blind studies. However devastating the mortality rate in this epidemic, it wont match the 6090 percent mortality rate of pre-antibiotics plague. Advertisement But my replies have felt hollow. Ive avoided admitting the most unnerving part of finding myself here, in a version of a nightmare I spent years imagining. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Part of a novelists work is to knock characters against unexpected circumstances: flint and striker. Tend the sparks into a blaze; thats a story. And in sheer narrative terms, it would be hard to think of a better spark generator than a plague. So although I never planned to write about the plague, when my novels plotinvolving a 17th century woman with a transgressive intelligenceextended into Londons plague year, my apprehension gave way to interest. A plague catches us midstep, exposing frailties. It stress-tests every system, puts a capricious spin on even the best-considered choices. In that crucible, how would my characters flaws and strengths alter their destinies? Advertisement Advertisement I tend to fall in love with each character as I writebut as I composed The Weight of Ink, there was a minor character I struggled with. Mary is capricious, wounded, vain; her habit of putting belladonna drops in her eyes, temporarily blurring vision to achieve appealingly large pupils, contrasts with the far more substantial sacrifices other characters make for what they value. By the time the plague is underway (if you prefer to avoid plot spoilers, stop reading now), Marys naivete has cost her dearly. Shes pregnant and desperate to regain the love of the babys father. Shuttered in a London house with two other women, she chafes at the restrictions, and ultimatelywild to taste freedom and to send a letter to the man who has discarded hersneaks out into the city. Advertisement Advertisement How needlessly foolish her choice seemed, back when I was just writing a novel about an epidemic rather than living through one. Since March, a split-screen feeling has haunted my daily walks. I pass through neighborhoods full of masked pedestrians, people sanitizing hands or belongings on their stoops, shop signs announcing closures or altered operations. The residents of 1665 London, I know, also wore masksherb-stuffed beaks through which they breathed the pestilential air. They sprinkled mail with vinegar to kill plague seeds. Those who could shuttered businesses, packed belongings onto boats, and decamped to country homes elsewhere along the Thames. (A few weeks after COVID-19 overtook Manhattan, a friend who lives in the sort of neighborhood where people have second homes told me, We are one of only seven units still occupied in our building.) Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Once the plague had ignited, Londoners needed travel papers to depart the city. A cross and the words Lord have mercy upon us were painted on the doors of houses known to carry the sickness; guards enforcing the 40-day quarantines sometimes wore broad-brimmed hats so no one from an upper window could noose them. Their contagion, like ours, halted industryand as the smoke from Londons tanneries and lime kilns dissipated, nature resurged. And here in 2020, as international borders began sealing, a friend whod returned to Singapore reported that government workers were monitoring her Instagram posts about her mandatory quarantine; Rhode Island police pulled over travelers from Massachusetts not far from where I live. (Now, a few months later, Massachusetts quarantines visiting Rhode Islanders.) For months my laptop screen offered images of wildlife ambling through urban streets: goats in Wales, wild boars in Spain, monkeys in Thailand. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement We were all, unbeknownst to us, playing musical chairsthen this spring the music stopped and we had to sit ourselves down exactly where we were, wherever we were. In the 17th century, unproven theories and solutions were also touted by governmental and religious leaders. The plague was caused by sin, by a comet in the summer sky. Believing dogs and cats responsible for the plague, the lord mayor of London offered a bounty, and tens of thousands were killed thereby eliminating the predators of the rats that hosted plague-carrying fleas. Though the disease eventually burned its way through the human population and slowed, it wasnt until the Great Fire of London destroyed the thatch roofs where the rats nested that it ended. In the summer of 1665, weekly death rolls mapped the surge of illness parish by parish. Churchyard graves were double-stacked, then abandoned in favor of plague pits. Church bells were rung for each death until that became impossible, then deaths poured into the earth unheralded. Advertisement This spring, here in one of the hardest-hit counties of Massachusetts, I stood in my kitchen listening to ambulances. The mayor posted updates. One week there were 33 new deaths in my town alone; that Sundays Boston Globe carried 16 pages of obituaries. I scrolled the news, my chest hazy with panic. A feeling like alarm bells shrilling in an empty building, no one to turn the alarm off, no one to respond. Advertisement Advertisement Its one thing to imagine an overgrown Hyde Park brimming with birdsong following the elimination of Londons cats, or to grimly describe the outcome of Marys impulsiveness. Its quite another to worry over my own confined teens as we all struggle to define acceptable risk. And to realize that the same factors that made the 17th century plague such useful novel-writing fodder ensure that 2020 will be a pivot point in the story of everyone alive today. Advertisement Here we are. We were all, unbeknownst to us, playing musical chairsthen this spring the music stopped and we had to sit ourselves down exactly where we were, wherever we were. In whatever job, relationship, housing situation, whatever stage of health, dental care, haircut. With people we love or hate or both or without those people. Shielded or hobbled by each privilege or race-based kneecapping our society has allotted us. The pandemic immediately pulled everything into its wake, exposing afresh our vulnerability to one anothers choices (the boss belittling workplace risk, the housemate who wont stop going to parties). And as days of isolation cascaded this spring and we navigated radically narrowed options, we became our most immature, our wisest, our pettiest, our most magnanimoussometimes in the space of a heartbeat. Which is to say, our most human. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement When I teach writing, I ask my students to imagine their characters answers to certain questionsamong them, What do you love?, and pivotally, What are you most afraid of? The answers predict the otherwise inexplicable things people do under pressure. But empathy for charactersparticularly characters who unsettle usis uncomfortable. Writers often blink, choosing to keep a safe emotional distance. Its the biggest impediment I know to writing well. When I wrote those plague chapters of The Weight of Ink years ago, I realized I was keeping Mary at bay. Her impulsive choice frightened me. It was easier to judge her than to let myself feel the random cruelty of a disease that left some unscathed while imposing ironclad consequences on others. It wasnt until the final revision, editing the scenes around her death, that I finally let myself answer the obvious question: Why did she, unlike the two women she sheltered with, lack the patience to stay indoors, safe from the diseased city? The answerI acknowledged at lastwas something Id been avoiding because it hurt: She was terrified of being forgottena stillness like death. And she loved life with such a clanging love that all cautions were inaudible. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement That day I finally let myself write the cruelest, most intimate lines of Marys story. As the other women slid her into the mass grave at Hand Alleyone more body atop the pile of bodiesI kept my gaze on Marys black curls, as they slipped into the lime dust and were dulled. Today is Aug. 27, 2020. Here in New England weve spent the summer teetering: on one side, tentative steps toward normalcy, on the other, the threat of a resurgence of the springs nightmare. As the weeks scroll by, even most strictly isolated people I know have begun to engage a delicate calculus. What, other than necessities of work and health and sustenance, justifies a risk? A socially distant picnic with family? A religious holiday? A visit to the eye doctor, the vet, the hair salon? Perhaps you ration risk, saving it for a plane trip to see a significant other? Perhaps you teeter over whether to send your kids to their reopened school. Almost everyone I know is strict about social distancing and frustrated by those who carelessly endanger others. Yet even the most confined daily life contains split-second improvisations. The decision to allow a loved one to lean too close rather than risk shaming them, the offer of a hand to a stumbling stranger, the acceptance of a strangers hand when we stumble. What do you love most? What are you most afraid of? Every choice is a spark struck off the block of our priorities, whatever they are. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement And every choice makes me think of Mary. That final image of Mary still undoes me. Yet the fact is that after writing it I closed my laptop, locked the door of the shed where I work, and picked up my kids from school. I stepped out of her story, and back into my own. Which brings me to the question Ive been avoiding. Do I feel like Im in my own novel? No. I feel like Im in someone elses. Its only nowas my own quietly pounding love of life straightens me from the garden Im weeding to trace the path of a solitary sirenthat I understand what a vulnerable position that is. Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester, here in April 2019, is one of the working members of the Royal Family. (Getty Images) Hes a senior royal who has carried out hundreds of engagements over four decades and represents numerous charities. But even the most avid royal fan could be forgiven for not being sure who Prince Richard, the Duke of Gloucester is. He is a working royal who never intended to hold his position, but has given up his career to dedicate his time to the Queen, his cousin, and to Britain. Richard was born Prince Richard of Gloucester on 26 August 1944, but as the younger brother of Prince William of Gloucester, he wasnt thought to be destined to a particular royal life. He is the grandson of King George V, so he and Queen Elizabeth are cousins. As Richard had an older brother, he never expected to inherit the dukedom, or ever carry out royal duties. He trained as an architect, going to Cambridge University from 1963 to 1966, and then from 1967 to 1969. He then became a practising partner in an architect firm, Hunt Thompson Associates in London. The tragedy struck the family. Richards older brother, Prince William of Gloucester, died after he crashed his plane during a flying competition. Read more: This year's must-read royal biographies, from Harry and Meghan's 'real story' to feuding princes Prince William of Gloucester walks between his parents the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, and Prince Richard. William died in 1972. (PA Images via Getty Images) William was taking part in an event in Wolverhampton when his plane hit a tree and crashed into the ground. The resulting fire took two hours to control, and he and his flying companion were identified by their dental records. It meant that Richard became heir apparent of the dukedom, and two years later, quit his job to focus on royal life. But being a full time royal hasnt completely stopped Richards work with architecture. Many of his patronages reflect his previous career, including Habitat for Humanity, which works to eliminate poverty housing, and the Construction Youth Trust, which helps people under 30 get into the industry. Hes also president of the Society of Architect Artists and a commissioner on the Historic Building and Monuments Commission for England. Story continues The duke is married to Birgitte van Deurs, who he met at university. Because of his position to the throne at the time, he had to request permission from the Queen to marry her - which was granted. Read more: Who was Prince Philip's other royal family? Birgitte, Duchess of Gloucester and Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester on their wedding day in July 1972. (Getty Images) The duke and duchess at Lady Gabriella Windsor's wedding in May 2019. (Getty Images) Van Deurs is now the Duchess of Gloucester, and she carries out royal engagements too, and has her own patronages. They have three children, and six grandchildren, but none of them carry out royal duties. The duke and duchess are neighbours of Prince William and Kate when the younger royals are in London, as they also live in Kensington Palace. Despite both being past retirement age, the duke, 76, and duchess, 74, continue in their royal work, and kept up with their patronages with phone calls during lockdown. The duke first represented the Queen in 1970, when he travelled to the wedding of Crown Prince Birendra of Nepal. Prince Richard the Duke of Gloucester, and Birgitte the Duchess of Gloucester with Kenneth Clarke MP as the duke represented the Queen at the Inauguration Mass for Pope Francis in 2013. (Getty Images) Read more: Everything you need to know about the Queen's grandchildren Hes also been to the independence celebrations of the Seychelles, the Solomon Islands, St Vincent and the Grenadines, and Vanuatu. And hes been vital to the Queen since she has stopped being able to travel abroad, representing her at the funeral of King Tupou V of Tonga in March 2012, and at the inauguration of Pope Francis at the Vatican in March 2013. In March 2018 he went to Malawi for the Commonwealth Day celebrations. As working royals, the duke and duchess receive a portion of the sovereign grant, but most of their income is supplemented by the Queen. Staying away from those with contagious infections, no matter how lonely it gets, may not only be common sense, but a natural instinct. But that doesn't mean humans or animals will automatically fall in line. A study by Jessica Stephenson, head of Pitt's Stephenson Lab of Disease Ecology and Evolutionary Parasitology, examines the behaviors of guppies when introduced to an environment where they are placed near members of their species with infectious diseases. In the study an empty tank was flanked by one that contained a group of three guppies that represented potential contagion risk. Many guppies preferred the tank near other guppies, as expected from a social species. But some male guppies strongly avoided the side of the tank near the other fish and these distancing guppies were later shown to be highly susceptible to worm infections. Stephenson and coauthors revisited these findings in light of COVID-19 in the article "Emerging Infectious Disease and the Challenges of Social Distancing in Human and Non-Human Animals," which published Aug. 12 in the Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, Series B. Stephenson said human beings overall are "normal social animals in many of our behavioral response to infectious diseases" but benefits such as "global disease surveillance, rapid global communication and centralized governments with public health departments," may be wasted if we choose our social instincts over the evolutionary instinct that tells us to stay away from areas of potential infection. A federal loan program designed to help mid-sized businesses struggling during the pandemic has, instead, primarily benefited small businesses who already received federal Paycheck Protection Program loans. A Miami Herald analysis found that 10 of the first 13 disclosed recipients of loans in the Federal Reserve Boards Main Street lending program also received PPP loans. Theres no prohibition on double-dipping between the programs, though Eric Rosengren, the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, which is administering the Main Street program, made clear in a hearing of the Congressional Oversight Commission earlier this month that the program is intended for bigger borrowers. This facility really tries to get to a different segment of the population, which is those businesses that are bigger than the PPP program was designed for, Rosengren said. The Aug. 7 hearing focused on why the program has had so little success so far and took so long to get up and running. Though the program was authorized in April under the CARES Act, loans werent made available to lenders until July and banks and lenders have been slow to participate in the program. So far, the only bright spot in the program has been a Miami bank, which has issued the most loans in the program. But Miami Democratic Rep. Donna Shalala, one of four members of the Oversight Commission, was critical of the program at the August hearing despite that success. While some Florida businesses have benefited from the Main Street loans, what has been accomplished to date is simply not enough, Shalala said. We all agree that these businesses need help to survive the crisis. So far, the bank has disclosed only the identities of the first 13 borrowers in the program, who collectively have taken out $92 million in loans, though Rosengren said in a later speech that 32 loans, equaling $252 million, had been committed or settled as of Aug. 10. But that represents a tiny fraction of the $75 billion that was set aside for use in the program. Story continues While all of this money has been sitting on the sidelines, tens of thousands of businesses have permanently closed and millions of Americans have lost their jobs, said Bharat Ramamurti, another member of the Oversight Commission, in the August hearing. By any measure, the Main Street program has been a failure. By contrast, the PPP program has issued more than five million loans since April, representing $525 billion. The PPP loans, unlike the Main Street Loans, are forgiven if used for payroll or other approved expenses. Ramamurti has argued that Congress should reallocate the money intended for the Main Street program to be used for grants to small and mid-sized businesses. Rosengren, of the Boston Fed, has defended the programs slow roll-out, which included modifying the terms of the loan, saying that its taken time for participating banks to understand how the program works and for banks and businesses to negotiate the terms of the loans. It takes some time for the banks and the borrowers to get familiar with the program, Rosengren said in the August hearing. Were slowly seeing an increase in volume over time that I would expect to continue. Under the program, the Federal Reserve takes on 95 percent of the risk of the loan, while the bank retains exposure for 5 percent of the loan. Banks are responsible for assessing the creditworthiness of borrowers, who are supposed to be businesses in sound financial shape before the pandemic hit. South Florida has been a lone bright spot in the early going, though no one associated with that success wants to talk about it. City National Bank of Florida has accounted for eight of the first 13 publicly disclosed Main Street loans and six of those eight businesses also got PPP loans through City National Bank. While the banks Chief Executive Officer Jorge Gonzalez has talked with the Herald before about the banks robust PPP activity, the bank didnt make anyone available to speak about its activity in the Main Street program, but said in a statement to the Herald: From the beginning of the pandemic, City National Bank of Florida has been proactive in supporting our clients and community through this challenging economic time. Helping small and mid-sized businesses sustain themselves and keep people employed has been a top priority. Congress and the Federal Reserve created the Main Street Lending Program to help these businesses access much-needed capital during the pandemic, and our team worked diligently to prepare for the program, educate clients, and accept and process loan applications as soon as the eligibility window opened in early July. The Herald reached out to all of the Florida businesses that got both PPP and Main Street Loans, but none of them wanted to discuss their participation in the program. That includes Fort Lauderdale roofing company Atlas Apex Roofing, which took out a $5.5 million loan on July 21 and had earlier gotten a PPP loan valued between $1 and $2 million on April 10 and Davie construction company Cailis Mechanical, which took out a $5 million loan on July 13 and a PPP loan valued between $2 million and $5 million on April 13. And it also includes Joseph Zevuloni, the owner of the Fort Lauderdale insurance adjusting firm Zevuloni & Associates, which took out a $1.9 million Main Street loan on July 22 and had earlier received a PPP loan of between $150,000 and $350,000 on April 10. Facebook photo showing Joseph Zevulonis Lamborghini, which featured an image of President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, from the Nov. 26, 2019 Ride 4 Trump event Zevuloni organized in Miami. Zevuloni, who drives a Lamborghini emblazoned with images of President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and organized a Ride 4 Trump rally in Miami on Nov. 26, 2019 to coincide with Trumps Homecoming rally that day, declined through a lawyer, Carlos Garcia, to comment on the loan. Hes a private person, Garcia said. Joe Bidens selection of Sen. Kamala Harris as his vice presidential running mate is a source of great pride for California Democrats, understandably so. Their reactions generally project that a Vice President Harris will be the odds-on favorite to succeed Biden in either 2024 or 2028, so California will have an advocate in high places for many years to come. California has been too often irrelevant in national politics since Ronald Reagan left in 1988, Ace Smith, a top strategist on Harris ill-starred presidential campaign, told Politico. With a major Californian ascending in a national office, that just has ripple effects, he said. My prediction: More Californians in higher positions in the coming decades than youve seen literally since the Reagan era. Rep. Adam Schiff, the chief figure in the impeachment of President Donald Trump and a potential replacement for Harris in the Senate, described a prejudice against California in Washington and added, I think with a vice president from California, youre not going to see that kind of disinterest or disdain for the West. Weve always had, at least in the last half-century, tremendous legislative power, Schiff told Politico. But what weve lacked is power in the executive branch, and with Kamala, we will now have both. All of that may be true, but first Biden and Harris must win and California is also likely to play a major role in the hostilities leading up to the November presidential election not in a good way. There is, indeed, a prejudice against California outside the states borders. Eastern media love to write and broadcast what are dubbed Krazy Kalifornia stories about the states sometimes peculiar social mores, and Trump has long ranted about the state and its politicians. California has responded with dozens of lawsuits challenging Trumps policies. If the presidential election turns out to be a close one, it will be decided, as it was four years ago, in a handful of states with relatively conservative social values, such as Wisconsin, Ohio and Pennsylvania. And with Harris on the Democratic ticket, its likely that the Trump campaign will raise the specter of victorious Democrats imposing Californias wacky ways on the rest of the nation. Residents of swing states will be treated or subjected to television spots and direct mail campaigns showing California at its worst, and unfortunately there is plenty of raw material with which to work. We can expect video clips of looting during racial justice demonstrations, garbage-strewn homeless camps, out-of-work Californians who cant get unemployment insurance benefits and long lines at the Department of Motor Vehicles, to name but a few. They may see graphic depictions of traffic congestion, overcrowded housing, high rates of COVID-19 infection and, after this week, electric power blackouts caused by relying too much on unreliable solar and wind generation. In states where deer hunting is a much-cherished tradition, such as Pennsylvania and Michigan, Republican mailers would focus on Californias restrictive gun control laws. Another targeted campaign might center on Californias recent penchant for releasing thousands of felons from prisons. Unfair? Of course. But political campaigns are not exercises in fairness. They are battles in which the combatants use every weapon at their disposal. The Biden-Harris campaign will focus on pinning the nations shortcomings on Trump, and there is ample record for that approach. The Trump campaign will focus on the supposed calamities that Biden and Harris would impose on the nation, and pinning a target on very blue California would seem to be inevitable. Watch Now: 11 key new California laws for 2020 in a minute CalMatters is a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how Californias state Capitol works and why it matters. For more stories by Dan Walters, go to calmatters.org/commentary. Catch the latest in Opinion Get opinion pieces, letters and editorials sent directly to your inbox weekly! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. PARIS - France on Thursday relaunched its appeal for the quick formation of a government and the adoption of "urgent" reforms in Lebanon, raising the possibility of the risk that the country could "disappear". "The risk now is the disappearance of Lebanon, so these decisions need to be made," said French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, speaking on RTL. Echoing statements by French President Emmanuel Macron, who travelled to Beirut on August 6, two days after the terrible explosion, Le Drian said that reforms can't be conducted by the current political class, disliked by the Lebanese. "They self-engulf among themselves to then unite in non-action. This is no longer possible and we are saying it strongly," he said. Problems With Renewables The problems with renewable energy are, by now, common knowledge for most. From intermittency to storage limitations, high upfront costs and geographic restrictions, each of these issues is being slowly but surely addressed by the industry. More recently, however, a lesser-known and counter-intuitive issue for renewable energy has become a focal point for critics of clean energy. The environmental impact of renewable energy projects, notably hydropower dams, solar plants, and wind farms, are undermining what many consider to be the primary benefit of renewable energy. In short, these problems are as follows. Hydropower, the largest single source of renewable energy in the world, is threatening freshwater ecosystems across the globe and has contributed to the destruction of roughly 70 percent of the worlds wetlands. Solar energy, when produced at massive solar plants, is responsible for the destruction of desert ecosystems, the incineration of birds, and the dislocation of some rare animals from their natural habitat. Finally, wind power, as President Donald Trump recently pointed out, is responsible for the death of between 140,000 and 500,000 birds every year in the U.S. alone. As wind turbine installation increases, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service predicts that number could climb to 1.4 million bird deaths per year. Related: Oil Major Equinor Stops Drilling In U.S. Shale Patch As with all the problems that renewable energy faces, the industry is working tirelessly to innovate itself beyond these setbacks, and a recent report from Norway may well have solved one of the key issues facing wind energy. Solving The Bird Death Dilemma With the prospect of 1.4 million dead birds looming over the wind industry, a wind farm on the Norwegian archipelago of Smla has come up with a solution that is as smart as it is simple. It painted a single blade of each wind turbine in its test group from white to black and saw the bird deaths associated with those wind turbines drop by 70 percent. The idea behind painting one of the three blades of each windmill black came from a hypothesis that one of the main causes of bird deaths at wind turbines is that birds struggle to identify the blades. In painting one blade black, the birds may now be able to both identify and avoid the wind farms that President Donald Trump described as bird graveyards. While the evidence from the Norwegian wind farm test looks promising, plenty more tests will need to be done in order to establish a statistically significant result. Both the test group and control group consisted of only four wind turbines, and there was seasonal variation for the results, with the number of deaths increasing at the painted turbines over summer months. As the renewable revolution continues to march forward, innovations like this will be vital to ensure the adoption of clean energy as a major part of the global energy mix. By Josh Owens of Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: What started out as an attempted traffic stop for speeding turned into a police chase that resulted in a man crashing his vehicle, getting ejected, and then fleeing from police. He managed to elude officers for several hours, but eventually was captured after a resident spotted him coming out of a wooded area. The 23-year-old Toledo man, Calvin Marlowe Ware, now faces several serious charges resulting from this escapade. It all started at 3:18 p.m. on Tuesday, when an officer assigned to the Police Department Traffic Services Unit attempted to stop a vehicle travelling north on I-275, near Sibley Road, for speeding (driving 85 mph in a 70 mph zone). According to police, the vehicle refused to stop, despite the fact the patrol vehicles emergency lights and sirens were activated. The vehicle, with three occupants inside, proceeded east on Sibley Road and then headed south on Wahrman Road. Police said the driver, identified as Ware, opened the door of the vehicle in what appeared to the responding officer to be an initial attempt to flee on foot. The driver then turned around in the front yard of a residence on Wahrman Road before again heading south on Wahrman. Within this short period of time, a second police unit was responding, via northbound Wahrman Road. The suspects vehicle, a white Jeep SUV, crashed into a tree. During the crash, the driver was ejected from the vehicle into a ditch, but then took off running, heading north. Police said the responding officer immediately took two other vehicle occupants into custody. According to Public Safety Director Everette Robbins, multiple marked and unmarked Huron Township vehicles immediately set up a perimeter, along with assistance from the Metroparks Police Department. The perimeter was held for several hours while the search continued. The K-9 unit was at the scene and a track was initiated within five minutes following the crash. In addition to a prolonged track of the suspect, police said K-9 Chief located narcotics near the location where the suspect entered the wooded area. The Police Departments drone, which is equipped with Infrared (night vision) and day vision cameras, was launched and assisted with the search. The cameras detect heat signatures within the wooded area. Robbins said that at 6:05 p.m., a resident on the south end of Wahrman Road saw Ware exit the wooded area at the rear of his property. The resident contacted the Police Departments emergency dispatch center and officers who were still maintaining a perimeter arrested Ware. The Huron Township Evidence Technician Unit also responded and assisted with the investigation. Evidence technicians located a loaded .45-caliber semi-automatic weapon in the ditch, near the drivers-side door where the suspect was thrown from the vehicle. The handgun was stolen out of Perrysburg, Ohio. According to Robbins, a passenger within the vehicle told police during the investigation that immediately upon the officer attempting to stop the vehicle, the suspect was observed pulling the handgun from his waistband area. We believe the crash ejected both the suspect, as well as the weapon, from the vehicle, Robbins said. I hate to think of the ways this scenario could have played out had that not happened. He praised his staff for their persistence and for maintaining the perimeter for several hours while continuing to search. I believe this ultimately cornered the suspect, forced him northward and ultimately out of the woods, where he was taken into custody, Robbins said. The Wayne County Prosecutors Office authorized four charges against Ware, including carrying a concealed weapon, a 5-year felony; fleeing a police officer, third degree, a 5-year-felony; operating with license suspended or revoked, a 93-day misdemeanor; and a second offense notice as a habitual offender. Robbins said drug charges are pending lab results. Songbirds reduce reproduction to help survive drought MISSOULA - With climate change heating the globe, drought more frequently impacts the reproduction and survival of many animal species. New research from the University of Montana suggests tropical songbirds in both the Old and New Worlds reduce reproduction during severe droughts, and this - somewhat surprisingly - may actually increase their survival rates. The work was published Aug. 24 in the journal Nature Climate Change by UM research scientist Thomas Martin and doctoral student James Mouton. "We were extremely surprised to find that not only did reductions in breeding activity mitigate costs to survival, many long-lived species actually experienced higher survival rates during the drought year than during non-drought years," said Martin, assistant unit leader of UM's Montana Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit. "In contrast, shorter-lived species that kept breeding during droughts faced strong reductions in survival." Martin has spent his career venturing into remote jungles and living there for months to study the lives of birds. For this work, he and Mouton studied 38 different bird species in Venezuela and Malaysia over multiple years. There was one drought year for each field site, and the authors modeled future population results for the birds using three different climate change scenarios. They knew behavioral responses to drought might determine the relative impacts on survival and reproduction. At the jungle study sites, researchers located and monitored nests of all species over many years to examine reproductive activity prior to and during the droughts. They also banded birds with colored material and used intensive re-sighting of these birds to obtain rigorous estimates of survival. The researchers found drought reduced reproduction an average of 36% in the 20 Malaysian species and 52% in the 18 Venezuelan species. "The negative impacts of drought on survival are well documented," Martin said. "We therefore also expected the droughts to reduce survival, but thought that the reduced breeding activity might limit the decrease in survival." He said they found the population impacts of droughts were largely nullified by the reproductive behavioral shifts in longer-lived species, but shorter-lived species saw less of a benefit. "Overall, our results have several major implications," Martin said. "First, we show that understanding behavioral responses to drought are critical for predicting population responses. Behavioral responses to environmental conditions can help buffer the most sensitive vital rates for a given species and mitigate the overall effect on fitness. "Second, our results provide unique support to the idea that reproduction can negatively affect survival," he said. "This idea of a 'cost of reproduction' is central to life history theory but only rarely documented in wild populations." Finally, long-lived species are argued to be most sensitive to climate change, but the UM research suggests that many longer-lived species actually may be more resilient to drought impacts of climate change than previously expected. "Ultimately, we hope our study can help motivate future studies into behavioral and demographic responses to shifting patterns of rainfall in more species so we can better anticipate the different impacts of climate change among species," Martin said. ### This work was funded by the National Science Foundation. The Nature Climate Change, paper is online at https:/ / www. nature. com/ articles/ s41558-020-0864-3 . Mouton This story has been published on: 2020-08-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Actor Aarav Nafeez, who was crowned the Bigg Boss Tamil season 1 winner, is all set to marry actor Raahei on September 6, as per latest reports. Thanks to Bigg Boss, Aarav earned a lot of popularity on the show and became a household name. He was rumoured to be in a relationship with co-star and co-housemate Oviya. However, neither of them ever made their relationship official. As per India Todays report, Aarav is all set to marry model-turned-actor Raahei on September 6 in a close-knit affair. Raahei makes her Tamil acting debut via Gautham Menons upcoming action-thriller Joshua. Also read: Ankita Lokhande refutes Rhea Chakrabortys claim that Sushant Singh Rajput felt claustrophobic in flights with this video The report further added that Aarav and Raahei have known each other for over a year. They have decided to get married with their parents approval. The wedding will be hosted at a plush hotel in Chennai with only friends and families in attendance. On the career front, Aarav awaits the release of his upcoming Tamil film Raja Bheema, which has been waiting for release for a long time. It is not known whether Raahei has signed any other project as of now. She awaits the release of Joshua, which was supposed to release earlier this year but got postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Follow @htshowbiz for more Amid tough times between Australia and her biggest trading partner, China has quietly deployed its secret weapon. Wang Xining is the Shakespeare-quoting diplomat sent to fix Australia's struggling relationship with the superpower. Launching an incredible charm offensive Wang, who previously worked as the Chinese EU embassy spokesman, in Brussels, gave an impassioned speech at the Press Club, in Canberra, on Wednesday night. He abandoned the aggressive 'wolf warrior' rhetoric typically associated with China and instead compared Australia's request for a COVID-19 inquiry to the betrayal of Julius Caesar in Shakespeare's famous tragedy. 'I think it's approximately identical to Julius Caesar in his final day when he saw Brutus approaching him, "Et tu, Brute?"' he said. Minister Wang showcased his charm, diplomacy and debating skills before aptly using Julius Caesar's famous last line of betrayal 'Et tu, Brute?' to showcase how the nation feels about Australia China's Deputy Head of Mission, Wang Xining (pictured), spoke at the National Press Club in Canberra Wang also said he would rather see the 'sunny side' of Australia's cooperation and urged both parties to 'refrain from imposing one's one idea onto the other'. 'China does not interfere in Australia's internal affairs, nor do we have any intention to change Australia's political or social culture,' he said. 'While a rift between husband and wife hurts one family, a rift between two countries hurts millions.' His thoughtful speech titled 'China and Australia: Where to from here?' comes at a time of friction between the two governments. Wang Xining's C.V 2019: Present Deputy Head of Mission/Minister, Embassy of PRC in Australia 2017 - 2019: Member of the Standing Committee, CPC Beijing Chaoyang District Committee 2013 - 2017: Counsellor/Deputy Director-General, Information Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs 2008 - 2013: Counsellor (Press and Public Relations), Mission of PRC to European Union in Brussels 2002 - 2008: Deputy Director and Director, Information Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs 1998 - 2002: Attache/Third Secretary, Embassy of PRC in Singapore 1995 - 1998: Attache, Spokespersons Office, Ministry of Foreign Affairs 1989 - 1995: Foreign Affairs College (Bachelor of Art & International Law) Advertisement Tensions spilled over in April when Australia called for an inquiry into the origin of the COVID-19 outbreak in the Wuhan province of China. This was followed by Beijing hitting Australia with tough restrictions on barley, beef and wine. During his speech he said Australia's push for the inquiry must have been at the behest of the United States. 'We don't think this conforms to the spirit of comprehensive, strategic partnership. It lacks the least courtesy and diplomacy,' he said. Given the current tariffs, the National Press Club event served a tongue-in-cheek menu of ginger, shallot and chilli glazed Wagyu beef with pearl barley - and red wine. Wang excitedly gestured to his plate before he tucked in to the extravagant meal. During the event, he tried to avoid questions about the attempts by Australian Ministers, including Trade Minister Simon Birmingham, to speak to their Chinese counterparts. Wang expertly sidestepped the topic and blamed the global pandemic. 'Under COVID-19 its not possible to organise face-to-face exchanges between leaders of countries and even senior ministers. But the diplomatic channels are always open,' he said. Despite the contentious issues, Wang largely won over the crowd. Australia's first ambassador to the People's Republic of China, Stephen Fitzgerald, spoke to The Australian and called the speech enormously impressive. 'He tried to be constructive. That was the most interesting thing,' he explained. The National Press Club served a tongue-in-cheek menu of ginger, shallot and chilli glazed Wagyu beef served with pearl barley - and red wine. Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei-Mensah is very optimistic that NDCs flagbearer, John Dramani Mahama has no chance whatsoever of winning the upcoming December 7, presidential polls. He stated emphatically on NEAT FMs morning show 'Ghana Montie', Thursday, August 27, 2020, that the former Presidents ambition to recapture power will be unsuccessful. Mahama can never win the 2020 election, its impossible. It will be one of the wonders of the world for him [Mahama] to be President in 2020, he confidently told host Kwesi Aboagye. Simon Osei-Mensah was reacting to John Dramani Mahamas numerous promises to Ghanaians if voted into power again. The former President was reported to have assured miners of returning to them their concessions seized by the Nana Addo-led government if he wins the next election. But Ashanti Regional Minister believes Mr. Mahama is hallucinating, He is just making promises just to canvas for votes. What concession is he talking about, his brothers own? he questioned. 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. Featured Video Reading, PA (19601) Today Cloudy with morning snow ending, then windy and turning colder with falling temps and some afternoon clearing. A coating to 1-2" of snow expected in the morning. . Tonight Partly cloudy, windy, and very cold. Wind chills near or below zero later at night. The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has advised Nigerians to stop the consumption of an organic apple and black currant juice originating from Australia. The agency also warned against the use of banned Malaysian cosmetic products. NAFDAC Director-General, Moji Adeyeye, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said the products had been certified harmful for human consumption. The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of Hong Kongs Food and Environmental Hygiene Department has warned against the consumption of Pure Tassie Organic Apple and Blackcurrant Juice originating from Australia. This was due to an unacceptable level of patulin (a mycotoxin) which had exceeded the maximum limit in fruit juice, she said. Mrs Adeyeye pointed out that the level of patulin content in the affected fruit juice can induce liver, spleen and kidney damage. She added that the toxic level would affect the immune system and causes nausea, gastrointestinal disturbance and vomiting. She said that the name of the product is Pure Tassie, an organic apple and blackcurrant juice from Australia. The banned cosmetics products include Sifu Kunyit Day Cream, Sifu Kunyit Night Cream and JJ Skincare Glowhite Night Cream, adding that the Malaysian Ministry of Health banned its distribution. Mrs Adeyeye said that the products were found to contain hydroquinone, tretinoin, betamethasone valerate and mercury which could cause change to skin pigmentation, damage to the kidney and increase the risk of skin cancer. According to her, Sifu Kunyit Night cream contains mercury and betamethasone 17-valerate, Sifu Kunyit Day Cream contains hydroquinone, tretinoin and betamethasone 17-valerate, while JJ Skincare Glowhite Night cream contains hydroquinone. Betamethasone valerate can cause the skin to be thinner and prone to irritation, acne, changes in skin pigmentation and increase the risk of being absorbed into the blood circulation system which can have harmful effects. Hydroquinone causes redness of the skin, discomfort, unwanted skin changes, the skin becomes hypersensitive, can prevent pigmentation (depigmentation) which reduces skin protection against harmful UV rays and may increase the risk of skin cancer. Mrs Adeyeye said that the use of tretinoin without the supervision of health professionals could cause the skin to be reddish, uncomfortable, painful, peeling and hypersensitive to sunlight. She stated that Mercury had been prohibited in cosmetics products because it could be harmful to health and could be absorbed into the body and caused damage to the kidneys and nervous system. Mrs Adeyeye added that it was also capable of disrupting the brain development of young or unborn children, adding that mercury could also cause rashes, irritation and other changes to the skin. She implored importers, distributors and retailers to immediately stop the importation, distribution and sale of the affected cosmetic products. According to her, any member of the public in possession of the affected cosmetic products should submit them to the nearest NAFDAC office. Healthcare professionals and consumers are encouraged to report adverse events or side effects related to the use of these products to the nearest NAFDAC office through NAFDAC PRASCOR (20543 TOLL FREE from all networks). Mrs Adeyeye said the agency can also be reached through pharmacovigilance@nafdac.gov.ng or via the NAFDAC ADR e-Reporting platform available at www.nafdac.gov.ng. (NAN) Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled This story was produced in partnership withReporting Democracy, a cross-border journalism platform run by the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network. When the British investigation into the 2018 poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia placed the blame firmly on the Russian state, the UK expelled 23 Russian diplomats. In acts of solidarity, other European countries as well as the US and Canada also expelled Russian diplomats from their territories. Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Former diplomat: UK will remember Slovakia kept silent in Skripal case Read more Slovakia was not among them; in fact, it was the only one amongst its V4 neighbours that did not follow suit. That stance changed in August, when the government of Igor Matovic, who won the 2020 parliamentary election, announced the expulsion of three Russian diplomats for involvement in what was described as a serious crime. Slovakia is a sovereign country and diplomatic rules should be observed everywhere, including on the territory of Slovakia, PM Matovic told a press conference on August 12, adding that his country is not a banana republic and would not tolerate such behaviour on its soil. Left to right: Foreign Minister Ivan Korcok, Defence Minister Jaroslav Nad, PM Igor Matovic (Source: TASR) The expulsions are linked to the Russian state deceiving the Slovak Consulate in St Petersburg by submitting false IDs for the purpose of gaining a Schengen visa, which allows entry to the EU passport-free zone that covers most of the member states, for one of its nationals. The prime minister confirmed that the Russian national in question who obtained the visa is suspected of participating in a murder in Germany. Related article Related article New government set to put an end to any steps off the Euro-Atlantic road Read more This is believed to be the assassination in a Berlin park of a Georgian citizen of Chechen origin, Zelimkhan Khangoshvili, who in the past had fought against Russian forces in the North Caucasus. Russian President Vladimir Putin branded him a bloodthirsty terrorist in 2012. In June, German federal prosecutors charged a 49-year-old Russian national, identified as Vadim K", otherwise known as Vadim S, over the killing. The accused was apprehended shortly after the murder, when he was spotted discarding a Glock pistol, bicycle and wig into the nearby Spree River. Slovak Defence Minister Jaroslav Nad noted that the application for an EU visa would not have been possible unless the submitted IDs were forged in a highly sophisticated manner. The Slovak Foreign Affairs Ministry has since launched an investigation into the visa issuing procedures at the consulate in St Petersburg and the Slovak embassy in Moscow. There is no indication from the government when or whether the results of the inquiry will be made public. Matching the rhetoric This new hardline approach by the government of Matovic has drawn praise from many quarters. DIARY OF AN INTREPID AUTHOR Jeff Kinney is the rare writer who speaks of his work in the collective voice for instance, We realized in the spring that having a book out in the height of a pandemic might not be the best thing so we decided to delay it. But last month the Diary of a Wimpy Kid creator was on his own when he embarked on a nine-day tour to promote his new novel, Rowley Jeffersons Awesome Friendly Adventure, now at No. 1 on the childrens middle grade hardcover list. Equipped with a Wimpy Kid mask and an extra-long grabber for passing copies to customers, he drove an orange cargo van (a futuristic ice-cream truck) from Pennsylvania to Vermont, braving storms and downed trees along the way. Kinney says the road trip reminded him of his early days as an author, before he started traveling in souped-up tour vans, accompanied by a team of helpers: There was something elemental about getting behind the wheel and driving myself. I was taken aback by how enthusiastic the participants were. Cars full of parents and kids would pull up, ecstatic to have something to do, something that wasnt canceled. Of course, it wasnt all scenic views and adoring crowds. Kinneys exhaust pipe hit the ground during a flash flood in Philadelphia, so he consulted YouTube, got on his back in a hotel parking lot, slid underneath the van and fixed it. Ill go on record, he laughs. Im the least handy guy. I have a pianists hands. In addition to visiting bookstores, Kinney made house calls to bereaved families and children of frontline workers. He says, That was really the most rewarding part. It was fun to pull up in a neighborhood in this really brightly decorated van, and sometimes neighborhood kids would run alongside it. Sometimes kids didnt know this was happening their parents had kept it as a surprise so Id tell them, This is what happens if you read a book. The author will come to your house. One thing led to another, and Kramaric became friends with Beseda and her husband. They visited Czech-themed festivals around Texas, including Westfest, where Kramaric remarked he saw more Czech flags than in his home country. "From about 2015 on, he became a regular at Westfest," Beseda said with a laugh. She later would find Kramaric and his family a home in Woodway, his wife growing weary of hotel stays on their trips to Texas, Beseda said. So here in Waco, in an aging building hard against the Union Pacific railroad tracks at Eighth Street and Jackson Avenue, Kramaric decided to build. Real estate agent Gregg Glime assisted in the selection process. Kramaric, whose business card identifies him as the treasurer of Czech Brewing Company LLC, lined up Mitchell Construction to do the heavy lifting. He also secured a publicly funded $683,291 Tax Increment Financing Zone grant for his $9 million renovation. This week, trowel-wielding masonry workers are smoothing the textured exterior of the building, to which crews have added several steel-framed floors. Kramaric said crews took pains to preserve one of the structure's original walls, dating to when it served as a train station. Belarusian Nobel Laureate Refuses to Answer Questions in Opposition Probe By VOA News August 26, 2020 Nobel Prize-winning author and Belarusian opposition activist Svetlana Alexievich refused to answer questions Wednesday after Belarusian investigators summoned her for questioning over allegations of criminal activities committed by a newly formed opposition group with which she is associated. Alexievich is a member of the opposition Coordination Council, the target of a criminal case accusing it of illegally trying to seize control of the government from President Alexander Lukashenko. Alexievich told reporters in Minsk that she exercised her right as a witness not to testify against herself. "They try to scare us, but we are not guilty of anything," she said. "We want to live in a free country, we want to [be] free." Senior US Diplomat Aims to Bridge Differences with Moscow Over Oppposition Leader Poisoning, Belarus Post-election crisis in Belarus and poisoning of Russian opposition leader top Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun's agenda Opposition activists formed the council last week to negotiate a transition of power after Lukashenko won a sixth term in office in an August 9 election that the activists and other critics maintain was rigged. Lukashenko has rejected offers to negotiate with the council, whose dozens of members represent a broad array of Belarusian society. The authoritarian leader has accused the activists, who have been protesting for more than two weeks, of being under the control of Western nations and allegedly trying to create a parallel government. As she arrived for questioning, Alexievich urged Russia to help convince Lukashenko to negotiate with the opposition. "Maybe the world can help us so that Lukashenko will negotiate with somebody," she said. "Now he talks only with Putin. Maybe it is possible to get Putin and the world involved in the conversation [so] Lukashenko will talk and understand." Of all the former Soviet republics, Belarus is Russia's closest ally. Many political observers believe Lukashenko's future will largely be determined by Russia, which must decide whether to continue to support him as his authority is increasingly questioned by the opposition. Prosecutors launched the criminal probe on charges of undermining national security. The council denies the charges, saying its goal is to negotiate a peaceful transition of power in the wake of the August 9 election. The protests were triggered by a brutal government crackdown shortly after the election, which has resulted in the detention of nearly 7,000 people. Three people were killed, and hundreds of others were hurt when police aggressively dispersed peaceful protestors with rubber bullets, clubs and stun grenades. Two other opposition supporters were found hanged in forests. Police said they committed suicide, but the opposition contests the claim. Two council leaders were jailed on Tuesday, after police began detaining protestors who were homeward bound after peaceful demonstrations. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Myanmar & COVID-19 Myanmars Rakhine State Under Partial Lockdown Amid COVID-19 Surge A street in the Rakhine State capital, Sittwe, is blocked during the partial lockdown. / Min Aung Khaing Yangon Myanmar has imposed a partial lockdown on Rakhine States more than 3 million inhabitants after nearly 100 COVID-19 cases were reported within 12 hours earlier this week. As of Thursday morning, Myanmar has reported 586 COVID-19 cases, including six deaths and 345 recoveries. Myanmar reported 193 COVID-19 transmissions between Aug. 16 and Aug. 27 with most of the cases in Rakhine State. The first domestically transmitted case in a month on Aug. 16 was a 26-year-old female employee at the CB Bank in the state capital, Sittwe. The city has been under partial lockdown urging people to stay at home while allowing essential businesses to open since Aug. 20 after six more cases were reported within four days. On Wednesday, after the detection of nearly 100 positive cases overnight in 10 townships in Rakhine State, the government instructed Rakhines population to stay at home to curb the spread of coronavirus. People are also instructed not to leave their townships or the state unless in an emergency. The union government promised to provide state-wide health care and food supplies to the whole state if needed, while the state government says it is planning to provide financial assistance to those living hand to mouth. The union government urged anyone who left the state since Aug. 10 to report to their nearest health care center and the authorities. They will be quarantined at community-based quarantine centers for 21 days with COVID-19 tests, the government statement said. It threatened those violating COVID-19 restrictions with prosecution. Most of Sittwes shops, teashops and restaurants, except firms selling essential food and goods, have closed and people are only leaving their homes when necessary, according to residents. Most people are staying at home as they are afraid of coronavirus. Im pleased people are frightened. They need to be afraid of COVID-19 at least for the next three weeks, said U Tun Hlaing of Sittwe told The Irrawaddy on Thursday. U Maung Than Myint of Sittwe where most COVID-19 cases have been reported told The Irrawaddy that his familys fishery and textile business had stopped operations since their street and market had closed. We are facing losses as we cannot conduct any business. But the important thing is that people across the state are healthy said U Maung Than Myint. Ko Nay Myo Tun, founder of the Minbya Youth Network in Rakhines Minbya Township, said the closure of the township market would prevent many people from making a living. U Win Myint, the state municipal minister, said residents can ask for food supplies from the state government. People from all townships, including those in camps for IDP [internally displaced people], can ask us for food supplies and masks from their administrators. We are ready to supply them, said U Win Myint. Since Aug. 23, the government in Naypyitaw has sent 49 medical volunteers, including doctors and nurses, to Sittwe General Hospital where most of the COVID-19 patients are being treated. According to Dr. Win Myat Aye, the union minister for social welfare, relief and resettlement, 186 more volunteers, including members of civil society organizations from across the country, will be sent to Rakhine State to help tackle COVID-19. You may also like these stories: Myanmar Health Experts Fear Public Complacency Could Lead to Second Wave of COVID-19 Myanmar Reports First Local COVID-19 Transmission in a Month A platform of ice surrounding Antarctica measuring more than 350,000 square miles (900,000 sq km) is at risk of collapse as the effects of climate change threaten to destabilise it, a new study has shown. The floating ice shelves that extend from the worlds largest ice sheet into the sea could split if fractures on their surface are flooded by meltwater as the climate warms. Sudden loss of these supportive structures could rapidly accelerate the flow of ice into the ocean, raising sea levels around the world, with previous studies suggesting the rise could be as much as one metre by 2100. Ice shelves float on the ocean but are fastened to land and act as stoppers that prevent Antarctic ice sheets, that are as big as the United States and Mexico combined, from sliding into the sea. When they melt away from those anchor points, the flow of ice into the ocean speeds up, accelerating sea level rise. The study led by researchers from Columbia University in the United States and involving Edinburgh University, Utrecht University and Google estimated around 60 percent of the ice-shelf area was vulnerable a process called hydrofracturing. It is a process where meltwater repeatedly refreezes and thaws again, enlarging fractures in those sections of ice and putting them at risk of collapse. Martin Wearing, of the University of Edinburghs School of GeoSciences, who took part in the study, said: Weve seen in the past that the sudden collapse of ice shelves can trigger rapid acceleration of the glaciers that flow into them, and, in turn, sea-level rise. We have found that stresses within vast sections of Antarcticas ice shelves are sufficiently large that they could collapse if, as climate models predict, surface melting increases substantially in coming years. The study, which used machine learning and artificial intelligence software to examine satellite images, adds to a list of alarming research on the Antarctics ecosystem this year. One study released in February shortly after the region saw its highest temperature on record at 18.3 degrees Celsius (64.9 degrees Fahrenheit) warned global warming was leading to an irreversible mass melting of Antarctic ice. (This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.) Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-28 00:31:05|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close by Alessandra Cardone ROME, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Italian authorities are working against the clock to finalize plans for reopening the country's schools on Sept. 14, which many consider the biggest challenge after the COVID-19 lockdown feat. The reopening will involve over 8.6 million pupils and some 835,000 teachers in 40,749 establishments from nurseries to upper secondary schools, according to the Education Ministry. Other professionals and the students' families will also be heavily affected. This will be the largest movement of people in the pandemic era, and it is a must to avoid a new surge of coronavirus infections, Health Minister Roberto Speranza said. "The numbers of the contagion here are among the lowest in Europe, and yet are growing," he said earlier this month about a recent wave of new infections linked to holidaymakers. "We cannot undo the sacrifices made over the past few months because our priority must be to reopen schools in complete safety," he said. Although the new school year officially begins on Sept. 14 only, Italy's educational establishments will open their doors to pupils facing remedial courses on Sept. 1 already. The main rules have already been laid out to allow the safe return of pupils, who will meet their teachers and classmates again for the first time since March 10. But certain issues still have to be ironed out between the central government and the regions, which are partially in charge of the country's school system. MEASURES AGREED The wearing of face masks will be mandatory for teachers and staff all the time, and for students in primary and secondary schools (from 6 to 18 years old) every time the one-meter safety distance rule cannot be observed. It will be up to each school's management to arrange classrooms -- which are often overcrowded -- in a way that guarantees proper social distancing. Over 8.5 million new benches will be distributed starting on Aug. 28 to help manage the situation. Some regions have questioned the need for primary school children aged between 6 and 11 to wear face masks all the time. The Technical Scientific Committee (CTS) counseling the cabinet in the emergency would discuss this issue ahead of the reopening and might come up with further recommendations. Families will be asked to measure the body temperature of children each morning before school starts, and to keep them at home if their temperature exceeds 37 degrees Celsius. Some regions, such as southern Campania, have said that they would rather entrust school management with this task. The Lazio region around Rome will also charge nursery homes and pre-schools with the task of measuring the body temperature of pupils, parents and staff, while parents will remain in charge of this task with primary and secondary school students. If a student or staff member tests positive for COVID-19, the Local Health Unit (ASL) will be in charge of the situation, according to the "Operational Guidance for the management of SARS-CoV-2 cases and outbreaks in schools and nursery schools," issued by the Health Ministry on Aug. 21. Each ASL will specify the required containment measures according to the guidelines and the given school's specific conditions. The affected school's facilities will have to be sanitized, and contact tracing will have to be run on the school population. The Health Ministry has launched a campaign offering free voluntary serological tests to all public and private school staff between Aug. 24 and Aug. 30. Two million test kits had been distributed by Aug. 10, according to Domenico Arcuri, Italy's emergency response commissioner. PARENTS' DOUBTS "I look forward to the new school year with concern, not so much for my children's health, because it seems kids are less at risk even if infected, but for the great uncertainty in terms of family organization," commented Rosanna Magnano, a Milan-based journalist and mother of two, to Xinhua. "What happens if there is a positive case in the school, and the health authorities deem it safer to put the whole class or more classes in isolation at home," she asked. Parents will have to be much more flexible than usual, and the children's educational path might be at risk as well, she argued. "I wonder if the employers will be flexible as well, or if further jobs will be at risk ... I think this is by far the greatest challenge we face after the lockdown." Another working mother, Cristina Zen from northern Alessandria, worried about the broader impact of school reopening on the country. "Since the end of the lockdown, this is actually the first such large movement. What if infections rump up again and we need another lockdown?" she wondered. Transporting school children in a safe manner will be yet another issue to be solved by the authorities. The rules already agreed between the government and the regional authorities include the compulsory daily sanitation of each school bus; the installation of hand sanitizers in each bus; and the obligation to wear face masks for the entire length of the journey. Enditem A drug designed for cats may protect people from the coronavirus, scientists have claimed. The medicine GC376 was made to treat cats for an illness called feline infectious peritonitis, which starts in the gut and can travel to the brain and be fatal. Feline infectious peritonitis is caused by another type of coronavirus but scientists' lab experiments showed it could destroy the bug that causes Covid-19. This hasn't been trialled in humans yet but the researchers said the fact that it works as an antiviral against coronaviruses is enough proof to push it into clinical trials - and called for them to begin immediately. There is currently no medication that can cure or protect people against Covid-19, and doctors can only use their best judgement about drugs that appear to work. Only one drug, dexamethasone, has been proven to cut the risk of death in critically-ill patients. Survival rates have improved since the beginning of the pandemic as medics come to understand more about the disease, but a drug that could stop the coronavirus in its tracks would be a Holy Grail for doctors worldwide and save thousands of lives. The study adds to growing evidence that the feline medicine could be used against coronavirus, with one manufacturer Anivive having already applied to the Food & Drug Administration in the US to test it as a Covid-19 treatment in humans. Researchers tested a drug that is used to treat a different type of coronavirus infection in cats and found that it effectively destroyed the virus that causes Covid-19 in a lab (stock image) The researchers, from the University of Alberta in Canada, realised that the cat drug worked by blocking an enzyme produced by a bug called feline enteric coronavirus (FCoV). In doing so, it prevents the virus from reproducing and can stop the feline infectious peritonitis it is prescribed for. The disease affects cats' intestines and can then trigger multiple organ failure and be fatal. Although the virus that causes it, FCoV, is common, only between five and 10 per cent of cats with it ever develop the illness. FCoV is a coronavirus which means it has a similar structure to the one that has caused the pandemic, called SARS-CoV-2. Finding the same enzyme on the coronavirus, the Alberta researchers tested the cat drug on it in a lab and found it worked in the same way. By crippling the enzyme a protease called Mpro GC376 stopped the virus from reproducing, meaning it should be unable to cause infection and unable to survive. An earlier version of the drug called GC373 also had the same effect, they found. 'GC373 and GC376 are potent inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 replication,' the scientists, led by Professor Jeanne Lemieux, wrote. 'They are strong drug candidates for the treatment of human coronavirus infections because they have already been successful in animals. 'The work here lays the framework for their use in human trials for the treatment of Covid-19.' Another promising sign the researchers found was that the drugs did not appear to be toxic to the cells they tested them on. It was not clear what type of cells these were. This type of medication called a protease inhibitor is often not suitable for human use because it can cause 'severe side effects,' the study said. And the team added: 'Clearly, these drugs need to be advanced quickly into human trials for Covid-19.' The research was published in the scientific journal Nature Communications. Dr Lemieux and her colleagues are not the first people to have tested GC376 against the Covid-19 virus, and other scientists have found the same promising results. One early study, published online on April 20, called the drug a 'promising starting point for the further development of SARS-CoV-2 therapeutics'. And one veterinary medicine company, Anivive Lifesciences, has already applied to the Food & Drug Administration in the US for permission to test it on humans. CEO of the company Dylan Balsz said in May the company was 'advancing toward a clinical trial', BusinessWire reported. 'Research over the past few months and our experience with GC376 support the exploration of the drug as an adjunct therapy to standard of care for Covid-19 patients,' he added. Cats can catch Covid-19, officials have confirmed, but it seems far less deadly and there is no widely available testing for animals. In the UK a cat was the first animal known to have caught the virus from its owner no details about its location were released when the case was announced in July. Downing Street said the animal suffered from nasal discharge and some shortness of breath, a symptom that also strikes humans. Both the cat and its owners made a full recovery and there was no transmission of the virus to other animals or people in the household, health bosses said at the time. BANGKOK - A court in Thailand handed a death sentence Thursday to an elementary school principal convicted of fatally shooting three people including a toddler during a robbery of a gold shop earlier this year. The Bangkok Criminal Court found Prasitthichai Khaewkao guilty on charges including first degree murder, killing in commission of another crime, illegally carrying a gun and illegal possession of a war weapon in the Jan. 9 robbery at a shopping mall in Lopburi, about 145 kilometres (90 miles) north of Bangkok. During the robbery, the gunman began shooting wildly, killing a sales clerk, a security guard and a 2-year-old boy, and wounding four other people. Security video that was widely broadcast after the incident showed a man dressed in a black ski mask and camouflage trousers, with a backpack across his chest, carrying a pistol with a silencer as he entered the Robinson Lopburi mall. Video from a separate camera at the gold shop showed the man firing his pistol, and the toddler, who had been walking hand-in-hand with an adult, suddenly falling limp to the ground. The man grabbed a number of gold necklaces worth 664,470 baht ($21,280) before fleeing. Public shock at the killings put intense pressure on the police to solve the case, and they apprehended Prasitthichai in just under two weeks. During a police news conference after his arrest, Prasitthichai was allowed to talk to reporters by phone. He told them he planned the robbery a few days before carrying it out, and that he was motivated by personal and financial problems. I am so sorry, and I apologize to the victims and their families, especially to little brother Triton, Prasitthichai said, referring to the 2-year-old victim by his name. He denied that he deliberately shot the toddler and other victims, and said he opened fire to intimidate shoppers and security guards to allow him flee easily. Just a month after the robbery, a more deadly incident took place at a shopping mall in the northeastern city of Nakhon Ratchasima, when a disgruntled soldier went on a shooting rampage after he felt he had been cheated by his commanding officer. The soldier fatally shot 29 people before being killed by security forces in the shopping centre where he holed up for about 16 hours. Read more about: Vice President Mike Pence closed out the third night of the Republican National Convention with a speech that labeled his predecessor Joe Biden as "a Trojan horse for a radical left," as he made his case for re-electing President Donald Trump. Pence spoke at Fort McHenry in Baltimore, the site of a battle during the War of 1812 that inspired Francis Scott Key to write "The Star-Spangled Banner," and was joined by Trump as well as VIP guests including Medal of Honor recipients, frontline workers, military veterans, firefighters and police officers. At the top of his remarks, Pence spoke about Hurricane Laura, which was set to strike the Gulf Coast as a category 4 storm as of Wednesday night. MORE: Hurricane Laura live updates: Sheriff has grim advice for those who don't evacuate "This is a serious storm. We urge all those in the affected areas to heed state and local authorities," he said. PHOTO: Vice President Mike Pence delivers his acceptance speech during an event of the 2020 Republican National Convention held at Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Aug. 26, 2020. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters) Pence was the first speaker of the week to acknowledge the civil unrest taking place in Kenosha, Wisconsin, where Jacob Blake was shot in the back by officers in an incident caught on cellphone video. A teenager was also arrested Wednesday and charged with first-degree homicide in connection with the fatal shooting of two protesters Tuesday night. Pence, who did not mention Blake, Brianna Taylor, George Floyd or the other Black Americans' names whose deaths this year have sparked protests, referenced the demonstrations in Kenosha, Minneapolis and Portland for his case on the president's "law and order" mandate. "Too many heroes have died defending our freedoms to see Americans strike each other down," he said. MORE: Authorities identify Kenosha cop who shot Jacob Blake, say Blake had knife Crime was one of the areas where Pence attacked Biden during the speech and claimed that under a Democratic administration, the former vice president "would set America on a path of socialism and decline." Story continues PHOTO: Vice President Mike Pence is joined onstage by President Donald Trump after delivering his acceptance speech during an event of the 2020 Republican National Convention held at Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Aug. 26, 2020. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters) Although Biden has repeatedly said he does not want to defund the police, including during an interview with ABC News Friday, Pence argued in his speech that that is what Biden wants to do. "Joe Biden would double down on the very policies that are leading to unsafe streets and violence in Americas cities," Pence said. The vice president claimed Biden would enact "far left ideas" and cited Sen. Bernie Sanders' endorsement. "They believe the federal government needs to dictate how Americans live, how we should work, how we should raise our children," Pence said. The vice president touted Trump's response to the coronavirus, which has infected 5.8 million Americans and killed over 179,000 people in the country as of Wednesday night. Trump publicly downplayed the virus earlier year, and led been federal response panned by health experts and leaders, including Biden, for its slow reaction to the outbreak and lack of centralized coordination. The president himself has downplayed public health guidance, pushed the country to reopen against the guidance issued by his administration, and endorsed unproven therapies and treatments - raising concerns from some public health experts that he will pressure regulators to approve a vaccine ahead of the election before it has demonstrated its efficacy. When Pence was announced as the chair of the White House's coronavirus task force in February he told reporters "the threat to the American public remains low." He also followed the president's lead and did not wear a face covering to events, including a trip to the Mayo Clinic in April and a Florida restaurant in May while pushing for more states to reopen their economies. He took shots at Biden's remarks that "no miracle was coming" to save the American people from the virus. "Well, what Joe doesn't seem to understand is that America is a nation of miracles," Pence said to the crowd of people at Fort McHenry, which had many maskless people. Read a full transcript of Pence's RNC speech below: Good evening, America. It's an honor to speak to you tonight from the hallowed grounds of Fort McHenry. The site of the very battle that inspired the words of our national anthem. Those words have inspired this land of heroes in every generation since. It was on this site 206 years ago when our young republic heroically withstood a ferocious naval bombardment from the most powerful empire on Earth. They came to crush our revolution, to divide our nation, and to end the American experiment. The heroes who held this fort took their stand for life, liberty, freedom and the American flag, and those ideals have defined our nation. But they were hardly ever mentioned at last week's Democratic national convention. Instead, Democrats spent four days attacking America. Joe Biden said that we were living through a season of darkness. But as president trump said, where Joe Biden sees American darkness, we see American greatness. In these challenging times, our country needs a president who believes in America, who believes in the boundless capacity of the American people, to meet any challenge, defeat any foe, and defend the freedoms we hold dear. America needs four more years of President Donald Trump in the white house. Before I go forward, allow me to say a word to the families and communities in the path of Hurricane Laura. Our prayers are with you tonight, and our administration is working closely with authorities in the states that will be impacted. FEMA has mobilized resources and supplies for those in harm's way. This is a serious storm and we urge all of those in the affected areas to heed state and local authorities, stay safe and know that we'll be with you every step of the way, to support, rescue, respond, and recover in the days and weeks ahead. That's what Americans do. Four years ago, I answered the call to join this ticket because I knew that Donald Trump had the leadership and the vision to make America great again. And for the last four years, I've watched this president endure unrelenting attacks but get up every day and fight to keep the promises that he made to the American people. So, with gratitude for the confidence president Donald Trump has placed in me, the support of our Republican party and the grace of God, I humbly accept your nomination to run and serve as Vice President of the United States. Serving the American people in this office has been a journey I never expected. It's a journey that would not have been possible without the support of my family, beginning with my wonderful wife Karen. Shes a life-long school teacher, an incredible mother to our 3 children. And shes one outstanding second lady of the United States. I'm so proud of you. And we couldn't be more proud of our three children: Marine Corps captain, Michael J. Pence, and his wife Sara. Our daughter Charlotte Pence Bond, an author and wife to Lieutenant Henry Bond who is currently deployed and serving our nation in the United States Navy. And our youngest, a recent law school grad, our daughter Audrey and her fiance who like so many other Americans had to delay their wedding this summer. But we can't wait for Dan to be a part of our family. In addition, my wife and kids, the person whos shaped my life the most is also with us tonight. My mom, Nancy. She is the daughter of an Irish immigrant, 87 years young. Mom follows politics very closely. And the truth be told, sometimes I think I'm actually her second favorite candidate on the Trump/Pence ticket. Thank you, Mom. I love you. Over the past four years, Ive had the privilege to work closely with our President. Ive seen him when the cameras are off. Americans see President Trump is lots of different ways. But theres no doubt how President Trump sees America. He sees America for what it is: a nation that has done more good in this world than any other, a nation that deserves far more gratitude than grievance. And if you want a president who falls silent when our heritage is demeaned or insulted, he's not your man. Now we came by very different routes to this partnership, and some people think we're a little bit different. But you know, I've learned a few things watching him. Watching him deal with all that we've been through over the past four years. He does things in his own way, on his own terms. Not much gets past him, and when he has an opinion, he's liable to share it. He's certainly kept things interesting. But more importantly, President Donald Trump has kept his word to the American people. In a city known for talkers, President Trump is a doer. And few presidents have brought more Independence, energy or determination to that office. Four years ago, we inherited a military hollowed out by devastating budget cuts, an economy struggling to break out of the slowest recovery since the great depression. ISIS controlled a landmass twice the size of Pennsylvania, and we witnessed a steady assault on our most cherished values -- freedom of religion and the right to life. That's when President Donald Trump stepped in. And from day one, he kept his word. We rebuilt our military. This president signed the largest increase in our national defense since the days of Ronald Reagan and created the first new branch of our armed forces in 70 years, the United States space force. And with that renewed energy, we also returned American astronauts to space on an American rocket for the first time in nearly 10 years. And after years of scandal that robbed our veterans of the care that you earned in the uniform of the United States, president trump kept his word again. We reformed the VA and veterans' choice is now available for every veteran in America. Our armed forces and our veterans fill this land of heroes, and many join us tonight in this historic fort. Tonight, we have among us four recipients of the medal of honor, six recipients of the purple heart, a gold star mother of a gallant Navy S.E.A.L. and wounded warriors from Soldiers Strong, a group that serves our injured veterans every day. We are honored by your presence and we thank you for your service. With heroes just like these, we defend this nation every day. And under this commander in chief, we've taken the fight to radical Islamic terrorists on our terms on their soil. Last year, American armed forces took the last inch of ISIS territory, crushed their caliphate and took down their leader without one American causality. Irans top general will never harm another American again because Qassem Soleimani is gone. My fellow Americans, you deserve to know, Joe Biden criticized President Trump following those decisions, decisions to rid the world of two terrorist leaders. But it's not surprising, because history records that Joe Biden even opposed the operation that took down Osama bin Laden. It's no wonder that the secretary of the defense under the Obama/Biden administration once said that Joe Biden has been, and I quote, wrong on nearly every major foreign policy and national security issue over the past four decades. So we've stood up to our enemies and we've stood with our allies, like when President Trump kept his word and moved the American Embassy to Jerusalem, the capital of the state of Israel, setting the stage for the first Arab country to recognize Israel in 26 years. Closer to home, we appointed more than 200 conservative judges to our federal courts. We supported the right to life and all the God-given liberties enshrined in our constitution, including the second amendment, right to keep and bear arms. And when it came to the economy, President Trump kept his word and then some. We passed the largest tax cut and reform in American history. We rolled back more federal red tape than any administration ever had. We unleashed American energy and fought for free and fair trade. And in our first three years, businesses large and small created more than 7 million good-paying jobs, including 500,000 manufacturing jobs all across America. Our country became a net exporter of energy for the first time in 70 years. Unemployment rates for African-Americans and Hispanic Americans hit the lowest level ever recorded. And on this 100th anniversary of the women's right to vote, I'm proud to report that under President Donald Trump, we achieved the lowest unemployment rate for women in 65 years. And more Americans working than ever before. In our first three years, we built the greatest economy in the world. We made America great again. And then, the coronavirus struck from China. Before the first case of the coronavirus spread within the United States, the President took unprecedented action and suspended all travel from China, the second-largest economy in the world. Now, that action saved untold American lives, and I can tell you firsthand, it bought us invaluable time to launch the greatest national mobilization since World War II. President Trump marshaled the full resources of our federal government from the outset. He directed us to forge a seamless partnership with governors across America, in both political parties. We partnered with private industry to reinvent testing and produce supplies that we -- that were distributed to hospitals around the land. Today we're conducting more than 800,000 tests a day and we have coordinated the delivery of billions of pieces of personal protective equipment for our amazing doctors, nurses and health care workers. We saw to the manufacture of 100,000 ventilators in 100 days and no one who required a ventilator was ever denied a ventilator in the United States. We built hospitals, surged military medical personnel, and enacted an economic rescue package that saved 50 million American jobs. And as we speak, we're developing a growing number of treatments known as therapeutics, including convalescent plasma that are saving lives all across America. Now, last week, Joe Biden said that no miracle is coming. Well, what Joe doesn't seem to understand is that America is a nation of miracles. And I'm proud to report that we're on track to have the world's first safe, effective coronavirus vaccine by the end of this year. After all the sacrifice in this year like no other, all the hardship, we're finding our way forward again. But tonight, our hearts are with all of the families who have lost loved ones and have family members still struggling with serious illness. In this country, we mourn with those who mourn, we grieve with those who grieve. And this night, I know that millions of Americans will pause and pray for God's comfort for each of you. You know, our country doesn't get through such a time unless its people find the strength within. The response of doctors, nurses, first responders, farmers, factory workers, truckers and everyday Americans who put the health and safety of their neighbors first has been nothing short of heroic. Veronica Saez put on her scrubs every day, day in and day out went to work in one of New York City's busiest hospitals. She stayed on the job, put in the long hours until it was done and then got back in her neighborhood and helped neighbors and friends struggling. Her brother William is a New York City firefighter and they're both emblematic of heroes all across this country. They're with us tonight, and I say to them and to all of you: you have earned the admiration of the American people, and we will always be grateful for your service and care. Thanks to the courage and compassion of the American people, we're slowing the spread. We're protecting the vulnerable, and we're saving lives. And were opening up America again. Because of the strong foundation that President Trump poured in our first three years, weve already gained back 9.3 million jobs in the last three months alone. And were not just opening up America again, were opening up America's schools. And Im proud to report that my wife, Karen, that school teacher Ive been married to will be returning to her classroom next week. And so to all of our heroic teachers and faculty and staff, thank you for being there for our kids. We're going to stay with you every step of the way. In the days ahead as we open up America again, I promise you, we'll continue to put the health of America first. And as we work to bring this economy back, we all have a role to play, and we all have a choice to make. On November 3rd, you need to ask yourself, who do you trust to rebuild this economy? A career politician who presided over the slowest economic recovery since the great depression, or a proven leader who created the greatest economy in the world? The choice is clear. To bring America all the way back, we need four more years of President Donald Trump in the white house. My fellow Americans, were passing through a time of testing. When, in the midst of this global pandemic, just as our nation had begun to recover, we've seen violence and chaos in the streets of our major cities. President Trump and I will always support the right of Americans to peaceful protest. But rioting and looting is not peaceful protest. Tearing down statues is not free speech, and those who do so will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Last week Joe Biden didn't say one word about the violence and chaos engulfing cities across this country. So let me be clear, the violence must stop. Whether in Minneapolis, Portland or Kenosha. Too many heroes have died defending our freedom to see Americans strike each other down. We will have law and order on the streets of this country for every American of every race and creed and color. President Trump and I know that the men and women that put on the uniform of law enforcement are the best of us. Every day, when they walk out that door, they consider our lives more important than their own. People like Dave Patrick Underwood, an officer in the Department of Homeland Security's federal protective service who was shot and killed during the riots in Oakland, California. Dave's heroism is emblematic of the heroes that serve in blue every day. And were privileged tonight to be joined by his sister, Angela. Angela, we say to you, we grieve with your family, and America will never forget or fail to honor Officer Dave Patrick Underwood. The American people know we don't have to choose between supporting law enforcement and standing with our African-American neighbors to improve the quality of their lives, education, jobs, and safety. And from the first days of this administration, we've done both. And we will keep supporting law enforcement and keep supporting our African-American and minority communities across this land for four more years. Now, Joe Biden says that America is systematically racist. And that law enforcement in America has, and I quote, an implicit bias against minorities. When asked whether hed support cutting funding to law enforcement, Joe Biden replied, Yes, absolutely. Joe Biden would double down on the very policies that are leading to violence in America's cities. The hard truth is, you won't be safe in Joe Biden's America. And under President Trump, we will always stand with those who stand on the thin blue line, and we're not going to defund the police, not now, not ever. My fellow Americans, we're passing through a time of testing. But soon, we will come to a time for choosing. Joe Biden has referred to himself as a transition candidate. And many were asking, transition to what? Last week Democrats didn't talk very much about their agenda. And if I were them, I wouldn't either. I mean Bernie Sanders did tell his followers that Joe Biden would be the most liberal president in modern times. In fact, he said, and I quote, that many of the ideas he fought for, that just a few years ago were considered radical, are now mainstream in the Democratic Party. At the root of their agenda, is the belief that America is driven by envy, not aspiration. That millions of Americans harbor ill will toward our neighbors, instead of loving our neighbors as ourselves. The radical left believes that the federal government must be involved in every aspect of our lives to correct those American wrongs. They believe the federal government needs to dictate how Americans live, how we should work, how we should raise our children. And in the process, deprive our people of freedom, prosperity and security. Their agenda is based on government control. Our agenda is based on freedom. Where President Trump cut taxes, Joe Biden wants to raise taxes by nearly 4 trillion dollars. Where this President achieved energy independence for the United States, Joe Biden would abolish fossil fuels, end fracking, and impose a regime of climate change regulations that would drastically increase the cost of living for working families. Where we fought for free and fair trade and this president stood up to China and ended the era of economic surrender, Joe Biden has been a cheerleader for communist China. He wants to repeal all of the tariffs that are leveling the playing field for American workers and he actually criticized president trump for suspending all travel to China at the outset of this pandemic. Joe Biden is for open borders, sanctuary cities, free lawyers and health care for illegal immigrants. President Trump, he secured our border and built nearly 300 miles of that border wall. Joe Biden wants to end school choice. And President Trump believes that every parent should have the right to choose where their children go to school, regardless of their income or area code. President Trump has stood without apology for the sanctity of human life, every day of this administration. Joe Biden, he supports taxpayer funding of abortion, right up to the moment of birth. When you consider their agenda, it's clear. Joe Biden would be nothing more than a Trojan horse for the radical left. The choice in this election has never been clearer, and the stakes have never been higher. Last week, Joe Biden said democracy is on the ballot. And the truth is, our economic recovery is on the ballot. Law and order are on the ballot. But so are things far more fundamental and foundational to our country. In this election, it's not so much whether America will be more conservative or more liberal, more Republican or more Democrat. The choice in this election is whether America remains America. It's whether we will leave to our children and grandchildren a country grounded in our highest ideals of freedom, free markets, and the unalienable right to life and liberty, or whether we will leave them a country that is fundamentally transformed into something else. We stand at a crossroads, America. President Trump has set our nation on a path of freedom and opportunity. Joe Biden would set America on a path of socialism and decline, but we're not going to let it happen. President Donald Trump believes in America and in the goodness of the American people, the boundless potential of every American to live out their dreams in freedom and, every day, President Trump has been fighting to protect the promise of America. Every day our president has been fighting to expand the reach of the American dream. Every day president Donald Trump has been fighting for you. And now it's our turn to fight for him. On this night in the company of heroes, I'm deeply grateful. Deeply grateful for the privilege of serving as vice president of this great nation, and to have the opportunity to serve again. I pray to be worthy of it, and I will give that duty all that's in me. In the year 2020, the American people have had more than our share of challenges. But, thankfully, we have a president with the toughness, energy, and resolve to see us through. Now, those traits actually run in our national character. As the invading force learned on approach to this fort, in September of 1814, against fierce and sustained bombardment, our young country was defended by heroes, not so different from those who are with us tonight. The enemy was counting on them to quit, but they never did. Fort McHenry, held and when morning came, our flag was still here. My fellow Americans, we're going through a time of testing. But if you look through the fog of these challenging times, you will see. Our flag is still there today. That Star-Spangled Banner still waves over the land of the free and the home of the brave. From these hallowed grounds, American patriots in generations gone by did their part to defend freedom. Now it's our turn. So let's run the race marked out for us. Let's fix our eyes on old glory and all she represents. Let's fix our eyes on this land of heroes. And let their courage inspire. And let's fix our eyes on the author and perfecter of our faith and our freedom. And never forget that where the spirit of the lord is, there's freedom. That means freedom always wins. My fellow Americans, thank you for the honor of addressing you tonight and the opportunity to run and serve again as your vice president. I leave here today inspired. And I leave here today more convinced than ever that we will do in our time, as Americans have done throughout our long and storied past. We will defend our freedom and our way of life. We will re-elect our president and principled Republican leaders across the land. And with President Donald Trump in the White House for four more years, and with God's help, we will make America great again. Again. Thank you. God bless you. And God bless the United States of America. RNC 2020: Pence calls Biden a 'Trojan horse for a radical left' as he touts Trump's accomplishments originally appeared on abcnews.go.com London: Amid the campaign for US Presidential elections Donald Trump's supporter and a former TV host Tomi Lahren called him "wise like an ulloo" in a video message, according to an article in The Independent. In the article Ali-Asgar Abedi said he paid Lahren USD 85 through Cameo App to call President Trump a "jackass". Lahren addressed the Indian supporters of the US President in the video. "Thanks for supporting the Make America Great agenda and to keep America great agenda. President Trump is wise like an owl or as you would say in Hindi -- President Trump is wise like an ulloo," she said. Though she did not say the word 'jackass', she said 'ulloo' which literally means "owl" in Hindi, Urdu and Punjabi and colloquially "ulloo" means "jackass", said the article in The Independent and added that the term is only used pejoratively in India. "For the uninitiated, Cameo is an app that allows people to pay (often washed-up) public figures to say anything they are told," the article said. Citing the reason for such a prank, Abedi said, "Republican National Convention has been reduced to a cast of caricatures that closely resembles a comic book convention for villains only." "Lahren thought she was calling Trump wise, but ended up insulting the man whose presidency her entire career is based on. Maybe her brain was fried from taking the President's advice about ingesting bleach. Or maybe she was easily duped because she's lacking in intellectual curiosity and only offers arguments that a toddler would call reductive," Abedi wrote. "But we shouldn't just pick on Tomi Lahren -- because the reality is that it could have been any other pro-Trump commentator who fell naively into such an obvious trap. Ben Shapiro, Jesse Watters, Mark Levin, Sarah Palin or Kimberly Guifoyle could have fallen victim to the same prank just as easily (although in the case of Guifoyle, she probably won't appear on Cameo because her vocal performance at the RNC will probably convince Aerosmith to have her replace Steven Tyler.)" he added. The US Presidential Elections are scheduled for November 3 this year. Hanover Raceway will kick off two consecutive weeks of Ontario Sires Stakes action this Saturday (August 29), as three divisions of two-year-old trotting fillies are set to battle for a total of $66,650. The $22,450 first division will head postward for Race 2, and trainer Mark Etsell is hoping that Top Of The Bar can bounce back from sickness to add a few more points to the 62 she accumulated in her first two Grassroots starts. The daughter of Muscle Mass finished third in the July 13 season opener at Woodbine Mohawk Park and won her division in the July 29 leg at Grand River Raceway before missing the August 17 round. We just went through a bout of the sickness, thats why we missed the last Grassroots, so I qualified her there Tuesday (August 25) just to tighten her up a bit, so hopefully were coming in good, said Hanover native Etsell. We had 15 out of 17 sick there, so it was pretty rough. Etsell, who currently calls Rockwood home, shares ownership of Top Of The Bar with Robert Newton of Walkerton, Graham Hopkins of Chesley and Peter Porter of Port Dover, Ont. The partners offered up $25,000 for the filly at last falls Lexington Selected Yearling Sale. Top Of The Bar and driver Bob McClure will line up in Post 2 on Saturday, alongside local filly Charmbo Princess, who is set to start from Post 3 for driver Mike Saftic and owner/breeders Randy Rier of Hanover and John 'Jack' Rier of Kitchener, Ont. In her Grassroots appearances, Charmbo Princess has tallied one win and one fourth for a total of 58 points. She also missed one leg due sickness. Were hoping shes a little sharper. She was sick. She was off five weeks before she raced two weeks ago there (August 17) and Im hoping shes a little sharper. We were able to get her trained a little better and stuff like that, said Randy Rier of the homebred daughter of Royalty For Life and Hetties Charm. So well keep our fingers crossed. The other two $22,100 Grassroots divisions will head postward for Race 5 and 7 on the Saturday afternoon program, which will get underway at 2 p.m. Next Saturday (September 5), the Hanover half-mile will host the last regular season Grassroots event for the three-year-old pacing fillies. Competition will be fierce as the fillies will vie for one of 20 spots in the October 2 Grassroots Semi-Finals at Woodbine Mohawk Park. Although in-person attendance is limited to 100 people for both Grassroots events, fans can download a program and find links to the live stream on the Hanover Raceway website. To view the harness racing entries for Saturday at Hanover, click the following link: Saturday Entries - Hanover Raceway. (OSS) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Francis E. Hutchinson and Kevin Zhang (The Jakarta Post) Singapore Thu, August 27, 2020 16:14 511 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c40e6f84 3 Opinion Mahathir,Mahathir-Mohamad,Malaysia,political-party Free On Aug. 29, the residents of Slim, a small, rural and Malay-majority state seat will vote in a by-election. While the constituency is not usually on most peoples radar, this time around, strategists and analysts will be eagerly scrutinizing the results of the contest. On the one hand, voting in this constituency will be an indication of the feelings on the ground for the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), Malaysias erstwhile dominant party. On the other, it will be the debut of Malaysias newest party, Pejuang, the political vehicle of former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad. Beyond the fortunes of Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pejuang per se, the by-election will test the internal cohesion of the expanding Muafakat Nasional coalition as well as the recently-ousted Pakatan Harapan (PH) grouping. The by-election is being called following the demise of the state assemblyperson for Slim and BN division chief for the Tanjung Malim parliamentary seat, Mohd Khusairi Abdul Talib, on July 15. The communities in Slim are beneficiaries of federal government agricultural development initiatives and tend to be staunch supporters of the UMNO. Indeed, Slim has been held by UMNO since the constituency was established in 2004. Despite the seats traditional affinity for BN and UMNO, support has been on a downward trajectory since the 2004 general election. In 2008 and 2013, votes for the ruling coalition fell and, as with the rest of the country, BN failed to obtain a majority in 2018 for the first time. One contributing factor was the three-way battle between BN, the Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), and the Malaysian United Indigenous Party (PPBM) that year. While PAS had traditionally run against BN in the seat, PPBM was able to capitalize on cost of living issues as well as the 1MDB controversy to secure a third of the votes in 2018. The Slim state seat is one of three within the Tanjung Malim parliamentary constituency. For its part, Tanjung Malim has traditionally been represented by the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) which, like UMNO, is a BN component party. Despite this track record, over the past two decades, the People's Justice Party (PKR) has built up its grassroots network in the constituency and, in 2018, its candidate there, Chang Lih Kang, beat the MCA candidate, Mah Hang Soon, by 5,000 votes. Due to the benefits of incumbency, as well as its well-developed grassroots network, BN is regarded as the favorite to win the election. That said, COVID-19 has altered campaign dynamics by increasing the importance of social media at the expense of traditional and more expensive activities such as large-scale rallies. BN has chosen a well-known local UMNO member, Mohd. Zaidi Aziz, as its candidate. Zaidi graduated from the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) with a Bachelors degree in Islamic Studies. As Pejuang remains unregistered, the partys candidate, Amir Khusyairi, will stand as an independent in the by-election. Amir comes from a prominent religious family, and is a sharia lawyer and also an IIUM graduate. Compared to Zaidi, Amir is perceived as more of an outsider, coming as he does from the adjacent district of Telok Intan. To its credit, the fledgling party has managed to assemble some party machinery in Slim, run by Pejuang volunteers from across the peninsula. However, the partys campaign is leaning heavily on Mahathirs personal popularity. The third candidate is Santharasekaran Subramaniam, a teacher who recently resigned to stand as an independent in the elections. The only non-Malay contestant in the election, Subramaniam has focussed on the plight of Indians and plantation workers in the constituency. Given its ethnic composition, agriculture-based economy, and voting history, Slim is a good bellwether for voting trends in Peninsular Malaysias Malay heartland. In addition, the campaign constitutes a unique test for the various political groupings, most notably the UMNO-PAS led Muafakat Nasional and the recently-ousted PH. With regard to Muafakat Nasional, the Slim by-election will provide crucial insights on whether PAS supporters in rural constituencies will heed their leaders call to support an UMNO candidate. In the 2018 election, PAS made significant inroads in Slim among the younger electorate, and support for the Islamic party among under-40s is equal to, if not slightly higher than, for UMNO. The Slim by-election also serves as a practical test of whether PAS and UMNO grassroots networks can collaborate effectively. Should the by-election indicate that PAS supporters refuse to back a UMNO candidate, or that concerted campaigning is not feasible, the simple reliance on vote pooling between UMNO and PAS in the next election may need to be revisited. The newly-expanded Muafakat Nasional may suffer internal fault lines, but Pejuang has problems of its own as well. Despite clearly targeting PH supporters and desperately needing to use PH grassroots networks to canvas for support, Pejuang is not officially a PH member. While Amanah leaders such as Khalid Samad and Mohamad Sabu have campaigned for Pejuang, it is PKR that has the strongest grassroots presence in Tanjung Malim, including in Slim. There have been expressions of support from PKR vice president and MP for Tanjong Malim, Chang Lih Kang, as well as Tian Chua, another PKR vice president, but grassroots members and some state leaders are reluctant to campaign for Pejuang as Mahathir has yet to reconcile with PKR president Anwar Ibrahim. Considering historical voting preferences in Slim, BN is likely to secure a victory come polling day. However, given the stakes, a narrow victory may not be sufficient. In the 2018 general election the combined vote share for PAS and UMNO in the seat was 68 percent, with PAS garnering about 4,000 votes or 22 percent. Should Zaidi get significantly less than two thirds of the vote, it could mean that PAS supporters are not that inclined to support UMNO, particularly in areas where the Islamic party has been active and has fielded its own candidates in the past. For its part, Pejuang will seek to attract the 6,000 votes that went to PPBM when that party was part of PH. However, should Pejuang garner a paltry share of the vote, say, less than 3,000, then that could indicate Mahathirs appeal to rural Malays has fallen. In addition, given Pejuangs Malay focus, non-Malay PH supporters may decide to stay at home or vote for Subramaniam as a sign of protest. Should that happen, this by-election could prove to be Mahathirs last battle. --- Francis E. Hutchinson is senior fellow and coordinator of the Malaysia Studies Program (MSP) at the ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute. Kevin Zhang is research officer at ISEAS. The original article was published in ISEAS Perspective . Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post. Xiaomi Corp.s shares leapt 11.4% after inroads into the Chinese market for high-end smartphones and strong growth overseas helped the company report better-than-expected profit. The stock climbed its most in two years in Hong Kong, taking its 2020 gains to 98%. The Chinese smartphone maker more than doubled net income to 4.49 billion yuan ($716 million) in the June quarter, beating the highest analyst estimate. Sales increased 3.1% to 53.5 billion yuan. Xiaomis overseas business has recovered to pre-Covid-19 levels, acting Chief Financial Officer Wang Xiang said Wednesday. Driven by a favorable competitive landscape, aggressive building of sales channels, increased R&D with strong product competitiveness, and continued adoption of 5G in China and overseas market (Europe) in 2021, we expect strong value share gains starting 2H20," Bocom International analysts including Chris Yim wrote in a report. Bocom, Morgan Stanley, CICC and Citigroup were among brokerages that lifted their price targets for Xiaomis stock. Smartphone shipments in European countries like France and Spain grew by 64.9% in the quarter, propelling Xiaomi into the No. 3 spot in the region for the first time, the company said, citing consultancy Canalys. The phonemaker also kept its top position in India in the quarter even though the countrys smartphone shipments halved during lockdown measures. That drove a 12% fall in the companys device shipments globally, according to IDC, just when tensions between Delhi and Beijing threatened to further depress sales in its biggest foreign market. Read more: Xiaomi Sets Goal of Becoming Manufacturing Powerhouse in China Xiaomi may be able to offset some of the hit through higher-margin phones and market share gains against biggest competitor Huawei Technologies Co., which is struggling to sustain smartphone output because of U.S. curbs on its in-house chip design and supply. Xiaomi shipped 28.3 million smartphones during the quarter, with average selling prices increasing 11.8% from a year earlier, reflecting deeper inroads into premium devices. Xiaomi could gain market share from Huawei in China, Europe and LatAM market," Citigroup analyst Andre Lin wrote in a report. We believe this will accelerate smartphone growth on top of the 5G trend." The phone maker appointed a new chief financial officer, former Credit Suisse head of Asia technology Alain Lam, confirming a Bloomberg News report. The veteran investment banker, who worked on the public listings of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., Google and Pinduoduo Inc., will take up his new role in October and could help Xiaomi uncover value in the more than 300 companies it has backed. That sprawling portfolio of startups, ranging from Segway owner Ninebot Inc. to portable charger maker Zimi and Huami Corp., are key to Xiaomis longer-term ambition of building a network of home devices for the so-called Internet of Things. In China, domestically oriented businesses such as media and finance could bounce back alongside an economic recovery. Xiaomi, known for lower-priced phones, has been trying to lift its average retail price to cushion margins. Chief Executive Officer Lei Jun this month introduced a suite of smartphones priced close to the iPhone 11 and transparent TVs costing 49,999 yuan to commemorate the companys 10th anniversary. The co-founder also pledged to develop advanced manufacturing to fuel Chinas high-end electronics making ambition. Xiaomi will join Hong Kongs benchmark index from September in one of the gauges biggest revamps, a potential boost for the stock. This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Never miss a story! Stay connected and informed with Mint. Download our App Now!! Topics By Ayya Lmahamad Application of innovations in the agricultural sector is expanding in Azerbaijan. Drones have been used in Aghjabadi regions Hajilar village to spray corn fields with special medications, the Ministry of Agriculture has reported. The novel process was also observed by Agriculture Minister Inam Karimov. Director of the center Imran Jumshudov noted that it is the first time that Azerbaijan is using drones in spraying corn fields. He stressed that using drones is due to the high growth of corn in the current vegetation period, which does not allow to carry out the spraying process by any other methods. Likewise, it was noted that the use of modern innovations and technologies by farmers will be expanded. The fields were treated with a mixture of chemicals used in pest control by the specially trained operators of the Agrarian Center for Science and Innovation. Minister Inam Kerimov exchanged views with farmers on the organization of re-sowing of corn, increasing yields, and assessed their proposals. Additionally, in the framework of his visit to Aghjabadi region, minister also visited the Karabakh Equestrian Complex, the grain seed processing plant and familiarized himself with cotton fields of farmers in the villages of the region. Farmers noted that interest in growing cotton had increased due to increased government support, as well as the new subsidy mechanism stimulates the harvest. For these reasons, a rich harvest is expected in the country this year. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz The U.S. economy shrank 32.9 percent in the second quarter due to the pandemic, according to Commerce Department's latest data. But Americans are actually spending more while earning less: In May, consumer spending increased 8.2 percent while personal income decreased 4.2 percent. These trends add urgency to grow sales until the economy recovers. That's easier said than done considering most small businesses (SMBs) have unreliable cash flow. According to an April 2020 Harvard survey, the median business has over $10,000 in monthly expenses but less than one month of cash on hand. Business owners and company managers must be relentless in growing cash flow. Doing so lessens enterprise risk and gives business leaders better rest at night. Here are a few ideas that won't break the bank. Improve content that reaches target buyers. The only people who can rescue any fragile business are buyers. Satisfied customers. Shoppers who have willing cash or plastic in hand. So ask, "What kind of individual would immediately purchase my goods? You've got to tailor business content based on such a profile because it'll lead to relevant traffic and conversions. If you can't explain a compelling value proposition, then there's no reason for a cautious consumer to pull out a wallet. Additionally, remote work is putting the spotlight on ecommerce and social media. According to Adobe Analytics, ecommerce sales jumped 76 percent in June. You probably can't increase cash flow unless you're online. Sell the benefits. Tell prospects how much money or time they'll save. Use chatbots to support customers. Chatbots are a competitive advantage because they interact with customers 24/7. They're also a growing trend for B2B and B2C. Bots improve sales by keeping buyers and fans engaged with a business. In B2B settings, bots can guide site visitors through the sales funnel. For example, they can guide prospects from a blog post, to a programmatic conversation, and to a video call with a salesperson. Bots also reduce costs by automating certain aspects of customer relations, possibly cutting down payroll spending. Natasha Takahashi, CMO and co-founder of School of Bots, a San Diego, California-based training firm for marketers, agencies and companies, says there's a shift in consumer behavior where more customers are using messenger apps to buy a product, schedule a meeting, and other revenue-facing activities. Takahashi expects the use of bots to grow among enterprises of all sizes. That said, strive to keep a customer for life. People want to feel like businesses care about them. And they want to interact with your business as conveniently as possible. Using messaging apps to communicate with customers in a personalized and intimate way allows a brand to build a relationship with audiences. These one-on-one relationships increase the lifetime value of each customer and lead to more referrals. With so many competitors around, providing a unique, customer-focused experience makes it easier to do business with you. This is critical to business growth in 2020 and beyond. Takahashi adds that bots give companies a reputation of being responsive and attuned to customers' concerns. She says the key is to customize the tech's functions based on a firm's attributes, objectives and its customers' expectations. For example, a bot can ask a site visitor a few qualifying questions, then give a product recommendation personalized for the user. And send the user to checkout. If customer service is more important, then bots should be designed to answer after-purchase questions. Experiment with social strategies. It's difficult to produce a viral video, tweet or article. But the purpose of increasing sales at this point is not necessarily popularity. It's to make your venture survive a historic recession by reaching the right buyers. Depending on the type of business, even 1,000 or 3,000 impressions from the appropriate crowd can lead to enough sales for your startup to survive more months. Experiment on YouTube, Instagram and other big platforms. If you're not good at making videos, then outsource it. Hire actors on sites like Fiverr and Upwork: All you need is a small budget for someone to review a product, discuss its features and/or help prospects find your business. (And be vigilant. Perhaps your rival is ruining your brand by hiring actors to publish negative reviews.) Explore if it makes sense to set up a referral system with influencers. They can potentially drive the right kind of traffic (high-converting traffic) to your business. An influencer may be an industry expert or local celebrity. Or he can be a school principal. You may have to keep tweaking a referral program to discover what motivates people to give you customers. Additionally, why not give influencers product samples? Your inventory will rot anyway if no one buys it. In the new charging documents, officers said they interviewed Berryman two days after the shooting as he was in the hospital. Berryman told the officers he did not remember the incident. He also told the officers he had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and that before the shooting he had been hospitalized and then stayed at a residential treatment facility. Berryman said he left that facility the day of the shooting. Good Morning Britain viewers were outraged when a weather reporter was nearly blown away during an 'unsurvivable' hurricane on Thursday. NBC News reporter Jay Gray was speaking to hosts Sean Fletcher and Ranvir Singh about the conditions in Lake Charles, Louisiana. The Category 4 Hurricane Laura has 150mph winds and is battering the south east, with residents being told to evacuate. Dangerous: Good Morning Britain viewers were outraged when a weather reporter was nearly blown away during an 'unsurvivable' hurricane on Thursday. Jay stayed in the storm to present his weather report but was nearly blown off his feet. He said: 'A bit of a lull but here it comes again, you can feel it picking up and that's only going to continue to turn and get much more intense.' The wind then picked up and became so strong he was forced to move and grab hold of his cap. Brave: NBC News reporter Jay Gray was speaking to hosts Sean Fletcher and Ranvir Singh about the conditions in Lake Charles, Louisiana 'Unsurvivable': Jay stayed in the storm to present his weather report but was nearly blown off his feet The presenters were then forced to cut away as Jay couldn't hear them and the hurricane became too strong. Sean said: 'I think for your safety Jay we are going to have to leave you. You're talking about that being a lull, I can't imagine what it's going to be like when it really picks up. 'The conditions look dangerous already for Jay.' Scary: The Category 4 Hurricane Laura has 150mph winds and is battering the south east, with residents being told to evacuate Taking a battering: The presenters were forced to cut away as Jay couldn't hear them and the hurricane became too strong Ranvir said: 'Jay, go and make yourself safe somewhere, I assume you can go and get shelter in a vehicle for a while. My goodness me, that is extraordinary.' But viewers were horrified by the conditions and shared their outrage that the presenter was made to stand in the hurricane. One fan said on Twitter: 'What the hell has this weather guy done to deserve this! Get him inside now! @GMB #GMB Telling people it's unsurvivable and then stick him outside to demonstrate that! So irresponsible!' Another wrote: 'Why is he being made to stand outside in a hurricane when Alex has said threat to life.' Concerned: Viewers were horrified by the conditions and shared their outrage that the presenter was made to stand in the hurricane One viewer said: 'Hurricane described as "unsurvivable". Sends a news reporter out to stand in it. Poor bloke. Taking a pasting.' While another said: 'That poor guy reporting on Hurricane Laura. Surely one of the GMB producers tells him to get to a safe place and don't bother with the report. He was being physically blown over!!' After sharing the video on social media, GMB then clarified: 'We would like to add Jay Gray is an experienced hurricane reporter with lots of safety measures in place. He is safe and well.' Reassuring: fter sharing the video on social media, GMB then clarified that Jay is an experienced hurricane reporter and is safe and well At 150mph, the hurricane's winds are the strongest to make landfall in Louisiana since the Last Island Hurricane of 1856. The storm grew nearly 87 per cent in power in just 24 hours to a size the National Hurricane Center called 'extremely dangerous', making it the most powerful hurricane to strike the US so far this year. Laura reached land near the small town of Cameron around 30 miles from the Texas border, where officials went door-to-door pleading with people to flee the path of the storm amid fears the entire parish will be inundated. More than 290,000 homes and businesses are without power in Texas and Louisiana, as near-constant lightning provided the only light for some and debris flew into windshields while an RV toppled over in torrential rain. The hurricane is now pushing inland while the Gulf Coast faces storm surges and 10 inches of rain coupled with a high tide, the National Hurricane Center says - while tornadoes could form at the edges of the weather system. Deadly: Hurricane Laura began to pummel Lake Charles, Louisiana late Wednesday, with powerful winds gusting over 70mph Actor Kushal Tandon has lashed out at reports that actor Ankita Lokhande was in a relationship with him after her break-up with late actor Sushant Singh Rajput in 2016. Kushal tweeted a news article on his link-up with Ankita and called the report shocking. This is a shame journalism, like really , I was a friend of both ,Sushanth was a brother and @anky1912 a friend , at this time who so ever z team is trying to get my name in this blame game ... plz keep me out of this ....... shocking how we live in a world of news, he wrote on Twitter. This is a shame journalism, like really , I was a friend of both ,Sushanth was a brother and @anky1912 a friend , at this time who so ever z team is trying to get my name in this blame game ... plz keep me out of this ....... shocking how we live in a world of news pic.twitter.com/B65xy737KR KUSHAL TANDON (@KushalT2803) August 27, 2020 In another tweet, Kushal said that Sushant must be laughing out loud from heaven looking at the circus surrounding his death here. And for the world plz let his soul rest in peace its a circus out here and the diamond must be laughing out loud from heaven ..... sushi take lite like u always did u chil its only caos down here you angel, he wrote. And for the world plz let his soul rest in peace its a circus out here and the diamond must be laughing out loud from heaven ..... sushi take lite like u always did u chil its only caos down here you angel KUSHAL TANDON (@KushalT2803) August 27, 2020 Sushant died on June 14. Kushal had mourned his loss in a heartfelt Instagram post. @sushantsinghrajput not done brother ,not done ......what can I say , see you on the other side Untill then , m sure now you are with your mother. RIP, he had written. Also see: Ankita Lokhande refutes Rhea Chakrabortys claim that Sushant Singh Rajput felt claustrophobic in flights with this video Sushants family believes his girlfriend, Rhea Chakraborty is responsible for his death. In a video, his father KK Singh called her a murderer. Rhea Chakraborty was giving poison to my son, Sushant, for a long time. She is his murderer. The investigating agency must arrest her and her associates, he said in the clip. Rhea, in a statement issued through her lawyer, Satish Maneshinde, has maintained that she is innocent. The Central Bureau of Investigation, Enforcement Directorate and Narcotics Control Bureau are currently investigating the case. 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 Follow @htshowbiz for more During the news conference, students wearing masks were coming in and out of the Ida B. Wells Middle School lobby, picking up computers. A city survey found that 60 percent of respondents lacked adequate technology at home. The city has struggled to connect with some families, and the school system does not have a full picture of who needs technology in part because of low enrollment numbers. The chancellor has committed to providing a device and Internet access to every student in need. Nigerian-born, Kaycee Madu, has been appointed as Canadas new minister of justice. Madu is also the first Black Man to occupy either Provincial or Federal Justice positions of the Justice Minister, Attorney General or Solicitor General in the country. According to report, Madu was born and raised in southeastern Nigeria. He graduated from the University of Lagos with a law degree in 2001. He and his wife moved to Canada in 2005. They have three children. Announcing his appointment, the MLA for Edmonton-South West and Minister of Justice and Solicitor General stated on his twitter page; Thank you, everyone, for all the well wishes. I am beyond humbled to accept my new role as Minister of Justice and Solicitor General where I will pursue fairness, equality, and justice for all with every ounce of strength I have. Thank you, everyone, for all the well wishes. I am beyond humbled to accept my new role as Minister of Justice and Solicitor General where I will pursue fairness, equality, and justice for all with every ounce of strength I have. More here: https://t.co/nmLf4bbsC3 #ableg pic.twitter.com/tHt8JrEthr Kaycee Madu (@KayceeMaduYEG) August 25, 2020 Canadian Premier, Jason Kenney, elevated Madu to the position of the minister of justice from Municipal Affairs in a cabinet shuffle that saw Calgary-Elbow MLA Doug Schweitzer deployed to economic portfolio, according to Canadas CBC report. His appointment was celebrated by some in Canadas Alberta Black community as a way to bring needed perspective to the nations justice system. Kenney described Madu as a man who has experienced racial prejudice firsthand and can bring that sensitivity to this important role, while saying; Im excited to have him in that position. Madu, who has practised law in both Nigeria and Alberta, was first elected as a Member of Legislative Assemblies (MLA) in the April 2019 general election. Dunia Nur, president of the Edmonton-based African Canadian Civic Engagement Council, said Madu has become a role model for the community. The Nigerian in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) in its congratulatory message posted on Twitter noted; Kaycee Madu is a Canadian politician who was elected in the 2019 Alberta general election to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta representing the electoral district of Edmonton-South West. Congratulations to a Nigerian born Kaycee Madu @KayceeMaduYEG who becomes Canadas Minister Of Justice. Madu is the first Black Man to occupy either Provincial or Federal Justice positions of the Justice Minister, Attorney General or Solicitor General.#ProudlyNigerian #Thread pic.twitter.com/Lx1NMxo05k Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (@nidcom_gov) August 26, 2020 Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates The global cylindrical lithium-ion battery market size is expected to grow by USD 8.45 billion as per Technavio. This marks a significant market slow down compared to the 2019 growth estimates due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the first half of 2020. However, steady growth is expected to continue throughout the forecast period, and the market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 13%. Request Free Sample Report on COVID-19 Impacts This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200827005039/en/ Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Cylindrical Lithium-Ion Battery Market 2020-2024 (Graphic: Business Wire) Read the 120-page report with TOC on "Cylindrical Lithium-Ion Battery Market Analysis Report by Application (Automotive, Industrial, and Others) and Geography (APAC, North America, Europe, South America, and MEA), and the Segment Forecasts, 2020-2024". https://www.technavio.com/report/cylindrical-lithium-ion-battery-market-industry-analysis The market is driven by the increase in demand for power banks. In addition, the growing adoption of EVs is anticipated to boost the growth of the cylindrical lithium-Ion battery market. There is a substantial increase in the adoption of power banks across the globe due to the rising penetration of smartphones, extensive use of Internet services through different applications, and growing inclination toward fourth-generation (4G) cellular technology. In addition, the need for power-on-the-go to charge mobile devices and growing trend for more people accessing high-quality digital content are also encouraging the adoption of power banks. Most of the power banks use batteries such as cylindrical lithium-ion battery to store energy. They have a mini or micro USB for charging and full-sized USB sockets for discharging. Thus, the increase in demand for power banks is expected to drive market growth during the forecast period. Buy 1 Technavio report and get the second for 50% off. Buy 2 Technavio reports and get the third for free. View market snapshot before purchasing Major Five Cylindrical Lithium-Ion Battery Companies: Dongguan Large Electronics Co. Ltd. Dongguan Large Electronics Co. Ltd. offers a wide range of energy storage solutions such as lithium power battery, energy storage battery, lithium polymer battery, 18650 lithium battery, lithium ion battery, and low temperature battery among others. The company offers a line of products such as 14500 lithium ion battery, 18500 lithium ion battery, and 18650 lithium ion battery among others. Hitachi Ltd. Hitachi Ltd. has business operations under various segments such as information and telecommunication systems, social infrastructure and industrial systems, electronic systems and equipment, automotive systems, high function materials and components, construction machinery, and smart life and ecofriendly systems. The company offers a line of lithium-ion batteries for hybrid electric vehicles such as cylindrical prismatic lithium-ion battery cell, 115V lithium-ion battery module, and 173V lithium-ion battery module among others. LG Chem Ltd. LG Chem Ltd. operates its business through various segments such as petrochemicals, energy solutions, advanced materials, life sciences, and common and others. The company offers lithium-ion batteries that are used in laptop, power tool, electric bicycle, and electric motorcycle applications. Murata Manufacturing Co. Ltd. Murata Manufacturing Co. Ltd. has business operations under two segments: components and modules. The company offers a line of cylindrical lithium ion secondary batteries that are used at high rate and maintain high capacity. Padre Electronics Co. Ltd. Padre Electronics Co. Ltd. develops and manufactures high quality lithium polymer battery cells, battery packs, and lithium-ion battery custom power packs such as lithium polymer battery, lithium ion battery, RC battery cells and lipo packs, and super batteries among others. The company offers a line of products such as 3.7V 9000mAh 26650 li-ion rechargeable battery, 3.7V 4500mAh 26650 li-ion battery pack, 3.7V, 11.1v 8800mAh li-ion rechargeable battery pack, 11.1v 8800mAh li-ion rechargeable battery pack, and 11.1v 2200mAh 18650 li-ion battery pack among others. Register for a free trial today and gain instant access to 17,000+ market research reports. Technavio's SUBSCRIPTION platform Cylindrical Lithium-Ion Battery Application Outlook (Revenue, USD bn, 2020-2024) Automotive Industrial Others Cylindrical Lithium-Ion Battery Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD bn, 2020-2024) APAC North America Europe South America MEA Technavio's sample reports are free of charge and contain multiple sections of the report, such as the market size and forecast, drivers, challenges, trends, and more. Request a free sample report About Technavio 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/20200827005039/en/ Contacts: Technavio Research Jesse Maida Media Marketing Executive US: +1 844 364 1100 UK: +44 203 893 3200 Email: media@technavio.com Website: www.technavio.com/ Anthony Huber Friends have identified one of two people killed at a Jacob Blake protest in Wisconsin on Tuesday evening. Anthony Huber, 26, was allegedly shot dead by Kyle Rittenhouse after the teenager opened fire during another night of unrest in Kenosha. Mr Hubers girlfriend, Hannah Gittings, addressed protesters late on Wednesday following the killing of her partner. He was one of the most amazing people ... she said. He had so much love in his heart for this city ... he took down an armed gunman with nothing but his f*****g skateboard, and he took that f*****g bullet. Mr Humber, of Silver Lake, was allegedly gunned down by white teenage vigilante Mr Rittenhouse shortly before midnight on the third night of protests in Kenosha. Mr Rittenhouse has since been arrested in his hometown of Anitoch, Illinois, some 15 miles away from the scene of his alleged crime. He has been charged with first-degree murder. It has since emerged that the 17-year-old had an adoration for guns and the police; he also appears to be a Donald Trump supporter. Posts on Mr Rittenhouses Facebook account, which was deactivated on Wednesday following his first court appearance, show the teenager with a long-arm rifle, framed with the Blue Lives Matter logo. The Blue Lives Matter movement was created in December 2014, after the homicides of NYPD officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu in Brooklyn. In other Facebook posts, Mr Rittenhouse pays homage to law enforcement officers who died on duty. He also has a years-long association with local police cadet programmes, according to the Chicago Tribune. Video has emerged of the teenager in attendance at a Donald Trump rally in Iowa, back in January. Footage from the event shows Mr Rittenhouse cheering for the president from the front row; he later posted a video from the rally on one of his two TikTok accounts. When asked about Mr Rittenhouses attendance at the rally, senior White House aide Kellyanne Conway said: Were not responsible for the private conduct of people at our rallies any more than all the crazy people who have been involved with the Obama/Biden campaigns or other things, she said. Story continues Mr Rittenhouse has been assigned a public defender ahead of his next court appearance. He is being held at Lake County juvenile detention facility pending a hearing on his potential extradition to Wisconsin, according to the Kenosha County Sheriffs Office. Read more What we know about teen who killed two at Jacob Blake protest Russia is expected to boost its gold production more rapidly in 2020 and 2021 as rising risks of more U.S. sanctions push the Russian central bank to shore up reserves of the precious metal, according to Fitch Solutions. "The ongoing and expanding US sanctions on Russia will paradoxically support gold production in the country in the short term," the consultancy said in a Wednesday report. "The rising risk of Russian state banks being frozen out of dealing in US dollar-denominated assets all together as bi-lateral relations remain strained is pushing the Russian central bank to increase its holdings of gold. As long as tensions with the US remain, domestic demand for gold is set to remain," it added. U.S. sanctions on Russia, first imposed in 2014 following the latter's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine, have expanded in subsequent years. Relations between the two countries have remained rocky with the U.S. viewing Russia as a top threat to its national security, even though President Donald Trump tried to pursue warmer ties. Mali junta says it freed ousted president ahead of ECOWAS summit Keita announced his resignation on TV in the early hours of August 19 after being held by rebel troops Mali's new military rulers said Thursday that former president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, who was detained during the country's coup on August 18, had been freed. The announcement came on the eve of a summit by Mali's neighbours, who are to decide whether to ratchet up pressure on the fledgling junta. Keita's ouster by rebel troops sent shockwaves through the region and in France, which sees Mali as a linchpin in its campaign against jihadism in the Sahel, where more than 5,000 French troops are based. "President IBK is free in his movements, he's at home," a spokesman for the junta, Djibrila Maiga, told AFP, referring to Keita by his initials, as many Malians do. The junta, calling itself the National Committee for the Salvation of the People (CNSP), said on Facebook it was "informing public and international opinion that former president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita has been released and is currently in his residence". A Keita relative, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the 75-year-old former leader had returned overnight to his house in the Sebenikoro district of the capital Bamako. The source did not say whether he was still subject to any restrictions. Keita, prime minister Boubou Cisse and other senior officials were seized by young officers who mutinied at a base near Bamako. In the early hours of August 19, Keita appeared on national TV to announce his resignation, saying he had had no other choice, and wanted to avoid "bloodshed". His release -- and other leaders -- is a key demand of Mali's neighbours, its ally France and international organisations, including the African Union and European Union. His son Karim, an MP whose flamboyant lifestyle made him the target of protestors demanding his father's resignation, has fled to a "neighbouring country," sources familiar with his whereabouts told AFP Thursday. - ECOWAS summit - Former Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan, heading a team from the regional bloc ECOWAS, was given access to the former president last Saturday, and said he seemed "very fine." Story continues The announcement Thursday came on the eve of a virtual summit by the 15-nation ECOWAS -- the Economic Community of West African States -- which has imposed sanctions against Mali for the coup. Those measures include a closure of borders and a ban on trade that threaten to worsen Mali's already severe social and economic troubles. Jonathan's three-day mission to Bamako foundered on the question of the transition to civilian rule. The junta have promised to enact a political transition and stage elections within a "reasonable time" but not spelt out details. Discussing progress with Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari, Jonathan said the coup leaders wanted to stay in power for a three-year transition period, an offer rejected by the mediators, according to a statement from the presidency. "We also told them that what would be acceptable to ECOWAS was an Interim Government, headed by a civilian or retired military officer, to last for six or nine months, and maximum of 12 calendar months," Jonathan was quoted as saying in the presidency statement late Wednesday. - Jihadist attacks - Keita was elected in 2013 as a unifying figure in a fractured country and was returned in 2018 for a second five-year term. But his popularity plummeted as he failed to counter a bloody jihadist campaign that has claimed thousands of lives and driven hundreds of thousands from their homes, and to reverse the country's downward economic spiral. The army announced that four troops were killed and 12 wounded in an ambush on Thursday that it attributed to "terrorists," its typical term for jihadists. It was the second time that the armed forces have suffered a loss on this scale since the coup. Both attacks have happened in central Mali, a volatile, ethnically diverse region. In a visit to the Estonian capital of Tallinn on Thursday, the head of the French armed forces, Francois Lecointre, said, "Our wish is to maintain the Malian army's commitment in the fight against armed terrorist groups." "We are going to see if the Malian armed forces are able to maintain the momentum... we have told them that this appears essential to us," said Lecointre. bur-lal/ri/pma Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 22:42:57|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TOKYO, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Thursday held talks with head of the U.S. Space Force on enhancing cooperation in various endeavors pertaining to outer space. Officials here said that Abe and U.S. Chief of Space Operations Gen. John Raymond discussed solidifying cooperation between the U.S. Space Force and the Japan Air Self-Defense Force's Space Operations Squadron. Japan's Space Operations Squadron, comprising just 20 personnel, is currently involved with ensuring that Japanese satellites are not damaged by space debris and meteorites, although the government plans to see its size and operational scope increase in the coming years. The pair also discussed plans by the United States to once again send astronauts to the Moon by 2024, officials said. Raymond's visit to Japan is his first since the Space Force was created in December last year. Raymond also held talks with Japan's Defense Minister Taro Kono, as well as science and technology minister Naokazu Takemoto. Enditem The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State, on Thursday, fired back at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), cautioning the PDP to desist from dragging the judiciary into politics. APC counseled the PDP to rather focus on campaigning hard for the September 19 governorship election. APC in a statement on Thursday by Chairman of the Edo State APC Media Campaign Council, Prince John Mayaki, explained that exercising a legal right does not translate to forum-shopping or disrespect for the judiciary. The PDP on Thursday held a press conference in Benin City, claiming the APC success at getting some judges to recuse themselves from cases, for likely bias, was an attack on the judiciary. The PDP had alleged that APC was intimidating the courts and judges, seeking presiding judges and courts that would deliver favourable judgment to the party. The Chairman APC Media Campaign Council, for the Edo State governorship election, Prince John Mayaki, swiftly responded, expressing perturbation why the PDP is conceptualizing judicial processes with mischievous hysteria, in the granting of a routine application to guarantee justice for both parties in the suits before the courts. Mayaki remarked that The Chief Judge of the Federal High Court acted on the merit of the APC application and did what honest and proper procedure demanded. He remarked: How that equated an attack on the judiciary and forum-shopping only exists in the PDPs jittery and frenzied application. The Head of Media and Publicity of the APC Campaign Council in Edo, maintained that the party has high praise and respect for the courts, for taking actions that would assure everyone of justice and fairness; he, however, expressed concerns why the PDP was dragging the courts to a partisan frontier. APC, therefore, cautioned: We should be very wary of dragging the judiciary into politics. Noting that even a desperate PDP should know that, APC wondered why, in its idleness and listlessness, the PDP had suddenly turned spokespersons for the judiciary, instead of focusing on its campaign, where it was losing steam, every passing second. Prince Mayaki was of the view that the Thursday press conference signified the latest example of how the Edo PDP wasted its time on frivolities, adding that PDP was employing such ploys to excuse the electoral disaster that awaits the party on September 19. Let the world bear us witness. When we, the APC, were busy campaigning and selling our message of hope and SIMPLE Agenda to our Edo people, PDP was busy addressing useless press conferences to push out lies and deceit. When it loses badly on election day, it would rush to the same press conference to lament its failure and alleged rigging, APC declared. PV: 10 The political debate raging over the conduct of National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) and Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) has intensified on Thursday with several experts and politicians, expressing contrasting opinions on the issue. While several voices in favour of holding the important examinations have emerged over the last 24 hours, those opposed to the tests citing the coronavirus disease are far from giving up. Heres a list of 10 most important developments that have taken place in the last 24 hours. 1. After the Union education minister expressed his disappointment over oppositions stand against the conduct of NEET on September 13 and JEE Main from September 1-6, citing future of lakhs of students appearing for the papers, the home minister of BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh government his urged the opposition to not make it an issue. Narottam Mishra said that the NEET and JEE examinations are not any other examination and the students passing these examinations contribute to nation-building therefore holding them was essential. 2. Over 150 academicians from various universities in India and abroad have also thrown their weight behind holding the examination. They have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said that delaying the medical and engineering entrance exams any further will mean compromising the future of students. They also alleged that some people are trying to play with the future of students by opposing the conduct of the examinations to propel their own political agenda. The signatories include academicians from the Delhi University, IGNOU, Lucknow University, JNU, BHU, IIT Delhi and Indian academicians from foreign universities such as University of London, University of California, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Ben Gurion University, Israel, among others. 3. Jawaharlal Nehru University Vice-Chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar has also advocated the conduct of the examination as per the schedule in September so that students dont have to deal with a zero academic year in their careers. He said that the authorities should be trusted with enforcing necessary standard operating protocols to safeguard the students at the examination centres. 4. Uttarakhand government officials have said that they will be following the Centres guidelines and conduct the examinations as per the schedule. They said the board examinations held in the state, figuring a greater number of students, gives them the required confidence to hold the twin tests successfully despite the concerns around the pandemic. 5. Members of Uttarakhand unit of National Students Union of India (NSUI) staged a protest on Wednesday demanding postponement of the entrance exams. The protesters burned an effigy of Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, the Union minister of education. They also alleged that apart from the threat presented by the coronavirus pandemic, the incessant rains and the resultant landslides in various parts of the hilly state was likely to inconvenience students in reaching examination centres. 6. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday spoke out against the plan to conduct JEE and (NEET in the middle of Covid-19 pandemic. Yadav said the exams will put the lives of lakhs of students at risk. Exams for life. This will not work, this will not work, he tweeted in Hindi. 7. Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Wednesday directed State advocate general Atul Nanda to coordinate with his counterparts in other Opposition ruled states for filing a collective review petition in the Supreme Court seeking deferment of NEET, JEE exams. West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, in a meeting yesterday, had asked for governments in opposition-ruled states to jointly approach the Supreme Court seeking postponement of the two examinations. Captain Amarinder Singh had seconded her proposal in the meeting. 8. Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the phone and requested him to postpone NEET and JEE exams in view of the Covid-19 pandemic and the flood situation in the state, news agency PTI reported. Patnaik had written to Union education minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank with a similar request two days ago. 9. The Congress on Wednesday announced that it will hold countrywide protests on August 28 to oppose the governments decision to hold NEET, JEE exams during the pandemic. Senior party leader KC Venugopal said the move is in line with concerted opposition to this dictatorial move of the government. State units of the Congress will be holding protests on Friday at 11 am in front of central government offices at state and district headquarters. 10. The national testing agency (NTA), which is conducting the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) on September 13 for admission to medical colleges, has increased the number of centres in Haryana from 30 to 40 this time. However, all the centres are located in the two cities of Gurugram and Faridabad-- among the worst affected by Covid in the state. As many as 16,298 candidates will appear for NEET this year in Haryana against last years 14, 686 aspirants. The number of centres in Haryana for Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) stands at 16 this time as against the 15 last year. Australian confectionery company Darrell Lea has changed the recipe for more than 100 products to remove one controversial ingredient. The chocolate brand announced it will soon been palm oil free as part efforts to promote sustainability. Environmentalists across Australia have been campaigning for the change for years because of the industry's impact on natural habitats via deforestation. Australian Confectionary company Darrell Lea has changed the recipe for more than 100 iconic products to remove one controversial ingredient 'In recent years, our customers have told us that they don't want palm oil in our products,' Darrell Lea's marketing director Tim Stanford said. 'There is no doubt that palm oil production causes major devastation to rainforests and endangered animals, such as the orangutan.' Mr Stanford said he hopes other companies will follow suit, reported Ladbible. 'We call on all businesses, not only in the confectionery industry, but across the board to look into their supply chain and make better decisions about the ingredients they use,' Mr Stanford said. The chocolate company announced it is becoming palm oil free as part efforts to promote sustainability through its manufacturing process But he also warned consumers not to fall into the trap of misleading product labelling, with many companies disguising palm oil as 'vegetable oil' or 'vegetable fat'. Zoos Victoria is spearheading a campaign calling for the introduction of mandatory labelling on packaging for products which contain palm oil in Australia. The announcement makes the company the first Australian supermarket brand to remove palm oil from its entire product line. Darrell Lea began removing the ingredient from its confectionery range in the middle of the August across its Melbourne and Sydney factories. Until now some of Darrell Lea's licorice products including the 'Bigger Better Liquorice Chocolate' were still made with palm oil. 'There is no doubt that palm oil production causes major devastation to rainforests and endangered animals, such as the orangutan (pictured),' Darrell Lea's marketing director Tim Stanford said Chocolate lovers have been celebrating the news. 'It will be my chocolate of choice from now on!' one woman said. 'This is such the best news! Well done Darrell Lea! Keep up the brilliant work. Chocolate without the forest destruction guilt,' another said. 'I love their licorice but stopped buying it long ago, Im off to the supermarket tomorrow,' a third said. After winning his second term in office in the 2019 general elections, President Muhammadu Buhari appointed 42 ministers to help him implement the agenda of his government for the people of Nigeria. As the ministers clock their first year in office, there is a need to assess how far they have gone in actualising the policies and objectives of the government they serve. The ministers, apart from taking directives from the president, also propose policies that may be accepted or rejected as the case may be by their principal during the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meetings. While there have been knocks here and there for the Buhari administration within the first year of his second term in office, there also are reported milestones that have been achieved. In X-raying the performance of the ministers in the last one year, PREMIUM TIMES, takes a look at the minister of information and culture, Lai Mohammed. Lai Mohammed Lai Mohammed, a former spokesperson of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), was first appointed information and culture minister in 2015. He was reappointed into the same office in 2019 by Mr Buhari. So far, for Mr Mohammed, as far as his performance is concerned, it has been a mixed bag of faint praises and more knocks. One of the faint praises, according to some industry experts, is that the Nigerian broadcast sector has undergone some truly beneficial reforms in the past one year. Shortly after he resumed office, Mr. Mohammed announced that the federal government had approved extensive reforms in the broadcast industry. The reforms include the licensing of online radio and television stations. With the reforms, there are more online radio and web TV stations thereby expanding the media space for more operators to come in according to some public analysts. That said, the controversial reviewed Nigeria Broadcasting Code review tops the list of the ministers negatives. Also, as soon as he settled into office for the second time, Mr Mohammed gave a directive to Nigeria Broadcasting Commission(NBC) to formulate policies for the regulation of online media, regulation of international broadcasters beaming signals into Nigeria, and hate speech, among others. On August 4th, 2020, the minister unveiled the Reviewed Broadcasting Code in Lagos. In the reviewed code, which has been generating a lot of criticisms from stakeholders in the industry, fine for hate speech was raised from N500,00 to N5million; NBC was empowered to regulate exclusive content, enforce sharing of content and determine prices at which contents will be sold to sub-licensees by rights holders. There is however one controversy about who reviewed the new code. While Mr Mohammed said it was the NBCwho reviewed it, the NBC is insisting that it was the minister who unilaterally reviewed it. According to the chairman of the NBC board, Ikra Bilbis, the minister reviewed the code alone, which he said was against the law guiding the commissions operations. Digital Switch Over(DSO) yet to be implemented: The much acclaimed Digital Switch Over(DSO) has not been implemented six years after it was launched in some six states. Ordinarily, the DSO is meant to transform the television broadcasting system across the country from the current analog to digital mode. The minister blamed the lack of implementation on some setbacks, assuring that stakeholders will hear from the government on the resumption of the rollout. On the 4th of August, The minister said the federal government would very soon resume the rollout of Digital Switch Over (DSO). According to the ministers estimate, the DSO will yield $1.1 billion for Nigeria once completed. Tourism and culture: Last year, during a meeting with the Travel Journalists, Arts and Culture Writers Association of Nigeria, the minister assured that he did not pay more attention to the information sector than the tourism and culture sector during President Muhammadu Buharis first term. The minister gave highlights of the programmes he would build on, saying he had already set the necessary legal framework to guide the tourism and culture sector. Advertisements He also said he would inaugurate the National Policy on Culture and National Policy on Tourism. He said his ministry would finalise work on the Motion Picture Council of Nigeria (MOPICON) Bill and submit it to the Federal Executive Council (FEC). The plan is to create a proper regulatory environment for the sub-sector that has put Nigerias name on the global map, thus attracting the much-needed investment to the sector, he said. He promised to establish the Arts Endowment Fund, kick-start the implementation of the parts of the Tourism Master Plan that constitute low-hanging fruits, make the National Summit for Culture and Tourism a yearly affair, ensure a regular meeting of the Presidential Council on Tourism and also institute a unified National Celebration of the World Tourism Day. Mr Mohammed also promised to organise a Regional Summit on Culture and Tourism, beginning from 2020. Mr. Mohammed said that the ministry, working with the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), would complete work on the establishment of Tourism Statistics and Tourism Satellite Account (TSA). As far as the tourism and culture sector is concerned, all that has happened in the last one year is more or less a litany of promises with little actions to bring the promises into fruition. Rating While rating the ministers performance, a knowledge management expert and communication specialist, Ariyo Atoye, said he is a minister Nigerians have resigned to fate about what will eventually be his legacy. He said Mr Mohammed had not been able to change the perception of Nigerians about the government even though he is operating at a very difficult period. The perception is that the Buhari government is a failure, intolerant, incapable of uniting Nigerians. He has not been able to use the responsibility of his office to make Nigerians see that the Buhari government believes in the unity of Nigeria. Unfortunately anytime there is a kind of silence about the government, Lai Mohammed wants to impress, he has always come up with obnoxious policies or statement, for instance, the recent NBC code which has been widely condemned as obnoxious is a bad cap on his one year in office. He said the minister should be encouraged to look into all the press statements he had issued when he was in the opposition and let those press statements guide him about the Buhari administration. He should know that he has a constitutional responsibility is to side with the people and not necessarily looking for how to stifle free speech. Lai Mohammed is the advocate of the anti-social media bill, hate speech bill even though they are using some senators He alleged that Mr Mohammed is behind the smuggling of the clauses that are generating concerns in the new Companies Allied Matters Act(CAMA). On information dissemination and management during the COVID-19 pandemic, Mr Atoye said the minister would have done well if he had developed a strategic communication system for the management of the pandemic. He said the strategic communication system would have ensured that information reached the right target and got feedback from everyones point of view. There is no coherent national policy in terms of strategic communication, I dont think the minister ever called the commissioner of information in the 36 states to say let us have a coherent intervention policy on how to inform the people. Acknowledging the undeniable resurgence in new Covid-19 cases in Paris, French Prime Minister Jean Castex has announced that faces masks will become compulsory throughout the capital. "The epidemic is gaining territory, and now is the time to intervene," Castex said at a press conference on Thursday. France recorded more than 5,400 new cases of Covid-19 in the latest 24-hour period. More than 800 Covid-19 patients are admitted to the hospital each week, which was at 500 six weeks ago, he said. Red zones of active virus circulation have spread to 19 departments in France, bringing up the total to 21 out of 94 departments. While masks will become compulsory, Castex did not specify when the edict would be enforced. Young more affected The soaring number of infections in cases has been particularly sharp among younger people, rather than elderly people who were hardest hit when the epidemic first hit. But new cases are being reported across the board in every age group, said Castex. The incidence rate is currently at 39 positive tests per 100,000 people four times the level one month ago. The R rate of transmission is up to 1.4 countrywide, indicating that 10 infected people are infecting 14 more on average. Castex said that the French government would do everything it could to avoid any repeat of a lockdown on the population, but added that localised confinements could be in order. He reiterated the necessity of regular hand-washing and mask wearing, and taking social distancing seriously. The net worth of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, which is equivalent to 1 percent of U.S. gross domestic product. Even when adjusting for inflation, nobody has ever reached this milestone before. ( Business Insider August 26, 2020) The 51-year-old man who was shot on August 10 near the White House after he allegedly told a Secret Service officer he was armed and then crouched down into a shooting stance was found to be holding a comb, it has been reported. Myron Berryman, who has been in a hospital since the shooting, has been charged with one count of assault on a police officer, according to court documents obtained by The Washington Post. The White House complex was not breached during the incident, and no Secret Service officers were injured. Berrymans first hearing on the charge, which is a misdemeanor, was held on Thursday in D.C. Superior Court. Myron Berryman, 51, was shot and injured by a Secret Service officer outside the White House on August 10. Court papers indicate that he was unarmed and that he was carrying a comb. The corner of 17th Street and Pennsylvania Ave NW is pictured shortly after the incident Video on social media showed a person down at the corner of 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue. The man has now been identified as Myron Berryman. It is alleged Berryman reached for his pocket and went into a shooting stance after threatening a Secret Service officer At around the time of the incident, President Donald Trump was abruptly escorted from his press conference less than five minutes after it began Berrymans attorney told the Post that the suspect has been transferred to a psychiatric hospital. The lawyer, Daniel K. Dorsey, denied that his client threatened to kill anyone. According to court documents and the Secret Service, Berryman walked up to a uniformed officer near the White House complex and said he was armed. He is then alleged to have reached toward the right side of his body - motioning as if to retrieve some kind of object. Berryman is then alleged to have clasped his hands together and pointed his arms toward the officer as if to indicate that he was about to shoot a weapon. The Secret Service officer fired a shot that hit Berryman in the torso. A search of Berryman yielded no weapons. Court documents indicated that the black object that fell from Berrymans hands when he was shot was a comb. Initially, law enforcement sources claimed Berryman charged towards an officer outside the president's residence claiming to have a gun. The Secret Service say Berryman yelled 'I'm going to kill you. I'm going to shoot you' at agents before he was shot. Police officers stand guard at the corner of 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, after a shooting incident outside the White House on August 10 Law enforcement officials gather following a shooting at 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue near the White House At the time of the shooting, President Trump was inside the White House Briefing Room conducting a press conference which was being televised nationwide. A Secret Service agent informed the president of the shooting, and Trump left the room as a security precaution. He returned five minutes later. The situation made for a dramatic start to Trump's press briefing on August 10. Trump had barely begun his press briefing when a Secret Service agent stepped into the press briefing room and said 'sir'. 'Excuse me,' Trump said, looking up from the text of his speech at the interruption. 'There's been a shooting outside,' the agent told him, whispering in his ear. 'Sir you're going to have to step out.' His words were caught on the microphone at the podium. 'Oh,' Trump said and left the room with him. A lockdown for the White House was declared, which is standard procedure during a security breach. A few minutes after his exit, the president returned to the podium and said: 'There was a shooting outside of the White House and it seems to be very well under control.' Law enforcement locked down the White House during the incident. A Secret Service agent stands outside the press briefing room after the shooting In a statement released on the night of the shooting, the Secret Service stated: ''The suspect ... ran aggressively towards the officer, and in a drawing motion, withdrew an object from his clothing. He then crouched into a shooter's stance as if about to fire a weapon' He then proceeded to take questions from reporters on a variety of topics for nearly an hour and eventually said he was fine after being pulled from the room. 'Do I seem rattled?,' he asked at one point before thanking his security detail for their quick action. 'I'd like to thank the Secret Service for doing their always quick and very effective work,' he noted. In a statement, the Secret Service stated: 'The suspect ... ran aggressively towards the officer, and in a drawing motion, withdrew an object from his clothing. He then crouched into a shooter's stance as if about to fire a weapon.' Berryman did not appear in court for his arraignment. Instead, he was moved to the Districts Psychiatric Institute of Washington. Prosecutors have informed the court that they are not opposed to Berryman remaining under observation while his case proceeds. The next court date is set for January. According to court documents, when Berryman was interviewed at the hospital two days after the shooting, he did not remember the incident. Berryman also told investigators he was diagnosed with schizophrenia and that he had been admitted to a psychiatric hospital before the shooting. President Trump and his aides were led from the James Brady Briefing Room in the White House on August 10 Trump arrives back in the briefing room after being abruptly pulled from it On the day of the shooting, he left a residential treatment facility, he told officers. Berryman also told officers he stopped taking his medication that was prescribed to treat his mental illness three years ago. He said he resumed taking the medication when he was hospitalized. Berryman is reported to be a licensed boxer who stands at 6ft 3in. He was charged with resisting arrest and disorderly conduct back in 2012. Berryman's sister gave an interview with The Washington Post, where she spoke on the condition of anonymity. She said she did not believe her brother would hurt anyone. 'They said he had a weapon? He ran toward him? This is crazy. He is a man of God. He would not have a weapon for sure. His weapon is the word of God,' she stated. Berryman's sister believes he may have been encouraging protesters outside the White House, and his actions could have been misconstrued. 'Myron is always encouraging everybody. He has never had anything negative to say. He always encourages people,' the sister said. Pence warns US voters: 'You won't be safe' under Joe Biden US Vice President Mike Pence delivered the main speech during the third night of the Republican National Convention from Fort McHenry National Monument in Baltimore, Maryland US vice president Mike Pence took center stage at the Republican convention Wednesday to warn voters they "won't be safe in Joe Biden's America" -- casting Donald Trump as their protector against the "radical" left. Pence was the keynote speaker in a parade of Trump acolytes who sought to uplift the president as an economic virtuoso and champion of conservative and pro-life values, law enforcement and civil rights. They also spoke of dark forces intent on ending the American dream, and said losing to their Democratic rivals is not an option. "Law and order is on the ballot," Pence stressed on the third night of a convention overshadowed by violent unrest in Wisconsin and the approach of Hurricane Laura to the southern US coast. He addressed the event from Fort McHenry in Baltimore, the site of an 1814 British bombardment that inspired the poem later turned into the US national anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner." With that backdrop, Pence made the patriotic case for Trump getting a second term instead of allowing the nation to be "fundamentally transformed" by a Biden administration he warned would take an uncharted path towards socialism and mob rule. "The hard truth is, you won't be safe in Joe Biden's America," said the 61-year-old Pence. Pence's address came amid a new flare-up of racial tensions in the United States, with protests spreading over the latest police shooting of an African-American man, Jacob Blake, in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Trump announced he is sending in additional federal forces to quell unrest in the Midwestern city, where two people were shot dead during anti-police protests Tuesday. A 17-year-old has been arrested on murder charges. Addressing the latest unrest, Pence struck a tough tone. "Let me be clear. The violence must stop whether in Minneapolis, Portland or Kenosha," he said. "We will have law and order on the streets of this country for every American." Story continues Touting Trump's strong economic record before the Covid-19 epidemic struck and his ongoing efforts to revive it -- Pence urged voters to ask themselves "who do you trust to rebuild this economy?" A former governor of Indiana, the evangelical Christian Pence has taken on the role of calm counterweight to Trump's constant drama. As a traditional conservative Pence seeks to reassure old-school Republicans, while also praising the new generation of Trump loyalists -- a balancing act that will likely play out within the party ahead of the presidential election in 2024. - Pandemic pointman - Pence is playing an important part in Trump's re-election, crisscrossing the country -- with an emphasis on swing states including Wisconsin -- to rally support. He has similarly served as the White House's sober pointman on coronavirus, which has killed nearly 180,000 Americans since Trump's initial, erroneous prediction that it would disappear without trouble. Where Trump has veered radically between dismissing the crisis and grimly embracing a self-declared role as a "wartime president," Pence has shouldered the unglamorous role of White House coronavirus task force coordinator. He reached out to the millions of Americans upended by the crisis in a way Trump has appeared unable to do. "Tonight, our hearts are with all the families who have lost loved ones. We mourn with those who mourn, and we grieve with those who grieve," Pence said. But in comments sure to draw criticism from opponents, Pence saluted Trump's handling of the pandemic. "We are slowing the spread, we are protecting the vulnerable, we are saving lives, and we are opening up America again," he said. Polls show almost two-thirds of Americans are unhappy with Trump's coronavirus response, and Biden's camp said Pence's speech offered "no real discussion of the crushing financial hardship countless families are facing as a result." His communications director Kate Bedingfield said: "Instead of a roadmap to defeat this virus and rebuild our economy so that it works for the middle class, Vice President Pence only offered up debunked scare tactics and gaslighting in an attempt to further divide us." Trump's Democratic rival holds a lead nationally, but a CNBC-Change Research poll released Wednesday showed the race tightening across six swing states including Florida, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Biden's running mate Kamala Harris, will be attacking Trump on his coronavirus record at a speech Thursday in Washington, the same day Trump gives his main acceptance speech at the White House to close out the Republican convention. Pence's Baltimore address follows two days of appearances by Trump boosters, including First Lady Melania Trump, who on Tuesday defended the president as "an authentic person who loves this country." Trump, never far from the spotlight, flew with Melania to Baltimore to celebrate with the Pences after the vice president's speech but did not formally address the gathering. mlm/je/fox Facebook early Wednesday removed the Kenosha Guard page, as well as the personal profile for Mathewson, the former alderman, for violating the companys policies on militia organizations part of broader rules about dangerous individuals and organizations. Mathewson, who was an administrator of the guards page, will not get his profile back, according to a Facebook official, who discussed these details on the condition of anonymity because of the threat of violence surrounding them. A page maintained by Mathewson, as a former public figure, remains active, with nearly 5,000 followers. Human rights worker Zara Alvarez, 39, was killed by an unknown gunman Aug. 17 in Bacolod in the Philippines. Ever since Clarizza Singson appeared on a police hit list of suspected communists, the human rights worker from the impoverished Philippine island of Negros has taken precautions and trained herself to suppress her fears of dying at the hands of authorities. She and her family will not eat at restaurants or attend parties. She pays close attention to her surroundings and avoids being alone outdoors, particularly at night. Seizing what little control she has over her safety helps keep the terror at bay. You dont know where and you dont know when it could happen, Singson, 41, the regional secretary general of the Philippine rights group Karapatan, said of a potential hit. We cannot live a normal life. Singsons resolve was being tested like never before after her friend and colleague of nearly two decades, Zara Alvarez, was shot and killed Aug. 17 on the streets of Negros biggest city, Bacolod. Minutes after Alvarez's slaying, a message appeared on Singsons Facebook page saying, Dont worry, youre next. Alvarez, a 39-year-old paralegal, was gunned down while walking to her boarding house by an assailant who fled on the back of a motorcycle. She was the fifth person on the hit list killed. The mother of an 11-year-old girl, Alvarez was the 13th member of Karapatan slain since President Rodrigo Duterte took office in 2016. She is also the 90th suspected victim of extrajudicial killing in Negros over that time. The list of those killed includes farmers, lawyers and civilian officials who have challenged the islands almost feudal hacienda system thats pitted landowners against peasants since the days of Spanish rule 300 years ago. Their deaths highlight the worsening conditions for some of the most vulnerable Filipinos under the Duterte administration, which has assailed human rights in a way unseen since former dictator Ferdinand Marcos imposed martial law on the country from 1972 to 1981. It's estimated that up to 25,000 Filipinos have died in extrajudicial or vigilante killings during Dutertes zero tolerance war on drugs a brutal campaign felt almost exclusively in the nations slums that continues to win the president plaudits among his still sizable base of support. Story continues During the presidency of Rodrigo Duterte, shown at a government meeting last week, a slew of Philippine human rights defenders, journalists, lawyers and trade unionists have been killed. (Robinson Ninal Jr. / Associated Press) The populist leader, who rode into office with the sharp-tongued swagger of a mafia boss, has consolidated power by jailing political opponents, shuttering independent media outlets and sidelining the influence of the Catholic Church . The COVID-19 pandemic has tightened his control with lockdowns enforced by armed soldiers ordered to shoot those who violate restrictions. An overly vague anti-terror law signed by Duterte in July gives the 75-year-old president broad new powers to target anyone who opposes his administration. Duterte has suffered few consequences on the world stage for the countrys slide toward authoritarianism even with the recent publication of a report by the United Nations high commissioner for human rights in June detailing widespread abuse, including the verified killings of 248 human rights defenders, journalists, lawyers and trade unionists mostly under his presidency. The government has denied involvement. The Trump administration, which needs the Philippines to counter Chinas rising influence, has not condemned Dutertes human rights record. Congress has ignored calls to block or delay nearly $2 billion in U.S. arms sales to the country this year. Without international pressure, experts say Duterte will continue crushing dissent as he tries to deflect attention from a crashing economy and a pandemic spinning out of control. Negros, in particular, has borne the brunt of Dutertes embrace of autocratic rule. The fourth-biggest island (roughly the size of Connecticut) in the country of 108 million has been a testing ground for Dutertes counter-insurgency program, which has given the military near-unchecked authority in rural provinces. Negros has long been a center of activism and a base for the New Peoples Army. The communist insurgency has simmered for more than half a century because of entrenched poverty and violent suppression of farmers in a region famous for producing half the countrys sugar. At the root of the conflict is land ownership, a problem that has fueled the extreme divide between rich and poor for centuries. Negros fertile soil is in the hands of only a few wealthy families and corporations. Bids to reform the inequities have been foiled by buyback schemes that coerce farmers, some earning only $2 a day, into selling their land back to previous owners at vastly reduced prices. Those who try to challenge the system are often killed or silenced by landowners goons, or plainclothes police and military intelligence agents working on their behalf, activists say. In one of the worst cases, nine sugar farmers, including three women and two teenage children, were massacred by gunmen while trying to cultivate idle land to grow food in northern Negros. The October 2018 incident was followed a month later by the killing of Benjamin Ramos, a human rights lawyer and Karapatan member, who tried to stop the land-buyback scheme. Ramos was shot by two hooded gunmen outside his office in central Negros. The attack took place seven months after Ramos first appeared on the hit list of suspected communists with Alvarez and Singson, which was circulated in a poster displayed in public buildings. By accusing human rights defenders of being communists, authorities are trying to equate advocacy work with terrorism a process known as red-tagging that invites harassment and assassination. Calls for justice in the deaths of Ramos and other activists have gone nowhere. The key problem here is that state security forces do not make the distinction between loudmouthed activists in the streets and guerrilla fighters in the mountains, said Carlos Conde, Philippines researcher for Human Rights Watch. They know theres a distinction, but they choose to blur it because they are convinced support for the [New People's Army] comes from the cities and that people are being recruited and brainwashed by activists. These people targeted are not combatants, Conde added. They are not directly involved in the armed struggle in the countryside. Targeting them is a violation of human rights. Theyre being pulled into this vortex of violence. Karapatan members had just attended the funeral of Randall Echanis, a 72-year-old agrarian activist tortured and stabbed to death in his Manila apartment earlier this month, when they learned of Alvarezs slaying. Family and colleagues frantically called Alvarezs phone on the chance that early reports had mistaken the victims identity. But when photos from the scene emerged showing a diminutive woman with a bob haircut, they knew she was gone. She was a little giant, said Cristina Palabay, the Manila-based secretary general of Karapatan. She looks so unassuming, but she would exude so much passion. We called her a child of Negros. She had so much empathy for the people there. Cristina Palabay, of Karapatan, shown talking to the media in Quezon City in 2019, said of slain activist Zara Alvarez: "So many people needed her." (Bullit Marquez / Associated Press) As a paralegal, Alvarez documented rights violations and helped prepare the defense of political prisoners. Her activism was born out of her upbringing in the church. Her mother was a catechist at her local parish who instilled in Alvarez lessons in human dignity for the poor, friends said. Church bells in parts of Negros have tolled each night at 6 p.m. in mourning since Alvarez died. Dozens attended her funeral Wednesday wearing black T-shirts calling for justice in her killing. A spokesman for the Duterte administration condemned the killings of rights activists in a statement Monday, and the Philippine Department of Justice said it had opened an inquiry. Singson said Alvarez and she would often discuss the difficulties of reconciling their responsibilities as parents with the dangers of their work. They were godparents to each others children. When Alvarezs daughter texted Singson the night of her mothers killing asking if the news was true, Singson was left frozen in grief. I couldnt find the words, she said. Palabay said human rights defenders in the Philippines had a long history as victims of deadly oppression yet still found the nerve to carry on out of a sense of responsibility. Its why Alvarez rebuffed offers to seek asylum abroad, she said. The most natural reaction is fear, said Palabay. Especially when your life is threatened and your family is threatened. What has driven Zara to wake up each day and do her work despite the threats hanging over her head was the fact so many people needed her. She couldnt afford to be immobilized by fear. According to the Fitch Ratings report , just ONT and ANC saw double-digit growth in commercial cargo while freight volumes at other major cargo hubs were either in line with last year or declined slightly. From January through May, the period analyzed by Fitch, ONT saw air cargo tonnage increase more than 18% compared to the same period in 2019. According to ONT data, monthly and year-to-date increases were even greater in June and July. From March through July, Ontario recorded monthly increases of more than 20%. ONT Freight (tonnage) 2020 2019 Change YTD 2020 YTD 2019 Change January 61,027 58,246 4.77% --- --- --- February 55,029 49,159 11.94% 116,056 107,405 8.1% March 70,221 57,582 21.95% 186,278 164,988 12.9% April 75,171 59,359 26.64% 261,449 224,346 16.5% May 81,379 65,559 24.13% 342,828 289,905 18.3% June 79,152 61,163 29.41% 422,062 351,068 20.2% July 79,435 62,563 26.97% 501,497 413,631 21.2% "The Fitch Ratings analysis reaffirms Ontario's role in our nation's supply chain network, especially in recent months as the coronavirus pandemic profoundly impacted virtually all aspects of life, and we expect air cargo to remain strong for many months to come," said Mark Thorpe, chief executive officer of the Ontario International Airport Authority. "Air cargo shipments have been a great insurance policy for us as Ontario, like every other U.S. airport, has experienced steep declines in passenger activity." As the Fitch analysis noted, air cargo is frequently used to transport high-value, time-sensitive commodities and, more recently, PPE, ventilators and other medical equipment, demand for which surged as supply chains were disrupted by stay-at-home orders and travel restrictions. Strong growth at ANC and ONT was attributed in part to their "West Coast proximity and ability to handle an increasing share of PPE originating from Asia," according to the report by the highly regarded provider of credit ratings, commentary and financial research. About Ontario International Airport Ontario International Airport (ONT) is the fastest growing airport in the United States, according to Global Traveler, a leading publication for frequent fliers. Located in the Inland Empire, ONT is approximately 35 miles east of downtown Los Angeles in the center of Southern California. It is a full-service airport which, before the coronavirus pandemic, offered nonstop commercial jet service to 26 major airports in the U.S., Mexico and Taiwan. More information is available at www.flyOntario.com. Follow @flyONT on Facebook, Twitter, andInstagram About the Ontario International Airport Authority (OIAA) The OIAA was formed in August 2012 by a Joint Powers Agreement between the City of Ontario and the County of San Bernardino to provide overall direction for the management, operations, development and marketing of ONT for the benefit of the Southern California economy and the residents of the airport's four-county catchment area. OIAA Commissioners are Ontario City Council Member Alan D. Wapner (President), Retired Riverside Mayor Ronald O. Loveridge (Vice President), Ontario City Council Member Jim W. Bowman (Secretary), San Bernardino County Supervisor Curt Hagman (Commissioner) and retired business executive Julia Gouw (Commissioner). OIAA Media Contact: Steve Lambert, (909) 841-7527 [email protected] SOURCE Ontario International Airport Related Links www.flyontario.com Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-28 00:55:30|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close VIENTIANE, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- The Lao Ministry of Health on Thursday urged people to remain vigilant against the coronavirus, even though no new COVID-19 case has been reported for 13 days. The National Taskforce Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control has urged authorities and people to remain vigilant and adapt to new normal to prevent the spread of the virus, according to a statement from the ministry. On Wednesday, a total of 2,117 people entered Laos through international border checkpoint. The temperature of each person entering Laos was checked and no one showed signs of fever. According to the report, 2,905 people have been quarantined at 48 accommodation centers across the country. As of Thursday, Laos has tested 37,741 suspected cases with 22 positive cases, and 21 patients have recovered. Laos detected its first two COVID-19 cases on March 24. Enditem Six months to the day since the first case of Covid-19 was announced Health Minister Robin Swann said Northern Ireland has been living through a nightmare that goes on and on. And he has hit out at licensed premises which have been breaking the Covid-19 guidelines. Speaking at Thursday daily Covid-19 conference the Mnister said he would get down on both knees and beg people in a heartbeat if thats what it took to get them to adhere to the guidance. Revealing that there had been one further death from Covid-19, and 69 new confirmed cases of the virus, he said there were growing concerns over the R-number rate of transmission which has been consistently over 1.0 for several weeks now. This is a nightmare that stretches on and on, he said. The R number is likely to be 1.3. This continues to be the biggest public health crisis in a generation. Any complacency presents a challenge to us all, He said there has been a blatant disregard for Covid-19 regulations by some in the hospitality sector. If you flout the rules you must face the consequences, he told the Stormont news conference. While praising Hospitality Ulster for their lead in the industry, the Minister said he will now propose to his executive colleagues that legislation should be strengthened to punish those premises who have been flouting restrictions. Chief Scientific Adviser Professor Ian Young said that while Antrim and Newtownabbey continues to see the most new cases of Covid-19, there is growing concern over the number of cases in Belfast. Our low point was the beginning of July when we were experiencing three to four cases of the virus per day, he says. Now that is almost 60 cases per day on average. The highest incidence of cases recently has been in Mid and East Antrim, but the area he is most concerned about is Belfast, where the number of caes is is rising consistently and steadily. Cases of the virus per day have increased more than tenfold since early July. At present most of those cases are in younger people and show hospital admissions and bed occupancy are growing slowly, he said. Nonetheless it is clear that the virus is spreading and is everywhere in Northern Ireland. Following two recent Covid-19 outbreaks at Craigavon Hospital, the Health Minister told the briefing that further clusters hospitals are inevitable and he warned that there will be a difficult winter ahead. We must stick together as a society, he said. And responding to news that 311,000 people in Northern Ireland are waiting for a first consultant appointment, the minister described waiting times as totally and absolutely intolerable. I wont try to defend them as they are indefensible, he said, adding that while the pandemic had blown plans off course for tackling waiting lists, all Health trusts were still working towards delivering the New Decade New Approach plan announced in January. On Wednesday, Vice President Mike Pence peddled an extraordinary fantasy about Donald Trumps handling of the coronavirus. Pences tale of heroic, decisive leadership was so completely at odds with reality that pretty much the only words he spoke that werent lies were a, and, and the. And most media organizations did, indeed, point out the falsehoods. Yet what seems to me to be missing from much of the commentary on the Republican carnival of disinformation is an acknowledgment that Trumps worst hour came not during Covid-19s initial surge but weeks later, when he did all he could to push America into a reckless and maskless reopening. And hes doing it again. Speaker after speaker at the Republican National Convention referred to Covid-19, if at all, in the past tense. Their not-so-subtle message was that the pandemic is over. But it isnt, and the Trump administration is still failing to protect the American people. If I had to pick a single day when America lost the fight against the coronavirus, it would be April 17. That was the day when Trump proclaimed his support for mobs some of whose members were carrying guns that were threatening Democratic state governments and demanding an end to social distancing. LIBERATE MINNESOTA, he tweeted, followed by LIBERATE MICHIGAN and LIBERATE VIRGINIA, and save your great 2nd amendment. (That last bit reads an awful lot like an incitement to armed insurrection.) Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das on Thursday praised the central governments response to the coronavirus pandemic in the country. Government response to pandemic has been fiscally very responsible, prudent and very calibrated, he was quoted as saying by news agency Press Trust of India. Das was speaking at an ongoing business event. He said that the debt resolution framework announced by the RBI is expected to give durable relief to borrowers facing Covid-related distress. The RBI Governor further said that it is obvious that the banks are undergoing a lot of stress during this period, what is more important is how banks react and respond to the challenge. Proactive raising of capital will be crucial to improve resilience of banks and the financial sector, he added. Earlier this month, the RBI had approved the transfer of Rs 57,128 crore as surplus to the central government for the accounting year 2019-20. The decision was taken at the 584th meeting of the central board of the Reserve Bank of India chaired by Governor Shaktikanta Das. The board reviewed the current economic situation, continued global as well as domestic challenges, and monetary, regulatory and other measures taken by the RBI to mitigate the economic impact of Covid-19 pandemic. The bank has also set up an expert committee under veteran banker K V Kamath to suggest financial parameters for resolution of coronavirus-related stressed assets. The committee is expected to submit its recommendations to the RBI next month (after the 30-day deadline expires). BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 27 By Jeila Aliyeva - Trend: The United Nations (UN) country team in Turkmenistan participates in UN global initiatives to attract additional funding for the implementation of the plan of operational socio-economic measures in Turkmenistan to combat acute infectious diseases, which was adopted by the decree of President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov on July 3, 2020, Trend reports with reference to the press release of the UN Mission in Turkmenistan. This was said during the third meeting of the Joint working group of the UN and the government of Turkmenistan. During the discussions, the measures taken in Turkmenistan to implement the above-mentioned plan were reviewed. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) proposed to develop a monitoring system to track the implementation of the plan, the report says. Turkmenistan pays special attention to prevent possible spread of infectious diseases. Currently, Turkmenistan has registered no COVD-19 cases, but all the necessary measures to prevent the penetration of this disease into the country are being implemented. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @JeilaAliyeva 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... Aljazeera, August 25, 2020 A wave of attacks across Afghanistan has left at least 12 dead and many wounded in the last 24 hours, officials said, including a Taliban truck bombing in the country's north that targeted a base for Afghan forces. At least three people, including two Afghan commandos and a civilian, were killed in the truck suicide bomb attack in the northern Balkh province, according to Munir Ahmad Farhad, the spokesman for the provincial governor. According to Hanif Rezaie, the spokesman for the Afghan army corps in the north, an initial military report said at least six commandos and about 35 civilians were wounded in that explosion, which also destroyed or damaged dozens of nearby civilians houses. "Most of the wounded civilians are women and children," Rezaie said on Tuesday. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for the Balkh attack, saying "tens" of military personnel were killed. Afghan civilians continue to bear the brunt of the war across the country, despite efforts to launch peace talks between the Kabul government and the Taliban, and to find a plan for post-war Afghanistan. The talks were envisaged under a US-Taliban peace agreement signed in February, but their start has been hampered by a series of delays over prisoner releases. Also on Tuesday, an attack at a checkpoint of pro-government forces in western Ghor province killed eight troops and wounded five, said Arif Aber, spokesman for the provincial governor. The attack in Shahrak district set off five hours of gun battle. No one immediately claimed responsibility for that attack, but authorities blamed the Taliban. In the capital of Kabul, a roadside bombing killed a police officer while a policewoman and her driver were wounded when unknown attackers opened fire on them, said Ferdaws Faramarz, spokesman for the Kabul police chief. The policewoman, Saba Saher, also a well-known actress, is said to be in stable condition. No one claimed responsibility for the attacks in Kabul. Separately, the Ministry of Defence released a statement late on Monday saying 91 Taliban fighters were killed during an air and ground operation by Afghan army troops trying to open the highway between northern Kunduz to Khanabad districts. The statement said another 50 Taliban fighters were wounded in the fighting and the highway was later reopened for traffic. According to a UN report released in July, 1,282 people were killed in violence in Afghanistan in the first six months of 2020. Iran Complains To International Maritime Organization About Seizure Of Fuel Tankers Radio Farda August 26, 2020 The Deputy Head of Iran's Ports and Maritime Organization (IPMO), Jalil Eslami, said on Wednesday that the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has promised to investigate the seizure of several tankers carrying Iranian fuel to Venezuela. "We have on several occasions announced our protest to the seizure of tankers carrying Iranian fuel to IMO and several times talked to the Secretary General of the IMO regarding the seizure of the tankers carrying Iranian fuel to Venezuela but this is for the first time that they have promised to investigate the matter," Eslami said. Earlier this month, the United States seized four vessels carrying gasoline from Iran to Venezuela following federal prosecutors' calls in July for the tankers to be seized. The news of the action taken by the United States was initially met with shock in Iran and elsewhere, as Iran had shipped gasoline to Venezuela at least twice before over the past few months. Iran's Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh said that the cargo of the tankers, gasoline, belonged to Venezuela, not Iran. The seizure of the four ships appears to be part of the United States' efforts to pressure Iran back to the negotiating table over its controversial nuclear and missile development programs, its destabilizing activities in the region and its human rights violations. In response, Iranian officials have threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz to foreign vessels, and in several cases, detained foreign ships and tankers to be released afterwards. In July 2019, allegedly in retaliation for Britain's detaining of its supertanker at Gibraltar in early July, Iran's military seized a U.K.-flagged tanker in the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian authorities who released the tanker later cited numerous justifications for the seizure, claiming that the British tanker collided with an Iranian fishing vessel, though they did not produce any evidence to convince the international community that Iran's actions were justified and legal. Source: https://en.radiofarda.com/a/iran-complains -to-international-maritime-organization-about -seizure-of-fuel-tankers/30803978.html Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Woman fired from literary agency for tweeting that trans-identified males aren't women Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A woman was ousted from her job at a literary agency for tweeting that transgender-identifying males who say they are women are not biologically female. Sasha White, a literary agency assistant was fired from her job at The Tobias Literary Agency following her retweet of a social media comment that read: "TW [trans women] being vulnerable to male violence does not make you women," the Daily Mail reports. The Tobias Literary Agency, which has offices in Boston, New York City and Nashville, acknowledged in a now-deleted tweet that White had indeed been terminated. "We do not have any room for anti-Trans sentiments at TLA. Period. Thus we have parted ways with Sasha," the tweet said. TLA also announced that it made a donation to a black trans charity after White's termination. "The Twitter mob came for me and my employer and my employer immediately terminated me. If you've been through something similar please reach out," White subsequently posted on Twitter. As a result of her firing, the hashtag #Istandwithsashawhite trended on Twitter Tuesday, as supportive users on the platform linked White's situation with #istandwithJKRowling from earlier this summer. White had previously voiced support for children's author J.K. Rowling, who in June penned a lengthy essay that outlined her concerns with transgender ideology, stressing how it undermines women's sex-based rights. Rowling subsequently articulated her belief that the hormonal gender-transitioning of minors constituted a medical scandal. Last year, the Harry Potter series author voiced solidarity with Maya Forstater, a tax researcher who was ousted from her job at a think tank for posting comments on Twitter asserting that men cannot change into women. Forstater also said that convicted rapist Stephen Wood, who changed his name to Karen White after he decided to identify as female, was indeed a "man." And because of Wood's professed gender identity, he was allowed to be transferred to a women's prison where he went on to rape female inmates. "When men wear make-up, heels, dresses they don't become women," Forstater said. At Forstater's appeal hearing at the employment tribunal to fight her firing, the judge ruled ultimately against her, stating in his ruling that her views were "not worthy of respect." Transgender activists have routinely used the acronym "TERF" which stand for trans-exclusionary radical feminist to describe feminists who object to biological males in their private spaces. Such feminists regard the term as a derisive slur and have long maintained that the transgender movement's insistence on self-declared "gender identity" undermines women's sex-based rights. SPRINGFIELD The Massachusetts Gaming Commission on Thursday praised a crackdown that has followed an early morning, crowded hotel suite party at Encore Boston Harbor, saying the event was egregious and a health hazard. The party, involving more than 100 people gathered in a suite on Aug. 16, was a serious violation of COVID-19 regulations, and has been followed by increased measures to make sure such an incident never happens again, commission members and staff said during a commission meeting on Thursday. Loretta Lillios, the gaming commissions chief enforcement counsel, said this kind of flouting of the safety measures is unacceptable and has been dealt with by gaming enforcement staff and the hotel. Cathy Judd-Stein, commission chairwoman, said that in times of the coronavirus pandemic, the stakes are too high for anything other than complete compliance with COVID-19 regulations set by the state and the commission. What was most egregious was not just the exposure to those in the suite, but also to all the people in the hotel, Judd-Stein said. Encore Boston Harbor reopened July 12, after that casino, MGM Springfield and Plainridge Park Casino were closed for four months due to COVID-19. Gaming Commission Interim Executive Director Karen Wells described how the suite guest and another room key holder ushered in people to the party in groups by elevator. The party was discovered by a hotel butler shortly after midnight, and management was alerted and sought to end the party, Wells said. State police responded approximately 3 a.m., when there were more than 110 people found and cleared the party, officials said. The guest was fined $500 under state law for exceeding the state limit of 25 people and was also charged with disorderly conduct, officials said. Commission officials said the hotel, in response, has added a limit of no more than four people being allowed in a room, and no more than eight people being allowed in a suite. That action has resulted in several cancellation of reservations, a sign that the policy is having an impact on protecting health and safety, officials said. In addition, the hotel has stepped up security and training of employees to identify and prevent large gatherings, including added surveillance of elevator areas and lobbies, commission officials said. The hotel staff is also being trained on communicating the room limit requirements to all guests, verbally and in writing, Lillios said. The staff is also receiving increased training on looking for any red flags of potential large gatherings, Lillios said. The fact that the National Investigation Agency charge sheet filed in a Jammu court on Tuesday in the Pulwama terrorist strike case runs into nearly 13,500 pages points to an exhaustive investigation by the premier probe agency. The NIA has meticulously traced how those behind one of the biggest terror strikes in India planned and executed the attack. But the charge sheet will be viewed in many quarters as just a procedural legal formality the investigating agency had to go through. This is because the biggest masterminds of such attacks and the terror factories they run are all based in Pakistan, about which India can do little. Remember, Jaish-e-Mohammed leader Maulana Masood Azhar, charged in the Pulwama strike, has also been named in the 2016 Pathankot Air Force base attack. Similarly, Hafiz Saeed, Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi and many others were charge sheeted for the 26/11 Mumbai attack. Yet, they are scot free in Pakistan. Two of the most striking features of the Pulwama charge sheet are the ease with which Umer Farooq, Masood Azhars nephew, sneaked into India in April 2018 to carry out the attack and the local support the foreign terrorists got. The charge sheet says Farooq entered India through a tunnel. This brings into question the effectiveness of fencing along the border and the LoC. For years, the high-tech border fencing has been touted as the solution for cross-border infiltration. But it is clear from experience the world over that fencing alone is not a foolproof method to stop such infiltration. Crores of rupees have been sunk on the fencing, closed circuit cameras, thermal imaging devices and movement sensors. But they have been unable to stop infiltration. The other major point is the participation of local recruits. Of the 19 terrorists named, 13 are Kashmiris, including a woman and the suicide bomber. The dastardly attack would not have been possible without the help and shelter they provided to the Pakistani attackers. If media reports are to be believed, the local suicide bomber himself volunteered to be the fidayeen. Its time the government, policymakers and even civil society members address these issues urgently. Lahore: Pakistan's Sikh religious body has invited Sikh pilgrims from India to offer 'Jyoti Jyot Gurpurab' prayers at the historic Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in the country's Punjab province next month. The Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC) has urged the Indian government to allow Sikh 'yatris' to attend the three-day prayers from September 20 to 22. The Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB), which is the caretaker of religious sites of minorities in Pakistan, has endorsed the PSGPC's request. "On August 26, a PSGPC meeting was held at Lahore. Arrangements for Jyoti Jyot Gurpurab at Kartarpur Sahib from September 20, 2020 were reviewed. The PSGPC urged the Indian government to allow Sikh 'yatris' to participate in the first 'Jyoti Jyot Gurpurab' after opening of Kartarpur Corridor," the ETPB said in a tweet. The Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara is located in Pakistan's Narowal district across Ravi river about four kilometres from the Dera Baba Nanak shrine in India. The Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara is the final resting place of Guru Nanak Dev, who had spent the last 18 years of his life in Kartarpur. The Sikh founder died on September 22, 1539. 'Jyoti Jyot' is the commemoration of his death anniversary. In November last year, India and Pakistan opened the corridor linking Dera Baba Sahib in Gurdaspur, India to Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan, in a historic people-to-people initiative as part of Guru Nanak Dev's 550th birth anniversary celebrations. At the time, it was decided that Indian pilgrims of all faiths would be allowed to undertake round-the-year, visa-free travel to the historic gurdwara. However, India temporarily suspended the pilgrimage on March 16 in view of the coronavirus outbreak. "The PSGPC along with the Pakistan government is going to observe Gurpurab with religious fervour and devotion. We make an appeal to the Indian government to allow the Indian pilgrims to visit Kartarpur Sahib on this pious occasion. We will be very happy if the Indian government allows the Sikhs to take part, said PSGPC president Satwant Singh. He said adequate safety measures would be taken in view of the coronavirus outbreak. We also want 'hazoori ragis' of Sri Harmandar Sahib, Amritsar, to perform kirtan at Kartarpur Sahib. We expect a minimum of 5,000 pilgrims to attend these functions daily, Singh said. . The NCB is now the third federal investigative agency probing Sushant Singh Rajput's death case apart from the ED and the CBI The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on Wednesday filed a criminal case against Rhea Chakraborty and others to probe their alleged dealings in banned drugs, an instance emerging from an investigation being conducted into the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, officials said. They said sections 20, 22, 27, and 29 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS) have been pressed in the complaint filed by the federal anti-drugs agency on an official reference received from the Enforcement Directorate (ED). These sections under the NDPS pertain to punishment for contravention in relation to cannabis plant and cannabis (20), punishment for contravention in relation to psychotropic substances (22), punishment for consumption of any narcotic drug or psychotropic substance (27) and punishment for abetment and criminal conspiracy (29). The alleged narcotics dealing links are connected to the criminal probe being conducted in the death of Rajput, 34, who was found hanging at his duplex flat in Mumbai's Bandra area on 14 June. Officials said NCB Director General (NCB) Rakesh Asthana held two rounds of meetings and after going through the evidence available and obtaining legal opinion, he directed his officials to file a case. They said a special team under the supervision of NCB Deputy Director (operations) KPS Malhotra has been constituted and officials of the agency from its unit in Delhi and Mumbai will carry out the investigation. The agency is soon expected to summon Rhea, flatmate, and creative manager of Rajput, Siddharth Pithani, his house and business managers, accountant, his domestic helps, and some more people for questioning. The NCB is now the third federal investigative agency probing this case apart from the ED and the CBI. The ED, which is probing a money-laundering angle into the death of Rajput, has questioned Rhea twice earlier and has obtained "deleted WhatsApp messages" after a forensic examination of her phone. The deleted messages, they said, allegedly indicate dealings in banned drugs and chats about the procurement and consumption of these drugs that include cannabis. Rhea has been questioned by the ED about these suspect drug deal messages deleted from her phone and her statement on these allegations has been recorded by it under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), officials said. It is understood that the "deleted WhatsApp messages" pertain to Rhea purportedly talking to her friends and some of Rajput's domestic helpers about certain banned narcotics. The NCB, they said, will probe the possible "source, trade, consumption and handling" of these banned drugs and their possible links to Rajput as well as his death, they said. Rhea's lawyer Satish Manehsinde had vehemently denied the drug link allegations made against the 28-year-old actor on Tuesday. "Rhea has never consumed drugs in her life ever. She is ready for a blood test," Maneshinde had said. Check out the post Rhea has never consumed drugs in her life ever, said her lawyer https://t.co/V8rkCYiZ9d THE WEEK (@TheWeekLive) August 25, 2020 The actor is the prime accused in this case and has stated in her petition before the Supreme Court that she was in a live-in relationship with Rajput. The ED had shared these alleged narcotics-related chats with the CBI too that is probing Rajput's death. * Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Archana Thiyagarajan with Glenda Kwek in New Delhi (Agence France-Presse) Chennai, India Thu, August 27, 2020 22:04 511 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c40f8530 2 Environment India,animals,dog,coronavirus,COVID-19,lockdown Free When Lakshmi Sundar brought a malnourished stray puppy into her home in the Indian city of Chennai, she thought the brown-and-white bundle of energy would be a guest for just a few weeks. With the world marking International Dog Day on Wednesday, her household is one of a growing number across India to have adopted man's best friend to cope with the loneliness inflicted by the pandemic. "We bonded so well from day one, which is very rare... I don't bond that easily with anyone," Sundar, a 53-year-old who treats diabetes patients, told AFP of the pup her daughter named Meenakshi after a Hindu warrior goddess. "She's a bundle of joy," said Sundar as she explained how no-one in the house wanted to give Meenakshi to another family. "And she has had a very calming effect on my daughter." India -- which has more than three million coronavirus cases -- imposed a months-long lockdown to try and halt its spread. As case numbers grew and more people were stuck at home, early fears about pets being potential carriers turned into a search for love and friendship from the four-legged creatures. "When the lockdown was opened partially, people were rushing and coming to take puppies," Dawn William of the Blue Cross of India animal-welfare group in Chennai told AFP. In the first half of August, some 68 puppies were adopted from the group's shelter, he said. "There are people and children who have time to spend with a pet. You know you have to care for it, you have to give him a bath, you have to play with him... so it keeps you going." India has an estimated 30 million stray dogs, and animal activists have long encouraged people to adopt mixed-breed street mutts. But while a growing middle class is becoming open to having dogs as pets, many still prefer pedigrees, which are more of a status symbol. Shelter owners say, however, there has been a cultural shift -- with younger people more willing to adopt mixed-breed strays. Read also: Locked-down Brits seek creature comfort 'Unconditional love' Animesh Katiyar, who owns the Fur Ball Story dog cafe in Gurgaon near New Delhi, says there has been a jump in demand for his services from young professionals, many of whom are now working from home. The 27-year-old helps people find puppies to adopt, offers training for new owners and prepares pedigree and street pooches for animal-assisted therapy. "A pet just helps a lot because they're supposed to be providing unconditional love," Katiyar said, adding that the number of calls for his services has jumped from one per day to seven in recent months. One of Katiyar's regular customers is Avani Naresh, 29, an IT business owner who had a lifelong fear of dogs. Eager to overcome his phobia, he sought Katiyar's help last year and slowly learnt to become comfortable around mutts. When the pandemic hit, the cafe shut and Naresh -- unable to have a pet as he splits his time between Delhi and Gurgaon -- realized he missed the animals he used to run away from. "A dog can be a big, big game-changer in terms of an emotional journey. A dog absorbs your entire stress. They understand... what you are going through," Naresh told AFP. "I think if I had a dog during the lockdown, I think my anxiety levels, my stress levels would have been to the minimum." Booker Rowe with his violin at his home in Philadelphia. Rowe is retiring after 50 years in the Philadelphia Orchestra. Read more It was 1968 when Booker Rowe, a freelance violinist in New York, got the call. On the line was Mason Jones, the Philadelphia Orchestras personnel manager and star horn player with a question from music director Eugene Ormandy that seemed to come out of the blue. Did Rowe want to come to Philadelphia? I suppose he knew about me because I was from the city and gave recitals and I played in a lot of places, so people knew me in Philadelphia, says Rowe of how Ormandy might have been aware of his existence. I got this call from Mason and heard the orchestra playing in the background and said, Oh, my god, they want me to come play with that beautiful orchestra. Come and play he did. And now the violinist has decided to go. After a half century as a member of the Philadelphia Orchestra, Rowe, 79, will retire next month. His withdrawal is a personal decision. All players grapple with the question of exactly when their time has come. The ensemble has no mandatory retirement age. But his retirement also underlines an institutional concern particularly germane at this moment. Rowe is one of a small handful of Black players in a largely Black city at a time when orchestras across the U.S. are being scrutinized for low Black representation in the ensemble, staff, board, repertoire, and audience. READ MORE: The Philadelphia Orchestra goes shorter, smaller and virtual for the first part of the 2020-21 season The Philadelphia Orchestra will now have just three Black members a fact not lost on Rowe. I dont think it looks good for where we are right now, he says. There should have been others. There are others out there who can play. It is disheartening. Rowes departure from the stage is part of a slightly larger-than-usual wave of retirements this year representing a combined 250-plus years of service. Also retiring as of Sept. 14 are stagehand James P. Barnes (who originally started as an Academy of Music employee in 1983); trombonist Eric Carlson (1986); trumpeter Robert W. Earley (1992); principal librarian Robert M. Grossman (1979); and double bass players John Hood (1982) and Robert Kesselman (1987). Rowe was one of the orchestras longest-serving members, but his arrival hardly ushered in a new era of Black participation. The orchestra believes he was the first Black musician to play in the ensemble when he first performed with the group as a substitute in the 1968-69 season. He then played with the National Symphony Orchestra from 1969 to 1970, and returned to the Philadelphia Orchestra in 1970, becoming a full-time member in 1971. Violist Renard Edwards became the orchestras first Black member, in 1970. Few others followed. This season, Nicole Jordan becomes the orchestras new principal librarian and its first-ever Black female member. Booker Taliaferro Washington Vance Rowe Jr. was born in Kentucky, raised in Philadelphia, and earned an undergraduate degree at Temple University and a masters in music from Yale University. After his arrival at the Academy of Music, he received a positive reception for the most part. There were a lot of people that were wonderful people, that were helpful. Some who were not, who kept their distance, he says. READ MORE: Philadelphia Orchestra adds its first black woman musician, a Girls High and Temple grad. Shes the new music librarian. He does remember arriving backstage at the Academy of Music one day and finding scrawled in a stairway the words: N- Go Home. The next day when I went up to practice someone had erased it, said Rowe. That was the only incident of that type. Basically, I ignored it. I said all of these people have not supported me all this time for me to leave. I had an obligation to everybody not to leave. Rowe says it was the pandemic that gave him the time to think about where my life was going. Retirement, after 50 years with the orchestra, feels like jumping off a cliff. The orchestra last performed for a live audience in mid-March and plans to resume gathering in small configurations for performances without an audience to be streamed this fall. What the future composition of the ensemble might be is part of a larger examination. A year ago, guided by the belief that diversity is excellence, the Philadelphia Orchestra began a process called IDEAS Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access Strategies, said orchestra president and CEO Matias Tarnopolsky in a statement. Now, we are in the midst of a rigorous analysis of our organization at all levels and are entering an implementation phase where we have already begun to see IDEAS reflected in our values. One goal of the plan is to increase diversity in the ensemble, said Tarnopolsky. Booker Rowes retirement this year is a significant milestone. We are committed to ensuring that new, diverse talent can be found to fill vacancies in the orchestra. READ MORE: As country rages, one musician cut through the social media thicket with his quiet America the Beautiful.' Then others joined in. Rowe is more concise. I am hoping they will fill some of those positions with qualified African Americans, he says. The music is so great that the orchestra should be able to draw them. Of that great music, Rowe recalls many highlights, like the way Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos led Orffs Carmina Burana at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center. I remember just how much into it he was. It was like a party on the podium. Ormandy, he said, had a way of bringing the orchestra to a point. There were moments that were really gigantic, overwhelming. But his voice grows especially ardent when he talks about the sound of the orchestra when he first arrived its depth and lushness. My first day, I came in late from New York and the orchestra was already rehearsing and I sat myself down on the last stand to play. The sound was amazing. It was like stereo all around me. The stage was slanted down, and when the brass and winds would play I had to brace myself with my right leg from being blown off stage. It was just so beautiful. A statue of a Confederate soldier in front of a courthouse in Lake Charles, Louisiana, lies on the ground Thursday Aug. 27, 2020 after being toppled when Hurricane Laura ripped through the area. Earlier this month parish officials voted to keep the statue, called the Souths Defenders Monument, in its place. LAFAYETTE, La. Hurricane Laura damaged a controversial Confederate monument in Lake Charles, Louisiana, after officials voted to keep the statue earlier this month. The Calcasieu Parish Police Jury voted Aug. 13 to let the South's Defenders Monument remain on the grounds of a courthouse in Lake Charles. A Calcasieu Parish official said the parish had received 945 written responses from the public about the monument. "Of the total responses, 878 were against relocating the monument and 67 were for relocating the monument," Calcasieu Parish Administrator Bryan Beam said. A statue of a Confederate soldier, called the South's Defenders Monument, used to stand on top of this now-empty pedestal in front of a courthouse in Lake Charles, La., Thursday, Aug. 27, 2020. The statue was toppled when Hurricane Laura ripped through the area. Earlier this month parish officials voted to keep the statue in its place. Twitter posts Thursday morning showed images of the monument with the general in pieces on the ground. Can confirm, the confederate statue in Lake Charles that many were wondering about is gone, apparently a casualty of Hurricane Laura pic.twitter.com/xWzLpRAnBJ Andrea Gallo (@aegallo) August 27, 2020 Dedicated in 1915, the monument honors Confederate soldiers from the area and other towns across the South. Parish officials had been taking public comments since late June about what to do with the statue amid calls around the country to remove Confederate monuments many see as symbols of racism. Hurricane Laura live coverage: 2 dead after 'extensive' damage to Louisiana; forecasters warn of 'life-threatening storm surge' Laura made landfall as a Category 4 storm early Thursday and was downgraded to a tropical storm by that afternoon, but not before dealing significant damage to parts of Louisiana and Texas. Although damage is widespread along portions of the Gulf Coast, FEMA Administrator Peter Gaynor says it's less than what was feared. "It looks like 1,000 tornadoes went through here. Its just destruction everywhere," said Brett Geymann, who rode out the storm with three family members in Moss Bluff, near Lake Charles, Louisiana. He described Laura passing over his house with the roar of a jet engine around 2 a.m. Story continues Contributing: Jay Cannon and Joel Shannon, USA TODAY; The Associated Press 'Destruction everywhere': Photos show Hurricane Laura flooded streets, shredded buildings Waffle House index: : Hurricane Laura closes more than a dozen locations in Texas, Louisiana This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Lake Charles damage from Hurricane Laura includes Confederate statue Hundreds of psychiatrists in the UK have called for the government there to ensure no parent is fined if their child misses school because they feel anxious. The UK's Education Secretary Gavin Williamson is being urged by the Royal College of Psychiatrists to suspend fines for children who do not attend when schools reopen in September. The penalties could "severely" affect children's and parents' mental health, the body warned. The government has said fines for parents who refuse to send their children to England's schools will be used only as a "last resort". School standards minister Nick Gibb said there was a "moral imperative" for children to attend, and parents should discuss any concerns with head teachers. Local authorities can fine parents 120 (134) - cut by half if paid within 21 days - over a child's absence from school, with the threat of prosecution if they fail to pay. More than 250 child and adolescent psychiatrists have signed a letter calling for the threat of fines to be removed and for schools to be given more resources to tackle poor mental health. Writing to Mr Williamson, Dr Bernadka Dubicka, chairwoman of the faculty of child and adolescent psychiatry, said: "The threat of fines could force parents of children who feel anxious to send them back to school even if they're not ready. This could have serious consequences on their mental health, especially if they are worried about family shielding. "Fines could bring more financial stress on families as we're entering a recession, severely affecting children's and parents' mental health. "We want all children to benefit from returning to school but don't believe fines are the right way to encourage them." The foreign ministers of the European Union countries will discuss increasing pressure on the Belarusian president Aleksandr Lukashenko, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Thursday live on the ZDF TV channel. According to him, they see that Lukashenko is increasing pressure on peaceful demonstrators and the opposition and they must discuss today how they can increase the pressure on Belarus' leader. He recalled that they have already made a decision to impose sanctions on those who participated in electoral fraud and crimes against peaceful demonstrators and so far, nothing has changed. As Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said at the beginning of the week, the EU can become a mediator in resolving the situation in Belarus, the relevant statements were made during his meeting with Heiko Maas. Indonesia has reported 3,003 coronavirus infections, a single-day record for Australias near-neighbour. COVID-19 infection rates have been steadily rising, day-on-day for months in Indonesia as the and the national government implemented a limited lockdown which was quickly wound back. The total number of cases in Indonesia has now risen to 165,887 infections and the total number of suspected cases - people who probably have the virus - has now hit 77,857 people. The death toll, which is the highest in south-east Asia by a considerable distance, is now 7,169 people after rising by another 105 people on Friday. The national COVID-19 taskforce reported just 16,649 people had been tested on Thursday. The capital city of Jakarta, led by Governor Anies Baswedan and home to about 10 million people excluding satellite cities, is the only province that has met the World Health Organisations minimum standard of one test per 1000 people. It reported 869 new cases on Friday, the highest in the country, and has reported 37,082 cases in total, which is also the highest in the country. According to the Worldometer website, which tracks cases, testing and deaths from the coronavirus in every country, Indonesia ranks 162nd in the world for tests per 1 million people. It has conducted 7,798 tests per 1 million people. Australia has tested 236,875 people per 1 million people and the states of NSW and Victoria, home to 7.5 million people and 6.3 million people respectively, are both conducting more tests on a daily basis than Indonesia, which is home to 270 million people. Other near neighbours such as Thailand (10,729 tests per million), Malaysia (37,397 per million), Singapore (312,897 per million) and the Philippines (22,215 tests per million) also far exceed Indonesias testing rates. The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age recently reported that two of Indonesias leading epidemiologists believe the total number of cases in Indonesia may have already passed 1 million people. The Indonesian government responded by attacking the report as speculation that relied heavily on hearsay and baseless assumptions. WASHINGTON - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows resumed talks Thursday over a stalled COVID-19 aid package, but the outlook for any swift resolution appeared bleak as President Donald Trumps team and congressional Democrats have been unable to agree on a compromise. Pelosi said she told Meadows the Democrats would be willing to meet halfway at $2.2 trillion a slight reduction from her last proposal before talks collapsed earlier this month. The White House, which has stuck with its initial $1 trillion offer, had no immediate response. We have said again and again that were willing to meet them in the middle $2.2 trillion. When theyre willing to do that, well be willing to discuss the particulars, Pelosi told reporters at the Capitol. Their 25-minute afternoon call was the first attempt to kick-start negotiations since talks fell apart. The stalemate comes as jobless claims hit 1 million Thursday and households are struggling, with the mounting virus toll now above 180,000 deaths, higher than any other country. House Democrats opening bid was the $3 trillion-plus Heroes Act, a sweeping aid package approved in May. It proposed money for cash-strapped states, housing and jobless assistance, to help schools reopen and to conduct more widespread virus testing. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who hit pause on that package of new spending, eventually came up with a $1 trillion counter-offer a few weeks ago. But he acknowledged Thursday that talks are in a stalemate. McConnell, R-Ky. said he remained hopeful for a deal. We need another one, the country needs another one, he said during a visit to a hospital in Pikeville, Kentucky. Congress is on recess until September and it appears unlikely lawmakers will be recalled to Washington unless there is a deal ready for voting. Talks are nowhere near resolution and in fact broadening to include Postal Service funds before the November election. Also, a need for new disaster aid is expected with the Gulf state hurricanes and California wildfires. Any relief package could become rolled into talks over a must-pass package to keep the government funded after the Sept. 30 budget year deadline. McConnell floated a skinny proposal last week, trying to move talks toward a more narrow band of priorities that most Democrats and Republicans agree on, including help for small business and some type of a jobless benefits boost to replace the $600 weekly boost that expired in July. There is also widespread support for at least $105 billion for education to help schools prepare for fall classes, and McConnell also suggested $10 billion for the Postal Service, which is less than the $25 billion mail rescue Pelosi and Democrats approved Saturday during widespread postal disruptions. One key sticking point involves sending federal dollars to cash-strapped state and local governments. Democrats initially sought $1 trillion to help cities and states weather the coronavirus crisis, but Trump, McConnell and other Republicans refuse to provide what they call bailouts for states. Pelosi said shes willing to continue negotiating but only if Trump and Republicans meet her half way. She had earlier shaved $1 trillion off the Heroes Act, to $2.4 trillion, in the first round of talks. Were not going to budge, the California Democrat said. We cant go any less because we have to meet the needs of the American people, she said. When they are willing to do that, theyll let us know. Meadows, a former congressman who headed the conservative Freedom Caucus, and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin have been briefing Republican senators almost daily. But those familiar with the private conference calls say there has been little new information about any new deal. Yet McConnell faces his own difficulties because many, if not most, GOP senators appear satisfied, for now, that there remains enough existing aid available and new money is not needed. The split in his ranks gives Pelosi an upper hand in talks because she has been able to bring most of her Democrats on board with her proposals. A woman stands at a Huawei booth featuring 5G technology at the PT Expo in Beijing, China, on Sept. 28, 2018. (Reuters) Huawei, ZTE Lose Patent Appeals in UK Supreme Court Landmark Ruling The UK Supreme Court on Wednesday unanimously dismissed appeals by Chinese telecommunication companies Huawei and ZTE concerning their patent disputes with licensing companies Unwired Planet and Conversant Wireless. EIP legal, the firm representing both Unwired Planet International Ltd and Conversant Wireless Licensing, said it is a landmark ruling that will be highly impactful for the global licensing of telecoms standards. The joint appeals concern two previous cases. In the first case, an English court previously ruled that Huawei infringed two of Unwired Planets UK patents, which are standard essential patents (SEPs)patents that are essential to the implementation of international standards for mobile telephony. The patents previous owner Ericsson had licensed them to Huawei, but the license expired in 2012. Unwired Planet obtained an injunction against Huawei for the latters infringement of the SEPs. In the second case, the UK Patents Court found that Huawei and ZTE infringed two of Conversants wireless LTE SEPs by selling LTE handsets in the UK. Huawei and ZTE appealed, arguing that foreign patents are outside the jurisdiction of UK court. The supreme court unanimously dismissed the appeals, maintaining the previous judgment that its within English courts jurisdiction to determine the terms of a global license of a multi-national patent portfolio. The ruling will enable SEP holders to insist that implementers, like Huawei, take out global licences covering all of their portfolios, EIP said in a statement. If they fail to do this, they risk being subject to injunctions restricting their ability to access the UK market. Both Unwired Planet and Conversant said they were pleased with the courts decision. The UK Supreme Court decision confirms the entire well-reasoned, deeply analyzed jurisprudence that has emerged in the UK courts, Boris Teksler, Conversants CEO, said in a statement. It confirms Conversant Wireless approach, that as a holder of cellular standard-essential patents, we can seek proper value for our patents without having to resort to what the UK courts themselves called the madness of country-by-country licensing and related litigation, he added. This helps level the playing field when small companies are trying to license SEP portfolios to global giants with seemingly limitless litigation resources. The trial to determine the licensing terms is set for the end of January 2021, Conversant said. Gary Moss, head of EIP Legal called the case an epic journey, on which the firm and its clients faced opponents with significant resources who have thrown everything at them. He said they were delighted with the outcome. The appeals process had taken 7 years involving 12 major trials and appeals, Moss said, with EIP representing Unwired Planet since 2013 and Conversant since 2017. Many in the industry thought that what we were attempting was crazy and hopeless. But we and our clients have held firm, he said. By Julie Steenhuysen and Manojna Maddipatla (Reuters) - Moderna Inc said on Wednesday its experimental COVID-19 vaccine induced immune responses in older adults similar to those in younger participants, offering hope that it will be effective in people considered to be at high risk for severe complications from the coronavirus. The company is one of the leading contenders in the race to develop a vaccine against the virus that has killed more than 820,000 people worldwide. Its candidate, mRNA-1273, is already in late-stage human trials testing its ability to safely prevent infection. The latest data from an early Phase I study includes an analysis from 20 additional people detailing how the vaccine performed in older adults. The analysis looked at subjects given the 100-microgram dose being tested in the much larger Phase III trial. Moderna said the immune responses in those aged between ages 56 and 70, above age 70 and those 18 to 55-years-old were similar. Health officials have been concerned about whether vaccine candidates would work in older people, whose immune systems typically do not respond as strongly to vaccines. Moderna shares, which have more than tripled in value this year, rose about 6% after the data's release. The company has so far enrolled over 13,000 participants in its late-stage study. About 18% of the total participants are Black, Latino, Native American or Alaska Native, groups that have been particularly hard hit by the pandemic, and are often under represented in clinical trials. Dr. Jacqueline Miller, Moderna's head of infectious disease development, told a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) panel the company plans to post weekly updates on enrollment of Black and Latino trial subjects on its website. Pfizer Inc told Reuters last week that 19% of the 11,000 subjects already enrolled in its vaccine trial are Black or Latino. Miller said the demographic makeup of Moderna's trial is a frequent topic at meetings with U.S. officials heading the White House program aimed at accelerating development of COVID-19 vaccines and treatments. Story continues DEEP FREEZE Companies and health officials also are working on ways to distribute COVID-19 vaccines, some of which must be shipped and stored at extremely cold temperatures. Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, questioned Pfizer's plans after the company said its vaccine must be stored at ultra-low temperatures for up to 6 months or in specially designed shipping containers for up to 10 days. Once removed from the containers, the vaccine can be kept for up to a day at a temperatures between 2 and 8 degrees Celsius (36-46F) - roughly the temperature of a normal refrigerator - or 2 hours at room temperature. "The complexities of this plan for vaccine storage and handling will have major impact in our ability to efficiently deliver the vaccine," Messonnier said. Pfizer told the CDC panel it is working on making the vaccine stable at higher temperatures. Pfizer shares were down about 1.5%. Moderna's vaccine has to be kept at minus 20 degrees Celsius for shipping and longer-term storage of up to six months, but it can be kept at regular refrigeration temperatures for up to 10 days. The vaccine will be distributed in 10-dose vials with no preservatives, the company said. Moderna is also working to make the vaccine stable at higher temperatures, Miller said. Moderna, which has never brought a vaccine to market, has received nearly $1 billion from the U.S. government under its Operation Warp Speed program. It has also struck a $1.5 billion supply agreement with the United States. (Reporting by Manojna Maddipatla in Bengaluru; Additional reporting by Ankur Banerjee and Michael Erman; Editing by Jonathan Oatis, Peter Henderson and Bill Berkrot) BJP general secretary Ram Madhav will be in Kashmir on Thursday to meet party leaders and workers at a time when several BJP leaders in Jammu and Kashmir have been targeted by terrorists and a political churning is taking place with prominent parties in the valley jointly pressing for restoration of Article 370 and statehood. National Conference, Peoples Democratic Party, Peoples Conference, ANC and the CPI (M) have announced a joint political battle for the restoration of Article 370 and 35A; the constitution of Jammu and Kashmir and its statehood. The leaders of these mainstream political parties had signed the Gupkar declaration last year on August 4, a day before Article 370 was revoked by the parliament and the erstwhile state was divided into two UTs. On the other hand, an important two-day meeting of Altaf Bukharis newly launched Apni Party is also underway and is expected to take a stand on the Gupkar declaration. The meeting started on Wednesday afternoon. Also Read: Kashmir leaders resolve to fight for restoration of Article 370 and J-K statehood Sources in the know of the agenda of Ram Madhavs visit said that BJP general secretary will arrive in Srinagar in the afternoon and chair a meeting of party leaders to discuss current political situation and issues regarding Jammu and Kashmir. The issue of security of BJP leaders is also likely to come up in the meeting with Madhav. In the last two months, five prominent BJP leaders were killed by militants in different parts of Kashmir. Our leaders are on target of the militants, so the issue related to the security of BJP leaders and panchayat members will be taken up with BJP general secretary, said BJP state spokesman Altaf Thakur. He added that it was an important visit and many issues will be discussed with the party general secretary. The South Korean division of Netflix is currently under investigation for possible tax avoidance According to newswire Yonhap, the National Tax Service (NTS) in South Korea suspects Netflix Services Korea paid its US headquarters a large sum of phantom management consulting fees so that the Seoul office would report a deficit and avoid paying corporate taxes. An official at Netflix Services Korea confirmed that NTS officials had visited the office and said that Netflix was fully cooperating with the tax authorities. In Vietnam, Netflix has so far not received a licence, despite running business here for more than four years, and has so far refused to offer an explanation. According to Vietnams Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC), many movies and series on the platform could be found in violation of local regulations. Along with the licensing problem, Netflix has also been accused of tax avoidance for a long time now. According to the MIC, since its initial launch in Vietnam in 2016, the company has yet to pay any tax to local authorities, despite annual revenues of $30 million. Currently, the Ministry of Finance is drafting specific tax rates for cross-border services for publishing within this year. Reacting to the claims, Amy Kunrojpanya, public affairs and communications leader at Netflix, told VIR, In every country we operate, Netflix respects the rules. We have been honoured to meet regularly with Vietnamese authorities on this topic and await further details on implementation from them. However, it has been more than nine months since the last meeting between Netflix and the Government Office and no specific action has been made by Netflix. 27.08.2020 LISTEN It is not a populists nonsense but a global axiomatic fact to opine that "Disability is not inability". Not only the open fair-minded egalitarians but even the believers of repressive customs as well as the biased elites with their entrenched misguided prejudices against People With Disabilities (PWDs), have now come into uncertain terms with this proposition as there is no contrary school of thought. As an ardent advocate, I have been working with and for the betterment of my own people the PWDs since 2013, because, "until the lions learn to write, every story will always glorify the hunters" which can be erroneous if not a total misrepresentation. Arguably, Persons With Different Abilities which hitherto was known as Persons With Disabilities, are not good for nothing. I have observed that, despite the myriad of artificially erected daunting challenges, militating against the full unearthing of the PWDs' potentials in life, there still exist evidence of towering achievements in preponderance to their credit across the socioeconomic spectrum of all human developmental indices. It was therefore not out of place for the United Nations (UN) to have promulgated its first comprehensive human rights treaty of the 21st century on PWDs. The treaty, elaborated in detail all the rights and freedoms of PWDs and sets out a code for its implementation across the globe. However, this global call for recognition of the inherent dignity and worth of the physically challenged human person as it pertains elsewhere outside Africa is at its lowest ebb in Ghana. For the avoidance of doubt, Ghana as a member country signed onto the convention on PWDs in 2007 and ratified it in 2012 to become the 119th country in the world and 32nd in Africa chiefly to reaffirm its commitment to the lofty ideals of protecting the fundamental human rights, liberties and freedoms of Persons With Different Abilities. In furtherance, the ratification of the treaty, underpins the background and scope of the Ghanaian legal regime on Persons With Disabilities (PWDs). Even though, article 29 of the 1992 constitution of Ghana and sections of the children's Act 1998(Act 560), the Labour Act 2003(Act 651) and the Education Act 2008(Act 778), all of which have spelt out the rights of the disabled people. Yet, the parliament of Ghana passed the Disability Act 2006(Act 715) to usher in a new dawn of hope for PWDs and their surrogate activists because their peculiar circumstances have not been sufficiently addressed by the existing laws, policies and programs. In brief, the Act was to change attitudes and approaches to Peesons With Different Abilities. It actually presented a whole paradigm shift from viewing PWDs as "objects of charity" towards viewing them as "subjects" with rights, who are capable of claiming those rights and making decisions for their lives based on their free informed consent as well as being active members of the society. That notwithstanding, what has become of this Act over the fourteen years period? Has it protected the rights of PWDs and facilitated their self representation in the mainstream of social, political and economic activities in Ghana? It will be an untenable figment of imagination if not preposterous to uphold this Act practically positive in respect of the PWDs' realities on the ground. I have noted with utmost disappointment that, what happened between 2006 when the Act was passed up-to-date leaves much to be desired. It is nothing but an unfortunate testament of failure by successive governments. In simple terms, Persons With Disabilities in Ghana have gullibly trusted only to an empty rhetoric, a rather bizzare compliance facade!. The fraternity of PWDs here in Ejura-sekyedumase constituency have concluded that, "We are not equal citizens under the current legal regime as it stands now because our rights are not fully recognised and actively protected as envisaged by the Act". Indeed, suffice me to say that, the development of PWDs in Ghana vis-a-vis the overall general development of the Ghanaian people is inexcusably very slow and so, as Ghana goes to the polls in December 2020, it is worthy of note that, 64,966 of the voter population are disabled and over five million of the Ghanaian population have some form of disability. The time is therefore rife for our voice to be heard and strengthened not only at the District Assemblies but at National level as well. On this note, I proposes that, the political parties should consider taking on board these four key issues and formulate their policy proposals in a more pragmatic manner to ameliorate the prevailing deplorable situation as far as Ghana's blue print for development in the next four years is concerned. First, the next government should muster the political will of enforcing the Disability Act in its totality to serve its intended purpose, especially the appointment of the National Council for Persons With Disabilities (NCPD) as well as their representatives at the regional and District levels. Second, Education, Health and Employment. Persons With Disabilities need a comprehensively inclusive education from basic, second cycle, tertiary, vocation and technical skills training with fully funded scholarship packages.This will help reduce labelling and stigmatization of PWDs. The Health care should be comprehensive as well, ie access to health insurance, sexual and reproductive health care and specialised health care. Employment for PWDs into both formal and informal sectors should come with tax waivers and other incentives to their employers. Third, Participation in governance. The next government should consider appointing PWDs to occupy positions of trust at national and local levels and ensure the implementation of affirmative action. Finally, the fundamental issue of accessibility to; the physically built environment, public facilities, transportation, equal opportunities, services, information, and communication technologies should not be left out of the equation. In conclusion, since the issues and concerns of Persons With Disabilities are numerous, it is my well-considered view that, if the next government focused on the above teething issues, the continuous marginalization, the needless unproductive discrimination based on disability, the deprivation and exploitation of the PWDs' rights with impunity in a broad daylight would be brought to the barest minimum. Let us live within the realities of our time, which is that, the days of lip service, the days of tokenism, and the days of heavy empty rhetoric are over. A society that evidently sidelines its vulnerable minority groups, such as PWDs cannot be developing holistically and so the nonchalant attitude of Ghanaian politicians towards PWDs should be given a second thought. From; Edward Konlan Yennukon A Disability Activist (Secretary) Ghana Federation of the Disabled (GFD) Ejura-Sekyedumase Branch. (0543565923) The White House has gone on the attack against Melania Trump's former friend who has written a tell-all book on the first lady, calling her 'mean' and 'abusive.' The charge came after an excerpt appeared from Stephanie Winston Wolkoff's forthcoming memoir 'Melania & Me.' In it, she claimed that Melania Trump plotted to keep Ivanka Trump out of the photos of President Donald Trump taking the oath of office on Inauguration Day with her 'Operation Block Ivanka.' Wolkoff, who was a special contract employee to the first lady in the early days of the Trump administration, left the East Wing in February 2018 amid questions about her role on the inauguration planning committee. An administration official told DailyMail.com that Wolkoff was a 'disaster' in the first lady's office - which has less than two dozen staff - and 'took advantage' of Melania Trump. 'Stephanie was a complete disaster in her temporary role at the White House. She was erratic and dishonest, and was extremely mean to everyone. She threw the First Lady's name around a lot without her knowledge, making people fear Mrs. Trump for no reason,' the administration official said. The White House is pushing back against Stephanie Winston Wolkoff as excerpts appear from her upcoming book 'Melania & Me' - above she's seen with Melania Trump at a January 2017 dinner ahead of President Trump's inauguration Wolkoff's book describes the tense relationship between Melania Trump and Ivanka Trump; above Ivanka Trump can be seen behind Melania Trump on the inaugural platform at the U.S. Capitol The person described Wolkoff as paranoid. 'I think the most disturbing aspect was her extreme paranoia. I recall one time she was convinced the wrong shade of paint had been applied to an office on purpose, as a way to show disrespect to the East Wing. The truth is that she only began to claim how close the two were once President Trump took office she took advantage of Mrs. Trump and was abusive to everyone around her,' the official said. Wolkoff's memoir comes out September 1 but an excerpt was published in New York Magazine late Wednesday evening. In it, she reveals the first lady approved seating arrangements for the inauguration platform that would keep Ivanka Trump out of the camera shot during the moment her father was sworn in as the 45th president of the United States on January 20th, 2017. Wolkoff worked on the planning committee for the inauguration, which gave her access to the seating plans and schedule for the day. She previously helped plan and execute the Met Gala - a massive fundraiser for the Costume Institute gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art - for several years. And she was tasked by Vogue editor Anna Wintour with expanding New York's fashion week. But a senior official who worked with her on the planning committee for Trump's inauguration said Wolkoff and her WIS Media Partners team were a 'disaster.' 'Throughout preparations for the inaugural in late 2016/early 2017, the whole WIS Media team were a disaster to work with,' a senior official with the 58th Presidential Inaugural Committee told DailyMail.com. 'From rogue attempts to take over whole parts of the planning process, to unexplained fees and charges, to angry outbursts at inaugural staff who were working long, hard hours, to clumsy outreach to members of the media, Stephanie and her group were a troubling and deeply destabilizing presence,' the person added. The blow back Wolkoff comes as her book offers juicy details from two of the top women in President Trump's life: his wife Melania Trump and his eldest daughter Ivanka Trump. She describes the tension between the two as the date of Trump's inauguration approached. Wolkoff writes that: 'Ivanka texted me a photo of Barack Obama's swearing-in, his hand on the Bible, Michelle, Malia, and Sasha standing to his left. She wrote, 'FYI regarding the swearing in. It is nice to have family with him for this special moment.'' But, instead, Wolkoff and the incoming first lady launched 'Operation Block Ivanka' to keep the first daughter out of the shot. The two women went to great lengths to thwart Ivanka. They took advantage of Wolkoff's position on the inauguration planning committee to gain advance information on how the day would play out in order to make their scheme work. Melania Trump plotted to block Ivanka Trump from being in photos of President Trump taking the oath of office on Inauguration Day, in what was dubbed 'Operation Block Ivanka' Melania Trump wanted an image like the one above - with her Trump and their son Barron A forthcoming memoir about first lady Melania Trump - seen above with President Trump on night three of the Republican National Convention - details her tense relationship with Ivanka Wolkoff had an executive of her company, WIS Media Partners, take detailed notes on the inauguration platform at the U.S. Capitol building during one of the walk throughs that proceed such events. Walk throughs allow organizers and staff of the attendees to do a practice run of how the day will play out. It allows all the details of the day to be worked out: what time people arrive and in what order, where they will sit, and how the day will play out in precise order. Using the detailed sketch her employee drew up of the platform on the East Front of the Capitol, where Trump was sworn in with his family and VIP guests behind him, Melania and Wolkoff were able to work out where the cameras would be located on and how the chairs for the family should be positioned to get the images they wanted. 'Using his sketch, we were able to figure out whose face would be visible when Donald and Melania sat in their seats, and then when the family stood with Chief Justice John Roberts for Donald to take the oath of office,' Wolkoff wrote. 'If Ivanka was not on the aisle, her face would be hidden while she was seated. For the standing part, we put Barron between Donald and Melania.' Melania and Wolkoff then arranged for Donald Trump Jr., the president's oldest son, to be stand next to Melania instead of Ivanka, further keeping her out of the shot. Wolkoff blames 'exhaustion and stress' for some of the drama but also acknowledges the pettiness of it. 'Yes, Operation Block Ivanka was petty. Melania was in on this mission. But in our minds, Ivanka shouldn't have made herself the center of attention in her father's inauguration,' she wrote. A wide shot of the swearing-in on Inauguration Day shows Ivanka Trump positioned near the back of her siblings A rare shot of Ivanka and Melania together on Inauguration Day - this was taken at the viewing stand in front of the White House where the first family watched the inauguration parade go by She notes their Operation Block Ivanka was a result of the first daughter trying to control the schedule for inauguration day and make sure her family - husband Jared Kushner and their three children - had prominent positions on the big day. 'It was Donald's inauguration, not Ivanka's. But no one was brave enough to tell her that. Melania was not thrilled about Ivanka's steering the schedule and would not allow it. Neither was she happy to hear that Ivanka insisted on walking in the Pennsylvania Avenue parade with her children,' she noted. Wolkoff's book gives legitimacy to years of talk of a rivalry between Melania and Ivanka that has accumulated in an intense, competitive relationship between the two women. The two most prominent women in President Trump's life - his 50-year-old wife and his 38-year-old eldest daughter - have little overlap in the White House complex: Ivanka Trump, who serves as an adviser to her father, has an office in the West Wing. Melania Trump works out of the East Wing on the opposite side of the building. They have never hosted a joint initiative or event. And are rarely seen together at events. Mary Jordan's book 'The Art of Her Deal' portrayed a tense, at times combative, relationship between the two with Melania calling Ivanka 'Princess' and Ivanka referring to her stepmother as 'portrait.' Jordan's book also claimed Ivanka tried to have the First Lady's Office be renamed the First Family's Office, which the White House has denied. Wolkoff confirms that Melania refers to her stepdaughter as 'Princess' and paints an unflattering portrait of Ivanka trying to amass power and prestige at her stepmother's expense. New York magazine's Olivia Nuzzi confirms in her piece that Wolkoff has tapes of conversations she had with the first lady. Nuzzi described what she heard: 'Melania's voice was familiar, but she sounded softer, not quite as guarded and steely as she does in public. She was reassuring Wolkoff that things would be okay, that she didn't do anything. It was a bit hard to follow, but it sounded like she cared. Like she was trying to be there for a friend.' She offers details about Ivanka such as this: 'I received an email from her office. 'I notice that Ivanka's car is not part of the family motorcade. Is there any way to add that?' It. Never. Ended.' Melania Trump was also reported to be annoyed Ivanka Trump wanted to walk with them in the inauguration parade Instead, the adult children marched further back: Eric Trump, Lara Trump, Ivanka Trump and Tiffany Trump Wolkoff, a Manhattan socialite, is a longtime event planner for some of the highest-profile fashion events in New York City. In addition to her work on the Met Gala - know as fashion's biggest night - she also orchestrated Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week's Lincoln Center expansion and has worked closely with legendary Vogue editor Anna Wintour. It was during her work at Vogue that she met Melania. The then-Melania Knauss was a model dating Trump and about to be launched into society at the Met Gala. Trump proposed to Melania at the 2004 event. Then-Vogue fashion director Andre Leon Talle traveled to Paris with her to help her pick out her wedding dress. Stephanie Winston Wolkoff's book 'Melania and Me: The Rise and Fall of My Friendship with the First Lady' will be released on September 1 'Before her Vogue makeover, Melania was a very pretty young woman who seemed like she was playing fancy dress-up - more a brunette Marilyn Monroe than a Jackie O. After Melania's makeover, Andre Leon Talley's achievement, she was transcendent, high fashion, editorial worthy,' Wolkoff writes in her memoir. 'And the more time I spent with Melania, the more I genuinely liked her. Being with her was like having the sister I never had before - but a really confident, perfectly coiffed, ultimate older sister. In her world, nothing was a big deal, and everything was just as it should be. Just being with her made me feel good. She had her s*** together!,' she added. The two women became friends. In addition to her work on the inauguration, Wolkoff was one of Melania's first hires for her East Wing staff, where she had a contract position instead of being a fulltime government employee. Wolkoff recounts how, in January 2017, it was just her and Melania's then-chief of staff Lindsay Reynolds working in the vast suite of East Wing offices when Reynolds got notice that some of Kushner's staff were coming to look at office space on their turf. At the time of the incident, Melania Trump was still living in New York, where she was spending the first part of 2017 so Barron could finish out the school year. Turf wars are common in the White House under every administration where the cramped, crowded office space is at a premium. The East Wing, however, is usually the purview of the first lady's office and areas under her control, such as the office that coordinates White House tours. There are other auxiliary offices there, such as the military liaison office. But Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner were looking to move their people in. 'The West Wing wasn't big enough for the Kushners. They wanted the East Wing as well,' Wolkoff writes. 'I called Melania to tell her what was going on, and she said, 'This is ridiculous! You have to do something!',' she recounted. 'I dug into my bag; pulled out my red Sharpie and yellow Post-it notes; scribbled 'conference room,' 'chief of staff,' 'deputy of advance,' etc., on them; and slapped them on the office doors. By putting our mark on each office, Jared's people couldn't very well say, 'Well, if no one's using it we'll take it,'' Wolkoff wrote. A person who worked on the transition team denied that Ivanka and Kushner tried to take East Wing office space, telling DailyMail.com it didn't happen. She also describes a conspiracy to keep Melania Trump from hiring the full amount of staff a first lady needed, using the budget and staff vetting process 'like a weapon to prevent Melania from filling them.' She argues Ivanka enlisted then-chief of staff Reince Priebus, his deputy chief of staff Katie Walsh and influential staffer Hope Hicks to help her efforts. 'Ivanka was relentless and was determined to be the First Daughter Lady and to usurp office space out from under Melania; she wanted to be the only visible female Trump on the premises, and she was actively using her influence with Katie Walsh, Reince Priebus, and Hope Hicks to thwart our efforts,' Wolkoff says. 'Ivanka wasn't playing by the rules, but she never, ever, got in trouble,' she added. Stephanie Winston Wolkoff's memoir has tapes of Melania Trump speaking ill of Trumps; above Pamela Gross Finkelstein, Judith Giuliani, Melania Knauss Trump and Stephanie Winston Wolkoff attend a luncheon in New York together in 2006 David Wolkoff, Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, Melania Trump and Donald Trump at an event in New York in February 2008 - Wolkoff served as an informal, unpaid adviser to Melania in the East Wing until she left amid the controversy surrounding the inauguration Wolkoff's memoir, 'Melania and Me: The Rise and Fall of My Friendship with the First Lady,' is the first book to come from a former member of the first lady's inner circle. Melania Trump has been the subject of two biographies by journalist - CNN's Kate Bennett's 'Free Melania' and The Washington Post's Mary Jordan's 'The Art of Her Deal' - but Wolkoff was a longtime personal friend to the first lady. The two women had a falling out over Wolkoff's work for the inauguration and reports on how much money she was paid for the gig. Wolkoff left the East Wing in February 2018 after news reports showed that her firm, WIS Media Partners, received a $26 million payment for its work on the inaugural. The firm in turn spent $24 million on subcontractors, a person familiar with the inaugural planning told DailyMail.com at the time. The source said Wolkoff provided 'the whole look and feel the creative vision' for 18 or 20 inaugural events. Her personal take from Trump's inaugural committee was reported to be about $500,000 while the rest went to other producers working on the event. Melania Trump dismissed her from the East Wing with an email. 'I am sorry that the professional part of our relationship has come to an end, but I am comforted in the fact that our [friendship] far outweigh[s] politics,' the first lady wrote. 'Thank you Again! Much love.' Wolkoff's book will address the financial controversy but it will also be about the loss of her friendship with the first lady. Additionally, the tapes she has of Melania Trump show the first lady trashing her husband Donald Trump and his adult children, with the harshest words coming for Ivanka, according to media reporter Yashar Ali, who first reported their existence. He did not have details of the statements Melania Trump allegedly made but noted they will be in Wolkoff's book. He added that Wolkoff taped the first lady without her knowledge. Ali tweeted: 'In her book, Stephanie Winston Wolkoff quotes the First Lady making disparaging remarks about Ivanka Trump and some of the president's other adult children. She even makes some negative remarks about her husband, President Trump.' Stephanie Grisham, Melania's current chief of staff, said she's never heard the first lady make any disparaging remarks about President Trump or the first family. 'No. I've never heard Mrs. Trump say anything disparaging about the family,' Grisham told MSNBC's Hallie Jackson on Tuesday. 'They're a close-knit family. She's talked about them many times publicly,' she added. Grisham was dismissive of the speculation that the first lady trash talked the family. 'I've heard a little bit about this book. I don't know much about it. It sounds like it's just another one of those books that unfortunately people are writing,' she said. Grisham also noted if the first lady was recorded without her knowledge it was 'unfortunate' that she would be taken advantage of by a friend. 'If there were any recordings taken it's really unfortunate to take advantage of somebody's trust like that while being a friend, but I don't know much about the book. We're focused on the work we're doing,' she said. The book will address some of the most controversial and infamous moments involving Melania Trump, including Stormy Daniels claim she had an affair with Trump, which he has denied, and that infamous jacket she wore: 'I really don't care, do u?' The pre-order blurb for the book hints at a string of revelations. 'How did Melania react to the Access Hollywood tape and her husband's affair with Stormy Daniels? Does she get along well with Ivanka? Why did she wear that jacket with 'I really don't care, do u?' printed on the back? Is Melania happy being First Lady? And what really happened with the inauguration's funding of $107 million? Wolkoff has some ideas,' the description says. 'What Melania wants, Melania gets' - reads the tag line in the book's description on Amazon.com. Wolkoff, the former director of special events at Vogue who headed nine Met galas, met Melania Knauss in 2003 and 'had a front row seat to the transformation of Donald Trump's then girlfriend from a rough-cut gem to a precious diamond,' the book's description reads. A recent study, currently available on the medRxiv* preprint server, shows that willingness to vaccinate against coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is insufficient in 19 countries that were surveyed highlighting the need for targeted interventions to increase and sustain public acceptance of an incoming COVID-19 vaccine. The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), continues to impose an immense mortality and morbidity burden while seriously disrupting societies and economies worldwide. Thus, governments must be prepared to ensure a comprehensive and equitable distribution of safe and effective vaccines once they become available. This necessitates adequate health system capacity, as well as strategies in place to enhance acceptance and trust in the vaccine and its delivery. However, vaccine hesitancy presents considerable obstacles in many countries that aim to achieve much-needed coverage and herd immunity. Furthermore, misinformation spread via multiple channels may adversely affect the acceptance of a COVID-19 vaccine. Likewise, the accelerated pace of vaccine development has additionally heightened public anxiety. This is why researchers from the University of Barcelona in Spain, City University of New York, Georgetown University and Emerson College in the United States, as well as from London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in the United Kingdom, decided to study the potential acceptance of a COVID-19 vaccine in over 13,000 randomly selected subject from 19 countries with high COVID-19 prevalence. Survey specificities In short, the researchers basically analyzed two questions from the COVID-SCORE study, where participants gave their responses to a total of 22 items including two related to vaccine uptake, one related to confidence in pandemic information sources, and standard demographic questions on age, gender, household income, and education level. There were a total of 13,426 respondents from 19 countries, which represented 55% of the world population. Women comprised 53.5% of the study sample, and 63.3% of respondents earned above 32 US dollars per day. Most of them had a university degree and were between 25 and 54 years of age. All the survey data has been collected between June 16 and 20, 2020. The researchers concentrated on the distribution of the responses against the different questions for the entire data set and additionally examined differences by country. If a COVID-19 vaccine is proven safe and effective and is available, I will take it Divergence in vaccine acceptance rates This study showed that in the majority of the 19 countries surveyed, readiness to accept a COVID-19 vaccine is not adequate. More specifically, a total of 71.5% of respondents reported they would be very/somewhat likely to take a COVID-19 vaccine, while 61.4% reported they would adhere to their employer's recommendation. Differences in acceptance rates across countries were stark, and ranged from almost 9 in 10 in China, to fewer than 6 in 10 in Russia. However, one of the most important findings was significant variation across demographically defined groups, being least among those with lower income levels and education. Additionally, this study observed age-related associations and found that the elderly more readily report that they would take a vaccine; conversely, younger respondents were more likely to adhere to an employer's vaccine guidance. Men were generally less likely than women to accept vaccines or their employer's recommendation for vaccination, albeit this association was not large. Finally, those with higher income levels and greater trust in government-provided information sources were most likely to accept a vaccine. The need for appropriate communication interventions This far-from-universal inclination to accept a COVID-19 vaccine is undoubtedly a cause for concern. Unless we better understand and address the reasons and motives behind it, variation in COVID-19 vaccine coverage between countries may potentially hamper the reinstatement of global connectivity and economic recovery. "Future vaccine communication interventions should consider the level of scientific and general literacy in sub-populations, identify locally trusted sources of information, and go beyond public announcements that vaccines are safe and effective," said study authors in their medRxiv paper. "They should also directly address community-specific concerns or misconceptions, historic issues breeding distrust, and be sensitive to predominant religious or philosophical beliefs," they add. Hence, a careful balance is needed between explaining the necessity of universal vaccine coverage and avoiding any hint of coercion. This is precisely the role of community-based groups that need to be impartial in order to build a foundation for a future COVID-19 vaccine. In any case, efforts must be scaled up immediately in preparation for the thus far elusive promise of an effective and safe COVID-19 vaccine. At the same time, transparent and consistent communication by government officials is pivotal for public confidence. *Important Notice medRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information. 19 nation survey: only 72% say they'd take a vaccine even if it were proven to be safe and effective. Highest acceptance in China; lowest in Russia. Respondents that trusted their government were more likely to accept a vaccine. Preprint report: https://t.co/YVaqrAdFdX pic.twitter.com/s0ofUqkAFT Dr. Ali Nouri (@AliNouriPhD) August 25, 2020 Worrisome how low vaccine acceptance is in so many countries. https://t.co/08eh7RnWS7 Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) August 25, 2020 Acceptance of #covid19 vaccination across 19 countries (n= 13,426). Highest acceptance rate China; lowest, Russia. https://t.co/W1w5BffdxV H/T Evercore ISI pic.twitter.com/dLTIP1E7eM Juan P. Serrate, DVM (@JPZaragoza1) August 26, 2020 Welcome Guest! You Are Here: Nearly as much rain fell Wednesday night and Thursday morning in Peterborough as there was for the entire month of July in Peterborough as a warm front moved through parts of northeastern, southern and central Ontario. Between 8 p.m. Wednesday and 9 a.m. Thursday, 32.4 millimetres of rain fell at the Peterborough Airport, according to Environment Canada. By comparison, only 33.3 mm of rain was recorded over the entire month of July in Peterborough. After months of lower than normal precipitation, the August rainfall total has now surged to 57.7 mm in Peterborough and more is on the way for the rest of the month as the remnants of Hurricane Laura reach southern Ontario. Theres a 40 per cent chance of showers and a risk of a thunderstorm on Thursday in Peterborough and the Kawarthas, Environment Canada forecasts, with a 30 per cent chance of showers early Thursday night. More showers are expected Saturday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Winds also reached 55.4 km/h on Thursday afternoon at the Peterborough Airport, according to Environment Canada. The Otonabee Region Conservation Authority issued a water safety statement Wednesday afternoon for the eastern Kawartha Lakes and Otonabee River watershed, in effect until Monday, advising that while flooding is not expected, the rainfall is expected to elevate water levels and flows on rivers, creeks and streams over the next few days. The elevated water levels, flows and slippery banks make our local rivers, streams and creeks more dangerous than normal, especially in the vicinity of water conveyance structures such as dams, culverts and bridges, flood forecasting and warning duty officer Neil MacFarlane stated. Water accumulation and ponding on roads, intersections and low lying areas is possible. Flooding is not anticipated. Otonabee Conservation advises area residents to keep away from all rivers, streams and creeks and water conveyance structures (e.g. dams, culverts and bridges), to stay clear of areas where water can be seen to be accumulating and ponding. A Level 2 Low Water Condition has been in effect all summer with residents and employers in the Peterborough area being urged to voluntarily curb their water use by 20 per cent. Here is the Environment Canada forecast for Peterborough and the Kawarthas as of 3:30 p.m. Thursday: Thursday night: Mainly cloudy. 30 per cent chance of showers early this evening. Wind west 30 km/h gusting to 50 becoming light this evening. Low 16. Friday: A mix of sun and cloud. High 22. Humidex 27. UV index 8 or very high. Friday night: Cloudy. Showers beginning in the evening. Low 15. Saturday: Showers. High 23. Saturday night: Cloudy with 60 per cent chance of showers. Low 14. Sunday: Sunny. High 22. Sunday night: Clear. Low 8. Monday: Sunny. High 22. Monday night: Clear. Low 8. Tuesday: Cloudy with 60 per cent chance of showers. High 20. Tuesday night: Cloudy with 60 per cent chance of showers. Low 14. Wednesday: A mix of sun and cloud with 60 per cent chance of showers. High 23. SPRINGFIELD Illinois residents should expect fewer road repairs, community programs and other local government-provided services and higher locally-imposed tax rates as officials struggle with COVID-19-induced revenue shortfalls, a municipal government advocacy group warned this week. According to a survey conducted by the Illinois Municipal League, almost nine out of 10 city and town governments expect a 20 to 30 percent drop in revenue from March 1 through July 24 as compared to the year before. Just over 225 of the states roughly 1,200 municipalities responded to the poll. Factoring in shortfalls, community officials would be tasked with paying their employees, completing infrastructure improvements, maintaining sewer systems, preserving police and fire fighting forces and offering recreation and senior programs while having access to only 70-80 percent of the revenues initially budgeted for those purposes. Those dollars are gone, Brad Cole, executive director of the Illinois Municipal League, said in an interview. Theyre going to have to cut things that are nice, that people want and many people expect but they might not be able to afford. Local governments collect funds through taxes on retail purchases, fuel, gaming, property and income as well as utility and permit fees, for example. But because of economic restrictions implemented by Gov. JB Pritzker to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, many of those sources generated fewer funds than officials expected. Many shops and businesses deemed nonessential were closed for months, resulting in fewer sales tax dollars. Illinoisans did not travel for work or leisure as they do in typical years, so governments did not collect money from motor fuel or hotel taxes. And state parks and other recreation sites were closed, which generated fewer permit fee collections. This is the part where COVID-19 is going to be with us for a while, and its at this point where states like Illinois that have refused to maintain any level of fiscal sobriety for decades are caught flat-footed, Sen. Chapin Rose, R-Mahomet, one of his caucuss budgeteers, said in an interview. Theres nowhere to go, nowhere to run and no amount of tax increases possible to cover the losses. Government officials who rush to raise taxes will not help the economic situation and devastate the community, he said. Residents would be unable to afford a 30 percent hike in property taxes, Rose cited as an example, to compensate for lost revenues. Any significant increase of that tax would likely result in homeowners listing their houses but being unable to find a buyer. And, if that happened, people would rightly come unglued, he said. Raising taxes in a recession just makes the recession worse, the senator said, adding that those Illinoisans who might be able to weather such an increase in costs have already moved out of state. The economic situation will affect each community differently, but both Cole and Rose said all Illinois government officials will be faced with long-term budget restrictions. Illinois communities have been dramatically impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and without direct financial assistance from both the federal and state government, this will create a ripple effect for years to come, Cole said in a written statement. It is imperative that action is taken to address this significant drop in local revenue and provide relief to communities large and small. The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) has said the recent deployment of officers across the country was to help security agencies to secure the countrys borders and not to harass civilians. Brigadier General Abraham Yeboah Nsiah, General Officer Commanding (GOC) Southern Command, said contrary to speculations, soldiers deployed in border communities, particularly Wudoaba in the Ketu South Municipality, were professional in the job assigned to them. He said this in an interview with the media when he led a delegation of GAF from Accra and the 66 Artillery Regiment, Ho, and heads of sister security agencies in the Municipality to visit officers deployed to the area. The delegation visited about five checkpoints, being jointly manned by soldiers, Immigration and Customs officers, and the Police to encourage them. Brigadier General Nsiah described as false media reports that GAF had withdrawn personnel from the area at the end of the voter registration exercise. This, he said, gave the impression that the military presence was to prevent people from participating in the voter registration exercise. He referred to a video in which some residents reportedly said the soldiers left the town after the voter registration exercise was completed. However, the GOC Southern Command said that was not the case because soldiers were not deployed in the area where the interview was granted. We deployed soldiers to seal the border, not the towns. That town is about two kilometres away from the border itself so you dont expect to see a soldier there in the middle of the town, where theres no border crossing. So to hear that soldiers have withdrawn since the completion of the registration exercise is completely false, he said. Brigadier General Nsiah said he was satisfied with the visit to the area and noted that the security forces would not be distracted by the negative comments. We remain focused and committed to the security of this country, he added. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video As states write to the Central government for postponement of NEET-JEE exams, Uttarakhand government officials say that they will be following the Centres guidelines and conduct the exams. Officials said that board exams were also conducted in the state which has more number of students appearing compared to the entrance exams. Pankaj Pandey, secretary in-charge of medical education in the state said, Exams will be conducted in the state as per the guidelines of the Central government. Board examinations were also conducted in the state amid Covid-19 epidemic which has more number of candidates appearing for the exams compared to NEET-JEE. These exams will also be conducted following all safety norms. With heavy rains lashing different parts of the Himalayan state and roads being blocked due to landslides triggered by rains, many students have raised the issue of difficulty in reaching exam centres. Members from the state unit of National Students Union of India (NSUI) staged a protest on Wednesday demanding postponement of the entrance exams. The protesters burned an effigy of Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, union minister of education. Mohan Bhandari, state president of NSUI said, Why does the government want to risk the lives of so many students from across the country. In our state, most of the roads are blocked due to landslides, then there is a pandemic situation; amid such situations the government wants students to sit for exams. Many exam centres are also asking students to get a Covid-19 test done before sitting for the exam; not everyone can afford to get a test done or have access to it added Bhandari. When asked about how the students will reach the exam centres with roads blocked in the state, Madan Kaushik, cabinet minister and spokesperson for the state government said that if there are any issues reported by districts due to monsoon then it will be conveyed to the Centre but otherwise exams will be conducted as scheduled. We have not received any information from the districts yet on students approaching them to postpone the exam due to roads being blocked frequently. If there are such problems, then it will be conveyed to the Central government and some solution will be looked into, but till then we will follow the Centres guidelines and conduct the exams, said Kaushik. New Delhi: Delhi health Satyendar Jain wrote to Union home secretary Ajay Bhalla on Thursday, urging the home ministry to not interfere in the Kejriwal governments decision to double testing within a week in view of the spike in the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases in the capital. Ever since Covid-19 hit the national capital, the Delhi government has confronted the pandemic together with the Central government. But now when a few officers said that the home ministry is putting pressure on Delhi government officials to not increase testing further in the city, I was taken aback, read Jains letter. A home ministry spokesperson rebutted the allegations, calling them false and baseless. The spokesperson said it was because of the Union home minister Amit Shahs intervention that testing in the Capital went up from 4,000 to 20,000 per day. Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal had announced on Wednesday that his government has decided to double the number of daily tests to around 40,000 per day to catch and isolate more infections. Later in the evening, at a press conference AAP spokesperson Raghav Chadha said that Jain had also attached a purported note with the letter, which Chadha claimed top bureaucrats of the Delhi government had drafted under pressure from the MHA. Senior government officials said the purported note was drafted by principal secretary (health) Vikram Dev Dutt. The MHA in a statement said the annexed note in Jains letter was prepared by Delhi government officers in which they proposed to take the opinion of the expert committee led by Niti Aayog member Dr VK Paul that was set up by Shah in June when Covid-19 cases in Delhi had peaked. It may be noted that this note has made no mention whatsoever of any instruction of MHA on the matter of increase in testing in Delhi. The note has only proposed that the views of an expert committee headed by Dr V.K Paul may be taken on the proposed enhancement in testing in Delhi, for technical guidance on various issues such as mix of RT-PCR and rapid antigen, categories of geographical areas and demographics, etc. As such, any allegation that MHA is putting pressure on Delhi government not to increase testing in Delhi is absolutely without any basis, the ministry said in its statement. In his response to the statement, Jain said that he hopes with this clarification, officials of the city administration will now comply with the chief ministers directions. I hope that the officers will comply with this message from MHA. I am sure that the officers, who were reluctant to increase testing today, citing pressure from MHA, will immediately increase testing in Delhi. Our CM has acted in cooperation with the central government to tackle Covid-19 in Delhi. We should continue to act in the same spirit of cooperation for the well being of Delhiites, Jain tweeted on Thursday. The MHA spokesperson said it was after the intervention of the Union home minister that the daily tests in Delhi, which were averaging around 4,000 per day till mid June, 2020, have gone up to around 18,000-20,000 per day in a calibrated manner. The marked improvement in the Covid-19 situation in Delhi has been possible due to this enhanced testing and other containment measures, the spokesperson said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON (Newser) A Dallas-area taxicab driver wanted for the 2008 slayings of his two teenage daughters was arrested Wednesday in a small North Texas town, the FBI said. Agents arrested Yaser Abdel Said, 63, in Justin, some 36 miles northwest of Dallas. The Egyptian-born suspect had been sought on a capital murder warrant since the New Year's Day 2008 fatal shootings of the two Lewisville High School students, Sarah Yaser Said, 17, and Amina Yaser Said, 18, the AP reports. He was placed on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list in 2014. A police report says a family member told investigators that the suspect threatened "bodily harm" against Sarah for going on a date with a non-Muslim. The mother, Patricia Said, fled with her daughters in the week before their deaths because she was in great fear for her life. Gail Gattrell, the sisters great-aunt, has called the deaths an honor killing, in which a woman is murdered by a relative to protect her familys honor. story continues below The teenage sisters were found shot multiple times in a cab outside a motel in Irving, a Dallas suburb. Police found them after one of the girls called 911 from a cellphone and said she was dying. Help, said a crying voice on the 911 recording, later determined by police to be that of Sarah Said. Im dying. Oh my God. Stop it. Police could not immediately find the teens after the 7:33pm call. Much of what Sarah said in the recording was unintelligible, and the dispatchers repeated requests for her to provide an address went unanswered. An emergency dispatcher received another call about an hour later from the motel after someone spotted the bodies. Even after 12 years of frustration and dead-ends, the pursuit for their killer never ceased," Irving Police Chief Jeff Spivey said in a statement Wednesday. "Todays arrest of their father, Yaser Said brings us closer to ensuring justice is served on their behalf. (Read more Most Wanted stories.) We are all constantly surrounded by technology, which is evident from the large number of laptops, computers and gadgets we see around us. Fields that may dominate our lives in the future, like artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, robotics and cloud computing, also show that this trend will continue. In all these arenas, a common thread is coding, or programs that make computers work. Coding in India While coding has grown in India, it has so far been limited to grown-ups and professionals. Even though coding evokes enthusiasm among children and parents, institutional support for it at the school level is still lacking. Also Read: HT Codeathon: 10 reasons you should know how to code HT Codeathon HT Codeathon is a novel initiative to promote coding among school students. It aims to provide the next generation a robust platform to enhance their abilities in coding, logic building and problem-solving. This exciting learning forum and competition will provide schoolchildren the chance to prepare for a technology-enabled future. Participation in the event is really easy. All that you have to do is pay Rs 499 plus GST and register with www.htcodeathon.com. Also Read: HT Codeathon: Cracking the code for success in our tech-run world What does HT codeathon hold for school students? It is a first-of-its-kind coding initiative which focuses on school students and provides them a platform to showcase skills Enhances critical, problem-solving, logic building and analytical skills Improves computational thinking and makes them future ready Attractive prizes and rewards include HT Codeathon Champion titles for the top 3 positions in each category, laptops and smart watches. Certificates of participation will also be issued to all the contestants. Event to be promoted extensively on HTs print, digital & radio platforms. Also Read: HT Codeathon: What is coding, heres what you should know Heres what you would learn Classes 6 and 7 Introduction to Website Development Programming basics Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML) basics Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) HTML+CSS JavaScript (JS) HTML+CSS+JS Projects Classes 8 and 9 Programming Basics Introduction to Python game development Algorithms Introduction to Object Oriented Programming (OOP) Introduction to Python Basic Python programming PyGames Timelines Once registered, participants can access online preparatory modules Online qualification round to be held in November Finale in December to identify top 3 in each zone for each cohort How to register; book a webinar and submit queries To register now, log on to www.htcodeathon .com To get a dedicated LIVE webinar organised for participants from your school, register on the following link: https://forms.gle/qwWT8m3wXSAhCwMh9 and select your preferred timeslot. To get queries answered or to seek support, reach out to us on 011-60004242 or via email at support@htcodeathon.com More than 3,700 students from 618 schools have already registered for HT Codeathon and are gearing up in right earnest to put their best foot forward in this exciting contest. If you too aspire to make a mark in coding, the best way to start is to register in HT Codeathon. Eligibility The event is open to students of Classes 6 to 9 Voices from the ground In this evolving world of science, everything stems from the mind of creative people. Learning to code makes it easier to build that aptitude, which will eventually be put to use in solving real-life problems. Innovative thinking and approach to problem solving will help students embark on their first step in a world in which everything is increasingly controlled by computers. Starting early is the only way forward. This is a great initiative by HT. I wish the organisers and participants all success! Mamta Nanda Mamta Nanda, Principal, Ryan International School, Rohini HT Codeathon is futuristic and innovative. The experience will encourage children to pick up skills in coding early for a better tomorrow. Ashok Pandey Ashok Pandey, Director, Ahlcon Group of Schools HT Codeathon gives students coding skills that unlock opportunities in the classroom and beyond. Computers are everywhere and our daily lives are intricately interwoven with them. Participating in this event will help students widen horizons, sharpen abstract & logical thinking. Learning code also helps them think in a structured way. Anjali Bhandari Anjali Bhandari, Teacher, Maxfort School, Dwarka HT Codeathon is an advantageous platform for students. Every student deserves the chance to explore, advance and succeed in computer science. They can even start as early as 5 years with programmes that use visual learning environments and instructions. It will help students to improve creative thinking and coding. Shalini Sharma Shalini Sharma, TGT (Computer Science), Seth Anand Ram Jaipuria School, Ghaziabad Coding improves the problem-solving and collaborative skills of children and helps them be creative. HT Codeathon simplifies coding and teaches children about it in a fun-filled way that keeps young minds engaged. Rati Gupta, whose son Advik is a student of Montfort School, Ashok Vihar HT Codeathon will help us millennials to gear up for a highly tech-driven world. It will instil the much- needed abilities to think logically and to code. Shourya Goyal, Class 7-B, St. Xaviers High School, Gurugram Anti-abortion activists hailed the dropped lawsuit as a victory in the never-ending abortion battle. Abortion supporters conceded nothing, insisting that the state law is unconstitutional. And, beginning Jan. 1, it will now force some women to get an ultrasound that may not be readily accessible or convenient. The law, backed by Indianas Republican-led legislature, could possibly prevent some women from getting an abortion, critics claim. A mob of 700 protesters set fire to courthouse, smashed shop windows and hurled bottles at police in Oakland, California, last night. The Oakland Police Department tweeted that 600 to 700 people took part in the protests where 'numerous fires [were] set, dozens of windows broken, multiple businesses vandalized.' Protesters lobbed objects at officers but none were injured, the department said, adding that several people were arrested over the course of the evening. Calling them 'violent protesters,' police say they vandalized and set a fire at the Alameda County Superior Court. Accompanied with the tweet, which was posted around 11.30pm, the police shared a video showing what appeared to be the glass doors to the courthouse smashed and a fire blazing inside. Police advised residents to stay away from the area. Scenes from Oakland last night, where a group of 700 'violent protesters' started numerous fires, torched a courthouse building and pelted officers with objects Scenes from Oakland last night, where a group of 700 'violent protesters' started numerous fires, torched a courthouse building and pelted officers with objects Police shared this video last night showing what appeared to be the smashed glass doors to the Alameda County Superior Courthouse with a fire blazing inside Police said some within the crowd were chanting 'burn it down' as they lit fireworks and set trash cans on fire. Though the blaze was quickly put out by the fire department, lasting damage has been done inside the courthouse, CBS San Francisco reported. 'I am angry! I am angry! I ain't here to talk about workers,' CBS reported a man telling the crowd. 'I'm here to talk about Black people getting killed in the **** street!' Earlier last night, police said protesters caused traffic to temporarily halt on Interstate 580, before they made their way along the off-ramp where they pelted officers with bottles. 'Some within the crowd are disruptive and have no regard for others' safety,' police wrote on Twitter. Officers and fire crews were forced to intervene when 'agitators' tried setting a local business on fire, Fox News reported, adding that multiple glass windows were smashed as the rioters made their way along Broadway. Scenes from Oakland last night, where a group of 700 'violent protesters' started numerous fires, torched a courthouse building and pelted officers with objects The riotous violence came after the city pleaded with protesters on Twitter to remain peaceful during their demonstrations. 'Over the past month, we have continued to facilitate peaceful protests and expressions of outrage about social injustice and racial inequality,' Oakland city administrator Ed Reiskin said in a statement Wednesday. The Oakland Police Department has increased staffing to provide safe space for the demonstrations to occur and will facilitate free speech while maintaining public safety. 'We celebrate passionate protest, but remind Oaklanders that when they attend protests after dark they may be providing cover for agitators who are more intent on vandalism and stoking civil unrest than advancing social justice.' Organizers of the downtown demonstration and people who live in the area pleaded with participants to keep it peaceful. One resident said: 'I respect everything, but at the end of the day, make it be peaceful. 'All these people are resting in peace, make it be peaceful. Stop tearing up our city and places where we have to live.' Crews could be seen around the downtown area today, boarding up windows and repairing smashed windows. Officers and fire crews were forced to intervene when 'agitators' tried setting a local business on fire, Fox News reported, adding that multiple glass windows were smashed as the rioters made their way along Broadway Multiple glass windows were smashed as the rioters made their way along Broadway This comes after the fourth night of often violent protests and riots in Kenosha following the shooting of Jacob Blake. Organizers of Wednesday's Oakland event said the violence in Wisconsin has renewed their efforts. 'The best way to defeat these racists and that these racist shootings in Kenosha don't happen again is if we stay in the streets,' said protest organizer Maricruz Lopez. A growing number of U.S. companies are pledging to give workers time off to vote in the presidential election this November, an effort thats gaining steam despite the governments reluctance to make Election Day a federal holiday. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 27/8/2020 (511 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. FILE - This Jan. 3, 2012 file photo shows the Starbucks Coffee logo in Mountain View, Calif. A growing number of U.S. companies are pledging to give workers time off to vote in the presidential election this November, an effort thats gaining steam despite the governments reluctance to make Election Day a federal holiday. Starbucks said Thursday it will give its 200,000 U.S. employees flexibility on Election Day, encouraging them to plan ahead with managers and schedule time to vote or volunteer at polling places. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma, File) A growing number of U.S. companies are pledging to give workers time off to vote in the presidential election this November, an effort thats gaining steam despite the governments reluctance to make Election Day a federal holiday. Starbucks said Thursday it will give its 200,000 U.S. employees flexibility on Election Day, encouraging them to plan ahead with managers and schedule time to vote or volunteer at polling places. The Starbucks app will also help customers learn how to register to vote, the company said. Walmart says it will give its 1.5 million U.S. workers up to three hours paid time off to vote. Apple is giving workers four hours off. Coca-Cola, Twitter, Cisco and Uber are giving employees the day off. No American should have to choose between earning a paycheque and voting, said PayPal President and CEO Dan Schulman. The idea isnt entirely new. General Motors, Ford and FiatChrysler have given employees the day off to vote since 1999, when they agreed to the change in a contract with the United Auto Workers union. Patagonia gave its workers the day off starting in 2016. But this year, the idea is gaining steam. Six hundred companies, including Lyft, Airbnb and Paramount, have signed on to ElectionDay.org, which asks companies to give employees time off to vote or distribute information on voting, including how to obtain main-in ballots. It is not clear how many of those 600 are allowing time off versus distributing voting information. ElectionDay.org one of several groups asking companies to make voting pledges is run by Vote.org, a nonpartisan group that tries to increase voter turnout. In 2018, the first year it was active, ElectionDay.org had 150 companies sign up. This year, it hopes to sign 1,000 by November. There is a groundswell of interest coming out for this, said Nora Gilbert, director of partnerships for Vote.org. Gilbert said this summers Black Lives Matter protests and general unease about social inequality may be part of the reason companies are taking a stand on voting. Theres a reckoning in general for the role that companies play in society, she said. This is a way to show they are getting their own house in order. In a letter to employees, Starbucks President and CEO Kevin Johnson said the companys voting pledge is part of a larger effort to promote racial equality and opportunity in the communities it serves. Starbucks will not wait for change. We will make change of our own, Johnson said. About half of U.S. states require employers to give workers at least a few hours off to vote in elections, according to Workplace Fairness, a non-profit that tracks employment issues. Gilbert said advocates prefer a full-day holiday, since many voters face long lines at their polling places. Companies that don't offer a full day should make sure to share mail-in voting information and deadlines, she said. All states will mail an absentee ballot to voters who request one, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. We really want companies to go further and acknowledge the unique difficulties of this moment, she said. Two hours may not be enough. Efforts to make Election Day a federal holiday, as it is in South Korea and Israel, or hold votes on weekends, as Germany and Australia do, have fallen short in the U.S., partly due to partisan bickering over who would benefit from the change. Jonathan Entin, a professor emeritus of law and adjunct professor of political science at Case Western Reserve University, said weekend voting would be difficult in the U.S. because of its religious diversity. Opponents of a federal holiday also usually cite the disruption to the economy, he said. Why is it that the private sector should bear the cost of this public good? he said. Peter Paladjian, the CEO of Boston-based Intercontinental Real Estate Corp., said companies want to show that they are responsible and civic-minded. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Low U.S. turnout in elections has bothered Paladjian for years. In 2016, 56% of eligible voters cast a ballot in the presidential election, a far lower percentage than most developed countries, according to the Pew Research Center. Paladjian told his 112 employees four months ago that they will get Election Day off. Then, he formed A Day for Democracy, which asks employers to give workers time off to vote and distribute voter registration information. Harvard University, Wayfair, Bank of America and the Boston Red Sox are among the 185 companies that have signed up, he said. Only a handful of companies he contacted said no. Once this election is over, Paladjian plans to advocate for a federal election holiday. Time to Vote, another corporate voting initiative, was formed ahead of the 2018 elections by Levi Strauss and Co., PayPal and Patagonia. A little over 400 companies participated last time; Time to Vote says 700 have joined so far this year. Corporate voter drives say the pledge is important even as the coronavirus hastens the move toward mail-in voting. In 2016, 42% of ballots were cast before Election Day; this year, that will likely rise to 60%, said Michael Traugott, a research professor emeritus at the University of Michigans Center for Political Studies. Gilbert said even if people vote early, they can still take time on Election Day to drive people to polls, work at polling stations or provide child care so someone else can vote in person. Wednesday, August 26, 2020 at 8:59PM English-speaking Waze users in the country can now use Google Assistant to access the app's features hands-free. It's rolling out to both Android and iOS. Waze brought this feature to the US last year. You can now ask "Hey Google" to report traffic, incidents, or hazards; help navigate; search; or ask Assistant questions without leaving the app. Android users can also set Google calendar appointments, play music, and make phone calls. Former UUP MP Danny Kinahan has said he's honoured and proud to be appointed as the first Veterans Commissioner for Northern Ireland. The appointment was announced by the Secretary of State Brandon Lewis, with the appointment expected to last three years. It's after the New Decade, New Approach agreement included a Government commitment to appoint a Northern Ireland Veterans' Commissioner. Mr Kinahan will act as an independent point of contact to support and enhance outcomes for veterans in Northern Ireland. He said he looks forward to setting up his office and providing a strong voice for some 150,000 veterans here. "We all too often just remember their service in Afghanistan, Iraq, and our own Troubles, but forget about their work in other fields: tackling Ebola in Africa, the protection of shipping in the Gulf, the control and rescue of migrants, as well as the work done by them in African game parks protecting wildlife from poachers," he said. "Our Armed Forces are active in numerous countries throughout the world offering advice, help and training, often putting their lives at risk so that we all can enjoy ours. "We should be proud of them and recognise their skills and the sacrifices they and their families have made. We should welcome them back into society when they retire, ensure they are not forgotten are not put at any disadvantage. When they need help it should be there for them immediately. "My role as Veterans Commissioner is to ensure that this is the case and that coordinated and effective delivery exists for all those who have served. I look forward to ensuring that this is so," he said. Ulster Unionist Party Leader Steve Aiken welcomed the appointment of Mr Kinahan, a former veteran himself. "The announcement that Danny Kinahan has been selected as the new Veterans' Commissioner for Northern Ireland will be warmly welcomed by all veterans and the wider armed forces community across all of Northern Ireland. "Danny has been steadfast throughout his long political career in fighting to see that our military personnel and their families are given the full recognition that they need and deserve. "He will be a first-rate advocate for the many thousands here who have served and by his appointment, we have at long last, joined the rest of the United Kingdom in providing that very necessary representation." Mr Aiken said the appointment was a loss for the UUP as a party. "As an elected representative for South Antrim he has served all of his constituents well in Council, the Assembly and in Westminster. As he steps down from all political involvement, we as a Party and I as Leader, wish him all the best in his new and vital role. Alderman Mark Cosgrove added: "Be under no illusions that although Danny has crafted a political career based on building consensus, cross community working and advocating the benefits of the Union, he is a man who beneath it all is a tough negotiator who will always do whatever it takes to deliver for the people he represents. "The veterans to whom we all owe so much could not have a better advocate than Danny who will use his decades of experience in this sector to deliver on the many important challenges they face." Colorado Politics senior political reporter Joey Bunch is the senior correspondent and deputy managing editor of Colorado Politics. His 32-year career includes the last 16 in Colorado. He was part of the Denver Post team that won the Pulitzer Prize in 2013 and he is a two-time finalist. This years 54th Texas Legislative Conference hosted by the Greater New Braunfels Chamber of Commerce will be held September 3rd and 8th through the 18th. The event includes a Texan of the Year Dinner on Thursday evening honoring Apollo 16 Charles Duke at the New Braunfels Convention Center and a series of online panel discussions throughout the following weeks. The culmination of the Conference will be a featured panel, The Future of Space Exploration, and - will include three former astronauts and the Apollo Flight Director. Panelists are: Brig. Gen. Charles Duke, Apollo 16 Lunar Module Pilot, Apollo 11 Capcom and 2020 Texan of the Year Daniel Brandenstein who piloted one Space Shuttle mission and commanded three others, including the maiden flight of Endeavour, and later served as chief of the Astronaut Office and United Space Alliance Executive Vice President and COO Tom Henricks, Former Astronaut and Former President of Aviation Week Moderator: Gerry Griffin, Flight Director for all Apollo manned missions and former Director of the Johnson Space Center The featured panel will be preceded by three other high-profile panels: The Role of Science in Our Economy, Future Infrastructure Solutions for Texas, and Census 2020: Impact on Future Elections & Funding. Confirmed panelists include Senator Kelly Hancock, Senate Transportation Committee Vice Chair; State Representative Ray Lopez; Texas Tribune Executive Editor & Co-Founder Ross Ramsey; Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas CEO Wayne Roberts; Texas A&M University System Vice Chancellor for Research Jon Mogford; Texas Health and Biosciences Institute CEO Tom Kowalski; Executive Director of the Texas Department of Transportation James Bass; and Vice President of Stakeholder Engagement for Texas Central Travis Kelly. You can find more information about the conference here: TxLegislativeConference.com About the Greater New Braunfels Chamber of Commerce The Greater New Braunfels Chamber of Commerce promotes the community and its economy by attracting and supporting local businesses, and protecting the interests of its members and the community. The Chamber brings together community leaders, decision makers, all types of business and industry, individuals, elected officials, and organizations to promote the civic and commercial progress of New Braunfels and the immediate area. Twitter: https://twitter.com/NBTXChamber Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nbtxchamber/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NBTXChamber/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nbtxchamber/ The board of the African Development Bank (AfDB) on Thursday re-elected Akinwumi Adesina as president of the bank. Mr Adesina was re-elected for a second five-year term as AfDB president. The bank conducted the election at its annual meeting held via video link on Thursday. Mr Adesina, who became president of the Abidjan-based bank in 2015, ran unopposed. The bank said in a statement Thursday that Mr Adesina gained 100 percent of votes cast. Announcing the results, Niale Kaba, Cote dIvoires minister of national planning and the chair of AfDBs board of governors, said the bank stakeholders will give Mr Adesina the necessary support needed to fulfil its mandate. I am delighted that the board of governors have re-elected Dr Adesina for a second term in office as president, she said. As shareholders, we strongly support the bank and will give him all the necessary support to carry forward and implement his compelling vision for the bank over the next five years. Earlier on Wednesday, Mr Adesina had pledged to reach out to and engage with stakeholders of the bank to ensure stability and progress. I would like to sincerely thank you all, our esteemed Governors, under the excellent leadership and wisdom of the Chairperson, Minister Niale Kaba, for joining hands to steady the Bank, he said. I am proud of the African Development Bank and the strength of our governance systems. I am proud of each and every shareholder of the Bank who challenged and made us all better. Our experience has made us better and stronger. Our challenges, though difficult, have become our gain. But its not been easy I will reach out I will engage We will HEAL Commenting on his victory Thursday, Mr Adesina expressed appreciation to shareholders for the collective trust, strong confidence and support. It is yet another call for selfless service to Africa and the African Development Bank, to which I will passionately devote myself, he noted. The future beckons us for a more developed Africa and a much stronger and resilient African Development Bank Group. We will build on the strong foundations of success in the past five years, while further strengthening the institution, for greater effectiveness and impacts. Earlier in the year, Mr Adesina was in the eye of the storm over sundry allegations of misconduct. In a petition by the group of whistleblowers, the AfDB boss was accused of 20 breaches of the banks code of conduct but the bank found the allegations to be frivolous. He was thereafter cleared of the allegations. Continuation urgent Plenary Public session of Parliament about the letter from the Parliament of Sint Maarten requesting that the Kingdom Council of State give advice on the draft Consensus Kingdom Law Caribbean Reform Entity Aruba, Curacao, and Sint Maarten and the Country Package. PHILIPSBURG:--The House of Parliament will sit in a Plenary Public Session today, August 27, 2020. The Public meeting which was adjourned on August 26, 2020, will be reconvened Thursday, August 27, 2020, at 11:00 hrs. and will be held in a virtual setting. The agenda point is: Letter from the Parliament of Sint Maarten requesting that the Kingdom Council of State give advice on the draft Consensus Kingdom Law Caribbean Reform Entity Aruba, Curacao and Sint Maarten and the Country Package. Due to measures taken to mitigate the coronavirus (COVID-19), the House of Parliament is only allowing persons with an appointment to enter the Parliament building. The parliamentary session will be held virtually and will be carried out live on St. Maarten Cable TV Channel 115, via SXM GOV radio FM 107.9, via Pearl Radio FM 98.1 www.pearlfmradio.sx, via the internet www.sxmparliament.org, and Parliaments Facebook page: Parliament of Sint Maarten Mr. Hines got his first opportunity to build a major skyscraper when Shell Oil invited him to compete against several national real estate developers to build a new regional headquarters for the company in downtown Houston. He invited Bruce Graham, a partner in Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, to design the building they had met at a resort and when the two went for an interview with Shell and were asked what the building would look like, Mr. Graham recalled, Gerry opened his suitcase and took out a piece of Siesiken German hardware. He said. It would be like this. He was saying that we were going to build a building that was as precise as this piece of hardware. Impressed, Shell hired him, and the headquarters that he and Mr. Graham went on to build, the 50-story One Shell Plaza, was the tallest building west of the Mississippi when it opened in 1970. With the energy crisis of the mid-1970s slowing Houstons oil-dependent economy, Mr. Hines decided to take his firm national. Banks could see that architecture was a way of branding themselves, and we had developed a reputation with Pennzoil, said Jeff Hines, who succeeded his father as chief executive of the firm in 1990. Using great architecture as a point of difference transformed us from a Houston developer to a national one. Mr. Hines would transform his firm several more times. He first took on major equity partners, like pension funds, to reduce the amount of risk in his buildings, setting in motion Hiness evolution into, in effect, a huge private equity firm focused on real estate. In 1996, convinced that development was slowing in the United States but remaining active in Europe, he left his American operation largely in the hands of his son and moved to London, which he used as a base to expand Hines into an international developer. Then we got into buying other peoples buildings, Jeff Hines said. Today, while Hines continues to develop new buildings on its own, like the recent 53 West 53rd Street tower, designed by Jean Nouvel, and 7 Bryant Park, designed by Harry Cobb, both in Midtown Manhattan, it also acquires older property, manages development and construction for other companies and operates real estate investment funds. Wildlife conservationists in Florida stumbled across an enormous species of turtle that looks like it crawled out of a monster movie. Biologists with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission captured three Suwannee alligator snapping turtles last week, including one that weighed 100 pounds. The massive reptiles, known formally as Macrochelys suwanniensis, are a new species, according to a post on the FWC Facebook page. The 100-pound male and a 46-pound female were found in a hoop net trap in the New River, north of Gainesville, along with another 64-pound male found in a trap. nearby. Scroll down for video A 100-pound male Suwannee alligator snapping turtle being returned its habitat. Conservationists with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission found the reptile, along with two others, in hoop net traps laid in the New River, north of Gainesville The commission has been studying these prehistoric-looking creatures since 2014. Researchers estimate that the trio is anywhere from 40 and 80 years old. Once the three turtles had their photograph taken and vital stats recorded, they were released back into the river. 'The New River is a blackwater stream with low biological productivity, so finding a large turtle in such a small stream is unusual,' the agency said. A 64-pound male Suwannee alligator snapping turtle being freed from a net. The massive reptiles are a new species, first reported in 2014 A 46-pound female Suwannee alligator snapping turtle. Finding a large turtle in such a small stream is unusual, the commission said The FWC has been collaborating with researchers in Florida and Georgia to study the population size and distribution of Suwannee alligator snapping turtles, which is indigenous to the area. Previously, it was believed there was only one living species of alligator snapping turtle. A third species, the Apalachicola snapping turtle, has been proposed but is not widely recognized. Alligator snapping turtles are the largest freshwater turtles in North America. Despite its name, they're not closely related to the common snapping turtle, which is in a different genus. Despite their names, the alligator snapping turtle is not closely related to the common snapping turtle, which is in a different genus. With a beaklike jaw, spiked shell and scaly, thick tail, it's been called 'the dinosaur of the turtle world' It's name is derived from the ridges on its shell that resemble the rough skin of an alligator. With a beaklike jaw, spiked shell and scaly, thick tail, it's also been dubbed 'the dinosaur of the turtle world.' They spend most of their lives in rivers and canals, except when the female crawls ashore, and can stay underwater for 40 to 50 before surfacing for air. Most live to about 70, though there have been reports of alligator snapping turtles living to 100. Males alligator snapping turtles weigh about 175 pounds, according to National Geographic, although they can surpass 200 pounds. Females are much smaller, usually weighing under 50lbs. Scientists are particularly concerned about the Suwannee because of its limited habitat. 'All it has is this river and it has nowhere else to go.' Beyond their bizarre appearance, alligator snapping turtles have a truly unique hunting technique. They uses a bright pink chunk of flesh on their tongues like a lure, drawing in curious fish and frogs. Once its prey gets in range, the previously motionless reptile snaps its jaw shut. With their size and natural defenses, alligator snapping turtles have no natural predators except for humans, who hunt them for their meat and shells. The turtles' numbers have declined precipitously in recent years due to unregulated harvesting and habitat loss. Scientists are particularly concerned about the Suwannee because of its limited habitat. 'If something catastrophic were to occur, such as a chemical spill or something that affects the entire river, it could potentially devastate this species,' Travis Thomas, a FWC scientist said in 2014. 'All it has is this river and it has nowhere else to go.' Chris Kim joins Morgan Stanley as a financial advisor in the firms wealth management office, in Ithaca. Most recently, he was the chief investment officer at Tompkins Financial Advisors. He also taught at Ithaca College. Kim holds an MBA degree from J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Business at Northwestern University and bachelors degree from Michigan State University. He resides in Ithaca. Do you have a People in Motion item? Send your press release to business@syracuse.com. In a letter to employees, Kevin Mayer said that his decision to leave comes after the political environment has sharply changed. TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer's resignation comes after US President Donald Trump ordered a ban on TikTok, unless parent company Bytedance sells its US operations to an American company within 90 days. Just days ago, TikTok filed a lawsuit challenging a crackdown by the US government over claims that the wildly popular social media app can be used to spy on Americans. (Photo | Pixabay/AP) Hong Kong: TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer resigned Thursday amid US pressure for its Chinese owner to sell the popular video app, which the White House says is a security risk. In a letter to employees, Mayer said that his decision to leave comes after the political environment has sharply changed. His resignation comes after US President Donald Trump ordered a ban on TikTok, unless parent company Bytedance sells its US operations to an American company within 90 days. I have done significant reflection on what the corporate structural changes will require, and what it means for the global role I signed up for, he said in the letter. Against this backdrop, and as we expect to reach a resolution very soon, it is with a heavy heart that I wanted to let you all know that I have decided to leave the company. Mayer, a former Disney executive, joined TikTok as CEO in May. Just days ago, TikTok filed a lawsuit challenging a crackdown by the US government over claims that the wildly popular social media app can be used to spy on Americans. TikTok, which has been downloaded 175 million times in the US and more than a billion times around the world, argued in the suit that Trumps order was a misuse of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act because the platformon which users share often playful short-form videosis not an unusual and extraordinary threat. Earlier this month, Trump ordered a sweeping but unspecified ban on dealings with the Chinese owners of consumer apps TikTok and WeChat as the US heightens scrutiny of Chinese technology companies, citing concerns that they may pose a threat to national security. We appreciate that the political dynamics of the last few months have significantly changed what the scope of Kevins role would be going forward, and fully respect his decision. We thank him for his time at the company and wish him well, TikTok said in a statement. Bytedance is currently in talks with Microsoft for the US firm to buy TikToks US operations. Health Minister Arsen Torosian on Thursday dismissed rumors about his impending dismissal and defended his decision to go on vacation despite the continuing coronavirus crisis in Armenia. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian allowed him on Tuesday to take a three-week vacation, effective from August 31, amid media reports saying that Torosian tendered his resignation after a tense meeting with the premier. A spokeswoman for Torosian was quick to deny the claims. The 38-year-old minister likewise insisted that he did not step down and was not lambasted by Pashinian over the coronavirus situation in the country. I dont even remember when I last met with the prime minister [tete-a-tete,] he told reporters. It was so long ago. He also denied that a body coordinating the Armenian governments response to the coronavirus pandemic has demanded a detailed financial report from the Ministry of Health to investigate a possible misuse of government funds allocated for treatment of COVID-19 patients. Torosian was conspicuously absent on Thursday from a weekly cabinet meeting in Yerevan chaired by Pashinian. He attended instead a meeting organized by a standing committee of the Armenian parliament. Asked after the meeting about opposition criticism of his upcoming vacation, Torosian said: Nobody has a right to exploit the expediency of my vacation. I will stay in Armenia, remain reachable and probably go to work on some days. Torosian again defended the health authorities handling of the coronavirus crisis, which has been denounced by opposition groups and other critics of Pashinians government. The percentage of Armenias citizens who have been infected with and, unfortunately, died from the coronavirus shows that the public health system has done more than it could considering the financial resources and attention given to healthcare over the past decade, he said. Armenia has had one of the highest infection rates in the wider region, with 43,270 coronavirus cases and at least 864 deaths recorded as of Thursday morning. Even so, the daily number of new confirmed cases has shrunk by more than half since mid-July despite the virtual absence of lockdown restrictions in the country of about 3 million. Pashinian and other Armenian officials say that the governments emphasis on making people wear face masks in all public spaces and practice social distancing is bearing fruit. Torosian did not exclude that Armenia could soon face a second wave of COVID-19 infections as a result of a colder weather, easing of sanitary restrictions on business activity and the governments recent decision to reopen schools and universities in September. He said Armenians should therefore continue to follow anti-epidemic rules set by the authorities. By PTI MUMBAI: Actor Randeep Hooda has undergone a leg surgery at the Breach Candy Hospital here and is recuperating, his father Ranbir Hooda said. The actor, who turned 44 on August 20, was admitted to the hospital on Wednesday, following which he had the surgery. Randeep's father said the actor is doing well and would be discharged soon. "Thank you all for your concern. Randeep had a leg surgery yesterday, he's recovering and will be discharged soon. He's COVID 19 negative and the surgery went well, so we will be able to take him home soon," his father said in a statement. Randeep was last seen in Chris Hemsworth starrer Netflix film "Extraction". Before the coronavirus-induced nation-wide lockdown was announced in March, the actor was shooting for his next, "Unfair and Lovely", co-starring Ileana D'Cruz. He would also be seen in Salman Khan's "Radhe", the release of which was pushed due to the pandemic. While some portions of the film still remain to be shot, Randeep has reportedly completed his schedule. When the news broke on Monday, the reaction in Winnipeg was swift and vehement. Thousands of posts flooded social media, most of them blistering with a shared anger and disappointment, calling out a local radio station for hiring a man they describe as a transphobe, a misogynist, and a bigot. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 26/8/2020 (511 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. When the news broke on Monday, the reaction in Winnipeg was swift and vehement. Thousands of posts flooded social media, most of them blistering with a shared anger and disappointment, calling out a local radio station for hiring a man they describe as a transphobe, a misogynist, and a bigot. Dave Wheeler knew this was coming. As he prepares to return to airwaves for the first time since he was fired from 92.1 CITI FM in the wake of transphobic comments, he knew he would have to face his critics, and there are many. He's earned them, and not only for that incident, but for a long string of actions before and after. "In a really weird way, Im happy there has been so much response, good and bad," Wheeler says, chatting over a Zoom call earlier this week. "Because that means people are willing to have a conversation about it. Two years ago, thats all I wanted to do, was I wanted to have a conversation." Since he was announced as the new morning show host at pop station Energy 106, the response has been scathing. People have called the hire "disgusting" and "unacceptable," and vowed to boycott the station: "This guy is trash like his opinions," one petition signatory wrote. Among those who chimed in were NDP MLAs Nahanni Fontaine and Uzoma Asagwara. "Providing a platform to someone who unapologetically espoused racist, misogynistic and transphobic rhetoric... nah," Asagwara wrote on Twitter. "I'm happy to listen to anything else." MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Two years after he was booted from rock radio for transphobic comments, Dave Wheeler is coming back to Winnipegs airwaves to be the morning host on Energy 106 FM. Enflaming the debate more is the fact that, to make room for Wheeler, Energy 106 canned popular host Sarah Nick, a feminist and vocal LGBTTQ+ ally. (On Tuesday, Nick shared a gracious video thanking fans for their support: "there's no hard feelings," she said. "this is what radio is, this is how it works.") To many LGBTTQ+ fans of the station, it feels like a "slap in the face," says Rainbow Resource Centre board member Veronica Gingles. The station has long positioned itself as a Pride supporter and ally; Wheeler's 2018 firing followed his comments equating trans people with actors who "pretend to be something different." "I'm extremely disappointed," says Gingles, who is a trans woman. "Thats both my standpoint and the centres standpoint. We feel the station is tone deaf and alienating people by hiring someone with a proven track record of bigotry against marginalized communities in the name of ratings." "In a really weird way, Im happy there has been so much response, good and bad. Because that means people are willing to have a conversation about it. Two years ago, thats all I wanted to do, was I wanted to have a conversation." Dave Wheeler At Energy 106, program director Adam West says he expected this backlash. The reasons for the hiring were simple: the station's ratings are lagging and Wheeler, West says, is a "proven talent." But he says he understands why some fans, especially in the LGBTTQ+ community, feel betrayed by the hire. "They may want to cut ties with us, but we will never cut ties with them," West says. "What happened at another radio station at another time will not happen here. He knows our policies, and I know him. But part of radio is to get people talking. Hell still be able to do that, but in a different way. He wants to do better and he will be better." YOUTUBE A still from one of the YouTube videos considered by many to be racist and sexist. Wheeler was suspended. An apology, written by Wheeler and read on-air acknowledge the videos "Transcona Girls" and "North End Boy" were inappropriate. For his part, Wheeler says the last two years have humbled him. He says he's done some soul-searching, and he intends to donate his first paycheque to the Rainbow Resource Centre: LGBTTQ+ youth need that support, he says, and "that's a small price that I can pay to show that I'm ready to move forward." Let's go back to what he said about how he'd just wanted to have "a conversation." What he means is that, on the day he'd made the transphobic comments, he started booking trans folks to come on his show and give their retort; that would have made for great radio, he thought. "What happened at another radio station at another time will not happen here. He knows our policies, and I know him. But part of radio is to get people talking. Hell still be able to do that, but in a different way. He wants to do better and he will be better." Adam West, Energy 106 program director "From that day one where everything went down, I wanted to talk about it I said 'well have everyones ears, well have everyones eyes, everyone will be listening'," he says. "Im kind of hoping that now we can, because peoples memories are still very vivid on this situation." My memory of it is vivid too, made even moreso by the fact I've known Wheeler a long time. We first met in the early 2000s, when I was a young music journalist and he was freshly arrived from Alberta. We had little in common: on the night we met, we became embroiled in a political debate that raged for several hours. I called him a chauvinist pig, or words to that effect, which actually seemed to improve the conversation. WAYNE GLOWACKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES About 60 protested outside the CITI FM studios in 2016 calling for Wheeler's termination in response to the racist and sexist videos posted. By the end of the night we'd shaken hands and exchanged numbers, willing combatants turned unlikely friends. Over the years, our paths drifted apart, and I watched with alarm as he grew more provocative on-air. He once argued Winnipeg didn't have issues with racism; in 2016, he was suspended after protests over two songs he'd written, "Transcona Girls" and "North End Boys," which were loaded with racist and sexist stereotypes. Wheeler issued a formal apology after that incident. After the 2018 remarks about trans people, he never did. "People that have reached out to me, Ive said, 'if Ive offended you by this, then I really am sorry,'" he says. "But Ive never agreed with this whole blanket statement of: 'did you apologize?' It's like, who am I apologizing to? Id like to sit down one-on-one with somebody and understand how they felt, and give a much more real apology." That increasingly contentious and often offensive direction was, he says, both encouraged by the brass at 92.1 CITI -- they did sign him to a contract and syndicate his show after the "Transcona Girls" incident -- but it was also one he was comfortable with and willing to take; he never shied away from what he calls "tough topics." While I had not seen him in over a decade at the time of his firing, the controversy still reflected the man I knew. He can be brash and even offensive; but he is not ideologically rigid. He does change his opinions, but most of all he craves the battle for them: he wants people to fire back and tell him why he is wrong. WAYNE GLOWACKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES A Dave Wheeler sign in the window of a 92 CITI FM offices. "I see myself as an agitator who is willing to broach topics, and is willing to listen, and is willing to speak on those," he says. "Because thats really what life is all about, is learning from peoples different perspectives." In the privacy of a one-on-one conversation, that's an engaging trait. On a mass media platform, it can draw the kind of pot-stirring headlines that some outlets like. But it can also do harm, especially when one dives into issues they do not fully understand: it's easy to enjoy a debate when one isn't the target of the barbs at its heart. I see myself as an agitator who is willing to broach topics, and is willing to listen, and is willing to speak on those. Because thats really what life is all about, is learning from peoples different perspectives. Dave Wheeler On that end, it wasn't Wheeler that felt the sting of the stereotypes that filled the two neighbourhood songs. It wasn't Wheeler who heard, in the phrase "pretend(ing) to be different things," the echo of all the ways he'd been hurt by a society that often did not accept him. It is not Wheeler who suffers the pain of racism in Winnipeg. To write this piece is tricky. It's not my intent to defend Wheeler: the debate he has ignited is a consequence of his opinions and statements. He can face the people he has hurt and angered on his own. But if he is to return to radio, then it's worth putting on record what he says he has learned. "I think the whole world is changing," he says. "What I like about it is that a lot more voices are being heard, and I think were still as a society trying to figure out that balance, because there is a lot of old-school mentality that is pushing back. I think the progressiveness is good... I think everyone should have a voice." MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS For his part, Wheeler says the last two years have humbled him. He says he's done some soul-searching, and he intends to donate his first paycheque to the Rainbow Resource Centre. In the two years since his firing, Wheeler says, he tried to "keep grinding." He produced a daily podcast with his wife, Candace Rae. He applied to many radio jobs in Canada and the United States, but none would take him on. In Sept. 2019, he ran for McPhillips MLA under the banner of the Manitoba First party; he finished last, with 237 votes. During that time, he says, he did seek to hear more from trans people. One of those opportunities came when he helped produce a podcast at his Safety Net Studio, which has not yet been released. The host was a trans woman, and when microphones were off, the two of them chatted. "We had some really in-depth conversations," he says. "I was able to learn things from her perspective... Im not saying she spoke for the whole trans community, but she certainly opened my eyes to things I was curious about." Now, with his new role at Energy 106, he pledges a "softer" approach. But he will still be pushed to account for the things he has said, including recently: just earlier this year, he wrote on social media that a round dance protest at Portage and Main in solidarity with the Wet'suwet'en "looks like an anus." Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. At the Rainbow Resource Centre, board member Gingles says Wheeler will have to do more to make amends. "Actions speak louder than words," Gingles says. "What wed really like to see is Dave reach out to the communities he has hurt to meet with them, and see first hand how his words and his actions have hurt people... Tigers generally dont change their stripes." Here's one last point to consider. His rehiring does come during a time of widespread social dialogue about how mass public outcry impacts people's careers. Around that is one key question: what determines when someone deserves to get another chance? In a way, the question will answer itself. Of all the jobs in the world, commercial radio host is among the most fickle, and the math is simple: if Wheeler brings in listeners and keeps advertisers happy, he'll stay. If he doesn't, he won't. The public decided his fate in 2018 with their reactions, and they will decide it again now. "Theres really nothing that I can say to anybody thats going to change their minds," he says. "So moving forward, Im just going to be better, and thats the only way I can put it. I want to put all that in the past, I want to go back to what I love doing, and Im just going to be better at it." melissa.martin@freepress.mb.ca WA Premier Mark McGowan has confirmed a memorandum of understanding signed by the WA and Chinese governments in 2011 will likely face Commonwealth scrutiny under powerful new laws set to be introduced by the federal government. The laws will give the foreign minister the power to veto proposed agreements and scrap existing ones between overseas governments and Australian states, local governments and even universities if they contradict Australia's national interest. WA Premier Mark McGowan. Credit:Lauren Pilat. The most high-profile agreement that could be scrapped is Victorias controversial Belt and Road deal with China, but Foreign Minister Marise Payne said there were at least 135 deals or arrangements that would be included in a "stocktake" if the legislation is passed. One of those is the Memorandum of Understanding between the WA government and the Chinese National Development and Reform Commission, the government body that approves all overseas investment by state-owned enterprises. It is the second greenhouse gas with even a global warming potential larger than CO 2 . An international study realized in the framework of the Global Carbon Project provides updated information and data on its increasing concentrations in the atmosphere. Eyes on many sectors, such as agriculture, waste and fossil fuel sectors. Among the authors, CMCC researchers Simona Castaldi and Sergio Noce. Not only CO 2 . Of course, carbon dioxide plays a key role in global warming, but among all the greenhouse gases, methane deserves a special attention because of its larger global warming potential (28 times higher than carbon dioxide on a 100-year time horizon). Moreover, once in the atmosphere carbon dioxide can continue to affect climate for thousands of years. Methane, by contrast, is mostly removed from the atmosphere by chemical reactions, persisting for about 12 years. Thus, although methane is a potent greenhouse gas, its effect is relatively short-lived and any measures to remove methane emissions from the atmosphere can have a very rapid positive effect. Methane is therefore becoming an increasingly important component for managing realistic pathways to mitigate climate change. After a period of stabilizations in the early 2000s, methane concentrations are rising again since 2007. The increase in methane concentrations follows trends of future scenarios that do not comply with the objectives of Paris Agreement. This is the trend underlined in a study recently published on Earth System Science Data (among the authors, the CMCC researchers Simona Castaldi and Sergio Noce from IAFES Impacts on Agriculture, Forests and Ecosystem Services Division), complemented by an article in Environmental Research Letters. The study was conducted by an international research team and led by the Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de lEnvironnement (LSCE, CEA-CNRS-UVSQ) in France, under the umbrella of the Global Carbon Project that initiated the work. It represents an up-date of the global methane sources and sinks to the atmosphere for the period 2000-2017. This budget show that global methane emissions have increased by 9 % (about 50 Million tons) between 2000-2006 and 2017. Anthropogenic emissions appear to be the main contributors to this increase, with equal shares between fossil fuel sector and agriculture and waste sector. We know well, commented CMCC researchers Simona Castaldi and Sergio Noce, that carbon dioxide is the major driver of climate change, but methane has undoubtedly an important role in this process. This study recently published on ESSD is the result of the great effort of an international research team of more than 90 co-authors; it represents an update of a research previously published in 2016 summing up our current knowledge on methane emissions, their trends and evolution, while combining knowledge of more than 70 research centers all around the world. Each researcher gave a contribution according to her/his own expertise: at the CMCC we dealt with an estimate of CH4 emissions from termites at the global scale CH 4 is released during the anaerobic decomposition of plant biomass in their gut -. 4 anthropogenic emissions are shared as follows between the different main sources of methane: 30% from enteric fermentation and manure management; 22% from oil and gas production and use; 18% from handling solid and liquid wastes; 11% from coal extraction; 8% from rice cultivation; 8% from biomass and biofuel burning. The rest is attributed to transport (e.g. road transport) and industry., 32 % from the Northern mid-latitudes and only 4% from the Northern high latitudes.Therefore, methane emissions from boreal regions did not increased significantly. This means that the high climate sensitivity of boreal regions does not (yet) translate in large increase in methane emissions. Increasing emissions in Africa, Asia and North America The three main regions contributing to this methane emission increase are likely: Africa, China and Asia, each contributing 10-15 million tons of CH 4 . Then North America likely contribute to 5-7 million tons, including 4-5 million tons from USA. In Africa and Asia (except China), the agriculture and waste sector contribute the most, followed by the fossil fuel sector. This is the opposite for China and North America, where the increase in the fossil fuel sector is largest than the one in the agriculture and waste sector. Decreasing emissions in Europe Europe seems to be the only region where emissions have decreased: between -4 et -2 million tons, depending on the approach used for the estimation. This decrease is mainly related to the agriculture and waste sector. To meet the objectives of Paris Agreement, not only CO 2 emissions need to be reduced but also methane emissions. Despite still some uncertainties in methane sources and sinks, the recent increase in methane concentrations suggests a dominant anthropogenic contribution. Although methane is a potent greenhouse gas, its effect is relatively short, remaining in the atmosphere for about 10 years, and reducing methane emissions would have a rapid positive effect on climate. Methane therefore might offer growing opportunities for climate change mitigation while providing rapid climate benefits and economic, health and agricultural co-benefits. Sources: The LSCE press release, based on the following publications: Saunois et al. (2020) The Global Methane Budget 2000-2017. Earth System Science Data. https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-12-1561-2020 Jackson et al. (2020). Increasing anthropogenic methane emissions arise equally from agricultural and fossil fuel sources. Environmental Research Letters. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ab9ed2 Access to the data: Data for the global methane budget are available from the Global Carbon Atlas, with budgets by regions and sectors. For the release of the global methane budget, the Global Carbon Atlas includes a new design and new applications related to the Global Carbon Project: CO2 emissions for 343 cities worldwide, and carbon cycle and natural CO2 emissions from rivers and lakes. http://www.globalcarbonatlas.org/en/content/welcome-carbon-atlas Data and figures: http://www.globalcarbonproject.org/methanebudget http://www.globalcarbonatlas.org https://www.icos-cp.eu/GCP-CH4/2019 Subscriber content preview By MIKE SCHNEIDER Associated Press ORLANDO, Fla. The U.S. Census Bureau is ending the 2020 head count of every U.S. resident early by a month so that the process for calculating the number of people used for redrawing congressional districts takes place on President Donald Trump's watch, according to court filings asking a judge to block the shortened schedule. A group of municipalities and civil rights groups said in court filings this week that the Census Bureau had revised its deadlines because of the pandemic so the 2020 census would finish at the end of October. But the bureau shortened that deadline to the end of September earlier this month after Trump directed the agency to exclude people in the country illegally from figures used for redrawing congressional districts, a process also known as apportionment, the court filing said. . . . An outbreak of Covid-19 at a care home has been linked to an employee who allegedly concealed her positive test result from managers. A major investigation has now been launched at the residential home in Dublin. The Irish Independent understands that an elderly female resident in her 70s and a staff member at the home have also been infected with the coronavirus. Along with the three confirmed cases, another four staff members and residents have been in isolation since early last week. Read More Care home management ordered a lockdown on Monday, August 17, after discovering the worker had continued looking after residents, despite being informed that she was infected. Sources said that managers are preparing an investigation into allegations of an "egregious breach" of workplace and health regulations. The worker took the Covid test on Wednesday, August 12. She had been contact-traced by the HSE after her son, a meat factory worker, had proved positive for the virus. It is understood the care worker was informed of her positive result three days later, on Saturday 15, while she was working a weekend shift providing full-time care for the two residents of the home, including the elderly lady. Sources have confirmed that the worker did not inform her manager of the test results - and continued working until her shift ended on the Sunday. The issue only came to light the following day, on Monday 17, when the worker was contacted by her manager and asked to work overtime. It is understood that the employee said she was unable to, as a relative had tested positive for coronavirus, but she did not inform her manager of her own test result. The manager then advised the worker to immediately contact her GP to arrange a test. The care home's designated Covid-19 supervisor later contacted the worker who, when questioned, then admitted that she was infected. A source told the Irish Independent: "A containment and deep-clean operation was immediately put in motion and everyone in the house concerned was tested and all contact tracing completed." The families of the residents were also informed, and the house is now in isolation. "A second staff member and a resident who is an elderly lady tested positive for the virus - but she is recovering well and did not require hospitalisation. The staff members are also doing well," said the source. Separate investigations are to be carried out by the management team and the HSE. The care worker, who is currently isolating, is shortly due to be interviewed by her bosses and health officials. It is understood the Covid testing centre was not given details of the care home where the individual worked. A statement from the care home provider confirms that it "became aware on Monday, August 17, that a staff member working within a home in the community had attended for work over two days of the preceding weekend after that person had been advised by Public Health personally of a positive test for Covid. "That test was not part of any regime or protocol run by, or then known to the employer and the employer was not advised of the requirement to test, the test taking place or the test result." It immediately contacted HSE Public Health to report the situation. Contact tracing for residents and staff followed by testing and other protocols were quickly arranged. "The families of all the service users that were exposed to this staff member have been informed of these events and of the subsequent tests and their outcomes. There are no concerns arising from those communications at this point." A statement from the HSE said it cannot comment on individual cases or outbreaks as to do so would breach its duty of confidentiality to the individuals concerned. It added: "In general, when our Departments of Public Health respond to notified cases or outbreaks of Covid-19, they undertake a risk assessment of the situation and appropriate investigations are undertaken and control measures put in place." Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 16:12:07|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close MOSCOW, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) said Thursday it had detained a soldier on suspicion of passing state secrets to the Ukrainian military intelligence service. The soldier belonging to the Russian Strategic Missile Forces was detained in the Siberian city of Barnaul, the FSB said in a statement, adding it has initiated a criminal case against the detainee on the grounds of high treason. If found guilty, the suspect will face a prison term of 12 to 20 years, in accordance with Russian law. Enditem Kyle Rittenhouse, a 17-year-old former police cadet from Antioch, Illinois, located less than 20 miles from Kenosha, Wisconsin, was arrested and charged with first degree homicide on Wednesday morning in connection with the fatal shootings of two protesters and wounding of a third. The killings came on the third night of protests over the shooting of Jacob Blake by Kenosha police on Sunday. Police officer Rusten Shesky, a seven-year veteran of the department, fired seven shots point blank into the back of the unarmed 29-year-old African American father of six as he was attempting to get into his SUV. The fusillade severed Blakes spinal cord, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. A protester takes cover late Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020, in Kenosha, Wis. (AP Photo/David Goldman) The arrest of Rittenhouse took place some 10 hours after he was identified on social media video and by eyewitnesses. The video shows that Rittenhouse shot multiple people in two separate incidents, first in a car lot and minutes later in the middle of the street. Police have yet to publicly identify the victims. However, at a Wednesday press conference police confirmed that all of the victims were from Wisconsin, including the two who dieda 26-year-old Silver Lake resident and a 36-year-old Kenosha manand the injured individual, a 36-year-old man from West Allis. The two who were killed were unarmed. Comrades and friends have placed posts on social media identifying one of the murdered protesters as Anthony Huber of Silver Lake. A GoFundMe page established to help pay for funeral expenses for Huber exceeded its $25,000 goal in less than eight hours. A friend of Huber told the local CBS television affiliate he believed Anthony was a hero because he tried to stop the shooter. He is a peaceful person, said the friend. He didnt go out looking to beat people up. Hes more of a defender. And he put his life on the line for others. Thats what he did. Immediately after the shootings, the police refused to question, much less detain, Rittenhouse. In a graphic video viewed over 2.6 million times, Rittenhouse is seen walking past police and armored trucks with his AR-15 slung over his chest after having fired dozens of rounds less than a minute before, leaving several people injured or dying. Police can be seen ignoring shouts from protesters claiming Rittenhouse was responsible. Instead, they drive down the street, allowing the killer to leave the city and drive home to Illinois. Rittenhouse was drawn to the anti-police violence protest by a group called the Kenosha Militia, which had posted a Call to Arms on Facebook. The call for right-wing forces to arm themselves and confront protesters in Kenosha on Wednesday was promoted on the far-right conspiracy website Infowars. In interviews given throughout the evening to internet streamers, Rittenhouse boasted that we dont have non-lethal weaponry and that he was there to protect the property. Facebook event page for Armed Citizens to Protect Our Lives and Property In another recorded interaction, Rittenhouse, AR-15 in hand, is seen with several older members of the militia outside of a boarded-up business. Police drive up and through their loudspeaker offer their appreciation to the heavily armed militia members. We really appreciate you guys, one cop says over the loudspeaker, while another asks if you guys need any water. President Trump has repeatedly made statements inciting far-right and fascist forces to attack opponents on the left. The murder of the Kenosha protesters took place in the midst of the Republican National Convention, which has featured speaker after speaker denouncing anti-police violence protesters as anarchists, Marxists, terrorists, looters and rioters. In April, Trump posted a tweet urging armed militia groups opposed to state lockdown orders to liberate states with Democratic governors such as Michigan, Minnesota and Virginia. Far-right groups including Proud Boys and boogaloo bois have gone to Kenosha, a rust belt city devastated by the closure of factories and destruction of manufacturing jobs, to confront and threaten protesters, as they have in other cities across the country where protests have continued since the May 25 police murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In seeking to build his personalist base of support, Trump has embraced the fascistic conspiracy group QAnon, which pledges to carry out a storm that will end in the execution of Trumps political opponents. Trump took to Twitter Wednesday afternoon claiming he had spoken to Wisconsins Democratic governor, Tony Evers, and would be sending federal law enforcement and the National Guard... to restore LAW and ORDER! Evers has already declared a state of emergency, imposed a curfew and ordered hundreds of National Guard troops into the city, underscoring the fact that state violence against protesters is a bipartisan policy. Kenosha Mayor John Antaramian, also a Democrat, has unleashed his police force to attack peaceful demonstrators with tear gas and rubber bullets and deployed military-style armored vehicles on the streets. Unlike protesters, the gun-toting fascists have been permitted by police to break curfew each of the last two nights. Trump has derided Democratic governors and mayors for not being sufficiently brutal in suppressing protests. In response, police departments in Democratic-run cities such as Pittsburgh and New York City are taking it upon themselves to disappear protesters. The same is true in Wisconsin. Within the last 24 hours, video has emerged of police appearing in unmarked vehicles and kidnapping people without due process or explanation. On Monday, a teenage boy in Madison was taken in by police without explanation after protests had died down. In Kenosha, before the curfew went into effect, heavily armed agents surrounded a riot kitchen food truck, which serves meals to protesters and the homeless free of charge, and proceeded to smash the windows and kidnap those inside in broad daylight. Details of the exact sequence of events that led to the shootings in Kenosha are still being determined. However, social media video collected throughout the night shows that the authorities, including the Kenosha police and the Sheriffs department, were well aware of and encouraged the intervention of far-right militia groups to terrorize demonstrators. In one video, an unidentified militiaman is seen talking with protesters after the shootings. Ya know what the cops told us today? he asks, and then says the police told him they were going to push them down by you, cause you can deal with them, and then we are going to leave. In the first press conference held by Kenosha authorities since Blake was shot on Sunday, Kenosha County Sheriff David Beth acknowledged that he had been approached regarding the prospect of deputizing armed civilians. Beth said he discouraged this primarily because of the liability it would entail. At the press conference, Police Chief Daniel Miskinis denied that he had interacted with the militia group or had any knowledge pertaining to it. The day prior, in a public Facebook post that has since been taken down, the militia group sent a message to Miskinis signed by the Kenosha Guard Commander. The message implored the police chief, Do NOT have your officers tell us to go home under threat of arrest as you have in the past. We are willing to talk to KPD and open a discussion. It is evident that no matter how many Officers, deputies and other law enforcement officers that are here, you will still be outnumbered. Facebook post from Kenosha Guard to Chief Miskinis. Asked during Wednesdays press conference why the police allowed Rittenhouse to simply walk away after his violent rampage, Sheriff Beth enumerated a laundry list of excuses, citing screaming, sirens, and radio-traffic, which, according to Beth, can cause tunnel vision. Beth has previously had to apologize for letting his emotions get the best of him. At a press conference in February 2018, he spoke to the media regarding an arrest involving stolen property from a nearby mall. No one was injured in the incident, but this did not prevent Beth from pontificating on what he deemed justice. He declared: I think at some point society has to get so fed up that they are no longer willing to tolerate people who are not an asset to society. I think we have to create a threshold where, once you cross the threshold, Wisconsin, the United States, builds warehouses where we put these people who have been deemed to be no longer an asset, that are really a detriment Prior to the shootings, hundreds of protesters and residents had gathered outside the city courthouse, defying an 8 p.m. curfew imposed Tuesday night to demand justice for Jacob Blake. No charges have been announced to date against the killer cop Rusten Shesky, who remains on paid administrative leave, along with two other officers. Leading up to Wednesday nights protests, police had erected a steel fence around the public safety building, which protesters attempted to knock over. Riot police and several large BearCat armored police vehicles equipped with Long Range Acoustic Devices responded with tear gas, ear-splitting sirens, pepper balls and rubber bullets. Protesters gathered in the park across the street from the building and responded with off-the-shelf fireworks and water bottles, while attempting to shield themselves from the barrage with garbage dumpsters and umbrellas. Riot police backed by their armored vehicles then formed a line and moved into the park, as they deployed smoke and tear gas. Protesters attempting to flee were blocked off by armed militia men, believed to be part of the Kenosha Guard. The groups Facebook page was taken down Wednesday, but not before roughly 3,000 people had expressed interest in attending the event called Armed Citizens to Protect our Lives and Property. Meanwhile, officers under the direction of Sheriff Beth blocked off interstate exits and on-ramps prior to the curfew, preventing people from leaving or entering the city. At the Wednesday press conference, National Guard Major General Paul Knapp said the number of National Guard troops being sent to Kenosha would be doubled, possibly including soldiers from out of state. Sheriff Beth confirmed that federal agents with the FBI; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms; and the US Marshals Service were already deployed in the city, along with equipment and information. Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 16:51:38|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close CANBERRA, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison urged Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews to offer hope amid the state's rising coronavirus death toll. Morrison said he was concerned about Andrews' move to extend emergency control powers by 12 months, according to a report on the Australian. "People are concerned that lockdowns would extend for another 12 months," he said. "I know that the announcement that was made by the premier the other day about that extension of the additional 12 months. I've raised our concerns with the premier about that. I did that directly." Victorian authorities confirmed another 23 coronavirus deaths on Thursday, 22 of which were linked to aged care facilities, taking the national death toll to 572. "I have been working every day with the aged care sector, providers, staff and families to ensure that these people in care, those who first cared for us, receive the highest level of protection. For this, I am accountable," said Richard Colbeck, Australia's Minister for Aged Care. As of Thursday afternoon, there had been 25,322 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Australia. Victoria has confirmed 113 cases and nine of them were reported from New South Wales. Enditem Among the many things on display at this weeks Republican National Convention is the current toothlessness of a 1939 law called the Hatch Act, which prohibits employees in the executive branch of the federal government from taking part in partisan political activity. On Tuesday, Chad Wolf, acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, conducted a citizenship ceremony for five immigrants at the White House, followed by remarks from President Trump, who presided over the ceremony. It was televised nationally as part of the Republican National Convention. Also on Tuesday, the convention audience heard taped remarks by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who was on an official trip to the Middle East, praising Trumps America First foreign policy. And while the Hatch Acts ban on partisan politics does not apply to the president or vice president, they are covered by another provision of the law imposing criminal penalties for ordering or coercing federal employees to engage in political activity. A law professor said those penalties could apply to Trumps role in directing White House staff to take part in the naturalization ceremony and another televised event, his pardon of a onetime bank robber who founded a rehabilitation program in prison and who also spoke at the convention. U.S. Marines were present when Trump entered the room for the naturalization ceremony. Those events appear to have been conducted for the purpose of the Republican convention ... for the purpose of affecting a national election, said Kathleen Clark, a professor at Washington University in St. Louis whose specialties include legal ethics. A future presidential administration might try to examine possible Hatch Act violations at the convention. But not this one. After the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, an independent agency that investigates violations of the 1939 law, recommended firing White House counselor Kellyanne Conway in June 2019 for disparaging Democratic presidential candidates in dozens of public appearances, Trump replied on Fox News, It looks to me like theyre trying to take away her right of free speech, and thats just not fair. Conway recently announced her upcoming departure from the administration. When a reporter asked her about her Hatch Act compliance issue last year, she replied, Blah, blah, blah. If youre trying to silence me through the Hatch Act, its not going to work. Let me know when the jail sentence starts. Or, as White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows told the Politico news agency Wednesday, Nobody outside of the Beltway really cares about the Hatch Act. The protections were supposed to have under the Hatch Act are dead or dormant, said Jessica Levinson, a Loyola Law School professor in Los Angeles who specializes in election law and governance. Were living in a world where a federal law is being blatantly ignored. The law, sponsored by Sen. Carl Hatch, D-N.M., was a response to disclosures that employees of the U.S. Works Progress Administration were using federal funds to support Democratic candidates in the 1938 congressional elections. Violators of the Hatch Act can be barred from all federal employment, for up to five years in most cases, or permanently in the most serious cases, and fined $1,000. The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the law in 1947, and again in 1973, rejecting arguments that it violated freedom of speech. At my first job as a trial attorney at the Department of Justice, on our first day we were told wed been Hatched, what we could and couldnt do, said Erwin Chemerinsky, now the law school dean at UC Berkeley. The law was meant to keep federal employees from being pressured, and to keep the incumbent from taking advantage of the federal workforce for political reasons. Once the Office of Special Counsel finds that a civil service employee has engaged in partisan politics, the case is supposed to be heard by the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board. But the board has lost its members and its authority because Trump has stopped making appointments. Accusations against Cabinet members and other presidential appointees are sent directly to the president for review. That happened twice under President Barack Obama. Kathleen Sebelius, the Health and Human Services secretary, was accused in 2012 of violating the Hatch Act by endorsing a political candidate during a speech. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro faced similar accusations in 2016 for praising Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton during a television interview. Both said the violations were unintentional, and the Office of Special Counsel did not seek penalties. In 2017, the office found that Nikki Haley, Trumps United Nations ambassador, had violated the Hatch Act by retweeting Trumps endorsement of a congressional candidate. Haley deleted the tweet and faced no penalties. She resigned in 2018 and was not subject to the Hatch Act when she spoke to the convention this week. But Pompeo was on official business when he traveled to Jerusalem, where he recorded a four-minute speech that was broadcast at the convention. Meadows, the chief of staff, said the Hatch Act did not apply because Pompeo made it very clear that he was talking in his personal capacity. Meadows said he researched the Hatch Act as a North Carolina congressman before his appointment by Trump this year and determined that the administrations opponents were overstating the scope of the law. What its really designed to do is to make sure that people like myself and others do not use their political position to try to convince other employees, other federal employees, that they need to vote one way, register one way or campaign another way, he told Politico. Chemerinsky, the Berkeley law school dean, disagreed on both counts. Pompeo, he said, had made it clear that he was doing this while in Israel on official business. More troubling, Chemerinsky said, were the actions of Trump and federal employees he ordered to install the equipment that enabled him to broadcast his convention comments from the White House, the seat of the executive branch. While President Franklin D. Roosevelt accepted the 1940 Democratic nomination from the White House, other presidents have not used the White House for blatant political purposes, Chemerinsky said. Whatever line there is, Trump has obliterated it. Clark, the Washington University law professor, said it was the same line the president is accused of ignoring by steering foreign governments to his Washington, D.C., hotel. They are flouting the Hatch Act, the same way President Trump has flouted the more general standard of not using public office for private financial gain, she said. Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @BobEgelko Britons on holiday in Switzerland, Jamaica and the Czech Republic face a mad dash to get home after they were added to the UK's quarantine list. Travellers arriving in the UK after 4am on Saturday from those nations will have to self-isolate for 14 days, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced this evening. But in good news for other holidaymakers, Cuba has been removed from the quarantine list, he announced. The Government held its weekly review of travel measures today with an announcement likely to be made this evening on any changes. The UK has said that any country which records more than 20 Covid-19 cases per 100,000 people in a seven-day period will be subject to a travel ban and the 14 day self-isolation requirement for returning travellers. The DfT said there has been a 'consistent increase' in the rate in Switzerland over the past four weeks, reaching 22.0 on Thursday. It added that Jamaica's rate rose from 4.3 on August 20 to 20.8 on Thursday, while the Czech Republic has seen 'a consistent increase in newly reported cases' over the past three weeks, with a 25 per cent spike from 1,723 between August 14-20 to 2,153 during the following seven days. Writing on Twitter Mr Shapps said: 'Data shows we need to remove the Czech Republic, Jamaica and Switzerland from our list of #Coronavirus Travel Corridors to keep infection rates DOWN. Satats showed that Jamaica was dangerously close to the threshold for quarantine with a seven day rate of 19.8 per 100,000 before the decision was made Switzerland has also been added to the list of quarantine nations The coronavirus case rate in Italy is currently at 10.8 per 100,000 which suggests the country is unlikely to face quarantine restrictions in the coming weeks. Termini railway station in Rome is pictured on August 23 Transport Secretary Grant Shapps is widely expected to unveil the latest changes to travel rules tonight 'If you arrive in the UK after 0400 Saturday from these destinations, you will need to self-isolate for 14 days. 'Data also shows we can now add Cuba to those countries INCLUDED in Travel Corridors. As with all air bridge countries, please be aware that things can (and do sometimes) change quickly. Only travel if you are content to unexpectedly 14-day quarantine on return.' The Department for Transport (DfT) said equivalent measures are being put in place in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Scotland took Switzerland off its list last week. The DfT advised British travellers in Switzerland, Jamaica and the Czech Republic to 'follow the local rules and check the FCO (Foreign and Commonwealth Office) travel advice pages'. People hoping to return to the UK on Friday before the quarantine requirement is introduced face a struggle. All direct flights from Prague to London appear to be sold out. Swiss International Air Lines was selling seats on a flight from Geneva to Heathrow departing on Friday afternoon for 493, while flights from Zurich cost 377. The latest statistics showed the seven-day rate in the Czech Republic is now at 19.4 cases per 100,000, up from 16 a week ago and only just below the threshold. Jamaica was appears to be dangerously close to the threshold with a seven day rate of 19.8 per 100,000. However, Italy remains on the UK Government's safe travel list. The case rate in Italy stands at just 10.8 per 100,000 which suggests the country is very unlikely to face action in the coming weeks. Greece now also appears likely to stay on the safe list for the moment. While the rate has ticked upwards in both countries, neither of them are near the UK's threshold for banning non-essential travel. In Greece, the latest seven-day rate is 14.1 cases per 100,000 - roughly the same as a week ago (14.3), but up from where it was two weeks ago (10.1). The latest figures were calculated based on data collected by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. In full: The countries which are not on the UK's quarantine list The Government has imposed quarantine restrictions on numerous countries in recent weeks. Below is the latest list of nations which are still viewed by the UK as safe to travel: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Barbados, Bermuda, Bonaire, St Eustatius and Saba, British Virgin Islands, Brunei, Cayman Islands, the Channel Islands, Cuba, Curacao, Cyprus, Denmark, Dominica, Estonia, Falkland Islands, Faroe Islands, Fiji, Finland, French Polynesia, Gibraltar, Germany, Greece, Greenland, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, the Isle of Man, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Macao, Malaysia, Mauritius, Montserrat, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Norway, Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands, Poland, Portugal, San Marino, Seychelles, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, St Barthelemy, St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Pierre and Miquelon, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Taiwan, Turkey, Vatican City State, Vietnam. Advertisement E-governance approaches critical mass, Source: internet The Government Office last week officially launched the National Reporting Platform (NRP), the government and the prime ministers Centre for Information and Direction (CID), and the 1,000th online public service on the National Public Service Portal (NPSP). The NRP and the CID becoming operational are major milestones in the governments macroeconomic monitoring and administrative reform as well as the move from paper to digital-based processes, said Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc at the launch. They demonstrate the governments strong determination to develop an effective e-government. Constructed by local and foreign experts with help from VNPT, the NRP and CID are directly connected with the directing centres, reporting systems, and data bases of all ministries, agencies, and localities at all levels. From the NRP and CID, the prime minister can directly monitor and supervise all sectors managed by ministries, agencies, and localities. Based on digitalised data and images, the government leaders will be able to provide directions for them. So far, the reporting platforms of 30 ministries, agencies, and localities, as well as state-owned groups and corporations have been connected with the NRP. All information is provided and exchanged continuously, transparently, and safely. In addition to the NRP and the CID, the government has also paid special attention to cement the relationship between it and people, enterprises, and investors via the NPSP. According to the Government Office, as of August 18, the NPSP received registrations from more than 227,000 accounts and was accessed over 58 million times for seeking information and conducting public services. Moreover, more than 14.3 million synchronous dossiers and 246,000 online dossiers were processed on the NPSP. On average, each day sees the portal receive and process about 4,000 online dossiers, more than 23,000 calls, and over 7,600 proposals from the public, enterprises, and investors. The online payment system of the NPSP, put into operation in March, has also processed nearly 7,000 online payment transactions, over 4,000 of which have been conducted since July. After eight months of operation, the number of the NPSPs public services offered has skyrocketed from eight to 1,000 by August 18, including the three new services launched last week. The new services include one on payment of compulsory social insurance, health insurance, unemployment insurance, and compulsory insurance for occupational accidents and occupational diseases; one on registration of adjustments to compulsory social insurance, health insurance, unemployment insurance, and reports on labour changes; and the 1,000th public service which is on declaration and payment of registration fees and submission of automobile registration declarations. Many new online services involve notarisation, voluntary social insurance, extension of medical insurance cards for households, granting new driving licences, changing driving licences, and payment of fines for traffic violations. These services are estimated to help the state to save about VND1.69 trillion ($73.47 million) per year. For example, individuals and enterprises can access the portal to self-process their documents and certificates to have them notarised in a wink, with a digital signature and sharp accuracy on the notarised electric copies. The NPSP has connected with 18 ministries and central agencies, all 63 provinces and cities, 12 state-run groups and corporations, eight banks, and many e-wallet service providers. The portal could help save more than VND13 trillion ($565.2 million) in costs for people, enterprises, and investors every year. Under the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs newly-launched hallmark UN E-government Survey 2020, Vietnam has climbed two places to rank 86th out of 193 countries. With this ranking, Vietnam has maintained its record of consecutive increases since 2014, climbing from 99th in the process. Harvesting 0.6667 points in the surveys E-Government Development Index (EGDI), Vietnam is among the e-government developing countries with a high index, a score which is higher than the global EGDI average of 0.5988 points, the Asian average of 0.6373 points, and the Southeast Asian average of 0.6321 points. In Southeast Asia, Vietnam has successfully maintained the same position as in 2018, ranking sixth among 11 countries, behind Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Brunei, and the Philippines. According to the Ministry of Information and Communications, with a population of nearly 100 million people, Vietnam is among the few nations in Southeast Asia with high growth in digital transformation. As of late June, the country has 127 million mobile phone subscribers, while it is estimated that 54.2 per cent of the population are connected to broadband wire-based internet. Anabel Franceschini Rosa Inducted into the 2019 North Carolina Pro Bono Honor Society The result is extremely rewarding [and]the work we do can be life changing, explains Anabel Rosa on her motivation to try to ensure justice for all of the states citizens. Anabel Franceschini Rosa, personal injury attorney at the Law Offices of James Scott Farrin, was recently inducted into the 2019 North Carolina Pro Bono Honor Society. The Society celebrates those attorneys who provided 50 or more hours of pro bono legal services in 2019 to clients without expectation of a fee. Anabel explains her motivation to try to ensure justice for all of the states citizens, The result is extremely rewarding [and]the work we do can be life changing. Anabel joined the Law Offices of James Scott Farrin in 2010 and has more than 20 years of legal experience in the areas of personal injury, civil rights, employment discrimination, and sexual harassment. Her dedication to helping others is reflected in her current and past community and civic involvement: Governors Advisory Council on Hispanic Latino Affairs - Subcommittee for Leadership, Chair Durham Mayors Hispanic-Latino Committee, Member, Former Chair North Carolina Advocates for Justice - Board of Governors, Member - Diversity Committee, Member - Latino Affairs Division, Former Chair Partnership for a Healthy Durham, Member (Durham Latino Health Roundtable) REAL Durham, Supporter/Advocate Durham ESL, ESL Volunteer Teacher Anabel also received the "Triangle Business Journal" 2018 Women in Business award and the Order of Service award from the North Carolina Advocates for Justice in 2017 and 2018. In addition to helping others, Anabel finds that her pro bono work enriches her career and strengthens her as an attorney. By engaging in pro bono work, I have learned areas of the law that I wouldnt have otherwise been exposed to. I gained knowledge that prepared me to help my regular clients better. ABOUT THE LAW OFFICES OF JAMES SCOTT FARRIN The Law Offices of James Scott Farrin is one of the largest personal injury firms in North Carolina and has served more than 45,000 injured people since 1997. Many of the firms more than 50 accomplished attorneys have won awards and are recognized professionals in their fields. The firm focuses on personal injury, car accidents, workers compensation, nursing home abuse, whistleblowing, defective products, eminent domain, mass torts, class actions and Social Security Disability. Their headquarters is in Durham, North Carolina. Visit farrin.com for more information. Contact Information: David Chamberlin 280 S. Mangum Street Suite 400 Durham, NC 27701 866-900-7078 https://www.farrin.com/ New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs misunderstood details of a federal program to rescue municipal transit systems after leaving discussions that created it and has been providing inaccurate information to the public about the program for the past month. "We finished our agreement and they [other provinces] said we need more from the federal government," Higgs said in an interview Wednesday evening. "It was a discussion Chrystia Freeland had primarily with the other provinces after we had concluded our agreement." New Brunswick Progressive Conservatives have been promising a fuller explanation this week of why Higgs rejected funding from a federal program designed to bailout struggling municipal transit systems, and a draft statement was prepared by the party to address "confusion" on the matter. An interview with Higgs about the statement suggests the province was never fully aware special transit pandemic assistance for operational losses was available to it. New Brunswick doesn't need subways Higgs has been dogged by questions for the past month about why he walked away from an offer from Ottawa to cost share a multi-million dollar bail out package for the provinces's four municipal transit systems, all of which saw their ridership evaporate and financial situation deteriorate during the pandemic. His answers have alternated between assertions that no relief money for transit pandemic costs was rejected by his government, and claims Ottawa was only ever offering to fund big new capital projects for transit systems like subways, which New Brunswick does not need. Blair Gable/Reuters "There seems to be some real confusion around what I accepted or didn't accept," Higgs told reporters on Aug. 11 about the transit assistance offered by Ottawa for Moncton, Saint John, Fredericton and Miramichi and rejected by his government. "The money that was being reported that I was not accepting was related to infrastructure funding for big infrastructure projects." Story continues That claim, repeated several times over the last month, was not true. Offer was to help with revenue losses related to pandemic The specific offer from the federal government was to compensate individual transit systems across Canada for pandemic related revenue losses and enhanced cleaning and other expenses, if host provinces would share half the cost. The new statement from New Brunswick PCs aimed at cleaning up the matter is attributed directly to Higgs and was shared with CBC News Wednesday evening. In it the PC leader acknowledges directly for the first time he "opted out" of the federal transit relief program and drops all references to his earlier claim the relief program was for capital infrastructure. City of Fredericton Higgs now says he believed transit relief funding was for infrastructure projects because that is where discussions were headed when New Brunswick removed itself from the talks. "It was very clearly stated and I remember Doug Ford saying this that this was for infrastructure funding so we didn't pursue it any further," said Higgs "We had concluded our discussions and those discussions went on afterward between those three provinces (BC, Ontario and Quebec) and the federal government." However those talks eventually produced a program open to all provinces and offered compensation to any municipal transit system needing it, including the four systems in New Brunswick North Bay website The party also offered a new reason for not participating in the relief program, that it was only meant to serve Canada's big cities, but that claim is also dubious "It was designed for large urban areas with significant transit infrastructure," said Higgs in the new written explanation of why he did not participate, but dozens of smaller communities have already benefited from the program elsewhere in the country. In Ontario, which did participate in the transit relief program 110 municipalities have been awarded compensation for COVID-19 related losses suffered by their transit systems, many of those with similar municipal transit systems to New Brunswick cities. In Sarnia and North Bay, which have comparable annual ridership numbers to Fredericton Transit, bus services were granted $1.1 million and $1.2 million respectively from the program to cover pandemic related losses they incurred between April 1 and Sept. 30. Larger services closer in size to Saint John Transit and Moncton's Codiac Transpo were given more extensive help from the program, including bus services in Barrie ($2.6 million), Thunder Bay ($3.2 million), Sudbury ($3.5 million) and Peterborough ($3.6 million). Province didn't need extra funding Higgs said it is a surprise to him that smaller municipalities have been funded under the program but maintains New Brunswick got everything it wanted from Ottawa in its main agreement and so did not need extra funding for its four transit systems. A separate federal pandemic relief program the province did sign onto includes money for municipalities they can use to make up for pandemic related losses, including transit losses and Higgs said that is all the province needed. "Any transit funding requests we may receive from our municipalities can be more than adequately covered under the $41 million municipalities stream of that same agreement," he said. 'The party in the present form cannot pose a challenge to the BJP and Modi.' IMAGE: Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi with her son and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi. Photograph: PTI Photo "The Congress realistically needs to decide what does revival mean for it. They have been sliding since the 1990s. There has not been a single election where their vote share has improved," Dr Rahul Verma, Fellow at the Centre for Policy Research (CPR), points out in the concluding segment of his interview with Rediff.com's Archana Masih. How has the absence of a full-time leadership proved detrimental for the Congress party? Sonia Gandhi tried to pass the baton to Rahul Gandhi. The leadership transition did not happen fully. A complete leadership transition means the old leader retires from politics and the new leader makes a transition -- sometimes this exercise is a bit ruthless and is done by basically purging people who were part of the old order. Rahul Gandhi had that moment around 2017-2018 when the Congress performed better in the Gujarat election and won Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. Transition also happens from a position of strength and that was the moment when Rahul Gandhi could have completed that transition, but he failed. What has been the impact of Priyanka Gandhi's entry into the party? This comparison between Rahul and Priyanka comes time and again. For me Priyanka Gandhi is untested in politics. People compare her looks to her grandmother Indira Gandhi and perhaps she also gels better with ordinary people compared to Rahul. These are the two attributes that have been talked about, but that is not enough to make a successful political entry. Rahul Gandhi has been in active politics for the last 15 years. He is a three-time MP, has held the post of the party's general secretary and president, has led campaigns for the party in various states and in the 2019 Lok Sabha election and is politically more experienced. Priyanka Gandhi restricted herself to Amethi and Rae Bareli before 2019. Before the 2019 election, she was appointed general secretary in charge of Eastern UP, but the party didn't do well. She remains untested, and frankly, even the most charismatic people without an organisation, resources and ideological thrust make get media attention before an election, but they hardly make any difference to the outcome. Basically, an ammunition that doesn't have fire power. I'm not being dismissive of her, but given the track record, pinning hopes on the revival of the party on Priyanka Gandhi is burdening her with responsibility which I don't know whether she can deliver. What are the possibilities for a Congress revival? A short-term revival is a mirage. It can happen if some magic happens, but as a leader, you can't wait for the magic. The Congress realistically needs to decide what does revival mean for it. They have been sliding since the 1990s. There has not been a single election where their vote share has improved. Even in 2009 their seats improved, but not the vote share. Presently, their vote share is below 20%. They have to decide whether revival is at 23-% to 4% or beyond 30%. I think an increase of 20% to 23% can happen with some hard work on the ground, but a 10% to 15% jump in the party's base is a very, very, hard task. They will have to set their expectations and play to their strengths. The Congress does not have a significant national presence now, they are a national party only on paper. They have been losing ground in almost all states. IMAGE: Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. Photograph: PTI Photo If the Congress has to take on the BJP, they have to be a cohesive unit with a cohesive strategy, hasn't that become doubly difficult with the pulls and tugs taking place within the party? I will use a military parallel to answer this question. The first problem is not strategy, it is vision. In military terms, there are three layers -- vision, strategy and tactics. Even in this letter, one of the major points is that the party should align with like-minded parties. This is a tactical decision. In a state like UP, the party can't do without aligning with other parties. So firstly, the party needs a clear vision. Once that is clear, it becomes easier to mobilise people who share a common vision together. You can either mobilise via a vision or you can share power, but since the Congress is out of power nationally and in most states, power is not the reason why people will come to them. They will only come if they think that the Congress has a vision for India, which stands in contrast to the vision of India propagated by the BJP. The party needs to be clear in its vision and then devise strategy. The strategy could be whether that is going to be achieved through a charismatic leader or through organisational building or through some other means. The third stage would be tactics to fulfil the goal of winning seats -- alone or aligning with a person or community. All three levels need to be carefully thought out before going into the battle again, otherwise they will only lose the battle. Where do you see the party going? The Congress as a concept is integral to Indian politics and Indian democracy, but as a party, the Congress faces an existential crisis. Like Yogendra Yadav wrote that it calls for some sort of creative destruction and the concept could be carried by another vehicle. I feel the party in the present form cannot pose a challenge to the BJP and Modi. The medium-term revival of the Congress is very difficult. They don't have governments in most states and in the last five, six years, they have become number the number three or number four party in many states. The history of the Congress tells us that if it slides to number three or four, it never makes a comeback. In no state, except Haryana in 2019, where the Congress slid to number three it came back to number two later on. The Congress does not know the route to revival. Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com Before President Trump formally accepted his partys nomination Thursday, his Democratic rivals accused him of overseeing a convention detached from the realities of a nation buffeted by economic, health and social crises. "The Republican convention is designed for one purpose, to soothe Donald Trump's ego, to make him feel good," said California Sen. Kamala Harris, Joe Bidens vice presidential running mate, in a speech delivered from a university auditorium in Washington, D.C. As Republicans at their convention largely downplayed the COVID-19 pandemic, which has killed more than 180,000 people in the U.S., Harris argued that Trumps failure to address the health emergency more aggressively is emblematic of a tweet-driven presidency. Here's what you have to understand about the nature of a pandemic: It's relentless. You can't stop it with the tweet," she said. Instead of rising to meet the most difficult moment of his presidency, Donald Trump froze. He was scared. And he was petty and vindictive." In two cable television interviews on Thursday, Biden accused Trump of trying to capitalize on the unrest in Kenosha, Wis., following the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man who was struck in the back seven times. In an interview on MSNBC, Biden said he believed Trump is "rooting for more violence, not less. The comments from the Democratic nominees were part of a broad, full-day effort to counter the GOP message after a four-day nationally televised convention, capped by Trumps speech formally accepting his partys nomination. Earlier Thursday, the Biden campaign launched a two-minute ad that tried to take on one of the most frequently repeated GOP attacks on the 77-year-old former vice presidents fitness for office: The claim that he is not physically or mentally up to the job. The ad opened with shots of Biden running, biking and jogging up a ramp in a venue that, more recently, Trump, 74, was shown shuffling down. Story continues Some people are always in a hurry," the ad narrator said. They run when they could walk. Race up steps when others take it slow. When Joe Biden is president, America is just going to have to keep up. The Biden campaign also released another big batch of Republican endorsements: In three separate letters and statements, hundreds of alumni of the George W. Bush administration, the Mitt Romney presidential campaign and the staff of the late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) endorsed Biden. Given the incumbent presidents lack of competent leadership, his efforts to aggravate rather than bridge divisions among Americans, and his failure to uphold American values, we believe the election of former Vice President Biden is clearly in the national interest, the McCain aides said in a letter. While Republicans have been holding their convention this week, Biden has mostly been lying low. Harris speech her biggest address since officially becoming Bidens running mate had been planned as the campaigns major pre-buttal to Trump. The speech had been billed in advance as one focusing on Trumps failures to contain COVID-19 and to protect working families from the economic fallout. Before beginning her indictment of Trump, Harris expressed sympathy for hurricane victims in the South and wildfires in the West, and she spoke for the second time in as many days about the situation in Kenosha, where the police shooting of Blake has been followed by nights of unrest. Amid peaceful protests, arson and violence have also broken out. Authorities have charged a 17-year-old white youth with homicide in the shooting deaths of two protesters in what officials described as a vigilante act. Harris expressed sympathy for protesters while denouncing violence. "We should not confuse them with those looting and committing acts of violence, including the shooter, who was arrested for murder," she said. "And make no mistake, we will not let these vigilantes and extremists derail the path to justice." In an interview on CNN, Biden derided Trump for using footage from civic unrest under his watch to portray Biden as the candidate of chaos. To prove you should be scared of Joe Biden, theyre pointing to whats happening in Donald Trumps America, he said. Biden said he has spoken against looting or violence from the beginning, referencing a similar plea from Blake's mother. Trump continues to root for violence, Biden said. The country will be substantially safer when he is no longer in office. Im going to work to calm the tensions and root out systemic racism. Im going to lead. With both parties' conventions now complete, the next major event in the presidential race will be the series of debates between Trump and Biden, beginning Sept. 29. In his MSNBC interview, Biden was asked if he agreed with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that Trump has not comported himself in a way to merit debating him. Biden affirmed his plan to meet Trump on the debate stage. Im going to be a fact checker on the floor, while Im debating him, he said. An elementary school student watches a lecture on a desktop computer at home in Songpa-gu, northeastern Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap By Bahk Eun-ji Working parents of kindergarten and elementary school students are struggling again to find suitable childcare options, as all schools in the Seoul metropolitan area have been ordered to move classes online until Sept. 11. Although the measure was in response to the recent surge in the number of infections among students, teachers and other education workers, remote learning poses a burden to working parents as younger children are less likely to stay focused on lectures for a longer time. Children's participation in online classes requires parents' help, but not all parents are available to participate. Lee Ju-hye, 41, an office worker and mother of an eight-year-old daughter in Seoul, said she already used her annual paid leave in March and April, when the education ministry first ordered all elementary, middle and high schools nationwide to carry out online classes following repeated delays due to the pandemic. "Being a working mother is the toughest job ever. That's all I can think about for now," Lee said. Oh Hee-na, 39, another working mother with a second grader at elementary school in Guri, Gyeonggi Province, said she stayed up all night when checking the news on the government's announcement regarding the online classes. The only option for working parents is sending their children to "emergency care" classes, set up at schools for kindergarteners and younger elementary students who are in need of care during the day. "I tried to apply for emergency care classes, but was rejected. The teacher in charge of the class at my daughter's school said that they can't accept more students because it has to maintain a certain density in the classrooms in accordance with social distancing rules," Oh said. "I have no place to send my daughter as both of my parents and in-law parents live in other provinces, and I ran out of annual leave days already. I had no choice but to leave my child at my friend's home in Seoul." Oh said she would talk with her boss about the childcare issue once again, but she will even consider quitting her job if it's too difficult. In order to draw up additional measures to support struggling working parents, Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki said the government plans to allow parents to have more freedom in their use of paid paternity leave. Currently, a male worker is able to take paternity leave on two separate occasions. The government plans to allow male workers to take the leave on three separate occasions, and female workers to take maternity leave during pregnancy. Financial support for companies will be provided if they encourage employees to take childcare leave, Hong added. File Image The stage is set for a stormy Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council meeting to be chaired today by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman as the states are expected to corner the Centre over the delay in compensation payments. The day-long virtual meeting will discuss the possibility of states being asked to borrow from the market to meet the requirement for funds, an idea that has been opposed by the states ruled by the opposition. States have not been compensated since May. The GST law says that the states are guaranteed full compensation for any revenue loss for the first five years after the introduction of the new tax regime in July 2017. So states should be compensated at least until July 2022 for any losses. But, during the 41st GST Council meeting that begins at 11 am, the Union Finance Ministrys proposal is expected to be backed by a legal opinion given by the Attorney General who said that Centre was not obliged to compensate states. Opposition-ruled parties have come together on the issue. On August 26, Congress president Sonia Gandhi held a virtual meeting with chief ministers of seven states to discuss GST compensation, among other issues. "The refusal to compensate states for GST payments that are due is nothing short of betrayal," Gandhi said. The chief ministers decided to meet President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, demanding GST dues, among other issues. Punjab CM Amarinder Singh said that his state was going to be in a serious financial crisis and dues from the Centre stood at about Rs 7,000 crore. Earlier, the states Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal said that the Centres attempt to deny states the compensation was a sovereign default. We have not received compensation after March this year, he said during a virtual press conference on August 25. States should not be made to bear the burden of borrowing, which in any case is likely to be higher than the rate at which the central government will be able to borrow, Badal had said West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee said at the August 26 meeting that the Centre owed the state Rs 4,100 crore as GST dues. WB Finance Minister Amit Mitra had written to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, suggesting the Centre to use the money from other cess to pay the compensation, instead of asking states to borrow from the market. "Centre must pay the compensation from different cesses that it collects, as it is not getting devolved to the states. In case of shortfall, it is the responsibility of the Centre to garner resources for fully compensating the states, as per formula agreed upon with the states,?" Mitra said in the letter to Sitharaman. Kerala finance minister Thomas Isaac suggested that the Centre should empower the GST Council to borrow to meet the compensation requirement, through an ordinance, if necessary The solution to GST imbroglio is for the Central government to empower GST Council to borrow for meeting the compensation requirement, if necessary through an ordinance, on the strength of future receipts of an extended levy of compensation cess beyond 5 years by an appropriate notification, he said in a tweet. Bihars Deputy CM and Finance Minister Sushil Kumar Modi joined the chorus, as well. "The Centre should borrow and pay GST compensation to states even if it is not legally bound to do so. The Centre is morally bound to do so," he said in a statement. Puducherry CM V Narayanasamy has said he would demand compensation during the meeting. I will forcefully demand in the GST Council. Either you pay our compensation within 15 days or you leave us; we will start our own pattern of taxation, the CM added. His Jharkhand counterpart, Hemant Soren, said that - since the implementation of GST - states had been in a bad situation. Maharashtras Uddhav Thackeray said the Centre was stopping even the supply of ventilators and now states would have to manage that cost as well. Hurricane Laura slams into Louisiana, forecasters warn of wall of water FILE PHOTO: Residents fill sandbags, provided by Mayor LaToya Cantrell and the local government, as Hurricane Laura warnings have been issued, in New Orleans By Ernest Scheyder and Brad Brooks PORT ARTHUR, Texas (Reuters) - Hurricane Laura made landfall early on Thursday in southwestern Louisiana as one of the most powerful storms to hit the state, with forecasters warning it could push a massive wall of water 40 miles inland from the sea. Laura made landfall just before 1 a.m. as a category 4 storm, packing winds of 150 mph (240 kph) in the small town of Cameron, Louisiana, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. "The eyewall of Laura will continue to move inland across southwestern Louisiana during the next several hours," the NHC said in a early Thursday bulletin. "TAKE COVER NOW!" The bulletin added that Lake Charles, Louisiana, was seeing sustained winds of 85 mph (137 kph) and gusts up to 128 mph (206 kph), in the hour after landfall. Officials across the hard-hit area said it would be several hours before they could get out to begin search and rescue missions. Downed trees blocking roadways were expected to be the biggest immediate challenge for rescuers. In Vermilion Parish, just east of Laura's landfall, the sheriff's office gave a stark warning to residents before the storm hit. "If you choose to stay and we can't get to you," read a statement on the sheriff's Facebook page, "write your name, address, social security number and next of kin and put it a ziplock bag in your pocket." VODKA AND SHELTER Hurricane-strength winds could blow as far as 200 miles inland to Shreveport, Louisiana, forecasters said. The oil-refining town of Port Arthur was just west of where Laura made landfall. The city of 54,000 was a ghost town late on Wednesday, with just a couple of gas stations and a liquor store open for business. "People need their vodka," said Janaka Balasooriya, a cashier, who said he lived a few blocks away and would ride out the storm at home. The area where Laura made landfall is marshy and particularly vulnerable to the storm surge of ocean water. Story continues "This is one of the strongest storms to impact that section of coastline," said David Roth, a forecaster with the National Weather Service. "We worry about that storm surge going so far inland there because it's basically all marshland north to Interstate 10. There is little to stop the water." Just hours before Laura smashed into the coast, Port Arthur resident Eric Daw hustled to fill up his car at one of the few gas stations still open. He said he had wanted to evacuate earlier but lacked money for gas as he was waiting on a disability payment. Daw was headed to a shelter in San Antonio, a 4-1/2-hour drive, where instead of worrying about the storm he has to contend with COVID-19, echoing concerns of many others. "They say we are all supposed to socially distance now," he said. "But how am I supposed to socially distance in a shelter?" 'WALL OF WATER' About 620,000 people were under mandatory evacuation orders in Louisiana and Texas. The storm surge could penetrate inland from between Freeport, Texas, and the mouth of the Mississippi River, and could raise water levels as high as 20 feet (6 meters) in parts of Cameron Parish, Louisiana, the NHC said. "To think that there would be a wall of water over two stories high coming on shore is very difficult for most to conceive, but that is what is going to happen," said National Weather Service meteorologist Benjamin Schott at a news conference. Most of Louisiana's Cameron Parish would be under water at some point, Schott added. Temporary housing was hastily organized outside the surge zone for evacuated residents, and emergency teams were being strategically positioned, state and federal emergency management agencies said. Laura was also expected to spawn tornadoes on Thursday over Louisiana, far southeastern Texas and southwestern Mississippi and drop 5 to 10 inches (127 to 254 mm) of rain over the region, the NHC said. It said there would likely be widespread flooding from far eastern Texas across Louisiana and Arkansas. Big hurricanes like Harvey and Katrina have previously wreaked havoc on the oil industry sites dotting the Gulf Coast, where nearly half of the United States' oil refining capacity is located. There are concerns Laura may do the same. When Harvey struck in 2017 there were oil and chemical spills, along with heavy air pollution from petrochemical plants and refineries. "The storm and the direct damage and human life are the most important things, but pollution can be a double whammy and compound the risk to the community," said Luke Metzger, executive director of Environment Texas. (Reporting by Ernest Scheyder and Julio-Cesar Chavez in Port Arthur; Jennifer Hiller and Gary McWilliams in Houston; Liz Hampton in Denver; Gabriella Borter in New York and Brad Brooks in Lubbock, Texas; Writing by Gabriella Borter and Brad Brooks; Editing by Leslie Adler and Stephen Coates) Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 21:39:57|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close -- China's trade with the ASEAN stood at 2.51 trillion yuan (about 362 billion U.S. dollars) in the first seven months, up 6.6 percent year on year. -- The expansion in China-ASEAN trade has been partly buoyed by the implementation of an upgraded China-ASEAN Free Trade Area (CAFTA) protocol since October 2019. -- As ASEAN nations eyed recovering their economies hit by the pandemic, Chinese e-commerce giants such as Alibaba and JD.com have provided the businesses with access to one of the world's largest markets. -- Besides traditional trade, China and ASEAN countries are also conducting high-tech industry cooperation. Photo taken on May 27, 2020 shows a container truck carrying Vietnamese lychees exported to China at Kim Thanh II International Border Gate in Vietnam's northern Lao Cai province, which borders China. (VNA via Xinhua) by Xinhua writers Chen Jian, Huang Shuo, Lin Hao HONG KONG, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- "I want more Chinese traders to come here to buy and export our fresh, sweet and succulent dragon fruits," Nguyen Huy Phong, a 50-year-old farmer from Vietnam's southern Binh Thuan province, told Xinhua on Wednesday. In the first half of the year, China's trade with Vietnam jumped 18.1 percent, pushing bilateral trade to the top slot among members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), data from China's General Administration of Customs showed. In addition, China's trade with the ASEAN stood at 2.51 trillion yuan (about 362 billion U.S. dollars) in the first seven months, up 6.6 percent year on year. The ASEAN remained China's biggest trading partner during the same period, accounting for 14.6 percent of its total foreign trade volume. While the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a disruption in the global supply chain, China-ASEAN trade relations "are being further boosted by great efforts from two sides, including governments who are determined to find measures to maintain trade flow and eliminate COVID-19's impacts, and the businesses themselves who are committed to the potential markets," said Vo Tri Thanh, former deputy head of Vietnam's Central Institute for Economic Management. People package dragon fruits in the city of Buon Ma Thuot in Vietnam's central highlands Dak Lak province on Aug. 12, 2020. (VNA via Xinhua) FREE TRADE "Multilateral trade is still an irresistible trend," said Azlimi Zakaria, consul general of the Consulate General of Malaysia in Nanning, the capital of China's southwestern Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, adding that the increasingly close economic and trade relations between ASEAN countries and China remain vigorous through multilateralism and free trade. The expansion in China-ASEAN trade has been partly buoyed by the implementation of an upgraded China-ASEAN Free Trade Area (CAFTA) protocol since October 2019, which has further facilitated agricultural trade and brought dividends to CAFTA members. "The revised deal covering 11 countries with a population of around 2 billion people helps to simplify many procedures, including rules of origin, currency, services, and investment," Thanh said. Founded in 1967, ASEAN now groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. John Tan, a coconut exporter based in Davao in the southern Philippines, told Xinhua that he received orders for tropical fruits from China as usual despite the COVID-19 outbreak. "I'm not short of orders, but I'm short of hands," said Tan, president of Eng Seng Food Products, adding that he did not have enough workers due to COVID-19 lockdown measures. "Even under these circumstances, we are still managing to send about five to six containers of young coconuts to China every week," he added. Workers box processed coconuts in Davao, southern Philippines, Aug. 26, 2020. (Xinhua) During the virtual Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) ministerial meeting on Thursday, ministers of ASEAN members, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand reaffirmed their commitment to signing the deal at its upcoming November summit. Initiated by ASEAN in 2012, RCEP is a proposed FTA between the 10 ASEAN member states and their six partners -- China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and India. In November, 15 participating countries of the agreement concluded text-based negotiations and essentially all market access issues at an RCEP summit in Thai capital Bangkok. Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers president Soh Thian Lai said it was important for ASEAN nations, such as Malaysia, to commit itself to the agreement in the interest of future economic development, especially in facing the economic aftermath caused by COVID-19. "I believe the signing of such a mega FTA like RCEP will greatly contribute to the region's post-pandemic recovery and in creating resilient supply chains," he told Xinhua. Cambodian Commerce Ministry Secretary of State and Spokesman Seang Thay said the RCEP will provide the participating countries with greater market access, and through it, relations in economy, trade and investment between the ASEAN and their partners will be further broadened. "Once signed, the RCEP will be the world's largest FTA by population. All countries will benefit from it," he said. The RCEP accounts for 45 percent of the world population, 40 percent of global trade and around one third of the world's gross domestic product (GDP). Boxes of durians to be exported to China are put into a refrigerated container at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia, June 18, 2019. (Photo by Chong Voon Chung/Xinhua) DIGITAL COOPERATION This year is designated as the China-ASEAN Year of Digital Economy Cooperation, and the pandemic has further highlighted the importance of digital economy in economic recovery, job creation and improvement of livelihood. On Aug. 18, China's Guangxi and the ASEAN agreed to build the China-ASEAN Digital Trade Center to boost digital economy cooperation. Headquartered in Nanning, the center is designated as a digital economy development park, with facilities for digital creative industries, platform operations, big data, and the internet of things, among others. As ASEAN nations eyed recovering their economies hit by the pandemic, Chinese e-commerce giants such as Alibaba and JD.com have provided the businesses with access to one of the world's largest markets. On June 9, Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister Jurin Laksanawisit helped sell nearly 5,000 durians and 20,000 coconuts to Chinese consumers via a live-streaming sale on Alibaba's Tmall. A worker cleans a durian at a durian processing factory in Pahang, Malaysia, June 18, 2019. (Xinhua/Zhu Wei) With China's appetite for the pungent "king of fruits" undiminished by the pandemic, the Thai Commerce Ministry said durian sales to China have secured 1.02 billion dollars in the first half of this year, up 140 percent year-on-year. Since June last year, Malaysia, also a major durian producer in Southeast Asia, started exporting durian to China as frozen whole fruits, many through e-commerce platforms. The Chinese market remains a great support for Malaysian farmers during the time of economic recovery. Lu Yee Thing, a durian farm owner in Malaysia's central Pahang state, told Xinhua that durian shipments to China have increased to 50 percent of the farm's total exports. "Many Chinese consumers order our durians directly online," he said, adding "I'm very confident in future business, and I will expand planting areas to meet the demand of the Chinese market." For ASEAN, the digital economy is expected to increase from 1.3 percent of GDP in 2015 to 8.5 percent by 2025, according to ASEAN Secretary-General Lim Jock Hoi. Aerial photo taken on April 15, 2019 shows the Alliance Steel at the Malaysia-China Kuantan Industrial Park in Pahang, Malaysia. (Xinhua/Zhu Wei) HIGH-TECH INDUSTRY, INVESTMENT Besides traditional trade, China and ASEAN countries are also conducting high-tech industry cooperation. The China-ASEAN Information Harbor Co. Ltd., a Nanning-based info-tech company, has been dedicated to China-ASEAN digital and information industrial collaboration over the past few years. Three international communication submarine cables, 12 international terrestrial optical cables, and 13 key communications nodes have been built to link China and ASEAN nations, the company said. Moreover, China and ASEAN countries have cooperated in satellite navigation before China's BeiDou Navigation Satellite System was commissioned on July 31. China has begun to provide navigation services to some ASEAN countries, and will promote the socio-economic development of ASEAN nations, especially in the fields of modern agriculture, digitization and intelligent ports, said Ran Chengqi, director of the China Satellite Navigation Office. Relying on each other's advantages, governments and enterprises from China and ASEAN nations have promoted and realized mutual investment. The Malaysia-China Kuantan Industrial Park (MCKIP) in Malaysia's Pahang state has been jointly developed by the two countries as a major project under the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative. The MCKIP and the China-Malaysia Qinzhou Industrial Park, collectively called the Twin Parks, have been identified by the Malaysian and Chinese governments as iconic projects in their bilateral investment. According to the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, the accumulated two-way investment between the ASEAN and China reached 236.91 billion dollars in 2019. (Xinhua reporters Tao Jun in Hanoi, Mao Pengfei in Phnom Penh, Yang Ke, Yuan Mengchen in Manila, Wang Jin in Bangkok, Pan Qiang and Huang Yaoteng in Nanning also contributed to the story.) (Video reporters: Xia Peng, Lin Hao, Huang Yaoteng, Chen Jian, Huang Shuo, Tao Jun, Mao Pengfei, Yang Ke, Yuan Mengchen, Wang Jin, Pan Qiang; Video editor: Zhou Sa'ang) BRUSSELS (Reuters) - A discussion about the negotiations over Britain and the European Union's post-Brexit relationship has been dropped from the agenda of a meeting of EU envoys next week because the talks have stalled, an EU diplomat said on Wednesday. Earlier, the Guardian reported https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/aug/26/germany-scraps-plans-for-brexit-talks-at-eu-ambassadors-summit?utm_term=Autofeed&CMP=twt_gu&utm_medium&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1598463875 that the issue would not be discussed at a meeting of ambassadors from the EU's 27 member states, though ... The third night of the Republican National Convention highlighted stark contrasts with Democrats on national defense. But even in an election year, the parties did find common ground on military pay, support for veterans and military families, and the withdrawal of troops from "endless wars." Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., one of the speakers Wednesday night, said that President Donald Trump "signed the largest pay increase for our troops in a decade:" 3.1% for 2020; Democrats in their platform last week voiced support for military pay increases tied to growth in the economy. Read Next: Space Force Now Has an Official Uniform Vice President Mike Pence hailed the Mission Act as greatly expanding and overhauling the existing "Choice" program on private care options for veterans; Democrats supported the program to improve overall VA health care but "not privatize it." In an address to the convention, retired Army Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, an adviser to Pence and a Silver Star recipient in Vietnam, said the question often arose whether Trump would "keep us out of endless conflicts. You and I know the answer is 'Yes.'" "Democrats will deliver on this overdue commitment to end the forever wars, and we will do it responsibly" in the Mideast and Afghanistan, the Democrats' platform states. Party platforms are mostly symbolic and do not bind presidential nominees. But they can serve as general outlines of a policy agenda. Democrats released their 90-page platform last week; in an unusual step, Republicans chose not to have a platform this year. Instead, the Republican National Committee last week approved a resolution stating that the party "will continue to enthusiastically support the President's America-first agenda," leaving it to Trump himself and the speakers at the convention to define the way forward. Possibly the most significant difference between the parties on national security surrounded the push for continued increases in the defense budget, which now stands at a record of about $740 billion. In his remarks, Kellogg said that Trump "reversed the decline of our military and restructured our national security strategy with historic investment and vision." Defense Secretary Mark Esper and others have warned that increases of 3-5% in coming years were necessary to maintain dominance and readiness, while also recognizing downward pressure from the immense costs of responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and rebuilding the economy. "We can maintain a strong defense and protect our safety and security for less," Democrats said in their platform. The theme of the Republican convention Wednesday night was "Land of Heroes," and speaker after speaker charged that former Vice President Joe Biden and the Democrats had disdain for the sacrifices of the military and law enforcement. "Leftists are trying to turn them into villains," said Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn. "I'm here to tell you these heroes can't be canceled." Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, a decorated former SEAL officer who lost his right eye in Afghanistan to an improvised explosive, said enemies fear the U.S. heroes in the ranks "because Americans fight for good." He called for "heroism in rebuilding our communities, not by destroying them. We must become the heroes we so admire." Pence, the father of a Marine captain, spoke at historic Fort McHenry near Baltimore before an audience that included four Medal of Honor recipients. As commander-in-chief, Trump inherited from the Obama administration a military "hollowed out by budget cuts," but "he stepped in and from day one and kept his word to rebuild our military," Pence said. He charged that the agenda of Biden and the Democrats was "based on government control; ours is based on freedom." Taking up a consistent theme of other speakers, Pence charged that the Democrats have either ignored or condoned the violence that has marred many of the protests for racial justice nationwide. "The hard truth is, you won't be safe in Joe Biden's America," Pence said. -- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com. Related: Army Investigating Reservists Who Appeared in Uniform at DNC Anil Agarwal-led Vedanta has moved the Supreme Court challenging the Madras High Court's order refusing to allow reopening of its Sterlite Copper plant at Thoothukudi in Tamil Nadu. On August 18, the Madras High Court had rejected the plea of the mining major seeking to reopen the plant. Vedanta moved the apex court against Madras High Court's order on Wednesday. The plant has been closed since May 2018 over pollution related concerns. The Tamil Nadu government has already filed a caveat in the top court seeking to be heard in the matter, before any order is passed. The Madras High Court verdict was pronounced by a division bench of Justices T S Sivagnanam and V Bhavani Subbaroyan on a petition filed by Vedanta challenging the Tamil Nadu government's decision. The High Court had upheld the order of the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB), directing closure of the unit. On May 28, 2018 that Vedanta had moved the court challenging the closure order by the state government against its Sterlite Copper plant. The state government had ordered the closure of the plant on May 28, 2018, after 13 people were killed during a protest against Sterlite Copper. The residents and environmentalists had thereafter raised a demand to close down the plant citing air and water pollution. However, Vedanta had then denied the accusations of pollution. In December 2019, an NGO in Chennai had released a statement stating that the air quality in the region has improved after the closure of the plant. Also read: Tamil Nadu govt moves Supreme Court to reopen Sterlite Copper plant Also read: Madras High Court dismisses plea to reopen Vedanta's Thoothukudi Sterlite Copper plant (Natural News) Many journalists who were brave enough to follow the violent mob in Kenosha on Monday night while it carved a path of destruction throughout the citys main commercial areas were able to witness and record the rioters commit multiple senseless acts of violence. These include threatening journalists and police officers with firearms, assaulting people defending their property and setting fire to apartment buildings while its residents are still trapped inside. The rioting began because Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old Black man with a record of domestic abuse, resisted arrest and attempted to brawl with Kenosha Police Department (KPD) officers, which resulted in him getting shot in self-defense. Furthermore, this violence is happening despite the fact that Blakes own mother, Julia Jackson, believes that he would not have approved of mobs destroying Kenosha. He would be very unpleased. We need healing, she said. The situation in Kenosha is turning out to be far worse than what Antifa and the Black Lives Matter movement have already done in places like Minneapolis, Seattle and Portland. Here, rioters are resorting to even more brazen acts of violence. Here are just three of the many instances of unnecessary violence. (Related: ENOUGH! Its time for law enforcement to begin SHOOTING violent terrorists and rioters who are trying to burn America to the ground.) Journalist threatened by rioter with a firearm On Monday, Elijah Schaffer, a journalist for conservative news outlet The Blaze, was interviewing a Black Lives Matter rioter in Kenosha when the man pulled out a pistol and brandished it at Schaffer. Fortunately, the veteran reporter was unfazed by the incident and continued covering the incidents that occurred that night. The rioter, a young African American man, reportedly pointed his pistol at Schaffers camera while he was explaining what he would do to KPD officers if they rolled up onto where they were at that very moment. With full conviction, the rioter talked about how he would shoot officers the moment they arrived. HOLY SH*#: while interviewing this #BLM rioter in Kinosha he pulls out a real pistol and points it at my camera while explaining what we would do to cops if they rolled up on us right now Its been a while since I had a gun pointed at me even if it was just to make a point pic.twitter.com/hjQqO9Ccbb ELIJAH RIOT (@ElijahSchaffer) August 25, 2020 Businessman assaulted for attempting to protect his property In another video that went viral on Twitter, the owner of the Danish Brotherhood Lodge 14 in uptown Kenosha, an elderly White man, tried to defend his business from rioters running off with his establishments contents when he was assaulted by a Black Lives Matter rioter. In the video, the man was spraying rioters with a fire extinguisher in an attempt to nonviolently keep them from doing any more damage to his property or pilfering any more of the establishments goods. Many of the people running out of the premises could be seen with their hands filled with items stolen from the lodge. As he was doing this, a Black man came up from behind him and punched him in the back of the head, causing him to fall to the ground. He seemed to have hit the ground hard, as the video showed him bearing a bloody gash on the right side of his face. Looters assault an older business owner trying to defend his business in Kenosha, Wisconsin on August 24, 2020. pic.twitter.com/LdlLnOpvfJ After Action Report (@after_theaction) August 25, 2020 In another clip of the incident, wherein several people are helping the man who was assaulted, several of the rioters nearby attempted to justify their actions. We are trying to protect ourselves, said one female rioter, who was arguing with the people trying to help the injured businessman. You dont understand what terrifies these Black men out here. They are not making it home to their families. Understand, respect, how about that? Its called respect. Rioters burn down apartment building On Monday night, rioters started a fire in a two-story apartment building. It is unclear how many people were currently living in that apartment, but thanks to the violent mob, these people will now have to find new shelters for the time being. Families are trapped in burning buildings in Kenosha https://t.co/SUbW5iz9om special agent viti (@selfdeclaredref) August 25, 2020 In a livestream that was covering the fire, one woman could be heard saying that there were still people in the apartment building. Theres families trapped up in those apartments, said the woman. They cant get out. It is still unclear if the trapped residents were rescued. For comparison, it took first responders in Minneapolis two months before they were able to find the charred body of a man who was trapped in a pawn shop that was burned down. This means that an investigation needs to be conducted before the full extent of the damage can be ascertained. The senseless violence in Kenosha shows that the influence Antifa and the Black Lives Matter movement have on America is spreading. Learn more about their history, tactics and recent criminal acts at AntifaWatch.news. Sources included: InformationLiberation.com USAToday.com ThePostMillennial.com Breitbart.com Dozens of Australia's most popular cruises have been cancelled, with keen travellers unable to set sail until at least December due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Fifty cruises have been scrapped across companies including Princess Cruises, Royal Caribbean, Carnival and P&O, despite hopes they could sail later this year. This means the highly anticipated P&O Melbourne Cup Voyage set to kick off on October 31 from Brisbane will also be left at a standstill, the company announced on Thursday. Thousands of travellers will now have their holiday plans thrown out the window due to the cruise cancellations, with the industry shutdown costing the economy an estimated $5.2billion. Some of Australia's largest cruise operators have cancelled their services until at least December (pictured, guests on board the Pacific Explorer cruise ship in Sydney in January) Due to the coronavirus pandemic, cruises have been cancelled or suspended across Australia and New Zealand (pictured, Royal Caribbean's Ovation of the Seas in Sydney in March) P&O announced on Thursday cruises wouldn't resume until December 2 and the embattled Princess Cruises said its services would be halted until December 12. Carnival will also not run any cruises until December 2 and Royal Caribbean is hoping to start services from November 1. Princess Cruises have cancelled 19 services, P&O canned 20 cruises, Royal Caribbean suspended eight and Carnival three. Passengers can expect to get a full refund or credit for another cruise with some operators offering additional perks. Carnival are offering either a full refund or a full credit with an additionally $900 to spend on board for trips over six days booked before December 31 this year. For trips less than six days, passengers can receive an additional $450 with their 100 per cent credit. Royal Caribbean are also offering a 125 per cent credit of the total price of the original booking for cruises booked before April 2020. Passengers can expect to see a full refund or credit for another cruise with some operators offering additional perks (passengers on a cruise ship in Fremantle in March) Most services won't resume until December with some operators hopeful for a return in November (pictured, passenger rides a wave on a Royal Caribbean ship) P&O Cruises President Sture Myrmell said the company was anxiously awaiting a return to the high seas. 'It is clear that society is not yet ready to return to sailing and we will continue to liaise with governments and public health experts as all align on how people should gather and holiday,' he said. 'Like our loyal guests, we remain hopeful that the start of summer will bring new opportunities for the entire travel and tourism industry, which contributes so much to many regional economies around Australia.' The Cruise Lines International Association of Australasia speculated in June that the cost of suspensions in cruises would set the Australian economy back by $1.4billion and threaten 4,800 jobs by mid September. The busiest season for cruises is over the summer, and with ships still docked in ports the economy could see a further hit of $3.8billion. Passengers are seen on board a luxurious cruise ship owned by Royal Caribbean (pictured) CLIA Managing Director Australasia Joel Katz warned the fallout from the suspended cruises would affect more than just the companies who own them. 'Cruise tourism is worth $5.2 billion a year to the Australian economy and supports more than 18,000 jobs,' Mr Katz said. 'These jobs are spread across almost 50 destinations and every state, including many regional communities and remote locations that have suffered enormously in the tourism shutdown.' Australia banned cruise ships from entering into the country's waters on March 27. The ban is set to be lifted on September 17, but this will likely be extended as coronavirus cases continue to surge around the world. The fateful Ruby Princess cruise ship arrived in Sydney on March 19 as more than 2,700 disembarked the vessel with no health checks. The ship then led to an outbreak infecting more than 1,000 people and tragically killing 28. But remarkably, one cruise has set sail since the pandemic began. On August 16 from Genoa in Italy, a ship set off for a luxurious seven-night trip through the Mediterranean. All passengers and crew had to return a negative test before boarding the MSC Grandiosa and anybody showing symptoms was not allowed to embark the ship. Earlier this month, the Italian government allowed cruise ships to leave from Italy but they would be restricted to 70 per cent capacity. The resumption of flights to Bangkok will expand Emirates' current network to 78 cities in September. Flights between Dubai and Bangkok will be operated with an Emirates Boeing 777-300ER. Richard Grenell, former acting director of national intelligence This is misleading. Mr. Trump and his supporters like Mr. Grenell, who Mr. Trump installed as the nations top intelligence official from February to May without Senate confirmation to be in that role have sought to portray him as a victim of the counterintelligence investigation the F.B.I. opened in July 2016 into Russias covert operation to tilt the election in his favor. The investigation included an attempt to figure out whether anyone associated with the Trump campaign cooperated with that effort, wittingly or otherwise. In the course of that inquiry, the F.B.I. used several confidential human informants to approach Trump campaign associates to see what they would say about any advance knowledge of Russias hacking and release of Democratic emails. It also wiretapped Carter Page, a former Trump campaign adviser with many ties to Russian intelligence officials; by the time the F.B.I. applied for that warrant, the election was nearly over and Mr. Page had already left the Trump campaign, although wiretap orders permit the F.B.I. to look at any older emails in a targets account. The purpose of this investigation was to understand the scope and nature of an effort by a foreign adversary to manipulate an American election. Calling it a surveillance operation on the Trump campaign connotes trying to gain an electoral advantage, but there is no evidence that any information gathered by the inquiry was provided to the Clinton campaign or leaked to affect the vote. Moreover, saying it was launched by the Obama-Biden administration suggests political appointees launched it, but the investigation was opened by career law enforcement officials and continued under the Trump administration. The Ring A Nigerian lady has stirred controversey online after she shared her story on how she broke up another womans home. She sent her advice through a relationship expert who shared the news on a popular Facebook group on Thursday, August 27. According to the lady, she met the said married man nine (9) years ago after he sent him a message on Facebook. The lady revealed that she knew the man was married but decided to date him believing that one day, her side chick status would be upgraded to wife. Well her dreams turned reality 9 years later as the said married man has now broken up with his wife and has engaged her. They are now set to walk down the aisle soon. She then urged her fellow side chicks not to lose hope. Youll never be a side chick forever, she advised. Read Her Full Story Below; I met him on facebook 9 years ago. I knew that he was married with kids because his wife was always tagging him. I dated him anyway. Other sidechicks came and left because of his wife but i stayed with him. Last month he finally broke up with his wife. Today he proposed to me and i said yes. My advise to other women is that you will never be a side chick forever. Dont lose hope your time will come. Dont ignore inbox messages of married men on Facebook. See a screenshot of her post below; A third of mobile phone owners are being hit by a loyalty penalty which can cost them more than 400 a year. The problem relates to the way smartphone and usage bundles are sold, according to Which? Typically people pay a small fee upfront for the handset and sign a long-term contract often 24 months carrying a fixed monthly charge to cover their usage and the remaining handset cost. However, the consumer group said millions of people continue to pay the same monthly charge long after the initial contract ends and they have paid for the handset. Which? calculated that phone companies make around 182million a year from customers continuing to pay for a handset they already own. A third of mobile phone owners are being hit by a loyalty penalty which can cost them over 400 a year. The problem relates to the way smartphone and usage bundles are sold (street view of a Vodafone store in Melbourne, Australia, April 7, 2018) Typically people pay a small fee upfront for the handset and sign a long-term contract often 24 months carrying a fixed monthly charge to cover their usage and the remaining handset cost (pictured: file photo dated May 29, 2018 of an EE phone store) However, the consumer group said millions of people continue to pay the same monthly charge long after the initial contract ends and they have paid for the handset (pictured: file photo dated May 29, 2018 of a Three phone store on Oxford Street, London) Telecoms regulator Ofcom last year won voluntary commitments from most mobile sellers to reduce prices for out-of-contract customers. These came into effect in February. But Which? said providers have taken different approaches to applying these commitments. It found a third of customers whose contracts had ended in the last two months are effectively overpaying on their bill. The worst affected were Three customers, where around four in ten of those whose contracts ended in the last six months said they saw no price drop. Based on current contract costs, Which? said a Three customer with a Samsung S20 5G phone could end up overpaying by 37 a month 444 a year once the contract term is up. Two in five EE customers saw no drop in price when the initial contract and bundle came to an end. For Vodafone, it was three in ten. EE and Vodafone offer small discounts to customers when contracts end, but they only take effect after three months. Which? said an EE customer with a Samsung S20 5G phone could end up overpaying by 26.20 a month equivalent to 314 a year. Which? calculated that phone companies make around 182million a year from customers continuing to pay for a handset they already own (stock) A Vodafone customer with an iPhone 11 could pay 32 extra a month or 384 a year. Which? head of home products and services, Natalie Hitchins, said: 'If you think you might be out of contract or overpaying, check your phone bills to see if you can save money with a SIM-only deal or with an upgrade to a new phone.' Three said it sends all customers a notification at the end of their contract which shows their options and the corresponding prices. EE said the Which? allegations were 'entirely wrong' and that it contacts customers before and after the end of their contract to inform them of their options. Vodafone declined to comment. Ofcom insisted the commitments it won from mobile networks have cut bills for millions. But it admitted its powers are limited and criticised Three for not doing more. The U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit on Thursday seeking to seize funds from 280 accounts across a variety of cryptocurrency networks, all of which are tied to past attacks by alleged North Korean attackers. Court documents released alongside a press statement show that the government's investigation dates back to 2018 and centered on a string of attacks on crypto exchanges in South Korea. The court documents also mention "U.S.-based company focused on the Algorand blockchain," alluding to the attack on Algo Capital, an investment firm that lost $1.9 million to the assailants (the DOJ press statement states that "nearly $2.5 million" was stolen). According to prosecutors, the stolen funds were laundered using a series of unnamed cryptocurrency exchanges as well as over-the-counter (OTC) traders based in China. Todays action publicly exposes the ongoing connections between North Koreas cyber-hacking program and a Chinese cryptocurrency money laundering network, Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian Rabbitt said in a statement. This case underscores the departments ongoing commitment to counter the threat presented by North Korean cyber hackers by exposing their criminal networks and tracing and seizing their ill-gotten gains. The court documents (embedded below) include detailed flow charts for each of the thefts, breaking down the flow of money as it moved from the attack targets to the laundering points. The Department of Justice release also alluded to the existence of a "Cryptocurrency Strike Force," which Acting U.S. Attorney Michael Sherwin credited with playing a key role in the investigations. This complaint reveals the incredible skill of our Cryptocurrency Strike Force in tracing and seizing virtual currency, which criminals previously thought to be impossible," said Sherwin. Earlier Thursday, the Department of Homeland Security issued a notice about the actions of a North Korea-tied group known as the BeagleBoyz, which it blamed for past crypto exchange attacks. Story continues Filed Stamped Copy -Complaint 20cv2396 0 by MichaelPatrickMcSweeney on Scribd 2020 The Block Crypto, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice. Imperial Valley News Center Executive Order on Targeting Opportunity Zones and Other Distressed Communities for Federal Site Locations Washington, DC - Executive Order on Targeting Opportunity Zones and Other Distressed Communities for Federal Site Locations: By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, and to promote economy and efficiency in the planning, acquisition, utilization, and management of Federal space facilities, it is hereby ordered as follows: Section 1. Amendments to Executive Order 12072. Executive Order 12072 of August 16, 1978 (Federal Space Management), is amended as follows: (a) The heading of section 1-1 is amended to read as follows: Space Acquisition and Management.; (b) Section 1-103 is amended to read as follows: In the process for meeting Federal space needs, except where such selection is otherwise prohibited, and where cost and security considerations take precedence, preference is to be given to qualified opportunity zones (as defined in 26 U.S.C. 1400Z-1), other distressed areas, and centralized community business areas (including other specific areas which may be recommended by local officials).; (c) Section 1-201 is amended to read as follows: The Administrator of General Services shall develop programs to implement the policies of this Order through the efficient acquisition, utilization, and disposal of Federally owned and leased space. In particular, the Administrator shall:; (d) Section 1-201(a) is amended to read as follows: (a) Select, acquire, manage, and dispose of Federal space in a manner that will foster the policies and programs of the Federal Government and improve the management and administration of government activities.; (e) Sections 1-201(e) and 1-202 are each amended by replacing the word his where such word appears with the Administrators; and (f) Section 1-201(f) is deleted. Sec. 2. Amendments to Executive Order 13006. Executive Order 13006 of May 21, 1996 (Locating Federal Facilities on Historic Properties in our Nations Central Cities), is amended as follows: (a) Section 1 is amended by deleting the Administrations where it appears in the first sentence. Section 1 is further amended by deleting our central cities, which have historically served as the centers for growth and commerce in our metropolitan areas where such language appears in the first sentence and by replacing the deleted language with distressed communities. Further, the second sentence of section 1 is amended to read as follows: This order reaffirms the commitment set forth in Executive Order No. 12072, as amended, to strengthen our Nations distressed communities by encouraging the location of Federal facilities in qualified opportunity zones (as defined in 26 U.S.C. 1400Z-1), other distressed areas, and centralized business districts. Section 1 is further amended by deleting The Administration where such language appears in the third sentence and replacing the deleted language with This order; and (b) Section 2 is amended in the first sentence by inserting , as amended, after the words Executive Order No. 12072, and by deleting the word first where such word appears. Section 2 is further amended by combining and amending the second and third sentences to read as follows: If no such property is suitable, then such consideration shall include other developed or undeveloped sites within historic districts or historic properties outside of historic districts.; and (c) Section 4 is amended by deleting States, local governments, Indian tribes where such language appears in the first sentence and replacing the deleted language with State, local, and tribal governments,. Sec. 3. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect: (i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or (ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals. (b) This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations. (c) This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person. Actor Kangana Ranaut has said that Sushant Singh Rajput was killed as he knew some dirty secrets about Bollywood. She added, in a tweet, that she is willing to work with the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) but would do so only after getting protection from the central government. In a tweet on Wednesday, she said: I am more than willing to help @narcoticsbureau but I need protection from the centre government, I have not only risked my career but also my life, it is quiet evident Sushanth knew some dirty secrets thats why he has been killed. I am more than willing to help @narcoticsbureau but I need protection from the centre government, I have not only risked my career but also my life, it is quiet evident Sushanth knew some dirty secrets thats why he has been killed. Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) August 26, 2020 Sushants US-based sister Shweta Singh Kirti supported Kangana in her request. Taking to Twitter and retweeting Kanganas tweet about how the hashtag - Kangana Ranaut ko suraksha doh - was trending in India, Shweta wrote: Requesting @PMOIndia @narendramodi to look into providing security for Kangana @KanganaTeam so that she can help with the investigation of @narcoticsbureau. Also Watch | Sushant knew some dirty secrets, was killed: Kangana Ranaut on drugs angle Requesting @PMOIndia @narendramodi to look into providing security for Kangana @KanganaTeam so that she can help with the investigation of @narcoticsbureau. https://t.co/sJmEiTBAdM shweta singh kirti (@shwetasinghkirt) August 26, 2020 After the drugs angle emerged on Wednesday in the Sushant Singh Rajput death case, Kangana took to Twitter to talk about the drugs scene in Bollywood parties. I was still a minor my mentor turned tormentor used to spike my drinks and sedate me to prevent me from going to cops, when I became successful and got entry in to the most famous film parties I was exposed to the most shocking and sinister world and drugs,debauchery and mafia, she had tweeted. I was still a minor my mentor turned tormentor used to spike my drinks and sedate me to prevent me from going to cops, when I became successful and got entry in to the most famous film parties I was exposed to the most shocking and sinister world and drugs,debauchery and mafia. Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) August 26, 2020 She mentioned how cocaine is the most popular drug used in Bollywood parties. She had continued, Most popular drug in the film industry is cocaine, it is used in almost all house parties its very expensive but in the beginning when you go to the houses of high and mighty its given free, MDMA crystals are mixed in water and at times passed on to you without your knowledge. Also read: Amaal Mallik reacts to reports of Arijit Singhs song being dropped from Sadak 2, says it deserves to at least get a release CB director Rakesh Asthana had said in a statement, We received a letter from ED on Tuesday evening, stating that during their probe into the financial aspects, they found that drug was supplied to Rhea and Sushant. An NCB team will now conduct an inquiry and people involved will be questioned. Kangana has been speaking about the Sushant Singh Rajput death case from the beginning. She had hailed the Supreme Court of Indias verdict asking Central Bureau of Investigation to takeover the case. Her role was acknowledged by the family of the late actor and his sister Shweta had even tweeted about it. Sushant died on June 14 in Mumbai. Follow @htshowbiz for more SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Maharashtra, which is worst affected by the pandemic, reported 14,888 new COVID-19 cases and 295 deaths on Wednesday, informed the State Health Department. As per the State Health Department, the total count of cases in now stands at 7,18,711, including 5,22,427 recoveries and 1,72,873 active cases. Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Wednesday informed that Mumbai reported 1,854 new COVID-19 cases, 776 recoveries and 28 deaths in the last 24 hours. "The total number of positive cases increases to 1,39,532 in Mumbai, including 18,977 active cases, 1,12,743 recovered cases and 7,502 deaths," said BMC. India's COVID-19 count crossed 32-lakh mark on Wednesday with 67,151 new cases. The country also reported 1,059 deaths in the last 24 hours. The Health Ministry said that total case count reached 32,34,475 including 7,07,267 active cases, 24,67,759 cured/discharged/migrated patients and 59,449 deaths. (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.) Electric moped sharing startup Revel is to return to New York City today, after being suspended for a month by Mayor Bill de Blasio following the deaths of three people who were involved in accidents while they were using the service. Some 360,000 city residents who have registered to use the app will once again be able to hop on the shareable vehicles that can travel up to speeds of 30mph, but this time there will be a greater emphasis on safety education. Riders will need to take a selfie showing themselves and any passengers wearing a helmet, which is then uploaded into the app so that a Revel employee can review and approve it within 15 minutes. Riders wont be able to use old photos. Anyone caught riding without a helmet will be suspended for seven days on the first offense. Another violation will result in a permanent suspension. Revel, the moped rideshare, will resume service in New York City beginning on Thursday after a one-month suspension The app will now require riders to ace a 21-question safety test twice before being allowed to use the moped Revelers will also be required to upload a selfie showing them wearing a helmet before they are allowed to ride If you think its funny to take a photo without a helmet or take a photo of your foot, at first youll be temporarily suspended for seven days, and then after that, youre gone forever, Revel co-founder and CEO Frank Reig told The New York Times. So we give you one shot to learn, to realize, like, were not joking. Moped users will also need to get full marks on a 21-question test before they are allowed to hit the road - and they must do so twice. Riders will also be required to watch a three-minute tutorial video featuring Brandon, a lesson specialist who shows users how to use turn signals, accelerate, and find the helmet. The company is also introducing a stricter suspension policy for anyone found to have violated safety rules. Anyone caught riding without a helmet faces either a suspension from the app or mandatory safety training as a requirement for reinstatement. Revel users are also not permitted to share their account with someone else. Anyone who violates this rule will be permanently banned from the service. Riders are also not permitted to operate a moped with anyone under the age of 18 as a passenger. A first offense will result in a temporary suspension, while another violation triggers permanent suspension. The service is also seeking to crack down on moped riders running red lights and stop signs as well as those who drive the wrong way down a one-way street. Revel said it will employ GPS technology to detect riders who drive on one-way streets or illegally enter any of the citys parks. Anyone who does so faces suspension on the first offense and a permanent ban on the second violation. The company will also ban anyone who drives the moped on a sidewalk or other pedestrian walkway; drives on a highway or any roadway with a speed limit that exceeds 40mph; or is found to have operated the moped recklessly. Theres no more excuses anymore, like, Oh, you mean that you have to stop at the stoplight? Yes, you do, said Reig, 34. And if you dont, were going to have a pretty strict policy of taking you off the service. Revel is readily accessible to anyone with a drivers license, but since the vehicles have a maximum speed limit of 30mph, riders arent required to get a motorcycle license. The service returns after a one-month suspension brought on by three fatal crashes within a 10-day period earlier this summer. Revel co-founder and CEO Frank Reig, 34, says the service will ban riders who are repeat offenders of new safety rules Revel has also been named in a dozen lawsuits filed by New Yorkers over alleged safety lapses. On July 18, WCBS-TV reporter Nina Kapur died after she was involved in a moped crash. She was being driven by a 26-year-old man in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, who said he swerved to avoid a car pulling out of a parking spot, according to unnamed police sources. Both Kapur and the driver were thrown onto the roadway, and it's believed neither were wearing helmets. They were taken to Bellevue Hospital where Kapur was pronounced dead. On July 28, Jeremy Malave, 32, died after crashing his Revel moped in Queens. Malave was said to have been driving alone in Queens at around 3:15am when he hit a light pole in a center median. He was found by medics with severe head trauma before being rushed to hospital where he was pronounced dead. Francis Nunez, 30, of the Bronx died on August 4 after crashing his Revel moped on July 25. Police say he wasn't wearing a helmet while transporting a passenger when he crashed into a pole in Washington Heights. He was rushed to Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center and died a week later. Statistics show that Revel users were most likely to get into accidents late at night, which is why Revels resumption of service on Thursday will be limited to the hours of 5am until midnight - at least for the next 60 days. The app will not be available in the overnight hours. The resumption of service comes at an opportune time for the company, which has seen the popularity of its app skyrocket during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since New Yorkers are wary of returning to the subways, many have embraced the moped alternative. Between May and July, Revel added some 200,000 new users. Former WCBS-TV reporter Nina Kapur (left) died on July 18 after a moped she was riding on as a passenger was involved in a crash. On July 28, Jeremy Malave (right), 32, died after crashing his Revel moped in Queens Kapur was being driven by a 26-year-old man in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, who said he swerved to avoid a car pulling out of a parking spot, according to unnamed police sources As of Thursday, the company has 360,000 registered users in New York City. The mayors office said it will keep a close watch on the new moped rollout. New Yorkers deserve more mobility options, and weve focused on welcoming a safer, more accountable service to city streets, said de Blasio spokesperson Mitch Schwartz. But dangerous operations will not be tolerated; were watching closely for reckless practices, and we wont hesitate to suspend shared moped services the moment we see them. Weve worked hard to make our streets safe, and we wont turn back now. Still, critics argue that the new safety rules are not enough to prevent future accidents, deaths, and injuries. 'The new safety rules required to use a Revel scooter are simply inadequate to address serious safety problems that have killed three people and injured many others in New York City alone,' said Dominique Penson, a lawyer at the firm Barasch McGarry who specializes in transportation safety. 'A short video and an online quiz - the answers to which are likely online already - are not a substitute for the written exam and road test mandated for a motorcycle license in New York State. 'To protect motorists (and everyone else on our streets) using Revel scooters, the company needs to insist on comprehensive safety training.' Revel, a Brooklyn-based startup which got off the ground two years ago, recently expanded into Manhattan, Queens, and The Bronx. Riders get access to the ride-share scooters for a one-time fee of $5 and are charged 35 cents per minute of driving time. Passengers cost an additional $1. Revel provides an instructional video for all members upon signing up, as well as an in-person course, which is optional. The Supreme Court judges, hearing the arguments in the contempt case against civil rights lawyer Prashant Bhushan the other day, were at their generous best when they advised the latter to apologise for his tweets critical of the Supreme Court and the Chief Justice of India (CJI), for which he has been found guilty and awaiting his punishment cheerfully. Justice Arun Mishra, heading the bench, suggested to Bhushan that he utter the magical word apology and go to the category of Mahatma Gandhi. The judge was apparently not satisfied with either of the two statements of Bhushan: in the first, he quoted Mahatma Gandhi and said he sought no mercy and no magnanimity of the court while in the second he said he will be committing contempt of his conscience and the Supreme Court if he tendered an insincere apology. Ordinary mortals are not supposed to question the judicial wisdom of the learned judges but one wonders if it is true about historical factors, too, and whether Justice Mishra got the traits of the Mahatma and Hindutva icon V.D. Savarkar mixed up when it comes to apologising. Isnt it that Mahatma Gandhi used to go on fasts doing penance not for his sins but for what he thought were the sins of others, as mentioned by Justice B.R. Gavai who sat alongside Justice Mishra and Justice Krishna Murari on the bench? Or did the judge mean that Bhushan must apologise for the sins of perhaps the CJIs who, he alleges, watched as Indian democracy got weakened? On the other hand, archival documents show that Savarkar, jailed by the British for his role in the freedom movement, went on an apologising spree and got himself freed from the cellular jail in Andaman. Justice Mishra will hopefully set the record straight while pronouncing the order sentencing Bhushan, for we cant take too many liberties with history. Photo: The Canadian Press A white, 17-year-old police admirer was arrested Wednesday after two people were shot to death during a third straight night of protests in Kenosha over the police shooting of a Black man, Jacob Blake. Kyle Rittenhouse, of Antioch, Illinois, about 15 miles from Kenosha, was taken into custody in Illinois on suspicion of first-degree intentional homicide in the attack Tuesday that was largely captured on cellphone video. The shooting left a third person wounded. I just killed somebody, the gunman, carrying a semi-automatic rifle, could be heard saying at one point. In the wake of the killings, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers authorized the deployment of 500 members of the National Guard to Kenosha, doubling the number of troops in the city of 100,000 midway between Milwaukee and Chicago. The governor's office said he is working with other states to bring in additional National Guard members and law officers. Authorities also announced a 7 p.m. curfew, though protesters ignored it again Wednesday. Protesters marched past the intersection where two people were shot Tuesday night, stopping to gather around the spot where one person was shot, and to pray and lay flowers. Daijon Spann said he decided to join the demonstration because one of those killed the night before was a friend. I couldnt take it any more, he said. I couldnt just sit there and watch my friend die. Evers, a Democrat, issued a statement asking those who wanted to exercise their First Amendment rights to please do so peacefully and safely and urging others to "please stay home and let local first responders, law enforcement and members of the Wisconsin National Guard do their jobs. A senseless tragedy like this cannot happen again, Evers said. As of early Thursday, the protests were mostly peaceful, in contrast to the violent clashes that marked earlier nights of protests. There were no groups patrolling with long guns as they had on previous nights, and protesters stayed away from a courthouse that had been the site of standoffs with law enforcement. In Washington, the Justice Department said it is sending in more than 200 federal agents from the FBI, U.S. Marshals Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The White House said up to 2,000 National Guard troops would be made available. The dead were identified only as a 26-year-old Silver Lake, Wisconsin, resident and a 36-year-old from Kenosha. The wounded person, a 36-year-old from West Allis, Wisconsin, was expected to survive, police said. "We were all chanting Black lives matter at the gas station and then we heard, boom, boom, and I told my friend, 'Thats not fireworks,'" 19-year-old protester Devin Scott told the Chicago Tribune. "And then this guy with this huge gun runs by us in the middle of the street and people are yelling, He shot someone! He shot someone! And everyone is trying to fight the guy, chasing him, and then he started shooting again." Scott said he cradled a victim in his arms, and a woman started performing CPR, but "I dont think he made it." According to witness accounts and video footage, police apparently let the gunman walk past them and leave the scene with a rifle over his shoulder and his hands in the air as members of the crowd were yelling for him to be arrested because he had shot people. As for how the gunman managed to slip away, Sheriff David Beth described a chaotic, high-stress scene, with lots of radio traffic and people screaming, chanting and running conditions he said can cause "tunnel vision" among law officers. Rittenhouse was assigned a public defender in Illinois for a hearing Friday on his transfer to Wisconsin. The public defenders office had no comment. Under Wisconsin law, anyone 17 or older is treated as an adult in the criminal justice system. Much of Rittenhouses Facebook page is devoted to praising law enforcement, with references to Blue Lives Matter, a movement that supports police. He also can be seen holding an assault rifle. In a photograph posted by his mother, he is wearing what appears to be a blue law enforcement uniform as well as the kind of brimmed hat that state troopers wear. Tory MPs today warned the EU it must realise the UK is under new management and will not cave in during Brexit talks 'like Theresa May' after trade negotiations with the bloc suffered another set back. Germany currently holds the rotating presidency of the EU Council and had intended to discuss Brexit progress during a meeting of ambassadors scheduled for September 2. But the matter has reportedly been dropped because of a lack of progress in recent months during discussions between Brussels and Britain as they try to agree the terms of their future relationship. EU officials have accused the UK of a wasted summer and are said to be increasingly of the view that Downing Street is prepared to walk away without a deal and then blame the bloc. Conservative MPs believe the move to drop Brexit from next weeks meeting is posturing by Brussels and is part of a bid to pile the pressure on Number 10 to make concessions. Senior Tory figures have claimed the EU still fails to understand that the UK is now under new management and will not be pushed around during talks. The German government (pictured Chancellor Angela Merkel), which holds the rotating presidency of the EU council, had intended to discuss Brexit during a meeting next week But a lack of progress means the matter has been dropped from the agenda. Tory MPs today warned Brussels that Boris Johnson, pictured during a visit to a school in Leicestershire, yesterday, will not cave in during negotiations One senior MP told MailOnline: This has always been the pattern. David Davis said this very early on in his term as Brexit Secretary. He said that the way the EU operates is that they make the decision at the last minute or even stop the clock. There could be an element of the EU wanting to put pressure on the UK. They may think that if we think they are not interested in a deal it will panic us but I dont think that will happen. The problem we have got is that they have set out these red lines in fishing and the level playing field and they are not willing to talk about everything else. But we are only interested in the everything else. Given the time constraints it is increasingly unlikely that we will get a comprehensive agreement. I think what the EU still fails to understand is we are under new management now and it is not like it was under Theresa May. It had been hoped Chancellor Angela Merkel would emerge as a dealmaker during crunch talks this autumn. An EU diplomat told the Guardian: 'People underestimate how bleak the mood is in the EU negotiation team. 'We have had the whole summer completely wasted, a cabinet that doesn't understand how the negotiations work, a prime minister who, I think, doesn't understand how the negotiations work because he is under the wrong impression that he can pull off negotiating at the 11th hour.' The source added: 'If they [the UK government] see it's not going to work out they are just going to try and make it really acrimonious.' Another EU diplomat with knowledge of the agenda said Brexit had been removed after last week's round of talks between London and Brussels made little headway. But a UK official told the newspaper the Bloc had been slowing progress by making sure decisions on each area are taken in parallel. Michel Barnier, the EU's chief Brexit negotiator, on Wednesday repeated his call for a deal with Britain on future ties to be completed by the end of October. He said he had no plans to meet his British counterpart David Frost this week, adding: 'But perhaps next week, if conditions allow.' Disagreements over state aid rules and fishing quotas have so far thwarted a deal, which the EU says must be in the making in time to be approved at an October 15-16 summit of the bloc's 27 national leaders to enable ratification this year. BLACKROCK NORTH AMERICAN INCOME TRUST plc (LEI: 549300WWOCXSC241W468) All information is at 31 July 2020 and unaudited. Performance at month end with net income reinvested One Month Three Months Six Months One Year Three Years Five Years Net asset value -3.3% 2.0% -9.1% -10.6% 9.3% 59.1% Share price 3.3% -1.5% -14.9% -17.9% 13.9% 66.3% Russell 1000 Value Index -2.1% 2.6% -10.6% -12.3% 8.8% 54.4% Source: BlackRock At month end Net asset value - capital only: 159.81p Net asset value - cum income: 161.40p Share price: 156.00p Discount to cum income NAV: 3.3% Net yield: 5.1% Total assets including current year revenue: 130.9m Gearing: Nil Options overwrite: 17.6% Ordinary shares in issue: 81,104,044 Ongoing charges: 1.1% 1 Based on four quarterly interim dividends of 2.00p per share declared on 6 August 2019 and 7 November 2019 for the year ended 31 October 2019 and on 20 March 2020 and 5 May 2020 for the year ending 31 October 2020, and based on the share price as at close of business on 31 July 2020. Excluding 19,167,261 ordinary shares held in treasury. Ongoing charges represent the management fee and all other operating expenses excluding interest as a % of average shareholders' funds for the year ended 31 October 2019. Benchmark Sector Analysis Total Assets (%) Financials 24.6 Health Care 17.8 Information Technology 10.8 Consumer Staples 8.7 Energy 7.6 Industrials 7.0 Communication Services 7.0 Consumer Discretionary 4.7 Utilities 3.6 Materials 1.4 Net current assets 6.8 ----- 100.0 ===== Country Analysis Total Assets (%) United States 70.9 Netherlands 5.1 United Kingdom 5.0 Germany 4.2 Ireland 2.4 France 2.3 Switzerland 2.1 Norway 1.0 Canada 0.2 Net current assets 6.8 ----- 100.0 ===== Ten Largest Investments Company Country of Risk Total Assets (%) Verizon Communications USA 4.1 Bank of America USA 3.3 Citigroup USA 3.0 Cognizant Technology Solutions USA 2.4 Medtronic Ireland 2.4 Sanofi France 2.3 Anthem USA 2.2 BAE Systems United Kingdom 2.2 Altria Group USA 2.1 Koninklijke Philips Netherlands 2.1 Tony DeSpirito, Franco Tapia and David Zhao, representing the Investment Manager, noted: For the one-month period ended 31 July 2020, the Company's NAV decreased by 3.3% and the share price increased by 3.3% (all in sterling). The Company's benchmark, the Russell 1000 Value Index, returned -2.1% for the period. The largest contributor to relative performance was stock selection in the information technology ('IT') sector. Notably, selection decisions and an underweight exposure to semiconductors and semiconductors equipment contributed positively, as did stock selection in the IT services industry. In industrials, stock selection in aerospace and defence boosted relative returns, as did our lack of exposure to airlines. Lastly, stock selection in energy contributed modestly to relative performance during the month. The largest detractor from relative performance was stock selection in the utilities sector. Notably, our overweight to FirstEnergy Corporation, an electric utility, proved costly during the month. The stock declined sharply after a criminal complaint was filed by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigations. This complaint alleges that FirstEnergy senior management was involved in bribing public officials to pass beneficial legislation in the state of Ohio. We exited our position in the stock following the allegations. In health care, stock selection in pharmaceuticals weighed on relative performance, as did investment decisions in the health care providers and services industry. Other notable detractors during the period included stock selection in financials and a combination of stock selection and an underweight to the materials sector. The portfolio's option overwriting strategy modestly detracted from relative performance in July. Transactions/Options Transactions: In July, the portfolio initiated a new position in Coca-Cola and added to our existing position in Cognizant Technology Solutions. Conversely, we exited our position in FirstEnergy and reduced our exposure to JPMorgan Chase during the month. Options: As of 31 July 2020, the Company's options exposure was 17.6% and the delta of the options was 85.2. Positioning As of the period end, the Company's largest overweight positions relative to the benchmark were in the financials, health care and energy sectors. The Company's largest underweight positions relative to the benchmark were in the industrials, real estate and materials sectors. Source: BlackRock. Data as of 31 July 2020. 27 August 2020 Latest information is available by typing blackrock.com/uk/brna on the internet, "BLRKINDEX" on Reuters, "BLRK" on Bloomberg or "8800" on Topic 3 (ICV terminal). Neither the contents of the Manager's website nor the contents of any website accessible from hyperlinks on the Manager's website (or any other website) is incorporated into, or forms part of, this announcement. A hospital staff sanitizes the premisis inside the new covid hospital at Sector 39, on August 7, 2020 in Noida, India. A new study that tested multiple surfaces of a New Jersey oncology unit found no traces of the coronavirus, suggesting that strict cleaning and disinfecting protocols helped limit the virus' spread at the height of the state's outbreak. Researchers at the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey collected 128 samples from surfaces deemed highest risk for the virus including door handles, sinks and chairs in a radiation oncology department at the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, according to the study published Thursday in JAMA Oncology. The samples were collected over multiple days before scheduled cleaning of the facility during the height of New Jersey's outbreak. The coroanvirus wasn't found on any of the samples. "We purposely didn't tell anybody in the department that we were doing this study because we didn't want them to be overly cautious and to do things that they wouldn't routinely be doing because we were doing the testing," said Dr. Bruce Haffty, a professor and chairman of the radiation oncology department and a senior author of the study. "We were masking patients, masking ourselves. We were doing routine hand washing and cleaning and distancing." The oncology patients were housed in a hospital treating Covid-19 patients, elevating fear that they could be infected with the virus and fall seriously ill or die because they're immunocompromised, Haffty said. Health professionals throughout the pandemic have voiced concern that the coronavirus has prevented people from visiting hospitals and clinics, even for necessary procedures and checkups. "We've all had to change our lifestyle and change what we do on a day to day basis, but the things that you absolutely need to do ... they don't need to be put off unnecessarily because you're afraid of the environment," he said. The coronavirus is mainly thought to spread through person-to-person contact when someone sprays respiratory droplets while sneezing, coughing or talking, according to the World Health Organization. However, it's also believed the infection can be transmitted through fomites like clothing and furniture, or by touching inanimate objects or surfaces and then your face, nose or mouth. Researchers noted that their conclusions were limited since they didn't study other modes of transmission and didn't swab every surface in the unit. They suggest that additional air and surface studies in other environments are needed to better understand how the virus is spread. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests people at home disinfect frequently touched surfaces, including tables, doorknobs, light switches, handles, desks, toilets, faucets, sinks and electronics. Chilean police should drop a criminal case against feminist collective Las Tesis whose anti-violence song and dance routine "A Rapist In Your Path" inspired performances around the world, a group of UN experts said on Monday. Police in the coastal city of Valparaiso laid a complaint with prosecutors in June against four named members of the group over a video posted on YouTube in which they allegedly said "fire for the cops." Police said the women, who were filmed standing outside a police station in masks, were inciting violence against their institution. The UN experts, volunteer members of the working group on discrimination against women and girls for the body's Human Rights Council, said Las Tesis had been instrumental in denouncing police and gender violence in Chile. The group and the song have become a symbol of the universal demand of women to be able to live a life free of violence, they added. We fear prosecution of Las Tesis could have a chilling effect on women in many other countries who are standing up for their human rights." The group said it had raised the issue with the Chilean government and was awaiting a response. Las Tesis' "A Rapist In Your Path" rose to prominence in November last year during intense social protests against inequality and elitism that were marked by massive marches but also clashes with police and looting and arson attacks. The unrest resulted in at least 31 people killed, 3,000 injured, and 30,000 detained. Prosecutors are probing allegations of abuse made by over 5,000 people against the security forces. Las Tesis in May signed a joint declaration with the Russian feminist protest group Pussy Riot calling for action to stop "police violence." Thirty Hollywood actresses including Natalie Portman, Julianne Moore, Milla Jovovich and Olivia Wilde have also signed an open letter calling for the case against Las Tesis to be dropped. Jordan: media, 'cartoonist Hajjaj arrested' Due to a caricature on Israel-Emirates deal (ANSAmed) - TEL AVIV, AUGUST 27 - The well-known political cartoonist Emad Hajjaj was arrested Wednesday by Jordanian authorities, according to several of his supporters online who cited news that briefly appeared on the website of the newspaper al-Araby. However, the Jordanian government has not issued any official confirmation thus far. According to a journalist from the site al-Monitor, Hajjaj's arrest is linked to a caricature on the normalisation deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. In the cartoon, Emirates Prince Mohammed bin Zayed is shown holding an Israeli dove in his hand that is spitting on his face, a reference to Israel's opposition to the sale of F35 jets to the Emirates. Hajjaj is considered one of the most prominent illustrators in the Arab world and has received numerous international awards. (ANSAmed). Bali is undergoing a reset as locals on the holiday island adjust to life without tourists. The global pandemic has sparked a 'cultural shift' on the Indonesian destination known for its beaches, temples and vibrant nightlife. The tourist hotspot attracted 6.3million foreign visitors in 2019 - up 3.6 per cent from a year earlier - but that number has since crashed due to coronavirus travel bans. The tourist-hotspot attracts millions of foreign visitors each year - which grew 3.6 per cent to 6.3million in 2019. Pictured: A woman at Kuta, Lombok, Indonesia As of June this year, however, statistics portal Statista.com recorded only 880,000 foreign tourists arriving to Bali. Pictured: Foreign tourists on a beach in Canggu, Bali, Indonesia As of June this year only 880,000 foreign tourists made it to Bali, according to Statista.com. The lack of visitors has forced many businesses to close, including hotels and the marketplace shopfronts in Kuta. About 81 per cent of Balinese households have been economically impacted, not-for-profit organisation Kopernik found. In a report in June, it found 44 per cent of those surveyed had either permanently or temporarily lost their jobs as well as 56 per cent having a decrease in income. The lack of visitors has forced many businesses to close, such as hotels and the marketplace shopfronts in Kuta. Pictured: Closed shops in Pandawa Beach during the coronavirus crisis About 81 per cent of Balinese households have been economically impacted, according to not-for-profit organisation Kopernik. Pictured: Abandoned canoes and beach benches in Pandawa Musician and environmental activist Gede Robi Supriyanto said the island had relied too much on tourism and the economy was now suffering as a result. But the Denpasar local said the loss of tourism had sparked a 'cultural shift', with many moving back to their villages and into the agricultural sector for work after losing their jobs. The island was now 'resetting' as residents 'are rethinking to preserve their nature and culture' instead of exploiting its environment for tourism, Mr Supriyanto said. 'Bali is going back to its roots,' he told ABC News. 'If we want to see the authentic culture of Bali, that is agriculture, we are seeing it now.' Gede Robi Supriyanto (pictured), of Denpasar, Bali, told ABC the figures were the result of the island relying 'too much' on tourism and the economy falling because of it The musician and environmental activist said it had sparked a 'cultural shift', with many moving back to their villages and into the agricultural sector for work after losing their jobs. Pictured: A farmer harvesting red chilli at a farm in Palu, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia Mr Supriyanto said the island was now 'resetting' as residents 'are rethinking to preserve their nature and culture' instead of exploiting its environment for tourism. Pictured: A vanilla farmer working at Kebon Kakek farm in Serang, Banten province, Indonesia On Wednesday Indonesian governor Wayan Koster banned international travellers from visiting until at least 2021, dashing hopes of a travel bubble with Australia. Mr Koster said the nation would remain shut to foreign visitors as COVID-19 infections climb, with Indonesia counting 157,859 confirmed cases as of Thursday and 6,858 deaths. Government officials had earlier flagged September 11 as the date the Asian country would reopen its borders to holidaymakers from Down Under. 'The Indonesian government couldn't reopen its doors to foreign travellers until the end of 2020 as we remain a red zone,' Mr Koster said in a statement. Mr Supriyanto's comments follows Indonesian governor Wayan Koster banning international travellers from visiting until at least 2021, despite plans to launch a travel bubble with Australia. Pictured: International travellers arriving in Bali Government officials had earlier flagged September 11 as the date the Asian country would reopen its borders to holidaymakers from Down Under. Pictured: Closed shops in Pandawa 'The situation is not conducive to allowing foreign tourists to come to Indonesia, including to Bali. 'Bali cannot fail because it could adversely impact the image of Indonesia, including Bali, in the eyes of the world, which could prove counter-productive to the recovery of travel.' Earlier this month, an Australian photographer who lives in Sanuar, documented the effect of the pandemic on Kuta - a party-centric, coastal tourist destination - in a series of confronting images taken while walking in 'search of a fading memory'. Jon Gwyther's photographs showed desolate streets with shop doors covered with graffiti and eateries shut. Photographer Jon Gwyther documented the pandemic's effect in Kuta (pictured) - a party-centric, coastal tourist destination usually aflutter of activity - in a series of images taken walking in 'search of a fading memory' The 50-year-old compared the 'world of emptiness' and 'oppressive energy' he faced in the area to the Chernobyl disaster in the Ukraine in 1986. 'A lot of people are unemployed, especially in areas like Kuta, which heavily relies on tourists - and so many people are scared about not having enough food. There is no $600 per week payout like there is in Australia,' he told Daily Mail Australia. He said 'every hotel (was) boarded up, beach fronts look(ed) like they've been neglected for years and everything but a few restaurants (are) shut'. 'Everybody is worried - but we are all doing our part and everybody is helping one another,' he said. The 50-year-old compared the 'world of emptiness' and 'oppressive energy' he faced in the area to the Chernobyl disaster in the Ukraine in 1986. Pictured: Shopfronts closed in Kuta's small streets 'The good thing that has come out of this is people are really trying to look at different ways of establishing themselves and making money for when things start to open again. 'I have a friend who has revived the concept of weaving and traditional potting, who also wants to start running tours in the village she lives in, which'll show traditional dance and organic farming. 'It's just an incentive and something they are working toward because right now people aren't even dreaming of a future'. Charleston, SC (29403) Today Partly cloudy skies during the morning giving way to a few showers late. High around 70F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%.. Tonight Rain likely. Low 39F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch. Advertisement Boris Johnson must do more to get office workers back at their desks, a senior business leader says today. Carolyn Fairbairn warns commercial centres risk being permanent ghost towns. Writing in the Mail, the director-general of the CBI says getting staff back into offices and workplaces is as important as the return of pupils to school. The UKs offices are vital drivers of our economy, says Dame Carolyn, who speaks for almost 200,000 firms. They support thousands of local firms, from dry cleaners to sandwich bars. They help train and develop young people. And they foster better work and productivity for many kinds of business. The costs of office closure are becoming clearer by the day. Some of our busiest city centres resemble ghost towns, missing the usual bustle of passing trade. This comes at a high price for local businesses, jobs and communities. Dame Carolyns intervention will pressure the Prime Minister to match his rhetoric on the need to return to school with similar words and action about workplaces. Commuters at Waterloo Train Station during rush-hour yesterday at 7.58am. Writing in the Mail, the director-general of the CBI says getting staff back into offices and workplaces is as important as the return of pupils to school This graphic from Centre for Cities shows the average footfall in city centres for the last full week of August, compared to pre-lockdown levels. The darker the green, the closer the city centre is to pre-lockdown levels British workers are the most reluctant to return to the office because of fears of a second wave of coronavirus, a new study has found An audit of major employers conducted by the Mail reveals most have only a small percentage of staff back in the office and many are telling people they will not be back at their desks until January at the earliest. Firms opting to keep most staff working from home for the rest of the year include NatWest, which employs almost 50,000; BT, which has 40,000 staff at home; KPMG, which has only 10 per cent of its 16,000 staff in the office; and Vodafone, whose 7,850 staff are almost all at home. Tech giant Microsoft has said it will not start returning its 3,000 UK staff to their desks until at least November. A separate survey by the BBC yesterday found that 50 of the countrys biggest employers have no plans to return all staff to the office full time. The Government last month dropped the formal pandemic advice that people should work from home if possible. An audit of major employers conducted by the Mail reveals most have only a small percentage of staff back in the office and many are telling people they will not be back at their desks until January at the earliest. Pictured, The City of London Mr Johnson said start to go back to work now if you can and ordered Whitehall to draw up detailed plans for getting more civil servants back. However the return to work across Government appears to have been only a trickle, rather than a flood. No 10 was yesterday unable to say how many officials were back at their desks. Ministers are in talks about workplace testing for coronavirus in order to give staff more confidence to return. But talks are still at an early stage and there has been no effort to encourage commuters back onto public transport. A Whitehall source said last night: Getting people back to work is something the PM feels strongly about. It is slowly happening in Whitehall but not at the pace we would want. Jace Tyrrell, of the New West End Company, a business group, said shops in central London could not survive unless office workers returned. He said traders still had only half their normal customers. We are encouraging a very strong instruction from the Prime Minister and the current mayor of London to encourage Londoners back to the office and work thats the only way we are going to survive this year for the retail and hospitality sectors in the West End, he added. A view of the Bank of England and the Royal Exchange. The City of London, a major financial centre, continues to be quiet after lockdown easing, as offices stay shut and more people work from home Andy Street, Tory mayor of the West Midlands, said Birminghams public transport system was still only carrying 20 per cent of pre-Covid passengers. He said this could rise to 50 per cent in the coming months, but added: This is undeniably a very difficult situation for businesses that thrive on the back of the big office occupiers being there. What we are trying to do is steadily build confidence that it is safe to return to the city centre. Tory MP Nickie Aiken, whose Cities of London and Westminster constituency has been badly hit by the lack of office workers, urged senior managers to show leadership by getting back to the office themselves next month to lead a wider return to work. She said: It is not just the big brands that are feeling the pain without workers popping out to eat or shop in their lunch hours or after work. The independent shops, cafes, restaurants and bars are also hurting. The list is endless and without offices returning these small businesses are likely to shut up shop for good. Mrs Aiken also rounded on London mayor Sadiq Khan for failing to make clear to commuters that it was now safe to use public transport again. Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith urged the Prime Minister to get a grip, adding: Otherwise we are going to face an even worse economic catastrophe than we already are. Sir Iain said the Government should lead by example by insisting civil servants return to work. But Dave Penman, of the First Division Association of senior civil servants, yesterday predicted more than two thirds of officials could still be at home at the end of the year. Numbers are steadily going up but its not going to be huge numbers, its not going to be a majority by the end of the year. Well probably get to 30 or 40 per cent over time. What are some of our biggest firms saying? Natwest Group 49,000 staff working from home, around 10,000 staff in branches and offices Most not expected to return to the office until next year. A spokesman said: We told colleagues they will continue to work from home until 2021 because were prioritising customer and colleague health and wellbeing. HSBC 52,000 UK staff, 46,000 working from home Bank has said it does not have any plans for a return to the office before September at the earliest. Even then, it expects offices to be less than 20 per cent full. Virgin Money 6,900 of 8,500 staff office-based Staff told not to return to office until 2021. Proposals to let back-office employees work from home for most of the time and for offices in Glasgow and Newcastle to become collaboration hubs for meetings. Metro Bank 1,500 staff One of two London offices to close permanently, staff to work from home until at least January. Afterwards, they will work from home for minimum of three days. IG Group 750 UK staff Main London office is to open from September 7. But chief operating officer Jon Noble said: No one will be required to return to the office (if they dont want to) for the rest of 2020. JP Morgan 16,000 UK staff Staff will swap between working from home and the office, according to the head of the investment bank, Daniel Pinto. Lloyds Bank 50,000 of 63,000 staff working from home No plans for an imminent return to the office. From October, bank will test different types of flexible working to decide how often staff will visit the office. It is looking for ways to reduce the office space it uses. UBS Majority of 5,000 staff working from home Gradual return to office expected in coming months, but staff are likely to work from home more often in future. Barclays 80,000 staff globally, 70,000 working at home From October, the gradual return of more staff is set to begin. Boss Jes Staley has said he wants to get staff back together. Santander 18,000 UK office staff, more than 15,000 of whom are working from home. This is expected to continue until at least the end of this month. Ernst and Young 11,200 office staff Firm said it had consulted staff and offices will re-open from September 7, but on a reduced capacity basis and increase steadily over time in line with the guidelines set by the UK. Deloitte 20,000 office-based staff Most still working from home. Small number of offices reopened in July, with more being considered. KPMG 16,000 UK office staff No more than 10 per cent of office staff have returned for business-critical reasons. Vast majority will work from home for most of the year. Anna Purchas of KPMG said: We anticipate that the majority of our people will work from home for the majority of 2020. BT 40,000 of 52,000 office staff working at home Around 10,000 staff in critical customer and network operations teams have continued to attend the office. Staff will begin gradual return from September. AstraZeneca 8,300 UK office staff Pharmaceutical giant says 75 per cent of are still working from home. They will not start returning until September, when a phased approach will begin. Glaxosmithkline 15,000 UK staff Only small numbers back in the office. No date announced for major return, although scientists have been working on site for most of crisis. PWC 8,000 of 22,000 going in to the office. About 50 per cent are expected to have returned by the end of September under current plans, but its entirely voluntary. Rolls-Royce 14,000 office staff Only a very small percentage of its office-based staff have returned. Has not announced detailed plans for when they will go back. A spokesman said: Depending on the nature of our employees role, flexible working arrangements have been expanded and made available. Scottish and Southern Energy 10,000 office staff Majority expected to continue working from home until at least October. A spokesman said: we conducted an in-depth survey of our employees experiences and opinions and are acting on their feedback. Work continues on a phased return plan. Unilever 2,000 office staff The firm has said it believes working patterns will never return fully to normal. Boss Alan Jope said he foresees it being many more months before staff begin returning to the office. He added: We think we will never be back to 100 per cent of workers time being in the office. BP 6,500 office staff in UK Only a small number are returning, and it may be months before things return to normal. It is reviewing its offices and could shift 50,000 staff globally to remote working. Chief executive Bernard Looney said: Work patterns are changing. We expect to move to a more hybrid work style. Vodaphone About 7,850 office staff Only a very small number of staff have returned to the office. Firm broadly expects to stay as we are until the end of 2020. It expects to use a mixture of office based and remote working in future. Aviva 17,000 office workers Vast majority will remain working from home for the time being. About 500 have returned to offices. The insurance giant has said it will start testing out how to combine home and office working when some of its staff begin returning to offices in September. Admiral 7,500 office staff Only 15 per cent of staff have returned to its offices in Cardiff, Swansea and Newport. Company has said it wants to combine flexible workspaces with regular remote working options for staff in future. Legal & General 6,400 UK staff Under lockdown, 96 per cent of staff were working from home. Only 1,200 are now back in the office. Company has said it is taking a measured, step-by-step approach. It said it intends 80 per cent of staff to spend a day or two per fortnight in the office in future. Microsoft 3,000 UK office workers Staff not be required to return to the office until at least November. A spokesman said: We have a hybrid workplace strategy in place as worksites slowly start to open. National Grid 4,000 office-based staff No plans to return until September at the earliest. A spokesman said: We expect a return to the office to be a gradual process. Airbus 3,000 office-based workers in Bristol Only 20 per cent of office staff had returned in July. Phased return planned this month. Linklaters 2,200 lawyers globally Linklaters will be operating a flexible working scheme where lawyers can spend 20 to 50 per cent of their time working remotely. Ghost town Britain HAS to get back to work and Boris must lead the way Comment by Dame Carolyn Fairbairn, CBI Director General, for the Daily Mail Decisions taken over the next few weeks will shape our economy for a decade. Getting schools back is an essential component. But as important will be building the right environment to get people back into offices and workplaces. The UKs offices are vital drivers of our economy. They support thousands of local firms, from drycleaners to sandwich bars. They help train and develop young people. And they foster better work and productivity for many kinds of business. The costs of office closure are becoming clearer by the day. Some of our busiest city centres resemble ghost towns, missing the usual bustle of passing trade. This comes at a high price for local businesses, jobs and communities. Remote working has been a resounding success for many firms and employees, and none of these benefits should be lost. Many people have never worked harder, keeping businesses afloat from their desks and kitchen tables. Flexible working is here to stay and needs to remain an option for many. Director-General of the CBI, Dame Carolyn Fairbairn, on June 11. Some of our busiest city centres resemble ghost towns, missing the usual bustle of passing trade. This comes at a high price for local businesses, jobs and communities But there are serious downsides too. For young people, learning face to face in the workplace is an unbeatable way to build skills and confidence. We must not deprive the next generation of this opportunity. Not everyone has the space to work effectively at home an ironing board in the bedroom does not make a great workspace. And the mental health challenges triggered by isolation are all too real for many. British firms' maximum office capacity under social distancing rules Anglo-American - 25 per cent Aviva - 10 per cent HSBC - less than 20 per cent Imperial Brands - 30 per cent Legal & General Group - 20 per cent Source: The Telegraph Advertisement There is also the question of fairness. Many employees, from barbers to brewers, have no option to work from home. We dont want to see a new divide in our society between those who can and cant work from the safety and comfort of their homes. For all these reasons we need more people to feel it is safe and possible to go back into their places of work. This is why we are today calling on the Prime Minister and his Government to do more to build confidence around getting people back into offices and workplaces. Getting schools open safely is a vital first step to enable parents to go back to work, but they must stay open wherever possible. This means effective test and trace, and a focus on resilience. We need government, nationally and locally, to do much more to build confidence in public transport. They need to shout louder about safety measures in place, enforce the wearing of face masks on tubes, buses and trains, and support the introduction of flexible season tickets so people can return gradually without financial penalty. And we urgently need mass widespread testing including in the workplace to help people feel confident and safe. We welcome the Health Secretarys recent commitment to a mass testing strategy for 2021. More flexible working is indisputably a good thing for our economy and quality of life, but we must have a balance. Its time for the UK to bring its workplaces back to life, or we will look back with regret at the jobs lost, training missed, and communities harmed. We ask the Government to work with business to build confidence in returning to offices, starting now. A drawn-out price feud between Woolworths and one of the world's largest liquor suppliers has led to supply shortages of luxury Champagnes including Dom Perignon and Moet. The dispute has left stocks of high-end sparkling wines - which account for an estimated $300million in sales every year in Australia - running low at Woolworths-owned liquor chain Dan Murphy's. Supply issues are understood to have begun in February when Dan Murphy's refused a price increase by luxury French firm LVMH. The Paris company is behind other luxury champagne brands such as Krug and Veuve Clicquot. Australia's largest liquor outlet Dan Murphy's is running low on luxury Champagnes like Moet due to a price dispute with leading French global wines and spirits supplier LVMH A resolution to the price issue has yet to be found between the two sides and Dan Murphy's is now struggling with dwindling supplies of LVMH's popular brands, The Australian reported. Included among the luxury labels no longer listed on Dan Murphy's website are Moet, Veuve Clicquot, Cape Mentelle and Glenmorangie whisky. Other well-known brands the chain has stopped advertising online include Chandon and the popular New Zealand wine Cloudy Bay. Despite Dan Murphy's being the biggest liquor outlet in Australia, LVMH has a market value of $2billion and the price disagreement has significantly impacted the chain's supply of in-demand luxury goods. In 2018, 8.4 million bottles of Champagne were sold in Australia alone. Woolworths subsidiary Endeavour Drinks - which owns Dan Murphy's - has declined to comment on the issue. The supply issues are believed to have begun in February when Dan Murphy's refused a price increase from French firm LVMH The dispute follows Arnott's, the confectionery giant behind Tim Tam, cutting supply to Coles after the supermarket refused to agree to price rises. Arnott's had wanted price increases of up to ten per cent for some of its products - including TeeVee Snacks and its Scotch Finger. Daily Mail Australia has contacted LVMH for comment. Pastor credits Jacob Blakes miracle survival to prayer with his Christian mother after shooting Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment When 29-year-old Wisconsin father Jacob S. Blake, was shot multiple times by a police officer in Kenosha on Sunday evening, one of the first things his devout Christian mother Julia Jackson did was call her pastor at Insight Church in Skokie, Illinois. "'I just got a phone call that my son has been shot by the police multiple times. It just happened,'" Insight Church Pastor James E. Ward Jr. recalled Jackson, who is a member of his churchs intercessory team, saying during an interview with The Christian Post on Wednesday. It was about 5 p.m. Sunday, said Ward, when he got Jacksons call while traveling by car with his Co-Pastor wife, Sharon. There was just an initial response to pray, said Ward. The first thing that we did when she communicated to us, we prayed and we asked God to spare his life. That was our exact prayer. Goal number one, Lord, spare his life. And Blake lived. It was confirmation, Ward said, that God heard the churchs prayer, and they believe Blakes survival is a miracle. To hear even the following morning and throughout that night that he had survived and, relatively speaking, was in stable condition, we chalk that up as answered prayer. We just began to celebrate and thank God that He spared his life. That is a miracle. You do not get shot that many times typically and survive and still be relatively in the condition that he is. We have no doubt about the faithfulness of God, Ward said. An attorney for Blakes family said while he survived, he is now paralyzed, and it will take another miracle for him to walk again, The Associated Press reported. A statement from the Wisconsin Department of Justice, which is investigating Blakes shooting, said a female caller reported to the Kenosha Police Department that her boyfriend was present and was not supposed to be at the residence located in the 2800 block of 40th Street. According to audio dispatch obtained by Madison365, Blake had taken the woman's keys and refused to leave. The dispatcher alerted officers that Blake had an outstanding felony warrant for his arrest. Court records show that Blake had been arrested on July 6 and charged with one felony count of third-degree sexual assault, trespassing and disorderly conduct related to domestic abuse at that residence. When officers arrived at the scene they encountered Blake who resisted arrest. They unsuccessfully tried to subdue him with a Taser and Blake then walked around to his vehicle at the scene with armed police officers pointing their guns at his back, according to video posted on social media. Blake opened the drivers side door of his vehicle and leaned forward. While holding onto Blakes shirt, the Wisconsin DOJ said officer Rusten Sheskey fired his service weapon seven times into Blakes back. Wisconsin DOJ officials said Blake "admitted that he had a knife in his possession" Sunday evening. It was recovered on the floorboard of the driver's-side of the vehicle. The shooting has since led to violent riots in the streets of Kenosha and a renewed national call for racial justice that has been ongoing since the officer-involved death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on May 25. At a press conference Tuesday, Jackson wielded her faith again, calling for more prayers for her family and the nation, unity, as well as an end to destructive protesting. My son has been fighting for his life and we really just need prayers. As I was riding through here, through the city, I noticed a lot of damage. It doesnt reflect my son or my family. If Jacob knew what was going on as far as that goes the violence and the destruction he would be very unpleased. So I[m] really asking and encouraging everyone in Wisconsin and abroad to take a moment and examine your hearts, she said. Citizens, police officers, firemen, clergy, politicians, do Jacob justice on this level and examine your hearts. We need healing. As I pray for my sons healing physically, emotionally and spiritually, I also have been praying even before this for the healing of our country. God has placed each and every one of us in this country because He wanted us to be here, she continued. Clearly, you can see by now that I have beautiful brown skin. But take a look at your hand and whatever shade it is, it is beautiful as well. How dare we hate what we are? No one is superior to the other. The only Supreme Being is God Himself. Please lets begin to pray for healing for our nation. We are the United States, have we been united? she asked before ending, America is great when we behave greatly. Ward, who is author of the 2014 book, Zero Victim: Liberate Yourself from the Mentality of Defeat, also echoed a similar call for unity and healing amid the unrest over racial justice, but said the Church needs to take the lead in forging sustainable unity. I think we have to come back to the place of really understanding that unity is a spiritual work. The Apostle Paul talks about endeavoring to keep the spirit of unity in the bond of peace. Unity is not something we can accomplish in the natural unity movements always fail because they dont go deep enough to establish the fundamental and the vital common denominators in terms of the things that really matter and the things that dont matter, Ward said. I want to call upon the Church, I want to call upon evangelicals, Pentecostals, Christians on the right, Christians on the left, I want to take this on to call faith leaders to come together, and I would love to engage with them so that this time would truly be different, he said. I think that we can really get a breakthrough this time and see our nation affected by the kind of unity Jesus Himself prayed for in John 17. Until the Church takes the lead in moving America toward spiritual unity, Ward believes tragedies like Blakes shooting and the unrest that follows will continue to happen. He (Jesus) said until the Church of believers become one, He said then the world will know that my father has sent me. I believe that this is a test. I believe that this is a wake-up call that God is summoning the Church to arise. And if we dont act at this particular moment as the Church of Jesus Christ I believe theres only going to be lamentations, and mourning and woes that we see written in the book of Ezekiel, right now, Ward said. He added that while society is governed by spiritual, moral, and civil law there has been more focus on the role of civil law than spiritual or moral law. Spiritual law comes from God, moral law has to do with our ability to govern ourselves based upon spiritual law, but the most popular or the most well-known form of law is civil law. But civil law is the least important of the three kinds of law. Civil law is only there to either reward or to punish people based upon whether or not they keep spiritual and moral law, Ward said. Based upon my understanding of the Word of God, the reason we keep failing, the reason we cant see change, the reason we never see unity and we keep having these incidents over and over again, is because we only deal with civil law and we ignore the ramifications and the consequences of breaking spiritual and moral law. When you break spiritual and moral law it invites certain consequences into our nation. And heres the deal, you cannot legislate morality. You cannot legislate [it]. There is no law, greater gun laws arent going to fix it, he added. America, he said, needs to understand that the nation is struggling with a sin problem that must be addressed in the hearts of citizens. Something has to happen in the hearts of the American citizen if we want to see a change in our nation. ... Racism is a fruit, sin is the root. I always say its a sin problem not a skin problem. The murders, the things we see, those are the fruit. Until we deal with the root, if you keep taking the fruit off the tree if the root system is healthy the fruit is just gonna grow back. If you want to kill the tree youve got to kill it at the root. Jesus himself did that in Mark 11. The Bible says he spoke to the root of the fig tree and the tree died, he said. Florida Polytechnic University began its seventh academic year with an increase in new students, in spite of the challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Florida Polytechnic University is starting the new academic year with gains in both quantity and quality of its incoming class, despite unprecedented challenges caused by COVID-19 and the economic downturn. Close to 500 new students are joining Florida Poly in the fall 2020 semester, for an expected total enrollment of about 1,400. Last academic year, the incoming class was comprised of 415 students and total enrollment was around 1,330. Our initial plan was to bring in 500 new students by 2022, but the great work the team put in far exceeded that goal and we landed 516 deposits for fall 2020, said Dr. Ben Matthew Corpus, associate vice provost of admissions and financial aid. Given the current situation, some students could not travel to Florida and so the new student headcount will come in right under 500. The increase in new students is the result of creative and deliberate recruitment efforts the University put in place during the entire fall 2020 enrollment cycle. This includes a dramatic shift in strategy due to the difficulties presented by COVID-19. When the pandemic hit in late February, we pivoted and redesigned recruitment in ways to fit the moment, and we had to keep making adjustments each week throughout the spring and into the summer, Corpus said. Nothing was normal, but we listened, evolved, and we were relentlessly creative. In addition to the increase in new students, Corpus pointed out that the quality of the incoming class is strong. The average high school GPA is up to 4.25 from 4.0 last year, and board test scores are up as well. The average ACT score is now 30, up from 28, and the average SAT score for fall entering students is up more than 40 points to 1327. From all of the applicants, we make sure to only select students who we know are prepared to learn and excel in Florida Polys rigorous STEM environment, Corpus said. We use a holistic admissions process to assess their academic preparation, including high school courses and calculus skills, as well as their performance on standardized tests, letters of reference, and co-curricular, work, and volunteer experiences. The diversity of the incoming class continues to flourish as well with increases in Hispanic/Latinx and female students. Black/African American students remains approximately equal to last year. Ahead of the Universitys seventh academic year, Florida Poly also saw enrollment deposit increases in the following student categories: First-time-in-college students are up 29%. Transfer students are up 29%. Graduate students are up 118%. Applications for the fall 2021 incoming class are now open. Students are encouraged to apply early given the number of competitive applications in the past two years. About Florida Polytechnic University: Florida Polytechnic University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges and is a member of the State University System of Florida. It is the only state university dedicated exclusively to STEM and offers ABET accredited degrees. Florida Poly is a powerful economic engine within the state of Florida, blending applied research with industry partnerships to give students an academically rigorous education with real-world relevance. Connect with Florida Poly. President Donald Trump said he will travel to Louisiana and Texas this weekend to see the damage wrought by Hurricane Laura after the storm wreaked devastation there when it may landfall over night. The president also said he was prepared to postpone his speech Thursday night to the Republican National Convention because of the storm and give it on Monday instead. 'I was actually prepared to postpone the speech tonight and make it on Monday,' he said. President Trump, with Vice President Mike Pence at FEMA, said he would visit Louisiana and Texas this weekend to see the damage from Hurricane Laura Eric Trump also attended the FEMA briefing, standing back against the wall A car submerged in a flood on Pier Rd after Hurricane Laura hit the area overnight in Orange, Texas Instead, he will accept the GOP nomination for a second term in the White House live from the South Lawn as scheduled on Thursday night and visit the hurricane-hurt areas over the weekend. 'We'll probably be going on Saturday or Sunday, and we'll be heading to Texas and Louisiana, and maybe an additional stop. So that'll either be on Saturday, a little bit in the afternoon, or Sunday,' he noted. President Trump revealed his plans during a stop at FEMA Thursday afternoon where he was briefed on the hurricane. His son Eric Trump was with him, standing at the back of the briefing against a wall. Before the briefing, Trump stopped by his Trump International Hotel in Washington D.C. for a fundraiser, which raised $10 million for his re-election campaign. Eric Trump was spotted in the hotel lobby shortly before the president arrived to speak to donors. Most of the president's adult children are staying in the hotel this week after the hub of convention activities moved to the nation's capitol. Eric, Donald Trump Jr., and Tiffany Trump have all been seen there. Those three addressed the convention earlier this week. Ivanka Trump speaks Thursday night, where she will introduce her father ahead of his acceptance speech. Hurricane Laura struck the coast of Louisiana in the early hours of Thursday as a Category 4 storm with 150 mph winds - the second-highest on the wind scale. It has since been downgraded to a tropical storm. Only one other storm has made landfall in Louisiana with the same force as Laura -- a hurricane in 1856, which left hundreds dead. Trump will attended the FEMA briefing after he stopped by a fundraiser at his Trump International Hotel, where he raked in $10 million for his campaign Trump's briefing took place as images from the hurricane threaten to overshadow his big night, when he formally accept his nomination for a second term with a live speech in front of a crowd of 1,500 people on the South Lawn at the White House. He will acknowledge the storm, according to Marc Short, the chief of staff for Vice President Mike Pence, who told MSNBC that the president will address the hurricane during his speech. His speech will address his 'law and order' theme that he has stressed the past few weeks. It comes as the hurricane strikes the south and the coronavirus pandemic rages across the United States with 5.84 million people infected and more than 180,000 deaths. 'This is a very very big deal. As we have a once in a century pandemic, we have a once in a century hurricane,' outgoing White House counselor Kellyanne Conway told reporters at the White House on Thursday morning. 'It's good we have a leader who's willing to monitor that and respond to that forcefully.' White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany told Fox News that President Trump spoke to Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards late Wednesday and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday morning as they grapple with the storm. The Category 4 monster made landfall at 1am with the strongest winds that Louisiana has seen since 1856 and warnings that the storm could rip apart buildings and penetrate up to 200 miles inland. Hurricane Laura smashed into Texas and Louisiana as a Category 4 with 150mph winds, bringing devastation and leaving 500,000 without power early Thursday morning A street is seen strewn with debris and downed power lines after Hurricane Laura passed through Lake Charles, Louisiana, on Thursday Louisiana Gov John Bel Edwards reported that the state has one fatality from the hurricane that became a Category 1 hurricane shortly after 9am. The storm's first victim, a 14 year old girl, died when a tree fell on her home, according to the governor's office. The office said they do expect more fatalities as the hurricane continues to pass through the state. Laura reached land near the small town of Cameron around 30 miles from the Texas border, where officials went door-to-door pleading with people to flee the path of the storm amid fears the entire parish will be inundated. Photograph: Rex/Shutterstock The Republican national convention is the Trump show, and all the Trumps are being rolled out, even the black sheep, Tiffany. Most of the family members are there in merely supporting roles for the pater familias, although Don Jr might fancy a political career in the wake of daddys second or third term. After all, he is the most closely connected to the Trump base, having peddled racist conspiracy theories since at least 2016 remember the Skittles tweet? Speaking of sideshows, there were also, of course, the heroes of rightwing cancel culture panic, such as the Covington Catholic kid and the St Louis Bonnie and Clyde. The evil cartoon characters from St Louis warned suburban America that no matter where you live, your family will not be safe in the radical Democrats America, while the Covington kid is here to personify the attack on free speech by the identity politics of the radical left. Related: RNC 2020: Trump hailed as a benevolent chief who deserves re-election In many ways, this convention is a call-back to the old Republican party of dog-whistle politics. The intended audience knows who they wont be safe from Black people and knows that no one is so powerless as a white man. But they dont explicitly mention race, as their audience still feels a bit awkward when the racism is too overt. Similarly, the non-white sideshow is there to tell this dog-whistle audience that, to quote Nikki Haley, America is not a racist country. Even liberals got swayed by the South Carolina Republican Tim Scotts body blows to Biden. As he portrayed himself as the product of the promise of the American journey, older moderate Republicans could probably hear the tunes of Reagans Morning in America in their minds. But these were just intermezzos in an onslaught of aggressive, relentless and unapologetic attacks on the so-called radical left provided by the Trump family and the host of people making their highly profitable careers through them including the hope for the Trumpian future, Charlie Kirk. Story continues Many people have noted the absence of establishment Republicans. Sure, the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, and the House minority leader, Kevin McCarthy, will both speak, but they are exceptions, and sideshows to the Trump show. In fact, in a whole new twist to No Platform, the Republican national committee proudly announced it would have no new platform for the 2020 elections. The Washington Post claimed that this means that the Republican party stands for nothing. But this is obviously wrong. Trump is the platform! And by now, even the Post should know what Trump stands for: authoritarianism, corruption, egocentrism, nativism and populism. As Ive argued before, US democracy is not dying in darkness. It is dying in plain sight if it is dying at all, but that is up to the American people and its vote. Melania Trump speaks to the 2020 Republican national convention. Photograph: Evan Vucci/AP Another popular take is that the Republican convention shows that Trump now fully controls the party. After all, he is the platform and most of the speakers are either his family or personal cronies who show near spiritual devotion. The Florida representative Matt Gaetz praised him as a builder a visionary, while the master of rightwing grift, Charlie Kirk, called him the bodyguard of western civilization and the guardian of America. The assumption of a lot of media coverage of the convention is that Trump has wrestled the party away from the former Republican establishment, and that the Republican party is now the Donald Trump or even Trump family party. As someone put it on Twitter: the RNC has become the TNC. But maybe things are a bit more complex than that. Maybe the Republican establishment has decided to sit this one out. Many Republican primaries have shown that Trump is nearly untouchable within the highly mobilized party base. Just as with the rise of the Tea Party in the wake of the Great Recession, the most bizarre and extreme people are being elected in primaries, at times getting rid of solid Republicans. And just like then, the Republican establishment has decided that it cannot control them. The November election is not just about 'the soul of America', but the soul, if there is one, of the Republican party What it can do, however, is create some distance from Trump. Hand him the convention, make him the platform and see where it goes. If he wins in November, they were always with him. If he loses, it was Trump who lost, not the Republican establishment. They will argue that they only stood with the president out of loyalty to their country and party, but that this was Trumps loss. While the Trump camp is getting stronger, and has an enthusiastic and mobilized youth base, it needs at least one more term for Donald Trump to truly challenge the Republican establishment, within both the party and the broader conservative movement. In this way, the November election is not just about the soul of America, but the soul, if there is one, of the Republican party. Determination He was determined that he would not let this stop him. Id gotten into this on my own and was going to get out of it on my own and be able to do anything anybody else could, he said years later. He soon put his engineering skills to work and fashioned prosthetics for both arms that would allow him to be able to write and eat and lift do all of the things he could do previously. He even designed the hand attachments so they could hold different tools. Two years later, he patented his device that allowed him to perform most functions. He patented a second one that allowed him to put on his own tie. Before long, he returned to work in road construction and engraving. Friends soon encouraged him to study law. He took to it quickly and passed the bar exam in 1907. Legal Life Corley was elected a justice of the peace in 1908, just three years after his accident. In Texas, a justice of the peace is a small-claims court judge. With his quick mind and gentle wisdom, he was a popular figure in the courtroom. Friends and supporters soon began thinking of higher office for him after his re-election in 1910. The Rs 4,000-crore Rohtang Tunnel, the world's longest motorable roadway at an altitude of over 3,000 metres, is ready for opening next month following the completion of civil works that began a decade ago. The tunnel will be opened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi by mid-September, Satish Paretkar, Director of Hydro & Underground business unit at Afcons told PTI. A joint venture of Shapoorji Pallonji Group-run Afcons and Strabag of Austria won the Engineering Procurement & Construction (EPC) tender for Rs 1,458 crore from Border Road Organisation in 2009. The cost of the project has crossed Rs 2,500 crore now, he said. The civil works started in 2009 and was to be completed within 6.5 years. Paretkar said the exact date of opening of the tunnel is yet to be finalised. The 9.02 kilometres-long Atal Tunnel, named after former Prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, passes under the Rohtang Pass in the eastern Pir Panjal range on the Leh-Manali highway at an altitude of 3,060 metres at the lowest and 3,078 metres at the peak. The tunnel is 10.5 metres wide and has a height of 5.52 metres and a car can zip through at 80 kmph. According to Paretkar, the horseshoe shaped single-tube, double-lane tunnel has many firsts. With a length of 9.02 km, it is the longest in the world at an altitude of over 3,000 metres or 10,000 feet mean sea level, he said. Further, it is also the country's first tunnel to have an escape tunnel within the main tunnel because of the topography. Globally, escape tunnels are built separately along the main tunnel. This is also the first tunnel to deploy the Rowa flyer technology, which allows engineers to work at inverted levels, he said. Paretkar said the delay in completion of the tunnel was mainly due to the 410-metre long Seri Nalla, a brook. "Seri Nalla was emitting over 125 litres of water per second, making work really hard. In my entire engineering life, this was the toughest job to execute. It took us more than three years to drill 410 metres along the Nalla," he said. In the Seri Nalla zone in the South Portal, engineers faced regular collapse of the tunnel face due to extremely poor geological conditions. Afcons deployed over 1,000 workmen and 150 engineers. The engineering design was done by Australian Snowy Mountain Engineering Company. The tunnel has consumed 14,508 metric tonnes of steel and 2,37,596 metric tonnes of cement, and excavated out 14 lakh cubic metres soil and rocks, using the drill and blast technique for excavation and the New Austrian Tunnelling method for construction, Paretkar said. At the peak, the tunnel is 2.5 km deep in under mountain belly at the South Portal side and the lowest overburden is 1.5 km, Paretkar said. His team is also building the world's highest single-arch railway bridge across the Chenab in J&K. The terrain is so dangerous that there are 13 avalanche zones around the tunnel, yet there was not a single fatal accident in all these 10 years of the project life, he said, adding that each worker is given an electronic chip that will warn of any danger. The all-weather tunnel connects Manali to Lahaul and Spiti Valley throughout the year reducing the distance on the Manali-Rohtang Pass-Sarchu-Leh road by 46 kilometres, and drive-time by 4-5 hours between Manali and Lahaul-Spiti. It is along one of the only two routes into Ladakh and will become key to resupplying military garrisons. The tunnel was conceived way back in 1983 by the Indira Gandhi government to make the Manali-Leh road all-weather. But it was only in 2002, that the then Atal Bihari Vajpayee government declared construction of the tunnel and laid the foundation for the approach road to the tunnel. The project began to move only in September 2009. (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.) T he police officer who shot the black man Jacob Blake in US city of Kenosha, sparking days of demonstrations, has been named as Rusten Sheskey. Wisconsin's attorney general Josh Kaul said at a press conference on Wednesday that the officer shot 29-year-old Mr Blake seven times in the back as he opened the door of his car. Officers found a knife in Mr Blake's car following the incident on Sunday, he added. The shooting sparked a wave of protests, some of which have turned violent. Jacob Blake's mother calls for violence to end A teenager was arrested and charged on Wednesday after two people were killed another injured amid the demonstrations on Tuesday night. Mr Blake is conscious and recovering in hospital but his lawyers said it would take a "miracle" for him to walk again. Sheskey, of the Kenosha Police Department, shot the Mr Blake while holding onto his shirt as he leaned into his vehicle, after officers first unsuccessfully used a Taser, The Wisconsin Department of Justice said. State agents later recovered a knife from the driver's side floorboard of the vehicle, the release said, and a search of the vehicle located no additional weapons. The state attorney general said Mr Blake had told investigators that he had a knife in his possession at the time of the incident. According to an initial account of events leading up to Sunday's shooting in Kenosha, Kaul said police confronted Mr Blake when they were called to the home of a woman who reported that her boyfriend was present without her permission. No charges were announced and the state Department of Investigation was continuing to investigate. No other officers at the scene fired their weapons, but all have been placed on administrative leave. FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Canadian oral hygiene brand, Oral Science has been creating trusted products that sell to both customers and oral health professionals for more than sixteen years. Oral Science makes a wide assortment of oral hygiene products from brushes, toothpaste, gums, and medical products to oral rinses. One of the star ingredients in Oral Science's popular X-PUR Opti-Rinse Plus is a new, patented ingredient, called Citrox. Aside from being completely plant-based and free from animal-testing, GMOs, and sugar-free, Citrox is also environment-safe, antimicrobial, antibacterial, and antiviral. This means that Citrox is extremely effective at killing detrimental bacteria and keeping the mouth clean and hygienic. But what is Citrox? Citrox is natural, made from bitter orange extract, meaning it is safe for all users and hypoallergenic. Besides its antibacterial properties, Citrox is also able to break down biofilm. Simply put, biofilm is the layer of grime on teeth that gives them the almost "fuzzy" feeling when they have not been brushed recently. Biofilm is made up of different microorganisms, some that enter the mouth through eating, drinking or breathing normally, and some that are naturally occurring in the oral environment to help break down food and aid in digestion. While some of the microorganisms in biofilm can be beneficial and even protect the mouth from bad bacteria, maintaining oral hygiene is important for keeping the oral microbiome in good health. Too much buildup of dental biofilm can lead to bad breath odor, but more seriously when left unchecked it can lead to tooth decay. Oral Science has two different strengths available for X-PUR Opti-Rinse Plus, and it comes in both mint and grape flavor. While most of the products Oral Science makes are geared towards healthcare professionals, X-PUR Opti-Rinse Plus has also been a hit among typical consumers, as well, because of its highly effective formula and great taste. In addition to X-PUR Opti-Rinse Plus, Oral Science carries products for use by every type of consumer, with some products that utilize fluoride as well as a line of fluoride-free products that are safe for use by all age groups. Making fluoride-free products that really work has been one of the company's industry-changing achievements since Oral Science is currently the only certified fluoride-free oral hygiene brand who can claim that their products actively prevent cavities. Oral Science works with researchers from acclaimed institutions around Canada, including the University of Toronto, they are able to back up the science on all of their health products. Currently, Oral Science has products for sale through their company website, and this year they have been expanding their sales to reach customers across the United States. Oral Science is definitely a brand to watch as they continue their U.S. expansion throughout 2020. Please direct inquiries to: Kim Alfred (954) 569-2234 [email protected] SOURCE Oral Science Cannonball Loop. Alpine Slide. Tarzan Swing. If the mere mention of these attractions sends a hit of dopamine your way either because you can still feel the burn of the concrete and asbestos slide on your skin or the rush of a summer on the edge a new documentary about Action Park may be up your alley. Class Action Park, a film that will be released on HBO Max tonight, is the latest expression of what might be called the Action Park Nostalgia Vortex, which includes a book, a feature film inspired by the place and a TV series in development. The Vernon water park, which fizzled in the mid-90s, was so notorious for causing injuries that people called it Class Action Park, Traction Park and Accident Park. Class Action Park directors Seth Porges and Chris Charles Scott attempt to cut through a thick layer of nostalgia-fueled admiration and myth to deliver harsh reality, including the human cost of the park. In the COVID-19 pandemic, the parks uninhibited thrill-seeking stands as a particularly potent relic of the freewheeling summers of the 80s. Now, all we have to do to put ourselves at risk is forget our masks when we go outside. See details for the films premiere below. And here are our interviews with the filmmakers, locals who frequented the park and people whose lives were irrevocably changed by accidents at Action Park. What is the release time for Class Action Park? Class Action Park will premiere 3 a.m. ET/midnight PT Thursday, August 27 on HBO Max. The documentary is special to the streaming service and will not air on regular HBO (theres currently a seven-day free trial available for HBO Max, then its $14.99 per month). Trying to die for fun Action Park opened in 1978 and closed in 1996, in part because of its ride-at-your-own-risk approach. The park was connected with five deaths by 1987. Accidents generated a series of lawsuits and six-figure settlements. We would try to die for fun, comedian Chris Gethard says in the film. Gethard, who grew up in West Orange, is one of a handful of celebrities whose memories and takes on the park are featured in the documentary. Park owner Eugene Mulvihill claimed to be insured by London and World Assurance, Limited, but the company turned out to be a phony offshore corporation of his own creation (he faced charges and was fined). Mulvihills son, Andy Mulvihill, co-authored the book Action Park: Fast Times, Wild Rides, and the Untold Story of Americas Most Dangerous Amusement Park (Penguin Books) with Jake Rossen. A scripted TV series based on the book, published in June, is in development for Hulu. A scene from the Action Park documentary "Class Action Park," premiering tonight on HBO Max.Seth Porges | HBO Max Class Action Park co-director Seth Porges didnt grow up in New Jersey, but he remembers visiting Action Park in the early 90s. As an 8 or 9-year-old, I could tell there was something different about this place, he told NJ Advance Media last month. There was just something chaotic in the air about Action Park and it stuck with me. Those who remember going to the park and those who are fascinated with how a place like this ever existed now visit by way of grainy footage posted to YouTube. Now, with COVID, the contrast couldnt be starker, Porges said. People arent just nostalgic for the 1980s, theyre nostalgic for the very idea of going outside. The 360-degree turn on the Cannonball Loop waterslide, in particular, has become a subject of curiosity. The teeth of people who tested the ride were later found embedded in the slide, causing lacerations for those who came barreling down the same chute. For more: Class Action Park probes death, danger and outrageous rides at N.J. water park. 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. Bloomsburg University will be moving to remote instruction after 90 people have tested positive for the coronavirus. All but one of those infected are students, while one is an employee, according to the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. The system did not say if the employee was a member of the faculty or support staff. Bloomsburg University President Bashar W. Hanna notified the campus community of the move to remote learning in a letter Thursday. Unfortunately, the circumstances have changed, and we have seen a concerning trend in positive COVID-19 cases within the BU community, Hanna wrote. After consultation with my leadership team, the members of our Council of Trustees, and the Office of the Chancellor, I have decided that, effective Monday, August 31, BU will transition to remote learning for all courses in progress. Bloomsburg is one of 14 institutions in the state system and serves more than 8,000 students. Bloomsburg had been offering about half of its classes in person, while the remaining classes were remote or a mix of face-to-face courses and online instruction. Daniel Greenstein, the state systems chancellor, said Bloomsburg has taken appropriate steps to protect students and staff in the midst of the pandemic. In light of the number of positive cases, he said its time for Bloomsburg to shift its plans. I feel terrible obviously for the students as a whole, Greenstein said Thursday. Bloomsburg students living in residence halls wont be required to leave but those who do will be reimbursed the unused portions of their room and board fees, Hanna wrote. All unused student fees will be reimbursed as appropriate, he added. All of Bloomsburgs clubs, fraternities and sororities are directed to suspend all in-person activities, Hanna said. The clubs are welcome to hold virtual events. Among the students infected, 67 were off-campus, 14 were living on campus, and 8 isolated at home, the university said. The university will go remote for two sessions already in progress. A decision on the third session of the fall semester, which runs from Oct. 7-Nov. 24, will be made by Sept. 21. Greenstein said he didnt think the students infections were the result of inappropriate behavior. Large gatherings of students on campuses around the country have drawn criticism. Students are students, Greenstein said. Our universities have done their level best to require social distancing ... I dont want to blame the students. The state system allowed its 14 universities to make their own decisions about offering face-to-face instruction or remote education. Several of the systems universities, including West Chester, Millersville, East Stroudsburg and Clarion, opted to begin the year entirely or mostly online. However, Bloomsburg and some other system universities are offering a number of classes in person. Other schools offering a sizable number of in-person classes include Shippensburg, Kutztown, Cheyney, and Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Greenstein said he didnt anticipate moving the entire system to remote learning. The individual universities will continue to make the call about offering classes in person or remotely. Our presidents have made decisions that are right and proper, Greenstein said. Going to a largely remote education experience does have challenges. Greenstein said remote education is more difficult for people of low-income families and those in minority groups, since they may live in areas without good broadband service or live in environments that are less suited for online course work. Some of those students may benefit from more face-to-face support. Some faculty members in the state system have said they are nervous about teaching students face-to-face in the pandemic and would prefer to teach remotely. Since the first cases were diagnosed in Pennsylvania in March, more than 130,000 people have been infected and more than 7,600 have died. The number of new cases has declined in August, but the health department has tracked an uptick in cases among younger adults, including those 19 to 24 years old. The state systems 14 universities educate about 96,000 students. So far, Greenstein said he hadnt heard reports of many cases at the campuses, which have just recently opened. Since Aug. 1, Shippensburg University has had 3 people test positive for COVID-19, according to the schools online dashboard. Outside the state system, other colleges and universities, including the University of Pennsylvania and Dickinson College, began the year online. Three universities, the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon and Drexel, announced they were delaying face-to-face instruction just days before the start of classes. Penn State is employing a mix of in-person classes and remote instruction. Lehigh University is offering many courses online; only first-year students and those with extenuating circumstances are on campus. 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. More from PennLive Faculty ranks at Pa. state universities could shrink by hundreds to cut costs Pa. State System of Higher Education exploring costs of combining some universities Penn State freshmen face backlash for party that might be the reason everyone goes home Pa. rental assistance program is riddled with problems as evictions are set to resume Thwarted at every turn, Pa. GOP lawmakers hatch new plan to limit Wolfs emergency powers Buffets in the age of coronavirus: Shady Maple and others adapt to new business models By Jeffrey Beer Times Guest Columnist By now, most Delaware County residents have recovered from the sticker-shock of their property value reassessments. Those who havent have until Sept. 1 to file an appeal. Either way, without knowing the millage rates, one can only speculate as to how much (if at all) their taxes will change a situation frustrating homeowners, buyers, sellers and real estate professionals alike. Generally speaking, reassessments (and any relative tax increase) are good for property owners, who benefit from a fair basis by which their taxes are calculated, and municipalities, which are duty-bound to ensure that their tax revenue meets their communities needs. That said, however, property owners and real estate brokers should still be frustrated, because the county-wide reassessment wont solve one of our biggest problems: underfunded public schools. Since state-level education funding is not keeping pace with local funding needs, the most economically depressed communities within our County, those not buoyed by rising property values, will need to brace themselves for further school property tax increases in the years following the reassessment. The consequences of underfunding education year after year are real and immediate. When the state fails to meet the needs of our schools, local property taxes must compensate, but, as the data shows, said property tax increases do not meet the educational needs of our children. And, as we fail these children, we fail entire communities. Homeowners in chronically underfunded districts ultimately see their home values decrease. School districts in Delaware County and southeast Pennsylvania are not alone. Three hundred school districts, about 60% of the total in the state, will experience funding shortfalls over the next few years that will result in limited opportunities for their students, according to a recent Temple University study. These limited opportunities for students will spell trouble for homeowners across the state. This downward trend is a direct result of the Commonwealth failing to do its share when it comes to funding public education. Unsurprisingly, Pennsylvania ranks 44th in the country in the states share of funding for public schools. The state must step to the plate in a big way so that communities, especially those with the weakest real estate values and poorest residents, dont continue to bear the school funding burden with additional property tax hikes or worse to protect students from cuts that harm instruction and opportunity. The quality of our public schools is inextricably connected to the resources available to educate our students. And, its a key driver in housing choices and community stability. Every homeowner, with or without children attending public school, is harmed by one common factor, an underfunded, low-performing local school. The state must increase its funding for public schools. In doing so, every homeowner, every resident, every community and every student will reap the benefit. Jeffrey Beer, Esq., of Havertown is a Broker of Record, Keller Williams Real Estate. Mumbai, Aug 27 : Filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri accuses Rhea Chakraborty, girlfriend of late Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput, of lying in the public domain with an intention to protect a lot of people. The filmmaker alleges that drugs have been normalised in Bollywood over the past decade, bringing in its wake money and terror mafia. "For the last 10 years, drugs -- especially chemical substances -- have been normalised in Bollywood by powerful people. Along with drugs comes a lot of criminality in terms of the money mafia and the terror mafia. All these kind of things come in -- all kinds of illegal, unethical and criminal stuff is taking place," Agnihotri told IANS. Talking about Rhea's contention that Sushant took Modafinil to overcome claustrophobia on a flight, Agnihotri said: "I feel Rhea is absolutely lying in the public domain to protect lots of people." Without taking names, the filmmaker also alleged that several top Bollywood stars have an anti-India mindset, which was not the case in the film industry in the past. "Obviously, along with the criminality, a lot of urban naxals come into the picture and they are primarily anti-Hindu, anti-India, which is why you will find some of the top stars of India talking about leaving the country. They go stand in JNU or take sides with the Shaheen Bagh people. This has never happened in the industry in the past. Be it Dev Anand, Manoj Kumar, Dharmendra, Rajesh Khanna, Amitabh Bachchan -- everybody stood for the country. This is a new trend these people have started, of ganging up against the country," said the filmmaker. Earlier on Thursday, Agnihotri opened up on Twitter, talking about the drug mafia of Bollywood. "The drug mafia of Bollywood is not just a drug mafia. It's a group of cunning and exploitative oppressors who are soldiers of a culture war against Bharat. They have direct links with #UrbanNaxals network and are found supporting them in all anti-India causes including CAA / Kashmir," Agnihotri claimed in one tweet. "Bollywood was never anti-Hindu/India. It was always ruled by Communist filmmakers but their films were against oppression and poverty, never anti Hindu or pro jehadi. The change took place when the Bandra boys took over Bollywood with drugs, vulgarity & anti-DHARMA activism. #FACT," he further wrote. "There are still some people like @KanganaTeam and I whose heart beats for Bharat. This is a critical moment in the history of Bollywood. If we don't break this dangerous anti-India, anti-DHARMA nexus now, then tomorrow no Kangana or Vivek will stand up to take on these gangs," the filmmaker added on his verified account. Agnihotri's contention about the Bollywood drug mafia comes at a time when the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has registered an NDPS case against Sushant Singh Rajput's girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty and two others on the basis of an Enforcement Directorate (ED) request to probe the drug angle in the actor's death. Latest updates on Sushant Singh Rajput Death Mystery Mary Vevang Anderson never thought she'd feel unsafe in Minnetonka, an affluent suburb less than 10 miles from Minneapolis. But ever since fires and looting destroyed hundreds of businesses in Minneapolis in the days after the killing of George Floyd, the 54-year-old mother of three has been frustrated. While she supports the protests - her 23-year-old son participated in them - she's upset by the uptick in shootings in areas of the city she used to love to visit, and afraid the violent crime could spill over into her suburb. She's horrified by calls to defund the police. "It's really a horrible thing to see what's happened," she said. "Lawlessness is everywhere." Things have gotten so bad, she said, that her neighbor is selling her house and moving up north, further away from the city. Vevang Anderson is among the suburban women President Donald Trump is targeting with his law-and-order message at the Republican National Convention this week, through tweets directed at the "Suburban Housewives of America" and in television campaign ads falsely suggesting Joe Biden supports defunding law enforcement. He's counting on them to help him flip competitive states like Minnesota, which he narrowly lost in 2016, and which Vice President Mike Pence will visit Friday. "In some suburbs, [women] make the critical margin of difference," said Kathryn Pearson, an associate professor of political science at the University of Minnesota. "If it were just up to men voting, Trump would have won in Minnesota." That's why the GOP has focused so heavily on these women this week. On Wednesday night, outgoing White House counselor Kellyanne Conway praised Trump for elevating women to senior positions and helping her "shatter a barrier in the world of politics." Earlier in the week, a video montage highlighted mothers among White House staffers, and Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel referred to herself as a "a real housewife." The convention's speakers have also sought to portray Trump as a defender of law enforcement and to link Democrats to violence in major cities. "You won't be safe in Joe Biden's America," Pence said Wednesday night. But when Trump speaks on Thursday night, Vevang Anderson won't be watching. Despite supporting him as a candidate four years ago, the small-business owner and longtime conservative can't bring herself to vote for him again - or to even watch him on TV. "Trump's lost his moral authority with me. He's so bombastic and he's cried wolf so many times," said Vevang Anderson, who owns a salon that has struggled to stay afloat amid the pandemic. "I don't even know at this point what he can do to regain my confidence in him." While she believes Joe Biden is a "good man," she's not set on voting for him either. She worries that he's simply a figurehead being propped up by the Democratic establishment, a party that contradicts so many of her conservative, small-government views. "I have turned my TV completely off," said Vevang Anderson, who used to be heavily engaged in politics, and who majored in American studies in college. "I have not even seen Biden speak. I don't even know how to pronounce his running mate's name. I just can't take in what's happening in the news." Not everyone feels so disengaged. GOP organizers are aggressively campaigning in these districts, adamant that a "silent majority" of conservative women is energized to vote for Trump. A hot-pink "Women for Trump" bus drew crowds on a tour through the state last week and made stops in several suburban towns. Several conservative women in the Twin Cities suburbs said they did not know any friends or neighbors who voted for Trump in 2016 who weren't planning on voting for him again. "Everyone I know who was on the fence does not regret it," said Wendy Eckman, 71, of Minnetonka. Her friend Holly Barnhill Hernandez said Trump wasn't her first choice in 2016, but she did end up voting for him, and looks forward to supporting him again. Barnhill Hernandez, who is president of the Northwest Metro Republican Women group, has been pleased by the list of conservative judges Trump has nominated, and how he has kept his promises and overcome "incredible obstacles," such as "the Russia collusion." "He stands up for people and fights back, and that's kind of refreshing," said Barnhill Hernandez, a 61-year-old teacher who lives in the suburb of Plymouth. "I don't see anyone who has shifted away from him." In fact, she said she's noticed increased interest in the organization; at an event last week, 10 new people showed up, she said. But it's hard for her to gauge how many of her neighbors actually support him. Minnesotan neighbors, particularly in suburban areas, tend to keep their politics to themselves, and Barnhill Hernandez and other Trump supporters she knows don't feel comfortable putting signs in their yards or bumper stickers on their cars, she said. The only lawn signs she sees in her suburb are for Democratic candidates and Black Lives Matter. Suburban districts have moved left in recent years, in Minnesota and across the country. Women in the Minneapolis suburbs turned out in large numbers in 2018 to unseat two Republican incumbents, including in Vevang Anderson's district. Polling suggests that trend may continue. Nationwide, women now favor Democratic nominee Joe Biden by 23 percent, according to an average of national polls since late June. And according to a mid-July Washington Post-ABC poll, women trusted Biden over Trump on questions of "crime and safety" by a 23-point margin, 57 percent to 34 percent. In Minnesota, a Star Tribune poll in May found that 63 percent of women statewide disapproved of Trump's performance as president, an 8 percent rise from a February poll in his disapproval rating among women in the state. The increase was even bigger in the suburbs, according to the Star Tribune. But Biden's ability to capture the state will depend on women in these suburbs turning out to vote, said David Schultz, a political science professor at Hamline University. "It's less likely that they'll vote Republican and Trump, but they might just say, 'I'm not going to vote,'" Schultz said of women in these suburbs. "If he can't bring them over, he can at least try to push them out." Democrats in the state have crafted their own message on law and order, one that they hope will energize suburban voters. When a Republican state lawmaker in June demanded that Minnesota's governor apologize to "moms out in the suburbs scared to death" about the protests, state Rep. Jamie Becker-Finn, a Democrat, responded with a hashtag that took off on Twitter: #IAmASuburbanMom." "I am a suburban mom. I don't need an apology," she tweeted. "I need the GOP Senate to support meaningful legislation to address systemic racism and police brutality." State Sen. Melisa Franzen, who became the first Democrat elected to her seat in 2012, said she believes women in her suburban district won't fall for Trump's "scare tactics," particularly when it comes to public safety. "I just don't think it's going to work," she said. "We're not going to put up with it." The suburbs around Minneapolis have grown increasingly diverse as well, which is reflected in their elected officials. Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Democrat, the first Somali American in Congress, represents a nearby district. For her part, Vevang Anderson is ready for a broader message. What she needs is more leadership in Washington, she said, especially for business owners like her who are struggling in the pandemic. She owns a salon and a co-owns a spa, and both of the businesses were shut down for 10 weeks. Even now, business is down about 20 percent, and her employees have occasionally had to quarantine while waiting for test results. She needs faster and more widespread testing, she said, and "some kind of confidence in the marketplace." In reading over the news coverage of the RNC, she was shocked that the pandemic was rarely discussed. And watching the news out of Kenosha, Wis., she worried about how Trump would respond to the civil unrest. She feared he might once again take "a threatening approach that just ratchets up the violence." She wishes Trump would put aside his Twitter account, pledge "not to be petty" and focus on reviving the economy, she said. "I'm just resigned to the fact that he's not going to be that guy," she said. "He's got a long way to go to convince me to believe him again." Editor's note: This is the fourth in a series of stories profiling new Lakeview Community Schools' staff members. See more stories throughout this week and previously-published content on our website. Ashley Arlt, a Columbus native and new Spanish teacher at Lakeview Community Schools, was ready to explore when she graduated from Columbus High. She went to Wayne State College for an undergraduate degree in Spanish and business. Then I moved to Spain, Arlt said. I lived there for about a year teaching English and then I moved back home. At home, Arlt worked at the Sylvan Learning Center as center director. But something was missing. I just missed teaching, Arlt said. She got a job at Pius X Catholic High School in Lincoln, then taught at V.J. and Angela Skutt Catholic High School in Omaha. After that, she taught at Humphrey Public Schools, and now she is at Lakeview Community Schools. Ive been teaching for 16 years now, Arlt noted. Her background is part of what she will bring to her new job, according to Lakeview Jr-Sr High School Principal Steve Borer. Ms. Arlt comes highly recommended. She is an experienced teacher and she demonstrates leadership skills that will benefit Lakeview, Borer said. Before she could teach Spanish, Arlt had to learn it, which she did for several years in high school. I didnt want to take it in college but I was good at it and so I ended up taking it there, she said. Studying abroad kind of ingrained my love for it because I love to travel and I knew knowing another language would do it. She studied abroad in Costa Rica, which she said was her turning point. She returned from Costa Rica and decided she was going to major in Spanish. But, there are some challenges to teaching Spanish. The most difficult challenges are having native Spanish speakers come in because I know there are different words and different ways of saying things, but I have to teach what the curriculum says I teach, Arlt said. When they come in knowing a different word for something its like OK, you know that but you also have to learn this,' so its trying to open the different ways of communication there.' One of her favorite topics to teach is culture. Arlt said native Spanish speakers help with that. Ill have them step in and explain what it was, if theyre coming from a different country or if mom and dad grew up in a different country, just kind of explain how things work at their houses as well, she said. It can be a challenge to introduce students who have never experienced living in another country or a different culture to a new culture, she said, but it can also be really fun. Another part she likes about teaching is watching students progress. Just seeing them go from knowing nothing to knowing and being able to have a simple conversation (is a joy), Arlt said. I also the last five years have taken my kids to the Spanish concert. So teaching them the songs and then they get to see them performed and sing along and just seeing the joy that they get out of taking the class. Carolyn Komatsoulis is a reporter for the Columbus Telegram. Reach her via email at carolyn.komatsoulis@lee.net. Love 3 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 1 Angry 2 Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Reliable results, easy to use, and a true bargain from the global market leader in titration: The new Eco Titrator from Metrohm is an entry-level titrator for anyone looking for maximum accuracy and reliability at an affordable price. 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As the endpoint of the titration is registered automatically, Elon Musk's net worth has surpassed $100 billion for the first time, thanks to Tesla's surging share price that has risen more than 400 percent so far this year. On Wednesday, Musk's net worth rose by $5.46 billion to reach $101 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index of the world's richest people. Musk remains the fourth richest person in the world, according to the index. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is the richest, with a net worth of $202 billion. So far this year, Bezos has added $87 billion to his net worth, while Musk's has risen by $73 billion. Elon Musk's net worth has surpassed $100 billion for the first time, thanks to Tesla's surging share price that has risen more than 400 percent so far this year Tesla's surging share price has risen more than 400 percent so far this year Who are the top five billionaires in the world? As of the close of market Wednesday: Jeff Bezos $202B Bill Gates $124B Mark Zuckerberg $115B Elon Musk $101B Bernard Arnault $86.6B Source: Bloomberg Advertisement It comes as Tesla stock continues to surge, rising more than 5 percent in midday trading on Thursday to $2,272.13. Last week, Tesla's market capitalization raced pass Walmart in value, marking another extraordinary milestone in the electric car maker's rise. The stock has jumped 45 percent just since August 11, when Tesla announced a five-for-one stock split. Tesla's stock is among the highest priced, per share, on Wall Street, and the Palo Alto, California-based company has said it was looking to make its shares more accessible to employees and investors. However, with Robinhood and other brokerages increasingly letting customers by fractions of individual shares, the benefit of stock splits has become less obvious, making Tesla's rally following the announcement of its stock split surprising to some professional investors. Tesla's stock is currently priced at an exceedingly high 148 times expected earnings, according to Refinitiv, and that valuation will not be affected by the upcoming stock split. Tesla will start rolling out 'made-in-China' Model Y vehicles at its factory in Shanghai starting in 2021, the Global Times tweeted on Thursday, citing an unnamed executive. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is the richest person in the world, with a net worth of $202 billion Investors expect important announcements when Tesla holds its long-awaited Battery Day on September 22, the same day as its annual shareholder meeting. The company is expected to present battery innovations, with analysts at Morgan Stanley predicting a company announcement on supplying 'superior' battery packs to the auto industry. Musk has suggested the U.S. electric carmaker may be able to mass produce longer-life batteries with 50 percent more energy density in three to four years. A very "limited number of stockholders" will be able to attend the events due to pandemic-related restrictions, Tesla said, and a lottery will be held to select attendees. Chief of Staff to the Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed has confirmed that the governor is now in self-isolation after he had contact with Atiku Abubakars son. The son has been confirmed positive for Coronavirus. Atiku had on Sunday night revealed that his son tested positive for the deadly disease. He said he has been moved to Gwagwalada Specialist Hospital in Abuja. According Ladan Salihu, the CoS, Governor Mohammed and his entourage met with the former vice presidents son while on a flight from Lagos to Abuja. He further stated they have all taken the coronavirus test and are expecting their results. Our Governor, Bala Mohammed is in self-isolation following contact with Atiku Abubakars son. Yes. We were on the same flight from Lagos to Abuja. They shook hands and exchanged pleasantries. The gov and the rest of us have taken tests. The results will be negative in sha Allah, he added. PV: 0 Woolpert Federal Design Practice Leader Doug Brown Doug is an outstanding member of our team and an even better person. ... We are honored that he will have a larger impact on the future of the company in this new role. Woolpert Vice President and Program Director Doug Brown has been promoted to federal design practice leader. Brown is a Professional Engineer and Project Management Professional who holds advanced certification in LEED Building Design and Construction. Brown has worked for Woolpert for close to 18 years. The son of a U.S. Army officer, Brown served in the U.S. Air Force as a civil engineer officer before joining the firms Fairview Heights, Ill., office. He has managed many of the firms multimillion-dollar military planning and design contracts, overseeing complex projects within strict budgets and tight schedules. In his new position, he will provide vision and direction for Woolperts federal design practice. Brown said one of the many high points in his career at Woolpert came early, when the firm began its long relationship with the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA). DoDEA is one of only two federally operated school systems responsible for planning and managing K-12 educational programs globally on behalf of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). Back in 2004, I was working as a young project manager trying to learn from the ground up about the military project cycle, Brown said. Our work with DoDEA provided me with an opportunity to learn and grow quickly within this progressive 21st-century design environment, and it opened the door to future contracts with DoD schools worldwide. Were still doing work with DoDEA now16 years later. He said working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Louisville District, has also helped enrich and define his career. Woolpert has worked with the district for many years, but the recent body of work started with several projects in 2008, transitioning to a large indefinite delivery contract for design in 2014, and on to the present. That first contract provided a great convergence of our experience, our capabilities and our military design presence here in the Midwest, Brown said. That continuing relationship has allowed Woolpert to engage in a lot of interesting projects and put us in an ideal position to support the Corps of Engineers by working hard, getting the right people in place and growing to meet their evolving needs. Were on our fourth USACE Louisville contract right now. Brown is equally dedicated in his personal life, serving as a founder and vice president of Joshuas Great Things, a nonprofit, charitable foundation that funds pediatric brain tumor research and family support programs. Since starting Joshuas Great Things in 2013, the organization has raised over $225,000 for research and has helped 200 families during their cancer treatments. Woolpert Senior Vice President and Federal Market Director David Ziegman said Brown is a key reason that the firm continues to grow and excel. Doug is an outstanding member of our team and an even better person, Ziegman said. He is adept at leadership and design, and his relationships with clients are excellent because they know they can trust him to deliver what they require every time. We are honored that he will have a larger impact on the future of the company in this new role. Over the next five years, Brown said he expects the firm to continue to expand its reach and capabilities to support the U.S. Armed Forces domestically and overseas, as well as support a growing number of other federal agencies. There are many opportunities out there for this market, as well as many needs, Brown said. Woolperts level of sophistication continues to increase to meet this demand. We have big dreams and big expectations, but they are based on history, growth and an unwavering focus on serving our clients. So far, the dream is working for us. About Woolpert Woolpert is committed to a vision to become the premier architecture, engineering, geospatial (AEG) and strategic consulting firm, and one of the best companies in the world. Its a vision weve been fine-tuning for decades. It guides our decisions and investments, provides our clients with optimal solutions and offers our employees unrivaled opportunities. Woolpert is recognized as a Great Place to Work by its employees and is Americas fastest-growing AEG firm. With more than a century of experience, close to 1,000 employees and 30 offices, Woolpert supports public, private, federal, and U.S. military clients nationally and around the globe. For more information, visit woolpert.com and connect with us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. By Express News Service BENGALURU: With increasing confusion among people on when to wear masks, and penalties being imposed by marshals, BBMP Commissioner N Manjunath Prasad wrote to Additional Chief Secretary, health department, Jawaid Akhtar, seeking clarity. Prasad asked 5 questions Should a person wear a mask while driving alone in a four-wheeler, with windows closed? Should a person wear a mask while driving alone in a four-wheeler, with windows open/ if the car is at a traffic signal/ if the driver opens window to talk to a person? Should a two-wheeler rider, without pillion, wear a mark while riding? Should a lone rider wear a mask when he stops the vehicle? Are joggers in public places exempt from wearing a mask? The questionnaire came after a video, claiming to be from the health ministry, began doing the rounds of social media, telling people they need not wear masks if they are fit and have no health problems, and are not visiting medical centres. Putting all doubts to rest, health commissioner Pankaj Kumar Pandey told TNIE that there is no such circular, and the ministry has always said that citizens stepping out of home must wear a mask. Only those alone in a four-wheeler, with windows rolled up, need not wear a mask, but should do so when they step out of the vehicle, or if the windows are down. All two-wheeler riders must wear masks. Those jogging, walking or exercising in a gym need not wear masks as the oxygen level in the body can dip, however, maintaining 6-ft social distance is a must, Pandey said, quoting experts. Pandey asked citizens not to believe rumours saying that there is no need to wear a mask. The ministry and WHO guidelines clearly state that wearing a mask is compulsory. Bikaner-Guwahati Express train derailment: Rajasthan govt to send 2 ministers to Bengal for coordination Profoundly shocked: Mamata writes to PM Modi over Centre's move to reject Bengal tableau from R-day parade Proposal to change rules for central deputation of IAS officers affects states' administration: Mamata to PM West Bengal: Antique idols worth Rs 35 crore seized India oi-Vicky Nanjappa Kolkata, Aug 27: The Kolkata Customs on Wednesday seized 25 antique idols valued at Rs 35.3 crore, which were being smuggled to Bangladesh. A senior customs official of the Preventive Wing said acting on a tip-off, it searched a truck carrying paddy on the night of August 23 and found the antiquities hidden inside. BJP tops Facebook political ad spending at Rs 4 crore & more news | Oneindia News The truck was intercepted in South Dinajpur district, he said. An Albanian drug dealer who killed a bus driver and injured 14 others in a 'catastrophic' high-speed crash has today been jailed for more than seven years. Victim Kenneth Matcham, 60, was 'ejected' from the single-decker bus he was driving after it was struck by Dorjan Cera's car in Orpington, south-east London, shortly after 10pm on October 31 last year. The impact caused the bus to hit a second single-decker travelling in the opposite direction on Sevenoaks Road, leaving multiple passengers injured. Cera, 20, had no insurance or licence at the time, and was driving a black Skoda Octavia he had hired using false documentation, the Old Bailey heard today. Prosecutor Nathan Rasiah said the case involved an 'appalling piece of driving', which had 'catastrophic consequences'. One man died and 14 others were injured following the horror smash in Orpington, south east London last year Dorjan Cera, 20, who admitted causing death by dangerous driving, had no insurance or licence at the time, and was driving a black Skoda Octavia he had hired using false documentation, the Old Bailey heard today Victim Kenneth Matcham, 60, pictured with son Ricky and daughter Shelley, was 'ejected' from the single-decker bus he was driving after it was struck by Cera's car It was reported initially that Cera was a minicab driver but he told police he 'at no time used the vehicle as a taxi'. Mr Rasiah said: 'The defendant drove his car at speed across a junction with a main road and collided with a bus. 'The impact of the collision forced the bus into the wrong lane, causing it to collide with another bus travelling in the opposite direction. 'Mr Kenneth Matcham, the driver of the first bus, was ejected from the vehicle as a result of the collision and died from his injuries, and a number of the passengers suffered serious injuries.' Cera pleaded guilty in June to causing Mr Matcham's death by dangerous driving. He also admitted seven further counts of causing injury by dangerous driving, being unlicensed and uninsured, and possession of an identity document with improper intent. Grandfather-of-seven Mr Matcham had been driving the R11 service which was carrying six passengers when his vehicle was hit. Mr Rasiah said Cera was travelling at a 'constant speed' of between 41mph and 44mph along The Avenue as he approached the junction's 'give way' line before crashing. Seven people suffered 'serious' injuries, including passenger Paul Wassell, who broke his spine in 'three or four places' when he was 'ejected' from the bus, the court heard. The force of impact caused the R11 service to hit another single-decker bus, which was running the 358 route, causing injuries to some of its passengers. Cera, whose car also hit the second bus, was found in the driver's seat, with the airbags deployed, by a firefighter. The impact of the crash caused the bus to hit a second single-decker travelling in the opposite direction on Sevenoaks Road, leaving multiple passengers injured Mr Rasiah said Cera was travelling at a 'constant speed' of between 41mph and 44mph along The Avenue as he approached the junction's 'give way' line before crashing After regaining consciousness, he 'identified himself falsely' to police officers, Mr Rasiah said. He tested positive for cocaine during a roadside drugs wipe test, but a subsequent blood test was negative, the court heard. Local resident Ross Philpott, 42 said at the time: 'There was a big smash and we heard a strange noise at about 10.10pm. It went on for a really long time. We went outside and it was carnage everywhere. It was like something out of a movie scene. 'The guy who died I think was under the bus. There was nothing we could do. Some ladies came out and brought blankets and water. Most of the people involved were stuck in the bus and it was probably safer for them to be in there. 'There was one guy talking on the phone who said he was thrown from the bus. He got away with bruised ribs, he was in shock. Another passenger kicked a window out of the bus to get out but most felt safe to stay on there.' Cera was on licence at the time of the crash, having been sentenced to two years in detention in September 2018 for possession with intent to supply class A drugs, driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence and without insurance, and possession of false identity documents, the court was told. In a victim impact statement, Mr Matcham's daughter, Shelley Gardner, described her father as 'the most amazing man you could have ever met'. She said: 'He was always my hero. I feel so privileged to have been part of his life.' She previously revealed how her father had spoken to her on the phone just minutes before he was killed, asking if she had taken his grandchildren out trick or treating for Halloween. Seven people suffered 'serious' injuries, including passenger Paul Wassell, who broke his spine in 'three or four places' when he was 'ejected' from the bus, the court heard Cera, whose car also hit the second bus, was found in the driver's seat, with the airbags deployed, by a firefighter At the victim's funeral, two double-decker London buses were driven in homage, with one bus sign reading 'Kenneth Matcham hero bus driver' while another said 'Kenneth Matcham RIP'. His coffin was donned with AC/DC, in a nod to his favourite band, and shire horses pulled floral tributes to the brave driver. The funeral's order of service had the band's iconic lightning bolt on the front as another homage to the grandfather's love for the group. Mr Matcham's family asked for donations in his memory to be made to the London Air Ambulance and more than 20,000 was raised. In court, Paramjit Ahluwalia, mitigating, said Cera had been diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder and depressive episodes following the crash. She said: 'There is an evident level of remorse by this 20-year-old. He expressed 'Every day I'm here in the prison, I am reminded of what I have done and I think about it every day.' The court heard that Cera had arrived in the UK from Albania at the age of 15 and had unsuccessfully sought asylum since. Sentencing Cera, of East Walk, Hillingdon, west London, Judge Wendy Joseph QC said: 'I am entirely satisfied that driving at excessive speed towards the junction with a main road, on the wrong side of the carriageway and making no effort to slow, stop or make observations before entering the junction indicates a flagrant disregard for the rules of the road and an apparent disregard for the great danger being caused to others.' Cera, who remained emotionless in the dock, was also banned from holding a driving licence for 11 years and four months. A graphic shows how the crash on Sevenoaks Road in Orpington materialised last year A map details the scene of the crash in Sevenoaks Road, Orpington, south east London In a victim impact statement, Mr Matcham's daughter, Shelley Gardner, described her father, picured, as 'the most amazing man you could have ever met' Acting Detective Inspector Richard Budd, from the Met's Roads and Transport Policing Command, said: 'Cera's driving that night was beyond reckless, it was clearly extremely dangerous and resulted in many people being injured, and sadly one man losing his life. 'Our investigation, supported by eye witness accounts, established that Cera had been driving at speed, entering a busy road on the wrong side of the road when he collided with the bus being driven by Mr Matcham; he had made no attempt to slow down or give-way. 'When Cera spoke with officers at the scene, he provided false details perhaps to later avoid responsibility but his true identity was quickly established. 'Today, he begins a prison sentence, having been left with no other option but to plead guilty. 'Our thoughts remain with everyone who has suffered as a result of his actions.' The Sri Lankan government led by Gotabaya and Mahinda Rajapaksa has reassured New Delhi that it would never allow China to use the island nation as a staging area to hurt the strategic security interests of India. Sri Lankas new Foreign Secretary Jayanath Colombage quoted President Gotabaya Rajapaksa saying that the country would always have an India First approach. That means Sri Lanka will not do anything harmful to Indias strategic security interests, he said in an interview to Daily Mirror newspaper published from Colombo. The interview was published on Wednesday. Colombage, a former commander of the Sri Lankan Navy, was the Additional Secretary (Foreign Relations) to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa before being appointed as the Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. His comments appear to be a move by Colombo to allay New Delhis concerns amid speculation that the recent landslide victory of the Rajapaksas Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) in the elections might make it easier for China to spread its tentacles in the Indian Ocean region and get an edge over India. China is the second-largest economy and India is considered the sixth-largest. In 2018, India was the world's fastest-growing economy. That means we are between two economic giants, the Foreign Secretary of Sri Lanka told the Daily Mirror newspaper. He said that Sri Lanka could not afford, should not and would not allow any particular country to use it as a staging area to do anything against another country, especially India. Sri Lanka is one of the Indian Ocean nations where China is trying to outsmart India in order to spread its geo-strategic influence. They had to lease out the Hambantota Port to China for 99 years after its construction by a China-based country resulted in a huge debt burden for it. The second of Mahinda Rajapaksa's two consecutive terms (2005-2015) in the office of Sri Lankan President had seen China expanding its footprints in the country, causing much to India's discomfort. China was allowed to develop strategic assets, like Hambantota Port. The communist nation was also allowed to dock two nuclear submarines of the People Liberation Army Navy at the Colombo Port, raising hackles in New Delhi. Colombage, however, said that Sri Lanka had initially offered the Hambantota Port to India. India did not undertake it for whatever the reason.Then, it went to a Chinese company, he said. Now, we have given 85 percent stake of that port to China Merchant Port Holding Company. That should be limited to commercial activities only. It is zero for military purposes. Mahinda Rajapaksa was appointed Prime Minister after his brothers election to the office of the President of Sri Lanka last year. He earlier this month led the SLPP to victory in the parliamentary elections and commenced his new term as the Prime Minister. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the first foreign leader to call him and congratulate him on his partys landslide victory on August 6 last. The Modi government last month extended a $ 400 million currency swap facility to the Indian Ocean island nation to help its economy recover from the Covid-19 crisis. New Delhi is also discussing with President Gotabaya Rajapaksas government in Colombo a proposal to delay Sri Lankas outstanding debt repayment to India. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (PANA) - The African Union Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has called for the tightening of measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus pandemic with the reopening of borders and travels Political illustrator Ah To poses with his work "Guillotine" after his cartoon column in one of the city's popular news magazines will get axed in Hong Kong, China, on July 28, 2020. (Tyrone Siu/Reuters) Hong Kongs New Security Law Inhibits Anxious Artists HONG KONGFearing their work may violate a national security law recently imposed by Beijing, some Hong Kong artists are turning to self-censorship while others are moving their creations abroad or are planning to leave the city themselves. The law, enacted in June, punishes subversion, secessionism, terrorism, or collusion with foreign forces with up to life in prison, raising fears it effectively crushes wide-ranging freedoms promised to the city for 50 years after its 1997 handover by former colonial master Britain. The city government, which has ambitions for Hong Kong to rival Paris or New York on the arts and culture scene, says the law does not curb rights and freedoms but will restore order and preserve prosperity after a year of anti-government unrest. Nevertheless, the impact of the law is showing up in different spheres of daily life: pro-democracy books have been taken off shelves in libraries, shops have removed protest-themed decorations, a protest anthem, and other activities have been banned in schools. Nearly 2,000 Hong Kong and international artists and cultural workers said in a statement the security law created a climate of fear and self-censorship. Illustrator Lau Kwong Shings fine-line drawings will no longer touch on themes of the pro-democracy movement as he shifts his focus to relocating. Ive chosen to leave. For the moment, I want to protect myself, Lau said, adding he would resume drawing once out of Hong Kong. He did not say where he hoped to move. Political illustrator Ah To poses with his cartoon after his column in one of the citys popular news magazines will get axed in Hong Kong, China, on July 28, 2020. (Tyrone Siu/Reuters) Him Lo, another artist now avoiding politics, moved his works, including a yellow banner that reads Recapture Hong Kong into storage at a European museum for safe-keeping. He declined to say where. Im worried art works will be seized, he said. An artist using the pen name Childe Abaddon published Voices, a collection of protest works, including cartoons, by mostly anonymous contributors just months before the new security law was imposed. Hes not planning a second edition. It was lucky that we put out the book before, he said. The book sold well, but we wont consider publishing any more. The artist did not want to be identified by his real name because of the sensitivity of the topic. Make an Impact The city government said the new law upholds the principles of respecting and protecting human rights. When exercising these rights, art practitioners need not worry as long as they do not contravene the offenses as defined under the law, the government said in a statement. The legitimate rights of Hong Kong citizens to exercise their freedom of speech, such as making general remarks criticizing government policies or officials, should not be compromised. The governments Hong Kong Arts Development Council said artists getting support should ensure their works conform with all legislations, rules, regulations, and statutory requirements. A political illustrator who goes by the pen name Ah To, whose cartoon column was dropped by the Ming Pao Weekly newspaper last month, is defiant. You have to decide and judge what your values are, you can possibly be arrested at any time, or regret that you have not done enough to try to make an impact on society, said Ah To, who declined to be identified by his real name because of the sensitivity of the issue. Ive decided at this stage to continue and persist. Ming Pao, which had featured Ah To drawings on topics censored on the mainland such as Chinas 1989 crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in and around Beijings Tiananmen Square, said the decision to stop running his work was part of a revamp and not related to the new law. By Pak Yiu NORTHWEST LOWER, MI Staff members with the Jobs for Michigans Graduates program in northwest Michigan have received state and national recognition for their work equipping young people with the skills to overcome barriers and succeed in education, employment and in life. The Northwest Michigan Works! Jobs for Michigans Graduates program served over 340 youth during the 2019-2020 school year. Students participating in the JMG program had a 99% high school graduation rate, 78% employment rate, and a 91% positive outcome rate which is a combination of employment, enrollment in post-secondary education or enlistment in the military. Northwest Michigan Works! coordinates JMG programs at Cadillac Public and Innovation High Schools, CASMAN Academy in Manistee, Charlevoix-Emmet Intermediate School District, the Traverse Bay Area ISD Career-Tech Center, the Wexford-Missaukee Career-Tech Center and Out of School programs in Cadillac, Kalkaska, Manistee and Traverse City. The local JMG staff awards include Peak Performance Award, High Performer Award, Living our Values Award, and recognition for meeting or exceeding national standards. The awards were presented at the virtual JMG Summer Summit. A northern Virginia man has pleaded guilty to a $1.4 million fraud scheme to obtain federal funds meant for businesses struggling under the coronavirus pandemic. Tarik Jaafar, 42, of Woodbridge, admitted in U.S. District Court in Alexandria that he created four shell companies to fraudulently apply for loans under the Paycheck Protection Program. Prosecutors say he and his wife filed 18 separate loan applications seeking $6.6 million. They actually received $1.4 million in loans from various banks. His wife, Monica Magdalena Jaworska, 43, of Ashburn, is also charged in the scheme and is scheduled to plead guilty next week. The two were arrested in June at Kennedy International Airport in New York after purchasing one-way tickets to Poland, authorities said. The vast majority of the funds were frozen but Jaafar was able to withdraw at least $30,000 in cash, authorities said. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics COVID-19 Fraud Virginia As COVID-19 cases and deaths continue to rise, so too does the number of lawsuits filed against employers. Recently, an increasing number of families of employees who died from COVID-19 have asserted wrongful death actions against employers for failing to keep their family members safe while at work. What can employers learn from these lawsuits to not only keep their workers safe but avoid being on the receiving end of such a claim? Throughout the country, employers are starting to be served with wrongful death lawsuits alleging an employees exposure to COVID-19 at work should lead to employer liability, despite the general rule that the workers compensation system is the exclusive remedy for such claims. The below matters are some examples of the types of claims that have been asserted against employers by families of deceased workers: Lanzo v. Generations Behavioral Health The plaintiff, the wife of a deceased employee working as a nurse at a mental health facility, alleges wrongful death under Ohio law. In support of her claim, the plaintiff alleges that the mental health facility failed or refused to follow COVID-19 directives issued by the state in order to reduce the spread of the virus. This, the complaint states, exposed her husband, Raymond Lanzo, to COVID-19. The complaint does not claim the facility was wrong to operate during the pandemic, but that it failed to implement the policies and procedures that it should have in place to follow the states pandemic directives. The plaintiff further alleges that the company was negligent in its failure to provide appropriate safety equipment. Allegations in the complaint also include that the mental health facilitys conduct was wanton and willful, likely both to enhance damages and avoid any argument by Generations Behavioral Health that workers compensation bars the claims, as simple negligence claims against an employer are typically barred by the workers compensation laws. Nevertheless, the plaintiff is seeking more than $25,000 in damages, including medical bills and funeral expenses. Norwood v. Rodi Marine LLC This wrongful death lawsuit was filed by the wife of a deceased crew member against a vessel owner/Jones Act employer in the Eastern District of Louisiana. The plaintiff alleges that her husband, Michael Norwood, was a crew member aboard a supply vessel owned and operated by Rodi Marine. In March and April 2020, the vessel reportedly was located at the Austal Marine facility in Mobile, Alabama. During that time, the vessels captain reportedly was dispatched to New Orleans to perform services on behalf of Rodi Marine. Following his return, he reportedly fell ill. Although somewhat unclear, it appears that the vessel captain sequestered himself in his quarters for two to three days until Rodi Marine was told of his illness. The company then removed the captain from the vessel for testing, which revealed that he had COVID-19. Norwood reportedly returned home when the captain was removed from the vessel and was isolated from contact with others except for his wife when he too fell ill. He reportedly succumbed to the virus despite medical treatment. The lawsuit alleges that Rodi Marine negligently caused Norwoods death for: (1) failing to provide Norwood with a safe workplace; (2) failing to implement policies and procedures to protect the crew from COVID-19; (3) failing to train vessel crew members regarding the actions necessary to prevent contracting and spreading COVID-19; (4) allowing the vessel captain to remain aboard the vessel while infected with COVID-19; and (5) permitting the vessel captain to travel to New Orleans when it was on lock down and known to be a COVID-19 hotspot. The plaintiff did not identify a specific sum of alleged damages. Elijah v. Port Authority Trans-Hudson Corporation The plaintiff, the wife of a deceased power rail mechanic for a rail carrier, filed this wrongful death lawsuit under New Jersey law. The plaintiff alleges that her husband was exposed to COVID-19 when he embraced a co-worker who later tested positive for COVID-19. The decedent was not wearing a mask because his employer allegedly instructed its workers at safety meetings not to wear masks at work unless they were performing their specific job functions. Approximately 10 days after being exposed, the decedent began to experience symptoms of COVID-19, which progressively worsened. The complaint alleges that decedent was hospitalized, and over the next 20 days, experienced a horrible and protracted death. The plaintiff alleges that the employer was negligent by: (1) failing to provide employees with a safe place to work; (2) failing to properly train employees about contracting COVID-19 at work; (3) failing to timely provide PPE to employees; (4) failing to conduct contact tracing; (5) failing to test employees for COVID-19; (6) failing to timely quarantine decedent and other employees who had been exposed to COVID-19; (7) failing to apply social distancing measures for employees; (8) failing to properly clean areas; (9) failing to warn employees of the dangers of contracting COVID-19 at work; (10) failing to medically treat the decedent; and (11) failing to follow its own safety rules, practices, and procedures. The plaintiff did not identify a specific sum of alleged damages. Deciding which actions to take and when is no simple task in this constantly changing environment. However, the more effort an employer makes toward providing for the safety of its workers, the stronger the defenses will be. How To Defend Against Such Lawsuits? The question at the heart of many of these wrongful death lawsuits revolves around whether the employer took reasonable measures, based on then-existing guidance, to do its best to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the workplace. Accordingly, the timing of any COVID-19-related precautionary safety measures, including policies and procedures, implemented in any given case will be critical evidence. Deciding which actions to take and when is no simple task in this constantly changing environment. However, the more effort an employer makes toward providing for the safety of its workers, the stronger the defenses will be. Here are some best practices to keep in mind, both to help protect employees from illness and to help avoid potential litigation. Follow the CDCs Interim Guidance for Businesses, including best practices for social distancing, Guidelines for Cleaning and Disinfecting the workplace, and quarantining employees who have an exposure to a confirmed COVID-19 case, found at the CDCs Public Health Recommendations for Community Exposure. Also, send employees who are symptomatic home until released by a medical professional or until they meet the guidelines for discontinuing self-isolation. If you are an essential business employing critical infrastructure workers, the CDC has adopted different guidelines to follow, including allowing asymptomatic employees who have had a direct COVID-19 exposure to continue to work as long as certain guidelines are met. Utilize OSHAs most recent guidelines as a resource when creating return to work plans and policies. OSHAs directives on implementing the identified guiding principles and FAQs may assist employers in safely reopening their businesses and workplaces. While the guidance is in the form of non-mandatory recommendations, OSHA has stated that an organizations good faith efforts to comply with its recommended guidance will be taken into strong consideration when determining whether to cite violations and has indicated the General Duty Clause may be the basis for violations if employers do not engage in such good faith efforts. Such citations could also be evidence of an employers failure in a civil lawsuit. Educate your employees and engage with them. Make sure employees know what measures you are taking to protect them. Be sure you stay aware of their health while respecting their legal rights to privacy and confidentiality. Constantly remind employees of the symptoms of COVID-19 and urge them to seek medical attention if symptoms appear. Check in with isolated sick employees at least once a day to ask about their health. An employee with whom you engage will be less likely to seek litigation against their employer. If a COVID-19 death does occur, consider how you can assist the family, including assistance with funeral costs. Some workers compensation laws may also provide for funeral expenses if the illness was determined to be work-related. The CDC recommends that employers notify potentially exposed co-workers of confirmed cases. Err on the side of transparency. Inform employees of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the workplace. The CDC recommends that employers notify potentially exposed co-workers of confirmed cases. Err on the side of transparency. Although no case law currently exists, we believe the Occupational Safety and Health Administration may ultimately determine that a failure to notify employees of a confirmed COVID-19 case is a violation of OSHAs General Duty Clause. Employers should still maintain the privacy of the confirmed employee. Stay on top of current and evolving guidelines. Recommendations from the Center for Disease Control (CDC), the Department of Labor (DOL), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and others, as well as state and local executive orders, continue to evolve, sometimes on a daily basis. Employers should assign individuals to keep up with changes and share them with management. More Wrongful Death Lawsuits Are Likely On The Horizon As noted above, it is anticipated employers will continue to be the target of these lawsuits, with family members potentially claiming that their loved ones were negligently or willfully exposed to COVID-19 due to inadequate safety policies and practices. You should take appropriate preventive steps not only to curtail litigation, but also provide viable defenses should such cases arise. For further information about COVID-19-related litigation being filed across the country, visit our COVID-19 Employment Litigation Tracker. Our COVID-19 Employment Litigation and Class & Collective Actions section also has a listing of our litigation-related alerts and team members handling these types of cases. Fisher Phillips will continue to monitor any further developments and provide updates on these and other labor and employment issues affecting employers. The firm invites readers to subscribed to Fisher Phillips alert system to gather the most up-to-date information. Source: Fisher Phillips Topics Lawsuits COVID-19 Workers' Compensation Commercial Lines Business Insurance The compiling committee discussed the content of the ICT White Book 2020 The compiling committee of Vietnams ICT White Book held a meeting on August 26 to discuss the content of the 2020 edition. The event followed the Minister of Information and Communications Decision No.1267/QD-BTTTT dated July 28, 2020 on the establishment of the compiling committee. Chairing the meeting, Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Phan Tam asked participants to check the targets of each sector and field to increase diversity in content. Vietnams ICT White Book 2020 is planned to include three parts, the first being an overview of IT development in the country and around the globe in recent years; highlights in Vietnams IT industry; Vietnams global IT ranking; the role and content of the national digital transformation programme, as well as its importance to national socioeconomic development; orientations for the IT industry, and electronics and telecommunications development. The second part will provide statistics on the IT industry from 2019; the list of 20 localities taking the lead in IT revenue, number of IT businesses, and workforce; the top 20 IT businesses in revenue, IT workforce, and state budget contribution. The third part will introduce IT-related agencies and organisations. In addition, the book will analyse the implementation results of the national IT industry development programme in 2015-2019; generalise national digital transformation; and provide statistics about foreign investment in the IT industry, among others. Vietnam announced the ICT White Book 2019 late last year with some new sections on IT development, data about IT development in localities, and the development of IT businesses, helping people, businesses, and agencies in looking up and using databases. Concerning Science over politics (Editorial, Aug. 26): By trying to attack the Federal Drug Administration as part of an absurd deep state conspiracy, as well as previously promoting quackery like bleach and UV ray cures for the coronavirus, President Trump has zero credibility for calling convalescent plasma taken from recovered COVID-19 patients a very historic breakthrough. And even if the president is hoping for good news via the development of a coronavirus vaccine for this before Election Day, it will not erase his I dont take responsibility at all statement for a pandemic that has now infected almost 6 million Americans and killed almost 180,000 of them. Phyllis Ramirez, San Francisco Trumps dreadful legacy So first lady Melania Trump, in her speech at the 2020 Republican National Convention, said, It has been inspiring to see what the people of our great nation will do for one another, especially when we are at our most fragile? Well, I would counter that its been devastating to see how little her husband has done to help our nation adequately combat a pandemic that he still derogatorily refers to as a Chinese virus. Its also been enraging to hear him make this apathetic statement of our nations rising death toll: It is what it is. A few years ago, the first lady promoted a Be Best initiative to reduce cyberbullying. Unfortunately, she never succeeded in getting her mercurial spouse to also curb his name-calling and personal attacks on Twitter, a dreadful legacy which will leave an indelible stain on the Oval Office. Josephine DiCostanzo, Burlingame Puzzled by Guilfoyles rant What was Kimberly Guilfoyle, current girlfriend of the presidents game-hunting son, Donald Trump Jr., and former spouse of Californias governor, Gavin Newsom, trying to accomplish during her speech at the Republican National Convention? This prosecutor-turned-Fox News host-turned Trump surrogate ranted about rioters destroying Democratic cities, drug and sex traffickers crossing our borders, and also falsely stated that her Puerto Rico-born mother was an immigrant even though Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory. By increasing her volume as she spoke and triumphantly raising her arms as she finished her speech, I wasnt sure if Guilfoyle was angling for a position in a second-term Trump administration or auditioning for the lead role in an upcoming road tour of Andrew Lloyd Webbers Evita. Anthony DeGuzman, Daly City Not in the price range My issue with a news story like Sunnyvale gets souffle pancakes (Business, Aug. 26) is this: Since the Bay Area is currently experiencing high levels of unemployment, with many families facing food scarcity and eviction, is it appropriate to be lauding the opening of a cafe that will serve Japanese souffle pancakes topped with Earl Grey tea cream and chewy boba, or creme brulee pancakes doused with brown sugar and honey (and then torched until crispy), for $12-$15 a stack? Even if these menu items being offered by Hanabusa Cafe are popular, they are also unaffordable for many people suffering economic problems during the coronavirus pandemic. Mona Schumann, San Jose Keep neighborhoods safe The Jacob Blake shooting reminds us why we must make our own neighborhoods safe and decent places to live. Calling the police appears to be more dangerous than not calling them. Implicit bias and de-escalation training works only on clean minds and hearts. Paul Bacon, Hallandale Beach, Fla. Students must be responsible Regarding UC Berkeley opens in search of normal (Aug. 26): Since incoming UC Berkeley students will be housed in no-roommate dorms, be engaged in remote learning, and be regularly tested for the coronavirus, campus life at the beginning of their new academic year cannot be normal in any sense of the word. And if these students, like a business major who said he needs to network, do not refrain from gathering without face masks and social distancing, then even more restrictions (or even suspensions) will occur. Its already troubling to read a report that at least three students have tested positive since move-in day last week, with hundreds of results pending. Hopefully, UC Berkeley students will behave responsibly to avoid getting themselves and their classmates added to our states already high number of coronavirus cases. Terrence Williams, Berkeley Confused by the anger I am genuinely puzzled. What, exactly, are President Trumps supporters so angry about? Hasnt their man made America great again? Hasnt Trump had unabashed support and enabling from the Republican Senate? I am sorry, I just do not get it. BEIJING China began moving into its final weekend before a full re-opening of schools amid continuing measures to prevent any further spread of coronavirus. The country reported just nine new cases on Friday, all brought from outside the country. Hospitals are treating 288 people for COVID-19 and another 361 are being monitored in isolation for showing signs of the illness or having tested positive for the virus without displaying symptoms. China has recorded 85,013 cases since the virus was first detected in the central Chinese city of Wuhan late last year, with 4,634 dying from COVID-19. The roughly 25 per cent of students still out of school are due to return to classes on Monday. Lessons are being held on a staggered schedule and mask wearing and social distancing required. College undergraduates are also due to return to campus next week, with Beijing ordering tests for all 600,000 taking up places at the citys institutions. ___ HERES WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE VIRUS OUTBREAK Alabama Gov. Ivey extends statewide mask order after cases drop WHO says test, despite CDCs recent flip flop on testing As virus rages, US economy struggles to sustain a recovery Teens step up during pandemic, helping others with delivering food, buying masks or teaching kids online. The Trump administration has sharply increased its use of hotels to detain immigrant children before expelling them from the United States during the coronavirus pandemic. The U.N. says its urgent to get kids back to schools. But some medical experts are urging caution as the virus is still raging in the U.S. and resurging from France to South Korea. Follow APs pandemic coverage at http://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak ___ HERES WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING: SEOUL, South Korea -- South Korean officials are considering reducing the working hours of restaurants and cafes as the country counted its 15th straight day of triple-digit daily jumps in coronavirus infections. The 371 new cases reported by the South Koreas Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Friday brought the national caseload to 19,077, including 316 deaths. The country has added more than 4,300 to its caseload over the past 15 days, prompting concerns about overwhelmed hospital systems. While government has recently banned large gatherings and shut down nightspots and churches nationwide, there are calls for elevating social distancing measures to the highest Level 3, which would prohibit gatherings of more than 10 and advise private companies to have employees work from home. But Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun said during a virus meeting Friday that the government wasnt ready to implement Level 3 restrictions yet, citing concerns about hurting an economy that policymakers will likely shrink for the first time in 22 years. Chung said officials will instead explore other ways to improve distancing, such as limiting the working hours of restaurants and cafes. ___ SANTA FE, N.M. -- Health officials are relaxing pandemic lockdown restrictions to allow larger public gatherings of up to 10 people and provide limited access to museums with static displays. New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced the changes Thursday at a video news conference. In-person classroom leaning is being delayed in counties with high average daily infections or high positivity on coronavirus tests. Other changes that take effect Saturday will allow people to dine indoors at restaurants in limited numbers for the first time since mid-July. A self-quarantine requirement for out-of-state travellers remains in place. ___ HONOLULU The Hawaii Tourism Authority says visitor arrivals to the islands in July fell by almost 98% when compared to the same month last year. A report released Thursday says 22,562 visitors arrived by air last month, compared to the 995,210 travellers who arrived in Hawaii in July 2019. Most of the visitors last month were from the U.S. mainland only about 2,100 were from international locations. For the first seven months of the year arrivals plummeted nearly 65%. All arriving visitors are subject to a mandatory 14-day quarantine, a measure that for months seemed to keep the coronavirus at bay in Hawaii. But now, after the local economy began to reopen and restrictions eased earlier this summer, Hawaii is seeing a surge in COVID-19 cases, spurring yet another round of stay-at-home orders and business closures. The restrictions, coupled with generally fewer vacationers amid the pandemic, have decimated the states tourist-based economy. Air service to the state was down about 87% in July. No cruise ships are operating. ___ NEW YORK A top U.S. health official triggered a new round of confusion while trying to clarify a change to the coronavirus testing guidance. The change posted this week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was sharply criticized by public health experts. The CDC previously had advised local health departments to test people who have been within 6 feet of an infected person for more than 15 minutes. The guidance posted Monday said those people did not necessarily need a test unless they were more vulnerable to COVID-19. It also said a doctor or public health officials could still recommend a test. After the change was attacked, CDC director Dr. Robert Redfield issued a statement Wednesday, attempting to explain it, saying Testing may be considered for all close contacts of confirmed or probable COVID-19 patients. The statement said health officials are putting an emphasis on testing certain people, including those with symptoms and people who are most vulnerable for severe illness, like nursing home patients. But it also said testing should be emphasized for individuals with a significant exposure. The Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the CDC, insisted Thursday that Redfieds statement wasnt a walk back of the posted guidance, as some called it. ___ JACKSON, Miss. -- Mississippi election laws could force people to choose between their health and their constitutional right to cast a ballot, according to a lawsuit that voting-rights groups filed Thursday to challenge the states restrictions on absentee voting. Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and Southern Poverty Law Center filed the suit in U.S. District Court in Jackson. The new lawsuit is similar to one filed Aug. 11 in state court. Mississippi does not allow widespread early voting. Instead, state law says absentee voting is available to anyone who is 65 or older, or for voters of any age who are permanently disabled or will be out of their home county on Election Day. Legislators tweaked the law this year with provisions that expire at the end of 2020. Those allow absentee voting by someone with a temporary or permanent disability that may include a physician-imposed quarantine due to COVID-19 or by a person who is caring for a dependent that is under a physician-imposed quarantine due to COVID-19. The lawsuit filed Thursday says that the new provisions fail to provide clear guidance about whether people may vote absentee if they have medical conditions that make them vulnerable to the new coronavirus. ____ HONOLULU Most Hawaii public schools will continue at-home distancing learning through the first quarter, which ends in October. Concerns about campus safety during the coronavirus pandemic prompted education officials to postpone the start of the school year by two weeks. Most schools planned to offer hybrid instruction with students alternating between in-person and online classes. A few schools planned to open to in-person instruction. However, right before the Aug. 17 start date, the Hawaii Department of Education announced most schools would provide distance learning for the first four weeks. The teachers union complains schools arent ready to open safely. ___ LANSING, Mich. The Michigan Supreme Court has postponed arguments over Gov. Gretchen Whitmers use of emergency powers until Sept. 9. The one-week delay is necessary because of an illness on Justice Richard Bernsteins staff. He said an indispensable aide is struggling with COVID-19. Because of my blindness, I depend on him to help me review and internalize thousands of pages of material. ... The work he does with me takes extensive time and effort and cannot be done without him, Bernstein said. A federal judge hearing a dispute over Whitmers coronavirus restrictions has asked the Supreme Court for an opinion on her power to renew certain orders related to COVID-19. Separately, the Republican-controlled Legislature has challenged Whitmer with its own lawsuit. The governor so far has won at the Court of Claims and the Michigan Court of Appeals. __ LITTLE ROCK, Ark. Arkansas is reporting at least 411 students, teachers and staff at public schools are actively infected with the coronavirus as the states new cases continue to rise. The state began releasing numbers from public school districts with more than five confirmed cases four days into the new academic year. Arkansas public schools have about 480,000 students and more than 69,000 employees. The Health Department has reported 722 new confirmed virus cases overall in the state, bringing the total since the pandemic began to 58,745. Of those, 6,632 are active cases that dont include people who have died or recovered. The number of people who have died from COVID-19 in the state rose by seven to 739. Active hospitalizations declined by two to 433. ___ SAN JOSE, Costa Rica Costa Rica has adopted a less strict method of counting people infected with the coronavirus, abruptly adding thousands of new cases to the countrys infection totals. Under the new criteria, people are counted who show symptoms of the disease and had direct contact with someone who tested positive, even if they were not tested themselves. That has added more than 3,000 cases to the countrys reported total of 36,307 infections as of Wednesday. There have been 386 reported deaths. Those newly counted under the change are also required to quarantine at home for 14 days. Health Minister Daniel Salas entered quarantine on Tuesday after his father tested positive, though Salas hasnt reported suffering symptoms. Announcing the new policy, Salas said it is about practicality and finding the greatest effectiveness in what were doing with the resources that we have. ___ TOPEKA, Kan. Gov. Laura Kelly says Kansas will apply to participate in a federal program providing additional benefits to workers whove lost their jobs because of the pandemic. Thursdays announcement comes less than two weeks after the Democratic governor questioned the programs legality and suggested it could be difficult to administer. Kellys office says the state would use a portion of its $1.25 billion in federal coronavirus relief funds to cover part of the added benefits. President Donald Trump issued an executive order this month offering an additional $300 a week in benefits to jobless workers and $400 a week if states chip in the additional $100. The federal government would have to approve Kansas proposal. An earlier program providing an additional $600 a week expired at the end of July with no agreement in Congress on extending or replacing it. Kelly said Thursday in a statement that she had hoped the GOP-led U.S. Senate would have approved a program before taking its August break. Kelly said its far from a perfect solution, but I could not sit by idly while many Kansans are still facing unemployment. ___ MONTGOMERY, Ala. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey is extending a statewide mask order thats credited with reducing coronavirus cases in the state. The Republican governor says the order, which was set to expire next week, will be extended until Oct. 2. Ivey will keep in place other health orders, such as reducing occupancy in stores and limiting table seating in restaurants. Folks, I understand you dont want to wear the mask. I dont either, Ivey said at the state capitol. When you wear a mask, you are protecting the people in your office, school, church and your vulnerable family and friends. Ivey has faced a mix of praise from health officials and criticism from some conservatives for the decision to issue the statewide mask order unlike some other Southern governors. State Health Officer Scott Harris links increased mask usage to a drop in hospitalizations and the percentage of positive tests. Since mid-July, the average daily case count dropped from a peak of more than 1,500 to less than 1,000 this week. The per cent of tests returning as positive dropped from a high of 16.5% last month to 8% last week. Nearly 120,000 Alabamians have tested positive with nearly 2,000 confirmed deaths, according to the state Department of Public Health. ___ DES MOINES, Iowa Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds is ordering all bars be closed in six of the states largest counties in response to surging numbers of confirmed coronavirus cases. Reynolds ordered the action in Black Hawk, Dallas, Linn, Johnson, Polk and Story counties effective 5 p.m. on a day when the state had nearly 1,500 confirmed cases, a new high that topped levels recorded in the spring. In the last 24 hours, Iowa recorded 1,475 confirmed cases, surpassing the April 25 total of 1,284. During that period, there were 18 more deaths for a total of 1,079. Reynolds says the increased cases are largely due to young people gathering, especially those returning to universities. In Story County, where Iowa State University is located, 28% of tests reported Wednesday were positive, according to state data. In Johnson County, home to the University of Iowa, it was 25%. ___ PHOENIX Gyms and some bars across metro Phoenix and Tucson can reopen with coronavirus numbers in several Arizona counties dropping to moderate levels. Maricopa and Pima counties have seen decreases since the Arizona Department of Health Services published guidelines for business re-openings this month. Pina County failed to meet the metrics for reopening, a surprise because Health Services Director Dr. Cara Christ said this week it had been expected to see a decrease in cases. Six of 15 counties remain in the high category where gyms, bars, nightclubs and water parks cant reopen without a state waiver. ___ BALTIMORE Investigators say a Maryland man sold unregistered and misbranded pesticides falsely advertised as a government-approved disinfectant for the coronavirus. Marek Majtan, 35, of Frederick, was charged in a criminal complaint accusing him of repackaging pesticides with his own handmade labels and marketing it on the internet. Majtan, who was not authorized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to manufacture or distribute any pesticides, used a false EPA registration number on his products, according to a special agent with the EPAs Criminal Investigation Division. U.S. Attorney Robert Hur says it is particularly egregious to seize on the ongoing pandemic to take advantage of the public. ___ LONDON The World Health Organization says countries should actively test people to find coronavirus cases, even if they have mild or no symptoms. Thats despite the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Preventions recently switched guidance to say asymptomatic contacts of cases dont need to be tested. Maria Van Kerkhove, WHOs technical lead for the coronavirus, says when officials are investigating clusters of COVID-19, testing may need to be expanded to look for individuals who are on the more mild end of the spectrum or who may indeed be asymptomatic. Van Kerkhove says countries were free to adapt their testing guidance for their individual needs and its critical how fast countries get results. Defining active cases so they may be isolated and to allow contact tracing is really fundamental to breaking chains of transmission, she says. Van Kerkhove also says wearing masks alone isnt enough to protect against the spread of the coronavirus, expressing concerns that people are growing too lax on maintaining physical distancing. Masks, distancing and hand-washing Do it all, she says. Landlords Dont Want To Be A Safety Net High Rent, With Kids (TNS) Fabian Ramirez needs more time to catch up on the rent he couldnt pay when the coronavirus outbreak put him out of work last spring. Hes in the hole by more than $5,000 a burden for a laborer with a family to feed.Its a lot, said Ramirez of Sacramento, who took home about $2,200 a month from his work before the outbreak and had little savings.His options depend in part on whether Gov. Gavin Newsom and California state lawmakers can reach a deal over the next week to extend renter protections that expire Sept. 2. If they cant make an agreement, up to 4 million Californians are believed to be in jeopardy of eviction because of unpaid rent.If we dont change state law, we will see a wave of evictions which would be catastrophic for homelessness and COVID-19 spread, said Assemblyman David Chiu, D-San Francisco, who is pushing for an eviction moratorium. Without a new state law, tenants will get evicted and landlords will not get the rent theyre owed. Chiu is behind the only rent-relief plan moving forward in the Legislature today. Assembly Bill 1436 would prohibit evictions until 90 days after Newsom lifts the states coronavirus emergency or April 1, 2021, whichever comes first. It would give tenants a year to make up unpaid rent.Homeowners and small building landlords could also request nearly a year of forbearance on their mortgage under the legislation, while property owners of larger buildings of five units or more would qualify for six months of relief.Other options have faded, including a plan from Senate Democrats that would have allowed renters 10 years to make up late payments.The proposals were developed to follow an eviction ban the state Judicial Council enforced since April. Eviction proceedings can resume on Sept. 2, unless Newsom signs a new law.The federal government has not stepped in since its coronavirus eviction ban expired at the end of July, either. President Donald Trump signed a memorandum this month urging federal housing agencies to do what they could to keep people in their homes, but it fell short of a mandate to suspend evictions and foreclosures.Congress could act when it returns to Washington, D.C., in September. Democrats in charge of the House of Representatives signaled they want to impose an eviction ban. Republicans leading the Senate have not endorsed that proposal.Theres no leadership from the White House or the Senate on this, said Matt Schwartz, president and CEO of California Housing Partnership, an affordable housing advocacy and research organization.That means renters hopes depend on the proposal California lawmakers are developing with Newsom, which would have to pass the Legislature with a two-thirds majority vote to take effect by next month.Rental and business associations have argued against the bill, saying landlords and banks shouldnt be forced to become a safety net in the public health crisis.Rental housing owners have been fronting the bills on behalf of renters with no assistance an unsustainable model that will reduce the number of rental housing available in the state, said Jack Schwartz, legislative chair for the California Rental Housing Association. The legislation, as currently drafted, will damage the rental housing industry in the long term for renters, and discourage construction of more rental housing in the future.But Newsom and Democrats say theyre moving forward. Amendments to the plan could be released over the next few days.Newsom said on Monday that his team was actively engaged in dynamic conversations with stakeholders.We are making real progress in that space, Newsom said.California had a housing crisis before the coronavirus outbreak. The pandemic exacerbated the housing crunch by disproportionately cutting employment for working-class households.The states unemployment rate surged to 14.9 percent by June, with 903,000 renter households having experienced a job loss during COVID-19, according to a recent study from the Terner Center for Housing Innovation at UC Berkeley.About half, 422,000, of those households represent families with children, and 411,000 were already rent-burdened, or paying more than a third of their income on housing.Count Ramirez, the Sacramento renter, among them. The solar panel company he works for shut down its operations in March, he said. Hes been back to work since June, but not at full-time hours.Ramirez, 46, speaking through a translator in Spanish, said he now works around 60 hours every two weeks, an uptick from a slow spring and summer. But its not enough to get caught up on the $1,059 gone unpaid each month in rent, he said.Now, his priority is figuring out a payment plan with his landlord so he can cut down the debt owed.For families like Ramirezs, the rent relief proposal in the Legislature wont alleviate the economic pain of unemployment or hours cut.David Garcia,w policy director for the Terner Center, said AB 1436 is only a Band-Aid fix. He said families who lost months of wages will need a boost in unemployment insurance, similar to the supplemental $600 weekly benefit the federal government provided from March until the end of July.I think what weve been seeing is that the boost in unemployment insurance has helped keep many households in their homes, Garcia said. Absence an extension of that, we are really at risk of seeing a wave of evictions. Around five years ago, NASAs Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope detected high-energy gamma rays coming from TXS 0128+554, an elliptical galaxy located some 500 million light-years away in the constellation of Cassiopeia. Purdue University Professor Matthew Lister and colleagues have since taken a closer look using NSFs Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) and NASAs Chandra X-ray Observatory. After the Fermi announcement, we zoomed in a million times closer on the galaxy using the VLBAs radio antennas and charted its shape over time, Professor Lister said. TXS 0128+554 hosts a supermassive black hole of around one billion solar masses, and is classified as an active galaxy, which means all its stars together cant account for the amount of light it emits. An active galaxys extra energy includes excess radio, X-ray, and gamma-ray light. Astronomers think this emission arises from regions near the central black hole, where a swirling disk of gas and dust accumulates and heats up because of gravitational and frictional forces. Around one-tenth of active galaxies produce a pair of jets, beams of high-energy particles traveling at nearly the speed of light in opposite directions. Scientists think these jets produce gamma rays. In some cases, collisions with tenuous intergalactic gas eventually slow and halt the outward motion of jet particles, and the material starts to flow back toward the galaxys center. This results in broad regions, or lobes, filled with fast-moving particles spiraling around magnetic fields. The particle interactions create bright radio emission. Using the VLBA, a network of radio antennas stretching from Hawaii to the U.S. Virgin Islands, Professor Lister and colleagues created a detailed map of TXS 0128+554 at different radio frequencies. The radio structure they revealed spans 35 light-years across and tilts about 50 degrees out of our line of sight. This angle means the jets arent pointed directly at us and may explain why the galaxy is so dim in gamma rays. Were lucky because the galaxy is angled in such a way, from our perspective, that the light from the farther lobe travels dozens more light-years to reach us than the light from the nearer one, said Denison Universitys Professor Daniel Homan, co-author of the study. This means were seeing the farther lobe at an earlier point in its evolution. If TXS 0128+554 was aligned so the jets and lobes were perpendicular to our line of sight, all the light would reach Earth at the same time. We would see both sides at the same stage of development, which they are in reality. The galaxys jets appear to have started around 80 years ago, as observed from Earth, and then stopped about 50 years later, leaving behind the unconnected lobes. Then, roughly a decade ago, the jets turned on again, producing the emission seen closer to the core. What caused the sudden onset of these active periods remains unclear. The radio emission also sheds light on the location of the galaxys gamma-ray signal. Many theorists predicted that young, radio-bright active galaxies produce gamma rays when their jets collide with intergalactic gas. But in TXS 0128+554s case, at least, the particles in the lobes dont produce enough combined energy to generate the detected gamma rays. Instead, the authors thinks the galaxys jets produce gamma rays closer to the core, like the majority of active galaxies Fermi sees. The team also observed TXS 0128+554 in X-rays using Chandra, looking for evidence of an enveloping cocoon of ionized gas. While their measurements couldnt confirm the presence or absence of a cocoon, there has been evidence for such structures in other active galaxies, like Cygnus A. The observations do indicate TXS 0128+554 has a large amount of dust and gas surrounding its core, which is consistent with a highly inclined viewing angle. This galaxy reminds us of the importance of multiwavelength observations, looking at objects across a wide range of the electromagnetic spectrum, said Dr. Elizabeth Hays, the Fermi project scientist at NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center who was not involved in the study. Fermi, the VLBA, and Chandra each add a layer to our growing picture of this object, revealing their own surprises. The findings appear in the Astrophysical Journal. _____ M.L. Lister et al. 2020. TXS 0128+554: A Young Gamma-Ray-emitting Active Galactic Nucleus with Episodic Jet Activity. ApJ 899, 141; doi: 10.3847/1538-4357/aba18d This article is based on text provided by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 27) President Rodrigo Duterte has accepted the resignation of PhilHealth CEO and President Ricardo Morales, his spokesman said on Wednesday. Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said there are names being considered to succeed Morales, but the President is being cautious with his next appointee in order to rebuild the public's trust on PhilHealth. "Kailangan ang iuupo ay walang bahid ng korapsyon, may managerial skills, may kakayahan sa insurance at public health service," he said in a media briefing. [Translation: They should have no record of corruption, they should have managerial skills, and knowledge in insurance and public health. Duterte has been pressed to sack Morales for months now after allegations of corruption and fraudulent schemes within the state insurer cropped up in June. But he has refused to fire the former military official pending solid proof. Morales, who is battling lymphoma or cancer of the lymph nodes, tendered his resignation on Wednesday. This came after Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra revealed that Duterte took note of Morales' medical condition, "and stated that it would be best for the latter and for PhilHealth to give up his post during these critical times for the agency." Philhealth Senior Vice President Rodolfo del Rosario Jr. on Wednesday announced that he too has resigned. Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, who also serves as PhilHealth chairman, assured that the agency's services will remain unhampered, with Executive Vice President Arnel de Jesus appointed as officer in charge. "Iyong usual reimbursement ng PhilHealth, patuloy po iyan. Patuloy po iyang benepisyo po ng ating mga kababayan na pasyente," he said in a separate event. The task force investigating the state-run health insurance agency disclosed it secured testimonies from whistleblowers who said officers from the central office and regional offices of PhilHealth have been conniving with health service providers and partner banks in their fraudulent schemes for years. Earlier this week, the University of Hong Kong (HKU) published a report confirming the worlds first coronavirus reinfection case. A 33-year old man from Hong Kong tested positive for the infection 142 days after he had tested positive for the first time in March. The patient was returning to Hong Kong from Spain via United Kingdom and was screened at the airport. Researchers from HKU conducted a genome sequencing study to confirm the second instance of infection and to differentiate reinfection from viral shedding. Based on the study and report of HKUs microbiology team, News18 explains what we know so far about the first confirmed case of reinfection. The Case History of the Patient The 33-year old male patient is a resident of Hong Kong and a healthy person. He was first diagnosed with Covid-19 on March 26, 2020 through a RT-PCR test. During the first episode, he had cough, sputum, sore throat, fever and headache for three days and was hospitalised on March 29. However, his symptoms had subsided by the time he was admitted and he was discharged on April 14, after he tested negative twice. He tested positive for Covid-19 the second time on August 15, 2020, at the Hong Kong airport after he returned from Spain via UK. He was asymptomatic all along and his temperature, pulse, blood pressure, blood oxygen levels, chest radiographs were all normal. During hospitalisation, he was not given antiviral treatment. His serum was collected to test for IgG antibodies during the first and second episode. During the first episode of infection, no antibodies were found. However, during his reinfection, antibodies were found, but on day 5 of hospitalisation. But the report carried a caveat that serum samples from the later stages of first episode were not available and thus one should not rule out the possibility that the patient developed antibody response then, as well. Method Employed to Confirm Reinfection The researchers wanted to ensure that the positive test result was not due to viral shedding. Viral shedding means the expulsion and release of virus progeny after successful reproduction during a host-cell infection. Once replication has been completed and the host cell is exhausted of all resources in making viral progeny, the viruses may begin to leave the cell by several methods. To be sure about the reinfection, the researchers opted to carry out a whole genome sequencing of the patients oral swab samples. A comparative genome analysis was conducted to differentiate reinfection from persistent viral shedding, the HKU teams report said. This would show if the strain found during the first and second episode were similar or different. The analysis compared the sample collected during the second episode with strains from Hong Kong, UK, Spain and to the sample collected during the first episode. What Did the Researchers Find Out? The whole genome analysis showed that the first viral genome (sequenced using the swab samples from March) belonged to a different clade or lineage compared to the second viral genome. This suggested that the virus strain detected in the second episode was completely different from the strain found in the first episode, HKUs report said. The first viral genome is mostly related to strains from the United States of America or England, collected in March and April 2020. The second viral genome is most closely related to strains from Switzerland and England collected in July and August 2020, the report stated. What Are the Implications of These Findings? The researchers from HKU said that it is unlikely that herd immunity can eliminate SARS-COV-2 and that the second infection in the patient was milder compared to the first one. Covid-19 will likely continue to circulate in the human population as in the case of other human coronaviruses. In some instances, re-infection occurs despite a static level of specific antibodies. Second, vaccine studies should also include patients who recover from Covid-19, the report said. What Were the Findings on Antibody Response? The HKU report said that initially, antibody response was not detected in the patient in the second instance of infection, but added that the residual low concentration of antibody may have helped in controlling the virus. More importantly, the researchers found variations in the spike protein of the virus between the two episodes. For our patient, there are four amino acid residues that differ in the spike protein between the first and second infection, the report said. The spike protein of the Coronavirus acts as a key to enter its host and research is still underway globally on the implications of the mutations in the spike protein area of the virus. HKU researchers added that more serological studies to determine if the variations in the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 strains between the first and second infection was responsible for the re-infection. Finastra's Fusion Kondor and Fusion Risk solutions will help bank to grow its financial markets division SINGAPORE, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Finastra has helped VPBank separate its treasury operations from its legacy core banking system with Finastra's Fusion Kondor and Fusion Risk solutions. Delivered through Finastra's Fusion Adopt implementation program, this move to a modern system will enable the bank to grow its financial markets division by developing new complex products and improving operational efficiency through automation. "As an innovation leader in Vietnam's banking sector, the digitization and modernization of our business is a key priority," said Pham Phu Khoi, Head of Financial Markets Division, VPBank. "We also have ambitious plans for growth which our legacy core banking system could not support. Finastra's modern, front-to-back treasury system has given us significant efficiency gains because we no longer need to manually execute treasury transactions, whilst we also benefit from greatly improved risk management capabilities. When we initially went live we managed to run our close of business operations without any exceptions for the very first time. This was far beyond our expectations and a result of Finastra's dedication, skill and hard work." Fusion Kondor enables banks to trade high volumes of treasury while offering the flexibility to support more complex derivatives, options, and structured trades. The solution can be easily integrated with existing systems and applications. Fusion Risk provides a fully automated, end-to-end IFRS9/CECL solution. Integrated out of the box with Finastra's core banking, lending and trading solutions, it delivers impairment and credit risk modelling. "This implementation marks the first time VPBank has separated the management and accounting of a whole group of specialized and complex banking products from its core banking system," said Wissam Khoury, SVP & GM, APAC & MEA, Finastra. "This project was also the first in the world to utilize Finastra's latest integration platform, Fusion Fabric Connect, which consolidated all connections to a centralized hub, controlling the interface data quality in a fast, effective and intuitive way. Close co-operation between Finastra's Services team and VPBank paved the way for a smoothly run project which was completed on time and only required around half of the people resources originally budgeted for, leading to a significant saving." About Finastra Finastra is building an open platform that accelerates collaboration and innovation in financial services, creating better experiences for people, businesses and communities. Supported by the broadest and deepest portfolio of financial services software, Finastra delivers this vitally important technology to financial institutions of all sizes across the globe, including 90 of the world's top100 banks. Our open architecture approach brings together a number of partners and innovators. Together we are leading the way in which applications are written, deployed and consumed in financial services to evolve with the changing needs of customers. Learn more at finastra.com Finastra and the Finastra 'ribbon' mark are trademarks of the Finastra group companies. 2020 Finastra. All rights reserved. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/967510/Finastra_Logo.jpg Despite movie news being quiet lately due to coronavirus (COVID-19), one controversy unexpectedly stood out in the streaming world. When Netflix promoted the upcoming French film Cuties to stream on its platform on September 9, the site found itself in hot water after creating an inappropriate promotional poster. Originally called Mignonnes in France, the film was successful overseas, winning awards and accolades at Sundance and the Berlin Film Festival. However, the film does tackle a controversial subject: The hypersexualization of pre-adolescent girls. If one sees the actual film, the viewer will realize the message is far different from the one Netflix insinuated in their poster artwork. Netflix amended things, but they potentially brought considerable damage. Netflixs Cuties | Jean-Michel Papazian/Netflix What is Cuties really about? Looking at the promotional poster Netflix put out, those unfamiliar with the plot took it as being a film exploiting young girls. In the offending marketing image, it showed the young cast of girls twerking, bringing an instant shock across the digital spectrum. Social media denizens blew up at the sight of the poster when appearing on the Netflix account, according to Deadline. Many looked at it as tone-deaf in a time when the abuse of young girls is all over the headlines in the aftermath of Jeffery Epsteins transgressions coming out. Those who had already seen Mignonnes either in France or here in America knew the movie is not really exploitative. The film is directed by Maimouna Doucoure, a Black French director who is making her debut with this film. The plot involves a Senegalese Muslim girl who has to decide to adhere to traditional principles or one of internet culture. Overall, the film condemns the hypersexualization of young girls in our culture, something even the French could see made sense. In their original poster design, it shows the young cast walking down a French street with shopping bags and throwing confetti. A look at the Netflix apology over the Cuties poster Netflix issued an apology after thousands signed a petition demanding the immediate removal of the controversial film https://t.co/PVxdtU45yk Los Angeles Times (@latimes) August 20, 2020 RELATED: Critics Slam New Netflix Film Cuties, Claim It Sexualizes 11-Year-Olds and Encourages Pedophiles Fortunately, Netflix did apologize over the poster saying the design was clearly wrong. How it got approved in the first place, though, is an ongoing mystery since the company refuses to reveal who was behind it. The Parents Television Council and Change.org played a big factor in getting Netflix to change the poster through a petition, Variety reports. This occurred after no action was taken from the initial public criticism on social media. While Netflix gets credit for changing the poster, one has to wonder why it was approved in the first place. Also, it created a serious problem for the director of the film who is largely unknown here in the states. At stake was the fear of Doucoure being misunderstood by Americans and having her perhaps be placed in personal/career danger. Many film analysts noted this was a betrayal of Doucoure and the real message the film is trying to portray, as In Their Own League reports. Did this prove America will use any type of provocative imagery to sell a movie? France seldom does while still often taking on provocative topics in their films. How did Maimouna Doucoure come up with the idea for Cuties? Much of the film is close to reflecting real life since Doucoure says the film is based on her own experiences attending amateur talent shows. According to her from an interview recently with ScreenDaily, she said: There were these girls on stage dressed in a really sexy fashion in short, transparent clothes. They danced in a very sexually suggestive manner. I asked myself if these young girls understood what they were doing. She further elaborated on how social media forces these young girls into a vision of themselves they often imitate. In other words, the film was made to broach a serious discussion about young girls being forced into hypersexualization at just 11 years old. Only France would have the intellectual power to take this on, especially because, according to BBC, France banned child beauty pageants for the exact reason people are condemning Cuties. If anything, the contrasting posters in France and Netflix America give a clearer distinction on where each is in terms of cinematic thinking. Shawn Gabriel, a single father of two in Parma, Ohio, has learned what it means to struggle since he lost his construction job in March. His landlord sent him an eviction notice after he was a few days late on August rent. Gabriel keeps looking for work, but for now his family is living off of $189 a week that he gets in unemployment benefits, which is not enough to cover his $950 rent, let alone food, electric, Internet access and other expenses. But the bulk of his frustration has been reserved for one place: Congress, whose members left town this month after letting the $600-a-week unemployment bonus that millions of people like Gabriel have been relying on expire. "Most of them are rich. They don't struggle. They get paid," Gabriel said. "I think they should have come to an agreement." Gabriel scrambled to scratch together his rent as well as the $35 late fee his landlord tacked on, but he is worried about September. "I think this guy will try to get rid of me," he said about his landlord. Similar stories are playing out nationwide. Millions of desperate Americans, many of whom have never relied on emergency government assistance before, are flabbergasted and furious, believing they have been cut loose by a Washington political structure that doesn't care about their predicament during the pandemic. The stock market has snapped back, but the labor market remains in really bad shape. On Thursday, the Labor Department said another 1 million Americans filed jobless claims last week. About 27 million Americans are now receiving some form of unemployment aid. The Washington Post spoke to 20 people who have lost their livelihoods in recent months, and all said they felt immense pressure to stay afloat without the extra $600, which expired at the end of July. Every person interviewed said they were furious at Washington policymakers for letting such a critical benefit lapse amid the nation's worst economic crisis in a century. Often the anger was directed at Republicans, who control the White House and the Senate, although a few credited President Donald Trump for at least trying to take action on his own. Many described increasingly desperate situations, as they cut back on basic expenses such as food, certain medicines and cable TV. This led many to stand in line at food banks, apply for food stamps or rely on unemployment insurance, many for the first time. "To watch these people who never have to worry about a dollar in their lives, go on vacation for a month without even thinking about the fact that people are going to be homeless and dead at the end of it, because they want to take their vacation, it's crushing," Madeleine Olson, 27, a Michigan resident who lost her job in March, said about members of Congress. Olson had worked as a contractor doing data entry for energy companies before she lost her job. "I don't even know if they realize in Washington what's going on, because they don't see it," she said. Lawmakers didn't necessarily go on vacation, as Olson put it, but they did leave Washington without reaching a deal. The average weekly payment is just over $300 now, although many people receive far less. White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said Wednesday that he hasn't spoken with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., or Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., in about two weeks. Gabriel, the dad in Ohio, voted for Trump in 2016. He is not a huge fan of Democrats, but he said he mostly faults Republicans for the mess he's in with such a small amount of unemployment aid. "I blame (Senate Majority Leader) Mitch McConnell the most," he said. "At least (Pelosi) was trying four months ago." Democrats passed a bill in May to extend the $600-a-week payments, which expired in July, through the end of the year. But Republicans proposed reducing the amount to $200 out of concerns that some jobless people were receiving so much in government aid that it was dissuading them from working again, a claim that several studies have rebutted. In a sign of growing pain, serious mortgage delinquencies have surged to a 10-year high, and evictions are predicted to skyrocket in the coming weeks as people such as Gabriel struggle to pay September rent. Congress has not renewed the federal eviction moratorium that expired in late July, either. Jessica Williamson has spent the last few days trying to get a loan on her car so she can pay rent. She still owes $100 for August. Another $800 is due shortly for September. She gets frustrated when she hears people say unemployed Americans would rather sit at home than work. Williamson did go back to her job in July as a bartender at a casino on Mississippi's Gulf Coast. But business is not the same, with fewer customers meaning smaller tips and less hours to work than she needs to get by. A single mom, she and her two kids are living off about $350 a week - half from her job and another half from unemployment. Unable to pay all her bills, she has been hit with late fees on rent and utilities this month, which only puts her further behind. "Congress doesn't understand. I don't think they'll ever understand," Williamson said. "They don't have to worry about living paycheck to paycheck." Gregg Pupecki, 48, of Middlesex County, Mass., was one of several people who used the word "disgusting" to describe how he felt about Congress leaving town as the unemployment benefits lapsed. He is another 2016 Trump voter who says he will probably go the other way this election after losing faith in the president during the pandemic. "His lack of leadership on the coronavirus was dismal," said Pupecki, who lost his job as a manager of a marina in May. "He basically let the whole country down." Pupecki was one of the many people The Post talked to who said they had little faith that the executive action that Trump signed earlier in the month would result in more benefits in their pockets. Five states - Arizona, Louisiana, Missouri, Tennessee and Texas - are paying out the money Trump promised. The federal government has said that the order will allow people to receive an extra $300 a week in federal funding for a few weeks, from a disaster relief fund managed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). But the funding, which may support only three weeks of aid, has raised complicated logistical questions. "It's great to sign a piece of paper, but no money is reaching anybody," Pupecki said. "The whole thing was a dog-and-pony show." Trump's program also requires states to jump through bureaucratic hoops because the money is coming from FEMA. Thirty-two states have been approved for the program so far. There's also another catch: Trump's executive memo said unemployed workers must receive at least $100 a week from their state to qualify for the $300 federal payment, leaving out many people in the most vulnerable financial circumstances. "When I figured out that executive order wasn't going to mean squat for me, I cried," said Stephanie Hightower, an out-of-work home caregiver in Indiana who is receiving $75 a week in unemployment. A Trump supporter in the past, Hightower is undecided now. Many of her friends posted on Facebook that she should be just fine now with the president's move, but Hightower has had to explain that she won't benefit at all. Greg Garret, 33, of Hammond, Ind., who was laid off from his job as a lead technician with a ventilation and HVAC company in March, had a slightly different perspective. He said he was fed up with both the Democrats and the Republicans, and not very happy with the way Trump has handled the coronavirus pandemic. But Trump's executive order seemed like the only attempt to help him right now, Garret said, even though he was philosophically opposed to using the measure as a policymaking tool, he said. "I care about putting food in my son's stomach," he said. "So, you know, I guess I could say I appreciate Trump doing that. Whether that actually happens or not is a different story. And realistically, I need money today, not three weeks or four weeks or six weeks from now." Garret said he and his family have been stretched in ways they never expected in recent months. They applied for food stamps and unemployment insurance for the first time, learning that they could receive only one of them at a time. Now that the $600 benefit has ended, Garret and his wife, a stay-at-home mother to their 6-year-old son, are not sure they'll be able to get by on the $149 per week he receives from the state. "What we've been doing, especially these last three, four weeks, is basically look at every line item. To the point where we're like, you know, 'Do we shut off the internet to the house?' " he said. "We keep trying to be like, 'Oh, you know, it will get better.' My wife, she's gotten to the point where she's just sick of it. It seems like no one cares on the political side." Spiking food prices have made their financial outlook worse. Many would like to return to work, but the nation has only about 5.9 million job openings for 28 million people receiving unemployment payments, Labor Department data show. Many parents are also having to make the gut-wrenching choice between work or caring for children, as many schools remain virtual this fall. Hightower, the mom in Indiana, kept working in March and April because her in laws agreed to watch the kids. Then her father-in-law was diagnosed with cancer and it became too risky for the children to be near him. Hightower felt she had no choice but to quit her job in May. Her husband is a long-haul truck driver. "I was hoping and praying I would get to go back to that job. But then schools closed and stayed closed," Hightower said. "Bills are piling up. I have a couple of credit cards. They're way past their amount." Others expressed skepticism about the president's executive order, pointing to Trump's track record of misleading and false statements. "I don't believe a word that man says," said Lynn Wheatley, who lost her work as an event planner in March. Wheatley, of Tulsa, and her retired husband are living on about $190 from the state in unemployment insurance a week and his Social Security payments, and trying not to use up too much of their savings. Mary Ann Foster, 63, whose massage business in Longmont, Colo., closed early in the pandemic, said she, too, was skeptical about the order. She and her husband have been surviving on her unemployment payments, which are now about $200 a week, and they are dipping into savings to cover the $1,500 a month they pay for health care, property taxes and other expenses. "If it ever happens, it'll only be for three weeks," she said. "It's a lot of work for a little relief and no larger picture coordination." - - - The Washington Post's Tony Romm contributed to this report. ATLANTA, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- As Hurricane Laura made landfall along the Louisiana Gulf Coast as a major hurricane bringing damaging winds and a storm surge overnight, Georgia Power crews were packing trucks and preparing to head to Baton Rouge to provide assistance to Entergy Louisiana. Approximately 100 personnel and crews left from across the state to make their way to a staging location in Baton Rouge before receiving assignments to support restoration after Hurricane Laura. An additional 300 support personnel have been cleared to aid in any additional restoration requests. Georgia Power is able to provide assistance to other utilities through a mutual assistance network, which consists of hundreds of utilities from around the country. As part of this partnership, Georgia Power is able to respond and offer assistance, providing reinforcements when needed to restore power quickly for other utilities. The company is also able to tap into this mutual assistance network if additional resources are needed to help restore power to Georgia Power customers following a major storm. With each request for assistance, the company ensures that it has sufficient coverage to respond to any potential local service interruptions. The company requested and received assistance from other utilities during several major storms that impacted Georgia Power customers previously including Hurricanes Michael and Irma. Storm Response Pandemic Preparations Georgia Power teams are prepared to respond to service interruptions that might occur because of severe weather while taking proactive actions including special "distancing" and other precautions to help protect customers and employees from the spread of the virus. In addition, the company's comprehensive pandemic plans help ensure readiness of the critical personnel and facilities necessary to continue providing the safe and reliable energy customers expect and deserve. In the field, the power restoration process includes these key steps: Assessing Conditions Responding crews or in major storms, damage assessment teams work to identify trouble spots and the resources needed to fix them, which could involve coming onto customers' property. Crews will employ appropriate distancing efforts and customers are asked to keep children and pets indoors and maintain safe distances from crew members as well. Responding crews or in major storms, damage assessment teams work to identify trouble spots and the resources needed to fix them, which could involve coming onto customers' property. Crews will employ appropriate distancing efforts and customers are asked to keep children and pets indoors and maintain safe distances from crew members as well. Making Repairs Georgia Power crews focus on repairs that return power to the greatest number of customers in the least amount of time. Ways you can help keep workers safe while they work in the field: If you see utility crews, please stay back a minimum of six feet much more if they are working. Please, no cookies or treats for workers during this time. Give a wave or thumbs up to workers you see. They'll understand your gratitude as they work to keep the lights on. Don't touch utility trucks or equipment. Electric providers are operating under modified conditions to keep workers safe, which includes additional cleaning and sanitation of tools and equipment. About Georgia Power Georgia Power is the largest electric subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO), America's premier energy company. Value, Reliability, Customer Service and Stewardship are the cornerstones of the company's promise to 2.6 million customers in all but four of Georgia's 159 counties. Committed to delivering clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy at rates below the national average, Georgia Power maintains a diverse, innovative generation mix that includes nuclear, coal and natural gas, as well as renewables such as solar, hydroelectric and wind. Georgia Power focuses on delivering world-class service to its customers every day and the company is consistently recognized by J.D. Power and Associates as an industry leader in customer satisfaction. For more information, visit www.GeorgiaPower.com and connect with the company on Facebook (Facebook.com/GeorgiaPower), Twitter (Twitter.com/GeorgiaPower) and Instagram (Instagram.com/ga_power). SOURCE Georgia Power Related Links http://www.georgiapower.com EU President Ursula von der Leyen has called on the Irish government to present two names, one male and one female, as candidates to replace Phil Hogan as European Commission. In a television address on Thursday morning, Ms von der Leyen said she expects that as Europe fights to reduce the spread of the coronavirus, as Europeans make sacrifices, and accept painful restrictions. She said she respects Phil Hogans resignation but that she expected her commissioners to be extra vigilant in respecting Covid-19 regulations. Ms von der Leyen said it is for the Irish Government, under the laws governing appointments, to propose suitable candidates. At the conclusion of her address, she asked the Irish government to provide two nominees for the new Commissionership, one man and one woman, and will only decide on the allocation of portfolios after she has decided on the Irish nominee, hinting that Ireland will not retain the trade portfolio. Government sources have indicated to the Irish Examiner that Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney is willing and able to serve should it be agreed between the government parties and is approved by Ms von der Leyens office. Mr Coveneys reduced status in the current government means he has been effectively sidelined in the Brexit process as he falls behind Taoiseach Micheal Martin and Tanaiste Leo Varadkar and the sense is that he sees the move to Europe as a better way of playing a meaningful role. In terms of process, the Irish government will now finalise its list of candidates and present it to President von der Leyen for consideration. The successful person will then be subject to a ratification process in the European Parliament. HAMILTON, ON, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - CTT Pharmaceutical Holdings, Inc., (OTC: CTTH), an innovative life sciences company with a portfolio of IP in novel drug delivery systems, today announced that its wholly owned Canadian subsidiary, CTT Pharma Inc. (the "Company" or "CTT"), has filed a statement of claim with the Ontario Superior Court of Justice against Aurora Cannabis. The Company is seeking compensation for Aurora's denial of contractual commitments with CTT, which includes expenses, royalties due, lost royalties and damages. CTT's patented sublingual cannabis-infused strips were successfully launched into the Canadian medical cannabis market, under the brand name Aurora Dissolve Strips, as announced on October 8, 2019. Despite rapid sales of the Dissolve Strips and continued demand from patients, as well as several planning meetings to discuss an expanded product line and production planned for the end of Q1, 2020, Aurora indicated subsequently that it was unwilling to commit further resources to the partnership and claimed the original agreement was no longer in force. "Following the successful technology transfer to Aurora and a very successful market introduction of the product, Aurora's decision to not continue our partnership was both surprising and disappointing", stated Cam Birge, CEO of CTT. "Aurora suddenly claiming that the existing agreement was no longer in force, at a time when payments were due to CTT under the original agreement, left the Company with no other choice than to seek a legal remedy. Despite our best efforts to resolve our differences amicably and constructively, we were not able to resolve the impasse and felt we had no other choice than to file a statement of claim seeking legal recourse to the fullest extent possible for the benefit of our stakeholders." Mr. Birge continued, "With our exceptionally low burn rate we are well positioned to pursue our interests and execute on our licensing and partnership strategy with the objective of generating substantial shareholder value. Consequently, we intend to team up with partners that have the capital and ability to execute and move fast. We will also be pivoting to a more aggressive business development model, and we intend to expand into new industry verticals to capitalize on opportunities and accelerate growth, initiatives we anticipate reporting on in more detail shortly." CTT brings a novel, patented and successfully commercialized technology to an exciting and rapidly growing segment of the cannabis market. Furthermore, the Company's sublingual strips meet a growing demand for non-combustible products that deliver increased bioavailability and rapid onset of action for a wide range of other active ingredients, such as nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals and nicotine. CTT had originally entered into a commercialization agreement with CanniMed, which subsequently was acquired by Aurora. CTT and Aurora jointly worked towards commercialization, culminating in a very successful market introduction with the initial production run substantially selling out in under 60 days. CTT's sublingual strip technology is patented in the United States and Canada and has international patents pending in over 50 countries. CTT Appoints Dr. Shane Morris, former Chief Product Officer at Aurora Cannabis, to Advisory Board The Company today also announces the appointment of Dr. Shane Morris, the former Chief Product Officer at Aurora Cannabis closely involved with the successful commercialization of the CTT strips, to its Advisory Board. Dr. Morris will provide advice on product and market development as well as regulatory issues. Additionally, the Company will be able to leverage Dr. Morris's extensive knowledge of the global cannabis industry to pursue additional opportunities. Dr. Morris commented, "I have always been a strong believer in the benefits and global commercial prospects of the CTT strips. My positive experience in working with Dr. Modi and the CTT team to take the strips to market made the decision to join the Company's advisory board a simple one." Mr. Birge added, "We are very pleased that Shane has agreed to join our advisory board, in which capacity he will assist the Company with recommendations on new product formulations, regulatory matters and market introductions. Furthermore, Shane's deep network throughout the global cannabis industry is an asset we can lever to help rapidly expand our commercial reach." Dr. Morris founded Morris and Associates Consulting. Prior to this, he held the position of Chief Product Officer at Aurora Cannabis, where his proven leadership and expertise in quality assurance, cannabis operations, regulatory affairs and food safety helped ensure success in launching a large portfolio of new products, resulting in Aurora commanding substantial share of the Canadian cannabis 2.0 market. During his time at Aurora, Dr. Morris also led a world class regulatory affairs team, managing the largest number of cannabis site licences in Canada, in addition to many international regulatory initiatives and market launches. About CTT Pharma CTT is a drug delivery technology development company. The Company's first product was successfully brought to market together with Aurora Cannabis following the launch of the cannabinoid-infused 'Dissolve Strips'. CTT's patent portfolio covers a nanonized, orally administrable composition that can be applied to various delivery systems including a quick dissolving oral film forming agent that effectively delivers nanonized therapeutics to improve the bioavailability of therapeutic drugs that are difficult to deliver orally. The main aim of CTT's technology is the delivery of large therapeutic molecules such as proteins or cannabinoids. This technology has been applied to cannabinoid delivery and has potential indications in pain management and opioid addiction management. CTT's portfolio currently contains five issued (three Canadian and two U.S.) patents with international patent applications pending in over fifty countries. For more information, please visit our website: www.cttpharmaceuticals.com. CTT's common shares trade on the OTC market in the United States under the symbol "CTTH". Forward looking statements This news release includes statements containing certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities law ("forward-looking statements"). Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "continue", "expect", "project", "intend", "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 forward-looking statements throughout this news release. Forward-looking 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 and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. The Company is under no obligation, and expressly disclaim any intention or obligation, to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by applicable law. SOURCE CTT Pharmaceutical Holdings, Inc. Related Links https://www.cttpharmaceuticals.com ST. IGNACE, Mich. Michigans Upper Peninsula is known for many things: its enviable location, nestled among three of the five Great Lakes Huron, Superior and Michigan; hundreds of waterfalls and vast expanses of lush forests; and pasties, a concoction of meat, potatoes and vegetables enrobed in dough that served as a portable meal for those heading into the copper and iron ore mines. Politically, its known for something else its the heart of Trump country in a state that helped propel Mr. Trump to the presidency in 2016, and its one of the key battlegrounds in 2020. Just how solid his support remains and whether Democrats can make inroads in his rural strongholds could go a long way in determining whether Mr. Trump can win Michigan again. Mr. Trump swept 14 of the 15 counties in the region, beating Hillary Clinton in 2016 by 26,893 votes in a race he won statewide by a mere 10,704 votes. Four years later, Keep America Great flags and signs dot the landscape again and Trump headwear are out in force, whether its the familiar red Make America Great Again hats or newer flag or camouflage versions. US president Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump on the third night of the Republican National Convention: Getty Images As the 2020 Republican National Convention turned its attention towards women on Wednesday night, White House counsellor Kellyanne Conway praised Donald Trump as someone who had elevated and empowered them. The US president, whose recent appeals to Americas suburban housewives come amid other sexist remarks, was similarly praised by other high-profile speakers including South Dakota governor Kristi Noem and White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany. Meanwhile, Fox News host Tucker Carlson was condemned over comments that appeared to praise a 17-year-old who was arrested and charged with murder after two Black Lives Matter demonstrators were killed in Kenosha, Wisconsin, amid protests against a police shooting. Please allow a moment for our liveblog to load. Delhi Finance Minister Manish Sisodia Thursday accused the Centre of betraying federalism by refusing to pay GST compensation to states, and demanded it take loan from the RBI on behalf of the city government which he said is facing a revenue shortfall. Emerging out of a GST Council meeting, he said the Centre has refused to pay GST compensation to states and asked them to take a loan from the RBI to meet their shortfall caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. However, under the current hybrid system (of governance), the Delhi government cannot take a loan from the RBI. The Centre should take a loan from the RBI on behalf of the Delhi government, he said. Sisodia, also Delhis Deputy Chief Minister, said the city government estimates a revenue shortfall of around Rs 21,000 crore in the current financial year. The Central governments refusal to pay GST compensation to states is the biggest betrayal in the history of federalism in India, he said. Sisodia also charged the Centre with failing to fulfil its promise made to states at the time of launch of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime four years ago. The Centre had promised that it will pay GST compensation to states at the rate of 14 percent for five years in case of revenue shortfall. But, today at the GST Council meeting, the Centre refused it, saying there was no provision in law for compensation in situations like a pandemic, Sisodia said in a briefing. He accused the Centre of double standards. In the first two years when the Central government earned extra cess of Rs 47,000 crore, which was supposed to be given as compensation, they kept it in their fund. Today, when the revenue is decreasing, they started taking opinion of the Attorney General on whether they are liable to give this amount to states or not, he said. Sisodia also alleged that the Centre has failed to properly implement the GST which was why it could not neither control price rise nor boost revenue of the states. I am not against GST, but the central government has failed to implement it properly. Had they implemented it properly, the states would not have to beg like this. First, the Centre failed in implementing GST reforms properly, and now they are betraying states and running away from its responsibility of giving GST compensation, he said. The Delhi government collected Rs 7,000 crore less tax in the first four months of the fiscal. It will have a shortfall of Rs 21000 in the whole year. The central government should take a loan on our behalf as we also need to pay salaries to our doctors, teachers, engineers and other employees, he said. If there were no GST, the states would have managed taxes and expenses in their own way. But after joining the GST regime, they had to surrender most of their rights to the GST council, he said. Sisodia claimed that many states, including some BJP-ruled ones, demanded compensation from the Center in the meeting. They quoted the minutes of previous meetings of the GST Council where it was clearly stated that the Central government takes full responsibility to compensate them in case of revenue shortfall, he added. PTI VIT TIR TIR SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A man has been found dead near a loch in Scotland after going fishing with some friends. Alan Brown, 57, was last seen by walkers at around 9pm on Saturday evening, after his friends had left Banton Loch, Kilsyth, North Lanarkshire. His body was then discovered by a dog walker on Sunday afternoon, with his death being treated as unexplained following a post-mortem examination. Detective Inspector Gordon Sneddon, from Coatbridge CID, appealed to the public for more information about his moments from the time he was last seen to when his body was found. "Alan's family is understandably devastated by his loss, and, although there is nothing to suggest anyone else was involved in his death at this time, it is important that we establish exactly what happened, he said. UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 11 January 2022 A couple walk underneath an umbrella during wet weather on Westminster Bridge in central London PA UK news in pictures 10 January 2022 A jogger passes the Covid Memorial Wall in London AP UK news in pictures 9 January 2021 The sun rises over horses at Seaton Sluice in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 8 January 2022 Riders compete during the Veterans Men's race at the UK Cyclo-Cross National Championships 2022 in Ardingly, south of London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 7 January 2022 A dog looks out of a car window at the wintry conditions in Killeshin, Co. Laois PA UK news in pictures 6 January 2022 People walk through frost and mist alongside a frozen lake during sunrise in Bushy Park, London REUTERS UK news in pictures 5 January 2022 A skier jumps on the slopes at Allenheads in the Pennines to the north of Weardale in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 4 January 2022 Freshly-fallen snow covers houses in Corbridge, near Hexham in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 3 January 2022 Dean Morrison, 13, receives his Covid-19 vaccine from student nurse Anthony McLaughlin during a vaccination clinic at the Glasgow Central Mosque PA UK news in pictures 2 January 2022 Konastantinos Tsimikas of Liverpool with Chelseas Mason Mount during the Premier League match at Stamfrod Bridge Liverpool FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 January 2022 New Years Eve Lasers, drones and fireworks illuminate the sky in front of the Royal Naval College in Greenwich shortly after midnight in London EPA UK news in pictures 31 December 2021 Competitors in fancy dress run across the Pennine tops near Haworth, West Yorkshire, in the annual Auld Lang Syne Fell race which attracts hundreds of runners every year PA UK news in pictures 30 December 2021 Sunrise at Bamburgh Castle in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 29 December 2021 The Very Revd Dr Robert Willis, Dean of Canterbury Cathedral, looks at Becket, a six month old red-billed chough as he visits Wildwood Wildlife Park in Kent on the anniversary of the murder of Thomas Becket PA UK news in pictures 28 December 2021 Troops of the Household Cavalry are seen reflected in a puddle during the changing of the Queens Life Guard, on Horse Guards Parade, in central London PA UK news in pictures 27 December 2021 A pedestrian walks past a winter sale sign outside a John Lewis store on Oxford street in London Getty UK news in pictures 26 December 2021 Riders take their bikes through the snow near Castleside, County Durham PA UK news in pictures 25 December 2021 Patrick Corkery wears a santa hat and beard as waves crash over him at Forty Foot near Dublin during a Christmas Day dip PA UK news in pictures 24 December 2021 People stand inside Kings Cross Station on Christmas Eve in London Reuters UK news in pictures 23 December 2021 Christmas shoppers fill the car park at Fosse Shopping Park in Leicester PA UK news in pictures 22 December 2021 The sun rises behind the stones as people gather for the winter solstice at Stonehenge. Getty UK news in pictures 21 December 2021 People take part in a winter solstice swim at Portobello Beach in Edinburgh to mark the solstice and to witness the dawn after the longest night of the year PA UK news in pictures 20 December 2021 An auction employee displays poultry to buyers and sellers attending the Christmas Poultry Sale at York Auction Centre in Murton PA UK news in pictures 19 December 2021 Joao Moutinho of Wolverhampton Wanderers looks on during the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Chelsea at Molineux Getty Images UK news in pictures 18 December 2021 Freight lorries queuing at the port of Dover in Kent PA UK news in pictures 17 December 2021 Newly elected Liberal Democrat MP Helen Morgan, bursts 'Boris' bubble' held by colleague Tim Farron, as she celebrates following her victory in the North Shropshire by-election PA UK news in pictures 16 December 2021 Brussels sprouts are harvested by workers as they prepare for the busy Christmas period near Boston in Lincolnshire PA UK news in pictures 15 December 2021 Lewis Hamilton is made a Knight Bachelor by the Prince of Wales at Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 14 December 2021 The Royal Liver Buildings surrounded by early morning fog in Liverpool PA UK news in pictures 13 December 2021 People queue outside a walk-in Covid-19 vaccination centre at St Thomas's Hospital in Westminster Getty Images UK news in pictures 12 December 2021 People take part in the Big Leeds Santa Dash in Roundhay Park, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 11 December 2021 People arrive at a Covid-19 vaccination centre at Elland Road in Leeds, PA UK news in pictures 10 December 2021 Stella Moris speaks to the media after the US Government won its High Court bid to overturn a judges decision not to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange PA UK news in pictures 9 December 2021 Camels are lead around Salisbury Cathedral during a rehearsal for the Christmas Eve Service PA UK news in pictures 8 December 2021 Margaret Keenan and Nurse May Parsons, a year after Margaret was the first person in the UK to receive the Pfizer vaccine PA UK news in pictures 7 December 2021 Snowfall in Leadhills, South Lanarkshire as Storm Barra hits the UK with disruptive winds, heavy rain and snow PA UK news in pictures 6 December 2021 A person tries to avoid sea spray on New Brighton promenade in Wallasey as the UK readies for the arrival of Storm Barra Getty UK news in pictures 5 December 2021 People release balloons during a tribute to six-year-old Arthur Labinjo-Hughes outside Emma Tustin's former address in Solihull, West Midlands, where he was murdered by his stepmother PA UK news in pictures 4 December 2021 People walk through a Christmas market in Trafalgar Square Reuters UK news in pictures 3 December 2021 A pedestrian carries a dog as they dodge shoppers on Oxford Street in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 2 December 2021 Duchess of Cambridge inspects a Faberge egg at the Victoria and Albert Museum Getty UK news in pictures 1 December 2021 Meerkats at London Zoo with an advent calendar PA UK news in pictures 30 November 2021 Workers put the finishing touches to the Trafalgar Square Christmas Tree ahead of the lighting ceremony later in the week PA UK news in pictures 29 November 2021 Home Secretary Priti Patel is greeted by a police dog at a special memorial service for Met Police Sergeant Matiu Ratana Getty UK news in pictures 28 November 2021 Riyad Mahrez of Manchester City battles for possession with Aaron Cresswell of West Ham United during a match at the Etihad during snow Manchester City/Getty UK news in pictures 27 November 2021 Residents clear branches from a fallen tree in Birkenhead, north west England as Storm Arwen triggered a rare red weather warning AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 3 December 2021 An aerial picture shows a worker using a quad bike and trailer to transport freshly harvested trees at Pimms Christmas Tree farm in Matfield, southeast England AFP via Getty UK news in pictures 26 November 2021 A shopper browses Christmas trees for sale at Pines and Needles in Dulwich, London Reuters UK news in pictures 25 November 2021 A murmuration of hundreds of thousands of starlings fly over a field at dusk in Cumbria, close to the Scottish border PA UK news in pictures 3 December 2021 A pedestrian carries a dog as they dodge shoppers on Oxford Street in central London AFP/Getty Brown was white, roughly 5ft 10in in height and had short greying hair. He is said to have been wearing a black hooded jacket, a grey jumper, blue jeans and black trainers. Additional reporting from PA Italian Wine Academy online course has 100% pass rate For many students a WSET course can be a turning point in a career and therefore can be even more important during a period of uncertainty. It not only gave continuity for students, but also a new qualification that might be vital to their post-lockdown lives. In light of the Covid-19, Italian Wine Academy (IWA) in Verona took the decision to close its physical classrooms, however, determined not to leave their students without wine education, the decision was made to move courses online. IWA offered the inaugural Online Level 2 Award in Wines students three days of interactive theory classes, conducted online using the Zoom platform. The tasting component was not left behind, with students additionally having access to weekly Virtual Tastings, as well as a future date for in-class tastings ahead of the exam to ensure students still received time with the recommended tasting samples. In consultation with faculty member Rebecca Lawrence, IWA decided to structure the Level 2 Online Course in the same mode as a classroom, allowing the students a logical format that also followed the structure of the materials provided by WSET, as well as an experience that would map as closely as possible to what they would have encountered in the classroom. Students attended three sessions a day, with breaks to allow them time away from their screens, interspersed with Q&A sessions. Questions and conversation were encouraged in real time to allow maximum contact time with the instructor. Student responses to the course were resoundingly positive, with FISAR Sommelier Francesco Bonamici saying, the organization was almost impeccable and Viticulture Student Michele Avesani commenting obviously the online course has its pros and cons, but I must say they were very effective. In addition to this direct feedback a sense of camaraderie was felt amongst both the students and the staff of Italian Wine Academy, joined by the difficult circumstances of Covid-19 and the desire to continue, nonetheless. IWA felt that moving the course online, although creating potential logistical and technical hurdles, was important, not only to continue operating as a school during the lockdown, but also for their students. As instructor Rebecca Lawrence made clear it was vital for us not only maintain a connection with our students, but also to support their desire to further their wine education no matter what. For many students a WSET course can be a turning point in a career and therefore can be even more important during a period of uncertainty. It not only gave continuity for students, but also a new qualification that might be vital to their post-lockdown lives. As the 100% pass rate of the students on this course demonstrates, moving the course online was not detrimental to students experience of the WSET Level 2 Award in Wine, indeed the focused time to study, combined with both virtual and in-class wine tasting, allowed more time for recap and contact with the teacher, giving students an extra level of engagement. As Lawrence comments many students in class, especially in a second language, may be too nervous to ask a question or raise a point. By moving this into a private chat online, or by recapping information during tastings you give a student that extra level of confidence. Certainly, this sentiment seems to have been shared by the participants, who would not only recommend the course, but particularly highlighted the level of preparedness that IWA had I would recommend this course to my faculty colleagues said Avesani, with Bonamici adding that it was brilliantly prepared. Although classes have now resumed in-person at IWA, they are not ruling out continuing to offer courses online, it expands the amount of potential students we can reach, and offers a more flexible way of studying remarked Lawrence, if its an experience students demand then of course we would look to work online again, not least given the 100% pass rates shows how successful this mode can be! About: the Italian Wine Academy is a wine school based in Verona, and it is an Approved Programme Provider qualified to teach WSET wine courses. WSET - Wine & Spirit Education Trust is the worlds largest provider of education on wine and spirits. WSET qualifications are globally recognized as the international standard in wine and spirit knowledge for wine professionals and enthusiasts. Vinitaly International Academy hosts WSET at wine2digital, next to the headquarters of Veronafiere. Franklin Templeton India did not take any approval from the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) before shutting down six of its struggling debt schemes, according to the markets regulators response to a recent right to information (RTI) application. According to public statements by Franklin, the asset management company (AMC) had claimed that the regulator was informed about the winding up of schemes at every step when it shuttered the debt schemes on April 23 citing severe illiquidity and redemption pressures due to coronavirus pandemic. The RTI query was filed by the Khambatta family, an investor in the Franklin Templeton funds and petitioners in the Gujarat high court case that contended that the asset managers decision to wind up the schemes required the consent of investors. The petition led to a stay on the winding-up process on June 8. In the RTI query, the family said Franklin Templeton had claimed before the Gujarat high court and in a special leave petition in Supreme Court that the winding up of the schemes was done after taking appropriate permissions from Sebi. The family sought information pertaining to the date on which the permission for winding up of the schemes was applied for, the date on which it was granted and documentary evidence of any deliberation on the permission. Sebi has not granted any such permission to Franklin to wind up the said schemes, it said in the RTI response in the first week of August. Mint has reviewed both the RTI query and its response. We have not made any statement before the honble high court of Gujarat or the honble Supreme Court about Sebi granting us prior permission to wind up these six schemes. As clearly stated in all our communications, the decision to wind up these schemes was taken in accordance with regulation 39(2)(a), said a spokesperson for Franklin Templeton in an emailed statement. Neil Borate in Mumbai contributed to the story. A former City of Prichard chief of staff has been sentenced in federal court to a year and a day in prison and ordered to pay more than $200,000 in restitution to the city. James Antuan Blackman, 33, of Mobile, was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge Kristi K. DuBose. Blackman pleaded guilty Feb. 19 to one count of theft concerning programs receiving federal funds and one count of money laundering. According to Blackmans plea, during his time as Prichard chief of staff and administrative assistant from November 2016 to January 2018, he used his position to divert money and property to himself. Blackman said he falsified city invoices, deposited city checks to his own account, and used his position to divert three pieces of property from the city to his own benefit. Then, Blackman laundered money through a $39,200 wire transfer from a bank account under his control to a title company to buy property. Authorities at the time of Blackmans arrest in February 2018 said Blackman stole in excess of $157,000 from the city. To understand the mans followers, you must first understand the man. It the man has true values, integrity, is a humanitarian, is a patriot, has a truly ethical compass and is loyal and faithful to his family, you can correlate that his staff and follows equal share values. That man is the former United States Senator of Arizona, John McCain. The remarkable life and times of Senator John McCain It truly bothers me to place the name John McCain and Donald Trump into the same sentence, but it essential to read the following facts about Sen. McCains life and measure them to what you know about Donald Trump. These are not tributes to a mans life. These are the real facts to the life of John McCain American hero. If you are a person of conviction and a loyal Republican who was an aide to the late Senator, this is how you memorialize his life. But first, this is the United States Senator John McCains life: Facts About John McCain - McCain Institute www.mccaininstitute.org John McCains Military Service John McCain graduated 5th from the bottom of his class at the Naval Academy, but was known as a fierce fighter, a loyal friend and a leader among his peers. John McCain helped save lives during a massive fire on the U.S.S. Forrestal. John McCain fought for his country in the Vietnam War. John McCain crashed his jet twice, and a third time was shot down and taken prisoner in Vietnam. John McCain was held for 5 years in a Vietnamese prison and brutally tortured. He refused early release because his father was an Admiral, insisting on upholding the code of honor that those taken first must be released first. John McCain and Supporting Americas Armed Forces As a U.S. Senator and Chairman of the Armed Services Committee, John McCain was among the Senates staunchest supporters of our men and women in uniform. John McCain resolutely insisted on making sure our service members had the funding, equipment, training and support they needed. He insisted that they be given clear missions, and he held both civilian and military leaders to account. John McCain insisted that the Armed Services Committee do its job by passing a defense authorization bill each year. Last years National Defense Authorization Act was named for Senator McCain in honor of his long support for our nations military. John McCain insisted that the Pentagon never give up on obtaining a full accounting for all of Americas POW/MIAs. He worked with the U.S. and Vietnamese governments to get a full accounting of POW/MIAs, and to expose frauds perpetrated against the families of MIAs. John McCain and Veterans John McCain fought to make sure America kept its promise to its veterans. He held Veterans Administration leaders to account in failing to provide proper health care, including in his home state of Arizona. John McCain authored legislation to redress the failure of the VA to provide proper health care the Choice Act as well as the Veterans Suicide Prevention Act. John McCain and the Iraq War After the attacks of 9/11, John McCain supported President Bush in launching the Iraq War in 2003, along with the vast majority of U.S. Senators and Congressmen. John McCain quickly became a critic of the Administrations handling of the war, however, on everything from ensuring we had adequate troops on the ground, to working with Allies, to calling out and condemning torture. John McCain supported President Bushs decision to launch a surge in Iraq when most other politicians and commentators were against. The surge helped bring the Sunnis in Iraq into the government, paving the way for the more stable Iraq we have today. John McCain opposed the early withdrawal from Iraq which led to the growth of ISIS and supported early intervention in Syria, which would have prevented the spread of ISIS. John McCain and Advancing Freedom and Human Rights John McCain always called on America to stand up for its values of freedom and democracy, and saw these as essential to advancing Americas interests and national security in the world. John McCain consistently stood up for those whose rights were abused, against authoritarians and dictators. Having been tortured by his Vietnamese captors, John McCain wanted to be sure that the America he loved never itself engaged in torture. After the Abu Ghraib scandal, he was the principal sponsor of legislation to prohibit the United States from engaging in torture of any kind. John McCain was a principal sponsor of legislation to sanction human rights abusers, known as the Magnitsky Act, in remembrance of U.S. businessman Bill Browders attorney who was killed in a Russian jail. John McCain and Immigration John McCain was a key member of a bipartisan group of Senators who sought to fix U.S. immigration law in the 2000s. Even then, his position was anchored firmly on comprehensive immigration reform, which meant both securing the border, and identifying a path to legalization for those who are already in the U.S. illegally. John McCain and Campaign Finance Reform (Draining the Swamp) John McCain was the original drain the swamp Senator. He was deeply concerned about the influence of money in politics and sponsored legislation seeking to limit that direct influence. John McCain was always against pork barrel spending and as a tool to inform the public, published an annual list of appropriations of funding that were not authorized by the relevant Senate committees. John McCain and Obamacare John McCain opposed Obamacare and fully supported repeal and replace. John McCain voted against the bill presented to the U.S. Senate his famous thumbs down because it was repeal, without replace. John McCain wanted replace and he urged that the legislation go through the regular order in the Senate, to make sure it was well thought out and supported, rather than through a lateral move outside the regular order. John McCains Military Awards Silver Star Legion of Merit with V device Distinguished Flying Cross Bronze Star Medal with two gold star devices and V device (denoting 3 Bronze Stars total, one with the Valor distinction) Purple Heart with one gold star (denoting 2 Purple Hearts total) Meritorious Service Medal with bronze star (denoting 2 Meritorious Service Medals total) Air Medal with bronze No. 5 device (denoting 5 Air Medals total) Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with one gold star and V device (denoting 2 awards total, one with the Valor distinction) Prisoner of War Medal Navy Expeditionary Medal National Defense Service Medal Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal with 2 bronze stars (denoting 2 specific campaigns) Vietnam Service Medal with 1 bronze star (one specific campaign) Humanitarian Service Medal with 1 bronze star (one specific campaign) Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal with 1960 device Combat Action Ribbon Navy Unit Commendation Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation If you were able to rationalize any of this amazing mans life facts to that of President Donald J. Trump's life, you are delusional. So just how does the former staff of Senator McCain pay tribute to their former bosses life. Over 100 former staff members from the late Sen. John McCains, R-AR., campaigns, and congressional offices announced Thursday that they are endorsing Joe Biden for president. Given the incumbent presidents lack of competent leadership, his efforts to aggravate rather than bridge divisions among Americans, and his failure to uphold American values, we believe the election of former Vice President Biden is clearly in the national interest, they said in a letter. Some of McCains former aides who signed the letter include Mark Salter, the Senators former chief of staff; Christian Ferry, who was deputy manager for McCains 2008 presidential campaign; Joe Donoghue, the Senators former legislative director; and Mike Murphy, a GOP political consultant who was a strategist on McCains 2000 presidential campaign. A political action committee, 43 Alumni for Biden, that launched last month, posted a list of nearly 300 members of the Bush administration or campaigns who are publicly backing Biden. The names range from members of the Cabinet, including former Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez and former Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman, to ambassadors, to White House and advance staffers. Earlier this week, more than two dozen former Republican Congress members backed Biden for president. Meanwhile, at the Democratic National Convention last week, several other Republicans endorsed the former vice president. They included former Secretary of State Colin Powell, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, former New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman, former eBay, and Hewlett Packard CEO Meg Whitman and former Rep. Susan Molinari of New York. Lifelong Republicans support Joe Biden during Democratic Convention It just goes to show there is a Republican Party membership that still lives and retains the partys ethical values. Republican urges voters to support Joe Biden in Democratic primaries Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 06:13:53|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close WASHINGTON, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- U.S. media reported on Wednesday that four U.S. troops were injured from a collision incident with a Russian military vehicle in Syria on Tuesday. POLITICO reported that four troops had been diagnosed with mild concussion-like symptoms after the incident, according to a draft statement by U.S. Central Command. The statement said that the Russian vehicles unsafely pursued U.S. forces and a Russian vehicle intentionally rammed a coalition vehicle, leading to four U.S. troops injured. Videos of the encounter that emerged on Twitter showed that U.S. and Russian vehicles were chasing and attempting to block the path of each other, with Russian helicopters overhead. Pentagon declined to comment or confirm the videos. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, called his Russian counterpart Valery Gerasimov on Wednesday. "In accordance with past practice, both have agreed to keep the specific details of their conversation private," said DeDe Halfhill, the spokesperson for the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Kenneth Ekman, deputy commander of Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve, said last month that U.S. troops in Syria interact with Russians almost every day and most of the interactions are not contentious. U.S. media reported that about 500 U.S. troops were deployed in the northeastern part of Syria to fight against remnants of the Islamic State and secure the oil fields operated by Kurdish forces. Enditem By Ray Murphy Time is running out for the Pennsylvania General Assembly and administration to ensure that all eligible voters can exercise their right to vote in November without risking their health and safety. The June primary exposed several unique challenges facing the state as it prepares for another election during this pandemic, and the only people with the power to fix a looming disaster this general election are our lawmakers and the governor together. Gov. Tom Wolf recently signed into law a bill that requires the state to produce a report on the primary election and identify what changes need to happen before November. But that report was due in early August, and lawmakers arent due back in session until September. Thats too late. We dont know what the coming months may bring, but we can be fairly certain that existing polling locations wont operate as usual in November. The same challenges that existed in the spring still exist today. The backbone of our election process is volunteer poll workers, many of whom are considered at risk because of their age. (The vast majority are over 60.) These poll workers are legitimately concerned about placing their health at risk by sitting in a small space for half a day, interacting with hundreds or thousands of voters, where social distancing may be impossible. We saw the problem play out during the primary. If counties faced a massive poll worker shortage when turnout was only 35 percent statewide, there is simply no way we will have enough poll workers to serve the higher turnout of a presidential election. When the pandemic hit, lawmakers acted quickly to adopt temporary measures to ensure residents health and safety while protecting the integrity of our elections during the primary. That included new provisions for polling place consolidation. The same urgency is needed today. Although considerable attention has been focused on mail-in ballots, and rightly so in the primary, nearly 1.5 million voters cast ballots using the mail-in or absentee voting options, or 51 percent of all votes cast nearly just as many voters voted in person, and many plan to do the same in November. Counties need the flexibility to consolidate polling places now, so they can find the best alternative locations and set realistic goals for poll worker recruitment. To ensure public health and safety, limits are needed on the number of precincts that can be consolidated as well as the number of voters each new polling location serves to prevent long lines and allow for social distancing. And, because of staffing challenges, poll workers who want to volunteer should be permitted to be assigned anywhere in the county not just their home precincts. There is no reason to wait on these commonsense provisions. Because of the pandemic, more voters may choose to vote by mail in November. The process is proven, efficient and secure. And amid the COVID-19 crisis, it may be among the safest option for individuals like seniors or others with underlying health concerns. But even voting by mail isnt without its challenges. The unexpectedly high volume of mail-in ballots and disruptions caused by the coronavirus meant many ballots never made it to the voter or didnt make it back to county election offices in time to count. And when they could be counted, in some counties the count lasted for days, delaying results. Counties must be permitted to pre-canvass mail-in ballots well before Election Day, instead of waiting until 7 a.m. on Election Day according to existing law. Pre-canvassing isnt vote counting. Pre-canvassing simply allows counties to open envelopes, flatten and stack the ballots, and then lock them up securely, so results can be determined more quickly once tabulation begins on election day. These changes cannot wait. Elected officials need to act now so election officials have enough time to implement the changes before November and voters have confidence in the process. Our democracy depends on citizens safely and securely exercising their right to vote. Ray Murphy is the state coordinator for Keystone Votes. LAKE CHARLES, La. - The Louisiana coastline devastated by Hurricane Laura began a long and gloomy recovery Friday as hundreds of thousands of people still without water and power confronted the possibility that basic services may not return for weeks or even longer. The number of dead climbed to at least 14. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 27/8/2020 (511 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. LAKE CHARLES, La. - The Louisiana coastline devastated by Hurricane Laura began a long and gloomy recovery Friday as hundreds of thousands of people still without water and power confronted the possibility that basic services may not return for weeks or even longer. The number of dead climbed to at least 14. A day after the Category 4 storm hit, more bodies emerged in the aftermath in Louisiana and neighbouring Texas. The deaths included five people killed by fallen trees and one person who drowned in a boat. Eight people died from carbon monoxide poisoning due to unsafe operation of generators, including three inside a Texas pool hall, where authorities say the owner had let seven Vietnamese shrimp boat labourers and homeless men take shelter. The other four were in critical condition. The lack of essential resources was grim for the many evacuated residents eager to return. Chad Peterson planned to board up a window and head to Florida. Theres no power. Theres no water. Theres no utilities, he said. Thousands of people who heeded dire warnings and fled the Gulf Coast returned to homes without roofs, roads littered with debris and the likelihood of a harsh recovery that could take months. A building that was damaged overnight by Hurricane Laura stands in Lake Charles, La., Thursday, Aug. 27, 2020. (Stephen Jones via AP) Lawrence Lee Faulk came back to a home with no roof in hard-hit Cameron Parish, which was littered with downed power lines. His metal storage building, 24 feet square, was thrown into a neighbours oak trees. We need help, Faulk said. We need ice, water, blue tarps everything that you would associate with the storm, we need it. Like two hours ago. The White House said President Donald Trump would visit the region Saturday and survey the damage. A tattered American flag blows in the wind in the aftermath of Hurricane Laura Thursday, Aug. 27, 2020, in Port Arthur, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay) Simply driving in Lake Charles, a city of 80,000 residents that sustained some of the worst damage, was a feat. Power lines and trees blocked paths or created one-lane roads that drivers had to navigate with oncoming traffic. Street signs were snapped off their perches or dangled, and no stoplights worked, making it a trust exercise with those sharing the roads. Mayor Nic Hunter cautioned that there was no timetable for restoring electricity and that water-treatment plants took a beating, resulting in barely a trickle of water coming out of most faucets. "If you come back to Lake Charles to stay, make sure you understand the above reality and are prepared to live in it for many days, probably weeks, Hunter wrote on Facebook. Caravans of utility trucks were met Friday by thunderstorms in the sizzling heat, complicating recovery efforts. Reginald Duhon prepares to work at his home on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2020, in Lake Charles, La., after Hurricane Laura moved through the state. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) Forty nursing homes were also relying on generators, and assessments were underway to determine if more than 860 residents in 11 facilities that had been evacuated could return. Water outages remained a major problem in evacuated facilities, the Louisiana Department of Health said. Meanwhile, the hurricanes remnants threatened to bring flooding and tornadoes to Tennessee as the storm, now a tropical depression, drifted north. Forecasters warned that the system could strengthen into a tropical storm again upon returning to the Atlantic Ocean this weekend. In the storm's wake, more than 600,000 homes and businesses were without power in Louisiana, Texas and Arkansas, according to poweroutage.us, which tracks utility reports. Victoria Nelson with her children Autum Nelson, 2, Shawn Nelson, 7, and Asia Nelson, 6, line up to board a bus to evacuate Lake Charles, La., Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2020, ahead of Hurricane Laura. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) The Louisiana Department of Health estimated that more than 220,000 people were without water. Restoration of those services could take weeks or months, and full rebuilding could take years. Ira Lyles returned to find that his downtown Lake Charles salon called The Parlor House survived with little damage, but his home was destroyed. It tore the front off, tore the front of the roof off, picked up my camper trailer and hit the side wall, and the side wall buckled and cracked inside, he said. I think its going to be a wash. A chemical fire burns at a facility during the aftermath of Hurricane Laura Thursday, Aug. 27, 2020, near Lake Charles, La. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards called Laura, which packed a top wind speed of 150 mph (241 kph), the most powerful hurricane to strike Louisiana, meaning it surpassed even Katrina, which was a Category 3 storm when it hit in 2005. He said officials now believe the surge was as high as 15 feet and added that tens of thousands of people were displaced by the storm. Late Friday night, Edwards announced that the president had approved Louisiana's major disaster declaration request, saying in a statement that the step paves the way for getting aid to the hard-hit communities. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. More than 580,000 coastal residents were put under evacuation as the hurricane gained strength in the Gulf of Mexico. Laura was the seventh named storm to strike the U.S. this year, setting a new record for U.S. landfalls by the end of August. Laura hit the U.S. after killing nearly two dozen people in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Blown down trees and debris surround buildings in the aftermath of Hurricane Laura Thursday, Aug. 27, 2020, near Lake Charles, La. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) In Lake Charles, chainsaws buzzed and heavy machinery hauled tree limbs in the front lawn of Stanley and Dominique Hazelton, who rode out the storm on a bathroom floor. A tree punctured the roof just a few feet from where the couple was taking cover. They regretted staying. "Theres people without homes, Stanley Hazelton said. So it was dumb. Well never do it again. Well never stay through another hurricane again. ___ Associated Press contributors include Jamie Stengle in Dallas; Janet McConnaughey in New Orleans; John L. Mone in Holly Beach, Louisiana; Paul J. Weber in Austin, Texas; Seth Borenstein in Kensington, Maryland; and Adrian Sainz in Memphis, Tennessee. The following list includes recent reports from the Midland County Sheriffs Office and the Midland Police Department. Compiled by reporter Mitchell Kukulka. Monday, Aug. 24 11:35 p.m. Officers responded to a subject obstructing justice in the 3300 block of Cobb Street. 11:08 p.m. Officers responded to a vehicle crash in the area of Ashman Circle and Saginaw Road. 8:04 p.m. Officers responded to a vehicle crash in the 900 block of Joe Mann Boulevard. 2:32 p.m. Officer responded to a vehicle crash near the Eastman Avenue offramp. 2:28 p.m. A 57-year-old Larkin Township resident reported that a Trump/Pence campaign sign was taken from the end of her driveway during the night of Aug. 22. The sign is valued at about $10. There are no suspects at this time. 12:35 p.m. A deputy was dispatched to a Jerome Township residence for a car-deer crash that occurred the prior evening. 12:18 p.m. Officers performed a warrant arrest in the 1500 block of Renee Drive. 11:40 a.m. Officers responded to a suicidal subject in the 4300 block of Swede Avenue. 8:54 a.m. Officers responded to a car-deer crash in Hope Township. 8:11 a.m. Officers responded to a vehicle crash in the area of Eastman Avenue and St. Andrews Road. 6:26 a.m. Officers responded to a vehicle crash in the area of West Wackerly Street and Stark Road. Sunday, Aug. 23 11:58 p.m. A deputy was dispatched to an Ingersoll Township residence in reference to a 16-year-old male who ran away from home. The teen was located and returned to his mother. 11:48 p.m. A deputy was dispatched to the area of South Coleman Road about one mile south of M-20 in Greendale Township in reference to a traffic crash (a vehicle had struck a beaver). 10:53 p.m. Officers responded to a complaint of domestic violence in the 4600 block of South Saginaw Road. 10:52 p.m. Deputies were dispatched to an Edenville Township residence in reference to a 21-year-old man who ingested a bottle of pills. The man was transported to MidMichigan Medical Center-Midland by EMS. 10:45 p.m. A deputy was dispatched to a Midland Township neighborhood in reference to kids possibly "ding-dong-ditching" residences. The neighborhood was checked, but no one was located. 10:08 p.m. Officers responded to an assault in the 1500 block of Renee Drive. 9:55 p.m. A deputy was dispatched to the area of West Salt River Road near South Greendale Road in reference to a traffic crash (a vehicle had struck a tree that had fallen in the roadway). 9:25 p.m. Officers responded to a vehicle crash in the 2200 block of West Wackerly Street. 8:06 p.m. A 31-year-old Larkin Township man working for the U.S. Census Bureau attempted to contact a family at a Mills Township residence. The family became hostile toward the census employee, and he requested the incident be documented. 4:23 p.m. Officers responded to a vehicle crash in the area of Eastman Avenue and West Wackerly Street. 3:24 p.m. Officers responded to a vehicle crash in the area of Waldo Avenue and James Savage Road. 10:37 a.m. Officers responded to reports of larceny and malicious destruction of property in the area of Dublin Avenue and Tittabawassee River Road. 1:22 a.m. Officers responded to a report of an intoxicated driver in the area of Isabella Road and Currie Parkway. 1:10 a.m. A deputy responded to the MidMichigan Medical Center-Midland ER for a dog bite complaint. The 5-year-old Mount Pleasant victim received a minor laceration and was treated at the ER. The 26-year-old Mills Township dog owner was issued an isolation notice. Prominent real estate agent Ross Savas, who has brokered record deals for some of Melbourne's most prestigious homes, has intervened to block the release of details about a civil case brought by a former female employee against his agency. Mr Savas, the managing director of Kay & Burton, had intervened in a Magistrates Court proceeding to oppose an application by The Age to obtain a statement of claim filed by the plaintiff, who worked at the firm's Brighton office until last year. Kay & Burton managing director Ross Savas. Kay & Burton settled the matter with the plaintiff just days before The Age's lawyers made submissions to Magistrate Brian Wright for the documents on August 13. Mr Savas assembled a formidable legal team to oppose the media application, which included barrister Sandip Mukerjea and two instructing solicitors from Holding Redlich, while also engaging prominent Sydney defamation lawyer Mark O'Brien on a separate issue. A conflict between Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Janata Dal (U) over seat-sharing and selection of candidates appears imminent before the state assembly elections in Bihar scheduled in October-November. An indication of the likely bout emanates from the tough posturing of the Bihar BJP state president and Lok Sabha MP from Bettiah Dr Sanjay Jaiswal over induction of six Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MLAs by the JD(U) recently. Jaiswal categorically said that the party has enough candidates for the assembly polls and does not need outsiders. We have enough good candidates so we do not need outsiders for fighting the election. We are not going to promote any outsider. The BJP will fight all traditional seats in Bihar assembly polls, said Sanjay Jaiswal, the BJP state president. The utterances of Jaiswal hold significance as the JD (U) president and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has recently inducted into his party fold at least six RJD legislators, who had won from the seats contested by the BJP or the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) in the 2015 assembly elections. In 2015, the JD(U) and RJD had contested the elections together as part of the mahagathbandhan, while the BJP, LJP, Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) of Upendra Kushwaha and Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) headed by Jitan Ram Manjhi had contested together as part of the NDA. In 2015, these seats were not in the JD(U) quota and fell in the RJD quota and in majority of these seats the BJP had held second position garnering substantial votes. It is indicated that some more sitting MLAs of the RJD will be inducted into the JD(U) before the polls. It is bound to create crisis of seat-sharing among the JD(U), BJP and LJP. The BJP has 76 lakh workers in Bihar and we are not going to put up outsiders to contest the election on BJP symbol. Our party is so strong in the state that we do not need outsiders ahead of the assembly election, the state BJP chief said. In 2015, the BJP had contested 157 seats, LJP 42 seats, RLSP 23 seats and HAM had got 21 seats. The NDA had not announced any chief ministerial candidate. While the BJP won from 53 seats, the LJP and RLSP won from two seats each while the HAM could win from only one seat. The BJP garnered 93,08,015 votes, the highest among all political parties out of the 3,76,96,978 votes polled against the total 6,62,43,193 registered voters in Bihar. The HAM president Jitan Ram Manjhi had contested from two seats Gaya and Imamganj but lost from Gaya seat. Of the six assembly seats, which are likely to become the bone of contention, the Parsa seat has been claimed by the LJP, whose nominee Chhotelal Rai was defeated by RJDs Chandrika Rai, who is also the father-in-law of RJD chief Lalu Prasads elder son Tej Pratap Yadav. Given the tough posturing of LJP chief Chirag Paswan and his recent outbursts against Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the LJP is unlikely to relinquish its claim on the Parsa seat. The LJP had already announced that it was ready to contest nearly 100 seats. Similarly, in Paliganj, Jayvardhan Yadav of RJD had defeated Ram Janam Sharma of BJP. So, a clash between JDU and BJP is imminent. Jayvardhan is the grandson of former Union minister and famous Yadav caste leader of the State, late Ram Lakhan Singh Yadav. In Keoti, Faraz Fatimi, son of former Union minister M A A Fatimi had defeated Ashok Kumar Yadav of BJP. Though Ashok Yadav has been elected to Lok Sabha, the BJP is certain to stake its claim on this seat which has been its traditional bastion. In Gaighat, Maheshwar Yadav of RJD had defeated Veena Devi of BJP. Veena is now an MP from the LJP. In Patepur, Prema Choudhary of RJD had defeated Mahendra Baitha of BJP while in Sasaram Dr Ashok Kumar had defeated Jawahar Prasad of BJP. So, a clash on these two seats cannot be ruled out. BJP sources said that similar clash of interests with the JD(U) may ensue in Samastipur and Raxaul assembly seats. The BJP had secured second position on 102 assembly seats while the LJP had become close second on 36 seats. In previous elections also the BJP had won from these seats. Thus, the BJP cannot compromise on seats where it finished close second in 2015, a senior BJP leader said. In the 2010 assembly elections, the JD(U) and BJP had contested 141 and 102 seats and won 115 and 91 seats respectively. The LJP was not part of the NDA then. In the November 2005 elections, the JD(U) and BJP had contested from 139 and 102 seats and won from 88 and 55 seats respectively. The BJP is considering these 102 seats as its own and planning selection of candidates accordingly. Therefore, the entry of about a dozen sitting MLAs into the JD(U) has become difficult given the tough posturing of the state BJP president. This time we will win from many such seats which we had lost in 2015 polls, the state BJP chief said. Before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi had joined the mahagathbandhan. Recently, he quit the alliance and joined hands with the JD(U). In such circumstances, the BJP will have to compromise on such seats which it had lost in 2015 assembly elections. The BJP has ended up being the main victim of the defection bug much to the discomfiture of its trusted party men. Having fought elections together with the BJP in the past, the JD(U)s quest for winnable candidates has become more pronounced this time. So, it is the JD(U) which is embracing outsiders with impunity. It has been seen in the past that the defectors have been instantly rewarded at the cost of old guards fuelling dissension within the parties. If old guards are sidelined and party hoppers are rewarded, it becomes dangerous showing that the foundation of a building has become weaker, a senior BJP leader said. Post-poll calculations will also play a part in the entire exercise. Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, who is eyeing the next term, does not want to take any chance to lag behind in the race of becoming the single largest party even while remaining in the NDA. The BJP, too, eyes power in the state and cannot afford to see its number drop significantly. In elections, winning ability is the main factor and that is what will determine the seats and candidates. As BJP is on a roll, many aspirants want to join the alliance. These matters will be settled amicably when the senior leaders will sit together before the polls, said party spokesperson Prem Ranjan Patel. WASHINGTON Federal investigators have questioned a sailor for suspected arson in the fire that engulfed the warship Bonhomme Richard in July, according to a senior Navy official. The Naval Criminal Investigative Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives have focused their investigation on one sailor from that ship, said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss some details of the continuing inquiry. No motive has been identified, and no one has been charged, the official said. The arson investigation was separately confirmed by a Defense Department official who was not authorized to speak with reporters. The official said the investigation was expected to be completed by the end of September. There were no fatalities from the fire, but 68 military and civilian firefighters were treated for injuries including heat exhaustion and smoke inhalation. THUNDER BAY, Ont. - The federal government is under fire for what critics say has been a delayed response in getting back-to-school funding to First Nations amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 27/8/2020 (511 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Sol Mamakwa, NDP MPP for Kiiwetinoong, stands in the Legislature during Question Period in Toronto on November 6, 2019. The federal government is under fire for what critics say has been a delayed response in getting back-to-school funding to First Nations amid the COVID-19 pandemic. On Wednesday, Ottawa announced $2 billion in back-to-school funding for provinces and territories, and another $112 million specifically for First Nations. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young THUNDER BAY, Ont. - The federal government is under fire for what critics say has been a delayed response in getting back-to-school funding to First Nations amid the COVID-19 pandemic. On Wednesday, Ottawa announced up to $2 billion in back-to-school funding for provinces and territories, and another $112 million specifically for on-reserve schools. The announcement came after Nishnawbe Aski Nation, which represents 49 Ontario First Nations, released a number of public statements accusing the government of dragging its feet on the issue. Last week, NAN said the government had rejected its request for $33 million in funding, designed to get its nearly 9,000 students back to school safely by providing them with adequate personal protective equipment and sanitization supplies. Deputy Grand Chief Derek Fox said Thursday the government is now asking NAN to resubmit its request this time with a budget breakdown for each individual community, which he said will further slow an already protracted process. Fox said his opinion on Ottawa's efforts hasn't changed, saying $112 million doesn't go all that far when divided amongst the country's roughly 630 First Nations. "That's not a lot of money considering (NAN) asked for $33 million," he said in an interview. Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller said he understands Fox's concerns, but that multimillion dollar funding "doesn't appear overnight." He added that this week's funding announcement will not necessarily be the last. "If there is additional resources that are needed, we are always prepared to engage and see what is the best way forward," he said. Miller declined to comment on the state of NAN's request, but noted that the money announced this week should start flowing "in relatively short order." But across NAN, Fox said schools are preparing to reopen even without the COVID-specific funding, and will instead be tapping into resources designed for the regular school year to purchase the supplies needed to make the learning environment safe. However, he noted that a number of schools are considering pushing the school year back to Oct. 28 the beginning of the second "quadmester" or potentially even 2021 if adequate funding can't be secured in time. Schools considering such action include Dennis Franklin Cromarty High School in Thunder Bay and Pelican Falls First Nations High School near Sioux Lookout, Fox said. Furthermore, Fox said 32 of NAN's 49 communities are remote and can be accessed only by plane. That presents unique challenges, he said, both in terms of getting kids to and from school, and preventing outbreaks that could be triggered by a child bringing the virus home from an urban centre. Sol Mamakwa, the Ontario NDP's critic for Indigenous relations and reconciliation, says the funding scheme suggests the federal government is treating First Nations students like "chopped liver." Like Fox, Mamakwa notes the lack of a safe back-to-school pathway opens the potential for students to lose valuable education time, which he said is exacerbated by longstanding issues such as a lack of broadband access on reserves. Mamakwa who represents a vast riding in northwestern Ontario that includes several First Nations has called on Premier Doug Ford to intervene, citing the province's responsibility under provincial treaties to provide equal access to education. 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. However, he said he has heard nothing from the provincial government on the matter, and he doesn't expect to. "For the past few years I have been at Queen's Park, it has been like this," Mamakwa said. "Day after day, month after month, year after year, decade after decade, we continue to be treated by this government in the same way. And we're still here. I dont have the confidence in the government to fix these issues." The provincial government did not immediately respond to a request for comment. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 27, 2020. by Jake Kivanc in Toronto, with files from Nicole Thompson A weakening tropical storm Laura moved over Arkansas on Thursday evening, leaving widespread power outages, battered buildings and downed trees in its wake in southwest Louisiana. The storm made landfall around 1 a.m. near Cameron, La. as a ferocious hurricane just shy of Category 5 strength with 150 mph winds. At least six deaths have been tied to the storm, according to the Associated Press. The storm's winds had tapered off to 40 mph over southern Arkansas as of 7 p.m., according to the National Hurricane Center. Tropical storm force winds are expected to continue near the storm's center over Arkansas this evening. Flash flooding will continue across portions of Louisiana, Mississippi and Arkansas, the hurricane center said. Those states could see up to 8 inches of rain through Friday. TRACK FLOODING: Our Texas Flood Map shows if your neighborhood is at risk Now Playing: Footage from the aftermath of Hurricane Laura in Lake Charles, Louisiana, on Aug. 27, 2020. Video: Houston Chronicle Tropical Storm Laura is expected to further deteriorate into a tropical depression by Thursday night as it continues a north and northeastern trajectory. Tropical storm and storm surge warnings for areas along the Gulf coast were canceled by Thursday afternoon. The Houston and Galveston areas were largely spared after days of preparing for the potential of a devastating direct hit, weather officials said. As the hurricane blew east of Houston, tropical storm winds hit some areas in the region, according to the National Weather Service Houston/Galveston branch. The regions strongest land gust, 48 mph, was recorded near Crab Lake on Bolivar Peninsula around 10:30 p.m. Wednesday as the hurricane neared the coast. At sea, a maritime station east of Galveston Island recorded a 51 mph gust around 10 p.m. Brazoria, Chambers, Galveston and Harris counties each recorded wind gusts greater than 35 mph, according to the weather service. Port-Louis, Mauritius (PANA) - The Mauritian health authorities on Thursday recorded a new case of coronavirus from a 37-year-old passenger from India on Tuesday, August 25, 2020, bringing to 10 the number of active cases of the disease, PANA learned on Thursday in the Mauritian capital Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-28 00:20:24|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Despite a coronavirus-triggered recession looming large for the world, China remains a gold mine for global investors amid the country's unswerving efforts to create a better business environment with easier market access, more benefits, and improved services. According to the World Bank's Doing Business 2020 report, China has made greater progress in the 2005-2020 period than any other large economy in terms of facilitating the ease of doing business, with its global ranking rising to the 31st position among 190 economies globally from the 78th in the 2018 report. A MAGNET WITH IMPROVING BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT Foreign direct investment (FDI) into the Chinese mainland, in actual use, expanded by 15.8 percent year on year in July, marking the fourth consecutive month for the country to witness positive FDI growth, according to data from the Ministry of Commerce (MOC). Uniqlo, a clothing brand under the Japan-based Fast Retailing Group, opened 19 chain stores in China in August, entering six new cities, including Zhejiang's Tongxiang, and Jiangsu's Danyang. "It signals our confidence in the Chinese market and the Chinese economy," said Jalin Wu, Chief Marketing Officer of Uniqlo Greater China, adding that the company hopes to explore opportunities in more third-tier and lower-tier cities. Uniqlo was not the only example. A total of 18,838 new overseas-funded enterprises were established on the Chinese mainland in the first seven months, a vote of confidence in the market. To encourage foreign investment, China has taken multi-pronged measures to open its market wider. The country's 2020 version of the negative lists for foreign investment, which took effect in July, reduced the number of sectors that are off-limits for foreign investors to 33 from 40 in the 2019 version. The negative list for pilot free trade zones also cut the number of prohibited industries to 30 from 37. According to the new lists, foreign ownership caps on securities, fund management, futures, life insurance companies, as well as commercial vehicle enterprises are removed, and more opportunities in agriculture, medicine, minerals, fuel, infrastructure, and education are offered to foreign investors. The country put into effect the landmark foreign investment law on Jan. 1, 2020, providing institutional protection for the interests of foreign investors. It grants foreign-invested enterprises access to government procurement markets through fair competition and bans the use of administrative licensing and penalties to force foreign investors and firms to transfer technology. In south China's Hainan Province, a "single window" program for international investment was officially launched on Aug. 13, providing one-stop services for foreign investors, and enabling foreign-funded firms to complete the registration procedure in two working days. China will help foreign-funded companies solve prominent problems and create a more law-based, internationalized, and convenient business environment, said Zong Changqing, an official with the MOC. A BIGGER CAKE FOR ALL As China upgrades its industrial sector and seeks new growth drivers, foreign investors are expected to get a slice of a bigger cake. China is soliciting opinions on the draft of the 2020 version industrial catalog in which foreign investment is encouraged. Aimed at attracting more foreign investment in the high-quality development of manufacturing, producer services, and to the central and western regions, the draft has proposed extending the coverage of investment in sectors such as raw material, research and development, modern logistics, information services, and e-commerce. The country is pushing the construction of new infrastructures, attracting foreign investors to tap into these opportunities, along with domestic firms, amid a boom in the industry. French corporation Schneider Electric signed a strategic cooperation deal with China's battery giant Contemporary Amperex Technology Ltd. on Aug. 5, intending to cooperate in fields including green smart factories, new energy power generation, safe power use, and energy storage. Among the 54 foreign-funded projects signed on July 22 in Shanghai, 15 are in the field of new infrastructure construction, covering sectors including network technology, artificial intelligence, biomedicine, and integrated circuits. The new infrastructure is becoming a new opportunity for foreign companies to invest in China amid the global economic recession since the COVID-19 outbreak. The huge market is bound to attract foreign companies, said Zhu Keli, a researcher on the new economy with the Development Research Center of the State Council. Enditem 00:01 | Cusco (Cusco region), Aug. 27. Cusco Governor Jean Paul Benavente affirmed that the region is in the process of securing the health control system, in several provinces, which involves the Cusco-Sacred Valley of the Incas corridor and Machu Picchu, in first place. The second step involves having molecular tests and rapid results (such as the ones issued by the EsSalud hospital) to provide a brief diagnosis. "If we want to boost the tourism sector, we have to ensure the preventive measures, a serious screening process, and a diagnosis to open our borders," he explained. On the matter, the governor stressed the imperative need to have molecular test results and to implement the biosafety protocols that different sectors had in place before the coronavirus infection curve took off. "We want that tourists and the host population itself can have their results in less than one or two hours so that they can take care; this implies improving the protocols," Benavente pointed out. "We have to change the upward curve of the pandemic, which has greatly affected us over the last six weeks. Once reduced, we will start a reactivation process," he added. The " COVID 10 Thousand " campaign is part of the diagnosis for the virus identification in the population and covers provinces where there are other tourist circuits besides Machu Picchu, the Sacred Valley of the Incas and Cusco's historic center. These strategies have been implemented in European countries that are tourist destinations. "There are many cities around the world whose tourist activities are already being conducted. France, for example, has reopened most of its tourism sector, as well as Spain. They are at the forefront," he said. Regarding the reopening of Machu Picchu , the regional authority reported that the date has not been determined yet, but the enthusiasm to emerge from this difficult situation is maintained. (END) PHS/MAO/RMB/MVB Loading... The southern region of Cusco is attempting to put an end to the coronavirus (COVID-19) infection curve, restore tranquility and, thus, prompt the reactivation of tourism (the main driver of growth), based on two strategies proposed by local authorities.Publicado: 27/8/2020 PARSIPPANY, NJParsippany schools would receive less state K-12 aid next year than previously proposedbut still see an increase from this yearunder Gov. Murphy's revised budget released this week. "Supporting our public schools has been one of the bedrock priorities of my administration," said the governor on Wednesday. "The pandemic has created an unprecedented challenge for our schools." Under the revised budget, Parsippany would be one of nearly 400 municipalities receiving less than what was proposed in February. Parsippany schools received $6,091,659 in K-12 aid in 2019-20, and expected $7 million in aid proposed by Gov. Murphy earlier this year. Parsippany would still see a 4.8% increase in K-12 aid for the 2020-2021 school year under the new budget, however. The revised proposal has $6,382,412 slated for the district, a difference of $290,753. The new budget proposal also contains $100 million in Coronavirus Relief Fund money for districts to bring schools into compliance with the state reopening plan health standards. School systems already within the guidelines would use that money to maintain those standards. The revised numbers also include $67.8 million in preschool education aid, for a total preschool allocation of $874.2 million. More than 190 schools would receive less aid than last year, according to the proposal. Parsippany's school board did not immediately return a request for comment. with reporting by Tom Davis This article originally appeared on the Parsippany Patch Advertisement A custody and defamation dogfight has broken out over a celebrity cavoodle named Oscar. Kenneth Flavell and Gina Edwards are suing Mark Douglas Gillespie for ownership of the prized pooch in a Sydney District Court battle. They are also seeking to stop Mr Gillespie from making any allegedly defamatory statements about the popular pup, who boasts 10,000 followers on Instagram, in the future. A custody and defamation dogfight has broken out in NSW District Court over the ownership of an Instagram famous cavoodle named Oscar (pictured above). The pooch boasts over 10,000 followers on social media The custody battle saw a fight for the ownership of both Oscar (pictured) and his famous Instagram account NSW District Court determined Oscar's value exceeded $20,000 and the case was moved to NSW Supreme Court NSW District Court Judge Judith Gibson said the parties' legal representatives had informed her that Oscar 'is a social media celebrity'. 'Oscar's Instagram account is apparently closed pending this litigation, but the parties, although able to agree on little else, assure me that Oscar is a dog of more than usual value,' she said in a judgement on August 20. Judge Gibson said Mr Flavell and Ms Edwards wanted to keep Mr Gillespie 'from removing the dog known as 'Oscar' and were seeking a range of orders in the court battle. They wished to be declared as Oscar's owners as well as seek damages related to an alleged breach of a contract of bailment. This agreement - which allows goods to be transferred to third party for a certain period of time related to the cavoodle's care and upkeep. Mr Gillespie has also filed a defence for the case as well as a cross-claim. He sought damages for the cavoodle's 'detention' and asked that Oscar be returned to him. 'In other words, both parties want the dog,' Judge Gibson said. Judge Gibson was also told that Mr Gillespie wanted control of the cavoodle's Instagram account 'which may or may not still be online, but which could still be an item of some value, due to Oscar's social media success'. The celebrity pooch (pictured with Sydney Harbour Bridge) is often photographed in various outfits and locations around Sydney A surprising twist revealed that Oscar's value and the cost of his upkeep may have exceeded a $20,000 limit, causing uncertainty as to whether the court had jurisdiction to hear the case. Judge Gibson said the court's 'hands are effectively tied' and was forced to transfer the case to the NSW Supreme Court. 'It may seem a very minor matter for the Supreme Court to be troubled by a dispute about a dog, even a celebrity dog with its own Instagram account, but there would appear to be no alternative,' she explained. The case was transferred to the Supreme Court and is listed for a preliminary hearing on September 15. The District Court also received two defamation proceedings but will not address them until the main dispute over Oscar has been settled. Images from Oscar's popular Instagram account feature the cavoodle in various outfits and locations around Sydney. The famous pup is often photographed by the Sydney Harbour Bridge or playing outside with friends. The City Council on Wednesday has pushed back its discussion on the fate of the Black Lives Matter street painting for at least another week. Councilor Vanessa Hall-Harper told the Tulsa World before the councils afternoon committee meeting that she wanted more time to examine what legal mechanisms other cities have used to retain their Black Lives Matter street paintings. I want to see how they went about or they are going about doing that, Hall-Harper said. Are they, too, going to request or accept these murals as government speech? And just finding more out about that process. Tulsa was one of many cities across the country that saw Black Lives Matter signs painted on streets in the wake of the George Floyd killing in Minneapolis. Activists painted Tulsas BLM sign along Greenwood Avenue without the citys permission on the eve of Juneteenth, the day before President Donald Trumps campaign rally at the BOK Center. Councilors had been scheduled to hear from the City Attorneys Office regarding whether the free speech doctrine could be used by the city to keep the sign in the Greenwood District. Islamabad, Aug 27 : Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has invited the chairman of Afghan High Council for National Reconciliation, Abdullah Abdullah to discuss ways for clearing the path to intra-Afghan dialogue. According to the Prime Minister's Office, Khan on Wednesday called Abdullah and invited him "to visit Pakistan at the earliest to share perspectives on advancing the Afghan peace process and forging closer ties between the two countries", reports Dawn news. Khan said Pakistan looked forward to the commencement of intra-Afghan talks at the earliest. He also urged Afghan leaders to seize the historic opportunity for achieving an inclusive political settlement. The call followed a meeting between Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and a Taliban delegation from their Qatar-based political office led by Mullah Baradar, the deputy chief of insurgents dealing with political affairs, at the Foreign Office in Islamabad on Tuesday. After speaking to Khan, Abdullah tweeted that both leaders during their conversation emphasised the importance of the "unique opportunity to reduce violence, start I/A talks & pursue a path to a dignified & durable peace". While thanking Khan for the invitation, Abdullah said he would visit Pakistan in the near future. No charges will be laid against police officers involved in the 2017 death of Indigenous woman Tanya Day, who died after being injured while in custody. Victoria Police told The Age it had received advice from the state's Office of Public Prosecution not to proceed with criminal charges against the officers involved in the matter, following a review of the case. Tanya Day, Yorta Yorta mother and grandmother. The news comes four months after the Deputy State Coroner referred Ms Day's case to the OPP, following a landmark coronial inquest into the 55-year-old's death, to assess whether criminal negligence had occurred. N95 respirators, which are widely worn by health care workers treating patients with COVID-19 and are designed to be used only once, can be decontaminated effectively and used up to three times, according to research by UCLA scientists and colleagues. An early-release version of their study has been published online, with the full study to appear in September in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases. N95 respirators reduce exposure to airborne infectious agents, including SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, and are one of the key pieces of personal protective equipment used by clinical workers in preventing the spread of the virus. Critical shortages of these masks have driven efforts to find new decontamination methods that can extend their use. "Although N95 respirators are designed for just one use before disposal, in times of shortage, N95 respirators can be decontaminated and reused up to three times," said James Lloyd-Smith, a co-author of the study and a UCLA professor of ecology and evolutionary biology. "But the integrity of the respirator's fit and seal must be maintained." In a controlled laboratory setting, the researchers tested several decontamination methods on small sections of N95 filter fabric that had been exposed to SARS-CoV-2. The methods included vaporized hydrogen peroxide, dry heat at 70 degrees Celsius (158 degrees Fahrenheit), ultraviolet light and a 70% ethanol spray. All four methods eliminated detectable viable virus from the N95 fabric test samples. The investigators then treated fully intact, clean respirators with the same decontamination methods to test their reuse durability. Employees with the National Institutes of Health's Rocky Mountain Laboratories in Montana volunteered to wear the masks for two hours to determine if they maintained a proper fit and seal over the face. The scientists decontaminated each mask three times, using the same procedure with each. The masks treated with vaporized hydrogen peroxide experienced no failures, suggesting they potentially could be reused three times, Lloyd-Smith said. Those treated with ultraviolet light and dry heat began showing fit and seal problems after three decontaminations, suggesting these respirators potentially could be reused twice. The study authors concluded that vaporized hydrogen peroxide was the most effective method because no traces of the virus could be detected after only a 10-minute treatment. They found that ultraviolet light and dry heat are also acceptable decontamination procedures, as long as the methods are applied for at least 60 minutes. The ethanol spray, the scientists discovered, damaged the integrity of the respirator's fit and seal after two sessions, and they do not recommend it for decontaminating N95 respirators. The researchers stressed that anyone decontaminating an N95 respirator should closely check the fit and seal over the face before each reuse. ### Co-authors of the study include Amandine Gamble, a UCLA postdoctoral researcher in Lloyd-Smith's laboratory, as well as researchers with the Rocky Mountain Laboratories, part of the NIH's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Funding sources included the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, and the National Science Foundation. In a widely cited study, Lloyd-Smith and colleagues reported in March that the virus that causes COVID-19 remains for several hours to days on surfaces and in aerosols. Laura on early Thursday made landfall in south-western region of Louisiana in the United States as a ferocious Category 4 Hurricane with wind speeds of over 241 kmph. The National Hurricane Center said the storm, which intensified rapidly on Wednesday, came ashore at 1 am on Thursday. A Weather Channel meteorologist had a narrow escape from the falling debris while reporting Hurricane Lauras landfall. Stephanie Abrams was continuously moving back and forth to maintain her balance and was struggling to provide live coverage as the winds pushed her to one side. Videos and photos surfaced on social media showing the ruthless impact of Laura as streets were covered with water closer to the coast of Lake Charles in Louisiana. Authorities urged coastal residents of Louisiana and Texas to evacuate. After initial refusal, people decided to vacate their premises after strong winds started moving trees back and forth. Laura will be the seventh named storm to strike the United States in 2020 setting a new record for landfalls by the end of August. Apart from Laura, here is a look at other tropical storms that are headed towards Mexico: 1. Tropical Storm Hernan is expected to curve toward the southern tip of Baja California and may swing near the coast around the resort of Puerto Vallarta. The National Hurricane Center said Hernan had wind speeds of about 65 kmph and was located about 300 km south of Cabo Corrientes, Mexico. 2. Tropical Storm Iselle, formed within hours is also expected to curve towards the southern tip of Baja California. It formed further offshore, about 1,095 km southwest of the tip of the Mexican state. Both these tropical storms are likely to decline to tropical depressions later in the week. (With inputs from agencies) WESTON The Board of Education unanimously approved an extra first grade section to accommodate rising enrollment in the school district. The enrollment continues to be very, very good news, Superintendent William Mckersie said at a school board meeting this week. Enrollment is up 2.58 percent or an additional 58 students compared with last year, he said. The growth is across the grades, Mckersie said. Youre seeing cohort growth, meaning not just grade-to-grade but a lot of new families and students coming in. The influx of new families fulfilled a prediction some made in the spring of Westons attractiveness to families moving from more densely populated areas because of COVID-19, he said. The enrollment numbers also highlighted the districts significance despite lingering concerns of reopening from some staff, Mckersie said. I had 230 on a Zoom Friday and I said, Please take this giant compliment. People all over this region are moving to Weston because they see this as a safe place and high-quality education place for their children, and that is due to all of you, our staff, Mckersie said. In an update on school reopening, he said 311 students or 13.6 percent district-wide have chosen to start school from home through videoconferencing. We are working very, very hard to make this a full and robust program for the families who have selected voluntary distance learning, he said. I do need to repeat for all our hard work on this, it is one of the most challenging things that the state has designed for us. The BOE supported the addition of a section, but BOE Chair Tony Pesco said he was concerned about losing fiscal discipline because of COVID-related expenses. I think thats a discussion not necessarily for tonight but I think thats a discussion thats going to be had over the next couple of months, he said. Were going to basically have to understand how were going to mitigate whatever deficit spending we do at this point of the year. BOE member Ruby Hedge said she had the most concern for Hurlbutt Elementarys staff and students. She said teachers will have to juggle the concerns of three types of students: students learning in-person, students at home on their off-day learning on their own and those entirely distance learning. I just think thats a lot of pressure on a teacher to be thinking about, accommodating, supporting, helping, those three types of students, Hedge said. In this particular situation, the more support we can give to that particular grade, even if theyre on the cusp, I support. I think the little ones need it for sure. dj.simmons@hearstmediact.com Sphera Franchise Group posts consolidated sales of 304.6 million lei in H1 2020, 31.6 percent lower YoY due to the lockdown period, shows data provided by the company. "The Group's consolidated sales in the second quarter stood at 106.3 million lei, 54 percent lower compared to Q2 2019; the most significant impact was in April, when most restaurants were completely closed and deliveries were limited. The loss in Q2 was offset by rapid and firm cost-cutting measures, which reflect in the 47.3 percent decrease in restaurant spending in Q2 2020 compared to Q2 2019. Also, these figures are above the hospitality industry average in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and current developments create the premises for a comeback," the company said in release on Thursday. The restaurants' operating profit of 6.7 million lei was 86.5 percent down from the same period last year. General and administrative expenses decreased by 8.2 percent, while EBITDA plunged to 800,000 lei, 97.9 percent down from H1/2019 and had a margin by 8 percentage points lower than in the previous period. The operating profit decreased by 178 percent year-over-year, and the total loss for the reporting period was 22.4 million lei. Sphera managed to mitigate the impact of the disease containment measures applied in Romania, Italy and the Republic of Moldova, focusing on developing new sales channels, such as collaborating with online order aggregators, while promoting the Delivery and Drive-Thru channels which continue to deliver food through KFC Delivery, KFC Drive Thru and Pizza Hut Delivery. The group has so far entered partnerships with eight online ordering platforms in all the markets where it is active, but is also running its own online sales channels. In Q2 2020, delivery services accounted for 47 percent of the group's sales in Romania, compared to 7 percent in the same period last year. Sphera Franchise Group SA is a holding company that brings together brands such as KFC, Pizza Hut, Pizza Hut Delivery and Taco Bell. A team of Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) raided different villages in Khanna circle on Thursday and lodged FIRs against 47 consumers for power theft. The early morning raids were conducted following the directions of PSPCL chairman-cum-managing director A Venu Parshad, distribution director GPS Grewal and Ludhiana central zone chief engineer Varinder Pal Singh Saini. Khanna DS circle superintending engineer Himat Singh Dhillon informed that the team checked 2,713 connections. Of these, 47 cases of electricity theft, 95 unauthorised extension (UE) in load and three cases of unauthorised electricity use were detected. Apart from this, 21 suspected meters having their displays off were sealed. These will be checked at the ME lab. Readings/particulars of 2,127 meters were also checked and these are being compared with the record. Around 17 lakh penalty has been charged to these consumers. Rescue workers from New Jersey are on their way to Louisiana to help with rescue and recovery efforts as Hurricane Laura caused devastation in the state. Eighty members of New Jersey Task Force 1 left New Jersey around 1 a.m. on Thursday, just as the Category 4 hurricane made landfall near Cameron, Louisiana with 150 mph winds. The team is en route to a Baton Rouge staging area, but that could change depending on need. They are scheduled to arrive early Friday morning. Hurricane Laura will likely be devastating: The storm surge was expected to be between 15 to 20 feet tall, forecasters said, and could travel as far as 40 miles inland. It will not recede for several days, the Hurricane Center said. The storm surge could be unsurvivable, the center warned. Youre in Gods hands, one Texas mayor said of residents who chose not to evacuate. The NJ-TF1 members will partake in rescue and recovery efforts in the area, New Jersey State Police public information officer Laura Connolly said. Some of the equipment the task force is taking includes two utility terrain vehicles, three tractor-trailers, six boats with trailers and a water support trailer. The current group of members can be deployed for up to 14 days, and another group is available to replace them if necessary. A third group will remain at home in case any need arises in New Jersey, she said. In addition to the storm, rescue efforts must be mindful of the coronavirus. As crews arrived at headquarters, they underwent temperature checks, and the crew is stocked with at least two weeks of PPE, Connolly said. All task force members undergo at least two years of training before they can be deployed, something Connolly called a privilege. The members have full-time day jobs in addition to working on the task force. They include doctors, engineers, firefighters, police officers and communications specialists. They all worked full days yesterday, and then at 1 a.m., said goodbye to their families and headed down there, Connolly said. We really have this cross fabric of specialized training, these really elite members that have the training and know what theyre doing. Winds were still too strong to check for survivors Thursday morning, said Tony Guillory, president of the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury. Downed trees and power lines and flooded roads are likely to complicate rescue efforts. The storm has since been downgraded to a Category 2 storm as it continues inland. The remnants of Hurricane Laura are expected to reach New Jersey this weekend, with up to three inches of rain possible on Saturday. Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription. Katie Kausch may be reached at kkausch@njadvancemedia.com. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here. Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 22:39:10|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close YAOUNDE, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Unknown armed men burst on a beach in Cameroon's border town of Ekok early Thursday and abducted 15 people, according to local authorities. Witnesses said the victims, all beach workers, were working when heavily armed men held them at gunpoint and took them away to an unknown destination. Authorities said preliminary results of an investigation indicated that some of the victims were Nigerians who regularly operate in the town that shares boundary with Nigeria. No group has claimed responsibility for the abduction. Ekok is located in Cameroon's English-speaking region of Southwest that has been ravaged by a separatist conflict for four years. Armed separatists are known to be operating in the town that also serves as their main route to Nigeria, according to security reports. Enditem India on Thursday said a complete disengagement of troops in eastern Ladakh can be achieved only through mutually agreed reciprocal actions and also highlighted resolution of border incidents with China in the past through diplomacy. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said complete disengagement requires re-deployment of troops by each side towards their regular posts on their respective sides of the Line of Actual Control(LAC) and this can be done only through mutually agreed actions. At an online media briefing, Srivastava also talked about External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar's reference, in a recent interview, to resolution of various border incidents in the past through diplomacy. "I would also refer you to the recent interview of External Affairs Minister (EAM) wherein referring to various past border incidents he had noted that what was common was that all border situations were resolved through diplomacy," Srivastava said. He further said: "EAM had further noted that 'when it comes to finding a solution, this must be predicated on honouring all agreements and understandings. And not attempting to alter the status quo unilaterally'." China, meanwhile, said India should look at the 'big picture' of bilateral ties and work with it and take concrete steps to bring the relationship back on the 'right track of normal development'. Beijing also said New Delhi should put the border issue in an appropriate position in this 'big picture' and 'avoid misjudgement'. Asked for his comments on the current situation at the India-China border at the monthly online media briefing, Chinese defence ministry Spokesman Senior Colonel Wu Qian said progress has been made in the disengagement of the frontline troops of India and China in eastern Ladakh due to efforts from both sides. "China and India are important neighbours to each other. Maintaining peace and stability in the border areas is not only conducive to their respective development, but also to regional and world peace and stability," he said, adding that 'remaining issues' at the border needed to be handled properly. "India could work with China towards the same goal, bearing in mind the big picture of bilateral ties and putting the border issue in an appropriate position in this big picture, avoid misjudgement, keep divergences from escalating into disputes, and take concrete steps to bring the bilateral relations back to the right track of normal development," Wu was quoted as saying in a statement put out by the Ministry of Defence. At his online briefing, Srivastava also referred to last week's talks between the two sides under the framework of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) on border affairs. "As I had conveyed earlier, complete disengagement requires re-deployment of troops by each side towards their regular posts on their respective sides of the LAC. "It is natural that this can be done only through mutually agreed reciprocal actions. Thus it is important to bear in mind that achieving this requires agreed actions by both sides," he said. Srivastava said the two sides at the last meeting of the WMCC agreed to resolve the outstanding issues in an expeditious manner and in accordance with the existing agreements and protocols. "Both sides also agree that full restoration of peace and tranquility in the border areas would be essential for the overall development of bilateral relations. The two sides had also agreed to continue their engagements both through diplomatic and military channels," he said. At the WMCC talks, Srivastava said the two sides had a candid and in-depth exchange of views on the existing situation in the India-China border areas. "Both sides have reaffirmed that the two sides will continue to sincerely work towards complete disengagement of the troops along the Line of Actual Control in the Western Sector in accordance with the agreements reached between the two Foreign Ministers and the two Special Representatives," he said. On July 5, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held a nearly two-hour-long telephonic conversation on ways to resolve the row. The formal process of disengagement of troops began a day after Doval-Wang talks. Both Doval and Wang are special representatives for boundary talks. In Beijing, Wu was further quoted as saying that China and India have agreed to follow the 'important consensus reached by the leaders of both countries and other relevant agreements, continue to maintain dialogue and communication through military and diplomatic channels, further ease and cool down the China-India border situation, properly handle the remaining issues, and jointly safeguard peace and tranquility in the border area'. The Chinese military has pulled back from Galwan Valley and certain other friction points but the withdrawal of troops has not moved forward in Pangong Tso, Depsang and a couple of other areas since mid-July, sources said. In the five rounds of Corps commander-level talks, the Indian side has been insisting on complete disengagement of Chinese troops at the earliest, and immediate restoration of status quo ante in all areas of eastern Ladakh prior to April. The tension between the two sides escalated manifold after the violent clashes in Galwan Valley on June 15 in which 20 Indian Army personnel were killed. The Chinese side also suffered casualties but it is yet to give out the details. According to an American intelligence report, the number of casualties on the Chinese side was 35. Following the Galwan Valley incident, the government gave the armed forces 'full freedom' to give a 'befitting' response to any Chinese misadventure along the LAC. The Army sent thousands of additional troops to forward locations along the border following the deadly clashes. The IAF has also moved air defence systems as well as a sizeable number of its frontline combat jets and attack helicopters to several key air bases. The fear of not being in contact with a mobile phone -- nomophobia -- is extremely common among college students and is associated with poor sleep health, according to a new study. Preliminary results show that 89 per cent of a sample of college students had moderate or severe nomophobia. Greater nomophobia was significantly related to greater daytime sleepiness and more behaviours associated with poor sleep quality. We found that college students who experience more nomophobia were also more likely to experience sleepiness and poorer sleep hygiene such as long naps and inconsistent bed and wake times, said lead author Jennifer Peszka, Ph.D., professor of psychology at Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas. While Peszka anticipated that nomophobia would be common among the study participants, she was surprised by its high prevalence. Because our study suggests a connection between nomophobia and poorer sleep, it is interesting to consider what the implications will be if nomophobia severity continues to increase, she said. The study involved 327 university students with a mean age of 20 years. Participants completed several questionnaires, including the Nomophobia Questionnaire, the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, and the Sleep Hygiene Index. Peszka also noted that one common recommendation for improving sleep habits is to limit phone use before and during bedtime. However, she said that for people who have nomophobia, this recommendation could exacerbate bedtime anxiety and disrupt sleep, rather than improve it. The recommendation to curtail bedtime phone use, which is meant to improve sleep and seems rather straightforward, might need adjustment or consideration for these individuals, she said. The research team included co-investigators David Mastin, Ph.D., and Bruce Moore, Ph.D., from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, where the other co-authors are undergraduate student researchers: Shalonda Michelle, Benjamin T. Collins, Nataly Abu-Halimeh, Monnar Quattom, Maya Henderson, Madison Sanders, and Jeremiah Critton. The research abstract was published recently in an online supplement of the journal Sleep. (This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.) Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Aug. 27, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Atico Mining Corporation (the "Company" or "Atico") (TSX.V: ATY | OTC: ATCMF) is pleased to provide an update on the ongoing feasibility study (the "Study") on the La Plata project ("the Project") while pursuing its 2020 and 2021 exploration programs. The Project has strong support from the Government of Ecuador as part of the "second generation" priority projects necessary for the nation's economic development. Atico is also pleased to inform that it has hired G Mining Services, with offices in Canada and Ecuador to assist Atico's internal team in the review and optimization of the La Plata project. For the second half of 2020, the Company will be advancing on the metallurgy, process design and general infrastructures of the Feasibility Study for the La Plata project with the goal to deliver the Study by early 2022. It is important to note that some sections of the Study are to be coordinated for later in 2021 due to restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Company will be integrating the recent high-grade drilling results along with updated industry consensus of the commodity prices while presently advancing on the engineering allowing a precise evaluation of the La Plata project. As in-fill and exploration drilling continue for the rest of the year with two drill rigs located at La Plata, Atico has been reassigning some of the engineers from its El Roble development team to assist in the optimization of the La Plata project. The Atico's internal development team and network of consultants ("the engineering group") have been very efficient in the transformation of the El Roble mine from a 350 tpd small scale operation to a modern 1,000 tpd operation. The successful expansion of the El Roble processing plant resulted in improving recoveries of the treated ore, decreasing operating costs while also operating with high standards. Fernando E. Ganoza, CEO and Director, commented: "The team we have assembled is quite impressive. Through the years, Atico has developed a successful track record and an extensive network of consultants to which we are adding the G Mining Services group who recently demonstrated their local expertise in Ecuador. With the addition of international experts who have on-the-ground knowledge in Ecuador, we are confident that this will maximize value of the project while maintaining Atico's vision to operate with high standards. " About G Mining G Mining Services is a specialized mining consultancy firm based in Canada. Entrepreneurial minded and multidisciplinary company that offers a wide range of services to both underground and open pit mining projects from greenfield to operating mines. The firm possesses the rare capabilities to develop a resource from the exploration phase, to development, into construction, commissioning and then operations. Integrating with the client's team to self-perform project development, hence to build fit-for-purpose and cost effectively. G Mining's multilingual team can operate in English, French and Spanish speaking countries. most recently, G Mining lead the construction of Lundin Gold's Furta Del Norte Project in Ecuador, which was delivered on time and budget in November 2019. About Atico Mining Corporation Atico is a growth-oriented Company, focused on exploring, developing and mining copper and gold projects in Latin America. The Company generates significant cash flow through the operation of the El Roble mine and is developing it's high-grade La Plata VMS project in Ecuador. The Company is also pursuing additional acquisition of advanced stage opportunities. For more information, please visit www.aticomining.com . ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD Fernando E. Ganoza CEO Atico Mining Corporation Trading symbols: TSX.V: ATY | OTC: ATCMF Investor Relations Igor Dutina Tel: +1.604.633.9022 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. No securities regulatory authority has either approved or disapproved of the contents of this news release. The securities being offered have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the 'U.S. Securities Act'), or any state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold in the United States, or to, or for the account or benefit of, a "U.S. person" (as defined in Regulation S of the U.S. Securities Act) unless pursuant to an exemption therefrom. This press release is for information purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities of the Company in any jurisdiction. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements BENGALURU: Indian shares rose for a fifth straight session on Thursday, ahead of the expiry of derivative contracts for August, with financials leading the gains and real estate stocks jumping after a state in the country reduced a tax on property. Indias main stock indexes have rallied 4.7% so far this month on optimism around coronavirus vaccines and upbeat commentary from corporate managements signalling a pick up in business activity. The NSE Nifty 50 index was up 0.38% at 11,594.45 by 0500 GMT, while the S&P BSE Sensex was 0.46% higher at 39,254.73. Mortgage lender HDFC Ltd and ICICI Bank Ltd were the top two boosts to the Nifty 50. Real estate stocks jumped 5.9% and were on course for their best one-day gain since mid-June after Maharashtra state, home to Mumbai, reportedly https://bit.ly/2YDBDgV cut a tax on property to support the ailing sector. The real estate index has risen 15% this month alone, although it is still down 23% since the start of the year. Stocks indirectly tied to the real estate sector, such as mortgage lenders and paints makers, were also benefiting from the tax cut, said Nagendra Solanki, head of fundamental research at Anand Rathi Shares and Stock Brokers in Mumbai. In a way, were seeing sectors that were not participating in the rally now starting to participate," he said. Shares in cigarette makers including VST Industries Ltd and Godfrey Phillips India Ltd jumped after a report https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/cons-products/tobacco/permit-regulated-fdi-in-tobacco-par-panel-on-commerce-recommends/articleshow/77763392.cms that an Indian parliamentary panel recommended allowing foreign direct investment in the tobacco sector. Meanwhile, other Asian markets took a breather amid renewed Sino-U.S. tensions and as investors looked ahead to U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powells speech at the Jackson Hole symposium. 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 Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 23:32:38|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close RAMALLAH, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Israeli authorities have demolished about 115 buildings in East Jerusalem since the beginning of this year, a Palestinian official said Thursday. In a press statement issued after his meeting with Spanish Consul in Jerusalem Ignacio Garcia-Valdecasas, Palestinian Minister of Jerusalem Affairs Fadi al-Hadmi said that Israel increases its "reprehensible and dangerous demolishes" against Palestinians' buildings. "The demolition works have been carried out in parallel with the increase of Israeli settlement activity in the city of East Jerusalem," al-Hadmi added. He pointed out that demolishing the Palestinian houses is violating "the international law, especially in light of Israeli insisting on implementing it amid the outbreak of coronavirus." Meanwhile, Israeli authorities claim that the Palestinian houses were constructed without permits. Enditem LOGAN, Ohio I sucked in my stomach and scooched sideways through the narrow passageway, sandwiched between giant slabs of sandstone. It had been years since Id hiked the Cantwell Cliffs area of Hocking Hills State Park, home to a labyrinth of extraordinary rock formations, including a tight passageway known as Fat Mans Squeeze (or, depending on your perspective, Fat Womans Squeeze). Despite a few years (and a few pounds), I could still squeeze my way through one more glorious adventure in a place that offers an endless stream of them. Fat Man's Squeeze at Cantwell Cliffs, part of Hocking Hills State Park. Following the Gorge Trail at Conkles Hollow State Nature Preserve. Ive been visiting this park for decades, and yet every time Im here I wonder why I dont come more often. Hocking Hills is, without a doubt, the most beautiful outdoor space in Ohio, a vast obstacle course of massive rock creations sculpted by water and erosion over millions of years. It is also, alas, the most crowded park in the state system. Hocking Hills was the only state park to completely close earlier this year, due to the coronavirus pandemic and fears about overcrowding on the narrow trails. Shut down in early April, the park partially reopened in mid-June and was entirely open by early July. Park officials used the closure to reconfigure most of the trails in the park into one-way loops to alleviate overcrowding and promote social distancing on the paths. The changes made will be permanent. Even before the pandemic, park officials had discussed reconfiguring trails to cut down on overcrowding and erosion. The health crisis gave officials the opportunity they needed to reroute paths and erect hundreds of new directional signs throughout the park. This was my first visit to the park since its reopening, and it took some getting used to. I admit to occasionally going the wrong way, mostly inadvertently, because I couldnt figure out where I supposed to go. Pat Quackenbush, chief naturalist for the park, said compliance with the new trail rules has been high, perhaps 90%. Even so, he recommends that hikers carry masks with them and slip them on at high-traffic spots, including Old Mans Cave, Lower Falls and Cedar Falls. The new trail configurations arent the only news from the park. The state started construction this summer on a new lodge, to replace the one that burned down in late 2016. This new lodge, to be completed in 2022, will feature overnight rooms, whereas the previous version did not. Read more: New lodge under construction at Hocking Hills State Park, will include overnight rooms In addition: * Easy access to the Whispering Cave Trail, new in 2017, has been reduced because of lodge construction. Parking for the trailhead, located near the lodge, is filled with construction equipment. The only way to access Whispering Cave now is via a significantly longer route from Old Mans Cave. * The new visitors center, which opened last year at Old Mans Cave, has been temporarily closed due to the pandemic. Restrooms are open, however, and park maps are available. * The John Glenn Astronomy Park, located on state park land and new in 2018, has suspended programming for 2020 because of the virus, although visitors are welcome to gather at the park in the evening to view the night sky (parking reservations are required; see jgap.info.) New signage guides hikers at Hocking Hills State Park. Spectacular Ash Cave, part of Hocking Hills State Park. Beautiful even with a slow trickle: Cedar Falls at Hocking Hills State Park. Despite the numerous changes and closures, the park has been drawing big crowds since it reopened. The park draws as many as 5 million guests a year thats about as many as Grand Canyon National Park attracts, though the Grand Canyon dwarfs Hocking Hills in size, 1.2 million acres versus 2,000. Quackenbush expects the crowds to diminish somewhat, at least during the week, as students head back to school. But fall weekends are likely to be packed. Still, there are ways to mitigate the crowds: Go during the week if you can; visit busy areas during the early morning or late afternoon hours; explore some of the lesser known areas of the park at busy times, including Cantwell Cliffs and Rock House. The park, if youve never visited, is not one contiguous property its made up of six primary areas, separated by as much as 20 miles, connected by both state forest land and private property. It is possible to visit all the areas in one day I did, on my recent trip although its certainly better to spread your hiking over a couple of days. Take it slower, take a break, hop on a canoe or a bike, visit a winery. If you tire of hiking, there are numerous other activities in the area ziplining, rock climbing, mountain biking, kayaking and more (see experiencehockinghills.com for a complete lineup of activities). I, however, never tire of hiking. Not here, anyway. The favorite spots: Old Mans Cave: The 1.5-mile trail here is the parks best known, a must-do path for first-time visitors. Its also the most crowded. When we arrived at 10:30 a.m. on a recent Thursday, the large parking lot was perhaps one-third full; by the time we left at 12:30 p.m., almost all spots were taken. Get here early, if you can. Natural attractions along the trail include Upper and Lower Falls both reduced to a trickle during my mid-August visit, but lovely nonetheless. Devils Bathtub, too, normally a fast-moving swirl of water, was unusually stagnant. The trails namesake attraction is a 200-foot-wide recess cave, which hermit Richard Rowe called home in the mid-19th century. Dont miss it. Old Man's Cave at Hocking Hills State Park. Cedar Falls: Cedar Falls can be accessed via a 3-mile trail from Old Mans Cave or a short, steep -mile round trip path into the gorge. Early settlers mistook the hemlock trees here for cedars, and misnamed the 40-foot waterfall. Even with the low water flow of late summer, this spot is gorgeous. Ash Cave: A paved, handicapped-accessible path leads to this massive cave, 700-feet wide and nearly 100 feet tall. The acoustics here are terrific during my visit, a woman playing a Native American flute gave the space a mystical feel (that is, until a young boy yelled to his Mom, Can I open the Doritos?) Another dont-miss spot in the park. The Gorge Trail winds through Conkles Hollow State Nature Preserve, part of Hocking Hills State Park. Exploring Rock House, part of Hocking Hills State Park. Conkles Hollow: Another easy trail with a tremendous payoff, the mile-long gorge trail at Conkles Hollow winds through stunning fern-covered rock walls and giant mossy boulders, a scene from a movie set. Conkles Hollow is a state nature preserve set within the state park, so is governed by different rules (no dogs here, for example); a longer, more difficult trail winds around the gorges rim. Rock House: Located about 9 miles north of Old Mans Cave, Rock House is worth seeking out. The only true cave in the park, Rock House features an interior corridor that stretches 200 feet long, 30 feet deep and 25 feet high. Visitors can walk around inside, peering out the five intricately carved, window-like openings in the sandstone. Exploring Cantwell Cliffs, part of Hocking Hills State Park. Artistic erosion on display at Cantwell Cliffs. Cantwell Cliffs: On this trip, at least, this trail was my favorite the least crowded, with a surprise around every turn, including massive rock formations and dramatic overhangs. It was also the most difficult, with lots of up and down and some climbing over rocks. The state has eliminated most of the gorge trail here, leaving a combination rim/gorge path, about a mile in length, but which will take at least 90 minutes to hike. At the end was the feature I had been looking for a narrow gap in rock with just enough room to hide an adult human. I shimmied through sideways, brushing against the rock on both sides, emerging at the exit triumphant, and with one overwhelming thought: I really ought to come here more often. If you go: Hocking Hills State Park Where: The park is located in Hocking County, southeast of Columbus, about 200 miles from Cleveland. The quickest route is I-71 south to Columbus, east on I-70 to U.S. 33, then east on 33 to Ohio 664 south (or get off an exit earlier for the Cantwell Cliffs and Rock House areas). These winding roads to and through the park make up the Hocking Hills Scenic Byway and are great fun to drive. A bucolic view at the Inn and Spa at Cedar Falls. Where to stay: The state park offers a 159-site campground and 40 park cabins, with easy access to all the sites. There are also hundreds of privately-owned cabins and houses in the area, available to rent, some of them quite luxurious. See experiencehockinghills.com. My go-to place to stay is the Inn and Spa at Cedar Falls, with overnight rooms, cottages, yurts and cabins to rent, all surrounded by parkland. The pandemic has led to a few changes at the inn, including the relocation of the spa into the main inn building, reducing the number of hotel rooms from nine to four, but adding new treatment rooms. The inn is also adding three geodomes for overnight stays large, year-round, canvas-covered, half-globe structures with heating, air conditioning, a bathroom, kitchenette and fireplace. They should be ready for occupancy sometime this fall. In addition, the inn also operates the regions best restaurant, Kindred Spirits, which is open to the public for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The food here is terrific, with plenty of outdoor seating. See innatcedarfalls.com. More information: explorehockinghills.com, ohiodnr.gov Editors note: This is one in an ongoing series about state parks in Ohio and surrounding states. Please send suggestions to Travel Editor Susan Glaser, at sglaser@cleveland.com. Read more: Exploring Jesse Owens State Park: Ohios newest preserve features the Big Muskie Bucket plus fishing, hunting, camping Exploring Kelleys Island State Park: camping in a yurt, hiking, fishing, floating in Lake Erie Exploring Salt Fork State Park: boating, fishing, hiking and Bigfoot, two hours from Cleveland Fun and sun on Lake Eries best beaches at Pennsylvanias Presque Isle State Park Exploring Pennsylvanias Ohiopyle State Park: Rafting on the Youghiogheny, waterfalls, hiking, biking and more Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-28 03:28:54|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TRIPOLI, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- The UN-backed Libyan government on Thursday accused the rival eastern-based army of attacking its forces in Sirte city. Spokesman of the Libyan government forces, Mohamed Gonono, said in a statement that the eastern-based army fired 12 Grad rockets at the positions of the government forces in west of Sirte, some 450 km east of the capital Tripoli. "The Operations Command awaits instructions of the Supreme Commander to deal with and respond to the fire sources at the right place and time," the statement said. However, the eastern-based army denied the attack. A few days ago, the UN-backed Prime Minister Fayez Serraj and the Speaker of the eastern-based House of Representatives Aguila Saleh issued calls for a cease-fire in the country, reopening the oilfields and ports, holding elections, and turning Sirte and Jufra into demilitarized zones. However, the eastern-based army denounced Serraj's initiative as merely "media marketing," while accusing the UN-backed government of preparing to attack its units in Sirte. The UN-backed government has been engaged in a deadly armed conflict with the eastern-based army, which is allied with the eastern-based House of Representatives, for more than a year over control of Tripoli. After the eastern-based army withdrew from western Libya recently, the UN-backed government has been trying to take control of Sirte and Jufra in central Libya. Enditem COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said Thursday the state has temporarily paused saliva-based COVID-19 testing at assisted-living centers to investigate concerns about the tests accuracy. During his Thursday coronavirus briefing, DeWine said state health officials will spend a few days investigating whether the possible inaccuracies are caused by sample collection, lab equipment or the tests themselves, before deciding how to move forward. Testing began after DeWine, through Ohio Department of Health Director Lance Himes, last Friday ordered testing of all staff and residents at the states 765 assisted living facilities. The tests use saliva, rather than a nasal swab, to detect the coronavirus genetic material. Some of our assisted living facilities noticed what they thought were inconsistent results and as a result of that we decided we would start looking at this, DeWine said. The inconsistent results refers to false positives. Jean Thompson, executive director of the Ohio Assisted Living Association, said assisted-living facilities in Ohio have to report to local health authorities, as well as to patients, family and staff any time there is a positive COVID-19 result. She didnt know how many false positives there were, but said each one massively disrupted the facility where the faulty test took place. It had huge ramifications emotionally and financially for properties where something like that happens, she said. Thompson said assisted-living facilities appreciate the availability of testing, but need them to be accurate. Our would be unless there is a very definitive cause that they can outline and correct, that they would go with another test," she said. State control testing to try to identify the specific issue with the tests has begun, and will continue through Sunday or Monday. When its done, DeWine said state officials will make a decision on how to proceed. Coronavirus testing is a key component of re-opening Ohios economy and other aspects of daily life while managing the viruss spread and protecting the medically vulnerable. Identifying those who are infected allows them to be isolated while they recover and avoid spreading the disease to others. But increasingly broad-scale testing has revealed accuracy issues at times. In a high-profile instance, DeWine earlier this month, after taking a different test that attempts to rapidly detect COVID-19, falsely tested positive for the coronavirus. Follow-up testing with the genetic tests, called Polymerase chain reaction tests, delivered negative results. LONDON, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Business Worldwide Magazine (BWM) this month announced the winners of its first-ever GCC Business Excellence Awards 2020. An Award which puts a great emphasis on creativity and innovation, it was contested by nominees across a range of sectors both profit and non-profit. These included healthcare, real estate and finance in particular. Start-up Tech businesses and New Energy businesses also made their presence felt. And there was no shortage of candidates, with the inaugural award year attracting more than 70 nominees. This was very impressive considering the global shutdown at the end of March in the UK and even earlier in other parts of Europe. BWM spokesman Robert Weinberg said: "The judging panel especially enjoyed looking through many of the nominee papers for this Award. It was its innovative nature, I believe, that many of the panel found fascinating. "We are, of course, delighted that the Award has got off to such a great start by attracting a number of entrants across various fields. Long may it continue, and congratulations to all our winners this year." As well as celebrating innovation and creativity in those nominated, this Award was also aimed at individuals who had the ability to inspire work colleagues. This meant ensuring there was excellent staff engagement and a company culture that employees enjoyed and contributed to. This culture had also to extend externally in terms of social responsibility for the communities in which the company found itself. Sustainability was another plus point for candidates. Other qualities the judging panel were on the lookout for included an ability to risk manage and to showcase a range of business and technical skills. BWM's Weinberg added: "It wasn't an easy year for business, thanks to the worldwide chaos for business and the pandemic provoked. We hope these Awards go some way to brightening up which has been a very tough year for companies." Read more about the winners of the GCC Business Excellence Awards https://www.bwmonline.com/awards/gcc-business-excellence-awards-winners-2020/ About Business Worldwide Magazine Business Worldwide Magazine is the leading source of business and dealmaker intelligence throughout the world. Our quarterly magazine and online news portal enables an established audience of corporate dealmakers to track the latest news, stories and developments affecting the international markets, corporate finance, business strategy and changes in legislation. This readership includes of CEO/CFO - Banks, Corporate Lawyers and Venture Capital/Private Equity Companies to name a few. Contact David Jones Awards Department E: [email protected] W: http://www.bwmonline.com SOURCE Business Worldwide Magazine Taliban fighters on Thursday killed four civilians during clashes with Afghan forces in central flood-hit Parwan province at a time when over 150 people lost their lives in the flash floods and rescue work was still underway, officials said. Clashes were ongoing between Afghan and Taliban forces in Bagram, which is located in Parwan province and houses the biggest US military base. The Taliban spokesman was not immediately available to confirm the latest violence at a time when peace talks between warring sides is expected to begin in coming weeks. Search Keywords: Short link: Tnuza Jamal Hassan, 22, has pleaded guilty to trying to provide material support to al-Qaeda by attempting to travel to Afghanistan and setting fire to a Catholic university A former Minnesota college student has pleaded guilty to a federal charge that she tried to help al-Qaeda by attempting to travel to Afghanistan and setting fire to a Catholic university. Tnuza Jamal Hassan, 22, of Minneapolis, on Wednesday pleaded guilty in US District Court to attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization. Charges of lying to the FBI and arson will be dismissed when Hassan is sentenced in December. According to the guilty plea and court documents, in March 2017, while a freshman student at St. Catherine University in St. Paul, Minnesota, Hassan drafted a letter encouraging others to join al-Qaeda. When Hassan was stopped from flying to Afghanistan seven months later, prosecutors said she told FBI agents that she wanted to join al-Qaeda and marry a fighter, and that she might even wear a suicide belt. In January 2018, Hassan, then aged 19, was arrested for allegedly setting four fires on her former college campus in St. Paul in what prosecutors called a self-proclaimed act of jihad. According to a criminal complaint, Hassan told: 'You guys are lucky that l dont know how to build a bomb because l would have done that.' In January 2018, Hassan was arrested for setting fires four fires on St Catherine's University campus in St. Paul in what prosecutors called a self-proclaimed act of jihad The document also quoted Hassan as telling investigators that she set the fires because she had been reading about the US military destroying schools in Iraq or Afghanistan and felt she should do the same thing. 'Hassan said this was the same thing that happened in the "Muslim land" and nobody cares if they get hurt, so why not do this?' the complaint stated. No one was hurt in the fires at St. Catherine University after Hassan torched a chair and some smaller items, including books, toilet paper and sanitary napkins. One fire was set in a dormitory that has a day care where 33 children were present. Prosecutors said Hassan told FBI agents that she wanted to go to Afghanistan to marry a fighter, and that she might even wear a suicide belt Hassan was born in the US. According to prosecutors, Hassan tried to travel to Afghanistan on September 19, 2017, making it as far as Dubai, United Arab Emirates, before she was stopped because she lacked a visa. When the agents interviewed Hassan, she admitted she wanted to join al-Qaeda, saying she thought she would probably get married but wouldn't fight, prosecutors said. She allegedly told investigators she guessed she would carry out a suicide bombing if she had to do it but that she would't do anything in the US because she didn't know whom to target. Hassan was last enrolled at St Catherine's in the fall of 2017. Hassan reportedly dropped out because her family were planning to travel to Ethiopia. Pioneer Press reported Hassan faces up to 20 years in prison when she is sentenced on December 17. German Chancellor Angela Merkel is "frustrated" with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the limit of which peaked after the recent suspected poison attack on his main political critic Alexei Navalny, who is currently being treated in Berlin. According to Bloomberg, sources familiar with Merkel's thinking have said that the chief executive is irritated as Putin has shown no flexibility in handling the issue. This comes after Merkel demanded Putin to investigate the matter on an urgent basis following doctors in Berlin said Navalny was likely poisoned. Read: Pressure Mounts On Russia To Investigate Navalny's Poisoning Merkel, who has often functioned as a key bridge between Putin and other western powers, including the United States, immediately responded to the development and called on Russia to investigate. As per reports, the officials say that Merkel's frustration is evident in the speed at which she responded, calling for an investigation in Russia. The reason behind Merkel's exasperation is not just the latest case of Navalny, but also the 2019 assassination in Berlin park of Chechen exile and 2015 cyberattack on the lower house of the German parliament, both of which are said to be anchored by Russia. It is not just Germany, but other major countries have also demanded an impartial probe into the matter. Meanwhile, Kremlin has dismissed the accusations of foul play in Navalny's health calling it a hurried declaration. Read: German Response To Kremlin Allegations Over Navalny Navalny's suspected poisoning As far as Navalny's case is concerned, he was shifted to Germany from Russia for detailed treatment after falling ill under suspicious circumstances while travelling from Tomsk to Moscow last week. He was immediately taken to hospital and was put in an induced coma. Navalny's aides allege that he may have been poisoned at the airport, but Russian doctors treating the 44-year-old lawyer had told the press that they found no trace of any toxic substance in his blood. Navalny's departure from Russia came after a massive controversy as doctors had earlier denied permission citing deterioration in his health due to movement. Navalny's close aide and a researcher at his Anti-Corruption Foundation alleged that doctors were delaying permission possibly under pressure from Kremlin in order to allow the poison traces to disappear. Read: Kremlin Critic Alexei Navalny Who Fell Ill Was Being Monitored By Federal Agents: Report Read: UK PM Boris Johnson Demands 'transparent' Probe Into Navalny's Suspected Poisoning The State Department announced it had hit an unspecified number of Chinese officials and business executives responsible for the militarization of disputed South China Sea areas with travel bans. Immediate family members of those targeted may also be barred from travel to the United States, the department said. California Fire evacuations lifted for many residents SAN FRANCISCO Thousands of people in California returned home Wednesday as cooler weather and an influx of aid helped firefighters gain ground and lift evacuation orders prompted by some of the largest wildfires in state history. Highlighting the unusually early fire season in the state accustomed to blazes, Gov. Gavin Newsom said more than 2,000 square miles have already burned this year. In the heart of wine country, evacuation orders in Napa and Sonoma counties were lifted for about 35,000 people who had been told to leave after lightning ignited dozens of blazes last week. Officials were also working to open up evacuated areas to the south, where more fires burned. Relatives of an amateur boxer accused of assaulting directors in Quinn Industrial Holdings (QIH) have given High Court undertakings not to hold any further protests at the group's Co Fermanagh headquarters. Bernard McGovern, 23, is currently remanded in custody in the Republic of Ireland charged in connection with an alleged attack on Kevin Lunney and Dara O'Reilly. The two businessmen and six senior colleagues took legal action after Mr McGovern's family reportedly staged protests outside the QIH head offices in Derrylin to highlight his continued detention. They were seeking an injunction and damages for alleged trespass and harassment in an action against Sean McGovern, Teresa McGovern, Patrick McGovern and Kevin McGovern. But the case was settled at the High Court in Belfast today following confirmation that all four defendants have instead given voluntary undertakings. Under those terms the Co Fermanagh family have agreed not to protest in an area where they are likely to be seen by any of the plaintiffs. A further pledge was given that any placards used in any future protest will not contain the names of the plaintiffs, or make any accusations against them. All four defendants have also agreed not to communicate with the QIH managers directly or indirectly, "save for inadvertent contact within the local community". Expand Close QIH boss Kevin Lunney / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp QIH boss Kevin Lunney Lord Justice Treacy stayed the action on the basis of the settlement reached. "I'm grateful to the parties for the way this matter has been consensually resolved, which did not require any further intervention by the court," he said. Outside court a solicitor for the McGovern family said they were satisfied with the outcome. Michael Brentnall added: "My clients instruct that the protests will continue elsewhere, but within the terms of the undertakings given." Bernard McGovern, of Springtown Road in Kinawley, is facing prosecution for alleged assaults on the QIH executives at a Co Cavan service station on February 1, 2019. Previous courts were told Mr Lunney suffered a broken nose, while it was claimed his colleague Dara O'Reilly had a cup of hot water poured over his face. Bernard McGovern is not accused of any role in separate events on September 17 last year when Mr Lunney was abducted and tortured. In that incident the businessman was beaten, stabbed and dumped by a roadside across the border in Co Cavan. He is a director in the company made up of elements of the former business empire founded by ex-tycoon Sean Quinn Sr. Mr Quinn, at one time Ireland's richest man, has repeatedly condemned any targeting of those now running QIH.Family of boxer accused of assaulting QIH directors agree not to protest at headquarters The teenager was last seen on 20 August 2020 in Kirchberg. Eva Katharina Zandbergen was last spotted in Kirchberg on Thursday 20 August, shortly before 9pm. The police said it was possible the 15 year old could be staying in Trier or the surrounding area. Anyone with information on the girl's whereabouts should contact Luxembourg City police on (+352)244 40-1000 or 113. MINSK, Belarus - Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that he stands ready to send police to Belarus if protests there turn violent, but added in an interview broadcast Thursday that there is no such need now and voiced hope for stabilizing the situation in the neighbouring country. Belarus authoritarian president of 26 years, Alexander Lukashenko, is facing weeks of protests against his reelection to a sixth term in the Aug. 9 vote, which the opposition says was rigged. Putin told Russias state television that Lukashenko has asked him to prepare a Russian law enforcement contingent to deploy to Belarus if necessary. Putin said that he and Lukashenko have agreed that there is no such need now, and I hope there wont be. We have agreed not to use it until the situation starts spinning out of control and extremist elements acting under the cover of political slogans cross certain borders and engage in banditry and start burning cars, houses and banks or take over administrative buildings, he said. The Coordination Council, created by the Belarusian opposition to facilitate a peaceful transition of power, criticized Putins statement, saying its inadmissible for any country to form armed units for use on the territory of Belarus. This contradicts international law and consolidated position of Belarusian society, it said in a statement. In an apparent jab at the West, which has condemned Lukashenkos crackdown on protesters and urged him to launch a dialogue with the opposition, Putin accused unidentified foreign forces of trying to win political advantages from the turmoil in Belarus. They want to influence those processes and reach certain decisions, which they think conform with their political interests, Putin said. Russia sees the neighbour as a key bulwark against Western expansion and an important conduit for Russian energy exports. The two countries have a union agreement envisaging close political, economic and military ties, and Lukashenko has relied on cheap Russian energy and other subsidies to keep Belarus Soviet-style economy afloat. Despite the close co-operation, Russia-Belarus relations have often been strained by disputes. Lukashenko frequently played overtures to the West and accused Moscow of hatching plans to incorporate Belarus. Just before the election, Belarus arrested 32 private Russian military contractors on charges of planning to stage riots. Belarusian authorities released the men shortly after the vote in a bid to mend ties with the Kremlin amid rising Western criticism. In the interview, Putin described the incident as a provocation by the Ukrainian and the U.S. spy agencies, charging that they lured the Russians to travel to Belarus by promising them jobs in a third country and made the Belarusian authorities believe they had a mission to destabilize the country. Seeking Moscows support, Lukashenko has cast the protests as part of a Western plot to weaken Russia. On Thursday, he accused Belarus neighbours of open interference in its affairs with a push for new elections in what he described as a hybrid war and diplomatic carnage. He charged that Poland was harbouring plans to take over the Grodno region on the border, saying that it prompted the deployment of additional Belarusian troops to the frontier. Polish Prime Minister Morawiecki dismissed such claims last week, emphasizing that Poland fully respects Belarus sovereignty The United States and the European Union have criticized the Aug. 9 election that extended Lukashenkos rule as neither free nor fair and encouraged Belarusian authorities to engage in a dialogue with the opposition. The Belarusian leader, who has ruled the nation of 9.5 million with an iron fist since 1994, has dismissed the protesters as Western puppets and refused to engage in dialogue with the opposition, which is contesting his reelection to a sixth term. After a brutal crackdown on demonstrators in the first days of post-election protests, when nearly 7,000 people were detained, hundreds were injured and at least three protesters died, the authorities changed tactics and let daily demonstrations go unhindered for nearly two weeks. The government, meanwhile, has maintained pressure on the opposition with threats and selective jailing of its leaders. On the 19th straight day of protests Thursday, several dozen women stood on the Belarusian capitals main Independence Square with their hands bound to protest the police dispersal of a rally there the previous night. Putin must be ashamed, hes promising to add Russian clubs to the Belarusian ones, said 45-year-old protester Regina Fustovich. We saw that Putin supports Lukashenko, not the Belarusian people. Putin defended the Belarusian authorities response to protests, saying that police in Belarus have shown restraint. He accused Western critics of Belarus of hypocrisy and double standards, pointing at examples of violent police action, such as when they shoot an unarmed man in the back while his three children were sitting in a car in an apparent reference to the police shooting of a Black man, Jacob Blake, in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Blake was shot in the back seven times on Sunday as he leaned into his SUV, with three of his children seated inside. As part of a multi-pronged effort to stifle protest, Belarusian prosecutors have opened a criminal probe against the opposition Coordination Council, accusing its members of undermining the countrys security. Belarusian courts this week have handed 10-day jail sentences to two council members and summoned several others for questioning, including Svetlana Alexievich, who won the 2015 Nobel Prize in literature. Another council member, Maria Kolesnikova, a close associate of the main opposition challenger in the vote, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, was called in for questioning Thursday. Its part of the pressure on civil society, she told reporters outside Belarus Investigative Committee headquarters. The authorities are refusing to listen to the people. The EU ambassadors to Belarus warned Thursday that prosecution of Coordination Council members on grounds presented by the authorities is unacceptable. At Thursdays meeting in Berlin, EU foreign ministers are expected to approve a list of 15-20 Belarus officials who would face travel bans in Europe and a freeze on their assets. Lithuania is demanding that 118 people be blacklisted. In an apparent bid to win time, the Belarusian leader has alternated pressure and threats against protesters with promises of a constitutional reform that could see a new election down the road. Speaking at a meeting with officials Thursday, he said he would welcome discussions on constitutional changes with representatives of factory workers, farmers and students, but ruled out talks with protesters whom he described as violent thugs who roam the streets and shout that they want a dialogue. ___ Vladimir Isachenkov reported from Moscow. Geir Moulson in Berlin, and Vanessa Gera in Warsaw, Poland, contributed to this report. ___ Follow APs coverage of Belarus at https://www.apnews.com/Belarus On May 25, a video showed serial criminal George Floyd dying while being arrested. That triggered violent riots across America, ostensibly against systemic racism and race-driven police brutality. The same happened on August 23, when a video emerged showing police officers shooting Jacob Blake, a man with a history of violence and sexual assault. Everyone knew that Floyd and Blake were shady characters. It's also become clear that the police behaved appropriately in both cases. The same pattern appears with both Michael Brown and Trayvon Martin: the men who fired their guns were proven to have acted in self-defense, but violence followed both shootings. There's a reason for this pattern, but first, let's review the dueling narratives in these and other cases. Floyd was a bad guy with multiple convictions for drug possession theft, trespass, and armed robbery. He admitted he was high when the police came upon him. Even before the police put him on the ground, he complained that he couldn't breathe. The toxicology results show that Floyd had overdosed and was already a dead man when the police found him. Further, the police acted strictly by the book when dealing with someone suffering from "excited delirium" from an overdose. We now know, too, that the medical examiner's first, pre-political conclusion was that Floyd had died from an overdose: Hennepin County Attorney's Office released this document. Dr. Andrew Baker, the Chief Hennepin County Medical Examiner who reviewed #GeorgeFloyd's blood test, says the substances found lead him to conclude it was an overdose death. #BlackLivesMatter. Read: pic.twitter.com/xyaQvHDpQw Andy Ngo (@MrAndyNgo) August 25, 2020 Two narratives developed: the video versus the facts. Regarding Jacob Blake, I explain here that, while the video appears to show that police killed an unarmed man, facts show that the police acted entirely within the letter and spirit of the law. Again, two narratives exist: the video versus the facts. With Trayvon Martin's death, the leftist media manipulated George Zimmerman's 911 call to make it appear that he was stalking a black man. The full 911 call, the physical evidence, and eyewitness testimony showed that Martin tried to kill Zimmerman. And yes, there were two narratives: the audio versus the facts. In the case of Michael Brown, a witness triggered mass riots in Ferguson by claiming that "the gentle giant" had his hands up and said, "Don't shoot," even as a racist police officer shot him. Video footage, autopsy evidence, and honest witnesses show that Brown had just committed a strong-arm robbery (which was why Officer Wilson stopped him) and tried to wrestle away Wilson's gun (which was why Wilson shot him). Again, there were two narratives: a dishonest witness versus the facts. Freddie Gray was another case of a criminal whose death was accidental, as evidenced when the police involved, half of whom were black, were all acquitted. His death still caused an orgy of destruction in Baltimore. Since George Floyd's death, Black Lives Matter talks about Breonna Taylor. However, no one rioted back on March 13, 2020, when Taylor, a law-abiding emergency medical technician, died at police hands after they executed a no-knock warrant on the wrong address. (See update at the end of this post.) Likewise, there were no riots after police officer Amber Guyger went into the wrong apartment and fatally shot Botham Jean. Instead, at her trial in October, Jean's brother, with extraordinary charity, forgave Guyger: Don Surber explains why leftists deliberately riot when bad guys die in confusing circumstances that should readily support the claim that the person who pulled the trigger, whether a civilian or not, acted righteously: Ferguson and Baltimore were test runs for this year's organized chaos. To fuel the outrage necessary to destroy a city, Democrats engaged in a race war. The cases they selected once again were murky. Breonna Taylor's murder did not spark this protest. Police killed her when they went to the wrong place on a no-knock warrant. No, once again as happened with Trayvon Martin, Michael D. Brown, and Freddie Gray, Democrats seized on a case where a violent man died a violent death. They do not want a cut-and-dry case of injustice because everyone would agree that the police officer was in the wrong. No, they want a case where there are two sides of the story so that people can take sides and line up for a good race war, which has been the dream of Bill Ayers since at least 1970. He sees it as a means of gaining control. America is being set up, and President Trump knows it. That's why he's refrained from sending federal troops into rioting Democrat cities. If just one federal soldier pulls the trigger on charging rioters, the warm-up act we're witnessing will end, and the Second Civil War will officially begin. By holding fire, Trump's making the riots a Democrat-on-Democrat war. At some point, he'll have to impose order, but he's waiting until the American people can understand that whatever happens is solely the Democrats' fault. [UPDATE: Regarding Breonna Taylor, the Louisville Courier Journal has been doing some genuine, old-fashioned investigating. It reports that Taylor had significant ties to an alleged drug-trafficker in a major narcotics probe. That information, standing alone, does not justify her shooting, but it does explain the warrant.] Image: Collage of "Protest against police violence - Justice for George Floyd, May 26, 2020, 11," by Fibonacci Blue, CC BY 2.0, and an official government document from the Hennepin County Medical Examiner. New Zealand's Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters has demanded Australia take back the Christchurch mosque gunman and that he serve out his life sentence on home soil. Brenton Tarrant, 29, was sentenced at the High Court in Christchurch on Thursday to life without the possibility of parole on 51 charges of murder, 40 charges of attempted murder and a charge of committing a terrorist act. NZ Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters is asking Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton to take Christchurch terrorist Brenton Tarrant back. Credit:Getty Images On March 15, 2019, Tarrant carried out mass shootings at the Masjid An-Nur (Al Noor) and Linwood mosques after spending months planning the attack. It was the first time anyone has been sentenced to life without parole in New Zealand. Tarrant is an Australian citizen from Grafton in New South Wales who moved to New Zealand about two years before the attack. Minneapolis Police stand outside a looted Foot Locker store on S. 7th St. in Minneapolis on Aug. 26, 2020. (Jeff Wheeler/Star Tribune via AP) Minneapolis Under Curfew, State of Emergency After Looting and Unrest The governor of Minnesota declared a state of emergency in Minneapolis following reports of rioting and looting after a homicide suspect allegedly shot and killed himself. Video footage taken on Wednesday evening showed department stores and supermarkets being looted. Other videos showed shots being fired. Police in Minneapolis, a city that has been at the center of anti-police protests since the May 25 death of George Floyd, said that the black man who shot himself was a suspect in a homicide. They said that he is believed to have committed suicide and no weapons were used by police. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, a Democrat, said he requested assistance from Gov. Tim Walz to help restore the peace in the city, saying that the looting and unrest are more than the police could handle. He also requested assistance from the Minnesota National Guard. Video footage posted online (warning: graphic) appears to show the black man shooting himself at the entrance of a building as a group of people fled and police officers approached. Soldiers from the @MNNationalGuard 257th Military Police Company are assisting local law enforcement in protecting property and ensuring the safety of MPLS residents. We are working in coordination with the @CityMinneapolis and the @MinneapolisPD at the direction of @GovTimWalz. pic.twitter.com/0zDpylZfQS MN National Guard (@MNNationalGuard) August 27, 2020 What our city needs right now is healing, Frey said at a news conference. We do not need more destruction. We do not need property damage. That is unacceptable in every way shape and form. Walz declared a state of emergency in Minneapolis, sending approximately 150 Minnesota State Patrol troopers to assist. He also deployed the National Guard. Minneapolis, its time to heal. We must rebuild and recover. Dangerous, unlawful behavior will not be tolerated. The Minnesota National Guard and State Patrol are headed to Minneapolis to help restore order. I remain in close contact with the city and every state resource stands ready to help bring peace, said Walz, a Democrat, in a statement on Wednesday. Medaria Arradondo, the Minneapolis Police Departments chief, told reporters that there were a number of false rumors being spread about the mans suicide. He was not identified. We had a homicide earlier this evening. And then we had someone create a self-inflicted gunshot wound and kill themselves. This was not an officer-related incident, he said. The Minnesota State Patrol confirmed the development, saying troopers will assist the Minneapolis Police Department in dispersing crowds preventing looting, and making arrests for any violations of law. The unrest comes after two people were shot amid riots in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Several nights of unrest also occurred in the city after a Jacob Blake, a black man who had a warrant for his arrest for sexual assault, was shot several times by police. Read the full article on Motorious This bling wagon will smoke your muscle car in the quarter mile... Fast SUVs used to be a rarity, with the GMC Typhoon being one of the few on the market. Then the Germans started to get into the high-powered, fast SUV game with Porsche, Mercedes, and BMW really duking it out. Now there are quite a few high-powered, go-fast SUVs on the market, but Cadillac still hasnt jumped into the arena for reasons we dont quite understand. After all, the American luxury brand talks nonstop about taking it to the Germans and such but it wont even drop some sick powertrain in the Escalade. Well, thankfully someone did, because quite frankly its a move thats way past due, and this twin-turbo Cadillac Escalade is pretty awesome. image credit: YouTube Is anyone at GM reading this? Can you take notes and pass this up the bureaucratic chain? Something along these lines would be a huge wake-up call to consumers, at least we think so. We know what youre thinking Motorious is really into muscle cars, classics, hotrods, and the like but not tricked-out Escalades. Normally youd be right. We werent rocking one with spinner rims back in 2007 and we certainly dont get all worked up over one of these luxury barges now, but theres no denying this build Escalade is something special. Not convinced? Consider this: under the hood of this luxury SUV is a built 427ci LSX V8 as well as a pair of huge Precision turbos. Supposedly, the setup could be tuned to 1,600-horsepower. At the moment the owner says its pushing 1,200. And its supposedly a 9-second car. No, really, this big ol brick can really get moving. It also has a full roll cage installed. Still not convinced? Watch the video and you might change your mind. The video starts out the right way, giving you onboard visual and audio of the twin-turbo luxury SUV really going for it. That should strip away at least some hesitance anyone brave enough to click on the video might have. Of course, the haters wont even get that far and its really their loss. Sign up for the Motorious Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. By PTI WASHINGTON: Democratic Party's Indian-origin vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris will deliver a speech on Thursday to counter President Donald Trump's remarks at the Republican National Convention after formally accepting the party's presidential re-nomination. Harris will speak on President Trump's failures to contain COVID-19 and protect working families from the economic fallout and the Biden-Harris plan to contain COVID-19 and build a different path forward in America, The Hill quoted a press release from the Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden's campaign as saying. While Trump is planning to give his speech from the South Lawn of the White House lawn, Harris's remarks from Washington D.C. will serve as the Democratic Party's main counter to his appearance, the report said. Biden and Harris both railed against Trump's leadership at last week's Democratic National Convention. Donald Trump's failure of leadership has cost lives and livelihoods, Harris, 55, the first Indian-American and first Black woman to be chosen as a vice-presidential candidate for a major political party in the US, said last week. The Biden campaign is ramping up Harris' activities following what was a largely well-received address last week, scheduling her for three virtual fundraisers, online discussions and publishing an op-ed discussing women's right to vote, the daily said. Democrats are hopeful that Harris will be able to successfully make the case against a second term for Trump while also appealing to Black women and other voters of colour. Meanwhile, in a Washington Post op-ed on the occasion of Women's Equality Day, she detailed the history of women's struggle to gain voting rights, especially women of colour, who were not granted suffrage even with the passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920. Harris alleged that the Republicans are once again doing everything in their power to suppress and attack the voting rights of people of colour. They are deploying suppressive voter ID laws, racial gerrymandering, voter roll purges, precinct closures and reduced early-voting days - all of which have been laser-targeted toward communities of colour since the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act in 2013, she alleged. And this year, Republicans are also spending millions on every scare tactic and trick in the book. Most visibly, they are doing what they can to take advantage of a pandemic that the president cannot, or will not, get under control. They are spreading misinformation about voting by mail - a safe and secure voting option - and they have been caught trying to politicise the US Postal Service, Harris said. The Biden campaign, she said, is committing the resources needed to beat back voter suppression. We need to make sure that everyone who's eligible to vote is able to do so - and that their vote is counted, she said. Paying tributes to all the courageous women throughout history who fought for voting rights, Harris said that but for the 19th Amendment, neither she nor her mother from India would have been able to exercise their right to vote. If I had been alive in 1920, I might not have been allowed to cast a ballot alongside white women. Neither would my mother, an immigrant from India, who first taught me how sacred our vote is, Harris, 55, wrote in her op-ed. She is the first woman of colour and first American of Indian descent to have been nominated by a major political party as a vice presidential candidate. Raises $2.58m and Horse Well Drilling commenced Melbourne, Aug 27, 2020 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Cohiba Minerals Limited ( ASX:CHK ) is pleased to announce that it's received binding commitments for a capital raising of $2.29 million (Placement). Due to the strong demand for the new Shares from both existing and new shareholders, the company was able to place these direct without any costs.Highlights- Binding commitments received for a capital raising of $2.29m from professional and sophisticated investors- Additional commitments received from Directors amounting to $290k- Cohiba is now fully funded for its drilling at the Company's Horse Well prospect- Cohiba is fully funded to complete drilling and additional exploration activitiesThe Company is pleased to announce that the field team has now mobilised on site and that drilling at the Horse Well project has commenced. Drilling has commenced at Horse Well with HWDD_02 (renamed NewDD_02 from Heritage Survey) which is targeting the deep magnetotelluric conductive feature identified by Zonge (refer to CHK ASX announcements of 28 February 2019 and 24 April 2019) and the subsequent (predicted) Tapley Hill Formation identified by CGG Geoscience (refer to ASX CHK announcement of 27 May 2020).The Horse Well drill holes will comprise RC drilling (chip samples - see Figure 2*) for the first 400-450m and then change over to diamond drilling (core samples) to an estimated depth of 1,200-1,300m depending on the information gathered during drilling.Following these drill holes, the Company will investigate the shallow Mt Gunson-style targets at the Pernatty C prospect with RC drilling to a depth of approximately 300m.Cohiba's CEO, Andrew Graham says, "We are very pleased to announce the company has commenced drilling on the Horse Well project. A huge number of man hours have been expended in achieving this milestone and we look forward to reporting on progress in the near future.We are pleased with the strong level of support and demand for this capital raising from existing and new shareholders which provides further evidence of the positive sentiment behind our current exploration strategy. The Board would like to thank all existing and new shareholders for their participation in the Placement. The Company has sufficient funding available for our exploration programs and project development."PlacementThe Placement will be conducted through the issue of 143,125,000 fully paid ordinary shares (Shares). The Company has also agreed to issue one free attaching listed CHKOA option for every two shares applied for under the Placement with a total 71,562,500 CHKOA options (Options) to be issued. The Company will utilise its placement capacity in accordance with ASX Listing Rules 7.1 and 7.1A to complete the Placement.The Company will issue 53,975,274 Shares and 71,562,500 Options in accordance with the placement capacity under ASX Listing Rule 7.1 and 89,149,726 Shares utilising the placement capacity under ASX Listing Rule 7.1A. Funds raised through the Placement will be used for exploration activities and working capital requirements.It is noted that the Company has also received firm commitments from Directors for the application of a further 18,125,000 Shares and 9,062,500 Options, raising $290,000. The participation in the Placement by Directors will be subject to shareholder approval at the next general meeting of shareholders.The Placement Shares and Options are proposed to be issued early next week on or about Tuesday 1 September 2020.*To view figures, please visit:About Cohiba Minerals Limited Cohiba Minerals Limited (ASX:CHK) is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange with the primary focus of investing in the resource sector through direct tenement acquisition, joint ventures, farm in arrangements and new project generation. The shares of the company trade under the ticker symbol CHK. The Company recently acquired 100% of the shares in Charge Lithium Pty Ltd, which holds exploration licences in Western Australia. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Teguh Eko Budiarto (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, August 27, 2020 08:08 511 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c40c0f2d 3 Science & Tech health-protocol,COVID-19,pandemic,physical-distancing,cctv,artificial-intelligence,GDP-Venture Free The COVID-19 outbreak occurred in the context of our modern, highly connected, information-dense world. Yet it created tremendous chaos around the globe, affecting peoples lives and causing a large number of deaths. In just under three months since the first case was detected, coronavirus spread to almost every country in the world. As of Aug. 17, in Indonesia alone, the virus has caused 6,207 deaths from 141,370 confirmed cases. Governments of many countries have proposed intervention policies to mitigate the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nationwide lockdowns, stay-at-home orders, border closures and other measures to contain the virus have made the working environment more complex than ever. The number of COVID-19 cases has shown no signs of slowing down in Indonesia. It continues to increase with an average of more than 1.000 confirmed new cases per day. Our government has issued policies to prevent the spread of the virus, such as maintaining physical distance and applying local lockdowns before heading toward the "new normal" phase. Indeed, the policies are not extreme compared to some other countries; nevertheless, the government must take immediate action. Many businesses and other enterprises support this effort with remote-first policies, meaning their employees work mostly from home. Many experts believe that one way to effectively help mitigate this outbreak is by using technology and data. These are important things that would help policy-makers analyze and handle the situation. With the development of artificial intelligence (AI) technology, a data-driven approach could help authorities even more. This does not apply only to government authorities but should also be explored by businesses and other enterprises. Initially, AI was designed to overcome much simpler tasks, like playing a game of chess. Nowadays, with technological advancement, AI is getting increasingly sophisticated at doing what humans can do and already does better at certain tasks. Never has the potential of AI been more useful than in this particular moment of crisis. There are many ways that AI can help during this COVID-19 pandemic. Computer vision technology, for example, could play an important role for the enforcement of health protocol by the government. Utilizing CCTV in key locations, authorities can detect and monitor the use of face masks by people passing by. It is also capable of automatically detecting whether there is a group of two or more people in close range, in violation of the social distancing rule. Vision AI can also be used at CCTV on various streets or crossroads to count and classify the number of vehicles passing by in accordance with local lockdown protocols. The authorities then could retrieve all this data so they can decide what tactics to use to tackle the pandemic case by case. In the context of many people working from home, we can utilize speech recognition technology in virtual meetings, conference calls and webinars. Government institutions or private corporations can benefit from automated meeting transcriptions to create minutes of meetings more quickly and efficiently. The dissemination of accurate, up-to-date information about the spread of the virus remains a challenge in many countries. This is also suspected to be one of the factors behind the quickly rising case number in Indonesia. AI can help healthcare providers cope with the influx of both confirmed and suspected COVID-19 cases. Administrative matters and first-level customer services that usually take quite some time can be automated using chatbots and Natural Language Processing (NLP) technology. Hospitals could use chatbots to simplify the administrative process, so patients do not need to come to the hospital just to fill out the registration form or schedule a doctors appointment. The government can also use chatbots as an official public information center and provide a self-diagnostic service. In addition to that, NLP technology can be implemented to identify fake news, in this case, COVID-19-related news circling around social media and instant messaging platforms. The number of hoaxes circulating on the internet can be dangerous and can obscure news readers' understanding of developments regarding COVID-19. The government can use NLP antihoax and social media monitoring to verify and monitor hoaxes while also analyzing public sentiment and perceptions regarding COVID-19. In Indonesia, these applications of AI-based technology are very feasible, especially with the latest emergence of Indonesian AI companies that fully understand the social situation here. (kes) *** Teguh Eko Budiarto is the cofounder and CEO of Prosa.ai, an Indonesian artificial intelligence company specializing in natural language processing, speech processing and computer vision. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post. SPRINGFIELD The Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts on Thursday announced that it has distributed $4.3 million from a statewide COVID-19 Relief fund to aid nonprofit organizations in the region. The amount, in grants received from the Massachusetts COVID-19 Relief Fund, includes a new round of $925,000 for 37 local nonprofit organizations to address immediate needs during the pandemic, the foundation said in a statement. The grants are part of a total of $6.4 million awarded through the regional foundations COVID-19 relief fund to aid area nonprofits, the foundation said. In addition to the resources from the Massachusetts COVID-19 Relief Fund, more than 700 donors, including individuals, foundations, and businesses have contributed to the fund. The relief fund was established to help community nonprofit organizations that serve the needs of the most vulnerable populations affected by the pandemic in the region, the foundation said. Katie Allan Zobel, president and CEO of the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts, said the foundation is grateful for the statewide COVID-19 relief fund. Thanks to this funding, we have reached many more individuals and families in our region, Zobel said. To date, the Community Foundations fund has received $8.2 million in donations. The foundation said the following 37 local nonprofit organizations received grants through the latest $925,000 distribution: Arise For Social Justice; Bayanihan Association of America; Bethlehem House; Caring Health Center; Cutchins Programs for Children & Families; Dakin Valley Humane Society; Ellie Fund; Enlace de Familias de Holyoke/Holyoke Family Network: and Family Outreach of Amherst, a program of Center for Human Development; and Friends of Chicopee Senior Citizens. Also: Greater Springfield Habitat for Humanity; Greenfield Community College Foundation; Hilltown Community Health Centers; Holyoke Community College Foundation; Home City Development; Lovin Spoonfuls; Make-It Springfield; Manna Soup Kitchen; and New England Farm Workers Council, a program of Partners for Community. And: New England Learning Center for Women in Transition; New North Citizens Council; Nuestras Raices; Peoples Medicine Project, a program of Western MA Training Consortium; and Revitalize Community Development Corporation; South End Community Center; Springfield Rescue Mission; and Springfield Technical Community College Foundation. And: Stone Soup Cafe, a program of All Souls Church Unitarian Universalist; The Performance Project; The Salvation Army Holyoke Corps; The Salvation Army Springfield Corps; Treehouse Foundation; United Way of Pioneer Valley; Urban League of Springfield; Way Finders; Valley Radio Reading Service doing business as Valley Eye Radio; and YWCA of Western Massachusetts. The Community Foundation is still seeking donations to the COVID-19 Response Fund for the Pioneer Valley; 100% of donations will go to community needs. Contributions can made online at: communityfoundation.org/coronavirus-donations/. The Federal Executive Council has approved N722.3m for the forensic audit of the Niger Delta Development Commission. Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, disclosed this on Wednesday after the virtual FEC meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari. According to Akpabio, the field auditors will undertake a complete forensic exercise of the NDDC activities in their respective states of assignments and ascertain total funds and resources paid to contractors for all projects. They would also compare the total amount of resources expended with the value of what was delivered to the commission and establish if such value is commensurate with the resources expended. He disclosed that the auditors were also mandated to look into the 12,000 abandoned projects by the NDDC in the Niger Delta. He said, By the time I assume office in August 2019, we discovered there was no budget for the NDDC for the year 2019 up to that September. So, we submitted two budgets in November to the National Assembly. And it took quite a while until in April. The budget details were given out to the NDDC in April, to end 31st of May, less than six weeks. Unfortunately, the National Assembly is right now on leave and the budget of NDDC for 2020 has not been passed. So, to enable us to move forward with the exercise and complete it on time, Mr President graciously directed and approved that the payment for the forensic exercise should be undertaken through the Presidency. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates Garcias Kitchen is preparing to open a new restaurant on Albuquerques West Side just two months after the local New Mexican restaurant chain bid farewell to its original location on the corner of 4th and Mountain. The new location, at 6390 Coors NW, has not yet announced an opening date, but a post on the companys Facebook page said that they are currently hiring. It will be moving into a building formerly occupied by a Village Inn. As Katy Independent School District decided to continue classes and make operations decisions by the day while monitoring Hurricane Lauras progress, community members voiced concerns and support on social media. Comments on a district Facebook post Tuesday ranged from anger that the district was not giving families and staff members adequate time to prep for the storm to support for the decision not to cancel virtual classes for its approximately 84,000 students. Related: Katy ISD asks for name nominations for new junior high People should do what they need to do to prepare out of an abundance of caution, wrote Jaymie McGraw Massey. But, what about the employees who are working at the schools? How can they be prepared? Katy ISD responded in a comment that campuses are working with flexibility where necessary. Allison Taylor Hardman was also upset over what she called a lack of concern in not giving families a chance to prepare for the hurricane. Other districts are closing to allow their families and teachers to prepare. Im disappointed, she wrote. Cynthia Galindo said she doubted that Katy ISD was following other Region 4 districts and local government officials when predictions are that high winds will hit land early Thursday. National Dog Day: Dog daycare owner offers pup pandemic advice Not canceling school like all the other Region 4 Districts have just shows Katy ISD has a blatant disregard for the welfare of their staff and community. Shame on you, Galindo wrote. Kayla Blankenship Roca worried memories of Hurricane Harvey might weaken students performance on their academics during another hurricane. Anthony Aswad, supported the district for not jumping the gun on an unknown. He wrote the hurricane was not expected to make landfall but would produce some rain and wind. Aswad added that the storms projected arrival would give people time to get ready. Stephanie Click thanked the district for its monitoring the situation and willingness to still hold classes. If this completely misses us, we havent lost any days! Especially while we are all still virtual, she wrote. Last taste of summer: Take in rest of Typhoon Texas season for free According to its website, Katy ISD plans to halt all activities at 5 p.m. today and advises community members to stay indoors after 6 p.m. At this time, there is no change to tomorrows virtual learning or before- and after-school activities, the website stated. However, campuses will accommodate students and staff who may experience a power outage or other weather related issues. Students will not be negatively impacted by attendance nor academically, due to an inability to connect to a virtual class or online assignment. For updates, visit www.katyisd.org. tracy.maness@hcnonline.com The Christian Science Monitor, August 20, 2020 By Scott Peterson When, to kick-start long-delayed intra-Afghan peace talks, thousands of Afghan delegates gathered to consider a final release of hardened Taliban prisoners, Belquis Roshan held up a sign of protest. The words on the female lawmakers banner were clear: Redeeming the Taliban amounted to national treason. At the podium was President Ashraf Ghani, who had already released 4,600 Taliban prisoners in accord with a U.S.-Taliban agreement signed Feb. 29. He had convened the loya jirga, or traditional council, this month to gain popular approval to free 400 remaining prisoners from a Taliban list that included men convicted of murder and of conducting high-profile attacks that killed Afghans and foreigners alike. Ms. Roshans message was short-lived: She was tackled and thrown to the ground by a female security guard, silenced in an act civil society activists condemn as revealing the fragility of both freedom of speech and womens rights in Afghanistan. The intra-Afghan peace talks now hang in the balance they were meant to begin Thursday, after a five-month delay, but have now been postponed indefinitely over the continued prisoner dispute. Yet at the same time, analysts say, the government has sought in recent months to quietly roll back nearly two decades of increased freedoms by pushing conservative changes to laws governing the family, media, and nongovernmental organizations, moves that, in fact, arent too far from agenda items of the archconservative Taliban. The analysts theories as to why range from Mr. Ghanis past inclinations to centralize government power to a practical need to shore up conservative support ahead of negotiations. But his moves are colliding with the expectations of Afghans who have grown accustomed to expanding freedoms. Many also fear that bringing the Taliban into government or Taliban battlefield victories will inevitably lead to a new, less free era. Jirga is the place to raise voices without limitations; everyone has a right to raise their voice, said Asila Wardak, a womens rights activist and diplomat at Afghanistans United Nations mission, complaining from the stage about the treatment of Ms. Roshan the day after the incident. A jirga is not a place to disrespect; it is not a place for beating women. Ms. Wardaks speech was disrupted by the abusive shouts of several male lawmakers in the hall, including one man from the conservative southern city of Kandahar where support for the Taliban remains strong who stormed the stage and accused the women on it of being too Western. Convergence ... we dont want This shows that, at the jirga that is supposed to decide about peace, women had their voices curtailed significantly, says a Kabul-based Western official who asked not to be identified. If they cant even get their voices heard at the loya jirga ... how are [women] going to preserve their rights of the last 18 years? she asks. Weve seen the government portray itself as very progressive, but when it comes to it ... the government barely did anything to sanction those people who tried to shut them up. The attempted changes to family law, the NGO law, and media law the last, only made public and sparking an outcry over censorship and free speech concerns after it was quietly approved by the Cabinet and sent to parliament in June illustrate the challenge ahead for Afghan civil society trying to solidify gains as the talks with the Taliban approach. This coincidence of the government ahead of the peace process getting more conservative ... these are exactly the things the Taliban would be doing as well, says the Western official. So ahead of intra-Afghan negotiations, we see convergence on issues we dont want them to converge on. Writing in The Washington Post this week, Mr. Ghani demanded that the Taliban acknowledge the changed reality of todays Afghanistan and work to preserve and expand the gains the Afghan people have made since U.S. forces toppled the Taliban in 2001. But analysts and civil society activists say fresh government efforts to change some rules amount to an unexpected bid to impose increasingly conservative restrictions. Proposed changes to the family law, for example, include immediate forfeiture of maintenance by a husband for his wife if she refuses intercourse for reasons beyond those permissible under sharia (Islamic) law or even goes out without his permission. Underage marriage would become possible through a loophole that would require consent of a male relative and court approval. One reason may be campaign commitments made by Mr. Ghani to conservative elements during his reelection campaign last September, before Afghanistans presidential vote. Broader support Another may be a bid to broaden the appeal of a government that is accused by the Taliban of being a pro-Western U.S. puppet and is perceived to have ushered too many liberal changes into a traditional society. I imagine it is a signal to actors on the pro-government side, but that are quite socially conservative, Look, you dont need to go over to the Taliban to get some of what you want, says Andrew Watkins, senior Afghanistan analyst for the International Crisis Group. The palace is worried about various factions of Afghan politics and society splintering off if they believe that the Taliban is going to end up winning this thing, says Mr. Watkins, referring to years of steady insurgent battlefield advances, and the Taliban yielding few compromises in negotiations with the United States. Yet he notes that, contrary to the all-conservative appearance of the law changes, the government in recent weeks also issued a decree to create the post of second deputy governor for each of the countrys 34 provinces and to reserve those posts for women. The government is also trying to simultaneously keep international audiences and more progressive parts of its civil society happy as well, says Mr. Watkins. You have the government trying to send out whatever will stick, to keep different constituencies happy. Still, the proposed changes to the family law appear far-reaching. The provisions, on the surface, appear to be congruent with sharia law and proper family law, but there have been slight tweaks made that actually disadvantage women severely, says the Western official. Yet even as the family law is debated, Mr. Ghani a week ago announced the establishment of a High Council on Women a step meant to officially incorporate womens views in the peace process and empower them. Criticism has come quickly, though, from womens activists complaining that the move was only symbolic, because similar bodies designed to empower women exist already. It is supposed to help women be reassured that their rights will be observed in the peace process, but there is no real connection between that council and the peace process, says the Western official. Media law on hold Similar confusion also reigns over the how and why of proposed changes to the media and NGO laws, both of which would have imposed stricter government controls. They have been put on hold after public criticism. Afghan journalists reacted noisily when the changes to the media law became public in mid-June, for example, as they accused the government of trying to impose censorship, block freedom of speech, and force journalists to reveal sources to intelligence and government agencies. Undoubtedly there are certain circles within the government who want to suffocate press freedom through the proposed amendments, [and] this indicates censorship of media in the country, Mohammad Elham, the head of Rah-e-Farda TV, told TOLOnews, Afghanistans largest television channel. There are many forces in Afghanistan and outside who wish to curb free media and access to information in our country, but we certainly did not expect the government to be a front-runner in this league, Lotfullah Najafizada, the head of TOLOnews, told The Guardian. The government responded that it was strongly committed to our free media and will remain so, and withdrew the proposal. Likewise, the draft NGO law that emerged in June was an updated version of the one approved by the Cabinet in December 2019, which requires registration and sharing detailed financial information with authorities. Amnesty International panned it as a serious threat to the existence of civil society groups in Afghanistan, which imposes unnecessary and disproportionate restrictions ... and would exert undue influence and control over NGOs. In the late 1990s, when the Taliban ruled Afghanistan, the hard-line Islamists imposed a range of restrictions on Afghan society. Recently, Taliban members have noted to Western officials and analysts that both the media law and NGO law, as well as some of the family law changes, are something we would have done. The loya jirga, meanwhile, endorsed the release of the Taliban prisoners. But after freeing 80 of the men earlier this week, the government stopped the process, saying the Taliban had yet to release all 1,000 captured Afghan security forces it was meant to a claim denied by the insurgents. Vice President Mike Pence and fellow Republicans pressed a distorted case Wednesday that President Donald Trump took over a moribund economy from Barack Obama and supercharged it. That's not what happened. Speakers at the Republican National Convention also hailed Trump for protecting the health insurance of people with preexisting illness, flipping reality on its head as his administration tries to overturn the law that guarantees those protections. A look at how some of the the rhetoric from the convention's first night compares with the facts: PENCE, in prepared remarks: Four years ago, we inherited ... an economy struggling to break out of the slowest recovery since the Great Depression. Despite unrelenting opposition and obstruction from the swamp in Washington, we built the greatest economy in the world." THE FACTS: That's a highly misleading portrait. Obama started the longest expansion in U.S. history and presided over most of it. The expansion was indeed slow, but growth under Trump has basically been the same: 2.3% in the final four years of Obama compared with 2.5% in the first three years of Trump. Trump took office with unemployment at a low 4.7%, steady job growth and a falling federal budget deficit. And Trump's record on economic growth is about to get crushed by the current recession brought on by the pandemic, a public-health crisis that the White House said early on would not hurt the economy. ___ GOV. KRISTI NOEM of South Dakota: In just four years, President Trump has lifted people of all races and backgrounds out of poverty. He shrunk government and put money back into the pockets of hardworking, ordinary Americans. THE FACTS: Only this is true: Americans did get money back in the form of tax cuts and in direct government payments after the economy plunged into a recession this year from the coronavirus. Everything else is wrong. The government is still huge, not shrinking as she said. Federal spending was 20.6% of the gross domestic product in 2016, Obama's last year, according to the White House Office of Management and Budget. That percentage has gone up and down but was 20.8% in 2019. It probably surged this year due to the fastest and sharpest downturn in modern U.S. history. The pandemic-induced recession has also flung millions of Americans back into poverty as expanded government aid has expired. The unemployment rate is 10.2%, versus 4.7% when Trump took office. There are 14.8 million Americans collecting jobless aid, while just 2 million were doing so when Trump became president. ___ POLICE PENCE on Biden, in prepared remarks: When asked whether hed support cutting funding to law enforcement, and he replied, Yes, absolutely. ... Under President Trump, we will stand with those who stand on the thin blue line, and were not going to defund the police. THE FACTS: Thats misleading, a selective use of Bidens words on the subject. Biden does not propose defunding the police, but rather giving them more money, conditioned on improvements in policing. Bidens actual position on this has been ignored at the GOP convention. Pence is referring to an excerpted video clip of Bidens conversation with liberal activist Ady Barkan. In the fuller conversation, Biden declined to support defunding police, his consistent stance. Barkan raises the issue of police reform and asks whether Biden would funnel money into social services, mental health counseling and affordable housing to help reduce civilian interactions with police. Biden responds that he is calling for more money for mental health providers but thats not the same as getting rid of or defunding all the police and that more money for community policing must be provided, too. Barkan asks: So we agree that we can redirect some of the funding? Biden then answers absolutely yes. Biden then gives the caveat that he means not just redirect federal money potentially but condition it on police improvements. If they dont eliminate chokeholds, they dont get (federal) grants, if they dont do the following, they dont get any (federal) help, Biden replied, noting federal aid is only a supplement to departments financed mainly by localities and states. ___ KAYLEIGH McENANY, White House press secretary: I can tell you that this president stands by Americans with preexisting conditions." THE FACTS: No, people with preexisting medical problems have health insurance protections because of Obamas health care law, which Trump is trying to dismantle. One of Trumps alternatives to Obamas law short-term health insurance, already in place doesnt have to cover preexisting conditions. Another alternative is association health plans, which are oriented to small businesses and sole proprietors and do cover preexisting conditions. Neither of the two alternatives appears to have made much difference in the market. Meanwhile, Trumps administration is pressing the Supreme Court for full repeal of the Obama-era law, including provisions that protect people with preexisting conditions from health insurance discrimination. With Obamacare still in place, preexisting conditions continue to be covered by regular individual health insurance plans. Before the Affordable Care Act, any insurer could deny coverage or charge more to anyone with a preexisting condition who was seeking to buy an individual policy. ___ SISTER DEIRDRE 'DEDE' BYRNE said the Democratic ticket with Joe Biden and Kamala Harris supports infanticide. THE FACTS: That's not true. The campaign says it wants to codify the landmark Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision regarding the right to an abortion. ___ SCOTT DANE, representing Minnesota loggers and truckers: But the last time Joe Biden was in the White House, Minnesota lost over half of its mills, thousands of jobs, and experienced nearly a decade of decline. THE FACTS: The decline in Minnesotas sawmills and paper manufacturing has continued under Trump. And nationwide, sawmill jobs improved under Obama and slumped during Trumps first three years. Minnesota lost 20% of its papermills during Obamas presidency, according to the Quarterly Census of Wages and Employment. It lost 18% of its sawmills. Thats a far cry from the over half claimed by Dane. The states sawmill sector lost 25 jobs under Obama, compared with 69 jobs lost during the first three years of the Trump administration. Paper mills did let go of 1,368 workers during Obamas presidency, while 674 jobs were shed during the Trump era. But nationwide, the Obama era saw 7,221 new jobs in the sawmill sector. There were 69 sawmill jobs lost under Trump before the pandemic. ___ Associated Press writer Amanda Seitz in Chicago and Hearst TV contributed to this report. Just when it looked like Delhi would slip into complacency in its fight against the coronavirus disease, the state government has stepped up its game or at the least, announced its intent to (see page 1). For at least a week now, HT has been pointing to the number of daily cases and the positivity rate inching up not alarmingly, but definitely worryingly. According to the HT database, the seven-day average of daily cases in the Capital peaked at 3,446 on June 26, before falling to below 1,000 in late July, and then again in early August (although this can, in part, be attributed to the weekend and public-holiday factor, where testing, and consequently the number of cases recorded, drop off). It has since climbed, and was at 1,333 on August 25. It isnt just cases, the positivity rate has also increased. The seven-day average positivity rate, which saw its peak of 31.4% on June 14 and 15 fell to 5.7% in late July, stayed at that level for some time, but has since climbed back. It was at 7.5% on August 25. In isolation, that is an impressive number for a state that is testing adequately, but relatively, it still marks an increase. Also read: Indias Covid-19 tally over 3.2 million, recovery rate rises to 76.29% Delhi is also definitely doing fewer tests than it used to: the seven-day average of tests peaked at 21,660 on July 9 but has since fallen. It was 17,924 on August 25. The Capital is not utilising the entire capacity of RT-PCR tests available, relying instead on antigen tests. Sure, the latter helped it scale up testing in late June when cases were peaking, some containment zones were rife with cases, and hospitals were running short of beds. But even after that crisis passed, Delhi continued to depend overwhelmingly on antigen tests. In the week ended August 25, for instance, only 31% of the tests conducted were RT-PCR ones. The Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) test is a molecular test that is globally recognised as the best diagnostic for Covid-19. The only problem with it is the time involved which, including logistical delays and those caused by backlogs, is around three to four days (although is possible to provide results in 24 hours). Antigen tests, in contrast, provide results within the hour this means a person can walk into a testing centre, be tested, and wait for the result but are not very reliable. They throw up a high proportion of false negatives, identifying infected people as uninfected. As this column has explained ad nauseam, it makes sense to use them when time is a constraint. And by mid-July, that certainly wasnt the case in Delhi. Delhis chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has now promised to double testing which is good although it isnt immediately clear whether the government will at least use up the entire capacity of RT-PCR tests available to it. The government has also said it will strictly enforce rules on the wearing of masks in public places adherence is lax in markets and parks and social distancing. Also read | Covid-19: Tracing Indias journey to two million cases The trajectory of coronavirus disease in cities, provinces, and countries around the world suggests that most regions see a long plateau once cases have fallen to a retain level. The trajectory of the disease in Delhi shows a narrow peak (itself a rarity), and it is evident that the Capital is now seeing the plateau. The challenge before the administration is to keep the plateau at a manageable level in terms of number of cases there is no shortage of hospital beds (in fact, there is a surplus capacity), and the government must ensure it stays that way. WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Hurricane Laura made landfall on the Gulf Coast early Thursday morning, lashing across the Louisiana and Texas coasts as an 'extremely dangerous' storm. Thousands of residents in these states have been told to evacuate. 'The power of Hurricane Laura is unprecedented, and Texans must take action now to get out of harm's way and protect themselves,' Texas Governor Wayne Abbott said. Abbott will visit East Texas later this morning to meet with local officials and survey the damage, his spokesperson was quoted as saying. The Texas National Guard is headed to coastal counties with high-water vehicles and rescue helicopters to help Texans in need. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) issued a Tropical Storm Warning for East of Intracoastal City Louisiana to the Mouth of the Mississippi River. Southwestern part of Louisiana was drenched by flash flooding and extreme winds. According to NHC forecast, Laura will move across southwestern Louisiana this morning, and then continue northward across the state through this afternoon. The center of Laura is forecast to move over Arkansas tonight, the mid-Mississippi Valley on Friday, and the mid-Atlantic states on Saturday. The category 3 hurricane is expected to weaken to a tropical storm later today. The National Hurricane Center has warned, 'Unsurvivable storm surge with large and destructive waves will cause catastrophic damage from Sea Rim State Park, Texas, to Intracoastal City, Louisiana, including Calcasieu and Sabine Lakes.' This surge could penetrate up to 40 miles inland from the immediate coastline. Through Friday, Laura is expected to produce up to 18 inches of rain in parts of Louisiana, Mississippi and Arkansas causing widespread flash and urban flooding. 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. Australian PM Raises Concerns About Victorias Emergency Powers Bill Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Aug. 26 raised concerns over plans by Victorian Premier Dan Andrews to extend State of Emergency powers for a further 12-months to combat the threat of the CCP virus. Andrews on Aug. 24 announced he would push for the emergency powers bill amendment at next weeks sitting of Victorias Parliament. The current State of Emergency will reach its six-month maximum limit on Sept. 13, at the same time that stage four restrictions are scheduled to ease. Speaking to reporters at a visit to Canberras Datapod facility, the prime minister said that he has taken up the issue about the proposals lack of transparency with Premier Andrews. Ive raised our concerns with the Premier about that. I did that directly. I know others have, I know other Labor figures have. And I think its important to dispel any uncertainty and get clarity around that issue, Morrison said. Victoria has extended its state of emergency six times since March, on some occasions concurrently imposing or re-imposing restrictions. During a press conference on Aug. 25, Andrews said the amendment will act as an insurance policy for his government to makes rules where needed to combat the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as novel coronavirus. Morrison said his office had been inundated with calls of concern that the lockdown would extend for another 12-months if the bill is passed. He stressed that under the regrettably necessary and horrendous restrictions people are frightened, and Andrews needs to be considerate of that. I dont think thats what the Premier was suggesting at all. But in these times, weve got to be very careful about the announcements that are made. And I welcome the fact that he was clarifying that yesterday, Morrison said. Im not seeking to get into any blame game here at all. I mean, I work constructively with the Victorian Premier, but where there are issues that need to be raised then Ill, of course, raise them with him. At times, throughout the pandemic, Morrison and Andrews have disagreed on matters such as opening schools, using ADF support, and now the emergency powers bill. Morrison admitted: You dont agree on everything, but you certainly discuss everything. Responding to the prime ministers remarks, when asked at a press conference on Aug. 26, Andrews said: We dont necessarily agree on every matter. But were working very closely together. Andrews implied Morrison should stay out of Victorias state affairs and should focus on federal business. He doesnt have to deal with these sorts of issues, and there are a whole lot of things that are on his plate that I dont have to deal with, he said. Public health and well being is an act of the Victorian Parliament. And Im confident through the constructive dialogue were having with the crossbench we will be able to make amendments to that act next week. Andrews clarified that the public health and wellbeing act (pdf) amendments are needed to create a framework for opening up Victoria once restrictions easecreating jobs and repairing damage caused by the pandemic. And Im confident that well get, well get a good outcome that serves both of those purposes, Andrews said. The Victoria government has not publically released the 12-month state of emergency plan. However, MPs have been briefed ahead of next weeks legislative council meeting. The Victoria Labor government needs a majority vote from the 40 legislative council members. The Labor party holds 17 seats, the Liberal Party 10, and the Liberal Democratic Party have 2. Liberal Party leader Michael OBrien was quick to state that his party vehemently oppose the extension. Independents, such as Liberal Democratic MPs David Limbrick and Tim Quilty said theyd block it, while Reason Party MP Fiona Patten called the 12-month extension an overreach and said it needs to be halved or more. The Shooters Fishers and Farmers Party MP Jeff Bourman said he is unimpressed after seeing the brief. Labor needs four votes from upper-house crossbenchers to pass the Emergency powers bill. Parliament will meet virtually on Sept. 1. (CNN) Hurricane Laura hit the Louisiana coastline early Thursday sweeping ashore with an intensity the region has not seen in over a century. Laura made landfall near Cameron, Louisiana, as a Category 4 storm with winds of 150 mph, putting it in a tie with a hurricane from more than 160 years ago for the strongest storm to hit Louisiana. The "Last Island Hurricane" of 1856 also had winds of 150 mph when it made landfall in Louisiana. Hours before Laura's landfall, water levels along the coast rose rapidly as forecasters warned of an "unsurvivable" storm surge of up to 20 feet and devastating winds. Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards predicted parts of his state will be submerged. "The surge is going to inland ... there will be parts of Lake Charles underwater that no living human being has ever seen before," he told WWL Radio. "We are marshaling all of our people and assets to go in ... and start a very robust search and rescue effort." The storm made landfall nearly the same week as Hurricane Katrina 15 years ago. Katrina was a Category 5 while it was over the Gulf of Mexico but was downgraded to a Category 3 by the time it made landfall. Latest developments Coronavirus complications: The storm is complicating evacuations in the midst of a pandemic. Due to safety concerns associated with the coronavirus outbreak, officials are opening congregate shelters only as a last resort. States and parishes were lining up noncongregate options, such as hotel rooms, for evacuees, said Mike Steele, a spokesman for the state's office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness. Extended storm surge: The storm surge for Laura could spread up to 30 miles inland in southwest Louisiana and Southeast Texas -- reaching all the way to Interstate 10 potentially between Beaumont and Lake Charles. Record storm: Laura is the seventh named storm to make landfall in the US so far this year, a record for the most to do so before the end of August. There have been four tropical storms and three hurricanes. Hope and prayers: Some first responders in Louisiana's Natchitoches Parish stood outside the sheriff's office for a moment of prayers ahead of the hurricane Wednesday. Tens of thousands at risk of flooding Calcasieu Parish, where the city of Lake Charles is located, has about 100,000 residents who are at risk of flooding, parish spokesman Tom Hoefer told CNN. The focus Thursday will be on saving lives and transporting people to shelters, he said. But the Vermilion Parish Sheriff's Office said evacuation is key because authorities are concerned about rescue efforts. "Those choosing to stay and face this very dangerous storm must understand that rescue efforts cannot and will not begin until after storm and surge has passed and it is safe to do so. Please evacuate, and if you choose to stay and we can't get to you, write your name, address, social security number and next of kin and put it a Ziploc bag in your pocket," the office said in a statement. "Praying that it does not come to this." 150 residents refused to leave Cameron Parish, Louisiana, is under a mandatory evacuation, but out of 6,500 residents, 150 have refused to leave, said Ashley Buller, assistant director of Emergency Operations for the parish. Sheriff deputies went door-to-door to encourage people to leave, and even the Cameron Parish Office of Emergency Preparedness evacuated. Travel trailers have been left behind by construction workers on LNG projects. Authorities are concerned about the permanent residents who stayed, Buller said. There have already been reports of water coming up the road. "We have never experienced anything like this in our history," Buller said. The hurricane would be their third major storm to strike Cameron Parish in the last 15 years, Hurricane Rita and Hurricane Ike were the other two. Buller says Hurricane Ike caused the biggest flooding, "It moved water into the northern portions of the parish that we didn't see from Rita." She expects Hurricane Laura to be worse. "My family has evacuated," noted the assistant director of emergency preparedness. "They are two and a half hours to the Northeast. I needed them as far away from this as possible." Time to take shelter Storm surge reaching about 20 feet could be among Laura's greatest threats along with winds that have prompted a rare "extreme wind warning" for Lake Charles, Beaumont, Port Arthur and other nearby locations. Extreme Wind Warnings are issued when winds that are not associated with a tornado or other thunderstorm event are expected to exceed 115 mph, such as in a major hurricane. Residents under the warning are warned to "take cover now and to treat these imminent extreme winds as if a tornado was approaching and move immediately to the safe room in your shelter." Taking shelter is even more important after Bel Edwards closed a section of I-10, the east-west interstate that connects much of the Gulf Coast, as Hurricane Laura gets closer. "I-10 eastbound is closed at the Texas/Louisiana state line, and I-10 westbound is closed west of the Atchafalaya Basin," the governor tweeted Wednesday night. The closures cover roughly the western half of the interstate. This story was forst published on CNN.com, "Hurricane Laura makes landfall as a powerful Category 4 storm." The University of Massachusetts Amherst intends to furlough hundreds of employees for the remainder of the fall semester, MassLive has confirmed. In an email to members, Local 1776 President LeeAnn Robinson said the furloughs affect roughly 780 bargaining unit members. Robinson said the union was forced into accepting the furloughs and that the alternative would have been layoffs in which members would lose their benefits. We realize the university is facing a financial crisis however, despite the efforts of all the UMass unions to negotiate alternative cost saving measures the university refused to consider anything other than furloughing people off, Robinson wrote in the email. This is happening even though the commonwealth and the UMass system are both sitting on mountains of cash but have refused to touch any of this money to alleviate the financial crisis and instead place the burden on its lowest paid most vulnerable employees. American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 1776 represents roughly 1,700 members in skilled trades, grounds, custodial, housing, food services and security jobs at UMass Amherst. Local 1776 did not specify the ratio of full-time versus part-time employees affected. The Professional Staff Union and the University Staff Association, which represent staff, were informed of furloughs. PSU was told roughly 300 of their member employees are facing furloughs. Most of those affected are full-time employees. An email to USA members, provided to MassLive, states that negotiations with university officials have taken a bad turn. Union leaders were told hundreds of employees would be furloughed and that more furloughs and layoffs were possible in the future. We want to make it clear: we do not accept these outrageous demands as legitimate acts of bargaining, and they must stop, the email states. We call on the administration to return to the bargaining table in good faith, honoring our main contract and six COVID-19 agreements. UMass Amherst confirmed the furloughs in an announcement from Chancellor Kumble R. Subbaswamy around noon Thursday. Subbaswamy, citing negotiations with Local 1776, said 850 employees would be placed on indefinite furlough effective Sept. 13. The furloughs affect dining hall workers and resident hall staff. The university plans to announce layoffs for both union and non-union employees in the coming weeks, Subbaswamy said, adding that officials are negotiating with unions to reduce the number of people who lose their jobs. Subbaswamy said theyre working out an agreement that would lead to another round of furloughs and reductions in hours, which would affect another 450 campus employees. According to the Local 1776 email, the union and the university agreed on furloughs based on seniority with job classification with some exceptions. Under the agreement, furloughed employees would be allowed to collect unemployment without any claims being contested by the university. Those employees can opt for a layoff instead and will not have their unemployment claims contested. Union employees will continue to accrue time and will still have the employers portion of their insurance paid by the university, according to the letter. The workforce announcement comes as universities across the state are preparing for remote learning and, in some cases, in-person instruction despite the continued spread of the coronavirus. UMass Amherst walked back its reopening plans earlier this month to limit which students can live on campus, citing worsening conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic nationally. Under the updated plan, only students enrolled in essential face-to-face classes, including laboratory, studio and capstone courses will be allowed to live on campus and have access to dining halls and other campus facilities. All other students will remain off campus. The pandemic has had dire financial consequences for industries across the country, including higher education. In Wednesdays announcement, Subbaswamy said the university projects a $168.6 million loss in the campuss operating budget. That includes $67.4 million in housing and dining revenues, a projected $30.6 million drop in tuition revenue and $20.9 million in other losses. It also includes a projected $13 million increase in spending for COVID-19 testing, safety, isolation and quarantine measures. The Board of Trustees directed the campus to budget for a possible reduction in the states allocation of up to 10%, or about $36.7 million, due to uncertainties in the state budget, Subbaswamy said. The hold-back is another factor of the $168.6 million loss. The UMass system - which includes its flagship campus in Amherst, Boston, Dartmouth, Lowell, the medical school in Worcester and its law school - is the largest university system in the state. With an annual budget of 3.5 billion, UMass serves more than 75,000 students each year. UMass Amherst - the flagship campus - has more than 28,000 students enrolled annually. UMass received $558 million in state appropriation and $684 million in research and development for fiscal 2020, in addition to tuition. The university system received about $46 million from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Securities (CARES) Act, Marty Meehan, president of the UMass system, told the state Board of Higher Education in June. Of that, about $23 million went directly to students to offset tuition costs. The amount received from the federal stimulus plan was a fraction of the funds returned to students for refunded room & board and other expenses. Like all universities, the highest cost at UMass is personnel. The university system is the third largest employer in Massachusetts, with 24,000 employees. About $148 million is spent monthly on payroll. The Massachusetts Legislature is operating on partial budgets and has yet to draft a full-year budget for fiscal 2021. Legislative leaders and Gov. Charlie Baker said theyre waiting for word from Congress about any relief to state and local governments because of the coronavirus pandemic. MBABANE- Government reportedly made a loss in excess of E308 million through CTA. This was disclosed by governments senior lawyer Vikinduku Manana who further told the court that this equated to slightly less than a million emalangeni loss per working day. Government is currently embroiled in a court battle with NAPSAWU after the Industrial Court issued an interim order directing the accountant general, Treasury Department and Stores, together with the respondents jointly and severally, to reopen and or restore the proper functioning of the Trading Account of the CTA forthwith pending the final determination of this application. NAPSAWU is an acronym for the National Public Service and Allied Workers Union. Unlawful The union took government to court over Circular No.1 of 2020/21, which they viewed as unlawful. The matter was argued before Acting Industrial Court Judge, Velaphi Dlamini yesterday. Manana told the court that the loss made by government through CTA was contained in the 2019 audit report. The auditor generals report is one of the documents that were used by government to motivate its case. In the report annexed to the court papers, the auditor general remarked: I am concerned that government may pay for undelivered goods which may have a negative impact on the CTA Trading Account. Meanwhile Assistant Attorney General Mndeni Vilakati, who appeared with Manana, argued that the nature of the power exercised by the principal secretary in Ministry of Public Works and Transport when she issued the Circular complained of was administrative as envisaged by Section 33 of the Constitution. He averred that the matter should therefore be referred to the High Court in terms of Section 35 (3) for a determination of whether the power exercised was administrative. Secondly, the interim order relating to the opening of the Trading Account was founded on a legislation which was repealed. Consequently the interim order must be rescinded, contended the assistant attorney general. Principal Secretary (PS) in the Ministry of Public Works and Transport Khangeziwe Mabuza deposed to an affidavit where she stated that the closure of the Trading Account was meant to correct and align CTA to the Public Finance Management Act of 2017 and Stores Regulations, such that all and no financial transactions were done without the involvement of the controlling officer. She said this would improve accountability. There is no law for CTA to operate a Trading Account and thus the account has to be closed. Furthermore, the Trading Account was not trading to generate its income for sustainability as was envisage at establishment hence its closure by the Ministry of Finance, submitted Mabuza. According to the principal secretary, the account has been a constant drain to government financial resources and has not been appropriated in the national budget estimates over the past financial years. She averred that this, in the process, widened the fiscal deficit and affected cash flow. Mabuza went on to tell the court that the controlling officer had been deprived of exercising the administrative reform of approving, authorising, delegating functions and responsibilities at CTA. She alleged that accounting for transactions and actions had not happened. These are all but the anomalies to be corrected by the closure of the Trading Account, which does not require consultation with workers but is a prerogative of management to reorganise the workplace, contended Mabuza. Operations She argued that the closure of the Trading Account brought the operations of the CTA in line with the prescript of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA). She said there was no obligation to consult where management ended an illegality and introduced measures in the workplace which were consistent with the law of the land. The PS further pointed out that the engagement with the CTA staff members was meant to be an ongoing exercise as follow-up meetings had been scheduled but the COVID -19 pandemic made the continuation with the exercise virtually impossible. The court has reserved its judgment in the matter. The union is represented by Mluleki Ndlangamandla. Akinwumi Adesina has been re-elected president of the African Development Bank for a second term. His election took place virtually on Thursday, and he had himself to contend with for another five-year term. On Wednesday, the Nigerian appealed, by way of formality, for another term to run the 56-year-old institution whose biggest shareholders are Nigeria and the US of the 81 shareholders. I do it to serve Africa and our bank, in an unbiased way, to the best of the abilities that God has given me, he said in a statement issued by the bank. Months ago, the former agriculture minister in Nigeria was a subject of investigation following petitions by whstleblowers allegedly motivated by Stephen Dowd, the US rep on the banks board of governors. After the banks ethic committee investigated and acquitted him, the US insisted an independent body should look into the matter. The decision of the ethics committee was later upheld by the independent body. PV: 9 India shared with Pakistan enough evidence of the role of terrorists and terrorist organisations based in the neighbouring country in orchestrating the February 14, 2019 attack on its paramilitary personnel at Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in New Delhi on Thursday. Anurag Srivastava, the spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), said that the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), which had claimed responsibility for the attack on the Central Reserve Police Force personnel at Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir, was based in Pakistan. The organisation and its leadership are in Pakistan. It is regrettable that Masood Azhar (the JeM chief), the first accused in the charge-sheet, continues to find shelter in Pakistan, he told media persons in New Delhi. Enough evidence has been shared with Pakistan, but it continues to evade responsibility. Also read: Money put in Pak bank accounts of JeM commander before Pulwama blast: NIA His comment came a day after the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Government of Pakistan said that New Delhi had shared with Islamabad some incomplete, patchy and unsubstantiated information about the February 14, 2019 terror attack. The Pakistan Government issued the statement on Wednesday reacting to the submission of a charge-sheet by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) of India on the terror attack, which killed 40 CRPF personnel. The NIA named Masood Azhar, his brothers Abdul Rauf Asghar and Ammar Alvi, nephew Umar Farooq and several others in the charge-sheet. Islamabad claimed that India had failed to provide any credible evidence for its invective and had instead been using the attack for its malicious propaganda campaign against Pakistan. The charge sheet has been filed after investigation of a-year-and-a-half since the attack took place on February 14, 2019. It has been filed to address the act of terrorism and to bring perpetrators of such a heinous crime to justice. Our aim is not to simply issue statements or notifications, said Srivastava. He also noted that the Pakistan Government had not yet taken any credible action against perpetrators of the November 26-28, 2008 terror attack in Mumbai, which resulted in the loss of 165 innocent lives, including 25 foreign nationals. New Delhi also slammed Islamabad for its flip flop on acknowledging the presence of Indias most wanted terrorist and underworld don, Dawood Ibrahim, in Pakistan. Pakistan has never taken any credible and verifiable action against terror entities or listed individuals, including the most wanted ones, said Srivastava. Vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris addresses the Democratic National Convention in Wilmington, Del., on Aug. 19. (Associated Press) To the editor: Frank Shyong's column about the difficulty of labeling Sen. Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for vice president, correctly notes that she is a member of the fastest growing "racial group" in the world: mixed race or multiracial. What matters to me is that she certainly experienced the discrimination visited upon all people of color, and her multicultural background has given her a better understanding of the problems we must face as a global community. Problems like pandemics and climate change require global cooperation rather than nativism, and leaders with multicultural backgrounds are better prepared to lead in these efforts. Margaret Hamilton, Portland, Ore. .. To the editor: Shyong asks, "What label would you use to describe the Harris household?" American. I use the label American. Jane Drucker, Studio City (Newser) Right before the 2018 midterms, a Homeland Security meeting gave birth to an extreme idea: zapping border migrants with a "heat ray" to make them feel like their skin was burning, former officials tell the New York Times. Customs and Border Protection officials apparently suggested it to Homeland Security leaders, saying the microwave weapon should be set up at the border. Kirstjen Nielsenthen head of the DHSlater told an aide that no such plan would fly on her watch. The so-called Active Denial System was created by the military 20 years ago to disperse crowds, but questions about its effectiveness and morality have pretty much put it on the shelf. story continues below A DHS rep said Wednesday that the notion "was never considered." Trump's reactionif he even knew about itis unknown, but he has floated his share of unorthodox border-policy ideas, like shooting immigrants in the legs, placing spikes on the border wall, and populating a border moat with alligators and snakes. He also assembled Nielsen and his White House staff later on Oct. 22, 2018, the day of the DHS meeting, saying "extreme action" was important for stopping migrants. The Hill notes that two former DHS officials, Elizabeth Neumann and Miles Taylor, have lately criticized the Trump administration and lent their support to Joe Biden. (Read more Customs and Border Protection stories.) Anunt de selectare a participantilor si participantelor la cel de-al doilea curs de instruire din cadrul Programului educational pentru dezvoltarea competentelor lucratorilor de tineret The Russian and Syrian army have struck back against the Islamic State following recent attacks, killing over 300 fighters and destroying hideouts reports Al-Masdar. The Syrian and Russian armies, carried out a large-scale operation to combat the Islamic State (ISIS) between Aug. 18-24, 2020, which resulted in the killing of 327 militants. On Tuesday, a spokesman for the Russian forces in Syria said, The bombing by the Russian Air Force and the Syrian Air Force, as well as artillery shelling in the White Desert, resulted in the liquidation of 327 militants, the destruction of 134 shelters, 17 observation points, seven stores of ammunition and five underground warehouses for weapons and ammunition. The Russian and Syrian air forces launched dozens of strikes over the last few days, inflicting heavy damage to ISIS hideouts across the Badiya al-Sham region that is located between Deir ez-Zor, Homs, Suweida, and Damascus. These Russian and Syrian strikes specifically targeted ISIS hideouts throughout the region between the cities of Palmyra (Tadmur) and Deir ez-Zor. Elsewhere, the Russian army was filmed on Tuesday, chasing US military vehicles traveling through the Hassakeh countryside in northeastern Syria. According to field reports from northeastern Syria, Russian army vehicles, along with one of their choppers, were seen chasing US military vehicles near the border city of al-Malikiyah in the eastern part of Hassakeh. At least two videos of the incident were released on Wednesday, both showing the Russian army attempting to intercept the US military vehicles in the Hassakeh countryside. 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. Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank on Thursday said that a student will have a 360-degree holistic assessment with the help of the National Education Policy-2020 (NEP). A student will be able to have a 360-degree holistic assessment with the help of this policy (NEP). He will be able to do self-assessment, his or her guardian, teacher and co-student will also be able to do the assessment as well, he said. Pokhriyal addressed Shiksha Samwad on Vision of making India a Global Knowledge Superpower via video conferencing today. India would be the first country to introduce Artificial Intelligence in the schools as the students of India are enriched with talent, Pokhriyal stated. We have brought vocational stream via this new education policy from class 6th onwards with the internship. A student will not only study but will also get an exposure in the field as well. The students will become atmanirbhar (self-reliant) once they pass out of school, said Pokhriyal. This policy was kept in the public domain to welcome more suggestions. This education policy has been born after taking into consideration all the suggestions in detail. If we talk about teaching in mother tongue language then the topmost developed countries are teaching their students in their mother tongue language only, he added. The Education Minister continued saying, we do not oppose any language. No language will be imposed on anyone but a student should have the freedom to learn as many languages as he or she wants. We will join our past with our future via this policy. Our Prime Minister has a vision of having a healthy and clean India, he added. Ashok Mittal, Chancellor, Lovely Professional University (LPU), Punjab, Dr H Chaturvedi, Professor and Director at Birla Institute of Management Technology, Greater Noida and Alternate President of Education Promotion Society for India along with others also participated and shared their views with the Education Minister during the event. Todays Headlines The most important news stories of the day, curated by Post editors and delivered every morning. Email address By signing up you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy PetroVietnam and Honda are still missing from the MoIT's list of prestigious exporters 268 exporters from 25 industries were picked by the MoIT based on export turnover and prestige in trading with foreign partners as well as compliance with the states regulations on customs, tariffs, and environment. Something of a surprise, PetroVietnam and Honda were not on the list this year either. Previously, the shortlist of prestigious exporters for 2019 was published on the portal of MoIT to collect opinions from the public. The list covers 25 commodity sectors including farm produce, garment, telephone, electric equipment, wood, plastics, confectionery, and footwear. The vote aimed to recognise exporters positive contributions to the countrys export growth while giving them support in seeking new markets. It also aimed to encourage Vietnamese exporters to further improve their image as the country integrates deeper into the world economy. The voted exporters will be permitted to advertise their products for free on the ministrys website, newspapers, and magazines. This is the second year that PetroVietnam, Vietsopetro, and Honda Vietnam are not on the list. Mali's new military rulers said Thursday that former president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, who was detained during the country's coup on August 18, had been freed. The announcement came on the eve of a summit by Mali's neighbours, who are to decide whether to ratchet up pressure on the fledgling junta. Keita's ousting by rebel troops sent shockwaves through the region and in France, which sees Mali as a linchpin in its campaign against jihadism in the Sahel, where more than 5,000 French troops are based. "President IBK is free in his movements, he's at home," a spokesman for the junta, Djibrila Maiga, told AFP, referring to Keita by his initials, as many Malians do. The junta, calling itself the National Committee for the Salvation of the People (CNSP), said on Facebook it was "informing public and international opinion that former president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita has been released and is currently in his residence". A Keita relative, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the 75-year-old former leader had returned overnight to his house in the Sebenikoro district of the capital Bamako. The source did not say whether he was still subject to any restrictions. Keita, prime minister Boubou Cisse and other senior officials were seized by young officers who mutinied at a base near Bamako. In the early hours of August 19, Keita appeared on national TV to announce his resignation, saying he had had no other choice, and wanted to avoid "bloodshed". His release -- and other leaders -- is a key demand of Mali's neighbours, its ally France and international organisations, including the African Union and European Union. Former Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan, heading a team from the regional bloc ECOWAS, was given access to Keita last Saturday, and said he seemed "very fine." The announcement Thursday came on the eve of a virtual summit by the 15-nation ECOWAS -- the Economic Community of West African States -- which has imposed sanctions against Mali for the coup. Story continues Those measures include a closure of borders and a ban on trade that threaten to worsen Mali's already severe social and economic troubles. Jonathan's three-day mission to Bamako foundered on the question of the transition to civilian rule. The junta have promised to enact a political transition and stage elections within a "reasonable time" but not spelt out details. >> Mali's coup leaders promise elections after detaining president and prime minister Discussing progress with Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari, Jonathan said the coup leaders wanted to stay in power for a three-year transition period, an offer rejected by the mediators, according to a statement from the presidency. "We also told them that what would be acceptable to ECOWAS was an Interim Government, headed by a civilian or retired military officer, to last for six or nine months, and maximum of 12 calendar months," Jonathan was quoted as saying in the presidency statement late Wednesday. Jihadist worries Keita was elected in 2013 as a unifying figure in a fractured country and was returned in 2018 for a second five-year term. But his popularity plummeted as he failed to counter a bloody jihadist campaign that has claimed thousands of lives and driven hundreds of thousands from their homes, and to reverse the country's downward economic spiral. In a visit to the Estonian capital of Tallinn on Thursday, the head of the French armed forces, Francois Lecointre, said, "Our wish is to maintain the Malian army's commitment in the fight against armed terrorist groups." He pointed to a campaign launched earlier this year to regain control over the strategic "three-border" zone, where the frontiers of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso come together. "We are going to see if the Malian armed forces are able to maintain the momentum... we have told them that this appears essential to us," said Lecointre. "The corps commanders are still there, the area commanders are still there, these aren't people who took part in the coup, and so we are continuing to cooperate with them," he said. (AFP) A representative from the Vietnamese permanent mission to the UN has called for full respect to Iraq's political independence, unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity; affirming that dialogue, national solidarity and concord are key factors to the countrys stability. Taking samples for SARS-CoV-1 testing in Iraq (Photo: Xinhua/VNA) Addressing an online meeting on the current situation in Iraq held by the UN Security Council (UNSC) on August 26, the representative applauded the positive progress in Iraq in recent times, especially the establishment of a new government and the Middle Eastern countrys commitments to dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, preventing corruption, providing basic services, reforming its economy, and strengthening state institutions. The official also expressed concern about the development of COVID-19 pandemic and humanitarian activities in Iraq as millions of people are facing poverty, and urged the international community to continue implementing commitments to assist Iraq. According to Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Iraq and Head of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), the new government in Iraq has made efforts to fulfill its commitment to responding to the COVID-19 crisis, recovering the economy and setting out a plan to hold elections on June 6, 2021. UNAMI and other UN organisations have supported the Iraqi government and people to cope with difficulties facing the country, she said. Representatives from UNSC member nations expressed their support for the Iraqi government to implement reform measures to meet legitimate aspirations of its people, while showing their concern about the impact of COVID-19 pandemic and problems facing Iraq, including terrorism and the threat from the self-claimed Islamic State (IS). They called on the international community to support Iraq in the current context, as well as efforts of UNAMI and UN organisations to assist the country./.VNA Egypts health ministry recorded 206 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, bringing the total case tally nationwide to 97,825 cases since the detection of the first case in February. The ministry bulletin also recorded 19 new deaths, bringing the total fatalities from the virus to 5,317. A total of 996 patients have been discharged from hospitals, bringing the total number of recoveries so far to 68,713. Egypt has recently witnessed a slight increase in the daily tally of coronavirus cases since the weekend. Saturday saw the lowest daily toll in four months with only 89 cases. There were 103 cases on Sunday, 138 cases on Monday, and 141 new cases on Tuesday. In a separate statement released on Wednesday, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly called on people to exercise caution to prevent a second wave of the pandemic, adding that Egypt will maintain the existing preventive measures against the disease, particularly with the advent of autumn. "The noticeable increase in the number of infections recently prompts us to [exercise] caution, and to maintain the strict precautionary measures and penalties for violators to prevent a second wave of the coronavirus and avoid an increase in the curve of infections and deaths as has happened in some countries," the statement quoted Madbouly as saying during the cabinet's weekly meeting. During the same meeting, Health Minister Hala Zayed demanded public and state institutions maintain strict precautions to prevent a second wave, which she said may force the state to reinstate tough measures to ensure people's commitment to the precautions. "The occurrence of a second wave is associated with a false sense of safety among people that the epidemic is over," the minister added. The prime minister said earlier this month that, starting 1 September, Egypt will require all travellers arriving to the country to present a negative PCR test result due to increasing infections in some countries. We are keen on ensuring the health of those arriving in the country and of Egyptian citizens; therefore, we agreed that any traveller arriving in the country should be tested, he said. Egypt began a gradual resumption of regular international flights on 1 July, having shut its airspace in March in the wake of the pandemic. Search Keywords: Short link: A New York federal judge on Tuesday denied Jeffrey Epstein's associate Ghislaine Maxwell's appeal to divulge the three of her alleged accusers' identities. The judge called the request "premature." Her bid to be moved to the general prison population was also dismissed, indicating that changes to her confinement are inconsequential at this point. Attorneys for Jeffrey Epstein's former girlfriend, who faces indictment of recruiting, grooming and abusing minor girls, asked the judge to transfer her out of a high-security prison cell in the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn in order for her to adequately for her defense. Onerous Cell Conditions United States District Judge Alison Nathan also denied the request after she protested of "onerous" conditions while awaiting her sex-trafficking charges trial. Maxwell's attorneys claim that she has been under consistent monitoring by prison psychologists who have been assessing her for hours without her consent. Epstein's former lover had disputed to being treated worse than other Metropolitan Detention Center pre-trial inmates. Onerous conditions cited included round-the-clock surveillance, mostly being isolated in her prison cell, and numerous body scans. Refusal of District Judge Alison Nathan According to the judge, Ghislaine Maxwell's appeal was dismissed because "no evidence, and no reason to believe, that the surveillance measures are motivated by improper purpose." However, in an order on Tuesday, the judge discovered no proof that the surveillance measures were "punitive" or "motivated by improper purposes," reported Telegraph. Also Read: Ghislaine Maxwell Case Evidences Includes X-Rated Photographs and Videos of Underage Girls Isolation The 58-year-old will continue to be closely monitored by staff and be isolated from the rest of the prison population. The three alleged victims claim that they were abused by accused sex trafficker Epstein after being recruited by Maxwell. Their accusations comprise the charges against the socialite, reported The Sun. Grant to Access to Materials Judge Nathan pointed out that the Bureau of Prisons has allowed her access to materials 13 hours a day and seven days a week. The judge wrote, "Should facts on the ground change such that the Defendant is not being provided sufficient access to her legal materials, defense counsel may seek intervention by the Court," reported CNN. The British socialite said that she is not happy about guards' round-the-clock monitoring and taking notes of her every activity. She also complained regarding the effect Epstein's death has had on her treatment. Ghislaine Maxwell's attorneys, regarding her appeal, stated that she had been demanded her at times to choose between showering and reviewing her's legal material. Epstein's associate has been held without bail on indictment due to her alleged participation and grooming of underage girls to be sexually abused by Epstein. According to Nathan, the Federal Bureau of Prisons had recently altered Maxwell's confinement conditions in order for her to review materials and participate in her defense for 13 hours daily, noting that this made further alterations unnecessary. Maxwell's attorneys did not immediately respond to requests for statements. Nathan stated that the appeal to divulge their identities was premature with the case slated to go to trial in July 2021. Related Article: Fact Check: Is Spongebob Squarepants' Home Located on Jeffrey Epstein's 'Pedo Island'? @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Reliance Retail, the retail arm of Reliance Industries, has issued a warning against fraudulent websites seeking franchises in the name of its online portal, JioMart. The digital avatar of Reliance Retail which went live in May this year is offering its services in over 200 cities. In its statement, the company clarified that it is currently not running any dealership or franchise model at present. "We have been informed about certain unscrupulous individuals who are creating fake websites, pretending to be us or associated with us and duping innocent individuals under the pretence of granting franchisee of JioMart services," Reliance Retail said in a notice. ALSO READ: Deal with Mukesh Ambani's Reliance not even final, but Future Enterprises stock already up 42% "We would like to inform the public at large that we are not operating any dealership or franchisee model currently nor have we appointed any franchisee or any agent for... appointment (of) any dealer or franchisee in any manner whatsoever. Further, we do not charge any amount under the pretence of appointing a person as a franchisee," it further added. Reliance Retail warned of initiating legal proceedings against such fake websites misusing its brand name to protect its goodwill and reputation. "The public, manufacturers, traders, and dealers are hereby cautioned against such unscrupulous individuals and their online fraud activities; and are hereby warned that we will not be responsible for any business dealing with such dishonest individuals," it said in the notice. ALSO READ: RIL in advanced talks to acquire online start-ups Urban Ladder, Milkbasket Reliance Retail launched JioMart earlier this year shortly after Facebook acquired 9.99 per cent in its parent company's digital unit, Jio Platforms. In April, Facebook's popular messaging platform WhatsApp had signed a commercial agreement with JioMart which connects small businesses and kirana shops to buyers. The portal is aimed at taking on online retail bigwigs like Amazon and Flipkart, along with other players including BigBasket and Grofers in the grocery delivery market. The segment has seen a boom and even entry of players from other sectors during the coronavirus lockdown. ALSO READ: RIL-Future deal: Mukesh Ambani to retain brand names Big Bazaar, FBB and others Zonal multi-stakeholder platform meeting on IUU inland fishing held at Kpando, Ghana August 24,2020 | Source: GhanaWeb A zonal multi-stakeholder platform meeting has been organized for stakeholders in Ghana to discussed issues of Illegal Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing in the area. The meeting, also provided the space for dialogue and discussions on issues among fisheries stakeholders to promote stakeholder involvement and participatory planning in fisheries management. It was organized by for key stakeholders including, members of the IUU, Community Monitoring Groups (CMGs), Fisheries Commission Officers, traditional leaders, fisher folks, Kpando Municipal Assembly, the Ghana Agricultural Workers Association, Ghana Inland Fishermen Canoe Association and Fisheries Enforcement Unit of the Ghana Navy. Participants were also trained on the use of IUU-ICT Mobile App called DASE (Evidence) for monitoring, reporting and documenting IUU cases in the Inland Fishing Zone in the lake Volta. The District Fisheries Commission Officer, Mr Wendell Papafio, said the IUU fishing was under the Far Ban Bo Protecting Fisheries Livelihoods project in Ghana, which seeks to improving Fisheries governance and IUU through engagement with fishers and stakeholders to improve on monitoring, reporting and prosecution of Fisheries infractions. The project is being implemented by Friends of the Nation (FoN), CARE and Oxfam with funding from the European Union in Ghana. The Executive Director of Friends of the Nation (FoN), Mr. Donkris Mevuta, presented five mobile phones to the members of the CMG to support the combat of IUU fishing in the inland fishing sector and explained that the smart phones were to be used for evidence gathering of IUU fishing activities. Mr Mevuta said the App on the phone would allow the evidence to be shared with regulators for effective deterrence. 1994 - 2020 GhanaWeb. All rights reserved. Theme(s): Fishing Craft, Gear and Fishing Methods. The demand for the postponing of Joint Entrance Examination (Main) and the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET-UG) intensified on Thursday, with candidates calling for the exams to be delayed to avoid any mishappenings due to the pandemic. Protests erupted across social media platforms after the Supreme Court ruling, wherein the bench said that it found no justification the prayer made for postponement of the examination in question relating to NEET UG 2020 as well as JEE (Main) April, 2020. Meanwhile, on Wednesday, seven chief ministers of non-BJP ruled states backed the demand for postponement of the examinations and decided to jointly move the Supreme Court on the issue. As chorus for the postponement of the exams grows, heres all you need to know about the issue. WHY DO STUDENTS WANT THE EXAMS POSTPONED? After the Ministry of Educations NTA said that JEE (Main) and the NEET (UG) will be conducted in September, as scheduled, protests erupted on social media, with candidates seeking the postponement of the exams till the Covid-19 pandemic ebbs and the flood-related situation in many states across the country improves. Applicants have also expressed concerns about issues such as about lack of transportation and inevitable crowding if the exams are not postponed. Universities and schools across the country have been closed since March 16 when the Centre announced a countrywide classroom shutdown as part of measures to check the spread of Covid-19. Candidates are set to hold a protest on Thursday from 8am to raise black flags from homes, tie black bands on arm or forehead, wear black masks, turn their profile pictures black! With 3.23 million cases and 59,449 deaths, there is considerable fear among the students over contracting the virus. While a total of 9.53 lakh candidates have registered for JEE-Mains, 15.97 lakh students have registered for NEET (UG). The JEE (Main) is scheduled to be held between September 1 and 6, while the JEE (Advanced) on September 27. WHAT IS THE GOVERNMENT SAYING? NTA Director General Vineet Joshi, in an interview to state broadcaster Doordarshan detailed on the strength and coordination with local authorities to ensure safe conduct of the examinations. These are national-level examinations and the authorities have been preparing for quite some time, which requires logistical thinking. I am not preparing for exams in about a day or two. We kept the pandemic and norms of social distancing in mind," he said. We cannot lose more time in worrying about natural disasters like floods, nobody can foresee anything, we can work in saving the academic calendar, it is good for students," Joshi added. Higher Education Secretary Amit Khare said there is no plan as of now to rethink the decision and that examinations will take place as per schedule. Meanwhile, amid growing clamour for postponement of the two exams, the NTA released admit cards on Wednesday. NTA officials said that over 14 lakh students have already downloaded admit cards for engineering and medical entrance exams. WHAT MEASURES HAVE BEEN PUT IN PLACE? The NTA has issued a litany of guidelines to ensure safety. The number of examination centres, for instance, has increased from 570 to 660 (in case of JEE Main) and 2,546 to 3,843 (in case of NEET (UG) 2020). JEE (Main) is a computer-based test and the number of shifts has been increased from the 8 to 12. The students will not be allowed to crowd and stand within the circles marked at the centre. Their entry and exit will also be staggered. Parents will not be permitted to stay after dropping the students at the exam centres. In in a situation where there is a sudden declaration of a containment zone, then students will use their admit cards for movement and functionaries at the exam centres can use their appointment letters. The number of candidates per shift has been brought down from 1.32 lakh to 85,000. They will be adhering to alternate seating arrangements to ensure social distancing. For NEET (UG), a pen paper-based test, the number of candidates per room has been reduced from 24 to 12. These measures have been put in place to ensure social distancing. Besides this, the entry and exit of candidates will be staggered outside the examination hall. WHICH PARTIES ARE OPPOSING THE DECISION? Supporting the demand for postponement of NEET (UG) and JEE examinations, seven chief ministers of non-BJP ruled states on Wednesday decided to jointly move the Supreme Court on the issue. Congress chief Sonia Gandhi contended that students problems were being dealt uncaringly by the Centre. Among the chief ministers who attended the meeting were West Bengals Mamata Banerjee (TMC), Maharashtras Uddhav Thackeray, who is heading the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress government, Punjabs Amarinder Singh (Congress), Jharkhands Hemant Soren (JMM), Rajasthans Ashok Gehlot (Congress), Chhattisgarhs Bhupesh Baghel (Congress)and Puducherrys V Narayanasamy (Congress). Parties like the DMK and AAP also joined the growing chorus against the holding of the NEET and JEE exams at a time when coronavirus cases were increasing across the country. Earlier, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik also wrote to the Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank and urged the cancellation of the JEE (Main) and NEET (UG) in view of the Covid-19 pandemic and also direct the NTA to open exam centres in all 30 districts of the state. Ethereal beauty Manushi Chhillar, who is set to debut in Bollywood with Akshay Kumar's Prithviraj, is thrilled that she is celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi for the first time! The 23 year old gorgeous Miss World is originally from Haryana but Mumbai is now her home too and she wanted to celebrate Ganesh puja at her home with family. Manushi, who is keeping Ganpati at home for the first time, says, "My parents always wanted me to experience different cultures and celebrate them. I'm from Haryana but Mumbai is my home too. I was fascinated by the Ganpati celebrations in the city when I first experienced it. The energy, the love and the passion with which people in Maharashtra celebrate Ganpati is really special and I was charmed by it." She was immediately enamoured by Ganesh puja and she promptly decided to keep Ganpati at home! Manushi says, "I remember speaking to my parents that I wanted to celebrate Ganpati at home. They immediately said yes and I was thrilled. So, this is the first year that I'm keeping Ganpati at home and I couldn't be happier. It is an extremely special moment for me and I will pray for peace and prosperity for everyone." Being a conscious citizen of the country, Manushi is celebrating the festival in an eco-friendly way. She explains, "The Ganpati I'm keeping at home is an eco-friendly one. It has seeds embedded in the idol so I'm going to do the Visarjan also at home in a clay tree pot. I'm looking forward to nurture the seeds well so that life sprouts from it." Manushi has a message for the people on India as the festive season kick starts with Ganesh Chaturthi. She says, "Celebrating festivals like this is very important because it brings people and cultures closer but if we can celebrate it in the most eco-friendly way, we will also contribute towards nature conservation. I'm hoping to spread this message with the way I'm keeping my Ganpati. It is up to all of us to protect and preserve our planet because we are definitely in the middle of a huge ecological crisis. It is high time we acknowledge it." ALSO READ: International Youth Day: Manushi Chhillar Says Youth Shouldn't Be Shy To Lead Life Fearlessly ... we remain optimistic Capture will continue to solve one of the most important enrollment challenges today making genuine, lasting connections between prospective students and higher education institutions. Capture CEO Leonard Napolitano Capture posted its strongest half-year financial performance in its history with revenue growth of nearly 10 percent coupled with its best second-quarter sales volume. This led to the company's sturdiest profitability position as calculated by EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization). Backed by an increasing Net Promoter Score (NPS), Capture also saw its highest client renewal rate thanks to continued investment in client resources including a newly introduced training program. Captures goal is to own engagement, whether it is how our products and solutions facilitate meaningful engagement between the student and institution, or whether it is the engagement between our 70+ employees and our client community, says Capture CEO Leonard Napolitano. This focus on engagement is foundational to Capture's success and will drive our key initiatives for the second half of the year and into 2021. In the first half of 2020, Capture posted record revenue of more than $5 million, representing nearly double-digit growth, even as a global pandemic disrupted the university enrollment management industry and just about all other aspects of college business and life across the country. Some of Captures first-half milestones were in response to COVID-19, including Innovate USA, a national, three-day virtual conference the company hosted in early June. Open to all higher education professionals, the free conference drew nearly 400 enrollment leaders, higher education experts and admissions counselors from more than 135 institutions and 38 states. The live-streamed event featured sessions, panel discussions and interactive workshops to help universities establish a new path forward amid these challenging times. Our industry was and remains at a critical juncture as U.S. colleges and universities experience unprecedented budget cuts and a number of other difficulties," Napolitano says. "Innovate USA was a chance for enrollment professionals to join together at a pivotal moment. With Captures Innovate USA, we wanted to give universities the information, tools and industry resources to react and address the immediate needs within a rapidly changing reality. Before the pandemic, Capture hosted two smaller, in-person, regional Innovate conferences in Louisville and Philadelphia that drew another 100 attendees total. Other Capture milestones during the first six months of 2020 included: Enhancing its technology partnerships with Conduit by PlatformQ Education and PLEXUSS to address surging trends toward virtual events and test-optional policies at colleges and universities. Capture is also a Slate Silver Partner. Making major enhancements to its Behavioral Intelligence Platform (BIP), including the addition of higher educations only Behavioral Email Series for student recruitment. With most higher education institutions experiencing weaker financial positions, the second half of 2020 will continue to present new challenges, Napolitano says. But we remain optimistic Capture will continue to solve one of the most important enrollment challenges today making genuine, lasting connections between prospective students and higher education institutions. Available for Comment Leonard Napolitano, Capture CEO About Capture Headquartered in Louisville, Ky., Capture is a leading innovator of marketing platforms and solutions for higher education recruitment and enrollment management. Captures Behavioral Intelligence Platform (BIP) offers solutions throughout a prospective students college decision journey. With industry-leading marketing automation, managed solutions and AI-powered predictive modeling built specifically for higher education, Capture gives institutions the control needed to effectively target interested students in relevant ways that increase engagement, drive admissions and improve student retention. Founded in 2011, Capture has served hundreds of higher education institutions and programs across the country while being recognized by Inc. 5000 as a fastest-growing U.S. company. ORLANDO, Fla., Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Adults with certain types of rare blood cancers can now receive their treatment in the comfort of their own home, thanks to a new medication available through a limited distribution with AllianceRx Walgreens Prime. Inqovi (decitabine and cedazuridine), manufactured by Taiho Oncology, treats adult patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) (a type of blood cancer) and chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML). Patients with MDS or CMML previously needed to visit a health care facility to receive intravenous therapy but may now receive treatment at home through Inqovi tablets. Tracey James, senior vice president, pharmacy services, says manufacturers partner with AllianceRx Walgreens Prime because of its proven clinical expertise and ability to provide 24/7 patient care. "Manufacturers appreciate our managed care access and our large reach in payer coverage. More importantly, they know AllianceRx Walgreens Prime offers robust clinical programs and we are committed to providing the high-touch service our patients need throughout their treatment journey," she says. AllianceRx Walgreens Prime, one of the largest specialty and home delivery pharmacies in the country, provides medicine for patients with certain rare, chronic and complex conditions. Known as limited distribution drugs (LDDs), the following specialty medicines are now available through AllianceRx Walgreens Prime: Bafiertam (monomethyl fumarate), manufactured by Banner Life Sciences, is used to treat various types of multiple sclerosis (MS) including clinically isolated syndrome, relapsing-remitting disease, and active secondary progressive disease in adults. (monomethyl fumarate), manufactured by Banner Life Sciences, is used to treat various types of multiple sclerosis (MS) including clinically isolated syndrome, relapsing-remitting disease, and active secondary progressive disease in adults. Phesgo (pertuzumab, trastuzumab, and hyaluronidase-zzxf) is a fixed-dose injection that combines medicines (e.g., pertuzumab and trastuzumab) with hyaluronidase (a family of enzymes) for injection under the skin. Phesgo is used to treat adults with HER2+ metastatic breast cancer (a type of breast cancer that tests positive for a protein called human epidermal growth factor receptor 2) and early HER2+ breast cancer. Phesgo is given as part of a complete treatment regimen that includes chemotherapy. It is manufactured by Genentech. (pertuzumab, trastuzumab, and hyaluronidase-zzxf) is a fixed-dose injection that combines medicines (e.g., pertuzumab and trastuzumab) with hyaluronidase (a family of enzymes) for injection under the skin. Phesgo is used to treat adults with HER2+ metastatic breast cancer (a type of breast cancer that tests positive for a protein called human epidermal growth factor receptor 2) and early HER2+ breast cancer. Phesgo is given as part of a complete treatment regimen that includes chemotherapy. It is manufactured by Genentech. Retevmo (selpercatinib), manufactured by Eli Lilly, is the first therapy for patients with advanced or metastatic RET-driven lung and thyroid cancers. Specifically, Retevmo treats three types of tumors non-small cell lung cancer, medullary thyroid cancer and other types of thyroid cancers in patients whose tumors are advanced or metastatic or have an alteration (mutation or fusion) in the RET gene. (selpercatinib), manufactured by Eli Lilly, is the first therapy for patients with advanced or metastatic RET-driven lung and thyroid cancers. Specifically, Retevmo treats three types of tumors non-small cell lung cancer, medullary thyroid cancer and other types of thyroid cancers in patients whose tumors are advanced or metastatic or have an alteration (mutation or fusion) in the RET gene. Zeposia (ozanimod), manufactured by Bristol Myers Squibb , treats adult patients with relapsing forms of MS, including clinically isolated syndrome, relapsing-remitting disease, and active secondary progressive disease in adults. For full prescribing information and any warnings for any of these medicines, visit the manufacturer websites. About AllianceRx Walgreens Prime AllianceRx Walgreens Prime (alliancerxwp.com) is a specialty and home delivery pharmacy that strives to provide exceptional care throughout a patient's treatment journey with the medications they need everyday. Formed in 2017 through a collaboration between Walgreens, one of the nation's largest chain drugstores, and Prime Therapeutics, a leading pharmacy benefit manager, the company offers tools and resources for patients, providers and health plans to deliver the optimal health outcomes. The company is headquartered in Orlando, Fla. and its pharmacies are accredited by several national pharmacy accreditation services. Media Contact Adrienne Foley | [email protected] | 423.580.8821 SOURCE AllianceRx Walgreens Prime Related Links http://alliancerxwp.com TORONTO - When Canadians are handed payment terminals when dining out or grabbing takeout, theres usually a moment of discomfort as they quietly calculate how much to tip while restaurant staff hover nearby. That anxiety has been exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic as many restaurants are on the brink of closure while some of their customers have lost their jobs. Some people take service quite seriously and they base their tipping on that. Theres other people right now that are very aware of COVID-19 and want to help restaurants, but thats not everybody, said Nicki Laborie, the owner of the Reyna restaurants in Toronto. Ive spoken to so many people who actually have no idea how deeply affected restaurants were during COVID-19 because they were closed for two to four months. Many eateries have resumed operations since shutting down earlier this year, but the extent of their service is different depending on local health guidelines and customer behaviour. As confusion around restaurants continues to swirl, Laborie and other industry experts shared their advice on tipping in the COVID-19 era. While theyve all heard people talk about 15 per cent being an industry standard for tips, many agree thats an old-school figure and definitely doesnt account for the effects of the pandemic. Laborie noticed plenty of dinners shift to 20 per cent in the years leading up to COVID-19 and in the pandemics early days, she was stunned by some of the generosity shown towards her staff. People were tipping 20 to 25 per cent. It was amazing for my staff, she said. Now that restaurants have reopened, Ive definitely seen a major decline. When she dines out, she usually gives 20 per cent for good service, 25 per cent for an exceptional experience and 15 per cent for a bad meal. The average dine-in customer tips 18 per cent across restaurants using payments company Ready, said Laurent May, who heads the Vancouver-based business that enables customers to pay for meals through their phone without interacting with a server. Takeout orders see tips of about 11 per cent, but May says it varies widely: Ready has customers that dont tip at all and others who tip between 20 and 30 per cent. Now is the time, if you can, to provide an additional tip, but the other factors I would think about are how was the ordering experience, was your food provided to you in a safe and COVID-compliant way and what was your overall impression of the restaurant, he said. Johnny Cheng, a food industry accountant who runs the @foodie.fob Instagram account, said he has been tipping more ever since COVID-19 began because of the challenges restaurants are facing. He doesnt think there should be a standard for tipping, but he does stick to a few rules. I usually tip when its restaurant takeout, but not fast-food or food court takeout, he said. When he has a bad meal, hell give some feedback to staff, but never requests compensation. If service has been exceptional, he makes an effort to stop staff to really impress on them how wonderful they have been and he gives them a five-star rating on food apps. Some restaurants are embracing a policy that creates a new wrinkle: no tips. Torontos Burdock Brewery did away with the practice, saying on Instagram that the move helps them provide a predictable living wage to staff during uncertain times, limit the back-and-forth with credit card machines that need additional cleaning and avoid race and gender prejudices by removing what can be an arbitrary customer choice. Others are applying automatic tip rates or surcharges to offset the costs of extra sanitzation, lower customer volumes and physical distancing measures. Cheng has yet to see a surcharge on his bills. If he does see it, he said he would subtract the fee before working out how much to tip. Ryan Sciara, the owner of Sapori, has noticed customers have been tipping very generously on wine and charcuterie orders he personally delivers during the pandemic, but he certainty doesnt expect the gratuity and often discourages it. My general rule is tip the most for dining in because it is the biggest risk, staff are doing the most amount of work, he said. I would back off a bit from there for delivery and then back off a bit again from there if you are just going to pick it up. Diners shouldnt feel stress about tipping or feel forced to use a certain benchmark because everyone has different circumstances and tips are divvied up in a variety of ways depending on the restaurant, he said. He recommends people stick to tipping rates they are comfortable with and that fit their means and the experience they had. People shouldnt feel like, Without me, this place is going to go under. That shouldnt be on the customer, he said, noting tips on some items will amount to a few cents or dollars. Any tip is appreciated. Some places are going to help keep their lights on with that tip, but that tip should be out of the goodness of your heart and because you love the restaurant or youve been there a bunch of time or you know the owner. This report by The Canadian Press was first published August 27, 2020. Year-after-year we are amazed at Microsofts innovations and ability to transform organizations. As a Microsoft-first business and strategic partner, we want to ensure were an extension of this promise and always strive for platform, solution, and delivery excellence." Hitachi Solutions, a leading provider of global industry solutions powered by the Microsoft Cloud, has earned membership in Microsofts 2020/2021 Inner Circle for Microsoft Business Applications. This is the 17th consecutive year our outstanding performance has placed us in this elite group of strategic Microsoft Dynamics global partners. The FY21 members were announced at Microsoft Inspire, the annual premier partner event that was held virtually this year on July 21-22. Hitachi Solutions provides global capabilities through regional offices in the U.S., Canada, Europe, India/Middle East, Japan, and Asia Pacific. Admission into this exclusive group is based on sales and service achievements that rank Hitachi Solutions in the top one percent of the Microsoft Dynamics global network of partners. Inner Circle members must maintain the highest standards by consistently delivering valuable customer solutions that drive increased ROI and success. Year-after-year we are amazed at Microsofts innovations and ability to transform organizations. As a Microsoft-first business and strategic partner, we want to ensure were an extension of this promise and always strive for platform, solution, and delivery excellence. Achieving the Inner Circle 17 times in a row proves we are doing just that. Were honored to maintain our standing in such a prestigious group, said Hideji Morita, Vice President and Executive Officer at Hitachi Solutions, Ltd. and CEO at Hitachi Solutions America, Ltd. In addition to the Inner Circle, Hitachi Solutions also received three global Microsoft Inspire Partner of the Year awards this year bringing our total to 42. We were named the Global Intelligent Sales and Marketing Partner of the Year and were recognized as Finalists for the Global Connected Field Service Partner of the Year and Global Proactive Customer Service Partner of the Year. We were also a Finalist for the Microsoft Canada Subs Modern Marketing IMPACT award. For more information about Hitachi Solutions and our industry-focused solutions, contact us here. For additional information: About Hitachi Solutions America, Ltd. Hitachi Solutions America, Ltd. helps its customers successfully compete with the largest global enterprises using powerful, easy-to-use, and affordable industry solutions built on the Microsoft Cloud. Hitachi Solutions America provides global capabilities with regional offices in the United States, Canada, Europe, India/Middle East, Japan, and Asia Pacific. For more information, call 888-618-1521 or visit: https://global.hitachi-solutions.com. About Hitachi Solutions, Ltd. Hitachi Solutions, Ltd., headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is a core member of the Information & Telecommunication Systems business of Hitachi Group and a recognized leader in delivering proven business and IT strategies and solutions to companies across many industries. The company provides value-driven services throughout the IT life cycle from systems planning to systems integration, operation, and maintenance. Hitachi Solutions delivers products and services of superior value to customers worldwide through key subsidiaries in North America, Europe, India/Middle East, and Asia Pacific. For more information on Hitachi Solutions, please visit: http://www.hitachi-solutions.com. Bengaluru, Aug 27 : Bowing to the vociferous demand from anxious students, the Karnataka State Law University (KSLU) has postponed its final semester exams from September 21 owing to the grim Covid situation in the state, an official said on Thursday. "The semester exams for law courses have been postponed from September 21 and intermediate exams from October 5 as sought by the students in view of the pandemic still persisting across the state, a KSLU official from Hubballi in the state's northwest region told IANS. The decision to postpone the exams was taken after consultations with State Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister J.C. Madhuswsamy here on Wednesday. "Final year exams, however, will be conducted online in October, as directed by the Bar Council of India," said the official. The university will commence regular classes online from September 1 to make up for the time lost as colleges remained shut since April under the Covid-induced lockdown restrictions. The semester and intermediate exams will be held only after classes resume regularly for 45 days to two months. "Though the students will be temporarily promoted to the next semester based on their performance in the internal exams held till March, but they have to take the exams when they are held in the near future," asserted the official. The state higher education department had earlier decided to promote the under-graduate and post-graduate students to the next semester, as classes could not be resumed due to the extended lockdown and Covid crisis. Hundreds of students of the law colleges across the state expressed relief over the university postponing the exams, as many of them from outside the state and rural areas had been staying back at home as educational institutes continued to remain shut in this academic year. Mander earlier asked the gunman if he wished to address the court before the sentence was imposed. "No, thank you," he answered in an even and formal tone. He seemed sure of his answer and remained expressionless during his interaction with the judge. The faces of the 51 people killed in the mosque terror attack in Christchurch on March 15, 2019. Credit:Stuff As Mander started his sentencing, Tarrant sat with his right foot resting on his knee, his arms resting on his legs. He continuously tapped with his finger on the small table in front of him, listening intently to the judge's words. His face remained expressionless as the judge described how he had callously and brutally killed and injured his numerous victims. In his lengthy sentencing, Mander named every one of the terrorist's victims, explaining the impact their deaths had on their families. He described the extreme loss and devastation felt by their spouses and children, and how the families were left bereft and broken after the attacks. He then named every one of the 40 people who were shot by the gunman, but survived. He described how many had suffered physical injuries that caused irreparable damage and would continue to cause them pain, difficulties and health problems for the rest of their lives. None of the judge's poignant and emotive words could elicit a reaction from the defendant. "Finally justice has been served," said Hina Amir, on the phone from her living room a few suburbs away from the street front of Al Noor mosque where her and husband Amir Daud survived a hail of Tarrant's bullets in their car. Together on their lounge they watched a livestream of three emotional days of sentencing proceedings, as other survivors and relatives confronted Tarrant directly in court and asked he never be released. "It's a relief," said Amir, 34. "You feel angry, anxious, mixed with a feeling that this guy maybe - maybe - he's regretting his actions, which we can't guess because he was so emotionless," she said. Also on Amir's mind this week was Tarrant's mother. "She's a mother," she said. "Whatever your kid will do, he is your child. That is a kind of a feeling I've had for the last three days." Outside the courthouse, the sentence was greeted with cheers. Mosque shooting survivor Abdul Aziz is held aloft as he thanks supporters outside the Christchurch High Court after Brenton Tarrant was sentenced to life without parole. Credit:AP Abdul Alabi Lateef, imam of the second mosque that Tarrant attacked said justice had been done. Gamal Fouda, imam of Al Noor mosque, where 44 people were slain, said no punishment would bring lost loved ones back. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said all Australians were "horrified and devastated" by Tarrant's "despicable act". In a Facebook post, Morrison also said, "Justice today was delivered to the terrorist and murderer for his cowardly and horrific crimes in Christchurch. It is right that we will never see or hear from him ever again. "New Zealand is family to us. Today we send our love across 'the ditch'." Loading The March 15 attack Loading On March 15, 2019, Tarrant carried out mass shootings at the Masjid An-Nur (Al Noor) and Linwood mosques after spending months planning the attack. He bought military-style ballistic armour and tactical vests to enable him to carry numerous magazines and wore this over military-style camouflage clothing. He went to several rifle clubs and practised with different firearms. He modified the triggers of his military-style semi-automatics rifles to fire faster. He planned his attack down to the finest details, timing his entry into the mosques when the maximum number of worshippers would be present, and anticipating the time needed to carry out the attacks and travel between the mosques. The terrorist planned to attack the Ashburton Mosque after leaving Linwood but was arrested on the way. He initially pleaded not guilty to his crimes and was set to go to trial, but made a surprise turnaround in March, entering guilty pleas to all charges. Crown prosecutor Mark Zarifeh said the gunman was undoubtedly "New Zealand's worst murderer". The enormity of the offending was without comparison in the country's criminal history, he said, and undoubtedly the type of case envisaged when a law allowing criminals to be locked up for life was created in 2010. The gunman had meticulously planned and prepared for his attack with the aim of executing as many people as possible, Zarifeh said. "He caused permanent and irreparably damage to the victims, their families, the Muslim community and the whole of New Zealand," he said. Crown prosecutor Mark Zarifeh at the sentencing hearing for Christchurch mosque gunman Brenton Tarrant on Thursday. Credit:Getty Images Zarifeh said both a psychologist and psychiatrist reported the offender showed no remorse for his actions. In a recent interaction, the gunman claimed he did have remorse for what he had done, but the psychiatrist said the "depth of sincerity" of these claims was difficult to gauge and questionable. A lack of willingness to rehabilitate, and the shooter's narcissistic and misguided beliefs in his ability to self-diagnose and lack of insight to his offending, were proof of his significant risk of further offending. There were no mitigating factors to be considered, Zarifeh said. The gunman's guilty plea and his lack of previous convictions were not enough to divert from a sentence of life imprisonment without parole. Australian Brenton Harrison Tarrant stands in the dock at the Christchurch High Court. Credit:AP The attacks prompted new laws banning the deadliest types of semi-automatic weapons. They also prompted global changes to social media protocols after the gunman livestreamed his attack on Facebook. Earlier, relatives and victims of the shootings and supporters gathered outside court in Christchurch, hugging, singing and exchanging flowers. Student Volunteer Army chief executive Sam Johnson said about 50 people were there to show "Aroha and support" as victims left court. The Student Volunteer Army members sing outside court in support of victims as Christchurch mosque gunman Brenton Tarrant is sentenced. Credit:Chris Skelton/Stuff A guitarist played outside while some victims watched from the windows above. An American submarine expert believes that an "unusual object" seen in satellite imagery from July at a shipyard in North Korea is either a "new class of midget submarine or extra-large un-crewed underwater vehicle." Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo also reported to the National Assembly's Defense Committee on Tuesday that North Korea is building a new type of submarine. H. I. Sutton wrote in Forbes magazine on Tuesday, "The new type was first reported, simply as an 'unusual object,' by North Korean monitoring group 38 North on May 29. My own initial assessment was that it was likely to be a new class of midget submarine or extra-large un-crewed underwater vehicle." "I now consider a crewed midget submarine more likely for two main reasons," he wrote. "It has a distinct sail, meaning the raised fairing we are used to seeing in the middle of a submarine. One use for this is to allow the crew to safely enter and exit the submarine at sea without it being flooded by waves. So it is an indication of crew access." He speculated that the subs could be used for infiltration operations against South Korea. "They are well suited to operating inshore, and of course they are cheaper," Sutton said. "They can only carry a small weapons load, limited sonar, and have a short range. North Korea has a long history of building midget submarines and has operated them aggressively against South Korea in the past." Jeong also told the committee that North Korea seems to have been carrying out two projects at the Sinpo shipyard in North Hamgyeong Province -- improving old-fashioned Romeo-class subs and building new subs. The new 3,000-ton subs are believed to be capable of carrying three or four ballistic missiles, while the improved Romeo-class subs seem to be capable of carrying about three Pukguksong-3 ballistic missiles. A little-known travel bubble is allowing some Australians to holiday across the Indian Ocean but theres a catch. Last month Christmas and Cocos Keeling Islands announced a travel zone, effective immediately, would be established between Western Australia and the islands. Christmas and Cocos Keeling Islands have reported zero coronavirus cases since the pandemic began, and now deems it safe to open up to Western Australia with the state having just seven active cases of coronavirus. WAs strict closed borders, refusing entry to any travellers without exemptions, also makes it a desirable candidate for the travel bubble. Christmas and Cocos Keeling Islands administrator Natasha Griggs said in a statement anybody from WA was welcome to visit the islands. West Australians can now travel to Christmas Island for a holiday. Source: Getty All visitors to Australias Indian Ocean Islands must have been in Western Australia for a minimum 14 days prior to travel, but there is no requirement to self-isolate upon arrival at the islands or upon return to Perth, she said. However, people in other Australian states will have to wait a little longer before they will be included in the travel zone. While West Australians dont have to quarantine upon arrival to the islands or after returning, travellers will be required to apply for an Indian Ocean Territories (IOT) Traveller Request Form as well as a form to return to WA. According to the Cocos Keelings Islands website, there are two flights to both islands from Perth every week. Its good news for Christmas Island, which spruiks itself as a natural wonder, after it suffered a PR nightmare earlier this year. Its detention centre, which closed in 2018, became a quarantine station for people returning to Australia from Wuhan, the original epicentre of the virus, in February. At the time, tourism operators told the ABC they were concerned linking the island to coronavirus would impact the image it had been trying to build as a holiday destination. Story continues According to The Sydney Morning Herald, about half of its annual visitors are from WA alone, however the pandemic has crippled the tourism industry with only 320 visiting by the start of this month, compared to 2190 for the whole of 2019. After the bubble was announced it took two or three weeks for people to get their bookings in place, but we are really noticing the numbers coming through, Christmas Island Tourism Association marketing manager Jahna Luke told the publication. It is currently enough, we are coming into our peak season normally November to December at this stage not sure what our peak season will be. Christmas Island says it invites people to uncover the remarkable surprises of this island full of natural wonders, with it famous for its untouched beaches and annual red crab migration. But those who visit the islands are still required to follow proper coronavirus rules, with travellers urged to wash their hands and wear masks through airports and on planes while also maintaining a social distance of at least two metres. Tourists are also urged to stay in their travel bubbles. We know that holidays usually mean spending time with new friends whilst you discover exciting places and experiences. In our new reality, we recommend that you do this with caution, Australias Indian Ocean Islands say in an information sheet for travellers. If you mix with other people, do so in open spaces where you can observe social distancing and dont undertake activities like sharing trips in vehicles. 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. Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - August 27, 2020) - Therma Bright Inc. (TSXV: THRM) ("Therma" or the "Company"), a progressive medical device technology company, is pleased to announce that it has signed a co-development definitive agreement with Orpheus Medica Inc. ("Orpheus") or (Therma & Orpheus, the "Parties"). This agreement will allow Therma access to Orpheus' novel biological platform and the joint development of a rapid saliva test for the screening and detection of the virus (SARS-CoV-2) causing COVID-19. Under this agreement, Therma will provide funding for the project in phases ("Phase" or "Phases") as certain developmental milestones are achieved, Therma will commit up to $300,000 for Phase 1 which will focus on the identification of anti-COVID-19 poly-peptides to be utilized in the test prototype development stage. Therma and Orpheus expect Phase 1 to take approximately 45 days to complete. Therma and Orpheus have identified several 3rd party providers to assist with the Phase 1 development path. During Phase 2, Therma's and Orpheus' partnership with various clinical institutions will focus on clinical validation of the test prototype in up to 250 clinical samples. After Phase 2, Therma can decide to advance to Phase 3 only upon success with Phases 1 and 2. Phase 3 will include regulatory enabling studies where the Parties expect to apply for EUA approvals during Phase 3 including commercialization activities. Upon approval by regulatory bodies of CoviSafe, Therma and Orpheus expect to market its rapid test for use by education systems, businesses of all types, public events and other venues, sporting events or activities where a COVID-19 test is required and useful. As stated in the Therma press release on August 20, 2020, CoviSafe is intended to have unique features such as high accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity while delivering results in less than 20 minutes. CoviSafe screens and directly detects the virus rather than its genetic material in saliva or as needed in other biological samples. It can be tested anywhere without the need for the test sample to be sent to a lab for processing by a trained technician. The test can be used alongside current testing methods in areas where laboratory access is limited or non-existent. Additionally, Therma has negotiated terms in the co-development agreement for the right to invest in a COVID-19 therapeutic drug development program currently underway by the same management team as Orpheus' and under a separate corporate entity. Therma's participation will be by way of an equity investment to be announced at the time of investment. Mr. Rob Fia, CEO of Therma Bright commented, "We are excited to have entered into this co-development arrangement with the Orpheus' team and its vast network of academic and clinical institution collaborators. Therma is committed to an expedited path to regulatory approval of the CoviSafe test by providing its expertise in medical device engineering, compliance, and regulatory affairs." Dr. Saeid Babaei, Chairman & CEO of Orpheus Medica commented, "Orpheus can leverage the partnership with Therma by using its internal core capabilities including research and development, and clinical trial operations and validation to improve the speed, accuracy, accessibility, and affordability of COVID-19 testing, a major step in helping to prevent the spread of COVID-19. We have assembled a number of key collaborations with various industry and academic entities to innovate and accelerate our developmental timelines in addition to engaging with our trusted and established suppliers, manufacturers and service providers." About Therma Bright Inc. Therma Bright is a progressive medical device technology company focused on providing consumers and medical professionals with quality medical devices that address their medical and healthcare needs. The Company's initial breakthrough proprietary technology delivers effective, non-invasive and pain-free skincare. Therma Bright received a Class II medical device status from the FDA for its platform technology that is indicated for the relief of the pain, itch, and inflammation of a variety of insect bites or stings. The Company received clearance for the above claims from the US FDA in 1997. Therma Bright Inc. trades on the TSXV (TSXV: THRM). For more information visit: www.thermabright.com and www.coldsores.com. About Orpheus Medica Inc. Orpheus Medica is a fully integrated research-driven Canadian biotech company focused on the development and commercialization of innovative diagnostic and therapeutics for unmet medical needs. Orpheus, with its fully integrated R&D infrastructure, provides strategic partners and collaborators access to its proven and proprietary discovery and development of novel biopharmaceutical products. Our team has over 15 years of proven and validated computational capabilities for analysis and optimization of antibodies and peptides as well as small molecules. For further information, please contact: Therma Bright Rob Fia, CEO rfia@thermabright.com Orpheus Medica Saeid Babaei, Chairman & CEO sbabaei@orpheusmed.com FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS Certain statements in this news release constitute "forward-looking" statements. These statements relate to future events such as development and commercialization of a rapid COVID-19 viral assay and related instrumentation to support the Company's future performance. as described in the news release. All such statements involve substantial known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results to vary from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties, they should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results, and they will not necessarily be accurate indications of whether or not such results will be achieved. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated due to a number of factors and risks. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon what management of the Company believes are reasonable assumptions on the date of this news release, the Company cannot assure investors that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date hereof and 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 under applicable securities regulations. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release. This press release is not an offer of the securities for sale in the United States. The securities have not been registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an exemption from registration. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any state in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/62658 BAKU, Azerbaijan, Aug. 27 By Nargiz Sadikhova - Trend: The value of trade turnover between Kazakhstan and other CIS countries amounted to $10.9 billion over 1H2020, compared to $12.5 billion during the same period of 2019, Trend reports with reference to Kazakhstans Statistics Committee. The share of other CIS countries in the total value of Kazakhstans trade turnover stood at 25.8 percent during the reporting period compared to 27.2 percent during the same period of 2019. Kazakhstans export to other CIS countries amounted to $3.9 billion over the period from January through June 2020, compared to $4.9 billion during the same period of 2019. Other CIS countries share in the total volume of Kazakhstans export also amounted to 15.2 percent during the reporting period of 2020 compared to 17.2 percent during the same period of 2019. In turn, Kazakhstans imports from other CIS countries stood at about $7 billion over the reporting period, compared to $7.6 billion during the same period of 2019. Other CIS countries share in the total volume of Kazakhstans import amounted to 42.4 percent during the reporting period of 2020 compared to less than 43.5 percent during the same period of 2019. The total volume of Kazakhstans trade turnover amounted to $42.5 billion over the period from Jan. through June 2020 which indicates a decrease from $46.1 billion during the same period of 2019. Kazakhstans export amounted to $26 billion during the reporting period of 2020 ($28.6 billion in the same period of 2019), whereas imports amounted to $16.5 billion ($17.5 billion in 2019). --- Follow the author on twitter: @nargiz_sadikh An underground fire at an illegal dump site north of Birmingham has been burning since May, but Jefferson County officials are hopeful it will be extinguished soon. The fire is smoldering under layers of dirt and debris at what the state describes as an illegal dump site filled with mostly construction and demolition waste. The fire is smoldering on a hillside behind multiple homes off Timber Ridge Drive in Forestdale, south of Interstate 22. Jefferson County Deputy County Manager Cal Markert said county crews are using heavy equipment to remove truckloads full of waste, dirt and debris to access the material that is burning underneath, spraying it with water to ensure it is no longer burning and then hauling it to a permitted landfill. Theres stuff burning mixed all throughout, not just in one spot, Markert said Youve got to kind of sort through the whole thing to get to whats smoking to get it all out. Were hoping its all closer to the outside edges where were digging and we can get it out pretty quick, but I just dont know. Markert said the county is hauling away about 700 tons of material per day from the site. Because of the size of the site, which spans multiple properties, Markert said it was impossible to pinpoint a single source of the fire or to put it out with water. The fire department was out there months ago and they put thousands and thousands and thousands of gallons of water on it and have been trying to put it out, Markert said. It got to the point where, legally, the commission wanted to step in with some equipment and help. The site is in a residential neighborhood off Forestdale Bend Road, between U.S. 78 and I-22. Anthony Clark of Birmingham pleaded guilty to two violations of an anti-dumping law and agreed to pay two $100 fines plus 30 days probation, as well as unspecified restitution to the county for the costs associated with fighting the fire. According to court documents, Clark said he had permission from one property owner to deposit material over a steep hillside to level out the back yard. However, when the hillside began smoking in late May, complaints were filed with the Jefferson County Department of Health and the Alabama Department of Environmental Management for being an unauthorized dump. ADEM records show the dump site stretches across five different parcels in the neighborhood. Clarks attorney Juandalynn Givan said the plea will give the county the legal authority it needs to put out the fire. [Clark] was basically working with some of the neighbors in the area trying to fill in the pitted area so those individuals would have more of a surface backyard instead of a landing off their backyards, Givan said. At some point, something or someone caused the fire, and this is where we are now. Givan said Clark did not start the fire and made several attempts to put it out himself before reaching an agreement with the county. An ADEM inspection report dated June 2 stated that Clark was attempting to smother the fire with loads of dirt. Mr. Clark had invested a large sum of his money to attempt to put the fire out, but it was just too massive because of the topography of the area, Givan said. And as a result, it was a situation that he was not going to be able to put the fire out, so the health department and all of the county resources are involved at this time. While Clark pleaded guilty to those two violations, there are other legal issues ongoing over the site, including a civil suit brought by the Jefferson County Department of Health. The agreement with Clark gives the county access to the property to fight the fire at all the properties, and to access nearby land for the operation. Markert said the county had to create a road leading to the bottom of the hill for trucks and equipment to access the site from the back. Markert said the new access road also enables the county to keep the heavy trucks and equipment off residential streets in the area as much as possible. Markert said the county does not have an estimate on what those costs might be or when the fire might be put out. Normally this would be the fire department, Markert said. Theyd go out there and put a brush fire out or put a house fire out. And theyve been out there, but just because this is mixed with dirt and covered with dirt, water cannot get to whats on fire. Jason Howanitz, a senior air pollution control engineer at the Jefferson County Department of Health, said the health department has been monitoring air quality in the area around the fire every day since the first complaint in May. He said nearby residents who are bothered by the smoke should limit their outdoor time. If you have problems breathing, if you already have asthma or lung issues, you probably want to avoid the area, Howanitz said. He said the department has been in contact with nearby residents and that temporary housing was available for any residents who want to escape the smoke, but so far no one has used it. They would just need to get ahold of us and we can help them with that, he said. Howanitz said the fire could flare up as the crews uncover more smoldering material and give it air, but that was necessary to get the fire extinguished. This is probably going to be some of the heaviest smoke, and we told the residents that it could get worse before it gets better, he said. Howanitz said fires at dump sites can happen when people ignore dumping regulations and can cause serious air quality issues for nearby residents. People dont realize this is what happens when you illegally dump, and dont do it per regulatory oversight, Howanitz said. There are certain things youre supposed to do to prevent this kind of thing from happening. Markert urged citizens to report illegal dumps to ADEM for investigation. The county has very limited ability to get on private property to handle these type dumps so if we can prevent them, with the help of the citizens letting us know, it will save the tax payer money and our environment, Markert said. If you are aware of illegal dumps, please contact ADEM. A Nobel-prize winning group has called on France to clean up nuclear test sites in Algeria where radioactive waste remains from testing during the 1960s. Local populations, it claims, are still exposed to health and environmental risks. France carried out 17 nuclear explosions in the Algerian part of the Sahara desert between 1960 and 1966, in the western Reggane region and a zone close to In Ekker in the south. Eleven of the tests came after the 1962 Evian Accords which brought an end to the six-year war of independence and 132 years of colonial rule. When French troops left Algeria, they left everything behind, said Patrice Bouveret, spokesman for the French bureau of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN). And that included toxic waste: contaminated, radioactive elements such as tanks and planes which were deliberately contaminated to see how they resisted a nuclear blast, said the other ICAN spokesperson Jean-Marie Collin. Other contaminated equipment included screwdrivers and clothing worn by staff. Some of this was buried, some was left behind and is easily accessible. The French buried radioactive material from 1963 onwards rather than repatriating it and didnt provide the Algerian population with information, Bouveret said. In their report Sous le sable, la radioactivite (Under the sand, radioactivity) the two scientists and anti-nuclear activists call on France to give the Algerian authorities the full list of where the contaminated toxic waste was buried. The report found that much of the waste was in the open air and accessible by the population, creating a high level of sanitary and environmental insecurity. Theres no security and it can still be accessed, even now in 2020, said Bouveret. The group added that almost nothing has been done to clean the sites, inform the populations and evaluate the risks. Story continues It called on the French ministry of Defence to reveal the precise locations of where waste has been buried to better inform, and protect, local populations. This is a provision under the UNs 2017 Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons which requires signatory states to provide assistance to populations affected by nuclear testing and to decontaminate affected areas. Algeria is in the process of ratifying the treaty while France has refused. Forty-three countries have ratified the treaty so far; 50 are needed for it to go into effect. The report comes ahead of the UN's International day against nuclear tests on 29 August. Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 05:59:26|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close CAIRO, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Egypt sent on Wednesday the 10th batch of aid to Lebanon to help the country contain the aftermath of the massive explosions that rocked the capital Beirut earlier in the month, the Egyptian army said in a statement. Two Egyptian military planes flew to Beirut airport earlier in the day carrying tons of food and medical supplies to the disaster-stricken city, Egyptian military spokesman Tamer al-Refai pointed out. The batch of aid was prepared "with the participation of the Egyptian Red Crescent and a number of civil society organizations in Egypt," he added. The Lebanese side asserted that the aids will be delivered to the rightful beneficiaries, praising Egypt's support and humanitarian assistance to Lebanon, according to the statement. The aid flight is part of an emergency "air bridge" instructed by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to help Lebanon overcome its ongoing crisis through providing it with medical supplies, foodstuff and reconstruction material. Earlier this month, Egypt sent Beirut a medical team of 21 surgeons and doctors to help with the treatment of those injured in the enormous explosion that took place in Beirut's port area on Aug. 4, which left at least 177 people dead and around 6,000 others wounded. Days after Beirut blasts, Egypt repatriated the bodies of the three Egyptians killed in the tragic event and sent them back to their hometown for burial. Enditem Prayut backs return of tourists THAILAND: The country needs to attract foreign tourists back and have a welcoming system of disease control in place, so local people can start earning money again, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said yesterday (Aug 26). tourismhealthCoronavirusCOVID-19Safety By Bangkok Post Thursday 27 August 2020, 09:55AM Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha tries durian chips during his visit to Rayong province on Tuesday (Aug 25). He said the country needed to welcome back foreign tourists, for the survival of its economy. Photo: Pattarapong Chatpattarasill. The return of foreign visitors would begin with only a limited number of arrivals, to test the countrys disease control measures, which would be comprehensive, he said. He sought to allay concerns that tourists could bring with them a new wave of coronavirus disease. Gen Prayut said the government would not let visitors arrive as they pleased. There will be forms to fill in. Flights must be traceable. When they reach their destinations their whereabouts will have to be confirmed and they will be isolated from others, the prime minister said. Gen Prayut said the return of tourists was essential for the country. If nothing is done, things will get worse. Premises will be shut down. Employees will be laid off. How can the government afford to help them all? he said. He gave an assurance that visitors would be monitored, and said he hoped local people would welcome them back. Local people will have to take care [of the visitors] because the benefits will go to them, not the government, Gen Prayut said. Please rest assured that if [the disease] is detected, we will be able to contain it, he said. The prime minister said officials were drafting procedures for handling arriving tourists and considering which would be the first destination to receive them. The biggest economic impact of the COVID-19 response has been the provinces that used to get many foreign tourists, he said. The government has sought advice from Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) to determine which areas of the country were most suitable to open, he said. Areas highly damaged by the pandemic and in need of urgent relief will be prioritised, he said. He mentioned, for instance, the resort island of Phuket where people both agree with a proposal to let foreign tourists in and those who disagree. He said small groups of tourists will be allowed to come in under a sandbox concept (pilot project). Under this concept, visitors will have to be tested for COVID-19 both before they leave their countries and upon arriving in Thailand, he said. And when in Thailand, they will be required to stay only in areas designated for this tourism promotion programme to ensure their presence wont compromise public health, he said. The easing of the travel ban is vital for those relying heavily on the tourism sector and it will help revive many businesses, bring back jobs associated with tourism and generate income, he said. The government wont be able to shoulder the costs of COVID-19s economic impact for everyone for long given its limited budget, he said. The best the government can do for now without allowing tourists in, is implement relief measures bit by bit allow more possible business activities with safety measures, he said. Meanwhile, hotel operators in Phuket are trying to allay local concerns by insisting on strict rules for villa quarantines while dismissing the idea of letting foreign tourists travel freely. Since the Phuket Model has been introduced vaguely, hotels have reported cancellations in October bookings by local guests, as theyre concerned about health and safety measures when the province welcomes international tourists back again, said Kongsak Khoopongsakorn, president of the Thai Hotels Associations southern chapter. He said the main problem is communication from some state agencies is in conflict with the private sectors proposals, particularly regarding the 14-day quarantine. The association insists on five principles: targeting low-risk countries; testing on arrival and during stays; tracking tourists whereabouts via GPS; ensuring sufficient health capacity with a maximum of 10,000 patients a day; and creating trust by setting up a tourism fund to look after the welfare of the public during the pandemic. At present there are just two alternative state quarantine (ASQ) hotels in the province, but 56 more have applied and are awaiting inspection and approval. But some rules in Phukets villa quarantine scheme have been relaxed, such as allowing guests who tested negative during the first five days to sunbathe on the hotel beach under social distancing rules. The association is confident that foreign guests will consider their trips here as the cost of 14-day quarantine, estimated at B100,000-200,000, can be offset with a cheaper hotel price. Flood waters in Sudan have reached the highest levels on record, killing dozens of people, destroying thousands of homes and encroaching on some neighbourhoods of the capital Khartoum. Flooding regularly hits Sudan in summer, but this year's unprecedented water levels have left larger tracts of farmland submerged and residents around Khartoum are looking anxiously outside their homes for fear of the rising waters. Flood waters have spilled over into major roads in Khartoum for the first time in living memory. "The waters of the Nile flooded our house at midnight yesterday," said Ahmed Bastawy, a resident of Khartoum's twin city of Omdurman, who stayed up all night trying to protect his house only to see some of its mud brick walls collapse. "We have never seen flooding like this. Authorities provided us with soil and sacks, but we failed to block the waters and the houses were destroyed." The average level of the Blue Nile has reached 17.43 metres, the highest since the country started measuring in 1912, Irrigation Minister Yasser Abbas said on Thursday. Blue Nile waters would continue to rise in the coming days, said Abdelrahman Sughairun, head of the ministry's flood committee. As of Tuesday the floods had left 86 people dead, destroyed more than 18,000 homes and damaged a further 32,000, according to the interior ministry. Search Keywords: Short link: Norway said on Wednesday it will impose a 10-day quarantine on all people arriving from Germany and Liechtenstein from Aug. 29 due to rising numbers of Covid-19 cases in those countries. Similar restrictions will also be imposed on those coming from two additional regions in Sweden, the Norwegian foreign ministry said in a statement. To try to prevent a domestic resurgence of the coronavirus, Norway quarantines all travellers from countries with more than 20 confirmed new Covid-19 cases per 100,000 population during the past two weeks. It also advised Norwegians against travelling to those nations. With its latest additions, Norway will be restricting travel from most European countries, including France, Britain, Spain, Poland and Switzerland. It still allows quarantine-free travel from EU countries Italy, Slovenia, Hungary, Slovakia, Finland and the Baltic states as well as some parts of Denmark and Sweden. Germany has issued a travel warnings for Andorra and the British overseas territory of Gibraltar due to rising coronavirus infections, the foreign ministry in Berlin said on Wednesday. The foreign ministry said it was also warning against unnecessary tourist trips to the French overseas territories of Saint Martin and Guadeloupe as well as the Dutch overseas territories of Aruba and Saint Maarten. (This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.) Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter South Africa: Over 60% of students to return to campus A maximum of 66% of students will be allowed to return to university campuses, in line with the country's shift to level 2 of the national lockdown. Briefing the media on Wednesday on the departments plans for level 2, Higher Education, Science and Innovation Minister, Dr Blade Nzimande, said the return of students will be done in accordance with COVID-19 management plans to keep students and staff safe, while allowing for greater access to campus teaching and learning for more students. The categories of students who will be able to return under level 2 include: All groups that had been prioritised to return in level 3, but couldnt be accommodated due the maximum campus carrying capacity having been reached; Students in all years of study, who require laboratory and technical equipment to complete the academic year; Students in all years of study, who require practical placements/experiential learning/work place-based learning to complete the academic year (provided the work places and platforms are open and prepared), and First-year students in all undergraduate programmes, will also be allowed to return to their campuses. Nzimande said all other students will continue to be supported through remote multimodal teaching learning and assessment, until they can return to campus. The Minister acknowledged that each institution will determine the implementation of these criteria in terms of their own academic programme plans and strategies. I am aware that there have been different approaches and strategies for completion across the system, and some institutions have faced difficulties in implementing their teaching and learning plans effectively. However, we have been doing everything possible to ensure that we support institutions to respond in the best possible way to the many challenges that have arisen during the pandemic. "This has included the re-prioritisation of funds to support the COVID-19 response at our public universities, Nzimande said. Institutions have been requested to submit updated plans to safely accommodate students and staff. International students studying at South African universities, who are currently outside the country, will only be able to return to their campuses during level 1, once international travel resumes. Nzimande said priority may have to be given to registrars and senior medical students in this category, should international travel be permitted under level 2. Risk identified According to the latest report, 14 universities are deemed to be low risk, six medium risk and six high risk for the spread of Coronvirus. The 14 universities deemed to be low risk include Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT), Nelson Mandela University (NMU), North-West University (NWU), Rhodes University (RU), Sol Plaatje (SPU), University of Cape Town (UCT), University of Johannesburg (UJ), University of KwaZulu Natal (UKZN), University of Pretoria (UP), University of South Africa (UNISA), Stellenbosch University (SU), University of the Western Cape (UWC), University of the Witwatersrand (WITS) and University of Zululand (UNIZULU). The six universities deemed to be medium risk include Durban University of Technology (DUT), Tshwane University of Technology (TUT), University of Limpopo (UL), University of Mpumalanga (UMP), University of the Free State (UFS) and University of Venda (UNIVEN). The six universities deemed to be high risk including the Central University of Technology (CUT), Mangosuthu University of Technology (MUT), Sefako Makgatho University (SMU), University of Fort-Hare (UFH), Vaal University of Technology (VUT) and the Walter Sisulu University (WSU), are deemed to be at high risk. Nzimande said the department is currently engaging with all medium and high risk institutions identified to secure commitments and actions to lower risks and expedite operational capabilities to ensure the successful completion of the 2020 academic year. Special support measures will be put in place to ensure academic activities resume at an accelerated pace at these universities, Nzimande said. Academic year to be completed in February 2021 Nzimande said he has met with both the COVID-19 Ministerial Task Team and Vice-Chancellors last week to agree on a fixed period within which all institutions must complete the current academic year and a fixed period of starting dates for the 2021 academic year. As it stands, we are targeting all institutions to complete the 2020 academic year by the end of February 2021, with starting dates for the new 2021 academic year ranging from 15 March to 15 April 2021. All efforts will be made to ensure that outlier institutions get up to speed to meet this requirement, Nzimande said. The detailed management of the two processes across the system will be communicated by the department once all the necessary consultations have been completed. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2020-08-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. BCM School, Chandigarh Road, celebrated language week wherein various fun-filled activities were conducted. The objective was to enhance students vocabulary and language skills. Students shared their videos and presentations with their teachers. Principal DP Guleria applauded the students for their active participation in this period of pervasive pandemic. Tiny tots celebrate inspiring women Jalandhar : Eklavya School conducted a discussion on the life and contribution of Indira Gandhi, the first female Prime Minister of India, to mark Womens Equality Day celebrations. The middle school students were told the story of Rani Laxmi Bai while primary students made posters of Rani Laxmi Bai , Indra Gandhi and Kalpana Chawla. Teachers shared the biography of Kalpana Chawla and Sunita Williams with the senior students. St Soldiers kids explore animal kingdom Panchkula : Nursery students of St Soldiers School, Sector 16, Panchkula, exhibited their communication skills during a virtual show and tell activity based on the theme: animals. They used props such as masks and soft toys. Children showcased their descriptive skills as they spoke about different characteristics of their respective animals. The activity helped boost their confidence. More details of a deadly struggle between Bexar County deputies and a despondent man were released Wednesday as protesters questioned the absence of a mental health professional at the incident. Sheriff Javier Salazar said Damian Lamar Daniels, 30, was the subject of four mental health-related calls before he was killed during the struggle with three deputies Tuesday evening in the 11000 block of Liberty Field. Daniels family made the first call at 4:08 p.m. Monday, telling deputies Daniels was having suicidal thoughts. Deputies went to Daniels home, where he lived by himself, but he did not answer the door. At 10:30 p.m., a second call came from Daniels himself. He told officials he was hearing things, that there was a ghost in his house and that he was feeling paranoid. Deputies were able to talk to him outside his house, but described him as curt and said he refused help. Neighbors told deputies they heard a shot fired from Daniels home after officers had left, but they did not call authorities. As deputies searched Daniels home Tuesday, they found a spent shell casing, Salazar said. On Tuesday, a third call came from family members at 3:48 p.m. They said he was having a paranoiac episode, Salazar said. He had sent messages to family members saying that he was hearing and seeing things and referring to family members who had died. Salazar said Daniels recently lost a sibling and a parent, but did not identify them. At 4:48 p.m., Daniels mother called deputies saying that he was willing to go out and talk to them. Salazar said Daniels was more lucid in that meeting with deputies as he spoke to them through his door, but his mental state had worsened. After Daniels stepped outside, Salazar said deputies could see a bulge at his hip and determined there was a handgun beneath his red shirt. One of the deputies reached out and said, Give me your hand, well get you the help that you need, Salazar said. The same deputy had been coordinating with his partners to detain Daniels and get him help. When Daniels turned his head to the side, another deputy tried to grab his right arm to gain control of him and take him to the ground, Salazar said. When the attempt did not work, a deputy attempted to use a stun gun on Daniels, who instead grabbed the deputys stun gun. After a struggle between the two, the deputy was able to keep the stun gun as another deputy used her own on Daniels, loosening his grip. The struggle continued as Daniels reached for his own gun. Images released by the Sheriffs Office showed deputies with their hands on the pistol and Daniels gripping the gun beneath his red shirt. In that struggle, Salazar said the deputies were pleading with him to let go of the gun. It was very clear they were in a fight for their lives, Salazar said. Body camera footage of the encounter, which lasted more than 30 minutes, showed Daniels was carrying a Glock Model 22 .40-caliber pistol. He also had a second magazine and a knife. More than an hour after Salazar released details of the fatal shooting, about 50 activists gathered outside the Sheriffs Office to protest Daniels death. Some stood in front of Sheriffs Office vehicles, trying to get the drivers to say, Black lives matter. Lexi Qaiyyim, an organizer with Young Ambitous Activists, said situations like this are exactly why protesters are calling for defunding the police. Qaiyyim said they do not believe officers are equipped to handle mental health calls. Officials said the deputies involved in this incident received more than 80 hours of crisis intervention training in addition to state-mandated crisis intervention updates. Salazar praised the deputies for handling the situation the way they did, but expressed sympathy for the loss of life. Our deputies and officers are forced to become mental health workers, and theyre very talented at that, Salazar said. Salazar said he doesnt think a mental health worker would have been appropriate for the confrontation with Daniels. This is a suspect that we realize was armed very early on, and I think that our deputies were well-equipped to handle that situation, Salazar said. Asked whether the shooting was racially motivated, Salazar said, I can tell you unequivocally, that did not play a role in this. Salazar said the deputies were talking to the man with a loving tone, and that they tried to relate to him by mentioning losses of their own or by citing his military service. Officials said investigators are communicating with Fort Sam Houston to determine Daniels role in the armed forces. Jacob Beltran is a reporter covering San Antonio and Bexar County. To read more from Jacob, become a subscriber. jbeltran@express-news.net | Twitter: @JBfromSA Curtin University infectious disease expert Archie Clements believed the achievement was both good luck and good management. I think [the soft lockdown] was the right thing to do at the time because it wasnt clear that we had dodged the bullet, so from that perspective, it was good management, he said. Professor Clements said there was also an element of luck in that WA was isolated and not an international travel hub, but good management could be seen in the swift action by authorities: "the government went hard and I think that was the right thing to do". "If we had had a number of cases coming across from the eastern states, Id be confident we would have picked them up and there would have been contact tracing and local containment, but we would have prolonged the economic consequences because it would have meant the internal easing of restrictions would have had to have been delayed," Professor Clements said. Perth was deserted as social distancing measures took hold. Credit:Sharon Smith Since eliminating community transmission, the state government has taken the lead from the federal government in honing WA's protective measures, including tightening WA's border closure with Victoria and New South Wales following a second wave of infections, and introducing new measures to test those in hotel quarantine and truck drivers, who pose the highest threat of reinfection. Genome sequencing in Victoria earlier this month revealed more than 90 per cent of the states deadly second wave could be traced back to a breach in hotel quarantine at The Rydges on Swanston hotel, where a security guard became infected from a returning traveller. The remaining 10 per cent was linked to another similar breach at the Stamford Plaza. In WA, three hotel quarantine security guards became infected with coronavirus, but their infections did not lead to an outbreak. A senior Victorian Labor source likened this stroke of luck to Premier Mark McGowan being "smacked on the arse by a rainbow". WA has since moved to tighten its hotel quarantine infection control measures, and has enlisted the Australian Defence Force for additional support. Meanwhile in South Australia, which has also eliminated unknown community transmission of the virus, a Victorian truck driver staying in a border town hotel caused a small outbreak after testing positive to COVID-19 on July 30. Loading The man infected a cleaner at the hotel, who then went on to infect two others in the community. With truck drivers one of the few workers given exemptions to travel across the country without quarantining, the risk of a similar outbreak in WA exists, but is slightly lessened due to SA acting as a buffer between the west and Victoria. Nonetheless, on August 14, WA introduced mandatory masks and testing for truck drivers. Queensland lost its community transmission-free status on August 20, when a mystery cluster emerged at a Brisbane youth detention centre. The outbreak, which includes 12 cases to date, could not be ruled out as having been sparked by two women who allegedly lied on their border declaration passes to enter Queensland in late July after visiting Melbourne. Instead of entering mandatory quarantine at their own expense, the women were active in the community and infected three other confirmed cases. Loading The latest cluster has the same strain of the virus as the women, however it is the most common strain circulating in Victoria and New South Wales, and therefore cannot be categorically linked to them. WA has had at least six people breach the states quarantine measures, although none were infected with coronavirus at the time. Another stroke of luck, perhaps. However, in an act of good management, the WA government has since moved to clamp down on quarantine breachers considered high risk through increased police surveillance and the potential use of tracking devices. Nev Power, the person tasked with Australia's economic recovery post-pandemic, likened WA's pandemic policies to "squashing an ant with a sledgehammer", but the defiance of the WA government to keep its state borders closed is overwhelmingly supported by West Australians who have been able to return to relative normality thanks to the state's virus-free bubble. Professor Clements said the nature of the virus meant it would never be known if a different approach could have achieved the same positive outcome. "Every jurisdiction has been learning as it goes, weve never been exposed to this before and so youve got to give the government the credit for doing as good a job as they could with the evidence thats available to them," he said. A man wearing protective gear sprays disinfectant at a housing complex where one of the residents, an employee at LG Electronics, contracted COVID-19 in Bekasi, in Indonesias West Java province, on Aug. 26, 2020. Large COVID-19 clusters have emerged in Indonesias biggest industrial zone, forcing three factories to suspend operations this week after more than 300 workers tested positive for the novel coronavirus, government officials said. The new transmission clusters at the Cikarang industrial zone in Bekasi, West Java, likely arose because employees failed to follow health and safety protocols for working in close quarters, officials said. Two factories in the MM2100 Industrial Estate inside the zone, including PT Suzuki Indomobil Motor, shut shop for two weeks on Thursday after more than 70 workers tested positive. On Monday, PT LG Electronics Indonesia, a factory of South Koreas LG Electronics Inc., also temporarily shut for a week after 242 of its 700 employees contracted COVID-19. We found 242 cases in the LG plant, this is the highest [number so far in the Cikarang industrial zone,] West Java Gov. Ridwan Kamil told journalists on Thursday. He didnt identify the second factory that suspended operations on Thursday. Theres one other factory but we are still tracing it, well announce tomorrow, Ridwan said about the second factory that suspended operations on the estate on Thursday. The latest factory shutdowns in Bekasi, which lies on the outskirts of Jakarta, came as Indonesia on Thursday recorded the biggest daily rise in coronavirus infections, with 2,719 cases. That brought the total number of cases nationwide to 162,884, according to information from disease experts at the U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University. The 120 deaths recorded on Thursday were also the third-highest daily total since the outbreak began in March. Indonesia trails only the Philippines in the highest number of COVID-19 cases detected in East Asia, but has the highest death toll from the outbreak in the region. Another factory in the MM2100 Industrial Estate, run by the British-Dutch firm Unilever, suspended operations last month after 22 staff in the engineering divisions tested positive for the virus. The Cikarang industrial zone where the estate is situated is one of the largest industrial areas in Southeast Asia. It houses 2,125 factories from 25 countries. On the MM2100 Industrial Estate alone, there are as many as 171 national and multinational companies in operation. Possible reasons for rise in COVID-19 clusters Nur Hidayah, head of industrial relations at the Bekasi regency office, said one reason for the spread of COVID-19 clusters in industrial zones could be that there was no enforcement of rules on limiting the number of people at a location at any given time. The lack of capacity limitation enforcement, especially in spaces such as factories shop floors and cafeterias, is likely to be the cause of the high spread of the coronavirus in these industrial areas, he said. We know LG has good [safety] protocols but still, there are some loopholes in canteens where people tend to remove their masks and share food, Nur said at a press conference Thursday. He added that at least 1.5 million people work in the MM2100 Industrial Estate. And they live in neighborhoods across Bekasi, Jakarta and its surrounding areas. They can also get infected while traveling from home to factory or vice versa, Nur said. Ridwan, West Javas governor, urged industry staff to follow safety protocols diligently. The transmission could be from not using a face mask, not keeping the distance, not diligently washing hands or other preventive measures, he said. Ridwan also said companies need to conduct thorough contract tracing of COVID-19 cases to avoid factory closures. Do not let any factory be closed again because of COVID-19, he said. Dont let your guard down PT LG Electronics Indonesia said the emergence of COVID-19 cases in its factory would hurt business. This hit our company hard, said Budi Hartono, a general manager for PT LG Electronics Indonesia, to Bisnis Indonesia, on Wednesday. We have to stop the factory operations and shift the companys focus to handling it. Budi said the company had and would continue to ensure that any policies to do with spreading COVID-19 transmission were made in coordination with the local government. Meanwhile, Wiku Adisasmito, the spokesman for the COVID-19 task force, urged businesses to periodically ensure that health and safety protocols were being implemented correctly, and added they were required to get an operational permit from local government during the pandemic, among other measures. Dont let your guard down, Wiku said, during a teleconference on Tuesday. And [you] must always work with your local government for monitoring and evaluation. OTTAWA Erin OToole pitched himself as someone who can win in Ontario and the GTA, but voter data from his partys leadership contest suggests the new Conservative leader has some work to do in the electorally crucial region. Peter MacKay dominated in the 905 in the first round of balloting, winning 26 of 30 suburban and exurban ridings. MacKay was also strong in downtown Toronto progressive enclaves, which the party has little chance of winning in a general election but which had an equal say in determining who would become the next Conservative leader. Across Ontario, MacKay had more support than OToole in 79 of 121 ridings, including 62 ridings that are held by Liberal MPs. OToole found his first-ballot support in Conservative strongholds and, crucially, in Quebec where party membership rolls are shorter, and just a handful of votes can make the difference for a leadership candidate. It was an ultimately successful strategy for the OToole campaign, with the Durham MP convincingly defeating MacKay on the third ballot. But a closer look at OTooles support gives some clues where he will need to shore up support before the next federal election. First, a caveat: A Conservative leadership race is not the same as a general election. The strategy that OTooles team employed in the leadership race will not be the same one it uses if the Liberal minority government falls and Canadians go back to the polls. OToole cant count on the Conservatives dominating Quebec, for instance, in the same way he did in the leadership race because the Conservatives will be making their pitch to the general electorate, not just to members of their party. But in close ridings, particularly in the GTA, strong organization and committed grassroots members behind the leader can make a big difference. For example, MacKay won first-ballot support in King-Vaughan, where the Conservatives very narrowly lost to Liberal Deb Schulte in both 2015 and 2019. Richmond Hill, where the Conservative candidate lost by only a few hundred votes in 2019, also supported MacKay. Listen to The Star's Alex Boutilier discuss Erin O'Toole's win To form the next government, the Conservatives will need to win in ridings they dont currently hold and the data suggests MacKay was much stronger among Conservative voters in those ridings. I think the Conservative Party obviously needs to address winning in Ontario. Thats a weakness of the party, period, said Conservative commentator Jamie Ellerton in an interview Wednesday. To split hairs over leadership performance misses the plot of just how much work the party has to do in the (GTA) and urban areas across the country more broadly. The Stars analysis of first-ballot support in the leadership race shows found MacKay had the support of the majority of party members in 160 ridings to OTooles 128. But 117 of the ridings that MacKay won are currently represented by Liberals in the House of Commons, mostly in Ontario and Atlantic Canada. Only 34 ridings that supported MacKay on the first ballot are now represented by Conservative MPs. OToole was much more balanced in his first-ballot support finishing first in 47 Conservative ridings, 34 Liberal ridings and 30 ridings held by the Bloc Quebecois. As those numbers suggest, OToole finished strongly in Alberta and Quebec on the first ballot. Leslyn Lewis, a Toronto lawyer who mounted a serious outsider bid in the leadership contest, won first-ballot support almost entirely in Conservative-held ridings, finishing first in Saskatchewan. Derek Sloan, a socially conservative MP, finished first in just four ridings. Jenni Byrne, a former senior operative within Stephen Harpers governments and an expert in political ground games, said the data tells her that neither OToole nor MacKay made getting out the vote in Ontario enough of a priority. It appears from looking at the results that neither of the front-runner campaigns had a focus on (getting out the vote) in the province of Ontario, and if they did, it wasnt as successful, Byrne said in an interview Wednesday. You had both front-runner campaigns that came in third and forth in a significant number of ridings. But Byrne said she doesnt believe the leadership results are indicative of a larger problem for OToole in a general election, where the Conservatives will be focused on identifying target ridings in the GTA. I dont think its going to have any effect in terms of the campaign going forward, Byrne said. Conservatives need to win (in the 905) and get those votes out. Read more about: The Manitoba government hasnt mandated the use of masks indoors, but that isnt stopping some retailers from taking matters into their own freshly washed hands. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 26/8/2020 (511 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. The Manitoba government hasnt mandated the use of masks indoors, but that isnt stopping some retailers from taking matters into their own freshly washed hands. Starting Thursday, all Woodcock Cycle Works customers and staff will be required to wear non-medical face masks. Exceptions will be made for people who can't wear them for medical or other reasons. "(It) just seems like the socially responsible thing right now, I think, that we can all do to slow the spread," said Jon Carson, the bike shop's manager. He said at least half of the store's visitors are already wearing them. The shop posted on social media Tuesday that face coverings would become mandatory; the directive comes in addition to other measures in place during the pandemic, including increased sanitizing of high-touch areas and limiting the number of people in the store. Employees have been wearing masks for weeks. CP Wearing a mask in retail environments is starting to become the norm. (Graham Hughes / The Canadian Press files) "We obviously would prefer to have everything 'business as usual,' but that's just not a possibility," Carson said. "We just hope that people accept that we're taking the safety of our customers and our staff seriously." For the most part, people have been understanding of the protocols, he said. However, there's been some pushback and Carson said he's worried about negative feedback staff might receive from unhappy customers. "I think some people may be more upset at individual businesses who decide to go this route because it's our own policy, and maybe that doesn't have as much meaning to them," he said, adding if the government were to mandate mask-wearing in shops, it'd be easier for retailers to enforce the rules. "If we can just say, 'It's the law, please obey it,' I think you'll get less pushback from people," he said. Customers at Unique Bunny's Osborne Street location have had to wear non-medical face masks inside since June. Fiona Zhao, the Japanese and Korean goods store's owner, removed the policy periods in July and August when Manitoba had few active cases of COVID-19, but she brought it back as the virus made an unwelcome return. Some people visit Unique Bunny to buy reusable non-medical masks; others who aren't shopping for one and don't have one on hand can buy a disposable mask for 25 cents. Customers not willing to wear a mask are not allowed inside. "I don't feel sad at losing customers that don't wear masks," Zhao said. JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Unique Bunny owner Fiona Zhao requires all customers who enter her store to wear a mask. (John Woods / Winnipeg Free Press) Fewer people need to buy a disposable mask now, especially when compared to earlier in the pandemic, Zhao said. However, she's still being confronted by angry customers who either don't agree with the mask policy or don't appreciate having to wait outside because of the new maximum occupancy limit. But she doesn't plan to relax the policy until there's an available vaccine or the number of cases in the province drops significantly. Many other shops along Osborne have rules similar to Zhao's: stores have signs requesting customers practise physical distancing, use hand sanitizer and wear masks. But not all. Tharnzie, a clothing store, for example. "We haven't made it mandatory because the government hasn't told us (to)," said Nick Kesar, the shop's chief operations officer. The store has made adjustments as the province has required. Only four people are allowed inside at a time, there are guides on the floor to promote physical distancing, hand sanitizer is provided at the door. Tharnzie's employees wear masks. However, unless the province mandates masks, the store will stay away from the hot-button issue. "I've noticed a lot of people are refusing to wear masks," Kesar said, adding that some customers have a hard time following the rules currently in place. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. "I don't feel sad at losing customers that don't wear masks." Unique Bunny owner Fiona Zhao Some large retailers, such as Safeway and Sobeys, haven't made non-medical face coverings mandatory. Walmart did Aug. 12, and people entering Real Canadian Superstore and No Frills locations must wear masks or face coverings beginning Saturday. Masks are required inside Food Fare on Cavalier Drive, but not in its other locations. Munther Zeid, who owns the Food Fare chain, said his company left it up to customers to decide whether masks should be mandatory. The Cavalier location's customers were supportive, but patrons at the other locations were not. Zeid said he's trying to balance the need to keep his customers happy with a responsibility to prevent virus spread. He added that if the province mandates mask-wearing in stores, Food Fare will fully enforce the rule. Sookram's Brewing Company, a taproom and craft brewery on Warsaw Avenue, will require guests to wear masks indoors starting Thursday. Customers can remove their masks when seated at tables but must put them back on when getting up to order a drink or use the washroom. Kilter Brewing Company is also rolling out identical rules this week. gabrielle.piche@freepress.mb.ca Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on August 27 launched the national GIS-enabled land bank system, which will help investors to get real-time information about the availability of industrial land and resources. Launching the system, Goyal expressed confidence that other states/UTs will be onboarded by December 2020, as the project has been launched for six states. The system is being developed by integrating the Industrial Information System (IIS) with state GIS (Geographic Information System). This is a prototype only and will be developed further with inputs from states to make it an effective and transparent mechanism for land identification as well as procurement. The IIS portal is a GIS-enabled database of industrial areas/clusters across the states. "More than 3,300 industrial parks across 31 states/UTs covering about 4,75,000 hectare land have been mapped on the system. The information available includes forest, drainage; raw material heat maps (agricultural, horticulture, mineral layers); multiple layers of connectivity," the Commerce and Industry Ministry said in a statement. Goyal also held a virtual meeting with the industry ministers of states, UT administrators and senior officers. In his address, the minister called upon the states to collectively work in the spirit of 'Team India' to enhance industrial activity in the country and attract investment. He also said that in countries where Indian companies face restrictive trade practises, the reciprocity clause may be invoked. The minister stressed on developing a single-window system, which could be a one-stop digital platform to obtain all requisite central and state clearances/approvals required to start business operations in India. "This could eliminate the need for investors to visit multiple platforms/ offices to gather information and obtain clearances from different stakeholders. It could leverage capabilities of existing systems and provide time-bound approvals and real-time status updates to investors," he added. He said that even the local bodies should also be involved in this system, and a notion of deemed approval can be adopted to make the system effective. Further, he said the states should identify products with market potential for import substitution as well as export accentuation, and establish forward and backward market linkage channels. On Agri export policy, Goyal said so far only 14 states have finalised the action plans, and others should finalise it expeditiously. The minister also stressed on the need for the states to incentivise value addition activity in not only agriculture but also industrial products. LINCOLN A petition drive to allow Nebraskans to vote on legalizing medical marijuana has submitted more than enough valid signatures to qualify for the fall ballot. But whether the issue gets placed before voters on Nov. 3 is still up in the air and will probably, in the end, be decided in court, just like another controversial initiative that would allow a vote on legalizing casino gambling in the state. Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen said Wednesday that he hopes to decide by Thursday morning whether the medical marijuana initiative, in his opinion, passes legal muster to be placed on the ballot. But, he added, he also anticipates an immediate court challenge to his ruling. I would expect by the afternoon someone will have filed something, Evnen said. State Sen. Adam Morfeld of Lincoln, a co-chair of Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana, the group seeking to put the issue on the ballot, said that everything necessary will be done to allow voters to decide the issue including going to the Supreme Court. Agha was able to pull himself out of the rising waters but was unable to save his family. Out of 11 family member in the house only I am alive, he said. We buried six bodies but four others are still missing. Christchurch High Court Judge Cameron Mander said Tarrant had shown no remorse and that no matter how long he spent in prison it would not be long enough to atone for his crimes A New Zealand judge sentenced white supremacist Brenton Tarrant to life in prison without parole on Thursday for killing 51 Muslim worshippers in the country's deadliest shooting, saying the sentence was not enough punishment for the "wicked" crimes. It was the first time a court in New Zealand had sentenced a person to prison for the rest of their life. Christchurch High Court Judge Cameron Mander said Tarrant had shown no remorse and that no matter how long he spent in prison it would not be long enough to atone for his crimes. "Your crimes...are so wicked that even if you are detained until you die it will not exhaust the requirements of punishment and denunciation," said the judge in handing down the sentence. "As far as I am able to gauge, you are empty of any empathy for your victims," he said. Tarrant, a 29-year-old Australian, admitted to 51 charges of murder, 40 counts of attempted murder and one charge of committing a terrorist act during the 2019 shooting rampage at two Christchurch mosques which he livestreamed on Facebook. On March 15, 2019 Tarrant stormed the Al Noor mosque in Christchurch armed with military-style semi-automatics, indiscriminately shooting at Muslims gathered for Friday prayers, while filming his massacre from a head-mounted camera and playing a Serbian anti-Muslim anthem. He killed 44 people at Al Noor, the youngest a three-year-old boy shot at point blank range, then attacked a second mosque in the nearby suburb of Linwood, killing another seven people. Judge Mander asked Tarrant before handing down the sentence if he had any comment. Dressed in grey prison clothes and surrounded by guards, Tarrant nodded when asked if he was aware he had the right to make submissions, but he did not speak. NZ MUSLIMS WELCOME JUSTICE "Today the legal procedures for this heinous crime have been done. No punishment will bring our loved ones back," said Gamal Fouda, the imam of Al Noor mosque which was targeted. "Extremists are all the same. Whether they use religion, nationalism or any other ideology. All extremists, they represent hate. But we are here today. We respect love, compassion, Muslim and non-Muslim people of faith and of no faith." Prosecutors said Tarrant had accumulated more than 7,000 rounds of ammunition for the attack and wanted to instill fear in those he described as invaders and that he carefully planned the attacks to cause maximum carnage. "The hatred that lies at the heart of your hostility to particular members of the community that you came to this country to murder has no place here - it has no place anywhere," Mander said. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said she was relieved that "that person will never see the light of day". "The trauma of March 15 is not easily healed but today I hope is the last where we have any cause to hear or utter the name of the terrorist behind it. His deserves to be a lifetime of complete and utter silence," she said. The attack led to a ban on firearms in New Zealand and a campaign against hate content online led by Ardern, a response that was hailed as a model for other countries. More than 90 survivors and families of the victims gave emotionally charged statements in court this week calling for Tarrant to be sentenced to life without parole. Many gathered in and outside the court on Thursday to hear the sentence. "It's a relief...We are not in a country where we can expect the death penalty. But they have served justice...giving the maximum prison time without parole," said Hina Amir, 34, who was outside Al Noor mosque when Tarrant attacked and survived a hail of bullets in her car with her husband, Amir Daud. DESIRE TO CREATE TERROR Tarrant, who represented himself during the hearings but did not make submissions, said through a lawyer in court on Thursday that he did not oppose the prosecution's application for a life without parole sentence. He asserted in a pre-sentence report that he was not racist or xenophobic, the judge said. Rather, Tarrant said he felt ostracised and had wanted to damage society, and had acted on delusional beliefs. However, state prosecutor Mark Zarifeh had told the court: "The offending was motivated by an entrenched racist and xenophobic ideology and a desire to create terror within the Muslim community and beyond." Before Tarrant, triple-murderer William Bell was serving the longest sentence in New Zealand with a minimum non-parole prison term of 30 years for his 2001 crimes. Search Keywords: Short link: African Community Education in Worcester has experienced both sides of the pandemic. Coronavirus turned its operations upside down. The nonprofit assisting African refugees and immigrants with educational opportunities and socio-economic stability transferred all of its in-person services to a digital platform. Since then, more families have used ACE for assistance. But ACE also experienced Worcester rising together during the trying times. Since the start of the pandemic, it has received $120,000 in COVID-19 related grants from the Barr Foundation, The Clowes Fund, and Worcester Together among others. Redemption Rock Brewing Co. and The Queens Cups each dedicated a months worth of tips to the organization. Students from Shrewsbury High School and the College of the Holy Cross also sparked fundraising campaigns to help ACE. Its been amazing, marketing and fundraising manager at ACE Tim ONeil said. Individual donations also rolled in when ACE created a Family Fund dedicated to providing immediate relief for people who may have lost their job or had hours cut. The money would help relieve burdens of rent, health care or purchasing food. Initially, ACE established a goal of raising $5,000. To date, theyve raised more than $10,000 and have already distributed more than $6,000 Just seeing people rally around that was really, really spectacular, especially when we know people are struggling in so many different ways themselves, ONeil said. In a normal year, ACE would serve about 50 or 60 students in its after-school program. The number increases to 100 for its Saturday programs. Including community events, ACE reaches more than 500 individuals annually. African Community Education or ACE assists African refugees and immigrants with educational opportunities and socio-economic stability. The coronavirus hasnt deterred ACE from continuing its programs, especially after school. But uncertainty surrounds the ability of some programs to be successful online. As Worcester released plans to begin the 2020-21 academic school year remotely, ACE has tried to develop strategies for maintaining the attention of students. Theyre already doing however many hours of remote education especially now as we look to the fall, ONeil said. Us providing supplemental enrichment activities just to keep them excited and engaged in learning, I think is really important. The summer programs have already strayed from normal activities. One session included a DJ dance party. Another allowed students to perform a talent show on Zoom. We try to really mix in these fun and engaging activities to keep kids coming back for their education and to honestly give them a break from the monotony of Zoom calls and trying to learn that way, ONeil said. Co-founder and executive director of ACE Kaska Yawo said the challenges the organization has faced are compounded by the fact that many of their clients have been in the country for one or two years. Many dont speak English or its their second language. Its been a very challenging time for our organization and our community, Yawo said. Being that we are quite different from any other in the community because of the people we serve. African Community Education or ACE assists African refugees and immigrants with educational opportunities and socio-economic stability. The hurdles havent slowed Yawo and his staff. The donations from the community helped ACE keep its staff intact and avoid layoffs. ACE also has a host of volunteers that help the organization reach the Worcester community during the pandemic. It was not easy, but through the help of the people in the community, we were able to help parents and maintain staff, Yawo said. African Community Education has about a dozen staff members in addition to several volunteers. Yawo said having the ability to retain all of them has been key during the pandemic. Each are skilled in helping Worcesters community. Any losses, Yawo said, would take long periods of time to replace. Our staff is compassionate people, Yawo said. Theyre not working for the money. Theyre working because they want to change lives. Related Content: An official in Louisiana has suggested that Hurricane Laura will cause a similar amount of damage as Hurricane Katrina did to his community in 2005. Scott Trahan, who works in Cameron Parish, Louisiana, made the comment while speaking on the broadcaster NBC's "Today" programme. Mr Trahan said: "I'm afraid we're going to have the same damage we had last time," referring to the category 5 storm that hit the US 15 years ago. "A few houses might make it, most of them will probably be gone," he added. His remarks came as the the National Hurricane Center predicted that a storm surge could bring water 40 miles inland from the coast. As part of its regular bulletins, the hurricane centre said on Thursday: "Unsurvivable storm surge with large and destructive waves will cause catastrophic damage from Sea Rim State Park, Texas, to Intracoastal City, Louisiana, including Calcasieu and Sabine Lakes." "This surge could penetrate up to 40 miles inland from the immediate coastline, and flood waters will not fully recede for several days," it added. Although the extent of the damage caused by Hurricane Laura remains unknown, videos posted on social media show strong winds ripping debris off a tall building and smashing windows in the city of Lake Charles, located less than 50 miles from where the storm made landfall with the Louisiana coastline. Footage also shows a heavy vehicle being tipped onto its side and signs bending from the force of the wind. Despite orders for 580,000 coastal residents to evacuate their homes before the arrival of the hurricane, reports suggest that some people decided to stay put or were unable to leave. Louisiana Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser told ABC that between 50 and 150 people had chosen not to evacuate Cameron Parish, where the storm first struck the coast and where the storm surge is expected to be 6 meters high. In light of this surge, Mr Nungesser expressed concerns for their safety, saying: "We know anyone that stayed that close to the coast, we've got to pray for them, because looking at the storm surge, there would be little chance of survival." Almost half a million homes and businesses were without power in the states of Louisiana and Texas on Thursday morning as a result of Hurricane Laura. Hurricane Katrina was the deadliest storm in US history, killing at least 1,800 people near the Gulf Coast. Agencies have contributed reporting A U.S. soldier sits atop a Bradley armored personnel carrier as it drives near the town of Tal Tamr in the northeastern Syrian Hasakeh province on the border with Turkey, on Nov. 10, 2019. (Delil Souleiman/AFP via Getty Images) Russian and US Military Vehicles Collide in Syria: Officials Russian and U.S. military vehicles collided in Syrias northeastern region on Tuesday, according to Russian and American officials. U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Ullyot said in a statement that the Russian military vehicle hit the American vehicle near Dayrick. Ullyot also accused the Russian soldiers for unsafe and unprofessional actions that led to the crash. At approximately 10 a.m. (Syria Time), Aug. 25, a routine Defeat-ISIS Coalition security patrol encountered a Russian military patrol near Dayrick, in northeast Syria, he said. During this interaction, a Russian vehicle struck a Coalition Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected All-Terrain Vehicle (M-ATV) causing injuries to the vehicles crew, he added. To de-escalate the situation, the Coalition patrol departed the area. Unsafe and unprofessional actions like this represent a breach of de-confliction protocols, committed to by the United States and Russia in December 2019, Ullyott said in full, adding: The Coalition and the United States do not seek escalation with any national military forces, but US forces always retain the inherent right and obligation to defend themselves from hostile acts. Video footage uploaded online purportedly showed the encounter. The video showed the Russian vehicle slamming into the American vehicle, and a Russian helicopter was seen flying low over the U.S. forces in the area. About 500 U.S. troops are still in Syria and are tasked with helping local forces fight the ISIS terrorist organization. Russian defense officials blamed the U.S. forces for obstructing its patrol. Despite that, in violation of existing agreements, the US armed forces soldiers tried to block the Russian patrol, the ministry said in a statement to news outlets. In response to that, the Russian military police took necessary measures to prevent an incident and to carry on fulfilling the mission they had been given. Over the past several years, Russia has provided military backing to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in his battle against various militant organizations, including ISIS. President Donald Trump has repeatedly attempted to withdraw from Syria but backtracked after bipartisan pushback in Congress. Trump said the troops are in Syria to protect U.S. oil interests. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley spoke with his Russian counterpart on Wednesday after the collision, said his office in a statement. He didnt provide details of the call. U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper had a phone call with his Russian counterpart, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, a week ago to talk about bolstering mutual trust and transparency enforcement to prevent accidents occurring during both countries military activity, said the Russian Defense Ministry, reported CNN. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Dyaning Pangestika (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, August 27, 2020 10:15 511 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c40cdb0e 1 National Jokowi,President-Jokowi,Joko-Widodo,human-resources,university,Diponegoro-University,Central-Java,Semarang Free President Joko Jokowi Widodo hopes human resources development can serve as an opportunity for Indonesia to catch up with economic growth in other countries. The President conveyed his wish during the virtual inauguration of Diponegoro Universitys vocational school building in Semarang, Central Java, on Wednesday. The buildings construction started in March last year as part of a collaboration between Sinar Mas Group and PT Astra International. During the ceremony, the President expressed his appreciation for the universitys intention to develop skills and reiterated his Cabinets priority to develop human resources. Good infrastructure, strong human resources and [this building] will serve as our capital to escape the middle-income trap, Jokowi said. He added that he believed strong human resources could help develop Indonesia. Moreover, Jokowi said the facility could be a gateway to internship opportunities and provide a space to learn about various sectors. I hope students can get one year internships rather than only one or two weeks, said Jokowi. The President said students should be given access to learn wherever they wanted so they could develop the necessary skills once they entered the job market. He went on to say that Indonesia should increase its human resource capacity so people could be more productive and competitive. Vocational education has an important role in developing our human resources. New Delhi: The CBI is investigating Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death, who was found dead at his Bandra residence on June 14, 2020. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) investigation in Sushant's case revealed details about Rhea Chakraborty's conversation about drugs in her deleted WhatsApp chats. As per sources, the ED has accessed clone copies of two of Rhea's mobile phones in which her conversation with Samuel Miranda, Showik Chakraborty, Deepesh and Jaya Saha is recorded. In has been learnt that Rhea and Samuel were working together and using Sushant's fund. The actress had reportedly sought Sushant's debit card pin from house manager Samuel. From what has been gathered through retrieved WhatsApp chats, it has come to light that Rhea was consuming narcotic substances such as weed/Marijuana/cannabis/CBD since 2017. The conversation between Rhea and Samuel from April 17, 2020, to May 1, 2020, reveals that weed worth Rs 17,000 was sought by Showik. The chat between Rhea and Jaya Saha on November 15, 2019, clearly reveals that the latter gave Rhea a drug named CBD, which was mixed in Sushant's coffee. Similar WhatsApp chats were exchanged on April 7, 27, 28, 2020 respectively. There are chats dating back to May 16, 8, 2019 as well. CBD infused coffee is mostly taken for its benefits to deal with anxiety. However, the consumption of this substance is banned in India. Meanwhile, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) after registering a criminal case against actress Rhea Chakraborty over drug conspiracy reports in connection with actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death case is set to begin probe in Mumbai. A five-member team of Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) will reach Mumbai shortly to probe the drug angle in actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death case. The team has been constituted under the supervision of Deputy Director of Operations (NCB) KPS Malhotra. Apart from Rhea, who was Sushant's girlfriend, the agency has also booked a few others, against whom the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had already registered a case earlier. The NCB will probe their alleged dealings in banned drugs. A team from Delhi will investigate the case in Mumbai. The case has been registered under Sections 20, 22, 27 and 29 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. Keysight Technologies has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras to support Telecom Standards Development Society, India (TSDSI) in development of India specific 5G standards. The MoU signing follows the International Telecommunication Union (ITU)s recognition of the 5G Radio Interface Technology (RIT) introduced by TSDSI as a candidate 5G standard. To encourage Indian startups and the telecom industry to take an early lead in 5G, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is funding a large-scale project called 5G Testbed. The goal of the project is to build a test bed that closely resembles a real-world 5G deployment. This project will create a 5G prototype and testing platform that will be developed under the guidance of more than 50 researchers and engineers based in the IIT Madras campus using equipment developed by Keysight Technologies. Keysight is currently building on the functionality required for testing of new radio interface standards developed at IIT Madras. Commenting on the association, Mr. Satish Dhanasekaran, Senior Vice President and President, Communications Solutions Group, said 5G promises to open doors to exciting new applications in areas such as telemedicine, remote surgery, agriculture, education, Industry 4.0, smart cities, augmented reality, and autonomous driving. As 5G deploys, it is important that we focus on bridging the rural-urban digital divide globally. We are pleased to partner with IIT-M, TSDSI, to enable the rural use cases and standards. India has a large rural population and the low mobility large cell model can really help us in becoming truly digital as a country, said Dr. Bhaskar Ramamurthi, Director of Indian Institute of Technology, Madras. Our partnership with Keysight Technologies aims at developing technologies that will fulfil the unmet need of connecting people from every possible remote corner of India in a better way. Aligned with the prime ministers vision of Atmanirbhar Barat, TSDSIs 5G RIT improves upon the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) RIT by providing enhanced performance for ITUs Low Mobility Large Cell (LMLC) rural use case. Designed to make 5G technology work well in rural areas with low-speed mobility and large cells of up to 6 km radius, this indigenous technology primarily seeks to bridge the digital divide by enabling affordable 5G broadband, leveraging Indias rural optical fiber network BharatNet. According to Mrs. Pamela Kumar, Director General, Telecommunications Standards Development Society, India, 5G is going to be a paradigm shift and not just a technology update or upgrade. The Low Mobility Large Cell use case is not just limited to smartphones, but various other segments like education, healthcare, smart cities and security, which can help in complete socio-economic development of the nation. Support for students to travel off-Island by air The Manx Government has been working with Loganair to make travel for students easier and more affordable. Next month will see many Isle of Man students starting or returning to university in the UK and further afield. Due to the current border restrictions in place, journeys by car and ferry will require travellers to self-isolate for 14 days upon their return to the Island. Loganair has introduced new student fares on the airline's routes from the Isle of Man to Liverpool, Manchester and London City with immediate effect. Courier firms have also been contacted regarding the shipping of personal possessions to places of study in the UK and Ireland. Welcoming the move, Minister for Education, Sport and Culture Dr Alex Allison MHK, said: "I know many of our students and their parents have had concerns about travelling to university for the start of the new academic year. I hope these practical arrangements will help make this much easier and more affordable." Loganair took over operating the Isle of Man's services to Liverpool and Manchester in March following the collapse of previous operator Flybe. More recently, it has been confirmed that Loganair will be assuming responsibility for the Isle of Man to London City air link from 1 September. Most assessments and predictions so far about Iran's next presidential elections have taken a conservative victory for granted. Many media outlets have published lists of conservative candidates for the June 18, 2021 elections from among veteran politicians who have already held high offices, as well as younger neo-cons who entered the Iranian Parliament as recently as in May 2020. However, there is much less discussion in the media about possible reform-minded candidates to run for President in 2021. Unlike the conservative camp that has branched out into at least four different groups with varying conservative tendencies over the years, the combination of political forces in Iran's once-popular reform camp has remained more or less the same during the past two decades. Two centrist parties, the Executives of Construction and The Moderation and Development Party, as well as one major reformist party the Unity of Nation Party, and the remnants of the Participation Party and national Trust Party which are reminiscent of Iran's political parties in the late 1990s and throughout the 2000s. Conservatives control too many levers of power, from the parliament to religious institutions, election watchdogs and having the advantage of a close alliance with the Revolutionary Guard. The spokesman for the Executives of Construction party Hossein Marashi has said in a mid-August interview with the Iranian Labor News Agency (ILNA) that the party has plans for the presidential elections but did not name any candidate. However, politicians close to the party have occasionally named Mohsen Hashemi, the head of the Tehran City Council and a son of former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani as someone who would be willing to run for president in 2021. There was also talk of Hashemi's candidacy in 2017 but it was unlikely at the time that he would want to step in the presidential race while like-minded Hassan Rouhani and Es'haq Jahangiri were also competing for the post. Even if Hashemi, a more or less popular figure, gets the go-ahead to run and his qualifications are endorsed by the conservative-dominated Guardian Council, his kinship to President Rafsanjani is not likely to work in his favor considering the fact that Rafsanjani senior he had lost his popularity in Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's inner circle. However, it appears that both the party and Hashemi himself are currently assessing his electability by bringing him to the media spotlight on various occasions. Close to the same party as an influential politician and one of the few reformists welcomed in Khamenei's household is current vice-president Es'haq Jahangiri. He has never concealed his interest in the post. Nonetheless, during the past seven years not only he did not have any opportunity to shine in the Rouhani administration, but he has also lost some of his influence in the rivalry over power with Rouhani's Chief of Staff Mahmoud Vaezi. Pointing out his powerlessness, Jahangiri said once that he did not even have the power to replace his secretary. On the other hand, his biggest achievement, the government rate of exchange now known as "the Jahangiri rate" has been questioned by politicians and businessmen alike as the preferential rate for importing essential commodities was blamed as a source of financial corruption. Meanwhile, the corruption case against Jahangiri's brother has adversely affected the vice-president's credibility and reputation. He has also expressed support for a controversial businessman who has acquired industrial plants in Khuzestan Province from the government in questionable circumstances. The man has driven the once plants profitable to insolvency and thousands of his workers have been protesting for months as their wages remain unpaid. Although Iranian voters are known for their short memory span, still such a track record for Jahangir is not likely to be forgotten easily. Another reformist figure said to be a contestant in the 2021 presidential election is former vice-president and former MP Mohammad Reza Aref. Recently he resigned his position as the chairman of the reformists umbrella organization following the state of indecision that left the camp entirely out of the competition in the Iranian parliamentary elections last winter. Aref was also harshly criticized by reformists and other politicians as well as a range of Iranian analysts for his inaction in the reformist-dominated previous Majles. He said "silence" was his strategy, but the strategy does not appear to have led to anywhere. His experience of the past four years at the Majles has overshadowed any possible political capital he might have accrued during his career as chancellor of Tehran University, the Minister of Science, President Mohammad Khatami's vice-president and finally the leader of the reform camp at the parliament. Yet one more prominent reformist figure who might run for president in 2021 is Mostafa Moein, a former presidential candidate whose qualifications were endorsed by the Guardian Council only after Supreme Leader Khamenei intervened. Yet, he won just a few million votes in the 2005 election. Moein was Iran's Science and Higher Education Minister under Khatami, but he resigned from his post after a major student unrest. One of the biggest criticisms of his performance is that his career is marked by several resignations that cast a shadow of doubt on his resilience as a politician. Like most prospective candidates, Moein has said that he no plans to nominate himself for the presidential race, but he certainly has political ambitions. His latest effort was his candidacy for the Majles in 2016. But he was disqualified by the Guardian Council. A fate that might be awaiting him if he decides to run. Looking at the uncertain political fortunes of potential reformist candidates, perhaps there is a reason why most assessments and predictions so far have taken for granted a conservative victory. Actress Patricia Heaton mourns death of her friend, finds comfort knowing she loved Jesus Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Emmy Award-winning actress Patricia Heaton offered a touching tribute to her late friend who loved Jesus. My friend Sue Ackerman died today," Heaton said on Instagram Wednesday. "We met in NYC in the 80s. She was one of the earliest members of Redeemer Presbyterian Church with @timkellernyc where she met her devoted husband Russ. Heaton described the close relationship her friend, Sue, had with her husband, Russ. Their nickname for each other then and now was pumpkin which was always abbreviated to pumpski or just pumps - so endearing! the Everybody Loves Raymond actress described. Dave and I visited them in Germany while Russ was working there and had a beautiful weekend along the Rhine. The group of friends were so close that Heaton said they joined them in Los Angeles for her wedding and Sue and Russ are also godparents to the actress eldest son, Sam. Heatons late friend had a series of health conditions that she survived before succumbing this week. Sue later successfully battled cancer, but the radiation scarred her lungs, and for years she waited for a double transplant, which she finally got. It bought her many more wonderful years with Russ and their children Adriana and Alexander, Heaton said. Last May we visited Sue in the hospital in NYC as she was contending with some serious setbacks. Warrior that she was, she miraculously recovered. On Wednesday, however, Heatons friend passed away. God saw fit to call her to Himself today. I know she didnt want to leave her beautiful kids, but she loved Jesus and was His faithful servant, the actress revealed. Heaton, a devout Catholic who often publicly shares of her faith in Christ in Hollywood, said she knows she will be reunited with Sue again. My comfort is in the knowledge that she lives with her Savior and is praying for all of us, and that we will all be reunited in His kingdom, Heaton testified. Find all of the most important pandemic education news on Educating N.J., a special resource guide created for parents, students and educators. Just because instruction is virtual in some districts, doesnt mean teachers wont be showing up to school. Hundreds of former aides to the last three GOP presidential nominees before Donald Trump took the party's mantle are rejecting his campaign and voting for the Democratic nominee, Joe Biden, this fall. On Thursday, more than 230 former officials from the George W Bush administration including some from Cabinet-level positions publicly endorsed Mr Biden. Ex-campaign and Senate staffers for the late Senator John McCain of Arizona and Senator Mitt Romney of Utah, the 2008 and 2012 GOP presidential nominees, respectively, have also thrown their public support behind the former Democratic vice president. Among Mr Biden's endorsers from Mr Bush's camp were such figures as former Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez and former Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman. The Bush staffers indicated in a press release on Thursday that Mr Trump's handling of the coronavirus pandemic, as well as Mr Biden's superior competence and character, informed their decision to go public with their endorsements. While we all may have our differences of opinion on specific policy matters with the Democratic Party, we firmly believe that Joe Biden can bring us together to help heal the divisions in our country and find solutions to our problems, said former senior Bush aide Suzy DeFrancis. Donald Trump has failed to keep Americans safe during this pandemic, but Joe Biden will listen to our scientists and doctors when making life or death decisions. With lives and livelihoods at stake, our nation needs a leader with the experience, competence and character of Joe Biden, Ms DeFrancis said. The former staffers to Mr Romney, the only Senate Republican to vote to remove Mr Trump from office during his impeachment trial this February, penned an open letter, first obtained by Politico, explaining their disavowal of the current president. The group, organised under the name "Romney Alumni for Biden," said Mr Trump's words and actions as president do not represent the ethos of the GOP they previously served. What unites us now is a deep conviction that four more years of a Trump presidency will morally bankrupt this country, irreparably damage our democracy, and permanently transform the Republican Party into a toxic personality cult, the group wrote in a letter published on Romney4Biden.com. We cant sit by and allow that to happen, wrote the 34 former Romney campaign staffers, who served in positions ranging from policy to event planning. On Wednesday, a group of more than 100 "McCain alumni for Joe Biden" posted a statement explaining that Mr Trump's "lack of competent leadership, his efforts to aggravate rather than bridge divisions among Americans, and his failure to uphold American values" have prevented them from voting for him. The former McCain aides from three former congressional chiefs of staff to his 2008 presidential campaign communications director to a half-dozen interns said they will instead vote for Mr Biden. "We trust that as President, Joe Biden will lead an urgent, comprehensive national effort to contain the COVID pandemic. We trust he will call on Americans to remember our common interests and responsibilities, and not worsen the grievances that have polarized our politics. And we trust that he will defend American interests and values from all enemies, foreign and domestic," they wrote in the signed statement. It's unclear exactly how much such a forceful denial of Mr Trump from establishment figures' former aides will affect the president's re-election campaign as he is slated to speak on Thursday, the final night of the Republican National Convention. Mr Trump has frequently singled out all three of Mr Bush, Mr McCain and Mr Romney for criticism, even snubbing Mr McCain during a national defence bill signing as the Arizona senator was dying from brain cancer. The president ran on an anti-establishment platform in 2016 in which his supporters enthusiastically urged him to "drain the swamp" of career politicians, lobbyists, and politicos just like the Republican ones who have endorsed Mr Biden this week. When media outlets reported earlier this year that Mr Bush and Mr Romney were unlikely to cast votes for Mr Trump this November, the president appeared to relish the confrontation. The establishment still hasnt learned the biggest lesson from 2016 never underestimate the Presidents ability to connect with the American people," his campaign spokesman Ken Farnaso said in a statement to The Independent in June. "No amount of establishment grandstanding from the swamp will deter President Trumps historic movement," Mr Farnaso said. Mr Biden maintains a clear advantage in national polling over Mr Trump, with his margin in the RealClearPolitics average standing at 7.1 per cent over the last couple weeks. Some polls in key swing states such as Minnesota and Wisconsin, however, have shown tighter margins. Despite voices of dissent being quelled and Congress leaders reaffirming their faith in the Gandhis, the letter signatories seem to be facing their colleagues wrath. The partys unit in Uttar Pradeshs Lakhimpur Kheri has passed a resolution, demanding expulsion of Jitin Prasada. The District Congress Committee (DCC) demands that disciplinary action should be taken against all those who signed the letter and they should be expelled from the party," stated the resolution passed by Lakhimpur Kheri district Congress committee on Wednesday. Prasada represented the Dhaurahra Lok Sabha seat, which is a part of the Lakhimpur Kheri district, in 2009. Miffed by fresh opposition cropping up with the party, senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal said that it is unfortunate that Prasada is being officially" targeted in UP Congress. Unfortunate that Jitin Prasada is being officially targeted in UP Congress needs to target the BJP with surgical strikes instead wasting its energy by targeting its own," he tweeted. Unfortunate that Jitin Prasada is being officially targeted in UPCongress needs to target the BJP with surgical strikes instead wasting its energy by targeting its own Kapil Sibal (@KapilSibal) August 27, 2020 Responding to Sibal, Manish Tiwari, on the 23 dissenters, tweeted: Prescient!" Local reports said that a group of Congress workers also raised slogans against Prasada, who said the issue had been discussed before the Congress president. The development comes four days after the crucial CWC meeting, where Sonia Gandhi is said to have offered to quit, but she was urged to stay on as the interim chief. The meeting followed a letter by more than 20 party leaders demanding an active, full-time and visible" president. Though a large section of the leaders backed Sonia Gandhi at the nearly seven-hour virtual meeting of the Congress highest decision making body to discuss the pivotal leadership issue, the faultlines were clear and appeared to deepen at some points as the day progressed. Former prime minister Manmohan Singh led the demand for Sonia Gandhi continuing as Congress president and leader after leader echoed him while attacking the letter writers, particularly Ghulam Nabi Azad, the senior-most signatory and a CWC member, sources said. Former president Rahul Gandhi, it is learnt, launched a sharp attack against the signatories, questioning their timing as well as the fact they went public with their grievances. He also rued the fact that the letter seeking sweeping changes to the party organisation and elections to the CWC was written when Sonia Gandhi was in hospital and the party was battling a political crisis in Rajasthan. Courtesy of Harris County Precinct 4 Constable's Office When Hurricane Harvey caused flooding across Houston, Harris County Precinct 4 road and bridge department director Freddie Jebouseks high-water team and fleet were there to help rescue people. Theyre prepared to do the same in response to the potential impacts from Hurricane Laura. A Sunday press release outlined the measures that the Pct. 4 road and bridge department has taken to get ready for weather events. Having a star fund manager is an easy way for an asset management firm to attract client money. But for Franklin Resources's chief executive officer, it's not worth the disruption when they leave. "Clients get nervous by a star manager, if you appoint one, because then it becomes a succession issue," Jenny Johnson said. Franklin should know. The firm's Franklin Templeton fund business was once synonymous with Mark Mobius, the investment guru who introduced emerging markets to a generation of investors. Mobius retired from Templeton in 2018 only to start his own firm a few months later. But, said Johnson, it's rarely about one person making all the investment decisions. "The reality is they were always supported by a large team." Franklin Templeton's fund business was once synonymous with Mark Mobius, the investment guru who introduced emerging markets to a generation of investors. Mobius retired from Templeton in 2018 only to start his own firm a few months later. Credit:Ben Rushton And it's not just at Franklin, which was founded by Johnson's grandfather in New York in 1947. The difficulty of outperforming the market consistently over a long period of time, compounded by the rise of low-cost index funds, has left few managers in today's mutual fund industry whose status ranks with one-time giants such as Peter Lynch at Fidelity Investments, Bill Gross at Pimco, or Bill Miller at Legg Mason. In a sign of the times, Miller left Legg in 2016 to start a hedge fund and his former firm was bought by Franklin earlier this year. A logo of China's vaccine specialist CanSino Biologics Inc. is pictured on the company's headquarters in Tianjin, following an outbreak of the coronavirus disease, on Aug. 17, 2020. (Reuters/Thomas Peter) Canada Says Tensions Did Not Necessarily End COVID-19 Vaccine Partnership With China OTTAWAThe end to a partnership on a coronavirus vaccine between Chinese firm CanSino Biologics and Canadas National Research Council was not necessarily tied to diplomatic tensions between the two countries, Canadas foreign minister said on Thursday. Canadian Foreign Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne met his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi for about 90 minutes on Tuesday in Rome, where he urged Beijing to release two Canadian citizens it has detained. The two ministers also discussed the importance of global collaboration in the face of COVID-19, including the search for a vaccine, according to a statement. The following day Canadas National Research Council said it had ended its partnership on a coronavirus vaccine with CanSino because the company lacked the authority to ship the vaccine at this time. We are going through a difficult time in bilateral relations, Champagne told reporters on a teleconference call from Beirut, but I would not necessarily make a link between that discussion and the Canadian or the Chinese position. Ties between the two countries deteriorated in December 2018 after Canadian police detained Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd., on a U.S. extradition warrant. Soon after, China arrested Canadians Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig and charged them with spying. It also blocked imports of some canola seed. The end of the vaccine collaboration had nothing to do with soured diplomatic relations, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said at a daily news briefing earlier on Thursday. Champagne also did not rule out collaboration with China or Chinese companies on health issues or COVID-19 in the future. When it comes to global health, when it comes to issues around global health and managing issues around COVID, I think it is wise for us to be talking to each other, Champagne added. By Steve Scherer Look no further than one of the biggest commercial real estate developers in New York City to see how the retail and office industries are being impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. "Retail is obviously struggling," Related Cos. Chief Executive Jeff Blau told CNBC's "Squawk Box" on Thursday. The owner of the Hudson Yards mall as well as The Shops at Columbus Circle in the Time Warner Center building in New York City said Related is collecting just over 50% of retail rents for its malls in Manhattan. "We expect that will pick up post [re]opening," he said. The city has not yet set a date for when malls will be able to open for business again. But Blau said he is hopeful Related will be given the green light to reopen Hudson Yards and The Shops at Columbus Circle as early as next week. Other malls in the city include Westfield World Trade Center and Brookfield Place. Gov. Andrew Cuomo has allowed malls in other parts of New York state to welcome shoppers again, with added precautions. Hudson Yards, which opened roughly one year ago, is already losing Neiman Marcus as its one department store anchor tenant, and has yet to name what will move in that space. Some restaurants at the mall are also shutting permanently. Related is also a major office landlord. Blau earlier this week penned an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal calling for New York City offices to reopen. "This is about bringing New York back to life," he told CNBC on Thursday. "The city doesn't recover by itself." In a post-Covid-19 world, Blau said he envisions office buildings being "less dense," with people spread out over more buildings. Working from home should only be an option for portions of time, he said, not all the time. "Innovation only happens when people are together," he said. "I don't think the demand of office space is going away." New Delhi: India has dismissed Pakistan's claim that New Delhi hasn't shared enough evidence with the country on the Pulwama terror attack. Earlier this week National Investigation Agency (NIA) filed a charge sheet against 19 people, out which 7 are Pakistani Nationals, including Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Masood Azhar. Reminding Islamabad that the organization and leadership of JeM, the terror group which had taken the responsibility of Pulwama attack, is "in Pakistan", Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Anurag Shrivastava said, "It is regrettable that Masood Azhar, the first accused in the charge sheet continues to find shelter in Pakistan. Enough evidence has been shared with Pakistan but it continues to evade responsibility." The 2019 attack in which 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel died was the worst terror attack on Indian soil. The MEA said, "The charge sheet has been filed after investigation of a year-and-a-half since the attack took place on February 14, 2019. It has been filed to address the act of terrorism and to bring perpetrators of such a heinous crime to justice." The development comes after Pakistan reacted to NIA's charge sheet saying India's evidence to it was "incomplete, patchy and unsubstantiated". New Delhi also recalled Islamabad's inaction on acting against 26/11 Mumbai attack's mastermind saying the country "has not yet taken any credible action against perpetrators of the (attack)..which resulted in the loss of 165 innocent lives including 25 foreign nationals". The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on August 25 filed a charge sheet in the 2019 February Pulwama terror attack case naming terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chief Masood Azhar, his brother Abdul Rauf Asghar, slain terrorist Mohammad Umar Farooq, suicide bomber Adil Ahmed Dar and other terrorist commanders operating from Pakistan. These are apart from the six other accused arrested by the NIA in connection with the case. The 13,500-page-long charge sheet details how the planning and execution of one of the deadliest terror attacks in Kashmir was done from Pakistan. Over 40 soldiers were killed when a suicide bomber rammed a security convoy with a car full of explosives in February last year. Ahead of filing the charge sheet, an NIA official had said, "The agency will file a charge sheet (on Tuesday) against Azhar, Asghar, their slain relative Farooque, six arrested accused in the Pulwama terror attack case at a Jammu Special NIA court." The official said that the agency has prepared a watertight case against the people named in the charge sheet along with all the irrefutable evidence, including their chats, call details to highlight the role of Pakistan in the February 14, 2019 attack in which 40 CRPF troopers were killed. The official said that this attack was a plot hatched by the Pakistan-based terror group to project the attack as the handiwork of terrorists operating in Kashmir. The NIA has also accused several top commanders of the terrorist group in its charge sheet. The agency also arrested Mohammad Iqbal Rather, 25, a resident of Budgam, Jammu and Kashmir in July. Heis accused of facilitating the movement of Muhammad Umar Farooq, the JeM terrorist and a key conspirator in this case, after he infiltrated into the Indian territory in the Jammu region in April 2018. Farooq, along with others, had assembled the IED used in the terror attack. Earlier, the NIA found that Rather was in constant touch with the Pakistan-based leadership of the JeM and was in communication with them over secure messaging applications and was also part of the transportation module of the terrorist organisation. The other five arrested accused named in the charge sheet are Mohammad Abbas Rather, Waiz-ul-Islam, father-daughter duo Tariq Ahmad Shah and Insha Jan -- all alleged ground workers of the JeM. As COVID-19 transformed our bedrooms into workplaces, isolation has become the norm for a growing number of employees in lockdown. With mental health concerns on the rise, the increase of social isolation exposes employees to an unspoken workplace hazard: suicide. Many falsely believe suicide to be a rare consequence of mental illness. This is a misconception; the statistics show that suicide is far more common than we are led to believe. In fact, Canadians are more likely to die from suicide than by homicide. For adolescents aged 15-24, it is the second most common cause of death. And each day, approximately 11 people in Canada take their own lives. Suicide and suicide attempts can happen to anyone, at any point in their lives. But the stigma and lack of widespread suicide prevention training makes it difficult for people to give or find support. The reality is that not enough people engage with the topic of suicide. So even when suicidal ideation is identified, coworkers may lack the confidence to support their peers head-on. When identifying suicidal ideation, there can be some warning signs. For example, expressions of hopelessness, or abrupt changes in personality. But these signs arent always obvious. So even if its just a hunch, it doesnt hurt to ask: it sounds like youre going through a lot, are you having thoughts of suicide? For most people in this scenario, the biggest challenge is for the very word suicide to materialize from their lips. What if bringing up the word increases the risks of someone actually taking their life? This is the question on everyones mind when they first start their training. But this isnt true. Talking about suicide does not encourage suicide. Rather, studies have shown that talking about suicide reduces the risks of death and increases the likelihood of obtaining tangible referrals to mental health professionals. One training program, SafeTalk, teaches individuals how to recognize and support people with suicidal ideation. It is a program designed for the general public. Because in order to protect a community, suicide prevention training needs buy-in from everyone. As a Residence Don at the University of Toronto, SafeTalk training is mandatory on an annual basis. Being live-in stewards, we have a responsibility for keeping our residence students safe. Indeed, there were some harrowing nights, as the Dons responded in real-time to mental health crises such as depression, panic attacks and thoughts of suicide. And each time, we fell back on our training to best support our students and at times, each other. With SafeTalk being just one of the many training options available, why havent more employers implemented suicide prevention training as part of their workplace safety orientation? Unfortunately, the cost of training can be discouraging. But many employee benefits plans already cover a wide range of medical conditions, and insurers should consider covering suicide prevention training as a form of preventative care. COVID-19 has largely disrupted the way we view work and the workplace. But it has also given companies an opportunity to come out of the pandemic with a stronger framework to support employee mental health. By normalizing suicide prevention training at work, we will be taking the first step to destigmatizing suicide, and ultimately, saving lives. The Dharavi revamp project, which aims to transform Indias largest slum into a plush township, is likely to suffer a huge setback, as the state government is planning to scrap the existing tender, which was bagged by the United Arab Emirates (UAE)-based SecLink Technology Corporation (STC), and float a fresh tender. The ambitious 28,000 crore Dharavi revamp project, conceived 16 years ago, is likely to be delayed further if the new tenders are floated. The issue was discussed on Thursday by the committee of secretaries (CoS), which supported the view presented by advocate general (AG) Ashutosh Kumbhakoni in January. The AG said that fresh tenders needed to be called for as the costs of the railway land and rehabilitation was added later and not incorporated in the original tender document. In February last year, the tender to revamp the 601-acre project was bagged by STC and funded by the UAE royal family. However, the problem emerged in March when the state government led by Devendra Fadnavis acquired a 45-acre railway land for 800 crore. As this was not mentioned in the tender, AGs views were sought on the development. STC, which threatened to seek a compensation of 2,299 crore from the state if it was not awarded the contract, however, took a U-turn. We will respect the governments decision and bid again for the project, said an STC spokesperson. Dharavi residents are disappointed over the plan to float new bids. We have been shown dreams of new houses from the past 16 years and now when the project was about to start, they added a new clause and derailed it, said Raju Korde, president, Dharavi Redevelopment Committee. He said the residents will approach the courts, as this is deliberately being done to deprive Dharavi residents of redevelopment. Baburao Mane, who heads the Dharavi Bachao Andolan, says it is doubtful if a new firm can bag the project. What was the reason behind not giving a green signal to SecLink, considering it had bought in the money and had the competency to execute the mega project? Currently, no one has this huge capital to invest in Dharavi, said Mane. Manes worry is legit as STC had deposited 28,000 crore in an escrow account in Dubai and was waiting for the green signal from the state. The Dharavi revamp project commenced on February 4, 2004, but has been marred with controversies, with one of the key issues being the eligibility for the redeveloped flats, as it was found that majority of the present residents did not qualify for the new houses. The constant flip-flops by the government have also driven away many builders. What is the Dharavi revamp scheme The ambitious Dharavi revamp project which started on February 4, 2004, envisaged a plush township by architect Mukesh Mehta. The slum was divided into five sectors and it was decided to issue tenders simultaneously for each sector. The state government formed the Dharavi Redevelopment Authority (DRA) and also floated a global tender for all the sectors in 2007. The response was outstanding, as 101 companies took part in the process. However, over the years, the project kept languishing and finally in 2011, the entire process was cancelled. The same year, the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (Mhada) was given Sector 5, while the tenders for the other sectors were floated for this year. In 2018, the sector plan was scrapped and it was decided to float tenders for the entire area. February 4, 2004 Dharavi Redevelopment Project planned by the state government June 1, 2007 Global tenders for expression of interest invited for the Dharavi Project. Nineteen consortiums selected after due process March 2009 Global slowdown forces five firms to walk out of the process, citing lack of clarity and delay in implementation July 7, 2009 Expert committee debunks the project and passes adverse remarks against its consultant. The committee also calls the scheme a sophisticated land grab October 16, 2009 Of the 14 bidders, only seven submit the memorandum of understanding (MoU) that they have signed with their foreign partners, leaving only such contenders in the fray October 16, 2009 BMC submits a preliminary survey report stating that 63% of the home seekers are found to be ineligible for the project. The projects suffer a setback as 37% buyers will get new houses February 2, 2010 A sub-committee of secretaries recommend for sector-wise redevelopment of Dharavi June 11, 2010 Mhada submits proposal to the state, seeking to redevelop Sector 5 of Dharavi May 21, 2011 Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan clears the proposal Nov 1, 2012 Residents force Mhada to cancel the bhoomi pujan May 3, 2016 266 families move to new houses constructed by Mhada in Sector 5 July 31, 2016 Dharavi revamp fails to attract any bidder for the fourth time June 2017 DRA comes with a proposal to form 13 sub-clusters and float tenders for it September 16, 2018 State decides to form special purpose vehicle (SPV) and floats tenders for entire Dharavi October 2018 State government revives the revamp plan and scraps the sector-wise revamp and puts Dharavi as one unit. State announces that it will become a partner in the redevelopment process January 2019 Two bidders Seclink Technology Corporation (STC) and Adani Infrastructure are shortlisted for the project February 2019 The empowered committee of secretaries selects STC for the revamp March 2019 MoU signed with railway land development authority to procure 45 acres of land June 2019 As railway land is acquired, opinion sought from advocate general on the status of tender January 2020 Advocate general recommends retendering of the project August 2020: Committee of secretaries recommends cancellation of 2019 tender and issuance of new ones. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A father whose son was killed by the Kenosha police department in 2004 has spoken out against the department in the wake of the Jacob Blake shooting. Michael Bell Sr's son was killed by a Kenosha police officer in 2004 during a struggle following a traffic stop in front of the man's home. Mr Bell - whose son was white - said he could sympathise with the family's trauma as he watched the video that captured Mr Blake's shooting. He told CBS News that seeing the woman screaming in the aftermath of the shooting distressed him, as his son was also shot in front of witnesses, including loved ones. When Mr Bell was shot, his mother and sister were only feet away. Mr Blake was shot on Sunday by police as he was trying to walk away from them and enter his vehicle. An officer shot him eight times in the back. Mr Blake's children were in the vehicle during the shooting. Recommended Jacob Blake paralysed after being shot seven times by police The shooting was caught on video and spread quickly through social media, fuelling the fire of protesters demonstrating against police violence towards black people in the wake of the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor earlier this summer. "My own daughter and son's mother witnessed my son being shot," Mr Bell told CBS News. "I know the trauma they had to live through, and they're still not right. Nobody understands the pain the family is going through - it's a degree of suffering nobody understands until they experience it themselves." Attorney Ben Crump - who is also representing George Floyd's family - is representing the Blake family and believes the children in the car will be traumatised from the experience. "These kids, these babies, are going to have psychological issues for their entire life," Mr Crump said. The officers involved in the death of Mr Bell claimed he grabbed for one of their guns, prompting another officer to shoot him in the head. However, doubt was cast over the truth of their account by follow-up reports on the incident. Eventually the city of Kenosha settled the case with the Bell family for $1.75m. One of the officers involved in the shooting committed suicide in 2010. Mr Bell has since advocated for reforms to the methods used to investigate shootings by police. He suggests following a similar method to the National Transportation Safety Advisory Board's protocol for investigating aviation accidents, which employs the use of independent investigators. He believes that method could help not only provide justice for families in cases where a shooting was unjustified, but also could educate the community, as "once the cause of an accident is determined by the safety board, that information is distributed throughout the community to reduce the chances of it happening again." He said that at very least, the Kenosha police should be compelled to wear body cameras. "Body cameras in many ways are like the black box on an airplane -- they record all the critical data at the moment of death that's important. If you want to turn around and make the system better, you have to have a root cause analysis," he said. "We have asked for body cameras here in Kenosha, and they just keep pushing it downstream." Mr Blake's shooting sparked protests and - in some instances - looting and the destruction of businesses in Kenosha. Wisconsin's governor declared a state of emergency on Tuesday as anger over the shooting boiled over. State officials are preparing for another night of protests and potential destruction as it was announced today that while Mr Blake survived the shooting, he will be paralysed from the waist down as a result. Governor Tony Evers said he planned to deploy more National Guard troops to Kenosha to prepare for the unrest. "We cannot allow the cycle of systemic racism and injustice to continue," Mr Evers said. "We also cannot continue going down this path of damage and destruction." Zach Rodriguez, a member of the Kenosha County Board of Supervisors, told Reuters that the destruction had to stop. "Essentially, our city was burned to the ground, building by building," he said. "Enough is enough." For protesters, "enough is enough" is a shared sentiment. Clyde McLemore, the president of a Black Lives Matter group in nearby Lake County, Illinois, said demonstrators would continue to protest violence against black individuals by police. Recommended National Guard to be deployed in Kenosha after Jacob Blake shooting "We won't stop protesting until we get that done," he said. "I don't condone burning of buildings or looting, but I understand it. Them places got insurance, they'll be back up." Another protester, Porche Bennett, said the fires were largely started by people from out of town, and said the fires mostly affected businesses in a district primarily visited by the black community. "It's people from out of town doing this. We've been shopping there since we were kids, and they set it on fire," she said. Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 23:17:24|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ADDIS ABABA, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- The Ethiopia National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) on Thursday disclosed it has arrested 33 suspected members of the extremist groups Islamic State (IS) and al-Shabab in the last Ethiopian Fiscal Year 2019/2020 which ended on July 8. In a press statement, NISS said the 33 individuals were arrested in 2019/2020 fiscal year while planning terror attacks in Ethiopia. "Sixteen members of al-Shabab and 17 members of IS were arrested in 2019/2020 together with explosive devices they were planning to use in terror attacks inside Ethiopia," said the statement. The NISS statement didn't disclose the nationalities of the 33 suspects. The NISS has confiscated thousands of illegal weapons in 2019/2020, including 449 Kalashnikov rifles, 27,237 guns and 168,243 bullets, it said. The statement also said 59 illegal weapons dealers were arrested in the year. The Ethiopian parliament earlier this year approved a legislation that puts heavy prison terms on arms dealers, in a bid to stem the rising trade in illegal weapons in the east African country. Enditem BEIJING, Aug. 27 -- The first Type 075 amphibious assault ship of the Chinese PLA Navy has successfully finished its first-stage sea trial, said Senior Colonel Wu Qian, spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense, at a regular press conference on Thursday. It is learnt that the Type 075 amphibious assault ship, independently developed by China, has strong capabilities of performing amphibious operations and diverse tasks. Amid strong protests by several students across the country against Centre's decision to conduct NEET 2020 and JEE in time of coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Thursday (August 29) said that professional examinations like NEET and JEE can be done online and the Centre should agree to conduct NEET and JEE in the same manner. The Punjab chief minister added that professional examinations were conducted online in the past too and it is happening all over the world due to coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. Professional examinations like NEET and JEE can be done online and I think Govt of India should agree. It has happened in the past and its happening all over the world, why cant it happen here? said CM Singh. Professional examinations like NEET & JEE can be done online & I think GOI should agree, its happened in the past & its happening all over the world, why cant it happen here?: @capt_amarinder pic.twitter.com/xP8l0Px4pz Congress (@INCIndia) August 27, 2020 The JEE-Mains exam is scheduled to take place from September 1-6 while the NEET-UG is scheduled for September 13. It is learnt that Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has also spoken to PM Modi and has urged him to postpone NEET, JEE. On Wednesday (August 26), West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had said that opposition ruled states such as Maharashtra, Punjab, West Bengal, Jharkhand should collectively approach the Supreme Court for deferring NEET, JEE Main exams to be held next month. CM Banerjee made the statement while participating in a discussion through video conferencing with Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and chief ministers of some opposition ruled states. Meanwhile, Over 14 lakh students have already downloaded the admit cards for JEE-Mains and NEET, till Wednesday evening. In order to meet the social distancing requirements, there has been a substantial increase in the number of centres. In order to ensure proper social distancing inside the examination halls, the candidates will be seated in alternate seats in case of JEE (Main). In the case of NEET (UG), the number of candidates per room has been reduced from earlier 24 to 12, now. Scott Morrison is pulling rank on the premiers in one area where his powers are clear. After butting heads with state leaders over the response to the pandemic, the Prime Minister is asserting his authority in foreign policy, the national interest and the rise of China. Prime Minister Scott Morrison is asserting power over the states. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen This is a message to all leaders but to Victorian premier Daniel Andrews more than anyone, thanks to his government's bilateral agreement with China. It is a necessary fix to the problem revealed when the Andrews government signed up to the Belt and Road Initiative last year without consulting the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Vendors at the 75th edition of the Central States Fair in Rapid City say they are grateful to be at the event, even with the lower than expected turnout in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Karen Cobb owns KC's Western Decor and Gifts from Three Forks, Montana. Her booth is set up in the commercial vendors building at the fairgrounds. Cobb said like most others, she was glad to come to the Central States Fair because most of the exhibitions this year have been canceled because of the pandemic. "I was at the Billings (Mont.) Fair, so I headed this way to this fair," Cobb said. "I've always wanted to come back to the Central States Fair because I competed in barrel racing back in 2003. I like to travel, but I just wish everything was better." Cobb said she normally travels to fairs and rodeos all across the country, but most of that has been put to a stop because of the pandemic. She said it has really been a struggle for her business. "We are really getting hit hard, not just from the virus, but the heat, the smoke, everything. It is just scaring everyone away," Cobb said. "Business has been very slow. Here (at the Central States Fair), I'm afraid I'm not even going to make my fees." Cobb said she is looking forward to the rodeo contests throughout the rest of the fair and hopes that causes more people to come out to the fair. "Hopefully, it will be a good weekend. I started this business five years ago as a small part-time venture to keep me busy. I love doing rodeos and fairs," Cobb said. Another vendor, Debbie Stamm, owns Sweet Wrap Western Gifts based in Cheyenne, Wyoming. She has brought her ladies western-wear clothing to the Central States Fair after setting up shop at the Wyoming State Fair earlier in the season. Stamm said she's only going to be able to attend the two fairs because the coronavirus pandemic has shuttered most venues and events that she sells at. "Turnout has been a little slow, and that's expected this year," Stamm said. "This fair has been nice and personable because it is a smaller fair. This time of year, I'm normally at the Nebraska State Fair. This will be my last show of the year. Everything else has been canceled." Stamm said her next show would have been the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas, but that was canceled, too. "This is my main livelihood. I do this full time. I'm on the road from June through February," she said. "It is really tough this year, but my husband works, and of course I'm using my savings, too, to try and make up the difference. I hope to rebuild my savings down the road after things get back to normal again." Contact Assistant Managing Editor Nathan Thompson at nathan.thompson@rapidcityjournal.com. You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 1 Sad 0 Angry 0 The business news you need Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to your inbox weekly. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. The podcast, which was launched last October during the 2019 GWS in Singapore, experienced a whopping 650% increase in downloads in the first month of the COVID-19 shutdown. The Global Wellness Summit (GWS), the foremost gathering of international leaders in the $4.5 trillion global wellness economy, today launched a new season of its popular podcast series. The podcast, which was launched last October during the 2019 GWS in Singapore, experienced a whopping 650% increase in downloads in the first month of the COVID-19 shutdown and grew international listenership from 31 to 51 countries. The first of the seven-episode season kicks off today with Sarah Smith, the content director of the iconic health resource Prevention magazine. Hosted by award-winning wellness industry communications veteran, Kim Marshall, the honest, wide-ranging conversations feature business leaders and thinkers from diverse wellness markets and explore topics often aligned with research spearheaded by the GWS nonprofit partner, the Global Wellness Institute (GWI). The podcasts in-depth conversations complement the briefer, weekly GWS #FiveinTen Leader Livecasts, where wellness business leaders share inspiration and case studies on how to cope and adapt during the pandemic. The new GWS Podcast season features: -Sarah Smith, Content Director, Prevention Find out how a powerful US wellness brand (and a pillar of the Hearst magazine empire) has served as a trusted health and lifestyle resource for seven decades. Smith also explains how the magazine has embraced the Global Wellness Institutes The Wellness Moonshot. Dr. Richard Carmona, former US Surgeon General Hear about his humble beginnings as a high school dropout in the Bronx and how he ultimately ended up as the US top doc. He also shares insights into working with Dr. Fauci on the US COVID-19 response. Jennifer Walsh, Walks with Walsh Embracing nature and getting outside has become one of the most popular coping strategies during the pandemic. Youll also hear how NYC-based Walsh has become the eyes, ears and heart of a changing city during an unprecedented time. Martha Collard, Gong Master A keynote presenter at the 2019 GWS in Singapore, this former marine biologist explains how she left the corporate world after 28 years to follow her passion of bringing wellness to the world through sound waves. Close your eyes and breathe deeply as this gong master bathes us in sound from a stunning, handcrafted, five-foot-wide, rainbow-hued, titanium gong. Roberto Arjona, General Manager, Rancho La Puerta Hear how, in spite of furloughing employees and being shut down for five months, the original destination spa in North America is celebrating its 80th anniversary by Evolving in a Whole New Way. James Chenevey, CEO Earthlite and Living Earth Crafts Learn how the employees of this successful spa equipment companywhose massage and facial tables can be found in 120 countriescame up with a way to adapt their equipment to provide a lifesaving tool for COVID-19 patients. Randi Mae Stafford Liebold A straightforward discussion with a Toronto-based wellness counselor about how the simultaneous crises of the ongoing pandemic and racial injustice in 2020 has taken a toll on the emotional and mental health of people of color. She shares specific, positive ways to change engrained, shortsighted behavior toward Black and brown communities, especially in the wellness industry. The GWS Podcast is produced by SWell Public Relations and Crate Media and is sponsored by Carillon Miami Wellness Resort. It can be found on all popular podcast platforms. In addition to the podcast and Instagram interviews, the GWI and GWS produce research and content that helps individuals and organizations navigate the current challenges and find opportunities to empower wellness worldwide. To access the latest resources from both organizations, click here. To learn more about the Summit or to register, click here. About the Global Wellness Summit: The GWS is an invitation-only international gathering that brings together leaders and visionaries to positively shape the future of the $4.5 trillion global wellness economy. Held in a different location each year, Summits have taken place in the US, Switzerland, Turkey, Bali, India, Morocco, Mexico, Austria, Italy and Singapore. The 14th annual Summit will take place at The Breakers Palm Beach, FL, from November 811, 2020. About Kim Marshall: Having worked as an executive at iconic properties like the Golden Door, Rancho La Puerta and the Grand Wailea Resort, Kim founded The Marshall Plan in 1995 as the first communications firm in the US to specialize in wellness, sustainability and wellness tourism. Kim served on the Board of the International Spa Association and the Green Spa Network. She is the original of 92 Global Wellness Day Ambassadors from around the world. In 2018, she and Darlene Fiske founded SWell Public Relationswhich PR News named one of the Top 100 PR firms in the US in 2020. Poland will ban flights from 46 countries, including France and Spain, as from September 2, according to a draft regulation published on Thursday. The ban is coming as the country grapples with a spike in coronavirus infections. The move follows targeted measures to reintroduce restrictions on public life in the worst affected parts of the country, as the government tries to tackle the spread of the virus without resorting to a complete lockdown. Due to the threat of spreading SARS CoV-2 virus infections, it is necessary to exercise the right to introduce air traffic bans in order to minimise the threat to public health, the regulation said. Poland closed its borders and suspended flights in March to stop the spread of the coronavirus. READ ALSO: However, it progressively loosened restrictions on public life, with shopping centres, hotels and restaurants all reopening in May. Polish national airline, PLL LOT resumed international flights on July 1, almost four months after suspending them. Other countries affected by the ban are popular tourist destinations like Montenegro and Croatia as well as Romania, the U.S., Israel, Mexico and Brazil. Poland has reported 64,689 cases of the coronavirus and 2,010 deaths. (Reuters/NAN) Build It With An Office A Mountain Getaway (TNS) Before the pandemic hit, working at home was the exception, not the rule. But what was a novelty is likely to become a more permanent reality, and that is driving a hunt for alternatives to plopping down a laptop on the kitchen table.About one in five employers expect to have 40 percent or more of their staff at a remote location come next spring, according to a survey last month from The Conference Board. Before COVID-19 hit, only 3 percent were that open to out-of-the-office work arrangements.People are like, This is driving me crazy this is not good for our family dynamic. One or both of us need to get out of the house, said Mike Koenig, president of Studio Shed in Louisville, recounting what his company is hearing from customers.The maker of pre-fabricated sheds has seen its orders rise five-fold since the pandemic hit. And almost all of the buyers, 95 percent, plan to use its modern-style sheds with interior finishes as home offices or work studios, not storage. It has gone meteoric for us, he said. Demand is so strong the company added a night shift to handle shipments. The manufacturer has gone from around two dozen employees to closer to three dozen to meet orders for the sheds, which start at around $20,000.Nearly half of workers report that their mental health has deteriorated since they began working at home, according to a survey conducted by KPMG. Part of that reflects the added workload employees face as colleagues are furloughed or let go.Koenig suspects the lack of separation between work space and personal space could also be contributing to mental stress. Home is meant to be a sanctuary from work, a place to enjoy your family and detach. Now more people are finding no escape.Erin Miller, who lives in Centennial, was already working from a small home office before the pandemic hit, doing copy editing and document layout. She and her husband, who shared the space occasionally, had weighed whether to build an addition to accommodate a larger office. But the high cost and a 16-month construction schedule gave them pause. Then the pandemic hit.With the stay-at-home order, my husband had to move part-time into the office with me this spring, which was not ideal for either of us, Miller said. The two had considered a Studio Shed years earlier and revisited the option.The Millers purchased a 1016 foot shed with lap metal siding on May 15 and completed it in early July. The footprint was small enough to not require a permit with the city, although they did need a permit for the electrical work. They hired a certified installer to speed up the construction time and to deal with drainage issues in their yard.My commute to work is a bit longer out the back door and across the grass instead of just down a flight of stairs but the space is welcoming, Miller said. She also uses the shed to relax after work or visit with friends, but there has been one complication.My biggest problem is keeping my two teenagers from trying to take over the space they think its really cool and regularly offer suggestions as to how they and their friends might like to hang out in the space, Miller said.Six months into the pandemic, some builders are convinced enough that remote work is here to stay that they have reconfigured their designs to include dedicated offices.The number of folks we see who have a home office has gone way up, said Randy Carpenter, president of KB Homes Colorado Division. They tell us stories about working from their kitchen table or their couches or their garages. That make-shift workplace is not working for them.Prior to the pandemic, about 5 percent to 10 percent of those visiting a sales office might be working at home, Carpenter said. Now that figure is running closer to 40 percent and will likely remain elevated in the years ahead.KB Home has redesigned some of its existing plans to provide home offices that look more like work offices rather than bedrooms repurposed as a den with a desk dropped in. Models showing the new configurations should be available for viewing next month at Baseline Villas in Broomfield, Cooperleaf in Aurora and Flatiron Meadows Villas in Erie.The offices come with built-in cabinets, shelves and countertops that serve as desk space. There are USB jacks, data connection points and electrical outlets that mimic what people would find at work. And the rooms have extra soundproofing so the kids or pets dont interrupt that important video call.KB Home includes the offices without expanding the footprint of the house. The extra finishes add about $2,000 to $4,000 to the cost of a more traditional design, Carpenter said.Denver-based M.D.C. Holdings Inc. also has revamped the plans at its subsidiary Richmond American Homes to help homebuyers adapt to the pandemic.Like KB Home, it is offering more options when it comes to home offices or integrating technology into other rooms so people can use them as workspaces. But the company has also expanded its Sunstone Plan to convert the fourth bedroom into multiple uses teen center, an extended workspace or a home gym.Many homeowners are living in a home that no longer makes sense for them, and we want to offer solutions, Heidi Sheldon, the companys national vice president of marketing, said in a release.Long after the pandemic has passed, the physical changes made to living spaces will be visible.Another way to cope with the cabin fever that working at home can generate is to rent another home, preferably one within driving distance that offers a change of scenery.High Rocky Homes co-founders Nadim Tannous and Alex Haler, like many owners of vacation properties, didnt know what to expect regarding the future of short-term rentals after travel ground to a halt.But the two, who either own or manage more than 50 properties in Colorado, California and Florida, have gone from worrying about survival in April and May to coping with a flood of requests.In June and July there was a surge in activity of people going up to the mountains wanting to getaway. We have had historic occupancy rates the last couple of months, said Tannous.Haler adds that initial predictions of a wave of panic selling depressing second home prices never materialized. Instead, the opposite has happened. More people are buying in resort areas to escape big cities, and the available inventory has tightened.Not only did occupancy roar back, but guests were staying for long periods of time. For Tannous, that meant they were either taking extended vacations or, more likely, that they were working remotely.Guests started asking for something that was a rare request before desks in their rooms. The requests became so frequent that Tannous and Haler are complying, even converting one room in their 10-bedroom lodge in Leadville into an office area.If they can work remotely what does it matter if they are working from their apartment or house or further away, Tannous said. He also notes that many guests dont always tell their employers where they are actually located.Guesty, a property management service that High Rocky Homes uses, has seen a 117 percent increase in reservations of 90 days or more. It is also seeing more spur-of-the-moment rentals. In July, for example, a majority of bookings came within seven days of arrival.Bookings for holidays periods, including Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years, are running lower than they did this time last year, the company said. That might change given the trend to booking closer in. But if it doesnt, it could also reflect workers not needing a remote office over the holidays.Even Las Vegas is getting in on the act. MGM Resorts earlier this month unveiled its Viva Las Office packages that offered discounted room rates, food credits and flexible check-in times at Bellagio and ARIA resorts. Weekdays only though. /* custom css */ .tdi_75_435.td-a-rec{ text-align: center; }.tdi_75_435 .td-element-style{ z-index: -1; }.tdi_75_435.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_75_435.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; }@media (max-width: 767px) { .tdi_75_435.td-a-rec-img { text-align: center; } } Advertisement A Magistrate Court in Kano on Wednesday suspended Luxurious buses operation within Kano metropolis and environs pending the hearing of the motion on notice. Kano State Road Traffic Agency (KAROTA) had dragged 15 Transporters to court seeking orders restraining the defendants or their agents from operating commercial buses activities around Sabon Gari or anywhere in Kano. KAROTA further asked the court to ordered the Commissioner of police in Kano to seal off Luxurious bus motor parks at Sabon Gari, and any other terminal of the defendants pending the hearing of the motion on notice. The defendants include Service Tarzan, Best Way, Landstar Express Ltd, Delta Express, Ltd, Welfare Transport, GUO Motors Ltd, FG Onyewe Motors Ltd, and Godbless Ezenwata Motors Ltd. /* custom css */ .tdi_74_df3.td-a-rec{ text-align: center; }.tdi_74_df3 .td-element-style{ z-index: -1; }.tdi_74_df3.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_74_df3.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; }@media (max-width: 767px) { .tdi_74_df3.td-a-rec-img { text-align: center; } } Other high profile transporters affected by the court order are Young Shall Grow, Ifeanyi Chukwu Motors Ltd, Sonny Way Motors Ltd, Gobson Motors Ltd, SD Enterprises Ltd, and First Tarzan Motors Ltd. The presiding Magistrate, Rakiya Lami Sani in her ruling granted the two prayers in the exparte application brought before it by Mutawakkil Isaq Muhammad, Principal State Counsel on behalf of Kano State Road Traffic Agency (KAROTA). Magistrate Lami Sani further directed the police to seal all bus terminal within and around Kano metropolis. The court, therefore, adjourned the final hearing till September 14th. KAROTA had in a meeting with the Luxurious bus owners directed them to relocate from the Sabon Gari Park to Unguwa Uku Motor Park. A 67-year-old woman died Saturday of burns and smoke inhalation during a Jackson Township house fire, authorities said. Pennsylvania State Police confirmed Deborah Mae Motter became trapped inside the home and succumbed to her injuries. The Dauphin County coroner was called around 9 a.m. to a home on the first block of Dee Court off Tourist Park Road. News of the fire was first reported by ABC 27. A 72-year-old man was treated for minor injuries at Holy Spirit Hospital, according to state police. Fire departments from Fisherville, Elizabethville and Millersburg responded to the blaze, state police said. The state polices fire marshal is assisting with the ongoing investigation. According to her obituary, Motter graduated in 1971 from Upper Dauphin Area High School. She is survived by numerous family members, including her children and husband of 47 years. READ MORE: Former college football player, 25, dies from COVID-19 Prankster who phoned in hundreds of fake food orders during pandemic arrested, police say Domestic disputes preceded disappearance of Cumberland County woman whose husband is on trial for killing her As the Constitutional Committee resumes work, Iran has expressed its desire to see a political solution to the crisis in Syria implemented writes SANA. Senior Assistant to the Iranian Foreign Minister for Special Political Affairs Ali Asghar Khaji reiterated his countrys support to reach a political solution to the crisis in Syria. The Iranian Foreign Ministry said that Khaji discussed with the UN Special Envoy to Syria, Geir Pedersen, in Geneva means of finding a political solution to the crisis in Syria. The two sides also discussed the agenda for the third round of the mini-committee of the expanded body of the Constitutional Committee. 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. Judicial mandate sees man detained for rape in Playa del Carmen Playa del Carmen, Q.R. The Attorney General of the State of Quintana Roo reports the capture of Ivan H for the crime of rape to the detriment of a victim of reserved identity in compliance with a judicial mandate. Their first investigations establish that Ivan H is a probable participant in events that occurred on August 24, when a woman was raped inside her hotel room located in the central neighborhood of Playa del Carmen. Reports say 33-year-old Ivan H, who is originally from Toluca, was involved in the rape of a 21-year-old female from Michoacan. Investigative Police arrested the accused in the Villamar I neighborhood. He was later placed at the disposal of the judge to face criminal proceedings. He remains in preventive detention. Nine states and a Union territory have been told by Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba to ramp up testing and tracing to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic effectively as they accounted for 89 percent of the fatalities in the last two weeks. Gauba, along with the union health secretary, held a video-conference with the chief secretaries and health secretaries of Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana, Gujarat, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday to assess the situation in the states. According to the press information bureau, these states account for 89 percent of the deaths in the last two weeks. Union Health Secretary made a detailed presentation on the current status of Covid-19 in these States/UT, with a focus on districts reporting high case fatality and the need to refine as well as strengthen approach and strategies relating to testing, contact tracing, surveillance, containment, home isolation, availability of ambulances, hospital beds, oxygen, treatment protocols, said a statement issued by the press information bureau. India reported over 75,000 cases on Wednesday in a highest single-day spike. Also read: Covid-19 Act of God, may result in contraction of economy - Nirmala Sitharaman The cabinet secretary has advised the states to initiate effective containment, contact tracing and surveillance. They have further been told to ensure that at least in 80 percent of new positive cases, all close contacts should be traced and tested with 72 hours. The states have also been asked to ensure 140 tests per million per day in districts while targeting positivity in containment zones at a rate of greater than 5 percent. They have also been asked to share information on the availability of beds and ambulances in the public domain and monitor week-wise fatality rates for each health facility with a focus on vulnerable patients. The Chief Secretaries explained about the current situation in the States/UT and their preparedness to tackle the spread of Covid-19, health infrastructure available to meet the challenge and steps taken to strengthen it further. States/UT also highlighted steps taken towards reducing case fatality as well as involving the community in terms of Covid safe behaviour, the statement added. Supreme Court will deliver its judgment on Friday in a batch of petitions seeking scrapping of final year / terminal semester university examinations which are scheduled to be held before September 30. A 3-judge bench headed by justice Ashok Bhushan will pronounce its verdict at 10.30 am. The UGC had, on July 6, directed universities across the country to hold final year examinations by September 30. It had defended this decision saying that future of students will be jeopardised if examinations are not held. The petitioners have demanded the apex court to consider scrapping online/ offline examinations in view of Covid -19 threat and instead direct UGC to declare results based on the past performance of students and internal assessment. States including Delhi, Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh have cancelled university exams including final year exams. The UGC, however, maintained that degree cannot be conferred on graduating students without holding final year examinations and it alone can take a call on whether or not exams should be cancelled. State governments cannot cancel examinations. That power lies with the UGC, solicito general Tushar Mehta, appearing on behalf of UGC told the top court on August 8. The ministry of home affairs supported UGC and filed an affidavit before apex court on August 13 stating that it has permitted limited opening of educational institutions across the country for holding final year examinations. Johnson applies pressure on Russia over alleged 'poisoning' of Navalny Iran Press TV Wednesday, 26 August 2020 5:37 PM Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, is using the alleged poisoning of Russian opposition politician, Alexei Navalny, to pile on more pressure on Moscow. In a tweet today (August 26), the PM claimed the alleged poisoning has "shocked the world" before pledging to join "international efforts to ensure justice is done". Navalny , who by all credible accounts is a minor nuisance to the Russian authorities, fell ill and collapsed on August 20 on an internal flight from Tomsk (Siberia) to the capital Moscow. Navalny's supporters claim he became ill after drinking "poisoned" tea; however they have not supplied any evidence to support their claims. The opposition politician has since been transferred to a hospital in Berlin (Germany) where doctors are conducting extensive tests to discover the cause of his illness. The British political establishment has recently upped the pressure on Moscow, as demonstrated by the publication of the so-called Russia report, which provides a survey of Russian influence activities in the UK. To that end, Navalny's alleged poisoning provides additional ammunition for the British government to go on the political and diplomatic offensive against Russia. The British government has often accused the Russian intelligence services of "poisoning" their opponents. Most recently the British government tried but failed to develop a sustainable international diplomatic campaign against Moscow following the alleged poisoning of Russian double agent, Sergei Skripal, in Salisbury in March 2018. More than a decade earlier the British government had accused Russian intelligence services of masterminding the alleged "death by poisoning" in London of defector and rogue intelligence officer, Alexander Litvinenko. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address NEW MILFORD Sonic, a long-awaited fast-food restaurant, will open for business Saturday at 10 a.m. in town. The indoor dining area will not be open immediately, due to ongoing construction for another business soon to open at the site. In the meantime, the drive-thru will be open. We hope to build a business that will create jobs in New Milford and make it fun, and have a family environment, Steven Berney, managing partner of the local franchise, said of the opening. Of course, sharing some of the restaurants popular offerings is important, too, he said. Its a fun kind of burger franchise with burgers, chicken sandwiches and hot dogs, Berney said. Signature drinks, such as cherry and strawberry limeades, slushes, milkshakes, ice cream and Blasts ice cream mixed with candy and cookie pieces round out the menu. The success of a restaurant is built upon more than food. Berney said having a healthy work environment for employees and treating customers well are paramount. Were not just in the food business, Berney said. Were in the people business. Berneys business partner is Mir Ahmed of New Milford, who owns the former bank building in which Sonic is located and recently opened the Sunoco gas station, and soon-to-open 7-Eleven, both also at the site. Berneys son, Nik, 23, will be the face of the restaurant, serving in the role of general manager. Part of the reason I want to get involved in the business is I have worked in food services my whole life, said Nik, who attended Sarah Noble Intermediate School and Schaghticoke Middle School in town. Nik graduated from Nonnewaug High School, a vo-ag school in Woodbury, before living in Colorado, where he worked at a restaurant owned by the parent company of Sonic. Ironically, a Sonic was next door to the business and he and his friends would always go there to get the $1 corn dogs, he said. Now that he will manage a Sonic, he hopes to bring some of his favorite Sonic foods and drinks, as well as job opportunities, to the community. I really think, for me, its really about making sure the kids coming out of high school feel comfortable working somewhere, Nik said, emphasizing the type of work environment he wants to provide for employees, especially those in high school. The way youre treated at work can make all the difference, the younger Berney said. Someone who puts a good work ethic in you at a young age really helps. We want to groom high school kids who have their first or second job with us and give them a good experience, said Nik, who graduated with a degree in finance from Western Connecticut State University. Approximately 35 people were hired for the new establishment. Opening a business in the midst of a pandemic is not without its challenges. Steve said the franchise would have opened this spring if not for the pandemic. Coordinating vendors, equipment installation and restrictions for travelers have delayed the opening. Its great to see local investment into our community, and economic development from a company the size of Sonic is a great addition, said state Rep. Bill Buckbee, R-67th. I cant wait to get a shake. Nik said he looks forward to serving the community. We want people to be able to come here and get hot food and get cold ice cream for dessert, he said. New Milford Economic Development Director Karen Pollard describes the new Sonic as a success story with its franchise owner, the elder Berney, using his knowledge and experience in sales, customer service and retail operations to start his own company and invest right here in New Milford. Hes off to a great start in hiring his son as the manager, Pollard said. Hes doing a great job hiring and training all of the new staff. This Sonic will have the best customer service. Sonic, located at 291 Danbury Road, will be open daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. in September, then will be Sundays through Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to midnight. For more information, call the restaurant at 860-717-0430. (Newser) Hurricane Laura made landfall overnight and has been punishing the Gulf Coast ever since. One of the first coastal cities hit was Lake Charles in Louisiana, where images of torn-off roofs, damaged buildings, and downed power lines were common, reports the Washington Post. TV station KHOU is compiling videos from Lake Charles at the peak of the storm, including here, here, and here. The city's convention center suffered heavy damage, reports KFDM, which has photos. Elsewhere, Gov. John Bel Edwards reported the first fatality: A 14-year-old girl was killed when a tree fell on her house in Leesville, reports the AP. Laura came ashore as a Category 4 storm with winds reaching 150mph. It was later downgraded to a Category 2, per NBC News. Even people inland in eastern Texas and western Louisiana are expected to feel the brunt. (Read more Hurricane Laura stories.) Mr Gonski said a positive effect of the Hayne royal commission was that banks were taking ethical and environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues "very seriously." On the coronavirus pandemic that has upended swathes of the economy, Mr Gonski expressed long-term optimism that a vaccine and medical treatments would be developed, but acknowledged he did not know when this would happen. Mr Gonski will retire from ANZ's board at the bank's annual meeting in October to be replaced by former Optus chief Paul O'Sullivan, after a six-year period as chairman that included the industry-wide scandals uncovered at the Hayne royal commission into financial misconduct. Outgoing ANZ Bank chairman David Gonski says protecting the bank's reputation and serving customers should be the top priorities, after chairing the lender through a turbulent period in which the industry's cultural problems were laid bare. I would say that for each of the banks, our job is to keep ourselves absolutely up to date and attuned to what our consumers want, and producing that at reasonable costs and indeed with the reputational standing that we want for our bank, which is excellent, Mr Gonski said in an interview with The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. A long-standing critic of short-termism in business, Mr Gonski said focusing on customers and reputation should not be "novel," and highlighted a board committee ANZ had established to deal with ethical and ESG issues. Looking back on the biggest challenges during his time as chairman, Mr Gonski also referred to efforts by the bank to reform its culture after the ferocious scrutiny of the royal commission. "I think that establishing the proper culture and protections within the organisation to ensure that the reputation that we have is improved and nurtured, was something that was brought very clearly to the fore by the royal commission," Mr Gonski said. ANZ's next chairman, Mr O'Sullivan, joined the bank's board in November and was previously the CEO of Optus. He currently chairs Western Sydney Airport Corporation, Optus and is a director of Coca Cola Amatil. Mr O'Sullivan said banking was at an "inflection point" and ANZ was committed to supporting the economy recover from COVID-19. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued a warning this week about a North Korean hacker group known as "BeagleBoyz" which it blamed for attacks on financial institutions as well as "lucrative" cryptocurrency exchange attacks. The notice, published by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency on Wednesday, provided a detailed analysis of the BeagleBoyz efforts, including a string of attacks on ATMs and a multi-year assault on the SWIFT banking network. Last summer, the United Nations published a report on North Korea's widespread hacking efforts, including its focus on SWIFT, resulting in the amassing of $2 billion in proceeds. While it did not provide a direct figure, CISA also blamed the BeagleBoyz group for "lucrative cryptocurrency thefts." The notice went on to explain: "In addition to robbing traditional financial institutions, the BeagleBoyz target cryptocurrency exchanges to steal large amounts of cryptocurrency, sometimes valued at hundreds of millions of dollars per incident. Cryptocurrency offers the BeagleBoyz an irreversible method of theft that can be converted into fiat currency because the permanent nature of cryptocurrency transfers do not allow for claw-back mechanisms." Earlier this week, cybersecurity firm F-Secure issued a report linking the North Korean-tied hacking group Lazarus to an attack on a cryptocurrency company. The unnamed company was reportedly targeted via LinkedIn. 2020 The Block Crypto, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice. NEW DELHI (PTI): The Defence Ministry has started work on bringing out by December this year a second list of military platforms and weapons which will be banned from import under a staggered timeline to encourage their domestic production, officials said on Wednesday. The Ministry has already started preliminary discussions with major stakeholders like the defence public sector undertakings, private industries, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the three services on the second negative arms import list, they said. On August 9, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had announced that India will stop the import of 101 weapons and military platforms like transport aircraft, light combat helicopters, conventional submarines, cruise missiles and sonar systems by 2024. Subsequently, the Defence Ministry released the first list of items, with a detailed timeline. "We are working on bringing out the second negative arms import list by end of December," said a senior official. The Defence Minister has already outlined the broad contours of the government's roadmap for making India a hub for defence manufacturing. India is one of the largest importers of arms globally. According to estimates, the Indian armed forces are projected to spend around US$ 130 billion in capital procurement in the next five years. The Defence Ministry has set a goal of a turnover of US$ 25 billion (Rs 1.75 lakh crore) in defence manufacturing in the next five years that included an export target of USD 5 billion (Rs 35,000 crore) worth of military hardware. As part of efforts to promote the domestic defence industry, the Ministry has bifurcated the capital procurement budget for 2020-21 between domestic and foreign capital procurement routes. A separate budget head has been created with an outlay of nearly Rs 52,000 crore for domestic capital procurement in the current financial year. In sync with the government's initiative, the DRDO on Monday identified 108 military systems and subsystems like navigation radars, tank transporters and missile canisters for the domestic industry to design, develop and manufacture. The DRDO said it will also provide support to industries for design, development and testing of these systems on a requirement basis. The premier institute has set a target of next year in developing the 108 systems and subsystems. The first list of 101 items banned from import included towed artillery guns, short-range surface to air missiles, cruise missiles, offshore patrol vessels, electronic warfare systems, next-generation missile vessels, floating dock, anti-submarine rocket launchers and short-range maritime reconnaissance aircraft. South Africa: Proper processes followed in laptop procurement While there is a delay in the procurement of devices for students, proper administrative processes were followed, says Higher Education, Science and Innovation Minister, Dr Blade Nzimande. Although the provision of devices is extremely urgent as part of the governments response to COVID-19, a formal, transparent, competitive tender process was followed, Nzimande said on Wednesday. The Minister said this as he responded to complaints regarding the delays in procurement of laptops. Nzimande said he had tasked the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), with the procurement process of the digital learning devices for NSFAS funded students currently registered at universities and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges. He said the department adopted this route instead of an emergency tender process to avoid any deviation from the normal competitive procurement process. The reason for this was our serious concern that the process must be beyond reproach given recent experiences of reported corrupt practices experienced around COVID-19 procurement of personal protective equipment (PPEs). The Administrator of NSFAS informed me on Tuesday that none of the bids competing for the supply of learning devices as specified in the bid process, had achieved the mandatory requirements as required in the bid document. For this reason, no tender was awarded, Nzimande explained. While acknowledging that this is unfortunate and regrettable, in the sense that the procurement of learning devices will not take place right now, Nzimande insists that the rules of good governance and due process must be followed to ensure a judicious outcome in the public interest. Government policy is clear that our procurement process must promote an inclusive economy with diverse players, with specific priority given to credible broad-based black economic enterprises to ensure we that broaden the base of our economy, Nzimande said. Briefing the media on his department's response to South Africas move to lockdown alert level 2, Nzimande said he has instructed that all institutions falling under his two departments to publish a full list of all companies that have benefited from procurement initiated in response to COVID-19. Once a service provider has been appointed, the learning devices will be delivered directly to the student as per address provided on the acknowledgement of debt or request for digital learning device form, Nzimande said. NSFAS has issued guidelines to outline process to be followed to enable students to receive these laptops. Over 89 000 NSFAS applications received Meanwhile, NSFAS has received over 89 547 applications for 2021. The NSFAS 2021 application cycle opened on 3 August 2020 and will close on 30 November 2020. Given current extreme circumstance as a direct result of COVID-19, we are anticipating an influx of applications by the closing date of applications, with predictions of a higher number of applications compared to the previous years, Nzimande said. Legal action against fraudulent NSFAS students In addition, Nzimande has warned that legal action will be taken against students, who attempted to defraud NSFAS by misrepresenting their financial status. This follows the removal of 5 000 students from NSFAS list, who were incorrectly funded on the basis of providing incorrect information for the 2020 academic year, on the basis of in accurate information supplied in the original applications. Nzimande said NSFAS has issued communique to all affected students notifying them of termination of their funding status, and the process to follow if they dispute the findings. The affected students will have 14 days from the date they received the SMS communication to petition this decision by submitting proof of family income or change of income to NSFAS for review. These documents need to be submitted to NSFAS via email at IncomeReview@nsfas.org.za, Nzimande said. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2020-08-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. By PTI DHAKA: Bangladesh on Thursday gave approval for the final stage human trial of a prospective COVID-19 vaccine developed by a Chinese company, as the country reported 45 new deaths and over 2,400 fresh infections. The vaccine developed by China's Sinovac Biotech Ltd was described by the country's health minister Zahid Maleque as one of the most potential vaccine candidates in the world. "We have given the approval for the human trial of COVID-19 vaccine developed by Sinovac in Bangladesh after examining all necessary research protocols," Maleque told a media briefing. He said the company had already got approval in Indonesia while it was trying to carry out phase-3 or last stage human trials in several other countries. The minister said the government decided to give the final trial approval to the vaccine after the relevant government organisations examined its necessary aspects including effectiveness and safety. "We will extend all necessary cooperation to Sinovac for finishing their trial to contain the deadly virus," he said. Bangladesh has registered 45 new fatalities from COVID-19 in a daily count, taking the total death toll to 4,127. The tally of infections climbed to 304,583 after 2,436 people tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday, according to data released by the health directorate. Experts said the phase-3 clinical trial meant the vaccine would now be administered on thousands of people for testing its efficacy and safety. Bangladesh's final approval for it came more than a month after the regulatory Medical Research Council (BMRC) extended the initial "ethical approval" for the prospective vaccine. The process began after Dhaka-based International Centre for Diarrheal Disease Research, Bangladesh (ICDRB) submitted a research protocol seeking to carry out the trial on behalf of the private Chinese company at nine health units dedicated for COVID-19 patients in Dhaka. Maleque said Sinovac attached Bangladesh as a top priority country to conduct the trial. "We will get one lakh vaccines for free...and Bangladesh will get priority to purchase adequate numbers of vaccines from the Chinese company," Maleque said. Earlier this month, Bangladesh entered into diplomatic talks with India as Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla made a two-day surprise visit to Dhaka when "vaccine diplomacy" appeared to have largely dominated the talks. India is collaborating with the UK's Oxford University team that developed another prospective vaccine and started its trial in the country as pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca, which was backing the study, reported that it obtained "good data" on its COVID-19 vaccine candidate. "Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen stated that Bangladesh is ready to collaborate in the development of COVID-19 vaccine (in India), including its trial, and looks forward to early affordable availability of the vaccine when it is ready," the government had said in a statement following the talks. Shringla expressed "India's willingness to be in close contact with Bangladesh and other neighbours and highlighted the cost advantage that India enjoys due to its economies of scale in manufacturing," it said. Bin Momen said that Dhaka intended to pick one potential vaccine that would be safer and most useful for Bangladesh while "our efforts are on to get access to a potential COVID-19 vaccine". "It (vaccine) could be from China, Russia, USA or India ...our discussion is underway with them all," he had told reporters ahead of his talks with his Indian counterpart. Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) backed Lucid Motors said that its forthcoming Lucid Air will offer class-leading interior space and spatial efficiency packaged around a powerful, compact, and energy dense 113kWh extended-range battery pack. This combination maximizes customer comfort and provides surprising storage space, including the largest frunk ever offered on an electric car. Lucid Motors, a leader in advanced luxury EVs, said that Lucid Air will feature class-leading interior space and spatial efficiency packaged around a powerful, compact and energy dense 113kWh extended-range battery pack. This combination maximizes customer comfort and provides surprising storage space, including the largest frunk (front trunk) ever offered on an electric car. All-around efficiency extends beyond energy efficiency to spatial efficiency in Lucids Space Concept, an innovative new design layout that provides more interior space and comfort than competitive luxury and EV offerings. It capitalizes upon the miniaturization of Lucids in-house developed EV drivetrain and battery pack to optimize interior cabin space within Lucid Airs relatively compact exterior footprint. This extends the philosophy of hyper-efficiency embedded in every facet of Lucid Air from energy efficiency to spatial efficiency, delivering an unprecedented combination of range, practicality, performance, and comfort. With the Lucid Space Concept implemented from the inception of its development, Lucid Air is the first EV designed from the ground up around the spatial benefits enabled by the miniaturization of an electric drivetrain and battery pack. This provides remarkable passenger space for the exterior size of the vehicle, combined with surprising storage volume. Created in parallel with the in-house development of Lucids powerful, efficient, and miniaturized drivetrain, the Lucid Air is a luxury, all-electric sedan with an estimated EPA range of up to 517 miles as well as up to1,000 horsepower available from its dual-motor architecture. Its relatively easy to achieve more range by adding progressively more batteries, but gaining dumb range that way increases weight and cost, and reduces interior space, said Peter Rawlinson, CEO and CTO, Lucid Motors. Lucid Air has achieved its remarkable range whilst also reducing battery size through its in-house technology, resulting in a breakthrough in overall vehicle-level efficiency. By pursuing this smart range approach, Lucid shall not only be able to offer the Air with this unprecedented absolute range, but also offer future models that achieve competitive range from proportionately smaller battery packs, thereby saving cost, weight, and space. Lucids breakthrough is not merely just a few percent; we are talking about a significant improvement, which I shall cover further on September 9th. This represents a true breakthrough and what excites me the most for the future and for Lucids role in advancing electrification and sustainable mobility, Rawlinson added. In addition to unprecedented interior passenger space for its compact exterior footprint, the Lucid Air also features the largest frunk ever offered in a production EV, with a capacity of over 280 litres, which is 89 percent larger than the current leader in the Lucid Airs vehicle class and 40 percent larger than the current EV leader in the SUV class. In combination with its trunk, Lucid Air offers a total of 739 litres of luggage space, best in class for both electric and internal combustion engine vehicles by some margin. The luxurious space and comfort realized by the Lucid Space Concept layout become tangible once inside the Lucid Air. With the LEAP (Lucid Electric Advanced Platform) skateboard platform, integrating Lucids race-proven battery technology beneath, and airy full Canopy Glass Roof above, occupants of Lucid Air will enjoy an unparalleled experience. The production version of the Lucid Air will debut in an online reveal on September 9, 2020. In addition to the vehicles final interior and exterior designs, new details about production specifications, available configurations, and pricing information will also be shared, a company statement said. TradeArabia News Service Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Tina Smith pressed five of the nation's largest testing labs over delays in processing coronavirus tests as the flu season approaches. Labs across the country have struggled to keep pace with the rapid rise of coronavirus cases earlier this summer, leading to long lines at testing centers and turnaround times of more than a week for some patients. Billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates said that long turnaround times render coronavirus tests a "complete waste" because it takes so long to get results that people can't self-isolate once they find out they have the virus. "Delayed test results and the inability to conduct enough tests seriously weakens the country's efforts to combat the pandemic. Delays in results can obfuscate public health officials' view of the virus and how it is spreading, hindering their ability to respond effectively and, in turn, prolonging the pandemic," the senators wrote in five letters sent Wednesday to the nation's biggest lab companies. The letters were viewed by CNBC. "While testing numbers and turnaround times have improved in recent weeks, it is imperative we take steps now to prevent future delays and backlogs." Public health officials such as Dr. Ashish Jha, professor of global health at Harvard University, have echoed Gates' concerns. A survey run between July 30 and Aug. 10 by CNBC in partnership with Dynata, a global data and survey firm, suggested that almost 40% of Americans at the time had to wait more than three days for their results, rendering them clinically useless, by Jha and others' definitions. The Democratic senators expressed concern about testing challenges in states that were hit particularly hard by the virus this summer such as Florida, Texas, Arizona, and California. "Tens of thousands flocked to testing sites in these states and across the country, and labs and local officials struggled to keep pace," they wrote. "Public health officials have even been forced to turn away patients from testing sites and re-impose testing restrictions." Warren, D-Mass., and Smith, D-Minn., sent letters to Quest Diagnostics, LabCorp, the Mayo Clinic, BioReference Labs and ARUP Labs. In the letters, the senators asked each of the companies to tell them the current turnaround time for coronavirus testing, maximum daily capacity as well as their turnaround time and capacity during July and August. They also asked the companies to let them know if they've faced any shortages in supplies needed to process Covid-19 tests. Quest, LabCorp, ARUP Labs and Mayo Clinic confirmed that they received the letter and are reviewing it. Representatives of BioReference Labs did not return CNBC's request for comment. The senators requested responses by Sept. 9. ARCHIVED - A further 7 pateras and 67 irregular migrants reached Murcia on Wednesday An additional boat arrived early on Thursday morning and more are expected Throughout Wednesday further boatloads of irregular migrants were detected in the Murcia Region, a total of 67 migrants swelling the numbers of those who have arrived recently. All of those detained were Algerians: Total, 7 vessels, 67 immigrants 1) 6.30 am, coastline of the Monte Percheles area, Mazarron, 11 immigrants intercepted The rest arrived throughout the afternoon / evening: 2) 10 nautical miles south of Cartagena with 15 irregular immigrants on board, all males. 3) Playa de Portman - La Union, 9 irregular male immigrants intercepted. 4) Playa de Portman, 6 irregular immigrants intercepted (3 men, 2 women and 1 minor) 5) Playa de Calblanque - Cartagena, 4 irregular immigrants, men. 6) Cabo Negrete - Cartagena, 9 irregular male immigrants were intercepted. 7) South of Monte Cenizas-Cartagena, 13 immigrants, 11 males, 2 minors. On Thursday morning the Government Delegate has reported that one boat was intercepted with 21 people on board to the south-west of La Azohia and further boats are expected on Thursday. It is becoming increasingly common for a percentage of those arriving in these small boats to test positive for Covid-19. On Monday 10 migrants were hospitalised after arriving in the region at the weekend, with Covid and their travelling companions were put into quarantine. During the last week the Region of Murcia has received multiple boatloads of irregular migrants from Algeria, as migrant transit centres and the borders of Algeria and Morocco remain closed, so Spain is unable to repatriate arrivals on Spanish shores through the normal channels. This year the number of migrations to Spain has been lower than normal, due prinicipally to the restrictions caused by Covid-19, but in recent weeks there has been an upsurge in activity as organised crime gangs take advantage of the opportunity to bring increased numbers of economic migrants into Spain. The desire to seek a better life and try to find employment is understandable, as unemployment is high in Algeria, the country is suffering from severe economic problems, and opportunities, particularly for young people, are extremely limited. Political opposition against the current regime has lead to public protests and an increased level of dissatisfaction within the country, leading many particularly young people to look at Europe as potentially offering better opportunities. The number of crossings by Algerians has increased dramatically recently; the Frontex border force said last week about crossings on the Western mediterranean route There were around 1 500 detections of illegal border crossings in the Western Mediterranean in July, 84% more than in the previous month.Despite the rise last month, the total for the first seven months of 2020, was less than half the figure from the same period in the previous year at 6 100. The number of Algerians, who accounted for one out of every two detections on this route this year, was seven times the figure from a year ago. All of the migrants intercepted recently off the Murcian coast have been Algerians. On Sunday morning 73 people in six boats wre intercepted, bringing the total of irregular migrants arriving in the Region of Murcia to 132 over the weekend. Last week was a busy week for Cruz Roja and the coastguard: Over the previous Friday evening and Saturday morning twelve boats containing a total of 138 migrants were detected off the Cartagena coastline. 3 of the migrants had to be rescued by firemen and a helicopter from the regional CEIS fire and rescue service after their boat landed in a rocky area with poor access and they attempted to climb Monte de las Cenizas. The two men and one woman had to be airlifted from the side of the mountain. Seven of the new arrivals later tested positive for covid. As the week wore on there were four further lots of arrivals; on Wednesday evening 37 migrants reached Murcia in three boats; on Wednesday morning ten out of 30 were detained after a boat landed on El Portus beach at 11am in the morning and its occupants scattered in the surrounding coutryside, much to the surprise of beachgoers. Police only managed to locate 10 of the 30 in the boat, three of whom tested positive for covid. The others were never located. On Thursday evening a further 48 migrants arrived in four boats. The interceptions took place after 10 pm, when four boats with 8, 11, 14 and 15 irregular migrants on board, respectively, were sighted southeast of Monte de las Cenizas, in Cartagena. On Friday evening and the early hours of Saturday morning, a further six boats containing 81 migrants were detected off the Murcian coastline. NB: The migrants are referred to as irregular immigrants by the EU; the Spanish media tend to call them sin papeles meaning those with no paperwork entering the country illegally, others refer to them as illegal migrants. The phrase irregular migrants is used on MT in an attempt to convey that these are not refugees, but economic migrants, in this case from Algeria, entering Spain and the EU in an illegal fashion, without passports or documentation and without any legal right to enter the EU as Algeria is not an EU member and there is no migration agreement between the two countries. Donate to Cruz Roja; Humanitarian work to ensure those arriving in Spain are treated with dignity is undertaken by the humanitarian organisation Cruz Roja. If you would like to donate, here is the link: Cruz Roja Espanola Further reading EU Action plan against Migrant Smuggling 2015/2020 Click to read EU Directive f2008/115/EC Common standards and procedures in EU Member States for returning illegally staying third country nationals. Click to read FRONTEX European coast guard and border control agency. This explains more about the migration issue and shows the different routes taken. Our routes here are the "Western Mediterranean" routes used principally by Moroccans And Algerians.Click Frontex Southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, a landmark in the country's reform and opening-up drive, on Wednesday marked the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the special economic zone. Over the past four decades, Shenzhen has transformed from a small fishing village into a modern metropolis with a permanent population of over 13 million. It is still in the vanguard of China's development as a reform and opening-up paragon. The Shenzhen speed On Aug. 26, 1980, the 15th meeting of the Standing Committee of the fifth National People's Congress, the national legislature, approved the establishment of special economic zones in Shenzhen, Zhuhai and Shantou in Guangdong Province and Xiamen in Fujian Province. Ever since then, Shenzhen has created a miracle in development. This can be seen in the figures. From 1979 to 2019, Shenzhen's gross domestic output (GDP) rose at an annual growth rate of 21.6 percent to 2.69 trillion yuan (about 388.89 billion U.S. dollars), its per capita GDP also skyrocketed from 606 yuan to 203,489 yuan. Shenzhen has now become the "Silicon Valley of China" and is regarded an "engine" for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area's development into a vibrant world-class city cluster. On average, there are 8.5 state-level high-tech enterprises per square km in Shenzhen, and an average of 71 invention patents are authorized every day. As Shenzhen kick-started a brand-new market-oriented development pattern in 1980, a raft of reforms have been carried out in the city, which created countless firsts on the Chinese mainland, including the first land auctioned, the first stock issued and the first export industrial zone set up after the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949. "From the very beginning, Shenzhen's reform and opening-up has been endowed with the feature of boldly looking for breakthroughs from existing experiences, which is also the starting point of China's great success," said Tao Yitao, director of the China Center for Special Economic Zone Research at Shenzhen University. In 1984, China opened 14 coastal cities. Four years later, the tropical island of Hainan became a province and a special economic zone. In 1990, China started to develop and open up Shanghai's Pudong, which has now become an investment haven for foreign firms. Shenzhen dream, Chinese dream "There would be no Shenzhen without the policy of reform and opening up," said Wang Chuanfu, chairman of China's leading new-energy vehicle (NEV) manufacturer BYD. "And likewise, there would be no BYD without Shenzhen." Wang has been chasing his dream, like millions of others, in Shenzhen since 1995. Over the past 25 years, BYD has grown from a battery manufacturer into a leading NEV producer. It has obtained more than 18,000 patents, with products reaching customers in more than 50 countries and regions. "We have taken root in Shenzhen and worked hard to master the core technology. The competitiveness of BYD is getting stronger and stronger, and our road is getting wider and wider," said Wang in pride. Shenzhen now boasts eight Chinese Fortune 500 firms such as Huawei, Tencent, Vanke and Ping An Insurance, ranking third on the Chinese mainland in terms of the number of such enterprises, and nearly 300 overseas Fortune 500 enterprises have settled in the city. "For 40 years, Shenzhen has explored a unique development path to driving China's modernization and achieving the goal of common prosperity," said Tao. New mission In August last year, Shenzhen, the trailblazer in China's reform and opening up, received a new mission. A guideline issued by the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council said Shenzhen will be built into a pilot demonstration area of socialism with Chinese characteristics. Pilot demonstration means that Shenzhen should not only be a pioneer but also serve as a model for other cities, so as to build an "ideal city" of socialism with Chinese characteristics, said Wu Sikang, a researcher with the Development Research Center of the Shenzhen government. The guideline laid out a timeline for the city's development -- by 2025, it will become a leading city globally in terms of economic strength and quality of development; by 2035, not only will it become a national model of high-quality development, but also a hub of innovation, entrepreneurship and creativity with international influence. "Shenzhen's role as the trailblazer in marketization, internationalization and legalization has put it on the fast track of development in the 40-plus years of reform and opening-up," said Song Ding with the China Development Institute (CDI) based in Shenzhen. "It's also the reason the central government made it a pilot demonstration area." Experts also believe that Shenzhen's development model will inject incentives into the regional integration of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. After implementing a number of reforms to improve the business system, Shenzhen continues to optimize the business environment this year in such areas as business registration, administrative approval and tax payment. "Shenzhen should create even better policy, financial, law and integrity environment for enterprises and continue to play a leading role in China's reform and opening-up," said Li Luoli, vice chairman of the CDI. The family of a south Alabama medical student killed in a DUI crash has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the neurosurgeon who was behind the wheel. The lawsuit was filed in Mobile Circuit Court Wednesday against 36-year-old Dr. Jonathan Nakhla. The surgeon already is charged with manslaughter in the Aug. 1 death of 24-year-old Samantha Alison Thomas. She was a passenger in his vehicle. Nakhla, according to the lawsuit filed Wednesday by Huntsville attorney Joe A. King Jr., was not only speeding and drunk when the fatal crash happened. The suit also claims the doctor had previously boasted that because he had been issued a physician card by a police department he could escape responsibility for driving in violation of the law. According to court records, the crash happened early that Saturday morning. Nakhla, who at the time of the crash was on staff at the Mobile Infirmary, was driving his Audi R8 Spyder, a high-performance convertible, at 138 mph in a 45-mph zone on the West Interstate 65 Service Road in Mobile. At 12:41 a.m., another vehicle turned in front of the doctor, causing him to swerve and lose control. He struck a guardrail in front of the Econo Lodge and then rolled six times along the guardrail before hitting a light pole and landing upside down in a ditch. Thomas was pronounced dead at the scene. Nakhla was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. He was arrested by Mobile police Aug. 10 on the manslaughter charge. Authorities at the time said the charge was based on a blood alcohol test results showing that Nakhla was over the legal limit. Police nor court records indicate his blood alcohol level at the time of the crash. Thomas was a medical student in the USA College of Medicine and her death prompted an outpouring of personal tributes on social media. According to the lawsuit, Nakhla was negligent and/or wantonly caused Thomas death, citing excessive speeds, alcohol, careless or reckless behavior, failure to keep a proper lookout, failure to maintain proper control of the vehicle and operating the vehicle without due care. Additionally, the suit contends, Nakhla became intoxicated as a result of consuming numerous alcoholic beverages and he boasted that, because he had been issued a physician card by a police department, he could escape responsibility for driving in violation of the law. The suit requests a jury trial and unspecified damages. LAS VEGAS A Russian citizen has been arrested and charged with offering an employee of a Nevada company $1 million to sow malware for an attack to harvest company data for ransom, U.S. authorities said Tuesday. Egor Igorevich Kriuchkov, 27, was arrested Saturday after meeting with the employee and then driving overnight from Reno to Los Angeles, where the FBI said he planned to fly out of the country, according to documents filed in U.S. District Court in Reno. The plot was stopped before any damage occurred, said FBI Special Agent in Charge Aaron Rouse in Las Vegas. Kriuchkov made an initial appearance Monday in federal court in Los Angeles on a charge of conspiracy to intentionally cause damage to a protected computer, U.S. Attorney Nicholas Trutanich said. A magistrate judge ordered Kriuchkov to remain in federal custody pending trial, the prosecutor said. A conviction could result in a sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Court records did not immediately reflect the name of an attorney who could speak on Kriuchkovs behalf. He is expected to be transferred in custody to Reno in coming days. We are committed to holding accountable anyone who plots to use malicious cyber tactics to harm American consumers and companies, Trutanich said. Kriuchkov traveled to the United States on his Russian passport and a tourist visa, prosecutors said. The business in Nevada was identified only as Victim Company A in a criminal complaint that alleges Kruichkov spent more than five weeks communicating by an internet chat app and in person with the unnamed employee. Some meetings were monitored and recorded by the FBI. It is not clear in the documents if money changed hands. The employee was expected to install software enabling an entity referred to as the group initiate a distributed denial of service attack flooding and crashing the company computer system to occupy tech security officials while a second intrusion obtained data. Other suspected co-conspirators are identified in the complaint by nicknames including Kisa and Pasha; a person is identified as Sasha Skarobogatov; and references are made to at least one other failed effort to target another company. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. In a year defined by obstacles, a University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign student rocket team persevered. Working together across five time zones, they successfully designed a hybrid rocket engine that uses paraffin and a novel nitrous oxide-oxygen mixture called Nytrox. The team has its sights set on launching a rocket with the new engine at the 2021 Intercollegiate Rocketry and Engineering Competition. "Hybrid propulsion powers Virgin Galactic's suborbital tourist spacecraft and the development of that engine has been challenging. Our students are now experiencing those challenges first hand and learning how to overcome them," said faculty adviser to the team Michael Lembeck. Last year the team witnessed a number of catastrophic failures with hybrid engines utilizing nitrous oxide. The propellant frequently overheated in the New Mexico desert, where the IREC competition is held. Lembeck said this motivated the team to find an alternative fuel that could remain stable at temperature. Nytrox surfaced as the solution to the problem. As the team began working on the engine this past spring semester, excitement to conduct hydrostatic testing of the ground oxidizer tank vessel quickly turned to frustration as the team lacked a safe test location. Team leader Vignesh Sella said, "We planned to conduct the test at the U of I's Willard airport retired jet engine testing facility. But the Department of Aerospace Engineering halted all testing until safety requirements could be met." Sella said they were disheartened at first, but rallied by creating a safety review meeting along with another student rocket group to examine their options. "As a result of that meeting, we came up with a plan to move the project forward. The hybrid team rigorously evaluated our safety procedures, and had our work reviewed by Dr. Dassou Nagassou, the Aerodynamics Research Lab manager. He became a great resource for us, and a very helpful mentor." Sella and Andrew Larkey also approached Purdue University to draw from their extensive experience in the realm of rocket propulsion. They connected with Chris Nielson who is a graduate student and lab manager at Purdue. They did preliminary over-the-phone design reviews and were eventually invited to conduct their hydrostatic and cold-flow testing at Purdue's Zucrow Laboratories, a facility dedicated to testing rocket propulsion with several experts in the field on-site. "We sent a few of the members there to scout the location and take notes before bringing the whole team there for a test," Sella said. "These meetings, relationships, and advances, although they may sound smooth and easy to establish, were arduous and difficult to attain. It was a great relief to us to have the support from the department, a pressure vessel expert as our mentor, and Zucrow Laboratories available to our team." The extended abstract, which the team had submitted much earlier to the AIAA Propulsion and Energy conference, assumed the engine would have been assembled and tested before the documentation process began. Team leader Vignesh Sella said they wanted to document hard test data but had to switch tactics in March. The campus move to online-only classes also curtailed all in-person activities, including those of registered student organizations like ISS. "As the disruptions caused by COVID-19 required us to work remotely, we pivoted the paper by focusing on documenting the design processes and decisions we made for the engine. This allowed us to work remotely and complete a paper that wasn't too far from the original abstract. Our members, some of whom are international, met on Zoom and Discord to work on the paper together virtually, over five time zones," Sella said. Sella said he and the entire team are proud of what they have accomplished and are "returning this fall with a vengeance." The Illinois Space Society is a technical, professional, and educational outreach student organization at the U of I in the Department of Aerospace Engineering. The society consists of 150 active members. The hybrid rocket engine team consisted of 20 members and is one of the five technical projects within ISS. The project began in 2013 with the goal of constructing a subscale hybrid rocket engine before transitioning to a full-scale engine. The subscale hybrid rocket engine was successfully constructed and hot fired in the summer of 2018, yielding the positive test results necessary to move onto designing and manufacturing a full-scale engine. "After the engine completes its testing, the next task will be integrating the engine into the rocket vehicle," said Sella "This will require fitting key flight hardware components within the geometric constraints of a rocket body tube and structurally securing the engine to the vehicle." In June 2021, the rocket will be transported to Spaceport America in Truth or Consequences for its first launch. ### The paper, "Development of a Nytrox-Paraffin Hybrid Rocket Engine," was written by Vignesh Sella, Andrew Larkey, Abhiraj Majumder, Avinash Rao, Zavar Abidi, Nicolas Rasmont, Aasheesh Randeo, Miron Liu, Avery Moore, and Michael F. Lembeck. It is published in the 2020 AIAA Propulsion & Energy conference proceedings. DOI: 10.2514/6.2020-3729 This work was supported by the U of I Student Sustainability Committee, the Office of Undergraduate Research, and the Illinois Space Society. Technical support was provided by the Department of Aerospace Engineering, the School of Chemical Sciences Machine Shop, Zucrow Laboratories and Christopher D. Nilsen at Purdue University, Stephen A. Whitmore of Utah State University, and Dassou Nagassou of the Aerodynamics Research Laboratory at Illinois. The hosts of a series of Brampton house parties in July that attracted dozens of people now face fines of up to $100,000 for violating COVID-19 distancing and gathering size bylaws. A justice of the peace has issued summons to 13 people who are alleged to be behind four house parties on the weekend of July 24-27 in Brampton. Bylaw officers had initially issued $880 fines at the scene for failure to comply with an emergency order, but later opted to withdraw those penalties in favour of heavier fines that require a court date. We felt that this was a significant event that required a harsher penalty, said JP Maurice, Bramptons manager of bylaw enforcement, on Thursday. Its now up to the Justice of the Peace to make the determination, based on the evidence provided, whether its a fine thats worth $500 or up to $100,000, Maurice added. Officials serving the summonses must now find each person, some of whom had rented the houses through short-term rental. Maurice conceded it may be difficult to find the hosts as some of them were not the homeowners. Brampton spokesperson Megan Ball said from July 24-27, bylaw officers attended four separate locations in response to house parties that allegedly breached the Reopening Ontario Act (ROA) and Brampton bylaws. Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown said his staff convinced the courts the alleged violations were serious enough to warrant stiffer penalties for the 13. They (bylaw enforcement) tried to educate people before issuing fines, Brown said Thursday. If someone has flagrantly breached our public health guidelines and put the entire city at risk there is rightfully financial consequences for such reckless behaviour. City staff did not name the 13 individuals. One person was charged with violations under the ROA, the public nuisance bylaw and face coverings bylaw for a party at Countryside Drive that had an estimated 200 people. One person is facing charges for an event held at a McHardy Court address, while nine persons are charged with violations under the ROA from an alleged party staged at Albright Drive. Two people linked to an event at Julian Drive are also facing similar offences. During the final weekend in July the Julian Drive address was visited for two separate parties. The second time, police were called after a shooting that left four people injured. Three of the weekend gatherings had more than 100 people, while one had around 50. Peel was under Stage 2 restrictions at the time, which only allowed gatherings of up to 10 people. To date, Brampton has accounted for more than half of the 7,564 COVID-19 cases reported in Peel Region, including 94 of the regions 327 deaths. Just over 6,900 of the regions cases have since recovered, according to the Peel Region dashboard. OAK BROOK, Ill. - Injuries to the lungs from vaping have suggestive patterns on CT scans that could help physicians make accurate diagnoses and reduce unnecessary biopsies, according to a new study published in the journal Radiology: Cardiothoracic Imaging. Electronic nicotine delivery systems such as e-cigarettes and vaporizers heat nicotine, flavorings and other chemicals to create an aerosol that the user inhales. Use of these devices has grown rapidly over the past decade, particularly among young people. The inhaled aerosols, commonly referred to as "juices," may contain a number of potentially toxic or damaging substances. Last year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) received its first report on an illness known as electronic cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury (EVALI). Three criteria define EVALI: e-cigarette use or vaping within 90 days from symptom onset, abnormalities on chest imaging and the exclusion of other potential sources of injury like infection. Almost 3,000 hospitalized EVALI cases were reported to CDC within six months of the first case, with 68 deaths confirmed. Also last year, pathologists at Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona, published a paper describing a peculiar pattern of lung injury in young people using vape products. The injuries were wrapped around the bronchi, the tubes that branch off the trachea into the lungs. Mayo Clinic radiologist Michael B. Gotway, M.D., recently expanded on that study by looking for patterns on chest CT scans that might correlate with the previously observed pathological findings. The study included 26 patients who met the EVALI criteria and had undergone CT and biopsy or some other type of tissue removal. Dr. Gotway and colleagues classified the CT scan pattern according to several different recognized patterns. One pattern is ground glass opacity, an area on the CT scan that appears whiter than normal but does not obscure the underlying structure of the lung. Another is consolidation, or denser white areas on CT. "We read the CT scan and then plugged it into one of those patterns and correlated that with histopathology," Dr. Gotway said. "What we found out was that ground glass opacity, sometimes with consolidation, is by far the most common pattern that we see with EVALI." That pattern was found more commonly than a CT pattern resembling subacute hypersensitivity pneumonitis, a term for the inflammation of lung tissue. The findings of this study and other related research could provide an important diagnostic tool for physicians treating young patients who express symptoms like chest pain and shortness of breath. "We hope to make radiologists aware that if they see diffuse lung opacities in a younger patient without clearly defined causes, then they may want to seriously consider that the patient could have a vaping injury," Dr. Gotway said. "Patients may not readily admit that they're using the material, but if a radiologist recognizes these patterns and then tells the clinician that it could be vaping-induced injury, then maybe they could test for a nicotine metabolite or ask the patient about this exposure." Such an approach could help reduce lung biopsies, which carry considerable expense, some risk of complications and additional anxiety for the patient. "These radiological findings will be especially beneficial to physicians to help them determine potentially less invasive treatment options," Dr. Gotway said. "We could potentially make that diagnosis noninvasively through cooperation with our clinical colleagues. By alerting them to a scan pattern that is suggestive of the possibility of EVALI, we may actually save patients from having to meet a surgeon." The researchers found some good news in their study, as it appears that signs of EVALI on imaging may resolve quickly with cessation of use of the offending agent, often supplemented by corticosteroid therapy. ### "Pulmonary Injury Resulting from Vaping or e-Cigarette Use: Imaging Appearances at Presentation and Follow-up." Collaborating with Dr. Gotway were Prasad M. Panse, M.D., Fionna F. Feller, M.D., Yasmeen M. Butt, M.D., Maxwell L. Smith, M.D., Brandon T. Larsen, M.D., Ph.D., Henry D. Tazelaar, M.D., and Howard J. Harvin, M.D. Radiology: Cardiothoracic Imaging is edited by Suhny Abbara, M.D., University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, and owned and published by the Radiological Society of North America, Inc. (https://pubs.rsna.org/cardiothoracic-imaging) RSNA is an association of radiologists, radiation oncologists, medical physicists and related scientists promoting excellence in patient care and health care delivery through education, research and technologic innovation. The Society is based in Oak Brook, Ill. (RSNA.org) For patient-friendly information on lung CT, visit RadiologyInfo.org. Gigi Hadid sent the internet into a frenzy after she showed off her growing belly. The 25-year-old supermodel looked stunning as she took to Instagram and flaunted a series of black-and-white glam maternity shoots, taken by the fashion photographer duo Luigi Murenu and Iango Henzi. "Growin an angel," Gigi captioned on her first photo while donning a sheer maxi dress that hugs her baby bump. The Victoria's Secret angel also thanked the people behind the fantastic shoot, as well as her well-wishers. "Cherishing this time. appreciate all the love & well wishes will never forget creating these special images with my friends @luigiandiango@gabriellak_j @erinparsonsmakeupthank you. I love you!" Hadid wrote alongside another black-and-white photo of her looking very chic while sporting a '70s inspired flowy dress with bell sleeves. In addition, the Vogue cover girl shared to her Instagram stories a clip of the behind-the-scenes shoot, which was taken last July 26. Gigi's friends and family seem to be thrilled with the model's high fashion maternity shoot. Pop star and Anwar Hadid's girlfriend Dua Lipa commented: "crying!!!!!!!!! The most beautiful mama," followed by five hearts emoji. Runway royalty Gisele Bundchen wrote: "The biggest gift. The biggest love. You look radiant," while Kaia Gerber responded: "Gi, I'm so happy for you." Bella Hadid Can't Wait To Be an Auntie! Moreover, the soon-to-be auntie Bella Hadid said she can't wait to meet the "little bean." "I'm going to be a freaking auntie!!! Will cherish this little bean forever. I am so proud of you @gigihadid. You are a glowing goddess of light, love, adventure and joy. Bless you," the younger Hadid wrote as she shared a series of Gigi's maternity shoots on her IG stories. Fans Went Crazy Over Gigi Hadid's High Fashion Maternity Shoot On the other hand, fans flocked to her comment section and on Twitter to express their well wishes and admiration for her stunning photos. "Gigi Hadid's pregnancy pictures are so simple and beautiful at the same time," one user posted. Another fan pointed out how the supermodel looked divine on her photo: "None of us are gonna get pregnant and look like Gigi Hadid and that's the ugly truth about our lives." Furthermore, one Eagle-eyed fan also spotted Zayn's family supporting Hadid. "The way Zayn's family supports Gigi and him is so sweettt." Lastly, another user made a thread highlighting what a badass mama Gigi would be in the future: "Needed thread about how much Gigi Hadid has powerful moments to warn everyone just trying to annoy her." Recently, the LA-born supermodel returned to New York City together with the former One Direction member after spending the quarantine in theHadid's farm in Pennsylvania. Back in April, the Guess muse confirmed to "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" that she is pregnant with her first child and is expecting to give birth this fall. She also explained why it took her a while to announce her pregnancy. "Obviously we wished we could have announced it on our own terms, but we're very excited and happy and grateful for everyone's well wishes," Gigi shared. READ MORE: Kardashian Fail! 4 Most Epic Kardashian-Jenner Photoshop Fails of All Time An ancient tusked creature that lived on Antarctica 250 million years ago was the first known animal to survive by hibernating, according to a new study. Called Lystrosaurus, it looked like a cross between a giant pig and a lizard and slept for days, weeks or even months on end to get through the long, dark nights. This earliest known example of hibernation in an animal dates back to the supercontinent of Pangea, according to a team from Harvard University. Hibernation is a familiar characteristic of modern animals living near or within polar regions which do it to get through dark winter months when food is scarce. The new discovery, involving taking a thin slice from a Lystrosaurus tusk and looking at 'stress rings', proves that hibernation has been around since before the dinosaurs. Called Lystrosaurus, it looked like a cross between a giant pig and a lizard and slept for days, weeks or even months on end to get through the long, dark nights Megan Whitney, then a University of Washington doctoral student, excavating fossils in Antarctica in 2017. Whitney is now a palaeontologist at Harvard University Paleontologists searching for fossils in Antarctica in 2017. Lystrosaurus was an early relative of mammals and it thrived in what is now Russia, China, India, Africa and Antarctica - which at the time may have been forested Lead author Dr Megan Whitney said the stress marks in the tusks are similar to marks in teeth associated with hibernation in certain modern animals. Lystrosaurus was an early relative of mammals and it thrived in what is now Russia, China, India, Africa and Antarctica - which at the time may have been forested. HIBERNATION: A SLOWING OF THE METABOLISM Certain animals are able to enter a state of minimal activity and metabolic depression for periods of time. This is known as hibernation and it is characterised by low body-temperature, slow breathing and heart-rate, and low metabolic rate. It most commonly occurs during winter months, allowing creatures to stave off food shortages and freezing temperatures. A wide range of creatures from butterflies to bears use it to survive the cold without having to forage for food or migrate somewhere warmer. New research has dated the earliest example of a hibernating creature back 250 million years to the pig/lizard-like Lystrosaurus. Advertisement The stout and squat four-legged forager could reach eight feet long and had no internal teeth - just a pair of tusks protruding from its upper jaw. These enabled it to dig for roots, tubers and other vegetation, according to the researchers writing in the Communications Biology journal. Like those of elephants, the tusks grew continuously throughout their lives. Fossilised remains can harbour information about metabolism, growth and stress or strain on the body, according to the Harvard team. They compared cross-sections of tusks from six specimens in Antarctica and four from South Africa and they all showed similar growth patterns. But they were thick and close together in the Antarctic fossils - a feature absent from the others taken from South Africa. This indicated there was less of the hard, dense, bony tissue found in tusks and teeth - likely due to prolonged stress from longer days and colder nights. Lystrosaurus may have undergone complete hibernation - a weeks-long reduction in metabolism, body temperature and activity, the team said. 'Lystrosaurus in Antarctica likely needed some form of hibernation-like adaptation to cope with life near the South Pole,' Whitney said. Earth was much warmer during the Triassic than today - and parts of Antarctica may have been forested but there was still annual variations in the amount of daylight. Dr Whitney said many other ancient vertebrates at high latitudes may also have used torpor - including full hibernation - to cope with the strains of winter. But famous extinct animals - including the dinosaurs that evolved and spread after Lystrosaurus died out - don't have teeth that grow continuously. Co-author Professor Christian Sidor, of the University of Washington, Seattle, said this was an important requirement to find signs of hibernation in dead creatures. LYSTROSAURUS: HERBIVOROUS CREATURES SIMILAR TO LIZARDS AND PIGS Lystrosaurus is a type of dicynodont, a major group of primarily herbivorous vertebrates during the Triassic era. They are characterised by their turtle-like beaks and ever-growing tusks. They are distantly related to modern mammals - dating back 250 million years and range in size from a corgi to slightly smaller than a cow. Fossils of Lystrosaurus are known from China, Russia, India, South Africa and Antarctica - once parts of Pangea. Latest research from rings in their tusks show that they were the earliest known hibernating species. Advertisement 'To see the specific signs of stress and strain brought on by hibernation, you need to look at something that can fossilise and was growing continuously during the animal's life. Many animals don't have that, but luckily Lystrosaurus did,' Sidor said. Analysis of additional Lystrosaurus fossils may also settle another debate about these mysterious, prehistoric creatures, said Whitney. 'Cold-blooded animals often shut down their metabolism entirely during a tough season but many warm-blooded animals that hibernate frequently reactivate their metabolism during this period. 'What we observed in the Antarctic Lystrosaurus tusks fits a pattern of small metabolic "reactivation events" during a period of stress, which is most similar to what we see in warm-blooded hibernators today,' the researcher said. She added: 'Animals that live at or near the poles have always had to cope with the more extreme environments present there. 'These preliminary findings indicate that entering into a hibernation-like state is not a relatively new type of adaptation. It is an ancient one.' Lystrosaurus lived during a dynamic period of our planet's history, arising just before the 'Great Dying' at the end of the Permian Period 252 million years ago. It was triggered by a massive volcanic eruption that ran for almost one million years in what is today Siberia. Around 90 per cent of marine species were also wiped out. This thin-section of the fossilised tusk from an Antarctic Lystrosaurus shows layers of dentine deposited in rings of growth. The tusk grew inward, with the oldest layers at the edge and the youngest layers near the centre, where the pulp cavity would have been Co-author Professor Christian Sidor, of the University of Washington, Seattle, excavating fossils in Antarctica in 2017 Professor Christian Sidor (pictured) said examining the rings from tusks that continuously grow is the best way to see signs of hibernation At the time Earth's land mass comprised one 'supercontinent' called Pangaea - which included what is now Antarctica. Back in the Triassic, the collection sites in Antarctica were at about 72 degrees south latitude - well within the Antarctic Circle, at 66.3 degrees south. The collection sites in South Africa were more than 550 miles north during the Triassic at 58-61 degrees south latitude, far outside the Antarctic Circle. Sidor added: 'The fact Lystrosaurus survived the end-Permian mass extinction and had such a wide range in the early Triassic has made them a very well-studied group of animals for understanding survival and adaptation.' The findings have been published in the journal Communications Biology. A map of Pangea during the Early Triassic, showing the locations of the Antarctic (blue) and South African (orange) Lystrosaurus populations compared in this study CHEYENNE With Wyoming facing a projected $1.5 billion revenue shortfall over the next two years, a few mayors from across the state asked lawmakers Monday to start seriously considering new taxation options. In response to the budget crisis which emerged from long-term declines in Wyomings energy industries and was accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic the state has already cut about 10% of its state agency budgets, totaling about $250 million. But for mayors who testified to the state Legislatures Joint Revenue Committee on Monday, cuts alone wont be enough. Cody Mayor... McCoy told reporters Thursdays food giveaway was intended to help the community at large, but particularly families with members who have recently been released from jail or prison. He called it an effort at restorative justice. HAIFA, Israel, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- proteanTecs, a leading developer of Deep Data solutions for electronics' health & performance monitoring, announced today the closing of its growth equity financing round of $45M. The round was led by Koch Disruptive Technologies (KDT) and joined by Valor Equity Partners and Atreides Management, as well as existing investors. The investment will be used to accelerate proteanTecs' market penetration and scale business operations to meet growing demands. proteanTecs marks another significant milestone with the closing of its Growth Equity Funding Round. "This new funding will assure market coverage as we leverage the existing commercial traction," said Shai Cohen, CEO of proteanTecs. "We'll use the investment to enhance our product offering and expand our global footprint so that we can offer even greater value to chip vendors, system integrators and service providers, as they navigate the challenges of scale in the industry. I'm glad to welcome such great partners as we write the next chapter of the company together." Addressing industrywide challenges of scale in advanced electronics, proteanTecs introduces visibility from within. The company enables digital systems to report on their own health and performance, throughout their entire lifecycle. By gaining Deep Data analytics based on chip telemetry, manufacturers increase production quality by an order of magnitude, while brand owners optimize fleet management in the field, with alerts on faults before they become failures. "Increased design complexity and customer expectations require new ways to track product performance, especially as the world becomes more reliant on electronics," commented Eli Groner, managing director at KDT. "It's not only about improving processes; it's about reinventing the ecosystem's way of approaching challenges." proteanTecs serves some of the largest and most technologically innovative electronics vendors across multiple industries, including Datacenter, Cloud, Artificial Intelligence and Communications. Their solutions are silicon proven at high volumes in single-digit process technologies. "proteanTecs' founders had a transformative vision - to empower machines to take responsibility over their own health," commented Zvika Orron, Partner at Viola Ventures. "By combining various disciplines, they have spearheaded a completely new category based on Deep Data. Today's announcement is a testament to the successful realization of that vision, proving yet again the dire market need and exemplary execution by the team. As believers from day one, we are thrilled to continue our journey and longstanding partnership with the company." Lip-Bu Tan, Managing Partner of WRVI Capital and Chairman of Walden International, said: "The team has done an incredible job in taking the industry forward to an era of certainty and predictability. I am pleased to welcome the growth equity partners on board. We have a rich investment history alongside KDT and have great faith in their value." About proteanTecs proteanTecs develops revolutionary Universal Chip Telemetry for electronic systems throughout their entire lifecycle, increasing their performance and reliability. By applying machine learning to novel data created by chip-embedded Agents, proteanTecs provides meaningful insights and visibility unattainable until today, leading to new levels of quality, reliability and scale. Founded in 2017, the company is headquartered in Israel with offices in New Jersey and California. For more information, visit: www.proteanTecs.com. About Koch Disruptive Technologies Koch Disruptive Technologies (KDT) is a unique investment firm, focused on empowering founders to create a could-be world. KDT provides a flexible, multi-stage investment approach which includes both traditional venture and growth stages. We work with principled entrepreneurs who are building transformative companies, disrupting the status quo, and creating new platforms. KDT is a subsidiary of Koch Industries, one of the largest privately held companies in the world with $110 billion in revenue and operating in more than 70 countries. KDT helps its partners unlock their full potential by bringing Koch's capabilities and network to them, structuring unique capital solutions, and embracing a long-term, mutual benefit mindset. About Viola Ventures Viola Ventures is a venture capital firm, empowering early stage start-ups to become global leaders. Founded in 2000, Viola Ventures manages over $1B across five funds and managed by six investing partners, solely dedicated to early-stage tech investment. The fund has backed a substantial share of Israel's large technology companies, including: Ironsource, Payoneer, Redis Labs, Outbrain, Lightricks and Pagaya. Viola Ventures is part of Viola - Israel's leading technology-oriented investment group with over $3B assets under management. For more information, visit: www.viola.vc. About WRVI Capital WRVI Capital is a leading venture capital firm that invests in exceptional entrepreneurs and disruptive technologies that will help shape the future. Our management team and investment professionals leverage over 400 years of accumulated investment and operational experience and bring to our portfolio companies a deep and unmatched network of value added strategic relationships. WRVI Capital invests globally and has offices in California, Israel, India and China. For further information about WRVI Capital, please visit www.wrvi.vc. Press Contact Tamar Naishlos, Media Relations [email protected] SOURCE proteanTecs Related Links https://www.proteantecs.com Scott Morrisons proposed Foreign Relations Act is all about closing the seams in our federation and giving practical effect to the Commonwealths constitutional power on foreign relations. Its necessary because of the world we live in, primarily because other nation states are exploiting the gaps between our federal, state, territory and local governments to Australias disadvantage. Daniel Andrews, the Premier of Victoria, gave speech at the parallel sessions of the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing in 2017. He was the only Australian state or territory leader invited. Credit:Sanghee Liu The new law is also necessary because the current informal consultation between states and the Commonwealth just isnt working. We can see the problem graphically with Victoria. Victoria has signed up to Xi Jinpings controversial Belt and Road Initiative, saying its all about jobs. In contrast, the federal government recognises the strategic and foreign policy danger in partnering on an initiative designed to build Chinas strategic, technological and economic power over others. Right now, with Beijing using trade as a weapon against Australia, this concern looks well placed. If Francis Fukuyama had been right back in 1992 with his "End of History" thesis, nation states would have receded into the background as we all entered a post-Cold War liberal international nirvana. But this globalist vision got mugged by the return of national power, particularly as practised by the authoritarian Peoples Republic of China. This fishing report, provided by Dustin Berg of Go Unlimited (supporting disabled anglers) and the Department A MESSAGE FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF GAME & FISH IN THIS WEEKS REPORT Fishing with Ben Allen At 11 years old, Ben Allen is an accomplished bass fisherman with the drive and determination to be one of the best. Ben is an Albuquerque native who has been fishing as long as he can remember and who literally jumps at the opportunity to fish anywhere for anything. He has dreams that are bigger than the fish that he catches, and angling has helped him develop goals that should serve him well later in life. Ben, with his younger brother Cooper and their father, Justin Allen, coordinate a kids fishing club in New Mexico called Kids Hooked on Fishing. They fish year-round across the state and try to get kids and family members into the great outdoors to enjoy the art of angling. Justin cherishes the quality time he gets to spend with his sons, and he is passionate about encouraging other families to give it a try. The Department reminds anglers it is their responsibility to be aware of closures and contact land managers for properties of interest when restrictions are lifted. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) U.S. Forest Service (USFS) New Mexico State Lands New Mexico State Parks New Mexico Open Gate Properties New Mexico Wildlife Management Areas U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 186 Shares Share What does a primary care visit look like from the patients point of view? I often wonder this myself, as a resident physician currently seeing patients at an FQHC in Austin, Texas. A brief look at the process reveals an often tumultuous ordeal for patients and providers alike. Consider the following steps: Finding an available appointment day and time in an overbooked schedule, requesting time off from work in order to fit in the appointment, driving across town to the in-network clinic, insurance verification and check-in at the front desk, then the nurse intake, and then the wait begins until finally, your physician arrives to see you for the 15 to 20 minutes he or she is allotted before rushing on to the next appointment. Then, you are off to wait in additional lines for scheduling, lab, imaging, and pharmacy. There are several other barriers to continuity and quality of care, which are also a product of our current model for primary care. With experience as the physician and patient in this scenario, I can relate to the burden the current health care model places on doctors and patients alike. According to a Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association article, burnout rates are rising as more demand is placed on primary care physicians to see more patients in shorter time-slots, while also completing the electronic medical record, which takes even more time and attention away from the patients care. A higher focus on corporate and government-driven measures of good health has also placed additional burdens on physicians, shifting their focus from building rapport with their patients to making sure their notes are detailed enough to fulfill these quality measures. If the charting is inadequate, insurance companies and the government can reduce primary care physician reimbursements. What if we could simplify health care delivery and eliminate a vast majority of barriers to quality care? There is a model that seeks to simplify primary care and eliminate barriers for patients and physicians. It is called direct primary care (DPC). DPC focuses on the doctor-patient relationship by creating a subscription model of per-visit or periodic payments that cover unlimited appointments, yearly lab work, and clinical services. Shorter wait times from scheduling to appointment, longer appointment time slots, and sometimes home visits are available. The model removes fee-for-service costs negotiated between hospital administrators and insurance companies, along with reducing practice overhead. The model stresses fewer patients per physician, allowing for a significantly closer relationship between patient and physician. Patients often have direct physician access, whether through instant messaging or an extended hours direct line. Often the physician will communicate with patients directly during business hours to avoid unnecessary patient stress or office visits. Concierge medicine often draws comparisons to DPC. The two differ in that DPC offers a more affordable option that bundles some additional value rather than charging fee-for-service on top of a monthly retainer fee, as is often done with concierge practices. Many concierge practices also bill insurance companies for additional reimbursement. Keeping these costs down is essential to the success of the models mission to serve as a low-cost option through reducing overhead and eliminating the insurance companys opportunity to overcharge for services. The argument against DPC is that there are patients unable to afford the average monthly cost. Although a legitimate concern, there are 28.5 million U.S. citizens uninsured under our current insurance-based care delivery model. What if you need more acute care that requires an emergency department or hospital stay? This is another valid question brought up often during the discussion about the DPC model of care. Currently, it is recommended that patients utilizing DPC carry a high-deductible (HD) wraparound policy to cover catastrophic medical emergencies. If health insurance underwriters are able to incorporate DPC into bundled health coverage with HD wraparound and specialty coverage, the DPC model would become a realistic option for employer health insurance plan offerings. This is already available on a national level through a provision in the Affordable Care Act that allows DPC to be offered in a bundled fashion in the insurance market when bundled with a wraparound policy. Furthermore, physician burnout is well documented across primary care specialties. On a national scale, the Annals of Internal Medicine estimate physician burnout costs the U.S. health care system $4.6 billion dollars annually. This cost comes from reduced clinical hours and high turnover rate attributed to burnout. In a study conducted by Mayo Clinic and the American Medical Association (AMA), it was found that burnout rates decreased for the first time in Family Medicine from nearly 60 percent to 45 percent. This seems like a major improvement, but the article goes on to also highlight that the percent of physicians screening positive for depression has risen from 39 percent to 42 percent in that same interval. The burnout rate over those same years amongst the general workforce has lingered around the 28 percent mark. These statistics highlight the need for primary care reform for the well-being of doctors and patients alike. A concern of the model is it will add to current and anticipated shortages in primary care providers. This view does not consider the additional years of practice physicians can add if improving their work-life balance, as opposed to early retirement or career change due to burnout. The model could serve as a recruiting tool for primary care, which is seeing record low numbers of U.S. trained allopathic (MD) medical students choosing it as a career. Instead, they are pursuing higher-paying specialties with better perceived work-life balance. DPC provides a solution to many of the headaches, inefficiencies, and lack of quality care experienced in health care today. Alec Wilhelmi is a family medicine resident. Image credit: Shutterstock.com 27.08.2020 LISTEN A group calling itself the Concerned Youth of Suame Constituency is calling for a change in who becomes their member of parliament for the constituency after the December polls. The youth say the current MP who is also Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu has failed to perform in the over 24 years he has been in Parliament. They lament the bad nature of roads, poor drainage systems and the lack of hospital facilities in the constituency. Addressing a press conference in Kumasi on Wednesday, 26 August 2020, Public Relations Officer of the group, Kofi Agyei said the youth have resolved to support an independent candidate, George Prempeh, who they believe can execute their development agenda. Mr Agyei said: The 24 years of incompetent leadership in the Suame constituency is enough. After all, the 24 years has not yielded any positive impact on the constituents. Only have we lived on dilapidated road infrastructure, poor drainage system, no hospital facility and no additional educational infrastructure. We with grief concern, therefore, have thoroughly done a search and have gotten someone with a high personality to contest in the name of Suame constituency as an independent candidate. He is in the person of Mr George Prempeh. In August 2017, Mr Kyei Mensah-Bonsu said the trend where experienced Members of Parliament (MPs), especially on the side of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), are voted against by their delegates in the partys internal elections thereby allowing novices to enter Parliament is affecting the quality of debate on the floor of the House. According to him, debates in Parliament on the side of the NPP have been left on the shoulders of a few MPs due to the inability of the other MPs to make contributions on the floor. Speaking during the NPPs delegates conference in Cape Coast on Saturday, 26 August 2017, Mr Kyei Mensah-Bonsu said: Generally speaking, the party is left poorer as a result of high attrition rate. Let us reflect Are we building the party or bringing the party down? My humble appeal to all of us is that the constant peeling of Members of Parliaments is not helping to grow party in Parliament. It explains why championing the cause of the party in Parliament today is often left on the shoulders of very few Members of Parliament. So if you are not hearing much about your MP in Parliament, it is in part, because you are not growing the party in your constituency. Let us reflect critically on what to do to reposition the party in our various constituencies. ---classfmonline by Nirmala Carvalho Hindu extremists beat two pastors with sticks and kicks after dragging them out of a house. they also took some Bibles and a mobile phone. In Uttar Pradesh, police arrested a pastor for allegedly engaging in forced conversion. Mumbai (AsiaNews) Hindu extremists assaulted two Pentecostal clergymen as they prayed for a sick man they were visiting. The incident took place on 22 August in Kharik, a village in Chatra district (Jharkhand), where acts of intolerance towards Christians are incessant. The two victims, Revs Sanjeet and Siddharth, had been invited by a certain Lakhan to pray for his relative, Ramdev, who had been sick for a year and a half. Lakhan is a Christian and a member of the Gospel Echoing Missionary Society GEMS). As two were praying, a group of Hindu extremists entered the house and dragged the two men out and then beat them with sticks and kicks. Sanjeet reported injuries and bruises to the head, back, hands and legs; Siddharth, to the right hand and thigh. In addition, Sanjeet also lost some hearing, since he was hit to the head. The extremists also took some copies of the Bible and Siddharth's mobile phone. On the same day, in Uttar Pradesh, a pastor was arrested for attempts to convert to Christianity. In Etah, police took into custody Mandeep Kumar, 30, on charges of encouraging a Hindu couple in the village of Shivsinghpur to convert by reading them the Bible. Villagers informed police that the Christian man often visited the couple in their home. The police arrested him along with his wife and questioned both. Mandeep Kumar, a native of Delhi, and his wife Margaret Anthony moved to in Etah a month ago. He admitted to being a pastor and of visiting homes, but insisted that he never used violence or pressure tactics. According to the police, the Hindu couple said that they began reading the bible "under Mandeeps influence. For this reason, the pastor was charged under Section 295-A of the Indian Penal Code and taken to jail for deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings. Kotwali police station Inspector Sanjeev Tyagi noted that Margaret Anthony's role also had to be probed. The Global Council of Indian Christian (GCIC) condemned both anti-Christian acts. GCIC president Sajan K George explained that Christians are a miniscule 2.3 per cent of the Indian population; yet they are the victims of sinister and fabricated propaganda according to which they indulge in forcible conversions. Because of such baseless allegations [. . .] Christians are viewed with suspicion and are the victims of social ostracism. Advertisement Melania Trump plotted to keep Ivanka Trump out of the photos of President Donald Trump taking the oath of office on Inauguration Day with her 'Operation Block Ivanka,' a new book claims. The first lady approved seating arrangements for the inauguration platform that would keep Ivanka Trump out of the camera shot during the moment her father was sworn in as the 45th president of the United States. The plot is unveiled in Stephanie Winston Wolkoff's book forthcoming book 'Melania & Me,' an excerpt of which was published in New York Magazine. The memoir comes out September 1. Wolkoff writes that: 'Ivanka texted me a photo of Barack Obama's swearing-in, his hand on the Bible, Michelle, Malia, and Sasha standing to his left. She wrote, 'FYI regarding the swearing in. It is nice to have family with him for this special moment.'' But, instead, Wolkoff and the incoming first lady launched 'Operation Block Ivanka' to keep the first daughter out of the shot. The two women went to great lengths to thwart Ivanka. They took advantage of Wolkoff's position on the inauguration planning committee to gain advance information on how the day would play out in order to make their scheme work. Melania Trump plotted to block Ivanka Trump from being in photos of President Trump taking the oath of office on Inauguration Day, in what was dubbed 'Operation Block Ivanka' Melania Trump wanted an image like the one above - with her Trump and their son Barron A forthcoming memoir about first lady Melania Trump - seen above with President Trump on night three of the Republican National Convention - details her tense relationship with Ivanka Wolkoff, a former Met Gala planner and personal friend of Melania's, was tapped to help produce Inauguration Day and the events surrounding it. Using her position, she had an executive of her company, WIS Media Partners, take detailed notes on the inauguration platform at the U.S. Capitol building during one of the walk throughs that proceed such events. Walk throughs allow organizers and staff of the attendees to do a practice run of how the day will play out. It allows all the details of the day to be worked out: what time people arrive and in what order, where they will sit, and how the day will play out in precise order. Using the detailed sketch her employee drew up of the platform on the East Front of the Capitol, where Trump was sworn in with his family and VIP guests behind him, Melania and Wolkoff were able to work out where the cameras would be located on and how the chairs for the family should be positioned to get the images they wanted. 'Using his sketch, we were able to figure out whose face would be visible when Donald and Melania sat in their seats, and then when the family stood with Chief Justice John Roberts for Donald to take the oath of office,' Wolkoff wrote. 'If Ivanka was not on the aisle, her face would be hidden while she was seated. For the standing part, we put Barron between Donald and Melania.' Melania and Wolkoff then arranged for Donald Trump Jr., the president's oldest son, to be stand next to Melania instead of Ivanka, further keeping her out of the shot. Wolkoff blames 'exhaustion and stress' for some of the drama but also acknowledges the pettiness of it. 'Yes, Operation Block Ivanka was petty. Melania was in on this mission. But in our minds, Ivanka shouldn't have made herself the center of attention in her father's inauguration,' she wrote. A wide shot of the swearing-in on Inauguration Day shows Ivanka Trump positioned near the back of her siblings Ivanka Trump can be seen behind Melania Trump on the inaugural platform at the U.S. Capitol A rare shot of Ivanka and Melania together on Inauguration Day - this was taken at the viewing stand in front of the White House where the first family watched the inauguration parade go by She notes their Operation Block Ivanka was a result of the first daughter trying to control the schedule for inauguration day and make sure her family - husband Jared Kushner and their three children - had prominent positions on the big day. 'It was Donald's inauguration, not Ivanka's. But no one was brave enough to tell her that. Melania was not thrilled about Ivanka's steering the schedule and would not allow it. Neither was she happy to hear that Ivanka insisted on walking in the Pennsylvania Avenue parade with her children,' she noted. Wolkoff's book gives legitimacy to years of talk of a rivalry between Melania and Ivanka that has accumulated in an intense, competitive relationship between the two women. The two most prominent women in President Trump's life - his 50-year-old wife and his 38-year-old eldest daughter - have little overlap in the White House complex: Ivanka Trump, who serves as an adviser to her father, has an office in the West Wing. Melania Trump works out of the East Wing on the opposite side of the building. They have never hosted a joint initiative or event. And are rarely seen together at events. Mary Jordan's book 'The Art of Her Deal' portrayed a tense, at times combative, relationship between the two with Melania calling Ivanka 'Princess' and Ivanka referring to her stepmother as 'portrait.' Jordan's book also claimed Ivanka tried to have the First Lady's Office be renamed the First Family's Office, which the White House has denied. An administration official told DailyMail.com that Wolkoff was a 'disaster' in her role in the East Wing and 'took advantage' of the first lady. 'Stephanie was a complete disaster in her temporary role at the White House. She was erratic and dishonest, and was extremely mean to everyone. She threw the First Lady's name around a lot without her knowledge, making people fear Mrs. Trump for no reason,' the administration official said. 'I think the most disturbing aspect was her extreme paranoia. I recall one time she was convinced the wrong shade of paint had been applied to an office on purpose, as a way to show disrespect to the East Wing. The truth is that she only began to claim how close the two were once President Trump took office she took advantage of Mrs. Trump and was abusive to everyone around her,' the person said. Wolkoff confirms that Melania refers to her stepdaughter as 'Princess' and paints an unflattering portrait of Ivanka trying to amass power and prestige at her stepmother's expense. New York magazine's Olivia Nuzzi confirms in her piece that Wolkoff has tapes of conversations she had with the first lady. Nuzzi described what she heard: 'Melania's voice was familiar, but she sounded softer, not quite as guarded and steely as she does in public. She was reassuring Wolkoff that things would be okay, that she didn't do anything. It was a bit hard to follow, but it sounded like she cared. Like she was trying to be there for a friend.' She offers details about Ivanka such as this: 'I received an email from her office. 'I notice that Ivanka's car is not part of the family motorcade. Is there any way to add that?' It. Never. Ended.' Melania Trump was also reported to be annoyed Ivanka Trump wanted to walk with them in the inauguration parade Instead, the adult children marched further back: Eric Trump, Lara Trump, Ivanka Trump and Tiffany Trump Wolkoff, a Manhattan socialite, is a longtime event planner for some of the highest-profile fashion events in New York City. In addition to her work on the Met Gala - know as fashion's biggest night - she also orchestrated Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week's Lincoln Center expansion and has worked closely with legendary Vogue editor Anna Wintour. It was during her work at Vogue that she met Melania. The then-Melania Knauss was a model dating Trump and about to be launched into society at the Met Gala. Trump proposed to Melania at the 2004 event. Then-Vogue fashion director Andre Leon Talle traveled to Paris with her to help her pick out her wedding dress. Stephanie Winston Wolkoff's book 'Melania and Me: The Rise and Fall of My Friendship with the First Lady' will be released on September 1 'Before her Vogue makeover, Melania was a very pretty young woman who seemed like she was playing fancy dress-up - more a brunette Marilyn Monroe than a Jackie O. After Melania's makeover, Andre Leon Talley's achievement, she was transcendent, high fashion, editorial worthy,' Wolkoff writes in her memoir. 'And the more time I spent with Melania, the more I genuinely liked her. Being with her was like having the sister I never had before - but a really confident, perfectly coiffed, ultimate older sister. In her world, nothing was a big deal, and everything was just as it should be. Just being with her made me feel good. She had her s*** together!,' she added. The two women became friends. In addition to her work on the inauguration, Wolkoff was one of Melania's first hires for her East Wing staff, where she had a contract position instead of being a fulltime government employee. Wolkoff recounts how, in January 2017, it was just her and Melania's then-chief of staff Lindsay Reynolds working in the vast suite of East Wing offices when Reynolds got notice that some of Kushner's staff were coming to look at office space on their turf. At the time of the incident, Melania Trump was still living in New York, where she was spending the first part of 2017 so Barron could finish out the school year. Turf wars are common in the White House under every administration where the cramped, crowded office space is at a premium. The East Wing, however, is usually the purview of the first lady's office and areas under her control, such as the office that coordinates White House tours. There are other auxiliary offices there, such as the military liaison office. But Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner were looking to move their people in. 'The West Wing wasn't big enough for the Kushners. They wanted the East Wing as well,' Wolkoff writes. 'I called Melania to tell her what was going on, and she said, 'This is ridiculous! You have to do something!',' she recounted. 'I dug into my bag; pulled out my red Sharpie and yellow Post-it notes; scribbled 'conference room,' 'chief of staff,' 'deputy of advance,' etc., on them; and slapped them on the office doors. By putting our mark on each office, Jared's people couldn't very well say, 'Well, if no one's using it we'll take it,'' Wolkoff wrote. A person who worked on the transition team denied that Ivanka and Kushner tried to take East Wing office space, telling DailyMail.com it didn't happen. She also describes a conspiracy to keep Melania Trump from hiring the full amount of staff a first lady needed, using the budget and staff vetting process 'like a weapon to prevent Melania from filling them.' She argues Ivanka enlisted then-chief of staff Reince Priebus, his deputy chief of staff Katie Walsh and influential staffer Hope Hicks to help her efforts. 'Ivanka was relentless and was determined to be the First Daughter Lady and to usurp office space out from under Melania; she wanted to be the only visible female Trump on the premises, and she was actively using her influence with Katie Walsh, Reince Priebus, and Hope Hicks to thwart our efforts,' Wolkoff says. 'Ivanka wasn't playing by the rules, but she never, ever, got in trouble,' she added. Stephanie Winston Wolkoff's memoir has tapes of Melania Trump speaking ill of Trumps; above Pamela Gross Finkelstein, Judith Giuliani, Melania Knauss Trump and Stephanie Winston Wolkoff attend a luncheon in New York together in 2006 David Wolkoff, Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, Melania Trump and Donald Trump at an event in New York in February 2008 - Wolkoff served as an informal, unpaid adviser to Melania in the East Wing until she left amid the controversy surrounding the inauguration Wolkoff's memoir, 'Melania and Me: The Rise and Fall of My Friendship with the First Lady,' is the first book to come from a former member of the first lady's inner circle. Melania Trump has been the subject of two biographies by journalist - CNN's Kate Bennett's 'Free Melania' and The Washington Post's Mary Jordan's 'The Art of Her Deal' - but Wolkoff was a longtime personal friend to the first lady. The two women had a falling out over Wolkoff's work for the inauguration and reports on how much money she was paid for the gig. Wolkoff left the East Wing in February 2018 after news reports showed that her firm, WIS Media Partners, received a $26 million payment for its work on the inaugural. The firm in turn spent $24 million on subcontractors, a person familiar with the inaugural planning told DailyMail.com at the time. The source said Wolkoff provided 'the whole look and feel the creative vision' for 18 or 20 inaugural events. Her personal take from Trump's inaugural committee was reported to be about $500,000 while the rest went to other producers working on the event. Melania Trump dismissed her from the East Wing with an email. 'I am sorry that the professional part of our relationship has come to an end, but I am comforted in the fact that our [friendship] far outweigh[s] politics,' the first lady wrote. 'Thank you Again! Much love.' Wolkoff's book will address the financial controversy but it will also be about the loss of her friendship with the first lady. Additionally, the tapes she has of Melania Trump show the first lady trashing her husband Donald Trump and his adult children, with the harshest words coming for Ivanka, according to media reporter Yashar Ali, who first reported their existence. He did not have details of the statements Melania Trump allegedly made but noted they will be in Wolkoff's book. He added that Wolkoff taped the first lady without her knowledge. Ali tweeted: 'In her book, Stephanie Winston Wolkoff quotes the First Lady making disparaging remarks about Ivanka Trump and some of the president's other adult children. She even makes some negative remarks about her husband, President Trump.' Stephanie Grisham, Melania's current chief of staff, said she's never heard the first lady make any disparaging remarks about President Trump or the first family. 'No. I've never heard Mrs. Trump say anything disparaging about the family,' Grisham told MSNBC's Hallie Jackson on Tuesday. 'They're a close-knit family. She's talked about them many times publicly,' she added. Grisham was dismissive of the speculation that the first lady trash talked the family. 'I've heard a little bit about this book. I don't know much about it. It sounds like it's just another one of those books that unfortunately people are writing,' she said. Grisham also noted if the first lady was recorded without her knowledge it was 'unfortunate' that she would be taken advantage of by a friend. 'If there were any recordings taken it's really unfortunate to take advantage of somebody's trust like that while being a friend, but I don't know much about the book. We're focused on the work we're doing,' she said. Stephanie Winston Wolkoff came under investigation for her role in planning Donald Trump's 2016 presidential inauguration - she's seen with Melania Trump at a January 2017 dinner ahead of the inaugural The book will address some of the most controversial and infamous moments involving Melania Trump, including Stormy Daniels claim she had an affair with Trump, which he has denied, and that infamous jacket she wore: 'I really don't care, do u?' The pre-order blurb for the book hints at a string of revelations. 'How did Melania react to the Access Hollywood tape and her husband's affair with Stormy Daniels? Does she get along well with Ivanka? Why did she wear that jacket with 'I really don't care, do u?' printed on the back? Is Melania happy being First Lady? And what really happened with the inauguration's funding of $107 million? Wolkoff has some ideas,' the description says. 'What Melania wants, Melania gets' - reads the tag line in the book's description on Amazon.com. Wolkoff, the former director of special events at Vogue who headed nine Met galas, met Melania Knauss in 2003 and 'had a front row seat to the transformation of Donald Trump's then girlfriend from a rough-cut gem to a precious diamond,' the book's description reads. Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 08:04:14|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Photo taken on Aug. 26, 2020 shows a light show in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province. A light show performed with 826 drones combined with city lights started at 08:26 p.m. local time on Aug. 26 in Shenzhen to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone (SEZ). (Xinhua/Mao Siqian) San Gua Society's slogan: Highlighting original charms of rural areas The women's federation of Chaohu Economic Development Zone, in Hefei, capital of East China's Anhui Province, has taken measures, in recent years, to advance women's entrepreneurship and innovation, and to help women explore ways to shake off poverty. Those measures have included organizing professional skills-training sessions, building a women's entrepreneurship street and providing women with supportive policies. Given support from the women's federation, women who have started businesses in San Gua Gong She (or San Gua Society), a renowned business and tourist spot in Chaohu Economic Development Zone, are "nourishing a flower of prosperity." San Gua Society is home to Women's Entrepreneurship Street. The women's federation for Chaohu Economic Development Zone was established on March 7, 2016. Under the guidance of the women's federation, San Gua Society also established a women's federation. With the purpose of "highlighting original charms of rural areas," San Gua Society combines the construction of a beautiful countryside with the development of agriculture, business, culture and tourism. San Gua Society also has a popular street Women's Entrepreneurship Street. A dozen shops are situated along the street. The women's federation of San Gua Society provides supportive policies to encourage women to start businesses. For example, women do not need to pay rent and water and electricity fees during the early days after they open a shop. The majority of startup owners on the street are left-behind women, who stay in their hometown to look after their families. There are also female college graduates and women from other places. For women who have already grasped techniques and have developed their products, the women's federation of San Gua Society provides beneficial policies to help them boost their businesses. For owners who have not grasped techniques, the women's federation helps them open a shop and supplies them with products, which have been manufactured in San Gua Society, at low prices. Nowadays, women are playing a key role in the rural construction of their hometown. Start-Up Dream Four years ago, Zhou Weiqun was living an ordinary life, like most of the women in her hometown. "I used to follow my husband while we both worked away from home. I did not have much time to accompany the old and young in our family. Young people from our village moved away to earn a better living in urban areas. Elderly people stayed in the village. They grew vegetables and rice to feed themselves," Zhou recalls. Visitors to San Gua Society In 2016, she heard on the news that San Gua Society was recruiting business partners, who were encouraged to open shops in this business and tourist spot. Zhou is good at cooking mahua (a famous Chinese snack, fried dough twist). At that time, she thought it might be a good idea to return to her hometown and open a mahua shop. However, she did not know how to properly rebuild and decorate a house into a shop. She did not know how to manage a shop either. Luckily, the women's federation of San Gua Society lent a helping hand. Members of the women's federation gave Zhou advice on how to develop her products, and they helped her build a shop and encouraged her to attend training, to learn rural e-commerce skills. Today, Zhou owns Happy Mahua Shop. The annual sales volume of her shop exceeds five million yuan (US $714,286). Shen Lei also runs a business in San Gua Society. Shen was born in Chaohu in 1992. She relocated (with her parents) to Suzhou, in East China's Jiangsu Province, when she was two years old. Shen missed her hometown, Chaohu, while she was growing up. Fried dough twists sold by Zhou Weiqun in Happy Mahua Shop "San Gua Society was established in 2015. I visited this compound in 2016. It took me some time to make up my mind to move back to my hometown. Starting a business would be totally different from working for someone else's company. You have to think about many things if you are a boss," Shen says. Shen started her business in 2017, when she was 25. The federation's supportive polices convinced Shen to stay in San Gua Society. After one year of hard work, Shen had a team, with whom she sold products online. "We sell agricultural products and snacks produced in San Gua Society. The supply of goods comes from here. My team helps villagers in my hometown sell their agricultural products," Shen says. To date, 19 shops have opened on Women's Entrepreneurship Street in San Gua Society. The shops' owners combine the manufacturing/processing of agricultural products with the development of e-commerce and tourism. Colorful Activities What are the roles women can play in rural revitalization and poverty alleviation? How can women, especially young women, be attracted and encouraged to run businesses in their hometowns? To answer such questions, the women's federation of Chaohu Economic Development Zone has organized various activities, to arouse women's love for the countryside and to help women explore innovative methods to develop their businesses. The women's federation holds lectures and training sessions for rural women, so they can learn information related to leisure agriculture, e-commerce and rural tourism. Moreover, local women participate in colorful activities, including reading salons, art performances and flower arrangements, to learn new skills and broaden their horizons. A reading salon, highlighting "the strength of mothers" Women managers of agricultural cooperatives pose for a photo after a training session. Photos supplied by Hefei Women's Federation (Women of China English Monthly July 2020 issue) A local group of activists said Thursday that Forsyth County Sheriff Bobby Kimbrough Jr. had promised to officially ban a kind of prone restraint that led to the jail-related death of John Neville in December 2019. The bent-leg prone restraint is one in which a person is placed on the ground, face first, with their arms tied behind their back and their legs folded up the exact position that John Neville was placed in. The position is known to make it difficult for a person to breathe and has led to death. The sheriffs office has already banned that kind of restraint in the Forsyth County Jail, but activists were pushing him to ban the practice agency-wide. In a statement late Thursday, Kimbrough did not say whether he was going to implement such a ban throughout the sheriffs office, but also made clear that his office has never used the hog-tie restraint. The position that Neville was placed in has been described as a hog-tie restraint. Fishermen have been warned against the use of government subsidized premix fuel for powering generators for light fishing. Madam Elizabeth Afoley Quaye, Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, said it had come to notice of the Ministry that some fishermen were using the premix fuel to engage in light fishing. She was presenting 126 outboard motors to the leadership of the Tema canoe beach for onward distribution to fishermen at a 50 per cent subsidized price. She indicated that such activities led to a shortage of the fuel as those perpetrators bought more quantities for their outboard motors as well as generators thus preventing others from getting their needed supplies. The Minister gave the assurance that her outfit and the relevant agencies would continue to arrest perpetrators, saying we keep arresting them but some are still doing it. The Minister stressed that apart from it being illegal, light fishing negatively affected the quality of fish caught as it put pressure on the fish to die instantly, a situation that could have some health implications. On the outboard motors presentation, she said the government had the fishing sector at heart and was, therefore, investing a lot of money into it to ensure that Ghanaians consumed high quality and healthy fish. She indicated that apart from the building of landing beaches across Ghana's coastlines, the government was making many other projects in the sector. We are bringing more 'ahotor' ovens for the women, we have brought chest freezers, and basins to be distributed to the fishmongers. We are saying that if the fishermen are benefitting from subsidized outboard motors, then the women must also have freezers to preserve their fish. " Mr Felix Mensah Nii Anang-La, Tema Metropolitan Chief Executive, said the President had done a lot for the fishing community in Tema, recounting that the provision of 'ahotor ovens', and a fish mill were some of the projects from the government. Mr Daniel Nii Kwatei Titus Glover, Member of Parliament for Tema East, and Deputy Minister of Transport, on his part, stated the various projects and policies the New Patriotic Party (NPP) had provided for the Tema fishing community and the country as a whole. Nii Mattor, Tema Ashaman Chief Fisherman, commended the Government for subsidizing the price of the outboard motors and promised to put them to good use. ---GNA /* custom css */ .tdi_75_a7f.td-a-rec{ text-align: center; }.tdi_75_a7f .td-element-style{ z-index: -1; }.tdi_75_a7f.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_75_a7f.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; }@media (max-width: 767px) { .tdi_75_a7f.td-a-rec-img { text-align: center; } } Advertisement The Governor of Abia State, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu has saluted the good people of Abia State on the auspicious occasion of the 29th anniversary of the creation of the State as a full fledged sub national entity and federating unit in Nigeria. Governor Ikpeazu paid glowing tributes to the founding fathers of the State who worked tirelessly to ensure the actualization of the creation of Abia State and made it clear that even in the face of tough challenges, our people have continued to trudge on towards the path of peace and progress. Describing Abia as work in progress, the Governor stated that the development of critical infrastructure in the State has received massive impetus under his administration, judging from the sheer number of road projects that have either been completed or ongoing, assuring that the tempo will be sustained and even increased to ensure that the infrastructural stock in the State is improved upon significantly. /* custom css */ .tdi_74_59f.td-a-rec{ text-align: center; }.tdi_74_59f .td-element-style{ z-index: -1; }.tdi_74_59f.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_74_59f.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; }@media (max-width: 767px) { .tdi_74_59f.td-a-rec-img { text-align: center; } } The Governor thanked God and the people of the State for the security, peace and stability the State has enjoyed in last couple of years, describing Abia as the most politically stable state in the country. He expressed his appreciation to the Deputy Governor, Speaker and members of the State House of Assembly, members of the State Executive Council, Traditional, Religious and other political leaders for their statesmanly roles in ensuring that the political stability enjoyed by our state is sustained. Governor Ikpeazu assured the people of the State that even with the challenges posed by the sudden outbreak of COVID-19 which created massive economic shocks across the globe, his administration will continue to apply prudence in ensuring that available resources are managed for the good of our people, while seeking creative means to improve our financial capabilities. He also tasked the people of the State to appreciate the fact that the economic disequilibrum created by the effects of Covid-19 especially on the global financial system will inevitably demand certain levels of readjustments and sacrifices in the management of the States finances. He thanked the people of the State for the support his administration has enjoyed and assured them that he will continue to discharge the responsibilities of his office with dedication and commitment to the ideals of economic development and progress. In his words, I shall remain focused on the discharge of the obligations of my office and I do so relentlessly and with dedication until the very last day of my tenure as your Governor. In the months ahead, the Governor stated, we shall develop more sustainable means of solidifying our position as the SME Capital of Nigeria by continuing to support the growth of local enterprises as a catalyst for economic development. Encouraging Abians not to become faint hearted especially in the face of the effects of COVID-19, he tasked our people to continue to accept the reality of the deadly nature of the virus and take all necessary precautions in line with the protocols as enunciated by all relevant health authorities. He sent his gratitude to all medical and allied services workers who have been in the forefront of the fight against Covid-19 and assured that his administration will do everything necessary to protect our people. He also reiterated his deep gratitude to the people of Abia State for standing by him in prayers during the time of his health challenge. He also sent his deep condolences to the families of all those who lost their loved ones to the pandemic. According to the Governor, the vision for a more prosperous Abia remains intact and our future as a people and as a State remains very bright. Governor Ikpeazu, on behalf of his family and government, wishes the entire people of Abia State, a happy 29th anniversary. Police are looking for a man accused of killing his wife Tuesday night outside their Spring area home, according to authorities. The man, identified as Ralph Cooper, shot his 49-year-old wife, Rhonda Williams, in the head and she was found dead around 8:50 p.m. in the yard of their home in the 5000 block of Forest Hurst, police said. No lockers, assemblies or agendas. Libraries and cafeterias closed. The return to school this fall is going to be like no other for students in the GTAs 10 public and Catholic boards, as well as throughout the province. Many students will be wearing masks for most of the day except at recess and lunch, and students will be restricted to social interactions within their classes. Elementary students will go to school five days a week, but secondary students will have alternate mornings of in-class learning with synchronous learning online every afternoon. On Sept. 8, schools in Durham, Halton, Peel and York Region will begin accepting classes in a staggered re-entry plan. (Peel elementary schools begin Sept. 9). Schools in Toronto will hold off until Sept. 15. With the school year about to begin, we took a look at the plans of the 10 GTA boards to make schools safe for kids, from cleaning to way-finding and everything else in between. Many NASA assets were used to provide forecasters with information to incorporate into their analysis of Hurricane Laura. Satellite imagery, photographs from the International Space Station, and a computer program that produces animations of imagery are all things that NASA used to analyze the storm. NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite also caught a nighttime image of Laura just after landfall. Laura's Landfall Laura made landfall as a powerful Category 4 hurricane along the Louisiana coast. At 2 a.m. EDT (0600 UTC) on Aug. 27, Doppler radar images indicated that the eye of Hurricane Laura made landfall at the coast near Cameron, Louisiana, near latitude 29.8 degrees north and longitude 93.3 degrees west. Air Force reconnaissance and Doppler radar data indicated that the maximum sustained winds were near 150 mph (240 kph) with higher gusts. National Hurricane Center (NHC) Senior Hurricane Specialist John Cangialosi and Hurricane Model Diagnostician and Meteorologist David Zelinsky noted, "At the time of landfall, Laura was a ferocious looking hurricane with a clear circular eye, an intense eyewall, and tightly-coiled surrounding spiral bands." A Nighttime View of Laura's Landfall NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite passed over Hurricane Laura soon after it made landfall in southwestern Louisiana around 2 a.m. EDT on Aug. 27. The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument aboard Suomi NPP captured a nighttime image. Laura's cloud cover extends from Houston, Texas east to just west of New Orleans, Louisiana. Weather Station Reports Just After Landfall A National Ocean Service tide station at Calcasieu Pass, Louisiana observed a water level rise of 9.19 feet Mean Higher High Water at 1 a.m. CDT/2 a.m. EDT. The Lake Charles, Louisiana airport reported a sustained wind of 85 mph (137 kph) with a gust to 128 mph (206 kph) around 2 a.m. CDT/3 a.m. EDT. A University of Florida observing tower near Lake Charles recently reported a sustained wind of 86 mph (138 kph) with a gust to 112 mph (180 kph). A Texas Coastal Ocean Observing Network site at Sabine Pass on the Texas/Louisiana border reported sustained winds of 74 mph (119 kph) with a gust to 90 mph (145 kph). Watches and Warnings on Aug. 27, 2020 A Storm Surge Warning is in effect for High Island, Texas to the mouth of the Mississippi River. A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for High Island, Texas to the mouth of the Mississippi River. Animating Hurricane Laura's Path to Landfall The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument aboard Suomi NPP provided a visible imagery of Laura from its birth in the Atlantic. Using the Worldview application at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., an animation was created of Laura's track from Puerto Rico to Louisiana. The imagery spanned from Aug. 20 to 26 and showed Tropical Storm Marco move from the Caribbean Sea to a landfall near the mouth of the Mississippi while Tropical Storm Laura moved from the east over Puerto Rico, Hispaniola and into the Gulf of Mexico, just before landfall in southwestern Louisiana. NASA's Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) Worldview application provides the capability to interactively browse over 700 global, full-resolution satellite imagery layers and then download the underlying data. Many of the available imagery layers are updated within three hours of observation, essentially showing the entire Earth as it looks "right now." A View from the International Space Station Astronaut Chris Cassidy aboard the International Space Station took several photos of Hurricane Laura as it neared the Gulf coast on Aug. 26, 2020 at 3:27 p.m. EDT. The photos showed the extent of this large hurricane. The photos also revealed a clear eye surrounded by powerful thunderstorms. The photo below is one of four taken by Cassidy from the ISS. Laura's Status on Aug. 27 at 8 a.m. EDT At 8 a.m. EDT (1200 UTC), the center of Hurricane Laura was located near latitude 31.2 degrees north and longitude 93.3 degrees west. That is about 20 miles (30 km) north of Fort Polk, Louisiana. Laura is moving toward the north near 15 mph (24 kph) and this motion should continue through the day. A northeastward to east-northeastward motion is expected tonight and Friday. Maximum sustained winds are near 100 mph (160 kph) with higher gusts. Laura is now a Category 2 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale at present based on wind speed. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 60 miles (95 km) from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 175 miles (280 km). An observing site in Alexandria, Louisiana, recently reported a wind gust to 74 mph (119 kph).The estimated minimum central pressure is 970 millibars. Laura's Forecast and Track NHC warned about dangerous storm surge, heavy rainfall, hurricane-force winds and isolated tornadoes. NHC said, "The combination of a dangerous storm surge and the tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline. The water could reach the following heights above ground somewhere in the indicated areas if the peak surge occurs at the time of high tide. Through Friday, forecasters expect Laura to produce the following rainfall totals: Across portions of Louisiana, Mississippi, across Arkansas: 6 to 12 inches with isolated totals of 18 inches. This rainfall will cause widespread flash and urban flooding, small streams and creeks to overflow their banks, and minor to moderate freshwater river flooding. Hurricane-force winds and damaging wind gusts are also expected to spread well inland into portions of eastern Texas and western Louisiana this morning. Tropical storm conditions will spread northward within the warning areas through the day. In addition, tornadoes are possible today and tonight over parts of Louisiana, Arkansas, and western Mississippi." Rapid weakening is forecast, and Laura is expected to become a tropical storm later today (Aug. 27). On the forecast track, Laura will move northward across western and northern Louisiana through this afternoon. The center of Laura is forecast to move over Arkansas tonight, the mid-Mississippi Valley on Friday, and the Mid-Atlantic States on Saturday. NASA Researches Tropical Cyclones Hurricanes/tropical cyclones are the most powerful weather events on Earth. NASA's expertise in space and scientific exploration contributes to essential services provided to the American people by other federal agencies, such as hurricane weather forecasting. For more than five decades, NASA has used the vantage point of space to understand and explore our home planet, improve lives and safeguard our future. NASA brings together technology, science, and unique global Earth observations to provide societal benefits and strengthen our nation. Advancing knowledge of our home planet contributes directly to America's leadership in space and scientific exploration. For Key Messages and updated forecasts, visit: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov ### BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 27 By Jeila Aliyeva - Trend: The World Organization for Animal Health (formerly the Office International des Epizooties) highly appreciated Turkmenistan's efforts to protect animal health and expressed its readiness to cooperate fully with the country, Trend reports with reference to Turkmenportal information portal. This was stated by the Director-General of the World Organization for Animal Health, Monique Eloit during a meeting with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Turkmenistan to France, Shohrat Jumayev. The country is working in the field of nature protection, conservation of biological diversity, and natural landscapes. The countrys work to protect nature, biological diversity, and natural landscapes are carried out within the framework of the National Climate Change Strategy and the National Forest Program of Turkmenistan and other state programs. President of Turkmenistan, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov pays attention to environmental safety and protection, especially to the Aral Sea crisis, which most noticeable in the countrys northern Dashoguz Region, where it caused problems with the supply of drinking water as well as salinization of cultivation lands, land degradation, and desertification. The International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (IFAS) co-founded by Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, was established in the 1990s to finance joint projects and programs to save the Aral Sea and improve the environmental situation in the Aral Sea region. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @JeilaAliyeva Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 20:52:11|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close The Yellow River is known as China's "Mother River" and the cradle of Chinese civilization. In this episode, Marta Neskovic visits Gongyi along the river to find out the roots of a sage of Chinese poetry. With the introduction of SMS Archives, weve developed a search engine of real text message marketing examples from the world's best retailers, restaurants, and more, to allow marketers to seek inspiration for their own text marketing campaigns. SMS Archives, the leading search engine for text message marketing examples, has reached a new milestone, amassing more than 2,000 text messages in its free public resource of sample SMS marketing campaign examples from some of the worlds most popular brands, with new text messages added daily. Powered by Tatango, the leader in text message marketing software, SMS Archives is a resource for marketers who are seeking inspiration and examples of how top brands are using text marketing to generate revenue, promote special offers, and add value to their audiences. All of the text message marketing examples on SMS Archives are dated, showing when (and from whom) text messages are sent. SMS Archives also shows granular details such as messaging frequency, allowing users to filter by occasion or holiday, and even provides access to select messages that contain special features including hashtags and emojis. Text message marketing has increased in popularity as companies seek ways to communicate with their customers while still adhering to social distancing regulations due to the Covid-19 global pandemic. Text message marketing campaigns allow brands to send communications to consumers who have opted in to receive promotions, specials, coupons, promo codes, and alerts via text message. Text marketing helps brands generate more revenue, with 78% of consumers saying that texting is the fastest way to reach them, and 90% of text messages being read within just 3 minutes, compared to email marketing which has open rates of around just 20%. As a text message marketer, it is important to keep up on the latest industry trends and messaging capabilities as the technology continues to evolve rapidly, said Derek Johnson, chief executive officer for Tatango. With the introduction of SMS Archives, weve developed a search engine of real text message marketing examples from the world's best retailers, restaurants, and more, to allow marketers to seek inspiration for their own text marketing campaigns. To see text messages from top brands like Best Buy, Free People, Dominos Pizza, SKIMS, and Sonic, visit https://smsarchives.com/. About Tatango Since 2007, businesses and organizations have used Tatango's best-in-class software to send mass text messages. Made to serve the needs of high-volume senders, Tatango's easy-to-use technology ensures that every client has the features and functionality to fully realize the power of mass text messaging. Tatango is a privately-held corporation based in Seattle, WA, with investments from the Seattle Alliance of Angels. For more information, visit https://www.tatango.com. Deputy Communications Director of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Kamal Deen has labeled former President John Dramani Mahama as a hypocrite following Mahamas announcement to legalize the commercial use of okada when given the nod in this years elections. Flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress, John Dramani Mahama has promised to legalize the commercial use of motorcycles, popularly called okada, if re-elected in the December 7 general elections. Mr. Mahama, addressing to Chiefs and people of Kpando in the Volta Region during his tour of the Region, said he recognizes the many families depend on the okada to make ends meet and this is part of the reasons he will have it legalized. Speaking on UTVs Late News, Kamal Deen took Ghanaians, especially okada riders, down memory lane. He reminded them of Mr. Mahamas decision to ban Okada business in Ghana when he was in office. Kamal Deen stated the sudden U-turn of Mr. Mahama to legalize the Okada business is nothing but an attempt to convince the Okada riders to vote him back to power. Mr. Mahama was in power when the Okada business was banned in Parliament, so for eight years when he was in power, he never saw the need to legalize their business but simply because they want those okada riders to vote for them. . . what happened when he was the President? Didnt he find the need to legalize or regulate the Okada business during his regime? His attempt to legalize the Okada business is nothing but to amass votes from the Okada riders because it was this same NDC who banned their business in 2012 . . . The idea to legalize the okada business is not even in their 2016 Manifesto, so what has changed? However, on 17th February 2020, the government instructed MTTD to begin a stakeholder consultation on the regulation of the Okada business. The process of legalization of the Okada business has already begun . . . for NPP, we dont have a problem with the legalization of the Okada business," he stressed. Source: Josephine Acheampomaa/[email protected] Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Up to one-quarter of Ontario craft wineries could be forced to close their doors if they continue to be charged a 6.1 per cent tax on wine sold at on-site retail stores, Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates warns. Gates said the provincial tax wineries are charged on each bottle they sell may be enough to put many of them out of business, many of them struggling with losses as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Its a big issue, he said. It really hurts the small- and medium-sized wineries the most. Gates said he met virtually with Wine Council of Ontario members Thursday to discuss the organizations concerns about the added taxes they pay on sales at vineyard retail store or online. They believe one in four wineries may go out of business, Gates said. Its a huge hit. Ontario Craft Wineries launched an online petition this month calling on the government to axe the 6.1 per cent tax. Even before the COVID pandemic hit and tourism all but dried up, Ontarios family-farm wineries were hurting big time. All because of unfair taxes, the petition stated. No other province in Canada charges winemakers a tax on products sold at wineries. This unfair tax punishes local farm families for selling their own products on their own properties. Eliminating this unfair tax would help small wineries hire staff, invest in resources to provide greater experiences to their consumers, obtain new equipment for wine making and retail operations, and more. The petition has garnered more than 3,800 signatures. RELATED STORIES Business Wineries call for tax relief through online petition In April 2018 Gates introduced a private-members bill to amend the Alcohol and Gaming Regulation and Public Protection Act to provide an exception for some wines that fall under the tax. The bill didnt make it past first reading. Gates said he plans to reintroduce the bill as soon as possible after the legislature resumes. (Wineries) are really desperate right now and theyre scared and rightfully so, he said. A lot of small- and medium-sized businesses are scared right now, especially if youre related to the tourism sector or the wine industry. An illegal charcoal cartel is helping to finance one of the most prominent militias in central Africa and destroying parts of Africas oldest national park, warned Holly Dranginis in a June 2016 report by American NGO Enough Project. She was speaking of the Virunga National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Nursing alliances with Congolese army and police units and operating remote trafficking rings in the sanctuaries of Congos protected forests, the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) is a kingpin in Africas Great Lakes regions organized crime networks and a continuing threat to human security. And it had already been going on for a long time. For years, the group has helped sustain its activities by exploiting valuable natural resources, including minerals, ivory, fish, and marijuana, says the report. But one of the FDLRs most successful revenue-generating businesses is the illicit charcoal trade in the Democratic Republic of Congos cherished Virunga National Park. Four years after this report was published, the immense natural reserve is still being plundered. Some warlords operating in North Kivu still run huge networks trafficking in charcoal obtained from the illegal felling of trees in the park. A 50 million dollar trade The clearance of forest to produce charcoal is a major threat. Charcoal, known locally as makala, is massively consumed by the inhabitants of Goma, Beni and Butembo [three towns in northeastern DRC], explains Belgian anthropologist and primatologist Emmanuel de Merode, who is director of the Virunga National Park. To a lesser extent, wood is also used for carpentry and construction. Frenchman Jean-Sebastien Peillet worked in the DRC from 2014 to 2016 for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as an international expert on crimes against humanity. Those doing the trafficking are the FDLR, with the complicity of some in the FARDC (Armed Forces of the DRC), he says. Its the FDLR that runs the business, with the involvement of local Rwandan language speaking populations. Trafficking is not necessarily very organized, except at the level of the FDLR. The Congolese involved are known, he affirms. Makala [charcoal, in local languages] is mainly sold in Goma, says Peillet. The makala trade in the region is worth $50 million a year, half of which comes from this illegal trade. The money made from this trade is enormous. Despite the efforts of ICCN [Congolese Institute for the Conservation of Nature, responsible for conservation of protected areas], the population does not understand the risk. That is why its so catastrophic. Sale of coal in Goma, northeastern Congo. Half of this trade is illegal and comes from the criminal destruction of the Virunga Park forest. Alexis Huguet / AFP According to Emmanuel de Merode, this criminal activity also targets the regions rich wildlife and fish. The shores of Lake Edward harbor many armed groups, he says. They extort money from legal fishermen, or they fish themselves, using techniques that cause serious damage to the environment. At the same time, armed groups slaughter hippos and other large mammals, either consuming or selling their meat. Peillet agrees that Lake Edward is also a big issue. A group of Mai-Mai [Congolese militiamen] is overfishing there, collecting taxes with the complicity of certain state services. They are doing this even where the fish are supposed to reproduce. There is a lot of poaching, especially of hippopotamus and antelope, whose meat is highly prized. Military tribunals Some cases, mainly referred by the ICCN, have been brought before the Congolese justice system. These have mainly been against members of the Armed Forces, over whom the countrys military tribunals have jurisdiction. These military tribunals are doing pioneering work in a difficult context. The judicial authorities do not have figures on the number of cases tried to date, but they include one involving a senior Congolese army officer and some of his men. On January 29, Colonel Liwenge Eboko and his group were each sentenced to 16 months in prison for environmental crime, according to Olivier Ndoole, coordinator of the Congolese Alert for the Environment and Human Rights (ACEDH), a local NGO that campaigns for the protection of the Virunga Park. This is a historic conviction. It shows that wildlife protection also concerns the military, says the Congolese lawyer. Liwenge was commander of the Kibumba Regiment, which held an important position to prevent entry into the park. His men committed acts of poaching and he knew about it but did nothing to punish them. He did not take the necessary steps to prevent his soldiers from committing these crimes. The military justice system welcomes these prosecutions. When officers saw some of their colleagues being prosecuted for failing to prevent their men killing wild animals, they pledged to protect wildlife, says Major Williams Mulahya Hassan of the military prosecutors office in Goma, the provincial capital of North Kivu. The ICCN will tell you that we punish these crimes severely. According to this prosecutor, the military court currently has four cases in the preliminary phase, but he declined to give details. Political pressure and lack of resources Ndoole says these cases include one involving another senior officer, Colonel Masudi, accused of charcoal trafficking. The case is still under investigation at the level of the military prosecutors office. We are waiting for a decision on whether it will go to trial, says the lawyer. Its a case that concerns the destruction of the flora, particularly the trafficking of makala, which is the biggest criminal activity in this part of the park. Its a crime that involves the armed groups with complicity of the armed forces. Peillet welcomes the few trials conducted to date but finds the sentences light and therefore not dissuasive enough. He also says that investigators are afraid to question certain personalities. The investigations have remained superficial, probably so as not to disturb high-ranking personalities in the region or in Kinshasa, he comments. Observers say there is political pressure but also, as for the whole Congolese judicial sector, a lack of resources. Our big difficulty is the logistical means to get to the field so as to properly document the crimes, says prosecutor Hassan. Virunga is vast, we need the means to investigate these crimes. In addition, according to Peillet, some magistrates do not have enough knowledge of recent laws and there is above all endemic corruption throughout the country. ICC inertia Ndoole too notes that Congolese judges are not sufficiently trained on this type of crime. [They] do not have an in-depth knowledge of national and international laws on environmental crimes. There is a need to raise awareness, mobilize and build the capacity of judicial actors in law enforcement. He also blames the International Criminal Court (ICC) which has been looking into this region of the DRC for the past 17 years for having forgotten environmental crimes in its prosecutions. This green lawyer points out that environmental crimes were not included in the case of FDLR leader General Sylvestre Mudacumura, who was wanted by the ICC but killed in 2019. This is despite ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensoudas announcement in a September 15, 2016 policy paper that her office will give particular consideration to prosecuting crimes that are committed by means of, or that result in, inter alia, the destruction of the environment, the illegal exploitation of natural resources or the illegal dispossession of land. Ndoole says there is little sensitivity despite the seriousness of the situation and the calls for climate urgency in the world. Foreign armed groups have a great responsibility in the commission of crimes against nature and they do so with impunity at the national and international level. The crimes against nature perpetrated by the FDLR and ADF [an armed group of Ugandan origin] are beyond comprehension and require a specific judicial response. Recommended reading Valerie Cabanes: icc should recognize the crime of ecocide Specialized courts? He thinks special courts should be set up. Its possible that lobbying can bring legal reform to create specialized courts on land and environmental issues, he says. Given the international environmental movement and the magnitude of these crimes, current mobilization by civil society and other environmental actors could provide the impetus for legal and institutional reforms capable of providing judicial responses to this situation, he argues. He sees an encouraging sign in the birth, particularly in North Kivu, of circles of magistrates and other actors in the military and civil penal chain who are sensitive to crimes against fauna and flora and who, despite the areas lack of scientific expertise, are trying to create environmental jurisprudence. However, Emmanuel de Merode stresses that trying and convicting people will not be enough. He believes that any solution must involve improving the living conditions of the populations living near the park, who sometimes have no choice but to cooperate with these armed groups or destroy the park themselves to ensure their survival. And Peillet stresses the point: We must remember these are people who survive on less than a dollar a day. 'If the National Conference and PDP make handsome electoral gains in the valley and call for the restoration of the former state's lost status, how will the rulers in Delhi respond?' asks Amulya Ganguli. Photograph:Umar Ganie for Rediff.com IMAGE: Security personnel stand guard in Srinagar during a high alert on Independence Day, August 15, 2020. While the judiciary is taking its time in deciding on the legality of the snuffing out of Kashmir's special constitutional status by the Union government last year, some of the so-called mainstream parties of the province have spoken their mind. But, as the BJP has said, are they day-dreaming or are they no more than a 'stray group with a hidden agenda', as several former judges, bureaucrats and personnel of the armed forces have said about the case of contempt before the Supreme court? An election in the Union territory will clarify which of the two views are right. But, for the moment, the ruling party at the Centre may be wondering whether it acted in haste in releasing some of the politicians of the Kashmir valley such as former chief minister Dr Farooq Abdullah. For, what they have said on their release on the government's 'spiteful measures' in Jammu and Kashmir cannot but be disconcerting for the BJP. Equally disturbing is their assertion about trying to restore the former state's 'unique' identity. Up until now, no such voices were heard in the valley. Instead, it was all peace and quiet, enabling the national security aviser to eat street food standing outside rows of shops with downed shutters and far right European politicians enjoying boat rides on the Dal lake during a conducted tour. But, now, has the bubble burst? Will Farooq Abdullah and Co continue to offer explanations for the hushed atmosphere by saying that the people did not come out on the streets in protest to avoid being killed? The problem in a democracy with letting dissenters out of jail is that they cannot be kept quiet. And once one of them speaks out, others in Kashmir and elsewhere will join in and, soon, there will be a chorus which will attract nationwide and even international attention. Yet, they cannot be incarcerated again. That will give the jailors a bad name. Meanwhile, the scene in the outside world can change. There is a possibility, for instance, of a new government assuming office in America which may be less indulgent towards India's Kashmir policy than the Trump White House. Photograph:Umar Ganie for Rediff.com IMAGE: For the first time after the abrogation of Article 370 in Kashmir, National Conference President Dr Farooq Abdullah addresses a press conference at his residence in Srinagar. If the National Conference and the People's Democratic Party decide to bury their differences in an hour of existential crisis in Kashmir and join hands, as the joint statement issued by them and three other parties shows, the 'king's party', set up apparently with the BJP's blessings -- the Apni Party of former PDP member Altaf Bukhari -- may find the going tough. If, as a result, the National Conference and the PDP make handsome electoral gains in the valley and call for the restoration of the former state's lost status, how will the rulers in Delhi respond even if they regard such a reversal to an earlier position 'next to impossible' ? But a summary refusal to accept the demand of elected representatives of the people will be politically and diplomatically problematic at home and abroad. Such a stance can induce rethinking even among parties which went along with the BJP in Parliament to abrogate Article 370 if and when the parties of the valley claim, as Farooq Abdullah has already done, that the step was taken to implement the Sangh Parivar's agenda and not the nation's. In case the perceptions change, the BJP may realise that it has bungled in Kashmir. Its policies were apparently based on the belief that the party's success in two successive general elections meant that it was here to stay virtually forever, ruling for half a century from parliament to the panchayats, as Union Home Minister Amit Anilchandra Shah once said. Not only that, the BJP interpreted its electoral success as a mandate for ending 1,200 years of 'slavery' under the Mughal and the British and ushering in an Indic rule which meant the implementation of the parivar's agenda with the abrogation of Article 370 on top of the list. But what if there are murmurs of resentment in the valley, as the statement of the five Kashmiri parties portend? Will the Centre send back the 10,000 troops which it had recently withdrawn from the Union territory? Will that signal a failure of policy? The BJP is apparently in something of a jam. Amulya Ganguli is a writer on current affairs. Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com Newbridge doctor Adrian McGoldrick has called for advanced medical treatment to be made available to some coronavirus patients. It comes after the Rathangan native had asymptomatic Covid-19, which was established by a test in May. The doctor, who is also well known in the horseracing community, had none of the symptoms associated with Covid-19 such as a severe, cough, headache ort loss of taste or smell. Inflamed Since then he has developed myocarditis. This occurs when the heart muscle becomes inflamed and this in turn can affect the heart muscle and the heart's electrical system, reducing the heart's ability to pump and causing rapid or abnormal heart rhythms. In a tweet he said the myocarditis diagnosis was confirmed less than two weeks ago. My message is that this virus is potentially deadly so please follow advice. We need to tell people this as many times as necessary. Treatment He believes that advanced medical treatment should be made available in the form of a cardiac MRI, which allows doctors to see the heart in more detail than any other imaging format available. MRIs are non invasive and can more accurately identify the need of coronary angiography, coronary stenting or bypass operations. He said the National Treatment Purchase Fund should be used to provide free cardiac MRI screening to the public. He wants it made available to all public patients with any virus symptoms. Dr McGoldrick told the Leader that it is important to get the message out there that people need to take the medical advice relating to the virus. What happened in my case is a warning to other people and the tweet attracted a lot of attention which is useful because its important we tell people that the message need to be reinforced. Recuperates For now Dr McGoldrick is off work on medical advice as he recuperates. I hope to get back working full time again as a GP in September, he said. The former senior medical officer at the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board, who retired in December 2018 after 11 years in the role, is also hoping to return to the racecourses as one of twenty medical officers providing crucial clinical cover and racecourses around the country. What was the first wedding you officiated? I did my younger sisters wedding in 2016 and it took off. People said they loved my voice, which was trained because I had gone to the School of Performing Arts. I studied acting because I thought I was going to be an actress. People feel theyre at a Broadway show. How did you start working with celebrity couples? Usually a wedding planner finds me, or people find me through social media. My first celeb wedding was for Love & Hip Hop. A TV producer reached out to me for that, who had found me through a wedding planner. Then producers started talking to each other, which is how I did the other shows. What makes your ceremonies different? I know how to talk to an audience. I want to tell a story. I want to leave an impression on your guests. I can ask a couple the right questions to create their narrative. This is a collaborative effort. The couple gets to approve the ceremony. Most officiants dont do that. They use a script and fill in names. Words have meaning. One word could trigger someone in a negative way. Then I deliver that couples story as if Ive known them for their entire relationship. Whats your process? I put about 18 hours into each couple. Half of that is the narrative Im creating, the quotes and sacred text. I ask seven questions that reveal important points in their journey and relationship. And I always ask myself, How do I make their story come alive and be interesting? And how do I make people forgot about cocktail hour. How do you decide which couples to marry? I have a checklist. Most important is ensuring the authenticity of the relationship and of their love. People have weddings and they are not legally married or they might still be legally married to someone else. If thats the case, I cant marry them. I have to see their marriage license. I wont do a commitment ceremony. I need to know they are not being paid to get married. And I have to talk to them. I dont want to talk to your planner about your private relationship. If I cant talk to you, that wont work for me. Oracle, the technology giant led by Larry Ellison, has taken the lead position to acquire the Chinese-owned social app TikTok for a proposed deal of $20 billion in cash and stock, TheWrap has learned. The proposed deal would comprise $10 billion in cash, $10 billion in Oracle stock and 50% of annual TikTok profit to flow back to TikToks China-based parent company, ByteDance, for two years, according to one individual with knowledge of the deal. Update: On Thursday, Walmart announced that it had joined forces with Microsoft to bid for TikToks operations in the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand. The terms of that deal have not been disclosed but the retail giant is interested in the e-commerce aspect of the social app. In a nod to an impending change, TikToks CEO of four months, Kevin Mayer, resigned on Wednesday night after just four months in the role, saying: As we expect to reach a resolution very soon, it is with a heavy heart that I wanted to let you all know that I have decided to leave the company. Reps for TikTok and Oracle declined to comment for this story. But the proposed deal is being complicated by a... Read original story Oracle Nears $20 Billion TikTok Deal With White House Support (Exclusive) At TheWrap Celanese Corporation CE is raising the list and off-list selling prices of acetyl intermediates and acetone derivatives products. The price increase is applicable for orders shipped and is immediately effective or as contracts permit. The company will increase Ethyl Acetate prices by 150 per metric ton (MT) in EMEA. Prices of Vinyl-based Emulsions (PVAC & VAE) will increase by 200/MT in China. Methyl Isobutyl Ketone (MIBK) will increase by 150/MT in EMEA, 5 cents/pound in North America and $150/MT in Mexico & South America. Also, Methyl Isobutyl Carbinol (MIBC) prices will increase by 150/MT in EMEA, 5 cents/pound in North America, $150/MT in Mexico & South America, 100/MT in China and $150/MT in Asia Outside China. Celaneses shares have lost 6.1% in the past year compared with the industrys 6.9% decline. In second-quarter earnings call, Celanese stated that it witnessed demand recovery in the early third-quarter order bookings at improved levels on a sequential-comparison basis. The company expects a modest sequential improvement in earnings in the Engineered Materials unit for the third quarter. It also sees a modest volume recovery in the Acetyl Chain, which is expected to offset incremental energy and turnaround costs. The company also noted that surge in coronavirus cases is a concern. Celanese is focused on productivity and working capital management. Zacks Rank & Key Picks Celanese currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Some better-ranked stocks in the basic materials space include Golden Star Resources Ltd. GSS, Eldorado Gold Corporation EGO and Yamana Gold Inc. AUY, each carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 (Strong Buy) Rank stocks here. Golden Star Resources has an expected earnings growth rate of 12.5% for 2020. The companys shares have surged 60% in the past year. Eldorado Gold has an expected earnings growth rate of 2,325% for 2020. Its shares have returned 16.1% in the past year. Story continues Yamana has an expected earnings growth rate of 76.9% for 2020. The companys shares have soared 66% in the past year. These Stocks Are Poised to Soar Past the Pandemic The COVID-19 outbreak has shifted consumer behavior dramatically, and a handful of high-tech companies have stepped up to keep America running. Right now, investors in these companies have a shot at serious profits. For example, Zoom jumped 108.5% in less than 4 months while most other stocks were sinking. Our research shows that 5 cutting-edge stocks could skyrocket from the exponential increase in demand for stay at home technologies. This could be one of the biggest buying opportunities of this decade, especially for those who get in early. See the 5 high-tech stocks now>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Yamana Gold Inc. (AUY) : Free Stock Analysis Report Celanese Corporation (CE) : Free Stock Analysis Report Golden Star Resources, Ltd (GSS) : Free Stock Analysis Report Eldorado Gold Corporation (EGO) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research What a relief! Id worried about the coronavirus, but were fine! Ive been watching the Republican National Convention, and it turns out that while everyone else stood helpless before the pandemic, our national lodestar, President Donald Trump, stepped up and saved millions of lives. Whew! From the very beginning, Democrats, the media and the World Health Organization got the coronavirus wrong, according to a GOP propaganda film shown at the convention. Fortunately, one leader took decisive action to save lives: President Donald Trump. We did the exact right thing, Trump said in his speech Monday. We saved millions. He has moved seamlessly from the fantasy that the virus would go away, as he has said some 31 times, to the fantasy that he has already dispatched it. I feel well equipped to cover the Republican convention, having covered personality cults in China, Iraq and North Korea. But this grotesque manipulation deserves a response, for it dishonors and erases the 180,000 Americans confirmed to have died from COVID-19. The Trump administration is responsible for the single worst public health failure in the last 100 years, Peter Hotez, a global health expert and dean at the Baylor College of Medicine, told me. Devi Sridhar, an American who is professor of global public health at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, said it had been astounding to watch the Trump narrative from afar. In Scotland, she noted, children are now back in school because the government there was committed to suppressing the virus. The biggest obstacle to an effective COVID-19 response is President Donald Trump, Sridhar told me. There is a path through this crisis, but it requires strong leadership, transparency and letting scientists lead the response. Thats the problem in America: Trump fought science, and the virus won so the public lost. (The hostility to scientific expertise is also evident in the Republican National Conventions obliviousness to climate change, even as California is in flames and a hurricane was bearing down on Texas and Louisiana.) The consensus among health experts is that while local leaders and citizens sometimes messed up, and that luck matters along with other random factors we still dont fully understand, huge responsibility lies with that one leader. Some 40,000 confirmed infections are being reported each day in the United States, and another American still dies of the virus every 90 seconds. The University of Washington model projects that about 310,000 people will have died by Dec. 1 a figure greater than the number of American combat deaths during World War II. So portraying this toll as a tribute to Trumps leadership takes real chutzpah. Trump initially dismissed the coronavirus as like the flu, scoffed that it was totally under control and insisted it would disappear like a miracle. He imposed some travel restrictions on China (with enormous exceptions), which may have helped modestly, but he fumbled testing, didnt ensure adequate protective equipment, and offered confused messaging. The president resisted masks and embraced miracle cures some dangerous ones, like injecting household disinfectants. He encouraged followers to liberate states with lockdowns, and his administration pressed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to revise testing guidelines to exclude those without symptoms. He has suggested that his aim is to slow the testing down so that fewer people will test positive; thats like trying to reduce cancer fatalities by ending cancer screening. Trump still doesnt have a national COVID-19 strategy any more than he has a 2020 campaign platform. The United States does not, as many Trump critics believe, have the highest death toll from the coronavirus on a per-capita basis; deaths per million have been higher in Belgium, Peru, Spain, Britain, Italy, Sweden, Chile and Brazil. Yet while other countries made terrible mistakes especially initially they learned from them. China at first put more effort into suppressing warnings of the virus than into suppressing the virus itself. Italy delayed a lockdown. Britain at the beginning didnt take the risks seriously. Yet those countries were able to self-correct and bring infections down, although imperfectly and with risks of a return. Italy brought infections and deaths down and currently has a death rate over the last seven days just one-thirty-second that of the United States. In contrast, Trump never learned and still tackles the virus with magical thinking while resisting a coherent national strategy driven by science. Pandemic control involves not a single tool but a broad set of skills, making it a measure of good governance. Its not surprising that Germany led by a disciplined scientist, Angela Merkel has done particularly well, with a death rate now only one-forty-eighth that of the United States. If Trump had managed the pandemic as well as Merkel, some 143,000 American lives could have been saved. Think about those peoples lives when you see Trump try to rewrite history. The indisputable truth is this: The United States has 4 percent of the worlds population and 22 percent of the worlds confirmed coronavirus deaths. Kritof is a New York Times op-ed columnist. He can be reached at Facebook.com/Kristof and twitter.com/NickKristof. A facility believed to be an internment camp located north of Kashgar, in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, June 2, 2019. Ten Uyghur former detainees who earn half the salaries of their fellow employees at a shipping firm in Kashgar (in Chinese, Kashi) city, in far western Chinas Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), additionally must forfeit nearly 50 percent of their wages to their old internment camp, according to sources. The former detainees from Pahtekli township, in Kashgar prefectures Kona Sheher (Shufu) county, draw monthly salaries of 2,200 yuan (U.S. $320) working as porters at the shipping centers loading dock in Kashgar citya trading post city of 500,000but must surrender 900 yuan (U.S. $130) of it to the camp in which they were previously held, a Uyghur cadre from the township told RFAs Uyghur Service. The cadre, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the former detainees had been placed at the job in Kashgars Qizil district by handlers at their internment campone of a vast network in which authorities in the XUAR are believed to have held up to 1.8 million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities since April 2017. Theyre all from Pahtekli, from our village brigade, the cadre said, adding that the former detainees work every day at the loading dock, although they are permitted to return to their homes at night. Theres someone there [at the company] from the internment camp who collects the money They go to record whether they [the former detainees] show up for work. The cadre said he was unsure whether the camp staffers job was specifically to monitor the former detainees or to act as a money handler. RFA also spoke with a Uyghur employee of the shipping company, who said she oversees 57 loading dock workers who receive average monthly salaries of 4,000-5,000 yuan ($580-725) for up to 11-hour shifts, seven days a week. When asked why former detainees received significantly lower salaries, the employee replied, I dont know the answer to that. She was also unsure how many former detainees are working under her supervision. The employee made no attempt to hide that her staff is required to undergo political education and other sessions aimed at assimilating Uyghurs into Han Chinese culture. We definitely hold a flag raising ceremony every Monday, she said, adding that there is also an after-hours training session that had recently been canceled and an hour-long Chinese language instruction class held every afternoon. The employee said she was unsure about the nature of the activities of the internment camp staff that make regular visits to the company. When they come for record-keeping, I dont see them, she said, adding that the camp staff meet with higher-level employees. Former business owner RFA also learned additional details about one of the former detainees named Erkin Hashim from a source with knowledge of the area who spoke on condition of anonymity, citing fear of reprisal. Hashim had set up a successful business driving his tractor and other vehicles throughout Kona Sheher and neighboring counties before he was sent to an internment camp in 2017, the source said. Hashims wife, mother and two children were able to live off of savings for the first year of his detention but were forced to sell off his tractor and other assets beginning in 2018 to support themselves financially. Since his release in 2020, Hashim has been working at the loading dock along with his nine fellow former detainees for the shipping company which the source said is owned by Han Chinese migrants that used to be employees at his business. RFA spoke with a police officer in Pahtekli, who confirmed that Hashim is a professional driver whose business was thriving until the time of his detention. On the outside, he drove tractors and cars, the officer said. Theyve let him out, I think last Spring. Hes back home now He was re-educated for three years. According to the officer, Hashim was released because he like dto have fun drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes, suggesting that he paid little attention to matters pertaining to religion and politics. RFA also spoke about Hashim with the Uyghur cadre from Pahtekli, who called the former detainee fixed, having come out of the camps a very good man. Theres a shipping company over on the other side of the Qizil Bridgethats where hes working, the cadre said. He drove a tractor before [the camp]. Now, he unloads goods that have been brought in and loads them into other vehicles. According to the cadre, while Hashim was previously able to take time off from work to spend with his family, hes there every day at the loading dock, working 10-hour days. Hashim previously earned around 5,000 yuan (U.S. $725) per month through his business, he said, but now makes only 1,300 yuan (U.S. $189). The cadre confirmed that the leadership of the shipping company is Han Chinese and that the owner is a former employee of Hashims. Yes, theyre comrades, he said, using a common euphemism. The comrade is someone who worked for him before. Camp transition Reports of wage disparities at the shipping company in Kashgar come amid indications that China is increasingly relocating some inmates of its three-year-old internment camp program that has drawn international condemnation and U.S. sanctions, sending many to work in factories across China and putting some on trial. Last month, RFA reported on a residential zone in the seat of Kashgars Makit (Maigaiti) county known as the 14th Neighborhood Committee, which permits detainees to live with their families, but otherwise differs little from the camps. Residents are strictly monitored and made to attend mandatory political indoctrination classes, as well as sessions involving self-examinations and confessions, while entry and exit from the compound is restricted. People held at the committee sleep and work there, according to sources, including at several factories and workshops both inside and near the compound or, in rarer cases, market shops outside the residential grounds. Residents are permitted to work at facilities outside because there are not enough factories inside to employ everyone. It was not immediately clear if the shipping company in Kashgar accepts former detainees to work there as part of a similar scheme. Other investigations by RFA have found that former detainees placed in forced and coerced labor schemes following their detention are regularly required to surrender part of their pay to camp administrators. In some cases, they are housed in dormitories on their workplace campuses and only permitted to visit their families at home as little as once a month. A source who declined to be named, but who claims to have inside knowledge of the situation, recently told RFA that camp administrators often have problems placing former detainees in work programs unless they agree to low salaries. The source said that this is another way detainees are punished for their alleged crimes related to religious extremism. Beijing describes its three-year-old network of camps as voluntary vocational centers, but reporting by RFA and other media outlets shows that detainees are mostly held against their will in poor conditions, where they are forced to endure inhumane treatment and political indoctrination. RFA has documented countless university-trained specialists and other professionals who have been swept up into the vocational training system, where they are re-educated in spite of having studied at prestigious schools and forged successful careers prior to their detention. Meanwhile, reporting by RFA has found that a number of Uyghur entrepreneurs have lost their assets since the beginning of the internment campaign. In some cases, their assets and businesses have ended up in the hands of Han migrants to the region. Earlier reporting and evidence from construction bids and tenders themselves have shown that local governments throughout Xinjiang have been forced to bear the financial burden of camp construction. Diaspora Uyghur experts and analysts speculate that the large-scale detention and seizure of assets from Uyghur businessowners and entrepreneurs over the past several years has effectively forced the cost of the camps detaining Uyghurs en masse onto Uyghurs themselves. Reported by Shohret Hoshur for RFAs Uyghur Service. Translated by Elise Anderson. Written in English by Joshua Lipes. Gov. Kay Ivey has approved the Alabama National Guard sending up to 350 military police to Wisconsin to help respond to the violence that has has erupted since Sundays police shooting of Jacob Blake. The governor also approved sending Black Hawk helicopters to Louisiana Thursday morning to assist with the response to Hurricane Laura. Press Secretary Gina Maiola announced the governors decisions. In Kenosha, Wisc., the shooting of Blake, who was critically injured, has sparked three nights of civil unrest. Two people were shot and killed during protests Tuesday night. Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers has called on the National Guard there to try to quell the violence and is working with other states to bring in additional National Guard members and law enforcement, the Associated Press reported. The U.S. Justice Department said it is sending in the FBI and federal marshals to Kenosha. The White House said up to 2,000 National Guard troops would be available, AP reported. New Delhi: Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput was found dead at his Bandra residence on June 14, 2020, sending shockers to the nation. Nearly after two months, the investigation of his death case has gone to the CBI, which is currently probing it from all angles. In an exclusive interview with Zee News, one of Sushant's former staff members, who worked with him for a year has opened up on the whole drug conspiracy. The staff member worked with the late actor until January 2020. He clarified that Sushant was not into drugs till January 2020 as I never saw him doing it. He said, "after Rhea Chakraborty came into his life, he was given it. Sushant was not addicted to it, but was made to have it." "He only used to drink and smoke cigarettes." The staff member stated that various things are being said about the late actor only to tarnish his image. Rhea and Sushant met during a film shooting and got into a relationship later. He added that Rhea took charge of Sushant's life. Now that CBI is investigating the case, truth will come out. The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has registered a criminal case against actress Rhea Chakraborty over drug conspiracy reports in connection with actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death case. A five-member team of Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) will reach Mumbai shortly to probe the drug angle in actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death case. The team has been constituted under the supervision of Deputy Director of Operations (NCB) KPS Malhotra. Apart from Rhea, who was Sushant's girlfriend, the agency has also booked a few others, against whom the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had already registered a case earlier. The NCB will probe their alleged dealings in banned drugs. A team from Delhi will investigate the case in Mumbai. The case has been registered under Sections 20, 22, 27 and 29 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. Its true enough that Bloomsbury has a track record of publishing Hindutva propaganda. Heres the thing, though so does literally every other big player in English-language publishing. In 2014, Penguin withdrew Wendy Donigers The Hindus: An Alternative History after protests by right-wing groups led by the SBA (Shiksha Bachao Andolan). Among the lawyers who had filed the petition to ban Donigers book was Monika Arora. Six years later, Arora has found herself at the centre of another Freedom of Expression row. Delhi Riots 2020: The Untold Story, a book co-written by Arora alongside Sonali Chitalkar and Prerna Malhotra, was initially supposed to be published by Bloomsbury India. Last week, Twitter users noticed an advertisement for a launch event for the book, where BJP leader Kapil Mishra (who delivered a hate-speech-laden tirade in New Delhis Jafrabad, shortly before violence erupted there and other parts of the city) was among the guests. The book itself sought to place the blame for the Delhi riots squarely on Muslim students, activists and other people protesting against the controversial CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act) a claim that wouldnt pass muster with any fact-checking desk on the planet. The ensuing outrage meant that Bloomsbury first washed its hands off the event, and eventually the book itself. This prompted several liberal commentators, filmmaker Anurag Kashyap among them, to declare that they were not in favour of a ban on the book, no matter what its contents. Gurgaon-based Garuda Prakashan will now publish the book they have a history of publishing Islamophobic texts, so presumably Arora and co. will fit right in. A couple of quick points before we address the truly important issue here (namely, how lax are Indian publishings editorial and fact-checking standards?). First, the whole affair has been incorrectly perceived as a Freedom of Expression issue it really isnt. Freedom of speech does not include hate speech and it certainly does not include the right to a lucrative book contract or the privilege of being published by a major international firm. As Garuda Prakashan proved, theres any number of avenues (including self-publishing) that the authors can use to disseminate their message. Secondly, the word ban really should not be used lightly we were among the first nations in the world to ban The Satanic Verses in the 80s, remember, and since then, state and national governments have banned a great many books in India, like Great Soul, Joseph Lelyvelds biography of Mahatma Gandhi (which Modi banned during his time as Gujarat CM). Ergo, we should restrict the #FoE and ban discourse to cases where the state has repressed a book using coercive action this is very important. Now, to the matter at hand: Bloomsbury India, and how it handled the entire affair. When an author or authors send a book proposal to a publishing house, this is what happens typically first, the editorial team deliberates on the book. And if they decide to back the project, they then try and convince the CEO as well as the rest of the teams: Sales, Marketing and so on. And when all of these people agree to proceed with the project and the CEO signs off, the publishing house decides to make a formal offer to the author(s). Therefore, in this case, there are editors, sales people, finance people and marketing people at Bloomsbury India who looked at this dangerous, malicious, Islamophobic text fiction marketed as untold truth and decided, Yeah, lets publish this and make some money at the expense of some of our most vulnerable citizens. That, to me, is despicable behaviour. However, I would also like to inform you that singling Bloomsbury India out for this is myopic. Yes, its true enough that Bloomsbury has a shitty track record of publishing Hindutva propaganda. Heres the thing, though so does literally every other big player in English-language publishing. And its about time we started calling BS on all of it. Both Penguin Random House India and HarperCollins India are quite happy to profit off the work of Jaggi Vasudev (better known as Sadhguru), who mixes heavy-handed, faux-scientific bunkum with good ol Hindutva talking points. HarperCollins has also published several (terrible) books by Rajiv Malhotra, the infamous US-based Hindutva ideologue who has been caught plagiarising many times (hilariously, he once claimed that plagiarism is actually just inspiration; the Anu Malik defense). Apparently, if you have enough followers on Twitter, your manuscript does not need to be original or you know, follow even a modicum of ethical or journalistic standards. Former Tripura Governor Tathagata Roy, whose Twitter account reads like an Islamophobes bingo card, was published by Penguin Random House India in 2018; he wrote a biography of Syama Prasad Mukherjee, founder of the Bharatiya Jan Sangh, the progenitors of the BJP. Penguin was so eager to publish Roy that they were okay with the fact that Popular Prakashan had already published his book in 2012 (after which it sank without a trace) it is usually very difficult for previously published books to be acquired anew (this is different from a reprint, both in terms of scale and publicity). Rajat Sethi and Shubhrastha, who were electoral advisors for the BJPs successful Assam campaign, wrote a book about the experience called The Last Battle of Saraighat, it was published by Penguin Random House India. Again and again in the book, Bangladeshi Muslims and Bengali-speaking Muslim people in Assam are conflated this is such a massive and basic fact-checking error that one fails to understand how or why Penguin did not edit those lines. Basically, readers need to start holding English-language publishers accountable for the questionable and cynical decisions that they make. In February, I wrote an op-ed on the state of English-language publishing in India the Jaipur Literature Festival had just dragged peaceful protestors out of the festival venue, and once again, the spotlight was on ZEE, the openly pro-BJP media conglomerate and title sponsor of JLF. Those words are just as true for the current Bloomsbury fiasco. The JLF and English-language publishing in general are labouring under the delusion that they can continue to be progressive/liberal darlings while behaving like corporate centrists profiting off low-key controversies (while ignoring much larger, urgent, human rights-adjacent ones), cozying up to those in power, making editorial choices that keep perceived outsiders and undesirables at arms length. As Hurricane Laura pounds the U.S. Gulf Coast with nearly 150 mile-per-hour winds, causing water levels to rise almost 10 feet above normal, wildfires in California are still raging across more than a million acres, the result of a heatwave that spiked as high as 130 Fahrenheit (54.4 Celsius) - possibly the hottest temperature ever sustained on Earth. In the middle of the country, an inland hurricane flattened a large part of Iowa and darkened Chicago homes. And a tropical storm left thousands in New York without electricity for a week or more. That was just some of the extreme weather the U.S. suffered this month. Scientists hesitate to blame any particular storm solely on climate change. But the extreme weather conditions now testing the country, one disaster overlapping with the next, are exactly what they've long warned us to expect in a warming world. "As all of these things become more likely, it's more likely we're going to have these coincidences where we have all kinds of weather events that are extreme occurring at once," said Michael Wara, director of the Climate and Energy Policy Program at Stanford University. At times like this, he said, "it feels like the climate has it in for us." Extreme weather events will only get more frequent as warming continues - not heading toward a new, stable level of activity, but rather tipping further into chaos, said Kevin Trenberth, a climate scientist who recently retired from the National Center for Atmospheric Research. "There is no new normal," he said. "Or if there is, it is temporary before further changes come along." The field of climate attribution is still relatively young, having started up in earnest only in 2004, the year after a European heatwave killed 70,000 people. But the science has progressed rapidly. Heatwaves in particular are less and less interesting for researchers. Friederike Otto, a University of Oxford climate researcher and organizer of the World Weather Attribution initiative, said she doesn't think they'll bother investigating the recent California heat from a climate change perspective. "The evidence is so strong already," she said. Hurricane Laura, meanwhile, is just the latest product of an Atlantic hurricane season that has produced storms at a record clip. Never before have seven hurricanes or tropical storms struck the U.S. by the end of August, according to Phil Klotzbach, lead author of the Colorado State University seasonal hurricane forecast, one of the gold standards of storm modeling. The Atlantic has had active storm years before, but hurricanes draw their strength from warm water, and researchers have long warned that increased global temperatures will lead to more powerful storms. RELATED: Laura blasts Louisiana coast with wind and wall of seawater Both broad and intense, Hurricane Laura made landfall Thursday morning as one of the strongest storms ever to hit the state of Louisiana. The governor has declared a state of emergency, as have the governors of neighboring Texas and Mississippi. At least 13 people in Haiti and the Dominican Republic were killed by the storm as it gained strength over the weekend. More than 80% of Gulf oil production shut down in anticipation of the hurricane. Even when extreme weather doesn't level structures or consume acres of human development, it still shows us how ill-prepared we are for a more volatile climate. In California, high heat pushed up electricity demand in the evenings, just when the output from the state's solar plants dropped off. Utilities have plans to use batteries to provide round-the-clock solar coverage, but many haven't been installed yet. Power plants burning natural gas had to pick up the slack. But many have closed in recent years, in response to state regulations and weak profits. Climate is changing faster than emergency managers can keep up with it - and often in unexpected ways. In New York, for example, the remains of Hurricane Isaias battered the city and its suburbs with wind and knocked out power to 2 million homes. Electric utilities there had spent more than $3.5 billion hardening the grid after 2012's Hurricane Sandy, but they focused on protecting equipment from water, not wind. "We're going to continue to face weather events," said Ethan Zindler, head of Americas research at BloombergNEF, which specializes in the clean-energy transition. "The question is whether we build a better grid and better distributed resources to deal with it." The latest events simply highlight the existing need for greater localization of energy resources, complemented by battery backups, he said. Flavio Lehner, a climate scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, said systems for managing rainfall and snowmelt will also have to change. Those geared to the precipitation patterns of the 20th century are increasingly struggling - sometimes with too little water during worsening droughts, sometimes with too much water from intense storms. "We're seeing a lot of climate impacts that we anticipated, or were actually forecasted, play out the way we thought they would," he said. "They increased - sometimes in frequency, like in heat waves, and sometimes in frequency and intensity, like extreme precipitation events." With the first-generation projections of climate change now realized by real-world events, Lehner and his colleagues are trying to peer deeper into our hotter future. "I personally, even working on just a daily basis, sometimes struggle to wrap my head around, 'This is what we're seeing now,'" he said. "What would happen if we see another degree of warming? Currently, we're pretty well on track to do that. "If you're disturbed by what we've seen in the last decade, in a world that's about a degree warmer," he added, "this will only get more intense." Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Melbourne, Australia Thu, August 27, 2020 11:07 511 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c40d1184 2 Environment Australia,penguin Free A nightly penguin parade live-streamed from a deserted Australian park has become an online lockdown hit, with hundreds of thousands tuning in to watch the cute creatures waddle back to their burrows from the sea. Before the pandemic, going to watch the penguin colonies on Phillip Island, about two hours' drive from Melbourne, was a major tourist draw. But with the region under lockdown after a resurgence in coronavirus cases, the island's conservation park launched "Live Penguin TV" on Facebook and YouTube -- attracting a first-night audience of nearly 800,000 on Tuesday, it said. The island is home to the smallest species of penguin, fittingly called the Little Penguin and also known as the Fairy Penguin, and the live stream showed them frolicking together in the water and toddling back to dry land. Read also: Researchers go 'cuckoo' over Antarctic penguin poop "This has given us something to look forward to in isolation, thanks so much," commented one Facebook user on Wednesday's edition of the evening spectacle. The live sessions, which are about an hour long, will continue even after virus restrictions are lifted in the state of Victoria, the park said, for anyone who cannot go to the island. "We have seen pictures posted on social media of entire families watching the parade on their computers and devices," said Catherine Basterfield, chief executive of Phillip Island Nature Parks. "It is great to be able to put smiles on faces during these challenging times." There were about 771,000 viewers on Tuesday, according to the park. Virus cases are slowly dwindling in Victoria, with the state reporting 149 new infections on Wednesday. Australia has confirmed more than 25,200 cases in a population of 25 million, with 549 deaths. Topics : Australia penguin A 27-year-old woman who entered her husbands girlfriends bedroom and allegedly poured acid on her has been hauled before the Akyem Swedru Circuit Court. Vida Brakoaa, the accused, who is six months pregnant, has been granted a GH10,000 bail, with two sureties to be justified. The accused, who pleaded not guilty to unlawfully causing harm, will reappear before the court, presided over by Mr. Alexander Oworae, on September 11, this year. Victim battles for her life The victim, Ms. Patience Amalor, 30, who lost an eye in the incident, along with severe burns all over her head, face, breasts and other parts of her body, is battling for her life at the Oda Government Hospital. Facts The facts of the case, as presented by the prosecutor, Detective Chief Inspector Abraham Sackey, were that about 8:30 p.m. on July 28, this year, Brakoaas husband had a phone call from Ms. Amalor, and after a short conversation with her, he drove his private car to her residence at Nkwa Na Ehia, a suburb of Oda. No sooner had he left the house than Brakoaa took acid which was in a container and followed him in a taxi to know the residence of her rival. On reaching Amalors house, he knocked on the door, and just as he was about to enter the room, he had a phone call and waited behind the door to listen to the call. Brakoaa, who was tracing the husband without his knowledge, suddenly entered Amalors bedroom and poured the acid on her while she was relaxing on her bed. The accused fled the scene as soon as the victim began to scream for help, which attracted the boyfriend and other occupants of the house, who rushed Amalor to the Oda Government Hospital, where she was admitted. Brakoaas husband lodged a complaint at the Oda Police Station about the incident. Tough time for police A team of policemen, led by Detective Corporal Yakubu Mohammed, who went to arrest Brakoaa at her Oda SDA Junction residence had to lie in wait until 2 p.m. the next day when they got her, as she was hiding at an obscure place in her husbands self-contained apartment. When Brakoaa was first put before the court on July 30 she pleaded not guilty to the offence and told the judge that she was six months pregnant. The court made an order for a pregnancy test the very day, which proved positive, and she was remanded in police custody for the police to conduct further investigations into the matter. The case was adjourned to August 24. When the accused reappeared in court with counsel on August 24, she was granted bail in the sum of GH10,000, with two sureties, due to her pregnancy, and the case adjourned again to September 11. 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 HBO has announced additional cast for its upcoming special based on the acclaimed Ta-Nehisi Coates nonfiction book Between The World And Me. Joining previously announced stars Angela Bassett, Courtney B. Vance and Oprah Winfrey will be When They See Us Emmy winner Jharrel Jerome, Jack Ryan and The Wire star Wendell Pierce, Yara Shahidi from Black-ish and Pose's Mj Rodriguez and Janet Mock. The production will be based on a stage adaptation of the book performed at the Apollo Theater in 2018, THR.com reported Wednesday. New cast: Yara Shahidi from Black-ish, left, and Jack Ryan and The Wire star Wendell Pierce, right, are joining the HBO special Between The World And Me, it was announced Wednesday Coates' best-seller published in 2015 takes the form of a letter to his teenage son. It recounts the author's experience growing up in inner-city Baltimore and his growing fear of daily violence against the Black community. The narrative sets out Coates' belief that white supremacy and racism are ingrained in American culture and institutions, and represent an indestructible force that can't be completely overcome. Best-seller: Between The World And Me is a nonfiction book published by Ta-Nehisi Coates, pictured in February, and takes the form of a letter to his son about being Black in America Leads: The production will be based on a stage adaptation of the book performed at the Apollo Theater in 2018 and stars Angela Bassett and Courtney B. Vance, pictured in 2015 Star-studded: Oprah Winfrey is also among previously announced stars of the special that's currently in production and slated to premiere on HBO and HBO Max in the fall Rising star: Also announced as joining the cast Wednesday is actor Jharrel Jerome, pictured in January, who won an Emmy for his performance in the Netflix mini series When They See Us The HBO Max special will incorporate archival footage and video from Coates' home life as well as animation and readings from the book. Also on board the project are poet Marc Bamuthi Joseph, jazz pianist/composer Jason Moran, Broadway actress Michelle Wilson, Denzel Washington's actress wife Pauletta Washington and This Is Us star Susan Kelechi Watson. The special is currently in production under COVID-19 guidelines, according to Deadline.com, and is slated to premiere in the fall on HBO and HBO Max. Cast: This Is Us star Susan Kelechi Watson, pictured in January, is also on board the production that will use documentary and archive footage and animation to bring Coates' book to life New Delhi, Aug 27 (UNI) India on Thursday asked Pakistan to take credible action against Mumbai blasts mastermind Dawood Ibrahim and also ensure the listed individuals are prosecuted. After acknowledging Dawood Ibrahims address in Karachi, Pakistan has stepped back. He was among 88 others who figured in a list, published as a Statutory Regulatory Order (SRO) by Pakistans Ministry of Foreign Affairs to escape blacklisting by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). Pakistans assertion that the SRO does not mean that it admits to the presence of listed individuals on its territory or that it would impose any new measures on these listed individuals, lays bare the insincerity of Pakistan in responding to legitimate expectations of the world that they will track down international terrorists based on its soil, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said during virtual weekly press briefing here on Thursday. COVID-19 Response Most Kahoot Teachers Expect a Mix of Online and In-School As of last month, most teachers globally expected to deliver instruction through a mix of distance and in-classroom learning. According to a July survey by Kahoot of 1,207 K-12 teachers and faculty in higher education, 69 percent predicted they'd have a mix of instructional delivery in the new school year. Just 16 percent said education would be entirely online, and 7 percent said it would be in-classroom, "like before." Kahoot is an online quiz program with elements of gamification. In fact, blended learning was expected to be a trend in classrooms "over the next few years," according to four in 10 respondents. Other popular trends included diversity and inclusion training (referenced by 23 percent), student-led learning (20 percent) and life skills and workforce preparation (17 percent). The most challenging aspect of shifting to virtual instruction hasn't necessarily been getting used to the various technology teachers are using. That was designated by 29 percent of survey participants. What was slightly more challenging was not having "social contact" with students (mentioned by 32 percent) and teachers seeing their students "struggle with engagement" (32 percent). The remainder of respondents said the shift "was not difficult." Among global regions, teachers in the United States felt less safe about heading back to the classroom than educators in other parts of the world. While 49 percent of American teachers said they felt "somewhat" or "very" safe returning, that was a more common response among teachers in Asia (54 percent) and Europe (58 percent). Looking on the brighter side, 88 percent of respondents said they found that at least one element of their teaching proficiency improve through distance learning. More than a third (36 percent) said it was meeting students' "varied needs and learning styles." Another 30 percent said their communication with students and parents improved. And 22 percent reported that their motivation to teach perked up. The survey was issued to educators registered for the Kahoot EDU Summit, which took place in June. A slight majority (52 percent) lived in the United States. Three-quarters (76 percent) taught in elementary or secondary schools. More details about the survey are available in an article on the Kahoot website. Belfast restaurateur Michael Deane received 1,000 bookings for one venue after announcing he would continue discounts following the runaway success of the Eat Out to Help Out scheme. The chef said he would continue offering 10 off per person on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at some of his venues next month. He said his Michelin-starred Eipic venue, with its Great British Menu-winning chef Alex Greene, would be offering discounts for two Wednesday nights in the month. While the Eat Out to Help Out scheme is funded by the government for every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday in August, Mr Deane said the trade boost meant it was worth extending it. After announcing the September discounts on social media, his Deanes at Queen's venue received 5,000 phone calls and took bookings for 1,000 people. Simon Hamilton, chief executive of the Belfast Chamber of Commerce, said that if other venues followed Mr Deane's lead, it could mean a bumper autumn for eateries. "After having to close in spring and early summer, the Eat Out to Help Out scheme has been great for getting people into restaurants," Mr Hamilton added. "If places continue to offer discounts in September, that could be a great bridge between late summer and Christmas." Mr Deane said the scheme had been a success for his venues Meat Locker, Love Fish, Deanes at Queen's and Deane & Decano. Deanes Deli remains shut due to the lack of office workers in the city centre. "People needed to get out of the house and feel like human beings again after lockdown, and it's definitely worked out," he told this newspaper. Mr Deane said his business would only be breaking even this year due to the impact of lockdown and the costs of implementing social distancing and extra sanitising measures. "We're already down an awful lot of turnover as there's no one coming through the airports, no conferences, no businesspeople going out for lunch," he added. "Now we're going to have to stick our hands in our pockets to provide more reasons for people to go out in September, but that's just part of life and I have to keep bouncing the ball. "In September I'm going to do exactly the same as the government had been doing because what we have to do is keep the economy driving and give people exactly the same deal." People had a desire to be out and about, he said, adding: "We're social animals even when we are social distancing. I had 5,000 phone calls into Deanes at Queen's and we've had 1,000 people booked since we put it out on social media, even though with social distancing our table numbers have gone from 200 to 120." Expand Close Support: Colin Neill / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Support: Colin Neill Colin Neill, chief executive of Hospitality Ulster, said he "applauded" venues that were extending the discounts. "Not everyone can do it because obviously they're already running at reduced capacity and reduced margins. It would have been better if Westminster had stepped in and extended it," he added. HMRC confirmed yesterday that there were no plans to extend the scheme. Belfast Telegraph restaurant critic Joris Minne sounded a note of caution. "I would argue that a promotion should have a finite time limit before it starts creating a bad habit," he said. "The risk is that consumer expectations of lower prices over a longer stretch of time can make it all the more difficult to readjust them to a viable level." Expand Close Little Wing pizzeria / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Little Wing pizzeria The Beannchor hospitality chain, which includes the Little Wing pizza restaurants and the Bullitt and Merchant hotels, said it was considering alternative offers for the future. "The Beannchor venues aren't continuing with the specific Eat Out to Help Out scheme as such, but they are working on some different offers to fill the vacuum. These are in development at the moment," it added. Colum McLornan, co-owner of the Marine Hotel in Ballycastle, said his staff would be having a well-earned break after high demand for the discounts. Expand Close Ballycastles Marine Hotel / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Ballycastles Marine Hotel "The scheme in Ballycastle has been a huge success. Every week we are full for coffee, lunch and dinner, plus afternoon tea. In fact, the afternoon tea has been one of the most popular item people have bought," he said. "We are not planning to continue with the scheme ourselves in September. It has been an extremely busy August, so we plan to take stock next week, ensure our staff all get some time off and then look at offers and promotions for the end of September and the month of October." Delhi High Court, on August 27, stayed the IBC proceedings launched by the State Bank of India (SBI) seeking to enforce personal guarantees of Anil Ambani worth Rs 1,200 crore. The court restrained Ambani from selling and transferring personal assets. Arguing against the stay order, Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA), Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) and SBI said that it would open the floodgates for similar cases where promoters try to escape personal guarantee. SBI's counsel further said that Ambani was looking to derail proceedings. "A stay on the recovery proceedings allows the guarantor to fritter away assets to avoid recovery," SBI told HC. Ambani moved the Delhi High Court against the appointment of a resolution professional (RP) on the personal guarantee given by him against a loan taken by Reliance Communications Ltd (RCom) and Reliance Infratel Ltd (RITL) from SBI. On August 20, the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) in Mumbai had allowed the appointment of an interim resolution professional (RP) in a case filed by State Bank of India against the chairman of Reliance Communications over the company's Rs 1,200 crore loan default. Ambani furnished his personal guarantee along with other collateral to avail the loan. The lender moved NCLT after the company had failed to pay up its dues even after invoking the personal guarantee. "Sec 60(2) clearly provides for proceedings to be launched against personal guarantors, running parallel to CIRP. Fallacious to assume that no action can be taken against guarantors until Resolution Plan is accepted," the order issued on August 20 said. The HC issued notices to SBI and Ministry of Corporate Affairs. The matter will be next heard on October 6. In August 2016, SBI had issued loans of Rs 565 crore and Rs 635 crore to Reliance Communications and RTIL, respectively. In September 2016, Anil Ambani provided a personal guarantee for availing the credit facility. Also read: Rs 1200-crore loan default case: NCLT allows appointment of RP in SBIs case against Anil Ambani Later in 2017, accounts of R.Comm and RITL were held to be in default, retrospectively, since Aug 2016. In January 2018, SBI invoked the personal guarantee issued by Anil Ambani. Subsequently, in February 2020, SBI issued a demand notice to Anil Ambani seeking recovery of dues to which there was no response received. Recently, Chinese Banks had secured an order from the UK courts to recover Rs 5,447 crore loans given to Reliance Communications. SBI fears that upon non-payment of Rs 5,447 crore to Chinese banks, they are likely to invoke similar personal guarantees issued by Anil Ambani to them. According to the SBI, recovery proceedings, or invocation of personal guarantees of Anil Ambani by the Chinese would adversely affect recovery proceedings in India under IBC. By Ayya Lmahamad Azerbaijan increased the volume of trade turnover with neighbouring Turkey in 2020 despite pandemic. The trade turnover with Turkey amounted to $2.5 billion in January-July 2020, compared to $2.3 billion in the same period in 2019, local media reported on August 27, with reference to the State Customs Committee. Turkey was Azerbaijans second trade partner in the reporting period, followed by Italy with $3.17 billion trade turnover. Turkey was the leader among Azerbiajans trade partners among the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) countries in 2020. It should be noted that Azerbaijan and Turkey signed the Preferential Trade Agreement on February 25 to bring their trade volume to $15bn. The trade turnover with Azerbaijans southern neighbour Iran dropped to $179.2 in the reporting period, while the turnover with another OIC country Tunisia increased, reaching $174.9 million. Moreover, Azerbaijan increased by $60.8 million the volume of exports to CIS countries in the reporting period, exporting goods worth $809.8 million to those countries. Moreover, Azerbaijan imported goods worth $1.5 billion from CIS countries during the reporting period. Russia was the leader among Azerbaijans trade partners among the CIS countries as well as the countrys third largest trade partner with the volume of trade turnover between the two countries reaching $1.5 billion. The country also increased the volume of trade turnover with Ecuador, amounting to $24.8 million in the first seven months of 2020. Spain, Mexico and Ecuador were the top three countries with which Azerbaijan conducted the most trade transactions from among Spanish-speaking countries. The volume of Azerbaijans foreign trade turnover amounted to $15 billion in the period between January and July 2020. Italy was Azerbaijans trade partner in the reporting period with $3.17 billion trade turnover. During the reporting period, export amounted to $9.1 billion, which is 61.46 percent of the total volume of foreign trade. Meanwhile, imports amounted to $5.9 billion, which is 38.54 percent from the total volume of foreign trade. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Colin Packham (Reuters) Sydney, Australia Thu, August 27, 2020 08:30 511 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c40c2771 2 World Australia,legislation,deal,agreement Free Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison will announce on Thursday legislation giving the federal government new powers to review and cancel any agreements that local authorities and public institutions make or have made with foreign governments. If approved by parliament, the law will give the federal government a veto over any deals made between state and territory governments, local councils, and public universities and foreign administrations. While Morrison will not name China specifically, the new law is likely to further sour bilateral ties, and comes amid growing concerns over links between Australian institutions and Beijing. "It is vital that when it comes to Australia's dealings with the rest of the world, we speak with one voice and work to one plan," Morrison will say on Thursday, according to extracts of a speech seen by Reuters. The new legislation excludes commercial corporations and state-owned enterprises. Under the new law, the country's foreign minister would be able to cancel any agreements made by local institutions if they "adversely affect Australia's foreign relations" or are "inconsistent with Australian foreign policy", a source familiar with the details of the plan told Reuters. The legislation will also be retrospective, the source said. Local authorities and public universities will have to inform the federal government of all deals with foreign nations within six months of the legislation becoming law. If Australia's foreign minister thinks the deals contravene the law, lawmakers will have the power to cancel them, the source said. The changes threaten a suite of deals signed by Australian institutions in industries ranging from education to health and tourism, the source said. China, Australia's largest trading partner, buys more than one-third of Australia's total exports, and sends more than a million tourists and students there each year. It comes after Australia in 2017 introduced sweeping powers aimed at preventing external interference in domestic politics, which then Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said was driven by Chinese meddling. That was widely seen as a turning point in the Australian-China relationship, which has reached its lowest point in decades during the coronavirus pandemic, straining two-way trade. Topics : Australia legislation deal agreement Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-28 05:43:43|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KHARTOUM, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- South Sudan mediation team on Thursday announced that the signing of a peace deal between Sudanese government and the armed groups has been delayed to Aug. 31. "After consultations with all parties, we have decided to delay the signing of the deal from Friday (Aug. 28) to Monday (Aug. 31)," Tut Gatluak, South Sudan's presidential adviser on security affairs and head of the mediation team, was quoted as saying in a statement issued by Sudan's Sovereign Council. "The delay tends to ensure that the peace will be comprehensive and does not exclude any group or a region," he added. Gatluak explained that the work on revising the papers of the security arrangements file in Darfur and the political protocol in the two areas (South Kordofan and Blue Nile) would continue on Friday and Saturday. He further noted that South Sudan's President Salva Kiir Mayardit will address the signing ceremony to be attended by officials from Sudan, foreign ministers of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development in Africa (IGAD), Chad, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Earlier, South Sudan's mediation team announced that the Sudanese government and the armed groups would sign a peace deal on Aug. 28. Since October 2019, South Sudan has been mediating between the Sudanese government and the armed groups from Darfur, South Kordofan and Blue Nile regions to reach a peace deal. Enditem New Delhi: Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday addressed party workers on 132nd Foundation Day of Indian National Congress at AICC headquarters in New Delhi. Sharpening his attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modis demonetisation drive, Rahul said, PM Modi said hes performing a yagna against black money and corruption but demonetisation yagna being performed for 1% super-rich people Congress means listening to you, understanding others. It made us understand the meaning of freedom. Accusing PM Modi and RSS of spreading angerand hate, Rahul Gandhi said, Congress will stand with people and defeat the ideology of Narendra Modi and RSS that spreads anger and hate, added Rahul. ALSO READ: (What will PM Modi do for those affected by demonetisation: Rahul Gandhi | Top quotes) Opposition parties have been attacking the Centre over demonetisation drive and the mess it caused to common people. Long serpentine queues, impulsive changes in the decisions regarding withdrawals, deposits in the aftermath of currency ban added to the woes of common man. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. A former police officer has been arrested in connection with the 2014 disappearance of 43 students in the Mexican state of Guerrero, who are believed to have been massacred by a cartel. Agents from Mexico's attorney general's office said Neftali Perez was taken into custody Friday, after authorities executed an arrest warrant that was issued in June 2015. The kidnapping, which shook the world, happened when 43 male teaching students from the rural village of Ayotzinapa were detained by corrupt police on their way to a protest and handed over to the Guerreros Unidos Cartel on September 26, 2014. They were never seen again. Perez, then a member of the Immediate Response Unit of the Iguala Police, is accused of turning over the students to members to the cartel in the Guerrero municipality of Iguala. Forensic experts have been able to only identify two of the 43 students who were kidnapped and killed by a cartel in Mexico on September 26, 2014 The students were traveling in two buses when police officers stopped the vehicles and took them to the Iguala station house. According to court documents, the students were placed in cells while other were allowed to sit on benches. According to Mexican newspaper El Universal, police officer Honorio Antunez testified that Perez was in a courtyard with the students at the station house and that he was part of the unit which handed them over to the cartel in the Loma de Coyotes neighborhood. The cartel is accused of killing the men and burning their bodies. Remains have since been found of two of the missing 43 students. The first was Alexander Mora, whose family was informed that his remains were identified in December 2014. Christian Rodriguez was positively identified through DNA analysis of a bone fragment by the University of Innsbruck in Austria in June. Demonstrators march along with relatives of 43 missing students in September 2019 A special unit for Mexico's Attorney General's Office announced in June that Christian Rodriguez was positively identified through DNA analysis of a bone fragment by the University of Innsbruck in Austria. Rodriguez was one of 43 students kidnapped by alleged members of the Guerreros Unidos Cartel in September 2014 Perez allegedly was part of a small group of cops who carried out the abductions and tipped off police department activities to the Guerrero Unidos Cartel. He appeared on a video conference hearing before a judge Sunday and is expected to learn this week if he will be formally arraigned on the kidnapping charges or released from prison. The abduction of the 43 students generated international outrage and left a long lasting stain on the administration of then-President Enrique Pena Nieto. An initial investigation determined that the Guerrero Unidos Cartel confused the students with rival gang members and that the bodies were burned next to a landfill and dumped in a river. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has in the past promised the families assistance in unearthing the truth behind the disappearance of their loved ones. A protest emerged at Buckingham Palace in London over the weekend, with demonstrators targeting the UKs Prince Andrew over his longtime association with child sex trafficker and American oligarch Jeffrey Epstein. Demonstrators unfurled End Sex Trafficking banners, A Pedophile Lives Here placards, and chanted the word pedophile at the luxurious palaces gates. One longtime Epstein victim, Virginia Giuffre, has accused Andrew of having sex with her when she was 17 years old. Andrew denies the allegations. He associated with Epstein and the oligarchs madame Ghislane Maxwell for decades, even after the billionaire was convicted of engaging in child prostitution in 2008. Its relatively unprecedented for demonstrations to occur at the royal residence. The UK monarchy is a broadly popular institution in the country. Prince Andrew was forced to implicitly resign from the UK royal family following a disastrous interview which he tried to explain away his association with Epstein, offering no more justification for a 2010 visit to Epstein in New York than saying that the billionaires residence was a convenient place to stay. Its a a stretch to call the Epstein associate a pedophile, considering hes only accused of engaging in sex with a 17-year old girl. However, that sort of contact with a minor, nonetheless one who is trafficked by the likes of Epstein(who was been accused of a persistent track record of pedophilic sex crimes), is most definitely a sex offense. ALTON Teamwork may make the dream work, but a group of local volunteers are making dreams work by building beds for kids in need. The Alton chapter of Sleep in Heavenly Peace (SHP), a national organization geared to supplying beds for kids all over the country ages 3 to 17, already has supplied 34 beds to kids in Madison County since it got up and running earlier this year. Twenty of those beds have been built and delivered within the last 12 days. Were pretty new to the area, said Chapter President Jason Brunaugh. Were a 100 percent volunteer organization, so we dont have full-time staff at any building location or office. The organization is a national organization and they started in 2012. They now have, I think, close to 300 chapters nationwide. With anywhere from 40 to 50 volunteers on a scheduled build day, the local chapter can build almost 40 beds in a three hour period. Usually held from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday mornings, the next full build day is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 29. We dont put a number on how many we have to accomplish and we try to keep the volunteer period for about three hours max, explained Brunaugh. What I like to do is not burn out our volunteers and make it so that they actually want to come back and volunteer again, talk to their friends and family about coming. Operating in an assembly line, volunteers man different stations based on their abilities, from cutting lumber, sanding, drilling, assembling or staining. All of the building is done at the local chapters permanent build site at Cross Roads Court across from the Comfort in on College Avenue. What we do is we have all of our stations set up in our warehouse to where a 12-year-old volunteer can really fill a need and a position in the assembly line, said Brunaugh. The organization has really perfected the system. They have tried everything. Each chapter brings a little more experience or knowledge and they pass that on to everyone. So, when we do our training, they have everything down pat, exactly what you need to do, how you need to do it. To qualify for a bed, a person just needs to apply online through the organizations main website at shpbeds.org. Anyone can apply for the child needing a bed and applicants are not required to meet any financial criteria to qualify. Its a very simple application process, said Brunaugh. It goes to the corporate headquarters and mainly what theyre doing is making sure that we havent given you a bed before. Theyre checking their database and really, if you havent received a bed before, thats the only criteria theyre looking for. Theres nothing you have to meet. If a child needs a bed, we want to give them a bed. Making the bed frames for single twin beds and bunk beds by hand, SHP then purchases the mattress and bedding with donations. Each complete bunk bed has a monetary retail value of $350, for donors looking to supply a child with a complete bed. We handbuild the actual frame itself and then through our donations, we purchase brand new mattresses, sheet sets, pillows and blankets, said Brunaugh. And then we actually assemble it all on site, put the bed together, bring the kids in, hopefully give them a nice reveal and get to see the joy on their faces when they get their bed. Its completely new, he said. We dont allow any donations of used or slightly used items. Its all new right out of the packaging that we open on site and put together for them. Brunaugh, a general contractor, was inspired to start a chapter after doing inspections for a company that managed low income housing in the area. I went through 300 apartment units in the Madison County area a couple of years ago and I was shocked by the living conditions of these kids, said Brunaugh. Ive got young kids of my own and so seeing a childs room with little to nothing in it no beds, maybe not even a mattress hit me pretty hard. Not wanting to turn a blind eye to what he saw, Brunaugh started to look at ways he could help. Thats when he reached out to the founder of Sleep in Heavenly Peace, which had recently been getting a lot of national press for their work. I reached out to him, and hes a pretty good salesman, and he said I just needed to start a chapter, said Brunaugh. Its really easy for me to get behind the kids because they dont have a choice. Thats why I can do this easily and with an open heart. With no overhead, the Alton chapter has raised almost $20,000 to date. Raising funds through friends and family first, Brunaugh was able to purchase the necessary tools and equipment for doing the work, fund builds and purchase a trailer for transporting beds to kids homes. Having 10 to 15 people who volunteer on a regular basis also aids in the overall success of the operation. Because they are trained and know the different work stations, they help other volunteers during open houses on Wednesday evenings from 5 to 8 and full builds on Saturdays. The regular volunteers come almost every Wednesday night when I have the doors open, said Brunaugh. Theyre there to help deliver beds whenever we do that and when we have our open build days like this Saturday. Those people who are trained and know the different stations will just be helping the volunteers that just show up, never having seen anything we do. Theyll be facilitating those volunteers and making it an enjoyable experience for them. Because full building sessions on Saturdays with 40 or 50 volunteers werent really an option with the government stay at home order this past spring and subsequent restrictions, Brunaugh started holding the Wednesday evening open houses as soon as some operations were allowed to resume. Weve had great success, he said. Every week, if I can meet one new person, thats a great thing. So, weve been able to do that. Weve grown our team, just on those Wednesday nights. Before COVID and having to stop volunteering for a while, we delivered 14 beds. Over the last month, we have started to build back up. Those looking to volunteer and participate in scheduled build days, should visit the chapters Facebook page at facebook.com/SHPAlton. To make a donation to the Alton chapter of Sleep in Heavenly Peace, visit the website at shpbeds.org or Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/SHPAlton and follow the links. Donations by check can also be sent to Sleep in Heavenly Peace, P.O. Box 394, Alton, Illinois 62002. Ninety percent of all funds donated stay in the chapter. Sales of recreational cannabis have broken $100 million for three months in a row in Oregon as the state continues to wrestle with the COVID-19 pandemic. According to data from the Oregon Liquor Control Commission, which oversees marijuana sales, sales have been up since March, when the state went into lockdown to slow the spread of the virus. That month total sales in Oregon were $84.5 million, 30% higher than March of 2019. At the time, some business owners worried the March bump was temporary. But numbers show things have only gotten better, at least for some of the states cannabis retailers. In April, total sales went up 5.7% to $89.7 million which was 44% over the previous April. Then, in May, the state hit $103 million in sales, breaking $100 million in a single month for the first time since recreational marijuana sales began in 2015. That was a 60% increase over the previous May. June and July were similarly good for the cannabis business. In June, the state reported $100 million in total sales. In July, $106 million. Those high numbers also translated to more money in tax revenue. Between March and June, the state received $49,572,951 in taxes, up from $35,632,616 over the same period in 2019. Oregon Marijuana Tax Receipts July numbers are not yet available. Katie Stem, CEO of Peak Extracts, a Portland-based company that sells topicals, tinctures and chocolates throughout the state and hemp products nationwide, said she believes people are spending their money differently during the outbreak. People are going for more quantity over quality, Stem said, and buying cannabis flower over the more expensive tinctures and edibles. And the money is coming from different places. Business has slowed dramatically for Peak Extracts in tourist destinations like the coast and in Ashland, but sales in metro areas have mostly made up for that. Now, Stem is seeing some dispensaries, mainly bigger companies, thrive, while smaller businesses suffer. Stem points to the ability to quickly transition to the reality of safety precautions and social distancing as a major factor in this. Businesses offering delivery and curbside pickup are doing especially well. Our accounts that offer one or both of those things are dominating our sales, she said. That was something that we sort of predicted would happen. Jeff Yapp, CEO of Golden Leaf Holdings, which operates Chalice Farms, a business that was able to quickly pivot, agrees. Were a relatively large company but we moved really quickly, he said. I dont think we skipped a beat. Yapp said Chalice Farms was doing very well, even though the business had been hit by a vape ban, then the pandemic, and now ongoing protests that have affected some of his storefronts. Its been wild, Yapp said. But Yapp says it comes down to agility, and his experienced team. As you talk to retailers, he said, you will find theres a huge disparity. But for us, weve been really happy. Were over the moon. While Stem is somewhat nervous about the future for high-end extracts if the economy tumbles, she is optimistic about the industry. I think in general the cannabis industry is safer than any other, she said. This is a time of heightened anxiety, said Stem, adding cannabis is kind of ideal for what all of us are going through right now. As people try to deal with the stress of this moment, Yapp said, many are moving away from pharmaceutical and chemical options. I think people are waking up to the benefits of plant-based medicine, he said. I think cannabis is really essential. -- Lizzy Acker 503-221-8052, lacker@oregonian.com, @lizzzyacker Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. T he Scottish and Welsh governments have agreed to buy hundreds of high-speed coronavirus testing machines which can produce results in 12 minutes. If approved for use in Scotland, a minimum of 500,000 coronavirus tests will be available for use with the 300 machines, after the Governments 6.76 million deal with UK-based firm LumiraDx. Scotlands Trade Minister Ivan McKee said the machines have the potential to "revolutionise the fight against the virus". Test strips for the machines will be made at the companys Stirling factory, creating jobs in Scotland, Mr McKee told MSPs. The Government said the portable design of the machines means they are well suited for local clinics and mobile units across Scotlands rural and island communities. The Welsh government said it was also involved in the project and it had signed a contract for up to 400 machines and 450,000 tests, subject to their validation, the Guardian reports. "The Welsh government is involved in a number of trials for rapid point-of-care testing and device validation for Covid-19 diagnostics," a spokesman told the newspaper. The test is able to detect Covid-19 antigen proteins from a nasal swab, with results in under 12 minutes in symptomatic patients. An employee directs members of the public into a coronavirus testing centre at Glasgow Airport / Getty Images It was authorised for emergency use by the US Federal Drug Administration last week and is going through the final stages of validation for use in Europe. The Scottish Government also suggested that, following the initial order of 500,000 tests, a UK-wide agreement for future procurement is anticipated. Announcing the purchase in the Scottish Parliament, Mr McKee said the fast turnaround of test results will be "of huge importance to our test and protect strategy". A soldier from the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards carries a container with Covid tests at a mobile testing facility in Stirling / PA "This can revolutionise the fight against the virus," he said. "Looking ahead, we expect continued developments in testing capability by making sample collection simpler and turnaround times quicker. "We continue to work on supply chain resilience and on future needs, and progress has been made to develop rapid point-of-care or near point-of-care testing, especially in remote areas." Chief executive and chairman of LumiraDx, Ron Zwanziger, added: "We are proud to have a strong presence in Scotland with our research and manufacturing teams here and look forward to working with Scotlands health systems to address the Covid-19 crisis in a way thats affordable and accessible in community care settings." If you have an inflamed, itchy, red rash that burns, it could be contact dermatitis. Contact dermatitis (a type of eczema) is usually a rash caused when someone rubs against plants such as poison ivy or uses products with ingredients containing possible allergens, such as certain laundry detergents or soaps, cleaning chemicals or latex gloves. There are two categories of contact dermatitis -- irritant and allergic. Irritant contact dermatitis happens when a chemical or other harsh substance damages the upper layer, or epidermis, of the skin, resulting in burns, blisters and skin ulcers. Almost any substance or environmental element can cause irritant contact dermatitis over a long enough period of time for people who have very sensitive skin -- even dry or warm air and humidity can cause it [source: Hogan]. Irritant contact dermatitis could be life threatening if the condition is untreated and leads to serious infection. Advertisement Unlike irritant dermatitis, allergic contact dermatitis happens when a person's skin comes in contact with something he or she is, well, allergic to. An allergen causes your immune system to have an exaggerated reaction when it comes in contact with a substance. Instead of finding a substance harmless, your immune system considers the substance dangerous and responds appropriately. Sometimes, it may take years and many exposures for a person to react to a certain allergen, such as soap or an ingredient in a moisturizer [source: Mayo Clinic]. Once the allergens enter the top layer of skin, they combine with natural skin proteins. White blood cells then transport the allergen-protein combination through the body. Because your immune system has a "memory," the next time you touch that particular allergen, your body will recognize it -- and react to it. Itching, pain and inflammation are all signs that your body is reacting to some allergen [source: CCOHS]. The good news is that contact dermatitis isn't fatal and should not be contagious. Although, with the itching and burning, it can certainly be rather unpleasant [source: Mayo Clinic]. Of course, there's always a chance that the allergen will cause other reactions, such as swelling of the mouth and airways, which can be life-threatening. If this happens, you should seek immediate medical attention. Keep reading to learn more about irritant and allergic contact dermatitis. Flash China is firmly opposed to U.S. sanctions against Chinese companies and individuals relating to constructions in the South China Sea, and has urged the United States to rectify its mistakes and immediately stop interfering in China's internal affairs, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Thursday. Spokesperson Zhao Lijian made the remarks at a press briefing in response to U.S. announcement of sanctions against Chinese companies and individuals relating to construction activity in the South China Sea. China's relevant constructions on its own territory are completely within the scope of its sovereignty and have nothing to do with militarization, Zhao stressed. He said it is reasonable, legal and beyond dispute for Chinese companies and individuals to participate in construction in their own country, while the illegal sanctions imposed by the United States on them on such pretext is unreasonable. U.S. sanctions, which involve typical hegemonic logic and power politics, have blatantly interfered in China's internal affairs, violated international law and norms governing international relations, Zhao said. A Facebook event organized by a militia group that advocated for members to take up arms in response to protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin was reported to Facebook by multiple users who were told it didnt violate the companys policies. The company removed the event page and the Kenosha Guard Facebook group on Wednesday after two protestors were shot and killed Tuesday night. A 17-year-old was charged with first-degree murder. Facebook said in a statement that it had no evidence, the teen was part of the Kenosha Guard Facebook group or its event. But the company had the opportunity to take action on the militia groups Facebook event before the deadly shooting, according to users. One Kenosha resident named Nathan, who asked to use his first name only, told Engadget he reported the event page for the Kenosha Guard on Tuesday afternoon. I was nervous about them taking up arms against protestors in Kenosha, he said. I wasnt sure if I could classify it as a hate crime or violence but Facebook only gives you one option so I chose violence. An hour later, he received a response from Facebook: The event was reviewed and though it doesnt go against one of our specific Community Standards, we understand the event or something shared on it may still be offensive to you. Engadget He wasnt the only one to report the event and receive such a response. The screenshot matches another posted to Twitter, and one shared by The Verge, which reported at least two people had reported the event prior to the shooting on Tuesday night. Following news reports of the shooting and militia groups involvement at the protests, Facebook confirmed the group had broken its rules, which were updated last week to address militia organizations and supporters of QAnon. Under the latest policy, Facebook says it will remove pages and groups associated with these movements if they call for violence. In a statement, a Facebook spokesperson said the company had designated the shooting as a mass murder, and removed the shooters Facebook and Instagram pages. The company also confirmed it had taken down the Kenosha Guard group and the event page. Weve designated this shooting as a mass murder and have removed the shooters accounts from Facebook and Instagram, the spokesperson said. At this time, we have not found evidence on Facebook that suggests the shooter followed the Kenosha Guard Page or that he was invited on the Event Page they organized. However, the Kenosha Guard Page and their Event Page violated our new policy addressing militia organizations and have been removed on that basis. Facebooks statement didnt address why the company didnt act on the reports from users if the Kenosha Guard event did in fact violate its rules. But the company has been criticized in the past for uneven enforcement of its community standards. A civil rights audit of the companys policies, released earlier this year, warned of the dangers of extremism on its platform. The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II has asked former President Mahama to conduct a deep introspection on why he was voted out as President and tell Ghanaians what new he is bringing on board. Mahama, who is seeking a comeback nearly four years after he was voted out of office, introduced his running mate, Prof. Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang to the Asantehene earlier today at the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi. Addressing the former President, the Asantehene said, he is reiterating his advice to former President Mahama that as he seeks a comeback, it is important for him to tell Ghanaians the mistakes of the past and how he has corrected those mistakes to warrant a second chance. "You have been a President before and you want to return again as President. I have spoken to you a lot and I have said that if you want to come back, let Ghanaians know what went wrong yesterday. Also let Ghanaians know that the mistakes won't be repeated," the Asantehene said. "When you lost the election, I said that Ghanaians voted against you out of disappointment and anger." "And when you were re-elected as flagbearer and you informed me, I asked you whether you have looked at your mistakes in the past and how you can convince Ghanaians how you will correct those mistakes." Otumfuo Osei Tutu said that just as he former President Mahama wants to make a comeback, so does the sitting President Nana Akufo-Addo also wants to be re-elected for four more years, hence his tour around the country to account for what he has done so far in the past three years. "The sitting President, Nana Akufo-Addo wants to be re-elected for another 4 years and he has been going round explaining to Ghanaians what he has done." "You have just told me what you did when you were President, and what you want to do if you get another chance." "What you have to do is to tell Ghanaians the wrongs of the past and how you will correct those wrongs." Campaign of issues The Asantehene urged the two leading contenders to focus on campaign of issues to Ghanaians and leave the people to be the best judges. "The current President is telling Ghanaians what he has done in the past three and half years. That they have done better than you and they should be given another term of office." "Everybody should talk about what they have done and what they will do. What you did in the past and what you will do in the future should be told, and the Ghanaian people will be the best judges." The Asantehene called for a peaceful campaign and election process and advised against acts of violence. "We want a peaceful election and nobody should initiate violence. Just make your points well and Ghanaians will be the best judges. It's all about issues." 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 Unified Security was one of three businesses, along with Wilson Security and MSS Security, chosen by the Jobs Department to enforce hotel quarantine within 24 hours of national cabinet deciding on March 27 that returned travellers must be detained. Loading Trades Hall secretary Luke Hilakari told The Age that the Jobs Department contacted his assistant secretary about the companies it was considering. His assistant secretary told the department that Unified Security was not known to the union movement in Melbourne and did not have an enterprise bargaining agreement, unlike Wilson Security, Mr Hilakari said. Within two days of the hotel quarantine program rolling out, senior Jobs Department officials were appearing to favour giving work to Unified even though they knew it was not on the government's panel of preferred suppliers for security services. The Jobs Department was made aware of Trade Hall's concerns about Unified, according to emails tendered to the inquiry on Thursday. Department deputy secretary Alex Kamenev instructed the official in charge of contracting security firms, Katrina Currie, to be "very blunt" in claiming Wilson had been "very difficult to work with" whereas Unified "has been a dream". Rydges on Swanston hotel, a major the source of Victoria's second-wave COVID-19 cases. Credit:Penny Stephens "You should also emphasise that Unified employ loads of Jobs Victoria clients, so it's actually serving a broader public purpose," Mr Kamenev wrote in a March 30 email. Ms Currie later admitted under questioning that Wilson had not been difficult to work with at this stage. In her statement, she also admitted attending a function with the Unified chief executive in 2014 or 2015 in her capacity as a senior Brotherhood of St Laurence executive. But she had no further contact with the company between then and the hotel quarantine program, she stated. Unified has referred to its partnership with the Brotherhood in briefing documents to government agencies. On Wednesday April 1, Jobs Department official Paul Xerri sent an email stating that there would be no further sites allocated to Unified Security other than the Crown Promenade and Crown Metropol hotels. However, Unified ended up being responsible for 13 of Melbourne's quarantine hotels. Wilson Security started out with four hotels, but had two of these given to Unified weeks after the quarantine program started. In her evidence to the inquiry on Thursday, Ms Currie said she was asked to identify suitable security companies for hotel quarantine late on the night of Friday March 27. Loading She said she asked colleagues in the Jobs Department employment branch she oversaw to give her some suggestions. These colleagues engaged in a conversation via WhatsApp and came up with two companies, Unified and Wilson, she said. The WhatsApp exchanges have not been gathered by the inquiry. In a March 31 pitch to Ms Currie, Unified's Victorian manager, Nigel Coppick, advised that the company had been able to "recruit specifically for this task a total of 93 recently and long-term unemployed Victorians to support this initiative". The Age later revealed the bulk of the workforce relied upon by Unified and the other security companies were supplied by sub-contractors. Another government official, strategic procurement specialist Trevor Esch, challenged the decision to engage Unified ahead of other firms on the state's panel of suppliers. "To have a non-approved firm providing security and effectively enforcing government regulation ... presents significant risk to individuals involved and the department/government that is not easily mitigated," Mr Esch wrote. Ms Currie replied that an exemption for normal purchasing rules was warranted because of the "immediate need" for staff as well as "their status as an Aboriginal owned and controlled business under the government's social procurement objectives". When Ms Currie handed direct responsibility for security contracts to Mr Xerri in April she advised him in an email to ensure the companies had "NDA [non disclosure agreements] for staff so media issues are properly managed". Ms Currie was caught-out in cross-examination about her knowledge of the sub-contracting that occurred. After initially saying the department would rely on companies that have direct employees, she was shown emails in which companies specifically refer to sub-contractors being necessary to meet staffing needs. Senior jobs department bureaucrat Claire Febey. Senior Jobs Department executive Claire Febey said she repeatedly asked for 24/7 support from Victoria Police in the hotels, but her request wasn't addressed by the time she switched roles in mid-April. A security guard who was hired by SSG Security, a firm subcontracted by Unified Security to work at Rydges on Swanston, told the inquiry on Monday he was not trained in infection control and he was told to use the same mask and gloves for an entire shift. A Jobcentre Plus office in north west London. (Nick Ansell/PA Archive/PA Images) Two in five business leaders are worried about making redundancies over the next 12 months, as the smallest mistake could see them facing employment tribunals and hefty legal penalties. In a survey of 2,000 UK business leaders, by employment law advice firm BrightHR, 43% admitted they are not confident in making redundancies in line with the law. With a third of companies expected to cut jobs in the next quarter of 2020, according to the latest Labour Market Outlook, this is a big concern, the firm said. READ MORE: Three in four UK business leaders predict office downsizing The study also found over half (51%) of employers are not clear on the redundancy process during or after furlough, with lots of confusion surrounding whether redundancy pay is based on employees normal wages or their furlough rate of pay. While redundancies will be an unfortunate necessity for many companies over the next year as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, firms should explore every other option first, BrightHR advised. If the worst happens and an employee takes you to a tribunal, a judge will expect to see a firm business case for why you had no choice but to make a role redundant, explained CEO and employment law expert Alan Price. READ MORE: Small businesses bounce back from COVID-19 but job losses continue The tribunal will also want to see that youve followed the correct redundancy process and failure to do so could lead to you making a big pay out to your former employee. None of this is easy. Contract changes and redundancies are among the most complicated areas of employment law. He added: It's essential that employers either understand the redundancy process or they have the relevant tools and people to assist them with making the right decisions in line with the law. As part of efforts in implementing the humanitarian support aspects of the Ghana Catholic Bishops' Conference Covid-19 Response Plan, Caritas Ghana has begun dispatching goods worth over GHc430,000 to the Archdioceses (Provinces) of Accra, Cape Coast, Kumasi and Tamale. This is part of interventions being supported by the Vatican to aid the vulnerable people impacted by the pandemic. Recently, Caritas Ghana, the Relief and Development Organization of the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference was awarded a grant of Ninety-Nine Thousand, Seven Hundred and Eighty-Five Euro and Fifty-Six Cents (Euro 99,785.56) by the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development and Caritas Internationalis COVID 19 Response Fund (CRF), to embark on a Comprehensive Emergency Response Interventions on the pandemic in the West African country. The Humanitarian support package from the Vatican Grant dispatched on August 26, 2020 include food ration, temporary shelter materials like mats and blankets, Health and Sanitation materials for some rural health facilities. The dispatch of the packages by the Caritas Ghana Humanitarian Response Team led by Rev. Sr. Regina Ignatia Aflah, HDR is expected to reach about 800 poor in the four Archdioceses whose livelihood conditions have been made worse by the Covid-19 pandemic. The beneficiaries include displaced female head porters popularly known as Kayayei from the cities, persons with disabilities and other vulnerable populations. Mr. Samuel Zan Akologo, the Executive Secretary of Caritas Ghana expressed joy at the progress being made to reach out to the poor in a more personal way and also expressed gratitude to the Ghana Catholic Bishops' Conference, the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development at the Vatican and Caritas Internationalis for the generous support that has enabled us to reach out to the poor. The official announcement of the Euro 99,785.56 Grant was made in a Zoom Webinar virtual ceremony on July 30, 2020. The overall objective of the project is to guarantee access to basic livelihood security services (food, shelter, medicine) for the poor and vulnerable as well as to provide technical/logistics support to Catholic Health facilities in the remote Regions of the four Archdioceses and coordinated dissemination of authentic COVID-19 information using the World Health Organisation and Ghana Health Service approved guidelines to influence Social and Behavioral Change in Ghana. About 2,570 individuals from the four Archdioceses will be direct beneficiaries of the Project, among them will be 800 young girls known as Kayayie who were affected and displaced through the Government demolition of illegal structures, including 200 people living with disabilities to be provided with food items. Also, 800 displaced women and their children are to be provided with blankets and mats while 800 workers of Health facilities in the remote areas of the Four Archdioceses are also to be provided with face mask, and other Personal Protective Equipment (sanitizers, veronica buckets and liquid soap. The project, is expected to reach a total minimum number of over 10,000 indirect beneficiaries who will access support from the health facilities and the community prevention and mitigation of COVID-19. The Vatican Fund is also to be used to embark on an awareness campaign to raise community awareness to avoid the infection of COVID-19. Religious and Traditional leaders, Parish Priests, Opinion Leaders, Faith-Based Organizations in the four Archdioceses, National Commission of Civic Education, Radio Presenters and Stations will be contacted for dissemination of information. Meanwhile, 100 Caritas Ghana Staff, Arch/Diocesan Caritas Officers and National Catholic Secretariat Staff have been trained virtually on Safeguarding Procedures and Mechanisms. In this photo provided by the Greek Defense Ministry, warships take part in a military exercise in Eastern Mediterranean sea, on Aug. 25, 2020. (Greek Defense Ministry via AP) Germany Calls for End to Military Drills in East Mediterranean ANKARA, TurkeyGermanys foreign minister on Thursday called for an end to military drills taking place in the eastern Mediterranean to defuse tensions and create conditions for NATO allies Greece and Turkey to resolve a dispute over offshore energy exploration rights. Foreign Minister Heiko Maas comments came as European Union foreign ministers were set to meet in Berlin to try and persuade EU-member Greece and its neighbor Turkey to pull back from the brink of a conflict. The ministers were expected to debate a range of sanctions and other policy options that might convince Turkey to temper its insistence on drilling for energy reserves in disputed parts of the eastern Mediterranean. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas pauses as he meets with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis at the Maximos Mansion in Athens, on July 21, 2020. (Costas Baltas/Reuters) Maas, who engaged in shuttle diplomacy between Athens and Ankara earlier this week, stressed the need to create the conditions for Turkey and Greece to resolve their problems directly with each other. The situation remains very difficult, Maas said. The precondition for these talks is that the maneuvers that are going on in the eastern Mediterranean be endedeach side can make its contribution to that and so create the space for diplomatic talks, because for sure the parties wont sit down at the table if warships are facing off in the eastern Mediterranean. Tensions between Greece and Turkey have been running high for weeks after Turkey sent its survey vessel, Oruc Reis, to carry out seismic research, escorted by Turkish warships. Athens, which says the ship is operating over Greeces continental shelf in an area where it has exclusive rights on potential undersea gas and oil deposits, sent warships to observe and track the Turkish flotilla. Italian destroyer ITS Durand De La Penne (L), along with Turkish frigates TCG Goksu and TCG Fatih conduct maritime training in the Eastern Mediterranean sea, on Aug. 25, 2020.(Turkish Defense Ministry via AP, Pool) Turkey disputes Greeces claims, insisting that small Greek islands near the Turkish coast should not be taken into account when delineating maritime boundaries. Ankara accuses Athens of trying to grab an unfair share of the eastern Mediterraneans resources. Both countries have been conducting military maneuvers in the area. On Thursday, France was set to join Italy, Greece, and Cyprus in three-day air and sea military exercises off the the east Mediterranean island. Turkey meanwhile, issued a notice, known as Navtex, declaring that it would hold live-fire military exercises Sept. 1-2 off its southern Mediterranean coast, opposite Cyprus. It also extended Oruc Reis operations until Sept. 1. U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday held separate telephone calls with the leaders of Greece and Turkey. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Thursday he was in constant contact with Greece and Turkey. Turkeys President Recep Erdogan waves as he attends celebrations marking the anniversary of the 1071 battle of Manzikert, during which Turkish Seljuks beat Byzantine forces, gaining entry into Anatolia, in Malazgirt, eastern Turkey, on Aug. 26, 2020. (Turkish Presidency via AP, Pool) My message is that the situation must be resolved in a spirit of allied solidarity and in line with international law, Stoltenberg said as he met German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin. Dialogue and de-escalation are in everybodys interest. EU Enlargement Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi warned that Turkeys decades-long quest to join the EU could be under threat, even though membership talks with the bloc ground to a halt years ago. The possible accession of Turkey is under major question through these actions, he told reporters. Turkish officials meanwhile, accused France of stoking tensions in the Mediterranean by joining military exercises with Greece and Cyprus. Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said Turkey would not be deterred by the show of force. To believe that it would be possible to thwart the Turkish Armed Forces operations with exercises and similar activities is nothing more than a pipe dream, Akar said in an interview with state-run Anadolu Agency. Turkish Defense minister Hulusi Akar looks on during a NATO defense ministers meeting, at the NATO headquarters in Brussels on Oct. 24, 2019. (John Thys/Getty Images) Turkish Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hami Aksoy charged that France was deploying warplanes on the ethnically-divided island of Cyprus on the pretext of carrying out military exercises. The deployment was against treaties reached in 1960, he said. France, which is not a guarantor of the island of Cyprus, is with this attitude dangerously encouraging the Greek Cypriot and Greek duowho are responsible for the current tensions in the Eastern Mediterraneanto escalate the tension further, Aksoy said in a statement. France and Greece will deploy both warplanes and navy ships as part of the drills, while Cyprus will activate its air defense system to test its capabilities, Cyprus Ministry of Defense said Wednesday. Turkey and Greece have both vowed to defend their competing claims in the eastern Mediterranean. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday that his country will never compromise on what belongs to us. We are determined to do whatever is necessary in political, economic and military terms. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Greece is planning to exercise its legal right to extend its territorial waters along its western coastline, which faces Italy, from six to 12 nautical miles. The planned extension would not affect the territory at the center of the Greek-Turkish dispute. Turkey has warned in the past that an extension of Greek waters to 12 nautical miles in the Aegean Sea, facing the Turkish littoral, would be seen as a reason to declare war on Greece. Akar, the Turkish defense minister, reiterated that Turkey favored dialogue with Greece but was determined to safeguard its rights. If our Greek counterparts agree, we would be pleased to host them here, Akar said. We would not allow our rights to be trampled on, he also said. Turkeys strength should not be tested. Greek government spokesman Stelios Petsas said the tension in the region was not being generated by Greece. On the contrary, (Greece) is ready to contribute to any de-escalation, always with respect toward the rules of international law, and in this case, the law of the sea and the rules of good neighborliness, he said. By Suzan Fraser and Geir Moulson Washington, Aug 27 : US Vice President Mike Pence will make the case for a second term for President Donald Trump in a speech to be delivered from Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Maryland. The speech on Wednesday night will be part of the Republican National Convention's third night, which has the theme "Land of Heroes", Xinhua news agency reported on Wednesday. Fort McHenry is a national monument where Americans defended Baltimore Harbor from the British in the War of 1812 and inspired Francis Scott Key to write "The Star-Spangled Banner," the country's national anthem. Besides explaining why he believes Trump should be re-elected, Pence is likely to pay tribute to American symbols such as the national anthem, discuss the White House's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and lay the foundation for his own potential White House bid four years from now. White House counselor Kellyanne Conway, also Trump's campaign manager in 2016, will also make an appethe ground to the United States two years ago, the enemy could bring Iran to its knees," Rouhani said on Wednesday with reference to the US unilateral withdrawal from the Iranian nuclear deal in 2018 and subsequent unprecedented sanctions against the country's energy and financial sectors, at a weekly cabinet meeting, Xinhua news agency reported. He lauded what he called Iranians' "tolerance" despite economic difficulties caused by the United States over the past years. In an attempt to put parents at ease ahead of the school year, Ottawa is offering Manitoba $85.4 million in funding to reopen schools safely but the premier could not say Wednesday exactly how that sum will be spent. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 26/8/2020 (511 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. In an attempt to put parents at ease ahead of the school year, Ottawa is offering Manitoba $85.4 million in funding to reopen schools safely but the premier could not say Wednesday exactly how that sum will be spent. Brian Pallister told reporters the federal funding will "supplement" the planning already underway in the province. JESSE BOILY / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Premier Brian Pallister: "Theres nothing fixed in stone here. The figure is separate from the $52 million in provincial funding announced earlier this week, as well as the $48 million in savings Manitobas 37 public school divisions accumulated during the spring closures. "Well do our absolute best to make sure theres a safe learning environment for our children and continue to be open; theres nothing fixed in stone here," Pallister said, during a news conference. He added the province wont have any trouble finding good use for the money, listing new pressures on the education system, including the procurement of personal protective equipment and school transportation challenges. The Safe Return to Class Fund a total of $2 billion, which is being dispersed to provinces and territories based on student population has only one string attached: the federal money is to be used for schooling during the pandemic. The prime minister has acknowledged that since education does not fall under the federal portfolio, provinces and territories can choose how to spend their sum as they see fit. Manitoba teachers and parents have some concrete ideas about how to spend the sum: shrink class sizes, create a full-time remote learning option for students and update school ventilation systems. Those suggestions are on the Safe September MB campaigns list of demands. The non-partisan groups petition has garnered nearly 16,000 signatures. The Winnipeg School Divisions new costly expenses are linked to custodial, educational assistant and substitute teacher staffing. Division spokeswoman Radean Carter said WSD often runs out of substitutes during flu season; this year, the division anticipates its substitute pool will be empty immediately. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. James Bedford, president of the Manitoba Teachers Society, called staffing a "priority area" when it comes to investing in schools. The federal funding is an opportunity for divisions to hire more teachers to shrink class sizes and invest in community spaces to accomodate more classes, Bedford said. "If these funds can be used to expand on staff ... everybody would feel a lot more comfortable," he said, while also listing rapid COVID-19 testing for teachers and students as a potential expense the new funding could address. School divisions and independent schools can apply for the provinces one-time safe schools fund to cover the cost of masks, enhanced cleaning, and staffing. Its unclear when the province will start to disburse funding, although the education minister has said divisions will be required to use up their savings first. The federal funding will be handed out in two instalments, in the fall and in early 2021. maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @macintoshmaggie Six persons accused of complicity in the raping and killing of a 100-Level Microbiology student of the University of Benin, Uwaila Vera Omozuwa, in a Redeemed Christian Church of God building in Ihovbe quarters in Benin, have been paraded by the police. The four men and two women were paraded on Wednesday by the Commissioner, Edo State Police Command, Johnson Kokumo. The suspects are Nelson Ogbebor, Akato Valentine, Tina Samuel, Mary Ade, Nosa Osabohien and Collins Ulegbe. Kokumo said: The matter is of great concern to the Inspector General of Police, Muhammed Adamu, who sent homicide experts to work with our policemen in Benin. What we are seeing today is a result of the efforts of the police to get at the root of the crime, and today, I announce to you that the perpetrators have been arrested. Kokumo said the post-mortem confirmed that the deceased was raped. Omozuwa had gone to read in the church when she was attacked, raped and hit on the head with a fire extinguisher, which led to he death. Research brief: How genetics could impact COVID-19 treatments Over the past few months, a number of drugs have been under investigation to treat COVID-19 without well-established safety or data to support these claims. However, some of these unproven therapies may have underlying genetic reasons for not being effective and resulting in fatal adverse effects as found with hydroxychloroquine. University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy faculty Pamala Jacobson and Melanie Nicol, and Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Fellow Takuto Takahashi recently published a peer-reviewed study in Nature Genomic Medicine about how individualization with pharmacogenomics -- the study of how genes affect a person's response to drugs -- may improve the efficiency and safety of these drugs. "The application of pharmacogenomic tests can help eliminate fatal hypersensitivity for patients prescribed certain drugs," said Jacobson. "We asked the question if selecting a COVID-19 medication or the dose using an individual's genetic information could improve effectiveness or safety." "One of the biggest success stories of using pharmacogenomics is with the HIV treatment abacavir," said Nicol. "Which is now a standard test for potential treatment for those living with HIV and has virtually eliminated fatal hypersensitivity associated with that drug." The study looked at a variety of literature for drug therapies for COVID-19 -- including hydroxychloroquine, remedesivier, tocilizumab and steroids -- on PubMed. The researchers found that: there are several gene variants that alter how an individual's body metabolizes and processes COVID-19 therapies and may increase the risk of adverse effects; that the risk of taking these therapies is complex since patients with COVID-19 are usually taking multiple other medications and have underlying conditions that affect the drug; and the data for the pharmacogenomics on COVID-19 is limited due to the early stages of the clinical trials investigating treatments. "While we did not find direct evidence to support use of pharmacogenomic testing for COVID-19, we did identify many actionable genetic markers that may have promise to improve efficacy and safety," said Jacobson. "Clinical studies in patients with COVID-19 are needed before routine testing can be recommended." ### Nicol was funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (K08AI134262) and Jacobson was funded by the About the College of Pharmacy Founded in 1892, the University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy is the only pharmacy school in Minnesota, with campuses in the Twin Cities and in Duluth. The College of Pharmacy improves health through innovative education, pioneering research and interdisciplinary practice development that attends to the diverse needs of the people of Minnesota and the world. This story has been published on: 2020-08-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. All amounts in Canadian dollars NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION TO THE UNITED STATES BROOKFIELD, News, Aug. 27, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Brookfield Infrastructure (NYSE: BIP; TSX: BIP.UN) today announced that it has agreed to sell $500 million aggregate principal amount of medium-term notes, Series 8 (the Notes), due September 1, 2032, which will bear interest at a rate of 2.855% per annum, payable semi-annually. A subsidiary of Brookfield Infrastructure, Brookfield Infrastructure Finance ULC will be the recipient of the net proceeds and have primary responsibility for the payment of principal and interest on the Notes. The Notes will be fully and unconditionally guaranteed by Brookfield Infrastructure and certain of its key holding subsidiaries. The Notes will be issued pursuant to a base shelf prospectus dated November 23, 2018 and a related prospectus supplement and pricing supplement to be dated August 27, 2020. The issue is expected to close on or about September 1, 2020 subject to customary closing conditions. Brookfield Infrastructure intends to use the net proceeds from the sale of the Notes to redeem its 3.452% medium term notes due March 11, 2022 and for general working capital purposes. The Notes have been rated BBB+ by Standard & Poors Rating Services. The Notes are being offered through a syndicate of agents led by RBC Dominion Securities Inc., BMO Nesbitt Burns Inc., HSBC Securities (Canada) Inc., National Bank Financial Inc. and TD Securities Inc. This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy the securities in any jurisdiction, nor shall there be any offer or sale of the securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. The securities being offered have not been approved or disapproved by any regulatory authority nor has any such authority passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of the short form base shelf prospectus or the prospectus supplement. The offer and sale of the securities has not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the U.S. Securities Act) or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to United States persons absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws. Brookfield Infrastructure is a leading global infrastructure company that owns and operates high-quality, long-life assets in the utilities, transport, energy and data infrastructure sectors across North and South America, Asia Pacific and Europe. We are focused on assets that generate stable cash flows and require minimal maintenance capital expenditures. Investors can access its portfolio either through Brookfield Infrastructure Partners L.P. (NYSE: BIP; TSX: BIP.UN), a Bermuda-based limited partnership, or Brookfield Infrastructure Corporation (NYSE, TSX: BIPC), a Canadian corporation. Further information is available at www.brookfield.com/infrastructure . Brookfield Infrastructure is the flagship listed infrastructure company of Brookfield Asset Management, a global alternative asset manager with approximately US$550 billion of assets under management. For more information, go to www.brookfield.com . Contact information: Media: Investors: Claire Holland Senior Vice President, Communications Tel: (416) 369-8236 Email: claire.holland@brookfield.com Kate White Manager, Investor Relations Tel: (416) 956-5183 Email: kate.white@brookfield.com Note: This news release contains forward-looking statements and information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. The words will, expected, intends or derivations thereof and other expressions which are predictions of or indicate future events, trends or prospects, and which do not relate to historical matters, identify the above mentioned and other forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this news release include statements regarding the terms, use of proceeds and closing of the offering. Although Brookfield Infrastructure believes that these forward-looking statements and information are based upon reasonable assumptions and expectations, the reader should not place undue reliance on them, or any other forward-looking statements or information in this news release. The future performance and prospects of Brookfield Infrastructure are subject to a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause actual results of Brookfield Infrastructure to differ materially from those contemplated or implied by the statements in this news release are described in the documents filed by Brookfield Infrastructure with the securities regulators in Canada and the United States including under Risk Factors in Brookfield Infrastructures most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F and other risks and factors that are described therein. Except as required by law, Brookfield Infrastructure undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro looks on during a ceremony to launch a program to expand access to credit at the Planalto Palace in Brasilia By Anthony Boadle and Maria Carolina Marcello BRASILIA (Reuters) - The new chief whip in Congress for Brazil's president said on Wednesday he is confident President Jair Bolsonaro's increased popularity in recent polls will help him push through tax reform and advance bills on bankruptcies and the autonomy of the central bank. Congressman Ricardo Barros added the far-right leader's support for opening of the economy will benefit Brazil in the future despite the current rise in the country's reported COVID-19 cases and deaths. "He has behaved adequately in the pandemic. His position will be proven correct with time," he said in an interview. A poll last week showed Bolsonaro's government had its highest approval rating since he took office last year, with a plurality of 37 percent of those surveyed viewing his government as great or good. The findings come amid more than 100,000 reported deaths from COVID-19 in Brazil, which is now the world's second-worst coronavirus outbreak. Bolsonaro has faced criticism from health experts for rejecting social distancing to curb the pandemic. Barros, a former health minister of the center-right Progressive Party, was picked by Bolsonaro as the government's leader in Congress in an effort to build a stronger coalition to help him govern. Providing funds to fight coronavirus, including emergency payments for the country's poorest to reduce the impact of the economic crisis the pandemic brought, was fundamental in gaining support for Bolsonaro's government, Barros said. But those payments are temporary, and Bolsonaro will not be able to count on them to help him get re-elected in 2022, Barros said. To win another term he has to convince Brazilians he can govern well, meeting fiscal goals and delivering social services. "The president will not be re-elected based on the emergency relief payments. There aren't enough resources for that," he said. Bolsonaro plans to unify Brazil's social programs into one initiative called Renda Brasil (Income Brazil), a program that officials say will prevent people from getting more than one payment and others none. Barros expects this to be enacted before the end of this year. (Reporting by Anthony Boadle and Maria Carolina Marcello; Editing by Aurora Ellis) (COLUMBUS, Ohio) - Preventing unplanned pregnancies in adolescents with effective and easy-to-use contraception is key to ensuring that adolescents do not become parents before they are ready. Adolescents view their health care providers as trusted sources of medical information. Thus, providers are tasked with providing adolescent patients with comprehensive, age-appropriate and nonjudgmental contraception counseling. Nexplanon, the newest version of the etonogestrel (ENG) implant, is an increasingly popular contraceptive method. Inserted subdermally over the triceps muscle, this long-acting reversible contraceptive (LARC) is safe and highly effective at preventing pregnancy, among several other benefits. "The ENG implant has become more acceptable to adolescent patients and their parents," said Elise Berlan, MD, MPH, a faculty physician in the division of Adolescent Medicine at Nationwide Children's Hospital. Dr. Berlan and her co-authors recently published a review in the Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology on best practices for counseling adolescents on contraception and the ENG implant. Contraception counseling with adolescents should be patient-centered, Dr. Berlan explains. Patient-centered counseling involves assessing the patient's pregnancy intentions and addressing her contraception concerns using clear and simple language. Common contraception concerns among adolescents include autonomy in choosing to remove a LARC, the effect on future fertility and changes in vaginal bleeding. These concerns can arise after conversations with friends and family about a particular contraceptive method or after receiving poorly-explained or inaccurate contraception information from a health care provider. "Contraception counseling works well when providers directly address the concerns that adolescents commonly have about contraception," said Dr. Berlan. When counseling adolescents on the ENG implant specifically, providers should explain the implant's main features, such as effectiveness, reversibility and changes in vaginal bleeding. Pregnancy while on the ENG implant is exceedingly rare. The implant is also immediately reversible with no adverse effect on future fertility. Dr. Berlan advises providers to explain that the 3-year ENG implant can be removed at any time, allowing for the desired autonomy to have the implant removed. Unfavorable changes in vaginal bleeding, such as frequent or prolonged bleeding, are a common reason why adolescents choose to have the ENG implant removed early. To address adolescents' concerns about the bleeding, health care providers should explain that implant-associated vaginal bleeding can be unpredictable and describe how the bleeding can look. When providing contraception counseling on the ENG implant or other contraceptive methods, Dr. Berlan cautions health care providers against advancing their agenda and unduly influencing a patient's decision on contraception. Asking questions like "How do you feel about being pregnant in the next year?" and "Are you interested in learning about birth control options today?" keeps the focus on the patient and fosters a comfortable, shared decision-making environment. If an adolescent patient is uncomfortable discussing contraception, however, Dr. Berlan recommends that providers not force the issue. Instead, the provider should respect the patient's comfort level and maintain an open line of communication for future contraception counseling. With the ENG implant's many benefits, health care providers can feel comfortable recommending it among other options to adolescent patients. "The more that adolescents hear about LARC options, the more that they will be interested in and educated about choosing what is right for them," said Dr. Berlan. ### Reference: Berlan ED, Richards MJ, Vieira CS, Creinin MD, Kaunitz AM, Fraser IS, Edelman A, Mansour D. Best practices for counseling adolescents about the etonogestrel implant. Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology. July 2020. To the Editor: Re Questions Swirl Around C.D.C.s Shift on Testing (front page, Aug. 27): As an infectious diseases specialist and former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention medical epidemiologist, I feel compelled to speak up in response to the recent change in C.D.C. guidelines on testing for coronavirus infection to exclude asymptomatic people. If you see something, say something. The C.D.C. is highly respected, driven by science in the best interests of public health. That reputation is now being undermined. The Trump administration forced the C.D.C. to make these changes for two reasons: to minimize the utter failure of Mr. Trumps response to testing and to make the case counts go down artificially, making them look better than they really are. This action follows the Food and Drug Administrations emergency use authorization of convalescent plasma. How will people be able to trust these agencies in the future? Their directors should resign in protest rather than follow these politically motivated directives from the White House. Now we will never know the truth of the magnitude and trends of this epidemic. Just imagine what Mr. Trump will do with vaccine development and research. Shortly before the election he will force emergency use authorization of one or more vaccines before they are proven to be safe and effective (following the lead of his idol, Vladimir Putin). Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-28 01:03:18|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close A screenshot taken from the website of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows major Category 4 Hurricane Laura made landfall on Aug. 27, 2020 in the southwest coast of U.S. Louisiana. (Xinhua) The powerful storm made landfall in Louisiana's Cameron Parish as a Category 4 hurricane about 1 a.m. Thursday, making it the most powerful hurricane to hit Louisiana in 150 years. HOUSTON, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Major Category 4 Hurricane Laura made landfall early Thursday morning in the southwest coast of U.S. Louisiana, causing damages and casualty. Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards confirmed the first fatality from Hurricane Laura in Louisiana Thursday morning, saying a 14-year-old girl died when a tree fell on her family's home. Edwards said wind from Laura did the most damage, with storm surge falling short of projections. The governor warned the storm did "extensive" damage that is ongoing as it continues to move inland. Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Thursday crediting the evacuation orders before the landfall, saying so far there is no report of deaths in Texas. But he noted that it was premature as Hurricane Laura "continues to sweep through Texas in an unprecedented fashion." The powerful storm made landfall in Louisiana's Cameron Parish as a Category 4 hurricane about 1 a.m. Thursday, making it the most powerful hurricane to hit Louisiana in 150 years. It brought screeching winds of a maximum speed of 240 kilometers per hour, with blistering rain and crashing storm surge were caused by the storm. The storm also left half a million of people in Louisiana and Texas without power. In Louisiana's Lake Charles, one of the hardest hit areas, pictures from social media showed downtown building damage and lots of debris. "Power is out pretty much everywhere," local TV station quoted Calcasieu Parish spokesman Thomas Hoefer as saying. He expected the property damage to be "really bad." The storm weakened to a Category 2 hurricane just after 5 a.m., bringing hurricane conditions further inland, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. NHC said Thursday morning that damaging winds and flooding rainfall are spreading inland over central and northern portions of Louisiana. High water levels persist along portions of the Gulf Coast. /* custom css */ .tdi_75_164.td-a-rec{ text-align: center; }.tdi_75_164 .td-element-style{ z-index: -1; }.tdi_75_164.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_75_164.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; }@media (max-width: 767px) { .tdi_75_164.td-a-rec-img { text-align: center; } } Advertisement China on Wednesday reportedly shot two medium-range missiles into the South China Sea in an apparent warning to the United States after a spy plane entered its no-fly zone during military drills. The rockets were fired from Qinghai and Zhejiang provinces and landed in an area of sea closed for manoeuvrers this week, a source close to the Chinese military told Hong Kongs South China Morning Post newspaper. One of the rockets, a DF-26B, has a range of 4,000 km and can also be equipped with nuclear warheads, the paper said, and called the move a a clear warning to the United States. The other, a DF-21D advanced anti-ship missile, has a range of 1,800 km. The rockets landed in an area south-east of the Chinese island of Hainan and the disputed Paracel or Xisha Islands, the paper said. /* custom css */ .tdi_74_f1f.td-a-rec{ text-align: center; }.tdi_74_f1f .td-element-style{ z-index: -1; }.tdi_74_f1f.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_74_f1f.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; }@media (max-width: 767px) { .tdi_74_f1f.td-a-rec-img { text-align: center; } } The unusual demonstration of military strength came hours after China said that a US spy plane had entered into a no-fly zone imposed during military drills in the countrys north. An Air Force U-2 plane entered the no-fly zone for live-fire military exercises without authorization and seriously interfered with the Peoples Liberation Armys activities, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said. This is a stark provocation, spokesman Zhao Lijian said, adding that China had lodged a solemn protest with the U.S. about the issue. Zhao didnt specify the time and place of the incident. However, the Chinese army is scheduled to conduct drills over the Bohai Sea starting this week until September 30. The US Pacific Air Forces told CNN a U-2 spy plane flew in the Indo-Pacific area but did not violate any international rules. Relations between China and the US have sunk to the lowest point in decades as the two countries spar over issues such as Chinas handling of the coronavirus crisis, trade and Beijings policies in Hong Kong and Xinjiang. Another point of contention is Chinas militarization of disputed islands in the South China Sea, where territories are claimed by five other nations. The US occasionally operates freedom of navigation manoeuvres in the South China Texas and Louisiana were still struggling to contain the pandemic as Hurricane Laura bore down on them, and now officials fear a new wave of COVID-19 infections will come in the wake of the massive storm. But it will take time before they know for sure. Were basically going to be blind for this week because well have to discontinue much of our community-based testing, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said before the hurricane made landfall Thursday along the border of his state and Texas. Image: (Julio Cesar Chavez / Reuters) Edwards, who is a Democrat, said the state took pre-emptive measures to prevent the virus from spreading by placing storm refugees in hotels and motels rather than in crowded shelters. Weve got fewer people in the hospital with COVID now then weve had in the last couple of months, but weve had the most cases per capita in the country," Edwards told MSNBC's Stephanie Ruhle on Thursday. "We have significant community spread, and we are very mindful that this storm is gonna complicate our efforts to get the virus under control." In Texas, Gov. Gregg Abbott, a Republican, expressed similar concerns earlier. "Remember: Just because a hurricane is coming to Texas, does not mean COVID-19 either has or is going to leave Texas," he said at a news conference Tuesday. "COVID-19 is going to be in Texas throughout the course of the hurricane." Laura made landfall not long after Vice President Mike Pence defended the much-criticized pandemic performance of the Trump administration at the Republican National Convention. Darrell Pile, CEO of the Southeast Texas Regional Advisory Council, which coordinates emergency medical response in a 25-county region along the state's coast, said it will be up to Texans to make sure the pandemic doesnt spread. "Social distancing will be much more difficult for people who are evacuating," Pile told NBC News on Wednesday. "However, they can wear a mask. And they can do their best to minimize being too close to other people." Story continues Before Laura arrived, scientists at Columbia University and the Union of Concerned Scientists warned that a large-scale hurricane evacuation could increase the chances of spreading the pandemic. "Many of the country's most hurricane-prone states have recently experienced some of the highest COVID-19 growth rates in the nation," Kristy Dahl, a senior climate scientist at the Union of Concerned Scientists and one of the co-authors of the study, warned. "In every scenario we analyzed, hurricane evacuations cause an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases. Southern and Sun Belt states like Texas, Florida and Arizona experienced an explosion of new cases and deaths after they began reopening in May at the urging of President Donald Trump, over the objection of many public health experts and just as the pandemic was picking up steam in those areas. Louisiana was slower to reopen, but it too saw a spike in new cases and deaths and currently has the highest number of confirmed cases per capita in the country with more than 145,000, according to the latest NBC News figures. It has also recorded 4,851 deaths. Still, the number of new cases in Louisiana had declined measurably in the last two weeks after Edward shut down bars and imposed measures like a statewide mask mandate that many in the mostly conservative state objected to. Texas had recorded 91,734 new COVID-19 cases and 2,779 deaths in just the last two weeks, the NBC News numbers show. And while it appears the states cases have plateaued as well, Texas was fourth in the nation with nearly 12,000 deaths and second only to California in total number of cases with 612,632 as of Thursday morning. As of Thursday, the death toll in the United States was over 180,000 and the number of confirmed cases was fast approaching 6 million, NBC News figures show. Both numbers lead the world. The U.S. now accounts for a little over a fifth of the more than 826,000 deaths and about a quarter of the more than 24 million confirmed cases around the globe. In other coronavirus news: A Winnipeg hospital executive, criticized for failing to self-isolate after arriving in the city from her Montreal home earlier this month, is now in quarantine and plans to spend more time in the Manitoba capital. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 26/8/2020 (511 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. A Winnipeg hospital executive, criticized for failing to self-isolate after arriving in the city from her Montreal home earlier this month, is now in quarantine and plans to spend more time in the Manitoba capital. St. Boniface Hospital confirmed Wednesday that its president and CEO, Martine Bouchard, has been self-isolating in Winnipeg since Aug. 17. She was the subject of sharp criticism when it was learned that she had returned to the hospital Aug. 10, after an absence of more than three months, without self-isolating. She had been doing her job from Montreal, which has been hard hit by COVID-19. Persons travelling to Manitoba from eastern Canada are required to self-isolate for 14 days. Micheline St-Hilaire, a spokeswoman for the hospital, said Bouchard has been "working virtually" from her home in Winnipeg and plans to spend more time in the city. Since she was hired in April 2018, she's commuted to her home in Montreal most weekends. "Regarding future travel, her intent is to make every effort to extend her stays in Winnipeg, as often as possible, especially as she and our Executive continue to monitor and respond to the unfolding pandemic," St-Hilaire said in an email Wednesday to the Free Press. While frontline health care workers and other essential workers are exempt from self-isolation upon return from COVID-19 hotspots, the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority has said hospital executives "are not automatically exempted," while the province's chief public health officer says there are no exceptions to the rules for any individual. Bouchard's decision to return to her hospital office earlier this month without self-isolating caused a furore. A former head of the Public Health Agency of Canada, commenting on the situation, said it could be "a career-limiting move." Bouchard's decision not to plant down roots in Winnipeg after taking on the big hospital administration job had already ruffled feathers in Manitoba. In 2019, she was paid $283,481. On Wednesday, both the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority and Health Minister Cameron Friesen declined to comment on Bouchard's decision to self-isolate and to travel less frequently to her Montreal home. After Bouchard returned to the hospital on Aug. 10 without self-isolating, the WRHA said that she was "adhering to all physical distancing and infection prevention and control precautions, including wearing a mask." It noted that while her contract allowed her to travel to her home in Eastern Canada on a weekly basis, Bouchard would "determine her travel frequency based on the situation here and at home." Darlene Jackson, president of the Manitoba Nurses Union, said in a statement Wednesday that it is "encouraging" that the CEO of the province's second largest hospital has been self-isolating in Winnipeg and plans to spend more time here going forward. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. "Nurses expect health officials to lead by example and follow the same rules they prescribe to Manitobans," Jackson said. "Although we appreciate the challenges with remote work, we all have to make adjustments to our routines in order to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. In this instance, it is advisable to minimize travel as much as possible, and follow all public health protocols, including the two week self-isolation policy when arriving from non-exempt jurisdictions such as Quebec." Neil McArthur, head of the philosophy department at the University of Manitoba and formerly the director of the university's Centre for Professional and Applied Ethics, said he's glad to see that Bouchard "has decided she is not exempt from public health regulations." "It would be nice to see an explicit affirmation from (health officials) that they will require all employees to abide under all circumstances with the governments public health orders," McArthur said. "This should never have been considered a matter of individual discretion in the first place." Meanwhile, in a late-day statement sent through her hospital's communications department, Bouchard did not admit to breaking any rules earlier in the month when she arrived in Manitoba and went directly to her office. "As President & CEO of St. Boniface Hospital, I am firmly committed to the patients and staff at St. Boniface Hospital and I feel it is paramount to go the extra mile beyond public health advice I received related to self-isolation," she said. "This decision is an important one as we prepare for what may come next during the COVID-19 pandemic." larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca KEY FACTS 12:15 p.m.: Ontaro reports 118 new cases 6:26 a.m.: India recorded its highest single-day increase 6:24 a.m.: Students in Quebec, Europe head back to school The latest coronavirus news from Canada and around the world Thursday. This file will be updated throughout the day. Web links to longer stories if available. 5 p.m. Ontarios regional health units are reporting another 147 confirmed or probable cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, according to the Stars latest count. As has been the case in recent days, most new cases in the province were reported in the GTA and Ottawa. Toronto, with 33 new infections, Peel Region, with 27 cases, Ottawa, at 22, and York Region, 14, all reported in the double digits Thursday. Windsor-Essex also reported 12 cases, well above that regions recent trend. The seven-day average for daily case reports in Ontario has been rising in recent days. On Thursday, it jumped to an average of 117 cases daily over the last week. Even with the recent increases, the rate of infection remains well below the worst of the pandemic; Ontario saw the same average reach a mid-April peak of nearly 600 cases daily. No new fatal cases were reported Thursday; one previously listed death was removed from the tally in Peel, where the region has reported a total of 326 fatal cases. The province has now seen a total of 43,943 confirmed or probable cases of COVID-19, including 2,839 deaths. The vast majority of the provinces COVID-19 patients have since recovered. The Province lists slightly more than 1,000 active cases of the disease, although that total has been going up in recent days. The Stars count includes some patients reported as probable COVID-19 cases. This means they have symptoms and contacts or travel history that indicate they very likely have the disease, but have not yet received a positive lab test. The province cautions its separate data, published daily at 10:30 a.m., may be incomplete or out of date due to delays in the reporting system. In the event of a discrepancy, data reported by (the health units) should be considered the most up to date. 4:04 p.m. There are 126,672 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Canada, according to The Canadian Press, including 9,099 deaths, (and 112,644 have been resolved). This breaks down as follows (NOTE: The Star does its own count for Ontario; see elsewhere this file): Quebec: 62,056 confirmed (including 5,750 deaths, 55,008 resolved) Ontario: 41,813 confirmed (including 2,803 deaths, 37,940 resolved) Alberta: 13,210 confirmed (including 235 deaths, 11,799 resolved) British Columbia: 5,304 confirmed (including 203 deaths, 4,199 resolved) Saskatchewan: 1,609 confirmed (including 24 deaths, 1,527 resolved) Nova Scotia: 1,081 confirmed (including 65 deaths, 1,011 resolved) Manitoba: 1,064 confirmed (including 14 deaths, 643 resolved) Newfoundland and Labrador: 268 confirmed (including three deaths, 265 resolved) New Brunswick: 190 confirmed (including two deaths, 178 resolved) Prince Edward Island: 44 confirmed (including 41 resolved) Yukon: 15 confirmed, all of which have been resolved Repatriated Canadians account for 13 confirmed cases, all of which have been resolved Northwest Territories: five confirmed, all of which have been resolved Nunavut reports no confirmed cases. 4:01 p.m. The Supreme Court of Canada will resume in-person hearings next month, The Canadian Press reports. The fall session will begin Sept. 22 earlier than expected, so the court can hear the cases delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic before moving on with its original schedule, CP reports. There will be physical distancing measures in place in the courtroom, and lawyers who cannot come to Ottawa will be able to participate via video conference. The court has long embraced technology by livestreaming proceedings on its website. But this spring, it was plunged into the world of virtual video hearings to keep the wheels of justice moving during the shutdown. The top court also says the pandemic-related suspension of deadlines for civil legal proceedings such as bankruptcy or divorce cases will expire Sept. 13. 2:50 p.m.: Two fathers have filed an injunction application demanding the B.C. government implement tougher safety measures aimed at protecting kids from the risks of COVID-19 before schools reopen. The application filed Wednesday in B.C. Supreme Court on behalf of Bernard Trest of White Rock and Gary Shuster of Vancouver names the ministers of health and education as respondents. It alleges they have interfered with the suppression of the virus by opening schools in a manner that ignores evidence that people with underlying health conditions may be at risk for severe illness. None of the claims in the application have been tested in court and ministries have yet to file a legal response to it, nor did they immediately respond to a request for comment. The application says Trest has asthma and his 10-year-old son suffers from asthma that arises when he gets a respiratory infection. It says Shuster, who has two school-age daughters, was born with a genetic disorder causing muscle damage that can be triggered by fever and viral infection. It alleges the back-to-school plan endangers the lives of students, teachers and the broader community by wrongly presuming that learning groups of 60 to 120 students are safe so-called bubbles, in which physical distancing is not necessary. The lawsuit claims the province is conducting a science experiment in which students and teachers are the guinea pigs by refusing to implement tougher preventative measures, such as physical distancing among students in the same learning group, stricter mask rules and reduced class sizes. Kailin Che, a lawyer for the applicants, said the injunction application was filed in Chilliwack to avoid delay. It indicates Trest and Shuster will appear before a judge on Sept. 14. 2:45 p.m.: The federal government is under fire for what critics say has been a delayed response in getting back-to-school funding to First Nations amid the COVID-19 pandemic. On Wednesday, Ottawa announced $2 billion in back-to-school funding for provinces and territories, and another $112 million specifically for First Nations. The announcement came after Nishnawbe Aski Nation, which represents 49 Ontario First Nations, released a number of public statements accusing the government of dragging its feet on the issue. Last week, NAN said the government had rejected its request for $33 million in funding, designed to get its nearly 9,000 students back to school safely by providing them with adequate personal protective equipment and sanitization supplies. 12:47 p.m.: A Statistics Canada report suggests that more than half of Canadians with disabilities who participated in a crowdsourced survey are struggling to make ends meet because of the financial impacts of the COVID-19 crisis. The findings, published on Thursday, were gathered from approximately 13,000 Canadians with long-term conditions or disabilities who voluntarily filled out an online questionnaire between June 3 and July 23. Unlike most Statistics Canada studies, the survey wasnt randomly sampled and therefore isnt statistically representative of the Canadian population. The responses indicate that 61 per cent of participants aged 15 to 64 said the pandemic has had a major or moderate impact on their ability to fulfil at least one financial obligation or essential need. Forty-four per cent of respondents reported concerns about paying for groceries, while 40 per cent were worried about the costs of personal protective equipment. 12:35 p.m.: The Toronto District School Board says elementary students will be able to opt-in or out of in-person classes at three points during the academic year. The TDSB says parents can shift students on Oct. 13, Nov. 23 and Feb. 16, 2021. They will need to apply to make the move with a deadline set approximately two weeks before each date. The board says its not possible to switch immediately because of the impact that would have on staffing, physical distancing and space allocation. The decision comes a day after the province introduced new guidance to help school boards prevent and manage COVID-19 outbreaks. 12:35 p.m.: The Saskatchewan government is projecting a slightly lower deficit than initially feared in its June budget and an economic bounce back to pre-pandemic levels in 2022. The Ministry of Finances first-quarter update predicts $2.1 billion in red ink, down from the $2.4 billion predicted earlier this summer. The province expects to run deficits for the next three years before squeezing out a $125-million surplus in 2024-25. The outlook for the year indicates revenues are expected to increase by nearly $400 million, mostly due to federal funding to help provinces restart their economies after COVID-19. Expenses are also projected to be higher than at budget time because of spending on health, municipalities and the tourism industry. Finance officials say the overall fiscal outlook has improved as many businesses continue to reopen and oil prices hover above US$40. The path to fiscal balance laid out in this report is based on the assumption that public health efforts around the world continue at the current pace and are successful in limiting the economic impact of future COVID-19 resurgences, and that the provincial economy returns to its pre-crisis level in 2022, the report reads. 12:15 a.m. (updated): The number of Ontarians fighting COVID-19 has reached its highest level in three weeks and hospitalizations are creeping up, the latest Ministry of Health statistics show. With another 118 cases of the virus reported Thursday, up 34 per cent from 88 the previous day, the province has 1,070 residents with active infections the most since August 7 and well above a recent low of 891 early this month. The 48 people in hospital is the highest since August 12. The cases remain concentrated in Toronto with 36 new infections, 19 in Peel, and Ottawa with 22, while Windsor-Essex increased to 12 and Durham had 10. In the Windsor area, for example, officials said seven of the new cases are close contacts who tested positive, two are agri-farm workers and three remain under investigation. The Stars Rob Ferguson has the story. 11:25 a.m.: Quebec is reporting 111 new cases of COVID-19 and three additional deaths attributed to the novel coronavirus. Health authorities said today one death occurred in the past 24 hours while two others occurred before Aug. 20. The province now has reported 62,056 total COVID-19 cases and 5,750 deaths since the pandemic began. Authorities say hospitalizations increased by five since Wednesday, for a total of 115. Of those, 15 patients are in intensive care, an increase of three from the previous day. The province says it carried out 16,020 COVID-19 tests on Tuesday, the last day for which testing data is available. 11:20 a.m. (updated): There was a mixture of anxiety and regular back-to-school excitement Thursday morning as tens of thousands of Montreal-area children returned to class for the first time since the emergence of COVID-19. A long lineup of parents and students formed outside Philippe-Labarre elementary school in the citys east-end, with many parents expressing mixed feelings about the return to class. I think we all have a little bit of fear of whats unknown, but I dont freak out about it, said Cora Bridgeo, who has children going into first and third grade. I have confidence in the government. I have confidence in our school system, they put a lot of measures in place. 11 a.m.: Canadians are more likely than residents of many countries to feel as though the global pandemic has united them, a survey suggests. Released Thursday, the survey interviewed 14,276 adults in the United States, Canada, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Australia, Japan and South Korea between June 10 and Aug. 3. Overall, 46 per cent of respondents told the Washington-based Pew Research Centre that they felt more unity now than before the coronavirus outbreak while 48 per cent thought divisions have grown. The Stars Nicholas Keung has the full story. 10:20 a.m. (updated): Ontario is reporting 118 new cases of COVID-19 and one new death related to the coronavirus. The total number of cases now stands at 41,813, which includes 2,803 deaths and 37,940 cases marked as resolved. There were 77 cases newly marked as resolved in todays report. Health Minister Christine Elliott says 28 of Ontarios 34 health regions are reporting five or fewer new cases. She says 18 of those reported no new cases at all. The province was able to complete 28,625 tests in the previous day. 8:45 a.m. France midfielder Paul Pogba has tested positive for COVID-19 and been left out of the national team squad, coach Didier Deschamps said Thursday. I had to make a change at the last minute because Paul Pogba was supposed to be in the squad, Deschamps said. Unfortunately for him, he had a test yesterday which was positive this morning. The Manchester United midfielders place in the squad will be taken by 17-year-old Rennes midfielder Eduardo Camavinga ahead of upcoming Nations League qualifiers against Sweden and Croatia. 8:41 a.m.: Just over 1 million Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week, a sign that the coronavirus outbreak continues to threaten jobs in the U.S even as the housing market, auto sales and other segments of the economy rebound from a springtime collapse. The number of people seeking jobless aid last week dropped by 98,000 from 1.1 million the week before. The number of initial claims has exceeded 1 million most weeks since late March. Before the coronavirus pandemic, they never topped 700,000 in a week. More than 14.5 million are collecting traditional jobless benefits up from 1.7 million a year ago a sign that many American families are depending on unemployment checks to keep them afloat. 8:22 a.m.: Born from a desire to know more about a new town before packing up and leaving, and from the mobility that working from home during COVID-19 offers, new website Ninety minutes from Toronto maps out 55 towns and cities outside Toronto along with everything you could want to know about them. The site is the brainchild of Audra Williams and her partner, Haritha Gnanaratna. The pair often take day trips to smaller towns throughout southern Ontario and fantasize: about a new life, in a new town, in an affordable home. Read the full story from the Stars Jenna Moon 7:48 a.m. A Europa League game in Israel on Thursday was postponed because visiting soccer players from Bosnia-Herzegovina tested positive for COVID-19. Its the fifth Champions League or Europa League qualifying game this month to be postponed at least once by virus cases. All involve infected players on teams from eastern Europe. Maccabi Haifa and Zeljeznicar both published statements Thursday to say their game was postponed by the Israeli health ministry. The Bosnian club said five of its players were positive for the coronavirus in pre-game tests Wednesday that are mandatory for UEFA-organized matches during the pandemic. 7:24 a.m. Italy, Spain and France saw the number of new coronavirus cases rise further Wednesday as outbreaks among returning tourists and party-goers continue to expand. Despite the grim numbers, Italy joined France and Spain in rejecting the possibility of reintroducing the nationwide lockdown that clobbered the economy. Health minister Roberto Speranza ruled out the measure in an interview earlier Wednesday. I exclude the hypothesis of a lockdown for our country now, the minister said. We have few cases and the situation is under control, with pressure on hospitals that is very low, minimal. Italy, the original European epicenter of the pandemic, registered 1,367 new coronavirus cases Wednesday, the most since May 12. France reported 5,429 new Covid-19 cases over the past 24 hours, a four-month high that comes after important surges in recent days. Spain reported 3,594 infections, close to the four-month high of 3,715 recorded earlier this month. The Spanish government has announced that it is ready to make 2,000 soldiers available for contact tracing if requested by regional authorities, who oversee health policy. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Tuesday that another lockdown is not on the table. Last week, French President Emmanuel Macron had ruled out another general lockdown, saying though that targeted, local confinements could be implemented. 7 a.m.: The National Arts Centre is working with theatre companies across Canada to bring the performing arts to the public square. The Grand Acts of Theatre initiative, announced on Thursday, will see large-scale outdoor works staged in 11 communities from coast to coast as the COVID-19 pandemic has shuttered live venues. NAC English Theatre artistic director Jillian Keiley hopes the project will help prop up Canadas struggling theatre sector while appealing to a whole new audience. We have the opportunity to reach a public who might not even enter a theatre, Keiley said in a recent phone interview. Maybe this is part of how people might think of theatre from now on. Keiley partnered with Vancouver theatremaker Sherry Yoon to find companies up for the creative challenge of putting on a show that could weather the natural elements and COVID-19 constraints. The results outperformed Keileys expectations. Audiences in Barrie will be invited to a wedding celebration attended by well-dressed guests in inflatable plastic orbs in Something Bubbled, Something Blue from Talk Is Free Theatre in association with Outside the March. 6:37 a.m.: Doctors dont understand why some COVID-19 patients arent recovering, and as the first wave of people living with lingering impacts of the new virus, they could hold some of the keys for unlocking some of its mysteries. But many feel ignored by the medical establishment, uncounted in official case tallies, and falling through the cracks of care, instead turning to online communities to crowdsource their own recoveries. Demand has been growing around the world for special post-COVID centres, which have already been set up in New York City, and the U.K. In Canada, a major research study is tracking survivors and can assist in connecting them to help. Read the full story from the Stars May Warren here. 6:36 a.m.: No lockers, assemblies or agendas. Libraries and cafeterias closed. The return to school this fall is going to be like no other for students in the GTAs 10 public and Catholic boards, as well as throughout the province. With the school year about to begin, we took a look at the plans of the 10 GTA boards to make schools safe for kids, from cleaning to way-finding and everything else in between. View the Stars interactive graphic here. 6:33 a.m.: The UN childrens agency says at least a third of children couldnt access remote learning when the COVID-19 pandemic closed schools, creating a global education emergency. At the height of lockdowns meant to curb the pandemic, nearly 1.5 billion children were affected by school closures, UNICEF said. For at least 463 million children whose schools closed due to COVID-19, there was no such a thing as remote learning, UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore said. The sheer number of children whose education was completely disrupted for months on end is a global education emergency, she said in a statement. The repercussions could be felt in economies and societies for decades to come. 6:27 a.m.: Australias hot spot Victoria state recorded its third deadliest day of the pandemic as well as the lowest tally of new infections in more than eight weeks. The 23 dead followed 24 deaths on Wednesday. Victorias Health Department said 22 of the most recent deaths were related to aged care. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said 8 per cent of Australias aged care homes had residents or staff infected with the virus. But he said the outcomes in four Melbourne aged care homes were unacceptable. Those four were acutely effected, he said. My fear when the COVID pandemic hit in Victoria was that we could have potentially seen far more. The 113 new cases reported on Thursday was the lowest count since July 5. 6:27 a.m.: North Korea told the World Health Organization it tested 2,767 people for the coronavirus as of Aug. 20 and all have tested negative. In an email to The Associated Press, Edwin Salvador, WHOs representative to North Korea, said the country is monitoring 1,004 citizens under quarantine. Edwin Salvador said the North told WHO it has released 29,961 people from quarantine, including 382 foreigners. The North has yet to confirm a single case of COVID-19, but outsiders doubt its virus-free claim. 6:26 a.m.: India recorded its highest single-day increase with 75,760 new coronavirus cases as it ramps up testing, raising the countrys total virus tally to over 3.3 million. The Health Ministry on Thursday also reported 1,023 deaths in the past 24 hours, taking total fatalities up to 60,472. India has been recording more than 60,000 new infections per day for the last two weeks. With more than 800,000 average tests every day, India has scaled up testing per million to more than 27,000, the ministry said. 6:25 a.m.: South Korea reported 441 new cases of the coronavirus, its highest single-day total in months, making lockdown-like restrictions look inevitable as transmissions slip out of control. The country has added nearly 4,000 infections to its caseload while reporting triple-digit daily jumps in each of the past 14 days, prompting health experts to warn about hospitals possibly running out of capacity. The 441 cases reported Thursday was the biggest daily increase since the 483 reported on March 7. South Koreas Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 315 of the new cases were from the Seoul metropolitan area, home to half of the countrys 51 million people, where health workers have struggled to track infections linked to various sources, including churches, restaurants, schools and workers. The National Assembly in Seoul was shut down and more than a dozen ruling party lawmakers were forced to isolate Thursday following a positive test of a journalist who covered a ruling party leaders meeting. 6:25 a.m.: The Saskatchewan government will provide its first update on the size of a budget deficit it says is a casualty of the COVID-19 pandemic. Its also the last time residents will get a look at the governments books before voters go to the polls in a general election this October. Finance Minister Donna Harpauer will today deliver the first quarter results for the 2020-21 fiscal year including the updated deficit number. Premier Scott Moes government delivered a provincial budget in June that projected a $2.4-billion deficit it says was a result of the economic shutdowns from the health crisis. 6:24 a.m.: Virus or no virus, European authorities are determined to put children back into classrooms, to narrow the learning gaps between haves and have-nots that deepened during lockdowns and to get their parents back to work. Facing a jump in virus cases, authorities in France, Britain, Spain and elsewhere are imposing mask rules, hiring extra teachers and building new desks en masse. While the U.S. back-to-school saga has been politicized and chaotic, with a hodgepodge of fast-changing rules and backlash against U.S. President Donald Trumps insistence on reopening, European governments have faced less of an uproar. And even though the virus has invaded classrooms in recent days from Berlin to Seoul, and some teachers and parents warn that their schools arent ready, European leaders from the political left, right and centre are sending an unusually consistent message: Even in a pandemic, children are better off in class. 6:23 a.m.: Albertans are to get a look at the provinces biggest deficit in history when the government releases its financial update today. Alberta Premier Jason Kenney has been warning that the deficit in the first quarter of the fiscal year will be well north of $20 billion and wont be improving any time soon. He says the province has suffered a double whammy a total collapse of energy prices that has clobbered the oil and gas industry and a global recession caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. 6:22 a.m.: Thousands of Quebec schoolchildren are heading back to class today, putting the provincial governments controversial back-to-school plan to the test. As Montreals French-language schools open their doors, kids can expect fewer hugs but lots of handwashing, some mask-wearing and schoolyards sectioned off with tape to prevent extra mingling. Each roomful of kids will be kept in a separate bubble and masks will be required in hallways and in common areas for children in Grade 5 and up. The government has faced criticism from groups who say the plan doesnt go far enough and doesnt include a distance-learning option for parents who prefer to keep their children home. More than 150 doctors and scientists also published an open letter this week urging Francois Legaults government to require social distancing within classrooms, mask-wearing for all students, and to oblige schools to screen children for symptoms of COVID-19. 6:11 a.m.: The federal Conservatives are calling on a speaking agency through which WE Charity paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to members of Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus family to hand over all documents about the arrangements. The request is contained in a letter from Conservative ethics critic Michael Barrett to Speakers Spotlight on Thursday that notes the agency was first asked by the House of Commons ethics committee to produce the documents last month. The initial deadline was July 29 for all records pertaining to speaking appearances by Trudeau, his wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, mother Margaret Trudeau and brother Alexandre Trudeau at different WE events dating back to October 2008. The agency subsequently asked for an extension and the committee agreed to a new date of Aug. 19. Trudeau prorogued Parliament one day before that new deadline, ending the committee investigations that were underway into the WE controversy. Parliament is set to return Sept. 23 with a new speech from the throne. In his letter, Barrett said the committee agreed to the request for an extension in good faith, and that the decision to prorogue Parliament represented an attack on our democracy and the ethics committees duty to Canadians to pursue truth and justice. Despite prorogation, however, Barrett said there was nothing to stop the agency from doing the right thing and delivering the documents. Wednesday 5 p.m.: As of 5 p.m. Wednesday, Ontarios regional health units are reporting another 119 confirmed or probable cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, according to the Stars latest count. As has been the case in recent days, the vast majority of new cases in the province were reported in the GTA and Ottawa. Among Ontarios 34 health units, just Toronto, with 33 new infections, Peel Region, with 29, and Ottawa, with 16, reported in the double digits Wednesday. The three units were also the only ones to report more than 10 cases Tuesday. The seven-day average for daily case reports in Ontario has been rising in recent days. On Wednesday, it jumped to an average of 110 cases daily over the last week. Even with the recent increases, the rate of infection remains well below the worst of the pandemic; Ontario saw the same average reach a mid-April peak of nearly 600 cases daily. Another three fatal cases were reported Wednesday, two in Peel and one in Toronto. The province has now seen a total of 43,796 confirmed or probable cases of COVID-19, including 2,840 deaths. The vast majority of the provinces COVID-19 patients have since recovered; the province lists slightly more than 1,000 active cases of the disease. The Stars count includes some patients reported as probable COVID-19 cases, meaning they have symptoms and contacts or travel history that indicate they very likely have the disease, but have not yet received a positive lab test. The province cautions its separate data, published daily at 10:30 a.m., may be incomplete or out of date due to delays in the reporting system, saying that in the event of a discrepancy, data reported by (the health units) should be considered the most up to date. - Read Wednesdays rolling file The Reserve Bank of Indias annual report pointed to a startling increase in bank fraud. But the government does not have to look far for the cause or the remedy. As the top edit points out, the growth of fraud in public sector banks is inextricably associated with their peculiar ownership and governance structure. It is this that needs reform, the edit says here. Other opinion focuses on Brexit consequences for India, macro-economic stability and farm marketing reforms. Kanika Datta sums up the views. Now that Brexit is looming for real, India needs to look beyond the US and UK ... Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 21:34:58|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BAGHDAD, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- French Minister for the Armed Forces Florence Parly confirmed on Thursday that France is ready to continue training and supporting the Iraqi forces to defeat the terrorism in the war-torn country. Parly made her comment at a joint press conference with her Iraqi counterpart Juma Inad after their meeting during her visit to Baghdad. She pointed out that her visit to Iraq was aimed at strengthening relations between Iraq and France in all fields. Parly also expressed her concern about the situation in the Middle East, hoping the region could enjoy stability. For his part, Inad told the press conference that the Iraqi defense ministry "will develop the contracts previously concluded with the French side to get advanced weapons from France." He said Parly's visit is part of the efforts by the two countries to enhance security cooperation. Iraqi President Barham Salih also met with Parly and her delegation in his office in Baghdad, according to a statement by the Presidency. During the meeting, Salih asserted "the necessity of concerted international efforts to continue the war against terrorism, eliminate its hotbeds that pose a threat to security and peace." He highlighted the importance of cooperation with the European Union "to consolidate stability in the region and spare it from further crises and tension." Parly also met with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi who discussed with her the security situation in Iraq and the region, as well as means to support Iraq in its fight against terrorism, according to a statement issued by al-Kadhimi's media office. "France is a partner in the war against terrorism, and the Iraqi government is keen to develop its partnership with France to strengthen and qualify the Iraqi forces, developing their combat efficiency, and enhancing the exchange of security information," the statement quoted al-Kadhimi as saying. Parly affirmed France's determination to stand with Iraq in the war against terrorism and support the Iraqi security forces, especially since France has participated in the international coalition in the war against the Islamic State (IS) militants, the statement said. Al-Kadhimi also discussed with the French minister the situation in Syria and its impact on the stability of Iraq and the region, it added. Parly, heading a delegation, arrived in Baghdad late on Wednesday on an official visit to show France's support for the Iraqi government, which is facing a political, economic and health crises. France is part of a U.S.-led international coalition tasked with helping the Iraqi security forces in the fight against IS militants by carrying out airstrikes against the IS in Iraq and Syria and providing military equipment and training to Iraqi forces. Enditem Choose that at-home office chair wisely. Otherwise, youll have to use your sick days for neck and back pain. Over the past three months, Nicholas Nira, a chiropractor with TSAOG Orthopaedics, said hes seen some of his regular patients regressing, and new patients experiencing neck strains, headaches, mid- and lower-back pain. Poorly set up home offices are the culprit. I see it all the time, and we trace it back to poor ergonomic work stations, he said. Lauren Daniels, a homebound communications specialist, works in an ergonomically sound home office, located in her living room. But she didnt start out there. Its so easy to fall into bad habits, said Daniels, who has worked at USAA for the past eight years. Like working a 40-hour week on your couch. In late March, after the San Antonio insurance and financial services giant sent employees home to work, she set up an ad hoc office space on the living room couch. This was fine for the first few days, when she thought the arrangement would be temporary. Like many, she hoped it would last no more than a couple weeks. A month maybe. On ExpressNews.com: Balancing work at home and kids is a job in itself during coronavirus shutdowns The couch wasnt as comfortable as her desk at work, but it put distance between her and her two children who were home from school and her husband, who was also working from home because of city-mandated stay-at-home orders. We were all just adjusting to staying out of each others way, Daniels said. Soon she realized the need to get serious about finding a spot at home to work. Her employer provided a consult with an ergonomics expert via Skype to make sure her office was set up in a way that allowed for correct posture and reduced strain on her muscles. The company also sent a curved keyboard and her high-back office chair to her San Antonio home. This same chair has been with me through office moves and promotions, she said. Robert Johnson, director of environmental health and safety at USAA, said this ergonomics program has been available for the past 20 years. But, not surprisingly, his team has never been busier. So far this year, with the help of an outside vendor, theyve conducted 1,700 ergonomics evaluations. They have conducted most of the appointments virtually, requiring employees to send photos of their chairs and computers. To help thwart the spread of the coronavirus, only employees of essential businesses were allowed to work on-site. City and county ordinances prohibited large gatherings in March and April. Some social-distancing restrictions have lifted since then, but many office workers are still at home. Experts say the pandemic forced about half of the U.S. workforce to work from home at least part of the time. Remote workers used to account for 2 percent of full-time workers, according to government figures. On ExpressNews.com: Exercise tools step into the office Poor office ergonomics can lead to musculoskeletal disorders including arthritis, fibromyalgia and chronic pain, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. OSHA requires employers to provide a safe workplace, which makes them responsible for designing the workplace to fit the employee. The governmental agency cites employers for failing to protect its employees from ergonomic hazards. Musculoskeletal disorders including pinched nerves, sprains, strains and carpal tunnel accounted for one-third of all worker injury and illness cases in 2013, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. For employers, workplace injuries can result in costly workers compensation claims and lost productivity. Dr. Jonathan Duncan, an orthopedic surgeon in San Antonio, says a few adjustments can make all the difference when it comes to office ergonomics and preventing lower back and neck pain. Some people are trying to work from their laptop in bed or a nonsupportive sort of La-Z-Boy chair, he said. Doing that hour after hour is going to aggravate back problems. The body isnt built to be in a seated position for 10 hours. Studies show that sitting for prolonged periods puts a significant amount of force on discs, which are like shock absorbers between each vertebrae, and can cause pain. I mean, these are usually not dangerous (conditions), but they can cause significant pain that can really affect a persons quality of life and day-to-day activities, Duncan said. It really is a case of prevention is the best medicine. Duncan says spine surgery for these injuries is not common. Still, it's worth the investment to get a good chair. It's probably cheaper than even a single doctor's visit for a lot of people. Ergonomic fixes include adjusting your chairs height so that your knees are about level with your hips and your feet are not left dangling. Find a foot rest or a set up a box if necessary so that your feet rest flat. Avoid crossing your ankles. Your wrists should be straight with your hands at or below elbow level. Those working on a laptop should consider using a full-size keyboard and mouse on the same surface. Computer monitors should be an arms length away, and the top of the screen should be at eye level. SA Inc.: Get the best of business news sent directly to your inbox Nira, the chiropractor, tells his patients to set a timer to go off every 30 minutes to remind them to get up and walk around. Daniels says her department at USAA schedules its virtual meetings so that they end five minutes early or start five minutes after the hour to give people time to get up from their desks and stretch. I say take lots of breaks. I know not everybody can, all the time, but changing your position from a seated to a standing position helps, Duncan said. Hes a big fan of sit-stand desks. It doesn't have to be for long periods of time, he said. Just for a minute or two can really make a big difference. Laura Garcia covers the health care industry. To read more from Laura, become a subscriber. laura.garcia@express-news.net | Twitter: @Reporter_Laura You will want to read these good stories that you may have missed. Purdue on Wednesday (Aug. 26) announced members of the steering committee that will guide and direct the work of the Purdue Equity Task Force throughout the fall semester. Media Contact: Tim Doty, doty2@purdue.edu Purdues Division of Diversity and Inclusion is presenting Pursuing Racial Justice Together, an ongoing series of virtual discussions with thought leaders, experts and visionaries over the course of the coming 2020-21 academic year. Media Contact: Matthew Oates, oatesw@purdue.edu Three Indiana women were honored for their dedication and contributions to the agriculture industry at the Indiana Statehouse on Aug. 20. Media Contact: Maureen Manier, mmanier@purdue.edu When wearing a mask, be sure to wear it properly so it can be effective, says Joy Pieper, a clinical assistant professor of nursing in Purdues College of Health and Human Sciences. Media Contact: Matthew Oates, oatesw@purdue.edu Researchers at Purdue have developed a system for efficient, low-cost monitoring for machine health with audio-based artificial intelligence technology. Media Contact: Chris Adam, cladam@prf.org About Purdue University Purdue University is a top public research institution developing practical solutions to todays toughest challenges. Ranked the No. 6 Most Innovative University in the United States by U.S. News & World Report, Purdue delivers world-changing research and out-of-this-world discovery. Committed to hands-on and online, real-world learning, Purdue offers a transformative education to all. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue has frozen tuition and most fees at 2012-13 levels, enabling more students than ever to graduate debt-free. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap at purdue.edu. Journalists visiting campus : Journalists should follow Protect Purdue protocols and the following guidelines: PARIS Reinforcing its presence in Spain, Carrefour has struck an agreement to purchase 172 Supersol grocery stores in a deal that carries an enterprise value of 78 million euros. The retailer said it plans to convert them into its Express and Market formats as well as its discount format Supeco. The stores, which are mostly in large, urban centers in the regions of Andalusia and Madrid, generated around 450 million euros in sales last year. Carrefour said it plans to improve sales density and optimize costs of the stores thanks to its commercial policy and purchasing conditions, as well as use them as pick-up points for e-commerce sales. Under the direction of chairman and chief executive officer Alexandre Bompard, over the past three years Carrefour has been racing to bulk up its digital means and omnichannel systems, drawing up partnerships with a number of external partners, including Google and food delivery companies in various markets like Uber Eats in France and Belgium. It has also increased its offer of organic produce, reduced the size of its hypermarkets and focused on pricing strategy competition is stiff among grocers in France, who often engage in price wars as they jostle for business in a lackluster market. Excluding its home market of France, Europe is the largest market for Carrefour, which also has extensive operations in Brazil with the Atacadao chain. Carrefours last sizeable acquisition in Spain was the purchase of 36 Eroski stores in 2016. The Supersol transaction, which remains subject to approval from regulatory authorities, is expected to close at the beginning of 2021. Sign up for WWD's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Good evening, America, I'm Lara Trump. Daughter of Bob and Linda Yunaska, sister to Kyle, mother to Luke and Carolina and the daughter-in-law of our 45th President, Donald J. Trump. But tonight, I come to you simply as an American. My life began like many in our country. I grew up in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina. My parents were small business owners and worked hard to make sure that my brother and I had everything we needed but not everything we wanted. My parents raised me to believe that, in America, I could achieve anything with hard work and determination. That the opportunities available to me were limited only by the size of my ambition. That I should dream big. And, I did. Those very dreams are what led me to New York City. I'd heard the adage, 'if I could make it there, I could make it anywhere' and, I intended to do just that. Never in a million years did I think that I would be on this stage tonight, and I certainly never thought that I'd end up with the last name Trump. My 7th grade English teacher, Mrs. B, used to tell us 'believe none of what you hear, half of what you read and only what you're there to witness firsthand.' The meaning of those words never fully weighed on me until I met my husband and the Trump family. Any preconceived notion I had of this family disappeared immediately. They were warm and caring, they were hard workers, and they were down to earth. They reminded me of my own family they made me feel like I was home. Walking the halls of the Trump Organization, I saw the same family environment. I also saw, first-hand, the countless women executives who thrived there, year after year. Gender didn't matter, what mattered was someone's ability to get the job done. I learned this directly when, in 2016, my father-in-law asked me to help him win my cherished home state and my daughter's namesake North Carolina. Though I had no political experience, he believed in me and supported me he knew I was capable even if I didn't. So, it didn't surprise me when President Donald Trump appointed the most women to senior level positions of any administration in history. The Secretary of the United Nations, Secretary of the Air Force, the first female CIA Director, the first African American female director of the Fish and Wildlife service and countless ambassadors, just to name a few. Under President Trump's leadership women's unemployment hit the lowest level since World War II. 4.3 million new jobs have been created for women in 2019 alone, women took over 70% of those new jobs. Female small business ownership remains at an all-time high. And 600,000 women have been lifted out of poverty, all since President Trump took office. He didn't do these things to gain a vote or to check a box he did them because they are the right things to do. One hundred years ago today, the 19th Amendment was ratified, granting the right to vote to every American woman. And, since that day, incredible strides have been made by women in America. From Amelia Earhart to Rosa Parks and Sally Ride, women shaped our history and are part of what has made our country the most exceptional nation in the world. I often think back to my 24 year old self, driving alone in my car from North Carolina to New York City. And, I think about what I would tell myself now as we head towards the most critical election in modern history. This is not just a choice between Republican and Democrat or left and right this is an election that will decide if we keep America America, or if we head down an uncharted, frightening path towards socialism. Abraham Lincoln once famously said 'America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.' While those words were spoken over 150 years ago, never have they been more relevant. Will we choose the right path and maintain the unique freedoms and boundless opportunities that make this country the greatest in the history of the world? The choice is ours. I know the promise of America because I have lived it, not just as a member of the Trump family, but as a woman who knows what it's like to work in blue collar jobs, to serve customers for tips and to aspire to rise. Now, when I look at my son Luke and my daughter Carolina, I wonder what sort of country will I be leaving for them, for our future generations? In recent months, we have seen weak, spineless politicians cede control of our great American cities to violent mobs. Defund the police is the rallying cry for the new, radical Democrat Party. Joe Biden will not do what it takes to maintain order. To keep our children safe in our neighborhoods and in their schools. To restore our American way of life. We cannot dare to dream our biggest dreams -- for ourselves or for our children -- while consumed by worry about the safety of our families. President Trump is the law and order President -- from our borders to our backyards. President Trump will keep America safe. President Trump will keep America prosperous. President Trump will keep America America. If you're watching tonight and wrestling with your vote on November 3rd, I implore you: tune out the distorted news and biased commentary and hear it straight from someone who knows. I wasn't born a Trump. I'm from the South. I was raised a Carolina girl. I went to public schools and worked my way through a state university. Mrs. B from my seventh grade English class was right what I learned about our President is different than what you might have heard. I learned that he is a good man. That he loves his family. That he didn't need this job. That no one on Earth works harder for the American people. That he's willing to fight for his beliefs, and for the people -- and the country -- that he loves. He is a person of convictions. He is a fighter and will never stop fighting for America. He will uphold our values. He will preserve our families. And he will build on the great American edict that our union will never be perfect until opportunity is equal for all -- including, and especially, for women. God bless you all, and God bless America TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer resigned Thursday amid US pressure for its Chinese owner to sell the popular video app, which the White House says is a security risk. In a letter to employees, Mayer said that his decision to leave comes after the political environment has sharply changed. His resignation follows President Donald Trumps order to ban TikTok unless its parent company, ByteDance, sells its US operations to an American company within 90 days. I have done significant reflection on what the corporate structural changes will require, and what it means for the global role I signed up for, he said in the letter. Against this backdrop, and as we expect to reach a resolution very soon, it is with a heavy heart that I wanted to let you all know that I have decided to leave the company. Bytedance is currently in talks with Microsoft for the US firm to buy TikToks US operations. Mayer, a former Disney executive, joined TikTok as CEO in May. TikTok thanked Mayer. We appreciate that the political dynamics of the last few months have significantly changed what the scope of Kevins role would be going forward, and fully respect his decision, the company said in a statement. ByteDance launched TikTok in 2017, then bought Musical.ly, a video service popular with teens in the US and Europe, and combined the two. A twin service, Douyin, is available for Chinese users. TikTok gained immense popularity via its fun, goofy videos and ease of use, and has hundreds of millions of users globally. But its Chinese ownership has raised concerns about potential censorship of videos, including those critical of the Chinese government, and the risk Beijing may access user data. Earlier this month, Trump ordered a sweeping but unspecified ban on dealings with the Chinese owners of consumer apps TikTok and WeChat as the US heightens scrutiny of Chinese technology companies, citing concerns that they may pose a threat to national security. The Atiwa East Constituency of the NPP has officially outdoored a 25 member campaign team at Anyinam in the Atiwa East Constituency to canvass for votes for President Akuffo Addo and the member of Parliament for the area, Hon. Abena Osei Asare. Speaking at the occasion, the MP who double as the Deputy Minister of Finance, Hon.Abena Osei- Asare urged Ghanaians as well as media practioners to desist from politics of insults ahead of the upcoming 2020 polls. According to her, the 2020 polls will depend on achievements but not insults. The campaign team consist of 25 members who have been assigned to steer the affairs of the campaign in the constituency. Hon. Abena Osei Asare emphasised that the constituency has benefited immensely from the NPP government hence the need for them to propagate the good works of the government than to engage in insults with other political parties. The Eastern Regional 2nd Vice Chair of the party, Mr. Twum Barimah Koranteng who led the process on his part urged party members to come together to ensure the party retain power come December 7. The Constituency Chairman at Atiwa East, Albert Antwi on behalf of the constituency pledge their commitment to working hand in hand to ensure more wins for the party. Source: Isaac Oduro/Peace News Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Black Screen by James Salerno, examines the pitfalls of technological innovation and the security of stored information. Mankinds dependence on technology is about to take a serious hit! Trillions of bytes of stored data will be gone forever! Utilities, like electricity, will be disabled. One man will be the catalyst in making this cataclysmic event a reality. No expense will be spared. The user of any type of technological equipment will be staring at a black screen. A cast of intriguing characters are woven into the plot, including his genius protege, a desperate couple who assists unknowingly, the solo police officer who attempts to stop him and his lover who may double cross him. Our conspirator loathes the fact that most of the population walks around staring at their cell phones. Mans survival in a previous era was based on self-reliance, not laptop computers, cell phones or television. He fondly remembered a day when reality was purely individually self- made. The population will be forced to succumb to a manipulating madmans machinations. The world will look at Russia as a formidable power, not a country who has taken a back seat to China and the USA. Can he pull off this coup and what will be the result? Readers who wish to experience this revolutionary, thought-provoking thriller, can purchaseBlack Screen at bookstores everywhere or online at the Apple iTunes store, Amazon, Google Play or Barnes and Noble For additional information or media inquiries, contact Page Publishing at 866-315-2708. About Page Publishing: Page Publishing is a traditional, full-service publishing house that handles all the intricacies involved in publishing its authors books, including distribution in the worlds largest retail outlets and royalty generation. Page Publishing knows that authors need to be free to create - not mired in logistics like eBook conversion, establishing wholesale accounts, insurance, shipping, taxes, and so on. Pages accomplished writers and publishing professionals allow authors to leave behind these complex and time-consuming issues to focus on their passion: writing and creating. Learn more at http://www.pagepublishing.com. Air quality took a turn for the worse Friday morning in parts of the Bay Area, which has been plagued by wildfire smoke for more than a week. The impact was especially severe in San Francisco, which registered unhealthy air quality levels as of 8 a.m. on the Bay Area Air Quality Management Districts map. The map also indicated unhealthy readings in the coastal region to the west and southwest of San Jose, where the CZU Lightning Complex fires continue to burn. Air quality levels were in the orange unhealthy for sensitive groups range in the mid-Peninsula area and in the East Bay. On the color-coded air quality index, the green range of 0-50 is good. The next level is yellow, or moderate, at 51-100. Orange, or unhealthy for sensitive groups, is 101-150, and the red level of 151-200 is unhealthy for everyone. The highest range is 301-500, considered hazardous a level the Bay Area reached during the worst of the recent wildfire crisis. The readings are related to PM2.5, or fine particulate matter pollution, which is found in wildfire smoke. BAAQMD The air quality in many parts of the region had improved noticeably on Wednesday and Thursday. According to air district spokesman Aaron Richardson, strong ocean breezes and increased humidity provided respite from wildfire smoke. 2 1 of 2 Gabrielle Lurie / The Chronicle Show More Show Less 2 of 2 Gabrielle Lurie / The Chronicle Show More Show Less But conditions can change quickly, as the downturn Friday showed. The North Bay and Santa Clara Valley areas suffered the most from poor air earlier in the week, and now the smoke from the CZU Complex Fires is trickling up throughout the Peninsula and San Francisco, Richardson said. As for the smoke situation beyond the weekend, its a bit too early to tell. There are definitely still fires that are active and theyre pretty significant, he said. A lot of their impacts will depend on the weather conditions into next week and its just too far off for us to determine that. And as for whether Bay Area residents will be startled by lightning sieges or thunder anytime soon: Its a one-word answer, said David King, meteorologist for the Bay Area office of the National Weather Service. No. Heat and dryness are expected to kick up a notch this weekend. Were going to see a little bit of a warming and drying trend, so youre going to see inland areas that are probably going to start touching the low 90s again, King said. The East Bay and southern portions of the North Bay are expected to be in the 80s, with isolated areas reaching the low 90s. On the Peninsula, high temperatures are likely to be in the mid-60s, warming to the mid-70s as the weekend progresses. San Francisco will hover around 70 degrees. Silicon Valley, into Santa Clara, will get into the low and mid 80s starting Friday, with Morgan Hill and Gilroy expected to reach the low 90s. But the heat isnt expected to be as oppressive as it was a week and a half ago. Were not talking about an extensive heat event, King said. The deep marine layer that made another inland push Thursday provided some humidity recovery. The moisture helps firefighters battle the huge wildland blazes in the region. But a more compressed marine layer which means less humidity relief at night is coming for the weekend. I know firefighters, they always look for more moisture, King said. Unfortunately the weathers going to kind of take that away from them. Fire Tracker Follow wildfires across the state Latest updates on wildfires burning across Northern and Southern California Starting Monday or Tuesday, the winds might shift, coming out of the north and northeast which means an increased likelihood of drier conditions. More air quality information resources: The Bay Area Air Quality Management District collects and posts searchable AQI readings from air monitors around the region. You can also sign up for air quality alerts and get information about health and safety. Airnow.gov, a partnership run by the EPA including federal, state and local air monitoring agencies, offers a one-stop source for air quality data, including interactive maps with local, national and world views. It also offers a Fire and Smoke Map with current fire conditions and air quality data including readings from the crowdsourced PurpleAir network. The Chronicles California Air Quality Map lets you zoom in to see readings in your area. It draws from the PurpleAir network and is updated every 10 minutes. This Chronicle guide explains different ways to look up the air quality in your microclimate. This explainer helps you assess when its OK to go outside if its smoky in the Bay Area, and what level of activities you can safely engage in. This explainer details the dos and dont of dealing with smoky air in your Bay Area home and car. Annie Vainshtein is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: avainshtein@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @annievain OSCODA, MI A senior Pentagon official says the Air Force will install a line of extraction wells across a high-strength contaminant plume thats causing toxic foam to accumulate on the shoreline of a local beach across from the former Wurtsmith Air Force Base in Oscoda. Thats according to two people who toured the former base this week with John Henderson, assistant Air Force secretary overseeing installations, energy and the environment. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Moch. Fiqih Prawira Adjie and Galih Gumelar (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, August 27, 2020 Activists have demanded that the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) supervisory council ensure transparency and accountability in its hearing of a case pertaining to alleged ethics violations of chairman Firli Bahuri, which is set to continue next week. Firli is accused of violating the KPK's code of ethics by living a hedonistic lifestyle" following reports of him using a private helicopter on a personal trip from South Sumatra's capital of Palembang to the city of Baturaja in the same province in June. "All processes in the hearing should ensure transparency and public accountability, in line with prevailing regulations on the KPK and its ethics investigation," Kurnia Ramadhana of Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) said. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,000/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Saif Ali Khan has turned 50 years old but says that he is not feeling any mid-life crisis. The actor, in a conversation with Neha Dhupia on her podcast No Filter Neha, said he feels he has done enough in his life. Calling 50s petrifying, Saif said every year is a bonus. Fifty is petrifying. A friend of mine said you can see the end 50s and then 60s and after 70. Everyday is a bonus. My father died at 71, my grandfather died at 41 so at some point I think you can sit back and you say its been a hell of a ride. Im quite happy with how its gone and it shouldnt be that dissatisfaction, that I didnt do anything. Mid-life crisis is not happening because obviously I have done stuff, so I cant complain, he said. Saif, however, is quite grateful of his mother, veteran actor Sharmila Tagores genes that he has inherited. So,Im just relieved my mother looks young and looked young and I feel I have inherited her genes, so I might be able to fool people into looking 50 when Im 60, he said. Also Watch | Saif Ali khan steps out with Taimur; Esha Gupta, Natasha Dalal spotted Also read: Sushant Singh Rajputs sister, brother-in-law shocked by drug angle in his death, demand immediate action: This is criminal offence Saif celebrated his 50th birthday with wife Kareena Kapoor Khan, son Taimur and a few of their friends and family members. Saif is also writing his autobiography. It is slated to hit the shelves in October, 2021, publisher HarperCollins India announced on Tuesday. In a statement, the actor said it is nice to look back, remember and record things before they are lost with time. The publisher said the autobiography will be a no-holds-barred account with Saif, in his signature style laced with wit and humour, opening up about family, home, successes, failures, his influences, inspirations and cinema. Follow @htshowbiz for more SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, August 27, 2020 13:43 511 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c40dde1a 4 National COVID-19,COVID-19-in-East-Java,Islamic-boarding-schools,students,Banyuwangi Free Ninety-three students of the Darussalam Blokagung Banyuwangi Islamic Boarding School in East Java have tested positive of COVID-19. East Java COVID-19 task force tracing team head Kohar Hari Santoso said the students were in a relatively good condition. They are being treated by a joint team from the Health Ministry, the East Java Health Agency and the Banyuwangi Health Agency, Kohar said as quoted by kompas.com on Wednesday evening. Read also: Its real: Gravediggers in Surabaya reportedly bury some 1,500 bodies during pandemic He added that the team had taken swab tests from more than 500 students to assess the COVID-19 spread at the boarding school. It had also coordinated with the Banyuwangi administration to provide healthy food for the students. They are generally in good condition, but we have also prepared rooms at the Banyuwangi General Hospital if one of the students suddenly experiences medical issues, such as breathing difficulty or other COVID-19 symptoms, Kohar said. As of Tuesday evening, Banyuwangi has recorded 213 positive cases, in which 81 patients have recover and eight have passed away. (dpk) Former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, who now serves as chairman of the executive committee of the National Reform Council of Ukraine, has said that he is returning home, according to Georgia Online. He expressed gratitude to Ukraine, calling it his "second home." "Ukraine is my second home. At one time I came here from my main home, my sweet Georgia. I have always loved Ukraine since I was a student. In the most difficult period, it was Ukraine that accepted me as I am, without any conditions and requirements, and I really appreciate it," he said. Saakashvili also apologized to the people of Georgia for his mistakes. "Of course, there were mistakes, and there were very serious mistakes, but God knows, I wanted the best for my people. I wanted my people to live much better, more richly. But still, many years later, I want to publicly apologize to everyone for all the mistakes I made, for what I could not do to the end. At the same time, I am infinitely grateful to the Georgian people who made me a participant in the successful historical process of the development of the Georgian state," he said. Saakashvili said that he was returning to Georgia. "During these seven years, there has not been a single day that I have not been interested in Georgian news and I know for sure that my work as president has not been in vain. But, at the same time, when I hear Georgian news, I can guess that we can live much better, every Georgian can be rich. We'll do it together! I'm coming back! "Saakashvili said. On May 7, 2020, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appointed Saakashvili as head of the executive committee of the National Reform Council of Ukraine. In January 2018, the Tbilisi City Court found Saakashvili guilty of abuse of office and sentenced him to three years in prison. According to the investigation, in 2009, the then president of Georgia, bypassing the pardon commission, illegally pardoned those convicted of the murder of four employees of the Constitutional Security Department. The Supreme Court of Georgia upheld this verdict. op The state Supreme Court is requiring trial judges throughout California to consider a defendant's financial status when setting bail and to avoid keeping people in jail before trial because they cannot afford to pay for their release. At the request of Attorney General Xavier Becerra, the court on Wednesday reinstated a January 2018 decision by a state appeals court in San Francisco as a binding precedent for trial courts statewide while the high court reviews the case. The ruling requires judges to take a defendants finances into account when deciding whether, and how much, the defendant must pay to be freed on bail. This is a critical step forward for fairness in our bail system, Becerra said in a statement. California voters could go a step further in November if they approve Proposition 25. That measure would eliminate the bail system and instead require a judge to decide whether a defendant could be released safely, with monitoring, based on the seriousness of the charges and the judges assessment of the risk the defendant posed. Those charged with capital crimes or domestic violence, and those with recent serious or violent felony convictions, would be ineligible for pretrial release. The Legislature and Gov. Jerry Brown approved the measure in 2018 and it was scheduled to take effect last October. But it was put on hold when bail bond companies gathered enough public signatures to qualify a referendum for the Nov. 3 ballot. The companies, which collect 10% fees on bonds they issue, say the system promotes safety by giving defendants an incentive to appear in court or face further charges and financial penalties. Opponents of the bail system say it allows the rich to buy their way out of jail and has no proven safety benefits. San Francisco, meanwhile, has eliminated bail for most newly arrested defendants accused of misdemeanors or nonviolent felonies, in a settlement of a federal lawsuit. The citys system will be largely preempted if voters approve Prop. 25. The San Francisco appellate ruling that now has statewide effect involved Kenneth Humphrey, a retired shipyard worker accused of entering the apartment of a 79-year-old man who lived in the same apartment building in May 2017, threatening to put a pillowcase over his head and stealing $5 and a bottle of cologne. A judge initially set his bail at $600,000, based on the charges and Humphreys record, then lowered it to $350,000, an amount Humphrey still could not afford. In its January 2018 ruling, the First District Court of Appeal ordered the judge to determine how much bail Humphrey could afford and whether he could be safely released without bail. Defendants cannot be kept in custody solely because they lack financial resources, Presiding Justice J. Anthony Kline said in the 3-0 decision. The state Supreme Court granted then-District Attorney George Gascons request to review the ruling in May 2018, removing it from the books as a precedent for Superior Court judges to follow. But Becerra, an opponent of the cash bail system, asked the court last week to use its authority to reclassify the appellate decision as a statewide precedent until the high court issues its own ruling. He said the unprecedented impacts of the coronavirus call for measures to keep people out of jail if they can be released safely. The court whose chief justice, Tani Cantil-Sakauye, has also criticized the bail system complied Wednesday without comment or any recorded dissent. Humphrey, 64, was freed without bail in May 2018 after agreeing to ankle monitoring and 24-hour detention at a San Francisco drug and alcohol treatment program for seniors. He is awaiting trial. Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @BobEgelko Its hard to imagine another modern-day institution that has categorically robbed Black Americans of as much life, liberty, and wealth as the criminal-justice system. Racist policing literally arrests economic and social mobility, cutting Black breadwinners, innovators, and taxpayers out of the economy. But as pernicious as the criminal-justice system has been, we have yet to reckon with another system that arrests Black mobility just as, if not more, chronically: a school financing system built on segregation, in which schools predominated by students of color receive an annual $23 billion less than majority-white institutions. School financing systems, which draw upon local property taxes, epitomize structural inequality. District boundaries have been significantly influenced by white peoples collective refusalcloaked in a pursuit of choice"to integrate neighborhoods and schools. Federal policies and local actors have downgraded residential properties in Black neighborhoods throughout the 20th century while facilitating growth in the white suburbs. In 2018, the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program published a report on Black housing assets in which my colleagues and I found thatafter controlling for factors such as housing quality, neighborhood quality, education, and crimeowner-occupied homes in Black neighborhoods are undervalued by $48,000 per home on average. Nationwide, this disparity amounts to a whopping $156 billion in annual cumulative losses. As damaging as these structural systems are, they also reinforced the white-supremacist myth that the condition of Black neighborhoods and schools are a direct result of the people in them. Our research found, however, that it is the concentration of Black people, not their actions, that is associated with lower home values. Devalued homes equal less money from property taxes, which nets less funding for schools. Less money for schools results in lower educational outcomes. When you accept the status quo, you have little room but to blame Black people for a system we didn't create." Massive racial disparities in funding disempower students of color, who make up the majority of those who attend public schools. Teachers in these districts, who have fewer resources to work with, are also disempowered. Research from Stanford Universitys Center for Education Policy Analysis shows what should be intuitive: Community wealth is positively correlated with academic achievement . Education reforms have the ability to develop communities in ways that can add value to Black people. Yet many education reformers avoid, accept, or even embrace segregation as the status quo. In a 2017 public statement responding to an Associated Press report that showed charters were more segregated than traditional schools, the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools essentially said that it was not their concern: In the end, parents and students opinions are the only ones that matter. Of the many problems with the charter lobbys statement, one stands out. When you reform within the confines of inequality, when you accept the status quo, you have little room but to blame Black people for a system we didnt create. When I was a charter school leader in New Orleans during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, I saw how the charter takeover of a Black-majority district resulted in the summary firing of a mostly Black education workforce, which led to significant reductions of Black educators. In the 2004-05 academic year, the year before Katrina, 17 percent of the teachers in New Orleans public schools had less than three years of experiencea gauge of lower-quality teachingaccording to Tulane Universitys Cowen Institute. By 2009-10, that percentage had more than doubled. The percentage of Black teachers dropped from 71 percent to 49 percent between 2005 and 2014, which was equivalent to about 4 percent of the entire African American working-age population of New Orleans at the time, according to the Education Research Alliance. That precipitous decline could not have happened without deliberate efforts to import a younger, whiter workforce. Reformers were more than willing to rebuild the same racist structures without Black womenthe largest demographic among the fired employees. These education reforms clearly eroded the Black middle-class tax base and reduced job opportunities for Black children upon graduationthe people reform was supposed to help. Black districts, teachers, students, and parents dont need fixing. The so-called Black-white achievement gap is more illustrative of the systematic devaluation of Black lives than revealing something broken with Black students or schools. Black students dont need vouchers, charters, and other choice mechanisms that dont address the source of inequality. Theres nothing wrong with Black people that ending racism cant solve. Education reform moving forward must restore the value thats been extracted by racismadding jobs, wealth, education, and political power to Black districts and communities. Luckily, there are those who choose to dismantle the sources of inequality rather than reform within those structures. In a substantive attempt to level the education playing field, in October 2019, a Maryland state panel voted to recommend a new funding formula that calls for school spending to increase by $4 billion per year by 2030. About a third of that increase, $1.2 billion, would come from local municipalities, with the state picking up the remaining $2.8 billion per year37 percent more than it currently spends. The increases would be phased in over the course of this decade. How to pay for this planwhich would benefit low-income districtswill certainly be a challenge amid a pending recession. But if Black lives are to matter, states must alter their funding formulas. We must hire also more Black teachers. Black students who have one Black teacher by 3rd grade are 7 percent more likely to graduate from high school and 13 percent more likely to enroll in college, according to a 2018 analysis by researchers Seth Gershenson, Cassandra M. D. Hart, Joshua Hyman, Constance Lindsay, and Nicholas W. Papageorge. After having two Black teachers, Black students likelihood of enrolling in college increases by 40 percent. The Black Lives Matter movement has catalyzed substantive changes to federal, state, and local criminal-justice policies. Its past time we have a similar reckoning with an unjust education system that has left so many Black children and teachers behind. This spring, when the pandemic forced bookstores across the country to close and authors to cancel their tours, many editors and publishers made a gamble. They postponed the publication of dozens of titles, betting that things would be back to normal by the fall. Now, with September approaching, things are far from normal. Books that were bumped from spring and early summer are landing all at once, colliding with long-planned fall releases and making this one of the most crowded fall publishing seasons ever. And now publishers are confronting a new hurdle: how to print all those books. The two largest printing companies in the United States, Quad and LSC Communications, have been under intense financial strain, a situation that has grown worse during the pandemic. LSC declared bankruptcy in April, and the companys sales fell nearly 40 percent in the fiscal quarter that ended June 30, a drop that the company attributed partly to the closure of retailers during the pandemic and the steep fall of educational book sales. In September, LSCs assets will be put up for auction. Quads book printing business is also up for sale; this spring, the company had to temporarily shut down its printers at three plants due to the pandemic. At the same time, there has been a surprising spike in sales for print books, a development that would normally be cause for celebration, but is now forcing publishers to scramble to meet surging demand. Unit sales of print books are up more than 5 percent over last year, and sales have accelerated over the summer. From early June to mid-August, print sales were up more than 12 percent over the previous 10 weeks, according to NPD BookScan. The surge has been driven by several new blockbuster titles, including books by Suzanne Collins, Stephenie Meyer, John Bolton and Mary Trump. Publishers have also seen an unexpected demand for older titles, particularly books about race and racism, childrens educational workbooks and fiction. No matter the breed, dogs are considered man's best friend. But the canines we know and love today have a storied history that varies breed to breed and extends back tens of thousands of years. We've taken a doggone journey around the world to see where today's most popular breeds really came from. While Houston was spared from the brunt of Hurricane Laura, organizations across the area and beyond are coming together to help those in need. The National Hurricane Center downgraded Laura to a Category 2 hurricane as the eye made landfall over Louisiana near the Texas state line in the early morning hours of Thursday, Aug. 27. HURRICANE GUIDE: All you need to know about preparing for and weathering this summer's hurricane season The following organizations are collecting supplies and donations: Lakewood Church Lakewood Church announced they will be collecting supplies for those affected by Hurricane Laura from Friday, Sept. 4 through Sunday, Sept. 6, from 9:00 a.m. 6:00 p.m. at 3700 SW Freeway, Houston. Items needed include the following: Non-perishable canned or boxed food (non-expired) Cleaning supplies Bottled water #HoustonPayingItForward Mayor Turner shared on his Twitter feed the #HoustonPayingItForward Hurricane Relief Response to aid those affected by Hurricane Laura. Now through Thursday, Sept. 10, Houstons Health Equity Response Task Force (H.E.R.) is partnering with Kroger, Gallery Furniture, and the Relief Gang to collect supplies needed. You can take donations to the George R. Brown Convention Center, Gallery Furniture (the main showroom at 6006 North Freeway), and A-Rocket Moving & Storage from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day of the drive. There will also be donation boxes outside of local Kroger locations across the city. The Relief Gang has set up a GoFundMe for donations. Attack Poverty Attack Poverty is an organization leading efforts to assist individuals in Louisiana in response to Hurricane Laura. Supplies requested include: Toiletries (shampoo, conditioner, soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant, lotion, toilet paper) Food - nonperishables, beans, soup, rice, etc. Tarps Zip locks Trash bags Masks Drop Off Sites Near Richmond, Rosenberg, and Sugar Land: Attack Poverty Headquarters Drop off dates: 8/31-TBD Drop off times: Mondays-Fridays, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. For a complete list of items requested and other drops off sites contact: Disaster Recovery Team, APDR@attackpoverty.org Address: 3727 Greenbriar Dr. Ste. 100 Stafford, TX 77477 Volunteers of America You can make a donation to help those affected due to Hurricane Laura with a donation to Volunteers of America through a link they have set up on their website here. To donate by phone, please call us at 800-899-0089. Project Hope Project Hope has its emergency response teams on the ground to help meet immediate medical needs in the wake of Hurricane Laura. You can make a donation through its website at www.projecthope.org. Americares Your donations to Americares will support deliveries of medicine, medical supplies, and other critical aid to those affected by Hurricane Laura. Donations to Americares U.S. Disaster Relief Fund can be made through its website at www.americares.org/usdisasterfund The Houston Food Bank In anticipation of Hurricane Laura, the Houston Food Bank prepared disaster pallets and are working with multiple partners to help them respond to disaster sites, according to their Facebook page. In addition, you can visit their website here for other ways you can help as well as make a donation to support those impacted by the storm. American Red Cross The American Red Cross already has mobilized teams to the areas affected by Hurricane Laura to support local officials, according to their website. If you would like to help, they are asking you to visit their website at redcross.org, or call 800-RED-CROSS or text the word LAURA to 90999 to make a $10 donation. The Salvation Army To support the emergency disaster services of The Salvation Army, they ask you to please visit their website: salvationarmyhouston.org. to make a donation. Charity Navigator This site makes it easier to navigate which organizations are helping those affected by Hurricane Laura with listing highly-rated organizations that have been vetted by Charity Navigator analysts, according to their website. In addition to many of the ones listed above, the organizations below are also assisting: We will update this list as more organizations share their plans to assist those affected by Hurricane Laura. STAY INFORMED: Sign up to receive breaking news alerts delivered to your email here. US Vice President Mike Pence speaks during the third night of the Republican National Convention at Fort McHenry National Monument in Baltimore, Maryland, August 26, 2020. (Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images) When U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and President Donald Trump greeted supporters at an outdoor venue on Wednesday night for the Republican National Convention, there were few masks in sight - and Pence exchanged at least one handshake. The scene provided a stark contrast to last week's nearly all-virtual Democratic convention, when Joe Biden and Kamala Harris scrapped plans to travel to Wisconsin because of the coronavirus and instead delivered speeches in a mostly empty event center. Biden and Harris wore masks and kept a distance from the crowd they joined in watching outdoor fireworks in Delaware at the end of their convention. While the Democratic candidates have eschewed large crowds and donned masks in public, Trump took months to embrace mask-wearing as an effective way to stop the spread of the virus, which has killed more than 179,000 people in the United States. On Wednesday night, few people who had gathered for Pence's convention speech at the Fort McHenry National Monument in Baltimore, Maryland, wore masks. Neither did Trump, his wife Melania, or Pence and his wife Karen, when they greeted well-wishers at the event's conclusion. Members of the audience told reporters on Wednesday night they had not been tested for the infection before attending. Even so, Pence shook hands with one woman. Medical professionals at the White House and around the country have encouraged Americans to maintain a social distance, wear masks and wash their hands regularly to thwart Covid-19. Trump and Pence are tested regularly for the coronavirus, as are staff and journalists who interact with them at the White House. Both men have sought to paint an optimistic picture about the pandemic despite its deadly toll. Trump, 74, has criticized Biden, 77, for campaigning from his home in Delaware rather than venturing out regularly to in-person events around the country. Trump, who is trailing the former vice president in opinion polls ahead of the November 3 election, is expected to travel extensively in the coming weeks. Harris on Wednesday criticized the Republican president for politicizing the pandemic. The idea that Trump would make this a partisan issue is outrageous. It's unbelievable, right? You wear a mask if you're a Democrat, you dont wear a mask if youre a Republican?" she said at a fundraising event. A large crowd is expected to attend Trump's convention speech from the White House South Lawn on Thursday night. In the 1960s, about one-quarter of the dog population still roamed the streets and 10- to 20-fold more dogs were euthanized in shelters compared to today. In 1973, the Humane Society of the United States estimated that approximately 13.5 million animals (64 dogs and cats per 1,000 people) were euthanized in the United States (about 20 percent of the pet population and 25 percent of the dog population was still at large. Intake and euthanasia numbers (national and state levels) declined rapidly in the 1970s due to a number of factors; implementation of shelter and sterilization policies, changes in sterilization practices by private veterinarians and the passage of local ordinances implementing differential licensing fees for intact and sterilized pets. The evolution of dog management in the United States increased from 5-10 a year in the 70s to 50 in the last decade. Beginning with a network of animal shelters, sterilization and dog licensing all put in place to deter the overpopulation issue. It is estimated that 25 percent of dogs in shelters are purebred and owner turn-ins due to divorce, the birth of a child or moving. BEIRUT: Clashes broke out Thursday night between rival gunmen at the southern entrance of the Lebanese capital, Beirut, leaving two people dead and three wounded, state-run National News Agency reported. It was not immediately clear what triggered the violence but local media said the fighting began after supporters of the militant Hezbollah group raised religious banners and flags angering Sunni Arab tribesmen in the area. The National News Agency said the two dead were a Lebanese and a Syrian citizen; the three wounded were members of the same family. The clashes took place around the highway that links Beirut with the countrys south. Lebanese troops closed the highway and redirected traffic to another road. The fighting lasted nearly three hours and a nearby building was torched. The Lebanese army said it sent reinforcements to the area, known as Khaldeh, adding that troops detained four people, including two Syrians. A search was underway for others involved in the clash. Tensions have escalated in Lebanon, grappling with its worst economic and financial crisis in decades. Last week, a brief clash broke out in the same area when Hezbollah supporters tried to raise a poster of Salim Ayyash, a Hezbollah member charged by a U.N.-backed tribunal of involvement in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in a huge suicide truck bombing in Beirut 15 years ago. In its verdict Aug. 18, the Special Tribunal for Lebanon convicted Ayyash and acquitted three others of involvement in the assassination, which sent shock waves through the Middle East. Hezbollah is a Shiite Muslim group while Hariri was the most prominent Sunni politician in Lebanon at the time of his killing. The assassination deepened the sectarian divisions in Lebanon. 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 Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) share price fell in early trade today after the state-owned firm said government would sell up to 15 per cent stake through an offer for sale (OFS). The stake sale could fetch about Rs 5,000 crore to the exchequer. The share sale will be part of the Narendra Modi government's ambitious Rs 2.1 lakh crore disinvestment target for fiscal 2020-21. Share price of HAL declined 11.43 % to Rs 1043 against previous close of Rs 1,177 on BSE. Total 0.57 lakh shares of the firm changed hands amounting to turnover of Rs 6.43 crore. Market cap of HAL fell to Rs 35,376 crore. In one year, HAL share has risen 81% and grown 61% since the beginning of this year. The stock has gained 32.44% in a month. The government plans to sell 3,34,38,750 equity shares, constituting 10 per cent paid-up share capital of the company, with an option to sell an additional 5 per cent stake or 1,67,19,375 equity shares (oversubscription option). Govt to sell up to 15% stake in Hindustan Aeronautics Jyoti Roy, DVP- Equity Strategist at Angel Broking said,"The 15% stake sale by Government in HAL works out to be Rs 5,000 cr at floor price of Rs 1,001 per share. While the Government will initially put 10% stake for sale, it can offer additional 5% based on market demand. The stock has corrected sharply on the news as the stake sale by the government will mean increased supply in the markets. Currently the company has an order backlog of Rs 52,000 cr which is expected to go substantially over the next few years as the company is likely to get many new orders in the coming years including orders for 83 LCAs will go for Cabinet approval soon. The company also has various other projects in the pipeline including Light Utility Helicopter (LUH). These projects will ensure constant order flow for the company and we are positive on the future outlook of the company. However, given likely revenue shortfall for the government, there is a possibility of more supply coming into the markets which will increase supply." Currently, government owns 89.97 per cent stake in Hindustan Aeronautics. The firm was listed on stock exchanges in March 2018. 20 per cent of the offer size will be reserved for retail investors and 25 per cent for mutual funds. Retail investors will be allocated offer shares at a discount of 5 per cent to the cut-off price in accordance with the OFS guidelines, the government firm said. Through the OFS route, a listed company can sell its shares via exchange platform itself. In an OFS, a minimum of 25% of shares offered are reserved for institutional investors such as mutual funds and insurance companies. IDBI Capital Markets & Securities, SBICAP and YES Securities (India) will be acting as the settlement broker for the offer. The floor price for the offer has been fixed at Rs 1,001 per equity share of the company. The price is at 15 per cent discount to Wednesday's closing price of Rs 1,177.75. The OFS will take place on August 27-28 on a separate window of the stock exchanges, HAL said. Stocks in news: ICICI Bank, HAL, Allcargo Logistics, Gillette, Siemens Share Market News Live: Sensex rises 220 points, Nifty at 11,610; Hero MotoCorp, Kotak Bank top gainers By Aseem Thapliyal Official Chinese data showed this week that China imported 120,000 barrels per day (bpd) of oil from Iran in July as Beijing returns to reporting crude imports from the Islamic Republic after reporting no such imports for June. According to Chinese customs data reported by Radio Farda, Chinas oil imports from Iran averaged 77,000 bpd between January and July this year, nine times lower than the figures China had reported before the U.S. re-imposed sanctions on Irans oil industry and exports. In reality, various reports, media investigations, and tanker-tracking firms suggest that China is receiving much more oil from Iran than the official figures report. Chinas imports from Iran, as reported by the customs data, corresponds with data provided by data intelligence company Kpler to Radio Farda. But one tanker, as per Kpler data, tried to cover up the origin of Iranian oil going to China labeling the cargo as Indonesian oil. That tanker, the Giessel, was one of four oil tankers that the Caribbean island state of St. Kitts & Nevis stripped of its flag after an NBC News investigation found that as many as 15 tankers under various flags had manipulated their trackers to skirt the U.S. sanctions on Irans oil exports. An earlier investigation by NBC News found that those tankers were switching off trackers to hide the fact that they had traveled to Iranian waters to load oil for exports in violation of the U.S. sanctions on Irans oil industry. Iran is exporting a lot more crude oil than U.S. figures suggest, data from TankerTrackers.com has revealed, as reported by NBC News. According to the data, Iran is exporting as much as 600,000 bpd, using ship-to-ship transfers with transponders turned off to avoid detection, skirting U.S. sanctions. The daily average number compares with an estimate of 227,000 bpd made in a U.S. Congressional report, NBCs Raf Sanchez wrote on Twitter. By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Moscow attorney fined $4,000 for giving bribe to police officer RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov 17:54 27/08/2020 MOSCOW, August 27 (RAPSI) A court in Russias town of Vladimir has fined Moscow attorney Sergey Zhugan 300,000 rubles ($4,000) for giving a bribe to a police officer, RAPSI has learnt from the press service of the regional Prosecutors Office. According to prosecutors, the defendant has transferred 50,000 rubles ($700) from his bank account to a card of a police officer who received the funds and used them on his own volition. Investigators claimed the lawyer attempted to hush up an administrative matter over an auto-pedestrian accident. The police officer, who had received a 50,000-ruble bribe, has been fined 500,000 rubles (about $7,000) and barred from holding law enforcement positions for 3 years. European Union foreign ministers tackled one of the bloc's most urgent and complex challenges Thursday as they try to persuade their partner Greece and its neighbour Turkey to pull back from the brink of conflict in the Mediterranean Sea. At informal talks in Berlin, the ministers are set to debate a range of sanctions and other policy options that might convince Turkey, still a candidate for membership in the 27-nation EU, to temper its insistence on drilling for energy reserves in disputed parts of the eastern Mediterranean. The two-day meeting comes as Greece and Turkey, both members of the NATO military alliance, rattle sabers with war games in the area and their leaders swap barbs over who is in the right, and just how far they would be willing to go to defend their interests. EU Ministers will also discuss sanctions for people in Belarus following protests and unrest regarding the presidential elections earlier this month. 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Emails must be tied to the submitted guest column or it will not be accepted or published. Pseudonyms are prohibited and the writer will be banned from submissions. Read our full Opinion Policies here. Updated on 10/7/2020 A voting sign at the Fairbanks Interpretation Centre in Dartmouth, N.S., during the federal election on Oct. 21, 2019. Elections Canada is bracing for an increase in the number of Canadians who vote by mail should the country be plunged into an election during the COVID-19 pandemic. (The Canadian Press/Andrew Vaughan) Elections Canada Preparing for Possible Fall Election in the Context of the Pandemic With a potential federal election on the horizon this fall, Elections Canada is developing a new approach in order to deliver an accessible, safe and secure election amid the pandemic. Given the current minority government, an election could take place at any time, Elections Canada notes on its website. Chief Electoral Officer Stephane Perrault has approved changes that are already being implemented, which are aimed at maintaining safety and the integrity of the electoral process. Changes in the works include, but are not limited to, physical distancing at polling places; providing masks and single-use pencils where needed; reducing the number of workers at polling stations; increasing the capacity of the vote-by-mail system; removing vote-on-campus services; and expanding virtual training for electoral workers. Online voting is not being considered, however. Implementing such a change would require significant planning and testing in order to ensure that the agency preserves certain aspects of the vote, including confidentiality, secrecy, reliability and integrity, the website reads. Given the current operational and time constraints, this option can not be explored properly at this time. Perrault plans to make recommendations to Parliament in September for a two-day weekend polling period (Saturday and Sunday) instead of the usual Monday. This way more polling locations such as schools will be available. A two-day polling period would also provide more flexibility to safely enable those in long-term care facilities to vote, Elections Canada said. Perrault also plans to suggest that mail-in ballots could be sent before the voting deadline up until the day following the two-day polling weekend. Increasing the capacity of the existing vote-by-mail system could lead to an increase in the volume of mail-in ballots, which in turn could cause a delay in the release of election results, the agency said. The formal recommendations Elections Canada will make in September when Parliament returns will come after consultations with stakeholders including public health officials, political parties, government departments, and the Advisory Group on Disability Issues. The results from these consultations will be factored into the agencys decision-making, the agency says. Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 13:53:23|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close DHAKA, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- The overall flood situation in Bangladesh has improved in most of the districts with water levels in many rivers receding. Sarder Udoy Raihan, Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) executive engineer, told Xinhua on Thursday that water level receded at most of the 101 observation points across the four major river basins. He further said three major Brahmaputra-Jamuna and Padma rivers are in a falling trend, while the Ganges river is in a steady state and would remain stable in the next 72 hours. Of the total 101 river observation points, Raihan said the water is currently flowing above the danger level merely at two points. Since June, he said, the floods triggered by heavy seasonal rains and onrush of water from hills have left a trail of death, misery and destruction in their wake. The disaster situation report prepared by the country's National Disaster Response Coordination Center (NDRCC) under the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief said at least 5 million people have been affected by the floods while thousands of families were forced to flee home. Three waves of devastating floods have claimed hundreds of lives in Bangladesh. According to a flood report of the country's Health Emergency Operation Centre and Control Room, the floods have killed 226 people in 33 (out of 64) districts since June 30. Most victims have drowned but some died in snake bites and lightning in the flood-hit areas, showed the report. The latest TV reports showed the floods caused widespread damage to habitation, crops, roads and highways across vast swathes of the country. The loss of crops due to floods in Bangladesh has been put at 13.23 billion taka (about 156.4 million U.S. dollars). Bangladeshi Agriculture Minister Abdur Razzaque told journalists last week that crops on 1.58 lakh hectares of land in 37 districts had been destroyed fully or partially, adding that floods had hit Bangladesh for three times this year since June. Millions of people in Bangladesh, criss-crossed by hundreds of rivers, suffer from flooding as the low-lying country experiences seasonal floods every year during the June-September monsoon when rivers that feed into the Bay of Bengal burst their banks. (1 U.S. dollar equals about 84.6 taka) Enditem CNNas coverage of the Jacob Blake shooting and subsequent unrest in Kenosha, Wis., has been highly misleading, a review of its chyrons over the last week shows. After Blake was shot in the back seven times by police officers on Sunday, sparking protests and rioting in Kenosha, CNN worked overtime to downplay the unrest spilling onto the streets. Protests devolved into rioting Sunday night as buildings and vehicles were damaged, projectiles were thrown at officers, and fires were set in local businesses. Authorities then instituted a curfew and Wisconsin governor Tony Evers called in members of the National Guard in an effort to maintain law and order. CNN covered the latest developments on Monday nights The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer The phase-2 trial will be conducted on 100 volunteers at some sites across the country. The SII has selected 15 sites in India to conduct the phase-2 trial of the vaccine. MUMBAI: The phase-2 human trial of the Oxford COVID-19 vaccine candidate, being manufactured by the world's largest vaccine maker Serum Institute of India (SII), began at a medical college and hospital on Wednesday. Two male volunteers were administered the vaccine at Punes Bharti Vidyapeeth Medical College and Hospital at around 1pm. Doctors at the hospital administered the first shot of the Covishield vaccine to a 32-year-old man after his reports of COVID-19 and antibodies tests came out negative, said medical director of Bharti Vidyapeeths Medical College, Hospital and Research Centre, Dr Sanjay Lalwani, said. Another 48-year-old male volunteer was also given the vaccine, he added. Five volunteers had enrolled themselves for the trial after the doses were received from the SII on Tuesday. Before administering the vaccine, doctors checked their temperature, blood pressure and heart beats. The COVID-19 and antibodies tests were conducted on all the five volunteers. Of them, the reports of three volunteers antibodies tests came out positive. So they became ineligible for the trial, Dr Lalwani said. The two other volunteers, who were administered the vaccines, are being monitored, he said. According to Dr Lalwani, in all, 25 candidates will be given the vaccine in the next seven days. The vitals of the two volunteers were observed for half an hour after the vaccine jab. The volunteers were allowed to go home. They will be monitored by our team which is in contact with them. There are no issues so far, he said, adding that the vaccine dose will be repeated on both the volunteers after one month. Thereafter, the volunteers who have been given the dose of the (potential) vaccine will be observed for any reaction to the vaccine and also for the generation of antibodies against coronavirus, said the medical director of the Bharti Hospital. The phase-2 trial will be conducted on 100 volunteers at some sites across the country. The SII has selected 15 sites in India to conduct the phase-2 trial of the vaccine. After ensuring that there are no safety concerns in these 100 trials, 1,500 people will be administered the (potential) vaccine across the country in the next phase and generation of antibodies will be observed, Dr Lalwani said, adding that if results are positive, the vaccine is likely to be made available. Honda Hornet 2.0 | Rs 1.28 lakh | Hondas latest Hornet 2.0 was launched fairly recently as a replacement of the CB Hornet. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India has launched the Hornet 2.0 at Rs 1.26 lakh (ex-showroom, Gurgaon). This is its first launch of 2020 using the digital medium. The Hornet is powered by a single cylinder 184cc BS-VI engine which is a step up from the 162cc that powered the older generation Hornet 160 with BS-IV norms. The Hornet 200 will compete against the Bajaj Pulsar 200NS, 200RS, 220F, TVS Apache RTR 200, Hero XPulse 200 to name a few. Sold in four colours the Honda Hornet will arrive in showrooms from early September onwards. As the motorcycle comes powered by a Bharat Stage VI engine (Euro V equivalent) Honda has the option of exporting the vehicle to developed markets of the west and to Latin America, top officials of the company stated. The bike is equipped with dual, petal disc brakes with a single channel anti-lock braking system. There is a monoshock rear suspension. The bike comes with a fully digital negative liquid crystal meter displays information like gear position indicator, service due indicator, battery voltmeter and comes with customizable brightness (can be adjusted manually up to 5 levels). The PGM-Fi system uses eight onboard sensors to constantly inject optimum fuel and air mixture to provide greater performance and superior efficiency, HMSI said. From the first protective advice of coughing into your sleeves until we arrived at universal testing, nothing was stopping the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Besides hospitals, the worst areas hit were nursing homes. At Mary Wade we were the first nursing home in Connecticut to test all of our residents and staff. As a result, we were able to get control of the virus. We were able to cohort and quarantine to the point that now we are testing negative for all of our population. Then the CDC decreed that any nursing home having all negative testing for two testing periods in a row would no longer be reimbursed for testing. Given that it was testing that allowed us to maintain a safe environment, it is incredibly short-sighted to now limit the one major factor in controlling the spread of the disease. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian BEIJING, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson on Wednesday slammed U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper's recent allegations about the People's Liberation Army (PLA) of China in an article published on a U.S. media outlet. "Esper's allegations are totally groundless," spokesperson Zhao Lijian told a daily press briefing in response, adding large numbers of facts and statistics are more than enough to debunk and shatter such lies and fallacies about the so-called "China threat." Zhao said since 1990, the Chinese military has taken part in more than 20 United Nations peacekeeping missions, and sent 40,000-plus military personnel, making China the largest contributor of peacekeeping troops among the five permanent members of the Security Council. Meanwhile, in the 240-plus years since its founding, the United States has only seen 16 war-free years, said Zhao, adding its military budget for 2019 exceeded 716 billion U.S. dollars, equivalent to the combined military spending of the nine countries trailing the United States. While noting China pursues a national defense policy that is defensive in nature, Zhao said that both the Constitution of the Communist Party of China and the Constitution of the People's Republic of China clearly stipulate that China adheres to the path of peaceful development and opposes hegemony. "I wonder if the United States can make such policy announcements," said Zhao. "Which country possesses hundreds of military bases around the world, illegally waged war and military operations against countries such as Iraq, Libya and Syria, and sent ships to and planes over far-flung waters to flex their muscles?" Zhao asked. "Which country, obsessed with a Cold War mentality, quitted treaties and multilateral organizations and wielded sticks and fists like crazy, and arbitrarily disrupted global rules?" "We can get the right answer as long as some U.S. politicians respect the facts," added the spokesperson. Aged just 18, Andrea Brown was left seriously injured in the Lisburn fun run bomb of June 1988. The attack left her in wheelchair and she still suffers pain and has injections to her spine every three weeks. She has never had assistance in dealing with the trauma she suffers every time she wakes up. Read More Five years before the bomb, when she was 12, the IRA murdered her RUC sergeant father. She said no words of apology from Martina Anderson would ever be enough to ease the hurt and insult caused to hundreds of victims like her. On Tuesday, Ms Anderson took to Twitter to criticise a payment scheme for people injured during the Troubles, sparking a furious backlash from unionists and the SDLP. Expand Close Sinn Feins Martina Anderson Belfast Telegraph / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Sinn Feins Martina Anderson Sinn Fein had previously refused to back the pension, claiming it excluded republicans with past convictions, until Michelle O'Neill was sharply criticised by a High Court judge who ruled last week that the delay was unlawful. Ms Anderson tweeted: "800m 4 pensions mainly for those who fought Britain's dirty war in Ireland. 800m mainly 4 those involved in collusion. "800m mainly 4 British troops like Paras who murdered people on Bloody Sunday and Ballymurphy. 800m mainly to discriminate and criminalise and exclude." Politicians rounded on the Foyle MLA, with the DUP and TUV urging the Sinn Fein leadership to sanction Ms Anderson for comments that were deemed "deeply offensive." Justice Minister Naomi Long said the tweet was "an outrageous, gratuitous insult". SDLP leader Colum Eastwood described Ms Anderson's comments as "unacceptable, disgusting and grossly insulting to hundreds of victims who sustained life-changing physical and psychological injuries". UUP MLA Doug Beattie said Sinn Fein seemed determined to "slur" IRA victims and was showing it was shameless and had "an appalling lack of humanity". Expand Close The UUPs Doug Beattie / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The UUPs Doug Beattie While the political storm continued, Andrea, from Moira in Co Down, said she could no longer sit in the background as part of the silent majority. "It's only now that I've realised just how many people have been left in the same position as me. I struggle financially, emotionally and physically on a daily basis," she explained. "It costs 190 every three weeks for the spinal injections. The pension would help. Without it, I will probably end up in a care home. As it is, I have help coming in four times a day. "That's the life sentence I live every day - that and the memory of my father, who was murdered by the IRA five years before I suffered my injuries. Only we know the knock-on effects on our family." Only after Ms Anderson's comments were criticised was an "unreserved apology" offered on Wednesday morning. It was lunchtime before Sinn Fein Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill addressed the issue on social media. "I contacted my party colleague Martina Anderson yesterday evening and told her that her tweet was ill-considered and would cause hurt and offence to victims. I told her that she should delete the tweet," she said. The MLA for Foyle said her comments were "clumsy" and not directed at the "people who suffered serious harm during the conflict". "It was never my intention to cause them any hurt," she said. "All victims of the conflict deserve acknowledgement of their pain and loss. "I support them in their efforts to get their pension." But after decades of suffering, Andrea said no apology could paint over the words which were there in black and white. "For someone like Martina Anderson to think that what someone like me is going through equates to someone who did this is horrific," she said. "It's an apology the party forced her into making. It's not sincere. It was rushed out. No words can retract what she said in the first place. "Getting a name or a date wrong, that's clumsy. We, the victims of people like her and her comrades, know she meant what she said. "As a child I was not brought up to be bitter. I was brought up to be decent and respectful. I'm sorry that I can't say the same of others. "I listen to people saying they were brought up in west Belfast or wherever and they had to put up with injustice, but no matter where people come from, the majority are decent people. "I know some in the RUC, some soldiers, do have questions to answer, but the truth is the majority of RUC officers were decent people. The majority of paramilitaries were evil and it's hard to comprehend how people can be so full of hatred. "I have watched over the years how Sinn Fein have got what they wanted bit by bit and have never shown any remorse for the suffering caused by the IRA and other paramilitaries to the people of this country. "This is like the Bobby Storey funeral all over again. "The fact that another victim like myself, Jennifer McNern, had to go to court to show up Sinn Fein and our government was shameful. "But this pension, if it finally does come, will make my life better. There's no doubt about that. "For so long I felt that I was alone, the only one going through this, no matter how many family or friends I had around me. "I now have four wonderful grandchildren and my life is dedicated to making happy memories for them, but unless I can afford to continue paying for the injections, I'll end up lying in a bed. That will be my life." Expand Close Andrea Brown being carried from the scene of the Lisburn fun run bomb in 1988 after being injured in the explosion / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Andrea Brown being carried from the scene of the Lisburn fun run bomb in 1988 after being injured in the explosion Andrea remembers little of the blast which left her facing life in a wheelchair. "I was in the bridal shop. We were due for a fitting for bridesmaids' dresses. Another party was in the back and was running late, so we had to wait. I can remember sitting on the floor as there were no seats." Her mother, sisters, fiance's sisters and mother-in-law to be, who were also in the shop at the time, escaped with only minor injuries when the blast hit. "The force of the bomb lifted me into the air and I landed on the concrete floor. That's all I know," Andrea said. The hairdressing student suffered spine, neck and leg injuries. Six soldiers were killed. Despite suffering life-changing injuries she went ahead with her wedding three months later, having to remove her neck brace for the service and photographs. Andrea knows her mental scars go back beyond that June evening in Lisburn. "Everything in my life stems from my dad's murder," she said. Her father Eric (41), an RUC sergeant, was murdered by the IRA along with Constable Brian Quinn (23) when they stopped a suspicious car outside a post office in Rostrevor on January 6 in 1983. "I live with a double life sentence," Andrea said. "But it's not just me. It's a daughter who became a carer to a mother who felt like a burden on her family." BAKU, Azerbaijan, Aug. 24 Trend: Power engineering in our country is going through a period of rapid development, and this is the key condition for our development, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said during his speech at the meeting with power engineers after viewing the construction of a 330/220/110 kV Gobu substation with a capacity of 1,000 megawatt and laying of a foundation stone for a 385-megawatt Gobu Power Station, Trend reports. At the same time, I would like to inform local and foreign companies that we are determined to continue our work on the production of traditional energy sources. We are inviting foreign and local investors to build thermal power plants, we want to attract them. We also want to involve them in the construction of hydropower and other renewable energy plants. If there is such an interest, I think that this issue can be resolved in a short time because a lot is being done in the field of investment in Azerbaijan and the business environment is improving. We have made historic achievements in the Doing Business program. Azerbaijan already occupies one of the leading places in this rating which is prepared by the World Bank. In addition, we have been able to make very great progress in terms of sustainable development. We are improving our positions on the UN Sustainable Development Index every year. Therefore, Azerbaijan remains a very attractive country for foreign investments and I think that this sphere the sector of power engineering is of great interest, and life is already confirming this, President Ilham Aliyev said. In a word, I can say with full confidence today that power engineering in our country is going through a period of rapid development, and this is the key condition for our development because power engineering plays a vital role in the economy of any country. No other sector can develop without the development of this sector. Therefore, the construction of power plants as a result of comprehensive measures, the arrival of foreign investors in Azerbaijan, the repair and restoration work carried out at substations, the construction of new substations, the repair of power lines and the laying of new ones, the construction of high-voltage power lines together with neighboring countries and the creation of grounds for regional cooperation are all very important. We successfully cooperate with Turkey, Georgia, Russia and Iran in this area. We can export our electricity along the already created energy corridors, the head of state said. Azerbaijani president emphasized that of course, when we recall the picture of previous years, we see again what historic work has been done in this area. Indeed, we used to be fully dependent on imports. Our only source of generation, the Mingachevir Thermal Power Plant, was in very poor condition. Therefore, without the development of this area, there could be no question of any development, and we managed to achieve this. I must also note that international institutions appreciate the work done in this area. I can cite only one figure: a report of the Davos World Economic Forum ranks Azerbaijan second in the world in terms of the access to electricity. This alone is enough to sum up the successes achieved in this area, and this is a truly historic achievement. To be ranked second on a global scale is in itself a great historic achievement, especially in the most important area of infrastructure projects in the sector of power engineering. I congratulate Azerbaijani power engineers on all these achievements and wish you continued success. I am confident that the Gobu Power Station will be commissioned on time at the beginning of 2022 and we will celebrate its opening together, the head of state said. MONTEREY, Calif., Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Monterey County is refusing to enforce its anti-cockfighting ordinance, allowing over a thousand illegal rooster-keeping facilities across the county to operate, perpetuating animal cruelty as well as depriving taxpayers of hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue from fees assessed on violators, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday in the Superior Court of California, Monterey County by San Rafael-based Humane Farming Association (HFA) and Chicago-based SHowing Animals Respect and Kindness (SHARK). Link to complaint online: https://www.hfa.org/pdf/hfa-and-shark-vs-monterey-county.pdf Cockfighting is a threat to public safety and animal welfare. According to HFA National Director Bradley Miller, "Both the US Justice Department and the California legislature have linked cockfighting to gangs, weapons, gambling, drug trafficking, and the spread of deadly and devastating diseases." SHARK President Steve Hindi said, "There is a very real question as to why Monterey County doesn't want to enforce a law that is designed to help both people and animals." "Even amid the global coronavirus pandemic, large crowds congregate to bet on illegal cockfights; a recent investigation uncovered hundreds of spectators gathering, without wearing masks or social distancing, while human handlers sucked blood from the necks and heads of wounded roosters," asserted the lawsuit. Monterey County is a known hotbed for illegal rooster keeping and cockfighting. According to a 2019 Monterey County Civil Grand Jury report, "[I]n Monterey County, there are an estimated one thousand known illegal rooster keeping operations housing thousands of roosters." While the County requires individuals with five or more roosters to obtain a permit, there is not one valid permit on file. According to the lawsuit, Monterey County is required by its local anti-cockfighting ordinance to act on the public's complaints of illegal rooster-keeping operations in order to shut them down. The County is also required to collect fees from rooster-keeping facilities operating in violation of the law. Over the course of its aerial drone investigations, HFA and SHARK have discovered numerous illegal rooster-keeping operations. These unlawful operations hold dozens or hundreds of roosters, without a permit, often in squalid conditions, and operators should be subject to prosecution. Although HFA and SHARK have repeatedly reported a laundry-list of violators to Monterey County, the County refuses to undertake its mandatory duties under the law. HFA and SHARK are represented by Advancing Law for Animals. The lawsuit requests a court order requiring, among other things, Monterey County and related divisions/departments to perform inspections mandated by law, and collect revenue as required from violators. About HFA The Humane Farming Association (HFA) is dedicated to the protection of farm animals and operates the nation's largest farm-animal sanctuary. Founded in 1985 and over 270,000 members strong, HFA is nationally recognized for its integrity and its groundbreaking anti-cruelty campaigns. About SHARK SHowing Animals Respect and Kindness (SHARK) is an animal protection organization that works internationally and specializes in high-tech investigations exposing cruelty to a wide variety of animals. Contact: Vanessa Shakib, Advancing Law for Animals, (818) 516-9532 [email protected] SOURCE The Humane Farming Association Related Links https://www.hfa.org/ For many in the Chinese American community, WeChat is their only tether to friends and family both in the U.S. and thousands of miles away in China. It is one of the few platforms in mainland China that can be accessed despite the nation's internet firewall, making it the only way for many people in the U.S. to communicate with loved ones or conduct business in China. In the U.S., it is also widely used within the Chinese American community for organizing church outings, sharing information and staying connected with fellow members of the Chinese diaspora. But in just a few weeks, that link so many people rely on will likely be severed. MORE: Asian Americans face coronavirus 'double whammy': Skyrocketing unemployment and discrimination On Aug. 6, President Donald Trump announced a ban, via an executive order, on "any transaction that is related to WeChat by any person," claiming the app was a threat to "national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States." The ban is expected to go into effect on Sept. 20. PHOTO: Sha Zhu shows the app WeChat on her phone, which she uses to keep in touch with family and friends in the U.S. and China, Aug. 18, 2020, in Washington, DC. (Jacquelyn Martin/AP) WeChat has some 19 million users in the U.S., and a vast majority of them are people of Chinese descent. "Most of the people that are using WeChat are people like me, the Chinese Americans," Eric Gao, 28, who lives in the New York City area, told ABC News. "When Donald Trump says this is a national threat, everyone around me will think it's people like me that are a threat. It's isolating us from society in the United States." The ban also comes at a time of heightened tensions between the Trump administration and Beijing as the two largest economies spar over trade. Some Chinese Americans say they felt the sudden and sweeping ban that cuts off their main source of communication with each other was rooted in xenophobia, especially as Trump repeatedly uses the racist term "China virus" to refer to the coronavirus. "I think what Trump is trying to do is demonizing China and the Chinese people here, because the tricky part for us is that non-Chinese people, they see us and they cant tell if we are Chinese American or Chinese," he added. Story continues "When he says 'China virus,' his supporters, they dont care, they listen to it and they see a Chinese person on the street and say, 'This is the virus,'" Gao said. "This is the type of activity that we have to fight against." Gao said he has been using WeChat since 2011, and is on there every day. Without WeChat, Gao said he would have no way to contact most of his friends and family back in China, and is especially worried about losing communication with his aging grandparents. PHOTO: People wear protective face masks at a seafood market in China Town as the city continues Phase 4 of re-opening following restrictions imposed to slow the spread of coronavirus on Aug. 18, 2020, in New York. (Noam Galai/Getty Images) It also helped him build a community here in the U.S., he said. "WeChat is very important for the local Chinese American community here. We use it as a tool to organize events and activities; it's a platform for people to get together and hold events," he said. "If WeChat is banned in the future it will be difficult for the Chinese American community to stay to together and support each other." MORE: After barraging an Asian American family with a racist rant, tech CEO apologizes Gao is now spending his time volunteering for the nonprofit U.S. WeChat Users Alliance, which has filed a lawsuit against Trump over the ban. "I feel like it's time for me to do something, even though I'm not a lawyer, I'm not a legal expert, but Ive lived here for a long time," he said. "It's time for me to do something for my community." The lawsuit, filed by a group of people who say they rely on the app for business and personal reasons, argues the executive order violates First Amendment free speech rights. It also claims there was no due process and the ban targets Chinese communities. The lawsuit seeks a preliminary injunction to block the order. Gao said like all social media platforms, WeChat has "imperfections," but an all-out ban will hurt the everyday people who rely on it the most and seems unfair given the litany of issues U.S.-based social media giants have accumulated in recent years. "I feel like this WeChat ban is not only just a ban, it's part of Donald Trumps agenda targeting and demonizing the Chinese people here in the United States," Gao said. "I feel like it's the right thing to do to stand up and fight against this." Ban is a 'harm to the U.S. economy as well' Qiang Bjornbak, a Chinese American attorney from Los Angeles, said that she relies on WeChat for her business and communicating with clients. She argues that a ban won't just hurt Chinese Americans, "it's a harm to the U.S. economy as well." "WeChat is like internet and electricity in my home, I just cannot live a day without it," she said. "I depend on it." "I have right around 5,800 contacts on WeChat. If I need to promote business, I just promote things on 'Moments,'" she said, referring to a sharing function of the app that she says no competitor currently offers at the same level. "Most of my clients are from mainland China, so it's just not practical to use the other platforms such as Facebook and LinkedIn and Line," she added. "They cannot use those." PHOTO: People dine outside in Chinatown in New York on August 15, 2020. (Richard B. Levine/Newscom) When the ban was announced, she said she tried to switch a WeChat group she was in with more than 280 members to an alternative app, but was only able to get "14 or 15" people to join the new group because of the firewall and tech issues. "Im a U.S. citizen, I'm sitting here doing business, I'm paying taxes to the U.S. government," Bjornbak said. "If we don't have WeChat, were losing 1 billion Mandarin speaking users market." MORE: NYC launches $100,000 effort to combat anti-Asian discrimination in COVID-19 era Bjornbak is not alone in her concerns. The American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai, a nonprofit, nonpartisan business organization with more than 1,400 members, including major U.S. corporations, released a survey Wednesday that found "an overwhelming percentage of respondents" said the ban would hurt competitiveness and revenue. Like Gao, Bjornbak said she also uses WeChat to stay connected with her community in the U.S., especially for organizing church events. Moreover, Bjornbak said that WeChat is the only way for her to talk on the phone with relatives in China for free (through WiFi). "They got rid of all these landlines and stuff, the only way that you can talk for free for a long time internationally is through WeChat," she said. "I used to call them through phone cards, but the phone cards just disappeared from the market in California because nobody uses them anymore." She said she is trying to stay neutral politically, but she "obviously" feels this ban is "targeted to the Chinese Americans, to give us a hard time to conduct our normal life and business." "I'm not an expert, but my impression is that all these apps have shortcomings, every platform has shortcomings," she said. "Put regulations in to make them do the right thing rather than ban them totally." For Chinese Americans, WeChat ban threatens to upend business and community originally appeared on abcnews.go.com A long-running senior executive in the division, with experience leading the key Kazzinc group of assets, the move to succeed Daniel Mate was seen by many as a natural fit."Nick's been in the company for many years, he's a good safe set of hands," Glencore chief executive officer Ivan Glasenberg told Fastmarkets during a media briefing on August 6.Popovic's appointment is said to be emblematic of the company's new generational shift; where an old guard of trading department heads, who developed under the wing of legendary founder Marc Rich, is being replaced by younger executives. But the world's largest commodities trader, with a 2019 annual revenue of $194 billion eclipsing the gross domestic product of Qatar, is also in the midst of a top leadership transition; Popovic's switch to divisional head puts his name in the ring as to who will ultimately succeed Glasenberg as CEO, company insiders... Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal SANTA FE With coronavirus infection rates declining, New Mexico plans to allow some of its youngest students back on campus next month for in-person learning but only if the schools and their home counties meet a series of strict requirements. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham also said Thursday the state will loosen its ban on large public gatherings up from no more than five people to a 10-person limit and permit some museums to reopen at partial capacity. Those changes are part of a new public health order that will take effect Saturday and run through Sept. 18, though it could be revised again before that date. Introducing this amount of risk isnt something Id do unless I thought it was safe and it was something we could do, Lujan Grisham said during a news conference broadcast online from the Roundhouse. The easing of restrictions comes amid a recent drop in new COVID-19 infections, the test positivity rate and hospitalizations statewide. Specifically, the states seven-day rolling average of new cases per day fell to 139 on Thursday down from 296 a month earlier, according to a Journal analysis. However, Lujan Grisham reported nine more coronavirus deaths on Thursday, the most in a day since Aug. 5. The new fatalities pushed the statewide death toll to 764 residents since March. In addition, the governor and top state health official cautioned New Mexicans that a previous easing of business restrictions in June preceded a surge of new coronavirus cases. We tried this before; it didnt work so well, said Human Services Secretary David Scrase, the top physician in Lujan Grishams Cabinet. We have to change that. Scrase urged state residents to be careful by staying home when they can and wearing face masks in public settings even as the state relaxes some restrictions. The Lujan Grisham administration has faced pressure from Republican officials and some business owners to loosen business restrictions with the states unemployment rate having increased to 12.7% in July. But state GOP chairman Steve Pearce on Thursday blasted the announced changes as arbitrary, even though court challenges to Lujan Grishams use of emergency powers have been unsuccessful. Theres never been a sound strategy, and the governor has failed to steadily guide New Mexico through these difficult times, Pearce said. Remote learning New Mexicos public schools have started the school year under a remote learning model with students tuning in to classes from their homes or other locations. But in-person classes could resume Sept. 8 the day after Labor Day if districts submit re-entry plans that are approved by the state Public Education Department. To date, 38 of the states 89 school districts have had their plans approved, PED Secretary Ryan Stewart said. He acknowledged shortcomings of teaching students remotely, saying theres no substitute for in-person learning, but said the state will prioritize safety during the pandemic. We have to keep the safety of every single student and every single staff member at the forefront, Stewart said. For that reason, New Mexico schools will only be allowed to reopen under a hybrid learning model that includes a mix of in-person and online learning if they are located in counties with low rates of new coronavirus cases, among other standards. While most of the state already meets the reopening requirements, school districts in at least six counties would be barred from reopening schools Chaves, Eddy, Lea, Roosevelt, Hidalgo and Quay. In addition, districts will not be required to reopen schools if they vote not do so. Twenty-four school districts statewide including Albuquerque and Santa Fe have announced they do not plan to immediately resume in-person teaching after Labor Day even if given the green light by the state. For those school districts that do reopen, New Mexico will at first allow only elementary school students to return, Lujan Grisham said, because they are the most in need of in-person instruction. Older students may return to campus later. Jeff Gephart, superintendent of Reserve Independent Schools in Catron County, said Thursday hes glad the state is approaching school reopening county by county. We have actually been asking for some flexibility so that if other areas are not doing well we can still be given that flexibility, Gephart said. He added the district has had some younger kids on campus in small groups but hes excited to bring more elementary students back, describing remote learning as difficult for younger students. Museums, restaurants Other changes set to take effect Saturday will affect museums, restaurants and churches around New Mexico. While museums or art collectives with interactive displays must remain closed, traditional museums with static displays may operate at 25% capacity. Shelle Sanchez, director of Albuquerques Cultural Services Department, said visitors can expect some changes. Its going to be different, Sanchez said of the experience. If visitors have gone to the BioPark Zoo or Botanic Garden, were going to rely on timed ticketing in the same way. It makes it easier to monitor the visitors that are there. Weve all wanted to reopen and weve worked on reopening plans since May. Sanchez said it will take the staff about two or three weeks to get everything in motion and a reopen date will be set soon. The Albuquerque Museum will be able to open, as will the Anderson Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum. But Sanchez said Explora, a popular science center for families, wont reopen due to it being a high-touch museum. The Meow Wolf arts collective, a big tourist draw in Santa Fe, will remain closed for the same reason. Other changes to business restrictions in the new public health order include allowing restaurants, breweries and other types of eateries to resume indoor dining operations at 25% of maximum capacity. They had been operating at a 50% limit before being ordered closed in mid-July amid a surge in coronavirus cases statewide. In addition, the new order will also up the limit on how many people can attend in-person church services and services at other houses of worship from 25% to 40% of capacity. Lujan Grisham, who described the states overall coronavirus trajectory as great, urged New Mexicans to remain vigilant. She also said she was considering making changes to a separate travel order that requires most people who arrive in New Mexico to self-quarantine for 14 days, perhaps by as soon as next week. Journal staff writers Shelby Perea and Adrian Gomez contributed to this report. PNC General Secretary, Atik Mohammed has disclosed the party's National Congress will come off on Saturday, September 26, 2020. The Congress will see the party delegates electing new executives and most importantly their Presidential candidate for the 2020 elections. Atik Mohammed made this revelation while speaking on Peace FM's ''Kokrokoo'' on Thursday, August 27. According to him, although the Congress has been delayed due to the impact of the COVID-19, it is ''better late than never''. 2020 Elections Several political parties will be contesting the Presidential and Parliamentary elections, come December 7. The parties include the Convention People's Party (CPP) led by Mr. Ivor Greenstreet, Ghana Union Movement (GUM) led by Christian Kwabena Andrews aka Osofo Kyiri Abosom, the People's National Convention and the two largest parties, the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) and opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) among others. It is believed that the main contest will be between the NPP and NDC where, for the first time in Ghana's political history, a sitting President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo will be challenged by a former President John Dramani Mahama. Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Driving without insurance is a huge mistake. Usually, drivers will have to pay a hefty fine, but in some cases, they can face jail time, said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. Compare-autoinsurance.org has launched a new blog post that presents the most common penalties drivers can face if they are caught driving without car insurance. Find out more and get free quotes from https://compare-autoinsurance.org/penalties-for-driving-without-insurance/ Except for New Hampshire, all states require drivers to carry car insurance. Driving without insurance is a huge mistake and drivers caught without it can face severe penalties: Traffic fines. 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On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. Maharashtra finance minister Ajit Pawar on Thursday urged the Central government for an early release of the pending Goods and Services Tax (GST) losses sustained by the state to the tune of 22,534 crore. Pawar, who participated in the 41th meeting of the GST Council headed by Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday through video conference, said the Centre should raise loans from the market to pay GST compensation to states and then recover the amount from the cess it has been collecting on certain services. Compensating state governments towards their losses in GST collection for five years and helping them in fighting the economic crisis is the responsibility shouldered by the Centre. Almost all the states are bleeding financially, not only because of the financial crisis due to the global pandemic but also owing to the delay in release of GST compensation which is resulting in setback to development works, said Pawar who is also the states deputy chief minister. He added, It is the responsibility of the Centre to match up the revenue losses owing to the introduction of the GST regime. Pawar suggested that the Centre avail loans from the open market at cheaper rates than states. By raising such loans, the states should be compensated for the losses in a timely manner. The Centre can repay its loans by extending the deadline for the collection of cess beyond June 2022, he said. Amid the exhaustive drop in GST collection during the lockdown, Maharashtra collection has dropped by 22,534 crore from April to July 2020. According to the provisions in the Central GST Act, the Centre compensates states towards their losses in the collection. The responsibility has been taken for five years since the roll-out of GST regime on July 1, 2017. The Centre compensates states from the corpus fund accumulated from cess on tobacco, pan masala, cigarette, motor vehicles, petroleum products, etc. In the wake of the drop in cess collection during lockdown, the Centre has not been able to pay the compensations to states. The losses in GST collection in Maharashtra in April and May were 15,178 crore, while remaining 7,356 crore is from July. With the addition of August figures, the losses are expected to cross 28,000 crore. The monthly estimated GST collection in the state is 9,708 crore, according to an official from the finance department. The Centre had paid 19,233.65 crore to Maharashtra towards compensation for GST losses in 2019-20; the highest in the country. Most of the losses were sustained in March owing to the lockdown. Meanwhile, chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, too, expressed concerns on Wednesday over the delay in the release of GST compensation to the states and said there was a need to reconsider GST regime. He was speaking in a video conference convened by Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi with chief minister of non-BJP state governments. WENZHOU, China, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Worlstar, a leading amusement and recreation company in China, has recently begun hosting livestreams on its Facebook page as an attempt to overcome the limitations of travel and in-person meetings due to the current pandemic settings. Thus far, the company has posted two livestreams to positive feedback. With the impact of the new coronavirus, international travel has slowed down dramantically. For many export enterprises, this slow down on travel has greatly impacted their ability to do business. International exhibitions where exporters can meet with vendors and buyers have been cancelled and local market studies have been curtailed. In order to surmount these obstacles, Worldstar has turned to technology. Ditching the traditional model of meeting face-to-face with potential customers and distributors, Worlstar has begun communicating with customers via the Facebook livestreams. This allows the company the opportunity to maintain its international presence and expand further into untapped markets. During the livestreams, Worldstar has demonstrated various products, services, workshops, and sample rooms. Vivian Zhu, Worldstar CEO, said: "In this difficult moment in history, companies must change their standard course of action and begin utilizing technology and other means of communication to maintain their reputation, customer trust, and market value. Livestreaming, at this time, can give us more direct access to our customers and sales networks so that we can stay in front of the pandemic. Despite the differences in geography, we're still able to meet customer needs and provide them with the latest information about what we do and what we create." About Worldstar Zhejiang Worldstar Amusement Co., Ltd. (Worldstar) is the independent subsidiary of Huaxia Amusement Co., Ltd., a leading Chinese amusement company specializing in trampoline parks, indoor playgrounds and other amusement services. Worldstar assists clients through counseling services for amusement park development, as well as park construction and organization. For more information, please contact: Ivy Zhuang Phone:+86 18267721615 E-mail: [email protected] Web: worldstarplay.com SOURCE Worldstar While US regime change in Syria appears to be a terminal failure, various propaganda ploys used to sell the war continue in the hopes that - at the very least - such ploys can be polished and improved upon when and where the US turns its attention next. One of these ploys includes an ongoing "trial" in Germany against Syrians accused of war crimes. Al Jazeera in an article titled, "World's first Syria torture trial opens in Germany," would claim: The world's first trial of a senior member of the Syrian military for war crimes got under way in Germany on Thursday, despite ongoing restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The accused - Anwar Raslan, a former colonel in the Syrian military, and co-defendant Eyad al-Gharib, who allegedly worked under Raslan, had been living in Germany as refugees and were arrested in February last year. Al Jazeera would add: "The trial will provide an overall picture of the crimes committed by the Syrian government," Wolfgang Kaleck, a lawyer whose Berlin-based organisation, the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights, will represent 16 witnesses - Syrian survivors of torture and former detainees - said in a statement before the trial. The article also notes that: Germany is using a legal principle called universal jurisdiction to trial Raslan and al-Gharib. This allows German prosecutors to work on war crimes cases, whether they have a close connection to Germany or not. Universal jurisdiction could result in an alternative means for the international community to bring war criminals to account. Abusing universal jurisdiction for war propaganda would be a valuable tool in the hands of the United States and its Western allies who find themselves increasingly unable to find approval and support for various wars of aggression, interventions, and regime change campaigns within the halls of international organizations like the United Nations. It should be noted that Al Jazeera is owned and operated by the Qatari government - one of several governments directly involved in the aiding and arming of US-backed militants attempting to overthrow the Syrian government. This may help explain a lack of scrutiny in the article of the trial and those involved - particularly a lack of inquiry into the so-called "European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights" (ECCHR). Accusers with Dubious Backgrounds The ECCHR is funded by the same handful of organizations which helped organize protests in Syria before and during 2011 as well as propaganda campaigns throughout the conflict ever since. The ECCHR claims to be supporting the "witnesses" testifying at the trial who include movie director Feras Fayyad. Fayyad has been promoted widely across the West for his "documentaries" including "The Cave" and "Last Men in Aleppo" - which also by no coincidence fed directly into US war propaganda efforts. Attempts by the US under President Donald Trump to bar his travel to the US served as a public relations stunt ensuring maximum exposure for both Fayyad and his war propaganda. ECCHR sponsors include US-based billionaire and convicted financial criminal George Soros' Open Society Foundation as well as the Freedom Fund which in turn is directly funded by both the US and British governments via the United States Department of State and the United Kingdom Home Office respectively. Both the US and the UK admittedly helped prepare agitators years in advance before the 2011 conflict began in Syria. ECCHR is also funded by Germany's own Heinrich-Boll-Stiftung (also referred to as the Heinrich-Boll Foundation) which regularly funds fronts posing as non-governmental organizations around the globe invovled in political interference, in conjunction with the US National Endowment for Democracy (NED). While Germany itself contributed very little to the US-led intervention in Syria - it is playing host to a trial organized by and for US interests and in support of Western war propaganda - not for any sort of justice. That those representing alleged witnesses are literally funded by US corporate-funded foundations and the US government itself raises serious issues regarding conflicts of interest and the motivations of prosecutors as well as the legitimacy and agency of Germany's judicial system. If successful - and if there is a failure in exposing this tactic and what truly lies behind it - it will become a tool held above the heads of other nations caught in the crosshairs of US coercion and regime change ambitions. It will lead to a future where US allies host show trials and find nations "guilty" of "war crimes" in the middle of wars of aggression the US itself engineered and executed. It also will have an impact on the reputations and reliability of nations - like Germany and their judicial systems - if they find themselves regularly hosting show trials for the purpose of war propaganda. At a time when the so-called "rebels" in Syria have now been exposed as extremists operating under the banner of Al Qaeda, its various affiliates, and the self-proclaimed "Islamic State" (ISIS) with the US and its closest regional allies exposed in aiding their rise both within Syria and across the wider Middle East and North Africa - the reputation of nations like Germany will suffer by continuing to host efforts - however anemic - to continue feeding Washington's war propaganda against Syria. Germany in Need of Off-Ramp While Germany has attempted to distance itself from US aggression in recent years, it would be unrealistic to expect German institutions influenced for decades by its position within NATO, its economic proximity to the US and its other allies, and with the presence of thousands of US troops on its soil to be able to act entirely independent of Washington and Wall Street. Berlin has attempted to assert itself and has done so with increasing effectiveness over the years in the face of pressure from Washington to aid and abet its pursuit of global hegemony through the use of everything from economic coercion to military aggression. Germany's token assistance to the US regardings its military presence in and around Syria is one example. Germany's decision to avoid involvement in the US-led war in Libya is another. There is also Germany's role in building the Nord Stream 2 pipeline with Russia and its so-far refusal to ban China's Huawei despite US pressure. Germany - as well as other nations in Europe - still have far to go to abandon their role in US empire-building and evolving into a force that engages fairly and constructively upon the global stage. It appears that many steps are being taken forward toward this goal - making this show trial and attempts at using "universal jurisdiction" as a form of war propaganda a very unfortunate and disappointing step backwards. Tony Cartalucci, Bangkok-based geopolitical researcher and writer, especially for the online magazine New Eastern Outlook. For Regis Korchinski-Paquets family and for many in Torontos Black community, the outcome felt inevitable no charges laid. It is expected, obviously, said Semir Bulle, co-founder of advocacy group Doctors For Defunding Police, after the release Wednesday of the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) directors report clearing seven Toronto police officers after 29-year-old Korchinski-Paquet fell from a highrise balcony in May. Bulle said the perception that the SIU is not a true independent oversight body remains strong despite activists pushing for reform, noting that many SIU investigators continue to be former police officers a concern specifically acknowledged in the unusually detailed SIU directors report. Four SIU investigators were assigned to the case, according to the report, but it was not specified if any were former police officers. The SIU will continue with its efforts to redress the imbalance that presently exists in its corps of as-needed investigators, SIU director Joseph Martino wrote, noting that former officers cannot be involved in investigating their former police force. However, these investigators are people of good conscience who come to the SIU with a wealth of investigative experience and expertise looking to contribute their talents to the work of the office. I have confidence in their professionalism and objectivity. Bulle disagreed. Cops investigating cops doesnt bring us any justice, he said. The response to the decision reflects the current social context where anti-Black racism in policing is under intense scrutiny, said Akwasi Owusu-Bempah, a University of Toronto criminologist who researches policing and race. I have no doubt the decision will place continued strain on public perceptions of both the Toronto Police Service and the SIU, he said. Listen to Alyshah Hasham discuss police accountability and the SIU The unusual level of detail in the report, the more frequent than usual updates about the investigation and the quicker than usual release of the report shows the SIU has been much more sensitive to the greater context in which Korchinski-Paquets death happened, said Kate Puddister, an assistant professor at the University of Guelph who researches police oversight. She said she has never seen a directors report specifically mention the context of systemic racism before. Of course for many folks this wont be enough and obviously it doesnt fix these problems, she said. The report was also unusual in appearing to somewhat go beyond the mandate of the SIU which is to determine whether or not criminal conduct occurred and weighing in on issues around whether the police response was appropriate, Puddister said, including whether the number of officers who attended the call was appropriate and whether a mobile crisis intervention team should have attended. Martino said he was unable to characterize seven officers arriving as an overreaction or heavy-handed when responding to an assault call involving multiple parties and the use of knives. He said he also could not find fault with the decision not to deploy the crisis team, which pairs a police officer with a mental health nurse, despite Korchinski-Paquets emotionally disturbed state. It was not permitted by Toronto police policy since the call involved the possible use of a weapon, he said. I think the director was really trying to alleviate or address concerns about if the police made the right call in sending in those officers, Puddister said. While there have been increased efforts towards transparency in this particular case, the SIU continues to struggle with a perception of lack of independence, she said. Transparency is an essential element of the civilian oversight model and tied to that transparency is independence, she said. One of the criticisms of (the SIU) is that they need to engage in more proactive engagement, in a sustained, ongoing manner with the community that are most affected by policing and police oversight and it shouldnt be in response to one incident. To Bulle, who is studying to become a psychiatrist, Regis Korchinski-Paquets death shows how police can escalate a situation by their presence, and it underscores the need for alternatives for communities that have endured decades of trauma. We have to reimagine what police will look like in a modern society, he said. We have to rebuild entirely. Regeneron Pharmaceuticals today announced that it will add more than 400 new jobs, bringing total headcount to over 1,400 at its Industrial Operations and Product Supply campus in the Limerick area. The creation of more than 400 new jobs is part of Regenerons long-term commitment to Ireland and the Limerick community. Since 2014, Regeneron has invested over $1 billion to build the largest bulk biologics production facility in the country, with over 1,000 employees, more than 300 contingent workers and close to 500 construction personnel currently working on site. Recruitment is underway to hire full-time, high-end specialist jobs in commercial manufacturing, process sciences, quality assurance/control, supply chain and various support functions for scientists, chemists and technicians. Taoiseach Micheal Martin said: Bahri signs $410m agreement to receive 10 new chemical tankers from Hyundai Mipo Dockyard Bahri, a global leader in logistics and transportation, signed a new agreement with Hyundai Mipo Dockyard, a member of Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) Group, which owns one of the largest state-of-the-art shipyards in the world, to build ten 49,999-dwt Medium Range (MR) chemical tankers. Valued at USD 410 million (SAR 1.537 billion), the agreement was signed recently at a virtual ceremony, between Abdullah Aldubaikhi, CEO of Bahri, and Seung-Yong Park, Chief Operating Officer and Senior Executive Vice President of HHI, in the virtual presence of key executives from both the companies. The vessel purchase agreement comes as part of Bahris ongoing endeavors aimed at expanding its marine capabilities and renewing its fleet. Scheduled to start being delivered during the first quarter of 2022, the 10 chemical tankers will be built to the highest environmental, fuel-efficiency, and safety standards in line with the companys commitment to operating responsibly. Commenting on the agreement, Abdullah Aldubaikhi, CEO of Bahri, said: As a company committed to contributing to Saudi Arabias maritime goals set out in Vision 2030, Bahri has always remained keen on the continual enhancement of its enormous fleet of state-of-the-art multi-purpose vessels. The new agreement with HMD for the building of 10 high-spec chemical tankers represents a major step forward in our next phase of growth and further strengthens our leading position in the global maritime industry. With the newbuilds entering our fleet over the next two years, we will be further equipped to cater to the varying needs of our customers around the world. Seung-Yong Park, Chief Operating Officer and Senior Executive Vice President of HHI, said: We are extremely pleased that this project has come to fruition, built upon Bahris continued confidence and trust in HHI Groups capabilities. The new agreement is a compelling testimony to HMDs superior value proposition and its advanced technology-enabled offerings. These 10 MR tankers will bring the tally of various types of vessels that we built for Bahri to 61. We are committed to ensuring that our long-standing partner receives high-quality and eco-friendly vessels this time as well, and sincerely hope this project further strengthens our concrete relationship with one of the most renowned shipping companies. In May 2020, Bahri took delivery of its new dry-bulk carrier Sara, which is the first ship received as part of the agreement signed between Bahri Dry Bulk and HMD in August 2017 to build four new dry-bulk carriers by 2020. In addition to the three other bulk carriers that are under construction, the company is also expecting a new VLCC, which is currently being built by International Maritime Industries (IMI) and will be delivered by October 2021, lifting Bahris fleet of multi-purpose vessels to 101. One of the worlds largest owners and operators of VLCCs and the Middle Easts largest owner and operator of chemical tankers, Bahri owns and operates a total of 87 vessels, including 41 VLCCs, 34 chemical and product tankers, 6 multipurpose ro-ro vessels, and 6 dry-bulk carriers, in addition to four other carriers on order. Three persons have been killed and others injured after a Metro bus with registration number GE 5970-18 and an Opel Zalfra registration number GX 6451-15 collided head-on in the early hours of Thursday morning at Saaka near Zebilla in the Bawku West District of the Upper East Region. The accident happened around 5:00 a.m. at Saaka. The Zebilla Police Commander, Superintendent Ahmed Adam Mahama, saif the Opel Zalfra car was heading to Bolga from Bawku with five passengers on board. The Opel car accidentally ricocheted into one cargo truck parked running into the Metro mass bus which was also coming from Accra heading towards Bawku. Two passengers including the driver on board the Opel car died on the spot and one later died on arrival at the Zebilla hospital. Other passengers were transported to Bawku Presbyterian hospital as well. According to Felix Nyarko, Risk and Safety Officer of Metro Mass, the Opel Zafira driver failed to adhere to road signs. Alou David Apiidago, an eyewitness and an Assembly member of Saaka Electoral area, narrates that the cause of the accident was as a result of a parked cargo car and poor visibility this dawn. He said it was raining heavily when the incident happened. According to him, the Opel car was on top speed from Bawku direction and upon realising the parked cargo car, tried to swerve ending up colliding with the Metro Mass bus. The police is conducting further investigation to ascertain the true cause of the accident. DUBLIN, Calif. - An Air Force sergeant pleaded not guilty Thursday to murder charges in the ambush killing of a sheriffs deputy, one of two killings of law enforcement officers he is suspected of committing in Northern California last spring. Steven Carrillo, who officials say is associated with the extremist anti-government boogaloo group, entered the plea in the June 6 death of Santa Cruz Sgt. Damon Gutzwiller in Ben Lomond, a town in the Santa Cruz mountains south of San Francisco, the East Bay Times reported. Authorities said Carrillo, 32, ambushed Gutzwiller and other sheriffs deputies while they responded to a report of a van containing firearms and bomb-making materials. Gutzwiller, 38, was killed and several other law enforcement officials were wounded, according to authorities. Carrillo also faces federal murder and attempted murder charges after he allegedly sprayed bullets on May 29 across a guard shack in front of a federal building in Oakland, killing David Patrick Underwood, a federal protective service officer, and wounding another officer. The killings happened amid protests against police brutality following the killing of George Floyd while in police custody in Minneapolis. Last month, he pleaded not guilty in federal court to murder and attempted murder in that case. Vice-President Mike Pence referenced Underwoods killing in his Wednesday evening speech at the Republican National Convention. Pence said Underwood was shot and killed during the riots in Oakland, California. The FBI has said that Carrillo and his co-defendant in the federal case, Robert Justus, travelled to Oakland to assassinate law enforcement officers but were not part of a protest that night that came in the wake of Floyds killing. Underwoods killers picked that day because they knew local police would be distracted by the protests, according to federal authorities. Countries including South Africa, Australia and Argentina have had a surprise during their winter season: Their steps against COVID-19 also seemed to block the flu. Winter is now ending in the Southern Hemisphere as summer is nearing its end in the northern half of the world. But, there is no guarantee that Northern countries will have the same experience as southern ones. Dr. Robert Redfield is director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He told The Associated Press, This could be one of the worst seasons weve had from a public health perspective with COVID and flu coming together. But, he added, It could also be one of the best flu seasons weve had. U.S. health officials are urging Americans to get vaccinated against the flu in record numbers this autumn. The hope is that hospitals will not have to face two pandemics at once. It is becoming clear that wearing face masks, avoiding crowds and keeping your distance are protections that are not only helpful to prevent COVID-19. Theyre going to work for any respiratory virus, Redfield noted. Usually, South Africa sees widespread influenza during the Southern Hemispheres winter months of May through August. This year, testing carried out by the countrys National Institute of Communicable Diseases is finding few cases. The situation is very unusual. School closures, limited public gatherings and calls to wear masks and wash hands have knocked down the flu, said Dr. Cheryl Cohen, head of the institutes respiratory program. That meant lives saved from the flu. It also, Cohen noted, freed up our hospitals capacity to treat COVID-19 patients. In Australia, the national health department reported just 36 laboratory-confirmed flu-related deaths from January to the middle of August. It reported more than 480 during the same period last year. The most likely and the biggest contributor is social distancing, said Dr. Robert Booy, an infectious diseases expert at the University of Sydney. The coronavirus is blamed for about 24 million infections and more than 821,000 deaths worldwide in just the first eight months of this year. A normal flu year could have the worlds hospitals dealing with several million more severely ill people on top of COVID-19. In February and March, the worldwide spread of the coronavirus was just being recognized. At the time, many countries in the Southern Hemisphere began preparing to deal with both flu and COVID-19. As they shut down to fight the coronavirus, they also made a push for flu vaccinations. We gave many more flu vaccinations, like four times more, said Jaco Havenga, a drugmaker who works at Mays Chemist near Johannesburg, in South Africa. The flu has not disappeared, a World Health Organization report recently warned. The report said that, worldwide, influenza activity was reported at lower levels than expected for this time of year. The WHO also noted that some people who had the flu in Southern Hemisphere countries might have just stayed at home and not seen a doctor because of the coronavirus pandemic. Children usually drive flus spread. International influenza experts say keeping schools closed as well as face mask and distancing rules have helped keep the spread slow. The United State and some countries in Europe have not been as restrictive with coronavirus rules as some Southern Hemisphere countries. They are in many cases reopening schools and reducing distancing rules even as COVID-19 continues to spread. The U.S. CDC is urging a record number of flu vaccinations. Redfields goal is for at least 65 percent of adults to be vaccinated. Usually only about half of U.S. adults get the flu vaccine. The U.S. expects more than 190 million individual flu vaccines, about 20 million more than last year. States are being urged to make it easy for people to get flu shots. Suggestions include vaccinating people in their cars in an effort to avoid crowds. In an unusual move, the state of Massachusetts is requiring flu vaccination for all students this year. Usually only some healthcare workers face such requirements. The flu vaccine only protects against influenza. It will not reduce a persons chances of getting the coronavirus. Vaccines against COVID-19 are still experimental and several candidates are entering final testing to see if they are effective. Im Ashley Thompson. The Associated Press reported this story. Ashley Thompson adapted it for VOA Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor. _________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story flu, influenza n. a common sickness caused by a virus that causes fever, weakness, pain and breathing problems pandemic n. the fast spread of an infectious disease to many people over a very large area of the world respiratory adj. related to breathing and the lungs knocked down v. greatly reduce, to cause to fall capacity n. the ability to provide a service for those who need it contributor n. one of several actions that help bring about a result We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. contributed photo WESTON Connecticut Humanities has awarded the Weston Historical Society a $2,500 CARES Act Emergency Relief Grant to help the Society pay its bills. The organization was closed and its fundraising events canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Aug. 27 Trend: Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov received credentials of newly appointed Ambassador of Greece to the Republic of Azerbaijan Nikolaos Piperigos, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry told Trend. The sides had an exchange over the bilateral cooperation relations between Azerbaijan and Greece. Congratulating Piperigos on his appointment as ambassador Azerbaijan, Bayramov expressed hope that he would contribute to further development of relations between the two countries. In his turn, Piperigos said that he is pleased to be appointed as an ambassador to Azerbaijan. He conveyed congratulations of Foreign Minister of Greece to Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and noted that he will spare no efforts to further develop relations between the two countries during his tenure. During the meeting, the sides also exchanged views on cooperation within international organizations, as well as other issues of mutual interest. Medical device makers are facing challenging times as elective surgeries have either been cancelled or postponed with hospitals and healthcare facilities shifting their entire focus toward addressing the COVID-19 pandemic. In May, the CovidSurg Collaborative estimated that about 28.4 million elective surgeries could be cancelled or postponed globally in 2020 due to COVID-19. However, the easing of lockdowns and social distancing restrictions is driving the recovery of medical device makers sales as reflected in Medtronics recent results. Using the TipRanks Stock Comparison tool, we lined up Medtronic and Intuitive Surgical alongside each other to see which stock offers a more compelling investment opportunity. Medtronic (MDT) On August 25, Medtronic reported better-than-feared results for the first quarter of fiscal 2021, which ended on July 31. The companys sales declined 13.2% to $6.51 billion as COVID-19 continued to impact the demand for medical devices. However, sales were well above the analysts forecast of $5.54 billion. Management disclosed that procedure volumes began to recover in multiple markets and the recovery was faster-than-expected. An additional week in the fiscal quarter added sales of $360 to $390 million. Ignoring the impact of an extra week, foreign currency fluctuations and Titan Spine acquisition, the companys organic revenue declined 17% in the fiscal 2021s first quarter. The decline rate marked an improvement compared to the 25% fall in fiscal 2020s fourth-quarter sales. The first-quarter adjusted EPS of $0.62 indicated a 51% decline due to lower sales and margin contraction. Sales of ventilators more than doubled in the fiscal first quarter. Despite that, sales of the Minimally Invasive Therapies Group sales fell 14.2% to $1.8 billion. Sales of the Cardiac and Vascular Group, Medtronics largest business, declined 12.8% Y/Y to $2.4 billion. The Restorative Therapies Groups sales were down 15% to $1.7 billion while the Diabetes Groups sales declined 5.1% to $562 million. Story continues Meanwhile, Medtronic has a strong pipeline and received 130 regulatory approvals so far this year in the US, Europe, Japan, and China. Notably, FDA approved the companys Percept PC deep brain stimulation system with BrainSense technology and the Interstim Micro device for bladder and bowel control. The company secured CE mark for its MiniMed 780G insulin pump. Plus MDT is eyeing growth in the robotics surgery market. In June, Medtronic teamed up with Titan Medical to develop robotic-assisted surgical technologies. Earlier this year, the company acquired London-based Digital Surgery to bolster its robotic-assisted surgery platform. Management recognizes that it is lagging in the diabetes market. It is putting efforts to advance its technology in this area and grow through organic investments and acquisitions like that of smart insulin pen maker Companion Medical. Several analysts raised their price targets for Medtronic stock following the companys first-quarter results. BTIG analyst Ryan Zimmerman reaffirmed a Buy rating and increased his price target to $111 from $102. He said, In our view, the most notable aspect of the call was mgmt.'s tone around the company's reinvigorated pipeline and outlook for revenue growth. He added, We expect MDT and investors to reap the benefits of a steady cadence of product introductions in the back half of FY21, and longer-term we believe these products could materially shift MDT's growth profile on a sustainable basis. The analyst sees the stock rising based on attractive valuation, higher market share, and robust product pipeline. (See MDT stock analysis on TipRanks) Medtronic stock is down 8.3% year-to-date. However, the Street has a Strong Buy MDT consensus based on 13 Buys, 4 Holds and no Sell rating. There could be an upside of 10.8% in the stock over the next 12-months based on the average analyst price target of $115.33. Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) Intuitive Surgical is the leader in the robotic-assisted surgery devices market. The company generates revenue through the sales of its da Vinci Surgical systems, instruments and accessories. The Da Vinci Surgical system is expensive and to expand its reach the company started leasing its robotic surgical systems in 2013. A notable feature about Intuitive Surgical is its high recurring revenue. In 2019, the companys recurring revenue, which includes revenue from instruments and accessories, service revenue and operating lease revenue, accounted for 72% of the overall revenue. Intuitive Surgicals revenue grew 20.3% to $4.48 billion in 2019. However, the pandemic significantly slowed down the companys growth as elective procedures were either delayed or cancelled. Most notably, the second-quarter revenue declined 22.5% to $852.1 million, following a 13% rise in the first quarter. The second-quarter adjusted EPS fell 66% to $1.11. And while the installed base of da Vinci Surgical System grew 9% Y/Y to 5,764 systems, the da Vinci procedures were down 19% globally due to the pandemic and led to a 20.3% fall in the companys instruments and accessories business. Revenue from systems and services declined 24.1% and 26.2%, respectively. Management cautioned that system placements will continue to be under pressure due to the impact of COVID-19 and economic uncertainty on hospital spending. The company shipped 178 da Vinci Surgical Systems in the second quarter, reflecting a 35% drop. On August 14, Leerink Partners analyst Richard Newitter raised the price target for Intuitive Surgical to $690 from $650 following his conversation with management. He continues to believe that the company is a "premium MedTech asset with a large underpenetrated TAM [Total Addressable Market] that should continue to fuel a long-term multi-year growth story." However, the analyst maintained his Hold rating as he would prefer a more attractive entry point in the shares "especially with the near-term hospital cap-ex spend outlook still uncertain and potentially limiting near-term estimate upside prospects." (See ISRG stock analysis on TipRanks) Intuitive Surgical stock has risen 18.4% year-to-date. The average analyst price target of $675.62 suggests a possible downside of 3.5% over the next 12-months. The Street has a cautiously optimistic Moderate Buy consensus for Intuitive Surgical based on 9 Buys, 5 Holds, and 1 Sell. So which stock is a better pick right now? Intuitive Surgical is a pioneer in the robotic-assisted surgeries market and it is well-positioned to capture the growing demand for robotic surgery devices in the long-term though COVID-19 related headwinds might impact the near-term demand. Intuitive Surgical does not pay any dividends while Medtronic is a dividend aristocrat and has raised its dividends for 43 straight years. Medtronic has a dividend yield of 2.2%. Amid the current crisis, Medtronic looks to be a better choice based on its diverse product portfolio, strong pipeline, dividends and the Streets optimism. To find good ideas for stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks Best Stocks to Buy, a newly launched tool that unites all of TipRanks equity insights. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the featured analysts. The content is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment More recent articles from Smarter Analyst: 360Civic has been selected by Californias Mesa Water District (Mesa Water) to update and revise the Districts website, and to provide ongoing support after the new site is launched. Mesa Waters top priority is to provide 100% safe, local, and reliable water to the community we are privileged to serve, said Paul E. Shoenberger, P.E., General Manager at Mesa Water District. After a thorough search, 360Civic proved that they are the right partner to collaborate with our team to support this mission. Over the past few years, 360Civic has applied its knowledge and expertise in working with water districts, utilities and regulatory boards to create sophisticated and productive websites that increase traffic and community engagement. The Mesa Water project incorporates website management, migration, maintenance, and support services, as well as content and platform updates. We are honored to have been given this responsibility. We know how Mesa Water District values its relationship with the customers it serves, and we are pleased to be working together with them on a website that will serve the needs of its community, said Ron Zayas, co-founder of 360Civic. Mesa Water District is a special district in coastal Orange County, California, supplying water to 110,000 residents in Costa Mesa, parts of Newport Beach and some unincorporated areas of Orange County. Mesa Water is the only Orange County water provider to source 100 percent of the communitys water needs with a local supply. We are committed to maintaining a website that is engaging and user-friendly from the viewpoint of the public we serve to communicate vital information and access to our billing services, Shoenberger said. We are pleased to partner with 360Civic on the management, maintenance, and support services of our website. For more information on 360Civic, visit http://www.360Civic.com and find 360Civic on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. ________________________________________ About 360Civic 360Civic is a California marketing and website agency located in Orange County, California. The company specializes in advanced, customized websites and marketing programs for the public sector. 360Civic is a branch of 360 BC Group, Inc., a minority owned marketing corporation that holds top market position in California. For more information, visit http://www.360civic.com. LIMERICK is to receive a massive boost this lunchtime, with biomedical firm Regeneron set to confirm several hundred new jobs at its Raheen plant. Both Taoiseach Micheal Martin and Tanaiste Leo Varadkar are in the city today for the massive announcement, which comes as Regeneron ramps up testing of its Covid-19 antibody. Its a huge boost for the Mid-West at this time, especially in this post Covid-19 era and its a continued expansion for the company, It is related to vacccines the company is working on in relation to tackling coronavirus. This is why they are adding new lines here in Limerick, a well-placed source told the Limerick Leader. Based in the former Dell factory, the New York headquartered company has signed a $450m contract with the American government to produce thousands of doses of its Regen-Cov2 antibody cocktail. It comes in spite of the fact the drug has yet to complete clinical trials. However, if these trials confirm the effectiveness of it, its hoped hundreds of thousands of doses could be ready this autumn. The Limerick Leader understands that Regeneron has cleared the decks at its facility in America to ramp up its testing on the antibody, and as a result some of the work staff Stateside were doing is being carried out here. This is after the firm licensed production of these products in Raheen. One of Limericks biggest employers, Regeneron already employs more than 1,000 people locally. Minister Niall Collins TD welcomed the announcement - This is very welcome news and a huge vote of confidence in Limerick and the Mid West region. We have worked hard to achieve this which is being announced today. Up to 400 new jobs will be a significant boost to the local economy. Regeneron has proven to be yet another foreign direct investment success story in Limerick along with so many others. We will continue to work to ensure that as many new jobs as possible can be created across every sector as well as supporting impacted business during Covid19. As the GST (Goods and Service Tax) Council members are scheduled to meet today, opposition party Congress has asked the Centre to fully compensate the states for an estimated Rs 6 lakh crore revenue loss due to the continuing economic slump. The party also wants the states to be paid their dues -- the compensation for any growth below 14 per cent of the GST collections -- as mandated by the GST Compensation Act, on time. In a joint statement, Congress leaders Rajeev Gowda, S Manpreet Singh Badal (Finance Minister, Punjab) and Krishna Byre Gowda (former the finance minister of Karnataka) said any payment less than what's promised by the Centre is a betrayal of the faith of India's states. Congress leaders called for an extension of the GST compensation cess collection to 10 years and demanded that all borrowing to help tide over the COVID-19 crisis must be done by the Centre as it can raise resources at a lower cost and bear the debt burden better than states. The party also wants the Centre to reduce its reliance on cess and share the revenues (with states) fairly. "It is high time that the centre-state fund sharing formula from Finance Commissions becomes a reality," the statement said. Also read: Coronavirus impact: July GST collections dips 14.6% to Rs 87,422 crore Also read: GST Council to hold virtual meet to finalise compensation to states on Aug 27 The Indian economy was already experiencing the 'Modi Slump' before the Centre's bungling triggered the COVID-19 collapse, it added. Stating that states will have to pay the price for the Centre's "incompetence", the party pointed out to the government's submission before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance that it does not have funds to pay the 14 per cent GST compensation it is statutorily mandated to pay to states. "States are at the forefront of the fight against COVID. At such a crucial time, it is crucial the Central government come to the aid of states. A loss of 6 lakh crore will force states to cut down the expenditure of key programmes and policies. What steps is the Modi government taking to avert this crisis? It is shocking to know that instead of taking steps to help states, it is preparing grounds for betrayal. It is replacing cooperative federalism with coercive federalism," the statement said. The Congress also said the states gave up their constitutional powers of taxation on the Centre's promise that they will be compensated. "States are already disadvantaged as a higher proportion of their expenditure is towards committed expenses like salaries and pension. Most of their independent revenue streams were severely impacted in the pandemic months -- revenue earned through the tax of liquor, petrol, diesel, property sale and purchase, etc. Starving states of funds has been the official policy of this government. While the Fourteenth Finance Commission recommended states receive 42% taxes from the divisible pool, the government ensured that the state's share in gross tax collections remained stagnant at 32%," the party said. The party also said the existing allocations under the disaster relief were grossly inadequate and most states were not in a position to raise its borrowing limits by adhering to the conditions stipulated by the Centre. "As per a PRS report, the Central government has raised Rs 3,69,111 crore revenue through cess and surcharges in 2019-20. If this tax revenue collected by the central government had been a part of the divisible pool, it would have increased the devolution receipts of states. The Centre has also raised the borrowing limit for states by 2 per cent (from 3% to 5%) of their GDSP. However, part of the hike i.e. 1.5 per cent would require them to undertake various reforms in sectors like power, food distribution and so on. Very few states can meet these conditions, thus rendering this concession useless," the party statement added. ALSO READ: West Bengal FM urges Centre to pay compensation cess ahead of GST mee ALSO READ: Once bitten twice shy, industry hopes FM will deliver the goods this time Also Read: GST collection jumps 46% to Rs 90,917 crore in June compared to May; declines 9% YoY Richard Grenell, President Donald Trump's former ambassador to Germany, gave an all-in defense to the president's 'America first' policies and said 'nationalist' name-calling from political rivals shouldn't be considered an insult. Grenell, who also briefly served as the acting Director of National Intelligence earlier this year, also backed up Trump's claims that members of President Barack Obama's administration spied on his campaign. 'America First does not advance the interests of one group of Americans at the expense of any other. It has no bias about red or blue, educated or not educated, urban or rural,' Grenell argued during his Republican National Convention speech. 'America First is simply the belief that politicians should focus on the equality and dignity of every American.' Richard Grenell, who served as President Donald Trump's ambassador to Germany and later the acting Director of National Intelligence, defended the president's 'America First' policies and pushed back on criticism that Trump was a 'nationalist' Richard Grenell spoke Wednesday night as part of the Republican National Convention on behalf of President Donald Trump, who made an appearance at Fort McHenry in Baltimore at the end of Vice President Mike Pence's speech Grenell began his address, delivered at the Andrew W. Mellon auditorium, by recalling how Trump, during the 2016 Republican primary, blasted former Republicans for their foreign policy. 'He called Americas endless wars what they were: A disaster,' Grenell said. 'The media was shocked, because Donald Trump was running as a Republican. And yet he said out loud what we all knew. That American foreign policy was failing to make Americans safer.' Grenell, echoing Trump, argued that both Republican and Democratic administrations had let the American people down. 'They welcomed China into the World Trade Organization. They engaged in "nation-building" in Afghanistan, and tried to export democracy to Iraq. They signed a nuclear deal with Iran, and a global climate agreement in Paris,' he said. He argued, especially with jobs being exported overseas, that foreign policy did nothing to help the 'average American.' 'Thats what happened when Washington stopped being the capital of the United States, and started being the capital of the world,' he said. Trump's leadership was different, he said. 'Ive watched President Trump charm the Chancellor of Germany, while insisting that Germany pay its NATO obligations,' Grenell recalled. He also pushed back on criticism that Trump's foreign policy has hurt relationships with allies and is too nationalistic. 'That tells you all you need to know. The D.C. crowd thinks when they call Donald Trump a nationalist, theyre insulting him,' Grenell said. 'As if the American president isnt supposed to base foreign policy on Americas national interests.' Grenell characterized Trump's rival in the presidential race, Joe Biden, as the ultimate Washington insider. 'Joe Biden was first elected to the Senate in 1972. Forty-eight years ago,' he said, stretching the numbers with deliberation. He also remarked that it was the 'typical Washington story' that while 22 Democrats ran for party's nomination, Democratic voters picked 'someone they had to pull out of retirement.' Grenell concluded by accusing the Obama-Biden administration of misdeeds in the handling of the FBI investigation that centered around the Trump campaign's ties to Russia in 2016. 'As Acting Director of National Intelligence, I saw the Democrats entire case for Russian collusion. And what I saw made me sick to my stomach,' he said. 'The Obama-Biden Administration secretly launched a surveillance operation on the Trump campaign, and silenced the many brave intelligence officials who spoke up against it. They presented bogus information as facts. They lied to judges. Then they classified anything that undermined their case,' Grenell claimed. He said of Biden, that the former vice president specifically asked intelligence officials to 'uncover the hidden information' about Trump's original pick for national security adviser, Michael Flynn. Biden had requested to know which incoming Trump official had conversations with the Russian ambassador, a process referred to as 'un-masking.' When Grenell, as acting DNI, released documents that named Biden as one of the Obama administration officials who had requested the information, proper procedures had been followed. It's not illegal for high-ranking government officials to request the identities of individuals named in intelligence documents. Still, Grenell - like Trump - made it an RNC talking point. 'That's the Democrats,' he said. 'Between surveillance, classifications, leaks, and puppet candidates, they never want the American people to know whos actually calling the shots.' He said that wasn't the case with current occupant of the Oval Office. 'With Donald Trump, you always know exactly who is in charge,' Grenell said. 'Because the answer - is you.' Warning: This article includes content some readers may find disturbing As a police officer and father of six from Athens, Georgia, recovers from a near-fatal collision with a fleeing suspect, his wife laments the perils of the job and shares gratitude for her husbands miraculous survival. Sergeant Paul Davidson bore witness to the culmination of a car chase along the Atlanta Highway in the wee hours of Aug. 17, and the accident almost took his life. The suspect, 25-year-old Henry Daniel Greene, was questioned at a traffic stop for a broken tail light in Barrow County but proceeded to speed away, the Athens-Clarke County Police Department (ACCPD) told the Athens Banner-Herald. A police chase commenced, reaching speeds of 105 miles per hour. Greene lost control of his vehicle and collided with Davidsons stationary cruiser at a stoplight. The officer, who was not involved with the chase, had to be cut from his totaled vehicle using hydraulic rescue equipment known as the Jaws of Life. Davidson was rushed to Piedmont Athens Regional Hospital, according to an ACCPD press release, having sustained serious injuries. Police Captain John Radford, who is in charge of commanding the West Precinct where Davidson is stationed, claimed, Its a miracle hes alive. Greene and the two passengers in his vehicle were likewise taken to hospital but sustained only minor injuries. Greene faces multiple felony charges and is pending an investigation. Davidsons wife, Grace, took to Facebook the day after the horrific crash to share an update on her husbands ordeal. He survived. Thank God, she began. My husband surely has a guardian angel watching over him. Being a cops wife is not easy, Grace continued. You worry every night. Is he going to come home? Can I go to bed now without worrying? Its our reality every day. On the night of the accident, Graces cell phone rang shortly after midnight; she felt her nerves instantly as she knew that her husband would never call so late for no reason. First responders informed Grace that her husband had been seriously injured in a vehicle collision. The officer had sustained a huge gash to his forehead, severe concussion, swelling and bruising, and an injured elbow but no broken bones. When Grace arrived at the hospital, she saw that her husband [w]as bloody and unconscious. [T]o see my husband like I have never seen him before. Something I NEVER, EVER want to see again, Grace further added. Although Davidson was very battered after the accident, Grace shared that he feels extremely lucky he survived. Almost 2,500 netizens left messages of love and support for the traumatized family, wishing the father of six a speedy recovery. What a strong man to pull through such a horrific accident, wrote one supporter. Then to be strong enough to return home ASAP [to] his beautiful family. Blue lives matter, wrote another. Thank you for your service. Praying. Grace told Channel 2 Action News that she felt overwhelmed by the outpouring of public support. Life can change so quickly, she reflected. I believe theres a special plan for Paul. Hes the love of our lives [] We treasure every day and know we are so lucky to have our family together. The recovering officer and his wife parent a blended family of five daughters and a sonall of whom are grateful their father made it out of the wreckage alive. On Aug. 24, a week after the accident, Grace posted an update on her husbands condition on Facebook. Paul Davidson is still healing well at home, she wrote. Stitches in his head should come out tomorrow. The concussion is definitely still healing, she added, but Pauls great sense of humor was untouched! We would love to hear your stories! You can share them with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.nyc Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - August 27, 2020) - City View Green Holdings Inc. (CSE: CVGR) (OTCQB: CVGRF) ("City View" or the "Company"), trading through the facilities of the Canadian Securities Exchange ("CSE") under the symbol "CVGR" and on the OTCQB under the symbol "CVGRF" announces, further to its press release on June 10th & June 30th, 2020, that the construction and security installation is complete at City View's facility located at 49 Easton Road, Brantford Ontario. City View is now preparing to submit its evidence package to Health Canada for a processing license. Rob Fia, CEO, commented, "We are extremely pleased with the focus our entire team at City View has exemplified to finalize our construction and security installation at 49 Easton Road. This is a significant milestone for City View. The progress that City View and Infusion Works have made has attracted licensed producers seeking a white label cannabis infused food products solution as we ready for production during the fall of 2020." About City View City View Green is a leading cannabis-infused food company focused on the development of food brands, extraction and distribution. Upon the anticipated receipt of its Cannabis Act processing and sales licences ("Cannabis Licences"), City View will incorporate cannabis-infused food production and extraction at its Brantford, Ontario facility. Once operational, it is our expectation that City View will produce high quality cannabis-infused food, oils, distillates, and water-soluble products for the food and beverage markets. In addition, City View owns a 27.5% stake in Budd Hutt Inc. ("Budd Hutt"), a retail-focused cannabis company with access to cannabis cultivation and production licences in Alberta and other retail opportunities across Canada. Through its relationship with Budd Hutt, the Company anticipates securing shelf space, product placement, and distribution opportunities for City View's products. For more information visit www.cityviewgreen.ca. Story continues For further information contact: City View Green Holdings Inc. Rob Fia, CEO & President Email: rob@cityviewgreen.ca Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its regulations services accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Disclaimer for Forward-Looking Information This press release contains forward-looking statements which are not composed of historical facts. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors related to completing construction at 49 Easton Road and submitting the evidence package to obtain a processing license from Health Canada which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include estimates and statements that describe the Company's future plans, objectives or goals, including words to the effect that the Company or management expects a stated condition or result to occur. Forward-looking statements may be identified by such terms as "believes", "anticipates", "expects", "estimates", "may", "could", "would", "will", or "plan". Since forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Although these statements are based on information currently available to the Company, the Company provides no assurance that actual results will meet management's expectations. There are a number of important factors that could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from those indicated or implied by forward-looking statements and information. When relying on the Company's forward-looking statements and information to make decisions, investors and others should carefully consider the foregoing factors and other uncertainties and potential events. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations include, among others, availability and costs of financing needed in the future, changes in equity markets, delays in the development of projects, and ability to predict or counteract potential impact of COVID-19 coronavirus on factors relevant to the Company's business. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. THE FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS PRESS RELEASE REPRESENTS THE EXPECTATIONS OF THE COMPANY AS OF THE DATE OF THIS PRESS RELEASE AND, ACCORDINGLY, IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE AFTER SUCH DATE. READERS SHOULD NOT PLACE UNDUE IMPORTANCE ON FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION AND SHOULD NOT RELY UPON THIS INFORMATION AS OF ANY OTHER DATE. WHILE THE COMPANY MAY ELECT TO, IT DOES NOT UNDERTAKE TO UPDATE THIS INFORMATION AT ANY PARTICULAR TIME EXCEPT AS REQUIRED IN ACCORDANCE WITH APPLICABLE LAWS. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/62645 Trinity College Dublin has announced the launch of its annual Book of Kells Creative Competition for 2020, which invites artists and writers of all ages to submit a work inspired by the famed book. This year, contestants are invited to share art and writing that evokes the theme of colours in the Book of Kells. There are entry categories for adults and school-aged children at both primary and second level, with winners receiving an individual cash prize as well as a cash prize for their arts club or school. Winners will also be honoured at the annual Book of Kells Creative Competition awards ceremony held in Trinity College Dublin and will also receive a VIP trip to the Book of Kells. Whats more, the Book of Kells exhibition has reopened following a period of closure, meaning would-be entrants can once again visit the famous book and discover its beautiful colours up close and personal. This years judging panel includes notable bookworms Sharon Ni Bheolain of RTE News and and Rick OShea, RTE radio presenter and founder of Irelands largest book club. The pair will be joined by Dr Rachel Moss, Head of the art history and architecture at Trinity. Speaking at the launch, Sharon Ni Bheolain said, It is an honour to be a part of this unique competition for the third year running. 2019 saw individuals from all walks of life and all corners of the globe share their artistic rendering of this most celebrated manuscript. I was truly bowled over by the vision, imagination, application and enthusiasm on display and look forward to seeing exciting and innovative interpretations of this years theme. Radio personality Rick OShea added, The Book of Kells holds a special place in Irelands collective imagination, and rightly so. This year we are looking for people to use their creativity to celebrate the magic and enduring charm of Irelands most famous book. For more information and to enter please visit www.bookofkells.ie/competition. The competition closing date is October 30th 2020. The global cold cuts market size is expected to grow by USD 72.20 billion as per Technavio. This marks a significant market growth compared to the 2019 growth estimates due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the first half of 2020. Moreover, healthy growth is expected to continue throughout the forecast period, and the market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 8%. Request Free Sample Report on COVID-19 Impacts This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200826005605/en/ Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Cold Cuts Market 2020-2024 (Graphic: Business Wire) Read the 120-page report with TOC on "Cold Cuts Market Analysis Report by Product (Deli cold cuts and Packaged cold cuts) and Geographic Landscape (Europe, North America, APAC, MEA, and South America), and the Segment Forecasts, 2020-2024". https://www.technavio.com/report/cold-cuts-market-industry-analysis The market is driven by the growing demand for convenient and packaged food. In addition, the expanding retail space is anticipated to boost the growth of the Cold Cuts Market. In recent years, the demand for ready-to-eat, ready-to-heat, and ready-to-cook products has been surging, owing to factors such as changing lifestyles, rising middle-class population, and the growing number of working women. In addition, the growing preference for packaged foods in urban areas is encouraging various supermarkets and hypermarkets to offer chilled and packaged meats and processed deli meats. Processed meats such as cold cuts provide convenience and more choice to consumers. Moreover, vendors are coming up with new products and packaging to improve the user experience and convenience while using their products. For instance, flexible pouches, zipper pouches, and resealable packs for cold cuts have been introduced by vendors. This has increased the consumption of cold cuts products, thereby driving the growth of the market. Buy 1 Technavio report and get the second for 50% off. Buy 2 Technavio reports and get the third for free. View market snapshot before purchasing Major Five Cold Cuts Companies: Boars Head Brand Boar's Head Brand operates its business through segments such as Turkey, Ham, Beef, Chicken, Hummus, Condiments, and Others. The company offers cold cuts of different varieties such as Bold Cajun Smoked Turkey Breast and EverRoast Oven Roasted Chicken Breast. Cargill Inc. Cargill operates its business through segments such as Animal Nutrition Protein, Food Ingredients Applications, Origination Processing, and Industrial Financial Services. The company offers products such as Turkey Pastrami and Hickory Smoked Peppered Turkey Breast. Hormel Foods Corp. Hormel Foods operates its business through segments such as Grocery Products, Refrigerated Foods, Jennie-O Turkey Store, Specialty Foods, and International Other. The company offers different varieties of cold cuts products such as Organics Herb Turkey Breast and Cooked Deli Ham Gluten Free, under its brand, Applegate. Maple Leaf Foods Inc. Maple Leaf Foods Inc. has business operations under two segments: Meat Protein Group and Plant Protein Group. The company offers products such as Deli Inspirations Oven Roasted Turkey Breast and All Natural Uncured Turkey Bacon under its Butterball brand. Nestle SA Nestle SA operates its business through various segments such as AMS, EMENA, AOA, Nestle Waters, and other businesses. The company offers cold cuts meat products such as hams, bacon, sausages, dice, and breasts under the Herta brand. Register for a free trial today and gain instant access to 17,000+ market research reports. Technavio's SUBSCRIPTION platform Cold Cuts Product Outlook (Revenue, USD bn, 2020-2024) Deli cold cuts size and forecast 2019-2024 Packaged cold cuts size and forecast 2019-2024 Cold Cuts Market Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD bn, 2020-2024) Europe size and forecast 2019-2024 North America size and forecast 2019-2024 APAC size and forecast 2019-2024 MEA size and forecast 2019-2024 South America size and forecast 2019-2024 Key leading countries Technavio's sample reports are free of charge and contain multiple sections of the report, such as the market size and forecast, drivers, challenges, trends, and more. Request a free sample report About Technavio 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/20200826005605/en/ Contacts: Technavio Research Jesse Maida Media Marketing Executive US: +1 844 364 1100 UK: +44 203 893 3200 Email: media@technavio.com Website: www.technavio.com/ Serum Institute of India has signed an agreement to manufacture a potential COVID-19 vaccine developed by Oxford University in collaboration with AstraZeneca Pune: Vital health parameters of the two volunteers, who have been administered the Oxford COVID-19 vaccine candidate at a medical college in Pune as part of the phase II clinical trial, are normal, a senior official from the medical facility said on Thursday. Two men, aged 32 and 48, were given the first shot of the 'Covishield' vaccine, being manufactured by Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII), at Bharti Vidyapeeth's Medical College and Hospital on Wednesday. The dose will be repeated after one month, an official said. "Since yesterday, our medical team is in touch with the two volunteers and both are fine. They do not have any pain, fever, injection-side reaction or systemic illness post-vaccination," the medical college and hospital's deputy medical director Dr Jitendra Oswal said. After the vaccine was administered on Wednesday, both the volunteers were observed for 30 minutes and later allowed to go home, he said. "They have been given all the necessary emergency numbers (to contact in case of need) and our medical team is also conducting follow-ups with them," he added. The vaccine dose will be repeated on both the volunteers after one month, the hospital's medical director Dr Sanjay Lalwani said on Wednesday. He said in all, 25 candidates will be given the vaccine in the next seven days. Dr Sonali Palkar, in-charge of the medical college's research cell, said four to five persons were screened on Wednesday and a decision to administer the vaccine to them as part of the clinical trial is subject to their COVID-19 and antibody test reports. SII, the world's largest vaccine maker has signed an agreement to manufacture the potential vaccine developed by the Jenner Institute of Oxford University in collaboration with British-Swedish pharma company AstraZeneca. Why I apologised Eyo Charles, the Daily Trust correspondent who had a bitter encounter with a former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, in Calabar, Cross River State, at a press conference has narrated his own side of the story. TheNewsGuru.com, TNG reports that the ex-minister abruptly left the conference after verbally assaulting the reporter, calling him stupid for asking the ex-minister if his tour was being sponsored by any politician or political group. What type of stupid question is that? What type of stupid question is that? Bankrolling who? Do you know who you are talking to? Mr Fani-Kayode has angrily told the reporter. Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain in a defense of his widely condemned action said United States President Donald Trump and former Nigerian President, Olusegun Obasanjo who appointed him (Fani-Kayode) minister would have responded more harshly to the reporter than he did. Fani-Kayode also said the reporter had apologised and he has moved on. However, the journalist said he was disorganised from the encounter, which was why he apologised to Mr Fani-Kayode. Mr Charles explained that he was more disorganised when he heard other reporters told him right there that he should not have asked the question. He said he did not expect the former minister to suddenly jumped at him. The question was sir, you said you have gone round six or seven states to inspect projects undertaken by those governors, and now you are here in Cross River state, rounding off your one-week visit to Governor Ayade. Who is bankrolling you? Mr Charles said. Mr Charles said after the incident a security aide to the former minister walked up to him and began interrogating him. He said he had to hurriedly leave the hotel premises. The former minister, the reporter said, later called his editor in Daily Trust and demanded his sack. The reporter said he regretted apologising to Mr Fani-Kayode over the incident. I am 53, he is not much older than me. I am not a child, I am an adult and I have children, he said. /* custom css */ .tdi_75_747.td-a-rec{ text-align: center; }.tdi_75_747 .td-element-style{ z-index: -1; }.tdi_75_747.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_75_747.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; }@media (max-width: 767px) { .tdi_75_747.td-a-rec-img { text-align: center; } } Advertisement A Non-Governmental Organization in Nigeria called Value Royale International Initiative has declared war against gender based violence in Bauchi state. This declaration came at a sensitization and advocacy campaign on violence against women and children held in Gamawa Local Government Area of Bauchi state in the Northern part of Nigeria. The main reason of the advocacy campaign is because of the significant increase in the number of rape cases in the community however it also came inline with the aims and missions of the organization to fight, advocate, sensitize and enlighten women and children against gender based violence and other related sexual assault cases. /* custom css */ .tdi_74_f7f.td-a-rec{ text-align: center; }.tdi_74_f7f .td-element-style{ z-index: -1; }.tdi_74_f7f.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_74_f7f.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; }@media (max-width: 767px) { .tdi_74_f7f.td-a-rec-img { text-align: center; } } However, the program was indoor session and it was attended by the Coalition of women organizations, traditional rulers, religious leaders, community opinion leaders, youth and students associations, security agencies, community based organizations, local media stations, volunteer lawyers, medical personnel among many others. While the session was going on lots of vital issues pertaining gender based violence were vividly discussed and some possible actions and remedies have also been suggested by the professionals of the related topic of discussion. During the session which was chaired by the Deputy President of the organization (Amb. Kassim A. Gamawa), the President and founder of the organization Comrade Muhammad Salees Gamawa has promised that the organization will help offer a free legal service to the victims and will also ensure that the perpetrators are brought to book and punish accordingly without fear or favour. We noted all the pending and abandon rape cases carelessly mishandled by the authorities, we will push and ensure every case is treated justly in order to serve as a deterrent to others. Salees said. Skill development is one of the best means to achieve sizeable impact and derive strategic imperatives from CSR agenda especially in the challenging times of COVID-19, according to an esteemed panel that discussed Skill Development through CSR in a webinar organized by CII, North Region. Digital platforms across verticals like healthcare, education, retail are expected to generate significant employment in coming quarters and the pace at which innovation in skill building is adopted to such online models is critical in the wake of new emerging realities. Batting for strong inter-agency partnerships and bridging the digital divide, the panelists agreed that Covid has changed the way resources are allocated in CSR. The renewed focus is on employability that leads to employment which further leads to economic upliftment. India is aiming to become a 5 trillion-dollar economy and enjoys a strong advantage of vast and young demographic that stands at a crossover of digital leap. By 2023, 70 million more people will have entered Indias workforce (data from the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) 2017-2018. Unemployment concerns have shot up in India off late due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In his address Dr. Bhaskar Chatterjee Former Secretary, Government of India, and Former Director General & CEO- IICA, Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs said, Covid-19 poses special challenges for skill development. Today when the world faces a crisis, the government, corporates and implementing agencies are turning to CSR. Promoting education, special education, employment-enhancing vocational skills is the need of the hour and our law has been successful in addressing that. Difficulty in skilling, re-skilling and people employment are some of the key challenges we need to address. Government must now act as a facilitator and encourage corporates to go more into the skill development. We also need to meet the dynamic needs of the employers by offering flexibility in the courses being designed, certifications being offered and the way we train our resources. The need of the hour is to tap into technology to leap-frog youth of today into employability. Brigadier P K Goyal (Retd), Conference Chair and Member, Regional Committee on Skill Development and Livelihood, CII Northern Region addressed the opening session, saying, Covid-19 and the global lockdown has impacted the skills ecosystem, resulting in imbalance in the skills landscape. There is a dire need to skill, upskill and multi-skill a huge workforce so there is suitable employability. An effective means to do this is through CSR funds. Govt of India, the corporate industry with their funds and the implementing agencies along with consulting agencies are the umbilical link to an effective skilling programme. Lt Gen. Dr S P Kochhar, Director General COAI (Cellular Operators Association of India) added, A good thing, at present, is that the government has accepted that skilling is a challenge and they are trying to address the gap. We have been advising a skilling program which is Cooperative, Collaborative, Inclusive and Adaptive. If we use technology, such an initiative becomes easier. Training can be normalised across the country, using technology. We can combine Make in India, Digital India, and Skill India, as complementary models and CSR plays a major role in supporting this initiative. We can create co-skilling spaces, with soft and IT skills at the entry-level segment, generic sector skills at the next level of the segment, and the third level being the vaulted training centres where domain knowledge is imparted by industry experts. The webinar also included eminent speakers like Dr Sudhir Kapur, Chairman, Regional Committee on Skill Development & Livelihood, CII Northern Region, Ms Anita Rajan, CEO, Tata Strive, Mr R Anand, Principal Consultant & Advisor- HR, HCL Tech Ltd, Mr Chetan Kapoor, COO, Tech Mahindra Foundation, Ms Dhanashree Page Head Operations, Digital Inclusion, CSR, Capgemini India, Ms Romira Roy, Executive Director & Founder SEED, Mr Ashish Singh, Head ITI Projects, Maruti Suzuki India Ltd, Ms Meenu Bagla, VP and CMO, Cyient Ltd, Mr Rahul Agarwal, AVP-Finance, Goodera, Mr Mahesh Munjal, Co-Chair Regional Committee on Skill Development and Livelihood, CII Northern Region & CMD, Majestic Auto and Mr Arun Nalavadi, ED- Sustainability and Partnerships, Magic Bus India Foundation. The European Union's top trade official, Phil Hogan, resigned late Wednesday after he became embroiled in a controversy over a recent trip home to Ireland and questionable adherence to COVID-19 rules. The move will force the EU's executive office to replace a key commissioner in the midst of the pandemic crisis and as the final months of talks on a future deal with post-Brexit Britain approach. This evening I have tendered my resignation as EU Trade Commissioner," Hogan said in a statement. It was becoming increasingly clear that the controversy concerning my recent visit to Ireland was becoming a distraction from my work." He has come under fire in his home country amid allegations he skirted rules other Irish citizens have to live by. A contrite Hogan acknowledged such a fundamental error and said I fully understand their sense of hurt and anger when they feel that those in public service do not meet the standards expected of them. He added: as a public representative I should have been more rigorous in my adherence to the COVID guidelines. The EU has consistently underscored the importance of obeying all restrictions imposed by the 27 member countries, and turning a blind eye to infractions by its own top officials would undermine that effort. I reiterate my heartfelt apology to the Irish people for the mistakes I made during my visit,' Hogan said. Von der Leyen had been assessing whether to fire the Commissioner over his travel infractions when Hogan said he would resign insisting he was jumping and had not been pushed. Hogan had earlier lost the support of the Irish government, but the final decision on his fate was for Von der Leyen to make. I respect his decision," Von der Leyen said. I am very grateful to him for his tireless work as a Trade Commissioner since the start of this mandate." Hogan held an important position in the bloc's executive Commission, being the key person dealing with trade issues, like commercial agreements with the United States or future relations with Britain, which officially left the EU on Jan. 31. The scandal was fueled further by changes in Hogan's account of his actions, as he issued a series of statements about his travel and adherence to the rules Ireland had imposed. (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 Met showcases 400 years of exquisite British artisanship The pine and elm staircase winds upward as solid and grand as it is ornate. Under the handrail, carved acanthus leaves and seedpods swirl together. Double-headed birds peek from the foliage, looking at you from either side of the rail. Oak motifs honor the tree where Charles II hid from enemies during the English Civil War in the mid-17th century. But the staircase is just a prelude to the artisanship and beauty to be seen in the other rooms. In the dining room, for example, statues of mythical Greek and Roman figures stand in alcoves. For centuries, these paragons of classical culture have kept watch over discourse from the likes of poet Thomas Moore and novelist Charles Dickens. The Lansdowne dining room with classical statues in its alcoves. (Joseph Coscia) This feast of artisanship, classical values, and culture isnt part of an estate home or castle, however. This staircase from Cassiobury Park and dining room from the Lansdowne House are among the 700 objects in The Metropolitan Museum of Arts newly renovated British Galleries. The galleries showcase British decorative arts, design, and sculpture crafted between 1500 and 1900. They include a wide array of furniture, ceramics, silver, tapestries, and other textiles from the Tudor, Stuart, Georgian, and Victorian eras, ranging in styles from Renaissance, Baroque, and Rococo to neoclassical and neo-Gothic. The reimagined suite of ten galleries provides a fresh perspective on the period, focusing on its bold, entrepreneurial spirit and complex history, the material online reads. As we exit quarantine and look to jump-start our economy, this exhibition can inspire us to pioneer new business opportunities and be patrons of beauty and traditional artisanship again. A Tapestry of Opportunity Tapestry weaving was the pinnacle of luxury and craftsmanship during the late Middle Ages in the 16th century, according to the online audio guide. Since Flemish weavers monopolized the craft, the kings of both France and England wanted their own in-house productions. At the beginning of the 17th century, the kings founded the Royal Gobelins Manufactory in Paris and the Mortlake Tapestry Manufactory outside London. Artisans from Brussels then immigrated to these ateliers, either to weave or to train British craftsmen. But England offered something unique that even some of the French desired: religious freedom. Protestants persecuted by the Catholic Church in Brussels and France fled to Britain. London also lured Flemish tapestry weavers, as well as German and Italian artists, with economic opportunity and other forms of freedom. London was a great international hub. It was a rich city [with] many rich patrons, the lead curator of the British Galleries, Wolf Burchard, told me in a phone interview. Hes also an associate curator in the Department of European Sculpture and Decorative Arts. It was the largest city in Europe, but it was also an immensely liberal city. It is there that the freedom of the press really originated. With Londons cornucopia of golden opportunities, the Mortlake Tapestry Manufactory attracted world-class talent. Charles I also understood the symbolic power of these luxurious works of art and bankrolled projects, sparing nothing. The exhibition showcases one such work, The Destruction of the Children of Niobe from a set of tapestries called The Horses. The Destruction of the Children of Niobe from a set of tapestries called The Horses, circa 165070, designed by Frans Cleyn. The tapestry was probably made at Mortlake Tapestry Manufactory. Gift of Christian A. Zabriskie, 1936. (The Metropolitan Museum of Art) The tapestry depicts the gods Apollo and Diana shooting arrows from the clouds, slaying the children of Niobe. Niobe, in her pride, had insulted Latona, Apollo and Dianas mother. In fear for their lives, two of Niobes children on horseback appear to almost jump out of the tapestry, trying to escape their doom. The horses dynamic three-dimensional movement, each figures distraught facial expressions, and the slain figures in the background tell the drama so vividly that the tapestry is like an ancient form of cinema. Tea Time Three centuries ago, commerce and entrepreneurialism inspired a tea craze in Britain. Firstly, the East India Trade company established routes to import tea leaves from Japan and China. Secondly, when tea duties fell from 119 percent to 12.5 percent, the new obsession became affordable for everyone to enjoy. Consequently, people from all levels of society wanted teapots to show their enjoyment of this sophisticated ritual. Manufactories popped up across Britain, crafting teapots of different styles, such as chinoiserie (Chinese imitation). The Metropolitan Museum of Art collection of teapots. (Joseph Coscia) The new galleries showcase hundreds of these charming objects. Dainty, funny, silly, coarse, [theres] something for everyone. Fancy a humorous design of monkeys and corn or something more sophisticated, perhaps a luxurious silver vessel or complex agate-wear set? inquires the galleries audio guide. A Staffordshire teapot, circa 1740. (The Metropolitan Museum of Art) The teapots on display also once provided relevant social commentary. The Stamp Act, for example, was the first direct tax on the American colonies and provoked a violent response from them. When Britain repealed it in 1766, ateliers began crafting teapots for the American market, inscribed with No Stamp Act on one side and America, Liberty Restored on the other. In this case, it seemed that Britains entrepreneurial hunger overshadowed even its own nationalism. As teapots spread across the British Empire, they also took on the meaning that if you partook in the ritual of teatime, you were no longer a savage, but a sophisticated member of society. Theres so much emotion and history connected to these objects that they take on a life of their own, says contemporary mixed media artist and ceramicist Morel Doucet in the audio guide. J.H. White is an arts, culture, and mens fashion journalist living in New York. Hong Kong: CE opens new control point Chief Executive Carrie Lam today led a delegation of officials of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government to attend the opening ceremony of the Liantang Port (LP)/Heung Yuen Wai (HYW) Boundary Control Point (BCP), where its cargo clearance facilities opened first at 4pm. The ceremony, which Mrs Lam officiated with some Mainland officials, was held at the Customs Cargo Inspection Area of the LP in Shenzhen. Addressing the ceremony, Mrs Lam said the opening of the BCP on the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone was particularly meaningful. She explained that the new BCP will greatly shorten the travelling time between Hong Kong, Shenzhen and eastern Guangdong, thereby facilitating the smooth and efficient operation of cross-boundary logistics and furthering the co-operation and development of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, eastern Guangdong and neighbouring provinces. It will also enhance the one-hour living circle of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau, and provide extremely favourable infrastructure connectivity for the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. While the BCPs construction had fully reflected the people-oriented principle, Mrs Lam pointed out that the design of its Passenger Terminal Building (PTB) made reference to the winning design of an international competition co-organised by Hong Kong and Shenzhen. She also noted that the HYW BCP in Hong Kong is the first of its kind to adopt the design principle of "direct access to people and vehicles", bringing greater convenience to people. Highlighting that the Hong Kong SAR Government had to reprovision the entire Chuk Yuen Village to make way for the PTB's construction, Mrs Lam said the issue was peacefully resolved, thanks to the understanding and co-operation of the villagers. She also expressed her heartfelt gratitude to the late Chairman of the Heung Yee Kuk Lau Wong-fat for his efforts in making possible the smooth reprovisioning of the village, and thanked all the people participating in the BCP's construction for their contributions. The new BCP is the seventh land-based control point between Hong Kong and Shenzhen. Its cargo clearance facilities will operate from 7am to 10pm daily. As for the passenger facilities, relevant departments will review the situation and commission the facilities at a suitable time taking into account the epidemic situation and cross-boundary anti-epidemic measures. After the ceremony, Mrs Lam visited the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Innovation & Technology Co-operation Zone in Shenzhen, where Shenzhen Mayor Chen Rugui gave a briefing on the zones latest developments. Noting that the zone will have strong links and co-operation with the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation & Technology Park located in the Lok Ma Chau Loop, Mrs Lam stated that the Hong Kong SAR Government is moving forward with the work of the latter at full steam. She said the goal is to make the first batch of land parcels available by 2021, complete the first-stage construction of three buildings by the end of 2024 and allow tenants to move in by early 2025. Mrs Lam then inspected youth innovation and entrepreneurship projects of the Hong Kong University of Science & Technology and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao youth innovation and entrepreneur workshop, where she exchanged views with young Hong Kong entrepreneurs who started businesses there. She pointed out that the Hong Kong SAR Government is committed to promoting youth innovation and entrepreneurship in the Greater Bay Area, and that it has rolled out a new subsidy scheme under the Youth Development Fund to provide support to Hong Kong young people who are interested in starting their businesses locally and in the Mainland cities of the bay area. Mrs Lam also expressed hope they will seize the bay areas development opportunities and integrate into the nations overall development. This story has been published on: 2020-08-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. SARS-CoV-2 is thought to have originated in bats and spread to humans via a yet-to-be identified intermediate mammalian host. Almost two dozen animal species are known to be susceptible to infection, and there have been numerous reports of infected people transmitting the virus to their pet cats and dogs, to farm animals and even to lions and tigers at the Bronx Zoo. Instances of people catching SARS-CoV-2 from animals, however, are extremely rare. At least two people probably caught it from minks -- semi-aquatic, carnivorous mammals raised for their soft pelts -- in the Netherlands, where outbreaks occurred on about a dozen farms. Still, health authorities say theres no evidence that animals play a significant role in spreading the virus, and consider the risk of them doing so to be low. The 50% threshold on reservation for Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs) and Other Backward castes (OBCs) in public service and educational institutions mandated by a 1992 judgment of the Supreme Court should be re-examined, a slew of senior counsel urged the top court on Wednesday. Lawyers including Mukul Rohatgi and Kapil Sibal submitted before a 3-judge bench headed by justice L Nageswara Rao that a Constitution bench should be constituted to examine the 50% cap laid down by the 1992 judgment in Indra Sawhney v. Union of India, delivered by a bench of nine judges. The matter has to go before a 11-judge bench. 50 percent criterion was evolved through judicial decision making. 85%(people) in Maharashtra belong to backward classes, Sibal told the bench which also consisted of justices Hemant Gupta and S Ravindra Bhat. The court was hearing a plea challenging a 2018 Maharashtra law granting reservation benefits to Maratha community in educational institutions and government jobs. Sibal, who was appearing for one of the applicants Rajendra Datey Patil, also submitted that reservation in 28 states exceed the 50% threshold after the central government enabled grant of 10 percent reservation to Economically Weaker sections (EWS). He said any judgment of the Supreme Court in this regard will affect those states. So notice should be issued to all states and they should be heard, he said. The law under challenge, the Maharashtra State Reservation for Socially and Educationally Backward Classes Act (Maharashtra SEBC Act) originally provided 16% reservation to Maratha community in educational institutions and government jobs. This law was challenged before the Bombay High Court which, in June 2019, upheld the validity of the law but reduced the quota to 12 per cent in admissions to educational institutions and 13 per cent in jobs. The petitions have challenged the law on the ground that it breaches the 50% threshold. Investment has been most prominent in manufacturing, electricity, and real estate, however, the EVFTA might boost other sectors too. Photo: Le Toan The Italian Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (ICHAM) recently was forced to cancel working trips to Shanghai to consult Italian investors there on their expansion plans to Vietnam. The cancellation was just one of many among EU businesses and other foreign investors during a tumultuous 2020. In the global health crisis, Italian investors find that they should not focus their supply chains in one market, but diversify them to other markets to ease risks. And Vietnam is a target in that, ICHAM executive director Pham Hoang Hai told VIR. Italian businesses are among those in the EU bloc that want to restructure their global supply and value chains amid recent faults to ease the reliance on a single market. In this trend, Vietnam has an opportunity to further integrate, and the new EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) is expected to lend a helping hand. To this end, the Delegation of the European Union to Vietnam in association with the European Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (EuroCham) and the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) will organise a roundtable this week to discuss the EVFTA and how Vietnamese enterprises and the government can seize the opportunities to integrate further in the aftermath of COVID-19. The EVFTA and EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) have been approved at a time when the Vietnamese government has consistently reiterated the importance of promoting sustainable economic growth after the pandemic is controlled, in which promotion of foreign direct investment (FDI), links with global supply chains, digital transformation, and development of local business especially small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and startups are considered to be of great importance. The pandemic has stalled moves from EU businesses to enter or expand in Vietnam in the short term, while the crisis has both short-term and far-reaching implications for the Vietnamese economy at its core, including trade, investment, businesses, and jobs. The impact is particularly strong when it comes to Vietnams international trade and global supply chains due to the openness of the nations economy. While the pandemic continues to damage globally, some improvements in treatment, including the hopeful production of vaccines, have been seen. Thus, future preparations for a new normal are being made now in order to fully tap into the benefits. According to EuroCham, European enterprises have been growing their investment in Vietnam for some time, and this trend is set to accelerate with the EVFTA because the deal has opened up trade in services and investment, and is providing more stable conditions for current investment. European enterprises now get privileged access to new areas in sectors ranging from higher education to environmental services and from telecommunications to maritime transport. EuroCham chairman Nicolas Audier said, We anticipate that European investment will continue to rise over the course of the agreements decade-long implementation period. To support businesses recovery, EuroCham suggests the government consider a rescue package to make much-needed credit available to companies hit hard by COVID-19. They include: - 50 per cent reduction of corporate income tax incurred in the 2020 financial year for all enterprises in all impacted industries. The supporting policy should not be limited to small- and medium-sized enterprises as many large enterprises are also heavily affected; - 50 per cent reduction of personal income tax for all Vietnam tax residents for revenue incurred in the 2020 financial year; - 50 per cent VAT reduction in the 2020 financial year to stimulate demand and consumption, supporting economic and social recovery; and - 50 per cent reduction of compulsory social security contributions incurred in the 2020 financial year for all impacted subjects. Despite the issues that 2020 is throwing up, the picture of EU investment in Vietnam is moving in a positive direction. For instance, the country has recently seen a number of pharmaceutical firms from the EU make expansions amid a break in global supply chains, with Novartis and Sanofi being among the key players. It is said that pharmacy will be one of the biggest beneficiaries within the new EVFTA landscape. EuroCham now has over 1,000 members in Vietnam, with EU investors active in 18 economic sectors and in 52 out of the 63 cities and provinces in the country. Investment has thus far been most traditionally prominent in manufacturing, electricity, and real estate. In the first seven months of 2020, the Southeast Asian country welcomed over $780 million worth of EU investment. However, it remains modest compared to $6.41 billion from Singapore, $2.82 billion from South Korea, and $1.6 billion million from Japan. This picture will further brighten in the months to come if and when the pandemic is controlled. The EVFTA is also a major advantage for Vietnam over tougher regional competition in the race to attract EU investment. More of that means more advanced technology, and more quality services and products for the country as a whole. The deal will also boost bilateral trade to a new high, with Vietnamese exports to the EU forecast to rise by 42.7 per cent by 2025. The EU single market for goods consists of around half a billion consumers and 22.5 million SMEs. The deal also enables Vietnam to improve its legal framework on par with international practices, and forces domestic businesses to increase capacity and encourage them to partner with EU partners to access the international market, thus strengthening the links between Vietnamese and European companies. As expected, following the first roundtable, two similar events will be organised before the end of 2020. The opportunities are coming now. The important thing is how businesses and the government take actions to grasp them to increase the countrys integration into global value chains in the post-pandemic. Telling the uncomfortable truth about racial reconciliation and the Church's struggle to achieve it Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment In the wake of global protests over inequality and police brutality sparked by the killing of George Floyd, many American Christians and churches are now struggling to strike the right note on racial reconciliation. Some religion scholars and pastors also warn that healing cant happen without first telling the truth about the Churchs record on race. And in a field of varied experiences, competing narratives about what racial reconciliation means, warnings against political exploitation in the search for it, claims of apathy from white congregations and fearful leaders during an election year in the middle of a pandemic, telling the truth and engaging in constructive dialogue on the issue can be difficult to do. The Church across the United States probably reflects the rest of society polarized, Doug Weaver, professor of Baptist Studies and director of the J.M. Dawson Institute of Church-State Studies at Baylor University, told The Christian Post in a recent interview when asked to gauge how the Church has progressed on the issue of racial reconciliation. I have a Ph.D. student that works with me that says we really shouldnt talk about racial reconciliation; we should talk about conciliation because the hard work of conciliation never has happened. What he says is you cant really reconcile what you never had together to begin with. And I think thats a really good insight. The Church has struggled with issues of race from the very beginning of the story of the Church in the United States. While the concept of racial reconciliation is expressed in different ways in specific communities in the U.S., Racial Equity Tools explains that it includes public acknowledgement of racist events and crimes such as apartheid or violence against groups of color. The process may also examine and make public the current impact of such events, as well as their historical occurrence. Individual victims can also be allowed to tell their stories for the record as one part of a healing process while individual perpetrators may also acknowledge their complicity. Formal and serious apologies are also often part of this work where victims can choose to accept or reject that apology. The William Winters Institute for Racial Reconciliation at the University of Mississippi defines it this way: "Reconciliation involves three ideas. First, it recognizes that racism in America is both systemic and institutionalized, with far-reaching effects on both political engagement and economic opportunities for minorities. Second, reconciliation is engendered by empowering local communities through relationship-building and truth-telling. Lastly, justice is the essential component of the conciliatory process justice that is best termed as restorative rather than retributive, while still maintaining its vital punitive character." Weaver said he is aware of many Christian churches and groups that have been taking steps toward reconciliation through initiatives such as the New Baptist Covenant launched by former President Jimmy Carter in 2007, but believes these efforts have been limited in achieving effective reconciliation. Theyve developed programs with white and African American churches that may be close by and in communities but have really never done much work, Weaver said. I grew up back in the 60s and the civil rights movement Occasionally you would have churches on a Sunday, the white church and a black church would get together. And there might be a worship service and that was certainly progress but it was limited progress, he said. Looking at attempts at reconciliation in churches over the last 60 years, he said, much of it hasnt been good. If we really started integrating in the 60s, you could say over the last 60 years there hasnt been a lot of good work done. Im encouraged by some of the work thats being done by people but I also am disappointed especially when you look at certain churches today that have seemed to be so polarized politically and that bleeds over into the work of the church, especially in terms of race, Weaver said. Racial reconciliation as an issue in the church Many churches, particularly white congregations, Weaver explained, dont see racial reconciliation as an actionable priority even though they may acknowledge that it is important. This observation is supported by recent research from Barna, which shows that less than 30% of American churches are actively engaged in addressing racism or racial inequality even though most pastors agree that churches should oppose the social ills. Its not that different racial groups dont think these issues [of race] arent important. Its that theres this question of how important they think it is. If you have a hierarchy of values, which ones are most important to you, I do think thats where the Church at large can be indicted, and that race has not been at the top of the list even though it should be. Churches tolerate racial discrimination, it should never be tolerated, but history shows that, he said. Robert P. Jones, founder and CEO of the Public Religion Research Institute, argued in a recent analysis how decades of research shows that white Christians are more racist than their secular counterparts and that white Christian churches, as cultural institutions have legitimized the dominance of white supremacy. His analysis is also presented in his latest book, White Too Long: The Legacy of White Supremacy in American Christianity. A close read of history reveals that we white Christians have not just been complacent or complicit; rather, as the nation's dominant cultural power, we have constructed and sustained a project of perpetuating white supremacy that has framed the entire American story, he wrote in a recent op-ed on the book published by NBC News. The legacy of this unholy union still lives in the DNA of white Christianity today and not just among white evangelical Protestants in the South, but also among white mainline Protestants in the Midwest and white Catholics in the Northeast. He added: Consider the cultural context in which American Christianity, both Protestant and Catholic, was born. In the 18th and 19th centuries, as Protestant churches were springing up in newly settled territories after Native American populations were forcibly removed, it was common practice observed, for example, at the Baptist church that was the progenitor of my parents' church in Macon, Georgia for slaveholding whites to take enslaved people to church with them. And as late as the 1940s, urban Catholic parishes in major cities such as New York still required Black members to sit in the back pews and approach the altar last to receive the bread and wine of the Eucharist. The George Floyd effect In the wake of George Floyds tragic killing, Christian leaders of all stripes expressed outrage and it sparked a flurry of repentant acts of charitable giving and, activism and prayer meetings seeking forgiveness for racism. Floyds killing also prompted President of the Southern Baptist Convention, J.D. Greear, to endorse the black lives matter movement as a Gospel issue while denouncing the organization behind it. Greears declaration attracted much criticism from many in the ranks of the SBC who conflated his support for the issue with support for the organization that also promotes a far-left agenda along with their advocacy for racial justice. Weeks later, Pastor John Onwuchekwa, a black lead pastor of the diverse but predominantly black Cornerstone Church Atlanta, would announce that his congregation voted to leave the SBC even as the denomination highlighted data on how it was working on issues of diversity. Onwuchekwa, who declined a request for an interview from CP, publicly raised concern on social media how differently white and black church leaders see the concept of racial reconciliation. Id say the best way to enter into conversations is do your homework beforehand. One part is understanding that even the concept of racial reconciliation is often a majority culture concept aimed at reconciling the races. While reconciliation is the ultimate goal, so many people treat reconciliation as the pathway as if the solution is as simple as reconciling two people that have an argument, Onwuchekwa said. While the majority culture is often concerned with racial reconciliation, minorities (who already have a ton of reconciled majority culture relationships) are concerned with something different namely racial equality and justice. The gospel in action is needed to address these issues. And in order to understand how the gospel needs to be applied, there needs to be understanding as to what exactly is the problem. A proper diagnosis is needed, he insisted. In other words, (as stated above) before any conversation is helpful its important that both parties that come to the table are able to define the problem the same way. Reconciling perspectives on race Studies show significant gaps in the way people from different ethnic groups view racism. A 2016 Barna study showed, for example, that while 59% of black U.S. adults strongly disagreed that racism is a problem of the past, only 39% of white adults strongly disagreed. There was also confusion on whether the Church specifically contributed to that problem. While six in 10 U.S. adults somewhat or strongly disagreed, black Americans were nearly twice as likely as white Americans to view Christian churches as complicit. For scholars like the Rev. Brenda Salter McNeil, associate professor of reconciliation studies in the School of Theology at Seattle Pacific University, who says she agrees with Onwuchekwas point about engagement on the issue, Christians listening to concerns about issues of racial justice in America is long overdue and she hopes the current dialogue will result in positive change. I do think that were at a tipping point. I do think that were in the middle of what I call a catalytic event or some people call a Kairos moment. One of those kind of undeniable, life-changing moments in history where everybody regardless of how we feel about it we wont be able to not say that had an impact on us in some way shape or form, McNeil told CP. There are certain times where whether we agree or disagree, its undeniable that this is a historic, strategic time that we are living in right now. If I had to say what I make of it, I think were living in a strategic moment in history that will become a defining moment. People will ask us, where were you? What were you writing about? Theyll be saying to me, what were you preaching about, theyll be asking the church, what did you do? Why listening is important It was a mild day on Oct. 29, 2015, when McNeil publicly warned more than 1,000 Christian leaders in New York City that the Black Lives Matter movements message on racial justice should not be ignored by the church after she, along with other clergy, met with some of the organizations leaders in Washington, D.C., and they complained about the churchs hypocrisy on race. The ways we have not shown up for these young people who see us as inactive and lacking innovation. You see in every generation, there are seismic cultural shifts that wake us up to the reality that what's going on in the world around us must be paid attention to. Such is the case with the Black Lives Matter movement," McNeil said at the time during the Movement Day 2015 conference, hosted by the New York City Leadership Center at the Hilton Midtown Hotel in Manhattan. A year earlier in 2014, protests had erupted across the United States over the police killings of Michael Brown, an unarmed 18-year-old in Ferguson, Missouri, and Eric Garner, 43, who died tragically after he was placed in a chokehold by now former NYPD police officer Daniel Pantaleo. The public response to their deaths catapulted the Black Lives Matter movement to national prominence. While the lack of connection to the church among those behind the movement was troubling for many conservative Christians, McNeil suggested after meeting with the groups leaders that God was using them to speak to the issue of racial reconciliation. God's talking to these young people. And these young folks have something to say and we might not like how it's packaged, but I believe God is breaking in and saying something," she said at the time. A biblical reconciliation While McNeil agrees with Weaver that conciliation is a logical prerequisite for racial reconciliation, if the issue is being examined from a biblical perspective, she argues a higher level of reconciliation, at least conceptually, can be arrived at. If conciliation has to do with what weve done historically in this country, there has not been any conciliation, therefore you cant reconcile that. But God, I think, has called us to an ideal that is not rooted in history. Its an ideal that is rooted in the Imago Dei. Its rooted in the Kingdom of God and God at the beginning said when creation was made, declared this is good, McNeil said. We are reconciling that. We are reconciling ourselves to what weve been called to be by God and how far weve fallen from it. Thats the calling for the Church, I think, to reconcile ourselves to the call of God that all people would reach their full God-given potential. We dont do it but thats what were trying to reconcile. That for which God came, that for which God created the Church this multiethnic, multinational, multilingual group of people who represent the Kingdom. Thats the call of reconciliation. As many churches seek out practical ways to express racial reconciliation, McNeil explained that facilitating multiethnic churches managed the right way are a step in the right direction. You do need to have people from diverse backgrounds together who know each other in order to have some sense of empathy for what each other experiences. So to that degree, diversity and multiethnic churches have helped to create more senses of people having connections to one another, she said. A Mumbai tea seller Milind B. Tulsankar nabbed for threatening and trying to extort Rs.35 crore from film personality Mahesh Manjrekar. Image Source: IANS News Mumbai, Aug 27 : A Mumbai tea-seller, who attempted to extort Rs 35 crore from actor and film-maker Mahesh Manjrekar, has been arrested from Maharashtra's Ratnagiri, police said on Thursday. Deputy Commissioner of Police Akbar Pathan identified the accused as Milind B. Tulsankar, 34, living in Diva town of Thane. As per the investigations, Tulsankar had made threat calls between August 23-25 to Manjrekar, posing as a henchman of jailed mafia don Abu Salem. He demanded Rs 35 crore as extortion money to be delivered via 'hawala' and warned Manjrekar of dire consequences, if he failed to comply. Manjrekar approached the Dadar police and the case was taken over by the Anti-Extortion Cell which started the probe with three teams fanning out in Thane and Ratnagiri. Using techint, they finally managed to track down Tulsankar to Khed town in Ratnagiri, nabbed him and brought him to Mumbai. He was produced before a court which sent him to police custody till September 2. Upon interrogation, he revealed that he was inspired by videos of a mafia don's extortion style on social media, managed to get Manjrekar's number from a website and got into the act. Investigations are on to ascertain if Tulsankar had made similar calls to any other persons, said Pathan. (Photo : Getty Images) "The Hunt for Escobar's Hippos" is a new special that was featured on the Smithsonian Channel on August 26. The documentary features a Columbian veterinarian, Dr. Gina Serna, who goes on a journey to find the hippos from Pablo Escobar's illegal zoo. Dr. Serna was tasked to capture and sterilize the dangerous creatures. She is joined by big game capture expert and wildlife relocation specialist Chris Hobkirk from South Africa. Before the drug lord's death in 1993, Pablo Escobar was notorious for running one of the largest drug cartels in the United States but monopolizing the cocaine trade. However, drugs were not the only thing Escobar illegally moved between borders. During the 1970s, he acquired a large, 8-square mile estate in Colombia, the Hacienda Napoles, where he developed his personal theme park and zoo, which Escobar left open to the public. He had illegally imported various types of animals from all over the world, including exotic birds, elephants, and hippopotamuses, which are native to Africa. Hippo Population After authorities shot Escobar, most of his zoo animals were captured and sent off to zoos, all except his four hippos. With the hippos left behind, they began to breed and had reached over 80 hippos today. With no authorities to control the hippo population, the invasive species roam freely and disturb nearby villages. In 2007, locals from Antioquia called the Ministry of Environment to report a creature they have never encountered before. Carlos Valderrama from the charity Webonserva said that the fishermen "found a creature in a river that they had never seen before, with small ears and a really big mouth." All the hippos they encountered were traced back to Hacienda Napoles. Experts believe that the Colombian hippo population needs to be controlled, yet it is illegal to cull them in Colombia, where the people have grown to love them. Some have even captured younger hippos and kept them as pets. However, adult hippos are an aggressive species. Valderrama said, "They are not a tame animal. The risk for local populations to just leave them to browse around will be huge." CHECK THIS OUT: Watch A Man Casually Brushes the Teeth of the Deadliest Large Land Mammal on Earth Disrupting the Ecosystem The hippos are also disrupting the ecosystem by moving nutrients from the land and into the water, unlike previous grazing animals that did the opposite. Their massive amounts of poop are also a problem, which would have been beneficial if they had been in Africa's dry climate where nutrients moving into water is an advantage. In Colombia, where the climate is much more tropical, the hippo's large amounts of poop are changing the biology of the Magdalena river and other bodies of water. Scientists have found high levels of cyanobacteria in the waters, which could lead to algal blooms. Excessive amounts of algae release toxins in the water, which can affect other marine creatures. Fishers may capture fish that contain these toxins and bring them into markets. READ: Zoos Forced Shut Down Due to Pandemic May Have to Euthanize Animals Check out more news and information on Animals on Science Times. H urricane Laura has forced thousands to flee their homes after battering the United States' Gulf Coast with ferocious wind and torrential rain. Hundreds of thousands of people were ordered to evacuate ahead of the hurricane, but not everyone fled from the area, which was devastated by Hurricane Rita in 2005. The hurricane caused severe damage to a tall building in Lake Charles, Louisiana, blowing out windows as glass and debris flew to the ground. Police spotted a floating casino that came unmoored and hit a bridge. However, hours after the hurricane made landfall, the wind and rain were still blowing too hard for authorities to check for survivors. It was too windy to check for survivors / Getty Images "There are some people still in town, and people are calling ... but there ain't no way to get to them," said Tony Guillory, president of the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury. Mr Guillory said he hoped the stranded people could be rescued later in the day, but he feared that blocked roads, downed power lines and floodwaters could get in the way. "We know anyone that stayed that close to the coast, we've got to pray for them, because looking at the storm surge, there would be little chance of survival," Louisiana Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser told ABC's Good Morning America. With nearly 470,000 homes and businesses without power in the two states, near-constant lightning provided the only light for some. A man rests in front of his house after the passing of Hurricane Laura in Lake Charles, Louisiana / AFP via Getty Images The National Hurricane Centre said Laura slammed the coast with winds of 150 mph (241 kph) at 1 a.m. Central Daylight Time near Cameron, a 400-person community about 30 miles (48 kilometres) east of the Texas border. Forecasters had warned that the storm surge would be "unsurvivable" and the damage "catastrophic." Hours after it arrived, Laura remained a Category 2 hurricane, with sustained winds of 100 mph (160 kph). I ts centre was moving north, about 20 miles (30 kilometres) north of Fort Polk, Louisiana. Damaging winds extended outward as far as 175 miles (280 kilometres). Hurricane Laura (2020) - In pictures 1 /61 Hurricane Laura (2020) - In pictures Buildings and homes are flooded in the aftermath of Hurricane Laura near Lake Charles AP Homes lie destroyed and immersed in water in the aftermath of Hurricane Laura near Hackberry, Louisiana, REUTERS Destroyed planes lie damaged around a Southland Field hanger in the aftermath of Hurricane Laura in Sulphur, Louisiana REUTERS Plumes of smoke rise into the sky from a chemical plant fire in a damaged area after Hurricane Laura passed through Lake Charles, Louisiana REUTERS This drone photo shows the roof blown off of an AutoZone store along Nelson Road in the aftermath of Hurricane Laura in Lake Charles AP People drive their car through a flooded street after Hurricane Laura passed through Lake Charles, Louisiana REUTERS Donnie Rogers sits at the entrance to his house after Hurricane Laura passed through Lake Charles, Louisiana REUTERS Satellite imagery showing damaged buildings along W McNeese Street after Hurricane Laura hit Lake Charles, Louisiana via REUTERS A couple, Lonnie Gatte and Teri Goleman, kisses after returning to their residence, a 40 foot camping trailer, to find it completely destroyed in the aftermath of Hurricane Laura in Sulphur, Louisiana REUTERS Martin Almanza paddles a canoe through some street flooding following landfall of Hurricane Laura AP Michael and Darlene Taylor sort through a freezer damaged by Hurricane Laura in Grand Lake, Louisiana Getty Images This aerial view shows homes damaged by Hurricane Laura in Grand Lake, Louisiana AFP via Getty Images Elaine Rayburn sorts through her belongings at her home AP Southland Field airport is seen in the aftermath of Hurricane Laura in Sulphur, Louisian REUTERS A journalist examines damage left in the wake of Hurricane Laura in Holly Beach AP Lake Charles Firefighters cut fallen utility lines following Hurricane Laura in Lake Charles, AP Lakewood Church staff member Gladis Guerra aided in collecting items for East Texas & Louisiana residents who were affected by Hurricane Laura AP Utility employees work on downed power lines after Hurricane Laura passed through the area in Lake Charles, Louisiana Getty Images A man walks his bike past structures damaged by Hurricane Laura in Lake Charles AP A Home is damaged after Hurricane Laura went through the area near Lake Charles AP A couple react as they go through their destroyed mobile home following the passing of hurricane Laura in Lake Charles, Louisian AFP via Getty Images An aerial view from a drone shows a damaged hotel after Hurricane Laura passed through the area in Lake Charles, Louisian Getty Images People walk past a destroyed building after the passing of Hurricane Laura in Lake Charles AFP via Getty Images A helicopter surveys the damage left in the wake of Hurricane Laura AP The damage left in the wake of Hurricane Laura AP Business owners in Texas board up their store, with Hurricane Laura just hours away AP A car near Vermilion Bay is seen partially submerged in waters brought by Hurricane Laura approaching Abbeville, Louisiana REUTERS Vincent Turner, 6, holds his eight-month-old sister Faith while playing in the front yard of their home ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Laura in Beaumont, Texas REUTERS Evacuees in Louisiana wait to board a bus as they are evacuated before the arrival of Hurricane Laura Getty Images Trung Nguyen boards up his brother's convenience store Food Etc in Abbeville, Louisiana REUTERS A single truck is parked in an open lot as heavy rains from hurricane Laura fall in Lake Charles, Louisiana AFP via Getty Images Structures near Vermilion Bay are seen in waters brought by Hurricane Laura as it approaches Abbeville, Louisiana, REUTERS Storm clouds gather as Hurricane Laura approaches the Gulf Coast in Galveston, Texas. Getty Images This RAMMB/NOAA satellite image shows Hurricane Laura moving Northwestern in the Gulf of Mexico towards Louisiana AFP via Getty Imahes Members of the Louisiana National guard stage near a high school before the arrival of hurricane Laura in Lake Charles AFP via Getty Images Tyler Arnold and Mike Buller work on placing plywood over the windows of their business before the arrival of Hurricane Laura in Lake Charles Getty Images People prepare to board a bus for evacuation before the arrival of hurricane Laura in Lake Charles AFP via Getty Images A car drives under an ominous rain cloud from tropical storm Marco as locals prepare for the arrival of hurricane Laura near Lake Charles, Louisiana AFP via Getty Images Lacey Buller, Tyler Arnold and Mike Buller work on placing plywood over the windows of their business before the arrival of Hurricane Laura Getty Images John Prekosovich, left, and Joel Canales load a portable generator into A customer's vehicle at a Home Depot store as residents prepare for the possible landfall of Hurricane Laura in Houston AP Gigi Hlavink purchases gas cans and other supplies at a Home Depot store while preparing for the possible landfall of Hurricane Laura on Tuesday 2020 in Houston. AP A cat from the Galveston Island Humane Society, is loaded onto Wings of Rescue with the help of Houston's SPCA for a flight to Dallas/Fort Worth as Hurricane Laura threatens the Texas coast AP Municipal workers fill sandbags for the elderly and those with disabilities ahead of Hurricane Laura in Crowley AP John Ray boards up his house in Pirates Beach on the West End of Galveston with help from his friend Bryan Everett as Hurricane Laura tracks toward the upper Texas coast AP Jarred West, Gavin Daigle and Elvis Thompson remove an ice machine from outside of a store as they evacuate before the possible arrival of Hurricane Laura Getty Images @Astro_SEAL More than 580,000 coastal residents were ordered to join the largest evacuation since the coronavirus pandemic began and many did, filling hotels and sleeping in cars since officials did not want to open large shelters that could invite more spread of Covid-19. Laura hit the U.S. after killing nearly two dozen people on the island of Hispaniola, including 20 in Haiti and three in the Dominican Republic, where it knocked out power and caused intense flooding. Loading.... It was the seventh named storm to strike the U.S. this year, setting a new record for U.S. landfalls by the end of August. The old record was six in 1886 and 1916, according to Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach. With additional reporting by Associated Press. Thiago Silva has bid an emotional goodbye to PSG fans ahead of an expected move to Chelsea - and Blues legend John Terry was unable to contain his delight about the prospect of the Brazilian joining. The Brazilian is set to leave leave Paris after eight seasons with the French giants, stating that he had played his final game for the club in the Champions League final defeat to Bayern Munich on Sunday. The 35-year-old will undergo a medical with Chelsea on Thursday and he has paid tribute to PSG fans in a farewell message - but Terry appeared to react to the post with jubilation as he replied with two emojis of a pair of eyes and a blue heart. Thiago Silva bid an emotional farewell to PSG fans ahead of his expected move to Chelsea Chelsea legend John Terry appeared to be delighted by Silva hinting at a move to the Blues Thiago Silva says his goodbyes to PSG fans and John Terry is hardly hiding his glee ahead of seeing the Brazilian join Chelsea tomorrow... #CFC pic.twitter.com/rQQeSWD3j4 Nizaar Kinsella (@NizaarKinsella) August 26, 2020 Silva wrote: '"The value of things is not in the time they last, but in the intensity with which they occur. For this reason, there are unforgettable moments, inexplicable things and incomparable people".' (Fernando Pessoa). 'Today a cycle ends, after eight years in the @PSG team, I would like to thank my team-mates, all the technical team and the management, the fans, my family, God and my friends, for all these happy moments that we lived in the City of Light. 'Here, with my wife @bellesilva, we have lived unforgettable moments, our children have grown up, we have become French citizens, and we will forever carry these years lived and France in our hearts. Thank you so much.' He told supporters he would always cherish the 'unforgettable moments' from his time at PSG But some fans spotted Terry's reply to the post, with the Aston Villa assistant manager clearly excited by the prospect of the centre back lining up under Frank Lampard next season. Terry was a stalwart in the same position at Stamford Bridge having spent nearly his entire career in west London - playing 717 times and winning five Premier League trophies. Silva is believed to be seeking a new chapter despite his manager Thomas Tuchel reportedly desperate to keep him at the club. The Brazilian is thought to have fallen out with sporting director Leonardo and is determined to quit the Parc des Princes. The Brazilian is expected to become Frank Lampard's fourth signing during a busy summer He is set to become Chelsea's fourth arrival of the summer already after the club confirmed Leicester left back Ben Chilwell on a 50million five year deal on Wednesday. Lampard's side are showing real intent as possible title challengers next season having signed German forward Timo Werner from Leipzig and midfielder Hakim Ziyech from Ajax. The manager is reportedly willing to make Silva captain if his move goes through as he offers years of top level experience and a winning mentality with PSG having scooped seven domestic titles. Incredibly, the 5.4 billion-pound loss wasnt even the most troubling number in Rolls-Royces financial statement. Its balance sheet liabilities now exceed its assets by 8 billion pounds. This partly reflects big swings in the value of currency derivatives, rather than the underlying health of the business. Nevertheless, the massive net liabilities are by far the largest of any European company, according to Bloomberg data. Its a terrible look for a company that spends years developing new engines, and then makes most of its money from long-term service agreements. Customers need to be confident that it will be around to meet those maintenance obligations. Pelosi Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., speaks during a news conference at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2020. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) WASHINGTON (AP) House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows resumed talks Thursday over a stalled COVID-19 aid package, but the outlook for any swift resolution appeared bleak as President Donald Trump's team and congressional Democrats have been unable to agree on a compromise. Pelosi said she told Meadows the Democrats would be willing to meet halfway at $2.2 trillion a slight reduction from her last proposal before talks collapsed earlier this month. The White House, which has stuck with its initial $1 trillion offer, had no immediate response. We have said again and again that were willing to meet them in the middle $2.2 trillion. When theyre willing to do that, well be willing to discuss the particulars, Pelosi told reporters at the Capitol. Their 25-minute afternoon call was the first attempt to kick-start negotiations since talks fell apart. The stalemate comes as jobless claims hit 1 million Thursday and households are struggling, with the mounting virus toll now above 180,000 deaths, higher than any other country. House Democrats' opening bid was the $3 trillion-plus Heroes Act, a sweeping aid package approved in May. It proposed money for cash-strapped states, housing and jobless assistance, to help schools reopen and to conduct more widespread virus testing. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who hit pause on that package of new spending, eventually came up with a $1 trillion counter-offer a few weeks ago. But he acknowledged Thursday that talks are in a stalemate. McConnell, R-Ky. said he remained hopeful for a deal. We need another one, the country needs another one, he said during a visit to a hospital in Pikeville, Kentucky. Congress is on recess until September and it appears unlikely lawmakers will be recalled to Washington unless there is a deal ready for voting. Talks are nowhere near resolution and in fact broadening to include Postal Service funds before the November election. Also, a need for new disaster aid is expected with the Gulf state hurricanes and California wildfires. Story continues Any relief package could become rolled into talks over a must-pass package to keep the government funded after the Sept. 30 budget year deadline. McConnell floated a skinny proposal last week, trying to move talks toward a more narrow band of priorities that most Democrats and Republicans agree on, including help for small business and some type of a jobless benefits boost to replace the $600 weekly boost that expired in July. There is also widespread support for at least $105 billion for education to help schools prepare for fall classes, and McConnell also suggested $10 billion for the Postal Service, which is less than the $25 billion mail rescue Pelosi and Democrats approved Saturday during widespread postal disruptions. One key sticking point involves sending federal dollars to cash-strapped state and local governments. Democrats initially sought $1 trillion to help cities and states weather the coronavirus crisis, but Trump, McConnell and other Republicans refuse to provide what they call bailouts for states. Pelosi said shes willing to continue negotiating but only if Trump and Republicans meet her half way. She had earlier shaved $1 trillion off the Heroes Act, to $2.4 trillion, in the first round of talks. We're not going to budge, the California Democrat said. We can't go any less because we have to meet the needs of the American people, she said. When they are willing to do that, theyll let us know. Meadows, a former congressman who headed the conservative Freedom Caucus, and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin have been briefing Republican senators almost daily. But those familiar with the private conference calls say there has been little new information about any new deal. Yet McConnell faces his own difficulties because many, if not most, GOP senators appear satisfied, for now, that there remains enough existing aid available and new money is not needed. The split in his ranks gives Pelosi an upper hand in talks because she has been able to bring most of her Democrats on board with her proposals. The Management of the GNPC Foundation on Wednesday,August 26, 2020 visited the chief an elders of the only village of stilts in Ghana Nzulezo in the Western Region. The Foundation visited the village where they engaged the community leaders and assessed of a number of needs submitted to the Foundation. The GNPC Foundation corporate social responsibility umbrella of GNPC has since its establishment being supporting communities with edifices to improve the standard of living. Speaking to the management of the Foundation , the Chief of Nzulezo, Nana Takrika VII, said his community, though popular for its quality as a tourist site, struggle with basic amenities such as sanitary facilities, a health post and classroom infrastructure for their childrens education. He however expressed his excitement over the Foundations visit and confidence that the engagement would yield tangible outcome as the Foundations reputation precedes it for all the good works its undertaking across the country. Sometimes, it feels as though we (the community) are as far from the thoughts of many, when development is concerned, as we are from land but I have faith in your teams visit, he added. The Executive Director, Dr. Dominic Eduah, who led the team from the Foundation said GNPCs commitment is to all Ghanaians and thus will continue to engage with various communities on ways to contributing to alleviating the conditions of people who need it the most. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video KHARTOUM: Flood waters in Sudan have reached the highest levels on record, killing dozens of people, destroying thousands of homes and encroaching on some neighbourhoods of the capital Khartoum. The flooding comes despite Ethiopia starting to fill the reservoir behind a giant new dam upstream on the Blue Nile in July. The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) is expected to help Sudan control future floods. Flooding regularly hits Sudan in summer, but this years unprecedented water levels have left larger tracts of farmland submerged and residents around Khartoum are looking anxiously outside their homes for fear of the rising waters. Flood waters have spilled over into major roads in Khartoum for the first time in living memory. The waters of the Nile flooded our house at midnight yesterday," said Ahmed Bastawy, a resident of Khartoums twin city of Omdurman, who stayed up all night trying to protect his house only to see some of its mud brick walls collapse. We have never seen flooding like this. Authorities provided us with soil and sacks, but we failed to block the waters and the houses were destroyed." The average level of the Blue Nile has reached 17.43 metres, the highest since the country started measuring in 1912, Irrigation Minister Yasser Abbas said on Thursday. Blue Nile waters would continue to rise in the coming days, said Abdelrahman Sughairun, head of the ministrys flood committee. As of Tuesday the floods had left 86 people dead, destroyed more than 18,000 homes and damaged a further 32,000, according to the interior ministry. The reservoir behind the GERD is expected to be gradually filled over the next few years as the dam begins to operate, though Ethiopia is yet to agree on its operating terms with downstream countries Sudan and Egypt. After the filling of the Renaissance Dam its expected that floods wont happen," Abbas said. (Writing by Aidan Lewis and Mahmoud Mourad; Editing by Mike Collett-White) 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 Three people have been arrested in an operation targeting Lithuanian organised crime gangs. The PSNI carried out five searches in Belfast on Wednesday as part of a joint operation with judicial authorities and police in Lithuania and the Republic of Ireland. Two men, aged 40 and 44, and a 39-year old woman were arrested. The 40-year-old man and the woman were held under the Misuse of Drugs Act. The woman was also arrested on suspicion of being involved in human trafficking. The 44-year-old man was detained via a European Arrest Warrant. Weve carried out five searches in Belfast and made three arrests as part of a joint operation with police in Lithuania and the Republic of Ireland:https://t.co/wQd6wb9awG Police Service NI (@PoliceServiceNI) August 27, 2020 The PSNI described the operation as set up specifically to disrupt and dismantle Lithuanian organised crime groups who are working in Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland and Lithuania. A spokesman said the group targeted is believed to be responsible for trafficking large quantities of heroin into Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. It is also believed that one of the members of this group, who is from Lithuania, is responsible for recruiting and trafficking people from Lithuania for drug trafficking and money laundering in Northern Ireland, he said. The arrests and the seizure of cash and drugs-related paraphernalia would not have been possible without the close collaborative working of all the agencies involved. Since 2014 the Police Service of Northern Ireland have arrested 54 persons with links to the targeted Lithuanian crime group. These people have been taken before the courts for drugs offences related to heroin. The spokesman added that, in 2018, a joint investigation team (JIT) was set up between the Lithuanian authorities and the Police Service of Northern Ireland, with financial and analytical support from Eurojust. This was a highly complex operation which has proven that taking a collaborative approach can definitely bring about very positive outcomes PSNI Authorities in the Republic of Ireland also joined the JIT during this investigation. This was a highly complex operation which has proven that taking a collaborative approach can definitely bring about very positive outcomes, he said. We all know that serious and organised crime groups pose a significant risk of harm to the people of Northern Ireland. They are responsible for bringing in drugs and they deal in fear and exploitation which can bring misery to many. Heroin is a highly addictive drug and people who use it frequently can become tolerant to it. The user then needs to take higher and higher doses to get the desired effect they once got with a smaller quantity of the drug. Needing higher doses of heroin to satisfy their addiction, the person becomes more dependent on the supplier of this deadly drug supplying it to them. The PSNI is determined to try and eradicate all harm caused to our communities and that is why our involvement in this joint operation is a priority. The Victorian Labor government today announced another 23 deaths stemming from coronavirus infections, with the rate of fatalities showing no signs of slowing. The death toll in the state now stands at 485. Some 465 of those losses have occurred since the resurgence of COVID-19 began in July, after governments prematurely lifted lockdown measures as part of a reckless back to work campaign. With over 1,400 active infections among aged care residents, who are in a particularly vulnerable cohort, along with staff, the high daily fatality figures are likely to continue for weeks more. There are currently around 578 people in hospital with confirmed cases of COVID-19, the majority of them in Melbourne, which remains the epicentre of the outbreak. Some 39 are in intensive care, indicating the development of severe respiratory symptoms. The tragic deaths, which continue to be downplayed by the political and media establishment whose pro-business policies have resulted in the health disaster, come as new information emerges demonstrating the extent of official culpability. Since the pandemic began, at least 2,799 Victorian healthcare workers have been struck by the virus. According to official figures, there are currently 434 active cases among doctors, nurses and allied staff, down from more than a thousand a little over a fortnight ago. A nurse examining a patient at Royal Melbourne Hospital. Credit: Four Corners (Screenshot) For weeks, the Victorian Labor government asserted that the vast majority of infected healthcare staff had contracted the virus outside of work. Health Minister Jenny Mikakos repeatedly insisted that there was evidence indicating that only 10 to 15 percent of infected health workers had been exposed to COVID-19 in hospitals and other medical settings. The claim appeared to defy common sense and logic. Health workers have been infected at well over double the rate of the general population during the second wave of the virus. No attempt was made by the government to explain why they were so much more likely to contract COVID-19 at home and in the community than everybody else. Moreover, despite the opacity of government information, it has long been clear that numerous clusters have emerged at hospitals and other medical facilities. The government assertions seemed to suggest that large numbers of health staff, working in the same facilities where COVID-19 patients were present, coincidentally contracted the virus elsewhere, all at the same time. On the weekend of August 1516, Victorias Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton acknowledged what every informed observer had already surmised, namely that the majority of health worker infections had originated in hospitals and medical practices. He placed the figure at 5060 percent of such infections stemming from work. Suspicions that even these numbers were an understatement were confirmed this week, with the release on Tuesday of a state government review into health worker infections. It found that overall, between 70 and 80 percent of cases that could be traced stemmed from the workplace. Among aged and disability carers the figure was 84 percent, and for nurses it was 90 percent. Interviewed on the Australian Broadcasting Corporations News Breakfast radio program, Dr Omar Khorshid, president of the Australian Medical Association(AMA), said that the statistics were no surprise. Khorshid noted: The sheer numbers of healthcare workers getting infected being three, four, five, six times as likely as any other Victorian suggested to us that it had to be being contracted in the workplace. The medical expert denounced the head-in-the-sand approach by the Victorian Government which wasnt helpful and didnt add any urgency to the need to actually change what was going on in the various aged care centres and hospitals to stop health care workers getting infected. The government claims that nurses and doctors were safe at work were directed against growing protests from medical staff over the grossly-inadequate provision of personal protective equipment (PPE). In response to numerous warnings over the past two months that there was not enough high-grade PPE, Health Minister Mikakos repeatedly declared that stocks were more than sufficient. In reality, doctors and nurses in many public facilities, have been denied access to N95 masks, which are most effective in preventing infection, or have been provided with devices that do not fit. Responding to a Victorian government announcement that it would trial fit-testing of N95 masks, the AMA stated: This trial is unnecessaryfit testing is a requirement for all people who wear N95s, whether they work in hospitals, aged care homes, or disability services. The Victorian Government is still not taking this issue seriously, despite more than 2,500 infections. Will it take the deaths of healthcare workers to convince them? Another cohort of the working class that has been on the COVID-19 frontlines has come under renewed attack from the Victorian government, with its Education Minister James Merlino this week announcing plans to force educators and students back into classrooms for Term Four. Merlinos blithe declaration that he was confident classes could resume as early as October, signals that the government is pursuing the same policies that led to a spate of school outbreaks last month. After classroom teaching was mandated by the government, with the assistance of the education unions, more than 100 schools were forced to shut within the space of a month because COVID-19 cases were detected among their pupils and staff. The school announcement is a warning of broader plans to lift restrictions in Victoria. Throughout the pandemic, school reopenings have served as a spearhead to bludgeon broader sections of the working class. The latest moves follow a sharp reduction in daily case numbers in Victoria, which have fallen to fewer than 200 this week, down from a high of 725 infections on August 5. The apparent fall in transmission appears to be the product of the Stage Four restrictions that were implemented when case numbers reached record levels. This has included the closure of schools, along with most retail in Melbourne and limited broader workplace closures. This is itself an indictment of the Victorian Labor government. For weeks, after infections began to rapidly grow in early July, it rejected calls from medical experts for immediate workplace and school shutdowns, because of the impact that these would have had on big business. If the Stage Four measures had been implemented earlier, an untold number of workers would have been spared infection, and fewer deaths would have occurred. The extent to which community transmission has fallen, however, remains unclear. During the height of the wave, the vast majority of new cases were classified as being of unknown origin, indicating that COVID-19 was circulating far more widely than was captured in the official figures. Over the past month, testing rates have fallen sharply. The experiences of the past eight weeks, moreover, demonstrate that if all workplace and school activities are resumed under conditions of ongoing community transmission, further outbreaks are all but inevitable. In a tacit acknowledgement that the surge in Victoria will have long lasting consequences, Labor Premier Daniel Andrews this week stated that he would seek to extend a state of emergency for an additional twelve months. This was immediately condemned by civil liberties organisations, who warned that it raised the prospect of substantially boosted police and state powers being made virtually permanent. Andrews plan would have created a situation where expanded provisions for such things as warrantless police searches and restrictions on movement, introduced on the grounds of combating the pandemic, would have persisted even after the government had lifted other COVID-19 restrictions. The announcement also came under fire from sections of the political and media establishment. Their concern was not for the democratic rights of the population, but that a twelve-month state of emergency could undermine their claims that it is necessary for lockdown measures to be lifted in the interests of corporate profit. It appears that Andrews has worked out a compromise with cross-bench members of the Victorian parliament for a six month state of emergency. COLUMBIA University of South Carolina President Bob Caslen has asked his staff to consider closing the state's largest college after COVID-19 cases doubled in a day. Caslen stressed during a town hall meeting Thursday that he is not ready to shut down the campus after starting the semester with a combination of in-person and online classes, and a USC epidemiologist said the school's case totals were within what was forecast. But a shock came Thursday when USC reported 191 new coronavirus cases in a single day, bringing the total to 380 during the first week of classes. Almost all of those infected are students. "We cannot sustain (191) new cases a day," Caslen told faculty and staff. "I've asked (Chief of Staff) Mark Bieger and the staff to develop shutdown options. And I certainly will pull the plug if I have to." Caslen said many of the positive cases are coming out of the 20 fraternity and sorority houses in the Greek Village. USC has now quarantined five houses in its Greek Village after three houses received new restrictions Thursday. The school will likely quarantine more of the houses by the end of the week, Caslen said. Four Greek organizations have been suspended for hosting large parties, USC spokesman Jeff Stensland said. An undisclosed number of students also have been disciplined for hosting parties and breaking quarantine. The outbreak in the Greek Village came after virtual sorority recruitment ended. USC still plans to have in-person fraternity recruitment starting Labor Day week with safety protocols in place. A fraternity open house will be held at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center to allow for social distancing, said Anna Edwards, associate vice president for student life. USC has sent letters to students and families in the past week with stern warnings on how holding parties and breaking quarantine can lead to suspension and expulsion. One letter cited a "number of alarming incidents" that led to cases of alcohol poisoning. USC expected coronavirus cases to rise when more than 30,000 students returned to campus for classes. USC is the only major S.C. public college that started the fall semester with some in-person classes. The school required students to have negative tests at least 14 days before they returned and launched a public-awareness campaign to encourage safe behavior, such as social distancing and mask wearing. But USC was not able to catch all the infected students before they arrived, Caslen said. And after they arrived, many attended large parties, evidence of which dotted social media over the weekend. "Was it predictable? Yes. Is is acceptable? Absolutely not," Caslen said. "We had appealed to students to do the right thing, although we knew realistically what we could expect." USC is using a dashboard with 11 criteria including testing, supplies and quarantine bed availability to decide whether to close campus. Caslen said he is concerned about the impact on Columbia if he moves all classes to online because 80 percent of students live off campus. Most students will remain and will continue their same activities, including holding parties. They also will need to use health facilities around the city. Caslen wants to make sure USC can help the students who remain in town. "This is not necessarily a problem that I am prepared to dump into the city of Columbia," he said. "This is a problem that is ours." The spike in positive cases sent hundreds of students to get tested. Videos posted by several media outlets Thursday showed a long line to get the school's new saliva test. Some students said they waited for hours outside before getting a test. USC closed the Columbia campus for the spring semester in March after the coronavirus outbreak started. HOLLY HILL, Fla., Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Florida tree removal specialists, SB Tree Service, are joining the fight to help Texas and Louisiana after Hurricane Laura. On Thursday morning, the agency's entire team of tree professionals hit the road, driving straight into Lake Charles to help with storm mitigation and tree removal. This was right on the tail of a hurricane predicted to leave "catastrophic" damage. SB Tree Services arrived in Lake Charles to provide hurricane tree removal services to homes and offices affected by Hurricane Laura. Hurricane Laura, a massive Category 4 hurricane, hit the Texas Gulf Coast at 1 a.m. on Thursday morning. City officials warned more than 580,000 coastal residents to evacuate their homes ahead of the storm, which was still a Category 2, with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph, a few hours after it landed. And the center of where that storm hit? Lake Charles. SB Tree Service manager Angel Vanburger commented: "We're going to where it hit the hardest because we want to help. This is a rapid-response tree service for the homes and businesses that need it the most." SB Tree Service is a full-spectrum tree management agency, with a selection of maintenance services, from trimming and tree removal to storm debris work for residential and commercial properties. Usually, this work takes place in Volusia County, FL but, as recently as 2018, the company was in North Carolina and Panama City, helping with Hurricane Florence and Michael, respectively. "We'll be responding to reports of storms and hurricane damage, maybe moving North as things develop," said Vanburger. "We're encouraging homes and businesses where trees have been damaged, brought down, are hanging onto power lines, or otherwise need servicing to reach out to us as soon as possible." Licensed and insured for liability and worker's comp, the SB Tree Service team is ready to help with tree service and removal projects of any size. For a consultation in the Gulf Coast area or any of the other cities currently being affected by Hurricane Laura, you can get in touch with them at (386) 275-3923. "Lastly, we'd like to say we're sending our thoughts and prayers to the people of Louisiana and Texas. Stay safe out there and let's get through this, together." About SB Tree Service SB Tree Service provides professional tree maintenance services, including tree trimming, hurricane mitigation, damage control, storm cleanup, land clearing, debris removal, stump grinding, and tree removal. With years of industry experience, a professional team, and comprehensive hurricane tree removal services, they are ready, no matter the size of the job. Related Images hurricane-tree-removal-services.jpg Hurricane Tree Removal Services SB Tree Services arrived in Lake Charles to provide hurricane tree removal services to homes and offices affected by Hurricane Laura. Related Links Ormond Beach Tree Removal Port Orange Tree Removal SOURCE SB Tree Service Related Links https://sbtreeservice.com The first Israel-UAE commercial flight will take Monday, July 31, carrying Israeli and American delegations to the Gulf country in strong sign of progress in implementing the peace agreement between the two countries. Announced by US officials, the flight according to Times of Israel, will likely be operated by El Al airliner, Israels national carrier. The route of the flight has not been revealed. It is unclear if it will through the Saudi air space. The US delegation will be headed by US President Donald Trumps senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner and National Security Adviser Robert OBrien while the Israeli team will be led by National Security Adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat. The Israeli-US team will discuss with the UAE officials in capital Abu Dhabi ways to promote collaborations in fields including aviation, tourism, trade, finance, health, energy and defense, Times of Israel notes, citing the office of the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. UAE and Israel on August 13 announced the historical agreement expected to contribute a great deal to the development of both countries. It will spur growth. It will help bring general economic growth, especially during the coronavirus era. I hope that other countries in our region will join the circle of peace. Saudi Arabia welcomed the agreement but reiterated that thawing ties with Israel hinges on the creation of the Palestinian state. The source of COVID-19 messaging plays a role in how effective it is, researchers have found The COVID-19 pandemic has dominated the news cycle for the better part of 2020. As guidelines are continually updated to reflect changes in our understanding of how the virus spreads, it is critical people receive accurate, credible information that encourages prevention. Understanding the factors that influence these messages' effectiveness is crucial. A group of researchers published a paper in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine reporting their findings from a study funded by the Institute for Collaboration on Health, Intervention and Policy (InCHIP) at the University of Connecticut on how the source of a COVID-19 prevention message affects its perceived effectiveness. This multi-institution project brought together the varied expertise of UConn Health's Howard Tennen, a professor of public health sciences in the School of Medicine, Marcella Boynton '05 (MA) '09 (PhD), an assistant professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Joseph Lee, an associate professor from East Carolina University, and Ross O'Hara, a former UConn Health postdoctoral fellow and independent researcher from Michigan. The team conducted an experiment with a diverse group of nearly 1,000 American adults to test the effectiveness of different messages encouraging coronavirus safety measures such as wearing a mask or social distancing. Messages systematically varied in several ways, including who was attributed as the source of the message. Participants were told messages came from President Donald Trump, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Trump and the CDC, a local or state health agency, or no source. The team found when Trump's name was associated with the message, the effectiveness of those messages decreased, not just compared to other sources, but even when there was no source at all. "Asking the public to restrict their behavior and social ties in such a big way is a difficult sell," Tennen says. "For these prevention messages to be believed, they have to come from a trusted source. We are in uncharted waters when it comes to effectively persuading people to wear masks and socially distance, and that's why we thought conducting this study was so important." After receiving a postcard encouraging citizens to engage in social distancing and other prevention behaviors with Trump's name prominently featured, Boynton wondered whether this unusual messaging strategy was more effective compared to the traditional approach of citing a public health agency or organization as the message source. Interestingly, the researchers found even participants who said they trust Trump did not find messages from him more effective compared to other message sources. However, those who said they do not trust the president found the messages significantly less effective when associated with Trump. "Linking President Trump to prevention messages seems to work to the detriment of what those messages were trying to do," Boynton, who remains affiliated with InCHIP, says. Boynton has a background in health behavior research and, with funding from the National Cancer Institute and Food and Drug Administration, had previously studied how to effectively communicate the health risks of tobacco use. She thought the current public health crisis called for the same kind of research methods to identify the best way to get credible, evidence-based prevention messages to the public. These findings are important as various agencies and news outlets are trying to determine the best strategies to ensure these health messages are as effective as possible. "A lot of the current prevention messaging efforts are just people's best guesses at what might work," Boynton says. The team hopes to complete a follow up study examining how these types of messages affect people's engagement in prevention behaviors such as wearing a mask. "I think behavioral science has a lot to contribute to stopping COVID-19, but so far, its potential has been underrealized and underutilized," Boynton says. "Until we have better treatments or a vaccine, a big part of stopping the spread of this disease is going to be about changing behavior." ### SPRINGFIELD When Julia Calderon, 17, walked through the doors of Pope Francis Preparatory School on Thursday, it was a strange yet familiar feeling. I was excited to see my friends, classmates and teachers for the first time since March, said Calderon, a senior. I was excited to bring home my ceramics projects that had been left behind, gathering dust. I was even excited to put on my uniform again. All schools in Massachusetts closed in mid-March, switching to remote learning, due to the coronavirus pandemic. As the new school year approaches, public schools have delayed their starts and will proceed with either remote learning or limited in-person instruction. But the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield announced this summer it would reopen all of its private schools for in-person learning. Pope Francis, which operates independently from the diocese, had orientation Tuesday and Wednesday and its first day of classes Thursday. While some parents and teachers have expressed concerns, Head of School Paul Harrington said there are safety precautions in place to create a safe learning environment for teachers and students. Of our 370 students, we have about 90% of our student body in-person and the remaining 10% remote, he said. We are thrilled to be in a position to reopen safely for in-person learning while also providing a full remote livestream for students and families not yet ready to return to campus. The school is handling the remote classes in-house so there is no additional charge for students. Harrington said communication has been key in ensuring that parents felt safe sending their children back to school. From March until now, I think we have done a very good job providing regular, clear, consistent communication to our students and families about our plans, options and expectations, he said. It seems that students and families who were ready to return to campus are very happy to have this opportunity, and those who prefer to remain at home also appear grateful for an equal opportunity as well. We have worked hard to develop a plan that allows choice and satisfies the comfort level of all families under these pandemic circumstances while keeping our school mission at the forefront of our decisions, Harrington said. The school created a reopening committee, which established sanitation and social distancing requirements based on information from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the state departments of Public Health and Elementary and Secondary Education. Harrington said the committee meticulously assessed all classroom and common area spaces for 6-foot social distancing, conducted surveys, dialogued with colleagues in other schools, developed new cleaning protocols, and outfitted the school with appropriate (personal protective equipment) and signage. Robert Brodeur is chairman of the science department and served on the reopening committee. I feel we have a very thorough plan in place that takes into account all of the state mandates as well as concerns expressed by our faculty and staff and families, he said. He said while some faculty are more concerned than others about in-person teaching, the school is taking as many precautions as possible to keep them safe. I think a lot of the concerns people had were early on in this process, Brodeur said. We gathered their questions and tried to address as many of them as possible. But of course just like with parents and students there are some staff who are in more compromised circumstances or live with someone who is immunocompromised and are at higher risk. Some of the new sanitizing precautions at the school include antiviral disinfectant as well as cleaning wipes and hand sanitizing stations in every classroom. Every period, students have to wipe down their desk and chair and everything they touch, so that if a teacher has to change classrooms or the next group of students is coming in they know they are entering a clean room, Brodeur said. Lockers have been eliminated since they are too close together. Stairways and hallways have been labeled as one-way to maintain social distancing. Masks must be worn at all times except when eating, but mask breaks have been built into the schedule. Student movements will be tracked through an electronic hall pass. If the bathroom is occupied, that pass will be denied until a bathroom becomes available, Brodeur said. The school is not checking student or staff temperatures daily, but everyone is expected to assess how they are feeling before they come to school. Harrington and Brodeur said there are hybrid and remote learning plans ready should the school have to close due to a state mandate, or if the school administration feels it is necessary for the health of students and staff. Decisions to make these adjustments will be based on the daily health and wellness of our students, faculty, and staff and data provided by the state, Harrington said. Each week we extract the city and town data released by the state and weight each value for the number of students we have from each town as a function of our total enrollment. Calderon said there is no denying that she and her classmates are worried about contracting the virus or infecting someone else. I think COVID is a concern in the back of everyones mind right now, she said. As a student, Im not so much concerned for myself as I am for my family or any other high-risk individuals I might come into contact with. Despite my worries, I do think that our school has pulled out all the stops when it comes to safety precautions. Brodeur said most teachers are excited to be back and are finding ways to adjust their styles to fit in with the new requirements. Im a science teacher, so I have to look at the way I have students conduct experiments, he said. We are fortunate enough that each student has their own microscope, but our lab groups may have to be turned into individual projects. We can take kids outdoors when the weather is good and there are many successful activities that can be done indoors that still encourage participation but maintain the social distancing protocols. For students learning remotely, technology allows them to fully participate in class, except for hands-on experiments, Brodeur said. We use Google Classroom and that has functions that allow students to ask questions, and there is even a bell sound if I am not looking in their direction but they want to get my attention. I will also partner students in class with those who are remote so they can still participate in lab projects in some way, he said. Calderon said she had been worried about missing out on all of the experiences that come with being a senior in high school. While the school year may look different than it did for previous seniors, she said she is glad to be back. It was really important to me that my last year of high school take place with my friends in a classroom, not alone in my bedroom behind a computer screen, she said. After so much time spent in isolation, I think a lot of people came to the realization that despite how often we complain about it, we really do love going to school every day. Related Content: Rolls Royce has reported a 5.4billion loss in the first half of 2020 as its CEO announced it had halved the number of aircraft engines it had built so far this year - after shedding 4,000 jobs. The engineering company, which employs 52,000 people worldwide, says its planning to reduce its 11 operating sites down to six, with a focus on manufacturing shifting to its plant in Derby. Rolls Royce employs 24,000 staff in the UK, around 16,000 of whom are aerospace engineers. In May the company said around 9,000 people were set to lose their jobs - since then around 4,000 roles have been axed across Britain, Germany and Singapore. It dealt a blow to UK workers on Wednesday, announcing plans to shut its aerospace factory in Annesley, Nottinghamshire, and merge sites in Lancashire. Rolls Royce's plant in Derbyshire is set to become the focus of its manufacturing and testing, as it looks to close five sites worldwide Chief executive Warren East revealed it had only created around 140 engines in the first half of this year - its original forecast for 2020 was up to 500. Explaining why the company had made sweeping cuts, Mr East told BBC Radio 4: 'We have to protect our profit going out into the future.' Mr East said the company said its own forecasts suggested it could lose up to $10bn in the next seven years as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. He said he did not expect the company to fully recover from the crisis until around 2025. Giving an update on job cuts, Mr East told the broadcaster: 'About 4,000 people so far this year have left the organisation, that's spread across the whole group, the UK Germany, Singapore, all around the world. 'It includes about 2,500 voluntary redundancies and early retirements in the UK and we expect to be at about 5,000 by the end of this year. 'We simply don't need the scale of manufacturing facilities that we have, what we're doing is consolidating things to achieve greater efficiency where we do make things. Rolls Royce CEO Warren East said the company had to 'protect profit,' as it prepares to cut another 1,000 jobs in the next four months 'So far assembly and test of engines we're moving from three sites to one sites, Derby in that instance. 'Across the wider footprint we're basically looking at 11 locations consolidating to six.' Mr East told PA: 'The Covid-19 pandemic has significantly affected our 2020 performance, with an unprecedented impact on the civil aviation sector with flights grounded across the world. 'We have made significant progress with our restructuring, which includes the largest reorganisation of our civil aerospace business in our history. 'This restructuring has caused us to take difficult decisions resulting in an unfortunate but necessary reduction in roles.' Rolls-Royce also said on Thursday that CFO Stephen Daintith had resigned to take up another opportunity, but said he would remain in his role to support an orderly transition as he leads a plan to make 1bn pounds of cost cuts this year. Earlier today it said it aimed to sell its Spanish unit ITP Aero and other assets to raise at least 2bn to boost its balance sheet, which has been shattered by a travel slump brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen has called on Australia to back its inclusion in the Trans-Pacific Partnership and negotiate a free trade agreement, as China's neighbour faces increasing military pressure from Beijing. Tsai warned the risk of conflict in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea required careful management and there were rising concerns over the potential for accidents given the increased military activity in the region. Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen (centre) after her inauguration in May Credit:AP "We are paying close attention to the potential hot spots of conflict in the East China Sea and South China Sea," she said. China launched two missiles into the South China Sea on Wednesday after a US spy plane entered a no fly zone in the contested area. China's decision to impose strict new national security laws on the former British colony of Hong Kong has raised concerns that it will accelerate long-held plans for unification with Taiwan. RTHK: Mosque gunman sentenced to life without parole New Zealand mosque gunman Brenton Tarrant was sentenced to life in prison without parole Thursday for the massacre of 51 Muslim worshippers, with a judge calling him "wicked" and "inhuman". Judge Cameron Mander said that behind Tarrant's "warped" ideology was a "base hatred" that led him to attack defenceless men, women and children last year in New Zealand's worst terror attack. "It is incumbent on the court to respond in a way that decisively rejects such vicious malevolence," Mander said as he announced a sentence unprecedented in New Zealand legal history. The judge said Tarrant had failed in his aim of promoting right-wing extremism as he gunned down victims in cold blood but the New Zealand Muslim community had still paid a terrible price. "It was brutal and beyond callous. Your actions were inhuman," the judge said. Tarrant a 29-year-old Australian white supremacist sparked global revulsion on March 15, 2019 when he rampaged through two Christchurch mosques for 20 minutes during Friday prayers. He had admitted 51 charges of murder, 40 of attempted murder and one of terrorism over the attacks, after reversing an initial not-guilty plea. Crown prosecutor Mark Zarifeh said the atrocity was "without comparison in New Zealand's criminal history". "The offending was motivated by an entrenched racist and xenophobic ideology... in my submission, the offender is clearly New Zealand's worst murderer," he said. Zarifeh said life behind bars was "the only proper sentencing option" for Tarrant. "No minimum period is sufficiently long to satisfy sentencing objectives given the gravity of the offending and the devastating loss of life and injury," he said. Throughout the sentencing, Tarrant remained impassive as the court heard harrowing testimony from dozens of his victims and their families. "Since my husband and son passed away, I've never had a proper, normal sleep. I don't think I ever will," widow Ambreen Naeem told the court. "His punishment should continue forever," she said. Tarrant accepted the sentence and waived his right to speak at the sentencing. Fearing Tarrant may use the platform to spout extremist ideology, the court had imposed tight restrictions on reporting of proceedings. Before sentencing, Tarrant, a former gym instructor, had sacked his legal team and declared he would represent himself. Instead, court-appointed lawyer Pip Hall made a brief one-line statement on his behalf before the judge delivered his sentence. "Mr Tarrant does not oppose the application that he should be sentenced to life imprisonment without parole," Hall said. Arguing against life behind bars, counsel assisting the court Kerry Cook said Tarrant's views had changed while he had been jailed and he had offered to meet the families in "restorative justice" session. "Given his age, lack of previous record and guilty pleas, there is a prospect of rehabilitation," he told the court, saying a whole-life sentence breached fundamental human rights. Zarifeh said Tarrant's belated description of his actions as "unnecessary, abhorrent and irrational" were questionable. "(Tarrant) said he had a poisoned emotional state and was terribly unhappy," Zarifeh said. "He felt ostracised by society and wanted to damage society as an act of revenge. "Yet at the same time, the offender described the offending as definitely an act of terrorism." The atrocity shocked New Zealand and prompted Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to immediately tighten gun laws and pressure social media giants to curb online extremism. (AFP) ______________________________ Last updated: 2020-08-27 HKT 10:18 This story has been published on: 2020-08-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Wisconsin authorities arrested a 17-year-old white boy named Kyle Rittenhouse for premeditated murder Wednesday. The Illinois resident had attended a protest in Kenosha Tuesday night, where there has been serious unrest for days following the police shooting of Jacob Blake, who was shot in the back seven times in front of his children. A very disturbing video of part of the events (as well as an account from a Washington Post reporter) shows Rittenhouse running along a street in Kenosha along with a handful of protesters. He trips, rolls into a sitting position, fires once, gets into a scuffle with someone carrying a skateboard, and fires again. Seconds later, sitting back up and with people standing several feet away, he appears to take deliberate aim and fires a third time. Two of the protesters are dead and another was seriously wounded. Fox News' Tucker Carlson defended Rittenhouse on his show Wednesday evening. He argued that armed vigilante terrorism is simply to be expected when there are protests or riots: Tucker Carlson: "How shocked are we that 17 year olds with rifles decided they had to maintain order when no one else would?" pic.twitter.com/6jf59YW60U Brendan Karet (@bad_takes) August 27, 2020 It doesn't bode well that the most popular cable news host in American history is making excuses for accused vigilante murderers. That, apparently, is what conservatives like Carlson mean by "law and order." More stories from theweek.com 7 scathingly funny cartoons about the Republican National Convention That 'famous' Lincoln quote in Lara Trump's RNC speech? He never said it. New jobless claims decline but stay above 1 million Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 17:40:12|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close CHENGDU, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- A freight train carrying tonnes of cargo including electronic products and daily necessities departed Wednesday from Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, for Tilburg, the Netherlands. The cargo train brought the accumulative trips made by China-Europe freight trains on the Chengdu route to 6,000 since the route was launched in 2013, according to the administrative committee of the Chengdu International Railway Port. The China-Europe freight trains on the Chengdu route have transported goods worth nearly 200 billion yuan (about 29 billion U.S. dollars), it added. The international freight train service connects Chengdu with 55 overseas cities and 16 Chinese cities. Enditem Loading "Health experts recommend testing close contacts of individuals with COVID-19 to identify and prevent asymptomatic spread. This type of robust testing by our states has been a key factor in our success so far to flatten the curve in the tri-state area." On Wednesday, the top US government infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci told CNN he was worried about the CDC's move. For weeks now, Republicans and Democrats have been deadlocked over the size and shape of a fifth coronavirus-response bill, on top of the approximately $US3 trillion already enacted into law. WHO Europe chief: Coronavirus is like a long-lasting tornado The coronavirus is a "tornado with a long tail" and rising infections among young people could spread to more vulnerable older people and cause an uptick in deaths, the World Health Organisation's top official in Europe warned on Thursday. Dr Hans Kluge said younger people were likely to come into closer contact with the elderly as the weather cooled in Europe and families moved activities inside. A beachgoer wears a face mask in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, in south-western France. Credit:AP "We don't want to do unnecessary predictions but this is definitely one of the options: that at one point there would be more hospitalisations and an uptick in mortality," he said, speaking from Copenhagen, the site of WHO's European headquarters. He insisted "no one is invincible" but acknowledged that most coronavirus deaths are among the elderly. "It may be that younger people indeed are not necessarily going to die from it but it's a tornado with a long tail and it's a multi-organ disease," he said. Kluge said 32 out of 55 states and territories in WHO's European region have recorded a 14-day new infection rate increase of over 10 per cent, calling that "definitely an uptick which is generalised in Europe". But he also suggested that European health authorities are more prepared than in February when the continent was on the cusp of a huge surge in cases. "In February, we were caught by the speed and the devastation and the default option was to lock down and reboot," Kluge said. "Now we are much more sophisticated in our knowledge of what works. In that sense, that it's possible to manage the transmission of the virus in society and have a running economy, and very important, have an educational system open." New UK coronavirus cases jump to highest since June Britain reported its biggest daily increase in coronavirus cases since June 12 on Thursday, although for now infection rates remain well below those in Spain, France and other parts of Europe suffering a second wave of the disease. The government said 1522 people received a laboratory-confirmed positive COVID-19 test result on Thursday, up from 1048 on Wednesday, and announced a tightening of restrictions on some overseas travel. Britain has suffered Europe's highest death toll from the disease, due largely to a failure to control its spread in the early stages of the pandemic. A cyclist rides past an NHS mural in London. Credit:Getty Images A further 12 people were reported dead on Thursday, taking the death toll on the British government's preferred measure which counts people who died no more than 28 days after their first positive test result to 41,477. Britain had not recently seen the same increase in cases as in many other parts of western Europe, where lockdown restrictions began to be lifted earlier. However Thursday's daily new case total is now the highest since before non-essential shops reopened to the public in England on June 15, and restaurants and pubs resumed operations on July 4. Transport Minister Grant Shapps announced on Thursday that anyone arriving in England from Switzerland, the Czech Republic or Jamaica after 0300 GMT on Saturday would need to quarantine themselves for 14 days. Spain, France, the US and the Netherlands are other major travel destinations that are already affected by the quarantine rules. France eyes lockdown as a last resort in Europe's virus fight France on Thursday recorded 6111 new confirmed coronavirus infections over the past 24 hours, the highest level since lockdown ended and the second-highest ever, since the 7578 high set on March 30 during lockdown and at the height of the epidemic. The French health ministry said the total number of confirmed infections now stood at 259,698. On Wednesday, the country recorded 5429 new infections, which was a new post-lockdown record. France said it was ready to institute a new national lockdown as a last resort as Europe grapples with how to contain the resurgent virus. Plans to restrict movement are ready, but the country will do everything possible to avoid measures that clobbered the economy in the second quarter, France's Prime Minister Jean Castex said on Thursday. Loading "The epidemic is gaining ground, and we need to intervene now," Castex said, rejecting the need for broad restrictions. "This doesn't mean the situation is as serious as it was" earlier this year, he said. Europe's leaders are struggling with how to respond to the latest developments in the pandemic, wary of sweeping measures that could hobble recovering economies. There's little appetite for harsh lockdowns, as current data indicates the outbreak is becoming less deadly at least for now. "Another lockdown would create incalculable risks for companies and snap the chains of value creation," Dieter Kempf, president of Germany's BDI industry lobby, said on Twitter. Meantime, Spain reported 3781 cases on Thursday, with the Madrid region most affected by the resurgence of the epidemic. Vietnamese mango exporters are looking at bright prospects. Photo: Le Toan Following the newly-implemented deal (EVFTA), Vietnamese exporters of fresh fruit can enjoy the deals preferential tariffs if they meet the rules of origin (ROO), among other regulations. However, Quang Van Sy, director at Dong Tam Cooperative in the northern province of Son La, said that some of the cooperatives mango-growing members find it difficult to implement the new rules. In addition to their complexity, farmers are also confused about issuing the right origin codes for their growing areas. Even so, ROO is nothing new. The EU has been protecting food safety of its consumers since 1979 under the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF). Because of the standards in the RASFF, the bloc last year refused eight agricultural and nine seafood shipments from Vietnam which caused not only economic loss but also damaged the sectors reputation, according to Vietnams Ministry of Industry and Trade. The EU is currently Vietnams fourth-largest fruit and vegetable export market. Figures from the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetables Association show that last year, Vietnam exported $148 million worth of fruit and vegetables to the EU, up 28.5 per cent compared to 2018 but only accounting for 0.08 per cent of the blocs total demand, as most of the exports were semi-processed, with only a fraction being processed. Despite these improved figures, Vietnam has a short-term advantage over regional competitors, such as China and Thailand, in further increasing its exports to the EU as 94 per cent of the previous 547 tariff lines for fresh and processed fruit and vegetables are cut to zero. However, the ongoing global health crisis renders the current harvest season rather bleak since the EU remains largely locked up, supermarket chains have not returned to normal business, and traders are unable to visit Vietnam to purchase new products. Amid this scenario, Dong Tam Cooperatives goal of becoming one of the major fruit suppliers to the European market seems increasingly distant. We have not received any orders, Sy said about the situation for this year. Last year, Dong Tam exported more than 40 tonnes of mango to Australia and France for an average price of VND22,000 ($1) per kg, with all goods being produced according to VietGap standards and labelled with correct area codes. Now, Sy is increasingly worried, lamenting, This years harvest will not even offset the production costs now that domestic prices fell to only VND12,000 (50 US cents) per kg. EVFTA compliance Under the EVFTA, all businesses exporting goods from Vietnam to the EU have two options concerning compliance. Depending on their status with the Vietnamese government, exporters must either complete a certificate of origin and origin declaration form or a specialised origin declaration form. Compliance associated with these alternatives is outlined below: Certificate of origin EU-based exporters should compile information available as per Protocol 1 of the EVFTA to obtain a certificate of origin. Those seeking to export to the EU from Vietnam will have to meet requirements that, while similar to those mentioned above, are outlined in Vietnamese legislation. On June 15, Vietnams Ministry of Industry and Trade issued Circular No.11/2020/TT-BTC implementing the rules of origin in the EVFTA. Vietnams goods exported to the EU market will be granted the certificate of origin form EUR 1 to enjoy preferential tariffs under the EVFTA. The circular took effect on August 1. In addition to the application forms listed above, it may be necessary to produce any of the following supporting information: - Direct evidence of the manufacturing or other processes carried out by the exporter or supplier to obtain the goods concerned, contained for example, in his accounts or internal book-keeping; - Documents proving the originating status of materials used, issued or made out in a party, where these documents are used in accordance with domestic law; - Documents proving the working or processing of materials in a party, issued or made out in a party, where these documents are used in accordance with domestic law; and - Proof of origin proving the originating status of materials used, issued or made out in a party in accordance with this protocol. Origin declaration Made out by any exporter for consignments the total value of which is to be determined in the national legislation of Vietnam and will not exceed $6,600. Or Origin declaration Exporters that have been approved by the Vietnamese government may forgo the issuance of a certificate of origin once their approval status has been relayed to relevant EU authorities. Instead, an origin declaration will be required upon export. Satisfying strict criteria Farmers and businesses all hope that the pandemic will end soon, and that Vietnamese fruit can benefit from the EVFTA. Their hope of increasing exports to this market of nearly 600 million people seems reasonable, considering data from the EUs Centre for Promotion of Imports from developing countries. Accordingly, the EU accounts for 45 per cent of the global fruit and vegetable trade, while the number of the blocs own farms is on a downward trend. The total value of EU fruit imports in the last five years has increased faster than the export volume (approximately 30 and 24 per cent, respectively). However, the real benefits of the EVFTA can only be reaped if Vietnamese fruit and vegetables meet the EUs strict criteria for food safety and quality, while outdoing similar products from regional rivals. Bui Xuan Hoang, general director at Hoan Vu Co., Ltd. in Ho Chi Minh City, said that one of the biggest barriers at the moment is the weak preservation of products, with only 10 per cent qualifying for the high standards of markets like the EU and the US. The weak preservation, together with the associated high rate of loss, is also reason for rising prices such as for dragon fruit which currently sells at around $12 per kg. Vietnam has still room to increase its fruit exports to the EU but investment in the development of this industry is not only about meeting ROO but also about processing, preservation, and post-harvest management, said Dr. Nguyen Van Hoa, deputy director of the Southern Horticultural Research Institute. Vietnamese fruit is not inferior to Thailand or China, but weaknesses in production, processing, and promotion are reducing our competitiveness in the EU, Hoa added. Nonetheless, competition with Thailand may remain fierce, even if Vietnamese fruit is supported by tariff cuts and other incentives from the EVFTA, according to Hoa. More than 30 years ago, the Thai government prioritised investment in developing export-oriented agriculture, focusing on research and development of fruit varieties for high yield. Additionally, the dynamics of Thailands agriculture is another point that Hoa delved into. As soon as Thailand saw the EU market becoming over-saturated with fresh fruit, it switched its production to processed products, Hoa said. Moreover, the kingdom is using its geographical advantages by buying fresh fruit from Vietnam for processing it before sending it to the EU, only using parts of the imported produce for domestic consumption. Protecting health According to Vietnams Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, exports of vegetables and fruit to Thailand in the first seven months of 2020 increased by 234 per cent compared to the same period last year, reaching $79 million $56 million more than in 2019. Meanwhile, Vietnams agricultural model focuses strongly on productivity to boost production. Even though this practice has increased fruit exports (pandemic aside), Vietnams fruit lacks quality and offers little added value. In its 2020 Whitebook which highlights European businesses policy recommendations to the Vietnamese government, the European Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (EuroCham) warned against the use of chemicals for fruit and vegetable production. The organisation also recommends that production management should be tightened, especially when it comes to the use of chemical preservation products. Moreover, EuroCham advises not to allow the use of those preservatives that could harm human health or the environment. It is no coincidence that EuroCham makes these recommendations as last years data by the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture and the International Federation of Organic Agriculture shows that the EU, together with many other markets, is continuously tightening laws related to pesticides and preservatives. The regulations have listed up to 600 pesticide molecules, with most of these already banned in many countries. For instance, carbendazim is manufactured and marketed as a fungicide by several Chinese companies, but because it can disrupt hormone activity in animals, it is not approved for use in most countries. Nevertheless, it can still sometimes be found used for citrus fruits like lemons, oranges, and tangerines. According to experts, before increasing fruit exports to the EU, domestic producers may first need to cope with the current challenges, which are forecast to possibly last until the end of the year or well beyond that. A rescue deal for restaurant chain Chilango has been agreed in a sale that involves most of the estate remaining open. Investment group RD Capital Partners (RDCP), run by founders Sameer Rizvi and Iryna Dubylovska, has agreed to acquire the business from the administrators of Mucho Mas Limited (the Chilango groups trading entity). The sales allows the company, which launched in 2007 to serve authentic Mexican food in London, to continue operating from 10 of its 11 sites, safeguarding around 130 jobs. The majority of its branches are in London. In January Chilango set out to restructure its debts via a company voluntary arrangement which was approved. However the chain was then hit by disruption when the Covid-19 lockdown started and companies had to close sites. Chilango sought to mitigate the impact of the pandemic, concentrating on the delivery market and drawing on the government support measures available, but it said this was insufficient to keep the business solvent. In July, restructuring advisors RSM launched a formal sales process of the business. Gordon Thomson, joint administrator, RSM said: Despite the commendable support provided by the Government, the pandemic and associated lockdown measures have presented significant challenges to the casual dining industry. This deal, together with the backing of RD Capital Partners, secures 130 jobs and will allow the Chilango brand to grow. RD Capital Partners Rizvi said Chilango has a great proposition, which appeals to a diverse customer base. Richard Franks, who took over running Chilango in February, will continue to lead the chain. He has twenty years of experience in the hospitality sector. We have used your information to see if you have a subscription with us, but did not find one. Please use the button below to verify an existing account or to purchase a new subscription. A farmer who volunteers for the police has been hailed a 'community hero' after he saved over sixty livestock trapped in an overturned lorry. Special Constable Michael Scott was on duty in rural Northumberland following a report of an overturned lorry on Monday night (24 August). He attended the A69 near Haltwhistle and found an HGV carrying livestock had fallen onto its side - trapping 30 lambs, 25 cows and 9 ewes inside. Mr Scott, who spends most of his days farming, made sure the driver was okay before he turned his attention to the distressed livestock. He opened the air vents to allow an airflow into the vehicle before physically moving the animals along their pen to prevent them from crushing one another. Emergency support arrived on scene and vets, assisted by Northumberland Fire and Rescue, were able to safely release the animals and check their welfare. Michael Scott has volunteered as a Special Constable for 36 years but spends his time looking after livestock, farming land and working on tractors. He was presented with a Chief Constables Commendation last year for his long career at the force that has seen him tackle a raging bull at a country show, deliver calves and locate missing people. The 59-year-old said he loved volunteering, as jobs like the one he attended this week gave him an opportunity to 'give back to the region he loves'. I was first at the scene and I have experience with livestock so I knew the first thing I needed to do was open all the air vents on the lorry," he said. (Photo: Northumbria Police) The sheep were in a big pile and they had just frozen because they were so scared so initially I just tried to get them moving because if they didnt then some of them would suffocate. I used my truncheon to bang the lorry and startle them into moving which seemed to work and then I did the same with the cattle." He added: It was a long and lengthy recovery that lasted a few hours but it was a real team effort between ourselves, the Fire Service and the local vets. I was filthy at the end of it and I was sat in the bath at about 4.30am trying to clean all of the animal waste out of my hair." Sadly, three cows could not be saved, but one of the countys top officers praised Mr Scott for his swift response. Chief Inspector Neil Hall, of Northumbria Police said the special constable went 'above and beyond' as he saved the livestock until further support could arrive. It was on a busy carriageway in the dead of night and so releasing all the animals was not an option but his actions have certainly prevented many more deaths. The animals were distressed and Michael helped calm them down and co-ordinate an emergency response that would see them brought to safety. He finished his tour of duty covered in mud and smelling of livestock but he did an amazing job and deserves immense credit for going above and beyond." Samsung India just shared a teaser of its upcoming midranger, the Galaxy M51. The short clip shows the phone as a monster and we are guessing that refers to its battery that previous rumors said will have 7,000 mAh capacity. If you can guess why the all-new #SamsungM51 is the most unpredictable, power-packed #MeanestMonsterEver, you can stand a chance to win one for yourself. A mean reward for one mean monster lover out there. pic.twitter.com/o2YAzwJL6U Samsung India (@SamsungIndia) August 27, 2020 A Google console listing from earlier today gave us a good idea about the key specs. We are now waiting for an official announcement so we get the pricing and availability details. Source Former President, Goodluck Jonathan, who is the special envoy of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to Mali, has briefed President Muhammadu Buhari on the current situation in the country. A statement by Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, on Wednesday, August 26, 2020, said the meeting between the two leaders was held inside the Presidential Villa, Abuja. During the meeting, Jonathan told President Buhari that the military coup leaders, who ousted Malian president, were seeking to stay in power for three years before holding elections. They call themselves National Committee for the Salvation of the People. We asked them to allow ousted President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita to return to his personal residence, where he would be given tight security, but they said he could travel abroad, and not return to answer questions they might have for him, Jonathan said. Jonathan told President Buhari that the military leaders asked ECOWAS to lift sanctions put in place as it was already affecting the country. But we told them that the authority to do such was only in the hands of ECOWAS heads of state. We also told them that what would be acceptable to ECOWAS was an Interim Government, headed by a civilian or retired military officer, to last for six or nine months, and maximum of 12 calendar months. The Interim Government would then organise elections to restore full constitutional order, Johnson told the.President. President Buhari said the priority in Mali now should be on how to secure the landlocked West African nation which is largely occupied by terrorists. About two-thirds of Mali is occupied by terrorists, and it makes common sense to secure the country, rather than pursuing individual interests, Buhari was quoted as saying. Buhari added that the West African council would take a common position on the matter during an extraordinary virtual summit by ECOWAS Heads of State and leaders, scheduled for Friday. KanyiDaily had reported how Some mutinous soldiers had earlier this month toppled the government in Mali after detaining the president and other top government officials in a military formation near Bamako, the countrys capital. Sauropods large, four-legged, long-necked dinosaurs were born with a horn and binocular vision that disappeared as they matured, a study has found. Experts took 3D scans of a rare, 80 million-year-old, 1.2 inch wide fossil skull of an unhatched dinosaur that was found preserved inside its egg in Patagonia, Argentina. The team think that had it actually hatched the juvenile would have used its horn to help it crack its way out of its egg's shell, or for defence or foraging. The extraordinary fossil specimen represents the most complete and articulate skull found to date of any titanosaur which were the world's largest-ever land animals. The largest of these giant plant-eating behemoths such as Argentinosaurus and Patagotitan would have grown to reach around 120 feet long. A different site in Patagonia Auca Mahuevo was where sauropod dinosaur eggs were discovered for the first time, among a large nesting site, some 25 years ago. The provenance of the scanned egg, however, is not known, as it was illegally exported from Argentina before it came to the attention of experts. The specimen has now been returned to its country of origin for further study, and is housed in the collection of the Museo Municipal Carmen Funes in Plaza Huincul. Experts took 3D scans of a rare, 80 million-year-old, 1.2 inch wide fossil skull of an unhatched dinosaur, pictured, that was found preserved inside its egg in Patagonia, Argentina Sauropods large, four-legged, long-necked dinosaurs were born with a horn, pictured in this reconstruction, and binocular vision that disappeared as they matured, a study has found 'The preservation of embryonic dinosaurs preserved inside their eggs is extremely rare,' said palaeontologist John Nudds of the University of Manchester. 'Imagine the huge sauropods from Jurassic Park and consider that the tiny skulls of their babies, still inside their eggs, are just a couple of centimetres long.' Pictured, an artist's impression of an adult sauropod 'The preservation of embryonic dinosaurs preserved inside their eggs is extremely rare,' said palaeontologist John Nudds of the University of Manchester. 'Imagine the huge sauropods from Jurassic Park and consider that the tiny skulls of their babies, still inside their eggs, are just a couple of centimetres long.' 'We were able to reconstruct the embryonic skull prior to hatching,' he added. 'The embryos possessed a specialised craniofacial anatomy that precedes the post-natal transformation of the skull in adult sauropods.' 'Part of the skull of these embryonic sauropods was extended into an elongated snout or horn, so that they possessed a peculiarly shaped face.' To recreate what the sauropod embryo would have looked like, the team used a pioneering technique that involved painstakingly dissolving the egg encasing the unhatched dinosaur using acid. Following this, the specimen was then 'virtually dissected' with a new scanning technology called 'synchrotron microtomography' to reveal the inner structure of the unborn sauropod's bones, teeth and soft tissues. For example, the team were able to identify tiny teeth preserved deep in the dinosaur's jaw sockets, calcified elements of the creature's brain case and even what appear to be the remains of the temporal muscles that move the jaw. The researchers also detected evidence that the embryonic dinosaurs absorbed calcium from their eggshell to help their growth before they hatched. To recreate what the sauropod embryo would have looked like, the team used a pioneering technique that involved painstakingly dissolving the egg encasing the unhatched dinosaur using acid. Following this, the specimen was then 'virtually dissected' with a new scanning technology called 'synchrotron microtomography' to reveal the inner structure of the unborn sauropod's bones, teeth and soft tissues, as pictured, with an eye drawn on The extraordinary fossil specimen represents the most complete and articulate skull found to date of any titanosaur which were the world's largest-ever land animals. Pictured, the fossil egg shell, with the embryonic sauropod visible top right 'The most striking feature is head appearance, which implies that hatchlings of giant dinosaurs may differ in where and how they lived in their earliest stages of life,' said paper author and palaeobiologist Martin Kundrat of Slovakia's Pavol Jozef Safarik University. 'But because it differs in facial anatomy and size from the sauropod embryos of Auca Mahuevo, we cannot rule out that it may represent a new titanosaurian dinosaur'. Pictured, the skull with eyes added 'The specimen studied in our paper represents the first 3D preserved embryonic skull of a sauropod,' said paper author and palaeobiologist Martin Kundrat of Slovakia's Pavol Jozef Safarik University. 'It is a bit unusual for a fossil to be represented just by a skull," he added. 'The specimen perished before completing its development. It had undergone only four-fifths of its incubation period.' 'The most striking feature is head appearance, which implies that hatchlings of giant dinosaurs may differ in where and how they lived in their earliest stages of life.' 'But because it differs in facial anatomy and size from the sauropod embryos of Auca Mahuevo, we cannot rule out that it may represent a new titanosaurian dinosaur.' With their initial study complete, the team are now hoping to use their technique to examine other embryonic dinosaurs including other specimens found at the same site in Patagonia. The full findings of the study were published in the journal Current Biology. Experts took 3D scans of a rare, 80 million-year-old, 1.2 inch wide fossil skull of an unhatched dinosaur that was found preserved inside its egg in Patagonia, Argentina. A different site in Patagonia Auca Mahuevo was where sauropod dinosaur eggs were discovered for the first time, among a large nesting site, some 25 years ago. The provenance of the scanned egg, however, is not known, as it was illegally exported from Argentina before it came to the attention of experts. The specimen has now been returned to its country of origin for further study, and is housed in the collection of the Museo Municipal Carmen Funes in Plaza Huincul For many people lockdown led to loneliness but for others it sparked enthusiasm for spending time alone. That emerging trend is playing out in travel bookings, with more of us choosing future trips for one. Specialist operator Cox & Kings has reported an increase in demand, fuelled partly by an eagerness from individuals to get out and explore even if no-one else wants to come along for the ride. People have wanderlust in their DNA, so its no surprise that lockdown was a wake-up call for some people to dust off their bucket list and get something booked, no matter if it is without their family and friends, says managing director Kerry Golds. If you are thinking of striking out solo at home of abroad here are a few things to consider. Play safe Staying safe should be the primary concern for anyone planning to travel alone. Venturing into new places can be daunting even in the same country, but that shouldnt be a deterrent to exploring. By taking the right precautions and being sensible, its possible to have a smooth experience. There are several apps aimed at increasing personal security: Find My Friends is a tracking device which shares a users GPS location with approved friends, allowing their movements to be monitored; bSafe works by sending a live video and audio stream to select contacts when activated via a voice alarm. They can also see your GPS location on a map. Not all dangers are posed by other people, though. If youre planning a long hike or a solo camping trip, always tell someone where youre going and agree to check in at certain times so no-one sends out a search party. Read More Trust your judgement One of the joys of solo travel is the confidence boost it brings. Learning to trust your instincts and make considered judgements will help you in all areas of life. If a situation feels uncomfortable, leave quickly and always err on the side of caution. But at the same time, dont be afraid to try something new. Weigh up whether something feels genuinely threatening or simply out of your comfort zone. Striking up conversation with fellow travellers might be intimidating but its not necessarily dangerous, for example. Conversely, wandering around an unfamiliar place late at night could be foolish even in company. Know your limits Whether its meeting new people or scaling a mountain, be realistic about what you can achieve. If the idea of big groups is daunting, start by introducing yourself to someone with common interests perhaps a fellow traveller sharing transport and heading in the same direction as you. In terms of physical demands, pick activities that suit your abilities. If youre new to hiking, for example, choose simple walks to build up fitness. Likewise, if youve never been camping before, start off slow and opt for an overnight stay as a warm-up, rather than plunging straight into a week-long campathon. Learn some lingo When travelling abroad, its useful to have a few stock foreign phrases in your armoury. Apps like Google Translate offer a quick fix solution for menus and street signs, but its worth learning how to start a simple dialogue. Babbel offer interactive courses in 14 different languages; FluentU contextualises words by captioning music videos, podcasts and news reports. Subscriptions for both apps apply. Alternatively, carry a good book as a means of sparking conversation. Choose a paperback reflecting your tastes, and passers by will have immediately learned something about you, before words are even exchanged. Enjoy your own company Having fun doesnt always mean mixing with other people, and you dont need a second opinion to validate a travel experience. A beautiful mountain is just as beautiful even if youre seeing it alone. In fact, one of the benefits of witnessing sights solo is the absence of any pressure to quickly move on. For many, mealtimes can be challenging. People often complain single dining is lonely, but that shouldnt result in rushed meals and supermarket snacks. Savour what you eat it doesnt matter if only one portion is being prepared. And dont be afraid of reserving a table for one in restaurants; many have bar seating and single placings especially set up. Sign up for our free travel newsletter! Like what you're reading? Subscribe to 'Travel Insider', our free travel newsletter written by award-winning Travel Editor, Pol O Conghaile. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Kelly Macnamara (Agence France-Presse) Paris, France Thu, August 27, 2020 12:15 511 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c40d5f6b 2 World Women,immune-system,coronavirus,COVID-19,COVID-19-infection,pandemic,SARS-CoV-2,virus-corona Free A new study looking at male and female immune responses to the new coronavirus may shed new light on why men are more likely to become seriously ill with COVID-19, researchers said Wednesday. Since early in the pandemic it has been clear that men, particularly older men, are at a far higher risk of dying from the virus than women of a similar age, but scientists have not yet been able to pinpoint exactly why. A new study published in the journal Nature noted that globally men account for about 60 percent of deaths from COVID-19 and looked at whether differences in immune responses could explain why. "What we found was that men and women indeed develop different types of immune responses to COVID-19," said the study's lead author Akiko Iwasaki, a professor at Yale University, in a video. The immunity specialist said "these differences may underlie heightened disease susceptibility in men". Researchers collected nasal, saliva, and blood samples from non-infected control subjects and patients with the disease who were treated at Yale New Haven Hospital in the United States. They then monitored patients to look at their immune responses. Researchers found that women mounted a more robust immune response involving T lymphocytes, which are a type of white blood cell that can recognize viruses and eliminate them. This was the case even among older women, the study found. In contrast, older men had weaker T cell activity -- the older they were, the weaker the response. Overall men also produced more cytokines, which are inflammatory proteins that form another part of the body's natural immune defense. However, severe cases of COVID-19 have been linked to what is known as a "cytokine storm", when the immune system goes into overdrive, which is harmful and potentially deadly. Men who showed high concentrations early on were more likely to have a severe case of the disease, while those women who also showed significant cytokine levels also appeared to fare worse, the study found. According to the authors, this could imply that men and women need different treatments. For men, for example "we should be enhancing their T cell responses with vaccines" Iwasaki said, while women could be given treatment to dampen the cytokine response. Treated differently? But the study has limitations. Firstly, the sample size was relatively small, with 98 patients in total. The average age of the patients was also high, at around sixty years. Commenting on the research, Eleanor Riley, a professor at the University of Edinburgh, said some of the divergence noted in the study is "likely due to differences in age or BMI [the sex differences disappear once these other factors are taken into account]". BMI measures body fat. She said others could have arisen "by chance". "Importantly, although the average response may differ between men and women, the range of most of the measurements in men and women overlap significantly, meaning that many women have responses that are indistinguishable from those of many men," she added. Riley said this is why treatments would be better if they were individually tailored, rather than defined solely on sex. CLEVELAND, Ohio A Cleveland city commission gave the go-ahead to developers who want to install seven metal structures that they envision making up an artsy enclave of the Hingetown section of Ohio City. The Landmarks Commission on Thursday approved the project proposed by Graham Veysey and his wife and business partner, Marika Shioiri-Clark to install the structures at West 28th Street and Church Avenue. Veysey, also behind the neighboring Church + State apartment buildings, said the project should be done by March of next year. The Planning Commission and the Board of Zoning Appeals will also have to sign off on the project, which also involves improving the facade of the former Schaefer Printing Company building on West 28th Street and Detroit Avenue, known for its colorful tiger mural. The idea is to create a village with the one-and-two-story buildings that offer a modern take on Quonset huts, a prefabricated building created during World War II. Veysey and Shioiri-Clark originally called the project Longhouses at Hingetown, but Veysey said he changed the name to 2800 Church Avenue because he heard concerns about the original name from some Native American acquaintances. The structures will range from 699 square feet to 1,672 square feet and sit at the northwest corner of West 28th Street and Church Avenue, under the current plan. A courtyard would join the buildings on the 5,200-plus-square-foot site. The inspiration for the project came from True North, a Quonset hut community in Detroit. Building interiors are adaptable to suit the needs of any tenant, though the tenants would have to pay for any modification. Veysey has said he already has interest from a musician to use one of them as a recording studio and an artist who could use another space for their projects. Two commission members Michele Anderson and Chair Julie Trott voted against the project and one abstained. Trott expressed concerns about the configuration of the metal structures, while Anderson said she didnt think the project belonged in the Ohio City Historic District. I do feel that the architectures just too insubstantial for that location, Anderson said. In a separate vote, commission member Stephen Harrison voted against the plan to renovate the Schaefer Buildings facade, previously citing concerns about whether the overhaul would maintain enough of the original front of the building. Dutch GP organisers are not ruling out asking for a later race date on the 2021 calendar. Contractually, the race at Zandvoort - whose return to F1 was cancelled this year due to covid-19 - has another early May date pencilled in on the unpublished 2021 schedule. But after Dutch organisers opted against hosting a 'ghost race' this year, there is no certainty that spectators will be allowed in the circuit even in May of 2021. "It makes no sense for us to speculate about that," circuit director Robert van Overdijk told NOS. "We are committed to being on the calendar for the next three years. We have loyal sponsors and a huge fan base for those years. It's exciting, but we'll wait and see." Another Dutch GP boss, Jan Lammers, said the attendance of Max Verstappen's fans and other Dutch spectators is central to the organisation of the race. "The race is a family celebration, and we still want that," he said. "If that wouldn't be possible in May, we could consider a race without an audience," the former F1 driver told BNR Nieuwsradio. "But we don't want to think about that," said Lammers. "If it can be done later in the year, we should think about that. We have to stay positive. "At the moment it is premature to think about it, but a race without an audience is a difficult dilemma for us." (GMM) Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. People attend a theme tour activity at the National Exhibition and Convention Center in Shanghai, east China, June 6, 2020. (Xinhua/Fang Zhe) NEW YORK, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- As much of the world struggles to contain the coronavirus, China's recovery is gaining momentum, positioning it to further close its gap with the U.S. economy, according to an article, "China's Economy, Bouncing Back, Gains on the U.S.," published on The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday. According to the article, China is the only major economy expected to grow this year. J.P. Morgan recently boosted its 2020 China growth forecast to 2.5 percent from 1.3 percent in April. Economists at the World Bank and elsewhere have also upgraded their forecasts for China. China, the world's second-largest economy in real GDP terms, has slowly been catching up on the United States. Economists say China's quick rebound from COVID-19 will accelerate that process, the article said. Homi Kharas, a senior global economics and development fellow at the Brookings Institution, said the coronavirus puts China's economy on track to reach parity with the U.S. in 2028 in absolute terms, using current dollars, two years faster than his pre-coronavirus estimate, according to the article. "China will emerge even stronger as the largest economy in the developing world," the article quoted Kharas as saying. According to the article, China's factories were among the world's first to reopen in April, which helped China grab market share in global trade. Companies from Marriott International Inc. to Starbucks Corp. reported strong second-quarter growth in China, as the rest of the world pulled back. The article added that before the coronavirus, Deutsche Bank estimated China's economy would grow by roughly 26 percent between 2019 and 2023, versus 8.5 percent for the United States over the same period. Now, taking into account the impact of the pandemic, the bank expects China's economic expansion to moderate slightly to 24 percent between 2019 and 2023, while the U.S. over that stretch will have grown by 3.9 percent - less than half the original projection. Yet, China still faces headwinds. It counts on exports for roughly one-fifth of its economic output, making it reliant on customers in the U.S. and Europe overcoming the virus. It must also prevent its own resurgence in COVID-19 cases, the article said. A Brazilian woman whose body turned up in Lake Pontchartrain after a nighttime motorboat ride in April died of an accidental drowning, an Orleans Parish Coroners Office spokesperson said Thursday. The death of 28-year-old Camila Stopa had drawn intense media attention in her native country, including one television show that speculated whether Stopa's death was the result of foul play. +7 Brazilian media questions woman's New Orleans boating death; man with her says it was accident A married Chalmette man has fallen under the harsh glare of national media in his native Brazil after a motorboat ride that he took with a you Stopa was on a 28-foot boat belonging to Alexandre Pereira, also a native of Brazil, late on the night of April 9 when he said a storm surprised them and caused the watercraft to capsize. Pereira said he grabbed a life vest and told Stopa to do the same but lost sight of her. Pereira, 34 at the time, was able to swim to shore. Firefighters at nearby Lakefront Airport discovered Pereira about 7:30 a.m. the next morning, and emergency search crews recovered Stopas body from the lake a few hours later. Brazilian media questioned whether the case involved foul play after obtaining some of the final messages that Stopa sent to a friend saying she had rejected a kiss from Pereira, who was married to another woman. Pereira didnt deny kissing Stopa, but he insisted it was a platonic peck on the cheek. Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up In an interview last April, Pereira said the speculation about whether he may have harmed Stopa was disgraceful and had strained his marriage. But Pereira insisted Stopas death was a mishap, and he expressed confidence that the coroners investigation would support his version of events. People (do) not even respect what I went through, Pereira, who runs a flooring business, said in the days following Stopas death. It was an accident. A Coroners Office spokesperson released the agencys conclusion that Stopas death was an accidental drowning following the results of an autopsy, toxicology tests and other work. A Texas school district has reversed its decision to place a teacher on leave over Black Lives Matter, feminist and pro-LGBTQ posters displayed on the walls of her virtual classroom. Taylor Lifka, an English teacher at the Roma High School in Roma, a border town of about 10,000 people, was placed on administrative leave Sunday after parents complained about the posters. School officials briefly placed Taylor Lifka on administrative leave after parents complained about the posters in her virtual classroom. (Courtesy Taylor Lifka) Speaking to NBC News, Lifka, 25, said the experience of having national attention turned toward her small classroom has been overwhelming. Our nation is in a really divisive state right now, and so when something like this comes out that a teacher is being placed on administrative leave because of parents' concerns over teaching tolerance in the classroom, thats a bigger question, she said. In a statement to NBC affiliate KVEO-TV, Roma Independent School District Superintendent Carlos Guzman said the district "regrets that this matter has become a point of controversy." "It was never the intention of the district to indicate anything less than full support for the concepts of equality and students safety," Guzman said. The district did not immediately respond to NBC News' request for comment. Prior to her reinstatement on Wednesday, Lifka said she told the administration that this isn't the first time that a parents been upset and this isn't the first time that a parent has asked for a child not to be in a specific teachers classroom. I've already told the administration that I do not envy their position, Lifka said, adding that she told them, "Your job sometimes might seem like a job where you need to please, and while this might be challenging, I think that sometimes we need to do the right thing even though its going to upset some people. This week, an online petition was started urging the school district to reverse its decision and reinstate Lifka. "Please sign this petition to let the school district know that inclusivity and acceptance are not taboo ideas that deserve censorship; that high school students can and should be allowed to discuss the realities of the world instead of being sheltered inside a sanitized bubble; and that by reprimanding the teacher for trying to create a safe space for her students, the school is not being neutral, but is actively taking a stance that is antithetical to justice," the petition states. Story continues The petition, which was started by the local LGBTQ rights group South Texas Equality Project, had 30,000 signatures as of Thursday, the day after the district reversed course. It is not clear whether the petition played a role in getting Lifka's leave reversed, but Lifka said she was inspired by those who signed on, saying they were calling not just for her reinstatement but for antiracist policies in a small town in Texas. In her online profile for the Roma Independent School District, Lifka writes that she fell in love with the vibrant border culture and the tight-knit community of the Rio Grande Valley in 2017 when she worked there as a Teach for America member. Let us continue to take care of ourselves and one another at this time, Lifka wrote. Lifka said she was told in a Wednesday Zoom call that her administration leave was being reversed. They say I havent been punished, and that's fine, but at the same time I'm a human being and this has been challenging, Lifka said. To think about re-entering the classroom tomorrow gives me a lot of pause, because I need a moment to collect myself. I need support from the administration, knowing I can re-enter the classroom, that we are all on the same page knowing what I can and cannot say to my students, she said. Lifka said she was told by a school administrator that their small town is "not ready" for some of her progressive views. If youre not ready today, youre not ready tomorrow, and if youre not ready tomorrow youre not going to be ready five years from now," she said. "If Im not going to say something now, then when am I going to say something? Its been clear that people have a lot of things to say. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com. Follow NBC Out on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram. SINN Fein has said it would support the nomination of two women from Ireland as the next EU Commissioner, thereby guaranteeing more gender balance at the top of the European Union. Kathleen Funchion, a TD for Phil Hogans old constituency of Carlow Kilkenny, backed the idea at Leinster House. She said: It is a decision for Government, but as a woman myself in politics, I have seen over the years we dont have enough women. Read More I am always a fan of gender balance, and of quotas, so certainly it (two female nominees) is something I would support. But you do have to have the right person for the job as well, and that's ultimately what we want to see with Brexit coming up. She said she had absolutely no idea who would be the right person for the job, and I don't think it should just be based on gender, obviously, the nomination or nominees need to fit all of the criteria. Mr Hogans resignation was the result of the peoples anger at what had happened, she said. I think his position did become untenable. I think he lost credibility. You have to have confidence in an EU Commissioner, and I think he had lost that, so I think he think he did the right thing in resigning. Ms Funchion was beaten for a seat in Carlow-Kilkenny on at least three occasions by Phil Hogan when the latter was a Fine Gael candidate, one who often warned about the threat posed by Sinn Fein. The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has called on the Government to nominate both a man and a woman for the post. She has also spoken about achieving gender balance within her college of Commissioners. AP Lara Trump used an Abraham Lincoln quote when speaking at the Republican National Convention, but it appears she got the line from a Facebook meme as the former president never uttered the phrase. "Abraham Lincoln once famously said: 'America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves,'" Mrs Trump said, who is married to Donald Trump's second son, Eric Trump. That quote, attributed to the 16th president, has widely circulated online on social media sites like Facebook and was even listed on Goodreads as something Mr Lincoln said. But fact checkers with the New York Times and USA Today, among other publications, were quick to point out that there is actually no record of the president saying those words. Mr Lincoln did make a similar statement in a January 1838 speech prior to when he became president. "At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it ever reach us, it must spring up amongst us. It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide," he said. That quote has been widely used throughout history and even made an appearance at Walt Disney World in the Hall of Presidents. An animatronic of President Lincoln would say the phrase during his monologue. Misquotes of famous politicians, authors, and prominent figures is not rare. Quotes attributed to figures like President Thomas Jefferson, Winston Churchill, and Mark Twain have circulated and then later been debunked as false. To make fun of these misquotes that people will share, one meme has circulated on social media sites like Facebook that shows a picture of Abraham Lincoln next to a quote. The quote reads: "Don't believe everything you read on the internet just because there's a picture with a quote next to it." Story continues Besides misquoting President Lincoln, Mrs Trump used her speech to claim that the 2020 election would decide whether America stays as is or turns "towards socialism". "This is not just a choice between Republican and Democrat or left and right this is an election that will decide if we keep America America, or if we head down an uncharted, frightening path towards socialism," she said. Mrs Trump added: "Will we choose the right path and maintain the unique freedoms and boundless opportunities that make this country the greatest in the history of the world? The choice is ours." One major theme throughout the RNC was warning voters that America would lose its "freedoms" if Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden were elected. Keisha Lance Bottoms Full Remarks at the 2020 Democratic National Convention Below are Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms full remarks as prepared for delivery from night four of the 2020 Democratic National Convention. The Honorable Keisha Lance Bottoms Mayor of Atlanta, Georgia ADVERTISEMENT Democratic National Convention Thursday, August 20, 2020 Remarks as Prepared for Delivery Im Keisha Lance Bottoms, a mother four, and mayor of Atlanta, Georgia, cradle of the civil rights movement and, like so many other cities, a place where the struggle for human dignity continues. Im proud to have grown up in this city, educated in its public schools and blessed to have known our hometown heroes like Dr. Joseph Lowery, Dr. C. T. Vivian, and our teacher, our friend, our conscience, our congressman, John Lewis. ADVERTISEMENT He walked gently amongst usnot as a distant icon, but as a God-fearing man, doing what he could do to fulfill the as-yet unfulfilled promise of America. People often think they cant make a difference like our civil rights icons, but every person in the movement matteredthose who made the sandwiches, swept the church floors, stuffed the envelopes. They, too, changed America. And so can we! The baton has now been passed to each of us. We have cried out for justice, we have gathered in our streets to demand change, and now, we must pass on the gift that John Lewis sacrificed to give us, we must register, and we must vote. In his parting essay written to us, Congressman Lewis expressed his pride in the activism that has swept our country and he reminded us that if we fail to exercise our right to vote, we can lose it. Indeed, there are those who are disgracefully using this pandemic to spread misinformation and interfere with voting. Forcing many, in 2020, to still risk their lives to exercise their sacred right to votea right that has already been paid for with the blood, sweat, tears, and lives of so many. So, lets stand up for our children, our childrens children, and for this great democracy that our ancestors worked to build, and lets vote. And lets organize to get others to vote with us. You can help make this happen by texting VOTE to 30330. We know how important it is that we elect real servant leaders, leaders like Joe Biden an Kamala Harrispeople of honor and integrity, who hold justice close to their hearts and believe that the lives of my four Black children matter. In the words of womanist poet Audre Lorde, Your silence will not protect you. Congressman Lewis would not be silenced. And neither can we. Our votes can be our voice! We cannot wait for some other time, some other place, some other heroes. We must be the heroes of our generation, because we, too, are America! Van Buren, N.Y. Three teenagers have been charged with leading sheriffs deputies on a pursuit in a stolen vehicle late Wednesday night that started in the town of Van Buren and ended near Destiny USA in Syracuse. A deputy attempted to pull the vehicle over for speeding on State Route 690 in Van Buren around 11:46 p.m., but the driver refused to stop, said Onondaga County Sheriffs Sgt. Jon Seeber, a department spokesman. The vehicle, which had been reported stolen out of Syracuse, continued on route 690 before getting on the New York State Thruway. The driver continued on the Thruway until exit 38, just north of Liverpool. The driver then proceeded south on Oswego Road, Seeber said. The sheriffs office used its Air 1 helicopter and searchlight to illuminate the vehicle. The driver eventually pulled over on Interstate 81 south, near Destiny USA. The 17-year-old driver and both 16-year-old passengers were charged with third-degree unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, a misdemeanor. The driver was also ticketed for reckless driving, unlawful fleeing from a police officer and speeding. Contact Jacob Pucci at jpucci@syracuse.com or find him on Twitter at @JacobPucci. Minister of health Arsen Torosyan is not participating in Thursdays Cabinet meeting of the government of Armenia. His formal vacation starts on August 31 and will last until September 18. The Ministry of Health informed Armenian News-NEWS.am that the minister is currently participating in the budget discussions at the National Assembly. For several days now, rumors have been circulating that a heated argument took place between Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Arsen Torosyan, after which the PM sent the minister on vacation. It was also reported that Torosyan had written a letter of resignation, but later the spokesperson for the Ministry of Health refuted these reports, adding that the minister will continue his respective activities after his vacation. This is one of the first projects of its kind in Canada. The SAfER study will track and collect anonymous data that will provide unique information about the impact of COVID-19 in the workplace and academic research settings. The SAfER study will track and collect anonymous data that will provide unique information about the impact of COVID-19 in the workplace and academic research settings. In the midst of a pandemic how can we safely return to work? An inter-sectoral group of industry, academic, and public sector partners in BC is leading a new 15-month, $1.2 million return-to-work study An inter-sectoral group of industry, academic, and public sector partners in BC is leading a new 15-month, $1.2 million return-to-work study Academics and Industry Partners Launch Novel Study for Easing COVID-19 Restrictions The SAfER studysupported by Genome BC, Genome Canada, and industry partnerswill track and collect data over time on infection, immunity, contacts, and clinical symptoms for 1,500 volunteer employees at BC based biotechnology companies. The SAfER studysupported by Genome BC, Genome Canada, and industry partnerswill track and collect data over time on infection, immunity, contacts, and clinical symptoms for 1,500 volunteer employees at BC based biotechnology companies. VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Aug. 27, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In the midst of a pandemic how can we safely return to work? This question is on the minds of employees, employers, and policymakers as the world begins the process of re-opening during COVID-19. Places that have successfully restricted person-to-person contact have also curbed transmission, but these restrictions come with damaging economic trade-offs. To support decision making around relaxing restrictions and managing work environments as society reopens, an inter-sectoral group of industry, academic, and public sector partners in BC is leading a new 15-month, $1.2 million return-to-work study. The data from the SARSCoV2 Study for Eased Restrictions in British Columbia (SAfER) project, collected in controlled settings, will be available in real time to help inform public health decisions that lead to positive outcomes. The SAfER studysupported by Genome BC, Genome Canada, and industry partnerswill track and collect data over time on infection, immunity, contacts, and clinical symptoms for 1,500 volunteer employees at BC based biotechnology companies, including Xenon Pharmaceuticals, STEMCELL Technologies and Zymeworks, as well as Simon Fraser University and the University of British Columbia. An employee survey will also collect information about stress and anxiety related to the pandemic. Story continues The SAfER study will track and collect anonymous data that will provide unique information about the impact of COVID-19 in the workplace and academic research settings, says Dr. Pascal Spothelfer, President and CEO, Genome BC. This is one of the first projects of its kind in Canada, and BC has a window of opportunity in which to learn and lead as we prepare to meet the coming challenges. The breadth of data types collected will also enable integrated data analyses that could reveal trends and predictive markers to inform workplace safety recommendations for COVID-19 and future pandemics. No one can solve the challenges around re-opening workplaces on their own. We hope that the type of public-private partnership we are creating with this work can help create a framework for data-driven conversations with all the players at the table, says study co-lead Dr. Simon Pimstone. Dr. Pimstone (University of British Columbia Faculty of Medicine, Xenon Pharmaceuticals) is joined by co-leads Dr. Tania Bubela (Simon Fraser University), Dr. Josef Penninger (University of British Columbia Faculty of Medicine), and Dr. Mel Krajden (BC Centre for Disease Control / Provincial Health Services Authority, University of British Columbia Faculty of Medicine) who echoes the call for partnership: Effective handling of this pandemic relies on collaboration between public health, academia, and industry to ensure key research is translated into practice. The study will be managed by Emmes Canada, an international Contract Research Organization with deep experience in public health, and supported in testing and tracing partnerships by diagnostics company LifeLabs and app developer Thrive Health. The BC Centre for Disease Control will hold the data and perform the analyses. The study will be initiated once all relevant agreements and ethical approvals are in place which is expected in the near term. About Genome British Columbia: Genome BC is a not-for-profit organization supporting world-class genomics research and innovation to grow globally competitive life sciences sectors and deliver sustainable benefits for British Columbia, Canada and beyond. Over the past 20 years, Genome BC has generated over $1.1 billion of investment in more than 425 genomics research and innovation projects, including nearly 1,000 collaborations with partners across BC and internationally. The organizations initiatives are improving the lives of people throughout BC by advancing health care in addition to addressing environmental and natural resource challenges. In addition to scientific programming, Genome BC works to integrate genomics into society by supporting responsible research and innovation and fostering an understanding and appreciation of the life sciences among educators, students and the public. genomebc.ca Contact: Jennifer Boon Communications Manager, Sectors Genome BC Mobile: 778.327.8374 Email: jboon@genomebc.ca @genomebc #genomebc Photos accompanying this announcement are available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ac3258c0-0e5c-4372-9aa5-ae678903ecd0 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a2183cd6-12b6-4a81-ae0b-acf1fdc266ba https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c553e72d-74d9-4a7b-b25c-f4b71dc7ee07 The Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana(PCG) Rt. Rev Prof. Joseph Obiri Yeboah Mante has encouraged Ministers of the Church to make a conscious effort to preach peace in a completely non-partisan manner as the nation prepares for the general elections later this year. He said the Presbyterian Church of Ghana pulpit or premises is under no circumstances to be used to preach or promote partisan politics, and that Agents of the Church must submerge personal political preferences to the message of peace in pulpit. The Moderator therefore cautioned that any Minister or Agent who uses the Churchs Pulpit or premises to do partisan politics will be sanctioned. Rt. Rev Prof. Mante issued the caution when he inaugurated a ten member Peace Ambassadors under the Presbyterian Peace Ambassadors Campaign Project towards elections 2020 at the Osu Ebenezer Congregation on Wednesday August 26th 2020 in Accra. The Moderator assured that the Presbyterian Church of Ghana would collaborate with the wider ecumenical movement, especially, the Christian Council of Ghana to ensure peace in the nation before, during and after the election. We are going to deploy our Peace Ambassadors to lead our clarion call to say NO TO VIOLENCE, he said. Explaining the role of the Peace Ambassadors, the Moderator said their activities will include; be permitted to use the Name, insignia, goodwill and other memorabilia of the Church to court maximum both traditional and contemporary media attention and use these platforms to lead a call to the message of peace, during the period of engagement, use their societal influences and reputations to call on all stakeholders for violent-free activities, before, during and after election 2020, be part of high powered meeting with principal players, the Church at large, the Political Parties, the Electoral Commission, the Media and Civil Society. Other functions will include be permitted to use the structures of the Church to lead sensitization activities, be facilitators and discussants at Church organized talks, workshops and symposia to disseminate the message of peace. The Moderator also mentioned that apart from the nationally appointed Ten Eminent Presbyterians who are Peace Ambassadors, the twenty-one Presbyteries in the Church would also constitute teams of Peace Ambassadors going down to the about 5,000 Congregations and Preaching Points. The Church intends to infect every youth and adult member of the Church to preach the message of peace. We want to sing from the same tune book the message of NO TO VIOLENCE. We in the Presbyterian Church of Ghana are avowedly committed in ensuring peace in our dear land, Ghana, he emphasized. The Ten Eminent Presbyterian Peace Ambassadors are Rt. Rev. Prof. J. O. Y. Mante Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church Ghana, Rev. Dr. Godwin Nii Noi Odonkor, Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Rev. Prof. Adow Obeng, President, Presbyterian University College, Ghana, Rev. Prof. Ivy Drafor-Amenyah, Director of Research, Innovation and Consultancy Centre, Pentecost University Ghana and Prof. Bill Puplampu, Vice-Chancellor, Central University. The rest are Prof. Clara K. Fayorsey Dean of Faculty of Arts and Science, Central University, Prof. Ebenezer Oduro Vice Chancellor, University of Ghana, Dr. Mrs. Adelaide Kastner Dean of School of Business, Central University, Mr. Kwame Sefa Kayi Presenter, Peace FM and Mr. Ezekiel Teye Ajorlolo National President, Young Peoples Guild of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana. Source: George Larbi/Public Relations Officer Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The faculty at the University of Alabama was ordered not to divulge information about the coronavirus To some, the University of Alabama has a proud history. To others, it has a dark history exemplified by the struggle of Autherine Lucy, the first Black woman to attempt to integrate the school. Read More: KFC suspends Its Finger Lickin Good slogan amid pandemic Now the school has another smear against its reputation. As reported by The Daily Beast, the universitys administration reportedly told faculty not to reveal any coronavirus numbers to its students. This directive was in spite of the fact that over 500 students, staff, and faculty tested positive for the virus as the Tuscaloosa campus began in-person instruction last week. (Credit: University of Alabama) The Daily Beast obtained emails addressed to the politics department and other academic departments that warned faculty not to divulge any positive COVID-19 cases among students, whether in person or social media accounts, stating that it could constitute a HIPAA violation. HIPAA, or the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, was put in place to ensure the privacy of patient health information. Alabama Provost James Dalton emailed a follow-up to faculty to clarify the rules. If the established rules for masks and physical distancing are followed in the classroom, then the risk of transmission from the positive student is minimal, and it is not necessary to inform the rest of the class they may have been in the same room as a positive classmate, his email says. For privacy reasons, the instructor should not announce to the class that a student in the class tested positive, even anonymously. Students who test positive on or off-campus are moved to so-called quarantine dorms set up by the university but adherence to quarantine is on the honor system. If a student receives a positive COVID-19 test outside of the school, they are also on the honor system as there is no way to track results unless students are tested on campus. Story continues The Daily Beast says that U of Alabama students have reported that residents of those dorms flout quarantine rules with little action taken against them. Though they are supposed to be monitored by campus security and resident advisors, on a campus of more than 38,000 students its unrealistic to believe that the quarantine dorm could be monitored more thoroughly. A lot of my colleagues and people Ive talked to, theyre terrified, American studies professor Michael Innis-Jimenez told The Daily Beast. He elected to teach remotely this semester due to the risks of COVID-19 transmission. Read More: OSU suspends more than 200 students for breaking coronavirus protocols Every statement at least for the last month has been about this plan, theyve got this plan, he said, adding later: It makes it feel like a lot of this is for show, especially when they dont want you to confirm its not working. Have you subscribed to theGrios podcast Dear Culture? Download our newest episodes now! The post University of Alabama faculty reportedly told to stay quiet about COVID-19 infections among students appeared first on TheGrio. At a workshop during the ongoing Beijing International Film Festival (BJIFF), film executives agreed more talents and professionals should be trained and cultivated for film industrialization in China to help the country become a world film power. Executives pose for photo at the Motion Picture Association Film Workshop on the theme of "Film Talent Cultivation System under Industrialization in China" held in Beijing on Aug. 24, 2020, during the 10th Beijing International Film Festival. [Photo courtesy of BJIFF] "A few phenomenal domestic and foreign blockbusters cannot support the enormous market that is China, nor support sustainable and long-term development of the Chinese industry and the demands from the audience," said William Feng, vice president for Asia Pacific and head of Greater China of the Motion Picture Association (MPA). "Therefore, the industrialization of Chinese films, especially related specialization and the establishment of industry standards, has increasingly become a focus of our attention," he said. Feng joined the Motion Picture Association Film Workshop, featuring a theme of "Film Talent Cultivation System under Industrialization in China", held on Aug. 24, that invited senior Chinese and international filmmakers to exchange with the younger generation on-site or via video. According to Feng, instead of upgrading or improving just a certain section, what was needed was an overall film industry chain. Difficulties of this process included the upgrading of technological equipment, the improvement of cinematography and special effects production, and an operational and management system featuring clear-cut labor division and essential mutual reliance. "In order to accelerate industrialization, we should keep learning the good practices of developed countries and mature markets," he stressed. The MPA and its member companies have made some efforts in this regard. For example, he pointed out that, under the guidance of China's competent film administration, the MPA and its member companies had hosted Sino-foreign co-production forums, screening events and filmmaker exchange programs through which excellent Chinese filmmakers were invited to study and have exchanges in the United States every year. All these efforts have laid a solid foundation for China's film industrialization and related talent training. Feng also introduced this year's Asian Pacific Screen Awards (APSA), founded in 2007 aiming to rejuvenate the film industry in Asia and Oceania. Chinese filmmakers such as Zhang Yimou, Zhang Ziyi, Zhao Tao and Wang Baoqiang were all winners of the APSA. In 2009, the MPA and APSA had achieved a partnership, and established the MPA-APSA Academy Film Fund to support films at the script development stage by APSA Academy members and their colleagues across the region. Gillian Zhao, president of Warner Bros. China, spoke highly of "The Eight Hundred". the current big hit in China's cinemas, which she thought was a milestone work playing an important role in China's film industrialization. She also noted that it has been a century since Hollywood started industrialization, and it is now in the refining stage after continued learning and adjustment. "From the perspective of the development of Chinese film industrialization, I think they can learn from successful experiences, but we must do a lot of localization, we must develop the process, system and standards of China's own film industrialization," she emphasized. Ye Ning, founder and chairman of Qingsong Pictures, indicated that in the last one to two years, the international film market had been transformed fundamentally. It was a rare opportunity for China's film industry as the country was restructuring and industrializing the industry. Once the opportunity was seized, China would become a strong film power, aligning its film industry with its cultural power and national strength. In terms of film industrialization, on one hand, it was essential to systematically train young talents with good command of art and market rules, while defining a proper subject and creation of a good story in the development stage, Ye said. If these two cornerstones were well established, the quality of Chinese films would be enhanced significantly and so would the number of works. Ye hated to see China's film industry still lacking proper and specific education of students and talents in many areas, links and phases such as lighting, special effects, film structures, and marketing. He urged the building of an industry education base while suggesting a series of Hollywood lectures. "Seeing every successful Chinese film in the market, I am proud and cheering for them from the bottom of my heart, because I hope that all the experiences, thoughts, work processes and methods they have accumulated through a film production can be shared with other Chinese filmmakers. Only when we make it right for every project and every link in line with China's current culture, business structures and models of the film industry, will our industrialization be established brick by brick." In recent years, China has made rapid progress with respect to building up its film industrialization system and related practice. Talents are the key to film industrialization, these executives said. The industrialization of Chinese films needs talent familiar with the film industry, as well as professionals that meet qualifications and requirements of key positions. Liu Chun, general manager of China Film Co-production Corporation, said that now the format of co-production had been transformed from filming in China of foreign studios with the addition of Chinese crews at the early stage to close partnerships where both parties are highly integrated in terms of early development, marketing and distribution as well as development of sequels. Meanwhile, the China Film Co-production Corporation is talking with the offices of five major film studios in Hollywood and MPA members regarding their ideas on co-production. The market for Sino-foreign film co-production will be broader in future. The event also saw a video message from Joe Russo, one of the Russo brothers who directed "Avengers: Endgame" and "Infinity War." He said, "Filmmaking is a collaborative effort by all parties involved. It isn't about imposing your ideas on others, it's about interaction and it's about cultural exchanges. So, let's continue to work together and to exchange ideas." Two producers joined the discussion via video link. Ellen Eliasoph said she had been growing with Chinese films. In her career, there had been two types of successful co-productions: projects initiated by Chinese filmmakers, directors and screenwriters, such as the Crazy Stone, where foreign co-production teams offered technological resources and helped render a better Chinese story; the other area was China remakes of foreign works, in which the China's film industry urgently needs to make further progress, while foreign film industries may provide corresponding resources. Andre Morgan recalled his working experience in China in the past 20 to 25 years. He thought China's film industry had made significant progress, and Chinese filmmaking professionals had met international standards. In another five to ten years, China would become a world-class film production hub, he predicted. However, China needed to work on the funding system for low and medium-budget works, and establish smooth funding channels to encourage young filmmakers to work on such projects, which was of great importance in the training of next-generation filmmakers and genre diversity of the film market. Young talents should be offered opportunities and training programs to learn how to participate in and manage complicated projects, he added. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Toll and fare hikes and wage freezes are on the horizon without federal funding due to the current fiscal crisis, the MTA warned, adding service reductions also could be in the future. New Yorks economic future, and the countrys, relies on a strong MTA powering process. If the Senate fails to step up and deliver $12 billion, it would be a devastating blow to mass transit as we know it, Chairman and CEO Pat Foye said during a special board meeting Wednesday. We need action now, and the more we can amplify this message, the better, he added. The announcement comes as Mayor Bill de Blasio threatens to lay off 22,000 municipal employees if the city also does not receive money from Washington, D.C. At this point, we have discussed repeatedly the extreme devastation that COVID-19 has wreaked on our agency, on our employees and on our finances. This is by far the most difficult challenge the MTA has ever faced. The survival of the MTA and the existence of millions of jobs in this region and across the country lies squarely in the hands of the federal government, Foye said. The MTA received $3.8 billion in the CARES Act, which was signed by President Donald Trump at the end of March. That money ran out last month, Chief Financial Officer Robert Foran said. POTENTIAL SERVICE REDUCTION ON BUSES, SUBWAYS; LOSS OF RESIDENT DISCOUNT Service on the Staten Island Railway, the boroughs only train, could be reduced by up to 40% along with other subways and buses without the $12 billion in funding, Foran said. The service reductions could save nearly $880 million annually. Off-peak frequency on the Staten Island Railway could increase by 30 minutes, Foran said, and bus frequency could increase by up to 15 minutes. Another large money saver would be to eliminate resident discounts, Foran said, which would save over $65 million annually. FARE AND TOLL INCREASES, WAGE FREEZES AND LOSS OF 7,200 JOBS Foran said an additional option would be to raise fares and tolls annually, above the already agreed upon 4% increase slated for next year, through 2024. Again, no one wants to raise the fare above what we planned, Foran said. Looking at force reductions, for every 1,000 employee jobs eliminated, the MTA would save $125 million, Foran said. Foran said the agency is considering the elimination of 7,200 jobs, as well as a wage freeze for remaining employees for the next two years. MTA LAUNCHES #SAVETRANSIT CAMPAIGN A digital ad campaign launched Wednesday highlights the MTAs urgent need for federal funding. The ads were made in-house by MTA employees and will be distributed on social media, as well as on digital screens and buses throughout the system. New York doesnt work without mass transit. The pandemic has left us in dire financial troublethis is the most difficult challenge weve ever faced. Without major federal assistance, we wont be able to continue moving New York. #SaveTransit pic.twitter.com/1JTsVpmEqq MTA. Wear a Mask. Stop the Spread. (@MTA) August 26, 2020 On Twitter, the message read: New York doesnt work without mass transit. The pandemic has left us in dire financial trouble this is the most difficult challenge weve ever faced. Without major federal assistance, we wont be able to continue moving forward. The tweet also included the hashtag #SaveTransit. FOLLOW KRISTIN F. DALTON ON TWITTER. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia has issued the following statement on the violation of the rights of officer Gurgen Alaverdyan who appeared under Azerbaijani jurisdiction: We strongly condemn the degrading treatment of the officer Gurgen Alaverdyan, who appeared under the Azerbaijani jurisdiction on August 22. This is a flagrant and gross violation of the international humanitarian law. By publicly violating the dignity of Gurgen Alaverdyan, Azerbaijan denies the right of the prisoners of war to be entitled in all circumstances to respect for their persons and their honour which is asserted by civilized humanity and enshrined in the Third Geneva Convention. Such practice represents a distinctive method of notorious terrorist organizations and, as we can observe, of Azerbaijan as well. The dictatorial regime of Azerbaijan, while feeding its people with disgraceful propaganda and Armenophobia, covers up the serious setbacks of its armed forces in the July battles by coercing the prisoner of war to read out its sham narratives. The fact that Azerbaijan is one of the few countries to have refused to ratify all the Additional Protocols to the Geneva Conventions also demonstrates their disregard of the international humanitarian law. The continuous violations of international humanitarian law by Azerbaijan seriously undermine the establishment of an environment conducive to peace. By PTI MUMBAI: A petition filed in the Bombay High Court has sought a direction to news channels and others to "postpone" the "media trial" in actor Sushant Singh Rajput's suicide, saying it could hamper the probe. The plea, filed on Wednesday, is yet to be taken up for hearing by the high court. Petitioners Nilesh Navlakha and two others demanded directions to news channels to limit their coverage of the case and the probe. The ongoing sensational reportage on the issue might hamper the probe being conducted by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), it said. Since June 14, the day Rajput allegedly committed suicide, "several prominent media channels have been conducting media trials" and "parallel proceedings", the petition said. TV channels and other media outlets have "proceeded to already convict" the accused named in the FIR, it said. Such parallel investigation goes against the Supreme Court's past rulings and basic principles of law, the petition said. The high court should ask the media to "postpone reporting....debates, discussions of any kind tantamount to media trial...that will directly or indirectly hamper the investigation in the case", the plea said. The petitioners have made several news channels party to the litigation. They had filed complaints with the Union government authorities against some TV channels, but were yet to get a response, the petitioners said. The CBI is conducting probe into a complaint of abetment of suicide filed by Rajput's father against actor Rhea Chakraborty, her family members and others. Liberty University accepts Jerry Falwell Jr.s resignation effective immediately Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The Board of Trustees of Liberty University, one of the largest evangelical Christian universities in the world, announced Tuesday that they had accepted the resignation of their president and chancellor, Jerry Falwell Jr., effective immediately after he and his wife, Rebecca, were implicated in a sex scandal Monday. The Liberty University Board of Trustees acted today to accept the resignation of Jerry Falwell, Jr. as its President and Chancellor and also accepted his resignation from its Board of Directors. All were effective immediately, the board said in a statement. The resignation comes after a tumultuous weekend for Falwell, during which it was first revealed on Sunday that his wife had an affair with Giancarlo Granda, 29, that began eight years ago. Granada later attempted to blackmail the couple. Falwell said he was shocked to learn about his wifes affair, but Granda contradicted that claim Monday when he said he had engaged in the intimate liaisons with Falwells knowledge. Becki and I developed an intimate relationship and Jerry enjoyed watching from the corner of the room, Granda, told Reuters. Granda claimed his liaisons with Rebecca Falwell were frequent happening multiple times per year noting that they would meet at hotels in Miami, New York, and the Falwells home in Virginia. It was reported soon after Grandas revelations were published that Falwell had stepped down. The Liberty University president, who had already been on an indefinite leave of absence from the Christian college after a series of embarrassing public acts, quickly denied the report. In their statement Tuesday, Libertys board said Falwell flip-flopped on an agreement to resign until finally submitting his resignation letter through his lawyer late Tuesday night. After agreeing yesterday to immediately resign then reversing course, Falwell, through an attorney, sent the resignation letter late last night to members of the Boards Executive Committee pursuant to the terms of his contract of employment. The Executive Committee met this morning and voted to accept all the resignations immediately and recommend ratification to the full Board. Later this morning, the full Board gathered via conference call and unanimously voted to affirm the decision of the Executive Committee, the board of the college based in Lynchburg, Virginia, said. Falwells severance compensation was dictated by the terms of his pre-existing employment agreement without any adjustment by the University or its Board. It's unclear what the terms of his severance were. Falwell, a lawyer whose late father, Southern Baptist preacher Jerry Falwell Sr., who founded Liberty University in the 1970s, confirmed his resignation in a statement to ABC News, stating, I was never called to be a pastor. I was never called to be a pastor, my calling was to use my legal and business expertise to make Liberty University the evangelical version of Notre Dame," Falwell said. "Some of us are called to be preachers, that wasnt mine. I was called to make Liberty University the greatest Christian university in the world and I couldnt have done that as a preacher. Libertys board, which includes active and retired alumni, pastors and business executives, spent much of their meeting Tuesday discussing the future of the university, including finding a new president, and how to remain true to its mission to develop Christ-centered men and women with the values, knowledge, and skills essential to impact the world. I am so encouraged by the unity of Christ that I saw exemplified by our Board today. Liberty Universitys future is very bright and in capable hands of leaders who are committed to being good stewards of what the Lord has entrusted! Acting Board Chairman Allen McFarland said in a statement. Our students are ready to be world changers as Champions for Christ. Their spirit is strong as they look to the future. I intend to do all I can to nurture their spiritual side as they grow academically and enjoy all our campus has to offer, added Jerry Prevo, who will stay on as acting president. In a statement to The Christian Post on Tuesday, the Rev. Johnnie Moore, founder of the KAIROS Company and noted religious freedom advocate, said: "Liberty would not exist without the Falwells but the brilliance of its original mission and vision is that long ago it transcended the influence of even them. Liberty is an institution designed to thrive for the cause of Christ today and for generations. I am sure members of the community past and present will pray and will work together to ensure that Liberty's best days are ahead." Mayor Sylvester Turner made an impassioned plea Wednesday for federal officials to speed up plans for a coastal barrier, warning of the destruction Hurricane Laura could have brought to the Houston area had it tracked farther west. Can you imagine that being in the Galveston Bay and the storm surge being 30 miles in? Turner said at a news conference, where he expressed cautious optimism the storm largely would spare Houston. The mayor then turned to U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Houston, who was standing to his left. If we needed any proof, any evidence that there is a need for funding, congresswoman, I hate to keep but youre here. That coastal spine is desperately needed, Turner said. In 2018, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers proposed a 71-mile barrier system of levees and gates that closely mirrored the Ike Dike idea first conceptualized after Hurricane Ike made landfall in 2008. Army Corps officials have adjusted the proposal in response to public feedback and are facing an October deadline to come out with the latest draft of their plan, which could cost upwards of $30 billion to build. Turner said the rapid intensification of storms such as Hurricane Laura make it impossible for Houstons millions of residents to evacuate in time. He also noted that the rest of the United States, along with other countries, rely on the petrochemical industry along the Houston Ship Channel, which would have been overrun by Hurricane Laura. Quite frankly, we need it yesterday, Turner said of a coastal barrier. Were running out of lives, so to speak. Jackson Lee said she agreed that the Ike Dike is long overdue, calling herself an enthusiastic supporter of the coastal spine. She said this years active hurricane season points to the need for it. There is the indication that this will not be the last hurricane that we will see in this region, Jackson Lee said, and certainly will not be the last one that may be extremely difficult and devastating. jasper.scherer@chron.com Floyd Welch, 99, a U.S. Navy veteran and Pearl Harbor survivor, passed away peacefully at his home in Connecticut on Aug. 17. Besides his role as the beloved patriarch of his family, Welch is being remembered for an act of immense bravery during the raid on Pearl Harbor in December 1941. Welchs courageous actions contributed to the rescue of 33 sailors. After retiring from the Navy, Welch settled in East Lyme, a small town in New London County. The 99-year-old is survived by his wife, Marjorie, with whom he had 6 children, 13 grandchildren, and 10 great-grandchildren, reports WSB-TV. On Dec. 7, 1941, a date that would later go down in history books, a then-20-year-old Welch was working as an electricians mate on board the battleship USS Maryland. He had Navy combat training in damage control and repair. The youngster had been tasked with preparing the ships public address system, ready for church service. However, he was just stepping out of the shower when the first bombs released by the Japanese hit the harbor, he told the Hartford Courant two years before his passing. The battleships alarm system began to sound; most crew members, Welch admitted, thought at that time that it was a drill. However it, quickly transpired that this was a very real, and potentially catastrophic, emergency. An explosion at the Naval Air Station on Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, during the Japanese attack on Dec. 7, 1941 (Fox Photos/Getty Images) The ship Welch was working on was one of seven and was harbored next to the USS Oklahoma. The Oklahoma began to sink fast after a succession of direct hits from Japanese torpedoes. A number of sailors were trapped below deck; that is when Welchs damage control training kicked into immediate action. By using blueprints of the Oklahoma, so as not to burn into a fuel void, we began the long and extremely difficult process of cutting holes through the bottom steel plates of the Oklahoma, Welch wrote in remembrance of the battle, according to the Associated Press. When we could see the planes coming, we would try to find cover, he recalled. Welch and his comrades, between the deafening bombs, listened for the tapping of the trapped sailors on the other side of the steel plates and cut holes accordingly. Welch and his fellow crew members worked for days. In all, he said, I believe 33 men from the Oklahoma were rescued through these holes. So many left our world at once, the veteran lamented. A total of 2,403 men lost their lives at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, according to The National World War Two Museum. Eighteen of those men were from Welchs home state. The remains of the destroyers USS Downes and USS Cassin in front of the battleship USS Pennsylvania at Pearl Harbor, pictured in December 1941 (Fox Photos/Getty Images) However, helping save almost three-dozen men at Pearl Harbor was not the only major contribution Welch made in the war effort. The USS Maryland, which survived the Pearl Harbor attack, was Welchs vessel throughout the entire duration of the Second World War. Welch was honored for his service with the American Defense Service Medal, World War II Victory Medal, as well as the American Campaign, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign, and Good Conduct Medals, reports WSB-TV. To round off the decorated Navy veterans impressive list of accolades, he was also awarded the United States Navy Constitution Medal after the war. (Petty Officer 2nd Class Lyle Wilkie/DVIDSHUB) Besides starting a family, Welch also explored a number of vocational avenues. He worked as an alarm installer, a farmer, and a milkman. He then went on to start his own construction company, Welch & Son, serving much of the northeastern United States. Today, Welch is remembered, both by his family and by his country, as a hero. His was just a remarkable story of bravery, discipline, and dedication, U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal said in a statement to the Associated Press. He was a hero, not just in his dedication and bravery, but also in the result of his actions, which was to save lives. We would love to hear your stories! You can share them with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.nyc Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 23:05:03|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BAMAKO, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- The current governing body of Mali, National Committee for the Salvation of the People (CNSP), announced on Thursday that it has released ousted Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita who had been "secured" in a military camp in Kati. On its Twitter account, the CNSP confirmed that "ex-president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita has been released and is currently at his residence." According to the weekly magazine Jeune Afrique, citing family sources, the ousted president was brought back by the Malian special forces to his residence in the Sebeninkoro district of the capital Bamako where he was "arrested" last week with his Prime Minister Boubou Cisse. The release of Keita was agreed upon by the CNSP and the mediation delegation of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which stayed in the country during Aug. 22-24. According to the agreements, Keita will also be free to seek treatment in the country of his choice, and ECOWAS has vouched for his return to the country if necessary. After a brief meeting with the ousted president, head of the ECOWAS mediation delegation, former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan, told reporters that "Keita has resigned, and he was not forced to resign." An extraordinary summit of the sub-regional organization, which plans to decide on the lifting or easing of sanctions against Mali, was initially scheduled for Wednesday but has been postponed to another date. Enditem (Photo : Screenshot from Twitter post of @Cecalli_Helper) Experts Claimed that This Insect Repellent's Ingredient Could Kill COVID-19, Suggesting Using It In Face Masks (Photo : Screenshot from Twitter post of @muratkgirgin) Experts Claimed that This Insect Repellent's Ingredient Could Kill COVID-19, Suggesting Using It In Face Masks Scientists claimed that COVID-19 could be killed using citriodiol, an ingredient found in insect repellent. British researchers said that they discovered that it is an active ingredient that can be used to fight against the viral disease, which causes the current global pandemic. Also Read: [BREAKING] First Hong Kong Man Reinfected by COVID-19; Experts Suggest Recovered Patient Only Has Short-Lived Immunity In a preliminary study, scientists at Technology Laboratory and UK's Defense Science stated that Citriodiol could help battle coronavirus. However, using insect repellents with Citriodiol is not enough to be used alone to protect against the viral disease. Also Read: Is It Safe To Go To The Dentist? NADG Disagrees With WHO Recommendation About Oral Care; Spreading Of COVID-19 Possible? Experts suggested that people should use it with face masks, acting as an additional protective layer against the deadly virus. These products could also be used in other health recommendations, such as handwashing. The United States Environmental Protection Agency already approved the use of Citriodiol, which is extracted from the twigs and leaves of the eucalyptus citriodora tree. Jacqueline Watson, Citrefine's managing director, the company which manufactures the naturally sourced active ingredient, said that she believes that the ingredient could prevent further spread of the deadly virus. "What we can say is that we do feel there is a very good chance it could work against this virus but it does of course need to be thoroughly tested," she added. Citriodiol was already used by military forces According to Sky News' latest report, the insect repellents containing Citriodiol were already provided to Britain's armed forces since it can be used as an additional protection. Mosi Guard is among the brands that produce products with the ingredient. Research of Defence scientists stated that only products with Citriodiol, and not containing Deet, are regarded as having the potential of any kind of utility against the viral disease. Although there is not enough research to show its effectiveness, the armed forces already saved insect repellents' stocks and figured it was worth trying as protection against COVID-19. For more news updates about COVID-19, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes. Also Read: Fauci Was Under the Knife When CDC Updated Its COVID-19 Guidelines that Does Not Require Testing for Exposed People This article is owned by TechTimes, Written by: Giuliano de Leon. 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Dawood Ibrahim (File image) External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said Islamabad has never taken "any credible and verifiable action" against terror entities or listed individuals, including the most wanted ones. Srivastava was referring to Pakistan's U-turn on the presence of fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim in the country. "This subsequent denial by their Foreign Office calls into question their intentions and it would not mislead the world community in believing its propaganda," he said. "Pakistan must take credible action and ensure that the listed individuals are prosecuted," the MEA spokesperson added. Ibrahim's name figured in a list of 88 people which was published as a Statutory Regulatory Order (SRO) by Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. However, later Pakistan rejected media reports saying the SRO list is an acknowledgement of Ibrahim's presence in the country. India slammed Pakistan for evading responsibility for the Pulwama terror attack and pointed out that Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar, a key accused in the case, continues to find shelter in that country. MEA Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said the charge sheet into the Pulwama attack case has been filed after an investigation spanning one-and-a-half years. "Jaish-e-Mohammad had claimed the responsibility of Pulwama attack. The organisation and its leadership are in Pakistan. It is regrettable that Masood Azhar, the first accused in the charge sheet continues to find shelter in Pakistan," Srivastava said at an online media briefing. "Enough evidence has been shared with Pakistan but it continues to evade responsibility," he added. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a charge sheet in the Pulwama case detailing how Pakistan-based JeM terror outfit planned and carried out the attack. "It (charge sheet) has been filed to address the act of terrorism and to bring perpetrators of such a heinous crime to justice. Our aim is not to simply issue statements or notifications," Srivastava said. India had carried out a strike on a JeM terrorist training camp in Pakistan's Balakot area on February 26 last year, in response to the Pulwama attack in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed. Srivastava also added that Pakistan has not yet taken any credible action against the perpetrators of the Mumbai terror attack of 2008 which resulted in the loss of 165 innocent lives. A much weaker Laura continued to bring torrential rain and damaging winds to parts of Arkansas on Thursday evening as it tracked farther inland. The National Hurricane Center downgraded Laura to a tropical storm earlier this afternoon and then a tropical depression late tonight. It had 35 mph winds as of 10 p.m. CDT. Laura spent almost 12 hours over land at hurricane strength after making landfall around 1 a.m. today near Cameron, La., with winds of 150 mph. NEW: NOAA's GOES-16 captured the landfall of #HurricaneLaura at 1 a.m. CDT in southwest #Louisiana near Cameron. The category 4 #hurricane packed maximum sustained winds of 150 mph and a minimum central pressure of 938 mb. Updates: https://t.co/bf9oyNUeIP pic.twitter.com/WjJM4EIyq3 NOAA Satellites - Public Affairs (@NOAASatellitePA) August 27, 2020 The National Hurricane Center best described Laura, one of the strongest hurricanes to hit that part of the Gulf Coast, by saying: At the time of landfall, Laura was a ferocious looking hurricane with a clear circular eye, an intense eyewall, and tightly-coiled surrounding spiral bands. Map showing all Category 4-5 #hurricane landfalls in the continental US on record (since 1851). #HurricaneLauras landfall in SW Louisiana is the lone Category 4-5 in that part of the state. pic.twitter.com/tVt3gDeWdU Philip Klotzbach (@philklotzbach) August 27, 2020 Wind and rain spread farther inland into Arkansas on Thursday night, but hurricane and tropical storm warnings were dropped for coastal areas. Damaging winds and flash flooding were all expected to continue tonight. Major damage was reported earlier today in downtown Lake Charles, La., not far from the landfall point. The city experienced several hours of wind gusts exceeding 100 mph. The cleanup was already in full swing on Thursday. Engineer work teams with the 843rd Engineer Co. clear debris from roadways in Lake Charles during the aftermath of #Laura. Currently we have 17 teams across the state assisting local and state agencies to #ProtectWhatMatters pic.twitter.com/9qrJlMZb5Y LA National Guard (@LANationalGuard) August 27, 2020 And Lake Charles was miles inland. The scope of damage to coastal areas like the landfall point in Cameron was yet to be fully realized on Thursday evening, but videos have emerged of large swaths of land underwater and severe damage to homes. Some wind gusts from southwestern Louisiana earlier today, according to The Weather Channel: * Lake Charles: 134 mph * Calcasieu Pass: 127 mph * Cameron: 116 mph * Alexandria: 85 mph Heres the most recent information on Laura: LOCATION As of 10 p.m. CDT Thursday, the center of Tropical Depression Laura was located about 30 miles north-northeast of Little Rock, Ark. TRACK FORECAST Laura was moving to the north-northeast at 15 mph. The hurricane center said Laura should stay on that northeast path tonight. On the forecast track, Laura will move over Arkansas tonight, the mid-Mississippi Valley on Friday, and the mid-Atlantic states on Saturday and emerge over the western Atlantic on Sunday. INTENSITY FORECAST Laura had 35 mph winds as of 10 p.m. Thursday and was downgraded to a tropical depression. Here is a look at the winds, pressure, and preliminary water level height at Calcasieu Pass, LA as Hurricane Laura passed by. The times are in GMT, which is 5 hours ahead of CDT, so the plot runs from 7 pm CDT Wednesday night to 9:45 am CDT Thursday morning. pic.twitter.com/DWrun2oU9N NWS Eastern Region (@NWSEastern) August 27, 2020 WATCHES AND WARNINGS All coastal watches and warnings have been dropped as of Thursday night. This takes our breath away! This is what's left of the radar (the big white ball behind our office) at our counterparts office in Lake Charles Louisiana after #laura. The power of wind is incredible. *Proceeds to walk outside and give KMOB a big hug for doing what it does* https://t.co/sZgHrQNeFH NWS Mobile (@NWSMobile) August 27, 2020 RAIN There have been multiple flash flood warnings issued for parts of Louisiana and Arkansas earlier Thursday. Laura could bring 3 to 7 inches of rain to Arkansas. Parts of southern Louisiana and Mississippi could get 1 to 3 inches, with isolated additional totals of 5 inches. Isolated storm totals of 15 to 18 inches will be possible across southwest Louisiana. One to 3 inches of rain will be possible farther north into the mid-Mississippi Valley and parts of the Tennessee Valley, the hurricane center said. TORNADOES There have been multiple tornado warnings issued for parts of Louisiana and Arkansas today. The hurricane center said tornadoes will be possible through tonight in eastern Arkansas, western Tennessee, northern Mississippi and the Missouri Bootheel. The tornado risk will shift into the Mid-South and Tennessee Valley on Friday and Friday night. By making Lucias visions visible to viewers (Joana Ribeiro plays Mary), the movie directed by Marco Pontecorvo, a son of the filmmaker Gillo Pontecorvo (The Battle of Algiers) clearly signals that it is not on the side of skeptics. That is a valid choice, but from a dramatic standpoint, its also a dodge. The film would be more powerful if it required moviegoers to take their own leap of faith and accept what they could not see. Fatima, told in flashbacks, pits Lucia against two main antagonists. In 1989, Lucia (Sonia Braga) answers questions from a doubting professor (Harvey Keitel) as she recalls the events of her childhood. In the 1917 scenes, Lucia (Stephanie Gil) remains resolute against her parents, clergy and, particularly, a mayor (Goran Visnjic), whose anticlericalism is so fierce that when he announces news about Lucias brother, who has been fighting in World War I, he mocks Lucias visions. Kenosha, Wis. A white, 17-year-old police admirer was arrested Wednesday after two people were shot to death during a third straight night of protests in Kenosha over the police shooting of a Black man, Jacob Blake. Kyle Rittenhouse, of Antioch, Ill., was taken into custody in Illinois on suspicion of first-degree intentional homicide. Antioch is about 15 miles from Kenosha. Two people were killed Tuesday night and a third was wounded in an attack apparently carried out by a young white man who was caught on cellphone video opening fire in the middle of the street with a semi-automatic rifle. "I just killed somebody," the gunman could be heard saying at one point during the rampage that erupted just before midnight. In the wake of the killings, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers authorized the sending of 500 members of the National Guard to Kenosha, doubling the number of troops. The governor's office said he is working with other states to bring in additional National Guard members and law officers. Authorities also announced a 7 p.m. curfew, an hour earlier than the night before. "A senseless tragedy like this cannot happen again," the governor, a Democrat, said in a statement. "I again ask those who choose to exercise their First Amendment rights please do so peacefully and safely, as so many did last night. I also ask the individuals who are not there to exercise those rights to please stay home and let local first responders, law enforcement and members of the Wisconsin National Guard do their jobs." In Washington, the Justice Department said it is sending in the FBI and federal marshals in response to the unrest. The dead were identified only as a 26-year-old Silver Lake, Wis., resident and a 36-year-old from Kenosha. The wounded person, a 36-year-old from West Allis, Wis., is expected to survive, police said. "We were all chanting 'Black lives matter' at the gas station and then we heard, boom, boom, and I told my friend, 'That's not fireworks,'" 19-year-old protester Devin Scott told the Chicago Tribune. "And then this guy with this huge gun runs by us in the middle of the street and people are yelling, 'He shot someone! He shot someone!' And everyone is trying to fight the guy, chasing him and then he started shooting again." Scott said he cradled a lifeless victim in his arms, and a woman started performing CPR, but "I don't think he made it." According to witness accounts and video footage, police apparently let the young man responsible for the shootings walk past them with a rifle over his shoulder with his hands in the air as members of the crowd were yelling for him to be arrested because he had shot people. As for why the gunman was allowed to leave, Sheriff David Beth portrayed a chaotic, high-stress scene, with screaming, chanting, nonstop radio traffic and "people running all over the place" conditions that can cause "tunnel vision" among law officers. Rittenhouse, identified in court papers as a lifeguard at a YMCA in Lindenhurst, Ill., was assigned a public defender in Illinois for a hearing Friday on his transfer to Wisconsin. The public defender's office had no comment. The sheriff told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that armed vigilantes had been patrolling Kenosha's streets in recent nights, but he did not know if the gunman was among them. Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, who is Black, said in an interview with the news program "Democracy Now!" that the shootings were not surprising and that white militias have been ignored for too long. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. "How many times across this country do you see armed gunmen, protesting, walking into state Capitols, and everybody just thinks it's OK?" Barnes said. In Wisconsin, it is legal for people 18 and over to openly carry a gun, with no license required. Witness accounts and video show that the shootings took place in two stages: The gunman first shot someone at a car lot, then jogged away, stumbled and fell in the street, and opened fire again as members of the crowd closed in him. A witness, Julio Rosas, 24, said that when the gunman stumbled, "two people jumped onto him and there was a struggle for control of his rifle. At that point during the struggle, he just began to fire multiple rounds and that dispersed people near him." Blake, 29, was shot, apparently in the back, on Sunday as he leaned into his SUV, three of his children seated inside. Kenosha police have said little about what happened other than that they were responding to a domestic dispute. They have not said whether Blake was armed, and they have not disclosed the race of three officers on the scene. On Tuesday, Ben Crump, the lawyer for Blake's family, said it would "take a miracle" for Blake to walk again. He called for the officer who opened fire to be arrested and for the others involved to lose their jobs. During the unrest in Kenosha since then, protesters destroyed dozens of buildings, set fires and hurled objects at police, who responded with tear gas on three straight nights. Is this going to be a blip that has gone up because of the moment that were living in and sort of the larger discourse around this, or is this going to be a more substantial change? she wondered. Are people going to hold that, or are they going to revert back to their understanding of (race) not being a systemic issue? In April, a month after much of the United States went into lockdown in an attempt to reduce spread of the novel coronavirus, Anton Novak turned to his husband, Sean Cary, and said he wanted to go home. The couple, who own a bakery in Reno, Nev., are the parents of three adopted children: Eiden, 10, Natalia, 10, and Camila, 7. Novak's mother grew up in Gisborne, New Zealand, so he has a New Zealand passport and always felt an affinity with the Kiwi nation. But when the pandemic shut down schools and further fanned the flames of racial and political tension in this country, that affinity turned urgent. "Our plan had always been to go to New Zealand once our kids were in university or out of the house," Cary said. "But it took the pandemic for my husband to say, 'Enough is enough. We're getting out.' " The decision to move across the globe, Cary said, was partially motivated by questions of health and safety. But to some parents, access to a classroom is the true catalyst to move. "They aren't developing the social skills they need, because the only other people they see are their parents," said Cary, who will begin the process of enrolling his three children in school as soon as he arrives in New Zealand. "To be able to let them interact with the kids their own age, to have a peer group and conversations on their level - it's what they need." The U.S. government does not keep an official tally of how many of its citizens hold passports from other nations, but estimates run as high as 40 million. It's less clear how many will use those passports to get their kids back into physical classrooms for the 2020-2021 school year. But some are. Sandra Brinkman was born in Germany and immigrated to the United States when she was 24. She is now 40. Her husband, Adam, does not speak German, but their son, Jonas, 6, is nearly fluent. The family was living in Denver, and Jonas was thriving in his kindergarten when the coronavirus became a pandemic. Brinkman, who runs her business as a postpartum doula, stopped working and began spending the days at home with her son. As the weeks dragged into months, the prospect of returning home to Hamburg, where a robust public health system and a data-driven approach to social distancing have kept the disease at bay, began to feel promising. Schools in Germany were due to fully reopen in the fall, and Brinkman knew that as a German citizen Jonas could be enrolled in first grade if the family moved there. They flew to Hamburg in late July. "There's so much isolation for kids right now, and they need their peers," Brinkman said. "But we wouldn't be comfortable sending him to school here in the U.S. right now, and the online option is also not ideal." For many couples, the pandemic was the final straw on a bale of political and social unrest. Jennifer Leavitt-Moy, who is Chinese American, says she and her Nicaraguan American husband had been discussing moving their family to Canada, where Leavitt-Moy's mother grew up. "It's been on the table for years," she said of their move and her worries about how her boys - Phoenix, 8, Justice, 4, and another baby on the way - will be treated in the United States because of their race. "But the major difference this year is covid." They drove to Montreal on Aug. 1, where they spent two weeks in quarantine while Leavitt-Moy and her husband began the paperwork to establish permanent residency. It feels, she said, like an escape. "The Canadian government has taken covid so much more seriously, and has been so much more proactive." Other couples are gearing up for a long separation to enroll their kids in school. Claire McKenzie Langhorne grew up in Devon, England, and moved to New York in 2010. She has a U.S. green card. Her husband, Kester, was born in Guyana and came to New York City as a child; he has dual citizenship. They now live in Hoboken, N.J., with their daughter, Cassidy, 4, who has citizenship in the United States and the United Kingdom, and with Kester's daughter (Claire's stepdaughter) Cheyenne, 18, who only has citizenship in the United States. In March, when Cassidy's preschool closed, Claire, an executive at the cosmetic packaging conglomerate KDC/ONE, found herself juggling conference calls and virtual presentations at home with an antsy 4-year-old. She decided to temporarily fly back to Devon with Cassidy and live with her parents while Kester stayed behind with Cheyenne. Four months later, Cassidy has made friends in the United Kingdom, and joined an outdoor day care. They're planning on staying indefinitely - Cassidy is enrolled to start school in the U.K. on Sept. 7. Claire and Kester have decided that when she does return to the United States, they will be moving out of Hoboken and back to New York City, but they want to wait until they know that New York schools, which are planning a reopening that mixes virtual and in-person learning, can open fully in-person. "Cassidy is one of the most social children I know. And she's just desperate for friends and interaction," Langhorne said. "And children learn through play at this age. They play, they interact, they socialize, and that's how they learn. The virtual learning - it wasn't getting us anywhere." Having an alternative country to jump to is a privilege, says Sara Goodman, a political scientist at the University of California at Irvine who studies immigration and citizenship. But it's not necessarily a privilege of income. "We can't assume everyone with a second passport is wealthier, and both developed and developing countries allow for dual citizenship. But what exacerbates the inequality here is the ability to do your own job remotely," she said. The coronavirus pandemic has upended the school market as a whole, Goodman points out, with many families moving across state lines for the upcoming year, or switching to private school or home-schooling at rates never seen before. "This phenomenon of being able to go abroad is just an extension of that school market," she said. "If we prioritize our kids and we take their needs seriously, then for some families that means we cannot stay where we are." Cary flew with his children to New Zealand on Aug. 9, shortly before several new coronavirus cases prompted a fresh lockdown in Auckland. While his family was in mandatory two-week isolation, he said it was refreshing to be in a country that took the virus so seriously. They are now settling near Hawke's Bay on the country's northern island, and he plans to enroll his children in school in the next two weeks. "I have these three little humans, and my one job in life is to keep them safe and healthy," he said. "And with this pandemic, I have the ability to take them to a country where covid is not going to be a threat. I would be bereft as a parent if I didn't take that opportunity." - - - Kamin is a journalist based in San Diego. Digital content should be considered a fifth state of matter, along with gas, liquid, plasma and solid, suggests one university scholar. Because of the energy and resources used to create, store and distribute data physically and digitally, data has evolved and should now be considered as mass, according to Melvin Vopson, a senior lecturer at the U.K.'s University of Portsmouth and author of an article, "The information catastrophe," published in the journal AIP Advances. Vopson also claims digital bits are on a course to overwhelm the planet and will eventually outnumber atoms. The idea of assigning mass to digital information builds off some existing data points. Vopson cites an IBM estimate that finds data is created at a rate of 2.5 quintillion bytes every day. He also factors in data storage densities of more than 1 terabit per inch to compare the size of a bit to the size of an atom. Presuming 50% annual growth in data generation, "the number of bits would equal the number of atoms on Earth in approximately 150 years," according to a media release announcing Vopson's research. "It would be approximately 130 years until the power needed to sustain digital information creation would equal all the power currently produced on planet Earth, and by 2245, half of Earth's mass would be converted to digital information mass," the release reads. The COVID-19 pandemic is increasing the rate of digital data creation and accelerating this process, Vopson adds. He warns of an impending saturation point: "Even assuming that future technological progress brings the bit size down to sizes closer to the atom itself, this volume of digital information will take up more than the size of the planet, leading to what we define as the information catastrophe," Vopson writes in the paper. "We are literally changing the planet bit by bit, and it is an invisible crisis," says Vopson, a former R&D scientist at Seagate Technology. Vopson isn't alone in exploring the idea that information isn't simply imperceptible ones and zeroes. According to the release, Vopson draws on the mass-energy comparisons in Einstein's theory of general relativity; the work of Rolf Landauer, who applied the laws of thermodynamics to information; and the work of Claude Shannon, the inventor of the digital bit. "When one brings information content into existing physical theories, it is almost like an extra dimension to everything in physics," Vopson says. With a growth rate that seems unstoppable, digital information production "will consume most of the planetary power capacity, leading to ethical and environmental concerns," his paper concludes. Interestingly and a bit more out there Vopson also suggests that if, as he projects, the future mass of the planet is made up predominantly of bits of information, and there exists enough power created to do it (not certain), then "one could envisage a future world mostly computer simulated and dominated by digital bits and computer code," he writes. The following are arrests the Danbury Police Department reported to have made last week: A 45-year-old Mallory Street man was charged with risk of injury to child, third-degree assault and disorderly conduct. A 39-year-old Great Plain Road man was charged with driving under the influence and failure to drive upon right. A 22-year-old Franklin Street man was charged with interfering with an officer. Aug. 17 A 29-year-old Chappelle Street man was charged with illegal operation of a motor vehicle without ignition device and failure to drive in proper lane. A 21-year-old Fairview Drive man was charged with third-degree criminal mischief, threatening and disorderly conduct. Aug. 18 A 21-year-old Fairview Drive woman was charged with violation of conditions of release. A 48-year-old Old Lantern Road man was charged with violation of probation/conditional discharge. A 63-year-old Division Street woman was charged with possession of a controlled substance. A 36-year-old Candlelight Drive woman was charged with evading responsibility and following too close. Aug. 19 A 21-year-old woman from Brewster, N.Y., was charged with sixth-degree larceny. Aug. 20 A 34-year-old man from Waterbury was charged with failure to obey control signal and operating a motor vehicle with a refused, suspended or revoked license or registration. A 26-year-old Quien Street man was charged with criminal possession of a pistol or revolver, criminal possession of a firearm in violation of protective or restraining order, carrying dangerous weapon, weapon in vehicle, operating a motor vehicle in violation of license classification, use/possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of less than a half-ounce of cannabis, risk of injury to child, operating or towing an unregistered motor vehicle, failure to meet minimum insurance coverage requirements and improper use of a marker, license or registration. A 22-year-old Cook Street man was charged with operating or towing an unregistered motor vehicle, improper use of a marker, license or registration, failure to meet minimum insurance coverage requirements and operation of a motor vehicle with a refused, suspended or revoked license or registration. A 52-year-old Abbott Street man was charged with third-degree assault and breach of peace. Aug. 21 A 19-year-old South Avenue man was charged with possession of a controlled substance and weapons in vehicle. A 47-year-old Linron Drive man was charged with illegal operation of a motor vehicle under suspension and failure to drive in proper lane. Aug. 22 A 52-year-old Abbott Street man was charged with first-degree criminal trespass and criminal violation of a protective order. A 20-year-old East Pearl Street woman was charged with possession of alcohol by a minor on a public street or highway and interfering with an officer. A 22-year-old William Street man was charged with driving under the influence, failure to yield right of way, violation of license classification, failure to comply with fingerprint request and interfering with an officer. An Alabama man has been indicted on multiple federal charges after authorities say he was making drugs in his kitchen and marketing them as cancer treatments. The drugs, according to the indictment, were homemade suppositories manufactured in an environment so unsterile that customers reported finding pieces of hair in their suppository packs. Northern District of Alabama U.S. Attorney Prim Escalona and FDSA Office of Criminal Investigations, Miami Field Office Special Agent in Charge Justin C. Fielder on Thursday announced a 28-count indictment against 54-year-old Patrick Charles Bishop on charges related to his purchase, manufacture, and distribution of drug products that had never been reviewed or approved by the FDA, but that he claimed were effective cancer treatments. The Hoover man is charged with conspiracy, fraudulently introducing adulterated drugs into interstate commerce, and fraudulently introducing misbranded drugs into interstate commerce. Bishop is also charged with fraudulently obtaining pre-retail medical products, creating false documentation for those products, and knowingly possessing and trafficking in pre-retail medical products that he obtained by fraud. The charges in the indictment center on Bishops purchase, manufacture, labeling, marketing, sale, and distribution of drug products purportedly containing a peptide called PNC-27. PNC-27 has not been approved by the FDA for use in the United States as a drug to treat any disease, including cancer. Nor has PNC-27 undergone clinical trials in the United States on human beings to determine its efficacy, safety, or potential risks or side effects. The indictment alleges that Bishop obtained the peptide from GL Biochem, a manufacturer based in China. He paid the manufacturer more than $600,000 in 2015 and 2016 for peptide products he received. According to the indictment, Bishop repeatedly assured that manufacturer that he would use the peptide solely for laboratory research purposes. In fact, he and others used the peptide to make homemade suppositories in his kitchen in Birmingham and at a warehouse he rented in Pelham. The facilities were not sterile and did not comply with current good manufacturing practices. According to the indictment, Bishop and others marketed the PNC-27 drug products to alternative-medicine doctors, cancer patients, and others as an effective treatment for cancer. Bishop sold PNC-27 drug products to Hope4Cancer, a holistic cancer treatment center with clinics in Mexico. Bishop would ship the products to a location in California, and Hope4Cancer would use the products to treat patients at its Mexico clinics. Bishop also sold PNC-27 drug products to patients and others in the United States and shipped those products directly to locations in the U.S. and elsewhere. The indictment alleges that Bishop and others took steps to conceal these activities from the FDA and others. Bishop used the business name Best Peptide Supply, LLC, to buy PNC-27 from GL Biochem, and he used the business name Immuno Cellular Restoration Program, Inc., to sell PNC-27 products to others. He described his distribution of PNC-27 products as part of a research effort and made false representations to FDA personnel and others to the same effect, authorities said. The public must have confidence that the products they are receiving are safe and properly labeled, Escalona said. The U.S. Attorneys Office will continue to investigate and prosecute those who jeopardize the health and safety of the public. The maximum punishment for conspiracy is five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The maximum punishment for the adulteration and misbranding charges is three years imprisonment for each count and a $250,000 fine. The maximum punishment for each count of pre-retail medical product fraud is fifteen years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine. The FDA investigated the case, which Assistant U.S. Attorney J.B. Ward is prosecuting. The FDAs requirements are designed to ensure that patients receive safe and effective medical treatments. Evading the FDA process and distributing unapproved, adulterated, and misbranded drugs to vulnerable Americans will not be tolerated, Fielder said. Todays announcement serves as a reminder of FDAs continued focus on protecting the public health of the nation. BERLIN: Foreign Minister Heiko Maas agreed with his Israeli counterpart Thursday that an effort must be made to extend a weapon embargo on Iran, while stressing Germany still sees the landmark 2015 deal between Tehran and world powers as the best way to prevent the country from obtaining a nuclear weapon. With a current U.N. arms embargo on Iran due to expire on Oct. 18, Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi told reporters in Berlin an extension was needed to prevent Iran from getting more advanced weapons systems and spreading them around the Middle East. We would like to see the European countries, not just Germany, preventing it, he said. Its not helpful for the stability of the region. Ashkenazi was in Berlin to attend a two-day meeting of European foreign ministers at the invitation of Germany, which holds the European Unions rotating presidency. The United States wants a full extension of the embargo on Iran, which would almost certainly be vetoed by Russia and China in the U.N. Security Council, Maas said. Germany and others are currently trying to find some middle ground that would meet with Russian and Chinese approval and not be vetoed by the U.S. in the Security Council. We are trying to reach a diplomatic solution so that there will be an arms embargo on Iran in the future, Maas said. At the same time, he said Germany still sees the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action signed with Iran in 2015, promising the country economic incentives in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program, the best deal to prevent the country from developing an atomic weapon. Israel is against the deal, and the U.S. pulled out unilaterally in 2018, leaving the others involved Germany, France, Britain, Russia and China struggling to keep it alive. Maas said concerns outside the JCPOA, like Irans ballistic missile program and influence in Syria, Lebanon and Iraq, need to be addressed, but that we want to preserve the JCPOA to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Iran must change its approach in the region, we are not naive about Iran, he said. We know that Iran plays a dangerous role. The two ministers met at the House of the Wannsee Conference memorial, a villa in southwestern Berlin where senior Nazis and bureaucrats coordinated plans for the Holocaust in 1942. Ashkenazi said that as the son of a Holocaust survivor, it was particularly emotional for him to visit the place where the evil and cruelness of the genocide of 6 million Jews was plotted. Maas said anti-Semitism still exists in Germany today, and the memorial serves as a reminder that we should fight it with available means. 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 Following several years of development, British specialist Cranfield Simulation has launched the world's first bespoke Formula One simulator for the home market. More compact than the simulators found in arcades or those used by racing professionals, it nonetheless offers an opportunity to experience some of the sensations felt by Formula One drivers. The goal of this simulator is to enable you to experience the sensation of Formula One racing like the famous twists and turns of the Eau Rouge and Raidillon combination at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium or rapid deceleration in the Monte Carlo tunnel. Offering more than a mere visual and auditory experience, this high-end machine has also been designed to enable budding racing drivers feel the famous Gs caused by rapid acceleration and deceleration on Grand Prix circuits. Given that each unit is custom made, the simulator can be built to accommodate drivers of all shapes and sizes, whereas in the real world anyone who is over 6-feet 2-inches tall is unlikely to fit in a Formula One racing car. The "Formula Simulator," as it is called, is thus an F1 cockpit without wheels or an engine, but with a faithful reproduction of the pedals and steering wheel. As for the visuals, the racing environment can be displayed on a simple television, an extra-large monitor or, better still, by a virtual-reality headset. To develop this extremely sophisticated simulator, Cranfield Simulation drew on the same technologies that are used to create military aircraft simulators for future fighter pilots. The result is a machine that offers an unprecedented immersive experience that really makes you feel that you are driving at 300 km/h in the confines of your own living room. And as each simulator is made to order, future buyers of the machine can arrange to have it decorated with the livery of their favorite Formula One stable. However, before you rush out to buy one of these technological marvels, you might want to consider the cost, which is a very hefty 150,000 euros per unit. A prohibitive price that will put the Cranfield simulator well beyond the reach of many motor-racing fans. When it became obvious that the Titanic was not going to survive its tragic collision with the iceberg in the North Atlantic, those in positions of authority started to do the human triage necessary in emergencies. Who would be saved, who would perish, and who would be empowered with those i People living at the premises deserve safety as well as all our community. Mr Robinson said members of his group had witnessed open drug dealing, aggression, violence and numerous ambulance call-outs outside the Grey Street apartments. Nathan Ting manages two Acland Street pharmacies and says theft is on the increase. Credit:Jason South Nathan Ting estimates theft is up by about a third in the two Acland Street pharmacies he manages. He said a group of people believed to be hotel homeless congregated in a seating area outside one of the pharmacies, where they often got in fights and yelled at passersby. Loading It's definitely been something that has been scarily noticeable, he said. It's quite alarming because it's unfortunately not really that safe for our regular residents. Launch chief executive Bevan Warner said the organisation was starting to assess the needs of the hotel homeless and to bring in other health services but that they always worked to address anti-social behaviour and family violence. This is going to take some time as these may be people whove experienced multiple trauma and who very likely have a range of complex needs that have driven them into homelessness in the first place, he said. Id ask residents with concerns to appreciate that this is a difficult situation and these accommodation options are temporary. Mr Warner said moving rough sleepers off the streets to safety was one of the few positives from the crisis. Greenlight Heart declined to answer questions. Residents say they have seen drinking on the street. Credit:Jason South Long-term St Kilda resident Rhonda Small said the hotel homeless had not caused her any problems personally but that concern was legitimate if other residents were being disturbed. However Ms Small, convenor of the Community Alliance of Port Phillip, said it was important that the community backed its service providers as longer-term housing was sought during the crisis. The Grey Street serviced apartments manager, Alex Zheng, said it wasnt the responsibility of establishments to provide social services to its homeless guests. A Department of Health and Human Services spokesman did not answers specific questions about the St Kilda hotels but said its funding included mental health and addiction services as long-term housing was secured. More people on the streets of St Kilda. Credit:Jason South "We are working with local service providers to address concerns raised by local residents," he said. Inspector Nigel McGuire White of St Kilda police wrote to Friends of St Kilda Hill confirming people staying at the Grey Street apartments had been arrested for trafficking drugs and promised to send officers back there. "It is unfortunate that this location has attracted some people who have exhibited poor behaviour and I hope we will be able to address it again this time," he wrote. A police spokeswoman said they are aware of a "number of incidents" involving the hotel homeless in St Kilda but said there had been a decrease in reported crime and calls for assistance across all of Port Phillip. She confirmed a woman and man, both aged 42, had been charged with drug possession and other offences at the Grey Street apartments on August 10. The spokeswoman also said a security guard at a Fitzroy Street pharmacy was assaulted after he requested a man put on a face mask. A 45-year-old St Kilda man was arrested and charged with causing injury and theft. Like festivals and sporting events, Notting Hill Carnival was cancelled this year due to the pandemic and concerns over social distancing. This annual shindig in West London is always a major date in the summer calendar and as it takes place on the last bank holiday before Christmas, it's also one last hurrah before autumn arrives. But, sadly this year the streets of Notting Hill won't be ringing with the sound of steel pans and soca or filled with the vibrant colours of the daily parade. We couldn't go a whole year with no carnival action, however, so we've looked back at the last couple of events to find some style inspiration we can inject into our wardrobes, which will, at least, make us feel more carnival-esque. Check out these carnival cuties... Doing It In Denim Denim cut offs were big at Notting Hill Carnival 2016 and 2019 Denim shorts are a summer must-have. Whether you go high waisted, ripped, baggy or super short, they're just so versatile they can take you from the beach to a festival to carnival and back again. And they were styled beautifully at carnival over the last few years with Lady Leshurr rocking them with a mesh top and Yasmin Evans and Molly Moorish working them with midriff-baring cropped tops. Trainers were essential for all that walking and dancing carnival entails and we like the addition of a denim shirt layered over, but left open. Playsuit Parade Playsuits on parade at Notting Hill Carnival Playsuits have long been a trend for summer and of course if you wear them with tights you can actually style them up all year round. Ashley James opted for a tailored tropical print all-in-one in 2019, while Charlotte de Carle looked stylish in a dark wash denim version back in 2016, accessorised with bright sneakers and a neon backpack. Acid Brights Acid Brights at Notting Hill Carnival Notting Hill Carnival is always an explosion of colour. From the dancers in the parade to the party-goers joining in from the pavements, it's all about being noticed and turning heads. And these three beauties would have certainly done just that in their killer acid bright outfits. We love the combination of purple with lime green on Eliza Doolittle, while Neelam Gill looks incredible in her matching fluro set. And Lily Allen, a carnival regular, even matched her hair to her neon track pants and top. That's commitment to the cause and we're into it. Doing Their Own Thing Going their own way: Dresses, boxer shorts, ankle boots - anything goes at Carnival The great thing about Notting Hill Carnival is that anything goes. You don't need to conform or follow a style rule book. Just do you. Martine Lervik rocked a lovely printed midi dress last year and opted for tough girl ankle boots instead of streetwear sneakers. And Pearl Mackie was dressed for the heat in super lightweight boxer style shorts which she wore with a bralet and chunky trainers. Ace. We can't wait for Notting Hill Carnival 2021! We know it'll be the biggest and best yet! BJP national president J P Nadda has convened a meeting of party MPs from the state in New Delhi on August 29 to finalise strategy for the assembly polls due later this year, sources said. Nadda had addressed a meeting of the executive committee of the partys Bihar unit on Sunday, All 17 BJP MPs from Bihar and general secretary and the partys state in-charge Bhupender Yadav have been asked to attend the meet. Rajya Sabha members of BJP from Bihar have also been invited, sources said. The meeting comes ahead of seat sharing talks with allies JD(U) and LJP, which are expected to take place any day after September 6, when the current lockdown in Bihar is scheduled to end. On Sunday, Nadda had reiterated the BJP leaderships stand that the NDA will contest the assembly polls under the leadership of chief minister Nitish Kumar. The BJP has appointed former Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis as its election in-charge for Bihar. Former Jharkhand chief minister Raghubar Das has also held virtual meetings with party workers from the extremely backward classes (EBCs). The party has actively started door-to-door campaigning from August 25 despite the Covid-19 pandemic. As part of a virtual campaign, the party has formed several WhatsApp groups, to be used to reach out to the booth-level workers by sharing videos of speeches of party leaders and sending the partys message in real-time. Virtual campaigns are expected to be the dominant norm this election season SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON President Trump is set to appear at a live town hall with the ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos on Sept. 15, where he will field questions from undecided voters, the network said Thursday. The president rarely agrees to such live events outside of Fox News, which has hosted four town halls with him this year. But he has been willing in the past to speak with Mr. Stephanopoulos, who has interviewed him twice during his tenure. The ABC News special will air two weeks before the first presidential debate on Sept. 29, and will be filmed in Philadelphia. Voters will appear in person and virtually. Planning to own a home and not sure if the location has flood risk? A real estate website, realtor.com, may help you find properties with flood risk through flood score analysis. The Real Estate Website, realtor.com The real estate website, realtor.com, will begin publishing on its website today a flood score for each property to show its flood risk in the next 30 years. The site is the first realty site to provide information if the property is within the federal flood hazard area, and details on the flood score like the property's risk and previous flooding incidences in the area. The disclosures are expected to increase the public awareness of flood risk and prompt property owners and communities to mitigation measures to prevent damage in their homes as climate change intensifies flooding, and analysts said. According to Joel Scata of the Natural Resources Defense Council, the innovation is expected to "address a major shortcoming." However, he admits that policies informing the prospective homebuyers of a property's flood history still need to be crafted. The realtor.com website has 86 million visitors every month and is the 78th most-visited website in the country. READ: Hurricane Laura Update: Landfall Expected Around 2:00-5:00 Am Eastern Time Near Border of Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coast The Flood Score The website partnered with a non-profit First Street Foundation, the developer of the flood score. Data for the flood score is from the First Street Foundation's nationwide analysis that estimated the current and future flood risk of 140 million properties. The flood score ranges from 1 to 10, 1 indicates a minimal flood risk over the 30-year mortgage, while ten means extreme risk. Clicking on the flood score will connect to the First Street's website, floodfactor.com. The site will show the change of flooding per property over the next 30 years, its flood risks in the neighborhood and county, and the number of properties flooded in the recent storm. It, however, does not indicate which properties were flooded. The First Street's program got national attention. It showed that the number of properties that have a 1% chance of being flooded annually is twice more than the Federal Emergency Management Agency's estimate. The analysis from First Street also indicated that at-risk properties would increase from 14.6 million to 16.2 million by 2050. According to First Street founder and Executive Director Matthew Eby, the data-sharing agreement with realtor.com benefits every homeowner and homebuyer. "The owners now have what wasn't available before - a full-parcel understanding of flood risk today and how it will change over the next 30 years as the environment changes," he said. The flood score and flood zone are based on FEMA maps that determine whether the property is located in a high-risk area and covered by insurance. READ ALSO: Pakistan Floods: 90 Killed, Streets and Homes Flooded with Sewage in Karachi Significance of the Flood Score Data The information would avoid situations wherein buyers back out at the last minute upon knowing that the area has a significant flood risk. Leslie Jordan of realtor.com said., adding that the consumers should understand this critical information an early stage. The disclosure will decrease the value of property in significant flood risk areas in coastal areas and inland. Laura Lightbody, a project director of the Pew Charitable Trusts and had worked on flood-prepared communities, praised realtor.com and First Street Initiative for disclosing flood risk homes. Owning or renting properties located in flood zones are often left out of discussions. READ NEXT: Scientists Find Dam Building During the 20th Century Offset sea Level Rise Check out more news and information on Flood on Nature World News. Inside Hook This story is part of our Dog Days Survival Guide, a collection of essays, recommendations and how-tos to help you get through the hottest days of the year. There is no Instagram filter that could make the Mediterranean look bluer than it looks in Purple Noon a pellucid, sweltering, sapphire blue, as blue as the blue of Alain Delons eyes. Purple Noon 60 years old this summer, and recently featured as part of the Criterion Channels spotlight on star Delon is director Rene Clements adaptation of Patricia Highsmiths The Talented Mr. Ripley, and as befitting its title, its a film of voluptuous brightness, a noir where the evil takes place under the sun. Photographed (by Henri Decae) in sun-drunk colors, it presents a fantasy of leisure thats not overtly luxurious but rather languid, easeful, indolent. It was filmed on location in Rome and on islands in the Bay of Naples, at sidewalk cafe tables, harbors and fish markets; in centuries-old bleached-white stone buildings with the permanence of ruins; in high-ceilinged pensiones with faded Renaissance wallpaper; on the deck of a yacht cruising down the coastline, as a school of dolphins breaks the surface of the Tyrrhenian Sea. Foremost among Purple Noons surface pleasures is, of course, Delon himself, then in his early 20s, in the role that made him a star: tanned and lithe, with a boyish muss of side-parted hair and cut-crystal cheekbones. Delon was too beautiful for this world, and knew it; Tom Ripley, Highsmiths sociopath avatar, is an ideal, star-making role for the actor, a specialist in hollow men. Delons Ripley is both object of desire and desiring subject, and Purple Noon is escapist in two senses: It is a film to escape into, and an interrogation of escapism. It makes you feel like Ripley, with your nose pressed against the glass, drinking up the atmosphere, and feeling a sharp spike of covetousness. Clarence Henderson, a Republican active in the civil rights movement, argued during Wednesday night's Republican National Convention that 'history' should guide black voters to President Donald Trump - and not Democrat Joe Biden. 'Joe Biden had the audacity to say if you don't vote for him "you ain't black,"' Henderson said, a reference to the Democratic nominee's contentious interview with radio show host Charlamagne tha God back in May. 'Well to that I say, if you do vote for Biden, you don't know history.' Henderson talked about his own history, the history of the Republican Party - that of Abraham Lincoln and GOP politicans who pushed for the Amendments that gave black Americans rights - and Trump's four-year history with the black community as president. Clarence Henderson, a Republican active in the civil rights movement, spoke on behalf of President Donald Trump during Wednesday night's Republican National Convention programming Henderson said of Trump (right), 'he done more for black Americans in four years than Joe Biden has done in 50' He spoke of his experience in February of 1960, walking into the Woolworth Department Store because several black friends had been denied service the day before. 'We knew it wasn't right. But when we went back the next day I didn't know whether I was going to come out ... in handcuffs or a stretcher - or even a body bag,' Henderson said. 'By sitting down to order a cup of coffee, we challenged injustice.' 'We faced down the KKK. We were cursed at and called all kinds of names. They threatened to kill us. And some of us were arrested,' he continued. 'Thats what actual peaceful protest can accomplish,' Henderson argued - which was clearly meant to be a counterpoint to the current Black Lives Matter protests, some of which have turned violent. As for supporting the GOP, Henderson pointed out that it was the Republican Party that passed the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments, which abolished slavery, gave black men citizenship and gave black men the right to vote. 'There are [African-American] voters all over the country who the media is trying to convince to conform to the same old Democratic talking points,' he said. But Henderson argued that Trump has had a record of success with aiding the black community, mentioning the First Step act, the criminal justice reform bill that passed under Trump, as well as the president funding historically black colleges and universities. 'His policies show his heart,' Henderson argued. 'He has done more for black Americans in four years than Joe Biden has done in 50.' Trump has come under fire for his reaction to the Black Lives Matter demonstrations that sprung up in the aftermath of George Floyd's Memorial Day death. He's made clear that he's the 'law and order' president and that he backs law enforcement, while complaining that 'Black Lives Matter' was to be painted outside Trump Tower in New York. He's also pushed for remnants of the Confederacy - including statues and military bases named after Confederate generals - to stay. Still, the RNC program included a number of black speakers who vouched for Trump. 'Donald Trump is not a politician. He is a leader,' Henderson said. 'Politicians are a dime-a-dozen, leaders are priceless.' Jammu, Aug 27 : Welcoming the resumption of Vaishno Devi pilgrimage, the business community in Katra in Jammu and Kashmir has appealed Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board (SMVSB) to increase the traffic of pilgrims for a revival of business activities along the yatra route in Katra. The Vaishno Devi pilgrimage resumed on August 16 after it was suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic in March. "We thank SMVSB for resuming the yatra. But we also appeal that the traffic of pilgrims be increased to boost the economy of Katra that has been badly hit in the last five months," said Bhupinder Singh, a local businessman. "We appreciate the guidelines issued by the shrine board for the resumption of the yatra, but more pilgrims must be allowed," said Brij Mohan, a Katra based businessman. "The hotel industry of Katra, people associated with selling Kashmiri shawls and dry fruits have suffered great losses due to the pandemic. The government must look into the matter and let more pilgrims come to Katra," About 2,000 pilgrims are going for the 'darshan' daily. But in the wake of the pandemic nothing has been left to chance. All Covid-19 protocols are being strictly followed. "It is good that the yatra has resumed, I will pray for an end to the coronavirus pandemic," said a pilgrim at Katra. Contributed Photo / Bjoern Wylezich - TNS NEW HAVEN A city man authorities said served as a street-level crack dealer in the New Haven area will serve more than four years in federal prison for his involvement with a drug trafficking organization, officials said Wednesday. A judge sentenced 39-year-old Ronnie Pop Gordon to serve 51 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, according to a news release from the office of U.S. Attorney for Connecticut John Durham. But dumber than dumb was spotlighting the St. Louis couple who pulled guns on protesters when they walked down their street en route to the nearby mayor's home. Playing the Second Amendment card at a Republican convention is standard operating procedure, of course, but a better witness would be, say, a woman who stopped her would-be rapist with a bullet in the heat of terror. Instead, the RNC decided to put the focus on Patricia and Mark McCloskey, who, by brandishing a rifle and a handgun toward peaceful protesters earlier this year, might not be widely viewed as paragons of good judgment. Kellyanne Conway should have vetoed that particular optic on her way out of the White House. Speaking of smart, the RNC was wise to use the same stage for each speaker, giving the appearance of a convention rather than the glorified Zoom meeting we witnessed during last week's Democratic "convention." The smartest moves were including speakers Nikki Haley, former South Carolina governor and U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, and Sen. Tim Scott, the only African American to be elected to both to the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate ever. OAKLAND, Calif. - Hundreds marched in two California cities over the shooting of a Black man in Wisconsin, setting fire to property and damaging businesses. In Los Angeles, a group of protesters vandalized buildings with graffiti and clashed with police in a downtown tunnel late Wednesday night. A KABC-TV news helicopter showed objects being hurled as officers struggled with individuals. KTTV reported that 10 people were taken into custody. In Oakland, the police department tweeted that 600 to 700 people took part in protests where numerous fires (were) set, dozens of windows broken, (and) multiple businesses vandalized. Protesters threw objects at officers but none were injured, the department said. Several people were arrested. Calling them violent protesters, police said they vandalized and set a fire at the Alameda County Superior Court building. Police photos showed fireworks and burning trash cans. Jacob Blake, 29, was shot in the back seven times on Sunday by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin, as he leaned into his SUV, in which three of his children were seated. A family attorney on Tuesday said Blake was paralyzed, and it would take a miracle for him to walk again. Hong Kong: Views on Policy Address sought Chief Executive Carrie Lam today met representatives of civil servant organisations to listen to their views on the upcoming Policy Address. More than 10 representatives from the civil service central consultative councils and major service-wide staff unions attended the 2020 Policy Address consultation session. Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung and Secretary for the Civil Service Patrick Nip also joined the meeting. Mrs Lam thanked civil servants for standing fast at their posts and shouldering extra work in the fight against COVID-19. She said civil servants responded proactively to the soon-to-be-launched Universal Community Testing Programme, adding their commitment to serving the public and their professionalism is admirable. Noting that the fight against the disease is a long-lasting battle, Mrs Lam said she hopes to overcome the virus together with civil servants to provide the best services to members of the public. Mrs Lam will hold other theme-based Policy Address consultation sessions in the month ahead via video conferencing. This story has been published on: 2020-08-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. (Newser) Hackers linked to North Korea's government are trying to rob banks around the world to fund the country's nuclear weapons programs. That's according to the FBI, the US Treasury, US Cyber Command, and Homeland Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, which warned of the behavior in a joint statement on Wednesday. It describes a "FASTCash" scam in which malware is used to target payment infrastructure and servers that process transactions, giving hackers access to ATM payouts, per the Hill. With the schemeunderway since at least February, following a lull since late 2019North Korea has resumed a useful tactic. The North Korean hacking team BeagleBoyz was previously implicated in the 2016 theft of $81 million from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, part of a failed attempt to steal $1 billion in total. story continues below The agencies claim BeagleBoyz has tried to steal $2 billion from financial institutions since 2015. In 2018, hackers were able to steal $13 million from India's Cosmos Bank by arranging simultaneous withdrawals from 14,000 ATMs in 28 countries, a task security officials believe would require international criminal groups, per the Wall Street Journal. The agencies say fraudulent international money transfers and ATM cash-outs are part of the "widespread international bank robbery scheme that exploits critical banking systems" and "may erode confidence in those systems," per the Hill. Vikram Thakur, technical director for cybersecurity firm Symantec, argues the attacks "are proof of the reliance the regime has on these funds, along with being a testament to their technical ability and determination," per Fox News. (North Korea is said to be working on baby nukes.) By Katherine Clemo Clemo is a volunteer with the Roanoke Chapter of the Citizens Climate Lobby and retired law reference librarian and special education teacher. In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, uncertainty was everywhere. Would the virus spread, and where? What did this mean for day-to-day life? Pretty quickly, that uncertainty showed up at the grocery store. I remember seeing partially empty shelves as people panicked and stocked up on food. Today, plenty of uncertainty remains, but our grocery store shelves are full again. Americas food supply chain has proven to be strong and resilient. Americas farmers are at the beginning of that supply chain, including growers here in Southwest Virginia. Im so grateful for the work theyve done to keep us fed even during these tumultuous times. But COVID-19 is not the only challenge facing our country or our farmers. Climate change, with its unpredictable precipitation, rising heat, and stronger extreme weather events, brings another level of uncertainty to Americas agriculture sector. Its time for Congress to enact legislation that will combat climate change and give farmers more support. Encouragingly, a bipartisan group of senators and representatives have introduced the Growing Climate Solutions Act. This legislation provides the incentive for farmers and foresters to engage in sustainable practices by helping them to access lucrative carbon credit markets. Basically, it will be easier for farmers to get paid for emissions they reduce and carbon they sequester. The bill gives farmers technical assistance to develop practices that are eligible for carbon credits, measure the value of those credits, and certify them for trading on the market. This is good news for farmers and for the planet, since agriculture and forestry contribute an estimated 10.5% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, according to the USDA. Here in Southwest Virginia, climate change is already affecting our farmers through unusually intense drought. Last year severe long term drought caused farmers in Buchanan to lose 30% of their hay and cattle income, delays and omissions of planting winter wheat or other cover crops in Botetourt County while apple orchards in Franklin and Bedford Counties were affected by sunburn which causes trees to drop the fruit early before it can be picked, causing bruising making apples unsaleable. This month, the United States Drought Monitor (USDM) shows abnormally dry conditions slowing planting and growth of crops and lingering water deficits and problems with pasture and crop recovery in Scott, Wise and Lee Counties. (source: drought.gov.) The Growing Climate Solutions Act would help farmers combat these alarming trends and reap a financial benefit while they do so. I want House Representative Ben Cline and Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine to support this bill. In July, the Senate Agriculture Committee held a hearing on this legislation. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, the ranking member on the committee and a cosponsor of the Growing Climate Solutions Act, said, While farmers are uniquely affected by the climate crisis, they are also a critically important part of the solution. I couldnt agree more. Even as farmers need support to navigate our changing climate, they have huge potential to help prevent the worst of the possible changes. Congress should continue to work together to pass bipartisan legislation that values farmers contributions to feeding America and solving the challenge of climate change. Army scientists have developed the first lethal mouse model of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, using mice that were genetically engineered to express the human ACE2 gene--a key mechanism by which the virus enters human cells. In addition to shedding light on the pathogenesis of COVID-19, this work directly contributes to the advancement of medical countermeasures against the virus. A preview of the paper, authored by Joseph W. Golden, Ph.D. and colleagues at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, appears online this week in JCI Insight, a journal published by the American Society for Clinical Investigation. Developing a small animal model that mirrors the course of human disease is an essential step in advancing vaccines, diagnostics, and treatments to combat this international health crisis. Previous research on SARS-CoV, the virus responsible for the 2003 global outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, revealed that the virus binds to target cells by means of an interaction between the 139 kDa viral spike protein and the host angiotensin-converting enzyme 2, or ACE2, protein. The novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, uses the same mechanism to infect cells. In normal mice, however, the virus does not easily bind to ACE2, making it difficult to study the course of infection. So Golden and the USAMRIID team used a special type of mice called K18-hACE2, which are specially bred with the human ACE protein instead of the mouse version. This mouse strain, developed for the original SARS-CoV outbreak by the Stanley Perlman laboratory at the University of Iowa in the early 2000s, was revived and recently produced at the Jackson Laboratory. USAMRIID's study used two groups of 14 K18-hACE2 mice, infected with two different doses of SARS-CoV-2 administered by the intranasal route, to simulate how humans are exposed to the virus. Each group contained seven male and seven female mice. On day 3, four mice per group were euthanized to assess disease severity, while the remaining ten mice per group were monitored up to 28 days. Overall, the K18-hACE2 mice developed acute disease, including weight loss, lung injury, and brain infection, and ultimately succumbed to the disease, according to the authors. In addition, the team infected three other types of mice--C57BL/6, BALB/c and RAG2 deficient mice--with a challenge dose of the virus. These animals did not lose weight and none succumbed to the disease. "Given that the K18-hACE2 animal model is commercially available, it provides an important platform for evaluation of medical countermeasures across multiple laboratories," said Golden. ### About the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases: For over 50 years, USAMRIID has provided leading edge medical capabilities to deter and defend against current and emerging biological threat agents. The Institute is the only laboratory in the Department of Defense equipped to safely study highly hazardous viruses requiring maximum containment at Biosafety Level 4. Research conducted at USAMRIID leads to medical solutions - vaccines, drugs, diagnostics, information, and training programs - that benefit both military personnel and civilians. Established in 1969, the Institute plays a key role as the lead military medical research laboratory for the Defense Threat Reduction Agency's Joint Science and Technology Office for Chemical and Biological Defense. USAMRIID is a subordinate laboratory of the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command. For more information, visit http://www.usamriid.army.mil. Reference: The in-press preview version of the article, "Human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 transgenic mice infected with SARS-CoV-2 develop severe and fatal respiratory disease," is available at this link: https://insight.jci.org/articles/view/142032. Authors: Joseph W. Golden, Curtis R. Cline, Xiankun Zeng, Aura R. Garrison, Brian D. Carey, Eric M. Mucker, Lauren E. White, Joshua D. Shamblin, Rebecca L. Brocato, Jun Liu, April M. Babka, Hypaitia B. Rauch, Jeffrey M. Smith, Bradley S. Hollidge, Collin Fitzpatrick, Catherine V. Badger, and Jay W. Hooper, all of USAMRIID. Funding: Funding was provided through the Defense Health Program. Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said he is open to the idea of transferring Christchurch terrorist Brenton Tarrant to Australia. The killer was on Thursday jailed for life without parole for gunning down 51 worshippers at two mosques last year. New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters wants Tarrant, who is from New South Wales, to serve his sentence in Australia. Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said he is open to the idea of transferring Christchurch terrorist Brenton Tarrant (pictured) to Australia On Friday Mr Morrison said 'we're open to that discussion.' 'I know all Australians and New Zealanders want to see this character locked up to never see the light of day again - I agree with that,' he told Sunrise. 'Whether he is held in New Zealand or Australia, we're open to that discussion.' There would need to be some changes to legal arrangements between Australia and New Zealand for the transfer to happen because the two countries do not have a prisoner transfer agreement. Such an agreement would allow New Zealanders jailed in Australia to also be sent home. Another option would be for Canberra and Wellington to reach a one-off agreement just for Tarrant. In either case, Tarrant would have to serve the same sentence of life without parole unless New Zealand consented to a discount which is extremely unlikely, ANU legal expert professor Don Rothwell told Daily Mail Australia. Mr Morrison said he and Ms Ardern would work through the issues involved. 'It has a lot of implications, these sorts of decisions. The Prime Minister of New Zealand and I will talk about those issues,' Mr Morrison said. 'Mostly, we're concerned about what the views of the families would be, of those affected, and we want to do the right thing by them.' 'There has been no request made for that (transfer), I should stress.' Tarrant is an Australian citizen from Grafton in New South Wales, and moved to New Zealand about two years before the terror attack on March 15, 2019. Manal Dokhan gestures as she gives her victim impact statement during the sentencing hearing for Australian Brenton Tarrant A survivor of the mosque shooting raises his crutches in the air and celebrates after walking out of the courtroom where Tarrant had just been sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole Australian Attorney-General Christian Porter has warned there is no agreement to transfer Tarrant back to home soil. Mr Porter's spokesman said the Australian Government can only transfer prisoners from a country which is recognised as a 'transfer country' under the ITP Act. 'New Zealand is not a "transfer country" under the ITP Act as it does not have any agreement or arrangement for prisoner transfers with Australia,' a spokesman said. It costs New Zealand NZ$4,930 (AUD$4,512) a day to keep Tarrant locked up at Auckland's Paremoremo Prison. Just the first two years of his sentence alone will cost $NZ3.59 million ($A3.33 million). Mohamed Jama, president of the Muslim Association of Canterbury, hugs with members of the community outside the High Court in Christchurch, following Tarrant's sentencing The sentence, the harshest penalty ever doled out by a New Zealand court, guarantees that Tarrant will die behind bars regardless which country he is in. On Thursday, Prime Minister Ardern said Tarrant's crime was one that the country 'has never seen the likes of before and this is a sentence we've never seen before'. 'It gave me relief, to know that person will never see the light of day,' she said. 'The trauma of March 15 is not easily healed, but today I hope is the last where we have any cause to hear or utter the name of the terrorist behind it. 'His deserves to be a lifetime of complete and utter silence.' live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Business conglomerate Max group will relist its arm Max India on bourses for shares trading on Friday, enabling shareholders to unlock value from the growth in emerging senior-care and retirement homes sector. Max India, which got delisted in June, had recently announced plans to invest Rs 300 crore over the next four years to develop a housing project for senior living in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, as well as in its new assisted-care services business. "Max India (till recently known as Advaita Allied Health Services) will list and start trading on the NSE as well as the BSE on August 28. The listing will unlock value for shareholders of erstwhile Max India allowing them with pure play access to the sunrise and high-potential senior care sector," a company statement said. Advaita was formed as a result of the merger of the healthcare assets of the erstwhile Max India into Max Healthcare and demerger of the senior care and other businesses of Max India into Advaita on June 1, 2020. Each shareholder has received one share of new Max India with a face value of Rs 10 for every 5 shares of erstwhile Max India, which had a face value of Rs 2 each. The relisting of new Max India follows Max Healthcare's listing last week. The new Max India is the holding company of Max Group's senior care business 'Antara' and a skilling company, 'Max Skill First'. Max India also has Rs 400 crore treasury corpus besides a rent potential commercial asset in Delhi-NCR on its balance sheet. It plans to utilise the corpus for investing in Antara's value creation journey and is also evaluating options such as capital reduction subject to the approval of its board," the statement said. Antara operates across two lines of businesses residences for seniors and assisted care services. Its first project in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, with nearly 200 apartments is already operational. This year, it launched a new senior living project in Noida comprising 340 apartments in the first phase. Antara's assisted care services include 'Care Homes' and 'Care at Home' that cater to seniors over the age of 55, who need more immersive interventions in their daily lives due to medical or age-related issues. The first facility of Care Homes was launched last month in Gurugram. "Antara plans to set up a chain of over 35 Care Homes with more than 1,200 beds over the next five years," the statement said. Max India operates a skilling company, Max SkillFirst that helps professionals in the sales and services domain. Max group founder and Chairman Analjit Singh said, Max India is embarking on a new journey... There is a tremendous opportunity to benefit from the senior care growth mega trend in India. This category will be USD 10-12 billion market across various value pools." According to Tara Singh Vachani, Executive Chairman, Antara: "17 per cent of the elderly are living alone with a drastic fall in the ratio of caregivers to the elderly, which shows a dire need to address the situation. With Antara 2.0, we have evolved further and created an integrated platform for seniors, which will cater to their comprehensive needs," Vachani said. Max group is into healthcare, insurance, hospitality, real estate and senior living/care businesses. The group recorded consolidated revenues of about Rs 19,800 crore in FY2020. A New Jersey woman has been sentenced to five years in prison in the death of a pedestrian that prosecutors said occurred as the driver was texting an accusation the defendant denied on the stand. Alexandra Mansonet, 51, of Keansburg, was convicted of vehicular homicide last fall in the September 2016 death of 39-year-old Yuwen Wang. Defense attorney Raymond Brown indicated that Mansonet plans to appeal, but a judge denied a request to allow her to remain free pending that appeal. Monmouth County prosecutors said Mansonet rear-ended another car that struck the victim as she was crossing a street in Hazlet. Wang, who was on a break from her job at the nearby International Flavors and Fragrances plant, died five days later. Mansonet apologized to Wangs family, the Asbury Park Press reported. She didnt deserve to die so early, and I stand here knowing that theres absolutely nothing that I can do that can change that, she said. My hope is that one day you will be able to find peace. Prosecutors argued that Mansonet was distracted by a text about dinner plans in New York City from her former sister-in-law that said, Cuban, American, Mexican, pick one. Mansonet said she read the message before leaving. She said she was looking down to turn on her rear defogger before striking the car. Prosecutors questioned why the text was unanswered, although the letters M and e had been typed, and Mansonet said she didnt remember having typed them. Mansonets tearful remarks to the court stopped short of conceding that she had been texting while driving, something Judge David Bauman noted in response to her request for probation and community service of speaking about the dangers of distracted driving. I find limited utility to a teaching mechanism decrying that which she herself cannot admit to, Bauman said. Imprisonment is not passive deterrence as the defendant argues. It serves as a clarion call to stop texting and driving before the next person dies senselessly because of someones reckless and selfish behavior. Trial attorney Steven Altman said his client has dedicated her life to improving the world around her, citing her work at a nonprofit agency that offers social services and runs a food pantry and health centers for the homeless. Should her life be defined within the 60 seconds of this tragedy? he asked. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Personal Auto New Jersey The eight reforms are designed to make police officers think first before they react and impulsively fire their service weapons, and thats a good thing. In fact, most police departments across the nation have already adopted some, if not all, of these recommendations. On July 30, the City of Fredericksburg reported that its Police Department, which was already in compliance with six of the eight policies, was looking at adopting the other two. Police Chief Brian Layton told The Free LanceStar on Wednesday that the departments updated Response to Resistance Directive now requires a warning before shooting (if reasonable under the circumstances) and a duty to intervene. All officer-involved shootings are investigated by the Virginia State Police. The departments last officer-involved shooting was over two years ago on July 23, 2018, when Officer Cabrera responded to a domestic disturbance. Just seconds after knocking on the front door, a male quickly swung open the storm door and stabbed Officer Cabrera with a box cutter-style knife in his face and neck. Officer Cabrera withdrew from the residence as the offender exclaimed obscenities and flaunted his weapon, Layton said in response to a question by the FLS. People on low incomes asked to self-isolate because they or a contact have tested positive for coronavirus will be paid to stay at home, under plans announced by the government. The new means-tested benefit, which will only be paid to people in designated outbreak areas, is worth up to 182 for a 14-day isolation period and is being introduced with the aim of ensuring people can afford to miss out on work. But local government leaders in areas covered by scheme warned that the payments were not generous enough to compensate for income lost through self-isolation. Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham said the payment "goes nowhere near far enough", adding people need "full pay". And the Labour leader of Pendle Council, Mohammed Iqbal, told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: I welcome the fact that there is a financial package in place but the figures that the government have introduced are really a slap in the face for those people who sadly test positive. If you are somebody who works full-time who's not able to work from home, what the government is saying is that they will pay 4.55 an hour to self-isolate. That is not good enough. The worry that I've got is that people who test positive or are told to isolate, there is no incentive there for them to stay at home. Oldham Council leader Sean Fielding said: I am pleased that the government have agreed to at least provide some financial help for those being asked to self-isolate in Oldham. Sadly this offer is nowhere near enough to provide real support, and it shows how out of touch with ordinary people this government is." Announcing the measure, health secretary Matt Hancock said the new payment would help people on low incomes and who are unable to work from home to continue playing their part in the national fight against this virus. He added that while the British public had already sacrificed a great deal, self-isolating if you have tested positive for Covid-19, or have come into contact with someone who has, remains vital to keeping on top of local outbreaks. To be eligible for the payment, someone must be in employment that they would miss out on because of self-isolating, and their income must be low enough that they are either claiming universal credit or working tax credit. The government says payments will be provided within 48 hours of a person providing the necessary evidence that they qualify for the payment: a notification from NHS Test and Trace and a bank statement. Ministers say they will try to prevent fraud using welfare check-ins, phone calls, and employment checks. The policy will initially be introduced on a pilot basis in Blackburn with Darwen, Pendle, and Oldham with the possibility that it could be extended to other areas of high Covid-19 incidence where local lockdowns are imposed. People who test positive for the virus will get 130 for their 10-day isolation period, while their household members, who have to isolate for 14 days, and their named contacts, will get 13 a day up to 182. But because of the low income threshold for the payments, many workers like freelancers and self-employed people who earn more money but would still struggle to pay the bills if they are made to self-isolate will still get no help. Anneliese Dodds, Labours Shadow Chancellor, said it was "concerning" that the scope of who could receive the payments was limited to only some areas and that it was set at a low level. Effective local lockdowns depend on people self-isolating when theyre supposed to. Labour has been warning for months that the government needs to make sure that people can afford to do the right thing, but once again Ministers have taken far too long to realise theres a problem," she said. Just last week the Chancellor suggested there was no need to change the system for people who have to self-isolate. Now the Health Secretary - who confessed that Statutory Sick Pay in the UK isnt enough to live on - thinks the solution is to offer people who arent currently eligible the same limited level of support. Its concerning that this will only apply to a limited number of areas with high rates of Covid-19. The instruction to self-isolate applies to everyone in the country, so everyone should get the support they need to self-isolate. UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 17 January 2022 Bonhams Danny McIlwraith holds a Nigerian polycrome carved wood mask during a photocall for the sale of the Jim Lennon Collection at Bonhams in Edinburgh PA UK news in pictures 16 January 2022 The moon rises above the Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth, Hampshire PA UK news in pictures 15 January 2022 Demonstrators outside Downing Street during a Kill The Bill protest against The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill in London PA UK news in pictures 14 January 2022 Ecologist Emma Smart (left) and retired GP Dr Diana Warner outside HMP Bronzefield, in Surrey, following their release from the prison where Emma undertook a 26-day hunger strike during her incarceration. Ms Smart was sentenced in November, along with other members of Insulate Britain, to serve four months for breaking a High Court injunction by taking part in a blockade at junction 25 of the M25 motorway during the morning rush hour on 8 October last year PA UK news in pictures 13 January 2022 A TV presenter holds a copy of a newspaper outside 10 Downing Streetafter the Prime Minister apologised for attending a gathering of colleagues in the Number Ten garden in May 2020, while the UK was in strict lockdown due to the Coronavirus pandemic Getty UK news in pictures 12 January 2022 Fitness guru Derrick Evans after receiving an MBE during an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 11 January 2022 A couple walk underneath an umbrella during wet weather on Westminster Bridge in central London PA UK news in pictures 10 January 2022 A jogger passes the Covid Memorial Wall in London AP UK news in pictures 9 January 2021 The sun rises over horses at Seaton Sluice in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 8 January 2022 Riders compete during the Veterans Men's race at the UK Cyclo-Cross National Championships 2022 in Ardingly, south of London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 7 January 2022 A dog looks out of a car window at the wintry conditions in Killeshin, Co. Laois PA UK news in pictures 6 January 2022 People walk through frost and mist alongside a frozen lake during sunrise in Bushy Park, London REUTERS UK news in pictures 5 January 2022 A skier jumps on the slopes at Allenheads in the Pennines to the north of Weardale in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 4 January 2022 Freshly-fallen snow covers houses in Corbridge, near Hexham in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 3 January 2022 Dean Morrison, 13, receives his Covid-19 vaccine from student nurse Anthony McLaughlin during a vaccination clinic at the Glasgow Central Mosque PA UK news in pictures 2 January 2022 Konastantinos Tsimikas of Liverpool with Chelseas Mason Mount during the Premier League match at Stamfrod Bridge Liverpool FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 January 2022 New Years Eve Lasers, drones and fireworks illuminate the sky in front of the Royal Naval College in Greenwich shortly after midnight in London EPA UK news in pictures 31 December 2021 Competitors in fancy dress run across the Pennine tops near Haworth, West Yorkshire, in the annual Auld Lang Syne Fell race which attracts hundreds of runners every year PA UK news in pictures 30 December 2021 Sunrise at Bamburgh Castle in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 29 December 2021 The Very Revd Dr Robert Willis, Dean of Canterbury Cathedral, looks at Becket, a six month old red-billed chough as he visits Wildwood Wildlife Park in Kent on the anniversary of the murder of Thomas Becket PA UK news in pictures 28 December 2021 Troops of the Household Cavalry are seen reflected in a puddle during the changing of the Queens Life Guard, on Horse Guards Parade, in central London PA UK news in pictures 27 December 2021 A pedestrian walks past a winter sale sign outside a John Lewis store on Oxford street in London Getty UK news in pictures 26 December 2021 Riders take their bikes through the snow near Castleside, County Durham PA UK news in pictures 25 December 2021 Patrick Corkery wears a santa hat and beard as waves crash over him at Forty Foot near Dublin during a Christmas Day dip PA UK news in pictures 24 December 2021 People stand inside Kings Cross Station on Christmas Eve in London Reuters UK news in pictures 23 December 2021 Christmas shoppers fill the car park at Fosse Shopping Park in Leicester PA UK news in pictures 22 December 2021 The sun rises behind the stones as people gather for the winter solstice at Stonehenge. Getty UK news in pictures 21 December 2021 People take part in a winter solstice swim at Portobello Beach in Edinburgh to mark the solstice and to witness the dawn after the longest night of the year PA UK news in pictures 20 December 2021 An auction employee displays poultry to buyers and sellers attending the Christmas Poultry Sale at York Auction Centre in Murton PA UK news in pictures 19 December 2021 Joao Moutinho of Wolverhampton Wanderers looks on during the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Chelsea at Molineux Getty Images UK news in pictures 18 December 2021 Freight lorries queuing at the port of Dover in Kent PA UK news in pictures 17 December 2021 Newly elected Liberal Democrat MP Helen Morgan, bursts 'Boris' bubble' held by colleague Tim Farron, as she celebrates following her victory in the North Shropshire by-election PA UK news in pictures 16 December 2021 Brussels sprouts are harvested by workers as they prepare for the busy Christmas period near Boston in Lincolnshire PA UK news in pictures 15 December 2021 Lewis Hamilton is made a Knight Bachelor by the Prince of Wales at Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 14 December 2021 The Royal Liver Buildings surrounded by early morning fog in Liverpool PA UK news in pictures 13 December 2021 People queue outside a walk-in Covid-19 vaccination centre at St Thomas's Hospital in Westminster Getty Images UK news in pictures 12 December 2021 People take part in the Big Leeds Santa Dash in Roundhay Park, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 11 December 2021 People arrive at a Covid-19 vaccination centre at Elland Road in Leeds, PA UK news in pictures 10 December 2021 Stella Moris speaks to the media after the US Government won its High Court bid to overturn a judges decision not to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange PA UK news in pictures 9 December 2021 Camels are lead around Salisbury Cathedral during a rehearsal for the Christmas Eve Service PA UK news in pictures 8 December 2021 Margaret Keenan and Nurse May Parsons, a year after Margaret was the first person in the UK to receive the Pfizer vaccine PA UK news in pictures 7 December 2021 Snowfall in Leadhills, South Lanarkshire as Storm Barra hits the UK with disruptive winds, heavy rain and snow PA UK news in pictures 6 December 2021 A person tries to avoid sea spray on New Brighton promenade in Wallasey as the UK readies for the arrival of Storm Barra Getty UK news in pictures 5 December 2021 People release balloons during a tribute to six-year-old Arthur Labinjo-Hughes outside Emma Tustin's former address in Solihull, West Midlands, where he was murdered by his stepmother PA UK news in pictures 4 December 2021 People walk through a Christmas market in Trafalgar Square Reuters UK news in pictures 3 December 2021 A pedestrian carries a dog as they dodge shoppers on Oxford Street in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 2 December 2021 Duchess of Cambridge inspects a Faberge egg at the Victoria and Albert Museum Getty UK news in pictures 1 December 2021 Meerkats at London Zoo with an advent calendar PA UK news in pictures 30 November 2021 Workers put the finishing touches to the Trafalgar Square Christmas Tree ahead of the lighting ceremony later in the week PA UK news in pictures 29 November 2021 Home Secretary Priti Patel is greeted by a police dog at a special memorial service for Met Police Sergeant Matiu Ratana Getty Under the coronavirus regulations, people who test positive must self-isolate, along with all their household and contacts who can be traced. The UKs contact-tracing scheme has been criticised for failing to reach many people; some experts have suggested that the financial impact of having to self-isolate may be dissuading people from naming people to tracers. Earlier this month Mr Burnham and Liverpool city region mayor Steve Rotheram called for the introduction of cash support for people asked to self-isolated, dubbing it Time out to help out. Mr Burnham said it was not right to make a choice between self-isolating or face a drastic loss of income while Mr Rotheram said that people should be supported, not penalised, for doing the right thing and isolating at home. Fran Ruchalski, The Enterprise / The Enterprise H-E-B has now opened its Southeast Texas stores after it assessed damages and risks for team members. From the company: Reopening 27 August 2020 Four Seasons Hotel London at Ten Trinity Square will welcome guests back from September 1, 2020 after temporarily closing its doors. The Hotel will champion the brand-wide Lead With Care program to strengthen its already rigorous health and safety measures to ensure the care, confidence and comfort of guests and staff alike upon their return. Upon its reopening, the Hotel will be well-equipped to accommodate guests looking to enjoy everything from a weekend staycation to a long-term stay. Spacious guest rooms, character-filled suites and apartment-styled Residences will offer a variety of options to fit every need. Physical distancing measures and mask policies will be in place in all public areas, and the Hotel will offer the following adjusted services at its outlets: Rotunda Bar and Lounge Rotunda Bar and Lounge, the heart of Four Seasons Hotel London at Ten Trinity Square will reopen to guests on Tuesday, September 1, 2020. A la carte breakfast will be available from 7:00 to 11:00 am, along with light refreshments, coffee and tea available throughout the day. In the evening, Rotunda Bar will come to life with Director of Mixology Harry Nikolaou at the helm. Guests can enjoy an extensive list of creative cocktails, wine and spirits. The Runway Afternoon Tea and private tours of Simon Procter's stunning Lagerfeld: The Chanel Shows exhibition will commence from Friday, September 25, 2020.Advanced booking will be required by contacting [email protected]. La Dame de Pic London Two Michelin-starred La Dame de Pic London will welcome guests back from September 10, 2020. The most decorated female chef in the world, Anne-Sophie Pic will continue to oversee her only UK outpost while welcoming a new Chef de Cuisine to the team, Marc Mantovani. For the near future, the restaurant will be open on Thursday to Saturday for lunch from 12:00 noon to 2:15 PM and dinner from 6:00 to 9:30 pm. Mei Ume Mei Ume will continue to offer authentic yet modern Chinese and Japanese cuisine under the guidance of Head Chef Tony Truong upon its reopening in autumn 2020. Spa From September 1, 2020, The Spa at Four Seasons Hotel London at Ten Trinity Square will reopen some of its facilities to offer guests a sanctuary of wellness in the heart of the City. The Spa's gym and pool will be open for members and Hotel guests only from 8:00 am to 9:00 pm, Monday-Sunday. The steam and sauna rooms will remain closed per government guidelines. Advanced booking will be required to use the facilities. Newly created Private Poolside Suites are also available for booking. For additional information and to book, guests should contact The Spa reception team at [email protected] Treatments will be temporarily suspended until further notice. Ten Trinity Square Private Club The City of London's finest private club for business, wine and culture re-opened its doors in early August 2020. Guests staying in one of the Hotel's Residences and Suites are invited to experience all the Club has to offer during their stay. Ten Trinity Square Private Club is open Monday-Friday from 7:00 am to 11:00 pm. Lead With Care Four Seasons has introduced Lead With Care, an enhanced global health and safety program that is being implemented at Four Seasons properties worldwide. Combining public health expertise with access to leading technologies and tools, Lead With Care establishes clear procedures that educate and empower employees to take care of guests and each other. Through its work with leading experts, Four Seasons is leveraging world-class medical expertise to focus on enhancing cleanliness, guest comfort and safety and employee training. Washington rekindled an old Taiwanese dream this month when a cabinet member floated the idea of a trade deal with the United States, a goal discussed for the past quarter of a century between the export-reliant Asian economy and its second largest market. At the same time, there are question marks hanging over Taiwans 10-year old trade deal with mainland China, which Beijing officials have publicly discussed cancelling as political ties spiral downward. The Taiwanese economy finds itself at a crossroads, even as it is celebrated as one of the few to have navigated the coronavirus pandemic relatively unscathed. Get the latest insights and analysis from our Global Impact newsletter on the big stories originating in China. A continuation of trade ties with China even at a time of such political strain appears to be an easier win than the elusive US trade deal Taipei has chased for decades, but on which it has perennially failed to offer concessions enough to sway Washington. The US is much more important to Taiwan than the other way around Gareth Leather In 1994, the two sides agreed to talk regularly toward a deal and had met 10 times as of 2016, but there have been no such meetings so far during the administration of US President Donald Trump. But then, during his somewhat controversial visit to Taiwan, US Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar confirmed that he had discussed trade issues with Taiwanese officials in Taipei including questions surrounding bilateral trade arrangements a sign that talks might be back on the agenda. We would like to make progress, said Taiwans cabinet spokeswoman Kolas Yotaka, when asked about the deal with the US, but there are few outward signs of progress towards it. For Taiwan, a trade deal with the US is consistent with its long-term strategy of reducing dependence on the Chinese market and diversifying export destinations, said Ma Tieying, an economist at DBS Bank. Taiwan, as a net exporter to the US, would benefit more economically from a trade deal, said Gareth Leather, senior emerging Asia economist at Capital Economics in London. Story continues The US is much more important to Taiwan than the other way around, Leather said. Countries which have signed free trade deals with the US in the past, notably South Korea, have been successful in gaining market share. Taiwanese exporters sent US$46.24 billion worth of goods to the US last year, up from US$39.49 billion in 2018, Taiwan government trade data showed. Technology exporters would particularly benefit from any US tariff cuts, with Taiwanese firms having been reshoring from mainland China over the past two years to avoid trade war tariffs imposed by Washington. China has been an important production base for Taiwanese tech manufacturers for many years, said Jessica Hsu, senior industry analyst with the Market Intelligence & Consulting Institute in Taipei. The US tariffs on some products exported from China to the United States have prompted Taiwanese manufacturers to diversify their production bases. Supporters of a deal say strike while the iron is hot, but seasoned US negotiators have taken fresh talk of a trade deal with a pinch of salt. Now is the right time for a bilateral trade agreement, said Richard Thurston, former general counsel at Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, now with the New York law firm Duane Morris. During the early 2000s under president Chen Shui-bian, I participated on a Taiwan internal task force to prepare for a trade agreement. But, then and during the next 15 years, neither side was prepared to make concessions on key disputed provisions, added Thurston, who urged both sides to move quickly to take advantage of favourable conditions on both sides of the Pacific. Wendy Cutler, managing director at the Asia Society Policy Institute and previously a lead US trade negotiator, recalls previous talks floundering on agricultural issues. The main sticking point has been the strength of Taiwans agricultural lobby. Trade officials recall being greeted at Taipei airports by hordes of angry farmers gathered to protest various stages of bilateral or multilateral trade talks, while the US in particular has been frustrated by a ban on the animal feed additive ractopamine. While Taiwan has made great strides in recent years in addressing US trade concerns in such areas as intellectual property rights, agriculture has remained a serious sticking point. Resolving our differences on pork and beef would go a long way in helping to chart an expanded and deeper trade relationship, she said. Ractopamine is a food additive widely used in American livestock but banned in over 160 other countries and territories. If Trump decides to pursue an agreement, it would thus probably be for political reasons and could produce a reaction that he may not fully understand or expect Jeff Moon Jeff Moon was at the negotiating table towards the end of Barack Obamas second term as US president, and while he said talks were friendly and cordial with none of the tension and zero-sum atmosphere that pervades US-China trade negotiations, there was no indication that Taiwan was serious about addressing American agricultural demands. My sense was that we were going through the motions of an exercise that ended with results known well in advance, said the former assistant US trade representative for China. I am not privy to current negotiations, but have no indication that either side has changed its position on the trade issues, despite Azars vague comments during his visit. If Trump decides to pursue an agreement, it would thus probably be for political reasons and could produce a reaction that he may not fully understand or expect. James Zimmerman, a partner in the Beijing office of law firm Perkins Coie - which represents the US Democratic National Committee - and former chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in China, said that Azars trip and statement suggested that Washingtonian may be using Taiwan as a bargaining chip with Beijing. Seriously, going down a path that inspires or heartens Taiwan toward independence is likely to be perceived as a threat to Beijings core interests James Zimmerman What does Trump, [US Secretary of State Mike] Pompeo or Azar seek to gain, other than Beijings ire? Seriously, going down a path that inspires or heartens Taiwan toward independence is likely to be perceived as a threat to Beijings core interests, and its disingenuous to think that its in the best strategic interests for Taiwan, the US, or the rest of Asia, Zimmerman said of the highest-level US visit to Taiwan since 1979. Separately, Taiwan runs a widening trade surplus with the US, a total of US$23 billion last year, 53.3 per cent higher than in 2018. The Trump government has griped about similar gaps with China and Vietnam with which it does not have free trade deals. US officials might demand that Taiwan increase imports and address the trade imbalance before inking a deal, Ma from DBS Bank added. A similar demand was made of Seoul during the Trump-ordered renegotiation of the US-Korea Free Trade Agreement, which was re-signed in 2018. Both Taiwans Foreign Trade Bureau and the de facto US embassy in Taipei declined to comment on prospects for a bilateral trade agreement. Meanwhile, Taiwans Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) with China will turn 10 years old in September, the point at which, according to World Trade Organisation rules, signatories are free to modify or withdraw the concessions given in a deal, should a full customs union or free-trade zone not be established, as is the case with ECFA. Under the rules, either side can cancel the deal with 180 days notice China and Taiwan had agreed to keep lowering trade barriers in the years after 2010, and while Taiwans exports to the mainland have soared, there has been little progress towards a free trade deal. In 2014, mass protests in Taipei scuttled a services liberalisation pact with Beijing, while the 2016 election of President Tsai Ing-wen led the mainland to cut off any further trade talks because she disputes Beijings political condition for dialogue that both sides belong to one China. Last year, Chinese state media reported that the deal is unlikely to be renewed. There are industry people and certain scholars who have indicated that an end to ECFA would hurt companies on both sides as well as cross-Strait relations and hope we can keep carrying it out Mainland Affairs Council Unfortunately, due to reasons known to all, the negotiation on the signing of the follow-up service agreement between the two sides has been interrupted. The agreement did not benefit our Taiwan compatriots, said Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council spokesman Ma Xiaoguang. Tsais government said it plans to uphold pre-2016 agreements signed with the mainland. Taiwans Mainland Affairs Council, a policymaking body, issued the South China Morning Post with a statement saying that the ECFAs early harvest list still helps both sides by cutting import tariffs. The list covers around 800 import categories, including machine tools and petrochemical raw materials. There are industry people and certain scholars who have indicated that an end to ECFA would hurt companies on both sides as well as cross-Strait relations and hope we can keep carrying it out, the statement said. China has kept the ECFA either because it is hoping for an upturn in overall relations with Taiwan, or is waiting for a symbolic moment politically to spike it, said Liang Kuo-yuan, president of the Polaris Research Institute think tank in Taipei. You dont know how much pressure they want to put on Taiwan, he said. More from South China Morning Post: This article Taiwan stuck at a crossroads with US and China over trade deals, facing conflicting prospects first appeared on South China Morning Post For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2020. HOUSTON, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Quanta Services, Inc. (NYSE:PWR) announced today that its Board of Directors has declared a quarterly cash dividend to stockholders of $0.05 per share. The dividend is payable October 15, 2020, to stockholders of record on October 1, 2020. About Quanta Services Quanta Services is a leading specialized contracting services company, delivering comprehensive infrastructure solutions for the utility, pipeline, energy and communications industries. Quanta's comprehensive services include designing, installing, repairing and maintaining energy and communications infrastructure. With operations throughout the United States, Canada, Australia and select other international markets, Quanta has the manpower, resources and expertise to safely complete projects that are local, regional, national or international in scope. For more information, visit www.quantaservices.com. Forward Looking Statements This press release (and any oral statements regarding the subject matter of this press release) contains forward-looking statements intended to qualify for the "safe harbor" from liability established by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements relating to expectations regarding the declaration, amount or timing of any future dividends; expectations regarding Quanta's business or financial outlook, plans and strategies; growth, trends or opportunities; and the ability to deliver increased value or return capital to stockholders; as well as statements reflecting expectations, intentions, assumptions or beliefs about future events and other statements that do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. Although Quanta's management believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. These statements can be affected by inaccurate assumptions and by a variety of risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict or beyond our control, including, among others, market conditions; the effects of industry, economic, financial or political conditions outside of the control of Quanta, including weakness in capital markets or the ongoing and potential impact to financial markets and worldwide economic activity resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and related governmental actions; quarterly variations in operating results, liquidity, financial condition, cash flows, capital requirements, reinvestment opportunities or other financial results, including the ongoing and potential impact to Quanta's business, operations and supply chain of the COVID-19 pandemic and related governmental actions; the severity, magnitude and duration of the COVID-19 pandemic, including impacts of the pandemic and of business and governmental responses to the pandemic on Quanta's operations, personnel and supply chain and on commercial activity and demand across Quanta's and Quanta's customers' businesses; Quanta's inability to predict the extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic and related impacts will adversely impact its business, financial performance, results of operations, financial position, the prices of its securities and the achievement of its strategic objectives; delays, reductions in scope or cancellations of anticipated, pending or existing projects; the successful negotiation, execution, performance and completion of anticipated, pending and existing contracts, including the ability to obtain future project awards; cancellation provisions within contracts and the risk that contracts expire and are not renewed or are replaced on less favorable terms; loss of customers with whom Quanta has long-standing or significant relationships; requirements relating to dividends under Delaware law and the credit agreement for Quanta's senior secured credit facility; the impact of income tax laws; and other risks and uncertainties detailed in Quanta's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended Dec. 31, 2019, Quanta's Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended Mar. 31, 2020 and Jun. 30,, 2020 and any other documents that Quanta files with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). For a discussion of these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, investors are urged to refer to Quanta's documents filed with the SEC that are available through the company's website at www.quantaservices.com or through the SEC's Electronic Data Gathering and Analysis Retrieval System (EDGAR) at www.sec.gov. Should one or more of these risks materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those expressed or implied in any forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which are current only as of this date. Quanta does not undertake and expressly disclaims any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Quanta further expressly disclaims any written or oral statements made by any third party regarding the subject matter of this press release. Investors - Kip Rupp, CFA Media Jenna Jackson Quanta Services, Inc. Quanta Services, Inc. (713) 341-7260 (713) 341-6741 SOURCE Quanta Services, Inc. Related Links http://www.quantaservices.com Relatives of missing Thai activists pleaded Thursday for a long-stalled bill criminalising political disappearances to be made into law, as calls for accountability grow louder from a burgeoning youth-led pro-democracy movement. Thailand has seen weeks of near-daily protests by students demanding an overhaul of the military-aligned government and reforms to the monarchy -- long a taboo subject in the kingdom. One of the catalysts for the movement was the disappearance in June of Wanchalearm Satsaksit, a pro-democracy activist self-exiled in Cambodia who was allegedly snatched off the streets. At recent protests students have displayed posters bearing his image -- as well as those of other activists whose disappearances over the years have gone unsolved. "I will not let this story be silenced or forgotten," his older sister Sitanan Satsaksit said Thursday. Speaking at an event in Bangkok to mark the International Day of Victims of Enforced Disappearances, Sitanan said there had been "no progress" from the Thai and Cambodian authorities in the nearly three months since her brother's disappearance. "We are in the dark," she said. The United Nations has recorded at least 82 cases of enforced disappearances in Thailand since 1980, but experts say the true figure could be higher. Rights activists accuse Thai authorities of being involved, but perpetrators are rarely -- if ever -- brought to justice. A draft law on criminalising torture and enforced disappearances has stalled for more than a decade. "If we have this law, it can be a mechanism for me, for political activists, so that they will be protected," Sitanan said. Seated around her were family members of other prominent missing activists. "It is painful to recognise that I might never find my son again," said Kanya Theerawut, as she cried. "He is like a needle in an ocean." Her son Siam was accused of insulting the powerful monarchy and fled to Vietnam, pressed into self-exile like so many other pro-democracy activists and academics after the 2014 coup by an arch-royalist military. Story continues In May 2019 rights groups said Siam was arrested in Vietnam and returned to Thailand, but authorities denied he was in their custody. Former junta chief Prayut Chan-O-Cha was voted back into power in last year's polls, which were governed under a military-scripted constitution that analysts say tilted the win in his party's favour. Protesters are calling for his resignation and a rewrite of the constitution, and are also demanding an end to harassment of activists. "The majority of the society sees that all we want is general democracy," said Jutatip Sirikan, a rising student leader who said her grandfather -- politician Tieng Sirikan -- disappeared in 1952. "We dont want to be under a dictatorship." dhc/fox/leg WASHINGTON, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- More than half (51%) of students lack consistent access to high-speed Internet and WiFi, according to a new survey from Visual Objects, a visual guide to finding and hiring creative firms. Internet accessibility issues created academic performance disparities during remote learning in the spring 2020 semester. Visual Object's survey indicates these problems will not be solved for remote learners this fall, despite efforts to provide free and low-cost Internet to those in need. More than 60% of students will take their fall semester classes online, according to a new study from Visual Objects. More than half of students believe cheating will increase due to remote learning, according to a survey by Visual Objects. Educators like Emily Posyton taught students without reliable internet access in spring 2020. She witnessed students with fewer at-home resources fall behind academically. "While I'm happy that students and teachers are out of harm's way, I do worry about students who need classroom support and resources," Posyton said. Half of Students Believe Cheating Will Increase While Learning Remotely The survey found 52% of students think cheating will rise due to online learning. Without the physical presence of a teacher in the classroom, students see more opportunities for academic dishonesty that is not detected. Masoud N. is general manager of Hack Your Course , an online tutoring service, and has been contacted by students attempting to cheat. "We have had several students and some parents calling and asking for help with their children's online exams," he said. "It's against our policy...but finding a tutor who would do that is not difficult at all." Experts recommend teachers get to know student writing styles, rely on written exams, and use plagiarism checkers to track cases of cheating. Most Students Are Confident Learning Remotely, Maintaining Grades Despite expected issues of cheating and technology accessibility, 55% of students surveyed are comfortable taking online courses. Additionally, 47% of students believe remote learning will not affect their grades. Students are embracing the flexibility of self-paced online learning and many are already well-versed in the technologies required. There is a sense of lingering discomfort when it comes to meeting with a teacher online, though. Only 46% of students felt comfortable meeting for extra help, creating a barrier for students who need more help. Visual Objects surveyed 400 high school and college students about online education trends and adapting to remote learning. Read the full report here: https://visualobjects.com/app-development/online-education-trends. For questions about the survey, contact Sydney Wess at [email protected] . About Visual Objects Visual Objects is your visual guide to finding and hiring the best B2B service provider. A sister website of Clutch, the leading B2B services review platform, Visual Objects features portfolio items and client reviews of top creative, design, development, and marketing companies from around the world. Contact Sydney Wess [email protected] (202) 350-4344 SOURCE Visual Objects Related Links https://visualobjects.com/ German drugs company Bayer AG said on Thursday there were bumps" in sealing its $11 billion (8.33 billion pounds) settlement of thousands of U.S. lawsuits over its Roundup weed killer after a U.S. judge cast doubt on the progress of the agreement. Bayer is battling a slew of lawsuits stemming from its $63 billion takeover of seed and chemical company Monsanto in 2018. The company unveiled the settlement in June, which paused the lawsuits while details of the agreement are hammered out. U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria threatened to restart the litigation and let it move forward after questioning if Bayer was going back on the settlement, according to a Bloomberg News report. ([https://bloom.bg/34EJ9Mj]) There are often some bumps in the road in implementing a resolution of this magnitude, but we remain confident that a comprehensive settlement will be finalized and executed," said a statement from Bayer. A lawyer for consumers said he was prepared to bring cases to trial. I agree that these Monsantos shenanigans need to stop. Either settle or dont at this point the only enemy is indecision," Brent Wisner told Reuters. Chhabria told the parties to continue to finalize the settlement and to confer about next steps should the litigation resume and scheduled a Sept. 24 hearing to discuss progress, according to a source who monitored the hearing. Chhabria criticized the companys description of the settlement in June and said on Thursday he was inclined to make public several confidential letters from consumer lawyers complaining that Bayers Monsanto unit is reneging on the deal, Bloomberg News said. Bayer shares slumped after it closed the Monsanto deal in June 2018 as juries ruled against the company. As of April, the company had been sued by 52,500 U.S. plaintiffs who blame glyphosate-based weed killers for their cancer. 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 Health minister Robin Swann has criticised premises which flout coronavirus restrictions. Mr Swann said he would be asking his ministerial colleagues on the Stormont Executive to prioritise stronger legislation to deal with the issue. The minister was speaking after footage emerged which appeared to show guests at a wedding dancing at close quarters. Watch: @healthdpt Minister @RobinSwannMoH, Chief Medical Officer Dr. Michael McBride and Chief Scientific Adviser Prof. Ian Young provide an update on #COVID19 Issues discussed included the rise in positive cases and hospital admissionshttps://t.co/Mu8M6pNI0e NI Executive (@niexecutive) August 27, 2020 I am concerned that some licensed premises are flouting the guidelines, guidelines that have been put in place to protect both customers and staff, he said. I am hearing worrying reports from concerned members of the public and from the industry itself and our ongoing liaison with police. I will therefore be asking Executive colleagues to prioritise stronger legislation to deal with this issue. This needs collective action from the Executive. Mr Swann added that the majority of licensed premises and other businesses are complying with the regulations. Earlier this week it was announced that wet pubs, theatres and private members clubs could not reopen as planned due to the rise in cases. Some businesses remain unable to reopen, they are entitled to fairness and an even-handed approach, he said. But if you flout the rules you must face the consequences. Also speaking at Thursdays coronavirus briefing at Stormont, the regions chief scientific adviser Ian Young noted the R number had been 2.8 at the start of the pandemic in March. He said this dropped to consistently below one until the beginning of August. The Department of Health has published the current #COVID19 reproduction number (R). The current estimate of R is 1.0 1.6.https://t.co/CRO18MVddK pic.twitter.com/fUduxxpw2s Department of Health (@healthdpt) August 27, 2020 Since the beginning of August, R has been consistently around one and is now sitting at around 1.3, he said. In line with that the number of new cases per day has been increasing, our low point was the beginning of July when we were experiencing three to four cases of the virus per day, now that is almost 60 cases per day on average. At present the number of cases in Northern Ireland over the previous 14 days is significantly higher than in the UK as a whole or in the Republic of Ireland. If you look at the number of cases per 100,000 of the population over the last seven days, weve been consistently over 20 for the last few days. No matter what way you look at it, this is not a good situation. Mr Swann said he understands it has been a long six months, and that Covid fatigue has started to set in but urged the public to continue following public health advice. Some people may think the worst of this virus has passed, that they no longer need to watch their distance or wash their hands, but they are wrong, he said. This is still the biggest public health crisis in a generation, and so any complacency presents a serious challenge to us all as we head into the winter period. Another 69 people have tested positive for Covid-19, the Department of Health said on Thursday, bringing the seven-day total to 418. One new death was reported but it did not happen during the last 24 hours. One person is being ventilated in hospital with the disease. Meanwhile new research has suggested that worry over coronavirus has decreased over time. By earlier this summer, two-thirds were concerned about the effect of Covid-19, official statisticians said. That compares with more than three-quarters in the weeks after the first peak of the pandemic in April. The Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency carried out 1,785 interviews with members of the public between April and July. Expand Close The survey sought views on how confident parents were with home schooling (Liam McBurney/PA) PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The survey sought views on how confident parents were with home schooling (Liam McBurney/PA) Key findings included: Across the period, just over seven out of 10 people (72%) said that they were very worried or somewhat worried about the effect of the coronavirus. More than three-quarters of those with a longstanding illness (77%) were worried about the effect the virus was having on their lives, compared with 70% without a medical condition. Just over six in 10 (63%) who had done so said that they were confident in their abilities to home school their children but just over a quarter (26%) disagreed. Most of these people (79%) also agreed that the child/children within their household were continuing to learn while being home schooled, while just over one in 10 (12%) disagreed. Overall, just under one third of people (32%) expected the financial position of their household to get worse in the next 12 months. Expand Close The vast majority of people avoided contact with older or vulnerable people (Joe Giddens/PA) PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The vast majority of people avoided contact with older or vulnerable people (Joe Giddens/PA) Slightly more than half (55%) expected it to stay the same, while 13% believed it would get better. This was significantly higher than people in the younger age groups, where just over half (51%) expected it to remain at the same level in the next 12 months. Women reported a higher anxiety score on average than men. People with a longstanding illness reported significantly lower wellbeing averages for life satisfaction and happiness than those without. The vast majority of people (80%) avoided contact with older or vulnerable people. The results show that this proportion decreased over time, to 72% in the two-week period after June 15. Babcock-Type-31-frigate-edit-e1568276923100.jpg Heading north The Government has announced that the Navys Type 31 frigates (above) will be built by Babcock at the Rosyth dockyard in Fife, Scotland. Work on the 1.25bn contract for five warships is due to start by the end of this year, with delivery from 2023. The deal safeguards hundreds of jobs after the completion of the aircraft carrier programme. - News Scans/News Scans Anti-submarine warships could be cut down to single figures following the Integrated Defence and Security Review, naval sources have warned, in an act that has been deemed a national embarrassment for a maritime nation. The Telegraph understands that the UKs existing fleet of frigates could be reduced from 13 to just eight ahead of the highly anticipated review, as replacing them with newer models has proven costly. The UK could fall into single number frigrates, a naval source warned. We could have less than 10 warships because new build stuff is in the firing line. The Ministry of Defence has currently requested three Type 26 frigates and five of the Type 31s in order to replace the aging Type 23s (which have been functioning since the early 1990s and are likely to retire by 2025). The source added that the Government probably wont order more and cautioned that it would be stupid not to. The Government has previously said that it aims to have the first Type 31 launched in 2023, with five ships delivered by the end of 2028. However, a defence industry source warned that they had heard that one possibility was to cut the existing frigates early to save money and delay the order and introduction of the new frigates, which would leave a gaping chasm. This is just staggering, they said. It is a very dangerous situation. "You might as well start claiming that you are going to defend Great Britain with a bunch of dugout canoes. This is a painful situation for an island nation that claims it wants to be more visible on the global stage. It comes after it was revealed that tanks were being considered as an area to be cut as part of the review, of which Dominic Cummings, Boris Johnsons chief adviser, is heavily involved in. I dont think he (Mr Cummings) understands the bare facts, the source added. He doesnt understand what these decisions mean and how they are interpreted by our adversaries and enemies. Story continues Lord West, the former first sea lord, said that while the first responsibility for a Government conducting such a review should be the defence and security of our islands and people, the current review is being driven by the requirement to find savings rather than the threats that need to be countered. The alliances that are so important to our security consist of countries that have relied on our military contribution, which is faltering, he said. Its a national embarrassment for a great maritime nation to have a pitiful small number of frigates. Lord West added that the prospect of single figure frigates would impact on protection of our deterrent, protection of merchant ships in the Gulf, providing escorts for the new carriers and operations in the Far East, Baltic, Mediterranean and Falklands". Tobias Ellwood, Chairman of the Defence Select Committee, asked if there was no aspect of the military that isnt going to be salami sliced? It all smacks of a rapidly deteriorating integrated review. They are less interested in our defence posture and more about a domestic revolution across Whitehall. Its dangerous and we are playing with fire here to reduce our military architecture in the way thats being considered." An MoD spokesman said: "With every review it is always the case that people draw early and false conclusions from leaks. We advise against making assumptions based on partial information. The guiding principle of the Integrated Review is to ask ourselves what the threat is, and whether we have the capability to meet it. The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission on Thursday postponed a decision on allowing utilities to resume shutoffs of nonpaying customers, marking the third time the stalemated panel has been unable to agree about lifting a coronavirus moratorium on service terminations. The PUC delayed a vote until Sept. 17 on whether to lift the order banning service terminations, put into place in March after the state declared a COVID-19 emergency. Twice previously, the commission deadlocked in votes to end the moratorium. Utilities said the moratorium on shutoffs and payment penalties has led to a dramatic increase in nonpaying customers, but consumer advocates said the action was vital to protecting consumers hit by the pandemics economic outfall. The commission gave no indication of points upon which it remains divided. Gladys Brown Dutrieuille, the PUCs chair who had called for a vote this week, made a brief statement after Thursdays announcement, thanking interested parties for submitting responses to the PUC. I understand the gravity of the issue that this commission is faced with, and although I regret not being able to provide any type of motion or opportunity for a determination today, I do believe that we will eventually get to vote on this matter and it will be a well-informed and considered vote, she said. The states electric, gas and water utilities reported earlier this summer that about 845,000 customers were so far behind that their service could be ended, an increase of 9.6% from a year ago. Peco, the company that serves Philadelphia and its suburbs, said in May that about 146,000 of its electric customers were in arrears 9% of its 1.6 million customers. The commission deadlocked in June and in July by 2-2 votes along party lines, with the two Republicans favoring lifting the moratorium on shutoffs, while the two Democrats opposed it. However, Dutrieuille, a Democrat, had said that an absolute moratorium protecting all customers is unsustainable, leading to speculation that a compromise was in the offing. The postponement works in favor of consumer advocates, who had urged the PUC to reject a resumption in shutoffs. It also reduces the time for utilities to terminate non-paying customers before the states annual winter moratorium on shutoffs goes into place at the end of November, prohibiting utilities from disconnecting customers during the heating season through the end of March. READ MORE: Unpaid utility bills are soaring in the pandemic. Consumer advocates fear mass shutoffs loom. The states electric and gas utilities say total customer unpaid bills have soared to $479 million through the end of June, up $139 million or 41% over 2019 levels. About $181 million of the unpaid bills, or 38% of the total, are owed by customers who have identified themselves as low-income. Utilities say that customers are more likely to default the deeper they dig themselves into debt, requiring a costly shutoff, disrupting families, and eventually forcing the utilities to seek rate increases for all customers to pay the cost of the write-offs. The utilities also say that customers are unmotivated to address payment problems without a threat of a shutoff. Once people owe more than $1,000, the chances of collecting that go way down, said Alison Alvarez, the chief executive of BlastPoint, a Pittsburgh analytical firm that uses artificial intelligence to help utilities to identify at-risk customers. Advocates for low-income customers petitioned the PUC to initiate a robust public review process of the moratorium before allowing shutoffs to resume. The Energy Association of Pennsylvania, the trade group for utilities, opposed the petition. The commission normally has five members, but Wolf on Aug. 10 nominated Democrat Hayley Book to fill the seat of Andrew Place, who resigned in April. Until the Pennsylvania Senate affirms the appointment, the commissions four members are divided equally between Republicans and Democrats. READ MORE: Extending statewide moratorium on utility shut-offs is the right call amid pandemic and recession | Editorial In New Jersey, where utilities adopted a voluntary coronavirus moratorium on shutoffs, the state announced last Friday that energy companies agreed to extend their voluntary moratorium on shutoffs until Oct. 15, allowing energy companies more than a month to warn customers before terminating service. Customers can apply for COVID-enhanced relief programs or to pay up before their service is shut off. About 24 states have enacted pandemic bans on utility shutoffs, according to the National Association of Regulatory Commissioners. New York has extended its moratorium until next year. The Philadelphia Water Department, which is not regulated by the PUC, announced Wednesday that it will extend its moratorium on shutoffs of nonpaying customers through Sept. 30. Philadelphia water customers were encouraged to apply for help immediately at phila.gov/waterbillhelp or by calling (215) 685-6300 to avoid a large bill when shutoffs resume. In a related COVID-19 matter, the PUC also declined to reconsider decisions that prohibit electricity suppliers from conducting door-to-door sales and in-person marketing efforts. Suppliers are allowed to conduct sales efforts electronically, by telephone or teleconference. The moratorium on door-to-door, public event, and in-person sales and marketing activities remains necessary to protect customers and supplier employees by minimizing social contact in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the PUC said in its order. The Philadelphia Inquirer is one of more than 20 news organizations producing Broke in Philly, a collaborative reporting project on solutions to poverty and the citys push toward economic justice. See all of our reporting at brokeinphilly.org. The BBC licence fee could be replace by a means-tested 'household tax', the corporation's outgoing director-general has suggested. Lord Tony Hall of Birkenhead, who is set to step down, said a household tax, where the rich pay more, might make more sense than the current TV licence system. He also suggested that a potential annual levy could be collected alongside existing household bills such as council tax or broadband. This means the BBC would have to spend less money on tracking down evaders. The licence fee has been a subject of discussion in recent months, with increasingly vocal opponents calling for its scrapping. Its current form will continue until 2027, but the government has indicated a new system may be required after that. It comes as the BBC is under increasing fire: More than 100,000 people have signed the MailOnline petition urging the BBC to reverse its censorship of Land of Hope and Glory and Rule Britannia at the Last Night of the Proms; BBC Newsnight editor Katie Razzall shared her embarrassment at being appointed as a white woman to chair a session on 'racism in TV newsrooms'; Roger Moore, the former head of BBC News, compared the top of the corporation to the comedy spoof W1A and said that too many of the BBC's big decisions are made in London by 'white liberals'; Jamaica's foreign minister slammed the BBC over a Famalam sketch showing Caribbean men leering at women and high on cannabis. In his final interview before he leaves next month, Lord Hall also admitted the BBC responded too slowly in the equal pay row sparked by Carrie Gracie Some critics have favoured a Netflix-style subscription service, where people can opt-in or out of BBC services. Two Conservative backbenchers have even drafted private member's bills calling for the BBC to be privatised and face more stringent oversight of its impartiality, after a series of recent controversies. There are also calls for non-payment of the licence fee to be decriminalised. Suggesting his own alternative in his exit interview with The Media Show on Radio 4, Lord Hall said: 'I think finding ways in which the licence fee can be charged progressively so those who can afford to pay more and those who can't afford to pay less, should be looked at. 'Should it be collected in a way on household bills, council tax bills, to cut down the cost?' He added: 'If you want to have something good, a public service available to all, then that has to be funded by all, not by subscription or behind some paywall.' In the interview, Lord Hall revealed that he had considered quitting when the Government offloaded the responsibility for free TV licences for the over-75s. In his final interview before he leaves next month, Lord Hall also admitted the BBC responded 'too slowly' in the equal pay row sparked by Carrie Gracie. The deal with the Government which saw the corporation taking on responsibility for free licences for over-75s is regarded by many as Lord Hall's biggest blunder during his time in charge. Incoming and outgoing BBC Director General: Former Marketing Executive Tim Davie, left, takes over the BBC next week from Lord Hall. Mr Davie is understood to have intervened to insist that BBC bosses play some form of Rule Britannia at the Proms Speaking on Radio 4's The Media Show, he described the attempts by Government to get the BBC to handle the issue as 'nuclear', as he was forced to choose between charging pensioners the licence fee and making huge cuts to services. 'I thought about resigning, but at that moment I thought you've got to get in there and try to stop this or ameliorate what they are proposing to do,' he told the BBC's media editor Amol Rajan. While it became clear there was no possibility of stopping the move, there were concessions and the BBC had secured its charter for 11 years. Only over-75s who receive pension credit are now exempt from the annual 157.50 fee. Lord Hall admitted to mistakes over the equal pay row, which began when then China editor Miss Gracie who announced on Tuesday she has left the BBC after 33 years pressed for a salary increase to bring her in line with male colleagues doing comparable jobs. 'I think the organisation responded too slowly,' he said. 'We ended up in the right place.' He was also questioned about his handling of the row over the use of the N-word in a news report. He denied he apologised for the use of the word only after board members lobbied him to do so because of potential mass resignations from ethnic minority staff members. Lord Hall also revealed that four women would appear in the top ten of next month's annual BBC 'rich list', compared to three last year. The gender split of BBC stars earning more than 150,000 will now be 55 per cent male, 45 per cent female, an improvement on a 60-40 split last year. Tim Davie, a former head of BBC Studios, the commercial arm, takes over as director-general on Monday. Portraying President Donald Trump as a protector of the nation, his deputy and running mate Vice President Mike Pence has said the US needs four more years of his administration in these challenging times. Pence, 61, formally accepted the Republican Party's vice-presidential nomination on the third night of the National Republican Convention on Wednesday. In these challenging times our country needs a president who believes in America. Who believes in the boundless capacity of the American people to meet any challenge, defeat any foe, and defend the freedoms we all hold dear," he said. Republican delegates from across the country have re-nominated Trump and Pence for the November 3 election. They will be challenged by former vice president Joe Biden and his Indian-origin running mate Senator Kamala Harris on the Democratic ticket. "America needs four more years of President Donald Trump in the White House! Pence said in his address. The hard truth is... you won't be safe in Joe Biden's America, Pence said in his acceptance address from Fort McHenry in Baltimore. Four years ago, I answered the call to join this ticket because I knew that Donald Trump had leadership and the vision to make America great again," Pence said. Amid protests over the police shooting of a Black man in Wisconsin, Pence described the election between Trump and Biden as a choice between law-and-order and lawlessness. Police in Kenosha, Wisconsin, shot Jacob Blake Blake, 29, multiple times in the back on Sunday, reigniting protests against racism and police brutality that erupted across the US earlier in the year after the death of George Floyd. "Let me be clear: the violence must stop whether in Minneapolis, Portland or Kenosha. Too many heroes have died defending our freedom to see Americans strike each other down. We will have law and order on the streets of this country for every American of every race and creed and colour." He said Biden would double down on the very policies that are leading to unsafe streets and violence in America's cities. When you consider their agenda it's clear: Joe Biden would be nothing more than a Trojan horse for a radical left. The choice in this election has never been clearer and the stakes have never been higher, Pence said. At the root of their agenda, Pence alleged, is the belief that America is driven by envy, not aspiration that millions of Americans harbour ill-will toward their neighbours, instead of loving neighbours as themselves. Pence said for the last four years, he has been watching Trump enduring unrelenting attacks and getting up every day and fighting to keep the promises he made to the American people. So, with gratitude for the confidence President Donald Trump has placed in me, the support of our Republican party, and the grace of God, I humbly accept your nomination to run and serve as Vice President of the United States, Pence said. Trump, who would deliver his acceptance speech from the South Lawn of the White House on Thursday, joined Pence and the Second Lady Karen Pence at the stage along with the First Lady Melania. In his remarks, Pence said that last week's Democratic National Convention was full of negativity. Democrats spent four days attacking America. Joe Biden said we were living through a 'season of American darkness'. But as President Trump said, 'where Joe Biden sees American darkness, we see American greatness', he said amidst applause from a select group of invited guests. Noting that serving the American people in this office has been a journey he never expected, Pence said over the past four years, he has worked closely with the president. I've seen him when the cameras are off. Americans see President Trump in lots of different ways but there's no doubt how President Trump sees America. "He sees America for what it is... a nation that has done more good in this world than any other . . . a nation that deserves far more gratitude than grievance . . . and if you want a president who falls silent when our heritage is demeaned or insulted, then he's not your man..., Pence said. In a city known for talkers, President Donald Trump is a doer, he said. "Few presidents have brought more independence, energy, and determination to that office. Four years ago we inherited a military hollowed out by devastating budget cuts, an economy struggling to break out of the slowest recovery since the great depression," he said. "ISIS controlled a land mass twice the size of Pennsylvania and we witnessed a steady assault on our most cherished values like freedom of religion and the right to life, he said. Mars made one of its closest approach to Earth in nearly 60,000 years on this day, i.e. August 27, in 2003. According to NASA, back in 2003, Mars came closer to Earth and was within 56 million kilometres of our planet. The very closest approach was hailed as an excellent opportunity for amateur astronomers to see the Red Planet. August 27th 2003, this is mars when it was at its closest to earth in nearly 60,000 years, the solar systems biggest volcano Olympus Mons appears at the top pic.twitter.com/5donwWM76b Alex is in constant flop era (@BreathinMccann) August 26, 2020 READ: NASA Establishes Return Program Review Board To Study Mars Samples Back then, NASA had informed that the rare encounter was due to the difference in Earths orbit compared with that of Mars. While our planet is on a very near-circular orbit around the Sun, Mars sweeps out a large ellipse over its orbit. This resulted in Earth and Mars to approach within a range between 35 and 63 million miles. On August 27, 2003, the Red Planet appeared slightly larger and brighter in the nighttime sky. Moriba Jah, a NASA Scientist, had explained, The orbits of the planets are ellipses. They're not perfect circles. Gravitational effects from the sun and planets pull on the planets' orbits. Jah added, The very closest approach the most that you can get is when both planets are lined up at the time when Earth is at its farthest point from the sun and Mars is at its closest point. READ: Lava Tubes Present On Mars, Earth, & Moon Can Be Potential Safe Habitats It is believed that not since the Neanderthals lived, have Earth and Mars been quite as close as on August 27, 2003. Earth and Mars were exactly 55,758,006 km from the centre to centre, which was the nearest two planet have been in almost 60,000 years. According to the NASA update, the two planets are not expected to be this close until August 28, 2287. Mars made its closest approach to Earth in nearly 60,000 years on August 27, 2003, passing 34,646,418 miles (55,758,005 km) distant.https://t.co/UIrXRgxaGO pic.twitter.com/tGoyjqQkta Trivia Encyclopedia (@edpearce080759) August 27, 2020 READ: Mars Rover Perseverance Successfully Completes First Trajectory Correction Maneuver Mars surface details revealed Meanwhile, with technology advancing every year, scientists have been studying the Red Planet regularly. Recently, NASAs InSight lander that started surface operations at Elysium Planitia on Mars has revealed the Red planets surface details in the seismograph data that it collected about 10 weeks after landing. Short for Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, the Geodesy and Heat Transport captured intricate details and measurements of three subsurface boundaries from the crust to the core of the celestial body, observed by Rice University seismologists, a statement confirmed. READ: NASAS oldest Spacecraft MRO Captures Spectacular Dark Avalanche On Mars The New Jersey Senate on Thursday voted for a first-in-the-nation proposal to potentially free thousands of people early from a prison system with the highest coronavirus death rate in the country. The bill (S2519) passed 21-15 without debate, gaining the minimum votes needed for passage. However, it must still be taken up by the state Assembly, which pulled the bill off its agenda on Thursday and is not scheduled to meet again until Sept. 21. The bill has become a rallying cry for advocates who say the governors plan to send some sick and elderly prisoners to their homes was a failure, since only 312 people had been released as of Thursday. (Almost 700 people were also paroled under the same executive order.) The proposal has received bipartisan support, although some Republican state Senators voted against the bill in committee last week after groups that help prisoners reenter society raised concerns that recent budget cuts would make it difficult to care for a surge in new cases, some of whom may be homeless. Those concerns halted the bill in the Assembly, supporters said. Black bodies are being held hostage for ransom, said Rev. Charles Boyer, founding director of the nonprofit Salvation and Social Justice. He argued that freeing people from deadly prisons should not be tied to questions about funding. Representatives for two prominent reentry groups, Volunteers of America Delaware Valley and the New Jersey Reentry Corporation, testified at the Aug. 21 committee hearing, although neither explicitly opposed the early release bill there. We believe any legislation allowing the release of prisoners must include programs and services to address their needs, as they face enormous challenges when returning to society, Daniel Lombardo, president of Volunteers of America, said in a statement Thursday. Although he supported the intent of this legislation, he said reentry programs end the cycle of re-incarceration and allow these individuals to live independent, self-fulfilled lives. Former Gov. Jim McGreevey, who leads the reentry corporation, told NJ Advance Media that any efforts to make sure former inmates had health care and housing did not change his unequivocal support for the proposal. A sponsor of the Assembly version, Assemblyman Raj Mukherji, D-Hudson, said he planned to amend the bill to address concerns hed heard from colleagues about reentry services. More than $12 million for reentry funding in last years budget is missing from the emergency three-month budget currently in effect. Lombardo asked committee members Friday about the possibility of money being diverted from the prison system, which has an annual budget of more than $1 billion. Lawmakers will finalize a budget next month. CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Newsletter | Homepage No other state Legislature has moved to reduce prison populations to stem the pandemics death toll, according to the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey, which estimated up to 3,000 adults and juveniles could be affected. The states largest corrections officer union estimated the total to be closer to 3,800, according to William Sullivan, president of NJ PBA Local 105. That could amount to one-fifth of the entire prison population. There were around 16,600 inmates mid-June, according to an analysis by the nonpartisan news organizations The Associated Press and The Marshall Project. Corrections officials have repeatedly declined to comment on the proposal before it becomes law, or provide an estimate for the number of inmates affected. While repetitive, compulsive sex offenders would be ineligible, people convicted of other violent crimes could still leave early, leading some law enforcement unions to decry the bill as a public safety risk. The proposal would knock about four months off a persons sentence for each month spent incarcerated during a public health emergency. Only people set to be released within a year would be eligible, and eight months is the maximum reduction. Former prisoners would be ordered to not contact victims, who should be notified about an early release. If it is eventually signed by Gov. Phil Murphy, the law would take effect sixteen days later. Family members of current inmates told NJ Advance Media they were holding their breath. Karen Roberts, whose partner is in Southern State Correctional Facility, said she lives in fear a lack of social distancing could cause a new outbreak. Id like him to enjoy some more time with his grandchildren while he still can, she wrote in an email. Im constantly worried about him being close to someone who may bring the virus into the facility. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Blake Nelson can be reached at bnelson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @BCunninghamN. Have a tip? Tell us: nj.com/tips. RALEIGH The state has accused a New Jersey-based company of price gouging when it tried to sell N95 masks and other personal protective equipment to hospitals, the Red Cross and a state agency in March, as demand was spiking in the early weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic. N.C. Attorney General Josh Stein says Stephen Gould Corp. offered to sell masks for as much as 15 times the prevailing market price and more than twice as much as Gould had agreed to pay for them. In a lawsuit filed in Wake County on Tuesday, Stein also says the company then told prospective buyers that its markup was 3%, when in fact it was more than 100%. The lawsuit says Gould made separate offers to sell millions of masks to Duke Health, UNC Health, the state Division of Emergency Management and the Charlotte chapter of the American Red Cross. Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd (ANZ) has named Michael Smith, The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Ltd (HSBC) boss, as its new chief executive, succeeding John McFarlane. In line with a strategic push into Asia, the 50-year-old Mr Smith will take over from Mr McFarlane as head of Australia's third biggest bank and join the ANZ board on October 1. He is currently president and chief executive of HSBC and chairs Hang Seng Bank Ltd and HSBC Bank Malaysia Berhad, as well as serving as HSBC's global head of commercial banking. Mr McFarlane is leaving, after 10 years in the job, on September 30. As ANZ CEO, Mr Smith will receive a fixed annual salary of $3 million. At least one of the immigrants featured in the naturalization ceremony shown Tuesday during the Republican National Convention told ABC News that they were unaware that the video was going to be used during the event. Neimat Awadelseid told ABC News she was unaware President Donald Trump was even going to attend the event, but did know it would be at the White House. She added that she signed a release so they could use footage from the event however they wanted. The taped naturalization was played during the second night and raised eyebrows from ethics watchdogs and Democrats over its use of an official government action, personnel and building for a political event. Democrats on the House Homeland Security Committee have called for a Hatch Act Investigation into acting Secretary Chad Wolf's participation in the event. MORE: Trump attends naturalization ceremony at White House Awadelseid, however, told ABC News she was not upset that the ceremony was included in the convention programming. "It is my honor to be given my citizenship by a president of the United States," she said. PHOTO: President Donald Trump attends a naturalization ceremony for five new citizens of the United States in a video that aired during the second night of the 2020 Republican National Convention, Aug. 25, 2020. (Republican National Convention) A second individual that took part in the ceremony, Sudha Narayanan, told The Wall Street Journal she was also unaware that the ceremony would be part of the RNC's video segments, but added, "We were just happy it was happening in a special place." Another immigrant who was in the ceremony, Salih Abdul Samad, did not tell ABC News if he had any knowledge that the taped event would be used in the ceremony, but said he was grateful to be part of it. "It's not everybody that gets the chance to be there, to be sworn in as a citizen of this great nation," he told ABC News. MORE: What you should know about the 1939 law Kellyanne Conway is accused of violating Critics raised alarms about the possible ethical violations that the video presented. "It is corruption in its highest form for Chad Wolf, in coordination with President Trump, to time a swearing in ceremony for a partisan convention," Austin Evers, the executive director of watchdog group American Oversight, told ABC News. Story continues PHOTO: President Donald Trump attends a naturalization ceremony for five new citizens of the United States in a video that aired during the second night of the 2020 Republican National Convention, Aug. 25, 2020. (Republican National Convention) House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson wrote a letter to special counsel Henry Kerner on Wednesday urging him to investigate Wolf's participation as a possible Hatch Act violation. "Mr. Wolf's participation appears to constitute engaging in political activity while acting in an official capacity. It also sets a bad example for the Department's 240,000 employees who are required to comply with the Hatch Act," Thompson wrote. The Department of Homeland Security directed ABC News to the White House for comment, which subsequently directed ABC to the Trump campaign. The campaign declined to comment. ABC News' Ivan Pereira, Luke Barr and John Santucci contributed to this report. Immigrant unaware naturalization ceremony would be used at Republican National Convention originally appeared on abcnews.go.com An American man passing through Canada faces a fine of up to C$750,000 (432,000) or six months in jail after violating quarantine rules. John Pennington, 40, from Kentucky crossed into Canada from Alaska in June, stopping off at the Rimrock Hotel in Banff. He was first fined C$1,200 (690) on 25 June after hotel staff called the police to report that they suspected he may have broken quarantine. Americans are banned from travelling into Canada for discretionary reasons due to current coronavirus restrictions. They are only allowed to drive through the country to get between Alaska and the other mainland US states if its for an essential purpose such as work or going to a primary residence, providing they take the most direct route and avoid all national parks, leisure sites and tourism activities. Recommended Tourist kicked off boat in Venice after refusing to wear mask Those in transit are encouraged to stay in their vehicle as much as possible, avoid contact with others and to use drive-thrus if they need food. Hotel stays are only permitted if transiting guests remain in their room at all times. After the initial fine, police told Pennington to stay in his room until he set off the next day, reminding him to travel directly to the States, Royal Canadian Mounted Police Cpl. Tammy Keibel told NPR. However, Pennington was caught breaching the rules again the following day, as he opted to stop off at local tourist attraction Sulphur Mountain. Officials caught up with him after a local reported seeing a car with Ohio licence plates. Investigators determined Mr Pennington had not left town as required on the morning of June 26 but had chosen to visit a popular tourist site, Banff Royal Canadian Mounted Police Staff Sgt. Michael Buxton-Carr told CBC News. There are amenities available for essential needs, food and lodging, at the hotel. There was no legitimate reason to go up to Sulphur Mountain. Pennington has now been charged with breaching the federal Quarantine Act and will appear in court in November. According to the Canadian government, Failure to comply with the current border restrictions is an offence under the Quarantine Act and could lead to up to $750,000 in fines, and/or imprisonment of up to six months. Two out of four statues installed as part of A Gathering at The Crossroads: For Such a Time as This were dedicated Wednesday at the Capitol Complex, honoring orators and abolitionists who stood up for social injustices in the late 1800s. The dedication aligned with the 150th anniversary of the 15th Amendment, which gave African American men the right to vote, and the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote. Dozens of Harrisburg residents and supporters as well Gov. Tom Wolf and state and local officials attended the event. It is hard to imagine for all of us, Im an old man, but Im still young enough not to remember what was here before, Wolf said. That in the Soldiers and Sailors circle, that it used to be a bustling neighborhood with hundreds of businesses, hundreds of homes. This is the doorstep to the Capitol. The Capitol was much smaller, the building was smaller then, and all people of all backgrounds lived in this neighborhood. Immigrants seeking the American dream for a better life. Religious groups in search of protection under William Penns promise. And, of course, hundreds of African Americans rebuilding their lives and their families in the wake of slavery and the Civil War. The monument is the first in the nation commemorating the U.S. Constitutional Amendments that expanded voting rights. It took lawmakers, city officials, and financiers three years to get it to this point. The current monument sits on the Capital South Lawn in front of the K Leroy Irvis Building at Fourth and Walnut streets. When its completed, the statues will represent Thomas Morris Chester, Jacob T. Compton, William Howard Day, and Frances Ellen Walker Harper. The latter two have been completed. In the years before the destruction of the 8th Ward, approximately 36 percent of Harrisburgs African American population lived here, in the 8th Ward, Wolf said during his approximately 10-minute address. And, these Harrisburgers were not content merely to live in the shadow of that Capitol Building. They believed in active citizenship. They believed that its not enough to merely live next to Pennsylvanias seat of government but it was necessary to participate. And, they did. And, therefore its fitting that we are unveiling today a monument celebrating this neighborhood and its citizens on the 100th anniversary of the adoption of the 19th Amendment that gave women the right to vote, as well as the 150th anniversary of the ratification of the 15th Amendment barring voter discrimination based on race or skin color. The activists in the 8th Ward cared about equality. Throughout the event, performers conjured up the past by wearing outfits from the late 1800s, singing songs, and making speeches that replicated the thoughts of those who lived in the Old Eighth Ward. Its a proud day to be the mayor of the city of Harrisburg, Mayor Eric Papenfuse said. He spoke about how much work went into making sure the vision of the monument came to fruition. Papenfuse also presented the projects executive director Lenwood Sloan with the key to the city. Wolf and Papenfuse were among a long list of speakers. Sculptor Becky Ault, who designed it, was also in attendance. Ault created it to feature the four bronze life-sized individuals who had ties to the region and Pennsylvania. They were selected for the work that they did to help fulfill the nations Founding Fathers promise that all men are created equal. Earlier, Lukashenko has reportedly claimed foreign meddling in Belarus affairs, pointing at Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine, while seeking support from Russia. The Polish diplomacy has responded to the most recent accusations voiced by Belarus' Alexander Lukashenko who claimed Poland allegedly intended to seize the Grodno region. In a backlash, the Polish foreign ministry took to Twitter with the statement. "Due to the repeated, unfounded accusations of the Belarusian authorities against Poland, the Ambassador of the Republic was summoned to the Ministry today for 15:00," wrote Undersecretary of State for Security Marcin Przydacz. Read alsoLukashenko says Poland wants to annex part of Belarus mediaThe Belarusian head claims that the neighboring country "is already openly dreaming" of Belarus disintegrating and Grodno region seceding to Poland. At the same time, Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has urged Russia to abandon plans of military intervention in Belarus. government urges Russia to immediately withdraw from plans of a military intervention in Belarus, under false excuse of 'restoring control' a hostile act, in breach of international law and human rights of Belarusian people, who should be free to decide their own fate. Mateusz Morawiecki (@MorawieckiM) August 27, 2020 "Polish government urges Russia to immediately withdraw from plans of a military intervention in Belarus, under false excuse of 'restoring control' a hostile act, in breach of international law and human rights of Belarusian people, who should be free to decide their own fate," Morawiecki tweeted. Lukashenko vs West Following a widely contested presidential election on August 9, which has not been recognized by the European Union and a number of other foreign powers, protests erupted across Belarus, which Alexander Lukashenko, who the election commission says has won the vote with over 80% of support, said were fomented by external forces. Having sealed support of Russian President Vladimir Putin in curbing unrest and tackling "external threats" if required, Lukashenko warned a number of foreign leaders, including those of Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine, against meddling in Belarus' internal affairs. He slammed Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky of calls to hold re-election, branding it "interference". Lukashenko claimed someone was raising Polish flags in Grodno. Apparently, he has confused them with the white-red-white Belarusian banners used by the opposition instead of the official Belarus' flag that stems from the Soviet era. Read alsoRussian law enforcers could be used to suppress protests in Belarus, Putin saysLukashenko has also accused the U.S. of inciting unrest and spoke of a potential threat coming from NATO troops, having deployed additional forces to the country's western borders with Lithuania and Poland and put them in full combat readiness. Were looking forward to meeting and working with their loyal clients as well providing opportunities for them, and new clients, to leverage the integrated suite of managed business technology and services Loffler provides. Loffler Companies is pleased to announce the acquisition of Reardon Office Equipment of Moorhead, MN. Loffler Companies, headquartered in Bloomington, MN, welcomes Reardons team of sales and service professionals to the Loffler team. This acquisition expands Loffler's offerings to Reardon clients, which include Copiers and Printers, Business Security Systems, Document Management and Workflow, Unified Communications, Managed IT Services, Copiers and Printers, Cloud Services and more. Loffler Companies has acquired the copier and printer service/supply division of Reardon Office Equipment while Innovative Office Solutions has acquired the furniture division. We welcome the Reardon Office Equipment team to Loffler Companies. We know they hold the same core values as we do for client care and integrity, which makes this a great new partnership, explained Jim Loffler, Loffler Companies Founder and CEO. Were looking forward to meeting and working with their loyal clients as well providing opportunities for them and new clients to leverage the integrated suite of managed business technology and services Loffler provides. We are incredibly grateful to our Reardon Office Equipment clients for their loyalty over the past 52 years and are excited to continue working with and serving them as part of the Loffler team, said Greg Reardon, President, Reardon Office Equipment. Were confident our clients and other organizations in the communities in which we serve will benefit from the robust suite of business technology and services Loffler provides, as well as their excellent, nationally recognized service and support. The Reardon team will move into Lofflers new state-of the-art offices at 100 36th St SW, Suite #100 in Fargo to continue to deliver the most comprehensive technology solutions in eastern North Dakota and Northwestern Minnesota. For the past five years, Loffler has been recognized as one of the top 150 IT Managed Service providers in the United States by CRN, a brand of the Channel Company. In addition, Loffler Companies earned the Inc. 500 award as one of the Fastest Growing Private Companies in America for 10 consecutive years. For ten years Loffler has been named a Star Tribune Top Workplace as well as being named to Minneapolis/St Paul Business Journals Best Places to Work for four years. Lofflers offerings include Multi-Functional Copiers & Printers, IT Solutions, Managed Print Services, Unified Communications, Business Security Systems, Document Management and Workflow and People-Based Managed Services for mail centers and copy centers. For more information about Loffler Companies, visit us online at http://www.loffler.com, or contact us via email at information@loffler.com. Despite the prevailing story line of our secularized society, humankind is hopelessly religious. Or at least intrinsically spiritual. Theres something within most of us that screams out, This cant be all there is! Theres got to be something more, something beyond all of this! In fact, the Bible asserts, He has also set eternity in the hearts of men, yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end (Ecclesiastes 3:11). There in one sentence we have two basic truths: The vast majority of people all around the world will agree with the suspicion that this life cant be all there is. But since we cant comprehend what God has done, how He has done it, or why, we resort to a construct we call religion. And consistent with the modern mantra, I have my truth, theres a smorgasbord of religions to suit just about every taste, style and preference. Many folks reject the idea that one size fits all, so humankind has developed many belief systems, including Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, and a host of others. I intentionally omitted Christianity from this list because on several points it differs from all other belief systems, major or minor. We could delve into those, but thats the domain of theologians far more astute than me. So, Ill focus instead on perhaps the most profound, yet simplest, difference. For lots of people, the fundamental teaching of religion can be summed up in the word, Do. You have to do this, or that, or these things, to be accepted by God and be rewarded with some kind of life after death. What these dos actually are depends largely upon which religion you select. Others believe the fundamental religious instruction centers around the word, Dont. These consist of the things we shouldnt do, whether its murder, stealing, lying, or even enjoying the material pleasures of everyday living. To experience life beyond this one, various religions dictate stuff you shouldnt do. Yes, in the Bible we have both dos and donts. The Ten Commandments come immediately to mind. But at its essence, Christianity isnt about deeds or misdeeds. Its about one thing. Actually, one person: Jesus Christ and what He has already done, for everyone willing to receive the priceless, undeserved gift that He offers: But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). Think about it when Jesus willingly surrendered His life on a cross outside of Jerusalem, 2,000 years ago, how many sins had you committed? Thats right, none. Zero. Zilch. So, from Gods perspective all the sins were guilty of and every sin we will ever commit have already been atoned for. With one caveat: Yet to all who received him, to those who believe in his name, he gave the right to become children of God children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husbands will, but born of God (John 1:12-13). We must each be willing to receive this gift He offers. What about the dos and donts? Isnt it necessary to demonstrate that were deserving of Gods love and acceptance, His mercy and grace? Nope: For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God not by works, so that no one can boast (Ephesians 2:8-9). Another verse, Titus 3:5, underscores this biblical truth: He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior. What about things we do, things we say, things we think about? Dont they matter? Yes, certainly they do. However, God desires them to be our response to what Hes already done for us. We cant earn His favor, His unconditional love, but as it says in 1 John 4:19, We love because he first loved us. An expected reaction then, is what the apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 5:14 affirms: For Christs love compels [constrains] us. Several verses later the apostle Paul writes, We are therefore Christs ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christs behalf: Be reconciled to God (2 Corinthians 5:20). No other religion or belief system offers this perspective, or worldview. Christianity doesnt rest on what we do or dont do. Because through Jesus Christ, what matters most has already been done long before any of us took our first breath or caught the first glimmer of sunlight. Our doing, and not doing, then becomes a natural, heartfelt response to Gods love, graciousness, and merciful forgiveness. And that, in the proverbial nutshell, is why its called the Gospel the Good News. * * * A mysterious woman who was carrying a fake ID when she collapsed and died outside a Sydney pub still hasn't been identified more than a year later. Emergency services were called to Anzac Avenue, Fairfield, in Sydney's west, after reports a woman had collapsed outside a pub on November 13, 2019. The woman was treated at the scene before being rushed to the Liverpool Hospital where she died three weeks later. Images of an unidentified woman (pictured) who died after collapsing outside a western Sydney pub in November of 2019, have been released by police with hopes someone might recognise her Despite an extensive investigation police have been unable to identify who the woman is. After she collapsed she was found to be carrying a fake ID under the name Thi-Muoi Bui. On Thursday police released pictures found on her phone with hopes someone from the public will recognise her. Police said the woman was of Asian descent and is believed to be aged between 65 and 75. Officers from Fairfield City Police Area Command are working the investigation but are not treating her death as suspicious. Police are urging anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. Vodafone becomes first UK mobile operator to switch on live OpenRAN site with Mavenir Vodafone UK has become the first UK mobile operator to switch on an OpenRAN 4G site, partnering with Mavenir, the industry's only end-to-end cloud-native Network Software Provider for Communications Service Providers (CSPs). This deployment in Wales is connecting Vodafone customers around the Royal Welsh Showground in Powys. Vodafone plans to use OpenRAN to more cost-effectively extend 4G services to rural communities and introduce new suppliers in the radio network. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200827005273/en/ OpenRAN increases flexibility, agility, speed of rollout, and helps to decrease costs by using commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware and new innovative virtualised and open solutions. OpenRAN is the foundational principle of open interfaces and product interoperability. It is based on initiatives from the Telecom Infra Project (TIP) and O-RAN Alliance, and will lead to networks that are more flexible, innovative and cost effective, and enables new suppliers to support mobile networks. In this deployment, the RAN is also virtualised (vRAN). Virtualised RAN is the software application running on COTS that delivers cost effectiveness, increased flexibility and agility to the mobile operators, whilst providing one architecture for many different deployment scenarios. Vodafone UK Chief Technology Officer Scott Petty said: "We are delighted to work together with Mavenir on the important milestone of the UK's first live OpenRAN site. The introduction of the technology enables us to introduce new suppliers, such as Mavenir, giving us greater flexibility when rolling out our mobile network. We're proud to be pioneering the development of OpenRAN and will be monitoring the performance of this first site." "We are proud to have achieved such a milestone with Vodafone and to provide innovative radio solutions in the market that transform the mobile network economics, while deploying technology with greater flexibility, greater efficiencies, and more agility as a full end-to-end Network Software Provider," said Pardeep Kohli, President and CEO at Mavenir. "Mavenir is committed to bringing transformative innovation and technology to the telecommunications space and will continue to leverage our long history and experience in virtualised network solutions." About Vodafone UK: Vodafone UK connects people, businesses and devices to help our customers benefit from digital innovation. Our services span mobile, fixed line connections, home and office broadband and the Internet of Things (IoT). Having made the UK's first mobile phone call and sent the first text message, Vodafone has a history as a tech pioneer. In 2018 we made the UK's first live holographic call using 5G, and were first to start carrying live 5G traffic from a site in Salford, Greater Manchester. We now have 5G in more places than anyone else, with multiple locations now live across the UK and the rest of Europe. Today we serve more than 18 million mobile and fixed line customers in the UK, with 4G network coverage at 99%. Our customers voted us the UK's Best Mobile Network at the 2018 Trusted Reviews Awards for the second year in a row. To help deliver Gigabit UK, our full-fibre broadband roll-out programme now covers 15 UK towns and cities through partnerships with CityFibre and Openreach. Connectivity is at the heart of what we do as it gives us a huge opportunity for good. We are using our network, products, talents and technology to help society prosper and respond to significant social and environmental issues. Our free Digital Parenting magazine is helping families and schools across the UK to navigate the online world safely. Meanwhile, the Vodafone Foundation's work with researchers at Imperial College is developing personalised cancer treatment using the processing power of smartphones. We are part of Vodafone Group, one of the world's largest technology communications companies, with mobile operations in 26 countries, partnerships with mobile networks in 55 more, and fixed broadband operations in 19 markets. As of 30 September 2019, Vodafone Group had approximately 625 million mobile customers, 27 million fixed broadband customers, and 22 million TV customers including all of the customers in Vodafone's joint ventures and associates. For more information about Vodafone UK, please visit: www.vodafone.co.uk About Mavenir: Mavenir is the industry's only end-to-end, cloud-native Network Software and Solutions/Systems Integration Provider for 4G and 5G, focused on accelerating software network transformation for Communications Service Providers (CSPs). Mavenir offers a comprehensive end-to-end product portfolio across every layer of the network infrastructure stack. From 5G application/service layers to packet core and RAN, Mavenir leads the way in evolved, cloud-native networking solutions enabling innovative and secure experiences for end users. Leveraging innovations in IMS (VoLTE, VoWiFi, Advanced Messaging (RCS)), Private Networks as well as vEPC, 5G Core and OpenRAN vRAN, Mavenir accelerates network transformation for more than 250+ CSP customers in over 140 countries, which serve over 50% of the world's subscribers. Mavenir embraces disruptive, innovative technology architectures and business models that drive service agility, flexibility, and velocity. With solutions that propel NFV evolution to achieve web-scale economics, Mavenir offers solutions to help CSPs with cost reduction, revenue generation, and revenue protection. www.mavenir.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200827005273/en/ Contacts: Maryvonne Tubb Mavenir PR NA-Loren Guertin MatterNow EMEA-Kevin Taylor GlobalResultsPR Former Vice President Joe Biden continues to lead President Donald Trump in Pennsylvania, according to a new poll being released Thursday, with voters giving the Democratic nominee a seven-point lead. The Franklin and Marshall College Poll, conducted from Aug. 17 to 23 while the Democratic National Convention was under way, showed Biden ahead of Trump among registered voters by 49% to 42%. The election continues to be all about Trump. Six in 10 Biden supporters say their vote is more about opposing Trump than supporting Biden. Four in five of the presidents supporters say their vote is about Trump. Thats consistent with findings from a July F&M poll, which showed Biden with a nine-point lead. Biden has held a sizable and consistent advantage in surveys of Pennsylvania voters this summer. There have been some signs of the race tightening in recent days. An average of Pennsylvania polls compiled by Real Clear Politics shows Biden with an advantage of 5.5 percentage points. Many of those polls sample likely voters. The F&M poll sampled 681 registered voters, 96% of whom said they were certain to vote. Biden led Trump by just four points 49% to 45% in a Muhlenberg College/Morning Call poll released last week, within that surveys margin of error. Trumps single advantage is still the economy, with 48% of voters in the new poll saying he is better prepared to handle it, compared with 44% who say the same of Biden. On all other issues including which candidate has the best judgment to handle the coronavirus, military matters, and domestic and foreign policy Biden is well ahead of Trump. READ MORE: How the Trump show is playing in Pennsylvania Asked who had the character and good judgment to be president, 52% chose Biden, while 33% went with Trump. Just 29% saw Trump as more honest and trustworthy than Biden, who was seen that way by 49%. Pollster G. Terry Madonna said the survey played out along voter registration trends that have Democrats solidifying control in Philadelphia and the suburbs while Republicans are gaining just about everywhere else in the state. Theres a real strong animus among rank-and-file Democratic voters about Trump, Madonna said. The F&M poll sampled 321 Democrats, 272 Republicans, and 88 independents, with a margin of error of plus or minus 5.2%. Strong interest in the election, with a broad partisan split Almost three out of four voters 72% said they were very interested in the election, a similar level of interest as seen in a poll at this time four years ago. That interest was consistent among Democratic and Republican voters. Nine out 10 Democratic voters and 67% of independents say Trump is doing a fair or poor job as president, while 78% of Republicans approve of his performance. Opinions on Biden are evenly split, with 48% holding a strongly or somewhat favorable view of him, and 49% holding a strongly or somewhat unfavorable view. About two-thirds of the voters 62% expect to cast their ballots in person at polling places despite the pandemic. I was surprised by the number of people who said they were going to vote in person, Madonna said. READ MORE: GOP speakers defend police on third night of the RNC Coronavirus is the biggest concern, but the economy is also a worry There was a 10-point drop in voters optimism about their personal finances, with just 23% reporting they are better off today than in January. Just 24% expect to be better off next year. The coronavirus is the biggest concern for voters, with 31% putting it at the top of a list of issues that included unemployment, education, taxes, crime, health care, and the environment. That remains consistent with the F&M poll in July. But there is some optimism. A majority of the voters in the poll 52% think Pennsylvania has managed the pandemic better than other states. Here, too, the poll found a partisan split, with 73% of Democrats and 59% of independents looking favorably on the states performance, while just 26% of Republicans think Pennsylvania has done better than other states with the crisis. READ MORE: Republicans are trying to survive an anti-Trump wave in the Philly suburbs Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat who has been barraged by criticism from the Republican-controlled Assembly for his handling of the pandemic, received a favorable rating from 54% of the voters in the poll again with Democrats and independents likely to approve and Republicans likely to disapprove of his performance. I think whats going on here is, the pandemic in Pennsylvania is in decline, Madonna said. I think Gov. Wolf has been pretty effective in laying out his case that health comes first. CANTON, Mass., Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Dunkin' Joy in Childhood Foundation today announced the activation of an additional $1 million in emergency hunger relief grants in response to the unprecedented need to combat hunger and food insecurity. This latest round of funding follows closely on the heels of the Foundation's $1.25 million in grants distributed in March to support health and hunger relief organizations during the early days of the pandemic. With these newest grants, the Foundation will be focusing on non-profit organizations dedicated to the support of underserved communities that have been the hardest hit. September is Hunger Action Month, and the need is especially dire this year. More than 54 million people may experience food insecurity this year, including a potential 18 million children, according to Feeding America. Food banks, food pantries and other hunger relief organizations around the country continue to see unprecedented, record demand. Understanding this urgent need, the Dunkin' Joy in Childhood Foundation will process grant applications for this new round of funding on a rolling basis, beginning today, and donations will be made immediately upon approval. Nonprofits are invited to apply for a grant at www.joyinchildhoodfoundation.org/hungeraction. Additionally, during Hunger Action Month in September, for every gift card purchased at DunkinCoffeeBreak.com, Dunkin' will donate $1 to the Dunkin' Joy in Childhood Foundation to support hunger relief in underserved communities, up to $100,000. Guests can also make a donation to the Dunkin' Joy in Childhood Foundation to support the hunger relief grants at www.bringjoy.org. "Fewer volunteers, disruption in the transportation system and a lack of food salvage from grocery stores and restaurants has made it much more difficult to distribute food to those who need it. This is happening at a time when need has dramatically increased due to wide-spread job loss from the coronavirus pandemic and the reduction of weekly payments from the government," said Kari McHugh, Executive Director of the Dunkin' Joy in Childhood Foundation. "This latest round of grants will have an immediate impact on underserved communities and will support the incredible hunger relief organizations that have kept America running over the past few months." Along with providing a total of $2.25 million in emergency grants for health and hunger organizations during the pandemic, Dunkin', the Foundation and Dunkin' franchisees have also delivered hundreds of thousands of free cups of coffee and donuts to more than 300 hospitals and emergency sites across the U.S. In addition, the Foundation introduced the Hero Recharge program, a first-of-its-kind outdoor adventure program designed to help nurses and other healthcare professionals cope with significant traumatic stress resulting from being on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic. To learn more about the Dunkin' Joy in Childhood Foundation, visit www.bringjoy.org and follow on Facebook or Instagram. About the Dunkin' Joy in Childhood Foundation The Dunkin' Joy in Childhood Foundation, the charitable foundation supported by Dunkin' and the generosity of its franchisees, guests, vendor partners and employees, provides the simple joys of childhood to kids battling hunger or illness. The Foundation partners with food banks, children's hospitals and nonprofit organizations to fund joyful environments and joyful experiences for kids when they need it most. Since 2006, the Joy in Childhood Foundation has granted more than $26 million to hundreds of national and local charities across the country. For more information, please visit www.bringjoy.org. MEDIA CONTACTS: Caroline Medeiros 781-737-5200 [email protected] SOURCE Dunkin' Joy in Childhood Foundation Related Links http://www.bringjoy.org Joe Biden issued a statement Thursday rebuking Vice President Mike Pence for claiming in his RNC speech that "you wont be safe in Joe Bidens America," referencing Black Lives Matter protests and unrest in Kenosha, Wisconsin, over the police shooting of Jacob Blake. The big picture: Trump and Pence are running on a "law and order" message amid nationwide unrest, and Republicans have relentlessly attacked Biden for what they claim has been a failure to denounce violent protests. Biden said unequivocally in his Thursday statement: "There is no place for violence, looting or burning. None. Zero." Flashback: "Last week, Joe Biden didnt say one word about the violence and chaos engulfing cities across this country. Let me be clear: The violence must stop whether in Minneapolis, Portland or Kenosha," Pence said on Wednesday. "The hard truth is you wont be safe in Joe Bidens America. Under President Trump, we will stand with those who stand on the Thin Blue Line, and were not going to defund the police not now, not ever." The other side: "Did Mike Pence forget Donald Trump is president? Is Donald Trump even aware hes president? These are not images from some imagined 'Joe Bidens America' in the future. These are images from Donald Trumps America today," Biden said. "The violence were witnessing is happening under Donald Trump. Not me. Its getting worse, and we know why." "Donald Trump refuses to even acknowledge there is a racial justice problem in America. To solve this problem, first we have to honestly admit the problem. But he wont do it. Instead of looking to calm the waters, he adds fuel to every fire." What's happening: Protesters set buildings on fire in Kenosha this week, and a 17-year-old was charged with first-degree intentional homicide after two people were shot during the city's unrest. The protests erupted after police were filmed shooting 29-year-old Jacob Blake, a Black man, multiple times in the back. Blake's mother has called for an end to violence seen in the protests. Read Biden's full statement. In 2019, Tammy Hembrow sacked her older sister Amy after more than two years as general manager of her popular activewear brand, Saski Collection. But Amy, 30, insists that being let go from the family business didn't come as a surprise because Tammy, 25, had in fact fired and re-hired her multiple times before. 'I think the biggest shock was probably to Tammy when I actually decided not to go back,' she told Daily Mail Australia on Wednesday. Scroll down for video Complex relationship: Amy Hembrow (left) has revealed her sister Tammy (right) fired her from their family business Saski Collection multiple times, inspiring her to start her own company Tammy, who launched Saski Collection in 2017, would regularly have 'sisterly arguments' with Amy while she was handling administrative duties for the clothing company. 'We'd have an argument and then she would fire me, and we'd do it back and forth quite a bit,' Amy said. The turning point for Amy came when she fell pregnant with her first child, daughter Aurora, last year. She decided to stop the cycle of being sacked and re-hired by Saski by handing in her resignation and starting a separate business with her other sister, Emilee. Tension: Tammy (right), who launched Saski Collection in 2017, would regularly have 'sisterly arguments' with Amy (left) while she was handling administrative duties for the company Moving on: The turning point for Amy came when she fell pregnant with her first child, Aurora (pictured), last year. She decided to stop the cycle of being sacked and re-hired by Saski by handing in her resignation and starting a separate business with her other sister, Emilee 'Saski was always Tammys dream and I wanted to do something for myself': Tammy (pictured) launched Saski Collection in 2017 and it has since become a very lucrative business for her 'I was about to embark on my motherhood journey and I thought, you know, Saski was always Tammy's dream and I wanted to do something for myself,' she said. 'Emilee came to me with the idea to open a beauty clinic, Sskin, on the Gold Coast. At the time I was working at Saski, and I didn't have enough time. Once I was no longer at Saski, I turned to Emilee and was like, "You know what, let's do it." Tammy first revealed she had fired Amy during an episode of her podcast, Hanging with the Hembrows, in November 2019. Sisters are doing it for themselves! Amy and Emilee (left) went into business together and recently opened the beauty clinic Sskin 'Because we were sisters, [Amy] wouldn't really listen fully to what I'd say. She'd think that she knows best,' she said. 'Now that she hasn't been working for me for a little while, it has actually made us get along so much better. I don't regret it.' Speaking to Daily Mail Australia this week, Amy agreed that she and Tammy had grown closer since parting ways professionally. 'She wouldn't really listen fully to what I'd say': Tammy (pictured) first revealed she had fired Amy during an episode of her podcast, Hanging with the Hembrows, in November 2019 'Tammy is so supportive. Honestly our relationship is 1000 times better since leaving Saski,' she said. 'We're so much closer and we enjoy each other's company a lot more, because it's not so work based, and she supports Sskin 1000 per cent,' Amy said. Emilee added: 'Tammy just keeps saying, "Can you open so I can come in and get my treatments done?" So she's definitely our number one supporter.' Lessons learned: Amy said her two and half years as general manager of Saski Collection taught her important lessons about running a business and working with family members Amy said her two and half years as general manager of Saski Collection taught her important lessons about running a business and working with family members. So far, Amy and Emilee haven't had any major arguments regarding Sskin, but they definitely faced challenges while getting the company off the ground. 'With us, it's juggling the kids at the same time, that's the main challenge. Because Amy just had a baby, she's still breastfeeding, so it's a lot of juggling with that and my kids also with us,' said Emilee, who shares daughter Aaliyah, three, and son Gabriel, one, with her husband. Amy agreed: 'I think we work quite well together. Especially Emilee and myself on this journey, I think we had a couple kinks we worked through and now we understand each other a lot better.' Sskin clinic offers celebrity-approved treatments, including skin needling, Rose Quartz signature facials, IV drip treatments and injectables. Bookings can be made for Sskin by calling (07) 5660 9691 Forward-looking: Kioxia hopes to raise significant capital with an IPO set for this October, and stakeholders, Toshiba and Bain Capital, look to cash out. As the world's second-largest NAND flash producer, Kioxia's projected market capitalization of more than $18.9 billion would make it the largest IPO for Japan this year. Kioxia, formerly known as Toshiba Memory Holdings, is setting its sights for an IPO as soon as October on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, according to Nikkei Asian Review. Four decades ago in 1980, Toshiba invented flash memory and stayed the industry leader in the NAND flash memory market for the years to come. Toshiba Memory Holdings was a highlight of the struggling Japanese conglomerate in recent years, yet shareholders pushed Toshiba to sell a majority (60%) stake of the memory chip division in an effort to stabilize the company. Toshiba's financial problems have been well publicized. Starting with an accounting scandal in 2015, Toshiba then suffered huge losses in its nuclear power arm, Westinghouse Electric, that led to its bankruptcy and sale to Brookfield Business Partners. Other subsidiaries sold by Toshiba include its Television business to Hisense, and most recently included the sale of its laptop business to Sharp, leaving Toshiba without a presence in the PC market. As a result of the IPO, both Toshiba and Bain Capital will sell portions of their respective Kioxia holdings. Toshiba plans to use half the proceeds to reward investors, and the other half as growth investments for the company. The IPO announcement comes at an interesting time for the market. Flash prices seem to have downward pressure due to oversupply and weak demand pointing to revenue losses in the near term, but investors have recently been pushing more money into the technology sector in hopes of future growth due to the current economic volatility. Whether or not the recent technology sector gains are justified is yet to be seen, but we're sure Kioxia is hoping the current bullish sentiment on tech companies is still around when they launch their IPO. On August 2122, Penguin Random House hosted Book Your Summer Live, a free virtual literary festival featuring both childrens and adult authors. A.J. Hackwith (The Archive of the Forgotten, Ace), Sarah Kuhn (Heroine Complex series, DAW), Naomi Novik (A Deadly Education, Del Rey), Nnedi Okorafor (Ikenga, Viking), and Ann and Jeff VanderMeer (The Big Book of Science Fiction, Vintage) were the featured guests on the SFF Authors in Conversation panel, which took place via Zoom on August 22 and centered speculative fiction narratives for adult and younger readers. Brian Truitt served as ASL interpreter, and the event was recorded and later made available on YouTube. Moderator Constance Summar, bookseller and event director of Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore in San Diego, Calif., kicked off the panel by introducing each panelist and their respective works. Next, she asked each panelist to discuss the cultures that have influenced the ones within those tomes. Hackwiths first novel in the A Novel from Hells Library series, The Library of the Unwritten, is set in modern-day America, but she specified that she was very careful to approach afterlife realms, as she took care in distinguishing those realms from religious beliefs of active practitioners today. Hackwith acknowledged the importance of doing the research and speaking from a place of authenticity, but she said she does not want to speak for groups she is not a part of; if youre putting a spin [on something], make sure its obviously a fantasy spin, and not Fantasy Culture X. Kuhn speculated that her books dont really feature fantastical cultures, since she writes urban fantasy mostly set in San Francisco. Instead, her characters are inspired by her own Asian American culture; those big, messy, very diaspora elements come through in the lives of the main characters. Okorafors personal Nigerian American culture, which is Igbo, not only influenced what I write but it is the reason that I write, Okorafor said. Since both of her parents immigrated from Nigeria, they took Okorafor and her siblings back to their home country for visits starting when the children were young, which allowed Okorafor to [take] things in through a strange, different lens. Cultural influences vary from book to book for Jeff VanderMeer, who grew up in the Fiji Islands. When his family returned to America, he did not feel American; he even had a British accent since Fiji was in the British Commonwealth. Even as a teenage writer, however, VanderMeer understood he should not write characters from the perspective of a Fijian insider, which made him consider things like distance, restraint, space, and overstepping boundaries. Novik stated that fantasy gives authors more control over the stage youre setting. Her parents were first-generation immigrants completely severed from their roots, as her father did not want connection to Eastern Europe, and her mother had to defect because of communism. Because of that, Novik shared, her parents couldnt give her English-language culture, but she also could not access her Polish and Russian family culture. As a writer, always, Im trying to create a book that feels true, thats emotionally true, Novik mused. I think there are stories you can tell about other cultures, even, and people from other cultures, as long as you can find the emotional connection between your own emotional cultural experiences. Summar next asked how the authors fictional magic or science systems integrate into their worlds. Even though Im 18 books into my career, Im still filling in blanks that I want to see, Okorafor responded. A lot of the cosmologies Im writing about are rooted in things people actually believe in, so its not so much that I have to put things together than Im having to get the facts that are out there right, interpret correctly, and make sure the things that I add fit. Ann VanderMeer said that she works at a teen writing camp called Shared Worlds every summer, in which high school students work to create worlds, negotiate rules for them together, and come together to interrogate those worlds. A combination of research and extensive travel mashed up well for Jeff VanderMeer in his YA debut, A Particular Peril. Settings were grounded in actual places that the VanderMeers visited; to Jeff, knowing the granularity and texture of a place allows the magic to be wild. I didnt really think very much about systems, he confessed. I just had fun with it and tried to capture the spirit of something while I was [writing]. Hackwith shared that the magic system arose organically in The Library of the Unwritten, but it required more development in the second and third installments. However, she said, she didnt try to write a magic system, per se, because she believes its not possible to create one that every reader will accept. She considered who the book was for first, and wrote the magic for that audience. Novik described The Scholomance series as school of magic books, which combine the Scholomance legend with Harry Potter. Novik asks herself questions and comes up with constraints and limits, necessary for creating what she calls a functioning economy of magic. You dont make the system of a novel like you might for a game system, in which rules arbitrate players experiences, Novik observed. For novels, stories matter more than the rules; you need to let the worlds flow. Kuhn admitted that she is a character-driven writer who writes for herself as the intended audience. For the Heroine Complex books, she conjures the most ridiculous concepts she can think of and then retroactively figures out how they work, a technique she does not recommend. It doesnt matter if these concepts work or are logical in the real world, Kuhn said, emphasizing her attraction to weird, shiny concepts; what matters is they work in the worlds youve created. The panel closed with audience questions, including what insight alternate worlds offer us about our own and which fantasy authors and creations the authors found inspirational, and a speed round, in which the panelists briefly described their current projects and what readers can expect from them next. MONTREAL - Bombardier Inc. plans to lay off 200 workers at its plant in Thunder Bay, Ont., as the company ends production of ventilators and slows output of commuter trains for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 27/8/2020 (510 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. A Bombardier logo is shown at a Bombardier assembly plant in Mirabel, Que., Friday, October 26, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes MONTREAL - Bombardier Inc. plans to lay off 200 workers at its plant in Thunder Bay, Ont., as the company ends production of ventilators and slows output of commuter trains for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area. The layoffs will come in two phases. About 125 workers will be let go starting in early October and 75 more will be cut beginning in April, said David Van der Wee, chief operating officer at Bombardier's rail division. That will leave about 270 employees at the plant, which staffed 1,100 workers as recently as last year. "We were halved, and now were being almost halved again. So its very significant," said Dominic Pasqualino, president of the Unifor local unit, in an interview. "Every one of those pieces of paper (layoff notices) has a family with an income thats going to be lost." In April, Bombardier announced a contract to help produce 18,000 ventilators for the Ontario government at its then-shuttered plant near Lake Superior as part of the province's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The factory is handling sanding, painting and assembly work on the equipment for Brampton, Ont.-based O-Two Medical Technologies, which manufactures respiratory care products. The contract will wind down by the end of the year. A recent agreement to churn out 36 commuter cars for the GO Transit system in southern Ontario will wrap up in the second quarter of 2021, triggering the second round of layoffs. While the Thunder Bay plant will start to make 39 bi-level rail cars for a consortium of U.S. customers on the west coast next year, the work will be completed before the end of 2021, Van der Wee said. "We're really concerned about where the next contracts are going to come from," he said. "In a manufacturing system, it obviously takes a long time from when you make a decision and place an order to the time the work flows into the factory. It's at least a year. "It's not tomorrows problem. It's today's problem," he said. Bombardier has its sights on a potential contract for 60 Toronto Transit Commission streetcars in the medium term and for subway cars in the longer term as the province edges closer to breaking ground on the $5.5-billion Scarborough subway extension. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. Van der Wee brushed off the Montreal-based company's record on streetcar deliveries, which saw delay and repair problems plague its contracts with the TTC over the past decade. "That is ancient history. We've really turned the corner," he said, while acknowledging "issues earlier on in the program." Further concerns about the Thunder Bay facility's fate hover over French rail giant Alstom SA's preparations to complete its takeover of Bombardier's train division. The deal is still expected to go through despite recent haggling by Alstom over the US$8.2-billion price tag. "The possibility of Bombardier being bought by Alstom is there," Van der Wee said. "The best thing we can do to position our factories going forward is to have committed orders in them when that transaction is complete." This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 27, 2020. Companies in this story: (TSX:BBD.B) A federal judge late Wednesday granted the state of Michigan a preliminary injunction in its lawsuit against U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos over the distribution of funding to schools under a federal coronavirus relief package. The federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security, or CARES, Act allocated $13 billion in emergency education funding to states to support school districts, according to a document from the U.S. House Committee on Education and Labor. The funding was allocated for things like sanitizing schools, purchasing educational technology and training teachers to use online tools. But state officials sued, arguing the guidance the U.S. Department of Education issued on how to actually distribute those funds runs contrary to the law and pushes money toward private schools. Judge James Donato of the U.S. District Court Northern District of California agreed with the state and others who have joined the suit, writing that allowing the Department to rewrite the statutory formula for sharing education funds is manifestly not in the public interest. The preliminary injunction he issued stops DeVos and the U.S. Department of Education from implementing or enforcing its guidance on the funding distribution against the plaintiffs, which include eight states, the District of Columbia and four school districts. It remains in place until further action by the court as the case proceeds. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer applauded the move. We are pleased with the Courts decision and will continue to fight against the unlawful approach taken by Secretary DeVos to redirect pandemic relief money from public schools to serve her own political agenda, Nessel said in a statement. This is good news for our kids, our educators and families in districts who need this funding most, Whitmer said in a statement. CARES Act dollars are designed to provide support to districts in low-income areas. Betsy DeVos rule would have stripped dollars away from schools in need of critical funding. U.S. Department of Education Press Secretary Angela Morabito said in a statement DeVos has said many times the pandemic affected all students. Since public schools want to use the money to benefit all of their students, theres no reason to think that private schools shouldnt be able to do the same. It is simply wrong to discriminate against kids and their taxpaying parents solely because they chose a school that worked for them instead of the state run option, Morabito said. Note: This story has been updated with comment from the U.S. Department of Education. 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 nose while 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/. Related stories: Michigan sues U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos over school coronavirus funds Small farms the latest sector to get Michigan CARES Act funding $5.7 million in small business development CARES Act money is headed to Michigan Gov. Whitmer announces $65M for schools amid coronavirus pandemic, targeting districts with disadvantaged students Ottawa, Aug 27 : A Canadian court has denied a request by the lawyers of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou, who the US accuses of helping the of Chinese telecommunications giant dodge American sanctions on Iran, to see more documents related to her 2018 arrest. There was no further information in the six Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) documents that was relevant to the abuse of process as claimed by Meng, Justice Catherine Kane said in a Federal Court ruling on Wednesday. Last week, Meng's lawyers asked a British Columbia Supreme Court judge to release official documents they believe could prove Meng was a victim of misconduct, Xinhua news agency reported. The six documents include situational reports by the CSIS and an email report provided by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), as well as handwritten and operational notes, according to the Canadian newspaper the Globe and Mail. The CSIS situation reports were reportedly prepared only days before and after Meng's arrest. However, lawyers for the attorney general of Canada argued that certain details in the documents should be shielded from the public, and could damage national security and international relations if disclosed. Meng was arrested on December 1, 2018 at Vancouver International Airport at the request of the US, which has been seeking her extradition on fraud charges. Both Meng and Huawei have repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. On June 15, Meng's lawyers filed a memo of arguments with British Columbia's Supreme Court to fight attempts for her extradition to the US. - Barbie took to social media to celebrate their wedding anniversary with a sweet love message - The lawmaker's wife shared an old photo from their wedding showing how happy they were - In her love message to Bobi, she praised him for loving her adding that the 19 years together have helped her grow Ugandan politician Bobi Wine and his wife Barbie Kyagulanyi are proof that indeed marriages work. In a sweet post on Facebook, Barbie showered her hubby Bobi with the sweetest words as the couple celebrated their 19th wedding anniversary. READ ALSO: 5 tasteful photos of Migori governor's hot daughter Rosalie Okoth READ ALSO: Malang Sarr: Chelsea announce signing of French defender Barbie shared a photo of their wedding and captioned it with the most powerful words that would melt anyone heart easily. In her post, she appreciated the lawmaker for loving her without making her feel less at all. "To be held like this by the one I love so deeply is one of my dreams come true. Being loved back with no reservations is a blessing. Taata, you have loved me at my lowest and elevated me at every given opportunity never making me feel any less," wrote Barbie. READ ALSO: Ujumbe mtamu wa mtangazaji Mbusii kwa bintiye anapotimia miaka 10 Bobi Wine and Barbie marked 19 years in marriage. Photo: Barbie Kyagulanyi. Source: Facebook According to Barbie, been with Bobi for 19 years gave her a chance to discover herself and enabled her to grow. "My ninteen years of staying under the same roof with you have been years of self realization, utmost growth and total bliss. I am lucky to be your wife, to have you for a bestfriend and to be the mother of your children. I am excited about the coming times ahead. For better, for best, for the good and the pretty! Happy Wedding anniversary Bobi Wine," wrote Bobi's wife. READ ALSO: News anchor Sharon Momanyi announces she's pregnant with her first child In other news, the rift between Bobi and Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni was clearly brought out during the coronavirus period. Museveni turned down the lawmaker's plan to evacuate Africans stranded in China. The Kyandondo East MP had offered to fly back home all the Africans who were facing discrimination in the Asian country at his own cost. Do you have a groundbreaking story you would like us to publish? Please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690. Contact Tuko.co.ke instantly. I started my business with Ksh 1600, it's now worth Ksh 750,000 | Tuko TV Source: TUKO.co.ke Pleasanton, CA, Aug. 27, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Associa Northern California will be hosting a virtual networking vendor fair to support Associas national non-profit organization, Associa Cares. The event will be held on September 3, 2020, from 9:00 a.m. PT to 3:30 p.m. PT. This year, unlike the previous vendor fairs, participants wont need to reserve a table and space is not limited. Instead, Associa Northern California team members will engage with attendees participating from the comfort of their own homes by networking, connecting with property management leaders, and sharing materials and business plans virtually during the event. The event will feature 25 vendor sponsors who will donate prizes for drawings during the online event. Funds raised from the networking event will support the charitable disaster relief and community assistance provided by Associa Cares. Associa Northern Californias annual vendor fair has helped Associa Cares reach fundraising goals for more than ten years. This year, due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the transition to an online vendor fair was made to protect the health and safety of participants, while ensuring that the team still takes time to connect with vendors and assist Associa Cares in raising funds necessary to help those in need. Between 2018 and 2020, Associa Cares has provided nearly $100,000 in assistance to California residents and organizations, including $50,000 earmarked for relief to the devastating historic Carr Fire and Camp Fire. Associa Northern California is always proud to host our vendor fair to support the extraordinary work of Associa Cares. This year, we are excited to present this virtual speed networking fair as a unique opportunity for community managers and leaders to connect, build relationships, and discuss their business plans and future contracts, stated Kelly Zibell, PCAM, Associa Northern California president. We are grateful to have event sponsors who help us continue the tradition of helping those in need. We would like to acknowledge two of this years sponsors, Chaix Law and CM Squared, Inc. The generosity of these partners and our other sponsors help us to reach our fundraising goals. To register or to learn more about this event, please contact Meghann Wistrich at meghann.wistrich@associa.us. Associa Cares funds are distributed to organizations and families of Associa-managed and non-Associa managed communities. To donate to Associa Cares or apply for assistance, please visit our website at http://www.associacares.org. To view Associa Cares fundraising disclosure statement, please visit http://www.associacares.org/fundraising-disclosure-statement/ . Associa Cares is a national nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization created to assist families and communities in crisis as a result of natural and man-made disasters. Through donations raised from Associa employees and at fundraising events across the country, Associa Cares is able to provide direct financial relief to those affected by these types of tragedies. With more than 200 branch offices across North America, Associa delivers unsurpassed management and lifestyle services to nearly five million residents worldwide. Our 10,000+ team members lead the industry with unrivaled education, expertise and trailblazing innovation. For more than 40 years, Associa has provided solutions designed to help communities achieve their vision. To learn more, visit www.associaonline.com. Stay Connected: Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/associa Subscribe to the Blog: https://hub.associaonline.com/ Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/associa Join us on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/associa New Delhi: In a clear message to those who recently wrote a dissent letter challenging her leadership, Congress president Sonia Gandhi Thursday formed a five-member panel in Rajya Sabha including her confidants and elevating two young MPs to senior positions in Lok Sabha. Ahmed Patel, KC Venugopal and Jairam Ramesh will be part of the Rajya Sabha Committee, which will also include Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad and party's deputy leader Anand Sharma. Azad and Sharma are signatories to the letter that demanded an overhaul of the Congress party and a new "full-time and visible" party president. They were attacked by party leaders in the Congress Working Committee meeting on Monday, where some even sought action against them. Ramesh has also been appointed the chief whip in Rajya Sabha, a post that fell vacant after Bhubaneswar Kalita quit the party and joined the BJP. Former minister and Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal, who was also a signatory to the letter, did not find a place in the strategy committee. The group will take a call on the party's floor strategy with sources saying the idea is to strengthen floor management. In the Lok Sabha, Gandhi elevated party MP from Assam Gaurav Gogoi and made him the deputy leader of Congress, while Ludhiana MP Ravneet Singh Bittu was made the party's whip. The two, along with leader of the Congress in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, chief whip K Suresh and another whip Manickam Tagore would form a five-member Committee of floor leaders in the lower house. It is a move by the Congress to strengthen its team of floor leaders in the Lower House, party leaders said, adding it is also a message to dissenters like Shashi Tharoor and Manish Tewari in Lok Sabha and Azad and Sharma in the upper house. Bittu, a three-time MP from Punjab who has been entrusted with the responsibility as the Congress whip in the Lok Sabha, trumps his Punjab colleague Tewari, also a three-time MP. Currently, Bittu represents Ludhiana, which had earlier elected Tewari, who now is MP from Anandpur Sahib. Bittu had won from Anandpur Sahib in 2009. Party leaders said Tewari and Tharoor were aspiring for positions in Lok Sabha. The opposition party did not have a deputy leader in Lok Sabha -- the last was in the previous Lok Sabha when Amarinder Singh was on the post before he became the chief minister of Punjab. The appointments came ahead of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, which is likely to commence from September 14. Gogoi hails from Assam, where Assembly polls are due early next year. The MP from the Kaliabor Lok Sabha constituency, he was the party's whip in the House till now and has been elevated. Gogoi is the son of former Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi. Beginning in May 2020, after the police killing of George Floyd, a Black American man, 'Black Lives Matter' demonstrations and riots engulfed the United States, the United Kingdom, and several European countries. Though Mr. Floyd's killing served as the immediate catalyst for the unrest, many scholars suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic crisis played a deeper, more pivotal role in creating conditions that led to the protests. There has been a steady increase in protests in the United States and Great Britain since 2011, which, as Peter Turchin and other scientists suggest, is the result of a predictable 50-year cycle of socio-political dynamics that has culminated with a surge of violence. This cycle was identified by Russian experts in cliodynamics and structural-demographic theory. Back in 2010, they predicted the current course of events. And now they have been able to verify their mathematical models. In 2010, the Russian-American scientist Peter Turchin used structural-demographic theory (SDT) to predict the dynamics of socio-political conditions in the United States and Western Europe until 2020. His model predicted that, over the next decade, political instability and an increase in social conflicts would occur in Western democracies. In a new article, Turchin, together with Andrey Korotayev, another leading specialist in SDT at HSE University, conducted a retrospective assessment of the forecasts made in 2010-2012 and confirmed the accuracy of the conclusions. The paper was published in PLoS ONE journal: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0237458. The following approach is applied: the postulated historical hypothesis is turned into a mathematical model. It is then calculated. A specific prediction is extracted from the model. This forecast is then tested on real historical events. Thus, mathematical models can be tweaked, fine-tuned and, as a result, provide fairly accurate predictive analytics. Historians are helped by the theory of complex systems, originally developed by physicists to describe nonlinear, chaotic processes, which can be used for climate modelling and weather prediction, for example. The American sociologist and historian Jack Goldstone was the first scholar to apply a mathematical apparatus from the theory of complex systems to historical processes. He developed the structural-demographic theory (SDT), which made it possible to take into account the many forces interacting in society that put pressure on it and lead to riots, revolutions, and civil wars. Using the SDT, Goldstone established that every major coup or revolution is preceded by a surge in fertility. As a result, the size of the population exceeds its economic possibilities for self-sufficiency. A crisis comes, the population's standard of living the drops sharply, and unrest begins. At the same time, the state loses political flexibility and the elites split, with some of them siding with the protesters against the current system. A coup takes place, usually accompanied by an explosion of violence and a civil war. Later, Goldstone's ideas were picked up and developed by Russian scientists and scholars, including not only Peter Turchin but also Sergei Nefyodov, Leonid Grinin and HSE Professor Andrei Korotayev. They applied their developments to predict socio-historical dynamics in the United States and Great Britain, as well as other Western European countries. Structural demographic theory consists of four main components: the state (size, income, expenses, debts, the legitimacy of power, etc.); population (size, age structure, urbanization, wage level, social optimism, etc.); elites (number and structure, sources of their income and current welfare, conspicuous consumption, internal competition, social norms); factors of instability (radical ideologies, terrorist and revolutionary movements, acts of violence, riots, and revolutions). Goldstone himself also proposed methods to operationalize and measure them, as well as a general integral indicator that allows future unrest to be predicted--an indicator of political stress (PSI, or the political stress indicator). Retrospective studies have shown that was off the charts before the French Revolution, the English Civil War, and the crisis of the Ottoman Empire. Therefore, if the mathematical model shows the growth of curve at any time intervals in the future, then we can confidently speak about coming socio-political instability at this time in this region. In general terms, the equation for calculating looks like this: = MMP * EMP * SFD Here, MMP stands for Mass Mobilization Potential, EMP stands for Elite Mobilization Potential, and SFD represents the level of State Fiscal Distress in the state. Each of the equation indicators is calculated separately using many other socio-demographic variables and various mathematical tools, including differential equations. In a new paper, scientists drew information from the Cross-National Time-Series Data Archive (CNTS) database. It contains information on the 200 most important indicators for more than 200 countries around the world from 1815 to the present. The researchers were most interested in data on anti-government demonstrations, riots, government crises, revolutions and purges (although for the United States and Great Britain there is little data for reliable statistical analysis with regard to the last two phenomena). An independent dataset from the US Political Violence Database (USPVD) and an archive of publications from The New York Times were also used to check and correct the information. It turned out that in full accordance with the forecasts for 2010-2012 in the United States over the past 10 years, the number of anti-government demonstrations has sharply increased, and the number of street riots has increased significantly (see graph below). It is important to note that the prediction made at that point in time was completely at variance with the current trends and could not be a simple extrapolation, since from the early 1980s to 2010 the level of social unrest remained consistently low. It is important to note that the events of 2020 do not affect or change the simulation results in any way. All the trends that have clearly manifested themselves in the USA, Great Britain, and a number of European countries have been slowly but steadily growing throughout the decade. The COVID-19 pandemic, of course, has also had an impact, and it was impossible to predict it based on historical data (although virologists and epidemiologists have regularly written about the potential danger of coronaviruses in scientific periodicals since the 2000s). But epidemics of dangerous diseases often arise during periods of social crisis and hit the most vulnerable sectors of society (as happened in the United States), which only mobilizes the masses even more and takes them to the streets. ### You can find more information at IQ.hse.ru: https://iq.hse.ru/en/news/394459100.html Rajya Sabha MP from Kerala Binoy Viswam has written a letter to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar urging the Centre to extend assistance to a Malayali nurse who is facing death sentence in Yemen. Nimisha Priya, from Palakkad district, has been charged with the murder a Yemen national Talal Abdu Mahdi. Paying Rs 70 lakh is one option for her release, which her family cant afford. Her husband, who is eking out a living by running an autorickshaw, is already under neck-deep debt. Nimisha, who has been working in Yemen since 2008, was associated with Mahdi in setting up a clinic in 2014. But later she came to know that Mahdi cheated her as the entire investment was in his name. He also tried to fake documents claiming that they were married. Nimisha decided to sedate him to take her passport from him. But he died due to overdose. She was awarded the death sentence in 2018 and it was upheld by an upper court recently. During the recent inauguration of a Bailey bridge across Nyama River, linking communities in Enugu South Local Government Area of Enugu State, by Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, a former governor of old Anambra State and senator who represented Enugu East Senatorial District, Sen. Jim Ifeanyichukwu Nwobodo, utilized the heart-warming occasion to bare his mind on the existing peace in the state. Sen. Nwobodo, who said that Gov. Ugwuanyi has wiped away his tears by constructing the bridge for his community after decades of neglect, disclosed that one of the greatest achievements of the governors administration is the existing peace in the state, which he said has brought security and rapid development, especially in the rural areas. The deeply touched elder statesman said, Since 1999, I have never been to Enugu and stayed more than two weeks. But since this governor came, I have been in Enugu for the past six months because of the peace he (Ugwuanyi) has entrenched. Thank you for this great honour you have done to me. I thank you for wiping away my tears. Sen. Nwobodos telling observation, genuine expression of gratitude and sincere assessment of the birthing of an enduring peace in Enugu State present a compelling opportunity to reflect on and appreciate the governors untiring efforts, resilience and sacrifice in ensuring sustainable peace and good governance in the state. In Enugu State today, there is an existing cordial working relationship among the three arms of government. There is also a cordial government-labour relationship. This was responsible for the recent peaceful negotiation and payment of the new minimum wage without rancour or industrial action, for the first time in the history of the statea rare experience which the state workers have continued to commend Gov. Ugwuanyi for. Significantly, besides Sen. Nwobodo, other prominent personalities in the state, from all walks of life, have also favourably assessed the governors uncommon leadership qualities anchored on peace and good governance. Former President of the Senate, Sen. Ken Nnamani, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, Sen. Dr. Chimaroke Nnamani, Sen. Ike Ekweremadu, Sen. Hyde Onuaguluchi, Archbishop Emmanuel Chukwuma, Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka, Ambassador (Mrs.) Justina Eze and a host of others, had eulogized Gov. Ugwuanyi for providing the platform for unity, peace and a harmonious existence. For instance, during the grand finale of the governors door-to-door campaign, held at Udenu LGA, ahead of his reelection in 2019, some of these stakeholders commended him for entrenching peace, tranquility and good governance, in a manner that has never been experienced previously in the history of the state. They described Gov. Ugwuanyi as a man of history, expressing delight that he has united everybody in the state, irrespective of political leaning. The leaders told him that the culture of peace and good governance he has entrenched in the state was unprecedented and will earn him a landslide victory at the polls. While Sen. Ekweremadu disclosed that there is no bickering or quarrels among the political leaders in the state, Sen. Nwobodo, who described Gov. Ugwuanyi as a son, thanked him for bringing everybody together. According to Sen. Onuaguluchi, Gov. Ugwuanyi has brought uncommon peace to the state and all of us have come to learn from Gburugburu [the governor]. Amb. (Mrs.) Eze joined the chorus in elucidating what the governors peace initiative means to the political stability and rapid development of the state. At the state governments reception for the Nigerian Ambassador to Republic of India with Concurrent Accreditation to Bangladesh and Nepal, Major General Chris Sunday Eze (rtd) in respect of his appointment, the former President of the Senate and a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Sen. Ken Nnamani, also applauded Gov. Ugwuanyi for demonstrating political maturity by creating an ambience of peace and tranquility in the state where everybody is accorded his or her due respect. On another occasion, the former Governor of old Enugu State, Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, said that Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi has done remarkably well in the area of keeping the peace in Enugu State, adding that this is the first time, since the current republic, a regime has provided peace within the ruling party and across party line. Dr. Nwodo who said that this is very commendable, pointed out that the governor has been most proactive in assisting the security agencies in Enugu State, as all the agencies have been provided with massive logistic support to assist them in securing the state. His words: He [Ugwuanyi] has even gone further to create local vigilante groups and Forest Guards to help the police in their efforts. He is one of the first state Governors to set up community policing in Nigeria. When it comes to settling communities that have been at daggers drawn for many years, he has built a reputation for himself. I am aware that the Nigerian Institute of Chartered Arbitrators conferred on him an honorary membership of the institute in recognition of his efforts in conflict resolution and mediation. I wish him well in all these initiatives to make Enugu the most peaceful state in Nigeria. Presenting his verdict on Gov. Ugwuanyi, Sen. Dr. Chimaroke Nnamani, a former Governor of the state, opined that his [Ugwuanyis] administration has prioritized justice and fairness to all, peace, security and prosperity to our people, economic empowerment and infrastructural renewal. Sen. Nnamani emphasized that the governor scores impressively high on peace, security, rural development, urban renewal, political inclusiveness and forbearance, improvements in healthcare and basic education, industrial harmony as well as a workforce motivated by prompt payment of salaries and other incentives. According to the Senator, he has shown remarkable leadership in times of adversity and kept our state relatively safe from the ravaging COVID-19 pandemic. On his part, the Archbishop of Enugu Ecclesiastical Province (Anglican Communion), Most Rev. Dr. Emmanuel Chukwuma, while baring his mind on Gov. Ugwuanyis penchant for peace, said: In Enugu State, we have experienced peace and the era where people have political enmity and others, have all gone. Everybody is happy, the traders are happy, there is sympathy, there is concern, and there is respect for everybody, irrespective of class, religious or political affiliation. During a special post-election Thanksgiving Mass at the Adoration Ministry Enugu Nigeria (AMEN), the Spiritual Director of the Ministry, Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka, described Gov. Ugwuanyi as a rare, God-fearing leader who has continued to lead the state on the path of peace and good governance with uncommon zeal, passion and humility, even after his re-election to office. The cleric therefore commended the governor for continuing with his massive infrastructural development projects across the state as well as other remarkable achievements such as workers welfare. He equally lauded Gov. Ugwuanyi for his humility, passion for the wellbeing of the people, especially the poor and kind-heartedness for being a father to his people. Advertisements Prior to that, Rev. Fr. Mbaka, had during Gov. Ugwuanyis Thanksgiving Mass for his victory at the Supreme Court, poured encomium on the governor, describing him as an epitome of peace; an outstanding leader, a sanctuary of conflict resolution and model for rural and urban development, stressing that this is the first time since he became a priest, that the state is experiencing peace. As Enugu State clocks 29, soaring in peace and good governance, the message is clear: that Gov. Ugwuanyis uncommon leadership style has kept faith with the dreams and aspirations of the states founding fathers. This aligns with the stance of former Secretary-General and now President-General of Enugu State Development Association (ESDA), Chief Enechi Onyia, who had identified the promotion of the principles of love, unity and peace among the political, religious and traditional institutions, as one of the cardinal dreams and aspirations of the founding fathers of Enugu State. Chief Onyia had also attributed the developmental strides in the state to the peace and good governance initiatives of Gov. Ugwuanyi, saying: There is very significant peace in Enugu State; without peace there is no progress. Interestingly, Enugu State under Ugwuanyis watch has continued to occupy its pride of place as one of the most peaceful and secure states in Nigeria, to live and do business, as well as the capital city of the nations Eastern Region; East Central State; old Anambra State; old Enugu State, when Abakaliki (now part of Ebonyi State) was part of it and the present Enugu State. It could be recalled that Marcus Tullius Cicero, the Roman statesman, lawyer and philosopher who played an important role in the politics of the late Roman Republic once observed that The safety of the people shall be the highest law. If Ciceros insight held true then, it certainly does so currently. Today, the country is witnessing challenges bothering on violence and insecurity, among others. But in the Coal City State, the administration of Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, leveraging on an inclusive vision of governance, discipline and sincerity has managed to keep the state on an even keel, safe and progressive. This peace being enjoyed today in Enugu State, which the leaders have endorsed in unison, is hardly contestable and must not be taken for granted. It needs to be further recognized and complemented by all stakeholders in the overall interest of the people and the state. Amoke is Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to Enugu State Governor on Media. The shorter-hours programme sees the German government cover around two thirds of wages when employers slash hours to save costs during the pandemic A German scheme that tops up pay for workers who lost work hours because of the coronavirus pandemic has been extended by another year to stave off mass job losses. Chancellor Angela Merkel's ruling coalition of conservatives and centre-left Social Democrats agreed on Tuesday to allow the programme to run for 24 months for any firm that applies by the end of the year. It also resolved to extend financial assistance to small businesses until the end of the year and relax insolvency laws in an effort to avoid cascading bankruptcies. The shorter-hours programme, known as Kurzarbeit, sees the German government cover around two-thirds of workers' wages when employers slash their hours to save costs. The scheme was widely used during the 2008-09 financial crisis and credited with saving tens of thousands of jobs. The programme is one of the main tools used by Berlin to shield Europe's top economy from the pandemic-induced downturn, accounting for a key part of the government's trillion-euro ($1.1 trillion) coronavirus support package. At the height of the coronavirus lockdowns in April, some 6.8 million Germans received money through the scheme, the federal employment agency said. To ease access to the programme, ministers reduced the requirements that companies need to meet in order to qualify for assistance. German giants like Lufthansa, Volkswagen and BMW are among the many firms to have tapped the scheme. Before the pandemic, German unemployment hovered at a record-low level of around five percent. It has since risen to 6.4 percent. Other European economies, including France and Britain, introduced similar short-time working programmes to battle the economic consequences of the pandemic. The scheme does not come cheap. When German economic output contracted five percent in 2009, an average of 1.1 million workers were placed on the programme, costing Berlin around 10 billion euros. After maintaining a balanced budget for years, the German government has said it plans to borrow around 218 billion euros this year to help pay for its pandemic response. edf/mfp/gle/jah While notably vile, it is important for courts to view material related to child pornography cases in order to get a sense of the horror inflicted on the young victims, a Niagara judge said Thursday. The videos depict deplorable, morally repugnant conduct which perpetuates the ongoing victimization of children in the most egregious way, said Judge Harvey Brownstone at the sentencing hearing for Marc Seguin in Ontario Court of Justice in St. Catharines. I was compelled by the Crown to view a representative sample of each of the videos because the defence and the Crown could not agree on what the sentence should be and in such cases it is generally required for the judge to actually get an accurate depiction of the contents of the videos in order to arrive at an appropriate sentence, Brownstone said. The 10 videos found on Seguins computer featured children as young as four being raped by adult males. Although it is very difficult to view such videos, the judge said a written description of child pornography material would not adequately capture how horrific and haunting the abuse of children is. In court Thursday, the 38-year-old Thorold resident was sentenced to five months behind bars on a charge of accessing child pornography. His lawyer had asked the judge to consider a sentence of 90 days, to be served on weekends. He cited several mitigating factors in the case including the fact his client is a first-time offender, he pleaded guilty to the offence, and he has the support of family and friends and is employer. The judge dismissed the proposal. Mr. Seguin, once you entered that circle of hell, that level of depravity, you gave up any chance of serving a jail sentence on weekends. The judge said offenders, most often individuals similar to the defendant who have no previous criminal records and good standing in the community, often question why accessing child pornography results in such harsh penalties. I have in my 25 years as a judge heard many a person in Mr. Seguins place say to me, I wasnt the one who took those pictures. I didnt take those videos those things existed whether I looked at them or not. The judge said sentences must address denunciation and deterrents in order to attempt to stem the tide of child pornography. Without people like Mr. Seguin who seek out and view such videos, there would be no market and maybe, just maybe, the proliferation of such horrific abuse of children would stop or at least be reduced. The child pornography industry could not exist without people who want to look at those photos and images and thats why sentences for people who access child pornography are so harsh. The judge also noted that sentences must take into consideration the size and content of the child pornography collection. Although all child pornography is deplorable and reprehensible, there is a qualitative difference between photos of naked children and photos and videos of children being sexually assaulted and raped. The more violent the content, the harsher the sentence. The younger the children, the harsher the sentence. The videos in this case were of very young children being egregiously sexually assaulted, exploited and humiliated. Seguins name came to the attention of Niagara Regional Police following an investigation into a child sex case involving a gynecologist in Utah. The U.S. physician was arrested in 2017 after he recorded a video of the sexual abuse of a 12-year-old girl and shared the video with another individual. He was sentenced to 37 years in jail. Niagara police executed a warrant at the defendants home in February 2018 and seized a number of computer systems and storage media. AI as good as the average radiologist in identifying breast cancer Researchers at Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital in Sweden have compared the ability of three different artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms to identify breast cancer based on previously taken mammograms. The best algorithm proved to be as accurate as the average radiologist. The results, published in JAMA Oncology, may lead the way in reorganising breast cancer screening for the future. "This is the first independent comparison conducted to assess the accuracy of several different AI algorithms," says study author Fredrik Strand, a researcher at the Department of Oncology-Pathology at Karolinska Institutet and a radiologist at Karolinska University Hospital. "We can demonstrate that one of the three algorithms is significantly better than the others and that it equals the accuracy of the average radiologist." There are currently a large number of suppliers developing various AI-based medical imaging solutions. This study compares the ability of three of these to identify breast cancer in already taken mammograms. The study included mammograms of 8,805 women between the ages of 40 and 74, all of whom had undergone breast cancer screening between 2008 and 2015. Of these, 739 had been diagnosed with breast cancer, either at the time of screening or within the following 12 months. The most successful of the three AI algorithms diagnosed the same percentage of women with cancer as the average radiologist. The results also demonstrated that one of the AI algorithms was significantly better than the others. "We conducted the study in order to find out how far the algorithms have developed and whether there is any difference between the available systems," Fredrik Strand explains. "The results show that, in principle, the best algorithm is ready for use and that there is a significant difference between the various algorithms on the market." Another study of the same research group, recently published in The Lancet Digital Health, showed that an AI algorithm could sort mammography images to indicate which required additional attention by radiologists and which were easily assessed by AI alone without missing any cancer that would otherwise have been detected by a radiologist. The researchers are now moving on to study how AI can play a part in improving breast cancer screening. Current practice involves two radiologists examining every mammogram. If either of these identify a suspected tumour, the examination proceeds to a discussion involving at least two radiologists who together decide whether the woman should be recalled for further examination. "We are planning a prospective clinical study to see how AI works as an independent reviewer of mammograms in a day-to-day clinical environment, both by acting as a third reviewer and by helping to select women who can be offered complementary MRI scans in order to detect cancers at an earlier stage," says Fredrik Strand. ### The research was conducted at Karolinska Institutet and financed by Region Stockholm. The suppliers of the three algorithms requested anonymity and had no influence over how the study was conducted or how the results were interpreted. Publication: "External evaluation of three commercial artificial intelligence algorithms for independent assessment of screening mammograms," Mattie Salim, Erik Wa?hlin, Karin Dembrower, Edward Azavedo, Theodoros Foukakis, Yue Liu, Kevin Smith, Martin Eklund and Fredrik Strand, JAMA Oncology, Aug. 27, 2020, doi: 10.1001/jamaoncol.2020.3321 This story has been published on: 2020-08-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. By Colin Packham SYDNEY (Reuters) - A proposed Australian law that would give the federal government powers to cancel any agreements local authorities and public institutions make or have made with foreign governments is not aimed at China, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Thursday. The new legislation comes as Canberra seeks to curtail Beijing's influence in Australia amid concerns over issues including trade and security, but Morrison denied the new law was designed with China specifically in mind. "These laws are about Australia's national sovereign interests," Morrison said. Under the new law, the country's foreign minister would be able to cancel any agreements made by state and territory governments, local councils or public universities with foreign administrations if they "adversely affect Australia's foreign relations" or are "inconsistent with Australian foreign policy". The legislation will also be retrospective, and Morrison said Australia is aware of 130 agreements that government entities have struck with 30 different countries. Recent controversial deals include lease by the Northern Territories' government of Port of Darwin to Chinese-owned Landbridge Group in 2015 and a spate of large agricultural land purchases. Australia's Victoria state also signed up to China's Belt and Road Initiative in 2018, a decision Morrison criticised at the time. Details of any projects under consideration have not been made public. Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews, grappling with an outbreak of COVID-19, hit back at Morrison over the proposed legislation. "If the prime minister has got time to do these things, then thats fine for him... I dont, Im exclusively focused on fighting this virus," Andrews told reporters in Melbourne. TESTY RELATIONS Nearly all Australian states have in recent years also signed cooperation deals with Chinese provinces, covering industries such as mining, education and tourism. Story continues Australian universities have also sought to foster closer ties with China. Foreign students are worth about A$35 billion ($25 billion) a year to the Australian economy, with Chinese students accounting for about a third of that figure. Relations between Australia and its largest trading partner have become increasingly strained, with Australia angering China by calling for an international investigation into the origins of the coronavirus, barring Huawei Technologies from participating in its 5G network rollout and blocking a recent agricultural deal. China has targeted Australian exports of wine, barley and beef, and told its students and tourists to avoid travelling to Australia, citing racial discrimination. On Wednesday, one of China's most senior diplomats in Australia said there was a "shadow" over the bilateral relationship. The new legislation excludes commercial corporations and state-owned enterprises, although Australia has already given regulators and the treasurer additional powers to reject foreign takeovers of private companies. (Reporting by Colin Packham; Editing by Lincoln Feast.) Jameela Jamil has used a speech at the Edinburgh TV Festival to criticise the BBC for broadcasting the N-word live on air. The former T4 star who made it big in America said the corporation had 'tremendous blind spots' and acted with 'reckless abandon' when social affairs correspondent Fiona Lamdin repeated a racial slur which was used during a crime. More than 18,000 people complained to the BBC over a news report which contained a racist term, according to figures from the broadcaster. Frequently outspoken Jamil, who is known for her 'woke' opinions, also said she was happy to 'rub people up the wrong way' and recommended 'very good therapy' to help activists cope with the stresses of airing their opinions. And she accused media outlets of trying to 'terrify' activists into silence by reporting on objections to what their opinions. She said: 'They want to terrify us about speaking out because, especially post-MeToo, we've seen the tremendous power of when women come together.' Jameela Jamil gave a speech to the Edinburgh TV Festival from her home in America She was in conversation with Afua Hirsch while calling foe more diversity in the TV industry 'If you are going to be someone who speaks out, you have to understand you're going to rub people up the wrong way, people who are on the opposition, as well as people on your own side, because there is a weird amount of competition in activism, that I don't understand.' "And you have to protect yourself. I am someone who is incredibly lucky to have... a loving household that I live in with friends and a boyfriend, but also I have access to very good therapy. She also said that "I'm a scary prospect for the patriarchy in this industry. I'm potentially inspiring other women to speak out' On the BBC broadcast of the N-word, she said: ' 'It has taken so long for us to get here to the point where we're having this conversation and you know, we are still up until the last couple of weeks dealing with situations of such tremendous blind spots - among members of the BBC for example and decisions they've made around words that they are using on mainstream television with reckless abandon, so there's a lot to undo.' 'There's a lot to do but I definitely feel as though this conversation is starting to happen in a more meaningful way than ever before because the one thing weve never had was social media, and we never had a generation other than Gen Z before who mobilise and make their point so eloquently and powerfully before, so I think this is the beginning of true systemic change, I hope anyway.' "Part of what makes me dangerous to oppressive systems is I have nothing to lose. Im willing to walk away from this industry rather than compromise my integrity. Ive shed that fear I had when I first came in." Speaking about her friendship with Afua Hirsch, she said: 'It's so funny that you bring up the way that the rhetoric has changed since George Floyd. 'The way that you and I started to become internet friends... we were both called racists for calling out the racism that is rampant within our media. And that is because we were a culture that was more afraid of being called racist than racism itself, which now is a very normalised rhetoric. Jamil said: 'Part of what makes me dangerous to oppressive systems is I have nothing to lose. Im willing to walk away from this industry rather than compromise my integrity.' She is pictured right with boyfriend James Blake 'A year ago when you and I were sticking up for Meghan Markle, when other people weren't, I'm very glad to see a lot of people start to back pedal and start to register that there is a serious problem here and that we're not going to get away with it She also called for greater representation of genders, ethnicities and disabilities in TV. She said: 'I would love for our television industry, for our film industry to embrace south Asians for example, I don't think we are diverse enough, I still think we are incredibly ableist, we do not have anywhere near enough disability representation. 'We are improving over the last couple of years and it would be wrong for me to deny that, I've definitely seen a significant improvement, but really the problem is systemic. 'As David was talking about, you know, there aren't enough people on the inside. I don't think I've ever had a black or brown director or producer in all of my years over in the UK... I think I had one executive producer who was a south Asian woman and she was fantastic and a massive part of why I was even able to start my career in television, because she rallied for me. Otherwise I may well have been replaced with another white person. 'Even just having her there made such a difference to my career - we as minorities do not feel safe in a room where we do not recognise ourselves, where we do not feel like anyone in that room has our shared experience. 'And so you know I think it's really systemic on the inside where people are just casting people who look like themselves, or whose stories that they can relate to and therefore we're denying ourselves so much colour and so many interesting and diverse stories, we're denying ourselves the chance to learn about other groups and learn about each other and you know we have this unbelievably politically divisive moment and we have the opportunity within media to remedy that.' 'To deny that art has a huge impact on the way that we feel about each other is so shortsighted, and so I do think that where we need immediate change is making sure that we are hiring people who are marginalised . That doesn't just mean racially diverse it also means diverse in sexuality and gender and it massively means in disability, because we're just not showing a world on screen that reflects the world we walk around in, especially in somewhere as cosmopolitan as the UK.' Job Title: Community Monitor (40 Job Opportunities) Organization: International Community of Women Living with HIV Eastern Africa (ICWEA) Duty Station: Kampala, Jinja, Masaka, Hoima, Teso Sub-region, Acholi Sub-region, Central Region, South Western, Rwenzori Sub-region, Uganda About US: The International Community of Women Living with HIV Eastern Africa (ICWEA) together with HEPS Uganda and Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG) have received funding from PEPFAR Uganda to implement a 6-months Community Led Monitoring (CLM) Pilot Project in Uganda. About Approach: Community-led monitoring is an approach to assessing the quality of health services (HIV/TB services). It is initiated and implemented by community-based organizations and other civil society groups; networks of key populations, people living with HIV and other affected groups. It involves use of a structured tool with a set of questions for gathering quantitative and qualitative data and observations about components of HIV/TB services. The aim is getting input from recipients of these services on quality, accessibility and availability. The data generate is then used by service recipients and other advocates (PLHIV, key populations, CSO, CBOs) to design community actions for change in the status of HIV/TB services. Job Summary: We are seeking to recruit 40 community monitors who will be stationed across 13 PEPFAR implementing mechanisms in the regions of; Teso sub region, Eastern, Jinja, Acholi sub region, West Nile, Kampala metropolitan, South Western, Rwenzori region, Central 1 (Mubende), Central 2 (Masaka), and Mid-west (Hoima). The community monitors will be responsible for monitoring several healthcare facilities in the mentioned regions in order to assess the status of HIV and TB services provided. Using the data collected, Community Monitors will engage with primary healthcare facility staff, implementing partners, clinic committees and other key stakeholders in order to advocate for improved service delivery and track progress towards this. Community Monitors will keep a meticulous record of all data collected and community-level engagements to ensure a transparency and accountability. Goal The goal is to develop a framework and an inclusive system to ensure that CLM is carried out by a diverse group of CSO nationwide, down to the community level; and that the CLM identifies enablers and barriers to improved access and quality of HIV and TB prevention, care, treatment and support services. Key Duties and Responsibilities: Carry out clinic monitoring using agreed upon facility-based tools Use data collected for facility level engagement & advocacy Facilitate engagement or meetings with target populations including PLHIV, people with TB, KPs, youth, AGYW, and men, in order to uncover issues affecting HIV and TB service delivery; Work with structures of people affected by or living with HIV/TB to mobilise and create demand for HIV/TB services. Hold regular meetings with facility staff, IPs, and clinic committees to discuss the quality of service provision at facility level as determined by the data collection exercise; Provide feedback to community members on engagement efforts with district and health facilities leadership Monitor implementation of key action points in order to ascertain improvements in service quality Engage partners and stakeholders to strengthen local advocacy and influence changes at health facility level Collect individual stories where specific issues arise Submit monthly reports to the secretariat Qualifications, Skills and Experience: The applicant must hold an Advanced Certificate of Education. Other certificates, diplomas and degrees will be an added advantage. A minimum of two years experience and involvement in HIV/TB and Key populations programs Experience in community data collection (is of added advantage) Demonstrable experience in organising, advocacy and/or mobilisation at a community level Demonstrated commitment to ensuring access to quality healthcare for all, and/or particularly for people living with HIV and key populations Comfortable working with or willingness to learn to use new technologies and software Self-motivated and able to work in a remotely without direct supervision Good written and verbal communication skills in at least one local language and English (is desirable); Able & willing to travel frequently within the region and at times across the country Fluency in the local language in a region will be an added advantage Required Attributes: Flexible and open to changing work priorities; self-driven and proactive; Results-Oriented; High integrity; Analytical skills; Optimistic and Innovative. How to Apply: All candidates should submit their resumes and motivation letter to admin@icwea.org and copy to bajonye@icwea.org. The subject of application should include; Last name of applicant and the preferred region. Deadline: 31st August 2020 For more of the latest jobs, please visit https://www.theugandanjobline.com or find us on our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/UgandanJobline The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced that it has filed an emergency action against Florida-based investment adviser Coral Gables Asset Management LLC and its sole owner, David C. Coggins, in connection with an alleged fraudulent offering. On August 20, 2020, U.S. District Court Judge Kathleen M. Williams granted the SEC's request for emergency relief, including an asset freeze and an order for records preservation, against Coggins and Coral Gables, as well as two entities charged by the SEC as relief defendants. According to the SEC's complaint, Coral Gables and Coggins solicited investors for a private fund they managed by misrepresenting the fund's past performance, the amount of assets they were managing, and Coggins' experience as a portfolio manager. For example, the complaint alleges that one document Coggins provided to investors and potential investors showed 37 months of positive monthly performance even though, in reality, in approximately 26 months during the specified timeframe the Fund had negative performance. The complaint further alleges that Coral Gables and Coggins falsified brokerage records and investor account statements and created and sent fake audit opinions to investors and third parties. As alleged, within hours of receiving a request from the SEC to preserve documents, Coggins destroyed evidence related to his fraudulent conduct. According to the complaint, Coggins misappropriated investor funds for personal use, including a luxury vehicle and travel. The SEC's complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, charges Coral Gables and Coggins with violating the antifraud provisions of Section 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 thereunder, and Sections 206(1), 206(2), and 206(4) of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 and Rule 206(4)-8 thereunder. The SEC's complaint also charges Coggins, in the alternative, with aiding and abetting Coral Gables' violations of the Advisers Act. The SEC seeks injunctions, disgorgement of allegedly ill-gotten gains with prejudgment interest, and financial penalties against the defendants. The SEC also charged Coral Gables Asset Holdings, L.P. and its successor entity, Coral Gables Capital, L.P., as relief defendants. The SEC's investigation, which is continuing, is being conducted by Jeffrey D. Felder and Tracy W. Bowen in the Denver Regional Office and supervised by Kimberly L. Frederick, Jason J. Burt, and Kurt L. Gottschall. The SEC's litigation is being led by Zachary T. Carlyle and Christopher E. Martin, under the supervision of Gregory A. Kasper. LINCOLN NET will host a live, hour-long debate between Nebraska U.S. Senate candidates Ben Sasse and Chris Janicek at 7 p.m. CT on Sept. 4. The debate will be broadcast on NETs television and radio channels, as well as livestreamed at netnebraska.org and on the NET Nebraska app. NET News Director Dennis Kellogg will moderate the debate while a panel of journalists asks questions of the candidates. The debate is part of NETs Campaign Connection 2020 coverage, a multiplatform effort that focuses on Nebraska contests and issues, as well as the race for the White House. The Campaign Connection 2020 webpage is home to election-related signature stories as well as links to national media coverage, podcasts and political party blogs, all intended to help Nebraskans make informed decisions. Also this year, NET News and Harvest Public Media partners will be reporting as part of the national America Amplified: Election 2020 project that aims to listen to and amplify the voices of those in diverse communities across the nation. The on Thursday alleged that the letter written by 23 senior leaders to over their demand for a "full time" party president was a "conspiracy to finish off Rahul Gandhi's leadership". Where were these leaders when the BJP was indulging in "below the belt attacks" on Rahul Gandhi, and after he quit as the president why these leaders did not take up the challenge to revive the party, an editorial in Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana' sought to know. "When people from within are involved in the national conspiracy to finish off Rahul Gandhi's leadership, the party is sure to meet its 'panipat' (defeat)...these old guards have sabotaged Rahul Gandhi internally, a damage which even the BJP hasn't inflicted on him," it said. None of them are even district-level leaders, but have become chief ministers and Union ministers riding on the leadership of the Gandhi-Nehru family, said the Sena, which tied-up with the and NCP to form government in Maharashtra last year after a fallout with the BJP. "In all states, the (Congress) heavyweight leaders are interested only in their position and not of the party. If they don't have their way, they shift to the BJP. This is the only activeness they show. What can Rahul and do about it? This is a new political coronavirus," it said. (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 Florida fire department paramedic has narrowly escaped losing his arm after being bitten by a hulking alligator that had jumped into his boat during a hunting trip. Cartsen Kieffer, a married father-of-two who serves as a lieutenant paramedic with the Tavares Fire Department, was hunting alligators with two friends on Lake Jesup last Thursday evening when one of the reptiles attacked him. 'We saw the big gator laying up in the middle of the canal,' Kieffer told ClickOrlando from his hospital bed. Florida paramedic Carsten Keiffer is pictured in his hospital bed days after being bitten by a 12-foot alligator Keiffer and two friends were hunting alligators on Lake Jasup on August 20 (pictured) when a 12-foot reptile that they hooked leaped into the air and latched onto his right arm Keiffer estimated that the alligator measured about 12 feet in length. He and the other hunters caught the reptile by a snatch line and inserted two additional harpoons into the animal before grabbing more line to raise it to the surface. 'Unfortunately, since we were so shallow, he was able to push off the bottom and launch himself into the boat and thats where he got a hold of my arm,' Keiffer recounted. 'Once I felt him get a hold of my arm, and just the pressure and the weight of him, it was just unreal.' According to an incident report from the Seminole County Sheriff's Office cited by WFTV, the alligator latched onto Keiffer's right arm 'and began to spin'. His paramedic friend was able to stick a rod in the predator's mouth to pry its jaws open in an effort to stop the alligator from ripping Keiffer's arm off, or even pulling him underwater. Keiffer was then able to wrench his arm out of the alligator's jaw, after which his friends cut the snatch lines, releasing the animal. One of the hunters used his belt as a tourniquet to stop Keiffer's bleeding and then called 911 to report the alligator attack, describing his fellow hunter's injury as a partial amputation in the middle of the forearm. But doctors have managed to save Keiffer's arm and he has since regained sensation in his fingers. Keiffer, a paramedic by day who is also an avid hunter, has been harvesting alligators for years (pictured posing with one of his trophies alongside his son) Keiffer said if it were not for his friends' actions, he likely would have died. He has no plans to resume hunting alligators According to a Facebook update posted earlier this week, Keiffer has undergone three surgeries over the past week to complete bone and skin grafts to repair damage to his arm. The father-of-two praised the actions of his friends, writing that if it were not for them, 'I would not have been here to day [sic].' WESH reported that the Florida Wildlife Commission has hired a trapper to catch the alligator, which remains at large. Keiffer, an avid hunter and fisherman, told ClickOrlando he is likely done with harvesting alligators. 'Even if I wanted to, I dont think my wife would allow it. So, you know Im a smart husband, so I know when to pick my battles and thats probably not one I need to take,' he quipped, Bengaluru, Aug 27 : Permanent teaching and non-teaching staff of government-affiliated medical and dental colleges and super-specialty hospitals in Karnataka have been brought under the New Pension Scheme (NPS), state Medical Education Minister K. Sudhakar said on Thursday. "The decision to implement the NPS which was a long-pending demand of our doctors and staff who are leading from the front in the fight against Covid gives me immense satisfaction," he said. As soon as Sudhakar took charge as Medical Education Minister, an employees delegation met him to demand that they be included in the new pension scheme. According to an official, Sudhakar convinced Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa to approve the scheme, considering the selfless services medical staff rendered amid the Covid pandemic, and the Finance Department approved a proposal for implementation of NPS in the department. As many as 5,949 employees from 27 institutions across the state are expected to benefit from the scheme, which will cost the state exchequer Rs 77 crore as it will apply on all permanent employees appointed after April 1, 2006. Earlier, Sudhakar gave the nod for implementation of 7th Pay Commission recommendations for teaching staff of the Medical Education Department. He also met the demand of hiking the stipend of PG medical students, which was the same for several years. Columbus: Rapper Kanye West sued Ohio's election chief Wednesday in an effort to be placed on the November presidential ballot after the Secretary of State deemed him unqualified as an independent candidate. West's emergency filing against Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose comes days after the election's chief rejected the nearly 15,000 signatures and other paperwork the rapper submitted earlier this month in an attempt to run for president, citing mismatched information on the signature-gathering documents. In the complaint, attorneys' for West's campaign in Ohio allege that it is LaRose's duty to accept any petition for an independent candidate as long as there is no protest filed against the petition and it is not in violation of Ohio statue. Ohio was one of a number of states that denied West's petition to appear on their ballot last week. On Friday, the state elections board in Illinois said West hadn't submitted enough petition signatures and wouldn't be on the ballot. On Thursday, Wisconsin election officials decided to keep West off the battleground state's presidential ballot because his campaign turned in his nomination papers moments after the deadline, while officials in Montana also said he fell short of petitions. Earlier this month, West without explanation withdrew his petition to appear as a presidential candidate on New Jersey's ballot. He also missed deadlines or was rejected in numerous other states this summer, including California, Florida and Pennsylvania. West is currently on the ballot in states that include Arkansas, Colorado, Oklahoma, Utah and Vermont. The business mogul publicly supported Republican President Donald Trump before announcing his own presidential bid on July 4. GOP operatives in various key states have been helping West with his White House bid in what Democrats see as an effort to siphon votes away from Democratic nominee Joe Biden. While West has seen momentum in some states, it remains unclear what the status of his presidential campaign is less than three months from election day. His wife, Kim Kardashian West, asked for the public's empathy and said West is bipolar after he delivered a controversial address at his campaign introduction speech in South Carolina last month where he proposed a $1 million payout to mothers and decried Harriet Tubman for her work on the Underground Railroad. Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 18:16:37|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TOKYO, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Tokyo stocks closed lower Thursday as the yen's comparative strength against the U.S. dollar weighed on exporters amid a cautious mood ahead of U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell's speech later in the day. The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average lost 82.00 points, or 0.35 percent, from Wednesday to close the day at 23,208.86. The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, meanwhile, dropped 8.59 points, or 0.53 percent, to finish at 1,615.89. Tokyo stocks were pressured from the get-go, local brokers said, as the yen's appreciation against the U.S. dollar dented investor sentiment and weighed on issues with a broad exposure to overseas markets, like exporters. Investors were largely in a wait-and-see mood, they added, ahead of a speech due later in the day by Fed Chairman Jerome Powell, market strategists here said. He will address the Fed's annual central bankers' conference, with investors keenly eyeing clues as to the future of the central bank's monetary policy as the world's largest economy grapples with the downside effects of the novel coronavirus pandemic. Buying was also subdued by some investors opting to hit the sidelines ahead of an expected press conference by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Friday regarding the state of his health. Abe's visited a Tokyo hospital twice in a week amplifying rumors of his possible ill health. The Japanese leader, 65, during his first tenure as prime minister, which started in late September 2006, abruptly stepped down from his post in 2007 due to chronic ulcerative colitis, an intestinal disease. As concerns about the premier's health have been growing in recent days, a weekly magazine reported that Abe vomited blood at his office on July 6. Abe on Monday returned to a hospital in Tokyo a week after he purportedly received a seven-and-a-half-hour "health checkup" amid swirling rumors about his declining health. On the same day, Abe became Japan's longest-serving leader with the most consecutive days in office at 2,799. "Trade was subdued and seemingly dominated by investors' wait-and-see attitudes ahead of U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's speech at the Jackson Hole conference," Toshiyuki Kanayama, senior market analyst at Monex, was quoted as saying. Losses were trimmed, analysts here said, however, by expectations the Bank of Japan will purchase exchange-traded funds (ETFs) as part of its continued monetary easing program. By the close of play, mining, insurance, and real estate-linked issues comprised those that declined the most. Among exporters hurt by the yen firming against the U.S. dollar, automakers skidded down, with Subaru dropping 3.1 percent, while Mazda Motor lost 3.2 percent. Bucking the downward trend, notable winners included Shin-Etsu Chemical Co. Ltd. adding 0.2 percent, while Human Resources firm Recruit Holdings Co. Ltd. climbed 5.6 percent by the close. Issues that fell outpaced those that rose by 1,287 to 805 on the First Section, while 80 ended the day unchanged. On the main section on Thursday, 923.62 million shares changed hands, rising from Wednesday's volume of 859.98 million shares. The turnover on the penultimate trading day of the week came to 1.723 trillion yen (16.250 billion U.S. dollars). Enditem Rebecca Warren Finn Southeast, the southeastern hub of FINN Partners, has named Rebecca Warren partner and co-lead of its health group. Warren joined Finn Partners in 2018 as vice president of client services. She was previously director of communications at Battle Ground Academy in Franklin, TN, and has served as a senior director in the global CEOs office at Burson-Marsteller in New York. In addition, Kerri Guyton, formerly director of marketing and communications at CapWealth, has joined the health team as vice president and Heather Clark has been brought on as a senior account executive. Ellen Greene The PRSA Health Academy has given Ellen Greene its 2020 Excellence in Public Relations Award. The award was presented to her during a Virtual Happy Hour event on Aug. 20. Greene is the vice president of strategic corporate communications for RWJBarnabas Health in New Jersey. The award recognizes leaders in health care public relations and communications for their innovative leadership, contributions to public relations. Nominees are judged in three areas: leaders who advance and elevate the practice of health care public relations, facilitate the discovery of innovative strategies and tools and represent enrichment, leadership and excellence in his/her practice of public relations. Ellen stood out as not only a strategic counselor to leaders within the health system, but a mentor to a number of employees both inside and outside her department. We are honored to recognize her as the 2020 recipient, said Marina Renneke, 2020 chair of the PRSA Health Academy and member of the award review committee. Colleen Flood D S Simon Media has brought on Colleen Flood as account director. Flood previously served as national sales manager and vice president of agency relations at media intelligence company Burrelles. She is a dynamic and savvy executive who provides knowledge and insights, said D S Simon Media CEO Doug Simon. Shell be an incredible asset to our company and to the organizations she counsels. Furthermore, he commented that in the northern city of Cajamarca there was a large number of infections. In fact, between 16 and 17 people passed away on some days. Vaccine clinical trials Lastly, he noted that Peru has also reached agreements with a British laboratory and others, which will allow the immunization of 70% of the population once the vaccine is approved. Titular de la PCM: Se realizo un empadronamiento con el apoyo de @CaritasdelPeru y los alcaldes distritales. @indeciperu con las Fuerzas Armadas se han encargado de armar las canastas y de la distribucion en los asentamientos humanos y lugares alejados donde estamos llegando. pic.twitter.com/nBN0iIuftA Presidente del Consejo de Ministros desde Lurin: Es un honor para mi estar con ustedes. Este es un programa que el Gobierno ha preparado para llegar a 200 mil familias con la entrega de 2 canastas de viveres por dos meses, es decir recibiran 4 kits en total. pic.twitter.com/bKoZiZVONK Insignia Hair Salon stylist Regina Muslimova cleans her station after giving a haircut in the parking lot behind her salon in Walnut Creek. Contra Costa County will allow gyms, nail salons and massage services to join hair salons and barbers in reopening for business outside. (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images) Contra Costa County will allow gyms, nail salons and massage services to reopen for outside business Friday, but health officials cautioned that smoke from Northern California's wildfires may create unhealthy air. "Based on what we are able to see, we can be cautiously optimistic that there is a gradual downward trend in county cases, testing positivity rates and hospitalizations," Dr. Chris Farnitano, Contra Costa County's health officer, said Wednesday in a statement. "We need everyone to understand this is a reason to keep up what we are doing and not let down our guards." The new order also will permit hotels and short-term rentals to reopen for personal travel, not only essential business. Farnitano said the seven-day average of the number of patients who are hospitalized for COVID-19 has dropped slightly and the percentage of coronavirus tests coming back positive has declined from 8.8% on Aug. 6 to 7.4% on Monday. Contra Costa County remains on California's monitoring list, however, and state restrictions limit what can be reopened. A series of wildfires has polluted Bay Area air for several days, and Farnitano urged businesses to take into account air quality before offering outdoor services. The county has issued a health order warning residents to stay inside when there is heavy smoke. Hair salons and barbers have been open for outdoor business since late last month, and county officials said the services have not been linked to any COVID-19 outbreaks. The latest order covers all personal-care services that do not require close contact with the face. One factor used to determine reopenings in a county is the number of cases per 100,000 people. The goal is to keep new cases under 100 per 100,000 residents over 14 days. Over the last 14 days, Contra Costa County reported an average of 278 new cases per 100,000 residents as of Thursday, according to the Los Angeles Times' coronavirus tracker. County officials say key health indicators remain at "dangerously high levels" and residents should continue to wear face coverings and socially distance in an effort to stem the spread of the illness. Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-28 03:20:44|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Thursday asked the international community to help Syria fight terrorism. The security situation in Syria deserves special attention. The international community should continue to support Syria in fighting terrorism in line with international law and Security Council resolutions, said Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the United Nations. There is a significant increase in attacks by the Islamic State in Syria. Recently, improvised explosive devices and mine explosions have caused great casualties. Many incidents are attributed to designated terrorist groups, he told the Security Council. Counter-terrorism is an unfinished battle and a long-term task. The international community must remain vigilant and adopt unified standards to combat terrorism, including in Syria, he said. The development of COVID-19 in Syria cannot be overlooked. Forceful measures as well as more assistance must be put in place, he said. The Syrian government has taken decisive actions in many areas to reduce the risk of transmission and save lives. The international community needs to back up these efforts, he said, adding that China, which has already delivered two batches of medical supplies to Syria, will continue to provide necessary assistance to the Syrian people. He reiterated China's firm support for the Syrian-led, Syrian-owned political process, and China's stance that the sovereignty, independence, unity, and territorial integrity of Syria must be upheld. China is glad to know that the third-round meeting of the Constitutional Committee resumes in Geneva on Thursday, he said. "We hope the meeting will be a productive one." Zhang rejected groundless accusations of the United States against China at the Security Council meeting. If the United States truly cares about the humanitarian situation in Syria, it can do many things instead of blaming others, including lifting unilateral sanctions, he said. "I strongly urge the U.S. to stop politicizing the Syrian humanitarian issue and match its words with deeds." Enditem NORRISTOWN Montgomery County authorities have identified the county jail inmate who succumbed to the coronavirus as a Pottstown man who was awaiting sentencing for his role in a fentanyl and cocaine distribution ring that operated primarily in Pottstown but also in Berks and Lehigh counties. Jerome Beverly Tucker, 65, formerly of the 400 block of Chestnut Street, died at Einstein Montgomery Hospital on Aug. 18, according to the latest information released by the county commissioners. According to a court order and other court records, county Judge William R. Carpenter modified Tuckers bail to $99,000 unsecured and Tucker was released from the Montgomery County Correctional Facility at 2:01 p.m. on Aug. 18, due to defendants medical condition and by agreement of prosecutors and Tuckers defense lawyer, Gregory P. DiPippo. Tucker was discharged from custody directly to the hospital. County officials said administrators at the Lower Providence jail were informed that Tucker died later in the day or early evening on Aug. 18. Im saddened to learn about his passing. DiPippo said on Thursday. DiPippo said he was contacted early on Aug. 18 by prosecutors and did not object to releasing Tucker on unsecured bail, based upon his medical condition. They handled it as an urgent matter and dealt with it expeditiouslyto get this individual the best medical care possible, said DiPippo, referring to prosecutors. Tucker had been at the jail since June 2018, held originally on $250,000 cash bail and later $99,000 cash bail, according to court records. On Nov. 20, 2018, Tucker pleaded guilty to felony charges of possession with intent to deliver controlled substances and conspiracy-related charges in connection with incidents that occurred between November 2015 and June 2018. Tucker was facing state prison time, based on sentencing guidelines for the charges to which he pleaded guilty, and was still being held in the county jail awaiting a sentencing hearing. He was awaiting sentencing because his co-defendants cases had not been resolved and he would not be sentenced until his codefendants cases were resolved, DiPippo said. Last year, two of Tuckers alleged co-defendants saw their cases transferred to federal court where penalties are more severe upon conviction. Those federal trials are slated to begin next month. David Tyrone Cooper, 45, of the 1000 block of Saylor Street, Muhlenberg Township, Berks County, the leader of the alleged corrupt organization, and Christopher Saunders, 27, of the 400 block of King Street, Pottstown, identified in court papers as Coopers stepson and a member of the organizations upper echelon who allegedly was responsible for overseeing the distribution of cocaine and fentanyl in Pottstown, originally were charged by county authorities but were later indicted by a federal grand jury on various drug trafficking charges. Tucker, Cooper and Saunders were among more than a dozen people originally rounded up in June 2018 during an investigation dubbed Operation Poison Control. With the county charges, authorities alleged Tuckers job was to cook the crack cocaine, preparing it for distribution. Investigators with the district attorneys Violent Crime Unit said the organizations criminal activities were reported to police by nine confidential informants and three anonymous concerned citizens. The investigation also utilized electronic surveillance including wiretaps on the suspects phones, visual surveillance, controlled drug buys and seizures of evidence with search warrants. The arrests were the culmination of a joint investigation by authorities from Montgomery, Berks and Lehigh counties, as well as the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General and Pennsylvania State Police. Several others involved in the drug organization previously pleaded guilty in county court to drug-related charges and were sentenced or are awaiting sentencing in connection with the incidents. On Wednesday, county Commissioners Chairwoman Dr. Valerie Arkoosh said Tuckers death is the first COVID-19 related death at the county jail since the pandemic began in March. We have not been able to determine with certainty how he was exposed, Arkoosh said during a weekly news briefing. We extend our deepest condolences to this individuals family and loved ones. Officials said Tucker had three underlying medical conditions that are associated with an increased risk of mortality from the coronavirus. Scientists have long suspected that ocean acidification is affecting corals' ability to build their skeletons, but it has been challenging to isolate its effect from that of simultaneous warming ocean temperatures, which also influence coral growth. New research from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) reveals the distinct impact that ocean acidification is having on coral growth on some of the world's iconic reefs. In a paper published Aug. 27, 2020, in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, researchers show a significant reduction in the density of coral skeleton along much of the Great Barrier Reef--the world's largest coral reef system--and also on two reefs in the South China Sea, which they attribute largely to the increasing acidity of the waters surrounding these reefs since 1950. "This is the first unambiguous detection and attribution of ocean acidification's impact on coral growth," says lead author and WHOI scientist Weifu Guo. "Our study presents strong evidence that 20th century ocean acidification, exacerbated by reef biogeochemical processes, had measurable effects on the growth of a keystone reef-building coral species across the Great Barrier Reef and in the South China Sea. These effects will likely accelerate as ocean acidification progresses over the next several decades." Roughly a third of global carbon dioxide emissions are absorbed by the ocean, causing an average 0.1 unit decline in seawater pH since the pre-industrial era. This phenomenon, known as ocean acidification, has led to a 20 percent decrease in the concentration of carbonate ions in seawater. Animals that rely on calcium carbonate to create their skeletons, such as corals, are at risk as ocean pH continues to decline. Ocean acidification targets the density of the skeleton, silently whittling away at the coral's strength, much like osteoporosis weakens bones in humans. "The corals aren't able to tell us what they're feeling, but we can see it in their skeletons," said Anne Cohen, a WHOI scientist and co-author of the study. "The problem is that corals really need the strength they get from their density, because that's what keeps reefs from breaking apart. The compounding effects of temperature, local stressors, and now ocean acidification will be devastating for many reefs." In their investigation, Guo and his co-authors examined published data collected from the skeletons of Porites corals--a long-living, dome-shaped species found across the Indo-Pacific-- combined with new three-dimensional CT scan images of Porites from reefs in the central Pacific Ocean. Using these skeletal archives, which date back to 1871, 1901, and 1978, respectively, the researchers established the corals' annual growth and density. They plugged this information, as well as historical temperature and seawater chemistry data from each reef, into a model to predict the corals' response to constant and changing environmental conditions. The authors found that ocean acidification caused a significant decline in Porites skeletal density in the Great Barrier Reef (13 percent) and the South China Sea (7 percent), starting around 1950. Conversely, they found no impact of ocean acidification on the same types of corals in the Phoenix Islands and central Pacific, where the protected reefs are not as impacted by pollution, overfishing, runoff from land. While carbon dioxide emissions are the largest driver of ocean acidification on a global scale, the authors point out that sewage and runoff from land can exacerbate the effect, causing even further reductions of seawater pH on nearby reefs. The authors attribute the declining skeletal density of corals on the Great Barrier Reef and South China Sea to the combined effects of ocean acidification and runoff. Conversely, reefs in marine protected areas of the central Pacific have so far been shielded from these impacts. "This method really opens a new way to determine the impact of ocean acidification on reefs around the world," said Guo. "Then we can focus on the reef systems where we can potentially mitigate the local impacts and protect the reef." Co-authors of the paper include Rohit Bokade (Northeastern University), Nathaniel Mollica (MIT-WHOI joint program), and Muriel Leung (University of Pennsylvania), as well as Russell Brainard of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology and formerly at the Coral Reef Ecosystem Division of the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center. ### Funding for this research was provided by the National Science Foundation, the Tiffany & Co. Foundation, the Robertson Foundation, the Atlantic Donor Advised Fund, and WHOI's Investment in Science Fund. The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is a private, non-profit organization on Cape Cod, Mass., dedicated to marine research, engineering, and higher education. Established in 1930 on a recommendation from the National Academy of Sciences, its primary mission is to understand the ocean and its interaction with the Earth as a whole, and to communicate a basic understanding of the ocean's role in the changing global environment. For more information, please visit http://www.whoi.edu. Key Takeaways An innovative numerical model developed by researchers at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution demonstrates the distinct impact of ocean acidification--separate from ocean warming--on coral growth. The model shows that ocean acidification has caused a 13 percent decline in the skeletal density of Porites corals in the Great Barrier Reef, and a 7 percent decline in the South China Sea since 1950. Pollution and land runoff can exacerbate the effects of ocean acidification, causing corals in local reefs to weaken more quickly than those located farther away from human settlements. A global-scale investigation of coral CT scans could help to target protections for vulnerable reefs. The US decision to blacklist Russian research institutes is a 'sanctions theater of the absurd,' Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Thursday, TASS reports. "This is a follow-up to some sanctions dependence, a kind of the sanctions theater of the absurd," Peskov said, explaining that Washington is dependent on imposing sanctions and cannot live without sanctions and without declaring restrictions for anyone every day. According to him, the Kremlin dismissed any claims that Russian organizations "could be behind developing chemical and biological weapons." "This is absolute nonsense. And given the scientific research of one of the institutes [which is engaged in developing Russias coronavirus vaccine] we cannot rule out that this is another example of uncovered and rampant non-competitive struggle," Peskov said. The US Department of Commerce earlier blacklisted the 33rd Central Research and Testing Institute and the 48th Central Research Institute of the Russian Defense Ministry, as well as the Moscow State Research Institute of Organic Chemistry and Technology. The notice specified that, in the case of the 48th Central Research Institute, restrictive measures will apply to all of its three facilities in Sergiev Posad, Yekaterinburg and the Kirov Region. The document stated that the US authorities had reason to suspect the 33rd Central Research Institute of having links with the Russian chemical program and the chemical weapons test site. It also alleged that the State Research Institute of Organic Chemistry and Technology had links with the Russian chemical weapons program and the 48th Central Research Institute - with the Russian biological weapons program. This blacklist includes a total of 60 organizations from a number of countries and territories. This is not only Russia, but also China (including Hong Kong), France, Indonesia, Malaysia, Oman, Pakistan, Switzerland and the United Arab Emirates. The US administrations decision implies tightening rules of US export control over those on the blacklist. This concerns a ban on issuing licenses for purchasing dual-use goods in the US. White House Chief of staff Mark Meadows said a stimulus check could be sent next month if House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will not delay talks on another round of coronavirus stimulus package. Millions of Americans are hoping to receive the next round of stimulus checks soon. The $1,200 direct stimulus check will help millions of individuals and families to meet their daily needs amid the global pandemic. The White House is pushing for the second round of relief package. Meadows recently said that Americans will receive stimulus checks beginning September if Pelosi will not delay talks. He also said that once the Houses passes the relief bill that includes the stimulus check, President Donald Trump would immediately sign it. In a recently published article in Bloomberg, Meadows said that a stimulus check should be discussed on the floor in September. Otherwise, millions of Americans will not receive the relief aid they need. If this happens, Meadows said he would blame Pelosi for it for delaying the talks. "If we got back in the room with some of their priorities, we could cut a deal -- the president wants to do that. But I'm not optimistic," Meadows said. He issued this statement after the Congress went back to the Capitol Hill on Saturday to vote for the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) funding, but did not discuss the second round of stimulus checks. Before Congress went back to the Capitol, Meadows challenged the Democratic-dominated Congress to vote for the second round of relief aid that includes stimulus checks, unemployment benefits, house eviction protection, and more. Meadows was surprised that lawmakers did not tackle the stimulus checks during the rare Saturday session. Meadows has already tried to have a meeting with Pelosi on Saturday, but he was only told that the Democratic leader was in a meeting. The talks on the second round of stimulus checks were stalled after Democratic and Republican leaders failed to agree on the package's overall amount. The Democratic leaders are proposing $3 trillion to help more people, but the Republicans offer $1 trillion and will give bonuses to those who will go back to work. The failed negotiation has led to Trump's signing an exxecutive order that expanded the unemployment benefits by using the unspent budget of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The order allowed unemployed and furloughed individuals to receive an amount of $400 unemployment benefit. However, some states said they cannot cover the 25 percent of the unemployment claim or an amount of $100 due to economic crisis caused by the global pandemic. Trump said then said that each state can make a letter of request to the White House to support them on the additional 25 percent. In the past days, several states taht applied for the program has already announced the amount their residents will receive and when they will start sending the money. Meanwhile, Meadows hoped that the stimulus checks and other relief aids will be discussed next month. He said if it would not be debated on the floor before September ends, Americans will not receive the stimulus checks needed until the end of this year. Check these out! Japanese researchers said on Wednesday that low concentrations of ozone can neutralise coronavirus particles, potentially providing a way for hospitals to disinfect examination rooms and waiting areas. Scientists at Fujita Health University told a news conference they had proven that ozone gas in concentrations of 0.05 to 0.1 parts per million (ppm), levels considered harmless to humans, could kill the virus. The experiment used an ozone generator in a sealed chamber with a sample of coronavirus. The potency of the virus declined by more than 90% when subjected to low level ozone for 10 hours. aTransmission of the novel coronavirus may be reduced by continuous, low-concentration ozone treatment, even in environments where people are present, using this kind of system,a said lead researcher Takayuki Murata. aWe found it to be particularly effective in high-humidity conditions.a Ozone, a type of oxygen molecule, is known to inactivate many pathogens, and previously experiments have shown that high concentrations, between 1-6 ppm, were effective against the coronavirus but potentially toxic to humans. "We carefully chose 32 Miry Brook Road, in the 'automotive alley,' for its perfect location that maximizes convenience for customers and business partners, as well as out of town clients to come and see us by flying to the nearby airport," said Chief Executive Officer Chris Bishop. The groundbreaking will be attended by Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton, representatives from North American Motor Car and Claris Construction, as well as other state and local officials. One of the new services on offer will be monthly or year-round exotic and classic car storage. The fully insured facility will have a capacity of around 260 vehicles in a clean, climate-controlled space, staffed by automotive experts. At its new leading edge maintenance facility, North American Motor Car will continue to offer concierge services including custom restoration, maintenance, upholstery repair, professional detailing, aftermarket accessory installation, and automotive shipping and receiving. "Most automotive storage facilities do not have services like maintenance and upholstery at their location. We will have all those services and more under one roof," said Chief Operating Officer Andy Hill. "Customers can expect their dream car to be in the caring and capable hands of automotive professionals with over 100-plus years of experience at North American Motor Car." "We feel this state-of-the-art facility has been a longtime need for the state of Connecticut and the Fairfield County area, due to its ever-growing classic car community," Hill concluded. Located in North Salem, NY, North American Motor Car helps people find the dream car they've always wanted. We offer a curated collection of vehicles ranging from timeless classics to exotic hot rods to contemporary muscle cars and custom 4X4s. We also offer a variety of services including Classic and Exotic Car Repair; Restoration Services; Upholstery Repair and Refurbishing; Electrical and Electronics Servicing; Car Storage; Auto Transport; and Auction Assistance. Visit northamericanmotorcar.com Media Contact: Andy Hill, [email protected] SOURCE North American Motor Car Related Links https://northamericanmotorcar.com/ A Utah woman has pleaded guilty to multiple charges after police say she bought antibiotic-resistant bacteria on the dark web to harm her ailing roommate in an attempt to get custody of the woman's special-needs son. Janie Lynn Ridd, 51, was arrested in December 2019 on suspicion of aggravated abuse of a vulnerable adult, attempted abuse of a vulnerable adult, and attempted possession of a biological agent. Utah Highway Patrol spokesman Sgt. Nick Street previously said Ridd gave misleading statements before she was arrested. Janie Lynn Ridd, 51 (left), has pleaded guilty to multiple charges after police say she bought antibiotic-resistant bacteria on the dark web to harm her friend, Rachel (right) Ridd bought Vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, which can cause severe infections and even death Police said Ridd bought Vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus for $300 worth of Bitcoin. The agent can cause skin infections, severe invasive diseases, pneumonia and potentially death. Utah law defines a biological agent of mass destruction as 'any microorganism, virus, infectious substance, or biological product' that can cause death, disease or destruction in a human or other living organism. Third District Judge Kara Pettit on Monday ordered Ridd to serve consecutive sentences of at least one and up to 15 years. It is now up to the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole to determine the exact length of her prison term. Attorney General Sean Reyes and Assistant Attorney General Michael Gadd recommended that Ridd be denied parole until 2028. During sentencing, Rachel told the judge that Ridd robbed her of life by causing her severe medical problems and constant stress. She said looking at the defendant, she detected no signs of remorse in her eyes, reported Deseret News. 'She watched me suffer, and she doubled down and did it worse. Instead of one injection of E. coli where Id scream and writhe in pain, she did three when that didnt kill me,' Rachel said after the hearing. The two had been friends for more than 20 years and shared a home for a long time, but their relationship began to sour about three years ago. According to court documents, Ridd, who had been Rachel's caretaker and also looked after her autistic son, and whom the woman had named a beneficiary of a $500,000 life insurance policy, became upset with her friend's behavior. Ridd and Rachel had been friends and roommates for two decades, but their relationship soured three years ago Ridd's defense attorney Scott Williams argued that Rachel had become increasingly verbally abusive, which took a toll on Ridd's mental health and convinced her that her roommate posed a threat to the well-being on her own child. So Ridd tried to incapacitate Rachel so she could obtain legal guardianship of the special-needs boy. 'The saddest irony is that she ultimately did what she did out of a twisted sense of desperate caring for the well-being of the child she had grown to love and protect, Williams wrote in the sentencing memorandum. 'She snapped. She lost control of her thoughts. She essentially went mad.' According to court records, Ridd would drug Rachel with sedatives, including Xanax and ketamine, so she could then inject her with harmful doses of insulin, or E coli that caused serious infections, reported KUTV. Ridd's lawyer said that Rachel's aggressive conduct convinced her that her roommate posed a threat to the well-being on her autistic son (pictured) Between March and October 2019, Rachel underwent two surgeries on her neck. After the first, MRSA infection was discovered in her wound, and after the second, the patient developed three infections, one of which tested positive for E. coli. Rachel's surgeon told investigators that the E. coli 'must have been injected,' according to court documents. Between the time of the first procedure and the second, Rachel experienced two separate episodes where her blood sugar level fell to dangerous levels, even though she is not diabetic. Rachel said that around that time, she and Ridd fought about her will and her son's guardianship in the event of her death. She also recalled Ridd musing that the best way to get away with murder would be to inject the victim with insulin. Investigators later found out that Ridd purchased insulin in September 2019 on the dark web. In December, Ridd went back on the dark web, this time to buy Vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (VRSA). She pretended to be a prep school biology teacher and claimed she needed the bacteria for a science experiment. 'When the vendor advised the defendant that VRSA may be obtained for scientific research through more legitimate sources, the defendant continued to pursue the purchase from the vendor, offering to pay overnight shipping to obtain the VRSA faster,' court document stated. Prior to the VRSA purchase, investigators said Ridd (left) injected Rachel with dangerous doses of insulin and E. coli after her surgeries She had $300 of VRSA shipped to her home address, not knowing that by then law enforcement agents had been tracking her online activity. On December 17, agents delivered a package with fake VRSA to Ridd. When she was later questioned about the contents of the parcel, Ridd lied that she had ordered coffee online. She then changed her story, claiming that the package contained a 'biological which she had ordered online form the dark web to make beer at home in the basement.' Ridd later offered another version of events, saying she ordered a strain of 'staph' for 'experimental purposes to satisfy a personal curiosity she had stemming from her roommates recent exposure to MRSA,' according to court documents. Ridd pleaded guilty in June to attempted possession or use of a weapon of mass destruction and attempted aggravated abuse of a vulnerable adult. As part of a plea deal, prosecutors agreed to drop a charge of aggravated abuse of a disabled or elderly person. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas agreed with his Israeli counterpart that efforts should be made to extend the arms embargo against Iran while emphasizing that Germany still sees in the historic 2015 deal between Tehran and world powers the best way to prevent Iran from getting nuclear weapons, Associated Press reported. Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi told reporters during a meeting in Berlin that the extension of the arms embargo against Iran is necessary to prevent this country from receiving more advanced weapons systems and spreading them around the Middle East. We would like to see the European countries, not just Germany, preventing it, he said. It's not helpful for the stability of the region. In turn, Maas said that the US wants a full extension of the arms embargo against Iran, which will almost certainly be blocked by Russia and China in the UN Security Council. Germany and other countries are currently trying to find some kind of mediation platform that would be approved by Russia and China so that it would not be vetoed by the United States in the UN Security Council. Trevor Noah trolled President Donald Trump on Thursday, hours before hes expected to accept the Republican nomination for president at the White House. The Daily Show host took aim at the president with full-page print advertisements in some of the publications that irk him the most, including the New York Times and Washington Post. The mock ad is for Trevor Noah & Associates & Sons Presidential Attorneys. ARE YOU A SOON-TO-BE EX-PRESIDENT? ABOUT TO LOSE LEGAL IMMUNITY? HAS YOUR LAWYER GONE TO JAIL? Call the very fine people on YOUR side, it reads. The ad also appears in the Los Angeles Times. The faux firm specializes in corruption, mega-corruption, emoluments [we know what that is!], shady rich guy tax stuff, obstruction of justice [same price for multiple counts!], you told people to inject bleach for some reason, mail murder. A look at Trevor Noah's ad in the Times. A phone number for Trevor Noah & Associates & Sons Presidential Attorneys is listed (1-210-WH-CRIME) and if you call it, youll hear two prompts. Hello! Youve reached the law firm of Trevor Noah & Associates & Sons, the recording says. If you are the president of the United States, press or say 1. If you are not the president, press or say 2. If you press 1, you are greeted by Noahs voice. Hello, Mr. President. I'm Trevor Noah, managing partner of Trevor Noah and Associates and Sons. Have you ever been to Uganda, sir? It's a beautiful country with a strong goat-based economy. And most important, it does not extradite to the United States, he says. At any time on or before January 20th 2021, I can transport you and any members of your family you actually like to Uganda. I can provide the service for, I don't know, $10 million. Let me know. Oh, and if you made a mistake and you're not actually the president, press or say two now. Otherwise, goodbye, Mr. President. If you press 2, callers are urged to vote. Congratulations on not being the president! If you do not need a lawyer specializing in president crime, why not visit votevotevote.com to make sure that you've registered to vote in the election? That's right, this is a public service announcement. Gotcha! Anyway, please check your voter registration and make a plan to vote. Goodbye! Story continues This isnt the first time Noah has used this method to troll President Trump. After the president was impeached by the House of Representatives in Dec. 2019, the late-night host got a billboard in Times Square that read, CONGRATULATIONS DONALD J. TRUMP ON FINALLY WINNING A POPULAR VOTE! Noah and his Daily Show team recently received six Emmy nominations, including Outstanding Variety Talk Series. Read more from Yahoo Entertainment: Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has directed caretaker chairpersons of the 33 local government areas and the 35 local council development areas to set up security committees to tackle insecurity in the state. Mr Makinde gave the directive at a meeting with the caretakers in Ibadan. He said that reports of criminal activities in some areas in the state were not acceptable to his administration. The governor said that the biggest challenge facing the state and the country was insecurity. The governor spoke after a middle-aged man returning from a bank was killed by armed robbers on a road close to the Government House in Ibadan. You all have to go back to your respective areas and set up security committees, it must be done immediately. I will give approval for release of funds on security within your domain because we want our people to sleep with their two eyes closed. Security is one of the pillars of this administration, Oyo state is a very large area, so we must do everything possible to secure our state, he said. The governor, who noted that the ember months were near, stressed the need to beef up security. So, we expect that we will see spike in criminal activities. As the government closest to the people, you have to take up the challenge of insecurity in your various domains and let us know any enabler required. We will work with the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftancy Matters to make sure that those enablers are provided, he said. On the conduct of local government election in the state, Mr Makinde said the list of the Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC) chairman and members had been sent to the State House of Assembly. As soon as the Assembly clears them and we swear them in, Im sure they will swing into action and let us know their programme. So we want real and true democracy even at the local government level in Oyo State.You should also be prepared for it, he said. Mr Makinde, who ruled out the possibility of imposing anyone for the council election, urged the caretaker chairpersons to ensure that they reach out to the people in their respective domains. The governor urged them to protect the asset in their respective domains, warning that they should move away from the notion that government asset is nobodys asset. We need to take ownership, take responsibility of those asset and ensure that they serve as guardian of those asset,he said. He also said his government would soon set up a committee that would be visiting each of the local government council areas to assess the performance of the chairpersons. I made certain promises during my electioneering in 2019; if in your locality some of those promises have not been fulfilled, list them out to the committee. We will come back to review them and see how we can satisfy the aspirations and yearnings of our people, Mr Makinde said. Earlier, the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftancy Matters, Bayo Lawal, said the meeting was to ascertain the challenges facing each local government and also get feedback from the chairpersons on the needs of those at the grassroots. He charged the chairpersons to be good ambassadors of the state government at the grassroots. Advertisements Some of the chairpersons in separate remarks said the governor had initiated laudable projects, released funds regularly to council areas and was prioritising security of lives and property across the state. (NAN) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Hasjim Djalal (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, August 27, 2020 14:08 511 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c40dea31 3 Opinion South-China-Sea,ASEAN Free Devising cooperative programs on technical, scientific and environment matters is easier than dealing with resource issues, and much more difficult than dealing with territorial claims and jurisdictional issues in the South China Sea. A number of projects have been agreed and have or are being implemented by the informal workshop process initiated by Indonesia, such as a biodiversity expedition, a study on climate change and the sea level rise and a collaborative Southeast Asia education and training program. Some implementations of the progress are still pending the appropriate time (such as the study on hydrography, assessment of living and non-living resources, some other biodiversity expeditions, joint development and many others). In view of the complex issues of the South China Sea, I have suggested at a number of occasions a 6+4+2 or 6+4+1+1 format in the sense that the six ASEAN non-claimants to sovereignty over islands and features in the South China Sea (Indonesia, Singapore, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Myanmar), acting as facilitators, should encourage and invite the four ASEAN claimants (the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam) to sit down and negotiate the matter with the two non-ASEAN claimants (China and Taiwan), albeit informally. The ASEAN chairman could take the initiative. The Jakarta Informal Meeting (JIM) of inviting the relevant parties during the Cambodian Conflict in the 1980s to informal cocktail parties in Bogor and Jakarta could serve as an example. The reaction to this suggestion has been mixed, but I have not heard objections from the disputants. In the meantime, ASEAN as a group could and should continue to induce China to agree and to accelerate the formulation and agreement on the Code of Conduct (CoC) for the SCS on the basis of the already agreed Declaration of Conduct (DoC) of 2002 and its guidelines and others. In fact, Indonesia has already drafted a certain Zero Draft for the CoC. It would also be helpful if the relevant ASEAN countries could settle their own maritime boundaries with their neighbors, particularly between Malaysia and the Philippines, as already indicated by Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam. The relevant parties in the SCS should clarify as precisely as possible the nature of their claims as well as the legal basis for those claims. It would be a monumental development if the concerned parties would also agree to seek a solution through third party mechanism, either through arbitration or judicial adjudication, or even through other regional mechanisms. In the meantime, the Indonesia-initiated informal Workshop Process on Managing Potential Conflicts in the SCS that has lasted for more than 25 years should continue as already agreed by all the relevant authorities of the SCS. In this context, it is essential to promote cooperative programs, including on the possibility of joint development, on joint marine scientific research, and on marine environmental protection, to encourage dialogue between the parties involved in territorial and jurisdictional disputes, and to develop a confidence-building process and measures through diplomacy rather than military. It is essential to maintain and promote peace, stability and development in the area of the SCS, and that the rule of law should be developed, established, and respected by all, and that military engagement and other hostile activity should be avoided as effectively as possible, perhaps by developing some rules of engagement between the law enforcement as well as the military authorities in the SCS area. The non-SCS Countries should be helpful and very careful in dealing with the SCS issues and disputes so that they will not be perceived as complicating the situation, thus potentially exacerbating tensions in the area. At the same time, bigger countries in the region should be mindful of the views of their smaller neighbors. The bigger countries should be careful so that they are not perceived to be dominating or bullying their smaller neighbors. Finally, Indonesia should be able and take steps to implement and exercise its basic foreign policy methodology of navigating between two rocks, in this case between two of its friends, namely China and the United States (as well as its allies the QUADS), all are also Indonesian friends. It would be also important for Indonesia to use the implementation of its doctrine of ASEAN centrality in this issue, primarily because ASEAN countries are sandwiched in this quarrel, particularly between China and the US and some of its friends that are involved in this case. --- Professor of the law of the sea and former Indonesian ambassador to Germany, Canada and the United Nations. The article is based on his presentation in a webinar organized by the Foreign Policy Community on Aug. 19. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post. He is getting ready to return to his role as undercover agent Nicholas 'Nick' Torres in NCIS. But unlike his character, Wilmer Valderrama did not go incognito on his latest outing. The 40-year-old actor was seen going for a shirtless jog with a male pal in Los Angeles on Wednesday morning. Scroll down for video Sweating it out: Wilmer Vanerrama was seen going for a shirtless jog with a male pal in Los Angeles on Wednesday morning He proudly put his toned torso on display as he wore nothing but accessories from the waist up. Wilmer rocked a silver necklace featuring a large circular pendant, Apple Air Pod Pro wireless headphones, as he had his iPhone inside of an armband attached to his bicep. He also sported a pair of tiny black running shorts and a grey Nike Epic React Flyknit 2 running shoes. Showing off: The 40-year-old actor proudly put his toned torso on display as he wore nothing but accessories from the waist up Stride: Wilmer rocked a silver necklace featuring a large circular pendant, Apple Air Pod Pro wireless headphones, as he had his iPhone inside of an armband attached to his bicep Not seen on the fitness outing was Wilmer's stunning 28-year-old model fiancee Amanda Pacheco. The couple began dating last April, later attending Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner's June wedding together in France, before announcing their own engagement on New Year's. The That '70s Show star told ET of how their quarantine is going: 'When we're on, we're on. When we're working, we're working full time. So, I think it's a very exciting time to continue to cultivate relationships. Quarantine buddies: Not seen on the outing was Wilmer's stunning 28-year-old model fiancee Amanda Pacheco Wedding bells: The couple began dating last April, before announcing their own engagement on New Year's 'It's a very exciting time to continue to plan and to understand and to learn about one another and I think that's the gift of the time that we've been given.' Although he's enjoying the quality time with his wife-to-be, he's preparing to return to work on NCIS, as Hollywood gets back to business. Valderrama posted a photo in costume, writing: 'We have a start date.. this is not a drill ladies and caballeros.. season 18, #NCIS and your boy #NickTorres back on your TVs soon! More to come.' Recent titles of interest: THE APPOINTMENT, by Katharina Volckmer. (Avid Reader, $22.) In a furious comic monologue to her gynecologist , the German-born narrator of this debut novel riffs on national shame, family secrets, sex and more with a disregard for propriety worthy of Alexander Portnoy. ANGELS & SAINTS, by Eliot Weinberger. (Christine Burgin and New Directions, $26.95.) What do we believe about angels? Weinberger distills the cultural record in all its contradictions: They are immaterial, yet in the Bible they eat and drink; they are purely good, yet in the Gospels they sometimes engage in deception. WOMEN IN THE KITCHEN: Twelve Essential Cookbook Writers Who Defined the Way We Eat, From 1661 to Today, by Anne Willan. (Scribner, $28.) A culinary historian traces the development of American cuisine via the contributions of 12 female cookbook writers, from Hannah Woolley in the 17th century to Alice Waters today. HIGHER EXPECTATIONS: Can Colleges Teach Students What They Need to Know in the 21st Century? by Derek Bok. (Princeton University, $29.95.) Bok, a two-time president of Harvard, argues that universities overvalue research at the expense of intellectual range and curiosity. BLOOMINGTON Area restaurants, already navigating a sea of logistical and economic challenges caused by the coronavirus pandemic, on Wednesday began complying with a new set of mask guidelines from the state. The new standards, requiring patrons and employees to wear face coverings when they interact, are intended to provide an added layer of protection for workers as well as customers. "The staff, knowing that it's a challenge anyway to express it to the guest, they're quite relieved actually because this is a guard that protects them more," said Joe Slane, general manager of Medici in Normal. Gov. J.B. Pritzker's administration on Tuesday outlined the new guidelines that went into effect Wednesday. They build off previous rules that required customers to wear a mask when social distancing is not possible. Now patrons must wear a mask during any interaction with wait staff, food service workers and other employees at restaurants and bars. Face coverings must be worn over the nose and mouth when customers are approached by staff, including when employees take orders, deliver food and beverages, and service tables. Staff with Medici, 120 W. North St., haven't faced any pushback against the rules so far and said guests have generally been understanding of the requirements, Slane said. "Ever since it all started, we've had a guest here and there that aren't really receptive to the mask issue to begin with," he said. "Quite honestly, over the last couple of weeks, that has reduced from what it was before." Slane and other local restaurant owners said it seems as though people have become more compliant as more cases of COVID-19 are reported through the McLean County Health Department. Some employees of restaurants have curbed their own activities to ensure they do not contract the virus outside of work, said Rod Burchett, owner and operator of Baxter's American Grille in Bloomington. "They're not going out as frequently and they're not socializing with social gatherings," he said of his staff members. Baxter's, 3212 E. Empire St., closed temporarily July 26 for staff to get tested for the virus and sanitation of the restaurant. The restaurant closed as a precaution after Destihl Restaurant in Normal had a staff member test positive for COVID-19. Baxter's opened a few days after the closure once staff had been tested. While the additional mask guidelines are helpful, Burchett said many people in the community are still divided on the issue. "I think the biggest thing is everybody has got to get on the same page if we're going to beat this thing," he said. The Spotted Dog, 1504 Morrissey Drive, Bloomington, closed temporarily Monday after an employee tested positive for the virus a second time, restaurant management said in a social media post. The restaurant closed to conduct a deep cleaning and sanitation of the building, according to restaurant management. All employees will be tested and will not return until they receive negative results for the virus. The bar and grill closed July 26 after an employee tested positive for coronavirus. It reopened July 30 following all employees being tested for the virus and cleaning the facility. Maggie Miley's, 126 E. Beaufort St., Normal, closed Sunday for sanitation and for staff to get tested after an employee tested positive for COVID-19, restaurant management said in a social media post. The Spotted Dog and Maggie Miley's did not return requests for comment. Restaurants are pushing forward despite uncertainties. Some are facing a lull in customers due to recent outbreaks. "Everybody is on edge with all the restaurants closing down," said Tony Smith, co-owner of The Lucca Grill, 116 E. Market St., Bloomington. "We've been pretty lucky so far knock on wood, because it could happen at any moment." Smith said his staff is behind the updated mask rules, but he is personally frustrated with the lack of people wearing masks or social distancing while attending large social gatherings. "We haven't had any positive cases inside yet, but at this point I keep telling my staff it's not a matter if, it's when," he said. "We have a cleaning contingency plan if we have to shut down, but on the other hand, there's nothing you can do." 20 Bloomington-Normal restaurants we miss Contact Sierra Henry at 309-820-3234. Follow her on Twitter: @pg_sierrahenry. Concerned about COVID-19? Sign up now to get the most recent coronavirus headlines and other important local and national news sent to your email inbox daily. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Reuters Afghan actress, director, and activist Saba Sahar has been hospitalized after three men fired into her car while she was on her way to work in Kabul. Sahar is one of Afghanistans best known actresses and first female directorsas well as a prominent womens rights activist. Shes also a high-ranking police officer and vocal critic of the Taliban. She was recently promoted to a deputy position overseeing the special forces dedicated to gender issues, and has used her police experience to inform her films and documentaries. Sahars husband, Emal Zaki, told the BBC that Sahar was in the car with four other people when the gunmen opened fire on the vehiclethe driver, two bodyguards, and a child. Four bullets hit Sahar during the shooting, and she received a successful operation in the hospital, CBS News reports. The bodyguards were wounded, while the child and the driver escaped unharmed, per Reuters. Police told Reuters that the gunmen escaped; they are currently investigating. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid denied that the insurgent groupwhich, as well as ISIS, CBS notes, has regularly staged attacks in Kabulhad any involvement in Sahars shooting. As Reuters notes, unidentified gunmen in Kabul also recently shot womens rights advocate Fawzia Koofi. In a statement responding to the shooting, Amnesty International wrote, The rise in attacks and assassination attempts on human rights defenders, political activists, journalists and film actors is extremely worrying. These attacks must be investigated and the perpetrators held accountable. The authorities must protect everyone at risk. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now! Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more. Yofi Grant, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) says the promise by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) flagbearer, John Dramni Mahama to legalize the commercial use of motorcycles popularly known as Okada is extremely surprising. According to him, its amazing Mr. Mahama under whose tenure the use of okada for business activities was banned, now wants to compromise the safety of Ghanaians in exchange of voter numbers. John Mahamas defence to the promise is that he recognizes the benefits of the okada business to the many families that depend on it, hence his campaign to legalize and regularise it should he win the December 7 polls. Wading into the legalization of okada debate, however, on the Face to Face show on Citi TV last Tuesday, the GIPC boss was convinced there is also no commitment to legalize the operations of the okada business. Yofi Grant believes, the promise is a calculated attempt by the opposition leader to win some political favours and amass votes. The okada riders have so soon forgotten that it was the same [NDC] government that banned okada. It is amazing he [John Mahama] is saying this for votes. We are against the blatant disregard of the rules and regulations in the sector. Many doctors have said that we should ban okada because it is creating more disaster. I get sad when I see a young man who gets involved in an accident. People are already using okada but John Mahama banned them so why didnt he arrest all of them when he was leaving office. Is it now that he has realized the need for them to be legalized? he quizzed. This campaign promise by John Mahama has been largely discussed within the media space, with a number of people describing it as a false promise. Some have criticized him over the idea, saying that it is populist and would cause more harm than good, however, members of the NDC have defended it, citing the job creation prospects of the operations. The Bureau of Public Safety, for instance, demanded details of how the commercial use of motorcycles would be regulated. Okada Association welcomes move Meanwhile, the Okada Riders Association has welcomed the promise by the former President. The group believes the promise if implemented, will provide jobs for many unemployed youth in the country. National President for the Okada Riders Association, Michael Kofi Owusu, said they believe the former Presidents promise is feasible and must be supported. It is very good news for all of us, especially us in the Okada business. This is something that we have been expecting for a very long time. We are going to send this message to our people. We believe him because we realize that it is not something he is just telling us in darkness or a secret place but coming to a large platform like this for the whole nation, that this is what he is going to do. We are all behind him, Michael Owusu said 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 This year, because of COVID-19, the Dawoodi Bohra community was forced to drastically change how it practiced its observation of Ashara Mubaraka, a significant event in the religions calendar. While typically members would gather as a community, this year families instead observed from home to safely social distance. Ashara Mubaraka is a 10-day observance to commemorate the martyrdom of Imam Husain ibn Ali, the grandson of Prophet Mohammed. Typically, the Dawoodi Bohra community, a branch of the Shiite sect of Islam, would travel to where its religious leader was for the 10 days to observe the tradition. But this year, due to the pandemic, community members are practicing from their own homes around the world. In the 10 days, mostly what were doing is we have sermons about justice, about peace, about education, about how we should live our lives to the highest morals, said Batul Yamani, the PR lead for the Dawoodi Bohra community in The Woodlands. The observation always falls differently each year because it is dictated by the lunar calendar. This year, the 10 days started Aug. 19 and ends today. Traditionally, each day of the observation includes listening to the sermon, praying and coming together as a community to share a meal. This year, to follow social distancing rules, the 30 families that make up the local Dawoodi Bohra community stayed at home and shared meals as a family. Food, and sharing it, is a big part of the community and the observation. This year, communal kitchens around the world put together meals for Dawoodi Bohra members during Ashara Mubaraka, including locally. The communal kitchen in Katy, where there is a larger mosque and a Dawoodi Bohra community of around 200 families, delivers lunch and dinner to members every day of the observance. We really try to spend these 10 days in prayers, but more likely revisiting everything thats happened, and revisiting those times, and remembering what was given up for us so that we can be better people and have a better life, Yamani said. This year were not able to do any of that. This year worldwide were following regulations of social distancing, were following the local regulations, wearing masks, good hygiene, keeping clean. Before Aug. 19, the Dawoodi Bohra community started preparing for the changes to this years observations. Decorations that would usually adorn the mosques and gathering spaces for each congregation were instead put up at home. A survey was sent out to see which members might need help with technology to be able to access the sermons each day, and those with more technological savvy set up other members who needed help. In the past, Dawoodi Bohra members who could not travel to the chosen location for Ashara Mubaraka would still observe at their mosque. This year, members cannot even do that. We were a little anxious in the beginning because we didnt know how this was going to play out and its a tradition thats been going on for years, hundreds of years of tradition that were now changing around a little bit, Yamani said. Were all making the best of it and at the end of the day, the rules are rules and we have to follow the rules of our country. While Yamani said the community was sad not to be able to observe as it usually would, there was still joy in being able to observe, even from home. Its a little difficult, and we miss it, we wish that we were together because thats what our community is all about, she said. jamie.swinnerton@chron.com [Editor's Note: This story originally ran in 2017, but with Hurricane Laura and other storms on the horizon amid this latest hurricane season, we felt it might help reinforce how business leaders can help each other and their communities in the face of natural disasters.] My logistics company, Jetco Delivery, is based in Houston. Not long ago, we would never have imagined enduring Hurricane Harvey, one of the most tragic national disasters in recorded history. Now, those who have been affected by Hurricane Irma, face the same devastation that we are experiencing in Texas. Leading my company through this crisis, I learned an important leadership lesson about devastation, and not just the physical devastation that we associate with these record breaking storms. Im talking about something less visible -- mental devastation. To lead through a catastrophe, ensure business continuity and a return to normal as soon as practical, we must have a plan in place to focus first and foremost on the human side of the crisis. The lessons I learned in the aftermath of Harvey transcend natural disasters and apply to any form of crises that breeds anxiety and insecurity. Here are a few words of advice for managing the mental devastation that results from catastrophe. Related: Here's How Richard Branson Survived Hurricane Irma and How He's Helping Others Understand that communities are in shock. Before you can adjust your leadership style to a catastrophic time, you need to accept this truth. An employee may have escaped the catastrophe unscathed, with his or her family safe and home intact. The employee was lucky. However, they may be worried sick about family and friends who were not as lucky. Moreover, the community is in a collective state of shock, which is impossible to escape. Our employees, our customers and our neighbors have been in fight or flight mode for several weeks. Everyone is exhausted and anxious, and that includes us. Until we understand that no one is OK, it will be impossible to adjust your leadership style and organize your priorities to manage through the catastrophe. Related: How Businesses, Including Apple and Amazon, Are Helping Victims of Hurricane Harvey, and How You Can Too Be present. Your employees need to see you, plain and simple. After Harvey hit, our leadership team cleared our calendars. No task or meeting was that important. Instead, we spent unstructured time in the office. We simply listened to what employees had to say. Team members needed to talk, ask questions, laugh and cry. Being there for your employees in this capacity is your primary function coming out of a catastrophe. Your task list is on overdrive. There are so many critical items that need to be addressed post-event, and I am not suggesting that you ignore these items. However, as you set your priorities, put your employees first and everything else will follow. If you cannot successfully create the proper environment for your employees, your chances of a smooth recovery are low. Related: Sound the Alarms: How Small-Business Owners Can Prepare for Hurricane Season Address financial hardship. Understand that many employees will miss work and therefore be unpaid during the catastrophe. Its easy to say that employees should use paid time off (PTO) to bridge the gap. Its easy to say that employees need to save on their own for a rainy day. Thats all fine, but in the real world many employees have insufficient PTO and have been unable to establish a rainy-day fund. Also in the real world, many companies cannot carry their employees if the company is not generating revenue. In our company, we offered emergency advances and other limited, appropriate financial measures. We stopped making employee loans years ago and instead engaged an outside company that is in the business of making low interest payroll advances. Have a solution in place for employees to immediately access funds for an emergency. Related: Why Every Small Business Needs a Backup and Disaster Recovery Plan Create your own relief program. Coming out of a crisis, employees are looking for answers. Become a resource. Point employees in the direction of where they can go for public or charitable aid. That said, charity begins at home. Reach out to your employees individually, one-to-one, to be sure they are safe. People need to know that you genuinely care. Then, raise funds and supplies for impacted employees. You can move faster than any agency to provide relief. Actions that we've taken included buying clothes, food and cleaning supplies, grocery store gift cards and paying for hotel rooms for people who lost their homes. This can be as simple or elaborate as youd like. The key is to genuinely show you care through your words and your actions. One of my employees commented, With so much help pouring in, we had less time to drown in sorrow and disbelief. I just want everyone here at Jetco to know that I am proud and honored to be a part of this family. Witnessing the passion and willpower to help others in need is a blessing. Related: 5 Steps for Managing Disaster Recovery for Your Business Create a shared mission. When a community is suffering, engage your team in the rebuilding effort. Ensure everyone has a stake in the process. I am in the trucking and logistics business. We volunteered trucks for many critical efforts, including delivery of life-boats, food and supplies for first responders. We volunteered because it was the right thing to do. In the process, we tied our team into the massive relief effort. This created a sense of pride among those who contributed. Stepping out into the community in a time of need and doing something was much more therapeutic than sitting home and watching the horrors unfold on the news. Image credit: Courtesy of Brian Fielkow Celebrate the heroes. We took time to recognize the leadership provided by those heroes who are helping the community rebuild. This brought the whole team into the mission. It let our employees and their families know that we answered the call when we were needed the most. This showed strength, continuity and commitment. The actions of our heroes created a safe environment for everyone to return to work. Everyone knew that the company was strong and everyone was uplifted because we were in the eye of the storm helping those in need. These actions speak volumes to your team about your values. Help the community however you can in a time of great need. Image credit: Courtesy of Brian Fielkow Make it safe to return to work. Employees may be reluctant to return to work after the crisis passes. As our businesses return to normal, we need our employees at work. For some time after the crisis, you must strike a balance. If you bark out an order that everyone must return to work, you may have your team members physically on the job but not mentally. Its important to communicate clear messages to your employees and their families. Allow extra breaks for team members to check in at home. Create a little more flexibility in hours. Be lenient with employees who may have been truly devastated by the catastrophe. By creating a work environment that simultaneously is empathetic and recognizes our need to restart the business, you will bring back engaged employees. Recognize that they are human beings first and employees thereafter. Taking a one size fits all approach is sure to backfire and possibly harm long term employee morale and loyalty. Related: Still Need PPP? This SBA Tool Will Match You With Lenders In 2 Days COVID-19 Is the 21st Century Disaster That We Cannot Mitigate With Yesteryear's Methods Free Webinar: Everything You Need to Know to Get Your Business Reopened Safely and Profitably Copyright 2020 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved Two workers at Brandons Safeway location have tested positive for COVID-19, according to the union representing workers there. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 27/8/2020 (511 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Advertisement Advertise With Us Two workers at Brandons Safeway location have tested positive for COVID-19, according to the union representing workers there. Another two workers are also self-isolating, according to United Food and Commercial Workers Local 832 president Jeff Traeger. "For right now, we are keeping an eye on this," he said. "We have been in discussion with the company to ensure the couple of avenues that people have to get paid are being looked after while theyre off and obviously we wish for a speedy recovery." When reached on Wednesday afternoon, Traeger couldnt say what departments the workers who tested positive work in due to privacy concerns, but said everyone at the grocery store has some contact with the public. Sobeys, the parent company to Safeway, has some of the most "progressive" health and safety protocols in place in the province, he said, and are good at jumping on new ones. Despite this, he said there is some concern about the cases creating a new outbreak. The outbreak associated with workers at Maple Leaf Foods Brandon plant also started with only a handful of cases. Traeger also warned against stigmatizing people working at either Maple Leaf or anywhere else with a confirmed positive case. Health officials have also warned against stigma, saying it is counterproductive. See Brandon Page A4 Brandon leads the province with 120 active cases "What were starting to see, and we saw it first with our Maple Leaf employees in Brandon, is theres a certain stigma in the community people automatically think they have COVID or are carrying it," he said. "We are watching it very closely and if there are additional cases this week well probably have a lot more to say." According to a memo sent through UFCW, the union was made aware of the first positive case on Monday and the second on Tuesday. The person last worked at the store on Aug. 18 and 20. Sobeys did not respond to a request for comment on the situation on Wednesday. Twenty-five new cases of COVID-19 were also announced in Manitoba on Wednesday, including eight in the Prairie Mountain Health Region. There are now 1,043 confirmed cases of the virus in the province and 363 in the local health region. One new case was announced in the Interlake-Eastern Regional Health Authority, seven new cases in the Southern Health Region and nine new cases in Winnipeg. Brandon continues to lead the province with 120 active cases. Another 109 people have recovered in the city. The current five-day COVID-19 test positivity rate is 3.1 per cent, but the high rate is affected by positive results from targeting known clusters, according to the province. The province also announced three new potential exposures to the virus in the Prairie Mountain Health Region, including two in Brandon. The first was on Aug. 18 and 19 at the GoodLife Fitness in Brandon between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. both days. Exposure may have also occurred at Coffee Culture on Victoria Avenue on Aug. 18 from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. The third was at the Foxtail Cafe in Wasagaming on Aug. 11 and Aug. 14 to 17 from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. There are eight people currently in hospital and one is in intensive care. There are 408 active cases of the virus in Manitoba and the number of deaths remains at 13. dmay@brandonsun.com Twitter: @DrewMay_ Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 18:54:07|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close By Tafara Mugwara HARARE, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Forty-nine-year-old Judith Kaseke has been selling newspapers at a busy intersection in Harare for the last 19 years. Before the pandemic, Kaseke used to sell more than 300 copies daily. Now she even struggles to sell 30 copies per day. Despite the plummeting of newspaper sales due to the pandemic, the mother of two keeps soldiering on to ensure that her customers continue to get their daily dose of the latest news. Newspaper distributors are among essential services providers that were a green light by the government to perform their duties smoothly during the ongoing lockdown. Kaseke said the lockdown imposed to stem the spread of COVID-19 is keeping many of her customers away. "Most people are working from home, which means the number of people buying newspapers has fallen drastically," she told Xinhua. "When the pandemic started we thought it was going to last for a short period of time. But as time went on we noticed that cases were increasing," she said. Apart from keeping her customers informed, selling newspapers have also enabled Kaseke to buy a piece of land in Harare and to send her child to university. Several newspaper vendors and distributors in Harare said sales have declined since lockdown was imposed. Ivene Kurarama, a newspaper vendor near Harare CBD said the demand for newspapers has been hampered by the lockdown drastically. "Our business thrives when there are many people on the streets. But since people are staying at home due to the pandemic, business is struggling," he said. Kurarama said many people who used to buy newspapers are now opting for e-copies instead. Those who still prefer hard copies are now circulating the same copy among several people to cut on costs. "Many people have resorted to sharing newspapers. One person buys the paper and then share it with four, five or six colleagues," he said. Kurarama said there is also a fear that newspapers are potential virus spreaders. "Other people are no longer buying newspapers because they say too many people handle the papers and they are afraid of being infected with the virus," he said. Another newspaper seller Lancelot Nyika said newspaper vendors face a grim situation. "Many companies slashed the number of people coming to work. Some of those people who are now working from home were our customers," he said. Newspapers were already suffering from falling sales prior to coronavirus. The transition to digitization has dealt a huge blow to newspaper sales, with more people preferring to read newspapers online. Zimbabwe's major print media outlets have dramatically expanded their online operations in recent years in an effort to increase income from internet advertising. Enditem CALGARY, Alberta, Aug. 27, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Athabasca Minerals Inc. (Athabasca, AMI or the Corporation) TSXV: AMI announces its financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2020. The Corporations financial statements and managements discussion and analysis (MD&A) are available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on the Athabasca Minerals Inc. website at www.athabascaminerals.com . The Corporation also announces the Annual and Special Meeting will be held on September 22, 2020. Robert Beekhuizen stated: In the second quarter of 2020, Alberta and the world faced ongoing challenges due to the continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although we are still cautious, there are signs of increased activity in certain industries in Western Canada for the second half of 2020. We also expect to operate with lower costs and drive toward our strategic initiatives. We are pleased with the continuation of our strategic initiatives including the announcement of the TerraShift Engineering acquisition and the continued progress with our pending joint venture partner on Front-End Engineering & Development of the Duvernay Silica Sand Project. In the second quarter of 2020, Athabasca reported consolidated revenue of $0.2 million ($1.0 million in Q2 2019) with improved total loss and comprehensive loss of $0.7 million, compared to a loss of $1.5 million in the Q2 2019. The Corporation implemented new health and safety policies and protocols in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Corporations business continuity plan incorporates government recommended practices with consideration of the health and safety of its employees, field operations, and customers. The Corporation and its subsidiaries have been able to safely continue operations. BUSINESS HIGHLIGHTS Athabasca Minerals reports the following key highlights in Q2 2020: TerraShift Engineering Ltd. (TerraShift) acquisition: TerraShift was a privately-owned company based in Edmonton, Alberta with proprietary technology that focuses on resource data, search intelligence and geospatial software that will further strengthen the functionality and capabilities of AMIs RockChain digital platform. TerraShift also brings technical services with highly efficient methods and streamlined approaches. The acquisition was predominantly a share-based transaction with two trailing payments and performance-based installments on the anniversary of closing; AMI RockChain: had minimum delivery of products as it was impacted by COVID-19; AMI Aggregates was impacted by lower activity due to COVID-19 as well as the economic downturn. Resumption of production out of Coffey Lake or AMIs other corporate pits is not anticipated until late 2020 / early 2021 without improvement to commodity prices and lifting of COVID-19 restrictions; AMI Silica, together with a pending industrial partner, issued a competitive tender to five pre-qualified contractors in Canada and the United States to update Front-End Engineering & Development (FEED) for its Duvernay Basin Silica Project, with the option to convert to EPC (Engineer, Procure, Construct) once the project is fully financially sanctioned and permits are received. AMI Silica aims at developing what it, and its bidders also regard as the one of the greenest silica sand processing facility in North America, based on unique synergies; and AMI continues to pursue strategic partnering and joint-venture relationships that will advance its industrial minerals growth strategies, diversify its revenue generation, and increase options for access to lower-cost capital funding. Fiscal Management & Reporting The Corporation has undertaken several financial initiatives in response to the COVID-19 pandemic: A $40,000 loan for AMI Silica and a $40,000 loan for AMI RockChain were secured through the Canadian Emergency Business Account (CEBA) program to support these businesses through the COVID-19 pandemic. These loans are interest free and require no principal payments until December 2022; AMI applied for the Canadian Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) program to assist its businesses through the COVID-19 pandemic. AMI has received subsidies totaling $105,120 as at June 30, 2020 from the CEWS program; Principal repayment of the $1,500,000 bank loan purposed for Coffey Lake Public Pit and the True North Staging Hub construction was deferred three months with interest-only payment terms, from May to July 2020; In an effort to preserve the Corporations cash position and employees during the COVID-19 pandemic and economic downturn, AMI implemented a 90/10 compensation program whereby 90% of base salary is paid in cash and 10% of base salary is paid in treasury-issued shares, effective June 1, 2020 for employees and management and retroactive to April 1, 2020 for directors. The Corporation will present the ESP Plan to Shareholders for approval at the 2020 Annual General and Special Meeting. The ESP Plan is subject to the final acceptance of the TSXV; AMIs cash position as at June 30, 2020 was $1.1 million free cash and $1.8 million restricted cash; and On May 7, 2020, Athabasca announced that it postponed the 2020 Annual General Meeting (AGM). The Corporation re-scheduled the AGM for Tuesday, September 22, 2020. With respect to COVID-19 pandemic and public health recommendations, the Corporation will be conducting the meeting through an in-person meeting along with a webcast. An amended notice of meeting, setting out the time and place of the rescheduled AGM, together with related meeting materials, will be sent to shareholders and filed under the Corporations profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com . FINANCIAL AND OPERATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS ($ thousands of CDN, Three Months Ended June 30 Six Months Ended June 30 unless otherwise noted) 2020 2019 2020 2019 Aggregate sales revenue $59 980 $548 980 Management services revenue 187 0 457 434 Revenue 246 980 1,005 1,414 Operating costs (174) (1,172) (791) (1,677) Gross (loss) profit (31) (276) 10 (409) Total loss and comprehensive loss (674) (1,311) (1,490) (2,368) Cash position 1,090 3,722 1,090 3,722 Net cash (used in) operating activities (609) (1,269) (958) (1,107) Loss per share ($ per share) Basic (.014) (.030) (.032) (.057) Fully diluted (.014) (.030) (.032) (.057) The quarterly decrease in revenue was a result of lower than aggregate sales revenue from AMI RockChain and no sales revenue from the AMI aggregates division. Management services revenue was also lower in the second quarter of 2020, with lower volumes sold from Coffey Lake. For the six months ended June 30, 2020, aggregates sales revenue was lower due to lower aggregate sales revenue generated by AMI aggregates division, offset by higher aggregate sales from AMI RockChain, there were no sales in the comparable period of 2019, when AMI RockChain was initiating its operations. For the six months ended June 30, 2020, management services revenue was comparable due to Coffey Lake revenue in 2020, versus Susan Lake revenues in the first six months of 2019. Gross profit (loss) for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020 was a loss of $0.03 million and gross profit of $0.01 million, respectively, compared to losses of $0.3 million and $0.4 million for the same periods in 2019. The Corporation has taken actions to adjust costs structures where possible, and as a result, even though revenues were lower for the three and six periods ended June 30, 2020 as compared to the same periods ended June 30, 2019, gross losses were reduced or eliminated in the three and six-month 2020 periods. The total loss and comprehensive losses for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020 were $0.7 million and $1.5 million, respectively, compared to a loss of $1.3 million and $2.4 million for the corresponding periods in 2019. Net working capital of $1.1 million as at June 30, 2020 (December 31, 2019: $2.8 million) which in managements opinion is sufficient to fund ongoing operations. The decrease in June 30, 2020 working capital as compared to December 31, 2019 was due to a decrease in cash, accounts receivable, and accounts payable and accrued liabilities, offset by an increase in the current portion of bank loans and other minor changes in working capital components. ANNUAL AND SPECIAL MEETING / INVESTOR UPDATE WEBCAST AMI will be holding its Annual General and Special Meeting (AGSM) at the Four Points by Sheraton Edmonton Gateway, 10010 12 Ave SW, Edmonton, Alberta on Tuesday, September 22, 2020. The Q2 2020 results will also be briefly discussed at the AGSM. Interested parties are welcome to follow the AGSM via webcast or conference call via the following (access to the webcast will begin 15 minutes prior to the AGSM start time): Date: Tuesday, September 22, 2020 Time: 9:30 am MT (11:30 pm ET) Webcast Registration: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81354574896?pwd=WkY2YmNQUHZOaWlPUWhmSjJXM1J5Zz09 Or https://www.athabascaminerals.com/ Phone: 1 587 328 1099 Canada A webcast link and related presentation material will be accessible on the Investors Information page of the Corporations website at https://www.athabascaminerals.com/ . A replay of the event will be provided at the same location following the event. ABOUT ATHABASCA MINERALS INC. Incorporated in 2006, Athabasca is an integrated group of companies focused on the aggregates, industrial minerals and resource sectors, including exploration and development; aggregates marketing and midstream supply-logistics solutions. Business activities include aggregate production, sales and royalties from corporate-owned pits, management services of third-party pits, acquisitions of sand and gravel operations, integrated supply/delivery solutions of industrial minerals, and new venture development. The Corporation is strategically focused on growing its three core business units: the AMI Aggregates division, the AMI RockChain division, and the AMI Silica division. Management is continually pursuing opportunities for sustained growth and diversification in supplying aggregate products and industrial minerals. Athabascas business is comprised the following three reportable segments: AMI Aggregates division produces and sells aggregate out of its corporate pits and manages the Coffey Lake Public Pit on behalf of the Province of Alberta for which aggregate management services revenue are earned. division produces and sells aggregate out of its corporate pits and manages the Coffey Lake Public Pit on behalf of the Province of Alberta for which aggregate management services revenue are earned. AMI Silica division is positioning to become a leading supplier of premium domestic silica sand with regional deposits in Alberta and NE British Columbia. This reporting segment encompasses all silica assets including Firebag, the Duvernay Project and the Montney In-Basin Project. division is positioning to become a leading supplier of premium domestic silica sand with regional deposits in Alberta and NE British Columbia. This reporting segment encompasses all silica assets including Firebag, the Duvernay Project and the Montney In-Basin Project. AMI RockChain division is a midstream technology-based business using its proprietary RockChain digital platform, associated algorithm and quality assurance & control services to provide cost-effective integrated supply / delivery solutions of industrial minerals to industry, and the construction sector. TerraShift Engineering Ltd. is a newly acquired entity of RockChain. It offers technology-based applications that support resource exploration and development, environmental and regulatory planning, resource management, compliance reporting, and reclamation for a growing customer base across Western Canada and Ontario. division is a midstream technology-based business using its proprietary RockChain digital platform, associated algorithm and quality assurance & control services to provide cost-effective integrated supply / delivery solutions of industrial minerals to industry, and the construction sector. For further information on AMI, please contact: Tanya Finney, Director, Investor and Stakeholder Relations Tel: 587-391-0548 / Email: tanya.finney@athabascaminerals.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. FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS Certain information set forth in this news release contains forward-looking statements including, but not limited to, the expectations for industry activity, management's assessment of Athabascas future operations and what may have an impact on them, financial performance, business prospects and opportunities, changing operating environment including the impact of COVID-19, future growth and profitability of the Corporation. This news release also contains forward-looking statements pertaining to the approval, implementation and success of the ESP Plan. Although the Corporation believes that the material factors, expectations and assumptions expressed in such forward-looking statements are reasonable based on information available to it on the date such statements are made, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements because the Corporation can give no assurances that such statements and information will prove to be correct and such statements are not guarantees of future performance. Since forward-looking statements address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual performance and results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors and risks. These include, but are not limited to known and unknown risks, including those set forth in the Corporations Annual Information Form (a copy of which can be found under Athabascas profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com) and in the Corporations most recent Managements Discussion and Analysis. Accordingly, readers should not place undue importance or reliance on the forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned that the list of factors is not exhaustive. Statements, including forward-looking statements, contained in this news release are made as of the date they are given and the Corporation disclaims any intention or obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. Pennsylvania lawmakers passed a budget that protects schools from state funding cuts, but that will not address the local funding shortfall. Thats why Congress needs to step up and do its part, while in the meantime our schools work to rise to the challenge. Congress needs to provide additional money to local schools in order to help districts deal with lost revenue and increased costs in an effort to improve outcomes for students. These are difficult and uncertain times. Especially now, it is critical that we support public school students. Congress has the power to provide a little more certainty to school districts for next school year by allocating more federal dollars to local districts. The U.S. Senate should follow the lead of the U.S. House by passing another round of COVID-19 relief funding that includes needed aid for state and local governments and public schools. Susan Rimby, Harrisburg, Pa. " " No one knows your child like you do. Follow her lead, and be honest with age-appropriate information regarding the event youre discussing. iStockphoto.com/Brand X Pictures What do you say to kids when a space shuttle explodes during its launch? Or when 3,000 Americans die in the World Trade Center during a terrorist attack? Or when a hurricane floods a city and kills more than 1,000 people? What do you say when there's a shooting in a movie theater, or when 20 students and six adults are shot and killed at an elementary school? It's inevitable kids will hear (or overhear) news of a tragedy from friends, another parent, or from a teacher. That's OK; you can't and shouldn't shield children from talking about the events in the world around them. You can and should, though, be proactive and be the primary source of information -- even when you may not know what to say. Advertisement It's important for parents to be in control the sources from whom their children get information about a tragedy. Parents have the opportunity to minimize kids' anxiety and fear about a bad situation if they are the ones who deliver the news. Curtail a child's exposure to media coverage about a tragic event -- and while that means turning off the TV, it also means controlling the information your children may see through other sources, such as social media. Repeated exposure to coverage of tragic events isn't healthy for any of us. Keep the lines of communication open with your child's teacher so you know that the information being shared in the classroom and the school is in tune with how your child is coping. If these big conversations feel overwhelming, you're not alone. One of the biggest hang-ups adults have when confronted with talking about tragedies with children is what to focus on. (Another hang-up: where to begin.) The secret? There are two, actually. First, calm yourself before you begin talking to your kids. Manage your own emotions as much as you can before you talk to them; you're probably keenly aware that they're tuned in to adult feelings, and you won't hide any anxiety, worry, fear, sadness or anger from them. Take a moment, no matter how brief, to tend to yourself first, and don't be afraid to be honest with a child about your feelings -- it's OK to admit to a child that you're sad or that you don't have an answer [source: NASP]. And what about when it comes to that actual conversation? Just follow their lead. Let's talk about what that means and tips on how to do it, next. The Ghana Committed Drivers Association (GCDA) has said former President John Mahama might as well legalise sakawa (fraud) if he wants to legalise the Okada business (use of motorcycle for commercial purposes). The groups leader, Mr Charles Danso, told Odiasempa Apomasu Mensah on Accra100.5FMs mid-day news on Thursday, 27 August 2020 that if the flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) insists on legalising the Okada business so as to create jobs, then, in addition to legalising sakawa, he should also legalise SIM box fraud. In his view, what would have been the point of the law against Okada if it is now legalised. According to him, the Okada business is even worse than fraud since it is killing and maiming a lot of people. The group had earlier held a press conference to express reservations about Mr Mahamas Okada legalisation intention should he be elected president again in the December 7 elections. According to the drivers, the Okada business is in contravention of the Road Traffic Regulations, 2012 (LI 2180) sub-regulations 128 & 84, which expressly prohibit the use of motorcycle or tricycle for commercial purposes. However, Mr Mahama, while on a campaign tour at Kpando in the Volta Region on Friday, 21 August 2020, promised the make the business legal. The former President said: I've been seeing young people who have finished school and they cant find a job and, so, they are looking for something they can do and many of our young people are riding motorcycles and transporting people from place to place, and we call them Okada. But in our law, it says Okada is illegal but Okada is a reality, it has come to stay, you can't stop it, and, so, I've suggested and I say when we come into office, we will legalise Okada but we will regulate it, Mr Mahama said. Mr Mahama has won the support of Okada riders in the Greater Accra region who have promised to support any government that supports their business. We call on our members and their dependents and clients and everyone who values the service we render to show up and vote massively for who has shown the care and not those who say one thing in opposition. And any other government that comes and is ready to support us, were ready to help them," the Public Relations Officer (PRO) for the Greater Accra Regional Okada Operators Association, Setsoafia Pascal, said at a press conference in Ashaiman on Wednesday, 26 September 2020. However, the drivers noted that: The preposterous argument made by former President Mahama that Okada has come to stay, so, it should be legalised, must be treated with the contempt it deserves. Who made it come to stay? Find below the full statement from the drivers: LEGALISATION OF ILLEGAL OKADA OPERATIONS. FMR PREZ JOHN DRAMANI MAHAMA MUST BE PROSECUTED FOR BREAKING THE ROAD LAW - FOR INTRODUCING AND LAUNCHING MAHAMA CAN DO (CAMBOO). Former President John DRAMANI Mahama has opined that he would legalize the use of motorcycles and tricycles for fare-paying passenger service popularly known as 'Okada' & Mahama Camboo should he be voted back into office as President. The Road Traffic Regulations, 2012 (LI 2180) Sub-regulations 128 & 84 states expressly; PROHIBITION OF MOTORCYCLE OR TRICYCLE FOR COMMERCIAL PURPOSES Sub-Regulation 128 128.1_ The Licensing Authority SHALL not register a motorcycle or tricycle to carry a fare-paying passenger. 128.2_ A person shall not use or permit a motorcycle or tricycle over which that person exercises control to be used for commercial purposes except for courier and delivery services. 128.3_ A person shall not ride on a motorcycle or tricycle as a fare-paying passenger. 128.4_ A person who contravenes sub-regulation (1), (2), or (3) commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine of not more than twenty-five penalty units or to a term of imprisonment of not more than thirty days or to both. Sub-regulation 84 COMPULSORY WEARING OF PROTECTIVE CLOTHING IN RESPECT OF MOTORCYCLE 84.1_ A person SHALL not ride or be a pillion rider on a motorcycle, motor tricycle or a quadruple cycle, or in a sidecar attached to a motorcycle, unless that person wears reflective clothing and a protective helmet that: 84(a)_ is specially designed for use in connection with the cycle, and 84(b)_ fits properly with the chin strap properly fastened under the chin. 84.2_ A person riding a motorcycle, motor tricycle or motor quadruple-cycle SHALL ensure that a pillion rider in or on the cycle who is younger than eighteen years old, complies with sub-regulation (1). 84.3_ A person who contravenes sub-regulation (1), (2), or (3) commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine of not more than fifty penalty units or to a term of imprisonment of not more than three months or to both. The aforementioned Road Traffic Regulations was passed in 2012 during the tenure of former President John Dramani Mahama as Vice President/President. That made the usage of motorcycles and tricycles for Okada and Mahama Can Do taxi operations illegal. In 2015/16, it can be recounted that former President Mahama expressly captured in the infamous 'Green Book of Achievements' that was written by the National Democratic Congress led by President John Dramani Mahama to prosecute the 2016 general elections; that they were going to use the tricycles dubbed as 'Mahama Can Do' to alleviate poverty in the then three Northern regions. A court action was instituted by Road Safety Advocates Ghana RoSAG, still pending albeit sine die in court, to stop the policy initiative. The breach of the regulation 128, right on the heels of its passage in 2012, when Mr Mahama was President tells you he is not law-abiding but just vying to become president again for his own parochial selfish interest and personal aggrandisement. The preposterous argument made by former President Mahama that okada has come to stay so it should be legalized must be treated with the contempt it deserves. Who made it come to stay? President Mahama cannot seek our votes to come back to power and tell us SAKAWA (internet fraud) is so pervasive and, therefore, must be legalised. Absolute drivel! All told, President Mahama has declared his intention to legalise the Okada menace and regulate it. What is the current ruling government saying on this subject matter? It may be recalled not long ago, taxpayers money was used by the Ministry of Transport on a nationwide stakeholders engagement tour, to solicit views on whether or not, the Okada operations should be legalised. As we write, there is a report on the nationwide stakeholders' engagements sitting in Cabinet to be deliberated upon. We have heard the former President Mahama! What is His Excellency President Nana Akufo-Addo take on this menace that is taking away lives needlessly? We keenly await his response with bated breath! God bless our homeland Ghana! Signed Charles Danso - (Chairman) Committed Drivers Association ---classfmonline NEW YORK, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- LogistiCare, the nation's largest non-emergency medical transportation company, today announced it is lacing-up with the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) as a National Multi-Market Sponsor of the Kidney Walk, which raises funds to support kidney health and improve the lives of the 37 million people in the United States affected by kidney disease. To help keep kidney patients, and those who care for them, safe during the national pandemic, this year's Kidney Walk has transitioned to a new, virtual format. "LogistiCare is committed to serving kidney patients it's part of who we are and what we believe," said Daniel E. Greenleaf, President and Chief Executive Officer of LogistiCare. "During the pandemic, our services have become even more important, helping safely transport people to dialysis and necessary healthcare appointments. Our most important role is serving and giving back, and we are proud to partner with NKF on the Kidney Walk and support the new virtual format." Kidney Walk LaceUp represents an opportunity for participants to come together in a time of isolation and demonstrate their shared commitment to the lives of kidney patients and their loved ones, while still staying safe during the ongoing pandemic. Walkers can join from their homes, backyard or local park and still help save lives. "Now more than ever, nonprofits need the support of our corporate partners," said Kevin Longino, CEO and kidney transplant patient. "COVID-19 has been devastating to kidney patients and we've been working nonstop to ensure they have access to safe dialysis and kidney transplantation, home dialysis, telehealth visits, and home lab draws, which are critically important to keeping our patient population safe. We're grateful to LogistiCare for their continued commitment to helping us protect kidney patients, especially during these challenging times." The Kidney Walk is the nation's largest fundraiser to fight kidney disease. Held in more than 70 communities, more than 55,000 walkers join NKF to raise more than $9 million to help kidney patients and their families each year. More than 81 cents of every dollar donated directly supports NKF programs and services. This year's new, virtual format will enable those sheltering in place or social distancing to still participate and raise critically needed funds for kidney patients. In addition to Kidney Walks, LogistiCare also holds an annual Service Day celebration that includes speeches and testimonials from patients battling kidney disease as well as doctors and representatives from the National Kidney Foundation. Over the past five years, LogistiCare and its employees have donated and raised more than $700,000 to help kidney patients. About Kidney Disease In the United States, 37 million adults are estimated to have chronic kidney diseaseand approximately 90 percent don't know they have it. 1 in 3 American adults are at risk for chronic kidney disease. Risk factors for kidney disease include: diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, and family history. People of African American, Hispanic, American Indian, Asian, or Pacific Islander descent are at increased risk for developing the disease. African Americans are almost 4 times more likely than White Americans to have kidney failure. Hispanics are 1.3 times more likely than non-Hispanics to have kidney failure. About Providence Service Corporation and LogistiCare LogistiCare, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Providence Service Corporation, is the nation's largest manager of non-emergency medical transportation ("NEMT") programs for state government agencies and managed care organizations. LogistiCare's services include NEMT ride management, call center management, transportation provider network development and credentialing, and vendor administration. LogistiCare is focused on providing access to convenient, cost-effective, safe and reliable transportation. LogistiCare delivers tech-enabled solutions that provide enhanced functionality, stronger network performance, streamlined workflow processes, and higher overall system efficiency. Annually LogistiCare manages over 63 million trips for more than 24 million eligible riders in 50 states and the District of Columbia. For more information about LogistiCare, visit www.logisticare.com. About the National Kidney Foundation The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) is the largest, most comprehensive, and longstanding patient-centric organization dedicated to the awareness, prevention, and treatment of kidney disease in the U.S. For more information about NKF, visit www.kidney.org. Facebook.com Twitter:@NKF www.kidney.org SOURCE The National Kidney Foundation (Natural News) Fox News host Tucker Carlson warned that the World Health Organization (WHO) is linking coronavirus to climate change. (Article by Dorothy Cummings McLean republished from LifeSiteNews.com) On his top-rated talk show last night, Carlson stated that the sweeping social and economic changes that have inflicted the world since the COVID-19 coronavirus lockdown will not end when a vaccine is developed. The World Health Organization says that finding the vaccine is not the goal, he said. Reordering society is the goal. Quote, We will not, we cannot go back to the way things were. Thats a direct quote from the leader of the World Health Organization, Dr. Tedros (Adhanom Ghebreyesus) who, by the way, is not really a doctor, Carlson continued, referring to the fact that Tedros doctorate from the University of Nottingham is in public health. According to Tedros, COVID-19 is really about global warming, said Carlson. The director of the WHO has stated that the COVID-19 pandemic has given new impetus to the need to accelerate efforts to respond to climate change. Carlson noted that billionaire Bill Gates wrote something similar in an essay he posted earlier this month. In the essay, Gates regretted that the pandemic will lead to only an 8 percent reduction in carbon emissions this year. Consider what its taking to achieve this 8 percent reduction, the influencer wrote. More than 600,000 people have died, and tens of millions are out of work. This April, car traffic was half what it was in April 2019. For months, air traffic virtually came to a halt, he continued. Whats remarkable is not how much emissions will go down because of the pandemic, but how little. Gates believes that the climate change death rate could be as high as the current death rate for COVID-19 (which he states is 14 per 100,000 people) in 2060 and by 2100 it could be five times as deadly. The billionaire also believes that within 10 to 20 years the economic damage caused by climate change will likely be as bad as having a COVID-sized pandemic every 10 years. Gates believes that COVID-19 contains a lesson about climate change. Health advocates said for years that a pandemic was virtually inevitable, he wrote. The world did not do enough to prepare, and now we are trying to make up for lost time. This is a cautionary tale for climate change, and it points us toward a better approach, he continued. If we start now, tap into the power of science and innovation, and ensure that solutions work for the poorest, we can avoid making the same mistake with climate change. Carlson objected to Tedros and Gates silence over the fact that China is responsible for both the Wuhan coronavirus and massive amounts of carbon emissions, scoffing that neither man would ever meaningfully criticize the Chinese government. The Fox News host believes that both men think of climate change and the pandemic as useful pretexts for mass social control. Both are essentially unsolvable crises that they can harness to bypass democracy and force powerless populations to obey their commands, he said. Carlson pointed out that Tedros and Gates do not get equally as upset about the epidemics of opiate abuse and suicide in the United States because such deaths are useless to them. Earlier in his monologue, the host noted that nobody in Virginia, which has asked for mandatory vaccinations against COVID-19, is asking for mandatory vaccinations against hepatitis, HIV, or meningitis, despite the fact that meningitis kills more college students than coronavirus does. Carlson observed that the coronavirus spread from China through Europe to every major city in the West, and that the WHO had done nothing to stop this and even spread disinformation. The lessons he takes from this are that globalism has risks and that the WHO is corrupt. Another major figure who has connected the pandemic with the physical health of the planet is Pope Francis. In his Wednesday audience last week, the pontiff stated that when the pandemic is over, we should not act as though it hadnt happened. Many want to return to normality and restart economic activities, he said. Of course, but this normality should not include social injustice and the destruction of the environment. The pandemic is a crisis and one does not leave a crisis the same: either we leave better or we leave worse, the pontiff continued. We should leave better, to ameliorate social injustices and the environmental decay. Read more at: LifeSiteNews.com She became the first person to make a whopping $1 million in a day on the X-rated subscription site OnlyFans by treating fans to racy clips, DMs, and exclusive pay-per-view video sessions for $20 a month. And Bella Thorne celebrated her success by enjoying dinner with Too Hot To Handle's Francesca Farago at Montey's steakhouse restaurant in Los Angeles on Wednesday evening. The former Disney star, 22, flashed her toned abs in a cropped bralet as she engaged in conversation with the reality star, 26, who recently fuelled romance rumours with the actress' ex Tana Mongeau. Night out: Bella Thorne celebrated her OnlyFans success by enjoying dinner with Too Hot To Handle's Francesca Farago at Montey's steakhouse restaurant in Los Angeles on Wednesday Opting for an effortlessly cool display, the thespian teamed her Naked Wardrobe bralet with matching ankle-grazing trousers and comfy monochrome trainers. The media personality toted a pair of circular-framed shades on her head, while sporting a protective face mask. Canadian beauty Francesca, meanwhile, opted for full-on glamour in a tiny black top, a bodycon skirt and platform heels. Similar to her pal, the brunette was also wearing a face covering and opted for minimal make-up. Looking good: The former Disney star, 22, flashed her toned abs in a cropped Naked Wardrobe bralet as she engaged in conversation with the reality star, 26 Close: The Canadian beauty recently fuelled romance rumours with the actress' ex Tana Mongeau, 22 (pictured in July) Their union may come as a surprise to some, as Francesca was recently rumoured to be dating her former partner Tana, 22. In July, the internet star took to social media to document her date with the online sensation and wrote: 'OK, so I'm dating Francesca now. Sorry, guys,' she said, while captioning the video, 'my too hot to handle girlfriends oops.' Bella ended her year-long polyamorous romance with Tana and rapper Mod Sun in February 2019. 'OK, so I'm dating Francesca now. Sorry, guys': In July, the internet star took to social media to document her date with the online sensation Split: The thespian ended her year-long polyamorous romance with Tana and rapper Mod Sun in February 2019 Meanwhile, Bella set a new record after signing up to OnlyFans on August 14, following in the footsteps of other celebrities like Cardi B, and went on to make $2 million by the end of the week. Known as a home for amateur porn stars to share exclusive content with their fans, the Florida native certainly raised eyebrows when she announced she was joining the adult platform earlier this month. The auburn-haired star has claimed her activity on the platform is all part of a movie she is researching, which will be a collaboration with filmmaker Sean Baker. Wow-factor! Meanwhile, Bella set a new record after signing up to OnlyFans on August 14, following in the footsteps of other celebrities like Cardi B Raking it in: For a $20-a-month subscription, her fans can get access to custom clips, DMs, and exclusive pay-per-view video sessions Turning up the heat: Since joining the platform, the Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip star has treated subscribers to bikini-clad clips 'It's a feature we are researching as I'm living it currently,' Bella told the Los Angeles Times on Tuesday. 'What are the ins and outs? What does a platform like this do to its users? What's the connective material between your life and your life inside the world of OnlyFans?', she added. The Shake It Up star said a potential film would explore the lifestyles and limits involved with being a performer on the site. Since launching in September 2016, OnlyFans has reportedly paid out more than $1 billion to creators, according to the company. The service currently boasts over 50 million registered users and 700,000 content creators. Rob Kardashian's ex Black Chyna, rapper Rico Nasty and Love and Hip Hop stars Safaree Samuels and Erica Mena have also created content for the site. Robert DuBoise, 55, has spent two-thirds of his life behind bars for the 1983 rape and killing of a woman in Tampa, Fla. He has always maintained his innocence, but any hope of reversing his conviction seemed to evaporate in 1990 when the evidence from his trial was destroyed as part of a routine procedure. Earlier this month, however, a prosecutor in Hillsborough County, Fla., made a startling discovery: The county medical examiners office had preserved rape kit samples in the case that were not used in Mr. DuBoises trial. DNA testing of the samples confirmed what Mr. DuBoise had long said: that he was not responsible for the rape and murder of the woman, Barbara Grams, 19, prosecutors said. On Wednesday, prosecutors said they had moved to free Mr. DuBoise by filing a joint motion with his lawyer to reduce his life sentence to time served. If a judge approves the motion on Thursday, Mr. DuBoise could walk out of Hardee Correctional Institution in Bowling Green, Fla., on Thursday afternoon, after 37 years behind bars. Facing pandemic, economic and political challenges, Iraq Government 'operating in the eyes of multiple storms at once' 26 August 2020 - The COVID-19 pandemic is aggravating deep-rooted economic, social and political challenges in Iraq, but elections in 2021 if credible - could open a new chapter for the Middle East nation after years of conflict and strife, the UN's top official in the country said Wednesday. Briefing the Security Council via video-teleconference, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaeret said that for important and painful reforms to take root, Iraq's political class must unite and put the nation's interests first in order to unlock a brighter future for all its citizens. "As I've said before: an environment that promotes inclusive growth and employment remains the best remedy against unrest, conflict and external interference," said Ms. Hennis-Passchaeret, who heads the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI). Presenting the Secretary-General's latest reports on UNAMI and on Kuwaitis and third-country nationals still missing since the 1990 Gulf War, she said that poverty in Iraq has grown by more than 10 per cent in recent months, with one in three Iraqis living below the poverty line. Iraq in the 'eye of multiple storms' More than 11 million school and university students have seen their studies disrupted by the pandemic, while gender-based violence has doubled amid dwindling options for victims to seek assistance and shelter, she said. Iraq's economy is meanwhile expected to contract by 9.7 per cent in GDP terms as oil revenues severely impacted by a global crash in oil prices have been cut by nearly half. Corruption remains endemic and the private sector has been particularly hard hit by job losses and reduced income. Dangers meanwhile persist for humanitarian workers in certain areas, as seen earlier in the day when a UN World Food Programme (WFP) convoy encountered an improvised explosive device on the Mosul-Erbil road in Ninewa governorate, she said. One WFP staff member was injured in the blast. Ms. Hennis-Passchaeret acknowledged that the Government led by Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi is "undoubtedly operating in the eye of multiple storms at once," even if the pandemic has somewhat muted social unrest. Early moves by the Government towards greater accountability, more robust support for freedom and assembly, and a tangible commitment to justice are encouraging, she said, adding however that more action is needed including investigations into deadly attacks on activists and human rights defenders. Short-sighted, zero-sum politics persist "Oblivious partisanship and short-sighted zero-sum politics continue to be major obstacles for progress, but to be clear, no party, person or entity must be allowed to hijack the legitimate demands of the Iraqi people," she said. She also pointed out that the Government operating in a challenging geopolitical environment is giving priority in its foreign affairs to State-to-State dialogue and relationship building. "I sincerely hope that Iraq will be given further room to focus on its domestic resilience, instead of being used as a venue for different power competitions," she added. Upcoming elections On elections, Ms. Hennis-Passchaeret who is also the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Iraq said that 6 June 2021 has been announced as the date that Iraqis will return to the polls. She stressed, however, that Parliament has yet to resolve crucial questions about the apportionment of legislative seats and the delineation of constituencies. Sorting out such details must be based on technical considerations, not partisanship, she declared. Equally important, she said, the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) must be strengthened and freed from the grip of political pressure, particularly in the selection of electoral personnel and developing voting procedures. She added that UNAMI stands ready to help the Commission develop a comprehensive voter registry, a transparent and reliable elections results system and a judicious framework for handing electoral complaints. "Restoring public trust is hard work, and within that context, free and fair elections will prove crucial," she told Council members. "An electoral 'reset' could open a new and important chapter for Iraq but for this to happen, the elections must be credible. This is the responsibility not only of the IHEC and the Government, but also of all Iraqi political actors and electoral stakeholders." Ms. Hennis-Plasschaert cautiously welcomed a recent agreement "albeit tenuous" between Baghdad and Erbil, capital of the Kurdistan region, on such issues as the payment of Kurdish public salaries, adding however that 15 years after the adoption of a fresh Constitution, it is time to clearly define the rights and obligations of both authorities. Another concern is the recent escalation in Iraqi-Turkish border areas, she said, urging both countries to resolve their differences through dialogue, cooperation and full respect for national sovereignty. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-28 02:03:31|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ATHENS, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Now is the best time to invest in Greece, said Greek Minister of Investment and Development Adonis Georgiadis during a meeting with a Chinese telecommunication company here this week. The Greek official was impressed by the firm confidence and positive attitude demonstrated by ZTE, a Chinese technology company that specializes in telecommunication, towards investing in Greece and urged for further cooperation, according to an e-mailed press release issued by the company on Thursday. As the world is faced with the challenge of the COVID-19, Greece won praise for the successful management of this crisis so far and is full of confidence in the future economic development, Georgiadis said. The Greek government believes that the innovation of digital telecommunication technology will play a vital role in the future and plans to issue a series of policies to improve the level of telecommunication infrastructure in the country and promote the development of its economy, the minister said, according to the press release. Georgiadis welcomed Chinese high-tech companies to participate in the construction of Greek telecommunications infrastructure, expressing the hope that ZTE can seize the opportunity to enhance the level of cooperation between the two parties in the field of telecommunications and digitalization. He also noted that thousands of Greek households are using the equipment provided by ZTE to access the Internet. On his part, Wang Jianbo, CEO of ZTE Balkan region, expressed ZTE's willingness to actively participate in the construction of Greek telecommunication projects. Enditem South Africa: Six held for stealing PRASA assets Six men have been arrested for the alleged theft of the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) assets, worth R5.5 million. The men were arrested during a joint operation by the South African Police Service (SAPS) and the agencys protection officers on Thursday morning. The operation started earlier today with PRASA security personnel following up on their investigation into theft of the agencys assets, mainly copper cables and signalling equipment, PRASA said of the Johannesburg arrests. Equipment used in illegal mining was also recovered. This is fuelling suspicion that elements involved in illegal mining, known as the zama-zamas, are now targeting rail infrastructure. Todays operation between SAPS and PRASA is part of ongoing efforts by the rail agency working with the police and other stakeholders to curtail the economic sabotage against its network, which has been ramped up during the lockdown period, PRASA said. The suspects are being held at the Florida police station. PRASA has called on the National Prosecuting Authority to prosecute the suspects under economic sabotage charges. The sabotage against PRASAs infrastructure is an attack on the country and its economy and it mostly affects low-income earners and the poor, who rely on passenger rail for affordable transport to and from work. PRASA further calls on members of the public to join the effort to preserve the countrys rail infrastructure by reporting incidents of sabotage against its infrastructure to the police, the agency said. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2020-08-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. WILLIAMSPORT A Potter County man was sentence Thursday to 20 years in prison and fined $1,600. The jail term of David Piaquadio, 63, will be followed by three years supervised release. U.S. Middle District Judge Christopher C. Conner called the case particularly disturbing citing evidence Piaquadio would sell half of the 100 to 120 oxycodone pills prescribed monthly for him and his girlfriend. The indictment charged him with obtaining more than 5,000 oxycodone and Percocet tablets and in excess of 180 fentanyl patches with a physicians prescription. Friends of Piaquadios say this is a prime example of how drug addiction can ruin a life. Between 1976 and 2006 he worked as a gas well driller, a weld inspector and for 18 years with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. After 2006 he worked for himself doing various things including painting. Friends described him as a loyal, dependable and generous person who took pride in his work. Due to multiple medical issues including chronic kidney disease, spinal stenosis, hypertension, facial nerve disorder, viral hepatitis and alcohol dependency Piaquadio was prescribed oxycodone and fentanyl. In 2012 he was introduced to heroin, which according to public defender Gerald A. Lord, he preferred over the others. Piaquadio began making trips from his hometown of Galeton to Williamsport to get heroin. By the time he was arrested in 2015 he was an active abuser of heroin and his prescription medicine, his attorney said. Piaqaudio was found guilty in a July 2019 non-jury trial of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and possession with intent to distribute oxycodone and fentanyl. One of the three distribution counts cites the March 2015 near-death of a man who obtained a fentanyl patch from him. Assistant U.S. Attorney George J. Rocktashel pointed out the prescription drugs were obtained through the Pennsylvania Medicaid program that is funded by the federal government. According to testimony prior to the imposition of sentence, Piaquadios life never was the same after a difficult divorce. He declared bankruptcy in 2014 but his son Chad bought his home where he had lived for 34 years. This is not the person David was for the majority of his life, a couple told Conner in a letter. 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. Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 21:22:08|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KIGALI, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Burundian refugees who fled to Rwanda due to security fears began returning to their homeland on Thursday in a voluntary repatriation process. The first batch, consisting of 500 refugees who spent five years in eastern Rwanda's Mahama camp, boarded dozens of buses as they began the journey. "In close collaboration with the government of Burundi and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), we have facilitated their voluntary repatriation from the Mahama camp through Nemba One-Stop Border Post," Olivier Kayumba, permanent secretary at Rwandan Ministry in charge of Emergency Management, told Xinhua in a telephone interview. The UNHCR has so far registered 1,800 requests from Burundian refugees at Mahama camp who are willing to be repatriated and the registration of repatriation continues across the country, said Kayumba, adding that Rwanda will continue to facilitate the voluntary repatriation. A group of Burundian refugees at the Mahama Camp wrote a letter in July to Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye, asking him to cooperate with Rwanda and the UNHCR to repatriate them to Burundi, as they no longer have to flee Burundi. Mahama, Rwanda's largest refugee camp with a population of about 43,500, was established to host Burundian refugees after they fled the home country since mid-March 2015 amid security fears and election-related violence. Since April 2015, 300,000 Burundians fled to neighboring countries, according to the UNHCR . Burundian government in recent years has been calling for Burundians who fled the country's 2015 crisis to return, saying the country is at peace, and many of them have voluntarily returned. Enditem The U.S. Department of Justice is asking New Jersey and three other states to provide data about orders that may have resulted in the deaths of thousands of elderly nursing home residents during the coronavirus pandemic. The department announced Wednesday it had sent letters to Gov. Phil Murphy and the governors of New York, Michigan, and Pennsylvania seeking the information. The departments civil rights division is considering whether to launch an investigation under a federal law that protects the rights of people in state-run nursing homes and other facilities, officials said. In addition, officials said the department is trying to determine if orders from those states requiring COVID-19 patients to be admitted back into to nursing homes is responsible for the deaths. Protecting the rights of some of societys most vulnerable members, including elderly nursing home residents, is one of our countrys most important obligations, Assistant U.S. Attorney General for Civil Rights Division Eric Dreiband said. We must ensure they are adequately cared for with dignity and respect and not unnecessarily put at risk. Murphys office noted that all four of the governors who received the letters from Republican President Donald Trumps administration are Democrats and that the news was released during the Republican National Convention. The fact that this request from the Department of Justice, sent only to four states with Democratic governors, was announced by press release during the Republican National Convention speaks volumes about the nature of the review, said Alyana Alfaro, a Murphy spokeswoman. Throughout the pandemic, the State of New Jersey followed CDC guidance and took numerous actions to protect residents of our nursing homes. We do not comment on investigative inquiries and will respond through the appropriate channels in due course. More than 7,000 of New Jerseys nearly 16,000 deaths related to COVID-19 have been of residents or staff members of nursing homes or other long-term care facilities. Thats among the highest death rates in the nation. Republicans and some irate families have repeatedly accused Murphys administration of sending residents with the virus back into nursing homes when they were released from the hospital. The governor has repeatedly pushed back against that, saying nursing homes were told that they could only accept patients with the virus if they were segregated from uninfected residents. He has argued that nursing homes that did otherwise violated the order. That talking point is myth, Murphy said Aug. 10. It mayve happened, but it was completely against our and (state Health Commissioner Judith Persichillis) directives. ... There will be a full review of every step we have taken but the directives about COVID positive patients or residents being reintroduced to facilities was black and white, crystal clear. And if folks violated it, they will pay a price. Persichilli released a memo on March 31 directing facility operators not to accept returning residents unless they had the room to cohort or segregate infected from uninfected residents, as well as ample staff and personal protective equipment. Within a week of sending the memo, 200 long-term care facilities contacted the health department to report they could not accept admissions under these circumstances, Persichillis spokeswoman Donna Leusner said. Leusner also shared a spreadsheet listing the names of nursing homes and assisted living facilities that said they could not accept residents back, and when they had declined admissions. Still, some nursing home employees and union representatives told NJ Advance Media at the height of the pandemic that they were forced to reuse soiled equipment like masks and wore tablecloths and garbage bags because protective equipment was in such short supply. CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Newsletter | Homepage According to state health department inspection reports, employees told investigators in April, May and June they had often took care of COVID-19 residents as well as uninfected residents at the same time. The federal justice department gave the Murphy administration 14 days to respond to his request for information. The office is seeking the number of cases of COVID-19 reported in long-term care facilities, the number of deaths attributed to the disease, the number of residents discharged from the hospital back to their facilities, and any memos or directives the state sent to operators. We have not reached any conclusions about this matter. In the Divisions many years of enforcing CRIPA, (the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act), the good faith efforts of state, county, or local jurisdictions working with us have enabled us to resolve many matters amicably, the letter said. State Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri Huttle, D-Bergen, the sponsor of a package of bills that would improve working and living conditions at nursing homes, said she believes transparency will enable states like New Jersey, which became the epicenter of the COVID-19 crisis to learn how to better respond if and when a second wave hits. It is my hope that any examination of our states response will yield a comprehensive and thorough analysis of what can be done better in the future, Huttle said in a statement. There is no room for politics when lives are on the line. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Susan K. Livio may be reached at slivio@njadvancemedia.com. Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. According to a Regional Meteorological Centre alert Thursday morning, the Capital is likely to see only light rain during the day. The forecast of rain has shifted to Thursday morning, said Kuldeep Srivastava, head of IMDs regional weather forecasting centre. Also Read: Heavy rain warning for NW, central India; Rain over Delhi delayed but likely today, says IMD Authorities in Delhi are also monitoring the water level in the Yamuna river. The water level has reached 203.7 metres, which is close to the warning mark of 204.5 metres. IMD has predicted intense spells of rain in many parts of northwest India between August 26 and August 28. Scientists explained that the monsoon trough (line of low pressure) is active, south of its normal position and likely to remain active for the next two or three days. Apart from this, there is a convergence of lower level south-westerly winds from the Arabian Sea over north-west India till August 28. In Delhi, the peak rainfall activity due to this will take place between August 27 and August 28. The Interstate Bridge between Portland and Vancouver will be narrowed to three lanes, down from six, beginning in two weeks so workers can replace part of the lift mechanism. Officials say the closure, which is scheduled to last nine days, will cause significant delays for commuters and travelers across the Portland metro area. The northbound span of the bridge spanning the Columbia River will be closed around-the-clock starting Sept. 12 as crews replace a key piece of the 100-year-old bridge that allows the drawbridge to raise and lower to accommodate river traffic. The southbound span of the bridge will carry all traffic during the $13 million construction project. During the morning commute, the span will have two lanes of southbound traffic and one lane for northbound vehicles. That arrangement will be swapped for the evening commute, when tens of thousands of Vancouver and other Clark County residents head home. The north and southbound travel lanes will be separated by a concrete barrier, which crews will move during the day to change the traffic flow. The speed limit will be lowered to 40 miles per hour on the bridge. State officials first spotted a crack in a trunnion on the northbound span, which functions like an axle and allows for the bridge to move up and down, more than two decades ago. Crews regularly monitor the crack to ensure it didnt grow. Oregon leaders said they deferred many big-ticket maintenance projects in hopes a new bridge would be built. When the Interstate Bridge replacement project known as the Columbia River Crossing collapsed, plans accelerated to replace the aging trunnion. The states project spending $282 million on bridge maintenance projects by 2040 if a replacement isnt built. Don Hamilton, an Oregon Department of Transportation spokesman, said freeway traffic is starting to return nearly to pre-pandemic levels and freeway users should expect considerable delays if they must use the interstate system. Hamilton said traffic is now down roughly 10% from levels a year ago, after plunging to more than 50% below traditional levels during the depths of the pandemic and stay-home directive. He said Clark County residents would likely be most affected. We expect more traffic on the Glenn Jackson Bridge, he said of the Intestate 205 span, which is another reason why people need to find an alternative [to driving]. More than 70,000 Clark County residents, historically, crossed the Columbia River each weekday into Oregon for work. Less-severe lane closures will extend past the planned Sept. 20 completion of the trunnion replacement. One lane of southbound traffic will close from Sept. 21 to Sept. 27 as crews remove the concrete median and other equipment from the bridge. Oregon and Washington co-own the bridge and will share the project costs. The northbound section of the bridge opened in 1917 and the southbound span was completed in 1958. The states recently restarted a lengthy project to reexamine plans to build a new bridge spanning the river. That project is in its infancy. -- Andrew Theen; atheen@oregonian.com; 503-294-4026; @andrewtheen Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Press Release August 27, 2020 Bong Go seeks passage of bills to enhance national housing program: 'every Filipino family deserves a decent home' Senator Christopher "Bong" Go pushed for the expedient passage of bills to enhance and fund national housing programs, and to provide accessible housing services for the homeless and underprivileged during a Senate Committee on Urban Planning, Housing and Resettlement hearing held on Wednesday, August 26. "Let me reiterate that the need for proper and adequate housing has been a perennial problem plaguing the country since time immemorial. I have witnessed first-hand the situation of our fellow countrymen sa pag-iikot ko at pagbibigay tulong sa mga nasunugan," said Go, who also sits as the vice chair of the said committee. "At dahil sa pandemic, nadagdagan pa sila ng bagong kalbaryo. Nakakaawa po sila. Bigyan po natin sila ng pagkakataong makamit ang kanilang pangarap na magkaroon ng kanilang sariling bahay," he added, emphasizing that every Filipino family deserves a decent home. Senate Bill No. 203, also called the National Housing Development, Production and Financing Bill, was filed by the Senator last July 2019. It seeks to generate and mobilize funds to increase low-cost housing production; provide support mechanisms to improve access to housing options; guarantee the development of a strong, sustainable, accessible and affordable housing finance system; and increase private sector participation, among others. The bill directs the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development to implement the component programs of the NHDPF program. The proposed measure cited data from the Philippine Statistical Research and Training Institute which estimates the country's housing demand will grow to more than 6.57 million units from 2017 to 2022. The institute projects demand will further rise to 22.6 million units by the end of 2040. Meanwhile, the population of Informal Settler Families in the country is also continuing to increase. There are nearly 2 million ISFs, as of 2019. Go stressed that limited appropriations have hampered the government's ability to provide millions of Filipinos with their basic right of shelter. Less than one percent of the annual national budget is put towards pro-poor housing programs. He stresses a large-scale program which can cut through the bureaucratic red tape and consolidate adequate resources is needed to implement the major components of the National Development and Production Housing Program. In his manifestation, the Senator also sought support for SBN 1227 or the Rental Housing Subsidy Program Act which he filed December 10 of last year. The bill seeks to provide families displaced by natural and man-made disasters with improved access to the formal housing market by offering a rental subsidy. Based on this proposed measure, the amount of the subsidy will be determined by the DHSUD. It will be a percentage of the total amount of rentals as determined by the rental or lease contract between the eligible beneficiary and the lessor. For eligible beneficiaries below the poverty threshold as determined by the Philippine Statistics Authority, the subsidy will be at least 50 percent of the total amount of rentals. The proposed measure also seeks to help displaced families sustain their livelihoods through skills and training programs to be offered by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority. Go cited data showing that the Philippines experiences frequent seismic activity and typhoons every year which destroy homes, livelihoods and lives. In 2013, the supertyphoon Yolanda displaced more than 4.4 million Filipinos or 1,143,332 families. The Senator expressed his support for President Rodrigo Duterte's call made during his fifth State of the Nation Address urging for the passage of the aforementioned housing measures which would "enable all Filipinos--regardless of social status--to live in decent homes". "Kailangan po natin matupad ang ating hangarin na wala dapat maging squatter sa ating sariling bayan. Gusto po natin na magkaroon ang bawat pamilyang Pilipino ng isang maayos at disenteng pamamahay. I commend the good Chairman of this committee for tackling these vital measures to alleviate our poverty-stricken countrymen amidst the pandemic," said Go. BOSTON, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Creatio (formerly bpm'online), a global software company that provides a leading low-code platform for process management and CRM, today announced that its CEO and Managing Partner, Katherine Kostereva, has been named one of the Top 50 SaaS CEOs of 2020. For the third consecutive year, The Software Report (TSR) recognizes Katherine Kostereva as one of the exceptional CEOs, selected based on nomination submissions from colleagues, peers and other software industry participants. Nominees were reviewed across a number of key areas including company performance, workplace culture, product strength and strategic decision-making, among other areas. They were most closely evaluated based on qualitative and substantive commentary provided in the nomination submissions. "As in years past, the awardees this year represent highly regarded CEOs whose colleagues both internal and external to their company praise their effective leadership style. And in many cases, we were impressed with the outpouring of support, respect and admiration from their employees," commented The Software Report. "It has become clear that to build a high performing organization supported by a constructive and enduring culture, the CEO needs to possess a unique set of rare skills," TSR added. "It is a great honor for me to be acknowledged by peers, colleagues and professionals in the SaaS industry," said Katherine Kostereva, CEO and Managing Partner at Creatio. "Strong leadership to help organizations navigate through challenging times is now more important than ever, and I'm humbled and proud to be recognized alongside outstanding CEOs in the SaaS industry that are driving business forward," she added. Under Katherine's leadership, Creatio has been acknowledged by a number of business experts and media outlets. The most recent recognitions are Top 100 Software Companies of 2020 by TSR, People's Choice Stevie Award in 2020 American Business Awards, SaaS 1000 Honoree by Saas Mag, and The Best Software Companies to work for in 2020, according to Glassdoor. About Creatio Creatio (formerly bpm'online) is a global software company providing a leading low-code platform for process management and CRM. The company has been highly recognized as a market leader by key industry analysts. Its intelligent products accelerate sales, marketing, service and operations for mid-size and large enterprises. Together with hundreds of partners Creatio operates in 110 countries worldwide. For more information, please visit www.creatio.com About The Software Report The Software Report (fka "The SaaS Report") is a comprehensive source for market research and insights, business news, investment activity and corporate actions related to the software sector. Based in New York City, the firm is run by a seasoned team of editors, writers and media professionals highly knowledgeable on software and the various companies, executives and investors that make up the sector. For more information, please visit www.thesoftwarereport.com Media contact: Vera Mayuk [email protected] 617.765.7997 SOURCE Creatio Related Links http://www.creatio.com Police in Boston are investigating a fatal shooting on Adams Street in Dorchester late Wednesday night, authorities said. Just prior to 10:45 p.m., officers responded to a report of a person shot in the area of 336 Adam St, police said. When officers arrived, they found a man suffering from gunshot wounds. The victim was taken to a local hospital where he later died. Police did not publicly identify the victim and provided no further details about the incident. The Boston Police Department continues to investigate the fatal shooting and has asked anyone with information to contact homicide detectives at (617) 343-4470. Information can also be provided anonymously by calling the CrimeStoppers Tip Line at 1 (800) 494-TIPS or by texting the word TIP to CRIME (27463). Anyone who needs emotional support or to talk with someone about distressing events can call the Boston Neighborhood Trauma Team (NTT) at (617) 431-0125 or visiting NTTs website. The following is the text of a statement from President Jonathan Nez and Vice President Myron Lizer of the Navajo Nation . The two leaders reached to the execution of Lezmond Mitchell by the U.S. government on the evening of August 26, 2020. This is a sad day for family members, relatives, and friends of two Navajo families and for the Navajo Nation as a whole. This evening, the U.S. Bureau of Prisons in Terre Haute, Indiana, carried out the death penalty sentence for Lezmond Charles Mitchell. We offer a prayer for strength and comfort for the Slim family for the loss of two precious lives, their grandmother and granddaughter. To carry this loss for the past 19 years is difficult and we trust they can now turn to healing their family. A prayer also for the Mitchell family who endured the consequences of their sons actions and now have lost their son. We wish there could have been a time for restoring peace and harmony for all involved in this tragic event, but we will not get that chance. The Navajo Nations position, from the beginning, was to advocate for the sovereign status of the Nation. Our decision not to accept the death penalty in federal cases remains a Navajo decision, but in this instance the federal government ignored the Navajo Nation. This is an affront to our Nation because we should be the ones to decide these matters. The federal government charged a crime that was added in 1994 to the Federal Death Penalty Act and blindsided the Navajo Nation by using this to sidestep the Navajo Nations position. We have a court system that is fair and just for all persons. We have laws that protect our People. We have brave men and women on our police force to watch over us. Crimes committed on the Navajo Nation are for us to decide. Our judicial and public safety system considers restorative justice in court cases as based on our custom and traditions of hozho and ke. Federal officials may not understand our family connections and our strength in keeping harmony. So, we invite them to meet with us and find an answer to address this important death penalty matter. The Navajo Nation asked for clemency in Mr. Mitchells case in changing his sentence to life in prison without possibility of release. This is the same request supported by U.S. Senators, U.S. House Representatives, Tribal Nations, and tribal organizations. But our collective voice was ignored. We dont expect federal officials to understand our strongly held traditions of clan relationship, keeping harmony in our communities, and holding life sacred. What we do expect, no, what we demand, is respect for our People, for our Tribal Nation, and we will not be pushed aside any longer. We thank the many Tribal Nations who supported the Navajo Nations stand on sovereignty, and we appreciate the Tribal organizations letters advocating for tribal sovereignty. We now call on all Tribal Nations and Tribal organizations to begin a dialogue on a respect for tribal sovereignty, respect for all Tribal Nation, and respect for Native Americans. We are moving forward in this fight and we ask all to join us. Join the Conversation Related Stories Cross-border dairy co-op Lakeland has reported sales of 1.03bn (880m) but warned of challenges ahead from Brexit and the impact of Covid-19. The Cavan-based firm collects around 1.05bn litres of milk from 1,250 farmers in Northern Ireland every year. It currently pays farmers 25.25 per litre, with bonuses for volume and quality. Lakeland said surpassing the 1bn mark for the first time meant that it had doubled group revenues in the past five years. Expand Close Strong performance: Michael Hanley / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Strong performance: Michael Hanley The co-op was formed last year when Lakeland Dairies merged with LacPatrick Dairies in Monaghan. It produces 240 dairy products, including catering portions of milk and butter, from eight processing sites and exports to 80 countries worldwide. Group chief executive Michael Hanley described the company's latest results as strong. "This is a positive outcome based on a strong and efficient performance across all operating divisions, Mr Hanley said. But he warned of challenges from Covid-19 and Brexit, with the closure of restaurants, workplaces and bars leading to a slump in demand for suppliers in the dairy industry. "The ongoing market disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic has put a significant drag on markets, particularly in the food service sector," the chief executive explained. "A lack of clarity on the shape of the trading relationship between the EU and the UK post-Brexit is of concern to us too, not to mention the ongoing global dairy supply and demand dynamic, which has a huge influence on international markets." The company recorded revenues of 881m across its four divisions of food ingredients, food service, consumer foods and agribusiness. The figure was up 147.4m on the previous year, an increase of nearly 28%. It also reported an operating profit of 17.53m - up by 1.73m. Revenues in its food ingredients division were 499.2m, up by 12.6%, following strong demand for products such as enriched powders and proteins. There were revenues of 204.4m in the food service division, and consumer foods division sales of 119.46m. Agribusiness reported sales of 61.91m. Company chairman Alo Duffy said: "This was a truly historic year for the dairy industry and the milk suppliers in the northern half of the island following the merger between Lakeland Dairies and LacPatrick Dairies in April last year. "The merger that we have collectively and cooperatively achieved has been a success. "This has enabled us to go from strength to strength and it is now instrumental in our capacity to deal with the current challenging times facing us all. "Based on our positive achievements and our continuing co-operative endeavours, you may be assured that we will meet any such challenges and many opportunities with an absolute and unwavering determination to succeed. "I thank each of our 3,200 farm families for the continued support of their society." The Liberals are not the only ones with problems. Labor was shamed into driving state minister Adem Somyurek out of his job and the party in June after he was filmed handing over cash and talking about branch stacking. The Liberal scandal looks small by comparison at first. Nobody filmed any Liberals taking cash from an ATM to pay for party memberships. The difference is the Liberal problems infect the federal government. Sukkar is one of the most senior ministers outside cabinet. And the revelations this week were about the misuse of federal money. At its heart, it is all about installing factional operators as electorate officers so they can collect salaries at taxpayers' expense while engaging in party work. Instead of working for constituents, they stack branches. That is against the law. Nobody is shedding tears over Bastiaan's departure. "He's been a toxic presence for years," says one Liberal. The departure of Bastiaan's baby-faced lieutenant, Alex Lisov, is not being mourned either. When Bastiaan described a colleague's wife as having a "barren womb", Lisov joked about her having "no family values". When Bastiaan asked about a $150 payment to recruit six members, Lisov showed he was fully aware of the trade. Loading This was doubly embarrassing for the Liberals because Lisov was elected vice-president of the Young Liberals two years ago. Remarkably, this gave him a seat on the party's federal executive alongside Scott Morrison and Frydenberg. He had to go. Nobody believes the trail ends at Bastiaan or Lisov. They were merely junior operators for those who wield power like Sukkar and the party's former state president, Michael Kroger. So the questions about Bastiaan's behaviour lead to questions about how Sukkar and Kroger allowed it or benefited from it. One of the party's most seasoned politicians, Kevin Andrews, looks diminished. If it is true he hired an electorate officer to do party work for Sukkar, then he paid a heavy price to secure numbers in his own seat and see off a likely threat to his preselection. Transactions do not come cheap when those who control branches whether by stacking or otherwise want something in return for their numbers. That is the problem with these operators. Every party has them. Every party needs them. But every party has to keep them in check so the party rules them and they don't rule the party. The timing is terrible for Frydenberg. He is making daily decisions about the pandemic while working on the October budget during two weeks of Parliament, after being in isolation for two weeks. It would be a miracle if he had time to fix the internal problems but it would be a mistake to leave them alone. Liberals are suspicious of a federal intervention. One of the targets of the branch stackers, veteran MP Russell Broadbent from the Victorian seat of Monash, says the state division cannot be made subject to the federal wing. Others say a federal intervention would undermine the state president, Robert Clark, who they regard as an honest leader who needs support to fix the problems. The fear among Kroger's long list of enemies is that an intervention would help him jockey for power. Loading So this is a mess for Victorians to sort out. On paper, the Treasurer has the authority to lead the Victorian division, just as Peter Costello did in the past. His status was decided two years ago this week when Frydenberg was elected deputy Liberal leader by 46 votes to 20 votes for Steve Ciobo and 16 for Greg Hunt a margin so great there was no need for a second round. But status is not power. Frydenberg knows the old lesson about political capital: use it or lose it. If he does not exercise his authority over the state squabbling, he only creates a vacuum for others to fill. Expansive premises to welcome students for Autumn intake, support internationalisation of higher education, as world embraces more globalised knowledge environment New facility reflects UOWDs commitment to excellence in teaching, research, industry engagement, student experience University of Wollongong in Dubai (UOWD), the first international university and the highest-ranked Australian university in the UAE, today opened the door to its state-of-the-art campus located at Dubai Knowledge Park. Set to welcome students for the Autumn intake in September 2020, the sprawling 200,000 square feet Campus of the Future aims to cater to the anticipated surge in international students as the world adopts a more globalised approach to higher education. Featuring a modern architectural design that combines traditional and innovative learning spaces, and fitted out with cutting-edge technologies to facilitate the teaching of the universitys best-in-class programs, the new campus is set to offer an enriching educational experience that meets the demands of todays student population. UOWDs new campus is also expected to support teaching staff and community research projects. The campus includes dedicated learning and meeting rooms, small classrooms that can accommodate up to 40 students, large classrooms for up to 80 students, an exhibition space, a recruitment lounge, a student lounge, an ultramodern auditorium and a cafe. The premises also houses laboratories specialising in chemistry, thermodynamics, manufacturing, physics, robotics, media and communications, cybersecurity, networking and gaming, to name a few. Professor Mohamed Salem, President, UOWD, said: UOWD has a 27-year history of academic excellence in the UAE and is a leader in the regional tertiary education landscape. Our new campus embodies UOWDs commitment to offering students the most advanced learning journey in the region, and reflects our passion for innovation in the field of higher education. As the world shifts towards blended learning and the digitalisation of the conventional education model, the launch of our new campus is particularly timely - incorporating traditional and modern teaching elements that are critical for todays students to excel. The heart of the campus belongs to the UOWD library that features collaborative learning spaces, traditional quiet reading and study zones, meeting rooms of varied sizes, and a student lounge designed as a casual learning space. Inspired by Australias veranda settings, the central atrium branches out through corridors into pockets of informal learning spaces. The buildings on the new campus feature large, open windows letting in vast amounts of natural light. The natural and organic materials leveraged throughout in designing the campus are ideal for impromptu meetings and get togethers. Through these adaptive learning spaces, the campus underscores the UOWD philosophy that learning can happen anywhere and at any time. University of Wollongong (UOW) ranks among the leading one per cent of universities in the world for the quality of its graduates and is a top 10 Australian university. UOWD is a member of UOWs global family of educational institutions and its curricula and teaching practices reflect those of UOW Australia. The accreditation from TEQSA Australia, Australias independent national quality assurance and regulatory agency for higher education, ensures that students graduating from UOWD have the option to receive their degrees from Dubai (UOWD) or Australia (UOW). All programs are certified by the Commission for Academic Accreditation (CAA) of the UAE Ministry of Education and the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA). About University of Wollongong in Dubai University of Wollongong in Dubai (UOWD) is the first international university in the UAE and the premier Australian university in the region. Established in 1993 by the University of Wollongong Australia, UOWD is accredited by the Commission for Academic Accreditation (CAA) of the UAE Ministry of Education Higher Education Affairs and the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) and is licensed by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA). Offering over 40 higher education programmes across 10 categories, the university has over 3,400 students and supports a network of more than 11,000 alumni. As part of its continued pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, industry engagement and student experience, UOWD will inaugurate its new purpose-built 200,000-square-foot campus at Dubai Knowledge Park in 2020. Featuring cutting-edge technologies, modern architecture, and a mix of traditional and innovative learning spaces, the campus will cater to the full spectrum of needs of todays student population. *Source: AETOSWire Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/52263746/en Hyderabad, Aug 28 : Perhaps for the first time in over 400 years, there will be no traditional "Bibi ka Alam" procession on 10th of Muharram in Hyderabad. With the Telangana High Court on Thursday refusing permission for the annual event in view of Covid-19 pandemic, the old city of Hyderabad will miss the historic procession taken out every year on 'Yaum-e-Ashura' or 10th day of Muhrarram. Thousands of Shia Muslims take part in the procession every year to mark the martyrdom of Imam Hussain, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad, in the battle of Karbala in 681 A.D. With religious gatherings remained banned under the Covid guidelines of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, the court refused to give permission for the procession. "Yaum-e-Ashura' is scheduled to be observed on August 30. 'Bibi ka alam' (standard) is carried on a caparisoned elephant as the procession with hundreds of self-flagellating mourners pass through parts of the old city including historic Charminar while thousands of people, standing on either side of the procession route, pay their respects. The leaders of Shia community had urged the Telangana government to allow the procession and had even moved the court. Shia leaders say the tradition was being followed for over four centuries and hence demanded that the authorities allow them to continue this. Bibi ka Alam is said to contain a piece of the sacred wooden plank on which Syeda Fatima, the daughter of Prophet Muhammad and mother of Imam Hussain, was given her final ablution before burial. It was said to have been brought from Iraq to Hyderabad during the Qutub Shahi period. The court, however, permitted carrying out of the alam on the condition that only 12 people will accompany it. "I have filed an affidavit in the court, submitting 12 names. The alam will be carried in a vehicle and not on elephant," said Maulana Syed Waheeduddin Hyder Jaffery. He said the court made it clear that a procession can't be taken out. It asked Hyderabad Police Commissioner Anjani Kumar to ensure that the conditions laid down by the court are followed by the organisers. "If the court order is violated, the Police Commissioner will be authorized to take action," he said. The Shia leader appealed to the community members to do 'matam' (mourning) in 'ashur khanas', or community spaces where Shia Muslims gather for mourning during Muharram, or at their respective homes. Installation of alams at ashur khanas will be allowed and people are being permitted to make the offerings while maintaining social distancing. Telangana has 11,866 ashur khanas, majority of them in Hyderabad. Some of these were built by Qutub Shahi rulers. The Badeshahi Ashurkhana, the oldest in Hyderabad, was built in 1594 by Mohammed Quli Qutub Shah, three years after the construction of Charminar, the symbol of Hyderabad. At a meeting called by Telangana's Minorities Welfare Minister Koppula Eshwar to discuss Muharram arrangements early this month, Shia leaders and legislator belonging to the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) had demanded that the centuries old tradition should not be disturbed. The officials, however, argued that the procession with elephants may attract large gathering. Last month, the authorities had not permitted Bonalu procession in the city in view of the Covid protocol. Every year, the traditional Bonalu procession is taken out on a decorated elephant, carrying 'ghatams' of Goddess Mahankali from Akkanna Madanna temple. As no permission was given for gathering of devotees, people celebrated the festival at their homes. Five persons from the temple carried the 'ghatam' in an auto-rickshaw from the temple and performed the annual rituals. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Israel said it had launched air strikes against Hezbollah observation posts in Lebanon on Wednesday, after shots were fired from across the border towards its troops the previous evening. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blamed the shooting on Shiite militant group Hezbollah with which Israel fought a devastating month-long war in 2006, and pledged a 'forceful' response to any further incidents. 'I advise Hezbollah not to test Israel's crushing strength,' he tweeted. 'Hezbollah is once again endangering the state of Lebanon due to its aggression.' Israeli artillery units are deployed in the north of Israel near the Israeli-Lebanon border on Wednesday. An Israeli army spokesperson said that the Israeli military launched air attacks on Hezbollah observation posts in the border area The border flare-up came hours after Lebanon rejected an Israeli call to reform the UN peacekeeping force which patrols the border, ahead of a UN Security Council vote to renew its mandate. 'During operational activity in northern Israel last night, shots were fired from Lebanon toward (Israeli) troops,' the military said on Twitter, after it had the previous night told residents around Manara, a kibbutz near the UN-demarcated border between the two countries, to take shelter. 'We responded with fire, & our aircraft struck Hezbollah observation posts near the border. This is a severe event & we remain ready to combat any threat to our borders.' Members of Lebanese military guarding the site of this month's blast at the Lebanese capital's harbour on Wednesday A UN watchtower in the Lebanese village of Mais el Jabal. The border flare-up came hours after Lebanon rejected an Israeli call to reform the UN peacekeeping force which patrols the border, ahead of a UN Security Council vote to renew its mandate Hezbollah's leader Hassan Nasrallah said on Wednesday the border flare-up was 'signifiant and sensitive for us', but refused 'for now' to comment on it. Lebanon's state-run National News Agency (NNA) had reported Israeli gunfire and flares around the village of Mays al-Jabal, just across the border from Manara. The Israeli army said 'troops deployed dozens of illumination rounds and smoke shells and responded with fire'. Afterwards 'attack helicopters and aircraft struck observation posts belonging to the Hezbollah terror organisation in the border area'. It reported no Israeli casualties. A Lebanese army statement said that the Israeli helicopters targeted centres of the 'Green Without Borders' environmental group in the village of Aitroun and near the villages of Ramya, Aita al-Shaab and Tal al-Raheb, firing more than a dozen missiles. Israel said in 2018 that the group is a front used to disguise Hezbollah observation posts. 'Hezbollah chose a very dangerous location from where to open fire at our forces close to, directly under, a UN position,' Israeli army spokesman Jonathan Conricus told reporters late Wednesday. An AFP video journalist on the Lebanese side of the border heard shelling on Tuesday evening and local residents reported flares falling around their homes. Lebanon's top security body, the Supreme Defence Council, decided to file a complaint to the UN Security Council over the Israeli fire into Lebanon, NNA reported. Manara was quiet on Wednesday morning, an AFP journalist reported. The Israeli army told residents they could resume work in the fields. A UN patrol drives past a Hezbollah flag and a concrete barrier in southern Lebanon on the border with Israel on Wednesday Israel and Lebanon are still technically at war, and the United Nations force, UNIFIL, is tasked with monitoring their ceasefire. Lebanon had on Tuesday rejected an Israeli call to reform UNIFIL ahead of a Security Council vote to renew its mandate. The incident also comes after Hezbollah announced at the weekend it had brought down an Israeli drone flying over the border. The Iran-backed militant group vowed in September 2019 to down Israeli drones flying over Lebanon, after two drones packed with explosives targeted its stronghold in south Beirut a month earlier. Set up in 1978, UNIFIL was beefed up after the 2006 war. The 10,500-strong force, in coordination with the Lebanese army, is tasked guaranteeing a ceasefire and Israeli withdrawal from a demilitarised zone on the border. The Tamil National Alliance (TNA), the Tamil bourgeoisies main party in Sri Lanka, obtained only 10 seats in the August 5 general elections, down from 16 in the last parliament. Its overall vote fell to 327,168, a sharp drop from the 515,963 votes it received in the 2015 elections. The TNA is a coalition of the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK), Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization (TELO) and Peoples Liberation Organization of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE). ITAK is the TNAs leading party. In the elections, ITAK leader and former parliamentarian Mavai Senadhirajah and its secretary, former Eastern Provincial Council member K. Thurairajasigham, were defeated. Other leaders are now seeking to grab the top party posts. To avert a further split, proposals have been made to appoint TELO and PLOTE leaders as TNA spokesman and organiser, respectively, ousting the current officials. Whatever patch-ups are made will not resolve the crisis erupting in the TNA. This is an expression of the bankruptcy not only of the TNA, but the entire Tamil bourgeois-nationalist perspective. In the November 2019 presidential election, the TNA promoted Sajith Premadasa, the right-wing United National Party (UNP) candidate, as a lesser evil against Gotabhaya Rajapakse, the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) nominee. Rajapakse is hated among Tamil workers and poor. As defence secretary under former President Mahinda Rajapakse, he presided over the final years of the bloody war against the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The Sri Lankan army ended the war in May 2009, crushing the LTTE by killing at least 40,000 civilians, according to the UN, and committing many further crimes. After Rajapakse won the presidential election, the TNA made an abrupt turn and declared its willingness to support his government if it agreed to make a constitutional change that would fulfil political aspirations of the Tamil people. TNA leader R. Sambandan said that the party must have a connection to those in power in Colombo. This turn to an official responsible for war crimes further fuelled popular anger against this party. The TNAs sharp rightward shift since the LTTEs defeat in 2009 is undeniable. After many rounds of talks with Mahinda Rajapakses government, it turned openly to seek US support for a political deal with Colombo while serving US imperialisms geopolitical interests. While strengthening military and strategic relations with India, Washington was turning sharply against China. Washington and New Delhi both supported Mahinda Rajapakses war against the LTTE and his anti-democratic rule. However, both were hostile to his growing relations with Beijing to obtain military hardware and investment. Washington wanted to bring Sri Lanka, strategically located in the Indian Ocean, under its sway. In the 2015 Sri Lankan presidential election, Washington covertly orchestrated a regime change operation to oust Mahinda Rajapakse, replacing him with Maithripala Sirisena. The TNA, together with the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and the pseudo-left groups, fully backed the operation. They cynically claimed Sirisena would bring good governance and improve living and social conditions. The TNA promised the new government would investigate human rights violations and rectify the social devastation caused by the war. It became a de-facto partner of the coalition government led by Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. Washington had no interest in TNA demands for power-sharing, however, but wanted the TNA to stabilise the Colombo regime, which it saw as favourable to its geopolitical interests. The TNA has obediently followed US demands throughout the past five years. Sambandan and Sumanthiran helped the Colombo regime suppress war crime investigations, block demands to free Tamil political prisoners, prevent the release of lands occupied by the military, and deny justice in disappeared persons cases. Moreover, the TNA collaborated with the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe regimes austerity programme dictated by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) despite continuous resistance from the workers and poor. Especially starting in 2018, united strikes and protests of Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim workers erupted amid an international upsurge of class struggles. This ultimately brought down the unity government in Colombo, further discrediting the TNA in the eyes of Tamil workers and poor. This election saw the collapse of the traditional capitalist parties that had alternately governed the country since formal independence in 1948Wickremesinghes UNP and Sirisenas Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP). Like their counterparts in Colombo, the Tamil nationalist parties fear seething the social anger among workers and poor as big business and the state intensify attacks on social rights amid the global COVID-19 pandemic. President Rajapakse is rapidly moving towards military dictatorship against the working class. The bourgeois parties are united in their fear and enmity of the working class. This also underlies the TNAs approach to Rajapakse. Significantly, all the Tamil MPs joined their counterparts in the parliament last Friday to approve the presidents policy speech without a vote. Responsibility for continuing communal discrimination and bloodshed against the Tamil minority, which is historically rooted in the colonial oppression of the island by imperialism, lies mainly with the Colombo elite. The Tamil bourgeois parties backed it with their own nationalist politics, however, creating one disaster after another for Tamil workers and poor. Over more than seven decades of existence, ITAK (the Federal Party), formed in a 1949 break-away from the All Ceylon Tamil Congress (ACTC), played the leading role in this. The ACTC, then a partner of the UNP government, supported its 1948 Citizenship Act, which abolished basic democratic rights of Indian-origin Tamil plantation workers, launching communal discrimination to divide the working class. Since then, ITAK has posed as a champion of Tamil nationalism while Colombo regimes intensified anti-Tamil campaigns. The great betrayal by the Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP) of the principles of socialist internationalism, by entering in 1964 into the bourgeois coalition government of Sirimavo Bandaranaike, which was based on Sinhala-Buddhist supremacism, strengthened the Tamil nationalist party. In the ensuing years, this paved the way for the emergence of Tamil militant groups, including the separatist LTTE in the 1970s. Moreover, the 1972 constitution gave priority to Buddhism and to Sinhala as the official language. The architect of this constitution was LSSP leader Colvin R. de Silva, a minister of the SLFP-led coalition government. In response, ITAK united with the ACTC in 1972 to form the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF). In 1976, its conference at Vaddukoddai, near Jaffna, passed a resolution reiterating self-determination and calling for an independent separate secular, socialist state of Tamil Eelam for the north and east. ITAK and other Tamil parties used Tamil nationalism to divide workers along ethnic lines. This only helped the Colombo elite and chauvinist groups Sinhala-communalist provocations that culminated in the three-decade civil war, which began in 1983. Today, ITAK, TULF, the LTTE remnants and the TNA, which was formed in 2001, all have a similar line: to bargain with the Colombo elite for greater power with backing from New Delhi and Washington, while ultimately conforming to US interests. This is the reactionary dead end of Tamil nationalism. The political struggle against the LSSPs Great Betrayal and against Tamil nationalism waged by the Socialist Equality Party (SEP) and its predecessor, the Revolutionary Communist League (RCL) since its inception in 1968, is well documented. Our struggle is based on the Trotskyist theory of permanent revolution. Democratic rights in countries of belated capitalist development can be secured only by a united struggle of the working class for socialist revolution on an international scale. The SEP fights for the internationalist unity of the Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim workers, demands the withdrawal of Sri Lankan forces from the north and east, and opposes dictatorship, war and inequality based on a socialist program. Its perspective is for a Sri Lanka-Eelam Socialist Republic as part of the Union of the Socialist Republics of South Asia and internationally. We urge Tamil working people and youth to study the unrelenting fight of the SEP and join and build this party. WASHINGTON U.S. Rep. Will Hurd on Thursday introduced a resolution that would enlarge Big Bend National Park. H.R. 8093 would allow the National Park Service to acquire land from willing private property owners via sale or donation to expand Big Bend by 6,100 acres, according to a release from Hurds office. Big Bend National Park is an iconic piece of America that shows our countrys beauty, history and incredible environmental value. With H.R. 8093 ... would provide protection for this land, but it would also give Americans even more area to respect and appreciate, Hurd said in the release. This boundary change would protect the very rare and unique Terlingua Watershed, some of the most important fossil bearing rocks in Big Bend and ruins of pioneer homesteads of both Anglos and Hispanics. I hope my colleagues will support this legislation that will preserve some of Americas most beautiful land for future generations to appreciate. Private landowner rights would not be affected by inclusion into the parks boundary and those who choose to incorporate their land would be able to partner with the park services on cooperative conservation partnerships, according to the release. Sen. Ed Markey, who often touts his efforts taking on the fossil fuel industry, the National Rifle Association and corporate and political interests that have blocked efforts to combat climate change, faces the biggest campaign challenge of his four-decade congressional career from U.S. Rep. Joe Kennedy III on Sept. 1. The 39-year-old Kennedy, a four-term congressman representing the 4th District, entered the race in September with a polling advantage and a fundraising edge in part due to name recognition former President John F. Kennedy and former U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy are his great uncle and grandfather, respectively. As the Democratic campaigns waged on, mostly virtually as the door closed on retail politics due to COVID-19, the race tightened and intensified, to the point where the issues of climate change, Medicare for All, the opioid crisis, and even racial justice and the pandemic have taken a back seat to bitterness and barbs between campaign leaders. As of Wednesday, the Kennedy campaign says U.S. Capitol Police are working with local authorities to boost security at the congressmans public events following persistent online death threats and harassment. Markeys team has disavowed any violent or harassing comments from supporters, and on Tuesday reported to the FBI a suspicious account that was hurling insults at Kennedy staff and backers. Both campaigns say the other was the first to go negative. On the issues, Markey, 74, has touted his leadership and ability to get things done. Hes cited longstanding efforts to combat climate change, including laws that improved fuel efficiency standards and reduced greenhouse gas emissions, and the Green New Deal he co-authored with U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, the young progressive who publicly expressed frustration with House Speaker Nancy Pelosis recent endorsement of Kennedy. The Malden senator has also pushed Medicare for All; criminal justice reform along with Sen. Cory Booker; helped secure funds to research a cure for Alzheimers; and advanced progressive policies amid COVID-19, joining Sen. Bernie Sanders and Sen. Kamala Harris on a proposal to give most Americans recurring checks of $2,000 throughout the pandemic. Kennedy, who has worked as a congressman on mental health and substance use disorder, homelessness and racial justice, has pitched generational change while making the case that hes more engaged with Massachusetts communities than the senator has been for years. He argues Markey primarily lives in Maryland near Washington, D.C., a charge the Markey team largely dismisses, citing heavy support from local leaders. Kennedy has also blasted old votes by Markey as poor decisions, including for the Iraq War and the 1994 crime bill that many criminal justice experts and lawmakers say led to mass incarceration of people of color. In the last televised debate on Aug. 18, Kennedy also critiqued one of Markeys signature bills, the Telecommunications Act of 1996, arguing it led to higher prices and left too many without broadband access. Markey countered that the bill provided thousands of jobs in the commonwealth. Kennedy has honed in on racial justice, highlighting the stories of two Massachusetts families including the father of a Black college student who was shot and killed by a police officer in 2010 who felt dismissed by Markey. The congressman also frequently noted that Markey opposed busing that desegregated schools in Boston four decades ago. Kennedy has also taken heat, however, for not disaffiliating sooner from Kappa Alpha, of which he was a member at Stanford University, over the historically racist legacy of the fraternity. Since the spring, the race has become a dead heat. The Real Clear Politics average of four polls since April show Markey and Kennedy deadlocked at 44.8%. One of the men will face either Kevin OConnor, an attorney for more than 30 years and a small business owner, or Shiva Ayyadurai, a provocative scientist and engineer who ran as an independent against Sen. Elizabeth Warren in 2018. The pair have sharply attacked each other, as OConnor advances a more traditional conservative approach to the campaign and Ayyadurai claims the primary election is where they screw you. OConnor told The Lowell Sun hes a stable actor who stands up for the rule of law and conservative values, while blasting Ayyadurai as a serial political candidate without the guts to debate me. Ayyadurai, meanwhile, at a Stop Forced Vaccination rally in Boston Common, recently painted his opponent as a fool no better than whatever fool wins on the Democratic side. OConnor, 58, says hes pushing to bring much needed change to the nations capital, noting in a recent video posted on Twitter that hes tired of the B.S. coming our way from Washington and that he would fight to stop the Democratic socialist agenda. As an attorney, OConnor has represented family-owned businesses and technology companies, and fought social justice and diversity cases, including representing renters against slumlords. OConnor notes on his campaign website that he is a strong supporter of the Second Amendment and law enforcement, arguing defunding the police is a bad idea. He notes, however, that the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis horrified me. America can not tolerate that kind of brutality. OConnor, who supporters term limits and will serve no more than two terms if elected, believes either Kennedy or Markey would spend far too much on socialized medicine, which would increase costs and reduce the quality of care. Born in India, Ayyadurai, 56, holds four degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. An entrepreneur and self-proclaimed inventor of email, he has made headlines promoting medically inaccurate claims and conspiracy theories. He mocks Gov. Charlie Baker as a king and pilloried Warren as a fake Indian. A video on his website purports to show how the Deep State has created a scam around the CoronaVirus. YouTube removed the video for violating the sites terms of service. In April he started a petition to fire Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nations top expert on infectious diseases who Ayyadurai claims has deep conflicts of interests with Big Pharma that has a singular aim: Force medical mandates e.g. vaccines upon all Americans. On his campaign website, Ayyadurai says the nation stands at the crossroads where we can either head into a Golden Age or into the Darkness. Incredible innovation and solutions, which have been created by everyday Americans, already exist for energy, education, health, affordable housing and much more, he said. What stands in the way are the old guard of career politicians, political hacks, lawyer-lobbyists and academics. Ayyadurai has proposed a host of legislation on a range of issues, including health care; decentralizing decision-making on immunization; and improving access to data of scientific research. He is an advocate of the Second Amendment, and says calls to defund or abolish police are a naked attempt to leave the American people defenseless. Related content: China is expected to expand the central bank's digital currency pilot programs to a broader range later this year or early in 2021, focusing on retail use. That may replace some functions of bank cards, a former State bank executive said. China is implementing programs to test the digital currency in Shenzhen, Guangdong province; Chengdu, Sichuan province; Suzhou, Jiangsu province; and Xiong'an in Hebei, with some facilities to be used during the 2022 Winter Olympics, according to the People's Bank of China, the central bank. The currency has been tested within a small scope and in some cases, such as payments of retail sales and salaries, and it has matured sufficiently to go public on a wider scale, said Li Lihui, former president of Bank of China. "But the pilot program is relatively limited right now, involving a small group of people. The trials' expansion may take more time; it would be a gradual process," said Li, who is head of the blockchain research group of the National Internet Finance Association of China, in an exclusive interview with China Daily on Monday. "Trials of the central bank digital currency may be expanded within the year or early next year, but whether it will quickly be introduced to the whole country still requires observation." One of the premises Li described is that the underlying technology and the whole digital currency system should meet certain standards, such as stable operation and applications that satisfy public needs. It would be accepted by a broader range of users when the digital renminbi really reaches market competitiveness, he said. Once the pilot program is expandedespecially in developed regions in China with a huge number of consumersthe digital currency system will have to be able to serve a "hypermarket" with a technology infrastructure processing data from users in a fast, highly secure and resilient way, he added. "If the pilot program started in the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions, the designers and supervisors would need to consider the corresponding institutional arrangements. If the digital currency is for cross-border use, a more complicated technology platform should be adopted to connect with outbound transaction systems." The digitalized renminbi issued by the PBOC is called the "digital currency and electronic payment", or DC/EP. Its goal is to replace part of the cash in circulation, the central bank said earlier. The central bank may coordinate with electronic payment service providers, such as Alipay and WeChat Pay, to promote the new digital renminbi at the initial stage, which is a way to save costs and have the form of payment more easily accepted by the public, Yang Dong, head of the Financial Technology and Blockchain Research Center of the Law and Technology Institute at Renmin University of China, told China Daily last week. From the design information disclosed earlier by the central bank, the DC/EP could eventually replace bank card business to some extent. While the DC/EP is expected to become one of the main payment instruments along with mature third-party payment platforms for a certain period of time, it will not replace them in the short term, according to Li. "The DC/EP will support offline payment, supported by "near field communication" technology, or NFC, which is a big breakthrough compared with online transactions and it doesn't need to be tied to any bank account. Another advantage is that the digital currency may support large-sum payment," he added. Before the currency is tested in a broader range, standards for digital currency technology, applications and market promotion should be created, tested and approved by a third-party certification body to steadily improve the experimental process, Li said. Efficient supervision "The regulatory authorities must issue rules and regulations to ensure efficient supervision of the whole system, which will require a longer period for preparation." Cross-border usage of the digital renminbi may require currency swap arrangements, depending on more complicated conditions, and the whole international financial system will be influenced by the birth of new central bank digital currencies, according to Li. "It will not be easy for the DC/EP to enter the international market, and it is not designed, as of today, for financial assets trading or cross-border investment." The investor announced that works on Phan Thiet-Dau Giay Expressway will begin within the year In order to implement the Phan Thiet-Dau Giay Expressway project, the investor will need an area of 412 hectares. As of now, the land clearance works at the three districts of Thong Nhat, Cam My, and Long Khanh are completed, with infrastructure facilities there being relocated to hand over the cleared site to the investor. Quoc Hung requested localities and related units to complete the site clearance and hand over the entire clean site before the end of September to the investor. Local authorities need to strengthen the mobilisation of workers to hand over the site to the project. At the same time, they will also closely coordinate with the Department of Natural Resources and Environment to solve problems in site clearance. With the length of 98 kilometres, the Phan Thiet-Dau Giay Expressway project is one of eight expressways recently approved by the prime minister to change from build-operate-transfer (BOT) to public investment. Four lanes will be built during the first phase, requiring a total investment of roughly VND14 trillion ($608.69 million). The expressway is part of the North-South Expressway. It will start in My Thanh commune in the south-central coastal province of Binh Thuan on Highway No.1A and connect with the Ho Chi Minh City-Long Thanh-Dau Giay Expressway in Thong Nhat district in the southeastern province of Dong Nai. Philadelphia, August 27, 2020 - A new study from the Center for Injury Research and Prevention (CIRP) at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) found that teen drivers and drivers 65 years and older - two age groups at a higher risk of being involved in an automobile accident - are more likely to be driving vehicles that are less safe, putting them at even higher risk of injury. The findings underscore the need for these groups to prioritize driving the safest vehicle they can afford. The findings were published today in the journal Traffic Injury Prevention. Both younger and older drivers face unique challenges in reducing their crash risk. Newly licensed drivers have the highest crash risk of any age group, and older drivers have the highest crash fatality rate of any age group, with many of these crashes related to physical changes in health. Additionally, drivers of all age groups living in lower-income neighborhoods are disproportionately represented in fatal crashes, and younger and older residents in those neighborhoods are more likely to face financial challenges in securing a vehicle with key safety characteristics than their peers in wealthier neighborhoods. One promising approach to reduce injuries related to crashes is to ensure drivers are behind the wheel of the safest vehicles they can afford. To better assess the risk presented to these vulnerable driver groups, this study adds important empirical data describing the extent to which they are driving vehicles with fewer critical safety characteristics. "Survey studies had previously found that younger drivers were more likely to drive vehicles that were older, smaller and lacked certain safety features, but there had yet to be a population-based study that really explored this question for different ages and income levels," says Kristi Metzger, PhD, MPH, a statistical scientist at CIRP and first author of the study. "To that end, we conducted the first large-scale study to estimate the prevalence of important vehicle safety criteria among a statewide driver population." The researchers analyzed data from the NJ Safety and Health Outcomes data warehouse, which includes all crash and licensing data for the state of New Jersey from 2010 to 2017. They then used National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Product Information Catalog and Vehicle Listing platform to decode the VIN of each crash-involved vehicle to obtain model year, presence of electronic stability control (ESC), vehicle type, engine horsepower, and presence of front, side, and curtain airbags. ESC is a key safety feature that helps a driver maintain vehicle control on curves and slippery roads and reduces crash fatality risk on a level comparable to seat belts. The study showed that teens and older drivers were more likely than middle-aged adults to drive older cars that did not have ESC or side and curtain air bags. Additionally, drivers of all ages from lower-income neighborhoods were less likely to drive newer, safer cars. On average, young drivers from lower-income neighborhoods drove vehicles that were almost twice as old as their peers from higher-income neighborhoods. Young drivers from high-income neighborhoods were 53% more likely to drive cars with side airbags, and older drivers from high-income neighborhoods were 35% more likely to have vehicles with side airbags than older drivers from low-income neighborhoods. "All drivers should strive to be in the safest vehicle they can afford, regardless of age or income level," says Dr. Metzger. "There are many vehicles available with key safety features that won't break the bank, some for less than $7,000." ### To learn more visit TeenDriverSource.org. This work was supported by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Award Numbers R21HD092850 and R21HD098276. Metzger et al, "Vehicle Safety Characteristics in Vulnerable Driver Populations." Traffic Inj Prev, online August 27, 2020. DOI: 10.1080/15389588.2020.1805445. About Children's Hospital of Philadelphia: Children's Hospital of Philadelphia was founded in 1855 as the nation's first pediatric hospital. Through its long-standing commitment to providing exceptional patient care, training new generations of pediatric healthcare professionals, and pioneering major research initiatives, Children's Hospital has fostered many discoveries that have benefited children worldwide. Its pediatric research program is among the largest in the country. In addition, its unique family-centered care and public service programs have brought the 564-bed hospital recognition as a leading advocate for children and adolescents. For more information, visit http://www.chop.edu Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati, joining local female politicians who have been complaining for months about online abuse, says hes tired of critics who post hurtful and harmful comments on social media. Diodati posted a two-minute video to his Facebook page Wednesday about social media etiquette. Unfortunately, social media is still ground for some hurtful and harmful behaviour, Diodati said from his city hall office. At the end of the day, were all human beings and it is OK to disagree, but it is not OK to disrespect. He said over recent months, it has been tense trying to navigate the pandemic. During that time, Ive been called everything from disgraceful, asshat, f---ing liar, misogynist, this guy is nuts, full of s--t, idiot, douchebag, reckless and corrupt, not a leader, a ducking donkey, a mini Trump, laughing stock and a complete joke, said Diodati reading from a list. Were better than that, and words have meaning. He said he realizes he was elected to be a leader and is passionate about being out front and taking it on the chin. But hate on my pages has to stop, and it will stop. Recently, St. Catharines city Coun. Karrie Porter outlined harassment she had been facing by an online troll. When Porter shared her concerns in a Facebook post, St. Catharines regional Coun. Laura Ip and St. Catharines city Coun. Lori Littleton were quick to show their support and share some of their own experiences, whether it be harassment on social media, email or phone calls. Diodati said while politicians recognize theyre open to criticism, they should not have to accept disrespect and hate. He said that goes for everyone not just politicians adding theres a segment of the population that suffers from mental-health issues and that words matter. This is absolutely not limited to political people but I figured Im going to use my platform to take a stand. Ip, who has been a target of misogynistic online attacks on several occasions during this term of council, said she doesnt believe most elected officials are looking for special treatment or for constituents to be extra nice to them, but rather ask for civility. She said while men in politics do have to deal with social media abuse, theres a very significant difference between the comments directed towards her, Porter, Littleton and other women in politics and what is directed at men. The comments that come my way are maybe even that much more extreme because my children are people of colour, Im a single woman theres a number of other factors that play into that, said Ip. But all of the comments that we get are always very personal in nature, and they stop just short of threats, they stop just short of something that we could involve the police in. What I have been experiencing has been near daily since getting elected. Porter said incivility seems to have become progressively worse during the pandemic. Some people have become more kind and more neighbourly and then other people are quick to anger, and theres a lot of frustration, she said. Porter said politicians dont want to ban people or delete comments from their social media accounts, but you have to draw the line somewhere and I think there needs to be a push back and people need to be accountable for the comments they make. The criticism is always welcome and encouraged and it should be in a democracy. But we have to draw a line somewhere and we have to keep talking about what that line is. Diodati said hes creating a social media neutral zone. This will be a safe space for those around us. And, no, Im not trying to be a suck, or avoiding criticism. In fact, I encourage constructive criticism. But enough is enough. In an interview, Diodati said he will no longer allow people to post hurtful, hateful, vengeful and venomous comments on his social media pages. If other people want to allow it on theirs, thats their business. But Im saying publicly, upfront, think before you hit the send button because I will delete your comments and I will block you. Diodati said that doesnt mean he will delete comments that voice opposition to him, as long as the criticism is constructive. (Newser) McDonald's says former CEO Steve Easterbrook covered up the number of sexual relationships he had with employeesand he may have also covered up misconduct by other executives. The company announced Wednesday that it was widening its investigation to include the HR department, which was led by Easterbrook's friend David Fairhurst. "The board will follow the facts wherever they may lead," the company said. It said an outside legal firm has been hired to investigate possible cover-ups. Sources tell the Wall Street Journal that Fairhurst regularly socialized outside the office with employees, and the company carried out an internal investigation in 2018 after an employee complained about "inappropriate physical contact" between Fairhurst and a subordinate at a holiday party where people were drinking heavily. story continues below Former managers tell the Journal that they felt passed over for promotions because they weren't part of an after-hours social circle involving Easterbrook, Fairhurst, and other execs. Fairhurst departed the company abruptly days after Easterbrook was fired last year. McDonald'swhich said at the time that his exit was unrelated to the CEO's departureadmitted Tuesday that he was fired for inappropriate conduct, reports the New York Times. McDonald's filed a lawsuit earlier this month seeking to claw back tens of millions of dollars in compensation from Easterbrook, saying he would have had to forfeit it if they had known about his relationships with at least three employees. The lawsuit said a search of his emails revealed "dozens of nude, partially nude, or sexually explicit photographs and videos of various women, including photographs of these company employees." (Read more McDonald's stories.) A colony of more than one million Mexican free-tailed bats make their home under a bridge in Austin, Texas, each year before flying south for the winter. The bats are one of the city's most popular visitor attractions, and they roost under the bridge, emerging each night to forage on insects. Researchers have noted that many bat and bird species that exclusively eat airborne insects have been on a rapid decline in recent years. To learn more about what's causing the loss of these species, a team led by Colorado State University Assistant Professor Kyle Horton will study migratory behavior of the Mexican free-tailed bats, tree swallows and purple martins over the next three years. The project is funded by the National Science Foundation, with $534,135 awarded to CSU. Horton, who is in the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Biology, said the dramatic population declines and the changing climate are driving the research. Scientists from the University of Oklahoma and University of Massachusetts will also take part in the research under this NSF project, which totals approximately $1 million. "This class of birds and bats is struggling, in part due to climate change, but also changes to habitats," he said. "It's a challenge to monitor these species, primarily because they spend most of their time in the air. This challenge, paired with the fact that these species are migratory, limits the number of tools available to see what's going on in the airspace." These three species will be tracked when they emerge from their roosts by using Next Generation Weather Radar or NEXRAD, a network of 160 high-resolution Doppler weather radars operated by the National Weather Service. Researchers will use data from NEXRAD to measure the causes and consequences of ecological change in the aerial feeding and group habits of the bats and birds. The team will also integrate environmental data from the NSF National Ecological Observatory Network -- known as NEON -- with the radar data to identify the drivers of changes in abundance, feeding, reproduction and other seasonal patterns. The massive data sets will be paired with one another to develop predictions of how these three species are changing at regional to continental scales, and in response to environmental changes. Roosting reveals a 'tremendous concentration of life' In places like Oklahoma, Horton said as few as five trees may house up to 25,000 birds during the roosting phase of migration. "It's a tremendous concentration of life," he said. "Luckily for us researchers, that activity gets detected by radar. We can measure the timing, determine how many birds are in the roosts and look at that information across 25 years." Horton and the research team will create an online portal that people can explore, to see where these roosts and bat caves are. "The roosts are spectacular," he said. "However, it's not widely known that folks can go out in various parts of the United States and see a million bats or thousands of swallows. We hope these tools will help connect the public to these phenomena." They will also teach a summer course for up to 30 people on the use of radar in research as part of the project. The class will be held on CSU's main campus, with an aim to train students and people working in state and federal agencies. Scholarships will be available for up to 10 students to travel to Fort Collins. ### Elizabeth Conley, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer Former presidential contenders Bernie Sanders and Beto ORourke are joining forces to hold a virtual town hall meeting this weekend to discuss fighting for justice in Texas. Racial justice, climate change and the nations response to the pandemic have been central to similar town hall sessions that Sanders has organized in recent weeks in other states like Wisconsin and Iowa. ZEISS IOLMaster software update enables greater cataract workflow efficiency to support better outcomes for surgeons and patients. - The Central Topography feature enhances the cataract workflow with more insights on central corneal shape. - ZEISS EQ Mobile streamlines the cataract workflow by allowing surgeons to transfer surgical planning data via the cloud to the operating room using their mobile device. - Barrett True K with Total Keratometry (TK) formula improves predictions for post-refractive surgery patients, with up to 12 percent more post-myopic LASIK patients within 0.5D compared to the classic K calculation formula(1). JENA, Germany, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- ZEISS announces new software for the IOLMaster 700, with enhanced features and connectivity designed to improve the cataract surgeons' workflow efficiency and support better outcomes for surgeons and patients. This latest software update includes Central Topography for more insights on corneal shape, empowers doctors to access surgical planning data on their mobile device with EQ Mobile from ZEISS, and offers Barrett True K with Total Keratometry (TK) formula. "ZEISS is dedicated to advancing eye care through the development of new and innovative solutions, like the enhanced software features of the IOLMaster 700," says Euan Thomson, PhD, President of Ophthalmic Devices and Head of the Digital Business Unit for Carl Zeiss Meditec. "With our comprehensive portfolio of ophthalmic solutions, we will continue to help make the cataract workflow a better experience for both surgeons and patients." Start the cataract workflow with more insights Cataract surgeons need data insights that enhance their workflow efficiency. Using the Central Topography software feature, surgeons can gain additional information and detect visually relevant asymmetries on central corneal shape with the standard ZEISS IOLMaster 700 measurement. Central Topography, a new feature based on Telecentric 3-zone Keratometry and SWEPT-Source OCT, improves the cataract workflow without needing extra measurements, extra hardware, or extra time - a more intuitive reading without changing the cataract surgeon's workflow. "Scaling and hues of the ZEISS IOLMaster 700 with Central Topography are optimized for easy and intuitive cornea checks," says Dr. Douglas D. Koch, MD, a co-developer of the Central Topography software feature. "I am amazed at how much information we get from Central Topography." Streamline cataract workflow with data access via the cloud When practicing at multiple sites, cataract surgeons need access to approved calculations in real-time. With the latest ZEISS IOLMaster 700 software, doctors can send their biometry data and scleral reference images via ZEISS EQ Mobile to CALLISTO eye from ZEISS for computer assisted surgery, streamlining the cataract workflow. EQ Mobile, a cloud-based connectivity option, accesses IOL calculation reports on the doctor's mobile device and allows them to transfer surgical planning data via the cloud to the operating room. "EQ Mobile has greatly simplified my cataract workflow, as it allows me to easily review and approve ZEISS IOLMaster 700 biometry measurements and IOL power calculations remotely on my mobile device, wherever I am," says Dr. Florian Kretz, MD, from Augenarzte Gerl, Kretz and Kollegen in Rheine, Germany. Improve predictions for post-refractive surgery patients with a new IOL power calculation With the rate of post-surgery cataract increasing among patients who previously had refractive corneal surgery, cataract surgeons are looking for ways to have fewer refractive surprises. To improve predictions for post-refractive surgery patients, the ZEISS IOLMaster 700 software update features the new Barrett True K with TK formula with up to 12 percent more post-myopic LASIK patients within 0.5D compared to the classic K calculation formula1. Barrett True K with TK formula uses ZEISS IOLMaster 700 TK without the need for online calculators and manual data input. The cataract workflow doesn't change, just the patient predictions. "As the Barrett True K with TK formula is fully integrated into the ZEISS IOLMaster 700 Barrett Suite, surgeons get all required measurements and calculation tools on board and do not need to manually transfer data to online calculators," said Prof. Graham Barrett from the Lions Eye Institute in Perth, Australia, and creator of the Barrett Toric Calculator. "This increases safety and efficiency in these usually difficult-to-handle cases of post corneal refractive surgery IOL power calculation." The ZEISS IOLMaster 700 software update 1.90 with Central Topography with CE mark is now available to most surgeons worldwide including U.S. markets. For more information about the ZEISS IOLMaster 700 software updates, visit http://www.zeiss.com/iolmaster-topo 1Lawless, Michael; Jiang, James Y.; Hodge, Chris; Sutton, Gerard; Roberts, Timothy V.; Barrett, Graham (2020): Total keratometry in intraocular lens power calculations in eyes with previous laser refractive surgery. In: Clinical & experimental ophthalmology 48 (6), S. 749-756. Brief Profile Carl Zeiss Meditec AG (ISIN: DE 0005313704), which is listed on the MDAX and TecDAX of the German stock exchange, is one of the world's leading medical technology companies. The Company supplies innovative technologies and application-oriented solutions designed to help doctors improve the quality of life of their patients. The Company offers complete solutions, including implants and consumables, to diagnose and treat eye diseases. The Company creates innovative visualization solutions in the field of microsurgery. With 3,232 employees (as of 30 September 2019) worldwide, the Group generated revenue of 1,459.3m in fiscal year 2018/19 (as of 30 September). The Group's head office is located in Jena, Germany, and it has subsidiaries in Germany and abroad; more than 50 percent of its employees are based in the USA, Japan, Spain and France. The Center for Application and Research (CARIn) in Bangalore, India and the Carl Zeiss Innovations Center for Research and Development in Shanghai, China, strengthen the Company's presence in these rapidly developing economies. Around 41 percent of Carl Zeiss Meditec AG's shares are in free float. The remaining approx. 59 percent are held by Carl Zeiss AG, one of the world's leading groups in the optical and optoelectronic industries. For further information visit: www.zeiss.com/med Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1244437/ZEISS__Biometry_Keyvisual_Analyze_Screen.jpg Albany, N.Y. Colleges and universities in New York will have to stop in-person classes and switch to remote learning temporarily if their coronavirus caseloads rise above a certain level. Schools must close if their cases increase above 100 or a number equal to 5% of their on-campus population of students and faculty, whichever is less, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said today. The schools must halt in-person classes, go to online learning for two weeks and then reassess whether students should return to classrooms. Students who are already on campus will be allowed to remain and take online courses from their dorms or apartments. Local health departments will also be involved. If they find a school cant contain cases, they could require continued remote learning or impose other control measures together with the state Health Department. During a halt to in-person classes, on-campus activity must be limited, athletic and other extracurricular activities must be suspended and dining hall options must move to takeout only. Even if schools remain below the threshold Cuomo announced today, they must still move to remote learning and limited on-campus activity if their ability to isolate cases and trace contacts of infected individuals is strained, the governors office said. Local health officials and the state Health Department can also both order colleges to suspend on-campus activities if they find a school is unable to control an outbreak, even if a campus is under the threshold Cuomo set today, his office said. We should anticipate clusters, Cuomo said during a conference call with reporters. When you have large congregations of people, anticipate a cluster. Be prepared for it. Get ahead of it. Cuomo noted that several colleges in other states have seen significant outbreaks since reopening. In recent weeks, the University of Notre Dame and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill were both forced to switch to remote learning after sharp increases in Covid-19 cases. Syracuse University last week placed 23 students on interim suspension after a large group gathered on the quad. The university overall so far has found low numbers of coronavirus among students and is currently reporting just 10 active cases and 23 recoveries. In the reopening plan SU supplied to the state, the school accounted for five different levels of spread scenarios, which would trigger five different reactions. The reactions would be dependent on both the number of potential exposures and the schools belief that contact tracing and containment could be accomplished. Among the considerations at 100 potential exposures, the school said it would consider limiting access to certain buildings and programs, moving classes online and restricting campus only to residential students. Syracuse said it believed closing would be appropriate if there were a significant amount of campus or community spread that could not be contained. Staff Writer Chris Carlson contributed to this report MORE ON CORONAVIRUS Coronavirus in NY: Cases, maps, charts and resources CNY hotel owners sue for insurance coverage: business down $6.5M, decimated by coronavirus Upstate NY casino workers plan more rallies to protest continued shutdown NY will not follow indefensible CDC change on quarantines, Cuomo says Complete coronavirus coverage on syracuse.com Contact Kevin Tampone anytime: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 315-282-8598 New Delhi: Actress Rhea Chakraborty has asked Mumbai Police for protection citing threat to her life and her family's. She has posted a video of her father Indrajit Chakraborty being mobbed by media persons outside their home in Mumbai and another clip of her building security guard, who was allegedly injured during the chaos. However, she deleted the video later. Rhea said that she is seeking protection so that the family can cooperate with the probing agencies in actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death case. "This is inside my building compound. The man in this video is my father Indrajit Chakraborty (retd army officer). We have been trying to get out of our house to cooperate with ED, CBI and various investigation authorities to cooperate. There is a threat to my life and my familys life. We have informed the local police station and even gone there, no help provided. We have informed the investigation authorities to help us get to them, no help arrived. How is this family going to live? We are only asking for assistance, to cooperate with the various agencies that have asked us. I request Mumbai Police to please provide protection so that we can cooperate with these investigation agencies. In COVID times, these basic law and order restrictions need to be provided," Rhea shared. The other video has her watchman narrating the sequence of events. She wrote, "He is hurt, he was hit by media. Media people have entered my building compound and hurt the security guards and my father. Is this not a crime? Who is responsible for this? Is there any law at all? Are we barbarians? Will the concerned authorities kindly take notice, there are children and elders living in this building too. Or is this the system we live in?" (Screenshot from the video Rhea posted earlier) Rhea Chakraborty is the centre of investigations in Sushant's case. She has been accused of abetment to suicide by Sushant's father KK Singh. She, her father Indrajit and brother Showik are being interrogated by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case while the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has launched a probe in Sushant's death case. Meanwhile, a drug conspiracy has also emerged in the case. The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has booked Rhea and a few others under various sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985. Sushant's father has also alleged that Rhea Chakraborty was giving poison to the actor for a long time and she is his "murderer". He demanded that the investigating agency must arrest Rhea and her associates and ensure that they face justice for their misdeeds. National leader of the Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania (UDMR) Kelemen Hunor told a news conference on Thursday that there are many reasons for his party's lawmakers to vote against the Orban government, but that there are also reasons to vote against the motion of censure. "I have called on the joint floor groups to convene on Monday at noon to discuss and take a decision before 14:00hrs, when the debate on the censure motion begins. (...) We will take into account the government's achievements. There are not too many. We have shown that there are at least 1,000 reasons to vote against the government, but there are also some arguments for not voting on the motion of censure. We will consider all these issues and make a decision. Judging by performance, the government should leave. If we look at everything that follows in the coming months, it is a matter that must be discussed very seriously and with great responsibility. On the one hand, it is no drama if, under normal circumstances, without a health crisis, the government leaves and there is a caretaker government until the elections. (...) But, if a caretaker government remains at this moment it would still do what a fully empowered government would do. I don't think there will be another government if the Orban government falls. (...) If the government falls, the Orban government will remain until December," said Kelemen. He added that now, before the elections, UDMR is not interested in any way in joining the government. Kelemen participated on Thursday in Cluj-Napoca in a meeting of the UDMR's Council of Representatives (CRU) that convened for the adoption of the regulation for the nomination of the UDMR candidates in the parliamentary election. AGERPRES . China has accused the United States of flying a U-2 spy plane within an area of airspace that is closed for China's military training exercises. The United States quickly denied the allegation. Spying on China On August 26, CNN reported that Wu Qian, a spokesperson for the Chinese Defense Ministry, made the accusation in a statement and added that the action of the United States could have resulted in misjudgments or accidents from the Chinese military forces. Wu said that the trespass affected the normal exercises and the training activities of the Chinese military and that the US military violated the rules of behavior for air and maritime safety between China and the United States. Wu added that the US also violated the relevant intentional practices and that the action could have resulted in accidents or misjudgments. Also Read: Malaysia Starting to a Acquire Drones and Manned Maritime Patrol Aircraft Against China Meanwhile, the U.S Pacific Air Forces released a statement and denied that the flight had entered unauthorized airspace and asserted that the United States would continue such flights as allowed under international law, as reported by The Wall Street Journal. The branch's statement read that the U-2 sortie was conducted in the Indo-Pacific area of operations and within the accepted international rules and regulations governing aircraft flights. Pacific Air Forces personnel will continue to fly and to operate anywhere that is allowed by international law. China's relations to the US The relationship between China and the United States have been deteriorating in the past months over numerous incidents, including U.S intelligence officials accusing Chinese researchers of hiding information about the COVID-19 pandemic from China's government. U.S intelligence officials also arrested a Chinese researcher who took refuge in San Francisco. U.S officials also ordered a Chinese consulate in Houston, Texas, to close down after determining it to be a part of a larger espionage effort that targets U.S companies. The decision of the Trump administration to close down the Chinese consulate in Houston was due to a spying accusation. Before that decision, the administration has sanctioned high-level Chinese officials, revoked Hong Kong's commercial status, and delivered several high-level speeches that are directed at China. Meanwhile, China retaliated by ordering the US to close its consulate in Chengdu. Trump has claimed to be tough on China since 2016, but he has often been friendly towards Chinese President Xi Jinping, praising him in his speeches months before the coronavirus pandemic. Only when the Trump administration failed to contain the virus have they pivoted to a hard stance, calling the virus "China virus" and blaming China for starting and spreading it. Just recently, President Trump also called for the banning of the famous social media platform TikTok, in fears of the app stealing personal information of its users. This, of course, is all allegations and no proof has been presented, as reported by The Guardian. The Chinese tech giant, Huawei, is also banned from the United States, with the Trump administration cutting off all of the company's resources to halt any plans of launching 5G technology in the country. This move is also in response to the alleged hacking and stealing of personal information of Americans. Related Article: Taliban Bomb Leaves Three Dead in Kabul, Afghanistan @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Description GIS 26 August 2020: A workshop on Suspicious Transaction Reporting, aimed at enhancing the level of reporting and the diversity in suspicious transaction reports by financial institutions and Designated Financial Businesses and Professions (DNFBPs), was launched, this morning, at La Pirogue Hotel, in Flic-en-Flac. The event is a joint initiative of the Ministry of Financial Services and Good Governance and the European Union Anti-Money Laundering/Combating the Financing of Terrorism Global Facility (EU Global AML/CFT). The Minister of Financial Services and Good Governance, Mr Mahen Kumar Seeruttun, and the Team Leader of the EU Global AML/CFT Facility project, Mr David Hotte, were present at the opening ceremony. Some 150 representatives of 50 institutions from the public and private sectors are participating in the workshop. In his address, Minister Seeruttun expressed gratitude for all the support and assistance provided by the EU AML/CFT Global Facility in the implementation of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Action Plan. He emphasised that Mauritius is committed to take actions that are required to address the strategic deficiencies in its AML/CFT system to protect the integrity of its financial system and by extension, the global financial system. It is Governments responsibility, the Minister stressed, to ensure that the financial services sector continues to prosper in a sustainable manner, contributes to economic development and provides adequate jobs for the Mauritian youth. In fact, financial institutions as well as the DNFBPs, comprising Compliance Officers and Money Laundering Report Officers, have a very important role to play, he noted. As such, they are called upon as partners, to lead the financial services sector to reach new heights in the countrys economic development, he said. Minister Seeruttun also underpinned the key role played by operators of the private sector in combating money laundering and the financing of terrorism. Private sector operators, he emphasised, undoubtedly constitute the first line of defense in detecting and reporting money laundering and terrorism financing activities. Speaking about Mauritius being placed on the List of Jurisdictions under Increased Monitoring by the FATF in February 2020, he underlined that Government has agreed to implement an Action Plan to address strategic deficiencies in the system to combat money laundering and the financing and proliferation of terrorism. Government has given a high-level political commitment to implement the FATF Action Plan and it is delivering and will continue to deliver on its commitment, stated the Minister. In addition, he highlighted that understanding the money laundering (ML) and terrorist financing (TF) risks is an essential part of developing and implementing a national AML/CFT regime. Thus, enabling countries to prioritise their limited resources and allocate them in an efficient manner, he pointed out. Mauritius, stated Mr Seeruttun, has completed its first national ML and TF risk assessment exercise and launched the public report in August 2019. The country has also adopted a national AML/CFT Strategy 2019-2022, to guide the implementation of a risk-based approach at national level, he indicated. Presently, Mauritius is in the process of finalising the ML and TF risk assessments of legal persons and arrangements and completing a review of Non-Profit Organisation sector to identify non-profit organisations which are at risk for TF abuse, said Mr Seeruttun. Moreover, the Minister emphasised that a higher level of effectiveness can only be achieved with the collaboration of financial institutions and the DNFBPs. For him, the onus of implementing the whole gamut of preventive measures which aim at ensuring that proceeds of crime and funds in support of terrorism are detected and reported, rests on these institutions. As for Mr Hotte, he underlined that modern AML/CFT systems recognise the aspects of policy and coordination, as well as preventive measures and their supervision. Officers from financial institutions and the DNFBPs form part of a critical pillar of the AML/CFT system, which is the reporting side, he observed. As regards the workshop, Mr Hotte recalled that it seeks to provide a platform for the sharing of experiences and best practices in reporting and disseminating reports on money laundering, terrorist financing and suspicious transaction. The Education Ministry secretary has said the Centre's stand with regards to the postponement of JEE Mains and NEET 2020 examinations remains the same and that it'll not rethink about delaying them. The decision of the Centre and National Testing Agency (NTA) to conduct JEE Mains as well as NEET exam in the midst of COVID-19 pandemic has been opposed by leaders and activists such as BJP MP Subramanian Swamy, Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik, and even the Swedish teen activist Greta Thunberg. Chief Ministers of seven non-BJP states are also planning to move the apex court against the decision. Also read: NEET, JEE 2020: Furore over exams, nationwide protests; all you need to know On Wednesday, around 150 academicians wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in support of the Centre's decision to hold the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) as well as Joint Entrance Examination (JEE). In this letter, the academicians stated that the dreams and aspirations of the country's youth cannot be jeopardised. They also blamed political ambitions behind nationwide agitations against JEE and NEET exams. These signatories include academicians from JNU, Delhi University, Jamia Millia Islamia University, Gautam Buddha University, Kerala University, Central University of Jammu, Central University of Haryana, Banaras Hindu University, CCS University as well as from international universities like Israel's Ben Gurion University, University of London, University of California and The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Also read: NEET, JEE exams 2020: Academicians write to PM Modi in support of Centre's decision More than 16 lakh students have already downloaded JEE and NEET admit cards as of today. Around 6.84 lakh students have downloaded NEET admit cards, while 7.41 lakh have downloaded JEE Mains admit cards. Xtalks Life Science Webinars In the wake of the 21st Century Cures Act, FDA has shown increased amenability to use of real-world data sources to identify patients for synthetic control arms in single-arm clinical trials. In a live session taking place on Thursday, September 3, 2020 at 10am EDT (4pm BST/UK) the featured speakers will frame the issues and articulate the common approaches to synthetic control arms in a manner that balances strategic aspects of research design with methodologic rigor on operationalizing the approach. Single-arm clinical trialsin which all enrolled patients receive active treatment and no one receives placebo controlhave long been acceptable to regulatory authorities in those instances in which inclusion of a control arm is either infeasible or unethical. These situations arise particularly in rare diseases and oncology. In the wake of the 21st Century Cures Act, FDA has shown increased amenability to use of real-world data sources to identify patients for synthetic control arms in single-arm clinical trials. The presentation will benefit professionals working with real-world data in clinical development, oncology and rare diseases, as well as those involved in medical affairs for clinical trials. Join industry experts David Thompson, PhD, Senior Vice President, Real World Research, Syneos Health and Craig White, PhD, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Outcomes Science, ConcertAI for an informative session that includes open question and answer discussion with the audience. For more information or to register for this event, visit Using Real-World Data in Single-Arm Clinical Trials: When Its Done, Why Its Done, How Its Done. ABOUT XTALKS Xtalks, powered by Honeycomb Worldwide Inc., is a leading provider of educational webinars to the global life science, food and medical device community. Every year thousands of industry practitioners (from life science, food and medical device companies, private & academic research institutions, healthcare centers, etc.) turn to Xtalks for access to quality content. Xtalks helps Life Science professionals stay current with industry developments, trends and regulations. Xtalks webinars also provide perspectives on key issues from top industry thought leaders and service providers. To learn more about Xtalks visit http://xtalks.com For information about hosting a webinar visit http://xtalks.com/why-host-a-webinar/ Contact: Sydney Perelmutter Tel: +1 (416) 977-6555 x 352 Email: sperelmutter@xtalks.com Everyone is welcome in Roma High School teacher Taylor Lifka's advanced English class, and that's the message she was trying to convey by hanging Black Lives Matter, LGBTQ and Spanish posters in her virtual classroom. But instead, she sparked controversy and was put on administrative leave. My assistant principal told me, Please take the posters down. I guess once that happened, I knew that it might be a rocky road, but considering being put on leave? I never really thought that that was going to be their first step, Lifka said in an interview with The Texas Tribune. SCHOOL NEWS: Two Texas A&M sororities now under chapter-wide quarantine after COVID-19 exposure While thousands of parents, students and community members showed Lifka tons of support and bashed the district for "punishing her," even creating a Change.org petition in her honor, Roma school officials said several parents and community members filed complaints about the Black Lives Matter and LGBTQ posters, the Tribune reported. Lifka said the situation kind of got out of hand when a screenshot of her virtual classroom that she posted to her personal account was shared to a pro-Trump Facebook group and further instigated by Republican Marian Knowlton, who is running for the District 31 state House seat. Knowlton has since deleted the post, but the Tribune reported that she accused the education system of "radicalizing" students and said Lifka's posters were an example of leftist indoctrination." Just two days after being placed on leave, Lifka was reinstated and told she could keep the posters up, but she told the Tribune she doesn't plan to return until the district vows to show support and understanding for anti-racist policies and tolerance in classrooms. "Why should a teacher be punished for creating a safe and inclusive environment for her students?" the Roma High School Student Council, which Lifka advises, said in a Facebook-released statement. Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-28 02:58:50|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis addresses the parliament in Athens, Greece, on Aug. 26, 2020. (Photo by Nick Paleologos/Xinhua) ATHENS, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- The Greek parliament ratified on Thursday the Greece-Egypt agreement on the delimitation of an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) between the two countries. The agreement passed with 178 MPs voting in favor during a roll call vote in the 300-member strong plenary, Greek national news agency AMNA reported. Another agreement on the delimitation of the Exclusive Economic Zones of Greece-Italy was approved by an increased parliament majority on Wednesday evening. Addressing the parliament on Wednesday, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said that the two emblematic agreements reached this summer resolve long-pending issues concerning maritime borders between states and establish "a new reality of peace and security," in the Mediterranean Sea. The two agreements were reached in a period of growing tensions between Greece and Turkey over maritime borders in the Eastern Mediterranean. Enditem A view from Wrexhams Member of Parliament This article is old - Published: Thursday, Aug 27th, 2020 Wrexham.com has invited Wrexham & Clwyd South Members of Parliament and Assembly Members to write a monthly article with updates on their work in their respective Parliaments and closer to home you can find them all here. Today, Wrexhams MP Sarah Atherton writes In recent weeks, you will all have seen the headlines of people perilously crossing the English Channel illegally into Dover. This is little more than the exploitation of vulnerable people by gang leaders, human traffickers and smugglers. 9 months ago, the people of Wrexham voted decisively in favour of the Conservative immigration policy and putting an end to the UK open-door system. What is now being introduced is a sensible Australian-style points-based immigration system, ensuring people who are legitimate asylum seekers, fleeing persecution, can come here safely to live and work. This will work in the interest of the whole of the UK and prioritises the skills a person has to offer, not where they come from. Our society has been enriched by immigration, no more so than here in Wrexham with our proud Polish and Portuguese communities, and we will always recognise the contribution of those who have helped build our public services, businesses, culture and communities. Having recently returned to the frontline to help at the Maelor Hospital in the fight against Covid-19, I have nothing but praise and admiration for the overseas clinicians who have come here to help support our NHS. The unacceptable boat crossings at Dover must stop now. pic.twitter.com/7g5PXdl382 Sarah Atherton MP (@AthertonNWales) August 18, 2020 Recently there was a protest outside of my constituency office in Wrexham, arranged by Unite the Union and supported by Plaid Cymru Councillors, lobbying for an increase in nurses pay. Whilst this is a devolved issue and the responsibility of the Welsh Labour Government, Id like to take the opportunity to reaffirm my support of our nurses and to thank them for their continued hard work and dedication. As a nurse, I will continue to use my experience and expertise to represent the profession in Westminster. I completely support the right to a peaceful protest. Im unsure why there is a protest outside my office, given I am clearly a strong supporter of the wonderful work that nurses do. Healthcare is devolved and therefore NHS pay increases are in the gift of the Welsh Labour Govt. pic.twitter.com/bRICL1jUn3 Sarah Atherton MP (@AthertonNWales) August 21, 2020 This has been a particularly busy few months for Wrexham businesses, who have had to adapt to the challenges that coronavirus has thrown their way. During recess I have visited a number of businesses and I am blown away by their dedication and adaptability. From the introduction of coronavirus safety measures to the adaptation of services they provide, Wrexham businesses have risen to the challenge. It was a pleasure to visit the Salon in #Holt today to to hear about how theyve adapted their services to life with #COVID19 pic.twitter.com/5wdNozHFFu Sarah Atherton MP (@AthertonNWales) August 25, 2020 The UK Government has provided a huge and unprecedented package of support for Wrexham businesses through this difficult time, including the introduction of the Eat Out to Help Out scheme, safely encouraging people back into pubs and restaurants; providing income support of 5,500,000 worth of Government grants for self-employed workers, to cover lost earnings; protected 9,500 local jobs through the furlough scheme; and has given 24,427,960 worth Bounce Back Loans for small companies in our area. This is an addition to the supplementary funding for Universal Credit and the extra 4.4bn given by the UK Government to the Welsh Government to support Wales during this pandemic. I will continue to lobby the Welsh Government to ensure that North Wales gets its fair share, and that it is spent appropriately and for its intended use. Finally we visited the @frisky_pudding where it was fantastic to hear how the @GOVUKs #EatOutToHelpOut scheme has been working so brilliantly! pic.twitter.com/TMuwYDsEn4 Sarah Atherton MP (@AthertonNWales) August 6, 2020 I was pleased to welcome a Special Advisor from the Prime Ministers Business Team to Wrexham to speak to local businesses, as part of the Governments levelling up agenda, allowing them to directly interact with the Government on policy that impacts their businesses. Over lockdown I have been pleased to have been able to correspond with so many #Wrexham businesses and offer any support I could. I am now thrilled we are returning to some form of normality and to start meeting businesses face-to-face again. https://t.co/SqgqK9qVyR Sarah Atherton MP (@AthertonNWales) August 25, 2020 As schools across the country start to safely re-open their doors, we have a moral duty to get our children back in the classroom, where they can get the education that they deserve. While the risk of contracting Covid-19 in school is very small, it is far more damaging for a childs development, their health and wellbeing to be away from schools for much longer. Britains Chief medical officers warned that children were more at risk of long-term harm if they did not attend school than if they returned to the classroom despite coronavirus. As always, if there is anything I can do to be of any assistance, please dont hesitate to contact me. T: 020 7219 4885 | 01978 291742 E: sarah.atherton.mp@parliament.uk Wrexham.com has invited Wrexham & Clwyd South Welsh and UK Parliament representatives to write a monthly article with updates on their work and closer to home you can find them all here. Beijing: China's military test-fired two missiles into the South China Sea, including a carrier killer military analysts suggest might have been developed to attack US forces, a newspaper reported Thursday. The DF-26B and DF-21D missiles fired Wednesday targeted an area between the southern island province of Hainan and the Paracel Islands, The South China Morning Post newspaper of Hong Kong reported, citing unidentified sources close to the Chinese military. The ministries of defence and foreign affairs in Beijing didn't immediately respond to requests for confirmation. Disputes over control of the South China Sea, one of the world's busiest trade routes, are a growing irritant in Beijing's relations with Washington and its southern neighbours. The Trump administration this year rejected most of Beijing's claims to sovereignty over the majority of the disputed sea, portions of which also are claimed by Vietnam, the Philippines and other governments. Wednesday's launches followed Chinese complaints that a US U2 spy plane entered a no fly zone declared by Beijing during a military drill off its northern coast. The DF-21 is unusually accurate and was dubbed carrier killer by military analysts who believe it was developed to target U.S. Aircraft carriers that might be involved in a potential conflict with China. Beijing has spent heavily over the past two decades on trying to develop missiles, fighter aircraft, nuclear submarines and other weapons to allow China to expand its military reach beyond its shores. The DF-26B was launched from the north-western province of Qinghai while the DF-21D was fired from Zhejiang province south of Shanghai on the east coast, The South China Morning Post said. The DF-26 is believed to be capable of carrying nuclear or conventional warheads. That would violate the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty signed by Washington and Moscow during the Cold War. The Trump administration cited China's development of the DF-26 and similar weapons when it withdrew from the treaty last year. PORTLAND, Ore. - Seventy-four people are now facing federal charges related to protests that have rocked Portland, Oregon, for three months since George Floyd was killed, the local U.S. attorney announced Thursday. The misdemeanour and felony charges include assaults on federal officers, arson and damaging federal property. Violent agitators have hijacked any semblance of First Amendment protected activity, engaging in violent criminal acts and destruction of public safety, Billy Williams, the U.S. attorney for Oregon, said in a statement. Portland has been gripped by nightly protests since the police killing of Floyd in Minneapolis. The demonstrations, often violent, usually target police buildings and federal buildings. Some protesters have called for reductions in police budgets while the citys mayor and some in the Black community have decried the violence, saying its counterproductive. Protesters and U.S. agents assigned to protect federal property in Portland clashed late Wednesday outside a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in another night of violence. Some people in a crowd of about 200 disabled or vandalized building security cameras, shined laser lights at the agents and threw rocks and bottles at them, Portland police said in a statement issued Thursday. A federal agent was injured after being hit in the leg by a rock, and police made 11 arrests, police said. Portlands FBI chief on Wednesday said he is shifting the agencys resources to focus more heavily on the protests. On Thursday, local prosecutors said they had resolved the first felony case related to the protests when the defendant pleaded guilty. Rollin Tristan Fodor, 18, entered the plea on a charge of first-degree arson and was sentenced to 45 days of time served, community service and three years of probation. As part of the plea, Fodor admitted he started a fire in an industrial-sized trash bin outside a beauty supply store near a police precinct during demonstrations on June 26. Mike Schmidt, Multnomah Countys newly elected prosecutor, has said he would dismiss lower-level, non-violent charges against hundreds of people arrested since late May during nightly protests. Felony crimes such as arson, however, will be prosecuted. ___ This story has been updated to correct that Portland police issued the statement about the Wednesday night protests Thursday, not Wednesday. A Toronto teacher is turning to dark humour to cope with fears over the Ontario governments back-to-school plan, creating a drinking bingo game from the education ministers most-used answers at his news conferences. Each time I think its going to be better, it ends up being worse, said Louisa Julius, a Toronto District School Board educator, referring to Education Minister Stephen Lecces education announcements. Julius calls Lecces press conferences monotonous and inactionable and drives up confusion and fear for teachers and parents with his non-answers. Its shocking how much he repeats the same talking points. Why not make fun of it when everything else is falling apart? said Julius, explaining the origins behind Lecce Bingo. Julius, who will be teaching grades seven and eight at a school in Scarborough, is terrified by the growing unanswered questions and health worries amid a changing back-to-school plan. The province has said that its strategy was founded on guidance from experts at Torontos Hospital for Sick Children and other institutions. On Aug. 5, Lecce said the provinces strategy is informed by the best medical and scientific minds in the country. We have been clear, we will never waver in our commitment to protecting the health and safety of Ontarios students and education staff, Lecce said in a statement earlier this month. That is why we are spending at record levels and taking all the necessary steps to ensure a safe return to schools in September. Julius is concerned by potential student trauma and its effect on learning. Julius points out trauma may be triggered by experiences such as students being told not to engage in, or reprimanded for, behaviour previously acceptable like hugging their friends. What kind of trauma is caused by your teacher dying and thinking you may have given them the virus?, Julius said. Other trauma may emerge from a constant fear of being in danger or endangering others with COVID-19, Julius said. The province is pledging $10 million for school boards to boost mental health services for students to help them cope with the COVID-19 pandemic. Greater Torontos 10 school boards are spending $4.5 million in provincial funding to hire additional social workers and psychologists and to set up mental health support programs for students as classes resume in September. But advocates say this one-time funding is not enough to address a worrisome spike in mental health challenges among children and youth due to COVID-19. Juliuss hope with the bingo game was to bring humour to the pain and suffering. It hurts my heart to know Im going to be there on the first day of school and look at all of my students and have to worry that most of my day is going to be spent protecting their lives and not teaching them the way I want to, Julius said. The all-drinks-welcome bingo came together with the help of Twitter users who replied to a tweet from Julius when the plan was in its infancy. Since the bingo game was shared on Aug. 13, its received positive responses on Juliuss Twitter post. Whoever put this together, Im buying them a drink! wrote Joy Henderson, a parent of three who shared her own concerns for the school year in the Stars Back To School Files series. Phrases and words that made the cut include: Zoom-style, de-risk, the right path, students deserve, ostensibly and robust. Players are encouraged to grab a beverage and take a drink every time he uses one of the words in a square. Get five in a row? Bingo! Others even added their own suggestions: You missed command table, Sarah Marie Wheeler posted. You missed best plan in the country! Jen Giffen tweeted. Lecces office didnt respond when asked for a comment about the bingo game by the Star. Julius taught French last school year, teaching or interacting with at least 150 students a day. Even with promises of smaller class sizes, Julius worries for the safety of students and colleagues. Personally, I hope everything is going to be totally fine . . . but nothing that we know about COVID is pointing in that direction. I look at all of this and all I can think of is that its a deliberate attempt to destroy public education, Julius said. Editors note Aug. 27, 2020: This story was edited to add details about the provinces back-to-school plans. Flash Iran has agreed to allow the inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) an access to two requested locations in the country, according to a joint statement by Iran and the IAEA. The agreement was made during a recent visit by the IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi to the Iranian capital Tehran. "Iran will voluntarily provide the IAEA with access to two locations specified by the IAEA and will facilitate the process of verification to resolve these issues," the statement was cited as reading by the official IRNA news agency on Wednesday. "The IAEA does not have any further questions to Iran, and it does not have further requests for access to locations other than those declared by Iran," the statement said. According to the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), the inspections will be made at two locations, near Shahreza in central Isfahan Province and near capital Tehran. Besides, Ali Akbar Salehi, head of the AEOI, on Wednesday confirmed the deal and expressed the hope that "the agreement would bring the case to an end." The agreement would hopefully open a new chapter between Iran and the IAEA, he said. Earlier in the day, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani urged the IAEA to adhere to what he called "independence, impartiality" in dealing with its professional responsibilities. Rouhani made the remarks during a meeting with Grossi in Tehran. On Tuesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said that Iran was willing to cooperate with the IAEA according to international regulations. Iran and the IAEA have always cooperated according to international commitments and in a technical and professional framework, Zarif was quoted as saying by IRNA. Zarif stressed that the existing differences would be resolved through mutual trust and cooperation inside the framework of the Safeguards Agreement regulations. The UN nuclear watchdog had demanded inspections for "possible" nuclear activities in the two locations and was waiting for Tehran's permission. On Sunday, Behrouz Kamalvandi, spokesman for the AEOI, said that Iran was not initially opposed to the IAEA's demand for inspection of two locations. However, the IAEA's questions must have been based on serious evidence and documents instead of "mere allegations," he noted. A member of the Iraqi counter-terrorism service (CTS) flashes the V-gesture as he stands near a rigged vehicle that was dismantled in Mosul after government forces retook control of the area from the ISIS terrorist group on Jan. 21, 2017. (Ahmad Al-Rubaye/AFP via Getty Images) Ontario Woman Faces Terrorism Charges for Alleged Attempt to Join ISIS An Ontario woman is facing two counts of terrorism charges, including attempting to join ISIS, after she was arrested by the RCMP on Wednesday following a lengthy investigation. Haleema Mustafa, 22, from Markham, has been charged with participation in activities of a terrorist group and leaving Canada to participate in activities of a terrorist group, the RCMP said in a press release. Mustafa appeared in court on Wednesday and was remanded in custody until Aug. 31. The RCMP believe Mustafa travelled with her husband, Ikar Mao, 22, to Turkey in June 2019. Mao, from Guelph, Ontario, was arrested and charged by the RCMP on Dec. 6, 2019, for an alleged attempt to join the ISIS terrorist group during the trip. Both are charged with the same offences. According to the law enforcement issues section of the federal governments website, while in Turkey the couple were detained by Turkish authorities near the Turkey-Syria border for suspected terrorism-related activity and were charged for being a part of ISIS. They were held in custody until their case was heard before the Turkish courts. Both were released without charge and returned to Canada in mid-October 2019. The RCMP says these extremist travellers are a significant concern. Canadian Extremist Travellers (CETs) continue to present a significant concern to law enforcement and intelligence services, having travelled abroad to engage in terrorism-related activities, said Superintendent Christopher deGale, the Officer in Charge of the RCMP O Divisions Integrated National Security Enforcement Team. While the RCMP and partner agencies coordinate efforts to identify and prevent individuals from departing Canada for this purpose, we also assess and respond to the potential threats that these extremist-minded individuals pose domestically and investigate them accordingly. As of April 29, 2019, there are 190 CETs remaining in Syria, Iraq, Turkey, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and North and East Africa, according to Public Safety Canada, noting they travelled there to support and facilitate extremist activities, and also participate in terrorist acts. Should Canadian extremist travellers return home, their experiences abroad and network of like-minded individuals could pose a security threat to Canada, Public Safety Canadas website reads. A librarian has revealed they did rearrange books behind Boris Johnson during a speech to form a covert message, but the message wasn't intended for him. Eagle-eyed social media users claimed the librarian at the school in Leicestershire, where the Prime Minister made a speech yesterday, may have deliberately placed books such as 'The Twits' and 'The Subtle Knife' in the background of the broadcast talk to Year 7 students. Now it has been revealed that the books were in fact a message, left by the school's former librarian. But the librarian, who left the role around six months ago, says it was actually intended for the school's bosses. Speaking to Huffington Post UK, the 48-year-old librarian, who asked not to be named, said: 'It's so bizarre, I actually feel a little bit sorry for the Prime Minister because it wasn't ever intended for him I did it as a message for the school management before I left in February. Did a disgruntled librarian take revenge on Boris Johnson today by displaying books with politically pointed titles behind him during his livestream speech? 'It just became untenable to carry on working there because of the lack of support I had and I was left with no choice but to resign. 'That's why I decided to leave them a big message during my last week. They obviously never actually noticed, and it went untouched for six months.' She added: 'It was a covert message that was plain for all to see, but it turned out that the people I originally did it for didn't see it but I think they've seen it now.' Bosses at the Apollo Partnership Trust, which has run the school as an academy since 2017, confirmed to Huffington Post UK that the member of staff in question had left the school in February 2020, that they were unaware of any 'covert message' and that the library had 'not been used in five months'. The Prime Minister was speaking at Castle Rock School in Coalville, Leicestershire, on Tuesday, where he told a roomful of Year 7 pupils at a Leicestershire school it is politically acceptable to sing Rule Britannia and ruled that Harry Potter is not sexist. Mr Johnson also told students how important it was they got back into classrooms in September during the speech, which was put on Facebook. But internet sleuths spotted books on display behind him with pointed titles and suggested that the librarian had used the moment to 'troll' the beleaguered PM. Lining the bookshelf were novels including Roald Dahl's The Twits, Philip Pullman's The Subtle Knife and Betrayed by PC Cast and Kristin Cast. Lining the bookshelf were novels including Philip Pullman's The Subtle Knife (left), Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 (centre) and Betrayed by PC and Kristin Cast (right) Also on the bookshelt were Gemma Malley's The Resistance (left), Exodus by Julie Bertagna (centre) and Neal Shusterman's The Toll (right) Also displayed were Hero.Com: Crisis Point (left), Glass Houses (centre) and The Twits (right) Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 - a dystopian novel about a future American society where books are outlawed - stood prominently behind the PM's shoulder. Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett, a novel about a plot by a secret brotherhood to overthrow a corrupt patrician and install a puppet king, was also in view. 'Never mess with a librarian': Books used to take a pop at Boris during his livestream speech to the nation 1. The Subtle Knife (Philip Pullman) Philip Pullman's 1997 second novel in the His Dark Materials series continues the adventures of Lyra Belacqua as she investigates the mysterious Dust phenomenon. 2. Fahrenheit 451 (Ray Bradbury) Fahrenheit 451 is Ray Bradbury's 1953 dystopian novel, presenting a future US society where books are outlawed and 'firemen' burn any that are found. 3. Betrayed (PC and Kristin Cast) Betrayed is the 2007 second novel of the House of Night vampire fantasy series, written by American authors PC and Kristin Cast. 4. The Resistance (Gemma Malley) The Resistance is a children's novel by Gemma Malley, published in 2008. Prior to the events of the novel, the world had become overpopulated due to a drug that lets people live forever. 5. Exodus (Julie Bertagna) Julie Bertagna's Exodus from 2002 is a story about dispossessed migrants who escape their island due to rising sea levels caused by global warming. 6. The Toll (Neal Shusterman) Last year's The Toll by Neal Shusterman is the epic conclusion to the New York Times bestselling Arc of a Scythe series, set against the backdrop of a dictatorship that puts a constitution to the test. 7. Hero.Com: Crisis Point (Andy Briggs) Andy Briggs' Hero.Com: Crisis Point, released in 2011, takes place in a world of superheroes, where the Hero Foundation is a shadow of its former self and supervillain Lord Oeon schemes to tear time apart. 8. Glass Houses (Rachel Caine) 2006's Glass Houses by Rachel Caine is a young adult urban fantasy/vampire novel which revolves around Claire Danvers, a student at Texas Prairie University, and her housemates in the vampire-controlled city of Morganville, Texas. While the mayor of Morganville is human, the town is actually run in cooperation with a group of vampires. 9. The Twits (Roald Dahl) Roald Dahl and Quentin Blake's witty book The Twits, published in 1980, is about a hideous, vindictive, spiteful couple who live together in a brick house without windows. They play nasty practical jokes on each other out of hatred for one another. 10. Guards! Guards! (Terry Pratchett) Terry Pratchett's Guards! Guards!, from 1989, is about a plot by a secret brotherhood to overthrow a corrupt patrician and install a puppet king. 11. The Lord Of The Rings (JRR Tolkien) Tolkien's classic mythology The Lord Of The Rings (1954) follows hobbits sent on a quest to destroy the One Ring and bring the terror posed by the Dark Lord Sauron to a final end. Advertisement Fifth along the bookshelf was Julie Bertagna's Exodus, a story about dispossessed migrants who escape their island due to rising sea levels caused by global warming. Also displayed behind the PM was Hero.Com: Crisis Point, a novel in Andy Briggs' series where 'super powers carry super responsibilities'. Rachel Caine's vampire novel Glass Houses stood second from the right, with some suggesting it could be a reference to the proverb 'those who live in glass houses should not throw stones' - itself a comment on the PM's criticism of Ofqual. And Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist - famous for its line 'Please, sir, I want some more' - may have been placed just to the left of Mr Johnson to remind people of this Government's free school meals U-turn earlier this year. Twitter accounts lined up to praise whoever selected the books - with some believing it was the school librarian - for their 'supreme trolling'. One social media user said: 'Why are politicians so bad at this? You'd think they'd have checked. They appear to be as bad at the small stuff as the big.' 'It has been noted that the Subtle Knife; Glass Houses; The Toll (about a monstrous dictator); and Guards Guards (about a shady villain installing a puppet king) are all there too. It looks like it's been carefully curated!' one posted. Another said 'some top trolling by the school librarian' while one account posted: 'Never mess with a librarian'. 'Whichever librarian managed to get not just the 'The Twits' but also 'Betrayed'; 'Resistance' and 'Fahrenheit 451' in the shot behind Johnson has my admiration', one social media user said. Another commented: 'Got to be the worst politicians Zoom bookshelves ever. Except what's that in the top, right hand corner, 'The Twits'. School librarian has a sense of humour'. 'If the librarian had also managed to find space for The Plague, and Paradise Lost, it would have been a full house', another Twitter account posted. Mr Johnson's rambling remarks came as he attempted to strike a tone of credibility after his government's disastrous handling of the exams fiasco. In an address lasting under seven minutes, the maskless PM apologised for A-Level and GCSE exam results affected by a 'mutant algorithm' that forced an embarrassing U-turn last week. He told the students: 'From now on, from getting back into school, the hours and days and weeks of this new term, you will experience things with an intensity and clarity, believe me, that is seldom repeated in your lives. 'You'll remember these days and weeks and months, you really really will. 'And when you have been struggling with something in the classroom or whatever, some concept that you cannot get, like the supine stem of confetti or nuclear fusion or is Harry Potter sexist? Answer: no, by the way. Is it politically acceptable to sing Rule Britannia? Yes ... 'When you are struggling with complex questions, or something that you are worried about, somebody very probably a teacher, a brilliant teacher, will say something and a light will go on, the clouds will lift and you will never, ever forget that moment. That moment is absolutely irreplaceable. It is invaluable and it can only happen in school.' The PM today thanked pupils for their efforts to limit the spread of coronavirus: 'We have the number of deaths way down, we have the number of hospital admissions way, way down and it's thanks to you and your sacrifice that we have protected the NHS and saved literally tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of lives. 'No previous generation of pupils has ever done anything like this.' Now, he said, 'the risk to your health is not from Covid because, after all, statistically speaking, your chances of suffering from that disease are very, very low'. 'The greatest risk you face now is of continuing to be out of school,' he added. UPDATE: Man sentenced to 25-60 years in prison for strangling Bangor woman to death in 1986 VAN BUREN COUNTY, MI A man charged last November in the 1986 killing of Wilda Wilkinson pleaded guilty earlier this week in Van Buren County Circuit Court to one count of open murder. Robert Waite, 50, was 16 when Wilkinson, 57, was killed by strangulation. He pleaded guilty Aug. 25 to homicide-felony murder as a juvenile defendant, according to court records. Since Waite was a juvenile when the murder occurred, the conviction will carry a prison sentence of between 25 and 60 years, Van Buren County Prosecutor Michael Bedford said. Related: Florida man faces murder charge in 1986 Michigan killing Wilkinson was found dead in her home by one of her six children on July 29, 1986. The case went cold decades ago, but was reopened in 2010 by Michigan State Police. A California man was arrested in 2019, but police later determined his account to be a false confession to the crime. Waite is currently serving a prison sentence in the Florida Department of Corrections after a 2007 conviction for armed robbery, kidnapping and sexual assault. He will conclude his sentence in Florida prior to serving time in Michigan, Bedford said. Waite has 13 years remaining on the Florida prison sentence. That time will be served concurrently with the sentence yet to be handed down in the Michigan cold case murder, Bedford said. Waite also spent 25 years in a Florida prison for a 1990 arrest for kidnapping, sexual battery and grand theft auto, according to Florida prison records. Charges were brought against Waite in the murder case last fall after a charge brought against a different suspect was dismissed. Police arrested suspect Michael Leon Curry in March 2019. According to Michigan State Police Lt. Shane Criger, Curry falsely admitted to the crime and DNA evidence gathered last March placed Waite, not Curry, at the scene. The big mystery that still remains is why did Curry ever confess, Van Buren County Assistant Prosecutor Keith Robinson told MLive Thursday, Aug. 27. We can speculate, but ultimately it led us to getting the guy who did the crime and his confession was much more detailed than what Curry had said. Related: Man arrested in California, charged in 1986 Michigan killing Robinson said the arrest of Curry was extremely providential in the case. While both Waite and Curry had always been suspects, the assistant prosecutor said, they were able to determine the two did not know one another and only one of them was actually involved in the crime. Initially, he said, Waite told investigators in 2019 both he and Curry were at the scene, but that Curry did it. They determined later, the only reason Waite even knew of Curry was because he had seen his name in the news connected to the case, Robinson said. After the DNA results came in, it didnt take long to eliminate Curry as a suspect, he said. The case had sat cold for about two decades, before Michigan State Police detectives began working it in 2010, investigators said. In 2018, police began working it full-time. Theres a lot of work that goes into these cases, by the police, the crime lab, the pathologist, youve got lots of people involved, Robinson said. But you have to credit the family. They had wanted the investigation to continue so they could get some closure and they deserve credit for never giving up on finding the killer of their mother. The main thing is the family gets relief and theres some measure of justice. Waite is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 19. Also on MLive: Sturgis police chief resigns after crash, drunken driving investigation Kalamazoo residents shot at inside home soon after moving in, police say Michigan clerks to state lawmakers: We need more time to count November ballots HALIBURTON The 73-year-old man who was fatally shot on July 15 during an interaction with Ontario Provincial Police was identified Thursday by the Special Investigations Unit as Leslie Hegedus. He was not identified by authorities at the time of the police shooting because next of kin had not been contacted. The SIU had submitted a DNA sample to the Centre of Forensic Sciences in Toronto to determine his next of kin and the results were received this week, the SIU reported Thursday. Hegedus was shot by police at a home on Indian Point Road, northeast of Haliburton, about 103 kilometres north of Peterborough, that morning after he had earlier assaulted an employee at the Eastons Valu-Mart grocery store in Minden over a dispute about having to wear a mask, Haliburton Highlands OPP said at the time. After a police chase following the dispute at the Minden store was called off, Hegedus was tracked down to a home on Indian Point Road, near Eagle Lake, and then shots were fired at Haliburton Highlands OPP officers after their arrival at the home and additional police officers were called in, Haliburton OPP said at the time. The SIU is continuing its investigation into the police shooting. Two officers were designated as subject officers and have consented to interviews and submitted their notes, the SIU reported Thursday. Five civilian witnesses and four witness officers have been interviewed, while notes have been requested from a fifth witness officer, the SIU reported Thursday. An autopsy was conducted July 17. A firearm that was collected at the scene as well as the firearms of the two subject officers were sent to the Centre of Forensic Sciences in Toronto for analysis, the SIU reported Thursday. SIU investigators are awaiting those results. The SIU is an independent civilian agency that investigates reports involving police where there has been death, serious injury or allegations of sexual assault. Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-26 23:36:45|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Huang Kunming, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, attends a teleconference on voluntary service in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 26, 2020. (Xinhua/Yue Yuewei) BEIJING, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- A senior official of the Communist Party of China (CPC) on Wednesday hailed the role of volunteers in the battle against COVID-19 in China and called for promoting voluntary service. Huang Kunming, a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, made the remarks while attending a teleconference on voluntary service. Huang said a vast number of volunteers and voluntary organizations have responded promptly to the Party's call and made important contributions to epidemic prevention and control. Huang encouraged voluntary service in publicizing the Party's new theories and policies to the public. He also underscored improvements to voluntary service in emergencies with enhanced expertise and capabilities to advance social governance modernization. Enditem Brenton Tarrant, the Christchurch mosques terrorist, has been sentenced to life in jail without the possibility of parole. In a New Zealand legal first, the Australian man has been denied the possibility of ever seeking or gaining his freedom after killing 51 people in last year's attack. For three days at this week's sentencing, Tarrant sat unmoved as a procession of his victims - 91 in all - made powerful and emotionally-charged statements of their loss. On Thursday, his gaze was fixed on the Crown solicitors who argued for a life sentencing without parole, and Justice Cameron Mander, who agreed to lock him up and to throw away the key. "If not here, than when?" Justice Mander asked. "It is difficult to look past the wickedness of each murder ... however you are not only a murderer but a terrorist." Australian terrorist Brenton Tarrant seen in court in Christchurch on August 24, 2020. Source: Getty Judge unmoved by possibility of rehabilitation As victims in the public gallery sobbed, Justice Mander took the time to make a verbal tribute to every murdered and wounded person in his sentence. One widow described herself as "alive but not living". "Accountability, denouncement, deterrence, and protection of the community must be the court's focus," Justice Mander said. "No matter how appalling the crime, the potential for rehabilitation must always give a court pause ... but I remain unmoved." Tarrant was sentenced to life without parole on each of the 51 counts of murder, for 12 years on each of the 40 attempted murder counts, to be served concurrently, and another life sentence for terrorism. In making his argument, Crown prosecutor Mark Zarifeh drew on Australia's worst mass shooting, the 1996 Port Arthur massacre in Tasmania. "The enormity of offending in this case is without comparison in New Zealand's criminal history," he began. Mr Zarifeh said Tarrant displayed "calculated and militaristic determination in carrying out his plan", "expressed disappointment in not having killed more people" with "calculated sadism and depravity". Story continues Survivors gesture outside the High Court in Christchurch, New Zealand, Thursday, August 27, 2020. Source: AAP "Many of those who were shot were on their knees in prayer with their backs to the offender," he said. "Life without parole is the only proper sentencing option." No thank you: Tarrant declined to address courtroom As foreshadowed on Wednesday, Tarrant did not speak at his own sentencing despite opting to represent himself. He uttered just a smattering of words over the four-day hearing, saying "No, thank you" when Justice Mander gave him one final chance to address the packed courtroom. His stand-by counsel Philip Hall said Tarrant did not oppose the sentence of life without parole. Thankfully for his victims, there was little desire to hear from the terrorist. "He doesn't have the guts (to speak) after being told over and over again what kind of man he is," one victim told AAP. Another said "we would like to have the last word and thanks to him we will". Tarrant was sentenced on 51 counts of murder, 40 counts of attempted murder and one terrorism charge after attacks on two mosques last year. Source: AAP Throughout the sentencing, New Zealand's worst mass shooter was a passive presence. Surrounded by four security guards at all times and clad in a grey fleece tracksuit, he was attentive but meek in the dock. In the absence of his own submissions, Justice Mander appointed an independent 'amicus curiae', Kerry Cook, to give integrity to the sentencing. Argument that sentence contravened human rights Drawing upon private sentencing reports that Tarrant had changed some of his views, Mr Cook made an argument that a no-parole sentence contravened the universality of human rights. "Offending is not an inherent characteristic there is hope, albeit faint, for rehabilitation," he said. "Rehabilitation is constitutionally required in any community that places human dignity as its centrepiece." Justice Mander dismissed those reports of a change of heart as "uncorroborated, self-serving and a relatively recent phenomenon". This week, as it has been since the March 15 attack last year, that human dignity was on display from Tarrant's many victims. For three days in the High Court, they stood metres from the terrorist and bared their souls, crying for lost loved ones, reliving the trauma of being present in their houses of worship during the attacks. Many say they still have trouble sleeping. Flowers lie by the wall of Al Noor mosque as an armed policeman guards nearby on March 21, 2019 in the wake of the attacks. Source: Getty With limited space in the court due to COVID-related social distancing restrictions, victims forfeited their right to having a support person nearby to allow more victims to take seats inside the small courtroom. They wore or carried white roses on their lapels, carried pictures of dead family members, while one carried a toy panda. To them, justice was done. 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. NAIROBI, Kenya, August 27, 2020 (Morning Star News) One young Christian man in eastern Uganda has died after family members beat him for leaving Islam while his cousin, also beaten, clings to life, sources said. The Muslim fathers and other relatives of the two men in Budaka Town beat them with sticks and other blunt objects in late July before leaving them semi-conscious in a heap of banana plantation leaves, said the critically injured survivor, 23-year-old Ahmad Waisana. His 20-year-old cousin, Jalilu Kamutono, succumbed to his injuries on Aug. 5. I have been spending sleepless nights thinking of my [cousin and] best friend, Jalilu, Waisana told Morning Star News by phone from his sick-bed at an undisclosed place of refuge. The whole of my body is aching. I am not sure whether I will get well or die and go to be with Christ. Waisana said he suffered injuries to his head and a kidney. He and Kamutono, whose fathers are brothers, last year began listening to radio broadcasts of a former Muslim sheikh (teacher) who made comparisons between the Bible and Koran in defense of Christianity, Waisana said. In October, after hearing preaching at an open-air evangelistic event in Budaka Town, the two men made a public confession of faith in Christ. Word of their conversion immediately reached their parents, who angrily chased them away from the house where both families were living by the time the cousins returned from the event, sources said. They rented a house in Mbale and began selling food items for a living. When the government announced a lockdown to control spread of the novel coronavirus on April 1, they were unable to work and moved in with various Christian friends, Waisana said. After three months, unable to rotate to others homes or at church premises because of the lockdown, they decided to take chances on returning home. Life became very harsh, and we decided to return back home hoping that we were going to be welcome, Waisana told Morning Star News. At home we were questioned whether we were Christians, and we affirmed to them that we were still Christians but pleaded that we be received back. To our surprise, we were received with hostility, and the relatives arrived and started beating us with sticks and blunt objects before burying us in banana leaves. Their relatives were about to set them on fire when some cattle herders and Christians happened by, he said. The herdsmen and four Christians who were on their way to purchase some land arrived, and the relatives fled, Waisana said. One of the Christian passersby, whose name is withheld for security reasons, took photos of the two beaten men as they lay in the banana leaves. Unknown to them previously, he learned that they had been beaten for turning to Christ as he took them to a district hospital in Mbale. At the hospital we were diagnosed, and the finding was that Jalilu had internal bleeding, and after two weeks he succumbed to the injury, Waisana said. I could not remain at the hospital, and so I went to a nearby church. District hospital personnel called Kamutonos family to come and take the body for burial after he died on Aug. 5, he said. They were reluctant at first, but pressure from the government and the problem of COVID-19 made them to yield, and they took the body for burial; that was on Aug. 7, Waisana said. An area pastor said Waisana is in need of trauma counseling as well as medical help. The assaults were the latest of many instances of persecution of Christians in Uganda that Morning Star News has documented. Ugandas constitution and other laws provide for religious freedom, including the right to propagate ones faith and convert from one faith to another. Muslims make up no more than 12 percent of Ugandas population, with high concentrations in eastern areas of the country. If you would like to help persecuted Christians, visit http://morningstarnews.org/resources/aid-agencies/ for a list of organizations that can orient you on how to get involved. If you or your organization would like to help enable Morning Star News to continue raising awareness of persecuted Christians worldwide with original-content reporting, please consider collaborating at https://morningstarnews.org/donate/? Article originally published by Morning Star News. Used with permission. Photo courtesy: Getty Images/Royalty Free In the cold of winter in early February 2010, Brian Fetherston was parked in the Dublin Mountains anxiously looking at a search party combing through the boggy edge of a forest. Not far away, Ashley Dempsey was also waiting and watching. Read More Brian's son Ken (26) had been missing since September 2009. Ashley's son Paul (20) had been missing from July 2009, and on January 31, 2010, skeletal remains had been found in the mountains where many murder victims have been disposed of before and since. Both craved closure and to give their child a proper burial, and hoped the remains would put an end to their "not knowing". The remains were those of Ken Fetherston and a murder investigation was launched after a post-mortem examination found he had been stabbed several times, with injuries to the skull and neck. Ashley Dempsey would have to wait until July 2010 before Paul's remains would be found, buried in a separate area of the mountains. More than 10 years later, Mr Fetherston is hoping a cold-case review launched this year will bring Ken's killers to justice. "It really upsets me when I think about it, because the mind just wanders from one thing to the next. Ken was stabbed from behind, and Ken was well able to take care of himself. He used to play rugby on the Templeogue College team," said Brian. "He was stabbed from behind and he was stabbed a hell of a lot of times. And it goes through my mind that the first time Ken was stabbed... what were his initial thoughts," he said. "The horror he must have felt, knowing there was no way out of this. He was never going to see his daughter again. Never going to see his family. Nothing. 'This is the end. I'm going.' "That image runs in my head regularly. The thoughts of what he went through in the last couple of minutes of his life upsets me a lot." Ken was a father of a three-year-old girl when he disappeared. He was living in Tallaght and went missing on September 22, 2009, after going to a garage in Landy's Industrial Estate in Knocklyon to ask for money owed to him by some men he had started a business with six months earlier. His family reported him missing the next day when they could not contact him, and three days later Ken's car was found abandoned at a slip road near Gorey, Co Wexford. A later forensic examination would reveal a bloodstain in the boot that matched Ken's. Yet his body was found in the Dublin mountains. Somebody had made an attempt to divert attention away from where he was killed. Gardai did not believe Ken was murdered in the place he was found and his body was brought to the mountains. Four people were arrested but later released and a file was sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions, who decided there was insufficient evidence to bring charges. An inquest heard Ken was last seen at 10am on September 22, at the rented garage in Knocklyon. One of the men he was in business with, William Smith, told Dublin Coroner's Court he and Ken had discussed money owed to Ken which he was not then in a position to pay him. He denied the debt had caused tension. Mr Smith and his father Patrick said when they last saw Ken he was going to buy brake pads for his car. Brian Fetherston's hopes, and the hopes of his family, now lie in a cold-case review being conducted by the Garda serious crime review team overseen by Detective Superintendent Desmond McTiernan. "We met with senior gardai last December and again in February, and the case is undergoing a review now but I'd imagine the Covid pandemic has slowed things a bit," said Brian. "However, we've waited 11 years at this stage, so we'll give the gardai the space to do what they need to do." If Ken's killer or killers were in prison it would bring him and his family some peace. "It depresses me. It worries and saddens me that whoever did this has more or less committed the perfect crime, and I don't believe there is such a thing as the perfect crime. We can only live in hope," he said. "Every day Ken is on my mind. I talk to him every day. "I was brought up - and I brought my kids up the same way - to respect the law and respect the gardai, and it's getting to a stage where I cannot understand how whoever did this can outwit professional educated people like the gardai and DPP." Ty Sheem Ha Sheem Walters III, 23, was charged with two counts of murder and one count of attempted murder in connection to the shooting that killed Anderson and Wall. (Georgetown County Sheriffs Office) South Carolina College Student, Stepfather Shot After Car Crash: Police A South Carolina man is facing two murder charges after a shooting was reported near Georgetown earlier this week, said the Georgetown County Sheriffs Office. Ty Sheem Ha Sheem Walters III, 23, is charged with two counts of murder and one count of attempted murder at an intersection on Monday at 5 p.m., officials told the Post and Courier. Jason Lesley, a spokesman for the Georgetown County Sheriffs Office, said that officials found multiple people with gunshot wounds that occurred in an altercation following a vehicle crash. Walters was eventually apprehended at around 6:30 p.m. Monday after he was chased by authorities, Lesley added. Given the severity of the crimes hes been charged with, I know this isnt the time for the overwhelming amount of evidence against him, the Georgetown County Sheriffs office said, according to WPDE. The defendant in a post-Miranda interview did make an admission to shooting all the victims. We dont think he needs to be allowed back out in the public. We believe he poses an imminent and grave danger to society if hes allowed to be released. Officials said the victims were identified as Charles Nicholas Wall, 45, and Laura Ashley Anderson, 21. Wall was the stepfather of Anderson. Kimberly Wall, the wife and mother of the deceased, said Monday night that shooting occurred after a fender bender. I dont understand how a simple fender bender they called it could turn into double murder and an attempted murder, Lambert said. Why? I honestly didnt think it was real. Who does this? she said, according to WMBF. Im having to bury one of my children and my husband. Its such a freak thing. I dont know why this would happen. I just dont understand, she added. Its just devastating. I dont know how were going to go forward. An analysis of over three million U.S. households (American Community Survey), combined with a detailed geo-analysis of over 2,000 job ads for U.S. software developers in July 2020 revealed new patterns spotlighting areas of the highest demand, but with the least supply of software developers nationally. On a state level, the gap between supply and demand is most significant in middle America, with some exceptions. At a county level, the highest Developer Demand is in Cumberland County, NJ (outside Philadelphia), Minnehaha County, SD (Sioux Falls), and Pontotoc County, MS (Tupelo). Well-known tech hubs such as Fairfax, Virginia, and Silicon Valley, California, have a better balance these areas have the highest demand, but also the highest supply of talent. (See below for geographical information). These findings reveal opportunities for companies and individuals to decentralize talent away from established tech hubs using virtual teams and cloud technology. As firms move to outer locations with lower office/home rents, we might expect U.S. tech talent to relocate to these new hotspots of tech growth and start-up innovation reinforced by recent migration away from dense urban centers during the COVID-19 crisis. However, tech companies offering jobs in Developer Drought locations must also consider the recent acceleration towards remote working, prompted by COVID-19. Google recently announced an extension of home working for its employees until July 2021, and Facebook has said that it would allow many employees to work from home permanently. Yet surprisingly, 92% of the job ads analyzed required a specific location. While industry leaders are reassessing the remote work landscape, other tech companies are slower to adjust to new post-pandemic realities. Companies located in or moving to Developer Drought locations may have an increased interest in software solutions that can bridge the tech talent gap. For example, low-code solutions can democratize and speed up software development by empowering staff who do not have specialized coding expertise, and are not in the IT department, to build software solutions. Derek Roos, CEO of Mendix, says, "The Software Developer Drought Index shows that companies need to think differently about how and where to engage skilled tech workers in 2021 and beyond. Traditional development paradigms basically fall apart when you're dealing with mobile or remote workflows. Low-code platforms like Mendix help customers scale software development capability across the whole enterprise and leverage the cloud to provide collaborative software development wherever people choose to live." Leading Developer Drought Counties Cumberland County, NJ: The US county with the highest developer demand, Cumberland County, New Jersey, offers an average wage of $47,461 the third lowest of the top 10 Developer Drought counties. This is despite average rental prices being the third highest at $833. Cumberland County's proximity to Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and New York make it an increasingly attractive location for companies to operate from. Minnehaha County, SD: Part of the emerging "Silicon Prairie," Minnehaha County has the second-highest developer demand. Big players, including PayPal, are currently hiring in Sioux Falls, South Dakota), and cases of COVID-19 in South Dakota are the lowest in the country. Minnehaha County has an average commute time of just 16 minutes, the lowest of the top 10 Developer Drought counties. Pontotoc County, MS: Pontotoc County has the third-highest developer demand. Despite recent efforts to establish Mississippi as the Silicon Valley of the South, just 0.1% of its population have IT degrees, the lowest of the top 10 Developer Drought counties. Average wages are the second lowest of the top 10 Developer Demand counties ($46,454), but rent is also relatively low at $639 (the fourth lowest of the top 10 Developer Demand counties). Key Takeaways The tech-based industry managers and workforce, no longer confined to Silicon Valley or other traditional tech hubs, are now beginning to be untethered from any specific geography. The Developer Demand Index pinpoints leading opportunities for companies to leverage remote teams, cloud technology, and low-code software as a new powerhouse strategy for collaborative innovation. Learn more about the Mendix platform and pricing and availability . Click here to access content free of charge from Mendix World: Version 2.0, the world's largest virtual low-code conference, featuring more than 60 sessions, including more than 20 by customers, and covering the gamut of low-code application development topics from strategy to practical, hands-on platform training. Background In a pandemic-disrupted world, software is the new lifeblood of our daily lives and the connective tissue holding together the global economy. However, traditional software development takes far too long and very often fails to deliver the results business needs and users love. Even prior to COVID-19 there were simply not enough professional software developers in the world to build all the software currently required. The global pandemic has accelerated and exacerbated what was already a software and business crisis. Enter low-code software development. Low-code from Mendix is a powerful enterprise-grade visual development approach empowering citizen and professional developers to make cloud-native applications more than 10x faster for web and mobile using drag-and-drop components and model-driven logic, all through an intuitive graphical user interface. Connect with Mendix Follow @Mendix on Twitter Connect with Mendix on LinkedIn About Mendix Mendix, a Siemens business and the global leader in enterprise low-code, is fundamentally reinventing the way applications are built in the digital enterprise. With the Mendix platform, enterprises can "Make with More" by broadening an enterprise's development capability to conquer the software development bottleneck; "Make it Smart," by making apps with rich native experiences that are intelligent, proactive, and contextual; and "Make at Scale," to modernize core systems and build large app portfolios to keep pace with business growth. The Mendix platform is built to promote intense collaboration between business and IT teams and dramatically accelerate application development cycles while maintaining the highest standards of security, quality, and governance in short, to help enterprises confidently leap into their digital futures. Mendix's "Go Make It" platform has been adopted by more than 4,000 leading companies around the world. Press Inquiries Sara Black [email protected] (213) 618-1501 Dan Berkowitz Senior Director, Global Communications [email protected] (415) 518-7870 SOURCE Mendix Related Links http://www.mendix.com GST Council meeting news updates: Nirmala Sitharaman is chairing the 41st Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council meeting today. Along with FM Nirmala Sitharaman, MOS Anurag Thakur and state finance ministers are also present at the meeting. GST Council meeting news updates: The Reserve Bank of India will not unwind all recent measures taken to shore up the economy amid COVID-19 pandemic and act when the situation arises, Governor Shaktikanta Das said on Thursday. We have not exhausted our ammunition and instruments whether on rate cuts or other policy actions. As and when the situation arises, the RBI will act accordingly, he said at an event organised by a financial daily newspaper. While the moratorium on loans was a temporary solution in the context of the lockdown, the resolution framework is expected to give durable relief to borrowers facing COVID-related stress, he said. Post containment of COVID-19, a very careful trajectory needs to be followed for an orderly unwinding of the various counter-cyclical measures taken by the RBI and the financial sector should return to normal functioning without relying on the regulatory relaxations and other measures as the new norm. Also read: Amid row over NEET during Covid, Sonia, Didi convene key meet of CMs today Also read: Pulwama 2.0 plot hatched but panicked Pak dropped plan post Balakot, reveals NIA chargesheet Das said the measures taken by RBI are intended to deal with the specific situation of COVID-19 and cannot be permanent. Das said that while green shoots are emerging and businesses are getting back to normalcy, it is hard to measure the impact of COVID-19 on the economy. The RBI has taken various steps like interest rate cuts and a moratorium on debt servicing. But there has to be a calibrated, cautious exit plan for the long-term, he added. On some criticism that the RBI is the only central bank in the world which has not given estimated inflation and GDP numbers, Das said the current times are uncertain and the situation keeps changing very fast. So it is very difficult to give inflation or GDP numbers. In an uncertain situation like this, the RBI does not have the luxury of giving any numbers and then changing them two months later. We will start giving numbers when we have some amount of clarity. Das said the governments response to absorb the negative economic impact of Covid-19 has been prudent and well-calibrated. He said the banking system is sound and safe, and banks must look sunrise sectors which can bounce back. There will be newer business and newer risks in the context of COVID-19, so the banking sector need more reforms. Das said the banks also need to look at prospective business opportunities in the rural sector which remain unexplored despite efforts to support it. They need to look at start-ups, renewables, logistics, value chains and other such potential areas.Das said the COVID-19 poses several challenges for banks and the financial sector. Proactive action on various fronts will enable us to deal with these challenges effectively and maintain the soundness of the Indian banking system. Also read: Sushant Singh Rajput case LIVE news updates: Rhea Chakraborty dealt with narcotics substance, alleges top ED source A teen has been arrested after two people were shot dead following heated protests surrounding the police shooting of black man Jacob Blake. Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, from the US state of Illinois, was taken into custody on suspicion of first-degree intentional homicide. Antioch is about 24km from Kenosha where the protests are taking place. The protests follow the shooting of Mr Blake, 29, on Sunday, which was captured on video. It came just three months after the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police sparked a wider reckoning on race throughout the US. Two people were killed Tuesday night and a third was wounded in an attack apparently carried out by a young white man who was caught on video opening fire in the middle of the street with a semi-automatic rifle. A wounded person is carried away after a clash with police. Source: Getty Images I just killed somebody, the gunman could be heard saying at one point during the rampage that erupted just before midnight. This cannot happen again: Governors plea In the wake of the killings, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers authorised the sending of 500 members of the National Guard to Kenosha, doubling the number of troops. The governors office said he is working with other states to bring in additional National Guard members and law officers. Authorities also announced a 7pm curfew, an hour earlier than the night before. A senseless tragedy like this cannot happen again, the governor, a Democrat, said in a statement. I again ask those who choose to exercise their First Amendment rights please do so peacefully and safely, as so many did last night. I also ask the individuals who are not there to exercise those rights to please stay home and let local first responders, law enforcement and members of the Wisconsin National Guard do their jobs. In Washington, the Justice Department said it is sending in the FBI and federal marshals in response to the unrest. Story continues The dead were identified only as 26-year-old Silver Lake, Wisconsin, resident and a 36-year-old from Kenosha. The wounded person, a 36-year-old from West Allis, Wisconsin, was expected to survive, police said. Protester describes moment gunman struck Protester Devin Scott, 19, told the Chicago Tribune said he was with a group chanting Black Lives Matter when he heard gunshots. And then this guy with this huge gun runs by us in the middle of the street and people are yelling, He shot someone! He shot someone! And everyone is trying to fight the guy, chasing him and then he started shooting again, he said. Mr Scott said he cradled a lifeless victim in his arms, and a woman started performing CPR, but I dont think he made it. An explosive device detonates of an armoured vehicle near the courthouse. Source: Getty Images According to witness accounts and video footage, police apparently let the young man responsible for the shootings walk past them with a rifle over his shoulder and his hands in the air as members of the crowd were yelling for him to be arrested because he had shot people. As for how that happened, Sheriff David Beth portrayed a chaotic, high-stress scene, with screaming, chanting, nonstop radio traffic and people running all over the place conditions that he said can cause tunnel vision among law officers. Accused praised law enforcement on Facebook Rittenhouse was assigned a public defender in Illinois for a hearing Friday on his transfer to Wisconsin. The public defenders office had no comment. Under Wisconsin law, anyone 17 or older is treated as an adult in the criminal justice system. Much of Rittenhouses Facebook page is devoted to praising law enforcement, with references to Blue Lives Matter, a movement that supports police. He also can be seen holding an assault rifle. Other photographs include those of badges of various law enforcement agencies, including the Chicago Police Department. All of the badges have a black line across them something police officers typically do with black tape when an officer is killed in the line of duty. Wednesday was the third consecutive night of protests. Source: Getty Images In a photograph posted by his mother, he is wearing what appears to be a blue law enforcement uniform as well as the kind of brimmed hat that state troopers wear. The sheriff told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that armed vigilantes had been patrolling Kenoshas streets in recent nights, but he did not know if the gunman was among them. However, video taken before the shooting shows police tossing bottled water from an armoured vehicle to what appear to be armed civilians walking the streets. And one of them appears to be the gunman. We appreciate you being here, an officer is heard saying to the group over a loudspeaker. The sheriff later defended officers by saying, Our deputies would toss water to anybody. White militias ignored for too long Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes said in an interview with the news program Democracy Now! that the shootings were not surprising and that white militias have been ignored for too long. How many times across this country do you see armed gunmen, protesting, walking into state Capitols, and everybody just thinks its OK? Mr Barnes said. A protester launches a projectile toward police. Source: AAP People treat that like its some kind of normal activity that people are walking around with assault rifles. In Wisconsin, it is legal for people 18 and over to openly carry a gun, with no license required. Witness accounts and video indicate the shootings took place in two stages: The gunman first shot someone at a car lot, then jogged away, stumbled and fell in the street, and opened fire again as members of the crowd closed in him. A witness, Julio Rosas, 24, said that when the gunman stumbled, two people jumped onto him and there was a struggle for control of his rifle. At that point during the struggle, he just began to fire multiple rounds and that dispersed people near him, he said. The rifle was being jerked around in all directions while it was being fired. Jacob Blake and his cousin Adria-Joi Watkins. Source: AAP Jacob Blake may never walk again Jacob Blakes father, who is also named Jacob Blake, said his son was shot seven times. His lawyer, Ben Crump, said the bullets severed Mr Blakes spinal cord and shattered his vertebrae. Its going to take a miracle for Jacob Blake Jr to ever walk again, Mr Crump said. Three of the younger Mr Blakes sons aged 3, 5 and 8 were in the car at the time of the shooting, Mr Crump said. He added it was the eight-year-olds birthday. Another Blake family lawyer said they would be filing a civil lawsuit against the police department over the shooting. Police have said little about what happened, other than that they were responding to a domestic dispute. The Wisconsin Department of Justice is investigating. 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. Nobel Prize-winning author and Belarusian opposition activist Svetlana Alexievich refused to answer questions Wednesday after Belarusian investigators summoned her for questioning over allegations of criminal activities committed by a newly formed opposition group with which she is associated. Alexievich is a member of the opposition Coordination Council, the target of a criminal case accusing it of illegally trying to seize control of the government from President Alexander Lukashenko. Alexievich told reporters in Minsk that she exercised her right as a witness not to testify against herself. "They try to scare us, but we are not guilty of anything," she said. "We want to live in a free country, we want to [be] free." Opposition activists formed the council last week to negotiate a transition of power after Lukashenko won a sixth term in office in an Aug. 9 election that the activists and other critics maintain was rigged. Lukashenko has rejected offers to negotiate with the council, whose dozens of members represent a broad array of Belarusian society. The authoritarian leader has accused the activists, who have been protesting for more than two weeks, of being under the control of Western nations and allegedly trying to create a parallel government. Actor Rhea Chakraborty in her first interview since the death of Sushant Singh Rajput has addressed the several allegations made against her. Sushant died on June 14, and Rhea has been accused by Sushants father of abetting his suicide and siphoning off his funds. Denying allegations that Rhea and her family were living off Sushant, Rhea told India Today that her 2019 Paris trip had been arranged by a company that had hired her for a fashion shoot, but Sushant insisted that they make the most of it. She said that she has proof to back up all her claims. Sushant thought it was a great idea to make a Euro trip out of this, so he cancelled those tickets -- I have those tickets, in case I now have to prove everything -- and booked first class tickets, and the rest of the trip he paid for the hotels. He wanted to, and I didnt have a problem with that. I had a problem with how much he was spending. I thought it was a very expensive trip, she said. But ultimately, he lived king size. Also read: 8 hard drives destroyed on day Rhea Chakraborty left Sushant Singh Rajputs house, Siddharth Pithani tells CBI: report Rhea said that she isnt a social-climber and mentioned that a year previously, Sushant had gone to Thailand with six friends -- all men -- and had spent 70 lakh. He went in a private jet, these were his lifestyle choices, she said. Rhea also addressed the debate around Sushants mental health. While the Mumbai Police concluded in its investigation that the actor had been diagnosed as bipolar, his family has hesitated to endorse this narrative, instead claiming that Rhea forcibly got him hooked on drugs -- both prescription and banned -- in order to control his mind. Also read: Rhea Chakraborty discussed buying 2 bags of weed with Sushant Singh Rajputs staff Samuel Miranda, new chats reveal: report Rhea said Sushant took a medicine before getting on the plane as he said he felt claustrophobic while flying. He didnt leave the room for three days after landing in Paris, which concerned Rhea. In Switzerland, he seemed better. In Italy, Rhea said, they stayed in a Gothic hotel, which had scary images in their hotel room. That night, he couldnt sleep, and felt that the place was haunted, she said. Rhea suggested that they check out, which he didnt agree to. Sushant once against slipped into a shell. The actor confessed to Rhea that he had experienced depression in 2013, and had consulted a psychiatrist, and felt mostly fine afterwards, barring the occasional anxiety attacks. But during the 2019 trip, the feelings intensified. So we had to cut short the trip, she said. Follow @htshowbiz for more SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON New observations of black hole devouring a star reveal rapid disk formation When a star passes too close to a supermassive black hole, tidal forces tear it apart, producing a bright flare of radiation as material from the star falls into the black hole. Astronomers study the light from these "tidal disruption events" (TDEs) for clues to the feeding behavior of the supermassive black holes lurking at the centers of galaxies. New TDE observations led by astronomers at UC Santa Cruz now provide clear evidence that debris from the star forms a rotating disk, called an accretion disk, around the black hole. Theorists have been debating whether an accretion disk can form efficiently during a tidal disruption event, and the new findings, accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal and available online, should help resolve that question, said first author Tiara Hung, a postdoctoral researcher at UC Santa Cruz. "In classical theory, the TDE flare is powered by an accretion disk, producing x-rays from the inner region where hot gas spirals into the black hole," Hung said. "But for most TDEs, we don't see x-rays--they mostly shine in the ultraviolet and optical wavelengths--so it was suggested that, instead of a disk, we're seeing emissions from the collision of stellar debris streams." Coauthors Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz, professor of astronomy and astrophysics at UCSC, and Jane Dai at the University of Hong Kong developed a theoretical model, published in 2018, that can explain why x-rays are usually not observed in TDEs despite the formation of an accretion disk. The new observations provide strong support for this model. "This is the first solid confirmation that accretion disks form in these events, even when we don't see x-rays," Ramirez-Ruiz said. "The region close to the black hole is obscured by an optically thick wind, so we don't see the x-ray emissions, but we do see optical light from an extended elliptical disk." The telltale evidence for an accretion disk comes from spectroscopic observations. Coauthor Ryan Foley, assistant professor of astronomy and astrophysics at UCSC, and his team began monitoring the TDE (named AT 2018hyz) after it was first detected in November 2018 by the All Sky Automated Survey for SuperNovae (ASAS-SN). Foley noticed an unusual spectrum while observing the TDE with the 3-meter Shane Telescope at UC's Lick Observatory on the night of January 1, 2019. "My jaw dropped, and I immediately knew this was going to be interesting," he said. "What stood out was the hydrogen line--the emission from hydrogen gas--which had a double-peaked profile that was unlike any other TDE we'd seen." Foley explained that the double peak in the spectrum results from the Doppler effect, which shifts the frequency of light emitted by a moving object. In an accretion disk spiraling around a black hole and viewed at an angle, some of the material will be moving toward the observer, so the light it emits will be shifted to a higher frequency, and some of the material will be moving away from the observer, its light shifted to a lower frequency. "It's the same effect that causes the sound of a car on a race track to shift from a high pitch as the car comes toward you to a lower pitch when it passes and starts moving away from you," Foley said. "If you're sitting in the bleachers, the cars on one turn are all moving toward you and the cars on the other turn are moving away from you. In an accretion disk, the gas is moving around the black hole in a similar way, and that's what gives the two peaks in the spectrum." The team continued to gather data over the next few months, observing the TDE with several telescopes as it evolved over time. Hung led a detailed analysis of the data, which indicates that disk formation took place relatively quickly, in a matter of weeks after the disruption of the star. The findings suggest that disk formation may be common among optically detected TDEs despite the rarity of double-peaked emission, which depends on factors such as the inclination of the disk relative to observers. "I think we got lucky with this one," Ramirez-Ruiz said. "Our simulations show that what we observe is very sensitive to the inclination. There is a preferred orientation to see these double-peak features, and a different orientation to see x-ray emissions." He noted that Hung's analysis of multi-wavelength follow-up observations, including photometric and spectroscopic data, provides unprecedented insights into these unusual events. "When we have spectra, we can learn a lot about the kinematics of the gas and get a much clearer understanding of the accretion process and what is powering the emissions," Ramirez-Ruiz said. ### In addition to Hung, Foley, Ramirez-Ruiz, and other members of the UCSC team, the coauthors of the paper also include scientists at the Niels Bohr Institute in Copenhagen (where Ramirez-Ruiz holds a Niels Bohr Professorship); University of Hong Kong; University of Melbourne, Australia; Carnegie Institution for Science; and Space Telescope Science Institute. Observations were obtained at Lick Observatory, the W. M. Keck Observatory, the Southern Astrophysical Research (SOAR) telescope, and the Swope Telescope at Las Campanas Observatory in Chile. This work was supported in part by the National Science Foundation, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, and the Heising-Simons Foundation. This story has been published on: 2020-08-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. By PTI MUMBAI: Actor Rhea Chakraborty, who is accused of abetting Sushant Singh Rajput's suicide by his family, has opened up about her relationship with the late actor on Thursday, denying that she was living off" his money. Chakraborty, along with her family members, is also accused of misappropriating Rajput's wealth by the actor's family but she dismissed the allegations in a TV interview. After Mumbai Police, Enforcement Directorate and Central Bureau of Investigation are investigating varous angles in the actor's death. Opening up about her much-talked-about Europe trip with the late Bollywood star, who died by suicide on June 14 in Mumbai, the young actor said in an interview to Aaj Tak that she was set to go to Paris on a professional assignment. She said it was Rajput's idea to make a Europe trip about it and he cancelled the tickets booked by the company that was sponsoring her trip. She said her brother joined them in Italy at the insistence of the late actor. "He paid for the rest of the trip and the hotels. He wanted to and I didn't have a problem with that. I had a problem with how much he was spending. But Sushant lived king-size, he was like that," she said, adding that he once went on a trip to Thailand with his friends and spent Rs 70 lakh on that vacation. These were his lifestyle choices. Who are we to say how Sushant should live his life? He lived like a star, he loved it. It was his choice to take those men on that trip, did they also force him? No, I was not living off Sushant Singh Rajput's money. We were living like a couple, she told senior journalist Rajdeep Sardesai. Asked about why her brother Showik joined them on their Europe trip, Chakraborty said all three of them had formed an artificial intelligence company called Rhealytix, which was named after her and invested Rs 33,000 each in the firm. ALSO READ | Sushant Singh Rajput case: Narcotics Bureau files criminal case against Rhea Chakraborty, others The actor said she was not on the list for his funeral as his family members don't like me. Chakraborty said she wanted to attend the funeral but dropped the idea at the suggestion of her friends as the family did not want her there. The actor said her friends told her that you will be ridiculed, you will be thrown out. You are already not in a sound mental state. Don't come here. Chakraborty said two of her friends told her to see his body to get closure. She said she saw Rajput's body for three-four seconds said sorry and touched his feet. Yes, I said 'Sorry babu'. When you see a dead person, what else will you say? I said sorry as he was no more. When you love someone and they die, you say sorry. Sorry that you aren't here. Sorry that a joke has been made out of your death, she said. Asked about allegations that she was controlling Rajput's lifestyle and staff, Chakraborty rubbished them as baseless and most of the staff was either hired by Rajput and his sister Priyanka. Asked when she got to know about Rajput's mental condition or the fact that he was bipolar, Chakraborty said it was during their Europe trip. Rajput, she was told, used to get claustrophobic during flights and took medicines. We landed in Paris first and he didn't come out of his room for the first three days. I wondered what the matter was. He was so excited that we will go to Paris so that no one recognises him. So that he could show me his real self which was his fun nature. That he could walk on the streets, something which he could not do in India. But he didn't come out of his room. He was much better when we went to Switzerland next. He was high on energy and he had started getting out, he was happy, she said. The actor said when they went to Italy, they stayed in a gothic hotel and had a weird dome-like structure and strange photos. Chakraborty talked about checking out but he didn't listen to me. After that, his condition started getting worse little by little. He didn't want to come out of the room on the whole trip. I talked to him and he told me that he had an episode of depression in 2013, he said. Then he told me everything that he was better after meeting the psychiatrist. He used to get anxiety attacks many times. But he had started feeling more depressed and worried. So we had to cut our trip short. If your partner is not feeling well, what else will you do? You'll come back, she said. Chakraborty said her media trial was a witch hunt. Loving someone has become the most wanted crime, she said, adding that she now just wanted to take a deep breath and have a normal day with her family where someone is not facing an anxiety attack. This is a conspiracy to break me, my family. Kangana Ranaut ji said it was a systematic breakdown of a fragile mind', then what is it? Chakraborty also claimed that Rajput did not share a good relationship with his father K K Singh. Referring to her July 16 post on Instagram where she had tagged Home Minister Amit Shah, requesting for a CBI inquiry, Chakraborty said she had cooperated with the Mumbai Police and was doing the same with the Enforcement Directorate and CBI. Am I not allowed to prove my innocence? Chakraborty asked, adding that all kinds of stories were being made about her. Gary City Councilmen Ron Brewer, D-at large, and William Godwin, D-1st, added their thanks to the donors and hospital staff. 'Thank you' are just (words), and we need to put (words) into action, Brewer said. Beyond 4 Walls already had begun a weekly frozen meal distribution in July from its parking lot. That program has been extended to 2022, with more than 750 meals distributed on Thursdays. Beggars Pizza will donate pizzas, Lil Coffee Cabin will provide vouchers for free coffee or lemonade, and Easy Tissues will donate six cases each of residential toilet tissue, paper towels and commercial toilet tissue. The program began this week at Methodists Northlake site. Future sites include St. Mary Medical Center of Hobart in September; St. Catherine Hospital in East Chicago in October; Methodists Southlake Campus in Merrillville in November; and Franciscan Health Hammond in December. Also donating in coming months is Chicagoland Popcorn of Hobart and St. John. Joseph and Jasmine Mims are owners of Lil Coffee Cabin, which opened in Highland in 2019 and in East Chicago in 2020. THE INTEGRITY OF TRUTH STATEMENT FROM THE OFFICE OF PRESIDENT RAWLINGS The Office of Former President Jerry John Rawlings has noted with concern contents of a book titled Working with Rawlings, authored by a former appointee of the PNDC and NDC who now calls himself Professor Kwamena Ahwoi. The book attempts to chronicle the history of the role Kwamena Ahwoi played as an appointee of the former President, but disappointingly employs fabrications and grapevine accounts to paint a denigrating picture of President Rawlings and his colleagues. Everyone is entitled to his or her opinion. President Rawlings has over the past four decades tolerated various views, recognising the fact that as a public figure one will not be immune to such, even when said opinions are vicious and derogatory. However, the public deserves to be served the truth as far as some of the contents of the book are concerned. The book is generously economical with the truth given that President Rawlings supported President Mills consistently from the year 2000, much to the chagrin of many of those who morphed into his post-victory supporters in 2006. MILLS PRIVATE CALL TO RAWLINGS After his landslide victory in the 2006 NDC Primaries, candidate Mills travelled to South Africa for medical treatment. While in South Africa, Mills put a call through to President Rawlings and indicated his desire to forego the candidature for the presidential election owing to his medical state. Following this conversation, President Rawlings held a meeting with some leading members of the Party to express concern about the state of candidate Mills health and urged them to identify recognizable party members who could step in. President Rawlings is on record as having suggested that some known personalities in the party should position themselves to demonstrate that the NDC had enough Presidential material. Bizarrely, Kwamena Ahwoi has written a lengthy diatribe about how Rawlings coerced his brother (Ato Ahwoi) to contest Mills ahead of the primaries, leading to the breakdown of their healthy relationship. It should be stated on the record, that President Rawlings took the responsible and pragmatic approach after he received that politically unnerving call from Professor Mills. He consulted the Party leadership to take strategic steps to fill the gap which by Professor Mills account was imminent. Urging some members of the Party to position themselves for a potential contest, was in no way an attempt to undermine, sabotage, betray or malign Professor Mills as the author shamelessly infers in his book. More disappointing is the impression created that he was and is unaware of that critical phone call from Professor Mills (while in South Africa) to President Rawlings. It is rather telling of him to deny this well-known crisis merely in his bid to deride and denigrate the genuine efforts of former President Rawlings to arrest a crisis. When Professor Mills returned to Ghana, meetings were held with him without the knowledge or participation of President Rawlings, where Professor Mills was convinced by those present, not to withdraw his candidature and actually made to believe that President Rawlings was working to undermine him. That was when the mistrust began, and Mr Kwamena Ahwoi was and is well-known to be one of the master-architects of that manipulative agenda that pushed a very unwell candidate Mills into the 2008 General Elections. It must be noted, that at no point did President Rawlings support Professor Mills in his bid for the presidency, with the aim or intention to manipulate Professor Mills should he become President, despite the attempts of various individuals to peddle falsehoods and sow disunity. Having worked with Professor Mills on various policy and manifesto achievements during his presidency, the aim was to support him and the NDC party back into government, for the good work of the pre-2000 NDC Administration to continue. After nineteen (19) years of working alongside various individuals with different motives and political beliefs including his political opponents, President Rawlings had acquired enough experience in people management to not be as unsophisticated in his relationship with Professor Mills as the book seeks to misinform. President Rawlings was critical of President Mills administration, there is no denying that, in usual manner, this was done openly and with the best of intentions. He had meetings with President Mills offering counsel and suggestions strictly to the good of Mills presidency and that of his government. Rawlings has always remained consistent in his open and bona fides criticisms of President Mills administration which, to date, are still outstanding matters. These include: 1. The failure of the Mills Government to investigate the assassination of the Yaa-Naa and forty (40) of his elders; 2. President Mills inability to look into the death of Alhaji Issa Mobilla, the late Northern Regional Chairman of the CPP; 3. The failure of the Mills government to investigate and prosecute genuine fraudulent activities within President Kufuors administration; and 4. The lack of dedication to the Party ideals of probity and accountability, as well as the monetization of the NDC internal electoral processes. THE 2008 NDC CAMPAIGN In his bid to justify his version of events, the author goes as far as stating that President Rawlings was visibly absent from the 2008 national election campaign. Without needing to belabour a well-known and publicized fact, this account is absolutely false! President Rawlings and Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings travelled extensively to campaign for candidate Mills and these campaigns were covered by the media and are a matter of public record. The documentary titled An African Election filmed during the 2008 campaign and election visibly shows the former president on the campaign trail with steely and unparalleled determination. President Rawlings and Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings were actually an integral part of the NDC campaign structure for the 2008 election. He started his campaign in Sankore in the Brong Ahafo Region, and subsequently visited all ten regions, visiting some towns and villages twice, sometimes walking long distances in the process. President Rawlings traversed the whole country and made headlines by being the first to reach Tain, in the Brong Ahafo Region when that town became the eye of the storm during the election, leading to the legendary third round. Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings campaigned in not less than 15 major markets in the Greater Accra Region, after which she moved straight to the Volta Region to start work. She also campaigned in the Ashanti, Brong Ahafo and Western Regions. She is also on record as having loaned vehicles and countless other resources to the Party towards the elections. Lest we forget Admiral Owusu Ansah, a courageous and patriotic member of the NDC who in spite of his failing health, joined the campaign trail shunning the comforts of his home in Accra in order to have Mills elected. This is a tribute to Admiral Owusu Ansah and patriots like General Nunoo-Mensah, who have selflessly sacrificed their lives, livelihoods and comforts for the Party; to then have one callously divisive individual, who in an attempt to increase book sales, insults and attempts to nullify the role and importance of these individuals. Admiral Owusu Ansah, the true and dedicated members of the NDC owe you a debt. Unsurprisingly, the author is unaware of the campaign presence of the former President during the 2008 elections. Neither Kwamena Ahwoi, his brother nor the majority of their cronies was on the campaign trail, preferring to stay in the comforts of their homes in Accra, perpetually leaving the hard work of getting the party re-elected to others, but always being first in line for political appointments. ATTA KWABENA KUMAH The entire reference to Atta the mortuary man by the author is obviously ill-intentioned, unresearched and yet another attempt to dramatize the well-orchestrated divide in his Rawlings versus Atta Mills tale. Atta Kwabena Kumah, popularly known as Attah the mortuary man was a good friend of President Rawlings, who worked at the 37 Military Hospital, Anatomical Pathological Unit for over forty (40) years. He sadly passed away in July of 2011 at the age of 82. They had known each other for close to forty (40) years, during which time Attah Kumah would regale President Rawlings with his life stories and Rawlings would do same. At the introduction of his address at the 2010 NDC Congress in Tamale, President Rawlings cracked a joke (as he is known to do) recounting one of his many interactions with Atta Kumah which got the entire audience laughing and relaxed in anticipation of the more serious task ahead, the election of National Executives of the Party. This particular non-incident has been clarified on so many occasions that one only has to take the time to find sources for clarification. It is rather unfortunate, that even a light-hearted joke that had the intended effect of diffusing the tensions usually experienced at party congresses, has been twisted into yet another Mills versus Rawlings affair ten (10) years later. Clearly, we can all see who seeks the perpetual disunity and failure of the NDC; once operating from the shadows and now clearly in the light. RAWLINGS: HIS VISION AND LEGACY President Rawlings has always stated publicly and unapologetically that throughout his tenure, he served his nation with a team comprised of various experts with different political affiliations each of whom patriotically contributed their talent and intellect to the cause. As a young Air Force officer (in his twenties) who used to fly across the country, former President Rawlings came face-to-face with some stark realities across the country. He and his pilot colleagues would sometimes go to local markets in places like Yendi to purchase some local produce. He noticed old men selling beans, sorghum etc. and placed close to their legs were containers with a brown looking fluid. He was shocked to the core when on enquiry, he would be informed that the dirty looking fluid was their drinking water. He felt pained knowing that folks in the urban areas were so privileged that they were able to flush their toilets with clean water from the taps while those in the rural areas drank Guinea-worm infested water. Accept it or not, this was our reality as a nation. How could these experiences not have sparked a vision or a philosophical outlook in this young pilots head? Even more disturbing was the fact that large patches of Ghana were without lights when he flew at night. His perspective began to take a more serious tone as he recognized the reality on the ground and the fact that without electricity and water, the populace would be living an unhappy and distressing sub-standard existence, while urban dwellers remained out of touch with the reality on the other side of the country. Years later, President Rawlings priority naturally, was the provision of potable water for the wider populace and the distribution of electricity to the entire country. A vision he can proudly state he largely saw to fruition. The next step in his vision for development was the construction and equipping of regional hospitals across the entire country. Indeed, in the early days (1980s) there was a time when Dr Joe Abbey informed Flt. Lt. Rawlings that drugs for Government-run hospitals could not last for a week. A most shocking situation! At the time, historical records will clearly show that support from Eastern bloc countries who could be considered natural allies was not forthcoming owing to their own internal challenges. With the urgent need to complement much-needed social development projects, the PNDC Government had no option but to go West to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, where we as a Government and a nation made history by defining our financial needs, terms and method of implementation to those institutions; leading to a complete overhaul in the way the IMF and World Bank approached project funding and implementation globally. President Rawlings has always seen his vision and legacy as a collective one that he hopes each of the dedicated patriots also recognizes as their own legacies as well. It is said, that it is an effective leader that consults with and participates in the backbreaking work of development, but most importantly trusts in the craft, talent and skills of his team to deliver on his and their collective vision. President Rawlings no doubt had a grand vision for Ghana, and in tribute to the dedicated patriots who worked with him to realise this vision, as far as practicable, a few of these achievements are set-out hereunder: Institution of a local government structure, a clear empowering process that has successively been embraced by all Ghanaians irrespective of political affiliation; And credit must go to patriots such Dr. Ayirebi Acquah and Madam Joyce Aryee and several others who played a significant role in implementing the policy. The Rural Electrification Project that ensured that most parts of Ghana were provided with electricity, recognizing the benefits that provision will add to socio-economic development; Prior to the era of Rawlings, travelling from Southern Ghana to Northern Ghana took days. After major roads were constructed to link most parts of the Northern Regions to the South half of Ghana, we became one unified country not just in name but also accessibility. Championing of womens development and affirmative action. The results are there for all to see. Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings and the 31st December Womens movement were instrumental in agricultural the countrys agricultural development, trade and the development of many of Ghanas health facilities. With food security a priority for Rawlings, agricultural policies were initiated that resulted in the recognition of Ghanas food production growth of 148 per cent for the period 1995-1997 as the third-highest achievement in the record after Jordan (157%) and China (156%) in the World Banks 1999-2000 Development Report. The introduction of sustainable economic policies that led to: - Increased productivity in export produce like cocoa and gold; - The establishment of the National Development Planning Commission; - The revival of the Ghana Export Promotion Council, all institutions which have survived to date. There were massive developments in the health sector including: - The establishment of the Cardiothoracic Centre at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital - The establishment of the Korle Bu Radiotherapy Centre - The wooing of eminent personalities such as Professor Frimpong Boateng to return to Ghana to serve their country. - The Reconstructive Plastic Surgery and Burns Centre was also constructed under President Rawlings watch. RAWLINGS FOUNDER OF THE 4TH REPUBLIC President Rawlings, in 1992, established the 4th Republic of Ghana, the longest-running in the history of this nation, which still endures. Following his constitutionally mandated two terms serving as the President of Ghana, he handed over the flagbearership of the NDC to Professor Mills and the leadership of the nation to President Kufuor in 2001. Prior to the return to constitutional rule in 1992, Rawlings initiated and supervised a process of transition to constitutional rule as early as 1986 through the actualisation of the District Assembly concept as a primary grassroots democratic organ. Subsequently, the National Commission on Democracy sought opinions from Ghanaians on the best form of democratic governance to adopt. Eventually, the former President was presented with a report that recommended an expansion of the District Assembly system into the Regional and National Assemblies where individuals would nominate themselves for elections. President Rawlings has never shied away from stating that he is not a supporter of multiparty democracy because it tends to allow a minority to manipulate and rule the majority and brings about division. In spite of his strong reservations, he still accepted the integrity of the information from his team, to adopt the multiparty system of democratic governance and actually stood as a presidential candidate in both the 1992 and 1996 General Elections. Due to his faith in his team, and desire to prioritize the national development agenda, he chose not to exercise his veto as Head of State, despite his reservations about the multi-party system. Former President Rawlings set an admirable record on the continent by willingly and smoothly handing over power in 2001 when his party lost the 2000 General Election. The continent is currently strewn with leaders who have entrenched their stay after their constitutionally obligated terms, amending the constitution, rigging elections or simply refusing to step down. Today the precedent established by President Rawlings has ensured that the 4th Republic has enjoyed four smooth political transitions. NANA KONADU AND THE NDC SACRIFICE AND BETRAYAL The role, hard work, strategy and organisational talent that Nana Konadu applied to build and propel the NDC to countless victories can never be eroded. The various attempts to not just discount the central role she played, but to also deride her, is symptomatic of the myopic selfishness of characters within the NDC who cannot appreciate the fact that in so doing to pioneers of the Party like herself and others, you have no history to speak of. To peddle falsehoods in the name of hearsay as a justification for the blatant lies in the book is unbecoming of an academician; albeit with the sole intention of creating the impression that Nana Konadu had a role to play in the so-called Rawlings versus Mills tale. Nana Konadu played an integral role in the development of both the PNDC and the NDC, and the attempts by the author to denigrate her and nullify the key strategic and organisational role she played is yet another disappointment of the book. When the Swedru Declaration was made (prior to the 2000 elections), Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings had in fact been out of Ghana for several months working on a womens health project for the World Health Organisation (WHO). A fact the author could quite easily have verified were he or any of his proof-readers inclined to do so. She was informed about the Declaration while she was abroad. Surely, logic would indicate, that had she any intention to contest that election, she would have been in the country campaigning, or at the very least have set in motion her campaign machinery with which to achieve her Presidential objectives. At no point did she indicate to President Rawlings or members of the Party, that she had any intention or inclination to be the flagbearer of the Party. On her return to the country, she rapidly rolled out her campaign strategy and machinery in support of Professor Mills. Yet another fact that can be easily and publicly verified. April 2000 Congress In writing on the Extraordinary Congress of April 2000, the author again alleges that Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings was unhappy with the proliferation of Mills for President T-shirts and confronted several people who wore the T-shirts including he (Kwamena) and Kofi Totobi-Quakyi. It defies logic for an academician turned author to include this falsehood in his work when President and Mrs. Rawlings had publicly thrown their weight behind Vice-President Mills for the Presidency and indeed after the Congress, they campaigned extensively and comprehensively for the candidate. Further, to insinuate that Mrs. Rawlings was averse to the wearing of Mills for President T-shirts is absurd given that Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings and her womens group were actually responsible for printing thousands of Mills for President paraphernalia to her personal debt. The foregoing is merely a crystallisation of decades of a smear campaign led by Ahwoi to shift the blame for all the many failures of the Party onto Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings. This is indicative of the consistent lack of reflection and the refusal to take responsibility for mistakes, that have led the Party to the point at which it finds itself. Afiadenyigba, Ada Incident In 2000, Vice President Mills had been confirmed as the candidate for the NDC. Nana Konadu, as part of her political campaign for the Party, created a programme for the Greater Accra Region. One of the events was the opening of a school in Afiadenyigba, Ada which she invited Mrs Mills to commission, to officially outdoor her to the Dangme community. Although protocol arranged for the First Lady and Vice-Presidents wife to travel together, Mrs Mills decided to take the lead on the journey. One of the etiquettes that J.J. Rawlings insisted upon at public events, which then became custom, was not to drive into durbar grounds, thereby whipping up dust onto the chiefs, royalty and the community. It, therefore, became an unspoken rule since the 1980s that government officials arriving at any function were to alight from their vehicles at the periphery of the durbar grounds and walk onto the grounds. When Mrs. Mills arrived at the durbar grounds at Afiadenyegba, her convoy in an attempt to drive onto the sandy durbar grounds was frantically flagged down and stopped by a police officer assigned to the function. Mrs. Mills in a fury demanded the reason for this. The police officer proceeded to explain the rationale for stopping her car which unfortunately did little to diffuse the situation and she said she was leaving. The 31st DWM ladies that organised the event frantically went on their knees to apologise to the Vice-Presidents wife and begged her to stay. This was in full view of the chiefs and people gathered. Nana Konadu eventually arrived at Afiadenyegba to the sight of some elderly organisers on their knees, pleading, with Mrs. Mills who was clearly upset. Nana Konadu enquired as to what had transpired and was briefed by her organisers. In an attempt to de-escalate the situation, Nana Konadu apologised to Mrs Mills on their behalves and explained that all manner of hiccups occurred at public events but that should not bother her. When Nana Konadu proceeded to greet the chiefs and people present, she was met by shocked chiefs, queen-mothers and their subjects, all of whom could have been located to corroborate the incident, was the author so inclined. In the days that followed, it came to light that the police officer in question and his colleagues present were transferred outside of Greater Accra Region. One of the officers wrote a report to the then IGP Peter Nanfuri who also reported the entire matter to President Rawlings. Shocked and upset at the entire incident, President Rawlings asked Vice-President Mills why he would issue such instructions against the officers when they were just doing their jobs. The transfers were subsequently overturned. Nana Konadu was still on her regional campaigns for the NDC and Vice President Mills, unaware of the demotions, transfers and subsequent discussions taking place in Accra. Whilst in Cape Coast, the then Regional Minister Jehu-Appiah and two other persons met with her to enquire as to her knowledge of the incident. She narrated it and they expressed surprise at such a trivial incident taking this turn. Kwamena Ahwoi, John Kwadjo and E.T Mensah, all appointees at the time, authored a report of this incident which lays all the facts bare. This is a matter of public record and were the author so inclined, he would have consulted it as he did with other documents in his possession. 2011 Primaries Prior to her decision to contest President Mills in the 2011 NDC Primaries, Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings was the Vice-Chairman of the NDC, and she achieved that position by sheer merit, winning by a large majority at the 2010 Congress in Tamale. As with any other member of the Party or in the wider sphere, as a citizen of this country, she has a democratic right to contest an election employing hard work, a proven track record and sheer wit to her success. By doing so at the 2010 NDC Congress, she put herself in the spotlight, to be scrutinised and judged by the delegates who made their own decisions. This is in clear juxtaposition to others who never put any work into the success or survival of the NDC Party, have manipulated events and people, to sow seeds of mistrust and disunity whilst promoting their own family agenda. For the record the 2011 NDC primaries campaign of Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, was led by personalities such as Hon. Michael Teye Nyaunu and Hon. Namburr Berrick. PERSONAL OPINIONS Varied personal opinions have been sought by the author in his bid to sully the image of President Rawlings and Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings. A tall list of personalities take turns to offer their apparent view of the Rawlings-Mills relationship. It must be stated, that the claim by named persons in the book that Nana Konadu, at a meeting with Professor Mills requested for the Vice-Presidential slot is an outright fabrication. Nana Konadu never requested, indicated or discussed with any individual an intention or desire to be the running-mate to Vice-President Mills. This book is quite, unfortunately, riddled with countless fabrications and assumptions ascribed to said individuals who were thought to have more honour. President Rawlings and President Mills had a good relationship during the latters tenure. They interacted several times via telephone and met a few times either at the Ridge residence or the Castle, Osu and at all times they treated each other with utmost respect. These meetings were at the behest of President Mills, so it is difficult to reconcile the so-called bitterness that Ahwoi portrays in his book to the reality of the relationship between Rawlings and Mills. A number of personalities that the author refers to and others, have written publicly to disassociate themselves from the comments in the book. A clear indication of the credibility or lack thereof of its contents. This book appears to have no aim of serving history with facts. It reads as an opportunistic and calculated attempt to ridicule President Rawlings and former First Lady Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, using the personality of the late President John Atta Mills as the bait. From the inception, the author has harboured his own parochial agenda which clashed naturally with the integrity and accountability of Rawlings. Those of such ilk will continue to attempt to rewrite history to suit their selfish ends, but discerning minds will no longer be reticent of nor willing to tolerate such political trickery and subterfuge. The truth is a debt owed to the memory of the departed as well as current and future generations. The true legacy of the PNDC into the NDC under President Jerry John Rawlings, is one that ought to be acknowledged if there exists a Fourth Republic that has endured. Signed: Kobina Andoh Amoakwa (Communications Directorate) TICKERS: CBR; CBGZF Source: Streetwise Reports (8/27/20) Cabral Gold believes it is sitting on a district scale project and is initiating an aggressive drill program to find out. Cabral Gold Inc.'s (CBR:TSX.V; CBGZF:OTC.MKTS) Cuiu Cuiu project in northern Brazil sits in the middle of the region that hosted the world's largest gold rush, the 19781995 Tapajos Gold Rush, and on the company's property some 2 million ounces of placer gold were produced. But the hard-rock source of all that gold has never been found. Which is where Cabral Gold comes in. "During the gold rush," Cabral CEO Alan Carter told Streetwise Reports, "people were probably washing gold from about 100 different places in the region and Cuiu Cuiu was the biggest and the richest one, and so we've been looking for the source of all that gold." Cabral's 100%-controlled Cuiu Cuiu is a large property, around 36,000 hectares or around 360 square kilometers. To date, the company has identified two deposits, MG and Central, five kilometers apart, that together have a 1 million ounce gold resource, and both are open at depth. "Cabral has major drill programs scheduled for the next six months so expect a lot of news." - Bob Moriarty, 321gold "So far, we think we found the source of maybe about 10% of all the placer gold," Carter explained. "We are very optimistic that there are a number of other deposits within our project area still to be found, because most of the placer gold that was mined during the Gold Rush days is unexplained. Our objective is to grow this significantly; we think there's potential for 5 to 10 million ounces of gold at least here in multiple deposits." The MC and Central deposits both are characterized by narrow zones of high-grade mineralization surrounded by low-grade mineralization. "What happens is over hundreds of thousands of years, hot water flushes through the cracks and starts depositing a little gold with quartz so we have these halos of low-grade mineralization, which extend out from the main high-grade veins up to 50 meters," Carter said. The company has found high-grade drill intercepts in eight other target areas within a five kilometer radius of the two known deposits. "We believe that several of those eight areas will ultimately prove to be additional deposits with more drilling," Carter said. "Beyond those eight areas, there are probably about 15 or 20 other targets that have had no drilling but there is gold coming out of the streams, and we can see that there are geological structures that probably contain gold," Carter said. "A number of those targets that have had no drilling are quite compelling, and some of those untested targets we will test first in our new, 25,000-meter drill program, notably the Alonso target where the boulders on surface are averaging 91 grams per tonne gold." Another target the drill program will home in on is Medusa, which has never been drilled, but boulders at surface have returned gold values of 1.1 to 82.1 g/t. "A third target that has never been tested is Cilmar, where there's a lot of coarse nuggets on the surface. We think we know where all these coarse gold nuggets are coming from," Carter stated. "Cuiu Cuiu is a district-scale opportunity, which is quite unusual, as most gold projects have one deposit," Carter said. "We're very much focused on the high-grade potential of this project; the strategy is to define an economically viable gold deposit." Cabral bought its own reverse-circulation drill rig in February. "It should allow us to drill very quickly and very cheaply; diamond drilling, which produces these beautiful sticks of core, is quite expensive, about CA$247 a meter, while reverse circulation drilling is going to cost us about 10% of that. We were able to buy a secondhand rig for only $75,000 and it only had 200 hours on the clock. That is a game-changer for us." Cabral is not the only one in the neighborhood exploring. Eldorado Gold is advancing the Tocantinzinho deposit located 25 kilometers to the southeast. Carter was involved in the discovery of that project and until recently owned a 3.5% NSR on that project. "We've got this on our doorstep, and having a major gold company with the project next door is always a good sign and one of the things I look for as an investor," he noted. The company has about 99 million shares outstanding, 128 million fully diluted. Insiders own 19%, institutions 27% and retail the remaining 44%. Institutional shareholders include Phoenix Gold Fund, Dundee Goodman, RBC Precious Metals Fund and O3 Investments. CEO Carter is one of the largest shareholders, having personally invested CA$1.7 million to date and has taken positions in the last three private placement financings. "I'm aligned with my shareholders," Carter emphasized. Two things are going to happen within the next 6 to 12 months, Carter stressed. "The first is we're going to get more drill holes into the high-grade zones in the two existing deposits. And we're going to get wireframe models of the higher-grade zones themselves so that we can ultimately establish high-grade resources. To do that we need more drill hole hits into the high-grade centers of the existing deposits." "The second thing that we're doing as part of this drill program, which I think is more exciting, is we're looking for another 1, 2, 3 or more gold deposits," Carter said. "Some of that drilling is going to test targets that have fantastic bonanza grade numbers on surface that never have been drilled. And a lot of the planned drilling will be on other targets outside the two known deposits where we've got a little bit of drilling and some high-grade results that we want to follow up on." Cabral has mobilized its drill rig to the site and first results from the drilling should be released within a few weeks from the commencement of drilling. "So within the next month, we should start to see results and then there will be a constant flow of drill results over the next to the next 9 to 12 months," Carter said. Industry observer Bob Moriarty of 321gold echoes Carter's assessment. Moriarty wrote on July 3, "I highly suggest potential investors download the corporate presentation and go to page 11. I totally disagree with how Micon calculated the resource. When you are dealing with this form of gold, it has large nuggety gold in the saprolite layer at the surface decreasing to a tiny size in the laterite lower down: you get a really wide variation in size. Most investors, indeed most geologists don't understand this but gold is highly mobile. In a very wet area such as Brazil half the year, the gold actually grows at surface in chemical remobilization. So using a top cut where you just ignore the very high grade simply is not accurate. So I don't buy the current 1 million ounce 43-101. It's really 1.5 million ounces using the existing numbers." ". . .owning a real resource run by real management where their interests are aligned with that of shareholders is probably a very good idea. Cabral has major drill programs scheduled for the next six months so expect a lot of news," Moriarty concluded. Readers can watch a Crescat Capital video with geologist Quinton Hennigh discussing Cabral Gold: [NLINSERT] Disclosure: 1) Patrice Fusillo compiled this article for Streetwise Reports LLC and provides services to Streetwise Reports as an employee. She or members of her household own securities of the following companies mentioned in the article: None. She or members of her household are paid by the following companies mentioned in this article: None. 2) The following companies mentioned in this article are billboard sponsors of Streetwise Reports: Cabral Gold. Click here for important disclosures about sponsor fees. 3) Comments and opinions expressed are those of the specific experts and not of Streetwise Reports or its officers. The information provided above is for informational purposes only and is not a recommendation to buy or sell any security. 4) The article does not constitute investment advice. Each reader is encouraged to consult with his or her individual financial professional and any action a reader takes as a result of information presented here is his or her own responsibility. By opening this page, each reader accepts and agrees to Streetwise Reports' terms of use and full legal disclaimer. This article is not a solicitation for investment. Streetwise Reports does not render general or specific investment advice and the information on Streetwise Reports should not be considered a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Streetwise Reports does not endorse or recommend the business, products, services or securities of any company mentioned on Streetwise Reports. 5) From time to time, Streetwise Reports LLC and its directors, officers, employees or members of their families, as well as persons interviewed for articles and interviews on the site, may have a long or short position in securities mentioned. Directors, officers, employees or members of their immediate families are prohibited from making purchases and/or sales of those securities in the open market or otherwise from the time of the interview or the decision to write an article until three business days after the publication of the interview or article. The foregoing prohibition does not apply to articles that in substance only restate previously published company releases. As of the date of this article, officers and/or employees of Streetwise Reports LLC (including members of their household) own securities of Cabral Gold, a company mentioned in this article. Additional disclosures: Disclosures from Bob Moriarty, 321gold, July 3, 2020 Cabral is an advertiser. I missed the pp but I have bought shares in the open market. Do your own due diligence. Bhopal, Aug 27 : With the states divided on political lines over holding the NEET-JEE exams, BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh is ready with a plan to go all out to conduct the exams on schedule in September. As a first step the government has offered to double the number of centres for the NEET test and has banned frisking of candidates. They will be expected to go through a metal detector. This year the expected number of NEET candidates is going to be 58,860 and the state plans to have 144 centres as compared to last year's 84 centres for 54,445 candidates. Sources said Bhopal will have 35 centres for about 18,000 candidates. There were 15 centres last year for 12,000 candidates. Among the steps taken for the candidates' safety, alternate seats have been arranged for the JEE (Main) and NEET examinees. There will be 12 NEET candidates in each room. Students will go through thermal scanning. There will be separate entry and exit gates. Document verification will be done in two rooms in batches of 15 candidates each. Face masks will be mandatory. Sanitisation of the centres will be carried out before each test. Isolation wards will be prepared for students with high fever. Facility for disposal of gloves and masks for both the candidates and invigilators will be arranged. Only masks, gloves, hand sanitisers, water in transparent bottles, admit cards and ID cards will be allowed in the centres. The Congress-led opposition is opposing the holding of the exams. Former state Education Minister Jitu Patwari on Wednesday wrote to the Chief Minister to cancel the exams in view of the pandemic. "Like the rest of the world our country is also facing the pandemic. Covid had started infecting the state when you took charge in March. You failed to control it," wrote Patwari. "Under these circumstances, I request you not to permit conducting of the JEE/NEET examination," he said. He asked the state government to write to the Centre to cancel the exams. A senior official in the Education Department said the postponement of the examinations would hamper the academic calendar and cost thousands of students a precious year. "Shifting of the examination would call for a massive logistical exercise. Thousands of centres are to be contacted again for their availability. Also availability of supervisors and invigilators, movement of tonnes of materials and equipment like jammers and CCTV cameras are involved. "It takes almost three months to prepare for the examination for the administration. For the students, it takes even longer to prepare for the tests. If it is postponed again, it will ruin an academic year," he said. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text Musician cum social commentator, Kwame Asare Obeng popularly known as A Plus has charged President Akufo Addo to start the process of legalising Okada in the country. According to A Plus, the failure of the Akufo Addo's government to start the Okada legalisation process will have a heavy toll on his chances in the upcoming December 7 general elections. A Plus stated in a Facebook post that Okada will be legalised in the country once John Mahama wins the upcoming elections. He is advising Akufo Addo to take the lead by legalising Okada operations now. "John Mahama will legalize Okada if he becomes president. Akufo Addo you are the president. Start the process now," he stated. Many critiques of the former president have kicked against the promise to legalise and regulate Okada operations. Some are of the view that Okada accidents are rampant in the country and also such accidents account for many loss of lives. But in his view, A Plus stated that planes, cars and trains all get involved in accidents in one way or the other which result in loss of lives as well and Okada accidents cannot be an excuse to stop the legalisation of it operations in the country. "Okada kills, aeroplane kills, car kills, buses kills, mosquito kills. Go to the road commission and ask them how many people have died in road accidents this year alone..." part of A Plus post reads. Read full post below: --- || Contributor Tory MPs have slammed the 'funding discrepancy' between Scotland and England after official statistics showed public spending per person north of the border is almost 2,000 more than the UK average. Conservative backbenchers in Westminster said that if the SNP government in Holyrood believed in independence then it should refuse to accept English taxpayers 'subsidising their services'. They claimed that Nicola Sturgeon and her party 'berate everything that comes out of Westminster - apart from the money'. Numbers published yesterday showed that total public sector expenditure for the benefit of Scotland, including both UK and Scottish government spending, has increased by just over three per cent to 81 billion. That is equivalent to 14,829 being spent on public services per person in Scotland, some 1,633 per person greater than the UK average. The spending gap has been largely blamed on the Barnett Formula which is used by the UK Government to figure out how much funding should be given to the other home nations when it decides to spend more or less on something in England. The numbers, published in Holyrood's annual Government Expenditure and Revenue Scotland report (Gers), have reignited long-running calls for the discredited formula to be overhauled. However, while Tories in Westminster have been left fuming, their colleagues in Edinburgh said the so-called 'Union dividend' had dealt a 'hammer blow' to Ms Sturgeon's independence hopes. Tory MPs have claimed Nicola Sturgeon, pictured in Holyrood yesterday, and the SNP 'berate everything that comes out of Westminster - apart from the money' Conservative backbenchers are calling on Boris Johnson to overhaul the Barnett Formula which is used to calculate spending levels What is the Barnett Formula and why is it so controversial? What is the Barnett Formula? It is a system used by the UK Government to figure out how much funding should be given to the other home nations when it decides to spend more or less on something in England. It was devised by the former Labour Chief Secretary to the Treasury Joel Barnett back in 1978. While it has no standing in law it has now been used by the Treasury for more than 40 years to calculate funding figures. Why is it so controversial? The amount of money handed out to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in the form of a block grant from Westminster is calculated based on population and what powers have been devolved Whitehall. This should mean that in theory spending should go up and down equally. But the calculations are complicated and Scotland started with higher spending per head when the formula was first used which means that discrepancy is baked into the system. The formula was only ever supposed to be temporary and even its architect said in 2014 that it was 'unfair and should be stopped'. Just how different is public spending in the four home nations? The latest available figures which relate to 2019 show that Northern Ireland has the most spent on public services per head at 11,590. Scotland was at second place with 11,247 while Wales was ay 10,656. In England the level of public spending stood at 9,296 per person. Advertisement How Nicola Sturgeon has repeatedly gazumped PM during coronavirus crisis Nicola Sturgeon has repeatedly gazumped Boris Johnson during the coronavirus pandemic, acting first on key issues and then forcing the UK Government to follow suit. She is currently riding high in the opinion polls off the back of daily publicity during the crisis - and a healthy dose of Westminster cash. She had a net rating of plus 50 in a recent YouGov study, up from plus 5 a year ago. By contrast Mr Johnsons rating is minus 50, having slumped by 16 points over the past 12 months. Weeks after the UK Government dropped its daily news briefings on coronavirus, Ms Sturgeon is still benefiting from daily exposure on television. She has used the briefings to repeatedly out-manoeuvre Downing Street. She previously used the lunchtime briefing to announce that the first three lockdown was to be extended with Number 10 announcing the same thing later the same day. She did something similar on measures to allow several members of households to meet indoors as lockdown was eased and on requiring people to wear face masks in shops. Scotland - along with Wales - have also in recent weeks announced quarantine restrictions against other nations before they were announced by Westminster - despite all four nations' chief medical officers meeting together to decide plans of action. Ms Sturgeon has also been credited with acting first over recent exam results chaos. Advertisement One Tory MP told MailOnline: The discrepancy in funding is unfair and the average may be almost 2,000 but if you look at other areas of the country it will be even greater. It drives my constituents mad. They are paying their taxes to then see almost 2,000 per person being sent to Scotland, even when services are struggling here. If we were not in a coronavirus crisis this is the sort of thing the Government should be looking at. It is wrong. Why do we pay the same taxes and finish up out of pocket? It is quite extraordinary that the SNP want to go for independence but they are quite happy that the English taxpayers are subsidising their services. Why arent they standing up and saying we dont want that money?. That is what they should be doing. Another Tory MP said the numbers highlighted the need for ministers to finally reform the Barnett Formula. They said: 'There has always been dissatisfaction that Scotland does so much better out of this. 'The problem with the Barnett Formula is it is very difficult to think about what could replace it. It would cause such political ructions and normally governments don't want that unless everything else is in balance. 'At some stage we will not be doing Brexit and we will not be dealing with a pandemic and certainly then the Government will want to think about it.' They added: 'At some stage there is going to have to be a reassessment. That has been recognised for years but it has always been in the "too difficult" box. 'They [the SNP] berate everything that comes out of Westminster - apart from the money.' The Scottish Conservative finance spokesman Murdo Fraser suggested yesterday that the figures were persuasive of the case for the Union even though they do not take into account the recent 'blockbuster support' from the UK Government, such as the furlough scheme. He said: 'This is a hammer blow to the SNP and a massive setback for separation. 'Nicola Sturgeon would have to throw away Scotland's entire NHS, every nurse and doctor, just to come close to balancing the budget in her separate state. 'It's beyond dispute that the economic case for independence has never been weaker. 'Separating would cost Scotland 15 billion a year that we need for our schools and hospitals.' The official figures showed Scotland's fiscal deficit grew to 8.6 per cent of GDP in the 2019/20 financial year, with government spending 15.1 billion more than is received in revenues. The deficit rose from 7.4 per cent the previous year, while the UK's deficit stood at 2.5 per cent compared to 1.9 per cent last year. While the figures incorporate the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic, the Gers report notes the impact will be greater in the next financial year. The SNP claimed the figures showed the current 'status quo' between Westminster and Edinburgh needed to change. Finance Secretary Kate Forbes reiterated her call for the Scottish Government to be given further financial powers. She said: 'Although Gers is not the Scottish Government's budget and reflects the current constitutional arrangements whereby another government's policy choices are allocated to Scotland, the publication sets out the context for why the status quo and the present constitutional arrangements are unsustainable.' Ms Forbes said it was 'incredibly frustrating' that Scotland could not borrow to invest in recovery. She added: 'Gers reflects the current constitutional position, there are perfectly legitimate questions to ask about these figures, but based on these figures nobody can or should defend the status quo of the current constitutional arrangements. 'Instead, this publication once again strengthens calls for additional fiscal and economic powers to manage our public finances in a sustainable way and invest in recovery. 'Scotland simply cannot afford not to have the powers of a normal independent country.' 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 Tencents 7,000-Plus-Membership Communist Party Branch Reveals Close Ties With Beijing More than 7,700 employees at Chinese tech giant Tencent are members of a Communist Party organization embedded in the company, according to an internal name list obtained by The Epoch Times. Companies operating in China are required by law to set up Communist Party units within their offices to ensure that their business activities and employees adhere to the Partys policies. The Party organizations leaders are all top executives at the company, which has set up smaller Party subunits within many of its departments, according to the set of documents The Epoch Times obtained from a trusted source. The list is incomplete , so its unclear exactly how many Party members or committee members are among the companys roughly 54,600 employees. The large scale of Tencents Party committee reveals the companys close ties to the regime. In early August, President Donald Trump signed an executive order banning U.S. transactions with Tencent in relation to its popular WeChat app, citing risks that the app could allow the CCP access to U.S. users data. Cybersecurity experts have also warned that Chinese apps have the potential to absorb large amounts of personal data that could be exploited by Beijing. The company in fact has a long history of supporting the Chinese regimes surveillance apparatus. Many dissidents in China have been arrested and detained for posts on WeChat and other Tencent-developed apps that authorities deemed too politically sensitive. Tencent Toes the Party Line Tencent was founded in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen in 1998, and owns a large portfolio of internet-related products and services, including popular apps WeChat and QQ. Tencent set up its first Communist Party organization in 2005. Chinese media Nanfang Daily quoted the head of the group in 2018, saying that Tencent has established 226 party organizations with a total of 10,962 members. The goal of our work is to ensure that where the business develops, the Party organization and the Partys work will follow up, the group leader, who was unnamed, said. By 2017, Tencent had around 7,000 Party members, accounting for 23 percent of its employees, Chinese news portal Sina reported. In a 19-page document The Epoch Times obtained, the company listed 7,723 Party organization members. But the list did not have the names of CEO Ma Huateng and other executives who are openly known as Party membersmeaning this list is incomplete. According to the document, the company has smaller Party branches set up with its many departments, spanning its properties social network operations and apps, cloud products, artificial intelligence labs, marketing, investment division, and the presidents office. Certain departments have subdivisions within its Party branches. For example, Tencents Online Media Group has eight branches, while the companys social media, data platform, and WeChat payment departments each have three branches. Other Party branches are for the companys regional offices, such as Hangzhou, Beijing, Shenzhen, Tianjin, Chengdu, Wuhan, Hefei, and Xian. Allegiance to the Party begins at the top. Tencent founder and CEO Ma Huateng has publicly voiced his support for Beijing on several occasions. In early June 2018, a photo of Ma wearing a Chinese Civil War-era uniform and octagonal cap during a visit to Yanan cityknown as the Communist Partys base during the conflict between the Communist Party and the Nationalist Partycirculated widely online. Tencents Party committeewhich oversees all of the companys Party organizationsis composed of 11 members, according to previous state media reports. Tencents Party secretary Guo Kaitian is also the companys senior vice president and oversees the companys legal affairs, administration, and security management. The three deputy Party secretaries are vice presidents and general managers in charge of the companys key businesses, such as information security management, online media, and government affairs. Tencent has not responded to a request for comment. Tencent Monitors Employees Tencent has openly publicized its enthusiasm for advancing the Partys goals. Its Party organization founded the first Party journal among Chinas internet companies, called Tengxiang, in 2005. In 2016, Tencents Party committee was recognized by Beijing as the only advanced grassroots Party organization among Chinas internet companies. The company has also set up a community website, WeChat platform, and service center for its Party members. The Epoch Times also obtained a document from state-owned China Unicom, revealing how Tencent helped develop an app for Party-building among Party members. The concept usually involves studying the Partys theories and making rules in line with Party doctrine. The document, titled Internet + Smart Party-Building Solution, originated from China Unicoms office in Nanyang city, Henan Province. According to the notice, this Party-building app is used by different companies. Among the apps functions is the ability to search for, monitor, and trace a Party member or cadres behavior, it said, though it did not explain exactly how those capabilities would work. Tencents Role in Surveillance and Imprisonment of Dissidents Tencent has also played a role in the detention and imprisonment of Chinese dissidents and bloggers who use the companys apps, especially its most popular one, WeChat. On March 2, 2019, The Diplomat magazine documented how Dutch hacker Victor Gevers discovered that the content of millions of conversations on Tencent applications among users at internet cafes are being relayed, along with the users identities, to police stations across China, and that Chinas security agencies were using data from Tencents applications to root out unauthorized religious activity. In a well-known example, Wuhan whistleblower doctor Li Wenliang first posted about a mysterious pneumonia spreading in the city on a private WeChat chat group. It was the first time information about the CCP virus (novel coronavirus) was publicized. After his post went viral, Li was told to visit the local police station. After police interrogation, he was released under the condition that he promise not to spread any more rumors. Many Chinese citizens who have spoken up against or criticized the Chinese regime through WeChat have been arrested and detained. In May, a group of Falun Gong adherents who were part of the same WeChat group were arrested at the same time. The spiritual group Falun Gong has been severely persecuted by the Chinese regime since July 1999, with hundreds of thousands arrested, detained, and tortured since. Information about Falun Gong is censored in China. According to a July 30 report by Minghui.org, a U.S.-based website that provides first-hand updates on the persecution of Falun Gong in China, more than 300 in the chat group were abducted and had their homes ransacked by police. The chat groups founder was detained for more than two months. It is rare for a big group of people from the same chat group to be arrested simultaneously across the country, the report noted. Minghui.org also reported on July 15 that in early January 2019, a criminal judgment was handed down to Falun Gong adherent Wang Bin. The Pengjiang District Court of Jiangmen city in Guangdong Province stated that Wang was sentenced to eight years in prison and fined 30,000 yuan (approximately $4,300) for spreading information on Falun Gong through his WeChat account and group chats on the platform. On July 14, the police detained and ransacked the home of another Falun Gong practitioner, Guo Zhenjia, in Suning county, Hebei Province. He was accused of talking about Falun Gong on WeChat. The New York Times reported in April that Beijing arrested five former employees of telecom firm Huawei, after they joined a group chat on WeChat and discussed how the company skirted U.S. sanctions and sold equipment to Iran. In an ongoing case, U.S. prosecutors allege that Huawei and its CFO violated Iran sanctions. In August 2019, Bao Yan, the wife of business owner Li Huaiqing, issued an open letter revealing that her husband was arrested by police for talking about the violent history of the Communist Partys army on WeChat. Li was charged with inciting subversion of state power and authorities confiscated company assets worth more than 100 million yuan. In Sep. 2017, Liu Pengfei, the creator of a WeChat group, was arrested by Beijing police. The group discussed current political news and social issues. In April 2019, he was sentenced to two and a half years in prison on charges of picking quarrels and provoking trouble, a vague charge often used to detain dissidents in China. Heidi DuBois Edelman has recruited Heidi DuBois, a veteran of the BNY Mellon and PepsiCo corporate responsibility practices, for the executive VP & head of the environmental, social and governance practice in the US. Its a new post. DuBois joins the No. 1 independent firm from the Society of Corporate Governance whereas ESG director she advised general counsels, board members and sustainability executives on best-in-class programs. She began her career at Debevoise & Plimpton, handling executive compensation, CEO transitions, mergers & acquisitions and crisis situations. Chuka Umunna DuBois will work with Chuka Umunna, who recently joined Edelman in London as executive VP and head of ESG for the EMEA region. Umunna served in the British parliament from 2010-2019 as shadow business secretary and other economic, business, trade and foreign policy posts. The additions of DuBois and Umunna position Edelman as a leader in both ESG advisory as well as helping companies define, develop and deploy their purpose," said Alex Heath executive VP-purpose. Heidi and Chukas expertise in serving boards and their unique understanding of investors will be a clear differentiator for Edelman in this arena. HOUSTON, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- John L. Schouest, firm founder of Houston-based Schouest, Bamdas, Soshea & BenMaier PLLC, or SBSB Law, has been named a "Lawyer of the Year" for his work in admiralty and maritime law by The Best Lawyers in America. This honor is awarded to individual lawyers who are not only selected to Best Lawyers' annual list, but also to those who have received the highest overall peer feedback for a specific practice area and geographic region. Joining Mr. Schouest on the 2021 list of Best Lawyers in America are three additional SBSB Law trial lawyers: Limor Ben-Maier, Richard Cozad and Kelly Haas all of whom are recognized for admiralty and maritime law. Their selection to the exclusive list also marks the first time each of these attorneys has been recognized as a Best Lawyer. "I have always been proud of the work our entire team has generated, but to have the respect of our industry peers elevates this honor to a new level," said Mr. Schouest. "I want to extend my personal congratulations to Limor, Richard and Kelly for their selection to Best Lawyers. Their excellence and dedication to clients is incredibly inspiring, and it's just one of the many reasons why SBSB remains such a force in admiralty and maritime law." Best Lawyers in America is the legal industry's oldest peer-reviewed guide and widely considered to be the premiere list for showcasing the country's top attorneys. Best Lawyers honorees are selected through a rigorous peer-review survey that includes confidential evaluations by other lawyers in the same and related specialties. Attorneys are not permitted to pay any fee to participate in or be included on its lists. For more information about Best Lawyer's methodology or for a complete list of this year's honorees, visit http://www.bestlawyers.com/. Mr. Schouest is a seasoned trial lawyer who has established himself as one of the world's leading attorneys for Defense Base Act litigation. His proficiency in a broad range of commercial and business matters has made him preferred legal counsel for many of the world's largest insurance companies when dealing with high-dollar, multi-jurisdictional and legally complex claims. Ms. Ben-Maier is the managing partner for SBSB Law's Houston office. She has extensive experience in matters involving Longshore and Harbor Worker's Compensation claims, consumer protection, immigration visas and Defense Base Act cases. Additionally, she regularly handles claims brought before the Department of Labor's Office of Administrative Law Judges. Mr. Cozad is a partner in the firm's New Orleans office and has focused his practice on admiralty, marine insurance and environmental matters. He also has tried bodily injury, property damage and insurance coverage cases in most of the state and federal courts in South Louisiana. Prior to joining SBSB Law, he was an adjunct professor at Tulane University School of Law where he taught a course on marine insurance. Ms. Haas is a partner in the firm's Houston office. Her practice consists of defending vessel owners and operators, as well as offshore companies, from claims arising from collisions, property damage, personal injury, maritime pollution, environmental issues, cargo matters and contract disputes. She also handles matters involving the Jones Act, the Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act, the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, offshore service industries and transportation. Schouest, Bamdas, Soshea & BenMaier PLLC or SBSB Law is a group of experienced attorneys who have come together to form a law firm focused on client needs. The firm's goal is to be the go-to resource at every stage of the legal process, bringing deeper experience, deeper commitment and deeper insights to help solve the most complex issues. In consultation or in the courtroom, the firm will aggressively pursue a client's best interests. SBSB Law attorneys are just great people who also happen to be great lawyers. For more information about the firm and its team of attorneys, visit www.sbsblaw.com. Media Contact: Jennie Bui-McCoy 713-333-0052 [email protected] SOURCE Schouest, Bamdas, Soshea & BenMaier PLLC An outbreak of Covid-19 at a care home has been linked to an employee who allegedly hid her positive test result from managers. A major investigation has now been launched at the residential home in Dublin. An elderly female resident in her 70s and a staff member at the home have also been infected. Along with the three confirmed cases, another four staff members and residents have been in isolation for 11 days. The care home management ordered the lockdown on Monday, August 17, after finding that the worker had continued looking after residents, despite knowing she was infected. The worker took the Covid test on Wednesday, August 12. She had been contact traced by the HSE after her son, a meat factory worker, had tested positive for the virus. It is understood the care worker was informed of her positive result three days later while she was working a weekend shift caring for two residents. Sources say the worker did not tell her manager of the results and continued working until the Sunday. The issue came to light the following day when the worker was asked to work overtime. It is understood that she said she couldn't, as a relative had tested positive for coronavirus, but she did not tell her manager of her own result. The manager told her to contact her GP to arrange a test. The care home's Covid-19 supervisor later contacted the worker who, when questioned, admitted she was infected. A source said: "A containment and deep clean operation was immediately put in motion and everyone in the house concerned was tested and all contact tracing completed." The families of the residents were informed, and the house is now in isolation. The care home management team was seriously concerned as to why the HSE tracing system failed to inform them of the worker's test result. An investigation found that the testing centre was not given details of the care home where the individual worked. Sources say that the matter will be referred to the gardai. Meanwhile, the possibility of an early lifting of the semi-lockdown in Kildare, ahead of September 6, will be decided today. Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said an early reprieve from the measures imposed in the county - sparked by major outbreaks in factories - will be reviewed at a meeting of the National Health Emergency Team (Nphet). He was speaking before it was announced yesterday evening that another 164 people have been diagnosed with Covid-19 nationally, with 22 in Kildare. Cut-off Dublin topped the number of new cases with 93. "There is a very difficult call for Nphet to make," Mr Donnelly said, in response to Kildare Fianna Fail TD James Lawless at the Special Committee on Covid-19 Response. Nphet will have to judge if the cases are low enough to have reduced community transmission. "The cut-off point for Ireland's green list was no more than five per 100,000 over the previous two weeks. Kildare was at nearly 200 per 100,000. It was very high," he said. Earlier, acting chief medical officer Dr Ronan Glynn said the early escape from restrictions in the county was under review. Some 65pc of those newly infected are under the age of 45 years. Dr Glynn said there have been two particular instances of Covid outbreaks linked to sporting fixtures. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has generated considerable interest over the past few decades, owing to its promising applications across a wide range of fields. But, it has also sparked an ongoing debate on whether the risks of using AI outweigh its benefits. The biggest concern with AI is a lack of governance, which gives large companies (popularly called as the "Big Tech") unlimited access to private data. Multiple scandals in the recent past have confirmed the threats of this--such as the infamous Cambridge Analytica scandal of 2018, in which Facebook conducted a major privacy breach by leaking confidential user information to a data-mining company. Moreover, although AI should be developed in a socially responsible way, governments often do not impose strict legislations on AI development, which may be detrimental--rather than beneficial--to the society. In a new study published in Sustainable Development, Dr Jon Truby of Qatar University talks about how unregulated AI is a threat to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)--a set of guidelines created by the United Nations (UN) for the sustainable development of all countries. Dr Truby points out that this threat is especially prevalent in developing nations, which often relax AI regulations to attract investments from the Big Tech. Dr Truby explains, "In this study, I propose the need for proactive regulatory measures in AI development, which would help to ensure that AI operates to benefit sustainable development." In his study, Dr Truby discusses three examples to show how unregulated AI can be detrimental to SDGs. To begin with, he focuses on SDG 16, a goal that was developed to tackle corruption, organized crime, and terrorism. He explains that because AI is commonly used in national security databases, it can be misused by criminals to launder money or organize crime. This is especially relevant in developing countries, where input data may be easily accessible because of poor protective measures. Dr Truby suggests that, to prevent this, there should be a risk assessment at each stage of AI development. Moreover, the AI software should be designed such that it is inaccessible when there is a threat of it being hacked. Such restrictions can minimize the risk of hackers obtaining access to the software. Then, Dr Truby takes the example of SDG 8, a goal that seeks to increase public access to financial services. AI is regularly used in financial institutions to make banking simpler and more efficient. But, while learning, AI might inadvertently develop certain biases, such as reducing financial opportunities for certain minorities. Dr Truby explains that to avoid such biases, we need transparency in AI-driven processes. Human review and intervention at each step can ensure that such discrimination does not go unnoticed. Moreover, it is necessary to train software developers to recognize the harmful implications of biases, so that it can be regulated more efficiently. Finally, Dr Truby explains how AI is a threat to SDG 10, a goal that focuses on equal opportunity. He explains how AI can be used by big firms to generate employment opportunities in developing countries and that this might threaten smaller businesses and local companies. However, if designed with sustainable development in mind, AI can create better job opportunities and increase productivity by removing labor-intensive jobs. Inarguably, AI is a powerful technology that needs to be used carefully and efficiently. Although Dr Truby is optimistic about the future implications of AI, he believes that developers and legislators should exercise caution through effective governance. He concludes, "The risks of AI to the society and the possible detriments to sustainable development can be severe if not managed correctly. On the flip side, regulating AI can be immensely beneficial to development, leading to people being more productive and more satisfied with their employment and opportunities." ### About Dr Jon Truby Dr Jon Truby is an Associate Professor of Law and the Director of the Centre for Law and Development at the College of Law, Qatar University. His research interests include policy issues related to Artificial Intelligence, financial technology, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. He was a speaker at the UNGA panel in 2018, where he talked about digital currency sustainability concerns because of the huge environmental impact of Bitcoin and other Blockchain technologies. His current research focuses on the risks of AI to sustainable development. Earlier this year, the founders of Stream, a five-year-old, 60-person startup with offices in Boulder and Amsterdam, weren't feeling so great about their prospects. As COVID-19 began its spread in the U.S., some smaller customers of the startup -- whose APIs enable product teams to build chat and activity feeds for their applications -- began to fold. "It was really scary when [the virus] initially hit, because a lot of our smaller customers went out of business, which made us worry about what would happen to the larger ones," recalls Thierry Schellenbach, who started Stream with Tommaso Barbugli, the lead engineer at his last startup. "One [larger customer] did go bankrupt, which impacted our numbers." But then a strange thing happened, he says. Companies in education and healthcare and online events and even religious communities began beefing up their online operations, and turning in part to Stream to do it. Schellenbach understood the impulse. He and Barbugli created Stream to address a pain they felt firsthand at Schellenbach's first company out of college -- a social network that was ultimately acquired for a modest sum by a private equity firm in the Netherlands. Though it grew to "millions of users," he says, its activity feed was routinely failing as the network scaled, given the many moving pieces involved, and it took a "ton of engineering resources to keep it working well." Because the two knew the world needed more off-the-shelf software and specifically software focused on activity feeds, they began building it themselves. Yet that's not the only reason the company is gaining traction. Schellenbach attributes Stream's resiliency in the pandemic to a decision 10 months ago to also begin developing a chat API after seeing customers trying to build their own atop their activity feeds. Now schools like Harvard, social media companies like Dubsmash and the health information site Healthline are customers, and investors are beginning to take more notice, too. Story continues Indeed, today the company is announcing it has closed a $15 million Series A round that was led by GGV Capital and included 01 Advisors, Knight, seed round lead investor Arthur Ventures and other backers. Among them is Datadog CEO Olivier Pomel and GitHub co-founder Tom Preston-Werner. The round brings the company's total funding to $20.25 million, and it was raised from many individuals who Schellenbach (based in Boulder) and Barbugli (based in Amsterdam) have never met in person, including the GGV team. Schellenbach credits GGV for not hewing too closely to old models during these socially distanced days, as did "three or four" VCs with whom he'd spoken and who said he'd have to meet them in San Francisco in order to make a deal happen. He also traces Stream's fundraising success to the accelerator program Techstars, which Stream entered when it was just two months old back in 2015. As he explains, he and Barbugli had "no VC connections at the time, so Techstars was important to open up the fundraising side of things." Those references have only bred more references -- and now, more than ever -- it makes a difference, he suggests. "We're lucky," he says. Stream was introduced to GGV. GGV then introduced the team to Dick Costolo of 01 Advisors . Meanwhile, for "companies trying to raise a seed round, if you don't have clear references, right now, it's tough." Photo of Schellenbach and Barbugli, circa 2015, courtesy of Stream. A Vietnamese woman has tested positive for COVID-19 after flying from Hanoi to Tokyo this week, according to Japan Airlines. Passenger L.T.P.U. had a positive coronavirus test after she landed in Tokyo on Tuesday, the airlines representative told managers of Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi. She had flown in seat 46G aboard flight JL752 from the Vietnamese capital to the Japanese capital. Noi Bai airport managers have identified seven people, including four security guards and three ground service employees, who had contact with U. Nguyen Khac Hien, director of the Hanoi Department of Health, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that he had not been informed of passengers positive test. Hien was not sure if she lives in Hanoi, he added. We have yet to find her address in Vietnam, he said. Five passengers arriving in Japan and South Korea from Noi Bai International Airport have tested positive for the virus since August 8, the airports managers said. Four of the passengers live in Hai Phong, Ha Nam, and Hanoi, whose authorities quickly traced and quarantined their contacts after receiving notifications of their positive test results. Vietnam has documented 1,034 COVID-19 patients, with 632 recoveries and 30 deaths as of Thursday afternoon. Most of the dead victims had critical pre-existing conditions, including hypertension, chronic renal failure, heart failure, and even cancer. Vietnam has confirmed 547 domestic infections since July 25, when Da Nang detected the first local case after the Southeast Asian country had gone 99 days without any community transmission. Most of such local transmissions have been traced back to the beach city. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! People walk past a mural in downtown Kenosha after days of protest ad violence - Matt Marton/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock /Shutterstock The police officer who shot an unarmed black man in Wisconsin, sparking several days of protests that left two dead, has been named as Rusten Sheskey. Josh Kaul, attorney general of Wisconsin, announced to reporters on Wednesday that Mr Sheskey had been a member of the Kenosha police department for seven years before he shot Jacob Blake the back. The seven shots fired left Mr Blake paralysed from the waist down. Mr Kaul said it would take up to 30 days to present a case to prosecutors, who would decide whether to charge Mr Sheskey. In the meantime Mr Sheskey and the other officers present at the incident have been placed on administrative leave. According to Mr Kaul, the officers were responding to a domestic violence call and unsuccessfully deployed a stun gun against Mr Blake while trying to arrest him. It is not clear what relation he had to the police call-out. Mr Kaul also said Mr Blake admitted to having a knife in his possession during the time of the shooting, which officers subsequently recovered from the footwell of his car. However, Mr Blakes lawyers appeared to dispute this fact, stating: Witnesses confirm that [Mr Blake] was not in possession of a knife and didnt threaten officers in any way. Armed federal law enforcement have been deployed on to the streets of Kenosha - Matt Marton/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock /Shutterstock One of the two victims fatally shot on Tuesdays chaotic night of protests was also named on Wednesday. Anthony Huber, 26, of Silver Lake, Wisconsin, was the first person shot. The second victim is yet to be identified. Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, from nearby Antioch, Illinois, was charged with first-degree intentional homicide following the incident. He was arrested on Wednesday. Mr Rittenhouse is a self-appointed militia member who is reportedly obsessed with the Blue Lives Matter movement, a countermovement to Black Lives Matter which calls for the killing of law enforcement officials to be classified as a hate crime. A now inaccessible facebook account under his name showed pictures if him posing with a litany of firearms and promoting law enforcement agencies. Story continues Prior to the shooting, Mr Rittenhouse spoke to reporters in Kenosha and said that he had come to the Wisconsin town with other members of a militia to protect a petrol station from looting. Speaking to reporters just prior to the shooting, he said that he did not bring any "non-lethal weapons", adding that he had been pepper sprayed by a member of the public. A protester calls for the end of police brutality and violence in Kenosha - BRENDAN MCDERMID /REUTERS On Wednesday the US Justice Department announced it was opening a federal civil rights investigation into the shooting of Jacob Blake. US Marshals and 200 F.B.I. agents have been sent to work with local authorities in Wisconsin. This is the second time this year that the F.B.I. have been called in to investigate the killing of a black man by a white police officer. In May, they opened an inquiry into Derek Chauvin, the officer who was filmed kneeling on the neck of George Floyd until he died in Minneapolis. According to reports in the New York Times, civil rights advocates and even lawyers within the Justice Departments Civil Rights Division believe that officials are stalling action on the case until after the presidential elections. President Donald Trump has built much of his re-election campaign around supporting law enforcement officials as he seeks support in swing states including Wisconsin, which he won by just 23,000 votes in 2016. At the Republican National Convention on Wednesday night, Vice President Mike Pence was the only speaker to note the events in Kenosha, but he failed to acknowledge the cause of the protests. ...TODAY, I will be sending federal law enforcement and the National Guard to Kenosha, WI to restore LAW and ORDER! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 26, 2020 Mr Pence said: The violence must stop, whether in Minneapolis, Portland or Kenosha. President Trump and I will always support the right of Americans to peacefully protest, but rioting and looting is not peaceful protest. His statement came as President Trump tweeted that federal law enforcement will be sent into Kenosha to quell the protests. We will NOT stand for looting, arson, violence, and lawlessness on American streets," Mr Trump tweeted. TODAY, I will be sending federal law enforcement and the National Guard to Kenosha, WI to restore LAW and ORDER! In response to the shooting, athletes from across American sport boycotted several matches last night in protest of systemic racism and police brutality. The boycotts were sparked by the Milwaukee Bucks, a basketball team from near to Kenosha, who refused to play in their scheduled NBA playoff game against the Orlando Magic. As a result, the two other NBA playoff games last night were also postponed. In a statement, the Bucks said: We stand firmly against reoccurring issues of excessive use of force and immediate escalation when engaging the black community. Our organization will continue to stand for all black lives as we demand accountability and systemic change. YEREVAN, AUGUST 27, ARMENPRESS. A 4-year-old child who was among the seven children to be severely beaten in a shocking domestic violence incident in the village of Khashtarak of Tavush province has recovered from the sustained injuries and will discharged from a Yerevan hospital. The Surb Astvatsamayr Medical Center said the 6 children will be transferred to a childrens care home, according to preliminary information. 5 of the children were hospitalized with acute exogenous poisoning. The other two had severe traumas. One of the 7 victims, a six year-old child, had died earlier from multiple traumas. A 28-year-old woman from the village of Khashtarak, Tavush was arrested last week on suspicion of severely beating her five children. The womans father, 57, was also detained and charged. A preliminary investigation has revealed that the woman has also regularly battered her two nephews. The 7 children have been recognized as victims in the criminal case. The incident prompted a reaction from the government, with Tavush Governor Hayk Chobanyan convening an emergency meeting. Later, the Pashinyan Administration called for heightened and stronger measures to prevent domestic violence incidents. Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan PARIS The coronavirus crisis delayed changes to the board of Compagnie Financiere Richemont as well as its business strategy, according to the groups chairman Johann Rupert. It was quite clear that the world was changing long before COVID-19, and that business models needed to be addressed, he told investors Wednesday in a brief question and answer session ahead of the closed door annual shareholder meeting on Sept. 9, according to a company transcript. More from WWD The new profile of the board must reflect the opportunities and challenges that were facing, evolving tastes, consumption habits, digital, Chinese clientele, cyber criminalities, [diversity and inclusion] matters, training needs, change management, Rupert said. So we will be changing the board and we would have started this year but for COVID-19, we need time to also transition the committees, he continued. Noting that he had urged caution early on in the coronavirus crisis when it became clear that the groups cash flow was being badly affected, by the drop in consumption, the executive said that at the end of August, there remains uncertainty over when a treatment or vaccine might emerge to prompt consumers to resume traveling and spending money. So we will still err on the side of caution, he said. Earlier this year, the Cartier owner drew up a loyalty scheme for shareholders, with plans to issue three-year warrants to investors, meant to reward those who hang on to them. The warrants, which can be traded, will be distributed on Sept. 18. If market conditions return to normal, Rupert said he hopes that shareholders will recover funds lost due to a 50 percent cut in the previously planned dividend. By the way, I also cut my salary by 50 percent because were all in it together, he said. If we acted too conservatively, the warrant should be very valuable, the executive continued. But if the pandemic continues without a vaccine or treatment to reassure consumers, I think everybody will agree that we acted prudently and conservatively, and in the best interest of all shareholders, colleagues and partners, added Rupert. The luxury goods group has been hit hard by the crisis, reporting a 47 percent drop in sales over the three months ending June 30. Jameela Jamil has said the erasure of south Asian people from popular culture previously made her hate where she was from. The actress and activist, 34, made the comments as she delivered the Alternative MacTaggart lecture at the Edinburgh TV Festival. She said there was a dearth of people from south Asian cultures in the public eye apart from in the comedy Goodness Gracious Me, which she labelled as one of the funniest shows of all time, and actors who were cast as terrorists. It's finally time for this year's Alternative MacTaggart Lecture. @jameelajamil will be in conversation with Afua Hirsch as she shares her experiences of working in television in the UK and US and using her platform to campaign for 'radical inclusivity'. Unmissable! #EdTVFest pic.twitter.com/9LTyFCA52O Edinburgh TV Festival (@EdinburghTVFest) August 27, 2020 That erasure impacted me and made me hate where I was from for a really long time, she said. I thought, Well, if they never show us as the hero or as the heroine or as the protagonist, if we are always just the caricature of our people, then there must be something wrong with me. Jamil, 34, said she therefore tried to align herself with white and black culture because thats all I was seeing. She added that the problem is not just in showbusiness, saying: It really permeates our culture. You can really see it in the new generation and so I will be damned if I dont do everything in my power, where Im so lucky to be on the inside, to make sure that the next generation never suffer the way that I did, Jamil said. Video of the Day Jamil, who used to present T4 and has starred in US sitcom The Good Place, said she had no role models when she was growing up. During the conversation with journalist and documentary maker Afua Hirsch, Jamil also discussed her activism. The things that I have achieved that have been positive have been because of the fact I am OK with being disapproved of, as long as I know Im working every day to get better and be better, she said. She added that she has never cared about being popular and is always happy to walk away rather than compromise my integrity. Text ABOLISH to 33777 Execution protest & vigil at the execution of #LezmondMitchell Watch, Like, Share & Take action at http://deathpenaltyaction.org/federal-death-penalty/sign-on Cronkite News WASHINGTON Lezmond Mitchell on Wednesday became the first Native American in modern history to be executed by the federal government over the objections of a tribal government for a crime committed between Native Americans on tribal land. Mitchell, a Navajo convicted of the 2001 murders of a Navajo woman and her granddaughter, was pronounced dead at 6:29 p.m. in the federal penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana, the Justice Department said. The execution started at 6 p.m. after last-minute appeals to the courts and the White House failed. The execution had been strenuously opposed by the Navajo Nation, which normally must allow an execution of a tribal member. Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez and Vice President Myron Lizer said in a statement Wednesday that, Our collective voice was ignored. We dont expect federal officials to understand our strongly held traditions of clan relationship, keeping harmony in our communities, and holding life sacred, their statement said. What we do expect, no, what we demand, is respect for our People, for our Tribal Nation, and we will not be pushed aside any longer. We're across from the prison to say #StopExecutions #NoFederalExecutions Going live approximately 5:40pm at... Posted by Death Penalty Action on Wednesday, August 26, 2020 Mitchells attorneys called the execution another chapter in the federal governments long history of injustices against Native American people. A handful of death penalty opponents gathered outside the penitentiary Wednesday, holding signs and praying as Mitchell was executed by lethal injection. Mitchell was on death row for the 2001 carjacking and grisly murders of Alyce Slim, 63, and her 9-year-old granddaughter, Tiffany Lee. He and an accomplice stabbed Slim 33 times and cut the girls throat twice before decapitating and dismembering their bodies in an attempt to prevent their identification. The carjacking was pivotal to Mitchells case and execution. In prime-time #RNC2020 speech, Navajo Nation Vice President Myron Lizer portrayed Donald Trump as someone who cares about Indian Country. But in just a few hours, the Trump administration will execute the only Native American on death row. #LezmondMitchell https://t.co/Um22e2QVCN indianz.com (@indianz) August 26, 2020 In a normal murder involving a tribal suspect on tribal lands, federal officials must get tribal approval to pursue the death penalty. But a 1994 law created a new class of capital crime carjacking resulting in death that courts ultimately said could proceed without tribal input. Invoking the carjacking charge to get a death sentence for Mitchell blindsided the Navajo Nation by using this to sidestep the Navajo Nations position, Nez and Lizer said in their statement. The execution follows years of legal challenges on the grounds of tribal sovereignty, challenges Mitchell ultimately lost. That was followed by more appeals claiming racial bias in the jury that convicted Mitchell, which was made up of one Navajo and 11 white people. After Mitchell lost his last appeal in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals but before he could petition the Supreme Court, the Justice Department in late July set an Aug. 26 execution date. The Supreme Court late Tuesday denied Mitchells appeal and his emergency petition to stay the execution. Mitchells attorneys said that left his life in President Trumps hands, referring to commutation requests from a number of groups, including the Navajo Nation. But no commutation came. Its tragic, but its not surprising, said Matthew Fletcher, professor of law at Michigan State University and director of the Indigenous Law & Policy Center who has followed Mitchells case closely. Mitchell was the fourth man executed on federal death row in the last five weeks. The last federal execution before then was in 2003, but Attorney General William Barr last year ordered the executions resume. Robert Yazzie, who was the Navajo Nation chief justice during the time of Mitchells crimes, said he is troubled by the lack of communication and respect for the tribal government by the federal government. This is a matter that should be taken up as a sovereign nation with the United States Department of Justice, Yazzie said. Being respectful to each other is something that is, needs to be practiced even more, rather than just to overlook or to ignore Indians as nations. Besides the sovereignty issues, he said, the execution is an affront to tribal culture. Navajo religion and tradition holds that the whole lifes sacred and you do everything you can to maintain value of a life and not take a human life for vengeance, Yazzie said. But Justice Department spokeswoman Kerri Kupec noted that some of the victims family members, who were on hand to witness the execution, feel differently. Those family members, who are members of the Navajo Nation, have stated on the record that they supported implementation of the sentence returned by the jury and imposed by the court for Mitchells horrific federal crimes, Kupec said in a statement. Fletcher said the decision to proceed with the execution does not change the big issues facing tribes like the Navajo Nation, but that it sheds the spotlight on how little the United States thinks of Indians and Indian tribes, when push comes to shove. Department of Justice: Lezmond Mitchell "Lezmond Mitchell stabbed to death a 63-year-old grandmother and forced her nine-year-old granddaughter to sit beside her lifeless body for a 30 to 40-mile drive. Mitchell then slit the girls throat twice, crushed her head with 20-pound rocks, and severed and buried both victims heads and hands. On May 8, 2003, a jury in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona found Mitchell guilty of numerous offenses, including first degree murder, felony murder, and carjacking resulting in murder, and he was sentenced to death. Mitchells execution is scheduled to occur on Dec. 11, 2019."-- Federal Government to Resume Capital Punishment After Nearly Two Decade Lapse (July 25, 2019) 9th Circuit Court of Appeals Decisions Note: This story originally appeared on Cronkite News . It is published via a Creative Commons license . Cronkite News is produced by the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University Join the Conversation A team of reached the residence of actress Rhea Chakraborty, who is accused of abetting actor Sushant Singh Rajput's suicide, in Santacruz here on Thursday and took her father along for a questioning by the (ED), an official said. The police team reached Chakrabortys house as per the request made by the ED, the official said. "The ED requested the to reach their house and escort Rhea's father Indrajit out as it wants to question him," the police official said. "Accordingly, some police personnel reached their residence in the afternoon and took her father along for a questioning by the central agency," he added. However, he did not specify whether her father was taken to the ED office in south Mumbai or some other location. Earlier in the day, Rhea said in a social media post that there was a threat to her and her family's life and requested the for protection. She took to Instagram and shared a video where her father was seen being hounded by the media outside her building compound. The ED is probing a money laundering angle into the death of Rajput and has questioned Rhea twice earlier. It has obtained "deleted WhatsApp messages" after forensic examination of her phone. Rajput was found hanging at his flat in Bandra on June 14. His father had lodged a complaint against Rhea Chakraborty and other, accusing them of abetting his son's suicide and misappropriating his money. The Supreme Court had last week upheld the transfer of probe into the FIR, lodged by Rajput's father in Patna, to the CBI. Earlier in the day, Rhea's brother Showik Chakraborty arrived at the DRDO guest here for questioning by the CBI, a police official said. (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.) Wedged into the bottom of a rocky canyon on the east side of the Pioneer Mountains is a small lake with a big history Brownes Lake. The lake was named after Joseph A. Browne, who arrived in Montana in 1862 during the gold rush days at Bannack. He mined several claims before establishing a toll road and bridge across the Big Hole River in 1870. Settling in Beaverhead County, he then established a large ranch. According to a 1901 Anaconda Standard newspaper story, One day (Browne) strolled up the creek and discovered as pretty a pair of mountain lakes as ever cause a reflection from the sun. Browne built boathouses, cabins, a dining hall and landings along the lake. The facilities were overseen by servants, watchmen and a gatekeeper who controlled the entrance. It is an ideal pleasure ground, the reporter wrote, probably excelling those of any other part of the state. Butte (aristocracy including copper king William Clark) is the principal source of pleasure parties, although European travelers also visited. By 1911, however, the facility was being advertised to the public as a summer resort and an ideal place to spend your Sundays or vacation at the cost of $15 a week. What happened in between? Browne died and it appears his descendants opened the resort to the public. No sign of the old buildings remain. Fast forward to June 1984 when two Washington campers were stranded at Brownes Lake after a 30-year-old concrete dam burst, sending a torrent of water down Rock Creek. The 8- to 10-foot-tall surge of water wiped out two bridges along the road leading to the lake, and damaged a third bridge. When the dam burst, it was estimated the lake dropped about 5 feet in elevation. The state bought the property around the lake in 1963. In 1998 the lands were part of an exchange with the Forest Service. As a result, the property is now part of the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest. Thirty-six years later, the lake remains a popular spot for campers at undeveloped sites along Rock Creek. Remnants of the old concrete dam still litter the eastern edge of the lake thats located six miles west of Interstate 15 between Melrose and Glen. Although no trace of the historic resort remain, the lake is still a beautiful spot to swim, boat, fish and camp. You must be logged in to react. Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Craft-beer enthusiasts are watching as some favorite spots close courtesy of COVID-19, but one brewery is doing the unexpected: Migration Brewing on Thursday opened a new taproom with an open-air balcony overlooking Providence Park and Southwest Portlands West Hills. The Rooftop at Canvas taproom, in the Stadium District of the Goose Hollow neighborhood, sits high atop the ninth floor of the Press Blocks, a new commercial and residential development at the site of The Oregonians former press plant. The 2,000-square-foot tasting room will be open Thursdays through Sundays, serving Migrations lineup of craft beer as well as wine, cider, nonalcoholic beverages and a simple food menu. The opening during the economic downturn might go against the trend, but McKean Banzer-Lausberg, one of Migrations co-founders, said the owners want to stay innovative and adapt through flexible and socially responsible projects. Migration had a lot of brand momentum occurring pre-COVID, so we had quite a few projects underway, Banzer-Lausberg said. We put discussions on hold during the spring but once our company stabilized this summer we picked up the conversation and really focused on what would be an appropriate project during COVID. We spent a tremendous amount of time developing our COVID protocols at our other locations, he said. That combined with our previous experience opening pubs gave us a lot of confidence about the Rooftop at Canvas project. The balcony is open to the sky with a combination of modern-industrial picnic and smaller tables, spaced apart to meet COVID protocols. A small interior space, where patrons enter and exit, includes an ordering counter with taps but no bar, space for patrons to line up six feet apart and a small fridge for packaged to-go sales. Banzer-Lausberg said the downturn hit hard at Migration, which closed its pubs for three months and laid off the majority of workers during that time. But expansion of packaged beers in recent years paid off with solid grocery- and specialty-store sales, and Banzer-Lausberg said Columbia Distributing helped Migration grow packaged-beer sales significantly during the past six months, when keg and draft sales were negligible. Migration initially planned to open a larger, ground-floor retail spot in the Press Blocks, but the pandemic put a halt to that. Construction on the building, Canvas at Press Blocks, was completed over a week ago, but the pandemic has forced the developer, Urban Renaissance Group, to adjust tenancy plans as businesses scale back. A decrease in demand coupled with increased supply drove vacancy rates at Portland office buildings up to 12.8% in the second quarter, according to real estate firm JLL, though the vacancy rate hasnt come close to matching the level it reached during the 2008 financial crisis. We said to ourselves, this will be trickier than we thought, said Travis Drilling, Urban Renaissances regional leasing manager in Portland. But this is a long-term asset, and we feel like the fundamentals are solid. Those fundamentals, Drilling said, include a vibrant neighborhood poised for growth and a ground-floor retail and commercial-office space building designed with flexibility in floor-plan configurations. And Drilling said the Urban Renaissance team still believes in commercial office space, despite work-from-homes recent popularity. About 35% of the U.S. workforce nationwide has switched to telecommuting due to the pandemic, according to a survey by the National Bureau of Economic Research. We believe employers will become more flexible with employees and what they need from workplaces, he said. But its important for businesses to retain culture, spontaneous interactions and the ability to connect and collaborate. The Canvas building, directly east of Providence Park, is the developments first phase. Urban Renaissance, with development partner Security Properties, is working on financing for the second phase, in the block east of the Canvas building. The developer hopes to build a 23-story residential apartment tower, with about 340 units, and a three-story office and retail building with an outdoor plaza. Drilling said the pandemic has affected the schedule but Urban Renaissance is confident the project will be completed. Printing of The Oregonian was outsourced to a contractor in 2015, and the press site was sold for $20 million in 2017. Urban Renaissance also previously renovated the downtown former headquarters of The Oregonian/OregonLive at 1320 S.W. Broadway for office tenants. Coronavirus in Oregon: Latest news | Live map tracker |Text alerts | Newsletter Northeast Portland-based Migration has two other locations: its original brewpub on Northeast Glisan Street, and a Gresham production brewery and pub it opened in 2018. Shortly after the pandemic forced bars and restaurants to close, Migration shut down its year-and-a-half-old diner-style restaurant in struggling Lloyd Center. Urban Renaissance recently approached Migration and asked if it would consider relaunching its vision for the Canvas building. An agreement was reached for the brewery to shift plans to a smaller footprint on the rooftop. Migrations was founded in 2010, when Banzer-Lausberg, his brother Eric, and friends Colin Rath and Mike Branes decided to throw in together and pursue their dream. The brewery focused mostly on ales, but in recent years it expanded on earlier forays into lagers, stouts, sours and saisons, as well as growing its barrel-aging program. The brewery started canning more than two years ago and has seen significant production growth, pushing into grocery and specialty stores. Migration has also pulled down the accolades, last year winning its second and third medals at the prestigious Great American Beer Festival. Drilling said Urban Renaissance and Migration are both optimistic about Rooftop at Canvas, despite the current environment. We felt like this neighborhood is poised to evolve, he said, and we wanted to be part of that evolution. If You Go Hours: Thursday-Sunday, 1 to 10 p.m., beginning today; 21 and older. Where: 817 S.W. 17th Ave. COVID: Seating is all outside and appropriately spaced to adhere to established social distancing guidelines. -- Andre Meunier Elliot Njus and Jamie Goldberg of The Oregonian/OregonLive staff contributed to this report. Subscribe to Andres text service and get ongoing alerts about beer releases and news from the Portland and Oregon beer scene. And check out Andres beer reviews on Untappd, where hes andremeunier13, and follow him on Instagram, where hes @oregonianbeerguy. Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. More beer coverage: Three inmates attacked a jail warden and tore his uniform during special checking at the Ludhiana Central Jail on Wednesday. The accused have been identified as Rishav Benipal, Nihal Sharma and Vijay Sharma. Assistant jail superintendent Harminder Singh told the police that when the jail staff entered the accuseds barrack, they attacked the jail warden, Harbhupinder Singh, and tore his uniform to conceal a sharp-edged weapon. The weapon was later recovered after the trio was nabbed. A case under Sections 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 341 (wrongful restraint), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code was registered against them ASI Hardial Singh, who is investigating the case, said the police will bring the accused on production warrant for questioning. Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler said Wednesday he hasnt done enough to focus on damages caused by some city protests over the last three months and the fallout from coronavirus. He called on the community to help him come up with better solutions. The mayor said during an evening news conference that hed been trying to do too much on his own and hasnt sought enough community input. He partly blamed himself for allowing a false national narrative about Portland pushed by President Donald Trump and others that the city is in chaos. And he said he wants the community as a whole to promote nonviolent protests but roundly condemn property damage and items thrown toward police by a small group of violent extremists. All violence, including police violence, is not the way to further the goals of our community, Wheeler said. He said the city has to do more to create a long-term plan to fight homelessness, quickly address complaints of police misconduct, clean up graffiti and other damage to downtown buildings and businesses and make other quality of life improvements. He also called for more tolerance, more compromise. Wheeler said he planned to meet with police bureau officials later Wednesday to brainstorm new ideas on ways officers can protect peaceful demonstrators during protests, ways they can hold officers accountable in real time and what resources officers need from the city to more effectively do their jobs. He said he wants police bureau leaders to offer solutions that show they have heard community concerns about systemic racial bias by officers. And he said he shares police critics frustrations that the only current way to get answers to complaints about police misconduct is to wait for Independent Police Review cases to come to completion with the details of the investigation not made public. The mayor said he also planned to meet to meet with key stakeholders in the business community Thursday to come up with common sense measures to clean up downtown Portland and help local businesses. He said he is open to meeting with any employers or community leaders who want to participate. The ideas could include the city chipping in to help pay to clean up graffiti or repair other damages not covered by insurance. Business owners and leaders have been expressing growing alarm about the state of downtown Portland and calling on city leaders to act for weeks. SOLVE, the Portland Business Alliance and the Portland Lodging Alliance announced Wednesday that they would come together with others in the community to host a cleanup of downtown Portland on Sept. 3. Wheeler said he planned to announce initiatives starting Thursday to address engaging the community on ongoing police reforms, supporting local businesses and ways the city plans to help keep people in their homes after the statewide eviction moratorium ends Sept. 30. He also said the city plans to help address the rise in shootings this year with an upcoming City Council proposal to add more staff to the citys office of violence prevention to give more support to community groups that aid residents impacted by gun violence. He said hed met recently with some protest leaders regarding the demonstrations. He said he is also interested in hearing from people who have caused damage during protests. I want to know how I can understand the anger, the frustration, the rage, the hurt and whatever is driving it, Wheeler said. Maybe theres an opportunity for us to help address in a concrete way some of those issues too. He said he wants to have officer misconduct complaints addressed more quickly, noting that complaints filed with the Independent Police Review take months or sometimes even years before people hear back. He said as the police commissioner, he receives no feedback about complaints until the end of the internal and external police review processes. That just isnt acceptable, Wheeler said. It doesnt sit well with me and it doesnt sit well with people in the public. I think we need to figure out how are we going to hold our officers accountable in real time. He said he didnt believe completely disbanding the police bureau would be wise or help community public safety. But he acknowledged that there are many Portland residents whove expressed fear of calling the police for anything. He said the city still has ways to go to help everyone in our community feel safe. We dont have the trust of everybody in this community and thats for good reason, Wheeler said. We have to be honest enough to own it and say well do better. The mayor said his advice to demonstrators out Wednesday night, the 91th consecutive day of protests in the city, to be peaceful. Jamie Goldberg of The Oregonian/OregonLive contributed to this report. -- Everton Bailey Jr; ebailey@oregonian.com | 503-221-8343 | @EvertonBailey Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Archaeologists have unearthed 1,500 human remains from a 19th-century burial site in Osaka. Experts believe the bones belong to local residents who may have perished in an epidemic that swept the region in the 1800s. Officials from the Osaka City Cultural Properties Association said Wednesday the bones likely belonged to young people and children who lived in the area some 160 years ago. "It was our first historical discovery of a burial site in Osaka," Yoji Hirata, an official at the association, said. "The findings will provide details of burial traditions of ordinary people back then.'' Many of the remains were found in small round holes. Some appeared to have signs of disease on the limbs, suggesting the burial site may have been for victims of an epidemic, Hirata said. He added that archaeologists also found coffins containing multiple bodies a a possible sign that people were buried together because they died of disease. Experts will now study the remains in the hope of shedding light on what led to the deaths. Some researchers have pointed to an outbreak of syphilis in Osaka at the time as a possible explanation for the mass grave. The discovery is part of the Umeda Grave, one of seven historical burial grounds dating back to the 1850s and 1860s during the time of Japan's late Edo and early Meiji periods. It was excavated for a city redevelopment project near one of Osaka's main train stations and lies in what used to be a farming area outside Osaka Castle town. Hirata said the dig that led to the discovery of the 1,500 remains got underway in September after an earlier study found hundreds of similar bones at nearby sites. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Aug. 27 By Ilkin Seyfaddini - Trend: Countries of Central Asia are jointly preparing a five-sided interstate document on friendship, good neighborliness, and cooperation for the development of Central Asia in the 21st century, Trend reports with reference to the Pravda Vostoka newspaper. This was stated by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan, Abdulaziz Kamilov, during the interview with the newspaper. According to him, one of the important tasks of Uzbekistan's foreign policy is to create a zone of peace, stability, and security around the country. According to the Minister, security in the region is the main condition for sustainable development. Kamilov noted that for the past three years the exchange of visits at the highest level with all countries of the region took place, and the political communication between the leaders of the region has become regular, permanent, and trustworthy. "As a result, colossal changes for the betterment in the relations of Uzbekistan with all countries of the region have taken place in a historically short period. Many rather acute problems, existed in the relations of Uzbekistan with its neighbors until 2016, have been overcome following the strengthening of open and confidential political dialogue of the leaders of the region. Personal trust between the presidents has improved," stated the Foreign Minister. Trade and economic relations with neighboring countries are also developing. Following the results of 2019, Uzbekistan increased trade turnover with neighboring countries to $5.2 billion. In the first half of 2020, despite the pandemic, the total volume of Uzbekistan's trade with all Central Asian countries was $2.1 billion. --- Follow author on Twitter: @seyfaddini New South Wales has recorded nine new coronavirus cases, including five more linked to a worrying cluster in Sydney's CBD. Four of the new infections identified on Thursday are close contacts of previous cases, and bring the number of active cases in NSW to 74. Three of the five new cases linked to the CBD cluster attended the City Tattersalls Club gym on Pitt Street. Eight cases in total are now linked to that outbreak. NSW Health has said anyone who went to the gym between 8am to 2pm on August 19, 21 or 23 is considered to be a close contact and needs to get tested. Other members of City Tattersalls - which includes dining rooms and a bar - should get tested if they have even the mildest symptoms. Workers wearing full protective clothing were seen on Thursday entering the club after the venue announced it would be closed until Friday so a deep clean could be conducted. Health officials are also battling to track a potential outbreak of the virus after a Sydney bus driver worked on 24 different routes while infectious. Meanwhile, those who were at the 7.40pm Active Dance Class at Virgin Gym in Zetland on August 24 have also been told to get tested immediately. Scroll down for video Pictured: A map shows new coronavirus cases visited venues across Sydney's CBD SYDNEY VENUES ON ALERT 4Pines Manly Brew Bar The Esplanade 23 August from 3.30pm to 5pm Magpies Waitara restaurant 24 August from 11.30am to 1.15pm Fitness First Balgowlah 23 August from 9am to 12pm (NSW Health is calling to advise any close contacts who must immediately self-isolate for 14 days) Destros Pharmacy 197-201 Victoria Road Drummoyne 22 August from 11.20am to 11.40am Fitness First Bond St 20 and 21 August in the afternoon (NSW Health is calling to advise any close contacts who must immediately self-isolate for 14 days) Advertisement Workers wearing full protective clothing were seen on Thursday at the City Tattersalls Club to conduct a deep clean Gym-goers at Fitness First Bond St on August 20 and August 21 and Fitness First Balgowlah on August 23 from 9am to 12pm are urged to watch for symptoms and to get tested if they occur. NSW Health is also trying to contact those who attended the Hunters Hill Bowling Club indoor dining room on August 23 from 12pm to 2pm. The central Sydney outbreak comes as six patients are treated in intensive care across the state. The infected bus driver worked on four days between August 20 and August 24 while infectious on routes in the western Sydney suburbs of Blacktown, Rouse Hill, and Mt Druitt. Authorities initially believed the driver had only worked one shift, but the alert has since been revised to include 24 routes - including two popular buses between Randwick and the CBD across three days. Those who were on any of the routes worked on by the infected driver have been to watch for symptoms and get tested if they feel unwell. Pedestrians wearing face masks walk around the eastern side of Circular Quay on August 23 A medical worker administers a test for COVID-19 in Sydney on August 12. Six patients are being treated in intensive care across New South Wales New South Wales Deputy Premier John Barilaro said the driver's potential to spread the virus to so many other people meant it was vital social distancing rules were followed. 'This is the crisis that we face, it takes one individual who travels across the city or the regions or the state, stops in at a pub, bar, cafe, restaurant, and may interact with other people,' he told Today. 'From one it can easily become 20, 50 or 100. That's why it's so important that the message stays clear that we've got to do everything we can to abide by the rules.' Essence's WeR@Home security and home management solutions allows residents to fully monitor their homes from a mobile app HERZLIYA, Israel, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Essence Group , the leading global security solutions provider, has announced a new partnership with Portuguese smart access supplier, Chaviarte . The partnership will bring Essence's entire home management platform to Portugal, offering a complete home management user experience using the most advanced connected technologies. The partnership marks an expansion for Essence into Portugal for its WeR@Home security and home management platform. Essence's WeR@Home solution and Chaviarte's existing security hardware integrate seamlessly using Z-Wave. The end-to-end connected platform will bring smart home functionality to Chaviarte's core business door lock and entry systems, providing users with full visibility and remote control over their homes. Essence is the number one provider of wireless alarm systems in Europe, providing its advanced technology to some of the world's largest security monitoring brands. Essence's expansion into the Portuguese market comes as global forecasts predict a recovery for the smart home market in 2021, following the downturn caused by COVID-19. Essence's partnership with Chaviarte will give its customers a seamless user experience and the ability to control a host of automated smart home functions and to ensure the security and safety of loved ones. Chaviarte's customer base will be able to leverage the Internet of Things with voice commands and additional exciting features. WeR@Home boasts a range of key features, including automated smart scenarios, indoor and outdoor cameras, and window and door sensors. The platform will be available from Chaviarte's 50 stores, as well as through their new online platform . This hybrid retail-online sales channel will increase the breadth of distribution to a large portion of the country. Dr Haim Amir, CEO of Essence Group, said: "This exciting partnership marks Essence's first expansion into the Portuguese smart home market. By augmenting Chaviarte's existing door lock and entry system solution through the WeR@Home platform, we aim to provide users with one of the most advanced smart home security systems available on the market. Ricardo Jardim, CEO, Chaviarte, said: "Essence's WeR@Home solution was a very easy choice because of Essence's distinctive know-how, quality in service and technologically innovative products and for being perfectly aligned with our view of a what an integrated, safe and smart security/living IoT solution should be." Images are available on request. Media contacts: The PR Office E: essence@theproffice.com T: +44 (0)7825 663416 About Essence Essence is a global provider of IoT connected-living and cybersecurity solutions for communication, security and healthcare service providers, serving households and small-medium businesses. Leveraging 25 years of experience and innovation with a global presence and 50 million devices deployed worldwide, Essence is committed to developing and supporting solutions that enhance partners' businesses and enable people to live fuller, better lives. Heres how you can help the victims of Hurricane Laura: American Red Cross: The Red Cross has mobilized teams to the areas affected by Hurricane Laura to support local officials, according to their website. If you would like to help, they are asking you to visit redcross.org, or call 800-RED-CROSS or text the word LAURA to 90999 to make a $10 donation. United Cajun Navy: The volunteer group is in urgent need of water by the case, gasoline and generators. They also need volunteers with trucks and trailers to help deliver supplies. Volunteers can register at unitedcajunnavy.com. Houston Food Bank: In anticipation of Hurricane Laura, the Houston Food Bank prepared disaster pallets and are working with multiple partners to help them respond to disaster sites, according to their Facebook page. In addition, you can visit their website for other ways you can help as well as donate to support those impacted by the storm. houstonfoodbank.org/laura. Attack Poverty: The organization is serving those impacted by Hurricane Laura by meeting their basic needs. Supplies needed include toiletries, nonperishable foods, trash bags, masks and tarps. Donations can be dropped off Monday-Friday from 9 a.m.-4 p.m., 3727 Greenbriar Dr. Ste. 100, Stafford; Visit website for additional drop off sites; attackpoverty.org/laura. Ecclesia Houston: The church is collecting generators, tarps, chain saws, extension cords and masks at their downtown campus, located at 1100 Elder; ecclesiahouston.org/gulfcoastresponse. Southeast Texas Food Bank: Situated in Beaumont, the food bank will likely be assisting an influx of people who lost power during the storm. To find ways to donate your time, money or extra non perishable food items, visit SETXFoodBank.org and click on the Donate tab or Volunteer tab. Call 409-839-8777. Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center: The center is in need of blood. To find a location to set up an appointment to donate, visit giveblood.org. CrowdSource Rescue: The Houston-based nonprofit uses technology to connect first responders and rescue volunteers with people who need help. To volunteer or donate, visit crowdsourcerescue.com. Rescued Pets Movement: The non profit organization is preparing to save as many displaced dogs and cats as possible, but they must #ClearTheShelter in their facility first. They are looking for short-time foster families. There is no cost, and RPM provides food, supplies and any medical needs for the pets. To foster with RPM, complete the form at rescuedpetsmovement.org/foster and mention storm buddy in the notes. rescuedpetsmovement.org. Texas Diaper Bank: The Texas Diaper Bank is requesting money and diaper donations to provide displaced families with emergency diaper kits. texasdiaperbank.org. Donate supplies to The Salvation Army or a local relief effort: The Salvation Army has activated its Emergency Disaster Services to assist survivors, first responders and evacuees. To make a financial gift to support ongoing disaster relief efforts, you can donate through two options, online at HelpSalvationArmy.org and by phone at 1-800-SAL-ARMY (1-800-725-2769). GlobalGivings Hurricane Laura Relief Fund: This disaster relief fund will support people impacted by Hurricane Laura in the form of emergency supplies like food, water and medicine. The fund will remain open to provide long-term assistance as needed. Donors can text GIVE to 48644 to (+1) 6232GIVING to donate or visit globalgiving.org/projects/hurricane-laura-relief-fund. Project Hope: The organization has its emergency response teams on the ground to help meet immediate medical needs in the wake of Hurricane Laura. You can make a donation through its website at projecthope.org. Save the Children: The organizations emergency response teams are mobilizing to deliver displaced families essential items including hygiene kits, diapers, wipes and cribs. In addition, Save the Children will be working with local education partners in coastal Louisiana and Texas to help restore child care and early learning centers devastated by Hurricane Laura. savethechildren.org/laura-donate. Americares: The health-focused relief and development organization, is preparing emergency shipments of medicine, PPE, bottled water, relief supplies and offering support for storm-damaged health centers. americares.org. Titos and Direct Relief: Titos Handmade Vodka is teaming up with Direct Relief as they provide medical supplies and resources to those impacted by the Category 4 hurricane. Texas-based Titos made an initial donation of $25,000 to Direct Relief and will match all donations up to $25,000. facebook.com/donate/629024971326205/10158498020334346. ana.khan@chron.com New Delhi: Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, who sent a letter to Congress president Sonia Gandhi along with 22 other leaders for sweeping changes in the party, on Thursday (August 27) said it was no big deal if their letter got leaked. The veteran leader asked if action should not be taken for "indiscipline" against leaders who targeted them. Ghulam Nabi Azad told ANI, "What is the big deal if the letter was leaked? It's not a state secret to ask for the party to be strengthened and hold elections. Even during the time of Indira Gandhi Ji, the Cabinet proceedings used to get leaked." Defending the letter, Azad said, "Those who were doing running commentary during Congress Working Committee (CWC), were they not being indiscipline? Persons who were abusing us (for writing the letter), were they not being indiscipline? Shouldn't action be taken against them? We did not abuse anyone." Notably, CWC is the highest decision-making body of the party. "He (Rahul Gandhi) initially had issues with the letter. Later, Soniaji and Rahulji said elections to be held within a month. But it`s not possible, due to COVID. So we requested Soniaji to continue as Pres for six months," he said. For the last many decades, Azad said, "we don't have elected bodies at the party. Maybe we should have pushed for it 10-15 years ago. Now we are losing elections after elections, and if we have to come back we need to strengthen our party by holding elections." Azad, who is Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, strongly pitched for elections to the Congress Working Committee and said the party chief should be elected and it is their "victory" that the party will have "full-time president" after six months. He also pitched for elections to the key organisational posts of state chief and district chief. "Anyone who has a genuine interest in the internal working dynamics of Congress would welcome our proposal to have every state and district president as being elected. The entire Congress Working Committee should be elected," Azad added. Azad said their effort was to make the party strong and active and those who simply got "appointment cards" continue to oppose their proposal, adding "The intention is to make Congress active and strong. But those who simply got `appointment cards` continue to oppose our proposal. What`s the harm in having elected CWC members who will have fixed tenures in the party." The recent CWC meeting was held in the backdrop of a letter in which Azad and 22 other leaders had called for "full time" active leadership. Several leaders in the party, including party chief ministers, had raised questions over the letter and the issue figured in the CWC meeting. The resolution adopted at the meeting said that "CWC makes it clear that no one will be or can be permitted to undermine or weaken the party and its leadership at this juncture". The resolution requested Sonia Gandhi "to continue to lead the Indian National Congress" until such time as circumstances will permit an AICC session to be convened. It also authorised her to make necessary organisational changes that she may deem appropriate to take on the challenges faced by the party. Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler held a virtual press conference Wednesday to address the citys recovery and resilience. He discussed reforms to Portland police and the citys recovery from COVID-19, including protecting and revitalizing businesses in the citys downtown core. His press availability comes after Portland Portland protesters gathered Tuesday for the 90th consecutive day three months after the death of George Floyd. Watch a replay of the presser in the video above. The Oregonian/OregonLive Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Police Chief Michel Moore joins other law enforcement officials outside LAPD headquarters to announce arrests that officials said focused on those who took advantage of mass protests to burglarize stores and cause mayhem. (Kevin Rector / Los Angeles Times) Police from across the Los Angeles region announced Wednesday the arrests of dozens of people on arson, burglary and looting charges stemming from the unrest of late May and early June that gripped cities including Long Beach, Santa Monica and L.A. Officials said the arrests were part of an ongoing effort among local, state and federal agencies to hold accountable individuals and organized criminal groups that took advantage of mass protests against police brutality to burglarize stores and cause mayhem. Standing alongside many of the area's most prominent law enforcement officials outside Los Angeles Police Department headquarters downtown, LAPD Chief Michel Moore said the arrests were the result of good police work as well as tips from community members and protesters who realized the crimes they had witnessed were not in the interest of social justice or police reform. "I want to point out that many of these arrests are the direct result of tips and leads and our community stepping forward, including demonstrators people who were lawfully and rightfully in our streets and witnessed acts of arson, attacks against police officers, attacks on other protesters, burglary and other crimes," Moore said. Moore described the arrests as "a means of supporting lawful demonstration, of ensuring the 1st Amendment rights of everyone are protected," rather than an effort to deter protest. The announcement of the arrests comes nearly two months after the 17-agency task force began posting images and video of suspects online, and the FBI offered $10,000 rewards for information leading to arrests. The FBI said it is processing some rewards as a result of tips but could not say how many. Though thousands of people were arrested in L.A. during a week of citywide curfews and police orders declaring large gatherings unlawful, relatively few were charged at the time with serious crimes. The LAPD and other agencies took criticism for staging their officers in skirmish lines around crowds of protesters instead of sending them after individuals who were vandalizing property, burglarizing stores and setting fires nearby. Story continues Police said that the crowds had grown large and dangerous, demanding a police response, and that others used the distraction as cover to commit crimes on the periphery and elsewhere in their agencies' coverage areas. They promised to circle back to make additional arrests related to the violence and vandalism, including by pulling surveillance and body-camera footage and asking the public to send in videos, pictures and other evidence that could help investigators identify and track down suspects. The search for suspects has riled some who allege that it has been too aggressive and that police have made some accusations with little evidence to back them up. But police say they have been careful and have brought only cases that will stand up in court. Officials did not have a total number of arrests across all agencies, but individual police chiefs provided figures. Moore said the LAPD had served 30 search warrants and arrested 14 people in connection with nearly 50 incidents mostly arson, burglary or looting, a special charge in California covering burglary and theft that occurs during a state of emergency. One raid at a location associated with an arson and looting suspect resulted in the recovery of an assault-style rifle and substantial amounts of methamphetamine and marijuana, Moore said. The LAPD is still investigating more than 100 other incidents, Moore said. Santa Monica Police Chief Cynthia Renaud said her agency had served 28 search warrants and made 19 arrests. Renaud said some of those arrested were clearly working as part of organized criminal groups operating not just in Santa Monica but also across the region, including in L.A. and Long Beach. "There were clear plans. There were multiple people in the same vehicles. There were vehicles following other vehicles. They staged in parking lots, sent one vehicle in to loot with a person who was being timed by someone waiting out in the car for a very quick entry and exit, which made it difficult for law enforcement to interdict," Renaud said. "They were carrying with them suitcases and large bags, indicating that they had planned this with a specific intent not of engaging in protest activity." Renaud said that her department still has open investigations and that "there is still more work to be done." She did not specify which cases involved organized crime groups, or what those groups were. Long Beach Deputy Police Chief Eric Herzog said his agency had served more than 20 search warrants and made 23 arrests. U.S. Atty. Nick Hanna said his office is reviewing cases brought by local agencies to determine whether any merit federal prosecution and has already brought arson cases in the burning of a pizzeria in Sylmar and a sushi restaurant in Santa Monica. He said the charges arson affecting interstate commerce carry a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in federal prison. "These are serious charges for serious crimes, and we hope this will send a message to others who seek to cause mayhem during periods of civil unrest," Hanna said. The task force includes the LAPD, the Los Angeles Fire Department and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, as well as police from Beverly Hills, Long Beach, Santa Monica and Torrance. It also includes multiple federal law enforcement agencies, the California Highway Patrol and local and federal prosecutors. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 27) Filipino researchers have found three possible main sources of coronavirus infection in the country. In a paper published in the medRxiv preprint website on Tuesday, the Philippine Genome Center said the following groups could probably be the primary sources of the virus: - The foreign tourists with travel history to China's Wuhan City - the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak early this year -- whose samples were collected in January - Repatriated seafarers from the coronovirus-hit M/V Diamond Princess in Japan whose samples were taken in March - Evacuated tourists and overseas Filipino workers who arrived in May from Europe and the Middle East whose samples were collected in June The first three confirmed cases in the Philippines were Chinese tourists from Wuhan. They were found to be positive for coronavirus in late January. Two of them flew back to China, while the other one died of COVID-19 in the country in early February. In a study released last week, the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine said that the gene sequence of the three Chinese tourists was different from the rest of the samples that they studied. Sequence data are used to determine how the virus spreads in the community, RITM explained. But Department of Health spokesperson Maria Rosario Vergeire was quick to clarify that this finding is not conclusive and should be interpreted with caution as it is based on a small sample of positive cases. We need to further study so that we can accurately say that the Chinese [tourists] werent the ones who spread [the virus] and that we had other sources of our infection, she added. From three cases, the number of infections in the Philippines reached 100 in mid-March. On February 26, the government brought home 440 crew members and passengers from the cruise ship, who went through a 14-day quarantine at the Athlete's Village in New Clark City, Tarlac. The genome center said they saw cases of community transmissions in patients admitted to the Philippine General Hospital whose swab samples were taken between March 22 to 26, 10 days after the evacuated seafarers and passengers completed their quarantine. It pointed out that the PGH patients have had no known travel history to a country with cases of community transmission, and no known exposure to a confirmed case in March. The genome center said that these suggest that they may have acquired the infection from undetected cases among the repatriated seafarers. The findings, which were based on the analysis of 1,335 SARS-CoV-2 sequences, have not undergone peer review, a process that vets study results. But PGC underscored the need to continually review and improve the quarantine, testing and tracing measures being employed to adapt to the current pandemic situation." Earlier this month, the PGC detected a mutated strain of coronavirus in a small sample of positive cases taken from Quezon City in June. The new mutation of the SARS-CoV-2 virus called G614 was found by international researchers to be more infectious but does not make people more severely sick. G614 has been previously found in parts of Europe. The country now has over 200,000 cases, with 3,137 deaths and 133,460 recoveries. A veteran of the Second World Wars brutal Burma campaign has recalled how he survived tropical diseases, injury and jungle warfare 75 years on from the end of the conflict. John Hutchin, 96, joined the Chindits, a special fighting force tasked with disrupting Japanese communications and supply lines during the war in the Far East, aged 20. The Chindits units drew their name from a mythical Burmese lion that appeared on their badge. Dropped 200 miles behind enemy lines in 1944, he and his comrades faced impossible conditions, including monsoon rains and limited food supplies. There was a saying going around that every Chindit will go to heaven because hed been to hell. Its impossible to describe, Mr Hutchin said ahead of the 75th anniversary of Victory in Japan (VJ) Day. Originally from Wales, and now living in Kent with his wife Ann, Mr Hutchin is among the few surviving veterans left able to observe commemorations on Saturday. Remembering the fighting in Burma, now Myanmar, Mr Hutchin told the PA news agency: It never, ever stopped raining like stair rods. At night, you slept where you fell. No ground sheets, no bedding. We all had malaria, not at the beginning, but at the end I had heavy dysentery. Expand Close John Hutchin in uniform (RBLI/PA) PA / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp John Hutchin in uniform (RBLI/PA) While under mortar fire, Mr Hutchin was hit by shrapnel as he sat on the edge of a trench. The guy sitting next to me from Newport, he took a bellyful of shrapnel, he said. And as we were sitting on the edge of the trench, with our feet over the trench, his stomach fell out, and I got it in my neck on the left hand side. Mr Hutchins wound was bound up, and his colleagues even took maggots from under mules saddles to prevent the injury becoming infected. But the extent of his injury meant he was left on a roadside in Burma with nothing but a few days rations, a gun and a few bullets. Malnourished he had lost nearly three stone during the campaign he eventually marched for four days and nights alone through the jungle to safety. Before we went in, you had to have some understanding of what you were doing. We knew the hardships. We knew the loads we had to carry, which were enormous, he said. You cant jeopardise the focus of the column to the objective by dealing with one man. So you knew that was the position. Its not horrendous the day youre left. The fourth, the fifth, the sixth, the seventh, the eighth day, when youre on your own, thats when you start getting a bit hazy. We left more out there than we brought home - and they said to us, when you go home, please tell them of us John Hutchin Mr Hutchin, originally a private in the South Staffordshire Regiment, thinks he was in Indonesia when VJ Day arrived on August 15 1945, and remembered being left horrified by the atomic bombs being dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan a few days before. I would have fought another four years in the conditions I was in if they hadnt landed that bomb, which has altered the whole of our lives for the rest of generations ahead of us, he said. He recalled the Japanese had collapsed at news of the explosions. Did they want to see any more Nagasakis or Hiroshimas? That ended the war and it was unnecessary because we were winning, he said. After Burma, he served in Indonesia supporting the Foreign Office and in Germany, helping to ferry prisoners of war for trial at Nuremberg. This years memorial events have been disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic, but Mr Hutchin said he is still driven by a duty to remember his fallen comrades. I have a wife, I have two marvellous sons, Ive grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and of course that means more to me than anything, but nothing will mar my life more than that period in Burma, he said. I was told, I was instructed, by those lying out there now we left more out there than we brought home and they said to us, when you go home, please tell them of us. Mr Hutchins memories are among those being collated by the armed forces charity Royal British Legion Industries (RBLI). The RBLI is running its Tommy in the window campaign, encouraging the public to purchase a specially designed image of a Second World War soldier in their windows to help mark VJ Day. The campaign has raised more than 1 million since it was launched for VE Day earlier this year, with figures available via: www.rbli.co.uk/vjday. Maharashtra on Thursday recorded its second-highest single-day spike in Covid-19 cases with 14,718 infections, taking the count up to 733,568. Active cases also rose to 178,234, accounting for 24.29% of the total. The death toll of the state went up to 23,444 after 355 deaths were reported, of which, 236 were in the past 48 hours, another 83 deaths were from past one week, while the rest 36 were from the period before that, health officials said. The recent rise in single-day toll numbers, including a record count of 422 on August 18, continues to pose a challenge for the state, which records the most fatalities in the country. To improve the situation, the state government is now planning to conduct a statewide survey in all households to identify comorbid patients in each and every district and cities. The idea is early detection and treatment of the most vulnerable section of society, so as to help reduce Covid casualties. The plan was discussed in the cabinet meeting held on Wednesday. The state is likely to start the survey from September 15. Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray insisted that the state should take up a survey to identify comorbid patients. He was of the view that it will help us in close monitoring of these people, which will lead to early detection of Covid-19 and its treatment. It will further reduce number of Covid deaths in the state as well, said a senior minister, wishing not to be named. We are planning a survey, which will be conducted across the state with the help of Asha workers and others. We are doing micro-detailing of the survey and looking to start it from September 15, Rajesh Tope, state health minister, told HT. Ultimately, the purpose of conducting the survey is to reduce deaths as most of the people who have lost their lives due to Covid-19, of them, most were having co-morbidities. Early detection can save their lives, he added. In the last 27 days (in this month), the state has reported 8,450 deaths, which is highest in a month so far. In July, a total of 6,988 deaths were reported, while in June, May, April and March, total number of deaths recorded were 5,638, 2,286, 449 and 10 deaths respectively. The case fatality rate (CFR) of the state was recorded as 3.2% on Thursday. It is slightly less than Gujarat, which has highest CFR in the country as present. On Wednesday, Gujarats CFR was 3.27% with 2,945 deaths (89,994 cases), according to statistics shared by the state medical education department. On an average, daily over 312 people are losing their lives in the state after getting infected with Covid-19. It is concerning that we could not control the deaths even after making so much of effort, said a senior official from state health department. Besides, the peak in cases is yet not flattening. In fact, number of fresh infections is rising continuously. On Wednesday, it recorded its sharpest single-day spike with 14,888 cases. For the first time, the state has breached 3-lakh mark of Covid-19 cases in a month, owing to the surge. The total number of new cases reported in August till date is 311,750. With four more days to go, it is likely to rise even further as the daily cases are also going up. For comparison, the state has recorded 247,392 cases in July and 102,172 cases in June. In May, April and March, it had got 57,157, 10,196 and 302 cases respectively. There was also a projection that daily cases will rise in August. The state has maintained that peak is arriving in different areas at a different time. Further, they are conducting more tests than ever, which led to a rise in daily infections. The state health minister has recently said they expect the downward trend of the Covid-19 infections after mid-September. On Monday, Mumbai recorded 1,350 cases, taking its tally to 140,888. Of them, active cases are 19,463. On June 27, Mumbai had reported its highest single-day spike of 2,077 cases. It has been maintaining a sort of stability in fresh cases in the past more than a month. City toll stands at 7,535 after 30 deaths reported on Thursday. Pune city continued to contribute maximum infections in the daily caseload as it recorded 1,772 cases on Thursday. Its tally stood at 94,897 cases. Nagpur city has become the third-highest contributor in daily cases with 1,086. Its tally stood at 17,865. Pimpri-Chinchwad, satellite city in Pune Metropolitan Region (PMR), recorded 1,085 cases, pushing its tally up to 44,092. Apart from them, Pune district, Nashik city, Jalgaon district and Satara district have recorded 819, 740, 603 and 532 cases respectively. On Thursday, it has conducted 68,157 tests and total number of tests conducted till date are 3,862,184. As many as 531,563 infected patients have recovered and been discharged from various hospitals across the state till date. On Thursday alone, 9,136 recoveries were reportedm taking the recovery rate of the state to 72.46%, against the national average of 76.24%. Currently, 33,641 people have been kept at institutional quarantine facilities and 1,324,233 people have been home quarantined across the state. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Singapore is going to start quarantining arrivals from Korea at government facilities instead of their own homes or other accommodation. Starting from Saturday, all people arriving in Singapore from Korea including those transfer passengers will have to stay at those facilities for 14 days while being regularly tested for coronavirus. Korea was previously classified as a "low risk" country, which enabled travelers to quarantine at home. The Defense Information Services Agency expects to release the solicitation for a potential 10-year, $11.7 billion IT support contract by the end of September with an award expected in the fourth quarter of calendar year 2021. Defense Enclave Services will be another multi-billion dollar vehicle with a single winner, following the pattern set by the JEDI cloud infrastructure and DEOS back office tools contracts. Both of those have been delayed by bid protests and corrective actions. DES will provide a variety of services to support what DISA calls common use IT. Those include network access, application and hosting, message and directory services, end-user support, storage, video, IT services management, and cybersecurity. DISA wants to both consolidate and take over these responsibilities from other defense agencies. Mission IT will remain the responsibility of the individual agencies. The contract is part of an ongoing IT reform effort by DISA as they agency want to move all defense agencies outside of the service branches to a single network named DoDNET, which DISA will operate. In all, those 22 "Fourth Estate" defense agencies will move to DoDNET. An initial group of agencies is already migrating and the majority will move as part of the DES vehicle, Air Force Col. Chris Autrey said during a virtual industry day on Aug. 20. Autrey is the program manager for DES. Those 22 agencies have more than 400,000 users at more than 800 locations. A transcript and slides from the virtual industry day are available through Beta.Sam.Gov Click here or search with the the Notice ID of 621913271. DISA says it needs DES for several reasons, particularly cybersecurity threats that have become more sophisticated. DISA also wants to eliminate unnecessary complexity and control costs. Solicitation documents indicate the contract will be used for both migration to a new environment and optimization through applications and tools, technical refresh, and other innovations. If the solicitation comes out as expected in late September, proposals will likely be due in the December 2020 timeframe. An award would then be about one year later. Don't surprised if there are protests in the lead-up to the award. DISA will use a two-phase approach to pick a winner. Phase one sees a bidder having to pass four acceptable/unacceptable factors: Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification, Network Engineering, Staffing and Small Business Participation. One unacceptable rating will kick a bidder out of the competition. SIDE NOTE: This is the first contract Ive seen where CMMC is a requirement to bid. Send us other examples if you've seen them. In phase two, the bids will be evaluated on technical/management, past performance, and price/cost factors. The non-price factors, combined, will be equal to the price factor. DISA plans to use a best-value trade off criteria to pick the final winner. For the proposals, bidders will have to respond to a task order requirement that covers five agencies, 20,000 users, 81 global sites and 40,000 end points. The five agencies are Defense Media Activity, Defense Technical Information Center, DISA, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency and Defense Microelectronics Activity. Some areas DISA will evaluate include transition planning and management, migration support and network support and operations. DISA also will look for tools to improve network operations and streamline support processes. The small business requirement will be a big factor in this procurement. Well explore more of those expectations in an upcoming post. Given its size and specs, DES will likely be a hotly contested contract and I expect most of the big names to pursue it. Leidos, General Dynamics IT, and Perspecta come to mind first. That group of three was the field for the Navy's NGEN network services contract and DISA's GSM-O information grid award. But dont be surprised to see IBM, CACI International, Science Applications International Corp. and others in the hunt as well. Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) President said on Wednesday the Grand Alliance in Bihar should begin the process of distribution of seats among its parties soon, adding that any delay may hurt its prospects of putting up a formidable show in the upcoming Assembly elections. "Our party would not mind contesting in any seat that is allocated to us. We are ready to drink poison (fight polls outside the pocket boroughs) and offer honeydew (traditional strongholds) to our alliance partner," Kushwaha said here while addressing his supporters. "We are waiting for seat allotment... we will contest the polls by putting in all our strength regardless of where we are asked to contest from," he said. Kushwaha is a prominent leader from the Koiri-Kurmi (upper middle class) caste in Bihar and is seen as one of the challengers to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar who belongs to the same community. He said he is in favour of adding "more and more political parties into the Grand Alliance fold to strengthen its position in all the constituencies across the state". He appealed to the party leaders and workers to expedite the work related to the election campaign in their respective constituencies. Kushwaha's politically-crucial statements have come at a time when the Left parties have announced their inclusion into the Grand Alliance or 'Mahagathbandhan' formed to counter the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance. Kushwaha also attacked the Nitish Kumar government over its alleged failure in sectors like education, health, irrigation and employment. --IANS str/pgh/ (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.) LITTLE ROCK, AR / ACCESSWIRE / August 27, 2020 / Inuvo, INC. (NYSE American:INUV) ("Inuvo" or the "Company"), a leading provider of marketing technology, powered by IntentKey artificial intelligence that serves brands and agencies, today announced that Richard Howe, Chief Executive Officer, will present at the LD 500 Virtual Conference on Wednesday, September 2, 2020 at 11:40 a.m. PT / 2:40 p.m. ET in Track 3. To register for the event please visit https://www.webcaster4.com/Webcast/Page/2019/36403. The LD 500 Virtual Conference taking place from September 1-4, 2020 will feature prominent public companies, alongside interviews and keynotes with some of the most successful and influential business leaders in the small-cap world. For more information about the LD 500, or to schedule a one-on-one meeting with Inuvo's management, please contact Investor Relations at valter@kcsa.com or David Scher with LD at david@ldmicro.com. Profiles powered by LD Micro - News Compliments of Accesswire About Inuvo Inuvo, Inc. (NYSE American:INUV) is a market leader in artificial intelligence, aligning and delivering consumer-oriented product & brand messaging strategies online based on powerful, anonymous and proprietary consumer intent data for agencies, advertisers and partners. To learn more, visit www.inuvo.com. About the IntentKey Inuvo's IntentKey is a patented, machine-learning technology designed to mirror the manner in which the human brain instantly associates ideas, emotions, places, people, and objects. It creates an accurate, high-definition picture of consumer intent and sentiment related to a particular topic or item. Inuvo harnesses the power of the IntentKey to discover and reach high volumes of incremental in-market and relevant audiences that are hidden from typical marketing approaches. The IntentKey enables pinpoint media execution reaching consumers throughout the purchasing funnel all the way to conversion. Inuvo Company Contact: Wally Ruiz Chief Financial Officer Tel (501) 205-8397 wallace.ruiz@inuvo.com Investor Contact: KCSA Strategic Communications Valter Pinto, Managing Director Tel (212) 896-1254 Valter@KCSA.com SOURCE: Inuvo, Inc. via LD Micro View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/603468/Inuvo-to-Present-at-the-LD-500-Virtual-Conference-on-September-2nd Just 26 minutes ticked by from the initial 911 call that summoned police to Regis Korchinski-Paquets door until the moment the 29-year-old Afro-Indigenous woman fatally fell from her 24th-floor balcony. Much happened in that time, as revealed in a detailed report released Wednesday from Ontarios Special Investigations Unit (SIU), the police watchdog that probed the high-profile death an incident that has set off protests amid an international reckoning over policing and race. After interviews with 15 civilian witnesses and seven police officers, a review of audio and video from the scene, surveillance footage, forensic evidence and more, the watchdogs director, Joseph Martino, concluded no criminal charges should be laid in the case, a decision called disappointing by lawyers for the family of Korchinski-Paquet, who believe there was a basis for criminal charges. Listen to Alyshah Hasham discuss police accountability and the SIU Acknowledging the high degree of public interest in the case, the SIU released an unusually detailed summary of its investigative efforts and the evidence collected in the case, including transcripts of 911 calls and photos taken from the scene, providing a chronology of events. Below, based on the SIU report, a timeline of what happened immediately before and after Korchinski-Paquets tragic May 27 death. 5:13 p.m. Korchinski-Paquets mother, Claudette Beals-Clayton, calls 911 saying she needs police to come to her home. My son and daughter are fighting, she says, adding her daughter had had a seizure earlier in the day and was throwing bottles and that there is glass all over the front door. Yelling can be heard in the background. I want the police to take literally take her out of my house. I dont want her here. 5:15 p.m. Korchinski-Paquet calls 911 while her mother is still on the phone with a 911 dispatcher. Panting, she says she needs police to come because she is being attacked. She tells the 911 dispatcher that she requires an ambulance, at one point saying, you cant get in you dumb f---. Korchinski-Paquets brother, Reece Korchinski, then separately called 911, requesting help for a physical altercation between me and my sister. She initiated the assault with two knives, right. But I also did protect myself, right. So. But Im not going anywhere. Im going to stay right here, the brother says, noting he is in the stairwell while his mother is in the hallway and Korchinski-Paquet is in the apartment with broken bottles and two knives. He tells the dispatcher that they had been fighting over the TV volume, and that Korchinski-Paquet had had two epileptic seizures. In the past, theyve left the house after these episodes so she can calm down, but today that hadnt worked. 5:16 p.m. Toronto police dispatch officers from the local station, 11 division, to the scene. The call is considered an urgent priority one call. Its a hot shot for the brother attacking the complainant. Getting another call for unknown trouble. I think its the parent calling in, having a problem with the son and daughter, wanting them removed, the dispatcher says. 5:22 p.m. Korchinski-Paquet calls 911 for a second time, saying: I need to call the police. My mom just attacked me. She tells the dispatcher that when she told her brother to turn the TV off, he began punching her in the head and choking her. They they they pulled out knives, she says when asked about weapons. Asked if there are children present, Korchinski-Paquet says her brother just moved in with his children. 5:29 p.m. The first two of seven Toronto police officers arrive at the familys apartment unit on the 24th floor of 100 High Park Ave. They are met outside the unit, near the buildings elevators, by Beals-Clayton and Korchinski-Paquet, while her brother is at the other end of the hallway. The officers attempt to keep the siblings apart, and at one point one officer uses his arm to physically block Korchinski-Paquet from moving towards her brother. Another police officer arrives and two of them begin speaking with Korchinski-Paquet near the elevators, and she tells them she had seizures earlier in the day and damaged the TV after her brother wouldnt turn the volume down. She soon after tries to push past the officers. 5:30 p.m. Korchinski-Paquet places her third 911 call, in the presence of officers, saying she was just attacked by her mother and brother, who she said had been drinking since 10 a.m. I need to pee. I have to piss, she says before hanging up. 5:32 p.m. One of the first officers to arrive reports back to dispatch that they are on scene with two people, that there are no knives present, and that an ambulance isnt necessary. 5:34 p.m. Two more police officers arrive. 5:35 p.m. After Korchinski-Paquet tells officers she needs to urinate, two officers agree to allow her in the apartment and they accompany her in. She can be seen on the apartment buildings surveillance video re-entering the apartment. She calls her father from the bathroom. At the same time, Beals-Clayton tells another officer she wants her daughter to be taken to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, and paramedics arrive on the 24th floor with a stretcher. 5:37 p.m. Beals-Clayton re-enters the apartment, followed shortly after by Korchinski-Paquets brother. One of the officers tells Korchinski-Paquet that she should speak with a paramedic on the scene due to her seizures. 5:38 p.m. Three more police officers enter the apartment. Korchinski-Paquet does not speak with the paramedic, but instead begins backing away from the officers, toppling an air conditioning unit that had been by the balcony door, and then going onto the balcony. One of the officers tells Korchinski-Paquet to come back, and tries to open the door, but Korchinski-Paquet keeps it closed with her body weight. She then quickly scales the balcony railing. What is she doing? Beals-Clayton then asks. Shes jumping balconies, an officer says soon after. She cant get to the neighbours, Beals-Clayton says, followed by Korchinski-Paquets brother remarking: Its blocked off. 5:39 p.m. One of the officers reports over the radio that Korchinski-Paquet was attempting to cross over to the neighbouring balcony. Shes scaling the balconies here, one officer says. The daughter made her way out to the patio and climbed over the railing and it appears shes trying to get to the neighbours unit. Shes hanging on the side of the patio. One of the officers orders everyone out of the apartment, then goes with another to knock on the front door of the apartment next door. When he returns to the apartment, he goes onto the balcony and sees there is netting around the neighbouring balcony, making it inaccessible from the outside. He looks down and sees that Korchinski-Paquet has fallen. Can we get an ambulance ASAP. The girl fell, he radios in. Beals-Clayton can be heard telling a neighbour that her daughter has jumped. 6:05 p.m. Korchinski-Paquet is pronounced dead. 6:35 p.m. The SIU is called in to investigate the death. Wendy Gillis is a Toronto-based reporter covering crime and policing for the Star. Reach her by email at wgillis@thestar.ca or follow her on Twitter: @wendygillis There is a mass for which it is pleasing to hear and want to believe that they will take money from someone and give it to them. Second President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan stated this during a meeting with economic journalists. "No revolution in the world has taken from one and given to the other. If it has taken, then in the end it has pulverized it and no one got a share. It is just a populist formula that is used and, unfortunately, some of our people accept it as the truth. He convinces himself that it will happenif not now, then tomorrow, the next day. By the way, this does not mean that one should not fight against corruption; of course, one has to fight," he said. Kocharyan noted that very often the authorities confiscate money illegally. "The consequences of that will be very severe in the future. (). One day, these authorities will change and everyone will restore their rights in the courts. Its just that, in the meantime, the property will be damaged, they will demand compensationnot only for the damage to the property, but also for the lost income over the years. Today, the [Armenian] halls of power are laying a landmine for the future of the country; this is a big problem," Robert Kocharyan said. Bank of Bahrain and Kuwait (BBK), one of the largest commercial banks in Bahrain, and Ithmaar Holding, the parent of Ithmaar Bank, which operates the largest Islamic retail banking network in Bahrain, have entered into initial talks on a potential acquisition by BBK of Bahrain operations of Ithmaar Bank. The acquisition will includes specific assets of IB Capital, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ithmaar Holding, said an Ithmaar statement. The plans, which are subject to shareholder and regulatory approvals, are still in the preliminary discussions phase and subject to the completion of due diligence by both parties, it said. When implemented, the acquisitions will significantly expand BBKs already large operations in Bahrain and add a turn-key, full-service Islamic banking solution, while also bolstering the already well-established Ithmaar Bank brand and position it to better capitalise on opportunities for growth. Details of the plans will be announced in due course, following necessary approvals, the statement said. The chairmen of both institutions issued a statement welcoming the announcement. BBK has long played a key leadership role in the Kingdom of Bahrains banking and financial services industry, said BBK Chairman Murad Ali Murad. To maintain this leadership role, and as part of its ongoing business expansion strategy, BBK has been exploring opportunities to expand its activities and diversify its offerings, particularly in Sharia-compliant banking businesses. Ithmaar Bank seems a natural fit, and we look forward to exploring this possible acquisition further, he said. Ithmaar Bank, an Islamic retail bank, played a pioneering role in the establishment and subsequent development of Islamic banking in the region, said Ithmaar Holding Chairman Prince Amr Al Faisal. A wholly-owned subsidiary of Ithmaar Holding, Ithmaar Bank is a growing, resilient bank that continues to invest in the future and plays a key role in the community. This transaction is in line with Ithmaar Holdings strategy of creating value for its shareholders, and we look forward to exploring this possible opportunity further, he said. TradeArabia News Service The state Supreme Court is requiring trial judges throughout California to consider a defendant's financial status when setting bail and to avoid keeping people in jail before trial because they cannot afford to pay for their release. At the request of Attorney General Xavier Becerra, the court on Wednesday reinstated a January 2018 decision by a state appeals court in San Francisco as a binding precedent for trial courts statewide while the high court reviews the case. The ruling requires judges to take a defendants finances into account when deciding whether, and how much, the defendant must pay to be freed on bail. This is a critical step forward for fairness in our bail system, Becerra said in a statement. California voters could go a step further in November if they approve Proposition 25. That measure would eliminate the bail system and instead require a judge to decide whether a defendant could be released safely, with monitoring, based on the seriousness of the charges and the judges assessment of the risk the defendant posed. Those charged with capital crimes or domestic violence, and those with recent serious or violent felony convictions, would be ineligible for pretrial release. The Legislature and Gov. Jerry Brown approved the measure in 2018 and it was scheduled to take effect last October. But it was put on hold when bail bond companies gathered enough public signatures to qualify a referendum for the Nov. 3 ballot. The companies, which collect 10% fees on bonds they issue, say the system promotes safety by giving defendants an incentive to appear in court or face further charges and financial penalties. Opponents of the bail system say it allows the rich to buy their way out of jail and has no proven safety benefits. San Francisco, meanwhile, has eliminated bail for most newly arrested defendants accused of misdemeanors or nonviolent felonies, in a settlement of a federal lawsuit. The citys system will be largely preempted if voters approve Prop. 25. The San Francisco appellate ruling that now has statewide effect involved Kenneth Humphrey, a retired shipyard worker accused of entering the apartment of a 79-year-old man who lived in the same apartment building in May 2017, threatening to put a pillowcase over his head and stealing $5 and a bottle of cologne. A judge initially set his bail at $600,000, based on the charges and Humphreys record, then lowered it to $350,000, an amount Humphrey still could not afford. In its January 2018 ruling, the First District Court of Appeal ordered the judge to determine how much bail Humphrey could afford and whether he could be safely released without bail. Defendants cannot be kept in custody solely because they lack financial resources, Presiding Justice J. Anthony Kline said in the 3-0 decision. Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts. The state Supreme Court granted then-District Attorney George Gascons request to review the ruling in May 2018, removing it from the books as a precedent for Superior Court judges to follow. But Becerra, an opponent of the cash bail system, asked the court last week to use its authority to reclassify the appellate decision as a statewide precedent until the high court issues its own ruling. He said the unprecedented impacts of the coronavirus call for measures to keep people out of jail if they can be released safely. The court whose chief justice, Tani Cantil-Sakauye, has also criticized the bail system complied Wednesday without comment or any recorded dissent. Humphrey, 64, was freed without bail in May 2018 after agreeing to ankle monitoring and 24-hour detention at a San Francisco drug and alcohol treatment program for seniors. He is awaiting trial. Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @BobEgelko BAKU, Azerbaijan, Aug.27 By Nargiz Ismayilova Trend: Azerbaijan exported 396,200 tons of oil and petroleum products worth $158.8 million to the Czech Republic in the first half of 2020, down 58.4 percent compared to the same period of 2019 (678,400 tons of oil), Trend reports referring to the State Statistics Committee. Azerbaijan exported 19.5 million tons of oil from January through July 2020, which is 0.02 percent more compared to the same period of 2019, according to the statistical report of the State Customs Committee. According to the report, the total volume of exports of petroleum products in the reporting period amounted to $6.3 billion, showing an annual decrease of 48.6 percent. During seven months of 2020, the volume of exports of petroleum products amounted to almost 705,797 tons, which is 15.4 percent more compared to the same period of last year. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @IsmailovaNargis Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (Reuters) Hong Kong Thu, August 27, 2020 17:45 511 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c40f07b5 2 World Hong-Kong,journalists,Visa,press-freedom Free A Hong Kong news website said on Thursday that authorities had rejected a visa for an Irish journalist working there without providing a reason, stoking concerns about media freedoms under Beijing's new national security law for the city. Aaron McNicholas, who covered the city's sometimes-violent anti-government protests last year for Hong Kong Free Press (HKFP), waited almost six months before being told his visa had been denied, the outlet said. "It seems we have been targeted under the climate of the new security law and because of our impartial and fact-based coverage," HKFP editor-in-chief Tom Grundy said in a statement. The news website would press the government to offer reasons for the denial and would consider an appeal and legal challenge, he added. The Hong Kong government and immigration department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Media groups said the move reflected an acceleration in the decline of press freedoms under the security law which punishes what Beijing defines as subversion, secession, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces with up to life in jail. "Denial of a work visa to a thriving local news operation bashes the most basic promise of press freedom given repeatedly by the Hong Kong government," said Steven Butler, Asia Program Coordinator of the Committee to Protect Journalists. "It also severely undermines Hong Kong's status as an international city and financial center, which cannot flourish unless journalists are free to do their work." Journalists in the former British colony have told Reuters they fear the legislation could be used to silence media and crack down on freedom of expression, concerns the Hong Kong government has rejected. The semi-autonomous city is guaranteed freedom of speech and the press under Article 27 of the Basic Law, the mini-constitution agreed by China when it took back control of the global financial hub in 1997. The news comes more than a month after The New York Times said it would shift part of its Hong Kong office to Seoul as it faced challenges securing work permits. The Hong Kong government said at the time the city remained a regional media hub. The New York Times Opinion section has been exploring how the United States can emerge from our current crises fairer and more resilient. One chapter of The America We Need series focused on the type of cities that are necessary to live up to our nations founding ideals. Farhad Manjoo, a New York Times Opinion columnist, hosted a conversation on Sept. 1 with Julian Castro, the former secretary of housing and urban development and a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate; Raj Chetty, professor of economics at Harvard University; and Sonja Trauss, a San Francisco Bay Area housing activist. They discussed how cities can once again be engines of opportunity, places where Americans know they will find economic mobility. To do that, how will public education need to change? Should real estate developers plans for denser housing prevail over residents defense of the character of their neighborhoods? Can cities ever become less vulnerable to pandemics? [Sign up for The New York Times Events newsletter. | Subscribe to Times Events on YouTube.] Tonight, while we were doing our VIP Live show, rioters attacked downtown Minneapolis, looting among other things a Target store that is part of Targets corporate headquarters: Massive looting and rioting in Nicollet Mall Target. #mplsdowntown pic.twitter.com/zHmt9tBm5Z Mike Karbo (@MKarbo) August 27, 2020 More looting on Nicollet Mall: BREAKING: Looting has started on Nicollet Mall in Mpls after man being pursued by Mpls police apparently shot himself as police approached. There is video of the apparent suicide that has been seen by reporters. https://t.co/Ho29GNdtBx Julie Nelson (@JulieNelsonKARE) August 27, 2020 Apparently a criminal shot someone in a parking ramp, and then shot himself: Minneapolis police have just shown us video from a city surveillance camera that appears to show a murder suspect die by suicide as officers were closing in on him earlier tonight. This is a freeze frame from the second before it happened pic.twitter.com/q1rVeDgCm0 Kent Erdahl (@kenterdahl) August 27, 2020 Police arrived shortly thereafter and started administering CPR. Bystanders immediately accused the police (falsely) of shooting the man who killed himself: Bait Video footage of Minneapolis Suicide pic.twitter.com/FBXLT1SEjR SS Capital S.A. (@SSCapitalLLC) August 27, 2020 With the exception of that last incident, the lack of law enforcement in these videos is striking. Criminals have taken over the citys streets. The Minneapolis City Council has voted to defund and disband the Minneapolis Police Department. Look for the flood of businesses and residents leaving Minneapolis to accelerate. UPDATE: We need leadership of the kind Ronald Reagan provided when he was Governor of California: President Reagans message to a media who protected and defended rioters in 1969. His message is more pertinent today than ever, as the state of our national media has only grown more rotten, biased, and disconnected over the years. The kicker comes at the end. pic.twitter.com/T4Ej6BBMSe Reagan Battalion (@ReaganBattalion) August 26, 2020 Happily, there are a few politicians following in Reagans footsteps: Violent, lawless mobs are emboldened when good men and women stand by and do nothing. We can either demand the rule of law or expect more cities like Kenosha to fall to the hands of the violent mobs. Governor Kristi Noem (@govkristinoem) August 27, 2020 FURTHER UPDATE: My friend Kyle Hooten, a college student who is a reporter for Alpha News, was robbed at gunpoint tonight, I assume while he was reporting on the Minneapolis riots: Just got robbed at gunpoint in Minneapolis for my bulletproof vest and backpack Kyle Hooten (@KyleHooten2) August 27, 2020 MORE: The rioting and looting are ongoing, with many stores, restaurants and pharmacies being broken into. A police officer reportedly was attacked and injured by rioters an hour ago. According to witnesses reporting on Twitter, he was attended to by medics and evacuated from the area. Standard Chartered Bank Ghana has rewarded its clients who have subscribed and used the banks digital banking platform - SC Mobile App, with free 3 months premium subscription on Boomplay Music and shopping vouchers on Jumia. The winners were part of a promotion where customers were encouraged to open accounts on SC Mobile and enjoy the power of seamless, convenient and secure banking. The partnership between Standard Chartered Bank Ghana, Boomplay Music and Jumia was as a response to the recent surge in the consumption of social and digital media by many Ghanaians who are staying more at home to protect themselves from the COVID pandemic. Star actress and Standard Chartered SC Mobile ambassador Joselyn Dumas shared how simple and easy their lives have become with the usage of the app as they presented the awards to the winners. Commenting on the initiative, Head Products & Segments, Retail Banking, Standard Chartered Bank, Bossman Kwapong, said: We recognize that digital lifestyles and e-commerce are the new normal. These rewards represent just a fraction of the goodness that comes with using SC Mobile. We continue to encourage all Ghanaians to sign up to experience real digital banking. SC Mobile was launched in 2019 to fulfill the banks determination to provide the best digital lifestyle for clients. It has been designed with continuous feedback from clients, incorporating innovative technology to allow clients to execute all banking activities from a mobile device. A year after its launch, SC Mobile has recorded remarkable growth nationwide, due to its many functionalities that allow users to bank on the go, transact cardless cash transfers, perform local and international fund transfers, pay bills and send money while gaining access to a functional service request center. Press Release 27 August 2020 Whether your dream is to run a glitzy mega-resort, like the $5 billion Heart of Europe property in Dubai due to accommodate 16,000 tourists, or the Pikaia Lodge carbon-neutral property in Ecuador that relies on alternative energy sources with an outstanding social responsibility program, or a chain brand in a European capital city - you'll need to know about sustainability. Why? Sustainable management is sound management Because people everywhere are increasingly prioritizing social and environmental sustainability when they travel. They want to know that they are supporting businesses with values that align with their own. And with the devastating toll that COVID-19 has taken on the industry, hospitality businesses are scrambling to figure out how they'll swing back into action once travelers return to the roads, rails and skies again - which they inevitably will - those built or rebuilt on a sound, sustainable footing are more likely to thrive long-term. That's because sustainable businesses operate efficiently, use resources wisely and have higher staff retention rates. In other words, sustainable management is equivalent to sound management. Sustainability: integral to any course What, then, are necessary elements of a sound curriculum? Because sustainability is about balancing the wants and needs of today's travelers with economic and environmental realities of hotels and destination communities. A curriculum grounded in sustainability can integrate this ethos in all kinds of ways: from strategic planning to finance and marketing, sustainability can become integral to the fabric of any course. In addition to incorporating sustainability throughout the curriculum - into courses including finance, marketing and human resources, for example - EHL currently offers a couple of sustainability-specific courses. Types of sustainablity courses As Dr Peter Varga, Assistant Professor at EHL explains: "The Sustainable Hospitality Culture course is intended to provide entry-level students with a basic understanding of sustainability. Students learn through lectures, texts videos and group exercises about issues including certification, hotel sustainability reports, overtourism and destination management. The course also focuses on often neglected issues, including the social and cultural aspects of sustainability." In addition to the overview course, the Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainable Innovations elective delves more deeply into relevant issues. Students visit sustainably managed hotels in Switzerland to gain a first-hand understanding of their operations in practice. The course also features panel discussions on specific industry topics with leading experts who address innovations in the field. Past panelists have included Zoritsa Urosevic from the United Nations World Tourism Organization, Willy Legrand from the IUBH School of Business and Management, Guido Palazzo from the University of Lausanne and Lilian Roten, VP of Brand management for Swissotel and Pullman. Starting in February 2021, EHL will offer an additional elective course on Business Ethics that aims to help students develop "the ability to resolve managerial dilemmas in accordance with the ethical standards currently required of companies." To further understand how interested and proficient our students are in terms and topics related to sustainability, we recently administered a sustainability literacy test. What were the key takeaways? That students are highly interested in the subject and that EHL has an opportunity to teach these concepts in a way that resonates. How the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation buys influence with journalists. By Tim Schwab and cross-posted from Columbia Journalism Review. LAST AUGUST, NPR PROFILED A HARVARD-LED EXPERIMENT to help low-income families find housing in wealthier neighborhoods, giving their children access to better schools and an opportunity to break the cycle of poverty. According to researchers cited in the article, these children could see $183,000 greater earnings over their lifetimesa striking forecast for a housing program still in its experimental stage. If you squint as you read the story, youll notice that every quoted expert is connected to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which helps fund the project. And if youre really paying attention, youll also see the editors note at the end of the story, which reveals that NPR itself receives funding from Gates. NPRs funding from Gates was not a factor in why or how we did the story, reporter Pam Fessler says, adding that her reporting went beyond the voices quoted in her article. The story, nevertheless, is one of hundreds NPR has reported about the Gates Foundation or the work it funds, including myriad favorable pieces written from the perspective of Gates or its grantees. And that speaks to a larger trendand ethical issuewith billionaire philanthropists bankrolling the news. The Broad Foundation, whose philanthropic agenda includes promoting charter schools, at one point funded part of the LA Times reporting on education. Charles Koch has made charitable donations to journalistic institutions such as the Poynter Institute, as well as to news outlets such as the Daily Caller, that support his conservative politics. And the Rockefeller Foundation funds Voxs Future Perfect, a reporting project that examines the world through the lens of effective altruismoften looking at philanthropy. As philanthropists increasingly fill in the funding gaps at news organizationsa role that is almost certain to expand in the media downturn following the coronavirus pandemican underexamined worry is how this will affect the ways newsrooms report on their benefactors. Nowhere does this concern loom larger than with the Gates Foundation, a leading donor to newsrooms and a frequent subject of favorable news coverage. I recently examined nearly twenty thousand charitable grants the Gates Foundation had made through the end of June and found more than $250 million going toward journalism. Recipients included news operations like the BBC, NBC, Al Jazeera, ProPublica, National Journal, The Guardian, Univision, Medium, the Financial Times, The Atlantic, the Texas Tribune, Gannett, Washington Monthly, Le Monde, and the Center for Investigative Reporting; charitable organizations affiliated with news outlets, like BBC Media Action and the New York Times Neediest Cases Fund; media companies such as Participant, whose documentary Waiting for Superman supports Gatess agenda on charter schools; journalistic organizations such as the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, the National Press Foundation, and the International Center for Journalists; and a variety of other groups creating news content or working on journalism, such as the Leo Burnett Company, an ad agency that Gates commissioned to create a news site to promote the success of aid groups. In some cases, recipients say they distributed part of the funding as subgrants to other journalistic organizationswhich makes it difficult to see the full picture of Gatess funding into the fourth estate Continue reading the article The district administration has granted permission to organise community Durga pujas without any congregation in pandals and in strict adherence to social distancing norms, an official said. The puja committees can celebrate the festival in the silver city of Odisha without violating the COVID-19 guidelines, Collector Bhabani Shankar Chayani said. "Maintaining social distancing norms, avoiding mass gatherings and wearing masks, the organisers can hold at their respective pandals," Chayani said. Puja organisers can perform the rituals but no congregation will be allowed in the pandals, he said. The committees welcomed the district administration's decision and said they will follow the health safety guidelines in the pandals and also during immersion of the idols. Earlier, the district collector had refused to give permission to organise the Durga pujas in October in the wake of the current pandemic, following which the Balu Bazaar Puja Committee, one of the oldest community puja organisers in the city, approached the Orissa High Court, seeking its intervention for the continuation of a 500-year- old tradition. At least 167 committees celebrate the festival in the city with pomp and gaiety. (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.) Jacob Blake had a knife when he was shot in the back seven times by Wisconsin police leaving him paralyzed, the Wisconsin Attorney General revealed. The Wisconsin Department of Justice provided some of the first details surrounding the police shooting on Wednesday, revealing Blake had a knife and the name of the officer who opened fire. That knife was later recovered from the driver's side floorboard of his SUV, but it's unclear if Blake had it on him when he was talking to police. Blake, a 29-year-old father of six, was with his children when he was shot multiple times in the back by Kenosha officers responding to a dispute at the scene on Sunday evening, sparking national outrage and heated protests. Police were called to the scene at the 2800 block of 40th Street in Kenosha on Sunday after Blake's girlfriend 'reported that her boyfriend was present and was not supposed to be on the premises.' Officers tried to subdue him with a taser before opening fire. Jacob Blake, the black man shot in the back seven times in front of his three young children by Wisconsin police, had a knife in his posession, the Wisconsin Attorney General revealed Wednesday. Jacob Blake lies on the street after he got shot following a police shooting in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Sunday Blake is seen far left with his three children. Witnesses said all three of his kids were in the back seat of the SUV when their father was shot Wiconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul provided the first details of what led up to the shooting of Jacob Blake on Wednesday 'During the incident, officers attempted to arrest Jacob S. Blake... Law enforcement deployed a taser to attempt to stop Mr. Blake, however the taser was not successful in stopping Mr. Blake,' officials said. During an investigation Blake admitted that he had a knife and agents recovered it from the drivers side floorboard of his vehicle after opening fire. No other weapons were found. In the incident officers yelled for Blake to 'drop the knife' as they followed him around the car. He opened his car door and appeared to lunge for something as a police officer, identified as Officer Rusten Sheskey, grabbed the back of his shirt and fired into Blake's back seven times. Officials said Blake was either lunging for the knife on the floor board or it fell from his hand. Officer Sheskey was the only cop who opened fire at the scene. Officer Rusten Sheskey, a seven year veteran with the Kenosha Police Department, was identified as the cop who fired all seven shots into Blake's back The images above show the moments leading up to the shooting. Blake (seen in the white shirt) walks away from a police officer who has his gun drawn and is ordering him to stop The image above shows the moment a Kenosha, Wisconsin, police officer fired at least seven shots into the back of Jacob Blake as he was getting into an SUV in a residential neighborhood Officer Sheskey, who has been with the department for seven years, and all others officers involved in the shooting, have been placed on administrative leave during the investigation, officials said. Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul said in a news conference that the other officers involved in the shooting will be identified 'soon'. Blake's three young children were in the SUV and witnessed the shooting. His girlfriend also witnessed the moment Blake's body was riddled with bullets. After the shooting the officers 'immediately provided medical aid' and Blake was taken to Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee, where he remains. Blake's lawyers said in a press conference Tuesday that the bullets struck his spinal cord and resulted in the near-complete removal of his colon and small intestine and damaged his kidney and liver. Family members said he was paralyzed by the shooting, but it's unclear if it will be premanent. Blake's lawyers said in a press conference Tuesday that the bullets struck his spinal cord and resulted in the near-complete removal of his colon and small intestine and damaged his kidney and liver. He's paralyzed but it's not clear if its permanent Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers released a statement saying he was 'hoping earnestly' that Blake 'would not succumb to his injuries' 'Because those bullets severed his spinal cord and shattered some of his vertebrae, it is going to take a miracle... for Jacob Blake Jr. to ever walk again,' attorney Ben Crump said. Authorities noted that the Kenosha Police Department does not have body cameras, 'therefore the officers were not wearing body cameras.' An investigation into the case remains ongoing from the Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation, according to authorities. The department aims to provide a report within 30 days, it said. Two people have been killed in the civil unrest in Kenosha that followed. On Wednesday afternoon 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse was arrested and charged for the shooting in Kenosha that killed the two protesters and injured another person in a possible vigilante attack just before midnight Tuesday. The police-obsessed teen was arrested in his hometown of Antioch, Illinois, about 15 miles from Kenosha, and was charged with first degree intentional homicide. He was arrested after video footage emerged him walking up to police with his hands in the air and his semi-automatic rifle slung across his body before the shooting. Demonstrators raise their fist in the air, in front of law enforcement on Tuesday evening during a third night of protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin as the city declared a state of emergency curfew Demonstrators sit in the street, in front of law enforcement during Jacob Blake protests on Tuesday denouncing the police shooting and racism Protesters take cover behind a dumpster during clashes with police outside the Kenosha County Courthouse, late Tuesday Police stand near a department of corrections building that was on fire during protests on Monday in Kenosha The court remains empty at the HP Field House at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex where the Houston Rockets were to face the Oklahoma City Thunder in game five of the first round playoffs in Kissimmee, Florida on Wednesday. All three NBA playoff games scheduled for Wednesday were postponed as players in the league sought to boycott games to denounce racial injustice The dead were identified only as a 26-year-old Silver Lake, Wisconsin, resident and a 36-year-old from Kenosha. The wounded person, a 36-year-old from West Allis, Wisconsin, was expected to survive, police said. Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers authorized the sending of 500 members of the National Guard to Kenosha, doubling the number of troops in the wake of the shooting. The governors office said he is working with other states to bring in additional National Guard members and law officers. Authorities also announced a 7pm curfew, an hour earlier than the night before. In Washington, the Justice Department said it is sending in the FBI and federal marshals in response to the unrest. The White House said up to 2,000 National Guard troops would be made available. And in Orlando, the NBAs Milwaukee Bucks, a team based in Wisconsin, didnt take the floor for their playoff game against the Magic. It was later announced that all three NBA playoff games scheduled for Wednesday were postponed, with players around the league choosing to boycott in their strongest statement yet against racial injustice. Legal proceedings brought by one of the founders of the Blackrock Clinic against two companies controlled by beef baron Larry Goodman have been dismissed by a US court. Irish-born surgeon Dr Joe Sheehan filed lawsuits against the companies and a receiver last April, opening a new front in what has been a long running dispute over control of the Dublin private hospital. The legal actions were initiated after Dr Sheehan filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in Illinois, where he now lives. In his "adversary complaint" against receiver Damien Murran of RSM Ireland and the two Goodman companies, Breccia and Irish Agricultural Development, he made a number of allegations relating to how shares he held in the hospital had been sold. In the complaint, he said Breccia asserted a security interest, amounting to 13m, in his 28pc shareholding and that, at Breccia's direction, Mr Murran was appointed as receiver over the shares. He went on to allege Mr Murran sold the shares to Irish Agricultural Development for 20.3m after the bankruptcy petition was filed. Dr Sheehan claimed the sale went ahead even though he believed there was a competing bid of in excess of 40m. He claimed he advised the receiver and the two Goodman companies of the Chapter 11 case, the creation of a bankruptcy estate, and with an automatic stay prohibiting the collection of any pre-petition claim against him. Dr Sheehan secured an order calling on Mr Murran to provide an accounting in relation to the share sale. That order was vacated by Judge Jacqueline Cox, of the United State Bankruptcy Court in Northern Illinois, on Tuesday. The judge also denied a motion from Dr Sheehan seeking an examination of various parties, finding they were not properly served. She also dismissed the proceedings against the Goodman companies, finding they had no connection with Illinois or the US sufficient to justify them having to answer Dr Sheehan's claims there. She also observed that the Irish courts had been dealing with Dr Sheehan's claims for a number of years. In a statement, Breccia welcomed the decision. It alleged the US proceedings were "an abuse of process" and "vexatious" as decisions on related issues had already been made by the courts in Ireland. The company said it hoped the ruling would bring an end to what it described as a "litany" of "spurious legal actions" initiated by Dr Sheehan. Prasada, a former Union minister, was among the 23 signatories to a letter that sought an active and full-time Congress president New Delhi: Congress leader Kapil Sibal, who was among those who wrote a letter to party chief Sonia Gandhi seeking organisational overhaul, on Thursday alleged that party leader Jitin Prasada is being targeted in Uttar Pradesh and termed it as "unfortunate". Prasada, a former union minister, was among the signatories to the letter that sought an active and full-time party president. Prasad is also a special invitee to the CWC. "Unfortunate that Jitin Prasada is being officially targeted in Uttar Pradesh Congress needs to target the BJP with surgical strikes instead of wasting its energy by targeting its own," Sibal said on Twitter. Unfortunate that Jitin Prasada is being officially targeted in UP Congress needs to target the BJP with surgical strikes instead wasting its energy by targeting its own Kapil Sibal (@KapilSibal) August 27, 2020 Reacting to it, another Congress leader, Manish Tewari who was also a signatory to the letter, posted a single word "Prescient" on Twitter. The Lakhimpur Kheri District Congress reportedly passed a resolution demanding action against Prasada, a leader from Uttar Pradesh, and has accused his family of being against the Gandhi family. Jitender Prasad, the father of Jitin Prasada, had also unsuccessfully contested for the post of Congress president against Sonia Gandhi in the past, the DCC reportedly said. The charge comes three days after the Congress Working Committee urged Sonia Gandhi to continue as party president and bring about organisational changes. The CWC was convened to discuss the leadership issue and the letter written by over 20 leaders on the issue. National carrier Air India has issued a new dress code for employees and has warned against strict action over unkempt appearances. Air India has asked its staffers to be properly groomed at all times and not attend office in shorts, flip flops, ripped jeans, polos and sandals. In its dress code order issued on Tuesday, the airline mentioned, "Every employee is a brand ambassador for Air India and his or her appearance and demeanour has an impact on the image of the company. Wherever office uniforms are prescribed, it shall be the attire of the employees. Where no uniforms are assigned, all employees, irrespective of their grades whether permanent, temporary, contractual, apprentice, full time, part time, casuals, interns shall come to work in clothes appropriate to the workplace." Also read: COVID-19 crisis: More Air India pilots move Delhi HC after job loss Male employees are expected to wear formal trousers and shirts whereas female employees can wear formal Indian and/or western attire. The national carrier, whose divestment deadline has been extended yet again, also stated that employees need to look well-groomed and professional at all times. They need to avoid casuals like T-shirts, polos, shorts, jeans, slippers, sandals, ripped jeans, flip flops, too flowy, too tight, short, low cut or transparent clothes and an unkempt look such as an unshaven face or ruffled hair. "Besides all employees will have to maintain personal hygiene. We are confident that employees will use their best judgement when maintaining proper attire and appearance," the airline added. The airline further warned that if the employees aren't dressed as per the Air India Dress Code order, the management has the right to strict action. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, the states leading organization on higher education, will launch a digital repository of open educational resources, also known as OER, for Texas colleges and their students next week. The digital resource platform aims to provide students with affordable, easily accessible online alternatives to costly textbooks or other course materials beginning Tuesday. All materials on the platform are considered public domain and are free to those who join an OER group, contribute material used on the site or provide reviews of the material. The platform is a result of the coordinating boards partnership with the Institute for the Study of Knowledge Management in Education. Texas House Bill 3652, authored by Rep. Chris Turner, D-Grand Prairie, created the repository and provided $250,000 to create the web-based location where the materials will be hosted. Gov. Greg Abbott and several lawmakers recently announced $10 million in emergency federal funding to improve digital learning by strengthening online course offerings and developing OER materials to reduce costs to students. In the COVID-19 pandemic, open educational resources will be even more important in helping students in Texas succeed in their education, said Turner, who is also chair of the House Higher Education Committee. Texas Higher Education Commissioner Harrison Keller said the investments will increase access and affordability and minimize barriers to higher education for students across the state. OERTX is a strategic investment that will accelerate innovation in teaching and learning, strengthen collaborations across our colleges and universities, and help keep students on track to complete high-value credentials and enter the workforce with the kind of education tomorrows economy will demand, Keller said in a statement. The coordinating board will work with Texas colleges and higher education institutions to build the repository with high-quality resources created by faculty. It will offer material for core curriculum, co-requisite courses, and career and technical programs. The offerings will also include teaching support and training materials for faculty. brittany.britto@chron.com A sheep has become the world's most expensive after selling for a record 365,000 at a Scottish livestock auction. The lamb, named Double Diamond, was sold to farmers at the Scottish National Texel sale in Lanark on Thursday. It was one of 19 lambs to sell for over 10,000 guineas, or 10,500, at the auction. Double Diamond (pictured above) has become the world's most expensive after selling for a record 365,000 at a Scottish livestock auction Double Diamond was sold by well-known breeder Charlie Boden from their Sportsmans flock in Stockport, Cheshire. Texels, originally from the island of Texel in the Netherlands, are the most popular sheep for breeding in the UK because of the quality of the meat. The average cost of a lamb in the UK is around 100 - but top quality rams used for breeding fetch much more. Double Diamond, who is an embryo lamb bred from a ewe, was met with an opening bid of 10,500. A furious bidding war ensued during which the price was raised by over 300,000. Eventually the sheep was bought in a three-way partnership between Alan Blackwood from Auldhouseburn, Maybole from Procters Farm in Lancashire and Messrs Teward from New View farm in Darlington. The eight-month old Texel lamb, called Vicious Sid (pictured above), is the second most expensive sheep ever sold in the UK The second-most expensive sheep sold at the auction, named Hexel Django, went for 68,000 to another three-way consortium made up of the Knox family, Haddo, Turriff, Keith, Alan and Roy Campbell, from Cowal farm in Lochgoilhead and the Wight family from Midlock, Lanark. Previously, the highest sum ever achieved for a sheep was 231,000 (or 220,000 guineas), paid by Jimmy Douglas for the eight-month-old Texel tup, Deveronvale Perfection, at Lanark market, in August 2009. In August 2014, an eight-month old Texel ram, called Vicious Sid, became the second most expensive sheep ever sold in the UK after it was bought for a staggering 152,000. In keeping with tradition, the majority of farm livestock, including horses, are still sold in guineas at markets. A guinea is worth about 1.05p. BRISTOL, Tenn. The sun peeked out from behind the clouds to shine on the crowd that gathered outside the new Isaiah 117 House in Bristol on Wednesday morning. The nonprofit organization held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its newest location at 254 Bethel Drive in Bristol, Tennessee. The founders of Isaiah 117 House and workers at the nonprofit were joined by officials from across Sullivan County and the Tri-Cities to celebrate the houses completion. The organization was founded in 2017 and gets its name from the biblical verse Isaiah 1:17, which states, Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow. It provides safe, temporary housing for children who have been taken from their homes into Tennessee Department of Childrens Services custody while caseworkers look for foster homes. This process can take several hours to nearly a day, and Isaiah 117 House provides the children with toys, blankets, clothing, food and anything else they need during this transitional period. Rhonda Paulson, who founded Isaiah 117 House along with her friend, Julie Dixon, said many children who go through the foster care system feel like they are being punished. The goal was to create an environment where the kids are welcomed with open arms, rather than stuck in an office. A place like this lets them know you are not in trouble, you are loved, Paulson said. Jennifer Nichols, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Childrens Services, said just this week there was a child for whom a foster home could not be found. The Isaiah 117 House stepped up to take care of the child during the search. As of Wednesday morning, she said there were 237 children in foster care in Sullivan County, and the new house will provide a service so needed by those who enter the foster care system. You guys have it made here, our children are going to have it made here, Nichols said. Once children step through the bright, red front door, they will find a living room and kitchen with soft gray walls with messages like come as you are. On the first floor, there are also two bedrooms equipped with two beds each, as well as toys. Paulson said the bedrooms are set up to be a boys room and a girls room, but if they get groups of siblings who want to stay together, they can easily pull in an air mattress. On the second floor, there are plastic tubs filled with diapers, blankets, clothes and other supplies to help them take care of children of any age. The new house has been a long time coming. About a year ago, Discovery Church off Bethel Drive in Bristol donated about an acre of land next to the church for the house to be built on. Ground was broken on the site on Oct. 1, and construction was originally set to conclude earlier this year. But Paulson said the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the project a bit. This is the fifth Isaiah 117 House. In Tennessee, there are others in Carter, Washington and Greene counties, and there is one in Vanderburgh County, Indiana. However, Paulson said there are currently 11 other houses under construction across Tennessee and three more set for Indiana. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Wineries and distilleries across Texas say they won't make it through the pandemic if they don't receive help soon. Under Gov. Greg Abbott's orders, bars must remain closed in an effort to curb the virus, and because so many spirits-based businesses rely on tasting rooms to drive revenue and make most of their sales on alcohol, they are treated like bars. Many of the smaller businesses fear their temporarily closures may become permanent. The Texas Craft Spirits PAC wants changes in regulations that would allow distilleries and wineries to ship alcohol directly to consumers as well as eliminate the limits set on the amount of alcohol they can sell to a consumer during a certain period. The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission limits businesses to only selling two or fewer bottles per customer every 30 days and doesn't allow spirits companies to ship alcohol. Allowing wineries and distilleries to sell and ship to customers has worked in states like Kentucky, New York, Illinois and California, according to the Texas Craft Spirits PAC. Winery owners say its the only way distilleries and wineries have a fighting chance to keep their businesses afloat. ON EXPRESSNEWS.COM: San Antonios No. 1 Best Hill Country Winery: William Chris Vineyards "We are just hopeful that the government will step in and help us for the short term so that we can be set up for long-term success," said Dennis Rylander, co-founder of GM Whiskey and Ranger Creek Brewing and Distilling in San Antonio. "They are small changes that can make a big impact for our industry." Rylander estimates Ranger Creek could see double-digit growth if it were allowed to ship more of their products out, which could lead to increasing staff hours and possibly add more employees. Since the start of the pandemic, most wineries and distilleries have lost nearly 80 percent of the normal revenue due to the regulations, according to Texas Craft Spirits PAC. For smaller spirits businesses, the experience of visiting a winery or distillery is what drives customers to them a business model that is nonexistent in the current world. For now, the call for changing regulation has fallen on deaf ears. READ ALSO: Mayor slams popular Northwest Side bar after videos emerge of packed crowds of maskless patrons "The need for the PAC is critical," said Susan Johnson, owner of Texas Heritage Vineyards in Fredericksberg. "I think it will help our voices be heard more to help solve this problem." She said the difficulty has been that the TABC lumps in tasting rooms with bars. The group said taprooms and tasting rooms should be allowed to operate under the same regulations as a restaurant, especially since most have large outdoor-seating areas that would adhere to the orders given to other businesses in the food and alcohol industry. "It isn't like we are here slinging drinks like a bar, people are are buying wine by the bottle," Johnson said. "It is sad because wine sales nationwide technically have gone up, but people are really just buying from like H-E-B or Target or Walmart because we either can't be open or they don't know that they can still come buy to-go from us." It also goes beyond the wineries. Businesses have had to cancel tour guides, musicians and others who rely on the them to make money. Johnson said because the wineries aren't making as much revenue, they can't afford the high-price of grapes from local farmers, who in turn also suffer. "It has been really difficult," Johnson said. "There was no inkling that we would have to completely shut down not only once but twice. And for us mom-and-pop small businesses, it has been really tough. "It has been a lot of doom and gloom since this all started, but I think if we can survive this, it will make us all stronger." Customers wanting to help, visit Save Texas Wineries or Help Save Distillers Who Helped Texas. Taylor Pettaway is a breaking news and general assignment reporter for MySA.com | taylor.pettaway@express-news.net | @TaylorPettaway Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Adrian Wail Akhlas (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, August 27, 2020 13:04 511 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c40d9d36 1 Business Sri-Mulyani-Indrawati,receivables,taxation,system,tax-revenue,COVID-19,Reform Free The government is seeking to improve its tax arrears accounting system after the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) discovered irregularities in the existing arrangement, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said on Wednesday. Addressing House Commission XI overseeing financial affairs, Sri Mulyani cited a BPK report on weaknesses in the internal monitoring system of the Tax Office and the Customs and Excise Directorate General. The government implemented a new accounting system in early July to improve tax collection and to respond to the BPKs concerns, she said. We are hoping the accounting system will be able to address some taxation issues that have been raised repeatedly by the BPK, the finance minister told lawmakers. The government expects the accounting system to provide real-time information on tax arrears. Sri Mulyani noted that the rise in tax arrears recorded in 2019 was partly due to a delay in excise payments. According to data from the Finance Ministry, the tax arrears due to the government reached Rp 94.69 trillion (US$6.46 billion) in 2019, an increase of 16.22 percent from 2018. The latest accounting system is part of the governments efforts to reform the countrys tax system as the COVID-19 pandemic puts additional pressure on the governments finances in 2020 and 2021. As of July, the government had received Rp Rp 922.2 trillion in state revenue, down by 12.4 percent from the same period last year. This figure is about 54 percent of the years target and mainly consists of tax and excise revenue, which amounted to Rp 711 trillion. Meanwhile, state expenditures had risen 1.3 percent yoy to Rp 1.25 quadrillion as of July. Last year, the government took in Rp 1.96 quadrillion in state revenue, about 90 percent of its target, including Rp 1.54 quadrillion in tax and excise revenue. Read also: Weak state revenue reflects fragile economic recovery: Sri Mulyani The tax reform agenda should be strengthened and continued, particularly by expanding the tax base, Sri Mulyani said. The finance minister added that the government would continue reforms by simplifying the bureaucracy and improving data quality, among other measures. We realize that conducting tax reform is not an easy task, she said. BPK auditor Agus Joko Pramono said recently that the governments rising tax arrears suggested a weak internal monitoring system. He urged the government to resolve the issue to optimize tax collection. Speaking during the hearing, Dolfie OFP of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) urged the government to collect the mounting tax arrears, adding that they would reduce the governments need to issue sovereign debt papers (SBNs). [Collecting] tax arrears could increase revenue compared to issuing more SBNs, he said. The government is planning to raise Rp 990 trillion through the issuance of bonds in the second half this year and to raise $5.5 billion from multilateral organizations. British adventurers Ed Stafford and his wife Laura Bingham have announced the birth of twin girls two years after they lost a set of twins in a heartbreaking miscarriage. The former army captain and Amazonian adventurer, 44, and his model wife, 27, who live in Leicestershire, shared the news of their twin daughters birth on Instagram. The couple, who also share three-year-old son Ran, posted several snaps from the birth, as well as a lengthy caption announcing the newborn's names as Mary and Camilla - or Molly and Milly for short. It comes after they tragically lost their twin girls at 14 weeks in December 2018. Adventurers Laura Bingham, 27, and Ed Stafford, 44, have announced they have welcomed set of twins into their family two years after they lost twin girls in a heartbreaking miscarriage Laura went on to post several snaps from the birth, as well as a lengthy caption announcing the newborn's names as Mary and Camilla - or Molly and Milly for short Posting the happy news online, Laura wrote: 'Welcome to the world!! After causing me some worry and stress with when they might come, we decided last minute to break my waters. 'If the contractions began, it was a sign they were ready, if they didnt, we would go ahead with the natural Caesarian.' She continued: 'Thankfully my precious girls decided it was a good day to be born! '3.5ish hours from waters being broken to both being born. Molly was born in the pool and Milly was born very soon after on the bed. Laura went on to share a snap of adventurer Ed cuddling one of the twins in hospital shortly after the birth 'Both nice and healthy and safe. 'I lost quite a bit of blood so Im staying in overnight but I cant wait to introduce Ran to his new sisters tomorrow!' She went on to praise the staff in hospital for their efforts, writing: 'The nhs midwives at the General in Leicester have been phenomenal and really open to allowing me to go with my flow and assisting me where they could. 'So let me introduce to you; Mary Elizabeth Stafford (8.5lbs) and Camilla Claire Stafford (6.5lbs) (Molly and Milly for short).' Laura welcomed one of her daughters in a birthing pool, before having her second baby in a natural bed birth HOW DOES ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION WORK? Researchers in Illinois recently used an artificial insemination procedure to, hopefully, impregnate a wolf (file photo) Artificial insemination is among the slew of new reproductive medicine techniques that has come out recently. Human couples who opt for the technology see specialists who use ultrasounds, blood tests or ovulation kits to check to see if a woman is ovulating at the time of her procedure. A sample of sperm is then required from the woman's chosen donor; the doctor puts the sample in a catheter that is threaded through the woman's vagina and cervix before reaching her uterus. The success rate for the procedure varies. The following can affect the chances a woman has of becoming pregnant thanks to artificial insemination: the woman's age the quality of the sperm and egg a condition called endometriosis fallopian tube damage fallopian tube blockage Scientists near Chicago recently tried to use artificial insemination technology to impregnate a wolf. Their hope is that the technology can revive the species, which has been considered endangered since 1976. Advertisement She went on to share a series of emotional photographs from the birth, including the moment she welcomed daughter Molly in a birth pool. In another photograph, the couple snuggled up with their newborns for their first selfie together. The couple, who are both adventurers and met while exploring the globe, fell pregnant with the help of artificial insemination. They previously suffered a devastating miscarriage just 18 months ago, with Laura telling The Mirror it was 'the most traumatic thing' she'd ever been through. The mother-of-three documented the experience on Instagram with a series of photographs from the birth The 27-year-old shared the emotional moment she first met one of her daughters and had skin-to-skin She said: 'I've put my body through hell and back on my travels, but losing my babies was the hardest thing.' Laura has cycled 4,350 miles across South America and in 2018 led the first descent of Guyanas Essequibo River. Meanwhile, Ed set a record in 2010 as the first person to walk the 3,976-mile length of the Amazon River over a gruelling 30 months. He also starred in TV series Naked And Marooned, surviving for two months on a deserted island. The couple, who share their three-year-old son Ran, suffered a devastating miscarriage in December 2018 (Ed, Laura and Ran are pictured) Youth in the Zongo communities have been urged to resists not to allow politicians to use them to foment trouble and perpetrate violence during this year's electioneering campaigns. Mr Mohammed Osman Aminu, the Chief Executive Officer of Karima Shipping Company Limited in Kumasi, who made the call, said it was time the youth in Zongo communities reasserted themselves. He said the youth should resist pressure to engage in violence activities before, during and after the elections. Speaking to the Ghana News Agency in Kumasi, he said, the era where politicians used basic items such as rice, Milk, and money to entice the youth to beat people at polling centres and snatch ballot boxes, was past and gone. Now the people in Zongo communities are wide awake to their civic responsibilities and with sustained education, they are now aware of the realities in Ghanaian politics. They will not allow themselves to be used by selfish politicians again, he said. Mr Aminu said Ghana is a 'beacon of hope' on the African continent because of its democratic credentials and it was important for all to work to jealously guard and maintain it. He said politicians mostly target Zongo youth for election-related violence and they get nothing in return after the elections. Mr Aminu said it was time the people in the Zongo communities took a critical look at electoral violence and its impact on national stability and the country's democratic dispensation. They should identify the roles they could play to sustain the country's peace and harmony and the development of their communities. Mr Aminu appealed to politicians to desist from engaging in acts that could plunge the country into chaos during their campaigns. ---GNA The president has hailed Eugene McCabe as a powerful and original contributor to Irish letters after the playwrights death at the age of 90. McCabes career explored sectarianism and the legacy of colonialism, Michael D Higgins said. Born in Scotland of emigrant parents who returned to Ireland in the early 40s, McCabe grew up in Clones, Co Monaghan. He was one of Irelands top contemporary writers and his canon included his first play to meet with success, King Of The Castle, which won an Irish Life Theatre Award in 1964. Rest In Peace, Eugene McCabe, author, playwright and pacifist who has died at the age of 90. In 2006 Eugene wrote an essay which is re-published in the 2019 edition of 'Hunger Strike - Reflections' and can be read on the Bobby Sands Trust website - https://t.co/B33EYp0OOX pic.twitter.com/0wn1rfZJtj Danny Morrison (@molloy1916) August 27, 2020 His 1992 novel Death And Nightingales was regarded by many as a contemporary classic and was recently adapted for television by BBC Two. McCabe spent most of his life on his border farm near Clones. Mr Higgins said: His considerable skill as a storyteller was applied in a wide variety of styles and genres, be it novels, short stories, plays or writing for children. He explored complex themes, including the legacy of colonialism and the hatred inherent in sectarianism. The world of Irish theatre has lost someone who was a powerful and original contributor to Irish letters Michael D Higgins Like few others, Eugene McCabe was able to capture the complexity of differing viewpoints, and particularly of those confronted with bigotry and fundamentalism. The president said the writer will be remembered for an outstanding contribution to Irish theatre, for his award-winning television plays and for a body of work that confronted, with courage, issues in Irish society. He added: The world of Irish theatre has lost someone who was a powerful and original contributor to Irish letters. Arts Minister Catherine Martin said McCabe was a master storyteller and dramatist. While he produced a great volume of literary works, he will probably be best remembered for his trilogy of plays which he wrote in the early 70s based on the differing traditions in Northern Ireland, she said. These plays received critical acclaim and were produced and screened by RTE in 1973. Afghanistans first female film director has been shot and wounded in Kabul by three gunmen who opened fire on her car. Saba Sahar, a trailblazing actress, director, police officer and womens rights activist, was targeted on Tuesday, with the attack happening five minutes from her house. Her husband, Emal Zaki, told the BBC that she was one of five people in the vehicle, including the driver, two bodyguards and a child. It was not clear if the child was one of Sahars children. I reached the scene and found them all wounded, Zaki told the BBC, adding that it happened so close to home, he could hear the gunshots. Afghanistans Tolo News published photos of the gold SUV she was traveling in, its windows shielded by curtains, but now shattered by bullets. She received first aid and we transferred her to the emergency hospital and then to the police hospital. Zaki said that Sahar was shot in the stomach and was able to answer the phone when he called her. He said she later underwent a successful surgery. Sabar was well known in Afghanistan following the huge success of her first film, The Law, released in 2004. The British embassy in Afghanistan tweeted: Condemn this cowardly attack on a brave Afghan woman. Wishing Saba Sahar a full recovery. Markus Potzel, Germanys envoy to Afghanistan, tweeted: Another courageous female member of the AFG society was attacked today. Perpetrators must be investigated&held accountable. Wishing speedy recovery to #sabasahar & all the injured. #stoptheviolence. Sahar has faced death threats for decades, owing to her high-profile work in the deeply traditional and male-dominated country. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates BAKU, Azerbaijan, Aug.27 By Leman Zeynalova Trend: Croatia imported 1,123,800 tons of crude oil from Azerbaijan from January through June 2020, as compared to 91,000 tons for the same period of 2019, Eurostat told Trend. The country imported 84,600 tons of crude oil from Azerbaijan in January 2020, 90,500 tons in February, 166,600 tons in March, 346,000 tons in April, 166,500 tons in May and 269,600 tons in June. This is while in 2019, Croatia imported 91,000 tons in May, 162,000 tons in July, 86,000 tons in August, 192,000 tons in September, 82,000 tons in October and 276,000 tons in November. Azerbaijan exported 2,023,202 tons of crude oil to EU countries in January 2020 and 2,112,208 tons in February 2020. Azerbaijan exported 19.5 million tons of oil from January through July 2020, which is 0.02 percent more compared to the same period of 2019, according to the statistical report of the State Customs Committee (SCC). According to the report, the total volume of exports of petroleum products in the reporting period amounted to $6.3 billion, showing an annual decrease of 48.6 percent. During seven months of 2020, the volume of exports of petroleum products amounted to almost 705,797 tons, which is 15.4 percent more compared to the same period of last year. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn Norfolk charities get last chance for Tesco funding Norfolk charities get last chance for Tesco funding Charities and community organisations in Norfolk who have been struggling to maintain their work can access 500 of funding from Tescos Covid-19 fund, administered by community charity Groundwork. This funding was opened in April to help organisations that are supporting communities in response to the pandemic. The funding is now coming to an end and the last date for funding submission is Friday September 18. Organisations can apply for up to 500 to help with the following: Increased demand e.g. a holiday hunger club needs more resources to support children through the summer months or a food bank whose stocks are running low and needs an immediate donation to enable the food bank to restock. Disrupted services e.g. a local charity setting up a delivery service to replace its monthly lunch club, or a charity needing to set up a telephone service to support beneficiaries. New services e.g. a health focused charity having to set up a new online patient service requires new IT equipment or a mental health charity developing a new service. Groundwork encourage all organisations who meet the funding criteria to apply, and second applications are also welcomed (provided the work funded by the first has been completed). Recipient Waveney Gymnastics club is using the funding to set up videoconferencing so their staff can continue to keep in contact with their community and offer engaging videos to keep them mental and physically active. The club said: The funding has greatly helped to ensure we were able to move our presence online, to make sure we can reach our community to help with their social, mental and physical wellbeing. Groundwork has been working with Tesco on the Bags of Help funding that began in 2015 in response to the introduction of charging for plastic bags to reduce levels of single use plastic. During the Covid-19 pandemic Tesco made the decision, back in April, to make 2 million available across the UK to help charities and organisations who work with communities to get through this difficult time or to take on new initiatives to support communities during the pandemic. In June they extended the funding and made available another 2 million to enable even more support for these groups as the pandemic continues. For more information contact Jane Herbert on 07726 695996 or jane.herbert@groundwork.org.uk . Apply now at: groundwork.org.uk/tesco For more information on Groundwork visit www.groundwork.org.uk/east Image from Groundwork website Eldred Willey, 27/08/2020 Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 18:33:23|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close LAGOS, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Nigeria's organized labor will mobilize action against state governments and other employers of labor using the COVID-19 pandemic as a ploy to sack workers and undermine their rights, a labor union said late Wednesday. President of the Nigeria Labor Congress (NLC) Ayuba Wabba, who made this known to reporters in Abuja, the nation's capital, said the organized labor and its allies would tackle any infraction on workers' rights. The organized labor is worried at the trend whereby workers are being used as scapegoats for the economic challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, he added. "We cannot fold our hands and people continue to undermine our laws and rights of workers and we continue to lament," Wabba told reporters. "In proceeding with this action, we thought that we should consult with our organs so that we will decide how to deal with the fundamental issues affecting Nigerian workers at the most moment," he said. Wabba added that the labor movement had recently intervened in disputes in the aviation sector, banking sector, manufacturing industry, and others that had tried to sack workers and trample on their rights. He said such industries did so in the guise of responding to challenges of COVID-19 without recourse to due process of law and collective dialogue. The NLC president said a working committee meeting would allow the labor organization to prioritize its engagements and decode areas to tackle first. Enditem Bill Hutchinson / The Chronicle Bomb threats were emailed to more than a dozen Fremont schools Thursday morning, Fremont police said, and a new round of threats appeared to be arriving in the afternoon. But police said they do not consider them credible. The department tweeted that the initial bomb threats were sent overnight to 13 of the Fremont Unified School Districts 42 schools, but did not disclose which campuses received the threats. Geneva Bosques, a department spokeswoman, said a second round of similarly worded emails were being sent to the same schools Thursday afternoon. She said the schools include elementary, junior high and high school classes By Tiemoko Diallo and David Lewis BAMAKO (Reuters) - Coup leaders in Mali have released President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and he has returned home, his representative said on Thursday, a potential sign of good faith a day ahead of a regional summit on the country's political future. A group of military officers has controlled Mali since Aug. 18, when they detained Keita at gunpoint and forced him to resign in a takeover foreign powers fear could further destabilise the West African nation and undermine a fight against Islamist militants in the wider Sahel region. Keita's release, nine days after he was ousted and detained, had been one of the demands of West Africa's regional bloc, which sent a delegation to Mali at the weekend to discuss a timeline for transition to civilian rule with the coup's leaders. On Thursday morning, Keita was freed from where he was being held outside the city, a spokesman for the junta, Djibrilla Maiga, said. The president's former chief of staff, Mahamadou Camara, confirmed Keita had returned to his residence in Bamako's Sebenikoro district. "He has gone home. I do not know if he will travel," Camara told Reuters, when asked if the deposed leader planned to leave the country. The U.N. peacekeeping force in Mali said its head had visited Keita at his home on Thursday. The junta leaders say they had mutinied because the country was sinking into chaos and insecurity, which they blamed largely on the government. They have promised to oversee a move to elections within a "reasonable" time. Earlier on Thursday, France's foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told RTL radio the coup would not stop French military operations against affiliates of al Qaeda and Islamic State in Mali's central and northern regions, but urged a swift transition of power. Four Malian solders were killed and 12 wounded on Thursday in the violence-plagued central region of Mopti, after militants ambushed a military anti-poaching patrol, the army said. It added later that around 20 armed assailants were "neutralised" in the region. Story continues TRANSITIONAL GOVERNMENT The junta, which calls itself the National Committee for the Salvation of the People (CNSP), has told the delegation of West African mediators they want to stay in power for three years, while the regional bloc is seeking a transitional government of no more than one year, Nigeria said on Wednesday. Mali's opposition coalition, the M5-RFP, which held a series mass protests before the coup calling for Keita to reign, on Thursday proposed a transitional government, led by a civilian, which would not exceed two years but would be longer than a year. At least three diplomatic sources said senior leaders of the junta were on a regional tour to lobby some heads of state ahead of the summit on Friday. The sources said the junta leaders visited Burkina Faso and Niger, whose president Mahamadou Issoufou chairs the regional bloc. The junta also asked the bloc to ease sanctions on Mali. The 15-nation Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has taken a hard line on the coup, shutting borders and halting financial flows. Sanctions are already disrupting economic transactions between landlocked Mali and its neighbours, a group of international non-governmental organisations said, calling on ECOWAS to guarantee humanitarian aid flows would not be affected. Mali has struggled to regain stability since a Tuareg uprising in 2012 was hijacked by Islamist militants. Since 2018, the country has seen a sharp increase in violence and insecurity that has driven more than half a million people from their homes. (Additional reporting by John Irish; Writing by Alessandra Prentice and Bate Felix; Editing by John Stonestreet and David Holmes) Four U.S. service members were injured in a collision between their vehicle and a Russian military police patrol in northeast Syria earlier this week, U.S. officials said. The incident highlights the tension surrounding the countries operating in close proximity in one of the world's most complex war zones and one that some analysts say risks a potential escalation between Washington and Moscow. According to a statement by National Security Council spokesman John Ullyot, on Tuesday at about 10 a.m. Syrian time (3 a.m. ET) near Dayrick, in northeast Syria, a Russian military police vehicle and an American light tactical vehicle known as an M-ATV collided. In a Wednesday statement, Ullyot said the Russian vehicle "struck" the U.S. vehicle. He called the maneuver an "unsafe and unprofessional" breach of an agreement of how the countries should avoid each other in Syria. On returning to their base, four U.S. service members were diagnosed with mild concussion-like symptoms following the "bump" between vehicles, according to two U.S. officials, speaking anonymously because they were not authorized to be named in the media. Image: U.S. soldiers in Syria's northeastern Hasakeh province (Delil Souleiman / AFP via Getty Images) The Department of Defense "was coordinating a response with the White House and Department of State, Pentagon spokesperson Jessica McNulty told NBC News via email. The Russians blame the Americans for "an attempt to block the Russian patrol" despite being "notified in advance of the passage of the Russian military police column." This explanation was given by Valery Gerasimov, chief of the Russian military's General Staff, in a call with his U.S. counterpart, Army Gen. Mark Milley, a Russian defense ministry statement said. Following the collision, the Russian statement said its vehicle "took the necessary measures to prevent the incident and further implement their task." The U.S. readout of that call said that both sides "agreed to keep the specific details of their conversation private." Story continues Video purporting to show the incident was shared widely on social media although has not been verified by NBC News. It's not the first time American and Russian forces have had run-ins in Syria, whose civil war has killed more than 400,000 people, ruined cities and displaced more than 10 million people from their homes since its outbreak in 2011. The U.S. accuses Russia of increasingly breaching "de-confliction protocols" guidelines about how they should coexist in Syria without confrontation that they agreed last year. Russia joined the fight in 2015 to help Syrian President Bashar Assad in the war against a patchwork of rebel groups. Russian President Vladimir Putin helped swing the war in Assad's favor while asserting a dominant foothold in the country. Only around 500 U.S. troops remain in Syria, which U.S. officials say are there to fight ISIS. But President Donald Trump has suggested are there "only for the oil" that's rich in the country's northeast. Some experts believe that the potential for escalation is not worth what they say are hazy objectives for the American forces still in the country. "Playing bumper cars with Russians in the Levant serves no vital U.S. national interest," Gil Barndollar, a senior fellow at the Defense Priorities think tank, said in an email. "Neither counter-terrorism raids nor confiscating Syrian oil is a valid reason to maintain this mission." A part time worker shops for a client for Instacart at Wegman's market to deliver goods to homes in Woodbridge, N.J., on Aug. 26, 2020. (Michael Loccisano/Getty Images) Instacart Sued by DC Attorney General Over Allegedly Deceiving Customers, Failing to Pay Taxes Instacart, the popular grocery delivery startup valued at $14 billion, is being sued by District of Columbia Attorney General Karl Racine over allegedly deceiving customers with service fees, as well as failing to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in District sales tax. The complaint points to a since-changed Instacart policy in place from September 2016 until April 2018 under which, in addition to a delivery fee, the company charged its consumers a default 10 percent service fee that could be increased, decreased, or waived. To a reasonable consumer, this service fee looked like a tip, according to the complaint, released by the Office of the Attorney General Thursday. Despite framing the fee as a way to pay shoppers more consistently, the fee went to Instacart and had no impact on the compensation of its workers, the suit claims. Amid mounting backlash from Instacart workersincluding a class action lawsuit by some workers that resulted in a $4.6 million settlement that required the company to change how it referred to the service feeInstacart in April 2018 announced changes to its tipping and service fees, including lowering the service fee to a mandatory 5 percent, and suggesting a default 5 percent tip for workers. Instacart tricked District consumers into believing they were tipping grocery delivery workers when, in fact, the company was charging them extra fees and pocketing the money, said Attorney General Racine in a statement. In a statement to CNN Business, Instacart said that customer transparency is incredibly important to the company and that we clearly indicate that service fees go towards our operations. We believe the accusations made in this complaint are without merit. Were disappointed with todays action by D.C. Attorney General Racines office and we welcome the opportunity to continue an open dialogue on these matters, the statement read. The lawsuit also alleges that Instacart failed to collect District sales tax on the service and delivery fees during the entire time it transacted business in the District. In his statement, Racine said: Instacart used these deceptive fees to cover its operating costs while simultaneously failing to pay D.C. sales taxes. We filed suit to force Instacart to honor its legal obligations, pay D.C. the taxes it owes, and return millions of dollars to District consumers the company deceived. The Instacart lawsuit comes after the Districts Attorney Generals Office similarly sued on-demand startup DoorDash in November 2019 over allegedly deceiving customers with a controversial tipping policy. That lawsuit is ongoing. The-CNN-Wire & 2020 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. On Wednesday, the Alberta Teachers Association (ATA) called for the resignation of a Dr. Chris Champion from the Alberta Curriculum Review Panel. It was recently brought to light that the member of the Alberta Curriculum Review Panel which was made in order for the UCP government to overhaul and review the previous NDP school curriculum was a writer of racist articles which was titled Albertas Little History War, which called the inclusion of First Nation perspectives in school lessons a fad. This particular article was written just last year, and it was written by Dr. Champion, who is advising the social studies curriculum of Alberta. The ATA, as the professional organization of teachers, promotes and advances public education, safeguards standards of professional practice and serves as the advocate for its 46,000 members. In a news release by the ATA, an adviser who has called the inclusion of First Nations perspectives in school lessons a fad needs to be dismissed from his role in advising on Albertas social studies curriculum, says ATA president Jason Schilling. Minister LaGrange, Chris Champion has got to go, said Schilling. Given the well-documented writings and publications that have recently surfaced, Schilling says that Chris Champion has no place advising the curriculum writing work currently under way in Alberta. Champions appointment to advise curriculum is in direct opposition to the Joint Commitment to Action that both Alberta Education and the ATA signed in 2016. The minister must either dismiss Champion or rescind its endorsement of the Joint Commitment. In June 2016, the Joint Commitment to Action was signed by representatives of the Government of Alberta, the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation and five Alberta education stakeholder organizations as part of an enduring commitment to respond to the calls to action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Schilling says that in his school re-entry meeting with Minister LaGrange on Aug. 19, he told the minister that they needed another meeting dedicated to discussing curriculum and that Champion had to go. Acknowledging that the Association has been almost exclusively focused on a safe return to schools in September, Schilling says the Association regrets not issuing an earlier statement on this important matter. Read more about: (Alliance News) - British coffee and sandwich chain Pret a Manger on Thursday said it was cutting 2,800 jobs as a result of the impact of the coronavirus outbreak. The high-street chain's announcement comes after it said last month it was planning a restructuring that would lead to the closure of 30 of its 410 UK branches. It also follows concern from the Confederation of British Industry, which represents employers, that city centres could become "ghost towns" if more people did not go back to offices. The company said that despite improvements since lockdown restrictions were eased in July, trade was still down by about 60% compared to the same time last year. It blamed "shorter opening hours, lower transaction levels, and the losses faced by the business in 2020" for the cuts, which will mostly affect shop staff. "I'm gutted that we've had to lose so many colleagues," Chief Executive Pano Christou said in a statement.A "Although we're now starting to see a steady but slow recovery, the pandemic has taken away almost a decade of growth at Pret." Pret said 90 support centre jobs would go but about 1,000 positions at the company have been kept after staff agreed to reduced working hours. The company said it would monitor footfall and sales for the rest of this year and into early next year, and keep those positions under review. Pret, a familiar sight on British high streets and has 550 outlets around the world, bought British rival EAT last year as part of plans to boost its vegetarian and vegan offerings. CBI boss Carolyn Fairbairn said city centre outlets such as sandwich bars were being hit hard by the reduction in passing trade as people continued to work from home. source: AFP Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. Repeated calls for armed vigilantes to travel to Kenosha, Wisconsin, to protect businesses following the police shooting of Jacob Blake spread across social media in the hours before two people were shot to death and a third was wounded during a third night of unrest in the city. Multiple threads on Facebook and Reddit urged militias and other armed people to head to the protests, researchers at the Atlantic Councils Digital Forensic Research Lab said in a blog post Wednesday. The demonstrations broke out after Blake, a 29-year-old Black man, was left paralyzed Sunday when he was shot from behind by officers answering a domestic dispute call. Two people were killed by gunfire Tuesday night and Kyle Rittenhouse, a white 17-year-old from nearby Antioch, Illinois, was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of first-degree intentional homicide. A video director for the conservative website The Daily Caller tweeted Wednesday that he had conducted a video interview with the suspected gunman before the shooting and posted a clip in which the armed young man, standing in front of a boarded-up building, said our job is to protect this business. And part of my job is to also help people, he said. If there is somebody hurt, Im running into harms way. Thats why I have my rifle because I can protect myself, obviously. But I also have my med kit. The Atlantic Council researchers said some of the online discussions before the attack encouraged acts of violence while the conspiracy website InfoWars amplified the call to arms, potentially encouraging more armed people to head to Kenosha. In Wisconsin, people 18 and over can legally openly carry a gun without a permit. Facebook confirmed Wednesday that it took down a page called Kenosha Guard for violating its policy against militia organizations. The company said it also is in the process of removing other accounts and material tied to the shootings that violate its policies, such as for glorifying violence, and it is in contact with local and federal law enforcement on the matter. Facebook later said it removed the suspected shooters accounts from Facebook and Instagram. The company said it had not found evidence on Facebook that suggests the suspected shooter followed the Kenosha Guard Page or was invited on its Event Page to go to the protests. However, the Kenosha Guard Page and their Event Page violated our new policy addressing militia organizations and have been removed on that basis, the company said in a statement. The Atlantic Council researchers said that 13 hours before the shootings, the Kenosha Guard Facebook page actively solicited armed individuals to protect neighbourhoods that evening. At 10:44 a.m. local time, the administrator of the Kenosha Guard page asked if any members were willing to take up arms and defend out (sic) City tonight from the evil thugs, the researchers said. They continued, Nondoubt (sic) they are currently planning on the next part of the City to burn tonight! Reddit said Thursday it had removed posts that had urged vigilantes to go to the Kenosha protests. The company said in a statement its rules explicitly prohibit content that encourages, glorifies, incites, or calls for violence. Kenosha County Sheriff David Beth said Wednesday that militia members or armed vigilantes had been patrolling the citys streets in recent nights and asked about being deputized. Yesterday, I had a person call me and say, Why dont you deputize citizens who have guns to come out and patrol the city of Kenosha, and I am like, Oh, hell no. He said once he deputizes someone they are a liability to me and the county. Ray Roberts, a 38-year-old Black Kenosha resident and Army veteran, said men from rural areas got in big trucks loaded up with guns and flags and got into town. You would see them driving into town after curfew and cops not stopping them, Roberts said. ___ Ortutay reported from Oakland, California. Snow reported from Phoenix. AP writer Corey Williams contributed from Detroit. ___ This story has been corrected to show the Atlantic Council researchers who posted a blog talking about the social media calls to action are part of the Digital Forensic Research Lab, not the Digital Forensic Lab. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 27) The Philippine Health Insurance Corp. has used minimum standard of qualifications in appointing its senior vice presidents, who are now in hot water over numerous controversies hounding the agency. The Civil Service Commission revealed this on Thursday before the House committees of public accounts and good government and public accountability, following the resignation of PhilHealth SVP for legal sector Rodolfo del Rosario Jr., who had served the agency for 22 years through various posts despite links to numerous irregularities. "The agencies are allowed to set higher standards," said CSC Chairperson Alicia dela Rosa Bala. "In the case of the positions in PhilHealth, they used the generic ones because the approved plantilla position did not specify that there is a SVP for legal, actuary, etc. There is none." "They used the minimum qualification standards equivalent to the salary grade that they are entitled to," she added. Del Rosario's appointment was questioned in the previous House hearing, as he was promoted as SVP for the legal sector barely five years after passing the bar examination. The CSC said a candidate for a senior vice presidential position must be a master's degree holder or a licensed professional with five years of experience, and has had 120 hours of managerial training. Even SVP for actuarial services Nerissa Santiago, and executive vice president Arnel de Jesus, the newly appointed officer-in-charge of the agency, were questioned for their career qualifications. Santiago earlir admitted that she is not a licensed actuarian. Dennis Mas, SVP for management services sector, previously revealed that resigned president and CEO Ricardo Morales once requested the CSC to adjust the qualifications for the EVP and COO post so that De Jesus would fit the bill. De Jesus has been absent in congressional hearings due to a "medical condition." Del Rosario tendered his resignation on Monday, while Morales stepped down from his post on Wednesday. Anakalusugan Rep. Mike Defensor advised PhilHealth to reconsider how the agency will run with an "effective leadership" in the middle of a crisis. "Effectively wala pong leadership ang PhilHealth," Defensor said. "Yung pamamalakad sa PhilHealth sa gitna ng COVID, nakakatakot na walang kumukumpas." [Translation: Effectively, PhilHealth has no leadership. PhilHealth's operation in the middle of the pandemic sends chills that no one steers it in the right direction.] PhilHealth IT insider helped to cover up lost employee claims During the hearing, Atty. Minerva Retanal of the anti-fraud division of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) revealed that an insider assisted in covering up the diversion of claims by employees of business process outsourcing company Accenture. She explained that the employee, who is no longer submitting his daily time record for three years, could remotely access the database and alter the data to make it seem like the payments were received by PhilHealth. This case involved 10 checks with a total value of 114 million employee claims. Apart from this, Retanal said Accentures messenger, or the person who delivers the checks of Accenture to PhilHealth, was also involved in the scam. The messenger allegedly paid the claims at PhilHealths Makati service office. She also noted that the receipts that the messenger received from PhilHealth were fake. Retanal said that during an interview with this person, he did not disclose what really happened. She added that the syndicate was also able to get an insider in a Batangas bank who is in charge of clearing. This person has counterpart checks that were used to replace the Accenture checks , which will then be deposited to private accounts. In 2011, about 114 million worth of employee PhilHealth claims were allegedly deposited to private bank accounts. Former PhilHealth chief Eduardo Banzon said that after it was reported to the agency, he immediately ordered the preventive suspension of five IT department employees and an investigation ensued. The NBI also investigated the case, but was later halted after PhilHealth arranged an amicable settlement with Accenture, wherein the state-owned health insurer agreed to a settlement of 95 percent of the total diverted money. (Newser) TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer is calling it quits after just three months, citing major changes as a result of "the US administration's action to push for a selloff of the US business," per the Wall Street Journal. The White House has said the app will be effectively banned unless owner ByteDance, a Chinese tech company, sells its US operations by mid-September. This comes amid fears that data could be shared with the Chinese government, a claim TikTok denies. In a letter to staff on Wednesday, Mayerwho arrived at TikTok in May from the Walt Disney Company and also served as ByteDance's COOsaid the sale would disrupt "the global role I signed up for," per the New York Times. Back in May, he said he was leaving Disney because "the magnitude of this opportunity was just something I couldn't pass up." story continues below "We appreciate that the political dynamics of the last few months have significantly changed what the scope of Kevin's role would be going forward, and fully respect his decision," TikTok said in a statement. Mayerto be replaced in the interim by US general manager Vanessa Pappasnonetheless signaled great things ahead. "We face challenges, but I have tremendous confidence that we have a world-class security team in place working to make people on our platform safe, and an amazing global team that makes this such a unique, creative and inclusive platform," he said. Companies including Microsoft and Oracle have expressed interest in buying TikTok's US business, which includes more than 100 million users, for as much as $50 billion, per the Times. (Meanwhile, TikTok is suing the US government.) New Delhi: Thousands of roles at Accenture could be impacted as the global IT and professional services company is looking to reduce at least 5 per cent of its global workforce. Accenture has a global workforce of around 5.13 lakh people and out of them, about 2 lakh are in India. The workforce reduction might have an impact on India operations. In an emailed statement to PTI on Wednesday, Accenture said it was not planning "extraordinary global workforce actions" at this time. The statement was in response to a query about plans to layoff people, including in India. "Every year, as part of our performance process, we have conversations with our people about how they are performing, areas for improvement, their potential to progress, and whether they are a long term fit for Accenture. "This year, across all parts of our business and all career levels, we will identify approximately five per cent of our people as our lowest performers, and these individuals will transition out of Accenture. This is consistent with our actions each year," Accenture said in the statement. In India, Accenture said it continues "to hire, and as part of our ongoing compensation programs, we also recently recognised a number of our people with bonuses and promotions". The company will continue managing its business for the long term and critical to this is ensuring it has the right people with the right skills to best serve its clients, the statement said. According to a report in the Australian Financial Review (AFR), Accenture CEO Julie Sweet, in an internal staff meeting, said that in a normal year, the company transition out about 5 per cent and hire to replace them because of a demand scenario. "Right now, we're not in a demand scenario, so if we manage out the same percentage of people and don't replace them, it allows us to continue to invest and preserve some people who have lower chargeability for when the market comes back... This year, in addition to the normal 5 per cent, we've identified more people who need improvement...," she was quoted as saying in the report. In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic that has significantly disrupted economic activities and businesses worldwide, including in India, many companies are resorting to job cuts as part of efforts to reduce costs. The Station Headquarters of the Army (Delhi Area) have run into a conflict with the public works department (PWD) and the Delhi forest department for damaging at least 45 trees along the Ring Road on the periphery of the Rajputana Rifles Regiment Centre and the Army Environmental Park and Training Area (AEPTA), Delhi Cantonment, by carrying out trenching activity in the tree line for construction of a boundary wall. Also read: Green concerns over Metro Phase-4 work Forest department officials said the trenching work starts from the Sawai Man Singh Dwar and goes up to the AEPTA. The stretch along the Ring Road is under the PWD, which has served a cease and desist notice to the General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the station area, asking him to stop the trenching work. Trenching activitiy within one metre radius of a tree trunk is a violation of National Green Tribunals 2015 order as well as of the Forest Conservation Act, 1980. It was found that during the trenching work, a total of 45 trees were damaged. The GOC is therefore requested to stop the work in the tree line, stated the notice issued by the PWDs horticulture department to the GOC (Station Area) on August 20. The notice also details the variety of trees damaged, including full grown native trees, such as gular, semal, bargad, shehtut, neem and peepal. Besides, a report of violations prepared by the Delhi forest department based on its inspection of the stretch on August 7 stated that 27 trees have been damaged/felled during the construction activity by the Station HQ of the Army. The forest departments report also elaborates on the kind of damage caused to a variety of old and full-grown trees. The trees have been damaged in an area spread across 4389 square metres. In case of most trees, the roots have been exposed. While five trees have fallen, in some others, the upper and middle parts have been cut. In case of another, only the root stump was found. The trees are located in a line in front of Metro pillar number 45 to pillar number 79, it said. According to forest departnemt officials, the construction work is going on despite several reminders intimating the Station (HQ) to stop the work, as the said patch is a deemed forest land where no construction activity can be carried out without seeking prior permission for diverting the land from the union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) under the Forest Conservation Act, 1980. Carrying out any kind of construction activity in a deemed forest amounts to violation of the FCA, 1980. When HT visited the spot on Tuesday, work was going on in full swing. Deep trenches of about 5-6 feet were dug up in the area while a portion of the green patch has been cleared of trees and has been levelled with earth using heavy machinery. Also, an earth moving machine was mounted on the said patch, damaging the thick growth on the ground. A forest guard had also reached the site and informed the police about the construction activity, however, work on the stretch continued. The report of violations in the said area prepared by the deputy conservator of forest (West) dated August 19 and sent to the chief conservator of forests (CCF), the nodal officer (for FCA, 1980) in the Delhi government, stated, The investigation officer (IO) from this office had inspected the stretch on August 7 and reported felling/damaging 27 trees at Ring Road, New Delhi. The IO also informed that he was not allowed to enter the premises of the Delhi Cantt area and was threatened by the contractors at the site. The report further said, As per the records available in this office...it is informed that no such permission has been issued by this office for felling of trees at the area in question. The area is listed as a deemed forest by a Supreme Court order. The violated area is under the possession of the PWD, but the working permission has been given by the Army HQ...After considering all facts, it is being reported that prima facie the offence under section (2) of FCA1980, may be committed by Army HQ in the said area by damaging and felling trees here without the permission of Government of India, it said. In a response to HTs query, Colonel Aman Anand, spokesperson, Indian Army, said that the work undertaken is primarily a matter of repairing the wall on certified A1 defence land and no trees have been damaged in the process. The scope involves recasting of plinth in the existing wall along with raising of height of wall at identified places for augmenting security of army area. The work pertains to repair of an Existing Asset and does not involves fresh construction. Further, it is clarified that neither any trees have been damaged in the process and nor any intent for such an act exists within this organization. DCF (West) S K Muan Guite said that the Army HQ have been informed to stop the work, as it is a deemed forest land and the work is prima facie in violation of the FCA, 1980. We had issued a restraining order as well. Also, on Monday, the forest staff had reached the site, the local police was informed and directed the contractor to stop the ongoing work. In this case, I have already given a violations report to the Nodal officer of the state, said Guite. He added that work was stopped on Tuesday evening. HT was at the site till 4.30 pm until when the work was still going on. Colonel Anand further said that the work has only been taken up to safeguard the existing assets and enhance security of army installations. No damage to the environment is foreseen or planned. We as an organisation are fully seized with the concerns and responsible behaviour towards the environment needs, he said. As per the Supreme Court order, in Delhis context, a deemed forest is one which is spread across an area of at least 1 hectare and the number of trees per hectare is 250 or above. If both conditions are fulfilled simultaneously, the area is considered a deemed forest. The forest department had first received a complaint regarding the construction work in the tree line on July 23 after which an inspection of the site was taken up by the forest officials on August 7. The written complaint had highlighted that the work besides being in violation of FCA, 1980 is also a violation of National Green Tribunal (NGT) 2015 order that does not allow any trenching activitiy within one metre radius of a tree trunk as well as of the Delhi Preservation of Trees Act, 1994. C R Babu, professor emeritus at the Centre for Environment Management of Degraded Ecosystems at Delhi University, said that roadside trees and vegetation must be preserved as they act as a filter against air pollution. Firstly, no construction activities must be carried out in a tree line or in this case of a deemed forest land. Trees such as gular, bargad, semal and peepal have a high dust-trapping efficiency and play a crucial role in mitigating pollution, in particular, on stretches like the Ring Road, which gets heavy traffic on a daily basis. Trenching activity anyways destroys the root system of the trees, which disturbs the ecology of the area, he said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON 10 years ago, CBS debuted a drama about a crime-fighting family. Blue Bloods followed the Reagans, a New York family of cops (and one assistant district attorney), and fans loved it. But in the current social climate, questions have come up about whether television shows about police officers are a part of the problem our country faces today. Will a new public focus on police brutality and systemic racism signal the end for cop shows? CBS thinks it may have found a way to move forward. Donnie Wahlberg on Blue Bloods | Bobby Bank/Getty Images Blue Bloods has had a decade of popularity For 10 seasons now, the Reagans have been an iconic picture of what police officers should be, according to America Magazine. Frank Reagan (played by Tom Selleck) is not only a combat veteran who served in Vietnam, but he was also a first responder during the terror attacks on 9/11. As the police commissioner and head of the Reagan clan, Frank sets the tone for the family. Of course, Frank isnt the only cop in the family. His father, Henry, is the former police commissioner, two of his sons serve on the force, one son died in the line of duty, and even his new daughter-in-law is an officer. For many years, this formula worked, and the shows fans loved watching this hard-working family strive for justice. But then the summer of 2020 happened, and people started to rethink some of their assumptions. Widespread protests opened some eyes RELATED: Blue Bloods: An Episode From Season Two is Facing New Scrutiny On May 25, a bystander captured a video of the killing of George Floyd by a police officer. The video was soon shared widely, and protests erupted all over the country. Soon they had spread across the globe. The issues of police brutality and systemic racism were suddenly front-and-center, and many people who had been able to ignore them were forced to face the problem. And that included television shows. As the ways police interact with different communities were increasingly scrutinized, people began to question whether television police dramas were a part of the problem. Cops on television are usually presented as the good guys, as Slate illustrates. Their actions, even when theyre violent, are justified in the name of law and order. Often, even officers who break the law are made to look like heroes, because its assumed that their cause is just. Even though Blue Bloods has touched on the issue of police violence, the show doesnt seem to have hit the mark in todays environment. Questions arose: are these shows a part of the system that has allowed injustice to persist? And what can be done? CBS sought a solution CBS Television Studios is the home of more crime dramas than just Blue Bloods. They also have the NCIS franchise, FBI, Criminal Minds, and more. To help the network grapple with issues of police brutality and systemic racism, they decided that theyd need some outside input. CBS hired a team of diverse professionals to consult with their writing teams, reports TV Line. This group, 21CP Solutions, is described as a diverse and seasoned group of professionals who have worked with local, state and federal jurisdictions and communities to advance 21st century policing and lead some of the most significant police reform efforts in the country. They include former law enforcement, civil rights scholars, lawyers, and community leaders in the issues of police reform and public safety. The network hopes this group can help them forge a new way forward. As Donnie Wahlberg points out, Blue Bloods is well set up to discuss different viewpoints. With the varying beliefs of the many family members, the show is able to look at things from alternate points of view, and he believes that this will also help them grapple with the issues that have swept the country this year. In many ways, 2020 has forced Americans to discover a new normal. Fans of Blue Bloods hope that although the future will look different, it will still hold the Reagans theyve grown to love. Republicans were reported to be working on a narrower coronavirus stimulus bill that they could provide to the members of the Congress as early as this week, as told by two senior administration officials and three people who were well updated on the issue. An approximately $500 billion proposal was being pondered by the GOP that was directed only to areas of bipartisan support, such as small business loans new authorization, extended unemployment insurance, and funds for school and testing, treatment, and vaccines for Covid-19. Other direct payments to Americans were not included in the plan. The plan would set augmented jobless benefits at around $300 to $400 per week. The amount would be less than the approved value in March that was $600 per week, which the Democrats wished to restore, after its expiry at the end of July. According to CNBC, while Republicans were determined to put extra pressure on Democrats, it seemed impossible for the legislation to be passed as a law. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., was said not to have plans on reestablishing the interrupted talks regarding pandemic aid with the White House unless the GOP conforms in doubling the existing price tags that were approximately a $1 trillion proposal, in a statement by Drew Hammill, spokesman of Pelosi, on Wednesday. Hammill uttered that the Democrats have agreed in these arbitrations. Adding that their party has proposed to come down $1 trillion in the event that the White House would come up $1 trillion as well. He said that they were willing to negotiate again with the White House, emphasizing that the White House should meet them halfway. Read also: Issues Arise as US Government Deems Teachers Essential Workers Amid COVID-19 Pandemic On Tuesday, Mark Meadow, White House chief of staff, articulated that he sent his staff to communicate with Pelosi's office. Hammill articulated that a Meadows aide has not mentioned the likelihood of continuing negotiations. As stated by Meadows, he was expecting that Pelosi will be holding out until the end of September, when the Congress will be facing a due date to escape from a government shutdown, to attempt to have her wanted relief provisions in a bill. Congress failed to pass legislation to counter the overlapping health and economic crises faced by the state even after the expiration of the financial lifelines for the Americans. An additional jobless benefit of $600-per-week, a federated temporary prohibition on evictions, and the window to apply for small business loans Paycheck Protection Program have all expired, Reuters reported. While the recorded new coronavirus infections in the US have somehow decelerated, the country has still reported tens of thousands of new cases in each day in the middle of the race to create a more effective treatment for Covid-19 and a vaccine. Notwithstanding three months of immediate employment gains on the heels of historic laying-off, the recorded unemployment rate in the US was still greater than 10% in July. Sticking points between President Donald Trump's administration and Democrats include how much assistance to give to state and local government units, how much fund is needed to send to schools that were adjusting to either has their physical opening in the middle of the pandemic or remote learning and if the $600 weekly unemployment payments will be maintained. This month, President Trump has taken executive action to momentarily extend at least $300 extra jobless benefits per week. Related article: Unemployment Benefit Update: Who Are Qualified to Get the $300 Additional Boost? @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. NEW HAVEN Yale Law School professor Jed Rubenfeld has been suspended for two years for alleged sexual harassment, according to a report in New York Magazine. The magazine, in its Intelligencer column, reported that three people familiar with the investigation said the suspension was for a pattern of sexual harassment of several students. The Register could not confirm this report. Rubenfeld told the New Haven Register on Wednesday, I absolutely, unequivocally deny ever having sexually harassed anyone, verbally or otherwise. Im considering my options. He said he was outraged by the outcome but that he could not confirm any specific allegation against him. He confirmed that he had been suspended. The allegations are supposed to be confidential, he said, adding that he could be subject to discipline if he were to make them public. I think it is proper and fair and right for women to be able to come forward if they have been sexually harassed, Rubenfeld said. Over 30 years of teaching I have told some stories or told some jokes that I regret. I wouldnt say them today. New York Magazine quoted a terse message from Provost Scott Strobel, which stated Rubenfeld will leave his position as a member of the YLS faculty for a two-year period, effective immediately. At the end of his suspension, Rubenfeld will not be allowed to teach small group or required courses. He will be restricted in social gatherings with students, the magazine quoted Strobel as saying. Rubenfeld is no longer listed on the law schools faculty web page. Yale spokeswoman Karen Peart said the university would not comment. Yale Law School Dean Heather Gerken issued a statement that did not name Rubenfeld but said she wanted to address the press reports today regarding faculty misconduct. While we cannot comment on the existence of investigations or complaints, the Law School and the University thoroughly investigate all complaints regarding violations of University rules and the University adjudicates them whenever it is appropriate to do so, Gerken wrote. The Law School has a responsibility to provide a safe environment in which all of our students can live and learn in a community of mutual respect. As Dean, I take this responsibility extraordinarily seriously. she wrote. She encouraged anyone affected by misconduct to report the incident and receive support. Rubenfeld said a column he wrote in the New York Times in 2014, titled Mishandling Rape, provoked a huge amount of controversy. It criticized the Title IX procedures that were happening across the country and I became a target of protests and false allegations after that. In the column, Rubenfeld wrote, Our strategy for dealing with rape on college campuses has failed abysmally. Female students are raped in appalling numbers, and their rapists almost invariably go free. Forced by the federal government, colleges have now gotten into the business of conducting rape trials, but they are not competent to handle this job. They are simultaneously failing to punish rapists adequately and branding students sexual assailants when no sexual assault occurred. Rubenfeld wrote that a Department of Justice study found that as many as 10 percent of undergraduate women had been raped at college but that only 5 percent report their assault to police. He alleged a small number of men are responsible for up to 90 percent of the rapes on campus, but that they frequently go unpunished. In the column, Rubenfeld criticized the unambiguous consent standard that he said allows anyone who did not explicitly consent to sex to claim they were raped. Rubenfeld said the procedures at that time were unfair to those accused of sexual misconduct. At the time I published, most people were not even being given hearings, he said. Those accused were not allowed to confront their accusers or see the evidence against them. He said he believes Title IX cases are handled better today. Rubenfeld and his wife, fellow Yale law professor Amy Chua, were accused by students in 2018 of having told potential law clerks of then-federal appeals court judge Brett Kavanaugh of how to look in their interviews with him and that many of his interns look like models. Those allegations are outrageous and ridiculous, Rubenfeld said Wednesday. They were never substantiated. My wife is an incredibly valued professor of the law school. She was nominated for the teaching award last year. She has been found to help get clerkships for more minority and women students and first-generation students that any other professor at the law school. He said first-generation students are those who are the first in their families to enter a profession. Kavanaugh, a Yale Law School alumnus, was then a nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court. He was confirmed after hearings in which a former high school classmate, Christine Blasey Ford, accused him of sexually assaulting her. Amy Chua is author of Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, which was criticized for her description of a strict upbringing of their daughters. One of their daughters, Sophia Chua-Rubenfeld, clerked for Kavanaugh; she graduated from Yale Law School in 2018. Their younger daughter, Louisa Lulu Chua-Rosenfeld, is now a student at Harvard Law School. edward.stannard@hearstmediact.com; 203-680-9382 By PTI SINGAPORE: Singapore's Ministry of Manpower is planning to increase the minimum qualifying salary to USD 3,659 for entry-level employment pass for foreigners in the financial services sector. The salaries are being raised for foreigners entering the Singapore workforce under Employment Pass (EP) following Singaporeans job loss concerns raised during the July 2020 general elections. The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) on Thursday said it supports the move by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM). The increase in salary will provide further support for the hiring of Singaporeans in the financial services sector, the Channel News Asia reported citing MAS, the de facto central bank. On Thursday, the MOM announced that the minimum qualifying salary for all EP candidates will be raised by 600 Singapore dollars to 4,500 dollars from September 1. For EP candidates in the financial services sector, this will be increased by a further 500 dollars to 5,000 dollars from December 1. It is the first time the manpower ministry is setting higher qualifying salaries for a specific sector. Qualifying salaries for older and more experienced EP candidates in the financial services sector will also be raised, with those in their 40s needing to meet about double the minimum qualifying salary for the youngest applicants, the manpower ministry said. For renewal applicants, the new salary criteria will come into effect from May 1, 2021. "Salaries in the financial services sector have been consistently higher than in other sectors. The sector also continues to hire and has been attracting strong interest from local jobseekers with good qualifications," the MOM said. The MAS said it worked with the MOM to determine the new minimum qualifying salary for those in the financial services sector, and took into account the higher local salary levels for those in the sector. "The sector has continued to create jobs even in the current crisis, albeit with a smaller net increase of about 1,500 jobs in the first half of the year, with four out of five jobs going to Singapore citizens," said the MAS. "While job creation will be slower in the second half of the year and could remain muted next year, the financial sector is well positioned to be an important source of job opportunities for Singaporeans in the years ahead, it said. This "calibrated increase" in the minimum qualifying salary will allow financial institutions to complement their local workforce by "tapping on a global talent pool for the specialised skillsets that the financial sector needs, said the MAS. These include employees in areas such as cyber security, machine learning and full stack development, as well as expertise in new growth segments like green finance, pandemic risk insurance, and family offices. The move towards the higher salary criteria for EP candidates complements MAS' manpower development programmes to expand job opportunities and deepen local capabilities. "A high quality workforce, with a strong Singaporean core complemented by EP holders with specialised skills, will best enable our financial services sector to compete internationally, and seize new growth opportunities as the Asian and global economies recover, said Jacqueline Loh, deputy managing director of markets and development at the MAS. The MOM also announced on Thursday that from October, the minimum qualifying salary for S Pass holders will be raised by 100 dollars to 2,500 dollars, with qualifying salaries for older and more experienced S Pass candidates revised accordingly. The changes will apply to renewal S Pass applicants from May 1, 2021. The MOM also said that it will also extend job advertising requirements under the Fair Consideration Framework to S Pass applications submitted from October 1, 2020. The minimum job advertising duration for EP and S Pass holders applications will be doubled from 14 days to 28 days from October 1. "This will promote greater awareness of vacancies in mid-skilled jobs among local jobseekers, and also require employers to make greater efforts to consider local candidates," the MOM added. (Natural News) Immediately following the attack by Black Lives Matter rioters on 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse, which resulted in him having to defend himself from the violent mob that was about to gang up on him, mainstream media networks are already maliciously obscuring what really happened. Its worth noting that ABC, CBS, NBC and other news outlets have all refused to truthfully report on the incident. Video evidence from the incident, which has since gone viral all over social media, shows Rittenhouse running into a parking lot because a violent rioter was chasing after him, even throwing an unknown projectile weapon at him. As the rioter got closer, Rittenhouse turned around and fired his rifle in self-defense. In response, a group of violent rioters chased after Rittenhouse. As he was running down the street, he fell to the ground and was savagely attacked by a man with a skateboard. Another Black Lives Matter rioter even got close enough to whip out his handgun. Fortunately, Rittenhouse was able to once again defend himself by firing his rifle at the assailants. Rittenhouse killed two of the Black Lives Matter rioters and injured another. (Related: FIGHT for your LIFE: Stunning video shows moment armed security man had to shoot multiple rioters from the ground or be beaten to death by Black Lives Matter thugs.) The Black Lives Matter domestic terrorist movement is also armed and dangerous. Listen to this episode of the Health Ranger Report, a podcast by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, as he talks about how the communist-run Peoples Republic of China is smuggling illegal firearms into the United States in order to equip Black Lives Matter. These weapons are now in the hands of rioters in cities like Portland, Seattle and Kenosha. The ultimate goal of China is to cause so much chaos that the country will descend into another civil war. Mainstream media intentionally misrepresents Rittenhouses actions Unfortunately, this heroic act of self-defense has been wrongly depicted by many mainstream media outlets, all of whom want to vilify Rittenhouse and exonerate the Black Lives Matter rioters that attacked him. According to ABC correspondent Alex Perez, who talked about the incident on World News Tonight, Rittenhouse opened fire on a crowd. A video showing a man running down the street with a firearm, said Perez while playing the video of Rittenhouse. A crowd chasing behind him. That man falls to the ground and begins shooting, he said, with no mention of the fact that he was being attacked, even though it can be clearly seen on the footage he played, and no mention of the fact that the rioter Rittenhouse injured was brandishing a handgun. Mola Lenghi, speaking on CBS Evening News, took a similar approach to Perez by painting Rittenhouse similar to a mass shooter, while leaving out key details regarding the incident, such as the motives of both the violent mob and of Rittenhouse. Meanwhile, Gabe Gutierrez from NBC took the approach of painting the event as vaguely as possible in order to obscure the heroism shown by Rittenhouse in the face of the assault. It is unclear what happened before or after this video, he told his viewers, despite the fact that many reputable journalists were on the ground when Rittenhouse defended himself from the rioters. Richie McGinniss, chief video director for the Daily Caller, was even inches away from Rittenhouse when the first shooting incident occurred and the young man fired at a rioter. McGinniss even provided first aid to the rioter and helped carry him to the hospital. McGinniss also interviewed Rittenhouse before the incident occurred, and the young man told the reporter that he was there to protect a local business. Rittenhouse recognized the danger he faced for standing up in defense of private property, which is why he brought his firearm. This interview is backed up by Elijah Schaffer of Blaze TV, who also spoke with Rittenhouse, wherein all the young man said was that he was there to protect private property. Rittenhouse even had to cut the interview short because he ran off to provide aid for somebody who was injured during the rioting. There is even evidence that suggests that Rittenhouse himself is against police violence and a supporter of the peaceful protests, but that he is not in favor of rioting and property destruction. Many of the other armed property defenders with Rittenhouse were people of color. Rittenhouse arrested, currently in custody of Illinois Rittenhouse was arrested in his hometown of Antioch, Illinois, which is around 15 miles southwest of Kenosha, by the Antioch Police Department. Lake County, Illinois is charging him as a fugitive from justice. In order for Rittenhouse to be transferred to the custody of Kenosha County, the state of Wisconsin must file the appropriate documents in order to have him extradited to face charges of first-degree intentional homicide. Under Wisconsin law, people aged 17 and older can be treated as adults in the criminal system. A public defender, who refused to comment on the case, has already been assigned to Rittenhouse. His first hearing will be on Friday. In response to the rampant violence, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, once again doubled the size of the National Guard contingent in Kenosha up to 500, and President Donald Trump authorized sending in National Guard troops from other states to aid Wisconsin should they need it. As a concession to the Black Lives Matter rioters, the Wisconsin Department of Justice even released the name of the officer who shot Jacob Blake. Mainstream media will continue lying about the riots so long as they stand to gain from their coverage. Fortunately, independent news outlets are trying to hold them to account. Learn about their work exposing mainstream media at MediaFactWatch.news. Sources include: Newsbusters.org Twitter.com 1 Twitter.com 2 Twitter.com 3 InformationLiberation.com APNews.com JSOnline.com United States is pursuing a weaker dollar strategy to boost its economy and the stock market which is why we believe investors should consider international stocks and assets. One of the potential destinations is UAE and investors can gain exposure to UAE via iShares MSCI UAE ETF (UAE). Based in Dubai, UAE, Obaid Belresheed is a prominent entrepreneur and multi-billionaire who revolutionized the family business and founded the Belresheed Group, famous for its reputation as a luxury brand par excellence. Obaid, please tell us about your journey into the world of business? My journey started in 1993 with the launch of the Belresheed Company. The real estate company grew by leaps and bounds, offering the opportunity to branch out into diverse industries. Today, under the umbrella of the Belresheed Group, we have 15 companies spread across the country and 1,700 employees. Please elaborate on your various business interests. The Belresheed Group encompasses the construction and real estate development, building technical contracting, automobile showrooms, security services, travel, and tourism agency, cleaning and maintenance services, and InfoTech services. UAE's real estate sector has undergone a massive transformation in recent years. How has the brand contributed to its growth? Yes, UAE has witnessed a boom in the real estate space, and we have contributed significantly towards it. By the end of 2020, we will have almost 100 buildings comprising high-end residential towers, luxury villas, and commercial properties in various cities. We have also built a mosque in Sharjah. I have a keen interest in designing and like to showcase our culture. Thus, our properties reflect a melange of modern charm and Emirates heritage. The brand also provides a 360-degree service to clients and customers with supplementary businesses, such as building maintenance, security, etc. How did you diversify from real estate to the other ventures? After excelling in the space of real estate and becoming a trusted brand, I decided to plunge into areas of personal interest. My passion for luxury cars and traveling ignited the dream to start dealing in automobiles. Story continues Auto Deals is one of the foremost companies in the UAE, dealing in new and pre-owned luxury cars. We take pride in our relationship with brands such as Mercedes Benz, Bentley, and Aston Martin and with our customers, offering the most competitive price and premium service before, during, and after the sale. I have traveled the world extensively and wanted to extend the same opportunity to others who would like to travel but are intimidated by the booking process. At Al Mazaya Travel & Tourism, we offer a seamless experience, from visas to ticketing and even curating a tour package, all at a competitive price. Lastly, please tell us about your contribution to the betterment of society. I believe it is my national duty to contribute to initiatives that would aid in the country's progress, empower the workforce, and promote its culture. I donated AED 1 Million towards the Year of Giving initiative, which was launched by President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan to contribute towards a better future for the coming generations. Disclosure: None. GRAND RAPIDS, MI A 21-year-old man was fatally shot late Wednesday, Aug. 26. The man showed up at Spectrum Health Butterworth Hospital around 11:30 p.m. with a gunshot wound to his chest. He died a short time later, Grand Rapids police said. Police said that the victim was shot by a man who was in the vehicle that took him to the hospital. Police arrested the passenger in the killing. The shooting happened near College Avenue NE and Lyon Street. MaJor Case Team detectives are investigating. Read more: Police identify motorcyclist who died after separate crashes Grand Rapids police officers Facebook posts of alleged racial profiling under investigation Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 23:59:54|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KIGALI, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Laxity and complacency on observing COVID-19 preventive measures are reasons for the recent spike of infections in the country, Rwandan Minister of Health Daniel Ngamije said on Thursday. Health directives must be strictly implemented or else more people will be infected, Ngamije warned citizens during a news program on national broadcaster Rwanda Television. He emphasized that physical social distancing, frequent hands washing with soap or alcohol-based sanitizers, wearing face masks and limited movements are mandatory, adding that there is no compromise of the authorities in this regard. "Within the next 30 days, if we don't become strict in implementing these measures, we are at risk of losing about 25 people to COVID-19 in our country," said Ngamije, adding that presently seven COVID-19 patients are critically ill. Anastase Shyaka, Minister of Local Government, said in the same news program that strict action will be taken against those who show negligence on the preventive measures, which would lead to severe penalties including the closure of non-compliant businesses. As of Wednesday, the central African nation reported 3,625 cases in total, with 1,810 recoveries and 15 deaths. The ministers' comments came after the Rwandan government tightened preventive measures against the COVID-19 on Wednesday, following an "unprecedented increase" of COVID-19 cases, related deaths and community transmission, particularly in the capital city Kigali. According to a cabinet communique, the curfew hours is extended from previous 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. to current 7 p.m. to 5 a.m., and public transport between Kigali and the rest of the country is prohibited. The cabinet also ordered public offices to keep not exceeding 30 percent of staff while private businesses to operate with not exceeding 50 percent of staff. Malls and markets in Kigali were asked to operate at 50 percent of capacity with vendors working on a rotational basis. The measures will be reviewed after 15 days upon a health assessment. Enditem Increasing awareness about health and wellness has led to substantial growth in the probiotic drinks industry. Healthy drinks, categorized under functional beverages, are in high demand across the globe. However, factors such as inventory management, the shift to eCommerce, and new market entries have contributed to creating a highly competitive space for probiotic drinks manufacturers. Infiniti Research has over 16 years of expertise in offering competitive intelligence solutions, and they assist probiotic drinks manufacturers in staying ahead in a highly competitive industry. Infiniti's recent success with competitive intelligence enabled a probiotic drink manufacturer to improve its market position substantially. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200827005673/en/ Competitive Intelligence Solutions for a Probiotic Drinks Manufacturer (Graphic: Business Wire) To gain an unparalleled competitive edge, and champion the probiotic drinks manufacturing industry, request a free proposal "Growing concerns towards major health problems are reshaping the future of the global beverage industry. For instance, the demand for functional beverages, such as relaxation drinks, energy drinks, and ready to drink coffee and teas, is gaining popularity owing to their low-calorie content. However, a few factors are expected to influence the growth prospects of the beverages industry in the coming years," says a competitive intelligence solutions expert at Infiniti Research. Business Challenge: The client, a leading probiotic drinks manufacturer, was losing market share to competitors and new entries in the market. With changes in consumers' preferences and dynamic market trends, the client was struggling to maintain market share. Therefore, the probiotic drinks manufacturer sought to partner with Infiniti Research. They wanted to leverage Infiniti's expertise in offering competitive intelligence solutions. The client had access to internal and external data; however, they did not have the appropriate tools and techniques to perform a detailed analysis. Our Approach: Infiniti's competitive intelligence experts developed a comprehensive approach to assist the probiotic drinks manufacturer. The approach included the following: Interviews and discussions with prominent stakeholders in the beverage industry Compiling information from trade shows, industry forums, and other reliable secondary sources Business Outcome: By leveraging Infiniti's competitive intelligence solutions, the client developed churn prevention strategies and generated new sales value. Additionally, the probiotic drinks manufacturer gained a comprehensive understanding of the technology required to make further assessments, as well as a 360-degree market, customer, and competitor view of the time of the analysis. This solution helped them improve their market position. Gain a comprehensive understanding of competitive intelligence solutions for probiotic drinks manufacturers by speaking to our experts. About Infiniti Research Established in 2003, Infiniti Research is a leading market intelligence company providing smart solutions to address your business challenges. Infiniti Research studies markets in more than 100 countries to help analyze competitive activity, see beyond market disruptions, and develop intelligent business strategies. To know more, visit: https://www.infinitiresearch.com/about-us View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200827005673/en/ Contacts: Infiniti Research Anirban Choudhury Marketing Manager US: +1 844 778 0600 UK: +44 203 893 3400 https://www.infinitiresearch.com/contact-us For decades, residents of Chintamala in Vizianagaram district, Andhra Pradesh, have been waiting for the district administration to lay a motorable road to their hilltop village. According to India Today, the tribal hamlet of 150 houses, located on the Andhra Pradesh-Odisha border, remains cut off during monsoon season making life tough for the villagers. India Today The people have had no road connectivity even after seven decades of Independence, and that's causing them problems including during medical emergencies. Also Read: Promoting Atmanirbhar Bharat Initiative, Madhya Pradesh Woman Makes Rakhis Using Cow Dung As stated by India Today, for years the residents have been using a sling to carry very sick people or pregnant women in the absence of a motorable road. Villagers requested several public representatives and officials for help but to no avail. Fed up with the lackadaisical response, the residents decided to become atmanirbhar. This must #ShameIndia: pregnant woman Muthamma had to be carried 6-7 km like this in 'doli' because there is no road connectivity; tribals in Maasika Valasachintala Saluru mandal Vizianagaram district #AP decided they must highlight their plight to world using mobile phone @ndtv pic.twitter.com/WjOQfEVntp Uma Sudhir (@umasudhir) September 7, 2018 According to The New Indian Express, the poor tribal people from the village in Saluru mandal collected money for the five-kilometre-long road to connect them to Sagumarri village. They pooled Rs 2,000 each and collected Rs 10 lakh. Some of the villagers even had to sell their harvest, while a few even mortgaged their valuables to gather the sum. Also Read: In Bengaluru, Over 33,000 Trees Could Be Cut To Make Way For The Peripheral Ring Road Project yovizag.com I contributed Rs 8,000 by selling paddy and ragi (finger millet), for laying of the road to the village, a resident named CH Raju told The New Indian Express. We produce paddy, maize and other millets in our hilltop village, and transportation of the harvest is a big challenge to us. We carry our crops and walk to the nearby villages in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh to sell them, he added. The villagers held a meeting and decided to collect Rs 2,000 from each family, making a total of Rs 10 lakh. Construction has now begun. After the villagers incredible initiative made news, the integrated tribal development agency has promised a Rs 10 lakh-fund towards road, water and sanitation facilities in the hamlet. Also Read: MLA Ends His Semi-Nude Protest, After Govt Agrees To Fund The Road Construction In His Constituency The DF-26B and DF-21D missiles fired Wednesday targeted an area between the southern island province of Hainan and the Paracel Islands.(AP File) Beijing: China's military test-fired two missiles into the South China Sea, including a 'carrier killer' military analysts suggest might have been developed to attack US forces, a newspaper reported Thursday. The DF-26B and DF-21D missiles fired Wednesday targeted an area between the southern island province of Hainan and the Paracel Islands, The South China Morning Post newspaper of Hong Kong reported, citing unidentified sources close to the Chinese military. The ministries of defence and foreign affairs in Beijing didn't immediately respond to requests for confirmation. Disputes over control of the South China Sea, one of the world's busiest trade routes, are a growing irritant in Beijing's relations with Washington and its southern neighbours. The Trump administration this year rejected most of Beijing's claims to sovereignty over the majority of the disputed sea, portions of which also are claimed by Vietnam, the Philippines and other governments. Wednesday's launches followed Chinese complaints that a US U2 spy plane entered a 'no fly zone' declared by Beijing during a military drill off its northern coast. The DF-21 is unusually accurate and was dubbed 'carrier killer' by military analysts who believe it was developed to target U.S. aircraft carriers that might be involved in a potential conflict with China. Beijing has spent heavily over the past two decades on trying to develop missiles, fighter aircraft, nuclear submarines and other weapons to allow China to expand its military reach beyond its shores. The DF-26B was launched from the northwestern province of Qinghai while the DF-21D was fired from Zhejiang province south of Shanghai on the east coast, The South China Morning Post said. The DF-26 is believed to be capable of carrying nuclear or conventional warheads. That would violate the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty signed by Washington and Moscow during the Cold War. The Trump administration cited China's development of the DF-26 and similar weapons when it withdrew from the treaty last year. Rating Action: Moody's changes ENAP's outlook to negative; affirms Baa3 ratings Global Credit Research - 26 Aug 2020 New York, August 26, 2020 -- Moody's Investors Service, ("Moody's") has changed Empresa Nacional del Petroleo's (ENAP) outlook to negative from stable. Moody's also affirmed ENAP's senior unsecured ratings at Baa3 and ENAP's Baseline Credit Assessment (BCA), which reflects its standalone credit strength, at b2. These rating actions follow the change in outlook to negative from stable of the Government of Chile's A1 bond ratings on August 25, 2020. For more information, please see "Moody's changes the outlook on Chile's ratings to negative, affirms A1 ratings" available at moodys.com. Affirmations: ..Issuer: Empresa Nacional del Petroleo ....Senior Unsecured Regular Bond/Debenture, Affirmed Baa3 Outlook Actions: ..Issuer: Empresa Nacional del Petroleo ....Outlook, Changed To Negative From Stable RATINGS RATIONALE ENAP's Baa3 senior unsecured rating and b2 BCA reflect its long operating history, high market share in Chile's refined products market and increasing business diversity. ENAP is the sole refiner in the country, its revenues and cash flow have steadily benefitted from oil and gas exploration and production (E&P), which in the first three months of 2020 represented 100% of company's EBITDA, higher than the 69% a year earlier. In turn, ENAP's ratings are constrained by a weak liquidity profile, the inherent volatility of commodity prices and resulting uncertain profitability, and its high leverage as measured by Moody's adjusted retained cash flow to net debt ratio of 0.8% and debt to EBITDA ratio of 9.5x as of the twelve months ended March 31, 2020. Moody's believes that ENAP's need for external funding to cover negative free cash flow will increase as a consequence of the current market environment of low fuel prices and demand which will diminish the company's cash flow generation in 2020. Low oil prices will not be an advantage for integrated oil companies such as ENAP amid low refining margins driven by excess supply of fuel in the US Gulf of Mexico, a market that serves as a reference price for the Chilean market, especially as the coronavirus pandemic keeps fuel demand depressed and increases oversupply. Story continues Since ENAP is 100% owned by the government of Chile (A1 negative), the company's Baa3 rating reflects Moody's joint default rating methodology for government-related issuers. ENAP's Baa3 rating benefits from five notches of uplift from its b2 BCA, which is a measure of a company's intrinsic credit risk regardless of support considerations. Moody's assumes high correlation between the government and the company on credit factors that could cause stress on both simultaneously and high probability of support from the government of Chile in case of a distress situation. The government's ability to provide support to ENAP is measured by its A1 credit rating, weakened somewhat by the negative outlook. ENAP's liquidity has been historically weak, although supported by the benefits associated with its 100% ownership by the government of Chile, which, for example, injected $400 million in the company's equity in August 2018 to repay debt. As of March 2020, the company's cash position of $234 million compared negatively with the $654 million in total debt maturing from April to December 2020. However, $430 million was related to short-term debt bank facilities used to import crude and oil products; furthermore, in previous months the company refinanced $620 million. The constant need to access banking trade facilities for working capital is a concern but ENAP's funding strategy and financial policies have allowed the company to quickly adjust local fuel prices to volatile costs and thus protect its profit margin. Moody's believes that ENAP will continue to be able to roll over these facilities relatively easily. The negative rating outlook on ENAP's Baa3 ratings coincides with the negative outlook on Chile's A1 bond rating given the importance of the sovereign's credit strength and ongoing support to ENAP's ratings. The negative outlook on the Government of Chile's A1 rating reflects increasing risks to Chile's fiscal strength. Even though the country entered the coronavirus crisis with fiscal buffers and low debt relative to A-rated peers, debt to GDP had been rapidly rising in recent years, a trend that is being accelerated by the pandemic shock. Moody's expects debt to almost double relative to GDP in a five-year period, reaching 39% in 2021. For further information, including factors that could drive Chile's rating up or down, refer to the rating action press release "Moody's changes the outlook on Chile's ratings to negative, affirms A1 ratings" available at moodys.com. FACTORS THAT COULD LEAD TO AN UPGRADE OR DOWNGRADE OF THE RATINGS An upgrade is unlikely given the negative outlook for Chile's A1 rating and Moody's expectations for continued negative free cash flow at ENAP. However, over time a significantly improved and sustained financial leverage profile more supportive of the cyclicality and volatility of the refining sector could lead to an upgrade, specifically debt/EBITDA at or below 5x. If ENAP is unable to continue its deleveraging trend or if there are indications of reduced implicit government support, the company's BCA or its rating could be lowered. The methodologies used in these ratings were Integrated Oil and Gas Methodology published in September 2019 and available at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_1172345, and Government-Related Issuers Methodology published in February 2020 and available at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_1186207. Alternatively, please see the Rating Methodologies page on www.moodys.com for a copy of these methodologies. ENAP is Chile's national oil company and the second largest state-owned company in the country. ENAP operates in three business segments: Exploration & Production (8% of revenues and 100% of EBITDA in the first quarter ended March 31, 2020), Refining & Marketing (89% and -8%) and Gas & Power (3% and 9%). ENAP owns three refineries in Chile and is the only refinery company in the country, with a total crude distillation capacity of 231,000 barrels per day. The company has an average 60% refined products market share in Chile. 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. The Global Scale Credit Rating on this Credit Rating Announcement was issued by one of Moody's affiliates outside the EU and is endorsed by Moody's Deutschland GmbH, An der Welle 5, Frankfurt am Main 60322, Germany, in accordance with Art.4 paragraph 3 of the Regulation (EC) No 1060/2009 on Credit Rating Agencies. Further information on the EU endorsement status and on the Moody's office that issued the credit rating is available on www.moodys.com. Please see www.moodys.com for any updates on changes to the lead rating analyst and to the Moody's legal entity that has issued the rating. Please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page on www.moodys.com for additional regulatory disclosures for each credit rating. Nymia C. Almeida Senior Vice President Corporate Finance Group Moody's de Mexico S.A. de C.V Ave. Paseo de las Palmas No. 405 - 502 Col. Lomas de Chapultepec Mexico, DF 11000 Mexico JOURNALISTS: 1 888 779 5833 Client Service: 1 212 553 1653 Marianna Waltz, CFA MD - Corporate Finance Corporate Finance Group JOURNALISTS: 0 800 891 2518 Client Service: 1 212 553 1653 Releasing Office: Moody's Investors Service, Inc. 250 Greenwich Street New York, NY 10007 U.S.A. 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Its design is similar to that of some pregnancy tests. A health care provider will swab a patients nose and then twirl the sample on a test card with a testing reagent added, according to the FDA. Fifteen minutes later the provider can read the results directly from the testing card, with one line indicating a negative result and two lines a positive one. US Sanctions Chinese Companies Over South China Sea Island-Building By Drake Long 2020-08-26 -- The United States on Wednesday announced it has placed sanctions on 24 Chinese companies and individuals within those companies for their part in constructing China's artificial islands in the South China Sea. The action is likely to exacerbate tensions between the two world powers. It follows the U.S. declaration last month that China's claims to nearly the entirety of the South China Sea on the basis of "historic rights" is unlawful. Washington has also accused Beijing of "bullying" other claimants. Some 24 companies were placed on the U.S. Commerce Department's Entity List, which restricts exports to businesses abroad due to their "activities contrary to the national security or foreign policy interests of the United States," effectively killing any ability for American businesses to trade or interact with them. The State Department simultaneously placed visa restrictions on individuals within some of those companies, barring them from traveling to the U.S. The stated reason for their sanctioning is the companies' role in China's extensive dredging campaign in the South China Sea from 2014 to 2017, which saw China build massive artificial islands and military bases among the Spratly and Paracel archipelagoes to strengthen its claim to disputed waters and support the activities of its military, the People's Liberation Army. China is currently holding military exercises around one of features, Woody Island. "The United States, China's neighbors, and the international community have rebuked the CCP's sovereignty claims to the South China Sea and have condemned the building of artificial islands for the Chinese military," Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross said in a statement, referring to the Chinese Communist Party. "The entities designated today have played a significant role in China's provocative construction of these artificial islands and must be held accountable," Ross said. There was no immediate reaction from Beijing on the sanctions from Washington, which it often accuses of destabilizing the region through its military and other activities. The companies sanctioned include multiple subsidiaries of China Communications Construction Company (CCCC), a massive state-owned infrastructure-building conglomerate that U.S. Assistant Secretary of State David Stilwell called out by name last month for its direct role in dredging sand to build up China's outposts. Destabilizing the region, harming the environment Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reiterated this charge in a statement announcing the sanctions on Wednesday, as well as accusing the People's Republic of China, as the country is formally known, of destroying the marine environment in parts of the South China Sea in its base-building efforts. "Since 2013, the PRC has used its state-owned enterprises to dredge and reclaim more than 3,000 acres on disputed features in the South China Sea, destabilizing the region, trampling on the sovereign rights of its neighbors, and causing untold environmental devastation," he said. "The PRC must not be allowed to use CCCC and other state-owned enterprises as weapons to impose an expansionist agenda. The United States will act until we see Beijing discontinue its coercive behavior in the South China Sea, and we will continue to stand with allies and partners in resisting this destabilizing activity." Other companies named are Shanghai Cable Offshore Engineering Company, and four subsidiaries of China Electronics Technology Group Corporation (CETC). The former installs submarine cables and other communications equipment between China's occupied features in the South China Sea, while CETC is another behemoth state-owned enterprise, also in telecommunications, that frequently does work for the People's Liberation Army through its research arms, according to the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. For this reason, some of its subsidiaries and research institutes were already under sanctions." The U.S. has strongly suggested in the past it is also preparing sanctions on companies not named in this most recent list, such as the China National Offshore Oil Corporation, or CNOOC. CNOOC has played a direct role in pushing China's claims in the South China Sea, most prominently by operating the Hai Yang Shi You 981 movable oil rig that kickstarted a tense and dangerous standoff between Vietnam and China in 2014. However, this current list appears to be aimed only at companies involved in the construction of China's bases in the South China Sea. China's sweeping claims in the South China Sea conflict with the maritime borders of six other Asian governments. A Permanent Court of Arbitration decided in 2016 that China's claims held no basis under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and other countries such as the Philippines, Vietnam, India, and Indonesia have urged China to adhere to that ruling. At the 17th Viet-Nam India Joint Commission meeting held Tuesday, Vietnam and India both "underscored the importance of maintaining peace, stability, security, safety and freedom of navigation and aviation as well as peaceful settlement of disputes in the East Sea on the basis of international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)," and "called on parties to respect the rulings issued by the dispute settlement mechanisms under the UNCLOS," alluding to the 2016 Permanent Court of Arbitration award. Vietnam refers to the South China Sea as the East Sea. 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. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Lt. Col. Yevgeny Vindman, an Army officer dismissed from the White House earlier this year, filed a whistle-blower complaint last week claiming that he was improperly fired in retaliation for both his role in the impeachment of President Trump and lodging previously undisclosed allegations of ethical and legal wrongdoing against Robert C. OBrien, the national security adviser. The complaint, which surfaced on Wednesday when House Democrats demanded that an independent government watchdog investigate, added fresh detail to the saga of the Vindman brothers, who together raised concerns about a July 2019 call between Mr. Trump and the president of Ukraine, the core of the impeachment proceeding against the president. Both were marched out of the White House days after the impeachment trial concluded. Lt. Col. Alexander S. Vindman, who testified in the impeachment inquiry, retired from the Army this summer amid what his lawyers called a campaign of White House intimidation and retaliation. His retirement prompted House Democrats to demand an inquiry by the Pentagons top investigator, and on Wednesday, they renewed those calls in a letter to the inspector general, citing Yevgeny Vindmans Aug. 18 complaint. In the letter, four Democratic committee leaders revealed for the first time that before he was fired last winter, Yevgeny Vindman, then a top ethics lawyer detailed to the National Security Council from the Pentagon, had raised ethical and legal concerns about Mr. OBrien and one of his top deputies. Colonel Vindman was also investigating reports that Mr. OBrien had made sexist and demeaning remarks to female staff members and excluded them from meetings. Biegun stressed the United States is a strategic partner of Ukraine, and added Ukraine enjoys bipartisan support in the United States. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun have discussed bilateral cooperation, in particular regarding financial and military support for Ukraine. The officials met in the town of Kryvyi Rih during Zelensky's working trip to Dnipropetrovsk region, according to the president's press service. The meeting took place after a phone conversation between Zelensky and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Read alsoBiden says to provide Ukraine with lethal weapons if he wins presidential electionBiegun stressed the United States is a strategic partner of Ukraine, and added Ukraine enjoys bipartisan support in the United States. Zelensky informed in detail about the state of negotiations on ending the war in Donbas and promoting peace in the Minsk and Normandy formats. The U.S. Deputy Secretary of State called the maintenance of a comprehensive and full ceasefire regime for 31 days a great achievement. Speaking of international politics, Biegun praised Ukraine's position on non-interference in the U.S. elections. In addition, the sides discussed the events in Belarus, agreeing that the situation needs stabilization and peaceful settlement. Also, Zelensky and Biegun visited PJSC ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih. The company is one of the largest producers of rolled steel in Ukraine. Toronto police are searching for a woman wanted for second-degree murder in Cabbagetown. Police said they received a report about a woman armed with a knife walking near Sherbourne Street and Dundas Street East at about 10:10 a.m Wednesday. After arriving on scene, police found another woman with stab wounds and covered in blood at 236 Sherbourne St. Paramedics rushed the victim to hospital where the woman died. The victim has been identified as Tara Morton, 41. Police said Oleesiea Langdon, 24, of Toronto is wanted for second degree murder. She is described as Black with a light complexion. She has a medium build, was wearing a dark hoodie, light coloured track pants and yellow shoes. Police could not confirm if Morton and Langdon knew each other. Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-7400, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477). Raneem Alozzi is a breaking news reporter, working out of the Star's radio room in Toronto. Follow her on Twitter: @r_alozzi Universities Crack Down on Parties, Punish Students for Breaking Social Distancing Rules As colleges and universities across the country moved to reopen their campuses this fall, several institutions have suspended large numbers of students for violating guidelines that are meant to avoid CCP virus outbreaks. Even before the start of in-person classes, Ohio State University (OSU) has reportedly suspended 228 students who failed to follow its health guidelines, according to CNN. The university allows students to return to campus as early as Aug. 19, and requires them to wear a mask, keep at least six feet apart from each other, and avoid gathering in groups of more than 10 people. In an Aug. 21 letter to the campus community, OSUs Vice President of Student Life Melissa Shivers said school officials are investigating dozens of conduct cases of unsafe behaviors warning them that they could risk suspension or losing scholarships if they dont follow the safety measures. Perhaps knowing about the action we are taking will influence your decisions and prompt you to encourage others to take this situation seriously, Shivers said in the letter. Remember that this is all about more than the individual. We have one shot at thisresponding to what so many of you asked for: an on-campus semester at Ohio State. At University of Connecticut (UConn), students who participated in a packed dorm-room party without social distancing or wearing masks have been evicted from on-campus housing, after a video of the party was posted to Reddit. We cannot afford the cost to the public health that is associated with inviting students into a room for a late night party, UConn Dean of Students Eleanor Daugherty and Residential Life Director Pamela Schipani said in a letter to students. The vast majority of our students are doing the right thingbut every student needs to do the same. Similarly, Syracuse University suspended 23 students shortly after videos and photos posted to social media, showing a large group of students gathering on the school quad. Student newspaper The Daily Orange estimated that more than 100 students showed up at the party on the night of Aug. 16, apparently a violation of the university and New York states policies to limit gatherings to 25 people. A large group of first-year students selfishly jeopardized the very thing that so many of you claim to want from Syracuse Universitythat is, a chance at a residential college experience, wrote J. Michael Haynie, the universitys vice chancellor for strategic initiatives and innovation, in a campus-wide letter condemning the party. The world is watching, and they expect you to fail. Prove them wrong. Be better. Be adults. As of Aug. 24, the first day of the 2020-21 academic year, Syracuse reported one student and one employee had tested positive for COVID-19. Syracuse Chancellor Kent Syverud said he is concerned whether the university will be able to stay open and move on with in-person instruction. If you choose not to social distance; if you choose not to wear a mask; if you choose to gather in large groups, then sooner than you imagine, we all will be sent home. said Syverud in his welcome message to new and returning students. That has happened at other schools, and it can quickly happen here. Syveruds remarks came as several universities have been forced to change their plans of reopening for in-person classes. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Notre Dame announced earlier this month that they would be shifting back to online instruction because their campuses saw hundreds of new COVID-19 cases after students returned. At Oklahoma State University, in-person classes were briefly paused after an off-campus sorority house, where 23 of the Greek life members tested positive for the CCP virus, was placed under quarantine. Powells Books says it wont sell on Amazon anymore, declaring that the online retail giant undermines communities by siphoning business from the real world and replacing it with internet commerce. For too long, we have watched the detrimental impact of Amazons business on our communities and the independent bookselling world, CEO Emily Powell wrote in a note to customers Wednesday. The vitality of our neighbors and neighborhoods depends on the ability of local businesses to thrive, Powell wrote. We will not participate in undermining that vitality. Portland-based Powells is among the worlds largest bookstores and is the citys signature retailer. But its dwarfed by the inventory available through Amazons website. So Powells, like many other retailers, supplements its business by listing its products on Amazons own site and giving Amazon a share of each sale. That puts smaller retailers at an obvious disadvantage, given that theyre depending on a much larger competitor for an important share of their sales. But many feel they have no choice but to list on Amazon given that companys dominant market position online. Seattle-based Amazon did not respond to a request for comment and Powells declined to elaborate on Wednesdays statement. However, Emily Powell told CNBC that Amazon had been a big sales generator for the Portland bookstore. It was hard to give up, sort of like smoking, she said. We knew we shouldnt be doing it, but, you know, we sort of needed it from a sales perspective to keep going. We couldnt face the possibility of not having that sales channel. The pandemic changed the landscape, Powell said, with Amazon prioritizing cleaning supplies and other essential goods -- slowing the shipment of books. Powell said its Amazon sales slowed so she decided to focus on the bookstores own website. We just decided to make that a permanent business choice, Powell said. Powells closed all its stores in March, when the pandemic hit Oregon. It has been reopening slowly, first allowing in-person pickup of books ordered online. This month it reopened its Cedar Hills Crossing store and part of its flagship store downtown. Powells sells books through its own website, too, and enjoyed a surge of business online last spring as customers all over the country raced to show support for the business, so much so that Powells took many weeks to ship the backlog of orders amid new coronavirus safety precautions. Emily Powell said in May that online orders fell off considerably in subsequent weeks. That illustrates the predicament Powells and other businesses find themselves in, especially during the pandemic, as online commerce steals sales from their physical business. While Powells stores remain largely shuttered, Amazon reported $50 billion in retail sales last quarter up nearly 40% from a year earlier. In hearings last month, Congress examined the sales and marketing practices of big tech companies including Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google. No additional legislation appears imminent, though, and Powell told CNBC she isnt waiting for federal action. Im going to do my best to find a way to compete and hope that at the end of the day the value to our community is enough to keep us going, she told CNBC. If in the meantime our political systems realize that this business is having a detrimental impact on our economy, even though it looks the opposite, ill be pleasantly surprised. Online commerce has added pressure on all manner of retailers, from big department stores and suburban shopping malls to small-town retailers. We understand that in many communities, Amazon and big box retail chains have become the only option, Emily Powell wrote. And yet when it comes to our local community and the community of independent bookstores around the U.S., we must take a stand. This article has been updated with Emily Powells comments to CNBC. -- Mike Rogoway | mrogoway@oregonian.com | twitter: @rogoway | 503-294-7699 Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. New Delhi, Aug 27 : The national capital has been witnessing a sudden surge in the number of Covid-19 cases for the last one week, with health experts conjecturing that it could be due to the complacent behaviour of the people after re-opening of the economy, returning migrant labourers and increase in outstation patients seeking treatment in city hospitals. On Wednesday, Delhi had witnessed highest single-day spike in August with 1,693 fresh cases, forcing Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to hold a press conference to acknowledge the spike and urge people to follow the safety protocols. On June 23, the national capital had registered the highest single-day spike of 3,947, pursuant to which the cases plummeted and remained low in the month of July. Even though health experts have denied the possibility of a second wave of Covid-19 in Delhi, many asserted that a resurgence of cases in the near future cannot be ruled out. The reason for the spike is being attributed to outstation coronavirus patients who are coming to the city hospitals for treatment. "These are mostly patients from the adjoining states, but the data is not clear yet," said Suresh Kumar, Medical Director at the LNJP Hospital. Kejriwal had also asserted that 21.6 per cent or 800 of the total number of beds in Delhi are occupied by patients from other states. "The spike can be attributed to the opening up of economic activities in the unorganised sectors, where people-to-people contact is more. The second reason could be that people have become complacent and are not wearing masks or maintaining social distancing protocols," said infectious disease expert Mahesh Kumar Lakhe. As per the data provided by the Delhi Police, as many as 1,88,578 people have been fined for not wearing masks till August 26. Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Chief Balram Bhargava had recently said that irresponsible and less cautious people, who do not wear masks, are driving the pandemic. Delhi-based health expert Shuchin Bajaj said, "People are also getting tired of the lockdown and social distancing measures, so they are becoming more careless. But I think the more important factor is that the migrant population has started to come back now with the increase in economic activity." Bajaj said that migrants are bringing the virus from their respective states where isolation and testing protocols are not up to the mark. "I think this is one of the most important factors for the second spike in cases in Delhi," he said. Neeraj Nischal, Assistant Professor at the Department of Medicine, AIIMS, said that it appears that people have become complacent and have started taking things easy. "They have to remember that this virus is invisible and attacks at even the slightest of mistakes people make," Nischal said. Meanwhile, the national capital has become the first state to cross the 90 per cent recovery rate this month. On Wednesday, however, a sudden-spike brought it down to 89.82 per cent. The positivity rate, which is the percentage of tests which return positive, has also started to rise with 7.4 per cent of tests returning positive. This metric, coupled with an increase in fresh cases, indicates that coronavirus is spreading fast. As far as the death rate is concerned, it is still relatively low. In June, the city had recorded more than 100 deaths, but it has now come down. The lowest which has been recorded till now was eight deaths on August 11 and 16. (Aakanksha Khajuria can be contacted at aakanksha.k@ians.in) She's been enjoying far-off travels after facing her ex-husband in a bitter lawsuit last month. And, Amber Heard posed in a plunging black dress while drinking red wine on a boat in Turkey, for her latest Instagram snap. The Aquaman star, 34, shared the sunset shot to the photo-sharing site on Thursday, as she ended her time in the country. Sipping wine at sunset: Amber Heard posed in a plunging black dress while drinking red wine on a boat in Turkey, for her latest Instagram snap Amber smiled subtly as she lounged barefoot on the boat, with a red scarf wrapped around her head. The movie star captioned the photograph: 'So hard to say goodbye.... I love Turkey so much,' as her holiday came to an end. Earlier this week, the actress looked carefree and pretty in a new swimsuit selfie on Instagram on Friday, in front of a lovely waterfront scene with books on her lap. Amber wore a sleek and classic black one-piece in the picture, and a white windbreaker which hangs off her shoulders. Sitting pretty: The actress looked carefree and pretty in a new swimsuit selfie on Instagram on Friday, in front of a lovely waterfront scene with books on her lap After the storm: The post comes after other vacation selfies on Heard's account, as the star has been traveling in Turkey 'SPF1000 + beautiful + ADD - emergency that must be dealt with IMMEDIATELY = beach-bag library,' the Machete Kills actress wrote in the caption. It wasn't clear to what 'emergency' Amber was referring, nor were the titles of the pile of books she held, but an electronic device resembling a tablet was visible. The post comes after other vacation selfies on Heard's account, as the star travelled around Turkey. One recent share on Instagram in particular drew flack on social media, when Amber appeared braless in a shot showing her neck and hair while wearing a hijab in Istanbul. One recent share in particular drew flack on social media: The pushback happened when Amber appeared braless in a shot showing her hair while wearing a hijab in Istanbul Ex files: The actress's trip comes after she testified last month in the United Kingdom in the high-profile lawsuit brought against her by ex-husband Johnny Depp; seen in 2015 The actress' trip came after she testified last month in the United Kingdom in the high-profile lawsuit brought against her by ex-husband Johnny Depp. The couple were married from 2015 until 2017, after they met on the set of The Rum Diary in 2009. Depp, 57, charged Heard with libel after accusations were leveled against him of being a 'wife beater' among other things. The weeks-long trial saw multiple shocking claims brought from both sides, with the headline-making proceedings coming to an end in July. A verdict on the trial is not expected to be announced until early September. After more than a decade of evading the law, a cab driver from Texas accused of murder who is part of the FBI's Top Ten Fugitives list was apprehended by the police. The suspect, identified as 63-year-old Yaser Abdel Said was a resident of northwest Dallas was arrested based on reports. Back in 2008, Said was charged with murder for allegedly shooting his two daughters in what was called an act of "honor killing." According to Fox, Said's 17- and 18-year-old daughter were in relationships with non-Muslims which upset their father. It was on New Year's Eve that he took his daughters out to eat, however, instead of bringing them to a restaurant, the suspect drover them to Irving where the alleged murders happened. Meanwhile, Police Chief Jeff Spiver of Irving Police did not agree with the assessment that the murders can be considered as honor killings. Spivey stated that the man shot his daughters brutally in a taxi cab and the reason for them at this point is almost irrelevant. Moreover, the chief stated that what is most important for them is that the man who has been on the run for 12 years has finally been caught. Also, justice has finally been served to the victims, Amini, and Sarah. The FBI announced the apprehension of Said in their Twitter account. In the tweet, the bureau referred to Said as a capital murder suspect in the murder of his daughters. pic.twitter.com/SKvwJGfhyy FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitive Yaser Abdel Said, a capital murder suspect wanted in connection with the homicide of his two teenage daughters, has been captured. Can you help the #FBI find other members of the Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list?: https://t.co/aaf7lqDSTP FBI Most Wanted (@FBIMostWanted) August 27, 2020 On the other hand, "America's Most Wanted" TV-host John Walsh also tweeted about the capture of Said on Wednesday. Walsh stated that Said has been on his list for a very long time. He also praised the FBI and the Irving Police Department for finally giving the justice for the two girls after 12 years. Read also: Mother Slashed the Throat of Her 4-Year-Old Daughter, Claiming She Saved Her Capturing a Fugitive Said was tracked down by an FBI SWAT team in Justin, Texas on Wednesday. Said was found about 22 miles from Lewisville where the authorities arrested him without incident. Based on reports, Said has been part of the FBI's list of most wanted fugitives since 2014. Aside from Said, his brother and nephew were also arrested. They are currently facing federal charges after harboring a fugitive. The bureau also stated that they believe that other people who knew the suspect may have helped him elude the authorities for a very long time. Meanwhile, other family members of the victims expressed their joy upon the capture of Said. In a report by Dallas Morning News, the mother of Amini and Sarah, Patricia Owens stated that she firmly believes that there will be justice for her daughters' death. Owens also stated that her daughters did not deserve what was done to them. She described them as caring, loving, and smart. She stated that the two would gladly help anybody who needed it. The mother grieved the death of her daughter from 12 years ago but ultimately expressed joy as justice would finally be served. Authorities stated that Said will be facing charges for capital murder. Related article: Christchurch Mosque Gunman Sentenced to Life in Prison, Marking First in New Zealand History @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Iran, IAEA issue joint statement on nuclear cooperation IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Tehran, Aug 26, IRNA -- Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) issued a joint statement on nuclear cooperation while the agency's chief Rafael Mariano Grossi wrapped up his stay in Tehran holding talks with the Iranian officials. Grossi, heading a delegation, arrived in Tehran on Monday night. He has so far held talks with Head of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and President Hassan Rouhani. The full text of the joint statement reads as follows: The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Islamic Republic of Iran (Iran) agreed to further reinforce their cooperation and enhance mutual trust to facilitate the full implementation of Iran's Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement (CSA) and the Additional Protocol (AP) thereto, which is provisionally applied by Iran since 16 January 2016. After intensive bilateral consultations, Iran and the IAEA reached an agreement on the resolution of the safeguards implementation issues specified by the IAEA, in good faith. In this regard, Iran is voluntarily providing the IAEA with access to the two locations specified by the IAEA and facilitating the IAEA verification activities to resolve these issues. Dates for the IAEA access and the verification activities have been agreed. The IAEA verification activities will proceed in accordance with the CSA and the AP, and the IAEA's standard verification practice as implemented for all States with CSAs and APs on equal basis and without discrimination. In the context of resolution GOV/2015/72 adopted by the Board of Governors on 15 December 2015, the IAEA and Iran recognize that these safeguards implementation issues are exclusively related to nuclear material and activities subject to safeguards under the CSA and the AP. In this present context, based on analysis of available information to the IAEA, the IAEA does not have further questions to Iran and further requests for access to locations other than those declared by Iran under its CSA and AP. Both sides recognize the independence, impartiality, and professionalism of the IAEA continue to be essential in the fulfillment of its verification activities. The IAEA will continue to take into consideration Iran's security concerns, by protecting all safeguards confidential information in accordance with the IAEA's Statute, the relevant provisions of the CSA and the AP, and the established IAEA confidentiality regime, standards, and procedures. 7129**2050 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address SEATTLE (dpa-AFX) - Amazon founder and chief executive officer Jeff Bezos is the world's first person whose net worth exceeded the $200 billion threshold. According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Bezos' net worth now stands at $202 billion, representing a year-to-date increase of $87.1 billion. Bezos is the world's richest man since 2017. The net worth of Bezos is now $78 billion more than that of Bill Gates, who stands in the second position. The net worth of Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft Corp., currently stands at $124 billion. The increase in Bezos' net worth is tied to Amazon's stock, which has surged 81 percent this year. Amazon's market capitalization hit $1 trillion in late April this year, enabling it to join fellow tech giants Apple, Google and Microsoft in the trillion-dollar club. The e-commerce giant has seen strong online demand for products from consumers amid the coronavirus pandemic. Amazon's current market capitalization stands at $1.72 trillion, making it the second-most valuable company in the U.S. behind only Apple. Amazon, in late July, had reported a profit for the second quarter that doubled from the year-ago period, reflecting strong revenue growth. In early August, Bezos sold $3.1 billion worth stock in Amazon, following a surge in shares by more than 73 percent year-to-date. Then, Forbes had estimated Bezos' net worth to be at least $188 billion. In 2017, Bezos had revealed he would sell $1 billion worth of Amazon shares every year to fund Blue Origin, his space exploration company. 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. Nana Akwasi Bosompra I, Paramount Chief of the Goaso Traditional Area in the Ahafo region, has called for an amendment of the constitutional provision which bars chiefs from engaging in partisan politics. According to him, as key stakeholders, traditional leaders needed the freedom to express themselves on political and developmental issues affecting the progress of the nation. A statement signed by Mawuena Trebarh, Spokesperson for the NDC running mate and copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra said he made the call when Professor Naana Jane Opoku -Agyemang, called on him as part of her campaign tour of the Ahafo region. Article 276 (1) of the constitution stipulates that a chief shall not take part in active party politics, and any chief wishing to do so and seeking election to Parliament shall abdicate his stool or skin. According to the statement Nana Bosompra argued that the provision, which had the objective of protecting the sanctity of the chieftaincy institution and promoting community peace and unity, had outlived its purpose. He indicated that it was time to allow chiefs to get involved in politics to use their influence to shape political discourse devoid of acrimony, insults and violence, and to enhance national development. When we (chiefs) speak about issues, they say we are doing politics. But the issues affect all of us, and therefore we have to be allowed to get involved, the chief said. We are not asking to be involved as party activists and agents, but as independent political non-state actors who should be able to assess policies and programmes, and make objective suggestions for national progress. The statement said he urged the NDC to consider the appeal for amendment when the party returns to power. Lauding Prof. Opoku-Agyemang's selection as running mate, the statement said he expressed confidence in her ability to contribute to a clean and peaceful campaign season ahead of the December elections. We consider you as a woman we can trust". Prof Opoku-Agyemang thanked the chief for the warm reception and encouragement and urged the people of the area to vote for the NDC, which was on a mission to rescue Ghanaians from the mounting socio-economic difficulties. ---GNA Hey, thanks for your email. Let's find a time to meet. Great to hear from you. We'd love to chat. Please follow up with Pat (cc'd here) to set up an interview. Sorry for the delay in getting back to you. This isn't something we can pursue right now, but I appreciate the interest. (Also, I'd appreciate a sandwich.) Do any of these responses ring a bell? The specifics may vary (especially, uh, on that last one), but we've all got our standard stock statements we send out time and time again via email and if you were to add up all the time spent typing those sentences out, well, you could probably add an extra week of vacation onto your work year. You may not be able to eliminate the need for email formalities entirely, but you can save yourself the trouble of typing out the same stuff endlessly by tapping into Gmail's time-saving template possibilities. From the service's relatively simple built-in system to some exceptional third-party supplements, you've got plenty of options for cutting down on wasted typing and making email management more efficient. All you've gotta do is decide which setup is right for you and then take a few minutes to set it up once and from then on out, answering basic emails will require no more than a couple quick clicks or a single hotkey sequence and, if you're so inspired, a quick bit of customization to tailor your template as needed. We'll start with the most basic possibility and work our way up to the more advanced options. (Note: All of the third-party tools recommended here have reasonable-seeming privacy policies that respect your data and avoid asking for unnecessary permissions. It's always smart to glance over those policies for yourself before installing anything, though, just to make sure you're comfortable with the level of access required and that, assuming you're using a work-connected account or computer, the requirements won't violate any policies provided by your company.) Gmail templates option #1: The basic, built-in system If all you want is a series of basic stock responses and if you're okay with using your mouse to pull those up when you need 'em Gmail's own native templates system could be more than enough for your repetitive message needs. And it's already there and available in Gmail, just waiting to be activated. To start, click the gear icon in the upper-right corner of the Gmail website and then select the See All Settings button. Click the Advanced tab at the top of the screen, find the "Templates" option on the page that comes up, and click "Enable" next to it. Click the Save Changes button at the bottom of the screen and wait for the site to reload. Now you're ready to create your templates. Just start a new email, as if you were about to send a message to someone, and type whatever you want to save as a template into the body of the email. Then, click the three-dot menu icon in the message's lower-right corner and look for the new "Templates" option. JR Raphael/IDG Saving a template directly within Gmail is quick and easy, if a bit limited. Hover over that, and you should see an option to "Save draft as template." Hover over that, then select "Save new template." Give the template an easy-to-identify name, when the prompt comes up, and click the Save button and that's it: The next time you need to send the message you saved, simply click that same three-dot icon and select "Templates," and you'll see your new entry as a ready-to-insert option. Just be aware that if you haven't already filled in the email's subject line when you add in the template, the template's name will automatically be inserted into that field so unless that's something you actually want to use as your message's subject, be prepared to change it before hitting send. JR Raphael/IDG Once you've created a Gmail template, you can insert it into any outgoing message. And if you ever want to delete or edit existing templates, you'll find commands for doing so within that same area. (For editing, you'll need to first insert the template you want to change into the email body, then make whatever modifications you want and then, once everything's ready, click that three-dot menu icon once more and select "Save draft as template" followed by the template's original name.) Gmail templates option #2: The supercharged in-site system If you like the idea of the native Gmail template setup but need a little more oomph, an add-on service called Gmelius might be just the thing for you. Gmelius works via a browser extension (available for Chrome as well as Safari, Edge, and even Opera) or a mobile app (for either Android or iOS). Once you get the appropriate software and get yourself signed up, you'll be able to create and edit templates within the Gmelius dashboard. The templates are able to dynamically fill in advanced variables, including the recipient's name. They'll even let you specify a sending address, a list of cc or bcc recipients, and a Gmail label to be applied to the message. JR Raphael/IDG Gmelius's templates support variables, auto-filled recipient fields, and lots of other advanced options the native Gmail templates don't offer. (Click image to enlarge it.) All of your templates will be available directly within the Gmail website's standard compose tool, via a special new Gmelius-added icon (and they'll be available within the standalone Gmelius apps on the phone front as well). You can organize them into categories for easy discovery, and you can share templates across an entire team, too. Gmelius is free for individual use, with a limit of 10 saved templates at a time, or at rates starting at $9 per user per month for unlimited and/or company-wide purposes. Gmail templates option #3: The rich-formatting system Maybe fancy-looking newsletters, invites, and event announcements are what you're after. If so, the BEE Templates for Gmail add-on is the tool you need. BEE Templates adds an icon into the regular Gmail compose tool, on the desktop, with which you can find tons of slick, ready-to-go templates for everything from product promotions to news announcements. Just find the template that's right for your need, select it, and boom: It'll be in your message and ready for you to edit and refine. JR Raphael/IDG The BEE Templates add-on brings rich, professional-looking formatting into your Gmail templates. BEE Templates is free at its base level. If you want the ability to save and share your custom creations for ongoing use along with access to even more starter templates and a host of advanced editing options, you can bump up to a Pro subscription for $15 a month as an individual or $25 per user per month for a team. Gmail templates option #4: The browser-based keyboard shortcut system Wish you could accomplish this same basic stuff without all the clicks? I hear ya. I'm a huge fan of keyboard shortcuts myself, and I'd take a quick keyboard command over a series of mouse actions any day. The secret to setting yourself up with that power is a super-handy service called Text Blaze. I've written about it before, because it has the potential to save you time all throughout your web browsing environment, but it can be incredibly handy for the specific purpose of Gmail templates, too (and that's actually how I use it most often). Text Blaze works exclusively with Chrome, so you'll need to be using that in order to take advantage of it. Once you've installed the official extension and followed the steps to sign up for the service, you can head over to your Text Blaze dashboard to start configuring your templates. Just click the circular blue plus icon in the dashboard's upper-right corner to create a new item. You'll need to give it a label a basic description of what it's all about, for your own future reference and then give it a shortcut, which is the actual key sequence you'll type to trigger it. Be sure to think of something that's easy to remember and yet unlikely to be entered in any other context, when you aren't trying to pull up your template. (I start all of my shortcuts with a slash to help with this. You could also use an asterisk, a tilde, or any other character that'll be easy for you to hit when needed but unlikely to come up in your regular typing.) JR Raphael/IDG Text Blaze isn't only for email templates, but it works quite well for that purpose. (Click image to enlarge it.) Text Blaze can do some pretty interesting advanced stuff, too, such as inserting dynamic variables the current date, the current time, and so on. And whatever templates you create can be used in more or less any text field within your browser, so you could just as easily employ them in something like Google Docs, should the urge ever strike. Text Blaze is free for individual use, with a limit of 2,500 characters per saved template. You can raise that limit and unlock additional features, including support for shared items and templates with images, by bumping up to a $36-a-year Pro subscription and you can add in organization-wide access controls and other company-aimed features with a business or enterprise plan, starting at $84 per user per year. We will continue to provide this exceptional level of service and drive business growth through developing marketing communications that meet the high standards of innovation and creativity. HMI Performance Incentives is very excited to be awarded by the 2020 Hermes Creative Awards for excellence in marketing and communications. HMI won PLATINUM awards in two separate categories, Digital Marketing Campaign and for an eBook. HMI won GOLD awards in two separate categories, Integrated Marketing Campaign and Blog Article. HMI also won an HONORABLE MENTION in one category, Corporate Social Responsibility Campaign. For the Digital Marketing Campaign category, HMI submitted a Sell and Spin campaign for its client, UniCarriers Americas. The goal was to increase sales of UniCarriers products through their dealer channel. Their sales earned them plays in HMIs Spin to Win game, where participants could Spin the Wheel to earn credits. In addition to individual spins, dealership teams also had the opportunity to compete for additional prizes. For the eBook category, HMI submitted an eBook titled, The Communications Lifecycle of an Incentive Program. It summarizes how to attract, retain, and grow an incentive program audience through the different stages of engagement. These stages result in strong relationships with customers through incentive programs and keep them coming back year after year. For the Integrated Marketing Campaign category, HMI submitted an extensive array of materials and components orchestrated for its client, Dakota Supply Group. The DSG Plus Launch Campaign was recently launched to maximize their employees productivity and increase engagement with their customers in the Electrical, Plumbing, & HVAC segments. For the Blog Article category, HMI submitted an article titled, The Challenges of Customer Retention by Devin Ferreira. Customer retention is an ongoing process that should never be left to the customers themselves. Devin does a great job guiding readers how to retain the most valuable resources. Lastly, for the Corporate Social Responsibility Campaign category, HMI submitted a Spread Kindness initiative, which was a charitable push to help bring a little light into the lives of its audience. With the help of the campaigns participants, HMI was able to donate to amazing causes and organizations like St. Judes, St. Baldricks, Rocky Mountain Lab Shelter, and Central Texas Foodbank. Kiwon Chang, CEO of HMI Performance Incentives says, HMI is honored to have received these awards. We are dedicated to fostering a team that produces creative and compelling content for our clients and our readers. We will continue to provide this exceptional level of service and drive business growth through developing marketing communications that meet the high standards of innovation and creativity. I want to thank the hard-working group of marketing professionals at HMI for this well-deserved recognition. About HMI Performance Incentives Founded in 1980 in Cambridge, MA, HMI Performance Incentives is a global leader in designing and managing sales and customer incentive solutions. At HMI, success is measured by the outcome of our clients programs and their satisfaction. Our programs are designed to inspire sales growth, motivate customer loyalty, and increase brand awareness and expand market share. With 40 years of experience in the performance improvement industry, we know what it takes to deliver results. About Dakota Supply Group. Since our founding in 1898with roots dating back to 1868, Dakota Supply Group (DSG) has been dedicated to providing a world class customer experience to those they serve in the electrical; plumbing; HVAC; refrigeration; communications; utility; automation; waterworks; and on-site sewer, water and well industries. DSG offers nearly 110,000 products from the top brands, but thats only the beginning. DSGs experienced team of specialists provides customers with solutions that help them to maximize their employees productivity and increase their companys profitability. About UniCarriers UniCarriers has a rich heritage thats been built over the course of a century. Throughout the years, many things have changed, but our product quality and dedication to reliability have not. Today, we manufacture forklifts that are being used across virtually every supply chain in every industry, keeping us at the very heart of global commerce. /* custom css */ .tdi_75_c2c.td-a-rec{ text-align: center; }.tdi_75_c2c .td-element-style{ z-index: -1; }.tdi_75_c2c.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_75_c2c.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; }@media (max-width: 767px) { .tdi_75_c2c.td-a-rec-img { text-align: center; } } Advertisement Rabiu Omaku The outgoing State Chairman of the Nasarawa State Independent National Electoral Commission has said the Commission needed money to the tune of N1bn for the conduct of the forthcoming Local Council election in the State. The outgoing Chairman said the electoral umpire is set to conduct Council election in February 2021.Ambassador.Henry Omaku hinted this when members House committee on NASIEC paid him a courtesy call at democracy house. /* custom css */ .tdi_74_669.td-a-rec{ text-align: center; }.tdi_74_669 .td-element-style{ z-index: -1; }.tdi_74_669.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_74_669.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; }@media (max-width: 767px) { .tdi_74_669.td-a-rec-img { text-align: center; } } Ambassador Omaku appreciate the committee for the visit,saying there is no going back on February 2021 Council election in Nasarawa,revealing that the Commission would release time table next week. Ahead of Council election in the State, The commission, said it would release the election time table first week of September, 2020. This was the outcome of the Nasarawa State House of Assembly Committee on NASIEC visit to the commission in Lafia to Democracy House. Hon Mohammed Okpoku (APC-Udege/Loko) Chairman, House Committee on NASIEC,who led members of the committee on a courtesy visit to Democracy House explained that the committee were at the commission to know its readiness and preparedness ahead of the February, 2021 Local Government election in the state. He assured the people of the State of the Assemblys readiness to give the commission the necessary support to conduct free, fair and credible election in the state. Our visit is to interact with you and to know the level of your preparedness and readiness ahead of the 2021 Local Government election in the state. He said the committee is ready to support the commission to succeed and to conduct free, fair and credible Local Government election in the state come February,2021, he said. He said that it would collaborate with the state Government in order to ensure the success of the election. Besides, Okpoku congratulated the outgoing commissions Chairman for his nomination by President Muhammadu Buhari as Ambassador designate. In same vain,The State Governor has sworn-in Chairman of the Commission,Barrister Ayuba Wandai. The State Deputy Governor,Dr.Emmanuel Akabe urged the Chairman of the Nasarawa State Independent Electoral Commission. Also a member of the Commission,Ishaq Baba Ahmed was alongside sworn-in by the State Deputy Governor. The Deputy Governor averred the appointment of ththate outgoing Chairman,Hon.Henry Omaku over his elevation as an Ambassador designate. Dr.Akabe urged the Chairman to ensure the conduct of free,fair election,He said the State Government would not interfare in the running of activities of the commission. The Chairman,Ayuba Wandai in a vote of thanks appreciate the State Government for recognising him worthy of appointment. Wandai in an interview shortly after his inauguration said he would discharge his duty as the Chairman of the State electoral umpire according to the set down standard. Esteban Ocon says Renault is happy with the performance of its 2020 engine. Having ended Red Bull's difficult relationship with the French outfit at the end of 2018, Dr Helmut Marko claimed that while Renault has a "good qualifying mode" this year, Honda is now stronger in the race. Works Renault driver Ocon, however, says the team can be happy with the performance of its 2020 power unit. "We don't have to hide," the Frenchman told Spain's AS newspaper. "Our engine is quite strong, especially in the race. "Our top speed is good, which is an advantage and that means that the engine is fast, good and reliable. There are only good things there," Ocon added. Marko had claimed that Honda's is the best engine in 2020 behind Mercedes, followed by Renault and Ferrari. Ocon said: "I don't know who is in front - who has the best power unit today - but I can say that it is one of the strengths of our car." (GMM) Black News Channels Kelly Wright Interviews President Trump In a surprise, President Donald Trump sat down with the Black News Channel to discuss a wide range of topics, including the 2020 election, COVID-19, and the failed stimulus negotiations. The interview conducted by anchor Kelly Wright was a watershed moment for the network, which debuted in February after several delays. It came one day after presumptive Democratic Presidential Nominee Joe Biden made history by selecting Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), a Black woman, as his running mate. It not only marked Trumps first time on the network but also his initial interview with any African American-owned media. The National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), the trade association of 230 Black-owned newspapers and media companies that comprise the Black Press of America, has repeatedly requested interviews with the president throughout his nearly four years in office. ADVERTISEMENT White House and Republican National Committee officials have not acted on the multiple requests from the Black Press of America seeking access to the president, Vice President Mike Pence, and Education Secretary Betsy Devos. Wright, a seasoned and Emmy-winning journalist who once worked at Fox News, asked the president about the economy, COVID-19, and school choice. Trump, savvy with his words, claimed that most states are doing well. Now, Florida is headed in a really good direction [with COVID-19], California and now Texas, Trump declared to Wright. I see where Germany got a big surge, France and Spain. But weve done a very good job. Heavily criticized for calling the coronavirus the Wuhan Virus, Trump repeatedly referred to China as the source of the pandemic. He said Americas economy, including in the African American community, was prospering before the pandemic, claims that dont exactly match with various economists. The president claimed that Biden and Harris would raise everybodys taxes and crash the [stock] market. He referred to Biden as a puppet, and called the Green New Deal championed by former Democratic Presidential Candidate Bernie Sanders a disaster and a cartoon joke. ADVERTISEMENT Wright asked Trump about underserved communities, particularly African Americans, and the president declared that hed done much to improve the lot of all minorities. Weve done Opportunity Zones, Criminal Justice Reform, and I saved HBCUs, Trump exclaimed. We gave them more money than they were seeking. Just before the virus came from China, the Black community had the best unemployment and employment numbers in history. They had a good month last month, they had the best numbers, and then we got hit with the China virus. Since the pandemic began in March, more than 50 million Americans have filed for unemployment compensation. The Republicans have sought to lower benefits for the unemployed, which has remained a sticking point in any potential bipartisan agreement to provide relief. The president also reiterated his stand that all schools should reopen this fall for in-person learning despite more than 5.2 million Americans reporting having contracted the virus with at least 165,000 deaths. When Wright asked Trump about his concern for children, the president demurred. They dont get sick, he said, despite numerous reported cases since some students returned to school. If you are elderly, have a bad heart or a problem with diabetes or something children dont get it. The mortality rate is almost non-existent in young people, Trump stated. Their system is a little bit different. Wright also asked Trump about his decision to send federal agents into Portland and other cities where the president claimed that there are some hard-core anarchists and agitators at the highest level. He claimed that police in places like Portland, Chicago, and New York arent allowed to do their jobs for fear of losing their jobs and pensions. A lot of them are leaving. Police have to be allowed to do their jobs, he said. When asked how he plans to help heal the nation, Trump said success would accomplish that job. We were there, and then China sent that virus, Trump said. I was starting to get along with Democrats that no one spoke to. We were there, and the jobs numbers for every community was doing great. But the plague came from China. Success will bring us together. Click here to view the full interview. The Black News Channel (BNC) is the nations only culturally specific news channel that reflects the diverse views of the Black community. Host Kelly Wright will interview President Donald J. Trump on the Kelly Wright Show today at 6:00 p.m. EST. This marks President Donald J. Trumps very first on air interview with BNC. A five-year-old boy is fighting for life after being crushed by a falling tree in wild weather that lashed Melbourne on Thursday night. The child was rushed to the Melbourne Royal Children's Hospital at about 6pm after a tree toppled onto the road at Blackburn South in the city's eastern suburbs. Another falling tree killed a man at Belgrave in the Dandenong Ranges, 35kilometres east of Melbourne. A five-year-old boy is fighting for life after being crushed by a falling tree in wild weather on Thursday night Emergency services have been rushed off their feet responding to call outs for help when the horror storm hit the state on Thursday Trees smashed into power poles, tram lines and onto cars as a result of gusty winds caused by a cold front moving across Victoria The 59-year-old was leaving the Belgrave shopping centre car park when a strong wind gust brought the tree down at the intersection of Terrys Avenue and Ena Road, next to the local police station. Emergency services were rushed off their feet responding to call outs for help when the vicious storm hit the state. The State Emergency Service received 447 calls in one hour alone, with more than 1600 calls for help over a six-hour period, reported Nine News. Heavy winds took out power lines, affecting up to 60 sets of traffic lights across Melbourne, and also caused the suspension of services across the rail network. More than 95,000 homes were left without power across Melbourne and south Victoria, reported ABC news. Pictures posted on social media showed entire rooves torn off buildings and outdoor furniture being tossed around by the strong winds. An alert map in Melbourne shows hundreds of incident reports including fallen trees across the city on Thursday Victoria Police issued an urgent warning via social media to Melbourne residents. 'If the curfew isn't incentive enough to stay home, please consider your own safety as well as the safety of emergency services workers who are currently dealing with the damage caused by this evening's severe weather,' it read. The brunt of the storm was felt at Hogan Island in Bass Strait where winds reached 156kph, and were recorded at 115kph in Port Phillip Bay. State emergency service volunteers remove a fallen tree from the road in Blackburn South Social media users captured the storm rolling in across the city One woman shared a photo of her neighbour's roof landing on her car Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance (LVGEA) Director of Workforce Development Jake McClelland Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance (LVGEA) Director of Workforce Development Jake McClelland Vegas Chamber Director of Workforce Development George Hempe Vegas Chamber Director of Workforce Development George Hempe Las Vegas, Aug. 27, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance (LVGEA) and Vegas Chamber have added new workforce development professionals to their teams to help businesses access skilled employees. The two new Directors of Workforce Development provide employers streamlined access to valuable resources available through the Nevada public workforce development system. The hires are part of a continued partnership between the two organizations and Workforce Connections, Southern Nevadas Local Workforce Development Board. All three organizations are committed to helping Southern Nevada businesses, as well as those looking to relocate to the region, with accessing the trained workers they need to operate and grow. During this COVID-19 pandemic, the three organizations are working together to develop short and long-term business-driven solutions to keep Southern Nevadans employed while implementing recovery efforts to help employers successfully reopen and rehire. Jake McClelland is serving as the Director of Workforce Development based at the LVGEA, and George Hempe is serving as the Director of Workforce Development based at the Vegas Chamber. As part of the LVGEA and Vegas Chamber teams, they are working to strategically connect with businesses to address their specific workforce needs. Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance (LVGEA) Director of Workforce Development Jake McClelland Jake McClelland has more than 16 years of experience in workforce development, most of which has been in Southern Nevada. Prior to taking the position as Director of Workforce Development at the LVGEA, McClelland served as Executive Director for the Southwestern Oregon Workforce Investment Board (SOWIB), a position he held for four years. During McClellands tenure at SOWIB, the organization received state and national recognition for its pioneering and innovative workforce practices. He played an integral role in the creation and implementation of the states first registered apprenticeship program in healthcare, and spearheaded the launch of the Southwestern Oregon Healthcare Industry Partnership (SOHIP). Story continues Vegas Chamber Director of Workforce Development George Hempe George Hempe has worked in workforce development at the national, regional, and local levels for 25 years. He has been the CEO of four different Workforce Development Boards in California, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and Texas. Prior to his career in Workforce Development, Hempe worked at the Texas State Technical College System for more than a decade, which is considered one of the finest training systems in the country. Connecting employers to a ready workforce has never been more critical, said Jaime Cruz, executive director at Workforce Connections. The directors of workforce development at the LVGEA and Vegas Chamber will help businesses become more aware of the resources available through the public workforce development system that can help them reboot and grow. Workforce development is instrumental to strengthening our region, said Jonas Peterson, President and CEO of LVGEA. We are proud to partner with Workforce Connections and Vegas Chamber to connect businesses with the workers they need. These positions will help us create strategies and solutions for employers. This partnership with Workforce Connections brings workforce development expertise into the Vegas Chamber to help businesses access the workforce solutions they need to operate and grow as well as connect talented Nevadans with job opportunities, said Mary Beth Sewald, president and CEO of the Vegas Chamber. Attachments CONTACT: Danielle Smith Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance 7025223357 danielles@lvgea.org WASHINGTON - Just over 1 million Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week, a sign that the coronavirus outbreak continues to threaten jobs even as the housing market, auto sales and other segments of the economy rebound from a springtime collapse. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 27/8/2020 (511 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. FILE - In this July 20, 2010 file photo, people arrive to seek employment opportunities at a JobTrain office in Menlo Park, Calif. On Monday, Aug. 24, 2020, Employment Development Department Director Sharon Hilliard told California lawmakers in Sacramento, California, the state has more than 1 million pending claims for unemployment benefits. Hilliard called the situation "shameful," but said the department is working through the backlog. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma, File) WASHINGTON - Just over 1 million Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week, a sign that the coronavirus outbreak continues to threaten jobs even as the housing market, auto sales and other segments of the economy rebound from a springtime collapse. The Labor Department reported Thursday that the number of people seeking jobless aid last week dropped by 98,000 from 1.1 million the week before. The number of initial claims has exceeded 1 million every week but one since late March, an unprecedented streak. Before the coronavirus pandemic, they had never topped 700,000 in a week. FILE - In this March 17, 2020, file photo, people wait in line for help with unemployment benefits at the One-Stop Career Center in Las Vegas. President Donald TrumpAos plan to offer a stripped-down boost in unemployment benefits to millions of Americans amid the coronavirus outbreak has thus far found little traction among the states, which would be required to pick up a quarter of the cost to deliver the maximum benefit. (AP Photo/John Locher, File) Layoffs are ongoing reflecting interruptions to activity from virus containment that are likely resulting in permanent closures and job losses, Rubeela Farooqi, chief U.S. economist at High Frequency Economics, wrote in a research report. Farooqi added that the risk of permanent damage to the labour market remains high which will slow the pace of recovery. The return to pre-pandemic levels of prosperity is set to be an uncertain and prolonged process. More than 14.5 million are collecting traditional jobless benefits -- up from 1.7 million a year ago -- a sign that many American families are depending on unemployment checks to keep them afloat. Until July 31, the unemployed were receiving an extra $600 a week in federal money on top of regular state unemployment benefits, part of an extraordinary lifeline extended to help them through the crisis. The loss of that money is putting the squeeze on many families. FILE - In this April 30 ,2020 file photo, a barber shop shows closed and hiring sign during the COVID-19 in Chicago. On Thursday, Aug. 27, just over 1 million Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week, a sign that the coronavirus outbreak continues to threaten jobs even as the housing market, auto sales and other segments of the economy rebound from a springtime collapse. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File) My income is basically cut in half, said Taylor Love, 34, an unemployed massage therapist in Austin, Texas. Paying our mortgage is going to be a struggle. Were going to have to dip into what little savings we have. After passing a massive financial rescue package in March, congressional Republicans and Democrats have been unable to agree on more aid. President Donald Trump signed an executive order Aug. 8 offering a stripped-down version of the expanded unemployment benefits. At least 39 states have accepted or said that they would apply for federal grants that let them increase weekly benefits by $300 or $400. Last week, nearly 608,000 people applied for jobless aid under a new program that extends eligibility for the first time to self-employed and gig workers, up from 525,000 the previous week. That figure isnt adjusted for seasonal trends, so its reported separately. Altogether, the Labor Department said that 27 million people are receiving some form of unemployment benefits, though the figure may be inflated by double-counting by states. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. The pandemic has had a devastating impact on the American economy. Businesses closed and Americans stayed home to avoid infection. Economic activity plummeted. From April through June, gross domestic product -- the broadest measure of economic output -- shrank at an annual rate of 31.7%, by far the worst quarter on record. Employers slashed more than 22 million jobs in March and April. Since then, the job market and the economy have been rebounding as businesses slowly reopened. Home sales and prices have been strong. Employers added nearly 9.3 million jobs in May, June and July -- but that hiring surge replaced just 42% of the jobs lost in March and April. A summertime resurgence of cases in the South and West forced many businesses to close again in July. The data firm Womply reports that business closures have mostly stabilized in the past four weeks. Still, 70% of Texas bars and 71% of California health and beauty shops were closed as of mid-August, Womply found. Economists also worry that without additional government help the economys recovery will fade. I really want Congress to come up with a benefits package, said Jacob Hanson, an unemployed temp worker in Seattle. Everyone needs a hand right now. The situation is pretty ridiculous. ___ AP Writer Geoff Mulvihill in Trenton, New Jersey, contributed to this story. Turkey extends gas exploration in Mediterranean crisis The two NATO members have also been staging rival war games in a conflict that could imperil Europe's access to vast new energy deposits Turkey on Thursday extended its controversial Mediterranean gas exploration mission and ordered new navy drills as its row with Greece and France over energy and borders threatened to spiral out of control. Greece responded by ratifying an equally contentious maritime agreement with Egypt that Turkey blames for starting the latest chapter of the restless neighbours' old dispute over rights to resource-rich seas. The two NATO members have also been staging rival war games in a conflict that could imperil Europe's access to vast new energy deposits and also threatens to embroil war-torn Libya and other countries in the Middle East. Neither side appeared ready to stand down Thursday in a fast-developing crisis involving multiple navies from European powers as well as the United States. The Turkish navy said it was prolonging the stay of the Oruc Reis research vessel and its accompanying warships in waters claimed by Greece by an extra five days to Tuesday. It also announced plans to hold "gunnery exercises" at the edge of its territorial waters in the northeastern corner of the Mediterranean next Tuesday and Wednesday. "We are determined to protect our rights," Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said. Greece said Turkey's decision to extend the seismic research work southeast of Crete underscored Ankara's refusal to defuse the crisis. "It is once again shown who wants a de-escalation and who doesn't," a diplomatic source said. Its parliament later ratified an exclusive economic zone agreement with Egypt that lays claim to waters Turkey considers its own. An increasingly agitated Germany said ahead of an EU foreign ministers' meeting on the crisis in Berlin that both countries had to end their naval drills if they really wanted a peaceful solution to the dispute. "The preconditions for (direct negotiations) are that these manoeuvres in the eastern Mediterranean are stopped," German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said after completing a failed round of diplomacy in Athens and Ankara this week. Story continues - Trump gets involved - US President Donald Trump also spoke to Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday -- his first direct involvement in the dispute. The White House said Trump "expressed concern over increased tension between NATO allies Greece and Turkey". The Greek prime minister said afterwards that Athens was "ready for a significant de-escalation -- but on condition that Turkey immediately stops its provocative actions". Erdogan has already rejected any preconditions for talks with Greece. His office said Erdogan "reminded (Trump) our country was not the one creating instability in the eastern Mediterranean". Erdogan "emphasised how Turkey has taken concrete steps which proves it sides with lowering tensions and dialogue," the presidency said. Greece's European support is led by EU military powerhouse France. French frigates and fighter jets joined the Greek war games -- also including Italy and Cyprus -- on Wednesday while Turkey staged smaller ones nearby with a US navy ship. The French intervention has particularly upset Turkey. "The time for bullying is over. You have no chance of forcing us to take actions through bullying," Akar told France in a televised interview. Akar also urged Greece to stop hiding behind France or the EU and said: "As Turkey and the Greeks, we need to solve our problems by holding talks." The EU meanwhile appears divided over how to respond. Greece's push to sanction Turkey failed to get off the ground at an EU foreign ministers' video conference on August 14. Turkey's position found some support from southern European countries that would be most directly affected should Erdogan retaliate against the bloc. EU foreign ministers were expected to make a statement on the standoff on Friday. burs/zak/pma Parents and students gather at a protest supporting a lawsuit calling for the immediate reopening of schools in front of the Orange County Department of Education building in Costa Mesa, Calif., on Aug. 26, 2020. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times) Parents Gather in Support of Lawsuit to Reopen OC Schools COSTA MESA, Calif.Parents and students gathered on Aug. 26 outside the Orange County Department of Education building in Costa Mesa, California, to support a lawsuit calling on Gov. Gavin Newsom to reopen public and private schools. On Aug. 21, the law firm of Tyler & Bursch filed two petitions against Newsom and Sandra Shewry, the states public health officer, pursuing an injunction to dismiss current mandates preventing schools from reopening for in-person instruction for the 20202021 school year. The courts ordered the state to respond by Aug. 28. The Orange County Board of Education is a plaintiff in one of the two suits. Petitioners include the Palm Lane Charter School in Anaheim, Calvary Chapel of San Jose, and Calvary Murrieta Christian Schools, among others. Supporters of the lawsuit argue the governors July 17 executive order outlining his plan for schools failed to acknowledge the significant fiscal burden it places on private schools, as well as the negative impact it has on the quality of education and overall mental well-being of students. This case is of such importance and such significance, and it is so detrimental to children all across our state, that I believe the California Supreme Court recognizes that and said, Gov. Newsom, you come and stand in front of us and defend your closure, and you better provide some darn good reasons for that, Robert Tyler, an attorney for the plaintiffs, said at the Aug. 26 press conference. He is not going to be able to do that. We have many experts presented showing the fallacy of closing schools. The lawsuits say Newsoms mandates violate the 14th Amendment, which guarantees equal protection under the law, by depriving students of the proper resources to receive an adequate education. Many teachers are against returning to in-person learning until the pandemic is under control. The California Teachers Association supported Newsoms decision to move forward with the distance learning model in a July letter, arguing schools cannot reopen until they are safe. Citizens gather at a protest supporting a lawsuit calling for the immediate reopening of schools in front of the Orange County Department of Education building in Costa Mesa, Calif., on Aug. 26, 2020. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times) Unfortunately, many local districts and communities dont have the necessary resources or capacity to maintain even the most basic prevention measures of six feet physical distancing and limiting contacts, much less the other important preventative actions such as personal protective equipment (PPE), testing and tracing, or adequate ventilation and cleaning supplies, the letter states. Speaking at the Aug. 26 gathering, County Board of Education member Dr. Ken Willams said: We know that this virus is not the killer that it was said to be. In fact, according to the science and data, and from my clinical experience treating patients with COVID, children are at the lowest cohort for this disease. According to the private school suit, Newsom declared a $5.3 billion budget in funding for public schools to supplement appropriate resources needed for distance-learning models, but failed to make any portion of the funding available for private schools. Because of the unequal distribution in funding, private schools were left at a disadvantage to provide equal interaction, assignments, and support which would be equivalent to in-person learning. In an Aug. 24 press release, Tyler called the governors orders unconstitutional. They undermine the fundamental right to an education for students and threaten to force the closure of hundreds of private schools across the state who are not receiving any state funds and cannot exist without the ability to open their doors without governmental interference, the release stated. Parents have also expressed their concern for the long-term psychological impact distance learning places on their children. Deborah Nham, who attended the rally, is in favor of reopening schools immediately. A lot of kids now are suffering from depression and also self-harming behavior. Were hearing lots of reports from our friends and family of difficulty with teenagers who are just hurting right now, Nham told The Epoch Times. Another parent, Melissa Crew, said her son was cyber-bullied on an Aug. 24 Zoom call. Psychologist Shannae Anderson, who was cited in the lawsuit, said: The statewide lockdown has created a mental health crisis that put children at greater risk for abuse than ever before. I have had patients attempt suicide, relapse into drug and alcohol addiction, and need to be hospitalized for serious emotional distress. The helplessness and powerlessness that many experience in the face of the lockdown can reactivate old trauma wounds which render parents distracted and easily overwhelmed. Infectious disease specialist Dr. Michael Fitzgibbons recommended reopening schools, saying there are ways to prevent a mass spread of the disease. The infectious consequences of opening schools are manageable and can be mitigated, particularly for teachers who feel they are at risk, Williams said. County Board of Education member Mari Barke said, We know that for many children, there is far more risk to them being out of school than in school. US Capital Global Securities has fully financed its convertible note offering for the worlds first digital, tax-exempt global bank solely for businesses and high-net-worth individuals. US Capital Global Securities' convertible note offering for EQITrade Limited (EQITrade), launched at the end of April this year, was oversubscribed within 90 days, following strong interest from the investment community. US Capital Global Securities' convertible note offering for EQITrade Limited (EQITrade), launched at the end of April this year, was oversubscribed within 90 days, following strong interest from the investment community. San Francisco, California, Aug. 27, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- US Capital Global Securities LLC, an affiliate of US Capital Global, is pleased to announce that its convertible note offering for EQITrade Limited (EQITrade), launched at the end of April this year, was oversubscribed within 90 days, following strong interest from the investment community. EQITrades subsidiary, EQIBank Limited (EQIBank), is a leading digital bank for businesses and high-net-worth individuals, providing 24/7 cloud-based banking in multiple currencies to 180 countries and territories. Unlike its competitors, its services are offshore and tax-exempt. Headquartered in San Francisco, US Capital Global is a full-service private financial group with an established track record in corporate finance, asset management, and capital formation services. All private placements, securities, and other related services are offered by the groups FINRA-registered broker-dealer affiliate, US Capital Global Securities LLC. We are very pleased that the convertible note offering for this market-disruptive FinTech firm was oversubscribed in just 90 days, said Charles Towle, CEO at US Capital Global Securities. This financing allows EQITrade to channel resources into further developing its services, as the company continues to pursue its mission of ushering in a much-needed evolution in the global banking industry. If you are interested in investing in EQITrade, we have a separate $5 million equity offering for EQITrade that remains open to eligible investors. Story continues About EQIBank Limited EQIBank is one of the worlds leading innovative banks and strives to provide more products to more countries than any other digital bank. EQIBank is the worlds first global digital bank aimed solely at businesses and high-net-worth individuals and provides offshore, tax-exempt, and tailored personal and corporate banking services to clients in 180 countries and territories. With 24/7 cloud-based access, real time insights, and high barriers to entry, EQIBanks strategy is to accelerate simplification, using Open Banking Standards and Open APIs to create a new global standard of banking. www.eqibank.com About US Capital Global US Capital Global Securities LLC is the FINRA-registered broker-dealer division of US Capital Global that acts as placement agent for growth-stage companies, projects, and investment funds. Since 1998, the US Capital Global team has been committed to providing small and lower middle market businesses and investors with sophisticated debt, equity, and investment opportunities usually available only to larger middle market companies and institutional investors, using the latest FinTech and RegTech innovation. US Capital Global entities manage direct investment funds and provide wealth management and capital raise services. US Capital Global Securities, LLC or its affiliates may provide advice to, be compensated by, or may from time to time acquire, hold or sell a position in the securities of, the issuers mentioned herein. Any such offer or solicitation shall be made only pursuant to the confidential private placement memorandum. View USCGS Form CRS at www.uscgs.com/crs.html. To learn more about US Capital Global Securities, email Charles Towle, CEO, at ctowle@uscgs.com or call +1 415-889-1010. Attachment CONTACT: Vanessa Guajardo US Capital Global +1 (415) 889-1045 media@uscapglobal.com Avail Finance, a blue collar-focused lending startup has raised a fresh round of funding from Alphawave Incubation Fund and Matrix Partners after a gap of nearly 13 months. The Bengaluru-based company raised Rs 85.6 crore in a Series B funding round, according to the report in ENTRACKR. Falcon Edge Capital-managed Alphawave took the lead in the latest round infusing Rs 57 crore while Matrix Partners invested Rs 30.2 crore. As per a regulatory filing, the issue price was Rs 2060.25 and Avail Finance allotted 423,044 Series B CCPS and 10 equity shares. Matrix Partners will be among the biggest stakeholders post allotment with nearly 26.4 percent share. Alphawave will hold 11.5 percent stake. With this round, Avail Finance's valuation reaches nearly Rs 500 crore, according to Fintrackr's calculation estimates. In July last year, the company had secured around $3 million from Ola. Previously, Avail had raised $9 million in June last year from existing investor Matrix Partners India. The company has raked in over $37 million since its inception backed by the likes of Ola founders Ankit Bhati, Bhavish Aggarwal, Cred founder Kunal Shah, Flipkarts co-founder Binny Bansal and Mswipes founder Manish Patel. In February 2017, Ankush Aggarwal and Tushar Mehndiratta founded Avail Finance. It caters to Indias blue-collared workforce, who are currently underserved by organized lending institutions. To provide financial products to their workers, it partnered with blue-collar workforces of service aggregators such as Ola, Swiggy, Ecom Express, Quess Corp. As of January 2020, the platform claims to have cumulatively disbursed loans of over Rs 250 crore to one million customers. It provides collateral-free personal loans of up to Rs 20,000 to meet their financial needs. According to the company, there is no interest for a personal loan of Rs 5,000 for a month. A security guard was removed from a Victorian quarantine hotel after he slipped an inappropriate note under a guest's door. Emails released by Victoria's hotel quarantine inquiry on Thursday reveal the incident took place at the Crowne Plaza on April 14. "The note said something like 'Hey hun, add me on Snapchat' - she looked up his name on Facebook and it's a security guard and wants to complain," the email reads. The security guard had earlier taken the woman outside for a fresh air break. PICTURED: Quarantine staff directing guests outside a different hotel in Melbourne's CBD. Source: AAP Senior Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions employee Paul Xerri replied, saying: "I will contact Wilson Security now to have this guard removed". Another person from the department noted it was the "second such incident this week and unacceptable". "Paul as you would be aware - we have had significant issues with Wilson from day dot," Global Victoria chief executive officer Gonul Serbest wrote in a later reply, asking if it was possible to stop using the company. In another email exchange, Jobs department staff complain about the lack of police presence at hotels, referring to an incident at Crown Metropol on March 30, during which a man escaped from his hotel room at 3am for a cigarette. "We'll use this to bolster our case to DHHS that they should insist on a 24/7 police presence. Sydney have the army there for Pete's sake," the email reads. Claire Febey, an executive director with the department, told the inquiry police wanted private security guards to take the lead role in guarding the hotels. She was present at a meeting on March 27 when Emergency Management Victoria Commissioner Andrew Crisp and Victoria Police Commander Mick Grainger made the decision. "I understand the preference of Victoria Police, or the Chief Commissioner, is that private security be the first line of security, and the police to respond as required. Is that your understanding, Mick?" Mr Crisp said, according to a transcript of the meeting. "Absolutely that's our preference," Mr Grainger replied. Story continues "So just curious as to who's going to take responsibility around contracting private security? Is that DJPR? Claire?" Mr Crisp said. "Yes. I understand that that's for us to take up," Ms Febey replied. Ms Febey believed police needed to be present at the hotels, despite the arrangement. "It was my view that Victoria Police should be present on-site at hotels 24/7, and that perimeter or proximate patrol was not adequate," she said. She escalated her concerns but was informed it was "sufficient for Victoria Police to be called through 000" if there was an emergency. The security guard was removed from the Crowne Plaza hotel (pictured) after slipping a guest an inappropriate note. Source: Google Maps "I continued to press the issue, but gained no traction," Ms Febey said. Katrina Currie, also from the Jobs department, was instructed late on March 27 to find security guards for the program. The first company to reply to her email the following morning was Unified Security. They were hired to work at the first hotels, which began taking returned travellers on March 29. MSS Security and Wilson were later awarded contracts. Ms Currie told the inquiry her team looked for both "large and good employers" who paid award wages. "I didn't think that they would use subcontractors. Part of the reason I was asking about award conditions was making sure that they were directly employing them," Ms Currie said. Under cross-examination, she admitted it was possible subcontracting had been mentioned in conversations with the security companies. She said each firm would have to supply personal protective equipment for their staff as it was in "short supply". Ms Febey told the inquiry her department wanted all staff involved in the program to wear PPE but the "DHHS was seeking to limit and conserve PPE usage". The inquiry resumes on Friday, with hotel bosses to be called to give evidence. 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. NEGAUNEE, MI The roof collapsed into a 94-year-old Upper Peninsula theater on Wednesday. There were no injuries, but the group that manages the Vista Theater in Negaunee still considers the event a catastrophe, the Associated Press reports. Preliminary speculation suggests the building can be saved. Here's an aerial view of the devastating roof collapse of the Historic Vista Theater in Negaunee, as seen by TV6's... Posted by TV6 & FOX UP on Wednesday, August 26, 2020 The theater has been closed since March due to restrictions related to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. However, the fate of the building will be up to the community, Nate Heffron, Peninsula Arts Appreciation Council president and Negaunee city manager, told Upper Michigans Source. It would be an awful shame to lose another iconic building in our downtown especially one of this size and one that is actually unique to the area, he said. The roof collapsed onto the balcony and stage areas of the venue, Heffron said. The cause is yet unknown, but it could be related to a buildup in gutters preventing water from draining and adding weight to the flat roof. The Vista opened in 1926. Locals formed the Peninsula Arts Appreciation Council in 1973 and took over operations. The theater is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. A grant allowed the theater to install a digital movie projector and screen in 2014. READ MORE: After bears spotted in Michigan campground, Forest Service says to be bear aware Michigan clerks to state lawmakers: We need more time to count November ballots Ann Arbor bans tubing at popular Argo Cascades on Huron River due to COVID-19 Olam Ghana, a leading food and agribusiness and one of Ghanas biggest licenced cocoa buying companies, reaching over 180,000 cocoa farmers, has donated consignments of medical supplies to three hospitals in support of the governments efforts to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country. The company presented medical gear comprising N95 face masks, thermometer guns, personal protective equipment (PPE), disinfectants and sanitisers to Dawurampong District Hospital, Sogakope District Hospital and Koforidua Regional Hospital in the Central, Volta, and Eastern regions respectively. All three hospitals reported previous shortages of PPE. On receiving the donation, Acting Medical Superintendent at Dawurampong District Hospital, Dr. Raphael Brefo Takyi commented: Our hospital is only two years old, so we do not generate enough funds to be able to buy these supplies in sustainable quantities. What we have received from Olam today will go a long way to improve the situation here. Dr Ako Akoto Ampaw, Medical Director at Koforidua Hospital expressed gratitude to Olam Ghana, stressing that although the supplies may be meant for the entire region, it is appropriate that the regional hospital should be well resourced since it is a referral health delivery facility. Meanwhile, the Eastern Regional Minister the Hon. Eric Kwakye Darfuor, who witnessed the donation being presented noted that frontline health workers are the ones selflessly putting themselves at risk to help others during the pandemic, adding thats why we are happy to have corporate institutions with a high sense of benevolence like Olam to make such significant contributions to our health delivery effort. The donation is part of Olam Ghanas wider relief efforts for frontline workers and rural communities since March, when the country recorded its first case of COVID. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video WASHINGTON Privately held drone maker General Atomics, of San Diego, is laying off approximately 630 of its roughly 10,000 employees. General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. can confirm a reduction in force involving 6% of its workforce, a spokesperson wrote in an email to Defense News late Wednesday. This reduction was made to balance resources with customer requirements. The layoffs were announced internally Wednesday and confirmed by the company, which did not specify which operations were impacted. General Atomics and Northrop Grumman were two beneficiaries of the Trump administrations recent decision to ease restrictions on overseas sales of unmanned aircraft. In addition, lawmakers are expected to boost Reaper buys in the near term, with House appropriators proposing to give General Atomics $344 million for 16 more MQ-9s in fiscal 2021. But the company was also dealt a blow earlier this year when the Air Force announced it would stop buying the MQ-9 Reaper in fiscal year 2021, at least four years earlier than expected. And now the future of the program remains uncertain, with the Air Force looking at options to replace the MQ-9 Reaper. Over the past two decades, the Reaper has served as one of the Air Forces workhorse drones for surveillance and for striking targets in the Middle East. But service leaders believe it is ill-suited for a war with Russia and China. In addition, they believe it costs too much time and money to keep the aircraft ready for operations in low-threat environments. The Reaper has been a great platform for us. Four million flight hours, just undeniable overmatch in a low-end uncontested fight, and it is certainly saving lives, Air Force acquisition executive Will Roper told lawmakers at a House Armed Services Committee hearing this March. But as we look to the high-end fight, we just cant take them into the battlefield. They are easily shot down. In June, the Air Force issued a request for information for an MQ-9 successor, underscoring the services plan to transition from the Reaper to a new surveillance and strike drone. The Allahabad High Court had granted protection from arrest to Supriya Sharma, executive editor of a leading news website in connection to an FIR lodged against her on the complaint of a Varanasi resident who alleged misrepresentation of her statements. A division bench comprising justice Manoj Misra and Anil Kumar on Tuesday disposed of the petition filed by Supriya Sharma seeking quashing of the FIR registered against her. The FIR was lodged at the Ramnagar police station by one Mala Devi, a resident of Varanasis Domari village, who complained that Sharma misrepresented her statements and made false claims in her media report. The petitioners counsels plea was that Sharma was in possession of an audio recording of the interview, the contents of which were reflected in the publication. The publication was a true representation of what was stated in the interview and the publication was made in public interest to highlight the condition of certain persons during nationwide lockdown in March this year. The court after hearing parties concerned, disposed off the petition while observing, considering the facts and circumstances of the case and keeping in mind that the petitioners claim that they have audio recording of the interview, the contents of which were reflected in the publication, we deem it appropriate to dispose off this petition by providing that investigation of the case shall continue and brought to its logical conclusion but petitioners shall not be arrested in the above case till submission of police report. On June 13, police registered an FIR on a complaint by Mala Devi that Sharma misrepresented her statements and made false claims in her report. In her report, Sharma had quoted Mala saying that she faced extreme hardship, including lack of food or rations during the lockdown. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON NAIROBI SMEs in the East African region are using digital transformation initiatives to increase their competitiveness and ensure they are set for growth despite challenging trading conditions. According to Pedro Guerreiro, Managing Director: Central Africa at SAP, investments into new technologies will greatly assist SMEs in the region as they adapt to a very different operating environment. As one of the most important drivers for job creation and economic growth, the SME sector is vital to the regions economic recovery. Technology will continue to play a determining role in how well the sector recovers from this years events, while also digitally-tooling organisations to out-perform their competitors in this new economy and enabling them to execute the business, operate, and thrive in the market. In 2017, SMEs accounted for 98% of all businesses in Kenya and created 30% of all jobs annually. According to the International Trade Centre, SMEs contributed 34% of Kenyas GDP in 2016. However, the impact of the coronavirus pandemic should not be underestimated: a recent Deloitte study found a 50% reduction in household and business spending, with direct consequences for the countrys SME sector. SMEs will need to reduce inefficiencies and improve decision-making to ensure they continue to survive and thrive despite our current challenges, says Guerreiro. In an encouraging sign, a growing number of East African SMEs are leveraging technology to improve business decision-making and drive greater efficiency across their operations. Gaining insight into total business performance Guerreiro says gaining granular insight into the financial and overall performance of the business is essential to the growth and survival of SMEs. Business leaders can no longer make educated guesses about the performance of the business. You need certainty over the total performance of the business at all times, not weeks or months after the fact. For Kenyan candy manufacturer Mzuri Sweets, an over-reliance on spreadsheets and manual processing for reporting hampered the companys growth efforts. The company employs 800 people and provides a range of confectionary goods to the Kenyan market. After choosing SAP Business One and working with SAP implementation partner ACEteK, Mzuri Sweets now have a fully automated system that is accessible from web and mobile, enabling directors to make approvals from any location. Ashika Modasia, Senior Accountant at Mzuri Sweets Ltd, says: SAP Business One has united our company into one platform, bringing visibility to our management and allowing us to focus on growth. Stationery manufacturer Safari Stationers faced a similar issue. Its previous accounting system could not support the growth of a low margin, high volume business. Company management knew it needed a new system that could provide accurate monitoring and synchronise its operations. Following the implementation of SAP Business One, Safari Stationers can monitor credit more easily, set up sales parameters to ensure only the correct number of orders are taken, while accessing richly detailed reports that have improved decision-making across the business. General Manager Deepti Vara says: Its been a smart and efficient journey with SAP Business One, and we are excited for the future. Automation pays off for Mauritian engineering firm Guerreiro adds: Having systems and processes in place that automate back-office operations can also free up valuable internal resources, which can be deployed to high-value areas to support the SMEs growth. This was certainly the case for Mauritian engineering services firm Sotramon Limitee. With access to only basic accounting information and relying on manual processes, the company could not rely on its existing systems to support adequate stock taking, analysis or up to date information about the business. ACEteK supported the companys digital transformation with an SAP Business One implementation that sought to replace manual operations with automated processes that enabled easy access to up-to-date reports. Sotramon Chief Executive Officer Barbara Ah-Sue says: SAP Business One has changed my life. It has given my business independence, accessibility and versatility. Guerreiro believes there is great potential for further investment into new technologies that could help SMEs unlock new market opportunities. Ultimately SMEs should strive to become Intelligent Enterprises that apply advanced technologies within integrated, agile business processes to turn insight into action. As the sector expands its capabilities, SMEs will be better placed to sense opportunities, risks and trends, and take advantage of market opportunities. Related ORANGE Ronnie Fregia is a good neighbor, so he spent Thursday morning helping his friend Mike Lowe rebuild the front wall of his insurance business along Texas 87. As claims go, Lowes was on the lighter side after Laura came and went with little of the coastal calamity forecasters predicted. This is just some wind damage, it could have been a whole lot worse for a lot of people, Fregia, a homebuilder, said as he sized up reattaching the wall. East Texas was mostly spared the sucker-punch Hurricane Laura instead delivered to Louisiana, which state officials credited to luck and local planning efforts that readied resources and got many of the most vulnerable out of harms way. We dodged a bullet, Gov. Greg Abbott said after an aerial tour and meeting with federal, state and local officials. Damage was worst inside Orange city limits where utility crews and locals armed with chainsaws Thursday made logs out of downed trees that pulled power lines with them. Areas close to the Sabine River also found streets flooded but passable by pickup. For most, the storms effect came down to whether a tree fell or whether wind got a good head start on a weak spot in the glass or wall. George Lambing wasnt shocked to find a tree hit his garage when he returned to Orange. His wife foretold it. Yall are going to think Im crazy, but Im not, Teresa Fulcher-Welch said, noting days ago she dreamed a tree would hit the house. So with Lambing on recovery team duty at a nearby chemical plant she skipped town to Oklahoma days ago and headed back early Thursday morning. It wasnt her first time having a premonition protect her. The couple bought flood insurance three years and 45 days ago less than seven weeks before Harvey put a foot of water inside their house at Fulcher-Welchs sudden urging. The $400 or so dollars saved them thousands, Lambing said. This time theyre likely on the hook for more of the cost, but counting their blessings. One of the two toppled trees punched through the garage roof but not the house. A huge limb broke off indoors and landed inches from Lambings prized BMW M3, which appeared untouched. Another branch punctured the overhang. Leaves and tiny branches spread across the back deck like someone set off a shrubbery grenade. Two-thirds of Orange County was without power, County Judge John Gothia said, among an estimated 160,000 cut off by storm damaged electrical lines. Relative to the recovery needs east of the border, even some of the most affected were shrugging off some of the lingering effects of Laura. Elton Robert rode out the storm with his dog Bruce, four blocks from the Sabine River that officials worried would overflow into Orange. The river rose and entered Roberts neighborhood, but not his small rental house. A foot of water on the stoop and no power wasnt enough to shake Roberts spirits. Ive rode out every storm, this one wasnt so bad, he said as Bruce bounced around his knees and he reached down to tussle with him. You rode out the storm, good boy. Moments later, it was as if the storm was a blessing for Bruce. A half-deflated beach ball floated by. Robert kicked it and Bruce gave chase, latching his new toy and dragging it back into the haunch-high water. Get it, Robert urged, the gray cloudy sky behind him starting to show a hint of blue. Galveston gets moving On the Houston side of the massive storm warnings heralding Lauras landfall for the past four days, people found themselves in a much more fortunate place. Galvestonians, who have long memories of violent storms such as Hurricane Ike in 2008, breathed a sigh of relief. On Thursday afternoon, many Bolivar residents had not yet returned to their homes, but Lee Crowder, a road administrator for Galveston County, sat in a pickup truck on the beach assessing the damage. He said no houses or structures were damaged but estimated the peninsula lost roughly half of its dunes. The debris and trash present a difficult challenge for Crowder and his team as the state and county have regulations preventing bulldozers from plowing through the sand due to coastal erosion. Were trying to figure that out now, he said. Might just end up having to handpick the litter off the beach. Kenneth Nutt walked the beach from a second home in Crystal Beach that he is days away from closing. Nutt, a Tomball resident, hopped on the first ferry to Bolivar on Thursday to make sure his new investment was still intact. All good, even the grass wasnt wet, he said. On Seawall Boulevard, the high tide had receded from its peak of about 3 feet above normal levels and the surf had calmed down significantly. There was even enough of a beach for dog walkers to stroll. Brian Jarvis stood on that narrow strip of beach Thursday morning filming the surf conditions to post clips on Facebook. Came down yesterday at 11 a.m. and filmed it because my friends were going out surfing, Jarvis said. By 7 p.m. there was a 12 to 15 foot sea out there. Jarvis, a surf instructor, said he stayed behind in Galveston because he says he knew all along the storm wouldnt be much of a threat. Believe it or not Ive already got bookings for this weekend, he said. Resilience needed Weather helped when forecasts of severe surges and havoc-causing winds didnt materialize on the Texas side of the border, but state and federal officials also credited well-controlled local evacuations. Abbott said city, county, state and federal officials communicated throughout, quickly putting disaster declarations in place. Those declarations allowed contract buses to evacuate those unable to leave on their own, and put state and federal resources in place for faster recovery. Around 80 guardsmen with the 386th Engineering Battalion were among 200 emergency responders who waited out Laura at the Ford Park Arena in Beaumont along with others from Texas A&M Task Force 1, and a number of fire department units from around the state, one of them from San Antonio. Many slept fitfully at the arena as the storm enveloped the area, delivering winds that topped 70 mph and heavy rain. By 8 a.m., Texas Guard reconnaissance teams were searching for high water and structural damage but most of the soldiers waited with their high-water trucks. No orders arrived by noon. Weve put people out in the field to do surveys and recon missions, to do damage assessment, to see if there was a need for our services, and were in constant contact with the local authorities, task force leader Danny Snell said. Sadly, all the swift work to make recovery smoother comes from a lot of experience. We know how to handle these hurricanes, but Lord if youre listening, we dont need any more practice, said U.S. Rep. Randy Weber, who represents nearby portions of Beaumont and Port Arthur. Despite the lack of severe injuries or widespread damage, officials said Laura demonstrates the need for more investment in storm protection. Texas Sen. John Cornyn and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick both pushed for keeping plans for coastal protections in place, including the proposed Ike Dike storm protection system for Galveston and the Houston Ship Channel. The threat of storm surge from Laura sent four coastal counties in Texas fleeing, and one day those evacuees could return to washed-away communities. I think it underscores the need for the Ike Dike, Patrick said of Lauras devastation in Louisiana. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz has championed other storm protections expanded from Beaumont and Port Arthur, with officials recently beginning construction on the first of 27 miles of enhanced levees along the Sabine River and coastal areas of Orange County. Officials also urged people not to think avoiding Laura means they can lower their guard. This is not the time to high-five and go home, said state emergency management director Nim Kidd. This is the time to plan for the next one. Sig Christenson and Diane Cowen contributed to this report. dug.begley@chron.com nick.powell@chron.com Trucks line up to drop off their loads at the Port of Los Angeles on August 27, 2020. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times) California air quality officials have adopted their biggest pollution-cutting regulations in more than a decade, targeting diesel trucks and cargo ships that spew much of the state's health-damaging pollution. The pair of rules approved Thursday by the state Air Resources Board will be crucial in reducing smog and cancer risk to millions of Californians who, despite years of gradual improvement, still breathe the nations worst-polluted air. One establishes stringent new emissions standards for heavy-duty diesel trucks, and the other requires more ships docked at ports to plug into electric power or scrub their exhaust. The measures are part of a multiyear push to clean up freight-moving industries that are both a lifeblood of California's economy and its dominant source of harmful pollution. Diesel trucks emit nearly one-third of smog-forming nitrogen oxides and more than one-quarter of diesel particulate matter in the state. Oceangoing ships are projected to surpass trucks to become Southern Californias largest source of nitrogen oxides by 2023. Were going after the two big polluters within port complexes and goods movement across the state, Air Resources Board member Hector De La Torre said.. The truck standards face significant opposition from engine manufacturers and truckers, while ports and labor unions have sought to delay the ship pollution reduction measures, citing the COVID-19 pandemic. But the measures can't come soon enough for people living near ports, warehouses and other freight-clogged areas, largely lower-income communities of color that have long suffered disproportionately from dirty air and higher rates of cancer and asthma. Bill Magavern, policy director for the Coalition for Clean Air, said it was the 16-member panels biggest day in over a decade for reducing the toxic diesel exhaust that is choking our communities. Tougher truck rules could, however, add to California's many legal battles with the Trump administration. Much like the fight over auto emissions, California's move to adopt its own stricter rules for heavy-duty trucks puts the state at odds with federal officials and manufacturers, who want a single, nationwide standard. Story continues But the measures are crucial for Southern California, which has little hope of meeting looming deadlines to clean its smog to federal health standards without swift and dramatic cuts in truck and ship emissions. A man walks along the Wilmington Waterfront Park against a backdrop of the Port of Los Angeles. California officials adopted pollution-cutting regulations targeting diesel trucks and cargo ships. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times) South Coast Air Quality Management District Executive Officer Wayne Nastri, who oversees the four-county region of Southern California with the nations worst smog, called the truck emissions rule a necessary but insufficient measure to achieve healthful air quality for the 17 million California residents living in the South Coast Basin. Also eager for tougher action are people living in communities such as San Bernardino, who have long paid with their health for environmental regulators' failure to clean smog to federal standards. San Bernardino has experienced a boom in warehouse logistic centers that attract diesel trucks to an area with some of the nations highest levels of ozone, the invisible gas in smog that inflames the lungs and triggers asthma and other respiratory problems. Alejandra Davila, a 23-year-old education liaison, grew up in San Bernardino from age 7. But she didnt understand how bad the smog really was until she went away for college in Massachusetts and breathed the clean air there. Davila has watched her mother, a high school Spanish teacher, suffer from asthma that has gotten worse over the years. It didnt even dawn on me until recently that maybe the reason that shes having such a hard time breathing is because we are in San Bernardino, there are so many trucks coming in and out, and theres no oversight on the air quality. Davila welcomes tougher emissions rules as a step in the right direction, but I wish something could be done to directly improve the air quality in the next year and mitigate the harm that has already been done she said. Every day that we wait is a day that somebodys asthma gets worse. The new standards would reduce allowable emissions of nitrogen oxides from new trucks 90% by 2027. The rule, which has been in development for more than seven years, is the states biggest cut in smog-forming pollutants since 2008 and is equivalent to taking 16 million cars off the road, according to the air board. That's nearly two-thirds of 26 million light-duty vehicles currently operating in California. Curbing those emissions will prevent about 3,900 early deaths and 3,150 hospitalizations, according to the air board, which valued health benefits of the standards at nearly $37 billion, far outweighing the $4.5 billion it will cost engine manufacturers to meet them. Much of the costs will be passed on to customers, increasing the price of a truck in California by up to 6%. Vehicle and engine manufacturers have fought the new standards to avoid the headache of designing and producing vehicles for two sets of standards: one for California and other like-minded states that adopt its rules, and one for the rest of the country. The Truck and Engine Manufacturers Assn. submitted more than 300 pages of comments opposing the measures as an extremely aggressive California-only regulatory program, with provisions so onerous and costly they would force some producers to leave the California market. The Chicago-based trade association said the COVID-19 pandemic has crippled the industrys research and development and its capabilities to develop less-polluting products. California-only standards will achieve less emission reduction in California than a national approach while also hurting the competitiveness of California-based truckers, said Chris Shimoda, vice president of government affairs for the California Trucking Assn. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced in 2018 that it would pursue new nationwide emissions standards to clean nitrogen oxide emissions from trucks, but has lagged behind schedule and is not expected to unveil its proposal until after the November election. "The EPA continues to work on the Cleaner Trucks Initiative," EPA spokeswoman Enesta Jones said in an email Wednesday. "As with any large regulatory effort, schedules get adjusted on a regular basis," she said, but she did not have a comment on California's proposed rules. California air board officials said they have worked with the EPA and negotiated for years with manufacturers but could not justify further delay because of the severity of Californias air pollution and the uncertainty over whether the Trump administration would act. The rules adopted Thursday would also overhaul emissions-testing procedures to better account for real-world driving, including when trucks are idling, traveling slowly or in stop-and-go traffic and are known to release much higher levels of pollution. The new diesel emissions standards are intended to work in concert with a pioneering sales mandate the air board adopted in June requiring manufacturers to transition to zero-emission electric or fuel cell models until every new truck sold in the state is zero-emission by 2045. "Diesel emissions are bad for health and weve got to get rid of diesel, said Dr. John Balmes, a professor of medicine at UC San Francisco who sits on the Air Resources Board. "But since we still need to have some diesel vehicles for the short term, they have to be as clean as possible. The ship pollution measures approved by the board will expand state regulations to increase the number of ships that, while docked in port, must either shut down their auxiliary engines and plug into shore-based electricity or connect to machines that clean their exhaust. Over time, more types of vessels, including oil tankers and ships that transport vehicles, would be subject to the rules. A health analysis last year by air board staff found the new rules would reduce cancer risk for about 2.4 million residents living around the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. The Air Resources Board had planned to bring the measures for a final vote in the spring, and had accelerated the implementation schedule after criticism from community groups and environmentalists that health benefits would come too slowly. But officials backtracked after COVID-19 hit and brought calls from ports, dockworkers and the shipping industry to delay the rules, citing the pandemic. They also added provisions that would allow compliance by funding emissions reduction projects elsewhere, such as cleaner locomotives. Still, dockworkers fear the rules will divert shipments to other ports with fewer environmental requirements. Theyre going to turn around and say Im going to Houston because theres no standard there, said Danny Miranda, president of International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 94. That could come at the cost of good-paying jobs, he said, especially in unloading so-called roll-on/roll-off ships. They carry vehicles that must be driven off one by one, a labor-intensive process that can take more than 30 longshoremen eight hours to complete. The implementation delays disappointed environmentalists, who want ship pollution reined in as quickly as possible to ease the health damage to hard-hit communities like Wilmington, West Long Beach and West Oakland. Francis Yang, a Long Beach-based organizer with the Sierra Clubs My Generation campaign, said that millions of lives have already been affected and even some are lost from pollution by a goods movement hubs that built their empires off the lungs of Black and brown communities. Theyve externalized all their costs off the health of people. Neither the truck nor ship rules will bring immediate air quality improvements because they do not start taking effect until 2023 or later and take years more to phase in. Thats more time that ships continue to pollute our air," Yang said. "That's more time for the same front-line communities to have to wait to breathe. African Development Bank (AfDB) head Akinwumi Adesina was re-elected on Thursday for a second five-year term, after a prolonged storm about governance that was resolved by an independent inquiry. Adesina, a 60-year-old former Nigerian agriculture minister, "obtained 100 percent of the votes of all regional and non-regional members of the bank," the AfDB said after its annual meeting in Abidjan, adding that his next term will begin on September 1. Adesina was the sole candidate, but his bid for a second term had been clouded by whistleblower allegations -- later rejected -- that graft, poor management and favouritism had flourished under his watch. Adesina, the son of a farming family, in 2015 became the first Nigerian to head the bank, one of the world's five biggest multilateral lenders and an important but often unseen player in economic development. He gained continent-wide recognition last October when the AfDB secured $115 billion (105 billion euros) in funding pledges, a move that doubled its capital and cemented its triple-A credit rating. Criticism of his managerial style emerged after the bank was shaken by a string of departures when he took over. A 15-page report by whistleblowers earlier this year triggered an internal inquiry by the bank's ethics committee, which cleared him. The United States then intervened, calling for an external investigation. A three-person outside panel, led by former Irish president Mary Robinson alongside The Gambia's chief justice Hassan Jallow and the World Bank's former integrity vice president, Leonard McCarthy, carried out its own review. Its report, issued last month, said Adesina had been correctly investigated and that the panel "concurs with the (ethics) committee in respect of all the allegations" against him. In its statement on Thursday, the head of the AfDB's board, Niale Kaba, who is also the Ivory Coast's development minister, said she was "delighted" that Adesina had been re-elected. "As shareholders, we firmly support the Bank and will give Mr Adesina every necessary support to pursue and carry out his persuasive vision for the Bank over the next five years," she said. The AfdB said that during Adesina's first term, lending by the bank had benefited the lives of 335 million Africans, in areas such as access to electricity, transport and sewerage. The 56-year-old institution estimates that Africa could lose at least $173 billion (147 billion euros) in GDP in 2020 and $236 billion in 2021 as a result of the economic fallout from the Covid-19 crisis. The bank set up a coronavirus funding mechanism up to $10 billion in April. Mike Pence speaks at the Republican National Convention: AFP via Getty Images Vice President Mike Pence warned November's election is about "whether America remains America" as Republicans used the third night of the nominating convention to push back on notions that Donald Trump disparages women and harbours racist views. The Republican National Convention started rather flat, with a series of speeches that did little but defend the president in sometimes-personal but sometimes-banal ways. They made statements that contradicted his administration's record and compared him to former presidents like Abraham Lincoln, suggesting it is difficult to see where the 16th chief executive's record on race ends that th 45th's begins. "The choice in this election has never been clearer and the stakes have never been higher," Mr Pence said at Fort McHenry in Baltimore, where Mr Trump made a surprise appearance. "Last week, Joe Biden said democracy is on the ballot, but the truth is...our economic recovery is on the ballot, law and order is on the ballot. But so are things far more fundamental and foundational to our country. "It's not so much whether America will be more conservative or more liberal, more Republican or more Democrat. The choice in this election is whether America remains America," the VP said, also falsely claiming of the coronavirus: "We are stopping the spread." With his boss and running mate looking on, Mr Pence also went directly after former Vice President Joe Biden, the Democratic nominee for president. "President Trump and I know the men and women that put on the uniform of law enforcement are the best of us. They put their lives on the line every day," he said. "The American people know we don't have to choose between supporting law enforcement, and standing with African-American neighbours to improve the quality of life in our cities and towns." Republicans again opted against acknowledging the shooting of Jacob Blake, a black man, by a white police officer. Instead, they criticised Democratic mayors and state officials for allegedly hindering police departments. "The violence and bloodshed we are seeing ... isn't happening by chance. It's the direct re result of refusing to allow law enforcement to protect our communities," said Michael McHale, now with the Sarasota Manatee Airport Authority Police Department. He contended that Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris, as California state attorney general, cut police funding and training "and made our streets even more dangerous than they already are." Story continues Mr Pence also did not directly acknowledge the shooting of Mr Blake, instead suggesting there would be even more violence under a Biden administration. "Joe Biden says America is systemically racist. And that law enforcement in America has a quote, 'implicit bias' against minorities," the VP said. "And when asked whether he'd support cutting funding to law enforcement, and he replied, 'Yes, absolutely.' The hard truth is...you won't be safe in Joe Biden's America." Other speakers hailed the president as pro-woman, pro-life and pro-preexisting conditions. The campaign and Republican National Committee appeared to feel a need to paint him as all three since he has said disparaging things about women and tried to dismantle part of the Affordable Care Act that protected those medical ailments. Just about every speaker used three words Mr Trump does daily: "far left" and "radical" when talking about Democrats. Crises abound As the vice president delivered the night's keynote address, cable news chyrons for most of the day painted a bleak picture of that state of the country. They, at once, gave details of ongoing violence in Kenosha, Wisconsin, after a black man was shot and paralysed by a white police officer; two hurricanes barrelling towards the Gulf Coast; and the usual political division and mud-slinging. Even before Republicans kicked of the third night of their nominating event, one of their general election foes took umbrage with the tone of the convention. "Watching the republican convention this week we've seen what they have to offer," Senator Kamala Harris, the Democratic vice presidential nominee. "It's been about darkness and division and clearly no plan to lead our country." The president and vice president addressed the convention's third night on a day they received a mixed bag of news from new polls, with one survey showing the 2020 race narrowing in key battleground states. On the negative side for the Trump-Pence campaign: Two new polls showed Mr Trump garnering the support of under 40 per cent of voters. A HarrisX survey put Mr Biden up 47-38, and an Ispos poll put the former VP up 44-37. Another, from YouGov, gave Mr Biden a 9-point lead: 50-41. But on the positive side, a Change Research survey of a list of swing states shows the race narrowing in the places that will decide the election. Mr Trump has pulled within 5 points in Wisconsin, 3 points in Pennsylvania, 3 points in Florida, and 2 points in Arizona. Mr Biden now leads by one point in North Carolina, where he and the president have traded the lead in a number of surveys -- suggesting a dead heat there. The same survey showed the race remaining a 6-point Biden advantage in Michigan. The Trump-Pence ticket won each of those states in 2016. 'Who do you trust'? The GOP duo headlined their re-election convention's third of four nights in prime time hours after the president made, without supporting evidence, a claim that Mr Biden was drugged during the final Democratic debate when he went one-on-one with Senator Bernie Sanders. "Nobody thought that he was even going to win," Mr Trump told the Washington Examiner earlier in the day. "Because his debate performances were so bad. Frankly, his best performance was against Bernie. "We're going to call for a drug test, by the way, because his best performance was against Bernie. It wasn't that he was Winston Churchill because he wasn't, but it was a normal, boring debate," he added. "You know, nothing amazing happened. And we are going to call for a drug test because there's no way you can't do that." Hours later, Mr Pence, like Republicans have since Mr Biden secured the Democratic nomination, tried linking the former VP to his final party debate foe, the party's progressive standard-bearer. "Bernie Sanders did tell his followers that Joe Biden would be the most liberal president of modern times, and confirmed that, quote, 'Many of the ideas we fought for, that just a few years ago were considered radical, are now mainstream," Mr Pence said, adding with the kind of fawning praise for the president that has dominated the week: "On November 3rd, ask yourself: Who do you trust to rebuild this economy? A career politician who presided over the slowest economic recovery since the Great Depression? Or a proven leader who created the greatest economy in the world?" Read more Biden campaign calls China's treatment of Uighur Muslims 'genocide' Kellyanne Conway claims Trump thinks 'women are equal' Kayleigh McEnany says Trump supports pre-existing condition coverage Teenage suspect in Kenosha shooting was in front row of Trump rally Fox News refuses to run anti-Trump ad during RNC, teachers' union says 'The equipment that you make for us must be the best in the world so that it complements the Indian soldier who is without doubt the very best in the world.' Ajai Shukla reports. Kindly note that the image has only been posted for representational reasons. Photograph: Kind courtesy, mahindraarmored.com Senior Indian Army generals and ministry of defence officials told defence industry executives recently that further curbs would be imposed on the import of defence equipment. To help deal with that, the defence industry was issued a list of items that needed to be developed in the country. Raj Kumar, the MoD's secretary of defence production, addressing a virtual meeting organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, said the MoD's recently issued list of 101 defence items embargoed for import would soon be expanded. "We are examining when the second list will come, and we expect you to come forward and start investing to meet our requirements... Domestic industry will now have to shoulder the responsibility of (supplying) embargoed items domestically," said Kumar. The army's Vice-Chief, Lieutenant General S K Saini, and Deputy Chief Lieutenant General S S Hasabnis, emphasised that indigenisation would not be accompanied by any compromise on quality. "The equipment that you make for us must be the best in the world so that it complements the Indian soldier who is without doubt the very best in the world," said General Saini. The army vice-chief said new acquisition procedures, such as the Make-II category, offered great opportunities to domestic industry, especially micro, small and medium enterprises and start-ups. Under the Make-II category, domestic industry is permitted to offer the military, even suo motu, defence products, services or processes they have developed. If the MoD finds merit, it can place a development order, even on a single vendor, with production orders assured once development is successfully concluded. "We are today working on Make-II projects in diverse technology fields, including third-generation anti-tank guided missiles, BMP (infantry combat vehicle) upgrades, aerial targets, precision ammunition, tank ammunition, auxiliary power units, drones and mountain radars to name a few," said General Saini. He revealed that 28 Make-II category projects worth Rs 30,000 crore (Rs 300 billion) are currently under progress. Of these, 13 projects, valued at Rs 21,264 crore (Rs 212.64 billion), are suo motu proposals. "The first request for proposals (RFPs, or tenders) under the Make-II route has been issued recently on July 13 for Manoeuvrable Expendable Aerial Targets (MEAT). One more RFP for an upgraded assault track-way and three project sanction orders valued at Rs 4,919 crore (Rs 49.19 billion) are going to be issued very soon," said General Saini. Over the years, the army has been spelling out its equipment requirements so that the defence industry could develop products that meet those needs. In 2019-2020, the army underlined nine new projects and this year has asked for four more. These are an infantry weapon training system, which is a simulator that allows small groups of soldiers to practice firing and manoeuvres in combat situations; a Drone Kill System, which shoots down hostile drones; an All-Terrain Heavy Duty Fork Lift for soldiers engaged in construction in remote and hostile terrain; and a Field Cipher Equipment Mark-II that allows frontline soldiers to encode messages and communications. In addition, the army has told industry that it wants wider participation in developing an automated, truck-mounted crane for artillery regiments that operate the recently acquired 155 millimetre ultra-light howitzer. The Indian Navy and Indian Air Force have also accepted another 16 proposals. While the policy was formulated in the Defence Procurement Procedure of 2016 for the military, discussions are being held on whether it should also be extended to the central armed police forces under the home ministry. Taliban kill four survivors of Afghanistan flash floods An Afghan man walks past a damaged vehicle after floods in Charikar By Abdul Qadir Sediqi and Orooj Hakimi KABUL (Reuters) - Taliban fighters killed four civilians on Thursday during clashes with Afghan forces in the central province of Parwan, amid rescue work after flash floods claimed more than 150 lives, officials said. It was the latest violence amid peace talks between the warring sides that have been delayed over the issue of prisoner releases, as part of efforts to end the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan, which has spanned nearly two decades. "Taliban fighters opened fire on civilians fleeing areas worst hit by the flash floods," said Abdul Shukoor Qudoosi, a district official in Bagram, home to the country's biggest U.S. military base and the site of the clashes. "Taliban were clashing with Afghan forces and they killed civilians who were in an autorickshaw near an army checkpoint," Qudoosi said, adding that it appeared as if the Islamist militants mistook the passengers for Afghan soldiers. One Afghan soldier was killed and two were injured. A Taliban spokesmen was not immediately available to comment. The death toll from the floods rose to 150, with at least 250 people injured, as survivors and rescue workers sifted the debris of more than 1,500 homes destroyed to the north of the capital, Kabul. Authorities moved more than 900 families out of parts of the mountainous province that had been devastated by the floods, which were triggered by exceptionally heavy rain this week. "The search is still on, as many people, we fear, are still buried under the rocks and rubble," said Tamim Azimi, a spokesman for the ministry of disaster management. "The situation is very grim, the scale of loss is intense." Security forces, officials and survivors have trudged through deep mud in the search for survivors while the effort to clear the disaster area has stretched more than 28 hours, hampered by blocked and damaged roads. The dead included many children, survivors said. The death toll was expected to rise as families prepared for mass burials, while mounds of rubble remain to be cleared. Afghanistan regularly suffers from drought but can be lashed by very heavy rain during the south Asian monsoon season. (Writing by Rupam Jain;Editing by Robert Birsel and Clarence Fernandez) BATTLE CREEK, MI -- Irving and Ruthie, storks at the Binder Park Zoo, made their own special delivery in July. The pair of marabou storks, longtime residents of the savanna exhibit at the zoo in Battle Creek, delivered their own bundle - a stork chick, according to a press release from the zoo. The pair have built nests in the past, but this was the first time in 21 years that they produced eggs, the zoo said. They constructed a nest where Ruthie laid three eggs. Zoo staff switched out the eggs for decoys and transported the real eggs to the Detroit Zoo for incubation, the zoo said. The eggs were carefully monitored until they neared completion. They were then transported back to the storks nest at Binder Park where one healthy chick hatched July 10, the zoo said. Zoo staff await DNA results that will tell them the sex of the chick, the zoo said. A time-lapse video that shows the chick emerging from the egg is available on the zoos website. The zoo delayed announcing the chick had hatched in order to be sure that Ruthie and Irving would be good parents, a zoo spokesperson said. The stork family isnt on exhibit for the remainder of the zoo season but guests can see the new chick in real time through the ZooCam online. Binder Park is the only accredited zoo in Michigan holding marabou storks. Ruthie and Irving are believed to have been born in the wild in January 1998. They arrived to Battle Creek in 1999 and have been there since that time, the zoo said. The marabou stork is a massive bird found in Africa. They live in savannas and open areas. They are frequent scavengers who eat dead animals, fish, reptiles, insects, birds, frogs and rodents. Also on MLive: Busch unveils new beer, for your dog 11 miniature horses seized from puppy mill site where 134 dogs were rescued After bears spotted in Michigan campground, Forest Service says to be bear aware For anyone who's dabbled in the world of online dating, unwelcome advances are often a fact of life. But if you've ever struggled to think of a comeback, you might want to commit some of these shining examples to memory for the next time you enter the fray. British website The Poke rounded up the best examples of the most withering put-downs from the world of dating - and they make for hilarious reading. From sarcastic responses to blunt assessments, these comebacks are so brilliant you'll wish you'd thought of them yourself. This poor man's attempt at flirting was met with derision from the object of his affections, with the person admitting she didn't find short guys attractive This anonymous person was left unimpressed after she received unwanted texts again, and so she used her boyfriend to get her message across One social media user, at an undisclosed location, was put in their place by a complete stranger after they were given the wrong number One anonymous person's flirting was so bad that their crush didn't even realise they'd been asked out on a date - instead believing it would be a group outing Unimpressed with their suitor's flirting efforts, this singleton, thought to be from America, bluntly refused their proposition This person gave as good as they got, replying with their own witty line to ensure the unwanted conversation would end. It's unclear where this internet user is from One person, at an unknown location, bluntly said: 'We broke up a year ago. Please go get help,' to an unwelcome text they received from an ex partner Burn! After asking their suitor out on a date, this anonymous person was disappointed to realise she only initially became excited after thinking they were someone else Savage! This American person wasted no time in rectifying her mistake, quickly letting her suitor know that she didn't mean to like their message One woman's comeback was pretty clear, even without her replying to any messages. She instead reported the unwanted contact to the man's boss. It's unclear where this image is from Straight to the point! This woman, at an unknown location, was quick to reply 'I had some baby carrots earlier and thought of your d***. Bye,' to an unwanted message from an ex partner The Veterinary Council of Ireland, the statutory body responsible for the regulation and management of the practise of veterinary medicine and veterinary nursing in the state, has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Irish Veterinary Benevolent Fund (IVBF). Under this agreement, the Council has pledged to donate 30,000 annually for a three year period to the IVBF, which is an organisation established and supported by the veterinary professions, dedicated to supporting veterinary professionals and their dependents. The memorandum of understanding will formalise this agreement between the Veterinary Council and IVBF, which has been in place since last year. The memorandum of understanding was signed this week at the Veterinary Councils headquarters by President of the Veterinary Council of Ireland, Mr Joe Moffitt and Ms Emma Tobin, Chairperson of the Irish Veterinary Benevolent Fund. This commitment by the Veterinary Council furthers its strategic objective to support the health and wellbeing of veterinary registrants. Mr Joe Moffitt, Chairperson of the Veterinary Council of Ireland, said: The Veterinary Council is very proud to announce this commitment to the Irish Veterinary Benevolent Fund, which provides an invaluable service to Irelands veterinary sector. The supports offered by the IVBF are of direct benefit to the veterinary professionals on our register, and we hope our contribution will be of benefit to the organisation as it continues to provide a wide range of valuable support services. Ms Emma Tobin, Chairperson of the Irish Veterinary Benevolent Fund, said: I would like to thank the Veterinary Council of Ireland for making this commitment, which speaks to its dedication to supporting the health and wellbeing of veterinary professionals. This contribution will greatly benefit our organisation as we seek to provide Irelands hardworking veterinary professionals with the supports they need. The funds from the Veterinary Council will assist the IVBF in its provision of a range of support services for veterinary professionals, including financial supports for veterinary professionals, as well as a range of mental health supports, as part of the organisations Veterinary Assistance Programme. The programme includes face-to-face, online and freephone counselling services, which are available to working or retired veterinary professionals, as well as dependent family members. BETHESDA, Md., Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Northwest Biotherapeutics (OTCQB: NWBO) ("NW Bio"), a biotechnology company developing DCVax personalized immune therapies for solid tumor cancers, today announced that the Company is pursuing an intensive program of manufacturing preparations and planning as the Company approaches top line data from its Phase III trial of DCVax-L. A cornerstone of this expanding program is completion of the Phase I buildout of the Sawston, UK manufacturing facility. With construction crews working double shifts to accelerate this completion, the Company currently anticipates the Phase I buildout will finish by mid-October of 2020. This buildout is the culmination of several years of design, development and preparatory activities, including clean room suites, quarantined storage, quality control testing suites, controlled cryostorage (freezing) facilities for the finished products, as well as specialized systems (for example, for full air changes every 60 seconds in the clean room suites, and precise monitoring of particle counts in the clean room air). This accelerated effort is being supported by the Company's recent financings and by a special purpose competitive loan of 1.35 (~$1.77) million from the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy which is administered locally in the Cambridge/Sawston region by the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority. The project cost of this accelerated construction project, initiated in June of this year, is approximately 3.5 (~$4.6) million. About Northwest Biotherapeutics Northwest Biotherapeutics is a biotechnology company focused on developing personalized immunotherapy products designed to treat cancers more effectively than current treatments, without toxicities of the kind associated with chemotherapies, and on a cost-effective basis, in both North America and Europe. The Company has a broad platform technology for DCVax dendritic cell-based vaccines. The Company's lead program is a 331-patient Phase III trial of DCVax-L for newly diagnosed Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). GBM is the most aggressive and lethal form of brain cancer, and is an "orphan disease." The Company is also pursuing development of DCVax-Direct for inoperable solid tumor cancers. It has completed a 40-patient Phase I trial, and is preparing for Phase II trials. The Company previously conducted a Phase I/II trial with DCVax-L for advanced ovarian cancer together with the University of Pennsylvania. Disclaimer Statements made in this news release that are not historical facts, including statements concerning future treatment of patients using DCVax and future clinical trials, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "expect," "believe," "intend," "design," "plan," "continue," "may," "will," "anticipate," and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. We cannot guarantee that we actually will achieve the plans, intentions or expectations disclosed in our forward-looking statements and you should not place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ materially from those projected in any forward-looking statement. Specifically, there are a number of important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated, such as risks related to the Company's ability to enroll patients in its clinical trials and complete the trials on a timely basis, uncertainties about the clinical trials process, uncertainties about the timely performance of third parties, risks related to whether the Company's products will demonstrate safety and efficacy, risks related to the Company's ongoing ability to raise additional capital, and other risks included in the Company's Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") filings. Additional information on the foregoing risk factors and other factors, including Risk Factors, which could affect the Company's results, is included in its SEC filings. Finally, there may be other factors not mentioned above or included in the Company's SEC filings that may cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in any forward-looking statement. The Company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or developments, except as required by securities laws. SOURCE Northwest Biotherapeutics Related Links http://www.nwbio.com London: The head of the World Health Organisation says the team investigating the origins of the coronavirus pandemic will travel to Wuhan, the stated epicentre of the disease's outbreak, after it was reported two investigators travelled only to Beijing. More than 827,000 people have died from COVID-19 since it emerged in Wuhan late last year, according to the Johns Hopkins University tally. Shoppers in Wuhan, China. Credit:Bloomberg While China has virtually brought the virus to a standstill through lockdowns and testing drives, other countries are still struggling to contain the virus. The United States has recorded more than 180,000 deaths, while Australia, New Zealand, Africa, South America and parts of Europe are still either fighting initial outbreaks or dealing with second waves. The Financial Times reported that a preliminary team of investigators only travelled to Beijing to begin the probe, which Australia successfully pushed for at the World Health Assembly in May. COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose has accused an outspoken state lawmaker of a series of campaign-finance violations, via a complaint his office filed with the Ohio Elections Commission on Wednesday. LaRose said the review began after Rep. Nino Vitale, an Urbana Republican, submitted a blank page on June 5, when the most recent campaign-finance report was due. I swore an oath to uphold the law, so when I see an apparent violation of our states campaign finance statutes, I am duty bound to refer it to the Ohio Elections Commission, LaRose, a Republican, said in a statement. All public officials must be held accountable. LaRose accuses Vitale of improperly using his campaign resources, including his website and social media account, to promote his personal concealed-carry firearms training business, and also alleges Vitale failed to properly report fundraising activity in his most recent campaign-finance report that he filed in June. LaRoses complaint details six alleged campaign-finance violations. The most serious is converting campaign resources for personal use, which is a first-degree misdemeanor under Ohio law. Vitale in an interview said he believed using his website to promote his firearms-training business is allowed under advice hed previously received from the Joint Legislative Ethics Commission, which advises state lawmakers on legislative ethics rules. He said hed been working with LaRoses office to provide additional details on his campaign spending, and had been under the impression it was a routine audit. I dont know, well have to work this out, but as far as I know, Ive always been in compliance with all of this stuff, he said. Vitale said JLEC told him the site is deemed to be mixed use, so promoting his business is allowed. Legislative Inspector General Tony Bledsoe told cleveland.com | The Plain Dealer he cant comment on individual cases. But he said generally, mixed-use refers to whether a state lawmaker can use their official title on campaign materials, including websites and social-media accounts. If a member uses their official title on a mixed-use page, that is not a concern, but we cannot and do not opine on campaign-finance issues, he said. LaRoses complaint against Vitale was first reported by the Dayton Daily News. Vitale, first elected to the state legislature in 2016 and originally from the Cleveland area, has made a name for himself outside of the area he represents for his extremely conservative views and occasional outlandish statements. He was one of three Republican lawmakers who this week moved to begin impeachment proceedings against Republican Gov. Mike DeWine in a long-shot effort that drew rebukes from party leaders. Vitale on his Facebook page called DeWine a dictator who should be charged and tried for crimes against humanity. He previously made national news in June for urging citizens not to get tested for COVID-19 to keep positive results down and in April, Vitale floated whether the coronavirus was part of a conspiracy to sell mandatory vaccines. Phil Richter, executive director of the Ohio Elections Commission, said he hadnt yet thoroughly reviewed the complaint and couldnt comment on it. The elections commission has the power to levy fines or in rare circumstances, make referrals for criminal investigation. Read LaRoses complaint below: RTHK: Afghanistan flash floods kill over 100 Rescue workers in Afghanistan searched on Wednesday for survivors of flash floods that killed more than 100 people and destroyed hundreds of houses near Kabul, officials said. Troops pulled dozens of victims from the rubble of collapsed buildings in Charikar, capital of Parwan province, after torrential overnight rains fuelled fierce floods that swept through the city. Officials and witnesses said many children were among the dead. Local resident Mohamed Qasim, a 45-year-old farmer, said that 11 members of his family were killed in the floods. "My sister, her husband, two of their daughters and their children were all sleeping in one house," Qasim said. "When the flood hit, the house collapsed on them. Eleven members of my family were killed, most of them my nieces and nephews." Piles of rocks from destroyed buildings were scattered across the city, with roads blocked by mud and debris and cars flipped on their side. Afghanistan's state ministry for disaster management said the death toll from the floods had risen to 100, with about 100 other people injured and nearly 500 houses destroyed. In parts of Charikar anxious residents gathered to see if rescue workers using heavy machinery would be able to pull loved ones from the wreckage. Many residents stood on rooftops under continued heavy rain, holding on to their salvaged belongings. "I was alone when the flood hit. I grabbed the window and was holding it for two hours until the neighbours came to rescue me," said 70-year-old Hamida. "I lost everything, my jewellery, money and all my property." Flash floods were also reported in other provinces - including Nangarhar, Panjshir, Wardak, Loghar, Paktika and Kapisa. In the Surobi district of Kabul province, a flash flood killed eight people and injured 13 more, provincial public health director Khushal Nabizada said. Torrential downpours and flash floods kill scores of people annually in Afghanistan. Many poorly built homes, mostly in rural areas, are at risk of collapse during the rains in the impoverished country. Earlier this month, 16 people, including 15 children, were killed and dozens of houses were destroyed when flash floods ravaged a village in the eastern province of Nangarhar. Heavy monsoon rains have also wrought havoc on neighbouring Pakistan, with authorities in the southern city of Karachi reporting 30 deaths over the past three weeks from flood-related incidents, including injuries from collapsed buildings, drownings and electrocutions. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani had ordered emergency relief to be sent to Charikar, the presidential palace said in a statement. (AFP) This story has been published on: 2020-08-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. By PTI LONDON: The judgment in the extradition trial of fugitive diamond merchant Nirav Modi over the nearly USD 2 billion Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud and money laundering case will be handed down in the UK after December 1. At a scheduled hearing at Westminster Magistrates Court in London on Thursday, District Judge Samuel Goozee agreed the timetable for the second leg of Modi's extradition trial scheduled between September 7 and 11. The hearings next month will complete arguments on establishing a prima facie case against 49-year-old Modi and also deal with the additional extradition request, made by the Indian authorities and certified by UK Home Secretary Priti Patel earlier this year, which add on the charges of "causing the disappearance of evidence" and intimidating witnesses or criminal intimidation to cause death against him. Additional hearings have also been scheduled for November 3, for the judge to rule on the admissibility of evidence presented before him, and December 1, when both sides will make their final submissions. Therefore, any judgment in the case is now expected only after the final hearing in December. During the course of Thursday's hearing, Modi's lawyers also raised concerns over allegations of party political bias against one of their expert witnesses from India. Modi's barrister Clare Montgomery told Justice Goozee that after Retired Justice Abhay Thipsay had given his witness statement on the concept of criminal breach of trust in Indian law during the first leg of the extradition trial in May, he came under attack and was accused of political bias. We may have to put in an application for reporting restrictions around the reporting of his [Thipsay] evidence to avoid further public commentary on it, said Montgomery, indicating that the retired Indian high court judge will be among the witnesses for the second leg of Modi's trial scheduled to begin from September 7. Asked by Goozee for the reason behind such an application, Modi's barrister said the Indian ministry of justice held a press conference attacking" Thipsay for the evidence he had given in the UK court and accused him of party political bias. During the hearing in May, Retd Justice Thipsay appeared via videolink from India as a legal expert to back Modi's defence team's efforts to try and highlight legal flaws in the government of India's case. "Unless a person is deceived there can be no cheating under Indian law," he said at the time. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), arguing on behalf of the Indian authorities, had countered his witness statement and later in India, Thipsay, a former judge of the high court in Mumbai and Allahabad, had been accused of acting on the behest of the Congress party. The retired judge had countered the allegations, saying he was not appearing in defence of Modi but as an expert witness to give his legal opinion, which the UK court may consider or disregard. The hearing in London on Thursday was scheduled as a case management hearing to set the timetable for evidence to be presented to compete Modi's extradition trial. Modi, who has been lodged at Wandsworth Prison in south-west London since his arrest in March last year, will remain remanded into custody until the start of the trial on September 7 when he will appear via videolink. The hearings next month will again be held in part remote settings, given the coronavirus lockdown restrictions. His defence team also made a reference to his deteriorating mental health in Wandsworth, one of England's most overcrowded prisons, as among a number of additional issues it is likely to raise. The charges against the diamond merchant centre around his firms Diamonds R Us, Solar Exports and Stellar Diamonds making fraudulent use of a credit facility offered by the Punjab National Bank (PNB), known as letters of undertaking (LoUs). Modi's team has sought to counter allegations of fraud by deposing witnesses to establish the volatility of the gems trade and that the LoUs were standard practice. The CPS sought to establish that a number of PNB staff conspired with Modi to ensure LoUs were issued to his companies without ensuring they were subject to the required credit check, without recording the issuance of the LoUs and without charging the required commission upon the transactions. This resulted in a fraud amounting to nearly USD 2 billion. PTI AK AKJ PMS 08271751 NNNN (Natural News) It is rare, and exceptionally so, to stumble upon any news coverage that even mildly criticizes Bill Gates or his so-called philanthropic organization. This is because a shockingly high number of news and media outlets are funded in some way, shape or form, by Gates himself. In one of the most in-depth exposes we have come across yet, the financial tentacles of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation are fully exposed, revealing the extent of the monopolistic influence that Gates has over todays media coverage. As you have surely noticed since the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) plandemic became a thing, Gates has been nothing but glorified by the media as one of the heroes in this seemingly endless saga. Everything from his push to mass-vaccinate the planet to his efforts to track-and-trace every human being on earth has been propped up by the spin machine as the greatest thing since sliced bread. To this writer, anyway, it has been a nauseating experience to witness this horror show, with not a peep of even gentle probing from anyone at any media outlet who is brave enough to look into the real Gates agenda. But it is less about bravery and more about the moola that is influencing the medias coverage of the Gates agenda. As it turns out, the Gates Foundation uses its philanthropic veneer to influence virtually everything that the media reports about his organization. BBC, NBC, Al Jazeera, ProPublica, National Journal, The Guardian, Medium, Univision, the Financial Times, The Atlantic, and many, many did you catch the many part? more household names are all directed, at least in part, by Gates through the funding his organization procures to them. There was a time when this was not the case, of course, but over the past several decades especially, Gates has slithered his way into virtually every single mainstream media outlet that exists, all under the guise of philanthropy. Twenty years ago, journalists scrutinized Bill Gatess initial foray into philanthropy as a vehicle to enrich his software company, or a PR exercise to salvage his battered reputation following Microsofts bruising antitrust battle with the Department of Justice, explains Tim Schwab, writing for Columbia Journalism Review. Today, the foundation is most often the subject of soft profiles and glowing editorials describing its good works. Gates is the second most wealthy man in the world, and arguably the number one most dangerous Schwabs extensive assessment of Gates since his initial foray into philanthropy until now is one of the most eye-opening things we have ever seen. There is simply no doubt that the entire global narrative surrounding not just the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) but vaccinations, pharmaceuticals, agriculture and education is a direct product of Gates funding behind the scenes. It is a problem that plagues other non-profits, as well as so-called public news outlets like NPR and PBS. Virtually every outlet or organization that publishes any kind of news receives various levels of funding from the Gates empire, believe it or not, which is nothing short of chilling. News about Gates these days is often filtered through the perspectives of the many academics, nonprofits, and think tanks that Gates funds, Schwab further explains. Sometimes it is delivered to readers by newsrooms with financial ties to the foundation. While Schwab was able to trace with impressive clarity a great deal of where funding from Gates is being funneled, there is apparently so much more that is untraceable because not all forms of Gates funding have to be reported. The full scope of Gatess giving to the news media remains unknown because the foundation only publicly discloses money awarded through charitable grants, not through contracts, he explains. Consequently, it has become something of a guessing game trying to figure out who is on the Gates dole, and who is simply not doing due diligence in seeking out the truth about this billionaire eugenicist. Because lets face it: Almost nobody with any substantial level of clout ever says anything even remotely negative about Gates or his foundation. In the same way that the news media has given Gates an outsize voice in the pandemic, the foundation has long used its charitable giving to shape the public discourse on everything from global health to education to agriculture a level of influence that has landed Bill Gates on Forbess list of the most powerful people in the world, Schwab further warns. The Gates Foundation can point to important charitable accomplishments over the past two decades like helping drive down polio and putting new funds into fighting malaria but even these efforts have drawn expert detractors who say that Gates may actually be introducing harm, or distracting us from more important, lifesaving public health projects. Be sure to read Schwabs full report on Bill Gates at this link. For more related news about the deception that plagues mainstream news due to outside influences such as that imposed by Bill Gates, be sure to check out Deception.news. Sources for this article include: CJR.org NaturalNews.com The E.P.A. estimates that the rollback will save Americans roughly $88 million per year. However, the changes mean that it will be more difficult for local communities, as well as emergency responders like firefighters, to know what hazardous chemicals are stored at local industrial sites. When Tropical Storm Harvey hit Houston and the surrounding area in 2017, pollution followed: 46 facilities in 13 counties reported an estimated 4.6 million pounds of airborne emissions that exceeded state limits, and at least 14 toxic waste sites were flooded or damaged, raising fears of waterborne contamination. Floodwaters inundated a chemical plant in the suburb of Crosby, damaging a cooling system at the site and triggering an explosion. A storm the size of Laura hitting Houston would be a nightmare, said Terence ORourke, an environmental lawyer with the Harris County Attorneys office. You dont want it to hit the largest petrochemical complex in the United States, he said. If its got to hit somewhere, somewhere else is better. However, no matter which path Hurricane Laura took, major industrial facilities would have very likely been nearby. Up the coast from Houston toward Louisiana, the industrial area known as the Golden Triangle contains many large refineries and chemical plants. Port Arthur has the Motiva oil refinery, North Americas largest. Beaumont has a major Exxon Mobil refinery, and refineries along the Sabine-Neches ship channel make most of the nations military jet fuel. Farther east, the city of Orange has dozens of chemical plants, and, across the Sabine River, which separates Texas from Louisiana, the chain continues, with Lake Charles home to a cluster of major chemical plants, including the Sasol Chemicals complex, owned by a South African company. Many more plants are planned. This whole area is target rich for a hurricane, with serious environmental consequences, said Jim Blackburn, the co-director of Rice Universitys Severe Storm Prediction, Education and Evacuation From Disaster Center. Cambridge A section of trail in the Dumfries Conservation Area is closed for tree maintenance from August 31 to September 4. The 300 metre section of trail is off Dunbar road, and will be closed there. The work will include branch pruning and tree removal next to power lines. Woody vegetation will be mulched and mowed beneath the power lines. Where possible, trees will be left where they are to create new habitat and enrich the soil as they decay. Citizens are asked to stay clear of the area and obey all signage so work can be completed safely. Dumfries Conservation area is a 75 hectare natural space in the centre of Cambridge bordered by Dunbar and Hespeler Roads, near the Grand River. (Newser) Bette Midler is backtracking after mocking the first lady's accent during Melania Trump's speech Tuesday at the Republican National Convention. "Oh, God. She still cant speak English," Midler tweeted, one in a long series of Melania slams that also included, "#beBest is back! A UGE bore! She can speak several words in a few languages. Get that illegal alien off the stage!" Uproar ensued, with critics hailing from both sides of the aisle, the Los Angeles Times reports. For example: "You dont have to like Melania Trump I dont either," tweeted Rachel Zegler, soon to star in Steven Spielberg's West Side Story. "But the ability to speak English does not measure ones intelligence. At all." Zegler added that 21% of US residents speak a language other than English at home. On Wednesday, Midler responded. story continues below "Well, all hell has broken loose because I said Melania 'still cant speak English' last night," she tweeted. "I was wrong to make fun of her accent. America is made up people who speak with all kinds of accents, and they are all welcomed always." Fox News notes the statement stopped short of an apology. Midler said she was trying to point out the Trump administration's own stance on immigration, including the practice of separating and detaining migrant families at the border. On Tuesday night, she had said, "Just giving them a taste of their own immigrant bashing medicine. I guess theyre not keen." (Read more Bette Midler stories.) Officials in Wisconsin have named the police officer who shot Jacob Blake seven times, and claimed the victim told police he had a knife in his car. A day after lawyers for the family of the 29-year-old father of three revealed doctors said he may never walk again, officials in Kenosha said the police officer who shot Mr Blake was Rusten Sheskey, who had seven years' experience on the force. Officials have claimed that police were called on Sunday night to a residence after a woman caller said her boyfriend was present and that he should not have been on the premises. They said the young man was shot by Mr Sheskey as the officer held onto his shirt, and that no other officer was involved in the shooting. Investigators also claimed Mr Blake told them he had a knife on the floor of his vehicle and that officers had tried to use a Taser on him but that it failed to stop him. The taser was not successful in stopping him, said Wisconsin attorney general Josh Kaul at a press conference on Wednesday. Mr Blake walked around his vehicle, opened the drivers side to work and leaned forward. While holding on to Mr Blakes shirt. Officer Sheshkey fired his service weapon seven times. Officer Sheshkey fired the weapon into Mr Blakes back. Mr Kaul said that following the initial incident, Mr Blake admitted that he had a knife in his possession, and that officers recovered a knife from the drivers side floorboard of Mr Blakes vehicle. A search of the vehicle located no additional weapons. It was not immediately clear when Mr Blake allegedly told officers he had a weapon. There was no immediate response from Mr Blakes family to the claims made by prosecutors. Jacob Blake's family give emotional comments following police shooting The latest details came as the city of Kenosha, located 40 south of Milwaukee, reeled after three nights of violence and damage, that followed peaceful protests. Donald Trump has dispatched hundreds of federal agents to the city, and the governor has deployed the state national guard, as violence failed to abate, despite the imposition of a curfew. On Tuesday, Mr Blakes family and legal team held their own press conference to reveal their fears that he may never walk again. Mr Blakes mother, Julia Jackson, said her son would very unpleased to learn of the damage. If Jacob knew what was going on he would be very unpleased. So Im really asking and encouraging everyone in Wisconsin and abroad to take a moment and examine your heart, Ms Jackson said. She said when she visited her son in the hospital, he apologised when he learned he may be paralysed, saying he did not want to be a burden. He also requested a police officer in the room to join them in prayer. We need healing I also have been praying, even before this, for the healing of our country. Meanwhile, on Wednesday it was announced that a white teenager had been arrested after two people were shot to death during the third night of protests in Kenosha. Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, of Antioch, Illinois, was taken into custody in Illinois on suspicion of first-degree intentional homicide. Antioch is about 15 miles from Kenosha. Two people were killed on Tuesday night and a third was wounded in an attack apparently carried out by a young white man who was caught on cellphone video opening fire in the middle of the street with a semi-automatic rifle. I just killed somebody, the gunman could be heard saying at one point during the rampage that erupted just before midnight. Additional reporting by agencies Reliance Jio will invest more than Rs 1,000 crore to set up a cable landing station in Digha, West Bengal, state Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said. She added that the project will boost West Bengal's sub-sea broadband connectivity links with European and Asian markets thereby helping the state to attract tech investments, and in turn, create jobs. Banerjee also announced that her government will also build a deep-sea port near the proposed site of the Digha landing station, adding that the state will come up with a broadband policy soon. Also Read: Reliance Jio adds 37 lakh subscribers in May; Airtel, Vodafone Idea lose 47 lakh users each Announcing the state government's decision, following a cabinet meeting at the state secretariat on Wednesday, the chief minister stated that "Reliance Jio has agreed to set up a cable landing station in Digha, and will invest over Rs 1,000 crore." Sub-sea cables provide crucial global telecommunication links between countries. These systems, laid on the ocean floor, stretch between land-based stations in several nations. The landing station, once it becomes operational, is expected to transform West Bengal's IT and ITeS sectors, attracting big-ticket investments, and further generating employment. Also Read: AGR case make-or-break point for Airtel, Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea, here's why Banerjee also said that the state government will also construct the Tajpur deep sea port for which it had "requested the Centre for a joint project". However, the proposal did not materialise, thus the state "decided to go ahead with the project with another partner that would be decided through a tender," she added. Ahead of the release of the new tell-all Melania and Me: The Rise and Fall of My Friendship With the First Lady which shares behind-the-scenes stories from author Stephanie Winston Wolkoff's relationship with Mrs. Trump a newly-published excerpt reveals the unlikely friendship between the book's subject and fashion designer Rachel Roy. According to a passage published by New York Magazine, Melania, 50, and Rachel, 46 known to some as Beyonce's rumored 'Becky with the good hair' were longtime friends. In fact, Rachel reportedly texted Melania that her husband was 'amazing' during his presidential acceptance speech and that Melania herself was 'made for' the role of first lady, despite her own Democratic party leanings. Longtime friends: New details have emerged about First Lady Melania Trump's unlikely friendship with designer Rachel Roy (pictured 2012) Flashback: Rachel reportedly texted Melania repeatedly, with much excitement, on Election Night (pictured in 2007) Receipts: The women are pictured with mutual friend Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, who shared text messages sent within their group chat In the excerpt from the forthcoming book, author Stephanie recalled planning Trump's inauguration and shared specific memories from election night. She said that as the President delivered his acceptance speech, Rachel Roy was sending messages to a group text with Melania and Stephanie while watching at home on CNN. 'DT is amazing! MT is so beautiful! Speech very Donald who we all know and love,' she reportedly wrote earning a 'scoff' from Stephanie, who says that Rachel 'was a lifelong Democrat.' 'Our work is just beginning,' Rachel allegedly texted. 'Lets be the change we want to see in the world. Lets work for women and children. 'This s*** is crazy. You have always been this role. You have lived it. You got this! Saying a prayer for Donalds safety!' she went on. Stephanie characterized the designer as 'overexcited.' Melania simply replied: 'Love you both.' Rachel also texted the next day, Stephanie recalled, asking if she could have a celebratory luncheon with Melania. 'I need to see my schedule,' Melania wrote back. 'Yes, Madame President. No pressure, Rachel is said to have replied. Friends: Stephanie (pictured second from left) said Rachel called Trump 'amazing' and said Melania was made for the role of first lady Gossip: In the book, Stephanie also discussed Melania's reported dislike of Ivanka, whom she called 'princess' In the book, Stephanie also discussed Melania's reported dislike of Ivanka, whom she called 'princess.' She said that the pair arranged a plan to keep Ivanka off-camera during her father's swearing-in. 'Melania and I launched Operation Block Ivanka to keep her face out of that iconic special moment,"' she said, detailing how they studied and charted camera angles to ensure that Ivanka would be hidden behind Melania. Out soon: Stephanie Winston Wolkoff shared the details in her new book after her longtime friendship with the First Lady went sour 'If Ivanka was not on the aisle, her face would be hidden while she was seated. For the standing part, we put Barron between Donald and Melania and made sure that Don Jr. stood next to Melania, not Ivanka,' Stephanie wrote. Rachel was also reportedly made aware of the plan, and texted while watching the Inauguration on TV from a hotel room in Washington, D.C. She sent a photo of Melania's head blocking Ivanka's on TV and wrote: 'Happy MT blocked IT!' 'Yes, Operation Block Ivanka was petty,' Stephanie admitted. 'Melania was in on this mission. But in our minds, Ivanka shouldnt have made herself the center of attention in her fathers inauguration.' Melania's friendship with Rachel has been documented by the cameras. The two were photographed together on several occasions, including at Michael's Restaurant circa February 2012. They also posed for pictures together at a 2007 charity benefit, and in June of 2010, Melania wrote on Facebook: 'Had lunch yesterday with Rachel Roy...she looked fantastic in my gold mesh bracelet from "Melania Timepieces & Jewelry"...available on QVC.com!' Shifting politics? While Stephanie describes Rachel as a 'lifelong Democrat,' the designer has been to the White House since Trump took office The pair were also seen smiling with Stephanie in D.C. in January 2017, after Trump's election. But their unlikely friendship is now being put under a microscope thanks to Stephanie's new book. While Stephanie describes Rachel as a 'lifelong Democrat,' Rachel doesn't appear to have taken that as far as campaigning for any recent Democratic candidates. However, she did design a 'Vote!' T-shirt in 2012, and that year spoke to Time about politics. 'A very close friend of mine actually works for the Obama campaign, and I dress her all the time,' she said. 'Ive been to the headquarters in Chicago with, actually, the fashion crowd I went with [Vogue editor in chief] Anna Wintour and other Council of Fashion Designers of America designers. We toured the headquarters in Chicago, so it was fashion meets politics. 'I feel that politics and fashion really go hand in hand,' she added. While the Obamas were in the white house, First Lady Michelle Obama even wore some of Rachel's designs. Hidden: Rachel also reportedly texted to celebrate after Melania and Stephanie managed to strategically block Ivanka from the cameras during the Inauguration But while she may have historically leaned Democrat, Rachel has continued her friendship with Melania in the White House, and has even promoted the First Lady's work. 'I have remained friends with her. Her initiative Be Best is all about children. She might have one of the biggest hearts quite honestly of anyone I know when it comes to children,' she told WWD last year. Melania has also worn Rachel's designs in the White House. Melania has promoted her friend in other ways, too. After meeting with Rachel and Indian children's rights activist Kailash Satyarthi last February, she wrote on Instagram: 'Beautiful to hear what @k_satyarthi and @rachelroy are doing to save children and give them a voice.' In 2014, footage leaked of Beyonce's sister Solange attacking Jay-Z in an elevator after the Met Gala giving way to rumors that Jay-Z had cheated (pictured in 2015) After Beyonce sang about a 'Becky with the good hair' on her album Lemonade, Rachel seemed to confirm this was her by writing on Instagram, 'good hair don't care' Rachel, who has two children with her ex-husband, Roc-A-Fella Records and Roc-a-Wear co-founder Damon Dash, is most known for her fashion label though many also know her for rumors that she had an affair with Jay-Z. In 2014, footage leaked of Beyonce's sister Solange attacking Jay-Z in an elevator after the Met Gala giving way to rumors that Jay-Z had cheated. In 2016, Beyonce confirmed her husband's infidelity on her album Lemonade. In the final line of her song Sorry, Beyonce sang, 'He only want me when I'm not there. He better call Becky with the good hair' leading to furious speculation as to 'Becky's' identity. While several names were thrown about including Rita Ora most fans believed the woman in question was Rachel. Rachel seemed to confirm this with a snarky Instagram caption which she later deleted that read, 'Good hair don't care, but we will take good lighting, for selfies, or self truths, always.' The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Hon. Kwaku Asomah-Cheremeh has charged the newly constituted governing board of the Volta Aluminium Company (VALCO), to drive an agenda that will set the company as the fulcrum of the full development of an integrated aluminium industry supervised by the Ghana Integrated Aluminium Corporation (GIADEC). The minister made the statement when he sworn in a six-member board of directors with well accomplished backgrounds in the fields of energy, economics and industrialization, for a four-year term to steer the revamping agenda of the Volta Aluminium Company under GIADEC. The minister was visibly elated that, GIADEC and the Ministry have been able to put together a board for VALCO, a company that has been without a board for a long period and seen a steep downward trend of development. He was hopeful that the new board with the support of GIADEC, will overcome the myriad of challenges VALCO has been faced with, to effectively implement a new recovery plan that will see optimization of the companys full capacity. In spite of the challenges, VALCO remains a strategic Ghanaian asset that is considered a major corner stone of the Integrated Aluminium Industry in Ghana. GIADEC, in partnership with the management of VALCO has deployed a Recovery Plan with the aim of retrofitting the plant so that it can produce at its full capacity of 200,000 tonnes per annum and expand by an additional 100,000 tonnes p.a., he said. Hon. Asomah-Cheremeh further urged the board and the management of GIADEC who were present at the swearing-in ceremony to give practical meaning to the Presidents Growth and transformation Agenda for the Ghanaian economy, The Ghana Beyond Aid Agenda, by leveraging on Ghanas existing Bauxite reserves and the smeltering of aluminium to make the Ghanaian economy an enviable one. He reminded both teams especially the CEO of GIADEC who is also a member of VALCOs board, that this is the reason for which GIADEC has been set up. He hoped to see in a few years, the creation of over thirty-five thousand jobs and a major contribution to the Gross Domestic Product. It is expected that Ghanas IAI will lead to the creation of over 35,000 new jobs (10,000 direct and 25,000 indirect). It is also expected that there will be an annual boost to the economy of about $10 billion. The $10 billion boost will be achieved through mining, refining and smelting (approx. $2-3 billion) in addition to contributions from the downstream and allied industries he said. According to the minister, it is expected that Ghana would be ranked 8th in the world for bauxite reserves (after China and above India) with expected annual production of 10-20 million tonnes. Board Chairman of the Volta Aluminium Company Dr Henry Benyah, thanked the president of Ghana, the minister and GIADEC for the confidence reposed in him and his team of Directors in especially retrofitting and revamping what is almost becoming a white elephant. He assured of the teams commitment in reviving the Company to lead GIADECs vision of establishing viable industry, that is relevant in the whole value chain and pivot to Ghanas industrialization programs. The board chair was emphatic that they will see to the actual retrofitting of the VALCO plant over the next five years to enable the required or expanded production capacity of three hundred thousand (300, 000) metric tonnes. The Chief Executive Officer of GIADEC, Mr Michael Ansah who is also a board member of VALCO was happy that GIADECs plan of restructuring, reforming and expanding the bauxite and aluminium industry is fully on course, and a typical example is the witnessing of the inauguration of a governing board for VALCO. Responding to questions on the mounting concerns over bauxite exploitation in Ghana, regarding the Sinohydro Agreement which is to see the Chinese company finance some government capital projects with Ghana paying back with proceeds of refined Bauxite, Mr Ansah explained that the deal is a result of a positive well thought out developmental decision that will benefit and develop Ghana as a whole rather than benefitting a few. "We've had bauxite since this country has existed. We have close to a billion tonnes of bauxite. We've not exploited this fully. We have only one mine in Awaso today. We are looking at exploiting the full resource that we have in Nyihahin today and kyebi as well and this would give us the beginnings of a mining industry that can support a viable refinery that would feed the smelter that we have" he said. Members of the inaugurated board include Dr Henry Benyah as the Board Chair, Mr Daniel Acheampong (member), Dr. Gloria Naa Dzama Addico (member), Hon. Samuel Evans Ashong Narh(member), Mr Seth Adjete Adjei(member), and Mr Michael Ansah (member). FOLSOM, Calif., Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Samuel Hale, LLC is pleased to welcome Pollie Pent as its new Director of Strategic Partnerships for the company's Staffing Agency Workers' Compensation Division. In this role, Pent will develop relationships with California staffing agencies and build market awareness of Samuel Hale's unique SHE3 program, which drives down workers' compensation insurance costs for staffing agencies in California. Pent served as a City of Ione Patrol Officer, a former District Attorney Investigator and most recently as a detective for the California Department of Insurance, Fraud Division. There, she investigated workers' compensation fraud, specifically in the staffing industry as well as Professional Employment Organization (PEO) fraud cases. Pent has a deep understanding of the California temp staffing industry, the PEO marketplace and the negative implications of fraud in the industry. Pent possesses a unique sense of justice and an innate ability to detect and deter workers' compensation fraud. These capabilities will further strengthen Samuel Hale's already tough stance on workers' compensation insurance abuse. "Pollie is a dynamic leader who understands the challenges faced by California staffing agencies. We feel confident that business leaders will be enticed by the unique perspective Pollie can contribute to their workers' compensation insurance strategies," explains Samuel Hale CEO and founder, Michael A. DiManno. Fraud deterrence will be particularly important for controlling workers' compensation insurance rates during the current pandemic and the resulting economic fallout, which is projected to have a significant impact on future rates. "I'm excited to be part of a company that is changing the story of workers' compensation in California. For years, all types of employers, but specifically staffing agencies have felt like there was nothing they could do to control litigation, abuse and skyrocketing premiums. Now, with Samuel Hale, there is an affordable alternative. We offer a solution that is unlike anything else in the market," explains Pent. Insurance brokers, staffing agencies, and those in other industries who would like to reduce and control their workers' compensation costs should visit samuelhale.com. About Samuel Hale SAMUEL HALE, LLC helps protect California businesses from high and unpredictable employment costs caused by fraud and litigation in workers' compensation claims. Samuel Hale welcomes businesses of all sizes and specifically, those with higher-than-average claims loss ratios and Ex-Mods. Contact: Ralph Kai [email protected] (855) 726-4253 SOURCE Samuel Hale Related Links http://samuelhale.com Urging turned to pleas on Wednesday as many Southeast Texans tried to get their neighbors, friends and constituents to leave town in advance of Hurricane Lauras catastrophic winds and storm surge. As forecasts grew more dire throughout the day and Lauras eye remained trained on Southeast Texas and Southwest Louisiana, many residents who originally planned to stay reversed course and headed out of town. Elected officials extended the amount of time they would help residents evacuate in an effort to increase participation. But almost across the board, fewer people turned out than officials hoped, and even before the sun set, winds began to increase, and the storm surge rose locking in those left for a night they likely will never forget. Even before the brunt of the storm reached land, many people across the region and state already were speculating that the name Laura would be retired after landfall. Related: As Laura looms, PA mayor pleas: If you stay, it is you and God. The tropical system started relatively unassuming for a region accustomed to large storms. Its only notable factor was that it was growing in tandem with another system in the Gulf of Mexico a first. But as it drew closer, landfall projections grew from a potential Category 2 at landfall to speculation that it could reach Category 5 strength before landing early Thursday morning with surge projected to reach more than 40 miles inland. While the dire forecast made some residents seek higher ground, many Southeast Texas elected officials spent Wednesday battling concerns from residents who didnt want to leave their homes if they didnt know when theyd be back. I will tell you, as soon as everybody tells me its safe for everybody to come back home, I want you to come back. I know you want to come back, survey the damage and start rebuilding. And I want you to, Hardin County Judge Wayne McDaniel said in grave plea to residents via Facebook Live Wednesday afternoon. Today, its time to leave. Ultimately, only 31 of his countys residents used the countys help to evacuate out of more than 300 people on its registration list. Top hits: Get Beaumont Enterprise stories sent directly to your inbox My feeling is some are (evacuating themselves), but Im afraid many are not, he said. In Orange County, where many of Lauras worst effects are expected, only 200 residents took advantage of public evacuation services. However, Judge John Gothia remained hopeful that many more were able to get themselves out of harms way. Anecdotally, Jefferson County Judge Jeff Branick also remained optimistic after surveying homes. Port Neches looked like a ghost town driving to work this morning, he said. By far, Port Arthur evacuated the largest number of people more than 500 by late morning. It also reopened its evacuations for an additional two hours after experiencing problems with planned evacuations by aircraft. More than 100 emergency vehicles, including 350 buses to evacuate residents, staged at Ford Park on Wednesday morning. Related: Laura reaches Cat 4 We have about 50 ambulances and four medical buses left (as of Wednesday morning), said Charlie Cox, staging area manager. We have a lot of boats here. The Texas game wardens are here with boats, as well as Texas Task Force 1. Texas National Guard is here with high-water vehicles. However, even those were expected to head to higher ground in College Station by mid-afternoon Wednesday. There is going to be a timeline when things cut off, he said. Once you get to a certain wind speed, most of the buses and ambulances will be out of town unless they are on as task. They should be out of town by 4 p.m. In an effort to decrease the number of people who may need help that ultimately wont arrive until winds fall below 35 mph, elected officials across the region issued curfews to keep remaining residents from going outside. The start and end times, as well as penalties for violation, varied across the region. However, most began at or after 8 p.m. and none stretched later than 6 a.m. Related: Watch live: Beach cameras show waves, dark clouds as Hurricane Laura approaches Also in preparation, the city of Port Neches announced it would suspend city water services by 6 p.m. Wednesday. While those would be restored as soon as the storm passed, residents will need to boil their water before consumption. The city of Beaumont, which lost water service during Tropical Storm Harvey, as of Wednesday afternoon said it has no plans to discontinue water service. Officials in Hardin and Orange counties also do not anticipate water service being cut. Port Arthur Mayor Thurman Bill Bartie, however, said he ultimately wasnt sure how services would continue throughout the night and into the next day. Laura was expected to make landfall as a Category 4 hurricane before rapidly weakening as it moves east off the Mid-Atlantic Coast. However, its flood waters are not expected to fully recede for several days after the storm. And the regions officials dont expect power to be restored for at least a few days, if not a week or more. I am praying for everyone in Southeast Texas. I dont know exactly what to expect, but it doesnt sound good for Hardin County, McDaniel said. Im praying for the best but preparing for the worst. kaitlin.bain@beaumontenterprise.com chris.moore@beaumontenterprise.com The Sept. 1 primary for U.S. House District 2 features two uncontested races: incumbent U.S. Rep. James P. McGovern, a Democrat, and Republican Tracy Lyn Lovvorn are both running unopposed. The primary will formalize the matchup in Novembers general election. To give readers a chance to learn more about who theyll see on their ballots in September and November, The Republican / MassLive asked the candidates to respond to a questionnaire about issues in the district. Their answers are below, with the candidates listed alphabetically. James P. McGovern Party: Democrat Age: 60 Address: Worcester Current job title or elected office: U.S. Representative, 2nd Congressional District Why are you running? Im running because I truly believe this is the most important election of our lifetime. Were in the middle of a global pandemic that this current Administration continues to mismanage and downplay, while peddling false health information. Its unconscionable. I believe we need to do everything we can to contain and eradicate the virus and support the millions of Americans whose lives have been upended financially. And we cant lose sight of the other major priorities we need to work on including passing Medicare for All and the Green New Deal. I also believe we need to bring decency and compassion back to politics. What is the most important issue facing the district, and how would you address it? We must stop the spread of the Coronavirus and I support free access to COVID testing, treatment and vaccination. In May, I supported the Heroes Act which, among many provisions, extends additional economic impact payments; extends unemployment benefits, including the extra $600 per week; increases the minimum SNAP benefit; provides additional housing assistance; and supports state and local governments with nearly $1 trillion in federal funding. I also believe that we cant just go back to normal after the pandemic. Normal is systemic racism. Normal is nearly 40 million hungry Americans. We need to do way, way better than normal. How much of a priority will you place on supporting the Brain Train Act that would commit $25 billion over five years to invest in high-performance, intercity passenger service, and would you prioritize including the creation of East-West rail service in Massachusetts as part of that package? Ive long been a supporter of investing in high-speed rail, including efforts like Senator Markeys Brain Train Act and the creation of East-West rail service, connecting Western Massachusetts with the Boston area. Ive been closely involved in discussions and supported planning efforts for East-West rail. The establishment of East-West rail will create jobs, reduce traffic congestion and pollution, and improve quality of living all throughout the corridor. I look forward to the day of its inaugural service. Worcesters population increased 14% between 1980 and 2016. What can be done on the federal level to help the citys housing situation? Ive championed efforts in Congress to ensure strong funding for the CDBG program, which is available to developers looking to acquire and/or rehabilitate multi-family housing. Im also a strong supporter of HUDs Lead Abatement program, which has been used to remediate units that contain health-related housing hazards. And, Im a proud cosponsor of Chairwoman Maxine Waters (D-CA) Housing is Infrastructure Act which would provide $5 billion to create hundreds of thousands of new affordable housing units and $70 billion to fully address the public housing capital backlog, among many other provisions to make the necessary investments in affordable housing. Faith-based organizations received significant help from the Paycheck Protection Program. If extended economic stress is caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, would you support more such government support for faith-based organizations in the future? I think we need to focus on getting aid to as many organizations as we can. I have been pushing for nonprofits to be made eligible in the next relief package as well. Tracy Lyn Lovvorn Party: Republican Age: 48 Address: Magill Drive, Grafton Current job title or elected office: Healthcare Operations Manager; CEO/Owner Evolution Physical Therapy Why are you running? As a small business owner, that has worked in healthcare for over 20yrs, that lives, works, and has children that have gone to schools in this District, I have keen awareness as to what the needs of the District are. I am running for Congress to Represent us, and these needs. I want to bring a positive energy to Washington that is focused on unification and solutions. I want to bring accountability and function back to this broken branch of our government, and put an end to the political extremism that works to incite and divide us. I will be an independent thinker and a leader that tirelessly works to uphold our Constitution. What is the most important issue facing the district, and how would you address it? Currently, the most critical issue facing our district is the coronavirus and its negative impacts to health, education, and our economy. There is no arguing that we were ill prepared for this virus. The national supply stockpile had been virtually ill funded and ignored by Congress since 2009. We have learned that our dependence on China for things from PPE to medications is far too great and has been for far too long, and we have learned that even when the very lives and livelihoods of American citizens are at stake- even this cannot transcend the extreme partisan nature of our Congress. Our Congress is toxic, dysfunctional, and broken. We desperately need new leadership to tackle and address these challenges, and I am eager, willing, and capable. How much of a priority will you place on supporting the Brain Train Act that would commit $25 billion over five years to invest in high-performance, intercity passenger service, and would you prioritize including the creation of East-West rail service in Massachusetts as part of that package? I believe the development and enhancement of efficient mass transit is extremely important. Grants made available by an Act such as the Brain Train Act, could help improve mobility, enhance safety, promote economic development, generate new jobs, and even help protect the environment. Helping to connect Western Massachusetts would be tremendously beneficial. That Said, Government bureaucracy when it comes to completion of these types of projects is extremely abysmal. They are typically wrought with waste, excessive expense, and take extreme lengths of time to complete. I would add to the Act necessity for streamlined execution, fixed timelines for completion, and need for private industry financial and construction cooperation. Worcesters population increased 14% between 1980 and 2016. What can be done on the federal level to help the citys housing situation? The housing crisis can be simply defined as lack of housing in relation to the rule of supply and demand. We need to increase the supply to help decrease the price. To increase supply we must, without sacrificing safety, make it easier, more efficient, and more cost effective for builders to build. The Federal Government needs to incentivize State and local governments to identify areas where excessive regulations, tax rates, and restrictive zoning laws are prohibitive to growth. If builders can build more cost effectively, housing volume will increase, and at the same time home prices will become more affordable. Its a win-win-win for all involved. Faith-based organizations received significant help from the Paycheck Protection Program. If extended economic stress is caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, would you support more such government support for faith-based organizations in the future? According to the SBA, the PPP and EIDL loan programs are neutral, generally applicable loan programs that provide support for nonprofit organizations without regard to whether they are religious or secular. The CARES Act has provided those program funds as part of the efforts to respond to the economic dislocation threatened by COVID-19. Based on the definition above, I support the initial payments made. Moving forward however, I believe that faith based organizations are protected first and foremost by the U.S. Constitution, and should never have been required to close. These organizations need to be considered essential, and need to remain open and functional. As such, they should no longer require or benefit from additional funding. The $600 per week Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation supplement expired July 25, and Congress has failed to extend it. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} FPUC provided the biggest pot of money to the unemployed in the state since the crisis began. From April 4 through July 25, it put $8.4 billion into the pockets of unemployed New Jerseyans, compared with about $4.4 billion from regular unemployment payments. While we will take whatever steps are necessary to get as much federal assistance to unemployed New Jersey workers as possible, the FEMA program provides half the benefit and only to a fraction of unemployed individuals and families struggling under the weight of this continuing pandemic, Asaro-Angelo said. It will end as soon as the funding runs out in a few weeks, it excludes people whose unemployment is not a direct result of COVID and it requires a separate application process that has not even been created yet. It makes far more sense for Congress to extend the $600 supplement, which would require us to literally flip a switch to get those benefits flowing again, Asaro-Angelo said. OTTAWA COUNTY, MI -- A Spring Lake area woman was charged with child neglect after her 6-year-old son drowned at Holland State Park in early June. Ottawa County sheriffs investigators said 33-year-old Miranda Rowe turned herself on Thursday, Aug. 27 after prosecutors authorized a third-degree child neglect charge. She pleaded guilty the same day in Holland District Court. Her son, 6-year-old Iain Rowe, went missing Saturday, June 6 and was last seen in waist-deep water at Holland State Park. His mother also was at the park. Searchers found his body early the next morning along the rocks, just north of the channel. Ottawa County sheriffs detectives spent three months investigating the drowning and circumstances surrounding it. They then submitted a report to Ottawa County prosecutors. Police did not give details about the specific negligence alleged against Rowe. The charge carries a maximum of two years in prison. More from MLive Grandville Schools employee tests positive for coronavirus Big weather change coming for Michigan during this weekend Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 15:46:10|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close FUZHOU, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Ltd. (CATL), China's largest automotive lithium-ion battery maker, reported profit and revenue declines in the first half of 2020 (H1) due to weak performance of the country's new energy vehicle (NEV) market. Net profit totaled 1.94 billion yuan (about 281 million U.S. dollars) during the January-June period, down 7.86 percent year on year, CATL said in its financial report filed with the Shenzhen Stock Exchange. During the period, the battery giant generated a total revenue of 18.83 billion yuan, down 7.08 percent year on year, according to the interim report. Its battery sales fell 20.2 percent year on year to 13.48 billion yuan in the six months when NEV sales slumped amid the COVID-19 epidemic, said CATL, which has partnerships with several foreign and domestic carmakers. Some 393,000 NEVs were sold in the first half of the year, down 37.4 percent year on year, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers. Enditem 8/17 Betty Parshall, Coon Valley, was backing out of a parking stall at Kwik Trip, village of Coon Valley. Parshall backed into another vehicle, owned by Gary Goodyear, Richland Center. Parshall did not know she hit the vehicle, and continued leaving. Parshall was later located. Both vehicles received minor damage. No one reported any injuries. 8/20 Deputy Sheriff Jacob Johnson was operating his fully marked squad car on Union Avenue, town of Union, and hit a deer. No injuries were reported. The squad car received functional damage. *** Message from Sheriff John Spears: There have been questions in regards to the new Executive Order #82 issued by Gov. Evers. I hope this clarifies our response here at the Sheriffs Office. The Vernon County Sheriffs Office supports individual actions that can be taken to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Those actions include, but are not limited to: social distancing, proper washing of hands, use of hand sanitizers, and the use of proper protective personal equipment (PPE), including masks. Additionally, we appreciate the efforts of business owners who have taken numerous steps to keep people healthy including, but not limited to: the use of safety barriers, social distance arrangements, as well as disinfecting procedures. We understand that some individuals may have medical conditions or disabilities that prevent them from utilizing masks. In order to provide some clarification, please be advised that the Vernon County Sheriffs Office will not be responding to complaints of individuals violating the Governors face covering mandate. Consistent with our understanding of the Executive Order #82, the goal is compliance and education, and is not meant to be punitive. However, the Vernon County Sheriffs Office will continue to respond to reports or complaints from a business owner, manager or other premise owner who has already requested that an individual leave a premise for failing to comply with the face covering mandate as it relates to that specific premise. We anticipate that these circumstances will be rare, but enforcement is necessary under these circumstances because they are situations where a disturbance may be likely. In those situations, our focus is not on the face covering order itself, but rather the fact that the individual is not wanted in a particular place, that the individual has been asked to leave, and has not complied with the request of the person in control of that premise. This enforcement response is consistent with most, if not all of the other Sheriffs Offices throughout Western Wisconsin and the state. *** Until further notice, in compliance with CDC limitations, to reduce the spread of coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19), Sheriff John Spears is limiting nonessential/nonemergent services including all meetings scheduled at the sheriffs office, license plate registrations, jail visitation, etc. In order to report an incident, or questions/inquiries in general, please call the Vernon County Dispatch Center at 608-637-2123 or email: vcso@vernoncounty.org. Civil Process/Record Request inquiries can be forwarded to 608-638-5710 or email: vcsorecords@vernoncounty.org. As directed by Sheriff Spears, if you are experiencing symptoms of the coronavirus or flu-like symptoms, please identify this to the dispatcher before a deputy makes contact at your residence. Precautions are being taken in this facility to maintain the health and wellness of staff, inmates and visitors. Thank you for your understanding. *Sheriff Spears is reminding citizens to practice good health practices and follow the guidelines set forth by the Centers for Disease Control. To help protect our community, your family and co-workers, please remember to wash your hands frequently for a minimum of 20 seconds, limit the amount of times you touch your face with your hands, cover your mouth when you have a cough, and if you are sick, stay home, or seek medical attention. Clean and sanitize your home, work areas, and frequently contacted areas. For more information, please contact the Vernon County Health Department or your medical provider, and do your part to keep our community healthy to reduce or limit the impact of COVID-19/coronavirus. Stay safe and healthy! Project cargoes will be brought by a total of six ships traveling halfway around the world. The project volume, totaling 25,000 cubic meters, is comparable to 10 Statues of Liberty, Hirt said. Watching cargoes this large move through the port is awe-inspiring. Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor is handling the primary shipments for a $1 billion power plant project at the Indeck Niles Energy Center in Michigan. More than 600 pieces of cargo, some as large as 600,000 pounds and 100-feet long, are being shipped through the northern Indiana port destined for Niles, Mich. In total, there will be six vessels arriving with the cargoes from June through August, the first of which was the BBC Florida on June 29th. The largest piece being shipped to the deep-water port is 613,000 pounds, 100 feet long, 12 feet high and 15 feet wide. It is a steam recovery system, also known as a Heat Recovery Steam Generator. We have seen an uptick in large project cargo shipments this year for power plants and wind energy components, but the size and scope of this project make it one of the largest shipments in our ports 50-year history, said Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor Port Director Ian Hirt. It is not every day you get to see our port companies and labor force handling 600 pieces of cargo for one massive power plant project. Located on Lake Michigan, the port is known internationally as a leading Midwestern hub for shipping heavy lift and project cargo because of its ocean access, proximity to the U.S. heartland, and its capability of handling large-dimensional cargo. Additionally, the Great Lakes allow over-sized cargoes to be transported into the Midwest by ocean vessel, eliminating the need for driving overweight trucks hundreds of miles from a coastal port. The shipments will traverse halfway around the world before entering the St. Lawrence Seaway that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes. The cargoes are arriving on the vessels BBC Florida, Timgad, Freida, Calypso, BBC Mont Blanc, and BBC Greenland. Each shipment takes approximately two months to arrive at its final destination. The project volume, totaling 25,000 cubic meters, is comparable to 10 Statues of Liberty, Hirt said. Watching cargoes this large move through the port is awe-inspiring. Federal Marine Terminals (FMT), the ports general cargo stevedore, will unload the large project cargo from vessel utilizing works from the International Longshoremens Assoc. and the International Union of Operating Engineers. The cargo will be transloaded from the vessel to the ports storage yard on an 84-axle truck, before being trucked to the final destination at the natural-gas power plant site in Niles, Mich. The Indeck Niles Energy Center will be a next generation, state-of-the-art energy center fueled by clean natural gas. The facility will use combined-cycle technology to generate electricity. In a combined-cycle process, energy is produced through a gas turbine and the excess heat is recovered and converted to steam to produce additional electricity. The power plant construction commenced in August 2019 and the expected commercial operation date is March 2022. ### Mr Martin said that as the number of Covid-19 cases rises, the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) is constantly wary of moving closer to further restrictions. It comes after Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly said that the country is at a tipping point. Mr Martin said that while efforts are made to try and avoid a second lockdown, he warned that the danger and challenge is always there. Speaking in Limerick, Mr Martin added: In fairness, the situation in relation to NPHET (National Public Health Emergency Team) theyve given us advice which weve adopted and weve implemented, and obviously the way the numbers are going, NPHET are constantly wary of that prospect. The reason we adopted the measures last week was to make sure we dont get to that situation, but its fluid. Advertisement The big story this week is the reopening of our schools. A million people, between students and teachers, coming back into our schools. We have been visiting schools different days to see the extraordinary work of teachers, SNAs and school management. Its really very good stuff to see the contribution that they have made to enable children to return to our schools. Meanwhile, the Taoiseach described his conversation with President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen as warm. The pair focused on the successor to Phil Hogan, he added. Ive met Ursula von der Leyen, particularly in the context of councils, (shes) a very straightforward person, he added. I think she appreciated the fact that at no stage did I seek at any time to influence her in terms of any deliberations in relation to this matter, or in fact there was no contact prior to yesterdays decisions. Tanaiste Leo Varadkar has said his intention is to continue leading the Fine Gael party. Asked if he would like the role of an EU commissioner, Mr Varadkar said: My intention is to continue to lead my party, to work hard in my job as Tanaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, and to become Taoiseach again in 2022. He went on to describe Mr Hogan as a good colleague and very good friend. He is somebody who I reappointed as head of government, as commissioner because he did such a good job in his previous role, Mr Varadkar added. But the situation developed as it did. He was given an opportunity to explain his whereabouts and his movements within Ireland and to confirm that he had been following the public health guidelines and unfortunately over a period of days it transpired that he had not. Ultimately this was a decision that was made by President von der Leyen, not one by the Irish Government. I think it was the right decision in the end but of course lots of regrets. Its been a gruelling few months for millions of Indians, particularly the countrys young. Stuck at home, glued to their televisions and mobile phones, devoid of any social interactions and outings during a nationwide lockdown, many have also had to bear the brunt of dwindling finances. In July alone, nearly 5 million salaried people lost their jobs, according to the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy, taking the total number of job losses since March, when India imposed the lockdown, to 18.9 million. But, if anything, that sense of despair never came in their way of scouting for potential relationships. Thats perhaps why popular online dating platforms such as Tinder, Hinge, Bumble and Happn have been seeing steady growth in the number of users. India currently has about 18 million users across online dating platforms, according to Statista, a market research firm. Then, there were others such as Ankita (name changed), single and straight out of college amid a pandemic, who was struggling to find a job in an economy that is likely to register negative growth in the current financial year. I was quite helpless since I had nobody to share my concerns with, says the 21-year-old. Thats when she stumbled upon SeekingArrangement, the Las Vegas-headquartered sugar-baby and sugar-daddy dating website, with a member base in excess of 22 million users globally. Unlike dating apps such as Tinder, Hinge, Bumble, or Happn, SeekingArrangement remains relatively unknown in India, thanks to its rather controversial nature of business. For unlike the others, SeekingArrangement is a platform that connects, what it calls, sugar-babies to sugar-daddies and sugar-mommas. The company defines a sugar-baby as someone who knows their value and refuses to settle, especially in their relationships. They are driven, successful, and empowered to date financially secure people who can upgrade their lifestyle, a spokesperson for the company tells Forbes India. A sugar-daddy, on the other hand, is an older man who enjoys supporting his partner, according to the company. Money is not an issue for these successful members, and oftentimes, work and travel schedules make traditional dating unappealing, the spokesperson adds. Put quite simply, sugar-daddies or sugar-mommas are looking for a sugar-baby to enter into a relationship, where the terms are clearly laid out, and in many cases involve payment in return for a favour. The latter could range from being a confidante, a mentee or in exchange for sex. On average, a sugar-baby gets up to Rs 35,000 in monthly allowances, according to SeekingArrangement, which began operations in 2006, and has been ramping up its India play since last year. Ankita, for instance, met 48-year-old Nikhil (name changed), a Mumbai-based vice president at a multinational corporation, who recently quit his company to launch his own business. As our conversation became deeper and meaningful, he liked the way I think and has asked me to help him set up the business, she says. We intend to launch it in October. SeekingArrangement calls this an upgraded relationship built on a foundation of honesty about expectations, says the spokesperson. Whether its time constraints, polyamory, or wanting to be strictly platonic, these couples are open and upfront. We call it Relationships on Your Terms. So far, the company has built a user base of 75,000 members in India, which it intends to double by next year. Their revenue is purely subscription-based. India is a melting pot of many unique personas and a thriving urban population that essentially blows our minds, to say the least, says Annette Joseph, the spokesperson for the group. Indias population is so large, itll only be a matter of time before it becomes one of our biggest markets. At the height of the pandemic, when the lockdown and job losses hit India, the company saw a 39 percent spike of new members registered on the site from India and a staggering 158 percent surge of new users in India from 2019 to 2020 alone. And the year hasnt even ended, the spokesperson adds. Fascinating, but conservative Today, a large number of SeekingArrangements business comes from Indias metropolises. The countrys financial capital, Mumbai, has over 6,200 sugar-babies, with 21,464 sugar-daddies. New Delhi has more than 3,400 sugar-babies and 13,127 sugar-daddies, while Hyderabad has over 11,000 sugar-daddies and 1,200 sugar-babies. These cities also boast high literacy rates, and hence illustrate university students seeking financial support from sugar-daddies or sugar-mommies via the app, the spokesperson adds. On an average, an Indian sugar-daddy is worth $500,000 to $750,000 according to the company, with 48 percent of them being widowed, while the rest are divorced, single or in other categories. SeekingArrangement says it doesnt have any sugar-mommies in India, as of now. Sugar-daddies and sugar-mommies dont only come in the form of providing financial assistance, rather they also serve as mentors, offering financial guidance, networking opportunities and career advancements, among othersin the name of raising the bar for aspiring professionals while theyre still in university, Brendon Wade, the CEO of SeekingArrangement, said in a statement. Mumbai-based Rajiv (name changed), a 46-year-old businessman had been rather unsuccessful when it came to finding a partner, despite trying out numerous dating apps. I travel a lot and just never found the right partner who shared my mindset and interests, he says. Around 2019, he stumbled upon SeekingArrangement and has so far met over 10 women, with relationships ranging from coffee and movie dates to more intimate ones. Today, however, he has been going steady with Rupi (name changed), who he is also currently mentoring since they belong to the same line of business and is also trying to find her an overseas placement. We have travelled to Greece and Croatia last year, Rajiv says. SeekingArrangement, however, claims that much of its success is a direct result of Indias growing unemployment rate. In 2019, India struggled with a 6.1 percent unemployment rate, which in May this year swelled to a staggering 27.11 percent. Through our research with both members directly and credible online sources, its safe to say that more users have been drawn to the platform in light of Indias pandemic-injected unemployment, the company tells Forbes India, believing that many of the members are students who had taken up education loans and are forecast to default. Even worse, students find themselves juggling multiple jobs while in university and oftentimes end up dropping out as they are unable to cope with the mounting pressure, adds Wade. Indias online dating segment is pegged at $63 million currently, with the average revenue per user (ARPU) at $2.78, according to data from Statista. By 2024, the market is expected to grow to $77 million with over 26.8 million users. At the moment, on SeekingArrangement, sugar-daddies and sugar-mommas have to pay for the use, while for sugar-babies it is free. They need to indicate whether they are looking for success and wealth or looks and charm. Globally, the average age of sugar-babies is 24, while that of sugar-daddies is 42, with the US being the largest market, according to SeekingArrangement. Among them, sugar-babies are mostly students, entrepreneurs, waitresses, cosmetologists and business managers, while sugar-daddies are largely engineers, entrepreneurs, businessmen, doctors, and lawyers. Yet, for a company that has 14 million sugar-babies across the world, of which 8.7 million is in college, in comparison to 3.5 million sugar-daddies, SeekingArrangement has also received flak for inadequate security. In 2014, Google executive Forrest Hayes was found dead on his yacht, reportedly from a heroin overdose that was injected by his sugar-baby. Then, in 2019, a sugar-baby, Mackenzie Lueck, was killed in Salt Lake City in the US, allegedly by her sugar-daddy. There have also been alleged incidents of rape, and assaults, highlighting the vulnerable situation sugar-babies find themselves in. At Seeking, we have a customer support team that works 24 hours a day, seven days a week from three different time zones, the spokesperson adds. We also have artificial intelligence, which crawls the site, looking for those violating our terms of use. Above all, we have a very strong self-reporting community, so if a member is found to be using the site inappropriately, they will likely be reported and banned entirely. The reservations or the moral policing a business like this could be subjected to in conservative India is not a cause of concern at all, says the spokesperson, as relationships formed via the platform come like any other normal relationship. Were a dating app after all. Over the past few years, India has seen the entry of controversial online platforms, including Gleeden, an app for extramarital affairs, which too saw a surge over the past few months. In May, the company had said that it crossed 10 lakh users in India. The surge was largely due to more women users on the platform, with the ratio currently at 36:64 between men and women. Prior to venturing into the Indian market, we did our research and found that we are not doing anything that is violating laws or harming the Indian peoples wellbeing, the SeekingArrangement spokesperson says. Having had a global presence for almost 20 years and [being] a strong industry player, we are guided by insights and people behaviour of every region we are in. Perhaps, like many other online dating apps before them that have taken India by storm, its only a matter of time before more youngsters take to SeekingArrangement too. A gloomy economy might only hasten that. Nellie Reynolds, a public housing tenant activist who helped established the first Resident Advisory Board, and who later was appointed as a commissioner of the Philadelphia Housing Authority died Aug. 23. She was 94. Read more Nellie Reynolds, 96, a longtime public housing resident and activist who served on the board of the Philadelphia Housing Authority, died Sunday, Aug. 23, at her daughters home of heart failure. Ms. Reynolds began organizing on behalf of public housing tenants in 1968, leading to the creation of the first resident advisory board for public housing in the nation. It inspired hundreds of other such advisory boards around the country, PHA officials said. Ms. Reynolds was like a second mother to me, Kelvin A. Jeremiah, president and CEO of the Housing Authority, said in a statement. I am grateful for her wisdom and her sage counsel. She reminded everyone, including me, that they are here to make a difference, he said. She was a voice for the unheard and marginalized. Philadelphia City Council President Darrell L. Clarke on Tuesday praised Ms. Reynolds as the conscience of our city. She was a passionate, lifelong advocate of the right of people to decent housing and affordable housing, She will be deeply missed, Clarke said. Ms. Reynolds didnt just protest for affordable housing. She also took direct action. She was part of the squatters movement, and worked with former State Sen. T. Milton Street Sr. in the 1980s to place tenants into vacant PHA homes. Asia Coney, a tenant activist and current president of the citys resident board, got to know Ms. Reynolds when Coney was a young mother who needed housing. Coney recalled Ms. Reynolds and Street telling PHA they would move people into 200 boarded-up units at the Tasker Homes in South Philadelphia, near the boundary with the Grays Ferry section. The activists pried off the boards and the squatters moved in. Coney said she was one of them. The Grays Ferry council persuaded the PHA to board them up to serve as a border between the white residents [of Grays Ferry] and the Black people in Tasker Homes, Coney said. Ms. Reynolds was also key to the more than 20-year fight to have public housing built at Whitman Park, at Second Street and Oregon Avenue, a landmark in the citys struggle for integration. Then-Mayor Frank L. Rizzo had blocked the development, which was to include single-family subsidized rowhouses. The mayor denounced the project, saying white people did not want Black people moving into their all-white neighborhood. Ms. Reynolds spearheaded the federal lawsuit that cleared the way for the project, Resident Advisory Board v. Rizzo. Coney learned to be a tenants rights advocate by observing Ms. Reynolds: The most important thing I learned from her was that you have to stand up for something, or you will fall for anything. She also said her mentor was very quiet. You never heard her raise her voice. But she carried a big stick. That was her power. Ms. Reynolds was appointed a PHA commissioner in 1984 and served until 2010, when the entire board resigned in the wake of the federal takeover of the authority.. That year the board also fired its executive director, Carl R. Green, after learning PHA had secretly settled three sexual-harassment complaints against him for $648,000. It later learned the agency had spent $38.3 million in legal fees. Ms. Reynolds moved into the James Weldon Johnson Homes in North Philadelphia as a teenager, her daughter said. She was born in rural Chatham, Va., in 1924 and had just arrived in Philadelphia with her family. She was the fifth of six children born to her mother, Elmer, and father, Lloyd Anderson. After her fathers death, her mother moved to the city with her children. Ms. Reynolds daughter, Jacqueline McDowell, said her mother recalled how nice the Johnson Homes were and said people could leave their doors open without locking them. After graduating from high school, Ms. Reynolds married and had four children. The marriage ended in divorce. Ms. Reynolds was a longtime member of Zion Baptist Church when it was led by the Rev. Leon H. Sullivan. She loved to travel, read, and go camping. In addition to her daughter, Ms. Reynolds is survived by sons Paul and Steven Reynolds; 10 grandchildren, and many relatives and friends. A son, Douglas, died earlier. Funeral services will be held at the former playground area at Johnson Homes, 2500 Norris Dr., on Tuesday, Sept. 1. There will be a viewing at 10 a.m., followed by a service at 11. Burial is private. Kenosha Demonstrators Take to White Residential Areas, Make Loud Noise Demonstrators in the Wisconsin city where a man was shot over the weekend marched to residential areas on Wednesday night, making noise as they tried waking families up. The Black Lives Matter movement mimicked tactics used in Portland, where rioters have periodically gone around cul-de-sacs and urged people to support them. The group was in downtown Kenosha, where people had rioted since Sunday, before deciding to go to another part of the city. One man said they should target white folks. This our [expletive]. Take it to their [expletive]. Demonstrators march in Kenosha, Wis., on Aug. 26, 2020. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images) The marchers soon went through residential streets, using loud noises, drumming, and chanting in efforts to wake residents up. Along the way, they sprayed graffiti on a temple and a church. Drivers in a number of vehicles used to block traffic also honked their horns repeatedly and demonstrators shined lasers into house windows. The tactic of using vehicles to protect crowds has also been adopted from rioters in Portland. People ignored the curfew imposed to try to keep the peace. The curfew was moved from 8 p.m. to 7 p.m. after three nights of rioting. Rioters burned down dozens of buildings and broke into small businesses, stealing from them. They also lit vehicles on fire and attacked police officers. Demonstrators and rioters were upset that Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old, was shot by police on Sunday. The Wisconsin Department of Justice reported Wednesday that officers responded to a domestic incident and tried arresting Blake but he resisted and walked to the drivers side of his vehicle. Blake, who one police officer shot seven times, admitted that he possessed a knife, investigators said. Blake is being treated at Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee. His family says he is paralyzed from the waist down. The department is probing the shooting and plans to deliver a full report to a prosecutor within 30 days of the incident. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Wednesday it is opening a federal civil rights investigation into the shooting. A demonstrator walks by a boarded-up store scrawled with black owned business in an attempt to prevent it from being burned down or broken into, in Kenosha, Wis., on Aug. 26, 2020. (Kerem Yucel/AFP via Getty Images) Federal authorities are committed to investigating this matter as thoroughly and efficiently as possible, the department said. Attorneys general involved urged people to let the investigation take place before rendering judgment and joined other officials in encouraging demonstrators to act peacefully and abide by the law. A world of social media that has clearly emphasized immediate action over any ability to be calm or deliberate when making the most important decisions in life. And has emphasized quick decision making, immediacy, and emotional impact, instead of thinking about making accurate decisions and prioritizing that above all else, Kenosha County District Attorney Michael Graveley told reporters at a press briefing. The destruction of property and the violence that has too often occurred in this community the last couple of days does a disservice to this moment in history, he added later. President Donald Trump reached an agreement with Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers that saw almost 1,000 National Guard members deployed to Kenosha to try to quell unrest. More than 200 federal officers and agents, including FBI agents, were sent to the city, the DOJ said. The bolstered law enforcement presence appeared to work, with no fires being set overnight for the first time since the shooting. Astana guarantor states censure Israeli aggression on Syrian soil Iran Press TV Wednesday, 26 August 2020 2:07 AM Iran, Russia and Turkey the three guarantor states of the Astana peace process have blasted Israel's continued attacks on Syria as well as the illegal US seizure of the Syrian oil. In a joint statement after the third trilateral meeting of the Syrian constitutional committee in Geneva on Tuesday, senior diplomats from the three sides condemned the Israeli military attacks on Syrian territory and said the acts of aggression would endanger the stability and security of the region. The Iranian, Russian and Turkish diplomats stressed that the Israeli attacks violated international law and undermined the sovereignty of the Arab country. Tel Aviv frequently attacks military targets inside Syria in what is considered an attempt to prop up Takfiri terrorist outfits that have been suffering heavy defeats against Syrian government forces. Israel seized the Golan Heights from Syria after the 1967 Six-Day War and later occupied it in a move that has never been recognized by the international community. The three countries also expressed on Tuesday their opposition to the US for "the illegal confiscation of the oil revenues and transfers that should return to Syria." The Astana guarantors censured all unilateral sanctions against Damascus, stating that they are extremely harmful considering the humanitarian situation in Syria, especially in the wake of the covid-19 pandemic. Iran, Russia, and Turkey have been leading a peace process for Syria known as the Astana process, because Kazakhstan's capital, Nur-Sultan, formerly called Astana, originally hosted the meetings. The Astana talks resulted in two agreements. A first deal was signed in Kazakhstan's capital, arranging for the creation of de-escalation zones across Syria, including in parts of Idlib. The second one that came about in the Russian resort city of Sochi allowed Ankara to bring in a small number of forces to man the observation posts to reinforce de-escalation. While the two deals have helped significantly reduce fighting in Syria, the conflict has not entirely ended, due in large part to Turkish failure to separate terrorists from what it calls "moderate" opposition groups in Idlib and Ankara's dispatch of thousands of troops and heavy military hardware into the Syrian province to back the militants. Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011. But that conflict has been winding down as the Syrian government reasserts control over parts formerly held by militant and terrorist groups. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Josie Norris, The San Antonio Express-News / Staff Photographer Since Aug. 14, H-E-B has reported 11 coronavirus cases in San Antonio employees, according to the grocery store chain's website. So far in August, there have been 26 employees in San Antonio who have tested positive for COVID-19. Last month, 108 employees tested positive for the virus in the Alamo City, down from the more than 120 who contracted the coronavirus in June. Duke Energy Corp. DUK recently began operating the largest battery system in North Carolina, which is a 9-megawatt (MW) lithium-ion Samsung battery system. The storage system is operating next to a Duke Energy substation in the Shiloh community. With a total cost of nearly $15 million, the project will primarily be used to help the electric system operate more efficiently. The project will further provide energy support to the electric system, including frequency regulation and other grid support services. Duke Energys Role in Battery Storage Duke Energy has more than a decade of experience with battery storage and thus plays a vital role in the usage of battery technology on the grid. The company is rapidly enhancing its storage portfolio, realizing the growth prospects. In Madison County, Duke Energy is planning to install a 4-MW lithium-ion battery system that will help improve electric reliability for the town, along with providing services to the overall electric system. Whereas in South Carolina, the company is planning to install a 5-MW lithium-ion battery system that will provide backup power at the facility and benefits to the bulk power system to enhance reliability. Notably, Duke Energy is one of the leading and premier utility service providers in the United States, offering efficient power and energy services, and battery storage facilities. The company has plans to invest $600 million for 375 MW of energy storage across its regulated businesses, as energy storage will be pivotal in reducing its carbon emissions by at least 50% by 2030 and achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. In line with executing such plans, the company expects to install more than 15,000 MW of additional energy storage by 2030. Battery Storage Prospects With increasing environmental awareness, the U.S. electric utility industry is shifting focus to renewable sources for electricity generation. To this end, utility companies are increasingly focusing on reducing emissions by implementing innovative technologies like battery storage systems. Per a report by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), 869 MW of battery storage projects were being operated in the United States at the end of 2018, representing 1,236 megawatt hours (MWh) of energy capacity. In fact, EIA expects utility-scale battery storage power capacity to exceed 2,500 MW by 2023. Such growth prospects must have encouraged utilities like Duke Energy to increase their focus on enhancing their battery storage portfolio. In line with this, other utilities are also following suit. Notably, companies like Xcel Energy Inc XEL, NextEra Energy NEE and PG&E Corp PCG are also investing in battery storage projects to benefit from the prospects in the market. Xcel Energy's long-term plan includes the addition of approximately 275 MW of battery storage. NextEra Energy, meanwhile, has more energy storage capacity than any other company in the United States, with more than 150 MW of battery energy storage systems in operation. In July 2020, PG&E has requested approval for a filing with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) for expanding its battery energy storage capacity by a total of 423 MW. Story continues Zacks Rank & Price Performance Duke Energy has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. In the year-to-date period, Duke Energys shares have lost 12.8% compared with the industrys 15% decline. These Stocks Are Poised to Soar Past the Pandemic The COVID-19 outbreak has shifted consumer behavior dramatically, and a handful of high-tech companies have stepped up to keep America running. Right now, investors in these companies have a shot at serious profits. For example, Zoom jumped 108.5% in less than 4 months while most other stocks were sinking. Our research shows that 5 cutting-edge stocks could skyrocket from the exponential increase in demand for stay at home technologies. This could be one of the biggest buying opportunities of this decade, especially for those who get in early. See the 5 high-tech stocks now>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Xcel Energy Inc. (XEL) : Free Stock Analysis Report Duke Energy Corporation (DUK) : Free Stock Analysis Report NextEra Energy, Inc. (NEE) : Free Stock Analysis Report Pacific Gas Electric Co. (PCG) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research R olls-Royce has slumped to a 5.4 billion loss and said 4,000 staff had now left the business in the wake of the aviation crisis triggered by Covid-19. The engine giant's half-year results included a 1.5 billion slump in civil aerospace revenues after large engine flying hours fell by 80% at the height of global pandemic lockdowns. Rolls is now targeting disposals worth 2 billion and is looking at other ways to shore up its balance sheet, which analysts think may need to include a 1.5 billion City fundraising. A restructuring plan announced in May also aims to remove 8,000 roles from the civil aerospace division, with another 1,000 from central functions. Some 4,000 jobs have already been removed, with this figure set to rise to 5,000 by the end of the year across facilities in the UK, Germany and Singapore. This figure includes 2,500 voluntary severance and early retirement agreements in the UK, which Rolls hopes will substantially reduce the need for compulsory redundancies. The pressure on the balance sheet was revealed in today's results after the group went from a net cash position of 1.4 billion at the end of 2019 to net debt of 1.7 billion. Rolls said: Based on our market assumptions and despite the mitigating actions we are taking, we expect our net debt position to have significantly increased by the end of 2021. The company hopes to be generating cash again by the second half of next year. In the meantime, it has boosted its liquidity position to 8.1 billion, including through a partial guarantee from the government's UK Export Finance programme. Today's bottom-line loss includes the unwinding of some currency hedging contracts due to the expected shortfall in orders for the next seven years. Even without this, it reported an operating loss of 1.8 billion due to impairments and other write-offs. Chief executive Warren East said: We have made significant progress with our restructuring, which includes the largest reorganisation of our civil aerospace business in our history. This restructuring has caused us to take difficult decisions resulting in an unfortunate but necessary reduction in roles. Dodge has this weird obsession with cramming Hellcat power into almost everything it possibly can. Its not necessarily a bad thing, and wed be lying if we said that we werent stoked to the Ram 1500 TRX or the Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat. However, its becoming painfully clear that having Hellcat power isnt for the weak of heart or for those with a small wallet. Case in point: The 2021 Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat. How Much Does the Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat Cost? Dodge has finally released pricing for the Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat, and it starts out at $80,995. Thats before options, taxes, registration, options, and delivery, among other things. That puts it at a premium of $49,230 over the entry-level RWD Durango SXT at an affordable $31,765. It also sits $1,400 over the cost of the recently announced Challenger SRT Super Stock and just shy of the now-discontinued Dodge Demon at $84,995. It should also be noted that it comes in just $12,000 shy of what would have paid for the 2017 Dodge Viper at $93,000 a figure that also included destination charges and a $2,600 gas guzzler tax. So, is the Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat actually worth that $81,000 sticker price? Whether or not the Durango SRT Hellcat is actually worth it depends on who you ask. For what its worth, its still cheaper than the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhark, which retails from $87,400, but we need to look into what the Durango Hellcat brings to the table. For $81,000, youll get 710 horsepower and 645 pound-feet of torque, which is enough to get the Durango up to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds and to a top speed of 180 mph. Its damn impressive, really, and the Durango SRT Hellcat is the most powerful production SUV in the world. All that supercharged power is shunted exclusively to all four wheels, and it has a revised suspension system to improve responsiveness, grip, and reduce understeer. Dodge markets it as track-capable, and it even has a track mode, launch assist, and launch control. As youd expect, braking is handled by race-inspired Brembo brakes. The Durango SRT Hellcat is an impressive all-around package, and it does give Dodge some bragging rights, however, Im one of those people that doesnt see a lot of purpose for such a vehicle. Towing capacity is rated at just 8,700 pounds, which really isnt anything to write home about, and to be honest, I can think of a lot better vehicles to go and chuck around corners or bends on the track than a Durango. Furthermore, I see it as a ploy to keep the Durango relevant. Remember, the current Durango has been on the market since 2010 the same song we can sing for cars like the Challenger and Charger. Yeah, it looks good, it goes fast, and handles well, but its also riding on 10-year-old technology, and all that power is pretty much pointless most of the time. Ram made the right move to hold off on the 1500 TRX until the next-gen model came out. Dodge should have done the same. If you buy the Durango, youre buying an over-powered 10-year-old vehicle. Is it cool? Yes, but its also unnecessary and outdated. As a matter of perspective, you can buy a number of vehicles for the same or better money, and theyll end up being a lot more capable on the track. Take a look at these models: Of course, you wont have a 710-horsepower Hellcat engine under the hood, but every one of these cars are actually designed with spirited driving in mind thats something you cant say for the Durango. What do you think? Is the novelty of owning a Durango SRT Hellcat worth the price? Flash A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson on Wednesday slammed U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper's recent allegations about the People's Liberation Army (PLA) of China in an article published on a U.S. media outlet. "Esper's allegations are totally groundless," spokesperson Zhao Lijian told a daily press briefing in response, adding large numbers of facts and statistics are more than enough to debunk and shatter such lies and fallacies about the so-called "China threat." Zhao said since 1990, the Chinese military has taken part in more than 20 United Nations peacekeeping missions, and sent 40,000-plus military personnel, making China the largest contributor of peacekeeping troops among the five permanent members of the Security Council. Meanwhile, in the 240-plus years since its founding, the United States has only seen 16 war-free years, said Zhao, adding its military budget for 2019 exceeded 716 billion U.S. dollars, equivalent to the combined military spending of the nine countries trailing the United States. While noting China pursues a national defense policy that is defensive in nature, Zhao said that both the Constitution of the Communist Party of China and the Constitution of the People's Republic of China clearly stipulate that China adheres to the path of peaceful development and opposes hegemony. "I wonder if the United States can make such policy announcements," said Zhao. "Which country possesses hundreds of military bases around the world, illegally waged war and military operations against countries such as Iraq, Libya and Syria, and sent ships to and planes over far-flung waters to flex their muscles?" Zhao asked. "Which country, obsessed with a Cold War mentality, quitted treaties and multilateral organizations and wielded sticks and fists like crazy, and arbitrarily disrupted global rules?" "We can get the right answer as long as some U.S. politicians respect the facts," added the spokesperson. BELLEVILLE, NJ It was a unique grand opening for Wawa in Belleville. The chains new location in Belleville opened its doors to the public on Thursday morning. Located at 11 South Franklin Avenue, the Belleville store is Wawas third in Essex County. Other nearby stores are located in Maplewood and Fairfield. According to Wawa spokespeople, the Belleville store will employ about 40 associates. Belleville Mayor Michael Melham welcomed Wawa to the neighborhood by congratulating the team and building the first ceremonial hoagie. Wawa also got a warm welcome from the Belleville Fire Department and Belleville Police Department after it donated $1,000 contributions to each departments charity of choice. Wawa also expressed its gratitude to workers at Clara Maass Medical Center with a Hoagies for Heroes lunch and a $1,000 donation. Thursdays grand opening, which took place in a county that leads the state in coronavirus cases, included social distancing and face masks, not a usual part of the celebration but one that was welcomed, spokespeople said. Some COVID-19 safety changes that have taken place at Wawa locations include: launch of the Wawa Clean Force, a sanitizing SWAT team working at each store every day masks and gloves for all associates clear plastic safety guards at check out and food-service counters wellness temperature checks for associates before each shift social distancing markers and hand-sanitizer stations for customers We are committed to providing comfort and a sense of normalcy in the safest way possible and will continue to listen to the needs of our customers during this challenging time, President/CEO Chris Gheysens said. According to spokespeople, Wawa Inc. began in 1803 as an iron foundry in New Jersey. Toward the end of the 19th century, owner George Wood took an interest in dairy farming and the family began a small processing plant in Wawa, Pennsylvania in 1902. As home delivery of milk declined in the early 1960s, Grahame Wood, Georges grandson, opened the first Wawa Food Market in 1964 as an outlet for dairy products. Story continues Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com Dont forget to visit the Patch Belleville-Nutley Facebook page. Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site. Sign up for Patch email newsletters. This article originally appeared on the Belleville-Nutley Patch STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Educators across Staten Island are gearing up for an unusual school year amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic -- in which back to school will see face coverings worn by all, class sizes slashed in half and more. Students in New York Citys public schools and Catholic elementary schools will learn under a blended learning model or choose to learn remotely full-time. Plans for the boroughs Catholic high schools and non-public schools include full-time in-person learning and blended learning, with some schools implementing synchronous instruction, such as live streaming in-person classes. To help mark this remarkable school year, wed like to showcase how Staten Island teachers are preparing their classroom. How are you planning to bring students together, now more than ever, under these unusual circumstances? Will you have signs reminding students of safety protocols? How will student desks be set up? Where will students keep their supplies? *** CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF CORONAVIRUS IN NEW YORK *** And if youre a teacher who is planning to work remotely, we want to see how you are transforming your home into a teaching space. You can send photos to Annalise Knudson at aknudson@siadvance.com. Related stories: NYC schools reopening: Are parents getting the critical information they need? NYC opened schools during 1918 pandemic. Heres how it worked Sending your kids back to school? Tips from experts on how to keep them safe. Coronavirus: Reopening plans for Staten Island charter schools NYC teachers push for schools to stay closed come fall 2020-2021 school year in NYC: Guidelines on gym, music and more Coronavirus: How NYC plans to safely reopen schools in fall 2020-2021 academic year: Reopening plans for schools across Staten Island NYC schools reopening: State guidelines for special education The Catholic elementary school reopening plan: Face masks, temperature checks and more NYC schools reopening: Transportation plan for students remains unclear 2020-2021 academic year: Reopening plans for schools across Staten Island Returning to school: NYC to improve air circulation in classrooms With or without air conditioning, face masks will be required in Staten Island classrooms Opinion Article 27 August 2020 The Hospitality Industry has always been about taking care of guests ever since the first known facilities opened to travelers in ancient Greece. In the 1600s Innkeepers in France were required to register all travelers and the first notion of the PMS was born. But what if the PMS is about to disappear? Lets first look at consumers. COVID-19 has accelerated the use of mobile devices amongst all generations. With distribution channels severely disrupted and for lack of viable alternatives, services like Amazon and Instacart have soared. But what if this change in behavior is here to stay? The boundaries set by the virus are training generations of consumers on how to transact on their mobile phones for all their purchasing needs. Before COVID-19 contactless guest communication was a tool to service loyal customers and ease the operations, often at a heavy cost. Old legacy systems lack the integration capabilities and require spaghetti connectivity to deliver a seamless experience. More recently, newer projects and hybrid hospitality (Apartment hotels) have sped ahead and adopted open systems in the cloud. Post COVID-19 will travelers demand the same seamless and contactless experience in hospitality they have learned to appreciate when ordering their groceries? Will the reception in hotels become obsolete? Guest safety requirements have pushed owners and operators to identify ways to implement a contactless guest experience that eliminates the traditional workflows. Its time to look at the underlying technology powering this new simplified workflow. Will it be a Property Management System developed in the 1970s designed to administer the electronic processing of guest profiles, transactional information, and reservation data? Or will it be a system that can do all the things a guest needs in a single, fully automated workflow? At Cloudbeds, we believe it is the latter. The future of our industry rests in the hands of travelers born after 1979. Gen Z is already set to make up 56% of travelers, and according to our forecast will be the first to travel as restrictions are lifted. Common to this generation is the constant usage of smartphone technology. What if the usage has expanded across all generations; are you ready? Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 20:55:26|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close MACAO, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Macao's general unemployment rate from May to July 2020 was 2.7 percent, up by 0.2 percentage points from the period of April to June 2020, the special administrative region's statistic service said here on Thursday. The latest report from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) showed that the unemployment rate of local residents from May to July was 3.8 percent, up by 0.3 percentage points from the period from April to June. On the other hand, the underemployment rate edged down by 0.1 percentage point to 3.3 percent, the DSEC report added. The total labor force was 406,500 and the labor force participation rate was 70.5 percent. The total employment decreased by 6,500 from the previous period to 395,400, on account of a drop in the number of non-resident workers living in Macao. The number of employed residents totaled 277,700, down by 1,600. Analyzed by industry, the number of employed residents in gaming activities and retail trade decreased, while that in the construction sector increased. The number of the unemployed was 11,100, up by 1,000 from the previous period. With fresh graduates entering the labor market, the proportion of new labor market entrants seeking their first job increased by 3.7 percentage points to 9.2 percent of the total unemployed. Among the unemployed population searching for a new job, the number of those previously working in the gaming activities showed relatively large growth. The number of the underemployed decreased by 400 to 13,500, with the majority working in gaming activities, the construction sector, and hotels and similar activities. In comparison with the period from May to July 2019, the underemployment rate, the unemployment rate and the labor force participation rate rose by 2.8, 0.9 and 0.2 percentage points respectively. Enditem Experts from India Bangladesh Nepal and Myanmar come together for enhancing conservation of river Dolphins in the region pavingway for regional cooperation August 27,2020 | Source: India Education Diary In a webinar on Exploring the impact of COVID-19 on the ecosystem health of rivers and its dolphin population: Present status and future strategy for conservation in India-Bangladesh-Myanmar-Nepalorganised by Inland Fisheries Society of India, ICAR Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute, National Mission for Clean Ganga , Professional Fisheries Graduates Forum (PFGF) and Aquatic Ecosystem Health and Management Society. River Dolphins a unique species found mainly in rivers of Asia and South America are vanishing rapidly. Gangetic Dolphin, the national aquatic animal of India has been declared endangered by International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). This webinar was organised to discuss the future strategy to conserve and revive these Dolphins with regional cooperation. The webinar started with a welcome address by Dr. B. K. Das, Director, ICAR-CIFRI who gave a brief about the aim and objectives of this webinar. He stated that the webinar would enhance DolphinConservation in the South East Asian Regional Countries. Dr. J. K. Jena, DDG (Fisheries Science), ICAR in his address emphasised that with less disturbance and interference Dolphins can thrive on their own and that is what we have seen during the lockdown. He said, These animals do not realise boundaries and have tried to find habitat wherever possible. Hence, regional cooperation is very important in conserving them. Dr. B. C. Chaudhury, Retd. Principal Scientist,Wildlife institute of India gave a historical overview the research done on Dolphins so far. Dr. M. Munawar of Aquatic Ecosystem Health and Management Society, Canada conveyed his best wishes. Rajiv Ranjan Mishra, Director General, National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), shared his experiences on Dolphin Conservation linking its importance in rejuvenation of the Ganga. While working on rejuvenation of river Ganga,continuous efforts in theNamamiGangeprogrammeto bring Dolphin Conservation to national attention has resulted in the announcement of Project Dolphin by theHonble Prime Ministry under MoEF. This project will be in-line with Project Tiger which has successfully helped in increasing tiger population. However, the most important thing to focus on now is community participation along with scientific interventions. NamamiGange has given importance to biodiversity and ecological improvement along with pollution abatement and projects have been taken up for improvement of fisheries with CIFRI and for biodiversity conservation with Wildlife Institute of India (WII). Under this framework, this is a first of its kind occasion where the fishery sector is leading theDolphin Conservation discourse. Prof. A. P. Sharma, Ex Director ICAR-CIFRI, Barrackpore highlighted the need to research on dolphin habitat restoration and Dr. Dilip Kumar, Former Vice Chancellor, ICAR-CIFE, spoke about the social aspects of fishermens life and Dolphins in rural India. Fishery conservation efforts under NamamiGange through CIFRI would improve prey base in Dolphin habitat leading to enhanced Dolphin population.Livelihood improvement of fishermen to help them join conservation efforts.Coordinated approach needed for synergising transboundary efforts and to develop a regional program.Small habitats in North East Rivers need special study for local propagation or translocation.Dolphin education for students, community engagement and improving overall awareness.Latest under water acoustic methodology to be applied for Dolphin census.E-flow assessment and implementation from biodiversity point of view. Sunderban delta is an unique ecological space where Gangetic as well as Irrawaddy Dolphin are present, spread over India as well as Bangladesh. The Conference gave a unique opportunity to share experience on the Dolphins. It was also supplemented by Myanmar and Chilika Lake authority in the context of theIrrawaddy Dolphin.The Webinar was attended by more than 1000 participants across the world. Lectures on Conservative measure of Irrawaddy Dolphin in Myanmar by Dr. Hla Win, DDG- Fisheries- Retired, Myanmar, Status of Dolphins in Nepalese Rivers by Dr Madhav K. Shrestha, Professor, Aquaculture AFU (Retired), Nepal and National Atlas and Dolphin action plan- Bangladesh by Professor Md. A Aziz, Prof Benazir Ahmed, Senior expert from Bangladesh amongst other well-known global scholars were the highlights of the conference.The conference resolved to continue this regional and multi sectoral collaboration. The rich discussion would be very helpful in developing contours of the Project Dolphin in India. According to a statement released on Thursday by a Siberian branch of Russias Interior Ministry, investigators in the region are working on establishing all the circumstances of the incident, conducting forensic studies and collecting items that may have probative value. Mr Navalny, an opposition politician and corruption investigator who is one of President Vladimir Putins fiercest critics, fell ill on a flight back to Moscow from Siberia last Thursday and was taken to a hospital in the Siberian city of Omsk after the plane made an emergency landing. Over the weekend, he was transferred to the Charite hospital in Berlin, where doctors found indications of cholinesterase inhibitors in his system. But a specific substance has not yet been identified. Found in some drugs, pesticides and chemical nerve agents, cholinesterase inhibitors act by blocking the breakdown of a key chemical in the body, acetycholine, which transmits signals between nerve cells. Advertisement Mr Navalnys allies insist he was deliberately poisoned and say the Kremlin was behind it, but Moscow officials have branded the accusations empty noise. Mr Navalnys team submitted a request to Russias Investigative Committee, demanding authorities launch a criminal probe on charges of an attempt on the life of a public figure, but officials had appeared reluctant to start an investigation. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday he sees no grounds for a criminal case until the cause of the politicians condition is fully established. The Interior Ministrys statement on Thursday did not clarify when the preliminary probe an inquiry to determine whether a criminal investigation should be launched started. The announcement about the inquiry comes after multiple Western and European officials including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called on Russia to start a full and transparent investigation into Mr Navalnys condition. On Wednesday night, the politicians illness was discussed in a phone call between Mr Putin and Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte. According to the Kremlin, Mr Putin pointed out on the call that premature and unfounded accusations are unacceptable and he underscored Russias interest in a thorough and objective investigation of all the circumstances of the incident. For a long time, all eyes were on Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex as they started their new journey as husband and wife and began to carry out royal duties. Meghan, who was formerly a successful actress, seemed to transition into her new role perfectly, and fans around the world were delighted to see her as a member of the royal family. However, things didnt exactly go as the couple planned. The British tabloids were brutal toward Meghan, and despite several requests for them to back off and give the couple privacy, things only got worse as time went on. The royal couple moved away from Kensington Palace, located in London, and headed for the countryside of Windsor, where they hoped to raise their son in a peaceful environment. They didnt get the privacy that they so badly wanted, and in early 2020, made the surprising announcement that they would be stepping down from royal duties. Royal fans were shocked by Megxit Meghan Markle and Prince Harry | Chris Jackson Pool/Getty Images Most people likely never even knew that leaving the royal family was an option, but that is just what Meghan and Prince Harry decided to do. After months of being disappointed with how they were being portrayed in the media, as well as the lack of privacy that came along with royal life, the duke and duchess felt that resigning from their roles was the best thing to do. They headed to Canada, and many fans assumed that is where they would stay, but Harry and Meghan soon packed up and moved to LA, California. Given that the city is where Meghan grew up, we can only imagine that she feels right at home and is ecstatic to be there with her husband and baby Archie. The couple has the added advantage of being nearby Meghans mother, Doria Ragland, who they are reportedly extremely close with. The result of the royal split RELATED: Meghan Markles Palace Reputation Ranged From Mean Nicknames To Being Untrustworthy and Harrys Showgirl Leaving the royal family was a little more complicated than anyone imagined it would be, and Meghan and Prince Harry had to make quite a few sacrifices before Megxit was finalized. What did they have to do? Well, according to Daily Mail, the couple is no longer permitted to use their HRH titles, something that Harry had for his entire life, but was relatively new for Meghan. As if that werent enough, the duke and duchess were also required to repay the massive sum of taxpayer money that they used to renovate their home in Windsor. And, in one of the most difficult parts of the entire deal, Prince Harry had to give up all of his military titles upon leaving the family. The couple was also required to give up public funding, and now that they are living in the United States, they are paying all of their security costs out-of-pocket. However, Prince Harrys father, Prince Charles, will continue to provide a portion of the couples income, which will no doubt ease the financial aspect brought on by Megxit. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle didnt get their dream Megxit plan Now that Megxit is official, did it turn out exactly the way Meghan and Prince Harry had hoped? Not so much. Us Weekly reports that the couples dream Megxit plan would have given them the best of both worlds, and that is not the way things panned out. So, what had they been envisioning? Apparently, the couple didnt plan to completely give up royal duties and leave their positions completely. According to the new book, Finding Freedom: He and Meghan didnt want to completely walk away from the monarchy. Rather, they wanted to find a happy place within it. Fans can only hope that Meghan and Harry find happiness in their new journey independent of the royal family. Cambodias government has strenuously promoted long-term leasing of unused land as Economic Land Concessions (ELCs) to attract investors and encourage development in the impoverished nation, but observers say the policy has resulted in few benefits at the cost of huge social and environmental impacts. Since the early 1990s, Prime Minister Hun Sens ruling Cambodian Peoples Party (CPP) has worked to carve the country up into small parcels of land available to private companies at bargain basement prices. The countrys 2001 Land Law granted the government the right to issue ELC leases of up to 99 years under the pretext of improving local economies and establishing a thriving agroindustry. But over the past two decades, Cambodias land leasing policy has led to more than a tenth of the countrys land area being leased and has become increasingly controversial because of its negative impact on local livelihoods. A growing segment of the countrys population of 16.25 million has been pushed below the poverty line as a result of systematic land-grabbing and forced evictions, while the countrys natural resourcesparticularly its forestshave been destroyed or depleted at an unprecedented scale and pace. Meas Soksensan, spokesperson for the Ministry of Economy and Finance, recently confirmed to RFAs Khmer Service that the government leases unused land as ELCs at a rate of merely U.S. $5 per hectare (2.5 acres), drawing an annual revenue of just U.S. $10 million. We will surely review those contracts and when our economy is stable and recovers [from the impact of the coronavirus], we will consider whether to increase our revenue from these land leases by hiking up the rental rate based on market value, he said. In mid-June, the Ministry of Economy and Finance said it is reviewing ELC contracts issued to 231 companies for more than 1.1 million hectares (2.7 million acres) of land across the country. At the time, the ministry was drafting a new bill on management of state assetsan article of which specifies that all leasing of state assets, including land, should not exceed 50 years. The bill was recently unanimously passed by Hun Sens cabinet and is now awaiting introduction to the National Assembly. Amid growing criticism, Hun Sen has made several revisions to the countrys ELC policy. Most recently, in 2016, he announced that more than 1 million hectares (2.5 million acres) of ELC land had been revoked by the state from the more than 2 million hectares (4.9 million acres) it had granted to private firms, reducing the amount of ELC land to around 1.1 million hectares. But according to figures compiled by local rights group Licadho in March, Cambodia has so far granted 297 concessionsequivalent to 2.1 million hectares (5.2 million acres) or about 12 percent of the countrys total land area. Of these concessions, Chinese firms control the largest total area at nearly 400,000 hectares (990,000 acres), followed by those from Vietnam at more than 360,000 hectares (890,000 acres). Licadho said that at least 15 companies, all of which are owned by tycoons and CPP senators, were granted more than 10,000 hectares (25,000 acres) of ELCexceeding the amount permitted by the 2001 Land Law. The companies claim to have invested in rubber, sugar, paper pulp, cassava, and palm oil plantations. ELC figures exclude other concessions granted by the state, such as those for mining, seaports, airports, industrial zones, and fishing lots, as well as some 38 special economic zones created by the government in 2016. According to Cambodias national budget law for 2020, the government plans to increase revenues from all concessions to more than U.S. $50 million this yearan 89 percent jump from a year ago. Protesters call in Phnom Penh for government authorities to intervene in land-rights disputes, Jan. 13, 2020. RFA Social impact Am Sam Ath, deputy director of the Cambodian rights group Licadho, told RFA that the government hasnt granted or revoked ELCs in recent years. I dont know if this is due to [the coronavirus outbreak] and past issues of land conflicts, but nonetheless, as a civil society, we remain concerned, he said. Weve stated clearly in the past that such granting of ELC should be ended so that [the government] can resolve all remaining [land] conflicts. Vann Sophat, project coordinator for business and human rights with the Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR), told RFA that although the ELC policy has contributed to strengthening the economy and providing jobs for local residents, its negative impacts generally outweigh its benefits. There have been physical assaults and threats such as in Koh Kong where forced evictions have occurred [as well as] shootings of residents, resulting in injuries and deaths, he said. Basically, [the ELC] has not brought about benefits for affected locals. Instead, residents have mostly become homeless and landless, while others were imprisonedespecially women. While exact statistics are difficult to find, U.S. attorney Richard J. Rogers filed a lawsuit with the International Criminal Court (ICC) in October 2014 against Cambodias ruling elites for crimes against humanity on behalf of the countrys victims of land grabs which said an estimated 770,000 people, or six percent of the total population, had been forcibly displaced in land disputes since 2000. More than 145,000 people, or 10 percent of the population, had been displaced from the capital Phnom Penh alone over the same period, said the lawsuit, which has yet to be ruled on. Cambodias Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction claimed in late 2019 that it has been trying to resolve around 20,000 land conflict cases since 2016 to reduce the number to around 2,200, and that it plans to resolve all cases by 2023. The ministry also claimed to have successfully registered 80 percent of Cambodias 7 million plots of land through its Systematic Land Registration (SLR) scheme, supported by the World Bank, and said registration will be completed by 2021. However, last month, Interior Minister Sar Kheng made a rare public acknowledgment that many of Cambodias land disputes are yet to be settled and that resolving them has been difficult because senior government officials are involved in land grabs throughout the country. Monks and activists hold a tree-blessing ceremony in Cambodia's Prey Lang forest, Feb. 21, 2019. RFA Environmental impact The ELC policy has also disproportionately impacted Cambodias ecology, with agroindustry development leading to the deforestation of vast tracts of land for the purpose of setting up plantations, as well as illegal logging in areas on concession borders. Ministry of Environment spokesperson Neth Pheaktra recently told RFA that following reforms in 2016, the ministry now manages 69 natural protected areas totaling around 7.3 million hectares (18 million acres) and employs 1,260 forest rangers who work with local communities to prevent forest crimes. He acknowledged that forest crimes continue to occur but called them small-scale and largely perpetrated by residents of the protected areas. However, forest activist Heng Sros told RFA that forest crimes regularly occur on a large-scale inside conservation areas due to lax enforcement and systemic corruption among the very officials charged with protecting them. He estimated that Cambodia had lost up to U.S. $800 million from illegal logging in 2019 alone. A number of [protected] areas in Cambodia are inundated by tycoons and powerful individuals who are involved in running commercial logging for transport to Vietnam, he said. They [are enabled by] rampant corruption, from the local level all the way to the higher echelons. A 2017 report by the U.K.-based Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) estimated that Cambodias exports of wood products were valued at some U.S. $8 billion that year, compared to U.S. $7.3 billion a year earlier. It said that around 300,000 cubic meters (10.6 million cubic feet) had been smuggled out of Cambodia to Vietnam in the months from November 2016 to May 2017 alone, generating kickbacks of more than U.S. $13 million. Rampant timber trafficking in Cambodia led the U.S. Treasury Department to sanction a business tycoon with close ties to Hun Sen named Try Pheap and 11 of his registered entities in late 2019 under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act. Treasury cited his establishment of a large scale illegal logging consortium that relies on the collusion of Cambodian officials, to include purchasing protection from the government, including military protection, for the movement of his illegal products. Cheuy Oudom Reaksmey, the director of Cambodias Natural Resource Protection Groupwhich was founded by his father, slain forest activist Chut Wuttytold RFA that only government officials, and the rich and powerful, are capable of committing large-scale logging crimes. I believe this is due to law enforcement turning a blind eye to deforestation, but if the present rate of logging persists, the 69 protected areas will sooner or later be devasted, he said. The government should therefore have these tycoons, who are involved in commercial logging, arrested and prosecuted But Cambodia wont be able to restore its forest unless we first get rid of corrupt officials inside the government, he added. It all involves the powerfulmost of whom are serving in the government. An illegally felled old-growth tree in Prey Lang forest, April 22, 2020. Credit: Lovers of the Environment Rampant illegal logging In June, Ida Theilade of the University of Copenhagens Faculty of Science, issued a statement saying that satellite imagery from the EU Joint Research Centre (JRC) and Global Land Analysis & Discovery (GLAD) - University of Maryland had shown Cambodias forest loss [was] the 10th highest in the world at 63,000 hectares (155,680 acres) in 2019. Theilade said the country had lost 26 percent, or 2.3 million hectares (5.7 million acres), of its forest cover since 2000. Spokesperson for the Ministry of Environment Neth Pheaktra declined to comment on the findings, saying there is no need to respond to third parties who do not take part in conservation under his ministrys cooperation framework. Speaking to RFA, Theilade called ELCs one of the main reasons for forest loss in Cambodia, along with rampant illegal logging, which she said authorities regularly turn a blind eye toeven when conducted at large scale. She noted that any forest loss figure above one percent is serious, saying it will lead to temperature increases and contribute to climate change that could affect seasonal weather patterns, including the length of Cambodias dry and rainy seasons. I think this issue is something which is going to affect everyone in Cambodia, she said, referring to both indigenous populations that rely on the forests for their livelihoods as well as Khmer farmers who require rain for their agriculture. Theilade urged the government to scale back ELCs and better enforce laws protecting forests from illegal logging on their peripheries, while suggesting that Cambodia could benefit substantially from conservation efforts. Cambodia is in a fantastic position to contribute to science because here we have a situation where there is the highest quality of remote sensing and satellite images that can be complemented by data from people on the ground, and that is a very unique situation, she said. I think Cambodia could really attract not only tourists but also research funding, taking advantage of what I call citizens scientiststhe local people who know the forest as their own. If you combine that with remote sensing, you have a very powerful tool to monitor and protect the forest. Reported by RFAs Khmer Service. Translated by Sovannarith Keo. Written in English by Joshua Lipes. U.S. President Donald Trump points to a delegate after speaking during the first day of the Republican National Convention on Aug. 24 in Charlotte, North Carolina. AFP-Yonhap US presidency to affect Korean Peninsula issues By Do Je-hae The U.S. presidential election campaigns are picking up speed. The Democratic Party has named former two-time Vice President Joe Biden as its presidential candidate earlier this month and the incumbent President Donald Trump accepted the Republican Party's nomination to run for reelection this week. The U.S. presidential election is drawing keen attention from Korean media and among foreign policymakers given the dominant influence the U.S. plays in Korea's national security and diplomacy as the nation's biggest ally. Foreign policy experts raise a question over how Korea should prepare to deal with changes in the post-election period and adjust to either Biden's "pro-alliance" approach or Trump's "America-first" policy, as well as which candidate will better handle relations with China, as the escalating China-U.S conflict is emerging as a primary concern for Korea's diplomacy in the long run. "Many people think that a Democratic president will handle China better. That's a common conceptual flaw," Lee Seong-hyon, director of the Center for Chinese Studies at the Sejong Institute, told The Korea Times. "Even though the Democratic Party platform sounds out that it will engage China through dialogue and trade, many of the pending bilateral issues such as Hong Kong, South China Sea, human rights and technological competition are long-term thorny issues. Democrats will be tough with China on them. Even tougher on human rights issues." "The problem is that it is not clear whether the Democratic president has a better tool (than Trump) to restrain China effectively. The difference from the Trump administration is that it will strengthen alliances with like-minded countries. Putting the alliance system back in order may take some time, given how much damage Trump did to alliances. Another weakness for the Democrats is that some advisers to Biden are advocates for compromise with China. That means that the Democrats may loosen pressure on China at some point down the road. China is expecting this," Lee added. Former vice president and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden accepts the Democratic Party nomination for U.S. president during the last day of the Democratic National Convention, being held virtually amid the COVID-19 pandemic, at the Chase Center in Wilmington, Delaware, on Aug. 20. AFP-Yonhap Regardless of who ends up in the White House, Korea will need strategies to ensure results that benefit national interests in complex bilateral issues, such as the Special Measures Agreement (SMA) negotiations for determining Korea's share of costs for the U.S. troops stationed here. Aside from bilateral issues, the South Korean government has no choice but to keep a close eye on the results of the U.S. vote as the two candidates have different approaches to North Korea. The Moon Jae-in administration has sought to improve relations with North Korea for more economic and other engagements, despite the U.S. focus on maintaining sanctions against Pyongyang while Washington sees no visible progress in North Korea's denuclearization. So uncertainties are expected for Moon's pro-engagement policy with the North. Some experts say the timing of the U.S. election in November is also likely to affect Korea's push for Chinese President Xi Jinping's reciprocal visit to Korea this year. Speculations are rising that the Chinese side will be reluctant to arrange a visit by the Chinese head of state to a U.S. ally amid the rising U.S.-China rivalry. In addition, some of Korea's new foreign policy goals, such as raising Korea's international stature by participating in an expanded G7, also depend on the results of the U.S. election as the G7 expansion is a specifically Trump idea which may very well be discarded if Biden takes office. The Korea Times conducted some written interviews with experts on Korean issues on how a Biden presidency or Trump reelection could impact South Korea's diplomacy and national security policies. Trump reelection Donald Kirk On Trump's reelection, Donald Kirk, a veteran correspondent and author on Korean Peninsula issues who divides his time between Washington and Seoul, shared the following insights. Q How do you see Trump's chances for reelection? A Trump is clearly behind in the polls, but he and his team are trying desperately to catch up. Claiming progress on a cure for COVID-19, and criticizing violent protests, speaking to his base around the country, he does have a chance. I would almost say an even chance though pollsters may disagree. Q How will a second Trump presidency navigate the North Korea problem? A Trump may go for another summit with Kim Jong-un an effort at showmanship that would not result in North Korea giving up its nuclear program and would do nothing really to bring about long-range reconciliation. So in the end Trump would go on claiming that he is averting a second Korean War when in fact he is doing very little. We could expect Trump to try to navigate some form of reconciliation another deal that would raise false hopes while solving nothing. Q How will a second term for Trump affect primary bilateral issues, such as SMA negotiations? A What Trump will do vis-a-vis South Korea in a second four-year term is quite unpredictable, but I'm not optimistic. His insistence on a huge increase in the already high amount that South Korea pays for having 28,500 U.S. troops on U.S. bases in South Korea is more than an irritant. It could lead to a sudden decision by Trump to withdraw a few thousand U.S. troops and undermine the U.S.-ROK alliance. Although President Moon would like to get away from reliance on the U.S. with the ROK assuming operational control (OPCON) of military operations in time of both war and peace, a sudden sharp disruption in U.S.-ROK relations would have quite a negative impact not only on defense but also on other aspects of the historic U.S.-Korea relationship, notably trade. Trump has already made an issue of the huge Korean trade surplus with the U.S. and may press hard for measures to open Korean markets still further while imposing measures for decreasing Korean exports to the U.S. Q The rising U.S.-China rivalry is a huge challenge for South Korea. Which U.S. president do you think will better handle the conflict with China? A Whoever wins the election, the next president will face the whole problem of China's fast-rising influence in Asia and beyond. Both Biden and Trump would want China to restrain North Korea, to join in sanctions and pressure the North to give up its nuclear program. Neither would want to risk a war or any type of military conflict with China in flashpoints ranging from the South China Sea to Taiwan to the Korean Peninsula. Trump talks tough from time to time but has yet to support his bluff and bluster with real action. Biden might well do the same in a crunch, but perhaps Biden would be more inclined than Trump to try to rein in China's expansionist instincts by strong measures on trade. Frankly, it's very hard to say which of the two, Biden or Trump, would do better in conflict or disagreement with China. Q Do you think Xi Jinping will be reluctant to visit Korea before the U.S. election? A There's so little time before the U.S. election that it would seem quite difficult to arrange for President Xi Jinping to come to Korea for a summit with President Moon before Nov. 3, the date of the U.S. election. In addition, both Xi and Moon would be concerned about the impact of the summit on the campaigning and voting. Advisers to both Trump and Moon could pick up on all they said and did, every sentence and gesture, raising questions about the significance of every detail on U.S. relations with both China and Korea. While a Xi-Moon summit in Seoul is still physically possible, it would inevitably enter into the American political debate at a critical time for the U.S. and the world. That's not to say that Xi and Moon will avoid meeting in Korea before Nov. 3, just that it would raise complications that might divert from what they hoped to discuss and accomplish. Biden presidency Brad Glosserman President Moon Jae-in, center, speaks during a meeting with church leaders at Cheong Wa Dae, Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap President Moon Jae-in strongly criticized a Seoul church Thursday for hampering the government's fight against the new coronavirus outbreak, saying its "brazen" attitude has put relevant national efforts in jeopardy. "Still, some churches (in South Korea) are sticking to face-to-face worship services," he said during a Cheong Wa Dae meeting with 16 leaders of the nation's Protestant community. In particular, Moon said, a "specific church is rejecting and obstructing the government's coronavirus-related guidelines," without mentioning its name. Moon was apparently referring to Sarang Jeil Church in northern Seoul, a hotbed of the recent cluster infections sweeping through the greater Seoul area and spreading fast to other parts of the country. Its pastor Jun Kwang-hoon a firebrand right-wing pastor who has long openly criticized the Moon administration and many followers ignored the health authorities' warnings and participated in a massive anti-government rally in Gwanghwamun, central Seoul, on Aug. 15. Jun was among those who tested positive for the virus after the rally. The number of COVID-19 patients associated with the church has reached 1,000, with nearly 300 others confirmed to be infected in connection with the demonstration, Moon said. "As a result, South Korea's antivirus fight, which has been exemplary for the world's antivirus fight, is facing a crisis at the moment, and the whole country is going through big difficulties," the president said in his opening remarks. "The people's lives are collapsing as well." Church members should have apologized for that, but instead they are claiming a "conspiracy theory" while defying relevant regulations, he said. Jun has argued that the virus was intentionally brought into his church for a political reason. "What's not understandable at all with common sense is occurring at some places in the name of the church," Moon said, adding that it is damaging the image of all South Korean churches. The president requested the religious circles' support for the government's campaign to contain the COVID-19 outbreak. He stressed that worship and prayers cannot protect people from the virus, which is a matter of science and medical services. The government has formally banned gatherings and all other activities by churches in Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, except for non-contact worship services. Regarding the ongoing strike by doctors nationwide against the government's medical sector reform plans, Moon said their collective action is like "soldiers leaving the battleground in a wartime situation." It is also tantamount to a "walkout by firefighters in the midst of the largest-ever blaze," he said. For the government, though, there are not many options, he said, pledging that it would continue efforts for "sincere dialogue" with doctors on the basis of law and principles. "I believe and expect that our medical community will never turn a blind eye to the suffering of the people attributable to the coronavirus," he said. (Yonhap) Call it a case of life imitating art. Sex and the City author (and real-life Carrie Bradshaw) Candace Bushnell just revealed that she once went on a date with one of Sarah Jessica Parker's onscreen love interests while the show was in production. During an appearance on the "Bradshaw Boys" podcast, the author was asked if she was Team Big or Aidan and her answer was pretty firm. "I'm never gonna be Team Aidan. I mean, I just, I can't for a variety of reasons, but one of the reasons is that my mother hated Aidan (on the TV show). She would watch and she was like 'I hate that Aidan, he's too wrong for her,'" she said. Bushnell's mother disliked the character so much that she would often suggest that her daughter tell the show's writers to write him off. "I was like 'Ma, it's not up to me, I don't write the show so I can't do it,'" she shared. Bushnell said her mother hardly even watched TV but she was intrigued by Mr. Big, partly because the character was inspired by one of her daughter's former love interests. "Of course she knew the real Mr. Big because he'd come to the house and dumped me and she was like 'He's so stupid.' She was really nice to me about it," she recalled. Sex And The City Television Stills (Getty Images) The podcast's hosts were also curious to know if Bushnell had ever dated someone like Aidan in real life. The author said no, but added that she had once gone on a date with John Corbett, who played the character on the show. "It was romantic. All I could think was 'My mother's gonna kill me,'" she laughed. Alas, the romance was short-lived. Two days after their date, the actor returned to Los Angeles and Bushnell later learned that he had started to date model and actor Bo Derek. "You cannot compete with Bo Derek, like forget it," she said. Bushnell also revealed that she had the opportunity to play Mr. Big's wife, Natasha, but she quickly declined the offer. "I was like 'No,'" she recalled. "They had an actress, she couldn't do it and (the show's producer Darren Star was) like 'Come down here and play Natasha' and I'm like 'I'm busy.'" Either way, the author's career turned out pretty well! Manchester City are reportedly prepared to offer Barcelona 89.5million plus Bernardo Silva, Gabriel Jesus and Eric Garcia for Lionel Messi. City are optimistic of reaching a deal with the Catalan giants after Messi announced his desire to leave the club this summer. Should Messi agree terms with City, he will be reunited with Pep Guardiola following an incredible career at the Nou Camp - scoring an astonishing 634 goals and creating 285 assists in 731 appearances for the Spanish giants. Manchester City are prepared to offer Barcelona 89.5million for superstar Lionel Messi A special reunion between Messi and Pep Guardiola could be on the cards at the Etihad Sportsmail understands the two have already been in contact over the phone about moving to the Etihad, even discussing how Messi could settle in England and learn the language after almost 20 years in Spain. The idea of City signing Messi has long seemed like a dream, but the 89.5m with the addition of Silva, Jesus and Garcia could make the transfer a reality. According to Sport, contact has been made with Barca chiefs to bring to Jesus to the Nou Camp. Jesus has been a primary target for the Catalans as they look to replace Luis Suarez, but City's 20.5m price tag has prevented a deal from materialising. Guardiola is also looking to offload Garcia with his contract set to expire next summer. With two of Barca's transfer targets added to the deal, City's chances of closing a deal have rocketed. YEREVAN, AUGUST 27, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian signed a decree on bestowing doctor Hagop (Hrayr) Hovaguimian with the National Hero highest title, the ministry of healthcare said. Doctor Hagop Hovaguimian received the Order of Motherland for saving numerous human lives, for his exclusive services in the healthcare sector, creating an innovative medical center conducting complex heart surgeries, preparing new specialists, etc. The Armenian President signed the respective decree based on the Prime Ministers petition. The Order of Motherland is awarded for exceptional services of nationwide importance rendered to the Republic of Armenia in the spheres of the defense of the state and strengthening of law and order, as well as for creation of significant national values. Person awarded with the Order of Motherland is considered a National Hero of Armenia. Hagop (Hrayr) Hovaguimian is the first doctor National Hero. Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan Rouhani Says Sanctions Cost Government 900 Trillion Rials In Revenues Radio Farda August 26, 2020 Iran President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday that the country's revenue has been reduced by 900 trillion rials (roughly equivalent to $214 billion) since the United States re-imposed sanctions on Iran in May 2018, maintaining that despite that loss, Iran is "still standing on its feet." Speaking at a weekly cabinet meeting on Wednesday President Rouhani praised the Iranian nation for "resisting and enduring hardships," and said if it had not been for their resistance, "the enemy would have brought [the U.N. sanctions resolutions on Iran] back in the same year and brings it down to its knees." President Rouhani also said the United States wanted to lead Iran to the point of collapse. "Given the numbers they were right [to think so]," he said. "The enemy thought a nation cannot resist if it lost $50 billion of its revenues." "Those who criticize [the government] unfairly should know that our revenues have decreased by 9,000 billion rials but we are still standing on our feet and our commodity market is even better than in Europe," he added. Iranian officials have provided various different estimates of the loss of revenue caused by the U.S. sanctions. In December 2019, President Rouhani said that the sanctions reduced Iran's revenues by $200 billion, while Vice-President Es'haq Jahangiri said in June that Iran's oil revenues dropped from $100 billion to $8 billion in the previous Iranian calendar year, which ended on March 20, 2020. In a recent exclusive interview with Radio Farda, Brian Hook, the United States Special Representative for Iran, cited the $200 billion impact that the sanctions have cost Iran as proof of the effectiveness of the U.S. administration's maximum pressure policy on the country. Source: https://en.radiofarda.com/a/rouhani-says- sanctions-cost-government-900-trillion -rials-in-revenues/30803859.html Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address LAWRENCE, KS (KCTV) - Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health has issued quarantine orders for current residents of nine University of Kansas Greek community chapter houses as coronavirus cases in recent days have increased. So far this year, executions appear to have fallen dramatically: Since January, at least 16 people have been put to death, compared with 140 in the same period in 2019 and 88 in 2018, according to tallies by the European Saudi Organization for Human Rights, or ESOHR. The group and other organizations said it was unclear whether the decrease was due to the coronavirus pandemic or part of a government-imposed moratorium. Hollie Moore walks through debris at her home in Lake Charles, La., in the aftermath of Hurricane Laura in Lake Charles, La., on Aug. 27, 2020. (Gerald Herbert/AP Photo) Hurricane Laura Slams Louisiana, Kills Four, but Less Damage Than Forecast LAKE CHARLES, La.Hurricane Laura ripped through Louisiana on Thursday, destroying buildings in towns across the southwestern corner of the state and killing four people who were crushed by falling trees as they sheltered in their homes, officials said. Still, the damage Laura has inflicted so far is less than what forecasters predicted. This was the most powerful storm to ever make landfall in Louisiana, Governor John Bel Edwards said at an afternoon press conference. Its continuing to cause damage and life threatening conditions. A 14-year-old girl in Leesville, Louisiana, was among those who died when a tree fell on her house, a spokeswoman for Edwards said. Edwards said later at the press conference that another three people died after trees hit their homes. He said the deaths occurred in Vernan, Jackson and Acadia Parishes. A chemical plant caught fire in Lauras wake on Thursday morning in Westlake, Louisiana, 4 miles west of Lake Charles, sending thick black smoke billowing into the sky over the wind-torn landscape near Interstate 10. Smoke rises over Lake Charles, La., on Aug. 27, 2020, in this screen grab obtained from a social media video. (Hurricanetrack.com via Reuters) Edwards warned residents in the area to shelter in place, close doors and windows and turn off air conditioners as authorities investigated. Traffic was blocked on the interstate and Highway 90. Cleanup Begins Residents of Lake Charles heard Lauras winds howling and the sound of breaking glass as the storm passed through the city of 78,000 with winds of 85 miles per hour and gusts up to 128 mph in the hour after landfall. National Guard troops cleared debris from roads in Lake Charles on Thursday afternoon. There were downed powerlines in streets around the city, and the winds tipped a few semi-trucks onto their sides. The windows of the citys 22-floor Capital One Tower were blown out, street signs were toppled and pieces of wooden fence and debris from collapsed buildings lay scattered in the flooded streets, video footage on Twitter and Snapchat showed. Lake Charles resident Borden Wilson, a 33-year-old pediatrician, was anxiously anticipating his return home after evacuating to Minden, Louisiana. I never even boarded up my windows. I didnt think to do that. This is the first hurricane Ive experienced. I just hope my house is fine, he said in a telephone interview. Reginald Duhon prepares to work at his home after Hurricane Laura moved through Louisiana in Lake Charles, La., on Aug. 27, 2020. (Gerald Herbert/AP Photo) In the small town of Starks, about 25 miles northwest of Lake Charles, pine trees strewn across roads and homes were the biggest challenge in cleaning up. Rev. Karl Smith carefully inspected the damage done to buildings around his First Pentecostal Church. He rode out the storm in the cellar of his house and had to cut through trees so that he and his wife could get out. We just had trees thrown everywhere, Smith said. Its a big mess. High Waters, Tornado Threats Laura made landfall just before 1 a.m. as a Category 4 storm packing winds of 150 mph in the small town of Cameron, Louisiana, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. It rapidly weakened to a Category 1 storm on Thursday morning with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph (120 kph), and has since become a tropical storm. The NHC warned that high water levels would persist along the Gulf Coast for several hours as Laura moved north and then northeast. Besides threatening life, the storm slammed the heart of the U.S. oil industry, forcing oil rigs and refineries to shut down production. The Port of Lake Charles remained closed as workers were unable to enter or exit the facility due to downed power lines and trees. The port avoided significant flooding but power was out as of Thursday morning, manager of security and safety Ed Manint said. The harbor police were assessing the damage, he said. Less Surge Than We Thought Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Pete Gaynor told Fox News that the agency would make storm damage assessments on Thursday and had the resources to respond to the storm now, adding he expected to see significant damage from wind and building damage. I think were generally fortunate less surge than we thought, Gaynor said. The NHC on Wednesday predicted storm surge would be unsurvivable and could penetrate up to 40 miles inland. While the worst projections had not materialized, damaging winds and flooding rainfall would continue spreading inland later on Thursday, the NHC said. Laura could spawn tornadoes on Thursday over Louisiana, Arkansas and western Mississippi, and was expected to drop 4 to 8 inches (10-20 cm) of rain across portions of that region, the NHC said. By Elijah Nouvelage and Ernest Scheyder Decrease Font Size Font Size Increase Font Size Article body Results from Auburn Universitys COVID-19 student reentry testing, which began weeks ago and ended Aug. 21, show there was a 4 percent positivity rate of the disease among students as they returned for classes. In final numbers released Thursday, Auburn had a total of 859 positive tests out of a total of 21,315 administered for a 4.03 percent positivity rate. Of those who tested positive the vast majority were either asymptomatic or exhibited extremely mild conditions. Many of the positive cases were identified in students who were not on campus, and in accordance with its A Healthier U reentry plan Auburn took immediate action to quarantine and isolate those cases that were found on campus. These numbers show we had a low positivity rate among our students as they returned to campus, said Fred Kam, Auburns Medical Clinic director. Through continued mitigation efforts and everyones help in being proactive we aim to keep these numbers low. The tests were required as part of the states GuideSafe platform and in tandem with the A Healthier U reentry plan. The free tests were offered at 14 locations throughout the state, including Auburns Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum. The GuideSafe reentry testing data reflects only student tests in the weeks leading up to the return for the fall semester and ending Aug. 21. Those figures are a snapshot view of what was being seen in the student population in the leadup to classes and the first week of the semester, but those numbers do not reflect the most current view of conditions. Auburns COVID-19 Health and Exposure webpage, which is updated weekly by Auburns Campus Safety and Security Department, offers the most current COVID-19 data as it is reported through the Auburn University Medical Clinic and self-reports. That online listing of data has not included the GuideSafe reentry testing information to date as officials awaited GuideSafes final numbers. For the week of Aug. 15-21the most recent weekly data availableAuburns Campus Safety and Security Department received 207 new reports of COVID-19 cases not affiliated with the GuideSafe reentry testing. Of those new reports, five were employees and 202 were students. Such tracking of additional COVID-19 cases will continue as they come in through the Auburn University Medical Clinic, the Alabama Department of Public Health and those in the campus community who fill out the universitys online self-report form. Not unlike other campuses throughout the nation, Auburn anticipated that its COVID-19 positive case numbers would likely increase as students returned for the fall semester, Kam said. The majority of students who tested positive had not attended any in-person classes, and the few who did were all wearing masks and had been socially distancing. Kam said no hospitalizations were required among those new cases, and he added that We will closely monitor the number of positive cases in a proactive way that helps guide university policy with the health and well-being of the Auburn community always the top priority. Bobby Woodard, senior vice president for Student Affairs, is calling on the help of Auburn students to do their part in helping keep the universitys COVID-19 numbers down. COVID is truly a situation in which every individuals actions count, he said. If we are going to preserve on-campus education, we have to be all-in, both on and off campus. One night out in a crowd is not worth the potential consequences the entire campus will face if the virus continues to spread in our community. We must be vigilant in doing our part for the common good. This will not be forever. In addition to the university recently launching its online self-reporting form, Auburn also plans to initiate sentinel testing the week after Labor Day, whereby students, faculty and staff will be randomly selected to voluntarily participate. We are committed to prioritize the safety and well-being of our campus community, Kam said. And as the early GuideSafe reentry test results give us a good snapshot of our starting point, we know ongoing monitoring is essential as is the support of our community in following the needed safeguards of our A Healthier U plan to be on a good path toward a safer and successful fall semester. The GuideSafe testing component is among numerous other measures the university is implementing as part of its A Healthier U reentry plan, including a requirement of face coverings indoors and outdoors, frequent and enhanced cleaning of facilities, plexiglass guards where needed, safe physical distancing in classrooms, the flexibility of several instructional modalities and helpful protocol signage throughout campus. To further encourage healthy behaviors, all on-campus students, faculty and staff received an A Heathier U wellness kit that included a reusable face covering and hand sanitizer. Auburn has partnered with institutions across the state to implement the GuideSafe platform of tools designed to facilitate a safe return to campus. An integral part of the A Healthier U plan, GuideSafe leverages a three-step approach to safeguarding campus health that includes the required COVID-19 entry testing for all students who are on campus, completing the required daily Healthcheck to self-screen for virus symptoms and encouraging use of Exposure Notification, a Google- and Apple-developed app that anonymously alerts users of potential exposure to someone with coronavirus. Additionally, Auburn created the COVID-19 Resource Center, a centralized on-campus hub for questions from students, faculty, staff and parents regarding COVID-19. The campus community may self-report positive COVID-19 test results, receive answers to COVID-related human resource questions and learn more about Healthcheck passes, isolation and quarantine procedures and other frequently asked questions. To contact Auburns COVID-19 Resource Center, call 334-844-6000 or visit the centers website at aub.ie/covidhelp. For more information on Auburns reentry plan involving academics, students and operations, go to ahealthieru.auburn.edu. Gaza, Aug 27 : The Islamic Hamas movement, which rules the Gaza Strip, has insisted on the complete lifting of the Israeli blockade imposed on the coastal enclave since 2007. In a statement marking six years of the end of the last large-scale Israeli offensive waged on the Gaza Strip in 2014, Hamas said on Wednesday that it wouldn't let the blockade to remain forever, reports Xinhua news agency. The tension between Israel and Hamas in Gaza has been mounting for almost two weeks due to the launch of incendiary balloons into southern Israel that caused large fires and immense damage. In response, Israel has been carrying out daily airstrikes on Hamas' military facilities and had tightened its blockade by banning the shipment of fuel, construction materials, and other products except for food and medicines. On Monday night, the Qatari Ambassador Mohammed Al-Emadi arrived in the Gaza Strip to defuse the ongoing tension and mediate a deal between Hamas and Israel. Al-Emadi met Hamas' chief in Gaza Yahya Sinwar to discuss ending tension and reaching an agreement. The Israeli Hebrew-language newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported that the meeting between the two officials had ended without reaching any tangible results on the ground. However, Hamas vowed in the press statement "to continue jihad (Holy War), military preparations, steadfastness, rejecting all Israeli and American plans and deals aimed at liquidating the Palestinian cause". The Medal of Honor-winning soldier depicted in chart-topping Orlando Bloom war movie The Outpost has spoken out about his trauma from the bloody battle and the stress that led to his comrade's drug overdose death. Ty Carter, 40, was awarded the military's highest decoration for bravery in the 2009 battle where 53 US troops at an Afghanistan base fought off almost 400 Taliban fighters. The soldier described his struggle reliving the fight that took eight of his unit's lives when he played a cameo role in the Hollywood movie about his experience, in an interview this week with new lifestyle and self-improvement site Mr Feelgood. Ty Carter, 40, was awarded the Medal of Honor by Barack Obama in 2013 for his bravery in a 2009 battle in Afghanistan. The soldier described his struggle reliving the battle and fighting to save men in an interview with Mr Feelgood Fifty-three U.S. troops fought off almost 400 Taliban fighters in the October 2009 that left eight of his unit's men dead. Carter is pictured in Afghanistan in 2009 On October 3, 2009, Carter woke to the sound of bullets as hundreds of insurgents descended on Combat Outpost Keating, 14 miles from the border with Pakistan. The Taliban attack had been planned for months and the 4th Infantry Division were outnumbered seven to one. In the first of a sting of heroic acts during the fierce battle that ensued, the soldier repeatedly ran a 300 ft gauntlet of open ground to resupply his comrades with ammunition. Carter said he has severe PTSD due to being unable to save his fellow soldier Stephan Mace (pictured) When he and four others were pinned down in a Humvee under gun and grenade fire, Carter's thoughts flashed to his family back in California before he decided to step out the vehicle into the hail of bullets with his fellow infantryman Specialist Stephan Mace to give cover for the others to escape to shelter. 'I had a four-year-old daughter. And my brother Seth was shot dead at a party in 2000. So when we were in that Humvee and I looked out there, I saw my brother or my daughter and I felt that I needed to get out there,' Carter told Mr Feelgood. 'I knew I could help, and I knew I would.' Two of the three men were killed in that sprint, and Mace was left wounded on the ground. Carter's sergeant at first refused to let him go back for the injured man shouting 'You're no good to him dead' over the gunfire and explosions. But after persuading the officer, Carter dodged rocket propelled grenades and rounds zipping over his head to get to Mace, giving first aid and then carrying him another 300 ft to safety. Mace was airlifted away for medical treatment, but later succumbed to his wounds. There was no love lost between Carter and Mace, but the war hero was still left wracked with guilt over his fellow soldier's death. 'Stephan Mace and I were not friends,' the veteran said. 'But just because I don't get along great with somebody doesn't mean I don't care about them or value their life. 'So I wasn't going out there to save my loved one or my best friend. He was wearing the uniform so was part of my family, so I will do what I need to do. 'When you see someone you know can help out there, suffering, it turns your brain to lava and your stomach into acid, and then your limbs turn numb but are full of negative energy. You feel so angry you can hardly breathe. 'But as I was running out there I wasn't thinking about the bullets that were hitting all around or the explosions. All I was thinking was that I need to help this person. 'And that's one of the reasons I had severe post-traumatic stress because I survived but Mace didn't.' Carter's character in the movie was played by Caleb Landry Jones, and other members of his unit by Orlando Bloom, Scott Eastwood, Milo Gibson, and Jack Kesy Carter is pictured with his wife Shannon. He said he was thinking of his family, specifically his daughter and late brother, as bullets hailed down on him in Afghanistan 'As I was running out there I wasn't thinking about the bullets that were hitting all around or the explosions. All I was thinking was that I need to help this person,' he said of the ambush. He's pictured in Afghanistan in 2012 Carter said at first he refused to accept the impact the battle, which killed eight US soldiers and was one of the bloodiest in the Afghan war, had on his mental health, fearing for his career if he was labeled as 'damaged goods'. 'When you are going through severe post-traumatic stress you don't actually notice it,' he said. 'It's a complete mental changer you just know you're not feeling quite right, or a little off. But the people around you notice. 'I was forced to go into counseling for the next two and a half years. My superiors ordered me to go or they were going to take my rank. I was very resistant at first I was escorted the first time I went to counselling. The movie was based on the book The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor by CNN anchor Jake Tapper 'The stigma is still out there. If you're in the military and you go to a counselor and you are labelled with PTSD [Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder], then you may get passed over for rank and you will probably be treated differently. But I would rather be passed over for rank than drink a handle of Jack Daniels and follow it with a .45.' Tragically, one of the Battle of Kamdesh survivors chose the latter. In September 2010, less than a year after the skirmish, Pvt. Ed Faulkner Jr. died of an overdose on the drugs he had turned to in an attempt to deal with his trauma. Carter calls Faulkner the ninth victim of the battle, and says his death spurred him to campaign to remove the stigma around seeking help for post-traumatic stress. 'We need to just call it what it is: it's just stress from the past. It's not a disorder, it is something that's supposed to happen. And as soon as people realize that, they are more likely to talk about it,' Carter said. The 40-year-old father-of-three retired from the military in 2014 a Staff Sergeant, after receiving the Medal of Honor from then President Barack Obama, and now spends his time encouraging military and first responders to seek help for stress. His medal was given in August 2013, six months after another survivor, Staff Sergeant Clinton Romesha, received the same decoration for the battle, making it the only one since the Vietnam War to lead to two Medal of Honor awards. The war hero said when he was offered a role in The Outpost movie, he took it on as a chance to tackle head on the trauma from the battle that still plagues him. 'I helped to make The Outpost and I've got a little cameo in it,' Carter said. 'They flew me out to Bulgaria and I was there for most of the filming. I assisted the writers with the story since the beginning.' Carter is pictured at the Netflix 'Medal of Honor' screening and panel discussion in 2018. 'Every time I speak or do a lecture, I am reliving the worst day of my life,' he says 'Every time I speak or do a lecture, I am reliving the worst day of my life. By talking about it, or watching The Outpost or the Netflix show, I am forcing myself to relive it so I don't get those nightmares or those flashbacks; so my heartrate doesn't rise every time I hear gunfire. 'So every time I am feeling stressed or anxious, I grab a good whiskey and I watch the episode of the Netflix show about my story. The emotions come back sometimes, sometimes they don't, but then it relaxes me. 'It's mentally draining, but then I'm OK afterwards and I can do my own thing for the next two or three weeks until I start feeling stressed again, and I know that's my subconscious letting me know I need to relive it again. It doesn't work like this for everyone, but this is my process.' Actor Caleb Landry Jones (pictured in the film) portrays Carter during the battle to defend against Taliban fighters in the coordinated attacked The new magazine that interviewed Carter, founded by model John Pearson and journalist Pete Samson, also aims to remove the stigma around men discussing and improving their mental health with 'inspirational stories, wisdom and pragmatic health advice.' Carter's character in the movie was played by Caleb Landry Jones, and other members of his unit by Orlando Bloom, Scott Eastwood, Milo Gibson, and Jack Kesy. The movie was based on the book The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor by CNN anchor Jake Tapper. The Outpost was set to premiere at South By Southwest Film Festival this year, but due to the coronavirus pandemic was instead released on demand last month. The movie spent two weekends as iTunes and AppleTV's top rented film. It was reported earlier this month that The Batman could get back to filming from September, after production was halted in March amid the coronavirus pandemic. And it seems that the things are finally getting underway as the Batmobile was seen being put through its paces at Cardington Airfield on Thursday. Crew were seen taking two cars that had been decked out to resemble the Caped Crusader's new ride out of a van. Back to work: The Batman's crew were seen preparing the Caped Crusader's Batmobile as they test drove the cars at Cardington Airfield on Thursday before production resumes on the film Once the vehicles were unloaded onto the airfield, test drivers sat behind the wheel and drove the cars on the track for a test run. The Batmobile was first shown off by director Matt Reeves in official stills shared earlier this year, but the vehicle could be seen more clearly in daylight and had a sleek design thanks to its low body. An exposed engine was fitted to the back of the car to complete the Batmobile's motif, while it was fitted with large wheels for endurance. Crew made sure to keep safe amid the coronavirus crisis by wearing masks as they drove the cars around the airfield. Preparation: It was reported earlier this month that The Batman could get back to filming from September, after production was halted in March amid the coronavirus pandemic New ride: Crew were seen taking two cars that had been decked out to resemble the Caped Crusader's Batmobile out of a van Driving around: Once the vehicles were unloaded onto the airfield, test drivers sat behind the wheel and drove the cars on the track for a test run Need for speed: The vehicle could be seen clearly in daylight and had a sleek design thanks to its low body Safety first: Crew made sure to keep safe amid the coronavirus crisis by wearing masks as they drove the cars around the airfield On Saturday, Robert Pattinson declared that he is raring to get back to work on The Batman, while making a cameo Saturday at the online DC Comics FanDome event. The 34-year-old actor said he was ready to don the suit of the Caped Crusader for filmmaker Matt Reeves. 'As many of you probably already know, we were in the beginning stages of production when COVID hit. 'So now Im very anxious to get back to work and continue to form this beloved character, Ive always been a massive fan.' Test run: A crew member drove the car around the airfield at speed Run through: The crew appeared to be making sure everything was in working order for the cars before filming began once more Making preparations: Crew members checked the car closely for any issues Ready to go: Only two cars were seen out on the airfield, it is unclear if there would be more made for the production Thrilling: An exposed engine was fitted to the back of the car to complete the Batmobile's motif, while it was fitted with large wheels for endurance Last week it was claimed that that production would resume on The Batman in September, it was reported by Variety. According to the publication cameras will begin to roll at the beginning of the month in Warner Bros. Studios in Leavesden, after filming came to a halt in March due to the coronavirus pandemic. Reeves' take on the caped crusader, which stars Robert Pattinson in the title role, was nearly seven weeks into its filming schedule in London at the time of its hiatus, meaning there is reportedly three months of material left to shoot. It was claimed that because of this the film could finish filming by the end of the year, but it is yet to be seen if that will be the case. Ready to go: On Saturday, Robert Pattinson declared that he is raring to get back to work on The Batman, while making a cameo Saturday at the online DC Comics FanDome event Exciting: The trailer for The Batman was released on Saturday during DC'S Fandome event The publication also reported that crews have been busy building new sets for the comic book film throughout August, so that they will be ready in time for filming to begin again next month. MailOnline contacted Warner Bros' representatives for comment at the time. The Batman's release date was delayed until October 2021, after production was halted on March 14 due to the global pandemic. Earlier this year director Reeves confirmed production on The Batman was being put on hiatus for the foreseeable future. Busy schedule: Last week it was claimed that that production would resume on The Batman in September, it was reported by Variety Warner Bros originally said it was taking a 'two-week hiatus' due to the coronavirus pandemic, and Matt confirmed that filming was paused for the time being. 'Yes, we have shut down till it is safe for us all to resume,' he stated in a tweet, before the Hollywood blockbuster was bumped back.' Filming had initially been relocated from London to Liverpool before being halted altogether. A statement at the time read: 'Warner Bros. Pictures feature production of 'The Batman' will be on a two-week hiatus starting today. The studio will continue to monitor the situation closely.' On hold: Earlier this year director Reeves confirmed production on The Batman was being put on hiatus for the foreseeable future Time has erased the events that occurred in Chattanoogas neighboring county in Northwest Georgia about the judicial and political war over the building of a new and present courthouse. Beginning in 1883 Walker County was run by a five-member commission serving two-year terms. In 1916 the terms were expanded to four years and in 1940 showing the flexibility of the electorate to form new governments. Currently in 2018 Walker County voters approved a referendum to a transition from a sole commissioner who has both legislative and executive powers to a four-member board of commissioners elected by district. The first members of the board will be elected in November 2020 and will take office in January 2021. A Walker County grand jury on March 26, 1915, unfavorably reported on conditions at the old courthouse and recommended the erection of a new courthouse to Judge Moses Wright. As a result of the grand jury recommendation, the Walker County Board of Commissioners voted to erect a new courthouse and the voters of the county approved a bond drive to fund the cost of building the structure. This is where the real controversy begins. Not everyone agreed where the new courthouse would be located. Those opposed to LaFayette were mostly from the northern end of the county and wanted the county seat moved to Chickamauga or at least closer to Rossville and Chattanooga. Interesting legal proceedings followed. A representative of Chickamauga filed a petition against the commissioners and numerous businesses that were involved with the courthouse bid in their efforts to stop the project. Judge Moses Wright of the Rome Circuit Court had jurisdiction of the case but the opponents of the project did some creative judge shopping and hired the judges brother, Robert Wright of Chattanooga, as their attorney attempting to create a conflict of interest that would disqualify Judge Wright from the case since they knew that he favored the courthouse construction bill. Judge Wright denied the petition to recuse himself from the case and the Georgia Supreme Court affirmed him. In another surprise move, the anti-courthouse supporters took their petition to Judge A.W. Fite in the Cherokee Circuit Court and asked him to remove Judge Wright from the case. Fite agreed and issued an order to that effect, took over the case, and issued a temporary restraining order against the commissioners stopping any further work on the courthouse project. On May 26, 1916, the litigation got further heated when Judge Fite issued a contempt of court ruling against the Board of Commissioners and the publisher of the Walker County Messenger, E.P. Hall, Jr., who had published a request for bids for work to be performed on the courthouse project. Judge Wright immediately intervened in the case asserting that his court was the proper one to try the litigation and issued an injunction against the anti-courthouse group and also banned any Georgia sheriff or their deputies from acting on any orders from Judge Fite. Undeterred by Judge Fites ruling, the Board of Commissioners contacted a construction company from Anniston, Alabama, to begin the projectat once. This resulted in a large crowd of citizens assembling on June 6, 1916, for the awarding of the builders contract. Also present was Sheriff Ward of Catoosa County who had been ordered by Judge Fite to arrest O.M. Clemmons, clerk of the Superior Court, if he should issue any process initiating the start of work on the courthouse project. When Clemmons refused to go voluntarily with the Sheriff to Ringgold, Sheriff Ward and his support group of opposition contingents left town. From this point the legal (or illegal) proceedings really heated up on the question of which judge had jurisdiction over Walker Countys new courthouse. Sheriff Ward returned from Catoosa County and had the construction project area roped off. Commissioner J.D. McConnell was confronted with a shotgun when he arrived at the scene and was arrested when he refused to voluntarily go to Ringgold to address Judge Fites contempt of court citation. That night, Sheriff Ward and his two deputies arrested two of the commissioners, S.P. Hall and John M. Ransom, and took them to Ringgold. As a counter action Walker County Sheriff R.S. Garmany went to Chickamauga on Judge Wrights orders overruling Judge Fites orders and arrested S.T. Carson. He then unsuccessfully tried to arrest J.S. Alsobrook in Rossville but he had fled to Tennessee where he could not be arrested. On June 30, 1916, Judge Fite, before a large crowd, tried the three commissioners in Ringgold with contempt of court. Sensing the seriousness of the situation he set bonds of $1,000 in each case and would release them from paying that amount if they would revoke the courthouse contract. The three refused and Judge Fite ordered them jailed. Judge Fite then conveniently left the proceedings under the pretense of a speaking engagement and passed the hot potato to the Catoosa County Sheriff to put the three in custody but he refused and the commissioners returned to LaFayette. In the meantime, Judge Wright issued an order to the Walker County Sheriff to provide ample means for fully protecting members of the county board as well as the contractors working on the new courthouse and to jail for contempt anyone interfering with the courthouse project. The Georgia Supreme Court entered the fray and in two orders resolved the judicial war between Judge Wright and Judge Fite. On December 22, 1916, the High Court reversed Judge Fites restraining order on building the new courthouse and on April 2, 1917, held that Judge Fite had no jurisdiction over the case, reaffirming its previous ruling that Judge Wright was not disqualified and Judge Fites order adjudging the Walker Court commissioners in contempt was invalid and dismissed. Strangely, one of Sheriff Wards deputies was held in contempt of Judge Wrights order in helping the Sheriff to make the arrest. Because the Georgia Supreme Court also held that the sheriff of Catoosa County had no legal authority to serve arrest papers in Walker County, Ward escaped prosecution. On April 23, 1918, the new Walker County Courthouse was formally dedicated after construction costs of $80,000 and was lauded as the most magnificent edifice in the county. Judge Moses Wright made a formal speech at the dedication before a large crowd. Judge A.W. Fite was conspicuously absent! Seems like things do not change much in the Lookout Judicial Circuit! * * * 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 Jennifer Smith is doing what she believes she was born to do mission work that entails traveling the world to educate the young while keeping God in her heart. I dont recall how many missions I have done, but I do know that I have been to 80 countries, Smith said Wednesday morning while heading to Chicago to catch a flight to Iraq. Starting Tuesday, Smith, 53, will be living and working for the next year in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. I will be in northern Iraq to teach at an international school, Smith said. She believes her students will be seventh-graders but, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, shes not certain. Her students will come from all over the Middle East including Israel, Turkey and the Republic of Georgia some from affluent families, others not. Some will be lower-class people that do whatever they can (to get to the school) because they believe in education, she said. Smith does not speak Arabic but her students will have taken courses and will continue to take subjects that are heavy in English, she said. Muslims have a strict way of life and, as theyre educated, theyre exposed to more options, she said of students having the opportunities to learn about the world. Smith is aware that she first is viewed as an American in a country with a recent U.S. military presence. Im an American and the government can influence them (locals), she said of being viewed as an outsider. But as they get to know you they realize youre a person, which is good to experience at a young age. I am excited to get there and its one of those places that needs hope, prayer. This will be the first time the Jacksonville native has visited Iraq, but its not her first visit to the region. She is well aware that the Middle East has had its share of conflict, and that she will be a woman living in a country with certain laws by which to abide simply because of her gender. I am a guest in their country, Smith said. As a guest you respect their ways and if I go places where I have to have a head covering, I will, she said. This trip will end her two-year stay in the U.S. She is excited to get back to her mission work. I basically come back to the U.S. to work and save money so I can go on the next mission, she said. When she has visited places like Mexico, China, Korea, Indonesia, Mongolia and Japan, Smith admits she doesnt really have a favorite. Pretty much wherever I go theres something beautiful, something wonderful to experience and you learn to love the people, she said. A member of Lincoln Avenue Baptist Church, Smith also taught spinning class at Bob Freesen YMCA and taught at Westfair Christian Academy. Im excited about going and doing what God wants me to, she said. A federal appeals court on Wednesday held in the long-running case of transgender student Gavin Grimm that his Virginia school district violated the equal-protection clause and Title IX when it barred him from the boys restroom when he was in high school. A panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit, in Richmond, Va., also ruled 2-1 that the Gloucester County district violated Grimms rights by refusing to amend his school records after Grimm, who was assigned female at birth, had chest reconstruction surgery and the state amended his birth certificate to male. At the heart of this appeal is whether equal protection and Title IX can protect transgender students from school bathroom policies that prohibit them from affirming their gender, U.S. Circuit Judge Henry F. Floyd wrote for the majority in upholding a series of federal district court decisions in favor of Grimm in 2018 and 2019 . We join a growing consensus of courts in holding that the answer is resoundingly yes. The 4th Circuit panel is the second federal appeals court to rule this month that transgender students rights under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 are supported by the U.S. Supreme Courts June decision that federal employment-discrimination law covers transgender workers. A panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11the Circuit, in Atlanta, ruled 2-1 on Aug. 7 that a Florida district violated Title IX and the equal-protection clause when it barred a transgender male student from using the restroom consistent with his gender identity. In the new decision in Grimm v. Gloucester County School Board , the 4th Circuit majority agreed that the recent Supreme Court decision bolstered Grimms case. After the Supreme Courts recent decision in Bostock v. Clayton County ... , we have little difficulty holding that a bathroom policy precluding Grimm from using the boys restrooms discriminated against him on the basis of sex. Floyd wrote. The Gloucester County boards policy excluded Grimm from the boys restrooms on the basis of sex and therefore violated Title IX, the judge said. Analyzing the case under the 14th Amendments guarantee of equal protection, the court said the boards policy of requiring a transgender student to use either a single-stall restroom or a restroom matching their biological gender was not substantially related to its goal of protecting students privacy. The insubstantiality of the boards fears has been borne out in school districts across the country, including other school districts in Virginia, Floyd said. Nearly half of Virginias public-school students attend schools prohibiting discrimination or harassment based on gender identity. The majority cited friend-of-the-court briefs filed in support of Grimm by numerous school groups. Gloucester County ignores the growing number of school districts across the country who are successfully allowing transgender students such as Grimm to use the bathroom matching their gender identity, without incident, Floyd said. Grimm is now a 21-year-old college student, and the 4th Circuit rejected the boards arguments that his claims regarding the bathroom policy were moot. Because Grimm had amended his original lawsuit to seek nominal damages, his case was still a live controversy, the appeals court said. The court also held that the boards refusal to update Grimms records violated both equal protection and Title IX. The board based its decision not to update Grimms school records on his sexspecifically, his sex as listed on his original birth certificate, and as it presupposed him to be, Floyd said. This decision harmed Grimm because when he applies to four-year universities, he will be asked for a transcript with a sex marker that is incorrect and does not match his other documentation. And this discrimination is unlawful because it treats him worse than other similarly situated students, whose records reflect their correct sex. Judge Paul V. Niemeyer dissented, saying that Title IX and its regulations explicitly authorize the policy followed by [Gloucester County] High School. At bottom, Gloucester High School reasonably provided separate restrooms for its male and female students and accommodated transgender students by also providing unisex restrooms that any student could use, Niemeyer said. The law requires no more of it. Both Floyd and Niemeyer have been on the panel for various actions in Grimms case since it first reached the 4th Circuit in 2016. At that time, the panel ruled 2-1 that courts should defer to informal Title IX guidance issued by President Barack Obamas administration that called on schools to allow transgender students to use facilities corresponding to their gender identity. Floyd was in the majority and Niemeyer was the dissenter. That opinion was vacated by the U.S. Supreme Court after President Donald Trumps administration withdrew the transgender guidance. The new member of the panel for this latest appeal in the Grimm case was Judge James A. Wynn Jr., who had made pretty clear at oral arguments in May that he was inclined to support the student. In a concurrence to Wednesdays opinion, Wynn said the Gloucester County boards policy seemed to favor an alternative appropriate private facility for transgender students such as Grimm. Such facilities were akin to separate but equal schools and restrooms for Black and white students, said Wynn, who is Black. I see little distinction between the message sent to Black children denied equal treatment in education under the doctrine of separate but equal and transgender children relegated to the alternative appropriate private facilitites provided for by the boards policy, Wynn said. Floyd concluded the majority opinion by noting that many schools have implemented trans-inclusive policies without incident, and that adults have been the biggest opponents of such policies, not students. The proudest moments of the federal judiciary have been when we affirm the burgeoning values of our bright youth, rather than preserve the prejudices of the past, Floyd said. How shallow a promise of equal protection that would not protect Grimm from the fantastical fears and unfounded prejudices of his adult community. It is time to move forward. (Newser) President Trump is still worried about a massive surge in mail-in voting. But in an interview with the Washington Examiner, he says his issue isn't with the US Postal Service. Instead, he argues that elections officials won't be able to accurately count all those mailed-in ballots. "It's not the post office," Trump tells Byron York. "It has nothing to do with the post office." Even if ballots were delivered a day late, "that's not the problem," says the president. "The problem is when they dump all these [ballots] in front of a few people who are counting them, and they're going to count them wrong. The post office is not to blame." story continues below In its coverage, NBC News notes that Trump does not back up the his claim about inaccurate counting with evidence. Also in the interview, Trump says he does not have a problem with voluntary mail-in ballots, a practice he uses himself to vote in Florida's elections. He reiterated that he's opposed to what he has referred to as "universal" mail voting, in which elections officials send ballots to every voter. "The only thing I'm concerned about is the unsolicited ballots, where they're going to send 80 million unsolicited ballots to people that they don't even know if they're alive or if they're living there," he said. "I think it is a catastrophic disaster for this country." (Read more USPS stories.) The One Club for Creativity has announced the first-ever group of 15 talented students accepted to attend ONE School, a free portfolio programme for young Black creatives. Diverse set of talents and perspectives Next wave of creatives shaping the future The programme can be a true testament that you can live and thrive as a Black creative without compromise. As an Afro-Latina Dominicana from the Bronx, NY -- the birthplace of hip hop - I have a unique point of view and a much-needed perspective to offer the industry. Im excited to be a part of the next wave of creatives who will shape the future of the way we all view the world. Free online school Students were selected based on their raw creativity, passion and commitment so as not to discourage those with no prior knowledge of advertising.The inaugural class for One School East, starting on 8 September, are Trey Alston, Van Leigh Armer, Trey Bradley, Elizabeth Culton, Nicole Francois, Laura Eley, Asia Irvin, Mutaurwa Mapondera, Tarahgee Morris, Jamal Parker, Barbara Polance, Temiloluwa Thomas, Tyler West, Miko White and Jasmine Williams.True to the schools mission to bring new Black talent into the industry, the first class represents a wide array of creative backgrounds, including a spoken-word performer, textile artist, animators, photographers, writers, an AI developer and UX designer, videographer, music journalist and teacher.One School is run by Oriel Davis-Lyons, an award-winning creative director at Spotify, as part of The One Clubs Professional Development programming.Looking through all the applications confirmed to me just how much Black creative talent is out there that we, as an industry, miss out on because we rely on the same pipelines year after year, said Davis-Lyons, While it wasnt easy to get to 15, the class we have represents such a diverse set of talents and perspectives, I cant wait to see what they come up with over the next 16 weeks.Some of the students described their reasons for applying and their hopes for the programme.One School is giving Black creatives like myself a platform to showcase our talent and be challenged at the level of our potential, said Van Leigh Armer, a 27-year-old photographer.Barbara Polanco, a 26-year-old stylist and music video director, added;Applications are still open for One School West, the deadline is 30 August 2020. That programme will be run by LA-based executive creative director Ez Blaine, ECD at ChowNow who has previously held creative positions at Apple, R/GA, AKQA, TBWA\Chiat Day and Wieden+Kennedy London.One School grew out of a June LinkedIn post by Davis-Lyons lamenting the high-cost barrier of US portfolio schools for young creatives of colour, and his pledge to find a way to rectify the situation. The post was seen by Bob Isherwood, head of The One Clubs Professional Development department, who reached out to Davis-Lyons and started the collaborative process to make One School a reality.The free online school will run two nights a week for 16 weeks, twice per year (Fall and Spring), with students getting 10 briefs over the course covering everything from OOH to Innovation and Data-Driven Storytelling. Due to the hands-on mentoring aspect of the programme, enrollment in the course is currently limited to 15 students for each fall and spring session on each coast who have not previously attended an ad school.Briefs will be written by Black strategists and taught by a majority of Black tutors and lecturers, and students will be paired with Black mentors in the industry. The programme also goes beyond simply teaching students how to put a book together by also teaching them how to navigate the industry while Black.The industry has quickly gotten behind the programme, with sponsorship support and donation of creative tools for students to use.More information about One School and application details for West Coast classes can be found here NIALL Collins is the Minister for State at the Department of Further and Higher Education but he was back in the classroom recently. Minister Collins visited Patrickswell NS to see the handiwork of Heating Engineer Supplies (HES) HES, which is based in Patrickswell, have been operating throughout the Covid-19 lockdown to supply essential services and recently diversified when they were requested to supply PPE outside of their normal range. One of their recent projects was working with Patrickswell NS in preparation for staff and pupils safe return, said Minister Collins, who saw what they have made to help prevent the spread of Covid. HES has designed and manufactured a shatterproof, polycarbonate screen to safely maximise pupil numbers as they return. This will enable children to work together and minimise the potential spread of infection. Minister Collins praised HES and the school staff for this innovative approach. As the long-awaited first day of school nears some are reopening from this Thursday Minister Collins said children are looking forward to it. Parents, teachers and ourselves are confident but apprehensive, hoping that everything goes well. We need to get normality back into kids lives, said Minister Collins, who thanked principals and teachers across County Limerick and the country for doing everything in their power to reopen schools as safely as possible. I would like to pay tribute to the work that is being undertaken at a local school level to ensure that we can reopen our schools. We are fully focused on ensuring our children have a safe environment to return to and the work you are doing is critical to achieving that goal, said Minister Collins. To date around 160 million has been issued to schools in direct funding to cover minor works, employing support to assist with reopening, cleaning costs and PPE costs. This does not include the cost of the additional teaching posts sanctioned. 250,000 age-appropriate posters on handwashing, face coverings and other hygiene measures have been sent to schools. I hope that these extra resources are of value to schools as they continue their preparations. It is important that we put an emphasis on the wellbeing of the whole school community as this years school reopening will pose different challenges for everyone. We will continue to communicate with principals, students, parents and all stakeholders over the next couple of weeks and update all materials as necessary, he said. The fundamental unfairness of those linked tragedies in one Wisconsin city over the course of three days should be enough for even the most stubborn of white Americans to understand why people are marching to assert and rightfully demand that Black lives matter. The clear-as-glass unfairness of it all should be enough. H urricane Laura has made landfall in the US as an extremely dangerous Category 4 storm, forecasters have said amid warnings it could cause an "unsurvivable" surge in parts of the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. The National Hurricane Centre said the storm made landfall near Cameron, Louisiana, and had maximum sustained winds of 150mph, making it the most powerful hurricane to strike the United States so far this year. "Potentially catastrophic impacts will continue," the agency said in a post on Twitter. Laura's power has raised fears of a 20ft storm surge that forecasters said would be unsurvivable and capable of sinking entire communities on the Texas and Louisiana coast. A Category 4 hurricane can cause damage so catastrophic that power outages may last for months in places, and wide areas could be uninhabitable for weeks or months. The threat of such devastation poses a new disaster-relief challenge for a federal government already straining to deal with the coronavirus pandemic. Authorities have implored hundreds of thousands of coastal residents of Texas and Louisiana to flee, with Texas Governor Greg Abbott urging families who could afford it to take temporary refuge in hotels and motels. Heed the advice of your local authorities. If they tell you to go, go! Your life depends on it today, said Joel Cline, tropical programme coordinator at the National Weather Service. Its a serious day and you need to listen to them. On Twitter, President Donald Trump also urged coastal residents to heed local officials. "Hurricane Laura is a very dangerous and rapidly intensifying hurricane," he said. "My Administration remains fully engaged with state & local emergency managers to continue preparing and assisting the great people Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas. Listen to local officials. We are with you!" Hurricane warnings have been issued from San Luis Pass, Texas, to Intracoastal City, Louisiana, and reach inland for 200 miles. Storm surge warnings are also in effect from Freeport, Texas, to the mouth of the Mississippi River. A National Weather Service meteorologist in Lake Charles, Louisiana - in the bullseye of Lauras projected path - took to Facebook Live to deliver an urgent warning for people living south of Interstate 10 in south-west Louisiana and south-east Texas. Your life will be in immediate and grave danger beginning this evening if you do not evacuate, Donald Jones said. Laura is expected to dump massive rainfall as it moves inland, causing widespread flash flooding in states far from the coast. Flood watches were issued for much of Arkansas, and forecasters said heavy rainfall could arrive by Friday in parts of Missouri, Tennessee and Kentucky. Hurricane Laura (2020) - In pictures 1 /61 Hurricane Laura (2020) - In pictures Buildings and homes are flooded in the aftermath of Hurricane Laura near Lake Charles AP Homes lie destroyed and immersed in water in the aftermath of Hurricane Laura near Hackberry, Louisiana, REUTERS Destroyed planes lie damaged around a Southland Field hanger in the aftermath of Hurricane Laura in Sulphur, Louisiana REUTERS Plumes of smoke rise into the sky from a chemical plant fire in a damaged area after Hurricane Laura passed through Lake Charles, Louisiana REUTERS This drone photo shows the roof blown off of an AutoZone store along Nelson Road in the aftermath of Hurricane Laura in Lake Charles AP People drive their car through a flooded street after Hurricane Laura passed through Lake Charles, Louisiana REUTERS Donnie Rogers sits at the entrance to his house after Hurricane Laura passed through Lake Charles, Louisiana REUTERS Satellite imagery showing damaged buildings along W McNeese Street after Hurricane Laura hit Lake Charles, Louisiana via REUTERS A couple, Lonnie Gatte and Teri Goleman, kisses after returning to their residence, a 40 foot camping trailer, to find it completely destroyed in the aftermath of Hurricane Laura in Sulphur, Louisiana REUTERS Martin Almanza paddles a canoe through some street flooding following landfall of Hurricane Laura AP Michael and Darlene Taylor sort through a freezer damaged by Hurricane Laura in Grand Lake, Louisiana Getty Images This aerial view shows homes damaged by Hurricane Laura in Grand Lake, Louisiana AFP via Getty Images Elaine Rayburn sorts through her belongings at her home AP Southland Field airport is seen in the aftermath of Hurricane Laura in Sulphur, Louisian REUTERS A journalist examines damage left in the wake of Hurricane Laura in Holly Beach AP Lake Charles Firefighters cut fallen utility lines following Hurricane Laura in Lake Charles, AP Lakewood Church staff member Gladis Guerra aided in collecting items for East Texas & Louisiana residents who were affected by Hurricane Laura AP Utility employees work on downed power lines after Hurricane Laura passed through the area in Lake Charles, Louisiana Getty Images A man walks his bike past structures damaged by Hurricane Laura in Lake Charles AP A Home is damaged after Hurricane Laura went through the area near Lake Charles AP A couple react as they go through their destroyed mobile home following the passing of hurricane Laura in Lake Charles, Louisian AFP via Getty Images An aerial view from a drone shows a damaged hotel after Hurricane Laura passed through the area in Lake Charles, Louisian Getty Images People walk past a destroyed building after the passing of Hurricane Laura in Lake Charles AFP via Getty Images A helicopter surveys the damage left in the wake of Hurricane Laura AP The damage left in the wake of Hurricane Laura AP Business owners in Texas board up their store, with Hurricane Laura just hours away AP A car near Vermilion Bay is seen partially submerged in waters brought by Hurricane Laura approaching Abbeville, Louisiana REUTERS Vincent Turner, 6, holds his eight-month-old sister Faith while playing in the front yard of their home ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Laura in Beaumont, Texas REUTERS Evacuees in Louisiana wait to board a bus as they are evacuated before the arrival of Hurricane Laura Getty Images Trung Nguyen boards up his brother's convenience store Food Etc in Abbeville, Louisiana REUTERS A single truck is parked in an open lot as heavy rains from hurricane Laura fall in Lake Charles, Louisiana AFP via Getty Images Structures near Vermilion Bay are seen in waters brought by Hurricane Laura as it approaches Abbeville, Louisiana, REUTERS Storm clouds gather as Hurricane Laura approaches the Gulf Coast in Galveston, Texas. Getty Images This RAMMB/NOAA satellite image shows Hurricane Laura moving Northwestern in the Gulf of Mexico towards Louisiana AFP via Getty Imahes Members of the Louisiana National guard stage near a high school before the arrival of hurricane Laura in Lake Charles AFP via Getty Images Tyler Arnold and Mike Buller work on placing plywood over the windows of their business before the arrival of Hurricane Laura in Lake Charles Getty Images People prepare to board a bus for evacuation before the arrival of hurricane Laura in Lake Charles AFP via Getty Images A car drives under an ominous rain cloud from tropical storm Marco as locals prepare for the arrival of hurricane Laura near Lake Charles, Louisiana AFP via Getty Images Lacey Buller, Tyler Arnold and Mike Buller work on placing plywood over the windows of their business before the arrival of Hurricane Laura Getty Images John Prekosovich, left, and Joel Canales load a portable generator into A customer's vehicle at a Home Depot store as residents prepare for the possible landfall of Hurricane Laura in Houston AP Gigi Hlavink purchases gas cans and other supplies at a Home Depot store while preparing for the possible landfall of Hurricane Laura on Tuesday 2020 in Houston. AP A cat from the Galveston Island Humane Society, is loaded onto Wings of Rescue with the help of Houston's SPCA for a flight to Dallas/Fort Worth as Hurricane Laura threatens the Texas coast AP Municipal workers fill sandbags for the elderly and those with disabilities ahead of Hurricane Laura in Crowley AP John Ray boards up his house in Pirates Beach on the West End of Galveston with help from his friend Bryan Everett as Hurricane Laura tracks toward the upper Texas coast AP Jarred West, Gavin Daigle and Elvis Thompson remove an ice machine from outside of a store as they evacuate before the possible arrival of Hurricane Laura Getty Images @Astro_SEAL Laura is so powerful that it is expected to become a tropical storm again once it reaches the Atlantic Ocean, potentially menacing the north east. Loading.... Hurricane Katrina - which killed more than 1,800 people as it tore through New Orleans in 2005 - was a category five storm before weakening to a category three when it made landfall in the US. The Democrats' military forces, AKA Black Lives Matter and Antifa, are destroying Kenosha. They justify their violence by claiming that Jacob Blake was unarmed. People who don't know the law assume that the police can prove their innocence only if Blake had a weapon. That's not the legal or the practical standard. The law requires only that the police reasonably believed that Blake intended to use a lethal weapon. This standard exists regardless of whether or not Blake had either the intention or the weapon. In Kenosha, the police had been called to the house for a domestic violence problem. These cases are invariably the most dangerous calls police answer. The police learned while heading to the house that Blake, despite the pictures of him hugging some of his six children, was not a nice man. There are criminal records for a man matching his name, address, and age. These records show there were warrants against him for domestic abuse and sexual assault on a minor, and he had been arrested in the past for waving around a gun and had resisted arrest in the past, injuring a police officer. By now, we have a good idea about the last few seconds before the shooting. Blake was violently resisting the police. We now know that (a) the police tased him unsuccessfully and (b) he had a knife. Despite the police having their guns drawn and their repeated orders for him to put down the knife and hit the ground, Blake raced around the front of the car, heading to the driver's door. The police kept yelling at him to stop, but he ignored them. One officer even grabbed Blake to keep him from reaching into the car. Despite the officers' guns and their loud and physical efforts to stop him, Blake opened the door and bent into the car. At that point, one or more officers open fire. And that's where the misinformation starts. Even Tucker Carlson, who's right about 99% of the time, got this one wrong, stating, "So the question is, did Blake have a gun in the car? That is the central question." No. That's not the central question or even a question. The central question is whether the officers, at that time (not in hindsight), reasonably believed that, when he reached into the car, Blake constituted an imminent threat to them or anyone else in the vicinity. In Graham v. Connor, 490 U.S. 386, 395-396 (1989), the Supreme Court set out a "reasonableness" standard, rather than a "substantive due process" standard, to determine whether a law enforcement officer acted unreasonably. The Court even spelled out the metric for determining reasonableness (emphasis mine): Because "[t]he test of reasonableness under the Fourth Amendment is not capable of precise definition or mechanical application," Bell v. Wolfish, 441 U.S. 520, 441 U.S. 559 (1979), however, its proper application requires careful attention to the facts and circumstances of each particular case, including the severity of the crime at issue, whether the suspect poses an immediate threat to the safety of the officers or others, and whether he is actively resisting arrest or attempting to evade arrest by flight. See Tennessee v. Garner, 471 U.S. at 471 U.S. 8-9 (the question is "whether the totality of the circumstances justifie[s] a particular sort of. . . seizure"). The "reasonableness" of a particular use of force must be judged from the perspective of a reasonable officer on the scene, rather than with the 20/20 vision of hindsight. See Terry v. Ohio, supra, at 392 U.S. 20-22. *** The calculus of reasonableness must embody allowance for the fact that police officers are often forced to make split-second judgments in circumstances that are tense, uncertain, and rapidly evolving about the amount of force that is necessary in a particular situation. The standard in America isn't whether Blake was armed; it's whether the police reasonably feared that he was going to get a weapon from his car and use it. Moreover, they had to make this call after Blake fought with them, ignored their orders, shrugged off a tasing, and (as this screenshot shows) reached into his car: The video below shows how quickly someone can grab a gun from a car and shoot: When you dont shoot a killer resisting arrest and reaching in his car... pic.twitter.com/E8Do6BYimp James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) August 25, 2020 These reporters engaging in simulations learned the same lesson: The Kenosha officers had a split-second to decide what to do when a violent man who was resisting arrest reached into his car. Based on what we currently know, in the milliseconds available to them the police made the right decision, whether or not there was a gun. /* custom css */ .tdi_75_6df.td-a-rec{ text-align: center; }.tdi_75_6df .td-element-style{ z-index: -1; }.tdi_75_6df.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_75_6df.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; }@media (max-width: 767px) { .tdi_75_6df.td-a-rec-img { text-align: center; } } Advertisement I felt scandalized this morning when i watched the video footage of Femi Fani-Kayode that went viral, in which he dared assault and insult repeatedly a Dailytrust journalist, Eyo Charles in the course of doing his professional calling. The encounter, which attracted public attention, occurred in Calabar, Cross Rivers State on Thursday August 20th, 2020 at a hotel during a press conference. The only crime of the jounalist was asking Femi who was bankrolling his recent trips around Nigeria? Rather than humbly provide answer to the question posed by Eyo Charles, Fani-Kayode got provocked, arrogantly terming himself a former minister and a lawyer, distastefully condescending, calling the reporter with all sort of ugly names. To the best of my knowledge, lawyers are very mindful of their utterances because of their much acquaintance with the Law of Defamation and the punishment a slanderous statements attract, as by law established. But Fani-Kayode went to the extent of calling the reporter a stupid; an insult that provocks an English man to the core. This made me to doubt if Femi has been successful called to the Nigerian bar as a full-blown lawyer. Ministers as well are know to be people with proper cognitive ability, respect and polite behavior, especially towards journalists as they interact almost always. how and why Femi is in bad shape? This is a slap to legal profession and ministerial position, because I could not notice a flicker of professionalism in his mannerisms. /* custom css */ .tdi_74_146.td-a-rec{ text-align: center; }.tdi_74_146 .td-element-style{ z-index: -1; }.tdi_74_146.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_74_146.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; }@media (max-width: 767px) { .tdi_74_146.td-a-rec-img { text-align: center; } } He said he had been granting interviews in press conferences for a number of years. But, surprisingly he found the question by the journalist so hot that prompted him to arrogantly ask what type of offensive question is this? Journalism as the act of gathering, verifying and reporting accurate and objective account of events by media organisations with the sole aim of satisfying the curiousity and inquisitiveness of their audience, must always come with critical questions on behalf, and in the best interest of the general public. This is the only way the gap of communication between the higher and lower class can be bridged. For that, therefore, Femi Fani-Kayode should not have been provocked, since according to him he has been intermingling with journalists over time. The threat by Femi to report the reporter to his publisher made me to have an amazing smile; does he think Dailytrust can be intimidated to compromise its policy? I know very well that Dailytrust, being one of the reputable papers in Nigeria, does not accept anything below standard, neither does it employ quacks as reporters.Oye Charles (the reporter), therefore, must have asked the question out of his passion to satisfy the curiosity of Nigerians including myself who have been Keen to know the ground on which Femi has been going round Nigeria. Im happy that later on the Management of Media Trust Limited, publishers of Dailytrust and other tittles, in a statement signed by its Executive Director/Editor-in-chief, Nazir Mikailu Abubakar, boldly condemned the action of Fani-Kayode and made its stand clear in solidarity with its reporter and even describing him as somebody who upholds the tenet of journalism. This shall, without doubt, motivate Charles and other reporters to stay firmly brave to ask relevant questions in the course of their work, no matter the thread out of shame as exhibited by the ex-minister. It will also earn more credibility to the paper rather than putting it to disgrace as intended by barrister Femi. Describing the journalist as having a small mind also left me floundering, because one of our lectures used to tell us that journalism is meant for chosen few people who think deep with sharp mind. How do I intergrete the two contradictory statements? Beside, a reputable print media like Daily trust, with all the credibility and popularity it enjoys, how would it in all conscience accept a reporter with a small mind? I did not take time to ask myself between somebody who asked a question and another who insulted, who is having a small? Mr. Femi Fani-Kayode in his rainstorm of attacks on the journalist said he was unlike the politicians the reporter follows for brown envelope. This is serious, I wished he had provided us with the names of those politicians that he said are giving brown envelope to the reporter, so that the Nigerian Union of Journalists would keep them under surveillance and warn its members to be careful of them. By making allegation without corroborating evidence, all Nigerian politicians are not suspects. To avoid that, when next Femi is making such a statement, he should, please, make sure he is in full possession of his evidences and he should not mince words. The threat by Fani-Kayode to hit the reporter hard, I think, is not something as a writer i should dwell much into, as it has to do with the job security agencies are obligated. In short security agents are highly agitate; I may not be expert in that aspect, but I think the DSS needs to invite Femi just like it did to Doctor Mailafia a couple of weeks ago, to answer some questions. In 2019 alone, within six months, 36 journalists were attacked physically. This is not something that security agents should approach with a lackadaisical attitude, and if anything happens to the reporter, Fani-Kayode must be help responsible Consequently, Im happy that Femi in a portion of the video clip asked do you know the person you are talking to?. I need no bother, the attitude exhibited by him reflected his personality, translated the person he is. Maijamaa of the Faculty of Communication, BUK writes. sulaimanmaija@gmail.com It is now mandatory to wear face coverings in all indoor public spaces in Northern Ireland (Liam McBurney/PA) Police in Northern Ireland have still not fined anyone for flouting rules around face coverings. Masks have been mandatory on public transport since early July. They also became compulsory in shops here from August 10. Read More Although not complying with the rules can result in a 60 fine, it is not enforced, with both the PSNI and retailers indicating they will not take the lead in policing the issue. On Thursday the PSNI confirmed that no fines have yet been issued for breaches on transport or enclosed spaces. Across the UK, police have issued fewer than 40 fines to people for not wearing an appropriate face covering on public transport. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has previously said that one in 10 passengers were breaking the rules. Latest data from the National Police Chiefs Council shows 38 notices were issued by police forces since the introduction of new rules making face coverings mandatory in England from June 15 and in Wales from June 27. Passengers in England and Wales caught not complying with the regulations, which aim to slow the spread of coronavirus, risk being fined 100 and removed from services. Some 32 of the 38 Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) were issued by the British Transport Police (BTP), with four issued by West Midlands Police, and one each by Lancashire and Cumbria constabularies. At the beginning of the month, Mr Shapps wrote on Twitter that the face covering compliance rates on public transport was 90%, although BTP said that has since risen to around 97%. Transport for London (TfL) data is not included in Thursday's police figures, although a spokesman confirmed engagement officers had spoken with 78,132 people since July 4, with 5,612 passengers stopped from boarding, and 344 fines issued to those refusing to comply. Unions said workers had concerns about non-compliance from passengers, as well as who would enforce the rules. Mick Lynch, senior assistant general secretary of the RMT, said he was "deeply concerned that there are still passengers refusing to follow the basic rules" in relation to face coverings. He said: "Not only does that put staff and other passengers at risk but it creates a potential confrontation point at a time when everyone needs to be co-operating. "Enforcement has to be a matter for the British Transport Police and they need to be provided with the resources required to deliver it." The Unite union said it "repeatedly raised its concerns" about the non-compliance of some passengers. Bobby Morton, Unite national officer for passenger transport, said: "Legally only the police have the power to intervene and enforce the rules, bus drivers do not have the power to enforce the wearing of face coverings. "Unite has made it clear it is not the role of bus drivers to enforce the rules of face coverings and they should not be asked to do so." Manuel Cortes, TSSA general secretary, said: "While compliance levels are at a decent level, it's vitally important that police, BTP and appropriate security staff have the resources to enforce this. "Frontline transport workers should not be put in conflict with the public and it is not their responsibility to enforce the wearing of face coverings." A BTP spokesman said: "The overwhelming majority of people have listened, complied, and continued to play an important role in protecting other passengers and rail staff - we have seen compliance levels of around 97%." Male passengers account for 37 of the 38 penalties issued on public transport. Two in every three notices (68%) were issued to individuals aged between 18 and 29, the NPCC said. Siwan Hayward, TfL director of compliance, said: "We have been educating customers of the need to wear face coverings over their nose and mouth, unless exempt, since June. "As a result, we are now seeing widespread usage on our network, with the vast majority of passengers complying." Thursday's data also showed a further eight FPNs were issued to people not wearing face coverings in another relevant place, such as in a shop. Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-28 00:36:20|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- China on Thursday condemned some U.S. politicians for "hunting down" non-U.S. companies, saying the essence of such practice is labeling these firms with ideological prejudice. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian made the remarks at a press briefing while responding to a question about a survey released by the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai (AmCham Shanghai) Wednesday. AmCham Shanghai said that about 90 percent of the respondents to a survey it conducted of U.S. firms in Shanghai recently believed that the U.S. planned ban on WeChat will have a negative influence on their operations and more than one-third thought that such ban might lead to a loss of global revenue. Some U.S. politicians have put their selfish interests above market principles and international rules to jeopardize the global internet, said Zhao, adding that such an attempt has already been seen through by the international community. "Some U.S. politicians have abused state power to unjustifiably suppress non-U.S. companies under the pretext of national security. Such bandit action has done harm to the rights and interests of consumers and businesses in the United States and other countries, and it is bound to be opposed and resisted by the international community," said Zhao, who stressed that the move is organized and systematic economic bullying of non-U.S. companies that take the lead in a certain field. "This is a repudiation of the principle of market economy and fair competition that the U.S. has always flaunted," said Zhao. "Such move tramples on international rules and undermines the exchanges and cooperation in science, technology and innovation among countries riding the tide of globalization." Zhao said that from the perspective of some U.S. politicians, the so-called liberalization of the internet is nothing but Americanization, and so-called national security is simply a byword for "American double standards." Enditem At least ten members of the Great Andamanese tribe in India's Andaman Islands are reported to have tested positive for Covid-19, raising concerns for the future of the dwindling indigenous group, which is believed number around 50. Six trime members have recovered from the coronavirus and have been put in home quarantine, while the rest are undergoing treatment in a local hospital, hospital officials said. It is only a matter of abundant precaution that we have isolated them in a hospital and are taking care. Once they complete 10 days without symptoms, they will go to their island and remain in home quarantine, said Avijit Roy, nodal officer in-charge of Covid-19. The administration has also stepped in to take all precautionary measures to protect these vulnerable tribal groups from the pandemic. Officials are regularly in touch with the local administration in Port Blair (the capital of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands). Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah are very keen to act for the welfare of the indigenous tribal group in the islands, Minister of Tribal Affairs Arjun Munda told Indian media. It is believed that members of the tribe travel between Port Blair and their secluded island and may have contracted the infection in the process as some have taken on sundry jobs in the city. The Great Andamanese are believed to have a population of just over 50, down from over 5,000 in the 1850s when the British colonised the islands. They mostly live on one of the 37 islands in the coral reef-fringed archipelago. It is extremely alarming that members of the Great Andamanese tribe tested positive for Covid-19. They will be all too aware of the devastating impact of epidemics that have decimated their people, said Sophie Grig, senior researcher of Survival International, the London-based rights group, which works for tribal peoples' rights. The Andaman authorities must act urgently to prevent the virus reaching more Great Andamanese and to prevent infection in the other tribes, the group said in a press statement. According to Survivor International, tuberculosis and alcoholism are widespread, making the tribe particularly vulnerable to Covid-19. In April this year, Licho, one of the last speakers of the Sare Great Andamanese language, died after suffering for years from multiple health problems, including chronic tuberculosis. The Andaman Islands are an Indian archipelago in the Bay of Bengal. This chain of islands are known for their palm-lined, white-sand beaches, mangroves and tropical rainforests. The indigenous populations consist of five tribes the Great Andamanese, Onges, Jarwas, Shompen and Sentinalese. It was the largest tribe earlier before the establishment of penal settlement in Andaman Islands. Authorities are trying to ensure the pandemic does not spread among the archipelago's other indigenous tribes. Originally a hunting tribe, now the Great Andamanese tribe is dependent on government subsidised rations, health care and education while fishing remain their basic livelihood. Tribes in Brazil and Peru have also been hit by Covid-19 and many have died because of coronavirus across Brazil's Amazon region. UGC Exam Guidelines 2020: SC verdict tomorrow on pleas seeking cancellation of exams India oi-Madhuri Adnal New Delhi, Aug 27: The Supreme Court will pronounce its verdict tomorrow on a batch of petitions challenging University Grants Commission's July 6 circular and seeking cancellation of final term examination in view of COVID-19 situation. A bench headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan, which had reserved its verdict on the issue on August 18, will pronounce the judgement. UGC directive on final exams will adversely affect interests of students: Mamata to PM The University Grants Commission (UGC) had told the top court that its July 6 directive, asking universities and colleges to conduct final year exams by September 30 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, is "not a diktat" but states cannot take decision to confer degrees without holding the examinations. It had told the court that the directive is for the "benefit of students" as the universities have to start admissions to postgraduate courses and state authorities cannot override the UGC's guideline. The top court had observed that the issue is if the state disaster management authority has decided that the situation is not conducive for holding exams, can they overrule the UGC. It had said that another issue is whether the commission can override state authorities and ask the universities to hold examinations on given dates. The apex court was earlier told by one of the petitioners that nobody is against the university examinations in "normal times" and the students are challenging the UGC's decision because of the pandemic. The UGC had said that final examination is a "crucial step" in the academic career of a student and the state government cannot say that its July 6 directive was "not binding". Yuva Sena, the youth wing of Shiv Sena, is one of the petitioners in the apex court and has questioned the UGC's directive to hold examinations during the pandemic times. The UGC had earlier said that the July 6 guidelines are based on recommendations of experts and have been made after due deliberation and it is wrong to claim that it will not be possible to conduct the final examinations in terms of the guidelines. NEET & JEE-MAIN: Education minister says that students want exams at any cost | Oneindia News On August 10, the UGC had questioned the decisions of Delhi and Maharashtra governments to cancel final year exams of state universities amid the COVID-19 pandemic, saying they were against the rules. The Solicitor General had earlier informed the bench that out of over 800 universities in the country, 209 have completed the examinations while around 390 universities are in the process of conducting exams. The UGC had said that in June this year, considering the evolving situation of the COVID-19 pandemic, it requested the expert committee to revisit the April 29 guidelines, by which it had asked the universities and institutions to hold final year examinations in July 2020. The expert committee submitted a report recommending that terminal semester/final year examinations should be conducted by universities/ institutions by the end of September, 2020 in offline (pen & paper)/ online/ blended (online + offline) mode, the UGC had said. It added that this report of the expert committee was deliberated and approved by the UGC in its emergent meeting held on July 6, since the conduct of the final year/terminal examination is a time-sensitive issue. Assailing the decisions of some states like Maharashtra and Delhi of cancelling the final year exams, the UGC had said such decisions directly affect the standards of higher education and will be an encroachment on the legislative field of coordinating and determining the standards of higher education that is exclusively reserved for Parliament under Schedule VII of the Constitution. BOSTON, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Brazen Learning, a company dedicated to developing technology solutions that improve the educational experience, today announced the availability of its Salesforce-Google Classroom Sync application. The new add-on is the first application to enable the sharing and synchronization of data between Salesforce Education Cloud and Google Classroom, eliminating time-intensive and error-prone manual entry and greatly enhancing reporting and student performance insights. Salesforce-Google Classroom Home Screen Lesson Materials Sync Saleforce-Google Classroom "Google Classroom has become a ubiquitous tool in classrooms around the world and Salesforce Education Cloud is increasingly being deployed to digitally transform schools, but until now they have existed in silos. Our Salesforce-Google Classroom integration brings both platforms together to share information for more efficient and effective education and administration," Girija Ramapriya, co-founder and CEO. With the Salesforce-Google Classroom Sync Add-on, data for classes, people, and topics are automatically synchronized both ways. When teachers are making assignments and grading in Google Classroom, data is automatically updated in Salesforce providing a real-time, accurate view of the class and providing important data for both reporting, analysis, and insights. "Our hope is that this software not only saves valuable teacher time, but makes it easy to analyze a rich set of data for improving student success," added Brendan Heyck, co-founder. The Salesforce-Google Classroom Sync add-on is available for download today via an install package into the customer's Salesforce environment. The cost is $750/year plus a setup fee. As a Salesforce Certified Implementation Partner, Brazen Learning is available to provide implementation guidance and tech support. The Salesforce-Google Classroom Sync press kit can be accessed HERE. Brazen Learning Brazen Learning is an education technology company focused on creating new innovative experiences that engage and empower students and teachers. It has developed Student Soapbox, a lesson plan voting platform, and the Salesforce-Google Classroom Application, a browser-based add-on that automatically synchronizes data between those platforms. The company's expertise is in education and technology implementation, focusing on solutions built on the robust and extensible Salesforce platform and is a Salesforce Education Cloud Certified Implementation Partner. For more information visit www.brazenlearning.com . Contact: Matt Burke, [email protected] , +1 603.315.0618 SOURCE Brazen Learning New Zealand mosque shooter Brenton Tarrant on Thursday was sentenced to life in prison without parole for the massacre of 51 Muslim worshippers. IMAGE: Brenton Tarrant, the gunman who shot and killed worshippers in the Christchurch mosque attacks, listens as Crown prosecutor Mark Zarifeh delivers his submission during Tarrant's sentencing at the high court in Christchurch, New Zealand. Photograph: John Kirk-Anderson/Reuters The judge imposed the maximum available sentence on 29-year-old Australian gunman. Judge Cameron Mander said Tarrant's crimes were so wicked that a life time in jail could not begin to atone for them. He said they had caused enormous loss and hurt and stemmed from a warped and malignant ideology. "Your actions were inhuman," Mander said. "You deliberately killed a 3-year-old infant as he clung to the leg of his father." Tarrant sparked global revulsion on March 15, 2019 when he rampaged through two Christchurch mosques for 20 minutes during Friday prayers. He had admitted 51 charges of murder, 40 of attempted murder and one of terrorism over the attacks, after reversing an initial not-guilty plea. Following the shooting, New Zealand had implemented an immediate ban on the sale of assault rifles and semi-automatics across the country. Over 110 staff members of Ahoada-West Local Government Area council of Rivers State have staged a peaceful protest over non-payment of their one-year salary, begging the state governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, and the state house of assembly to prevail on the LG chairman, Mr. Hope Ikiriko, to pay their 13 months salary arrears. The protesters, who stormed the State Government House, Port Harcourt and the House of Assembly Complex Thursday, claimed that the LG chairman decided not to pay them their salaries because they were not from Ahoada-West, adding that all the indigenes of the LGA have been vetted out and are receiving their salaries. Speaking, the leader of the protest, Nwisaenee Dornubari, dismissed the claims that the affected persons were ghost workers, noting that they were all duly employed and posted to the LGA by the government. Dornubari said: Before we came for this protest we have utilized all the internal mechanism that civil servants are meant to go through to resolve this matter, but it was futile. The Chairman of the LGA, Hon Hope Ikiriko has refused to pay us for the past 13 months now. When he came he said he wanted personnel audit and all of us went through four stages of the process. I dont know the criteria he has used to deny us our salary. I dont know the reason he is denying us our statutory right. We are not ghost workers we are not retirees as he is claiming. We are duly employed and serving. The highest person among us 40 years. We are begging on the governor of the state the Speaker to use his good office to prevail on Hope Ikiriko to pay us our salary. Also, Peace Joseph, a level eight staff of the council accused the chairman of the LGA of being selective and tribal, noting that he (Ikiriko) has refused to pay them because they were not from the LGA Joseph said: For 13 months now we have not been paid. Our salaries are withheld by the council Chairman, Hon. Hope Ikiriko. He said we should go back to our local government areas and work that we are not supposed to work in Ahoada West. We are crying for our right. We are suffering and going through untold hardship because of one man that refused to give us our right. He is selective. We were 350 staff that was affected, the people from that LGA went to him and he removed our name from and now we are 110 people working in the LGA that are affected. However, attempt to reach the LG chairman or the press secretary at press time for response proved abortive. Follow Us on Facebook @LadunLiadi; Instagram @LadunLiadi; Twitter @LadunLiadi; Youtube @LadunLiadiTV for updates A blind Chinese dissident whose escape to the US was facilitated by the Obama administration is calling on other countries to support President in leading a coalition to "stop China's aggression". "Standing up to fight unfairness is not easy. I know. So does President Trump, Chen Guangcheng said on Wednesday night at the Republican National Convention, but he has shown the courage to wage that fight. Chen's 2012 flight to the US Embassy in Beijing sparked a six-day diplomatic tussle between the US and China, threatening to derail then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's strategic talks intended to build trust between the world's superpower and its up-and-coming rival. An symbol for human dignity after running afoul of local government officials for exposing forced abortions carried out as part of China's one-child policy, Chen was subjected to years of persecution and illegal detention for advising villagers on how to counter official abuses. After serving four years in prison on what supporters called fabricated charges, Chen was kept under house arrest until escaping in 2012, dodging a security cordon around his home in east China's Shandong province and placing himself under the protection of US diplomats. After six days holed up inside the American embassy in Beijing, he was taken to a nearby hospital. US officials said they had extracted from the Chinese government a promise that Chen would reunite with his family and be allowed to start a new life in a university town. In a telephone interview from his hospital room, a shaken Chen told The Associated Press that US officials told him the Chinese authorities would have sent his family back to his home province if he remained inside the embassy. Help my family and me leave safely," Chen said, appealing again for help from US officials. Clinton prevailed on Chinese officials to allow Chen to leave for the US, where he lived in New York after his escape. In a 2015 memoir, Chen wrote of pressure from Clinton's aides to accept China's deal and disputed Clinton's own assertions that the State Department had acceded to his demands. In her own memoir, Clinton has described the case as a hallmark achievement of her tenure at the State Department, saying it reminds us of our responsibility to make sure our country remains the beacon for dissidents and dreamers from all over the world. We need to support, vote, and fight for President Trump, for the sake of the world," Chen said to close out his remarks on Wednesday. (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 suggestions you put forward for resolving the impasse by holding a trial virtually or in absentia are as you know being considered by the attorney general, Buckland wrote to Member of Parliament Andrea Leadsom, and she will respond as decisions about criminal proceedings in individual cases are a matter for her and the director of public prosecutions. My officials stand ready, however, to assist in any way they can. By PTI NAGPUR: The Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court on Thursday dismissed a PIL seeking declaration of funds received by the Prime Minister's Citizens Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situation (PM CARES), a charitable trust created by the Union government amid the COVID-19 pandemic. All reliefs sought in the plea are refused, a division bench of Justices Sunil Shukre and Anil Kilor said while dismissing the public interest litigation (PIL) filed by advocate Arvind Waghmare. The petition had sought a direction to the government to declare funds received and expenditure of the same on the government's website periodically. ALSO READ: Delhi HC declines to entertain PIL against transfer of Rs 15 crores to PM CARES fund by ICAI It also sought a direction to the government and the trust to appoint or nominate at least two members from opposition parties in order to have a proper check and transparency. The trust was created to have financial assistance from people across the country and overseas to provide relief to those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, it said. The central government had opposed the PIL and sought its dismissal, saying a similar plea challenging the setting up of the PM CARES trust was dismissed by the Supreme Court. Waghmare in his petition said the PM CARES trust had Prime Minister Narendra Modi as its chairperson and ministers from the defence, home and finance departments as its members. "As per guidelines of thePMCARESFund, apart from the chairperson and three other trustees, the chairperson had to appoint or nominate three more trustees. However, from the formation of the trust on March 28, 2020 till date no appointment has been made, the petition claimed. Canadians are more likely than residents of many countries to feel as though the global pandemic has united them, a survey suggests. Released Thursday, the survey interviewed 14,276 adults in the United States, Canada, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Australia, Japan and South Korea between June 10 and Aug. 3. Overall, 46 per cent of respondents told the Washington-based Pew Research Centre that they felt more unity now than before the coronavirus outbreak while 48 per cent thought divisions have grown. At the two ends of the national unity spectrum were the Americans and Danes. Seventy-seven per cent of the respondents in the U.S. believed their country is more divided now than before, while 72 per cent of those in Denmark said the crisis has brought people together. Canada came second only to Denmark in having the most positive outlook about national unity, with 66 per cent of the respondents saying Canadians have become more united as a result of the pandemic. In every country surveyed, those who think their country has done a bad job of dealing with the coronavirus outbreak are more likely to say that their country is now more divided, said the report. In Europe, those who have favorable opinions of right-wing populist parties are more likely than those with unfavorable views to say division has grown since the coronavirus outbreak began. In all 14 countries except the U.S. and the U.K., more than half of the respondents said they were happy with their governments coronavirus response. However, 54 per cent of British respondents disapproved of Prime Minister Boris Johnsons handling of the crisis, while 52 per cent of their American peers expressed disapproval of President Donald Trumps performance. The Danish and Australian governments received overwhelming support from their peoples for their effort in battling the pandemic, with approval ratings in the mid 90s, followed closely by the positive views of Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus governments response to COVID-19, at 88 per cent. The international average was 73 per cent. The extent of economic damages caused by the pandemic appears to have a bearing on how people assessed their own countrys handling of the pandemic. Those who think their current national economic situation is good are more likely than those who believe the economy is bad to say their country has done a good job of dealing with the coronavirus outbreak, said the survey. This divergence is especially pronounced in the United States. Among Americans with a more optimistic view of the economy, 78 per cent reported they approved of the way the White House has dealt with the virus. But among those who believed the American economy is in bad shape, only 34 per cent approved of Trumps pandemic response. In Canada, respondents gave the federal government a thumbs-up regardless of their outlook on the economy, with 95 per cent of the optimists and 84 per cent of the pessimists endorsing the Canadian governments response to the crisis. Canadians are quite positive about how their country has handled the COVID-19 outbreak. Those who identify with the political left voice more satisfaction than those on the political right, but both of these groups still overwhelmingly say that, overall, their country has done well handling the pandemic, said PEW centre researcher Kat Devlin. About two-thirds or more of the respondents in South Korea, Sweden, the U.S., the U.K., Japan and Canada said their lives have changed at least a fair amount due to the pandemic as a result of lockdowns and different public health safety measures. On the contrary, in six countries Australia, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany and the Netherlands about half or more said that their lives had not changed much or at all since the onset of the virus. All these nations except Australia did put in place national-level lockdowns to counter the spread of COVID-19. The majority of respondents across the 14 countries did feel the number of coronavirus cases would have been lower in their country had there been stronger international co-operation. Missed opportunities for cooperation to reduce coronavirus cases are felt especially strongly in Europe, where failure to coordinate the initial response led to sudden and severe outbreaks in Northern Italy and Spain, said the report. More than half in seven of the nine European countries surveyed say that more cooperation would have reduced coronavirus cases. The researchers said the unweighted sample sizes and the error attributable to sampling would be expected at the 95 per cent level of confidence for different groups Almost 24 million people have been infected with COVID-17 worldwide, with about 815,000 deaths. Sen. Pat Toomey and Rep. Scott Perry on Wednesday took aim at the Wolf administrations handling of the coronavirus, blaming it for what they said was a weak state economic recovery. At a press conference in York attended by about two dozen business leaders and elected officials, the two Republican lawmakers criticized some of the restrictions and measures rolled out by Gov. Tom Wolf intended to mitigate the spread of the highly contagious virus. Toomey first outlined the federal response to the pandemic, including the release of trillions of dollars to states under the CARES Act, which he said significantly staved off what many had projected would be a catastrophic economic disaster. But he singled Pennsylvania out as an outlier, in particular its unemployment rate. The states unemployment rate hit 13.7% in July, well above the national rate of 10.2%. Weve got a long way to go, said Toomey at the press conference, which was held at the York County History Centers Agricultural & Industrial Museum. I think theres a lot of factors but part of it is we had a very severe lockdown that I think lasted longer than needed to, in some cases. In the case of restaurants it is still very, very onerous and problematic restriction that in my view is not necessary. Under mandated state restrictions, bars and restaurants in Pennsylvania have been ordered to reduce indoor dining capacity to 25 percent, limiting on-premises alcohol consumption to meals only, and limiting indoor gatherings to 25 people. The heads of restaurants and bars across the state - indeed the nation - have been clamoring for a bailout from Congress. Wolf has said he expects to keep the limits on restaurants and bars for the time being to limit the spread of the virus, particularly as schools and colleges are reopening. The governor has also said the recent decline in cases indicates the states mitigation efforts are working. Toomey, who prior to serving in Congress ran a small restaurant franchise in the Lehigh Valley, said that even as federal data points to rising incomes, retail sales and new home construction, the economic recovery in Pennsylvania has been stalled. Pennsylvania is way down in the list, said Toomey, who is generating buzz about a prospective gubernatorial run in 2022. Perry, a York County Republican, attributed that to the actions of state government. He said he daily fields calls from constituents expressing concern that they do not have access to the federal funds. I will tell you that I continue to be frustrated, he said. We essentially, in my opinion, handed this money to the states and said, Theres almost no strings attached, take care of your cities, take care of your communities, institutions and businesses. Do what you have to do. Republican Congressman Scott Perry, of the 10th congressional district, on Wednesday said he is frustrated with the "changing goal post" that is states demands on federal pandemic response. Perry criticized what he said was a moving goal post with regards to demands from states for federal assistance. We are still concerned with the amount of debt we are heaping upon ourselves right now, said Perry, who is seeking re-election for a fifth term in November. I just want to impress on you our frustration, at least my frustration. We want to do absolutely everything we can. Do not disregard that. Dont think its anything other than that but we are frustrated with the changing of the goal post on a pretty regular basis. Pennsylvania received approximately $5 billion in federal pandemic assistance; about $1 billion has yet to be disbursed. Wolf has increasingly come under fire by state Republicans over mandated coronavirus-related restrictions and disbursement of the federal funds. Pennsylvania lawmakers have signaled that they will not release the remaining federal aid for coronavirus relief until Washington decides on a second stimulus package. Republicans this summer challenged the extent of Wolfs emergency power, but in July the state Supreme Court affirmed the governors authority to manage the states response to the coronavirus pandemic. More than 600,000 Pennsylvanians are currently collecting unemployment. Some of those workers could be eligible for an additional weekly $300 in financial assistance approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency in recent days. Perry noted that back in March as the pandemic began to surge across parts of the country, lawmakers were under the impression that we were going to flatten the curve. None of us in Washington had envisioned states collectively shutting down for this extended period of time, Perry said. Coronavirus cases are dropping in Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 501 coronavirus cases Wednesday, continuing a trend of declining infections this month. The statewide total of coronavirus cases stands at 130,536 and more than 7,500 deaths have been tied to COVID-19. With regards to requests from local governments to do something, Perry said, The horse is already out of the barn. We did what we could. That has been very very frustrating. York Mayor Michael Helfrich made an appeal on behalf of his city and other third-tier municipalities, which he said have largely been left out of the federal pandemic relief. Helfrich noted that since York County did not make the population benchmark that would have allowed it to receive the federal funds directly, the city of York has had to negotiate with the state for release of the funds. He said the city continues to hemorrhage financially and stands to lose 5 to 10 percent of total revenue. He said he has been unable to hire police and even replace officers who retire. We just dont have the money, said Helfrich, a Democrat. Most third-class cities are in the exact same position. So the federal government is telling us we are not going to fund you directly and the state government has not been giving us the money unless we can align with COVID expenses. That does not help us. That doesnt help police, fire, all the employees, all the things that the city has to do to support citizens. Helfrich said the process needs to be changed. We need to lift restrictions on that money so that municipalities can continue to function and be made whole or at least partially whole for the massive amounts of money we have lost, he said. Toomey said the initial thought had been to allow states to handle disbursement of the federal pandemic relief money because they are going to know their municipalities far better than we ever will. There was an expectation among some in Harrisburg that we would release restrictions on how the money would be used, Toomey said. That hasnt happened yet. Its likely to happen. Yet Toomey said he understood why state governments might want to hold on to some of the CARES Act money in anticipation of the federal government easing restrictions on how it is used. I understand the feeling that We ought to leave money aside until we have legal authority to do whatever we want with it, he said. Both Toomey and Perry spoke about the next round of federal pandemic assistance and what that might look like. Toomey said GOP lawmakers and officials from the administration hold a daily call with the president about whether or not Washington should release additional money to states and what that might look like. Congress remains divided along partisan lines over that issue: Democrats want around $1 trillion in state and local aid; the White House has offered $150 billion. Republicans previously wanted no additional money at all. Toomey on Wednesday seemed to soften a previously tough stance on additional relief funding. In July during an interview with CNBC, the Republican lawmaker pointed to the $1 billion Pennsylvania still has in reserves, noting that many states had spent less than a quarter of the direct stimulus. Toomey said liability protection for employers would have to be an important component of that prospective legislation. The senator said he has been approached by business leaders as well as the heads of colleges and hospitals expressing concerns over lawsuits as their institutions re-open. All are very much concerned that they dont want to do everything as they are supposed to and then get hit with a wave of lawsuits, said Toomey, a member of the Senate Finance Committee. I do think that is a legitimate concern. Toomey said lawmakers continue to foster cross-party dialogue. My expectation is that there will be a deal at some point, he said. I wouldnt be surprised if it happens by the end of September. 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. More from PennLive Buffets in the age of coronavirus: Shady Maple and others adapt to new business models Legalized marijuana, paid family leave and child care: Pa. Gov. Tom Wolf releases fall agenda Wolf calls for legalizing marijuana for recreational use in Pa., but GOP lawmakers say its a pipe dream Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 27) - The Commission on Audit (COA) flagged the Commission on the Filipino Language (CFL) for publishing only 20 of the 45 approved book titles expected to be released last year. This despite spending 96.73-percent of the budget allocated for publication. According to the annual audit report by COA for 2019, CFL (also known as Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino) spent 4.30 million of the 4.45 million budget for the publication of the books. The books were part of the Aklat ng Bayan (AnB) Publication project of the commission, which encourages people to advance towards national literacy, through the distribution of books written not only in Filipino but also in regional dialects. The state auditors said the possible reason for the high budget utilization could be the publication of eight books, which are not included in the project proposal of AnB Publication. The high rate of fund utilization of the allotted budget as against the low rate of physical accomplishment could be due to the publication of eight book titles which are not included in the approved project proposal for 2019 of the AnB Publication, but were included in the accomplishment report submitted by CFL, read the report. Hence, only 145,440 was left in the budget for the completion and publication of the remaining 25 books approved under the project. Moreover, COA said the failure to publish all 45 books under the project last year was due to lack of manpower. The low physical accomplishment was due to lack of personnel assigned to complete the publication of the approved book titles and to follow-up the copyright permit, read the report. The state auditors noted that only the publication coordinator and the junior editor of AnB were assigned to finalize the publication of the books within the timeline. Following these findings, COA recommended CFL to assign personnel that will oversee the completion of the project and secure the copyright permit. CFL should also have a catch-up action plan to publish the remaining 25 approved titles, said COA. The audit report did not indicate if CFL already took action or responded to these findings. Google Ireland is partnering with An Post to host a new workshop as part of its Digital Garage webinar series. The workshop will take place on Thursday, 3rd September from 9.30am and is free to attend. SMEs are invited to register via the website. Googles Digital Garage brings free training to SMEs to help them grow their business successfully online, and provides free resources and supports to help them overcome the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. The webinar will bring together experts in marketing and selling online from Google and An Post, who will give advice and insights on the tools, resources and strategies required to help sustain Irish businesses. In addition, representatives from Stripe will present advice on how to manage online payments effectively. Attendees will be invited to: Discover Googles tools that are available to help small businesses navigate the current uncertainty, improve online visibility, and identify future opportunities for growth - tools like Google Trends, Google My Business, and Market Finder. Explore the resources that An Post Commerce offers to support SMEs and learn about their e-commerce and logistics solutions. Hear from Stripe about the importance of making online payments easy for customers in the mobile age. Commenting, Damian Lynch, Head of Google Customer Solutions Ireland said, We are delighted to partner with An Post to bring an extended digital skills webinar to SMEs who are faced with continual economic challenges due to the coronavirus crisis. Google is committed to supporting Irish SMEs in their recovery from the impacts of COVID-19, and through this workshop, we hope that our expertise combined with the unique perspective of An Post on e-commerce will equip them with the necessary tools and skills to sell successfully online. A live Q&A will be hosted to conclude the webinar and businesses are encouraged to participate and take advantage of the expert speakers knowledge and insights regarding specific issues or challenges they are facing. Gilles Ferrandez, Sales Director, An Post Commerce said, By partnering with Google, we can expand the reach of digital skills training to more businesses across the country faced with having to move from face-to-face sales to online transactions. These practical and powerful resources, tools and training will equip businesses to overcome current challenges while helping them to protect and grow their business in the future. Digital Garage is part of Googles global business support initiative, Grow with Google, that aims to help people and businesses acquire the skills needed to embrace the opportunities that technology presents in todays working world. As part of Grow with Google, Google has committed support for 60,000 Irish SMEs and to provide free training to 40,000 people in digital skills by the end of 2021. The best bang for your buck! This option enables you to purchase online 24/7 access and receive the Sunday, Tuesday & Thursday print edition at no additional cost * Print edition only available in our carrier delivery area. Allow up to 72 hours for delivery of your print edition to begin. Print edition not available for Day Pass option. Despite fierce opposition from Republicans and misgivings from some Democrats state lawmakers Thursday passed a package of bills to help New Jersey prepare for a hybrid but largely mail-in election this November during the coronavirus pandemic. The measures could also strengthen the states case in a lawsuit President Donald Trumps campaign filed against Gov. Phil Murphys plans. Murphy earlier this month signed an executive order revamping the Nov. 3 election in New Jersey, which includes the 2020 presidential race between Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden. Under the Democratic governors order, all of New Jerseys more than 6 million registered voters will automatically receive a mail-in ballot. You can either drop it in a mailbox, in specialized drop boxes across the state, or bring it to one of a select number of polling places, with at least one in each municipality. You can also vote via provisional ballot in person, though only disabled voters will be allowed to use a machine. The goal, officials say, is to make it easier for people to vote remotely and to cut down on crowds at polling places as the state continues to cope with COVID-19. On Thursday, the state Senate and Assembly both controlled by Democrats passed three Democratic-sponsored bills to codify Murphys order into law, largely along party lines. Republicans have warned about expanding mail-in voting heading into a critical election, saying it invites fraud. Numerous studies have shown voter fraud is rare, though a mail-in voter fraud controversy in a Paterson City council race in May led to a judge ordering the election be redone. Four people face voter fraud charges over the alleged scheme. In its lawsuit, Trumps campaign called Murphys order a brazen power grab and argued Murphys executive order was direct usurpation of the state Legislatures authority. Lawmakers voting to codify Murphys orders could rectify that. The first measure (A4475) would increase the number ballot drop boxes that county boards of elections must install in each of New Jerseys 21 counties 45 days before an election. They would be available 24 hours a day and be placed in areas with security cameras. Drop boxes are a convenient option for voters to easily and securely cast their ballot, said the bills Democratic Assembly sponsors Verlina Reynolds-Jackson of Mercer County; Daniel Benson of Mercer; and Ralph Caputo of Essex. The second measure (A4276), called The Ballot Cure Act, would allow voters to use a confidential, free system to check whether their provisional, mail-in, or overseas ballot was accepted. It also would give voters time to fix any problems with their ballots so their vote wont be discarded. Doing our due diligence, as this bill does, to ensure voters mailing their ballot can track their vote and can rectify an issue that would invalidate their ballot is absolutely necessary for fair representation, said Benson, a sponsor. The third measure (A4320) would create a public awareness campaign for the vote-by-mail process and require that election officials accept ballots postmarked by Election Day for up to six days after the election. Murphys executive order requires them be accepted for seven days after the election. The bill would also prohibit mail-in ballots being rejected because of missing or insufficient glue when those defects are out of the voters control. That comes after election officials did not count 9.6% of mail-in ballots during special May elections in New Jersey, sponsors said. Its now up to Murphy to either sign the bills into law or veto them. CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Newsletter | Homepage State Sen. Kristin Corrado, R-Passaic, said Thursday that Republicans arent opposed to giving people the choice to vote by mail but that voters should be allowed to vote traditionally in person especially because businesses and motor-vehicle services are open to residents with restrictions. If we can do all of those things safely, we can also allow voters to safely vote in person on a machine at their regular voting place, said Corrado, a former Passaic County clerk. Corrado also argued against language in the bill that says drop boxes must be placed in front of municipal clerk offices but only in towns that have a population of at least 5,00 residents. She said that exclude at least 185 towns many of which, she said, are smaller, more rural towns that have higher concentrations of Republican voters. They will feel theyre being treated differently, and they are, Corrado said. Assemblyman Harold Wirths, R-Sussex, said the state is rushing into this, and were going to have a disaster in the election. It sends the wrong message to democracy, Wirths said. Republicans suggested amendments to the measure, but Democrats voted to table the changes. State Sen. Ronald Rice, D-Essex, said he supported Thursdays bills even though hed prefer to have residents cast votes by machine. State Senate President Stephen Sweeney, D-Gloucester, echoed those comments, saying hes going along with it despite his concerns. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. New effort begins to name Kansas City street after King KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - A civil rights organization has restarted an effort to name a major thoroughfare in Kansas City after Martin Luther King Jr., suggesting that three intersecting major routes through parts of the city be renamed after the civil rights icon. Kansas City is one of the largest cities in the U.S. A scaled down plan the keeps the effort on the East side is likely to pass after a tough political battle created a myriad of hard feelings across the metro.Read more . . . Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 16:11:05|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BISHKEK, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Kyrgyzstan added 101 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, bringing the total number to 43,459. Nurbolot Usenbaev, the country's deputy minister of health, said during a news briefing that 3,116 of the total COVID-19 cases were medical workers. He added that 2,409 of them had recovered and returned to work. The total recovery number in the country rose to 37,492, with 275 new recoveries for the last 24 hours. The death toll stands at 1,058, with no deaths related to the virus registered in the past day. During a meeting on Wednesday, Kyrgyz Prime Minister Kubatbek Boronov stressed the necessity of complying with epidemiological requirements, the government's press service said. The prime minister also instructed the country's emergencies ministry to conduct training sessions on epidemiological safety standards by using interactive and modern methods. Enditem Scott Morrison has spoken candidly about his turbulent relationship with Daniel Andrews after the pair embarked on a war of words this week. The prime minister has recently criticised Mr Andrews over his handling of the coronavirus crisis and his push to extend the state of emergency, while revealing his own plans to scrap Victoria's Belt and Road agreement with China. The prime minister on Thursday proposed a new law that would give the federal government sweeping powers to tear up agreements made by state and local authorities. Premier Andrews appeared testy when asked about the possibility his infrastructure agreement with China could end up on the scrapheap. 'If the prime minister has time to be doing those things [propose new laws], that's fine. I don't - I'm exclusively focused on fighting this virus and then making sure we have the strongest economy that we can possibly have on the other side,' he said on Thursday. The prime minister was asked about Mr Andrews' response during an interview with Sky News on Thursday night. 'The premier should be focused on the pandemic,' he said, before noting he had far greater responsibilities as prime minister. But despite the very public war of words which has raged between the two, Mr Morrison (pictured right) said they he and Mr Andrews (pictured left) 'understand each other' and can work together although they're on 'team red and team blue' Daniel Andrews (pictured in China's Tiananmen Square) signed a deal with China under the country's controversial Belt and Road Initiative in October 2018 'I should be focused on not only on the pandemic but also my job which is promoting and protecting Australias interests. Its my job to ensure our foreign affairs are in order. 'Its also my job to deal with defence forces, its also my job to deal with cyber-attacks, and terrorism. Its my job to deal with many, many things as prime minister. So Ill keep getting on with mine, and Im sure (Premier Andrews) will keep getting on with his.' But despite the public war of words, Mr Morrison said they both 'understand each other' and can work together although they're on 'team red and team blue'. Scott Morrison (pictured right) has spoken candidly about his turbulent relationship with Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews (pictured left) 'There's stuff we've got to get done and it's our jobs to work together to make it happen. Whether one likes each other or not? Well, it helps. And I've got to say there's been a great civility in how we've worked together,' Mr Morrison said. 'We've never had a difficulty in working through some issues we certainly disagree on some things and this is one (the Belt and Road agreement) but you know, we'll just get back at it tomorrow.' Just days ago, the prime minister criticised Mr Andrews' handling of the coronavirus crisis and his plan to extend the state of emergency in Victoria. 'The protective measures that were put in place and built up as part of that national strategy... have failed in Victoria,' Mr Morrison told parliament on Tuesday. 'The testing, the tracing and the quarantine arrangements have proven to be unacceptable and led to what we have seen with community outbreak in Victoria.' Hours earlier, Mr Morrison also blasted the Victorian leader over his push to extend the state of emergency during a private conversation between the pair, according to the Herald Sun. The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (pictured) is an example of a project being financed by China under the country's Belt and Road Initiative Just days ago, Prime Minister Morrison (pictured) let loose on Mr Andrews' handling of the coronavirus crisis and his plan to extend the state of emergency in Victoria A state of emergency, which gives police extraordinary powers to search, arrest and detain, was first declared in Victoria on March 16 and is due to expire on September 13 after several extensions. Mr Andrews wants to change legislation so it can be extended for a further 12 months. The strained relationship took another turn for the worse on Thursday when Mr Morrison tabled new legislation to scrap the Belt and Road agreement. Mr Andrews signed the Chinese Communist Party initiative in 2018 after secret negotiations to drive jobs growth and boost Sino-Victorian investment. Senior members of the Australian federal government are highly skeptical of the authoritarian regime's push to finance and build a global trade and infrastructure network and repeatedly warned against the move. The Belt and Road Initiative, since it was announced by Xi Jinping in 2013, has been viewed from abroad as a Chinese propaganda campaign to snatch power and influence by piling developing nations with unsustainable levels of debt. The Belt and Road Initiative is a Chinese plan to establish maritime trade routes and invest in infrastructure projects around the world, set up by President Xi Xinping (pictured) in 2013 Mr Andrews (pictured) has come under fire from the Prime Minister for signing a infrastructure deal with China against the advice of the federal government Under the proposed Foreign Relations Bill, the Foreign Minister will be able to terminate the deal and any other private contracts with China and other nations in areas such as culture, education, health, science, tourism, infrastructure and even sister-city arrangements. It will also require that states get approval from the federal government to start negotiating a foreign deal and seek approval again when the negotiations are done. While the two leaders on opposite ends of the political spectrum appear to be at each other's throats more often than not, one insider revealed the two actually have a lot of 'respect' for each other. 'They respect and like each other,' a source close to the Victorian Premier told the Sydney Morning Herald. 'It's developed into a really strong working relationship.' Some in the inner circle even refer to their odd couple working relationship as a 'bromance'. 'At the end of the day there's a huge problem in Victoria with the pandemic and we need to fix it and it's gonna get fixed a lot quicker if people are working together, not arguing,' Mr Morrison said. The Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Hajia Alima Mahama has disclosed that her ministry has completed the integration of the District Development Facility with the District Assembly Common Fund Responsive Factor Grant. Speaking during her turn at the Meet the Press series at the Ministry of Information on Wednesday, Hajia Alima Mahama indicated that a new assessment tool, known as the District Assembly Performance Assessment Tool (DPAT), has replaced the Functional Organizational Assessment Tool (FOAT). DPAT assesses Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) compliance on existing Government of Ghana Legal, Regulatory and Policy Frameworks and implementation of annual work plans and budget. According to the minister, her outfit has completed the assessment of 216 MMDAs across the country using the DPAT for FY2016, FY2017 and 254 MMDAs for FY2018. Also, a total amount of GHS 503,627,551.12 has been mobilized and transferred to the MMDAs for implementation of activities in their MTDPs between 2017 and 2020 under the FOAT/DPAT. This year, we have transferred an amount of GHS 185,931,850.00 to successful MMDAs as their Investment Grant allocation for DPAT II (2017) Assessment, she emphasised. The minister also took time to brief journalists about the Business Enabling Environment Project (BEEP) which her ministry has rolled out. She said the BEEP streamlines and simplifies the processes for obtaining business operating and building development permits at the sub-national Level. The Construction Permit reforms are currently being implemented in 11 MMDAs across the country comprising 6 Metropolitan and 5 Municipal Assemblies. The Automated Permit Processing System (PPS) was also developed and rolled out fully in 2 out of the 11 MMDAs. Hajia Alima Mahama added that the PPS which was virtually launched on 19th May, 2020 with a citizens portal for convenient permit application submission by developers is being deployed in Tema West, Adenta, Ablekuma West, Krowor and Ayawaso West Municipal Assemblies. 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 Libyas internationally recognized government has imposed a round-the-clock curfew to slow the spread of COVID-19 after ongoing anti-government protests turned violent over the weekend. Protesters on Sunday took to the streets of Misrata, al-Zawiya and the capital, Tripoli, to denounce government corruption, shortages of water and electricity and deteriorating living conditions. The curfew in Tripoli and its suburbs, which took effect Wednesday night, was announced by the UN-backed Government of National Accord and is set to continue until Monday morning. In addition to the temporary lockdown, the Government of National Accord also announced it is prepared to use force against the mobs who have fired into crowds of protesters. Amnesty International said at least six protesters were abducted and several others injured after armed men wearing military-style camouflage, some with heavy machine guns, fired into the crowds during a demonstration in the capital Sunday evening. The London-based rights group said the attack occurred in an area controlled by the al-Nawasi militia, which nominally operates under the Government of National Accords Interior Ministry. Amnesty called for an independent and transparent investigation into the use of force, noting that the Government of National Accord has the responsibility to uphold the right to peaceful protest [and] protect protesters from those seeking to silence them with live ammunition. The UN Support Mission in Libya also called for "an immediate and thorough investigation into the excessive use of force" in Tripoli by pro-Government of National Accord security personnel. The oil-rich North African country has been embroiled in conflict for nearly a decade, and is now run by two rival administrations, each supported by an array of foreign actors that have flooded the country with illegal arms. The Turkey-backed Government of National Accord regained full control of the capital in June after more than a year of fighting in Tripoli with the eastern-based Libyan National Army, which counts Russia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates among its backers. Last week, the warring parties declared a cease-fire and called for talks to demilitarize the Mediterranean coastal city of Sirte. But hopes of a lasting peace were dimmed after renegade commander Khalifa Hifters eastern-based army dismissed the new cease-fire as a marketing stunt. The fragile truce comes amid a surge in new coronavirus infections. With the addition of 553 cases, Libyas government in Tripoli recorded Wednesday its highest single-day rate since March. The total number of confirmed cases in the war-ravaged country has surpassed 12,000, with 219 deaths. Kenosha Police Chief Daniel Miskinis claimed there may not have been an incident if the protesters were not out in the streets The Kenosha, Wisconsin police chief blamed two protesters who were fatally shot for their own deaths because they violated curfew. Read More: Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, arrested for murder in Wisconsin protest shooting Chief Daniel Miskinis held a press conference on Wednesday to offer an update on the protests that have overwhelmed the city of 100,000 after Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old father of three, was shot in the back on Sunday by police. Miskinis said that the two victims who were shot during a protest on Tuesday bore some responsibility. Persons who were out after the curfew became engaged in some type of disturbance, and persons were shot. Everybody involved was out after the curfew. Im not going to make a great deal of that, but the point is the curfew is in place to protect, Miskinis said. Had persons not been out involved in violation of that, perhaps the situation that unfolded would not have happened. Kenosha Police Chief Miskinis responds to the murder of two protestors by saying it wouldn't have happened if people weren't out after curfew: "I'm not gonna make a great deal of it, BUT " pic.twitter.com/GBRo8I5Zka The Recount (@therecount) August 26, 2020 Miskinis added that the deceased individuals were among the people who brought violence to Kenosha. He continued to refer to them as persons only confirming they were 25 and 36-year-old Wisconsin residents. It is the persons who were involved after the legal time, involved in illegal activity, that brought violence to this community, he said. As theGrio previously reported, Kyle Rittenhouse was charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of the two men who have not yet been publicly identified. Story continues Rittenhouse, 17, used a semi-automatic rifle in the attack and fled the state but was arrested in Illinois. Despite being labeled as a fugitive from justice, he was apprehended without incident and Miskinis would not call the crime a homicide. (Photo: Twitter) Miskinis believed Rittenhouse allegedly was involved in the use of firearms to resolve whatever conflict was in place which resulted in disturbance that led to the use of deadly force. Miskinis was of the view that armed civilians had every right to exercise their constitutional rights. Across this nation there have been armed civilians who have come out to exercise their constitutional right and to potentially protect property, he said. Am I aware that groups exist? Yes, but they werent invited to come. But Slate reports that Rittenhouse was among an armed group that police didnt seem to mind being on the scene, telling them they appreciated them and even providing them with water. Witnesses and video recorded near the shootings may show that Rittenhouse was allowed to walk away after killing two people on account of the high stress of the situation and tunnel vision of Kenosha officers. A demonstrator stands in the street with a make-shift shield on August 25, 2020, in Kenosha, Wisconsin. As the city declared a state of emergency curfew, the third night of civil unrest occurred after the shooting of Jacob Blake, 29, on August 23. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images) Its no different than those on the protesters side who are walking around armed and those who are counterprotesters, or those who are just witnessing, to be armed, so Im not going to address any more issues relative to that, Miskinis said. Miskinis also claimed there may be some justification for Blakes shooting. Bystander video caught the incident and it has since gone viral. Im not going to address that because it is one snippet of a very large situation and much as whats happened across this nation for a long period of time, its focused on what you see in this much of an incident, Miskinis said, referencing other Black men being shot by police. Its unfair to everybody involved, whether youre the person using force or the person being arrested that the picture isnt painted. Have you subscribed to theGrios podcast Dear Culture? Download our newest episodes now! The post Kenosha police chief blames protesters for their own deaths because they were out after curfew appeared first on TheGrio. Kuzma/iStockBy BRITT CLENNETT, ABC News (CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand) -- "Your crimes are so wicked that even if you are detained until you die, it will not exhaust the requirements of punishment," said Judge Cameron Mander on Thursday, handing down New Zealand's maximum sentence to the man who carried out the country's worst gun massacre at two mosques in Christchurch on March 15 last year. Far-right terrorist Brenton Tarrant will be imprisoned without the possibility of ever leaving jail, marking the first time in New Zealand's legal history that strictest sentencing has been used. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the sentence meant Tarrant would have "no notoriety, no platform." Ardern went on to say, "We have no cause to think about him, to see him or to hear from him again. ... His deserves to be a lifetime of complete and utter silence." The 29-year-old Tarrant, who is Australian, had earlier pleaded guilty to 51 charges of murder, 40 attempted murders and one charge of terrorism. Judge Mander read out the names of every victim who was killed or injured. He said Tarrant's "inhuman" actions were motivated by a "warped" and "malignant" ideology. Tarrant had posted his white supremacist writings online before the shooting rampage, which he livestreamed on Facebook. "The sentencing closed a chapter of my life that opened on March 15, 2019," Sardar Faisal Abbas, a survivor of the attack on Al Noor Mosque, told ABC News after Thursday's outcome. Abbas happened to be in the restroom when Tarrant stormed the mosque and said, "He missed me by 30 seconds." The 37-year-old alerted the emergency services at 1:41 p.m. that day. "I'm glad the sentence excluded the option of parole for the terrorist," said Abbas. "It makes me feel good to know that a murderer like him will never roam free and I can sleep better now and be at ease." Habib Marwat, a Muslim community leader in Christchurch, told ABC News, "Justice is served, this is the phrase on most people's lips. Hopefully this will be the closure of this hard chapter for some of the victims." "However," Marwat continued, "this long journey is not over, as the 92 children of the deceased will be living and conveying this story to the next generation." Marwat gave thanks to the local community for their show of "love and solidarity" in supporting the victims. There were scenes of jubilation outside the High Court in Christchurch on Thursday, with Muslims and non-Muslims embracing. During the four-day hearing, family members of the victims and survivors gave impassioned speeches of mourning and defiance. They showed a myriad of emotions -- including outrage, sorrow and forgiveness -- as they described what his crimes had taken away from them and the pain he had caused the Muslim community. Some of them recited verses from the Quran. Among the grieving speakers was Abdiramen Ibrahim, whose 3-year-old brother was shot dead as he clung to his father's leg. "The horrendous crime this evil man committed has shattered our lives," Ibrahim said. "However, we still love and feel we belong in this country." Ahad Nabi, whose 71-year-old father was killed at Al Noor Mosque, gave Tarrant the middle finger and said, "You deserve to be buried in a landfill." Imam Gamal Makhtar Mohamed Fouda had been addressing the worshippers from the pulpit at the time of the attack. In the courtroom, he told Tarrant: "If you have done anything, you have brought the world community closer with your evil actions." Tarrant showed little emotion during their statements as he sat in the dock, shackled and surrounded by police. He chose to represent himself at the hearing and declined to address the court personally. The court learned how Tarrant had carefully planned out the dual attacks, flying a drone over the Al Noor Mosque and obtaining building layouts, in order to kill as many people as possible. Tarrant first targeted worshippers inside the Al Noor Mosque, where he killed 44 people and left 35 injured. He continued his rampage four miles away at the Linwood Islamic Centre, killing another seven people and wounding five. He had plans to attack a third location but was detained before he had the chance to do so. Tarrant had six weapons with him, including a semi-automatic shotgun and two military-style assault rifles. He had acquired the guns with a local firearms license, issued after he arrived in New Zealand in 2017. With the nation of 5 million left stunned by the harrowing events of that day, it took less than a month for the rules around gun control to change. New Zealand's parliament voted overwhelmingly in favor of a ban on military-style semi-automatic weapons. The attack also prompted tighter restrictions on hate speech on social media platforms. There are now questions hanging over whether Tarrant, an Australian citizen, might be sent back to his home country to serve out his sentence. New Zealand's Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters said Tarrant should be deported and jailed in Australia to save taxpayers' money. However, as it stands, the two countries do not have a prisoner swap agreement, and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the prospect has yet to be raised with him. Survivor Sardar Faisal Abbas told ABC News, "He committed the crime on New Zealand soil and I believe he should serve the sentence here as well." "He struck at the heart of our Kiwi society and we are all devastated, regardless of race and religion, and I think Australians won't ever be able to understand the severity of punishment or care for what happens to him." Copyright 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. Police have charged a Queensland nurse with murder, alleging she killed her husband by stabbing him several times in the back and torso on Thursday morning. Sean Murray, 32, died at his home on Burnett Drive in Murrumba Downs, about 20 kilometres north of the Brisbane CBD, after police arrived about 8.15am. Sean Murray, 32, was stabbed to death in Murrumba Downs, and his wife Louise Herholdt-Murray has been charged. His wife, 28-year-old Louise Murray-Herholdt, was charged with domestic-violence-related murder on Thursday afternoon. According to Mr Murrays Facebook account, he worked as a chef and Ms Murray-Herholdt's page listed her occupation as a nurse. Kannauj : Aug 27 (IANS) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Samajwadi Party workers allegedly clashed during the filing of nominations for a cooperative bank poll in Kannauj. On Wednesday, members of both parties had gathered in large numbers at the Gwal Maidan branch of the Sahkari Gram Vikas Bank for filing the nominations to a representative's post. Samajwadi Party MLA from Kannauj Sadar Anand Dohre and former BJP MLA Kalyan Singh, also arrived there with their supporters. The Samajwadi Party leaders alleged that the BJP workers stopped them from filing nominations and tore their papers. No one, however, was injured in the incident. Sub-Divisional Magistrate (Sadar) Apurva Yadav pacified workers of both sides. She said, "No one will be stopped from participating in the nomination process." Two Florida women, aged 19 and 21, allegedly sold two missing underage girls for sex, setting up trysts at hotels and Airbnbs after sharing nude photos of their victims online. Kiara Nunez, 21, of Hollywood, and Alexandra Ramirez, 19, of Coral Springs, are accused of trafficking children for sex across South Florida between October 2019 and February 2020. Authorities said the alleged madams posted naked photos of two girls - including one who was only 15 - on websites advertising them for sex and sent them to rented Airbnbs almost a dozen times to meet clients. In one alleged encounter, Nunez struck a deal with an undercover cop for a 'two-girl special' involving the 15-year-old girl, telling him the victim was 'new'. When one girl said she didn't want to take part, her alleged abusers plied her with pills, and they threatened one girl they would go after her family if she told cops about the abuse, authorities said. Scroll down for video Kiara Nunez, 21, (left) of Hollywood, and Alexandra Ramirez, 19, (right) of Coral Springs, are accused of trafficking children for sex across South Florida between October 2019 and February 2020 The net closed in on the sex trafficking operation when an undercover officer responded to an online advertisement and negotiated with Nunez for a 'two-girl special' for $250, according to a criminal complaint. After speaking to Nunez about paying for sex with girls over the phone, the undercover cop met Nunez and the 15-year-old victim at a Fort Lauderdale hotel on January 29, the complaint says. When the cop arrived, he said the child, who had been reported missing by her family, went straight into the bathroom. Nunez then allegedly told the officer the girl was 'new' and 'gets nervous' and they agreed on a price of $250 for her. The suspected child sex trafficker then showed him multiple videos of other girls 'in provocative and undressed poses' on her phone, authorities said. One of the girls for sale in the footage was identified as another child who had run away from home and had been reported missing by her family. She was later rescued by authorities. A search of Nunez's phone unearthed incriminating messages between Nunez and Ramirez, where they sent nude photos of the second girl to each other to use to sell her, the criminal affidavit states. Evidence of Nunez arranging trysts between clients and the two underage girls was also found on the phone, it states. The 15-year-old victim told cops Nunez had threatened to go after her family if she reported the abuse to the police, according to court records. She also told officers how the two women would rent hotel rooms and Airbnbs throughout Broward County and Lake Worth and send her in Uber and Lyft cars to meet clients there. Ramirez (pictured) and Nunez allegedly sold two missing underage girls for sex, setting up trysts at hotels and Airbnbs after sharing nude photos of their victims online The second victim told officers about one occasion where Nunez and Ramirez allegedly took her and the 15-year-old to an 'unknown location in Lake Worth' and grew frustrated when only one man known as 'John' turned up. She said her abusers then forced her to pose for more nude photos to use as adverts and, when she refused, threatened to abandon her in Lake Worth, court records show. Nunez and Ramirez later took down the photos of the girl taken that day 'because customers were complaining that the girl looks scared,' according to the court documents. The two victims also claim Ramirez 'dressed [them] up' and took them to Las Olas in Fort Lauderdale, telling them to 'approach and solicit' men, according to the affidavit. It is not clear how old the second victim is other than that she is a child. The age of consent in the state of Florida is 18. Nunez and Ramirez were arrested Monday and appeared in federal court in Fort Lauderdale Wednesday charged with child sex trafficking. Ramirez sobbed as she appeared in court via video conference where she was told she would remain behind bars at least until her detention hearing on Friday. 'Please, wait. Please,' the 19-year-old alleged madam begged Magistrate Judge Jared Strauss. 'Please help me.' The judge changed the hearing to 8am Thursday to determine whether the two women can be released pending trial. Nunez has a long rap sheet including charges for aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and drug and traffic offenses. The suspects each face up to life in prison if convicted. It took almost 10 months, full of starts and stops, a big technical snafu (and even bigger delay) on the night of the convention, but the Conservative Party of Canada has their new party leader: Erin OToole. The Ontario MP takes the reins from Andrew Scheer, who lost the 2019 election but continued to serve as interim leader during the COVID-19 pandemic. OToole was seen as a dark-horse candidate heading into the leadership convention on Sunday, in what was widely expected to be the coronation of Peter MacKay. Instead, OTooles brand of self-styled true blue conservatism propelled him to the top of the ballot. His leadership will be tested right away, as the Tories continue to find their way after 2019s election loss a year that saw them capture the popular vote and a near-sweep of ridings in Saskatchewan and Alberta, while failing to win the most seats. In OTooles first appearances as leader, hes spoken of creating a more inclusive party, while also nodding to support from social conservatives and western alienation. Alex Boutilier, national politics reporter for the Toronto Star, joins Adrian Cheung to talk about the meaning of OTooles win and what the future will look like for the Conservative Party of Canada as they aim to challenge the minority government Liberals. Listen to this episode and more at This Matters, or subscribe at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or wherever you listen to your favourite podcasts. Read more about: Chinese medical workers and South Sudanese officials pose for a photo during the inauguration ceremony of a cancer screening facility in Juba, South Sudan, on Aug. 25, 2020. South Sudan on Tuesday inaugurated a cancer screening facility whose construction was supported by the Chinese government. China has provided material and technical support to South Sudan to help the world's youngest nation deal with health-related challenges. (Photo by Gale Julius/Xinhua) JUBA, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- South Sudan on Tuesday inaugurated a cancer screening facility whose construction was supported by the Chinese government. The new cervical cancer screening center based at the country's main referral hospital, the Juba Teaching and Referral Hospital, is the first of its kind in the east African country. "The launching of this center is a milestone in the history of our country because we have moved a step forward in the fight against cervical cancer," said Isaac Cleto, director, Juba Teaching and Referral Hospital. He said the new facility will boost South Sudan's fight against cervical cancer, which is among leading causes of high maternal mortality in South Sudan. "This center will be important for the screening, and hopefully for treatment and clearance of cervical cancer," said Cleto. Hua Ning, Chinese Ambassador to South Sudan, said the latest support signals Beijing's sincere commitment to helping the world's youngest republic to improve its fragile health sector. "Today's launch of the cervical treatment center is the new start of our future cooperation in the health sector. This facility will save many lives of South Sudanese women," said Hua. China has provided material and technical support to South Sudan to help the world's youngest nation deal with health-related challenges. The Chinese government has provided over 30 million U.S. dollars to fund the China-aided project for modernization and expansion of health facilities in South Sudan. China recently sent several batches of anti-COVID-19 medical supplies and also dispatched a team of health experts to boost South Sudan's fight against the pandemic. Keita was brought home around 2 a.m. Thursday by the military, according to a family member who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not permitted to speak to the press. New guards were put on duty at the presidents residence and the junta must approve all visitors, the family member added. Officials said the water level of river Yamuna at Delhi rose slightly on Thursday morning and the river was flowing very close to the warning mark. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Tuesday issued an alert for moderate to heavy rainfall in Delhi from Wednesday to Friday and warned of flooding in low-lying areas along with disruption in traffic. Delhi minister Satyendar Jain said that the state government was prepared to face any flood-like situation Yamunas water level on Thursday was 203.77 metres at 10 am while it was 203.78 metres on Wednesday at 6pm at the Old Railway Bridge in Delhi, an official belonging to Delhis irrigation and flood control department said. He added that the flow rate on Wednesday afternoon was 24,994 cusec, the highest in the last 24 hours. The official although pointed out that the level is likely to remain below the warning mark of 204.50 metres unless a very large amount of water measuring at least 2 lakh cusec, is released into the river from the Hathnikund barrage in Haryanas Yamunanagar district. Also read: Cloudy skies followed by rain predicted in Delhi Hathnikund barrage acts as a source of drinking water in Delhi and water discharged from here usually takes between 36-48 hours to reach the national capital. The flow rate at the barrage is 352 cussec but the discharge is increased after torrential rainfall is witnessed in catchment areas. Last year, the flow rate reached 8.28 lakh cusec, and Yamunas water level hit the 206.60 metre-mark, breaching the danger mark of 205.33 metres. The Delhi government carried out rescue and relief operations as several low-lying areas got submerged due to the overflow of the river. (With inputs from PTI) TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer has quit after US President Donald Trump's order to block the app's operations in the country unless it sells its American assets to a domestic company. TikTok's general manager Vanessa Pappas will replace him on an interim basis. Mayer, in the note, said that a series of changes to TikTok's structure drove him to resign from his post. "In recent weeks, as the political environment has sharply changed, I have done significant reflection on what the corporate structural changes will require, and what it means for the global role I signed up for," he wrote in the email, Reuters reported. Mayer further stated that in the said backdrop, "and as we expect to reach a resolution very soon, its is with a heavy heart that I wanted to let you all know that I have decided to leave the company." Also Read: TikTok sues Trump administration over US ban, calls it an election ploy The development comes days after TikTok sued the Trump administration over an executive order banning transactions in the United States with the popular short-form video-sharing app. Meanwhile, ByteDance's (the parent company of Tiktok) founder and CEO Yiming Zhang said in a separate letter that the company was "moving quickly to find resolutions to the issues that we face globally, particularly in the US and India." On August 6, Trump signed an executive order prohibiting the app's operations in the US, saying that his administration had credible evidence that the company posed a national security threat. A week later, on August 14, he issued another executive order giving ByteDance 90 days to divest the US operations of the company. Also Read: ByteDance investors seek to use stakes to finance TikTok bid ByteDance has been making progress in talks with potential acquirers, including Microsoft Corp and Oracle. Some of ByteDance's U.S. investors could also join the winning bid. While TikTok is best known for its anodyne videos of people dancing and going viral among teenagers, US officials have expressed concerns that information on users could be passed on to China's government. It didn't take long for veteran storm chaser Jeff Piotrowski to step into gear, helping people out after Hurricane Laura ravaged communities in Louisiana. He captured all the intense moments from the beginning as Laura eyed the Gulf Coast to landfall, and now to rescue and recovery. "THERE AIN'T NO WAY TO GET TO THEM": Storm victims who rode out Hurricane Laura asking for help In Piotrowski's Thursday morning update, he tweeted about finding a man in the middle of storm surge water, after his house collapsed near I-10. "He was trapped under walls," Piotrowski tweeted. "Have another local taking him to mother's house. Finding people in the water." He also filmed the Capitol One building in Lake Charles as it was being "shredded" by high winds. HURRICANE GUIDE: Ongoing coverage throughout hurricane season from Chron.com "I can confirm we have some injuries in downtown Lake Charles," Piotrowski tweeted. "Flying glass from some of the skyscrapers fell on people...don't know the extent of the injuries. When tornadoes threatened as the eye wall pushed into Lake Charles, Piotrowski warned residents about the possibility of tornadoes. "Multiple waves of tornadoes developing. This is going to continue to ramp up, " Piotrowski tweeted. Another storm chaser, Reed Timmer, captured footage of buildings ripped by the high winds in the powerful eye wall of Laura. Timmer filmed the utter devastation and damage to Hackberry, Louisiana after the intense storm surge. As the eye of the monster storm developed, storm chaser Josh Morgerman filmed the winds savagely lashing the trees in Sulphur Louisiana. "We got lucky, because I got 9 lives," Morgerman tweeted. "Whoa!" One of the most gut-wrenching moments came when this Weather Channel reporter Stephanie Abrams stood outside in the most powerful winds and rain. Things turned south when 150 mph winds sent glass shattering, and this reporter running for cover. "You can see it's already starting to knock us off our feet," Weather Channel Stephanie Abrams said. "We're watching the water very closely as that will be rising." alison.medley@chron.com New Delhi, Aug 27 : The central probe agencies looking into the death of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput have tumbled upon startling conversation of his girl friend Rhea Chakraborty with a number of her close aides which has changed course of the probe. When CBI's SIT landed in Mumbai, their top priority was to crack down the digital footprints of Rhea Chakraborty and her associates. Since the incident had happened in June, the central agencies feared that all efforts must have been made by the suspects to wipe out any evidence. The federal agencies confiscated two mobile phones which were examined. Since most of the data had already disappeared, they cloned them to retrieve the deleted data. It lead to sensational findings which indicted several players including Rhea in the case. Internal documents accessed by IANS reveals the painstaking works done by the agencies and Rhea's alleged bank fraud and suspicious nexus with the drug peddlers. Rhea allegedly stole Sushant's debit cards passwords and to do it she took help of Samuel Miranda, the house manager of the actor, sources said. The 34-year-old actor was found dead under mysterious circumstances in his Bandra flat in Mumbai on June 14, and Rhea was named the prime suspect by his family in a case registered at a Patna police station on July 25. Following Sushant's demise Rhea and Miranda were using the late actor's funds for their own purposes. Internal documents stated: "They (Rhea and Samuel) were working in close co-ordination and were using funds of Sushant Singh Rajput for their own purpose." The revelation came during questioning of Miranda by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials separately earlier this month. The agencies are probing why Rhea stole passwords of Sushant's debit cards. The agencies also found that Rhea was into drugs and Miranda was also deeply involved in it with her. After Rhea's nexus with the drug peddlers came out in the open, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) was roped in. The bureau accordingly registered a case and started a probe into the matter. It was on August 6, after a recommendation by the Bihar government, the CBI had taken over the probe from the Bihar Police on the orders of the central government following an FIR lodged by the deceased's father at Patna's Rajiv Nagar police station. The case was registered against Rhea Chakraborty, her father Indrajit, mother Sandhya, brother Showik, Sushant's ex-manager Shruti Modi and house manager Samuel Miranda and unknown persons on the basis of KK Singh's complaint. The ED had registered the money laundering on July 31 on the basis of the Patna Police FIR. Singh had alleged that Rs 15 crore was transacted to unknown bank accounts from Sushant's Kotak Mahindra bank account. Rhea and her family has been accused by the late actor's father of abetting his son's suicide alienating him from his kin. Latest updates on Sushant Singh Rajput Death Mystery The information alleges Soto lied about his contacts with an Individual B, who worked on behalf of a lobbyist for Company A that in 2016 was vying for a custodial contract worth in excess of $1 billion. At the time, Soto was serving on an evaluation committee that would recommend to the school board which company should be awarded the contract. JERUSALEM An Israeli police officer who gunned down a Palestinian man who had autism in the Old City of Jerusalem in May defied an order to hold his fire even though the man posed no danger to anyone, his commander has told investigators, according to people briefed on the case. He didnt attack or do anything, the commander testified, according to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz. He was definitely not resisting. The May 30 fatal shooting of Iyad al-Hallaq, 30, who was on his way to a school for the disabled, came five days after the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, and quickly became a rallying cry against police brutality at political protests that have roiled Israel for much of the summer. Mr. al-Hallaq was about 150 yards from the entrance to his school at around 6 a.m. on a Saturday when police officers called to him as he entered the Old City through the Lions Gate. Rather than stop, he ran along the Via Dolorosa. When the initial officers reported a potential terrorist, several others gave chase. The United States isnt the only country grappling with how to approach the 2020-2021 school year. Across the globe, students, parents, teachers and administrators are faced with choices and new realities as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. What works in one country might not work in another, as each countrys pandemic situation is unique. That leads to a variety of decisions made across the map, and the same holds true in the countries where Heifer International works. But one theme in particular is emerging: The digital divide is widening the education gap between the haves and have nots. The following reports come from our staff in the field and address how each country is handling the academic year during the pandemic. Everlin Lopez holds a balloon with COVID-19 prevention reminders written on it. The balloons are also used to maintain physical distance between children in the classroom at the 15 de Septiembre school in Nicaraguas Quilali Municipality. In Haiti , a virtual school year is not possible. Most children do not have access to the internet, let alone a laptop or tablet. Additionally, there is no free internet in Haiti, and the country has been facing a power shortage. With that context, most schools in the country have reopened to a changed academic year, which will close in November or December with a new academic year starting right after. , a virtual school year is not possible. Most children do not have access to the internet, let alone a laptop or tablet. Additionally, there is no free internet in Haiti, and the country has been facing a power shortage. With that context, most schools in the country have reopened to a changed academic year, which will close in November or December with a new academic year starting right after. All educational bodies were closed on March 12 in India . Although the country began opening back up in June, educational institutions remain closed. About 320 million students have been affected by COVID-19 school closures. The government recommended shifting to virtual learning, but there is an immense digital divide with embedded gender and class divides. Around 66% of Indias population lives in rural areas, and only a little more than 15% of rural households have access to internet services. For urban households, the percentage is 42%. . Although the country began opening back up in June, educational institutions remain closed. About 320 million students have been affected by COVID-19 school closures. The government recommended shifting to virtual learning, but there is an immense digital divide with embedded gender and class divides. Around 66% of Indias population lives in rural areas, and only a little more than 15% of rural households have access to internet services. For urban households, the percentage is 42%. Kenyas secretary of education said that the 2020 academic calendar year should be considered lost.In July, the government took the drastic step of canceling the academic year and making students repeat their grades. The decision was made not just to protect teachers and students but to address glaring issues of inequality: Some students had the means to access remote learning, but many others did not. Although schools are scheduled to reopen in January, the secretary of education recently said the new academic year would have to be pushed back further if Kenya cannot flatten the curve of the novel coronavirus or find funding for improved school infrastructure. Schools in Malawi will gradually reopen with strict measures and guidelines in September. The measures include reduced class sizes and remedial lessons for marginalized students. The reopening of schools is anticipated to improve the situation for girls in the country, as Malawis Civil Society Coalition on Education reported that there has been a dramatic increase in early pregnancies and child marriages since the onset of COVID-19. The government of Malawi has also approved remote learning for higher education institutions and put in place measures to support students who do not have access to technology or internet. CLEVELAND, Ohio News flash: a mask is not a chin warmer. After months of mask mandates due to the COVID-19 pandemic, everyone should know the right way to wear a mask fitted around the chin and nose, with no gaps at the sides. But too many people seem unable or unwilling to follow these simple, common-sense rules. You can spot them everywhere the Half-Masker (mask pulled to the chin), the Chin Strap (ditto), the Sniffer (nose exposed), the Speakeasy (mask off nose and mouth), the Headbanger (mask worn like a headband), the Fashion Flash (worn dangling from ear), and the Stache (mask scrunched up on the upper lip). More than annoying, half-masking is worrisome. A University of North Carolina study suggests that the coronavirus first establishes in the nasal cavity, then is aspirated into the lungs where it can cause potentially fatal illness. So for a mask to work, it must cover your nose and mouth. If the nose is the dominant initial site from which lung infections are seeded, then the widespread use of masks to protect the nasal passages, as well as any therapeutic strategies that reduce virus in the nose, such as nasal irrigation or antiviral nasal sprays, could be beneficial, said study co-senior author Dr. Richard Boucher, in a statement. Inappropriate mask wearing has gotten so bad that the New York Times recently conducted a mask census of more than 7,000 people on city street corners. In almost every location, more men than women were unmasked, and men were also considerably more likely than women to be wearing their masks in a kinda-sorta way nostrils peeking over, mask under chin, mask dangling from one ear strap, the Times wrote. People, please buy a clue. The mask must go over your nose to be effective. Its useless otherwise. Covering your nose and mouth is the whole point of wearing a mask, which stops the wearer from breathing the coronavirus into the air to infect others. Are you sensing a theme? Its important to cover your nose with your mask. Count on Twitter to level its communal snark against Chin Strappers in an attempt to shame them into better behavior. Whats up with chin strappers? For the 30 min. you are in the grocery story you can wear a mask like an adult. Geez, a typical tweet complained. I just saw a guy with a mask that had *masks are useless unless they cover your NOSE and MOUTH* on it. And he was wearing it as a chin strap. Um. I... Im developing a twitch, another Tweet observed. And this, from novelist and screenwriter Jason Arnopp (@jasonarnopp): Checking the latest corona news, I see the virus has mutated so that it now refuses to enter people in schools and the workplace. Extraordinary. Also, based on what I saw on trains yesterday, maybe 1 in 12 mask wearers seem to believe the virus only enters people via the chin. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Mayo Clinic have articles about the right way to wear a mask. If youre still unsure, please check them out. Be a mask hero, not a mask zero. OTTAWA - Canada's foreign minister was bound for London for private talks with a trusted ally after butting heads with leading figures from Lebanon and China, capping a bubble-bursting, four-country tour amid an unprecedented global pandemic. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 27/8/2020 (511 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. In this photo released by Lebanon's official government photographer Dalati Nohra, Lebanese President Michel Aoun, right, meets with Canadian Foreign Minister FranAois-Philippe Champagne, at the presidential palace, in Baabda, east of Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2020. (Dalati Nohra via AP) OTTAWA - Canada's foreign minister was bound for London for private talks with a trusted ally after butting heads with leading figures from Lebanon and China, capping a bubble-bursting, four-country tour amid an unprecedented global pandemic. Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne met face to face Thursday with Lebanese President Michel Aoun in Beirut, exhorting him to bend to the will of his country's "street" and heed their calls for reform. A day earlier in Rome, Champagne crossed paths, unexpectedly, with his Chinese counterpart, the hard-nosed Wang Yi, and told him in no uncertain terms that Canada has the world's liberal democracies on its side as he ratcheted up his push for the release of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor. "I was very clear that coercive diplomacy is not going to lead to the desired outcome," Champagne said in a conference call from Lebanon on Thursday, where he had the first chance to rebut a Chinese ministry spokesman dismissing his latest advocacy for "the two Michaels." "He (Wang) is well-aware that the international community is seized of that issue. This is not just two Canadians being detained arbitrarily. Those are two citizens of liberal democracy, and every liberal democracy in the world should be concerned." Champagne said his meeting with Wang a "robust" 90-minute talk that focused on the "two Michaels" and human rights concerns was brokered by the Italian foreign ministry after he discovered they were in the same city. Kovrig and Spavor have been imprisoned in China since December 2018 in what is widely seen as retaliation for Canada's arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou on an American extradition warrant. Champagne pushed Wang to allow Canadian diplomats to visit Kovrig and Spavor, access that has been denied since early this year. China says it can't allow access to their prisons during the COVID-19 pandemic. "I reminded him that Canada will always insist of having consular access to both Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, and that we expect them to respect the spirit and the letter of the Vienna Convention," said Champagne, referring to the international agreement on consular access. While winning the release of Kovrig and Spavor remains Champagne's top priority, the Aug. 4 explosion in Beirut, which exacerbated a simmering political crisis in Lebanon, is also galvanizing the minister for a very real domestic political reason the 200,000-strong Lebanese community in Canada has also been loudly calling for change in their homeland. The Aoun meeting was the centrepiece of a four-country trip this week that saw Champagne shed his COVID-19 cocoon of video diplomacy and join the likes of Wang and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in taking to the world's skies. He flew on commercial airlines and will have to quarantine for 14 days when he returns to Canada. Prior to arriving in Lebanon, he visited Switzerland and Italy, where he also met a series of politicians and host of representatives from international agencies. Champagne appeared grim faced in a tweeted photo of his meeting with Aoun, in which he affirmed Canada's solidarity with the people of Lebanon who have been demanding change since the explosion that killed 200 people, injured 6,000 and flattened districts of Beirut. "My key messages to President Aoun today was: There cannot be aid without real reforms. That impunity must cease. That youth, young women, the street has spoken. And that the way forward is clear now," Champagne said. Lebanese people have taken to the streets demanding an independent investigation into the explosion and to protest widespread corruption in their country. Champagne also met with victims, rank-and-file Lebanese, first responders and international agencies trying to help the country. "I thought there was something symbolic to be one of the first foreign ministers to come here and to show support and to listen to the people," he said. "And to speak loud and clear to the authorities as to what we see is needed to ensure a more inclusive and better future for Lebanon." Champagne posted a video on Twitter from the burned-out hulk of the city's decimated port after his meeting with Aoun. "You can smell destruction. You can feel destruction, you can see also the resilience of the Lebanese people," the minister said, against a vast backdrop of brown and grey ruin. "We have said we will be there for Lebanon and I can assure you what you're seeing is only part of the destruction. You cannot even see with your own eyes the size of that destruction." 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. Champagne's trip will end in London where he will meet in person with British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab. The two will talk behind closed doors face-to-face and without the long-distance digital link that already brings them together at least once a week. China, as well as the instability in Hong Kong, Belarus and Mali, along with his first-hand account of Lebanon, and descriptions of his meetings with various figures were all going to feature in his discussion with Raab, said Champagne. He said the talks would be part of his efforts to "broaden an alliance of liberal democracies" to confront various global crises. "I'm sure we could spend a day," Champagne quipped. "With Secretary Raab, we have one of the closest relationships I have built between a foreign minister, and I think it's serving Canadian interests very well." This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 27, 2020. France, Spain and Italy all recorded large jumps in coronavirus cases on Wednesday as fears that a second wave is taking hold in Europe grow. France added 5,429 cases overnight, government figures showed, marking the country's largest single-day increase since April 14, and the third-largest daily rise since the pandemic began. Jean Castex, the French Prime Minister, said on Thursday that the country's R figure is now at 1.4, well above the crucial 1 figure needed to keep the infection curve flat. He warned that the government will need to intervene to stop the new outbreak, which he said is being caused by young people, though insisted there will be no return to a general lockdown. Meanwhile Italy, which had some of the lowest case totals in Europe after reopening its economy, registered 1,367 cases - its largest rise since May. Spain registered another 7,296 cases, enough to push the country above the US - the world's worst-affected nation - in number of cases per million inhabitants, based on a seven-day rolling average. Spain, France and Italy are all seeing surges in the number of coronavirus cases, as a second wave of infection takes hold across Europe France recorded 5,429 cases of coronavirus on Wednesday, its highest total since March and third-highest figure since the outbreak began Prime Minister Jean Castex warned the R figure is now at 1.4 - well above the 1 figure needed to keep the outbreak steady - as he blamed young people for the rise Despite the number of cases in France rising, the number of deaths and hospital admissions has remained low, as Mr Castex said there will not be a return to widespread lockdown Mr Castex admitted that 'there is something happening' with cases on the rise, but denied the country is in the same situation it was back in April or May. He also insisted that there will be no return to a widespread lockdown, saying that France must now learn to 'live with the virus'. 'We must do everything we can so that the French can return to work, school, their social and cultural life as normally as possible,' he told broadcaster France Inter. The rise in cases comes as France prepares to get children back into schools for the start of the academic year in September. Mr Castex insisted that 'we are ready' for a return to classrooms, insisting that 'nothing could be worse' than keeping children away from schools. In Italy, Health Minister Roberto Speranza also ruled out a return to general lockdown, despite the recent rise in cases. Lombardy, once the global epicentre of the virus, has again emerged as Italy's hotspot, recording 269 cases on Wednesday. Italy is also beginning to see its cases rise again, after logging 1,367 new cases on Wednesday, the highest figure the country has seen since May Italy logged 13 deaths from the virus on Wednesday, a slight increase on the previous day, but fatalities have so-far not kept pace with infections The next-closest region was Lazio, which had 162 positive test results. Italians are also preparing to send their children back into classrooms in September, as regional governors attempt to hash out which protective measures to put in place - with little sign of agreement so far. Of particular concern are buses that are used to get many of Italy's children to school, and how to ensure that they do no become over-crowded. A report by the regional transport committee recommended placing separators between children, staggering class start times throughout the day and checking children's temperatures before they board. In Spain, Madrid has reemerged as an epicentre of infection, months after it was hit during the country's first wave, with Benidorm and Mallorca also seeing rises. The case spike is particularly worrying in Mallorca, which is part of the Balearic Islands which until now had remained relatively untouched by the outbreaks. In response, president Francina Armengolon announced a ban on smoking in public, made masks mandatory in offices, and limited gatherings to 10 people. Masks will also be mandatory in bars and restaurants while people are not drinking or eating, while the maximum capacity of venues was also slashed to 250 people. Spain recorded 7,296 cases of the virus on Wednesday, capping off weeks of increases that has seen its seven-day average total rise to near-peak levels The Balearic Islands, which had escaped the worst of the virus, are now being hard-hit - with new rules coming into force that will ban smoking in public and close beaches at night (pictured, tourist in Mallorca, which has become a hotspot) While Spain's case figures have been steadily rising, its seven-day average death figure has not kept pace - with leaders insisting there will be no return to general lockdown Beaches will also be closed to the public at night, she said, though it is unclear how this will be enforced. 'We are in a better situation than in March,' Armengolon said, 'just look at the number of hospital admissions and in patients in ICUs. 'But we cannot let our guards down, because if we do, we could repeat our mistakes.' Europe, at one point the global epicentre of the virus, battled the virus into recession with a series of punishing lockdowns that were brought in during March. Cases have been steadily rising in all countries that locked down since the reopening began, but have been rapidly increasing in recent weeks. According to WHO data, Europe recorded 196,000 cases of the virus last week, an increase of 10 per cent on the week prior. Europe has logged almost 4million cases of the virus in total, the third-highest of any continent, behind North America with 6.8million , and South America with 5.9million. Globally, the pandemic has now infected some 24million people with more than 826,000 deaths, though those figures are widely believed to be an under-estimate. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows failed to crack a stalemate over coronavirus relief Thursday when they spoke at length for the first time in weeks. After a 25-minute phone call between the pair, Pelosi issued a statement saying "this conversation made clear that the White House continues to disregard the needs of the American people as the coronavirus crisis devastates lives and livelihoods." She said the sides stood at a "tragic impasse" after the Trump administration again did not meet her demand to roughly double the price of its aid proposal to $2.2 trillion. "Democrats are willing to resume negotiations once Republicans start to take this process seriously. Lives, livelihoods and the life of our democracy are at stake," the California Democrat said in the statement. A spokesman for Meadows did not immediately respond to a request to comment on the call. Negotiations between Democrats, led by Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, and the White House, led by Meadows and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, collapsed earlier this month amid disagreements on unemployment aid, state and local government relief, and school funding, among other issues. Congress has failed to pass a fifth package to try to combat health and economic crises created by the pandemic even after a $600 per week extra jobless benefit, a federal eviction moratorium and the chance to apply for a small business loan program expired. As Pelosi pushes for a broader approach to stimulus, Republicans are crafting a more narrow bill that they could soon distribute in Congress, sources told CNBC. The plan, which would cost roughly $500 billion, would address unemployment insurance, a new authorization for small business loans, school funding, and Covid-19 testing, treatment and vaccines. The former imam of the Khoja Nuriddin mosque in Tashkent has been released from a penal colony in Uzbekistan after serving more than 15 years on charges of terrorism, extremism, and "anticonstitutional activities." The release of Rukhiddin Fahruddinov on the morning of August 27 from Penal Colony Settlement No. 14 in the Zangiata district of the Tashkent region came two years and three months ahead of schedule. His release has been welcomed by international human rights activists as a major development in the struggle for "prisoners of conscience" who've been jailed for their religious or political views. Steve Swerdlow, an attorney and human rights researcher formerly with Human Rights Watch, said in a Twitter post that August 27 was "turning out to be [a] banner day" for political prisoners in Uzbekistan. Swerdlow described Fahruddinov as an "independent religious figure" who has faced torture and other rights abuses since he was arrested in 2005. Swerdlow also noted that Fahruddinov's case has been repeatedly raised by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, the U.S. State Department's Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, and Human Rights Watch. He said it was "hard to articulate" the significance of Fahruddinov's release. During his trial in the era of Uzbekistan's late President Islam Karimov, police claimed that Fahruddinov was a spiritual leader of the "Wahhabism" movement and had been working to build an extremist "Islamic state" in Uzbekistan. But Fahruddinov's relatives deny that he was involved in any extremist movement. Fahruddinov's wife, Muhayo Ismoilova, told RFE/RL in 2006 that the couple's daughter had been raped by an Uzbek security officer when she was just 6 years old in order to force Fahruddinov to confess to the charges against him. Uzbek authorities denied those allegations and subsequently arrested and charged a boy who was 16 years old, Nigmatulla Qalandarov, with committing the rape. Qalandarov was convicted and sentenced to nine years in prison. The 17-year-old suspect accused of killing two people during protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin attended a Donald Trump rally in January 2002: TikTok A teenager accused of killing two protesters in Kinosha, Wisconsin during demonstrations against the police shooting of Jacob Blake posted a TikTok video from a Donald Trump rally in January. Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, frequently posted his support for the president and law enforcement on social media, while news footage from a campaign rally in Des Moines, Iowa, also shows the suspected shooter standing near the stage on 30 January. His appearance there was first reported by BuzzFeed News. Months later, the Illinois teenager allegedly armed himself with a long gun and headed to Kenosha, Wisconsin, as protests continued for a third night following the police shooting of Mr Blake, a black man left paralysed from below the waist after police officers fired several rounds into his back as he got into his SUV. Three of his children were reportedly inside. Videos from Tuesday's protests show him speaking with police officers moments before the killings. Kenosha Police Chief Daniel Miskinis identified the victims as a 26-year-old Silver Lake resident and a 36-year-old Kenosha resident. A 26-year-old West Allis resident was hospitalised with non-life-threatening injuries. Rittenhouse was considered a "fugitive of justice" after allegedly fleeing the state, where he awaits first-degree intentional murder charges. He lives in Antioch, Illinois, roughly 30 minutes from Kenosha. He "fled the state of Wisconsin with the intent to avoid prosecution for the offence", according to the Antioch Police Department. In a statement, police said that the suspect "is currently in custody of the Lake County Judicial System pending an extradition hearing to transfer custody from Illinois to Wisconsin". "Our Village of Antioch is deeply saddened by all loss of life," Antioch Mayor Lawrence Hanson said in a statement. "Our hearts and prayers extend to the friends and family who lost a loved one." He also expressed support for "Blue Lives Matter" on social media, and BuzzFeed confirmed that he was enrolled in a Public Safety Cadets programme through Hindenhurst, Grayslake and Hainesville police departments in Illinois that "offers boys and girls the opportunity to explore a career in law enforcement" through "hands-on career activities", according to the programme's website. Story continues The teen's Facebook page and the cadet programme's website and social media pages have been disabled. Video footage from the scene in Kenosha on Tuesday night shows a gunman in the middle of the street brandishing a rifle before firing shots that hit multiple people. Witnesses said the gunman was allowed to walk past police without being stopped. In another video, protesters shout at police to call attention to the suspect. Read more 17-year-old arrested for murder in Kenosha shooting Jacob Blakes sister calls for justice in powerful statement Father of man killed by Kenosha police in 2004 speaks out Protest enter third night following Jacob Blake shooting The Employment Development Department will begin doling out $300 a week in federal Lost Wages Assistance the week of Sept. 7, but many unemployed Californians wont get the extra money because their base unemployment benefit is too low. President Trump authorized the assistance program after Congress adjourned in August without agreeing on a way to replace the $600-per-week supplement that everyone got on top of their regular state or federal pandemic unemployment benefits from April through July. Unlike the $600 supplement, the $300 boost will only go to those getting at least $100 a week in state or federal unemployment. This new requirement will disproportionately hurt people of color and underpaid workers, the National Employment Law Project and 21 other groups said in a news release. It will also hurt many mixed-income earners who got most of their income from self-employment and a small part reported as employee wages on a W-2 form. Many of them have been getting less unemployment compensation than they would have had they not received any W-2 wages, and they could lose out on the $300 entirely. Cathy Rigl of Pleasanton is among them. For the past three years, Rigl worked as an independent contractor for a company that provides customer service and sales training, mostly for hospitality companies. She also worked a few days a month as an employee in the Wente Vineyards tasting room in Livermore, mainly for the employee discount and the fun work environment, she said. When the pandemic hit, both jobs ended and she applied for unemployment. She was shocked to learn that her benefit would be $56 a week, based solely on her W-2 winery wages. They did not take into account my main source of income as an independent contractor, she said. Based on that job, she would have received at least $167 a week in federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, and likely more. Liz Hafalia / The Chronicle The federal Cares Act created Pandemic Unemployment Assistance for self-employed and other people who dont qualify for regular state unemployment insurance. That law, however, said that if a person had enough W-2 employee wages to qualify for regular state unemployment, they could not receive PUA, even if that would be a higher amount. Many independent contractors who had one or two clients treat them as employees found themselves in this situation. In California, the minimum weekly benefit is $40 for regular state unemployment and $167 for PUA. Although $56 a week was far less than I should have received, Rigl said she didnt mind at first because from April through July, she received the $600 per week in federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation, also funded under the Cares Act. The lost wages program will use up to $44 billion from a federal disaster relief fund to pay $300 a week for a minimum of three weeks. Because its limited to those getting at least $100 a week in state or federal benefits, everyone in California getting PUA will qualify for the extra $300, while those receiving less than $100 in state benefits will not. Its ridiculous, Rigl said. Im a professional corporate trainer. Im getting this monthly allowance a high schooler would get and it will make me ineligible. Under Trumps program, people could get $400 a week if their state pitches in $100 from their own (non-unemployment) resources, but only a handful of states (excluding California) are doing that. To get the $300, people also must self-certify that they lost work because of the coronavirus. That was already a requirement for PUA, but not for regular state unemployment. EDD said Thursday it will being processing Lost Wages Assistance in phases for eligible individuals beginning Sept. 7. The first phase will cover claimants who previously provided information that they were unemployed due to a COVID-19 related reason on their initial application and have received state or federal unemployment payments for weeks between July 26 and Aug. 15. Generally, claimants who applied for benefits mid-March would have been asked about COVID-19. In mid-September, EDD will begin asking other claimants to self-certify if they were affected by COVID-19 so they can qualify for Lost Wages Assistance, which would be retroactive to Aug. 1. Liz Hafalia / The Chronicle EDD hasnt said how many unemployed Californians wont get the $300 supplement because theyre below the $100-a-week threshold, but in Texas, it is about 1 in 5. Trumps plan is totally inadequate and continues the deeply unfair treatment of mixed-income earners, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Burbank, said in an email. On July 20, Schiff introduced HR7691, which would let mixed-income workers who earned at least $7,250 from self-employment last year opt into the PUA program and get retroactive benefits based on their total income. States would have to agree to provide this option. A companion bill in the Senate, S4442, was introduced Aug. 4. One question is how money earned during unemployment will affect Lost Wages Assistance. Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes When people earn or receive income while receiving unemployment benefits, the income reduces their benefit according to a formula. If they earn or receive more than $100 one week, EDD will deduct 75% of the amount from their base benefit that week. As long as their base benefit remained above zero, they could still receive the $600 a week supplement before it expired. Whats not entirely clear is whether the same will be true with the $300 supplement, or whether their base benefit would have to be at least $100 to get the $300 supplement. The Department of Labor has not answered this question directly, but in a letter to states it said, An individual is determined to have received at least $100 per week for purposes of being an eligible claimant if the individuals (weekly benefit amount) as provided on the monetary determination is at least $100 (including any dependents allowance). George Warner, an attorney with Legal Aid At Work, said that means a person would get the $300 as long as their base benefit remains above zero. Maurice Emsellem of the National Employment Law Project agreed. My understanding is that the monetary determination is what the worker is provided when they are first found eligible for (state or federal unemployment), so that would appear to mean that even if the workers wages end up reducing the check to below $100, the worker would still qualify for the $300, he said in an email. Lost Wages Assistance is limited to three weeks for now, to make sure all states that want to participate can get at least three weeks. The payments will end when the $44 billion is exhausted, the disaster fund balance drops below $25 billion, Congress approves a replacement program or Dec. 27 whichever comes first. The disaster fund, administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, had a balance of $56.2 billion Thursday, down from $74.4 billion on July 31, as money flowed out for disasters and lost wages. On Aug. 11, David Bibo, FEMAs deputy associate administrator, told members of Congress, that even with the quite significant projections for hurricanes this season, the $25 billion that is reserved is, we think, substantial enough for our response needs and the ongoing recovery needs. That was about a week before the California wildfires started. For perspective, FEMA paid out a total of $1.75 billion in public and individual assistance for the three wildfire-related major disaster declarations in California in 2017 and 2018. Kathleen Pender is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist. Email: kpender@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kathpender Ex-Inter RAO board member finishes studying espionage case materials RAPSI, Vladimir Burnov 14:27 27/08/2020 MOSCOW, August 27 (RAPSI) - Ex-board member of Inter RAO energy holding Karina Tsurkan charged with espionage and her defense have finished studying case materials, according to her attorney Ivan Pavlov. As the only proof, investigators use a faint copy of a document allegedly received during Russias intelligence activities from an undisclosed source abroad, the lawyer told RAPSI on Thursday. Therefore, it is not clear how the prosecution will propose a court to check the evidence fairness, he stated. Defense will demand to suppress this evidence as incompetent, Pavlov added. The case papers will be soon forwarded to the Prosecutor Generals Office for indicting, according to the attorney. In January, the First Court of Appeals changed a restrictive measure of Tsurkan from detention to a restraining order. She was in particular banned from leaving home at night, communicating with witnesses in the case and using communications tools. The Second Cassation Court of General Jurisdiction in February overturned a lower courts order on the release of Tsurkan. The woman was retaken into custody in the courtroom. In November 2018, the court seized bank accounts of the woman amounting to 500 million rubles. According to attorney Ivan Pavlov, investigators believe that in August 2004 Tsurkan became an agent involved in confidential and unofficial cooperation with a Moldovan secret service. In April 2015, while staying in Moscow she allegedly received a digital version of a document on project prepared by the Ministry of Energy. The project was allegedly related to the actions of Russian energy companies in the sphere of international cooperation. In September of the same year, she allegedly transferred the document to a secret service. Tsurkan could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted. The woman denies wrongdoing and claims that she does not know representatives of foreign secret services and did not see the document in question. She also asked to provide her evidence in the case. Aside from being the holdings board member, Tsurkan also headed its trading department. DEAR ABBY: I am a small business owner. My store has local (repeat) and onetime customers. The other day, while checking out, one of my local customers spewed out a verbal and extremely bigoted rant. I was stunned speechless. I felt I should do something, but I wasn't sure what it should be. I have started losing sleep over it. If it happens again, should I remain silent and keep the peace, or stand up for all Americans and lose this customer and probably more? Freaked out in Florida DEAR FREAKED OUT: To paraphrase a well-know saying, "All that's necessary for evil to flourish is for good men to ignore it and say nothing." If the rant your bigoted customer spewed was aimed at another shopper, you had a responsibility to protect the victim of the onslaught. In the future, it would not be out of line to state firmly that you don't want that kind of talk in your establishment. While doing that may (or may not) lose you a few customers, you would at least be able to sleep better than you're sleeping now. P.S. It may also gain you some customers once word gets around. DEAR ABBY: I have been with the same doctor for 15 years, only requiring an annual checkup. The problem is, the office is about a 40-minute drive, longer if I hit a rush hour. I have stayed with the provider because the care is so good. However, I recently found a doctor who is 10 minutes away and provides the same quality of care. Do I call the original doctor to let them know I am leaving the practice? Write a note? Leave it alone? What is the proper protocol? Good patient in Michigan DEAR PATIENT: Contact your longtime doctor's office and ask either that your medical records be sent to your new doctor's office, or they be readied for you to pick up so you can deliver them yourself. In light of the fact that you have had a 15-year relationship with "Longtime Doctor," it would be nice if you wrote a letter thanking him/her for taking such good care of you all these years and explain that the commute has become more than you can now handle, which is why you are leaving. DEAR ABBY: I was sitting around bored with nothing to do and started thinking about my classmates from 1960. I hadn't seen or heard from some of them in more than 55 years, so I decided to call them and found all but two. Boy, was it ever worth it! Most of the conversations lasted 30 minutes or more. I enjoyed hearing their voices and reminiscing about old times. I couldn't believe how quickly the day went by. It made me feel great, and I hope it did the same for them. When I told them why I was calling, some of them thought it was such a good idea they were going to do it too. Maybe others will want to consider this. Try it. It's worth it. Catching up in Wisconsin DEAR CATCHING UP: What you did was wonderful. Many people have been using this quarantine period to reconnect with long-lost friends, and I highly recommend it. There's no surer cure for the blues -- or boredom -- than reaching out to others. Thank you for an upper of a letter. The big news and only sour note from the match was a hamstring injury during the second half to Latrell Mitchell, who immediately left the field and sat on the bench for the rest of the night with ice strapped to it. Every South Sydney fan will be waiting anxiously tomorrow for his scan results. He looked in good enough spirits talking to Blake Ferguson after the match on the field. "All the talk was we couldn't beat a top four side, but we learned our blueprint last week and showed it again tonight," captain Adam Reynolds tells Nine. "It was comfortable in the end." The skinny coach is giving his team a Bart Cummings Melbourne Cup-like preparation, they're just starting to up the revs before the big one. DES MOINES, Iowa, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Wink's Sales & Market Report is the insurance industry's #1 resource for annuity sales data since 1997. Sixty-three indexed annuity providers, 43 fixed annuity providers, 62 multi-year guaranteed annuity (MYGA) providers, 13 structured annuity providers, and 47 variable annuity providers participated in the 92nd edition of Wink's Sales & Market Report for 2nd Quarter, 2020. Total second quarter sales for all deferred annuities were $45.9 billion; a decline of 12.8% when compared to the previous quarter and a decline of 21.2% when compared to the same period last year. "The last time that Athene was the top seller of indexed annuities was 11 years ago," said Sheryl J. Moore, President and CEO of both Moore Market Intelligence and Wink, Inc. "The former frontrunner has been dethroned after more than a decade in their top-ranking position!" Noteworthy highlights for all deferred annuity sales in the second quarter include Jackson National Life ranking as the #1 carrier overall for deferred annuity sales, with a market share of 7.5%. New York Life followed in second place, while Massachusetts Mutual Life Companies, Lincoln National Life, Equitable Financial rounded-out the top five carriers in the market, respectively. Jackson National's Perspective II Flexible Premium Variable & Fixed Deferred Annuity, a variable annuity, was the #1 selling deferred annuity, for all channels combined in overall sales for the sixth consecutive quarter. Total second quarter non-variable deferred annuity sales were $25.7 billion; down 4.8% when compared to the previous quarter and down 22.2% when compared to the same period last year. Non-variable deferred annuities include the indexed annuity, traditional fixed annuity, and MYGA product lines. Noteworthy highlights for non-variable deferred annuity sales in the second quarter include Massachusetts Mutual Life Companies ranking as the #1 carrier overall for non-variable deferred annuity sales, with a market share of 10.3%. New York Life moved into second place, while Sammons Financial Companies, Athene USA, and Global Atlantic Financial Group rounded out the top five carriers in the market, respectively. Massachusetts Mutual Life's Stable Voyage 3-Year, a multi-year guaranteed annuity, was the #1 selling non-variable deferred annuity, for all channels combined. Total second quarter variable deferred annuity sales were $20.1 billion; a decline of 21.4% when compared to the previous quarter and a decline of 19.9% when compared to the same period last year. Variable deferred annuities include the structured annuity and variable annuity product lines. Noteworthy highlights for variable deferred annuity sales in the second quarter include Jackson National Life ranking as the #1 carrier overall for variable deferred annuity sales, with a market share of 16.3%. Equitable Financial retained their second-place position, as Lincoln National Life, Brighthouse Financial, and Prudential rounded-out the top five carriers in the market, respectively. Jackson National's Perspective II Flexible Premium Variable & Fixed Deferred Annuity, a variable annuity, was the #1 selling variable deferred annuity, for all channels combined, in overall sales for the sixth consecutive quarter. Indexed annuity sales for the second quarter were $12.8 billion; down 21.8% when compared to the previous quarter, and down 34.8% when compared with the same period last year. Indexed annuities have a floor of no less than zero percent and limited excess interest that is determined by the performance of an external index, such as Standard and Poor's 500. Noteworthy highlights for indexed annuities in the second quarter include Athene USA gaining the #1 ranking in indexed annuities, with a market share of 11.0%. Allianz Life moved into second-ranked position while Fidelity & Guaranty Life, AIG, and Sammons Financial Companies rounded-out the top five carriers in the market, respectively. Allianz Life's Allianz 222 Annuity was the #1 selling indexed annuity, for all channels combined, for the twentieth consecutive quarter. Traditional fixed annuity sales in the second quarter were $425.7 million; sales were down 38.4% when compared to the previous quarter, and down 51.2% when compared with the same period last year. Traditional fixed annuities have a fixed rate that is guaranteed for one year only. Noteworthy highlights for traditional fixed annuities in the second quarter include Modern Woodmen of America ranking as the #1 carrier in fixed annuities, with a market share of 16.0%. EquiTrust ranked second, while Global Atlantic Financial Group, Jackson National Life, and Brighthouse Financial rounded-out the top five carriers in the market, respectively. EquiTrust ChoiceFour with Liquidity Rider was the #1 selling fixed annuity, for all channels combined. Multi-year guaranteed annuity (MYGA) sales in the second quarter were $12.5 billion; up 25.6% when compared to the previous quarter, and down 0.3% when compared to the same period last year. MYGAs have a fixed rate that is guaranteed for more than one year. Noteworthy highlights for MYGAs in the second quarter include Massachusetts Mutual Life Companies ranking as the #1 carrier, with a market share of 20.3%. New York Life moved to the second-ranked position, as Sammons Financial Companies, Global Atlantic Financial Group, and Symetra Financial rounded-out the top five carriers in the market, respectively. Massachusetts Mutual Life Stable Voyage 3-Year was the #1 selling multi-year guaranteed annuity for the third consecutive quarter, for all channels combined. Moore added, "It is interesting to see that MYGA sales increased double-digits, while indexed annuity sales declined similarly; this is a new trend." Structured annuity sales in the second quarter were $4.5 billion; down 7.1% as compared to the previous quarter, and up 9.3% as compared to the previous year. Structured annuities have a limited negative floor and limited excess interest that is determined by the performance of an external index or subaccounts. Noteworthy highlights for structured annuities in the second quarter include Lincoln National Life ranking as the #1 carrier in structured annuities, with a market share of 23.4%. Lincoln National Life Level Advantage B Share was the #1 selling structured annuity for the second consecutive quarter, for all channels combined. Variable annuity sales in the second quarter were $15.6 billion, a decline of 24.7% as compared to the previous quarter and a decline of 25.6% as compared to the same period last year. Variable annuities have no floor, and potential for gains/losses that are determined by the performance of the subaccounts that may be invested in an external index, stocks, bonds, commodities, or other investments. Noteworthy highlights for variable annuities in the second quarter include Jackson National Life holding-on to their ranking as the #1 carrier in variable annuities, with a market share of 21.1%. Equitable Financial ranked second, while Lincoln National Life, Prudential, and New York Life rounded-out the top five carriers in the market, respectively. Jackson National's Perspective II Flexible Premium Variable & Fixed Deferred Annuity was the #1 selling variable annuity for the sixth consecutive quarter, for all channels combined. "Everyone saw these sales declines coming from a mile away," stated Moore. "As everyone continues adjusting to COVID-friendly selling, and the 10-year Treasury remains minuscule, sales are going to continue to be challenged," she explained. Wink reports on indexed annuity, fixed annuity, multi-year guaranteed annuity, structured annuity, variable annuity, and multiple life insurance lines' product sales. Sales reporting on additional product lines will follow in the future. For more information, go to www.WinkIntel.com Wink, Inc. is the company behind the most comprehensive life insurance and annuity due-diligence tools, AnnuitySpecs and LifeSpecs at www.WinkIntel.com. Wink, Inc. is the distributor of the quarterly Wink's Sales & Market Report. Serving as the insurance industry's #1 resource of indexed insurance product sales since 1997, this report provides sales by product, company, crediting method, index, distribution, surrender charge period, and more. Wink's Sales & Market Report expanded to cover all deferred annuity products in 2015, all deferred variable annuity products in 2019 and all non-variable cash value life insurance products in 2017. The staff of Wink, Inc. has the combined experience of more than 175 years working with insurance products, more than a decade of which is specific to competitive intelligence. Based in Des Moines, Iowa, the firm offers competitive intelligence and market research in the life insurance and annuity industries; serving financial services professionals, distributors, manufacturers, regulators, and consultants on both a domestic and global basis. Sheryl J. Moore is president and CEO is the guiding force behind Wink, Inc. Ms. Moore previously worked as a market research analyst for top carriers in the life insurance and annuity industries. Her views on the direction of the market are frequently heard in seminars and quoted by industry trade journals. Des Moines, IA (855) ASK-WINK SOURCE Wink, Inc. Related Links https://www.winkintel.com/ Two Hong Kong Pro-Democracy Lawmakers Arrested By VOA News August 26, 2020 Two Hong Kong pro-democracy lawmakers have been arrested and charged in relation with anti-government protests last year that rocked the semi-autonomous city. Lam Cheuk-ting and Ted Hui were arrested early Wednesday morning at their homes, according to a post on the Facebook page of the Democratic Party. Lam was arrested on suspicion of taking part in a riot on July 21 of last year, when more than 100 men attacked pro-democracy protesters and passengers at the Yuen Long subway station with steel rods and canes. Protesters have accused police of arriving late on the scene and allowing some of the armed attackers to leave. Lam has also been charged with Hui in connection with a July 6 protest in the Tuen Mun district. At least 14 other people were also arrested Wednesday in relation to last year's massive protests, which began when the government announced plans to approve an extradition bill that would have sent criminal suspects to mainland China to face trial. The controversial measure was eventually withdrawn, but the protests continued and evolved into a demand for greater democracy for Hong Kong, which was granted an unusual amount of freedom when Britain handed control of the city back to China in 1997. The often violent protests prompted Beijing to impose a new national security law on Hong Kong that would subject anyone believed to be carrying out terrorism, separatism, subversion of state power or collusion with foreign forces to trial and possible life in prison if convicted. Lam and Hui are the latest high-profile pro-democracy figures who have been arrested since the law went into effect on July 1. They include 72-year-old Jimmy Lai, the publisher of the pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily, and 23-year-old Agnes Chow, a former leader of Demosisto, a political party founded by fellow activist Joshua Wong. The party disbanded shortly after the new security law went into effect last month. Hong Kong authorities have also disqualified 12 pro-democracy candidates from running in September's legislative elections that have since been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The disqualified candidates included Wong, who was one of many pro-democracy activists who were nominated in an unofficial primary held back in July. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address HONOLULU - A former CIA officer and contract linguist for the FBI accused of selling U.S. secrets to China must remain locked up because hes a serious flight risk in a case involving espionage over many, many years, a federal judge ruled Thursday. Alexander Yuk Ching Ma was arrested two weeks ago after an undercover operation in which prosecutors say he accepted thousands of dollars in cash in exchange for his past espionage activities. He told a law enforcement officer who was posing as a Chinese intelligence officer that he wanted to see the motherland succeed and that he was eager to resume helping China after the coronavirus pandemic subsided, prosecutors said. Ma, 67, faces life in prison or possibly a death sentence if convicted of a rarely used charge involving an intent to hurt the United States or aid a foreign power, Assistant U.S. Attorney Ken Sorenson said during a detention hearing where Ma participated by telephone from the Honolulu Federal Detention Center. Prosecutors have video and audio proving he provided classified information including CIA sources and methods, communication systems and secret writing, Sorenson said. He violated security oaths to the CIA and to the FBI, Sorenson, and betrayed that trust for money. Ma, who worked for the CIA from 1982 to 1989, is accused of revealing government secrets to at least five Chinese intelligence officers in a Hong Kong hotel room over a three-day period in March 2001. Prosecutors say remained in touch with the Chinese intelligence officers after he joined the FBI as a contract linguist in 2004, at which point he used his work computer to copy images of documents related to missiles and weapon system technology research. Two weeks ago, Ma again confirmed to an undercover agent during a video recorded meeting that he had given U.S. information to Chinas Ministry of State Security and he again accepted cash from someone he believed was representing the ministry, prosecutors said. Authorities searching his Honolulu home found marked classified documents, Sorenson said. Ma, a naturalized U.S. citizen, was born in China, where he has family and two residences, Sorenson said: He has no reason to stick around for further proceedings in this matter. Birney Bervar, Mas defence attorney, said the government authorities have known about the allegations since 2001 and havent done anything until now. All of a sudden hes a danger to the community, Bervar said, asking that Ma be released to his sister and incarcerated at home. The government has a cache of evidence that Ma is a flight risk and a danger to the community and this nation, said U.S. Magistrate Judge Rom Trader in granting prosecutors detention request. Allegations include a systemic pattern of conduct by him to allegedly breach his loyalty to this country and provide sensitive information to a foreign power, namely China, Trader said. That certainly gets the courts attention. I dont make this decision lightly, Trader said, noting Ma can appeal the detention ruling. Social media has zero influence on my cultural and political beliefs, but it recently made me purchase a bagel sandwich. Scrolling down the blue Facebook abyss, happened across photos of Huntsville bakery Canadian Bakins bagel sandwiches, a menu they launched in May. They all looked good. But one of them looked incredible, with an bow-chick-a-wow-wow cross-section: Bagel, cheese, bacon, caramelized onion and egg. The image called me to it, like the Sirens song. I hadnt had a hot breakfast cooked by another human since mid-March. At risk for coronavirus because of a preexisting health condition, have erred way on the side of caution, and the few restaurant meals Ive had during this time were lunch or dinner, delivery or curbside takeout. If you havent had a hot breakfast cooked by another human in a while, its still awesome. And in the case of Canadian Bakins Q-Becco bagel sandwich, can even teeter on transcendence. My called-in to-go order was a seamless experience. The employee taking my order smoothly answered a couple quick questions I had and let me know my order would be ready in about 10 minutes. They ask when you would like your to-go ready, and I reside pretty close to Canadian Bakins 501A Church St. N.W. location, in the former digs of restaurants past, including The Eaves, behind Church Street Wine Shoppe. If you havent been on Church Street in a while, its been repaved and no longer resembles a war zone. Paid via card over the phone, and upon arriving at CBs cozy cafe, my order was at the end of the counter just like I was told. Clearly labeled and neatly packaged. Drive back home lasted the duration of one song by the Canadian power-trio Rush playing on the car stereo, but due to breakfast anticipation it seemed like the length of an entire concert. Back home and inside, shooed my two cats off the table (This is Matt food, not cat food!) and got down to business. Canadian Bakins Q-Becco bagel sandwich is a flavor/texture supergroup. Savory sweet melty soft fluffy chewy. Ingredient ratio is dialed in. So are the details. It takes the Canadian Bakin kitchen about an hour to make the crucial caramelized onions. The eggs are from a local farm, DSR. But damn the bagel. Its fantastic. If your bagel experience has been the packaged/grocery store variety, this really isnt even the same sport. Completely different freshness, texture and X factor. Whatever Canadian Bakin owner/baker Matt Johnson does during his 24 hour process must involve witchcraft. For the Q-Becco, you get your choice of bagel chassis. Went with the Everything bagel, which boasts a Jackson Pollock dusting of garlic, poppy and sesame seeds, adding final fine texture to this eat. With the bagels girth, before digging in it looks way bread heavy but that wasnt the case. Hearty and satisfying but didnt hate myself or feel pregnant after consuming it. For a side, theres a choice of fresh fruit or crinkle cut potato chips. Opted for the former, a mix of strawberries and blueberries that balanced the meal out nicely. At eight bucks, it felt like a fair exchange in 2020. CB sandwich menu options also include spins on lox, BLT, etc. Oh yeah, the coffee. They have that dialed in too. Canadian Bakins lead barista, Rachel Bush, is from Peoria, Ill., and they use Thirty-Thirty Coffee from her hometown. Their current espresso is a Goldilocks seasonal blend, a 50/50 mix of Coast Rica Cafe Vida and Guatemala San Pedro, which went into my $3, 12-ounce to-go cup of Americano. A smooth, roasty and complex sip. Canadian Bakin pulled off a rare trick with their cafes interior. Its new and clean but feels warm - like it has history on it already. Wood, brick, homey furniture and decoration. Behind the red and woodgrain counter, a chalkboard menu and, of course, shelves flush with bagels. The cafe holds around 23 guests. Right now, the times being what they are, about 75 to 80 percent of Canadian Bakins business is to-go. Theyre readying full online ordering from canadianbakinbread.com or the Toast TakeOut app for a planned Sept. 1 launch, in a partnership with DoorDash delivery service. If you know Canadian Bakins origin story, it makes them easy to root for. About three years ago, Johnson quit his computer desk job to pursue his passion. He started out selling his bagels, pretzels and breads not from some swanky bankrolled shop, but underneath a humble tent at local farmers markets. Johnsons isnt actually from Canada. The business appellation was derived from a nickname some friends bestowed on him. Ruggedly handsome, Johnson could be extra and some local entrepre-dandy if he wanted, but hes low-key and shy. Which makes Canadian Bakin more interesting. After three or so years building buzz and devoted customers, he pulled the trigger on a brick-and-mortar. Just in time for a big slice of pandemic pie. Canadian Bakin modulated opening plans for their cafe, dug in and kept their legs churning. Johnson is married to Daniela Perallon, a seasoned local media pro, and shes helped him build the bakery up, hit the curveballs and handles business and website operations. Shes also behind the controls of the business ace social media. Including that scrumptious looking photo of a Canadian Bakin bagel sandwich that hooked me. (Canadian Bakin is open 8 a.m. - 3 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 8 a.m. - 2 p.m. Saturday. Phone 256-489-2323.) MORE ON CULTURE 9 Huntsville beers perfect for the pool, lake and beach 20 new songs by Alabama musicians to know Larger than life Little Richard mural set for Huntsville Muscle Shoals musics unsung guitar genius Huntsville drive-in to show new release movies Ambassador Dang Dinh Quy, head of the Vietnam Permanent Mission to the UN, has affirmed that a comprehensive ban on nuclear testing is an important step towards nuclear disarmament. Ambassador Dang Dinh Quy, head of the Vietnam Permanent Mission to the UN (Source: VNA) ASEAN rejects all kinds of nuclear tests which run counter to efforts, international standards and relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council, the Chair of the ASEAN Committee in New York said on August 26 when attending a virtual meeting in commemoration of the International Day against Nuclear Tests (August 29). The bloc supports the consolidation and implementation of nuclear weapon-free zone treaties, including the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ), he stated. The Vietnamese diplomat stressed that all ASEAN member states ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) is the blocs practical contribution to the ban on nuclear testing. ASEAN and the UN can cooperate more to promote multilateralism as well as basic principles of international law and the UN Charter, including common efforts on nuclear test prevention, he added. At the event, participants said that nuclear tests and the existence of nuclear weapons continue threatening international peace and security. They called on all countries that have not joined the CTBT and the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) to sign and ratify them without further delay to make them become effective at an early date. The International Day against Nuclear Tests has been commemorated annually since 2010. August 28 marks the anniversary of the 1991 closure of the Semipalatinsk test site in Kazakhstan, the largest nuclear test site in the former Soviet Union./.VNA Political researchers are trying to figure out why women vote differently than men. Women voters were more left-wing than men in the 1990s in countries such as Japan, Ireland, Denmark, Austria and the Netherlands, but more right-wing in Turkey, Chile and Spain. Thats according to a 2000 report that concluded that the shift towards the left among women is strongly influenced by the modernization process. More recent analysis ties the U.S. gap to perceptions of womens economic security and the ideological polarization of U.S. politics, which has split the two parties on touchstone issues such as homosexuality, caring for the poor and deploying military force on which men and women have long diverged. Since more women than men tend to vote, the U.S. gender gap would seem to favor Democrats, but that hasnt necessarily been the case: In the 10 elections of the gender-gap era, starting with 1980, the Republican candidate won six times. One big reason: As women have gravitated toward the Democrats, men have moved in bigger numbers to the Republican Party. And the 2016 election results showed that gender is not the only gap at work. While Clinton scored wide margins of victory among black and Hispanic women, Trump won by 2 percentage points among white women, a much larger group. PHILIPSBURG:--- K1 DIRECT, alongside other NGOs in collaboration with Sint Maarten Development Fund and the Department of VSA have worked in partnership on the development and distribution of the Food Assistance Project to assist the most high-risk vulnerable households. This major effort requires ongoing coordination, as well as reliable transportation to reach individuals throughout various parts of the community. Towards this end, Motorworld Group of Companies has contributed two (2) Dodge Caravans for the remaining duration of the Project. We are living in trying times and remain steadfast in our undying commitment to the community. By means of ongoing partnerships with organizations like the K1 Britannia Foundation, we are proud to be able to lend a helping hand to support this Food Assistance Project, and consequently also, those individuals in the community who are in need of vital support, shares Tariq Amjad, Managing Director, Motorworld Group of Companies Through the Food Assistance Project, 3,200 of the most vulnerable households can be assisted with food distributions. Thus far, the households being assisted have very little to no income, are headed by single parents and/or seniors. Additionally, the program is also providing food support to homeless persons who are without fixed housing. Altogether, the program partners have committed to assisting some 12,800 persons across St. Maarten. As a non-profit, partnerships with the business community such as this, enables the Foundation and its volunteers to be more efficient during our food deliveries by allowing us to have more delivery teams out per delivery day, explained Priya Thirumur, K1 Britannia Foundation Vice-President. Families are struggling during this pandemic and being able to have this logistical support with two Dodge Caravans enables us to reach beneficiaries sooner. This also allows families to have one less night of wondering what they will eat. Thanks to Motorworld for partnering with us, concluded Alan Schet, K1 DIRECT Program Manager. Mangrove destruction was reported from the Panje area at Uran in Navi Mumbai on Wednesday, as a patch of the salt-tolerant trees located in the middle of the wetland was spotted missing. A complaint was filed with the mangrove cell and Bombay high court (HC)-appointed state committee that was set up to protect mangroves and wetlands along the Konkan coast. Environmentalists said they felt frustrated, as the HC panel has not met since March, despite repeated reminders by its own members to expedite the hearing of the complaints. The committees member secretary said about 10 new complaints and close to a 100 previously heard complaints are still pending. On Wednesday, a closer inspection of Panje by local birders unearthed chopped off branches of about 15-18 mangrove trees buried in sections of the wetland. We had visited the site last week and the mangrove trees were still there. Unidentified persons mercilessly chopped off the trees after rainwater receded. There have been attempts to block high-tide water in a bid to dry up the site, said Parag Gharat, an Uran resident and a keen birder. He alleged that he was threatened by industry officials. Since they have spotted me several times in the area, I have been told not to take pictures and stay away from the site, or I may be roughed up, he alleged. Spread across 213 hectare (ha) core and 157 ha buffer area for migratory birds roosting, Panje is a natural habitat to up to 1,50,000 birds, including both migratory and resident, during winter. The west side of the wetland shares a border with a narrow patch of mangrove that is up to 500 metres (m) wide and 1.5-kilometre long, while the east side is surrounded by degraded mangroves, villages and roads. Sections of Panje towards the Arabian Sea have been declared by the Maharashtra authorities as Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) I, the highest ecological protection. Mangrove destruction and construction within 50 m of the vegetation was banned by the Bombay HC in September 2018. Environmentalists, the City Industrial Development Corporation Limited (CIDCO) and private companies have been in a tussle for over two years to protect Panje from proposed industrial and residential projects. States bodies claimed the area was not a wetland, despite the fact it was identified as one by the National Wetland Atlas, Maharashtra, in 2011. Hours after Gharat shared the images of the hacked mangroves, environmental groups such as Shree Ekvira Aai Pratishthan (SEAP) and NatConnect Foundation sent complaint letters to Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray and urged him to book the violators . They also requested for closed-circuit TV (CCTV) surveillance at the site in a bid to protect the remaining mangrove patches. This kind of illegal activities are carried out at night with the help of local residents. Panje wetland is being reclaimed to be under the control and illegal possession of the Navi Mumbai Special Economic Zone. The project proponents are preventing local fishermen, birders and researchers from entering Panje, said Nandkumar Pawar, head, SEAP. BN Kumar, director, NatConnect Foundation, said, Vested interests are active and damaging the biodiversity by chopping off mangroves in the absence of any official surveillance since the state authorities are busy with tackling the raging coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak. The HC committee must hold an online meeting to take stock of the situation and instruct appropriate authorities to file contempt cases for dereliction of their duties. Neenu Somraj, deputy conservator of forests (mangrove cell) and member secretary, HC panel, said, Panje has been a matter of concern for a long time because it is not an identified wetland on paper. Mangrove destruction is a serious offence. Our range forest officer has been informed to verify the allegations. Further action will be initiated against the guilty. In September 2018, a two-member HC division bench, comprising Justices Abhay Oka and Riyaz Chagla, while banning mangrove destruction in Maharashtra had directed the state authorities to form the grievance redressal committee to identify the vulnerable mangrove forests and wetland patches along the Konkan coast and ensure restoration of these sites to their original condition. On Wednesday, the state published a list of transfers for top bureaucrats with former Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) commissioner Annasaheb Misal appointed as the Konkan commissioner. I have just taken charge. We will do the needful, said Misal on holding the next HC-committee meeting. On August 17, HC panel member Stalin D wrote to the additional commissioner Konkan to convene a meeting soon. Previous directions passed by the committee have been ignored by various state bodies and the crisis has deepened. More reclamation is happening and also permissions are being given for constructions on khazan lands, wetlands, water bodies etc. It is crucial for the committee to look into these pressing issues at the earliest, said Stalin. Somraj said 15 fresh complaints had been received across the Konkan coast since the last meeting was held in the first week of March. At least 10 complaints were related to Uran, including Panje, while the rest were from Versova, Dahanu and Alibag. A total of 97 complaints are still pending, where a first-information-report (FIR) was registered, but charge sheets are yet to be filed. Besides the non-appointment of the Konkan commissioner, revenue officials from all districts had been busy with the management of the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the mangrove cell has followed up on all the complaints, filed punchnamas and documented each matter to be presented before the committee. Now, we are waiting for the next meeting to be called, said Somraj. . SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Uncertainty over leadership has weakened the Congress and demoralised its workers, the controversial letter written by 23 leaders to party president Sonia Gandhi on August 7 said, warning the high command of erosion in its support base with the desertion of functionaries across states. The letter, snatches of which were first reported on Sunday, outlined an 11-point agenda to usher in reforms in the 134-year-old organisation, called for an introspection of the reasons behind the partys steady decline, and appealed to the Congress to take the initiative for the formation of a national coalition of democratic and secular forces against the Centres ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Even after 14 months of the 2019 electoral verdict, the Congress Party has not undertaken any honest introspection to analyse the reasons for its continued decline, said the letter, of which HT has a copy. Also Read: Congress seniors demoralised Rahul Gandhi more than Modi-Shah, BJP: Shiv Sena Also Read: Unfortunate that Jitin Prasada is being targeted in UP, tweets Kapil Sibal The Congress Working Committee (CWC), the partys highest decision-making body, was not guiding the organisation effectively in building public opinion against the BJP, according to the letter. The institutional process of merit-based and consensus-backed selection had been disrupted, it added. The letter, considered critical of the high command, sparked a heated discussion at a CWC meeting on Monday with Congress leaders mounting an offensive on the signatories. Just four of the 23 signatories Ghulam Nabi Azad, Anand Sharma, Mukul Wasnik and Jitin Prasada are part of the 52-member CWC. After a seven-hour, high-decibel debate at the CWC meeting, the party authorised Sonia Gandhi to effect any necessary organisation changes, and reaffirmed its faith in her and her son Rahul Gandhi. Also Read: Sonia Gandhi names leaders in Parliament; Ghulam Nabi Azad retains spot On August 10, 2019, CWC named Sonia Gandhi the partys interim chief after Rahul Gandhi, who preceded her as the Congress president, turned down calls to withdraw his resignation in the wake of the 2019 Lok Sabha election rout. We have witnessed a steady decline of the Congress Party reflected in successive electoral verdicts in States and General Elections in 2014 and 2019. Reasons are manifold and need to be immediately identified. Otherwise, the Congress Party will find itself marginalized, both in the States, which is already apparent, as well as at the national level, the letter said. The uncertainty over the leadership and the drift has demoralised the Congress workers and further weakened the Party..., it added. At the same time, the letter-writers acknowledged the role of the Nehru-Gandhi family to make the Congress a formidable force in Indian politics. We acknowledge the resolute struggle, the visionary leadership and notable contribution of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. His enduring legacy will always remain a source of guidance and inspiration for the Congress party. The Nehru-Gandhi family will always remain an integral part of the collective leadership of the Congress party, the letter said, while also appreciating the leadership of Sonia and Rahul Gandhi. Situated on the south coast of Western Australia, the impressive 600-meter-long Lake Hillier boasts a dreamy pink hue that makes it a sight to behold. One photographer has managed to capture an impressive series of incredible shots of this lake that resembles a pool of strawberry milkshake. While out on the marine cruise near the surreal lake on Middle Island, tour guide Jaimen Hudson, who hails from Esperance, Western Australia, managed to capture these stunning photos from a drone. Hudson, who has been passionate about the outdoors from his youth days, loved diving and surfing; however, a motorcycle accident in 2008 left the now-29-year-old quadriplegic and confined to a wheelchair, which made it hard for him to find a hobby that he could enjoy. But in 2014, Hudson got into drone photography and videography, according to his website. The following year, he purchased a Phantom 2 and coupled it with a GoPro camera, and was hooked right away. As a tour guide who operates boat tours for local islands, Hudson began to snap aerial views of the water as a hobby on the side. The marvelous images of the bubblegum-colored Lake Hillier, which is surrounded by eucalyptus and paperback trees, along with the blue Pacific ocean have been captured by Hudson over the course of two years. Alluding to the shots, Hudson told Caters News Agency: The contrast of the beautiful blue turquoise water, white sandy shore, green trees and pink lake are truly a spectacleone that very few people get to stand next to and see. For Hudson, who has grown up along with the beautiful coastline as my playground, he said that Esperance Island Cruises operates a trip to Middle Island and Lake Hillier just a couple of times a year. Thus, whenever Hudson goes on a trip to the Middle Island, he takes his drone to capture images of the rare pink lake to share it with the world. When Hudson first visited Lake Hillier, he was also surprised and thought to himself, wow it really is pink, he regaled. For those who are curious to know the reason for the seemingly unnatural pink color of Lake Hillier, it is a topic most scientists are still dwelling on; however, some speculate that the color might be due to the presence of algae called Dunaliella salina microalgae, according to the Lake Hillier website. Additionally, the website states, The Dunaliella produces carotenoids, a pigment found in carrots as well. They further added, [b]ut the presence of halophilic bacteria in the salt crusts could be another explanation. A reaction between the salt and the sodium bicarbonate that is found in the water may cause it as well. However, Lake Hillier, which was first discovered in 1802 by navigator and cartographer Matthew Flinders, is not the only pink lake found in the world and is also not the only pink lake found in Australia. We would love to hear your stories! You can share them with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.nyc Two New Jersey police officers admitted Tuesday that they vandalized a pair of cars last year belonging to a man who filed an internal affairs complaint against them, authorities said. Asbury Park Police Officer Stephen Martinsen, 31, and former SLEO-2 Thomas Dowling, 27, both of Asbury Park, pleaded guilty to fourth-degree criminal mischief and as part of their plea deals they must forfeit any future public employment in the state, according to a statement from Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni. They also face probation when they are sentenced on Oct. 16 and must pay back the victim for the damage they caused to his cars, the office said. Spiteful retaliation from law enforcement officers towards a citizen for any reason is an unacceptable option. This is in no way condoned at any level, for any reason, Gramiccioni said in the statement. All members of the law enforcement community must maintain the publics trust by conducting themselves at the highest level of integrity and decency. Authorities say the men wore disguises when they rode their bikes to the vehicles in Ocean Grove and Asbury Park, smashed out the windows and slashed all the tires on Sept. 3 between 3 and 4 a.m. The vehicles belonged to Ernest G. Mignoli, an outspoken Asbury Park resident critical of the citys police department. Mignoli, 70, had filed an administrative complaint against both officers several days before the incidents. His jaw dropped when he learned that the people responsible for damaging his white Jeep Liberty and Toyota Prius were police officers, he said in an interview with NJ Advance Media last year. The cars suffered $500 in damage, the office said. Martinsen, a member of the Asbury Park police force since 2013, was suspended without pay when the charges came to light. Dowling, a Class-II special law enforcement officer, was fired. The cooperative efforts of the Asbury Park Police Departments Internal Affairs Unit and the Monmouth County Prosecutors Offices Professional Responsibility Unit is a clear example of how effective our current internal affairs policies are, Asbury Park Police Chief David Kelso said in a statement. These officers were held accountable for their actions and misconduct and we will continue to hold our officers responsible to build upon the trust of the community that we serve. Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription. Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com. A 28-year-old mobile money vendor, Owusu Adjei, has been shot dead at Onwi in the Ejisu Municipality of the Ashanti region. The incident occurred on Wednesday, 26 August 2020 around 7:30 pm. Narrating the incident, the Assemblymember for the area, Isaac Aboagye Antwi, explained that the armed robbers who wore nose masks came to the vendor and pretended to be withdrawing money. Mr Antwi said: Around 7.30 pm, I wasnt there but according to the eyewitness, they said they [the robbers] were two, they came to do mobile money [transactions] wearing nose masks; one of them was standing in front of the container. The other one went around the container, he went inside the container, so, the mobile money vendor told him to go out, and he was insistent but he refused and rather demanded the vendors bag containing money. The vendor refused and pushed the armed robber and then the other one who was standing in front of the container pulled the trigger. The robbers later bolted with an unspecified amount of money after shooting the MoMo vendor. Confirming the incident, the Ejisu Divisional Police Commander Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Stephen Tane Ngissah, in an interview with Kumasi FM's Elisha Adarkwah, said investigations have commenced into the matter. The body of the deceased has been deposited at the Living Waters Hospital morgue at Ejisu Kwamo awaiting autopsy. ---classfmonline The United Nations (UN) must bring an end to Russias ongoing military aggression against Ukraine. Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) President Paul Grod said this during a speech at the virtual celebration of the 29th anniversary of Ukraine's independence, organized by the Permanent Mission of Ukraine at the United Nations in New York on August 24. "After almost 7 years of war, it is critical for the United Nations to bring an end to Russias continuing military aggression against Ukraine and its frozen conflicts in Georgia, Moldova and Azerbaijan. A founding member of the United Nations 75 ago, Ukraine today needs the UN to act decisively - to establish peace and security in Ukraine and in the region," Paul Grod said Speaking to the permanent missions of the UN member states, the UWC president highlighted that upholding peace and security is the responsibility of every nation. Grod emphasized that the international community must never accept Russias occupation of Crimea or its violation of Ukraines sovereignty. He stated that the Ukrainian World Congress and the 20-million strong Ukrainian diaspora, which he represents, stand firmly with the people of Ukraine to protect the sovereignty and independence of Ukraine while building a more secure and prosperous future for generations to come. Mr. Gayheart Mensah, Chief Executive Officer (C.E.O.) of KomsKraft Consult, has challenged Public Relations (PR) practitioners and communicators to offer confidence and optimism to their stakeholders, given the Covid-19 pandemic in which the world finds itself. Declaring that fear is contagious; so is hope, he said todays publics of organizations have been consumed by isolation, boredom, stress, job losses, erosion of incomes, loss of symbols of normal life among many others. Consequently, the PR fraternity must lead in a way that offers hope in the face of the anxieties: we must commit to a message of hope. Mr. Mensah was delivering a lecture at the Maiden Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ) Alumni Association Webinar in Accra. Past students of the institute from diverse locations including the UK, Scotland and the USA participated in the webinar under the theme Journalism and PR Teaching and Practice in a Covid-19 Era. Mr. Mensah, who is the President of the GIJ Alumni Association, advised a revision of PR approaches in the context of the pandemic to align with changing priorities. He identified three perspectives to messaging and stakeholder priorities that are relevant today. First is the Near-term periscope into the crisis, which he said refers to providing insight into how Covid-19 is impacting employees, stakeholders and the larger public. The second is the Mid-term blueprint of what recovery might look like, whilst the third is the Long-term roadmap, visualizing the global village when it surfaces from the ashes of the pandemic. He encouraged PR professionals to avoid insensitivity and opportunism in their messaging, strive to be useful and not clever in what they communicate, demonstrate ample empathy in their messaging and demonstrate that our publics, particularly the customer, is more than just a transaction: he/she exists in our hearts as well. Mr. Mensah, who is also the Chairman of the Professional Development, Education and Accreditation Committee of the Institute of Public Relations (IPR), proffered some pointers for PR practitioners on how to conduct Advocacy, Government Relations, Social Investments, Sustainability Interventions, Investor Relations and Issue Management in a pandemic era. The Rector of GIJ, Professor Kwamena Kwansah-Aidoo, in his welcome remarks, commended the executives of the Alumni for coming up with the webinar series as a vehicle for mobilizing old students to be active members of the association. He spoke about the impact of Covid-19 on the academic calendar of the institute and the interventions that have been introduced as a result of that. Professor Kwansah-Aidoo was confident that the teaching and practice of Journalism and PR will emerge stronger post the Covid-19 era. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Defence minister Rajnath Singh and external affairs minister S Jaishankar will make back-to-back visits to Russia early next month for meetings of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) that are expected to bring them face to face with their Chinese counterparts amid the border stand-off. Singh is expected to be in Moscow during September 3-4 for a meeting of the SCO defence ministers while Jaishankar is set to visit the Russian capital for the SCO foreign ministers meeting on September 10, people familiar with developments said on condition of anonymity on Thursday. The visits are yet to be officially announced. Asked about the matter during a news briefing, external affairs ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava only confirmed that the external affairs minister has received an invitation for the SCO foreign ministers meeting. This will be Singhs second visit to Moscow in a little more than two months he travelled to Russia to participate in the Victory Day parade on June 24, reflecting the importance attached to the defence partnership between the two countries. The people said bilateral meetings had so far been arranged between Singh and Jaishankar and their Russian counterparts, though there were no proposals as of now for meetings with the Chinese ministers expected to attend the SCO meetings. The people added the possibility of such meetings too appeared unlikely, given the differences that have emerged in the disengagement and de-escalation process along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The people also ruled out the possibility of Russia playing any sort of role in mediating between India and China. The Russian side has been briefed by the Indian side on the border situation but there has been no discussion whatsoever on any sort of mediation, said one of the people cited above. At a time when foreign trips by Indian ministers are extremely rare because of the pandemic, Singh and Jaishankar are travelling to Moscow largely because of the insistence of the Russian side, currently the chair of both Brics and SCO, the people said. These meetings will be preceded by a virtual meeting of the foreign ministers of the Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa (Brics) grouping on September 4, the Russian foreign ministry announced on Thursday. That meeting, to be chaired foreign minister Sergey Lavrov, will exchange views on topical international matters, said Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova. Zakharova said the Brics foreign ministers will discuss cooperation in three key areas politics and security, economics and finance and humanitarian ties. The Brics meeting was to have been held in Moscow at the same time as the SCO foreign ministers meeting but was converted into a video conference after the Brazilian and South African ministers expressed their inability to travel due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the people cited above said. The Brics and SCO summits are expected to be held in St Petersburg. Indian, Chinese and Pakistani troops are also set to take part Exercise Kavkaz 20, a multilateral tri-services drill being held in Astrakhan region of southern Russia during September 15-27. The exercise will bring together some 13,000 troops from 20 countries, including the eight members of SCO. The scope of Ex Kavkaz 20 is vast and its aim is to provide real-time training to counter international terrorism, a second person said. The Indian army will send a company or about 180 troops from an infantry battalion and elements from other arms along with elements of the air force and observers from the navy. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON The World Health Organization said on Thursday it was looking into whether observed irregularities in a Covid-19 PCR swab test made by Chinas BGI Biotechnology (Wuhan) Co, Ltd were linked to how it was used in Sweden. The WHO said it had asked the maker for a root cause analysis. Chinas BGI Genomics said on Wednesday its diagnostic coronavirus testing kit has relatively high accuracy, a day after Sweden said about 3,700 people received false positive results due to a fault in the companys product. The WHO, which has approved the tests for emergency use, said in reply to a Reuters query: WHO was notified and has activated the complaint procedure for in vitro diagnostics ... to gauge if the observed irregularities were due to the way the test was used. Specifically, WHO has contacted the manufacturer and requested a root cause analysis... We are continuing the work with BGI to determine if further action is required, it said. PHOENIX, Aug. 26, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Every ten years, the United States counts everyone living in the country, and then uses the Census data to make decisions about how to distribute billions of dollars in federal funds. The 2020 US Census is underway with a deadline that has been moved up 30 days by the current administration, to September 30. Because many rural tribal communities continue to face broadband challenges that have been compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a current undercount of the American Indian population that could have dire consequences for countless individuals and families. "The latest update I've received from the National Urban Indian Families Coalition is that of the 1,028,377 American Indians and Alaska Natives living on reservations, only 373,067 have completed the 2020 US Census," said Patricia Hibbeler, Phoenix Indian Center's CEO. "With more than 63 percent undercounted right now, we must reach these individuals as soon as possible to provide the necessary resources for them to complete their Census information," added Hibbeler. Responses to the US Census are confidential and protected by law and are vital to the future of education, infrastructure, housing, transportation, and other essential services. The undercount of the American Indian and Alaska Native populations means that funding for programs and grants benefiting tribal communities could suffer. The Phoenix Indian Center, in partnership with other statewide and national American Indian organizations, is working fervently to connect with the community to encourage participation in the US Census, and to provide the necessary resources. "It is important that anyone who self-identifies as American Indian or Alaska Native indicate that on the form, and then print the name of their tribe in the write-in area. We encourage everyone to check with their family and friends, especially those living on our reservations, to ask if they have completed the Census, and if they require assistance to do so," said Hibbeler. Head of households and individuals are asked to complete the Census online, based on who was living in your home on April 1, but if you don't, an enumerator will come to your door to count everyone in your household, including relatives, non-relatives, babies, and children. The Phoenix Indian Center is staffed to support the Census efforts and is available Monday through Friday, 8 am - 5 pm, to answer questions. The Census Office is also looking for enumerators, in Arizona and New Mexico especially in outlying rural areas, to count households in their areas. These are paying jobs that run through the September 30 deadline. Interested individuals can apply on the Census website. Tutorials and more information about the Census can be found online at 2020census.gov. About Phoenix Indian Center Founded in 1947, the Phoenix Indian Center is the oldest American Indian non-profit organization in the United States. Each Year, the Center directly serves more than 7,000 individuals, and more than 20,000 through related outreach, by providing services in the areas of job readiness, cultural enrichment, youth services, and prevention programs. Learn more at www.phxindcenter.org . SOURCE Phoenix Indian Center Related Links https://www.phxindcenter.org HEALDSBURG, Calif., Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Limerick Lane Cellars, a Sonoma County estate winery, launches a new sustainable premium wine brand called Revelshine. Revelshine, created to put premium wine in sustainable aluminum bottles, releases with a variety collection of three wines that are designed to be taken off the beaten path. Photography Credit: Allen Davis Premium wines in unbreakable, infinitely recyclable bottles. With an offering of a Revelshine Rose, Revelshine White and Revelshine Red, anyone can enjoy wine at their fingertips no matter where their compass takes them. Take a tasting room to the peak of a mountain, down a lazy river or off the coast in the bow of a boat. Fourth generation winemaker Jake Bilbro, founder of Revelshine, speaks to the purpose. "While my work life has always led me through wine, my passion and love is the outdoors. Rivers, mountains, beaches, music festivals - this is where I find my inspiration. I realized, along with my other friends who are surfers, skiers, kayakers, mountain bikers and musicians that you just do not have good wine where we enjoy these activities. If you do, it is because you had to go to extraordinary lengths to bring it (such as duct taping your bottles or pouring your good wine into inflatable bladders from previous boxed wine). No matter the bottle, the glass doesn't work on the beach or the river. And that is how Revelshine was created." Still meant to be poured and enjoyed, the variety of Rose, White and Red allows flavor profiles for anyone. The aluminum bottles are meant to be packed in and packed out, so we can all preserve the outdoors for the next generation. In order to help protect our outdoors, Revelshine has partnered with 1% for the Planet to give back and is working towards creating additional sustainable and socially responsible products in the future. "Now more than ever the need to be outdoors and finding moments of REVELSHINE, is imperative for our outdoor premium wine community and our sanity to be honest. The earth has become even more important over these last 6-months as we all seek to find isolated peace. Jake saw a problem and now we are providing a socially responsible solution and of course having a bit of fun at the same time. We are fortunate to work with partners that share our desire to make a difference in this world, as well as our local Sonoma County community. This is just the beginning, who knows where this path will lead us next... " says Gina Lathrum, Director of Marketing Revelshine is for the community who wants to unplug and explore while making a tasting room at the peak of a mountain, the end of a trail or soaking up the sun in the sand. Now, forge any new trail with Revelshine Wines. www.revelshinewines.com For more information, contact Caitlin Davis, [email protected] About Revelshine Revelshine is a brand that has created premium wine and bottled it in infinitely recyclable aluminum bottles. Still meant to be poured and enjoyed, the variety of Rose, White and Red allows flavor profiles for anyone. The aluminum bottles are meant to be packed in and packed out, so we can all preserve the outdoors for the next generation. As always, drink responsibly and never drink and drive. SOURCE Limerick Lane Cellars Former FBI director James Comey has accused Donald Trump and William Barr of leaving a legacy of damage at the Department of Justice (DOJ). In an op-ed, published on Tuesday in The Washington Post, Mr Comey wrote that the President and Mr Barr, the current Attorney General, are continually harming the impartiality of the department. Mr Comey accuses Mr Barr of providing "an assist" to the President, intervening in the case of Mr Trumps friend, Roger Stone, and attempts to drop the case of Michael Flynn. They damaged it again when the attorney general intervened in a case involving the presidents friend Roger Stone to overrule the sentencing recommendation of career prosecutors, he noted. Mr Comey also pointed to the violent clearing of George Floyd protesters at Lafayette Square in Washington, DC, on 1 June. And again when the attorney general marched across a smoke-filled square that he had ordered cleared of protesters exercising their rights as Americans, all so the president could stand in front of a church and hold up the Bible as a political prop, he wrote. Mr Comey, who served as deputy Attorney General for two years under President George W Bush, insisted that on each occasion, Mr Barr and the President further damaged the DOJ. The justice system in the United States is built upon the idea that the truth is a real thing and it must be spoken, by everybody, he writes. If we are to be a healthy nation, the damage must be repaired. Mr Comey implied that the judicial system has become heavily politicised, adding: if Trump-style justice becomes our tradition, nobody is safe. In recent months, the President has faced increasing critiques that he has eradicated norms by weighing in on Justice Department matters. The facts and the law not loyalty to Trump, or wealth, or race must be the only thing that matters. And no matter our politics, we should see it the same way, Mr Comey wrote. Mr Comey was the seventh FBI director but was dismissed by Mr Trump in 2017. In the opinion piece, he warns against a DOJ which decides who to prosecute based on politics. All Americans are at risk because eventually your party will be out of power, which means the people in power will be coming for you. Thats not America, he wrote. At the end of the op-ed, he endorses Democratic presidential nominee, Joe Biden, saying: We need a president who will appoint an attorney general not because he needs a personal defence lawyer but because American justice needs a guardian. Over the years, China has evolved to be one of the prominent suppliers in the global market. China's market has extended its wings and began to emerge as a strong raw material provider for cheaper rates, which has attracted various countries towards China for trade. The total import and export of Chinese goods are close to $280.9 billion, which is around three percent of the global trade. According to Statista, China's trade surplus stood close to $422 billion and the export goods summed a high record of about $2.5 trillion and thus, the goods exports constitute around 17.4 percent to China's GDP. While, India's total imports from China is nearly 16 percent, as the country relies on China for electrical machinery, nuclear reactors, fertilizers, organic and inorganic chemicals, and more. But, China's contribution is much higher in comparison with other countries from whom India imports goods and services. On the contrary, according to the Federation of Indian Export Organization (FIEO), China is a major partner for exports from India. With $15.5 billion, it is the third-largest consumer destination of India. Experts say that blanket ban on China may not be feasible, as nearly $3.6 billion worth pharma ingredients are imported from China and it caters about 68 percent on pharma import. Thus, the blanket ban on China imports would lead to a shortage of medicines for both domestic and export purposes and have a direct impact on India's exports as well. Now, with the Indian government imposing a ban on Chinese applications and products, how would India sustain without China's raw materials? Generally, trade takes place between the manufacturers and the consumers. But, for the country to stretch its market across the globe, it has to focused on international trade. International trading provides wider exposure for producers as well as consumers and hence, broadens the availability of varied goods and services available at different quality and competitive rates. India relies on China for raw materials especially for sectors like textiles, electronics, chemicals, and pharma. India and China are the largest pharmaceutical exporters worldwide. Though, India is the largest exporters of generic medicine, China is dominant in Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs). Thus, it is expected that the US market would squeeze and Indian Pharma manufacturers would encounter tough competition from Chinese products. To address this issue, the government is reviving the local API manufacturing to counter China's low cost. As India sees a huge opportunity here, it has started working on a plan to supersize its own ingredient manufacturing to combat China's dominance in the global market Deepak Sood Secretary-General of the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Assocham) stated to another media firms, When it comes to pharmaceuticals, our critical imports from China relate to APIs. The Indian government has come up with several effective measures to boost self-reliance in these crucial areas as well. For the rest of pharma products, our domestic industry can compete with the Chinese within and outside India. Even for APIs, we expect to soon catch up. (Source: Hindustan Times) To Balance the Trade Deficit Laying ban on Chinese apps and goods also brought in new determination among all most every Indian to make his/her country self-reliant which gave birth to Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhigyan. Though this policy intents to make the country efficient in manufacturing goods, it also promotes the rise of foreign direct investment (FDI). India attracting more FDIs would increase the employment opportunities which in turn would contribute to elevating the country's GDP. The Aatma Nirbhar Bharat Abhigyan policy has been introduced mainly to revive the country's economy by focusing on land, liquidity, labor and laws that would benefit the farmers, MSMEs, taxpayers, and cottage industry. Furthermore, the policy is also is focusing on the trade deficit that is caused due to the rift with China. While, This policy also intends to raise the average of exporting the goods as well as cutting down the goods and services import. Divakar Vijayasarathy, Founder & Managing Partner of Consulting Firm DVS Advisors LLP, said in one of his statements, India has always been the dumping ground for Chinese products. With America restricting imports from China, more things could be dumped in India. India has always been using both tariff-based and non-tariff based approaches to limit the dumping of Chinese goods but often in vain." He further added, "Improving the cost-effective domestic manufacturing capabilities, establishing an integrated value-added supply chain and more importantly favorable regulatory regimes are solutions for fostering domestic manufacturing in the long run. Challenges Government could Counter In order to make the Aatmanirbhar policy successful, the government could find measures to bring down the input cost to compete in global trade. Duties on the raw materials, enhancing supply chain management, simplifying the tax refund system would greatly guide the country towards its goal. Also, the local investor could utilize the opportunity and provide capital at low interest rates to support the startup sectors who excel in innovation but lack financial assistance. Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. The thought of getting a surgery done is often fearful for people, however, these days, just every other thing has become easy, conduction surgeries for treating diseases has also become comparatively simpler and safer. This is due to the advent of minimally invasive surgeries, whereby the surgeon uses a number of techniques for operating with less damage to the body than is done with open surgery. Patients prefer minimally invasive surgeries because they are associated with less pain, fewer complications, and a shorter stay at hospitals. One of the minimally invasive techniques is interventional radiology. Interventional radiology basically refers to number of techniques that rely on the usage of radiological image guidance in order to target therapy precisely. According to a P&S Intelligence report, in 2018, the global interventional radiology market generated a revenue of $19.0 billion and is expected to attain a value of $27.3 billion by 2024, advancing at a 6.4% CAGR during the forecast period (20192024). Different types of products utilized for image guidance during interventional radiology procedures are angiography systems, magnetic resonance imaging systems, ultrasound systems, and computed tomography. Because of the growing prevalence of birth disorders and chronic diseases around the world, the demand ultrasound systems is predicted to increase in the coming years. For example, the APAC Society of Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiology conducted the 14th Annual Scientific Meeting for exchanging knowledge regarding cardiovascular and interventional radiology based latest applications and techniques among radiologists and medical doctors in different geographies of the region. The meeting was held on February 21st to 24th, 2019 in Indonesia, at the Bali Interventional Convention Center. Such initiatives are projected to result in the growth of the interventional radiology market in APAC. In conclusion, the demand for interventional radiology is rising due to the rising prevalence of chronic diseases and increasing demand for minimally invasive procedures. Read more: https://www.psmarketresearch.com/market-analysis/interventional-radiology-market The emigration and planning ministries developed a plan to integrate Egyptian returnees into the country's labour market, Makram said during a virtual meeting at the Narrative Summit Egypts Minister of Emigration and Egyptian Expatriates Affairs Nabila Makram said Egypt repatriated over 77,000 nationals who were stranded abroad when air traffic was suspended owing to the coronavirus pandemic. Addressing a virtual meeting at the Narrative Summit on Wednesday, Makram said the ministry received appeals from Egyptians working in the Gulf who were on vacation in Egypt, or from Egyptians abroad who were on tourist visits, working, or studying. Season three of the Narrative Summits digital talks, entitled "Reshaping Norms", kicked off in late April. The summit gathers different experts, industry leaders, and decision-makers to tackle the global and local effects of the COVID-19 crisis that has ushered in a new reality across different sectors. The immigration and planning ministries developed a plan to integrate Egyptian returnees into the country's labour market, Makram said. The ministry collected the data of repatriates through forms they filled on their flights back home and during their stay in quarantine centres, Makram added. The minister noted that the data was analysed and their results were distributed to the ministries of commerce, industry, and local development, so that the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency (MSMEDA) can put forward the available projects in each governorate, while clarifying the possibilities of obtaining loans to implement such projects. Makram said national projects and businessmen are in need of specialised labour and that the labour force returning from abroad is key to achieve Egypt's 2030 Agenda. "Egyptian expatriates presented a positive image through their eagerness to participate in both the presidential elections and the referendum on the constitutional amendments in 2019," she pointed out. Makram said she appreciates the Egyptian expats' efforts and peaceful rallies in the US, Germany, and other European countries, in which they called for the protection of Egypt's rights to Nile water. The ministry produced a multilingual film highlighting Egypt's historic right to Nile waters and distributed it on embassies and consulates, she added. Search Keywords: Short link: South Africa: Reckless behaviour could hinder COVID-19 progress, warns Cabinet While Cabinet has welcomed the countrys move to alert level 2 of the lockdown, the executive has warned that the fight against the virus could be hindered by the reckless behaviour of some in society. The view was on Thursday relayed by Minister in the Presidency, Jackson Mthembu, during a post-Cabinet press briefing. Mthembu said Cabinet is of the firm view that the move to level 2 from 18 August has resulted in the welcomed relaxation of restrictions on even more socio-economic activities. This significant transition, he said, will inevitably lead towards the recovery of the countrys economy, as well as the creation of much-needed jobs, particularly in the tourism and hospitality industry. Cabinet acknowledged that while some countries had experienced a second wave of the virus, something that is an ever-present possibility in South Africa, the countrys collective efforts in the next few weeks could quell this threat. That will determine how we move [going] forward, Mthembu said. Cabinet during its meeting called on every member of society to take further precaution and practice responsible behaviour. Do the right thing to avoid a second peak. Government is working with social partners and communities to ensure that districts are adequately resourced and organised to contain the spread of Coronavirus. "Our nation has made significant strides in fighting the pandemic... It is because of all our... contributions that we have seen infections going down in our country, and we are proud that we have been able to confront this disease, Mthembu said. Cabinet, however, agreed that the disease has not been defeated. "Our work is being defeated by the reckless behaviour of people who refuse to play a role in curbing the spread of Coronavirus. Those who drive under the influence of alcohol and behave recklessly are endangering the lives of innocent people. "As a result of such reckless behaviour, this week we mourn the untimely death of three Tshwane Metro Police Department officers, who lost their lives in a tragic crash with a drunk driver. "This fatal accident is a wake up call to all of us, individually and collectively, to reflect on what we can do to act responsibly and play our part in curbing alcohol abuse," said Mthembu. Cabinet urged South Africans to continue observing health protocols, even during alert level 2. That we are in level 2 does not mean the threat of infection has disappeared. We must all maintain social-distancing, wear our masks regularly and regularly wash our hands or use an alcohol-based hand-sanitiser, said the Mthembu. This, he said, will see the country make great strides towards avoiding a second wave of infection. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2020-08-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Sister Dierdre Byrne, a physician who served in the military for 29 years before joining her order, lauded President Trumps pro-life record during her speech at the Republican National Convention. Refugees she has worked with throughout the world all share a common experience: they have been all marginalized, viewed as insignificant, powerless and voiceless, Byrne said. And while we tend to think of the marginalized as living beyond our borders, the truth is, the largest marginalized group in the world can be found here in the United States. They are the unborn. Byrne continued, As a physician I can say without hesitation that life begins at conception. While what I have to say may be difficult for some to hear, Im saying it not just because Im pro-life: Im pro-eternal life. And I want all of us to end up together in heaven someday. Byrne then praised President Trump as the most pro-life president in the history of the country, and decried Joe Bidens and Kamala Harriss support for abortion rights. Trump has gone to great lengths to court pro-life Americans. Although he described himself as very pro-choice while running for president in 1999, Trump has since adopted the pro-life cause, and became the first president to attend the March for Life in January 2020. Unborn children have never had a stronger defender in the White House, Trump said at the march. More from National Review Senate President Milos Vystrcil will lead a 90-member delegation, which will include Pragues mayor, who recently cancelled its twinning with the Chinese capital. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is in Europe to refurbish his countrys image. But Dutch Foreign Minister is worried about developments in Hong Kong and Xinjiang, as well as religious freedom for Christians, Tibetan Buddhists and Muslims. Taipei (AsiaNews) A Czech delegation will visit Taiwan from 30 August to 4 September, Prague Mayor Zdenek Hrib announced yesterday. Mr Hrib will be part of the 90-member group, which will be led by Czech Senate President Milos Vystrcil and will include other political leaders as well as academics, business leaders and artists. China is dead set against the visit, as it indirectly boosts the status of what it regards a rebel province. During his stay, Mr Vystrcil will meet Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and address the Legislative Yuan, the countrys parliament. On several occasions, the Czech leader has stated that mainland Chinas threats against Taiwan have reinforced his intention to make the trip. Hrib is also known for his support for the island. Last January, the mayor of the Czech capital concluded a twinning agreement with Taiwans capital, Taipei. Three months earlier, after the Chinese authorities refused to remove a clause on recognising Taiwan as part of Communist China, he terminated the sister-city deal with Beijing. Disappointed by Chinas failure to live up to its promises to make investments related to the Belt and Road Initiative, Chinese President Xi Jinping's infrastructure plan to make his country the hub of world trade, the Czech Republic (Czechia) has become one of the European countries more closely aligned with the US position vis-a-vis Communist China. According to several observers, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is currently in Europe to restore his countrys image in the Old Continent. Europeans have criticised Beijing for its handling of COVID-19 pandemic, its crackdown in Hong Kong, the lack of internal reforms, and the risks associated with Huawei's 5G technology. Wang warned EU countries to avoid being dragged by the United States into a "new Cold War", but his European counterparts remained unimpressed. Yesterday, Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok raised concerns over Hong Kong and human rights during his meeting with Wang. The arrests of local journalists and pro-democracy lawmakers, delaying Hong Kongs parliamentary elections, and the new national security law are "extremely worrying developments," Blok said. The Dutch minister also urged his Chinese counterpart to show greater respect for religious freedom in China, especially in relation to Christians, Tibetan Buddhists and Muslims. An electronic ankle bracelet has been removed from Yulia Kuzmenko, accused of involvement in the murder of Belarusian journalist Pavlo Sheremet, lawyer Taras Bespaly has said. "Friends, I completely forgot to say that today [on Wednesday, August 26], the police officers complied with the decision of Shevchenkivsky District Court and removed the electronic monitoring device from Yulia Kuzmenko," he wrote on his Facebook page late Wednesday evening. On August 25, Shevchenkivsky District Court of Kyiv, at the time of consideration of the case on the merits, imposed pretrial restrictions in the form of round-the-clock house arrest, also until October 23, 2020, inclusive. The court also ordered Kuzmenko to arrive at the court on demand and submit documents for traveling abroad. YouTuber Daud Kim makes an apology video and talks about the sexual assault case that was filed against him in a video posted on Wednesday./ Capture from YouTube By Lee Hyo-jin Korean Muslim YouTuber Daud Kim has come under fire for allegedly attempting to rape a woman last year, prior to his highly publicized conversion last year, and internet users have raised speculations that he may not be a true convert and faithful to Islam. Kim, a content creator in his 20s with more than 2.27 million subscribers, posts videos in English about living as a Muslim in Korea. He has gained many Muslim followers from around the world after he openly converted to Islam from Christianity last September. The rape accusation was raised Monday through a TikTok video posted by a foreign woman claiming Kim attempted to sexually assault her. In an undated video, Kim is shown putting on his underwear and trousers at the bottom of a set of stairs in the woman's home while she can be heard crying. "Kim tried to rape me on the day I arrived in Korea. I wanted to gather more evidence but he blocked me on social media. He is deceiving millions of followers," read the caption for the TikTok post. After the video was widely spread on social media, Kim posted an apology Wednesday. He admitted the incident had occurred on June 27 last year, but said he had reached a settlement with the victim. "She (the victim) invited me into her house but I don't remember clearly what happened as I was drunk. I apologized to her several days later," Kim said. Shortly after his public apology, the victim created the Twitter account @CancelDaudkim and elaborated on the incident, claiming that Kim did not receive any punishment. "The police assured me that Kim will be punished regardless of the agreement but this turned out to be false. His lawyer persuaded me to settle saying that 'He has a bright career ahead of him,'" she wrote. The victim alleged that Kim is actually not a faithful Muslim, as he was seen drinking in bars and hanging out with women. WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Columbus, Georgia -based Communicorp Inc. is recalling Plush Aflac Doctor Duck citing higher lead concerns, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced. The recall involves about 635,500 units of six inch plush Aflac promotional Doctor Duck, which is in white with a yellow beak and feet. It is dressed in a white lab coat with buttons and a stethoscope. 'Aflac' is printed on the front of the duck's lab coat. The affected products were manufactured in China, and distributed by Beverly Hills Teddy Bear Co. They were sold directly to Aflac employees and licensed agents from January 2005 through July 2020 for between $3 and $5. The plush ducks were distributed by Aflac to consumers as a promotional item. According to the agency, the buttons on the lab coat worn by the Doctor Duck contain levels of lead that exceed the federal lead content standard. Lead is toxic if ingested by young children and can cause adverse health issues. However, the company has not received any reports of incidents or injuries to date. Consumers are asked to immediately dispose of the recalled plush Doctor Duck. Citing lead concerns, Hasbro last week recalled 52,900 Nerf Super Soaker water guns sold at Target, and Avalon Furniture in early July called back about 9,500 units of Cottage Town Bedroom Furniture collection sold through Rooms To Go. 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. What the Covid-19 Economic Recovery Really Looks Like The media and politicians like to talk about "the economy" as a general term. These days, there is a lot of talk about it having V- or U-shaped recovery. But within the economy right now are several different economies, and they won't see recovery at the same time or rate. So if we have to choose a letter for what the recovery will look like, maybe it should be a K. That's because some will go up while others go down. This is already happening and apparent, as Heather Long illustrates for The Washington Post: "This dichotomy is evident in many facets of the economy, especially in employment. Jobs are fully back for the highest wage earners, but fewer than half the jobs lost this spring have returned for those making less than $20 an hour, according to a new labor data analysis by John Friedman, an economics professor at Brown University and co-director of Opportunity Insights." I have my own illustrations for you today. The first is a chart I call Economy Part 1. This graph goes back to 2000, and the red lines roughly show the trajectory of the recovery. The St. Louis Federal Reserve database has not updated the second quarter, but I tried to represent it. For a large part of the economymaybe the largest partrecovery is going to be slower than that of The Great Recession. And it is going to be lumpy. Notice that I have a recovery with a lower slope. That is in part because of the research by Dr. Lacy Hunt and others demonstrating that growth is slower in high-debt economies. Just a fact. Note that we do recover; it just takes longer for this portion of the economy. Then we come to Economy Part 2. Faster recovery and the slope of the recovery is higher. More like what I call the Stumble-Through Economy. It still doesnt look like the recoveries of the past, but that's perfectly acceptable given the problems. On this second chart, I want you to look at the yellow line I call the Disruptors. These are the companies that are changing the very foundations of our society and jobs. I think by now most investors are well aware of the FAANG or FAAMG stocks, or whatever acronym we use. I am not including them in my thought experiment version of Disruptors. I mean, they are, but they have been around for a while. Rather, Im talking about the new companies that will not replace them but will join them in the pantheon. You want to find out who the disruptors will be and how you can participate, rather than hunkering down. Because they will be the ones to lead the way and keep charging ahead when other sectors finally start to follow suit. The Great Reset: The Collapse of the Biggest Bubble in History New York Times best seller and renowned financial expert John Mauldin predicts an unprecedented financial crisis that could be triggered in the next five years. Most investors seem completely unaware of the relentless pressure thats building right now. Learn more here. Disclaimer: The above is a matter of opinion provided for general information purposes only and is not intended as investment advice. Information and analysis above are derived from sources and utilising methods believed to be reliable, but we cannot accept responsibility for any losses you may incur as a result of this analysis. Individuals should consult with their personal financial advisors. John Mauldin Archive 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication. A woman likely became infected with the novel coronavirus after she used an airplane bathroom, a new report suggests. The 28-year-old was among about 300 South Koreans who were evacuated from Milan, Italy, on March 31 - in the midst of the pandemic's height Europe, researchers wrote in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's journal Emerging Infectious Diseases. The team, from Soonchunhyang University College of Medicine, in Seoul, South Korea, says the woman wore an N95 mask for the duration of the flight, except when she went to use the toilet. At least one person who had COVID-19, but was asymptomatic at the time, also used the restroom, making it likely that the 28-year-old breathed in infectious droplets or touched a contaminated surface. The 28-year-old woman was among 300 South Koreans evacuated from Italy in March. She only took off her mask when she went to use the airplane toilet, which was shared by other passengers, including an asymptomatic patient (above) Eight days later, the woman developed symptoms such as coughing and was eventually transferred to a hospital, where she tested positive for coronavirus (file image) The flight, which was organized by South Korean officials, was conducted with strict infection control measures including testing everyone before boarding. Of the 310 passengers who arrived at the Milan airport, 11 who exhibited symptoms of coronavirus were not allowed on the plane. The remaining passengers were given N95 respirators and kept six feet apart for social distancing before boarding. 'Most passengers wore the N95 respirators except at mealtimes and when using the toilet during the flight,' researchers wrote. 'After an 11-hour flight, 299 asymptomatic passengers arrived in South Korea and were immediately quarantined for two weeks at a government quarantine facility in which the passengers were completely isolated from one another.' Upon landing, six received positive results for SARS-CoV-2 and were transferred immediately to a hospital. On the eighth day of quarantine, the 28-year-old began reporting symptoms including coughing, nasal discharge and muscle pain. She was transferred to a hospital on day 14, where she tested positive for COVID-19. Researchers believe she caught the virus while using the restroom because she quarantined by herself for three weeks prior to the flight The woman had only taken off her mask to use the toilet, making restroom transmission 'the most plausible explanation,' the researchers said. They added there is little to suspect that the woman was infected before the flight because she quarantined at home for three weeks and did not leave. 'The toilet was shared by passengers sitting nearby, including an asymptomatic patient. She was seated [three] rows away from the asymptomatic patient,' the authors wrote. 'Given that she did not go outside and had self-quarantined for three weeks alone at her home in Italy before the flight and did not use public transportation to get to the airport, it is highly likely that her infection was transmitted in the flight via indirect contact with an asymptomatic patient.' The study is among the first to show that the novel coronavirus can be transmitted on an airplane. This was already theorized by scientists after previous reports found that other diseases, such as the flu, can also spread inflight. Researchers say they believe the most likely route of transmission is by coming into contact with contaminated surfaces or infected people because airborne spread is difficult due to 'the high-efficiency particulate-arresting filters used in aircraft ventilation system.' However, many airlines have introduced policies such as leaving middle seats empty and disinfecting planes more frequently to encourage passengers that flying is safe. Backed up by a conservative legal group, many churches in California and Minnesota filed lawsuits this week against the governors of their states challenging restrictions imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic. ABC News reported "Across the country, the vast majority of churches have cooperated with health authorities and successfully protected their congregations. Yet from the earliest phases of the pandemic, and continuing to this day, some worship services and other religious activities have been identified as sources of local outbreaks." A lawsuit was filed in Minnesota this Thursday in federal court challenging Governor Tim Walz's executive orders requiring 6-foot social distancing and the wearing of face masks at worship services. Also, in Florida, a pastor filed a suit challenging Manatee County's mask mandate, asserting the COVID-19 restriction order shouldn't extend to the house of worship because it hinders prayer. The Thomas More Society filed a lawsuit Wednesday in California Superior Court against Governor Gavin Newsom and other officials. The pastor, John MacArthur has been holding services in recent weeks saying "we will obey God rather than men, he will be on our side." Older adults experienced greater depression and loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new study by Indiana University researchers, and relationship strength (perceived closeness to network members) moderated the relationship between loneliness and depression The study, published in The Journal of Gerontology: Series B, was authored by Anne Krendl, associate professor in the College of Arts and Sciences' Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences and Brea Perry, professor in the Department to Sociology at IU Bloomington. "What we found is the pandemic was associated with worse mental health outcomes for many older adults," Krendl said. "However, for some, having close social networks seemed to serve as a protector against negative mental health outcomes." Krendl and Perry's study examined whether social isolation due to the COVID-19 shelter-in-place orders was associated with greater loneliness and greater depression for older adults, and, if so, whether declines in social engagement or relationship strength moderated that relationship. Researchers compared personal social networks, subjective loneliness and depression of 93 older adults in the Bloomington community, six to nine months prior to the pandemic and from late April to late May when most people were under stay-at-home orders. Two-thirds (68 percent) of older adults reported spending less time than before with people they loved, according to the study, and 79 percent felt like their social life decreased or was negatively affected by COVID-19. However, 60 percent reported spending somewhat or much more time reconnecting or catching up with people they cared about and 78 percent were using some form of internet technology to keep in touch during the pandemic. On average, older adults reported spending about 76 minutes socializing virtually or over the phone each day. "Although prior research has shown that people in this age group are not avid users of social media, the pandemic seems to have moved the needle, with more older people relying on social media to try to stay connected," Krendl said. Research has shown that loneliness is associated with a number of negative outcomes for older adults, including higher rates of depression and higher mortality, while closeness to individuals in their networks can result in greater emotional well-being . "Although older adults were relatively adaptable in staying connected during the pandemic, we found that adults who felt less close to their social network during the pandemic experienced increased depression. However, for older adults who felt closer to their social networks during the pandemic, depression only increased markedly for those who also had experienced a large increase in loneliness." It is important, Krendl said, to fully understand the short-term impact the pandemic has had on older adults' mental health well-being so resources and services can be available to those who need it. Furthermore, Krendl will continue to follow up with those who took part in the survey, to see if changes in their mental health remain short-term or lead to permanent changes. "One period of increased mental health problems does not necessarily mean a permanent change," she said. "But certainly, periods of mental health distress can have longer term implications for health and well-being. Characterizing those shifts will be important for understanding the full impact of the pandemic on older adults' mental and social wellbeing." ### The study was conducted with support from the IU Office of the Vice President for Research. With four days remaining of the challenge, gaming aficionados have the chance to meet and play against some of the region's leading gaming talent such as Ahmed Al Nasheet (@dvlzgame), Amr Nassouhy (@nsoo7y) and Hussain Yousuf Anwar (@h.messi.10). Furthermore, participants can compete for the ultimate prize of a final match with Manny (@manny), a UK-based YouTuber and streamer who rose to prominence after featuring regularly alongside his brother Tobjizzle and the rest of the Sidemen in various football challenge videos. With almost two million subscribers on his YouTube channel, he's also founded his own football team (Under The Radar FC), scored a second chart topping hit and streams to a huge audience all over the world on Twitch on a nightly basis. The final will be streamed live on Manny's YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1crUC35Gk-U_-rv5sM4PtA on 29th August between 6-9PM GST. Speaking on the sidelines of the event, Ahmed Al Nasheet, Dubai-based lifestyle and gaming content creator said, "It has been an honor to be part of this incredible, one-of-a-kind Gaming Challenge extravaganza which brought us gamers together to really push the boundaries and showcase our skills. The event has surpassed my expectations and truly shows OPPO's commitment to the region's growing gaming community. We look forward to seeing you all there in the final days!" OPPO's partnership with Dubai Summer Surprises to create a gaming extravaganza for the youth has been developed to engage gamers in the country with a uniquely designed, socially distant gaming arena. Visit @oppoarabia to learn more. About OPPO OPPO is a leading global technology brand, dedicated to providing products infused with art and innovative technology. Based on the brand elements of leading, young and beautiful, OPPO dedicates to the mission of letting the extraordinary users enjoy the beauty of technology. For the last 10 years, OPPO has been focusing on manufacturing camera phones, while innovating mobile photography technology breakthroughs. OPPO launched the first mobile phone, the Smile Phone, in 2008, which marks the beginning of a journey to explore and pioneer extraordinary technology. Today, OPPO brings the aesthetics of technology of global consumers through smart devices, ColorOS, and Internet service like OPPO Cloud and OPPO+. In 2017, OPPO was ranked as the number 4 smartphone brand globally, according to IDC. Today OPPO's business covers 40 countries and regions and has 6 research institutes and 4 R&D centres around the world, as well as an International Design Center in London, providing excellent smartphone photography experience to more and more young people around the world. About OPPO MEA In 2015, OPPO entered the Egyptian market. In 2016, OPPO set up its Middle East & Africa Sales Center in Cairo. The markets OPPO has entered in the Middle East and Africa include: Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Kenya, Nigeria, and the Levant. OPPO set up its factory in Algeria in 2017, which made OPPO the first Chinese brand setting up factory in North Africa. Based on the insights of local consumers in each country, OPPO MEA has started the progress of localization. And the localization includes all the perspectives towards each market product localization, to further meet the core needs of users; marketing localization, to better communicate with local young customers; and team localization, to know our local consumers further and provide better service to the consumers. Within the last year, OPPO has started to adjust its product line in the Middle East region specifically. This has included the launch of its flagship OPPO Find X smartphone and the introduction of the OPPO Reno Series. OPPO will continue to evolve its local product line to offer more premium series to consumers in the region. SOURCE OPPO Getty Images En espanol | American Airlines is testing a newly approved antimicrobial protective coating that is able to make the coronavirus inactive on aircraft surfaces for up to seven days. The odorless, transparent protectant, called SurfaceWise2, was developed by the Dallas-based Allied BioScience, which specializes in antimicrobial coatings for use in public spaces. The company says the non-toxic coating is applied via an electrostatic spray to provide always-on protection on treated surfaces and continuously kill 99.9 percent of viruses. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved its use in Texas, where American Airlines is based, under an emergency public health exemption (Texas-based Total Orthopedic Sport & Spine also will be allowed to try the product). But Allied BioScience is seeking approval for SurfaceWise2 to be used throughout the U.S. and in a wide range of settings. "There are very few environments where this wouldn't be useful; it makes sense anywhere there are people trying to get back to work or back to school or back to sports, says Jess Hilton, Allied BioScience's chief marketing officer. "Anytime a disease-causing virus or bacteria lands on it, it starts killing it, says Charles Gerba, a microbiologist, professor of virology and one of the researchers at the University of Arizona who's been involved in testing the product for the past 10 years. They found that it reduced bacterial infections by 36 percent when used in hospital patient rooms and common areas, according to their study published in Clinical Infectious Disease in October 2019. "At the beginning of the year, with the outbreak, they started working on their reformulation to make sure it was active against coronavirus, Gerba says, and they were successful. The Youth Decide Zimbabwe is greatly concerned about inconducive growing poverty in the new millennium, lack of opportunities, limited academic freedoms, unemployment, drug abuse, exorbitant health care, human rights abuse and shrinking civic space has epitomized modern-day Zimbabwe; with young people absorbing the brunt of economic collapse. We are so worried about interminable upward diffusion by authorities concerning youth empowerment and participation in all societal agendas. As a youth-led organization, we are pleading for remarkable steps for institutional establishment that translate to the practical empowerment of young people who now constitutes above 62% of the total population. The National Constitution, Section 20 which is within the Africa Union Youth Framework; provides for the effective participation of youth in political, social, economic, and cultural affairs of the country. As an organisation, our vision is to create a conducive space wherein young people maximize their potentials in development that affect their lives through enhancing their capabilities and enabling them to affirm control over their circumstances, that will spill over to national development. As the Youth Decide Zimbabwe, we advocate for advancement of civil society growth, economic expansion, and innovation throughout the county by strengthening the participation of youth, promoting human rights, facilitating access to justice, and ensuring inclusion of youth in all communities through different formal roots. We are calling for donations and funding from individuals and institutions wishers to see Youth Decide Zimbabwe sailing and initiating projects and do programs as per outlined list of activities. We also inviting all youth to join the organisation so that we can work together on course to witness and celebrate the transformation than will lead to national development. - Advertisement - As the Youth Decide Zimbabwe, we are working tirelessly on COVID-19 awareness task through educating, informing, and interpreting. We also call upon the citizens of Zimbabwe, and institutions to ensure that the conditions and provisions set by WHO and government during this lockdown period are noteworthy. Let us fight to win, lets change our behaviour for the foreseeable future! Like this: Like Loading... The shift to online shopping has accelerated in the COVID-19 pandemic, but today Amazon made a bold move that underscores its belief that physical stores will remain a key component of how consumers shop. In the Los Angeles neighborhood of Woodland Hills, the e-commerce giant today opened its first Amazon Fresh supermarket. This is the first of a series of Amazon Fresh stores that the company plans to open, with others so far confirmed in Oak Lawn, Illinois; Schaumburg, Illinois; Naperville, Illinois; Irvine; California; and North Hollywood, California. Amazon would not comment further on plans, including timing, to TechCrunch. A blog post from Jeff Helbling, the head of Amazon Fresh Stores, notes that the store will open initially invitation-only, based on emails it will be sending out to locals, from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. PT. It will update more on opening hours and capacity over time here. You might be thinking to yourself, "but Amazon already has Whole Foods and smaller Amazon Go stores?" The idea here will be to build a new grocery store experience from the ground up, targeting a different customer. Indeed, this is par for the course with all consumer packaged goods plays: own a wide variety of brands targeting all demographics, and you will own the space. It's also an essential part of the playbook for Amazon in its wider bid to compete more squarely against the likes of Walmart, which dominates the world of physical (and therefore, all) shopping in the U.S. Walmart was estimated to have about a 26% market share of grocery sales in the U.S., in what is still quite a fragmented market, according to this graphic from Statista. The data puts Amazon's Whole Foods share at just 1.6%, although Amazon itself estimates that it is closer to about 4%, including its other channels, including online. Still pretty small, nevertheless. While Whole Foods focuses mainly on organic and health foods (and has rightly earned the nickname "Whole Paycheck" because of how expensive a shopping trip can be there), and Go is smaller and about catering to early adopters with its automated AI and camera approach for checking out, Amazon Fresh will bring in a bunch of recognised, mainstream big brands alongside Amazon's own burgeoning own-label lines, along with a lot of pre-prepared items. Story continues That's not to say it won't also be very tech-heavy. The store will have a new feature called the Amazon Dash Cart: people can build lists of items via Alexa Shopping Lists (via Amazon devices or the Alexa app) before going into the store, and there they use the Dash Carts to shop faster. There will be Echo Show devices set up around the store to give people advice on where to find products. (But I don't think they will be fully operational devices: i.e. no ability to change the music playing in the store through these... not yet at least.) It will also offer free delivery to Prime Members who shop at the store, which essentially will also become a depot of sorts for the wider Amazon Fresh operation -- which had been entirely online until now (and which had started to offer free delivery some time back to sharpen competition with the wide plethora of other grocery delivery options out in the market now). By building the whole store from the ground up, it will allow Amazon to integrate more tech into the experience more easily, too. The arrival, spread and persistent existence of the novel coronavirus has played out in a tricky way when it comes to physical stores. Depending on where you live, you will have different sets of regulations to comply with when shopping, which might range from requiring face masks or limiting entry or movement within stores, through to stores operating with other limitations and in some extreme cases not being opened at all. Amazon said it plans to take its own set of guidelines into how the stores will be run, basing it on how Whole Foods has been working. Employees will have temperature checks daily; both workers and customers will have to wear face masks; it will offer free disposable masks to people who need one; and stores will be limited to a maximum capacity of 50%. The opening of this store in LA should not come as a huge surprise to those who have been following the company's moves: it has been slowly picking up large retail locations to develop them into Fresh depots for a while now, including sites in LA, but a number of other signals, including hiring patterns, have led many to guess that the bigger plan was to build them into retail operations. The company has reportedly also been looking to develop physical grocery stores in other markets outside of the U.S. as well. There have been rumors swirling for years now in the U.K. -- which like the U.S. has a pretty fragmented and somewhat tumultuous grocery industry, dominated in its case by Tesco -- that Amazon has been eyeing up retail locations that have come up for sale as big retail chains have found themselves in financial dire straights. That predicament, ironically, has been partly the result of the shift to people shopping online, on sites like (you guessed it) Amazon. Updated throughout with more details from Amazon, and a more correct description of Dash Cart, and the correct name for Mr Helbling (Jeff, not James). August 27 : Arjun Kapoor was brutally trolled on Twitter as soon as his untitled cross-border love story film by Kaashvie Nair was announced. Twitter was flooded with trolls and memes targeting the actor. Arjun has always been a target of trolls and memes. But the recent nepotism debate that has started with Sushant Singh Rajputs death has heightened the wave of hatred for star kids on social media. On Wednesday, once again Arjuns name started trending on Twitter. #ArjunKapoor It takes guts to cast someone like Arjun Kapoor after what all has just happened.Either the producer is Dumb/ Overconfident Whatever may be the case it will be a Massive Disaster like his previous films.Time'up now for such Nepo Products supported by Bollywood Mafia. Bhaskar Agnihotri (@BHASKARAGNIHOT) August 26, 2020 It takes guts to cast someone like Arjun Kapoor after what all has just happened. Either the producer is Dumb/ Overconfident. Whatever may be the case it will be a Massive Disaster like his previous films. Time'up now for such Nepo Products supported by Bollywood Mafia, wrote a Twitter user. The actor because of whom a movie like Panipat floped He can single handedly destroy any movie even if the movie have a great script#ArjunKapoor pic.twitter.com/gxx5BO4kVM Vikrant (@vikrant0024) August 26, 2020 The actor because of whom a movie like Panipat flopped. He can single handedly destroy any movie even if the movie have a great script #ArjunKapoor, wrote another user. Some users were sarcastic, and wrote, Don't worry People Boycott ki zaroorat hi nahi #ArjunKapoor is enough to ruin any movie single handedly. Kaashvie Nairs untitled film stars Arjun Kapoor along with Rakul Preet Singh in the lead. The film also features John Abraham, Aditi Rao Hydari and Neena Gupta in vital roles. The film, currently being shot at the Film City Studio in Mumbai, is produced by John, Nikkhil Advani and Bhushan Kumar. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-Wash.) speaks during a hearing about the COVID-19 response on Capitol Hill in Washington on June 4. (Al Drago/AP) From the Mexican border up to Canada's, Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler is the last remaining Republican who represents a congressional seat that touches the Pacific Ocean. The Washington state congresswoman has outlasted her partys slow retreat from increasingly Democratic coastal communities by bucking her party on occasion, such as not voting for Donald Trump in 2016 because of his disparaging comments about women and immigrants from Mexico, and refusing to join the 2017 GOP push to repeal Obamacare. But now Herrera Beutler the only GOP Latina in Congress says the president has earned her vote for a second term. She is not alone. Of the three dozen or so Republican House members who said they didn't vote for Trump in 2016, all have either left office, fallen in line or not said whether they will support the president in 2020. As Trump asks voters for a second term, there is no sitting House Republican who has publicly said they plan to vote for anyone but the president, and only one GOP senator has said he wouldn't support Trump. For those moderate GOP lawmakers now supporting Trump, it's largely a matter of political pragmatism. There's little upside to challenging Trump, who has used the past few years to reshape the GOP in his image. Taking a stand today against Trump is unlikely to win GOP moderates any votes from Democrats, and it might even backfire by depressing the GOP turnout they'll need in November. For four years, Herrera Beutler's moderate politics have sometimes been at odds with Trump's and with the rest of the Republican Party. She's one of only 13 Republican women in the House. She wants to expand Medicaid, the government-run health program for the poor, to ensure that new mothers are covered. She believes that climate change is real and that humans are contributing to it. Shes among the House Republicans who most frequently vote against the White Houses position on legislation, including its major 2017 effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act, although she told a recent editorial board meeting with Vancouver's the Columbian newspaper that the law should be replaced. Story continues Herrera Beutler, who represents the rocky southwest Washington coast through the Portland suburbs to the Columbia River Gorge, has repeatedly said she doesnt like how Trump tweets and doesnt always agree with how he conducts himself. Yet, President Trump has done many things I agree with, like confronting the Chinese Communist Party on all of its illegal and unethical moves that undercut American workers and steal our military secrets, she said in a written statement to The Times. She said Trump also earned her support because of the strong economy before the pandemic, his support for congressional Republicans attempts to cut regulations and his efforts to enact bills to help small businesses, single moms and a vast majority of working families. Herrera Beutlers district was supportive of Trump before she was. In 2016, he won there by a margin of 49% for Trump to 42% for Hillary Clinton. While the suburbs of Portland have voted increasingly Democratic like voters in many suburban areas around the country the rural parts of Washingtons third congressional district have moved in the opposite direction. The coastal counties and other rural areas used to be blue-collar, working-class logging towns. But the mills closed and onetime lunch-pail Democrats have become Trump supporters, compensating for the decline in support in the suburbs. Many of the Republicans who didnt vote for Trump in 2016 have since left elected office, whether by choice or not. Some chose to retire, such as Sens. Jeff Flake of Arizona and Bob Corker of Tennessee. Others were run out of office, such as Rep. Mark Sanford of South Carolina. Some Republicans who didnt support Trump in 2016 are weighing the decision or wont yet say how they plan to vote. Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska said this summer that shes struggling with her vote. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine wont say how she voted in the primary. A handful of Republican governors didnt support the president in 2016 but havent yet said how they plan to vote. And there is thought to be only one elected Republican in Congress who has publicly said they wont vote for Trump this fall: Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah, who also voted to convict the president in his impeachment trial this year. For a rank-and-file Republican without the stature of Romney, opposing Trump risks turning off the Republican voters who are going to turn out to cast a ballot for him in November. And it wouldnt garner enough Democratic votes to make up for it. If youre a House Republican and refuse to support President Trump, youre asking for your base to abandon you, said David Wasserman, who analyzes House races for the nonpartisan Cook Political Report. Republicans are much more united behind the president now than in 2016. Voters have come to expect that if you have an R next to your name, you support the president, Wasserman added. The Republicans who did not support Trump in 2016 but do so now, like Herrera Beutler, are toeing the line between expressing their reservations about the president and framing the choice as a binary one: between a Republican president or a Democratic one whose agenda they oppose. Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), who has frequently criticized the president on Twitter, stressed that he opposes Bidens agenda and aligns more with the president. It doesnt mean that I have to embrace everything he says. It doesnt mean I have to go along with everything he says, he said on MSNBC on Sunday. Former California Rep. David Valadao, who is hoping to recapture the Central Valley seat won by Rep. T.J. Cox in 2018, said hes supporting Trump because he has actually been very helpful on a lot of different fronts. There is no other president who has been as helpful as he has on water policy, Valadao said on the Trevor Carey radio show. Democrat Carolyn Long, who is trying for a second time to unseat Herrera Beutler this year, scoffed at the idea that someone who was skeptical of Trump in 2016 could be moved to support him this year. We have so much more data on him as a leader, him as a person and certainly how hes handled this pandemic as well as this economic crisis, she said. For somebody to go from being unwilling to throw their support to actually supporting him now with all of that data, I find perplexing. Chris Vance, a former chairman of the Washington State Republican Party who is now an independent, condemned Herrera Beutler's support for Trump as nothing more than a survival tactic. Her strategy has been keep your head down, dont attract attention, stay below the radar and survive, said Vance. Its a wonderful strategy if all you want to do is survive. But surviving she is. Despite being labeled a RINO or Republican in Name Only by some conservatives in her district, she hasnt faced tremendous backlash from voters. Democrats are hoping to tie Herrera Beutler much more closely to the president. They stress her support for the GOP tax bill and opposition to impeachment. They also plan to emphasize that despite her 2017 vote against repealing Obamacare, she supported dozens of previous efforts to undermine or repeal the Affordable Care Act during the Obama administration. They see an opening for Long to build on her 2018 performance Herrera Beutler won 52.7% to Long's 47.3%, the incumbent's smallest reelection victory in her career. Outside observers view Long's chances more skeptically. Earlier this month, Herrera Beutler garnered 56% of votes in the states top-two primary to Longs 40%. "It's doable, but its a long shot," said Stuart Elway, head of Elway Research, a Seattle-based public opinion firm. "People were expecting this 'blue tsunami' election and it's looking that it wont be." Iran: UNSC consensus once again proved US isolation Iran Press TV Wednesday, 26 August 2020 8:28 AM Tehran says the overwhelming consensus among members of the UN Security Council (UNSC) against the US's push to reinstate all anti-Iran UN sanctions proves Washington's isolation once again. The Islamic Republic's mission to the United Nations made the remarks in a statement on Tuesday, hours after the UNSC dismissed the controversial American bid because of a lack of consensus at the highest UN body over the so-called snapback of sanctions against Iran. "Today, the overwhelming majority of the Security Council members rejected once again the admissibility of the recent letter" submitted by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo "notifying" the council of Washington's intention to "snap back," or restore, all UN sanctions on Iran. The statement reminded that "through individual or joint letters addressed to the Council's President, 13 out of 15 members of the Security Council" as well as Iran "have already strongly refuted the legal merit of the US letter." The US's push comes while it has lost the right to enable re-imposition of the sanctions due to its 2018 departure from a landmark nuclear deal between Iran and other countries officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) that has been endorsed in the form of Security Council Resolution 2231. The Iranian statement further said, "Given that the stated objective of the US is to destroy Resolution 2231 and the JCPOA, Iran trusts that the Council members will continue preventing that country from undermining the UN, including the Security Council." Earlier on Tuesday, Indonesia's UN Ambassador Dian Triansyah Djani, the UNSC's president for August, said at a meeting on the Middle East that the 15-nation body was "not in the position to take further action" on the new US push. Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said in a tweet later that the UNSC members had to use a meeting on the Middle East, not Iran, to refute the US attempt "as null and void" after Washington prevented a debate at the Council about its "unlawful notification" a day earlier. The new anti-Iran bid comes after the UNSC similarly snubbed a resolution drafted by the US to extend an arms embargo against Iran that will expire in October under the JCPOA. 'US can't hide behind smear campaigns' The Iranian mission, meanwhile, pointed to the allegations that the United States has been using against Tehran in order to try and justify its anti-Iran campaigns throughout the world, including at the Security Council. Washington ceaselessly accuses Iran of trying to "destabilize" the region and the world, alleging that the Iranian peaceful nuclear program features "diversion towards military purpose" with that end in mind. "Regarding unfounded accusations against Iran raised in the Council meeting by the US, it must be stressed that almost all problems in the Middle East stem from the continued occupation of Palestine by the Israeli regime and its expansionist policies supported by the US, as well as the meddling, destabilizing policies and destructive practices of the United States, which cannot be covered up by no amount of smear campaign," the mission said. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address President Donald Trump speaks on the first day of the Republican National Convention at the Charlotte Convention Center on August 24, 2020 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Chris Carlson-Pool/Getty Images) Trump to Give Unvarnished Take on Biden in RNC Speech WASHINGTONPresident Donald Trump is set to excoriate Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden in his speech on the final night of the Republican National Convention. Tim Murtaugh, the Trump campaigns communications director, said the media has generally ignored or glossed over many of the criticisms of Joe Bidens record, whom he called an empty shell of a candidate. So weve determined that the only way, the best way to really punch through is if the president delivers this message himself, Murtaugh told media on an Aug. 27 call. Tonight, the president will deliver a tough speech because Americans have tough choices in front of them. And we really feel that unless the president does it, the media will be tempted not to cover it. Murtaugh said Trump will deliver two distinct visions of the United Stateshis and Bidens. The president will go after Joe Biden for his radical left-wing agenda on a variety of topicsour borders, our nations borders, taxes, energy policy, trade, China, of course, and areas involving crime, Murtaugh said. This will be the unvarnished Joe Biden record and the unvarnished Joe Biden agendanot the cleansed and scrubbed version that we saw during the Democratic National Convention last week. Murtaugh confirmed that Trump is expected to say the following: At no time before have voters faced a clearer choice between two parties, two visions, two philosophies, or two agendas. We have spent the last four years reversing the damage Joe Biden inflicted over the last 47 years. At the Democrat convention, you barely heard a word about their agenda. But thats not because they dont have one. Its because their agenda is the most extreme set of proposals ever put forward by a major party nominee. Trump will lay out his key accomplishments as well as his vision for the next four years, Murtaugh said. He will contrast the Biden platform with his own, with such excerpts as: The Republican Party goes forward united, determined, and ready to welcome millions of Democrats, independents, and anyone who believes in the Greatness of America and the righteous heart of the American people. This towering American spirit has prevailed over every challenge, and lifted us to the summit of human endeavor. Politico was the first to obtain the excerpts of Trumps speech and the Trump campaign later confirmed their authenticity. Again criticizing the media, Murtaugh said an overarching goal of the convention was to show who a Trump supporter is, what a Trump supporter believes, where they come from, and how they are hopeful about the future of this country if Donald Trump is elected to a second term. Other speakers during the final night of the convention include Anne Dorn, whose husband, retired police officer David Dorn, was killed in the St. Louis riots; Alice Johnson, whose prison sentence was commuted by Trump last year; Carl and Marsha Mueller, whose daughter Kayla was captured and killed by ISIS; Pat Lynch, president of New Yorks Police Benevolent Association; Wade Mayfield, a Nebraska business owner who was able to keep paying his employees through a Paycheck Protection Program loan. Sen. Tom Cotton, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson, and former New York City Mayor Rudi Guiliani are also slated to speak. Trump is expected to kick off his speech at around 10:30 p.m. from the White House South Lawn. He will be introduced by his daughter Ivanka Trump, who is a senior advisor in the administration. Bidens running mate Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) is slated to deliver the rebuttal speech tonight. By the time of publishing, the Biden campaign hadnt responded to a question as to why Harris, and not Biden, is handling the rebuttal. The Nov. 3 election is in 67 days. I was awakened, early on May 29, by a reporter asking what I thought about the presidents latest tweet; that was how I first learned the most powerful man in the world had just said of the nationwide disturbances breaking out over the police murder of George Floyd, When the looting starts, the shooting starts. It portended a busy week. I am a historian best known for a book on how Richard Nixon became president by exploiting white Americans racial panic after the fourth straight summer of urban riots. And so a parade of reporters, podcasters and editors came calling: Was the same thing going to happen again? After all, Donald Trump hasnt been shy about drawing the parallel: during the 2016 campaign borrowing a famous Nixonism, The Silent Majority Stands With Trump; these days constantly tweeting LAW AND ORDER! whenever the spirit moves him. I repeated a basic observation: When chaos is everywhere, voters tend to reward politicians who promise calm which is what Nixon seemed credibly to do in 1968. But campaigning for congressional candidates in 1970, Nixon responded to metastasizing disorder under his watch with frenzied rhetoric about thugs and hooligans. His even more frenzied vice president, Spiro Agnew, said the thugs and hooligans received fawning approval from Democratic elected officials. Meanwhile, Senator Edmund Muskie, Democrat of Maine, gave a soothing election-eve address pointing out how this rhetoric was exacerbating Americas divisions much in the way Joe Biden points this out now. Then, in the congressional races of that year, voters rewarded Democrats with overwhelming victories. I concluded, When disorder is all around them, voters tend to blame the person in charge and, sometimes, punish those who exploit the disorder for political gain. I described the ways the then and the now radically diverge. In the 1960s, the racial backlash followed an unprecedented flurry of civil rights and antipoverty legislation, championed by a liberal president. Because that legislation only seemed to be followed by more anarchy, it was all too easy for millions of white voters to conclude that liberalism was to blame. No such dynamic obtains now. Indeed, on June 10, The New York Timess Nate Cohn and Kevin Quealy reported that in the previous two weeks, support for Black Lives Matter increased by nearly as much as it had over the previous two years. I am overwhelmed with joy. But the worry about what to do to help the corporation overcome the pandemic is 20 or 30 times more, said the newly appointed chair of Vietnam Airlines. Pacific Airlines has new CEO The management board of Vietnam Airlines, the holding company of Pacific Airlines, has decided to appoint Dinh Van Tuan to the post of Pacific Airlines new CEO to replace Nguyen Thuong Hoang Hai. Dang Ngoc Hoa, the new chair of Vietnam Airlines Born in 1970, Tuan has a masters degree in economics. He joined Vietnam Airlines in 1996 and has been in many different posts since then. From August 2018 to August 9, 2020, Tuan was director of Vietnam Airlines operations center. Established in 1991, Jetstar Pacific Airlines, the previous name of Pacific Airlines, became the first low-cost carrier in Vietnam. It has taken a loss and entered its third restructuring campaign. It was expected that Vietnam Airlines in July 2020 would buy 30 percent of Jetstar Pacific Airlines from Qantas to increase its ownership ratio in Pacific Airlines to 98 percent. Vietnam Airlines has new chair Dang Ngoc Hoa, who was deputy CEO of Vietnam Airlines, was appointed the new chair of the national flag air carrier at the annual meeting on August 10. Born in 1972, he has a masters degree on aviation safety. Hoa has been working at Vietnam Airlines since 1995. In 2016, he began working as a deputy CEO. Vietnam Airlines reported a loss of VND6.6 trillion in H1 because of Covid-19, and it anticipates a loss of VND15 trillion this year. New CEOs of banks and securities companies Techcombank has announced big changes to key personnel. Jens Lottner has taken office as the new CEO of the bank on August 18, replacing Nguyen Le Quoc Anh. Deutsche Bank has appointed Huynh Buu Quang, former CEO of Maritime Bank, to the post of CCO. Meanwhile, HDBank, of the female dollar billionaire Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao, has appointed Nguyen Huu Dang to the post of deputy chair and Pham Quoc Thanh to the post of CEO of the bank. Many securities companies also have new managers. At SSI, Nguyen Hong Nam started as CEO on August 1. At APEC Securities, Pham Duy Hung, who has been working for the company since 2007, has become the new chair of the company. FPT Securities has appointed Nguyen Van Dung to the post of chair of the company, while Nguyen Diep Tung will continue as CEO for the 13th consecutive year. VNDirect has replaced Pham Minh Huong with Do Ngoc Quynh as CEO. CEOs think Covid-19 impact will last until 2021-end A quick survey conducted at the From Survival to Prosperity Forum organized by FPT Group some days ago found that 85 percent of business managers predicted the impact of Covid-19 would last until the end of 2021. Five most important problems for businesses are increasing revenue, protecting workers, maintaining working capital, reducing the supply chain disruption, and innovation. Coteccons has announced the appointment of Vo Thanh Liem as the acting CEO since August 6, replacing Nguyen Sy Cong. Bao Anh Vietnam Airlines projects loss of over US$650 million this year National flag carrier Vietnam Airlines has forecast a consolidated pre-tax loss for 2020 of nearly 15.18 trillion VND (over 650 million USD) due to COVID-19. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Jim Stayoch plans to reopen Adobe Blues on Tuesday, Sept. 1. Dining will be in the parking lot located in the rear of the restaurant. Well have a slightly reduced menu. Hard-prep items were going to do away with at this time -- Chilies Rellenos, Pecos Chicken and ribs. Close People want online anonymity for many reasons. Perhaps you would like to avoid those annoying ads that keep coming up after you browse a similar product. Or you would like to access certain websites anonymously to enjoy internet freedom. Whatever it is, online anonymity is essential, especially in this era, where your online activities and privacy are always at risk. Proxies from specific locations help to boost your online anonymity. This means every time you browse the internet using such proxies, your real IP address is masked. Proxies can make it look like you are accessing the internet from that specific location. For example, people from China are barred from accessing social media. However, they can buy Vietnam proxies and use them to access social media platforms. But What are Proxies? Proxies can be likened to a friend who handles your online requests, helping you to remain unseen. They are intermediaries between you and the internet. When you use a proxy, all your online requests first go through the proxy server before reaching your target website. For example, when you browse the internet, the proxy receives your request and assigns a new IP address in order to hide yours. The proxy also uses the new IP to forward the response back to you. There are many kinds of proxies; those attached to a real physical location and others that come from a data center network. In this article, we will look at Vietnam proxies and where to buy them. Vietnam Proxies These are proxies with IP addresses from Vietnam. This simply means when you browse the internet, your IP address will be masked, making it appear as if you are browsing from Vietnam. Vietnam is among countries with strict internet use in the world. So why would you want to use Vietnam proxies? How Can You Use Vietnam Proxies? Hide IP Address As with many other location-based proxies, Vietnam proxies mask your real IP address. This works very well to protect your online identity. For example, let's say you are a US blogger, and you would like to access a website in Vietnam. Using your real IP will get you blocked because an IP is an online identification number. But buying a proxy with a Vietnam IP address will give you a new identity, which is less suspicious. Access Geo-Blocked Content The internet restrictions in Vietnam do not allow people outside the country to access any content inside the country. Be it internet content or Vietnamese shows on Netflix. If you are a Vietnamese living abroad and would like to watch shows from your country, you will need Vietnam proxies. They can help you bypass these restrictions and access any content as if you were in your home country. Web Scraping Web scraping is the process of retrieving useful information from websites using scraping software. In business, web scraping is very crucial because the scraped data can give insights to drive business growth. For businesses that are interested in the Vietnam market, web scraping can help in market research. It can help to understand the clientele, business culture, current opportunities, challenges, and so on. Ad Verification Global companies invest a lot of money in online marketing. It is, therefore, important to verify that online ads reach the targeted regions and in the right form. Vietnam proxies can help to verify ads displayed in Vietnam are correct, and they look as they should. So, Where Can You Buy Vietnam Proxies? Even though the country is known to have strict internet regulations, it is totally legal to have a Vietnamese IP address. There are, therefore, many proxy providers who offer proxies with Vietnamese IP addresses. Below is a highlight of some of the top Vietnam proxy providers. Oxylabs: Oxylabs has global proxy coverage. They have proxy servers in every country and city in the world. Blazing Proxies: Blazing Proxies has proxies from 9 countries, including Vietnam. This provider allows you to choose which of the available countries you want your proxies to in. Prem Proxy: This provider has both free and paid Vietnamese SOCKS proxies. They currently have a list of 72 SOCKS proxies to choose from. Geo Anonymous Proxies: They offer highly anonymous proxies that are geolocated. You simply register in their user portal and add the country you would like your proxies to be in. Proxy Bonanza: Proxybonanza offers IP addresses from different countries. They have 107 locations to choose from, including Vietnam. Conclusion Vietnam has highly restricted and censored internet policies in the world. The government imposes heavy punishment on people who conduct online activities without complying with their policies. As a matter of fact, bloggers have been jailed in the last few years. Vietnam proxies can help you avoid identity leakage by concealing your real identity. They can also help you access censored content and geo-blocked websites. See Now: What Republicans Don't Want You To Know About Obamacare remaining of Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading. Police in northern France said Wednesday they had arrested a man suspected of having stabbed a waiter at a beachfront bar after he asked him to wear a mask. "A 29-year-old man, of Afghan nationality, entered a restaurant on the beach of Le Havre in the late afternoon," a police source told AFP. "He was drunk and was not wearing a mask. A waiter asked him to put one on. "He went outside, before returning and stabbing the waiter in the chest with a knife." The waiter, aged 30, was seriously wounded but his life was not in danger, the source added. An off-duty police officer who intervened was slightly hurt. Police officers arrested the man as he left the bar and he is now in custody. France, which is battling a resurgence of the coronavirus, has made wearing masks compulsory inside cafes, restaurants and most other indoor public spaces, as well as some outdoors. Thursday, August 27th, 2020 (12:01 am) - Score 2,306 The UK Government has today called on local authorities to help support the roll-out of gigabit-capable broadband (FTTP, DOCSIS 3.1) and 5G mobile networks by, among other things, implementing new advice on land access and valuations in order to speed up the pace of deployment. The reformed Electronic Communications Code (ECC), which was introduced at the end of 2017 (here), was supposed to make it easier and cheaper for telecoms operators to access public and private land in order to build new networks. Unfortunately it ended up creating a lot of disputes between operators and land / property owners (example), which have bogged down the tribunal system. Some of those issues have since been resolved, although when it comes to public land the Government claims that some deals are not progressing quickly enough. Councils are generally obliged to get the best value when agreeing land access agreements, but ministers now want them to take into account non-monetary benefits, such as enhanced connectivity for residents to work from home and SMEs to trade online (this could make it easier for operators to install kit on wider public estates, rooftops or other sites etc.). The new guidance, which has been issued by Matt Warman (Digital Minister) and Simon Clarke (Local Government Minister), also highlights recent legal interpretations of the current framework, which indicate reductions in previous rents are to be expected (though they still seek reasonable rents for 5G masts and full fibre broadband cabinets on public land). NOTE: The land valuations guidance updates existing advice available to local authorities to reflect tribunal determinations on valuation that have been published since the 2017 reforms to the ECC came into effect. On top of that it explains the different approaches that can be taken to the renewal of existing agreements. The letter also emphasises the impact councillors and senior non-elected officials can have to drive forward strategies for getting better connectivity in local areas and encouraging a more joined-up approach between highways, legal, estates and digital teams (some examples of this have already been seen in Cambridgeshire, Kent and the West Midlands 5G project). On top of this a plain English guide to 5G has been created to help councils answer questions and manage any concerns around any unfounded health implications of 5G, which follows a spate of attacks against broadband and mobile infrastructure by conspiracy theorist during the COVID-19 crisis. The government, via Ofcom and Public Health England, are keen to stress that 5G should have no consequences to public health (see our 5G Fact Check). Matt Warman, UK Minister for Digital Infrastructure, said: We want to help people get access to fast and reliable connectivity. It is a top priority for this government. Councils have a vital role to play in the rollout of digital infrastructure and while there is good work going on up and down the country, there is more we can do. Today Im writing to local authorities with new guidance and advice to help them break down some of the barriers to rollout and give them the tools they need to quell quack theories about 5G. Hamish Macleod, Director of trade body Mobile UK, said: The updated valuation guidance published by the Government will give councils the confidence to bring wider community benefits, such as enhanced mobile coverage, to their communities. From an industry perspective, it means adding public assets, often located in ideal locations for radio signal broadcast, into the mix to assist in the rapid rollout of world-class mobile connectivity. Finally, the ministers are also asking councils to appoint a digital champion to work across multiple teams to ensure a cohesive digital infrastructure strategy and encouraging authorities to use central governments (DCMS) dedicated barrier busting team, which is charged with removing the obstacles to roll-out and has been doing quite a good job of it. As usual the councils will have to balance this desire for quicker delivery and more flexibility with pressure from their constituents. Not everybody likes having new telecoms infrastructure built near their property and objections to planning applications can be quite common. The Government are of course already in the process of trying to soften the rules for Permitted Development (PD) rights and the ECC in England, which among other things could make it easier to upgrade existing masts or to build taller masts and related broadband infrastructure (here). All of this should help to support the Governments 5bn commitment to roll-out gigabit-capable broadband across the final 20% of the hardest to reach premises (mostly rural) by the end of 2025 (here). Not to mention the 1bn Shared Rural Network (SRN) project, which aims to help extend geographic 4G cover to 95% of the UK by the same date. Land valuations guidance https://www.gov.uk/guidance/digital-connectivity-portal Plain English guide to 5G https://www.gov.uk/guidance/resources-for-local-authorities#g-technologies-radio-waves-and-health UPDATE 4:46pm Just a little example of what Cambridgeshire did. Lloyd Wilson, 40, was born and raised in Newark and always wanted to start his own business, but life had other plans: two strokes, cancer, and he survived being shot. Soon, he will own a stake in the Newark Paper Company, a new office supply and janitorial product distribution warehouse that recently opened in the citys Central Ward. He ushered in the new warehouse with other employees and city officials Wednesday. Do you see this? Lloyd said as he gave his child a good squeeze after the ceremony. My four-year-old daughter is the reason why I make sure my stake in the company stays. Especially after I build it up. You cant build something up and walk away from it. Wilsons dreams are coming to fruition thanks in part to a partnership between the City of Newark and a quasi-governmental nonprofit called Invest Newark. The warehouse, located on New Street, is the citys first employee stock ownership program business. Its three employees will soon own a stake in the business after receiving a $500,000 grant in seed money from Invest Newark and building the distribution center on city-owned property. The employees will be in charge of hiring and expanding the small businesses profits -- and reaping the financial rewards that come along with that. The business opened during the coronavirus pandemic, Wilson said, and at first struggled with getting enough paper from the supply chain to make bathroom tissue, disposable gloves and more, but is now back on track. Newark Mayor Ras Baraka celebrated the business on Wednesday as a win amid the pandemic, which has sparked historic rates of unemployment. We need more cooperatives, more opportunities for collective ownership of businesses in the city so people are not just employees, theyre also owners of the company at the same time, said Baraka, adding that he wants to apply the same program throughout the rest of the city across different industries. Wilson and another employee, Anthony Bygrave, learned about the opportunity to become business owners through the Urban League of Essex County last year. Bygrave was laid off from a warehouse in Linden and came to the Urban League seeking help to find a job. Hes been doing sales and deliveries at the Newark Paper Company since November. What belongs to you, youre going to take care of it, said Bygrave, adding that he and his future co-owners hope to open another Newark Paper Company warehouse in a year and a half. Invest Newark CEO Bernel Hall said employees were also provided instruction on how to run a business. Grants that are similar to the one the Newark Paper Company received will be given on a case-by-case basis in the future, Hall added. Newark Paper Company was selected because Invest Newark saw a need for the industry within the city, even before the pandemic. You have multiple Fortune 1000 companies in the City of Newark as well as a large city government, a large school district...they all use paper, Hall told NJ Advance Media. They all use office paper, they all use sanitary paper. This is something that youre going to buy anyway, so why not make it or produce it right here in the City of Newark? Please subscribe now and support the local journalism YOU rely on and trust. Rebecca Panico may be reached at rpanico@njadvancemedia.com. The family of a Colorado teenager filed a lawsuit Thursday accusing an off-duty corrections officer of using deadly force "recklessly" and "without warning" when he fatally shot the teen in his backyard as a group of friends were fleeing the scene of a home break-in. The wrongful death complaint filed in Denver District Court comes four months after the death of Alexis Mendez-Perez, 16, and more than two months after Denver District Attorney Beth McCann declined to file charges against the shooter, Desmond Manning, 46, who was a state Department of Corrections criminal investigator at the time. He was terminated from the department in July, a spokeswoman confirmed, but did not give a reason. McCann said she believed there wasn't enough evidence to compel a jury to find Manning guilty of murder beyond a reasonable doubt and prove he wasn't acting in self-defense. But the family of Mendez-Perez said it does not think Manning was justified when he chose to confront the teen, who they say was not a threat, and shoot at him in Manning's backyard. The case has fueled protests in Denver against racial injustice and calls to "defund the police." A second teen whom Manning shot in the leg is also a plaintiff in the lawsuit. The teen and Mendez-Perez's family are seeking compensatory damages. "We want justice not for them to be let off the hook right away," Ana Mendez, an older sister of Mendez-Perez, said of law enforcement officers who use deadly force. Alexis Mendez-Perez was fatally shot by an off-duty corrections officer in northeast Denver on April 23, 2020. (Courtesy Ana Mendez) The shooting of Mendez-Perez unfolded just after 1 a.m. on April 23, when he and four other high school friends were suspected of breaking into a vacant rental home in northeast Denver, according to court documents. The family said in their lawsuit that the friends knew no one was living there and were looking to party. Manning and his family lived directly behind the home. Police records say his wife had said goodnight to their son and was about to go to bed when she saw about five males attempt to break in and called 911. Story continues She woke up Manning, who told investigators that he then grabbed a handgun from a lock box, made sure the house was secured and waited for police to arrive. Manning's wife then called 911 a second time after seeing the group inside the neighboring home. After Denver police arrived at the scene, according to police records, the group inside the vacant home scattered, with Mendez-Perez and a friend, Andy Munoz, climbing a fence into Manning's backyard. Manning, waiting with his pistol, turned on his porch light and fired five times as Mendez-Perez and Munoz ran away, according to the lawsuit. Mendez-Perez was hit in the back and Munoz, 18, in the back of his left leg, the complaint said, adding that Manning "did not warn anyone or say anything before shooting." Manning later told investigators that he had felt threatened and "didn't want to have these men come into my home," where his wife and children were inside. "I was thinking, you know, like fight or flight comes to mind, and like I didn't want to be attacked," Manning said, according to police reports. He told investigators he was unsure if he actually hit anyone. "They all continued to run. Nobody fell. Nobody stumbled. Nobody slowed down. They just continued to come and move," Manning said. Police arrested Manning at the scene on suspicion of second-degree murder, but he was later released without having to post bail. Prosecutors later decided no criminal charges were warranted. Manning could not be reached for comment Thursday and an attorney for him in his criminal case did not immediately respond to a request from NBC News. Charlie Crichton, an attorney representing Mendez-Perez's family and Munoz, said the group of friends were not armed and did not intend to harm anyone when they broke into the vacant home. He said that while they might have been criminally trespassing, their actions didn't justify being shot at and one of them killed. "Breaking into a vacant house should not be a death sentence," Crichton said. "We have the criminal justice system for high school kids who break into a vacant house." He added that Manning could have "let police do their jobs" rather than shooting. The status of the criminal cases against Munoz and the other juvenile suspects involved was not immediately clear. Mendez-Perez's name has been invoked during protests against police brutality, and his sister has said she will continue to advocate on his behalf. "My brother is gone," Ana Mendez said. "I don't understand how someone can take a life and then nothing happens." Tax Rate, VFDs Discussed By ESD 1 Board The Hill County Emergency Services District (ESD) 1 Board of Commissioners met in a regular session Thursday, August 20, and proposed the district's tax rate. ESD 1 commissioners proposed a rate of $0.0295 per $100 property valuation, which is a decrease from last year's rate of $0.03, but above the no-new-revenue rate of $0.0284. The board is expected to announce a required public hearing on the increase in revenue. Funding requests from volunteer fire departments were reviewed by the board. ESD 1 will provide $2,600 to Mount Calm VFD to purchase new nozzles, and Lakeview VFD will receive a loan to outfit a truck, with the district being reimbursed with Texas Forest Service grant funds. The board discussed a possible future project in Aquilla, noting that the fire department has purchased land and plans to build a fire station. Grant funding may be sought for the project, and further details are expected to be released in the future. The board resumed discussions from previous meetings about fire departments that have not implemented the district's new reporting system purchased for departments. The software is designed to streamline the process that departments use to report at the local, state and federal levels. For the first quarter of the year, departments were allowed to provide their reports with either the new system or with paper reports as the transition was made. Extensions were granted as some departments still had not made the transition after that time. Board President Clarence Pressley said that one of those departments, Blum VFD, became an ESD 1 department in August, and the reporting is caught up. Pressley said that the city and department are happy with the situation. Pressley said that 2604 VFD has not caught up with its reporting and has indicated that it has no plans to do so, which Pressley said is in violation of the contract. The issue is expected to be discussed as budget discussions continue. The next regular ESD 1 meeting will be held Thursday, September 17. BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 27 By Elnur Baghishov Trend: Thanks to Azerbaijan, Islamic Republic of Iran's trade with other countries has increased in various fields, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran for Economic Affairs, Gholam Reza Ansari said at a meeting in the governor's office of Ardabil Province, Trend reports citing the governor offices official website. According to Ansari, the neighboring countries play a major role in Iran's exports. He added that the joint borders between Iran and Azerbaijan are very important for Iran. The deputy minister stressed that Iran should use the experience of developed countries in the field of agricultural exports. Ansari noted that at present, 47 percent of Iran's exports are to neighboring countries, and it is possible to increase this volume by using the border provinces. Speaking at the meeting, the governor of Ardabil Province, Akbar Behnamjoo also said that the establishment of a railway terminal in the Tazekand district of the Parsabad county in Iran's Ardabil Province will increase Iran's exports of agricultural goods to neighboring countries and Russia. The governor emphasized that despite the closure of all border checkpoints in Iran in the early days of the spread of coronavirus pandemic, Iran's Bilasuvar border checkpoint continued to import and export of goods while following strict health protocols. Behnamjoo said that Ardabil Province is one of the main provinces in the production of agricultural goods. According to the statistics of the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA), Iran exported $429 million worth of goods to Azerbaijan in the last Iranian year (from March 21, 2019, to March 20, 2020). As a result of the coronavirus pandemic, borders with many countries have been closed, therefore, Iran's trade turnover with other countries reduced to a minimum. Iran has begun to increase trade with other countries with the gradual opening of border checkpoints since the end of June. Iran continues to monitor the coronavirus situation in the country. According to recent reports from the Iranian officials, over 365,600 people have been infected, and 21,020 people have already died. Meanwhile, over 314,800 have reportedly recovered from the disease. The country continues to apply strict measures to contain 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 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. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held closed-door meetings Wednesday with Bahrain's royal family amid the Trump administration's push for Arab nations to recognize Israel. In Manama, Pompeo tweeted that he met with King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and his son, Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, on Wednesday morning. We discussed the importance of building regional peace and stability, including the importance of Gulf unity and countering Irans malign influence in the region, Pompeo wrote. Pompeo also said he discussed efforts to advance greater unity among Gulf countries. His meetings in Bahrain come after a U.S.-brokered deal announced Aug. 13 saw the United Arab Emirates and Israel open diplomatic relations. In a statement after the meeting, the state-run Bahrain News Agency said King Hamad stressed the importance of intensifying efforts to end the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. The king said that includes a two-state solution for an independent Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital - a longtime Arab stance. Bahrain is also home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet and remains a close security partner of the U.S. Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday demanded that the states' share in the Pradhan Mantri Pik Vima Yojana (PM's crop insurance scheme) should remain at 50 percent. He was speaking at a video conference with Union agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar on the agriculture reforms ordinance. Thackeray said the states' share in the crop loan insurance scheme should be 50 per cent. He also said that insurance companies should have their offices at district level, so that farmers can easily approach them for claim settlement. The Centre should also take steps to ensure that farmers get timely crop loans from banks, the chief minister said. The cap of 25 per cent for procurement of cereals and pulses should be scrapped, Thackeray said. Maharashtra agriculture minister Dada Bhuse, who was also present at the meeting, demanded loans at one percent rate for creating infrastructure facilities in the agriculture sector. (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.) Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 19:41:11|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BRUSSELS, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Thursday she will ask the Irish government to present a new candidate to replace Phil Hogan after his resignation as the European commissioner for trade. In accordance with the laws of the European Union (EU), it is "up to the Irish government to present suitable candidates for a Commissioner of Irish nationality," von der Leyen said in a statement. The president said she will invite the Irish government to propose a woman and a man, as in the past. On Wednesday night, Phil Hogan submitted his resignation from the post as the EU trade commissioner after he was accused of breaching COVID-19 restrictions during his recent trip to Ireland. "I respect this. I am very grateful to Phil Hogan for his tireless and successful work as a Commissioner and as a member of the College," von der Leyen said on Thursday. The responsibilities for trade matters will be temporarily taken by the Commission's Executive Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis. Von der Leyen did not make it clear whether the new candidate, if approved, will assume the vacancy left by Hogan or take another job, only saying that she will make a decision, at a later stage, "on the final allocation of portfolios in the College of Commissioners." She called for adherence of the commissioners to pandemic containment requirements. "I expect the members of the College to be particularly vigilant about compliance with applicable national or regional rules or recommendations," she added. Enditem Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The presidential council of the Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA) said here Wednesday it would coordinate with the office of the General Prosecution for the immediate release of all persons not involved in acts of sabotage of public and private properties The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' Kyle Richards accused her co-star Garcelle Beauvais of not paying $5K she allegedly pledged for Children's Hospital Los Angeles in a teaser for the three-part season 10 reunion. The Hollywood-born 51-year-old was referring to the 'six-figure' Black and White charity auction she hosted at her $8.25M Encino estate, which was featured in the July 15th episode titled 'Black Ties and White Lies.' 'You came to my charity event, raised your paddle to donate $5K and never paid!' Kyle blasted the Haitian-born 53-year-old. Say it ain't so! The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' Kyle Richards (L) accused her co-star Garcelle Beauvais (R) of not paying $5K she allegedly pledged for Children's Hospital Los Angeles in a teaser for the three-part season 10 reunion 'Black Ties and White Lies': The Hollywood-born 51-year-old was referring to the 'six-figure' Black and White charity auction she hosted at her $8.25M Encino estate, which was featured in the July 15th episode Shocked, Garcelle replied: 'What?!' Elsewhere in the preview, Richards claimed she's 'only said nice things about' Beauvais to which she responded: 'Kyle, stop. I've seen your tweets!' The Tell Me a Story actress later revealed it took 'two solid days' to recover from the 'stressful' reunion, which was filmed over 13 hours from their respective homes sometime in July. Kyle blasted the Haitian-born 53-year-old: 'You came to my charity event, raised your paddle to donate $5K and never paid!' Shocked, Garcelle replied: 'What?!' Elsewhere in the preview, Richards claimed she's 'only said nice things about' Beauvais to which she responded: 'Kyle, stop. I've seen your tweets!' 'I keep saying to my friends, "If I don't like someone, then they're not in my life,"' Garcelle lamented to Access Hollywood on July 22. 'But with this show, you can not like someone, but then you have to hang out with them. Which, you know, we're grown-ups, we can do.' Fans can catch more of the charity story in the drama-filled 10th season reunion starting September 2 on Bravo. BTS: The Tell Me a Story actress revealed it took 'two solid days' to recover from the 'stressful' reunion, which was filmed over 13 hours from their respective homes sometime in July 'You guys are so vicious, you really are!' Fans can catch more of the charity story in the drama-filled 10th season reunion starting September 2 on Bravo Tonight! TRHOBH 10th season finale airs Wednesday night and a 'Secrets Revealed' special featuring never-before-seen footage airs on September 23 TRHOBH 10th season finale airs Wednesday night and a 'Secrets Revealed' special featuring never-before-seen footage airs on September 23. Don't expect Beauvais to return for an 11th season either as she was hired on Monday to co-host the seventh season of syndicated talk show The Real, which premieres September 21. The Joe Biden supporter gushed: 'Anyone who knows me knows that I love pop culture I love the news I love talking about it I love sharing my opinion and to be sitting at the table with these amazing women @comiclonilove @adriennebailon @thejeanniemai Will be an honor and a blast!' Premieres September 21! Don't expect Garcelle to return for an 11th season as she was hired on Monday to co-host the seventh season of syndicated talk show The Real (pictured March 27) 'So excited to be back in Zamunda!' Beauvais will also reprise her 1988 role as 'Rose' bearer in Craig Brewer's highly-anticipated sequel Coming 2 America - hitting US/UK theaters on December 18 - alongside Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall, and John Amos (R, pictured October 16) Garcelle will also reprise her 1988 role as 'Rose' bearer in Craig Brewer's highly-anticipated sequel Coming 2 America - hitting US/UK theaters on December 18 - alongside Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall, and John Amos. Meanwhile, Kyle recently reunited with Jamie Lee Curtis for David Gordon Green's postponed slasher sequel Halloween Kills, which finally hits US/UK theaters October 15, 2021. In the 12th installment of the horror film franchise, Richards reprises her 1978 role as Lindsey Wallace, whom Laurie Strode babysat in the original John Carpenter classic. Hitting US/UK theaters October 15, 2021! Kyle recently reunited with Jamie Lee Curtis (R) for David Gordon Green's postponed slasher sequel Halloween Kills (pictured in 2018) Congress president Sonia Gandhi appointed Gaurav Gogoi as the partys deputy leader in the Lok Sabha and Ludhiana MP Ravneet Singh Bittu as its whip in the Lower House of Parliament on Thursday. Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, the leader of the opposition party in the Lok Sabha, and K Suresh, its chief whip in the Lower House, confirmed the development. The appointments came ahead of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, which is likely to commence from September 14. It is seen as a move by the Congress to strengthen its team of floor leaders in the Lower House, party leaders said. The opposition party did not have a deputy leader in the Lok Sabha till now. A three-time MP from Punjab, Bittu has been entrusted with the responsibility of the Congress whip in the Lok Sabha. Another MP from Kerala, Manickam Tagore, is the other whip of the party in the Lower House. Gogoi hails from Assam, where Assembly polls are due early next year. The MP from the Kaliabor Lok Sabha constituency was the partys whip in the House till now and has been elevated. Gogoi is the son of former Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi. He was blessed with a daughter earlier this week. During the previous Lok Sabha, Amarinder Singh was the deputy leader of the Congress, before he became the chief minister of Punjab. Tetra defines CBD Metabolism in Humans Following QIXLEEF Inhalation Data from metabolite study provides explanation for inhalation as a safe route of administration OTTAWA, ON / ACCESSWIRE / August 27, 2020 / Tetra Bio-Pharma Inc. ("Tetra" or the "Company") (TSX:TBP)(OTCQB:TBPMF), a leader in cannabinoid-derived drug discovery and development, today announced that it has mapped out CBD metabolites in humans who were administered QIXLEEF by vaporization. QIXLEEF is Tetra's first-generation therapeutic for treating uncontrolled pain in advanced cancer patients. Defining THC and CBD metabolites in human plasma is a critical step for the US Food and Drug Administration and Health Canada to characterize the safety profile of the drug product in patients consuming cannabis. As previously announced, Tetra had launched a study to quantify the levels of cannabinoid metabolites and precursors as well as minor cannabinoids in the plasma samples of individuals who received QIXLEEF in its clinical trials. The bioanalysis of these human plasma samples will allow Tetra to better understand how THC and CBD are degraded in humans and how long these compounds remain in the blood, as well as the differences between the two inhalation routes (smoking vs vaping) of consuming QIXLEEF. Tetra successfully developed and validated methods to characterize the major CBD metabolites (7-OH-CBD and 7-COOH-CBD) in humans, which are known to induce liver injury above a certain threshold of circulating plasma levels. The data demonstrated that the degradation of CBD during QIXLEEF inhalation leads to very low amounts of 7-OH-CBD and 7-COOH CBD and a faster degradation profile compared to oral administration. These data emphasize the benefits of QIXLEEF as an inhaled cannabis-based drug. QIXLEEF not only has a safe and well tolerated profile, but also has a rapid and high degree of absorption favouring a higher efficacy at a lower dose, compared to oral administration. "The rapid and relatively high absorption of CBD and the low amounts of CBD metabolites in humans support our claim that inhalation provides a superior safety profile for CBD administration over oral administration. The efficiency of QIXLEEF absorption combined with its greater safety profile will offer a unique solution to patients seeking relief from pain due to various diseases and illnesses", said Dr. Guy Chamberland, Tetra CEO and CRO. About QIXLEEF QIXLEEF, first-generation therapeutic for treating uncontrolled pain in advanced cancer patients is a dried cannabis flower bud derived therapeutic that contains no excipients or other nonmedicinal ingredients. PLENITUDE is the Company's clinical trial for its investigational therapeutic QIXLEEF. The second-generation cannabinoid therapeutic, a cannabinoid synthetic version of QIXLEEF, is called CAUMZ. About Tetra Bio-Pharma Tetra Bio-Pharma (TSX:TBP) (OTCQB:TBPMF), is a biopharmaceutical leader in cannabinoid-based drug discovery and development with a Health Canada approved, and FDA reviewed and approved, clinical program aimed at bringing novel prescription drugs and treatments to patients and their healthcare providers. The Company has several subsidiaries engaged in the development of an advanced and growing pipeline of Bio Pharmaceuticals, Natural Health and Veterinary Products containing cannabis and other medicinal plant-based elements. With patients at the core of what we do, Tetra Bio-Pharma is focused on providing rigorous scientific validation and safety data required for inclusion into the existing bio pharma industry by regulators, physicians and insurance companies. For more information visit: www.tetrabiopharma.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. Forward-looking statements Some statements in this release may contain forward-looking information. All statements, other than of historical fact, that address activities, events or developments that the Company believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future (including, without limitation, statements regarding potential acquisitions and financings) are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are generally identifiable by use of the words "may", "will", "should", "continue", "expect", "anticipate", "estimate", "believe", "intend", "plan" or "project" or the negative of these words or other variations on these words or comparable terminology. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company's ability to control or predict, that may cause the actual results of the Company to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include, among other things, without limitation, the inability of the Company to obtain sufficient financing to execute the Company's business plan; competition; regulation and anticipated and unanticipated costs and delays, the success of the Company's research and development strategies, including the success of this product or any other product, the applicability of the discoveries made therein, the successful and timely completion and uncertainties related to the regulatory process, the timing of clinical trials, the timing and outcomes of regulatory or intellectual property decisions and other risks disclosed in the Company's public disclosure record on file with the relevant securities regulatory authorities. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results or events not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements included in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and the Company does not undertake an obligation to publicly update such forward-looking statements to reflect new information, subsequent events or otherwise unless required by applicable securities legislation. For further information, please contact Tetra Bio-Pharma Inc.: Investor Contact: Tetra Bio-Pharma Inc Dr. Guy Chamberland, M.Sc., Ph.D. Chief Executive Officer Phone: + 1 (833) 977-7575 investors@tetrabiopharma.com Alpha Bronze, LLC Mr. Pascal Nigen Phone: + 1 (646) 255-0433 tetra@alphabronze.net Media Contact: energi PR Ms. Carol Levine APR, FCPRS Phone: + 1 (416) 425-9143 ext. 226 Mobile: + 1 (514) 703-0256 carol.levine@energipr.com SOURCE: Tetra Bio-Pharma View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/603578/Tetra-Bio-Pharma-Announces-Data-on-its-CBD-Metabolite-Study-in-Humans In a big relief to Reliance Group Chairman Anil Ambani, the Delhi High Court on Thursday stayed Insolvency & Bankruptcy Code (IBC) proceedings against the tycoon in a matter pertaining to a personal guarantee given by him against a loan taken from State Bank of India (SBI) by Reliance Communications Ltd (RCom) and Reliance Infratel Ltd (RITL). Ambani on Wednesday moved the Delhi HC, challenging the 'constitutional validity' of the 'personal guarantee clause' in the IBC, making the Ministry of Corporate Affairs a party to the case. He has also approached the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) against an order by the Mumbai bench of National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT), allowing bankruptcy proceedings against him on August 20. Also read: NCLT allows bankruptcy proceedings against Anil Ambani over Rs 1,200 crore debt to SBI The Division Bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Rajnish Bhatnagar, however, asked Ambani not to dispose of or transfer any of his personal assets. The court also said the insolvency process against Ambani should continue as before. It added his liabilities as personal guarantor can also be examined during the resolution process. The action came on the back of non-repayment of loans to the State Bank of India, which had provided credit facilities of Rs 565 crore and Rs 635 crore to now insolvent RCom and RITL, respectively, in 2016. However, a spokesperson on Ambani's behalf assured that the NCLT order will have no bearing on the operations of companies under the Reliance Group - Reliance Infrastructure, Reliance Power and Reliance Capital. The NCLT court had also appointed Jitendra Kothari as resolution professional for insolvency resolution process against Anil Ambani, thus paving the way for personal insolvency proceedings against him. In January 2018, SBI had invoked the personal guarantees given by Ambani after the defaults in repayment and had issued a notice. Fearing the bank won't be able to recover the loaned amount from the insolvency process of RCom and RITL, SBI had moved the NCLT seeking initiation of personal insolvency against Anil Ambani by virtue of him being the personal guarantor. Also read: HQ gone, Anil Ambani to return Reliance Group to Ballard Estate Also read: NCLT to decide on Anil Ambani's RCom resolution plan on Aug 19 Battle of Britain 80th Anniversary Royal Air Force Amateur Radio Society (RAFARS) members will operate GB80BOB, a special event call sign for the 80th anniversary of The Battle of Britain. It will be active between the 1st and 28th of September 2020. Following OFCOMs relaxation of the requirement for public access for SESs due to current social distancing rules, the station will be operated from various RAFARS members QTHs. Operation will be on all bands, as conditions allow, SSB and CW. A special QSL card is available. Details are at www.rafars.org/gb80bob/ and QRZ.com Tens of thousands are expected to receive stimulus payments in September that were mistakenly withheld in the midst of the rush to dole out stimulus payments earlier this year. The Internal Revenue Service announced Tuesday that it would distribute catch-up Economic Impact Payment checks to nearly 50,000 people whose payments were diverted to pay for their spouses past-due child support. The payments will be mailed as checks to eligible spouses who submitted Form 8379, Injured Spouse Allocation, along with their 2019 federal income tax return, or in some cases, their 2018 return. These spouses do not need to take any action to get their money. The IRS will automatically issue the portion of the EIP that was applied to the other spouses debt, according to a release from the IRS. Those in the same boat who did not file the proper forms will also receive payment, but the time frame on those payments is unknown. Eligible recipients can check the status of their payment by using the Get My Payment tool, available only on IRS.gov. Those anticipating the next round of stimulus checks that have been debated in Congress will still have to wait. More than 4 million who filed paper tax returns months ago reportedly are waiting for their refunds. The Trump administration had been actively working with congressional powers to provide answers on the next round of stimulus relief, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told CNBC. The discussions with Mnuchin, White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., have remained unsuccessful thus far. While the Democrats foresee the $3 trillion HEROES Act as the answer to resolving the countrys financial grief, the Republicans have continued to rally behind their $1 trillion HEALS Act. The House is not scheduled to return to Washington until mid-September. Stephanie Toone of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution wrote this story. 2020 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Atlanta, Ga.) Visit The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Atlanta, Ga.) at www.ajc.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. RTHK: Hurricane Laura makes landfall in US Hurricane Laura made landfall in the southern US state of Louisiana on Thursday and the monster category 4 storm prompted warnings of "unsurvivable" ocean surges and evacuation orders for hundreds of thousands of Gulf Coast residents. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) said "extremely dangerous" Laura would bring winds of 240 kilometres per hour and flash flooding to Louisiana. Television images showed heavy rain lashing the coastal city of Lake Charles shortly after the NHC said the eye of the storm made landfall at around 1:00am local time. Earlier the NHC warned Laura could pummel the Louisiana and Texas coasts with an "unsurvivable storm surge" of up to six metres, and that tornadoes could form at the southern edges of the weather system. "Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion," it said. Texas Governor Greg Abbott warned Laura's power was "unprecedented" and urged citizens to "get out of harm's way." "Your property can be replaced," Abbott said, "your life cannot." Vice President Mike Pence, speaking on the third night of the Republican convention, urged people in the storm's path to "heed state and local authorities". The National Guard said it had mobilised more than 1,000 members in Texas to help with hurricane response, including 20 aircraft and more than 15 shelter teams. Coronavirus loomed over preparations, with Angela Jouett, director of evacuation operations in Lake Charles, saying authorities were ensuring that evacuees use hand sanitiser, get their temperatures taken and maintain a distance of six feet. In New Orleans, devastated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the historic French Quarter was empty of tourists. Sandbags were piled up in front of the doorways of colonial-style buildings and windows were boarded up with plywood. Laura earlier caused flooding in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, killing at least 25 people. (AFP) This story has been published on: 2020-08-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Patnas All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) will be the referral facility for the makeshift Covid-19 care hospital set up by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) at the ESIC Hospital at Bihta here. It will also train hospital staff at two facilities in Patna and Muzaffarpur, said Dr Sanjeev Kumar, nodal officer for Covid-19 at AIIMS (Patna). The 500-bed makeshift Covid-19 hospital in Bihta was inaugurated on August 24. The Patahi airfield would be utilised for another 500-bed makeshift field hospital at Muzaffarpur that is expected to be functional by August 31, said a letter from Sunil Sharma, joint secretary, Union health ministry. We received a letter to this effect from the ministry of health...., said Dr Kumar. The Bihar government will also provide staff while doctors at these facilities would be from Army hospitals, he added. Dr Veena Singh, head of the department of burns and plastic surgery and sub-dean, faculty affairs, AIIMS (Patna), has been nominated as the nodal officer for these facilities. A team of three Army doctors visited AIIMS (Patna) to discuss with senior faculty members the training of healthcare workers, including nursing staff, technicians, and cleaning staff. Dr Singh has prepared a detailed training schedule regarding donning and doffing of PPE kits, infection prevention, biomedical waste management, patient transportation, dead body packaging..., said Dr Kumar. The training will start at Bihta from Thursday and will be done in small batches of 30 personnel each. Dr P K Singh, director AIIMS (Patna), said the setting up of Covid-19 care facilities is a welcome step. As a premier institute, AIIMS (Patna) is ready to lead the responsibility to make them fully functional. The 500-bed makeshift hospitals have been funded under the PM CARES (Prime Ministers Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations) Fund. The DRDO has provided hospital infrastructure, which includes 125 intensive care unit beds with ventilators. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON ABOUT THE AUTHOR Ruchir Kumar Ruchir writes on health, aviation, power and myriad other issues. An ex-TOI, he has worked both on Desk and in reporting. He over 25 years of broadcast and print journalism experience in Assam, Jharkhand & Bihar. ...view detail Midland County recorded three new confirmed and two probable coronavirus cases Thursday, bringing the pandemic total to 313 cases, 90 probable cases and 11 deaths. "We are starting to see more cases that are not household contacts," said Fred Yanoski, Midland County Department of Public Health director/health officer. "This should be taken as a caution that there is still disease in the community and everyone should be taking all approximate measures to protect themselves." In the health department's weekly report, there were 28 confirmed cases, six probable cases and one death during the last week, Aug. 20-27. The health department, during the week prior, Aug. 13-20, recorded 19 confirmed coronavirus cases, two probable cases and no deaths. "We are certainly keeping a watchful eye on our recent uptick in cases," Yanoski said. "Our positivity rate is still in a very good spot, and we know that since we are a smaller county, our statistics can quickly change." Yanoski said it is becoming increasingly difficult to contact some individuals, which he calls a disturbing trend. Health officials, as part of their investigations, call people who have come in close contact with a person who has tested positive for coronavirus to discuss what they should be doing. "Everyone needs to realize it is very important to answer the phone when the health department calls," Yanoski said. "I understand that everyone is frustrated with the pandemic, but if we want to mitigate spread we need to follow public health guidelines to protect ourselves, our families and our community. Please, answer the phone." Yanoski said his office is monitoring Midland County cases for a link to the Central Michigan University outbreak in Mount Pleasant. 'To date, none of our new cases are associated with CMU," he said. The Central Michigan District Health Department announced Thursday afternoon that a total of 117 cases, 110 confirmed and seven probable, are now related to CMU students returning to the Mount Pleasant area. Health officials attribute the outbreak to large social gatherings and infections transmitted among roommates. The Midland County Health Department, in its weekly report Thursday, reported a total of 284 recoveries 25 since a week ago and 29 hospitalizations, one since last week. The age groups in the weekly report that saw the highest case additions were 40-49 and 50-59, each with seven cases, confirmed and probable, and 0-19, with six cases and 20-29, with five cases. The 30-39 age group and 60-69 age group, each added three cases, while the 70-79 added one case and the 80+ added no cases. People younger than 50 make up 71.1% of total Midland County cases, confirmed and probable, as of Thursday, Aug. 27. The state report on Thursday also recorded two area deaths one in each Bay County and Saginaw County in the five-county region that the Daily News has been chronicling since the start of the pandemic. Thursday, Aug. 27 daily numbers Bay County: Two cases and one death were added; pandemic total stands at 708 cases, 84 probable, 41 deaths. Gladwin County: No cases were added; pandemic total stands at 68 cases, seven probable, two deaths. Isabella County: 28 cases were added; pandemic total stands at 363 cases, 43 probable, nine deaths. Saginaw County: 16 cases and one death were added; pandemic total stands at 2,299 cases, 150 probable, 128 deaths and three probable deaths. The state on Thursday added 758 new cases and 16 deaths, which includes 15 from vital records reviews. Overall, Michigan is at 99,958 cases and 6,440 deaths. Testing The state report shows as of Aug. 27, Midland County has performed 10,571 diagnostic tests and 756 serology (antibodies) tests, totaling 11,327 tests. Gladwin County is listed as having administered 4,039 diagnostic tests and 128 serology (antibodies) tests, totaling 4,167 tests. Midland County's seven-day rolling positivity rate on Aug. 24 was listed at 2.9%, and low risk of spread. Gladwin County was listed at 0.4% and low risk. The Saginaw region, which includes 12-counties including Midland, Gladwin, Bay and Saginaw counties, was listed at 3.7% and medium risk and Michigan at 3.2%, a medium risk. A positivity rate of less than 3% indicates a lack of community spread, according to Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, Department of Health and Human Services chief medical executive. As of Aug. 24, MidMichigan Health which covers a 23-county region and has medical centers at seven sites, including Midland has completed a total of 18,715 tests. Of those, 17,629 were negative, 220 positive and 866 are pending. Nursing Homes Brittany Manor in Midland is listed in the state report as having four cumulative cases and one death among residents as of Aug. 26, and five cumulative cases and no deaths among staff. Midland King's Daughters is reporting one cumulative case among staff and Medilodge of Midland is reporting two cumulative cases among staff. The other reporting facility, Stratford Pines, is reporting no cases. Gladwin Pines Nursing Home is listed as having two cumulative confirmed cases and no deaths among residents as of Aug. 26, and one confirmed case and no deaths among staff. Gladwin Nursing & Rehabilitation Community, the other long-term health facility reporting to the state, is reporting one cumulative confirmed case among residents and three cumulative cases among staff. Recovered As of Aug. 27, the Midland County health department website lists 284 recovered cases and 29 hospitalizations since the pandemic start. The state lists the total recovered at 72,580 cases, as of Aug. 21, which represents COVID-19 confirmed individuals with an onset date on or prior to July 22, according to the state website, mich.gov. Midland County Health Department data People younger than 40 make up 56.1% of total Midland County cases, confirmed and probable, as of Aug. 27. Of Midland County's 403 confirmed and probable cases, 85 cases are in 0-19 age range; 79 in 20-29 age range; 61 in 30-39 age range; 60 in 40-49 age range; 57 in 50-59 age range; 25 in 60-69 age range; 20 in 70-79 age range, and 14 in 80+ age range, as of Aug. 27. Of Midland's 11 deaths, five have been female and six male. One was between the ages of 50-59; four were between ages of 70-79, and six were 80 years and older. As of Aug. 27, 82.1% of cases have fallen within the 48640 and 48642 (mostly Midland) zip codes. Next highest were 48657 (Sanford) with 6.5% of cases and 48618 (Coleman) with 5.7% of cases. Cases by race, as of Aug. 27: 86.2% were listed as caucasian; 2.6% as Black; 3.6% as Asian; 1% listed as two or more races; and 7% were unknown. MidMichigan Health statistics Patient census: MidMichigan Health system is listed as having eight COVID-19 patients, including one COVID-19 patient in ICU, and 72.8% bed occupancy, as of Aug. 24. PPE days on hand as of Aug. 24: The health system reported 15-21 days for N95 masks; 0-6 days for surgical masks; 7-14 days for surgical gowns; 21+ days for shields and 7-14 days for gloves. Recommendations for public Socially distance at least 6 feet from non-household members. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom, before eating and after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing. If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol based sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Always wash hands with soap and water if hands are visibly dirty. Wear face coverings in public. Stay home when sick. Covering coughs and sneezes. Throw used tissues in the trash right after use. Routinely clean frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning wipe or spray. Where to get help If you think you've been exposed to COVID-19 and develop a fever and symptoms such as cough or difficulty breathing, call your health care provider for medical advice. If he/she isn't available, call MidMichigan Urgent Care in Midland at 989-633-1350 or MidMichigan Medical Center's Emergency Department in Midland at 989-839-3100. MidMichigan Health has a COVID-19 informational hotline with a reminder of CDC guidelines and recommendations. The hotline can be reached toll-free at 800-445-7356 or 989-794-7600. Michigan Department of Health and Human Services also has a hotline number for Michigan residents for questions about COVID-19. The number is 1-888-535-6136 and is available seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Residents can also e-mail COVID19@michigan.gov. E-mails will be answered seven days a week between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. If you are feeling anxious, stressed, depressed and feel you need to talk to someone, reach out to Community Mental Health for Central Michigan by calling 800-317-0708. Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 14:25:38|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Astronomical Society (CAS) has recently released the list of recommended Chinese names of 1,136 Mars craters on its website. The data will be available for public use. Users can find the Chinese names at Glossary of Astronomical Terms operated by the National Astronomical Data Center. Previously, the CAS had released the first batch of recommended Chinese names of 811 Mars terrain features. In order to facilitate scientific research and popularize science, the CAS invited experts to translate almost 2,000 Mars terrain terms issued by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) before July 15, 2020, into Chinese. The translations were reviewed and approved by a special committee for astronomical terms affiliated to the CAS and the China National Committee for Terms in Sciences and Technologies. Since the 17th century when the telescope was invented, astronomers have been observing Mars and systematically named its surface albedo features. The naming of the topographical features on the planets within the solar system was initiated by the IAU after it was founded in 1919. Enditem The global soft drinks market is expected to grow by USD 216.74 billion as per Technavio. This marks a significant market growth compared to the 2019 growth estimates due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the first half of 2020. However, steady growth is expected to continue throughout the forecast period, and the market is expected to grow at a CAGR of almost 5%. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200827005048/en/ Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Soft Drinks Market 2020-2024 (Graphic: Business Wire) Request challenges and opportunities that influence COVID-19 pandemic Request Free Sample Report on COVID-19 Impacts Read the 120-page report with TOC on "Soft Drinks Market Analysis Report by Product (Carbonated soft drinks, Juices and juice concentrates, Bottled water, RTD tea and coffee, and Others), Geography (North America, Europe, APAC, South America, and MEA), and the Segment Forecasts, 2020-2024". https://www.technavio.com/report/soft-drinks-market-industry-analysis The market is driven by product innovations. In addition, innovative marketing campaigns are anticipated to boost the growth of the soft drinks market. Vendors in the market are continuously innovating their products in terms of ingredients, formulation, and packaging to attract consumers and drive sales. Also, the growing health and wellness consciousness among consumers is driving vendors to introduce products with added benefits. For instance, in April 2018, Nestle's Perrier introduced the new peach flavor to its existing lineup of carbonated mineral water. The new product has natural flavors and is sugar-free and has zero calories. Similarly, In April 2018, Coca-Cola introduced the reformulated version of Sprite for the UK market. The new product uses a combination of acesulfame K and aspartame and is claimed to have 50% less sugar. The introduction of such innovative products is driving the growth of the global soft drinks market. Buy 1 Technavio report and get the second for 50% off. Buy 2 Technavio reports and get the third for free. View market snapshot before purchasing Major Five Soft Drinks Companies: Cott Corp. Cott Corp. operates its business through segments such as Route based services, Coffee, tea, and extract solutions, and Other. The company offers bottled water products such as Mountain Valley Spring Water, VOSS artesian water, Fiji Water, Sparkling Ice, LaCroix Sparkling Water, Polar Sparkling Water, and Nursery water. Danone SA Danone SA operates its business through segments such as Specialized Nutrition, Essential Dairy and Plant-Based Products, and Waters. The company offers soft drink products such as vitamin drinks, aquadrinks, and sweet beverages under the brands of evian, Volvic, AQUA, Font Vella, Bonafont, Mizone, and others. Keurig Dr Pepper Inc. Keurig Dr Pepper Inc. operates its business through segments such as Beverage Concentrates, Packaged Beverages, Latin America Beverages, and Coffee Systems. The company offers a wide range of flavored soft drinks, teas and waters, and juices and juice drinks under the brands Dr Pepper, 7up, Schweppes, Canada Dry, Clamato, Nantucket Nectars, and Mistic. Monster Beverage Corp. Monster Beverage Corp. operates its business through segments such as Monster Energy Drinks, Strategic Brands, and Other. The company offers a wide range of energy drink products under the brands of Monster Energy, Burn, NOS, Full Throttle, Relentless, Mother, Reign, Predator, among others. Nestle SA Nestle SA operates its business through segments such as AMS, EMENA, AOA, Nestle Waters, and Other businesses. The company offers bottled water, sparkling mineral water, and iced tea products under several brands such as Vittel, Pure Life, S.Pellegrino, Perrier, Poland Spring, Nestea, Nesquik, and others. Register for a free trial today and gain instant access to 17,000+ market research reports. Technavio's SUBSCRIPTION platform Soft Drinks Market Product Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2020-2024) Carbonated soft drinks Juices and juice concentrates Bottled water RTD tea and coffee Others Soft Drinks Market Geography Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2020-2024) North America Europe APAC South America MEA Technavio's sample reports are free of charge and contain multiple sections of the report, such as the market size and forecast, drivers, challenges, trends, and more. Request a free sample report Related Reports on Consumer Staples Include: Global Energy Drinks Market Global energy drinks market by product (sparkling energy drinks and still energy drinks), type (standard energy drinks and energy shots), and geography (APAC, Europe, MEA, North America, and South America). Cold-pressed Juices Market in Europe Cold-pressed juices market in Europe by Region (UK, Germany, France, and the Rest of Europe) and product (conventional and organic). About Technavio 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/20200827005048/en/ Contacts: Technavio Research Jesse Maida Media Marketing Executive US: +1 844 364 1100 UK: +44 203 893 3200 Email: media@technavio.com Website: www.technavio.com/ ORANGE East Texas was mostly spared the sucker-punch Hurricane Laura instead walloped on Louisiana, something state officials credited to sheer luck and the local planning efforts that readied resources and got many of the most vulnerable out of harms way. We dodged a bullet, Gov. Greg Abbott said after an aerial tour and meeting with federal, state and local officials. Damage was worst inside Orange city limits, Abbott said, due in part to a huge number of downed trees in subdivisions that pulled power lines with them. Areas close to the Sabine River also found streets flooded but passable, with water slowly receding. Only one unconfirmed death was reported, Abbott said, in Sabine County - 70 miles north southwest of Natchitoches. Orange County officials said crews surveyed just after daylight when winds waned, but so far had no reports of severe injuries or water rescues. Two-thirds of Orange County was without power County Judge John Gothia said, among an estimated 160,000 cut off by storm damaged electrical lines. Gothia told Abbott utility executives told him it could be two or three weeks before much of the power is restored, to which Abbott expressed alarm. We were surprised by that too, Gothia told him, saying the resources Entergy marshalled for the storm were quickly sent to Louisiana slowing service repairs on the Texas side. We dont want to stop that, those people got hit hard, Gothia said, drawing assurances from Abbott the state would monitor progress closely. Weather certainly helped when forecasts of severe surges and havoc-like winds didnt materialize on the Texas side of the border, but state and federal officials also credited well-controlled local evacuations and making residents aware of the dangers of staying. Abbott said city, county, state and federal officials communicated throughout the process quickly putting disaster declarations in place. Those declarations made it possible to contract buses to evacuate those unable to leave on their own, as well as put state and federal resources in place for faster recovery. Sadly, all the swift work to make recovery smoother comes from a lot of experience. We know how to handle these hurricanes, but Lord if youre listening, we dont need any more practice, said U.S. Rep. Randy Weber, who represents nearby portions of Beaumont and Port Arthur. What officials said the storm should be a reminder of is the need for more investment in storm protection. Texas Sen. John Cornyn and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick both used the relief Texas avoided the worst to push for keeping plans for coastal protections in place, including the proposed Ike Dike storm protection system for Galveston and the Houston Ship Channel. The threat of storm surge from Laura sent four coastal counties in Texas fleeing, and one day those evacuees will return to washed-away communities. I think it underscores the need for the Ike Dike, Patrick said of Lauras devastation in Louisiana. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz has championed other storm protections expanded from Beaumont and Port Arthur, with officials recently beginning construction on the first of 27 miles of enhanced levees along the Sabine River and coastal areas of Orange County. Officials also urged people not to think avoiding Laura means they can lower their guard. This is not the time to high five and go home, said state emergency management director Nam Kidd. This is the time to plan for the next one. Ayman Malandi went to a Damascus hospital after suffering from a heart attack, but was told by the doctor present that they would not treat him, due to the nature of his condition writes Al-Watan. A member of the Peoples Assembly and the Syndicate of Engineers and Contractors in Syria, Ayman Malandi, filed a complaint with the Minister of Health at the al-Shami Hospital in Damascus, demanding that the hospital administration be investigated due to indifference, negligence, and lack of concern for the health of individuals. In his complaint, Malandi sought to expose the practices of the hospital workers, their negligence, and the fact that they prioritize the material aspect over the human cost and the safety of patients. Malandi stated that he entered the hospital on Aug. 4, 2020, at 4:00 am after a heart attack that required medical treatment. He revealed that the emergency doctor refused to treat him, saying, The doctor argued that my health condition was difficult and precarious and she refused to admit me despite my readiness to pay the hospital fees. According to Malandi, the work of the emergency doctor was limited to a few routine procedures. She ended up asking for a sum of 1,000,000 Syrian pounds as an insurance deposit and that the case be referred to a specialized doctor. Malandi said, I was not able to secure the amount due to network problems. I was not prepared for this sudden matter and was consequently refused admission to the hospital despite my critical health condition. He added, I was shocked by the hospitals way of dealing with such cases and their indifference vis-a-vis the health and safety of individuals. I ended up going to al-Basel Hospital for Cardiology and Heart Surgery, where my health condition was dealt with professionally, with concern, and respect. Malandi called for an investigation into the matter, involving the hospital administration and to hold the negligent accountable and put an end to their indifference. Malandi revealed that the hospital director did not seem concerned when Malandi entered the hospital, explained what had happened to him, and lodged a complaint. 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. Created over the past 12-15 months, Niti's new Export Preparedness Index flagged the major intra-and inter-regional disparities in export infrastructure, problems in trade support and lack of unique exports as the main challenges hampering export growth. Industrially developed states like Gujarat, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu have clinched the top rankings in the governments new Export Preparedness Index, 2020. Released on Wednesday, the index maps the export scenario in each state and will help identify strategic recommendations for improving export competitiveness, according to the NITI Aayog. The central public think-tank has bet on the index heavily to provide critical insights into the challenges of the export process. Created over the past 12-15 months, the index will guide policy making in the export segment with an eye on achieving a $5-trillion economy within 2024, senior NITI Aayog officials said. The index is based on a combination of four key pillars necessary for improving regional exports which were finalised after extensive discussions between the Centre and states, and carries individual weightages. Broadly, these are the trade policy of a state, assessment of ease of doing business and core infrastructure facilities along with specific export ecosystem, including the availability of trade support, and historical export performance that maps both growth and diversification. It classifies states based on their geography, placing them under few major categories - coastal, landlocked, Himalayan, and union territories, city states. Overall, coastal states scored much higher than other categories in almost all sub-pillars such as export promotion policy, institutional framework, infrastructure, business environment, access to finance and export infrastructure. Only in research and development infrastructure did the union territories fare better. Many Northeastern states under the growth orientation sub-pillar were able to export more by focusing on their indigenous product basket. This shows that a focused development of such baskets (like spices) can drive exports and also improve farmer incomes. The report flagged the major intra-and inter-regional disparities in export infrastructure, problems in trade support and lack of unique exports as the main challenges hampering export growth. Shareholder advisory group Ethos has backed the Aryzta board's nominee to take over as chairman of the Swiss-Irish baked goods company, which is facing a proxy battle over its future. The board has nominated Andreas Schmid as the new chair, to take over from Gary McGann, who is due to step down from the role and from the board at next month's extraordinary meeting. Ethos has also recommended against the removal of Annette Flynn as a member of the board. However, it has advised that Aryzta chief executive Kevin Toland be removed from the board. Those on the board of the baked goods company have previously rejected this. Any diminution of his leadership, role or authority, increases business risk, and is not considered to be in the best interests of Aryzta, a statement from the company said. Activist shareholders in Aryzta, led by Swiss firm Veraison and Spain's Cobas, own more than 20pc of the company and have sought major changes, notably the exit of four directors including Arytza chairman Gary McGann in a bid, they say, to lift the battered share price. Ethos has also endorsed the addition of two activist shareholder nominees to the board - Urs Jordi and Heiner Kamps. Aryzta has previously said it will support two of the shareholder group's candidates provided they observe "either an established or a modified nominations process". Aryzta is best known in Ireland for its Cuisine de France brand and the company is a global supplier of burger buns to McDonald's. The company has been hit badly by the Covid-19 pandemic, which has led to profound changes in consumer eating habits as large numbers of employees worked from home. Last month it was reported that Canadian bakery giant George Weston Ltd was exploring a potential deal to buy the company. George Weston is part of a business group with a focus on food and clothing, including the Penneys and Brown Thomas brands. Other potential buyers are also reported to be circling Aryzta, including Flowers Food, a US-based producer of baked goods, as well as Hostess Brands, the maker of Twinkies. Aryzta says it has received a number of approaches. The Oxford vaccine candidate has been administered to two volunteers at the Bharathi Hospital in Pune. Pune: Two volunteers who have been given the Oxford COVID-19 vaccine candidate at a medical college here are normal, a senior official from the medical facility said on Thursday. The two men, aged 32 and 48, were given the first shot of the Covishield vaccine candidate, being manufactured by the Serum Institute of India (SII) at Bharti Vidyapeeth's Medical College and Hospital on Wednesday. The dose will be repeated after one month, an official said. "Since yesterday, our medical team has been in touch with the two volunteers and both are fine. They do not have any pain, fever, side reaction or systemic illness post-vaccination," the medical college and hospital's deputy medical director Dr Jitendra Oswal said. After the vaccine was administered on Wednesday, both volunteers were observed for 30 minutes and later allowed to go home, he said. "They have been given all the necessary emergency numbers (to contact in case of need) and our medical team is also conducting follow-ups with them," he added. The vaccine dose will be repeated on both volunteers after one month, the hospital's medical director Dr Sanjay Lalwani said on Wednesday. He said in all, 25 candidates will be given the vaccine in the next seven days. Dr Sonali Palkar, in-charge of the medical college's research cell, said four to five persons were screened on Wednesday and a decision to administer the vaccine to them as part of the clinical trial is subject to their COVID-19 and antibody test reports. SII, the world's largest vaccine maker has signed an agreement to manufacture the potential vaccine developed by the Jenner Institute of Oxford University in collaboration with British-Swedish pharma company AstraZeneca. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 27 By Jeila Aliyeva - Trend: Russia's exports to Turkmenistan increased by 2 times - up to $68 million in 1H2020, compared to the same period of last year, due to an increase in the supply of sugar, sunflower oil, potatoes, margarine, wheat and meslin, the Russian Ministry of Agriculture told Trend. "The main agricultural crops supplied from Russia to Turkmenistan are sunflower oil, chocolate confectionery and margarine," the ministry said. Furthermore, the ministry noted that foreign trade between Russia and Turkmenistan is developing successfully. The parties are systematically working to increase the volume and expand the range of agricultural products and food to the markets of both countries. Turkmenistan is assessing the possibility of harvesting new Russian winter wheat varieties in Research and Production Testing Center in Gubadag district of Dashoguz region. Among them is Russias 'Alekseevich' medium-ripened wheat variety, as well as such varieties as Bezostaya-100, Kalym, Moskovskaya-56 and Bagrat. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @JeilaAliyeva A number of soldiers who descended on Dome-Faase, a community near Kasoa where two suspected soldiers had been brutally assaulted by residents have vacated the area. Their departure Thursday, follows a meeting between the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of the Ga South Municipal Assembly, Mr. Joseph Stephen Nyarni and the leadership of the soldiers deployed to the area. The assaulted soldiers were said to have been deployed to the community to protect a parcel of land which a chief was claiming ownership of, but led to a clash between the soldiers and residents. According to a report by Accra based Joy FM, the soldiers left the area on Thursday afternoon, after retrieving all guns seized by the community members during the clash. The heavy presence of the military after the attack on the two soldiers caused young men to flee from the community, leaving behind women, children and the aged. The other few people seen in the community were health workers. A number of young men from the community were also arrested to assist with investigation, according to the Deputy Minister for Defence, Major Derrick Oduro (Rtd), who is also MP for Nkoranza North. However, an Administrator of the Obom Health Centre, Mr. Adams Adramani expressed worry over the presence of the military saying that most of the health workers have refused to show up for work. Investigate soldiers presence Meanwhile, Security Analyst, Adam Bonaa called on the military high command to investigate the matter thoroughly as it did not appear that the soldiers were on a legitimate assignment. As a commanding officer you have a large number of officers under you. You use them for operations, and so sometimes at the blind side of the national defense, some of these commanding officers deploy some of these people to perform some functions. "I would want to believe that proper investigation will be put in place so that at the end of the day, whoever this commanding officers name is will be brought to book because as far as Im concerned, this doesn't look like a sanctioned military operation because military officers are not supposed to protect land especially land that doesnt belong to them." Background A day after the attack on the soldiers, most of the men in the town fled as soldiers stormed the area. Reports from the communities indicated that the soldiers went house to house and arrested residents in a swoop from about 30 communities. Most of the people arrested were believed to be leaders of the community who had allegedly incited the youth of the area to beat up the soldiers on Tuesday in the humiliating manner. TheGhanareport said between 200 to 600 soldiers were deployed in a swift and emergency move with about two choppers hovering around the vicinity. The two assaulted soldiers have since been conveyed to the 37 Military Hospital for treatment. 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 Register with JOC.com and receive 5 free pieces of content for the first thirty days. After thirty days, you will receive 3 pieces of content and after sixty days you will receive 1 piece of content. To receive full access, Subscribe Today . You can also subscribe to our daily newsletter. Register Much-discussed UK documentary series The Rise of the Murdoch Dynasty will screen on ABC in late September. The 3 part series is being given a prized slot of 7:40pm Sunday from September 20. Over the last 50 years, one man has played an unparalleled part in transforming British society. That man is Australian born Rupert Murdoch. Feared and feted by politicians, Murdoch has built the biggest media operation on the planet. His empire has given him extraordinary power and influence. This is its story. Its an electrifying study of the Murdoch dynasty, charting the ups and downs of an empire. From the ambition that fuelled its success, to the criminality that led to the closure of the News of the World, and the Leveson Inquiry. Ultimately, the empire is broken up. But theres a powerful new ally in the White House. The BBC documentary ran in the UK in July, described by one critic as Succession with phone hacking and foam pies. There was speculation about an Australian broadcast, with Nine sources telling TV Tonight it would have swooped on it if ABC did not exercise its option. At least viewers can decide for themselves next month. 7:40pm Sunday September 20 on ABC. The U.S. Census is in full swing and area organizations are making a conscious effort to make sure residents are being counted, thereby improving the states response rate. A group of Michigan nonprofits came together and formed the Great Lakes Bay Regional Census Hub and contracted Chloe Updegraff as its coordinator. The goal is to reach out to populations that are hardest to count, often missed or undercounted by providing mini grants for nonprofits to aid in their outreach and encourage residents to fill out the census. We still have a percentage of the population that hasnt responded, said Sharon Mortensen, president and CEO of the Midland Area Community Foundation, which primarily funded the work for the Regional Census Hubs work in Midland. In addition to the mini grants, Midland County ESA donated iPads to nonprofits that were helping individuals complete the census. Other community partners involved in the Census Advisory Committee include 211, The Arc of Midland, Bullock Creek Schools, City of Midland, Coleman Schools, Community Mental Health of Central Michigan, Midland County, Delta College, Family and Childrens Services, Grace A. Dow Memorial Library, Great Lakes Bay Hispanic Leadership Institute, Greater Midland Community Centers, Home to Stay, Meridian Public Schools, Mid Michigan Community Action Agency, MidMichigan Health, Senior Services, Midland County Emergency Food Pantry Network, Midland County Health Department, Midland Department of Health and Human Services, Northwood University, Rural Community Health Care Worker Network, The Arnold Center, The Legacy Center, United Way of Midland County and West Midland Family Center. They have been doing outreach in the community for the past year and a half, even prior to the census being open. These organizations have worked to promote the census with their clientele, provide opportunities for community members to be counted, conducted census events with food and prizes and have driven the work locally, Updegraff said. The work of the U.S. Census Bureau, the GLBR Census Hub and area organizations had to shift several times during the tumult of this year. Originally, the U.S. Census Bureaus deadline for individuals to complete the census was Oct. 31. However, the Trump Administration moved up the deadline by a month to Sept. 30. Even in the midst of a global pandemic and regional flooding, the Great Lakes Bay Region has stepped up to the challenge. Local partners provided census information at food pantries along with pamphlets on FEMA and 211 aid, providing resources and opportunities for residents to fill out the census. Through everything, the Midland community and the Great Lakes Bay Region have come out strong, even amid so many local challenges, Updegraff said. It turns out that the GLBR Census Hubs efforts are paying off. As of Tuesday afternoon, Michigans response rate was 69.6%, Midland Countys response rate was 78.5% and the city of Midlands response rate was 80.1%. All three areas rates are up since the last census; in 2010, Michigan had a response rate of 67.7%, Midland Countys was 75.9% and Midlands was 78.7%. Michigan did so poorly in the last census. We were the only state that lost population, said Mortensen. According to Updegraff, Great Lakes Bay Region counties are among the top in the state for response rates with Midland County in third place and Saginaw and Bay counties not far behind. Michigan is currently ranked fifth in the nation. The final census self-response numbers will not be in until Sept. 30, when the Census Bureau is required to stop all counting efforts. From there, the Census Bureau will deliver apportionment counts to President Donald Trump and Congress in December. By March 31, 2021, the Census Bureau will send redistricting counts to states. The information will be used to redraw legislative districts based on population changes. The census results will also impact funding for Medicare/Medicaid, educational services, food aid programs including SNAP/WIC and road and highway maintenance. Updegraff stated that for every individual who goes uncounted, the community loses out on $1,800 of annual federal funding. If the census is incomplete, philanthropic organizations fill in the funding gaps in their communities, said Mortensen. Being counted takes less than 10 minutes, but the impact for the community is huge, Updegraff said. Be counted if you have not already, and if you have, please reach out to folks who might not have been counted, as each person matters and should be counted. So many vital programs in our community depend on us showing up strong and being counted, so lets do it! If an official census worker comes to your doorstep, they can be identified by valid ID badge with their picture, a U.S. Department of Commerce watermark and an expiration date. While census takers work between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. seven days a week overall, they are allowed to pick their hours according with their own schedules. Residents who feel uncomfortable answering their doors for census workers can still complete the census online at 2020census.gov or by calling 844-330-2020 until Sept. 30. The floor of the California state Senate, seen here on May 28, is now off-limits to several senators under quarantine for COVID-19. (Associated Press) Nearly every Republican in the California Senate was barred from the state Capitol on Thursday and required to vote remotely for the remainder of session after contact tracing showed that a lawmaker who tested positive for COVID-19 had exposed the others. The state Senate abruptly canceled session on Wednesday after learning that Sen. Brian Jones (R-Santee) tested positive for the virus. Jones is now under quarantine orders along with nine Republican lawmakers he had personal contact with in recent days. Several Senate staffers are also under quarantine, Senate officials said. "Unfortunately, the nature of the gathering that resulted in the exposures was such that virtually every member of the Republican Caucus is now unable to enter the Capitol without violating public health orders," Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) said in a statement. "I know our Republican colleagues are disappointed not to be on the floor or in their offices today, but I also know they would never knowingly put the health and safety of others at risk." Jones was in the Capitol this week before being tested along with several other lawmakers in recent days. Lawmakers of both parties met for a floor session on Monday, while Senate Republicans including Jones met in person for a caucus meeting on Tuesday. Some Republicans also met in person for a private gathering on Monday night. Senate Democrats stopped holding in-person caucus meetings in March, according to Atkins' office and several senators. The only Republican who is not subject to the quarantine is Sen. Jim Nielsen of Gerber, who said he skipped the Republican caucus meeting and a dinner with his GOP colleagues this week. Atkins said the lawmakers who were exposed will continue to debate and vote from their Sacramento residences in order for the house to wrap up the final days of the legislative session on Monday. However, Republican senators said they had not yet been told how they would vote remotely and were not able to do so on Thursday. Story continues Lawmakers have discussed remote voting or a hybrid model of in-person and virtual sessions, but there has been strong opposition to those accommodations, including from Jones. In May, Jones asked the Legislature's lawyers to opine on whether remote voting is constitutional. Legislative Counsel wrote that the California Constitution calls for a body to be assembled and for the public to be able to directly observe, but noted that a court may defer to the Legislature's judgment in a time of emergency. In the May letter, Legislative Counsel wrote that "we cannot counsel the Legislature to engage in remote legislating with a sense of security that such a practice would ultimately be upheld by the courts." However, Diane Griffiths, general counsel for the Senate president pro tem, said Thursday that the Senate is confident that remote voting would be upheld if challenged because of the "precautions we've taken and the fact that we've waited until it was actually necessary." Due to the pandemic, the Senate has allowed remote voting for bills being considered in committee hearings if the voting was conducted from district offices, but did not allow proxy votes during floor sessions. The Assembly has allowed lawmakers at high risk for contracting the virus to submit proxy votes to the house's leaders. Under California Department of Public Health guidelines, Republican senators will not be allowed to return to the Capitol until after the end of the session Monday, even if they test negative for the virus. On the Senate floor Thursday, Nielsen questioned Atkins' decision and said his colleagues should be allowed to return to the Senate in person if they test negative for COVID-19. Nielsen also questioned whether Atkins had equally examined exchanges Jones may have had with Democrats. There is a hypocrisy of majority that sometimes borders on arrogance, Nielsen said. Im disappointed in the institution. Atkins pushed back against the implication that her decision was politically motivated, saying she would have done the same thing if there were Democrats who needed to be quarantined. Atkins said she worked with experts to find solutions and that it was regretful that Republicans were not able to be on the Senate floor. This is the position we did not want to find ourselves in, which is why you have heard me, again and again, plead with people to follow the guidelines, Atkins said. Secretary of the Senate Erika Contreras sent a memo to all senators and staff on Aug. 21 that included a schedule for floor sessions in the final week of the year and described the houses safety guidelines. One of the rules was do not participate in social gatherings with people outside of your own household. The entire Senate held a virtual Zoom meeting Monday night to pay tribute to their colleagues who are leaving office at the end of the year. State Sen. Brian Dahle (R-Bieber) said he and Senate Minority Leader Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield) went over to the Sacramento residence of state Sen. Mike Morrell (R-Rancho Cucamonga), who is among the departing lawmakers, during the tribute. Dahle said he ate cake, kept a distance from the other lawmakers and that Jones did not attend. There was no watch party, Dahle said, addressing rumors of a larger gathering. Dahle also participated in the in-person caucus meeting Tuesday with Jones and others. A nurse called him on Wednesday and said he was identified as someone who came in contact with Jones and advised him to stay home. On Thursday, Dahle watched the Senate floor session on his iPad at his Sacramento home. He said no one had contacted him about how to vote remotely. Prior to his quarantine order, Dahle has been vocal about his belief that remote voting is unconstitutional and said he hasnt decided if hell vote from home. He wants the Senate to let him quarantine in his office and then visit the floor at the end of the day to vote on all of the pending bills under an on-call system the lower house deploys to allow lawmakers who are not present at the time of a vote to add on later. We do it all the time, Dahle said. Thats what I thought was fair. I want to participate. I want to serve my people. Thats the goal. The Legislature has dealt with disruptions since March, when leaders in both houses decided to move up and extend a spring recess to lessen the risk of spreading the virus. Then, during summer recess, both houses delayed a return to the Capitol last month. Lawmakers have been required to wear masks and maintain a safe distance from each other at the Capitol, while visitors in the building had to undergo a health screening. On Wednesday, both the Senate and Assembly announced that staffers and lawmakers would also be required to have their temperature checked before entering the building. Previously, lawmakers and staff were asked to take their own temperatures before leaving home, while there were strict limits on how many staffers could work in each office at one time. Wednesday marked the third known COVID-19 diagnosis for a state lawmaker after two Assembly members tested positive last month. Last month, Assemblyman Tom Lackey (R-Palmdale) was hospitalized following COVID-19 complications, while Assemblywoman Autumn Burke (D-Marina del Rey) also tested positive. Several staffers also tested positive around the same time as the Legislature was meeting to pass the state budget. Senate officials said an officer of the California Highway Patrol, who had last been inside the Capitol on Monday, had also tested positive for the virus. The governor's office said the officer did not work in Gov. Gavin Newsom's security detail. Times staff writer John Myers contributed to this report. EFG Hermes, through its NBFI arm EFG Hermes Finance Holding, and GB Auto, through its NBFI arm GB Capital, have completed a 75% stake acquisition in Tokio Marine Egypt Family Takaful, in a deal worth EGP84.75 million ($5.32 million). EFG Hermes Finance and GB Capital will each hold a stake of 37.5% of the company. Tokio Marine Group, a world-renowned leader in insurance and reinsurance and the largest general insurer in Japan will own the remaining 25%. Tokio Marine Egypt Family Takaful offers individual and corporate clients a variety of insurance solutions. The acquisition considerably expands the scope and reach of EFG Hermes and GB Autos respective NBFI offerings, providing a platform from which to widen and deepen EFG Hermes and GB Autos exposure to various market segments, the acquisition will be leveraged to complement the companies respective existing NBFI operations through the introduction of innovative insurance products. Egypts insurance industry remains significantly underpenetrated compared to regional and global peers. The sector is set to benefit substantially from the governments focus on financial inclusion, as well as from significant efforts to establish a more favourable regulatory framework. Against this backdrop, EFG Hermes and GB Autos entering into the industry promises to generate substantial value as it expands in line with expectations for emerging markets. Dr. Raouf Ghabbour, Chairman and CEO of GB Auto (AUTO on the EGX) commented: We are very pleased with the completion of this transaction and excited for the prospects of exploring the full, and yet untapped, potential of this industry and market. We know the Egyptian life insurance industry is primed for significant growth and profitable expansion, and we intend to capitalize on that. As such, the move aligns perfectly with our vision for the future, which sees our NBFI business expanding as we diversify our portfolio of offerings in the leasing, consumer finance, factoring, micro finance, mortgage finance, securitization, fleet- leasing arenas and e-payments to cater a wider segment of clients, both corporate and individual. Karim Awad, Group CEO of EFG Hermes Holding (HRHO on the EGX) said: The completion of this acquisition is a definitive milestone in EFG Hermes strategy to offer the Egyptian market a comprehensive suite of NBFI services. In four years, we were able to not only grow our traditional lines of business, but also introduced leasing, microfinance, consumer finance, Fintech, factoring, digital payments, mortgage and insurance. We are confident that this move comes at the right time for us and for the broader market, and anticipate that it will prove a key step in consolidating our position as a differentiated, broad-spectrum provider of financial services. Coinciding with the transaction, Tokio Marine Egypt Family Takaful which will be relaunched under a new brand in the coming months has appointed Sohail Ali as chief executive officer. With over two decades of insurance experience across multiple markets, Ali will lead the company to establish a comprehensive suite of innovative insurance products and services. TradeArabia News Service SNYDER Western Texas College announced today that they will offer a twelve-week Fall Opportunity Session of online classes starting on September 8, 2020. Students at Western Texas College (WTC) and other colleges and universities can enroll in college courses for credit. The twelve-week semester will end before Thanksgiving. Were offering another opportunity for students to earn the college credits they need, said Stephanie Ducheneaux, Dean of Instructional Affairs. Students will be able to take a single course or up to twelve hours of college courses. Students from colleges and universities all over the United States have embraced taking one or more classes at WTC to complete degrees. I was able to knock out the course I needed at WTC while attending my own school, noted one student. A student who currently attends a college or university other than WTC will need to check with their advisor to ensure the course or courses they choose will be accepted at their school. To register for the Fall Opportunity Session, students who are new to WTC will need to fill out an Application for Admission and submit their transcripts from their current school by September 1. Students who are already admitted to WTC will need to fill out a course registration form located in the MyWTC portal. The deadline to register for classes is September 3, 2020. This is a great way for students to complete a class they need for their degree, added Ducheneaux. For instructions, costs, and online course availability, navigate to wtc.edu/fallopp. For questions, contact Korie Allen, WTC Online Advisor at 325-574-7623, or email kallen@wtc.edu. Agreement was reached on Thursday between central government and the regional ministers of Education to get school children back into classrooms from next month. There had been increasing discontent with regional inconsistencies. In a route map signed up to by all 17 regions except the Basque Country, standard guidelines included: opening all schools on the agreed dates; full time on-site teaching for pupils up to at least 14 (2nd year ESO); compulsory mask wearing over six years; hand washing at least five times a day; a Covid coordinator in each school; and a recommendation to create peer bubbles beyond Primary students. For children over 14, it is up to each school to decide the amount of remote learning. The Andalucia regional government, responsible for state schooling in Malaga province, has signed up to the guidelines. Local schools get ready The regional minister for Education, Javier Imbroda, said after the virtual meeting with Madrid that going to school was a right and that parents had to send their children from six years onwards. I understand the concern and fear of families, but I want to get over that we are working to make sure that all our children can get back into the classroom safely. He added that when positive cases are detected, the group will be isolated and tracing of contacts carried out. Where the number of cases is high, then the next stage will be closing a classroom, school or whatever is appropriate. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) speaks during her weekly news conference at the U.S. Capitol on August 6, 2020 in Washington, DC. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi vowed Thursday that Congress will get President Donald Trump's income tax returns from the next Treasury secretary if Democratic nominee Joe Biden is elected to the White House in November. "When we win this election and we have a new president of the United States in January, and we have a new secretary of the Treasury, and [House Ways and Means Committee Chairman] Richie Neal asks for the president's [Trump's] tax returns, then the world will see what the president has been hiding all of this time," Pelosi, D-Calif., said at a news conference. Trump, who is seeking reelection, has refused to release his income tax returns to the public, despite other presidents having done so for the past four-plus decades. The Republican president currently is engaged in a last-ditch legal bid to keep the Manhattan District Attorney's Office from obtaining his tax returns and other financial documents from Trump's longtime accountants as part of a criminal investigation. And he and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin also have fought efforts by Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass., to get his returns. The Supreme Court in early July issued split rulings in cases involving Trump's returns and other financial records. On the one hand, the high court ruled that Trump did not have an absolute right as president to keep his tax returns from being obtained as part of a criminal inquiry, such as the one being conducted by Manhattan DA Cyrus Vance Jr. But the Supreme Court said Trump could raise other legal arguments in an effort to block the subpoena that Vance had obtained for the returns from a grand jury. However, a Manhattan federal court judge last week rejected Trump's latest arguments opposing the subpoena in the case, where prosecutors in court filings have suggested that Trump and his company, the Trump Organization, are being eyed for possible bank and insurance fraud. Trump is appealing that ruling. The Supreme Court, in its favorable ruling for Trump in July, had overturned lower court decisions supporting House Democrats in their bid to obtain his tax returns and other financial documents. The Supreme Court ordered the lower courts to more carefully consider concerns about the separation of powers when weighing whether Democrats can obtain Trump's returns. That ruling all but guaranteed that Neal's lawsuit seeking Trump's tax returns, which was not the subject of the Supreme Court ruling, would not be resolved before the November presidential election. Mnuchin, in May 2019 refused to turn over the president's tax records to Congress after they were were requested from the IRS by Neal in his role as Ways and Means Committee chairman. Mnuchin told Neal that the request lacked a legitimate legislative purpose. The Treasury's Office of Inspector General earlier this year said Mnuchin's rejection of the request was proper because he had followed the guidance from the Department of Justice's Office of Legal Counsel on the question. Pelosi's comment on Trump's taxes Thursday came when she was asked about criticism by Neal's Democratic primary opponent in Massachusetts' 1st Congressional District, Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse, that Neal had not been aggressive enough in seeking Trump's returns. Where to begin? That might be the best and biggest question when it comes to talking about God, the God of the Bible (as refracted through the Christian tradition). One could study names YHWH, Adonai, El/Elohim, Lord, Father. One could study attributes, and divide them as theologians have done into communicable and incommunicable love, holiness, righteous, omniscient, omnipresent. One could study the history of discussion about God or one could study Trinitarian theology and its manifold debates. Bible experts and historians want to focus more closely on the texts in the Bible, and no one is more gifted for such an endeavor, even if only in a brief and accessible study, than Richard Bauckham. His new book is called Who is God? I commend it to Bible students as a study that transcends history to become at times devotional. For the more academic among us, its the kind of devotional study that appeals. Who is God? is a set of four lectures with no academic apparatus in the footnotes and with only a few bibliographic recommendations at the end of each lecture/chapter. It is always readable and, when it does touch on some of his special gifts of examining a NT text in light of the history of that text in the Old Testament and Jewish traditions, its never too heavy for students. Four themes: The Revelation of the Divine Presence The Revelation of the Divine Name The Revelation of the Divine Character The Revelation of the Trinity He takes Jacob and Gods promise to be with him in Genesis 28:10-22 for this first concentration text. This is a first indication of God being with someone in the Bible as God bypasses all and comes to earth to be with Jacob. God, then, is not just in a place but wherever Jacob is. God is present in all creation, of course, but theres a special relational sense that God is with us. Tabernacle, temple, Jesus as Immanuel, and John 1:1-14 those are central texts for this theme, along with the end of Revelation (21:3). Jesus is the staircase of Jacob in John 1:51 (this is vintage Bauckham). Image: Cover Photo The Divine Name is connected to Exodus 3:14, but he begins with 3:1-6 and the burning bush. There is a discussion among experts if it is I am who I am or I will be who I will be, and Bauckham favors the second. He connects this with the freedom of God, showing a flash of his work with Moltmann and Barth. Thus, God is self-determining and this runs right through the chapter. In freedom God commits to Israel to be with them. This God is for all people and is the same God that Jesus taught. Jesus uses Father as his substitute for the Divine Name, and that Divine Name is given to Jesus in Phil 2:6-11. For Divine Character Bauckham takes on the glorious text of Exodus 33:18-23 and 34:5-8, with its I will be merciful to whom I will be merciful theme. The terms of that text pop up in numerous biblical texts. E.g.,, Joel 2:12-14 and Jonah 4:1-3, and Psalm 145 and then also in John 1:14. Quite a chapter. For the Trinity Bauckham goes to the Gospel of Marks interrelationality of Father, Son, and Spirit, and so he looks at the critical moments in the life of Jesus: baptism (1:9-11), transfiguration (9:2-8), confession of centurion (15:37-39), and the tomb scene (16:6-7). The unique loving relation of Father and Son, with Spirit attending. At baptism heaven is ripped open and at crucifixion the temple is ripped open. A book worthy of slow digestion. Nigerian Health Worker Escapes From Boko Haram Captivity During Military Raid A Nigerian nurse abducted by Islamic States West Africa Province (ISWAP) faction of Boko Haram, has escaped from captivity during a raid carried out by the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF). The male nurse who has been in captivity since the start of 2020, ran for his dear life and escaped to Niger Republic during an air-bomb raid of an ISWAP stronghold in Lake Chad. Spokesperson of the military personnel from Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria, Colonel Muhammad Dole said the nurse was medically examined before he was finally handed over to Nigerian authorities. The Statement Reads In Full; MNJTF FACILITATES RETURN OF NURSE ABDUCTED BY ISWAP 1.In consonance with the mandate of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) which includes to Facilitate within the limits of its capabilities, humanitarian operations and the delivery of assistance to the affected populations, the Task Force has facilitated the return of a Nigerian Nurse (name and organization withheld) who was abducted by ISWAP and held in captivity since the beginning of 2020. 2. The nurse who was incarcerated in one of ISWAPs strong holds in the Lake Chad bolted to safety and freedom, in the aftermath of a joint air interdiction conducted by the MNJTF and national partners. According to him, after bombs and rockets from the aircrafts landed and everywhere exploded in flames, both terrorists and hostages ran for dear life. I had to take my chance. I am grateful to God that I was able to escape. The nurse then made his way to a village in Niger Republic and was promptly handed over to security agents in Sector 4 of the MNJTF. 3. The airlift and hand- over of the nurse to Nigerian authorities was preceded by medical examination conducted to determine the state of health of the victim after spending 8 months in the horrific and squalid conditions which he had to endure during the period of his captivity in ISWAP enclave. 4. The MNJTF wishes to reassure populations in the Lake Chad Basin of its determination to provide security and facilitate development efforts being spearheaded by the respective national governments and international development partners. 5. Please, disseminate this information to the general public. On Wednesday, Nanyang Technological University in Singapore hosted a lecture by historian Joseph Scalice explaining the role of the Communist Party of the Philippines in propping up the brutal regime of Philippines strongman Rodrigo Duterte. The lecture, titled First as tragedy, second as farce: Marcos, Duterte, and the Communist Parties of the Philippines, is a devastating exposure of the duplicitous role of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), its founder and theoretician Jose Maria Sison and of the bankrupt perspective of Stalinism and Maoism on which they are based. It demonstrates, through a detailed examination of contemporaneous source material, the political continuity between the CPPs support for fascistic Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte in 2016 and the endorsement of the Marcos dictatorship by an earlier Communist Party. Joseph Scalice is introduced at 5.43 minutes into the video with his lecture beginning at 8.51 In the days before the lecture, Sison launched a slanderous attack on Scalice, branding him, without a shred of evidence, as a CIA agent. On August 25, the day prior to the lecture, the CPP devoted a special edition of its newspaper Ang Bayan to an interview with Sison entitled Critique of the Trotskyite attacks on the CPP and the Philippine revolution, which repeated his lies against Scalice, again without any substantiation. In opening his lecture, Scalice systematically demolishes Sisons bald declaration that it was a big lie that the CPP was the enabler and supporter of Duterte. Scalice provides irrefutable proof in the form of photos and quotes from Sison, the CPP and its associated front organisations of their close collaboration with the fascistic president and his war on drugs. His lecture explains why, based on an examination of its Maoist ideology, the CPP has promoted figures like Duterte as representatives of the progressive bourgeoisie, which invariably turn on the working class and peasantry. The lecture was attended by a wide audience from around the world, including leading academics, journalists and the broad public. There were participants from the United States, Europe, Australia, and throughout much of Asia, including Singapore, Hong Kong, Sri Lanka, and a very significant number from the Philippines. The participants engaged actively with the lecture, posing over one hundred questions in the chat forum. After the lecture, public discussion continued on social media where people posted responses to Scalices presentation. The reaction has been overwhelmingly positive. I was blown away by the lecture, one wrote. I watched, riveted. So many revelations. Deep research, posted another. The presentation was termed blistering! and an intense talk, immensely packed with historical information. One commenter thanked Scalice for his brave and earthshaking presentation. Scalices lecture concludes with an impassioned appeal for historic truth under conditions in which historical falsifications are being used in countries around the world for reactionary ends. The lecture deserves to be widely distributed and studied as an introduction to the pernicious role played by Stalinism and its Chinese variant, Maoism, over the last century. We encourage our readers to share the link to the lecture as widely as possible through social media and other means. ALEXANDRIA, Va., Aug. 26, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- As Hurricane Laura makes its way toward Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas as a category 4 storm, The Salvation Army is activating its Emergency Disaster Services to meet the immediate needs of survivors and first responders. "Across the southern United States, our disaster teams have as many as 44 mobile feeding units at the ready to meet the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of first responders, survivors and evacuees," said Jeff Jellets, Emergency Disaster Services director for The Salvation Army's Southern Territory. "Because we are already embedded in these communities, we're fully prepared for whatever landfall brings and we will be here for those affected, long after it passes." Disaster Preparedness Overview (August 26) 3 p.m. EDT The Salvation Army's Southern Territory is prepared for the most extreme effects of Hurricane Laura: Incident management teams established in Texas , Louisiana and Arkansas to help quickly respond after landfall , and to help quickly respond after landfall As many as 44 mobile feeding units (canteens) on standby to serve survivors and first responders Each mobile feeding unit can serve 500 to 1,500 meals per day Partnering with evacuation shelters to support service requests Collaborating with state and local governments and other partners to prepare for service delivery post-landfall The Salvation Army is also providing emotional and spiritual care for those in the path of the storm via their Hope Hotline at 1-844-458-HOPE (4673) between 9 a.m. and 12 a.m. EST . A digital media kit with b-roll, fact sheet, photography and social media assets can be found here. With more than 7,600 centers of operation in the U.S., The Salvation Army is uniquely positioned to support survivors of widescale disasters. The storm comes on the heels of a month when The Salvation Army is simultaneously responding to wildfires in California and the derecho in Iowa. In addition to disaster relief, The Salvation Army has been providing social services to those impacted by COVID-19. Since the beginning of March, The Salvation Army has provided over 75.5 million meals to those suffering from food insecurity, emotional and spiritual care to over 813,000 people in need of a caring voice and listening ear, and more than 1.5 million nights of shelter for those without a place to call home. In light of the pandemic, The Salvation Army has evolved service delivery with extra precautions, such as social distancing at food distribution sites, adapted feeding models and personal protective equipment requirements. For more information on The Salvation Army's continued response, visit salvationarmyusa.org or disaster.salvationarmyusa.org. To make a financial gift to support ongoing disaster relief efforts: Donate online: HelpSalvationArmy.org Donate by phone: 1-800-SAL-ARMY (1-800-725-2769) About The Salvation Army The Salvation Army annually helps more than 23 million Americans overcome poverty, addiction and economic hardships through a range of social services. By providing food for the hungry, emergency relief for disaster survivors, rehabilitation for those suffering from drug and alcohol abuse, and clothing and shelter for people in need, The Salvation Army is doing the most good at 7,600 centers of operation around the country. During times of disaster, 100 percent of designated donations to The Salvation Army are used for immediate response and long-term efforts. In the first-ever listing of "America's Favorite Charities" by The Chronicle of Philanthropy, The Salvation Army ranked as the country's largest privately funded, direct-service nonprofit. For more information, visit SalvationArmyUSA.org. Follow us on Twitter @SalvationArmyUS and #DoingTheMostGood. Contact: Joseph Cohen Communications Manager (703) 299-5551 [email protected] SOURCE The Salvation Army PESHAWAR,Pakistan: A lead Taliban negotiator on Thursday said no peace talks were planned with Afghan officials for early September, hours after a senior government official said talks were to begin next month. Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzais statement to Reuters comes at a time when the two sides are under pressure from the United States and its allies to hold talks, a move that could pave way for the end of about two decades of war in Afghanistan. A major stumbling block has been the issue of the release of Taliban prisoners. 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 PHILIPSBURG/MARIGOT:--- The Presidents of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry St. Martin and Chamber of Commerce and Industry St. Maarten in a joint press conference are calling on authorities to reopen the borders as the effects on the border controls are detrimental to businesses on both sides of the island. President of CCISM Angele Dormoy said that the CCISM wrote a letter to the Prefecture and only recently received a response informing them that the health crisis with COVID-19 is far more important than the economic crisis due to COVID-19. Dormoy says she also believes that every life matter but she also believes that the two sides' governments must work jointly on solutions to flatten the curve on COVID-19. Dormoy said that St. Maarten/St. Martin has gone through a lot together such as natural disasters and the borders were never closed since the signing of the treaty of Concordia since 1648. Dormoy said the people of St. Martin/St. Maarten has always lived as one island and that have lived together in harmony. Dormoy said that in March 2020, when the coronavirus was detected on the island the country shut down for a period of two months with far less cases. She said COVID-19 is not going anywhere and people must learn to live with COVID-19 and move on with their daily lives such as doing business. Dormoy further said at the moment there are no borders closed in Europe and why does it have to take place on such a small island. She said that the border controls have been affecting everyone since people traverse both sides and shop on both sides of the island. She stressed that she was born on St. Martin and have seen St. Martin/St. Maarten as one island. President of Chamber of Commerce St. Maarten Benjamin Ortega also called on governments to reconsider, reconvene and re-establish that St. Martin, St. Maarten is one island and whatever affects one side also affects the other side. Ortega said that the two sides Chambers of Commerce are now working on a letter to send to both side governments regarding the border closers and its effects on the people. Ortega further explained that the two sides have started a joint campaign through the creation of flyers to further sensitize the population on the hygiene measures that must be respected and followed in order to flatten the curve on COVID-19. Asked by SMN News if any contact was made with authorities on the national level knowing that the Prefette is following orders given to her. Dormoy said no such contact was made but they do have the intention to send a letter to the Minister of Overseas with their concerns. Also asked if anyone ever took the time to find out the exact reasons why the border controls resumed and if it had anything to do with safeguarding the French medical institutions especially knowing that the French side engaged in massive testing for COVID-19 which is free of charge while on the Dutch side residents have to pay for these tests if they are not showing signs of COVID-19. Both Chamber representatives did not do any research but also agreed that every life matter and that while there are border controls person wishing to cross the border for medical reasons are allowed to do so. Ortega said that the two sides Chambers started a journey to reunite St. Maarten, St. Martin and since then they have been working well together. While the business representatives are calling for unity neither of representatives could say why a joint agreement could not be obtained when the government of St. Maarten wanted to reopen its borders to the United States on August 1st. Bear in mind, the Collectivity of St. Martin and the Prefecture of St. Martin spoke out against the reopening of the borders to the USA but the government on St. Maarten went ahead and open without having a joint agreement. The Chambers Presidents were also asked why were their opinion when the Prime Minister of St. Maarten Silveria Jacobs called on the residents not to cross over to the French side when cases of COVID -19 were confirmed on the French side of the island. Ortega said he could not speak on behalf of Prime Minister Jacobs but said people should not act or make statements based on emotions. Ortega further explained that there have been a 42% reduction in first registrations, 15% of businesses are now closing down, while there is 56% of inactivation of businesses. A franchise provides entrepreneurs with the opportunity to buy an established business with branding and processes in place. When buying a franchise, it is critical to spend time researching the numerous options to find one that is the right fit for you. You should expect to pay anywhere from $10,000 to $100,000 in initial fees when buying a franchise. You will also pay monthly fees for marketing and royalties. This article is for people who are looking for a complete guide to buying a franchise business. Franchising is a great way to start a business, but before you decide to spend the thousands of dollars needed to buy one, you must do your due diligence. It is critical to understand what a franchise is and how it differs from a chain. Owning a franchise does not work the same way as a business that comes from an original idea you have. Our guide will give you everything you need to know about what it takes to be a franchise entrepreneur, also known as a franchisee. We cover franchise examples, how to buy a franchise, financing options, why you should consider hiring a franchise attorney and more. What is a franchise? A franchise is a business that is owned by one or more people who, under that business, provide a solution following the branding and rules set forth by its corporation. As a part of ownership, the corporation assists its franchisees and charges a flat fee along with fees based on profits or sales of its franchisees. The International Franchise Association defines a franchise as a "method of distributing products or services involving a franchisor, who establishes the brand's trademark or trade name and a business system, and a franchisee, who pays a royalty and often an initial fee for the right to do business under the franchisor's name and system." Key takeaway: A franchise provides entrepreneurs with a ready-made business that already has processes, procedures, strategies and branding in place. What is the difference between a franchise and a chain? A chain consists of two or more stores that have the same brand and follow similar corporate store policies while offering the same products or services from their parent company. That may seem similar to a franchise, but franchises and chains differ in several key areas. Here are some of the differences, according to franchise.com. Ownership: A franchise is owned by a franchisee, whereas a chain store is owned by its parent corporation. Both ownership types involve following similar guidelines and corporate policies. Financing: Franchises can seek help from franchisees to help raise funds to cover their corporation and individual franchise location expenses. As a result, franchises tend to gain faster growth than chain stores do. Cost of operation: It generally costs less to run a franchise than it does to operate a chain store. Businesses that are owned by franchises have lower overhead and operations costs because franchisees can take on duties such as serving and cleaning. Profitability: Franchise business owners are required to share profits with their franchisees, which cuts into profits. Chain stores, on the other hand, have more control over ownership and, therefore, have the potential to "return more profits to the parent company in the long run." Key takeaway: There are several differences between franchises and chains, specifically in how ownership is set up, the financing options available, the cost of operation and their profitability. How to buy a franchise, step by step If you've decided that franchise ownership is right for you, follow these steps to get started. 1. Be sure about your reasoning. Owning a franchise (or any business, for that matter) can be a large undertaking emotionally, physically and financially. Before you dive into buying a franchise, be confident in your reasoning for wanting to own one. If you think owning a franchise may be easier than owning any other type of business, keep in mind that business ownership in general comes with its challenges. 2. Research which franchises you may want to own. Just because a franchise is popular doesn't necessarily mean it is the right one for you. Do not take your franchise research lightly. Expect to dedicate several weeks to this process, and look for the following criteria: A solid track record of excellent sales. It's advisable to choose a franchise that has proof of being profitable. It's advisable to choose a franchise that has proof of being profitable. A growing market. For success, the franchise you choose should be in a market that is growing. For success, the franchise you choose should be in a market that is growing. Social responsibility. People want to do business with companies that are socially responsible. Find out what the franchises you are considering are doing to be socially responsible. People want to do business with companies that are socially responsible. Find out what the franchises you are considering are doing to be socially responsible. Local competition. A little competition can be good, but too much competition nearby can break your business. The competition does not need to be in the form of the same franchise; too many local businesses in the same industry located in one area can also destroy sales. A little competition can be good, but too much competition nearby can break your business. The competition does not need to be in the form of the same franchise; too many local businesses in the same industry located in one area can also destroy sales. Repeat business. What is the likelihood that the franchise could bring you repeat business? For example, someone who owns a GNC franchise can at least hope that every month, the same customers would come back to refill their vitamins. Opportunities to upsell products and services. McDonald's is an excellent example of a company that excels at upselling products. Having a burger? How about some fries with that burger? McDonald's is an excellent example of a company that excels at upselling products. Having a burger? How about some fries with that burger? Franchise fees . How much are the fees, and what do you get for them? Be sure to ask those questions. You should hope to hear that you will receive excellent marketing and support. How much are the fees, and what do you get for them? Be sure to ask those questions. You should hope to hear that you will receive excellent marketing and support. What it's like to work in that franchise. See if you can get a current franchise owner to let you shadow them. Shadowing an owner of a current franchise will help you get a better sense of your passion for this business and if it's something you can and want to do. 3. Begin the application process. Once you've decided on a franchise, it's time to begin the application process. This is an area where an attorney could be helpful. As part of the application process, just as you've screened franchises, you'll be getting screened. Franchisors will look at the following considerations: Your finances, to ensure you'll have enough funds to keep the doors open. Your background, including your education, work history, and reasoning for starting the business. Where you want to open the franchise. Why you are interested in their franchise and what do you already know about it. 4. Set up your "discovery day" meeting. Prior to COVID-19, the corporate office of a franchise would hold a standard face-to-face meeting with the prospective franchisee. During this meeting, commonly known as the "discovery day," you get to know each other better, and you can ask all the questions you'd like before making a commitment to buying a franchise. During the pandemic, however, discovery days are being held virtually. As part of the virtual meeting, you should hope to get a virtual tour of the franchise. When your discovery day is held depends on the franchise; some choose to schedule the meetings during the very beginning of the recruitment process, while others prefer to hold them toward the end. 5. Apply for financing. Unfortunately, if you cannot get the financing you need to open your franchise, there's no reason to proceed any further for now. Apply for financing, and wait until you've been approved for enough to cover all of the franchise fees and other expenses. 6. Review and return your franchise paperwork very carefully. These contracts tend to be long and can include confusing verbiage, so it may be beneficial to consult an attorney to help with this process. 7. Buy or rent a location. At this point in the process, you will have already chosen the town for your franchise. Now, it's time to physically go out and buy or rent a commercial space. 8. Get training and support. You are entering into an established brand; it has a logo, messaging, guidelines, and products. This is the step you'll take to really entrench yourself in the business. Get training on the following aspects of the franchise: Branding. Products and services, including how to sell them and where to buy them. Product placement and point-of-purchase displays. Payment technology, ie. credit card processing. Sales tactics for this specific business model. Key takeaway: The process of buying a franchise is lengthy. Do your due diligence on all of the franchises you are considering, find the necessary funding, choose a location, and get the training and support needed to open. Should you buy an existing franchise? Purchasing an existing franchise can set you up for success by offering a quick return on investment. In addition, buying an existing franchise can mitigate some of the initial growing pains that come with opening a new franchise. In deciding whether to buy an existing franchise, consider the following: The motivation for selling. The success of the business. The business's valuation. Key takeaway: If you are thinking about purchasing a franchise location from the current owner, make sure you understand why the owner is selling and how successful the business is before moving forward. What are the initial investment costs and franchise fees? As you may expect, owning a franchise usually involves spending money before you can make money. Franchise ownership involves franchise fees what you pay to operate a franchise location. Consider the franchise fee your right of passage you pay to get a piece of the pie. The cost of owning a franchise varies. Some franchises require franchisees to pay an upfront initial fee, which can range anywhere from $10,000 to more than $100,000. Then there are the ongoing marketing and royalty fees, which are often determined by how much money your franchise location makes each month. The U.S. Small Business Administration offered this example: If your average monthly revenue is $25,000 and the franchisor charges a 2% marketing fee, you'll have to pay your franchisor $500 a month. The SBA also noted that franchise royalties range from 4% of your revenue to 12% or more; the type of franchise determines the specific percentage. How much money can I make by owning a franchise? The amount of money you can make depends on a few factors: Loan payments Required business reinvestment Taxes These three expenses must be paid before franchise owners can pay themselves. The Franchise Business Review found that the top 16% of franchise owners make more than $200,000 each year. The study also included the following findings: The average annual income reported by all of the food and beverage operators surveyed was $120,000 for businesses that had been open at least two years. When startup costs were included, the median annual income was around $70,000. More than one-third of all food franchise owners earned more than $100,000 last year. Men made 34% more than women, on average; more men than women were multiunit owners (61% versus 51%). To get more information on how much money franchise owners make, you may want to ask existing franchise owners the following questions: How much money have you made every year since the franchise's inception? How much of that money did you pocket? What unanticipated expenses did you have? Based on what you've seen, what do you think is a realistic amount of money I can make owning this franchise? You'll also want to keep location in mind. Having the same franchise, or a close competitor, within a few miles will affect your profits. Key takeaway: Depending on the franchise, the initial costs can be significant. You can expect to pay anywhere from $10,000 to $100,000 (or more) to get started. You will then pay ongoing royalty and marketing fees, which are typically a percentage of your monthly revenue. What are your financing options to pay for your franchise? Despite the required upfront fees, you don't have to have all of the money before getting started with a franchise business; there are several financing options to consider. Blake Martin, owner, and president of FranNet of The Heartland and a local franchise owner with more than 20 years of experience in the franchising industry described four financing options for franchisees. Liquid capital Liquid capital should make up roughly 25% to 30% of any loan you request. It might be cash on hand; assets you leverage, like home equity; or cash infusions from family or silent investors. Traditional and/or SBA-backed loans "Hundreds of high-quality franchises are on the SBA's registry, which usually helps to expedite that loan process," Martin told Business News Daily. Leveraging of assets to self-fund Lines of credit, the leveraging of real estate assets, and business startup programs that allow you to roll over portions of qualified retirement funds tax- and penalty-free are possible solutions to cover the money you'll need for startup and operating capital. Partnerships with other funders As a last resort, you could try to obtain partnerships with other funders, but Martin said most franchises will require any shareholders to sign the franchise agreement as a legally binding commitment. Key takeaway: Financing options include liquid capital, traditional or SBA-backed loans, your own funding or money from a potential partner. Each option has pros and cons. What are the most popular franchises of 2020? The SBE Council reported that 5.3% of small businesses and 9.6% of larger employers are franchises. Here are the 30 best franchises of 2020, according to Franchise Gator: Mathnasium FastSigns Tropical Smoothie Cafe Sport Clips Haircuts Visiting Angels The Joint Chiropractic Kiddie Academy Lawn Doctor Budget Blinds MaidPro Oxi Fresh Carpet Cleaning NaturaLawn ComForCare Touching Hearts at Home Mosquito Joe Chem-Dry Carpet Cleaning Tailored Living British Swim School Kumon Focal Point Rosati's DreamMaker Bath & Kitchen CarePatrol Wings Etc. LeafSpring Schools Glass Doctor Electric Made in the Shade Blinds & More Home Cleaning Centers of America Teriyaki Shops Key takeaway: The highest-ranked franchises in 2020 are in a wide range of industries, including education, restaurants, cleaning and senior care. Should you hire a franchise attorney? Before you buy a franchise, consider hiring a franchise attorney, who could serve as an excellent resource during the due diligence process. In fact, having a franchise attorney assist in reviewing and explaining key provisions in the franchise agreement is imperative to ensure you are fully educated about the obligations and responsibilities you are undertaking as a franchisee, said Schuyler "Rocky" Reidel, a managing attorney who specializes in franchise law for Reidel Law Firm in Galveston, Texas. "The greatest benefits to franchisees is education about franchising and the system they are considering in particular, getting insight into franchise industry norms and customs, and counsel in negotiating the franchise agreement for modifications," Reidel said. From a franchisor's perspective, Reidel said, a franchise attorney is necessary for drafting and maintaining the franchise disclosure document, which is required by law before you can sell franchises in the United States. "A franchise attorney assists the franchisor with navigating the legal compliance maze at both the federal and state levels," he said. Because franchising is a very regulated industry, it is critical to have counsel who is familiar with that industry so you don't fall into one of the compliance traps, such as failing to have a franchise disclosure agreement, encountering sales compliance issues, and conducting annual renewals/maintenance of the system disclosures, Reidel said. Reidel noted these additional benefits of having professional help when reviewing a franchise agreement: Education on obligations and expectations within the franchise system. Knowledge of industry norms. Additional insight into how a potential franchise system is structured and help in identifying potential future concerns for a client. Counsel for negotiating modifications. Franchise ownership can lead to a fulfilling career, but before committing to opening a franchise, be sure to do your due diligence. Key takeaway: When moving through the franchise purchase process, it can be beneficial to hire an attorney who specializes in franchise law to help you fill out your application and review your final contracts. A complaint identifies Rittenhouse, who was charged as an adult, as a fugitive from justice wanted for first-degree intentional homicide in Kenosha. It wasnt clear which victim he is charged with killing. The two shot to death were a 26-year-old Silver Lake resident and a 36-year-old Kenosha resident, Kenosha police said. The three were shot about 11:45 p.m. Tuesday near a gas station on Sheridan Road where a vigilante group had gathered, police said. Authorities had clashed with protesters near the county courthouse after the city curfew went into effect at 8 p.m. Scott Dane, executive director of Associated Contract Loggers and Truckers of Minnesota, addresses the virtual Republican National Convention on Aug. 26, 2020. (Courtesy of the Committee on Arrangements for the 2020 Republican National Committee via Getty Images) Logger Supports Trumps Reelection, Thanks Him for Reinvigorating Timber Industry A logger from Minnesota said he supports President Donald Trumps reelection because the president saved the timber industry from the Washington establishment and environmentalists. Scott Dane, the executive director of Associated Contract Loggers and Truckers of Minnesota, criticized the Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden for doing nothing for the timber industry. But the last time Joe Biden was in the White House, Minnesota lost over half of its mills, thousands of jobs, and experienced nearly a decade of decline, he said in a speech on the third night of the Republican National Convention (RNC). In 47 years in Washington, Joe Biden hasnt done anything for the timber industry. He also criticized the Obama-Biden administration for its lack of action when plants were closed in Duluth, Sartel, and International Falls. Under Obama-Biden, radical environmentalists were allowed to kill the forests, he said. The Biden campaign didnt immediately respond to an email request for comment. Dane supports Trumps policies toward forest management and believes that managed forests are healthy forests. His remarks on Wednesday came as portions of Californias forests were engulfed by wildfires and thousands of people were ordered to evacuate. More than 2,000 square miles have already burned this year, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said. A helicopter drops water on the Lake Hughes Fire in Angeles National Forest north of Santa Clarita, Calif., on Aug. 12, 2020. (Ringo H.W. Chiu/AP Photo) Trump has sought to balance forest management between reservation and logging. Trump issued an executive order on Dec. 21, 2018 to allow for active management of forest and rangelands, including thinning and removing debris from millions of acres of federal lands. The order also called on federal officials to streamline regulations and permitting processes to allow the harvest of at least 3.8 billion board feet from U.S. Forest Service lands and 600 million board feet from Bureau of Land Management lands. That represents a massive increase in timber sales from federal lands. For example, loggers harvested 2.9 billion board feet from Forest Service lands in 2017, according to federal figures. But even Trumps increased allowance for loggers is still about one-quarter of what was harvested in 1973. I told [Newsom] from the first day we met that he must clean his forest floors regardless of what his bosses, the environmentalists, DEMAND of him. Must also do burns and cut fire stoppers, the president wrote on Twitter during the recent California wildfires. Dane, an advocate of the logging industry, added that the reinvigoration of the logging industry also saves the American way. Logging is the most dangerous job in the country. But we embrace that risk because we know America was built by strong people building things together, he said. America needs us to keep building and we cant wait to be a part of it. Michael Bastasch contributed to the report. Serum Institute of India CEO Adar Poonawalla has urged the media to refrain from reporting on interim data. He asked the media to "not bias the process". Poonawalla said that all relevant data would be published after the clinical trials wrap up in two months. Poonawalla's Serum Institute is manufacturing the Oxford University-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine. "I would kindly request the media to refrain from reporting on interim data coming in about patients on the SII - Covishield clinical trials. Let us not bias the process. Let us respect the process and stay patient for two months, all the relevant data will be published soon," said Poonawalla in a tweet. It was earlier reported that two people were vaccinated on the first day, while some had stated later that five volunteers were inoculated. I would kindly request the media to refrain, from reporting on interim data coming in about patients on the SII - Covishield clinical trials. Let us not bias the process. Let us respect the process and stay patient for two months, all the relevant data will be published soon. Adar Poonawalla (@adarpoonawalla) August 27, 2020 SII started Phase 2 and 3 clinical trials of the Oxford vaccine this week. The pharma company had received approval from Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) earlier this month. The pharma giant would try the COVID-19 vaccine on 1,600 participants from ages 18 to 60. The trials would be conducted across 6 sites in India. Also read: India should have coronavirus vaccine by December, says Adar Poonawalla Andhra Medical College in Visakhapatanam, Seth GS Medical College and KEM Hospital in Mumbai, BJ Medical College and Sassoon General Hospital in Pune, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi are some of the sites that would conduct the trials. According to the Clinical Trial Registry India, 0.5 ml dose of the coronavirus vaccine will be administered on Day 1 and 29. "Placebo will be administered as two doses on scheduled days one and 29 as 0.5 ml dose intramuscularly," it added. Also read: Serum Institute founder Cyrus Poonawalla's wealth rises 85% in 5 months to $13.8 bn Also read: COVID-19 vaccine: Serum Institute plans to raise $1 billion to ramp up production Also read: If trials are successful, Serum Institute to sell coronavirus vaccines for Rs 1,000, says CEO Adar Poonawalla AUSTIN, Texas, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Direct Biologics, LLC announces a rapid acceleration of the investigational use of ExoFlo for treatment of COVID-19 as new mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 have been revealed. Published in Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology in August, a recent research collaboration by bioinformatics experts in the United States and Poland suggests that the SARS-CoV-2 viral genome may be binding to specific human microRNA (miRNA) in the manner of an epigenetic "sponge" essentially inhibiting normal downstream processes and facilitating viral hijacking and/or immune evasion. "These findings are highly interesting and pertinent to our research," states Dr. Vik Sengupta, Chief Medical Officer, "especially since the authors' exomic analysis reveals the depletion of multiple miRNA targets. These data complement our recent findings that ExoFlo contains multiple miRNA that may specifically inhibit the SARS-CoV-2 viral invasion and modulate the systemic hyperinflammatory response, known as Cytokine Storm." Dr. Sengupta further elaborates that ExoFlo may have other therapeutic mechanisms, stating that "In April 2020, we already treated 24 patients with COVID-19 associated Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), reversing hypoxia in 17 out of the 24 patients, who were then discharged within 5-6 days. Our results suggest that ExoFlo may be fortifying host immunity by reconstituting T-cells and downregulating inflammation." Tim Moseley, Chief Scientific Officer, states that "Consistent with our clinical findings, we have obtained new in vitro data showing that ExoFlo promotes a non-inflammatory T-regulatory phenotype." If the mechanisms are confirmed, both Dr. Sengupta and Dr. Moseley add, the implication is that ExoFlo may remain effective against SARS-CoV-2 even as the viral genome inevitably mutates in the coming months, a process that some scientists predict could render other countermeasures, like convalescent plasma and vaccination, ineffective. "The potentiality of ExoFlo is beyond compelling at this point," Joe Schmidt, Co-Founder and President of Direct Biologics, LLC declares, emphasizing the company's priorities of accelerating clinical research efforts. He went on to say, "Our investigators are days away from enrolling critically ill patients across the U.S in EXIT COVID-19 an FDA-approved multi-center, phase II clinical trial. This may be a landmark study both domestically and internationally, and we are ready to scale." Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer Mark Adams concludes, "Speaking as a resident in the state of Texas, I have struggled with the knowledge that a potential lifesaver is stored in our warehouse as the death toll climbs daily. The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation's latest COVID-19 forecasts indicate that the U.S. will exceed 300,000 deaths by Dec. 1, 2020 therefore, I do not think that we can afford to be complacent for even one day in our ongoing fight against COVID-19. Our physicians and scientists are convinced that it will take many different therapies to eradicate COVID-19, not just vaccines. We must find and make available multiple treatments that will benefit our elderly patients in nursing homes and other high risk, immunocompromised populations, as there will be thousands of patients who will become critically ill with ARDS before 2021, even after vaccines become widely available. Here at Direct Biologics, we are working around the clock to prepare for the inevitable increase in COVID-19 cases this winter." About ExoFlo ExoFlo is an investigational new drug that has not been approved or licensed by FDA. It is an allograft extracellular vesicle product isolated from human bone marrow mesenchymal stem or stromal cells (MSCs). ExoFlo provides signaling proteins that have been shown to modulate inflammation and may stimulate bioactivity and direct cellular communication. About Direct Biologics Direct Biologics, LLC, is headquartered in Austin, Texas, with an R&D facility located at the University of California, and an Operations and Order Fulfillment Center located in St. Louis, Missouri. Direct Biologics is a market-leading innovator and cGMP manufacturer of regenerative medical products, including a robust line of extracellular vesicle-based biological products. The Company was created to expand the science of cutting-edge biologic technologies. Direct Biologic's management team holds extensive collective experience in biologics research, development, and commercialization, making the Company a leader in the evolving, next-generation segment of the biotherapeutics industry. Direct Biologics is dedicated to pursuing additional clinical applications of ExoFlo through the FDA's investigational new drug application process. For more information, visit http://www.directbiologics.com. Phone: 1-800-791-1021 Email: [email protected] SOURCE Direct Biologics This deal not only allows us to plant a flag in D.C., but marks our entry into the acquisition market, which combined with our robust organic sales structure, has us in great position for future growth. - Andrew Maggio, Chief Operating Officer, Dunbar Security Solutions Dunbar Security Solutions (Dunbar), a leading provider of integrated manned and electronic security solutions for commercial properties across the Mid-Atlantic region, has finalized a deal to acquire assets from Trust Security Services, Inc. to provide manned security services in Washington, D.C. With the acquisition, Dunbar adds new security officers and will assume certain contracts with two former Trust customers located in Washington, D.C. The new customers and employees will be managed out of the Dunbar DC Metro branch office in Greenbelt, Md., which opened in 2019 to serve the companys growing customer base across the greater D.C. region and Virginia. When we opened the DC Metro branch of Dunbar last year, we made a commitment to expand our presence in the greater Washington region, and we are proud to announce this acquisition as our next step in this effort, said Andrew Maggio, Chief Operating Officer, Dunbar Security Solutions. This deal not only allows us to plant a flag in D.C., but marks our entry into the acquisition market, which combined with our robust organic sales structure, has us in great position for future growth. For generations, Dunbar has proudly been one of the foremost security providers in the Mid-Atlantic, and we are currently in search of value to further our growth, said Kevin Dunbar, President and CEO, Dunbar Security Solutions. This acquisition significantly impacts our teams ability, both operationally and financially, to pursue more aggressive expansion throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. To learn more about Dunbar Security Solutions, please visit dunbarsecuritysolutions.com. About Dunbar Security Solutions Dunbar Security Solutions specializes in providing manned and electronic integrated security services to commercial, industrial, corporate and high-end residential properties across the Mid-Atlantic region, including Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Washington, D.C. For more information, please visit dunbarsecuritysolutions.com. UK Commercial Property REIT Limited (an authorised closed-ended investment schemeincorporated in Guernsey with registration number 45387) LEI number: 213800JN4FQ1A9G8EU25 (The "Company") 27 August 2020 RESULT OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING At the Annual General Meeting of the Company held on 27 August 2020, all Resolutions set out in the Annual General Meeting Notice sent to Shareholders dated 18 June 2020 were duly passed. Details of the proxy voting results which should be read along side the Notice are noted below: Ordinary Resolution For Discretion (voted in favour) Against Abstain 1 843,475,140 10,150 5,905 507,830 2 842,751,478 10,150 1,197,628 39,769 3 843,903,835 10,150 55,399 29,641 4 843,948,335 10,150 17,801 22,739 5 843,970,512 10,150 18,363 0 6 841,957,841 10,150 1,992,034 39,000 7 842,742,158 10,150 1,207,717 39,000 8 841,889,747 10,150 2,060,127 39,000 9 839,908,119 10,150 4,041,755 39,000 10 841,959,947 10,150 1,989,928 39,000 11 841,959,947 10,150 1,989,928 39,000 Special Resolution For Discretion (voted in favour) Against Abstain 12 843,936,699 10,150 52,176 0 13 841,179,961 10,150 2,803,144 5,769 Note -A vote withheld is not a vote in law and has not been counted in the votes for and against a resolution. The Special Resolutions were as follows: Special Resolution 12: That the Directors of the Company be and they are hereby generally empowered, to allot ordinary shares in the Company or grant rights to subscribe for, or to convert securities into, ordinary shares in the Company ("equity securities"), for cash including by way of a sale of ordinary shares held by the Company as treasury shares, as if any preemption rights in relation to the issue of shares as set out in the listing rules made by the Financial Conduct Authority under Part VI of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (as amended) did not apply to any such allotment of equity securities, provided that this power: (a) expires at the conclusion of the next Annual General Meeting of the Company after the passing of this resolution or on the expiry of 15 months from the passing of this resolution, whichever is the earlier, save that the Company may, before such expiry, make an offer or agreement which would or might require equity securities to be allotted after such expiry and the Directors may allot equity securities in pursuance of any such offer or agreement as if the power conferred hereby had not expired; and (b) shall be limited to the allotment of equity securities up to an aggregate nominal value of 32,485,312 being approximately 10 per cent of the nominal value of the issued share capital of the Company (including treasury shares), as at 01 June 2020. Special Resolution 13: That the Company, be authorised in accordance with section 315 of The Companies (Guernsey) Law, 2008, as amended,(the 'Law') to make market acquisitions within the meaning of section 316(I) of the Law of its own ordinary shares of 25p each ("shares") (either for retention as treasury shares for future resale of transfer or cancellation), provided that: (a) the maximum number of shares hereby authorised to be acquired shall be equal to 14.99 per cent of the Company's issued share capital on the date on which this resolution is passed; (b) the minimum price (exclusive of expenses) which may be paid for a share is 25p, being the nominal value per share; (c) the maximum price (exclusive of expenses) which may be paid for a share shall not be more than the higher of (i) an amount equal to 105 per cent of the average of the middle market quotations for a share taken from the London Stock Exchange's Daily Official List for the five business days immediately preceding the day on which the share is purchased and (ii) the higher of the last independent trade and the highest current independent bid on the London Stock Exchange; (d) the authority hereby conferred shall expire at the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting of the Company to be held in 2021 or, if earlier, on 27 February 2022, unless such authority is renewed prior to such time; and (e) the Company may make a contract to purchase Shares under the authority hereby conferred prior to the expiry of such authority which will or may be executed wholly or partly after the expiration of such authority and may make a purchase of Shares pursuant to any such contract. Enquiries: Northern Trust International Fund Administration Services (Guernsey) Limited The Company Secretary PO Box 255 Trafalgar Court Les Banques St Peter Port Guernsey GY1 3QL Tel: 01481 745001 END Minister for Media, Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sport and the Gaeltacht, Catherine Martin T.D., has expressed her deep regret on the passing of master storyteller and dramatist, Eugene McCabe. Born in Scotland of emigrant parents who returned to Ireland in the early 40s, McCabe grew up in Clones, Co. Monaghan. Minister Martin said:Eugene McCabe was a master storyteller and dramatist who spent most of his life in my own home county of Monaghan. While he produced a great volume of literary works, he will probably be best remembered for his trilogy of plays which he wrote in the early seventies based on the differing traditions in Northern Ireland. These plays received critical acclaim and were produced and screened by RTE in 1973. Minister Martin recalled that his 1992 novel Death and Nightingales, set in 1883, is regarded by many as a contemporary classic. This novel was adapted for television and was broadcast by RTE and the BBC in November 2018. Minister Martin said thatEugene McCabe received many awards during his lifetime for his work including the Irish Life Theatre Award in 1964 for King of the Castle, a Doctorate from University of Prince Edward Island, Canada in 1990, the Butler Literary Award for Prose from the Irish American Cultural Institute in 2002 and the 2006 AWB Vincent Literary Award from the American/Irish Ireland Funds. Minister Martin concluded that It is a day of great sadness for Ireland to lose such a talented writer after other great Irish artists that we have lost in recent times. Ar dheis De go raibh a anam. NEW DELHI : The government is in the final stage of approving the acquisition of two Phalcon airborne warning and control systems (AWACS) for the Indian Air Force from Israel at a cost of around $1 billion, official sources said on Thursday. The fresh negotiations with Israeli authorities concerned for procurement of the two Phalcon AWACS come in the midst of India's bitter border row with China in high-altitude eastern Ladakh. The Indian Air Force (IAF) already has three Phalcon AWACS and addition of two more is expected to significantly boost the country's air defence mechanism. "The process of approval for two more Phalcon AWACS is nearing final stage," said a source, adding the proposal is expected to be discussed in the next meeting of Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS). The AWACS is mounted on Russian-origin Illyushin-76 transport aircraft and it is called an "eye" in the sky because of its superior surveillance capabilities. The Phalcon AWACS is capable of tracking enemy aircraft, hostile missiles, movement of troops across the border without crossing territorial limits. Besides the Israeli AWACS, the IAF currently operates two indigenously developed airborne early Warning and control (AEW&C) system developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). After Pakistan's response to the Balakot air strikes, the IAF conveyed to the government the need for speeding up procurement of the two more Phalcon AWACS to plug the gaps in air defence mechanisms. Pakistan reportedly has more AWACS than India. India has been making concerted efforts to boost its air defence mechanism. In October 2018, India had signed a USD 5 billion deal with Russia to buy five units of the S-400 air defence missile systems, notwithstanding warning from the Trump administration that going ahead with the contract may invite US sanctions. Last year, India made the first tranche of payment of around $800 million to Russia for the missile systems. India is also integrating Brahmos supersonic cruise missiles into over 40 Sukhoi fighter jets under a closely-guarded project. State-run aerospace behemoth Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) and the BrahMos Aerospace Pvt Ltd (BAPL), an Indo-Russia joint venture, are implementing the project. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. The Latest on Hurricane Laura (all times local): BATON ROUGE, La. Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said the state is closing Interstate 10 from around the Atchafalaya Bridge outside of Lafayette all the way into part of Texas, because several stretches within that area are expected to flood. In a radio interview Wednesday night, Edwards talked of the apocalyptic language that meteorologists have used for the storm. The language Ive heard from the National Weather Service Ive never heard before Theyre sending the strongest possible message about how serious this storm is," he said. He talked specifically about concerns in Cameron Parish, which could receive wind gusts up to 180 mph (290 kph) and storm surge up to 20 feet (6 meters.) When people built back after Rita, they routinely built back to 15 feet, Edwards said. He noted those structures would be overwhelmed. Edwards said search and rescue efforts will begin Thursday as soon as its safe enough for officials to go out into floodwaters. ___ CAMERON PARISH, La. At least 150 people refused to evacuate a coastal Louisiana parish that could be covered by ocean water as Hurricane Laura makes landfall, officials said. Officers went door-to-door in Cameron Parish urging the roughly 7,000 residents to get out before Laura struck, and they all used social media and phone calls to warn people of the danger. But Ashley Buller, assistant director of the parish Office of Emergency Preparedness, said officials knew of about 150 people who decided to stay put in structures ranging from seemingly safe elevated homes to recreational vehicles, which could easily be swept away by rushing storm surge. Its a very sad situation, Buller said in a telephone interview from Lake Charles, where parish officials relocated from an office closer to the coast in Cameron. We did everything we could to encourage them to leave. Forecasters said Gulf waters could rise 20 feet along the coast of the low-lying parish without adding the height of waves, meaning the entire parish could be inundated. ___ NEW ORLEANS A meteorologist in western Louisiana said there are increasing signs Hurricane Laura could reach Category 5 strength. Theres been a lot of question about whether this storm would make it to Category 5 strength before landfall I think that is becoming increasingly likely, said meteorologist Donald Jones, of the National Weather Services regional office that covers parts of the Louisiana and Texas coastlines that are in the bullseye of Lauras path. I think all evidence right now indicates that were probably going to be looking at a Category 5 storm," he said. Jones noted that theres also debate within the weather service about whether Laura would maintain Category 5 status all the way to landfall, even it reaches that strength in the next few hours. He made the comments during a Wednesday night briefing at the weather services New Orleans office, where he evacuated to from the Lake Charles office because of the storm. ___ LITTLE ROCK, Ark. Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson has declared an emergency ahead of Hurricane Laura and set aside $250,000 to prepare for the storms impact. Hutchinson said Wednesday that the state will have search and rescue teams on standby. Arkansas is hundreds of miles inland, but even as Laura moves away from the Gulf of Mexico, it is expected to hit the southwest part of the state with tropical storm-force winds. The storm could also drop up to 8 inches (20 centimeters) of rain near Arkansas borders with Louisiana, Texas and Oklahoma. Forecasters also said heavy rainfall could arrive by Friday in parts of Missouri, Tennessee and Kentucky. Laura is so powerful that its expected to become a tropical storm again once it reaches the Atlantic Ocean, potentially threatening the Northeast. ___ MEXICO CITY Off Mexicos western Pacific coast, two tropical storms formed Wednesday in what appears likely to be a busy season in the Pacific as well. Tropical Storms Hernan and Iselle formed within hours of each other. Both are expected to curve toward the southern tip of Baja California, but neither is expected to hit land. Both will likely decline to tropical depressions by late in the week. Hernan may swing near the coast around the resort of Puerto Vallarta. The National Hurricane Center said Hernan had winds of about 40 miles per hour (65 kph) and was located about 185 miles (300 kms) south of Cabo Corrientes, Mexico. It was moving northeast at 6 mph (9 kph). Iselle formed further offshore, about 680 miles (1,095 kms) southwest of the tip of Baja California. ___ WASHINGTON White House officials are nervously tracking the path of the storm, which they fear will make a devastating landfall. Federal Emergency Management Agency officials have been dispatched to the region and are blanketing the airwaves with messages to follow authorities instructions, though there was concern that the evacuations started late. There were no plans to reschedule portions of the Republican National Convention. Officials expected that Trump would travel to inspect the storm damage either this weekend or early next week. ___ Louisiana and Texas refineries and liquefied natural gas terminals shut down ahead of Hurricane Lauras arrival. Cheniere Energy Partners Sabine Pass LNG plants 500 employees were told to follow local, state and federal instructions about storm preparedness and evacuation, spokesman Eben Burnham-Snyder said Wednesday. Sempra Energys Cameron LNG, also in Cameron Parish, began shutting down Wednesday, according to an emailed statement. Phillips 66 has shut down all of its Lake Charles-area operations, including a refinery, lubricant plant and terminals and pipelines, as well as a terminal in Beaumont, Texas, according to a notice on its website. A few more refineries are in northwest Louisiana, where Laura was expected to arrive Thursday, possibly with winds of 74 to 110 miles per hour (119 to 177 kph), putting it in Category 1 or 2. ___ HOUSTON More than 60% of flights Wednesday to and from Houstons largest airport were canceled as Hurricane Laura approached. About one-third of Thursdays flights were scrubbed at Bush Intercontinental Airport and the citys smaller Hobby Airport. ___ BATON ROUGE, La. Several refineries along the Gulf Coast shut down before Hurricane Laura arrived. Oil analyst Andrew Lipow said Wednesday that refineries nationwide were running at only about 80% because the pandemic has reduced demand for fuel. That means other refineries can pick up slack from shutdowns in Beaumont and Port Arthur, Texas, and Lake Charles, Louisiana, he said. Lipow said a major remaining concern is that pumping stations for the Colonial Pipeline could be damaged by flooding, which could stop gasoline produced in Houston-area refineries from reaching the East Coast, although the pipeline could still send fuel from refineries in New Orleans, Mississippi and Alabama. ___ BATON ROUGE, La. Gov. John Bel Edwards has activated the entire Louisiana National Guard for Hurricane Laura. That includes more than 3,000 guardsmen ready for high-water vehicle and boat evacuations, search and rescue operations, levee inspections, road clearing and parish emergency operations assistance. The National Guard has staged more than 200 high-water vehicles and 65 boats in south Louisiana ahead of the approaching storm. - BATON ROUGE, La. Hundreds of residents of 11 nursing homes in southwest Louisiana have been evacuated in advance of Hurricane Laura, according to the state health department. Most of the facilities were in Calcasieu Parish, which is expected to get a direct strike from the hurricane. Health department spokeswoman Aly Neel says a mix of buses and ambulances moved the residents to other facilities mainly in Louisiana, but also in Texas. - BREAUX BRIDGE, La. Louisiana residents Wednesday afternoon were heeding evacuation warnings as bands of heavy rain and strong wind swept into the states south ahead of the approaching storm, providing hotels in inland Baton Rouge a much-needed revenue boost. Traffic slowed to a crawl at times amid intermittent periods of wind-driven rain on an elevated section of a highway between Lafayette and Baton Rouge. Hotels in Baton Rouge were filling up fast, said Meredith Conger of tourism agency Visit Baton Rouge. Some were first responders and others were individual evacuees possibly seeking the privacy of a hotel room rather than a shelter or relatives house, she said. Conger acknowledged that the business brought in by evacuees was a lifeline for Baton Rouge hotels after the pandemic shut down tourism and business travel. - JACKSON, Miss. Mississippi could get heavy rain and tornadoes from Hurricane Laura as it pushes northward over parts of Texas and Louisiana, Mississippi Emergency Management Agency director Greg Michel said Wednesday. He said Laura has been following a path similar to Hurricane Rita, which struck in 2005 and caused several tornadoes in Mississippi, including in the Jackson area. Michel said Mississippis coastal Hancock County, which touches Louisiana, could get storm surge of 2 to 6 feet (0.6 to 1.8 meters), and flash flooding is possible in three other counties in southwestern Mississippi. - PORT ARTHUR, Texas Officials in Port Arthur, Texas announced Wednesday afternoon that the state had sent two C-130 transport planes to Jack Brooks Airport, located in between Port Arthur and Beaumont, as a last chance evacuation for area residents. Port Arthur had ended evacuating residents by bus at noon on Wednesday. If you decide to stay, you are on your own, said Port Arthur Mayor Thurman Bartie. I will not put my people in harms way. If you stay, it is you and God. Each plane can carry only up to 40 people due to coronavirus distancing guidelines. The planes are not equipped to handle residents with medical needs. The planes will take evacuees to the Dallas-Fort Worth area and will not make a return trip. - WASHINGTON More than 500,000 packaged meals and 800,000 liters of water are at two sites in Louisiana for use by storm victims if needed, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The supplies have been in place at the Roseland Staging Area and Camp Beauregard since before Tropical Storm Marco, FEMA said Wednesday. Additional supplies are on standby in Texas. The federal agency, which works with local authorities to coordinate disaster response and relief efforts, has also brought in federal response teams and four urban search and rescue teams to provide additional assistance. The agency said in a blog post that it has spent the past several months preparing to confront natural disasters amid the coronavirus pandemic. - GALVESTON, Texas Hurricane Laura strengthened Wednesday into an extremely dangerous Category 4 hurricane," The National Hurricane Center said. Laura is expected to strike Wednesday night into Thursday morning along the Louisiana-Texas border. Forecasters warn of catastrophic storm surge, extreme winds and flash flooding" and 20 feet (6 meters) of storm surge. Tropical storm winds Wednesday afternoon reached the coast of Louisiana where water levels started to rise. An observing site at Eugene Island measured sustained winds of 39 mph (63 kph) and a gust of 64 mph (104 kph). Lauras well-formed eye was 200 miles (320 kilometers) south southeast of Lake Charles, Louisiana and Port Arthur, Texas, early Wednesday afternoon. Laura is predicted to reach at least 145 mph (233 kph) winds, but may weaken ever so slightly before landfall. The National Weather Service says rainfall can reach 15 inches (38 centimeters) in parts of Louisiana and Texas. - GALVESTON, Texas Texas Gov. Greg Abbott implored residents who hadnt evacuated ahead of the storm on Wednesday to do so. Abbott said storm surge was going to be a big problem and was expected to rise 10 to 15 feet (3 to 4.5 meters) in the Jefferson County area. Resources that have so far been deployed in the state ahead of the storm included: 400 buses, 38 aircraft, 82 boats, 202 high profile vehicles and 60 ambulances, the governor said. More than 5,000 people who have evacuated have already been sheltered, many of them in hotels. Earlier Wednesday, officials in Austin said the city had run out of free hotel rooms for evacuees and had started to send families fleeing the storm to a shelter nearly 200 miles (322 kilometers) farther north. - OKLAHOMA CITY Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt said Wednesday the states Department of Emergency Management is dispatching a 35-member search-and-rescue team to Louisiana to help respond to the incoming storm. The team includes personnel from several fire and police stations across northeast Oklahoma, as well as vehicles, boats and other emergency equipment. Earlier this week, a five-person support team deployed from Oklahoma to Louisiana to help with forward operations, including response coordination, evacuation and shelter planning, and search-and-rescue coordination, Stitt 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 Tara O'Neill / Hearst Connecticut Media MILFORD A city woman faces charges after she allegedly threatened to have people killed by the mob during a recent disturbance, according to police. Kathleen Gleason, 58, of Viscount Drive in Milford, was charged with breach of peace. 1.9 Million Nigerians Are Living With HIV/AIDs Expert Reveals Mrs. Roseline Solarin, a paediatric nurse and HIV counsellor, has disclosed that no fewer than 1.9 million Nigerians are living with HIV/AIDs. The nurse while citing UNAIDS and National Agency for the Control of AIDS statistics said the surge in HIV/AIDS was common among people within the ages of 15 and 49. She added that Nigeria remained the highest HIV/AIDs endemic country in the world. The Chief Nursing Officer who doubles as Chairperson of the National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwifery Association of Nigeria (NANNM), Ogun State chapter spoke in Sagamu at the launch and public presentation of a book titled Sex Education Made Easy, a manual to help parents teach sex education with confidence. She urged the youths to abstain from sex until they were married, and where they could not help it, they should put safety first and wear protective gear condoms, in order to protect their lives, health, and future. Mrs. Solarin, while blaming the high rate of moral decadence in the country to the advent of the internet and social media, charged parents to be alive to their parental responsibilities, especially by giving them sex education. We parents are the first teachers to our children. We should not shy away from our responsibility, especially when it comes to sex education. If we refuse to teach them, other people will teach them in the wrong way. During this unprecedented time in education, delivering these solutions to educators and students is more important than ever before and Im honored to continue leading the incredibly passionate and talented team at PowerSchool through this time and beyond," said PowerSchool CEO Hardeep Gulati. PowerSchool, a leader in education technology, announced today that CEO, Hardeep Gulati, has been recognized on The Software Reports annual Top 50 SaaS CEOs list. Gulati is ranked number five on the list of 50 SaaS CEOs and is honored as the top-ranking education software CEO within the list of prestigious executives. The selection process was based on nomination submissions from colleagues, peers and other software industry participants and was weighed across several key areas including company performance, workplace culture, product strength and strategic decision-making. The Software Report explained in its announcement that the awardees this year represent highly regarded CEOs whose colleagues both internal and external to their company praise their effective leadership style." During his five-year tenure at PowerSchool, Gulati has successfully led nine acquisitions including the most recent which is Schoology. Additionally, he has overseen the expansion of the companys workforce, which has grown from 1,000 to around 2,500 employees in just five years. With Gulati leading, PowerSchool has become a clear leader in education technology. For Gulati, leading a company that includes thousands of educators and technology specialists is a natural evolution of his lifelong commitment to harnessing the power of technology to transform lives and unlock student potential. Gulati has also been the recipient of EdTech Digests EdTech Leadership/CEO Award and executive of the year from the Business Intelligence Groups BIG Awards for Business. Since becoming CEO of PowerSchool in 2015, Ive put my focus on creating a suite of solutions that provide schools and districts with what they need to empower educators and improve student outcomes, said Gulati. During this unprecedented time in education, delivering these solutions to educators and students is more important than ever before and Im honored to continue leading the incredibly passionate and talented team at PowerSchool through this time and beyond. The announcement comes on the heels of PowerSchools recognition as one of the nations fastest growing private companies on Inc. Magazines annual Inc. 5000. With a three-year revenue growth rate of more than 200 percent, PowerSchool was among the fastest-growing K-12 education technology companies on the Inc. 5000 list. More recently, and due to the increased demand for distance learning solutions, PowerSchool has increased the number of students using its learning management system by 50 percent to 15 million students. PowerSchool supports over 45 million students representing 75 percent of students in North America who are benefiting from its solutions for remote operations and virtual talent management during this time. PowerSchool is proud to have also been recently recognized with several other industryleading awards, including: Gold Stevie Award for best P-12 Personalized Learning Solution for Schoology, PowerSchools industryleading learning management system Tech & Learning awards for PowerSchool and Schoology in the software category in their annual Awards of Excellence EdTech Digest EdTech Awards for PowerSchool Performance Matters, finalist for best district data solution, and Unified Talent, finalist for best hiring solution Overall EdTech Company of the Year, awarded to PowerSchool by EdTech Breakthrough, a leading market intelligence organization that recognizes the top companies and solutions in the global education technology market About Hardeep Gulati Gulati is an innovative leader and executive with more than two decades of experience leading software businesses. Gulatis passion for education and proven expertise in guiding companies through periods of growth has been instrumental to the ongoing successful implementation of PowerSchools expansion plan. Under his leadership, PowerSchool has introduced award-winning, integrated classroom solutions, and made a lasting impact on the future of K-12 education. For Gulati, leading a company that includes thousands of educators and technology specialists is a natural evolution of his lifelong commitment to harnessing the power of technology to transform lives and unlock student potential. He brings that ethos, and his belief that a high-quality education is a fundamental right, to his leadership of PowerSchool. About PowerSchool At PowerSchool, we believe in the simple truth that every student deserves the best opportunities in life. Thats why our mission is to power the education ecosystem with unified technology that helps educators and students realize their potential, in their way. From the front office to the classroom to the home, PowerSchool helps schools and districts efficiently manage instruction, learning, grading, attendance, assessment, analytics, state reporting, special education, student registration, talent, finance, and HR. Today, were proud to be the leading provider of K-12 education application technology supporting over 45 million students in over 80 countries. Visit http://www.powerschool.com to learn more. Trumps surrogates simply disregarded where we are in the country, Merritt said, pointing to the high rate of death among African Americans from coronavirus and the civic unrest in Kenosha, Wis., this week after the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man who was paralyzed. They were not speaking to the issues. They simply glossed over it. They cannot pretend to speak to our issues while avoiding them and only giving the Trump highlights, which are scant at best. Whats going on with Kim Jong Un? Is he sick? Worried about Covid-19? Consumed by an economic crisis? Battling internal threats? Perhaps the North Korean leader is biding his time until the US presidential election? Or maybe hes playing the same game of threats, reconciliation and retreat that has kept his family in charge of the secretive state since the 1940s? All those scenarios have been floated to explain months of surprises and intrigue from Pyongyang, including stubborn -- but so-far-unsubstantiated -- rumors that the 36-year-old leader is unwell. The developments have underscored how little the world knows about North Korea, and left even many professional observers questioning how they go about interpreting Kims actions. We need to check our assumptions about the leadership, said Soo Kim, a Rand Corp. policy analyst who previously worked at the Central Intelligence Agency. Perhaps we are imposing our own expectations and habitual knowledge about the North Korean regime on the current situation. And if these expectations are false, then we risk drawing faulty or erroneous conclusions about the regime. Indeed, Kim is behaving in ways that have defied expectations. After making economic development his central policy focus in 2018, he acknowledged last week that peoples living standards have not been improved remarkably. He has attended less than a third of the number of public events as he had at this time in 2019 and earlier this year missed birthday celebrations for his late grandfather, state founder Kim Il Sung. After promising to unveil a new strategic weapon and carrying out a record number of ballistic missile launches last year, North Korea has dramatically scaled back weapon tests in 2020. Hes even given his younger sister, Kim Yo Jong, a more prominent role in relations with the US and South Korea, an unprecedented delegation of power that risks elevating a potential rival from the familys so-called Mount Paektu bloodline. Kim Yo Jong proved her hard-line credentials in June by delivering a stern rebuke to Seoul before North Korea blew up a $15 million liaison office South Korean President Moon Jae-in helped establish on the northern side of the border in 2018. Since then, North Korea has been unusually quiet, foregoing even its standard criticism of US-South Korean military drills that started this month. Illustrating the struggle to read the signals, South Korean lawmakers said after a briefing by spy agency officials last week that Kim Jong Un had delegated some authority to his sister to relieve stress, adding that she was running every aspect of state affairs. The lawmakers held another briefing shortly after to play down their remarks, saying they were only sharing the spy agencys interpretation. State media released what appeared to be fresh images of Kim Wednesday, publishing photos of him leading a Politburo meeting, dressed in summer white. Still, the rumors about his health have persisted, due in part to North Koreas long history of manipulating state media reports for political purposes. The confusion was reminiscent of an episode in April after the Seoul-based news site Daily NK reported that Kim had undergone a cardiovascular surgical procedure, potentially explaining his absence from events honoring his grandfather. Subsequent reports that Kim was dead or incapacitated followed, only for him to turn up at a May 1 fertilizer plant visit looking healthy, if still overweight. Kim Jong Uns long absences have been unusual in the context of his general public activities in North Korea, said Ankit Panda, a Stanton senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. This has obviously led to some very poorly reasoned and supported rumors about his health. But it simply appears that the leader is taking precaution -- as so many of us are -- during an unprecedented global pandemic. North Koreas stability is not only a concern for its immediate neighbors, but the wider world since a turbulent leadership change would raise new questions about who controls a nuclear bomb stockpile that could grow to 100 warheads by year end. No matter whos in charge, North Korean leaders have strong incentives to preserve the regime and Kims strategy of seeking sanctions relief from US President Donald Trump by building a more dangerous nuclear arsenal. Greater insight may come around Oct. 10, when the ruling Workers Party of Korea is expected to celebrate its 75th anniversary. Footage from those events, which analysis of satellite photos suggests will probably include the regimes first military parade since 2018, should provide a fresh chance to evaluate Kims strategy and his relationship with top officials including his sister. As usual, North Koreas propaganda machine has said nothing about Kims health or succession plans. The coronavirus has further cut the flow of intelligence out of the country, with North Korea slashing traffic across the Chinese border and curbing movements of diplomats posted in Pyongyang. Some of the few foreign diplomats and non-governmental organization workers who live in Pyongyang are leaving, with Swedish embassy staff among the latest to depart. Kim told a party meeting earlier this month that he wouldnt accept international handouts due to worries of spreading the virus. Kim may also be preoccupied with the economic damage wrought by US sanctions and severe flooding, as well as the pandemic. North Korea is on track for its biggest contraction since the 1990s, when Kims father, Kim Jong Il, faced a devastating famine, according to Fitch Solutions. The economic struggle is already damaging Kims authority, said Boo Seung-chan, a former adviser to South Koreas defense minister whos now an adjunct professor at the Yonsei Institute for North Korean Studies. Kim may need to share that authority with expert groups to better handle the crisis while minimizing damage to himself. Economic issues have certainly dominated Kims recent public statements, including his decision earlier this month to replace former Premier Kim Jae Ryong after little more than a year on the job. He also announced plans to hold the first Workers Party congress in five years in January to update the countrys national development blueprint. The timing of the party congress could provide Kim a convenient platform to deliver a fresh message to the US before the next presidential inauguration on Jan. 20. While its unclear whether Trump can break the stalemate with North Korea if he wins a second term, Democratic nominee Joe Biden has signaled a different approach, criticizing the presidents emphasis on a personal rapport with Kim. Rachel Minyoung Lee, a former analyst for the US government specializing in North Korea, noted that Kim Yo Jong alluded to concern about a change in US leadership in an earlier statement about the need for good relations for the two countries, as well as their leaders. I am surprised that he has not started taking steps to escalate tensions in the lead-up to showing off the new strategic weapon, Lee said. Part of this could be that Pyongyang is weighing its options before the US presidential election, but the main reason seems to be that it remains fettered by domestic issues. For Muhammad Hussein, the Abu Dhabi signing is a "stab in the back for Palestinians and Muslims" and a "betrayal for Muslim and Christian holy places". And it prevents UAE Muslims from praying in al-Aqsa. Last week the Forum for Promoting Peace in Muslim Societies (FPPMS) issued a note, later deleted, in support of the normalization of relations. Jerusalem (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The grand mufti of Jerusalem yesterday resigned from the Forum for the Promotion of Peace, based in the United Arab Emirates, in protest against the public support of the organization for the normalization of relations between Abu Dhabi and Israel. This is the second resignation in a few days of a leading personality from the organism based in the Gulf country where the document on human fraternity was signed by Pope Francis and the imam of al-Azhar. According to reports from the Palestinian agency Wafa, Muhammad Hussein announced his intention to leave the Forum for Promoting Peace in Muslim Societies (Fppms) during a press conference. In a note, the Muslim leader stressed that "normalisation is a stab in the back of Palestinians and Muslims, and a betrayal for Muslim and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem". Last week, the FPPMS issued a statement, later canceled, that normalization could "stop Israel from extending its sovereignty over Palestinian lands" and is also a way to "promote peace and stability in the world". Emirati leaders have called the pact an "effective means" to stem Israel's expansionist policy, although Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has confirmed the goal of "annexing part of the West Bank". Previously, Hussein issued a statement condemning the agreement and forbidding Muslims in the United Arab Emirates to visit and pray inside the Al-Aqsa mosque. On 23 August, the American Muslim activist Aisha al-Adawiya cancelled her membership in the forum, again for the same reason. The issue of normalization of relations, the religious leader stressed, "was never raised in the recent meeting" of the commission and "there was no agreement on the support of the agreement between the UAE and Israel". This is why, he concludes, with this "violation" "trust" has been lost. Without resigning, other prominent personalities of the forum have distanced themselves from the declaration of support for the normalization of relations. They include Abdullah al-Matouq, adviser to the royal family of Kuwait. The FPPMS was born in 2014 and is led by Mauritanian religious leader and former politician Abdullah bin Bayyah. Alabamas three federally-funded COVID-19 testing sites are free to everyone, Gov. Kay Ivey said Thursday, the same day new CDC guidelines suggested that not all asymptomatic people exposed to the disease need to be tested. On Monday, Alabama opened three federally-funded COVID-19 testing sites in Hoover, Center Point and Tuscaloosa that will offer up to 60,000 free coronavirus tests during the next two weeks. Despite the CDC guidance released today that asymptomatic people should not get a test, these test are available to everyone everywhere in Alabama who just wants to get tested and willing to drive to Tuscaloosa County (one site) and Jefferson County (two sites) to do it without a physicians approval, the governors office said. Alabamians exposed to someone with COVID-19 or suspects that they have been exposed are being encouraged by the state Health Department to take advantage of the free testing. Testing is being conducted at Cathedral of the Cross in Center Point, 1480 Center Point Parkway, the Riverchase Galleria Sears Parking Lot, 2500 Galleria Circle, and the Tuscaloosa Fire and Rescue Service Logistics Center, 2201 University Blvd. The test sites will operate from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, starting Aug. 24. Senior US Diplomat Aims to Bridge Differences with Moscow Over Oppposition Leader Poisoning, Belarus By Charles Maynes August 26, 2020 The second-most senior U.S. diplomat wrapped up talks with top Russian officials in Moscow Wednesday capping a two-day visit aimed at bridging differences over issues including the ongoing political crisis in Belarus and the sudden illness of a leading Russian political opposition figure from what appears to be a poisoning. The visit by Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun to the Russian capital marked an intensifying U.S. effort to find a peaceful solution in Belarus, where thousands of demonstrators continue to protest results of August 9 presidential elections that longtime Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko claims he won in a landslide. The U.S. has agreed with protesters in calling into question the fairness of the vote count and criticized widespread evidence of the beating and torture of detained demonstrators. Yet, ahead of talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Biegun signaled that Washington was not eager to accept efforts by Lukashenko to cast the election standoff as an East versus West showdown that might trigger direct Russian involvement. "We urge the government of Belarus to accept the OSCE chair's offer to facilitate dialogue and engage all stakeholders," said Biegun during a stopover in Vilnius, Lithuania earlier this week. "The United States cannot and will not decide the course of events in Belarus. This is the right of the Belarusian people." Ahead of meetings with Beigun, Foreign Minister Lavrov also insisted Russia sought to promote a "broad national dialogue" in Belarus but seemed to side with the government in Minsk over protester demands for fair elections. Lavrov has argued there is simply no way to know if Lukashenko won or not due to a lack of international observers. The foreign minister has also criticized the opposition for seeking "bloodshed" and being "western-backed." Lukashenko has openly appealed to the Kremlin to help save his 26-year rule amid a wave of mass protests insisting NATO-aligned countries on his border were working with the opposition to overthrow his government. In response, the Kremlin has offered a vague promise to come to his aid under a mutual defense treaty "if necessary." While talks were underway, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov issued a statement warning the U.S. and European Union against imposing sanctions or political pressure on its former Soviet neighbor. "Russia warns the U.S. and EU from any form of interference into the internal affairs of Belarus, including currently heard open calls in certain capitals to anti-government manifestations" he said. In turn, Biegun "condemned the use of violence against the Belarusian people and expressed support for Bealrus' sovereignty and the people's right to self-determination," said an embassy spokeswoman in a tweet. Before arriving in Moscow, Beigan met with Belarusian opposition leader and Lukashenko's primary opponent in the election Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who fled to Lithuania amid alleged threats to her family from Lukashenko's security forces. Tsikhanouskaya has insisted she was the true winner of an election that has little to do with choosing between Russia or the West. "It is a democratic revolution," said Tsikhanouskaya in recent comments. "It is the striving of the nation to decide for itself." A mysterious poisoning Biegun also expressed U.S. concern over the health of Alexey Navalny, Russia's leading opposition politician, who suddenly fell ill aboard a flight from Siberia to Moscow last week. Navalny has since been evacuated from the Russian city of Omsk to Berlin where German doctors say initial examinations suggest he was poisoned with some kind of cholinesterase inhibitor. "If the reports prove accurate, the United States supports the EU's call for a comprehensive investigation and stands ready to assist in that effort," U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement issued Tuesday. "Mr. Navalny's family and the Russian people deserve to see a full and transparent investigation carried out, and for those involved to be held accountable," added the statement from Pompeo. The Kremlin said on Tuesday it saw no need to investigate the circumstances of Navalny's illness yet arguing findings from a German laboratory that suggested poisoning were premature. Russian specialists in Omsk charged with Navalny's initial care insist they found no evidence of poisoning during tests. Russia's Foreign Ministry also issued a statement that took direct umbrage at Biegun raising Navalny's case while in Moscow. "We find it deeply offensive the accusation among western capitals that there was an effort to "hide the truth" by the doctors in Omsk, who provided Navalny with immediate and highly professional care," read the statement. "Moreover the suspicious speed with which Washington and Brussels have accepted the version of a poisoning of Navalny was brought to the attention of our American interlocutor," added the statement. "Unavoidable is the question who benefits from this? The Russian leadership certainly does not." The speaker of Russia's lower house of parliament, the Duma, Vyacheslav Volodin, has called for an investigation focusing on whether hostile foreign powers carried out the attack on Navalny to blacken Russia's image. Modern Russia has a history of poisonings and attacks against perceived government critics. Despite broad differences over Navalny's illness, Biegun's visit also included talks on U.S.-Russian arms control and working with Moscow to contain North Korea's nuclear ambitions. On Wednesday, Biegan also met with representatives from civil society to express continued U.S. support for human rights and independent voices in Russia, according to an Embassy spokeswoman. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Ex-President Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings has rubbished allegations that former First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings had intentions of running for president in 2000. The allegation was contained in Professor Kwamena Ahwois book titled Working with Rawlings. The former Local Government Minister and member of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) alleged that Konadu wanted to succeed her husband, Jerry John Rawlings, as President, when he (Mr. Rawlings) was exiting power in 2000 after 19 years. Prof. Ahwoi said in page 191 of the book that Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings had been harbouring presidential ambitions and in 2000 had believed that she would be the one her husband, Jerry Rawlings, would hand over to. However, according to a statement from the office of the founder of the NDC, Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings had no intentions of contesting Mills or running for president in 2000. When the 'Swedru Declaration' was made (prior to the 2000 elections), Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings had in fact been out of Ghana for several months working on a women's health project for the World Health Organisation (WHO). A fact the author could quite easily have verified where he or any of his proof-readers inclined to do so. She was informed about the Declaration while she was abroad. Surely, logic would indicate that had she any intention to contest that election, she would have been in the country campaigning, or at the very least have set in motion her campaign machinery with which to achieve her Presidential objectives. At no point did she indicate to President Rawlings or members of the Party, that she had any intention or inclination to be the flagbearer of the Party. On her return to the country, she rapidly rolled out her campaign strategy and machinery in support of Professor Mills. Yet another fact that can be easily and publicly verified, the statement added. The statement also indicated that the allegations are mere fabrications targeted at eroding the role played by the former first lady in the history of the NDC. The role, hard work, strategy and organisational talent that Nana Konadu applied to build and propel the NDC to countless victories can never be eroded. The various attempts to not just discount the central role she played, but to also deride her, is symptomatic of the myopic selfishness of characters within the NDC who cannot appreciate the fact that in so doing to pioneers of the Party like herself and others, you have no history to speak of. The former President also took a swipe at the author of the book, describing his comments on the presidential aspirations of Nana Konadu as a falsehood that is unbecoming of an academician. To peddle falsehoods in the name of hearsay as a justification for the blatant lies in the book is unbecoming of an academician; albeit with the sole intention of creating the impression that Nana Konadu had a role to play in the so-called Rawlings versus Mills tale. Nana Konadu played an integral role in the development of both the PNDC and the NDC, and the attempts by the author to denigrate her and nullify the key strategic and organisational role she played is yet another disappointment of the book. citinewsroom The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) on Thursday said it has stopped digging work on the Keshopur-Peeragarhi stretch of an upcoming corridor, days after the forest department accused it of violating environmental norms. HT had on Tuesday reported that the city forest department had pointed out multiple environmental violations on the Janakpuri West-RK Ashram phase-4 corridor, where the DMRC was working on the Krishna Park-Mukarba Chowk section. This is an area that has been marked as a deemed forest land and work continued despite multiple restraining orders from the citys forest department. This includes the area around the Najafgarh drain, which is a birding hotspot since it is frequented by thousands of migratory birds. The report had highlighted that DMRC was issued at least two notices by the deputy conservator forests (west division) ordering them to stop work after trees on the stretch were damaged by digging work and by continuing work on a 5.34km deemed forest land without requite permissions from the central government under the Forest Conservation Act, 1980. We have stopped work on the Keshopur-Peeragarhi stretch and will resume work after all mandatory approvals are met, Anuj Dayal, executive director (corporate communications), DMRC, said on Thursday. SK Muan Guite, DCF (west division) had told HT that the DMRC did not have requisite permissions to undertake work on a 5.34-km stretch on Road Number 26 between Meera Bagh and Mukarba Chowk and a portion of the Najafgarh drain, both of which are deemed forest areas. Hindustan Times visited the construction site at least five times between February and August and found that the DMRC has continued construction on the stretch despite the restraining orders. Multiple notices were issued between February and August, asking the DMRC not to carry out any construction work on the portion of Road Number 26 and Najafgarh drain. The department also filed an FIR against the DMRC on August 14 to stop work. Responding to the allegations, the Metro corporation had said, The issue of deemed forest has come in only recently in the month of August as the same was never pointed out by the forest department in any visits conducted. The location of the same is also not established through any authenticated record. It is being established through Google Earth image only where the exact location of the 5.34 kilometres is not known. It may be outside the DMRC alignment as well. Boston, MA -- Despite the limited supply of organs available for patients on waitlists for transplantation, organs from older, deceased donors are frequently discarded or not utilized. Available older organs have the potential to close the gap between demand and supply that is responsible for the very long wait-times that lead to many patients not surviving the time it takes for an organ to become available. Older organs can also often provoke a stronger immune response and may put patients at greater risk of adverse outcomes and transplant rejection. But, as the world population ages, organs from older, deceased donors represent an untapped and growing resource for patients in need. Investigators from Brigham and Women's Hospital are leading efforts to breathe new life into older organs by leveraging a new class of drugs known as senolytics, which target and eliminate old cells. Using clinical and experimental studies, the team presents evidence that senolytic drugs may help rejuvenate older organs, which could lead to better outcomes and a wider pool of organs eligible for donation. Results are published in Nature Communications. "Older organs are available and have the potential to contribute to mitigating the current demand for organ transplantation," said corresponding author Stefan G. Tullius, MD, PhD, chief of the Division of Transplant Surgery at the Brigham. "If we can utilize older organs in a safe way with outcomes that are comparable, we will take a substantial step forward for helping patients." As organs age, senescent cells accumulate. These cells, which no longer divide, escape the body's usual means of destroying older, unneeded cells. Senescent cells release cell-free mitochondrial DNA (mt-DNA), which also accumulates in older organs. Recent studies have suggested that this rise in mt-DNA is tied to organ rejection. In their Nature Communications paper, Tullius and colleagues identified senescent cells as the key source of mt-DNA and present evidence that the accumulation of mt-DNA provokes an immune response leading to organ failure and rejection. Senolytic drugs force senescent cells back into the cell cycle, allowing the body to clear them. The researchers therefore examined whether senolytic drugs could be used to improve outcomes. In a mouse model, they treated organ donors with a combination of the senolytic drugs dasatinib and quercetin. The drugs reduced the number of senescent cells, reduced mt-DNA levels and decreased inflammation. Most relevantly, the survival of old organs treated with senolytics was as comparable to that of organs originating from young donors. Since the authors carried out their therapeutic experiments in a mouse model, further mechanistic studies are needed to evaluate whether senolytic drugs may have the same effects on human organs from older donors and the same degree of success in clearing senescent cells, as well as whether organs can be treated effectively with senolytic drugs after they are harvested. The authors have already started with first steps in humans and determined that augmented levels of mt-DNA circulate in older organ donors. "We have not yet tested the effects clinically, but we are well prepared to take the next step toward clinical application by using a perfusion device to flow senolytic drugs over organs and measure whether or not there are improvements in levels of senescent cells," said Tullius. "Our data provide a rationale for considering clinical trials treating donors, organs, and/or recipients with senolytic drugs to optimize the use of organs from older donors. The goal is to help to close the gap between organ availability and the needs of the many patients currently on transplant waiting lists." ### This study was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health (R56/R01AG039449 and R37 AG013925). Investigators on the study were also supported by the Biomedical Education Program (BMEP) of the German Academic Exchange Service, the German Research Foundation, the Osaka Medical Foundation, the Chinese Scholarship Council (201606370196) and Central South University, the Connor Group, Robert J. and Theresa W. Ryan, and the Noaber and Ted Nash Long Life Foundations. The trial in deceased organ donors was supported by a grant from the HRSA, Department of Health and Human Services (R38OT22183). Paper cited: Iske, J et al. "Senolytics Prevent mt-DNA-Induced Inflammation and Promote the Survival of Aged Organs Following Transplantation" Nature Communications DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-18039-x PHOENIX, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Prevalent, Inc., the company that takes the pain out of third-party risk management (TPRM), today announced it has been named a Leader in the 2020 Gartner Magic Quadrant for IT Vendor Risk Management Tools. Compared to the previous year, Prevalent has been recognized as a Leader in the Magic Quadrant based on Gartner's criteria for completeness of vision and ability to execute, improving its position on both axes. The company was previously recognized as a Visionary. The Prevalent Third-Party Risk Management Platform is a SaaS solution that enables customers to automate the critical tasks required to manage, assess and monitor their third parties across the entire vendor life cycle. Prevalent believes its Magic Quadrant recognition validates its key differentiators including: Choice and flexibility of products, networks and managed services : Prevalent delivers unmatched flexibility and expertise by equipping organizations with a) a platform that automates vendor assessments; b) the largest network of completed, standardized vendor surveys and intelligence for accelerating risk identification and management; and c) the ability to outsource vendor risk management activities to the Prevalent team of experts. : Prevalent delivers unmatched flexibility and expertise by equipping organizations with a) a platform that automates vendor assessments; b) the largest network of completed, standardized vendor surveys and intelligence for accelerating risk identification and management; and c) the ability to outsource vendor risk management activities to the Prevalent team of experts. Proven return on investment (ROI): Prevalent customers have reported identifying risks 44% faster, reducing manual work by 50%, and increasing productivity by a factor of three by leveraging Prevalent's solutions. Prevalent customers have reported identifying risks 44% faster, reducing manual work by 50%, and increasing productivity by a factor of three by leveraging Prevalent's solutions. Complete, inside-out/outside-in risk visibility: The Prevalent VRM platform is unique in that it integrates cyber and business monitoring with assessments natively to provide a complete view of vendor risks. Prevalent is the only vendor with a fully integrated, native continuous monitoring solution to complement vendor assessments. "We believe having the strongest strategy among pure VRM providers further validates the strength of our vendor risk management approach," said Kevin Hickey, CEO of Prevalent. "To us, being named a Leader in the Magic Quadrant for IT Vendor Risk Management Tools clearly illustrates not only the hard work of our team, but also the dedication to delivering innovative solutions to our customers. As today's pandemic continues to create more obstacles for the supply chain and an increase in malicious activity, it's more important than ever for companies to implement a vendor risk management program that combines execution against today's threats and a strong strategy for the future. Prevalent delivers fast time-to-value and deep VRM capabilities, helping companies mitigate today's risks." For a complimentary copy of the August 2020 Gartner Magic Quadrant for IT VRM Tools, please visit https://www.prevalent.net/content-library/2020-gartner-magic-quadrant-for-it-vendor-risk-management/ To read the latest Prevalent blog with additional insights about the report, please visit https://www.prevalent.net/blog/the-gartner-2020-magic-quadrant-for-it-vendor-risk-management/. Gartner Disclaimer: Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner's research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. About Prevalent Prevalent takes the pain out of third-party risk management (TPRM). Companies use our software and services to eliminate the security and compliance exposures that come from working with vendors, suppliers and other third parties. Our customers benefit from a flexible, hybrid approach to TPRM, where they not only gain solutions tailored to their needs, but also realize a rapid return on investment. Regardless of where they start, we help our customers stop the pain, make informed decisions, and adapt and mature their TPRM programs over time. Media Contact Angelique Faul Silver Jacket Communications 513-633-0897 [email protected] SOURCE Prevalent, Inc. Related Links http://www.prevalent.net HK police arrest 16, including two opposition lawmakers Global Times Source: Global Times Published: 2020/8/26 9:33:09 Hong Kong police arrested 16 people on Wednesday morning, including two opposition lawmakers Lam Cheuk Ting and Ted Hui Chi-fung. Lam was taken away by police at his home on suspicion of participating in riots on July 21 last year and for conspiracy with others to destroy property and obstruction of justice outside the Tuen Mun Police Station. Hui was also taken away by police on Wednesday morning. Hong Kong police from the New Territories said at a press conference that among those arrested there were four people who were suspected of "intent to pervert the course of justice," "access to computers with criminal or dishonest intent," "criminal damage" and "unlawful assembly" during protests on July 6 last year in front of Tuen Mun police station. Hong Kong police made 13 arrests related to the Yuen Long riots on July 21 last year, and Lam was one of the arrestees. Others included people working as a bank executive, social worker, cook and technician, while some others had gang backgrounds. Following the arrest of Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, one of the most high-profile local secessionists, observers said this has delivered a heavy blow to local rioting forces. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Chinese people enjoy this years economical but romantic Valentines Day By:Zheng Qian | From:english.eastday.com | 2020-08-27 09:15 The Chinese Valentines Day always encourages couples to indulge in exquisite and abundant meals. This year, as the Chinese society is trying hard to prevent food waste, restaurants are launching new lighter ordering choices and the public are also forming restrained dining habits. A Haililao hotpot restaurant in Nanjings Daxinggong region has especially designed a set menu with four dishes of the exact volume for two people. In consideration of couples preferences for an exclusive space and also of the current epidemic, Xiaochuniang Restaurant, which serves Huaiyang Cuisine, has especially introduced a home delivery service. Having meals at home usually will not waste food, because if people cant finish the dishes, they can leave them for the next meal. To prevent food waste, we have made new designsfor the set menu in variety and volume, said a person in charge of the eatery. The food wastage reduction philosophy has been widely appreciated. For Xia Tao, a post-90s generation man, each years Valentines Day has meant a romantic and luxurious candlelight dinner as well as a seasonal film favored by his loved one, costing hundreds of yuan. But this year, he decided to make a tasty meal for his beloved girlfriend.We both want to have an economical but romantic holiday, said Mr. Xia.Cooking a dinner at home with my sweet helping me is romantic and can strengthen our relationship. WARSAW (Reuters) - Poland on Monday insisted it would reopen schools next week for the first time since mid-March despite reaching a record high number of daily registered coronavirus infections late last week. Poland was at first successful in containing the outbreak, but cases have started rising in recent weeks and on Friday authorities reported 903 new infections, the highest daily increase to date. The rise in infections has caused concern among some parents contemplating sending their children back to class. "Every child, teenager, goes out on the street or to the store and can get infected there. I don't see the need to postpone the beginning of the (school) year," Education Minister Dariusz Piontkowski told a news conference, reiterating the government's position. Children will not be required to wear face masks in classrooms, but individual principals may decide to impose this obligation in school halls and locker rooms. No temperature checks are to be introduced. The ruling nationalist Law and Justice party (PiS) imposed strict restrictions in March to curb the spread of the virus and started easing them in May, which critics said was to encourage Poles to vote in the presidential election. In July, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki downplayed infection risks, saying Poles, including elderly citizens, should not be afraid to vote because the novel coronavirus had become a disease "like any other". The country of 38 million has reported 62,310 cases in all, and 1,960 deaths. Schools across the world are trying out a wide range of strategies to reopen, from entirely online classes to entirely in-person. They are asking whether reopening schools with stringent mitigation measures is worth the risk, given that keeping schools closed will likely harm academic progress, social and emotional development, mental health and food security. (Reporting by Marcin Goclowski, Pawel Florkiewicz, and Anna Wlodarczak-Semczuk, Editing by William Maclean) More than 1,200 businesses with liquor licenses were checked this week to see if they were in compliance with required COVID-19 mitigation efforts, resulting in 21 new warnings and one citation, state police said Wednesday. Among the mitigation efforts required are social distancing, mask-wearing and other health and safety requirements that are in the liquor code. A Wilkes-Barre area establishment received the only citation while five warnings were issued to businesses in that regional office. The Pittsburgh area received seven warnings, the most warnings in the state for this round of checks. The Williamsport area tied for second with five warnings issued. The Philadelphia area had two warnings issued and Erie and Punxsuatawny areas both had one warning each. Harrisburg, Altoona and Allentown all had no warnings issued during this round of checks. When citations are issued, it is a civil administrative citation, according to state police. It is intended to provide licensed liquor establishments notification of the nature of violation(s) discovered, police said. Continued violations could put the establishments liquor license at risk. The investigation remains open, pending review by the Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement. Compliance checks are done unannounced, but police said they are focusing on areas experiencing higher COVID-19 transmission rates. Businesses and employees in the restaruant and retail food service industroy that are authorized to conduct in-person activities are ordered to: Require all customers to wear masks while entering, exiting or otherwise traveling throughout the restaurant or retail food service business (face masks may be removed while seated). Further, employees are required to wear masks at all times. Provide at least six feet between parties at tables or physical barriers between customers where booths are arranged back to back. Ensure maximum occupancy limits for indoor and outdoor areas are posted and enforced. Complaints regarding licensees not complying with COVID-19 mitigation mandates may be directed to the BLCE at 1-800-932-0602 or reported through the BLCEs online complaint form. Around 150 academicians have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in support of the Centre's decision to conduct National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) and Joint Entrance Examination (JEE). This development comes after the chief ministers of seven states held a virtual meeting with Sonia Gandhi and decided to move the Supreme Court against the conduct of the JEE, NEET exams scheduled to be held in September. Meanwhile, the admit cards of the examinations have been released. Around 6.84 lakh students downloaded NEET admit cards in the first five hours, while 7.41 students downloaded their JEE admit cards. The academicians, in their letter to the PM, stated that the dreams and aspirations of the country's youth cannot be compromised. They also blamed political ambitions behind the furore. "The dreams and future of our youth and students cannot be compromised at any cost. However, some are trying to play with the future of our students simply to propel their own political agenda and oppose the government. We hope and strongly believe that under your able leadership, the central government will successfully conduct the JEE and NEET exams taking full precautions to ensure that the future of students is taken care of and the academic calendar for 2020-21 is rolled out," stated the letter. The academicians also stated that people have learned how to live with coronavirus by taking all precautions and remedial measures. They welcomed the move to conduct NEET and JEE exams, reiterating the Supreme Court that said that further delay in conducting the exams would result in a waste of a "precious year" for the students. The signatories include academicians from Delhi University, JNU, Jamia Millia Islamia University, Gautam Buddha University, Kerala University, Central University of Jammu, Central University of Haryana, Banaras Hindu University, CCS Meerut University, as well as from the University of California, University of London, Ben Gurion University, Israel, and The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Meanwhile, calls against the conduct of the JEE, NEET exams have also grown louder. Delhi Education Minister Manish Sisodia said, "The central government is playing with the lives of millions of students in the name JEE-NEET Exams. My request to the Center is to cancel both these exams immediately and make an alternative arrangement for admission this year. In this time of unprecedented crisis, an unprecedented step will lead to a solution." Tamil Nadu government has sought an exemption for its students while Jharkhand wants the exams to be postponed. Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee have also opposed the exams. Environmentalist Greta Thunberg also joined the growing chorus against the exams. Also read: NEET 2020: NTA releases admit card for aspirants despite demand to postpone exam Also read: NEET 2020: Allow students to come via Vande Bharat flights to sit for exam, SC to govt Melinda DuBois stepped onto the fifth-floor roof of her new workplace this week, flashed a look at St. Stanislaus Catholic Church to her left, then gazed over the top of the Broadway Market toward the downtown Buffalo skyline. Were going to have to do some yoga classes up here, said DuBois, who will take command Tuesday of Mental Health Advocates of Western New York. She succeeds Ken Houseknecht, who nine years ago became executive director of what was then called the Mental Health Association of Erie County. In coming weeks, the organization will become one of seven social services agencies to move onto the East Side to help boost the most beleaguered part of the region. The effort is designed to create a one-stop shop for children and adults who need medical, dental and mental health care, as well as help with parenting, wellness and loved ones with disabilities. We are looking at innovative ways of supporting families and raising children with the health care, the academic support and the social-emotional support that they need and deserve, said Tara Burgess, executive director of Every Person Influences Children (EPIC), among those agencies. The father of a Vietnamese prisoner awaiting trial for his role in a deadly clash over land rights outside Hanoi was turned away by camp police after asking about the condition of his son, who has been on hunger strike for over 20 days, sources said on Wednesday. Trinh Ba Khiem, father of detained activist Trinh Ba Tu, told RFAs Vietnamese Service on Aug. 26 that he had only recently learned that his son had stopped eating. I am worried that my sons life may be in danger, the elder Trinh said. After arriving together with 10 residents of Hanois Duong Noi district on Wednesday morning at the Hoa Binh province detention camp to ask for information about his son, Trinh was turned away by camp police, who also threatened to have the group attacked by gangsters, Trinh said. Later, they told me my sons condition is normal, Trinh said. But when I asked if I could meet with him, I was told that I would not be allowed to do this because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and that I wouldnt even be able to speak to him over the phone. I asked them whether this was simply the communist governments way of covering up information, Trinh said. Dong Tam village elder Le Dinh Kinh, 84, was shot and killed by police during the Jan. 9 raid on the village by 3,000 security officers intervening in a long-running dispute over a military airport construction site about 25 miles south of the capital. While all land in Vietnam is ultimately held by the state, land confiscations have become a flashpoint as residents accuse the government of pushing small landholders aside in favor of lucrative real estate projects, and of paying too little in compensation. Pressured to 'confess' Trinh, his brother Trinh Ba Phuong, and their mother Can Thi Theu were arrested on June 24 for having been outspoken in social media postings about the Dong Tam clash. They had also openly offered information to foreign embassies and other international figures to try to raise awareness of the incident. Commissary records at the Hoa Binh detention camp show that both the younger Trinh and his mother stopped buying food on Aug. 6, Trinh Ba Khiem said. My son was probably being tortured and forced to confess to the charges against him, and so he went on a hunger strike, the elder Trinh said, adding, This is just my guess, though, because the communists always keep information like this very secret. Even if the communists eventually kill every member of our family, we will still fight them forever and will never give in, he said. Hunger strikes are often the last recourse left to prisoners held in Vietnams jails to assert their innocence and stand up for their rights, Tran Thi Ngaa former political prisoner who was released on Jan. 10 from a nine-year prison term imposed for spreading propaganda against the statetold RFA on Aug. 26. Tran, her husband, and their two sons now live in exile in Atlanta, Georgia, where she moved following her release. The goal of the police guarding Trinh Ba Tu ahead of his trial will have been to break his spirit and force him to confess his supposed guilt, Tran said. Those who are locked up in closed cells have no ways left to them to resist and preserve their life. The only thing left to them is to go on hunger strike, and this may be that last step that Trinh Ba Tu has had to take, Tran said. Tran herself went on hunger strike twice while in prison, and was fortunate that lawyers and fellow inmates sent word of her condition to outside contacts who posted messages about her on Facebook and other social media platforms, she said. I believe that Trinh Bu Tus family and friends will also speak out for him now, and that his struggle will bring good results, she said. Severely damaged health Also speaking to RFA, Nguyen Thi Huethe sister of environmental activist Nguyen Van Hoa, now serving a seven-year prison termsaid her brother had once gone on hunger strike for a shorter period than Thinhs, severely damaging his health. His body was left weakened and thin, and during his 12-day hunger strike our family wasnt informed, and we heard nothing about his condition, she said. Hoa, aged 22 at the time of his sentencing, was jailed by the Peoples Cout of Ha Tinh in Vietnams coastal Nghe An province on Nov. 27, 2018 after filming protests outside the Taiwan-owned Formosa Plastics Group steel plant. A toxic waste spill at the plant in 2016 killed an estimated 115 tons of fish and left fishermen and tourism industry workers jobless in four central provinces. Vietnams already low tolerance of dissent has deteriorated sharply this year with a spate of arrests of independent journalists and publishers, as well as Facebook personalities. And activists say things are likely to get worse as authorities stifle critics in the run-up to the ruling Communist Party congress in January. Reported by RFAs Vietnamese Service. Translated by Huy Le. Written in English by Richard Finney. by Melani Manel Perera Centrally located on the island, the Kandakadu Rehab Centre has become a COVID-19 cluster, with 629 people infected. About 50,000 Sri Lankans have lost their jobs abroad from lockdowns and plan to come home. Colombo (AsiaNews) The number of people infected with the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus continues to rise in Sri Lanka, especially at one rehab centre and from the growing number of Sri Lankan migrants coming home. Overall, some 2,984 cases have been reported in the country with 12 deaths. The authorities yesterday added ten more cases at the Kandakadu Treatment and Rehabilitation Centre and two cases involving Sri Lankans returning from the Maldives. The possible spread in correctional and other facilities is of great concern. The Kandakadu centre, which is centrally located, has become a COVID-19 cluster with 629 people. Opened in 2010 to re-educate former Tamil Tigers terrorists and fighters, it was repurposed to treat drug and other addicts. So far, at least 508 residents have tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2, plus 67 staff members, 5 teachers, 48 relatives and associates, as well as a prisoner from Welikada prison. At a press conference, the Commander of the Sri Lanka Army, General Shavendra Silva, noted that another source of contagion are Sri Lankans or foreigners coming from countries affected by COVID-19. Because of lockdowns abroad, some 50,000 Sri Lankans have lost their jobs, especially in the Persian Gulf, and are trying to come home. The government plans to repatriate them, but is now concerned that, in addition to its cost, the operation might see returnees spread the virus For this reason, General Silva has urged Sri Lankans to remain alert and not let their guard down. During the recent election campaign, many people failed to wear a mask and maintain social distancing. In view of this, the general warned that Whilst the virus is not spreading among communities in Sri Lanka at the moment, the threat of that happening cannot be ruled out. Governments don't belong in religion, arts, or the sciences. Unfortunately, authoritarians can't leave these realms alone because they compete for power and messaging. Typically, autocrats repress religion, co-opt art, and decree science. The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) is the premier arbiter of research, collaborations, and communication about all things scientific in China. CAS funds pure and applied scientific research throughout the country and also the rest of the world. It comprises over one hundred institutions that directly employ over sixty thousand researchers. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has given CAS permission to build independent sources of income. CAS owns or holds shares in more than thirty enterprises. For example, CAS is the largest shareholder in Lenovo, one of the three major personal computer companies in the world. CAS presents itself to the outside world as wealthy enough to thumb its nose at the CCP apparatchiks. Only the gullible believe this. No organization important to the Chinese state is allowed independence. Several members of the executive board are CCP members, and one is a member of the Presidium with the title "head of the Discipline Inspection Team." With watchdogs underfoot and CAS members twice previously subjected to harsh re-education, the Academy dutifully adheres to CCP wishes. Nature published an editorial titled "The Chinese Academy of Sciences at 70," asking whether this establishment could be a model for other countries. More interestingly, the journal published a letter to the editor from Qingquan Zhang, the CAS chief public information officer. He found several things in the editorial "quite misleading." CAS is not run independently of government, as you imply. The establishment and development of CAS have been entirely based on the wisdom and support of the central government. Contrary to your headline, CAS has never sought or achieved financial autonomy. Over the past 40 years, half of its income has come directly from central-government investment; the rest has been from competitive funding or technology transfer. CAS could not develop without the funding and support of the central government. In carrying out its scientific and technical mission, CAS stands firmly with the central government and with the people. We reject any such false allegations with disruptive intentions and are strongly opposed to biased judgments of China's internal affairs, and to any unnatural linking of political or ideological positions with our mission. The Chinese government does not accept criticism, even when embedded in an otherwise positive portrayal. Most Americans would consider the editorial a puff piece; however, Nature did state that during the Cultural Revolution, "[t]orture was commonplace and, according to CAS's own records, 229 scientists were either killed or took their own lives in this time." What does this portend for us? Is the United States at risk of having science unduly influenced by government? We don't bundle our scientific institutions under a single umbrella organization; however, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is our best known government-funded medical institution. Does our government interfere with CDC work or communications? This is a more complex question than in China. In China, the political party and government are one and the same, whereas the United States has a two-party system. Theoretically, control over government agencies should shift with elections. Due to what is popularly called the Deep State, this is not true in practice. Since 2015, all but five of the eight thousand political donations made by CDC employees went to Democrats or left-leaning organizations. China could send home its political officers if it could achieve this level of groupthink. The overwhelming dominance of Democrats at the CDC could not have happened by accident. During the Obama administration, the Human Resources Department filtered candidates by their support for the Democrat agenda. Even with Democrats in a reduced power position, CDC communications have often shown more loyalty to the party narrative than to the underlying science. This is especially obvious in headlines and report summaries, which frequently promote a theme not found in the detail findings (a propaganda trick used by the U.N. to turn research on its head). It should be the public health officials that are leading policy. Kamala Harris at the Democrat Convention Democrats frequently set up an outside organization as an unbiased source of policy guidance. In truth, they run the outside organization and ensure that its guidance is in lockstep with the party agenda. The organization's real purpose is to act as a cut-out to avoid accountability. The vice presidential candidate would not have uttered these words if she didn't believe she could control public health officials. Science is the opposite of politics. In science, not only do you have to prove your hypothesis, but others must be able to replicate your experiment and achieve the same results. Science is rational, objective, orderly everything that politics is not. Yet, politicians love to meddle in this space. If Democrats gain control of the White House and Congress, our scientific institutions will be forced to embrace the China model. Make no mistake: Democrats want to control science so they can use the discipline as a public relations tool. We can't allow science to become the handmaiden of politicians. James D. Best, author of Tempest at Dawn, a novel about the 1787 Constitutional Convention, and the Steve Dancy Tales. Image credit: Logo, via U.S. Department of Energy // public domain As a service-based company in a niche industry, our employees are our greatest asset. We feel that it is vital for all of our team members to feel valued and respected, and to take pride in supporting each other and our customers. Carolina Restoration Services, which since 1997 has provided tens of thousands of residential and commercial clients across the Carolinas with comprehensive start-to-finish insurance reconstruction solutions, proudly announced today that it has been named among the Best Places to Work in 2020 by the Triangle Business Journal. It is the third time that Carolina Restoration Services has received the prestigious award, which honors companies for creating policies and a work environment that employees value. Carolina Restoration Services, which is the largest family-owned and operated full-service disaster restoration firm in North Carolina, was selected for the distinction based on an independent employee survey conducted by Quantum Research. The company also had to meet a minimal threshold of employee participation throughout the evaluation process. Employees are the lifeblood of any company, commented Triangle Business Journals Publisher Jason Christie. [Award winners] have demonstrated belief that happy employees produce successful and thriving businesses. We are honored to be named as one of the areas Best Places to Work for a third time, commented Carolina Restoration Services President Travis Bailey. As a service-based company in a niche industry, our employees are our greatest asset. We feel that it is vital for all of our team members to feel valued and respected, and to take pride in supporting each other and our customers. Our people are the key reason why in a very competitive and reputation-driven field we have continued to thrive and grow for more than 20 years. This latest award adds to Carolina Restoration Services growing list of accolades, which includes being ranked by Inc. as one of Americas 5000 fastest-growing companies in 2020 and 2018, and being named by the Triangle Business Journal as one of the Triangles 50 fastest-growing firms (Fast 50) in six of the last seven years. The IICRC-certified company has also been named Best Family Business by the Triangle Business Journal, and Employer of the Year by the Town of Cary Chamber of Commerce. About Carolina Restoration Services Based in Morrisville, NC, Carolina Restoration Services is the largest family-owned and operated full-service disaster restoration firm in North Carolina. The company assists residential and commercial property owners experiencing damage from fire, smoke, water or storm-related events through a full range of solutions, including 24-hour emergency response. Learn more at http://www.carolinarestorationservices.com or connect through LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/carolina-restoration-services. The quantum properties underlying crystal formation can be replicated and investigated with the help of ultracold atoms. A team led by Dr. Axel U. J. Lode from the University of Freiburg's Institute of Physics has now described in the journal Physical Review Letters how the use of dipolar atoms enables even the realization and precise measurement of structures that have not yet been observed in any material. The theoretical study was a collaboration involving scientists from the University of Freiburg, the University of Vienna and the Technical University of Vienna in Austria, and the Indian Institute of Technology in Kanpur, India. Crystals are ubiquitous in nature. They are formed by many different materials - from mineral salts to heavy metals like bismuth. Their structures emerge because a particular regular ordering of atoms or molecules is favorable, because it requires the smallest amount of energy. A cube with one constituent on each of its eight corners, for instance, is a crystal structure that is very common in nature. A crystal's structure determines many of its physical properties, such as how well it conducts a current or heat or how it cracks and behaves when it is illuminated by light. But what determines these crystal structures? They emerge as a consequence of the quantum properties of and the interactions between their constituents, which, however, are often scientifically hard to understand and also hard measure. To nevertheless get to the bottom of the quantum properties of the formation of crystal structures, scientists can simulate the process using Bose-Einstein condensates - trapped ultracold atoms cooled down to temperatures close to absolute zero or minus 273.15 degrees Celsius. The atoms in these highly artificial and highly fragile systems are extremely well under control. With careful tuning, the ultracold atoms behave exactly as if they were the constituents forming a crystal. Although building and running such a quantum simulator is a more demanding task than just growing a crystal from a certain material, the method offers two main advantages: First, scientists can tune the properties for the quantum simulator almost at will, which is not possible for conventional crystals. Second, the standard readout of cold-atom quantum simulators are images containing information about all crystal particles. For a conventional crystal, by contrast, only the exterior is visible, while the interior - and in particular its quantum properties - is difficult to observe. The researchers from Freiburg, Vienna, and Kanpur describe in their study that a quantum simulator for crystal formation is much more flexible when it is built using ultracold dipolar quantum particles. Dipolar quantum particles make it possible to realize and investigate not just conventional crystal structures, but also arrangements that were hitherto not seen for any material. The study explains how these crystal orders emerge from an intriguing competition between kinetic, potential, and interaction energy and how the structures and properties of the resulting crystals can be gauged in unprecedented detail. Original Publication: Budhaditya Chatterjee, Camille Leveque, Jorg Schmiedmayer, Axel U.?J. Lode: Detecting One-Dimensional Dipolar Bosonic Crystal Orders via Full Distribution Functions. Physical Review Letters 125, 093602. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.125.093602 The quantum properties underlying crystal formation can be replicated and investigated with the help of ultracold atoms. A team led by Dr. Axel U. J. Lode from the University of Freiburg's Institute of Physics has now described in the journal Physical Review Letters how the use of dipolar atoms enables even the realization and precise measurement of structures that have not yet been observed in any material. The theoretical study was a collaboration involving scientists from the University of Freiburg, the University of Vienna and the Technical University of Vienna in Austria, and the Indian Institute of Technology in Kanpur, India. Crystals are ubiquitous in nature. They are formed by many different materials - from mineral salts to heavy metals like bismuth. Their structures emerge because a particular regular ordering of atoms or molecules is favorable, because it requires the smallest amount of energy. A cube with one constituent on each of its eight corners, for instance, is a crystal structure that is very common in nature. A crystal's structure determines many of its physical properties, such as how well it conducts a current or heat or how it cracks and behaves when it is illuminated by light. But what determines these crystal structures? They emerge as a consequence of the quantum properties of and the interactions between their constituents, which, however, are often scientifically hard to understand and also hard measure. To nevertheless get to the bottom of the quantum properties of the formation of crystal structures, scientists can simulate the process using Bose-Einstein condensates - trapped ultracold atoms cooled down to temperatures close to absolute zero or minus 273.15 degrees Celsius. The atoms in these highly artificial and highly fragile systems are extremely well under control. With careful tuning, the ultracold atoms behave exactly as if they were the constituents forming a crystal. Although building and running such a quantum simulator is a more demanding task than just growing a crystal from a certain material, the method offers two main advantages: First, scientists can tune the properties for the quantum simulator almost at will, which is not possible for conventional crystals. Second, the standard readout of cold-atom quantum simulators are images containing information about all crystal particles. For a conventional crystal, by contrast, only the exterior is visible, while the interior - and in particular its quantum properties - is difficult to observe. The researchers from Freiburg, Vienna, and Kanpur describe in their study that a quantum simulator for crystal formation is much more flexible when it is built using ultracold dipolar quantum particles. Dipolar quantum particles make it possible to realize and investigate not just conventional crystal structures, but also arrangements that were hitherto not seen for any material. The study explains how these crystal orders emerge from an intriguing competition between kinetic, potential, and interaction energy and how the structures and properties of the resulting crystals can be gauged in unprecedented detail. ### Original Publication: Budhaditya Chatterjee, Camille Leveque, Jorg Schmiedmayer, Axel U.?J. Lode: Detecting One-Dimensional Dipolar Bosonic Crystal Orders via Full Distribution Functions. Physical Review Letters 125, 093602. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.125.093602 Contact: Dr. Axel Lode Institute of Physics University of Freiburg Email: axel.lode@physik.uni-freiburg.de http://ultracold.org An experienced Indian investor can start with as low as 5-10 percent of their portfolio for risky assets and as he or she develops comfort can go up to around 25-30 percent or more, Dr Vikas V Gupta, CEO & Chief Investment Strategist, OmniScience Capital, said in an interview with Moneycontrols Kshitij Anand. Edited excerpts: Q) Global diversification is the theme that has picked up momentum in the week gone with 3 brokerage firms announcing that their platform is streamlined to invest in US markets. What is the kind of percentage one should allocate globally? A) Assuming you are already invested in Indian markets, have the risk-taking ability, and have experience of investing in equities and other listed securities in that case, you can start allocating to global markets. If someone was based out of London, New York, Singapore, or Dubai, they might have invested nearly 80-100% in the US or other developed markets and only around 5-20% would be in the Indian markets. However, an experienced Indian investor can start with as low as 5-10% of their risky assets bucket and as he or she develops comfort can go up to around 25%-30% or more. Always keep in mind that all the risk management practices which one uses to manage their Indian listed equities portfolio apply for the global portfolio as well. This means that do not invest in individual stocks that catch your fancy without understanding the business model of the company and its intrinsic value as compared to its market price. Also, always invest on a portfolio basis with around 20-30 names with 3% to 5% weight. One can look at our Scientific Investing philosophy and framework to guide the investment process. Q) What are the risks that one should be aware of when it comes to global diversification? A) Even in global markets, the same equity risks have to be considered, such as, weak business operations & balance sheets, poor capital allocation, and overvaluation. When Indian investors think about global investing they tend to paint all the countries with the same brush and focusing on factors such as oh this market looks cheap on PE basis or that market has high growth rates, so let me invest there. However, one should be aware that each country poses very specific risks, and first times investors should keep completely away from other emerging markets, such as China, Russia, Brazil etc. Even the majority of the most sophisticated global investors focus on developed markets, primarily, the US and only after a significant allocation there, move on to markets in EU and UK. This is because of the stringent regulations and scrutiny of the financial markets in these countries. Reading and understanding the balance sheets and financial statements also require an understanding of their accounting standards which might treat several line items differently compared to Indian GAAP. All other equity market risks continue to apply. Q) Apple $2trn Mcap is the equivalent of Mcap of BSE listed companies. This is massive wealth creation by any company. What are your views? Do you think any Indian company would climb to such a height in the near future? A) Yes, there is no doubt that it is a massive wealth creator, and some people confuse this with a bubble. In Apples case, there is massive wealth creation in fundamental terms of revenues, profits, and cash flows. Apples market cap of $2 trillion is backed by a revenue of $273 billion and free cash flow of $70+ billion. This is higher than the total earnings of the listed Indian universe which are only $40 billion because of numerous loss-making companies. This is an FCF margin (similar to net margin) of more than 25% and a PCF (similar to PE) of 28. (We discuss cash flows instead of earnings for US companies since there are a lot of non-recurring, non-cash expenses on the books which make the earnings of different periods less comparable.). In our opinion, Apple offers a superior investment opportunity in terms of valuations, with a globally dominant moatwhat we call a supernormal companycompared to many Indian companies which are considered moat companies, but are available at PE ratios of 50 to 150. The only comparable Indian companies are Reliance Industries and TCS. With the kind of growth plans that Reliance Jio has announced and other growth vectors of Reliance Industries, if all goes as per plan, they could be looking at Enterprise Values in the trillion-dollar range. However, all this depends on a lot of things working out in the future as per plan and profitability. If TCS goes on an aggressive roll-up M&A spree and continues its organic growth plans with aggression, they are the only one that can come close to this range in the near future. But all this doesnt look easy or quick. Currently, we own Apple and TCS and are closely monitoring Reliance Industries but do not have significant exposure except in a few large-cap portfolios. Q) Small & Midcaps are on the cusp of rerating thats what a Morgan Stanley report highlighted. What is working in favour of the broader markets? A) The valuations of some of small and midcaps had fallen significantly over the last 2-3 years. The market had polarized into a handful of extremely overvalued, mostly, consumption-oriented, popular stocks and the rest of the market was divided into capital destroyers and eroders which were rightfully cheap. Many companies with strong balance sheets, persistent advantages but ignored by the market due to less familiarity, inaccurate analysis & misguided perceptions which were at significant discounts to their intrinsic values. There are two different actions driving the potential rerating. The March downturn in the market caused a few sophisticated fund managers or investors to do a fresh search across markets to find new opportunities. These ended up driving the rebound in the stocks with strong balance sheets and strong growth opportunities but mispriced, which we alluded to above. The second driver was the unleashing of the liquidity by central banks. This caused a large segment of investors to allocate blindly to a lot of capital destroyers and capital eroders. We think that the rally in these destroyers and eroders will fizzle out while the former set which was ignored before the downturn will continue getting rerated. Q) What is your view on the packaging, multiplex space? It has been buzzing for some time now? The other theme which is gaining momentum is Utilities especially after the PM address on Independence Day. A) COVID-19 has forced a lot of consumers to get habituated to ecommerce. This trend is probably driving the packaging space. The multiplex space is probably rebounding based on expectations of the lockdown being reversed and things getting normalized. However, we would be cautious since multiplexes are likely to continue facing challenges because of the viewers getting used to OTT platforms, except for big-budget movies with significant special effects. We dont own stocks in this space in India. However, we own OTT-related stocks in the US markets. The economy coming back to normal and the move towards Atmanirbhar Bharat, Make in India, and the global need to rearchitect the supply chains away from China with a focus on India are probably the themes which were picked up by the market from the PM address on Independence Day. This bodes well for Utilities in the long run with large growth opportunities opening up. Q) Most policies announced by the government are primarily focused on the rural theme. Which are the sectors or stocks by which one can participate in this theme and make a Bharat-centric portfolio? A) In fact, our India multi-cap portfolio is full of such opportunities for an Atmanirbhar Bharat Portfolio. There are railway EPC stocks benefiting from capex in railway infrastructure. There are NBFCs in the power finance space which are likely to benefit from the rural electrification and electricity for all themes. There are affordable housing finance companies that are focused on financing low-income housing which could benefit from Housing for All theme. There are two-wheeler companies that benefit from demand and affluence in rural regions. These are, primarily, exposed to the Bharat theme. Q) We are trading at high valuations US markets have touched record highs. Do you think we have touched an intermediate top what is your call on equities for the short term? A) Contrary to popular perception, the US market is not trading at high valuations. The US markets are trading at a PE of 22 for S&P 500 vs. a PE of 30 for Nifty 50 based on the index factsheets. So the US markets are still fairly valued and cheaper compared to the Indian markets. On a Price to Cashflow basis the S&P 500 is at 20 while Sensex has negative cash flow. Definitely there can be pockets of irrational exuberance in both US and Indian markets. So, ETF or index investing is probably not a good idea, but being selective and creating a well-researched active portfolio using scientific investing principles is probably the need of the hour. A major event we would look out for is the US elections. But, that should not freeze an investor into inaction. Rather, one should start researching and allocating and can also be prepared for adding a chunk around the US elections, either before or after if there a correction in the short-term. : 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. Jammu & Kashmir: Jammu & Kashmir High Court directed the state government to immediately release separatist leader Masarat Alam Bhat from preventive custody, on Wednesday. The Jammu and Kashmir High Court quashed Public Safety Act (PSA) of seperatist leader and Hurriyat Conference (g) senior leader, Masarat Alam Bhat, he is also the chairperson of Muslim League. The court has also directed his immediate release.The HC judgment was reserved last week however Justice Muzaffar Hussain Attar.Architect of 2010 uprising, Masarat is undergoing continuous imprisonment since last more than six years.Presently, Masarat is lodged in district Jail Kathua. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. US federal and Wisconsin state authorities announced on Wednesday that hundreds of additional security personnel will be deployed to the city of Kenosha after protests against police brutality escalated into riots with gun violence resulting in the death of two people. Kenosha, home to some 100,000 people, has experienced riots for three straight nights after police officers shot and severally wounded African American men Jacob Blake over the weekend that made the city yet another focal point for the Black Lives Matter movement and associated organizations. Earlier on Wednesday, President Donald Trump said that Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers agreed to accept the US government's assistance and federal law enforcement agents to be deployed to Kenosha. Evers issued a statement saying that 500 members of the Wisconsin National Guard will be deployed in the city in addition to the 250 he authorized earlier. Kenosha authorities, who asked for 1,500 officers, hailed the reinforcements after local forces encountered looting, arson, Molotov cocktails and other manifestations of violence. "The good people of Kenosha want them here," officials said during a press briefing, adding that the federal contingent and National Guard forces are already present in the city where a curfew will be in effect from 7:00 p.m. Wednesday to 7:00 a.m. Thursday. The reinforcements are coming to Kenosha after two people were killed and at least one other was seriously injured On Tuesday night in a shooting described by media as a vigilante incident. The suspect, a 17-year-old male, was arrested several hours later in the neighboring state of Illinois and is charged with first-degree murder. Kenosha officials denied any detailed knowledge of the shooting, including the suspect's name, and refused to speculate whether he belonged to white-armed militias which reportedly came to the city to confront Black Lives Matter and other leftist protesters. "No, I don't want more guns out in the street in the community when we are trying to make sure that we keep people safe," Kenosha mayor John Antaramian told reporters about his attitude to the presence of vigilante militias. (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.) SAN DIEGO - Arson is suspected as the cause of a July 12 fire that left extensive damage to the USS Bonhomme Richard docked off San Diego, and a U.S. Navy sailor was being questioned as a potential suspect, a senior defence official said Wednesday. The sailor was being questioned as part of the investigation by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the official said, adding that defence department leaders were notified of the development. The official, with knowledge of the investigation, spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to provide details not yet made public. The sailor was not detained. The amphibious assault ship burned for more than four days and was the Navys worst U.S. warship fire outside of combat in recent memory. The ship was left with extensive structural, electrical and mechanical damage and its future remains uncertain. The development in the investigation was first reported by KGTV, the ABC affiliate in San Diego. The Navy declined to answer questions. The Navy will not comment on an ongoing investigation to protect the integrity of the investigative process and all those involved, said Lt. Tim Pietrack, a Navy spokesman. We have nothing to announce at this time. The Naval Criminal Investigative Service also declined to comment on the case. The amphibious assault ships are among the few in the U.S. fleet that can act as a mini aircraft carrier. If the Bonhomme Richard is not repaired, it could cost the Navy up to $4 billion to replace it, according to defence analysts. The Bonhomme Richard was nearing the end of a two-year upgrade estimated to cost $250 million. About 160 sailors and officers were on board when the flames sent up a huge plume of dark smoke from the 840-foot (256-meter) amphibious assault vessel, which had been docked at Naval Base San Diego while undergoing the upgrade. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday visited the ship a day after the blaze was extinguished. He said then that the Navy thought it had the fire under control only hours after it broke out the morning of July 12 in the ships lower storage area, where cardboard boxes, rags and other maintenance supplies were stored. But winds coming off the San Diego Bay whipped up the flames and the fire spread up the elevator shafts and the exhaust stacks. Then two explosions one heard as far as 13 miles (21 kilometres) away caused it to grow even bigger, Gilday said. The Navy was looking into what caused the explosions, though Gilday said at that time that they had not found any indications yet of foul play. The fire sent acrid smoke billowing over San Diego, and local officials had recommended people avoid exercising outdoors. Firefighters attacked the flames inside the ship while firefighting vessels with water cannons directed streams of seawater into the ship and helicopters made water drops. More than 60 sailors and civilians were treated for minor injuries, heat exhaustion and smoke inhalation. _____ Baldor reported from Washington. Out-of-work Americans continued to seek assistance last week as the economy remained in limbo amid spikes in coronavirus cases. About 1 million filed initial claims for unemployment benefits, the Labor Department said Thursday, matching economists' forecasts. That latest surge means just over 58 million have sought aid for the first time in just 23 weeks. The claims, a rough gauge of layoffs, speak to the economic straits of millions of Americans who are struggling to buy groceries, pay bills and stay in their homes. Six months into the pandemic, the leading issue is not new layoffs but rather the exceedingly slow pace by which workers are being rehired,'' Andrew Stettner, senior fellow at The Century Foundation, said in a statement. "With September rent due soon and food insecurity already at elevated levels, the worst is yet to come if Congress and the President cant turn their attention to pandemic relief. The first-time jobless claims slipped from the 1.1 million who applied the week before. But the number seeking unemployment assistance has been volatile, slightly dropping, then rising, yet remaining historically high far above the previous record of 695,000 weekly claims set during a recession in 1982. The seesawing numbers reflect the slowdowns and upticks throughout the U.S. economy as businesses gradually reopen in some parts while others roll back reopenings and the rehiring of workers as COVID-19 cases spike. The overall number of Americans diagnosed with the coronavirus has flattened after peaking in late April, but it continues to surge in parts of the country, recently rising fastest in several Southern states as well as North and South Dakota. Now, what the Trump administration portrayed as a brief economic detour may be hardening into a downturn akin to the Great Recession of 2007-09, with as much as half of temporary layoffs and furloughs becoming permanent and the jobs landscape taking years to recover. Story continues Renters and homeowners needing relief According to the Mortgage Bankers Association's most recent survey, an estimated 3.6 million homeowners are in forbearance, meaning their lenders have temporarily halted or reduced mortgage payments for borrowers struggling to pay. A caravan protest on unemployment benefits in New Orleans on July 22, 2020. The number of home loans that have received that short-term relief shrank slightly to 7.2% as of Aug. 16 from 7.21% the week before, according to the MBA's most recent survey. The share of loans in forbearance declined for the tenth week in a row, but the rate of improvement has slowed markedly,'' Mike Fratantoni, MBAs senior vice president and chief economist, said in a statement. "The extremely high rate of initial claims for unemployment insurance and high level of unemployment remain a concern, and are indications of the challenges many households are facing.'' Additionally, he said, the pace of those coming out of forbearance has slowed two weeks in a row. Renters are in even greater trouble. Up to 15 million could face eviction, Oxford Economics said in a note, and protections that President Donald Trump has said he will offer through executive action are not spelled out. "The eviction protections that Trumps executive actions provide are vague, and even if the moratorium that expired on July 24 is extended, renters need direct financial assistance,'' Oxford said. As more Americans seek jobless aid, the size of the weekly benefits they can receive has shrunk significantly. An extra $600 from the federal government ended in July, and Congress has not reached an agreement on a new relief package. Terri Hopson, who applied for unemployment benefits in early August after losing her job as an office manager, says an extra $600 a week could be the difference between being able to pay all of her bills, or just a few. I wouldnt have to worry about piecing out my groceries, says Hopson, who lives in Chesterfield County, Virginia, outside Richmond. I wouldnt have to worry about paying my rent ... or letting my internet go, though I need that to apply for jobs. Lawmakers in Washington need to do more, she says, and in a hurry. Theyre all on recess, she said. People dont have a month to wait. There are people who cant wait 24 hours before theyre out on the street.'' Democrats want to offer that same extra $600 a week into next year. Meanwhile, Trump issued a memorandum authorizing $300 a week in federal assistance for those out of work because of the pandemic. But unemployed workers who receive less than $100 in state aid won't qualify for the extra federal benefit. That amounts to at least 1 million people, or roughly 6% of people receiving basic state unemployment, according to Eliza Forsythe, a labor economist and assistant professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Those who do qualify for the extra $300 still face potential roadblocks. States have to reconfigure their systems to pass out the money which can lead to long delays, experts say. More than half of states have been approved for the extra $300 in unemployment insurance, but Louisiana, Arizona and Texas are the only states that have begun handing out money, according to the Century Foundation. And the additional money is likely short-lived. States applying for the federal grants will get an initial obligation of three weeks of needed funding, according to a recent memo from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which will run the relief program through its Disaster Relief Fund. It will make other disbursements to states on a weekly basis. "By our estimates, the additional $300/week implemented by President Trump will, at the earliest, hit unemployment checks in the final week of August and likely only last about four weeks,'' Sam Bullard, managing director and senior economist for Wells Fargo Corporate and Investment Banking, said in an investors note. "Furthermore, the stand-still between Congress and the White House over additional stimulus points to a looming income cliff for consumers." Oxford Economics says the lost $600 benefit will cut unemployment insurance benefits by at least $45 billion this month. "The steep decline in federal support for unemployed workers and heightened uncertainty will depress consumer confidence and spending,'' Oxford said. "The failure of lawmakers to extend the federal top-up of $600 per week to unemployed workers is dealing a significant blow to household income." Follow Charisse Jones on Twitter @charissejones This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Unemployment claims: 58M apply for jobless aid in less than 6 months Dispatch of EGM Documentation - Samphire Transaction Brisbane, Aug 27, 2020 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Alligator Energy ( ASX:AGE ) refers to the market announcement of 11 June 2020 titled 'Alligator to acquire 47 M lbs uranium resource in South Australia from Samphire Uranium' and subsequent market updates on the status of completing the proposed transaction.The Company has signed a Share Purchase Agreement with Samphire Uranium Limited (ASX Announcement: 3 August 2020) which along with certain other conditions requires Shareholder approval for the issue of 679,561,608 AGE ordinary fully paid shares as the agreed transaction consideration.Alligator is now pleased to confirm that the meeting documentation for the EGM to secure the required Shareholder approval has been dispatched. The meeting has been scheduled for 9.30am (Brisbane time) on Thursday 1 October 2020.The Board will continue to monitor Australian Government restrictions on public gatherings. If it becomes necessary or appropriate to make alternative arrangements to those set out in the Notice of Meeting, the Company will notify Shareholders accordingly via the Company's website and the Company's ASX Announcement Platform at asx.com.au ( ASX:AGE ). Furthermore, the Directors strongly encourage all Shareholders to lodge their Proxy Forms by no later than 9.30am (Brisbane time) on Tuesday 29 September 2020.About Alligator Energy Ltd Alligator Energy Ltd (ASX:AGE) is an Australian, ASX-listed, exploration company focused on uranium and energy related minerals, principally cobalt-nickel. Alligator's Directors have significant experience in the exploration, development and operations of both uranium and nickel projects (both laterites and sulphides). Nii Addo, Mankralo (traditional leader) of Obuom traditional area (Dome-Faase) is asking for protection. The Mankralo who is currently at a hideout in Accra says if his safety is assured, he will come out to assist the military look for their missing weapons. "If I am given the assurance that I will be safe, I will assist the soldiers to find the weapons," he said. Two military officers who were reportedly on an operation in Dome-Faase were assaulted by residents and their guns seized. The vicinity was subsequently taken over by soldiers causing indigenes to flee. According to reports, Dome-Faase is now a 'ghost town'. Nii Addo narrated what ensued to Kwami Sefa Kayi in an interview on Peace FM's morning show 'Kokrokoo', and apologized to President Akufo-Addo and the Ghana Armed Forces for the unfortunate incident. "When we realized the soldiers were on the land we reported it to the police but they (police) said there is nothing they can do because according to the soldiers, they are obeying an order from above. What happened is indeed a condemnable act so I apologize to the President, the soldiers," he stated. Listen to him in the video below Hundreds of residents of Dome-Faase in the Ga South Municipality have deserted their homes after armed soldiers stormed the community.The personnel numbering over 300 besieged the town in search of some civilians who assaulted two soldiers during a land conflict.The two soldiers were severely injured when they were attacked by the irate residents over land ownership. Source: Rebecca Addo Tetteh/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 LONDON : The judgment in the extradition trial of fugitive diamond merchant Nirav Modi over the nearly $2 billion Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud and money laundering case will be handed down in the UK after December 1. At a scheduled hearing at Westminster Magistrates Court in London on Thursday, District Judge Samuel Goozee agreed the timetable for the second leg of Modis extradition trial scheduled between September 7 and 11. The hearings next month will complete arguments on establishing a prima facie case against 49-year-old Modi and also deal with the additional extradition request, made by the Indian authorities and certified by UK Home Secretary Priti Patel earlier this year, which add on the charges of "causing the disappearance of evidence" and intimidating witnesses or criminal intimidation to cause death" against him. Additional hearings have also been scheduled for November 3, for the judge to rule on the admissibility of evidence presented before him, and December 1, when both sides will make their final submissions. Therefore, any judgment in the case is now expected only after the final hearing in December. During the course of Thursdays hearing, Modis lawyers also raised concerns over allegations of party political bias" against one of their expert witnesses from India. Modis barrister Clare Montgomery told Justice Goozee that after Retired Justice Abhay Thipsay had given his witness statement on the concept of criminal breach of trust" in Indian law during the first leg of the extradition trial in May, he came under attack and was accused of political bias. We may have to put in an application for reporting restrictions around the reporting of his [Thipsay] evidence to avoid further public commentary on it," said Montgomery, indicating that the retired Indian high court judge will be among the witnesses for the second leg of Modis trial scheduled to begin from September 7. Asked by Goozee for the reason behind such an application, Modis barrister said the Indian ministry of justice" held a press conference attacking" Thipsay for the evidence he had given in the UK court and accused him of party political bias". During the hearing in May, Retd Justice Thipsay appeared via videolink from India as a legal expert to back Modis defence teams efforts to try and highlight legal flaws in the government of Indias case. "Unless a person is deceived there can be no cheating under Indian law," he said at the time. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), arguing on behalf of the Indian authorities, had countered his witness statement and later in India, Thipsay, a former judge of the high court in Mumbai and Allahabad, had been accused of acting on the behest of the Congress party. The retired judge had countered the allegations, saying he was not appearing in defence of Modi but as an expert witness to give his legal opinion, which the UK court may consider or disregard. The hearing in London on Thursday was scheduled as a case management hearing to set the timetable for evidence to be presented to compete Modi's extradition trial. Modi, who has been lodged at Wandsworth Prison in south-west London since his arrest in March last year, will remain remanded into custody until the start of the trial on September 7 when he will appear via videolink. The hearings next month will again be held in part remote settings, given the coronavirus lockdown restrictions. His defence team also made a reference to his deteriorating" mental health in Wandsworth, one of Englands most overcrowded prisons, as among a number of additional issues" it is likely to raise. The charges against the diamond merchant centre around his firms Diamonds R Us, Solar Exports and Stellar Diamonds making fraudulent use of a credit facility offered by the Punjab National Bank (PNB), known as letters of undertaking" (LoUs). Modis team has sought to counter allegations of fraud by deposing witnesses to establish the volatility of the gems trade and that the LoUs were standard practice. The CPS sought to establish that a number of PNB staff conspired with Modi to ensure LoUs were issued to his companies without ensuring they were subject to the required credit check, without recording the issuance of the LoUs and without charging the required commission upon the transactions. This resulted in a fraud amounting to nearly USD 2 billion. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment One of us is a former White House official, the other a Senate communications director. But amidst the deep questions of race now roiling our nation, we've realized some of the most important things we've learned have come simply as two friends and followers of Jesus, black and white, listening to each another. Consider this. We've both noticed that when either of us has an argument with our wife, it almost always becomes clear in the end that the conflict wasnt really about what we thought we were fighting over toothpaste or the budget or a late arrival home. Deeper, unsaid things are at stake. Often, a single question lies hidden beneath all the others: Do you really see me? Could this question lie deep within Americas turmoil over race as well? We believe it is. If we are to heal as a nation, we must begin here. Certainly, whites often perceive something quite different in the protests or sorrow or anger of the African American community. What many hear is, You are guilty. Some react defensively, either ignoring the accusation theyve heard or spitting back venom. The earnest majority of whites, meanwhile, feel deeply conflicted. They dont know what to do with the perceived condemnation, and so they vacillate between public contrition and private questions, most of which they never ask. At the other end of the spectrum, white progressives take this indictment theyve heard and run with it, often with great sincerity proposing myriad ways for guilt to be atoned for, from personal confessions to reparations. But when one listens carefully to African American voices, many express something very different: not You are guilty, but rather, Do you see me? If this is the query, then the response of whites whether defensive, conflicted or penitent most all fall short. Why? Because none have truly heard what their neighbor is asking. This failure to listen only pounds home what the heart-level question conveyed in the first place. To be clear, this is not to suggest that the more tangible issues of race and injustice arent vitally important too. Overt racism, subtle systematic biases, the pre-judgement of entire people groups from courtrooms to job interviews all matter immensely. They must be addressed with a frankness that both Right and Left often fail to bring to these matters. But what cuts to the quick for many black Americans is not merely that their otherwise decent white neighbors dont seem to notice injustice. Rather, it is that they dont notice the people upon whom the injustices fall. When whites ignore or seek to explain a brutal mistreatment of a black man even with the most precise logic it drives the feeling even deeper. You don't see George Floyd? You don't see Amhaud Arbery? You don't see the lost lives of so many who look like me? Then you must not see me, either. Even in social justice circles, white advocates often seem to see only groups and systems and political situations, not individual souls. As the nameless voice in The Invisible Man vividly portrays, many black Americans feel that to white America they are simply invisible. The desire to be seen and valued is, of course, not the ache of black Americans alone. It is the longing of every human heart, from every race. Every son and daughter, every husband and wife, every student on the playground and janitor and executive yearns to be seen, and to sense in that awareness that we are truly valued. To be seen is the oxygen of love. Love always begins with truly seeing another, and it grows in the same way. It is a mother looking into the eyes of her newborn. Lovers face to face. Friends locked in earnest conversation. When we are seen, we can thrive even in great hardship. When we feel we arent, we will do almost anything to seize the gaze of others from relentless striving on the corporate ladder to joining a gang, from plastic surgery to smashing windows. If being seen is love's oxygen, no wonder many of our black brothers and sisters have felt they cant breathe. Counterintuitively, there is hope in this realization. The seemingly unbridgeable division that splits America today is not, in fact, unbridgeable. Reconciliation is possible. But to reach towards it, we must know this: America's racial divide will never be resolved by logic alone. Nor will it be repaired with defensiveness or vacillation or even penance, however sincere. Rather, we must find words that long-estranged brothers might use in rediscovering one another: I have often failed to see you. But I see you now, and I will seek earnestly to see you more fully. Then, the words must be proved. Please register or log in to keep reading. No credit card required! Stay logged in to skip the surveys. On July 20, following a very short discussion which can be viewed on the City of Vernon website, Council defeated a motion to develop an anti-racism policy. In fact, a draft anti-racism policy already developed pro bono by the Citys legal counsel was provided to the councillors in June along with the notice of motion. It was apparent from the questions and debate that most of the councillors had not read this draft policy. Many of the councillors questions were answered in the draft; for example the purpose of the policy, how it would be enforced, and definitions of racism. A major objection raised was excessive staff-time required for policy development and drafting. This concern, of course, was unfounded because the policy had already been developed. We agree with the original motion that stated, racism and discrimination continue to perpetuate the historical disadvantage experienced by Aboriginal peoples and other diverse groups, many of whom are members of Canadas most economically and socially marginalized communities. We are asking Council to introduce another motion to consider the existing draft anti-racism policy developed by the Citys legal Counsel. Municipal governments have an important role to play in combating racism. We feel it essential that City Council make a strong statement in its commitment to equality by adopting an anti-racism policy. Richard Pearen Susan Young Vernon NASSAU, Bahamas, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In a continued effort to ensure the safety for all in The Bahamas during the COVID-19 pandemic, Prime Minister, The Most Hon. Dr. Hubert Minnis issued updated measures and protocols for New Providence, Grand Bahama Island and various Family Islands. New Providence Based on new data presented by the Ministry of Health, the recent Emergency Order lockdown placed on New Providence will be lifted beginning 5 a.m., Monday, August 31. Businesses in New Providence will be allowed to resume with appropriate physical distancing measures including but not limited to: Outdoor dining, curbside and delivery service at restaurants and retailers From 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. daily, beaches will be open to the public Please visit opm.bs.gov for full details related to the restriction lift as well as a reminder of the current lockdown measures. Grand Bahama & Various Family Islands The following emergency order provisions have been put into place for Grand Bahama and various Family Islands including Andros, Crooked Island, Acklins, Eleuthera, Cat Island, Exuma, Bimini, the Berry Islands, Mayaguana, Inagua and Abaco: A mandatory curfew is in place from 10 p.m. 5 a.m. daily. Residents are not permitted to leave their homes during this period, except to seek urgent medical care at a hospital. daily. Residents are not permitted to leave their homes during this period, except to seek urgent medical care at a hospital. Hotel facilities and services, including indoor/outdoor dining, casinos, gyms and spas are prohibited. All business and commercial activity will be closed and employees required to work remotely, with the exception of essential businesses including grocery stores, pharmacies, water depots, gas stations and hardware stores. These businesses are permitted to operate between the hours of 6 a.m. 9 p.m. Commercial banks and credit unions may also open Monday through Friday between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Commercial banks and credit unions may also open Monday through Friday Businesses that can provide curbside, online or delivery services can operate, including retail. Restaurants can open with outdoor dining, takeout, delivery and drive-through services, except for Fish Fry restaurants. Family Islands such as Chub Cay, Long Cay, Long Island, Rum Cay, Ragged Island, Harbour Island, Spanish Wells and San Salvador will continue with no curfew, but must abide by physical distancing and sanitation protocols. Please visit opm.gov.bs for full details related to the emergency order. Implications for Travellers: While The Bahamas is looking forward to safely welcoming visitors to its shores, the health and wellbeing of residents and visitors remain of upmost importance. All travellers to The Bahamas will be required to adhere to all protocols and restrictions provided. Requirements for entering The Bahamas include: All travellers must apply for a Bahamas Health Visa at travel.gov.bs by selecting the International option and completing all required fields. Effective Tuesday, September 1 , all incoming visitors, as well as returning citizens and residents, must show proof of a negative COVID-19 RT-PCR test, taken no more than five (5) days prior to the date of arrival. All test results must be uploaded when applying for a Bahamas Health Visa. , all incoming visitors, as well as returning citizens and residents, must show proof of a negative COVID-19 RT-PCR test, All test results must be uploaded when applying for a Bahamas Health Visa. The only applicants who are not required to provide a COVID-19 test are: required to provide a COVID-19 test are: Children under the age of ten (10) Pilots and crew who remain overnight in The Bahamas All visitors and returning residents are required to quarantine for 14-days upon arrival into The Bahamas . . Travellers are permitted to quarantine at a hotel, private club or rented accommodations (like Airbnb), as well as on a private boat. Hotel guests are permitted to access all available amenities on property. All persons must submit to monitoring and install the Hubbcat App on their cellular phones for purposes of contact tracing. on their cellular phones for purposes of contact tracing. After the 14 days, all persons intending to remain in the country may be required to complete another COVID-19 test, at their own expense, to exit quarantine. Full details on entry protocols to The Bahamas can be found on bahamas.com/travelupdates. For additional details and the Prime Minister's recent remarks and statements, please visit opm.gov.bs. The Bahamas has remained diligent in efforts to minimize the spread of COVID-19 throughout the islands, and these measures are imperative to ensure that remains the case. Due to fluidity of the COVID-19 situation both in The Bahamas and worldwide, protocols are subject to change. The health and wellbeing of both residents and visitors remain the number one priority, and public health officials are closely monitoring indicators to determine whether more or less stringent measures will be required going forward. PRESS INQUIRIES Anita Johnson-Patty Bahamas Ministry of Tourism & Aviation [email protected] Weber Shandwick Public Relations [email protected] SOURCE The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism and Aviation CCTV of one of the lorries that have struck Mark Kilbey's grade II listed cottage. He says it has happened eight times in the past year. (SWNS) The owner of a Grade II listed cottage wants heavy lorries banned from his village after his home was struck for the eighth time in a year. The latest collision happened just three hours after workmen had finished repairing damage from the previous collision. Former detective Mark Kilbey, 57, says he lives in constant fear of lorries smashing into his 16th-century home as they take a sharp turn where his property sits. Kilbey, who lives with his partner in the house in Wingham, Kent, said: The builders finished at 5pm and the house was struck again at 8.30pm, its a new record. I jokingly told the builders to leave the ladders at the side of the house because theyd be back in a few weeks. Mark Kilbey outside his cottage in Kent. (SWNS) It turns out it was only a few hours, it took the biscuit. He said he bought the house in 2015 and he knew it had been hit before but he didnt expect it to be as bad as it was. He added: "My home has been dubbed the most-hit house in the country and I challenge anyone to find one which has suffered like mine, I expected to be living in a rural village, not an industrial park. Kilbey reckons the cottage has been hit around 20 times. Insurance companies representing the lorry companies have paid around 60,000 in house repair costs in five years, according to the former Metropolitan Police investigator. Kilbey says the only way to prevent future incidents is to force the biggest lorries to take alternative routes. He said: Im not querying the job that lorry drivers have to do, they are following their sat-nav. Read more: Mystery over man who stands by busy road waving at cars with bag on his head The lorry captured on CCTV. (SWNS) CCTV image of a lorry colliding with the cottage. (SWNS) Damage done to the lorry after colliding. (SWNS) "What I am saying is they dont need to be turning in a road they dont fit in, there are other routes they could use. Kilbey has fixed large red and yellow hazard signs to the property, despite its heritage classification. The former Scotland Yard officer has had numerous "fruitless" discussions with local authorities including Kent County Council, Dover District Council, and the local parish council. Story continues Kelby said they did not care about his safety and accused them of being completely negligent. He said: I've got nowhere with them, they just say they are monitoring the situation, but I think they just consider my property is expendable. If it happened once, you would say that it was an incompetent driver, but if it happens 20 times and no action is taken you just think people dont care. Kilbey there was a primary school behind his house and it was only a matter of time before said a child or elderly person will likely be killed by lorries if they are not banned from the lane. Frankly I dont even think that will prompt them to take action, because they fundamentally dont care, he said. Police are prosecuting the latest lorry driver to smash into the home, in addition to handing him three points and a 100-on-the spot fine on Monday. The property is opposite the entrance to a country road where most of the incidents occur because the bigger lorries are forced to mount the pavement as they turn right. Read more: Asian hornets will arrive in the UK in record numbers next month, experts warn Damage to the home of Mark Kilbey after a lorry collided with his cottage. (SWNS) CCTV cameras are now fixed onto the side of the cottage to provide evidence to the lorry drivers insurance companies. Footage from a previous collision in 2018 shows the rear of a large lorry as it turned, swung and hit the buildings guttering, sending debris crashing onto the road. Its not the propertys fault its in the wrong place now. It was in the right place in its heyday, Kilbey said. But now lifes moved on and the 21st-century doesnt suit where this house is. Kilbey, who is now the director of mental health charity Take-Off and moved out of London for a quiet lifestyle. A Kent County Council (KCC) spokesman said: "We very much sympathise with Mr Kilbey but unfortunately this is difficult for KCC to resolve as a highways authority. "In 2018, KCC looked to identify the destinations of the offending vehicles and the HGVs involved were not just driving through the village, these are vehicles making legitimate deliveries to or collections from local businesses. "Whilst the majority of HGVs using this junction do so without incident, we acknowledge that the errant few are misjudging the turning and causing damage to property and distress to residents. "There is no possibility of altering the road layout and we have discussed with businesses about re-routing their vehicles where possible Listen to the latest podcast from Yahoo Finance UK YEREVAN. The news about the resignation is political speculations that have been going on for two years already. Armenias minister of health Arsen Torosyan told about this to RFE/RL Armenian Service on Thursday. "I do not even remember the last time I met with the prime minister. I recall that there have been such publications for two years already, and therefore I do not see any sense in finding reasons for that news," the minister said. When asked how the PM assesses the work of the health ministry during the current COVID-19 pandemic, the minister said: "(). The fight against the coronavirus is not only the job of the Ministry of Health, but of the Republic of Armenia [(RA)]. (). The percentage of RA citizens infected with the coronavirus and, unfortunately, died shows that the healthcare system [of the country] has done more than it could. To the reporters remark that the numbers of the pandemic have decreased but the disease has not been defeated yet, and to the question why he is going on vacation at this time, Torosyan responded: "I believe it is not my constitutional right, but my family's, and no one can violate that right. I will be in RA, always available [during my vacation], I will probably also go to work some days." Sohum Shah puts an end to speculations around Tummbad 2, says he's working on another project Putin's Chef Says He Will Collect Debt Owed By Comatose Navalny By RFE/RL's Russian Service August 26, 2020 Kremlin-connected Russian businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin says he intends to collect a debt from comatose Aleksei Navalny and his shuttered Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) if the opposition activist survives what European doctors say was a poisoning. Prigozhin, who has been the subject of hard-hitting FBK corruption investigations, announced on August 25 that he bought up the debt owed by Navalny and his company relating to a lawsuit settlement won by a Moscow school-catering company. Navalny is currently in an induced coma in a German hospital after a suspected poisoning in Tomsk, Siberia, where he had been conducting his latest corruption investigation. "If Navalny lives, he must answer to the fullest extent of Russian law," Prigozhin said in a statement issued through Konkord, his catering company. He said he would make an exception if the 44-year-old Kremlin critic did not survive. "Of course, if Comrade Navalny gives his soul to God, then personally I do not intend to persecute him in this world. I will postpone this [debt settlement] indefinitely." A Moscow court in October ordered Navalny, FBK and the organization's lawyer, Lyubov Sobol, to pay a total of 87.6 million rubles ($1.15 million) split evenly among them to the catering company, Moscow Schoolchild, for defamation. Moscow Schoolchild, since renamed Wilmap LLC, had sued the three defendants over an investigative video produced by FBK alleging that the company did not comply with sanitary standards, forged documents, and supplied poor-quality food to kindergartens and schools. The FBK had also said that the caterer was owned by Prigozhin. A Current Time investigation noted that Prigozhin himself had long denied any affiliation with the catering company. However, the investigation found that half of Moscow Schoolchild was owned by a former policeman who identified himself as the head of security for the Konkord catering service, Prigozhin's main asset. The court sided with the plaintiff, ruling that Moscow Schoolchild's reputation had been damaged by the investigative video and it had lost a contract as a result. As part of the settlement, FBK was also ordered to remove the video and refute the allegations. Navalny announced in July that the lawsuit - which he said Prigozhin was behind -- had forced him to liquidate the FBK. "We will move to another legal entity, let Putin and Prigozhin choke on this," Navalny announced at the time, describing the numerous raids and harassment by authorities that the FBK had encountered in its nine years of existence. "Until the end of Putin's power, we will have to live with blocked accounts and bailiffs confiscating our property in favor of Putin's Chef." Prigozhin is often referred to by the nickname "Putin's Chef" because he once personally catered an event for the president and subsequently rose to become a key Kremlin insider. In February 2018, Prigozhin was indicted in the United States for meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and both he and his companies have been put under sanctions by the Treasury Department. Navalny said Prigozhin's attempts to stop his investigations had only backfired. The activist reported last month the number of people making monthly contributions to help fund his investigations had more than doubled from 7,600 to 15,600 following FBK's demise. Over the past nine years, FBK has produced dozens of detailed investigations exposing corruption by government officials, executives of state companies, and tycoons close to the Kremlin and President Vladimir Putin. FBK's 2016 expose on Prigozhin, which discussed his criminal past, has more than 4.3 million views. Prigozhin's August 25 statement is his latest attempt at trolling Navalny and his supporters. Shortly after Navalny announced the liquidation of FBK, and the formation of a new legal entity named the Rights Protection Fund, Prigozhin donated 1 million rubles ($13,200) to the FBK. The anti-corruption organization declined the donation and returned it to Prigozhin. Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/putins-chef- says-he-will-collect-debt-owed-by- comatose-navalny/30804319.html Copyright (c) 2020. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The ongoing battle between Grace Community Church and Los Angeles County officials continues as Pastor John MacArthur states that he and his congregation has a moral and religious obligation to allow their attendants to gather and worship the Lord. This matter can be considered the county's fourth attempt to close the Grace Community Church's doors amidst the ongoing pandemic. Pastor John MacArthur argued saying, "This church is the core of life for thousands from nursery to seniors. Our church is not an event center. It is a family of lives who love and care for each other in very intensely personal ways. So essential to personal well-being that people rushed back as soon as they could. The utter unnecessary deprivation of all our people by completely shutting down the mutual love and care that sustains our people in all the exigencies, pressures, and challenges of life, was cruel. And after 63 years of sacrificial, kindness to our city, to be repeatedly threatened with court-ordered efforts to shut Grace Community Church down when no one is sick, reveals an inexplicable preference for a mostly harmless virus over the life-enriching and necessary fellowship of the church. Our leaders and congregation see no real health threat to warrant such restraint. We see this action against us as an illegitimate misuse of power." MacArthur feels that the California government is intentionally attacking the church and said to his congregation to not buy into the narrative that the orders set in place by Gov. Gavin Newsom were for safety reasons. He goes on to say that within the congregation there isn't a sick individual or anyone who has gone to the hospital throughout the pandemic period. He went on to point out the different approach that the government provided for the recent protests while continuously restricting religious gatherings. In accordance with his reasoning, he opened his sermon with, "Good morning, everyone. I'm so happy to welcome you to the Grace Community Church peaceful protest." Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 10:32:49|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- No new locally-transmitted COVID-19 cases were reported Wednesday across the Chinese mainland, the National Health Commission said Thursday. A total of eight confirmed cases arriving from outside the mainland were reported Wednesday, the commission said in its daily report. Of the new imported cases, four were reported in Sichuan Province, and two each in Hebei and Shanghai, the commission said in its daily report. One new suspected case, also imported from outside the mainland, was reported in Shanghai. No deaths related to the disease were reported Wednesday, the commission said. On Wednesday, a total of 31 COVID-19 patients were discharged from hospitals after recovery, the commission said. By the end of Wednesday, a total of 2,455 imported cases had been reported on the mainland. Of them, 2,243 had been discharged from hospitals after recovery, and 212 remained hospitalized, with four in severe condition. No deaths from the imported cases had been reported. As of Wednesday, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases on the mainland had reached 85,004, including 324 patients who were still being treated, with four in severe condition. Altogether 80,046 people had been discharged after recovery, and 4,634 had died of the disease on the mainland, the commission said. There was still one suspected COVID-19 case on the mainland, it added. According to the commission, 11,227 close contacts were still under medical observation after 1,189 were discharged on Wednesday. Also on Wednesday, 19 new asymptomatic cases, all from outside the mainland, were reported, and one asymptomatic case was re-categorized as a confirmed one. The commission said 365 asymptomatic cases, including 317 from outside the mainland, were still under medical observation. By Wednesday, 4,734 confirmed cases including 79 deaths had been reported in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), together with 46 confirmed cases in the Macao SAR and 487 cases including seven deaths in Taiwan. A total of 4,161 COVID-19 patients in the Hong Kong SAR, 46 in the Macao SAR, and 462 in Taiwan had been discharged from hospitals after recovery. Enditem He lived king size: Rhea Chakraborty denies claims of living off Sushant Singh Rajput's money India pti-Madhuri Adnal Mumbai, Aug 27: Actor Rhea Chakraborty, who is accused of abetting Sushant Singh Rajput's suicide by his family, has opened up about her relationship with the late actor on Thursday, denying that she was living off" his money. Chakraborty, along with her family members, is also accused of misappropriating Rajput's wealth by the actors family but she dismissed the allegations in a TV interview. NCB team in Mumbai to probe drugs angle in Sushant Singh Rajput case After Mumbai Police, Enforcement Directorate and Central Bureau of Investigation are investigating varous angles in the actor's death. Opening up about her much-talked-about Europe trip with the late Bollywood star, who died by suicide on June 14 in Mumbai, the young actor said in an interview to Aaj Tak that she was set to go to Paris on a professional assignment. She said it was Rajputs idea to make a Europe trip about it and he cancelled the tickets booked by the company that was sponsoring her trip. She said her brother joined them in Italy at the insistence of the late actor. "He paid for the rest of the trip and the hotels. He wanted to and I didn't have a problem with that. I had a problem with how much he was spending. But Sushant lived king size, he was like that," she said, adding that he once went on a trip to Thailand with his friends and spent Rs 70 lakh on that vacation. These were his lifestyle choices. Who are we to say how Sushant should live his life? He lived like a star, he loved it. It was his choice to take those men on that trip, did they also force him? No, I was not living off Sushant Singh Rajput's money. We were living like a couple, she told senior journalist Rajdeep Sardesai. NEET & JEE-MAIN: Education minister says that students want exams at any cost | Oneindia News Asked about why her brother Showik joined them on their Europe trip, Chakraborty said all three of them had formed an artificial intelligence company called Rhealytix, which was named after her and invested Rs 33,000 each in the firm. The actor said she was not on the list for his funeral as his family members dont like me. Chakraborty said she wanted to attend the funeral but dropped the idea at the suggestion of her friends as the family did not want her there. The actor said her friends told her that you will be ridiculed, you will be thrown out. You are already not in a sound mental state. Don't come here. From debit card PIN to procuring weed, here is what the ED note says in Sushant Singh case Chakraborty said two of her friends told her to see his body to get closure. She said she saw Rajputs body for three-four seconds said sorry and touched his feet. Yes, I said 'Sorry babu'. When you see a dead person, what else will you say? I said sorry as he was no more. When you love someone and they die, you say sorry. Sorry that you aren't here. Sorry that a joke has been made out of your death, she said. Asked about allegations that she was controlling Rajputs lifestyle and staff, Chakraborty rubbished them as baseless and most of the staff was either hired by Rajput and his sister Priyanka. Asked when she got to know about Rajputs mental condition or the fact that he was bipolar, Chakraborty said it was during their Europe trip. Rajput, she was told, used to get claustrophobic during flights and took medicines. We landed in Paris first and he didn't come out of his room for the first three days. I wondered what the matter was. He was so excited that we will go to Paris so that no one recognises him. So that he could show me his real self which was his fun nature. That he could walk on the streets, something which he could not do in India. But he didn't come out of his room. He was much better when we went to Switzerland next. He was high on energy and he had started getting out, he was happy, she said. The actor said when they went to Italy, they stayed in a gothic hotel and had a weird dome-like structure and strange photos. Chakraborty talked about checking out but he didn't listen to me. After that, his condition started getting worse little by little. He didn't want to come out of the room on the whole trip. I talked to him and he told me that he had an episode of depression in 2013, he said. Then he told me everything that he was better after meeting the psychiatrist. He used to get anxiety attacks many times. But he had started feeling more depressed and worried. So we had to cut our trip short. If your partner is not feeling well, what else will you do? You'll come back, she said. Chakraborty said her media trial was a witch hunt. Loving someone has become the most wanted crime, she said, adding that she now just wanted to take a deep breath and have a normal day with her family where someone is not facing an anxiety attack. This is a conspiracy to break me, my family. Kangana Ranaut ji said 'it was a systematic breakdown of a fragile mind, then what is it? Chakraborty also claimed that Rajput did not share a good relationship with his father K K Singh. Referring to her July 16 post on Instagram where she had tagged Home Minister Amit Shah, requesting for a CBI inquiry, Chakraborty said she had cooperated with the Mumbai Police and was doing the same with the Enforcement Directorate and CBI. Am I not allowed to prove my innocence? Chakraborty asked, adding that all kinds of stories were being made about her. C entrica today paid 1.5 million in compensation to often vulnerable customers on prepayment meters after Ofgem accused it of botching a switch to a new contractor. The giant changed the company it uses to allow British Gas customers to pre-pay for energy from Paypoint to Payzone, but then failed to tell around 270,000 of them. Many prepayment customers are poor or vulnerable, which is why they are on meters in the first place. Ofgem said the mess up could have left them being cut off as they did not know how to top up their payments. The switch happened on 1 January but British Gas only told many of its customers affected much later that month. "This meant that some customers, many of whom are in a vulnerable situation, may have suffered detriment through wasted journeys to try and top-up at shops which no longer offered the service, or in some cases may have gone off supply," Ofgem said. Worse still, British Gas also failed to tell the missed-out customers that the minimum top-up had been increased from 1 to 5. Most of its customers were told of the change in December 2019. Ofgem said that, not only did that leave customers with too little time to try and switch supplier, but the notice contained no phone numbers for customers to call for assistance, only links to the internet. Those customers unable to use or access the internet may therefore have been unable to contact British Gas for help. Furthermore, British Gas did not operate its general enquiries line on 1 January when the new system went live. When Ofgem contacted British Gas about the issues, the company offered to pay 1.48 million compensation to customers and 250,000 into Ofgem's voluntary redress fund to support people struggling to pay for energy in the winter. British Gas said: "We recognise this transition was not as smooth as it should have been and we would like to apologise again to any customer impacted." A spokesman added: "We know that some prepayment customers are vulnerable and we take our responsibilities to them very seriously." Ahead of the meeting today, chief ministers of Opposition-ruled states got together on Wednesday to devise a common strategy on the issue New Delhi: The GST Council meeting on Thursday is likely to be a stormy affair as opposition-ruled states unite to pressure the Centre to give them the promised compensation for loss of revenue arising from the implementation of GST. The 41st meeting of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council, to be held via video conferencing, has just one agenda for discussion making up for the shortfall in states'' revenues, sources said. The options being explored are market borrowing, raising cess rate or increasing the number of items for levy of compensation cess. Discussion on correction in inverted duty on certain goods like textiles and footwear is also likely, they said. The COVID-19 crisis has further compounded the state's fiscal problems. In a tweet, Kerala Finance Minister Thomas Isaac said: The solution to GST embroglio is Central Govt to empower GST Council to borrow for meeting the compensation requirement, if necessary through an ordinance, on the strength of future receipts of an extended levy of compensation cess beyond 5 years by an appropriate notification. Thomas Isaac (@drthomasisaac) August 26, 2020 Ahead of the meeting, chief ministers of Opposition-ruled states got together on Wednesday to devise a common strategy on the issue. Congress President Sonia Gandhi set the tone for the GST Council meeting by calling the Centre''s refusal to reimburse the states as nothing short of a betrayal of the people by the Modi government. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Maharashtra's Uddhav Thackeray, Jharkhand's Hemant Soren and chief ministers of Congress-ruled states Amarinder Singh, Ashok Gehlot, Bhupesh Baghel and V Narayanasamy attended the meeting. "We have to work together and fight together against the Central government," Gandhi said at the meeting. Banerjee had earlier stated the situation was "very serious" and opposition-ruled states should fight unitedly. States like Kerala, Punjab and Bihar have already said that the Centre is morally bound to make good any shortfall in GST revenues to them in the first five years of implementation of the regime that subsumed 17 different central and state taxes. Attorney General KK Venugopal had earlier opined that the Centre is not legally bound to make up from its coffers any shortfall in GST revenues of states. Sources had earlier indicated that following the AG''s opinion, states may now have to look at market borrowings to make good their respective revenue shortfall and the GST Council will take a final call. The Centre had in March sought views from the Attorney General on the legality of market borrowing to make good the shortfall in the compensation fund a corpus created from levy of additional tax on luxury and sin goods to compensate states for revenue shortfall arising from their taxes being subsumed into GST. The AG in his view had also said the GST Council has to decide on making good the shortfall in the GST compensation fund by providing the sufficient amount to be credited to the corpus. Sources said the options before the Council for meeting the shortfall could be to rationalise GST rates, cover more items under the compensation cess or increase the cess, or recommend higher borrowing by states to be repaid by the future collection into the compensation fund. Under GST law, states were guaranteed to be compensated bi-monthly for any loss of revenue in the first five years of the GST implementation from July 1, 2017. The shortfall is calculated assuming a 14 per cent annual growth in GST collections by states over the base year of 2015-16. Under the GST structure, taxes are levied under 5, 12, 18 and 28 per cent slabs. On top of the highest tax slab, a cess is levied on luxury, sin and demerit goods and the proceeds from the same are used to compensate states for any revenue loss. The GST Council has to decide how to meet the shortfall in such circumstances and not the central government, sources added. Any borrowing of the central government is upon the security of the Consolidated Fund of India. Similarly, borrowing by a state government is upon the security of the consolidated fund of the state. In either case, it would lead to increased general government debt burden and a higher fiscal deficit. The payment of GST compensation to states became an issue after revenues from the imposition of cess started dwindling since August 2019. The Centre had to dive into the excess cess amount collected during 2017-18 and 2018-19. The Centre had released over Rs 1.65 lakh crore in 2019-20 as GST compensation. However, the amount of cess collected during the 2019-20 was Rs 95,444 crore. The compensation payout amount was Rs 69,275 crore in 2018-19 and Rs 41,146 crore in 2017-18. AMRG & Associates Senior Partner Rajat Mohan said coffers of the state are drying up and they are pushing the central government for promised compensation for the loss of revenue arising on account of implementation of GST, even though the loss is attributable to the pandemic. "It is expected that the GST Council may pass on only few tax breaks for some items however, the focus would be more on increasing the tax revenues by increasing compensation cess for the sin goods," Mohan added. Managed indirect tax service provider TMSL Founding Partner Jigar Doshi said: "for a taxpayer, this council meeting may not be of significance unless the states and Centre don't agree on a midpoint and additional levies or extension of cess or increase rate of cess is introduced at the discretion of respective states to resolve the budget constraints." NASHVILLE, Tenn., Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- CARFAX and Primeritus Financial Services, Inc. have amicably resolved their dispute filed in U.S. District Court in Virginia relating to access to data through myCARFAX. Both feel strongly about their positions and the claims and defenses they have against each other, but decided it was best to resolve this matter at this time. Both look forward to continuing their long-standing business relationship. About Primeritus Financial Services: Primeritus Financial Services is a national provider of repossession management, remarketing, titled services and skip tracing services to the auto finance industry in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Primeritus provides clients with value-added, outsourced repossession management, skip tracing and remarketing services, leveraging a national network of certified agents and unique investigative techniques to quickly and reliably secure customers' collateral. Through leadership, service and performance, Primeritus Financial Services offer the trifecta of repossession services: locate, recover and remarket. For more information, please visit www.primeritus.com . About CARFAX: CARFAX , part of IHS Markit (NYSE: INFO), helps millions of people every day confidently shop, buy, service and sell used cars with innovative solutions powered by CARFAX vehicle history information. The expert in vehicle history since 1984, CARFAX provides exclusive services like CARFAX Used Car Listings , CARFAX Car Care , CARFAX History-Based Value and the flagship CARFAX Vehicle History Report to consumers and the automotive industry. CARFAX owns the world's largest vehicle history database and is nationally recognized as a top workplace by The Washington Post and Glassdoor.com. Shop, Buy, Service, Sell Show me the CARFAX. Based in London, IHS Markit is a world leader in critical information, analytics and solutions. SOURCE Primeritus Financial Services, Inc. Related Links https://www.primeritus.com This technology will make it so much easier for them to do business with us. What once took days or weeks can be completed in minutes from any computer or mobile device with an Internet connection.-Nancy Croix-Stroud, CEO of First Class American Credit Union based in Fort Worth, Texas. COVID-19 has changed the way millions of Americans do business, and many processes and procedures put in place during this time are likely to continue long after restrictions are lifted. For credit unions, one of the tasks directly affected by COVID-19 has been notarization. For decades, notarizations were required to be completed in person and on paper. But in the wake of the pandemic, more and more states are allowing remote online notarizations (RON). SIGNiX is the largest cloud-based digital signature provider based in North America, bringing safe, secure digital signatures and eNotary solutions to credit unions and other highly regulated industries. Its eNotaryDoX platform allows notaries and companies that employ notaries to do their own work and perform RONs without outsourcing the process to third party notaries. The identity authentication associated with RON is more trustworthy than the authentication utilized by many paper-based notaries as technology is used to ensure the integrity of the identity document instead of a quick glance by a notary. RON is essentially the equivalent of in-person, paper-based notarization, except that every step is conducted online with the audio and video recorded, and all stored documents and transaction footage are encrypted and sealed for maximum security and data privacy. Credit unions across the country are reporting great success with SIGNiXs digital signature and RON solutions. Making our members happy is critical, said Nancy Croix-Stroud, CEO of First Class American Credit Union based in Fort Worth, Texas. This technology will make it so much easier for them to do business with us. What once took days or weeks can be completed in minutes from any computer or mobile device with an Internet connection. Strategic Link is pleased to help bring RON solutions to credit unions in the Northwest through its partnership with SIGNiX. Remote online notarization is critically important to credit unions and consumers during the pandemic, and SIGNiXs platform makes it easy and cost-effective, said Corina Ruiz, Manager, Strategic Partnerships at NWCUA. Were thrilled to have them as a new partner and resource to our member credit unions now and in the future. Check out SIGNiXs demo on its eNotaryDoX platform by clicking here. Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 23:48:04|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close GABORONE, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Botswana faces the risk of being unable to renew its 10-year sales agreement with De Beers Group set to expire by the end of December this year, an official said Thursday. The COVID-19 pandemic, which has since affected 1,633 people and claimed six lives as of Thursday, has delayed the negotiations between Botswana and De Beers, said Mmetla Masire, permanent secretary of Botswana's ministry of minerals. "It is our wish to end the talks before the expiry of the current deal. However, there are no guarantees due to the delays brought about COVID-19 pandemic," said Masire. Due to travel restrictions imposed by countries as a precautionary measure to curb the spread and transmission of the highly virulent COVID-19, it has slowed progress on the negotiations although they have resumed, he said. De Beers, an international corporation that specializes in diamond exploration, diamond mining, diamond retail, diamond trading and industrial diamond manufacturing sectors in 35 countries across the globe including Botswana, remains optimistic of an uninterrupted partnership. "We remain focused on and optimistic of working with the Botswana government regarding the next agreement and seeking to finalize it," Kesego Oke, the De Beers spokesperson, told Xinhua in a telephone interview on Thursday. Botswana enjoys a two-thirds share of the Debswana Mining Company, a 50/50 joint venture between the Botswana government and De Beers, and makes up to a fifth of the southern African country's gross domestic product (GDP). De Beers agreed to transfer its global sightholder sales, which accounts for 90 percent of its total sales, from London to Gaborone in 2011 thereby generating investment and thousands of job opportunities in Botswana. Lawrence Ookeditse, an economic analyst and senior business administration lecturer at the University of Botswana, said negotiations could have been long concluded "if it was for Botswana government's wish to increase its share of diamonds produced by Debswana from 15 percent agreed in 2011." "The government through the directive of President (Mokgweetsi) Masisi is said to be not backing down on its wish to increase the share of diamonds produced by Debswana. That is sticking point," said Ookeditse. Masisi promised to do everything within his power and create employment opportunities, especially for the unemployed youths of the southern African country. A further delay and a similar share will compromise Masisi's efforts to create jobs, said Ookeditse. Enditem As the coronavirus pandemic has dramatically affected economies around the nation, United Way of Central New York is cooking up a fundraising idea to support the community in multiple ways. The Kickoff Cookoff (or KOCO for short) is an annual event to kickoff the start of United Way of Central New Yorks campaign season. Traditionally, its been a food sampling event at the NBT Bank stadium. This year, they are partnering with over 20 local restaurants for 20 days of food and fundraising. The campaign began on Aug. 20 and will continue through Sept. 8. Local diners can help raise money for the United Way of Central New York Community Program Fund in two ways, either by attending a special United Way Day or by purchasing a special menu item designated for the event. Seven local restaurants such as Glazed & Confused, The Ice Cream Stand, Rise N Shine, and are hosting and have hosted a special United Way Day and will donate a portion of their designated days sales to the cause. Throughout the campaign thirteen restaurants will have a special KOCO featured item on their menu. These items include some favorites like the Bit of a Pickle pizza from Toss & Fire or cookie sammies from The Sweet Praxis. Some restaurants have created new dishes just for the event such as Vinces Gourmet Imports United Way Abruzzo Sandwich. This special sandwich is filled with Abruzzo black pepper ham and sharp provolone, topped with bruschetta, Parmigiano Reggiano, lettuce, and a touch of hot oil. Other participating restaurants include Limp Lizard, Dinosaur BBQ, Oh My Darling, XO Taco, Water Street Bagel Co., and more. See the complete menu and participating restaurants at eatunitedcny.com/2020. Diners will also have a chance to win a $1,000 CNY Dining Package with a social media contest. Follow The United Way of Central New Yorks social media accounts and share a photo of any meal from the Kickoff Cookoff with the hashtag #EatUnitedCNY to be entered to win gift cards from 20 local restaurants. All online entries must be received by 11:59 p.m. on Sept. 8, 2020. Full contest details can also be found on their website. The money raised through KOCO will benefit 87 local area programs through the Community Program Fund. Advance Media NY is a sponsor of this initiative. Two men are facing charges after a stolen vehicle struck a Halton police officer in Burlington Wednesday evening. At around 10:30 p.m., police were contacted by a resident who had witnessed a white Mercedes with extensive front end damage driving erratically on the QEW. The individual later noted the vehicle had left the highway and stopped at a gas station at Walkers Line and Mainway. Halton police attended the scene and located the vehicle, which was occupied by one passenger and one driver. The male driver had just finished pumping gas. Halton police media officer, Const. Ryan Anderson noted that after speaking with the driver the officers attempted to arrest him for impaired driving. At this point Anderson alleged the driver got back in the car and placed it in reverse. As the vehicle backed up an officer was struck by the open drivers side door. The car also collided with a parked Halton police cruiser before leaving the gas station. The officer who was struck by the vehicle received only minor injuries and did not require medical treatment. The vehicle then drove along Mainway and police initiated a pursuit in an attempt to stop the Mercedes, said Anderson. A decision was made to terminate this pursuit after a short distance, due to public safety reasons. Police said the vehicle drove into a residential area on Sutherland Drive and parked in the driveway of a residence, which prompted the homeowner to call police. Officers attended the residence a short time later. Anderson said the two men refused to exit the vehicle and alleged the driver attempted to set the vehicle in motion once again During the course of the arrests police Tasered both the driver and the passenger. The suspects were transported to hospital for examination. Police have since determined the Mercedes had been reported stolen and had improper licence plates attached. Anderson said Halton police are continuing to investigate how the Mercedes sustained the extensive front end damage that generated the initial calls to police. He said they believe the vehicle may have been involved in a collision with another motor vehicle in Oakville earlier that evening. A 29-year-old Brampton man has been charged with operating a motor vehicle while impaired, assaulting a police officer with a weapon, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, flight from police, failure to stop after an accident, possession of property obtained by crime and three counts of failing to comply with recognizance. A 32-year-old Toronto man is charged with possession of property obtained by crime, obstructing a police officer, and failing to comply with recognizance. Both individuals are being held for a bail hearing. Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact Halton police at 905-825-4747 ext. 2316 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). New Delhi: To ensure minimum contact in view of the Covid-19 pandemic, Delhi University will ask students to get their own sheets of paper to write answers during the offline open-book exams (OBE) scheduled from September 14. The university will also allow undergraduate and postgraduate students to take electronic gadgets such as cellphones, laptops or tablets to the examination halls. The university had on Wednesday filed an affidavit in the Delhi High Court, saying it would conduct a second phase of open-book exams for students, who did not appear in the first phase held from August 10 to August 31, in both the online and offline (physical test at the university centre) mode. It said students can take the exams at the examination centre in Delhi or online (if they cannot travel due to the pandemic). Mentioning the norms that would be followed during the physical exams, the university in its affidavit said, The students for both the mode of examinations i.e. physical or ICT (Information and Communication Technology) based activities shall answer the questions on plain/ruled A4 size paper and shall use their own papers for writing their answers... There will be no physical assistance during examinations in the college and Departments. All required stationery to be used for examinations shall have to be arranged by students for examinations. Besides the stationery, face masks, sanitiser and electronic gadgets will also be allowed inside the exam centres. All electronic gadgets shall be permissible during examinations. Question papers may be sent on WhatsApp or email during examinations instead of printed paper. However, students can submit their request to get the physical question paper for examinations to the college/department as per date sheet [sic], the affidavit added. DU dean of colleges Balaram Pani said that students will be asked to bring answer sheets to ensure minimum contact. It will not be possible to sanitise the answer scripts. Also, gadgets will be required to access question papers and study material for the open-book exams, he said. The second phase of examinations will be conducted for final-year students of undergraduate and postgraduate courses, including those enrolled in the School of Open Learning (SOL) and Non-Collegiate Womens Education Board (NCWEB), who have either not written the exams or have failed to upload/submit the scanned images of the answer scripts in the first phase. Besides, students in the PWD (persons with disabilities) category, who had appeared in the first phase of examination but wish to improve their performance in selected papers, can take the second phase of examinations. Teachers said that most students will still prefer to appear in exams remotely, if given an option. Pankaj Garg, an associate professor at Rajdhani College, said, How will students bring all their study material for open-book exams to the exam centre? Its not also possible to get everything on mobile phones. They will have to get laptops or iPads with study material on them. This wont serve the purpose at all. A majority of the students who could not appear in the first phase of exams are those who did not have gadgets. Rajesh Jha, member of the universitys executive council (EC), said, Those who could not appear in the first phase of exams will not be able to overcome the constraints within a few days. And travelling amid the pandemic is a huge risk. The university should have provided the centres in the candidates respective cities instead of calling them all the way to Delhi. Students are still not sure about the feasibility of physical exams. Sangeeta (who goes by her first name), a final-year student from a south Delhi college and a resident of Jharkhand said, How will we travel to Delhi during a pandemic? Public transport is not regular. I could not appear in the first phase because of the lack of Internet in my village. I do not know which option to choose now. For visually challenged students, accessing study material during the exam will remain a challenge. Deepak Gupta, a visually impaired postgraduate student at St Stephens College, said that gadgets will not be useful for them without assistive devices. We cannot read printed books. We use two types of devices. One is a laptop or netbook with a screen reader software and another is DAISY (digital accessible information system) players. These players have recorded study material. The colleges first have to provide them to us for the open-book exams along with a writer, he said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A federal judge has rejected Education Secretary Betsy DeVos attempt to give private schools a greater share of Congress COVID-19 relief funds at the expense of public schools in low-income areas. In a setback for DeVos privatization efforts, U.S. District Judge James Donato of San Francisco said Wednesday that the secretarys reading of the March 2020 law known as the CARES Act contradicted the clear intention of Congress and amounted to interpretive jiggery-pokery. He issued a nationwide injunction in a suit by California, seven other states and the District of Columbia, and four school districts, including San Francisco. The $2.2 trillion coronavirus relief bill included $13.2 billion in funding for schools with substantial numbers of low-income students and $1.65 billion for California, where more than half the school districts are eligible for aid. Congress told states to provide the funds to schools hardest-hit by the virus and to distribute some funds to private schools under the terms of an existing law funding schools in areas of poverty. That law, Title 1 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, provided federal funding for private schools in the same geographic areas as public schools receiving aid, based on how many low-income students the private schools enrolled. But DeVos department, saying the pandemic had affected all students, ordered private school aid from the CARES Act distributed on the basis of a schools overall enrollment and not just on its total of low-income students. The effect would be a reduction in aid to public schools in poor and minority areas. Donato said the Oakland Unified School District, which wasnt part of the suit, has projected a loss of $2.2 million this fiscal year and has resorted to private donations of food and education technology for low-income students while waiting for its CARES Act funding. The CARES Act expressly requires educational agencies to provide funds to private schools in the same manner as they are distributed under Title 1. That means the formula must be the same, based on low-income enrollment and not overall enrollment, Donato said. When Congress has spoken clearly ... that is the end of the matter, the judge said. An executive agency like the Department (of Education) has no authority to rewrite Congresss plain and unambiguous commands under the guise of interpretation. COVID Resources Coronavirus Map Tracking COVID-19 cases across the Bay Area and California. State Attorney General Xavier Becerra said the ruling shows that its time for Secretary DeVos to get her hands out of the cookie jar. While the fight isnt over, this decision is a major victory for our state and will help school districts retain the flexibility they need right now to confront the unprecedented challenges of the coronavirus. The Department of Education did not respond to a request for comment. The department could ask a federal appeals court to overturn Donatos injunction. DeVos is a longtime advocate of publicly funded vouchers for religious and private schools. In July, she said the federal government should deny funding to public schools that refused to reopen in the fall because of the coronavirus and should redirect the money to help parents pay for private education of their children. Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @BobEgelko Mr Kilbey wants the HGVs to be forced to take different routes around village Insurance companies for hauliers have paid 60,000 in repair costs in five years The owner of Britain's 'most hit home' want to ban heavy lorries from his village after his 16th Century cottage was struck for the eight time in just a year. Heartbroken Mark Kilbey, 57, says he lives in constant fear of trucks smashing into his grade II listed home as they take a sharp turn where his property sits. The latest collision happened just three hours after workmen had finished repairing damage from the previous strike on the hardy cottage. Mr Kilbey, a former detective who lives with his partner in the house in Wingham, Kent, said: 'The builders finished at 5pm and the house was struck again at 8.30pm. It's a new record. The owner of Britain's 'most hit home' want to ban heavy lorries from his village after his 16th Century cottage in Wingham, Kent was struck for the eight time in just a year Heartbroken Mark Kilbey, 57, says he lives in constant fear of trucks smashing into his grade II listed home as they take a sharp turn where his property sits 'I jokingly told the builders to leave the ladders at the side of the house because they'd be back in a few weeks. It turns out it was only a few hours. It took the biscuit.' He added: 'I bought the house in 2015 knowing it had been hit before, but I had no idea it would become this bad. I reckon it's been hit at least 20 times.' Insurance companies representing the lorry companies have forked out around 60,000 in house repair costs in five years, according to the former Metropolitan Police investigator. Mr Kilbey says the only way to prevent future incidents is to force the biggest lorries to take alternative routes. The besieged homeowner said: 'I'm not querying the job that lorry drivers have to do, they are following their Sat Nav. 'What I am saying is they don't need to be turning in a road they don't fit in. There are other routes they could use.' He added: 'My home has been dubbed the most-hit house in the country and I challenge anyone to find one which has suffered like mine. I expected to be living in a rural village, not an industrial park.'* Mr Kilbey has fixed large red and yellow hazard signs to the property, despite its heritage classification. The former Scotland Yard officer has had numerous 'fruitless' discussions with local authorities including Kent County Council, Dover District Council and the local parish council. One incident in 2018 shows how a lorry turning a corner smacks into a window and also rips off some of the house's window sills and roof tiles He said: 'I've got nowhere with them. They just say they are monitoring the situation, but I think they just consider my property is expendable. 'If it happened once, you would say that it was an incompetent driver, but if it happens 20 times and no action is taken you just think people don't care. 'The bottom line is that I don't really matter in the eyes of those who are responsible for my safety. They are completely negligent.' Mr Kilbey, who lives in the cottage with his partner Sally Passmore, predicts a child or elderly person will likely be killed by lorries if they are not banned from the lane. Insurance companies representing the lorry companies have forked out around 60,000 in house repair costs in five years for the property, and Mr Kilbey says drivers are 'completely negligent' The stricken resident said: 'There's a primary school behind my house. These lorries have to go up the pavement when they turn. It's a horrible thought, but an elderly person or a child is going to be injured one of these days. It's definitely going to happen. 'But frankly I don't even think that will prompt them to take action, because they fundamentally don't care.' Police are prosecuting the latest lorry driver to smash into the home, in addition to handing him three points and a 100-on-the spot fine on Monday. The plagued property is sited opposite the entrance to a country road where most of the incidents occur when the bigger lorries are forced to mount the pavement as they turn right. Mr Kilbey has fixed large red and yellow hazard signs to the property, despite its heritage classification The former Scotland Yard officer has had numerous 'fruitless' discussions with local authorities including Kent County Council, Dover District Council and the local parish council CCTV cameras are now fixed onto the side of the cottage to provide evidence to the lorry drivers' insurance companies, who foot the 3,000-a-time fee is costs to fix damage to the property. Footage from a previous collision in 2018 shows the rear of a large lorry as it turned, swung and whacked the building's guttering, sending debris crashing onto the road. Mr Kilbey said: 'It's not the property's fault it's in the wrong place now. It was in the right place in its heyday. But now life's moved on and the 21st-century doesn't suit where this house is.' The former policeman, who lived in London for 40 years, moved to the rural village for a quiet lifestyle. Mr Kilbey, who is now the director of mental health charity Take-Off, knew of the property's tricky location before he bought it, but says he underestimated the problem He added: 'I didn't know the severity of the problem when I bought it and traffic has gotten heavier in the last few years. If the council were genuinely monitoring the issue, they would know that - and act.' A Kent County Council spokesman said: 'We very much sympathise with Mr Kilbey but unfortunately this is difficult for KCC to resolve as a highways authority. 'In 2018, KCC looked to identify the destinations of the offending vehicles and the HGVs involved were not just driving through the village, these are vehicles making legitimate deliveries to or collections from local businesses. 'Whilst the majority of HGVs using this junction do so without incident, we acknowledge that the errant few are misjudging the turning and causing damage to property and distress to residents. 'There is no possibility of altering the road layout and we have discussed with businesses about re-routing their vehicles where possible. 'The businesses all use an informal one-way system where they enter Staple Road from the B2046 and leave via two other country lanes.' The Government clearly wanted Phil Hogan out of the European Commission, and its wish has been granted. Now a pressing question is whether or not Ireland can hold on to the pivotal job of EU Trade Commission as a Brexit calamity again looms. It is the Government's right to nominate a replacement for Mr Hogan for the four years remaining in his mandate - and there will be no shortage of potential takers. But the Taoiseach and his colleagues will have a fight on their hands to retain Hogan's old job. The reality is that on paper there are 27 members of the European Commission. But, at kindest estimate, there are fewer than a dozen "real jobs" which have a budget and/or powers of action. As with all walks of life, the ones who have real jobs are the most relevant, and have the greatest ability to wield influence in a broader way. Just hold that thought for a moment and try to strip out the bulk of Covid-19 fury which has understandably railed for the past five days. History teaches us that the Irish commissioners who made most impact in Brussels over the past 47 years of membership - Patrick Hillery, Peter Sutherland and Ray MacSharry - all had "real jobs" in sectors where the EU has a defined role and the funds to implement ambitious plans. The agriculture commissioner - a post held twice by Irish nominees - is a case in point. Despite years of funding erosion and developments of other EU policies, this portfolio still accounts for almost 40pc of all Brussels spending. The nature of agribusiness is such that big problems and crises are frequent. Other member states often need a favour from the agriculture commissioner. That reality is almost as important as having a portfolio which is of itself relevant to Irish interests. Favours rendered can at later times be recalled. That is relevance and influence. Phil Hogan held the agriculture portfolio in the last commission term 2014-2019. Since last December he held the trade portfolio, in large part because of a very good performance first time round. That trade post is central right now as Brexit drifts towards another cliff edge, largely due to brinkmanship and ineptitude in London. Ireland is most exposed of all member states to the fallout from a bad Brexit outcome, which looks increasingly likely when the EU-UK transition ends on December 31 next. This country's voice must be heard because it is a matter of survival for many families. Irish lobbying and arm-twisting must be pushed as far as possible in Brussels and across the other EU capitals. Traditionally, the first port of call for Irish lobbying is the Irish commissioner's office. Yes, all 27 commissioners are sworn to act above all else on behalf of the EU. But it has long ago also been recognised at EU Commission HQ that each commissioner is an important conduit for information to and from their home turf. The EU Commission president signalled yesterday that Dublin's strong statement on Tuesday night would be a factor in her decision. That hard-hitting joint statement by the three Government leaders is without precedent, and harked back to resignation calls on Mr Hogan last Saturday. It, and subsequent comments by Micheal Martin and Eamon Ryan, suggested a sacking otherwise. President von der Leyen's treatment of the new Irish appointment will be a way of reasserting her Commission's independence. It could well mean a change of portfolio for Ireland, to one of uncertain quality, for the new latecomer. Dublin's long-distance pressure has succeeded, but now comes the harder part. Family and friends of 22-year-old Surajdeep Singh are mourning his death and appealing for justice after he was killed in Brampton two weeks ago. According to Peel Region police, Singh was found in a park near the area of Queen Mary Drive and Heathwood Drive on Aug. 14. They said there were obvious signs of trauma and he was transported to hospital without vital signs. Police confirmed that Singh was returning to his home after visiting his place of worship, the Gurudawara Sahib. Singh was later pronounced dead at the hospital. In the days following his death, police arrested and charged two 16-year-old boys with second-degree murder. Due to the Youth Criminal Justice Act, the names of the accused cannot be disclosed. In the police release announcing the charges, Insp. Martin Ottaway said Singh was the victim of an unprovoked attack. Surajdeep Singh was a young man with a bright future. He was simply trying to return to his residence from his place of worship, said Ottaway. Singhs cousin, Harman Singh from Calgary, described him as a great person who loved spending time with elders and learning about religious wisdom. He was very family orientated, he was on a spiritual journey, kind of discovering and searching within himself. Its very unfortunate the way the events took place, he said. Harman confirmed his cousin was an international student from India. He was staying with extended family in Brampton for the last three years. He was studying and helping the community. Just like every young student, he was here to develop a future for his family. A GoFundMe page has been established to bring Singhs body back to his family in India. The page said that Singh was a victim of a robbery and was fatally stabbed, although this has not been confirmed by police. As of Thursday morning, the campaign had raised more than $50,000. A Change.org petition has also been created to charge the suspects in Singhs homicide as adults. The petition has received more than 30,000 signatures. Its not only that he was my cousin, said Harman. To the rest of the community, he was a brother to everyone. A community vigil and memorial was held Saturday, drawing a large crowd. Although Harman couldnt attend, he said it was good to see the community coming together. We want justice for the events that took place, we need to move forward in a compassionate way to positively take action so this doesnt happen again. Sabrina Gamrot is a reporter with the Mississauga News and Brampton Guardian. Reach her via email: sgamrot@mississauga.net Read more about: Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) makes a statement about a coronavirus aid package, on Capitol Hill in Washington, on March 13, 2020. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) Pelosi Says Democrats Not Budging on Pandemic Relief Deal Both House speaker and White House chief of staff to meet Thursday House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Thursday said that Democrats are seeking a $2 trillion pandemic relief deal for the next package. Were not budging, she told reporters in the Capitol. They have to move. They have to move. Why should there be a bill that has far less [of] what the public needs? Pelosi remarked. We have that responsibility, and theyre just going to have to come up with more money. Pelosi said Thursday that if Republicans position remains unchanged, her meeting with White House chief of staff Mark Meadows wont be very long. That could be a very short conversation if theyre not ready to meet in the middle, she said, appearing to confirm reports that she is expected to meet with Meadows on Thursday. We consider, whatever his name is, Meadows here staffing Mr. Mnuchin, she said, referring to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchun. Before President Donald Trump selected Meadows as his next White House chief of staff in March, he was a Republican lawmaker in the House. The stimulus proposals are meant to offset potential economic losses incurred in the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus pandemic. Talks between Pelosi, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and the White House stalled earlier this month, with both sides accusing one another of refusing to make a deal. Democrats have sought a $3.4 trillion deal and Republicans proposed a $1 trillion deal. Democrats then said they would cut about $1 trillion from their proposal. White House chief of staff Mark Meadows (R) and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin arrive at the office of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) at the Capitol in Washington on Aug. 1, 2020. (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP Photo) Its really been Speaker Pelosi really driving this train as a conductor more so than really anybody, Meadows said. And I think privately she says she wants a deal and publicly she says she wants a deal, but when it comes to dealing with Republicans and the administration, we havent seen a lot of action. But Pelosis office told Politico that Meadows office didnt reach out for talks. In their talks earlier this month, the two parties differed on whether to extend the $600-per-week unemployment benefits authorized in Marchs CARES Act and whether to provide $1 trillion in federal funding to state and local governments. Republicans said they were not willing to pass a measure on the $1 trillion, with Trump saying it would be tantamount to bailing out poorly run jurisdictions. Last week, Meadows said there is a desire to pass a skinny deal after House Democrats re-convened to vote on a U.S. Postal Service funding bill. The Senate is scheduled to return on Sept. 8, and the House will return on Sept. 14. On Aug. 23, Assembly Member Nathalia Fernandez announced her run for Bronx Borough President. The position has been held by a longtime pillar of the Bronx machine, Ruben Diaz Jr., who announced in January that he would be quitting politics altogether at the end of his term. So far, Council Members Fernando Cabrera and Vanessa Gibson have also thrown their names into the ring, and Council Member Rafael Salamanca is rumored to be considering a run. If either Gibson or Fernandez were to win, they would become the first woman to lead the borough. In 2013, Fernandez began her political career working as the chief of staff to the now-scandal-ridden Council Member Mark Gjonaj while he was still working in the Assembly. She then served as Gov. Andrew Cuomos liaison to the Bronx before she was elected to the Assembly in District 80, the seat that had been held by Gjonaj. Recently the Assembly member authored the Andrew Kearse Act, a police reform bill that would entitle individuals under arrest to medical treatment. City & State spoke to Fernandez about how she envisions her role as borough president, her relationship with the Bronx Democratic Party and why she thinks shes the perfect person to mend the boroughs political divides. This interview has been lightly edited for clarity and brevity. Youre running for Bronx borough president. How do you envision the role? To keep us united. The Bronx is in a place right now that looks like there is division. I've been one that has always even before becoming an Assembly member been able to communicate, relate and always find a solution together with any working partner. As an Assembly member I've done that, and in the time that the Bronx needs unifying leadership, I think I can be that person. If you won the race for borough president, you would be the first woman to hold the position. How does that make you feel? It's an amazing feat. For the Bronx, it would be the first time that a woman has had this office. For New York City, the first time that a Latina has held a borough-wide (position). I don't want to say its overwhelming it's really exciting and an honor, you know, if I should win. And I believe I'll win. We recently published a story about the many women who are currently running for public office in the Bronx and those who have won hard-fought races against longtime incumbents. A lot of the women we spoke to mentioned that they did not feel supported by the Bronx Countys Democratic Party. How has your experience been working with them? I would say I had a good relationship. If people know my history, they know that I was a staffer once for (City Council Member Mark) Gjonaj, and he was the insurgent. Really, my focus against all that was just doing the work that needed to be done. And that always came down to helping people. County has always been supportive of me and I think thats because theyve always seen the good work that Ive done. Its been a good working relationship but there are times that I have disagreed with them. I know theres always a discussion: Are you with them or against them? Like any working group, there are disagreements but we always reach a consensus and were always making a bridge. You mentioned Gjonaj, so I was curious as to how concerned you are that your ties to him and former IDC leader Jeff Klein may affect your campaign, as candidates with less party affiliation continue to win more elections across the city? No, I don't have any concern because I always push forward. I am my own candidate, I am my own person. I have my own views. I have my own goals. So, to tie me to those past things, I would say, look at my record, look at what I stood for and look at what I fought for. Look at me and know me as the worker that I am, the collaboration builder that I am, and take that into consideration when we look towards what the future of the Bronx needs and will be. What are some of the first things that you would like to do if you are elected to office? Well, first and foremost, we need to get together to have a plan for rebuilding and coming out of COVID. COVID has really hurt the Bronx harder, I think, than any other borough in New York City, and we need to replenish our jobs. You know, we lost a lot of jobs. Business owners have had to close up, some permanently. And I really want to replenish our businesses that we had here and still have here and bring the jobs back and maybe more to our borough to sustain. To have our population be sustainable so that individuals and families can have a life here in the borough. I want to see infrastructure, should it come, done in a sustainable manner. We need more green jobs, we need to have our new infrastructure here be eco-friendly. We are the greenest borough and I believe we need the greenest infrastructure and we make sure that any new development here is good for the environment, good for the community, and good for the future. The Joe Biden presidential campaign is taking the unusual step of calling out a tribal leader, accusing Vice President Myron Lizer of the Navajo Nation of making "misleading" claims about rival Donald Trump's record on Indian issues. Through a surrogate, the Biden campaign on Wednesday evening responded to Lizer's prime-time video address at the Republican National Convention from the night prior. Glenmore Begaye, a Navajo veteran, called the GOP speech a "disgraceful insult" to his people and said it ignored the Trump administration's mistreatment of Indian Country, particularly during the COVID-19 epidemic No speech can change the fact that Donald Trump has horribly failed the Navajo Nation and our tribal communities," Begaye, a rancher on the reservation, said in a news release from Biden's camp . "Last nights speech was a disgraceful insult to Navajo Nation and was disconnected from the realities we face." #FactCheck 8B was result of CARES Act funding that Congress allocated to Tribal Nations. Tribes had to sue Trump for its release 80 days later. Meanwhile the Navajo Nation had the highest infection rate per capita with deaths that could have been prevented if aid arrived sooner. pic.twitter.com/z4oilnxLS6 Samantha Eldridge (@DCSamantha) August 26, 2020 In the address on Tuesday evening, Lizer credited Trump for signing the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act , also known as the CARES Act , into law. But Begaye pointed out that the Navajo Nation, along with other tribes, had to sue the president's administration in order to ensure they received the funds promised to their governments. "We didnt receive critical CARES Act funding until after we went to court, and many Navajo people still lost their lives and jobs," said Begaye, who served in Vietnam. With the CARES Act, Congress imposed a 30-day deadline on the executive branch to distribute $8 billion in COVID-19 relief to tribes. But an initial payment, besides being late, was released only because Trump wanted a photo-op for a meeting with Lizer in Arizona in early May, a White House official later disclosed. "He absolutely wanted to be there to award money to the Native American community," said Kellyanne Conway , who serves as Counselor to Trump but will be leaving the White House at the end of the month. Heres the truth: the Trump White House and Senate Republican leaders wanted to give Tribes $0 in the CARES Act. Thankfully, the GOP didn't prevail--because we fought back. Tom Udall (@SenatorTomUdall) August 26, 2020 A second COVID-19 payment to tribes was also late. While some Republicans have attempted to blame litigation for the delays , the Trump administration -- more than once -- admitted it was having trouble coming up with a way to distribute the $8 billion. "We engaged in litigation because it was the right thing to do," Chief Chuck Hoskin, Jr. of the Cherokee Nation told Indianz.Com. The Cherokee Nation was part of a case which finally forced the Department of the Treasury to disburse the coronavirus relief fund once and for all, after the agency attempted to withhold even more money from Indian Country. Hoskin characterized the litigation -- at least eight lawsuits have been filed over Trump's handling of the CARES Act in Indian Country -- as a way for tribes to hold the U.S. accountable to its trust and treaty obligations. "The U.S. government should have made good quicker on the funds that were owed, instead of having us argue in front of the judge of when the payments would go out," Hoskin told Indianz.Com. The Navajo Nation is part of another CARES Act case that arose when the Trump administration decided to share the $8 billion fund with Alaska Native corporations . Tribal leaders have repeatedly pointed out that a senior official who played a role in making that determination is a former high-ranking executive at one of the for-profit entities. "They saved some of this money for the Alaska Native corporations," President Jonathan Nez , who addressed the Democratic National Convention last week, said during a recent COVID-19 town hall for Navajo citizens. "You know we are opposed to that." "They put some of those monies aside just in case the litigation favors the Alaska Native corporations," Nez added. Alaska Native corporations will continue to wait for more than a half-billion dollars in #COVID19 relief as a bitter legal dispute involving tribal nations heads to a higher court. #Coronavirus #CARESAct #CoronavirusReliefFund https://t.co/nOeVazbvYA indianz.com (@indianz) July 9, 2020 The lawsuit is ongoing, with the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals set to hear arguments on September 11. The Trump administration is saving about $543 million for the Native corporations in Alaska, money they are counting on to help their shareholders and their people address the impacts of the coronavirus, especially those in remote and hard-to-reach areas of the largest state. Alaska Native corporations are doing all they can to meet the desperate needs of their communities as COVID-19 continues to spread," Kim Reitmeier, the executive director of the ANCSA Regional Association , told Indianz.Com. "Providing health services and basic necessities to our people is no small feat when one considers Alaskas challenging geography and weather conditions." "Each day that we wait for the September 11 hearing is another day our communities go without the funds that they desperately need -- and which are rightfully theirs -- to strengthen and protect against COVID-19, Reitmeier asserted. Trump minimized the seriousness of the coronavirus crisis. He muzzled public health experts. And misled the American people. Now were all paying the price for his failed leadership. Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) August 27, 2020 Trump's handling of the pandemic has been a major focus of Biden's campaign, with Democrats devoting a significant portion of their convention last week to critiques of the president. But other than Lizer's remarks on Tuesday night, the Republicans have avoided talking too much about COVID-19, choosing instead to prioritize issues like beefing up law enforcement, placing restraints on the mainstream media and strengthening the U.S. military. The disconnect between the rival campaigns helps explain Biden's decision to call out Lizer in such a high-profile fashion. Historically, Indian issues haven't had much of a role in presidential races but with Republican-leaning states like Arizona, Montana and South Dakota, with their large Native American populations, in play this November, every vote is up for grabs. "We know that Donald Trump isnt on our side, and we will be proud to support Joe Biden this fall as our next president because he will uphold the U.S.s trust and treaty obligations -- including to provide health services to Native Americans -- and help foster tribal sovereignty and prosperity," Glenmore Begaye said on Wednesday night. Navajo Nation Office of President and Vice President: COVID-19 Town Hall - August 25, 2020 Lizer, though, has tried to downplay the partisan nature of his relationship with Trump and the Republican Party. During a COVID-19 town hall on Tuesday, just hours before his video message was broadcast, he connected his appearance at the GOP convention to the Navajo Nation's efforts to make sure the tribe's needs are heard at the highest levels of government. "We are the largest Indian tribe across the land, North America you know," Lizer said, "and we should take those opportunities to chime in, to stand to be counted to you know, advocate for our people." "We have a great impact, we have a great voice, a loud voice and unified ... unified, the Navajo Nation could do wonders," Lizer said. Getting time at both political conventions when Native Americans usually get no time at either, seems like they know what theyre doing on that playing both sides in Washington angle. Brett Chapman (@brettachapman) August 27, 2020 Join the Conversation Related Stories Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei-Mensah has eulogized President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for his socio-economic initiatives to better the lives of Ghanaians. NPP 2020 Manifesto President Nana Akufo-Addo is seeking a second term in government and has commenced his campaign journey to solicit votes from Ghanaians. The ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) on Saturday, August 22, 2020 launched their manifesto in Cape Coast, Central Region. The manifesto highlighted the development projects initiated and completed in the first term of the Akufo-Addo administration. Snippets of the manifesto indicated that the government has undertaken over 17000 infrastructure projects and completed more than 8000 with the rest at various levels of completion. The ruling party has also assured Ghanaians that, in next four years, all tertiary students will be able to access student loans without a guarantor, construct Senior High Schools (SHSs) in all 16 regions in Ghana and provide free wifi in all Senior High Schools and tertiary institutions in Ghana among many other promises. God bless Nana Addo Speaking to host Kwami Sefa Kayi on Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo', the Ashanti Regional Minister prayed God's enormous blessings upon the President of the Republic. He asked for the President to be blessed due to his social interventions with particular emphasis on his free SHS policy. He noted that the free SHS policy has liberated a lot of families from having to bear the financial pressures in sending their children to school and believed the beneficiaries will be appreciative of the good works of the President. Hon. Simon Osei Mensah told some hardships he underwent when he was in the Junior Secondary School and had passed his final examinations but didn't have adequate financial assistance. He stated that it took the help of his Uncle before he gained admission into a secondary school. Although his Uncle sponsored him to further his education, life became much challenging rendering him financially constrained and had to sacrifice a lot to complete his education. He therefore sees the free SHS policy as a great prvilege done to the beneficiaries. "This is one thing that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has done that, if he doesn't even do anything again, I will still ask God's blessings on him." He also touched on other sectors of the economy that the incumbent government has undertaken major development projects to ensure growth in those sectors.The Minister added that the President's compassion for the citizenry is unmatched and was without doubt he will continually do more great things which will innure to the benefit of Ghanaians when re-elected as Head of State. Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah says the handful infrastructure developments of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) are no answer to the 17,334 projects done by the Akufo-Addo government within four years in power. According to him as at the time we did our town hall meeting on infrastructure, we had done 17,334 projects in 260 districts across the country, he said. In an interview with Okay FMs 'Ade Akye Abia' Morning Show, the Member of Parliament for Ofoase-Ayirebi Constituency hinted that the manifesto delivery tracker is a live platform which continues to update, pushing the infrastructure figure to 18,000 as at last night. He indicated that there are some of the projects like a marketplace he facilitated for the people of Otabil in his constituency which is not captured in the manifesto tracker of 17,334 projects which were presented by the Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia. Our delivery tracker is a live platform that we continue to update and as at last night, data that we have seen has pushed the figure to 18, 000. If you come to my district, I have built a marketplace at a place called Otabil and we did not add to the manifesto tracker. It was not part of the over the 17,000 projects . . . he added. He, however, challenged the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) to publish all their projects they did in their first term across the country as it is not enough answer to just name Circle Interchange, Kasoa Interchange, University of Ghana Medical Hospital and few others. We have named our 17,334 projects and we are challenging the NDC to publish all their projects they did in their first term across the country. If you said that you did the Circle Interchange, Kasoa Interchange, built University of Ghana Medical Hospital, Kumasi Airport, Kejetia, I dont think that this is the answer to infrastructure development, he challenged. We are talking about 17,334 projects and so if the NDC mentions 10 or 50 projects they did in their first term, they have said nothing. They should publish their own and not one or two signature projects; we are talking about across the country projects in the 260 districts, he stressed. 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. Featured Video Both U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and President Donald Trump are newly condemning China's treatment of its Uighur Muslim minority, with Biden calling it genocide. "The unspeakable oppression that Uighurs and other ethnic minorities have suffered at the hands of China's authoritarian government is genocide and Joe Biden stands against it in the strongest terms," his campaign said this week. The Trump administration has not described Beijing's actions as genocide, but National Security Council (NSC) spokesman John Ullyot condemned the Chinese treatment of the Uighurs. He said China had committed "horrific acts against women, including forced abortion, forced sterilization and other coercive birth control methods, state-sponsored forced labor, sexual violence including through rape in detention, compulsory home-stays by Han officials and forced marriages." The NSC spokesman added, "The Chinese Communist Party's atrocities also include the largest incarceration of an ethnic minority since World War II." Biden's campaign said that if the Trump administration decides to call the Chinese actions genocide, "the pressing question is what will Donald Trump do to take action. He must also apologize for condoning this horrifying treatment of Uighurs." Ullyot said, "President Trump's policies have demonstrated that every person the born and unborn, the poor, the downcast, the disabled, the infirm, and the elderly has inherent value." He said Trump has taken "bold action" against China for its treatment of the Uighurs. A senior Trump administration official said that over the last year, the U.S. has imposed a variety of restrictions and sanctions on Chinese officials for human rights abuses in Xinjiang, the region where the Uighurs have been detained. When close to half the companies in the United Kingdom have price-to-earnings ratios (or "P/E's") above 17x, you may consider Jersey Electricity plc (LON:JEL) as an attractive investment with its 11.8x P/E ratio. Although, it's not wise to just take the P/E at face value as there may be an explanation why it's limited. The recent earnings growth at Jersey Electricity would have to be considered satisfactory if not spectacular. It might be that many expect the respectable earnings performance to degrade, which has repressed the P/E. If that doesn't eventuate, then existing shareholders may have reason to be optimistic about the future direction of the share price. View our latest analysis for Jersey Electricity pe Want the full picture on earnings, revenue and cash flow for the company? Then our free report on Jersey Electricity will help you shine a light on its historical performance. Does Growth Match The Low P/E? Jersey Electricity's P/E ratio would be typical for a company that's only expected to deliver limited growth, and importantly, perform worse than the market. If we review the last year of earnings growth, the company posted a worthy increase of 5.5%. Although, the latest three year period in total hasn't been as good as it didn't manage to provide any growth at all. Therefore, it's fair to say that earnings growth has been inconsistent recently for the company. In contrast to the company, the rest of the market is expected to decline by 3.8% over the next year, which puts the company's recent medium-term positive growth rates in a good light for now. In light of this, it's quite peculiar that Jersey Electricity's P/E sits below the majority of other companies. It looks like most investors are not convinced at all that the company can maintain its recent positive growth rate in the face of a shrinking broader market. The Bottom Line On Jersey Electricity's P/E Story continues Using the price-to-earnings ratio alone to determine if you should sell your stock isn't sensible, however it can be a practical guide to the company's future prospects. We've established that Jersey Electricity currently trades on a much lower than expected P/E since its recent three-year earnings growth is beating forecasts for a struggling market. We think potential risks might be placing significant pressure on the P/E ratio and share price. One major risk is whether its earnings trajectory can keep outperforming under these tough market conditions. It appears many are indeed anticipating earnings instability, because this relative performance should normally provide a boost to the share price. The company's balance sheet is another key area for risk analysis. Our free balance sheet analysis for Jersey Electricity with six simple checks will allow you to discover any risks that could be an issue. It's important to make sure you look for a great company, not just the first idea you come across. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with strong recent earnings growth (and a P/E ratio below 20x). 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. AMHERST School Superintendent Michael Morris on Tuesday said he is opposed to the state education commissioners expectation that teachers providing remote instruction do so directly from the schools at which they are employed, instead of at home. On Aug. 21, Jeffrey C. Riley, Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education wrote a letter to public school superintendents, assistant superintendents and charter school leaders saying: It is the Departments expectation that teachers and critical support staff working in districts that have a remote learning model will report to their schools to work from the classrooms and educational spaces each day. Having teachers and critical support staff in the school will be beneficial to students, teachers, staff, and administrators for several reasons. At Tuesdays joint meeting of Amherst-Pelham Regional School Committee, Amherst School Committee and Pelham School Committee, Morris characterized the commissioners statement as a set of guidance, called it a distraction for our administrative team and said it created a problem we werent trying to solve. The superintendent said it should be up to teachers if they choose to remotely teach from a school building instead of from home. I want to say publicly. . . I respectfully disagree with that request to mandate a physical location for teachers to complete that task of remote instruction inside school building, Morris said. I dont believe mandating a physical location . . . correlates with the quality of education that are students will receive, he said. My perspective is we should not be mandating that they do that. There is so many complications that people are managing, and having all staff having to be in buildings . . . not all of our staff have classroom to go to, Morris said, referring to paraprofessionals. It feels, respectfully, not something that we would want to do, he said. Our primary focus is supporting educators with skills and development they need, to perform at a high level; not on their physical location. The superintendent said, high quality distance learning is the goal. Causing stress on where that happens, for staff members, and frankly causing a significant amount of stress on our custodial crew, and parenting, for families, who are teaching, can be much better for some in the home environment if they have high quality access to Internet and other supports there, Morris told the committees Aug. 25. We absolutely want to open our doors for teachers to teach at a school building if they think that is the best work environment, he said. Included among the nine reasons Riley listed for teachers working in a school building are: It allows administrators to monitor the level and amount of instruction students receive throughout the course of the school day, ensuring a more consistent experience across classrooms and student cohorts. It allows school teams to more quickly problem solve challenges, such as allocating a substitute for an absent teacher, quickly assigning additional support for a class or individual student, and resolving technology issues. It provides teachers with dedicated workspace in which to carry out their work duties, which will support equitable working environments for educators. The Amherst-Pelham district is currently scheduled to begin all-remote learning Sept. 16. A previously approved plan for kindergarten and grade 1 students to begin in-person learning was scrapped last week, following objections from teachers union, related to COVID-19 concerns. When in-person learning might begin, or not, is unknown at this time. Related: Advertisement Britain today recorded 1,522 new Covid-19 cases in the highest daily toll for almost eleven weeks, despite separate data that revealed the UK's outbreak has shrank. Government statistics show 1,138 positive tests are now being recorded each day, on average a figure which has more than doubled since dropping to just 540 in mid-July. Hopes the crisis was finally under control rose last week after the rolling-average dropped for four days in a row. But it has now risen every day since Friday, the last time it was in three figures. The last time the UK recorded more cases was June 12 (1,541), three weeks before ministers eased lockdown rules and allowed millions of Britons to celebrate their summer with the return of pubs and restaurants. Experts warned the relaxation would inevitably trigger more cases but other scientists urged the nation to learn to live with the virus to avoid further economic catastrophe caused by blanket policies. Doctors have insisted the spike in cases is being driven by more testing in badly-hit areas and isn't reflective of a widespread outbreak. And they believe young people are behind the rise because the number of patients being hospitalised or dying from Covid-19 has not increased at the same rate. Separate data released by NHS Test and Trace today added to evidence that Britain's outbreak is not spiralling out of control, with the number of positive cases dropping almost nine per cent in a week from 6,656 to 6,115 between August 13 and 19. Other researchers tracking the situation including the Office for National Statistics and King's College London say cases have dropped in recent weeks. The Government also confirmed another 12 laboratory-confirmed coronavirus deaths today, meaning 11 Britons are succumbing to the life-threatening illness each day, on average. The rolling seven-day figure dropped to just seven last week, the lowest since before lockdown was imposed. Today's statistics come after Health Secretary Matt Hancock this morning chaired a 'Gold Command' meeting of the Joint Biosecurity Centre to discuss local lockdowns. The outcome of the JBC meeting decisions on existing lockdowns and possible new ones is expected to be announced tomorrow, with Birmingham still teetering on the edge of stricter rules. In other coronavirus developments in Britain today: Matt Hancock insisted it will be up to schools to make sure that supply teachers do not unwittingly spread coronavirus if they teach lessons at different locations; The Health Secretary also defended his plan to pay people on low incomes 13 a day to self-isolate as critics said the payments would not be enough to stop people going to work; Ministers are expected to make a decision tonight on whether to add Switzerland, the Czech Republic or Jamaica to the UK's quarantine travel list; Britain's high streets are rebounding at a slower rate than shopping centres, according to figures which show how the reluctance of staff to return to workplaces is harming businesses; Marks and Spencer has been hit with a sandwich shortage after its supplier was forced to close its factory amid a surge in coronavirus cases among workers. The UK yesterday announced 16 deaths and just six were recorded last Thursday. The official number of victims now stands at 41,477. But this toll only includes deceased Britons who died within 28 days of testing positive. Separate statistics compiled by the health bodies of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, suggest the true number of victims both confirmed and suspected is closer to the 55,000 mark. Numbers of people dying of the disease have plummeted in recent weeks, with the seven-day average dropping from 64 on July 24 to 11 today. This is down to both a change in how the Government records deaths it now doesn't include anyone who died more than a month after their positive test and also to Britain's outbreak fading out. As deaths continue to drop and head towards zero, however, the number of people being diagnosed has slowly increased. After six weeks with fewer than 1,000 new cases each day, there have now been four-figure numbers announced on 15 days this month. Experts say this is likely due to improved testing targeted efforts in badly-hit areas are likely to be picking up more cases that they were missing before and potentially also a rise in cases as lockdown rules have lifted almost entirely. A disconnect between rising cases but falling deaths could be because many of the people catching the virus now are younger and less likely to get seriously ill. It comes as data today revealed the Government's Test and Trace system is getting worse. Call handlers reached a record-low of just 72.6 per cent of infected patients last week Ministers are expected to make a decision tonight on whether to add Switzerland, the Czech Republic or Jamaica to the UK's quarantine travel list SWITZERLAND, CZECH REPUBLIC AND JAMAICA 'ON BRINK OF BEING ADDED TO QUARANTINE LIST' Ministers are expected to make a decision tonight on whether to add Switzerland, the Czech Republic or Jamaica to the UK's quarantine travel list. The Government is holding its weekly review of travel measures today with an announcement likely to be made this evening on any changes. The UK has said that any country which records more than 20 Covid-19 cases per 100,000 people in a seven-day period will be subject to a travel ban and the 14 day self-isolation requirement for returning travellers. Switzerland appears almost certain to be added to the so-called 'red list' because its case numbers are currently above the threshold, with a seven-day rate of 21.2. Scotland has already taken Switzerland off of its safe travel list. Meanwhile, there are growing fears the Czech Republic is at risk of quarantine after its case numbers increased. The latest statistics showed the seven-day rate in the Czech Republic is now at 19.4 cases per 100,000, up from 16 a week ago and only just below the threshold. Jamaica also appears to be dangerously close to the threshold with a seven day rate of 19.8 per 100,000. However, Italy is widely expected to remain on the UK Government's safe travel list. The case rate in Italy stands at just 10.8 per 100,000 which suggests the country is very unlikely to face action in the coming weeks. Decisions on quarantine changes in recent weeks have been made by Transport Secretary Grant Shapps on Twitter on Thursday evenings. Advertisement It comes as data today revealed the Government's Test and Trace system is getting worse. Call handlers reached a record-low of just 72.6 per cent of infected patients last week. It's the fifth week in a row the number of Covid-19 cases who have been tracked has fallen, dropping from the best performance of 82.8 per cent in the week ending July 22. Scientists have repeatedly warned at least 80 per cent of coronavirus patients must be contacted and interviewed in order for the system which Boris Johnson has called 'world-beating' to work effectively. Department of Health data released today also showed a third of people who tested positive for the coronavirus and referred to the system were not reached within 24 hours. It's crucial for the system to work rapidly, so that close contacts of Covid-19 cases who may unknowingly have the virus are tracked down and told to self isolate before they can spread the infection further. In other developments, Matt Hancock today insisted it will be up to schools to make sure supply teachers do not unwittingly spread coronavirus if they teach lessons at different locations. Concerns have been raised about the prospect of supply teachers working in more than one school and the risk of them carrying the virus from one institution to another. The situation has drawn comparisons to what happened in care homes at the start of the pandemic when agency workers did shifts at multiple facilities. The Health Secretary said this morning that a strict adherence to social distancing would minimise the risk of the disease spreading. He also launched a furious defence of his plan to pay people on low incomes 13 a day to self-isolate as critics said the payments would not be enough to stop people going to work. From September 1 people who receive Universal Credit or Working Tax Credit who are required to self-isolate, who are unable to work from home and who are in Covid-19 hotspots will benefit from the new payment scheme. Eligible people who test positive for the virus will receive 130 for their 10-day period of self-isolation while other members of their household, who under current rules must isolate for 14 days, will get 182. The scheme will initially be trialled in Blackburn with Darwen, Pendle and Oldham areas which are currently subject to tougher local lockdown measures. TEST AND TRACE IS GETTING WORSE, FIGURES SHOW The Government's Test and Trace system is getting worse as figures today revealed that call handlers reached a record-low of just 72.6 per cent of infected patients last week. It's the fifth week in a row the number of Covid-19 cases who have been tracked has fallen, dropping from the best performance of 82.8 per cent in the week ending July 22. Scientists have repeatedly warned at least 80 per cent of coronavirus patients must be contacted and interviewed in order for the system which Boris Johnson has called 'world-beating' to work effectively. Department of Health data released today also showed a third of people who tested positive for the coronavirus and referred to the system were not reached within 24 hours. It's crucial for the system to work rapidly, so that close contacts of Covid-19 cases who may unknowingly have the virus are tracked down and told to self isolate before they can spread the infection further. It comes as Matt Hancock today defended his plan to pay people on low incomes 13 a day to self-isolate, even though critics said the payments would not be enough to stop people going to work. Advertisement The Government hopes the payments will boost compliance with requests from NHS Test and Trace for people to stay at home, with Mr Hancock pointing out the money will be 'in addition' to other benefits. But critics believe the payments are far too small and many people will still feel that they cannot afford to stay at home. Mr Hancock insisted the payments will be enough to persuade people to stay at home. Data released today revealed Britain's high streets are rebounding slower than shopping centres, showing how the reluctance of staff to return to workplaces is harming businesses. Footfall in town and city centre streets has stagnated in recent weeks, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). At the same time out-of town retail parks and urban shopping centres have continued to slowly move back towards their original footfall. It came as Boris Johnson was told to do more to get office workers back at their desks. Carolyn Fairbairn warned today that commercial centres risk being permanent 'ghost towns'. Writing in the Daily Mail, the director-general of the CBI said getting staff back into offices and workplaces is as important as the return of pupils to school. Ministers are also expected to make a decision tonight on whether to add Switzerland, the Czech Republic or Jamaica to the UK's quarantine travel list. The Government is holding its weekly review of travel measures today with an announcement likely to be made this evening on any changes. The UK has said that any country which records more than 20 Covid-19 cases per 100,000 people in a seven-day period will be subject to a travel ban and the 14 day self-isolation requirement for returning travellers. Switzerland appears almost certain to be added to the so-called 'red list' because its case numbers are currently above the threshold, with a seven-day rate of 21.2. Meanwhile, there are growing fears the Czech Republic is at risk of quarantine after its case numbers increased from 16 a week ago to 19.4, according to an analysis by the Press Association. Jamaica also appears to be dangerously close to the threshold with a seven day rate of 19.8 per 100,000. However, Italy is widely expected to remain on the UK Government's safe travel list. The case rate in Italy stands at just 10.8 per 100,000 which suggests the country is very unlikely to face action in the coming weeks. Decisions on quarantine changes in recent weeks have been made by Transport Secretary Grant Shapps on Twitter on Thursday evenings. Centre has approved 78 new additional routes to be awarded under the fourth round of the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS)- Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik (UDAN) focusing on boosting connectivity in the North East, hilly states and islands, civil aviation ministry announced on Thursday. The Udan is a regional airport development scheme aimed at enhancing connectivity to remote and regional areas of the country and making air travel affordable. The scheme is a key component of Centres National Civil Aviation Policy led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and launched in June 2016. Special boost is being given to connectivity in North East with routes from Guwahati to Tezu, Rupsi, Tezpur, Passighat, Misa and Shillong. People will be able to fly from Hissar to Chandigarh, Dehradun and Dharmshala under these UDAN 4 routes. Routes from Varanasi to Chitrakoot and Shravasti have also been approved. Agatti, Kavaratti and Minicoy islands of Lakshadweep have also been connected by the new routes of UDAN 4.0, the ministry said in a statement. Also read: Uttar Pradesh gets 18 air routes under Centres UDAN scheme Following three rounds of bidding, the civil aviation ministry, in December 2019, had launched the fourth round of the regional connectivity scheme with a focus on priority areas like North East Region, hilly states, the Union territories of Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh and islands. So far, 766 routes have been sanctioned under the UDAN scheme, 29 served, 08 unserved (including two heliports and one water aerodrome), and two underserved airports have been included in the list for the approved routes, the ministry said. Following the three successful rounds of bidding, the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) had launched the 4th round of UDAN in December 2019 with a special focus on North-Eastern Regions, Hilly States, and Islands. The awarding of these 78 routes under UDAN 4 is in line with the Act East Policy of the Central Government, Usha Padhee, aviation ministry joint secretary said. The airports that had already been developed by Airport Authority of India are given higher priority for the award of Viability Gap Funding (VGF) under the Scheme. Under UDAN 4, the operation of helicopter and seaplanes is also been incorporated. Since its inception, MoCA has operationalised 274 UDAN routes that have connected 45 airports and 3 heliports, she added. Under the scheme, nearly half of the seats in Udan flights are offered at subsidised fares, and the participating carriers are provided a certain amount of viability gap funding (VGF) - an amount shared between the Centre and the concerned states. Powell's Books, an iconic bookstore in Portland, Oregon, is pulling its books from Amazon's shelves. Emily Powell, the company's chief executive, said Thursday in a letter to customers that Powell's would no longer sell books on Amazon, citing the "detrimental impact" of the e-commerce giant's business on independent booksellers and local communities. "We understand that in many communities, Amazon and big box retail chains have become the only option," Powell wrote. "And yet when it comes to our local community and the community of independent bookstores around the U.S., we must take a stand." Founded in 1971, Powell's describes itself as the world's largest new and used independent bookseller, with its flagship store occupying a full city block in downtown Portland. It sells books on its own website and, up until Thursday, had a storefront on Amazon's marketplace. The decision to move off of Amazon was a long time coming, Powell said in an interview. Amazon has served as a "big sales generator" for Powell's in the past, but maintaining a business on the platform had become labor intensive and expensive, due to the costs associated with advertising and ensuring free, two-day delivery, among other things. "It was hard to give up, sort of like smoking," Powell said. "We knew we shouldn't be doing it, but, you know, we sort of needed it from a sales perspective to keep going. We couldn't face the possibility of not having that sales channel." The coronavirus pandemic was the "final push" that Powell's needed to leave the platform, Powell said. In March, Amazon prioritized shipments of essential goods like hand sanitizer and paper towels in its warehouses after it saw a swell of consumer demand. As a result, non-essential goods like books took a backseat at Amazon's warehouses. Facing diminished sales on Amazon, Powell's shifted its focus to customers on its own website. "We just decided to make that a permanent business choice," Powell said. The pandemic has forced many retailers, both offline and online, to reckon with Amazon's size and power over commerce. A slew of brick-and-mortar retailers, including Powell's, briefly, have been hobbled by the pandemic, which brought store closures, reduced consumer spending and a rapid shift to online spending. Meanwhile, Amazon, Walmart, Target and other major retailers have reported sales at record levels, fueled by online orders. Meanwhile, Amazon faces growing scrutiny from regulators in the U.S. and overseas, who are examining its market power and treatment of sellers on its platform. Earlier this month, industry groups representing authors, publishers and booksellers wrote a letter to House Antitrust Subcommittee Chairman David Cicilline, D-R.I., who is spearheading a closely watched antitrust investigation into Amazon and other tech giants. In it, the groups raised concerns that Amazon's scale has allowed it to "own and manipulate the playing field" of book distribution and called for lawmakers to prohibit the company from using "loss-leader pricing to harm competition." Powell said she isn't waiting for regulators to rein in Amazon. "I'm going to do my best to find a way to compete and hope that at the end of the day the value to our community is enough to keep us going," she said. "If in the meantime our political systems realize that this business is having a detrimental impact on our economy, even though it looks the opposite, i'll be pleasantly surprised." Representatives from Amazon didn't respond to requests for comment. Hurricane Laura ended up not being much of a worry at all for Galveston. The islands streets were mostly clear of any debris early Thursday morning, with trees and homes still intact. Elevated tides from the storm spilled over the seawall at times but never surged toward peoples homes. Save for some street flooding in the Strand Historic District downtown, nearly all streets were passable. By 8 a.m. Galveston County officials announced that it was safe for residents to return to their homes, except for residents of Bolivar Peninsula, where debris was still being cleared off of Texas 87 and Texas 124. The Texas Department of Transportation is still assessing when ferry service to the peninsula can resume. Galvestonians, who have long memories of violent storms such as Hurricane Ike in 2008, breathed a sigh of relief. Danny Weber cruised around the Strand on his moped looking for a clear path to get back into his apartment. He was pleasantly surprised at the islands good fortune. All the flooding that we had like this is all tide-related, Weber said, pointing to the lightly flooded streets downtown. While he stayed behind in Galveston rather than evacuate, Weber acknowledged acknowledged he was nervous Wednesday until Hurricane Laura made its eastward turn towards the Louisiana coast. I was waiting for it to turn like everybody else, he said. We were very, very fortunate. On Seawall Boulevard, the high tide had receded from its peak of about 3 feet above normal levels and the surf had calmed down significantly. There was even enough of a beach for dog walkers to stroll. Brian Jarvis stood on that narrow strip of beach Thursday morning filming the surf conditions with a small digital camera to post clips on Facebook. Ive been filming for my friends, been doing it since the day before the storm, Jarvis said. Came down yesterday at 11 a.m. and filmed it because my friends were going out surfing. By 7 p.m. there was a 12 to 15 foot sea out there. Jarvis, a surf instructor who runs his own business, C-Sick Surfing, said he stayed behind in Galveston because he says he knew all along the storm wouldnt be much of a threat. He looked forward to getting back out in the Gulf on his board. Believe it or not Ive already got bookings for this weekend, he said. Along Galveston Bay to the north, the lights were on at the Kemah Boardwalk, fish markets were open early for fishermen buying bait and Pine Gully Park in Seabrook was open at sunrise as usual in the wake of the storm that didnt seem to materialize in Houstons suburbs. Businesses such as Pier 8 restaurant east of Texas 146 and CVS west of the highway had boarded up windows and laid sandbags in case Laura brought her worst. Instead, the Kemah-Seabrook-LaPorte area got little, if any, rain and winds likely didnt even top 20 mph. There was one silver lining, cooler weather that allowed walkers to get their exercise in with a little less sweat. Diane Cowen contributed to this report nick.powell@chron.com Banks must shed their extreme risk aversion and focus more on risk management and the quality of decision making to remain resilient in a challenging financial environment, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das said on Thursday in his keynote address at the virtual Business Standard conclave Unlock BFSI 2.0. Remaining overly risk-averse may seem to be a measure of self-immunisation; but will be self-defeating as it would affect the bottom line adversely, the governor said. Dear Reader, Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. 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Digital Editor Taiwanese President Lauds Australias Efforts Protecting Freedom and Democracy Taiwanese President Dr Tsai Ing-wen has praised Australia for defending democracy and freedom in the Indo-Pacific region in a pre-recorded address to the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) in Canberra on Aug. 27. Tsai spoke on a range of topics and commended Australias response to Beijing-instigated challenges in the Indo-Pacific region, including building islands in the South China Sea, cross-strait tensions, and long-running cyberattacks. The state of our region is changing rapidly, and that requires the most comprehensive strategic adjustment since World War II, she said. Grey zone activities exemplify and constitute the challenges we must face together, she added. Her comments echoed a speech from Australian Defence Minister Linda Reynolds on July 2, also at ASPI, warning of increased grey zone activities in the Indo-Pacific region including cyberattacks, foreign interference, and economic coercion. A Chinese navy formation, including the aircraft carrier Liaoning (C), during military drills in the South China Sea, on Jan. 2, 2017. (STR/AFP via Getty Images) Tsai commended the Australian governments Pacific Step-Up strategy, its renewed focus on cyber defences, and the Strategic Update 2020, which will see the Australian Defence Force receive a significant funding commitment, and upgrades to military technology. We have noticed Australias efforts to build greater support for democracy and freedom, and to raise awareness of the challenges posed by authoritarian actors and states, Tsai said in a veiled reference to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The people of Taiwan are proud of their democracy and are encouraged by Australias dedication to stand with, safeguard, and promote democracy, she said. Australia and Taiwan have been standing together at the forefront. The president further emphasised and commended the multi-faceted relationship between Australia and Taiwan, pointing to partnerships in COVID-19 medical research, tourism, trade, and cyber training. The speech comes just a day after Chinese diplomat Wang Xining addressed the National Press Club in Canberra. Since Tsai ascended to the presidency, Taiwans military spending has increased rapidly. According to the president, We do this because we know that in terms of our current situation, strength can be correlated with deterrence. It also reduces the risk of military adventurism. Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen delivers her address to soldiers amid the coronavirus pandemic during her visit to a military base in Tainan, Taiwan, on April 9, 2020. (Sam Yeh/AFP via Getty Images) Tsai called on Beijing to recognise the independence of the Taiwanese nation, particularly in response to the implementation of the Hong Kong national security law. After Hong Kong, Taiwan stands increasingly on the front lines of freedom and democracy, she said. Since 1949, Beijing has asserted the narrative that Taiwan is a renegade province that should come under Chinese communist rule. Taiwan is Taiwan. Our existence simply cannot be questioned, Tsai said. We have our own government, we have free elections, and our people can choose their own leaders. We have our own military and own democratic institutions, none of which have ever been under Beijings jurisdiction. Hong Kong police said on Wednesday that they had arrested 16 people, including two opposition lawmakers Lam Cheuk-ting and Ted Hui Chi-fung, over two cases related to last year's social unrest. The police arrested three males and one female, including Lam and Hui, members of the Legislative Council (LegCo) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), in an incident happened on July 6, 2019 outside Tuen Mun police station, Chan Tin Chu, Senior Superintendent of police, told a media briefing. They were suspected of attempting to pervert the course of public justice, accessing to computer with criminal or dishonest intent, criminal damage and illegal gathering, according to Chan. Lam was also suspected of participating in a riot on July 21, 2019 in Yuen Long. He and 12 other male suspects were arrested by the police over the incident, Senior Superintendent Chan said, adding that the accusation of so-called collusion between the police and the triads in the Yuen Long incident was untrue. The police strongly condemn any act of violence, Chan said, stressing that the police will not tolerate crimes and will enforce the law impartially. Fans and followers of Yash and the KGF series are on cloud nine as the shoot of the highly-anticipated film KGF: Chapter 2 began yesterday, after 6 months of COVID-19 break. With the big update came a rumour that Anant Nag has been replaced by versatile actor Prakash Raj, thanks to a few pictures from the sets that went viral on social media. Apparently, the Naanu Nanna Kanasu actor was seen in an attire similar to that of Anant's character from the first instalment of the movie, which confused many who came to the conclusion that the latter dropped out of the project. Well now, the director of the film, Prashanth Neel has refuted the ongoing rumours and has said that Anant Nag is indeed a part of the second instalment too, and Prakash Raj is a new entrant for the film. The Cinema Express quoted him as saying, "Prakash Raj is definitely not a replacement to Anant Nag. He is a new entry and this is a new character in the movie." It is reported that the first ten days of the shoot from August 26, 2020 will include actors Malavika Avinash, Prakash Raj and Nagabharna. The lead actor Yash will join the team after a few days of the shoot, for filming the high-voltage climax sequence of the action-thriller that features him and Sanjay Dutt. As the Bollywood actor was diagnosed with lung cancer and is currently undergoing treatment for the same, the makers have reportedly roped in a duplicate of Sanju for the sequence. KGF: Chapter 2 also features an ensemble cast that includes Srinidhi Shetty, Raveena Tandon, Balakrishna, Saran Shakthi and Achyuth Kumar. The action-thriller is backed by Vijay Kiragandur under Hombale Films banner and will simultaneously release in Kannada, Telugu, Hindi, Tamil and Malayalam. Yash's KGF Chapter 2 Filming Resumes Today After COVID-19 Break, Confirms Malavika Avinash KGF Chapter 2: Yash Starrer's Remaining Portion To Be Shot Without Sanjay Dutt? A GoFundMe page raising legal defense funds for 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse, who video suggests shot two men in self defense Tuesday during the Kenosha riots but has been charged with first-degree murder, has been removed from the site within minutes of going live. (Natural News) (Article by Gabriel Keane republished from NationalFile.com) Users who wanted to donate to the page were greeted by a message that read Were sorry, but that campaign cannot be found. They took it down pic.twitter.com/VMShj0nXG2 Be Pure (@HerbalGoddess) August 26, 2020 In contrast, the GoFundMe page for Black Lives Matter rioters arrested by police in Portland has been allowed to accumulate over $1.3 million in donations. Other pages asking for bail money for jailed rioters across the country have accumulated hundreds of thousands of dollars. The GoFundMe page for Jacob Blake, the convicted child sex offender whose shooting by police sparked the violent riots in Kenosha, has accrued a massive nest egg of $1.6 million. George Floyds family GoFundMe page has racked up the staggering sum of $14.7 million, in contrast to the $800,000 raised for 5-year-old murder victim Cannon Hinnant as reported on earlier this month by National File: Though a slight increase in media coverage has brought more attention to the murder of 5-year-old white boy Cannon Hinnant over the past week, the national response is still exceedingly disproportionate compared to the national mourning and violence that followed the death of convicted felon George Floyd this summer. A Justice for Cannon Hinnant fundraiser page has been set up on GoFundMe, and at press time has accrued roughly $770,000 in donations. The spike in donations over the week is due in no small part to the hashtag #SayHisName, which went viral on social media despite a media blackout. By contrast, the GoFundMe for George Floyd has amassed a staggering $14.7 million in payouts for the Floyd family, and payments continue to pour in. In addition, a mobile hologram that traces Floyds name and visage in the sky with garish yellow lighting is slated to tour the United States, replacing historical monuments. Rittenhouse has been charged with first degree homicide, a charge which does not seem to align with the factual account of the shooting as revealed by overwhelming exculpatory video evidence. Read more at: NationalFile.com In the wake of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak, the West Bengal government has extended the ongoing curbs in the state to September 20, with hard lockdowns scheduled for September 7, 11 and 12. The Mamata Banerjee government has also partially eased its July 6 ban on flights to Kolkata from six metros, including Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai. In view of the spike in coronavirus cases in the country, the state government had imposed a total ban till August 31 on passenger flights to Kolkata from six worst-hit states - Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Pune, Nagpur and Ahmedabad. In a letter to Union Ministry of Civil Aviation, the West Bengal government has asked it to ensure that no flight is coming or going out of any airport of the state on September 7, 11 and 12 as it will observe complete lockdown on those days. Also, restriction on flights coming in from six cities, viz. Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Chennai and Ahmedabad, is being partially lifted from 1st September onwards. Flights from these cities can come to the state thrice a week, the letter stated. Ensure that there is no flight coming to or going out of any airport of West Bengal on 7th, 11th & 12th September as the state will observe complete lockdown on these three days: West Bengal Government in a letter to Union Ministry of Civil Aviation pic.twitter.com/a2mlH6zTLG ANI (@ANI) August 27, 2020 Bengal has reported over 1.44 lakh Covid-19 cases so far, of which more than 2,900 are deaths linked to the coronavirus and around 27,000 are active cases. On Tuesday the state reported 2,964 new cases in the preceding 24 hours. Heres what you need to know if you are planning to travel to West Bengal: Flights from Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Nagpur, Chennai and Pune can land in Kolkata for three days a week from September 1. However, no flights will be operational to and from Kolkata on September 7, 11, and 12 when the state will observe a total lockdown. Metro services can resume by observing social distancing and other precautionary norms from September. Schools and colleges in the state would remain closed till September 20. Railways can run local trains in the state - one fourth at a time. Gagik Khachatrian, a former Armenian finance minister, and his nephew went on trial on Wednesday one year after being arrested on corruption charges denied by them. The two men were initially charged with a large-scale waste of government funds. The National Security Service (NSS) claimed that Khachatrian hired and registered employees who never reported for work when he headed the State Revenue Committee (SRC) from 2008-2014. His indicted nephew Karen held another senior position in the government agency comprising Armenias tax and customs services. Law-enforcement authorities brought several more criminal charges against Khachatrian earlier this year. They accused him of abuse of power, forgery and bribery. The crimes allegedly committed by him cost the state more than 20 billion drams ($41 million) in financial damage, according to them. Khachatrian, who served as finance minister in former President Serzh Sarkisians administration from 2014-2016, rejected the fresh accusations as well. Over the past year Armenian courts have repeatedly refused to release him from custody despite his apparent health problems. The 64-year-old spent three months in a Yerevan hospital earlier this year. Khachatrian was absent from the opening session of his trial. In a letter to the presiding judge read out by one of his lawyers, he said that he is too frail to attend the court hearing. One of the lawyers, Yerem Sargsian, said that his client now has trouble standing on his feet and moving because of spinal cord problems. Sargsian renewed his demands for the ex-ministers release from jail. One of the trial prosecutors countered, however, that Khachatrian should remain under arrest because he could obstruct justice if set free. The prosecutor noted in that regard that Khachatrians two sons went into hiding in early May after being also indicted by the NSS. One of the sons, Gurgen Khachatrian, is the chairman of Ucom, a leading Armenian telecommunication operator controlled by the ex-ministers extended family. In an April 28 statement, he claimed that high-ranking officials have threatened to arrest him if the family refuses to sell its 77 percent stake in Ucom at a knockdown price. Responding to that claim, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said through a spokeswoman that Gagik Khachatrian and his relatives must return hundreds of millions dollars stolen from the people. She said authorities will allow the Khachatrians to sell Ucom only if the latter agree to transfer all proceeds from such a deal to the government. Khachatrian was dogged by corruption allegations throughout his tenure, with some Armenian media outlets and opposition figures accusing him of using his position to become one of the countrys richest men. They pointed to his familys extensive business interests, which include not only Ucom but also a shopping mall, a car dealership and a luxury watch store in Yerevan. Khachatrian repeatedly denied ownership of these and other businesses, saying that they belong to his two sons and other relatives. DALLAS, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Montare Resources I, LLC, a Texas limited liability company ("Montare") announced today that it entered into an agreement with Avalon Energy LLC, a Texas limited liability company ("Avalon Energy") and its affiliates regarding Avalon Energy's ownership of 13,125,000 Common Units ("Units") of Sandridge Permian Trust (NYSE: PER) (the "Trust"), 100% of the working interests underlying the overriding royalty interests owned by the Trust and all other related assets used in connection with operating the underlying properties related thereto. Avalon Energy has agreed, subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, to contribute all of its Units and its other Trust related assets to Montare and has granted Montare an irrevocable proxy to vote its Units. Avalon has also granted exclusivity to Montare with respect to any transaction involving Avalon and/or the Trust, and has agreed to support Montare's acquisition of the Trust (either by merger, acquisition of assets, acquisition of the remaining Units not owned by Avalon or otherwise) and not to take any action that is detrimental to or hinders Montare's ability to consummate an acquisition of the Trust. Montare and Avalon Energy have also contemporaneously filed a joint Schedule 13D/A with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission disclosing the agreement. About Montare Resources I, LLC Montare is a newly organized entity formed for the sole purpose of acquiring, owning and operating the oil and gas properties or interests therein owned by the Trust and Avalon. Montare is owned indirectly by various oil and gas investors. The President and CEO of Montare is Dickie D. Hunter. Forward-Looking Statements Some statements set forth in this press release contain forward-looking statements that are subject to change. Statements including words such as "believe", "expect", or similar words as well as statements in the future tense are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events or actual future results to differ materially from the expectations set forth in the forward-looking statements. Some of the factors which could cause results to differ materially from the expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements include the following: the possibility that the transactions may not be completed; the risk that, if the transactions are completed, Montare may face difficulty or be unable to enhance the performance of the Trust's operations; and other factors identified from time to time in Montare's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements in this press release are qualified by these cautionary statements and are made only as of the date of this news release. Contact Dickie Hunter Montare Resources (214) 676-4434 [email protected] SOURCE Montare Resources Australia develops a 30-year plan to double its efforts to protect the Great Barrier Reef from global warming, emphasizing strengthening water pollution measures and coastal development measures. The Great Barrier Reef Great Barrier Reef, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the world's largest structure built by living organisms and is one of the world's most biodiverse areas. The world's most extensive coral reef system is a significant tourism industry in Australia, creating more than 64,000 jobs for the state of Queensland and contributes $4.6 billion to the economy annually, the Australian government said. The rising ocean temperatures, ocean acidification, and violent tropical weather have caused damage in the world's most extensive coral reef system. Outbreaks of crown-of-thorns starfish also threaten the coral reefs. The Great Barrier Reef had massive bleaching events in 2016 and 2017 and earlier this year. The draft notes that the bleaching this year was more prevalent than the 2016 and 2017 bleaching events. The report also cites that although major tourism areas were negligible to moderate bleaching this year, places in the Southern part of the Reef that was not affected in previous bleaching events were severely affected this year. The corals are having a hard time recovering. A recent study suggests that two-thirds of the 86 reef structures had a slight increase in coral cover. Corals on the southern portion were also found to have recovered the most. READ: More and More Pesticide Mixtures From Waterways Are Being Discharged Into the Great Barrier Reef The Plan In response to the growing concerns of the reef, Australia's Department of Agriculture, Water, and the Environment proposed a 30-year plan to save the Great Barrier Reef. Here are the highlights of the plan that we should know about: The plan is a revision of the 2015 proposal. The updated proposal now features a greater focus on climate change and its impact on the reef, taking into account the bleaching in 2015. The proposal, " Reef 2050 Long-Term Sustainability Plan ", suggests that climate change threatens the future of the Great Barrier Reef. Controlling greenhouse emissions is crucial, the department said. ", suggests that climate change threatens the future of the Great Barrier Reef. Controlling greenhouse emissions is crucial, the department said. Major calls on the proposal are implementing measures to control surface run-off and shore-based pollution, including improved coastal infrastructure plans. The proposal suggests that global warming and the climate change it drives is the most serious and pervasive threat to the reef and yet the proposal acknowledges that Australia can only do so little to limit or reverse global warming or increase of ocean temperatures. READ ALSO: Study on Crown-Of-Thorns' Evolutionary History May Help Mitigate Destruction of Coral Reefs The Australian and Queensland government will allocate an amount of $2 billion for the next ten years for the initial phase of recovery protection and recovery efforts. Domestic efforts to decrease greenhouse emissions and convince other governments to do the same is included in the proposal. More stringent regulation of the land and water-based activities in and around the Reef and Aboriginal communities must be involved in Great Barrier Reef Management. Stricter regulations for tourism as a recent study indicate that there is an exponential rise in government permits issued for Great Barrier Reef operations since 2000. It is implementing measures to minimize pollution from coastal surface run-off. This would include reducing fertilizer and pesticide use for agriculture and ensuring the protection of coastal wetlands and mangroves. New measures are put in place to control water pollution from urban run-off and conduct more clean-up operations to remove marine plastic waste. Enact stricter enforcement against illegal fishing activity Greater protections for seagrass communities which is critical to the survival of endangered dugongs Allocate budget to control crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks and invasive species spread Replace or replenish damaged corals Allocate resources to devise strategies on how the reef may adapt to higher ocean temperatures and global warming. Comment on the new Great Barrier Reef protection plan is open to the public until September 30. READ NEXT: New Study Says Many Climatic Factors Caused 2016 Coral Death and Bleaching Check out more news and information on the Great Barrier Reef on Nature World News. Mladic blasts genocide court as 'child of NATO' Mladic will be allowed to speak for 10 minutes later at the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals Former Bosnian Serb military chief Ratko Mladic said Wednesday he had been "pushed into war" and dismissed a UN court as a "child of western powers" in a dramatic end to his appeal against his conviction for genocide. In a rambling speech that dug up centuries of historic grievances, the 78-year-old Mladic said he remained a "target of the NATO alliance" and accused prosecutors in The Hague of "showering me with satanic, snaky, devilish words". Mladic is appealing his 2017 life sentence for genocide for overseeing the 1995 Srebrenica massacre of some 8,000 Muslim men and boys, and for war crimes and crimes against humanity in general during the 1992-95 Bosnian war. The former general was found guilty of orchestrating a campaign of "ethnic cleansing" to drive Muslims and Bosnians out of key areas to create a Greater Serbia as Yugoslavia tore itself apart after the fall of communism. "I am not a saint, madam judge, I am a simple man. Fate put me in a position to defend my country," said Mladic, who rose to his feet to speak from behind a plexiglass screen installed because of coronavirus restrictions. "I was and still am a target of the NATO alliance, and please don't take offence if I say that this tribunal, of which I have a very, very low opinion, is a child of the western powers," he added. "It is no use trying to wash this child of the NATO alliance clean." Mladic said that since the start of the conflict in Bosnia "I have been pushed into war, and for every minute of that war I have something to say, not for my own sake, but in the name of the people". Angered when the judge cut him off after his allotted 10 minutes instead of giving him half an hour as he had requested, Mladic muttered: "This indictment has gone down the drain." Judges will give their decision at a later date. - 'Srebrenica was Mladic's operation' - Story continues The two-day appeal hearing had been delayed several times after Mladic -- dubbed the "Butcher of Bosnia" -- needed surgery to remove a polyp, and then because of the coronavirus pandemic. Defence lawyers unsuccessfully tried to get it postponed again on health grounds and warned ahead of his speech that they had "reasonable suspicions as to his capacity". Prosecutors had earlier urged the judges at the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals in The Hague to uphold the judgement of the now-closed UN tribunal that convicted him. "Mladic was in charge of the Srebrenica operation, Srebrenica was Mladic's operation. And the chamber was right to conclude that he was responsible for these crimes," prosecution lawyer Laurel Baig told the court. "He used the forces under his command to execute thousands of men and boys," she added, describing the slaughter as being on "a scale not seen on European soil since the Second World War". Lawyers for Mladic said he was away from Srebrenica by the time the killings began and must be cleared of genocide. "Mr Mladic is not a villain," defence lawyer Dragan Ivetic said, blaming the murders on "rogue revenge-seekers" among Bosnian Serb troops. The Srebrenica massacre was the bloodiest single episode from the Bosnian war. In all about 100,000 people were killed and 2.2 million displaced during the conflict. Mladic was captured in 2011 after years on the run, and convicted following a three-year trial. The prosecution are also appealing, seeking to overturn Mladic's acquittal on wider genocide charges. Mladic was the military face of a trio led on the political side by ex-Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic and former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic. Milosevic died of a heart attack in his cell in The Hague in 2006 before his trial had finished, while Karadzic is serving a life sentence for genocide in Srebrenica and other atrocities. dk/har With the Government of Canada's announcement that it will evaluate the impact of the 2014 Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act (PCEPA), enacted to address prostitution in Canada, this first national poll researching prostitution will help ensure that the views of Canadians are represented in the evaluation; help inform the process; and help raise public awareness about Canada's current legislation. The PCEPA addresses the system of prostitution by solely decriminalizing individuals who are bought and sold in prostitution, while holding accountable purchasers of sexual acts ("sex buyers"), promoters of prostitution (pimping) owners and managers of commercial sex establishments (e.g. brothels, illicit massage parlors, escort services), and other third-party exploiters. The poll results are of interest to Canadians and the Government of Canada. 49% of Canadians support Canada's current prostitution legislation, which is almost five times more than those who are opposed (11%) current prostitution legislation, which is almost five times more than those who are opposed (11%) 46% of Canadians are more likely to support the current legislation as their preferred approach to addressing prostitution. This number is almost twice as many as those supporting prostitution as a legal profession where there are no laws against prostitution, including pimps, brothel owner-operators, sex buyers, and those selling sex (24%), and almost three times more than those supporting prostitution being illegal and all those involved in selling sexual services being criminalized (16%) 61% of Canadians agree that the federal and provincial governments should provide appropriate funding to organizations working with women in prostitution to provide long-term counselling and support services, which is almost nine times more than those opposed (7%) 51% of Canadians disagree with approving of a family member to pay for sexual services, which is more than four times more than those who agree (12%) 43% of Canadians agree that if most women and people had viable economic alternatives, they would not choose to engage in prostitution. This is more than four times more than those who disagree (10%) choose to engage in prostitution. This is more than four times more than those who disagree (10%) When asked if prostitution should be viewed as a profession or job like any other profession or job, 34% of Canadians agreed and 26% disagreed. However , when asked to what extent Canadians support prostitution as a legal profession, with all activities around prostitution including sex purchasing, selling sexual services, pimping, trafficking and brothel ownership-operation being legal, 45% of Canadians were opposed which is more than twice as many as those who supported (17%) Background In December 2014, The Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act (also known as the Nordic or Equality Model) received Royal Assent and became law. The law does not criminalize women and people who are bought and sold in the sex trade. The law protects those who sell their own sexual services from criminal liability. The law mandates the government to provide services to prostituted and sex trafficked individuals, who are mostly women and girls, while prohibiting the purchase of sexual acts; owning or operating a brothel; pimping; and trafficking. The most comprehensive overview of Ontarians' views of the legislative approach to prostitution was completed in 2018. The poll resulted in 58% of Ontarians opposing any changes to the Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act that would decriminalize pimps, brothel owners and sex buying (https://www.lawc.on.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Press-release-LPSOS-7.2018.pdf). The Government of Canada intends to evaluate the success of the legislation, now five years since its passage, in protecting communities, helping survivors access services and holding sex purchasers and traffickers accountable. This current poll was done to ensure that the views of Canadians are represented in the government's evaluation. Both the Ontario and national polls demonstrate that many more Canadians are supportive of Canada's current prostitution legislation and would not endorse the legalization or full decriminalization of prostitution. The London Abused Women's Centre (LAWC) The London Abused Women's Centre, located in Ontario, Canada, takes systemic action to end the oppression of women while providing women and girls subjected to male violence with immediate access to long-term, trauma-informed, woman-centred counselling, advocacy and support. La Concertation des luttes contre l'exploitation sexuelle (CLES) The Concertation des luttes contre l'exploitation sexuelle (CLES) is a frontline organization that believe that prostitution is a form of violence against women and a systemic example of women's inequality, women's poverty, as well as of racism and colonialism. We support women who are in the sex industry and the ones who have exited. We believe that the voices of survivors of this form of violence and their leadership in ending this form of violence is essential to the feminist movement. The Coalition Against Trafficking in Women (CATW) The Coalition Against Trafficking in Women (CATW) is one of the oldest international organizations dedicated to ending the trafficking and sexual exploitation of women and girls as gender-based violence and discrimination. CATW engages in legal advocacy, public awareness, and education and prevention programs to combat trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation in Asia, Africa, Latin America, Europe and North America. "This pan-Canadian survey shows a simple truth: most of us know in our guts that prostitution is synonymous with exploitation, no matter what the exploiters want us to believe. It provides clear encouragement to maintain a law that decriminalizes women in prostitution while stating that sexual exploitation has to go!" says Diane Matte, co-coordinator of the Concertation des luttes contre l'exploitation sexuelle (CLES). "It is noteworthy that even though police organizations across the country have been inconsistent in their application of the 2014 law and the public are generally misinformed about it, support for the law's objectives is definitely there." "This Canadian survey shows that when the public understands how the system of prostitution operates, they not only oppose it, they want laws that decriminalize and help those exploited, while holding accountable those who harm them, including sex buyers," said Taina Bien-Aime, executive director of the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women. "It also reminds us of the urgency to educate people about the violence and dehumanization inherent to the sex trade, whose core is steeped in historic colonialism, racism, and misogyny." "The London Abused Women's Centre (LAWC) recognizes prostitution as male violence against women; incompatible with women's equality and human rights; and gendered and racist with women and girls as the overwhelming majority of those who are prostituted and trafficked. It is estimated that 50 percent of sexually exploited girls and 51 per cent of trafficked women in Canada are Indigenous," said Megan Walker, executive director of LAWC. "The poll demonstrates support for Canada's current legislation which decriminalizes women in prostitution while criminalizing sex purchasers, pimps, brothel owners/operators. Research Methodology These observations are based on an RDD dual frame (land- and cell-lines) hybrid telephone and online random survey of 1,094 Canadians, 18 years of age or older, between July 26th and 30th, 2020. The margin of error for this survey is 3.0 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. This study was commissioned by the London Abused Women's Centre and the research was conducted by Nanos Research. To see the full report, please go to https://www.nanos.co/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/2020-1689-LAWC-July-Populated-Report-FINAL-Updated-with-Tabs.pdf Collaborators Tri-County Women' Centre Persons Against Non-State Torture Vancouver Rape Relief and Women's Shelter Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre, Inc Aboriginal Women's Action Network SOURCE London Abused Women's Centre For further information: Contact Information: Nik Nanos Research, Nikita James Nanos CMC FCRIC, Chief Data Scientist and Founder, NANOS RESEARCH, 613.234.4666 x237 | Skype niknanos | www.nanos.co, Email: [email protected], Global Fellow > Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars > Washington DC, Research Professor > The State University of New York > Buffalo, New York; Megan Walker, Executive Director, London Abused Women's Centre, 1-226-376-0781, [email protected], www.lawc.on.ca; Diane Matte, Co-coordinator, Concertation des luttes contre l'exploitation sexuelle (CLES) 1 514 376-9241, [email protected], (English and French speakers available for interviews); Mariana Vanin, Communications Manager, Coalition Against Trafficking in Women (CATW) 1-212-643-9895, [email protected], (English and French speakers available for interviews) (Alliance News) - Amigo Holdings PLC on Thursday said it has received a general meeting requisition notice from Richmond Group Ltd for appointing James Benamor as a director of the company. The notice also proposes removal of Chief Financial Officer Nayan Kisnadwala, Interim Chair Roger Lovering and Chief Executive Glen Crawford as directors of Amigo and certain resolutions in relation to Amigo's unit Amigo Loans Ltd, the sub-prime lender noted. Amigo said it is consulting with its advisors in relation to these resolutions. On Friday last week, the Financial Times newspaper had reported that Benamor, founder of Amigo, was seeking to return as chief executive despite having recently offloaded much of his majority holding in the company. In a Friday blog post, the FT said: "Benamor said he wanted to return to the company to lead an international expansion while fighting what he described as 'unethical' UK authorities." Under Benamor's plan, the FT reported, incumbent Chief Executive Glen Crawford would keep control of Amigo's UK-regulated Amigo Loans Ltd subsidiary, focusing on cost cutting and shrinking debt, as well as embarking on a judicial view of the Financial Ombudsman Service's handling of customer complaints. In April, majority owner Richmond Group Ltd's Benamor had called for the sub-prime lender's entire board to be ousted after saying the company is "committing slow motion suicide", but shareholders rejected Benamor's resolutions. Amigo and Benamor settled their dispute in June, with Benamor deciding to sell his entire 61% stake in the company. On Monday, Amigo hit back at Benamor, saying that he should not waste time or money in his bid to return. The company had said that while it agrees it continues to face significant challenges to its ongoing operations, it believes that the reappointment of Crawford as CEO is a critical step for the business in navigating through its issues and returning the company to full health as quickly as possible. In July, Bournemouth, England-based Amigo had said Crawford would return to the role of chief effective from August, a position he held from February 2016 but left in April 2019 in order to undertake medical treatment. Shares in Amigo closed 3.7% lower at 12.00 pence each in London Thursday. Year-to-date the stock has shed 82% in value. For its financial year ended March 31, Amigo posted revenue of GBP294.2 million, up 8.7% from GBP270.7 million recorded the year prior. However, pretax loss was GBP37.9 million swinging from a profit of GBP111.0 million. Net loan book was GBP643.1 million, down 9.1% from GBP707.6 million. The deterioration in its financials was driven by an increase in complaint volumes, resulting in a complaints cost of GBP126.8 million compared to a cost of GBP100,000 in financial 2019. The company has set aside a complaints provision of GBP117.5 million to handle complaints compared to no provision as at the end of financial 2019. By Tapan Panchal; tapanpanchal@alliancenews.com Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. Baldomera the donkey has become a social media celebrity after his owner, Ismael Fernandez, posted an emotional video that showed the moment the two were reunited after two months in lockdown. The famous footage was shot at the family's farm in the village of El Borge in the Axarquia on 18 May and has been watched more than 70 million times around the world. "At the moment it's really popular in Argentina. It's moved from country to country as the pandemic spreads in different parts of the world," Fernandez, 37, explained. A Malaga-based journalist, Fernandez has worked for different media agencies and as head of press at Torremolinos town hall for four years. However, the lockdown gave him time to think about the direction his life was going in. He decided to return to El Borge, the village where he was born, along with his partner. "I had been thinking about returning to El Borge to live for years. The idea of living in the countryside and being with animals has always appealed to me" he admitted. "I know for sure that if there's a second lockdown I am not going to get stuck in the centre of Malaga," he added. When his father retired in 2018, his brother Daniel, 34, and Ismael decided to help their father fulfill his dream: "When I retire I am going to buy a donkey and go back to the village," he would say. And that is how Boldemera, now five, entered their lives. Fernandez gave Baldomera to his father, a retired Torremolinos taxi driver, as a retirement present. After two months without seeing the donkey, Ismael went to the farm on 18 May and filmed the reunion. The animal brayed and Ismael can be heard crying in the video. "I initially uploaded the video onto Facebook and made it private but then a friend phoned asking me to make it public, and from there people started to share it and it went viral," he says. Since then, Ismael has given over 200 interviews with international media, including CNN, the Daily Mail and the Telegraph. Despite insisting that he doesn't want to make money from the video he has launched some merchandise including mugs, T-shirts and bags with the brand 'BaldomerayYo', A British company has already filmed a documentary about their story, he's had offers to publish a children's book and he's talked to lawyers in the USA about selling the rights to the video. Ismael says his main objective is to raise awareness of animal rights and to help in the fight against depopulation in rural Spain. The video can be viewed on www.baldomerayyo.com A Chinese mother from Siziwang banner, Ulanqab, north Chinas Inner Mongolia autonomous region, will be going to college along with her son this year, after they both took Chinas college entrance exam, the gaokao. (Photo/Inner Mongolia Daily) Narina, who is 43 years old, scored 404 in the exam, well above the minimum score of 344 required for admission to the second batch of universities for undergraduate education in Inner Mongolia for liberal arts students who were taught in Mongolian. She was eventually admitted to the tourism management program of one of the first batch of universities for undergraduate education at the Inner Mongolia University of Finance and Economics, as the region lowered the minimum score for admission on August 19 to recruit more students for these universities. Narinas son, a science student, scored 520, the highest out of all the science students taught in Mongolian in the city of Ulanqab. But many have asked why Narina would take the gaokao when she is already in her forties. In 1997, when she was a grade three high school student, Narina gave up the opportunity to sit the gaokao, as her mother suffered a serious leg disease and was no longer able to take care of herself. After leaving school, she had to take care of her mother at home while also tending to their cattle and sheep. (Photo/Inner Mongolia Daily) In 2001, Chinas Ministry of Education lifted the restrictions on the maximum age and marital status of candidates for gaokao. In 2011, as the system became more flexible, anyone with a high school graduation certificate or equivalent education level could apply to sit the gaokao. Feeling excited about this change, she bought learning materials and prepared herself for the exam. However, as her daughter was still in kindergarten and her husband would have to take care of all the housework and production by himself if she spent all her time studying, she let the opportunity go once again. This year, she finally took the exam and realized her dream of going to college. I knew my son would take the gaokao this year, so I decided to take it together with him. When I told my family about my decision, they were all very supportive. My son prepared the materials for me. I also took classes in Hohhot for the exam, Narina recalled, saying that she enjoyed the feeling of the old days when she was preparing for gaokao. Some might say, Youre a herdswoman, why do you need to go to college? Well, I think herdsmen also need to enhance our strengths and keep up with the times. Becoming a college student has always been my dream. Even if I cant find a suitable job after graduation, I think its still worth it because I will be a real college graduate, she said joyfully. UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, Ohio Assault: Washington Boulevard At 7:50 p.m. Aug. 23, callers reported that a woman had been struck by a car at the intersection of Washington Boulevard and Fenwick Road. Police arrived to find a woman, 23, conscious and with an injured leg and ankle. The woman told police that the car that hit her was driven by her ex-boyfriend, and that he had fled the area. The woman was taken to the hospital. Police investigated and arrested the suspect on East 114th Street in Garfield Heights. The suspect, 24, of Garfield Heights, had his car impounded. He was charged with two counts of assault and multiple traffic offenses. The victim sought a temporary protection order against the man. Theft: Eaton Road At 11:40 a.m. Aug. 17, a man, 36, reported that a delivered package had been stolen from his doorway. In the package was a computer valued at $1,500. Fraud: Barrington Road At 3:05 p.m. Aug. 17, a man, 64, reported that someone had gained his banking information and used it to take $4,232 from his account. Theft: Washington Boulevard At 6 p.m. Aug. 19, a woman, 27, reported that someone had entered her open, detached garage and stolen her bicycle. Trespassing: Warrensville Center Road At 2:35 a.m. Aug. 20, police detained a Cleveland man, 34, who was found trespassing while on his bike at the City Hall complex, 2304 Warrensville Center Road. It was learned that the man was the subject of multiple warrants. The man was cited for trespassing and turned over to Parma police on a warrant. Property damage: East Carroll Boulevard At 10:40 p.m. Aug. 20, a man, 41, reported that someone had broken a window on his car while it was parked on his property while he was away on vacation. Disturbing the peace: Ashurst Road At 8:05 p.m. Aug. 22, police received a complaint of loud music coming from a house party. Police cited the homes resident, a woman, 19, for disturbing the peace. Disturbing the peace: Silsby Road At 11:10 p.m. Aug. 22, police responded to a complaint of a loud house party. Police charged a resident of the home, a man, 22, with disturbing the peace. Runaways: Fairmount Boulevard At 9:15 a.m. Aug. 22, and then again at 10:15 a.m. the same day, police took separate reports of two 17-year-old girls who had run away from Bellefaire JCB, 22001 Fairmount Blvd. Read more from the Sun Press. Hearst Connecticut Media / Tara O'Neill EASTON Police are urging residents to be vigilant after several complaints about stolen checks from mailboxes. The complaints came in over the last week, according to police. These issues are not something that have just come up because of the coronavirus, said Pranav Nanda, a former high school teacher who works with nonprofits, including Cooks, to help kids in need. These are not issues that came up in the summer, theyre not issues that are going to come up [only when we start] school. D.C. Public Schools start classes next week. There are a number of republicans who particularly irk unionists. Martina Anderson is one of them (and I'm pretty sure she would regard that as a badge of honour, by the way). Many believe that she goes out of her way to offend them and Tuesday's tweet was a prime example: "800m for pensions mainly for those who fought Britain's dirty war in Ireland ... for those involved in collusion ... for British troops like Paras who murdered people on Bloody Sunday ... 800m mainly to discriminate and criminalise and exclude." Read More It's hard to believe that the MLA didn't know what she was doing. She knew that it would cause a problem for Sinn Fein. She knew she would probably have to delete the tweet - maybe even issue an apology. She knew it would enrage all sections of unionism. She knew it would offend and deeply hurt many of those entitled to the payment. Yet, knowing all of that, she still clicked the 'send' button on her phone. Her roots in the IRA go back 40 years. She was born in the Bogside in April 1962 into a well-known republican family. Speaking to BBC Talkback last year, she said: "I am an Irish republican. I was born into a sectarian state, a city that was gerrymandered. "I was born into a town that had Bloody Sunday and internment. I was born into a time when people made choices about righting the wrong that was done." Her choice was to join the Provisional IRA in the late 1970s, when she was a teenager. Shortly afterwards, she was arrested leaving a furniture store in Derry and charged with possession of a firearm and causing an explosion. After two months on remand in Armagh women's prison, she was released on bail and fled across the border to Buncrana, an area frequently used by on-the-run members of the IRA, primarily because it was close to Derry. Not much is known about what she did next, but in June 1985 she was arrested in Glasgow with four other IRA members, including Brighton bomber Patrick Magee. All five were convicted of conspiring to cause explosions in England (although her conviction didn't include the Brighton bombing) and she was sentenced to life imprisonment in June 1986 - after which she gained a first-class honours degree in social science from the Open University. She was released in November 1998 as part of the Good Friday Agreement and soon gained prominence within Sinn Fein. In March 2007, she was elected an MLA for Foyle and became one of the first Sinn Fein members to join the Policing Board. She also served as a junior minister from May 2011 until June 2012, when she replaced Bairbre de Brun as Sinn Fein's MEP. When the role ended - after Brexit - she was co-opted back to the Assembly in February 2020. Ironically, given how unionists view her, Sinn Fein appointed her as director of their Unionist outreach project in 2006/07, causing most to believe that the party wasn't actually serious the scheme. The key thing to know about Anderson is that she is rated by Sinn Fein's leadership, key players and grassroots. She was regarded as one of Martin McGuinness's proteges and would probably have made it to the Executive as a full minister had it not been for the fact that it was believed she would be more useful in Brussels, where, in fairness, she developed a much higher profile than her predecessor. While what she tweeted may have been particularly blunt, it's also true that many probably share her view. Sinn Fein is unhappy at having been forced, as they would see it, to give the imprimatur to designating a lead department and progressing the victims' payments scheme. Anderson's anger will be welcomed at many levels of the party, which means she's not going to be disciplined, let alone forced to stand down. The party, for reasons best known to itself, still counts her as an asset. It wasn't her first 'losing it' moment - and it won't be her last. C ity centres risk becoming permanent "ghost towns" if staff do not return to offices, a senior business leader has warned. Carolyn Fairbairn, the director-general of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), said getting staff back into offices and workplaces is as important as pupils returning to school in September. Boris Johnson signalled an end to stay at home guidance in July as he gave employers the green light to get staff back to work, but Dame Carolyn called for the Prime Minister to do more to get office workers back at their desks. "The UKs offices are vital drivers of our economy," she wrote in the Daily Mail. "They support thousands of local firms, from dry cleaners to sandwich bars. They help train and develop young people. And they foster better work and productivity for many kinds of business. "The costs of office closure are becoming clearer by the day. Some of our busiest city centres resemble ghost towns, missing the usual bustle of passing trade. This comes at a high price for local businesses, jobs and communities." Her plea came as a survey from University College London found almost a third of younger workers intend to carry on working from home, the Telegraph reports. The UCL Covid-19 Social Study found that 32 per cent of 30 to 59-year-olds and 29 per cent of 18 to 29-year-olds said they planned to work from home more after the pandemic ends. The study has been monitoring the attitudes and views of 70,000 people since coronavirus lockdown started in March. A separate survey by the BBC found that 50 of the UK's biggest employers have no plans to return staff to the office full-time. Shops reopen during Coronavirus lockdown ease 1 /45 Shops reopen during Coronavirus lockdown ease Primark in Oxford Street Jeremy Selwyn A member of staff prepares to open a branch of H&M in Canterbury, Kent, PA Primark in Birmingham PA NikeTown Oxford Street Jeremy Selwyn Primark in Oxford Street Jeremy Selwyn Shop staff in face masks give a round of applause to the first customers through the doors at the Fenwick store in Newcastle PA Oxford Street Jeremy Selwyn Oxford Street Jeremy Selwyn A doorman in a face mask waits to welcome back customers to the Fenwick store in Northumberland Street, Newcastle PA People queue for outside shops in Canterbury, Ken PA People queue for outside shops in Canterbury, Kent PA Primark in Oxford Street Jeremy Selwyn A customer dressed in personal protective equipment (PPE) in line to shop at Primark, Birmingham PA Primark in Birmingham PA Primark in Birmingham PA NikeTown Oxford Street Jeremy Selwyn Selfridges Matt Writtle/Selfridges Selfridges Matt Writtle/Selfridges A Harrod's 'Green Man' welcomes customers back to Harrods store in Knightsbridge, London PA Customers wait outside Harrods store in Knightsbridge, London PA Primark in Birmingham PA Primark in Oxford Street Jeremy Selwyn Kathryn Stanczyszyn Kathryn Stanczyszyn/BBC People queue ahead of the opening of Primark in Leeds PA Selfridges Matt Writtle/Selfridges A customer dressed in personal protective equipment (PPE) in line to shop at Primark, Birmingham PA A customer carrying bags of shopping leaves Primark in Birmingham PA Primark Oxford Street Jeremy Selwyn Primark Oxford Street Jeremy Selwyn Shoppers in line outside John Lewis in Kingston PA Shops and businesses in Chelsea, West London prepare to re-open to customers Daniel Hambury REUTERS REUTERS REUTERS Some 24 companies said they did not have any plans to return to workers to the office, while 20 have opened their offices for staff unable to work from home. One of the main reasons to remain at home was the inability to stick to social distancing guidelines while accommodating large numbers of staff. However, many businesses said they were offering choice and flexibility to staff who wanted to return. It comes as a CBI report revealed retailers have slashed jobs at the fastest pace since the height of the financial crisis - and warns the worst of the cuts are yet to come. Non-essential shops have been able to reopen since June, but many retailers have had to close shops and cut staff as shoppers and office workers continue to avoid the high street. Alpesh Paleja, lead economist at the CBI, said: "The furlough scheme has proved effective at insulating workers and businesses in some of the worst-hit sectors during the pandemic, but these findings reinforce fears that many job losses have been delayed rather than avoided." How to save the sea: Lessons from an Italian fishing community by AGOSTINO PETRONI When Cosimo Di Biasi, 66, decides its the right day to fish, he begins at 5 p.m. He drives 4 miles to the port of Torre Santa Sabina, boards Nonno Ugo, his 21-foot fiberglass boat, and navigates south for a half-hour to reach a marine reserve in Puglia, in southern Italy. The rocky coast is interspersed with sandy beaches, and at the tip of a tiny peninsula, a majestic tower overlooks the coast. Built by the Aragonese in the 16th century to spot the invading Turkish, the tower is now the symbol of Torre Guacetoa marine reserve spanning 5,400 acres of sea and 5 miles of coastline, where only five boats and seven fishers are allowed to fish. Di Biasi has been operating in the area since he was 10. He would skip school to fish with his father, and he would bring baskets of fish to the teacher to excuse his absences. Still, she failed him in grade six three times. When his boat is in position, Di Biasi throws the half-mile-long leaded net into the water, which is then held up by a series of floating buoys. After this quick operation, the fisher returns home. The invisible wall will lay all night, waiting for fish to get entangled. The morning after, Di Biasi wakes up at sunrise, goes to the bar to get a coffee and a croissant, and navigates his boat back to the reserve to load up the abundant catch of the day. Back at the port in Santa Sabina, locals, restaurant owners, and other buyers wait for Di Biasi. Many of them have already reserved fish from Di Biasis catch the night before. The species, like mullet, are common here; their incredible size sets Di Biasis catch apart. While other fishers in the Mediterranean struggle to make ends meet, going out every night and extracting fish of any kind and size, from anchovies to dolphins, Torre Guacetos fishers enter the reserve only once a week, making stellar revenues of up to $10,000 a day. They are part of a cooperative management project that allows the sea to recover while they thrive economically. But what may seem like a fairy tale today came after years of struggles and conflicts. Conservationists began the difficult task of working with local stakeholders more than 25 years ago, in a region plagued by organized crime and aggressive exploitation of natural resources. Now those fishers are the marine reserves greatest allies. We are the guardians, Di Biasi says proudly. This stretch of sea is ours. Alessandro Ciccolella, the director of Consorzio di Gestione Torre Guaceto, the management entity of the natural reserve, says that before they took over in 2001, this stretch of coast was a no-mans-land. Organized crime had a stronghold in the area, using the shores of Torre Guaceto as a port for tobacco and drug smuggling. Ciccolella would tell us that one day Torre Guaceto would be a reserve. But we didnt believe him, and we didnt care, Di Biasi says. Fishers would detonate homemade bombs underwater, harvesting the dead fish that floated to the surface. In the process, though, they were killing marine life, destroying the reef, and risking their lives. Plus most of the kill went to the seafloor, while clouds of dust filled the waters. According to Ciccolella, fishers thought they were plowing the sea for good. The area was so worn out that in 2001 the Consorzio, formed by World Wildlife Fund and the nearby cities of Brindisi and Carovigno, decided to close the waters of the reserve for five years to let it recover from the past exploitation. The biggest problem for a Marine Protected Area seems to be control and management. Many projects similar to Torre Guaceto fail because of the absence of precise control of the territory. Now, after years of struggling, Torre Guaceto can count on the rigorous vigilance of the Italian Coast Guard and of the fishers. But even with such control, some illegal fishing still happens at night. Today an unlikely event is happening: Fishers are the ones asking for the protection for the sea. We requested the director to enlarge the marine reserve, Di Biasi says. The request is now under examination by the Ministry of Environment. In the meantime, 10 other fishers from nearby towns have already started fishing with shorter nets and wider mesh sizes, hoping the reserve will be extended to include their coastlines soon. Now Di Biasi goes to elementary schools to explain the importance of sustainable fishing. He also goes to fishing communities in other Mediterranean countries to tell incredulous fishers that it is possible to make more money while preserving the sea. We hope they will follow our example and create a marine reserve, Di Biasi says. It took us time to learn this, but now we hope that others will do [it] too. 2020 YES! MAGAZINE Theme(s): Communities and Organisations. On Chinese Valentines Day on Tuesday, delivery men throughout Ho Chi Minh City were busy shipping bowls of red bean soup to customers who believed eating the dish would bring good luck to their love life. Chinese Valentine's Day, also known as Double-Seventh Day or Qixi Festival in China and That Tich in Vietnam, takes place annually on the seventh day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar. The holiday is held to commemorate the reunion of a separated mythological Chinese couple. Although That Tich celebrations vary in each country, single people who observe the festival in Vietnam often use the occasion to seek out a romantic partner. It is also common for many to try and increase their chances of finding a lover by eating red bean sweet soup. In Vietnam, red bean sweet soup has become the center of attention for the celebration as it symbolizes a desire to pursue blessings, a loving relationship, and a fulfilled marriage. As such, the days surrounding the festival typically see eateries throughout Ho Chi Minh City managing endless queues of people waiting to buy the lucky dish. The amount of red bean soup we sold on That Tich this year was triple that of a normal day. I had to make more because wed already sold out, a sweet soup shop owner on Bui Thi Xuan Street in District 1 shared. A bowl of red bean sweet soup served at a dessert store in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Photo: Phan Tran / Tuoi Tre Since online shopping has soared in Vietnam, delivery men are on the go with their red bean sweet soup orders on this special day. Since [Tuesday] morning Ive have received 50 red bean sweet soup orders of at least four servings each, said Nguyen Van Tuong, a delivery man who had been filling soup orders at shops along Ho Thi Ky, Bui Thi Xuan, and Nguyen Tri Phuong streets. Eaters not only enjoyed their order on the spot but also fetched a dozen additional servings home, the shop owner said. The average price for a bowl of traditional red bean sweet soup is about VND10,000-VND20,000 (US$0.43-0.86) and dozens of stores across the city had sold out by Tuesday morning. Thanh Hoa, a resident of Binh Chanh District, who had just purchased her own bowl of red bean sweet soup, was visibly happy with her purchase. All of the shops I dropped by ran out of stock. It is widely known that red bean sweet soup brings luck to anyone who eats it on That Tich, so I managed to buy this dish for my whole family, Hoa said. A delivery man holds a bag of red bean sweet soup servings outside a dessert store in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Photo: Phan Tran / Tuoi Tre In the spirit of the festival, beverage shops have added a variety of brand new dishes to their menu, including red bean milk tea, red bean mixed soybean milk, red bean tofu, and red bean patbingsu a popular Korean shaved ice dessert with sweet toppings. According to Huy, the manager of a milk tea shop in District 3, red bean milk tea was the most popular drink on the That Tich day, with more than 200 servings sold in the morning alone. In addition to sweet soup and milk tea, at VND10,000-VND15,000 ($0.43-0.65), homemade red bean yogurt was a popular alternative during this years celebration. More than 200 jars of yogurt had been sold by Tuesday afternoon at a shop on Xo Viet Nghe Tinh Street in Binh Thanh District. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Area 51, World War II, featured in an out-of-this-world novel for everyone! Denver, CO BAD LOVE TIGERS by Denver doctor Kevin L. Schewe has become a bestselling book in multiple categories: #1 Aviation World History #1 Hotels & Inns Travel Reference #1 Auto & RV Travel #2 Children's Aliens Books #3 Military Aviation History In this brand-new sequel to the critically acclaimed novel Bad Love Strikes, Schewe has penned another enjoyable romp that balances the delicate subject matter of a dark time in history, with the adventurous hope of youth. Part history lesson, part sci-fi adventure, Schewe's engaging characters in The Bad Love Gang, (based on his own friends in high school), embark on a road trip across America to save the world from the Russians, help win WWII, and discover some unearthly information involving Area 51. Readers of all ages will love Bad Love Tigers, which also contains a soundtrack to guide you on your journey. And the best part? The historical facts are real. Schewe, a lifelong WWII aficionado, has spent years researching his topics, including the very old and famous hotels that the kids stay in along the way. In the first book, the Bad Love Gang discovers The White Hole project, a "backup plan" time-travel machine created by Roosevelt in case America lost the race to be the first with the atomic bomb. In this exciting sequel, they use it to travel back to 1945 to thwart Russian spies and protect the secrets of Area 51, before heading to China to volunteer with the AVG Flying Tigers under General Claire Chennault. Schewe, who has a background in physics, has always loved stories about time travel. He has been fascinated by the story of the AVG Flying Tigers since he was seven years old and sick with asthma. The story of the Flying Tigers was one of the first history books he read. Mixing fiction with solid historical facts and interesting anecdotes such as the formation of Oak Ridge, TN, historical stories of some of America's most famous hotels, the dawn of the atomic age, and mingling with the likes of President Roosevelt, Schewe offers up an entertaining history lesson. And because he always had a soundtrack playing in his head, he adds a list of music to listen along to on your reading adventure. Whether you're a history buff, a time-travel buff, or just in need of a fun book that will leave you happy, Bad Love Tigers is the adventure you've been waiting for. Grab your copy today! "The Bad Love Gang is back with more edge-of-your-seat adventure involving spies, planes and time travel. This novel will thrill history buffs fascinated by World War II and the Cold War and takes you on a wild road trip across America." John Kelly, Detroit Free Press "Few writers have the well-tuned skill of incorporating popular music themes to inculcate historical arenas that Kevin L. Schewe achieves in his fascinating series BAD LOVE. With precision and humor and imagination his contemporary crew transports us to other times, and the journey is terrific!" Dr. Grady Harp, Amazon Top 50 Hall of Fame Reviewer About Kevin Schewe: Kevin L. Schewe, MD, FACRO is a board-certified cancer specialist who has been in the private practice of radiation oncology for over 33 years. He is an entrepreneur, having founded Elite Therapeutics and Bad Love Cosmetics Company, LLC. He also serves as Chairman of the Board of a small, publicly-traded, renewable, green energy and animal feed company called VIASPACE, Inc. Bad Love Tigers is the sequel to his bestselling debut novel Bad Love Strikes. You can connect with Schewe through his website KevinSchewe.com or Instagram: @realkevinschewe. Watch the book trailer here. Bad Love Tigers, ISBN 9781950895410, Broken Crow Ridge Publishing, 2020, paperback, $21.00, hardcover, $35.95, ebook: $9.99, 354 pages, available on Amazon and jancarolpublishing.com. Media Contact: For a review copy of Bad Love Tigers or to arrange an interview with Dr. Kevin Schewe, contact Scott Lorenz of Westwind Communications Book Marketing at scottlorenz@westwindcos.com or by phone at 734-667-2090. Follow Lorenz on Twitter @abookpublicist Phnom Penh, Aug 27 : Schools across Cambodia will reopen on September 7 after they were temporarily closed in March due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Education Ministry announced on Thursday. Education Minister Hang Chuon Naron said in a statement that schools must properly follow the standard operating procedures set out by the Ministry of Health in order to ensure students' safety, reports Xinhua news agency. "The schools must comply with safety and hygiene measures, especially maintaining social distancing by not allowing students to gather in order to prevent the spread of Covid-19," he said. The number of students in a classroom must not be more than 20, the statement said. It added that the new academic year 2020-2021 will start from January 11, 2021 onwards. Cambodia has seen success in controlling the spread of the Covid-19. The country has recorded a total of 273 confirmed cases to date, with no deaths and 264 recoveries. New York: Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden spoke on Wednesday (Thursday AEST) with the family of the black man shot by police in Wisconsin, and emerged from the conversation calling for justice and condemning violent protest in Jacob Blake's name. Kenosha, Wisconsin, has been rocked by civil unrest and violence since Sunday, when police shot Blake, 29, in the back at close range in an incident captured on video. Blake is paralysed and is being treated for his injuries. Joe Biden is running for president on a platform of law, order and healing. Credit:AP "I spoke to Jacob's mom and dad and sister and other members of the family just a little bit earlier, and I told them justice must and will be done," Biden said in a video posted to his campaign's social media accounts. He said he agreed with Blake's mother, Julia Jackson, who said violence in the streets does not reflect her son or family. CEDAR FALLS Saying they wanted a mask mandate to focus on education, not enforcement, City Council members nonetheless couldnt come up with an immediate solution at a nonvoting work session Wednesday. The only Cedar Falls council member outright opposed to anything approaching a mask mandate in the city was at-large member Dave Sires. Im just so against making laws against peoples freedoms, Sires said, noting he was against telling businesses what to do, and thought the council should also go back to in-person meetings. When somebodys fear infringes on somebodys freedom, I have a problem with that. But other council members who spoke at the work session were at least willing to take a look at a mandate, similar to those passed in other cities like Waterloo, Des Moines and Dubuque, or the other university towns of Iowa City and Ames, the latter of which was drafting their own ordinance. Gov. Kim Reynolds has not issued a statewide mask mandate. I dont wish to upset anybodys businesses or take anybodys freedoms, but at the same time we need to recognize theres another side to that discussion, said at-large member Kelly Dunn. We are here, especially the at-large people, to represent all citizens of our city. Ward 5 council member Frank Darrah agreed with others who said they thought the City Council should stake out a position on the issue, whether that was a mandate or simply a recommendation. I want to say to businesses, Im not about a mandate either, Darrah said. The last thing we want to do is hurt their businesses. But to me, intervening now is going to help them keep their businesses open. Kathryn Sogard, executive director of the College Hill Partnership, sent a letter to The Courier on Wednesday evening asking for such a mandate, saying businesses were otherwise not on an even playing field with one another. Because of the timing, it wasnt clear if members of the council had read it prior to the meeting. Shifting this leadership obligation onto individual citizens, small businesses and organizations such as ours results in a leadership void and is unwise, Sogard wrote on behalf of the Partnership. Having no mandate leaves these practices up to each visitor who chooses to head to the Hill or any other place. Sogards letter was written in response to photos of long lines outside of College Hill bars recently, prompting University of Northern Iowa President Mark Nook to issue a strong rebuke of students gathering in close proximity during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Ward 1 council member Mark Miller said he thought an ordinance, rather than a resolution, would at least have the possibility of a fine, whether it was ultimately enforced or not, and might make people more likely to comply and even willing to patronize businesses again. You all have been getting the same emails Im getting from the number of people who arent going out theyre not spending money at businesses because they dont feel comfortable, Miller said. Ward 4 council member Simon Harding said he believed some type of stance from council would take pressure off businesses as well. It doesnt matter what we do today, were going to wake up with angry emails tomorrow, Harding said. I think were going to have to say yes or no. Ultimately, with time running out before a scheduled planning and zoning commission meeting, the council agreed to have another work session next week to continue the discussion. Just basic empathy for the other side thats an aspect that is really missing right now, Mayor Rob Green said. I would encourage that, and thats something I can certainly promote and engage with right away to bridge some of these divides. Concerned about COVID-19? Sign up now to get the most recent coronavirus headlines and other important local and national news sent to your email inbox daily. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. - BBNaija's Nengi has assured her partner Ozo that Kiddwaya is just her playing mate - This was after Ozo expressed concerns that she sat on the laps of the former Head of House - In response, Nengi stated that Kiddwaya is just her friend PAY ATTENTION: Click See First under the Following tab to see Legit.ng News on your Facebook News Feed! BBNaija Lockdown housemates Ozo and Nengi are currently enjoying the privileges of being the head and deputy of the house respectively. The housemates, who love to spend time together, now have a whole week to do so without interruption in the Head of House lounge. Recently, a video of them having a conversation in the lounge surfaced. In the video, Ozo expressed his worry about the way Nengi sat on Kiddwaya's laps. PAY ATTENTION: Read the best news on Nigeria's #1 news app BBNaija: Nengi calms Ozo down after he worried about her relationship with Kiddwaya. Source: @nengiofficial, @officialozo_, @kiddwaya Source: Instagram Reacting to that, the beautiful deputy Head of House stated that they are just friends and nothing more. In response to that, Ozo told Nengi about one of his friends called Kelechi. According to him, Kelechi would say that it is from sitting on the laps that they would start licking their ears. Nengi responded to Ozo again and reiterated that Kiddwaya is just her playing partner. According to her, he's the only one who matches her energy. She went on to tell Ozo not to take them seriously. Watch the video below: PAY ATTENTION: Get your daily relationship tips and advice on Africa Love Aid group In other news, Legit.ng earlier reported that Wale Jana shared some photos from his visit to Kiddwaya's father's Versace-inspired home. The controversial perfumier took to his Instagram page to tell his fans and followers that he met Terry Waya, the father of BBNaija Lockdown housemate Kiddwaya. According to Wale, Terry is his great mentor. The perfumier stated that he had an amazing time listening to the billionaire businessman while also appreciating him for the gift of access. According to Wale, amidst the conversations they had about business, they had the time to discuss about Kiddwaya. He noted that they have a strategy for him. He shared some photos and a video from their meeting and they revealed the luxurious home of the businessman as the couch, floor area and the centre table all carried the designs of the popular luxury brand, Versace. BBNaija: I like Nengi, KiddWaya is very humble despite his rich background Tochi | Legit TV Source: Legit.ng Hyderabad: Justice A. Rajasheker Reddy of the Telangana High Court on Wednesday dismissed the pleas of Karvy Stock Broking Ltd, which challenged the decision of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs in ordering a probe by the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) into the company's alleged financial irregularities. Karvy was seeking a direction to the SFIO not take any coercive steps against the management of the company. Following the orders of the ministry, the SFIO had issued notices to the firm on June 16 and 19 this year in contravention to provisions of the Companies Act, 2013. The petitioners company sought a stay order on the notices. Taking into consideration of the arguments of the assistant solicitor general, N. Rajeshwar Rao, who had submitted that the action of the company affected the interests of over 93,133 depositors, the judge rejected Karvys pleas. The primary investigation into the issue of Karvy ltd. proved that the company indulged in financial irregularities and in spite of several debts, the company transferred around `425 crore to the realty sector. The Centre directed the probe based on the report submitted by the Registrar of Companies (ROC). New Hampshire is home to a lot of close elections. It may still have a reputation for hardworking, independent Yankees, and supposedly 2% more Republican voters than Democrats, but the last time the state voted for a Republican for president was in 2000. In 2016, President Trump lost by fewer than 3,000 votes. This year, New Hampshire is expected to be a nail biter for the president. The right GOP Senate candidate could make a crucial difference, but it is not at all certain we will get the top candidate who can help turn out voters. The state GOP are not fighters and are said to have already conceded the Senate seat to Democrat incumbent, Jeanne Shaheen, although half the voters in the state told pollsters last year they want a change. Brigadier General Don Bolduc begs to differ. He is running with everything hes got in the GOP Senate primary on September 8, just two weeks away. General Bolduc generated a lot of conservative media excitement when he announced (see the National Review, Daily Caller, Breibart, and the Military Times) and for very good reason he is one of our most decorated war heroes and a true conservative. But actual financial and organizing support from the GOP, not so much. Lack of funds is seriously hampering his efforts to get his message out. No one is watching his back. Brigadier General Bolduc is out there on the hustings and on the phone on his own. This is so wrong. In his 32 years of active duty service to his country, Don Bolduc received two awards for valor, five Bronze Star medals, two Purple Hearts, led ten deployments, and survived both a bomb blast, numerous firefights, and a helicopter crash. He rose from private to Brigadier General. After 9/11, then Major Bolduc led one of the first groups into Afghanistan, riding on horseback against the Taliban in the southern mountains. From 2013-2017, he ran U.S. military actions in Africa, responsible for 1,700 military personnel in 28 countries, and counter-terrorism operations. He also served on the Joint Staff for the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of the Army, so he understands D.C. swamp politics very well. Since leaving military service, he has devoted himself to veterans welfare. Don Bolduc is a fighter and a winner. And he wants the chance to fight for our country. Here is the bottom line in the coming election presidential election, in the Generals words: Forget about the tweets. Look at what danger our country is in. We have a choice in this election between American socialism and freedom. If we elect American socialism, were going to have to fight our way back to freedom. And it will get uglier. Weve got to send people down there who are going to immediately stand up and say this is wrong, this is why its wrong, and constantly push back on this socialist narrative thats been allowed to supplant the values and ethics in our Declaration of Independence and our federalist republic. The people we send down there are careerist politicians and they're not working for us. Its time to change. Thats what Im offering, nothing more than that. I promise I will go down and I will do that. I will be accountable to the people who sent me down there, not special interests or lobbyists. New Hampshires First in The Nation Presidential Primary is famous, but they have another, less savory, tradition -- Democrat meddling in Republican primaries. Liberals register as independents and bring in buses of college students, some of them double voting in other states, to knock out the strongest GOP candidate. According to former state rep Michael Moffet, they have Don Bolduc in their crosshairs. We are facing a potentially serious setback for the conservative cause, as Brigadier General Don Bolduc is exactly the sort of man the nation needs in Washington. He has been endorsed by Senator Cotton and by the Senate Conservatives Fund as a top priority race. General Bolduc has some real strengths in the primary and the general Senate race. He has been an outstanding advocate for our vets, and there are 115,000 vets voting in New Hampshire. He is a native son, grandson of a New Hampshire farmer, running in the Senate primary against a Colorado businessman. He is smart, sensible, and practical on many pressing issues, promoting effective conservative approaches to health care and education. As a retired military man with 33 years of selfless service, who achieved the rank of Brigadier General, Bolduc turned down six-figure offers to join the DC swamp as a lobbyist and board member working his Rolodex for military procurement contracts. He is believable when he pledges to voters, he is not joining the Senate to make a fortune, like most of our politicians. He wants to get to Washington to fight for his constituents and for our country. I had the privilege of spending half an hour on the phone with General Bolduc and came away floored that he is being starved for funds to promote his candidacy. I am heartened that the generation of men who served in Iraq and Afghanistan are showing an interest in political leadership and entering the very dirty arena of American politics. General Bolduc would be joining leaders like Senator Cotton and Congressman Crenshaw. When I look at the next generation of GOP leadership, it is people like General Bolduc who give me hope for America. You can donate to General Bolducs campaign here Photo credit: U.S. Special Operations Command Africa Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 21:04:50|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KAMPALA, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Uganda has put Kyangwali Refugee Settlement in the western district of Kikuube under lockdown after aid workers tested positive for COVID-19, a spokesperson of the UN refugee agency said on Thursday. Rocco Nuri, acting spokesperson of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) office, told Xinhua that effective from Aug. 26, government restricted movements and activities in the settlement after 22 humanitarian staff members and 72 refugees tested positive for the virus. The settlement has also registered one death. "We will continue to work with the ministry of health, national and district authorities, partners, refugee representatives and village health teams to ensure that refugees be sensitized of the risks and measures to contain the spread of COVID-19," said Nuri. According to UNHCR, the settlement hosts about 120,000 refugees, mainly those fleeing insecurity from the neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo. As of Aug. 26, Uganda had registered a total of 2,524 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 1,268 recoveries and 26 deaths, according to the health ministry figures. Enditem During Grace Rochas first semester at Texas State University, she told her speech class that she had attended Robert E. Lee High School in Baytown, Texas. One of her peers balked; her alma mater was actually named for a Confederate general? The district should see that people are looking at us differently or making judgments about us and the school we come from or our hometown from all over the place because of the name, Rocha said. The Texas high school serves a student body thats 15.2 percent African American and 72.6 percent Hispanic, in the predominantly minority school district. Yet, its moniker venerates the Confederacy's military leader and slave owner who in life ironically discouraged monuments to the Civil War, including Confederate monuments. Amid the summers historic reckoning with more than 1,700 publicly sponsored Confederate symbols across the country, other school boards in Texas have voted to rename high schools that once commemorated Lee. But Baytowns Goose Creek Consolidated Independent School District is lagging behind, despite a legacy of community outcry dating back soon after desegregation. Now, after a groundswell of calls and emails, the school board has scheduled a vote next month on whether to finally eliminate the Confederate reference. No ones saying that if we remove that name, that we take away your ability to pick up a book or use Google, Neil Hernandez, a 2014 graduate, said. We still learn about these historical figures. They just dont deserve to be honored. Agustin Loredo, a member of the Goose Creek School District board of trustees and a Robert E. Lee alumnus, agrees that the current name hurts students and communities. Were going to do the right thing, because thats what were about. And were about educating kids, he said. At least my opinion is were not going to continue to perpetuate this kind of subtle discrimination based on something that happened in high school. Story continues The Baytown school district declined to comment on whether it supported a name change. Susan Passmore, director of communications, said that "Goose Creek CISD is continuing to receive input from the community" and touted the high school's "rich history." Constructed in 1928,the institution is a legacy of the Jim Crow era, and a push to romanticize the Confederacy, which has often been venerated through similar monuments, school names, highways and military installations. Those tributes represent a direct act of intimidation to assert that white supremacy was the law of the land, Lecia Brooks, chief of staff for the Southern Poverty Law Center, explained. Download the NBC News app for breaking news and politics In Baytown, another local high schools name refers to Ross S. Sterling, the one-term Texas governor and alleged member of the Ku Klux Klan, while the mascot of the local college, also called Lee, is the Rebels a term used to describe Confederate loyalists. I love my community, but we have some issues that were dealing with. You know, I think most of America is dealing with these issues, Loredo said. Controversy incites bitter battle Controversy around potential reforms at the high school has incited a bitter battle in Baytown, as some locals fervently disavow the prospect of change. Most of them havent even read our American history, said Marilyn Lane, a 1973 graduate whose family has attended the school for generations. Blacks, this Black Lives Matter, all they wanna do is tear up stuff. Im not a racist at all, and I have intelligent Black friends, Lane told NBC News, while simultaneously claiming that instead of getting a job, Black people steal, rob, bust into stuff to sell it. Some proponents of the schools Confederate affiliations have posted vitriolic online comments, including language that threatened violence against their opposition, according to screenshots Victoria A. Marron, a leader of the Baytown Coalition for Change, shared with NBC News. The ultimate goal is to shame all of us into submission, one person said on Facebook. I will never bend the knee. Others dont see how the name is relevant to the schools overall culture and fear efforts to change it could open a Pandoras box of further actions. You gotta identify the root cause, Zenaida Flores, a 1993 graduate, said. And I dont think the root cause would be the name of a building. Advocates of removing the name, however, connect it to a more insidious specter of backwards traditions and unequal treatment that have long divided the community. Decades ago, the now defunct all-female drum and bugle corps, called the Brigadiers, wore Confederate-style uniforms, and instead of crowning a prom king, teenagers were anointed Gen. Robert E. Lee. Ginny Grimsley, a one-time president of the Brigadiers who has tried on three occasions to change her alma maters name, looks back on her high school experience with an icky sheen. I feel ashamed that I didnt recognize it or know it at the time, that it was hurtful to other people, she said. She remembers watching excitedly from the stands as a flag bearer ran across the football field with the Confederate battle flag. She imagines her Black classmates and their families noticing her enthusiasm, and that separating all of us. More recently, taunting paintings of the Confederate general hung in the schools front office and hallways, Rocha, a member of the class of 2019, recalled. In a letter to the districts superintendent in July, the principal at the time, Joseph Farnsworth, wrote that Lees constant likeness on display sent a message of cultural insensitivity and cultural incompetence. "Behaviors within the institution ... never fully addressed" Some of the most vocal defenders of the high schools name have been its faculty. Randy Sprehe, a U.S. history teacher who has worked there for nearly two decades, wrote in the local paper that he found the potential name change appalling and crazy, partially because the Confederate general did not fight to protect slavery but instead for states rights, a revisionist retelling of the Civil War that has been fully debunked. Brian Walenta, another social studies teacher, wrote in a separate opinion post that if the school board changed the name, our students and our student body will change because it will now be all about race and that will be in the forefront of their minds. Marron worked at Robert E. Lee as a Communities in Schools case manager from 2008-2012. Im not gonna say that the name of the school on the outside as a student walks in impacts them every single day," she said, "but the behaviors within the institution that have built that school is something that never seems to be addressed." Marron said that she has overheard teachers and assistant principals at the school using dehumanizing language to describe students, and that microaggressions routinely target Black and brown people. A kid is a punk, thug or even piece of s---, and teens running up to their classroom as the bell rings have the door shut on them because a rule is a rule, she said. Passmore, the district spokesperson, wrote, "We have no knowledge of anyone having reported the use of derogatory language or extreme punishment in the past." But Marron said that while "there are really great, awesome teachers out there, there are also bad ones. The calls for change, she said, go beyond a name. Its about changing the practices within the walls of the institution, she said. "And by changing the name, it's like making that statement as a district, as a city, as a town, that we will not tolerate racial injustices. Follow NBC Latino on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. An Australian woman with a knack for DIY projects has shared how she transformed an old chest of drawers into a stylish piece of furniture. Agus, from Melbourne, shared before and after images to the Kmart Inspired Homes Facebook group where she revealed she used Porter's Paint Snow White Chalk Paint from Bunnings Warehouse, and so little sanding was required. 'There's NO need to sand if your painting with chalk paint, it can go over the stained wood,' she said. The piece of storage furniture was originally a deep red wood colour, but the white chalk paint turned it into a modern, appealing look. BEFORE: An Australian woman with a knack for DIY projects has shared how she transformed an old chest of drawers (pictured) into a stylish piece of furniture AFTER: Agus, from Melbourne, revealed she used Porter's Paint Snow White Chalk Paint from Bunnings Warehouse, and so little sanding was required to complete the look To complete the home project, Agus removed the handles and painted the entire chest of drawers except the top. 'I used an electric sander to sand back the top, can be done by hand I'm guessing, but with a lot of patience and paint stripper to remove the stain first,' she said. 'Varnished both [the] top and chalk paint with Cabot's water based clear varnish, which I absolutely love!' She also purchased new gold ball handles from Bunnings to complete the look and said she's 'pretty happy' with the end result. To complete the home project, Agus removed the handles and painted the entire chest of drawers except the top 'I used an electric sander to sand back the top, can be done by hand I'm guessing, but with a lot of patience and paint stripper to remove the stain first,' she said The social media post received more than 1,400 'likes' from like-minded people online who praised Agus for sharing the transformation. 'This is inspirational to up-cycle and have a go at doing this project, well done,' one person said. 'Stunning. Porters have the best paint, expensive but I love it,' another added. A third added: 'That looks amazing!! This is what I'm doing to the old draws in my garage.' On July 1 she also revealed how she transformed a bedside table purchased off Facebook marketplace for $5 (pictured) And this isn't the first time Agus has shared one of her furniture up-cycles to thousands online. On July 1 she revealed how she transformed a bedside table purchased off Facebook marketplace for $5. 'I love seeing the before and after and realising how a bit of love can make such a big difference,' she said on her Instagram page. Agus shared the DIY project process to Facebook, Instagram and TikTok and wowed her followers with how simple and budget-friendly it was. Thanks to her useful talent, Agus has managed to sell some of her up-cycled pieces to others. ICSF publishes latest edition of Yemaya, women-in-fisheries newsletter August 27,2020 | Source: ICSF The latest issue of the women-in-fisheries newsletter of the International Collective in Support of Fishworkers (ICSF), Yemaya No.61, dated August 2020, features articles and interviews from Brazil, Costa Rica, France, India, Indonesia, Mexico and Senegal. The lead article is on small-scale fisheries and food security and the issue also carries a photo essay on the practice of Aratu fishing in the mangrove forests of Brazil. The Costa Rica article, by Maria Suarez Toro, looks at how the harsh economic impact of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic-related lockdown has spurred fisherwomen to return to their traditional sources of livelihood. Emmanuelle Yhuel -Bertin looks at the impact of the Covid-19 lockdown on small-scale fishing in Lorient, France, and how it is vividly captured in the pages of a diary maintained by a gillnetter skippers spouse. The article has been translated from French by Daniele Le Sann. The article from Indonesia, by Dedi Adhuri, points out how incomes from both harvest and post-harvest activities have dried up, leaving fishers in the lurch, adding to the anxieties of women who must make arrangements to survive from one day to the next. Ines Lopez-Ercilla, Jorge Torre, Neyra Solano, and Francisco Fernandez, in their article on Mexico, argue that, as in other countries, the experience of sheltering at home has led to increased domestic violence against women. Women in the small-scale fishing sector in Mexico are key drivers ensuring food security and community wellbeing during the Covid-19 pandemic. Ria Fitriana and Maria Kurupat, in their article on Indonesia, looks at how the changing land-use patterns threatens the livelihood of female crab collectors in Merauke, Papua, Indonesia. The article by Julie Lalluet-Geffroy,translated from French by Gildas, portraits a resolute mussel farmer, Amelie Dennebouy, who has challenged gender stereotypes to become a successful mussel entrepreneur in Penestin, France. Nicole Franz, in her article, provides a brief overview of relevant international legal instruments and processes on small-scale fisheries contributions to rights to food and nutrition security, with a focus on the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). In Assane Demes interview (transcript prepared by Beatrice Gorez and translated from French to English by Gildas) with Mme Diaba Diop, general secretary of Pencum, Senegal, she points out that it is imperative that States extend all possible support to fishing communities, particularly to women and other vulnerable sections, in order to mitigate the dual challenge of growing food insecurity amidst the spread of Covid-19. There is a need for rehabilitating the processing sites, she added. Women would require field training to master new techniques. Beatriz Mesquita,Lorena Franca and Luciecia Cristina Moraiss da Silva, in their interview with Sandra Gomes, President of the Association of Indigenous Communities of the Middle Negro River ( ACIMRN), speaks about the challenge indigenous communities are facing due to Covid-19. Vishakha Gpta, in the Yemaya Recommends section, poins out that the film, Seguridad Alimentaria (Food Security) shows how activities such as fishing and clam gathering are experiences through which the community connects and continues to pass on their heritage. In the Profile column, Nasser Kasozi writes about how the work of Lovin Kobusiye is an example of new entrepreneurship emerging in pan-African fisheries and aquaculture. In the Whats New Webby? section, Manas Roshan writes about how ICSFs new website, https://covid.icsf.net presents information on specific sectoral issues affected by Covid-19 and also disseminates new information as signs of recovery from the pandemic. In the Milestones section, Ahana Lakshmi speaks about how the new book, "The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2020", indicates that women now have better access to decision-making positions at the local level, mainly through legislated quotas. This issue of the Yemaya also carries the ever-popular cartoon strip, Yemaya Mama ('A fishy deal). The current issue can be accessed at: https://www.icsf.net/en/yemaya/article/EN/61.html?limitstart=0 2020 ICSF Theme(s): Others. (Natural News) Astronomers predicted that a mysterious fast radio burst would repeat this July or August. And it did, as predicted, according to recent observations of the fast radio burst (FRB) called FRB 121102. In June this year, an international group of researchers found that FRB 121102 repeats every 157 days. Such repeating FRBs are not unheard-of, however, this was only the second time that they were found to recur in a regular pattern. FRB 121102 was the second FRB observed to have a predictable cycle, with the first one having a mush shorter, 16-day cycle. Scientists still do not know a lot about repeat FRBs. Although they are known to come from distant galaxies, their precise origin remains unknown. But with the studys prediction turning out to be correct, the researchers can now narrow down the possible causes of the FRBs. Detecting a periodicity provides an important constraint on the origin of the bursts and the activity cycles could argue against a precessing neutron star, said lead author Kaustubh Rajwade of the University of Manchester. The findings of the study appeared in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. Predictions for fast radio burst 121102 FRBs are intense pulses of radio waves that occur within a span of a few milliseconds. It is estimated that they unleash as much energy in less than a second as the Sun does in a century. More than 100 FRBs have been detected since their discovery in 2007. However, only a few of them repeat and fewer do so in a predictable pattern. The first FRB to display such a predictable activity cycle is FRB 180916.J0158+65. These radio pulses are believed to come from a galaxy 500 million light-years from Earth. According to a recent study, radio pulses from this source reappear every 16 days. Scientists examined 38 bursts that were detected from September 2018 to February 2020. They discovered that FRB 180916 fires off bursts for about five days and then goes dormant for 11 days before going through another cycle. The second FRB to display such a recurrent activity cycle is FRB 121102, located in a dwarf galaxy about three billion light-years away. In the present study, the researchers examined radio bursts from this source using the Lovell Telescope, a 250-foot-wide radio dish at Jodrell Bank Observatory in the United Kingdom. The team explained that FRB 121102 recurs every 157 days, becoming active for 90 days before going silent for another 67. They had previously predicted that it would reappear before August 28 this year. (Related: Scientists trace mysterious, short-lived radio bursts to a galaxy located 3.6 billion light-years away from Earth.) However, calculations by other researchers came up with different results. A German team claimed that FRB 121102 repeats after 161 days based on their observations using the Effelsberg telescope. They also predicted that the current active period will end on October 14. Meanwhile, an estimate by Chinese astronomers was much closer to that of the current study. Using the Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope in China, the researchers found that the FRB repeated after about 156 days. They added that the current active cycle of FRB 121102 will end somewhere between August 31 and September 9. But if FRB 121102 remains active beyond September 9, the researchers noted that the burst either evolved or that their predictions were incorrect. Theories for the origins of repeating fast radio bursts According to the current study, repeating FRBs are unlikely to be caused by cataclysmic events such as a supernova. Most of the bursts caused by such events are thought to flare only once and would never be detected again. The team posited that a regular sequence in burst activity implies that repeating FRBs are linked to a large-scale cosmic phenomenon. Such a phenomenon may involve a neutron star orbiting a much more massive star. These stars may complete an orbit at around the same time in which a repeat FRB completes a cycle. When the stars begin a new orbit, Earth could detect pulses from the neutron star during times when its stellar companion is not obscuring it. Its also possible that a magnetar a highly magnetized neutron star could have a wobbly rotational axis. This could cause periodic flare-ups that could manifest over the span of a few weeks. This explanation is compatible with FRB 180916, which cycles every 16 days, but not with FRB 121102. (Related: Mystery from space: Scientists record three new fast radio bursts could aliens be trying to communicate with us?) With many questions still left unanswered, scientists are looking to study FRBs further and determine what cosmic events are involved during a radio wave burst and how they could be useful in space research. Follow Cosmic.news for more news about weird and interesting phenomenon in space. Sources include: DailyMail.co.uk Manchester.ac.uk Space.com 1 Space.com 2 Someone on Reddit did a bit of sleuthing and discovered that an American kid with no knowledge of the Scots language wrote almost every single article on the Scots version of Wikipedia. He offered up the following examples: Blaise Pascal (19 Juin 1623 19 August 1662) wis a French mathematician, pheesicist, inventor, writer an Christian filosofer. He wis a child prodigy that wis eddicated bi his faither, a tax collector in Rouen. Pascal's earliest wark wis in the naitural an applee'd sciences whaur he made important contreibutions tae the study o fluids, an clarified the concepts o pressur an vacuum bi generalisin the wark o Evangelista Torricelli. In Greek meethology, the Minotaur wis a creatur wi the heid o a bull an the body o a man or, as describit bi Roman poet Ovid, a being "pairt man an pairt bull". The Minotaur dwelt at the centre o the Labyrinth, which wis an elaborate maze-lik construction designed bi the airchitect Daedalus an his son Icarus, on the command o Keeng Minos o Crete. The Minotaur wis eventually killed bi the Athenian hero Theseus. A veelage is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smawer than a toun, wi a population rangin frae a few hunder tae a few thoosand (sometimes tens o thoosands). The sleuth adds: "This is going to sound incredibly hyperbolic and hysterical but I think this person has possibly done more damage to the Scots language than anyone else in history. They engaged in cultural vandalism on a hitherto unprecedented scale. Wikipedia is one of the most visited websites in the world. Potentially tens of millions of people now think that Scots is a horribly mangled rendering of English rather than being a language or dialect of its own, all because they were exposed to a mangled rendering of English being called Scots by this person and by this person alone. They wrote such a massive volume of this pretend Scots that anyone writing in genuine Scots would have their work drowned out by rubbish. Or, even worse, edited to be more in line with said rubbish." Cover of Bi-State Strangler A look into this mans mind will give the reader a knowledge of the mindset and methodology of a serial killer. He didn't have to kill these women...he wanted to, - Ken Dye Author Ken Dye is releasing a new book, The Bi-State Strangler, which is a deep dive into the investigation of a serial killer in Missouri and Illinois from 2000 to 2002. Harry Hegger, head of the St. Louis Police Task Force believes there are at least 17 victims, possibly up to 30. Dye chronicles the findings and eventual capture of this murderer in this book. According to Dye, As is often the case of a sexual psycho, he had a feeling of invincibility. He'd gotten away with killing at least 17 victims and then wrote a letter to a St. Louis Post Dispatch reporter. It was the beginning of the end. The kicker is the suspect committed suicide before his trial, so much is unknown. The author, Ken Dye, worked as an undercover narcotics detective in St. Louis County. He publishes a blog about current crime and law enforcement issues known as Cops Perspective and is active in his community. Dye is also author of What Price Valor, Michael Brown Jr. Didn't Have to Die, Shadow of the Arch and Beyond the Shadow of the Arch, all true crime books. The Bi-State Strangler is being published by Peppertree Publishing and is available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble online bookstores. Paperback: 6x9 142 pages Publisher: The Peppertree Press (August 2020) Language: English ISBN: 978-1-61493-729-6 About Author Ken Dye Having grown up in Missouri, Ken Dye graduated from Northeastern Missouri State University (now Truman State University) and served his country. When he returned to St. Louis, he joined the St. Louis County Police Department and served in the tactical operations unit, as an undercover narcotics and homicide detective, and with the intelligence bureaus. After 13 years, he left the St. Louis area and moved to Chicago to work with the Illinois Criminal Justice Authority. He is the author of two crime novels, Shadow of the Arch and Beyond the Shadow of the Arch, non-fiction books, Michael Brown, Jr. didnt have to die and What Price Valor. The Bi- State Strangler is also true crime. For more information about the author, visit http://www.KenJDye.com About the Publisher The Peppertree Press, located in Sarasota, Florida, is an independent publisher created to help authors navigate the ever-changing terrain of book publishing. With a growing international presence, The Peppertree Press has published a number of award-winning books which have been recognized by such prestigious awards programs as the Readers Choice Awards, the Royal Palms Literary Awards, and the Moms Choice Awards. The Peppertree Press is located at 1269 First Street, Suite 7 in Sarasota, Florida 34236 and can be reached at (941) 922-2662. The government has decided that interest on late payments will be charged on net, not gross, liability. Chennai: The Union government has decided to forego Rs 46,000 crore of unpaid interest on delayed GST payments after notifying that interest would be charged on net tax liability and not gross liability with effect from September 1. Now it will have to be seen whether the government will refund those businesses which have already paid the interest for three years. The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) has notified September 1, 2020 as the date from which interest would be charged on net tax liability. Industry had earlier raised concern over CBIC's decision to recover about Rs 46,000 crore of unpaid interest on delayed GST payment. The interest was charged on gross tax liability. " no recoveries shall be made for the past period as well by the central and state tax administrations in accordance with the decision taken in the 39th Meeting of the GST Council. This will ensure full relief to taxpayers as decided by the GST Council," the CBIC statement had said. A decision on charging interest on net tax liability was taken by the 39th GST Council meeting in March. It was decided that the amendment will be effective from July 1, 2017, and the law would be amended retrospectively. However, CBIC has said that the notification has been issued prospectively due to certain technical limitations. If the government is not recovering the unpaid interest of some businesses, from an equity point of view it becomes imperative to refund to those who have. already paid. But we will have to see whether the government will refund the interest already paid or not, said Abhishek Jain, EY Tax Partner. It is possible that businesses might seek a refund of the interest paid by them for the past three years on the gross tax liability. "Businesses are expected to approach the courts on this unjustified and illegal demand of interest basis the 'principle of estoppel'," said AMRG and Associates senior partner Rajat Mohan. In 2019, the Telangana High Court had upheld CBICs statement that interest was payable on gross tax liability. . Interest at the rate of 18 per cent is levied on delayed tax payment. Net GST liability is arrived at after deducting input tax credit from gross GST liability. Hence, calculating interest on gross GST liability increases the payout burden on businesses. According to Jain, the government will have to pay the refund if the court awards a judgement in favour of the businesses. Rahul Bajoria, chief India economist, Barclays, the government should look at simplifying the tax system than forcing businesses to take legal recourse for smaller tax components. When Canadas Conservatives were looking to assign blame for their 2019 election loss, party leader Andrew Scheer was a convenient scapegoat. Critics pointed to Scheers maladroit handling of questions regarding abortion and gay marriage. They also noted his failure to speak convincingly to issues that concerned Ontario and Quebec voters, such as climate change. Overall, the rap against Scheer was that he was beholden to elements of the party, such as social conservatives and Western oil interests, that were out of sync with the majority of Canadians. The solution, it was thought, was to dump him and choose a new leader. Now, in Erin OToole, the Conservatives have that new leader yet the contradictions that bedevilled the party under Scheer are still there. First, it remains very much a Western party. OToole may be an Ontario MP, but the party he leads still has its centre of gravity in Alberta. We know what a Conservative government led by OToole would do to get the Western oil economy booming again. He has promised to allow more pipelines, more oilsands projects and more tanker traffic along the Pacific coast. Beyond generalities, however, we know less about how OToole would, in the words of his platform, contribute meaningfully to reducing global greenhouse gas emissions. That vagueness, which crippled the party in Central Canada, existed when Scheer was leader. It continues under the OToole regime. Second, OTooles victory in the leadership race underscores the power of social conservatives within the party. OToole courted this faction assiduously. He couldnt have won without its support. Indeed, social conservatives were arguably more integral to this leadership contest than they were three years ago when they helped elect Scheer. What will they get from the new leader in payback? OToole notes that he is not a social conservative that he supports a womans right to choose whether to have an abortion, and that he backs gay marriage. But his own views are less important than the rules he lays down for his caucus. And here, OToole stands firmly with social conservatives. He has said that if he becomes prime minister he would allow Conservative MPs to raise moral issues such as abortion. Whats more, he would allow both ministers and Conservative backbenchers to vote as they please on such issues. His willingness to re-open the abortion debate comes at a time when social conservatives have found, in the person of Leslyn Lewis, a new standard bearer. An evangelical Christian, Lewis opposes both abortion and gay marriage. But she confounds the usual and largely inaccurate stereotype of the social conservative by also being Black, female and soft-spoken. She ran in the leadership contest that chose OToole and did surprisingly well. Expect to hear more from her. If OToole becomes prime minister and she wins a seat in the Commons expect this social conservative to be in his cabinet. Finally, there is tone. The Conservative base does not simply disagree with Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. It despises him. Scheers constant personal attacks on Trudeau reflected this view. That served him well with the Conservative base. But it struck many other voters, who didnt necessarily think Trudeau was the Great Satan, as too extreme. OToole has a chance to moderate this tone. We shall see if he does. A year ago, the Conservatives had a real shot at power. Trudeaumania had worn off. The governing Liberals were floundering. But for many Canadians, the Conservative alternative was even more unappetizing a party that was too focused on the West, too socially conservative, too mean-spirited. Can a new leader alone fix the structural problems facing Canadas Conservatives? Dont count on it. Thomas Walkom is a Toronto-based freelance contributing columnist for the Star. Reach him via email: is a Toronto-based freelance contributing columnist for the Star. Reach him via email: walkomtom@gmail.com Read more about: Kapil, who had acquaintance with Raj and offered help to get him out on bail and took Rs 60 lakh through a hawala agent. Hyderabad: A Pune-based businessman was arrested by the Hyderabad Central Crime Station police for cheating a city-based businessman who was arrested in an Explosive Substances Act case, by taking Rs 3.6 Crore on the pretext of arranging bails and ensuring that he would not get in trouble. Accused Kapil Rajendra Kumar Baheti, who is Director of various firms Kapil Sons Trading at Pune, Rahul Agency at Dhule, Arun Murugan Explosives located at Karur of Tamil Nadu, Laxmi Traders located at Pali of Rajasthan and Rajasthan Explosives and Chemicals Ltd at Dholpur in Rajashtan was held at Pune and brought to the city. The complainant Raj Kumar, a city-based businessman who deals in explosives was arrested by the RGI Airport police in 2019, for transporting Ammonia without permission. Kapil, who had acquaintance with Raj and offered help to get him out on bail and took Rs 60 lakh through a hawala agent. For closing the case, he demanded Rs 2 Crore. Meanwhile, the SOT police of Rachakonda raided a godown of Raj at Bohngir and registered a case and the same day, a consignment belonging to him was intercepted at Raipur in Chhattisgarh. Taking advantage of the situation, Kapil told Raj that he has to pay more money to get rid of the cases, and also that the Bihar police were also inquiring about his businesses in the state, he extracted more money. However, Raj lately realised that Kapil was not helping him and stopped being in contact. But, Kapil took him to Bihar where he managed to arrange meetings with senior police officials in Bihar Anti-Terrorist Squad and some politicians and the complainant paid more money through hawala, and then lodged a complaint after receiving threatening calls from the accused. Accused Kapil threatened Raj Kumar to pay the money as demanded and threatened to get the latter booked in cases under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, using his influence. He totally extorted about Rs 3.6 Crore. A special team was deputed to Pune and apprehended the accused, who is remanded to judicial custody, said the CCS police on Tuesday. New Delhi: Effective implementation of forest rights laws, particularly in Maoist-hit areas, and socio-economic uplift of tribals will be the main focus of the Tribal Ministry in the year to come. Losing of land and livelihood because of "poor" prime reasons implementation of the Forest Rights Act prime reasons for the surge of Maoist insurgency in different parts of the country, according to Union Tribal Minister Jual Oram. Seeking active cooperation of states to ensure effective implementation of the act to curb Left-wing extremism, Oram says his ministry has asked at least 10 states including Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Telangana, Maharashtra, West Bengal and Bihar to review all rejected claims for land titles since the legislation came into force on December 31, 2007. "There is reluctance especially on part of the state forest departments to give forest rights to tribal communities. "In the coming year, we will strive to ensure that states implement the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act effectively so that forest dwellers get the rights to the forest land andresources, where their forefathers settled centuries ago and also to prevent them from getting influenced by Maoists," Oram told PTI. Observing that there were "a high number rejections" of land titles, he said scrutiny had revealed that " the majority of those (rejections) were based on invalid and trivial grounds". Uttar Pradesh reported the highest rejection rate at80.03 per cent followed by West Bengal (68.56 per cent), Maharasthra (64.88), Madhya Pradesh (60.74) and Chhattisgarh(59.03). The ministry has identified 163 priority districts: 94 ofthem having more than 50 per cent of tribal population and 69 districts having at least 25 per cent of tribal population. "The Ministry will focus on development of health, education, skill development, agriculture and employment in these districts in the coming year. Improvement in thesespheres will also prevent them from getting influenced by Maoists. "The Ministry is collaborating with the Ministry of SkillDevelopment and Entrepreneurship to build a framework suitedto the need and requirement of tribal people. We plan to setup one multi-skilling institute in each of these districts tocater to the development and promotion of sustain a livelihood avenues in tribal areas through entrepreneurship and skill-upgrade," says Oram. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. A magnitude 3.5 earthquake was reported 13 miles from Ukiah, Calif., on Thursday. (U.S. Geological Survey) A magnitude 3.5 earthquake was reported at 1:48 a.m. Thursday 13 miles from Ukiah, Calif., according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The earthquake occurred 39 miles from Clearlake, 51 miles from Healdsburg, 58 miles from Windsor and 65 miles from Santa Rosa. In the past 10 days, there have been six earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or greater centered nearby. An average of 234 earthquakes with magnitudes between 3.0 and 4.0 occur per year in California and Nevada, according to a recent three-year data sample. The earthquake occurred at a shallow depth. Did you feel this earthquake? Consider reporting what you felt to the USGS. Even if you didn't feel this small earthquake, you never know when the Big One is going to strike. Ready yourself by following our five-step earthquake preparedness guide and building your own emergency kit. This story was automatically generated by Quakebot, a computer application that monitors the latest earthquakes detected by the USGS. A Times editor reviewed the post before it was published. SACRAMENTO As a transgender woman, Jasmine Jones said Californias prison system constantly put her life at risk during the 17 years she spent behind bars by housing her among men. Jones said she was assaulted repeatedly and raped three times in mens prisons. Guards mocked her identity, Jones said, and forced her to undergo humiliating strip searches that exposed her in public. They werent going to protect me, Jones said of California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation officers. I knew that for a fact. The only person that was going to protect me was myself. Advocates say Jones experience is common for transgender, intersex and gender nonbinary people in California prisons, where research shows they are raped and assaulted at rates far higher than that of the wider prison population. They are urging state legislators to pass SB132 by Sen. Scott Wiener, which would allow transgender, intersex and gender nonbinary people to decide whether to be housed in a mens or womens prison. Transgender is an umbrella term to refer to people who identify as a gender different from the one assigned at birth. Intersex refers to people whose sex anatomy doesnt fit typical definitions of female or male. Gender nonbinary describes people who have a gender identity that isnt exclusively male or female. In most cases, the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation now houses transgender and other gender-variant people in prisons according to their sex assigned at birth. Trans women, in particular, are at such extreme risk of brutalization in mens facilities, said Wiener, D-San Francisco. We need to treat them with the basic respect and dignity that they deserve. Wiener shelved the bill last year while the corrections department met with activists and surveyed people in prison. The agency found that 52% of transgender, intersex and nonbinary people said they dont feel they can safely report violence, harassment or discrimination. Corrections spokeswoman Terry Thornton said the agency doesnt have a position on SB132, though the final bill is the result of talks between supporters and corrections officials. CDCR maintains a zero-tolerance policy for sexual harassment, sexual violence, staff sexual misconduct and retaliation, Thornton wrote in an email. She said the agency has updated several policies in recent years to create a more respectful environment, including giving clothing and cosmetics to transgender people to match their gender identity and directing officers to address them with their correct pronouns. Of the 102,000 people incarcerated in California prisons, 1,078 are transgender, nonbinary or intersex people, according to the corrections department. California doesnt track how many of them have been assigned to a prison of their gender identity, though the corrections department says it has fulfilled some requests from transgender people based on individual circumstances, including whether they have undergone surgery. Still, the agency has refused to move many transgender women from mens prisons, a practice that transgender people say exposes them to attacks. In a lawsuit filed against the corrections department this week, a transgender woman held at Mule Creek State Prison in Amador County said her cellmate beat her with a blunt object when she refused his demands for sex, leaving her with severe memory loss and slurred speech. The plaintiff, Fancy Lipsey, said she had alerted guards that the man was threatening her, but that they told her to handle it like a man and to stop using her gender identity to work the system. Thornton said the corrections department would not comment on pending litigation. Supporters of SB132 say the case is one example of the brutality that transgender people in prison endure. In a 2007 study, UC Irvine researchers found transgender women in prison are 13 times more likely to be sexually assaulted than men, and 59% reported being assaulted while in a California prison. Syiaah Skylit, 30, a transgender woman incarcerated at Kern Valley State Prison in Kern County, told The Chronicle she has been retaliated against for reporting assaults or asking officials to transfer her to a womens prison. Skylit, who answered questions in writing, said the discipline has included making me walk the yard with no shirt on or bra, exposing my breasts while in handcuffs. If you express safety concerns, they ignore it until something happens to you, she wrote. The mistreatment and neglect is endless. Transgender men in prison also report being harassed, though they may not want to be housed with men for safety reasons. Wieners bill would allow them to also select the type of prison they prefer. Advocates say SB132 wont eliminate the danger transgender people face in a system designed with narrow conceptions of gender, but it will reduce it. Our current penal system is very binary, said Jen Orthwein, a partner at Medina Orthwein LLP, a law firm that has represented numerous transgender people in prison and helped write the bill. The intention of this bill is to help trans people survive prison, so they can be free, she said. Trans people are not safe in prison. Theres no underlying belief that this bill is going to make trans people safe in prison. A large coalition of transgender groups co-wrote the bill, including the Transgender Law Center, TransLatin@ Coalition and Equality California, an LGBTQ advocacy group. One group has been vocally opposed in hearings: Feminists in Struggle, which advocates for those assigned the female gender at birth. Sam Esther, a spokeswoman for Feminists in Struggle, said the group opposes housing transgender women in female prisons, regardless of whether they have undergone surgery, because they were born and socialized male. Women are still suffering from violence from males, she said. People born female have rights here, too, and they are completely lost in the discussion. Under the bill, the corrections department could deny a transgender persons request to be housed with a specific gender population, if it can certify an articulable basis for the security concern. The agency would be prohibited from denying requests for discriminatory reasons, including due to a persons genitalia or sexual orientation. The department would also be required to consider other housing options, such as putting a transgender person in a single cell, with another person of their choice or away from someone they find threatening. A handful of states and cities have enacted similar policies. More states have moved transgender women to womens prisons on a case-by-case basis. Wieners bill is on the brink of passage. The amended version faces votes in the Assembly and state Senate, where it must pass by the end of the legislative session Monday or die. Jessica Christian / The Chronicle Jasmine Jones, who was released from prison in May, said the bill would be a lifeline for transgender women. She now lives in San Francisco, where she works for the Transgender Gender-Variant & Intersex Justice Project, an advocacy group and sponsor of Wieners bill. She helps other transgender people find housing and jobs as they leave prison. Jones said she constantly writes to transgender women who are still in the system. I told them all, Im not going to forget about any of you, she said. I worry about my trans sisters in there. These things that I went through are still going on to this day. Dustin Gardiner is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: dustin.gardiner@sfchronicle.com @dustingardiner Bay League boys and girls basketball teams will play five league games and then there will be a tournament to determine seeding for CIF-Southern Section playoffs. Rapper Kanye West has sued Ohios election chief in an effort to be placed on the November presidential ballot after the Secretary of State deemed him unqualified as an independent candidate. Wests filing against Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose comes days after the elections chief rejected the nearly 15,000 signatures and other paperwork the rapper submitted earlier this month in an attempt to run for president, citing mismatched information on the signature-gathering documents. In the complaint, attorneys for Wests campaign in Ohio allege that it is Mr LaRoses duty to accept any petition for an independent candidate as long as there is no protest filed against the petition and it doesnt violate Ohio law. Ohio was one of a number of states that denied Wests petition to appear on their ballot last week. Kanye West is suing in a bid to be on the Ohio ballot (Amy Harris/Invision/AP) On Friday, the state elections board in Illinois said West had not submitted enough petition signatures and would not be on the ballot. On Thursday, Wisconsin election officials decided to keep West off the battleground states presidential ballot because his campaign turned in his nomination papers moments after the deadline, while officials in Montana also said he fell short of petitions. Earlier this month, West without explanation withdrew his petition to appear as a presidential candidate on New Jerseys ballot. He also missed deadlines or was rejected in numerous other states this summer, including California, Florida and Pennsylvania. West is currently on the ballot in states that include Arkansas, Colorado, Oklahoma, Utah and Vermont. The business mogul publicly supported Republican President Donald Trump before announcing his own presidential bid on July 4. Republican operatives in various key states have been helping West with his White House bid in what Democrats see as an effort to siphon votes away from Democratic nominee Joe Biden. While West has seen momentum in some states, it remains unclear what the status of his presidential campaign is less than three months from election day. His wife, Kim Kardashian West, asked for the publics empathy and said West is bipolar after he delivered a controversial address at his campaign introduction speech in South Carolina last month where he proposed a one million dollar payout to mothers and decried Harriet Tubman for her work on the Underground Railroad. Compulsory face masks in the workplace could stifle efforts to get more staff back into the office, business leaders have warned. As businesses across the country begin to open their offices once again, companies now fear a 'blanket rule' making masks mandatory could hamper efforts to bring their staff back into work. It comes after a survey of 8,000 workers, carried out by ManpowerGroup, from eight countries found that workers from the UK and the U.S. were the most reluctant to return to the office due to fears of a second wave of coronavirus. Sharing his concerns, Mike Cherry, chairman of the Federation of Small Businesses, told The Telegraph: 'Many small businesses have already invested to the tune of thousands in making workplaces safe. 'Any further changes need to be carefully thought through and accompanied by direct financial assistance. Comes after it was revealed that British workers were the most reluctant to return to the office because of fears of a second wave of coronavirus. (Stock image) 'A blanket rule to impose face masks at all times and on all small firms rather than having them as one element of various potential measures risks stifling efforts to get more people back into offices, and the cafes, restaurants and retailers that depend on commuter footfall.' Mr Cherry went on to explain that while masks were an important tool in helping in the fight against coronavirus, other measures, including the Government's contact tracing programme, needed to be prioritised. His comments come after it was revealed that British workers were the most reluctant to return to the office because of fears of a second wave of coronavirus. Some 73 per cent of the workforce in the UK have negative feelings about going back to work, a survey by ManpowerGroup found A survey of 8,000 adults carried out by ManpowerGroup from eight countries found that workers from the UK and US showed the highest level of apathy towards going back to the office. The latest analysis found that the biggest reason people did not want to go back to the workplace was fears of a second Covid-19 wave. Some 73 per cent of the workforce in the UK have negative feelings about going back to work while only 54 per cent say the same in Germany. This month a survey of 2,000 office-based workers conducted by the technology giant Huawei found almost nine out of ten wanted to continue working from home for at least part of the week. This month Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the chances of catching Covid-19 at work were 'relatively low' The study, which provided a fresh insight into how the world of work will be changing amid the pandemic, also found three out of five respondents say they would prefer to work remotely for at least three days a week. The results of the study came after the Health Secretary Matt Hancock suggested there was no reason for staff to continue working from home and said the chances of catching Covid-19 at work were 'relatively low'. Mr Hancock said official data showed that the virus was being passed on when multiple households met and that household transmission was 'the root of passing on this virus in this country'. When asked if the UK would follow in the footsteps of France and require face masks to be worn in all workplaces he said 'we are not currently considering doing that'. Speaking on BBC Breakfast the health secretary said: 'We constantly look at the scientific advice and the answer here is that we are not currently considering doing that. 'And the reason is that the evidence from NHS Test and Trace that we were talking about for where people catch the disease is that very largely they catch it from one household meeting another household, usually in one of their homes. 'So it is that household transmission that is the core, the root of passing on this virus in this country. 'The amount of people who have caught it in workplaces is relatively low, we think, from the evidence that we have got.' This week the director-general of the CBI, Carolyn Fairbairn, warned that commercial centres risked being permanent 'ghost towns' if the Prime Minister did not do more to get more office staff back at their desks. Writing in the Mail, Dame Carolyn explained: 'The UK's offices are vital drivers of our economy. They support thousands of local firms, from dry cleaners to sandwich bars. 'They help train and develop young people. And they foster better work and productivity for many kinds of business. 'The costs of office closure are becoming clearer by the day. Some of our busiest city centres resemble ghost towns, missing the usual bustle of passing trade. This comes at a high price for local businesses, jobs and communities.' From September 1, France will require staff to wear face coverings in all shared and enclosed workspaces, including in corridors and lobbies, as the nation tries to control the spread of the virus. Face masks will also become compulsory throughout Paris after the city saw cases soar. Prime Minister Jean Castex said that masks - which were already compulsory on public transport and in enclosed spaces - will now be mandatory in all public places across the city, though did not give a date for it to come into force. The announcement came after France recorded 5,429 cases of coronavirus on Wednesday - the country's highest daily total since March, and third-largest since the pandemic began. Students returned to Quinnipiac Universitys Hamden campus in crowds. Posts from popular Instagram account QU Barstool showed long lines and crowds of clustered students during the Bobcats first week home. On Monday, Aug. 24 the account posted a photo of a long line of residents outside of a dining hall with the caption: If youd like to get a snack before class, be sure to leave 2 hours early! The following day, QU Barstool posted a video of student crowds failing to socially distance themselves in front of the Bobcat Den, a campus dining hall. Many students commented on the posts with disappointment. One student wrote on Instagram, This is so unacceptable, and we need to do better in order for us to have a safe and healthy semester so that we can make it to November without any complications. Quinnipiac student Jamie Songco was on campus at the time and described the scene. I think the workers were adjusting to the amount of orders they had and so it was difficult to keep up with everything, and instead of students being able to pick up their order quickly, it ended up being a whole crowd, she said. Quinnipiac has implemented a campus guide requiring students to be socially distant and wear masks at all times in public spheres on campus. While many students are shown wearing masks in the posts, they are not keeping 6 feet of distance between one another. Songco also said that no one was enforcing social distancing among the crowd. Theres no handbook or rules of how to go about things through the pandemic, but I think theyre doing the best with whats given to them. And that doesnt mean theyre handling it better than other schools, Songco said. Public Relations Vice President, John Morgan said that immediate changes were made after learning about the problem. We extended the hours at our main dining hall, continue to encourage use of the Boost mobile ordering app to preorder food, and staff have been regularly walking the campus to remind students about the importance of physical distancing and the critical role they play in maintaining a healthy campus community, said Morgan. Evan Voyer, an upperclassmen who has not arrived on campus yet, understands there are some kinks the school needs to address. I have faith in the universitys ability to handle this. However, I also think students are who we need to depend on most to keep COVID from spreading, Voyer said. At the same time, it doesnt take that many students to be careless and start an outbreak which could send us all home early. Quinnipiac has performed 497 tests up to this point with zero confirmed cases. Other colleges are already experiencing a spike in positive cases. UCONN has seen an uptick, having reported 38 new cases on campus since opening this month. The city of Danbury recently saw an increase causing Western Connecticut State University to transition to online learning entirely. During a press conference, Governor Lamont said, we need to work hard to keep colleges open, which will be a task dependent on everyones cooperation, especially students. The US Centers for Disease Control and Preventions shift in guidance on Covid-19 testing away from asymptomatic individuals this week alarmed many public-health experts who say its a wrong turn that could restrict how many tests are performed. Brett Giroir, a top Trump administration official overseeing coronavirus testing, fired back on the criticism during a Wednesday briefing, telling reporters that the change wasnt influenced by the White House and is intended to clarify to the public the limitations of such screenings, not to reduce how many tests are conducted. The new recommendations say testing may not be needed for asymptomatic close contacts and those who attended large, risky gatherings but lack symptoms. Giroir said that in areas with high virus rates, many people without symptoms will be tested at surge screening sites, which he contrasted with someone in a place where its 1% positive saying I want to get tested today, tomorrow and the next day. Im really not sure how people could interpret that if they actually read them because what weve tried to do is put more responsibility on public health officials, he said. CNN reported on Wednesday that the CDC guidance change was due to pressure from Trump administration officials, citing an unidentified official. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo called the move political propaganda and an effort by President Donald Trump to bring down the number of cases with less testing. But Giroir said that the guidelines had been a joint effort, with the involvement of top health officials including Anthony Fauci, who has been one of the most prominent administration voices on the virus. Click here for full Covid-19 coverage Giroir said that the final draft was circulated on Thursday at a White House Coronavirus Task Force meeting. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, was in surgery that day though and didnt attend the meeting, NIAID said. He does recall quickly reviewing a version of the guidelines that circulated at some time before the Aug. 20 meeting, according to the NIAID statement. Without having the benefit of the discussion that took place on Aug. 20 at the Task Force meeting where the guidelines were finalized, but now reading them carefully, he has some concern that the revised guidelines could be interpreted as lessening the importance of asymptomatic spread of virus in the community. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid issued guidance on Tuesday regarding testing nursing home staff and residents that differs from the CDC recommendations, saying that anyone working or living at a nursing home will have to get tested for Covid-19 regularly. Although the CMS guidance didnt specify how often staff should be tested, nursing homes will likely have to test them at least once a month. Frequency could rise to once a week if positivety levels in nearby communities are between 5% and 10% and twice a week if positive cases are above 10%, the head of the agency said. Nursing homes also have to offer residents testing after theres been an outbreak or if theyre showing symptoms, the new guidelines say. Facilities that fail to comply could face hundreds of dollars per day in fines. The CDCs recommendations for nursing home testing already include a section on reopening facilities that close after an outbreak. In that scenario, initial viral testing of each resident (who is not known to have previously been diagnosed with Covid-19) is recommended because of the high likelihood of exposure during a pandemic, transmissibility of SARS-CoV-2, and the risk of complications among residents following infection. DOJ Inquiry Covid-19 has ravaged nursing homes around the country, and the elderly make up a substantial portion of virus deaths in the US Some reports, including an analysis of state data by USA Today, say nursing home residents have made up 40% of coronavirus deaths. On Wednesday, the Department of Justice announced that it was seeking data from four Democrat-led states on deaths at nursing homes to see whether an investigation into whether their policies requiring facilities to re-admit patients diagnosed with Covid caused spikes in cases and deaths. The CDC guidance reflects a shift in tone by the federal government and some states that began earlier this summer, as lengthy delays in getting test results made headlines. In mid-July, for instance, Giroir recommended only testing individuals with symptoms and front-line workers, and Florida asked labs to prioritize tests for symptomatic individuals. Major commercial labs report that test results have become speedier in recent weeks, with turnarounds of a few days on average. Yet public health experts said the new guidance, released as part of an unpublicized update to the CDCs website, could in fact cut down on testing. This makes no sense, wrote Leana Wen, a physician who formerly led Planned Parenthood and currently serves as visiting professor of health policy and management at George Washington University, in a tweet late Tuesday. We need more testing, not less. Howard Forman, director of the Yale School of Public Healths health-care management program, called the shift insane and counter to all the best evidence that we have about how testing is supposed to work and appears to work. We need to identify asymptomatic infected individuals as soon as feasible and isolate them and begin contact tracing when feasible, he said in an email. Individuals who commit administrative violations in national border management and protection will face a maximum fine of VND50 million (US$2,160) under a newly-issued decree. Officers and soldiers of Lac Quoi Border Guard Station in An Giang province in a patrol. For organisations committing the same violations, the fine would be doubled, according to the Governments Decree No. 96/2020/ND-CP on administrative fines for violations in the field of national border management and protection. Any acts that damage border markers, poles, signs and objects, flag poles, basepoints, and sovereignty steles on islands; change water flows of border rivers and streams, or affect national border; build permanent facilities within 30m from the land border with China or 100m from the land borders with Laos and Cambodia; and illegally construct facilities on border rivers and streams, will be subject to fines of VND40-VND50 million. Meanwhile, fines of VND20-VND30 million will be imposed on geological exploration, natural resources exploitation and mining activities that are licensed but damage border signs, markers, poles and objects, flag poles and sovereignty steles on islands, and basepoints; maritime defence and border facilities; and the dumping of dirt and gravel in border rivers and streams. Notably, the launch and operation of flying objects within the border area or across the border will face fines of VND40-VND50 million, and the use of gun for hunting within 1,000m from the land border will be subject to fines of VND30-VND40 million. Warnings or VND300,000-VND500,000 penalties will be imposed on Vietnamese citizens who enter land border areas and border belts without bringing identity cards or passports; and those who do not report and register, or hide and facilitate the illegal travelling and stay of others in land border areas. Fines worth 500,000-1,000,000 will be rolled out for border residents using expired border passes to travel through the border, border residents who travel beyond the allowed areas, foreigners entering border belts without reporting to border guards; and border residents grazing cattle and poultry across the border. According to the decree, border residents who allow others to use their valid border passes to travel through the border; and anyone who travels and conducts activities breaching regulations in prohibited areas, will have to pay VND1-VND2 million in fines. VNA The Republican National Convention concluded its third day last night, with a parade of speakers combining endless homages to the police and military with denunciations of protests against police violence as mobs and anarchists. The conventions verbal violence was complemented by the physical violence unfolding in Kenosha, Wisconsin, where a fascist gunman opened fire on people protesting against police violence in the wake of the police shooting of 29-year-old Jacob Blake. The gunman, 17-year-old Kyle Howard Rittenhouse, killed two people and seriously wounded a third, and then was allowed by police to pass through their lines carrying his weapon and return to his home in Illinois, where he was later arrested. Rittenhouse is a fervent Trump supporter who attended a campaign rally in Des Moines, Iowa on January 30, and can be seen on video sitting in the front row only a few feet away from the president. He posted a TikTok video from the event. When an ultra-right paramilitary group, the Kenosha Guard, issued an appeal for right-wing gunmen to come to the city and reinforce the police against protesters, Rittenhouse was only one of a number who responded. There is a direct chain of causation from the White House to the gas station in Kenosha where Rittenhouse opened fire on innocent people. Trumps constant diatribes against protesters and in support of the police, since the protests first began after the May 25 police killing of George Floyd, included retweeting the notoriously racist slogan, first issued by a Southern sheriff during the civil rights movement, that When the looting starts, the shooting starts. Rittenhouse put these words into action. In his speech Wednesday night, Vice President Mike Pence included Kenosha in a list of Democratic-run cities where anarchy has supposedly been unleashed, including Portland and Seattle, and said nothing about the murder of protesters by a Trump-loving fascist. In the course of two-and-a-half hours, not a single convention speaker raised the events in Kenosha or expressed the slightest regret or concern over the actions carried out by Rittenhouse. He had been named Wednesday morning, and his identity as a Trump supporter was certainly known before the convention session began at 8:30 p.m. This collective silence betokens consent: the Republican Party has become the party of vigilante violence against those protesting against police brutality and other forms of oppression. This was already demonstrated Monday, when Mark and Patricia McCloskey, the wealthy vigilante couple who pointed weapons at Black Lives Matter protesters in St. Louis, addressed the convention. They hailed Trump as the defender of the suburbs against (black) invaders. What finds expression in Trump is the drive of the most reactionary sections of the bourgeoisie to create the basis for a fascist movement. There is not now a mass social base for such a movement, but Trump makes his appeal to the police and other front-line agents of repression like the Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, sections of the military, and ultra-right and fascist elements mobilized on the basis of racism, anti-immigrant bigotry and anti-communism. The fascistic tone was set from the opening moments of the convention, when the first speaker declared Trump to be the bodyguard of Western civilization, standing up to the vengeful mob that seeks to destroy our way of life, our neighborhoods, schools, churches and values. On Wednesday, congressional candidate Madison Cawthorn addressed the convention, despite reports of his visiting a Hitler vacation resort, the Eagles Nest, and posting on social media that seeing the facility used by the Fuhrer had been on his bucket list. Today, according to press reports, Republican congressional candidate Marjorie Taylor Greene, an open supporter of the fascistic QAnon online conspiracy theory, is to be an invited guest at the White House when Trump gives his acceptance speech. Greene won the Republican primary for the 14th Congressional District in Georgia and is expected to win the general election in the heavily Republican district. The Republican convention is a contemptible array of maniacs, toadies, money-grubbers and outright fascists, but that fact does not lessen the danger that it represents. It is a remarkable and ominous development that one of the two major capitalist parties, half of the official political system of American capitalism, has been put at the disposal of a president who is seeking to incite a fascistic movement to establish authoritarian forms of rule in the United States. The danger arises not from the intrinsic strength of the social forces Trump represents and appeals to, but from the role of the Democratic Party and the middle-class left, as well as the corporate-controlled unions, in blocking and suppressing the struggles of the working class. In all his political operations, Trump seeks to take advantage of the bankruptcy of the opposing bourgeois party, a bankruptcy rooted in social interests. The Democratic Party is a capitalist party, dedicated to the enrichment of the financial aristocracy, complaining perhaps about the fairness of the distribution of wealth within the top one percent of societyit should be allotted with more concern for racial and gender diversitybut not challenging the fundamental structure of the profit system. The real nature of the Democratic Party opposition to Trump was expressed in the extraordinary comments made by Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidential candidate defeated by Trump in 2016. In an interview last week, she advised the 2020 Democratic nominee not to give up prematurely if the outcome of the vote on November 3 is close. Joe Biden should not concede under any circumstances because I think this is going to drag out, and eventually I do believe he will win if we dont give an inch and if we are as focused and relentless as the other side is, she said. Biden is supposedly the favorite in the election, ahead in the polls both nationally and in all the battleground states that will decide the contest in the Electoral College. But Clintons advice is not to cave in too early! Clinton was obviously recalling the premature surrender of Al Gore in 2000, who made a concession call to Bush which he later had to retract. Her advice is nonetheless remarkable, both as a glimpse of her own expectations and what she thinks of the fighting temper in the Biden camp. Nor has any Democrat said what they will do if Trump simply refuses to accept the results of an unfavorable election and leave officeother than to suggest, as Biden did earlier this summer, that he would count on the military to escort Trump out of the White House. The real social position of Trump and the Republicans is demonstrated in the common characteristic of all the various reactionary and fascistic appeals made at the Republican convention: fear. Trump and his acolytes are operating in an environment dominated by a growing wave of social protests: the mass demonstrations against police violence, which brought millions into the streets; the mounting resistance of teachers, autoworkers and all sections of the working class to being driven back to unsafe workplaces under conditions of a deadly pandemic; and the growing indignation of the population as a whole as the death toll from coronavirus mounts towards 200,000, while the Trump administration and state governments, Democratic as well as Republican, sabotage any collective social response to the disaster. The unbridled hysteria at the Republican convention is not just a display for electoral purposes. It demonstrates a profound sense of isolation and weakness, not merely on the part of the ultra-right convention-goers, but on the part of the financial aristocracy itself, which sees itself increasingly under siege. When speaker after speaker denounces socialism, and declares that if Trump is defeated socialism will follow inevitably, they falsely attribute this danger to Biden and the toothless Democrats. But their real concern is the growing development of a mass movement among working people directed against the capitalist system. A television journalist has gone viral for her awkward timing during a live broadcast of an anti-lockdown protest in Melbourne. Channel Seven reporter Cassie Zervos was reporting from the scene in Dandenong in the city's south-eastern outskirts after hundreds gathered and clashed with police over the Stage 4 lockdown restrictions. The network's 6pm Melbourne news bulletin on Wednesday night began with a live cross to Ms Zervos, where the heavy police presence outnumbered a handful of demonstrators who remained at the scene. Ms Vervos told viewers a male protester seen being restrained by officers in background had been arrested for antagonising and refusing to cooperate with police. 'He will taken away and charges are expected,' she added. The Seven News bulletin began with a live cross to reporter Cassie Zervos, where a man (pictured right) can be seen being restrained by police in the background But as she spoke the man released and was seen walking off in the background. Social media went into the meltdown over the awkward moment. 'Haha don't let the facts get in a way of a good story,' one man commented. Another added: 'Looks like neighbours being filmed. Late cross to nothing.' She also came under fire for describing the protesters as a 'cult' during the live cross. 'An exaggeration of interpretation,' one viewer tweeted. Another added: Thank you for reminding me of why I don't watch Channel Seven news.' The reporter appears to be oblivious of the man being released by police moments later Four men were arrested at Wednesday afternoon's protest, including a protester, 28, who allegedly assaulted a police officer. He was also charged with resisting arrest, failing to state his name and address and breaching the chief health officer directions. A 19-year-old Dandenong man was also charged with use threatening words, failing to state his name and address and breaching the chief health officer directions while a 22-year-old faces similar charges. Nine protesters were fined $1652 each for breaching the Stage 4 lockdown restrictions. Tensions in Dandenong have been flaring for days after a large group of residents decided to start walking at the same time and place. A man is taken down by police in Dandenong on Wednesday after going for a group walk Victoria Police chief Shane Patton vowed to deploy more resources to stopping the daily protests. 'There are some who may be legitimately attempting to protest but there are others using the situation to get up to no good,' he told 3AW. 'Either way, they just can't be there, they can't do it. 'I've instructed this morning ... to do absolutely everything we can to stop it and hold them to account.' Premier Daniel Andrews also slammed the protests. 'Protests are not lawful, protests are not safe, protests are not something that should be happening - no matter what the purpose,' he told reporters on Thursday. 'I just don't think that's in anybody's interests.' A street food stall owned by 80-year-old Nguyen Thi Thanh has been a fixture on a cozy corner near Thanh Cong Middle School in Hanoi for the past 20 years. Although the cart is equipped with just two gas stoves and some plastic chairs, it manages to attract dozens of customers each day. Thanh is a white-haired lady who is quite well known amongst the local student body. I have experience in selling food such as rice congee, Vietnamese rice, and noodles. Every dish is gobbled up by the consumers, probably because Im a little handier than other people, Thanh shared. Thanhs menu is simple: nem chua ran (fried fermented pork rolls), shrimp balls with cheese, and fried shrimp and fish balls. According to Thanh, learning how to properly fry pork rolls was a learning curve and the meat would often stick together and splash oil on her hands. For months, I only sold 50-100 rolls a day. They were very cheap back then, only VND1,000 [$0.043] each so the profit was not much, the old lady said. Now, Thanh sells about 350 to 400 rolls a day. On her best-selling days, she can sell up to 500 rolls. A pan of fried fermented pork rolls at the street food stall of Nguyen Thi Thanh, 80, near Thanh Cong Middle School in Hanoi. Photo: Hong Tham / Tuoi Tre Some of my customers were middle school students when they first ate at my stall, and they still do even after they have [grown up and] gotten married or returned from study abroad, Thanh happily said. Some customers even bring their children." It is not only the delicious food but also Thanhs cheerful attitude that has made diners fall in love with the street food stall. Her skinny hands and hunched back remind me of my grandmother. It makes me feel very close to her. Her memory is very good. She can remember who comes first and always makes sure to arrange the food properly, Lan, a regular customer of the stall, shared. Despite having to wait a long time because of a large number of customers, the cheerfulness and friendliness of the old lady make everyone willing to spend some time waiting to eat pork rolls after school." Thanh confided that she still remembers the face of every student who visits her stall, even though she does not often remember their names. To Thanh, it is all about creating a family atmosphere. She considers each guest a child or grandchild. I will only be able to run the stall for one or two more years. After that, I will pass the job on to my children and grandchildren and retire, Thanh said. Nguyen Thi Thanh, 80, owner of a street food stall near Thanh Cong Middle School in Hanoi, prepares food for customers. Photo: Hong Tham / Tuoi Tre A large number of customers visit the street food stall of Nguyen Thi Thanh, 80, near Thanh Cong Middle School in Hanoi. Photo: Hong Tham / Tuoi Tre A group of friends enjoy their food at the street food stall of Nguyen Thi Thanh, 80, near Thanh Cong Middle School in Hanoi. Photo: Hong Tham / Tuoi Tre Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Advertising giant WPP has starting dishing out dividend payouts to shareholders again after coming to the conclusion it has already ridden out the 'toughest period' of the year. The group, which often acts as a bellwether for the health of the advertising and marketing sector, suffered a 2.5billion loss for the first half of its financial year, with revenue sinking by 9.5 per cent. After scrapping its dividend for last year, WPP today revealed that it will pay shareholders a dividend of 10p a share for the first half of this year, with the company claiming it is in a 'strong financial position.' Moving on: Advertising giant WPP has starting dishing out dividend payouts to shareholders again Dwindling profits and lower growth rates across the industry prompted the group to recognise a 2.7billion impairment charge in the first half of the year, principally from its acquisition of Y & R agencies two decades ago. WPP now hopes that the worst is behind it, and that the second quarter will be the most painful period. But this is reliant on there not being a second wave of Covid-19, and more mass lockdowns, it said. 'After two months in which our strategic progress could be measured by growth outside Greater China, the second quarter saw an inevitable downturn, with like-for-like revenue less pass-through costs declining by 15%, albeit better than our expectations,', WPP boss Mark Read said. He added: 'Assuming there is no second wave nor major lockdowns, the second quarter is expected to be the toughest period of the year, although we remain cautious on the speed of recovery.' Read said that the Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated changes that were already happening in the sector, and therefore WPP needed to speed up its own plans. The company is investing in technology and e-commerce, and training staff with new skills, including accreditations from Adobe, Amazon, Facebook, Google and Salesforce. Read said: 'We are working with our clients to help them get back to business, adapt their marketing strategies at speed and reshape their operations for a new world. 'Brands are seeing increases in online sales of 100% and more, and we are supporting eight of our top 10 clients on e-commerce strategies.' WPP said it had cut its operating costs by 6.5 per cent year-on-year in the first half and confirmed it was 'on track' to meet its target of saving up to 800million by the end of the year. He's in charge: WPP boss Mark Read remains cautious about the speed of the company's recovery this year On the subject of Government support received during the pandemic, WPP said: 'We have generally not applied for government support in response to Covid-19, although in some markets funding has been applied automatically. 'We did not use the UK Government funded Job Retention Scheme. In total we have received 29 million of funding, none of which related to the UK or US, and have also benefited from the deferral of certain taxes under local initiatives available to all companies in the countries concerned.' FTSE 100-listed WPP's share price is performing strongly today and is currently up 4.65 per cent or 29p to 653p, while a year ago it stood closer to 947p. Chris Daly, chief executive at the Chartered Institute of Marketing said: 'Today's WPP results will relieve the 400,000 currently employed in the UK's marketing profession, indicating that business may be returning to normal. 'Brands need marketing, even more so post-crisis if we are to unlock a V-shaped recovery. Our own research shows that brand reputation has been prioritised at the expense of short-term promotional strategies. 'As the recovery gathers pace, the opportunity for marketers to generate value is immense. 'Something that WPP has worked hard to improve by strengthening its technology offering. As digital channels continue to dominate, and sectors such as consumer goods, technology and healthcare prove their resilience, WPP's digital strategy will prove instrumental in achieving a return to growth by 2021.' Those participating in this years Wounded America Ride rolled along the river on West Jefferson in downtown Trenton on Aug. 22 to raise money for area veteran groups. The event raises money for area veterans through longtime backers Victory Gym in Brownstown Township and Foundation 14 in Milan. The gym was founded by disabled veterans to assist with physical and mental health. Foundation 14s mission is to help combat veterans to enjoy the freedom of riding. Both are 501(c)(3) organizations. Organizers said all money raised goes directly to two charities Downriver For Veterans and Foundation 14. The ride was sponsored by the Rotary Clubs of Dearborn Heights, Taylor, Grosse Ile, Trenton, Woodhaven/Brownstown and Wyandotte, in partnership with Motown HOG Chapter No. 4375. This years goal was $30,000. Since its inception, Wounded America Ride events have raised $80,000 for veterans charities. Representative image The Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI) on Wednesday said it has urged the government and the Reserve Bank of India to an extend moratorium for additional three months. The association have sent written representation to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of State for Finance Anurag Singh Thakur and RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das seeking an extension of moratorium, FHRAI said in a release. The hotel industry has made no progress in terms of bookings even after several states unlocked and where hotels resumed operations, FHRAI said. It added that the industry has registered only average occupancy levels at 10-20 per cent. "For more than four months, hotels and restaurants have remained shut and have earned no revenue throughout the lockdown. Wherever hotels and restaurants have opened, the footfalls are negligible," Gurbaxish Singh Kohli, vice-president of FHRAI and president of the Hotel and Restaurant Association of Western India (HRAWI). He added that in addition to the monthly outgoings and the statutory levies, hotels and restaurants now have to spend more on employing hygiene and safety measures to follow the standard operating procedures and guidelines issued by central and state governments. He said that due to this, the debt restructuring plan announced by the RBI for the stressed MSMEs is not going to help the hospitality sector. Therefore, the industry has urged that the moratorium be extended by a further three months, Gurbaxish added. Many of the association members, including both hotels and restaurants, are at a stage of bankruptcy and quite a few have already filed for it, said Pradeep Shetty, joint honorary secretary of FHRAI and vice-president of HRAWI. "Around 90 per cent of the hospitality sector will not be able to avail the debt restructuring plan due to insufficient time at their disposal and other varied reasons. These eventually will be declared NPAs (non-performing assets) post August 31," he said. Shetty added that the debt restructuring plan will provide a window for the banks to undertake coercive action against the borrowers whose repayments are pending. "With this and the future of the hospitality sector in mind, we urge the government to consider the extension of moratorium. South Africa: Karim warns of possible second wave as COVID-19 cases decline South Africa is showing hopeful signs of flattening the COVID-19 curve, as the numbers of new cases and those admitted to hospital fall. However, citizens cannot afford to stop being vigilant, South Africas chief COVID-19 scientist, Professor Salim Abdool Karim, warned this week. If you let your guard down, even for a short while, get complacent about prevention strategies, social distancing, mask-wearing and handwashing, the second surge is waiting to pounce," Karim cautioned. According to Karim, at the peak, the country was conducting 45 000 tests per day. Currently, the average of tests done is between 20 000 and 25 000 per day. None of the National Health Laboratory Service labs has a backlog. Every swab that is coming into the labs is being tested and it's not a question of running out of kits, he said. However, according to the expert, what is striking is that the positive test proportion has steadily declined as well. That means that there are fewer and fewer people who are positive. Thats very reassuring. Now youve got the cases coming down. The proportion that is positive is coming down, even though the number of tests has remained fairly stable and we know that admissions have come down. Karim also explained the trend observed in the number of deaths. [There is] a two- to three-week lag, so you dont see the deaths declining at the same rate because people are often in hospital for a week or two before they die. However, looking at these factors, the Professor said he was confident that the pandemic is on the downward curve. If you look at the cumulative number from the time we had our first patient on the 5th of March, our epidemic was growing rapidly at the same rate as the UK, it was doubling every two days, he said. But this month, cases are doubling every 78 days, which again reflects that the country is over the plateau. Even though these are positive signs, Karim said the country is not out of danger just yet. Is the worst over? Im sorry to say thats not entirely a 100% answer at this point, even though its pretty convincing that were on the decline. Karim said the country needs to remain vigilant. Things could take an upward turn if we end up with a situation where we create an opportunity for super spreading to occur, where we ease restrictions too rapidly. He believes that the relaxation of regulations needs to be done in a systematic way that does not place the country in the same position as the US or Spain, where they are experiencing the second wave of Coronavirus. He strongly believes South Africa can recover from the deadly virus, which has ravaged lives and economies across the globe. Its possible to overcome. We can start safely re-energising the economy, start moving safely around if we follow the rules. If we become complacent, we run the risk of a second surge. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2020-08-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. "We're also seeing some cases as a result of community spread," Rhodes said. "This testing effort is going to be testing members of the community where clusters are located." The governor said any further action the state takes would depend on the results of the additional "rapid testing" sites. "We'll know the same day what's happening, we won't have a two- or three-day lag," said Cuomo. "We'll have a snapshot of exactly what's happening, and depending on what we see, we'll act accordingly. "There's no hard number that we have, that goes from a yellow flag to a red flag." Western New York's seven-day rolling average, which averages the previous seven days' positive results into one figure, had been at 1% since the second week of June. The last time the region's rolling average as at 2% was June 9, as the testing rates for the region, and the state, descended from the worst days of the 180-day pandemic. Western New York's rise in rate has come when the overall state numbers have been among their lowest of the coronavirus pandemic. On March 15, as the novel coronavirus was beginning to surge in the United States, Dr. Anthony S. Fauci accomplished a rare Washington feat: He appeared on all five major Sunday talk shows. But the White House worried that Dr. Fauci might upstage (and sometimes contradict) President Trump, and soon his media handlers were no longer approving his high-profile interview requests. So Dr. Fauci found another way to get his message out: He said yes to pretty much every small offer that came his way: academic webinars, Instagram feeds and niche science podcasts, as well as a few celebrity interviews. That's how Dr. Fauci, the country's leading infectious disease scientist, found himself talking to the American Urological Association in June; the Economic Club of Chicago in July; and the Brazda Breakfast briefing this month. And it may be how he ended up with a polyp on his vocal cord. Essentially I was talking all day without interruption for six months, he wrote in an email message on Friday, the day after he had surgery to remove it. The coronavirus pandemic has turned Dr. Fauci, a career government scientist first propelled into public view in the early years of the AIDS epidemic, into a genuine celebrity. There is now all manner of Fauci swag Fauci socks, T-shirts, coffee mugs, buttons, stickers and masks. When the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame made a doll in his likeness, it quickly became our best-selling bobblehead of all time, said Phil Sklar, the groups chief executive officer. That renown has pushed him into the higher echelons of media interest. Most people need a slot on a major show to have a better chance of reaching a huge audience. But reporters track all of Dr. Faucis appearances, however obscure. He can talk anywhere, and if he has something he wants to say, people will notice it, said Brendan Buck, who was the communications director for former House Speaker Paul Ryan, another man who could make news even in obscure places. Dr. Fauci, he said, could talk to a P.T.A. newsletter if he wanted to, and it would be covered, and there would be follow-on eyes for it. Asked about his rules for media appearances, Dr. Fauci said (by email) he frequently says yes. His only automatic nos are for fund-raisers or anything remotely political. Whether by design or not, Dr. Fauci has effectively circumvented efforts by the White House to mute him. Since Mark Meadows took over as chief of staff on March 31, White House communications officials have approved very few requests from major outlets. But there is no such review process for smaller ones, like the weekly podcast of the Journal of the American Medical Association, or the KC O'Dea radio show. In recent weeks, Dr. Fauci has been joining as many as five such shows a day. On Aug. 13, he appeared on Mr. ODeas show, which serves the Raleigh-Durham, N.C., market; a podcast affiliated with the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center; The Pat McCrory Show with Bo Thompson; a National Geographic special on pandemics; and a local Fox affiliate in High Point, N.C. He also appeared on NewsHour, the PBS evening news show. His appearances are widely watched by reporters from larger outlets, who then quote him in their news reports. Dr. Faucis major media appearances have fallen over the last three months 14 appearances At the beginning of the pandemic, Dr. Fauci was a regular on the major news broadcasts. 12 10 8 Sunday show 6 Now his appearances are more rare. 4 2 March 1 April 5 May 10 June 14 July 19 14 appearances At the beginning of the pandemic, Dr. Fauci was a regular major news broadcasts. 12 10 8 Sunday show 6 Now his appearances are more rare. 4 2 March 1 April 5 May 10 June 14 July 19 14 appearances 12 10 8 6 Sunday show 4 2 March 1 April 5 May 10 June 14 July 19 Meanwhile, his appearances on smaller platforms have grown significantly 14 appearances Dr. Fauci undergoes surgery on his vocal cords 12 10 8 6 4 2 March 1 April 5 May 10 June 14 July 19 14 appearances Dr. Fauci undergoes surgery on his vocal cords 12 10 8 6 4 2 March 1 April 5 May 10 June 14 July 19 14 appearances 12 10 8 6 4 2 March 1 April 5 May 10 June 14 July 19 Note: Major appearances include the Sunday news shows, network news, cable news in prime time, and radio broadcasts with a national audience. Source: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases , and media database searches. Our charts track Dr. Faucis broadcast appearances from March 1 to Aug. 20, the day of his operation. We included video and audio appearances listed on Dr. Faucis National Institutes of Health web page, and others we uncovered through searches of news transcript databases, social media and general web searches. Given the breadth of Dr. Faucis appearances, it is possible we missed a few. Peter Staley, an H.I.V./AIDS activist who has been close to him for years, said Dr. Fauci had always been a skilled public communicator, able to promote public health messages through any available channel. He would prefer to go on Andrea Mitchell and Sanjay Gupta, but he has marveled that this lower-level stuff kind of ends up the same way, Mr. Staley said. He does the little Zoom with Harvard, and it's on CNN that night. In July, Dr. Fauci appeared on a weekly video news conference that Senator Doug Jones, a Democrat from Alabama, hosts for local media on his Facebook page. Dr. Fauci made news when he directly contradicted Mr. Trump by saying it was a false narrative to take comfort in a lower rate of death, comments that rippled across the national media that day. Dr. Fauci has rarely appeared on CNNs prime-time broadcasts, but he did grant an hourlong interview to The Axe Files, a CNN-backed podcast hosted by David Axelrod, who was a top adviser to President Obama. Tony is the personification of the nagging reality that science presents, Mr. Axelrod said. What he understands is that it really doesnt matter where you say what you say. Were in a digital age, and you will be heard. And hes right. I mean, you know, when Tony Fauci speaks, people find him. Journalists with major news broadcasts are frustrated they cant book Dr. Fauci during a public health emergency. Margaret Brennan, the host of CBSs Face the Nation, told her audience in July that the White House had not approved any interviews with Dr. Fauci since March, inhibiting public understanding of the pandemic. We will continue our efforts, she said. Mary Hager, the executive producer of the show, said they asked for Dr. Fauci and other government scientists every week. We have this genius and this gold mine of a guest, she said. And we cant use him to his absolute maximum capacity at a time when people are dying. Yet Dr. Faucis accessibility is a boon for smaller outlets that cant always book such a prominent guest. In July, Vincent Racaniello, a Columbia University professor and the co-host of a podcast, This Week in Virology, inquired about an interview. Dr. Fauci agreed almost immediately. I was surprised because I know hes been very busy, he said. I figured he wouldnt have time to do it, and I also wondered whether he would be allowed to do it. Dr. Fauci spoke on the podcast for 30 minutes, sharing his assessments of the latest science on Covid-19 and the strategies that various pharmaceutical companies were using to investigate vaccines. The audience for the 12-year-old This Week in Virology has been growing since the pandemic hit, but the Fauci episode has been its most popular one, with close to 100,000 combined podcast downloads and YouTube views. Given the urgency of the situation and the need to get correct information out, I was doing as many as humanly possible, Dr. Fauci said. He mentioned he had a soft spot for commencement addresses, of which he had done several, even though he knew the audiences would be small. He spoke to the graduating class of the College of the Holy Cross, his alma mater, among other colleges. He is keenly aware of his media profile; he knows, for instance, that the March 15 string of Sunday shows amounted to a full Ginsburg. (The reference is to William H. Ginsburg, a lawyer for Monica Lewinsky, who appeared on all five Sunday shows in 1998.) But his inclination to say yes and his friendships with prominent journalists has sometimes gotten him in trouble, as it did when his friend Norah ODonnell interviewed him for InStyle magazine. Dr. Fauci was photographed by his backyard pool wearing sunglasses an image that did not sit well with Republicans, and one he now says he regrets. Not really me, and anyone who knows me understands that this is not my style, he wrote. I can understand the criticism, and like I said, I wish I could take it back. My bad. His friends say he has overextended himself; Mr. Staley said he had lately been encouraging Dr. Fauci to take an axe to his schedule. The polyp surgery has done that for him. He cant do extended interviews until September. Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 21:21:26|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close GUANGZHOU, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- A 62-year-old COVID-19 patient was discharged from a hospital in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province, Thursday after treatment for about seven months. The man was admitted to a hospital in late January. When his condition deteriorated, he was transferred to the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University in early February, the hospital said. The patient was supported by extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) therapy for 111 days starting from Feb. 9. According to Zhong Nanshan, a renowned respiratory disease expert, the patient was obese and had several underlying diseases like hypertension and sleep apnea syndrome, which made treatment difficult. After 111 days of multiple treatments, he was taken off ECMO on May 29 and gradually started recovering in the following days. "The critical care team worked very hard during the treatment process. For the sake of people's health and lives, we will do whatever it takes as long as there is a glimmer of hope," Zhong said. Enditem Prosecutor Mark Zarifeh questioned the sincerity of Tarrants statements to psychiatric and judicial officials, in which the gunman described his actions as unnecessary, abhorrent and irrational and professed to have been influenced by political views he no longer holds. Describing Tarrant as New Zealands worst murderer, Zarifeh cited the gunmans statement to officials that he was deeply unhappy and committed his crimes because he wanted to damage society as an act of revenge. By Express News Service THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As many as 2,160 candidates cleared the Stream- I (open merit list- direct appointment) category of the preliminary examination of Kerala Administrative Services (KAS) while 1,048 cleared the Stream-II (direct recruitment from government officials) category after the Kerala Public Service Commission (KPSC) released the results on Wednesday.The examination is being conducted for selection to the post of Deputy Collector (SR for SC/ST) in the Land Revenue Department of state government. The results were published in the official site of the PSC keralapsc.gov.in. The written examination was held on February 22 this year. However, the result for the Stream-III (direct recruitment from among candidates holding gazetted post) has been withheld due to a case filed by higher secondary school teachers in the court, PSC spokesperson has said. The main examination, to be held on November 20 and 21, will be in descriptive format in three papers modelled on the lines of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) examinations. Those who clear the main examination will be eligible to attend the interview session, which is the final round. The commission had received 5,76,243 applications in all the three categories, out of which around 3.84 lakh candidates appeared for the preliminary test which was in objective type format. However, many applicants could not appear for KAS exam because the date clashed with IBPS bank clerical examination. The examination was conducted at 1,535 centres in the state with Thiruvananthapuram district having the highest number of 261, while Wayanad, the least, with 30 centres. Fiddler, a Palo Alto, Calif.-based provider of an explainable monitoring solution, received a strategic investment from the Amazon Alexa Fund. The amount of the deal was not disclosed. The company intends to use the funds to advance its explainable monitoring solution. Fiddler and the Alexa Fund will collaborate to advance actionable insights in AI, giving businesses complete and continuous visibility into their production AI systems to ensure high-performing, responsible, and transparent AI solutions. Founded in October 2018 by CEO Krishna Gade, and CPO Amit Paka, Fiddler recently launched its ML Monitoring suite, with capabilities including detecting data changes and anomalies, and ensuring that data integrity is maintained. These capabilities are coupled with its Explainable AI Platform to explain, analyze, and resolve MLOps production monitoring issues. Fiddler is working with a range of customers across industries, from Fortune 100 companies to startups in the emerging technology space. The company recently announced a strategic partnership and funding from Lockheed Martin, and has raised a total of $14 million, including a $3 million seed round raised in October 2018 led by Lightspeed with participation from Bloomberg Beta and Haystack. They additionally raised $10.2 million in Series A funding led by Lightspeed and Lux capital, with continued participation from Bloomberg Beta and Haystack. FinSMEs 27/08/2020 /* custom css */ .tdi_75_a0a.td-a-rec{ text-align: center; }.tdi_75_a0a .td-element-style{ z-index: -1; }.tdi_75_a0a.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_75_a0a.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; }@media (max-width: 767px) { .tdi_75_a0a.td-a-rec-img { text-align: center; } } Advertisement Suspected Ibadan serial killer, Sunday Shodipe has confessed to have killed another person upon his escape from police detention. He was accused of killing nine people in Akinyele local government area, which he was arrested, but he killed another person again. Shodipe (19) in an interview when paraded by the Oyo State Police Command, Eleyele Ibadan explained how he and one Adedokun Yinusa, a herbalist whom they were arrested together planned his escape. The suspected serial killer said before his escape while in custody, Yinusa blamed him for his confession to newsmen about what transpired between them. /* custom css */ .tdi_74_5f5.td-a-rec{ text-align: center; }.tdi_74_5f5 .td-element-style{ z-index: -1; }.tdi_74_5f5.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_74_5f5.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; }@media (max-width: 767px) { .tdi_74_5f5.td-a-rec-img { text-align: center; } } The suspect narrated that the herbalist told him if he had kept quiet, both of them would have been freed by the court. Shodipe said while in custody, Adedokuns wives visited them occasionally with kolanuts and gin. He said he used to utter incantations on these items before taking them, but denied knowing what the items were meant for. However, when the police found out, they stopped the visitors from bringing kola nuts and gin to him. Afterwards, the herbalist began complaining that spirits would begin feasting on his blood if stopped taking the gin. He began asking a police officer to get him a gin to no avail. In the interview, Shodipe, said afterwards he began pleading with the police officer to allow him and his cellmates go and have their bath which he was denied. but he said the herbalist predicted that after some days he was going to agree which he did. Shodipe said when the policeman allowed them to go for a bath, they were allowed to leave in twos as they were eight in his cell. When it was my turn, Baba told me not to forget what he had told me. He said the herbalist told him there was going to be an escape opportunity and he should return to Akinyele and attack someone. He had told me that an opportunity would come for me to escape and that I should go to Akinyele area and attack someone; he said I should mention his name after committing the act. After his escape, Shodipe confessed he returned to Akinyele to Kill a woman. After I escaped from Mokola Police cell in Ibadan, I went to do what Baba Adedokun told me to do to save myself from dying, he said. I went to Moniya where I used to live and used an object to hit a woman. Blood gushed out and I recited what baba said I should always recite mentioning his name. I disappeared as usual but dont know if the woman died. Shodipe said he does not possess any charm and does not know what the herbalist was using him for. Source: https://www.pmnewsnigeria.com/2020/08/26/how-i-killed-another-person-upon-escape-ibadan-serial-killer-shodipe/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter Researchers at Lund University in Sweden can now reveal what the Danish King Hans had planned to offer when laying claim to the Swedish throne in 1495: a two-metre-long Atlantic sturgeon. The well-preserved fish remains were found in a wreck on the bottom of the Baltic Sea last year, and species identification was made possible through DNA analysis. At midsummer in 1495, the Danish King Hans was en route from Copenhagen to Kalmar, Sweden, on the royal flagship Gribshunden. Onboard were the most prestigious goods the Danish royal court could provide, but then, the trip was also very important. King Hans was going to meet Sten Sture the Elder (he hoped) to lay claim to the Swedish throne. It was important to demonstrate both power and grandeur. However, when the ship was level with Ronneby in Blekinge, which was Danish territory at the time, a fire broke out on board and Gribshunden sank. The King himself was not on board that night, however, both crew and cargo sank with the ship to the sea floor, where it has lain ever since. Thanks to the unique environment of the Baltic Sea - with oxygen-free seabeds, low salinity and an absence of shipworms - the wreck was particularly well preserved when it was discovered approximately fifty years ago, and has provided researchers with a unique insight into life on board a royal ship in the late Middle Ages. In addition, researchers now also know what was in the royal pantry - the wooden barrel discovered last year, with fish remains inside. "It is a really thrilling discovery, as you do not ordinarily find fish in a barrel in this way. For me, as an osteologist, it has been very exciting to work with", says Stella Macheridis, researcher at the Department of Archaeology and Ancient History at Lund University. When the remains were discovered it was possible to see that they came from a sturgeon pretty early on due to the special bony plates, the scutes. However, researchers were unsure which species it was. Up until relatively recently, it was believed to be the European sturgeon found in the Baltic Sea at the time. However, the DNA analysis revealed it was the Atlantic variety with which King Hans planned on impressing the Swedes. Researchers have also been able to estimate the length of the sturgeon - two metres - as well as demonstrate how it was cut. For Maria C Hansson, molecular biologist at Lund University, and the researcher who carried out the DNA analysis, the discovery is of major significance, particularly for her own research on the environment of the Baltic Sea. "For me, this has been a glimpse of what the Baltic Sea looked like before we interfered with it. Now we know that the Atlantic sturgeon was presumably part of the ecosystem. I think there could be great potential in using underwater DNA in this way to be able to recreate what it looked like previously", she says. The Atlantic sturgeon is currently an endangered species and virtually extinct. The discovery on Gribshunden is unique in both the Scandinavian and European contexts -such well preserved and old sturgeon remains have only been discovered a few times at an underwater archaeological site. It is now possible, in a very specific way, to link the sturgeon to a royal environment - the discovery confirms the high status it had at the time. The fish was coveted for its roe, flesh and swim bladder - the latter could be used to produce a kind of glue (isinglass) that, among other things, was used to produce gold paint. "The sturgeon in the King's pantry was a propaganda tool, as was the entire ship. Everything on that ship served a political function, which is another element that makes this discovery particularly interesting. It provides us with important information about this pivotal moment for nation-building in Europe, as politics, religion and economics - indeed, everything - was changing", says Brendan P. Foley, marine archaeologist at Lund University, and project coordinator for the excavations. Gribshunden will become the subject of further archaeological excavations and scientific analyses in the coming years. ### For more images, please contact the press office or Brendan Foley The Vietnamese stock market might implement short selling and intraday trading Intraday trading and short selling would be a boost for the stock market to thrive if the draft is approved. Intraday trading includes buying and selling stocks on the same day before the market closes. Short sale transactions with collateral (secured short sale) are transactions that sell borrowed securities through Vietnam Securities Depository. The seller is then obliged to buy back the securities to repay the loan. Experts said that the amendments could provide a better regulatory framework for the restructuring and further development of the Vietnamese equity market and could woo more overseas funds. Furthermore, the new initiatives would help Vietnam get upgraded to the emerging market status on the MSCI Index. This aligns with Pan Asia Securities Lending Association's (PASLA) comment to Bloomberg: While we recognise that different markets are at different stages of development, we believe that all markets in th Asia-Pacific can benefit from the adoption of transparent regulatory frameworks that allow for covered short positions and for stocks to be lent and borrowed. This is an important factor for global investors and index providers, as well as being integral to the development of liquid, robust capital markets that can support economic growth and prosperity, PASLA added. Matthew Smith, head of research at Yuanta Securities told VIR in a previous interview that he expected the upcoming legal reforms might enable the use of non-voting depository receipts (NVDRs). NVDRs supposedly allow investors to join major Vietnamese companies that have already reached their foreign ownership limit. Still, it is going to take time to finalise the legal structure and put NVDRs into practice. Villagers carry a coffin with the body of Lone Hsu, a resident of Pan Kin village who was shot dead by a Myanmar soldier, in Kyaukme township, Myanmar's northern Shan state, June 30, 2020. The Myanmar military has admitted that its soldiers were responsible for the killing of a civilian amid a clash with a local ethnic army in restive northern Shan state in late June, which prompted a protest by thousands of local residents demanding justice for the slain noncombatant. Military spokesmen told RFA on Wednesday that troops were responsible for shooting the civilian in Pan Kin village, Kyaukme township, on June 29, and said the squadron commander would be court-martialed because the shooter an infantry soldier had already been killed in battle. The military engaged in combat with the Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Army-South (RCSS/SSA-S) two days after it accused rebel soldiers of crossing without advance notice into army-controlled territory when it burned a cache of illegal drugs on June 26. Three days later, a Myanmar military column opened fire as it entered Pan Kin village, fatally wounding Lone Hsu, 60, and injuring a middle-aged woman, villagers told RFAs Myanmar Service in an earlier report. The military opened an investigation after an estimated 10,000 Kyaukme residents protested in early July, demanding justice for the shooting victims and for the beating of another local from nearby He Kwi village who was taken by soldiers and forced to serve as a guide. We briefly learned from the investigation that a civilian was mistakenly shot and killed during the combat, said military spokesman Major General Zaw Min Tun. We also learned that some of our soldiers had beaten local civilians. The militarys No. 2 Tactical Operation Commander under the North Eastern Command based in Lashio is leading the investigation that began on July 13, spokesmen said. The investigative tribunal has decided to prosecute soldiers who beat civilians, Zaw Min Tun said. Meanwhile, it has concluded that the shot that killed Lone Hsu was mistakenly fired due to a shortcoming in supervision, he said. Because the soldier who fired the deadly shot was killed in action, military officials will prosecute the platoon commander, he said. Despite the admission of responsibility, the military has not issued a statement on the incident. Big discrepancy A local lawmaker and a Buddhist abbot both expressed concern over the militarys investigations, saying they need to be transparent. They should release the details of the investigations of the incident and the punishments that the offenders receive, said Sai Tun Win, a lawmaker from Kyaukme township. He also raised questions about the number of shooters, noting that villagers he and other officials interviewed after the incident said there were two soldiers who fired the fatal shots that hit Lone Hsu during one-sided gunfire. Now, the military says that the offender was killed in combat. This is a big discrepancy, Sai Tun Win told RFA. The local villagers said there was no combat in the area. I believe they are not transparent, he said, adding that soldiers did not inform the victims family of the shooting or offer compensation. RFA could not reach the family for comment. Sandi Mar, a Buddhist abbot from Pan Kin village, called on the military to punish those responsible and pay compensation to the relatives. The military should give proper punishments to the offenders and make sure it doesnt happen again, he said. These kinds of shootouts happen frequently. The military should also pay compensation to the relatives of the victims, he added. During the July protest, the military summoned police officers, a doctor, and members of civil society groups who had assisted villagers at the time of the shooting to Light Infantry Battalion No. 506 in Kyaukme for interrogation. The following day, local lawmaker Sai Tun Win was questioned at the township administration office. When a military official visited the two villages where the shootings and beatings took place, there was a standoff with RCSS troops, and local humanitarian groups were asked to help evacuate civilian administrative officials from the villages. Since we were born Local lawmakers from the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy (SNLD) party have filed a complaint about the shooting with the Myanmar National Human Rights Commission. The commission told RFA that it is still processing related information from relevant ministries and could not comment. Shan state, Myanmars largest state and home to the countrys second-largest ethnic group, has been under armed conflict between government forces and numerous ethnic-based armies fighting for autonomy since 1958, 10 years after the former Burma gained independence from Britain in 1948. We have witnessed these armed conflicts since we were born, said Tin Maung Thein, chairman of local charity group the Kyaukme Social Assistance Association. We dont want them anymore. Its good to have transparency and accountability, but it would be best to stop all the armed conflicts and offer protection for civilians, he said. Reported by Kan Thar for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Ye Kaung Myint Maung. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin. Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro's office was cited in a report released Thursday as being part of a growing movement of attorneys general who have focused on enforcing workers' rights. Read more Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro brought criminal charges last September against a Centre County mechanical contractor for allegedly underpaying its workers by more than $64,000 over at least five years. The charges against Goodco Mechanical and its owner, Scott Good, were just one part of the attorney generals strategy to crack down on scofflaw employers a strategy that, according to a new report, places Pennsylvania on the forefront of a trend of state attorneys general using their powers to protect workers rights. In the last five years, several state attorney general offices including those in Pennsylvania and New Jersey have launched units focused on defending workers, transforming their offices into what report author Terri Gerstein describes as a rarity: a high-profile government entity thats willing to hold employers accountable. Previously, only three states had such units; now, there are nine, according to Gersteins Economic Policy Institute report published Thursday. The trend marks a major shift, as attorneys general have not traditionally taken action on worker-related issues, said Gerstein, director of the State and Local Enforcement Project at the Harvard Law School Labor and Worklife Program. The shift comes as workers have faced increasingly precarious working conditions, and the percent of the workforce represented by a union has dropped to a historic low. Its also part of a local worker protection movement, as cities and states attempt to fill the void left by the Trump administration, which has not prioritized workers rights. But perhaps most of all, worker issues have found footing in the national consciousness: If you go back to 2008, Gerstein said, [these issues] were not in the newspaper headlines. It wasnt a matter of such intense, focused, public concern. In most states, including Pennsylvania, the attorney general is an elected position. Voters, she said, care about these issues. When Shapiro took office in 2017, he launched the Fair Labor Section. Led by Chief Deputy Attorney General Nancy A. Walker, a veteran labor lawyer, the division has negotiated partnerships with gig companies such as DoorDash to provide financial assistance to delivery workers with COVID-19 and helped grocery workers get access to protective equipment. Shapiro also co-led a lawsuit last summer against the federal government brought by 25 attorneys general to challenge a U.S. Department of Labor rule change that they said would expose millions of workers to labor law violations. And in 2018, he co-led a coalition of 11 attorneys general in a bid to stop fast-food franchisors from using no-poach agreements, a form of noncompete agreement that makes it harder for low-wage workers to get a new job. The emphasis on workers rights on the part of attorneys general aligns with similar activities on a municipal level: Philadelphia, like cities across the country, has passed a number of cutting-edge worker protection laws in the last few years. And last year, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner launched a unit to focus on crimes against workers, joining a growing number of district attorneys setting their sights on workers rights. Shapiro, a Democrat who is said to be gearing up for a gubernatorial run, is up for reelection this fall. His challenger is Pittsburgh lawyer Heather Heidelbaugh. On Monday, the social media platform TikTok filed a federal lawsuit to block the Trump administrations xenophobic ban of the Chinese-owned company in the US if it is not sold within 45 days to an American-owned firm. The lawsuit was filed in the US District Court for the Central District of California. In a blog post entitled, Why we are suing the Administration, the company explains that President Trumps executive order on August 6 forcing TikTok to divest its US assets on the basis of national security emergency powers is a violation of Fifth Amendment due process rights. The TikTok statement says, the Administration failed to follow due process and act in good faith, neither providing evidence that TikTok was an actual threat, nor justification for its punitive actions. Trumps executive orders against TikTok and the Chinese-owned app WeChat were based on provisions of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) that permit the president to regulate economic transactions during a national emergency. The TikTok blog says, Now is the time for us to act. We do not take suing the government lightly, however we feel we have no choice but to take action to protect our rights, and the rights of our community and employees. The short-form video sharing app, owned by Beijing-based ByteDance, has 1,500 employees and 100 million users in the US. TikToks lawsuit thoroughly exposes the anti-Chinese political purpose of Trumps executive order, The executive order seeks to ban TikTok purportedly because of the speculative possibility that the application could be manipulated by the Chinese government. But, as the U.S. government is well aware, Plaintiffs have taken extraordinary measures to protect the privacy and security of TikToks U.S. user data, including by having TikTok store such data outside of China (in the United States and Singapore) and by erecting software barriers that help ensure that TikTok stores its U.S. user data separately from the user data of other ByteDance products. These measures were well-known by the US government as they were part of the requirements imposed on ByteDance at the start-up of TikTok in the US following the companys acquisition of the Chinese company Musical.ly in 2017. At that time, ByteDance went through an extensive national security inspection which provided voluminous documentation to the U.S. government documenting TikToks security practices and made commitments that were more than sufficient to address any conceivable U.S. government privacy or national security concerns. The lawsuit also says that key personnel responsible for TikTok, including its CEO, Global Chief Security Officer, and General Counsel, are all Americans based in the United Statesand therefore are not subject to Chinese law. U.S. content moderation is likewise led by a U.S.-based team and operates independently from China, and, as noted above, the TikTok application stores U.S. user data on servers located in the United States and Singapore. Furthermore, since the onset of the anti-Chinese campaign of the Trump administration and the Democrats and Republicans in Congress, the company has cooperated for more than a year with a review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), headed by US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. The TikTok brief explains, During this period, and through the course of the CFIUS review, ByteDance provided voluminous documentation and information in response to CFIUSs questions. Among other evidence, ByteDance submitted detailed documentation to CFIUS demonstrating TikToks security measures to help ensure U.S. user data is safeguarded in storage and in transit and cannot be accessed by unauthorized personsincluding any governmentoutside the United States. Despite the cooperation, acting under the direction of the Trump administration and its increasingly aggressive economic attacks and military threats against China, CFIUS issued a letter five minutes before the expiration of its review deadlineat 11:55 p.m. on July 30that was principally based on outdated news articles, failed to address the voluminous documentation that Plaintiffs had provided demonstrating the security of TikTok user data, and was flawed in numerous other respects. True to his US imperialist bullying form and with a real estate speculators mentality, President Trump not only demanded that the assets of TikTok be handed over to American corporate executives and Wall Street speculators, he also insisted that a very substantial portion of that price is going to have to come into the treasury of the United States. Its a little bit like the landlord-tenant. Without a lease, the tenant has nothing. So, they pay whats called key money or they pay something. In response to this particularly criminal aspect of the entire project, the TikTok lawsuit says, The Presidents demands for payments have no relationship to any conceivable national security concern and serve only to underscore that Defendants failed [attempt] to provide Plaintiffs with the due process required by law. The US corporations Microsoft and Oracle were all too eager to jump on Trumps anti-Chinese bandwagon. With dollar signs swirling around in their minds, corporate executives and investors for both software tech giants have gotten in line to make the purchase at a steep discount with the expectation of a massive post-purchase valuation on Wall Street. A report in the New York Times on Wednesday said, a deal with Microsoft could help propel the valuation of the apps business outside China to as high as $80 billion, and would provide TikTok with the endorsement of a blue-chip American company to mollify the Trump administration, which had called TikToks Chinese ties a national security threat. Additionally, the Times report went on, Bankers and investors, some authorized and some simply trying to gin up a deal, have also called Netflix and Twitter about buying TikTok, they said, though it is unclear if those companies have a genuine interest in an acquisition. A deal price is unclear, though numbers have ranged from $20 billion to $50 billion depending on what parts of TikTok will be sold, the people said. In other words, the vultures of the American oligarchy are expecting the forced sale of TikTok to rapidly yield as much as a 4-to-1 return on investment. That there is both bipartisan support within the US political establishment and unanimity with the corporate elite for an aggressive takedown of the enormously successful Chinese mobile app developers was exposed by the Wall Street Journal on August 23. In an article entitled, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg Stoked Washingtons Fears About TikTok, the Journal wrote, In a private dinner at the White House in late October, Mr. Zuckerberg made the case to President Trump that the rise of Chinese internet companies threatens American business, and should be a bigger concern than reining in Facebook, according to unnamed sources. It was also after meetings that Zuckerberg held with Senator Tom Cotton (Republican-Arkansas) and Senator Chuck Schumer (Democrat-New York) that the two wrote a letter to intelligence officials demanding an inquiry into TikTok. A national-security review of the company began in November and the Trump administration began its offensive against TikTok in the spring. Zuckerbergs attempt to deflect government criticism of Facebook into a campaign against Chinese app developers is a particularly reactionary, but not surprising tactic for the American billionaire. In the end, the aggressive methods being deployed against TikTok will also be applied to the US-based social media platforms as part of the drive by the state to gain control of the information flow and to spy on the organization of the growing social unrest and class struggle against capitalism. LANSING, Mich., Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Consumers Energy is helping biologists with Central Michigan University and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources give Mother Nature a hand to increase the population of endangered snuffbox mussels in the Grand River. "It was an easy decision to say 'yes' to supporting this project to aid the endangered mussels, which in turn help filter and clean the river," said Neil Dziedzic, Consumers Energy's executive director of hydro operations. "This work aligns well with our hydro operations which produce clean, renewable energy and with our Triple Bottom Line to benefit People, Planet and Prosperity that we use to drive all our decisions at Consumers Energy." CMU and MDNR, with funding provided by the Ionia Conservation District through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's National Fish Passage Program, and approval from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services' Michigan Field Office are conducting a project at Consumers Energy's Webber Dam, east of Lyons, Mich., to propagate snuffbox mussels upstream from where some of their prime habitat was degraded by a covering of sediment from a dam removal near the town of Lyons. "This is the first time this propagation system has been used for snuffbox mussels in Michigan," said Scott Hanshue, fisheries management biologist with the MDNR. "This project would not be possible without the work being done by CMU, and we can't thank Consumers Energy enough for their willingness to provide space for us and the project team's equipment to work on their property, and for changing their operations to provide water where it's needed, a necessity for this study to be successful." At the Webber Dam site, microscopic larval mussels called glochidia will be added to water with small fish called common logperch by CMU student researchers. The tiny mussels attach to the gills of the logperch which act as host for a short period of the snuffbox lifecycle. The logperch which are unharmed by their host duties with the microscopic snuffbox will be transferred to cages in the MDNR's fish ladder at the dam about 15 days after being exposed to the glochidia where they will spend another two to four weeks. "During the time while they're attached to the logperch, the snuffbox mussels are developing hearts, stomachs and other vital organs, as well as dropping off the logperch into sand and gravel in the cages," said Daelyn Woolnough, associate research professor in CMU's Biology Department and Institute for Great Lakes Research. Woolnough, who is leading the project, said the snuffbox mussels will then grow for approximately 16 months in the cages until they are about half an inch long. Then, MDNR biologists, with the help of CMU, will tag and release the young mussels back into the Grand River at sites between Webber Dam and the confluence of the Maple River to augment populations of the snuffbox mussel. "The snuffbox mussel is in a scientific family that is one of the most sensitive to changes in water quality. So, their presence in the Grand River is important and snuffbox conservation allows for them, and the 21 other mussel species around Webber Dam, to filter water of contaminants and help with cleaning the water naturally," Woolnough said. "We could not do this without all of our collaborators." Consumers Energy's hydro operations is making sure water flows through the fish ladder to support the project. The energy provider normally diverts water to the fish ladder just twice a year in the spring and fall to allow salmon and steelhead to bypass the dam during their migrations. Snuffbox mussels were put on the endangered species list in 2012 and have been endangered in Canada since 2001. They are known to exist in only 79 streams in 14 states and 1 Canadian province while historically snuffbox was known to occur in 210 streams and lakes. Consumers Energy, Michigan's largest energy provider, is the principal subsidiary of CMS Energy (NYSE: CMS), providing natural gas and/or electricity to 6.7 million of the state's 10 million residents in all 68 Lower Peninsula counties. For more information about Consumers Energy, go to ConsumersEnergy.com. Check out Consumers Energy on Social Media Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/consumersenergymichigan Twitter: https://twitter.com/consumersenergy LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/consumersenergy Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/consumersenergy SOURCE Consumers Energy Related Links http://www.consumersenergy.com Two Civilians Killed in Turkish Drone Airstrike in Northern Iraq Sputnik News 07:29 GMT 26.08.2020(updated 07:31 GMT 26.08.2020) BAGHDAD (Sputnik) Two civilians were killed in the result of an airstrike launched by a Turkish unmanned aerial vehicle late on Tuesday on a car in the town of Khana Sor located in the northern Iraqi province of Nineveh, the official Security Media Cell has said. "Turkish drones violated the Iraqi airspace and targeted a double-cabin pick-up vehicle in the village of Bahrava in the Khana Sor area in the north of the Sinjar district at 7 p.m. on Tuesday evening [16:00 GMT], which resulted in the death of two civilians. The driver survived," the service said in a statement, quoted by the state-run Iraqi News Agency. Another site in Sinjar was also targeted, but a number of victims are yet unknown, the statement read, adding that ambulances rushed to the site of the incident to evacuate those killed and injured. Northern Iraq is the Kurdish-populated region that Ankara regularly launches attacks on, as designates the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) as a terrorist group. Turkey has been fighting the PKK, which seeks to establish a Kurdish autonomy in Turkey, since the early 1980s. The PKK and Ankara signed a ceasefire agreement in 2013, but it collapsed two years later over several terror attacks allegedly committed by PKK militants. Since PKK military bases are located in northern Iraq, Ankara regularly conducts land and air operations in the region. In mid-August, the Iraqi security forces also reported that at least two officers of the country's border guard had been killed in an attack by a Turkish UAV. In response, the Iraqi authorities cancelled a visit of Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar to Baghdad and summoned the Turkish ambassador to the Iraqi capital. A Sputnik NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address British aero-engines maker Rolls-Royce plans to sell Spanish unit ITP Aero and other assets to raise at least 2 billion pounds ($2.6 billion) to boost a balance sheet shattered by the travel slump brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. Rolls-Royce also said on Thursday finance chief Stephen Daintith had resigned to move to retail technology firm Ocado, although he will remain for a transition period as he helps oversee 1 billion pounds of cost cuts this year. Planes stopped flying for months in coronavirus lockdowns earlier this year and travel still remains at a much lower level than before the pandemic, hitting Rolls-Royce's revenues as airlines pay it based on how many hours engines are used to fly. Rolls-Royce sunk to an underlying loss before tax of 3.2 billion pounds ($4.2 billion) in the first six months of the year, and said it would continue to look at options to shore up its finances even after asset sales. "In light of ongoing uncertainty in the civil aviation sector, we are continuing to assess additional options to strengthen our balance sheet," CEO Warren East said in a statement. Sources told Reuters in July that Rolls-Royce was planning a rights issue to raise up to 1.5 billion pounds, a strategy it could still pursue after the asset sales. Its shares opened down 5.6% at 238 pence. Wholly-owned subsidiary ITP Aero, which is based in Spain and makes turbine blades for jet engines, is among the assets up for sale, Rolls said, as it also gave details of a major consolidation of its aerospace manufacturing facilities into six locations from 11. Rolls-Royce said flying hours were down 70-75% in May, June and July, and warned of considerable uncertainty over the timing and shape of a recovery. The company, whose shares have plunged 63% this year, warned in May it would need to cut 9,000 jobs and said on Thursday that 4,000 employees had already left from its civil aerospace unit. Church caught selling COVID-19 'plague protection kit' faces new investigation by UK authorities Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The U.K. government has opened an investigation into the finances of a London-based church that marketed a plague protection kit it claimed would protect people from COVID-19. The Charity Commission announced Wednesday that it was opening a new inquiry into The Kingdom Church GB, expressing concern over how the religious organization is being managed. Originally, the commission opened an inquiry into Kingdom Church over its selling of so-called plague protection kits that it claimed would protect and even cure the novel coronavirus. This led to liaison with Southwark Council which had opened a Trading Standards investigation into the sale of the kits, explained the commission. Since then, the Commission has examined the charitys records, revealing concerns about its finances. The regulator is concerned about the accuracy of information provided to the Commission regarding the charitys income and expenditure. Part of the inquiry will be to examine the relationship between Kingdom Church and Bishop Climate Ministries, which the church said was responsible for the protection kits. Helen Earner, director of Regulatory Services at the Charity Commission, said in a statement released Wednesday that the new inquiry stemmed from findings from the first one. Many will have been concerned by allegations about this charitys activities in relation to Covid-19, and so it is right that we, and others, have intervened, stated Earner. Our own examination into The Kingdom Church GB has identified further concerns that require investigation which is why we have now opened an official inquiry. On Wednesday, The Kingdom Church GB posted a link on its Facebook page to a product its selling called Spiritual Divine Cleansing Protection Kit, at a cost of $65.99. The product in question, which includes virgin oil, yarn, and a prayer card, is marketed as having spiritual benefits, though a disclaimer at the bottom of the page rejects claims of medical healing. You should seek medical help where necessary. This are faith and herbal healing products based on Faith and natural products, the disclaimer says, in part. The product description says it was created by Prophet Climate Wiseman, whose official website bills him as a highly esteemed Man of God that operates under an apostolic & prophetic anointing. He has over 20 years of experience in planting churches, raising and growing successful leaders, and changing lives of all those he comes into contact with, the site adds. God has anointed Dr. Climate to be a pinnacle of leadership and example among the Body of Christ. His personal motto is to equip every believer for a significant ministry by helping them discover, develop and deploy the gifts and talents God gave them. The chief of the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation and a veteran Vancouver realtor have recently traded barbs over Twitter. On Aug. 24, realtor Owen Bigland posted on how appreciating prices guarantee significant returns for buyers, and argued that a longer holding period of will remove any downside. Bigland closed the first few tweets with, Leverage is how true wealth is built. You need to get your money working. #vanre CMHC CEO Evan Siddall, who is no stranger to volatile exchanges in the online platform, took umbrage at Biglands assertions. Subscribe to What Next on Apple Podcasts for the full episode. America first is the brand, but it doesnt describe what President Donald Trumps foreign policy actually is. There isnt any consistency to it, says Slates Fred Kaplan, except that its something that supports Trump in the world of domestic politics. Over the past four years, that approach has destabilized international relations and left the U.S. alone on important issues. Today, fewer and fewer countries follow the U.S. lead on foreign policy. Advertisement The most recent example of this came last week, when U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged the U.N. Security Council to extend an arms embargo on Iran. He said the embargo was necessary because Iran had violated terms of its nuclear dealthe deal the U.S. withdrew from in 2018. Pompeos motion lost by an embarrassing margin: Of the councils 15 members, just two, the U.S. and the Dominican Republic, voted in favor. Russia and China opposed, and the rest, including Americas closest allies, abstained. On Thursdays episode of What Next, I talked to Kaplan about how we got here and what the Trump administration is really trying to achieve on the world stage. Our conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Ray Suarez: Youve written that the Trump administrations whole approach to Iran is so extreme as to be ineffective, that you cant imagine these kinds of hard-line tactics working with any regional power. Fred Kaplan: It would be as if in the early days of arms control with the Soviet Union, the United States had said: No, its not good enough that you really have put a limit on the number of long-range missiles and warheads. We need you to abandon Marxism-Leninism. Or We need you to dissolve the Warsaw Pact where you controlled the politics of Eastern Europe. Thats just not the way it works. You get a deal with what is plausible. And to tell you the truth, the Iran nuclear deal exceeded most peoples expectations of what was possible with Iran, even in its own terms. Advertisement They essentially want Iran to become a different kind of government from what it is. And that would be nice, but thats not in the offing. Sometimes anti-Trump commentators observe that the Trump team seemed to want nothing more than armed confrontation with Iran. Is there any truth to that? Whether its whacking Gen. Qassem Soleimani or challenging Iran in the Persian Gulf at every opportunity, making small incidents into big ones, the possibility of something going really wrong doesnt seem to frighten Trumps foreign policy team. Advertisement Well, I think it depends whom youre talking about. John Bolton made it clear coming into office as national security adviser that he wanted regime change in Iran and North Korea, forcibly if necessary. Pompeo has also made it clear, especially when talking with groups of Iranian emigres, that that is what he wants. I think one thing that we have learned about Donald Trump is that he personally is not itching for war. Now, could he be roped into one? I think yes. [After] the killing of Soleimani if the Iranian retaliation had been a bit stronger than it was, I think he might have been pushed to retaliate. And his aides are doing everything they can to exploit his dislike for these kinds of countries and especially his dislike of anything that was negotiated by Barack Obama. I think that theyve pushed him into a dangerously hawkish position. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement [Trump] is a combatant in the warif not with troops, then with arms and with aid. Fred Kaplan Whats the endgame? Where does this lead? This looks like a perpetually boiling pot with no particular resolution. Is the U.S. ready to do, or trying to do, what it would take to overthrow the Islamic Republic after more than 40 years? I think the dominant politics in the Middle East, certainly since the end of the Cold War and especially since the end of the Iraq war, is the divide between Sunni Arab and Shiite. Obama tried to conciliate this match. It didnt work out, partly because that divide really is dominantits almost unbreakable. Trump has made a decision to join in on this regional civil sectarian war on the side of the Sunnis. You know, John Kerry would send all these delegations to Vienna to try to work out some post-Assad politics in Syria. Trump has shown no interest in any kind of diplomatic forum that can settle these conflicts or even that can make them less violent. He is a combatant in the warif not with troops, then with arms and with aid and with other things. And so, no, they dont see, nor do they particularly desire, a peaceful solution or even some kind of long-term Cold War entente. They see this as a war thats going to go on, and theyre on what they see as the right side of it. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement What do you make of Americans general ceding of foreign policy input to the executive branch? Unlike other times in even our recent past, there is just not a lot of back-and-forth over what this country should be doing in the rest of the world. Yeah. But I think this has been true for a long time. I think its been true largely since the end of the draft. If were not sending over boys and girls who didnt volunteer to fight to go fight and die, its no longer such a pressing issue. Until the end of the Cold War, there was kind of a consensus that the West is the good guys and the East are the bad guys, but lets try to make peace with the East so theres not World War III. But there isnt a lot of passion to be eked from the American public on any of these issues. Now, I think one thing where there could be and where there is interest is Congress. But except for a few years after the passage of the War Powers Act, in the mid-70s, which was the height of the Vietnam War and the Watergate crisis and when Congress saw an out-of-control executive branch and wanted to assert its Article 1 constitutional powers againexcept for really a few years after, Congress has been pretty pliant as well. Congress does not want to take responsibility. If things go south in a war, they dont want to share the blame for it. Theyll pass budgets for it, but they dont want to have any say. So a lot of this has been an abrogation by Congress. Advertisement Advertisement Its about 70 days till the election. One of the most reliable applause lines at Trumps rallies is the assertion that the United States must be strong. But what does it mean to be strong in 2020? Are we just gonna have another national election where we continue to have the biggest military budgets in the world, a lot of obligations in the rest of the world, and just dont really talk about it? I think its very hard to talk about this in the context of an election. The defense budget is now about $750 billion, which is an all-time record, except for when weve been in a big war, in real terms, accounting for inflation. The Reagan Cold War budget wasnt this high. I havent heard any talk among any Democrats for cutting the defense budget. Sen. [Bernie] Sanders introduced an amendment to cut the defense budget by 10 percent. It got very, very few votes. There might be, at some point, in another administration, a serious debate on the inside of what strength means and of what the defense budget ought to look like. But I dont think its the kind of thing that can easily be discussed in popular politics. Subscribe to What Next on Apple Podcasts Get more news from Mary Harris every weekday. An investment in the Offered Shares involves substantial risks and uncertainties. Prospective investors should read the entire prospectus, and, in particular, should see "Risk Factors" for a discussion of certain factors that should be considered in connection with an investment in the Offered Shares, including the risks that (i) even though the Company has obtained regulatory approval (CE-mark) in Europe for the Genio system based on first positive clinical trial results, this does not imply that clinical efficacy has been demonstrated and there is no guarantee that ongoing and future clinical trials intended to support further marketing authorizations (such as in the US) will be successful and that the Genio system will perform as intended, (ii) the Company's future financial performance will depend on the results of ongoing and future clinical studies and the commercial acceptance (including reimbursement) of the Genio system (the Company's only commercial-stage product at the date hereof), (iii) the Company has incurred operating losses, negative operating cash flows and an accumulated deficit since inception and may not be able to achieve or subsequently maintain profitability, (iv) the Company will likely require additional funds in the future in order to meet its capital and expenditure needs and further financing may not be available when required or could significantly limit the Company's access to additional capital. Not taking into account any proceeds of the Offering, the Company does not have sufficient working capital to meet its working capital needs for a period of at least 12 months from the date of the prospectus. All of these factors should be considered before investing in the Offered Shares. Prospective investors must be able to bear the economic risk of an investment in shares in the Company and should be able to sustain a partial or total loss of their investment. Nyxoah Announces Intention to Launch an Initial Public Offering on Euronext Brussels Mont-Saint-Guibert, Belgium - 27 August 2020 - Nyxoah S.A. ("Nyxoah" or the "Company") a health-technology company focused on the development and commercialization of innovative solutions and services to treat sleep disordered breathing conditions, today announces its intention to raise new funds through an Initial Public Offering ("IPO") with admission of all of its shares on the regulated market of Euronext Brussels (the "Offering"). Current shareholders have already expressed their commitment to subscribe for an aggregate amount of no less than 15 million in the Offering to the Nyxoah IPO. Company Highlights Nyxoah is developing and commercializing the Genio system, a CE-Mark validated, user-centered, bilateral neurostimulation therapy to treat moderate to severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), the world's most common sleep disordered breathing condition that is associated with increased mortality risk and comorbidities including cardiovascular diseases, depression and strokes. Compared to other hypoglossal nerve stimulation (HGNS) technologies for the treatment of OSA, the Genio system is the world's first and only battery-free, minimally invasive and leadless neurostimulator implant. Focused on the large and fast-growing world OSA market with 936 million people between 30 and 69 years of age suffering from OSA globally. There are 425 million moderate-to-severe OSA patients for whom treatment would be required. 1 Yearly eligible population to Hypoglossal Nerve Stimulation in the U.S. and Europe/ANZ combined is estimated to be 1.1 million new patients, representing a USD 20 billion opportunity. The Genio system is intended to be used as a second-line therapy to treat moderate-to-severe OSA patients who have failed conventional therapy, including Continuous Positive Airway Pressure ("CPAP"). Nyxoah has currently obtained reimbursement in Germany under the existing NUB (Neue Untersuchungs- und Behandlungsmethoden) system for HGNS, generating its first revenue and is further preparing commercial market entrance in focused European countries. Nyxoah has recently obtained approval by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) to initiate its DREAM IDE (Investigational Device Exemption) pivotal trial. First U.S. patient enrolments are expected to take place in 2020. The BLAST OSA clinical study which was published in the European Respiratory Journal (https://erj.ersjournals.com/content/55/1/1901320), a leading clinical journal, provided first positive results on safety and efficacy on the Genio System. Long-term clinical data (five years) are being gathered through the ongoing EliSA trial, spread over approximately 25 sleep centers across Europe. The ongoing BETTER SLEEP study is designed to build clinical evidence for a potential additional therapy indication for contraindicated complete concentric collapse ("CCC") patients, who represent approximately 25% of moderate to severe OSA patients. Led by a strong and experienced team with a proven track record in the Health Industry and bringing companies to market. Backed by high-quality investors combining historical shareholders under the lead of Mr. Robert Taub and other serial entrepreneurs as well as strategic investors Cochlear Limited (ASX: COH) and ResMed Inc. (NYSE: RMD, ASX: RMD), international venture capital firm Gilde Healthcare and SRIW, the Regional Investment Company of Wallonia. Olivier Taelman, Chief Executive Officer of Nyxoah, commented: "We are very excited to announce our intention to float on Euronext Brussels. Obstructive Sleep Apnea is an existing, large and fast-growing market, where neurostimulation has been embraced by the medical, patient and healthcare communities in Europe and in the US as a clinically proven therapeutic solution. Nyxoah has developed the unique neurostimulation solution, specifically designed with OSA patients in mind, being truly disruptive on the hypoglossal nerve stimulation market. Nyxoah's flotation is expected to provide us with the financial resources to further develop compelling clinical evidence in Europe, ANZ and U.S. We will also invest in the development of the next Genio generation and scale-up manufacturing in order to drive further commercial activities in our geographic focus areas." Robert Taub, Founder and Executive Chairman of Nyxoah, added: "We believe now is the right time to bring Nyxoah to the public markets in order to facilitate the next stage in the Company's development. As a Belgian company with subsidiaries in Israel, Australia and U.S., a listing on Euronext Brussels makes strategic sense and can provide us with an excellent financial ecosystem to broaden our shareholder base and lay the foundation for future growth." About Obstructive Sleep Apnea OSA is the world's most common sleep disordered breathing condition. It makes a person stop breathing during sleep, while the airway repeatedly becomes partially (hypopnea) or totally (apnea) blocked, limiting the amount of air that reaches the lungs. OSA is a chronic condition that is associated with increased mortality risk and comorbidities, including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, obesity, depression and stroke. The current standard of care consists of Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) therapy, a treatment whereby air is pushed into the upper airway to keep it open. Key advantages of the Genio System The Company believes that the Genio system has the potential to have an improved therapeutic effect compared to other existing hypoglossal nerve stimulation therapies and other second-line OSA therapies, thanks to the following key benefits: Safe and effective therapy: results from the BLAST OSA study demonstrated that the Genio system is well tolerated, with no device-related serious adverse events being reported and effective with a statistically significant reduction in AHI (Apnea Hypopnea Index) and ODI (Oxygen Desaturation Index) after six months compared to no treatment. 2 High therapy compliance: BLAST OSA data reported high therapy compliance, with 91% of participants using the system more than five nights per week over a period of six months. Quality of life improvement: results from the BLAST OSA study demonstrated that patients' quality of life significantly improved. Specifically designed for OSA: in contrast to other hypoglossal nerve stimulation technologies, the Genio system has been specifically designed to treat OSA. Minimally invasive: the Genio system only has one implantable part, which is leadless and battery-free, and which requires only one incision allowing for a quick and easy implantation procedure. Bilateral hypoglossal nerve stimulation: As clinical research suggests, Nyxoah believes that bilateral stimulation results in a stronger muscle contraction, a more symmetric tongue movement, and a wider opening of the airway as compared to unilateral stimulation whereby only one branch of the hypoglossal nerve is stimulated. Partially external device, without implanted battery: the activation chip, including the user's personalized therapy program and the device's battery, is an external device, which will facilitate future updates and upgrades of the Genio system or battery replacements, without the need for additional surgery. To demonstrate an improvement in net health outcomes for the sleep community, long-term clinical data (five years) are being gathered through the Company's ongoing EliSA trial, spread over approximately 25 sleep centers across Europe. The Offering The Offering is expected to consist of: (i) an initial public offering to retail and institutional investors in Belgium; (ii) a placement in the United States to persons that are reasonably believed to be qualified institutional buyers, as defined in Rule 144A under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"); and (iii) placements to certain qualified and/or institutional investors outside Belgium and the United States. The Offering outside the United States is expected to be made in compliance with Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act. Degroof Petercam NV/SA and Belfius Bank NV/SA are acting as Joint Global Coordinators and Joint Bookrunners in connection with the Offering. Subject to the approval of the prospectus by the Belgian Financial Services and Markets Authority) and of the Joint Global Coordinatorsand http://www.degroofpetercam.be/en/news/nyxoah_2020 ). - ENDS - For further information, please contact: Nyxoah Remi Renard, VP Therapy Development and Education remi.renard@nyxoah.com +32 472 12 64 40 For media enquiries, please contact: Consilium Strategic Communications Amber Fennell, Ashley Tapp, Lindsey Neville, Taiana De Ruyck Soares Nyxoah@consilium-comms.com +44 (0)20 3709 5700 About Nyxoah Nyxoah is a healthtech company focused on the development and commercialization of innovative solutions and services for sleep disordered breathing conditions. Nyxoah's lead solution is the Genio system, a CE-Mark validated, user-centered, next generation hypoglossal neurostimulation therapy for OSA, the world's most common sleep disordered breathing condition that is associated with increased mortality risk3 and comorbidities including cardiovascular diseases, depression and stroke. Following successful completion of the BLAST OSA study in patients with moderate to severe OSA, the Genio system received its European CE Mark in March 2019. The Company is currently conducting the BETTER SLEEP study in Australia and New Zealand for therapy indication expansion, and a post-marketing EliSA study in Europe to confirm the long-term safety and efficacy of the Genio system. In June 2020, the FDA has approved Nyxoah's Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) application allowing Nyxoah to commence the pivotal DREAM study to support FDA approval in the U.S. For more information, please visit www.nyxoah.com . Caution - CE marked since 2019. Investigational device in the United States. Limited by federal law to investigational use. Important Notice This announcement does not constitute, or form part of, an offer or invitation to sell or issue, or any solicitation of an offer to purchase or subscribe for shares of Nyxoah (the "Company"). Any purchase of, subscription for or application for, shares in the Company to be issued in connection with the intended offering should only be made on the basis of information contained in the prospectus in connection with the intended offering and any supplements thereto, as the case may be (the "Prospectus"). This announcement is not a prospectus. The information contained in this announcement is for informational purposes only and does not purport to be full or complete. Investors should not subscribe for any securities referred to in this document except on the basis of information contained in the Prospectus that the Company expects to publish after its approval by the Belgian Financial Services Markets Authority. The Prospectus will contain detailed information about the Company and its business, management, risks associated with investing in the Company, as well as financial statements and other financial data. This announcement cannot be used as basis for any investment agreement or decision. This announcement is not for publication or distribution, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States of America. This announcement is not an offer of securities for sale into the United States. The securities referred to herein have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), and may not be offered or sold in the United States, except pursuant to an applicable exemption from registration. No public offering of securities is being made in the United States. These materials do not constitute, nor form part of, an offer to purchase or sell or solicitation to purchase or subscribe for securities, and there shall not be any sale of the securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to its registration or qualification under the laws of such jurisdiction. A prospectus for purposes of Regulation 2017/1129, as amended) and may be obtained free of charge at the registered office of the Company. Investors are invited to consult section 2 of the Prospectus, which contains specific information about risk factors. The distribution of this press release may be restricted by law or regulation in certain countries. Accordingly, persons who come into possession of this press release should inform themselves of and observe such restrictions. The securities referred to in this press release will not be publicly offered, and will not be registered, in any jurisdiction other than Belgium. In any Relevant State other than Belgium that has implemented the Prospectus Regulation, this communication is only addressed to and is only directed at qualified investors in that Relevant State within the meaning of the Prospectus Regulation. This announcement and the information contained herein do not constitute an offer to sell nor a solicitation to buy securities of the Company, and are not for publication, distribution or release in, or into the United States of America, Australia, South Africa, Israel, Canada, Japan or any other jurisdiction where to do so would be prohibited by applicable law. The date of completion of listing on the regulated market of Euronext Brussels may be influenced by things such as market conditions. There is no guarantee that such listing will occur, and investors should not base their financial decisions on the Company's intentions in relation to such listing at this stage. Acquiring investments to which this announcement relates may expose an investor to a significant risk of losing the entire amount invested. Persons considering such investments should consult an authorized person specializing in advising on such investments. This announcement does not constitute a recommendation concerning the intended offering. The value of the shares can decrease as well as increase. Potential investors should consult a professional advisor as to the suitability of the intended offering for the person concerned. No action has been taken by the Company that would permit an offer of Company's shares or the possession or distribution of these materials or any other offering or publicity material relating to such shares in any jurisdiction outside of Belgium where action for that purpose is required. The release, publication or distribution of these materials in certain jurisdictions may be restricted by law and therefore persons in such jurisdictions into which they are released, published or distributed, should inform themselves about, and observe, such restrictions. The issue, the subscription for or purchase of shares of the Company can be subject to special legal or statutory restrictions in certain jurisdictions. The Company is not liable if the aforementioned restrictions are not complied with by any person. The contents of this announcement include statements that are, or may be deemed to be, "forward-looking statements". In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology, including the words "believes", "estimates," "anticipates", "expects", "intends", "may", "will", "plans", "continue", "ongoing", "potential", "predict", "project", "target", "seek" or "should" or, in each case, their negative or other variations or comparable terminology or by discussions of strategies, plans, objectives, targets, goals, future events or intentions. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding the Company's intentions, beliefs or current expectations concerning, among other things, its results of operations, prospects, growth, strategies and dividend policy and the industry in which the Company operates. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties. New risks can emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for the Company to predict all such risks, nor can the Company assess the impact of all such risks on its business or the extent to which any risks, or combination of risks and other factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. Given these risks and uncertainties, the reader should not rely on forward-looking statements as a prediction of actual results. Without prejudice to the Company's obligations under applicable law in relation to disclosure and ongoing information, the Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update forward-looking statements. Bank Degroof Petercam NV and Belfius Bank NV/SA (the "Underwriters") are acting for the Company and no one else in relation to the intended offering, and will not be responsible to anyone other than the Company for providing the protections offered to their respective clients nor for providing advice in relation to the intended offering. The Company assumes responsibility for the information contained in this announcement. None of the Underwriters or any of their respective affiliates or any of their respective directors, officers, employees, advisers or agents accepts any responsibility or liability whatsoever for or makes any representation or warranty, express or implied, as to the truth, accuracy or completeness of the information in this announcement (or whether any information has been omitted from the announcement) or any other information relating to the Company, whether written, oral or in a visual or electronic form, and howsoever transmitted or made avail-able or for any loss howsoever arising from any use of this announcement or its contents or otherwise arising in connection therewith. Each of the Underwriters and each of their respective affiliates accordingly disclaim, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, all and any liability whether arising in tort, contract or otherwise which they might otherwise be found to have in respect of this announcement or any such statement or information. No representation or warranty express or implied, is made by any of the Underwriters or any of their respective affiliates as to the accuracy, completeness, verification or sufficiency of the information set out in this announcement, and nothing in this announcement will be relied upon as a promise or representation in this respect, whether or not to the past or future. 1 Benjafield, Adam V et al. Estimation of the global prevalence and burden of obstructive sleep apnoea: a literature-based analysis. Lancet Respir Med 2019 Published Online July 9, 2019 2 Eastwood PR, Barnes M, MacKay SG, et al. Bilateral Hypoglossal Nerve Stimulation for Treatment of Adult Obstructive Sleep Apnea. Eur Respir J 2019 3 Young T. et al: Sleep Disordered Breathing and Mortality: Eighteen-Year Follow-up of the Wisconsin Sleep Cohort, Sleep. 2008 Aug 1; 31(8): 1071-1078.

The film director was expelled from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2018 over his conviction in the 1970s of unlawful sex with a 13-year-old girl.

Polanski, 87, claimed that he was denied due process by the academy when it expelled him.

But Los Angeles Superior Court judge Mary H. Strobel said in her ruling that he had been "given the opportunity to present any evidence he deemed relevant".

After the ruling was made public, the academy said: "We are pleased the court confirmed that the academy's procedures regarding Mr Polanski were fair and reasonable."

Polanski's lawyer Harland Braun told City News that he doubted the director would appeal the ruling, adding: "He has no animus. He just wants to be treated honestly".

In 1977 Polanski was charged with drugging and raping the then 13-year-old girl. He subsequently pleaded guilty to the lesser offence of unlawful sex with a minor.

He had expected to be given probation, but fled the US after learning the judge intended to impose a prison term. He has never returned

Several other women have accused him of sexual misconduct, which he denies.

But he won an Oscar in 2003 for directing The Pianist and was named best director at the Cesar Awards in France earlier this year, a decision that prompted many women to walk out and hundreds of people to protest outside the event.

Other well-known stars expelled from the academy include Bill Cosby, who was convicted in 2018 of drugging and raping a woman in 2004, and Harvey Weinstein in 2017, shortly after dozens of women accused him of sexual misconduct. Weinstein is now serving time in jail over the allegations.

Location: The new hotel will be near Dublin Airport The developers of a large hotel near Dublin Airport have insisted they have sufficient financial resources to complete the project and eventually start trading. Construction of the 420-bedroom hotel by Carra Shore, a firm controlled by hoteliers Jalaluddin and Mawash Kajani, was temporarily halted during the lockdown and is substantially advanced. It will be one of the biggest hotels in the country when completed. More than 30m has already been spent on the project, where workers are now back on site. Carra Shore is backed by Bank of Ireland. The property is located close to Dublin Airport, and beside an existing property that is owned by hotel group Dalata, which has about 600 rooms. "The directors acknowledge that the future viability of the company is underpinned by the timely completion of the hotel and commencement of trading activity," the directors of the Carra Shore company behind the new Dublin hotel noted in accounts for the 2019 financial year that were signed off less than a month ago. "At the date of approval of the financial statements, the board of directors have received confirmation from the related parties of their intention to provide financial support to the company, if required, to ensure that the company remains in operational existence for the foreseeable future," they added. The directors conceded that the Covid-19 pandemic and measures taken by the Government to curtail the virus' spread here "will have a potentially significant impact on the planned commencement of trading activity". "As a result, while understanding that there is uncertainty about the full impact of the measures implemented by the government, the directors are satisfied that the company has the necessary resources to complete the construction of the hotel building and commencement of trading activity," they note in the newly-filed accounts. A UK-based company called Chart Forte controlled by the Kajanis is the controlling entity behind Carra Shore Hotels. Deutsche Hyopthekenbank and the Punjab National Bank have charges over Chart Forte Holdings. Jalaluddin Kajani moved to Ireland from Pakistan in 1980. In 2012, Mr Kajani secured a limited injunction to prevent Irish Bank Resolution Corporation, or receivers from Allsop appointed by the bank, from selling any of his assets, including two London hotels, in order to pay off a 21m debt. Advertisement Brad Pitt and German model and Angelina Jolie lookalike Nicole Poturalski have been pictured enjoying a cosy date night nine months ago, as their relationship was confirmed on Thursday. The pair were seen cosying up together in the VIP box during Kanye West's performance at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles in November 2019, with onlookers saying they pair were deep in conversation as they waited for the performance to begin. Sources revealed on Wednesday that actor Brad, 56, and German model Nicole, 27, were in a relationship after they were spotted touching down at France's Le Castellet Airport. Cosy! Brad Pitt and German model and Angelina Jolie lookalike Nicole Poturalski have been pictured enjoying a cosy date night nine months ago, as their relationship was confirmed on Thursday During the concert the pair were joined by actress Alia Shawkat, who Brad later shut down claims he's dating. On Thursday sources confirmed that Brad and Nicole were dating, telling Page Six: 'They are seeing each other, theyre enjoying a vacation together.' Brad, who previously shut down claims he's dating actress Alia Shawkat earlier this year, is now believed to be staying at Chateau Miraval, an estate he purchased for $67 million in 2011 with his ex-wife Angelina. He sported a protective face mask while wearing his signature flat cap, a white T-shirt and khaki green trousers as he touched down in France on a private jet. He looked stylish as he prepared to spend time in the South of France with Nicole, who he jetted straight in from Los Angeles to meet up with him in Paris, before they embarked on the last leg of their trip. Together! It came after the actor left (left) and the German model (right) were spotted touching down in France together on Wednesday Cute: The pair were seen cosying up together in the VIP box during Kanye West's performance at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles in November 2019 Having fun? During the concert the pair were joined by actress Alia Shawkat, who Brad later shut down claims he's dating Sweet: At one point Brad and Nicole sweetly touched fingers as they sat in the VIP box together waiting for Kanye's performance to begin Romance? Both Brad and Nicole were clearly enjoying each other's company as they chatted while waiting for the concert together Dating? On Thursday sources confirmed that Brad and Nicole were dating, telling Page Six: 'They are seeing each other, theyre enjoying a vacation together' Relaxing: Brad and Nicole were pictured together nine months before their relationship was confirmed The US edition of OK! magazine has quoted an eyewitness saying that before boarding their private jet, the pair were seen acting like 'loved up teenagers'. 'They were kissing and Brad was being super attentive to her,' added the source. 'He was in a semi public place but didnt seem to mind people seeing him. Shes a real beauty and obviously a lot younger than him.' The star's palatial 35-room home located in the village of Correns in the South of France is where he and his ex Angelina, 45, have vacationed in the past and tied the knot in 2014. They purchased the 1,100-acre estate for $60 million and are thought to have spent between $10 million and $12 million renovating it. Speculation: Little is known about the nature of the beauty's friendship with Brad, but she frequently updates her 101,000 social media followers with sizzling snaps from her high-profile fashion shoots Stunning: Nicole comes from Bergkamen, Germany, which is in the old industrial Ruhr region and is of Polish heritage Over: Brad split from wife Angelina in 2016, but they are still in the midst of divorce proceedings More than friends? The pair were seen chatting and looking cosy together as they enjoyed an evening watching Kanye West, almost a year before sparking romance rumours What a stunner: Nicole is a successful fashion model from Germany, who has graced the cover of ELLE and is currently signed to Next Management in Los Angeles and A Management in her native Germany Bitter split: The TV and film star's divorce proceedings with ex Angelina, 45, have stretched into its fourth year (pictured in 2009) Who's who? The dark blonde beauty, left, strikes an uncanny resemblance to the screen star's former spouse (pictured right in 2019) Fancy residence: Brad is believed to be staying at his sprawling luxury estate, Chateau Miraval, after he arrived in France with Nicole on his private jet on Wednesday Jet: The Hollywood heartthrob was seen arriving at Le Bourget airport ahead of boarding a private jet to the South of France on Wednesday Signature style: While a face mask obscured much of his face, the Hollywood star was easily identifiable by his signature style You can leave your hat on: As he made his way across the airfield, the father-of-six cautiously placed a hand over his headgear Safety: Putting safety first, the star made his way onto the aircraft donning a white face mask, amid the COVID-19 pandemic Little is known about the nature of the beauty's friendship with Brad, but she frequently updates her 101,000 social media followers with sizzling snaps from her high-profile fashion shoots. The bombshell, who has a son, has graced the cover of ELLE and is currently signed to Next Management in Los Angeles and A Management in Germany. Nicole, who enjoyed a sun-soaked trip to Ibiza last month, is believed to be based in Berlin. She has brains as well as beauty and her 10 years on the catwalks of the fashion world has helped her become multi-lingual and she can speak in five different languages. Nicole comes from Bergkamen, Germany, which is in the old industrial Ruhr region and is of Polish heritage. Impressive: The stunner completed her Abitur - German A levels - and founded an organisation devoted to helping sharks Casually cool: Donning a green shirt over a white top, the actor carried a taupe travel bag as he was guided onto the aircraft Boarding: The Fight Club star carefully made his way onto the aircraft as he prepared to jet off for his getaway Stylish arrival: Brad's companion followed closely behind him, looking effortlessly stylish in a black jacket with beige trousers Sizzling: Little is known about the nature of the beauty's friendship with Brad, but she frequently updates her 101,000 social media followers with sizzling snaps from her high-profile fashion shoots On her Facebook page, the fashion star, who is a favourite for British designer Vivienne Westwood, reveals she is single and listed her former city as Warsaw. Her career has taken her to fashion shows in New York, Paris and Milan and she has been a cover girl for ELLE, Cosmopolitan and Marie Claire. At 13, she wanted to be a marine biologist but was apparently spotted by a talent scout in Disneyland Paris and her parents agreed to allow her to model. But talented and beautiful model still managed to complete her Abitur - German A levels - and founded an organisation devoted to helping sharks. While she boasts a long list of accomplishments, the model is particularly proud of her son, Emil, who makes regular appearances on her Instagram account. In February, Nicole raised eyebrows as she shared a cryptic post of herself strolling along Beverly Hills' upscale Rodeo Drive. Who is Nicole Poturalski? Meet Brad's companion By Allan Hall Nicole Poturalski has brains as well as beauty and her 10 years on the catwalks of the fashion world has helped her become multi-lingual and she can speak in five languages. A Capricorn, whose birthday falls on January 2, the brunette beauty hails from Bergkamen, Germany, which is in the old industrial Ruhr region and is of Polish heritage. On her Facebook page, she reveals she is single and listed her former city as Warsaw. Her modelling career has taken her to fashion shows in New York, Paris and Milan and she has been a cover girl for ELLE, Cosmopolitan and Marie Claire. She is also a favourite for British designer Vivienne Westwood. At 13 she wanted to be a marine biologist but was apparently spotted by a talent scout in Disneyland Paris and her parents agreed to allow her to model. But she still completed her Abitur - German A levels - and founded an organisation devoted to helping sharks. She has long gone by the first name of Nico. While she boasts a long list of accomplishments, the model is particularly proud of her son, Emil, who makes regular appearances on her Instagram account. Advertisement Captioning the image, which showed her flashing a broad smile while donning a black tank top and a denim miniskirt, she wrote: 'Missing my strolls with my Love.' Several weeks later, in March, she alluded to her 'love' once again in another post. Next to a snap of herself wearing grey lounge wear as she clutched a drinking glass, she wrote: 'Saturdays these days for me is self reflection, reading books spending time with my better half.' While she shared the posts with candid accompanying captions, Nicole didn't name or tag the person in question. When contacted by MailOnline, a representative for Brad Pitt said: 'We dont comment on personal relationships.' MailOnline has contacted Nicole Poturalski's representatives for further comment. Meanwhile, it has been claimed in a new report that Brad is 'furious' at his ex Angelina for allegedly eyeing a move from the US to the UK with five of their six children. The former Hollywood couple share Maddox, 19, Pax, 16, Zahara, 15, Shiloh, 14, and 12-year-old twins Vivienne and Knox. And the purported move would make it difficult for the star to spend time with his children, as he is based thousands of miles away in Los Angeles. A source told The Sun: 'Brad has joint custody of their six children and was upset after seeing reports Angelina was planning a move to the UK. 'In his eyes it was like a suggestion that hed somehow lost custody when that couldnt be further from the truth. If Angelina wanted to leave the country with the children for a permanent move, shed need to go to court and get permission. 'Brad knows a lot of it is speculation but Angelina has spoken about wanting to leave America before and seeing stuff like this leads to more questions.' Their eldest son, Maddox, is spending much of his time in South Korea, where he is a university student. MailOnline has contacted representatives for Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie for comment. The TV and film star's divorce proceedings with ex Angelina, 45, have stretched into a fourth year. Earlier this month, the Lara Croft actress requested to disqualify Judge John W. Ouderkirk, who married the pair in 2014, for 'failing to disclose' his working relationship with one of her former spouse's attorneys. Love: In February, Nicole raised eyebrows as she shared a snap of herself along with a caption about her mysterious 'love' Another: Several weeks later, in March, she alluded to her 'love' once again in another post as she mentioned her 'better half' The Ad Astra frontman and the One and Only Ivan star's custody trial is set to begin in October, over a year after their divorce was finalised. In March, sources claimed Brad has not dated anyone since he split from Angelina in 2016 following a two-year marriage and a 12-year relationship. 'He doesn't feel any need to get back on the dating scene right now - his focus is elsewhere, they told TMZ. In January, an insider denied rumours the thespian and his first wife Jennifer Aniston had rekindled their romantic relationship following a string of alleged secret dates. The exes - who were married from 2000 until 2005 - were reported to have rekindled their relationship before their cosy appearance at the Screen Actors Guild Awards. However, the reports were shut down at the time as the source told MailOnline: 'There is absolutely no truth to this'. They caused a stir when they were spotted holding hands and embracing at the star-studded SAG Awards. Following the fan hysteria, an insider close to the Friends actress allegedly claimed she had 'forgiven' him, amid speculation that Brad may have been unfaithful to her with Angelina. After six years off the dating scene, Jennifer began seeing actor Justin Theroux, 48, eventually tying the knot in 2014. But the couple separated in 2017, with Jennifer keeping a single profile since then. During his time in the limelight, the hunk has dated actresses Gwyneth Paltrow, Robin Givens, Sinitta and Thandie Newton, and also been romantically linked to Sienna Miller and Kate Hudson. In good company: The Once Upon a Time in Hollywood star was accompanied by flight staff as he headed out of the airport Low-key: They stepped out of a private jet as they flew from LAX to Charles de Gaulle before travelling to the smaller airport Grand abode: Chateau Miraval, the French estate Brad purchased for $67 million in 2011 with his estranged wife Angelina Drama: The TV and film star's divorce proceedings with ex Angelina have stretched into a fourth year (pictured in 2015) 'We're just friends': The thespian shut down claims he was dating actress Alia Shawkat (pictured in 2019) earlier this year 'No truth to this': In January, a source denied rumours he and his first wife Jennifer Aniston had rekindled their romantic relationship after their SAG Awards reunion (pictured) Cineworld CEO Mooky Greidinger told CNBC on Thursday that the company has had "sold-out" showings upon reopening its movie theaters from coronavirus-induced closures. "We were very pleasantly surprised with the numbers. People really missed the cinemas and wanted to go back into the big screen," Greidinger said on "Closing Bell." "We had many shows that were sold out," he added, while explaining they're being measured by "what we call 'today's sold out'" due to theater capacity restrictions and leaving empty seats between groups. Although Greidinger didn't provide specific details on the sold-out showings, he noted the strong interest from consumers came without a blockbuster movie to attract people to theaters. Cineworld, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange, operates nearly 800 theaters across the world, including about 550 in the United States. The U.K.-based parent company of Regal Cinemas has about 190 of its U.S. theaters open now, with plans to reopen around 100 more in the coming days. Movie theaters had been shuttered across the U.S. as the coronavirus pandemic swept the country and lockdown orders were implemented in hopes of slowing the spread of the virus. Even as other businesses reopened this summer, most of the large theater chains remained close in the U.S. until this month, leaving cinephiles to continue watching movies at home or at alternatives like outdoor drive-ins. It had been unclear how consumers would respond to movie theaters reopening, particularly whether capacity restrictions and other safety measures such as enhanced cleaning and face mask requirements would be enough to assuage Covid-19 concerns. But Greidinger's comments suggest that, at least for some segment of the population, interest in going to the movies remained strong despite the monthslong absence due to the pandemic. "The reaction to the safety measures we had were amazing. People really appreciated it. They felt safe," said Greidinger, who added there was a "very, very small" number of instances where people took issue with Cineworld's mask policy. "People understand. People want to feel safe, and they enjoy the movies." Not every state in the U.S. has permitted theaters to reopen yet, including the sizable markets of New York and California. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo indicated Thursday that state officials had not yet decided when theaters would be allowed to reopen. "We'll make a determination at the appropriate time," the Democrat said, according to the New York Business Journal. California had initially allowed for theaters in most counties to reopen until a summer surge in Covid-19 cases prompted Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom to put a number of economic restrictions back in place. "We really missed in a big way the states that have not opened yet," Greidinger said, noting there are about 180 Regal Cinema locations in New York and California combined. "We hope to get the green light very soon." A centre in Killyleagh celebrating the life of Sir Hans Sloane is to write to the British Museum expressing disappointment with its decision to remove his bust due to his links to the slave trade. The Sir Hans Sloane Centre uses the legacy of the village's most famous son to not only remember the scientist, but to also boost the local economy and to promote education in history, science and the environment. Hartwig Fischer, director of the British Museum, said that the bust of Sir Hans - the institution's founding father - has been placed in a secure cabinet alongside artefacts explaining his work in the context of the British Empire. The museum's curators said the decision was influenced by the Black Lives Matter movement, sparked by the police killing of George Floyd in the US. Sir Hans will now be described as a "collector and slave owner" on signage. However, CEO and founder of the Sir Hans Sloane Centre Elizabeth Crilly argued that the physician never owned a slave, as it was his wife's father who was a slave trader. Sir Hans was born in 1660 and married a wealthy heiress of Jamaican sugar plantations. "Yes, he did get money, but how did he get his money," she asked. "He fell in love with a woman. It was her father who was a slave trader. Are the sins of the father to be passed on to the children?" She said he used the money to further his collection and when he died he made his collections accessible to the public. "The people of Killyleagh and Northern Ireland should still be proud of him and not let this negative story destroy what we're trying to do for Killyleagh and get a bit of prosperity going on here." Ms Crilly said Sir Hans was a man of equality, as he treated rich and poor. "Hans Sloane never owned a slave. A man of the church sent him a slave but Hans Sloane educated him and put him on a boat to France to get him on his feet," she said. "It's those things you need to look at, and sadly slavery is in our history. It was wrong and it was a global trade, but it was the British who brought it to an end." Livestock production is indeed one of the fastest-growing sectors in agriculture and it offers employment opportunities along numerous animal production value chains, said Inderjeet Singh, vice-chancellor of Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University at a webinar on Thursday. Vice-chancellors of agricultural universities, including deans of Agriculture Universities from across the country attended the webinar with Union minister Narendra Singh Tomar. Hundreds of scholars held extensive discussions. On this occasion, Tomar stressed on making agricultural education more employment-oriented and said that agriculture sector should be upgraded through new education policy. Tomar has asked the Indian Council of Agricultural Research to form a committee in this regard, which will give its recommendations. In the webinar, the minister said that the field of agriculture is important and full of diversities. It is also special from the economic point of view, because large population of the country gets employment in agriculture sector. It is also the largest sector in terms of production, so discussions can be held with academics as to how the new education policy can be incorporated to improve it. Tomar said that it has been the endeavour of the government that with the new era, we should also keep changing our policies and rules. It is in this context that the government took policy decisions in the last six years in the agricultural sector, which are laudable and important and necessary with a view to strengthening this sector, he added. Tomar said that the central government has also made provision for special package for animal husbandry, herbal farming, fisheries, bee keeping and other allied sectors including agriculture infrastructure fund of 1 lakh crore. These will fulfill the needs of the agriculture sector, create employment opportunities. The first trailer for Netflix's new home organizing show Get Organized with The Home Edit has debuted, and it has Reese Witherspoon and Khloe Kardashian singing the stars' praises. The show, which premieres September 9, will follow The Home Edit founders Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin as they bring their incredible organizational skills into homes across the US. Clea and Joanna will bring home makeovers to regular people as well as stars including Eva Longoria, Rachel Zoe, and Neil Patrick Harris and Khloe, for one, is so impressed with the results that she jokes in the new preview that she should marry the talented women. Check it out! The first trailer has dropped for Netflix's new show Get Organized with The Home Edit, which follows organization experts Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin Star power: Reese Witherspoon, whose Hello Sunshine production company executive produced the show, appears in the new trailer 'This is my dream dream dream project that you guys would come and help me organize,' she tells them, while showing off her stunning home interior Empty: Eva Longoria brings them into what appears to be an empty room 'They're the organizational gurus,' says Eva in the new trailer 'I might mess a couple things up just to get them back,' Khloe Kardashian jokes. 'I should marry them. What am I waiting on?' Joanna and Clea's The Home Edit organizing business is comprised of home visits, a product line, and a book which have earned them 1.6 million Instagram followers and countless celebrity fans. 'Our intention for everything that we do is to give people all the tools to make a system smart, sustainable, and beautiful,' Joanna says in the trailer. 'Form plus function.' 'Labels are magic,' adds Clea. 'It's the key to maintenance.' Reese Witherspoon, whose Hello Sunshine production company executive produced the show, appears in the new trailer as she welcomes the two women into her home. 'This is my dream dream dream project that you guys would come and help me organize,' she tells them, offering a peek at the blue wallpaper in her foyer and a living room with mismatched but chic blue furniture. Parks and Recreation star Retta also welcomes them into her home holding up their book, of which she is clearly a fan. Thrilled: Parks and Recreation star Retta also welcomes them into her home holding up their book, of which she is clearly a fan Home sweet home: Also in the first season, the women pay a visit to Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka, with the clip revealing a sweet framed photo of their son Gideon Famous: Jordana Brewster is among the celebrities to appear in the first season Work in progress: Some of the rooms look incredibly messy once the organizing is underway Wow! But the spaces look incredible once they've finished. The women are big fans of clear containers Looks good! Pantries are expertly organized and tend to have pretty blocks of color Everyone: In the new season, they help organize for stars and regular people Calming: When they get finished, the places look gorgeous and very neat Nice! They're not just organizing homes in this first eight-episode season they also work their magic inside an after-school enrichment program for students 'They're the organizational gurus,' says Eva Longoria, who also takes them for a tour in her home. Before and after shots promise an exciting season, with Joanna and Clea starting off with some messy, disorganized spaces but transforming them into stunning, Instagram-worthy rooms, closets, and pantries. They're not just organizing homes in this first eight-episode season they also work their magic inside an after-school enrichment program for students. Clips show clients freaking out over the results, gasping and cheering. Even Rachel Zoe, who flashes on screen for a moment, opens her mouth wide in amazement. Khloe Kardashian, a longtime client of the pair, raves about their work. 'I might mess a couple things up just to get them back,' she jokes. 'I should marry them. What am I waiting on?' New show! Netflix is set to debut the new show on September 9 Straightened up: The show will follow The Home Edit founders as they bring their incredible organizational skills into homes across the US Celeb lineup: Previously released promotional stills show that Reese has a fondness for blue Star homes: In previously released publicity images for the show, Eva was seen with her son, Santiago Enrique Baston The show will also include appearances from Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka, Jordana Brewster, and Kane and Katelyn Brown. Molly Sims is also an executive producer, though it doesn't seem that the supermodel got her own home organized this season. The show was announced by Netflix last week, and The Home Edit shared their excitement on Instagram. 'We are SO proud of this show and cant wait to share it with you!' they wrote. The Home Edit has grown in popularity on Instagram over the past few years, thanks to the droolworthy photos they post pantries and closets that have been perfect organized, with items divided into identical clear bins and cascading with color. Reality: Khloe, who has shown off The Home Edit's work in her home, was pictured walking into what looked like a garage filled with toy cars Bananas: Rachel Zoe is among the stars who appear in the Netflix show's first season Peek inside: Neil and David's kids' room is impeccable Pictured: Kane and Katelyn Brown look at their newly-organized pantry Cross country: Shearer and Teplin will travel from their home state of Tennessee to New York and California, and will organize the homes of regular people and celebrities alike Several of their famous clients, including Gwyneth Paltrow, have also shared the results of their work. 'One of the things we love most about having organized homes, and one of the things we often hear from our clients, is how calm they feel when everythings put away. Organization can help save time, money, and ultimately, your sanity,' Joanna told Create & Cultivate. Other well-known customers include Kasey Musgraves, Jessie James Decker, Schitt's Creek star Dan Levy, Vanessa Lachey, and Tiffani Thiessen. In 2018, they worked their magic on Busy Philipps' pantry and the actress stunned fans with the before-and-after pictures. 'My kitchen and pantry looked insane and the lovely ladies at @thehomeedit came and changed my life (I mean, at least my snacks),' she wrote on Instagram. So pretty! Busy Philipps just showed off her amazing pantry transformation on Instagram That's an upgrade: The star posted before and after pictures, showing how messy and disorganized it used to be 'My kitchen and pantry looked insane and the lovely ladies at @thehomeedit came and changed my life (I mean, at least my snacks),' she wrote on Instagram In the before picture, Busy's rather large pantry is indeed a mess. It's stocked and crammed with food, like oatmeal, Kind bars, Wheat Thins, cereal, and pasta. But there are also plenty of non-edible items, as the pantry seems to have become a catch-all space in the kitchen. There's a French press, cookie cutter, baking pans, a wok, and even lunchboxes at the bottom. After The Home Edit did their thing, though, the pantry is unrecognizable. For one thing, it has now mostly become a designated food space, with tools and appliances moved out and elsewhere in the kitchen. The food is all organized by type, making it easier to find: Sauces and spices are grouped by type, as are snacks, and dry goods are all lined up together. Anything in boxes or bags has been emptied out into clear containers which not only makes it easier to see and creates a much neater-looking space, it's also practical: Containers that seal are great for keeping out bugs. Rose gold: Whitney Port had them over and showed off her organized pantry afterward Shoes! Abigail Spencer's closet was redone, with shoes labeled and put in clear boxes Nice! This is what Olivia Culpo's bathroom looked like when they'd finished reorganizing for her Star power: Whitney is one of the company's celebrity clients While snacks and baking mixes are lined up in clear containers, bottles have been set up on lazy Susans, making them easier to grab and put back, keeping everything in its place. And along the top are several cookbooks, arranged beautifully in color order. In August 2018, Mandy Moore showed off the results of her newly-organized clothing and linen closets, which looked pristine. 'Theres no greater treat than the gift of organization,' she gushed. 'Our home is from 1950 [so] we have limited storage space, hence the massive clean sweep/donation station I did with the stuff I had been holding on to for far too long before we moved. 'Thank you to remarkable LA team of @thehomeedit for helping make my closet dreams a reality. Heres hoping I can hold my end of the bargain and keep it looking this way,' she said. Incredible: Hoda Kotb had the organizers come for a segment on the Today show Opinion: Before the organization gurus arrived, the doting mom picked up her two-year-old daughter Haley Joy and asked: 'Okay, is this neat or messy?' Go-to: The company is also a favorite of Khloe Kardashian, who has had them over to organize several parts of her home In 2017, they visited Abigail Spencer. They stored all of her shoes in individual clear containers, labeling them with the designer name on the outside. Meanwhile, Whitney Port's kitchen got a makeover, with The Home Edit revealing that Whitney even has a special 'entertaining closet' where she keeps serving silverware, bowls, and a surprising number of rose gold pineapples. Once The Home Edit had their way, the closet was perfectly symmetrical, with forks and knives in clear containers and those pineapples on shelves on each side. OIivia Culpo also hired them recently to organize her beauty closet, where they introduced stackable, divided, deep bins for her blushes and bronzers. Earlier this year, the Today show's Hoda Kotb has a visit from the team, too. Ron Jackson, a Marine and Vice Commander of VFW Post 5365 watches the ceremony during a groundbreaking ceremony for a 75-unit apartment complex for veterans. Jackson, a Vietnam Veteran and participant in the Tet Offensive wears his Purple Heart for wounds he received. The building that is already under construction is located at 7930 Iowa St. in Hobart, on Thursday, August 27, 2020. (John Smierciak / Post Tribune) (John Smierciak / Post-Tribune) 'The tensions and instability in the eastern Mediterranean have heightened disputes on issues concerning maritime space' Greece said it will launch military exercises Wednesday with France, Italy and Cyprus in the eastern Mediterranean, the focus of escalating tensions between Athens and Ankara. The joint exercises south of Cyprus and the Greek island of Crete will last three days, the defence ministry said. Tensions ratched up when Turkey sent the Oruc Reis research vessel accompanied by warships to disputed waters on August 10. "Cyprus, Greece, France and Italy have agreed to deploy a joint presence in the eastern Mediterranean as part of the quadripartite cooperation initiative," the defence ministry said in a statement. "The tensions and instability in the eastern Mediterranean have heightened disputes on issues concerning maritime space." Turkey said on Tuesday it is ready for talks with Greece without preconditions over the row. The olive branch came ahead of an informal EU foreign ministers' meeting in Berlin on Thursday and Friday at which Greece is expected to press the bloc to slap biting sanctions on its historic regional rival. But EU nations would prefer to avoid irritating Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas shuttled between Athens and Ankara in a bid to temper the rhetoric and get talks back on track. Maas, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency, told the two countries to defuse the row or risk sparking a "catastrophe". *This story was edited by Ahram Online. Search Keywords: Short link: Meghan Markle has been criticized on social media over her decision to continue using her royal title after insisting that all people should be 'linked not ranked' during an interview with feminist icon Gloria Steinem. The 39-year-old Duchess of Sussex spoke about her love of the feminist phrase - and revealed during the 'backyard chat' with Gloria, 86, that she even wears it with her on a bracelet that was given to her by the activist. However some Twitter users were quick to accuse Meghan of hypocrisy, questioning how she can promote the concept of equality in an interview during which she chose to use her royal title. Backlash: Meghan Markle has been mocked after saying in a Q&A with Gloria Steinem that it 'means everything to her' that people be 'linked not ranked' despite still using her Duchess title 'She should not spout off about being linked and ranked, if [she is] going to use a rank title,' one person tweeted. 'Just go back to plain Meghan Markle, actress.' Another added: 'Meghan and Harry talking about "linked not ranked blah blah" but still holding on to their titles what a joke.' Meaningful: The quote is one of Gloria's most famous - and the 86-year-old gifted Meghan bracelets with the mantra on them, which the pair discussed during their chat A third chimed in: 'Linked not ranked? Deep nonsense (woke) is what Meghan trades in. And lies. Does Steinem really not know how Markle plotted, schemed and seduced an unattractive halfwit to marry into the British Royal Family for fame, money and the opportunity to schmooze with hasbeens and hacks?' 'I thought it insane that they talked about being "linked" rather than "ranked,"' another person tweeted. 'This coming from Meghan who uses her Duchess title? I am so through with her.' One person specifically highlighted the irony in the fact that Meghan's written Q&A with Gloria - during which she shared how much the 'linked not ranked' quote means to her - was published by female empowerment platform Makers Women under the byline 'Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex'. 'Have no problem of Meghan urging people to vote (esp. women), but this are linked not ranked... yet MAKERS put Meghans tittle The Duchess of Sussex next to her name,' they wrote. Others questioned whether Meghan was attempting to make a veiled jab at the royal family by sharing her love of the mantra, with one account insisting that it was meant to be a 'dig' at the monarchy. Upset: Many Twitter users questioned how Meghan can promote the idea of everyone being 'linked not ranked', while still technically ranking herself with the use of her title Pointed? Others questioned whether the quote was intended to be a 'dig' against the royal family and its traditional hierarchy 'Meghans obvious dig at the entire institution: how all women are linked, not ranked,"' the Twitter user wrote. 'Now sweetie, if you really find the hierarchy so archaic and anti-feminist, then why are you still clinging to your title? Oh thats right, you offer nothing without it.' Another person then replied: 'Women linked not ranked. Def a dig. But coming from Duchess Meghan ya gotta laugh.' The Q&A between Meghan and Gloria was published by Makers on Wednesday, following a behind-the-scenes teaser clip that was shared the day before, and saw the two women covering a range of issues, from voter suppression to gender equality. At one point, the two women discussed gender equality, with Gloria referring to Native American culture 'in which women were equal', noting that this 'system of balance' is what prompted the idea of people being 'linked not ranked'. Meghan then called attention to her bracelets, a $48 set of beaded accessories that were designed by Gloria to raise money for Feminist.com, and which feature the phrase: 'Imagine we are linked, not ranked.' 'I love this,' the Duchess said of her bracelet, adding: 'It means everything to me on every level; we are linked not ranked.' Going, going, gone! Despite the criticism, the bracelets worn by Meghan - which come in black and red - still flew off shelves in the hours after her interview Style star: The Duchess of Sussex was wearing the accessories during the Q&A, which was published by female empowerment platform Makers Women Decisions: After formally stepping away from the royal family, Meghan and Harry were stripped of their HRH styles, but they are still known as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex Gloria then responded: 'And I thank you for understanding that rank is less important than being linked. Thats a big thing.' But while some accused Meghan of hypocrisy, her praise of the bracelets gifted to her by Gloria still caused the accessories to fly off shelves, with many Twitter users reporting that they had sold out within minutes after the interview went live. Interestingly, the social media discussion around Harry and Meghan's use of their Duke and Duchess titles comes just as it was revealed that the couple has changed the name of their charitable foundation to remove Sussex Royal. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex agreed to stop using their 'Sussex Royal' brand after officially stepping away from The Firm on April 1 this year. Their departure - nicknamed Megxit - prompted talks with aides, which ended with the agreement that they would be unable to use the word 'royal' as part of any of new branding. Now paperwork has been published revealing the formal change of name for the 'Sussex Royal The Foundation of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex' to MWX Foundation was registered on 5 August. The name could be short for the Markle Windsor Foundation. It was agreed as part of Megxit discussions that Harry and Meghan would remain the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, however the couple were stripped of their HRH styles, and are not allowed to use the word 'royal' in relation to their work moving forward. Plenty of evidence this week that were living in a boom time for thoughtful, powerful nature writing. Vesper Flights collects essays by Helen Macdonald, whom you likely know from her internationally best-selling memoir, H Is for Hawk. In The Bird Way, Jennifer Ackerman takes a detailed look at the lives of birds including their parenting strategies like the bowerbird, the cuckoo and the kea. From the sky to the sea, with another international best seller: Patrik Svenssons The Book of Eels, which combines elements of memoir with an examination of the slithery creatures. As this strange summer (already, unbelievably) nears its end, Ali Smith reaches the end of her seasonal quartet of novels with her own Summer. Smith has conspicuously kept her eye on current events in these books, and has remarkably included the arrival of Covid-19 in this series-capper. Also on this weeks list, a great diversity of genres and subjects: Kurt Andersens indictment of American politics over the past several decades; Jeffrey Toobins narrative treatment of the Mueller investigation; a group portrait of four European philosophers who navigated the tumultuous 1920s in very different ways; the latest novel by the great Israeli writer A.B. Yehoshua; the biography of a scientist who was once as famous as Einstein; a deeply disturbing and brilliantly conceived novel about cannibalism; and a devastating novel about tragedy in a Nigerian family. John Williams Daily Books Editor and Staff Writer SUMMER, by Ali Smith. (Pantheon, $27.95.) Ali Smiths new novel is the concluding volume in her immersive, prickly and politically ardent seasonal quartet. Some characters reappear from the earlier books in the series, but you dont have to read the previous novels to gain entrance here, our critic Dwight Garner writes. Two of the central characters are siblings, Sacha and Robert, teenagers who respond very differently to the world theyve been brought into. Summer, Garner writes, is a prose poem in praise of memory, forgiveness, getting the joke and seizing the moment. BEIJING, Aug. 28 -- China urges the US to immediately stop provocations, strictly manage and control its maritime and air military operations, strictly restrain the behaviors of its front-line naval and air forces, so as to avoid any contingency, said Senior Colonel Li Huamin, spokesperson for the Southern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), in a written statement on Friday. Snr. Col. Li said that a US guided-missile destroyer USS Mustin trespassed into the Chinese territorial waters off the Xisha Islands without permission on August 27. In response, the PLA Southern Theater Command organized its naval and air forces to conduct whole-process monitoring and verification on the US warship and warned it away. Li pointed out that in disregard of the rules of international law, the US has repeatedly provoked troubles in the South China Sea and asserted its navigation hegemony in the name of "freedom of navigation" , which has seriously undermined China's sovereignty and security interests, as well as the international navigation order in the South China Sea. Li stressed that China has indisputable sovereignty over the islands in the South China Sea and the adjacent waters, adding that the troops of the PLA Southern Theater Command will always stay on high alert and resolutely safeguard Chinas sovereignty and security and uphold peace and stability in the South China Sea. Opposition-ruled states have opposed the central governments proposal that the states borrow money to plug a shortfall in their revenue from the Goods and Services Tax (GST), estimated at Rs 2.35 lakh crore this fiscal year, insisting that the Centre borrow the money and compensate the states instead. West Bengal finance minister Amit Mitra said the states debt and debt servicing burden will increase if they borrow from the market to make good the shortfall. He suggested that the Centre pay the compensation from the various cesses it collects and compensate the states. In a letter to finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, written ahead of Thursdays meeting of the 41st meeting of the GST Council, Mitra wrote that the 14% annual increase in GST revenue assured to the states for five years until 2022 is sacrosanct and cannot be tinkered with. Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, who also holds the finance portfolio, said the central government has betrayed all states by refusing to give compensation to them as promised under the Goods and Services Taxes (GST). When GST was rolled out, states were promised that we would be given compensation for the next 5 years with 14% of growth. But today, the Central government refused to pay to the states saying as per the law, due to the ongoing Covid-19 situation they are not liable to pay anything, Sisodia said. Sisodia also said that Delhi being a city state cannot borrow money from the Reserve Bank of India, unlike other states, to meet its revenue shortfall. The finance ministers of Congress-ruled states said they were not happy with the outcome of the meeting as decisions were thrust upon them by the Centre, Punjabs FM Manpreet Badal said. We are not happy at the outcome. But, we have no choice, he said. Puducherry chief minister V Narayanasamy, who represented the Union Territory at the meeting as he also holds the finance portfolio, said it was unfortunate the Centre was not helping the revenue-starved states by honouring its commitment to pay them GST compensation at 14%. Badal said at a virtual news briefing of Congress representatives at the meeting: I appeal to the Centre that if some states are not agreeable to their proposals, they should not force the solutions on states. The Centre should activate the dispute resolution mechanism in the GST Council, so that states have legal recourse to what they do not agree upon. Chhattisgarh finance minister TS Singhdeo said the central government must act like an elder in the family and ensure that the states share of revenue from GST is protected instead of asking the states to borrow. Why should states take loans individually rather than government of India doing it, he asked. He added that if the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) Act can be relaxed for states to borrow more; it could also be relaxed for the Centre to overshoot its market borrowing target. At the online GST Council meeting, Uttar Pradesh, whose government is controlled by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that heads the central government, asked for payment of around Rs 12,000 crore compensation for the revenue shortfall caused largely by the Covid-19 lockdown during the current financial year. Todays meeting was for a discussion on the compensation claim payments by various states. The council heard us patiently and will take a decision later on, said UPs commercial tax commissioner Amrita Soni. Jagdish Devda, the finance minister of Madhya Pradesh, another BJP-ruled state, thanked Sitharaman for releasing Rs 2,600 crore as GST compensation to the state and urged her to release the remaining amount of Rs 5,995 crore as well. The only agenda of the meeting was compensation to be paid to the states due to drop in the GST revenue. There was elaborate discussion on the issue. There was almost unanimous view that loans should be taken from Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to compensate the loss, he said. Uttarakhand finance secretary Amit Singh Negi said: The state has around Rs 1,000 crore of GST compensation pending to be received from the Centre. In todays (Thursday) GST Council meeting, Uttarakhand government put forth this demand only. Biju Janata Dal-ruled Odisha, like several other states, also demanded immediate release of GST compensation of Rs 3,647 crore for this financial year. Kerala finance Minister Thomas Issac said ministers of the Opposition-ruled states who attended the GST council meeting to discuss non-payment of compensation to the states felt a big letdown as the Centre continued to thrust its solutions on them. It was another let down. The GST council should have empowered to borrow for meeting the compensation requirement, if necessary through an ordinance. Part payment of compensation is not enough in such trying times, said Issac. Multiple officials in different states said the states also demanded an increase in the period of payment of compensation for GST revenue loss by the Centre to the states from the present five years until 2022 to 10 years. It is a common demand by states to the Centre to increase the GST compensation time period from five to 10 years, but as far as Uttarakhand is concerned, we will follow whatever the Centre decides, Negi said. The Bachelor's Locklan 'Locky' Gilbert has apologised after his racist Myspace post from more than a decade ago resurfaced on Thursday. Gilbert, 31, shared the bigoted content in 2004 when he was a 16-year-old high school student in Perth. The shocking post features a map of Australia with the words 'F**K OFF WE'RE FULL', an anti-immigrant and anti-refugee slogan widely considered to be racist. Apology: The Bachelor's Locklan 'Locky' Gilbert (pictured) has apologised after his racist Myspace post from more than a decade ago resurfaced on Thursday Regrettable: Gilbert, 31, shared the bigoted content in 2004 when he was a 16-year-old high school student in Perth. Pictured: Gilbert's still-active Myspace profile The post also included the Southern Cross constellation and the words 'Aussie Pride'. While not intrinsically racist, the Southern Cross and 'Aussie Pride' slogan are sometimes associated with right-wing nationalism. Gilbert apologised for his post in a statement to Daily Mail Australia on Thursday afternoon. 'I am deeply sorry for the image I posted on MySpace over 14 years ago. I do not hold these views and I apologise for the offence I have caused,' he said. This season of The Bachelor has a very diverse cast and it remains to be seen what they will make of his questionable social media activity. Insensitive: The shocking post features an outline of Australia with the words 'F**K OFF WE'RE FULL', an anti-immigrant and anti-refugee slogan widely considered to be racist. The same meme also included the Southern Cross constellation and the words 'Aussie Pride' Before his Bachelor days: One photo from Gilbert's resurfaced Myspace account shows him with a young woman at a formal Rare look: The abandoned MySpace profile offers a rare glimpse into Gilbert's teenage years as a party boy. He is pictured on the left with a group of friends Looks like a fun night! One image shows Gilbert (far right) posing with friends outside Club X, an adult shop chain, while hugging a young woman and lifting her up by the legs Clowns: Another shows Gilbert goofing around with a group of friends on a train Bookmakers' favourite Irena Srbinovska is of Macedonian descent, Bella Varelis is Greek, Areeba Emmanuel is a Pakistani-Australian, Leilani Vakaahi is of Tongan heritage and Laura Calleri is Italian. Gilbert's abandoned MySpace account also offers a glimpse into his raucous teenage years. What will they think? Many of his contestants have European backgrounds, and it remains to be seen what they will make of his questionable social media activity. For example, bookies' favourite Irena Srbinovska (left) is of Macedonian descent, and Bella Varelis (right) is Greek Remorseful: 'I am deeply sorry for the image I posted on MySpace over 14 years ago. I do not hold these views and I apologise for the offence I have caused,' Locky said in statement One image shows him posing with friends outside adult store Club X while hugging a young woman and lifting her up by the legs. In another, the teenager was pictured partying on a train with his mates after a night out. MasterChef star Reynold Poernomo found himself in a similar predicament in May, when homophobic remarks he posted to a bodybuilding forum in 2014 resurfaced. Poernomo, 26, said that gay people should be 'captured and put on an island' and used other homophobic slurs. Slurs: MasterChef star Reynold Poernomo found himself in a similar predicament in May, when homophobic remarks he posted to a bodybuilding forum in 2014 resurfaced. 'I wish the world made a united decision where they will capture all gay people and put them on a remote island full of gays, that way straight people will be happy and the freaks can go on and f**k themselves,' the then 20-year-old wrote in one thread. Reynold later apologised for the comments. In a statement to Daily Mail Australia at the time, he said he was 'deeply ashamed' of his remarks. Aug. 27FARMINGTON The former Farmington police officer who resigned last year after he was filmed by his own vest camera using force to restrain an 11-year-old girl has been charged with child abuse and battery. Zachary Christensen, 36, is accused of a third-degree felony count of child abuse and three petty misdemeanor counts of battery, according to the criminal complaint. The New Mexico Attorney Generals Office on Aug. 26 announced the agency was charging Christensen with the alleged abuse and battery of a minor on Aug. 27, 2019, at Mesa View Middle School. We must uphold the law and ensure that New Mexicos school children are protected, particularly those who are most vulnerable New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas said in a statement. I will hold any individual accountable when they harm a child. Steve Murphy, Christensens attorney, told The Daily Times the New Mexico State Police conducted a very thorough investigation within two weeks of the incident and no criminal charges were filed. Murphy added the AGs Office was trying to grandstand and he is looking forward to a trial in this matter. The AGs press release stated Christensen is seen in his body-camera video allegedly engaging in a physical altercation in front of Mesa View administrators, who are heard in the video verbally disapproving of the incident. Farmington Municipal School District Superintendent Gene Schmidt said in a statement the district regrets the mistreatment of the middle school student by Christensen and will cooperate with the AGs Office in the case. (Farmington schools) believes in providing a safe, supportive and collaborative culture for all students and staff and this unfortunate incident did not meet that aspiration, Schmidt said. The district has worked with this student and family, as well as Farmington Police Department, to ensure that standard is met moving forward. Christensen resigned from the Farmington Police Department on Oct. 1. He had been a school resource officer for four years when he resigned. Farmington Police Chief Steve Hebbe previously told The Daily Times Christensen violated the departments policies for unsatisfactory performance and use of force. Hebbe in an Aug. 26 statement to The Daily Times apologized for how the student was treated by Christensen. I sincerely apologize to her and her family for how she was treated, Hebbe said. The department publicly posted the video footage from Christensens body camera for the community to watch. The graphic footage depicted Christensens response to the reportedly disruptive female student near the entrance to the school. Christensen believed the student committed two instances of battery by striking a school official and shoving the hands of another official. Hebbe previously said those instances did not occur after watching the video. As the former officer tried to place the student into handcuffs, she resisted, which led to the two wrestling each other. Christensen at one point slams the student into a window. She was diagnosed with a mild concussion along with some bruises and scrapes following the incident. Christensen wasnt initially charged in the incident. The New Mexico State Police conducted a criminal investigation into Christensens actions and did not recommend criminal charges, according to The Daily Times archives. The San Juan County District Attorneys Office said the former officer and the student were not facing criminal charges in October. No criminal summons or arrest warrant has been issued in the case, according to court records. An arraignment has been scheduled for 11 a.m. on Sept. 11 in Aztec District Court. Joshua Kellogg covers breaking news for The Daily Times. He can be reached at 505-564-4627 or via email at jkellogg@daily-times.com. Support local journalism with a digital subscription: http://bit.ly/2I6TU0e ___ (c)2020 The Daily Times (Farmington, N.M.) Visit The Daily Times (Farmington, N.M.) at www.daily-times.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Woodies team leader Niall Evans with a two meter distancing stencil outside the Woodies flagship store in Bray. Woodies owner Grafton Group has reported a 72pc fall in profit for the first half of this year. Profit for the period was 24.8m (27.6m), down from 87.1m (97m) in the corresponding period last year. The company, which also operates builders merchants Chadwicks, had to close the majority of its shops in Ireland and the UK for 51 days during the Covid-19 lockdown. Revenue fell 29pc to 1.06bn (1.2bn), according to interim results. Despite the fall in revenue and profits, there has been strong cash flow of 121.5m (135m) from its operations. The company said there has been a strong recovery in home repairs, maintenance and improvements. It said it was experiencing an encouraging start to second half of the year with average daily like-for-like revenue up by 3.8pc. Gavin Slark, CEO of Grafton Group, said: We are very encouraged by the performance of the group in recent months as it emerged in a strong position from the Covid-19 lockdown and based on current trends the group should deliver a similar level of adjusted operating profit in the second half to the comparable period last year. Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, confers the police flag on China's police force during a ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, August 26, 2020. [Xinhua/Ju Peng] BEIJING, August 26 (Xinhua) President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, on Wednesday conferred the police flag on China's police force, ordering them to be loyal to the Party, serve the people and be impartial in law enforcement and strict in discipline. Xi stressed that the Chinese police must work wholeheartedly to strengthen people's sense of fulfillment, happiness and security, and be determined to fulfill the missions and tasks entrusted to them by the Party and the people. At the ceremony held in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Xi presented Minister of Public Security Zhao Kezhi and Minister of State Security Chen Wenqing with the flag. Over 300 police officers present saluted the flag. Addressing the ceremony, Xi lauded the major contributions made by the Chinese police to safeguarding national security, social stability and people's interests, calling them a mighty force that can be fully trusted by the Party and the people. Xi called on the police force to uphold the Party's absolute leadership. The police force must uphold a people-centered philosophy and remain committed to serving the people and relying on the people in all endeavors, Xi said. He stressed efforts to strengthen the credibility of law enforcement and the administration of justice and efforts to ensure fairness and justice in handling all cases and matters. Underlining the importance of strict discipline, Xi also demanded the police force forge iron-like discipline and conduct. Wang Huning, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and a member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, read the CPC Central Committee's decision on conferring the flag. Vice Premier Han Zheng, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, also attended the ceremony. Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, confers the police flag on China's police force during a ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, August 26, 2020. [Xinhua/Ju Peng] Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, speaks during a ceremony to confer the police flag on China's police force at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, August 26, 2020. [Xinhua/Xie Huanchi] Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, confers the police flag on China's police force and addresses the ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, August 26, 2020. [Xinhua/Zhang Ling] Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, confers the police flag on China's police force and addresses the ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, August 26, 2020. [Xinhua/Zhang Ling] (Source: Xinhua) Oman Aviation Group (OAG) has said that it is exploring opportunities for investment in Sea-to-Air logistics and cargo transportation centering on the Sultanates international airports in Sohar and Salalah, reported Oman Daily Observer. Sea-to-Air logistics are part of an ambitious portfolio of initiatives being pursued by the state-owned umbrella organisation in a bid to leverage the countrys already well-developed airport and aviation infrastructure to catalyse investments in, among other areas, air-freight, e-commerce and airport-related free zones. But while Muscat International Airport is already being positioned as the hub of a far-reaching national aviation ecosystem, key roles are being envisaged for Sohar and Salalah airports as well. Details of Oman Aviation Groups vision for Sohar and Salalah airports, in addition to Muscat International Airport, were shared during an InvestinOman webinar held recently. Investment opportunities linked to Sohar International Airport stem from its positioning as a stopover crossroads for narrow-body airlines on longer missions that require a technical stop. This concept has the potential to attract a wide array of airlines and aircraft types to Sohar, including charter airlines operating narrow body (long-haul), scheduled airlines attempting narrow body low-risk entries, and scheduled airlines operating seasonal holiday services. Additionally, as a stopover crossroads, Sohar airport can also appeal to light and medium sized business jets, cruise line flights, and ferry and delivery flights operating technical stops, according to OAG. Adding to Sohar International Airports investment appeal is its proximity to the major commercial, industrial, and economic centres of Sohar, including the Sohar Ports freezone. Spread over an area of 20 sq km, Sohar Airport will be an integral part of an ambitious multimodal system envisioned in the industrial port city, encompassing road and railway networks in the future, says OAG. Sohar Airport currently caters to a number of local, regional and international airlines, notably Air Arabia, Qatar Airways, SalamAir, QeshmAir, Oman Air (alternate airport), and several private jets and charter flights. Salalah International Airport, located not far from Port of Salalah a thriving transshipment and logistics hub overlooking the Indian Ocean holds equally promising air-cargo related logistics opportunities. Salalahs global location, connectivity and cost competitiveness provide a unique advantage in terms of reach, enabling global sourcing and exporting from and to the world, and competitive total landed costs, said OAG. A trade hub in its own right, Salalah port offers the swiftest transit times to Europe and Asia from a single location at 32 per cent lower costs than competing ports. The port handles over 3,000 vessel calls per annum from lines such as Maersk, MSC and APL. Air-cargo transportation opportunities stem from Salalahs significance as an inter-modal hub with sea, land and air connections across short distances. Additionally, a bonded corridor connects the customs controlled area with Salalah Free-zone located nearby. Besides, Salalahs proximity to Yemen can also be exploited to support humanitarian aid supplies to that country, Oman Aviation Group noted. A signature initiative of Oman Aviation Group is to support the development of Airport Cities anchored by its international gateways. Oman Airport Cities will offer world-class commercial, retail, hospitality, MICE, leisure and logistics hubs and clusters in close proximity to Muscat International Airport, Sohar International Airport and Salalah International Airport, it added.TradeArabia News Service On Wednesday, officials said the Iranian government has agreed to give United Nations inspectors access to two previously guarded nuclear sites. The move is a shift in decision amid the rising tensions of an international dispute over the country's nuclear capability that has caused rifts between global allies and isolated the United States. Nuclear site inspections The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Iran said in a joint statement that they had forged an agreement made in good faith for the conduct of inspections to find out if the Middle Eastern country's nuclear program continues to be peaceful. According to The New York Times, the statement writes that Iran is giving the UN inspectors access to the site voluntarily and that the inspections have already been scheduled. The nuclear agency said that after what it referred to as intensive discussions, it had no further queries to Iran. Two months ago, the IAEA suspected and accused Tehran of covering possible nuclear venture after Iranian officials denied inspectors access to two unverified areas. The nuclear agency served as the UN's nuclear watchdog. It said that Iran spent almost one-year skirting questions about potential nuclear materials and activities that it has failed to declare. However, amid the UN Security Council hovering over the idea of once again implementing international sanctions against Iran's economy and demolishing an accord agreed upon in 2015 that limited the country's nuclear program, Tehran has withdrawn from its previous sternness. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that the relationship between his country and the IAEA was excellent and expressed his hopes for their continued cooperation. Rouhani said the nuclear agency was burdened with the crucial responsibility of aiding Tehran to maintain the 2015 nuclear accord. Also Read: Kamala Harris Vows to Provide Security to Israel, Denies Destructive Nuclear Power From Iran Exceeding limits The consensus was reached after the director-general of the IAEA, Rafael Grossi, visited the Middle Eastern country to convince its officials to give the nuclear agency access to the aforementioned sites, as reported by VOA News. The IAEA observed that while Iran continuously complied with the 2015 agreement, it was found that last year, the country began to exceed the limits on nuclear enrichment the deal set in place. The increase in capacity was a response to the United States' stiff sanctions as a result of President Donald Trump's withdrawal from the agreement. The Islamic Republic News Agency said that the Iranian president noted that the majority of states on the Security Council continued to honor the 2015 deal and said that he hoped American unilateralism would soon come to an end. Recently, however, Trump's administration has demanded the UN to implement once again broader, international sanctions against Tehran which the 2015 accord removed. The president of the Security Council said on Tuesday, however, that the lack of support for Trump's demand was absent, leading to the agency to disregard the call. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced his support for the restoration of the sanctions against Iran, stating that they are required as written under Security Council resolutions and calls for officials to punish Iran for failing to comply with some parts of the accord. However, European diplomats stated that the UN must first settle a dispute mechanism which was similarly invoked by Britain, France, and Germany in January before sanctions take effect. Related Article: Historic Peace Agreement Between Israel and UAE Results in Suspension of West Bank Annexation @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Growing up on a farm outside San Antonio, Justin Haecker loved nothing more than taking things apart and putting them back together. A self-described Lego kid, he excelled in math and science and would eventually attend the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering at Texas A&M University, with an emphasis on renewable energy and machine systems (think industrial tractors and harvest combines). After graduating in 2011, he took a job at the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension service where he met a fellow graduate who recently made the jump to offshore engineering, specifically subsea valves and drilling equipment. Fascinated by the machinery, Haecker would take a job at FMC Technologies (now TechnipFMC) in Houston later that year. FMC has a competition barbecue team and Haecker volunteered to cook brisket at the various charitable events in which they participated. Turns out he had some experience in that area, too. Bexar Barbecue 28301 Tomball Parkway, 832-559-3655 Open Thursday-Sunday only (for now), lunch and dinner. See More Collapse Growing up, when he wasnt taking things apart, he was cooking with his grandmother, Wanda. We were an old German family, he says. In our family, lunch was called dinner and was the biggest meal of the day. Dinner was called supper and that was a smaller meal in the evening. In high school, Haecker worked at Bill Miller Bar-B-Q, a San Antonio institution, and then at the Rudys Bar-B-Q outlet in College Station when he attended A&M. Haecker gained praise for his brisket while at FMC and, like many barbecue origin stories, began to think of a way to make the jump to retail barbecue. By 2016, his barbecue dream seemed out-of-reach. Hed moved up to a management position at FMC and he and his wife Kathryn had two young sons. Not giving up, Haecker looked at it like an engineering problem. What are the tools and processes that he could use to efficiently make quality barbecue in his very-limited free time? First, he acquired a booth at the Tomball Farmers Market that occurred every Saturday. This offered a semi-permanent place and time to sell his barbecue, with a built-in audience. Then he looked at the equipment he needed to make consistently great barbecue. A traditional offset barrel smoker was out of the question as it took too much time to operate. His engineering background drew him to a relatively new technology in Texas barbecue commercial-grade pellet smokers. These devices use compressed wood chips or pellets as the fuel source, instead of full logs of wood. They can be programmed to cook the barbecue without much intervention by the pitmaster just what he needed for his limited schedule. Pellet smokers can be controversial in Texas barbecue as they are seen as taking a shortcut to smoking meat. But contemporary models produce great results if the pitmaster knows what he or she is doing. Haecker bought a trailer-mounted, commercial-grade pellet smoker and spent the next three years paying his dues by selling brisket every week at the farmers market, in between holidays and bad weather. He gained a loyal following for his brisket. He credits his entire family for the success he and Kathryn received plenty of help from their parents and siblings in taking care of the kids, among other assistance. In honor of his upbringing, he named his venture Bexar County Brisket based on the county that encompasses San Antonio and surrounding areas. In 2019, Haecker began researching locations for a permanent restaurant. By 2020 he left his job at FMC, acquired a second commercial-grade pellet cooker, and officially opened his storefront in a shopping center on Tomball Parkway on June 13. He renamed the business Bexar Barbecue to reflect an expanded menu. On a recent visit, I sampled most of his menu featuring the Texas trinity of brisket, ribs, and house-made sausage, as well as a selection of side dishes. Though the barbecue did not have the deep smoky flavor that you get at places that use offset smokers, the brisket was perfectly seasoned and cooked. The side dishes, all house-made and reflecting the influence of his grandmothers cooking, were excellent. The restaurant features an expansive dining room and family-friendly outdoor patio. Haecker admits its been a challenge leaving a well-paying job and opening a restaurant in the middle of a pandemic, but hes engineered the venture to succeed. jcreid@jcreidtx.com twitter.com/jcreidtx SPRINGFIELD The Illinois Department of Public Health reported 1,707 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 24 additional virus-related deaths on Thursday as the statewide death toll from the disease reached 7,977. Meanwhile, COVID-19s economic impact continued to be felt throughout Illinois, where local July unemployment rates ranged from 7.9% to 13.8%, according to the Illinois Department of Employment Security. IDPH said laboratories had processed 44,510 COVID-19 tests since Wednesday, which made for a single-day positivity rate of 3.8%. The rolling statewide average positivity rate for the seven-day period from Aug. 20-26 stood at 4.1%. Virus-related deaths were reported in 11 of the states 102 counties. The victims ranged in age from a St. Clair County woman in her 50s to a LaSalle County woman over age 100. As of late Wednesday night, 1,631 people in Illinois were being hospitalized with COVID-19, including 390 patients in intensive care units. Of the ICU patients, 151 were on ventilators. The overall hospital bed usage was at its highest point since July 1, and ICU bed usage was as high as its been since June 29. Ventilator use was at its highest point since July 28. Last week, IDPH imposed stricter social and economic restrictions in the Metro East region around St. Louis. According to the first U.S. Department of Labor unemployment report since those restrictions took effect, 25,333 people filed first-time unemployment claims in Illinois during the week that ended Saturday, Aug. 22 an increase of 2,927 from the week before. But the number of people receiving continuing jobless benefits dropped by more than 11,000, to 593,152. This week, IDPH imposed even stricter mitigation efforts in Will and Kankakee counties, including the closing of bars and restaurants to indoor service. State officials have also indicated they are likely to tighten the restrictions in the Metro East area if infection rates there do not decrease. As of Monday, Aug. 24, the seven-day rolling average COVID-19 test positivity rate in Region 4 stood at 10% and had been climbing for six of the past 10 days. The rate in Will and Kankakee counties stood at 8.3%, just above the 8% threshold that triggers stronger mitigation efforts. The state also reported regional July unemployment rates for the 14 metropolitan areas in Illinois. The Rockford area had the highest rate, at 13.8% an increase of 7.1 percentage points from a year earlier. The Champaign-Urbana region had the lowest, at 7.9%, which is up only 3.7 points from July 2019. Other regional jobless rates included Bloomington at 8%; Lake County and Kenosha County, Wisconsin, at 8.9%; Davenport-Moline-Rock Island at 9.1%; Springfield at 9.1%; Carbondale-Marion at 9.2%; the Metro East area at 9.4%; Kankakee at 9.5%; Danville at 9.9%; Elgin at 10.3%; Peoria at 10.6%; Decatur at 12%; and Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights at 12.6%. The statewide jobless rate in Illinois was 11.3% in July, up from 4.2% a year earlier. Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service covering state government and distributed to more than 400 newspapers statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Aug. 27 By Rufiz Hafizoglu Trend: Turkey is always on the side of Azerbaijan, on the side of justice, said the Turkish Minister of National Defense Hulusi Akar, Trend reports on Aug. 27 referring to the local media outlets. "Azerbaijan and Turkey are and will always be brotherly states," Akar said. He noted that Turkey strongly condemns the aggressive policy of Armenia against Azerbaijan, and the whole world should know that Turkey will not leave Azerbaijan without support. "Armenia does not act alone in the region, getting support from several foreign countries," added the minister. 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 the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu T ravellers from Switzerland, Jamaica and the Czech Republic face two weeks in quarantine, the Transport Secretary said. Grant Shapps said people arriving into Britain from those countries will be required to self-isolate for 14 days from 4am on Saturday. But Cuba has been added to the list of countries exempt from quarantine rules following promising data on Covid-19 cases. Mr Shapps tweeted: Quarantining on return from a non-Travel Corridor country is a legal requirement and you commit a criminal offence if you break that quarantine. Fines, as well as a criminal record can result. The decision on whether to add or remove a country is carefully made after research from the Joint Biosecurity Centre. Thousands of Brit travellers face quarantine under the new rules / PA "A lead indicator is 20 cases per 100k over 7 days but they take into account a wide range of factors, including level, rate & speed of change in confirmed cases. The Czech Republic was recording a seven-day rate of 19.4 cases per 100,000, up from 16 a week ago. Switzerland, which Scotland removed from its "travel corridor" list last week, is also over the danger threshold, with a seven-day rate of 21.2. More than 300,000 British nationals visit the Czech Republic every year, according to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. But a senior official at the Czech Republics tourism board said they deeply regret the UKs decision to remove the country from its quarantine exemption list. Katarina Hobbs, director of CzechTourism UK & Ireland, said: The Czech Republic remains a safe country to travel to. It will continue to monitor and manage the current situation whilst welcoming visitors to the country. This is a British Government decision that we deeply regret and hope that the UK Government will reconsider their decision very soon. The latest additions of quarantine countries apply in the devolved regions of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland as well as England. Announcing the move on Wednesday, Scotlands Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf said: It is important to remember that we remain in the midst of a global pandemic and the situation in many countries can change suddenly. Grant Shapps announced the move on Thursday / PA With Scotlands relatively low infection rate, importation of new cases from abroad remains a significant risk to public health. We continue to closely monitor the situation in all parts of the world and base the decision we make on the scientific evidence available. Holidaymakers in Switzerland, Jamaica and the Czech Republic hoping to beat the quarantine deadline, resembling the mad dash home for Brits from France earlier this month, face a struggle. All direct flights from Prague to London appear to be sold out. Swiss International Air Lines was selling seats on a flight from Geneva to Heathrow departing on Friday afternoon for 493, while flights from Zurich cost 377. It comes after the two most popular destinations for Brits, Spain and France, were added to the UK's quarantine list in recent weeks. However, Greece and its islands remain quarantine-free for now. Gibraltar, Ireland, Denmark, Iceland and Turkey are understood to be among the other areas being closely monitored by officials. The Department for Transport said in a statement: Infections from Covid-19 are on the rise across Europe. The Government has made consistently clear it will take decisive action if necessary to contain the virus, which includes removing countries from the travel corridors list rapidly, if the public health risk of people returning from a particular country without self-isolating becomes too high. Loading.... This means holidaymakers may find they need to self-isolate on return to the UK and are advised to consider the implications of self-isolation on them and their families before making travel plans. Patrick Ikhena, head of travel insurance at comparethemarket.com, warned most insurers would no longer provide cover for the three countries removed from the quarantine exemption list. He said a decision to cancel a trip to avoid the mandatory quarantine rules would be considered a disinclination to travel and many policies would be unlikely to pay out. He added: Contacting your airline or hotel is another sensible course of action if your holiday plans have been scuppered by the latest restrictions, as they may be able to offer you some compensation, or alternative dates and destinations. Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 14:22:44|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ULAN BATOR, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Mongolia has reported one more COVID-19 case in the last 24 hours, bringing the nationwide tally to 301, the National Center for Communicable Diseases (NCCD) said Thursday. The latest case was found in a 35-year-old Mongolian man who returned home from South Korea on a chartered flight last week, Amarjargal Ambaselmaa, head of the NCCD's Surveillance Department, told a daily press briefing. Meanwhile, two more patients have recovered from the disease, bringing the national couont to 291, Ambaselmaa said. One of the remaining 10 patients being treated at the NCCD is in serious condition, she added. All the confirmed cases were imported, mostly from Russia, according to the center. No local transmissions or deaths have been reported in Mongolia so far. Enditem In his effort to secure leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada, Erin OToole promised the gun lobby that he will weaken Canadas firearm laws. His approach to gun policy received an A grade from a prominent Canadian gun lobby group, the Canadian Coalition for Firearm Rights. OToole proposes rolling back not only Liberal steps to reduce violence, but firearm policies enacted by the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in the early 1990s. In his platform for the Conservative leadership, OToole promises rather awkwardly to oppose efforts to reverse the former Conservative governments policy advances on firearms, including the Trudeau governments new proposals to confiscate legal firearms. In Parliament, OToole opposed the Liberal gun control law passed in 2019, Bill C-71, which contained efforts to strengthen background checks for firearm purchases, improve record keeping, and tighten gun transportation rules. OToole objected to the Liberal decision to use an order-in-council after the Portapique massacre in Nova Scotia to ban many models of semi-automatic assault-style rifles, including the AR-15. He called the action unprecedented and undemocratic. OToole also promised in his Conservative leadership platform to introduce a simplified classification system for firearms. To Canadians unaccustomed with the wishes of the gun lobby, a simplified classification system sounds innocuous. It isnt. Firearms are currently classified as non-restricted (mostly hunting rifles and shotguns), restricted (many handguns and some semi-automatic rifles), and prohibited (automatic weapons, and some handguns and semi-automatic rifles). Under the simplified classification system that is part of the Conservative Party official policy, automatic rifles would remain prohibited. Restricted weapons would include handguns, and firearms that could be fired when reduced to less than 660 millimeters in length. All other firearms would be non-restricted. In other words, if a firearm isnt a machine gun, a handgun, or a short, concealable weapon it would be non-restricted. Gun lobbyists have advocated for the simplified classification system for years because it would lower the classification of many semi-automatic rifles like the AR-15, meaning they would be much easier to acquire and use. These guns would also no longer be registered, making them more difficult to track. Listen to The Star's Alex Boutilier discuss Erin O'Toole's win OTooles promise to enact a simplified classification system is a repudiation not only of the gun control policy of the Liberal Party. Instituting such a classification system would also weaken the gun control steps taken by Progressive Conservative Prime Minister Brian Mulroney. Prime Minister Mulroney responded to the murder of fourteen young women in the 1989 Montreal Massacre with significant action on firearms, including limiting access to many semi-automatic rifles. Minister of Justice Kim Campbell shepherded the Mulroney governments legislation through the House of Commons. She addressed what she saw as the growing problem of assault-style firearms in civilian hands, and asserted that Parliament needed to update Canadas gun laws to limit access to such firearms. What I am concerned about, and what the legislation seeks to control, Minister Campbell declared in 1991, are modern military firearms that contain high firepower, fast-firing mechanisms, large capacity cartridge magazines, and other characteristics that make them very dangerous weapons, and have little or no place in legitimate sporting activities. Minister Campbell made clear that she wanted to reduce access to the most modern semi-automatic military assault weapons. The Progressive Conservative government subsequently issued orders-in-council prohibiting or restricting many models of assault-style rifles (a fact which counters OTooles claim that the 2020 ban on many assault rifles is unprecedented). Most of the models declared restricted or prohibited by the Mulroney government were semi-automatic versions of standard military assault rifles, including the AR-15. It is unclear whether OToole is aware of these basic facts of gun control history. Implementation of the simplified classification system would make semi-automatic assault-style rifles much more available. Doing so would be at odds with public opinion, as polling shows that a large majority of Canadians support stronger limits on assault rifles. Weakening regulations on assault-style rifles would also mean walking back legislative steps taken by the Progressive Conservatives in the early 1990s, and returning an important part of the Canadian firearm law regime to its state before the Montreal Massacre. Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 20:44:19|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- China and India have agreed to further ease tensions in the border area, a Chinese military spokesman said Thursday. Speaking on the Galwan Valley incident, Wu Qian, a spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense, said progress has been made in disengaging the frontline troops with active efforts of both sides. The two sides agreed to continue to maintain dialogue and communication through military and diplomatic channels, and handle the remaining issues properly to safeguard peace and tranquility in the border area, Wu said at a press conference in Beijing. Maintaining peace and stability in the border area is not only conducive to the development of China and India, but also to regional and global peace and stability, said Wu. Wu also expressed the expectation that India could meet China halfway to avoid misjudgment, prevent differences from escalating into disputes and take practical moves to bring the bilateral relations back to the correct track. Enditem A New Zealand court sentenced a man who killed 51 Muslim worshippers last year to life in prison without parole on Thursday (August 27). It was the deadliest shooting in the country's history and Thursday was a first for New Zealand to hand down such a sentence. 29-year-old Australian Brenton Tarrant admitted to 51 charges of murder, 40 counts of attempted murder and one charge of committing a terrorist act. He live livestreamed the shooting rampage at two Christchurch mosques on Facebook. When handing down the sentence High Court Judge Cameron Mander said: "As far as I am able to gauge, you are empty of any empathy for your victims. . .Your crimes, however, are so wicked that even if you are detained until you die it will not exhaust the requirements of punishment and denunciation." Prosecutors had told the court earlier in the week that Tarrant had carefully planned the attacks to cause maximum carnage. It was revealed that he expressed regret for not taking more lives and that he had intended to burn down the mosques after the shootings. Tarrant, a white supremacist, who represented himself during his trial, said through a lawyer in court on Thursday that he did not oppose the prosecution's application for a life without parole sentence. The Tennessee Walking Horse Celebration begins today Aug. 26 and ends Sept. 5. This event displays horses that have been abused by the practice soring. Soring is a tactic inflicted on some Tennessee walking horses and other gaited breeds. Abusive trainers use caustic chemicals on the horses front ankles, causing extreme pain and suffering, then use chains on the abused areas to cause even more pain. This causes the animals to lift their front legs high into the air and perform what is called the Big Lick. The only way to bring this cruelty to an end is The Prevent All Soring Tactics (PAST) Act (S. 1007/H.R.693). The United States House of Representatives passed this legislation by an overwhelming, bipartisan, majority of 333-96 last summer, but the Senate has yet to act. I urge our senators, Alexander and Blackburn, to support the PAST Act and help bring an end to the cruelty and abuse of the horse that bears our states name. I also ask all Tennesseans to boycott this years Walking Horse Celebration because we should not celebrate abusing animals. When soring has been abolished by passage of the PAST Act, then, Tennesseans can celebrate the Walking Horse. Thank you for your consideration. Maryann Davis India should look at the big picture of bilateral ties and work with China to bring the relationship back on track, the Chinese defence ministry said on Thursday, adding that New Delhi should avoid misjudgments. The remaining issues at the border need to be handled properly, defence ministry spokesperson Colonel Wu Qian further added on Thursday, indicating, like the Chinese foreign ministry had done last week, that disagreements at the friction points in eastern Ladakh are yet to be resolved. Wu was speaking at the monthly defence ministry press conference on Thursday and responding to a question on the situation at the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the de-facto border between the two countries. Like the Chinese foreign ministry, Wus statement, published on the official military website, put the onus on India to reset ties, currently at its lowest in decades. Several rounds of military and diplomatic talks havent led to the restoration of the status quo as it existed in April before the faceoff between the border troops led to the deadly clashes at Galwan Valley on June 15 that killed 20 Indian soldiers. bearing in mind the big picture of bilateral ties and putting the border issue in an appropriate position in this big picture, avoid misjudgment, keep divergences from escalating into disputes, and take concrete steps to bring the bilateral relations back to the right track of normal development, Wu was quoted as saying. The big picture advice to India in Chinas diplomatic narrative seems to suggest that the tension at the border should not impact the remaining components -- like economic cooperation -- in the relations between the two countries. It was evident at the end of the last meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) on border affairs that India and China had been unable to bridge their differences on disengaging troops at the LAC. New Delhi had emphasised that there were outstanding issues that needed to be resolved speedily at the meeting. Chinese defence ministrys Wu, however, carried on with Beijings narrative, which has glossed over New Delhis concerns. On Thursday, Wu said that China and India have agreed to follow the important consensus reached by the leaders of both countries and other relevant agreements. Both countries should continue to maintain dialogue and communication through military and diplomatic channels, further ease and cool down the China-India border situation, properly handle the remaining issues, and jointly safeguard peace and tranquility in the border area. The spokesperson added that China and India are important neighbours. Maintaining peace and stability in the border area is not only conducive to both sides respective development, but also to regional and world peace and stability, he said. DGAP-News: Vivoryon Therapeutics AG / Key word(s): Half Year Results Vivoryon Therapeutics AG: Vivoryon Therapeutics AG Reports Financial Results for H1 2020 and Provides Corporate Update 27.08.2020 / 07:00 The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. Vivoryon Therapeutics Reports Financial Results for H1 2020 and Provides Corporate Update - Conference call and webcast in English at 3:00 pm CEST / 09:00 am EDT - Vivoryon and Nordic Bioscience collaboration - Meprin protease inhibitors development program HALLE (SAALE) / MUNICH, Germany, 27 August 2020 - Vivoryon Therapeutics AG (Euronext Amsterdam: VVY), today announced its financial results for the first six months of 2020 ending June 30. The full interim report is available on the company website: https://www.vivoryon.com/investors-news/financial-information KEY HIGHLIGHTS Vivoryon Therapeutics and Nordic Bioscience enter research and development collaboration Initiation of development program for Meprin protease inhibitors with potential therapeutic use in fibrosis, cancer and Alzheimer's disease Announcement of outcome on exclusive option deal with MorphoSys Update on U.S. and EU Alzheimer's clinical trial program with varoglutamstat (PQ912) POST PERIOD HIGHLIGHTS Vivoryon Therapeutics enrolled first patient in VIVIAD, European Phase 2b Alzheimer's disease study with varoglutamstat (PQ912) Vivoryon Therapeutics announced IND approval for varoglutamstat (PQ912) Comment from Dr. Ulrich Dauer, Chief Executive Officer of Vivoryon Therapeutics: "Notwithstanding the global crisis, the first six months of 2020 have yielded positive outcomes for Vivoryon that have resulted in the advancement of our clinical programs, the expansion of our drug development portfolio and the continued validation from regulatory bodies including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and World Health Organization. In January, we entered a research and development collaboration with Nordic Bioscience, which will serve as our CRO (Clinical Research Organization) for the Phase 2b VIVIAD trial. We look forward to benefitting from Nordic Bioscience's expertise in the development of blood-based biomarkers for the identification of specific patients that may benefit most from treatment with varoglutamstat (PQ912). The ability to select patients who have a greater chance of responding to varoglutamstat (PQ912) presents an opportunity for Vivoryon to transfer an already tested principle of precision medicine into Alzheimer's disease. Along with the update on our European Phase 2b clinical study in March, we announced the clinical trial's name, 'VIVIAD,' derived from 'ad v ancing disease-mod i fying treatment and non-invasi v e d i agnostics of A lzheimer's d isease.' The study will test the efficacy and safety of various doses of varoglutamstat (PQ912) in 250 early-stage Alzheimer's patients in a randomized, placebo-controlled study over the course of 48 to 96 weeks. Professor Dr. Scheltens, Director of the Alzheimer Center at the VU University Medical Center in Amsterdam, will act as the coordinating investigator of the study, which intends to use ten recruiting sites in Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands. Our lead candidate, formerly known as PQ912, also received external recognition from the World Health Organization through its newly appointed and approved International Nonproprietary Name (INN), varoglutamstat (PQ912); we look forward to its development under this new name. From a research and development perspective, during the first half of the year we extended our portfolio by acquiring patents from the Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology (IZI) for the further development of Meprin protease inhibitors which have the potential to not only target symptoms, but also treat a range of indications including acute and chronic kidney disease and multiple organ fibrosis. Together with the Fraunhofer Institute, we will collaborate to develop novel low-molecular Meprin inhibitors. As a company, it is our goal to identify opportunities that can leverage our expertise in translating basic research into marketable small molecule therapeutics and thereby strengthen our pipeline with the ultimate vision of delivering novel therapies to patients in need. On a similar note, although MorphoSys did not exercise the exclusive option to license our small molecule QPCTL inhibitors, we remain optimistic about collaborating with other leading oncology companies in order to leverage the strength and versatility of our small molecule therapeutics. The second half of the year was marked with further positive developments for Vivoryon. In July, we announced the enrollment of the first patient in VIVIAD, the European Phase 2b Alzheimer's disease study with varoglutamstat (PQ912). The data read-out of the VIVIAD study is expected to be available in 2023. Later in the month, the FDA cleared Vivoryon's Investigational New Drug (IND) application for varoglutamstat (PQ912), which will enable the initiation of our U.S. Phase 2 clinical trial. The U.S. trial is projected to initiate mid-2021 with a final data readout in 2023. Despite the past months being marked by the Covid-19 pandemic and strict lockdown regulations, we are proud to have kept our entire workforce employed during this crisis. In order to provide a safe working environment, we provided flexible solutions to employees including working from home and in-office shifts. Business travel, which usually serves as an opportunity to network with potential investors and/or partners, was largely replaced by integrating a video conference system. Although we cannot predict how the second half of the year will progress from a global standpoint, as a company we are well-positioned to continue moving the Alzheimer's clinical trials forward while exploring the potential of our unique proprietary position in cancer and fibrosis and identifying additional opportunities within our small molecule therapeutics pipeline. I would therefore like to extend a big thank you to all employees for their continued dedication and commitment as well as our shareholders who continue to support Vivoryon during these unprecedented circumstances." FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE Key Figures (according to IFRS) In EUR k, unless otherwise stated Jan - Jun 2020 Jan - Jun 2019 Jan - Dec 2019 Earnings, Financial and Net Assets Position Operating loss -7,480 -3,077 -7,715 Finance income /loss -92 -15 -108 Net loss for the period -7,572 -3,091 -7,823 Equity (end of the reporting period) 35,075 5,636 42,665 Equity ratio (end of the reporting period) (in %) 92.5 60.8 93.0 Balance sheet total (end of the reporting period) 37,900 9,269 45,861 Cash flows from operating activities (cum.) -6,274 -3,428 -11,608 Cash flows from operating activities (monthly average) -1,029 -571 -967 Cash flows from investing activities -31,501 -4 -47 Cash flows from financing activities -45 7,644 49,354 Personnel Total number of employees (incl. Board of management) (end of the reporting period) 16 16 17 Vivoryon Therapeutics-Share Loss per share (basic/diluted) (in EUR) -0.38 -0.31 -0.62 Number of shares issued (end of the reporting period) 19,975 12,301 19,975 Details of the Financial Results (according to IFRS) Net loss The operating loss for first half of 2020 was increased by EUR 4,403k to EUR 7,480k (H1 2019: EUR 3,077k). This was mainly driven by higher research and development expenses of EUR 6,380k (H1 2019: EUR 1,862k). The general and administrative decreased slightly to EUR 1.138k (H1 2019: EUR 1,223k). Consequently, net loss was increased to EUR 7,572k (H1 2019: EUR 3,091k). Cash/Securities Vivoryon Therapeutics held EUR 3,623k in cash and cash equivalents as of June 30, 2020 (Dec 31, 2019: EUR 41,524k). The cash flows used in investing activities amount to EUR 31,501k mainly resulted from the purchase of other securities (EUR 19,999k) which can be liquidated at any time and from time deposits (EUR 10,929k) with a runtime of 6 months. All results are in line with management expectations. CONFERENCE CALL Vivoryon Therapeutics will host a conference call and webcast open to the public today, August 27, 2020, at 3:00 pm CEST / 09:00 am EDT; the presentation will also be available on the company website. The conference will be held in English. A question and answer session will follow the presentation of the half year results. To participate in the conference call, please call one of the following numbers ten minutes prior to commencement. A live webcast and slides will be made available at: www.vivoryon.com/investors-news/financial-information/ Approximately one day after the call, a slide-synchronized audio replay of the conference will be available on: www.vivoryon.com/investors-news/financial-information/ Please dial one of the following access numbers, then enter your PIN Code: 8118230# A question and answer session will follow the presentation of results. Country Country Toll/Local Belgium +32 (0)2 400 6926 Denmark +45 35 15 81 21 Germany +49 (0)69 2222 2018 The Netherlands +31 (0)20 703 8261 Switzerland +41 (0)44 580 1022 UK +44 (0)330 336 9411 USA +1 929-477-0448 FINANCIAL STATEMENTS January to June 2020 Vivoryon Therapeutics has finalized its financial statements for the first six months of 2020 according to German GAAP ("HGB") and IFRS. The reports are available on the company website (https://www.vivoryon.com/investors-news/financial-information/). Financial calendar 2020 September 30, 2020 Ordinary General Shareholder Meeting November 26, 2020 Interim Management Statement Q3 2020 ### For more information, please contact: Vivoryon Therapeutics AG Dr. Ulrich Dauer, CEO Email: contact@vivoryon.com Trophic Communication Gretchen Schweitzer, Joanne Tudorica Tel.: +49 172 861 8540 / +49 171 351 2733 Email: vivoryon@trophic.eu Notes to Editors: About Vivoryon Therapeutics AG With 20+ years of unmatched understanding in identifying post-translational modifying enzymes that play critical roles in disease initiation and progression, Vivoryon's scientific expertise has facilitated the creation of a discovery and development engine for small molecule therapeutics. This platform has demonstrated success by developing a novel therapeutic in type 2 diabetes. In its current programs Vivoryon Therapeutics is advancing its lead product, varoglutamstat (PQ912), in Alzheimer's disease and its entire portfolio of QC and QPCTL inhibitors in oncology and other indications. In addition, the Company pursues a development program for Meprin protease inhibitors with potential therapeutic use in fibrotic diseases, cancer and acute kidney injury. www.vivoryon.com Forward Looking Statements Information set forth in this press release contains forward-looking statements, which involve a number of risks and uncertainties. The forward-looking statements contained herein represent the judgment of Vivoryon Therapeutics AG as of the date of this press release. Such forward-looking statements are neither promises nor guarantees but are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control, and which could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in these forward-looking statements. We expressly disclaim any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any such statements to reflect any change in our expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based. 27.08.2020 Dissemination of a Corporate News, transmitted by DGAP - a service of EQS Group AG. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. The DGAP Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases. Archive at www.dgap.de Parental instruction instrumental for children to learn how to safely cross busy roads Learning to cross a busy street is anything but easy for a child, especially in places where the traffic doesn't stop. Children must first identify a safe gap in traffic, use refined motor skills to precisely step off a curb the moment a car passes, and safely reach the other side of the street before the next vehicle arrives. The good news: Research says parents can help their children--a lot. A new study from the University of Iowa reports that parents who use road crossings as teachable moments help their youngsters learn road-crossing skills faster and become better at crossing streets. The researchers learned this by watching sets of parent-child duos--with the children varying in age from 6 to 12 years old--cross a virtual road with continuous traffic. One finding: Children who received constructive advice from their parents--especially the pointing out of safe gaps in traffic ahead of time--learned best-practices in crossing more readily and crossed more safely. "This is something children need to learn how to do. It's an important, common, real-world skill," says Elizabeth O'Neal, a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Iowa and the first author on the study. "Children learning ahead of time how to choose a sizable gap between vehicles leads to safer crossing outcomes. We found there's a lot that parents can do to help their children learn those skills and to keep their kids safe." By far, the safest way for a child to cross a road is at an intersection with a walk sign, a stoplight, or with marked crosswalks. But vehicles may not stop, even at crosswalks, and there are many roads where no crossing markings exist. This puts children at risk. In 2018 alone, 175,000 youngsters between the ages of 1 and 14 were injured as pedestrians, according to the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, a branch of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Iowa researchers wanted to understand whether parents could help their children cross roads more safely, as well as study how the parents offered help. In multiple rounds, 64 parents with a child aged 6, 8, 10, or 12 crossed a virtual, single-lane road with a line of oncoming vehicles traveling at 25 miles per hour. The participating pairs were instructed to watch the traffic and then decide together when to cross. The main results: Across all ages, parents proactively pointed out safe traffic gaps in just 30% of the crossing exercises. In the other instances, parents simply instructed their children to cross (such as saying, "Let's go!") or began crossing without saying anything. When parents gave helpful instruction, their children showed a 10% improvement in how quickly they entered the road after the first car passed and a 7% gain in the margin of time between when they reached the other side of the road before the next car arrived. The researchers say those seemingly small gains in motor timing substantively increase the chances of a successful crossing. So, what is helpful instruction? Jodie Plumert, professor in the UI Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences and a co-author on the study, explains: "When you're crossing roads with your child, don't just say, 'Let's go!' when you want to go. Help the child look at the oncoming traffic and pick out ahead of time which gap you're going to choose. It helps the child learn how to pick the gap ahead of time and to correctly time when to cross." The findings add to previous results by researchers in the UI's Hank Virtual Environments Lab (led by Plumert and Joseph Kearney, professor in the Department of Computer Science at Iowa) showing that most children don't fully grasp how to identify gaps in traffic and correctly time their road crossings until age 14. That study appeared in April 2017 in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, published by the American Psychological Association. A few previous studies have looked at how children cross roads and then interviewed their parents afterward. According to the Iowa researchers, it was clear from those studies that on the whole, parents weren't actively helping their children learn how to safely negotiate road crossings. Plumert says the most recent study is the first to examine how parents can help children learn to prospectively control their movements, and to understand what is needed mentally and physically to cross safely. "If this was something that parents were doing most of the time, then that would be great," Plumert says. "But our study shows that parents aren't using effective strategies to help their child learn about safe road crossings all that often. But the times the parents do have useful instructions, it's really helpful to the child. They just show much better performance crossing roads." ### The U.S. National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Transportation funded the research. Contributing authors include Kearney; Shiwen Zhou, who worked as an undergraduate in the Hank lab and is now a graduate student at the Georgia Institute of Technology; and Yuanyuan Jiang, a graduate research assistant in the Hank lab who is now an assistant professor at California State University-San Marcos. This story has been published on: 2020-08-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. KANSAS CITY, Mo.- A young mother of three was fatally shot while in a car Sunday, police said. Jazmyn Henrion, 23, was shot while inside a car in the area of 68th and Cleveland. She leaves behind three young children ranging from a few months to 6 years old. Who knew Simon Cowell could have such an impact on "America's Got Talent?" While no doubt an enigmatic judge, it is only with his absence that fans can see his value. Now, his continued absence on the show because of his back injury is already affecting the viewership of "AGT." When news broke out of his bike accident, which required him to undergo surgery, the first question that popped into people's minds is what would happen to "America's Got Talent?" It was supposed to come back on air a few days after the accident, so Cowell's absence might lead to its delay. Good thing they got a good but temporary replacement in Kelly Clarkson. People thought Simon would spring right back up though. After all, he has figured in past health mishaps and still bounced back pretty quickly. In the third night of "America's Got Talent" live quarterfinals, there was still no sign of the highly esteemed judge. Another 11 hopefuls gave their best shot to secure the votes of America and praises from the judges. While it was entertaining to watch, Cowell's absence was largely felt. It is as if the show is not complete without a snarky comment from the judge people love to hate but cannot. After Kelly Clarkson stepped up to serve as a guest judge during the first night, Kenan Thompson took on the second. It is apparent that the show is beyond hopeful that Simon will return soon enough, so no permanent replacement is being made. On the third night, the panel was composed of Heidi Klum, Sofia Vergara and Howie Mandel. As the only male among the panel, Howie was sandwiched between the two beautiful judges. While he said he is certainly not complaining about the seating arrangement, he wishes Cowell will just recover fast and return. It is clear that the show seems to be lacking a certain spark without the brash and serious judge. "To be honest, we realize Simon is irreplaceable, but who doesn't want to partake of the most gorgeous man sandwich in history?" Mandel joked, while Klum and Vergara laughed and smiled on. "All kidding aside, Simon, I know he watches the show, we love you, our hearts are with you, buddy," he added. "Come back really fast." It is now obvious that people watch this talent contest not just to be amazed at new talented acts, but also to be entertained by Cowell's always on-point and yet sometimes deliberately hurtful comments. It remains to be seen whether Cowell can indeed come back really fast. He is already replaced permanently on British Got Talent, a sign that the show is no longer holding its horses waiting for the judge. What Cowell went through cannot be undermined though. He had to endure six hours of emergency procedure after he figured into the accident. The fact that he was spotted taking his first steps following the accident showed how strong he is and a speedy recovery would not be that impossible. The music mogul broke a total of three vertebrae and had a steel rod inserted in his back -- something no one can bounce back from that quickly! READ MORE: Johnny Depp Broke? Actor Demands $50 Million Payout Before 'Pirates' Return! Harpreeet Bajwa By Express News Service CHANDIGARH: A team of seven Pakistani engineers crossed over to India on Thursday to discuss with Indian officials about the construction of a bridge in their side of the Kartarpur Corridor. The Pakistani team met officials of the Border Security Force (BSF), National Highway of India (NHAI) and Land Port Authority of India (LPAI) at Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur district. This was the first meeting between officials of India and Pakistan since the borders were closed due to the Covid-19 outbreak in March. The Pakistani team also surveyed the portion of the bridge built by India on its side of the Kartarpur corridor. After the survey, the Pakistani team expressed interest to finish the construction on the bridge on their side. India completed its 100 meter stretch of the bridge and is now waiting for Pakistan to complete its 260 meters portion. The construction of the bridge was necessitated as the low-lying area of the border gets inundated every year when the Ravi river swells. ALSO READ | Pakistan announces reopening of Kartarpur Corridor on June 29, India expresses 'concerns' Once completed, the bridge can facilitate all-weather access to pilgrims to Darbar Sahib Gurdwara in Kartarpur. Pakistan has built a causeway on the low-lying stretch as a temporary measure. Ceigall India Limited vice president Jatinder Singh (the company which has executed the construction work of the corridor) said, "A seven-member survey team from Pakistan which consisted four persons led by a senior surveyor while three others were assisting him came here to survey the 100-meter bridge which we have constructed on our side." While referring to his conversation with the Pakistani team, Singh said, "Pakistan is to build a 260-meter portion of the bridge over the low-lying area in its territory. After the meeting it appeared that are also interested in building the bridge. They will take this data and get part of the bridge designed and thereafter the work will start." ALSO READ | I want the Kartarpur corridor to be open: Punjab CM Amarinder Singh The Kartarpur corridor links Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan -- the final resting place of Guru Nanak Dev -- to Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur district of Punjab. On March 16, India had temporarily suspended the pilgrimage and registration for the Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara in view of the pandemic and Pakistan also closed the corridor after Indias decision. On June 29, Pakistan reopened the corridor for pilgrims from India. India is yet to decide on the matter. I will like to, once again, congratulate Winneba Secondary School, on the occasion of its 70th anniversary. The 2020 year group of the school is completing this week, and I feel I have a responsibility to publish this message I wrote, which was intended for the 70th anniversary celebration last year, but which was not published, for a reason beyond me. We have come this far, from the time when a private person, Mr. Dowuona Hammond, founded the school, to the time when I became a proud student, to now when I am celebrating the school that shaped my life; we have certainly come this far. I left Winnesec in 1994, as a business student, and as a proud member of Nkrumah House. As a product of the second batch of the then education reform program (JSS/SSS), I had obtained aggregate six with nine ones, and this was at the time when students obtaining the minimum levels of distinction was uncommon. Obviously I had the opportunity to have chosen to attend any of the so-called leading secondary schools in the country - whether in Accra or Cape Coast. My closest friends and teachers, and well-wishers, strongly opposed to me selecting Winneba Secondary School as my first choice, but I stood my ground, arguing that I am from Winneba, and Winnesec is my pride. I walked the corridors of the school, under some of the greatest tuitors such as Mr. Yankson, Mr. S. O. Larbi, Mrs Grace Ansah, Mr. Dadzie Bonney, and many more. In the year 1994 while I was preparing to leave the school, I became the recipient of two important academic awards, IBM, and Cost Accounting, with English as my all-time favorite subject. My greatest inspiration while a student, were Professor Kwesi Yankah, and Mr Yarney, the then Assistant Head in charge of Administration. Professor Yankah was then writing the Woes of Kweitriot. I read him every single week, and he still remains my literary hero, to the extent that I took after his style when I took the Simpa Panyin as my column. Mr. Yarney hardly taught me, but he occasionally came to class to offer advice. In the face of the dominance of Ga speaking students and staff, Mr. Yarney was one person who always made me feel comfortable and proud that I am a Winnebarian. On a number of occasions he had actually spoken the Effutu language with me. I left Winnesec a proud son of the deer. I was one of the only nine students, out of the over two hundred, who qualified to enter the university, in the face of what became known as the Harry Sawyerr Mass Failures of the first and second batches of the SSS system. Upon entering the university, I eventually became the founding organizer of WOSA on the University of Ghana campus. University of Ghana taught me a useful lesson, as an extension of Winnesec, and the University of Education, Winneba, where I obtained my MPhil, gave me the rest of all what I needed to face the world. Upon joining Barclays Bank of Ghana, Kojo Fynn, the immediate past president of WOSA, became my instant inspiration. He worked with the Standard Chartered Bank. I have since become an entrepreneur, with a number of enterprises such as Challenging Heights, NYCE FM, CH Coldstores, CH Block Factory, Run-Off restaurant, and many more. I have also since had a number of international appointments, including chairing boards overseas, as well as those linked to the United Nations such as becoming the Commissioner of the United Nations Global Financial Sector Commission. I say all these with measured humility, but also in pride, that while I took inspiration from those before me, my words should become a good energy for those who may yet walk my steps, and out of here, in defense of the sacred deer. The Winnesec experience has been one of the greatest part of my adult life. I have always been guided by the imperatives of the sons and daughters of Winnesec, my alma mata deer, and never have I forgotten that Disce Ut Labores Pro Patria. I am proud that in spite of the very tempting opportunities to have attended other well regarded schools, I chose Winneba Secondary School, and I easily say, that, giving the chance, I will choose Winnesec over and over again as many times as the opportunity is given me. I am a proud Winnesecan, and I am deeply grateful that I walked the ways of the fathers who came before me; Disce Ut Labores Pro patria! Source: James Kofi Annan Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video A conservationist has been mauled to death by 400lb white lions he kept at his South African safari lodge. West Mathewson, 68, was attacked by two mature lionesses after he unlocked their gate to take them for a morning walk. His wife Gill, 65, attempted to save her husband by distracting the 400lb lionnesses, named Tanner and Demi, but they had already inflicted fatal injuries. West Mathewson (pictured above) ran a popular safari known as Lion Tree Top Lodge, located near the town of Hoedspruit, around 280 miles north west of Johannesburg The lionesses had previously killed a man working on a neighbouring property after they broke out of their paddock in 2017 Mr Mathewson ran a popular safari known as Lion Tree Top Lodge, located near the town of Hoedspruit, around 280 miles north west of Johannesburg. The lionesses had previously killed a man working on a neighbouring property after they broke out of their paddock in 2017, according to a report in the Telegraph. Mathewson's daughter-in-law Tehri Fergusson told the publication that Mr Mathewson's death could have been the result of 'very rough play'. West Mathewson, 68, (pictured) was attacked by two mature lionesses after he unlocked their gate to take them for a morning walk Mr Mathewson ran a popular safari known as Lion Tree Top Lodge, located near the town of Hoedspruit 'We will only know why he died when we have the results of the autopsy,' she said. 'We have to realise, West was not as young as he thought he was. We are still not sure what actually happened but there was very rough play.' The lionesses were tranquilised following the attack on Wednesday and have been taken to a local endangered species centre. According to Ms Fergusson, they will later be released into the wild. Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 16:45:18|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close ISLAMABAD, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Thursday reported progress towards the start of intra-Afghan negotiations to find out a peaceful solution to the conflict in Afghanistan. Qureshi's remarks came two days after he met with a delegation of the Afghan Taliban political representatives, who are in Pakistan for talks on ways to push the peace process forward. "Talks with the Taliban political representatives were very useful. We agreed that there is only a political solution to the Afghan conflict, that is possible only through dialogue," Qureshi said in a statement released by the Pakistani Foreign Ministry. Qureshi said Pakistan hopes to make efforts for the start of intra-Afghan negotiations. Enditem MONACO, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Silversea's new ship Silver Moon is one step closer to welcoming the cruise line's guests, having successfully carried out her sea trials between August 8th and August 20th. Carrying a reduced crew of approximately 320 due to precautionary health protocols, the ship journeyed between Fincantieri's shipyards in Ancona and Trieste, Italy, undergoing a week-long dry-dock period in the latter. With a delivery date set for October 30th, Silver Moon will become the second ship to join Silversea's ultra-luxury fleet in 2020, following the delivery of Silver Origin on June 3. Silver Moon Paolo Percivale, Hotel Director; Alessandro Zanello, Master; and Guido Capurro, Chief Engineer. Silver Moon during her sea trials THE SEA TRIALS Silversea's senior officers, external engineers, and representatives from both Fincantieri and the Royal Caribbean Group put Silver Moon through a series of preliminary tests in the Adriatic Sea - including noise, and vibration tests - for three days from August 8th. Once Silver Moon was out of the water in Trieste, stability tests were performed; public spaces were inspected; and engineers applied the finishing touches to the ship's exterior, including the cleaning and painting of the hull, and the polishing of the ship's brass propellers. Secondary tests, including speed tests, were then carried out on the return sailing from Trieste to Ancona. Work has now recommenced on the ship's interior, ahead of the vessel's official delivery in October. SILVER MOON'S BUILD IN NUMBERS The sister ship of Silversea's Silver Muse, Silver Moon represents the latest accomplishment in the cruise line's long-standing partnership with the illustrious shipbuilder Fincantieri. During the peak months of Silver Moon's construction in Ancona, over 1,000 skilled professionals were working on the ship simultaneously, with over 390 companies contributing to the build. Painted using almost 100,000L of paint, over 15,000 steel plates and profiles were cut to form the ship's superstructure 920t of which were transported from 755nm away. Approximately 1,690,000m of electric cable were installed by 18 contractors, as well as 60,000m2 of insulation, 450,000kg of air conditioning ducts, and 92,000kg of ventilation ducts. Moreover, over 5,000 automation channels have been installed to link the ship's mechanisms. CAPTAIN ALESSANDRO ZANELLO SILVER MOON'S MASTER With over 20 years of experience at Silversea Cruises alone, Captain Alessandro Zanello was at the helm for the launch of Silver Moon's sister ship, Silver Muse, back in 2017, and was also present for the sea trials of Silver Spirit in 2009. "As my third with Silversea, I must say that Silver Moon's sea trials felt a little surreal after everything that happened in the months prior," says Zanello. "I was originally scheduled to travel to the shipyard in Ancona in April. I was with family in Canada at the time. Unfortunately there were no flights from Canada to Ancona, so I was unable to reach the ship until July. The sea trials themselves felt special, indeed, and were held in unique circumstances. Enhanced health and safety protocols were in place, including temperature screenings, physical distancing, and the wearing of face coverings both on the ship and in the shipyard. Meal hours were extended and we ate with fewer people in the restaurant. During the sea trials themselves, we had far fewer people on board than for those of Silver Muse. Safety was the primary concern. Nevertheless, we managed to carry out all test successfully. I must admit, sea trials can often be stressful, with too many people on the bridge; it was quite pleasant to have a more tranquil environment. Perhaps we will be forced to review our processes going forwards this could be a positive thing. At the end of the sea trials, we shared a celebratory glass of prosecco with the team from Fincantieri. The ship is coming on nicely and she really is looking spectacular. This is a momentous occasion for all of us; we have worked very hard to reach this point. One of the most special moments for me was going into the dock to see the ship's hull, before and after the painting. A small tradition of mine: I like to take a photo in front of the bulbous bow, when a fresh coat of paint glistens on the hull." GUIDO CAPURRO SILVER MOON'S CHIEF ENGINEER Promoted to the position of Chief Engineer aboard Silver Spirit in 2017, Guido Capurro participated in his first sea trials with Silversea aboard Silver Moon. Not only is Capurro responsible for the operation of the ship's main and auxiliary engines, but he also directs the onboard technical department, with responsibilities that include air conditioning, plumbing, lifeboat engines, and launching apparatus. "While all essential technicians from Silversea and Fincantieri were able to attend the sea trials, some external engineers were unable to fly and so could not be present. Approximately half the number of people were on board compared to regular sea trials. Nevertheless, we were able to carry out all tests successfully. These were my first sea trials with Silversea and it is always spectacular to see the ship at its peak performance, and to see how the automation and safety devices react to the sudden change in demand. Everything went really well and the ship's responses exceeded expectations. I was thrilled to see the ship's propellers out of the water once again, as they were polished during the dry-docking period in Trieste. The better they are polished, the better the ship's performance. The hull was painted with a special antifouling with a very low roughness, which is an important task in optimizing the performance of the ship." PAOLO PERCIVALE SILVER MOON'S HOTEL DIRECTOR The son of a Captain, Hotel Director Paolo Percivale proudly participated in the launch of both Silver Spirit in 2009 and Silver Muse in 2017, before bringing his expertise aboard Silver Moon. As Hotel Director, he will oversee the entire hotel operation on board, managing a team of over 350 crewmembers to deliver exceptional service to Silversea's guests. "Just 10 days after we joined the shipyard at the beginning of March, the lockdown was implemented and everything came to a halt. We lived through the lockdown in Ancona. Guido and I, along with several other members of the team, were working from apartments in the city until the end of April, which was very difficult. After a spell back home once the lockdown ended, I returned to the shipyard on July 1st. It's great to finally see Silver Moon nearing completion and to experience the various enhancements we have made from Silver Muse. In the Dolce Vita Lounge, for example, a beautiful bar has been installed as the space's focal point, while La Dame Restaurant has been enriched with hand-crafted Lalique crystal panels. All public areas and suites are looking remarkable I just can't wait to welcome our guests on board, enjoying these new atmospheric venues. I am especially excited to see the reactions of our guests to our inspiring new S.A.L.T. programme, and our new S.A.L.T. venues, which is sure to be more than positive. She is a beautiful vessel, indeed." "Silver Moon successfully passed her sea trials and we are now nearing the ship's delivery," says Giovanni Stecconi, Director of Fincantieri's Ancona shipyard. "We look forward to celebrating that momentous occasion together with Silversea, a cruise line whose growth we have contributed to with pride and determination, thanks to ambitious projects such as the 'Muse' class, of which Silver Moon is a part." "Silver Moon will be an innovative addition to our expanding fleet of ultra-luxury ships," says Roberto Martinoli, Silversea's President and CEO. "Building on the success of our beloved flagship Silver Muse, Silver Moon will push boundaries in travel to unlock meaningful experiences for our guests around the world. Our pioneering new S.A.L.T. programme is just one way in which travellers will delve deep into destinations, and I look forward to personally welcoming our guests aboard Silver Moon in the near future. I extend my gratitude to the entire team at Fincantieri, who have demonstrates their skill and know-how; Captain Zanello and his officers, who have worked tirelessly; Silversea's committed shoreside team for their enduring professionalism; and our colleagues at the Royal Caribbean Group, who continue to strengthen our cruise line with their invaluable support. The fact that our beautiful Silver Moon nears completion, despite such challenging circumstances, is a testament to the exceptional resilience and expertise of all involved in her build. For this I am very proud." Watch a video of Silver Moon underway during her sea trials: https://youtu.be/rDP4My09I5g View and download related material on Silver Moon's media kit: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/0bbytzywhz3xhq4/AABtE3500MEuujUrKUfPEEEFa?dl=0 Read an article on Silver Moon's interior design: https://discover.silversea.com/on-board/a-taste-of-s-a-l-t-on-silver-moon View Silver Moon's scheduled voyages: https://www.silversea.com/ships/silver-moon.html Read key information & quirky facts: https://www.dropbox.com/s/q2utvr9eetpsxx5/Silver%20Moon%20-%20Key%20Information%20%26%20Quirky%20Facts.docx?dl=0 About Silversea Part of the Royal Caribbean Group, Silversea Cruisesin which Manfredi Lefebvre d'Ovidio serves as Chairmanis recognised as an innovator in the ultra-luxury cruise industry, offering guests large-ship amenities aboard its intimate, all-suite vessels: Silver Wind, Silver Shadow, Silver Whisper, Silver Spirit and Silver Muse all designed to offer an atmosphere of conviviality and casual elegance. With the inclusion of the expedition ships Silver Origin, Silver Explorer, and Silver Cloud, Silversea's itineraries encompass all seven continents and feature worldwide luxury cruises to the Mediterranean, Caribbean, the Galapagos, both Polar Regions, and hundreds of fascinating destinations in between. Silversea is also looking forward to the launch of four new ultra-luxury ships: Silver Moon, Silver Dawn, and two Evolution-class ships. Browse Silversea's blog, Discover , and subscribe to receive the latest content directly into your inbox. SOURCE Silversea Cruises Related Links http://www.rclcorporate.com South Africa: SA hosts virtual wine trade mission In a bid to enhance bilateral trade and investment ties, the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (dtic) - in collaboration with Wesgro - will host a virtual wine mission to South Korea. Wesgro is the Western Capes destination marketing, investment and trade promotion agency. Thursdays virtual wine mission, which will get underway on Zoom, will showcase 10 wineries from the Western Cape region. Deputy Minister of the dtic, Nomalungelo Gina, said the COVID-19 pandemic has not only impacted the healthcare sector negatively, but the economy in its entirety. A sector that has been particularly impacted by COVID-19 has been the wine industry, owing to the ban placed on alcohol sales by government and the accompanying travel protocols. Wesgro identified this to be a critical sector requiring support and had embarked on the concept of a virtual mission that would enable the promotion of small to large size wineries to new markets, said the Deputy Minister on Wednesday. She said exports from South Africa have been hindered, owing to travel restrictions, necessitating trade practitioners to develop new platforms for business engagements. The wineries will present their respective wines to an audience of 20 South Korean wine importers and distributors, who will have an opportunity to taste the wines from these wineries, which were shipped to South Korea ahead of the mission. Wines of South Africa (WOSA), a marketing organisation for South African wine exports, the South African Embassy and Wesgro, are confident that the wineries selected represent a good mix of established and up-and-coming brands, which have the capability to service the South Korean market. South Korea is an important partner for South Africa in the Asian region. Our objective is to strengthen and deepen economic linkages through strong business and governmental cooperation between the two countries, said Gina. Total trade between the two countries has been growing steadily, and amounted to R34 billion in 2019, with the trade balance in South Africas favour. South Africas exports have also demonstrated an upward trajectory over the years, from R13.8 billion in 2015 to R21.6 billion in 2019. However, we need to focus our efforts on diversifying the trade basket towards ensuring more value added goods are exported going forward, said Gina. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2020-08-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessels office has sent cease and desist letters to 11 senior living facilities after receiving complaints from nearly 40 residents that they were charged $900 each in COVID-19 fees. The charges, intended to compensate owners for additional costs incurred during the coronavirus pandemic, potentially violating consumer protections laws, the AGs Office said in a statement Thursday, Aug. 27. Cease and desist letters on Tuesday were sent to their parent company, CSIG (Common Sale Investment Group) Holding Co.; the management company, Senior Village Management; and affiliated Independence Village senior living centers in Brighton, Petoskey, Plymouth, Oxford, Midland, Grand Ledge, White Lake, Rockford, Chesterfield and Saline. Another letter was sent to Senior Living Portage, which is also part of CSIG Holding Co. The owner and management company face an AGs Office investigation if they do not respond within 10 days or sign an agreement to refund and discontinue the fees. Senior Village Management representative Andrew Dorr told assistant attorney generals the charges were a one-time fee to partially offset cost increases attributed to COVID-19 response, retroactive to March 2020, according to the AGs cease-and-desist letter. This included additional charges for meal service, personal protective equipment, and cleaning services. Dorr also said that residents who were upset by the fee and pushed back strongly were told they did not have to pay it. The letter states that Dorr defended the charge by pointing out a section of the lease that provides for an increase in monthly charges. The AGs letter said the language in the lease would not apply to such fees. No doubt, residents confronted with bills for this fee in the context of the pandemic have felt both legal and emotional pressure to pay them, the cease-and-desist letter said. Its not clear to the AGs Office how many residents may have been presented with or have paid the $900 fee. The AGs Office said 37 complaints originated at Independence Village of Brighton and another at StoryPoint Senior Living Community in Portage. This pandemic has caused financial strain for many people and businesses in Michigan, but that does not provide companies with the right to impose unauthorized costs on their customers and clients especially those in our senior communities and others who are already living on a fixed income, Nessel said in a release. As Attorney General, I am bound by duty to ensure our laws are enforced, and it as my responsibility to protect our vulnerable populations and all Michigan residents from unlawful actions. Senior Village Management Vice President Jonathan Restum said the AGs Office didnt like the timing of the fee and management has now decided to eliminate it. According to the Independence Village website, there are locations throughout the Midwest, including in Ohio, Tennessee, Kentucky and Indiana. 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: Michigan businesses on brink of disaster Movie theaters make plea to reopen Liquor sales a bright spot amid coronavirus Thriving amid the pandemic Theres no place like home during a pandemic Michiganders spending more in the great outdoors Michigans top state parks Pool sales surge Bowling alleys want to be able to reopen and for you to stop calling them bowling alleys Key Highlights MSMEs have urged RBI to order banks to spare struggling firms from submitting monthly stock statement and debtors' list MSMEs fear banks will cut cash credit limit as they are left with less stocks MSMEs have been badly hit due to coronavirus-triggered economic downturn Industry body FISME says industrial activity data for August-September will be lower Left with little stock after executing past orders and meeting pent-up demand, micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) fear banks will cut their cash credit limit aggravating financial trouble. Worried firms want banks to suspend the formula for determining their drawing power (DP) limit and allow them to continue to avail credit facility. Some of them have pleaded RBI to order banks to spare struggling firms from submitting monthly stock statement and debtors' list. Many MSMEs have seen fresh orders dwindling and plant utilisation falling after briefly climbing in May-July period following the gradual unlocking of economic activities. Speaking to BusinessToday.In from Surat, Prashant Patel who runs two chemical factories in the coastal state of Gujarat said that his plants were running at 5-10% of its total capacity, dipping from 100% in May-June level. Patel, Director of Prashant Industries, claimed that the problem was across the industry although it varied from one another. He noted that the situation would worsen should the government fail to intervene and boost industrial activities. SME Chamber of India Founder and President Chandrakant Salunkhe said he had urged RBI to extend moratorium upto March 31, and allow MSMEs to not submit stock statements and debtors' list till the end of current fiscal. "Banks should not reduce drawing power during this period. RBI should give standing instruction to banks to not harass MSMEs and do restructuring without affecting their credibility and CIBIL score," Salunkhe said. MSMEs are among the worst-affected sectors from the pandemic-triggered economic downturn, and majority of them are struggling to survive. The government has provided Rs 3 lakh crore concessional credit to the industry but most of the firms complain that it is not sufficient. Concurring with Salunkhe, Federation of Indian Micro and Small & Medium Enterprises (FISME) President Animesh Saxena said that the industry had been busy executing past orders and meeting pent-up demand after lockdown was lifted, but in absence of fresh orders it is grappling with numerous challenges. Representing 740 MSME associations across the country, FISME chief will also take up the issue of stock statement with the government and RBI. "Most of the people have same issue. The previous orders and pent-up demand they had have been satisfied. New demands are not there. The industrial activity data for August-September would be lower and reflect the current situation," Saxena said. Also Read: Once bitten twice shy, industry hopes FM will deliver the goods this time Also Read: Audi launches its fastest SUV RS Q8 in India at Rs 2.07 crore Former Carroll County Prosecutor Robert Ives has spoken out about the Delphi case The former prosecutor who worked on the infamous unsolved murders of two teenage girls in Delphi, Indiana has spoken out in a new podcast about the case, revealing chilling information about the 'odd' crime scene. Liberty German, 14, and Abigail Williams, 13, vanished on February 13, 2017 while hiking the Monon High Bridge Trail. Their bodies were discovered the following day in the woods about a half-mile from the trail. The quick-thinking teens were able to capture video and audio of the killer, portions of which have been released by police, but so far investigators have been unable to zero in on a suspect. Now Liberty's sister Kelsi, who is studying forensic psychology to help find her sister's killer, has renewed her appeals for information in the case, tweeting on Monday: 'Someone out there knows something. So say something.' And former Carroll County Prosecutor Robert Ives, who worked on the early stages of the case, revealed more information to the HLN podcast Down The Hill: The Delphi Murders. Liberty German, 14, (left) and Abigail Williams, 13, (right) vanished on February 13, 2017 while hiking the Monon High Bridge Trail in Delphi, Indiana. Their bodies were found the next day Liberty's sister Kelsi German (above) who dropped the girls off at the hiking trail that day, has renewed her appeal to the public for information in a new tweet In the three years since the murders, police have released very little information about the crime scene, including how the two teens were killed and what kind of physical evidence was present. But rumors have long circulated that the crime scene was bizarre and shocking to investigators, with unusual elements that police have been reluctant to reveal publicly. Now, Ives reveals that the crime scene was nothing like murders he had encountered in the past, where typically a body is found with some evidence such as shell casings present. 'There was a lot more physical evidence than that at the crime scene,' Ives said. 'And it's probably not what you would imagine, or what people would think I'm talking about.' 'It was just not your normal "a person was killed here" crime scene, that's probably all I can say about it,' Ives said. Ives said that the scene was 'odd' and displayed at least three 'signatures', which are unique behaviors by the killer. However, Ives raised the possibility that elements of the scene had been staged in an attempt to trick investigators by sending them down a false path. Libby German posted these images to Snapchat during their hike prior to the murders Within days of the killings, authorities released two grainy photos of a suspect walking along the abandoned railroad bridge the two girls had visited Police first released the sketch on the left based on witness information, but later released the very different-looking sketch on the right, which they now believe is more accurate Retired FBI profiler Mary Ellen O'Toole, who has worked on cases such as the Green River Killer, explained on the podcast that a 'signature' at a crime is 'behavior that is over and beyond what it necessary to complete the crime, and it generally is behavior that is satisfying to the offender, whether it is sexually satisfying or psychologically satisfying'. On staging, she explained: 'staging tends to be done most often by somebody who knows the victims'. Retired FBI profiler Mary Ellen O'Toole (above) also spoke about the case Ives said: 'Even though at the crime scene there was a lot of physical evidence of one sort of another which would lead logically to one person or another, it never led to one particular person.' The Indiana State Police continue to refuse to release any details about the crime scene, saying that it could compromise the investigation. Ives said that in the early stages of the investigation, dozens of search warrants and subpoenas were issued, mostly seeking cell phone locations and the identities of cell phones. Unfortunately, he said that the law does not allow for the bulk collection of cell phone data from a nearby cell tower, without probable cause that a particular phone was involved with the murders. 'Initially I thought, and I still think, it was somebody local,' Ives said of the killer, noting of the hiking trail that 'it's not a tourist spot' and that an outsider would be unlikely to visit. Ives indicated that there was no reason to believe that the killer knew the two girls would be hiking there that day, as their decision to go for a walk had been spontaneous, and there is no evidence that they were lured to the trail. 'I tend to think it's a local,' Ives said, but adding, 'maybe it was a random murder, maybe it was a serial killer.' Key locations in the events surrounding the murders are seen in the map above In January, Liberty's mother, Carrie Timmons, criticized the police investigation for failing to identify a suspect after three years. Indiana State Police Superintendent Doug Carter, head of the lead agency in the investigation, has insisted repeatedly that slayings murders of both girls have not turned into a 'cold case.' The murders shook Delphi, a small town of 2,877 people set amid farm fields, about 60 miles northwest of Indianapolis. Within days of the killings, authorities released two grainy photos of a suspect walking along the abandoned railroad bridge the two girls had visited. Liberty had posted photos of herself on Snapchat walking on the bridge on the day she and Abigail vanished. Authorities also released an audio recording of a man believed to be the suspect saying 'down the hill.' The images and recordings came from Liberty's cellphone and police hailed her as a hero for recording the potentially crucial evidence. Supt. Carter issued a direct appeal to the killer during press conference when the footage and audio was released, saying: 'We believe you are hiding in plain sight. We likely have interviewed you, or someone close to you.' Anyone with information about this case is urged to contact investigators at this email address: abbyandlibbytip@cacoshrf.com Coronavirus really has brought out the nation's famous Blitz spirit, a study has revealed. Researchers analysed documents from between 1938 to 1945, comparing the public's wartime response to our behaviour during the coronavirus pandemic. The study, by King's College London and published in The Lancet Psychiatry, found several major similarities and concluded the current Government can learn lessons from Winston Churchill's. For example, during both the Blitz and coronavirus, people experienced a 'deep psychological sense of being protected at home'. Coronavirus really has brought out the nation's famous Blitz spirit, a study has revealed. Pictured: September 9, 1940. A bus is left leaning against the side of a terrace in Harrington Square, Mornington Crescent, in the aftermath of a German bombing raid on London The study, by King's College London, found several major similarities and concluded the current Government can learn lessons from Winston Churchill's. Pictured: September 10, 1940. A milkman delivering milk in a street, devastated in a German bombing raid, in the Holborn area of London. Firemen are dampening down the ruins behind him Pictured: September 7, 1940. Two Luftwaffe Dornier 217 twin-engined medium bombers flying over the Silvertown area of London's Docklands 'During the Blitz the government did not predict that the majority of people would prefer to shelter in their own homes rather than the safer external underground 'deep shelters' that had been provided,' the research said. This forced the wartime Government to adapt its air raid shelter policy and provide steel cages for people to use at home as an alternative to large communal shelters. The study said: 'A similar reluctance to leave home has been observed after the easing of the current lockdown which has been described as a form of 'deep-shelter mentality.' 'As such it is likely that provision must be made for people to continue to work from home and base much of their everyday life here in the long term.' During both the Blitz and coronavirus, people experienced a 'deep psychological sense of being protected at home', researchers said. Pictured: November 1940. People sleeping on the crowded platform of Elephant and Castle tube station while taking shelter from German air raids during the London Blitz Pictured: October 15, 1940. A number 88 bus lies in a large crater in the road in Balham, London, the morning after a German air raid during the Battle of Britain. A bomb exploded on Balham High Street, destroying part of the tube station underneath COVID-19 HAS KILLED MORE THAN THE BLITZ The Covid-19 outbreak killed more British people than the Blitz air raids did in the Second World War, data suggests. Figures published by England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland show the number of patients who have died from coronavirus is 57,000. This toll includes confirmed and suspected deaths. But the government's official death toll stands at 41,000. It includes victims who have succumbed to the illness within 28 days of testing positive. The Blitz, a seven-month bombing campaign waged against Britain by Nazi Germany in 1940 and 1941 killed around 40,000 people, according to Parliament UK. Most of the raids took place in London after beginning with 'Black Saturday' on September 7, 1940, when the Luftwaffe attacked the London Docklands. They would go on to bomb the capital city day and night for months, switching to night-only operations in October. While the air raids mainly targeted London, where they wreaked havoc and killed thousands, they were carried out across the UK, with devastating attacks aimed at Bristol, Birmingham, Coventry, Bath, Cardiff, Clydebank, Liverpool, Manchester, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Sheffield, Southampton, Swansea and Swindon before the campaign came to an end in May 1941, seven months after it had began. Between September 7, 1940, and May 21, 1941, more than 20,000 tonnes of explosives were dropped on British cities. London was attacked 71 times and bombed by the Luftwaffe for 57 consecutive nights. More than one million houses were destroyed or damaged in the city and, of those who were killed in the bombing campaign, more than half of them were from London. Adolf Hitler had intended to demoralise Britain before launching an invasion using his naval and ground forces, but the Blitz came to an end towards the end of May 1941, when Hitler set his sights on invading the Soviet Union instead. Advertisement Similarly, messages of shared sacrifice emphasising that 'we're all in this together' were successful in persuading people to follow protective measures both during the war and the pandemic. The study compared the blackout during World War Two - which required everyone to remove any sources of light that could attract enemy bombers - with the 'stay at home, protect the NHS, and save lives' message. Lead author Professor Edgar Jones said: 'It's crucial to get people to buy into protecting the community and not just themselves. 'Interestingly in the early days of lockdown politicians likened the spirit behind the 'protect the NHS and save lives' campaign to that of the Blitz. This study has shown there are a number of other informative parallels that can be drawn from the two situations.' The researchers also found that in the pre-war and pre-lockdown periods, despite the emerging threat, anxiety initially decreased as Britons were slow to learn from events unfolding abroad. For example, in 1939 even after war had been declared, surveys show the majority of people were still not initially taking air-raid precautions. They compared this to large public events such as the Cheltenham Races going ahead in March. Professor Jones said: 'The Covid-19 pandemic has significant parallels with previous threats to the public, particularly the Blitz of WW2. 'Lessons can be learnt from how people responded both to the Blitz itself and to the protective measures and public messaging that were issued by the government at the time. 'In both the current pandemic and the Blitz people often acted ahead of the government measures or recommendations.' The study analysed documents from five departments of government for the period of 1938 to 1945. They compared these and documents released by Government's scientific advisory groups during the current pandemic. It compared the threat a second wave of infection and the arrival of the V1 and V2 rockets during the summer of 1944. The study said: 'In WW2 people had already experienced a major assault but they were then expected to prepare for another. In the case of the V1 rockets the government did not release information on the nature of the rockets, creating a vacuum that was filled with fear and apprehension. 'When they did publish information and publicised protection measures, adaptation by the people followed quickly as many had already developed a form of coping strategy in the previous air raids. 'This highlights the importance of transparency and clarity in communication of risk and threat if a second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic does occur.' The Blitz, a seven-month bombing campaign waged against Britain by Nazi Germany in 1940 and 1941 killed around 40,000 people, according to Parliament UK. Most of the raids took place in London after beginning with 'Black Saturday' on September 7, 1940, when the Luftwaffe attacked the London Docklands. They would go on to bomb the capital city day and night for months, switching to night-only operations in October. While the air raids mainly targeted London, where they wreaked havoc and killed thousands, they were carried out across the UK, with devastating attacks aimed at Bristol, Birmingham, Coventry, Bath, Cardiff, Clydebank, Liverpool, Manchester, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Sheffield, Southampton, Swansea and Swindon before the campaign came to an end in May 1941, seven months after it had began. A Tibet advocacy group has launched a campaign this week to raise awareness of Chinas human rights abuses in Tibet, with billboards set up in New York and London in places where millions of people are expected to see them, the group said on Wednesday. The billboards, which will remain place for the next two weeks, have been designed to provide some very basic facts about Tibet, John Jonescampaign and advocacy director for the London-based Free Tibettold RFAs Tibetan Service. The billboard now displayed in New Yorks Times Square talks about the rights to vote, protest, and emigrate that China denies to Tibetans, Jones said, "While in the U.K. we decided to do a billboard themed around the idea of the lockdown, referring to the harsh security measures China employs to maintain control in the politically sensitive Himalayan region. Beijings human rights record in Tibet is inexcusable, and the West has been silent for too long, Free Tibet said in an Aug. 26 press release announcing the billboard campaign. This campaign breaks the silence and brings the Tibet issue back into the public domain where it belongs. Free Tibets campaign comes about six weeks before the 70th anniversary of Chinas invasion of Tibet on Oct. 6, 1950, the group noted, adding, It also comes at a time when the Chinese government is coming under increased scrutiny for its abuses against the Uyghur people and crackdowns in Hong Kong. A formerly independent nation, Tibet was taken over and incorporated into China by force, following which Tibets spiritual leader the Dalai Lama and thousands of his followers fled into exile in India in 1959. Chinese authorities maintain a tight grip on the region, restricting Tibetans political activities and peaceful expression of ethnic and religious identities, and subjecting Tibetans to persecution, torture, imprisonment, and extrajudicial killings. Reported by Sonam Singeri for RFAs Tibetan Service. Written in English by Richard Finney. Axiom Medicals plan made our workplace safe and healthy throughout production of our new series, Haute Dog, says Michael Miller, co-executive producer. The quality team of professionals ensured that strict protocols were in place for everyone associated with the project, day in and day out." Axiom Medical Consulting, LLC, a leader in occupational health services and innovator of the CheckIn2Work app, has successfully expanded its reach to Hollywood to ensure workplace safety for cast, production and crew members in the onsite film production industry during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Working with several production companies, Axiom is achieving excellent results in the mitigation of COVID-19. The pandemic halted TV and film sets in Hollywood as production organizations struggled with how to provide safe workplaces in a pre-vaccine world. While trade unions and guilds released a COVID-19 collaborative report titled The Safe Way Forward, productions still lacked the capacity and resources to independently meet the science-based protocols and medical management for health and safety for all workers. Enter Axiom as a third-party medical provider offering preventative medicine and public health expertise, with independent COVID-19 medical management, so that production firms can successfully adopt safe return-to-work processes which mitigate the spread of infectious disease. The company has also introduced procedural standards to ensure the continued safety of the workforce. As part of its strategy, they provide a Health Safety Supervisor for productions, who is responsible for COVID-related safety, including zoned testing, daily attestation, case management, contact tracing and compliance. Complying with established health and safety zoning standards and medically approved protocols, the Company has performed 8,399 tests to date within several Los Angeles-based production companies, showing a positivity rate of 0.17 percent, as compared with the 5.7 percent community seven-day testing positivity average. The probability of disease exposure and transmission within certain film production companies was significantly lowered. One of these success stories is the upcoming HBO Max television series by Jax Media, Haute Dog, which completed a four-week-long shoot following full union guidelines and COVID protocols instituted by Axiom, culminating in zero positive test results among cast, crew and producers. We are honored to be working with the California film production industry, including Jax Media, to help employers and employees manage their workplace safety during COVID, says Mark Robinson, Axioms CEO. To achieve these excellent results of no or low positivity within production companies validates the effectiveness of our protocols and procedures. Our excellent team, guided by our Chief Medical Officer Dr. Scott Cherry, is to be commended for providing effective, science-based solutions to mitigate infections in the workplace. Axiom Medicals plan made our workplace safe and healthy throughout production of our new series, Haute Dog, says Michael Miller, co-executive producer. The quality team of professionals ensured that strict protocols were in place for everyone associated with the project, day in and day out. The result was zero positive cases of COVID over four weeks of production, which is something we can all be proud of. Axiom is now working with the newly revived production from TBS, Wipeout, the obstacle course reality competition that originally aired on ABC between 2008 and 2014. Axioms Tony DeLitta is serving as Health Safety Supervisor on the production, which was also his role with Haute Dog. Axiom Medical Consulting, LLC was founded in 1999 in The Woodlands, TX and has established itself as an industry leader in providing complete occupational health services for the total life cycle of client's employees. Axiom is the expert in the fields of workers' compensation, disability case management and OSHA-mandated medical programs. The Company was founded on the best practice mission of caring for employees first and providing a significant return on investment for clients. Axiom has impacted over 1,000,000 lives by helping employees in the workplace and continues its mission by supporting during the COVID-19 crisis by managing over 32,000 COVID cases and 429,542 CheckIn2Work attestations. For more information, please visit us at http://www.axiomllc.com. # # # Vice-President Dr Mahama Bawumia appears to have swerved political pundits when he deferred a question of whether or not he would like to succeed his boss, President Akufo-Addo, when he exits power. When he was asked about his ambition to succeed President Akufo-Addo subsequently, the Vice-President cleverly and tactfully did not respond directly to the question. He only said, Everything is in the hands of almighty God and, once again, I am very happy working under Nana Akufo-Addo to bring real change in people's lives. He is a great boss and that is all I am thinking about. Responding again to the interviewer, Kwame Sefa Kayi, on 'Peace FM' last Tuesday, the Vice-President said, Yes! God is wonderful. You really have to just work, adding do your work and when He gives you the opportunity, anything that comes afterwards if He wants it, it will happen if He doesn't want it, it wouldn't happen and you shouldn't be worried about that. I focus on my work. Opportunity to Serve Dr Bawumia pointed out on 'Kokrokoo' show that I am very happy with what I am doing. I am very happy with the responsibilities I am doing and very happy with the opportunity to bring real change to the lives of people and to support the vision of the President, Nana Akufo-Addo. I'm very happy about that. He said his preoccupation right now is rather to work harder to ensure the President succeeds. December Contest 2020 is three months away and the battle remains the Lord's. What is left is for us to go out there and tell the people the work that we have done within the past four years they gave President Nana Akufo-Addo the mandate.I believe that if we are able to communicate our policies well and how they have benefited people, then Ghanaians will look at us favourably, he stressed. He said, But we don't want to take anything for granted. We have to work hard, pray and leave it in the hands of God. We are definitely not in the type of comfortable lead that our opponents were in the last time. We leave that one for them. Insha Alla, we have hope our work will speak very much so for us. It is a lot of work, Kwame. The work is massive and speaks for itself and goes to every district.There is no district in this country that has not been touched by the work that Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has done, he added. Biggest Challenge As Vice-President, I think that I have a boss who really wants things to be done in a hurry. He is almost a workaholic. At his age, he is stronger than us, as young men. He is demanding and, of course, it is something that we all have to work to. You cannot relax; you have to keep going at it. Government is also very large and you have to coordinate a whole lot of agencies to get certain things done. It can be a challenge, but it helps us to know what is going on. I think that the whole issue is he wants to deliver quickly, but sometimes government doesn't move as quickly as you do.I realized in government that if you want something in six months' time you have to say you need it in three months' time, he asserted. He said because President Akufo-Addo wanted things done quickly, it had forced him to complete his tasks on time. He drives me, and I also have to drive them. I have a good team, and I am very proud of my team. They are excellent, he added. ----Daily Guide OSAKA, Japan and LOS ANGELES, Aug. 26, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- "Torinaoshi," a YouTube series exploring the nuances of racial and family identity, highlights a young Japanese-American woman's journey from New York to Osaka, Japan her mother's hometown. The production is a collaboration between Alex Iskounen's Tsukuba Indy LLC, Yusuke Kitaguchi's Ichibiri Pics Inc., and Yosuke Kumakura's Bear Create Japan. Actress Megan Murayama surveying the Osaka (Umeda) skyline from Yodogawa River Park An ode to the emotions of multicultural migration and return, the series shines a light on family discord and renewal. After realizing she has no real knowledge of her roots, Kiyoko (aka Koko) travels to her mother's hometown of Osaka from New York City, discovering that learning about one's identity, especially on foreign soil, can be complicated. She befriends an African-Japanese boy who travels with her as she encounters several relatives, learning hard lessons about family, race relations and her struggle for identity; will Koko accept what she learns about herself and her roots as she dives deeper into her unresolved family history? The series features several recognizable cast members from Japanese media, including notorious comedian Minoru Torihada, African-Japanese actor and popular YouTuber BiX, bilingual actress Megan Murayama, and Okinawa-born improv artist Osamu Hirata. The series is directed by Osaka native Yusuke Kitaguchi, whose short film "Baby in the Dark" won the Osaka 48 Hour Film Festival in 2017 and was later screened at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival in 2018. Alan Ng, Managing Editor of FilmThreat.com, stated, "The reality is racism is not unique to the States it's everywhere. What's interesting about 'Torinaoshi' is that it's not that much different abroad. What the series shows is that as different cultures spread and intermingle across the globe, the struggle to find one's identity on foreign soil becomes increasingly complicated. What do I hold on to from my heritage and what do I embrace in my new homeland." "Torinaoshi" stands as a tribute to the quest for self-understanding and connection in all its complexity and challenges people to think about how they unravel their cultural and family identities. "Where do I belong?" and "How can I connect with someone different than me?" are some of the central themes explored in "Torinaoshi." The filmmakers invested $5,000 per episode in production, crew and the acquisition of local talent. The three-episode release has since garnered over 1.3 million views worldwide on YouTube, gained international fans with enthusiastic appeals for more episodes, and is a testament to the hard work and collaboration between local Osaka actors and filmmakers. See the official 2020 "Torinaoshi" trailer and the rest of the series on the Torinaoshi YouTube channel. To learn more about "Torinaoshi," visit the official website and IMDb page. International Contacts: Alex Iskounen, Yusuke Kitaguchi, Yosuke Kumakura: [email protected] Related Images official-poster.jpg Official Poster Actress Megan Murayama surveying the Osaka (Umeda) skyline from Yodogawa River Park Related Links Series Channel Official Images (Web Use) SOURCE Tsukuba Indy LLC An NHS worker at St Thomas' Hospital, London, at a rally to demand the government give them a 15% pay rise. (PA) NHS staff have smeared themselves in fake blood and carried placards as they demanded a 15% pay rise in a protest outside Downing Street. Workers in hospital scrubs with their roles emblazoned on them chanted and pretended to lie down dead as they call for pay justice now, following their work during the coronavirus pandemic. Staff members at the protests included workers from St Thomas hospital where Boris Johnson was a patient after he tested positive for coronavirus in March. NHS workers hold up pictures of Boris Johnson and Matt Hancock with blood on their faces outside Downing Street. (PA) NHS workers stage a die-in outside Downing Street as they demand a 15% pay rise. (PA) Pictures of the prime minister and health secretary Matt Hancock with their heads covered in blood were also held by protesters, who yelled: Clapping is not enough. Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced in July that the government was giving nearly 900,000 public sector workers a 3.1% pay rise due to their vital contribution amid the pandemic. The increase includes doctors, dentists and teachers but not nurses or junior doctors due to separate deals agreed to in 2018 and 2019. One protester, critical care nurse Dave Carr, said that NHS staff were struggling on their current pay and needed a 15% pay rise He said: We cant do our jobs properly because of the shortages there are in nursing staff and all grades of staff within the NHS. My pay has been eroded by about 20% over the last 10 years. I earn more or less the same as I earned 10 years ago. Im a senior, senior nurse in critical care and Im finding it difficult to survive. If youre looking at young nurses or young health workers with families its even doubly difficult. But if youre looking at our ancillary staff our porters, our cleaners who are on the demonstration, its almost impossible for people to live NHS workers march to Downing Street as they demand 'pay justice now' following their work during the coronavirus pandemic. (PA) NHS workers protest outside Downing Street as part of the NHS Pay 15 movement. (PA) Were on our knees. Were absolutely on our knees. Dave praised NHS staff for doing absolutely everything that we could for patients to get the best possible care during the pandemic. He added: Im not proud of how the government handled the pandemic. The protests were organised as part of the NHS Pay 15 movement, which has seen thousands of workers demonstrate outside hospitals across the country. Coronavirus: what happened today Click here to sign up to the latest news and information with our daily Catch-up newsletter New Delhi, Aug 27 : The Supreme Court on Thursday reserved its order on fugitive business tycoon Vijay Mallya's plea seeking for review of a 2017 judgment, which held him guilty of contempt of court. The apex court had held him guilty, as he did not truthfully disclose full account of his assets in contravention of court order. Mallya was also found guilty for violating court order by siphoning away $40 million from his account. He was restrained from any such withdrawal. In the earlier hearing in the matter, a certain document connected with the case in the Supreme Court had gone missing from the its files. Following which a bench comprising Justices U.U. Lalit and Ashok Bhushan had earlier adjourned the hearing to August 20. The apex court was at that point hearing the review plea filed by Mallya against the July 14, 2017 judgment wherein he was found guilty of contempt for not paying Rs 9,000 crore dues to banks despite repeated directions. The bench was looking for a reply on an intervention application, which it seemed had gone missing from the case papers. Parties involved in the case sought more time to file fresh copies. On June 19, the Supreme Court had sought explanation from its registry regarding Mallya's appeal. A bench comprising Justices Lalit and Bhushan had said: "The Registry to furnish all the details including names of the officials who had dealt with the file concerning the Review Petition for last three years." In May 2017, the apex court held him guilty of contempt of court for transferring $40 million to his children, and ordered him to appear on July 10 to argue on the quantum of punishment. The bench said let the explanation be furnished within two weeks, adding that "the Review Petition shall, thereafter, be considered on merits". -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text American Assets Trust, Inc. (NYSE:AAT) shareholders (or potential shareholders) will be happy to see that the Chairman, Ernest Rady, recently bought a whopping US$507k worth of stock, at a price of US$25.33. There's no denying a buy of that magnitude suggests conviction in a brighter future, although we do note that proportionally it only increased their holding by 0.3%. See our latest analysis for American Assets Trust The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At American Assets Trust The Executive VP & CFO, Robert Barton, made the biggest insider sale in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for US$1.1m worth of shares at a price of US$44.81 each. While we don't usually like to see insider selling, it's more concerning if the sales take place at a lower price. It's of some comfort that this sale was conducted at a price well above the current share price, which is US$25.31. So it may not tell us anything about how insiders feel about the current share price. Robert Barton was the only individual insider to sell over the last year. Ernest Rady purchased 43.81k shares over the year. The average price per share was US$34.82. You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last 12 months, below. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date! There are plenty of other companies that have insiders buying up shares. You probably do not want to miss this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying. Insider Ownership Many investors like to check how much of a company is owned by insiders. We usually like to see fairly high levels of insider ownership. American Assets Trust insiders own about US$174m worth of shares (which is 8.9% of the company). Most shareholders would be happy to see this sort of insider ownership, since it suggests that management incentives are well aligned with other shareholders. Story continues What Might The Insider Transactions At American Assets Trust Tell Us? It is good to see the recent insider purchase. And an analysis of the transactions over the last year also gives us confidence. When combined with notable insider ownership, these factors suggest American Assets Trust insiders are well aligned, and quite possibly think the share price is too low. Nice! So while it's helpful to know what insiders are doing in terms of buying or selling, it's also helpful to know the risks that a particular company is facing. At Simply Wall St, we've found that American Assets Trust has 3 warning signs (1 is a bit concerning!) that deserve your attention before going any further with your analysis. 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. How will his 5-year-old daughter keep a safe distance from friends shes so excited to see for the first time in six months? How will he gain the trust of his high school students, from one of Marseilles roughest neighborhoods, if he has to police their mask use? WWF Romania representatives ask President Klaus Iohannis to not sign the Forestry Code bill into law, arguing that it doesn't solve the deeply ingrained problem of illegal logging. "The bill amending the Forestry Code, which cleared Parliament last week, does not solve the problem of combating illegal logging. It is a mere window dressing, not a real reform of the national forestry policies, and includes elements that will make it difficult to solve the infringement procedure opened by the European Commission against Romania for failure to properly combat illegal wood harvesting. For this reason we sent yesterday (on Wednesday, ed. no.) President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, an open letter asking him not to promulgate the bill and send it back to Parliament," WWF Romania said in a release on Thursday. According to the cited source, the unanimously adopted bill falls short of bringing about the essential changes requested by the society, the academia and a series of professional associations on how Romania should capitalize on timber and protect its forests. "It is a bill that betrays the populism of the entire political class in the face of elections, the lack of vision and will to truly reform this sector. Although it was heralded about as a lifeline to getting out of the infringement procedure, the current version denies again the orientation of control towards the first point where the wood enters the market, as required by European principles," said Radu Vlad, WWF Romania coordinator of regional forestry projects. (Newser) Not everyone celebrates when their stepfather gets arrested. But then, not everyone is Sarah Turney: "I'm shaking and I'm crying," she tweeted Thursday. "We did it you guys. He's been arrested. Omg Loudly crying face thank you." Turney had waged a long social media campaign accusing her stepfather, 72-year-old Michael Turney, in the 2001 disappearance of her sister, Alissa Turney. Sarah's dogged pursuit in the caseincluding a website, posted conversations with her stepfather, and footage he recordedcaught fire after she took the crusade to TikTok, the New York Times reports. How much it helped police is unclear, but an Arizona prosecutor acknowledged Sarah after Michael Turney was charged with second-degree homicide last week: "Because of [her] love, Alissa's light has never gone out," she said. story continues below It seems Alissa, 17, was last seen when Michael Turney picked her up from school in Phoenix 19 years ago, the Arizona Republic reports. He told ABC News in 2009 that Alissa ran away because he was too controlling, and said "yeah, of course I feel bad about it," but Sarah's campaign painted him as a controlling "pervert" who "physically and sexually abused" Alissa and refused to give his DNA to police. His prison sentence in an alleged bomb plot kept him on the police radar, but for Sarah it appeared to be a deeply personal crusade: "What I'm going to do is scream to the whole world until Alissa has justice," she blogged last year, adding that "I'm going to abandon all fear" and "do it because it's the right thing to do." As for Alissa, she hasn't been found, dead or alive. (Read more murder stories.) In a lively affair full of movement, Marsala Hanover made the best move last en route to victory in Wednesdays (Aug. 26) Meadow Cheer, a $206,133 Pennsylvania Sire Stakes for freshman pacing fillies, at The Meadows. Marsala Hanover zipped to the lead from post 7 for Scott Zeron, only to see the three-wide Continualou overtake her before the quarter. That was the signal for Uptown Hanover to seize the point from fourth. Continualou attacked again with Marsala Hanover in tow and all this before the half. When Marsala Hanover passed the hard-used Continualou, she was in front to stay, defeating Thebeachiscalling by a half length in a career best 1:52. Mackie Hanover rallied for show. Winning trainer Linda Toscano indicated that Marsala Hanovers demanding trip concerned her at first. Thats the first time weve really called on her, Toscano said. Weve tried to protect her a little bit and shes been the beneficiary of great trips. Today she had to make her own trip. Scott used her hard, and she fought hard to the wire. Zeron, however, said he never doubted the daughter of Captaintreacherous and Marinade Hanover would have enough in the tank. Shes really a professional horse, Zeron said. I knew that I could leave with her and she would relax for me. I would have been content to sit behind Continualou, but the brigade kept coming. The way mine felt up the backstretch, I thought I would let her go her own speed and try to get command of the race. I didnt think shed give up, and she didnt. Marsala Hanover, who wrapped up a berth in the $260,000 Pennsylvania Sire Stakes final Sept. 5 at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono, now has earned $192,435 for owners Enviro Stables, South Mountain Stables, Little E LLC and Westminster Road LLC. $60,000 Pennsylvania Stallion Series Two-Year-Old Pacing Fillies When Odds On Whitneys big brother appeared at The Meadows July 25, all he did was fly to a world-record 1:47.1 in an elimination of the Delvin Miller Adios Pace for the Orchids. Alas, it was the final race in the career of Papi Rob Hanover, as a fractured coffin bone forced his retirement. But little sister upheld the family honour big time in Wednesdays sub-feature, as Odds On Whitney rolled home in a stakes record 1:51.3, shattering Brazucas former mark of 1:52.2. Fighting Evil was second, five lengths back, with Podium Girl third. Tim Tetrick had an opportunity to drop in third early with the daughter of Somebeachsomewhere and Panera Hanover, but he abandoned the cones after a few steps. She was a touch on the aggressive side, Tetrick said. I thought she was the one to beat, so I put her where she could get there easiest. Her breeding says she has a lot of capability. She did it easily today. Odds On Racing campaigns Odds On Whitney. The other Stallion Series splits went to Darby Hanover and Atomic Fireball. Darby Hanover began her career in Sire Stakes, but she has thrived in the Stallion Series, as she won her third straight leg and nailed down a spot in the $40,000 final. Winning driver Zeron, who quarter-poled to the top with the daughter of Betting Line and Darena Hanover, said the shift has suited her. Shes so comfortable in this class, he said. Shes been finishing strong, and thats the thing you want most for a two-year-old filly. I think the shift was the right move; hopefully it pays off next year. Darby Hanover races for trainer Julie Miller and owners Andy Miller Stable and Caroll Huffman. The Meadows will host all eight Stallion Series finals on Monday, Sept. 7. Trainer Tim Twaddle collected three wins on the 15-race card. Live racing at The Meadows resumes Saturday (Aug. 29), when the 15-race program features a pair of stakes for freshman pacing colts and geldings a $213,858 Pennsylvania Sire Stakes and a $60,000 Pennsylvania Stallion Series event as well as a $2,339.43 carryover in the final-race Super Hi-5. First post is 12:45 p.m. (Meadows Standardbred Owners Association) CAIRO Egyptian media outlets were instructed not to publish any news or statements criticizing the agreement to normalize ties between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, an Egyptian security source told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity. On Aug. 13, US President Donald Trump announced an agreement for diplomatic normalization between the UAE and Israel, noting that delegations from the two countries would meet soon to sign other complementary agreements. Cairo has come out in support of the UAE-Israel agreement and its provisions, which include suspending Israels plans to annex Palestinian territories. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi announced his support for the Israel-UAE agreement on Aug. 13, praising the efforts that led to this deal. On Aug. 14, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked Sisi as well as Bahrain and the Sultanate of Oman for their support, noting in a tweet, The agreement expands the circle of peace and benefits the entire region. Meanwhile, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Aug. 18 that the UAE has stabbed the Palestinian cause in the back with this normalization agreement with Israel. On Aug. 20, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh described the agreement as a painful blow and a flagrant deviation from the Arab consensus. The Egyptian security source explained that though Egypt supports the right of the Palestinian people to their land and promotes the two-state solution based on the 1967 borders, the Israel-UAE agreement is in the interest of peace in the region and includes Israel's commitment to suspend its plans to annex Palestinian territories. He added that Egypt's support for the deal will not affect mediation efforts between Fatah and Hamas. The source explained that Egypt was the first Arab country to normalize relations with Israel under the 1979 peace treaty, followed by Jordan in 1994, making the UAE the third Arab country to do so, not the first He stressed that Cairo clearly stands in solidarity with Palestine but sees peace with Israel as realistic, considering the state's coordination with several Arab countries, notably Oman, the UAE, Iraq and Saudi Arabia, even though these countries do not recognize Israel. The source pointed out that Egypt, Israel, Jordan and Palestine are all members of the EasMed Gas Forum, which Egypt established in January to achieve cooperation on gas exploration in the Mediterranean. Talk of resisting normalization or severing all relations with Israel is unrealistic and does not take into account the new political and economic dimensions in the region. He stressed that Cairo realizes that Palestine will have reservations about the agreement, but with time, it will realize that this deal is in its interest. He does not believe that Egyptian-Palestinian relations will be affected. Meanwhile, a source at the Egyptian newspaper Dostor told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity that the staff has been instructed not to publish news criticizing the peace treaty between Israel and the UAE. The source said that the instructions were given by phone to the editors-in-chief and heads of satellite channels or through private Whatsapp groups, and most media outlets naturally will abide by them. The majority of Egyptian media outlets are currently directly affiliated with the state or the security services or are loyal to them. The press source said that all Egypt's newspapers and news sites are subject to restrictions and risk being shut down or banned from publishing if they step out of line. The Egyptian government has blocked over 549 opposition-affiliated websites in Egypt. Political commentator Abdel Khaleq Farouk, who is also the director of the Nile Center for Economic and Strategic Studies, told Al-Monitor over the phone that restricting the Egyptian press from criticizing the agreement or publishing the Palestinian position rejecting it is a betrayal of the Palestinian cause at the expense of pragmatic interests with Israel. Farouk noted that preventing the news media from publishing specific statements or stances violates Article 65 of the Egyptian Constitution, which stipulates, Freedom of thought and opinion is guaranteed. All individuals have the right to express their opinion through speech, writing, imagery or any other means of expression and publication. Ahmed al-Jaddami, a human rights lawyer at Al-Helaly Foundation for Rights and Freedoms, told Al-Monitor over the phone that the authorities instructions not to publish specific material falls in line with Egypts vision of nationalizing and controlling the press. He explained that Cairo believes normalization with Israel is a good thing and serves the peace process in the Middle East. Jaddami noted that Cairo's support for the normalization agreement was predictable because Egypt preceded the UAE in this regard and cooperates and coordinates with Israel in several important security and economic matters, such as the Jan. 15 agreement to import natural gas from Israels Leviathan and Tamar fields to Egypt. Radio host Brian Wilson (SuperTalk 99.7 WTN) broke the news that members of the Tennessee General Assembly could consider a No Confidence letter to Governor Lee in regards to Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn. Wilson said on his Friday show, the long knives are out. That news is hardly a shock to legislative insiders or news media. Wilson reported that the Governors Office still supported Schwinn. Penny Schwinn was a surprising choice to be chosen as commissioner of Education for Tennessee. Tennessee had been hailed as one a handful of success stories across the nation that an incoming governor could build upon. Schwinn had very little actual classroom teaching experience, about two years. She was the founder and principal of Capitol Collegiate Academy in Sacramento for one year in 2011 and remains on their board. Starting in 2012, she had stops in Sacramento City Unified Schools, Delaware Department of Education, and the Texas Education Agency. She had no previous connections to our state before her selection by Governor Bill Lee. Schwinns departure from Texas came on the heels of a controversial no-bid contract awarded to a vendor, SPEDx, that utilized a subcontractor with whom she had a personal relationship. In Texas, state auditors found the agency had failed to follow state policies before awarding the contract. The TEA, the agency which oversees education in Texas, was ordered to repay the federal government more than $2.5 million spent on this special education contract. State auditors found only about $150,000 worth of work was actually completed on the project. Investigators said officials failed to check SPEDx's security controls, potentially jeopardizing the data of thousands of special education students statewide. Laurie Kash, the whistleblower who reported this incident, was fired by the agency. Kash was later awarded more than $200,000 in damages. Problems began to escalate for Schwinn here in Tennessee with the revelation of an unusually high turnover rate at the Tennessee Department of Education since her arrival. Chalkbeat reported in November 2019 that the agency had 250 departures. Chalkbeat added, The departure rate of just over 19 percent exceeds those of Schwinns two predecessors over comparable periods. We believe the 19 percent estimate is too low and should be updated. The actual figure today is probably closer to about 33 percent or 1/3 of the employees that have left since Schwinn was named commissioner. Legislators, especially those that champion limited government, are likely to question the number of chiefs or assistant commissioners at the Department of Education, which has increased from the 13 under Commissioner McQueen to roughly 23 chiefs or assistant commissioners under Commissioner Schwinn. Our estimate is that the average salary of these chiefs and assistants exceeds $135,000 yearly. There were several lower-salaried employee positions eliminated and many of those were not replaced. However, the savings were not realized by taxpayers, but merely shifted into higher salaries for other staff with new job titles. What legislators should look at is simple: Has service to districts, parents, and educators improved under Schwinn or not? Ultimately, that is the question for lawmakers and the governor to decide. What has puzzled many lawmakers, parents, and educators is the fact that while schools are being pressured to open their doors, the Tennessee Department of Education has remained closed, and employees have been allowed to work virtually. One recent hire, identified as Sophie Mann, a resident of Chicago, is the new director of Accountability for the state of Tennessee. In past administrations, employees who worked for the Tennessee Department of Education, as an employee, were required to be residents of the state in which they worked. Policymakers will certainly want to ascertain how many employees have been hired from outside the state of Tennessee, how many are allowed to work remotely, and how many employees reside outside the state. Commissioner Schwinn, without prior consultation with stakeholders or policymakers, wanted changes to the Tennessee accountability model for students and teachers which resulted in a forced meeting with Senate and House Education leaders and the State Board at the capitol. She has seemingly abandoned that plan. In February, outraged Tennessee lawmakers grilled state education officials about the departments decision to award a $2.5 million non-compete contract to Florida-based vendor ClassWallet. Next in 2020, her agency put forth a literacy bill that seemed to revert the state to Common Core state standards that the state had previously dumped. The proposed legislation appeared headed for certain defeat. Legislators, after seeking input from districts and stakeholders, created a better literacy bill that seemed much more likely to pass, with a more robust emphasis on phonics and Tennessee standards. The governor indicated he would support that legislation. This also seemed to adversely strain the relationship between the Department of Education and the Tennessee General Assembly about whether the department had already begun conversations with potential vendors. When the COVID-19 crisis came along, it brought a reprieve for the embattled Commissioner, who was no longer being questioned about Tennessees handling of textbooks and contracts. Our criticism of Commissioner Schwinn has focused specifically on her handling of the COVID-19 crisis: the latency in sending out the states reopening plan, failure by the state to provide PPE and cleaning supplies to schools and districts in a timely fashion, and the ill-conceived monthly child well-being inspections that would further increase educator workload and expand government. We strongly believe she should have opened the Department of Education before asking any school to reopen. Educators across the state have repeatedly asked why public schools were pressured to open before the Department of Education was opened and who made that decision. Districts, schools, and educators have borne the brunt of unjust criticism of the flawed re-opening efforts statewide. The state should have sent out guidelines in the months or weeks before some schools had already opened to better assist local efforts. The state should have put forth protocols for collecting and reporting COVID-19 data tracking that was transparent from the onset. It is important that our community is informed and knows the numbers of COVID-19 cases we faced to best meet any emerging health challenges. Educators and districts across the state are tired of toolkits and dashboards. They are looking for leadership. The House Education Committee will meet on Sept. 22 and 23. It is unclear if Commissioner Schwinn will be asked to appear before that committee. Should Commissioner Schwinn be given a no-confidence vote? That is not our decision to make, nor are we advocating it. We want her, or anyone in that office, to simply make Tennessee educators and students their only priority. And we will never apologize for speaking up for our educators and students. ********* JC Bowman Executive Director of Professional Educators of Tennessee The 2021 Davos World Economic Forum (WEF) summit of business leaders and politicians has been called off for January due to the coronavirus pandemic, with organisers planning to reschedule the event to sometime early next summer. "The advice from experts is that we cannot (host the event) safely in January," WEF said on Wednesday in a statement. The confab in the Swiss Alps that has hosted rival heads of state including U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in recent years has been held in the Swiss ski resort of Davos since 1971. WEF, which takes over the ski resort of Davos for about a week each year, has branded itself as the world's top venue for the business and political elite to meet and discuss the challenges of globalisation. The group said the decision to delay this year's edition "was not taken easily, since the need for global leaders to come together to design a common recovery path and shape the 'Great Reset' in the post-COVID-19 era is so urgent." In lieu of the meeting, it would host virtual 'high-level' discussions the week of January 25, WEF said, adding it would share dates and location of the rescheduled meeting once it was assured of health and safety conditions. Also read: Here's why Trump wants Americans to boycott Goodyear Tire that helps run his limousine Also read: 'Sight for sore eyes,' says Anand Mahindra as Mumbai sees increase in lake water levels Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 12:19:11|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close People gether outside the High Court to show support to the families of the victims and survivors of last year's terrorist attack in Christchurch of New Zealand, Aug. 27, 2020. The gunman of last year's terrorist attack on two Christchurch mosques in New Zealand was sentenced to life imprisonment, the High Court announced on Thursday. (Photo by Zhu Qiping/Xinhua) WELLINGTON, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- The gunman of last year's terrorist attack on two Christchurch mosques in New Zealand was sentenced to life imprisonment, the High Court announced on Thursday. The sentence came after three days of the final hearing of the case. The 29-year-old Australian gunman, Brenton Harrison Tarrant, killed 51 people and injured 40 others on March 15, 2019. He is being sentenced on 51 murder charges, 40 attempted murder charges and one terrorism charge. A total of 91 victims and family members expressed grief, mental and physical injures, and anger at the hearing in the High Court in Christchurch starting on Monday. According to the description of the shooting read at the court, "the defendant turned to his right and fired 32 shots from his AR-15 into the mass of people in the northeastern corner of the room. The rate of fire was extremely high and the defendant moved the AR-15 across and back many times." Tarrant murdered 44 people at the Al Noor Mosque and killed seven more at the nearby Linwood Mosque. He also injured 40 others in the mass shooting, according to the prosecutor. The gunman conducted a research of the view of the Al Noor Mosque by flying a drone over the mosque in January 2019. "The planned time for entry was to ensure the maximum number of worshippers would be present," according to the summary presented at the court. According to his interview with the police, Tarrant said he had planned to burn the mosques down and wanted to "inflict as many fatalities as possible." He was on the way to another mosque in Ashburton, 85 km southwest of Christchurch, to carry out another attack when he was stopped by the police. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern acknowledged the strength of the Muslim community who shared their words in court over the past few days. "You relived the horrific events of March 15 to chronicle what happened that day and the pain it has left behind," Ardern said in a statement after the sentencing. "Nothing will take the pain away but I hope you felt the arms of New Zealand around you through this whole process, and I hope you continue to feel that through all the days that follow," said the prime minister. She called last year's March 15 "the darkest day" in New Zealand history. Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel praised the courage of the mosque attack victims who addressed the High Court this week at the sentencing of the mass shooter. "Since the atrocious act of terror unfolded in our city on 15 March 2019, our Muslim community has taught us much about peace, love, compassion and forgiveness. They gave us another lesson this week as they came face-to-face with the terrorist." "They showed enormous courage and delivered their incredibly moving testimony with dignity and grace," Dalziel said in a statement. "I think it is very fitting that the man who perpetrated the worst crime in New Zealand's history should get the harshest sentence in New Zealand's history. Hopefully his sentencing today will help people move on," she said. "The mosque attacks were a hate-filled act designed to divide us but, as it was stated in court this week, they have done the opposite. They have brought us closer together," the mayor said. 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. str-sn-sch/dl Viral footage has captured the touching moment a detection dog tried to stop its retiring handler from leaving the barracks in China. The German Shepherd, named Bei Bei, is seen in the trending video holding onto the officers duffel bag with its mouth, unwilling to let go. The hound even tried to stop the car door from closing and kept chasing the moving vehicle after the trainer bid a tearful goodbye with his best friend. Millions of social media users were moved by the loyal animal helper and the 'true comradeship and love' between the Chinese sergeant and his four-legged partner. Viral footage has captured the touching moment a detection dog tried to stop its retiring handler from leaving the barracks in China. The German Shepherd, named Bei Bei, is seen in the trending video holding onto the officers duffel bag with its mouth, unwilling to let go The hound even tried to stop the car door from closing and kept chasing the moving vehicle after the trainer bid a tearful goodbye with his best friend in Xinjiang, north-western China The retiring sergeant, Zhang Wei, was leaving the barracks in Chinas north-western region Xinjiang when the footage was filmed, reported Chinese media. During his retirement ceremony, the officer is seen handing over the sniffer dog to his colleague as he prepared to leave. As Zhang hugged another officer to say goodbye, Bei Bei suddenly bit the corner of his duffel dog, seemingly trying to stop its handler from walking away. The sergeant immediately bent down and gave the detection dog a kiss. Trying to hold back his tears, the man can be heard saying: Good boy. Now take him away. The retiring sergeant, Zhang Wei, was leaving the barracks in Chinas north-western region Xinjiang and his sniffer dog, Bei Bei, when the footage was filmed, reported Chinese media The Chinese officer is seen handing over the sniffer dog to his colleague before his departure After Zhang got into the military car, Bei Bei started barking profusely before eagerly running towards the officer again. The hound is seen resting its paws on the vehicle door, unwilling to move, as the officer rubbed its head and waved goodbye. Bei Bei even tried to chase the moving car that carried its beloved best friend before it was pulled back by another officer. The heart-warming video has touched millions of Chinese netizens who praised the 'true comradeship and love' between the handler and his animal helper. As Zhang hugged another officer to say goodbye, Bei Bei suddenly bit the corner of his duffel dog, seemingly trying to stop its handler from walking away. The Chinese officer is pictured trying to hold back his tears as he walked away from his sniffer dog in Xinjiang, China Bei Bei even tried to chase the moving car that carried its beloved best friend before it was pulled back by another officer. The heart-warming video has touched millions of Chinese netizens who praised the 'true friendship and love' between the handler and his animal helper One commenter wrote: This has brought me to tears. This is the kind of real and inseparable friendship! Another one said: They are comrades who worked and fought side by side. Animals have the same kind of emotions as humans. A third user replied: This is so touching! They clearly have such a deep connection, very respectful. Another trending clip has also captured the moment five sniffer dogs refused to leave their handlers as the loyal animal helpers retire from a fire brigade in China. The retired canines will be looked after by local government, the fire brigade said. Technavio has been monitoring the global natural food colors market size and it is poised to grow by USD 481.04 million during 2020-2024, progressing at a CAGR of 5% during the forecast period. The report offers an up-to-date analysis regarding the current market scenario, latest trends and drivers, and the overall market environment. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200826005407/en/ Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Natural Food Colors Market 2020-2024 (Graphic: Business Wire) Technavio suggests three forecast scenarios (optimistic, probable, and pessimistic) considering the impact of COVID-19. Please Request Latest Free Sample Report on COVID-19 Impact The market is fragmented, and the degree of fragmentation will accelerate during the forecast period. Archer Daniels Midland Co., AROMATAGROUP SRL, Chr. Hansen Holding A/S, Dohler GmbH, Givaudan SA, Kalsec Inc., Koninklijke DSM NV, McCormick Co. Inc., Sensient Technologies Corp., and Synthite Industries Pvt. Ltd. are some of the major market participants. To make the most of the opportunities, market vendors should focus more on the growth prospects in the fast-growing segments, while maintaining their positions in the slow-growing segments. The rising demand for natural food colors has been instrumental in driving the growth of the market. However, the high cost of natural food colors might hamper the market growth. Natural Food Colors market 2020-2024: Segmentation Natural Food Colors market is segmented as below: Product Caramel Carotenoids Anthocyanins Others Geography North America Europe APAC 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=IRTNTR44565 Natural Food Colors 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 natural food colors market report covers the following areas: Natural Food Colors market size Natural Food Colors market trends Natural Food Colors market industry analysis This study identifies the new advancements in natural food colors as one of the prime reasons driving the natural food colors market growth during the next few years. Natural Food Colors market 2020-2024: Vendor Analysis We provide a detailed analysis of around 25 vendors operating in the natural food colors market, including some of the vendors such as Archer Daniels Midland Co., AROMATAGROUP SRL, Chr. Hansen Holding A/S, Dohler GmbH, Givaudan SA, Kalsec Inc., Koninklijke DSM NV, McCormick Co. Inc., Sensient Technologies Corp., and Synthite Industries Pvt. Ltd. Backed with competitive intelligence and benchmarking, our research reports on the Natural Food Colors market are designed to provide entry support, customer profile and M&As as well as go-to-market strategy support. Register for a free trial today and gain instant access to 17,000+ market research reports. Technavio's SUBSCRIPTION platform Natural Food Colors market 2020-2024: Key Highlights CAGR of the market during the forecast period 2020-2024 Detailed information on factors that will assist natural food colors market growth during the next five years Estimation of the natural food colors market size and its contribution to the parent market Predictions on upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior The growth of the natural food colors market Analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information on vendors Comprehensive details of factors that will challenge the growth of natural food colors 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 Caramel Market size and forecast 2019-2024 Carotenoids Market size and forecast 2019-2024 Anthocyanins Market size and forecast 2019-2024 Others Market size and forecast 2019-2024 Market opportunity by Product Customer landscape Geographic Landscape Geographic segmentation Geographic comparison North America Market size and forecast 2019-2024 Europe Market size and forecast 2019-2024 APAC 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 Archer Daniels Midland Co. AROMATAGROUP SRL Chr. Hansen Holding A/S Dohler GmbH Givaudan SA Kalsec Inc. Koninklijke DSM NV McCormick Co. Inc. Sensient Technologies Corp. Synthite Industries Pvt. Ltd. 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/20200826005407/en/ Contacts: Technavio Research Jesse Maida Media Marketing Executive US: +1 844 364 1100 UK: +44 203 893 3200 Email: media@technavio.com Website: www.technavio.com/ To further boost Covid-19 testing in Mumbai, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) plans to start Covid-19 diagnosis using rapid antigen testing kits across all civic-run peripheral hospitals and dispensaries. Since July, BMC has conducted more than 80,000 rapid antigen tests. In the next stage, to ramp up testing at secondary healthcare facilities, BMC will provide 500-1,000 rapid testing kits to all 175 civic-run dispensaries. Alongside, testing will also be initiated at 16 peripheral hospitals. So far, most tests are being conducted at Covid care centres (CCC) and hospitals. Now, to test more people, we have decided to allow antigen testing at dispensaries and peripheral hospitals, said Suresh Kakani, additional commissioner, BMC. For this purpose, more than 70 laboratory technicians have been trained in the first phase at the three major civic-run hospitals King Edward Memorial (KEM), BYL Nair and Lokmanya Tilak General hospitals. Our priority will be to test people with symptoms. Then we will test close contacts of positive patients, added Kakani. BMC conducts more than 2,000 antigen tests daily. In the first instalment, the civic body procured 1 lakh antigen testing kits. Now, as 80% of the kits have been used, BMC has placed an order to procure another 50,000 kits. Health activists have welcomed the civic bodys move. Dr Ravikant Singh, health activist, said, Even though the Covid-19 case curve has flattened in the city, it is important to stretch testing facilities in all corners of the city so that the civic body doesnt lose any patient. This will also provide better access to people to get tested faster. Till August 25, BMC has conducted a total of 725,519 tests that include antigen and real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests, of which 137,678 individuals have been diagnosed with Covid-19, bringing down the positivity rate to 18.97% from 23% in July. Dr Abhijit More, co-convenor of non-profit Jan Arogya Abhiyan, said, It is a welcome move by BMC, but they shouldnt rely only on rapid antigen. The test often provides false negative reports which can prove disastrous and contribute in spreading the infection further. A balance should be maintained between RT-PCR and antigen testing. U.S. Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) accepts the Democratic vice presidential nomination during an acceptance speech delivered for the largely virtual 2020 Democratic National Convention from the Chase Center in Wilmington, Delaware, August 19, 2020. Kevin Lemarque | Reuters Democratic vice presidential nominee Sen. Kamala Harris blasted President Donald Trump on Thursday for failing to protect Americans from the coronavirus pandemic. She charged that he "caved" when he needed "to be tough" with the Chinese government over its refusal to share information about the virus months ago. "Donald Trump stood idly by and, folks, it was a deadly decision," Harris said in a blistering speech in advance of Trump's own address to the Republican National Convention on Thursday evening. "All we needed was a competent president. One who was willing to listen, willing to lead, take responsibility, have a plan, do their job," the California senator said. But "Donald Trump has failed at the most basic and important job of a president of the United States," Harris said. "It's his obligation to protect us. Yet, he has failed miserably." There have been nearly 5.9 million officially reported cases of Covid-19 in the United States as of Thursday, with at least 180,380 Americans dead of the virus. The U.S. has accounted for more than 25% of all coronavirus cases worldwide and more than 20% of deaths from the virus. Harris, who previously served as California's attorney general and as district attorney of San Francisco, said, "Trump showed what we in the legal profession would call a reckless disregard for the well-being of the American people." "A reckless disregard for the danger a pandemic would pose to American lives," she said. "For the devastation it would do to our economy, for the damage it would do to communities of color who have been subjected to structural racism for generations. For the chaos that would upend our daily lives, make it impossible for many of our children to go to school, make it impossible to live normally and with a sense of certainty." Harris said, "Trump's incompetence is nothing new ... but in January of this year it became deadly." She said that that month, when the risk to the United States and the rest of the world from the virus, which first broke out around Wuhan, China, became more obvious, "Trump dismissed the threat." In contrast, Harris said former Vice President Joe Biden, the Democratic presidential nominee, "sounded the alarm" about Covid-19. Harris said that in what would soon become a pattern that persists until now, Trump was "telling us not to worry, that the virus will, quote, 'disappear,' a, quote, 'miracle is coming.'" She accused Trump of failing to have a plan to address the outbreak in the United States at the same time Biden was calling for a national strategy. "Here's what you have to understand about the nature of a pandemic: It's relentless," Harris said. "You can't stop it with a tweet. You can't create a distraction and hope it will go away. It doesn't go away. By its nature, a pandemic is unforgiving. If you get it wrong at the beginning, the consequences are catastrophic. It's very hard to catch up. You don't get a second chance at getting it right." "Well, President Trump, he got it wrong from the beginning and then he got it wrong again and again," Harris said. "The consequences have been catastrophic." Harris said that Trump was unable and unwilling to deal with the looming pandemic because "he was fixated on the stock market over fixing the problem." She said that Trump was convinced that if he underscored the true threat of the virus to the public "it would hurt the market and hurt his chances of being re-elected." "That mattered to him more than saving American lives," she said. Harris hits Trump on China Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday said a probe into the fire incident at the Secretariat here has begun, even as the opposition suspected it to be a "sabotage" to "destroy important files" related to the gold smuggling case. According to preliminary assessment, a few files were partially burnt in the blaze and two teams have been appointed to look into the matter. "A team headed by ADGP Manoj Abraham has started investigating the matter. An expert panel headed by Disaster Management commissioner A Kaushikan is looking into the technical reason behind the accident," Vijayan said. The expert panel comprises Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) member secretary, Fire and Rescue Technical Director, PWD chief engineer and the Chief electrical inspector of the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB). "The teams will ascertain the cause of the fire, assess the loss suffered and suggest steps to be taken to avoid such incidents in the future. The expert panel has been asked to submit a report within a week," he said. Targeting the Left government over the incident, the opposition Congress and BJP said they suspected a "sabotage"to "destroy important files" pertaining to the gold smuggling case. Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Ramesh Chennithala demanded an NIA investigation into the fire, terming it a clear case of "sabotage". "Important files related to gold smuggling were destroyed in the fire incident. NIA should investigate the case",Chennithala told reporters in Thrissur. He said the Congress-led UDF will continue its protests seeking a probe by the central agency into the incident. He also said the opposition did not have faith in the inquiry being conducted by an expert panel appointed by the state government. Chennithala further said Governor Arif Mohammed Khan has agreed to look into the matter on the basis of the letter sent by him urging to "summon" the chief secretary and the chief minister to seek "explanation" over the "gross negligence"resulting in the fire. Addressing a press conference in Thiruvananthapuram, BJP state president K Surendran also alleged "sabotage" in the fire on the second floor of the North Sandwich Block where certain sections of the General Administration and the tourism department are functioning. Criticising state Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran for his statement that there was no sabotage in the fire incident, the BJP state chief asked if it was the stand of the state government, then why did the government order an investigation into the incident. Some ministers are making statements to deviate the probe into the case, the BJP leader alleged. "The ministers want to derail the probe into the gold smuggling matter. The government has destroyed all the files related to the gold smuggling in order to escape from the case," Surendran alleged. The government has maintained that none of the important files were destroyed as the state secretariat had a few years ago moved all its files to the e-files system as part of the paperless secretariat initiative. The workers of Congress, the BJP, the Youth Congress, Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha and others had organised protests in Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Kannur, Kollam among other places since Tuesday seeking resignation of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Police have resorted to the use of water cannons to disperse protesters in Kollam. The workers alleged that the fire was a "move to destroy the files" related to the gold smuggling case. The state government has drawn flak in the gold smuggling case involving a diplomatic baggage addressed to the UAE consulate and the matter is being probed by central agencies including the NIA, Customs and the Enforcement Directorate. The NIA has arrested many including former employees of the Consulate Swapna Suresh and Sarith. The state government had earlier suspended senior IAS officer and the then IT secretary M Sivashankar, who was also the principal secretary to the chief minister, after allegations came up that he had close connection with SwapnaSuresh. WASHINGTON - Fearing the experimental use of hydroxychloroquine went "unchecked" in nursing homes struck by the coronavirus, three U.S. senators are calling on federal authorities to determine whether providers improperly treated patients, failed to disclose serious side effects or faced any repercussions from regulators responsible for oversight of the industry. In a letter sent Thursday to the inspector general of the Department of Health and Human Services, Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass, Robert Casey Jr., D-Pa., and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., pointed to state inspection reports that cited nursing homes for treating residents with the antimalarial drug without the consent of patients or their family members. They also cited media accounts that chronicled the use of hydroxychloroquine in nursing homes across the country, including the 238-bed Southeastern Veterans' Center outside Philadelphia, where doctors administered a so-called "covid cocktail" to about 30 residents in April. The drug was given to 11 residents who had not been tested for the virus, as well as those who suffered from heart ailments and other underlying conditions, The Washington Post reported. "With regular inspections suspended and visitation by families and ombudsman limited, it is possible that other instances like these have gone unchecked," the lawmakers said in their letter to HHS. Among other things, they want the inspector general to investigate the level of oversight from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the federal agency that regulates 15,000 Medicare-certified nursing homes in the United States. The senators sent letters to CMS Administrator Seema Verma and Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Stephen Hahn as well, seeking detailed information about the use of hydroxychloroquine in nursing homes. "I am demanding answers from FDA and CMS officials about what they are doing to track the use of hydroxychloroquine and how they will ensure that residents' rights are protected," Casey said in a statement to The Post. "I am also asking the Inspector General to open an independent investigation. Nursing home residents need us to be their voices right now." A spokesperson for the FDA declined to comment, saying the agency would respond directly to the senators. CMS did not immediately provide comment on Thursday. President Trump started talking about the off-label use of anti-malarial drugs in March. The FDA subsequently issued an emergency-use authorization, but made clear the drugs should be administered only during clinical trials or in hospitals, where teams of doctors could provide intense heart monitoring. In June, the FDA announced the drugs had caused cardiac problems and other serious side effects in covid-19 patients and revoked the emergency-use authorization. In one of the letters sent Thursday, the lawmakers asked whether the FDA has received any complaints about the use of the drug in nursing homes or tracked adverse affects among seniors. "The Trump Administration owes us answers on the use of an ineffective drug like hydroxychloroquine in nursing homes - the epicenter of the pandemic," Warren said in a statement. The lawmakers referenced a nursing home in Texas that dispensed the drug without consent from patients or their family members and a home in Pennsylvania, Brighton Rehabilitation and Wellness Center, cited by state inspectors in June for giving about 200 of its 435 residents hydroxychloroquine without approval from state health authorities. "Not only was this treatment undertaken without consultation with the state, it was still taking place five days after the FDA issued warnings against its use in non-hospital settings," the lawmakers wrote. Previously, Pennsylvania officials told The Post that medical providers at nursing homes did not need permission to administer hydroxychloroquine. "Each nursing home has their own staff of doctors and medical professionals who use their clinical judgment to determine what covid-19," Pennsylvania Department of Health spokesperson Nate Wardle wrote in an email in June A state inspection that month at the Medicare-certified Southeastern Veterans' Center made no mention of hydroxychloroquine use but cited the home for failing to manage sick patients, conduct contact tracing or protect residents from "cross-contamination, infection, virus[es] and disease." State Sen. Katie Muth, D, who has been investigating the facility, questioned why the use of hydroxychloroquine was flagged by the state at one nursing home and not another. "It's incredibly troubling," she said. "They all should be under an effective level of regulation." In their letter to CMS, the senators asked whether the agency had provided any guidance to nursing homes on use of the drug - and how much Medicare may have paid for the treatment. They urged CMS to launch its own investigation. "Nursing homes are on the front lines of the pandemic, and some of them have been following Trump's misguided advice and giving their residents a discredited and potentially dangerous drug," Wyden said in a statement. Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 21:16:18|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TEHRAN, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- The number of novel coronavirus cases in Iran rose on Thursday to 367,796, after 2,190 cases were reported overnight, the Iranian Ministry of Health and Medical Education announced. Of the new cases, 1,063 people had to be hospitalized, the spokeswoman for the ministry Sima Sadat Lari reported at her daily briefing, as quoted by official IRNA news agency. Sadat Lari confirmed 117 new deaths caused by the virus in the last 24 hours, taking the total COVID-19 death toll in Iran to 21,137. The number of patients having recovered from COVID-19 has so far reached 316,638, but 3,822 people are currently in critical condition in intensive care units, according to the Iranian ministry's figures. Up until Thursday, 3,138,782 people have been tested in laboratory for the novel coronavirus, Sadat Lari added. The infection risk is currently high, according to the spokeswoman, in 13 out of 31 provinces in Iran, and 15 other provinces are in alert situation. Iran announced its first cases of COVID-19 on Feb. 19. Iran and China have offered mutual help in combating the COVID-19 pandemic. In mid-February, at the early stage of the coronavirus outbreak in China, Iran lit up the Tehran Azadi (Liberty) Tower to show its solidarity with China, and donated 3 million masks to China. In return, China has delivered several shipments of medical supplies to Iran. On Feb. 29, a five-member Chinese medical team visited Iran for a month-long mission to help Iran fight the pandemic. Enditem New Delhi, Aug 27 : The Supreme Court on Thursday said the fruits of reservation have not effectively reached the lowest strata of society and various castes largely remain unequal and where they were, which gives rise to the vital question of how to ensure the benefits trickle down to the bottom rung. A five-judge bench, headed by Justice Arun Mishra and comprising Justices Indira Banerjee, Vineet Saran, M.R. Shah and Aniruddha Bose, asked if such castes are destined to carry their backwardness till eternity. The query was posed by the top court, while disagreeing with its 2004 Constitution Bench judgement, which ruled against giving preferential treatment to certain sub-castes within Scheduled Castes, and holding that this verdict needs to be revisited. "There is no constitutional bar to take further affirmative action as taken by the state government in the cases to achieve the goal. By allotting a specific percentage out of reserved seats and to provide preferential treatment to a particular class, cannot be said to be violative of the list under Articles 341, 342, and 342A as no enlisted caste is denied the benefit of reservation. "When the reservation creates inequalities within the reserved castes itself, it is required to be taken care of by the state making sub-classifications and adopting a distributive justice method so that state largesse does not concentrate in few hands and equal justice to all is provided," it said. Emphasising on sub-classification, the top court said that it "is to achieve the very purpose, as envisaged in the original classification itself and based thereupon evolved the very concept of reservation. Whether the sub-classification would be a further extension of the principle of said dynamics is the question to be considered authoritatively by the court." The bench observed that reservation may be made for the sub-castes within Scheduled Castes, and such classification would not lead to interfering with the Presidential Order under Article 341. "The Scheduled Castes, as per the Presidential List, are not frozen for all the time, and neither they are a homogenous group as evident from the vast anthropological and statistical data collected by various Commissions," it held. It held noted once the state has power to give reservation, then it could go ahead with sub-classification, to extend the benefits of reservation to those sub-castes, which have not availed these benefits. The court said it is essential to reconsider the 2004 verdict in the E.V. Chinnaiah case as it seems it was not correctly decided and this matter should be placed before Chief Justice S.A. Bobde for appropriate direction. The 2004 verdict in the E.V. Chinnaiah's case was also decided by a five-judge bench. As a result, the matter would now have to go to a larger bench. This will be placed before the Chief Justice to refer it to a bench of seven judges or more. The current case came up before the apex court after the Punjab and Haryana High Court in 2010 struck down a state law, which empowered the government to sub-classify SC/STs for grant of quotas. The state government appealed the verdict, which had struck down Section 4 (5) of the Punjab Scheduled Caste and Backward Classes (Reservation in Services) Act, 2006 and termed it unconstitutional. This Act gave first preference to Mazbhi Sikhs and Balmikis castes for SC quota in public services. A jewel box of Moorish elegance is available in the unlikely locale of Stillwater, MN. What was once the private recreation hall of a local titan of industry on Fifth Street North is now an elaborate residence, on the market for $1.4 million. In 1901, a lumber baron named William Sauntry built this building next to his grand mansion at the height of the areas lumber boom. This property was his ballroom, indoor swimming pool, and bowling alley. It was absolutely the top of luxury for the early 1900s, says the listing agent, Sharon O'Flannigan. Over a century later, its now offered as a four-bedroom, four-bathroom home, with 5,426 square feet of colorful space. Exterior of home in Stillwater, MN Space Crafters Interior Space Crafters Historical photo of the Sauntry property realtor.com Interior Space Crafters The architectural style of the residence was inspired by the Alhambra in Granada, Spain, a Moorish fortress originally built in AD 889 and converted into a palace starting in the mid-13th century. OFlannigan told us that Sauntry visited Spain in the late nineteenth century and found a Chicago architect to bring his dreams of Moorish Revival architecture to life. Sauntry died in 1914, at about the time the lumber industry in the area was declining. The next few decades brought a series of new owners and led to some less than stellar choices. This property went through a series of very unfortunate owners, OFlannigan says. Somewhere along the line, someone installed a fake ceiling and divided the structure into three apartments. The current owners bought the property in 1999 for $366,000, in a state of disrepair. They've since revived this unique structure into an eye-popping home. Hallway Space Crafters Everything you see in the listing photos has been carefully restored. When they purchased the property, the current owners set upon an absolute and complete restoration, says OFlannigan. They removed the fake ceiling, repaired water damage, had molds made to repair the plaster arches, created handblown light bulbs, repaired tiles, and breathed new life into the space. Living space Space Crafters The ballroom area is the primary living space. It's big, and the ceilings are probably 20 feet high, says OFlannigan. Master bedroom Space Crafters Bathroom Space Crafters Bathroom Space Crafters Bathroom Space Crafters The master bathroom boasts leaded-glass windows, colorful tile, and stone accents. Kitchen Space Crafters Kitchen Space Crafters The kitchen is not original, but thanks to its granite counters, mahogany cabinets, and a concealed Sub-Zero refrigerator, it's in keeping with the style of the rest of the house. Its all designed carefully to introduce the Moorish influence into the design, OFlannigan says. Its really quite a remarkable property. Everything [the owners] have done was at great expense, and theyre never going to recoup the investment they have made in this property. The current owners raised their family in the house, and OFlannigan says theyre moving on to another adventure. The home first went on the market in 2017 for $1.65 million, but was taken off. Poolhouse Space Crafters Exterior Space Crafters An owner who owned the home after Sauntry added a 2,000-square-foot poolhouse with a large entertaining space, which is connected to the main house. [The pool house] is very nicely done, with a frame structure and vaulted ceiling. The French doors open to the yard, OFlannigan says. Its quite lovely. The house sits near the village of Stillwater, the St. Croix River and the Wisconsin border. The cities of St. Paul and Minneapolis are close by, so commuting into the city is easy, OFlannigan explains. Sauntry's mansion next to this home was built in 1881, and operates as a bed and breakfast, the Sauntry Mansion. That home is not part of this sale, but it is also on the market, for $1.15 million. If we could find a buyer who would have the interest and the money to tie these two structures back together..." OFlannigan muses. "That would be so cool! Interior Space Crafters Exterior Space Crafters Garage Space Crafters Interior Space Crafters The post Patterned on the Alhambra, This Home in Minnesota Is a Moorish Delight appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com. Description GIS 27 August 2020: A newly renovated SME Mauritius Business Support Centre , offering a wide-array of facilities to Mauritian entrepreneurs, was inaugurated, today, in the compound of the Farmers Service Centre, in Goodlands. A tutorial, Anou apran roule nou business, was launched on the Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) portal at the event. The Minister of Industrial Development, SMEs and Cooperatives, Mr Soomilduth Bholah, the Minister of Arts and Cultural Heritage, Mr Avinash Teeluck, and other personalities were present. In his address, Minister Bholah highlighted that the tutorial, relating to marketing, digital communication and bookkeeping, among others, aim at offering more guidance to local entrepreneurs so that the latter can steer their businesses in the right direction. He also urged more SMEs, of which the majority currently form part of the informal sector, to register themselves with SME Mauritius Ltd so as to avail of facilities to help them grow faster. Speaking about the sub-offices of SME Mauritius Ltd, located at Bel Air, Rose Belle, Coromandel, Goodlands, and Rodrigues, Minister Bholah underscored that each of them offer counselling and training facilities to entrepreneurs. The training room at the Goodlands centre, he emphasised, can accommodate up to 50 participants, while working spaces and a meeting room are also at the disposal of entrepreneurs. The Minister further dwelt on the numerous schemes offered by SME Mauritius Ltd. He likewise encouraged young persons to join the entrepreneurial community, which has a key role to play in the socioeconomic development of Mauritius. For his part, Minister Teeluck commended SME Mauritius Ltd for the laudable work being achieved in guiding and accompanying local entrepreneurs in their business ventures. The economy, he further observed, must reinvent and adapt itself given that changes at the global level are manifold. This overhaul process, according to him, mainly involves the creation of more SMEs, which play an important role in the country's economy, while at the same time creating additional employment. Imagine walking into the most pompously adorned room at Versailles to buy a piece of cheese or some yogurt. Thats probably the feeling you get when you step into the Pfunds Molkerei, officially the most beautiful dairy shop in the world. Located at Bautzner Strae 79, in Dresden, Germany, Pfunds Molkerei is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the German city, with over 500,000 tourists stopping by every year. Thats fairly unusual for a dairy shop, but then again, this isnt your average dairy shop; it has more of a palace vibe, although some say it looks much better than most palace interiors. The whole place is decorated with ceramic tiles produced by Villeroy & Boch and hand-painted in the Neo-Renaissance style by local artists. In 1998, Pfunds Molkerei was awarded the title of Worlds Most Beautiful Dairy Shop by Guinness Records. Photo: Jerzy Strzelecki/Wikimedia Commons The history of Pfunds Molkerei can be traced back to 1879, when German farmer Paul Pfund moved from Reinholdshain to Dresden with his six cows and just as many pigs. He set up a small dairy business on Gorlitzer Strae, where it was possible for passers-by to observe how the cows were milked and how the milk was prepared for sale. The following year, Pauls brother, the actor Friedrich Pfund, joined the business and together they founded the Dresdner Gebruder Pfund dairy. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Carola (@travellingcarola) on Oct 7, 2019 at 1:25am PDT Friedrich Pfund died in 1893, but Pauls sons, Kurt and Max, later joined the company and helped the brand grow. In the beginning, the modest dairy processed 150 liters of milk every day, but by 1930, it was already processing over 60,000 daily. Using the excess milk, Pfund became the first condensed milk producer in Germany, and also started selling milk soap and baby formula. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Molkerei Gebruder Pfund (@pfunds_molkerei) on Mar 18, 2020 at 10:03am PDT The beautiful Pfunds Molkerei dairy shop in its current form was built in 1891 and decorated with intricate ceramic tiles made by one of the oldest ceramic companies in Germany, Villeroy & Boch. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Mirela Tomczak (@morelovetravele) on Jul 2, 2020 at 3:00am PDT Pfunds Molkerei miraculously survived the Dresden bombings of World War 2, and continued operating until 1978. It was only in 1995 that the dairy shop once again opened its doors. Since then, the awe-inspiring shop has become a globally-recognized landmark of Dresden. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Atelier Tappeiner, Architektin (@ateliertappeiner) on Aug 14, 2020 at 9:04am PDT Although the dairy itself is no longer in operation, the shop continues to sell a variety of dairy foods, as well as a popular milk soap. Business was booming before the pandemic, but seeing as Pfunds Molkerei survived two world wars, I imagine it will weather this storm as well. View this post on Instagram A post shared by @modi.meets.world on Jun 27, 2020 at 11:45pm PDT View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ahmet Cetindari (@istdolphinist) on Feb 9, 2020 at 8:52am PST View this post on Instagram A post shared by ingrid (@ingrid_amersfoort2016) on Feb 6, 2020 at 1:42am PST View this post on Instagram A post shared by Christina Schafer (@tina_schaefer) on Nov 23, 2019 at 9:23am PST View this post on Instagram A post shared by @rubielarkspur on Nov 18, 2019 at 10:00am PST BALTIMORE, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Sysmex Inostics, Inc., a global leader and pioneer in blood-based circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) analysis for oncology, today announces the publication of a clinical study evaluating RAS mutation status in circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) of colorectal cancer (CRC) patients undergoing anti-EGFR antibody therapy (cetuximab or panitumumab) rechallenge using the OncoBEAM RAS CRC test in two different multicenter Japanese retrospective trials, JACCRO CC-08 and JACCRO CC-09. OncoBEAM RAS CRC is a test that uses BEAMing technology, an enhanced digital PCR method optimized for high sensitivity blood-based mutation detection for metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients. In this study, investigators utilized the highly sensitive nature of OncoBEAM testing to explore the clinical value of monitoring changes in plasma RAS mutations in CRC patients during treatment with anti-EGFR antibody therapy. Colorectal cancer continues to be one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths globally. Treatment of mCRC patients with anti-EGFR monoclonal antibodies have demonstrated significant improvements in the survival of patients with wild-type RAS tumors. mCRC patients being considered for anti-EGFR therapy rechallenge could greatly benefit the overall patient survival by undergoing initial plasma testing to establish RAS mutation status at baseline, as well as performing subsequent tests to monitor RAS mutation dynamics during treatment. By receiving regular blood draws throughout the anti-EGFR rechallenge treatment, patients would benefit from periodic OncoBEAM RAS testing, which would in turn deliver valuable insights for clinicians in assessing therapy response. The study published in JCO Precision Oncology by Sunakawa et al., demonstrated that RAS mutations were found in 38% of CRC patients after receiving the first course of anti-EGFR mAb therapy, but prior to rechallenge treatment. The disease control rate (DCR) was 33% in patients with RAS mutations in ctDNA, whereas it was 80% in patients without RAS mutation detected by OncoBEAM at baseline. The data also showed that patients with RAS mutations detected just before anti- EGFR mAb rechallenge had no survival benefit from rechallenge treatment. Moreover, post-progression survival time after rechallenge was worse in patients with RAS mutations than in patients without mutations at disease progression. The emergence of RAS mutations during rechallenge treatment at disease progression is therefore useful for predicting outcomes of anti- EGFR mAb therapy rechallenge. "We found that the OncoBEAM RAS CRC assay was not only effective in monitoring the resistance to anti-EGFR therapy, but was also important in helping us determine the efficacy of the rechallenge treatment and therefore predict patients who would have favorable outcomes. Overall, our novel findings support the value of using the ultrasensitive OncoBEAM RAS liquid biopsy test in the clinical management of CRC patients receiving anti-EGFR mAb as rechallenge treatment," stated Dr. Yu Sunakawa, MD, PhD, Department of Clinical Oncology, St Marianna University School of Medicine, Kawasaki, Japan. Besides results of this publication, a new prospective observational trial "REMARRY (UMIN000036424)" has been initiated with over 100 patients recruited as of June 2020. This clinical trial, supported by SCRUM-Japan MONSTAR-SCREEN, will expand the evaluation of patient-specific dynamics in ctDNA RAS mutational status as a predictor of anti-EGFR mAb rechallenge efficacy. Overall, the aggregate results from these trials should strongly support the clinical utility of performing longitudinal plasma OncoBEAM RAS testing in monitoring tumor response during anti-EGFR antibody therapy. The publication, titled "RAS Mutations in Circulating Tumor DNA and Clinical Outcomes of Rechallenge Treatment with Anti-EGFR Antibodies in Patients with Metastatic Colorectal Cancer," was published in JCO Precision Oncology,July 28, 2020, by Yu Sunakawa et al.: https://ascopubs.org/doi/full/10.1200/PO.20.00109. The poster, titled "REMARRY and PURSUIT trials: Liquid biopsy-guided rechallenge of anti-EGFR monoclonal antibody for patients with RAS/BRAF V600E wild-type metastatic colorectal cancer" was presented at ESMO World Congress on Gastrointestinal Cancer 2020 by Hiromi Nakajima et al.: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.annonc.2020.04.100. About Sysmex Inostics Sysmex Inostics, a subsidiary of Sysmex Corporation, is a molecular diagnostic company that is a pioneer in blood-based cell-free tumor DNA (ctDNA) mutation detection in oncology utilizing highly sensitive technologies such as OncoBEAMTM (digital PCR) and SafeSEQ (NGS). These technologies were initially developed by experts at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine over a decade ago and this deep expertise in ctDNA analysis extends to the core of Sysmex Inostics' capabilities for technology development and implementation. With more than 10 years' of experience in liquid biopsy Sysmex Inostics is a trusted partner to leading pharmaceutical companies, advancing their efforts to bring the most effective personalized cancer therapies to global markets, from discovery through companion diagnostics. Sysmex Inostics' OncoBEAMTM and SafeSEQ services are readily available to support clinical trials and research in oncology. In addition, OncoBEAMTM tests are available through a CLIA-certified laboratory for routine clinical analysis as well as distributed kit products in the EU. Sysmex Inostics' European headquarters for research & development GCP laboratory testing are located in Hamburg Germany; Sysmex Inostics' US headquarters and CLIA-certified and GCP Clinical Laboratory is located in Baltimore, Maryland. For more information refer to www.sysmex-inostics.com or email info@sysmex-inostics.com. Contact: Sysmex Inostics Press Release Phone: +49-(0)-40-3259070 Mail: info@sysmex-Inostics.com A personal training client of TV star Commando allegedly showed 'indications of stalking or intimidating behaviour' in a bitter stoush over alleged unpaid money, a court has heard. The Biggest Loser's Steve Willis is fighting for an apprehended violence order against the fitness star's amateur ballerina former client Jun 'Margaret' Yue. Ms Yue once travelled across the country for one of Mr Willis' boot camps and regularly posted about their exercise sessions together. But the pair fell out amid claims she allegedly failed to pay him $1,350. The parties were ordered to try mediation during their last appearance in court but on Thursday a magistrate was told Mr Willis had refused to go into talks with Ms Yue. Jun 'Margaret' Yue is fighting an apprehended violence order brought against her by her former personal trainer Steve 'Commando' Willis Longtime client Ms Yue posted about the Commando more than a dozen times over three years and flew to Perth from Sydney for a three day boot camp. They're together, left and right Ms Yue's lawyer Fontini Constanteopedos and counsel Michael Fokkes at Parramatta Local Court on Thursday '(They) refused to participate in mediation,' Ms Yue's solicitor Fontini Constanteopedos told Parramatta Local Court, adding she had made attempts to negotiate. A police prosecutor, who declined to give her name, claimed in court that while the roots of the dispute were a financial matter, 'there are indications of stalking and intimidating behaviour.' But police have never charged her with any offences over the stoush. The court heard two police witnesses and the 'persons in need of protection' - the Commando and his girlfriend Harika Vancuylenberg - are expected to be called to give evidence at a two hour hearing in October. Meanwhile, Ms Yue has tapped a barrister to represent her in the matter, former Aboriginal Legal Service solicitor Michael Fokkes. Daily Mail Australia previously revealed Ms Yue's close relationship with the television star. Commando shared this handwritten Christmas Eve note from Margaret Yue on his Instagram page last year. She said: 'Dear Steve, thank you for everything you taught me this year! Meeting you was my best Christmas gift from last year and I look forward to what 2020 will bring' She wrote him a gushing note last December saying: 'Meeting you was my best Christmas gift. I look forward to what 2020 will bring.' Ms Yue posted about meeting Commando to her Instagram more than a dozen times. She first shared an image of Willis to her social media profiles three years ago after meeting him at a fitness expo. 'Hope to be trained by him one day, love tough trainer,' she captioned the photo. But their relationship appears irreparably damaged after video emerged of a dramatic argument with Willis over in Sydney's north-west. Willis went to NSW Police in June and Ms Yue was hit with an interim apprehended violence order. The order includes special conditions banning Ms Yue from going within 200m of Willis or going to the park where he trains. It also hits her with standard conditions warning her not to stalk, intimidate, assault, harrass or destroy the property of Commando. Ms Yue has always maintained she does not owe him money, and is contesting the order. Magistrate Robyn Denes said: 'I certainly encourage the parties to negotiate that one'. The case returns to court for hearing on October 21. Ms Yue works out with 'Commando' in a video posted to social media earlier this year Pakistan sees itself as the main beneficiary of the ongoing Afghan peace talks between the Pakistan-controlled Taliban, the United States and the elected Afghan government. The Taliban and the Afghan government have agreed to begin peace negotiations but working out mutually acceptable terms seems an impossible task. After all, the stated objective of the Taliban is to replace the current government with a Taliban controlled religious dictatorship. That means there will be no peace and any Pakistanis with knowledge of what has gone on in Afghanistan since the 1970s can see how this will end. Worst case is all foreign troops leaving and foreign aid is withdrawn (because of the corruption). In that situation Afghanistan returns to its traditional (over the last few thousand years) condition. That means the country/region we call Afghanistan gets picked apart by more powerful neighboring states. Traditionally this has meant Persians and Indians. Now it is Iranians and Pakistanis, who are basically Indian Moslems who demanded their own Moslem state when India was created in 1947. Pakistan is broke and economically dependent on China. The Chinese dont want their numerous investments in Pakistan attacked by Islamic terrorists, tribal separatists or anyone else. Pakistan justifies (to China) the expense of meddling in Afghanistan because it is necessary to control the Pushtun minority in Pakistan. There are twice as many Pushtun in Pakistan as in Afghanistan but Pakistan has a much larger non-Tribal (Punjabi and Sindi) population so the Pushtuns are only 15 percent of all Pakistanis. The Baluchi tribes account for another four percent. That makes about 19 percent of Pakistanis tribal and not particularly happy with the Chinese presence or the brutal treatment of tribal people in Pakistan. Extending that brutal control to Afghanistan wont improve anything in Pakistan. Iran, which historically controlled, when it was profitable to do so, much of western Afghanistan did so just as the northern Indians controlled eastern Afghanistan and Kabul. This foreign occupation was expensive because the tribes were constantly fighting the foreigners. When the once lucrative Silk Road trade route between China and the Middle East/Europe fell out of use because of cheaper travel via faster, safer and heavily armed European ships the Chinese, Iranians or Indians lacked, Afghanistan went back to being a region without a unifying government. That changed in the 18th century when the various tribes agreed to declare a kingdom of Afghanistan mainly to keep the foreigners out. A Pushtun king in Kabul justified his job by negotiating with foreigners and providing a neutral space for quarreling tribes to send leaders to try and negotiate an end to a mutually destructive tribal feud. Taliban leaders say they want to unite Afghanistan as a caliphate (Islamic religious dictatorship). That fact that caliphates have never worked well or maintained any unity for long is seen as irrelevant. It is Gods Will that Afghanistan become a caliphate. Its one of those non-negotiable things that kaffirs (non-Moslems) simply cannot comprehend. Neither Pakistan nor Iran see any profit in annexing adjacent portions of Afghanistan. While Pakistan, or at least the Pakistani military, is content to tax Afghan drug operations that need access to Pakistan, the Iranians, like most civilians in the region, see the opium and heroin coming out of Afghanistan as something evil that much be fought. That means the Afghan/Iran border has long been a combat zone between Iranian security forces and armed Afghan drug smugglers. Americans want to be done with the military and economic costs of having troops in Afghanistan. The problem with that attitude is that Americans can leave Afghanistan but Afghanistan wont leave America. The heroin production will continue and major Islamic terrorist groups will have a sanctuary from which to plan attacks on the Wests, especially the United States. August 26, 2020: The U.S. offered a $5 million reward for information leading to the location and freeing of two kidnapped American civilians. One was taken in 2014 while researching a book on the Taliban and the other was taken in 2017 while supervising a construction project. Whiles the United States wont negotiate with terrorists or kidnappers it will pay rewards for any assistance in freeing captive Americans. August 25, 2020: In the north (Balkh Province) a Taliban suicide truck bomber attacked an army commando base, killing two soldiers and a civilian and wounding many more. To the southwest (Ghor province) Taliban gunmen attacked a checkpoint, killing eight soldiers and wounding five. These two attacks resulted in more popular anger at the Taliban, who say they want peace but continue to fight to protect drug smuggling operations and intimidate any who oppose Taliban rule. In the last two weeks Taliban violence nationwide has killed 88 civilians and wounded 133. There is some Taliban presence in 27 of 34 provinces. The Taliban aspires to be a nationwide organization and to use that network of hired guns to rule the country. Army and police operations plus armed resistance by civilians continue to cause heavy casualties for the Taliban. Without the drug gang income, the Taliban would not be able to sustain the cost of all these casualties. In addition to monthly pay for gunmen and the veteran leaders, there are also the death benefits to the families of those killed. Even with the financial attractions many Taliban gunmen are Pushtun tribesmen from Pakistan. August 22, 2020: Pakistan announced that it had ordered that the 2015 sanctions against the Afghan Taliban be enforced. A similar order was issued a year ago. Pakistan has never enforced these sanctions and makes these announcements as part of an effort avoid financial sanction for supporting Islamic terrorism. For decades Pakistan has been lying about its support for Islamic terrorism and those lies are catching up with them. In February the FATF (Financial Action Task Force) told Pakistan that it made enough progress in reducing support for Islamic terrorism since October 2019 to avoid being blacklisted. But Pakistan was not safe because the FATF monitoring continued. Back in October 2019 Pakistan had achieved only four of the 27 tasks the FATF set to get Pakistan out of trouble. Pakistan should have gone onto the blacklist for that but pressure from China got Pakistan another last chance. Since 2019 Pakistan has raised the number of goals achieved to 14. All 27 reform goals must be met by the next FATF review in July 2020. Since 2016 it appeared that Pakistan was not making enough effort to block Pakistan-based terrorist groups from using the international banking system to finance their violence. Pakistan keeps making just enough progress to keep themselves off the FATF black list. Pakistan was put back on the grey list in June 2019. Pakistan had been warned in early 2018 that unless they reduced the illegal financing activity coming out of Pakistan the FATF would put Pakistan back on the gray list and eventually the black list. That would mean Pakistan would have some serious financial problems because of international banking restrictions for anyone blacklisted. Pakistan had been on the gray list from 2012 to 2015 and that was bad for businesses that import or export or need to get foreign loans or sell bonds. After 2015 Pakistan was still on the FATF list but not designated as dangerous. Being on the gray portion of the list makes it more expensive to do business and is very bad for the reputation of Pakistan and Pakistanis. The situation is worse this time because decades of corruption and government mismanagement have left Pakistan unable to raise enough money for its government budget. This threatens the Pakistani military, which has always taken a disproportionate portion of the budget and does not want to reduce its spending. Being on the FATF blacklist would be a financial and economic crisis for Pakistan. Since China is the major foreign investor in Pakistan, and Pakistan is the largest customer for Chinese weapons, China has much at stake here. There is only so much China can do to keep Pakistan off the black list. China played a major role in keeping Pakistan off the gray list in early 2018 but the odds were against Pakistan staying off the list because it has long been an open secret that Pakistani support for its own pet Islamic terrorists included making it easier for Islamic terrorists in general to do business in Pakistan. The United States has been gathering evidence to justify putting Pakistan back on the FATF gray list (along with Ethiopia, Yemen, Iraq, Syria, Serbia, Sri Lanka, Trinidad and Tobago, Vanuatu and Tunisia). FATF meets every three months to consider new evidence to get nations on, or off, the list. The U.S. now considers Pakistan a problem in the war against terrorism and not a reliable partner. India and Afghanistan share that view as do a growing number of UN members. August 15, 2020: In the eastern Syria (Deir Ezzor province) an airstrike, apparently by armed Israeli UAVs, attacked an Iranian base, killing 23 Afghan and Iraqi mercenaries and destroying large quantities of ammo and weapons. This could be seen by the number of secondary explosions (caused by the UAV missiles). These Afghans are Shia recruited from Afghan refugees in Iranian camps or Afghan Shia living in western and central Afghanistan. August 10, 2020: In southwest Pakistan ( Baluchistan) a bomb went off in the border town of Chaman. The explosives, hidden in a motorcycle, were apparently intended for a vehicle belonging to the anti-drug taskforce. The bomb went off at the wrong time and killed six and wounded ten civilians. No one took responsibility for the attack. Chaman is a major transit hub as is the second busiest border crossing into Afghanistan. The Chaman crossing is on the main road between Quetta (capital of Baluchistan) and the capital of Kandahar province in Afghanistan. This road carries vital supplies for the Afghan drug gangs, including chemicals necessary for converting opium into heroin. These are smuggled in by truck, often with the cooperation of bribes for border guards in both countries. Also smuggled in is ammonium nitrate, a fertilizer that can also be used as an explosive. Ammonium nitrate is banned in Afghanistan because of its widespread use for Islamic terrorist bombs. Ammonium nitrate is still legal in Pakistan. August 6, 2020: In northwest Pakistan, Pakistani Taliban gunmen based just across the border in the Binshahi region, which borders the Afghan province of Kunar fired mortars and machine-guns at six border posts, killing one Pakistani border guard and wounding three others. It is far more common to have Pakistani troops firing mortar and artillery shells into Kunar province. This border violence has been going on since 2014, when a Pakistani army offensive into North Waziristan forced the Pakistani Taliban to move their headquarters across the border into Afghanistan. At the same time there was a civil war within the Pakistani Taliban over the selection of a new leader, a new strategy and how much Pakistani interference in the operations of the Afghan Taliban should be tolerated. One thing the Afghan and Pakistan Taliban agree on is that Pakistani influence in Afghanistan is bad for the Pushtun tribes on both sides of the border. Pakistan is building a border fence along portions of its 2,600 Afghan border that are most often used by Pakistan Taliban and smugglers. These fence sections are supposed to be completed in late 2021. The new fence will slow down the illegal crossers but wont stop them. The fence will disrupt the movement of people from Pushtun tribes that straddle the border and that alone will keep the Pushtin shooting at the Pakistani fence builders and border guards. August 2, 2020: In the east (Nangarhar province) several dozen ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) gunmen used a suicide car bomber to attack a prison in the city of Jalalabad (120 kilometers southeast of Kabul) and freed many of the 1,800 prisoners. Most of the escapees were quickly recaptured and the search continued for the others. The ISIL attackers were seeking dozens of ISIL prisoners and it is unclear if they accomplished that task. The attack killed about 30 people, including eight of the attackers. The rest of the dead were guards, prisoners and nearby civilians. July 31, 2020: Afghanistan accused Pakistani troops in northwest Pakistan of firing nine rockets into Afghanistan and killing nine civilians and wounding fifty others near the town of Spin Boldak in Kandahar province. Nearby Kandahar City is the original "home town" of the Taliban. Pakistan claims the Afghans fired first. A lot of this border violence is caused by the Afghan-Pakistani border also being called the Durand Line. This was an impromptu, 1893 era invention of British colonial authorities and was always considered temporary, or at least negotiable, by locals. The need for renegotiation was mainly about how the line often went right through Pushtun tribal territories. However, the Afghans are more inclined to demand adjustments to the Durand Line, and fight to obtain what they want. Recent Pakistani efforts to build more fences and other structures on their side of the border was an attempt to make the Durand line permanent and no longer negotiable. July 30, 2020: In the south (Kandahar province) Pakistan reopened the Chaman border crossing in Baluchistan. The crossing had been shut for most of this year because of covid19 and violence on both sides of the border against Pakistani soldiers and police. Recently the crossing was being opened for a few hours each day so that Pakistanis and Afghans could cross to be with their families for a major Moslem religious celebration. This time the violence began on the Pakistani side as civilians, angry at Pakistani soldiers, began attacking some of them. The Pakistani troops opened fire on the civilians and Afghan troops opened fire on the Pakistani troops, who then fired in both directions. Before the shooting could be halted there were about a hundred casualties, with fifteen of them fatal. July 28, 2020: Afghans continue to die in Syria. Since May Israel has carried out at least ten airstrikes against Iranian targets in Syria. In addition to large quantities of weapons and munitions destroyed, at least sixty Iranian or local mercenary personnel have died. Iran is building a new mercenary force by hiring Syrians rather than bringing in Shia Afghans or Shia from other nations. The Afghans were good fighters but there was a limited supply of Afghan Shia willing to serve as Iranian mercs in faraway Syria. A growing number would not renew their contracts and returned to Afghanistan or Iran, where mercenary service also earned a residency permit. July 27, 2020: In southern Afghanistan an Afghan Air Force UH-60 medevac helicopter was shot down by the Taliban using the Iranian clone of the American TOW ATGM (anti-tank guided missiles). The Iranian TOWs have been used frequently in Syria. July 21, 2020: The U.S. has reduced its Afghanistan forces to 8,600 troops. The withdrawal began in March, when there were 13,000 American troops in Afghanistan. Britain still has a thousand troops in Afghanistan. These are for training, not combat. New study warns: We have underestimated the pace at which the Arctic is melting Temperatures in the Arctic Ocean between Canada, Russia and Europe are warming faster than researchers' climate models have been able to predict. Over the past 40 years, temperatures have risen by one degree every decade, and even more so over the Barents Sea and around Norway's Svalbard archipelago, where they have increased by 1.5 degrees per decade throughout the period. This is the conclusion of a new study published in Nature Climate Change. "Our analyses of Arctic Ocean conditions demonstrate that we have been clearly underestimating the rate of temperature increases in the atmosphere nearest to the sea level, which has ultimately caused sea ice to disappear faster than we had anticipated," explains Jens Hesselbjerg Christensen, a professor at the University of Copenhagen's Niels Bohr Institutet (NBI) and one of the study's researchers. Together with his NBI colleagues and researchers from the Universities of Bergen and Oslo, the Danish Metrological Institute and Australian National University, he compared current temperature changes in the Arctic with climate fluctuations that we know from, for example, Greenland during the ice age between 120,000-11,000 years ago. "The abrupt rise in temperature now being experienced in the Arctic has only been observed during the last ice age. During that time, analyses of ice cores revealed that temperatures over the Greenland Ice Sheet increased several times, between 10 to 12 degrees, over a 40 to 100-year period," explains Jens Hesselbjerg Christensen. He emphasizes that the significance of the steep rise in temperature is yet to be fully appreciated. And, that an increased focus on the Arctic and reduced global warming, more generally, are musts. Climate models ought to take abrupt changes into account Until now, climate models predicted that Arctic temperatures would increase slowly and in a stable manner. However, the researchers' analysis demonstrates that these changes are moving along at a much faster pace than expected. "We have looked at the climate models analysed and assessed by the UN Climate Panel. Only those models based on the worst-case scenario, with the highest carbon dioxide emissions, come close to what our temperature measurements show over the past 40 years, from 1979 to today," says Jens Hesselbjerg Christensen. In the future, there ought to be more of a focus on being able to simulate the impact of abrupt climate change on the Arctic. Doing so will allow us to create better models that can accurately predict temperature increases: "Changes are occurring so rapidly during the summer months that sea ice is likely to disappear faster than most climate models have ever predicted. We must continue to closely monitor temperature changes and incorporate the right climate processes into these models," says Jens Hesselbjerg Christensen. He concludes: "Thus, successfully implementing the necessary reductions in greenhouse gas emissions to meet the Paris Agreement is essential in order to ensure a sea-ice packed Arctic year-round." ### This story has been published on: 2020-08-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers has requested Michigan National Guard support for the continued protests and unrests stemming from an officer shooting a Black man named Jacob Blake. Evers reached out to National Guard units in Michigan, Alabama and Arizona under the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, a federal law that allows for states to collaborate and reimburse each other for military mission-related costs, the website states. The Wisconsin National Guard has been deployed for a declared state of emergency in Kenosha since Aug. 24, according to a release from Evers office, after a Kenosha police officer was seen on video firing seven shots into Blakes back while entering his car. Blake is now paralyzed from the waist down, his attorneys told the Associated Press. It is not clear how many Michigan guardsmen or how much equipment will be sent to Kenosha for support. Messages were left with spokespeople for the Michigan National Guard, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Evers for clarification. Brig. Gen. Paul Knapp, the head of the Wisconsin National Guard, told press Thursday, Aug. 27 that he has received commitments from National Guard units in Michigan, Alabama and Arizona. Michigan troops would be in a state Active Duty status, and not a federal one, the Evers release stated. Those troops would fall under the operational control of Wisconsins adjutant general during their mobilization, but remain under their respective states administrative control, the release stated. The National Guards role in Kenosha is to assist civil authorities in preserving public safety and individuals ability to exercise their First Amendment rights to assemble peacefully, the release stated. This role has been challenged by four straight nights of unrest in the Wisconsin city, where hundreds of people have ignored mandatory 7 p.m. curfews, the Associated Press reported. There were 34 fires stemming from unrest on Tuesday night, Aug. 25 and 30 businesses destroyed or damaged, the Associated Press reported. In addition, a white, 17-year-old Illinois man named Kyle Rittenhouse was arrested for allegedly shooting three people with an AR-15, killing two, according to an AP report. The Michigan National Guard previously assisted with riots and unrest associated with police brutality protests in Grand Rapids in June, where businesses, cars and other property were smashed. Heavy police and National Guard presence in downtown Grand Rapids for Day 2 of curfew Read more from MLive: Betsy DeVos loses first round against Michigan in coronavirus school funding suit Michigan Trump campaign teases positive vision for Republican National Convention Kamala Harris highlights voter suppression in virtual meeting with Michigan Black women Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says first night of RNC was grim and fear inducing Our news-gathering team is committed to presenting a more comprehensive and diverse image of Judaism in the U.S., said Rabbi Rishon, Editor-In-Chief of the Tribe Herald. The Tribe Herald today formally announced the launch of its digital news platform dedicated to the unique concerns of Jews of Color and, more generally, People of Color (POC). The original TribeHerald newsletter amassed nearly 1,000 unique signups in its first three weeks of distribution. Its content and new original articles went live on TribeHerald.com on Juneteenth (June 19) 2020. The soft launch of the fully-functioning site coincided with the commemoration of the emancipation of enslaved people in the U.S. Editor-In-Chief Rabbi Shais Rishon will lead The Tribe Herald news division. Together with Co-Founder Yitz Jordan, theyve put together a talented team of journalists, columnists, and contributors who will deliver breaking news stories, commentary, and analysis reflecting the true racial and ethnic diversity of modern Judaism. That team includes Abbie Yamamoto, who obtained her Ph.D. in Japanese and Korean literature. Yamamoto specializes in cross-cultural group dynamics and fostering greater understanding between diverse individuals. Also, Jessica Brenner is a lifelong writer, who has contributed to several Jewish news outlets--with a focus on Jewish culture, parenting, and education Our news-gathering team is committed to presenting a more comprehensive and diverse image of Judaism in the U.S., said Rabbi Rishon, Editor-In-Chief of the Tribe Herald. For too long, the Jewish mainstream press has presented just one image of our community, overlooking Jews of Color as they battle for acceptance and prosperity. The demographics of the Jewish community has changed, the way we consume media has changed. As our community charts a new course, our news team wants to tell the stories that havent received the attention they deserve -- in an accurate, fair, and objective manner. The fight for acceptance was one of the driving forces behind the creation of the Tribe Herald. In the U.S. alone, Jews of Color are severely undercounted. Between antiquated ethnic classifications in surveys and no new attempts to accurately count the U.S. Jewish community, the publicly reported number lacks credibility. For example, a social scientist based at the University of Miami opposed findings that 12% of American Jews are Jews of Color. He authored an article shared in various Jewish media platforms that the 12 percent number is too high, and the actual number is six percent nationwide. Jews of Color are ostracized every day, persecuted for their religious beliefs and skin color, said Co-Founder Yitz Jordan. Mainstream academics and media deny the actual number of Jews of Color in the U.S. is over 15 percent. Thats over one million Jews of Color in the U.S. When you wont accept our numbers, how likely would you tell our stories? Thats why TribeHerald is necessary. The launch of the news platform is the first in a multi-tiered plan to grow the Tribe Herald concept. The Tribe Herald was originally conceived as a Jewish Community Center for Jews of Color specifically. Jordan told the New York Jewish Press in a January 2020 interview, The new JCC would give local Jews of color a home they have never had before, Jordan said a place in which they would be perfectly comfortable studying and practicing their Judaism without feeling the need to explain themselves or defend their presence. Initiatives going forward will include the development of an app, a focus on womens empowerment and leadership, advocacy for the LGBTQ community called TribeQ, and workshops and immersive in-person experiences at a co-working and event space to open in New York City. Those live events have been placed on hold during the coronavirus pandemic. The organization has also launched Tribe Avenue, an e-commerce shop featuring apparel and fine jewelry. To learn more about the TribeHeralds upcoming initiatives, connect on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. The state Supreme Court on Thursday weighed in on the thorny question of when using racist language is criminal, upholding a breach of the peace conviction against a man who directed a racial slur at a traffic enforcement officer who had just issued him a parking ticket. In a unanimous opinion written by outgoing Justice Richard N. Palmer, the court said the slur, which was both racially insulting and obscene, amounted to fighting words - words that could provoke a violent response and that by their very utterance inflict injury or tend to incite an immediate breach of the peace.' The U.S. Supreme Court has long held that so-called fighting words are not subject to Constitutional free-speech protections and can be prosecuted. It defined fighting words as those personally abusive epithets [that], when addressed to the ordinary citizen, are, as a matter of common knowledge, inherently likely to provoke violent reaction.' The state court, in its decision Thursday, further refined the definition, writing that context and social mores also are factors in determining whether vile speech is protected or amounts to fighting words. The court said the racially hurtful speech in the parking ticket case was not protected. All past efforts at a political resolution have floundered because the various parties supporting one side or the other in Libyas civil war have failed to understand the Libyan interior Libya remains a platform for regional conflicts in the Mediterranean and North Africa. Several actors have been involved with the Libyan file in recent weeks, mainly Egypt, Turkey, the US, France, Italy, Greece, Cyprus and the UAE. Many diplomatic efforts were made, and the interests of both Egypt and the United States managed to spur a ceasefire between the warring parties in Libya. But due to contrasts within the Libyan interior, the ceasefire pact did not last more than 48 hours. It was broken Sunday night, 23 August. This means that the matter is not one related to international efforts seeking coexistence within the Libyan interior; it is rather a matter of a complicated situation between the different parties in Libya. The conflicts within the Libyan interior are the major source of political turbulence in the scene. The fact that neither party acknowledges the legitimacy of the other means opportunities for a political settlement are very thin. Regional powers try to exert influence within the file, but the domestic equations are what govern. Several attempts were made to end the contentious state of conflict. However, regardless of what the others might say, Egypt has exercised a role within the Libyan conflict to serve the protection of its national security interests. It is very difficult to discuss a political settlement in Libya at the current moment. There is a domestic difference, and regional competition over influence in Libya. Both Egypt and Turkey remain in restraint regarding direct military intervention. Few are the times where such political situations re-occur. But this proves it is a matter of a local context that regional and domestic powers do not fully understand. The ceasefire was broken not only because legitimacy is not equally recognised, but also because of the lack of a connection between the East and the West within dual international communications. Neither partner wants to defy the international community. They attempt to prove that they are pro political consensus, although their actions prove otherwise. There is a cost to be paid within international relations that Libyan political elites are afraid of, because they know they are culpable. In the end, there is a limit to the role that the international community can play in light of equally warring parties on a political level. This leads to another important question regarding any political settlement in the Libyan interior. According to the givens so far, both parties have legitimacy the House of Representatives in Tobruk, and the State Council in Tripoli. Both political bodies enjoy international legitimacy, and manage to contain a set of local, regional and international allies to uphold the various interests they have. There is no political consensus or military supremacy that makes one party more powerful than the other. In fact, there is a balance of power between the warring parties. So how can Libya surpass this current situation of political confrontation and lack of coordination? The answer lies in the idea of building new domestic political associations, backed and supported by regional ones. As Turkey attempts to split the Arab world apart over the Libyan file, Egypt, the UAE and Saudi Arabia must work out a framework of regional cooperation inside Libya, to ensure that the interests involved within the file are being promoted by regional actors who are concerned with the Libyan conflict. The vulnerability of the ceasefire is mainly due to the total absence of political solutions while actors and parties supporting one side or the other move to raise the military capacities of that side. The international community needs to take into consideration the context of the Libyan conflict before it starts to theorise about it. Otherwise, we will be back to square one, trying to find the basis for a political agreement. Past attempts by the UN and other international organisations were all a failure on the level of implementation. Mainly because of a lack of practical study of the Libyan interior. There is a need to renew the mechanism involving neighbouring countries, and a dire need for Egypt, Algeria and Tunisia to reach a mutual understanding concerning the Libya file. International alliances and regional ones regarding Libya are still not effective on the ground, mainly because the interest of each actor is what determines its patterns of action. Egypt remains the most concerned actor within the scene, and it has to further develop the efficiency of the role it practises in the context of the conflict between East and West Libya. *The writer is a senior researcher and director of the Programme for Mediterranean and North African Studies at the Al-Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies. *A version of this article appears in print in the 27 August, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Search Keywords: Short link: Advertisement Billionaire software tycoon Mike Cannon-Brookes and his wife Annie have purchased the former mansion of Jennifer Hawkins and Jake Wall for a record $24.5million. The four-level waterfront home, located at Newport in Sydney's exclusive northern beaches, beat the previous record for a house sale in the area set in February by half a million dollars. The glamorous couple took eight months to secure the property before the June 28 sale with interest from local, interstate, and international buyers pushing the price up in the closing weeks, according to The Australian. The light filled and spacious residence features a number of terraces looking out over the water Billionaire software tycoon Mike Cannon-Brookes and his wife Annie (pictured) have purchased the former mansion of Jennifer Hawkins and Jake Wall for a record $24.5million Summer fun: Outside, there is an al fresco dining area, bar, pizza oven, barbecue, sunken lounge, boat shed, jetty and L-shaped infinity pool The spacious open-plan residence called Casa Paloma was designed by renowned Sydney architects Koichi Takada who have recently designed the Sky Tree project in Los Angeles. The light-filled property featuring glass walls looking out over multiple terraces to the waterfront was sold by Christie's International agent Ken Jacobs. The house is situated on a 3360sq m block with previous owners Hawkins and Wall buying the adjacent blocks in 2014 for $4million. The purchase is the first above $20million outside Palm Beach on the northern beaches, the previous closest was when the wine-making and yachting Oatley family bought a property at Stokes Point for just under $20million in 2002. Hawkins and Wall listed the house for sale because they are planning to move to the Central Coast, but it was still on the market five months after the original listing The spacious open-plan residence called Casa Paloma was designed by renowned Sydney architects Koichi Takada and overlooks Sydney's Pittwater (pictured) Cannon-Brookes already owns a weekender property at Palm Beach, which the couple purchased for $8.7million in 2013, but they had been looking to upgrade. The house is considered one of the best in Sydney, having won a Master Builders Award and also features a private boathouse, large swimming pool, and sandstone feature walls. Hawkins and model-turned builder Jake Wall are well known property flippers having made a tidy profit of more than $2million on a North Curl Curl house which they bought in 2010. They have sold the home to relocate to the Central Coast to be closer to family after the birth of daughter Frankie Violet. Mike Cannon-Brookes, who co-founded hugely successful business software company Atlassian, and Annie have four children together. Jennifer Hawkins and Jake Wall (pictured) are looking to relocate to the Central Coast after selling their Northern Beaches property Modern: The house has five spacious and well-styled bedrooms, as well as six bathrooms with tall mirrors, marble walls and countertops, and free-standing bathtubs NEW YORK, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Le Tote, Inc. and Lord & Taylor LLC (together with their respective subsidiaries, the "Company"), will commence Going Out of Business Sales shortly at the historic brands' 38 iconic stores and on www.lordandtaylor.com. On Aug 2, 2020, the Company filed for Chapter 11 reorganization and announced its pursuit of a going concern buyer. "While we are still entertaining various opportunities, we believe it is prudent to simultaneously put the remainder of the stores into liquidation to maximize value of inventory for the estate while pursuing options for the Company's brands," Ed Kremer, the Company's chief restructuring officer stated. He continued: "I am extraordinarily proud of the continued efforts of our store and corporate team members as they have worked tirelessly over the past several months, under unprecedented conditions, to preserve this historic brand. We have a long road ahead of us and I am grateful and humbled by the dedication and resiliency of our team." The going out of business sale, expected to begin in the balance of stores on Thursday August 27th, will continue to be led by the joint venture of Hilco Merchant Resources and Gordon Brothers. "This Going Out of Business event gives shoppers the opportunity to take advantage of exceptional savings on notable brands at rarely seen discounts," a spokesperson for the joint venture stated. "Customers will continue to experience the superior service and value they've come to expect from this iconic retailer." Deep discounts plus departmental promotions will be effective throughout the sale process in store and online. Discounts apply to existing inventory, new store arrivals and on new categories not previously sold at these stores. The historic event will also feature the sale of in store fixtures, furniture, and equipment. The Lord + Taylor Store Directory will continually be updated with store status and current hours of operation, https://locations.lordandtaylor.com Court documents and other information about the chapter 11 process are available at https://cases.stretto.com/letote or calling the Company's restructuring hotline at 1-855-217-8030. Kirkland & Ellis LLP is acting as legal advisor to the Company and Berkeley Research Group, LLC is acting as restructuring advisor. Nfluence Partners is acting as the Company's investment banker and a joint venture of Hilco Merchant Resources and Gordon Brothers are managing the Company's store closing sales. About Le Tote Inc. Le Tote, Inc. is the combination of Le Totea venture-backed fashion rental subscription service founded in 2012 in San Franciscoand Lord + Taylorthe iconic luxury retailer which traces its origins to 1826 in New York. Le Tote, which began as a small San Francisco-based startup and has grown into a market-leading fashion rental subscription service offers "totes" of fashion-forward garments and accessories for a low market price. Lord + Taylor has long been a trailblazing brand. It is America's oldest department store, the first to offer personal shopping, the first to open a branch store -- and the first to have a female president. About Hilco Merchant Resources, LLC: Hilco Merchant Resources (www.hilcomerchantresources.com) provides a wide range of analytical, advisory, asset monetization, and capital investment services to help define and execute a retailer's strategic initiatives. Hilco Merchant Resources' activities fall into several principal categories including acquisitions; disposition of underperforming stores; retail company or division wind downs; event sales to convert unwanted assets into working capital; facilitation of mergers and acquisitions; interim company, division or store management teams; loss prevention; and, the monetization of furniture, fixtures and equipment. Additionally, HMR now includes among its subsidiaries the nation's premier fixture and equipment liquidation firm, Hilco Fixed Asset Recovery (www.hilcoffe.com), and an innovative sale locater website called Shop Genius (www.shopgenius.com). Hilco Merchant Resources is part of Northbrook, Illinois based Hilco Global (www.hilcoglobal.com), one of the world's leading authorities on maximizing the value of business assets by delivering valuation, monetization and advisory solutions to an international marketplace. About Gordon Brothers: Since 1903, Gordon Brothers (www.gordonbrothers.com) has helped lenders, operating executives, advisors, and investors move forward through change. The firm brings a powerful combination of expertise and capital to clients, developing customized solutions on an integrated or standalone basis across four service areas: valuations, dispositions, operations, and investments. Whether to fuel growth or facilitate strategic consolidation, Gordon Brothers partners with companies in the retail, commercial, and industrial sectors to put assets to their highest and best use. Gordon Brothers conducts more than $70 billion worth of dispositions and appraisals annually. Gordon Brothers is headquartered in Boston, with 25 offices across five continents. SOURCE Hilco Merchant Resources, LLC Related Links https://www.hilcomerchantresources.com/ KITCHENER A GoFundMe page has been created to help a Kitchener family with the sudden death of Beyne Gebremichael. The 57-year-old Kitchener man was killed on Highway 8 as he stood in front of his stalled car near the Weber Street East exit when it was rear-ended by another car in a live lane on Tuesday night. Gebremichael was killed at the scene. A 20-year-old Waterloo woman in the other car was airlifted to a Hamilton hospital. Her injuries have improved, police said. OPP acting Sgt. Dan Hunter said it appears the male driver of the car tried to avoid the stalled car but was unable to. He was not injured. Gebremichael was a father of six children, three boys and three girls. He and his family came to Canada from Eritrea. The GoFundMe post hopes to raise funds to cover the funeral costs. Denny Aschnaki, chair of the Ethiopian Association of Kitchener-Waterloo and surrounding area, paid his respects to the family Wednesday night. He said the family is devastated by the loss of Gebremichael. They are stunned, he said. Many members of the Eritrean community offered their condolences at the home Wednesday. Aschnaki said the family needs support through this time. Both Gebremichael and his wife were not working during the COVID-19 pandemic. OPP is still appealing for witnesses of the two-car crash to call 1-888-310-1122. (Natural News) In order to control a persons mind, alter their behavior, and manipulate their emotions and reactions, that person must first be made ignorant and left feeling helpless, with no way to apply knowledge and independently solve their own problems. In their ignorance, a person is made to feel helpless, abiding by authoritys controls to feel safe. As they give away their own power over their life, they become easily controlled and manipulated. This manipulation leads to compliant, subservient behaviors that serve the interests of those who seek to control, of those who seek to govern over others and poison them for profit. Big Tech Google, Facebook etc. are engineering mass ignorance Imagine what it would look like if a select entity had the power to make entire populations ignorant ignorant of their own body, mind and immune system. Imagine if people were told they were facing a new virus that they knew nothing about, that their body was incapable of facing. Imagine a feat of manipulation carried out en masse human minds molded, emotions controlled. This is the reality that is being engineered by Big Tech primarily Google and Facebook. These entities have created platforms of manipulation that are being used to censor out the most important information on the human immune system, leaving populations clueless and weak, so they can be more readily controlled. Google has a monopoly on data and uses this data to manipulate what people subconsciously interact with online, what they see in advertisements, and what they are allowed to access in searches and news feeds. Google is already more powerful in terms of its control over peoples lives than almost every government on the planet. For example, go to the Google search engine, type in any three digit number followed by cases. Virtually every three digit number will pull up multiple stories about that number of coronavirus cases. Its all about spreading fear of infection, instead of providing knowledge on how people can live normally and give their body what it needs to overcome potential infections. Google has devolved from an open access search engine, to a manipulative platform of thought control. According to Google whistleblowers, Google maintains a blacklist, deciding what people can and cannot search for, while burying important information on health topics. Google and Facebook admit they only allow an official narrative to persist on infectious disease. All information that is allowed must be approved and rubber stamped by the World Health Organization. Dr. Robert Epstein, a behavioral scientist, testified before Congress explaining how Google can use data manipulation and algorithms to manipulate the minds of more than 15 million people in a subsequent election. And the methods theyre using are invisible, they are subliminal, they are more powerful than most any effects Ive ever seen in the behavioral science and Ive been in the behavioral science for almost forty years. Censorship and blacklisting of knowledge makes populations vulnerable to pharmaceutical agendas Zach Vorhies, Google whistle blower and engineer, went public about Googles internal search engine, which blacklists search terms such as cancer cures. Google actively blocks cancer survivor testimony suppressing how cancer can be overcome and burying a vast wealth of scientific studies and knowledge on anti-cancer compounds. This same manipulation is being carried out to spread fear about infections and to keep the public ignorant on how their immune system works. Some of the most important voices have been censored from Big Tech in 2020 because they seek to quell infection fears and provide information that can help people overcome health challenges that plague their mind and body. As for Facebook: its fact checking arm, PolitiFact, is owned by the Poynter Institute, which has received substantial funding from pharmaceutical companies, Google, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. These controllers use Facebook to censor information that can be applied in the home at the onset of an infection and in the hospital system to speed up recovery, prevent complications and save lives from infectious disease. By blocking information on treatment options and keeping the public ignorant on how their immune system works, these pharmaceutical companies and globalists with a psychopathic plot to vaccinate 7 billion people can more readily carry out their nefarious agendas. Stay up to date on Google and Facebook manipulation at BigTech.News. Sources include: Brighteon.com NaturalNews.com - Daniel Manduku was arrested in March over the KSh 244 million scandal and later released after officers from the Directorate of Public Prosecution appeared unaware of his arraignment - The DPP reviewed his file and found substantial evidence for his arraignment in the procurement and manufacture of concrete barriers at KPA - Manduku was found to have procured for the manufacture of the barriers without an approved budget and procurement plan for the 2018/2019 financial year The Director of Public Prosecution Noordin Haji has ordered for immediate arrest and prosecution of former Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) boss Daniel Manduku over KSh 244, 837, 908 scandal. Manduku is wanted by the police in connection with the procurement for the manufacture of concrete barriers at the Inland Container Depot, Kilindini Port, and Makongeni good shed yard. READ ALSO: Aliyekuwa ndume wa mpenzi mpya wa Jowie ajitokeza Former Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) managing director Daniel Manduku. Photo: Daily Nation Source: UGC READ ALSO: Justice Mumbi Ngugi: Kenyans praise High Court judge for setting good precedence against corruption suspects In a statement issued by Haji on Thursday, August 27, the former boss was found to have procured for the manufacture of the barriers without an approved budget and procurement plan for the 2018/2019 financial year. Further, investigations revealed there was no acquisition made for concrete barriers by the user department at KPA as required by the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Act 2015. The procurement was also made without the preparation of bills of quantities as required by the Procurement Act. READ ALSO: Keroche owner Tabitha Karanja pays emotional tribute to daughter Tecra100 days after her burial "The contracts for the manufacture of the concrete barriers were awarded to ten companies that were hand-picked by the former managing director of KPA Daniel Ogwoka Manduku, without following requisite procedures," read the statement. In the process, the authority made a payment of KSh 244, 837, 908 to the contractors for work that had not been completed with the approval of one Juma Fadhili Chigulu, a works officer in KPA. "I am satisfied there is sufficient evidence to support charges for various criminal offences against Daniel Ogwoka Manduku and Juma Fadhili Chigulu. I, therefore, direct that the suspects be apprehended and arraigned to face charges against them," said Haji. READ ALSO: Woman causes confusion online after posting photo leaving people to guess her age DPP and DCI clashed over Manduku prosecution On March 3, Manduku was arrested by detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) after the scandal was unearthed. He was presented in court but offices of the DPP and the DCI clashed over his prosecution after DPP's officers were ambushed by Mandukus presence in court. The discordance between the two offices handed Manduku freedom as the DPP took over the file for review before pressing any charges. Later, Manduku resigned in a letter to Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia dated March 26, 2020, saying he had come to the decision after deep introspection and lengthy consultations. 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 Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 19:16:12|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close DAMASCUS, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- A booby-trapped motorcycle exploded in a rebel-held city in Syria's northeastern province of Hasakah on Thursday, killing two people and wounding 10 others, a war monitor reported. The explosion came near a store in the city of Ras al-Ayn, which is controlled by the Turkey-backed rebels in the countryside of Hasakah, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Some of the wounded are in critical condition, the Britain-based watchdog added. It is the latest in a spate of blasts that hit areas controlled by the Turkish forces and Turkey-backed rebels in northern Syria. On Aug. 22, an explosion rocked a Turkey-controlled area in the northern countryside of Raqqa Province in northern Syria, leaving many wounded, according to the Observatory. Turkey has captured several areas from the Kurdish-led militia in northern and northeastern Syria following an operation in October 2019. The Observatory has repeatedly reported lawlessness and chaos in Turkey-controlled areas in northern Syria. Enditem MIAMI The National Hurricane Center says Laura has weakened to a Category 2 hurricane as it moves deeper inland over Louisiana. Thats no longer a major hurricane but it still has extremely dangerous maximum sustained winds of 110mph (175 kph), nearly five hours after striking the coast and pushing what forecasters called an unsurvivable storm surge miles inland. Forecasters say its centered about 45 miles (70 kilometers) north-northwest of Lake Charles and moving north at 15 mph (24 kph). Lauras eye hit a stretch of Louisiana near the Texas state line early Thursday as a Category 4. Authorities had ordered more than 580,000 coastal residents to evacuate, but not everyone did. Now they have to wait until conditions ease before attempting search and rescue missions and assessing the damage. __ Officials in multiple areas hit hard by the Hurricane Laura are unsure when rescuers will reach people affected by the storm. In Holly Beach, Louisiana, many residents raised the level of their homes after Hurricane Rita, but there were fears that the houses still were not high enough to withstand up to 20 feet of storm surge, Louisiana Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser told ABCs Good Morning America. Were hopeful those people got out, but as soon as its safe for the first responders to get in there, were hopeful that we dont find people that didnt make it, Nungesser said Thursday. Dick Gremillion, director for Calcasieu Parish Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, said his office hasnt been able to start assessing the damage yet because of high winds and the need for daylight. But he cited the tide gauge further south in Cameron Parish, which appears to have been less than the predicted 20 feet of surge. The Louisiana National Guard has 222 high-water vehicles and 65 boats staged across south Louisiana, for search and rescue efforts when its safe to do so. FEMA Administrator Pete Gaynor urged people to stay home if they were safe. Stay in your home. Dont go out sightseeing. You put yourself, your family at risk and you put first responders at risk. stay home, he said during an interview on CBS This Morning. - Power companies are reporting that nearly 470,000 homes and businesses were without electricity early Thursday in Louisiana and Texas. Thats according to the website PowerOutage.US, which tracks utility reports. New Orleans-based Entergy said shortly before the storm struck that the hardest-hit areas may experience outages for weeks. The company says it has crews coming from 20 states to help, including some from as far away as Wisconsin and Virginia. - What does this mean for Ohio? Hurricane Lauras current track still has the remnants of the storm moving across the souther third of the state this weekend. However, the latest rain track has decreased the expected potential rainfall to 2 inches or less, down from the 2-4 inches forecast yesterday. WARSAW: Poland will ban flights from 46 countries, including France and Spain, as of Sept 2, according to a draft regulation published on Thursday, as the country grapples with a spike in coronavirus infections. The move follows targeted measures to reintroduce restrictions on public life in the worst affected parts of the country, as the government tries to tackle the spread of the virus without resorting to a complete lockdown. Due to the threat of spreading SARS CoV-2 virus infections, it is necessary to exercise the right to introduce air traffic bans in order to minimize the threat to public health," the regulation said. Poland closed its borders and suspended flights in March to stop the spread of the coronavirus. However, it progressively loosened restrictions on public life, with shopping centres, hotels and restaurants all reopening in May. Polish national airline PLL LOT resumed international flights on July 1 almost four months after suspending them. Other countries affected by the ban are popular tourist destinations Montenegro and Croatia, as well as Romania, the United States, Israel, Mexico and Brazil. Poland has reported 64,689 cases of the novel coronavirus and 2,010 deaths. 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 Foreign organizations and individuals providing cross-border advertising services generating revenue in Vietnam must pay taxes and comply with Vietnams laws. The draft decree creates a legal corridor to manage cross-border advertising platforms such as Facebook, Google. Photo: Trong Dat The Ministry of Information and Communications is collecting comments on a draft decree to amend and supplement a number of articles of Decree No. 181/2013/ND-CP which was issued in 2013. The new decree will include new details related to the implementation of the Law on Advertising, especially for cross-border advertising activities. Accordingly, foreign organizations and individuals providing cross-border advertising services in cyberspace that generate revenue or have users in Vietnam must comply with Vietnamese law, including laws on advertising, law on management, provision and use of Internet services and information on the Internet. Foreign organizations and individuals must inform the Ministry of Information and Communications and this task must be conducted every 12 months or at the extraordinary request of the Department of Radio, Television & Electronic Information under the Ministry of Information and Communications. Cross-border advertising service providers must pay taxes according to Vietnamese law. They are obliged to inspect and review advertising products to comply with the provisions in Article 8 of the Law on Advertising. Specifically, violations that will be fined include: advertising banned products, goods and services (guns, weapons, cigarettes, drugs, ...), disclosing state secrets, harming national independence and sovereignty, offending cultural celebrities and national heroes, and the honor, prestige and dignity of organizations and individuals. The cross-border advertising service providers in Vietnam must also comply with the provisions of Clause 1, Article 8 of the Law on Cyber Security. Accordingly, these units are not allowed to advertise products with intent to incite, bribe, deceive, entice, and train people against the State of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, or those containing contents that distort history, have false information, encourage prostitution, social evils, human trafficking, and incite or induce others to commit crimes. The Decree also requires cross-border advertising service providers to have a solution to ensure that advertisers in Vietnam have the ability to control, detect and remove advertising products that violate the law. The draft decree not only creates a legal corridor to manage cross-border advertising platforms such as Facebook, Google, but also the operation of traders, publishers and those who want to post ads. Accordingly, the advertising service providers on the platforms of cross-border organization are responsible for checking the contents of the advertising products to ensure that these products do not violate the provisions of Article 8 of the Law on Advertising. These people are also obliged to ask the cross-border platforms to choose ad placement that does not violate the provisions of Article 8 of the Law on Cyber Security. Publishers of advertisements in Vietnam (eg newspapers, news sites, YouTube, applications, ...) must ensure their ability to detect and remove advertising products provided from cross-border advertising services that break Vietnams law. Advertisement issuers are also not allowed to post or distribute advertising products of organizations and individuals providing cross-border advertising services that have been notified by competent authorities to violate Vietnamese laws. For people with advertising needs, they will not be allowed to post or broadcast advertising products on advertising platforms that violate the law. These people will also be responsible for advertising products when signing contracts with cross-border platforms and services. Trong Dat Facebook, social networks abused by phishing attacks Social networks, including Facebook, have become the ideal environment for cybercriminals to seek profits by phishing. A police officer is recovering in hospital after an "unprovoked attack" in south London. Scotland Yard said the officer was on duty when an assault took place in Brighton Road, in Sutton, just after midday on Thursday. The force said the police officer was injured and is now recovering in hospital. A spokesman for Sutton MPS said: "A police officer has been injured in an unprovoked assault in Sutton. "He was on duty when it happened in Brighton Road at around 12.20pm." A 52-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm. In recent weeks, not only have we seen some very large holes punched in the narrative of what happened to George Floyd, but weve also seen the very thin veil come off, as the peaceful protests by Black Lives Matter and Antifa rapidly devolved into perhaps the worst string of violent riots the country has ever seen. As of this writing, the city of Portland, Oregon has been host to violent riots for 86 days straight -- nearly three months of chaos. As we all know, violence in the name of outrage (or really in the name of anything) is nothing new for the Left. No one is quicker to protest violence by smashing your face with a brick than the tolerant, loving Left. No one understands better than the Left that the way to fight perceived racism in America is with even stronger and more brazen racism. No one -- not even L. Frank Baum -- could construct a better Straw Man to rail against than the Left, and they've built one to rival Burning Man against President Trump (see Trump as racist, sexist, homophobe, Islamaphobe, et al). None of this is a surprise to anyone who is actually paying attention, regardless of what side you vote for. If you dont see how lawless and dangerous the riots have become, then youre not willing to see. On a daily basis, the police are being attacked with rocks, frozen water bottles, bricks, Molotov cocktails, improvised explosive devices, and all manner of other weapons. The attacks are coming from peaceful protesters clad in military style body armor and riot gear and are being directed at anyone who displeases them or seems to disagree with their narrative. Or for that matter, anyone who is just trying to pass by, either on foot or in their vehicle. We saw recently a charming young lad named Keese Love deliver the final kick to the head of an unconscious man whose grievous crime was to try to protect a transgender woman from an angry mob. Weve seen buildings being set on fire, looting on a scale possibly never seen before and even portions of cities being co-opted and taken over as Autonomous Zones where police are not allowed. All the while, leftist governors and mayors have tied at least one arm behind the backs of their police forces and allowed the rioting and looting to continue almost unabated. What is new is something were starting to see happen around the country more and more (but not if youre watching most of the mainstream media, because they will not show it). We are finally starting to see a pushback by John Q. Public; and I believe well see more as the weeks and months go by. The woke forces of Antifa and Black Lives Matter -- mostly overindulged, pampered, underparented, overeducated and spoiled children -- are on the verge of a rude awakening. They are on the verge of waking the sleeping giant, which is to say most of the law-abiding, hard-working and family-focused people of this country. There have been several reports recently of clashes in the streets; not between Antifa and the Proud Boys, police or other demonstrators, but between Antifa and regular people in their own neighborhoods. Weve seen Antifa, emboldened by the almost nonexistent response by the neutered Democrat politicians who run their cities and states, attempt to export their nonsense out to the suburbs and other non-urban locales... and the response has been glorious! In the big Left Coast cities, citizens have almost no ability to arm themselves to protect their families or property, but once you wander out past the city limits, you find those still in possession of their 2nd Amendment rights (and their testicles) who are ready, willing, and able to stand up to the lawlessness and say very loudly and clearly, Not here. In several instances, Antifa has been very promptly and swiftly (and sometimes violently) ejected from towns or neighborhoods who knew what their intentions were and collectively decided to take a stand. Those stories are wonderful to hear, because to me it means that regular people -- you know, those crazy people who have jobs, families, responsibilities, maybe faith in God and a love of their country -- are starting to tire of the violence and overall nonsense. Theyre tired of being called racists simply for existing with white skin. Theyre tired of seeing the legal double-standard that arrests the gym or hair salon owner for trying to earn a living during COVID-19 but allows and even endorses the nightly riots of hundreds or even thousands of "wokees." In the last few days, there were at least two serious shootings in Kenosha, Wisconsin which appear to have been by people defending themselves or their businesses from the BLM mob. Multiple businesses were seen with armed men on the roofs defending what likely took them a lot of hard work and dedication to build (Yes, President Obama, they built that.) Kenosha is not Portland, and they are not going to stand by and watch as their city is laid to waste by what amounts to a group of petulant children having a tantrum. The violence is only going to intensify leading up to Election Day, and I believe there will even be great violence at the polls themselves. Weve already seen in years past the New Black Panthers standing outside polling places with nightsticks and their trademark Angry Glare going completely unchecked by law enforcement. We know that Antifa and BLM do not care about nor fear the law and are more than willing and able to bring the violence. So the question is, How much more patience will law-abiding, peaceful Americans have before the laws of physics come into play, and the rioters force is met by an equal and opposite force? (Although I dont really think it will be equal... I think it will be massive, swift and brutal... but it will be opposite, for sure). Its pretty easy to see that patience is wearing thin. I believe the Sleeping Giant is yawning, stretching, and turning on the coffee pot right now, and will be fully awake before too long. I say, beware, Antifa and BLM... you may not like what the morning has in store for you. Image: Kellepics, Pixabay Honeywell will donate disposable masks to Beirut this week. Image:Honeywell The masks, which Honeywell expects to ship to Lebanon this week, will provide AUBMCs front-line staff with critical PPE as they continue to treat patients injured by the explosion amid the COVID-19 pandemic. As a world leader in advanced Personal Protective Equipment we are committed to providing front-line healthcare workers with the equipment they need to help keep us safe. We are proud to be supporting the medical staff at AUBMC who are caring for those injured by the recent explosion in Beirut, and our thoughts are with all those affected by the tragedy, said Miroslav Kafedzhiev, vice president and general manager Middle East, Russia, Turkey and Africa, Honeywell Safety and Productivity Solutions. Our doctors, nurses and other front-line staff are working tirelessly to treat those hurt in the explosion amid the added pressure and uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic. We send our deepest thanks to Honeywell for its kind donation of this critical equipment, which will help protect our teams as they focus on providing patients with the best possible care, added Walid A. Katergi, CFRE associate vice president for development, American University of Beirut. A planned intersection upgrade for Ipswich Road is unlikely to increase rat-running down a side street, Brisbane City Council says, despite residents' fears that will be the case. The $2 million upgrade of Ipswich Road and Ponsonby Street in Annerley will start in September, as part of the federal government's black spot program. The Ipswich Road and Ponsonby Road intersection in Annerley will have traffic lights installed. Credit:Google Maps But residents have expressed concern the installation of traffic lights at the intersection, which also include Junction Road, will encourage people to rat-run down the tiny Ponsonby Street to Annerley Road. The council plans to change the intersection by allowing entry to Ponsonby Road only from Ipswich Road, removing 16 on-street car parks and a bus stop to make way for traffic lights. OPINION: Two of our letter writers push back, saying the USPS isn't worth saving in the inefficient manner it currently operates. That and more in this Letters to the Editor. A peculiar tasting will soon get under way in our South West that could change how Margaret River is regarded on the wine front for good. Amid a push from Wilyabrup producers for geographical independence in the winemaking region is the ongoing Margaret River Wine Project, run by the region's wine association. Multi-vintage trial wines have been made to help determine geographical boundaries in Margaret River. Credit:Louie Douvis The Geographical Indications Committee last week delayed a decision for Wilyabrup to become its own sub-region after a formal application to Wine Australia in 2017 by a group that included some of Margaret River's most awarded and recognised producers: Cullen Wines, Fraser Gallop Estate, Lenton Brae, Moss Wood and Woodlands Wines. Their fight stems from the different styles of chardonnay, but mostly cabernet, that is evident across the region, with Wilyabrup considered to produce the more elegant and refined version of the latter. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Banking regulator, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has sought details of investments from Yes Banks Additional Tier 1 (AT1) bondholders to examine their complaints about misselling of these instruments by Yes Banks executives. AT1 bonds or perpetual bonds are quasi debt instruments that carry relatively high risk. Yes Bank wrote down AT1 Bonds worth Rs 8,415 crore as part of the reconstruction scheme formulated by the RBI in March this year. Following this, AT1 bondholders approached the court alleging that there has been gross misselling of these instruments. Several investors have received emails from the central banks consumer education and protection department in the last one month seeking details of documents related to the bond purchase, copy of signed bond application form submitted to Indian Clearing Corporation Limited (ICCL) and details of depository participant. Besides, the RBI has also sought details of brokerage firm from whom the bond was purchased, value/date of bond purchase, details of bank branch and relationship Manager, details of fixed deposit prematurely closed. The regulator has also asked investors if FD premature closure penalty was imposed by the bank. Moneycontrol has seen one such email sent by RBIs Consumer Education and Protection Department. An RBI official, who didn't want to be named, too confirmed that the emails have been sent from the central bank. The RBIs move follows several complaints made by Yes Banks retail investors to RBI, Securities and exchange board of India and government on alleged misselling of these bonds by Yes Banks executives. Many of us have received emails from the RBI in the last 15-20 days, said one of the retail investors on the condition of anonymity. Yes Bank investigates allegations In an exclusive interview with Moneycontrol on Wednesday, Yes Banks managing director and CEO, Prashant Kumar had said that the bank is investigating the allegations on misselling of AT1 Bonds. The allegations are being investigated by the Bank, said Kumar. Yes Banks retail bondholders alleged that bank executives sold these instruments to them pitching these perpetual bonds as super FDs offering safety and relatively high return compared with regular fixed deposits. Early this year, Axis Trustee, which represents Yes bank investors, had made misselling part of its petition in the Bombay High Court. Legal battle Earlier, in a counter-affidavit filed in the Madras High Court recently, Yes Bank had denied allegations of misselling and said that investors purchased these perpetual bonds with eyes open. The claim of violation of natural justice is denied. The petitioner had purchased the AT1 bonds with eyes open, knowing all the risks attached with the purchase, the bank had said. The petition was filed by one of the investors, 63 Moons Technologies. The firm, founded by Jignesh Shah, who invested Rs 300 crore in 3,000 bond units. Denying allegations of manipulation, Yes Bank said the petitioners claim is a matter that requires some enquiry. The petitioner alleges that officials of Respondent No. 3 (Yes Bank) had misled investors to peddle the AT-I perpetual bonds and were misled into buying these bonds based on misrepresentations. These statements are very vague and without any particulars, the affidavit said. Who are these officials, when were these statements/ misrepresentations made, and what kind of promises were made are all absent. I am not in a position to deal with any of these vague allegations except to deny them, Kumar said in the affidavit. Further, the affidavit says that none of the bank officials would have had any occasion to deal with the petitioner as the petitioner had purchased the bonds from the secondary market and not subscribed to them. In its petition, 63 Moons had alleged that Yes Bank officials misled investors to peddle the bonds. The investors were given the impression that the AT-I bonds were not only risk-free but also offered a higher return than fixed deposits. The bonds were marked as Super Fixed Deposits by the relationship managers of Yes Bank, the company alleged. Describing the bonds as Super FDs is a gross misrepresentation as it hides the risks inherent in the product, the petition said. RBIs version Earlier, in its counter-affidavit, the RBI too had said that the action for writing-off has been rightly taken under the provisions of the contract between Yes Bank and AT-I bondholders, and, hence, there is no merit in the petitioners contentions. The whole purpose of writing-off the AT-I bonds is to ensure that the capital infused by the public sector i.e., SBI, and other investors should not be diluted. The bonds are a liability, and, hence, the same should be written off for the effective implementation of the Notified Scheme, which is made in the interest of the general public and to regain the confidence of the depositors, the RBI said. The RBI affidavit also said that the courts must be slow in interfering and exercising judicial review of the decisions of a private sector bank, which are contractual in nature by issuing a writ. The affidavit also said: Prior to the advent of the financial difficulties of Yes Bank, the petitioner and other bondholders of Yes Bank have reaped high financial rewards on the AT-I bonds. The petitioners cannot, on the one hand, enjoy the benefit of a high-interest rate/coupon rate by investing in such high-risk instrument, and, thereafter, in times of such failure, shift the onus of loss upon RBI. The Associated Press (AP) has posted a fraudulent fact-check of an article published Monday by the World Socialist Web Site on plans for implementing racially segregated student housing at New York University. Based solely on an unsubstantiated and evasive denial by a university spokesman, the AP states that the WSWS article is false. The AP fact-check, written by journalist Ali Swenson, cynically claims that its response to the WSWS is part of its ongoing effort to fact-check misinformation that is shared widely online, including work with Facebook to identify and reduce the circulation of false stories on the platform. The WSWS article in question, New York University moves to implement racial segregation in student dorms, went viral shortly after being posted, acquiring over 180,000 page views internationally and has been shared widely on social media. Students, youth and workers, of all races and backgrounds, responded to the article by expressing their strong opposition to all forms of racial segregation. The AP condemned the WSWS article without conducting any independent investigation of the facts. It did not contact the WSWS to request clarification on the factual basis of the article. Notably, the AP never specifically identifies the WSWS in its specious fact-check. This is in keeping with the policy of the big business media to avoid acknowledging the existence of the WSWS, for fear of unintentionally contributing to the growth of its readership. The attempt to discredit the WSWS report as fake news is groundless. We stand by the facts reported in our article. The APs conclusion is based solely on an evasive non-denial denial posted on August 25 by New York University spokesperson John Beckman on the universitys website. It reads: A story claiming that NYU is implementing racial segregation in its dorms is false and misleading. Earlier in the summer, a group of Black students reached out to NYUs Office of Housing and Residential Life and applied to establish an Exploration Floor around the themes of Black history and culture; NYU has about 30 themed Exploration Floors. During the course of the discussion about the application processwhich is ongoingthe Housing Office staff made clear that all Exploration Floors must be open to applicants of all races and backgrounds. [Emphasis added] The University strongly supports the goals of diversity, and of creating an environment that is welcoming, supportive, and inclusive for students of color and students from marginalized communities. However, NYU does not have and will not create student housing that excludes any student based on race. This is what the university is saying now, following the publication of the WSWS article. But no such public declaration of NYUs unequivocal opposition to segregated housing was issued when the Black Violets student group was circulating its petition for racially segregated housing for black students. In his response to the WSWS, the NYU spokesperson asserts that the Housing Office staff made clear that all Exploration Floors must be open to applicants of all races and backgrounds. Beckman provides no contemporaneous documents to support this claim. Where are the minutes or notes of the meetings held between university staff and Black Violets laying out the discussions which were had on the proposal? Who were the officials involved in the meetings? How was it made clear to Black Violets that NYU found their proposal for racial segregation unacceptable? Where is the record of the decision made by the university to reject the proposal? Why is it only after the WSWS had raised this issue before an international audience that NYU issued its clarification? There is no evidence that the university ever informed Black Violets of its rejection of their demand. The written record indicates that the student group believed that its demands enjoyed the support of NYU. As Beckmans statement makes clear, discussion with administrators was and is still ongoing with the Black Violets. And the students themselves declared in a public social media post that they had received NYU Residential Lifes approval to start planning the Black Violets floor at NYU, which they said was the outcome of their petition. That petition called for floors completely comprised of Black-identifying students. While the AP rushed to publish its fact-check within less than two days of the WSWSs reporting, none of what NYU now claims has been substantiated by what the Black Violets or the university claimed in statements prior to the publication of our article. The Black Violets did not, as Beckman claims, merely approach NYU to set up an Exploration Floor around the themes of Black history and culture. Instead, its official petition demanded Floors completely comprised of Black-identifying students with Black Resident Assistants. A Twitter post by the Black Violets from July 31 that has since been deleted. In response to questioning by the Washington Square News about the Black Violets demands, Beckman replied in an email published on July 20: We appreciate the petition authors position. Res Life staff have reached out to the authors of the petition to discuss how we might move forward with their goals. Given the COVID-related challenges to the student housing system for 20202021, these conversations would be aiming towards 20212022. This is not a rejection of the demand for racial segregation in student housing. There is nothing in this statement that indicates NYU opposition to the demand for segregated housing. There is no reference at all to the issue. The only obstacle to the implementation of the student groups demand referenced by Beckman was the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, Beckman noted that the university staff had reached out to the authors of the petition to discuss how we might move forward with their goals. Nor did the university make a statement when the Black Violets group posted on Instagram that plans were moving forward for implementing their demands in the next school year, writing: Earlier this summer, we presented a petition to get Black student housing at NYU. Since then, our petition has garnered the support of over 1,000 signatures and we have received NYU Residential Lifes approval to start planning the Black Violets Floor at NYU. While we do not yet have the complete details of the floors logistics, we are aiming to have it as an option on the housing form for the 20212022 school year, which will be made available in Spring 2021. We are currently seeking a Faculty Affiliate to help run the floor. If NYU had made clear to Black Violets that the university would not tolerate housing based on racial identity, it would have been obligated to issue its own statement disassociating itself from the student groups claim to have received NYU Residential Lifes approval to start the Black Violets Floor at NYU. A post by the Black Violets on Instagram from August 10 The WSWS has reached out to the Black Violets for clarification after NYU posted its denial on August 25, but we have received no reply. We must presume, given their close coordination with the university in discussing their demands, that the students involved have been counseled not to speak to us. NYU responded to our questions for clarification by sending us Beckmans statement previously published on its website. The APs fact-check of the WSWS is a shoddy and dishonest piece of hack journalism. Its lazy author, Ali Swenson, made absolutely no effort to fact-check her own story. ANN ARBOR, MI With thousands of University of Michigan students back in Ann Arbor, city police are keeping a watchful eye on social gatherings in neighborhoods near campus. But theyre not calling it party patrol anymore, said Police Chief Michael Cox. MAYANK SINGH By Express News Service NEW DELHI: Even as New Delhi and Beijing continue to hold talks over the military de-escalation in Pangong Tso and Depsang areas of eastern Ladakh, China is bolstering its military infrastructure in the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and has begun construction of massive habitat for a large troop formation, apart from road constructions and deployment of strategic missiles, sources said. The Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) is building a brigade-size garrison at Gyantse in Tibet which appears to be meant for the ground forces. The construction was started after January 2020 and is likely to be completed by the spring of 2021, said a source. The new garrison includes six battalion area headquarters and an administration area, and more than 600 vehicle and equipment sheds, the source added. Also, an artillery battalion is located around 14 km from Gyantse. ALSO READ: Chinese Ladakh misadventure catalyses plans for strategic roads, tunnels and bridges An Army officer, on condition of anonymity, said: The new brigade is located at a point from where it will be able to move to the western part of the Arunachal Pradesh and also to Sikkim. Tawang, which lies in the western part of Arunachal Pradesh, has been a major point of contention between India and China. The officer added: The images of June and July confirm that China is building connecting roads to the border areas at multiple points in the eastern sector. Another source pointed out the deployment of missiles. For the first time, a target acquisition radar associated with the S-300 has been installed at Malan Airfield under the Western Theatre Command (WTC), the source said. ALSO READ: Working to handle talks properly - Chinese envoy The Chinese have deployed the missiles as air defence cover as their troops are out in open, said another senior army officer on the condition of anonymity. Their plans are going ahead keeping both offensive and defensive military tactics in mind. The tensions along the 3,488 km-long LAC have been high since the first week of May when the Indian troops and the Chinese PLA clashed at Finger 4 in the easter Ladakh. There has been precautionary deployment by India all along the LAC. OPINION: Why is Congress hiding its MoU with Chinas Communists? In the last few months, there have been multiple military and diplomatic level talks where both sides have agreed to resolve the issues peacefully, but the Chinese have not disengaged their troops from various locations even after the agreements in the meetings, said a source. Solution must be predicated on honouring all agreements A solution to the border row with China must be predicated on honouring all agreements and understandings without attempting to alter the status quo unilaterally, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said, in a clear assertion of Indias position on the issue. Several rounds of talks, pullback not achieved The two countries have been engaged in a stand-off since April over tensions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Galwan Valley of Ladakh. Several rounds of talks military and diplomatic have followed the June 15 violent stand-off but full de-escalation is yet to be achieved. At the end of the 2019 academic year, just as he was preparing to take his primary school leaving exams in northern Burkina Faso, a young Malian refugee called Oumar Ag Ousmane saw his hopes begin to fade. With the violence that had been plaguing parts of the Sahel region for years beginning to rage in Burkina Faso, teachers at Oumars school simply stopped coming to work. Then they left the area altogether. I was very sad to have to stay home all day." That put Oumars education, and the education of thousands of other Malian refugee children who were then living in Mentao refugee camp, on hold. I was very sad to have to stay home all day and not be able to continue classes, says Oumar, a reserved but determined teenager, now 17 years old. It was a bitter blow. Growing up, there had been no school to go to in Oumars home town of Mopti, and after he and his family fled Mali in 2012 as violence was igniting there, life in Mentao camp had given him his first taste of an education. To keep his schooling going, the boys father decided to take him and his siblings to Goudoubo refugee camp, further to the east. There he was registered in a school in the nearby town of Dori, hoping this would allow him to sit the crucial exams that let him progress to secondary level. 1 million forced to flee violence in Burkina Faso reaching tragic milestone (Mary Theru, Producer / Arnold Temple, Editor ) But more disruption lay in wait. The following school year, as soon as the school year started, the same security issues continued in Goudoubo, he says. I was very disappointed that once again my school closed and that I was not able to finish the new school year. Oumar is over the usual age to start secondary school, something which is common for refugee children, particularly where education is disrupted and there are no accelerated education programmes available. In Burkina Faso alone, over the past 12 months the number of internally displaced people rose five-fold, reaching 921,000 at the end of June 2020. The country is also host to nearly 20,000 refugees, many of whom have recently fled the camps seeking safety in other parts of the country or even returning to their homeland. Across the Sahel, millions have fled indiscriminate attacks by armed groups against both civilians and state institutions including schools. According to UNICEF, between April 2017 and December 2019 the number of school closures due to violence in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger rose six-fold. By the end of last year, more than 3,300 schools were shut, affecting almost 650,000 children and more than 16,000 teachers. In Burkina Faso alone, 2,500 schools had closed because of the violence, depriving 350,000 children of access to education and that was before coronavirus closed the rest. Malian refugee children study at an UNHCR-supported primary school in one of the refugee camps in Burkina Faso. UNHCR/Paul Absalon On September 9th, the UN will mark the first International Day to Protect Education from Attack, with the General Assembly condemning attacks on education and the military use of schools in contravention of international law. In a ground-breaking report, to be published on September 3, UNHCR warns the twin scourges of COVID-19 and attacks on schools, targeting teachers and pupils, threatens to destroy hard-won gains in refugee education and destroy the dreams of millions of youngsters. This year, Oumar thought it was third time lucky. His family moved a few miles down the road from Goudoubo camp to Dori, and he was able to start his first year of secondary school in spite of being older than most of the other students. Everything was going smoothly, he says. But classes had to stop again this time because of the COVID-19 outbreak. Since 1 June, the three school grades that were due to take exams this year have reopened and UNHCR is doing what it can to find places for refugee children. For the others, UNHCR, with the support of Education Cannot Wait, began buying radios for primary and secondary refugee students to ensure they had the same access as their Burkinabe peers to lessons being broadcast over the airwaves. UNHCR is also working with governments to enable emergency education for displaced children and youth via access to safe distance learning alternatives. As he waits, Oumar refuses to be downhearted. I still have the hope that the situation will improve so that I can go back and finish my education, he says. LONDON: A man has been arrested in London on suspicion of war crimes relating to the first and second Liberian civil wars between 1989 and 2003, British police said Thursday. The Metropolitan Police said officers arrested the 45-year-old in southeast London and took him into custody at a police station. Officers were searching an address in southeast London, and inquiries are ongoing. The man hasnt been identified and no further details were immediately available. The Liberian civil war raged from 1989 when Charles Taylor started an uprising in a bid to topple the government. A peace agreement led to the election of Taylor as president of Liberia in 1997, but a second civil war broke out in 1999. Taylor was forced into exile and later jailed for committing war crimes in neighboring Sierra Leone. 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 We recently did a first-floor addition in record time for a couple in their late 70s who wanted to keep their house in Bethesda to give to their kids one day, says Anthony Wilder, principal of Anthony Wilder Design/Build. The house was level to the ground, so we were able to cut out a window and bridge the space between the kitchen and family room with a new laundry room and bathroom leading to their new bedroom. The bedroom has French doors to the backyard, so it could also work as a sunroom. NEW HAVEN A school nurse and a part-time custodian in the citys school system have tested positive for COVID-19, a district official confirmed Thursday morning. We followed protocol and we sent people home, said New Haven Public Schools Chief Operating Officer Michael Pinto. An administrator and two district custodians also were sent home to quarantine after interacting with either of the two individuals who tested positive for the virus. Its the same process weve followed since March: we send people home for 24 hours and anyone with close contact is asked to quarantine, Pinto said. The health department is following the protocols and making sure they do the contact tracing as a standard protocol and theyll make the appropriate decision. City of New Haven Health Director Maritza Bond said the positive cases were not detected within school buildings, but the citys protocol is to close buildings where there may have been exposure for 24 hours so the buildings can be disinfected. Cynthia Harris Jackson, president of the New Haven nurses union and a school nurse at Conte West Hills Magnet School, said nurses have not reported back to work yet. The citys Health Department learned of the positive test, and the test was not an initiative of the school district. I would impress upon all nurses to get tested before returning back to the buildings, she said. People could be asymptomatic and not know. Thus far, Harris Jackson said school nurses are mostly in the dark about what to expect. We havent been given a schedule yet of when wed be returning to the buildings or if were returning to the buildings, she said. We just dont know yet, its a waiting game pretty much. The Board of Education earlier this month voted that the first 10 weeks of school be done virtually without opening school buildings out of an abundance of caution and the belief that the district was not adequately prepared to safely reopen. School does not begin until Sept. 3, but employees were contractually obligated to begin work on Wednesday, with many reporting to school buildings for training and to familiarize themselves with their workspaces. Mayor Justin Elicker, who has repeatedly advocated for the school board to offer an in-person learning option as soon as possible, said there is a low level of transmission in the city. (New Haven Superintentendent of Schools Iline) Traceys team is working hard to implement the infrastructure to open schools, he said. It doesnt change the calculations (for an in-person learning option) at all. Renee Hamel, a staff member of AFSCME Council 4 which includes the New Haven school nurses and school custodians unions said the news of the positive tests underscores the importance of 13 principles released by the council to ensure a safe return to school. One of those principles is that school nurses be allowed to medically assess students or administer health care to students related to COVID-19. brian.zahn@hearstmediact.com Leading SaaS company to offer interactive virtual event, bringing together premier brands, retailers and solution providers LONDON, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- ChannelAdvisor Corporation (NYSE: ECOM), a leading provider of cloud-based e-commerce solutions that enable brands and retailers to increase global sales, today announced its Connect 2020 conference planned for this fall will transition to a global interactive virtual event on October 7-8. ChannelAdvisor Connect aims to provide brands and retailers access to dynamic speakers, informative breakout sessions, and exclusive networking opportunities. Moreover, customers, prospects and strategic partners who register can experience this two-day event free of charge. Brands and retailers seeking support for their digital transformation during these extraordinary times can explore new strategies at Connect to help: accelerate their e-commerce growth, streamline their e-commerce operations, and reach new audiences across multiple global marketplaces, retail, shopping, search and social sites. This year's conference agenda will also showcase ChannelAdvisor's newest platform enhancements, best-in-class consulting services and premier network of strategic partners. Through a combination of live and on-demand sessions, Connect is tailored for attendees who desire convenience and scheduling flexibility. Participants can engage in interactive sessions or simply access recorded presentations and downloadable materials. Similar to our past in-person 'Ask the Expert' sessions, participants can elect to meet virtually with ChannelAdvisor's experts to discover best practices and innovative new strategies. "We're excited to bring together our customers, network of partners, and industry experts from around the world to Connect," said Mike Shapaker, Chief Marketing Officer at ChannelAdvisor. "ChannelAdvisor is committed to helping brands and retailers create meaningful connections and take action to help grow their businesses. Connect remains one of the most anticipated e-commerce events of the year, which is why we look forward to sharing resources and expert insights when brands and retailers need them most." Registration is free and will remain open during the two-day event. Registrants are invited to join the virtual conference beginning on October 7. On-demand sessions and related materials will be available after the conference. To learn more about Connect, visit connect.channeladvisor.com . For more details about ChannelAdvisor, visit ChannelAdvisor's blog , follow ChannelAdvisor on Twitter @ChannelAdvisor , like ChannelAdvisor on Facebook and connect with ChannelAdvisor on LinkedIn . About ChannelAdvisor ChannelAdvisor (NYSE: ECOM) is a leading e-commerce cloud platform whose mission is to connect and optimise the world's commerce. For nearly two decades, ChannelAdvisor has helped brands and retailers worldwide improve their online performance by expanding sales channels, connecting with consumers, optimising their operations for peak performance, and providing actionable analytics to improve competitiveness. Thousands of customers depend on ChannelAdvisor to securely power their sales and optimise fulfilment on channels such as Amazon, eBay, Zalando, Google, Facebook, Walmart, and hundreds more. For more information visit www.channeladvisor.co.uk ChannelAdvisor Media Contact: Laura Hare Marketing and Communications Manager EMEA pr-uk@channeladvisor.com Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/787743/channel_advisor_Logo.jpg tech2 News Staff Samsung launched the Galaxy Tab S7 series and a few more products including Galaxy Note 20 series, Galaxy Watch 3 and more at the Galaxy Unpacked event held earlier this month. The company has now finally announced the India pricing of Galaxy Tab S7 and Tab S7+. The Galaxy S7 will be available in LTE and WiFi variants whereas the Tab S7+ will come in just one WiFi variant. According to a report by Pricebaba, the two tabs will start shipping on 7 September in India. Galaxy Tab S7, Tab S7+ pricing, availability, pre-booking offers The Galaxy Tab S7 WiFi variant is priced at Rs 55,999 and the LTE variant will cost you Rs 63,999. The Galaxy Tab S7+ WiFi variant will sell at Rs 79,999. Both the tabs will be available in Mystic Bronze, Mystic Black and Mystic Silver colour variants. According to the company, the WiFi variant will go on sale on Reliance Retail and Samsung Shop. The LTE variants of both tabs and WiFi variant of Tab S7+ will be available for purchase at select retail outlets, Samsung Shop, Amazon and Flipkart. Both Tab S7 and Tab S7+ are now available for pre-booking. As for the offers, buyers pre-booking the Galaxy Tab S7 will get a keyboard cover at Rs 5,999, down by Rs 10,000 and cashback up to Rs 5,000 on HDFC Bank credit and debit cards. Buyers pre-booking Tab Galaxy S7+ will get the keyboard cover at Rs 7,999, down by Rs 10,000 and a cashback up to Rs 6,000 on HDFC Bank credit and debit card. Galaxy Tab S7, Tab S7+ specifications The Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 features an 11-inch LTPS TFT display that has a 120Hz refresh rate and resolution of 2,560 x 1,600 pixels. The Galaxy Tab S7+ features a 12.4-inch super AMOLED display that comes with 2,800 1,752 pixel resolution. Both the tabs run Android 10 OS and offer 6 GB RAM and up to 128 GB storage that is expandable up to 1 TB. In terms of camera, both tabs feature a dual rear camera setup that includes a 13 MP primary sensor and a 5 MP secondary sensor. They sport 8 MP selfie camera. The Galaxy Tab S7 series will allow users to use three apps simultaneously. In terms of battery, Tab S7 houses am 8,000 mAh battery and Tab S7+ is equipped with a 10,090 mAh battery. Both tabs come with support for 45W super-fast charging tech. PARIS (Reuters) - French armed forces minister Florence Parly began a trip to Iraq on Thursday that the ministry said formed part of the country's ongoing commitment to the fight against terrorism and its support for Iraq's sovereignty. "The minister for the armed forces is insistent upon the fact that Islamic State remains a serious challenge which we must continue to face up to. French airstrikes against isolated pockets of Islamic State have picked up in recent months," the French armed forces ministry said in a statement. Ministry officials said Paris was concerned by a resurgence in Iraq of the group, which is profiting from political uncertainty in the country and rivalries between Iran and the United States in the region. (Reporting by Jean-Philippe Lefief and John Irish; Editing by Hugh Lawson) Imagine an America where mountaintop ridges, coastal seashores, open plains, and most of our undeveloped lands are developed with wind turbines from coast to coast. Imagine an America where we are forced to transform two-thirds of the nations land mass into fields for industrial wind turbines, leaving little land left over for forests, open spaces, animal habitat, or anything else. That is exactly what Joe Bidens climate plan would require. Under a Biden presidency, we must prepare for an environmental apocalypse. According to Bidens climate plan, America must run on 100 percent emissions-free power by 2050, with enforceable milestones as early as 2025. But the problem with this is there is much more to environmental protection than merely carbon dioxide emissions. A recent Harvard University study found that in order to meet Americas current electricity needs, it would require covering one-third of the nations land mass with wind turbines. Furthermore, the Green New Deal, which Biden pledges to enact, would require an all-electric vehicle fleet as well. The transportation sector produces more emissions than electricity, so that would require covering another third of America with wind turbines. The wind turbines to replace current electricity plus the wind turbines to cover transportation needs would ultimately cover two-thirds of Americas land. Of course, people will continue to exist. People require housing, roads, commercial buildings, and land devoted to other human use. Currently, because the footprint of land required for generating conventional energy is so small, there is plenty of room for people, undeveloped lands, andenergy generation. Bidens climate plan would change that. Wind turbines require 360 times more land to generate the same amount of power as nuclear power. The same discrepancy applies to coal and natural gas, as coal and natural gas land requirements are just as low as nuclear power. Even worse, the mining of rare earth minerals that are necessary components of wind and solar equipment is perhaps the most environmentally destructive activity on the planet. The environmental destruction caused by rare earth mining is so devastating that only a select few nations freely allow it. China is one of them, which why they dominate global rare earth production. Under Bidens climate plan, either America will have to introduce rampant and environmentally devastating rare earth mining here in our country, or, we will deliberately make ourselves almost completely dependent on China for the materials needed to build and maintain our energy infrastructure. The choice is frightening and even dangerous. Even if Biden breaks his promise and we only partially impose new wind and solar power, the environmental consequences will be devastating. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates wind turbines already kill between 140,000 and 500,000 birds each year, including many protected and endangered species. Other studies put the number much higher. Moreover, wind turbines kill even more bats than birds. Increasing wind power from its current 7% share of U.S. electricity production to 35% would presumably increase bird and bat deaths five-fold; up to a million-plus bird kills and a million-plus bat kills each year. Compounding the environmental harm, this would also require developing additional hundreds of thousands of square miles of land with wind turbines, devastating pristine lands and the plants and animals that live there. Adding Kamala Harris to the ticket makes the Biden climate plan worse. Harris decommissioned her climate plan website last week after Biden picked her as his running mate. Nevertheless, her plan called for 100-percent emissions-free power by 2030, rather than Bidens 2050. That calls for destroying just as much land, habitat, and wildlife three times more quickly than Biden. We can only hope that Harris doesnt make Bidens already devastating climate plan even more extremist. At the end of the day, Joe Biden would either devastate Americas environment or pull a bait-and-switch on the American people and admit his climate plan is unworkable. Perhaps it is unreasonable to think this, but cant Biden speak honestly about his plans, not try to deceive the American people, and then keep his promises? James Taylor (JTaylor@heartland.org) is President of the Heartland Institute. Interior ministry says about 20 journalists driven to police station to check if they had valid accreditation. Belarusian police detained about 20 journalists planning to cover a protest in central Minsk on Thursday and confiscated their telephones and identity documents, Reuters news agency said. The interior ministry later on Thursday said the journalists had been driven to a police station for officers to check they had valid accreditation allowing them to work as journalists. It said all those with official accreditation would be released and denied the journalists had been detained. Belarus is facing its biggest political crisis since the breakup of the Soviet Union, with tens of thousands of demonstrators rejecting President Alexander Lukashenkos victory in an August 9 vote his opponents say was rigged. The journalists planned to cover a demonstration in which hundreds of anti-government protesters marched along central Minsk street on Thursday evening. Nobody should interfere Amid unprecedented protests in Belarus, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg on Thursday called on Russia not to meddle in the crisis after President Vladimir Putin promised military support for embattled Lukashenko. Belarus is a sovereign and independent state. And nobody, including Russia, should interfere there, Stoltenberg on Thursday told Germanys bestselling Bild daily, in comments translated from German. The Belarusian oppositions Coordination Council also expressed their dismay with Putins comments, saying it was unacceptable for Russia to have set up armed forces of any kind for use in Belarus. The opposition council said in a statement it regretted the force had been set up at Lukashenkos request and said it violated international law. Putin earlier on Thursday said Kremlin had set up a police force to support Lukashenko at his request, although it would not be deployed unless unrest there spun out of control. We have of course certain obligations towards Belarus, and the question Lukashenko raised was whether we would provide the necessary help, Putin told state television. I told him Russia would fulfil all its obligations. Alexander Grigorivich [Lukashenko] asked me to create a reserve police force and I have done that. But we agreed this would not be used unless the situation got out of control. The remarks were the strongest signal yet that Russia is prepared to use force if needed in Belarus. Western expansion fears Russia sees Belarus as a key bulwark against Western expansion and an important conduit for Russian energy exports. The two countries have a union agreement envisaging close political, economic and military ties, and Lukashenko has relied on cheap Russian energy and other subsidies to keep Belaruss Soviet-style economy afloat. In an apparent jab at the West, which has condemned Lukashenkos crackdown on protesters and urged him to launch a dialogue with the opposition, Putin accused unidentified foreign forces of trying to win political advantages from the turmoil in Belarus. They want to influence those processes and reach certain decisions, which they think conform with their political interests, Putin said. The European Union has rejected the results of the presidential election that gave Lukashenko 80 percent of the vote. Despite the close cooperation, Russia-Belarus relations have often been strained by disputes. Lukashenko has frequently played overtures to the West and accused Moscow of hatching plans to incorporate Belarus. Just before the election, Belarus arrested 32 private Russian military contractors on charges of planning to stage riots. Belarusian authorities released the men shortly after the vote in a bid to mend ties with the Kremlin amid rising Western criticism. TDT | Manama Northern Governor Ali bin Al Shaikh Al Asfoor praised the cooperation of the Hussaini community centres in enforcing the precautionary measures and adhering to the regulations put in place by authorities regarding Ashura season. This came during a visit paid by the Northern Governor, alongside officials from the governorate, to a number of community centres in the villages of Maqaba, Janabiyah, Bouri, Maqsha and Jad Al Hah, where he was informed about the centres commitment to health regulations put in place by the National Taskforce for Combatting the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and recommended by the Jaafari Endowments Directorate. He revealed that the governorate has drawn up mechanisms to ensure success of Ashura season and perform the rituals securely. He stressed the importance of coordination with religious institutions to facilitate celebrating religious occasions in the governorate. The Northern Governor underlined keenness to choose religious clerics who provide guidance and advice, thanking the community centres directorates for their commitment to regulations to ensure the safety of all. The community centres officials affirmed the importance of awareness and social commitment to applying the needed preemptive measures. Biegun assures Shmyhal of U.S. support for Ukraine's efforts to implement reforms, its further integration into Europe United States Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun during a meeting with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal in Kyiv, assured that the United States supports the Ukrainian government's efforts to implement reforms that strengthen democratic institutions, improve the investment climate and enable Ukraine to realize its Euro-Atlantic aspirations , according to the U.S. Embassy. "In a meeting with Prime Minister Shmyhal, Deputy Secretary Biegun reiterated U.S. support for the Ukrainian governments efforts to implement reforms that strengthen its democratic institutions, improve the investment climate, and ensure Ukraine can fulfill its Euro-Atlantic aspirations," the embassy said in a statement on its Facebook page on Thursday. The U.S. diplomatic agency said that the United States is deeply committed to reinforcing Ukraine's continued progress on reforms to further integrate into Europe, including via cooperation with international partners to strengthen its judicial, regulatory, and financial institutions. Meanwhile, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and Biegun discussed the development of strategic partnership between Ukraine and the United States, as well as the situation in Belarus, during the meeting, the head of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said. "I am glad to welcome U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun to Kyiv. We discussed in detail the further development of the strategic partnership between Ukraine and the United States in the areas of security, energy, reforms, trade and investment, and exchanged views on the situation in Belarus," Kuleba wrote on Twitter on Thursday. Missoula City-County Health Department (MCCDH) COVID-19 Incident Commander Cindy Farr said during the daily briefing on Wednesday cases at the university would not be reported separately from the overall tallies, but that may change if an outbreak on campus began affecting the local infection landscape. "Internally, we are tracking the cases associated with the university so we that have a clearer overall picture of whats happening with COVID in our community," Farr said. "If the cases associated with the university were to begin to skew our data, we would certainly address that publicly." Farr said the Missoula City-County Health Department has been working for months with the university regarding testing on campus, contact tracing, general prevention measures and how and where to isolate UM students who live on campus. The health department, Farr said, would be the agency to reach out those identified as close contacts. Known to be at par with Ghalib and Meer, noted Urdu poet Firaq Gorakhpuris 124th birth anniversary will be celebrated this Friday. A master of three languages, Firaqs soul resides in the heart of people of Gorakhpur and he is best remembered not only for his contribution to poetry but also to the freedom struggle of India. Born on August 28, 1896, in Banwarpar village under Gola Block of Gorakhpur, Firaq Gorakhpuri was the pen name of Raghupati Sahay who gave Urdu literature some of the immortal creations and grew up to become an inspiration to many writers, poets and freedom fighters. A close friend of former prime minister Jawahar Lal Nehru, Firaqs residence Laxmi Nivas was converted into Saraswati Shishu Mandir, the junior high school run by the RSS since 1980. During the non-cooperation movement call given by Mahatma Gandhi in 1920, Firaq had quit his job as a PCS officer of British India. He was consequently jailed and even served 18 months in jail during the freedom movement. His couplets instil love, a sense of patriotism and honour towards the country and many claim that there is no match of his stature in Urdu poetry. Check out some of his sher on love and life that are still relevant in 2020: 1.maut ka bhi ilaaj ho shayad zindagi ka koi ilaaj nahin Translation: For death a cure there well maybe But for this life no remedy 2.tum mukhatib bhi ho qarib bhi ho tum ko dekhen ki tum se baat karen Translation: Close to me you are there should I speak or should I stare/see 3.koi samjhe to ek baat kahun ishq taufiq hai gunah nahin Translation: If someone were to listen, one thing I will opine Love is not a crime for sooth it is grace divine 4.na koi va.ada na koi yaqin na koi umiid magar hamen to tira intizar karna tha Translation: No promise, surety, nor any hope was due Yet I had little choice but to wait for you 5.main huun dil hai tanha.i hai tum bhi hote achchha hota Translation: Me, my loneliness, my heart are here Would be nice if you were here too 6.aa.e the hanste khelte mai-khane men firaq jab pi chuke sharab to sanjida ho ga.e Translation: We came to the tavern all gay and frolicsome Now having drunk the wine, somber have we become Firaq was a scholar of Persian and Sanskrit who used his knowledge of Indian philosophy in his rubais. He was also an English lecturer in Allahabad University and was conferred with the Sahitya Academy Award in 1961 and the Padam Bhushan in 1967 for his immense contribution to literature. (Couplet and translation courtesy Rekhta.org) Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. is testing fans' knowledge of Chipotle's sourcing, ingredients, recipes, and sustainability efforts. The Mexican food chain will reward its most devoted brand experts with a delicious offer of Buy-One-Get-One (BOGO). Chipotle IQ, a trivia game, includes questions on everything inside and outside the Chipotle restaurant. The test features multiple choice, true or false questions, and write-in answers. The fan will have an unlimited amount of tries to pass Chipotle IQ. However, the fast casual restaurant will only reward the first 250,000 test takers who answer all 10 randomly selected Chipotle IQ questions correctly with the digital BOGO code sent via text. Chipotle noted that no purchase is necessary to play or win the IQ game. It is open to legal residents of the 50 U.S. states & D.C. who are 13 years of age or older. The contest will run between August 26 and September 1 or when all prizes are over, whichever is earlier. The contest was reportedly over in about 6 hours though it was intended for seven days. They got the winners at about lunch time after launching the trivia contest at about 8 a.m. ET. When you now press the link to the IQ test, a message flashes saying, 'There were 250k Chipotle brainiacs who came before you, so unfortunately we're fresh out of BOGO prizes. But, if you want to have some fun and learn a little more about Chipotle, the test is all yours, you genius you.' Further, Chipotle is offering free delivery on all orders of $10 or more, excluding tax, that are made using the Chipotle app and Chipotle.com every Monday through September 28, 2020. It is available in delivery areas within the U.S. from participating U.S. Chipotle locations, during normal operating hours. Chipotle fans will also get the chance to win free burritos for a year if they correctly predict the score of the night's premier sporting event designated by Chipotle. As of June 30, 2020, Chipotle operated over 2,650 restaurants in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France and Germany and is the only restaurant company of its size that owns and operates all its restaurants. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de Ireland may be renowned for its charity efforts but the successful fundraising efforts of The Care Trust are a testament to the generosity of the Irish public. The Care Trust was formally incorporated in 1974 but it has been raising funds for CRC and Rehab since the late fifties. The registered charity added the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital to its list of beneficiaries 33 years ago and it has consistently provided much-needed funding for these Irish organisations ever since. Between 2014 and 2019 alone, The Care Trust raised close to 15m for these three worthy causes. It did so with the help of a loyal network of contributors across the country, a team of dedicated local fundraisers and the efforts of a voluntary board of directors whose good governance has earned The Care Trust numerous awards over the years. To find out more about its history, the three charities it supports, and its new online lottery called Fair Play To You, we spoke to the CEO of The Care Trust, Senan Mullins. From humble beginnings The genesis of The Care Trust can be traced back to the founding of CRC and Rehab in the late fifties. CRC was providing services to the public, supporting children and adults with physical disabilities, recalls Senan. Rehab was supporting people and families who were suffering from the plague of TB (tuberculosis) at the time, which was not unlike the Covid-19 situation now. With fundraising required to support those activities, The Care Trust was established as a speciality fundraising entity. CRC and Rehab are equal shareholders in the organisation, which raises funds for its beneficiaries by operating charitable lotteries. Were probably the oldest charitable lottery organisation in the country. As we ask people to support us, we put them into various draws each month as a thank you. The money raised through its car draws funds the services and activities of its three beneficiaries, with The Care Trust giving away 36 all-new Renault Clio cars this year. Their successful model of fundraising is based on repeat donations, with most contributors providing regular payments on an ongoing basis. What we do is ask the public if they can support us by giving a relatively small contribution on a long-term basis for as long as they can comfortably afford to do so. It has stood the test of time. The charity recently adapted its fundraising for the digital age with the introduction of its first online lottery, Fair Play To You. 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 a jackpot of between 5,000 and 25,000. You can also set up a monthly recurring payment of 9, which means that youll be entered in nine Fair Play To You draws every month. Ideally people would do it on a monthly basis, explains Senan. Thats the repeat, sustainable fundraising that we have developed over the years and the one thats most helpful for us and for our beneficiaries. Expand Close Deirdre OKane pictured at the launch of Fair Play To You / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Deirdre OKane pictured at the launch of Fair Play To You Supporting three fantastic Irish charities The money raised by The Care Trust helps to provide vital services that benefit families and communities throughout the country. CRC CRC provide a fantastic range of services and supports for people with disabilities, Senan says. While its headquartered in Dublin, it reaches right throughout Ireland and basically supports people with disabilities from babies to toddlers to schoolchildren to teenagers and right into adulthood. About 5,000 people avail of those services each year. Among other things, the Care Trust has used the funds it raised to purchase specially-commissioned minibuses to transport children to and from the CRC to avail of its services. It has also funded specialist summer camps for kids with disabilities, a playground for the kids in CRC, and a family room in the CRC to cater for families that travel long distances to avail of its services. Rehab Rehab champion the inclusion of people with disability and disadvantages, adds Senan. About 20,000 people use the Rehab services on an annual basis. They provide healthcare services to people including services for autism, vocational training for people with autism who need specialised training and education, and assisting people with disability to be placed in employment. They have somewhere in the region of 150 support centres around the country. The Care Trust funding has helped Rehab to buy vehicles to bring Rehab users to and from its centres and provided vital funding for the RehabCare Resource Centre in Tullamore for young adults with autism. It has also funded technology and e-learning supports for vocational training. The Mater The Mater is based in Dublin but it is the national centre for heart surgery, it does heart and lung transplantation, it has a national spinal injury unit, it has a national adult scoliosis unit and a number of other national units that serve the people of the 26 counties. In recent times, funding from The Care Trust has gone into a centralised information centre for the hospital that provides invaluable real-time data for medics to help them make faster medical decisions. It has also funded the provision of medical equipment in day surgery theatres, intensive care units and other hospital departments. Senan points out that The Care Trust has only been able to continue this incredible work thanks to the generosity of the public, the hard work of its fundraisers and the great work that is being done by its board of directors. Our board has been very supportive, and our chairman Bernard Walsh in particular, he adds. These are people who give generously of their time and expertise. They dont get a cent for doing it." Senan encourages the public to get behind the new online lottery, Fair Play To You, to provide much-needed funds for these three organisations. They will be supporting three fantastic Irish charities in CRC, Rehab and the Mater Hospital. Theres hardly a family in Ireland that hasnt been touched either directly or indirectly by CRC, Rehab or the Mater Hospital. If you can afford it, please support our Irish charities. Its easy to sign up to Fair Play To You. It is just as easy to cancel your future contributions if for any reason you change your mind. Go to the Fair Play To You website now and sign up for your chance to win cash prizes while helping 3 great Irish charities - CRC, Rehab and the Mater. Sponsored by Chambersburg Town Council has adopted a clarified policy on Halloween that will remove it from the decision-making process of canceling or rescheduling the event. The boroughs stance will be as follows: It is suggested that families trick or treat each year on October 31, from 6 to 8 p.m. in order to give your friends, neighbors, motorists, and police an idea when to expect extra pedestrians and visitors at their door. Participation and scheduling is entirely up to each family. Since trick-or-treating is not an event that is officially scheduled by the borough, the borough would not reschedule or suggest a rain date in the event of inclement weather or because of this years health crisis. Moreover, it is perfectly acceptable for folks to opt out and not participate. Council President Alice Elia said, We ask each family to determine what is best for them. The discussion at Mondays nights meeting centered around the events of 2019, when a storm blew up at the last minute on Oct. 31. This marked the second time in the past decade that a storm arrived on Halloween. The previous time was 2011, when as much as 10 inches of snow fell throughout central Pennsylvania. In both cases, council members said that residents looked to the borough to determine whether Trick or Treat was canceled and/or rescheduled. As Borough Manager Jeffrey Stonehill explained to the council members, This was not the intent of the scheduling of Trick or Treat in the past, adding that the event is self-managed by families and their neighbors, unlike a permitted event with an organization, borough permit, and a specific geographic area. In the end, there was confusion and some hard feelings for the lack of clarity from the borough. Council discussed several alternatives to clarify its policy. Anyone with questions should contact Jamia Wright, Chambersburg Borough Secretary at jwright@chambersburgpa.gov 400-plus faith leaders say gov't-funded Christian foster care orgs must place kids with gay couples Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment An interfaith coalition of more than 400 faith leaders signed a legal brief for a U.S. Supreme Court case arguing that Christian foster care agencies contracted with the government must place children in same-sex households. The amicus brief was filed last week in the Supreme Court case of Sharonell Fulton et al. v. City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, et al., supporting the decision of Philadelphia officials to end their contract with Catholic Social Services over its religious objections to placing children with same-sex couples. The brief takes issue with what the faith leaders call a false dichotomy between LGBT equality and the free exercise of religion and rejects an unfounded constitutional right to discriminate against same-sex couples when providing public child welfare services under a taxpayer-funded government contract. Personal religious views are entitled to the utmost respect but do not provide a license to write those views into government contracts to provide public services and thus dictate how those services are provided, stated the brief in part. Within the diverse panorama of American religious thought, a large and growing portion of the religious community welcomes, accepts, and celebrates LGBT individuals and their families and rejects the notion that they should be subject to discrimination based on differing religious views. The petitioners also rejected the argument that antidiscrimination standards would force [Catholic Social Services] and other religious foster care agencies to violate their religious beliefs about marriage and give up their ministry. Existing constitutional principles protect the autonomy of religious entities and individuals to teach and shape their religious beliefs concerning sexuality, marriage, and family life and to preserve religious practices that comport with their respective tenets, continued the brief. Philadelphia is enforcing nondiscrimination as a secular policy, regardless of the agencys religious affiliation or beliefs (or lack thereof) and regardless of whether or not the discrimination is motivated by religion. In addition to individual clergy, progressive faith groups that have signed onto the brief include the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, Central Atlantic Conference of the United Church of Christ, the Union for Reform Judaism, the Unitarian Universalist Association, Covenant Network of Presbyterians, the Methodist Federation for Social Action, Muslims for Progressive Values, and Reconciling Ministries Network, among others. The Rev. Gay Clark Jennings, president of the House of Deputies of The Episcopal Church, was the lead petitioner for the interfaith groups amicus brief. As Episcopalians, we believe in the equality of LGBTQ families because of our faith, not in spite of it, said Jennings in a statement released Monday. It is a false choice to suggest that we must choose either religious freedom or solidarity with our LGBTQ siblings in Christ. In 2018, Philadelphia officials decided to stop the placement of children in homes of foster parents affiliated with Catholic Social Services and Bethany Christian Services of Greater Delaware Valley. At issue was that both Christian foster care agencies refused on religious grounds to place children in the homes of same-sex couples, which the city considered discriminatory. While Bethany changed its policy, foster parents and others who worked with Catholic Social Services sued the city, claiming their decision violated the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Plaintiff Fulton fostered around 40 children during her 25 years of working with Catholic Social Services, and plaintiff Toni Simms-Busch was a former social worker who adopted her foster children through Catholic Social Services. Becket, a law firm that has successfully argued religious liberty cases before the Supreme Court, is helping to represent the plaintiffs. In Philadelphia, there are dozens of private agencies that partner with LGBTQ foster parents. And same-sex couples have been fostering kids in Philadelphia for years with their help. Nothing about this case would change that, Becket said. Catholic Social Services wants to continue serving vulnerable kids and foster families without compromising its beliefs (as it has done successfully for the last 100 years) alongside a diverse network of other agencies also serving the Philadelphia community. Catholic Social Services has loving families ready to care for kids today, but the government is keeping them on the sidelines. In April 2019, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit unanimously ruled in favor of the city, reaffirming a lower court's decision. [The First Amendment] does not prohibit government regulation of religiously motivated conduct so long as that regulation is not a veiled attempt to suppress disfavored religious beliefs, ruled the Third Circuit panel. CSS may assert that the citys actions were not driven by a sincere commitment to equality but rather by anti-religious and anti-Catholic bias (and is of course able to introduce additional evidence as this case proceeds), the current record does not show religious persecution or bias. In February, the Supreme Court agreed to hear oral arguments in the case during its next session, with a decision expected by the high court next June. Flipkart, Indias homegrown e-commerce marketplace, today introduced Brand Pulse a unique insights tool to help brands understand their awareness in the minds of consumers. Brand Pulse will enable brands to understand their relevance with context to competition, which, in turn, will help them develop timely and focused marketing plans on Flipkart. The tool is easy to use and is based on real consumer behaviour of over 250 million users, providing insights on a weekly basis. As the purchase journeys of customers become increasingly non-linear, brands need timely insights and knowledge of current trends to engage meaningfully with their audiences. Brand Pulse will shed light on which brands customers are looking at in a category and how their awareness has changed over time. This understanding is based on various aspects of the consumers e-commerce journey including search, response to banners, page views and so on. Commenting on the launch of Brand Pulse, Prakash Sikaria, Vice President Growth and Monetization at Flipkart, said, In the multimedia world that we live in, it is imperative for brands to understand the user journey in deeper ways and be strategically present on the platform where the decision to purchase is being made. With our deep consumer understanding, we believe that we can bring more purpose to the brands that are present on our platform, by leveraging real-time consumer behaviour to understand their awareness index. We believe that Brand Pulse will be the simplest way for a brand to understand how they are faring against the competition, which will enable them to measure brand health metrics on Flipkart through a new lens. Brand Pulse is the latest insights tool by Flipkart that is aimed at making the e-commerce shopping experience more valuable for both brands and consumers. Here are some questions that Brand Pulse will help answer: What is the consumer awareness for my brand vis-a-vis competitors on Flipkart this week, month or quarter? Which other brands have strong consumer awareness in my brands category on Flipkart? By enabling easy access to this online tool, Flipkart offers an opportunity for anyone in the marketing community to gauge how brands in a certain category rank in the minds of consumers. It will also appeal to curious consumers who are seeking to validate their brand preferences or discover new choices. The insights are based on high-level anonymised consumer interactions on Flipkart, giving a view into demographics too. Brand Pulse will be useful for brands in all product categories on Flipkart, especially those in highly competitive and evolving segments such as smartphones, consumer electronics, health foods and fashion. Brand Pulse can be accessed at https://brands.flipkart.com/brand-pulse The Amenfi East Municipal Officer of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Mr Daniel Akyeampong Boateng, has urged Ghanaians to demand accountability and to monitor development projects in their communities. He also asked the citizens to promote community involvement and ownership of development projects and policies in their localities. This, he noted, would help reduce apathy towards governance processes, ensure sustainability, reduce opportunities for corruption and enhance transparency. Mr Boateng said this at the Amenfi East Social Auditing engagement forum at Tieku in the Amenfi East Municipality in the Western Region. The forum organised by the NCCE with Support from the European Union forms part of the Commission's mandate to educate the public on their rights and civic responsibilities. The programme is also part of phase two of the Social Auditing activities under the Anti-Corruption, Rule of Law and Accountability Programme (ARAP). The Municipal Officer explained that the programme was to afford all persons outside government operations to influence policies and decision implementations. He said social Auditing was done to promote dialogue and discourse among citizens and duty bearers or office holders on planning, implementation and monitoring of development projects and programmes. Mr Boateng urged citizens to show particular interest in the activities and Programmes of the government by making pragmatic inputs to help in the development of the country. Mr Barnabas Dejor Ofori, the Assembly Member for the Tieku Electoral area, lauded the NCCE for the programme. He called on the social Audit committee to take the mandate seriously and push for the development of the area. He mentioned electricity for the community, rehabilitation of school buildings, potable water, CHIPS Compound and a community centre as priority projects. Mr Ofori appealed to the Chief of the area to make land available for the development projects. Mr Frederick Adomako, the Municipal works engineer, lauded the people of Tieku for participating in the programme. He assured them of the inclusion of their priority needs in the Assemblys next Budget. A five-member Social Audit committee with Mr Isaac Obeng Turkson, a unit committee member as chairman and Mr Godfred Edufey, Derrick Awuku, Ms Theresa Adabla and Mr Emmanuel Boakye as members was inaugurated to promote community involvement and ownership of development projects. The committee is also to help increase awareness on the operations of the local government system among the citizenry and to empower them to demand accountability and to monitor development projects. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Dr. Anthony Fauci says he was undergoing surgery when the rest of the White House Coronavirus Task Force decided to loosen up COVID-19 testing guidelines and he was not a part of the controversial move. Fauci said he was undergoing an operation for polyps on his throat and was sedated when the task force met on Thursday August 20 and discussed an update to US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. Those guidelines were released Monday and state that people who have come into contact with individuals with coronavirus no longer need to get tested, if they don't have symptoms. 'I was under general anesthesia in the operating room and was not part of any discussion or deliberation regarding the new testing recommendations,' Fauci said to CNN's Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta on Wednesday. Dr. Anthony Fauci said he was undergoing surgery when the rest of the White House Coronavirus Task Force met on Thursday August 20 to loosen up COVID-19 testing guidelines. Those new guidelines were released Monday WATCH: Dr. Sanjay Gupta says Dr. Fauci told him the new CDC guidelines were approved while he was under general anesthesia. Gupta: "This is worrisome, this is a clear schism" pic.twitter.com/8EQO5TKSGu Mike Gwin (@MichaelJGwin) August 26, 2020 'I am concerned about the interpretation of these recommendations and worried it will give people the incorrect assumption that asymptomatic spread is not of great concern. In fact it is,' Fauci said, disapproving of the update. Today there are more than 5.8million cases of COVID-19 in the US and there have been more than 179,000 deaths. Those new guidelines state that people who have been within six feet of a person with COVID-19 for at least 15 minutes who do not exhibit symptoms dont have to get tested unless the have vulnerable health conditions or officials suggest so. Prior guidelines stated that anyone who had close contact with someone with coronavirus should get tested, whether they exhibit symptoms or not. Fauci was under general anesthesia and was advised by doctors to avoid speaking to allow his vocal cords to recover. A senior federal health official said that the changes came from pressure from up top the Trump administration. 'Its coming from the top down,' the source said to CNN. President Donald Trump, who has been heavily criticized for his handling of the pandemic, has repeatedly denounced widespread testing, claiming that the surge in cases is due to efficient testing and the country should slow down testing instead. A senior federal health official said that the changes came from pressure from up top the Trump administration. President Donald Trump has repeatedly said the country should slow down testing, atrributing a spike in cases to increased testing efforts But officials with the Trump administration say that the effort came from the entire Task Force team and Fauci had a hand in helping. US Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary Dr. Brett Giroir said that the guidelines update was discussed and approved by task force members last Thursday. He said that the updated guidelines originated within the CDC and were written by multiple authors and that he, Fauci, Dr. Deborah Birx, and Dr. Stephen Hahn worked on them. When asked whether Fauci signed off on the guidelines Wednesday, Giroir said, 'Yes, all the docs signed off on this before it even got to the task force level.' 'The new guidelines are a CDC action. As always, guidelines received appropriate attention, consultation and input from task force experts, and I mean the medical and scientific experts,' Giroir said, also mentioning CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield. 'All the task force experts advise on coronavirus-related matters.' Today there are more than 5.8million cases of COVID-19 in the US and there have been more than 179,000 deaths The idea for the new CDC guidelines was first raised by Redfield a month earlier, back when a surge in COVID-19 cases strained the nation's testing resources and experts were looking for a way to curb excessive testing. Back then, Redfield suggested the CDC relax on testing guidelines to not waste tests on healthy individuals who do not experience any COVID-19 symptoms, two sources said. Many health officials were startled by the sudden update this week. Some raised question as to why the CDC didn't provide evidence to back the change. 'I mean, the evidence that I'm aware of as of today is that close to 40% of the cases of the infections are asymptomatic and asymptomatic people transmit the infection,' Dr. Carlos del Rio, infectious disease specialist and associate dean of Emory University School of Medicine, said. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom of California said he will not abide by the new guidelines People line up to receive free COVID Testing at the City of Boston's pop-up COVID-19 testing site on August 11 A healthcare worker assists a motorist with a nasal swab test at a drive-in coronavirus (COVID-19) testing center in Los Angeles, California on August 11 'So, not testing - I mean, if you have been in contact with somebody for a few minutes, that's okay. But if you have been in contact for 15 minutes and that people doesn't have a mask, I think you need to be tested regardless if you have symptoms or not,' he added. Critics of President Donald Trump accused the administration of relaxing its guidelines on testing in order to reduce the number of tests conducted, and in turn reduce the number of positive test results. 'This is not science. Its politics. Politics that are dangerous to public health. It's indefensible,' said New York Governor Andrew Cuomo in a tweet. 'The Trump administration has one COVID strategy: Denial,' the Democrat continued. 'If you dont test people for COVID, there are fewer cases. Now they are forcing the CDC to fall in line with this head-in-the-sand strategy.' Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom of California said he will not abide by the new guidelines. 'I don't agree with the new CDC guidance period, full stop, and it's not the policy in the state of California,' he said in a news conference. 'We will not be influenced by that change. We're influenced by those that are experts in the field that feel very differently.' Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) New York, United States Thu, August 27, 2020 17:08 511 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c40ed6b4 2 Art & Culture Central-Park,New-York-City,statue,real-women Free It's a small but significant foot in the door of an urban landscape completely dominated by white men: On Wednesday, New York's Central Park inaugurated its first statue honoring "real women," two of them white and one black, all of them pioneers in the struggle for women's rights. In its 167-year history, the park has seen some 30 statues installed over its vast 840 acres (340 hectares). But they have honored only white men and fictional women -- like Alice in Wonderland at a tea party with the Mad Hatter, or a life-size statue of Juliet, in tender embrace with her Romeo, near the theater that hosts Shakespeare in the Park plays. On Wednesday, that "bronze ceiling" was shattered, as former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton said at the statue's inauguration, which was streamed online. The new statue represents Sojourner Truth (1797-1883), Susan B. Anthony (1820-1906) and Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1815-1902) -- campaigners for the rights of women and blacks, gathered around a small table where they appear to be absorbed in intense discussion, "not dreaming but working," in the words of sculptor Meredith Bergmann. Its inauguration comes a week after the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution, which gave women the right to vote. None of the three women lived to see that day, but without them it likely would not have come when it did. The statue sits alongside one of the park's most popular paths, the so-called Literary Walk, not far from statues of Shakespeare, the poet Robert Burns and the author, politician and historian Sir Walter Scott. It represents the culmination of a seven-year effort, said Pam Elam, who heads the Monumental Women association, which fights for wider recognition of women's role in history. "What we all seek is nothing less than a full and fair historical record ... that reflects the contribution of all women and people of color, and we won't stop until we win that," Elam said. Read also: New Zealand removes statue of controversial colonist The road to the statue's inauguration has been anything but smooth, reflecting the intense debate in the US about the historic treatment of women and blacks. That debate escalated sharply with the anti-racism protests that followed the death at police hands of George Floyd in late May, prompting the removal in some cities of statues honoring Confederate leaders, and even Christopher Columbus, linked to the enslavement or oppression of minorities. The original plan for the statue included only Anthony and Stanton, both white women, prompting criticism that it neglected the historic role of black women. So planners added Sojourner Truth, a prominent abolitionist who once delivered an impassioned plea for women's rights now famous as her "Ain't I a Woman?" speech. Statues of women are rare not just in Central Park but all around New York. City officials have committed themselves to dedicating more monuments to women. An early beneficiary of that effort will be Shirley Chisholm (1924-2005), a Brooklyn native who in 1968 became the first black woman ever elected to Congress: her statue is slated to be completed by the end of this year and be installed at that borough's large Prospect Park. The Workers Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California has submitted its Jan. 1, 2021 pure premium rate filing to the California Department of Insurance, proposing advisory pure premium rates that are on average 2.6% above the average approved Jan. 1, 2020 advisory pure premium rates. The average of the proposed January 1, 2021 advisory pure premium rates is $1.56 per $100 of payroll. Absent the estimated impact of COVID-19 claims on 2021 policies, the filing reflects a modest decrease (1.3%) in advisory pure premium rates. In addition to projecting the cost of COVID-19 claims to be incurred on 2021 policies, the filing also reflects the impact of the pandemic-related economic slowdown on future wage growth, claim frequency and claim severity. The move follows a vote by the WCIRB governing committee earlier this month. Once the CDI schedules a public hearing to consider the filing, a Notice of proposed action and notice of public hearing will be issued and posted in the filings and plans section of the WCIRB website. Related: Topics California Workers' Compensation VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / August 27, 2020 / CanaFarma Hemp Products Corp. (CSE:CNFA) (the "Company" or "CanaFarma") is pleased to announce that Mr. Djibril Gibson Kagni has joined the CanaFarma team as Head of Media Management. Mr. Kagni is a brand builder who will be using the music industry platform he has built and his influential network of contacts to ensure that the science-based hemp oil-infused products that CanaFarma sells, will be very visible in the marketplace. Already Gibson has facilitated a groundbreaking partnership between Foodgod and CanaFarma. Djibril Gibson Kagni is a Senegalese-American record producer, investor and philanthropist. He is the only American producer that has won over twenty international awards including multiple Russian Grammy Awards. His work includes helping shape the successful careers of stars like Akon, Timati and many more. He has worked with A-list artists such as Snoop Dogg, Jason Deroulo, Pitbull, Hardwell, Booba, Ja Rule and Diddy. As a brand builder he helped many African telecommunications companies launch new campaigns and market their products by using the music industry platform. As an investor, Mr. Kagni has become synonymous with pragmatism and positive results. David Lonsdale, the CEO of CanaFarma, commented, "I am very pleased to welcome Gibson to the CanaFarma executive team. His accomplishments and knowledge of the music and media industry will be very valuable to the Company as we accelerate the growth of our Confectionary, Beauty and Pain Relief industry verticals." About CanaFarma Hemp Products Corp. CanaFarma Hemp Products Corp. is a full-service company operating in the hemp industry offering a full range of hemp-related products and services to the consumer wellness market. These products and services include growing top-quality hemp, providing hemp-processing services, and offering hemp-based products to consumers utilizing a well-established direct-to-consumer marketing approach. CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION: This news release includes certain "forward-looking statements" under applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; and delay or failure to receive board, shareholder or regulatory approvals. 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. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: David Lonsdale Chief Executive Officer Phone: (214) 704-7942 Email: david@canafarmacorp.com SOURCE: CanaFarma Hemp Products Corp. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/603474/CanaFarma-Hemp-Products-Corp-Announces-the-Appointment-of-Djibril-Gibson-Kagni-to-Head-of-Media-Management An Post has released a set of four fun stamp designs marking 25 years of legendary sit-com, Father Ted ...and don't forget, there's a Donegal connection with the famous television comedy show. The stamps feature iconic one- liners now linked to each of the four main characters: Thats mad, Ted (Fr Dougal); That would be an ecumenical matter (Fr Jack) Will you have a cup of tea Father? (Mrs Doyle) and the now infamous That money was just resting in my account (Fr Ted). Retro wallpaper in the background of each stamp matches the different rooms in the Craggy Island Parochial House. The specially designed stamp booklet (5.70) (above) by Dublins Detail Design Studio contains five stamps celebrating the characters, their famed catchphrases and the world created by Father Ted. And of course we can't forget the Donegal connection! Kevin Sharkey, artist, political activist, former television presenter and actor from Killybegs . He had a small part in Father Ted where he played a priest named Father Shaft in two episodes. Kevin Sharkey delivering his 'Donegal' line in Fr Ted His most famous line, coming after a nun asked him what he thought of all the work being done in Africa by priests, was, "Sure I wouldn't know, I'm from Donegal". Four 1 N rate stamps cover postage in Ireland (including Craggy Island), with a 1.70 W rate stamp for postage worldwide. Stamps, a souvenir envelope and other collectibles are available online at www.anpost.com/shop and in selected post offices nationwide. Were having some fun with this one, and thats all that matters! A handful of scenes, catchphrases and characters are forever fused on the public psyche. In a recent An Post survey, customers had some fun sharing their favourite Father Ted moments: - Best loved episodes included Hell (21%); Speed 3 (18%); Kicking Bishop Brennan up the Arse (17%) and A Song For Europe (16%). - Its in direct conversation that Ted-isms most often pop up (88%), with over one third of respondents (37%) claiming Father Ted creeps into their speech on a weekly basis and one in five (20%) claiming to quote lines from the series on a daily basis! Humour is the best medicine right now Julie Gill, marketing director at An Post welcomed the injection of fun which the stamps are bringing to customers. We are creating a laugh out loud moment with these colourful stamps, while marking 25 years of Father Ted and remembering those members of the cast and crew who are no longer with us. "Right now, the power of fun and of laughter is to be celebrated. A set of lovely stamps for Father Ted is a good dose of humour and we want customers to join in the fun by sending laughs with these great new Irish stamps. It doesnt matter what day it is Father, theres always time for a nice cup of tea. Fr Ted cast member, actor and author Pauline McLynn welcomed the new stamps. Im delighted with the recognition Father Ted is receiving through these gorgeous stamps from An Post. The stamps are comical, colourful and capture the humour of Father Ted, which all of us knew was so special at the time, irreverent, farcical and fun! "The legacy of the show and everyone involved with it lives on with Father Teds ongoing success and influence on language, on comedy writing and on generations of fans, she said. Matt Hancock today attributed his tan to a week's surfing holiday in Cornwall Matt Hancock today attributed his glowing sun tan to a week's surfing staycation in Cornwall as he defended ministers for going on holiday during the coronavirus crisis. The Health Secretary was asked 'where did you get that tan?' during an LBC Radio interview this morning as he was grilled about his summer glow. He revealed he had recently spent a week surfing in the South West of England. Boris Johnson faced criticism earlier this month for going on a holiday to Scotland and for failing to pause his break to intervene in the unfolding A-level and GCSE results fiasco. But Mr Hancock backed the PM and other ministers who have downed tools as he said that 'everybody deserves a break'. Asked about the origins of his tan, Mr Hancock replied: 'Cornwall.' He then continued: 'You can't beat a holiday in Cornwall. I went surfing in Cornwall. 'It was absolutely fantastic, glorious - holiday at home, you can't beat Cornwall in the summer.' Mr Hancock, who contracted Covid-19 in March, has been a central figure in the Government's response to the pandemic. Defending his decision to take a break, he said: 'I've had one week of holiday this year. I think everybody deserves a break.' Holidays for Mr Johnson and his top team have proved a contentious topic of late after a row over the timing of the PM's break. Mr Johnson's public appearances this week, in both Devon and Leicestershire, suggested he did not experience the same levels of sunshine during his visit to Scotland as the Health Secretary enjoyed in Cornwall. The Conservative Party leader and his fiancee, Carrie Symonds, cut short their holiday after pictures of their cottage were published. The Prime Minister, his partner and their baby son Wilfred - along with dog Dilyn - were reported to be staying in a remote three-bedroom house with 'spectacular views' towards the islands of Raasay, Rona and Skye. But it was claimed they were forced to abandon their break because it was no longer considered safe for them to stay following the emergence of the pictures. Meanwhile, embattled Education Secretary Gavin Williamson came in for criticism after accusations surfaced in the Sunday Times that he reportedly cancelled a key meeting to go on holiday in Scarborough the week before the A-level exams debacle. He subsequently explained his actions in a tweet as he said: 'I cancelled our family holiday abroad this year to focus on the challenges COVID-19 created for the education sector. 'Over the summer, I went to see family in Scarborough for the first time since lockdown, and while there I was in constant communication with the Department. Gillian Keegan, an education minister, was also criticised after sharing photographs of herself in France as the results drama unfolded. And last month Transport Secretary Grant Shapps arrived in Spain on the same day that he and other key Cabinet ministers decided to impose quarantine measures on those returning from the European country following a spike in Covid-19 cases. The former Tory chairman cut his break short and had to work from home as part of his 14 days of self-isolation upon his return. Ukraine may adopt Turkey's experience to reduce dependence on fertilizers imports experts 12:20, 27.08.20 1937 Ukraine, being a country with its own developed chemical enterprises, imports up to 40% of the total volume of ammonium nitrate required. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has asked an appeals court to reverse a lower courts ruling vacating the permit of the Dakota Access oil pipeline to operate, arguing that such ruling creates impossible standards that could scupper future major infrastructure projects. A federal judge ruled on July 6 that the Dakota Access Pipeline, in operation since 2017, must be emptied and shut down by August 5, until a new comprehensive environmental review is complete. The United States District Court for the District of Columbia said that the Army Corps of Engineers had violated the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) when it gave a permit to the pipeline to build beneath Lake Oahe. Earlier this month, a U.S. appeals court ruled that the Dakota Access can stay open and should not be emptied of crude, but it did order an expedited schedule for the parties to submit briefs over whether a new environmental impact statement would be needed for the pipeline. In its brief to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, lawyers for the Army Corps of Engineers said that If not corrected, the district courts decision will create a new, heightened standard of judicial review that will be impossible for agencies to meet as they consider vital infrastructure projects that excite opposition from some sector of society, as carried by Bloomberg Law. According to the Army Corps, those impossible standards would not only discourage investment in major infrastructure, but they would also waste government resources. The Army Corps argues that the district court which ordered Dakota Access shut down and the Army Corps to carry out a new, more comprehensive, environmental assessment review applied the wrong legal standard in the precedent it used to vacate the permit for the 570,000-bpd oil pipeline that carries oil from the Bakken/Three Forks area in North Dakota to Patoka, Illinois. By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: FP Trending Samsung is gearing up to launch the successor to its Galaxy A11, the Samsung Galaxy A12, soon. An online leak suggests that the phone will be similar to A11 and come with some upgraded features. Sam Mobile exclusively reported that the upcoming budget phone is going to come with 64 GB storage. While the Galaxy A11 came with only a 32 GB storage option, buyers of the Galaxy A12 will get the option to choose between the higher 64 GB variant and the base 32 GB variant. The report also revealed that the upcoming handset has received the model number SM-A125F. As GSMArena reports, this nomenclature sits well with Samsungs naming scheme that had named the Galaxy A11 as SM-A115F. In terms of the camera setup and display, the Galaxy A12 is going to be quite similar to the Galaxy A11. While the exact division of the triple camera setup is up for speculation, it would not be a surprise if A12 also had a 13 MP primary camera, a 5 MP ultrawide and a 2 MP depth sensor camera like its predecessor. The reveal added that the latest model will also have a LCD display and a capacitive fingerprint sensor like the A11. The report concluded that Samsung has only begun the production of the device so further details are yet to come. However, the A12 is likely to come with a bigger battery when compared to the Galaxy A11s 4,000 mAh cell. Samsung Galaxy A11 was launched by the company back in May and featured 1.8GHz Octa-core processor. Although the RAM variants of the upcoming model are unknown, the A11 featured a 2 GB RAM + 32 GB storage variant and a 3 GB RAM + 32 GB storage option. ORLANDO, Fla., Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- A new survey reveals that 52 percent of American adults believe that Jesus was a great teacher and nothing more. If Jesus' claim to be God is false, then He was either delusional or deceptive, but He could not have been a great teacher. Ligonier Ministries' biennial State of Theology survey provides key findings on what Americans think about God, truth, the Bible, worship, and ethical issues. Conducted with LifeWay Research, this survey polled a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults. The full results for the 2020 survey will be available online at TheStateofTheology.com as of September 8. The Bible and the historic creeds of the Christian church plainly declare that Jesus Christ is truly God and truly man. Throughout history, critics have denied this claim, believing that Jesus was a great teacher and nothing more. The 2020 State of Theology survey reveals that a majority of American adults now hold this false view. Historically, evangelical Christians have affirmed the authority of the Bible and salvation by Jesus Christ. The Bible testifies often to the deity of Christ; He is God incarnate, the Word made flesh (John 1:1; 8:58; Rom. 9:5; Heb. 1:14). It may not be a great surprise that the majority of the general U.S. population rejects the deity of Christ, but now almost a third of evangelicals (30 percent) agree that Jesus was merely a great teacher. And while 66 percent of American evangelicals disagree with the statement, "Jesus was a good teacher, but he was not God," nearly as many (65 percent) still agree with the statement, "Jesus is the first and greatest being created by God." The confusion illustrated in these results suggests a dire need for Christians to be taught Christology, the doctrine of the person and work of Jesus Christ. Dr. Stephen Nichols, chief academic officer of Ligonier Ministries and president of Reformation Bible College, said: "Statistics like these from the State of Theology survey can give us quite a shock, but they also shed light on the concerns that many American Christians and churches have expressed for decades. As the culture around us increasingly abandons its moral compass, professing evangelicals are sadly drifting away from God's absolute standard in Scripture. It's clear that the church does not have the luxury of idly standing by. This is a time for Christians to study Scripture diligently, engage confidently with people in our culture, and witness fearlessly to the identity and saving work of Jesus Christ in the gospel." To help Christians articulate the Bible's teaching on the person and work of Jesus Christ with accuracy and simplicity, Ligonier Ministries has formulated the Ligonier Statement on Christology. Available in twenty written languages, this statement can be read and downloaded at ChristologyStatement.com. LifeWay Research surveyed a nationally representative sample of 3,002 adults in the United States, including 630 professing evangelicals. The survey was carried out from March 10 to 18, 2020. More information can be found at TheStateofTheology.com on September 8. Evangelicals were defined by LifeWay Research as people who strongly agreed with the following four statements: The Bible is the highest authority for what I believe. It is very important for me personally to encourage non-Christians to trust Jesus Christ as their Savior. as their Savior. Jesus Christ's death on the cross is the only sacrifice that could remove the penalty of my sin. death on the cross is the only sacrifice that could remove the penalty of my sin. Only those who trust in Jesus Christ alone as their Savior receive God's free gift of eternal salvation. About Ligonier Ministries Ligonier Ministries exists to proclaim, teach, and defend the holiness of God in all its fullness to as many people as possible. To that end, Ligonier's outreach today is manifold and worldwide. Founded by Dr. R.C. Sproul in 1971, Ligonier's teaching fellowship consists of theologians, pastors, and scholars. Ligonier publishes Renewing Your Mind broadcasts, the Reformation Study Bible, Tabletalk magazine, books through Reformation Trust, and hundreds of teaching series. The ministry also offers an undergraduate degree program through Reformation Bible College. In addition, Ligonier hosts national and regional conferences, provides an online learning community through Ligonier Connect, streams 24-hour Christian Internet radio through RefNet, answers biblical and theological questions with Ask Ligonier, pursues numerous translation efforts in other countries, and makes available thousands of unique educational resources online at Ligonier.org. SOURCE Ligonier Ministries Related Links http://www.ligonier.org Download Image: Web Lycoming College is one of the nations best liberal arts colleges, according to the Princeton Review, who recommends Lycoming College in the 2021 edition of its annual college guide, The Best 386 Colleges. As one of just 14 percent of Americas 2,800 four-year colleges profiled in the book, Lycoming was selected in part based on the strength of its academic offerings data. In a year when the pandemic caused many colleges and universities to struggle to meet their enrollment targets, Lycoming was among a group of top colleges that met their goal. The College opened with a new class of 340 students benefitting from in-person instruction. In addition, Lycoming increased its representation of domestic students of color to 40 percent in a year when overall enrollment by students of color declined. The three most recent classes recruited to the College have been defined by a growth in students from outside Pennsylvania, a greater percentage of students from the top decile of their high school classes and greater diversity. We are excited with the progress that we have made at Lycoming in recruiting classes each year that are more national, more diverse, and demonstrate stronger academic credentials, said Kent C. Trachte, president of Lycoming College. These results flow directly from investments that we have made in academic programs, facilities, and scholarships that were funded in part by the most successful fundraising campaign in the Colleges history. Partnerships with charter schools and other access organizations have also enabled us to recruit talented students from the full mosaic of the American college-age population. In the profile, Lycoming College is praised for its interdisciplinary programs, engaging faculty, and tight-knit community with students commenting that faculty and administration work hard to customize thecollege experience to each students needs, and that the small and intimate campus helps the student body feel like a family. Students also point out the vibrant student life with volunteer opportunities, employment opportunities [and] events with speakers on relevant societal topics [as well as] programs to develop leadership [skills]. The Princeton Reviews Best 386 profile of Lycoming College can be found in the printed book, as well as online with free site registration at: https://www.princetonreview.com/college/lycoming-college-1022971 German grocery chain Aldi could double the number of outlets it has in the Dublin region to about 50 in coming years as it seeks to boost its presence around the capital, according to the group managing director of its Irish arm, Niall O'Connor. The retailer currently has just 22 stores in the Dublin area, with a total of 143 around the country. "It's important that we keep doing what we're doing in terms of expansion," Mr O'Connor told the Irish Independent. "We're not everywhere." He said the smaller footprint around Dublin was "pretty evident" as the country went into lockdown. "There's an opportunity for a lot more," he said of Aldi's ambitions in the greater Dublin area. While he said that double the current number is conceivable, he added that "it's very difficult to say" what the actual figure will be. Rival SuperValu, controlled by the Musgrave group, went some way towards solving its relative lack of outlets in the Dublin area by acquiring the Superquinn chain in 2011 from receivership. Superquinn's main presence was in and around the capital. "Right now, we don't have that foothold that we would like," said Mr O'Connor of Aldi's footprint in Dublin. The retailer will soon open an outlet in Bayside on Dublin's northside and also in Blanchardstown. The Aldi Ireland boss added that the chain has been looking at how to speed up its store development in Dublin. "What's key for us is we shouldn't compromise. We need to deliver our business format for the consumer, but there are opportunities for us to do things in the interim that brings the Aldi brand to consumers sooner," he said. That could see the chain pursuing more leaseholds, for instance, that it currently has, he explained. Mr O'Connor said that the retailer opens six or seven stores a year on average here. That means it would have a total of about 50 new stores across the country within seven years. "So much of that depends on availability of sites, the planning process," he said. "We're committed in terms of expanding the portfolio. That would be our ambition - to do it as quickly as possible." Aldi - which in Ireland has a 12.6pc share of the grocery market - is also keeping its trial delivery partnership with Deliveroo here under review, and Mr O'Connor said it's been "very successful" since its launch a few weeks ago. The service initially operated at just two stores in Dublin and has now expanded to five around the capital and will have coverage of all the inner Dublin area. Two stores each in Cork and Galway are also now offering the service. "Deliveroo is very early beginnings for us," said Mr O'Connor. "I think we're going to take some tremendous learnings from that. It's a bit early yet to draw any conclusions. "We've always been looking at online and understanding the online market and when and if it would be appropriate for us to enter," he added. "This was an opportunity for us with Deliveroo where we could, in quite a controlled way, offer the Aldi proposition. "It is a trial, it's one that we're reviewing on an ongoing basis, but we're very pleased with the results. Once it's concluded, we'll make decisions as to whether that's something that we will continue , or maybe even evolve into something else," said the retail boss. "We're doing this in the heat of Covid and our primary goal was to make sure we could get our product to customers who weren't in a position to avail of it." The man who shot and killed a panhandler outside Trader Joe's last weekend was arrested Thursday, two days after police issued a warrant for his arrest and five days after detectives questioned him about the shooting but released him without filing charges. LATEST: Trader Joe's parking lot shooter reloaded after gun misfired, then killed unarmed panhandler, police say Jace Boyd, 24, will be booked into jail on a count of second-degree murder, the Baton Rouge Police Department announced on its Facebook page. He was taken into custody with assistance from the Louisiana State Police Fugitive Task Force. Boyd acknowledged shooting Danny Buckley, 61, Saturday evening in the Trader Joe's parking lot on Perkins Road, according to a police report. Officers questioned Boyd about the shooting but did not arrest him, pending a further investigation. Police then issued a warrant for his arrest late Tuesday afternoon. When Boyd hadn't turned himself in by the next morning, BRPD turned to Facebook to seek the public's help, while also actively searching for him. BRPD seeks suspect in Trader Joe's panhandler death days after letting him go Baton Rouge police asked the public for help capturing a murder suspect Wednesday, four days after detectives interviewed the man about the we The exact circumstances of the shooting remain murky, but Buckley was "aggressively harassing customers" in the Trader Joe's parking lot, according to a police report obtained by The Advocate. The question is whether his actions were aggressive enough to justify Boyd's decision to pull the trigger. Boyd claimed self-defense, police said Wednesday. Attorneys for Buckley's family said they have personally interviewed three witnesses, including a young woman who identified herself as the last person Buckley asked for money before the shooting. The woman said Buckley followed her and her roommate to their car and she heard someone shout at him to leave them alone as she was getting into the vehicle. Seconds later, she heard a gunshot. "I never felt threatened by Mr. Buckley in any way," she wrote on Twitter, noting she could only speak to her own perceptions. Panhandling, she wrote, "should not be a death sentence." Top stories in Baton Rouge in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Detectives had contacted Boyd on the scene and later interviewed him but chose not to arrest him that night. Three days later following significant public outcry and a meeting with attorneys for the victim's family detectives issued the arrest warrant. A copy of the warrant, which should contain details about why police believe Boyd committed a criminal offense when he pulled the trigger, has not been made public. The police report didn't specify whether Buckley was armed or how exactly he was behaving toward customers. Attorneys for Buckley's family claim the shooting constitutes a hate crime. Buckley was Black and Boyd is White. The attorneys questioned whether police would have handled the case differently if a young Black man shot an older White man in the same Perkins Road shopping center, which contains several other upscale retail stores and restaurants in addition to the Trader Joe's market. Attorneys also questioned whether BRPD issued the warrant in response to political pressure. The warrant came after Baton Rouge Mayor Sharon Weston Broome said she was very concerned about the incident and had asked the city's police chief to "conduct a fair and transparent review of what happened." Attorney for victim shot outside Trader Joe's calls shooting a hate crime; arrest warrant issued Baton Rouge police issued an arrest warrant Tuesday for the man who shot and killed a panhandler Saturday in the Trader Joe's parking lot on P Some people commenting on the department's Facebook post wondered why the police initially released Boyd giving him a head start to flee authorities, as one commenter suggested only to come back a few days later seeking his whereabouts. The American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana also released a statement Thursday morning criticizing that decision. "There is not a shadow of a doubt that if Jace Boyd were Black, he would not have been respectfully questioned and then released by investigators," said ACLU Executive Director Alanah Odoms Hebert. Baton Rouge police spokesman Sgt. L'Jean McKneely Jr. explained that detectives didn't have enough evidence the night of the shooting to make a valid arrest at that point. He said detectives needed more time to interview witnesses, review video footage and collect other evidence before determining the strength of Boyd's self-defense claim. New Delhi: Russia's Ivan nuclear bomb blast is known to be the most powerful of the nuclear explosions in the world so far. Russia has released the secret video of the Tsar Bomba Nuke Test, which gives full details of the biggest nuclear bomb blast. The strength of this atom bomb can be gauged from the fact that it was 3333 times more powerful than the atomic bomb dropped in Hiroshima, Japan, said a pledgetimes.com report. Notably, the release of the documentary coincides with the 75th anniversary of Russias nuclear industry. The Tsar Bomba Nuke Test was done on October 30, 1961, in the Barent Sea during the Cold War. Given the destructive capability of this atomic bomb, the nuclear test is called the weapon of destruction of the earth, as it was about 50 megatons and was torn to a strength equal to 50 million tons of conventional explosives. If this bomb was dropped in a city like Delhi, then the whole city would have turned into a pile of ash, and most people have would been badly burnt, according to the report. The blast would have been up to Pakistan and could have radioactive effects. The explosion would cause an earthquake of magnitude 5 on the Richter scale and be felt worldwide, the report said. According to the PledgeTimes, "This atomic bomb was dropped by Russian aircraft into the ice above Novaya Gemalya in the Arctic sea. This catastrophic nuclear bomb was built under the program izdeliye 202. Later, when the Western world came to know about this atomic bomb, it was named Tsar Bomba." Russias Rostam State Atomic Energy Corporation released a 30-minute documentary on its YouTube channel on August 20. The fear of this nuclear bomb was so great that the cameras were reportedly installed hundreds of miles away and these powerful cameras video-graphed the fireball for about 40 seconds and then turned into a cloud of mushrooms, the report said. A plane 100 miles away from the site made a video of mushroom-shaped dung that went to a height of around 213,000 feet. Russia held the rare footage for nearly 6 decades as the top-secret but has released it after Rostam completed 75 years. The Russian Army named the Tsar Bomba RDS-220, which was created during the Cold War between the US and the Soviet Union. "The Soviet Union built a nuclear bomb called this Ivan to collide with Americas thermonuclear device. In 1954, the US tested its largest thermonuclear device on Marshall Island. This device was 15 megatons. Its name was Castel Bravo. It was stronger than all the atomic bombs of that time. When the Soviet Union came to know about this, it decided to confront the US," said the report, adding that the then Soviet Union made the worlds largest nuclear bomb to answer the US in just 7 years. The report further said that the atomic bomb was first moved by train to the Oleanya Airbase from where it was loaded onto a long-range capable Tu-95, and the bomber took off on October 30 and traveled about 600 miles to reach Severni Island, which is inside the Arctic. The bomber dropped the bomb but it slowly fell on the earth as it had reportedly contained a parachute. The bomb and the aircraft got so much time that it could not fall into the blast. When this bomb reached a height of about 13 thousand feet from the ground, it was detonated, the report added. The Drive report, however, said that "the documentary shows us inside the cockpit of the Tu-95V, where aircrew don protective goggles before we see the 26.5-ton bomb falls away gently under a parachute towards its intended target the Russian Defense Ministrys State Testing Site No. 6 close to Novaya Zemlyas Matochkin Strait." The mission was controlled from an underground bunker at Belyusha Bay, 162 miles south of the test site, said The Drive, adding that "Closer to the site of the detonation itself was D-8, 56 miles from the test area, which housed further measuring and recording equipment, plus an underground command post, with warships being used as a communications relay between the two stations." The brainchild of Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, Ivan was reportedly authorized in July 1961 at an especially frosty period in East-West relations that culminated in the Berlin Crisis and the citys permanent partition by the Berlin Wall. Khrushchev had demanded his engineers develop a thermonuclear weapon with an unprecedented yield of 100 megatons, requiring a three-stage warhead, rather than the usual two. aton charge, said The Drive. After this explosion, the US and Russia signed a treaty in 1963, and both the countries prohibited the testing of atomic bombs in the air and they started underground nuclear tests. The cafe, which has been operating in the city centre since 1927, closed earlier this year due to the Covid-19 lockdown and announced in May that it would be permanently closing due the impact of virus on the business, with the loss of 110 jobs. However, at the end of July the business reconsidered the closure and announced a phased reopening plan instead, with its doors opening at 10am this morning. Three generations of the Campbell family are involved in the business, with owner of the cafe Paddy Campbell welcoming the reopening: Like many of you, lockdown gave me a lot of time to think and reflect on whats precious in this life. Im 78 years old, born and bred in inner-city Dublin. Ive lived through many recessions and recoveries and seen Ireland grow and change, for the good and for the not-so-good. And what emerged from my turmoil was the determination that this recovery from Covid should be culture and values led. Advertisement "Im 78 years old, born and bred in inner-city Dublin. Ive lived through many recessions and recoveries and seen Ireland grow and change, for the good and for the not-so-good. And what emerged from my turmoil was the determination that this recovery from Covid should be culture and values led. "Im so proud of the contribution that our beloved Bewleys cafe has made to the life of our city and country - as a gathering place, a crucible for the arts, a second home... Weve lost so much that was unique and authentic to our community and we are all poorer for it. This time, the economic story cannot be the sole focus as we rebuild ourselves. "And so, we will pay the heavy price to live our values, preserve our heritage, and keep this beautiful cafe open in the beating heart of Dublin. We look forward to welcoming our wonderful customers back through the doors from today. The cafe will initially reopen with with table service and a limited menu, including teas, coffees, pastries and sticky buns. The space has been modified to allow for reduced capacity and social distancing, while reservations can be made at the cafe's door. The cafe has said that "the team are all familiar faces from before the closure who have been rehired". The cafe will be open from 10am to 2pm today and tomorrow, then from 10am to 5pm from Saturday August 29th onwards. Macaulay Culkins 40th birthday has made the internet feel incredibly old, with fans suggesting he star in Nursing Home Alone. The actor, who shot to fame in seminal childrens movies including Home Alone, Uncle Buck, My Girl and Richie Rich, celebrated his milestone birthday with a self-deprecating joke. Hey guys, wanna feel old? Culkin tweeted. Im 40. Youre welcome. He continued: Its my gift to the world: I make people feel old. Im no longer a kid, thats my job. In a further tweet, he also suggested that he is due a midlife crisis, and pondered whether he should take up surfing. Culkins fans were quick to express their horror at the former child star hitting 40, with one joking that he ought to star in Nursing Home Alone, and another being forced to come to terms with their own age. Youre 40?!?!? Jesus, then what does that make me???!!! a fan tweeted in response. Thor actor Kat Dennings joked: Please post your skincare routine. This Is Spinal Tap star Michael McKean also took the opportunity to riff on Culkins tweet, replying: Have a happy one, gramps. Culkin arrives at the American Music Awards in 2018 (VALERIE MACON/AFP/Getty Images) Culkin became one of the most recognisable child actors of all time courtesy of his early-1990s wave of hits. Home Alone 2, released in 1992, earned him a $4.5m (3.4m) salary at the age of 12. Following years of semi-retirement from acting, in which he fronted the comedy rock band The Pizza Underground, Culkin revealed earlier this year that he had started auditioning for parts in film and television again. While he claimed that his audition for Quentin Tarantinos Once Upon a Time in Hollywood was a disaster, he will soon appear in the 10th season of American Horror Story. Cell-tower owner Crown Castle, under pressure from an activist investor to improve its financial performance, reportedly has been approached by a technology buyout firm seeking a minority stake in the Houston-based company's fiber optic business. Digital Colony, which owns and invests in telecommunications and technology businesses, approached Crown Castle about taking a stake in its fiber-optic business, Reuters reported Wednesday, citing sources familiar with the discussions. The overture would come as Elliott Management has been urging Crown Castle to improve the performance of its fiber optic business, and in a letter to its board of directors earlier this month encouraged taking on an experienced partner to run those operation. FIBER: Activist investor renews attack on Crown Castle Reuters reported that Digital Colony CEO Marc Ganzi spoke with Jay Brown, Crown Castles CEO, about the proposal. Crown Castle, which has said in the past that it has no intention of selling its tower or fiber-optic operations, released a statement Thursday in reaction to the reported proposal: The Crown Castle Board of Directors regularly reviews and evaluates opportunities to enhance value, and as a result, believes that our strategy to provide shared communications infrastructure across towers, small cells and fiber best positions the company to create superior long-term shareholder value. We have received broad shareholder support for our overall strategy and are confident in our ability to capitalize on this significant value creation opportunity. Digital Colony declined to comment, as did Elliott Management. According to the Digital Colony website, Ganzi was chief executive of Global Tower Partners when it was sold in 2013 to American Tower, one of Crown Castles top competitors. Ganzi went on to co-found the company that became Digital Colony. Release Notes: Get Dwight Silvermans weekly tech newsletter in your inbox Crown Castle owns more than 40,000 telecommunications towers across the United States and about 80,000 route miles of fiber-optic cable. Communications companies such as AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile lease space on the towers, and may buy fiber optic connection services from Crown Castle as well. Elliott has said it manages about $1 billion worth of Crown Castle assets. Crown Castle has a market value of about $68 billion with its stock trading at $162.42 per share. Shares have been largely flat for the past six months and trending down for the past 30 days. The company missed analysts estimates and had a decline in profit in its most recent earnings report. In early July, Elliott launched a campaign to get Crown Castle to improve the performance of its fiber business, as well make changes to its board of directors and provide more transparency as to how it makes its financial decisions. Shortly afterward, company instituted a mandatory retirement age for board members, and five of the current directors will not be renominated when their current terms are up, including the current board chair. The company also released more metrics on its performance. In early August, Elliott dismissed the changes as minor, and urged Crown Castle to bring in an experienced operator who would take a minority stake and run the fiber business. The Digital Colony proposal as reported by Reuters fits Elliotts scenario. dwight.silverman@chron.com twitter.com/dsilverman houstonchronicle.com/techburger A recent study published in Neuron described in greater detail than ever before the anatomical embodiment of color sensations in the cerebral cortex, linking brain structure to perceptual function. This discovery was the fruit of cooperative work between researchers in Dr. WANG Wei's lab at the Institute of Neuroscience, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, and Dr. TANG Shiming's lab at Peking University. Color is often found at the center of philosophical debates about the nature of conscious experience, mainly because color, more than any other sensation, illustrates that all perception is a mental creation. As realised early in the 18th century by Isaac Newton, visible wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation are not intrinsically colored; all the thousands of different hues we can recognize are simply arbitrary tags devised by the brain to represent various spectral compositions of light across the retinal image. More technically, the outputs of retinal photoreceptors that discriminate wavelengths are combined and processed to eventually generate a perceptual color space. Color signals are processed through multiple neural stages in the deep brain; however, how our brains transform quantum-level events in photoreceptors to yield the many thousands of different hues we see every day is poorly understood. To address this question, researchers in Drs. WANG and TANG's labs applied multiple techniques capable of imaging macaque brain activity at different scales and levels of resolution across successive processing stations in the cortex known as areas V1, V2 and V4. The aim of their study was to examine hierarchical changes in the patterns of activity when these areas process exactly the same color pattern. The imaging methods reveal "hue maps," i.e., color palettes in the brain, spectrally organized arrangements of multiple hue responses. Figuratively, they can be thought of as rainbows of various conformations that are scattered across the brain surface. The novel findings of this study arise from the fine structure of these hue maps. In V1, red and blue hues predominate, but this pattern of so-called "endspectral" dominance recedes in V2 and is nearly absent in V4. Essentially, the brain's hue maps develop hierarchically toward the uniformity of the perceptual hue map. Computationally, the brain appears to be progressively integrating two distinct classes of cone-opponent signals originating in the retina. The information defining the precise hue of any given light is thus present in V1, coded by the ratio of activity between cone-opponent inputs - but it is not perceptible until it undergoes combinatorial processing by single neurons in area V4 and higher processing stations. In summary, this comparative study reveals a progressive integration from cone-activation signals to isotropic hue representation along the visual hierarchy upon which our perceptual color space is built. ### The study, entitled "Hierarchical Representation for Chromatic Processing Across Macaque V1, V2 and V4" was published as a research article online in Neuron on Aug. 26. Drs. LIU Ye and LI Ming were co-first authors of this paper. Drs. Stewart Shipp from University College London, Niall McLoughlin from University of Manchester and YANG Yupeng from University of Science & Technology of China, have contributed to this work at various stages. This research was supported by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Shanghai Municipality, the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Chinese Ministry of Education. 08/27/2020 Photo (c) Wachiwit - Getty Images Walmart has announced that its joining Microsoft in bidding for social media video app TikTok, CNBC reported. Sources told the publication that the deal is likely to be in the $20 billion to $30 billion range. Since July, the China-owned app has faced mounting pressure to sell its business to a U.S. company or risk being banned. The Trump administration has said the app poses a threat to national security, although TikTok has maintained that its not sharing data with China. Microsoft and Oracle previously announced that they would be bidding on the tech company, which boasts 100 million monthly active users in the U.S. and more than two billion downloads worldwide. Company CEO resigns Walmart didnt say exactly how it would use TikTok, only that the deal would provide it with "an important way for us to reach and serve omnichannel customers as well as grow our third-party marketplace and advertising businesses." We are confident that a Walmart and Microsoft partnership would meet both the expectations of US TikTok users while satisfying the concerns of US government regulators, the company told CNBC. Amid talks over selling the company, TikTok's Chief Executive Kevin Mayer has resigned. Mayer, who took the job just three months ago, announced Wednesday night that "corporate structural changes" played a role in his decision to step down. "In recent weeks, as the political environment has sharply changed, I have done significant reflection on what the corporate structural changes will require, and what it means for the global role I signed up for," Mayer said in a memo to employees, according to CNN. "Against this backdrop, and as we expect to reach a resolution very soon, it is with a heavy heart that I wanted to let you all know that I have decided to leave the company." CLEVELAND, Ohio Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost might be ready to do what it appears state legislators are unwilling to do. You can listen online here. Cleveland.com editor Chris Quinn says Yost is considering suing to block $150 million in annual subsidies for two FirstEnergy nuclear plants because of the $60 million bribery scheme reportedly used to secure the subsidies. State legislators had said they would repeal the subsidies but have been dragging their feet, Quinn says. In Cleveland, some Browns fans might be able to attend games this season, but it will be a much different experience in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. And Ohio surpassed 4,000 deaths related to the coronavirus. Hear these stories and more in todays podcast. The podcast is a summary of cleveland.coms morning newsletter The Wake Up. You can receive The Wake Up through email at 5:30 a.m. each weekday by subscribing here. You can get our podcasts delivered directly to your phone, and we have an Apple podcasts channel exclusively for this podcast. Subscribe here. Do you get your podcasts on Spotify? Find us here. If you use Stitcher, we are here. RadioPublic is another popular podcast vehicle, and we are here. On Google Podcasts, we are here. On PodParadise, find us here. The Deputy Defence Minister Major Derrick Oduro has warned that residents who assaulted some two soldiers at Domefaase, an area near Kasoa will be severely dealt with. Major Oduro in an interview on Starr Today on Wednesday justified reports that soldiers were brutalising and intimidating Domfaase residents in the aftermath of the assault. According to him, residents who have had the courage to attack soldiers must not be spared and must be severely punished to avoid similar incidents in the future. Reports indicate that over 300 soldiers have besieged the town in an attempt to arrest civilians who assaulted the soldiers in a land conflict. Starr News has gathered that residents have fled the area for fear of being arrested by the military. So far over 50 residents have been arrested in the operation by the military. The two soldiers were critically injured after they were attacked by irate residents of Dome Faase near Obom Domeabra in the Greater Accra Region over land ownership. Videos of the assault circulating on social media show the soldiers slashed with machete in the head and beaten to a pulp. Their uniforms were ripped apart as they were made to sit on the ground, soaked in blood. Speaking on Starr Today, Major Oduro stated that the soldiers were in the area on official duties, refuting claims that the soldiers were in the area on their own accord. ---starrfmonline Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, at a meeting with United States Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun said that the participation of the U.S. investors in the privatization of Ukrainian state-owned enterprises (SOE) could help enhance bilateral relations. "The privatization of inefficient enterprises will give them a new impetus for development, create jobs and have a positive impact on the economy. The sale of Hotel Dnipro has become an alarm for investors that Ukraine is committed to the principles of fair and transparent trading. Therefore, we invite the U.S. investors to join the auctions as well," Shmyhal said. The prime minister expressed gratitude to the United States for consistent support of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, the provision of important military assistance, as well as the imposition of sanctions against the Russian Federation. For his part, Biegun assured Shmyhal that the United States supports the government in reforms that strengthen democratic institutions and improve the business climate. In January, a vague Facebook job listing was posted seeking a Helper. The listing read: Just looking for anyone local who might want to help Portland Sleestak with dressing and undressing, taking photos and videos, and to provide security occasionally in various places as we try to elicit fun screams as we surprise unsuspecting Portlanders... It was a volunteer gig, posted by a page called Portland Sleestak. Who in the world would apply? And who was behind it? By day, Brent Marr is a maintenance tech for a downtown property management company. By night, hes the Portland Sleestak. Marr, 52, was one of many Gen-X kids who grew up watching Sid and Marty Krofft puppet-filled kids shows, a duo perhaps best known for producing H.R. Pufnstuf. Their Land of the Lost was a live-action show, with a few claymation and costumed creatures, about a family of three who goes down a waterfall during an earthquake and ends up in a mysterious land. A race of lizard creatures, the Sleestak, were among the inhabitants of the Land of the Lost. I guess they must have made an impression when I was young, and its just one of those things from your childhood that stick with you, Marr said. I originally wanted a Sleestak mask. I thought, wouldnt it be cool to have the Sleestak head and then wear a tuxedo and go out dancing. Although Marr hadnt sculpted beyond Play-Doh as a kid, he got some clay and a plastic head, watched a bunch of how-to videos on YouTube and got to work. And oddly enough, it started turning out really well, he said. I was giggling like a super villain half the time because I couldnt believe it was showing up the way it did. Once the head was done, it kind of demanded that I make the body, too. Marr sculpted the arms, legs and torso in sections out of clay, then made plaster molds, and filled the molds with latex. He glued the sections to a wet suit to complete the costume. He wore it to a Halloween costume contest hosted by a Portland radio station, and came in fourth. (Prom date Carrie won first place.) But Marr wasnt deterred. Hed learned a lot from making the first monster, and decided to make a second, even more elaborate costume. Sleestak No. 2, with a custom air-brush paint job, was completed at the beginning of 2020, around the time he went in search of a helper. A costume like this deserves to be worn beyond Halloween. Thus, the Sleestak Facebook page was born. Marr will occasionally travel around Portland, in costume, on Sleestak Attacks in places like Pioneer Courthouse Square, the Witchs Castle in Forest Park, or along the east waterfront. During an attack at Forest Park in February, crowds formed and hikers lined up for pictures. It wasnt exactly the scare Marr was going for, but it was fun nonetheless. At this point, its just about sharing the costume, sharing the work, hopefully creating a few smiles here and there, and contributing to the weird Portland that we have here, Marr said. When the coronavirus pandemic hit Oregon, Marr took a several-month break from Sleestaking. But in mid-July, he brought out the suit, loaded it into a pickup, and headed out with a roommate to the Eastbank Esplanade. As dusk fell, Marr stood under a streetlight. Hed brought a speaker that played the call of the Sleestak, a sound like a low-fi recording of a howling wind. At that moment, maybe a half-mile away as the crow flies, federal officers were tear gassing a crowd of protesters outside the federal courthouse. But on this side of the river, it was quiet. A few teens rode by on electric scooters. A group of cyclists slowed down, and one woman giggled and pointed when she noticed Marr standing. Most people, though, ignored the monster on the sidewalk. It was just a Saturday night in Portland. -- Samantha Swindler; sswindler@oregonian.com; @editorswindler Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Government Introduces Further Measures to Combat COVID-19 Government has said today it continues to work to slow the growth of numbers of cases of COVID-19 in the community and will add measures to those already announced as a result of the continued growth in the number of cases. In particular, the Government said its strategy is to introduce measures which will have an effect and thereby ensure we can avoid having to impose any general lockdown measures, leaving such an eventuality to a last resort. As a result, as from this Friday 28th August, the following measures will come into effect immediately: MASKS Masks will now be required by law in all covered public places, subject to certain specific exceptions SOCIALISING DISCOURAGED The Government will recommend that people should not socialise outside the family and established social groupings. THE ELDERLY Provision is being made for the return of full Golden and Silver Hour areas as from the day after National Day (Friday 11th September). Without legally providing for a lockdown, the Government's recommendation to all over 70s is now to stay at home unless it is absolutely necessary for them to go out. In this respect, the Government will again upscale arrangements to provide all necessary delivery and other services to the over 70s who are unable to have such services provided by family members or others. The Government recommends that young people should not socialise with or visit their grandparents if they are over 70. Young people are the demographic with the most asymptomatic cases and they could unwittingly transmit the virus to elderly relatives who are the most vulnerable. There will be an immediate reduction of visiting times at Elderly Residential Services from 2 hours to 1 hour, and from 2 visitors to 1. It is likely that ERS may return to full lockdown in coming days or weeks. There will be restricted access to all our elderly housing blocks to visitors and imposition of masks and hand sanitisation protocols for residents returning to those blocks (Albert Risso House, Charles Bruzon House, Seamaster Lodge and Bishop Canilla House). SCHOOLS A "No Loitering" policy at school gates will be introduced as schools open next week, to accompany and complement the staggered entry and exit system being introduced. The Government will work with the teachers union on the introduction where necessary of extended school hours to assist parents who would rely on grandparents over the age of 70 to collect children from school. AIR TRAVEL The Government is considering the introduction of further measures to be implemented at Gibraltar International Airport before individuals are permitted to embark aircraft to the United Kingdom. This matter is under active consideration and discussions will be commenced with the United Kingdom in this respect. A further announcement will be made if appropriate. NATIONAL DAY New measures will also be announced in respect of the celebration of National Day this year, which will include the cancellation of the fireworks display and the introduction of other restrictions. These will include the fact that there will be no large screens permitted for the viewing of the National Day programme in public places to avoid the congregation of crowds, as the Governments intention is to discourage large crowds on the 10th September. The Chief Minister, the Hon Fabian Picardo QC MP, said: I have been very pleased to note the very positive attitude to adherence to the measures we introduced last week. We are introducing further measures now and considering more measures for coming weeks in order to ensure that we can avoid a new general lockdown, whilst also controlling the numbers of persons with the infection. In order to ensure that we are taking steps timeously, the COVID-19 Special Coordination Group will now meet at least twice a week, and more often if necessary. Platinum Command will start regularly meeting once a week and will do a daily review of updated numbers of infections. I also want to highlight the way the RGP has moved to its COVID-19 Engagement, Education and Explaining strategy to help inform the public and ensure adherence to measures already introduced. I commend Commissioner Ullger for this proactive stance in keeping with the position of the National Policing Chiefs Council in the United Kingdom. The message to our over 70s has to now, once again, be stark and clear: STAY AT HOME. This is not a legal requirement, but it is clearly the best advice we can give them. As the height of summer recedes, over 70s should only go out if they have to. They should avoid socialising with younger people even relatives, children and grandchildren as these may be asymptomatic carriers of the virus who may infect them with fatal consequences. We have done very well until now as a community in avoiding the worst effects of COVID-19 and we can continue to do well if we stick together, follow the rules and protect our most vulnerable. Today, we have seen an increase in cases, but all are either asymptomatic or people suffering from fairly slight symptoms, with no one in hospital or ICU. Lets keep it that way by continuing to work together, following advice from Public Health Gibraltar and showing the best of our community. Authorities on Thursday asked the public for help as the investigation into a Natick crash that left a couple with serious injuries continues. On Aug. 18, a 51-year-old woman and a 39-year-old man were walking north on Washington Avenue in the area of Summer Street when they were struck on the sidewalk by a pickup truck around 6:30 p.m., according to the office of Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan. The preliminary investigation suggests that a driver in a dark blue, four-door, Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck struck the pedestrians on Washington Avenue in the area of Summer Street and then drove off. Investigators have seized the truck as part of the investigation and are interviewing witnesses and collecting surveillance, Ryans office said in a statement. Anyone who has information about the crash, or who saw a vehicle matching the description of the involved pickup truck, is asked to call Natick Police at 508-647-9500. Investigators are also looking for any additional video of the pickup truck or the crash. More specifically, members of the public are being asked to think broadly and to contact police both if they were in the immediate area at the time of the crash or if they were in the surrounding neighborhoods or communities including Sherborn or Holliston in the early evening of August 18, the statement reads. Investigators learned that the driver of the truck may have been seen or been in contact with drivers of other vehicles, including a tan or brown SUV and a black sedan, that were also traveling in the area of Washington Avenue on the evening of the collision, the district attorneys office said. Police would like to speak to those drivers. Authorities have not identified the couple by name. The man has been treated for injuries and released from the hospital while the woman remains hospitalized with serious injuries, officials said. NBC Boston has identified the couple as Kimberly Gunner and Andy Colbert. No charges have been filed as of Thursday. The investigation is ongoing. Related Content: Responding to reporters queries, the spokesperson made it clear that Chinas act runs counter to the spirit of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and further complicates the situation, this being unfavourable regarding the current negotiations between China and ASEAN on a Code of Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (COC) and the maintenance of a peaceful, stable and cooperative environment in the East Sea. Vietnam demands that China respect Vietnams sovereignty over the Hoang Sa archipelago, cease and refrain from repeating such violations, she said. A western Sydney healthcare practitioner could face criminal charges over allegations they defrauded the National Disability Insurance Scheme of $120,000 by falsifying reports and overcharging for services to clients. Two properties in Auburn and Granville were raided by investigators from the NDIS Fraud Taskforce and items seized on Tuesday, as part of the joint investigation into the alleged large-scale fraud. It is alleged the scheme targeted victims largely from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Codenamed Operation Pavo, the joint investigation was formed by officers from the Australian Federal Police, National Disability Insurance Agency and Services Australia. The NDIS scheme supports almost half a million Australians with a permanent and substantial disability. Participants under the scheme are given financial assistance through a plan that covers services such as health, housing and education. Food Network is home to an incredible collection of culinary shows, run by magnificent chefs. These celebrity chefs create spectacular dishes that are not only tasty, but look like works of art on a plate. Theyve been trained in the most prestigious culinary establishments, and have experience in world-renowned restaurants. It seems like they can create a masterpiece out of even the most basic ingredients. Well, some of them probably can, but youd be surprised to find that they struggle with some pretty simple dishes. Alex Guarnaschelli, for example, revealed her Achilles heel in an interesting Q&A with Food Network. Who is Alex Guarnaschelli? Chef Alex Guarnaschelli | Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images for NYCWFF Alex Guarnaschelli is a celebrity chef. She is best known as a judge on the Food Network cooking competition Chopped. Guarnaschelli grew up with parents who both had a passion for food. Her mother was a cookbook editor and her dad was a cooking enthusiast (with a focus on Italian and Chinese food). Her mother would try every meal from each cookbook she edited, so the family experienced a wide range of recipes from a variety of cultures. After helping her mother for years in the kitchen, Guarnaschelli was inspired to pursue a culinary path herself. She graduated from Barnard College in 1991. At the suggestion of her mentor, chef Larry Forgione, Guarnaschelli moved to France for a work-study program at La Varenne Culinary School. From there, she went on to the prestigious Guy Savoy. What was meant to be a few days turned into a four-year career at the Michelin three-star establishment. The talented chef spent seven years in France before returning to the U.S. She expanded her skills at restaurants in New York City and L.A. before settling down as the executive chef at Butter in Manhattan. In 2011, she opened The Darby, also in New York City. Guarnaschelli shared her passion with aspiring chefs as an instructor with the Institute of Culinary Education. She won the Iron Chef title but cant cook hot dogs In addition to all of her culinary achievements, Guarnaschelli won the coveted Iron Chef title in 2012. The celebrity chef loves to use local ingredients, stating that Ingredients that travel less distance from the ground to your plate are likely to taste fresher and more satisfying. She frequents farmers markets and enjoys creating unique dishes based on whatever is available. Guarnaschelli has a passion for American ingredients and recipes with historical or regional significance. Her favorites are simple, classic dishes like clam chowder and strawberry shortcake. She also enjoys making homemade versions of things youd normally purchase in the store, like butter and jam. Someone who makes their own butter from scratch is pretty impressive, and youd expect that she could cook just about anything Surprising as it is, the master chef actually cant cook everything. According to Food Network, she has trouble with one iconic American favorite that most of us just toss on the grill without a second thought. Hot dogs. This world-renowned chef has worked in the biggest cities in America, studied abroad at Parisian restaurants, but cant tackle a hot dog. She just got engaged to a Chopped winner RELATED: The Food Network Star Whos Marrying a Chopped Champ The Food Network star shared exciting news on her birthday this summershes engaged! Guarnaschellis boyfriend of four years, Michael Castellon, popped the question and sealed the deal with a gorgeous emerald and diamond engagement ring. The couple was driving home from the grocery store when Castellon pulled the car over, insisting he had spotted a stray dog. Guarnaschelli immediately jumped out, looking for the pup. In the meantime, Castellon got the ring ready and got down on one knee, surprising Guarnaschelli when she returned to the car. The happy pair met at Castellons restaurant. Guarnaschelli was so impressed with her steak that she was taken back to the kitchen to praise the chef. Castellon spent quite some time on Food Network himself. He competed on Chopped, winning season 35. He then appeared on Iron Chef America, as Guarnaschellis sous chef. Representative Image Last month, the spotlight was again on the illicit cattle-smuggling in Assam following the arrest of a journalist in the border district of Dhubri. He was allegedly framed for exposing the nexus between a section of officials and the syndicates that export certain items to Bangladesh. The controversy compelled the government to transfer top ranking officers, including the superintendent of police. Cattle-smuggling had come to a grinding halt but only for a few weeks when the lockdown was underway in Assam. Currently, smuggling has taken a hit, but cattle is still being ferried in small numbers to the border to be sent across to Bangladesh. So, why is it so difficult to check cattle-smuggling in Assam? There are many exit points along the porous India-Bangladesh border that facilitate the illicit trade. Rivers crisscross the border and there are villages at some locations very close to the zero line. At some locations along the border, residents have devised innovative methods for this purpose. Not long ago, a video showing how cattle is smuggled out over the fence had gone viral on social media. Supply to these vulnerable points is sustained by a combination of many factors. Opposition parties and NGOs in Assam have levelled allegations about the involvement of a section of politicians and government officials in the illegitimate trade. It is also alleged that some self-styled nationalist outfits which otherwise would be out in the open opposing this tooth and nail have a tacit understanding with the smugglers. That the BJP-led government in Assam swung into action only after the arrest of the journalist bears testimony that it was reluctant to initiate measures to check the racket. Inter-state cooperation which is required to stop cattle-smuggling is missing. Cattle are sourced mainly from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, and are brought to locations in north Bengal. A part of the consignment from Cooch Behar is ferried to the border zones in Dhubri which is supervised by agents alleged to be well-connected with politicians and officials. In the last one month, trucks carrying cattle at night which used to be a frequent sight along the highway, are nowhere to be spotted. This is because smugglers now prefer smaller vehicles to transport cattle so as to avoid detection. Locals residing in these border districts have noticed a new modus operandi the smugglers use for unloading the cattle: The unloading is done at a safe distance from the Assam-West Bengal border (the international border with Bangladesh is at close proximity from here). If accosted by the police, they claim that it is personal cattle and not meant to be sent across to Bangladesh. Then, there are routes from the opposite direction in eastern Assam to Dhubri as well. Not long ago, vehicles laden with cattle were seized in eastern and central Assam. These routes are not as prolific but agents are able to despatch loaded trucks with cattle at regular intervals. So it is a fallacy that only Muslims are engaged with cattle-smuggling to Bangladesh. The trade and slaughter of cattle is not unlawful in Bangladesh, and the demand is high. Incidentally, Jatropur, across Dhubri in Assam, has one of the largest cattle markets in Bangladesh. Some locals in the town who were earlier engaged with the illicit trade claim that many beef manufacturing units are dependent for supply upon the market, and many brokers in Jatropur had been concerned over the erratic supply from Dhubri. Years ago, the Border Security Force (BSF) identified 65 cattle corridors along the border. It had recommended certain measures such as legislative provisions in the states, denial of public facilities such as railway for transporting cattle, and limiting the number of cattle that could be kept by an owner in the bordering areas. The report has been in cold storage for a long time. The Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) regimes were unwilling to halt the illicit trade since there is a surplus of over-aged cattle in India. There were reports last year that the CBI had been tasked to conduct a probe but the racket continues to thrive. How to Start A Junk Car Business Having a less perfect car in your backyard is never an appealing sight. Always find the right company to buy the damaged car. At times, the company can either repair the car for sale or sell the spare parts for profit. If its either selling or buying a damaged car, starting a junk car business is never easy. In particular, you pay customers to get their damaged cars instead of getting paid. Thats why grit and top business knowledge must apply in this car venture. Like in other businesses, you need commitment and patience to realize profits. Acquiring Old Cars and Trading them A junk car business applies the art of acquiring old cars and selling them. After buying the old cars, the car dealer might repair them to sell at a lower price. This business venture is profitable since the less than perfect car yields some value. Thus, its critical to sell your junked car instead of keeping it as a wreck in the backyard. Company like Junk Car Masters is the most convenient option in such situation. Buying Old Car Parts and Selling them When a car is damaged beyond repair, its only sensible to buy its parts and sell them. Such a business doesnt involve too much risk. Consider buying parts of old cars and selling them as its even cheaper than acquiring the whole junked car. Acquire a Tow Truck After purchasing junked cars, you need to transport them to your business location. Obtain a tow truck or two to help in moving the damaged cars. This is an essential part of the business you cant avoid. Though expensive to acquire, a tow truck makes your work easier. So, investing in one is wise as it helps the business run smoothly. Make sure you choose a safe truck that wont bring problems. Furthermore, factor in costs for hiring a truck driver to take care of transportations. Research on the Requirements Needed When starting a car junk business, arm yourself with the areas requirements. What business permits do you need? Besides the legal requirements, research whats allowed and whats not in the region. Having the licenses might be time-consuming and expensive. But, its mandatory to operate as per the statutory laws and guidelines. Also, clarify the number of licenses the region allows as this varies according to state. Figure Out where to Put the Cars So youve started your damaged car business and need a spacious garage to store them. Get a plan to obtain space to store the cars before selling off. For instance, getting a spacious garage for 20 cars is a good start. As you advance, the business can accommodate more cars and the garage equipment required. Purchasing land for this purpose deems costly at times, but its a perfect decision. Theres no need to purchase all those cars then lack somewhere to strip them before they get sold. Consider Financial Help, for example, a loan Getting junked cars is cheap so that it wont strain you financially. However, further expenses like land to put the cars and repairs may force you to borrow money. Talk with a lender who sees the potential the business has. Consequently, they can finance the junk car business immediately. Put Your Mechanic Skills to Practice or Hire People Dealing with junked cars means challenging your mechanic skills to get a solution. Dont underestimate the value of damaged cars. If at all you cant perceive the opportunities the junk cars present, hire experts to do that. Though thats an additional cost, it gives results as the cars will have professional checkups. As a result, they fetch high profits on sale. Market Your company well Getting your business up and running isnt the final step. It would be best if you advertise aggressively so that more people reach you. Its not the time to focus on traditional advertising methods. Go for digital marketing techniques instead. Setting up a website and social media channels are the best ideas for your business. Any time potential customers search you online, they can find you without any hurdles. Consider Buying a Franchise Starting a business and raising it a notch higher isnt easy. So, why not buy a franchise and take it from there. This is because the franchiser is well established as all the issues are taken care of. A franchise will not, however, stop you from developing a business strategy that works. Use both methods to flourish your junked car business. The Bottom Line Theres a set of requirements needed to start a junked car business. After making a business plan, ensure you apply all the techniques to grow the business. Be ready to face ups and downs, especially in your first days in the business. Nevertheless, as things stabilize, you will start realizing how profitable the junked car business is. By Steve Barker 2020 Copyright Steve Barker - All Rights Reserved Disclaimer: The above is a matter of opinion provided for general information purposes only and is not intended as investment advice. Information and analysis above are derived from sources and utilising methods believed to be reliable, but we cannot accept responsibility for any losses you may incur as a result of this analysis. Individuals should consult with their personal financial advisors. 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication. The temporary collapse of authority in many American cities, and the proposals of defund the police advocates to make that collapse permanent, has illustrated a timeless truth: When government authority dissolves, people will form their own armed enforcers of order. You will not get a peace-and-love utopia: You will instead get vigilante justice, posses, and lynchings. It will not be pretty; in Kenosha, Wis., it has already led to one well-publicized shooting. More force still will be needed to retake control. Come back with me to San Francisco in the 1850s to see how Americans learned this lesson once before. San Francisco grew quickly from a late start. Europeans only reached the Bay Area in 1769, and the first permanent, civilian, non-Native American settlement dates only to 1835. The American conquest of California in 1847, and the gold rush in 1848-49, changed that in a heartbeat, turning a ramshackle town of 150 people in 1846 into a boomtown city of 25,000 in 1849, then 50,000 in 1853. Some of the new San Franciscans came in search of a fresh start. Convicts and Irish rebels absconded there, sometimes under assumed names. In 1850, California began the first of many turns in its history against controversial immigrants, passing an Importation of Criminals Act targeting ship captains who smuggled in convicts without papers. The laws chief target was Australia; its reputation as a penal colony preceded it, and not always unfairly. In February 1851, as highway robbery, violent gangs, and disorder proliferated, citizens formed the San Francisco Committee of Vigilance, with the scheming ex-Mormon newspaperman Sam Brannan manipulating events to put himself at its head. The Committees ad hoc trials and public hangings, which helped popularize the term vigilante, prominently targeted known or suspected Australians. In May 1851, the city was further devastated by the latest in a series of fires; suspected arsonists were arrested, strengthening the hand of the Vigilance Committee. Story continues To regain control from both the criminals and the vigilantes, the citys conservative law-and-order elements turned to San Franciscos first mayor, a towering 31-year-old Pennsylvanian named John W. Geary. Geary had fought in the Mexican War and served as military governor of Mexico City and was not a man to be trifled with. But he had a soft spot for the Irish rebels: The first to arrive, T. J. McManus, was greeted as a hero by Geary, Brannan, and Lieutenant Governor David Broderick upon his arrival in 1851. Not all new Californians were welcomed or protected by the law. There were only about 500 Chinese immigrants among the original gold rushers, even though Canton was as close as Sydney to San Francisco. The first Chinese arrivals were treated as a welcome curiosity and honored in San Franciscos 1850 parade celebrating statehood. But some forty ships set sail in 1850 for the state the Chinese called Gum Shan, or Gold Mountain. By 1851, there were 25,000 Chinese in California, and between 1852 and 1860, about 6,0007,000 Chinese immigrants arrived every year. Californians remained acutely aware of how quickly their sparsely populated state could become majority Chinese, given that Chinas population at the time exceeded 400 million people after four centuries of rapid growth. A tax on foreign miners, repealed in 1851, was reinstated to discourage Chinese miners. In 1853, a Chinese miner named Ling Sing was gunned down in an armed robbery by George Hall, shot in the back at least 15 times. An 1850 California statute provided that no black or mulatto person, or Indian, shall be allowed to give evidence in favor of, or against, a white man. A divided California supreme court used the statute to throw out Halls conviction. Hundreds of murders such as Ling Sings would go unpunished before the statute was repealed in 1872. An unintended side effect was that justice was left, if at all, to vigilantes. In 1857, three white men were strung up by white vigilantes after a series of murders of Chinese victims. In May 1856, the San Francisco vigilantes returned. By then, Geary had returned east; by midsummer, President Franklin Pierce appointed him territorial governor of Bleeding Kansas. While the 1851 Vigilance Committee had been formed to stamp out anarchy, the 1856 Committee arose more from public mistrust that a corrupt city government would adequately prosecute the murders of a crusading journalist and a U.S. Marshal. After the suspects were hanged by the vigilantes, the mayor appealed to J. Neely Johnson, Californias newly elected governor. Thirty years old and elected on the anti-immigrant American Party (or Know-Nothing) ticket, Johnson was stepping not only into a potentially explosive situation, but also into a political rupture in the states previously dominant Democratic Party. David Broderick, a pugilistic son of Irish immigrants who would be elected to the Senate that fall, was aligned with opponents of slavery but also stood atop the corrupt San Francisco machine. Brodericks foes in the law-and-order faction were mainly pro-slavery men of Southern disposition (they styled themselves the Chivalry) and disdain for appeals to the mob. The Vigilance Committees populist anti-corruption stance was most closely in tune with Johnsons political base, but he saw it as an intolerable challenge to civil authority. With Geary gone from the scene, Johnson turned for advice and assistance to another tough-minded conservative Democrat, a 36-year-old banker and former Army officer: William Tecumseh Sherman. Sherman had been sent to California as a 27-year-old lieutenant during the Mexican War, only to discover that the six-month trip around Cape Horn had delivered him too late for any fighting. A year later, Sherman was on hand when the first miners from Sutters Mill brought their discoveries to the military governor in Monterey. With more money than war to be made in California, he eventually left the Army for business, but his military background commanded respect in San Francisco and beyond. When the 1856 Vigilance Committee crisis erupted, Sherman had just been appointed Major General of the California militia. Shermans sympathies at the time were decidedly Southern, but more importantly, throughout his career, Sherman always sided firmly with law and order and legitimate authority. In May 1856, he believed that a show of overwhelming force by the militia up front would head off bloodshed. Johnson and Sherman met with the commander of the Mare Island naval base, David Farragut, who insisted that he could not directly aid the militia without orders from Washington, but agreed to dispatch a ship for moral effect. Believing that General John Wool, the local Army commander, had agreed to supply arms and ammunition to Shermans militia, Johnson then declared San Francisco to be in a state of insurrection. Sherman met with members of the Vigilance Committee, who warned of terrible consequences, and he bluntly ordered them to remove your fort; cease your midnight councils; and prevent your armed bodies from patrolling the streets. But Wool got cold feet and informed Johnson and Sherman that he could offer no assistance without a direct order from President Franklin Pierce. Wool noted that Pierce had pointedly failed, six months earlier, to authorize federal assistance to the militia in Kansas (an event that led to the resignation of the governor and his replacement with Geary). Wool read the Washington tea leaves correctly: Six weeks later, Pierces Secretary of State, William Marcy, responded in denial: The President will not allow himself to believe that the prevalence of rash councils and lawless violence still continues in San Francisco. He confidently trusts that the Citizens of California, who have suffered themselves to be betrayed by whatever inducements, into violations of the public peace, of so dangerous a character, will already have resumed their obedience to the laws . . . The Secretary of War, Jefferson Davis, waited until early September to respond, and ordered Wool to stay out of state affairs but to concentrate his troops to protect federal forts for the protection of the property and officers of the United States against lawless violence or revolutionary aggression. (This would not be Daviss view of federal forts five years later.) A disgusted Sherman resigned, saying that he had been placed in a false position and decided that I would thenceforth mind my own business and leave public affairs severely alone. Sherman added that, after hearing the extreme ideas of Judge Terry and others around Johnson, he felt my moderate ideas must stand in the way of those vigorous steps which you in your judgment deemed necessary. Extreme measures would be the hallmark of Judge David Terrys long and stormy career. Terry, a hulking, six-foot-three, pro-slavery Texas Democrat who had fought at Monterey in the Mexican War, had risen to the California Supreme Court with Know-Nothing support. He went to San Francisco with Governor Johnsons blessing to parley with the vigilantes, armed with a writ of habeas corpus for the two dead men and a double-barreled gun, pistol, and bowie knife. Unsurprisingly, this went badly, resulting in a melee that ended with Terry held captive by the Vigilance Committee and put on trial for stabbing one of the armed vigilantes, Sterling Hopkins, in the neck with the bowie knife. The citys law-and-order forces, without militia support, were compelled to surrender and turn over their arsenal to the Vigilance Committee. For nearly a month, as Hopkinss survival hung in doubt, the governor and the Committee both faced the dreadful prospect that vigilantes acting outside the law would hang a sitting Justice of the states Supreme Court. The Sacramento business community begged Johnson to back down, in a letter signed by (among others) Leland Stanford and Wells, Fargo & Co. The Texas legislature passed a joint resolution asking Pierce to restore the supremacy of the law in California, which was presented in the Senate by Sam Houston. One of Johnsons closest aides noted Terrys uncompromising stance even in this extremity: Judge Terry would infinitely prefer swinging from the window of the Committee Rooms, than resigning his office. In time, Hopkins survived, Terry was allowed to escape to Farraguts ship, and the state used the pretext of conflict with Native Americans to beg for its guns back. The political fallout and animosity would linger. In 1859, after taking office as Chief Justice, Terry shot Senator Broderick dead in a duel outside San Francisco. Terry resigned from the bench, replaced as Californias Chief Justice by Stephen Field, another Gold Rush-era arrival in California. The Democratic coalition in the state cracked up, split hopelessly along lines that paralleled the national Democrats under Pierce and James Buchanan. Lincoln beat divided opposition to win California with just under a third of the vote in 1860, four years after California icon John C. Fremont drew just 19 percent as the Republican candidate. Stanford was elected Californias first Republican governor in 1861, after carrying just 9 percent of the vote in 1859. Sherman and Geary, by now Republicans, went on to serve as Union Army generals. Terry saw action as a colonel of Texas cavalry with the Confederate forces at Chickamauga. In 1889, Terry assaulted Justice Field and was gunned down by U.S. Marshals, an incident that brought the vigilante-era debates full circle when Fields U.S. Supreme Court colleagues ruled in In re Neagle that the Marshals could not be tried in California state courts for acting on federal authority. Californians learned the hard way that vigilante justice and the demands of the mob are no substitute for police and courts of law. Let us hope we do not need that lesson again. More from National Review As you and your employees return to the office, you may be considering whether to adopt Covid-19 testing or mandatory temperature checks and health surveys. Tread lightly--especially if you're planning to require Covid-19 testing. Businesses must comply with a raft of health regulations and protect employee privacy. In April, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the U.S. Department of Labor authorized the practice of collecting medical information such as taking temperatures. The government also approved conducting Covid-19 tests in the workplace, which employers typically couldn't do. "I think there is a general need to know that the person walking into your facility does not have a fever currently," says Erin McLaughlin, labor and employment attorney at Pittsburgh-based law firm Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney. Testing in general, she says, and keeping track that employees who are coming into the workplace are healthy may give your business a layer of liability protection in case someone does get sick. And that may still be true, regardless of new guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which on August 24 announced that people who do not show symptoms of Covid-19 and have not been in close contact with someone known to have a Covid-19 infection need not get tested. Previously, the CDC recommended testing for Covid-19 regardless of a person's symptoms. The shift is controversial. "It doesn't seem consistent with the information the organization is putting out, considering roughly 40 percent of individuals [with Covid-19] are asymptomatic," says Sachin Nagrani, a physician and medical director at Heal, a company that offers primary care services and telemedicine. Even so, he says, it's a good idea to err on the side of caution and do the tests you need to do. Here are some other useful considerations to keep in mind when starting to test at work: 1. Expect to shell out. If you require testing for employees to perform their job, then you or your insurer must pay the cost; you can't pass it on to employees. The Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) states that employers must cover the cost of medical expenses associated with bringing a health care professional to the office to conduct health checks or equipment expenses such as contactless thermometers. When it comes to cost, it largely depends on the state. Generally, insurers don't have to cover workplace Covid-19 testing that an employer does to screen for infection among employees. Insurers are required to pay for tests a doctor orders, or for testing those who have been in contact with an infected person. Though in California, for example, insurers are required to cover workplace testing regardless of symptoms for essential workers. The Wall Street Journal reported that one company in Connecticut pays an urgent care center more than $30,000 a month to test 150 employees biweekly for Covid-19. 2. Keep information private. If you choose to conduct contact tracing, and inform employees that they may have been exposed to the virus by a co-worker, only limited information can be shared, according to guidelines from the EEOC. The vulnerable person should be told that he or she has come in close contact with someone who has been diagnosed with Covid-19; when and where that exposure occurred; as well as when the co-worker was diagnosed. But someone's name or any identifiable information cannot be disclosed (except to a public health agency) unless the individual provides consent in accordance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (Hipaa). 3. Get organized. The EEOC and the ADA require employers to maintain any medical records in relation to Covid-19. All medical information has to be stored separately from the employee's personnel file. This includes employees' statements that they have the disease or suspect they have the disease; it also includes an employer's notes, along with other documentation from questioning an employee about symptoms. If you require all employees to have a daily temperature check before entering the workplace, those records must also be kept confidential. Be careful about requesting information, because it may entail obligations in terms of medical record requirements, says McLaughlin. Some records may have to be retained for up to 30 years. Make sure you understand what records to request and the obligations associated with them. "It limits the chances that you're invariably gonna walk into a violation here or there," says McLaughlin. A single record-keeping violation is not a big concern, but it could become a problem if an employer has a second ADA claim. As for the digital medical files you do retain, privacy protection is utmost. Kelly DuFord Williams, founder and managing partner at Slate Law Group, advises clients who are digital, such as those logging temperatures on spreadsheets, to use a password-protected box file or a Dropbox file so you can show you've maintained a level of confidentiality when it comes to both the ADA and the EEOC. 4. Avoid unnecessary tests. If you're considering requiring additional tests, such as antibody testing, hold off. Requiring antibody testing--often referred to as an immunity passport--before allowing employees to reenter the workplace is not allowed under the ADA. The results of such a test don't readily impact the safety of your business or employees' ability to do their jobs. What's more, the CDC says it is not clear whether testing positive for antibodies provides any long-term protection from Covid-19. Finally, if an employer takes action based on an antibody test that adversely affects or impacts an employee's ability to do their job, there is the potential for a claim. Adopting the fifth-generation (5G) network will transform Nigeria into a smart city, improve its economic growth and migrate it to a digital economy, experts have said. The Computer Professionals (Registration Council of Nigeria), gave the recommendation in a communique issued at the end of its meeting on Wednesday. The communique, jointly signed by the President in Council, Charles Uwadia, and the secretary of the council, Allwell Achumba, was sent by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). The deployment of 5G in Nigeria has raised a lot of controversies. While many Nigerians had claimed that the technology is already in the country and was injurious, the NCC had denied rumours the technology was in use in some parts of the country. READ ALSO: The NCC, in November, approved trials for 5G for a period of three months. The trial has been concluded and installation decommissioned, it said, while licences have not been issued yet. The fifth generation of mobile technology is an improvement on the current 4G technology being used, but with enhanced capabilities. The technology provides the platform for new and emerging technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Big Data to improve the way people live and work. Experts speak The communique said the deployment of 5G in Nigeria is capable of fast-tracking its economic growth. Deployment of 5G in Nigeria has numerous advantages which include faster internet connection, smoother user experience and huge deployment of Information Technology to drive growth and development of industries, they argued. The group recommended that the Nigerian government adopts the 5G network. The new networks will come with great potentials that will boost the entire spectrum of Nigerias socio economic ecosystem, it explained. Adoption of 5G network in Nigeria will bring about transformation in the country in the area of smart city, smart transportation, efficiency in medicine as well as a lot of automation in respect of our appliances and devices with respect to Internet of Things (IoT). The group added that the country will also benefit immensely from the adoption of the network in terms of faster speed, high latency and high capacity that will transform consumer and business experiences because the difference between all other existing generations of technologies such as 2G, 3G and 4G lies in speed and data capacity. The experts also advised that information technology and telecommunications be declared as a critical infrastructure to ease broadband strategy. Governments at various levels should also intensify their efforts to embrace Information Technology with its attendant potentials of facilitating governance and eradicating corruption in the country. The complete adoption of Information Technology as well as migration of government operations from manual to digital will make the country to conform with the benchmark of government operations in the 21st century, they said. Its ... graphic: Abby Johnson unveils preview of provocative RNC abortion speech Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Pro-life advocate Abby Johnson offered up a preview of her Republican National Convention speech during a recent interview with The Church Boys Podcast, explaining that shes hoping her five-minute address will be stirring, memorable and convicting. I felt a lot of pressure to make the most provocative, impassioned, memorable pro-life speech ever made, she told hosts Chris Field, Lucas Miles and Billy Hallowell. READ ALSO: Ex-Abortion Workers Reveal Why They Became Pro-Life Johnson, whose personal story of converting from a Planned Parenthood clinic director to one of Americas most famous pro-life activists was told through the movie Unplanned, didnt go into detail about the specific contents of her speech. But she did note that its pretty graphic. Listen to Johnson preview her RNC speech at the 9-minute mark (and unveil details about her new podcast, Politely Rude): I was talking to my husband and I said, They could have asked a lot of people. There are a lot of great pro-life speakers out there and they asked me, Johnson said, noting that her lived experience is what differentiates her from many others in the pro-life speaker circuit. She has been a part of abortion in the past and has seen it first-hand something those who saw Unplanned know all too well. READ ALSO: 5 PRO-LIFE MOVIES YOU CAN WATCH NOW Now, Johnson is hoping to make a profound impact through her speech, leaving the audience with a deeply stirring message about the true nature and impact of abortion. I feel like people are going to listen to this 5-minute speech and theyre going to walk away, she said. And theyre not going to ever be able to say, Wow, we had no idea that those things happen during abortion. Theyre going to know. Johnson added that she likes shocking people out of their apathy and into action. -- This article was written by Pure Flix Insider. Visit Pure Flix for access to thousands of faith and family-friendly movies and TV shows. You can get a free trial here. Billy Hallowell, author of "The Armageddon Code," has contributed to TheBlaze, the Washington Post, Human Events, the Daily Caller, Mediaite, and the Huffington Post, among other news sites. Through journalism, media, public speaking appearances, and the blogosphere, Hallowell has worked as a journalist and commentator for more than a decade. realme today announced that Madhav Sheth, Vice President realme and CEO, realme India will be the CEO of Europe region, in addition to India. He will lead the product, marketing and sales functions in the Europe market, starting with the countries of Spain, France, Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic. realme recently announced its new 1+4+N product strategy, which comprises one core product (smartphones), complemented by four major groups of lifestyle devices (speakers, earphones, TVs and watches) and N types of smart accessories, smart home devices and lifestyle products. The company said that it is on track to launch over 50 AIoT products this year and is preparing to add over 100 AIoT products to its portfolio in the next year. In an ET interview, Sheth said that he will also head the North America market, and begin operations in the regions next year with plans starting after November. In a statement, the company said: The development reaffirms realmes vision to penetrate deeper into the promising smartphone industry in Europe and globally, aided by cutting-edge technology, innovative products and superior servicing. With the spirit of innovation and ambition, Madhav, along with his Europe team, aims to position realme as one of the Top 5 smartphone brands in Europe. Being a mature as well as one of the earliest 5G markets in the world, Europe presents new growth opportunities for the brand. Maize farmers under the aegis of Maize Growers, Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria (MAGPAMAN) in Kaduna state, have decried the late distribution of seeds, chemicals, and other components of the EcoBank/MAGPMAN Anchor Borrowers Scheme. The farmers made this known during the stakeholders review meeting of 2020 wet season EcoBank/MAGPMAN Anchor Borrowers Scheme on Thursday in Zaria. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that on June 20, MAGPAMAN inaugurated the distribution of N644.99 million farming inputs to 3,535 members in the state for the 2020 wet season farming. The state chairman of the association, Lawal-Maishanu Gazara, said the review meeting was aimed at evaluating the challenges of the scheme with a view to finding lasting solutions to the identified challenges. The chairman lamented that months after the inauguration of the scheme, beneficiaries were yet to receive the supply of urea fertiliser and bags for packaging the maize after harvest. He said the delay was from agro-dealers assigned to supply the fertiliser to the state MAGPAMAN branch. He noted that the scheme had a provision of money for the payment of labour and other services for the beneficiaries, adding that the money was also not paid to them. Mr Gazara, therefore, appealed to key stakeholders to expedite action in the supply of the urea fertiliser to the beneficiaries. He hinted that the association would commence early preparations for the distribution of maize farming inputs to the members in the next farming season. Mr Gazara added that the association would strengthen its relationship with the Kaduna State Agricultural Development Agency to boost the capacity of members on maize hybrid seed farming technology. A member of the association, Zubairu Aliyu, lamented that the herbicides given to them did not work effectively to control some weeds such as Gyazama in so many farms. He also noted that the scheme did not commence the distribution of farm inputs to the beneficiaries on time, and urged the association to ensure that the farm inputs reached the farmers early in the next farming season. Mr Aliyu appealed to the association to strengthen its collaboration with relevant stakeholders in next farming season to ensure that farmers were properly sensitised on better agricultural practices. (NAN) WaveFront Dynamics Inc. closed on the first $2 million of a targeted $3 million round of venture investment, the company announced Tuesday. Albuquerque-based WaveDyn, which launched last year, is developing an advanced eye-measurement system that could provide customized sight correction for difficult-to-treat patients. The funding will allow it to finish developing its system and complete clinical trials for Food and Drug Administration approval, said founder and CEO Dan Neal. Well have several prototype iterations of the device before January, and then well do testing for FDA listing, Neal said. Were looking to launch our first product in April or May of 2021. Tramway Venture Partners, a local, early-stage fund that invests in biotechnology startups, led the round. An affiliate of California-based Phoenix Venture Partners, plus an angel investor, joined in. WaveDyn is now raising the remaining $1 million of its $3 million target. We fully expect to close on the rest of it, Neal said. The timing is difficult with the coronavirus slowing things down. The new device builds on an eye-measurement system that Neal and his team previously built through a prior startup, WaveFront Sciences. That company, which Neal launched in 1996, provided diagnostics for laser eye surgery. It was acquired in 2007 for $20 million, but changed ownership two times, ultimately landing at Johnson & Johnson. Even so, Neals WaveFront team continued to perfect the system, which is now used across the globe for LASIK surgery. Last year, Johnson & Johnson ended new development efforts, paving the way for Neal and his team to pursue new markets by further developing the base technology into a measurement system for patients whose eyes cant be treated with LASIK or standard contact lenses. Unlike the LASIK device, which provides snapshot-like images of eyes, the new technology takes video-like images to record much more detail about an individuals eyes to develop custom-made contact lenses. WaveDyn plans to sell the system to providers, while also setting up a proprietary diagnostics operation to directly treat patients with its own specially-made lenses. That duel-revenue business model, plus Neal and his teams extensive experience, helped attract Tramway and Phoenix Venture Partners. This is a really mature, experienced team of people, Tramway Fund Manager Waneta Tuttle told the Journal. They have a compelling business model that combines both diagnostics with corrective treatment for rare eye diseases. Donald Trump's presidential campaign has lined the candidate's personal pockets to the tune of $2.3m since he took office, using the money the campaign has raised from major GOP donors and hundreds of thousands of individual Trump supporters to pay off the campaign's lodging, food and rent bills at the president's hotels, resorts and business spaces. The president's campaign committee, Donald J Trump for President, for instance, is spending $37,542 per month each month to operate out of Trump Tower in New York, Federal Election Commission records show. On 27 July, the campaign paid the Trump Corporation $4,917 for "legal and IT consulting". Trump Restaurants LLC has been pulling in $3,000 per month for rental fees recently. And then there's this whopper: over just two days in March and April, the campaign reported $380,000 in payments to the Trump Hotel Collection, which the campaign told David Farenthold of The Washington Post was for a week-long "donor retreat" at the president's Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Fla., in early March. Democratic Congressman Gerry Connolly of Virginia, a senior member of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, has been sounding alarms for years about how Mr Trump has leveraged the looseness of campaign finance regulations to enrich his own companies. "Donald Trump treats both his campaign and the federal government like his own personal piggy banks," Mr Connolly said in a statement to The Independent. "If he's not spending millions of taxpayer dollars and campaign donations at his own properties in violation of the Emoluments Clause of the US Constitution, he's interfering with the relocation of the FBI Headquarters to protect his DC hotel," Mr Connolly said, referring to the president's insistence since taking office that the FBI renovate its headquarters on its existing site across the street from the president's flagship hotel in Washington, instead of moving the bureau's operations to Maryland or Virginia. Keeping FBI headquarters at the current location and renovating the J Edgar Hoover Building in which the bureau operates would benefit Mr Trump's hotel in at least two ways: it would improve the view for his guests, and block other hoteliers from purchasing the land and developing a property that competes with the Trump Hotel. Mr Trump has nominally turned over day-to-day operations of his businesses to his sons Donald Jr and Eric, though he still retains ownership. A senior Trump aide with knowledge of the campaign's financial arrangements told The Independent in a statement that they break no laws. The campaign complies with all campaign finance laws and FEC regulations," the aide said. "The campaign pays fair market value under negotiated rental agreements and other service agreements in compliance with the law" and "works closely with campaign counsel to ensure strict compliance in this regard. A spokesperson for the Trump Organisation could not immediately be reached for comment for this story. Mr Trump, who misleadingly billed his campaign in 2016 as completely self-financed (it wasn't), has not contributed any of his own money to his 2020 campaign. On the contrary, the various political funds he is associated with his own campaign, the Trump Victory fund, and others have spent nearly $4.6m at Trump properties and on Trump consulting fees over the last three and a half years, a review of data compiled by the Centre for Responsive Politics' OpenSecrets.com website reveals. Overall, Trump's businesses have raked in more than $9.1m in revenue over that time period from political groups and candidates, virtually all Republican. That's less than the $13.2m Trump businesses were paid by political entities during the absurdly profitable 2015-16 presidential campaign cycle, but it dwarfs the president's politically sourced revenues from before he launched his political career in the 2016 Republican primaries. During the 2013-14 midterm cycle, for instance, Trump businesses pulled in just $35,496 in political receipts, a contrast that shows how staggeringly lucrative winning the GOP nomination and presidency has been for Mr Trump and his family business operation. As Mr Connolly and other Democratic lawmakers have pointed out, it's not just campaign donations from Republicans that have been funnelled into the president's personal coffers: House Democrats are probing reports, first brought to public attention by the Post in February, that Mr Trump's properties charged the US government exorbitant fees as much as $650 per night to lodge US Secret Service agents whenever the president stays at one of his hotels. "The payment of rates far above government rates and the Trump Administrations lack of transparency raise serious concerns about the use of taxpayer dollars and raise questions about government spending at other Trump properties, Oversight Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney and Democratic member Jackie Speier said in a joint statement in February accompanying a demand that the Secret Service produce documents to the committee. Last year, the president was publicly pushing for the US to host the 2020 G7 Summit at his resort in Doral, Florida, which would have provided a boon to his personal business. He later backed away from that proposal, and planners eventually settled on Camp David, the retreat centre in Maryland used by US presidents for decades. The 2020 G7, however, will be held via videoconference to reduce exposure to Covid-19. August 27 : Congress legislator V T Balram has taken strong exception to the public service commission (PSC) decision to approve the LDF governments recommendation to set aside ten per cent seats in government jobs to the poor among the forward communities. The congress young turk took to his facebook page to voice his objection to the CPI(M)-led state governments move to provide economic reservation to the financially disadvantaged among upper castes. In a facebook post, Balram lamented that the move will set aside ten per cent seats from the open quota exclusively for the upper castes. The open quota was supposed to be exclusively for meritorious candidates. But the introduction of economic reservation will carve out seats from the open quota for those sections which had never faced any social discrimination or faced inequities and had occasion to enjoy privileges of various kinds. The move to set aside reserved seats for forward communities started by Pinarayi Vijayan initially in the devaswom boards in the state and later adopted nationally by Narendra Modi is not actually economic reservation but upper-caste reservation, Balram says. The government is concerned only about the financially disadvantaged among the forward communities, not the poor at large. The so-called peoples governments are basically telling us that the only thing that needs to be taken into consideration is the financial hardships that have befallen the descendants of a class of people who had once controlled land and enjoyed unqualified power, the congress legislator charges. The PSC the other day approved the LDF governments proposal to provide ten per cent reservation in government jobs to the economically backward among the forward communities. The annual income ceiling to qualify for the reservation is four lakh rupees per annum. Sushant's Father Calls Rhea Chakraborty A Murderer Sushant Singh Rajput's father claimed that Rhea was giving poison to his son from a long time. He told ANI, "Rhea Chakraborty was giving poison to my son, Sushant from a long time. She is a murderer. The investigating agency must arrest her and her associates." Earlier, Sushant's Sister Shweta Singh Kirti Demanded Rhea's Arrest Sushant's sister slammed a news channel for interviewing Rhea Chakraborty who has been named as one of the prime accused in the actor's death case. She had also demanded the arrest of the Jalebi actress. Rhea Chakraborty's Name Was Dragged Into Sushant's Death Case When The Late Actor's Father Filed An FIR Against Her A month after Sushant Singh Rajput's demise, his father KK Singh registered an FIR against Rhea Chakraborty and her family members in Patna, under multiple Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections including 'abetment to suicide' and 'cheating'. Based on Singh's FIR, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) also filed a money laundering case in connection with Sushant's death case. Sushant's Death Case Is Currently Being Probed By The Central Bureau Of Investigation (CBI) For the unversed, Sushant Singh Rajput passed away on June 14, 2020. On August 22, 2020, the Supreme Court gave its approval for a CBI investigation in the actor's death case. The apex court also directed the CBI to look into any other cases registered in future in connection with the case. By PTI SHILLONG: The Meghalaya High Court has pulled up Border Security Force (BSF) in the state and directed the border guards to ensure uniformity in the implementation of COVID-19 protocols for all its troopers irrespective of their marital status. A two-member bench of Justices HS Thangkhiew and Wanlura Diengdoh said this in its August 24 order after hearing a PIL on the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. During the hearing, the BSF submitted the standard operating procedure (SOP) for its personnel in which returnees with families have been directed to make their own arrangements to register and undergo quarantine. The SOP submitted before the court mentioned that quarantine centres, where guidelines issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs and BSF Headquarters are being followed, are available for other BSF returnees. The bench rued that BSF returnees with families are left to fend for themselves without any support from their organisation. CLICK HERE FOR COVID-19 LIVE UPDATES "This, in the opinion of this court, is unacceptable, in as much as, all personnel whether married or unmarried are serving in the BSF, and they cannot be given dis-similar treatment," it said. "It is therefore expected that the respondent No 12 (BSF) immediately correct the procedure and ensure uniformity in the implementation of guidelines and protocol to all its personnel irrespective of their marital status," the bench said in its order. Assam Rifles, also a para-military organisation, in an affidavit, said that quarantine facilities have been created at Shillong for all its personnel and the ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research) guidelines are strictly being adhered to. Another aspect which has been flagged by the parties and merits urgent consideration is whether prior testing of the personnel be done before they enter the state, or they be subjected to compulsory testing at entry points. This observation is being made in view of an order issued on May 25 in which state respondents had exempted the armed forces and central military forces (CAPF) from being tested at the entry points set up by the state government. The bench was also informed that meetings have been held between the state authorities and the armed forces/CAPF in connection with the movement and transit of armed forces/CAPF personnel. "It is expected that this matter be taken up and decision arrived at the earliest in such a meeting and the same reported back to this court," it said. ALSO WATCH: PARIS For Edouard Meylan, the chief executive officer of luxury Swiss watch maker H. Moser, now is a good time to be small and nimble and keep launching watches. Its a great opportunity for independent brands because a lot of brands are scared to launch products and too big to really engage their customers and have maybe too many points of sales to manage them, said the executive, who spoke to WWD in a phone interview. The brand is one of over a dozen watch labels that have banded together for the Geneva Watch Days event, holding meetings in spots around the city. If we look at our strategy of launching products, when the crisis really hit us in March, we decided to review our launch plan. We thought, during a pandemic, when some people are fighting for their lives, can you actually promote your brand and do product launches? We really questioned that, he said. We decided to move forward with a few launches and we realized that actually people are looking for something to maybe change a little bit their minds, get some positive emotions, positive energy, and the result was tremendous we had a lot of amazing results, he said. Instead of launching everything at the end of April, as originally planned to coincide with Watches & Wonders, the label decided to spread them throughout the year. The brand had introduced a new line in January, the Streamliner, a steel watch with an integrated bracelet, limited to 100 pieces. At the Geneva Watch Days, it introduced a new model, the Streamliner Centre Seconds with a simpler movement, that will be not be limited although the label only produces between 1,000 and 2,000 watches a year. Its a very complex design, not easy to understand and appreciate at first sight but the response has been great by the entire community because its different, he said, noting that for smaller, independent labels, its important to have a unique offer. We need to take risk and if we want to create something that is there to last, it has to be a design that is not easy to understand, he said. And I think we achieved that with that product. Story continues You need to look at it a lot of times before you appreciate it, I compare it to good music I feel like something you like right away, like pop music, and after a few months you dont want to listen to it anymore the big classics that you might not appreciate at first, you listen and listen and eventually it becomes something that maybe 40 years from now youll still be listening to, noted the executive. The new model comes with a green, sunburst dial that goes from a bright, apple green to a copper-like hue. We call it the matrix green, he said. His teams were as excited for the Geneva event as they had been for large fairs in the past, said Meylan. Its been frustrating to be stuck in the office for four months, so were very happy to be able to go, he noted. It brings a lot of energy in the team as well, its exciting, we have been traveling a lot less than we usually do, meaning also meeting fewer people, getting less feedback than we usually do. The watchmaker rushed to open an online sales platform during the lockdown managing to do so in two weeks and is discovering the advantage of higher margins from direct sales. Before the pandemic hit, there were plans to open a number of new sales points around the year, which have been delayed. There will be a pop-up store in Beijing, a first for the label, followed by more openings next year. In Hong Kong, office space has been converted to a place where customers can come and meet with the brand. Its quite discrete and you can discuss with knowledgable people in our price segment, he said. Sales in the U.S., where it has 10 points of sale, and the Middle East have been booming, while Europe has felt the absence of visiting Asians, although local clientele remains intact, according to the executive. The company is focusing on local, targeted investments in digital channels like Facebook and Instagram to drive people to stores that carry its watches, as well as to its own web site. Its not easy, but we move forward fast we will emerge from this situation bigger than where we were, he predicted. Sign up for WWD's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Iran voluntarily grants IAEA access to two locations specified by UN agency Iran Press TV Wednesday, 26 August 2020 2:16 PM Iran has agreed to grant the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) access to two sites specified by the UN nuclear agency. At the end of a two-day trip by IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi to Tehran, Iran and the UN agency issued a joint statement on agreements and the results of high-level talks between the two sides. According to the Wednesday statement put on the website of the IAEA, the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Islamic Republic of Iran "agreed to further reinforce their cooperation and enhance mutual trust" to facilitate the full implementation of Iran's Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement (CSA) and the Additional Protocol (AP) thereto, which is provisionally applied by Iran since January 16, 2016. "After intensive bilateral consultations, Iran and the IAEA reached an agreement on the resolution of the safeguards implementation issues specified by the IAEA, in good faith. In this regard, Iran is voluntarily providing the IAEA with access to the two locations specified by the IAEA and facilitating the IAEA verification activities to resolve these issues," the statement said. According to the statement, the dates for the IAEA access and the verification activities have been agreed. It said the Agency's verification activities shall be carried out in accordance with the Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement and the Additional Protocol and the Agency's standard verification practice as implemented for all states with Safeguard Agreements and Additional Protocols "on equal basis and without discrimination." In the context of Resolution GOV / 2015/72, adopted by the Board of Governors on December 15, 2015, "the IAEA and Iran recognize that these safeguards implementation issues are exclusively related to nuclear material and activities subject to safeguards under the CSA and the AP." In the present context and based on the analysis of information available to the Agency, the statement said "the IAEA does not have further questions to Iran and further requests for access to locations other than those declared by Iran under its CSA and AP." The two sides also stressed in the statement that the Agency's "independence, impartiality and professionalism" are still essential to the fulfillment of its verification activities. The statement concluded that the Agency will continue to address Iran's security concerns by protecting all safeguards confidential information in accordance with the IAEA Statute, the relevant provisions of the Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement and the Additional Protocol, and the confidentiality of the Agency, as well as the "established IAEA confidentiality regime, standards and procedures." Grossi arrived in Tehran on Monday on his first visit to the country since taking office in December to hold talks with senior Iranian officials. The visit took place over two months after the IAEA Board of Governors passed a resolution on June 19, put forward by Britain, France and Germany the three European signatories to the landmark 2015 nuclear agreement, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), to push for inspections of two sites that the trio claims may have been used for undeclared nuclear activities in the early 2000s. It was the Israeli regime's spy service that first came up with the allegations of such activity at the two sites. Iran has, however, strictly rejected the allegations. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Afterpay laid out plans on Thursday to expand its buy-now, pay-later service to at least four continents, capitalising on the sectors burgeoning popularity, as the Australian firm said its full-year loss more than halved. An online shopping boom triggered by the coronavirus outbreak has boosted growth in the BNPL sector and helped turn Afterpay into one of Australias 20 most valuable stocks, having soared more than 10-fold since March. The quarter to June was Afterpays best in terms of the amount of sales it processed, and underlying sales in fiscal 2020 doubled from last year to A$11.10 billion ($8.04 billion). With nearly 10 million active customers and competition building, Afterpay set it sights on Asia with the acquisition of a Indonesia-focused but Singapore-based BNPL, EmpatKali. They have got an established, albeit, very early stage position in Indonesia," Chief Executive Anthony Eisen told Reuters. The Southeast Asian country has the worlds fourth-largest population and its booming digital economy is expected to top $130 billion by 2025. Afterpay also formally announced its launch into Canada and said earlier this week it would venture into mainland Europe, starting with Spain, France, Italy and possibly Portugal and Germany, facing up directly with Klarna on its home-turf as global competition intensifies. We are in the land grab phase of growth," said Andrew Mitchell, a senior portfolio manager at Ophir Asset Management. In a volatile trading session, Afterpay shares climbed close to 6% to a record high, but quickly reversed course to trade sharply lower. It was marginally higher by late afternoon in line with the broader market. In the United States, active customers more than tripled during the year accounting for more than half of the companys base, while underlying sales more than quadrupled to A$4 billion and make up more than a third of sales. Tencent-backed Afterpay, which offers small interest-free instalment loans to shoppers and makes money by charging merchants a commission, reported a loss of A$22.9 million for the year ended June 30. ($1 = 1.3803 Australian dollars) 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 Mark Meadows White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows speaks to the press in Statuary Hall at the Capitol on August 22, 2020 in Washington, DC. Gabriella Demczuk/Getty Images White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows told Politico on Wednesday that "nobody outside of the Beltway really cares" whether administration officials acted unlawfully during events used for the Republican National Convention, dismissing concerns about possible violations of the Hatch Act as "a lot of hoopla." "Nobody outside of the Beltway really cares. They expect that Donald Trump is going to promote Republican values and they would expect that Barack Obama when he was in office, that he would do the same for Democrats," Meadows said. "So listen, this is a lot of hoopla that's being made about things, mainly because the convention has been so unbelievably successful." Video of President Donald Trump carrying out official duties in the White House was featured during the Republican National Convention, prompting allegations that individuals who participated in the events violated the Hatch Act, a 1939 federal law intended to limit government employees from becoming an arm of a political campaign. The second night of the convention included two pre-taped scenes from the White House, presented as part of the event's programming: an official presidential pardon, and a naturalization ceremony for five new American citizens, featuring acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf administering the Oath of Allegiance. (A recent report from the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office found that Wolf was serving at the Department of Homeland Security in violation of federal law.) "On behalf of everyone here today, I'd like to express my gratitude to you, Mr. President, for hosting this naturalization ceremony here at the White House," Wolf said. The Hatch Act bars government officials from participating in political activity in their official capacity. To date, Trump administration officials have been cited more than a dozen times for violating the law. Story continues "What it's really designed to do is to make sure people like myself and others do not use their political position to try to convince other employees other federal employees that they need to vote one way, need to register one way or need to campaign in one way," Meadows said. "We take it on well beyond the original intent of the Hatch Act." A White House official told The Washington Post that the video was fair game, because the naturalization ceremony was part of the president's official schedule and had been posted to a public website. "The campaign decided to use the publicly available content for campaign purposes," the official said. "There was no violation of law." The White House "publicized the content of the event on a public website this afternoon and the campaign decided to use the publically [sic] available content for campaign purposes," an administration official told The Wall Street Journal. However, the White House press corps was not told about the naturalization ceremony, and it was not previously listed on Trump's public schedule. Former White House lawyer in the Obama administration Daniel Jacobson tweeted, "As a lawyer who used to enforce the Hatch Act at the White House, this is absolutely not how it works. If they filmed it knowing and intending that it would be used at the convention (which they obviously did), it violates the law." "The Hatch Act makes it illegal for a federal official to, among other things, 'use his official authority or influence for the purpose of ... affecting the result of an election.' 5 USC 7323(a)(1)," Jacobson added. "Note the phrase 'for the purpose of.'" "This is so obviously, blatantly, insultingly a Hatch Act violation that it's starting to seem like the Trump administration is going out of its way to find new ways to violate the law," a spokesperson for the government ethics watchdog Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington told The Washington Post. "We'll be filing a complaint." While the Hatch Act by and large does not apply to the president, it does extend to executive branch employees. For example, the military personnel who open the door for Trump in the naturalization ceremony video are in full uniform and on duty in the White House. Wolf executed the ceremony in his official capacity as acting secretary. A Department of Defense policy written in compliance with the Hatch Act says that "military service members and federal employees acting in their official capacity may not engage in activities that associate the DOD with any partisan political campaign or elections, candidate, cause or issue." It was not immediately clear whether Wolf or the soldiers in the video were aware that the event would later be used at the convention. "You followed the rules," Trump told the five new U.S. citizens in the video. "You obeyed the laws." However, Trump has apparently only publicly participated in one other recorded naturalization ceremony. It took place at the White House on Jan. 19, 2019, as his presidential approval ratings tanked amid the government shutdown he triggered during negotiations to fund construction of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border a cornerstone campaign promise. In an Aug. 17 Washington Post op-ed, Miles Taylor, former DHS chief of staff under Kirstjen Nielsen, alleged that Trump had essentially ran his presidency as if it were inextricable from the campaign. "The president has tried to turn DHS, the nation's largest law enforcement agency, into a tool used for his political benefit," Taylor wrote. "He insisted on a near-total focus on issues that he said were central to his reelection in particular building a wall on the U.S. border with Mexico." On Tuesday, Trump officially nominated Wolf, in a tweet around noon, to become the permanent secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. The naturalization ceremony over which Wolf presided was filmed that same afternoon. In a statement earlier Tuesday, White House spokesman Judd Deere said that "RNC Convention events will be planned and executed, at whatever the venue, by the Trump Campaign and RNC. Any government employees who may participate will do so in compliance with the Hatch Act." https://twitter.com/RWPUSA/status/1298452407568015360 Other RNC events which have raised questions about Hatch Act violations include a video of the president issuing a pardon, Melania Trump's speech from the White House lawn and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's Tuesday night endorsement, which was filmed in Israel while Pompeo was on official state business. https://twitter.com/juliaioffe/status/1298445434147479552 Related Articles In times of desperate need, Goya has always been at the forefront of disaster and humanitarian relief efforts, providing millions of pounds of nourishing food worldwide. "In our tradition of immediate response during emergency situations, we send out our help in the form of food and we send out our prayers and love for rebuilding. We are and will always be a company of passionate people who care about helping people in need," said Bob Unanue, President of Goya Foods. Goyas donation of shelf-stable products enables food banks and organizations like Feed the Children to quickly respond to ensure that thousands of families get the support they urgently need. Feed the Children is taking action to ensure our neighbors aren't forgotten. We are working diligently with Goya and other corporate and community partners to ensure that as needs rise, children and their families continue to receive the food and supplies they need, said Travis Arnold, president and CEO at Feed the Children, a leading nonprofit focused on alleviating childhood hunger. This donation is part of Goya Gives, a global program committed to promoting the overall well-being of communities through social responsibility, environmental initiatives, and company values. In response to the pandemic, the company has been distributing an on-going donation of millions of pounds of food to food banks across the nation, Puerto Rico and South America as well as 20,000 protective masks to health care providers. During Hurricane Maria Goya donated over one million pounds of food to the people of Puerto Rico, in addition to the starving people of Venezuela during governmental unrest, to the people of Haiti during the earthquake, and at home during Superstorm Sandy, and Hurricanes Isaac, Harvey, and Irene. Since 1936, giving back is the heart of Goya and has always been a part of the company's DNA. To learn more about Goya Gives, please visit: www.goya.com About Goya Foods Founded in 1936, Goya Foods, Inc. is America's largest Hispanic-owned food company, and has established itself as the leader in Latin American food and condiments. Goya manufactures, packages, and distributes over 2,500 high-quality food products from Spain, the Caribbean, Mexico, Central, and South America. Goya products have their roots in the culinary traditions of Hispanic communities around the world. The combination of authentic ingredients, robust seasonings, and convenient preparation makes Goya products ideal for every taste and every table. For more information on Goya Foods, please visit www.goya.com. For more information, contact: Natalie J. Maniscalco 845.659.6506 / [email protected] SOURCE Goya Foods The campaign of Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has condemned the second night of the Republican National Convention for presenting an "alternate reality" to Americans that failed to recognise the ongoing severity of the coronavirus pandemic. Mr Biden's deputy campaign manager and communications director, Kate Bedingfield, issued a long rebuke of the evening's proceedings, honing in on White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow's speech describing the Covid-19 crisis in the past tense despite the fact health officials continue to report tens of thousands of new cases per day and thousands of deaths per week. Not only did the American people hear no plan for overcoming the pandemic for the second consecutive night of the RNC after more than seven months of utter mismanagement but the presidents chief economic adviser even referred to the coronavirus in the past tense," Ms Bedingfield said in her statement on Wednesday. President Trumps RNC is an alternate reality. In this delusion, thousands of Americans didnt die in the last week from Covid-19, nor have millions of Americans been infected or put out of work. Our economy hasnt ground to a halt and our kids arent being kept home from school," she said. Nearly 6m Americans have contracted Covid-19 since the disease arrived in the US in January. More than 179,000 Americans have died. While Mr Kudlow admitted in his speech on Tuesday that the US still has "a lot of hardship and ... heartbreak" to endure before the pandemic is behind us, he appeared to indicate that economic woes were retreating, and largely a thing of the past. It was awful. Health and economic impacts were tragic, Mr Kudlow said of the Covid-19 pandemic. This spring, the US government spent nearly $3trn or roughly 13 per cent of total GDP to buoy a health care system and flailing economy struggling to tread water during a weeks-long shutdown of business operations to slow down the new infection rate. Republicans and Democrats failed earlier this month to reach a deal on a fifth coronavirus relief package, with Donald Trump and the Senate GOP slapping together a package worth an estimated $1.2trn that failed to garner intra-party consensus. Democrats were more united in their request for a relief bill worth upwards of $4trn. The unemployment rate for July settled back to 10.2 per cent, down from a modern high of 14.2 per cent in April, according to the US Bureau of Labour Statistics. Mr Trump and his administration officials have touted recent jobs-added numbers, even though those figures come nowhere close to returning the US macroeconomy to where it was before the pandemic. In his optimistic speech about the economy at the RNC on Tuesday, Mr Kudlow, the president's top economic adviser, continued to push for a payroll tax cut that officials have estimated would drain the Social Security fund by 2023. Mr Kudlow also appeared to criticise Mr Biden's plan to raise taxes on people making more than $400,000 annually. Mr Biden has proposed returning that tax rate to 39.6 per cent after Republicans reduced it to 37 per cent in their trademark 2017 tax code overhaul. Coming out of the deep pandemic, who in their right mind would pick the pockets of taxpayers and drain the money from their wallets and purses? Mr Kudlow asked. Look, our economic choice is very clear: Do you want economic health, prosperity, opportunity and optimism, or do you want to turn back to the dark days of stagnation, recession and pessimism? he said. Incumbent Edward Markey has opened up a double-digit lead over challenger U.S. Rep. Joseph Kennedy III one week before the Democratic primary in the race for U.S. Senate, according to a new poll of Massachusetts voters released today. Conducted by the UMass Lowell Center for Public Opinion, the poll of 800 likely Democratic primary voters found that Markey leads the race with 52 percent of respondents supporting him, compared to 40 percent for Kennedy, with 6 percent of voters undecided and 2 percent favoring another candidate. The primary election is Tuesday, Sept. 1. Voters' education factors into their choice and accounts for the largest divide among respondents, poll results show. Voters with a college degree prefer Markey by a 37-point margin, as 65 percent of these respondents would elect him, compared to 28 percent of voters who favor Kennedy. The congressman leads by 15 points among voters without a college degree, with 53 percent favoring him, compared to 38 percent for Markey. Markey also holds double-digit leads over Kennedy among voters in key demographic groups. Among younger likely voters, 59 percent of respondents age 18 to 44 say they would vote for Markey, compared to 32 percent who would elect Kennedy, giving a 27-point lead in that demographic to the senator, who first won the seat in a 2013 special election to replace former U.S. Sen. John Kerry. Among women, Markey leads by 18 points, as 55 percent of respondents said they would vote for him, compared to 37 percent for Kennedy. The senator holds a 24-point lead among voters with a family income of more than $100,000, favored by 57 percent of these respondents, compared to 33 percent for Kennedy. The candidates are tied, each with 46 percent support, among respondents who earn less than $50,000 a year. Markey is also besting Kennedy among white voters, as 55 percent of respondents prefer the senator, who holds a 16-point advantage over Kennedy, with 39 percent support. Among voters of color, Kennedy is up one point, 41 percent to Markey's 40 percent, which is within the margin of error. Perhaps the most peculiar thing about this race is that the incumbent has been embraced by the outsider wing of the Democratic Party and the challenger has been characterized as an insider. This insider/outsider dynamic comes through clearly in that voters who trust government are much more likely to support Kennedy and those that distrust government are more likely to support Markey." Joshua Dyck, Associate Professor and Director, Department of Political Science, Center for Public Opinion, University of Massachusetts Lowell "Should Markey hold on to win, his ability to avoid the out-of-touch-establishment-elite label will be the reason he was able to keep his seat." The findings released today are a sharp contrast to the results of past polling by the Center for Public Opinion on the race. Survey results issued in May found a close contest, with Kennedy garnering 44 percent of support among likely Democratic voters and 42 percent supporting incumbent Markey, while 10 percent were undecided. At that time, Markey led among likely voters who identify themselves as liberals (54 percent to 39 percent), while Kennedy was ahead among moderates (55 percent to 25 percent). Yet despite Markey's widening lead, 52 percent of voters polled in results released today said their lives are not likely to be any better or worse in six years regardless of which candidate wins the election. "In the final days, voters see this race as low stakes, but that hasn't prevented the race from being high drama. Both candidates have taken the gloves off in this campaign, but it's clear that Markey has Kennedy on the ropes." "This bout isn't over, but Markey has the clearest advantage we've seen since Kennedy filed to run," said John Cluverius, associate director of the UMass Lowell Center for Public Opinion and assistant professor of political science. The poll also surveyed likely Democratic primary voters' views about life during the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings include: More voters (35 percent), said COVID-19 will prove to be a greater threat to humanity over the next five years than climate change. Thirty-one percent of voters said climate change is the more pressing issue and 36 percent of respondents said the threats were about equal; Asked whether their local schools should reopen for face-to-face instruction in the fall, 84 percent of voters oppose that move, while 16 percent favor it; Without an option to vote early or by mail, 15 percent of respondents said they would opt to stay home and not vote in this election. Further, if they knew voting in person would lead to them contracting COVID-19, 62 percent said they would stay home. "Democratic primary voters have almost no faith in local leaders to safely reopen schools for face-to-face instruction." "There's some backlash to President Trump's desire for schools to open in person, but it's clear here that anxiety about reopening schools is rampant among Democratic primary voters, even in a state that has contained the virus much better than others," Cluverius said. Despite voters' COVID-19 concerns, Massachusetts Republican Gov. Charlie Baker remains extremely popular with Democrats, survey results show. Among poll respondents, Baker has an 89 percent approval rating, with 54 percent of voters who "strongly approve" and 35 percent who "somewhat approve" and only 11 percent who disapprove of how the governor is handling his job. These statistics are virtually unchanged from polling data the Center for Public Opinion released in May, according to Dyck. "Charlie Baker continues to be the most popular Republican among Democrats in Massachusetts - more popular, in fact, than most Democratic politicians. His 89 percent approval rating among Democratic likely voters includes unenrolled voters. But even among just registered Democrats, Baker's approval rating is 90 percent," he said. The independent, nonpartisan poll was conducted by the University of Massachusetts Lowell's Center for Public Opinion using the latest technology and highest standards. The center is a member of the American Association for Public Opinion Research's Transparency Initiative and presents events and polls on political and social issues that provide unique opportunities for civic engagement, experiential learning and research. The poll also surveyed voters' views on national issues. Here, the survey found the Black Lives Matter movement has the support of a majority of Democrats polled, with a net favorability rating of +71 percent. As may be expected among Democratic primary voters, 67 percent of respondents said they disapprove of President Donald Trump's job performance, while 7 percent approve, and 92 percent of voters polled said they think the country is on the wrong track, compared to 8 percent who said it is on the right track. Findings on the presidential race shows Democratic nominee Joe Biden has a +67 net positive favorability rating, (80 percent favorable, 13 percent unfavorable), while his running mate, U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris has a +65 net positive favorability rating (77 percent favorable, 12 percent unfavorable). On the Republican ticket, Trump has a -87 net negative favorability rating (6 percent favorable, 93 percent unfavorable) and Vice President Mike Pence has a -76 net negative favorability rating (9 percent favorable, 85 percent unfavorable). Among other national public figures, Dr. Anthony Fauci of the White House coronavirus task force has a +80 net positive favorability rating (85 percent favorable, 5 percent unfavorable) and White House coronavirus adviser Dr. Deborah Birx has a +6 net favorability rating (27 percent favorable, 21 percent unfavorable). Former President Barack Obama has a +81 net positive favorability rating and presidential adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner is at a -73 net negative rating. Likely Democratic primary voters were also questioned on a range of other topics. Findings include: RioZims Murowa Diamonds sees demand picking up 27 august 2020 News Zimbabwes second-largest diamond miner, Murowa Diamonds, is expecting demand to bounce back after the coronavirus pandemic forced the parent company, RioZim to stop sales last March. The global travel restrictions to curb the spreading of the coronavirus has further weakened demand and prices of diamonds. It has in fact picked up with a vengeance in some parts of the world, RioZim spokesperson Wilson Gwatiringa was quoted by Bloomberg as saying. As a result, we expect an imminent bounce back in the demand for rough diamonds. He said they had been stockpiling production from Murowa Diamonds since the beginning of the pandemic. RioZim had also suspended growth projects although RioZim was now considering a two-phase expansion to boost diamond output. Gwatiringa said the first phase would extend the life of the Murowa mine by four years from the current 14 months at a cost of $52 million. The second $400 million phase, which was under consideration, would see the construction of Zimbabwes largest underground diamond mine. This, he said, would increase production to 2.5 million carats, while the life of the operation would also be extended by at least another 10 years. Murowa recorded a 7% drop in production to 685 000 carats in 2019 from 740 244 carats produced in the comparative period in 2018. Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished A court of appeals ruled Wednesday that schools cant deny trans students access to bathrooms that match their gender identity, in a major victory for transgender rights advocates. The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of Gavin Grimm, a former student at Virginias Gloucester High, who argued that his constitutional rights were violated when the school denied him access to the boys restroom. In a 2-1 decision, the court rejected the school boards argument that the policy was needed to protect student privacy. All transgender students should have what I was denied: the opportunity to be seen for who we are by our schools and our government, Grimm said in a statement. Todays decision is an incredible affirmation for not just me, but for trans youth around the country. The decision is a tremendous victory for transgender equality, Sam Brinton, vice president of advocacy and government affairs for The Trevor Project, told the New York Daily News in a statement. When transgender and nonbinary students are denied access to school facilities or documents consistent with their gender identity, they are not only denied basic dignity and respect, but also fundamental human rights, they said. This decision reaffirms that anti-transgender discrimination is, in fact, illegal under the law. The Trevor Project, a human rights organization focused on crisis management and suicide prevention on LGBTQ and questioning youth, applauded the immense courage and resiliency shown by the plaintiff and his lawyers during the hard-fought battle. Grimms leadership has inspired trans youth across our country and this victory will work to save young lives, Brinton added. Wednesdays decision is the latest development in a lengthy legal battle that began five years ago when Grimm, now a 20-year-old college student, was a sophomore at the school. Grimm and his mother notified the school that he had transitioned to male, and that he had legally changed his name. For about two months the school allowed him to use the boys restroom. However, after receiving complaints by some parents and residents, the school board adopted a new policy that barred transgender students form using restroom facilities that corresponded to their gender identity. In 2015 the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit on behalf of Grimm, arguing that the policy was unconstitutional under the Fourteenth Amendment and that it violated Title IX of the U.S. Education Amendments of 1972, a federal law prohibiting sex discrimination by schools. His case was supposed to go before the Supreme Court, but before the court could hear any arguments, the Trump administration rescinded an Obama-era guidance from the Department of Education that said that students should choose bathrooms corresponding with their gender identity. Last year a judge ruled that the board had discriminated against Grimm, but the board appealed the decision to the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond. David Corrigan, an attorney for the school, defended the policy, saying the school had always treated Grimm with respect. But since Grimm hadnt undergone gender confirmation surgery, he wasnt allowed to use the boys bathroom. Our position is its a binary concept, that you have males and females, Corrigan told a panel of judges. Joshua Block, an ACLU lawyer who represents Grimm, said that the board treated him differently than other students, by requiring him to use a private bathroom, an experience that was stigmatizing and humiliating. For the last five years, Gavin has been fighting for transgender students to ensure no one else deals with the discrimination he faced in high school, Eden Heilman, legal director for the ACLU of Virginia, said in a statement Wednesday. The court rightfully stood with him to rule that trans students deserve to go to school with dignity, respect, and equal protection under the law. The proudest moments of the federal judiciary have been when we affirm the burgeoning values of our bright youth, rather than preserve the prejudices of the past, Judge Henry Floyd wrote in the decision. How shallow a promise of equal protection that would not protect Grimm from the fantastical fears and unfounded prejudices of his adult community, he added. Muri Assuncao of the New York Daily News wrote this story. 2020 New York Daily News Visit New York Daily News at www.nydailynews.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. (Alliance News) - British Gas will avoid potentially costly enforcement by the UK energy regulator after agreeing to pay GBP1.73 million for not telling some customers they would need to top up their meter cards at a different shop until almost a month after the switch. Ofgem said Britain's biggest energy supplier, part of Centrica PLC, would have left many vulnerable customers in a difficult situation when it failed to tell them in time that it was switching meter top-ups from PayPoint to Payzone earlier this year. Some people may have been left without energy, and others would have made unnecessary trips to shops where they were no longer able to top up, the regulator said. Adding to the confusion, the British Gas helpline was not being manned on New Year's Day when the switchover happened. The company has agreed to pay GBP1.48 million to affected customers, and will pay an extra GBP250,000 into Ofgem's energy redress fund. "When such a fundamental change is being made, such as where meters can be topped up, energy suppliers need to communicate with their customers in plenty of time," said Ofgem director of retail Philippa Pickford. "British Gas should have informed all of their pre-payment customers, many of whom are in vulnerable situations, of the change to how to top up their meters during the winter period." Around 270,000 pre-payment customers were not properly informed of the switch, with some letters coming in late January, according to the regulator. British Gas told most of its customers of the change in December 2019, which did not leave enough time for unhappy customers to switch to a new supplier. The letters also did not tell customers that the minimum top-up had been changed from GBP1 to GBP5, Ofgem said. "Some customers were unaware of the change before it happened and may have struggled to contact British Gas as they opted not to open their general inquiries line on the go-live date," Pickford said. "Others were given insufficient time to make alternative arrangements if they were unhappy with the change of top-up provider." British Gas said: "We recognise that this transition was not as smooth as it should have been and we would like to apologise again to any customer impacted. "We respect Ofgem's decision and will be paying an additional GBP250,000 to the voluntary redress fund. We have already paid GBP1.48 million in compensation to our pre-payment customers who were negatively impacted by this change. "We know that some pre-payment customers are vulnerable and we take our responsibilities to them very seriously. "We ensured that anyone who contacted us had heating and hot water a this included sending an engineer to manually add credit to the meter if the customer was unable to get to their nearest working top-up point." Ofgem said some of the letters to customers did not have a phone number, merely providing internet links, which could disadvantage people with little understanding of, or no access to, the internet. Centrica shares were down 1.7% early Thursday in London at 43.07 pence. By August Graham, PA City Reporter source: PA Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. After testing every staff member, reporter and individual near the former vice president for two days in a row and asking members of the crowd to stay in or near their socially distanced cars Joe Biden and his wife still wore masks as they watched fireworks together, away from the cheering audience after his acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention in Delaware last week. Asked if the precautions taken to prevent the spread of coronavirus were excessive, the senior staff of the Democratic National Convention Committee responded that the health and safety of the staff, candidates and everyone involved was the most important part of the four days of programming. Moreover they wanted to set an example. Vice President Biden recognized what President Trump does not seem to, Joe Solmonese, CEO of the 2020 Democratic National Convention, told ABC News over the phone this week. That the American people look to him to set an example and if the public health advice is that everybody ought to wear a mask, Joe Biden recognizes the strength of his reach and the degree to which people look to him to lead. MORE: RNC 2020: Pence calls Biden a 'Trojan horse for a radical left' as he touts Trump's accomplishments In terms of their approach to coronavirus safety, Democrats and Republicans have largely followed different standards, resulting in strikingly different images over the course of their two conventions. On the third night of the Republican National Convention, for instance, President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence stepped down from the stage at the Fort McHenry National Monument and greeted the crowd of a few hundred supporters. While they did not shake hands, they also did not wear masks. Pence could be seen giving a fist-bump to at least one member of the crowd. Chair of the Republican National Committee, Ronna McDaniel, said she was not up to speed on all the precautions taken at Fort McHenry. McDaniel said she was tested for the virus Tuesday before attending the first ladys address at the White House and again ahead of the presidents speech at the White House Thursday. Delegates who traveled to Charlotte, North Carolina for some of the party meetings were tested before they left and after they landed in the state. Story continues PHOTO: President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence greet the crowd after Pence's acceptance speech during an event of the 2020 Republican National Convention held at Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Aug. 26, 2020. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters) So, this is the thing, the White House and the RNC and the president is pushing forward, McDaniel told ABC News Thursday on the Powerhouse Politics podcast. We have to take the precautions we need to. Wear a mask. Social distance. Take those precautions, but at the same time we can balance that with being together and continuing to move forward with our lives. MORE: Trump to address Kenosha 'unrest' in RNC acceptance speech: Campaign When asked about safety protocols for the major speeches and events, the Republican convention team did not offer any specific details about their standards or procedures, except to say that masks were encouraged but not required for event attendees. The presidents campaign staff told reporters that they worked with a medical firm, Patronus medical, to ensure consistent screenings and the safety and well-being of individuals at convention venues. Republicans did choose to limit most of their speeches with audiences to safer, outdoors spaces, and the White House has routinely tested people who may be within close, in door, proximity to the president, when he is on official business. The Vice Presidents Chief of Staff, Marc Short, told MSNBC Thursday that personnel backstage with Pence for his Fort McHenry event received tests and that some temperature checks were done. Democrats did not have any speakers address any in-person audiences and instead presented an all virtual, all-remote convention to the country, but some speakers appeared with other people. Still, their teams put in place strict workflows that included extensive testing and required face coverings for the staff and volunteers working behind the scenes. In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where Democrats ran all of their television-style control rooms and meeting space, they tested a few hundred staff regularly and also required masks on site. Security personnel checking credentials were required to wear both masks and face shields. PHOTO: Former vice-presiden Joe Biden and his wife Dr. Jill Biden wave to supporters watching remotely after he accepted the Democratic Party nomination for president during the Democratic National Convention, in Wilmington, Del., Aug. 20, 2020. (Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images) Senior staff for the Democratic convention told ABC they tested all of their staff working at satellite locations as well. For example, staff teams that prepped the site in Philadelphia where President Barack Obama spoke and those who also worked on location in Delaware were all also tested through the committees systems. Specifically, samples were flown daily to Milwaukee, where Democrats had built a relationship with a local lab. According to senior Democratic staff, it took months to identify to a lab in Milwaukee that had both spare processing capacity and the resources to expand their intake. Democrats said it was important to them to find a lab that could process and handle their samples without slowing down or impacting their ability to also processing tests for others in the community. The final conventions were, in many ways, a culmination of diverging views and campaigning norms that had been on display for the two parties for months. Both Biden and Harris have participated in events and fundraisers almost exclusively digitally, online from afar. Since his campaign staff removed to working remotely in mid-March, Biden, in fact, has participated in only 15 in-person, public events-- a fact that Trump and conservatives chide him for. MORE: Speaker Pelosi says Biden shouldn't debate President Trump because he will 'belittle' the purpose The presidents team, in contrast, has held events weekly, with packed rooms and little attention to masks or social distancing. Last week, on the eve of the Republican convention, the president and his party defied a standing order from the Virginia governor prohibiting in-person, indoor gatherings. At their 2020 Council for National Policy Meeting in Arlington, Virginia, approximately 250 people packed a room, mostly without masks. The White House reiterated that people near the president are routinely tested, but declined to comment on whether that meant that everyone in the room had in fact been tested. When pressed about the appearance of these campaign events, McDaniel argued that many people in attendance at some recent campaign events have in fact worn masks, though pictures clearly show that has not been the case. I mean these are the types of things that we should be doing and people know, she responded Thursday, but went on to argue against some of the Democrats moves too. I think the Democrats arent following the science when they keep saying we have to shut everything down. We have put precautions in place.... The RNC has done it in our workplace where we are able to work. Create a living, and also be healthy and safe, McDaniel said. For months, both parties had hoped to hold larger scale, in-person events. Frustrated by local rules limiting crowd-sizes, President Trump asked his staff to look for alternative locations where he might still be permitted to hold a major rally during the pandemic. For a few weeks, this summer it seemed Florida might give a green light, but then cases and deaths spiked there too. Democrats drafted a wide-range of contingencies to possibly, safely accommodate different potential crowd sizes. Their goal had been to conduct daily tests for all attendees in Milwaukee with results linked to credentials. Democrats have argued that while theoretically in-person events could be done safely during a pandemic, with daily testing and protective gear as a backup, the reality is access to fast and affordable testing is still too limited for most Americans. We showed that with testing you can bring people together safely, Andrew Binns, chief operating officer at 2020 Democratic National Convention Committee, told ABC News. In the future anyone can throw money at any event and make it safe, but we are still looking at a national failing from this administration. It is failure that we still do not to have a testing system that works for the country.... It is not true that anyone who wants a test can get a test. The striking contrast between the Democratic and Republican conventions originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Ahead of the upcoming assembly bypolls, Bharatiya Janata Partys claims of having added over 76,000 fresh members into the party in Gwalior-Chambal region emerged as a fresh bone of contention between the BJP and the Opposition Congress, with the latter calling it a fake list. Jyotiraditya Scindia loyalist and a cabinet minister in CM Shivraj Singhs government, Govind Singh Rajput on Wednesday said, In all, we have added around one lakh members to the party, including from other regions." The three-day membership drive by the ruling Bharatiya Janta Party concluded a few days ago and the state president VD Sharma announced that the party had inducted 76,361 Congressmen as members. The membership campaign was undertaken at four Lok Sabha constituencies Gwalior, Guna, Bhind and Morena. Bypolls are scheduled to be held on 27 Assembly constituencies and of the total vacant seats, 16 include those from Gwalior-Chambal region, the stronghold of Scindia. However, the Congress party dismissed BJPs assertions. Congress Gwalior-Chambal media-in-charge KK Mishra in a statement on Wednesday termed the membership campaign Corona Failao Abhiyan (Corona Spreading Campaign) and described it as a fake exercise. Challenging the BJP to issue a list of the new members along with the details like names, pin code, address, Mishra said that deceit with the public of the region is no less than a political crime. Responding to the allegations, BJP MP in-charge Vinay Sastrabuddhe claimed that Congress need not be taken seriously and said that the opposition party barely had any idea about who was in its organisation. Has anyone seen their (Congress) membership campaign and major party organisation meetings, asked the senior leader. He added that the Opposition needs to understand that locals were connected to Congress only because of Jyotiraditya Scindia and when he left, they, too were constrained to leave. The BJP further hinted that local leaders from the region are upset with the party leadership. BJP media cell in-charge Lokendra Parashar alleged that three prominent leaders of the region Dr Govind Singh, Laakhan Singh Yadav and Ramniwas Rawat had skipped Congress press briefing in Gwalior. Madhya Pradesh cabinet minister Govind Singh Rajput further said that former minister and senior Congress leader Dr Govind Singh was ignored by the party leadership for long. Govind Singh ji is required to take a final call on his future, the minister said. BURLEIGH FALLS Once the backdrop for Hollywood movies including Cheaper by the Dozen 2 in 2005, members of a community group believe now is the time to give Burleigh Falls a needed makeover. Stephanie Doughty, of the Burleigh Falls Beautification Project, says Burleigh Falls has received a lot of negative attention in the past few years and she believes that is far from what the community is all about. She is looking at ways to better the community on the Trent-Severn Waterway in every way possible. The decision to close the popular falls to the public in June to limit the spread of COVID-19 has put a damper on the community as a whole, she said, adding there is a desire to bring Burleigh Falls back to life. Weve established a committee and we have started a Facebook group page. Our main goal is to have conversation about what we want to accomplish with the beautification of our community, Doughty said. The first step to start the project is an online auction with donated items tentatively scheduled for September. We need money to make money, Doughty said. Donations of gift cards and cash are being sought for the auction, she said. At one time Burleigh Falls, as an Indigenous community, was thriving despite no government funding, she said. The Indigenous history runs deep in Burleigh Falls with some records showing Indigenous people have lived in the area for thousands of years, she said. According to a report put out by Ontario Metis in 2000, between 1922 and 1925 five families from Curve Lake First Nation left and settled at their traditional hunting and gathering lands of Burleigh Falls, situated 35 kilometres north of Curve Lake First Nation. The community is also listed as a part of Curve Lake, but is not recognized as a First Nation by the federal government. A major concern for Doughty is the community centre, which was built in the 1970s and constructed of pine logs. Its so dangerous and needs to come down. Its a safety hazard, Doughty said. The community has grown with more children now than before, she said. She would like to see the community centre totally redone and become something the community can be proud of and enjoy. In 2023, Burleigh Falls will celebrate its centennial. Doughty said she would like to see all the ideas and projects completed by then. Its going to be a lot of work. With proceeds from the online silent auction we can start with rebuilding the ball diamond, Doughty said. We need to bring Burleigh Falls back to what it once was. Doughty launched an online fundraising campaign Wednesday to raise $500,000 for the project through GoFundMe. NOTE: To help the project, call Stephanie Doughty at 705-939-7414 or visit the groups Facebook page. Peterborough This Week Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 20:08:14|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese navy's first independently-developed amphibious assault ship, Type 075, has completed its first-phase navigational trial, a Chinese military spokesperson said Thursday. Wu Qian, a spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, made the announcement at a press conference in Beijing. Enditem India logs over 3.17 lakh new Covid cases in last 24 hours; daily positivity rate up at 16.41 per cent COVID-19 fatalities may be much more than what is being reported States urged to proactively limit COVID transmission and keep the mortality below 1% India oi-Madhuri Adnal New Delhi, Aug 27: Cabinet Secretary held a video conference with the Chief Secretaries and Health Secretaries of nine States and one UT. The States/UT attending were Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana, Gujarat, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir, alongwith the Union Health Secretary, DG ICMR and Member (Health), NITI Aayog. The VC was convened to review and discuss the COVID management and response strategy in these States/UT. Coronavirus outbreak: India records highest spike of 75,000 COVID-19 cases; death toll over 60,000 Union Health Secretary made a detailed presentation on the current status of COVID-19 in these States/UT, with a focus on districts reporting high case fatality and the need to refine as well as strengthen approach and strategies relating to testing, contact tracing, surveillance, containment, home isolation, availability of Ambulances, hospital beds, oxygen, treatment protocols, etc. It was observed that out of the total deaths in the country in the last two weeks, 89% of deaths are in these 10 States/UT and hence, these States/UT need to have continued and rigorous vigil so as to contain the spread of infection as well as take steps to reduce fatalities. The States/UT were advised to proactively take stepstowards reducing case fatality to less than 1% across all districts focusing on : BJP tops Facebook political ad spending at Rs 4 crore & more news | Oneindia News Effective containment, contact tracing & surveillance Ensuring that at least in 80 % of new positive cases, all close contacts should be traced and tested with 72 hours Ensuring a minimum of140 tests per million per day in all districts while targeting a positivity/confirmation rate of Leveraging Antigen tests in containment zones / healthcare settings & retesting of all symptomatic negatives with RT-PCR Regular monitoring of home isolation patients (tele-calling and home visits) and ensuring timely admission to healthcare facility if SPO2 level falls below the designated level Putting in public domain the availability of beds and ambulances across COVID facilities while significantly reducing ambulance response time Saving lives by effective clinical management of all cases Monitoringweek-wise fatality rates for each health facility with particular focus on vulnerable patients (Comorbid, patients > 60 years' age) Upgrading COVID dedicated facilities based on case load Monitoring availability and usage ofnecessary drugs, masks and PPE kits in all facilities Focus on Behavioral Change Communication promoting COVID appropriate behavior consisting of social distancing, wearing of masks, hand hygiene, cough etiquettes etc. The Chief Secretaries explained about the current situation in the States/UT and their preparedness to tackle the spread of COVID-19, health infrastructure available to meet the challenge and steps taken to strengthen it further. States/UT also highlighted steps taken towards reducing case fatality as well as involving community in terms of COVID safe behaviour. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, August 27, 2020, 18:39 [IST] She was really just the mom that everybody wanted ... all my friends knew that too, Shannon Ryan said. She was a mom to everyone, she was a great grandmother, she took care of all of her grandkids so well. She just really taught me to put everyone else before myself. Id worried about the coronavirus, but were fine! Ive been watching the Republican National Convention, and it turns out that while everyone else stood helpless before the pandemic, our national lodestar, President Donald Trump, stepped up and saved millions of lives. Whew! From the very beginning, Democrats, the media and the World Health Organization got the coronavirus wrong, according to a GOP propaganda film shown at the convention. Fortunately, one leader took decisive action to save lives: President Donald Trump. We did the exact right thing, Trump said in his speech Monday. We saved millions. He has moved seamlessly from the fantasy that the virus would go away, as he has said some 31 times, to the fantasy that he has already dispatched it. I feel well equipped to cover the Republican convention, having covered personality cults in China, Iraq and North Korea. But this grotesque manipulation deserves a response, for it dishonours and erases the 1,80,000 Americans confirmed to have died from Covid-19. The Trump administration is responsible for the single worst public health failure in the last 100 years, Peter Hotez, a global health expert and dean at the Baylor College of Medicine, told me. Devi Sridhar, an American who is professor of global public health at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, said it had been astounding to watch the Trump narrative from afar. In Scotland, she noted, children are now back in school because the government there was committed to suppressing the virus. Read: How Donald Trumps convention has become a crucial play for the suburbs The biggest obstacle to an effective Covid-19 response is President Donald Trump, Sridhar told me. There is a path through this crisis, but it requires strong leadership, transparency and letting scientists lead the response. Thats the problem in America: Trump fought science, and the virus won so the public lost. (The hostility to scientific expertise is also evident in the Republican National Conventions obliviousness to climate change, even as California is in flames and a hurricane bears down on Texas and Louisiana.) The consensus among health experts is that while local leaders and citizens sometimes messed up, and that luck matters along with other random factors we still dont fully understand, huge responsibility lies with that one leader. Some 40,000 confirmed infections are being reported each day in the United States, and another American still dies of the virus every 90 seconds. The University of Washington model projects that about 3,10,000 people will have died by December 1 a figure greater than the number of American combat deaths during World War II. So portraying this toll as a tribute to Trumps leadership takes real chutzpah. Trump initially dismissed the coronavirus as like the flu, scoffed that it was totally under control and insisted it would disappear like a miracle. He imposed some travel restrictions on China (with enormous exceptions), which may have helped modestly, but he fumbled testing, didnt ensure adequate protective equipment, and offered confused messaging. Also Read: One meeting in Boston seeded tens of thousands of infections, study finds The president resisted masks and embraced miracle cures some dangerous ones, like injecting household disinfectants. He encouraged followers to liberate states with lockdowns, and his administration pressed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to revise testing guidelines to exclude those without symptoms. He has suggested that his aim is to slow the testing down so that fewer people will test positive; thats like trying to reduce cancer fatalities by ending cancer screening. Trump still doesnt have a national Covid-19 strategy any more than he has a 2020 campaign platform. The United States does not, as many Trump critics believe, have the highest death toll from the coronavirus on a per-capita basis; deaths per million have been higher in Belgium, Peru, Spain, Britain, Italy, Sweden, Chile and Brazil. Yet while other countries made terrible mistakes especially initially they learned from them. China at first put more effort into suppressing warnings of the virus than into suppressing the virus itself. Italy delayed a lockdown. Britain at the beginning didnt take the risks seriously. Yet those countries were able to self-correct and bring infections down, although imperfectly and with risks of a return. Italy brought infections and deaths down and currently has a death rate over the last seven days just one thirty-second that of the United States. In contrast, Trump never learned and still tackles the virus with magical thinking while resisting a coherent national strategy driven by science. Pandemic control involves not a single tool but a broad set of skills, making it a measure of good governance. Its not surprising that Germany led by a disciplined scientist, Angela Merkel has done particularly well, with a death rate now only one forty-eighth that of the United States. If Trump had managed the pandemic as well as Merkel, some 1,43,000 American lives could have been saved. Think about those peoples lives when you see Trump try to rewrite history this week. The indisputable truth is this: The United States has 4 percent of the worlds population and 22 percent of the worlds confirmed coronavirus deaths. Yale University research offers possible reason why men are more likely to become seriously ill with COVID-19. Women are more likely to develop a stronger immune response to the novel coronavirus compared with men, a new study has found, offering a possible explanation for the more severe illness of COVID-19 often observed in men. The findings published in the journal Nature on Wednesday noted that globally, men account for about 60 percent of COVID-19 related deaths the highly infectious respiratory disease caused by the new coronavirus. What we found was that men and women indeed develop different types of immune responses to COVID-19, said Akiko Iwasaki, the studys lead author and a professor at Yale University in the United States. The immunity specialist said these differences may underlie heightened disease susceptibility in men. Researchers collected nasal, saliva, and blood samples from non-infected control subjects and patients with the disease who were treated at Yale New Haven Hospital in the United States. They found that women mounted a more robust immune response involving T lymphocytes, which are a type of white blood cell that can recognise viruses and eliminate them. This was the case even among older women, the study found. In contrast, older men had weaker T cell activity the older they were, the weaker the response. Overall men also produced more cytokines, which are inflammatory proteins that form another part of the bodys natural immune defence. However, severe cases of COVID-19 have been linked to what is known as a cytokine storm, when the immune system goes into overdrive, which is harmful and potentially deadly. Men who showed high concentrations early on were more likely to have a severe case of the disease, while those women who also showed significant cytokine levels appeared to fare worse, the study found. According to the authors, this could imply that men and women need different treatments. For men, for example we should be enhancing their T cell responses with vaccines, Iwasaki said, while women could be given treatment to dampen the cytokine response. 200405070704160 Since the start of the pandemic, most countries have reported a higher number of deaths from the new coronavirus among men than women. Experts have offered a number of possible explanations for this trend. One theory is that men are more likely to partake in unhealthy habits, which are associated with developing chronic diseases, Dr Sara Kayat wrote in an article for Al Jazeera. The presence of the extra X chromosome that women have as well as hormones are other possible reasons, she said. The Yale study, which has been peer-reviewed, has some limitations, however. The sample size was relatively small, with 98 patients in total. The average age of the patients was also high, at about 60 years. Commenting on the research, Eleanor Riley, a professor at the University of Edinburgh, said some of the divergence noted in the study is likely caused by differences in age or BMI, which measures body fat. The sex differences disappear once these other factors are taken into account. She said treatments would be better if they were individually tailored, rather than defined solely based on sex. New Delhi: Congress leader Kapil Sibal, a key member of 'Group of 23' that has sought an urgent organisational overhaul, on Thursday said it was "unfortunate" that the party was targetting its own member Jitin Prasada when it needed to target the ruling BJP with "surgical strikes". Prasada, a former union minister, was also among the signatories to the letter that sought an active and full-time party president among other changes. He is also a special invitee to the Congress Working Committee, where the 23 letter writers were dissed on Monday on various issues concerning their communication including its timing. "Unfortunate that Jitin Prasada is being officially targeted in UP. Congress needs to target the BJP with surgical strikes instead of wasting its energy by targeting its own," Sibal said on Twitter. Reacting to it, another Congress leader, Manish Tewari who was also a signatory to the letter, tweeted a single word "Prescient". While Prasada did not make any comment himself, he retweeted the posts of Sibal and Tewari. The Lakhimpur Kheri District Congress reportedly passed a resolution demanding action against Prasada, a leader from Uttar Pradesh, and has accused his family of being against the Gandhi family. Jitendra Prasada, the father of Jitin Prasada, had also unsuccessfully contested for the post of Congress president against Sonia Gandhi in the past, the District Congress Committee reportedly said. The charge was made days after the Congress Working Committee urged Sonia Gandhi to continue as party president and bring about organisational changes. Judge denies attempts to shutter Grace Community Church; MacArthur condemns 'misuse of power' Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment A California court has once again sided with Pastor John MacArthur and Grace Community Church, denying the County of Los Angeles renewed application for a temporary restraining order against the church for holding indoor worship services amid the COVID-19 pandemic. In California Superior Court on Tuesday, Judge Mitchell Beckloff concluded that the countys attempt to obtain a restraining order did not meet statutory requirements and that the Court of Appeals' order did not justify a new temporary restraining order. The next scheduled hearing on the original lawsuit filed by the church against the county and the countersuit filed by the county against the church will take place Sept. 4. Thomas More Society Special Counsel Paul Jonna applauded the court for "correctly" concluding that Los Angeles Countys "renewed application for a temporary restraining order was both procedurally and substantively defective." "This was their fourth unsuccessful attempt to obtain a court order prohibiting indoor worship services at Grace Community Church," Jonna said. "We look forward to fully vindicating our clients constitutionally protected rights in subsequent proceedings for this important case. County officials had attempted to get a court order to shutter MacArthurs Sun Valley-based church, which has been holding in-person worship services since last month in violation of orders from Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has mandated that churches in some counties refrain from indoor services amid the pandemic. In a declaration released Monday, MacArthur argued that the county is attempting to impede on his and his congregations free exercise of religion by criminalizing activity directly required by our faith. As a church, we have a moral and religious obligation to continue allowing our congregants to gather in our sanctuary to worship the Lord, the pastor said, adding that the church is the core of life for thousands from nursery to seniors. Our church is not an event center. It is a family of lives who love and care for each other in very intensely personal ways, he said. So essential to personal well-being that people rushed back as soon as they could. The utter unnecessary deprivation of all our people by completely shutting down the mutual love and care that sustains our people in all the exigencies, pressures and challenges of life, was cruel. MacArthur argued that after 63 years of sacrificial, kindness to our city, to be repeatedly threatened with court-ordered efforts to shut the church down when no one is sick reveals an inexplicable preference for a mostly harmless virus over the life-enriching and necessary fellowship of the church. Our leaders and congregation see no real health threat to warrant such restraint. We see this action against us as an illegitimate misuse of power, he concluded. Following the hearing, MacArthur said the church is very grateful to Judge Beckloff for his reasoned opinion and for taking great care to review this very important matter. As I said in my declaration to the court, we see this action against us as an illegitimate misuse of power, he said. It should shock the conscience of every Christian that churches are coming under assault from our own government simply for holding church. Church is essential. Los Angeles officials had argued that in-person worship services could contribute to the spread of the coronavirus. 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. However, MacArthur and the elders at Grace Community Church have argued that it's the churchs biblical duty to remain open. 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. 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." 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. PUNE: The urban development department (UDD) has deleted reservations on open spaces at Kothrud that was proposed for primary school, maternity home, fire brigade and playground by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC). PMC in its development plan had proposed the facilities at Kothrud survey number 159, 160 and 167. The state government, in its letter issued to civic administration on July 23, 2020, deleted the reservations and marked the land for the rehabilitation of Panshet flood affected people. A civic official, on condition of anonymity, said, The process is handled by the district collector and state government. The civic body had proposed the reservations in the development plan after carrying out detailed study. Making any comment now could turn it into a political issue. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sandeep Khardekar said, Deleting any reservation is wrong. Reservations in the development plan are proposed only after detailed study. If the land is earmarked for rehabilitation of Panshet flood affected people then I welcome it, but will oppose the move if it benefits any builder. Sham Deshpande, Shiv Sena leader from Kothrud, said, We had written our objection to the proposal two years ago. I will comment only after reading the notification from the state government. BJPs state unit president Chandrakant Patil, who represents the Kothrud assembly constituency, was unavailable for comment despite several attempts. Eighteen melon-headed whales washed up on the shores of Mauritius on Wednesday, the countrys fisheries minister said, dismissing any link to a devastating oil spill earlier this month. The whales, some of which were still alive when they were found and later died, were stranded on the south-eastern beaches of Grand Sable, and some of them had injuries. Fisheries minister Sudheer Maudhoo told a press conference that all 18 of the whales, a member of the dolphin family, had died, but that there was no trace of hydrocarbons on them or in their respiratory system". An autopsy of the animals was being carried out on Wednesday evening. Local government official Preetam Daumoo told AFP that he, like many residents who found the bodies, feared the stranding was a result of the islands recent oil spill. Earlier this month a Japanese-owned bulk carrier ran aground on a coral reef around 10 kilometres (six miles) from Grand Sable, spilling over 1,000 tonnes of fuel into the pristine waters. The broken stem of the vessel was sunk in the open ocean on Monday. However, experts said it was too soon to say what had caused the deaths of the animals. Owen Griffiths of the Mauritius Marine Conservation Society told AFP it is probably a very unfortunate coincidence", referring to a similar stranding in 2005 when 70 melon-headed whales stranded in the same area. Likely they followed a school of fish into the lagoon, got confused, could not find their way out to sea again and tried to head out to sea directly over the coral reef instead of finding the pass. In their panic and stress they collided with corals, became exhausted, and died," he said. At this stage, we have no idea of the cause of death. An autopsy with stomach content analysis and lung examination - to look for oil traces needs to be done." Stress to the corals Greenpeace called in a statement for an urgent investigation" into the cause of the strandings. Authorities and experts from Japan and Britain are still investigating the true extent of the ecological damage to an island whose economy depends heavily on tourism. Initial reports suggest no major damage to the ocean floor or coral reef, however, the remaining wreck is still grinding against the reef where it ran aground. If this situation continues, it could cause stress to the corals and could kill them," said Noriaki Sakaguchi, an ecosystems expert with Japan International Cooperation Agency. The team of Japanese experts said Tuesday that the spilled oil has also reached the soft soil of mangrove forests along the coastline. While there is no evidence of mangrove death yet, the oil could kill plants in the protected area in the coming months, the team warned. Were all craving an opportunity to live our lives where families can enjoy connection and community in a dynamically vibrant environment. So, imagine a place where children play outside their homes, friends gather for nightly barbecues and weekends are spent on bikes, around the pool and at porch gatherings. If you live in the greater San Antonio area, the growing community at Homestead can turn your dreams into a reality. With an expansive variety of floor plans to choose from and prices from the low $200s to $400s+, creating lasting memories in your forever home is within reach. Homestead offers an Only in Texas experience complemented by outstanding amenities, miles of open air trails and exceptional homes. When you live in Homestead, you join a vibrant community where you and your family experience healthy, everyday living while building a solid foundation for the future. Conveniently located in Schertz between San Antonio and New Braunfels, and just 15 minutes from the military bases, Homestead is distinctly Texan with a warm and friendly environment that prioritizes open spaces for both privacy and connectivity to the neighborhood. Homestead Commons exemplifies this idea of an active community on each residents terms. This upscale social and recreational hub features plenty of areas to join friends and family, whether thats at the sparkling pool or within the shaded, open-air pavilion. Kids have an abundance of play space on the Great Lawn, splash pad and on the playground. The 2,300-square-foot fitness center is perfect for pre-work, post-work and weekend workouts. The Homestead master plan was thoughtfully designed with five miles of trails throughout the community providing great walking and biking paths that meander past ponds and meadows. Its just a short walk to the adjacent future Hilltop and Deerhorn Parks, green spaces that can be directly accessed from the property. Located minutes from I-35, the entire Texas Hill Country awaits too, whether youre off to shop for essentials or for an adventurous day trip to the city or the great outdoors. Several award-winning home builders were selected to craft residences at Homestead. Architects at CastleRock Communities, Scott Felder Homes, Pulte Homes and Perry Homes specialize in designing modern homes for all stages or life, no matter if you're starting a family, seeking a peaceful retirement or have a lifestyle in between. Move-in-ready homes await those individuals looking to establish their community immediately and enjoy days by the pool and evenings around the firepit, among many other outstanding lifestyle amenities. If you have a longer timeline, there is a floor plan to accommodate every personal style, lifestyle and budget. RELATED: Make Your Way Home to a Vibrant Community at Homestead Here's a look into a recently completed four bedroom model home designed and built by Perry Homes. It showcases the opulent options available throughout Homestead. The foyer leads to a cathedral-ceiling dining room that flows smoothly into the kitchen and great room beyond. The kitchen features a granite island and stainless steel, high-end appliances, abundant counter space and breakfast nook. The great rooms elevated ceilings reveal a second-floor loft perfect as a family room or home office. This is just one of many floor plans currently being built at Homestead. Models are open seven days a week, so its easy to come and take a look. If youd rather tour models from home, Homestead also offers virtual tours online. If you drive out to experience the community in person, Alexandra Tuckness, Homesteads Lifestyle Director, is often available to discuss what daily life will look like. Some of these events include Lifestyle Busy Kits, a program designed to entertain and educate kids, and Food Truck Night, an event where a variety of mobile restaurants take care of dinner at Homestead Commons. "Our community has never felt more important. We seek connection through outdoor activities and shared lifestyle interests," said Tuckness. A visit to the Homestead Commons shows what this shared spirit looks like, where families play in the pool, kids cool down on the splash pad and small groups gather to grill together or enjoy an impromptu picnic. For those of us who cherish personal time, a quiet walk or jog beside sparkling water and expansive green spaces is right outside the door. Homestead was Built with Tomorrow in Mind, but this thriving new community appears perfectly matched for today. Visit the Homestead website to learn more. Editor's Note: This content is made possible by Sponsored HOMESTEAD. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of The San Antonio Express-News' or mySanAntonio.com's editorial staff. Learn more about our advertising products at www.hearstmediasanantonio.com/real-estate. A British man who was trapped for two days after miraculously surviving a 33ft plunge during a hike has been rescued on a Greek island. The unnamed man was hiking with his friend, a Greek-Danish national, when he fell through the terrifying gorge on Samothrace last Thursday night. His friend had no phone signal and had to scramble to find another climber who was able to call the fire service and provide their location to rescuers. 'It was a miracle that this man lived after such a fall. We asked for the assistance of the 4th EMAK and after a course of 10 hours, we found him at the 6th waterfall. He was completely exhausted and dehydrated,' the commander of the Samothrace Fire Brigade, Pantelis Theofanidis, told ERT. Footage released by the Greek Air Force shows the Briton being winched up to the Puma after being strapped into a stretcher on the island of Samothrace on Saturday morning An rescuer is winched down to the stricken Briton Rescuers load the casualty into the stretcher A Greek Air Force Super Puma was dispatched to the island to lift the casualty to safety. But due to darkness, the Puma was unable to rescue the man on the Thursday night and returned to complete the mission on Saturday morning. Video released by the Air Force shows them winching a stretcher down into the gorge and lifting the Briton to safety. It is not clear why the Briton could not be rescued on the Friday but he was transported to the General University Hospital of Alexandroupolis on the mainland. It is not clear what injuries the casualty had sustained in the fall. Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi (third right) walks with Taliban co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar (second left) ahead of talks in Islamabad intended to push for peace talks Afghanistan's government and the Taliban will next week begin long-delayed peace talks aimed at ending the war in the country, a top official leading the reconciliation process said Thursday. The US-backed talks were supposed to have begun in March, but both sides are at loggerheads over a controversial prisoner swap that includes hundreds of Taliban fighters tied to deadly attacks conducted over the past two decades. Abdullah Abdullah, who heads Afghanistan's reconciliation council, told an event organised by a Kabul-based think tank: "I can say with relative confidence that the intra-Afghan talks will begin next week. "The negotiation team of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan is prepared for the talks with a firm determination to represent the strong and united voice of the Afghan people for a durable and dignified peace." The Taliban made no immediate comment in response to Abdullah's remarks. Both sides have fought for nearly two decades in a conflict that has left tens of thousands of people dead. The Taliban ruled Afghanistan between 1996 and 2001, when it was ousted by a US-led invasion. Abdullah's comments came after Pakistan pushed senior Taliban leaders to start the talks during a meeting in Islamabad this week. Islamabad has said that its influence over the Taliban had encouraged the militants to hold talks with Washington that culminated in February with a deal that would see US-led foreign military forces quit Afghanistan by May next year. The Taliban and the Afghan government had signalled they were prepared to launch negotiations immediately after the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha, which ended earlier this month, but the process became bogged down over the prisoner swap. Afghan authorities have refused to release some 320 Taliban militants, including many charged for killing scores of people in brutal attacks. Officials insisted they would release them only after the Taliban freed a group of commandos and soldiers held captive by the militants. US President Donald Trump has made ending the war in Afghanistan and bringing American soldiers back home a key foreign policy priority of his administration. us-jds/leg The Sula Food & Beverage Corporation, a distribution company dedicated to promoting food products made by socially responsible companies. The Sula Food & Beverage Corporation, a distribution company dedicated to promoting food products made by socially responsible companies. Miami, Florida, Aug. 27, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lacthosa SULA, is widening its market to the United States by offering its products through the Sula Food & Beverage Corporation, a distribution company dedicated to promoting food products made by socially responsible companies. Lacthosa Sula is a leading brand in the production and distribution of milk, juices and soft drinks in in the Central American region, it has just been positioned in fifth place as one of the preferred brands competing in quality and prestige with major international brands, according to Kantar Worldpanel's 2020 Brand Footprint annual study. SULA is the primary brand of LACTHOSA, Lacteos de Honduras SA, a recognized Honduran company that asserts its production processes, quality control, focus on innovation and new markets expansions. The company has been certified by the FDA since 2001, approving the export authorization to the USA, validating that these are products that meet high quality and safety standards to enter the USA market. Sula products are present in Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, the Dominican Republic, the United States, Panama, Grand Cayman, and Haiti. The portfolio of products is manufactured in 5 processing plants in Honduras. Lacthosa maintains an annual purchase of 140 million liters of fresh milk, which make it the leading company in the dairy sector in Honduras. It also provides jobs to more than 3,000 employees, has 639 sales routes and 23 distribution centers. Through the production value chain, Lacthosa works directly with more than 4,000 milk suppliers and local citrus growers from different areas of Honduras. Due to innovation, quality and 60 years trajectory, Sula has been on the market in the United States since 2001, specifically in the states of Florida , Maryland, New Jersey where it has been present for 19 years and sought by Honduran and Central America families. The community of Central Americans and Hispanics in the United States has grown exponentially, and as a brand we want to be present for that nostalgic market that wants to preserve its customs, roots, but above all enjoy the flavor of the Sula products. Sula is here to stay, and we want to invite all cultures in general to savor and discover the quality of our genuine and unique products, expressed Mrs. Stephanie Kafie, Sula Food & Beverage Corporation. Story continues Where can you find SULA products? Sula Products can be found in Florida, at the President, Sedanos and Bravo supermarkets. We invite all to visit these supermarkets so that you can share Sula products with your families. SULA is also present in other states such as Tennessee, Louisiana, Maryland and New Jersey. We offer a wide range of products in different categories. For further information and interest in Sula Products please contact The Sula Food & Beverage Corporation Juan Carlos Tenorio, operations Manager, contact information jtenorio@sulafbc.com , telephone +1 (786) 792-1746. For more information: https://bit.ly/31OzBwy Attachment CONTACT: Alejandro Ochoa Lacthosa alejandro.ochoa@lufussa.com JERSEY CITY, N.J., Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --Advisor Group, the nation's largest network of independent wealth management firms, and network member firm Royal Alliance Associates today announced that Financial Foundation Services, an East Brunswick, N.J.-based wealth management firm with approximately $120 million in total client assets, has joined Royal Alliance. Financial Foundation Services, founded by veteran financial professional Robert Rafano, has affiliated with Royal Alliance through one of its top independent producer groups, Affiliated Advisors, which is headed by Founder and President Rita Robbins, a pioneering leader in the Super-OSJ space and a well-known wealth management industry veteran. In addition to Royal Alliance, Advisor Group also includes FSC Securities Corporation, KMS Financial Services, SagePoint Financial, Securities America, Securities Service Network, Triad Advisors and Woodbury Financial. A Certified Financial Planner and Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor, Mr. Rafano has been providing financial services to clients in central New Jersey since 2002. He specializes in holistic financial planning, including management of savings and debt, wealth management, insurance and tax planning. Mr. Rafano said, "I am very pleased to be part of the Royal Alliance and Affiliated Advisors team, and to have the support of Advisor Group, as well. The technology stack and service offerings that Advisor Group, Royal Alliance and Affiliated Advisors bring to the table are second to none in the industry, and will provide the robust support and infrastructure to give my clients the boutique, one-on-one service experience they expect from Financial Foundation Services. This move allows me the freedom to run my business as I choose, while providing top-flight support and infrastructure I need. With so much change occurring in the wealth management industry, it's truly reassuring to know that I have such strong partners to rely on in the decades to come." Founded in 1994, Affiliated Advisors supports 85 financial professionals with total assets of more than $2.4 billion in 45 branch offices across eight states. Ms. Robbins said, "It is with great pleasure and pride that I welcome Financial Foundation Services and Robert Rafano to Affiliated Advisors. From the beginning, our mission has been to help advisors build the businesses of their dreams while serving their clients with integrity, creativity and compassion. In our experience, a great practice's growth trajectory is limited only by the financial professional's aspirations. Robert has the drive and work ethic to continue to expand his business well into the future, and we will be there to empower him every step of the way." Dmitry Goldin, President and CEO of Royal Alliance, said, "Robert Rafano is a tremendous addition to the team at Royal Alliance, Advisor Group and Affiliated Advisors. We look forward to supporting him as he continues to move ahead in building his business and providing exceptional service to his clients." Jamie Price, President and CEO of Advisor Group, concluded, "On behalf of the entire Advisor Group network, I congratulate Royal Alliance and Affiliated Advisors for bringing aboard a financial professional with such a long, successful career as Robert Rafano. We are in the business of using our scale and resources to provide financial professionals with the value-added platforms, services and support they need to grow, and we are honored that Mr. Rafano is placing his trust in us to help him shape the future of his practice. As we move forward in collaboration, we will be in his corner as we are for all our financial professionals." About Royal Alliance Associates Royal Alliance Associates, Inc. is part of Advisor Group, the nation's largest network of independent wealth management firms, and a Registered Investment Advisor, member FINRA and SIPC. Royal Alliance has more than 3,600 affiliated independent financial advisors and is headquartered in Jersey City. It was founded in 1969 and employs a client driven approach focused on meeting the unique demands of businesses and individuals. For more information visit http://www.royalalliance.com. About Advisor Group Advisor Group, Inc. is the nation's largest network of independent wealth management firms, serving approximately 11,100 financial professionals and overseeing over $450 billion in client assets. The firm is mission-driven to support the strategic role that advisors can play in the lives of their clients. Cultivating a spirit of entrepreneurship and independence, Advisor Group champions the enduring value of financial professionals and is committed to being in their corner every step of the way. For more information visit https://www.advisorgroup.com. Securities and investment advisory services are offered through Advisor Group, Inc. subsidiaries, FSC Securities Corporation, KMS Financial Services, Inc., Royal Alliance Associates, Inc., SagePoint Financial, Inc., Triad Advisors, LLC, and Woodbury Financial Services, Inc., broker-dealers, registered investment advisers, and members of FINRA and SIPC. Securities services are offered through Investacorp, Inc., Securities America, Inc., and Securities Service Network, broker-dealers and members of FINRA and SIPC. Advisory services are offered through Arbor Point Advisors, LLC, Investacorp Advisory Services, Inc., Ladenburg Thalmann Asset Management, Inc., Securities America Advisors, Inc., SSN Advisory, Inc., and Triad Hybrid Solutions, LLC, registered investment advisers. Advisor Group, Inc. is a holding company. Advisor Group, Inc. is separately owned and other entities and / or marketing names, products or services referenced here are independent of Advisor Group, Inc. 20 E. Thomas Rd., Ste. 2000, Phoenix, AZ, 85012. 866.481.0379 Media Inquiries Joseph Kuo / Chris Clemens Haven Tower Group 424 317 4851 or 424 317 4854 [email protected] or [email protected] SOURCE Advisor Group Related Links https://www.advisorgroup.com After Kanye learned all that he could from MYC and its founders, he abruptly attempted to terminate the parties oral partnership, refused to invest in MYC or even reimburse it for the millions the company had already sunk into Yeezys e-commerce business and misappropriated MYCs proprietary information and technology to use on his newly-launched Sunday Service, the lawsuit states. MBABANE - Nedbank Group is relieved to remain resilient, open for business and profitable, with capital and liquidity ratios well above prudential requirements in these challenging times. Nedbank is one of Africas largest banking groups, with operations in the country, Namibia, Mozambique, Lesotho and Zimbabwe, among other countries. Nedbank Group 2020 first-half results, according to a correspondence copied to this publication yesterday, highlighted that headline earnings declined 69 per cent to E2.1 billion according to local currency in the six months to end in June. The decline was blamed on the significant increase in impairments, including E2.9 billion related to IFRS-9 macro-model adjustments and judgmental overlays for estimated COVID-19-related impacts and expected future job losses. The Group further heeded South Africas Reserve Bank call not to declare an interim dividend. Following the release of the results early yesterday, the Groups Managing Executive Nedbank Africa Regions Dr Terence Sibiya virtually addressed the Eswatini media yesterday at the local banks boardroom in Mbabane during lunch hour. Dr Sibiya acknowledged that the six months had been tough due to the distress brought by COVID-19, highlighting that they were not out of the woods yet. However, Sibiya celebrated some of the positives that included the banks ability to maintain a strong balance sheet as well as providing payment relief for over 375 000 clients amounting to E119 billion of loans, reduced various client fees amounting to E104 million, and launching digital innovations. operation Asked to narrow down on the performance of the Eswatini Nedbank operation, Dr Sibiya said the specific results for the country would be known next month. Dr Sibiya assured that they would continue to assist clients in these challenging times. He did concede that some sectors, especially in the tourism sector, could struggle to repay their debts. Nedbank Swaziland Manaing Director Fikile Nkosi made a stop at the boardroom during the virtual address by Sibiya. Despite celebrating the digital innovations brought by COVID-19, she politely asked to react once the Eswatini results have been released next month. Meanwhile, in the statement copied to this publication, Nedbank Group Chief Executive Mike Brown described the period as one which presented unprecedented health, economic and social challenges that have had a material impact on individuals, families, businesses, societies and countries. Our primary focus was on remaining resilient and ensuring the health and safety of our staff and clients; invoking business continuity plans; ensuring IT systems stability; supporting our clients in managing their finances through this very difficult period; and managing liquidity, credit risk, capital and discretionary costs closely. lockdown While operating under lockdown we provided payment relief for over 375 000 clients amounting to R119 billion of loans, reduced various client fees amounting to R104 million, and launched digital innovations using foundations from our managed evolution technology roll-out to assist our clients during the lockdown, including launching the Avo app and Tap on Phone payments functionality. Importantly, these capabilities enabled digital sales to increase from 18 to 53 per cent, he was quoted saying. The group, on the other hand, expects South Africas economy to contract by seven per cent in 2020; with the second quarter the most affected by the pandemic due to stringent lockdown regulations. It warned that Covid-19 had escalated from an economic crisis into a social one. Nedbank Swaziland has also offered millions of Emalangeni in relief during these tough times. To ease the pressure on individual clients and provide the much-need relief to their business clients, the bank waived transactional fees on its digital platforms. This is the Nedbank Money App and Nedbank Online Banking (Internet Banking) effective from April 2020 to June 30, 2020. This is one of countless relief measures during the period under review. New Delhi: The world's longest high-speed railways that links the country's prosperous eastern coast to the less-developed southwestern part of the China was made operational on Wednesday. The Shanghai-Kunming line 2,252 km in length traverses the five provinces of Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hunan, Guizhou and Yunnan and cuts travel time from Shanghai to Kunming from 34 to 11 hours, China Railway Corporation said. The maximum speed is 330 km per hour, Wang Jinda, a train driver was quoted as saying by the state-run Xinhua news agency. The line is also the longest east-west high-speed railway in China. A longer rail line stretching north to south is the 2,298-km Beijing-Guangzhou line, put into operation in 2012. China has built more than 20,000 km of high-speed rail lines. According to the government's plan, the mileage will increase to 45,000 km by 2030. The launch of the Shanghai-Kunming line means the country's high-speed rail grid has taken shape, connecting almost all provinces on the Chinese mainland. China is also aggressively marketing its bullet train technology in different countries, including India. For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. A thug who attacked a woman with a knife in the early hours of Thursday morning before being shot dead by police has been identified as 27-year-old Damon Savage. Police were called to Surround Street in Dakabin, in northern Brisbane, just after midnight following reports of a domestic violence incident. Neighbours said the terrified woman who had been slashed by Savage was running door to door for help before one family took her in. A thug who attacked a woman with a knife in the early hours of Thursday morning before being shot dead by police has been identified as 27-year-old Damon Savage (pictured) 'Upon arrival police were confronted by the man who was allegedly armed with knives,' Queensland police said. 'One officer deployed their taser but it was ineffective, as a result a number of shots were fired, striking the man. 'Despite first aid being administered, the 27-year-old man died at the scene. No one else was injured as a result.' A local resident said she heard 'screaming' in the normally quiet residential street. Police were called to Surround Street in Dakabin, north of Brisbane, just after midnight following reports of a domestic violence incident. Pictured: Damon Savage 'Just after midnight I heard a lot of screaming from a female and a lot of verbal abuse from a male, a lot of threatening calling her all sorts of names (like) mutt, dog, and all sorts of abuse,' Freda Alesana told the Courier Mail. '(The injured woman) ran across the road, then I heard the lady across the road say come here love, I'll call the police. 'I could hear the man calling out to her to get out of that house.' A young family was hailed as heroic for risking their safety to shelter the injured woman from Savage. 'A lady's life was saved,' Chris Weston posted to Facebook. Despite first aid being administered, the 27-year-old man Damon Savage (pictured) died at the scene 'I will add that my partner and our girls as well were amazing. 'Absolutely terrifying situation we've been involved in Fair to say we could have all been injured or killed for helping save someone. 'We are however safe and well, including the lady we protected, due to some quick thinking on my partner's behalf, and the actions of the QPS.' Queensland Police Ethical Standards Command was examining the fatal shooting and a report was being prepared for the coroner. Anyone with dashcam vision or further information is urged to contact police. The foulmouthed British satirist Armando Iannucci, of Veep fame, wanted to do something optimistic after his last movie, and since that last movie was The Death of Stalin, his more pleasant options were infinite. Stalin, a transparent warning about the rise of autocrats around the world, was the most scabrous of the political satires for which Iannucci had become infamous, and its relentlessly bleak and darkly comic tone left him searching, as another British humorist would say, for something completely different. He turned to one of his personal heroes, Charles Dickens, taking on the enormous task of condensing the sprawling story of David Copperfield the adaptation is officially titled The Personal History of David Copperfield into a two-hour movie. As befit Iannuccis mood, he removed or de-emphasized notes of melancholy and tragedy, and played up the warm and whimsical elements in the Dickens story of an outcast who finds his way in the world as a writer. He also threw casting wide open, so Dev Patel, as David, gets a chance to cross swords with Tilda Swinton (Betsey Trotwood), Peter Capaldi (Micawber), and Hugh Laurie (a wonderfully daft Mr. Dick). Nikki Amuka-Bird (Mrs. Steerforth) and Rosalind Eleazar (Agnes Wickfield) have plum roles. The Inquirer talked to Iannucci about his literary hero, his unlikely foray in the PG realm, and his choices in making David Copperfield, which opens this weekend in theaters, in places where theaters are open. (Philadelphias and New Jerseys remain closed. Many in the Pennsylvania suburbs have reopened in the past several weeks.) David Copperfield is a deeply humane and compassionate movie attributes that loom large in your previous work mainly by their conspicuous absence. What did it feel like to work in this emotional realm? People associate the word Dickensian with sentimentality, but if you read the books, yes, there are maudlin moments, but there are also kind of angry moments and moments of real passion and raw drama. And of course, comedy. Lots and lots of just plain funny moments. Hes celebrating peoples variety, highlighting their eccentricity, their individuality. That for me is Dickens, thats what Ive always been drawn to. I wanted it to be a celebratory film. Dickens wrote for a mass audience. In that spirit, this movie has its arms open wide to everybody in terms of the PG audience that can see it, in terms of the way you cast it. I was conscious of the fact that this is a movie for all generations. My movies are usually full of cursing and swearing. This is the first thing Ive made that the (parental guidance ratings) certificate allows anyone to see it, and I think different generations will take different things from it. I said to everyone cast and crew at the start, Imagine no one has made a period drama before and there are no rules, no conventions, no expectations. We just want to tell our story. The movie is true to its 19th-century setting in terms of the sets and costumes, but with an unmistakably contemporary feel, in part because of race-neutral casting. I thought it was important that even though we really researched the look there is 1840s wallpaper and clothes and hair I wanted the movie to have one foot in the present. But there was a thing about period drama that we wanted to get right: The characters dont know theyre in one. They think they are in their own present day, so they should act like they are. People in the audience can feel that and connect with the characters. Putting Dev in the role of David helps underscore the universality of Dickens work and themes. David is for anyone who wonders whether theyre an outsider or not, whether they belong to the group that they are in or not. I think originally when the novel came out, it was about class and your financial status but now so many things mark you as being the same or different or similar or diverse. Its interesting, when Dev and I first started talking about the film, we are of different generations, but were both first-generation from immigrant parents. My father came over from Naples after the Second World War and Devs family, obviously, he as an Indian background. Although we grew up in the UK and we feel British, there is a part of us that thinks we are something else, we are Other. Do people see us as Other? That is certainly an element of it. At the same time, I think it really celebrates individuality. Youve also added eccentricities to David (a talent for mimicry) that are not there in the book, so that hes part of the sprawling roster of Dickensian goofballs. Thats taken from Dickens children. We give it to David in the film, but his children would talk about hearing their father writing upstairs. He would look in the mirror and become the characters, and work out the dialogue that way. In the book David is an observer, someone that things happen to. He absorbs everything around him, and in a movie he has to exude it. We knew we needed to give him something to make that happen, so we looked to Dickens own personality. As funny as the movie is, it also invokes favorite Dickens themes poverty, homelessness, debt, the exploitation of children. Orwell said he was that rare writer who could attack his countrys institutions and not be hated for it. Thats right. And interestingly, the more successful he became, the more he got into the center of the establishment via fame and celebrity, the more angry the novels became. The closer up he gets to how the county and its empire work, the more frustrated he became, and the more he wanted to write about it. Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 15:43:16|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close WASHINGTON, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Vice President Mike Pence echoed President Donald Trump's "law and order" message in his speech accepting the Republican Party's renomination Wednesday night amid rekindled anger over police brutality and racism in the country. "My fellow Americans, we are passing through a time of testing. But in the midst of this global pandemic, just as our nation had begun to recover, we've seen violence and chaos in the streets of our major cities," Pence said from Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Maryland. "Let me be clear: the violence must stop -- whether in Minneapolis, Portland, or Kenosha," the vice president continued. "We will have law and order on the streets of America." The remarks came as protests and riots raged on in Kenosha, Wisconsin in the wake of the Aug. 23 police shooting of 29-year-old African American Jacob Blake, who was shot several times in the back at close range in response to a reported domestic incident. Blake's father has said his son is now paralyzed from the waist down. Pence didn't specifically mention the shooting of Blake but went on doubling down the administration's support of law enforcement agencies. The Kenosha shooting also came some three months after George Floyd, a 46-year-old African American man, died after a white police officer kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes during an arrest in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His death sparked weeks-long protests and social unrest across the United States and has led to a nationwide reckoning over police brutality and racism. But efforts to move reforms on policing forward have stalled on Capitol Hill, as Democrats and Republicans stand divided over political priorities. With the message, Pence also swiped at former U.S. Vice President and 2020 Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, who has made race relations a key part of his White House bid. Biden has said he supports police reform but not the movement to "defund the police." "Last week, Joe Biden didn't say one word about the violence and chaos engulfing cities across this country," said Pence, referring to Biden's acceptance speech at the 2020 Democratic National Convention. "You won't be safe in Joe Biden's America." Biden, whom voters appear to trust more than Trump in handling race relations, denounced both the police shooting of Blake and violent protests and looting on Wednesday. "Once again, a Black man -- Jacob Blake -- was shot by the police. In front of his children. It makes me sick," he tweeted. "Is this the country we want to be? Needless violence won't heal us. We need to end the violence - and peacefully come together to demand justice." Trump has made the enforcement of "law and order" a major theme of his reelection campaign to appeal to his voters and has repeatedly lashed out at cities run by Democrats. Earlier on Wednesday, the president tweeted he was sending federal officers to Kenosha to address the unrest, adding he would not stand for "looting, arson, violence, and lawlessness on American streets." In his speech concluding the third night of the Republican National Convention (RNC), Pence sought to make the case for Trump's reelection, defended the handling of the coronavirus pandemic, and touted what he believes to be the administration's achievements. He also spoke about Hurricane Laura, which has made a landfall in southwestern Louisiana as a category 4 hurricane, urging residents to "stay safe." Trump and U.S. First lady Melania Trump joined the second family on stage to chants of "four more years" after Pence's speech from Fort McHenry, where Americans defended Baltimore Harbor from the British navy in the War of 1812 and inspired Francis Scott Key to write lyrics of the American anthem "The Star-Spangled Banner." Pence, 61, is a former governor of Indiana and a member of the U.S. House of Representative. He was Trump's running mate in the 2016 campaign and has been serving as U.S. vice president since Jan. 20, 2017. A vocal defender of Trump on and off the campaign trail, Pence also chairs the White House coronavirus task force, established in response to the pandemic that has infected more than 5.8 million people and killed nearly 180,000 in the United States. Second lady Karen Pence, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, Senator Joni Ernst from Iowa, the president's daughter-in-law and campaign adviser Lara Trump, and former acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell were among those who also addressed the night whose theme was "Land of Heroes." "What wasn't said tonight tells us far more than what was: barely a mention of the virus killing thousands of Americans each week, no real discussion of the crushing financial hardship countless families are facing as a result, and no plan to get us out of the ditch that Donald Trump has driven us into," Kate Bedingfield, a spokesperson for the Biden campaign, said of the Republican event in a statement. "Instead of a roadmap to defeat this virus and rebuild our economy so that it works for the middle class, Vice President Pence only offered up debunked scare tactics and gaslighting in an attempt to further divide us," Bedingfield added. Trump will deliver his acceptance speech from the White House South Lawn on Thursday night, the finale of the RNC. U.S. Senator from California and 2020 Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris will counter Trump's remarks with her own on Thursday afternoon. Enditem India has also mobilised a significant number of troops with heavy weaponry near the borders in response to the Chinese military build-up The current crisis in Sino-Indian relations is surely the most serious situation after 1962, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar has told a news website, while acknowledging that the quantum of forces currently deployed by both sides at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) is also unprecedented. The EAM also said that the difficulties in Sino-Indian ties may well undermine the Asian Century. The two countries had fought a border war in 1962. The EAMs comments come amid continued Chinese military intransigence in withdrawing to the positions of April this year in the Ladakh sector. The EAMs remarks also seems at odds with recent comments made by Chinese Ambassador Sun Weidong who had described the deadly Galwan valley clash in mid-June between troops of the two sides in the Ladakh sector as a brief moment from the perspective of history. In an interview to a news website ahead of the formal launch of his bookThe India Way: Strategies for an Uncertain World, EAM Jaishankar said, This is surely the most serious situation after 1962. In fact, after 45 years, we have had military casualties on this border. The quantum of forces currently deployed by both sides at the LAC is also unprecedented. Mr. Jaishankar added, I am not minimising either the seriousness or the complex nature of the current situation. Naturally, we have to do what it takes to secure our borders. ... But when it comes to finding a solution, this must be predicated on honouring all agreements and understandings. And not attempting to alter the status quo unilaterally. ... That is why we tell the Chinese side clearly that peace and tranquillity in the border areas are the basis for the relationship. It may be recalled that India has also mobilised a significant number of troops with heavy weaponry near the borders with China in response to the Chinese military build-up. India is also clear that it will not agree to any unilateral change of the LAC by China. The EAM further remarked, What I have said is that the ability of India and China to work together could determine the Asian Century. But their difficulties in doing so may well undermine it. But he also pointed out that previous military stand-offs between the two sides in the past decade were resolved through diplomacy. DGAP-News: RIB Software SE / Key word(s): Contract/Agreement The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. 27-August-2020 RIB Software SE (RIB) signs a Phase-II-contract (No. 23 / 2020) with a leading Australian developer Brisbane, Australia, 27 August 2020. RIB Software SE, the world's leading provider of iTWO 5D BIM Big Data technology for the construction industry, today announced the conclusion of a MTWO Phase-II-contract with a leading Australian developer. The deal was brokered by Cloud A2K, the innovation and future technologies arm of the A2K Group of Companies (a RIB Global Alliance Partner) and supported by RIB. The client is a leading Australian property group, with an integrated development and asset management capability. They have 45 years of experience in the property industry and an unmatched reputation for delivering superior product and services across their business. They invested in MTWO due to the value that RIB delivers, with the ability to connect all people, processes and data through the platform. This means that stakeholders from all levels of major construction projects are able to easily share information and ensure that data is not lost in the process. Furthermore, with the MTWO Complete Construction Cloud able to support processes throughout the construction chain by drawing upon the wide range of RIB technologies available, there is a great potential for future growth. Paul Laycock, CEO of Cloud A2K: "In the current climate, companies are looking to ensure they can continue to grow and expand and partnering with RIB allows them to do this. With an investment in the MTWO complete construction cloud, organizations can show themselves to be leaders in digital transformation. We look forward to working closely with the client regarding the implementation." Murray Freeman, CEO of RIB Asia-Pacific: "We're delighted to see this investment in MTWO & RIB's suite of products. The client is already an existing user of iTWO costX and with MTWO ERP and Collaboration technology, users can ensure that all project data is shared within the enterprise platform and they can have full visibility on project performance. We have no doubt this will be a significant advantage moving forward." About RIB Group RIB Software SE is an innovator in the building and construction industry. The company develops and offers cutting-edge digital technologies for construction enterprises and projects across various industries worldwide. iTWO 4.0, RIB's flagship cloud-based platform, provides the world's first enterprise cloud technology based on 5D BIM with AI integration for construction companies, industrial companies, developers and project owners, etc. With over 50 years of experiences in the construction industry, RIB Software SE focuses on IT and engineering and becomes the pioneer in construction innovation, exploring and bringing in new thinking, new working methods and new technologies to enhance construction productivity. RIB is headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany and Hong Kong, China, and listed on the prime standard Frankfurt Stock Exchange since 2011. With over 2,700 talents in more than 25 countries worldwide, RIB is targeting to transform the construction industry into the most advanced and digitalized industry in the 21st century. 27.08.2020 Dissemination of a Corporate News, transmitted by DGAP - a service of EQS Group AG. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. The DGAP Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases. Archive at www.dgap.de Canberra, Aug 27 : Authorities on Thursday issued a warning for catastrophic bushfire conditions in Australia's Northern Territory (NT). A total fire ban was declared for vast areas of the NT as the region faces its biggest bushfire threat since 2015, reports Xinhua news agency. Extreme fire danger warnings have been issued with strong winds exacerbating hot, dry conditions. Several popular tourist and walking sites have been closed. Collene Bremner, the executive director of Bushfires NT, said crews have been working for months to create fire breaks but warned that would not be sufficient in severe conditions. "When a fire starts under these conditions, it will go like the clappers," she told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). It is the most significant bushfire threat to the NT since the September 2015 fires that destroyed houses on the outskirts of Darwin, the capital city of the NT. "Certainly, in the scientific side of things and the weather side of things, we're really pushing the boundaries in terms of the historical records," Todd Smith from the Bureau of Meteorology said. "But just don't let that distract from the fact that it's going to be a really bad fire day (on Friday) and also the day after and even through into Saturday." Thursday's warning comes after an inquiry into the devastating 2019-20 Australian bushfires revealed on Tuesday that the country should expect "worse" in the years to come. The blazes that began last August and burned for months, killed 33 people across the country, along with millions of animals and scorched vast areas. The inquiry report also noted an alarming rise in fire-generated storms - the most dangerous type of blaze, the BBC reported. Of the 90 recorded since the early 1980s, a third took place in 2019. It however, added that this year's bushfire season was unlikely to be as severe. ST. LOUIS City Collector of Revenue Gregory F.X. Daly was criticized in an audit Thursday for not using a competitive selection process to contract with attorneys for the office, including the daughter of his chief of staff. The report, released by State Auditor Nicole Galloway, gave Dalys office an overall mark of good but said soliciting rival proposals for legal and other professional services would help ensure that the best qualified providers are picked. The audit said the selection of Kelsy Vollmer, the daughter of chief of staff Tom Vollmer, without documenting why created the appearance of a conflict of interest. Business relationships that impair independence reduce the effectiveness of controls and decision making and harm public confidence, the audit stated. Daly, in a response included in the audit, pointed out that state law gives the collector authority as he deems necessary to employ attorneys to file lawsuits to collect unpaid taxes. Regarding Kelsy Vollmer, Daly spokeswoman Susan Ryan said she worked for a law firm which for more than 40 years had been retained by the office to collect unpaid earnings, payroll and property taxes. Daly became collector in 2007. When another lawyer in the firm retired, Ryan said, Kelsy Vollmer was chosen to succeed him as the main contact with the collectors office because of her experience on tax cases. Ryan said Tom Vollmer had no role in the decision. Daly also said that because fees for most of the lawyers retained by the office are set by state law, there would be no financial benefit to using a competitive process to select them. Moreover, he said, most of the $1.09 million spent on legal services in a two-year period ending in March 2019 $947,194 was paid by taxpayers sued by the office through fees imposed in court cases. The audit did not identify the contract lawyers but their names were released by Dalys office to a reporter. Among others retained during the two-year period, Ryan said, were the late Tyrone Taborn, a former city counselor, and Stephen Kovac, who also formerly worked in the city counselors office. The audit said $244,751 was paid to Kelsy Vollmer during the period but Ryan said that also covered others working at the firm on city cases. The audit also questioned Dalys contracting with Ryan for public relations and human resources work without competitive bidding. The audit says that has occurred at least since 2010. Daly in his response said Ryan was initially hired as a consultant by his predecessor and that Daly retained the contract because she does an excellent job and has valuable historical knowledge of the office, of the city and of the local media. He also said she has not increased her fee over the years. Ryan is on a retainer of $4,000 a month, she said. Among other findings in the audit: Office personnel on some out-of-state trips used the office credit card to buy alcohol at meals. Daly said the purchase of $97 on alcohol was an oversight and that the staffer doing so believed he had put that bill on a different credit card. Improvement in payroll controls and procedures is needed. Employees arent required to document verifications of receipts and deposits. Galloway began her auditing of the city in 2018 at the request of the Board of Aldermen following a citizen petition drive. Among audits still underway are those of the city treasurers office, the fire, police and streets departments and the public administrator. The state auditor also is reviewing how the city managed tax-increment financing projects. Galloway, who is running for governor in the Nov. 3 election, and Daly are both Democrats. Daly is paid nearly $197,000 a year. Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Here are todays top news, analysis and opinion at 9pm. Know all about the latest news and other news updates from Hindustan Times. Punish Mumbai and Pulwama plotters, shared enough proof: India to Pak India on Thursday demanded Pakistan should prosecute the perpetrators of the 2019 Pulwama terror attack and 2008 Mumbai carnage, saying the main accused in last years suicide bombing Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar continues to be sheltered by Islamabad. Read more Jammu and Kashmir, 9 states account for 89% of Covid-19 deaths: Govt Nine states and a Union territory have been told by Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba to ramp up testing and tracing to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic effectively as they accounted for 89 percent of the fatalities in the last two weeks. Read more Covid-19 Act of God, may result in contraction of economy: Nirmala Sitharaman The government said on Thursday that the coronavirus pandemic has hit the Goods and Services Tax (GST) collection where the shortfall is Rs 2.35 lakh crore. The announcement was made after a GST Council meeting chaired by finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman. Read more Govt approves 78 new routes under Udan scheme; focus on North East, islands Centre has approved 78 new additional routes to be awarded under the fourth round of the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS)- Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik (UDAN) focusing on boosting connectivity in the North East, hilly states and islands, civil aviation ministry announced on Thursday. Read more Rhea Chakraborty says she saw Sushant Singh Rajputs body for a few seconds: I touched his feet, said sorry Rhea Chakraborty has revealed that she saw Sushant Singh Rajputs body for a few seconds as it was being transferred to the van from the mortuary for his funeral. The actor said she touched Sushants feet, in an interview to India Today. Read more 5-year-old boys quick thinking saves moms life. Heres what happened Josh, without wasting any time, rang 112, the number for emergency services in Europe, which helped his mother get treatment at the right time. Read more Reliance Retail warns customers about fake JioMart websites Reliance Retail has cautioned people about unscrupulous individuals who are creating fake websites and pretending to be a part of JioMart. These fake sites are duping users by pretending to grant franchisee of JioMart services. Read more If CBI arrests Rhea without hard evidence...: Sushant Singhs family lawyer Sushant Singh Rajputs family lawyer Vikas Singh spoke on what if CBI takes Rhea Chakraborty in custody. Singh said whole exercise would be counter-productive if CBI arrests Rhea without hard evidence. CBI is doing its job well and no one should find faults in it. Watch SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON One man has been hospitalized after a shootout at a Northeast Side strip club Thursday morning. San Antonio police said the suspect was at the XTC Cabaret, near the 2000 block of Sable Lane, around 3 a.m., when he went to his car and retrieved an AK-47. The man then proceeded to shoot at the club before a security guard returned fire. FIND OUT FIRST: Get San Antonio breaking news directly to your inbox The suspect was hit once and transported to University Hospital in stable condition. Several people on scene were detained, though police did not release the reason why. Police are still investigating the shooting and haven't said what charges the suspect will face. Taylor Pettaway is a breaking news and general assignment reporter for MySA.com | taylor.pettaway@express-news.net | @TaylorPettaway Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the telephone today and requested him for postponement of NEET and JEE exams, in view of COVID19 situation and also because many parts of the state are in the grip of flood, reports news agency ANI quoting CMO Odisha. Over 150 academicians from various universities in India and abroad have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that delaying the medical and engineering entrance exams -- JEE-Mains and NEET -- any further will mean compromising the future of students. Referring to the growing chorus against conducting these exams in September in view of the rising COVID-19 cases, the academicians said in their letter, "Some are trying to play with future of students to propel their own political agenda". More details awaited Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Never miss a story! Stay connected and informed with Mint. Download our App Now!! Topics Penny stocks, they divide market watchers like no other. Some investors steer clear of these tickers going for less than $5 apiece, as poor fundamentals or overwhelming headwinds could be keeping them down in the dumps. On the other hand, penny stocks lure the more risk-tolerant. Not only does the bargain price tag mean you get more bang for your buck, but also even minor share price appreciation can yield huge percentage gains. The implication? Major returns for investors. Based on the above, weeding out the long-term underperformers from the penny stocks going for gold can pose a significant challenge. In this case, the activity of legendary stock pickers can provide some inspiration. Among these Wall Street titans is Israel Izzy Englander. Englander serves as the Chairman, CEO and Co-Chief Investment Officer of Millennium Management, the hedge fund he founded in 1989. Speaking to his impressive track record, he took the $35 million the fund was started with and grew it into $73 billion in assets under management. With this in mind, we used TipRanks database to find out what the analyst community has to say about three penny stocks that Englander's fund snapped up recently. As it turns out, each ticker has received only Buy ratings. Not to mention substantial upside potential is also on the table. Kindred Biosciences (KIN) Hoping to bring innovative biologics to veterinary medicine, Kindred Biosciences believes pets deserve the same kinds of safe and effective medicines that humans enjoy. At $3.78, Wall Street pros believe its share price could reflect the ideal entry point given everything the company has going for it. Englander is among the KIN fans. During Q2, Millenium pulled the trigger on 821,752 shares. As for the value of this new position, it comes in at $3,690,000. Also singing the healthcare names praises is Cantor analyst Brandon Folkes. KIN has a pipeline of very good assets with the potential to generate significant value if they are brought to market, Folkes explained. The analyst points out that there has been a strategy and priority shake-up over the last 12 months, but he believes the company's pipeline of novel animal health drugs will drive long-term shareholder value beyond levels reflected in the current stock price. Story continues The company continues to advance its biologics programs, including IL-31 and IL-4R antibodies for canine atopic dermatitis, KIND-030 for parvovirus in dogs and KIND-510a for the control of non-regenerative anemia in cats, together with long-acting versions of certain molecules, all of which could be best-in-class large-market opportunities, in Folkes opinion. Adding to the good news, Folkes sees its partnerships as helping to unlock value. These partnerships include a manufacturing agreement with Vaxart to manufacture Vaxart's oral vaccine candidate for COVID-19. Summing it all up, Folkes stated, With animal health companies trading at 4.5-8.5x estimated 2021 revenue, and with business development playing a significant role in driving long-term growth for these larger animal health companies, we believe KIN's pipeline offers a unique suite of meaningful revenue opportunities for larger companies, if KIN can deliver on its pipeline's potential. We believe KIN's stock remains undervalued at current levels, and as 2020 progresses, we expect pipeline advancements to drive the stock higher. To this end, Folkes rates KIN an Overweight (i.e. Buy) along with an $11 price target. Should his thesis play out, a potential twelve-month gain of 191% could be in the cards. (To watch Folkes track record, click here) Other analysts dont beg to differ. With 4 Buy ratings and no Holds or Sells, the word on the Street is that KIN is a Strong Buy. The $11.50 average price target is more aggressive than Folkes and implies 208% upside potential. (See KIN stock analysis on TipRanks) Agenus Inc. (AGEN) Next up on our list is Agenus, which develops an immuno-oncology portfolio that includes checkpoint antibodies, cell therapies, vaccines and adjuvants. While this name, which changes hands for $4.02 apiece, has stayed relatively under the radar, some believe big things could be on the horizon. During Q2, Millenium made a major purchase. Scooping up 2,339,149 shares, the hedge funds new AGEN position is valued at $9,193,000. 5-star analyst Mayank Mamtani, of B.Riley FBR, has also been impressed. On August 6, AGEN provided an update regarding the progress of its pipeline. Its lead programs, AGEN2034 or balstilimab (bali; anti-PD1) and AGEN1884 or zalifrelimab (zali), are on track for separate BLA submissions, both in combination as well as bali as a monotherapy by YE20, in all-comer refractory/relapsed (r/r) cervical cancer. Of note, within r/r cervical cancer, zali/bali is clinically de-risked and meaningfully differentiated relative to competing approaches in Merck's Keytruda and/or Iovance's TIL-based cell therapy; further, we view zali/bali to serve as an effective fast-follower to BMY's ipi/nivo across several tumor types with pricing optionality a key strategic leverage for AGEN to deploy upon market entry in 2021, Mamtani explained. On top of this, AGEN1181, its multi T-cell and CTLA-4 engaging antibody which was Fc-engineered to overcome a genetic polymorphism in the CD16 allele, produced a strong result in the Phase 1 trial in MSS r/r endometrial cancer. After there was a CR generated by the AGEN1181 1 mg/kg monotherapy dose, AGEN1181 0.3 mg in combination with zali had a PR with ~80% tumor shrinkage change into a CR, as evidenced by a PET scan. We are encouraged by AGEN identifying accelerated path to market by pursuing PD-1 refractory melanoma as well as cold tumors in MSI-stable endometrial and colorectal cancer, and hepatocellular carcinoma, possibly in Phase 2 single-arm settings, as well as realize full potential longer term in large prevalence tumor types such as NSCLC and prostate cancer. On latter, AGEN's intent to establish AGEN1181 as preferred checkpoint inhibitor for combination therapy was recently validated by AACR'20 abstract demonstrating synergistic benefit with several therapeutic modalities, Mamtani added. Bearing all of this in mind, Mamtani rates AGEN a Buy along with an $8 price target, which implies a 99% upside from current levels (To watch Mamtanis track record, click here) Looking at the consensus breakdown, it has been quiet when it comes to other analyst activity. In the last three months, only 2 analysts have issued ratings. However, as they were both Buys, the word on the Street is that AGEN is a Moderate Buy. (See Agenus stock analysis on TipRanks) Marinus (MRNS) Last but not least is Marinus, which works on neuropsychiatric therapeutics and is considered a leader in orphan epileptic disorders. Currently going for $1.76 apiece, several members of the Street believe that its time to get in on the action. Englander is standing squarely with the bulls on this one. The billionaires fund bought up 934,155 shares in Q2. Reflecting a new position, the value of the holding lands at $2,373,000. Ahead of a fast-approaching data readout, Oppenheimer analyst Jay Olson is on board. Pivotal Phase 3 Marigold data for ganaxolone (GNX) in CDKL5 Deficiency Disorder (CDD) is scheduled for release any day now. The last patient visit for this trial took place in July, and the primary endpoint is seizure frequency reduction over 17-weeks for GNX versus placebo. Prior Phase 2 open-label trial data show seizure frequency reduction of -44% at day-28 (N=7) and -54% at 6-months (N=4), suggesting durability, and low discontinuation rate of less than 10% in Phase 3 MARIGOLD suggests favorable tolerability, Olson commented. However, Olson points out that this data release is being overshadowed by long-term value drivers. The first of these is the RSE pivotal Phase 3 trial of GNX, the design and dosing of which was confirmed in the EOP2 FDA meeting. MRNS still expects to kick off the trial in Q3 2020. Olson noted, We view pivotal Phase 3 design as similar to positive Phase 2 trial while benefiting from longer dosing with 12 hours exposure vs. 8 hours prior. MRNS expects topline data in 1H22. If that wasnt enough, MRNS announced that patient screening had begun for the Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) Phase 2 trial of GNX, with the topline readout slated for 1Q21 with Allo-S biomarker analysis. Given everything MRNS has going for it, Olson rates the stock an Outperform (i.e. Buy) along with a $6 price target. This suggests that shares could move 237% higher in the next year. (To watch Olsons track record, click here) It turns out that other analysts also like what theyre seeing. Only Buy ratings, 4 to be exact, have been received in the last three months, so the consensus rating is a Strong Buy. In addition, the $6.50 average price target indicates 263% upside potential. (See Marinus stock analysis on TipRanks) To find good ideas for penny stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks Best Stocks to Buy, a newly launched tool that unites all of TipRanks equity insights. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the featured analysts. The content is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment. This article was originally posted on TipRanks. Internship - Human Resources Section (Programme Coordination), The Hague Organization: International Criminal Court (ICC) Country: Netherlands City: The Hague, Netherlands Office: ICC The Hague Closing date: Saturday, 26 December 2020 19498 | Registry Organisational Unit: Human Resources Section, Registry Duty Station: The Hague - NL Contract Duration: 6 months Deadline for Applications: 31 December 2020 Required Documents for this Application Please note that you will need to have the following information ready in order to complete your application: A completed Duties and Responsibilities Form (refer to step 1 on your eRecruitment Profile page). Motivation letter (maximum of 400 words in French or English). Two reference letters (one academic). Scanned copies of university degrees and/or diplomas. Scanned copies of official academic transcripts that state your courses, subject, results and completion date. One short essay or a writing sample on a subject relevant to the work of the Court (maximum of 750 words, single spaced, type written). Contract Duration Interns are required to work full time for a period of six months (to be agreed to prior to commencement). Internship placements shall not be extended beyond six months. Organisational Context The Human Resources Section provides a unified and coordinated approach to HR matters across the Court and carries out all human resources activities in an efficient and timely manner whilst serving as HR advisor to management within the Court. The Section is one of five sections located in the Division of Management Services. The other four are the Budget Section, the Finance Section, the Safety and Security Section and the General Services Section. The Division also includes an Occupational Health Unit and an SAP Competence Centre. Human resources management is a shared responsibility with line managers and the HR Sections aim is to be a trusted provider of a variety of centralized policy, advisory and administrative services for the Court, its managers and staff. These services include strategic workforce planning and organizational design, job designs and advertisement, recruitment and on-boarding, administration of salaries (payroll), entitlements and benefits (including health insurance and pension contributions), career development and succession planning, performance management, learning and development and HR policy matters and staff issues or conflicts. The Section consists of two units: the HR Operations Unit and the HR Organizational Development Unit. The HR Operations Units programme of work is all operational aspects of the Section, from recruitment and on-boarding to the administration of salaries, benefits and entitlements for staff members and non-staff (including judges, interns and SSA consultants and contractors). The Unit is responsible for the day-to-day operations and activities related to job design, classification and advertisement of vacancies, recruitment, placement, on-boarding, post management, entitlements and benefits, staff loans and transfers, compensation administration and payroll. The Unit plans, organizes and administers staff services such as health insurance, pension schemes and other social security. The Unit supports the administration and settlement of (HR-related) staff complaints and grievances. The Unit is responsible for the maintenance of related staff data in the Courts Enterprise Resource Planning system, including staff master data. The HRS Organizational Development Unit is in charge of devising strategies, programmes and policies to ensure that the Court hires and develops the right staff and thus maximizes the return on investment in human resources. Particularly, this includes an organization-wide role in relation to strategic workforce planning, talent management, organizational design, staff training and learning and development programmes and activities, performance management and managerial development. Duties and Responsibilities Under the direct supervision of a Human Resources Officer, the intern will perform the following duties: Assist on the administration of the Junior Professional Officer (JPO) programme and the Internship and Visiting Professionals (IVP) programmes, to ensure effective and well-functioning programmes and related operations to meet the objectives of the programmes. Within the scope of project, assist the HR Officer in the implementation of the Junior Professional Officer (JPO) Programme by reviewing and drafting documents concerned, liaising with internal as well as external counterparts, facilitating the necessary actions for the implementation of the programme; Support HR outreach and employer branding activities for the programmes and the Court as an employer in general, facilitating fund-raising discussions with stakeholders interested in and willing to fund the programmes. Support the management of budget and grants to make sure that the programmes meet the financial standard as established; Assist in maintaining a regular contact and follow up with the JPOs and interns/VPs in order to ensure their satisfaction in the participation in the programmes; Tags burkina faso career development central africa development projects enterprise resource planning hag human resources human resources management icc icc_hag internship job design management services netherlands occupational health organizational design organizational development payroll pension schemes performance management professional associations safety and security tajik trainings Assist in drafting financial reports and expenditure simulations for the programmes Support development initiatives for the Junior Professional Officer (JPO) programme and the Internship and Visiting Professionals (IVP) programmes Assist in the maintenance and development of databases; Assist in the maintenance and improvement of the HRS Intranet page; Implementing communications designed to support key projects and initiatives, including drafting, editing, proofreading, and layout of content, in partnership with the HR team; Exploring new tools and tactics designed to engage staff members Court wide, in partnership with the HR team; Supporting in the establishment and management of strategic partnerships with governments, civil society, academic institutions, professional associations and networks, private sector organizations and service providers; Supporting in the preparation and development of guidelines, documents, trainings, workshops, webinars, learning materials, case studies, best practices and guides to build organizational internal communication, employer branding and talent outreach capacity; Providing guidance to HR staff members and hiring managers to enable them to conduct employer branding activities and to effectively implement functional/geographic talent outreach activities; Provide logistical support to organizational development projects, as needed Essential Qualifications Education: All Candidates must have a degree or be in the final stages of a relevant study at a recognised university. Candidates are expected to have a very good record of academic performance. Candidates with Law, Human Resources, and Business Administration degrees are strongly encouraged to apply. Other academic qualifications are welcome. Experience: Internship placements focus on candidates in the early stages of their professional careers therefore; practical experience is not an essential prerequisite for selection. However, practical experience that is relevant to the work of the Court may be considered an asset. Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: Able to adapt to multicultural and multilingual working environments. Possesses strong teamwork skills (listens, consults and communicates proactively). Has acquired a good standard of computer skills (including Microsoft Office applications). Knowledge of Languages: Proficiency in one of the working languages of the Court, French or English, is required. Working knowledge of the other is desirable. Knowledge of another official language of the Court (Arabic, Chinese, Russian or Spanish) is considered an asset. Other criteria: In line with the ICCs efforts to improve geographical representation among staff, nationals of the countries listed below are strongly encouraged to apply. Non-represented or under-represented countries at the ICC as of 30 November 2019: Afghanistan, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Austria, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cabo Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, Comoros, Congo, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Estonia, Fiji, Gabon, Germany, Grenada, Guyana, Guatemala, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, Japan, Jordan, Latvia, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mexico, Montenegro, Namibia, Nauru, North Macedonia, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Republic of Korea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Seychelles, Slovakia, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Tunisia, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Zambia. Remuneration Please note that the ICC is not able to provide all participants in the Internship and Visiting Professional Programme with remuneration, nor is it possible to provide reimbursement for expenses incurred during the internship or visiting professional placement. Applicants should therefore be able to support themselves for the duration of their internship or placement. Limited funding may, however, be available through the ICCs Trust Fund for the Development of Interns and Visiting Professionals, which receives donations from States Parties and other donors to fund nationals of States Parties from developing regions. These donations are equally divided between the four Organs of the Court. If funding is available, the Human Resources Section shall assess a candidates eligibility in accordance with the terms of reference of the Trust Fund as agreed by the donors. In order to be eligible, the applicant must, among other criteria, be a national from a country that is a State Party to the Rome Statue and appears on the United Nations Statistics Divisions list of developing regions. Candidates eligible for funding shall receive detailed information and further instructions after the selection process is finalized. Stipends will always be agreed at the time of offering the internship. No funding will be provided at a later stage. Coronavirus safety restrictions have caused many men around the world to grow their hair longer than usual. But none of them compare with Nguyen Van Chien of Vietnam. He claims to have gone almost 80 years without cutting his hair. The 92-year-old has hair that is around five meters long. His hair looks like a long rope. Chien believes that what a person is born with should be left untouched. He spoke to a reporter from Reuters news agency. I believe if I cut my hair I will die. I dare not to change anything, not even combing it, he said. I only nurture it, cover it in a scarf to keep it dry and clean and looking nice. Chien lives in a village about 80 kilometers west of Ho Chi Minh City. As a boy, he had to cut his hair when he was at school. But he left school after third grade. He said he decided never to cut, comb, or wash it again. I remembered my hair was black, thick and strong, he said. I combed it, untangled it to make it smooth. But when I heard the calling from the divine power, I knew immediately that I was chosen. He added, I touched my hair and overnight it became really hard. It has attached to my head and became a thing of its own. Nguyen Van Chien believes in nine powers and seven gods. He follows a very rare religion known as Dua, or the coconut religion. The name comes from its founder, who claimed he survived only on coconuts. Dua is banned in Vietnam. Chiens fifth son, Luom, helps him with his hair. He, too, believes in the connection between hair and death. Luom says he has seen a man die after trying to re-attach his hair with string. These things look simple but they are sacred, said 62-year-old Luom. I'm John Russell. Thinh Nguyen reported on this story for Reuters. John Russell adapted the story for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story dare v. to do something that is difficult or that people are usually afraid to do); to not be too afraid to do something comb v. to smooth, organize, or separate hair nurture v. to care for the development of something scarf n. a piece of cloth worn around the neck of head grade - n. a level of quality or intensity in employment or a school untangle v. to separate things that are twisted together) sacred adj. highly valued and important; very holy We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section. Delta Air Lines has placed about 240 people on a 'no fly list' for failing to comply with the airline's face mask policy, Chief Executive Ed Bastian said in a memo to employees on Thursday. There is no US federal mandate on masks in airports or on airplanes, leaving airlines to enforce their own rules that passengers must wear face coverings while traveling. Delta began a strict mask requirement on May 1 as Bastian urged those who wished to travel without a face covering to stay at home or travel via different means. The airline's 'no fly list' has more than doubled in the last month since the CEO told The Today Show on July 22 that 100 people had been banned. Delta Airline CEO Ed Bastian told employees in a memo Thursday that 240 people have been placed on a 'no fly list' for failing to comply with the airline's face mask policy The airline began its mask policy for employees and travelers from May 1 'Although rare, we continue to put passengers who refuse to follow the required face-covering rules on our no-fly list,' Bastian said in the memo, which was reviewed by Reuters. 'As we all work toward the recovery, it's vital that we continue to stay focused on the drive to provide the safest, cleanest airports, aircraft and workspaces possible.' 'You cannot board a Delta plane unless you have a mask on,'' he told The Today Show in July, adding that the airline would be 'steadily and rather aggressively' enforcing its policy. 'If you board the plane and you insist on not wearing your mask, we will insist that you don't fly Delta into the future.' Among those to receive the ban from Delta so far was the former Navy SEAL who shot dead terrorist leader Osama bin Laden. Robert O'Neill posted a maskless selfie from a plane on August 19 saying he wouldn't cover his face because he's not a 'p***y'. Delta Air Lines hit back by banning O'Neill from all future flights the very next day. O'Neill remained unhappy with the airline tweeting: 'I just got banned by Delta for posting a picture. Wow.' A spokesperson for Delta Air Lines confirmed to DailyMail.com that O'Neill has indeed been banned from all future flights. 'Part of every customer's commitment prior to traveling on Delta is the requirement to acknowledge our updated travel policies, which includes wearing a mask,' the company told DailyMail.com. 'Failure to comply with our mask-wearing mandate can result in losing the ability to fly Delta in the future.' Former Navy SEAL Robert O'Neill, who faced backlash for this selfie that showed him without a mask on a Delta flight earlier this month, is among those banned from the airline as a result He captioned the selfie saying he is not a 'p***y' and so wouldn't wear a mask 'I just got banned by Delta for posting a picture,' Robert O'Neill posted on Twitter. 'Wow.' On July 23, a Delta plane was forced to return to the gate when two passengers also refused to wear a mask on a flight on its way from Detroit to Atlanta. The two identified passengers were removed from the plane and the flight continued. 'Flight 1227 from Detroit to Atlanta returned to the gate following two customers who were non-compliant with crew instructions. After a short delay, the aircraft departed to Atlanta,' the airline said at the time. According to the company's website: 'Delta customers and employees are required to wear a face mask, or appropriate cloth face covering over their nose and mouth throughout their travel.' To obtain a boarding pass, passengers on major US airlines have to check a box confirming that they will follow the mask policy. Most of the major US airlines are enforcing a 'no mask, no fly' requirement. United Airlines has also said it will ban passengers who don't comply and Alaska Airlines said they would do the same for passengers older than two years old. Passengers wait to board a Delta Airlines flight at the Ronald Reagan National Airport. The company has a strict mask policy throughout all its flights and check-in areas Airline gate agents can deny boarding to anyone not wearing a mask before the flight. But on the plane, there is little flight attendants can do to ensure compliance other than threatening to put passengers on a list that would ban them from future travel on that airline. In July, Delta announced that it would require travelers who claim they can't fly with a mask because of a health condition to undergo an extra medical screening before they are allowed on the aircraft. 'We implemented a new procedure this week because we've had some customers indicate that they have underlying condition that makes wearing a mask dangerous for them,' Bastian said. 'We've told them that you may not want to fly, to reconsider whether air travel is the right form of transportation.' Those who wish to have an exemption must got through a 'Clearance to Fly' screening conducted in conjunction with the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and STAT-MD, a physician service that provides consulting to airlines. The airline warns on its website that travelers should arrive early at check-in as the screening can take more than an hour. Anyone found to be faking a health condition to get out of wearing a mask will also face a ban. Delta appeared to be the first US based airline to implement pre-departure medical screenings in tandem with its coronavirus-era public health protocols. The airline has also halted the sale of middle seats in order to help slow the spread of coronavirus after an MIT study found it decreased the chance of infection from 1 in 4,300 to 1 in 7,700. Deltas has not said when its mask mandate will end. Its harsher enforcement came after, three people in the 20s on a Delta Air Lines flight from Atlanta, Georgia, to Upstate New York tested positive for the virus and started showing symptoms one day after their trip in July. Officials said 44 other passengers were on that flight and encouraged them to undergo coronavirus testing as soon as possible. Major airlines have been hemorrhaging money as as lockdowns and fear of coronavirus spread kept travelers at home. According to The Today Show, Delta was losing $100 million a day in March, which was reduced to $27 million a day in June. Delta said Monday it plans to furlough 1,941 pilots but has not detailed cuts across other employee groups. The airline said it will furlough all pilots with less than about three years of experience at the Atlanta-based airline. Delta's senior vice president of flight operations, John Laughter, said the airline has known that early retirements alone wouldn't be enough to reduce the pilot ranks. The Air Line Pilots Association accused Delta of using the threat of furloughs to force the union to grant concessions - the airline has proposed a 15 percent cut in pilots' minimum guaranteed pay. Union spokesman Chris Riggins said that furloughs and voluntary departures will total nearly 4,000 pilots, which will undermine Deltas ability to rebound when air travel recovers. Pilots are the only Delta employees represented by a union and the only one for which the airline has announced furloughs. A spokesman said Delta hopes to avoid furloughs among other groups. On Wednesday, President Donald Trump was weighing executive action to avoid massive layoffs at U.S. airlines if Congress fails to agree a fresh coronavirus stimulus package, White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said. Airlines and unions have been lobbying Washington to extend another $25 billion in aid to protect jobs through March, but talks are at a standstill. The origins of Silicon Valley long before Facebook, Google and Apple are inextricably linked with America's defence establishment. It was Pentagon funding that helped to develop the internet, while Fairchild Semiconductor now seen as the original Valley start-up began by making chips for Cold War missiles and the rockets that put Neil Armstrong on the moon. But while this historic link with government has become unfashionable at some tech firms lately, one company is putting it at the heart of its pitch to investors. Inspiration: The company's name, meaning 'one that sees from afar', comes from the seeing stone used by dark wizard Saruman (pictured) in JRR Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings THE DATA WIZARD INSPIRED BY TOLKEIN Palantir is an American technology company founded in 2003 by the Paypal tycoon Peter Thiel and other entrepreneurs. The company's name, meaning 'one that sees from afar', comes from the seeing stone used by dark wizard Saruman (pictured) in JRR Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. It makes software that crunches vast amounts of data to make it easier for people to manage and analyse information. The company's early funding came from InQ-Tel, the CIA's venture capital arm, and its customers now include both the US and UK governments. It has earned its name doing official and often controversial work for government agencies. But its tools have increasingly been used by the private sector as well. For example, BP is said to have turned to Palantir to help it extract oil more efficiently in the North Sea, while drugs companies are using its tools to analyse research data, and US bank JP Morgan has deployed the software to detect fraud. Palantir, a data analytics business preparing to float on the New York Stock Exchange, claims to be different to the 'engineering elite of Silicon Valley'. Co-founded by investors that include Paypal tycoon Peter Thiel, it has 'chosen sides' and will stand by clients, who include the US and UK governments, no matter what. Put simply, it makes software that helps to crunch huge amounts of data and then present it in a way that makes it easier for experts to analyse. Its computer algorithms detect fraudulent credit card payments, help police connect the dots between suspects and track down roadside bomb makers who target American troops in Afghanistan. It was recently drafted in by the NHS to analyse data on the spread of the coronavirus. And it is said to have helped US authorities find Al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden before his killing. But the company's sensitive and sometimes controversial work means it has long been steeped in secrecy until now. This week Palantir partially lifted the veil ahead of its 15billion stock market listing, expected to be one of the biggest recent floats after those of Uber, Lyft, Spotify and Slack. It hopes to tap into the global tech boom, which has seen digital companies flourish even during the coronavirus crisis, with other deals including British software giant Aveva's takeover of Osisoft and the 23billion float of Chinese giant Ant Financial. Palantir's prospectus reveals familiar Silicon Valley features: an eccentric chief executive; the view that tech can solve life's most intractable problems; and a sky-high valuation - despite a lack of profit. Indeed, after 16 years in operation, it has never been in the black. It brought in revenues of 565m last year, with 35 per cent coming from the US and 20 per cent from the UK, but still lost 441m. Yet the company, led by boss and co-founder Alex Karp, is betting that the explosion in data being collected means its services are needed more than ever. It has taken aim at companies like Facebook, which collect vast amounts of user data to sell targeted advertising. 'We seem to share fewer and fewer of the sector's values and commitments,' Karp said. 'Software projects with our defence and intelligence agencies, whose missions are to keep us safe, have become controversial, while companies built on advertising dollars are commonplace. 'Our software is used to target terrorists and to keep soldiers safe. We have chosen sides, and we know our partners value our commitment. We stand by them when it is convenient, and when it is not.' Yet working with government agencies has also led to controversies. The data it has pulled together at some organisations, from banks to police departments, is so comprehensive that it has been abused by the staff of some customers to snoop on people such as former romantic partners. Trump card: Peter Thiel In New Orleans, its algorithms to hunt criminals were shut down after accusations of bias and racism. And its work with the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement was divisive among its own staff, after the agency was scrutinised for separating immigrant families at the border. Despite a petition from employees, however, Karp said it would continue working with the US government. The 52-year-old is a philosophy graduate who reportedly enjoys solving Rubik's cubes and keeps 20 identical pairs of swimming goggles in his office. He previously branded Google 'treasonous' for its decision to stop working with the US military on an artificial intelligence project. 'Silicon Valley is telling the average American 'I will not support your defence needs' while selling products to countries that are adversarial to America. That is a loser position,' Karp told CNBC. Thiel, a staunch ally of President Donald Trump, also branded Google's decision 'shocking'. Palantir admits that its own decision to avoid working with China could also hamper its success. But it still thinks the market for its software is huge with 90billion per year up for grabs. Palantir believes that approach will prove to be the right one. 'The engineering elite of Silicon Valley may know more than most about building software,' Karp said. 'But they do not know more about how society should be organised or what justice requires.' Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 10:01:47|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- No new locally-transmitted COVID-19 cases were reported Wednesday across the Chinese mainland, the National Health Commission said Thursday. A total of eight confirmed cases arriving from outside the mainland were reported Wednesday, the commission said in its daily report. Of the new imported cases, four were reported in Sichuan Province, and two each in Hebei and Shanghai, the commission said in its daily report. One new suspected case, also imported from outside the mainland, was reported in Shanghai. No deaths related to the disease were reported Wednesday, the commission said. On Wednesday, a total of 31 COVID-19 patients were discharged from hospitals after recovery, the commission said. By the end of Wednesday, a total of 2,455 imported cases had been reported on the mainland. Of them, 2,243 had been discharged from hospitals after recovery, and 212 remained hospitalized, with four in severe condition. No deaths from the imported cases had been reported. As of Wednesday, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases on the mainland had reached 85,004, including 324 patients who were still being treated, with four in severe condition. Altogether 80,046 people had been discharged after recovery, and 4,634 had died of the disease on the mainland, the commission said. There was still one suspected COVID-19 case on the mainland, it added. According to the commission, 11,227 close contacts were still under medical observation after 1,189 were discharged on Wednesday. Also on Wednesday, 19 new asymptomatic cases, all from outside the mainland, were reported, and one asymptomatic case was re-categorized as a confirmed one. The commission said 365 asymptomatic cases, including 317 from outside the mainland, were still under medical observation. Enditem BIG RAPIDS The Big Rapids Community Library will be offering free bags of books to teachers during its Friends of the Library Book Sale. The book sale will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 5. behind the Big Rapids Community Library, 426 S. Michigan Ave. Each teacher that visits will receive one free bag of books when they present their school ID. U.S.-China tensions over the South China Sea escalated on Wednesday, with Beijing firing four missiles into the waters around the same time as the Trump administration took action against Chinese companies that helped set up outposts in the disputed region. China launched four medium-range ballistic missiles into the South China Sea on Wednesday amid broader military exercises by the Peoples Liberation Army, according to a U.S. defense official who asked not to be identified. The missiles landed in the sea in an area between Hainan Island and the Paracel Islands, the official said, and were fired a day after Beijing protested a flyover by a U.S. spy plane. As long as theyre doing it in accordance with international law and norms they have every right to do so," Scott D. Conn, a U.S. navy vice admiral, told reporters on Thursday in response to a question about the missile tests. He said the U.S. is ready to respond to any threats in the region, and said if all militaries operate professionally you can have the same ships in the same water space." U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper, addressing the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies in Hawaii, called the Indo-Pacific the epicenter of great power competition with China" and said Beijing had repeatedly fallen short on promises, including abiding by international law. Separately on Wednesday, the U.S. announced trade and visa restrictions on 24 companies for their efforts to help China reclaim and militarize disputed outposts" in the contested maritime area, according to a statement from the U.S. Department of Commerce. The most prominent were units of state-owned China Communications Construction Co., one of the largest builders of projects in President Xi Jinpings Belt and Road" initiative, which saw its shares slide as much as 5.6% on Thursday in Hong Kong. The escalating tensions come as the Trump administration is trying to push back against what the U.S. sees as an intensifying Chinese campaign to dominate the resource-rich South China Sea and smaller nations in the region. Last month it explicitly rejected Chinas expansive maritime claims in the region for the first time, and sent aircraft carriers to the waters to conduct military exercises. U.S. Stance President Donald Trump has made taking a tougher stance on China a key element of his re-election campaign against former Vice President Joe Biden, even as the two nations seek to sustain a phase one" trade deal reached early this year. Asian stocks began Thursdays session mixed after a surge in technology shares earlier pushed the S&P 500 index and the Nasdaq Composite to fresh highs for a fourth consecutive day. China conducted similar missile tests in July 2019 over contested waters and islets in the South China Sea. Greg Poling, director of the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative and a fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, said the Chinese the latest move was a measured step. As with most of Chinas foreign policy lately, it seems intended to signal strength to the domestic audience and smaller neighbors, not actually tell the U.S. anything it didnt already know," Poling said. Beijing was careful to do it within acceptable limits -- firing into undisputed waters off the southern coast with due notice." In announcing the measures against China Communications Construction and other companies, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said the entities played a significant role in Chinas provocative construction of these artificial islands and must be held accountable." Earlier in the day, Vietnam called on China to cancel its drills this week near the Paracel Islands, saying they violated the countrys sovereignty. The United States, Chinas neighbors, and the international community have rebuked the CCPs sovereignty claims to the South China Sea and have condemned the building of artificial islands for the Chinese military," Ross said, using an abbreviation for the Chinese Communist party. In a related statement, Secretary of State Michael Pompeo said the U.S. would impose visa restrictions on Chinese individuals responsible for, or complicit in, either the large-scale reclamation, construction, or militarization of" South China Sea land. A senior State Department official, speaking to reporters on customary condition of anonymity Wednesday, said the visa restrictions were the mere start" of what could be more U.S. action to punish China over its reclamation work in the South China Sea. The official encouraged other countries to take similar measures against the people who were targeted to make it even harder for them to conduct business abroad. The U.S. moves should be understood in China as politically motivated due to the looming November presidential election, said Wang Huiyao, an adviser to Chinas cabinet and founder of the Center for China and Globalization, noting that businesses on both sides are desperate to keep working together. China doesnt need to respond to that," he said. China Communications Construction is involved in projects around the world, from Sri Lanka to Pakistan to Italy. The immediate impact on the companys bottom line remains unclear, Eurasia Group said in a note. Chinas immediate response will be strident but measured," the note said. In this case, the Entity List is a less potent tool than Treasury sanctions, but China could still respond with retaliatory sanctions against U.S. individuals in roughly comparable positions." Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Never miss a story! Stay connected and informed with Mint. Download our App Now!! Topics TDT | Manama The Fourth High Criminal Court yesterday sentenced two Gulf nationals to life in prison and fined them BD10,000 each for trafficking drugs through King Fahd Causeway. The two men were part of a gang that also consisted of Bahraini defendants and is responsible of trafficking, selling, and distributing hashish and marijuana in the Kingdom. The court also sentenced both defendants to deportation, while the remaining gang members were punished each with three years of imprisonment and fined BD1,000 for drugs abuse and possession. The case was initially formed when the investigations of a lieutenant in the Anti-Narcotics Department at the Interior Ministry led to the first defendant, a Bahraini man, who was caught red-handed last year while selling BD300 worth of hashish to a secret police informant. The first defendant cooperated with the police and led them to one of his Bahraini accomplices, after arranging a deal to buy a piece of hashish worth BD3,900. An ambush was set up by the police to arrest the second defendant, who attempted to escape, but was eventually caught. The piece of hashish was found in his possession when the car was searched. According to court files, the second defendant, also a Bahraini man, was taken to the directorates building in Adliya for interrogation, and while he was there, he received a call on the Snapchat app from the third defendant, one of the two Gulf nationals sentenced to life. While on loudspeaker, the third defendant was heard by the lieutenant saying that he had received an order from the fourth defendant, the second Gulf national, to deliver a kilogramme of hashish to the second defendant, who was in police custody. A meeting was arranged and police surprised the third defendant, who was waiting in his car for the second defendant to come and collect the quantity from him. When asked, he denied any knowledge of a drug deal. However, a thorough inspection of his vehicle revealed that the drugs were professionally stashed in the air filters of the vehicle. The man confessed in the interrogation that he trafficked the piece through King Fahd Causeway, as per the instructions of the fourth defendant, in order to deliver to a dealer here (the second defendant). Further investigations showed that the fourth defendant regularly provides the drugs and hands them over to the third defendant, who takes the responsibility of trafficking into Bahrain and delivering them to the second defendant here. LITTLE FALLS, N.J., Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Bantec, Inc. (OTCPINK: BANT) ("Bantec" or the "Company"), Bantec, Inc., a product and services company, announces a program to help students, faculty and administrators get back to school safely. Michael Bannon, Bantec's Chairman and CEO stated: "We are offering a program, through our contract with CleanSmart, to help students get back to school. The three-pronged approach we intend to use consists of reselling UVC and spray disinfecting robots, Enviro-Pro disinfectant, and a glass floor coating. We demonstrated the UVC and spray robot to a Connecticut school system that is determined to get 100% of their students back to school this Fall. They have more than a dozen schools and are looking to see how we can help them accomplish this task. We videotaped the demonstration. To view the demonstration. please click the video link below. As demonstrated in the video, the robot disinfects using both UVC light and/or spray." In addition to helping schools, we are also looking to help hospitals, manufacturers, universities, and commercial property managers better cope with the Covid-19 pandemic. Link: https://youtu.be/LnS4tzzpmLs About Bantec Bantec, Inc., a product and services company, through its subsidiaries and divisions, sells to facility managers, engineers, maintenance managers, purchasing managers and contract officers who work for hospitals, universities, manufacturers, commercial businesses, local and state governments and the US Government. Our difference that matters consists of establishing lifelong customer and supplier friendships, responding immediately to our customers' needs, and providing products and services through a highly technically trained, motivated, and incentivized workforce. Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements in this press release may be considered "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements may include projections of matters that affect revenue, operating expenses, or net earnings; projections of growth; and assumptions relating to the foregoing. Such forward-looking statements are generally qualified by terms such as: "plans, "anticipates," "expects," "believes" or similar words. Forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties, some of which cannot be predicted or qualified. Future events and actual results could differ materially from those set forth in, contemplated by, or underlying the forward-looking information. These factors are discussed in greater detail in our Form 10-K filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Contacts: Michael Bannon Chairman & CEO (203) 220-2296 [email protected] SOURCE Bantec Inc. Related Links http://www.bantecinc.com/ Veteran TV presenter Kerri-Anne Kennerley became emotional on Thursday, when she revealed live on Studio 10 that her dog had gone missing. The 66-year-old was taking part in a regular segment when she stopped abruptly and shared the upsetting news with viewers. Pulling out her mobile phone, she said: 'Sorry, my dog's lost, so I'm a bit distracted.' More heartbreak for Kerri-Anne Kennerley: The Studio 10 star, 66, broke down live on air this morning as she revealed her beloved dog Digger was missing She added: 'Some workmen came, the garage is open so he's gone out.' She went on to say that she was being 'unprofessional' by talking about the news on air during an unrelated segment. Fortunately, she learned later in the broadcast that Digger had been found at a nearby restaurant. Terrifying! Kerri-Anne revealed that Digger (pictured) had walked out of her garage 'Sorry, my dog's lost, so I'm a bit distracted': She was taking part in a regular segment when she stopped abruptly and shared the upsetting news with viewers 'By the way, Digger has been found at a restaurant!' Kerri-Anne announced. She said the animal had been found at Chiswick Woollahra, prompting fellow panellist Joe Hildebrand to joke: 'Did he order a smashed avo on toast?' Kerri-Anne said she was 'very relived' that her dog had been found safe and well. Phew! She learned later in the broadcast that Digger had been found at a nearby restaurant It comes after Kerri-Anne was made redundant from Studio 10 earlier this month. She fought back tears as she bid farewell to viewers on August 12, less than 24 hours after being sacked from the network as a cost-cutting measure. Kerri-Anne, who was axed from Channel 10 along with 25 other staff members, appeared to shake with emotion while addressing her departure. She acknowledged that the coronavirus pandemic had made it necessary to tighten the budget, and thanked her friends and colleagues for their support. Boned: It comes after Kerri-Anne was made redundant from Studio 10 earlier this month 'I just know I'm back on the "lazy Susan" of television. Yeah, it's very, very tough for a lot of people,' she began. 'But I've always worked on a personal level, the Charles Darwin theory that says to survive you don't need to be the most intelligent, you don't have to be the strongest, but you have to be, to survive, the most adaptable,' she said. Kerri-Anne, who joined Studio 10 as a part-time panellist in September 2018, went on to say just how much she treasures the friendships she's made along the way. Emotional: She fought back tears as she bid farewell to viewers on August 12, less than 24 hours after being sacked from the network as a cost-cutting measure 'I've had a ball! And the reason why I've got this outfit today is because, if you're being run out of town, get in front of the parade or get in front of the crowd and make it look like a parade!' she added with a salute. Kerri-Anne graciously said that she accepts losing her job if it means she is saving the livelihoods of her colleagues. 'Let's face it. We've got to get down to logic here. It is what it is. It's not the first time, unfortunately. Companies do these sort of cuts to make the business better, which in the long run saves a lot more jobs,' she said. She will depart the network next month, but remains under contract at Channel 10 on 'gardening leave' until the end of the year. New Delhi: Congress, the principal Opposition party is all set to oppose at least four ordinancesincluding the three on farmswhen the government tries to replace them in the upcoming monsoon session of Parliament. The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Ordinance, 2020, The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020 and The Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Ordinance, 2020 may face a stiff opposition from the Congress in both Houses of Parliament. Senior Congress leaders said, they have found faults with The Banking Regulation (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020, too. The government has promulgated 11 ordinancesan executive route for urgent legislation when the Parliament is not in sessionand will seek to replace them with bills in the forthcoming session that starts from September 14. An ordinance has a shelf life of six months and needs Parliaments approval to make the law permanent. The amendments in the farm-related laws were rolled out in June to help farmers amid the tough pandemic crisis. They were hailed as far-reaching steps to unshackle the countrys farm sector as the Centre changed the six-decade-old Essential Commodities Act and moved the other two ordinances to remove all restrictions on farm trade from while guaranteeing a legal framework for pre-agreed prices to farmers. But the Congress remains unimpressed, especially because its government in Punjab and Haryana state unit have raised major objections and claimed these states have already started facing farmer protests against the new laws. The party last evening, announced a 5-member panel to discuss and formulate the Congress partys stands on key ordinances promulgated by the Central government. It has former union minister P Chidambaram, Jairam Ramesh, former Madhya Pradesh CM Digvijaya Singh, party MPs Amar Singh and Gaurav Gogoi. At least three senior Congress leaders maintain that the move will only help corporate buyers of crops and weaken Indias MSP and other safety net for farmers. While the dilution of the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committees Act (APMCA) has been widely hailed by experts as better selling power to farmer and allowing them to bypass the Laxman-rekha of local mandis, the Congress will dish out government data to show that more than 50% of different kinds of farm produce including wheat, paddy, maize, mustard, bajra, cotton, soyabean, jowar, potato, sugarcane, groundnut and even coconutare sold to local private traders and not designated mandis. A Congress leader also claimed that while transaction in traditional mandis will invoke fees, but trade zones specified under the new laws would not see any such levy, creating different systems. The party is also studying the Bihar experiment when it removed APMCA restrictions in 2006 but instead of benefitting farmers it forced them to sell produce below MSP rates, said a leader. Kavitha Kuruganti, Convenor of Alliance for Sustainable and Holistic Agriculture (ASHA), said, the government talks about freedom for farmers through APMC ordinance but there has never been any legal restrictions to sell outside mandis and under the earlier APMC act they were always free. The APMC and Contract Farming ordinance will lead to asking farmers to have interface with corporates in an unequal market. She also added that more players in the market without licenses would not necessarily empower farmers and it will not be possible for them to find best buyers in other states since many farmers are bound by creditors and in reality, they have little choice. The Congress may ask for a mechanism to ensure that no farmer is forced to sell anything less than the MSP. Kavitha also said there must be a registry of buyers and a strong government oversight. Talking about The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Ordinance, a senior leader claimed it will only benefit hoarding and consumers would be badly affected. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-28 00:53:28|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close People attend the eighth Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Ministerial Meeting via video conference in Hanoi, Vietnam on Aug. 27, 2020. Economic ministers of the 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) members and from China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand on Thursday underscored the significance of the RCEP in post-COVID-19 pandemic recovery. (VNA via Xinhua) HANOI, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Economic ministers from China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) members on Thursday welcomed the robust growth of their bilateral trade and investment despite impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. At the 19th AEM (ASEAN Economic Ministers)-MOFCOM (China's Ministry of Commerce) Consultations held via video link, the ministers regarded the growth as a demonstration of the resilience and huge potential of trade and economic cooperation between China and ASEAN, according to a joint statement of the consultations. China remained ASEAN's largest trading partner since 2009 while ASEAN became China's largest trading partner for the first time in the first half of this year, the statement said, noting that last year the total merchandise trade between the two sides reached 507.9 billion U.S. dollars and foreign direct investment flows from China to ASEAN totaled 9.1 billion U.S. dollars. The ministers reaffirmed the importance of strengthened cooperation to promote trade and investment for economic recovery and acknowledged the important role of the rules-based multilateral trading system in driving post-pandemic economic recovery, according to the statement. They reiterated their support to ensure the enforcement of existing international rules as well as for the WTO reform to uphold a free, open, non-discriminatory, transparent and predictable trade and investment environment, it said. The ministers hailed the Joint Statement on Enhancing Cooperation under Free Trade Area (FTA) and Combating COVID-19 as "a deliverable" at Thursday's consultations, which sent a positive signal of utilizing FTA to promote trade and investment, maintain regional and global supply chains, mitigate the pandemic's economic impact, and build a stronger economic region, according to the statement. The ministers also welcomed China's organization of the third China International Import Expo to be held in Shanghai in early November and the 17th China-ASEAN Expo to be held in Nanning, capital of southwest China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, in late November. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) San Francisco, United States Thu, August 27, 2020 13:00 511 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c40d907a 2 World US,super-computing,research-center Free The US on Wednesday said it will spend $625 million over the next five years on centers to research artificial intelligence and quantum computing. An additional $340 million will be contributed by the private sector and academic institutions, bringing the total planned investment close to $1 billion, according to a release by the Department of Energy. The money will go to establishing a dozen research institutes focused on artificial intelligence and quantum computing, the DOE said. "These institutes will be world-class hubs for accelerating American innovation and building the 21st century American workforce, said US Chief Technology Officer Michael Kratsios. The US invests more than $500 million annually in AI research and is building on that effort to "advance American competitiveness," according to National Science Foundation director Sethuraman Panchanathan. A Google official warned in January that in a technological race to the future, China could pour "enormous resources" into developing super-computers with quantum technology. US officials and scientists in July began laying the groundwork for a more secure "virtually unhackable" internet based on quantum computing technology. During a presentation at that time, DOE officials issued a report laying out a strategy for the development of a national quantum internet, using laws of quantum mechanics to transmit information more securely than on existing networks. The agency is working with universities and industry researchers with the aim of creating a prototype within a decade. "The foundation of quantum networks rests on our ability to precisely synthesize and manipulate matter at the atomic scale, including the control of single photons," David Awschalom, a University of Chicago professor and senior scientist at Argonne National Laboratory, said at the time. Not included in the US announcement Wednesday were Google and Honeywell, which have claimed strides in quantum computing research. US manufacturing and technology group Honeywell earlier this year said it would bring to market "the world's most powerful quantum computer" aimed at tackling complex scientific and business challenges. The company said it had achieved a breakthrough in quantum computing, which uses subatomic particles to speed up processing. Quantum computing is based on the use of quantum bits or qubits, which can perform trillions of calculations per second and in some cases outperform the fastest traditional supercomputers. The Honeywell announcement came after Google claimed last year to have achieved "quantum supremacy" by developing a machine outperforming the world's fastest supercomputers. Google said that its Sycamore quantum processor solved a computing problem within 200 seconds which would have taken 10,000 years on a traditional computer. IBM runs its own quantum computing program. Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 09:37:02|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close KIGALI, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Military intelligence chiefs from Rwanda and Burundi met on Wednesday at Nemba One Stop Border Post to warm relations, which have been on a downswing since 2015. The meeting was a good start towards the normalization of relations between the two countries, Vincent Nyakarundi, the head of Defense Intelligence at the Rwanda Defense Force and Rwandan delegation said in his opening remarks. He stressed the importance of sharing intelligence information in addressing cross-border security issues. His counterpart Everest Musaba called for frank discussions on the causes of the tensions in order to find solutions. The relations between Burundi and Rwanda deteriorated after Burundi accused Rwanda of hosting and supporting perpetrators of the 2015 coup plot against late Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza. Enditem Press Release Geneva, 27 August 2020 ENR RUSSIA INVEST SA ANNOUNCES 2020 HALF-YEAR RESULTS For the six months ended 30 June 2020 ENR Russia Invest SA ("ENR") and its subsidiaries produced a consolidated net loss of CHF 4.58 million (consolidated net profit of CHF 3.54 million for the similar period in 2019) due to lower valuations (mainly as a result of ruble depreciation of +/- 14% against the Swiss Franc in the reporting period). The consolidated equity decreased to CHF 40.66 million (CHF 48.13 million at 31 December 2019). ENR invested a further ruble 195 million (+/- CHF 2.9 million) into Kaluga Flower Holding LLC. This was used to service, upgrade and/or replace engineering and production related systems at the greenhouses in Russia, to buy flower plants and bulbs and to part fund operations. To date, 11 hectares of greenhouses have been successfully upgraded and put into operation; a tulip and a seasonal flower growing program was completed; 5 hectares ("ha") in greenhouses were planted with roses and 1.4 ha prepared and planted with gerberas; poinsettias were planted on 2 ha and preparations are underway for end of year tulips, lilies and hyacinths programs. At the Petrovsky Fort business center in Saint- Petersburg, the COVID-19 pandemic impact was well managed. Depending on the industry or nature of the business, Russian legislation required a rental payment vacation or temporary discount with qualifying tenants. A small number of tenants at the business center fell into these categories and a few others were not able to renew short term rental contracts due to the adverse impact of the virus on their businesses. Consequently, there was a 5% increase in vacancies in the business center during the reporting period. There were no payment arrears. Capex programs for ongoing improvements continue as planned. At the Turgenevskaya parking garage in Moscow, rental of parking bays to corporates and their employees remained relatively steady as hourly parking rentals slowed in the period when Moscow City had introduced work from home restrictions. In July hourly rentals started to recover again. The COVID-19 pandemic caused growth in Russia to slow down and Gross Domestic Product contracted by 4.2% in the first half of 2020. Failed OPEC+ group talks on curbing production volumes and Saudi Arabia's response to cut its crude oil prices and a threat to ramp up output had a very negative impact on oil prices which fell sharply by 65% between January and April. As more restrictions were introduced to slow the spread of the virus, demand for oil slowed meaningfully. Subsequently the OPEC+ group reached an agreement to reduce oil production until the end of July 2020 and oil prices stabilized at low USD 40 levels per barrel levels. Lower oil prices and earnings have a detrimental impact on the Russian economy and a negative impact on the ruble. The ENR semi- annual report is available from today on ENR's website at https://enr.ch/wp-content/uploads/ENR-Semi-Annual-Report-2020.pdf Contact person: Ben de Bruyn, ENR Russia Invest SA, tel: +41 22 510 2626 ENR Russia Invest SA is an investment company listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange. It specialises in the management of equities and equity-like investments, real estate as well as fixed income instruments in Russia, other members of the Commonwealth of Independent States and the Baltic States. Additional information on ENR Russia Invest SA is available on the company website www.enr.ch Attachment Police have appealed to the public for their help in finding 40-year-old Keith Carlisle, who was seen entering the Six Mile Water river in Antrim on Sunday night. A multi-agency search operation is continuing today to locate Mr Carlisle as police urge anyone who believes they saw the man on the night he went missing to get in touch. Inspector Julian Buchanan said: "Keith was seen entering the water shortly before 11pm on Sunday night. "Immediately, a multi-agency search and rescue operation was launched, involving our officers and a number of partner agencies. "Despite these searches, we have so far been unable to locate Keith. "While searches are ongoing, we are keen to establish Keith's movements on Sunday night. We know he had been socialising in the town that evening and my appeal is to anyone who came into contact with Keith on Sunday night, or believes they may have seen, to contact us. "This is a distressing and worrying time for Keith's family and loved ones, and we would urge anyone who has information that could assist us to call us on 101, and quote reference number 2034 of 23/08/20." Sofia Richie has recently found herself back on the market, amid her split with Scott Disick after three years. But the model/actress is living her best single life, recently celebrating another trip around the sun in style. She cut a sexy travel look Wednesday in a tiny beige romper, as she arrived home to Los Angeles via private jet, following her fabulous birthday trip to Cabo San Lucas. Travel style: Sofia Richie cut a sexy travel look Wednesday in a tiny beige romper, as she arrived home to Los Angeles via private jet, following her fabulous birthday trip to Cabo San Lucas The 22-year-old teased her white bra and pert derriere in the plunging high-cut button-up cotton number. She finished the look with a pair of white sneakers and a blue face mask, taking precautions against COVID-19. Richie previously bid farewell to her tropical Mexican getaway, posting a photo in a shimmering taupe bikini by Frankies. It was one of several sizzling swimwear looks she showed off during her envy-inducing birthday vacation. Serving body: The 22-year-old teased her white bra and pert derriere in the plunging high-cut button-up cotton number Masked up: She finished the look with a pair of white sneakers and a blue face mask, taking precautions against COVID-19 Farewell photo op: Richie previously bid farewell to her tropical Mexican getaway, posting a photo in a shimmering taupe bikini by Frankies Her trip was complete with boating excursions, ATV rides through the sand and a visit with some friendly donkeys. She was accompanied by mother Diane Alexander, brother Miles Richie and pal Stassie Karanikolaou for the girls trip. Before jetting off, the squad posed beside their private plane in matching white monogrammed t-shirts and shorts printed with 'Sofia turns 22' in blue. Bikini babe: It was one of several sizzling swimwear looks she showed off during her envy-inducing birthday vacation Furry friends: Her trip was complete with boating excursions, ATV rides through the sand and a visit with some friendly donkeys Girls trip: She was accompanied by mother Diane Alexander, brother Miles Richie and pal Stassie Karanikolaou for the girls trip Birthday girl: They celebrated her big day with pink cake printed with a photo of her posing on the beach, photoshopped with photos of her dogs, as well as the message: 'It's your f*cking birthday' They celebrated her big day with pink cake printed with a photo of her posing on the beach, photoshopped with photos of her dogs, as well as the message: 'It's your f*cking birthday.' Richie welcomed the daschunds with ex-boyfriend Disick, 37, before they called it quits back in May. A source recently told People: 'It's always been difficult for them to balance their relationship with Scott's family life. His kids will always come first.' The National Communication Officer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Sammy Gyamfi has insisted that Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia peddled falsehood over the cost of the Kwame Nkrumah interchange. Dr Bawumia, speaking at a town hall meeting on Tuesday, August 18 said the NDC government constructed the Kwame Nkrumah Interchange at a cost of $260 million while four interchanges constructed by the NPP government cost $289 million. But reacting to this on Citi TVs The Point of View, Mr Gyamfi said the claim is false and an attempt by Dr Bawumia to be mischievous. On the issue of the cost of the Kwame Nkrumah Interchange, the claims Dr Bawumia made are misleading and not factual. But to break that down for the ordinary Ghanaian to understand, what Dr Bawumia did was simply mischievous. He told a blatant lie when he said the cost of the Kwame Nkrumah Interchange project is $260 million and we need to settle that issue once and for all because if you check the parliamentary Hansard of 16th August 2012, when the Kwame Nkrumah Interchange project was approved, it was very clear that the cost of the project as approved by Parliament was 74.8 million equivalent to $90 million at the time and Kwame Nkrumah interchange had only one phase, there was no phase two. Sammy Gyamfi further explained that Dr. Bawumia added the cost of two separate and distinct projects [the Kwame Nkrumah Interchange and the Ring Road Flyover] yet created the impression it was the cost of the Kwame Nkrumah Interchange. He vehemently argued that Dr Bawumia engaged in a comparison of two projects that have different scope of work and specifications. It is important to emphasise that, the two projects (the Kwame Nkrumah Interchange and the Ring Road Flyover) are distinct from each other and were separately approved by Parliament at different periods for different purposes. The scope of work of the two projects are totally different, and so it is disingenuous and shameful for Dr Bawumia to lump the cost of the two projects together and create the impression that same is inflated. According to Mr Gyamfi, whereas the cost of the Kwame Nkrumah Interchange project as approved by Parliament in 2014 and expended by the contractor is 74.8 million euros equivalent to $90 million at the time, the Ring Road Flyover which the Mahama government on October 14, 2014, laid before Parliament was at a cost $170 million. He said this transaction was approved on 2nd October 2014 by the 6th Parliament of the Republic of Ghana with the full support of the NPP. ---citinewsroom Huawei Nears Tie With Samsung for Top Spot in Global Smartphone Shipments Ding Yi / Aug 27, 2020 03:17 PM / Business & Tech Huawei narrowed its gap with Samsung in global smartphone shipments in the second quarter of 2020, as the South Korean company encountered the largest sales decline among the worlds top five smartphone vendors during the period. For the three months through June, Huawei shipped 54.1 million smartphones worldwide, maintaining its spot as the worlds second-largest smartphone seller with a market share of 18.4%, according to a report released by Gartner on Tuesday. Huaweis quarterly performance, which Gartner attributed to strong sales in its home China market, moved the embattled Chinese company into a virtual tie with Samsung for number one. During the period, Samsung shipped 54.8 million smartphones globally, giving it the largest market share of 18.6%. In last years second quarter, Samsung was also the worlds biggest smartphone vendor with a market share of 20.3%, 4.6 percentage points higher than that of runner-up Huawei, Gartner said. In the second quarter of the year, Apple, Xiaomi and Oppo came in third, fourth and fifth, with respective market shares of 13%, 8.9% and 8%, Gartner said, adding that the worlds top five smartphone sellers all suffered year-on-year shipment contractions, with Samsung seeing the largest drop of 27.1%. Contact reporter Ding Yi (yiding@caixin.com) Related: Huawei and Apple Shine in Chinas Smartphone Market During Second Quarter Unprecedented fall in OECD GDP by 9.8% in Q2 2020 Download the entire news release (PDF 120KB) 26/08/2020 - Following the introduction of COVID-19 containment measures across the world since March 2020, real gross domestic product (GDP) in the OECD area showed an unprecedented fall, by (minus) 9.8%, in the second quarter of 2020, according to provisional estimates. This is the largest drop ever recorded for the OECD area, significantly larger than the (minus) 2.3% recorded in the first quarter of 2009, at the height of the financial crisis. Among the Major Seven economies, GDP fell most dramatically, by (minus) 20.4%, in the United Kingdom. In France, where lockdown measures were among the most stringent, GDP declined by (minus) 13.8%, after a drop of (minus) 5.9% in the previous quarter. GDP also fell sharply in Italy, Canada and Germany in the second quarter (by (minus) 12.4%, (minus) 12.0% and (minus) 9.7% respectively (compared with (minus) 5.4%, (minus) 2.1% and (minus) 2.0% in the previous quarter). In the United States, where many states introduced stay-at-home measures late March,GDP contracted slightly less ((minus) 9.5%, compared with (minus) 1.3% in the previous quarter). In Japan, where containment measures were less stringent, GDP contracted by (minus) 7.8% in the second quarter of 2020, compared with (minus) 0.6% in the previous quarter. In the euro area and the European Union, GDP dropped by (minus) 12.1% and (minus) 11.7% respectively, compared with declines of (minus) 3.6% and (minus) 3.2% in the previous quarter. Year-on-year GDP growth for the OECD area was minus 10.9% in the second quarter of 2020, following growth of minus 0.9% in the previous quarter. Among the Major Seven economies, the United States recorded an annual growth of minus 9.5%, while the United Kingdom recorded the sharpest annual fall (minus 21.7%). OECD Chart: Quarterly GDP, Total, Percentage change, previous period, Quarterly, last 8 quarters Link to underlying data - Source: Quarterly National Accounts: Quarterly growth rates of real GDP Note: As a consequence of measures put in place by governments to reduce the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19), many statistical agencies are facing unprecedented collection, compilation and methodological challenges to develop indicators across a number of domains. To address these challenges, the statistical community is developing guidance, both conceptual and practical, to help ensure the continued delivery of timely and reliable statistics. However, in some cases, there will inevitably be an impact on quality and, as such, the statistics included in this press release may be subject to larger, and more frequent, than normal revisions. @OECD_STAT Youth are regularly stopped by police on urban streets but there is no data on whether the stops are motivated by race or if they had a legitimate purpose, according to the Hartford-based Center for Childrens Advocacy. The Center tried to amend the states Alvin Penn Law to include pedestrian stops, but its efforts to get it on the General Assemblys July special session agenda fell short. Its not looking good for the September special legislative session either, said Sen. Gary Winfield, D-New Haven, co-chair of the Judiciary Committee. But the issue of youth being stopped by police while on foot is on his radar, Winfield said. Its a concept that I have been trying to make happen, Winfield said. But Im not sure if its something thats a separate bill of its own during the next full session. The Alvin W. Penn Racial Profiling Prohibition Act passed in 1999 prohibits police from stopping motorists based on race, age, gender or sexual orientation. In 2012 the legislature made changes to the law requiring police departments to collect and submit all data gathered during traffic stops including the race or ethnicity of the driver. The data is then analyzed by the Racial Profiling Prohibition Project at Central Connecticut State Universitys Institute for Municipal and Regional Policy. The results of the analysis have flagged dozens of police departments throughout the state for closer review for possible racial profiling. The Center for Childrens Advocacy wants the same data gathering and analysis for all pedestrian stops by police which tend to disproportionately impact youth under 16 who do not drive, said Samuel Rivera, senior staff attorney for the Racial Justice Project at the Center. In the inner city, most kids have no place to go and they are hanging out and getting stopped if they are a particular color, Rivera said. These kids are just hanging out and have no other outlets. If we had the data as it relates to minorities, wed be able to see what is happening. The traffic stop data collected for the Racial Profiling Prohibition Project is centered on drivers - who are all over the age of 16, Rivera said in testimony submitted as legislators were considering sweeping police reforms in late June and early July. There is no comprehensive collection of data on police interactions with young teens, most of which happen on foot since they are too young to drive, he said. Racial profiling of Black and brown people is a common problem in Connecticut and across the country, Rivera said in the testimony. More specifically, youth of color complain about continually getting harassed by police officers while walking down the street or congregating with friends. They detail their negative experiences with law enforcement. The inclusion of the pedestrian stop data would provide a more comprehensive picture of racial profiling in the state, according to Rivera. It shows where there is a problem and where theres not a problem, Rivera said. Its a win-win and it can be done with an easy fix by amending the existing legislation. Several other states and large cities already require the pedestrian stop data to be collected including Washington, D.C., Colorado, Milwaukee, and Illinois, Rivera said. The Center tried without success to get the pedestrian data collection requirement into the police accountability bill that passed in late July. The 65-page bill provides for police reform in several areas including better training in de-escalating incidents, the creation of an independent office to investigate the use of deadly police force and greater transparency by requiring state police to release all internal affairs investigations, regardless of whether the allegations were substantiated. The law was passed after the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police. His death sparked protests throughout the state and country. Rivera was hoping to get a second shot at the proposal during the special legislative session slated for September. The 2020 legislative session was halted in March when the coronavirus pandemic hit Connecticut. Legislators did work on four bills, including the police accountability law, during the two-day July special session. The agenda for a proposed September special legislative session has not been released. Winfield, who was instrumental in crafting the police accountability bill, didnt believe that the pedestrian stop data initiative would be addressed in September. Im not sure thats something we can get done during a special session, Winfield said. Rivera and the Center is now hoping to utilize eight public listening sessions staged by the Police Transparency and Accountability Task Force to be held in September to get the word out about the need to collect pedestrian stop data. We are disappointed they didnt do it (in July), Rivera said. But we are going to keep pressing. HOUSTON, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Global energy and commodity pricing agency Argus has extended its American GulfCoast Select (Argus AGS) crude price assessment to include trading activity at Corpus Christi and the Beaumont/Nederland terminals. The Argus AGS price was launched in June and reflects the growing importance of the US Gulf coast as a major crude export hub. It is based on Midland-quality pipeline and cargo trades in key locations. The US Gulf coast, with its sophisticated network of refineries, storage facilities and export terminals, has emerged over the past five years as a domestic and international trading centre for high-quality crude from the Permian basin. Argus launched and extended the Argus AGS price to meet the need for more relevant pricing tools. Corpus Christi, south of Houston, is directly tied to Permian basin supply by three new pipelines with a capacity of more than 2.5mn b/d. This connection and multiple new docks enabled Corpus Christi to become the leading Gulf coast crude export port in late 2019, with exports typically exceeding 1mn b/d. In the Nederland/Beaumont area, near the Texas-Louisiana border, more than 600,000 b/d of pipeline capacity brings crude direct from the Permian basin, to multiple refiners and docks. Pipeline connections deliver segregated Midland-quality WTI to points in Louisiana as well, including Clovelly, which is home to the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port, and St James. Argus Media chairman and chief executive Adrian Binks said: "We have had very positive feedback from companies who are active in international crude trading about our new Argus AGS price. We have worked with the industry to extend it to cover trades at Corpus Christi and Beaumont/Nederland." Port of Corpus Christi chief executive Sean Strawbridge said: "We strongly support Argus' inclusion of Corpus Christi trading activity into the Argus AGS price assessment process. It demonstrates the port's significant position in the global crude markets." Argus contact information London: Seana Lanigan +44 20 7780 4200 Email Seana Singapore: Tomoko Hashimoto +65 6496 9960 Email Tomoko Moscow: Alexey Komarov +7 495 933 75 71 Email Alexey Houston: Karen Johnson +1 281 732 9489 Email Karen About Argus Media Argus is an independent media organisation with more than 1,000 staff. It is headquartered in London and has 25 offices in the world's principal commodity trading and production centres. Argus produces price assessments and analysis of international energy and other commodity markets, and offers bespoke consulting services and industry-leading conferences. Companies in 140 countries around the world use Argus data to index physical trade and as benchmarks in financial derivative markets as well as for analysis and planning purposes. Argus was founded in 1970 and is a privately held UK-registered company. It is owned by employee shareholders, global growth equity firm General Atlantic and Hg, the specialist software and technology services investor. ARGUS, the ARGUS logo, ARGUS MEDIA, ARGUS DIRECT, ARGUS OPEN MARKETS, AOM, FMB, DEWITT, JIM JORDAN & ASSOCIATES, JJ&A, FUNDALYTICS, METAL-PAGES, METALPRICES.COM, INTEGER, Argus publication titles and Argus index names are trademarks of Argus Media Limited. SOURCE Argus Media Related Links http://www.argusmedia.com Chinese parent company ByteDance has urged TikTok to draw up contingency plans should it need to shut down its U.S. operations, even as it works toward divesting them, people familiar with the matter said on Thursday. ByteDance has been ordered by President Donald Trump to divest sell its US arm, amid security concerns over the personal data it handles. Microsoft and Oracle are among U.S. companies vying to acquire the assets of TikTok, which claims about 100 million monthly active users in the U.S. On Thursday it emerged that Walmart was teaming up with Microsoft in its bid. Meanwhile Oracle, which is owned by Trump donor Larry Ellison, has been backed by the president and is said to be the preferred buyer, sources told The Wrap. TikTok is preparing for the possibility that it will have to shut down in the U.S., sources said Trump has given TikTok 90 days to divest its U.S. operations or it will be forced to shut down ByteDance is expected to pick a bidder to enter into exclusive talks as early as Friday, sources told Reuters. Trump issued an executive order on August 6 that would ban transactions with TikTok and its Chinese parent in 45 days. He later extended the deadline to 90 days - or November 12. While TikTok has filed a lawsuit challenging the order, it is preparing for the possibility that it will have to shut down if it has not reached a deal with an acquirer by mid-September, the sources said. It hopes that any shutdown would be temporary, the sources added. A sale would have to be greenlighted by both the United States and Chinese governments. The shutdown contingencies are also aimed at preparing TikTok's global operations for the possibility that one of the two countries blocks any deal, the sources said. ByteDance told TikTok engineers in a memo this week to draw up plans for shutting down the app in the United States, the sources said. Oracle CEO Larry Ellison is a billionaire Trump donor (left). Microsoft founder Bill Gates previously called the app a 'poisoned chalice' ByteDance is also making separate plans for TikTok U.S. employees and vendors to be compensated in the event of a shutdown, one of the sources added. TikTok has already implemented a hiring freeze in the U.S. for most open positions because of the uncertainty, bringing in only five per cent of the staff it planned to recruit, according to the source. ByteDance views the shutdown preparations as a back-up plan, and is working toward a deal that would keep TikTok operating in the United States without interruption, the sources said. The sources requested anonymity as the shutdown preparations are confidential. ByteDance did not immediately respond to a request for comment, while TikTok declined to comment. Walmart announced on Thursday it was joining Microsoft in its bid, revealing its plans hours after the app's recently named chief executive, Kevin Mayer, said he would step down. TikTok Chief Executive Officer Kevin Mayer has left the company Oracle, whose Chairman Larry Ellison is one of the technology world's few supporters of Trump, has partnered with some of ByteDance's investors, including General Atlantic and Sequoia, on its bid for the TikTok assets. The app will reportedly sold within the 'coming days' to either Microsoft and Walmart or Oracle, in a $20-30billion deal. The Wrap cited sources who said Oracle was the preferred buyer and that their offer - which has the backing of Trump - is $10billion in cash and $10billion in Oracle stock. Half of TikTok's profits will go back to ByteDance for two years, their sources said. Trump backed Oracle as the buyer earlier this month, calling it a 'great company' and saying: 'I think that Oracle would be certainly somebody that could handle it.' In a statement announcing their partnership with Microsoft on Thursday, Walmart said it was eager to be involved in the app which has merged e-commerce with social media and video. 'We are confident that a Walmart and Microsoft partnership would meet both the expectations of US Tik Tok users while satisfying the concerns of US government regulators,' the company said in a statement. Shares in Microsoft (left) and Walmart (right) rose on Thursday as news of their joint bid emerged Microsoft founder Bill Gates has been hesitant about the deal, referring to TikTok as a 'poisoned chalice'. Microsoft's stock jumped three percent on Thursday as news of the imminent sale emerged. Walmart's rose by two percent. However according to reports, Oracle is being backed both by ByteDance's US investors and by the White House. Earlier this week, The Wall Street Journal reported that General Atlantic and Sequoia Capital- two major US investors in ByteDance - were pushing Oracle's bid over Microsoft's. It has also been reported by CNBC that TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer quit after being cut out of negotiations surrounding the sale. While TikTok is best known for its anodyne videos of people dancing that go viral among teenagers, U.S. officials have expressed concerns that information on users could be passed on to China's communist government. In addition to cutting off access for TikTok's U.S. users, shutting down TikTok could deprive 'influencers,' who have built large followings on the app, from income they receive from advertisers for promoting products and services. While shutting down TikTok in the United States would prevent new users from downloading the app, it is not clear whether those who have already downloaded the app in the United States would lose access. ByteDance has been in talks to sell TikTok's North American, Australian and New Zealand operations, which could be worth $25billion to $30billion, since the beginning of this month. (Natural News) The U.S. government recently designated the Confucius Institute as a foreign propaganda mission. Nevertheless, dozens of American universities, including Stanford and Columbia, continue to take millions of dollars from the Chinese government-run global education program. The government labels entities that are directly controlled by foreign powers as foreign missions, and the designation subjects them to administrative requirements akin to those that apply to consulates and embassies. The Chinese government has spent more than $150 million funding more than 100 Confucius Institute programs throughout the U.S., according to a Senate report. In a statement announcing the designation, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called the group an entity advancing Beijings global propaganda and malign influence campaign on U.S. campuses and K-12 classrooms. Confucius Institutes are funded by the PRC and part of the Chinese Communist Partys global influence and propaganda apparatus. The stated aim of the program is to promote Chinese language and culture. Many universities depend on the organization to support their Chinese culture and Mandarin language classes, but the Institutes have long been criticized for restricting academic freedom on campus and pressuring universities that host them to censor speeches that the Chinese communist party does not approve of. One American university ended up canceling a talk with Tibetan Buddhist leader the Dalai Lama, while another removed references to Taiwan from the biography of a university speaker in response to pressure from the Confucius Institute. The Institute bars its staff from talking about topics such as the Xinjiang concentration camps and the Hong Kong protests. Its all about the money Despite the foreign mission designation, some universities plan to continue their relationship with the CCP front group. Universities such as SUNY Albany and George Washington University told The Free Beacon that they do not believe the program poses a threat to academic freedom. Meanwhile, Stony Brook University and Tufts University say that they are reviewing the Trump administrations designation to decide if they need to change their relationship to the Institute. A partnership with the Confucius Institute programs comes with as much as $1 million in funding from the Chinese government. Many universities have been distancing themselves from the program, with 22 universities eliminating their Confucius Institute chapters in the first eight months of this year. Last year, 21 chapters were shut down. Universities have listed a wide variety of reasons for these closures ranging from the coronavirus pandemic to budgetary concerns, but experts believe the political pressure has also played a big role. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) commended the universities that have ended their relationship with the program but warned that they could find other ways of partnering with the Chinese government. She said: I am pleased that some universities have recognized the harm Confucius Institutes cause to higher learning. However, our work here is not done until every Confucius Institute is closed, even if they present themselves under another name or through another branch of the Hanban, and we must stay vigilant and flexible to keep up with Chinese tactics. This is what happened with Pace University, who severed ties with the Confucius Institute last year but continues to employ Confucius Institute staffers in a new Asia program that replaced the Institute. Meanwhile, the University of Michigan is collaborating with Hanban, the arm of the Chinese government responsible for organizing the Confucius Institute, to find alternative arrangements after ending its relationship with the Institute last year. National Association of Scholars Director of Research Rachelle Peterson said that while many universities distance themselves from the group, they remain connected to China. She said: Universities arent really learning the lesson, theyre just playing a PR game. Unfortunately, many universities are all too happy to give in to the censorship as long as the Chinese government keeps the money flowing. Sources for this article include: FreeBeacon.com BBC.com Representative image Lead prices were steady at Rs 155.10 per kg on August 27 as participants increased their long positions. Base metal prices were seeing support from the lower stocks at accredited warehouses of the Shanghai Future Exchange (SHFE) along with a rise in demand from China. In the futures market, lead for September delivery touched an intraday high of Rs 156.35 and a low of Rs 154.60 per kg on the Multi-Commodity Exchange (MCX). So far in the current series, the base metal has touched a low of Rs 148.65 and a high of Rs 159. Lead futures for September delivery slipped Rs 0.45, or 0.29 percent, to Rs 155.10 per kg at 19:24 hours on a business turnover of 563 lots. The same for October delivery was up Rs 0.7, or 0.46 percent, to Rs 154 per kg on a turnover of 23 lots. The value of September and Octobers contracts traded so far is Rs 142.24 crore and Rs 0.92 crore, respectively. "Lead is trading near its rectangle pattern support level, so expect the commodity to trade negatively. Any break down below Rs 154.5 would drag prices lower towards Rs 153-152.5 levels in intraday trade," according to Axis Securities. At 1357 (GMT), base metal futures slipped 0.56 percent to $1,970.25 per tonne in London. Big Donor North Carolina FILE - This undated file photo provided by Robert Brown Public Relations shows Greg Lindberg. U.S. District Judge Max Cogburn scheduled sentencing on Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2020, for insurance magnate Lindberg, John Gray and former Rep. Robin Hayes for their roles in trying to bribe the state's top insurance regulator. (Robert Brown Public Relations/Greg Lindberg via AP, File) CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) A major political donor convicted of attempting to bribe a North Carolina elected official to secure preferential regulatory treatment for his insurance business was sentenced Wednesday to more than seven years in prison. Billionaire businessman Greg E. Lindberg was handed his sentence by U.S. District Judge Max Cogburn just hours after Cogburn gave probation to former U.S. Rep. Robin Hayes for lying to FBI agents during the governments investigation. Hayes and Lindberg were among four people indicted in early 2019, accused of trying to give over $1.5 million to help state Insurance Commissioner Mike Causeys 2020 campaign, in exchange for Causey removing an official in his department. Causey, who wasnt accused of wrongdoing, alerted authorities and recorded conversations for them. Causey is running for reelection this fall. Hayes, who was state Republican Party chairman at the time of the crime, accepted a plea agreement last fall and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors. But the other three went to trial, and in March jurors convicted Lindberg, who founded Eli Global LLC, and company consultant John Gray of conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud as well as bribery. The third person was acquitted. Cogburn sentenced Lindberg to 87 months in prison for each of his two counts, with the sentences running concurrently. He also must pay a $35,000 fine. The judge late Wednesday also sentenced Gray to 2 1/2 years in prison. The sentencing capped a dramatic descent for Lindberg, who made a splash with donations to political parties and committees in recent years. A wealthy insurance and investment firm founder from Durham, the 50-year-old Lindberg had been among the states top political donors. He had given more than $5 million to state and federal candidates and committees since 2016, favoring Republicans but also giving to Democrats. Prosecutors had asked for Lindberg to serve 14 years in prison and Gray 10 years, saying long sentences were necessary in part to deter similar criminal activity by others. Story continues The defendants sentences should reflect the seriousness of their conduct, which was as dangerous as it was brazen, the U.S. attorneys wrote in a sentencing memorandum. Lindberg attempted to buy his regulator, plain and simple, the memo continued, adding he remained brazenly unrepentant." Lindbergs attorneys had sought a 1- to- 2-year sentence, saying his culpability was overstated and pointed out the governments recommendation was out of line with sentences for other recent honest-services fraud defendants. Gray also sought a much lower sentence. Lindberg's lawyers pointed out the needs of Lindbergs children, which include a 1-year-old of which he is the sole parent, according to their memorandum. Lindberg attorney Brandon McCarthy said after sentencing that it was deeply disappointing to see his client penalized as a result of unfounded allegations. He also cited Lindberg's accomplishments as a father, civic leader and someone who helped the less fortunate through his business. Lindberg plans to appeal the conviction. No matter how you slice it, a political contribution is not a crime, McCarthy said in a news release. Seeking fair regulation is not a crime. The government's sentencing recommendation for Hayes said he had agreed to help funnel money going to the state GOP to Causey's campaign. But it recommended probation for Hayes, 75, because they said he admitted his crime, accepted responsibility and agreed to cooperate. Cogburn ordered Hayes to pay a $9,500 fine in addition to completing one year of probation. According to prosecutors, transcripts of the recordings Causey helped make show Lindberg supporting the establishment of two independent expenditure committees funded with $1.5 million to support Causeys campaign. Lindberg's companies included Global Bankers Insurance Group. It was Global Bankers that prosecutors said would have benefited by Lindbergs actions in seeking a new regulator in Causeys office. Eli Global is now known as Global Growth. Hayes represented the 8th Congressional District from 1999 through 2008. He served as GOP chairman from 2011 to 2013, and then from 2016 to 2019. He also was a 1996 gubernatorial candidate. Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 05:04:43|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TRIPOLI, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- The UN-backed government of Libya on Wednesday accused the rival eastern-based army of killing and arresting civilians in the city of Sirte, some 450 km east of the capital Tripoli. "The Presidential Council of the Government of National Accord expresses concern over reports from Sirte city documenting attacks on the city's residents and killing of civilians, such as what happened in other cities after they were controlled by the outlaw militias (eastern-based army)," the UN-backed government said in a statement. The UN-backed government called on international mediators, mainly the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), to "document these criminal acts and consider them efforts to foil the democratic peaceful settlement to the Libyan crisis." A few days ago, UN-backed Prime Minister, Fayez Serraj, and the Speaker of the eastern-based House of Representatives, Aguila Saleh, issued statements calling for a cease-fire in the country, reopening of the country's oilfields and ports, holding elections, and making Sirte and Jufra district demilitarized zone. However, the eastern-based army said that Serra's initiative is merely "media marketing," accusing the UN-backed government of preparing to attack its units in Sirte. The UN-backed government also condemned Tuesday's halting of the elections in the southern town of Traghen, some 780 km south of the capital Tripoli, by an armed group affiliated to the eastern-based army. UNSMIL on Tuesday said it was dismayed by the halting of the scheduled elections in Traghen, and reminded all parties in Libya of their obligations to act in accordance with international law and called on them to protect democratic processes across the country. The UN-backed government had been engaged in a deadly armed conflict against the eastern-based army, which is allied with the eastern-based House of Representatives, for more than a year over control of the capital Tripoli, before his government recently took over all of western Libya. Enditem Rohingya student Muhammad Ayaz (R) receives a ring from one of his high school teachers in recognition of his scholastic achievements, in Buthidaung town, western Myanmar's Rakhine state, in an undated photo. For Myanmar high school students, passing their matriculation exam with distinction is a near guarantee of getting into a university, even if not the school of their choice. But that hasnt been the case for Muhammad Ayaz, a Rohingya Muslim high school student from Buthidaung town in western Myanmars volatile Rakhine state, who passed his matriculation exam this year, earning distinctions in all six subject areas tested. The 15-year-old aspires to go to medical school and become a doctor so he can treat people of all races and religions in the Buddhist-majority country with 135 ethnic groups. I want to attend the University of Medicine, Muhammad Ayaz told RFAs Myanmar Service. When I become a doctor, I want to treat people of all races in Myanmar, especially people from Rakhine state, he said. Students in Myanmar graduate from high school after 10 years of education when they are 15, unlike in Western countries where graduates complete 12 years of school and are usually three years older. A recent change in years of schooling that took effect this year means that Myanmar students now will have to complete 12 years of study. Those like Muhammad Ayaz who are on a science track learn six subjects Burmese, English, biology, mathematics, chemistry, and physics. Those who pass individual tests on these subjects during the matriculation exam with a score of 80 percent or higher receive distinction. Of the nearly 49,200 high school students in Rakhine state who sat for the exam during the 2019-2020 academic year, more than 12,300, or 27.7 percent, passed. But only 20 of them, including Muhammad Ayaz, passed with six distinctions. About 700 high school students in Buthidaung, including Muslims, ethnic Rakhines and others, passed the exam this year, according to Rohinyga lawyers and activists in Buthidaung town and the state capital Sittwe. But the overall number of those who sat for the exam dropped from about 1,000 test takers in 2019 due to the various roadblocks they face that prevent them from pursuing higher education, they said. It is impossible to know the number of students who continued their studies but later dropped out because of communication problems in Rakhine and an ongoing armed conflict in the region, they added. Rohingya student Muhammad Ayaz (2nd from L) holds a trophy he received in recognition of his scholastic achievements as he stands beside his parents and brothers at their home in Buthidaung town, western Myanmar's Rakhine state, in an undated photo. Photo courtesy of Muhammad Ayaz's family No recognition Among the more than 350 Muslim students who passed the matriculation exam this year were over 75 from Sittwe, about 30 from the towns of Minbya and Mrauk-U, and about 240 from the Maungdaw-Buthidaung area combined, said Soe Ting, a Rohingya activist and Buthidaung local. But only students like Muhammad Ayaz with high total scores on the exam can be considered for entry to one of three medical universities two in the commercial hub Yangon and one in the central Myanmar city of Mandalay. The prospects for higher education for Muslim students In Rakhine who are top scorers remain dim, however, because of their lack of citizenship and travel restrictions. Every year I hear about Rohingya students who pass the matriculation exam with five or six distinctions, but Ive never heard of any successive governments giving them any kind of recognition, said Nickey Diamond, a rights activist with Fortify Rights. Few students from Rakhine states 3.2 million people attend college, let alone go to medical school. Rakhine is one of the poorest states in Myanmar, with a poverty rate of 78 percent nearly double the national rate of 37.54 percent according to an August 2017 report by an advisory commission on Rakhine state headed by late United Nations chief Kofi Annan. A stagnant, underdeveloped economy, poor social services, and a dearth of livelihoods beyond farming, fishing, and running small family-owned businesses limit the opportunities for young people with a college degree. The state also has been a hotbed of ethnic and religious tension for decades. A wave of sectarian violence between ethnic Rakhines and Rohingyas in June 2012 left more than 200 people dead and displaced about 120,000 others, most of them Rohingyas who later were housed in displaced camps to prevent further clashes. Following the riots in Sittwe and in other towns, authorities restricted many Muslim students from attending colleges in the state. Three years ago, Myanmar forces led a brutal crackdown on Rohingya communities in the state's northern Maungdaw, Buthidaung, and Rathedaung townships, leaving thousands dead and prompting more than 740,000 others to flee to neighboring Bangladesh. The hundreds of thousands of Rohingya who did not flee and still live in Rakhine state remain subject to ongoing persecution and discrimination, as they are considered illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and are denied Myanmar citizenship. Buthidaung town, where Muhammad Ayaz and his family live, remained relatively safe amid the 2017 military clearance operations that targeted mainly Rohingya villages in rural areas. But a lack of citizenship and travel restrictions imposed by the government may prevent the teenager from realizing his dream of becoming a doctor. The current 1982 Citizenship Law, which does not include the Rohingya among Myanmars official ethnic groups, established three categories of citizens: full, associate, and naturalized. It permits a government-controlled central body with broad powers to determine specific citizenship issues, such as what kinds of rights each category of citizens may or may not have. Because the Rohingya are not considered a national ethnic group, they are ineligible for full citizenship, rendering them stateless. Associate citizens are those who acquired citizenship through the 1948 Union Citizenship Law, which conferred equal rights on all citizens. This type of citizenship can be granted to those who applied for citizenship under the 1948 law and to their children. Naturalized citizens are those who lived in the country before Jan. 4, 1948 and applied for citizenship after 1982. Few Rohingya possess the necessary documents that show conclusive evidence of entry and residence in Myanmar prior to Jan. 4, 1948, or can demonstrate the necessary bloodlines as required by the current law. Rohingya student Muhammad Ayaz in his home in Buthidaung town, western Myanmar's Rakhine state, in an undated photo. Photo courtesy of Muhammad Ayaz's family Whatever card they gave us Muhammad Ayaz doesnt hold a National Registration Card (NRC) that would allow him to advance his education at the university level, said his older brother, Muhammad Reyas. Instead, he has a National Verification Card (NVC), an official ID that identifies him as a resident, not a citizen. Muhammad Ayazs father also has an NVC, although his mother holds an NRC. We had to take whatever card the immigration officials gave us, [but] what we want are national ID cards just like other ethnic groups have, Muhammad Reyas said. Even though one of his parents holds an NRC, Muhammad Ayaz still cannot become a citizen and obtain one of the coveted cards himself. Students who are not citizens, or those who are foreigners, have not been allowed to pursue degrees in Myanmars medical schools since the 1960s. The matriculation exam guidebook issued by the Ministry of Education says both parents of students who want to attend one of the medical universities should have national ID cards. But Aye Lwin, a Muslim community leader who once sat on a government advisory commission on resolving the religious and ethnic divisions in Rakhine state, pointed out that university admission handbooks say otherwise. In university admission handbooks, colleges for professional careers such as engineering or medicine say they admit students in all citizenship categories, regardless of whether they have full, naturalized, or associated citizenship, he told RFA. In reality, it does not happen, he added. The existing laws and regulations dont apply to the people on the ground. The rules and regulations are made on an unofficial basis within the departments that handle applications. Ko Lay Win, director general of Department of Basic Education under Myanmars Education Ministry, said students with NVC cards are allowed to attend college but first need approval from the Department of Higher Education. RFA was unable to reach officials at the Department of Higher Education for comment. No guarantee of security Even if Muhammad Ayaz received such approval from the department, Myanmars travel restrictions on Muslims from northern Rakhine state would pose another obstacle. In addition to the citizenship problem, they need travel permits to go to Yangon or any other parts of the country, said Nickey Diamond. If they dont have travel permits from the government, they cannot attend colleges in mainland Myanmar. Rohingyas and other Muslims from the area cannot leave the state, even for educational purposes or to obtain medical treatment, unless they have permission from authorities. If Muslim students do receive permission, they are usually limited to studying at Sittwe University or Taunggoke Degree College in the Rakhine town of Taungup. In reality, however, most opt not to go to these cities, where they would face other restrictions and racial tensions, so they end their formal education after grade 10. For Muslims who go to college, the government doesnt give any guarantees for their security, Rohingya activist Soe Ting said. In Buthidaung and Maungdaw, some students passed the matriculation exam with distinctions, but they will face many problems if they attend college. Maung Tin Aung, an education officer from Buthidaung township, said that students who pass the exam with several distinctions will be allowed to attend medical colleges and other professional institutes. Others who passed, but not with honors, can take distance-learning courses from teachers at Rakhine colleges who periodically travel to Buthidaung and Maungdaw to meet with students in their classes, he said. Distance-learning students are limited, however, to taking courses only in two subjects Burmese and history. As for Muhammad Ayaz, his family said he has no alternate plan if he cant attend medical school. Reported by Soe San Aung for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Ye Kaung Myint Maung. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin. MANISTEE, MI One of Michigans most popular casinos is implementing stricter policies regarding face coverings. The Little River Casino Resort in Manistee announced this week that bandannas, neck gaiters, and masks with valves will no longer qualify as acceptable face coverings on the property. The policy is effective beginning on Monday, Sept. 7. These types of face coverings allow unfiltered, exhaled air and respiratory droplets to escape more easily, a notice from Little River reads. The updated policy applies to all LRCR team members and guests. Guests who arrive wearing an unacceptable type of face-covering will be offered a disposable mask at the entrance, staff said. LRCR continues to offer our guests an enjoyable resort experience with a hometown feel while keeping the team members and guests safety a top priority, the notice concludes. Per state orders, Little River requires guests to wear face coverings in all situations except while dining in one of the restaurants, eating or drinking a beverage on the gaming floor, while in a hotel room or to smoke in designated smoking areas. Opened in 1999 with just 600 slot machines, Little River casino has grown to include more than 1,300 slot and video poker machines as well as dozens of table games. The hotel features 292 rooms, Little River Casino Resort is owned and operated by the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians. Announcement of Periodic Review: Moody's announces completion of a periodic review of ratings of CIMB Bank Berhad Global Credit Research - 27 Aug 2020 Singapore, August 27, 2020 -- Moody's Investors Service ("Moody's") has completed a periodic review of the ratings of CIMB Bank Berhad (CIMB Bank) 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. CIMB Bank's A3 long-term deposit and senior unsecured debt ratings are two notches above the bank's baa2 Baseline Credit Assessment (BCA) based on Moody's expectation of a very high likelihood of support from the Government of Malaysia (A3) considering the bank's systemic importance in Malaysia. CIMB Bank's baa2 BCA reflects expectation of a modest deterioration of its asset quality and profitability driven by weaker operating conditions in its key markets in Southeast Asia. Nevertheless, CIMB Bank's well-established franchise, improved capitalization and stable profitability will help mitigate some of the risks. CIMB Bank's BCA also factors in the bank's robust funding and liquidity, supported by its dominant franchise in Malaysia. 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 Banks Methodology published in November 2019. 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. Alka Anbarasu VP - Senior Credit Officer Financial Institutions Group Moody's Investors Service Singapore Pte. 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South Africa: Officials seek to improve Bloem court services Deputy Minister in the Presidency, Thembi Siweya and Free State MEC of Police, Roads and Transport, Sam Mashinini, today visited the Bloemfontein Magistrate Court to assess the impact of COVID-19 on service delivery, with a special focus on the dedicated Sexual Offences Court. During the presentation by the court management, Siweya identified infrastructure and structural challenges which have the potential to hamper efficient service delivery. The Deputy Minister said the court needs to review its structure to accommodate more intermediaries to support victims of gender-based violence, as they testify at the Sexual Offences Court. Officials in the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation will work closely with the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development and the Department of Public works to assist with the infrastructure challenge. Despite these challenges, the court has made strides to reduce its case backlog and assist in dealing with gender-based violence. Siweya and Mashinini were pleased with the courts level of compliance to COVID-19 regulations. Its important that all our institutions continue to comply with COVID-19 health protocols and protect the lives of all public servants. We must be able to continue to serve our people. Sexual Offences Courts, in particular, are important for us to deal with the scourge of gender-based violence, said Siweya. A dedicated Sexual Offences Court is a critical intervention in the fight against gender-based violence and femicide, as it is specifically designed to reduce secondary victimisation and create a conducive space for survivors to share their testimonies. In July, Siweya witnessed first-hand the implementation of COVID-19 plans at a Sexual Offences Court in Limpopo. Siweya was pleased with the level of compliance at the Nebo Magistrate Court. At the time, Siweya said it is necessary that dedicated sexual offences courts continue to function optimally. The visits to the courts are a response to the Presidents pronouncement that all Ministers and Deputy Ministers be deployed to various districts in the country to monitor compliance with COVID-19 regulations. SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2020-08-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. A software developer from India, who was sworn-in as an American at a ceremony presided over by President Donald Trump in the White House, says she was unaware that the event was being broadcast during the Republican National Convention and never dreamed" something like this would happen, a media report said. Sudha Sundari Narayanan, 35, said the immigrants sworn-in at the White House had not been told that the naturalisation ceremony was broadcast during the convention on Tuesday, The New York Times reported. I was surprised and shocked and excited, Narayanan said. Narayanan said she did not have an opinion about Trumps immigration policies and added that she found out that the ceremony aired during the Republican Convention only when an excited friend called her later that night and told her she was on television, the report said. I never dreamed that something like this would happen. Im just a very simple girl trying to get my family running, Narayanan is quoted as saying in the report. She says the event with the President was very warm and welcoming. I told him it was such an honour to meet him. The report said that Narayanan came to the United States in 2007 with her husband, who came on a student visa. She came to the US on an F2 visa that allows spouses and dependents of foreign students studying at American colleges to temporarily stay in the United States, the report said. Narayanan has two US-born children and she obtained lawful permanent residency in 2013. She said she took her citizenship test and had her required interview just a week before she received a call about the ceremony at the White House, the NYT report added. Trump presided over the naturalisation ceremony at the White House where Narayanan and four immigrants from Bolivia, Lebanon, Sudan and Ghana were sworn-in as US citizens. During the ceremony, Trump said Narayanan is a phenomenal success", born in India, who came to the United States 13 years ago. Sudha is a talented software developer and she and her husband are raising two beautiful, wonderful children the apples of your life. Thank you very much and congratulations. Fantastic job, the President said.Trump handed Narayanan, who was wearing a bright coral pink sari, her Certificate of Citizenship. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton slammed Trump for presiding over the naturalisation ceremony during the Republican National Convention, saying it was like watching a fox bless a henhouse. Trump has spent his entire political career demonising immigrants. Hes caged migrant babies at the border. Hes used fear of caravans as a political prop. Watching him preside over a naturalization ceremony last night was like watching a fox bless a henhouse, Clinton tweeted Wednesday. The report quoted White House officials as saying that the ceremony was taped on Tuesday afternoon and publicly made available on the White House website. A White House spokeswoman said the presidents re-election campaign had simply decided to use it once it was on the website, the report said. The report said that Trumps willingness to use the trappings of presidential power during a campaign convention was a striking departure from previous presidents, who avoided so blatantly blurring the lines between official actions and political activity." Trumps declaration that we welcome five absolutely incredible new members into our great American family stands in stark contrast to his anti-immigrant policies, often fueled by xenophobic language, the report added. It said Trumps decision to preside over the naturalisation ceremony appeared aimed at suburbanites, people of colour and women put off by his usually strident talk". The report also added that the decision by Trumps campaign to feature the naturalisation ceremony angered some senior officials with US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), which oversees the naturalisation process. Several expressed frustration with what they described as a politicised event, the report said. One could think that a row involving Martina Anderson MLA and pensions for those injured in the Troubles is one remote from our experience in the Republic. But with Sinn Fein effectively the only all-island party (with mild apology to the Greens), and one on the brink of power in this State, the outbreak of bitter controversy across the Border may constitute a cautionary tale. Ms Anderson said a pensions pot in Northern Ireland for victims of the Troubles would mainly benefit "those who fought Britain's dirty war in Ireland". She added on Twitter: "800m mainly for those involved in collusion. 800m mainly for British troops like Paras who murdered people on Bloody Sunday and Ballymurphy. "800m mainly to discriminate and criminalise and exclude." She later apologised for the "clumsy" remarks, after receiving a phone call from Michelle O'Neill who told her to delete the tweet and apologise. Mary Lou McDonald, who aims to be the next Taoiseach, said the apology was "absolutely necessary". She also spoke directly to Ms Anderson. It's of course not the first time Sinn Fein elected members have been forced to apologise. There was the unsavoury incident of Barry McElduff, an MP who triumphantly held up a loaf of Kingsmill bread on the anniversary of the Kingsmill massacre, when 10 Protestant workmen were shot dead. And most recently, a Sinn Fein member has resigned from the party in Wexford after admitting using a false social media account to troll other politicians. The party has denied it has a bullying problem, but the Anderson remarks suggest many of its members know how to hold a grudge - and the question is whether suppressed grudges might be settled once Sinn Fein has the power to do so, a power likely to be granted to them at the ballot box by those who think the party looks only to the future. Pensions for Troubles victims were agreed in 2014 but then blocked for years by Sinn Fein who saw it as an unbalanced scheme. It will pay annuities every year to victims for the rest of their lives, ranging from 2,000 (2,234) to 10,000 (11,166) where a claimant was injured in an incident between 1966 and 2010, when policing and justice was devolved to Stormont. After years of obstruction, a scheme was drawn up last year by the London government while the Northern Executive and Assembly were mothballed. But the regulations state "a relevant conviction" or "exceptional circumstances" could make a person's entitlement to payments inappropriate - for instance, where a paramilitary injured themselves with the premature explosion of their own bomb. In a High Court ruling last week, Sinn Fein was ordered to stop blocking the implementation of the scheme. The party claims the criteria discriminate against former republican prisoners. Ms Anderson is a former IRA prisoner. She served 13 years after being caught in a Glasgow flat by anti-terror police in 1995. Among the flatmates was Gilbert McNamee, the Brighton bomber, whose device killed five and nearly claimed the life of Margaret Thatcher at the Tory party conference in 1984. It was a long war, of course - four years later, in 1988, a three-person IRA active service unit was wiped out by the SAS. It was there to scout out a target, but the trio were unarmed when gunned down. A TD spoke publicly for the first time yesterday about the killing of one of them - her aunt, Mairead Farrell. Namesake TD Mairead Farrell, of Galway West, commented on Ms Anderson's controversial remarks: "My family was bereaved in the conflict, and so I fully understand the importance of us all dealing with legacy issues. That needs to be a conversation that includes everyone, I think that's very important. "The conflict was a very difficult time for an awful lot of families and families like my own were bereaved. And that has obviously a long-lasting impact. That's why we all need to deal with legacy issues together." For 47-year-old Ganesh Kumar Nair, who is one of the key appliance dealers in Kerala, the relaxation of the Coronavirus-linked lockdown in the state from June has not brought many reasons to cheer. Erratic store timings and local shutdown in parts of the state would mean stores losing out on customers planning to view appliances before buying them, he complains. If there was a fixed system for the lockdown with clear instructions on the timings, it would have been convenient for both customers and dealers. Right now, the local administration changes timings every other week and it becomes our responsibility to call up customers and inform them, he added. Festive season sales The white goods market in India, currently worth about Rs 50,000 crore, is growing at about 15 percent every year. Every year, sales worth Rs 3,000 crore are clocked between August and December when India celebrates festivals like Onam, Dussehra, Diwali, and Christmas. Onam, specifically, is the first major festival with the onset of the festive season and is used as a metric to gauge how the entire season will pan out. The 10-day Onam festivities began on August 22 and will continue till September 2. Pinning hopes on revenge buying We are hoping that the pent-up demand due to multiple lockdowns will lead to revenge buying in Kerala. After all, this is the biggest festival of the state. The industry is targeting sales worth Rs 820 crore from this Onam season, if local store conditions are conducive, said the regional vice president (south) of a pan-India appliance maker. Television sets, followed by refrigerators, microwave ovens, washing machines and air conditioners are the most popular appliances bought during Onam. In 2019, white goods firms booked sales close to Rs 770 crore during Onam season. This was a significant improvement from the 2018 season, which was a washout due to the floods in Kerala. In 2018, sales were worth only Rs 280 crore (mostly replacement demand) around Onam as families were busy recovering from the destruction of life and property caused by the floods. What are the issues? Due to different lockdown rules, appliance makers and dealers are having to go back and forth when it comes to store opening. Madhavan Kurup, proprietor of Classic Home Appliances and Accessories stores, told Moneycontrol that timing restrictions and zero flexibility on entry is causing confusion. In Thrissur, we have been told that 4-6 pm will be set aside for senior citizens. Since we did not see any seniors coming in, the store decided to open up for the general public. Just one week after that, the district authorities told us that rules have to followed, he said. Kurup added that appliance buyers, who are working professionals, prefer the evening slots. He explained that if that slot is set aside for senior citizens, others will be dissuaded from visiting stores. Triple lockdown worries The triple lockdown, announced earlier in Thiruvananthapuram, is only adding chaos to the confusion. The head of Kerala sales at a South-India based appliance dealer told Moneycontrol that while triple lockdown has been officially lifted, movement restrictions continue. There is no single rule in the entire city and it becomes difficult if a store is located in a cluster. In some areas, movement of vehicles is allowed, while in others it is not. This is heavily affecting sales. Mere delivery of products, based on e-commerce, wont work, he said. Triple lockdown means one for containment zones, one for clusters of COVID-19 where patients are staying in quarantine, and, the third, for households/buildings of those infected and their contacts. The district administration has informed stores that they should follow adequate social distancing at all times. But consumer durables firms want clear guidelines with exact timings. The south cluster manager of a multinational appliance firm said that what is required is one guideline for everyone, and not vague advisories. If you tell us to follow social distancing, different stores could interpret it in different ways. Some are reducing timings while others are opening on alternate days. This will only result in stores being forced to shut, if people start crowding due to fears of stocks selling out, he added. On August 26, Kerala added 2,476 COVID-19 cases, the highest- ever single-day surge, taking the total infection count to 64,354. There were 13 new deaths, taking the final toll, as of Wednesday, to 257. Diabetes is a metabolic disorder marked with increased blood sugar. It puts people at risk of developing other diseases such as heart disease, neuropathy and retinopathy later in life. About 7.3 crore people in India are suffering from diabetes. Diabetes is of two types: type 1 and type 2. Type 1 diabetes is the one where the beta cells of the pancreas get destroyed by the immune system while in type 2 diabetes, the body gets resistant to the insulin that is formed in the body. While type 2 diabetes can be prevented by making certain lifestyle changes, type 1 diabetes cannot be prevented. However, scientists have recently found two different and effective ways to deal with type 1 diabetes. Artificial pancreas to manage type 1 diabetes In a study published in New England Journal of Medicine on 26 August, scientists claimed that they have developed a new artificial pancreas system above which monitors and regulates the blood glucose levels on its own in children with type 1 diabetes. The artificial pancreas (also called closed-loop control) is a diabetes management system which not only tracks the blood sugar levels with the help of a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) but also delivers insulin to the body whenever required, using an insulin pump. To test its effectiveness, the scientists enrolled 101 children between the age of six and thirteen. The children were divided into two groups; the experimental group, who were given the new artificial pancreas system and the control group, who were given a standard CGM and insulin pump. The scientists collected the data of the children every other week for four months. The results of the study showed that the ones who used the artificial pancreas system showed 7 percent improvement in the blood glucose levels during daytime and 26 percent improvement during nighttime, as compared to the control group. An overall improvement of 11 percent was seen in the subjects who used the artificial pancreas. The scientists believe that with this system, a diabetic person would no longer require the fingerstick system for testing the blood glucose or multiple daily injections for insulin delivery. Block the nerve signals So far, we know that the immune system attacks the beta cells present in the pancreas, which results in type 1 diabetes. No one knows exactly what triggers this attack. It has been noticed that many of these beta cells are destroyed in big patches while the other beta cells remain untouched. Scientists from the La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) have found that the nervous system of the body could be responsible for this patchy destruction of beta cells. In order to test their theory, the scientists used a mouse model to visualise the cause behind the death of the beta cells. In this study, the scientists denervated the mice, which means they damaged the nerve sensations of their body either surgically or with the use of a neurotoxin. This was done to block the nerve signals to the pancreas. The researchers then continuously monitored the pattern of beta-cell death in the living mice. The results of the study showed that after blocking the nerve signals to the pancreas, the beta-cell death was negligible compared to the other set of mice who were either given no treatment or were given only beta-blockers. Without the nerves, the immune cells were unable to find the beta cells, thus they remained protected. However, scientists believe that more study needs to be done on this to test this method on humans. For more information, read our article on Diabetes. 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. Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 22:35:34|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TEHRAN, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Iran's President Hassan Rouhani stressed the "important responsibility" of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in keeping the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in a meeting with the IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi, Tasnim news agency reported on Thursday. "In addition to its technical and specialized duties regarding the Safeguards Agreement and the Additional Protocol, which Iran is implementing voluntarily, the IAEA has an important responsibility, too, with regards to the JCPOA and the preservation of this multilateral agreement," Rouhani was quoted as saying. The meeting between Rouhani and Grossi was held in Iran's capital Tehran after an agreement was reached between Iran and the IAEA to allow the agency's inspectors access to two requested locations inside Iran, after a two-days visit by Grossi. The Iranian president hailed the accord as a "good agreement" and considered "very important" that the IAEA acts in an independent, impartial, and professional way. "The agency should pay attention to a very important point, that is Iran has sworn enemies that are always seeking to create problems for us," Rouhani said, adding "those enemies are the ones that both possess nuclear weapons and refuse to work with the IAEA." Iran's president underlined the importance of the JCPOA for Iran and the 5+1 group of signatories, saying the 2015 nuclear deal "brought about tranquility for the whole region and the world." "The United States withdrew from the JCPOA in 2018 for no good reason," according to Rouhani, but the Americans have now "well realized that what they did was not a good move." For his part, the IAEA director general voiced satisfaction with the agreement reached with the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI). Grossi stressed the need to boost Iran-IAEA cooperation, and said the cooperation should not be affected by foreign voices. "All issues, as well as technical and professional issues, will be solved through cooperation between Iran and the Agency," said the IAEA chief. Enditem CHICAGO, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the new market research report "Industrial Safety Market with COVID-19 Impact by Component (Presence Sensing Sensors, Safety Switches, Programmable Safety Systems, Emergency Stop Devices), System (ESD, HIPPS, TMC, BMS, and F&GM), Industry, and Region - Global Forecast to 2025", published by MarketsandMarkets, the Industrial Safety Market is projected to grow from USD 5.6 billion in 2020 to USD 7.7 billion by 2025; it is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.7% from 2020 to 2025. The key factors fueling the growth of the market includes the demand for industrial safety include strict mandates for safety regulations and high requirements for reliable safety systems to ensure personnel and asset protection. Moreover, growing acceptance of workplace safety standards in emerging economies and increasing usage of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) are expected to create opportunities for the market in the next 5 years. Ask for PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=19720540 "Machine safety market to lead industrial safety market during forecasted period" Currently, machine safety systems provide increased safety for process industries. Machine safety demands continue to rise. The major driving factors of the machine safety market are stringent mandates for safety regulations, high demand for safety systems in the oil & gas, energy & power, and food & beverages industries, and rising need for reliable safety systems for machine protection. However, several industrial units across the world have suspended their operations owing to the outbreak of the COVID-19. This is expected to create a temporary slag in the growth of the machine safety market in 2020. "Market for programmable safety system to grow at fastest CAGR from 2020 to 2025" Programmable safety systems are highly reliable logic solvers, which provide both fail-safe and fault-tolerant operations. The market for programmable safety systems is anticipated to grow at a fast rate in the coming years as manufacturers are replacing the existing systems to comply with strict industrial safety regulatory standards. Programmable safety systems are an integral part of safety instrumented systems. These systems must be designed or selected in accordance with the IEC 61508 standard and are required to achieve the SIL 3 and SIL 4 performance. "Automotive industry to hold larger market share for industrial safety in 2020" Automation plays a vital role in the automotive manufacturing industry owing to functions such as inventory management, performance analysis, design process, and supply chain management, which require a lot of time if done manually. Automation enables companies to save time during assembling, thereby increasing productivity. Automotive companies focus on automation to address the fast-changing consumer needs in various markets worldwide. However, during the period of economic depression due to COVID-19 pandemic, the difficulties that industrial safety equipemnt manufacturers and their customers face in accessing credits strongly affect the sector as credits are critical for investments. Browse in-depth TOC on "Industrial Safety Market" 190 Tables 40 Figures 235 Pages Inquiry Before Buying: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Enquiry_Before_BuyingNew.asp?id=19720540 "North America to be largest market for industrial safety during forecast period" North America is expected to dominate the global industrial safety market during the forecast period owing to the stringent industrial safety regulations in the US and Canada that are strictly followed across various process industries. Safety standards developed by OSHA, ANSI, and CSA Group have forced various industries to implement industrial safety at their workplace. In addition, a rising focus on workplace safety in the oil & gas, refining, food & beverages, healthcare & pharmaceutical, and chemical industries has promoted an encouraging investment environment in the industrial safety market in North America. Major players in the industrial safety market are ABB Ltd. (Switzerland), Emerson Electric Co. (US), General Electric Co. (US), Honeywell International Inc. (US), HIMA Paul Hildebrandt GmbH (Germany), Schneider Electric SE (France), Rockwell Automation, Inc. (US), Siemens AG (Germany), Yokogawa Electric Corp. (Japan), and Omron Corporation (Japan). Related Reports: High-Integrity Pressure Protection System (HIPPS) Market by Component (Field Initiator, Logic Solver, Valve, Actuator), Service (Maintenance, Testing, Inspection, & Certification, Training & Consulting), Industry, and Region - Global Forecast to 2024 Safety Light Curtain Market by Safety Level (Type 2, Type 4), Component (LEDs, Photoelectric Cells, Control Units, Display Units), Resolution (9mm24mm, 25mm90mm, More Than 90mm), Application, Industry, and Geography - Global Forecast to 2025 About MarketsandMarkets MarketsandMarkets provides quantified B2B research on 30,000 high growth niche opportunities/threats which will impact 70% to 80% of worldwide companies' revenues. 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Contact: Mr. Aashish Mehra MarketsandMarkets INC. 630 Dundee Road Suite 430 Northbrook, IL 60062 USA: +1-888-600-6441 Email: [email protected] Visit Our Web Site: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com Research Insight : https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/ResearchInsight/safety-instrumented-system-market.asp Content Source : https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/PressReleases/safety-instrumented-system.asp SOURCE MarketsandMarkets /* custom css */ .tdi_75_041.td-a-rec{ text-align: center; }.tdi_75_041 .td-element-style{ z-index: -1; }.tdi_75_041.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_75_041.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; }@media (max-width: 767px) { .tdi_75_041.td-a-rec-img { text-align: center; } } Advertisement Several bags of harmful fertilizer identified as raw material for manufacturing bombs are among contraband goods worth over N79.6 million impounded by men and officers of Kano/Jigawa Customs Command. The Comptroller in-charge of the Command headquartered along Club Road, Kano, Mr. Ahmad Nasir, decried the unpatriotic activities of some residents of Jigawa border communities who connive with smugglers in bringing illicit and contraband goods into the country. The seized items he displayed before journalists include 1,608 (50 K.g) bags of rice valued at N35.10 million; 567 (25 litre) jerrycans of vegetable oil worth N7.6 million; 53 bales of second-hand clothes worth N2.05 million; and 1,842 (50 K.g) bags of NPK 15.15.15 adulterated fertilizer worth N13.82 million. /* custom css */ .tdi_74_46f.td-a-rec{ text-align: center; }.tdi_74_46f .td-element-style{ z-index: -1; }.tdi_74_46f.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_74_46f.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; }@media (max-width: 767px) { .tdi_74_46f.td-a-rec-img { text-align: center; } } According to him, his men and officers also intercepted vehicle conveying compressed blocks of dry leaves suspected to be Marijuana valued at N9.56 million; 113 (50 K.g) bags of foreign sugar worth N2.46 million; as well as 20 units of vehicles valued at N8.11 million. Comptroller Nasir further stated that about 15 suspects were arrested, adding that arrangments are on top gear to charge them to court for prosecution. He said that the seized bags of fertilizer were confirmed to have expired, adding that the owners were without authorised certificate from the Presidency. According to him, this fertilizer is not good to our soil, and if it is not good for our soil then it is not good to be applied to the food we eat, then it means it is dangerous to our health. It therefore means it not good for our economy too, if it can destroy our soil which we are supposed to preserve for the future generation. This type of fertilizer can also be used to manufacture bombs. It is not good for us, it is even expired, apart from the security implications -they are supposed to have a certificate from the national security adviser to the president and they dont have. He named other the seized items to include vegetable oil, which was imported from Malaysia. The Customs boss, however, appealed to good spirited Nigerians to encourage local production of groundnut oil and soya beans oil. Nigeria can produce vegetable oil. Importing vegetable oil means killing our indigenous industries and sabotaging our economy. It also means loss of foreign exchange, loss of jobs or employment and threats to food security, he added. Comptroller Nasir also hinted that seized Marijuana will be handed over to the authorities of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA). Among all the seized goods today, Indian hemp is the most dangerous, after fertilizer. Those who engage in dirty and criminal activities like armed robbery, kidnapping and banditry take this. Anyone who rapes a minor must be a good friend of Indian hemp and other psychotropic drugs. Let us preach to our young ones to stop the sale and abuse of drugs and Indian hemp. It is to the detriment of the nation. We will not condone it; we will not encourage and allow it. We dont have any other country than Nigeria. If they are not ready to stop, we will help ourselves. The job of Customs is wide. We dont rely on illegal imports and exports. We go for anything that is not good for the Nigerian economy, he stated. "The NRP mission is to create outstanding rental communities for individuals and families, regardless of income," said Outcalt. "We continue to increase our investment in the state of Texas, and Alastair is exactly the type of A+ player who can work with our public and private partners to pursue our mission with drive, energy and purpose far into the future. We are confident that Alastair will help make great things happen in market rate and workforce community development in these very important high-growth Texas markets." In his new role, Jenkin adds the important Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area to his geographical responsibilities, overseeing all aspects of the development process for both market rate and workforce housing communities. Previously, Jenkin's responsibilities encompassed development in Austin and Houston only. He joined The NRP Group in 2017 as Vice President of Development. The NRP Group continues to grow its development activity in Texas, with a current pipeline of market-rate and workforce housing now standing at 4,000 units, valued at $800 million in total project costs. Prior to joining NRP, Jenkin served as Vice President for Kurt Simons Company for six years, overseeing all development operations for the firm. His duties included managing design and entitlement efforts, assisting with capital markets, and management of all construction and apartment leasing activities. Prior experience includes seven years of commercial and residential land development, working with developers and owners to build hundreds of projects in Central Texas. Jenkin holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from The University of Texas and an MBA from Texas State University. "In addition to our market rate development, we at The NRP Group are proud of our hard work to address the housing needs of many demographic groups of workers, such as firefighters, teachers, nurses, city and county municipal workers, as well as essential workers, such as the cashiers, and delivery drivers that keep the rest of us safe these days," Jenkin said. "I look forward to continuing NRP's work of building relationships with forward-thinking, progressive municipalities in Texas whose leaders understand the need to provide housing for populations with diverse income levels, both high and low." About The NRP Group The NRP Group is a vertically integrated developer, owner, builder, and manager of best-in-class multifamily housing. Since its founding in 1994, NRP has developed more than 43,000 apartment homes, and currently manages over 23,000 residential units. The company utilizes the entire breadth of its in-house capabilities to fulfill its mission: creating exceptional rental housing opportunities for individuals and families, regardless of income. Through its disciplined approach to vetting opportunities, NRP has established a track record of delivering impressive returns for investors. The company's formidable size and depth of talent provides the experience and infrastructure necessary to execute developments of varying degrees of complexity and scope in both urban-infill and suburban locations, including market-rate, affordable, and senior housing. As a three-time recipient of the National Association of Builders Multifamily Development Firm of the Year and recognized Top 25 Developer by Multifamily Executive, NRP is leveraging its decades of practice by also providing construction and property management services to outside owners and developers. For additional information, visit www.nrpgroup.com . Media Contact: Jennifer Latchford Antenna | Spaces [email protected] 201-465-8049 SOURCE The NRP Group Related Links https://www.nrpgroup.com Brazen drug addict prostitutes have set up a 'sex tent' in a Melbourne park just metres away from a popular children's playground and skate park. Fed-up business owners say the tent is the least of their problems as crime continues to plague the Hemmings Street precinct in Dandenong West in the city's south-east. One woman, who wished to remain anonymous, reported the filthy tent to the local council, saying her suburb was turning into a lawless 'ghetto'. 'There were sleeping bags inside, along with a whole heap of condom wrappers. I reported the sex tent to the council along with photos,' she told the Herald Sun. 'This is meant to a place for kids, with a large playground and skateboard ramps, it was there for almost four months, it was shocking.' Street-based sex work is illegal in Victoria while brothels and escort agencies are permitted but strictly regulated under the Sex Work Act 1994. A sex tent (right) in front of houses in Hemmings Street, Dandenong, which was used by sex workers and their clients. The area also has drug and violence problems The interior of the 'sex tent' had a condom wrapper, litter and leaves as well as blankets and a chair Daily Mail Australia contacted business owners along Hemmings Street, who said it was common to find blood stains and used syringes littering the footpaths. A chemist from Dandenong West Pharmacy, who wished to remain anonymous, said the area had been troubled by crime for a number of years. 'There's certainly syringes out the back, which is a problem, the shop next to us has a fence that doesn't go to the back,' he said. The pharmacist said he had to deal with a heroin overdose in the public toilet in the parking lot across the road last year. 'I had to call an ambulance because someone overdosed in the public toilets across the world. I was running the pharmacy, while dealing with someone who was overdosed and on the phone to the paramedics,' he said. His most frightening incident in the area came when he was held at knifepoint in the pharmacy eight years ago. A chemist from Dandenong West Pharmacy said he had to call an ambulance for a man that overdosed on heroin in the public toilet (pictured) across the road The owner of Nanak Bakery (centre, left) and a chemist from Dandenong West Pharmacy (right) told Daily Mail Australia they see syringes, blood stains and rubbish left by drug users Next door, Nanak Bakery owner Manjinder Kaur said drug users often gathered in the parking spot behind her business. 'We see so many people that are drugged, handing in the back of the cake shop next store to the IGA,' Ms Kaur told Daily Mail Australia. 'I can say quite frankly that we see condoms in the back of the cake shop, they (the drug users) also put rubbish and we see syringes in the back lane. 'Two or three months ago, they were doing drugs and had a fight so my husband came and said "please go". The police eventually came. 'The day before yesterday, we saw some blood on the ground. So yesterday, we made the decision to build a fence at the back of the store. Sometimes we can't even exit through the back of the store.' Drug users often loiter behind Nanak Bakery on Hemmings Street. Blood stains (left) and a syringe (right) were photographed by owner Manjinder Kaur Ms Kaur said they are planning to build a fence behind their bakery to stop rubbish (left) and beer bottles and syringes (right) being left behind Greater Dandenong Councillor Matthew Kirwan called for more social housing to reduce crime in the area. 'Directly between Dandenong Railway Station and the Princes Highway is a neighbourhood of high crime rates, anti-social behaviour and poor social conditions that needs to be addressed by a plan between State government agencies and Council,' Mr Kirwan said. 'Well managed social housing wont feed crime but instead reduce it - its part of the solution not part of the problem.' A spokeswoman for Greater Dandenong Mayor Jim Memeti said the council was actively dealing with the ongoing crime. 'In 2018, council installed CCTV cameras in Hemmings Street. We are also making a number of streetscape improvements,' she said. 'Council has been working closely with Victoria Police and a number of other agencies re the perceptions of safety in Hemmings Street and its surrounds.' Greater Dandenong Local Area Commander Inspector Mark Langhorn said police regularly patrol Hemmings Street. 'We are aware this is a busy area, particularly given the proximity to the Dandenong CBD, and task our officers to patrol accordingly,' Inspector Langhorn told the Herald Sun. He said police had seen a decrease in calls for assistance in the area in the past few months. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Aug. 27 By Jeila Aliyeva - Trend: Hungary is especially interested in natural gas import through the Southern Gas Corridor and within this, considers Turkmenistan to be a promising partner, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary told Trend. The Southern Gas Corridor is one of the priority projects for the EU and envisages the transportation of 10 billion cubic meters of Azerbaijani gas from the Caspian region through Georgia and Turkey to Europe. The launching ceremony of the first stage of the Southern Gas Corridor was held in Baku on May 29, 2018. Turkmenistan being among world's top five countries for gas reserves, could be one of the key countries to join the Southern Gas Corridor. Recently, the EU delegation to Turkmenistan told Trend that the EU has been holding talks with both Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan on linking Turkmen gas supplies to the SGC. "The issue of energy was also emphasized during Peter Szijjartos negotiations that were held on May 20, 2019 in Ashgabat" added the ministry. In addition, the ministry told about other spheres where the countries actively cooperate. "Hungary pays particular attention to the cooperation within agricultural field," noted the ministry. As it was reported earlier, Turkmenistans Sahabatly economic society has started to cooperate with Hungary and the Netherlands and planed to purchase 400 Holstein cows from Hungary and 65 heads of the same cow breed from the Netherlands. Referring to Hungarys export opportunities in agricultural sector, the ministry added that Hungarian agriculture goods and its competence are showing promising figures for future export opportunities. In addition, the ministry noted that the draft of a bilateral interministerial water agreement is currently in the phase of verification. This will serve as a basis for sharing the experiences in this field, added Hungarian ministry. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @JeilaAliyeva Narendra Modi, India's prime minister, speaks during a joint news conference with Shinzo Abe, Japan's prime minister, not pictured, at Abe's official residence in Tokyo on Oct. 29, 2018. (Kiyoshi Ota/Pool via Reuters) India Hurries to Develop Strategic Indian Ocean Islands to Counter China India has recently renewed its attention to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Indian Ocean, which occupy a key location in West-East maritime trade, with a series of infrastructure, economic, and defense projects that experts say will help India and its Indo-Pacific allies. The country is upgrading two airstrips on the islands into full-fledged fighter aircraft bases, according to Aug. 25 media reports, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has begun other development projects in the past few weeks. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands provide critical access and key entry and exit points for the Indian Ocean. They oversee the Strait of Malacca, a key chokepoint connecting the western Pacific to the Indian Ocean, Pratik Dattani, an advisory member to the London-based think tank Bridge India, told The Epoch Times in an email. By controlling this, India or the U.S. could, in theory, block Chinese movement across the Strait, cutting off Chinas major energy routes from the Middle East. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands (ANI) are a chain of 572 islands close to the shipping channel of the Malacca Strait, which lies between Malaysia and Indonesia. While only 38 of the islands are inhabited, they constitute 30 percent of Indias Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). They increase Indias maritime boundary deep into the Indian Ocean and, because of their proximity to the Malacca Strait, ensure that the maritime trade necessarily passes through Indias EEZ. These islands are strategically located to cast an eye on the critical shipping lanes of China, thereby giving India critical, much-needed leverage, Harsh Pant, director of studies and head of the Strategic Studies Programme at Observer Research Foundation, a New Delhi-based think tank, told The Epoch Times on a chat platform. The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) notes that 80 percent of the global trade by volume and 60 percent by value goes by sea, and 60 percent of this passes through the Strait of Malacca. Its waters are particularly critical for China, Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea, all of which rely on the Strait of Malacca, which connects the South China Sea and, by extension, the Pacific Ocean with the Indian Ocean, CSIS said in a report. Girish Kant Pandey, a political analyst and an associate professor at the Department of Defense Studies from Gorakhpur University in central India, told The Epoch Times by telephone that 80 percent of Chinas oil trade and 60 percent of its overall trade passes through the Malacca Strait and, therefore, through Indias EEZ. In case of a future attack by China, India and its allies can control Chinese aggression by stopping its maritime trade coming from its sea territory, said Pandey, adding that closing entry to Malacca would force China to take a longer detour, which would significantly increase the goods price. This aerial photograph taken on Sept. 22, 2018 shows Boat Island in the Andaman Islands, a remote Indian archipelago in the Bay of Bengal. (HARI KUMAR/AFP via Getty Images) Indias Renewed Attention Since a bloody clash on June 15 between Indian and Chinese militaries in the Himalayan border region of Galwan, India has deployed forces to various hotspots on the continental as well as the maritime borders. The country has also shown renewed attention to developing the ANI islands economically and strategically. Indian media reported on Aug. 25 that the country is upgrading its two airstrips in the ANI for military use. The two island territories will be like the new aircraft carriers for India, extending the navys reach in the region far from the mainland, a tri-service commander told the Indian daily newspaper Hindustan Times. Dattani said this will help India secure the Bay of Bengal up to the Malacca Straits. It is now an urgent requirement for India in order to counter a series of bold moves by China, but needs to be part of a coherent and ambitious maritime security plan, he said. The Indian media also reported that the upgrade is being done urgently to counter China, which is pushing Thailand to build a canal that aims to slice through the Malay peninsula, creating an alternative to the Malacca Strait. On Aug. 10, Modi inaugurated a 1,429-mile (2300-km) undersea fiber-optic cable (OFC) project connecting its coastal metro city, Chennai, with ANIs capital, Port Blair. This has been in the works for some time and will help with real-time communications with the islands. But it is a small part of a much larger maritime strategy India needs to implement in conjunction with the QUAD and other regional partners, Dattani said. QUAD is a quadrilateral security dialogue between India, Japan, United States, and Australia. A day before the launch of OFC, Modi said 12 ANI islands have also been selected for the expansion of high impact projects to convert the islands into a hub of the ocean-based economy and an important place for maritime startups. The country is already expanding the airport at Port Blair and also is speeding to build a 186-mile (300-km) national highway through the islands. Pant said that in the past, the development of the islands has suffered because of a lack of attention. Though they host Indias only theater command, in the past, their degradation has been a casualty of bureaucratic delays and inter-service rivalry. But there is a new urgency today in light of worsening Sino-Indian ties, he said. A U.S. Navy crewman pulls a fuel pipe across the deck of USS Kitty Hawk (CV63) aircraft carrier in the Bay of Bengal, during the Malabar exercise on Sept. 7, 2007. (DESHAKALYAN CHOWDHURY/AFP via Getty Images) Opening Islands to Friendly Navies Experts said the islands can be developed into an advanced military base for India and its partners in the Indo-Pacific. India can develop Andaman Nicobar Islands as an advanced base for future contingency, keeping in mind its strategic location in the maritime geography. We already have our tri-services command there, and we are already engaged in Malabar Exercise there, along with Japan, U.S., and Australia, Pandey said. The Malabar Exercise has been a joint naval exercise among India, the United States, and Japan, and Australia joined this year. China can take over the 14 Pacific islands that are already under its heavy debt and change their navigation policy. Australias trade routes pass through these islands, and thats why Australia is becoming more aggressive against China. Thats one reason why Australia also participates in the Malabar Exercise, said Pandey. In a June 26 policy brief on leveraging the strategic potential of ANI, Sujan R. Chinoy, the director-general of the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, a think tank funded by the Indian Ministry of Defense, said India should open the islands to the friendly navies of the United States, Japan, and Australia. When it comes to the U.S., none of its naval ships or aircraft have been given access to the A&N Islands in the past. This is a matter which needs to be rectified in light of the fact that India and the U.S. have a Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership and the U.S. is today Indias biggest defense partner, Chinoy said. Pant said the islands can become Indias most important outpost to project power in the Indo-Pacific, but New Delhi will have to work with like-minded countries. With the U.S., high-end technology cooperation will be key to develop ANI into an advanced naval outpost, especially one which can be used to track Chinese submarine movement in the Indian Ocean, Pant said. The biggest problem with this weeks response from Rio Tinto to its management-made destruction of an archaeological treasure is that it put a $7 million price on destroying something that was priceless. Three senior executives, including the chief executive Jean-Sebastien Jacques, had a portion of their bonuses docked and were absolved of any blame because, as Rio says, the mistakes had been made collectively over a number of years under different management regimes. Rather than quelling concerns and placating stakeholders, including traditional owners, shareholders and the broader international archaeological community, the findings of Rios internal investigations into the destruction at Juukan Gorge would be incendiary. While Rios board and management are sticking with the line that there is nothing more to see here, even they must understand that this issue is a slow burner, and is far from over yet. Haiti - Diaspora : MAHVE wants to facilitate the issuance of legal documents to the diaspora Wednesday, August 25, with the aim of facilitating the delivery of services from the Haitian State to our compatriots in the diaspora, Louis Gonzague E. Day. Minister of Haitians Living Abroad (MHAVE) met Marie Rose Nadine Almonor Administrative Assistant at the Directorate of National Archives. Almonor and Minister Day discussed the following issues, among others : Difficulties related to the issuance of these legal documents Delivery of documents abroad, a service present at the National Archives to compensate for this lack of service demanded by the diaspora The deadline for issuing documents once processed in Haiti The future possibility for Haitians living abroad passing through Haiti, to file their request for documents through the MHAVE, which would follow up with the Archives service (not including legalization fees) Of the systematic data entry to now computerized archives After this first meeting, Minister Day met the same day, still in his offices, Jean Rene Jacques Laguerre, Coordinator of the Reception and Delivery Center for Identity Documents (CRLDI). The purpose of this meeting was to see how to facilitate the communication links between the MHAVE and the Directorate of Immigration. Knowing how much the recurring problem of issuing passports in foreign lands bothers our compatriots, the two men discussed ways to ease the process from application to issuance of this important document. At the end of these two meetings, Minister Day and his interlocutors agreed to converge their efforts in order to facilitate the requests for documents produced by the Haitian diaspora abroad. HL/ HaitiLibre Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State would meet with security agencies on September 1, to discuss how to avert future clashes between civilians and security agencies in the state. The meeting was in respect of the August 23 clash between members of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and security agencies. The Secretary to the State Government, Simon Ortuanya, disclosed this in a statement issued to journalists in Enugu on Wednesday. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that members of IPOB and security agencies clashed on Sunday at the Emene axis of the state. Following the clash, the State Security Service said two of its officials were killed while IPOB said 21 of its members were killed. Following the incident, Mr Ugwuanyi visited the scene on the same day and assured that normalcy had returned to the area. Mr Ortuanya said that the meeting would be held at the Enugu State Government House. According to him, all security agencies in the state will brief the governor on the immediate and remote causes of the clash as well as advance measures to avert future re-occurrences. (NAN) Russian President Vladimir Putin has touted a coronavirus vaccine developed by the country as effective and safe amid international skepticism about the shots that have only been studied for two months in a few dozen people. President Putin insisted in an interview that the vaccine was approved 'in strict accordance with Russian laws' that are in line with 'international practice and regulations.' The claim comes after scientists around the world expressed fears about the fast-tracked approval and Russia's failure to share any data supporting claims of the vaccine's efficacy, saying it was a major breach of scientific protocol. Russian President Vladimir Putin (pictured on August 20) has touted a coronavirus vaccine developed by the country as effective and safe amid international skepticism about the shots The Russian newly-approved vaccine, developed by Moscow's Gamaleya Institute, is named Sputnik-V - a reference to the Soviet Union's launch of the worlds first satellite in 1957 The Russian vaccine, developed by Moscow's Gamaleya Institute, is named Sputnik-V - a reference to the Soviet Union's launch of the worlds first satellite in 1957. It has so far been tested on two groups of 38 volunteers each, according to Russia's Health Ministry. The speedy development also made Russia become the first country in the world to grant regulatory approval to a COVID-19 vaccine. 'It is completely obvious for our specialists today that this vaccine forms lasting immunity ... and it is safe,' Putin said in an interview with the state Rossia 24 TV channel released Thursday. He said one of his daughters has already been vaccinated, developed antibodies and is feeling well, but Russian authorities offered no scientific evidence to prove these claims. In this handout photo taken on Thursday, Aug. 6, 2020, and provided by Russian Direct Investment Fund, an employee works with a coronavirus vaccine at the Nikolai Gamaleya National Center of Epidemiology and Microbiology in Moscow, Russia An employee at work at the Gamaleya Scientific Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology of the Russian Healthcare Ministry that produces a COVID-19 vaccine International experts say any widely-used vaccine should first be tested in advanced trials involving tens of thousands of people to prove it is safe and effective before being licensed. Scientists at the World Health Organization said that although they have begun discussions with Russia about its vaccine, they had not yet received any detailed data about it. Russia has also announced a second Covid-19 vaccine is on its way which 'avoids the side-effects of the first one'. Russia is said to be developing EpiVacCorona in a former top-secret Soviet biological weapons research plant in Siberia, which is now a world-leading virology institute. Clinical trials of Russia's second vaccine will be completed in September but 57 volunteers who used as human guinea-pigs report no side-effects, scientists have claimed. Experts warn that using an untested vaccine that has not yet proven to be safe or effective could ultimately undermine the response to the pandemic and cause more distrust among people about whether or not to be vaccinated. Russian authorities have repeatedly promised that advanced trials of the vaccine will continue after it's approved and will involve 1,600 volunteers. But following a wave of international criticism, Russian health officials have issued permission to start advanced trials with 40,000 volunteers. A handout photo shows a specialist taking part in the production of 'Gam-COVID-Vac' vaccine against the coronavirus, developed by the Gamaleya National Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology and the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), at Binnopharm pharmaceutical company in Zelenograd near Moscow, Russia on August 7 A handout photo made available by the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) shows a scientist of Nikolai Gamaleya National Center of Epidemiology and Microbiology working on the production of a new two-vector COVID-19 vaccine in Moscow, Russia on August 6 Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin on Wednesday invited residents of the Russian capital to sign up for the study, calling it 'a unique chance to become the main participants in clinical research that will help defeat the coronavirus.' It remains unclear whether the vaccination of risk groups such as doctors and teachers, which was announced earlier, will be part of the trials or carried out in parallel. Earlier this year Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova promised to start 'industrial production' of the vaccine in September and Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said mass vaccinations may begin in October. The vaccine developed by the Gamaleya Institute in Moscow with assistance from Russia's 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 recognise if a real COVID-19 infection comes along. That's a similar technology to vaccines being developed by China's CanSino Biologics and Britains Oxford University and AstraZeneca - but unlike those companies, Russian scientists havent published any scientific information about how the vaccine has performed in animal tests or in early-stage human studies. Becoming the first country in the world to approve a vaccine is a matter of national prestige for the Kremlin as it tries to assert the image of Russia as a global power. Putin has repeatedly praised Russia's effective response to the outbreak in televised addresses, while some of Moscow's top officials - including the country's prime minister and Putins own spokesperson - became some of the country's over 970,000 confirmed cases. Last month, the US, Britain and Canada accused Russia of using hackers to steal vaccine research from Western labs. Russia has denied involvement. Several vaccines, including those developed by Oxford and the U.S. National Institutes of Health, are in advanced testing and hope to have results later this year. Several Russian research institutions are working on other virus vaccines as well, and Putin said Thursday that one more vaccine may be 'ready' in September. Russia has reported over 16,750 coronavirus-related deaths, but experts say the true toll of the pandemic is much higher than all reported figures, due to limited testing, missed mild cases and concealment of cases by some governments, among other factors. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Chelsea Kiew (The Straits Times/Asia News Network) London Thu, August 27, 2020 14:39 511 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c40e1ff4 2 Entertainment Dev-Patel,James-Bond Free Landing the role British Secret Service agent, James Bond, also known as 007, would be the dream for many actors. Not Dev Patel. The 30-year-old English actor said that he isn't interested in taking on the role as he doesn't want to be a "tokenistic" diversity hire. Known for roles in films including Lion (2016) and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011), Patel has been a fan favorite to take on the Bond mantle - there's even an entire Reddit thread on why he would be the perfect choice However, in an interview with IndieWire on Aug. 25, he said his vote for the next James Bond goes to Idris Elba. "I mean, you don't want me blasting through a door with a Walther PPK to try to save you. I'll do the comedy version with Armando ," Patel joked, referring to filmmaker Armando Iannucci who recently cast him as the title character in his Charles Dickens adaptation of The Personal History of David Copperfield. "I also don't want to be gifted a role, just because of the tokenistic nature of me being a garnish - 'Let's sprinkle some diversity into this!' That doesn't make me feel good either." For Patel, "if it works for the story, and I feel like I can bring some truth out of this role or embody it well, then that's what it should come down to." Current Bond Daniel Craig has been playing the role of the dashing spy since 2006's Casino Royale, taking over from Pierce Brosnan. However, the 52-year-old actor says No Time To Die - slated for release in November - will be his fifth and final outing as the British spy. While producers have kept mum on who the next 007 will be, speculation is rife that it may be given to a non-white actor for the first time. Topics : This article appeared on The Straits Times newspaper website, which is a member of Asia News Network and a media partner of The Jakarta Post Ogyeahoho Yaw Gyebi, Paramount Chief of the Sefwi Bekwai Traditional Area 27.08.2020 LISTEN The Aduana Royal Family of Bibiani Hwenampori, a suburb of Sefwi Bibiani in the Western North Region is calling on the state and security agencies to intervene and restore normalcy following the installation of a rival chief. The Bibiani Hwenampori has for the past 40 years and over been ruled by Nana Kwesi Ampomaning II from the Aduana Royal Family. To the amazement of many, the Paramount Chief of the Sefwi Bekwai Traditional Area, Ogyeahoho Yaw Gyebi II without any form of consultation and consent from Nana Nguoa Anyimah Kodom II, chief of Bibiani and Krotihene of Sefwi Bekwai Traditional Area has earlier this month installed a new chief in the person of Oteng Krah from the Aaona family. The development has in the past couple of weeks sparked fear within the members of the Aduana Royal Family of Bibiani Hwenampori who says they have been under several attacks. Sensing that their lives are at risk, the rightful chief Nana Kwesi Ampomaning II, and his family members have fled from Bibiani Hwenampori. In a statement from the Aduana Royal Family signed by Abusuapanin Kwadwo Bramah, it is calling on the state for help for a peaceful resolution to avoid any clashes. Meanwhile, he has assured the members of the Royal family that he will do everything legally in his capacity to keep the throne in the family. Find the full statement below: ADUANA ROYAL FAMILY OF BIBIANI HWENAMPORI. P. O. BOX 100 BIBIANI 10/08/2020 PRESS RELEASE ADUANA ROYAL FAMILY OF BIBIANI HWENAMPORI SET WAY FOR HANDLING CHIEFTANCY DISPUTES. What most people interpreted as a bloody weekend clash in Hwenampori, a suburb of Sefwi Bibiani, in the Western North, turned out surprisingly very peaceful. "It will be recalled that several media platforms last week published that a strong clash was inevitable over the weekend following a planned installation of a new chief from a royal family (Ankobea abusua) by the Pramount (omanhene) Chief of Sefwi Anhwiaso Traditional Area who double as the president of Western Regional House of Chiefs", Ogyeahoho Yaw Gyebi, while current Hwenampori Chief, Nana Kwasi Ampomaning II, from Aduana Royal Family was still on the throne. Nana Kwasi Ampomaning II, who is a member of the Aduana Royal Family of Hwenampori, has been the chief for over forty (40) years whilst their family has ruled for more than 400 years. And so, it was expected that they will do everything including risking their life and that for others to protect what belonged to them. However, surprisingly, Aduana Abusua Paninin Nana Kwadwo Brumah and Nana Kwasi Ampomaning II, choose the path of peace. They urged all family members that for the sake of peace to vacate their homes and houses in Hwenampori in order not to clash with opposing side who brought Machete holding Macho Men and took to firing guns despite being backed by state sponsored security. They therefore commending the royal family members for their peaceful attitude and conduct, which he encourages all areas in Ghana with chieftaincy issues to emulate their wordy behavior. He has however assured them that he will do everything legally in his capacity to keep the throne in the family. The Odikro also pleaded with the state to intervene in order to resolve the matter as soon as possible so people can choose the path of peace. Signed: Abusuapanin Kwadwo Bramah. (ADUANA ROYAL FAMILY) 0244118810. Obaapanin Yaa Foriwaah. (ADUANA ROYAL FAMILY) 0244039028. Nana Kwasi Ampomaning II. (CHIEF OF BIBIANI HWENAMPORI) 0244169722 On This Day The Day Allied Commander Who Seized Myanmar From Japanese Forces Was Assassinated Myanmars then prime minister, U Nu, presents a cheque to Louis Mountbatten on behalf of the Army Amenities Fund in London, June 22, 1955. Over 45 pct of the employees that have children want the new school year to take place normally, despite the current epidemiological context, and pupils start courses directly on school benches, shows a poll conducted by online recruiting platform BestJobs. Another 29 pct prefer a hybrid education system, that would combine class presence hours with online classes from home, and only 25 pct believe the classes should take place only online, for the safety of pupils and their families. "Still, nearly half of employees who answered the BestJobs poll are concerned by the lack of clarity regarding the rest of the school year, less than three weeks before it starts, and are afraid this year will be an educational sacrifice year for children. Another 47 pct hope that schools do not transform into COVID-19 hotspots, and 40 pct are concerned with a potential infection of the young, which would endanger the rest of the family members. There are parents concerned, also, that they will not be able to go to work due to educational units not being able to open (14.8 pct)," a BestJobs release remitted on Thursday to AGERPRES shows. In the situation in which the school year will have an online component, half of the parents who participated in the BestJobs poll say that they have all they need to ensure for the child the optimum framework for online classes. Little over 31 pct state that they have only partially the instruments necessary for online school - electronic device, internet and dedicated work space - while 19.3 pct say they cannot ensure adequate conditions for home schooling. 33.7 pct of the employees point out the fact that local authorities should ensure tablets or laptops and access to the internet for all pupils, so that online school take place in optimum conditions, while 21.8 pct speak of regulating the homeschool system. Only 1.5 pct of employees with school age children that responded to the BestJobs poll believe the authorities are sufficiently prepared to start the new school year in the current context. The poll was conducted August 12 to 24, 2020, on a sample of 1,344 internet users in Romania. BestJObs is one of the most important online recruiting platforms in Romania. Software Company Okta Will Let Most of Its 2,600 Employees Work Remotely Permanently Workplace software company Okta said Thursday it plans to let most of its employees work remotely on a permanent basis, becoming the latest Silicon Valley company to adopt sweeping office policy changes amid the pandemicand in the face of shifting U.S. immigration policy. Okta, which provides worker-login software to nearly 9,000 organizations including JetBlue, Nordstrom, and Slack, said as much as 85 percent of its workforce is expected to work remotely under the new policy, up from 30 percent before the coronavirus crisis. The company has roughly 2,600 employees. The decision highlights how U.S. businesses are increasingly bracing for a long pandemic. Google has extended its remote work policies until at least July 2021. Earlier this week, Airbnb said it will allow its employees to work remotely through next August, even if their local offices have reopened. Oktas move shows how a workplace trend toward permanently supporting work-from-anywhere, which began during the pandemic with Twitter and Facebook, is accelerating. This spring, Okta told employees they could choose not to return to the office until a vaccine or effective treatment to COVID-19 has been developed. The announcement reflected partial steps toward a plan for remote work that Okta had started discussing the year before, said Todd McKinnon, Oktas CEO, in an interview. But the pandemics enduring effects, along with recent U.S. immigration restrictions announced by President Donald Trump, have sped up those plans. Were very fortunate in that the whole premise of our product is boundary-less work environments,' McKinnon said. About 70 Okta employees have already sought to take advantage of the remote work policy. Among them are a handful of employees outside the United States who could not enter the country to work due to Trumps extended limits on temporary worker visas, which were announced in June and strongly opposed by the tech industry. Another group of foreign-born employees asked to work remotely full-time because they feared the uncertainty created by the administrations policies, according to McKinnon, who described himself as frustrated by the rules. Directly because of what the U.S. administration is doing, its led them to not want to have to deal with the problem and weve been able to move them to other countries, like Canada, McKinnon said. Maybe their visa is coming up in a year, or theyre concerned about the green card process, so theyre moving to a different country. But its a shame for the U.S. The new plan could also mean changes in worker pay. Like Facebook, which has signaled it will change compensation for those choosing to work outside major tech hubs, Okta said employees who wish to work remotely will undergo a similar approval process. That process will account for local costs of living, how long an employee has worked at the company and an areas comparable benefits and salaries. Still, said McKinnon, as more companies shift to permanent remote work, the less local geography will play a role in compensation and the more pay will again be defined by a workers qualifications. Youll see more consistent salaries around the world, McKinnon said. Facebook is going to hire an engineer in Raleigh, just like we will. The determinant will not be what the cost of living in Raleigh is, but what Facebook or Okta will pay. The-CNN-Wire & 2020 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. Restream, an Austin, Texas-based multiplatform live streaming solution, raised $50m in Series A financing. The round was led by Sapphire Ventures and Insight Partners. In conjunction with the funding, Paul Levine, Managing Director at Sapphire Ventures, and Teddie Wardi, Managing Director at Insight Partners, will join Restreams board of directors. The company will use the new capital to expand its product offerings and continue to grow its global presence. Led by Alex Khuda, co-founder and CEO, Restream Studio enables businesses to broadcast live content from the cloud to millions of viewers across more than 30 social platforms, including Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitch, Twitter, and YouTube. Creators are able to brand content by adding overlays, logos and watermarks, as well as use Restream Chat and Analytics to engage with their community in real time. In addition to the funding, Restream is launching Restream Studio, a broadcasting production center that makes live streaming across social platforms as easy as hosting a Zoom call. Restream has a community of more than 2 million live streamers broadcasting an average of 8 million live streams per month. Customers actively using it include Dr. Phil, Deepak Chopra, Microsoft, Redhat, SalesForce, Ubisoft, the World Health Organization (WHO), and more. The company also has a tech and product team in Kyiv, Ukraine. FinSMEs 27/08/2020 Whats a person to do in a crazy summer when our president endorses a candidate who claims the world is controlled by a global cabal of Satan-worshiping pedophiles, when federal agents club a Navy veteran protesting peacefully, when the government delays postal services to impede voting (and thereby kills chicks sent in the mail)? Take a hike. For wilderness therapy, I came here to Montana to escape the hubbub and embrace the mountains, to sip from creeks, to sleep under the stars, to negotiate with honest interlocutors, like grizzly bears. Over seven years, my daughter, Caroline, and I hiked the entire 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail, running from Mexico to Canada on the West coast. So with that trail behind us, weve started another adventure hiking the newest of Americas grand trails. In 2009, President Barack Obama signed legislation creating the Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail. It runs from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific, hugging the Canadian border, but it sometimes exists more on paper than on the ground. Some 1,200 miles long, the Pacific Northwest Trail was cobbled together from existing trails and forest roads, so every now and then you get to the end of a trail and the guidebook tells you: Bushwhack seven miles until you get to the next trail. Thats what happened to us on a Montana mountain called Northwest Peak. We forged our own trail and cowboy camped that night on a high (and freezing) ridge above timberline soothed at night by a spectacular sunset to our west, and awoken by an even more vivid palette of reds to the east. We then hiked and crawled over boulders along a knife edge of a ridge, thousand-foot drops on each side. It was terrifying and exhilarating to see a pebble skitter from your feet and plunge down forever. It was some of the toughest hiking Ive ever done on any trail (partly because there wasnt a trail), and also some of the most glorious. This is why the Pacific Northwest Trail is often called Americas wildest trail. I backpack every summer because its wonderful family time, when none of us can be distracted by phones, emails or screens, when we share the camaraderie of blisters and bugs and awe. My wife, Sheryl WuDunn, and Carolines boyfriend, Adam Ellis Harper, joined the journey this year. The wilderness is restorative for the soul. Hikers are enveloped by silence, and there is time to think: It is the opposite of Twitter. In the wilderness, one appreciates just how vast Americas public spaces are. Some 28 percent of our country is owned by the federal government by you and me and we hiked for days at a time from Montana into Idaho without seeing any road, building or person. When Woody Guthrie sang This Land is Your Land, he could have been speaking literally about Americas 640 million acres of federal lands. While the top 1 percent in the United States now enjoy greater net worth than the bottom 90 percent, these shared public lands offer an antidote to that inequity. Jeff Bezos is one of the richest people of all time, with wealth accumulating recently at a rate of more than $300 million per day, but there are typically no fees and you have as much access as he does to this public wilderness. The sublime vistas and icy rains (we encountered both) are, in the wild, oblivious to wealth and privilege, humbling everyone. The wilderness reminds us that we humans are temporary custodians of lands held in trust for future generations. Wild places accentuate geological time, reassuring us that present crises will pass but also impressing upon us the need to address long-term assaults that would be irreversible. That includes what Outside Magazine has called Donald Trumps War on Public Lands, shrinking protections and handing them over to oil or coal companies. An even greater threat to wilderness comes from climate change, resulting in forest fires and vast stretches of woods devoured by bark beetles. California has already seen more acres burned this year than in all of 2019. There are few ways in which our actions today will affect our planet 10,000 years from now, long after names like Trump have faded into oblivion, but our carbon emissions will do so. So I return from the wilderness refreshed as well as aching; I may lose toenails but my soul is healed. And I saw the significance of that political fray I was escaping. Trees that were alive when Lewis and Clark journeyed west were scarred by 4-inch grizzly claws, but they were even more threatened by Washington politicians who ignore the science of climate. The wilderness awes us, freezes us, teaches us; it reminds us of forces and values larger than ourselves. Let the wild spaces inspire our efforts in this election cycle by underscoring what is at stake not only in the next four years but also over the next four millenniums. MIRAMAR BEACH, FL / ACCESSWIRE / August 27, 2020 / Today, Abbott Realty Services is proud to announce the launch of a new military division, called "Abbott Realty Military Detachment." The new division is spearheaded by Michael and Cindy Sakalauski delivering exceptional real estate services to military families in Northwest Florida. "With a combined 29 years of military service, it is in our DNA to serve. Representing both the Active and Reserve components, we are in a unique position to help military and civilian families alike because we understand the dynamics of life in and out of uniform. For years, we have successfully integrated our military experience and leadership into the real estate profession to provide top notch support and a quality experience," said Michael. Abbott Realty Services is a family-owned and operated independent brokerage company in Northwest Florida. Since the 1950s, the Abbott family name has been synonymous with real estate along the Emerald Coast, starting with the original Abbott Realtor, William W. Abbott, Sr.. Today, husband and wife duo Nathan and Erin Abbott, and their sister Amanda, carry on the real estate tradition as the third generation of Abbott Realtors. "We could not be happier to be joining forces with Team Sakalauski to serve military families across the Emerald Coast of Florida" said Nathan Abbott, Broker and Owner of Abbott Realty Services. "Mike is a Green Beret and Cindy is an officer of the United States Army. Their expertise working with military families, coupled with our expert native roots, allows the Abbott Realty Military Detachment to serve all the Armed Forces in high regard locally in real estate sales. We take pride in Raising a Higher Standard of Expectation as we salute our United States Armed Forces." The Abbott Family started one of the first real estate companies in Destin in the early 70's and became the largest employer in Northwest Florida between the 80's to the late 90's. Nathan and Erin Abbott started their real estate careers in 2002 as a husband and wife team. They started expanding their team in 2010 as the Nathan Abbott Team before opening Abbott Realty Services. Their team of local experts continues to perform within the top 1% in real estate sales throughout Northwest Florida. Abbott Realty currently serves the Emerald Coast from Pensacola to Destin, Santa Rosa Beach and Panama City Beach. The ARS Military Detachment sales team can be reached at 850-629-8039 or MD@AbbottRealtyServices.com. We look forward to the opportunity to serve you! About Nathan Abbott Team The Nathan Abbott Team specializes in real estate services along Northwest Florida's Gulf Coast. They are natives to the area and would be honored to serve you. For more information, please call (850) 610-0110, or visit http://www.NathanAbbottTeam.com. The office is located at 9657 Highway 98 West, Miramar Beach, FL 32550. For media inquiries, please call the NALA at 805.650.6121, ext. 361. SOURCE: Nathan Abbott Team View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/603111/Abbott-Realty-Services-Launches-New-Military-Division-for-Military-Families Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 18:23:08|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIRUT, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- The director of Beirut's port said on Thursday that the port, hit by huge explosions early this month, is operating at full capacity at all levels, the National News Agency (NNA) reported. The Lebanese and French armies are working together to remove rubble and sunken vessels from the sea near the port of Beirut, Bassem al-Kaissi said. The work will require two weeks to be accomplished, he added. Lebanon has received support from different countries following the explosions that rocked Beirut's port on Aug. 4 in removing the rubble and cleaning the port in preparation for its reconstruction. The explosions caused massive destruction in Beirut, killing at least 183 and wounding around 6,000 others. Enditem South Africas second COVID-19 vaccine trial explained Pasha 78: Listen to Professor Shabir Madhi, explaining how the new vaccine trial will work Trials have begun in South Africa for a second COVID-19 vaccine study. The hope is that at least one of the vaccines being trialled will show promise and play a role in eliminating the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. In this episode of Pasha, Shabir Madhi, professor of vaccinology and Director of the MRC Respiratory and Meningeal Pathogens Research Unit at the University of the Witwatersrand, explains why there are multiple vaccine studies under way, the differences between them, how this second South African trial works and when the results might be known. LISTEN TO THE PODCAST Read more: Pasha 71: COVID-19 vaccine trial in South Africa explained Lin Wood, the famed attorney who successfully represented Covington Catholic's Nick Sandmann in multiple lawsuits against the media, graciously and heroically offered to help Kyle Rittenhouse for free on Thursday morning after GoFundMe suspended his legal defense fund. Rittenhouse is disturbingly being charged with first-degree murder for defending himself against a registered sex offender involved in sex crimes with a minor and two other violent assailants with criminal records that attacked him during the riots on Tuesday night in Kenosha, Wisconsin. After witnessing Democrat congresswoman Ayanna Pressley smear Rittenhouse as a "white supremacist domestic terrorist," Lin Wood tweeted: "Ayanna Pressley just got condemned to the World of the Blocked. She is no Elvis. And I am not a criminal defense lawyer but I am going to see what I can do tomorrow to help Kyle Rittenhouse. If a private defense lawyer steps up to defend him, please notify me of his or her name." Ayanna Pressley just got condemned to the World of the Blocked. She is no Elvis. And I am not a criminal defense lawyer but I am going to see what I can do tomorrow to help Kyle Rittenhouse. If a private defense lawyer steps up to defend him, please notify me of his or her name. https://t.co/I6IVnKZ6JT Lin Wood (@LLinWood) August 27, 2020 "If there is something I can do, Kyle will not need to pay me," Lin Wood said in a follow-up tweet after seeing a campaign to help Rittenhouse had collected some $50,000 on Fundly. "God has blessed me with enough & enough is always enough. These charges must be dismissed as video clearly shows justified acts of self-defense. When dismissed, accusers should be held accountable & they should pay." If there is something I can do, Kyle will not need to pay me. God has blessed me with enough & enough is always enough. These charges must be dismissed as video clearly shows justified acts of self-defense. When dismissed, accusers should be held accountable & they should pay. https://t.co/QKG3b1frwD Lin Wood (@LLinWood) August 27, 2020 Fundly also shut down Rittenhouse's legal defense fund seemingly just minutes later. "I will be speaking with Attorney John Pierce later today about Kyle Rittenhouse," Lin Wood said in another tweet. "John has taken lead in helping form #FightBack Foundation ... Enough is enough." I will be speaking with Attorney John Pierce later today about Kyle Rittenhouse. John has taken lead in helping form #FightBack Foundation. To help or provide information about Kyle, please contact John Pierce at [email protected] or @CaliKidJMP. Enough is enough. Lin Wood (@LLinWood) August 27, 2020 I hear you. I am ready. ALL need to be on the ready. I will do what I can but we must ALL do whatever we can to #FightBack. This is going to get worse before it gets better. We are ALL in this together. Pray for Kyle Rittenhouse. Pray for our country. https://t.co/wTCHUgQcSR Lin Wood (@LLinWood) August 27, 2020 "In touch with some great people in effort to get Kyle Rittenhouse competent defense counsel," Lin Wood said in another follow-up tweet. "Michelle Malkin is an American hero." "The line in the sand has been crossed," Lin Wood said. "If Kyle cannot defend himself under the circumstances shown in videos, we are all at risk. Think about it." In touch with some great people in effort to get Kyle Rittenhouse competent defense counsel. @michellemalkin is an American hero. The line in the sand has been crossed. If Kyle cannot defend himself under the circumstances shown in videos, we are all at risk. Think about it. Lin Wood (@LLinWood) August 27, 2020 God bless this American hero! [Header image sources: Gage Skidmore, Kyle Rittenhouse's Facebook] Follow InformationLiberation on Twitter, Facebook and Gab. The Jammu and Kashmir police detained half a dozen leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party on Thursday in Srinagar after they tried to take out a rally to protest the detention of political leaders and alleged human rights violations. The police also stopped the PDP leaders from taking out procession. A PDP spokesman said that police stopped the peaceful protest of JKPDP leaders against the detention of political prisoners, the harassment of youth, the gag on the media and gross human rights violations. Police detained PDP leaders Rouf Bhat, Hamid Qousheen, Shanti Singh, Arif Laigroo and Mohd Amin, the party spokesman. Srinagars senior superintendent of police Haseeb Mughal said six people were taken into preventive detention. There have been no arrests, only preventive detention. Six people were detained as they gathered amid Covid protocols which are in force, Mughal said. It was the first time when PDP leaders tried to take out a protest rally from the party office in more than a year. Former J&K chief minister and the PDP president Mehbooba Mufti is still in detention under the Public Safety Act. She is now the only former CM under detention while two other former CMs, Farooq Abdullah and his son Omar Abdullah were released after their detention under the PSA was revoked in March. Although many top PDP leaders are still under house arrest, the party is now slowly resuming its political activities. Some of the leaders have now become active on social media. How long can we wait. So we have decided to break the silence, said a senior PDP leader who was released recently. Flight Centre has refunded more than $600million to customers who have been forced to cancel holidays as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The Queensland-based travel agent has marked 2020 as its most challenging year in history with a full year statutory loss of $849million. The company was forced to cut 70 per cent of its workforce following the closure of international borders and bans on domestic travel. Their active workforce dropped from 20,000 to just 6,000 and sales have plunged by 36 per cent this year. Flight Centre has refunded more than $600million to customers who have been forced to cancel holidays as a result of the coronavirus pandemic The Queensland-based travel agent has marked 2020 as its most challenging year in history with a full year statutory loss of $849million (Travellers at Sydney Airport on August 8) Half of all the company's global stores have also been closed, the Courier Mail reported. The blow comes after Flight Centre recorded a $343.5million profit in 2019, with CEO Graham Turner dubbing the loss as 'unprecedented'. 'There's no comparison, we've never posted a loss since 1982,' he said. The company issued $20million in refunds just last week after customers grew frustrated having to wait so long to get their money back. 'We're an organisation that's been built to sell travel, not to process refunds,' Mr Turner said. Mr Turner said there are currently 1,500 people in Australia working to process refunds and while there have been hiccups, the company is getting better at it. Flight Centre customers are given three options when it comes to their bookings - changing the date, receiving a travel credit or requesting a refund. However, refunds are subject to the airline or travel supplier's terms and conditions and most customers will only get refunds from Flight Centre if the supplier has cancelled their service. Refunds are also given out if the supplier has updated their coronavirus cancellation terms to include the dates of the customer's departure. Government restrictions in line with Smartraveller that specify travel bans are in place will also allow customers to receive a refund with no cancellation fee. It comes after Flight Centre recorded a $343.5million profit in 2019, with CEO Graham Turner dubbing the loss as 'unprecedented' He also believes the business will take back its share of the market when travel becomes a norm again, but it depends on travel restrictions. While he believes coronavirus could impact the country for years to come, Mr Turner is pushing for things to go back to normal. 'I share with just about everyone else in business, travel, airports airlines hospitality and tourism - we've got to be able to live with this virus,' he said. Mr Turner, executives and the Flight Centre board took a 50 per cent pay cut earlier this year. They are still pushing the idea of international travel bubbles with nearby countries, claiming airlines and airports will be able to enforce protocols. The company was forced to cut 70 per cent of its workforce following the closure of international borders and bans on domestic travel In July it was revealed that employees who were stood down could be without work for years. While some workers will likely return over the next six months, Mr Turner said it would be 'nowhere near the remaining 14,000'. Mr Turner thinks travel will almost be back to normal by the beginning of the 2023 financial year. He is hopeful Flight Centre will return to 70 per cent of former travel levels in and out of Australia within a couple of years. A Texan native has written a touching thank you note to Australia one year after picking up her life and moving across the world. Crystal Jones, 32, who now lives in Geelong, revealed the things she is most grateful for since landing in the lucky country in a note posted to Reddit last week. She said she had been invited to apply for a skilled immigration visa to Australia three years ago but it took her two years to get the visa and save up money. I was required to sell my car, house and close any account I had with my country in order for the visa to be granted, she said. Crystal Jones, 32, revealed the things she is most grateful for since landing in the lucky country in a note posted to Reddit last week. Source: Supplied Oh man was I nervous. All I had ever learned about Australia was kangaroos, koalas and that it was hot, which is fine coming from Texas - I love hot. The 32-year-old landed on August 17 last year and recently celebrated her one-year anniversary, prompting her to take a look back at her time here. In her online thank you note, she said she was grateful for being able to make a liveable wage as a kindergarten teacher and have stable healthcare. Thank you Australia for not treating me like a number, a dollar sign or a corporate slave, she said. Thank you for letting me have a liveable wage with my university degree instead of making more money at McDonalds - I can do what I studied for and enjoy my life. Ms Jones said she loved that Australia gives people a choice to go to the doctor and says it is still a big thing for her. It makes me happy to know someone cares enough not to refuse me when I cant pay a deposit of $500 up front, she said, referencing the USs troubled healthcare system. Ms Jones now lives in Geelong but works as a kindergarten teacher in Melbourne. Source: Getty Shopping has also been quite a shock, Ms Jones said, adding that she was overjoyed initially when she didnt see any Walmarts. When I first arrived I was flabbergasted that there were so many stores and they all seem to close really early but in truth I love it, she said. I love every single annoying trip I have to make to this store or that store because there is no Walmart, Ms Jones continued, saying communities and workers benefit more. Story continues The 32-year-old said she is still revelling in the food options too and that everything tastes very fresh. She chalked it up to the lack of chemicals in food and vegetables not being coated in shiny wax. The US has been rocked by protests and riots this year as unrest against the police grows following the release of two videos showing police shooting, and in one case killing, two unarmed black men. Ms Jones says she is still afraid of the police and has been pulled over once for a random breath test, prompting her to put her hands out of the window and wait for the officers to approach. The first question I was asked was if I was ok. Not if I was on drugs, or had been drinking, or demanding I get out of the car, she said. The 32-year-old said she is still revelling in the food options too and that everything tastes very fresh. Source: Supplied She ended her letter, which has gained almost 2,000 comments on Reddit, by saying she could go on, but most of all wanted to say thank you. Numerous Reddit respondents said they were touched by Ms Jones words and welcomed her to Australia. Its nice to have you here. I think we tend to take what we have for granted. Were definitely the lucky country, one man wrote. Another person, who had also moved from Texas, said they had been shocked about the amount of holiday leave Australians get compared to the standard two weeks in the US. Ive called Australia home for more than 12 years and still have days when Im driving or taking a walk and it just hits me. I look around and all I see is respectful people, beautiful trees, clean streets, fresh air and an ever-present sense of peace and calm, a third person wrote. 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. Prudential Life's CEO candidate, current DGB Life Insurance CEO Min Ki-sik / Courtesy of Prudential Life Insurance By Anna J. Park Chinese Police Detain Hongkongers Fleeing to Taiwan for Political Asylum: Reports Mainland Chinese authorities detained more than 10 Hongkongers who were fleeing to Taiwan on a boat, according to local media reports. In an Aug. 26 post on Chinese social media, the Chinese regimes coast guard confirmed that its Guangdong forces intercepted a boat and arrested a group suspected of illegally crossing the border around 9 p.m. on Aug. 23 and has opened an investigation. Two of the arrestees were surnamed Tang and Li, the post said. Under Chinese criminal law, the violation could result in up to a year in jail, along with fines. The group consists of 12 Hong Kong youths who were crossing the South China Sea en route to Taiwan, in a bid to obtain political asylum there, Hong Kong media reported, citing anonymous sources. One of the people aboard was identified in Hong Kong media reports as pro-democracy activist Andy Li, whom the media said helped draft a report published this month that detailed abuses of power by Hong Kong police. Hong Kong police had arrested Li, along with nine other pro-democracy figures, on Aug. 10 for alleged violations of Beijings newly imposed national security law. Police said he colluded with foreign forces and laundered money; Li has since been released on bail. The law, which went into effect in July, criminalizes actions that the regime in Beijing deems as secession, subversion, terrorism, and collusion with foreign forces, with penalties ranging up to life imprisonment. Hong Kong police commissioner Chris Tang Ping-keung said at a press conference on Aug. 27 that he was aware of the arrests, but said he didnt have further details, as the citys law enforcement personnel werent involved in the operation. Cases involving Hongkongers who are arrested on the mainland while accused of violating mainland laws will be handled by local authorities according to Chinese regulations, Tang said. Asked about the incident, Chiu Chui-cheng, the deputy minister of Taiwans Mainland Affairs Council, said that the island state supports Hong Kongs freedom and democracy but also wouldnt encourage anyone to arrive through unlawful means, noting significant safety risks and potential criminal charges. He reiterated the Taiwan governments pledge of humanitarian assistance to Hongkongers fleeing the city for political reasons. Riot police (R) arrive for a clearance operation after district councilors protested inside a mall at 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) In what Beijing critics described as an attempt to rewrite history, Hong Kong authorities also arrested 16 pro-democracy activists on Aug. 26, including two opposition leaders, over their role in pro-democracy protests in July 2019. Thirteen of the arrests were linked to a mob attack at the local Yuen Long train station on July 21, 2019, when a group of men in white shirts beat up civilians, journalists, and lawmakers with wooden sticks and metal bars, injuring dozens. By the time police arrived, the attackers had fled, drawing widespread criticism that police had intentionally turned a blind eye. Pro-democracy lawmakers Ted Hui (C) is hugged by a supporter as he and Lam Cheuk-ting (R) leave the West Kowloon Magistrates Court on Aug. 27, 2020, after being granted bail following their arrest the day before in a police operation focused on last years huge protests. (Anthony Wallace/AFP via Getty Images) Democratic Party lawmakers Lam Cheuk-ting, who was charged with rioting in connection with the incident, was at the scene of the attack and was injured while filming on his phone. Hong Kong police have now regressed to being a political tool, he said in an Aug. 26 video, as he opened the door to police officers who arrived at his home to arrest him. Lam said he was a victim framed as an attacker. Vertafores AIM centralizes underwriting, accounting, and claims operations for MGAs. The partnership with ClarionDoor will expand and enhance AIMs capabilities for more real-time interaction with carrier channels, a company release said. We are thrilled to be working with ClarionDoor to help our joint customers gain new efficiencies and unlock more growth as they can reduce manual processes and write business even faster, said Vertafore senior vice-president of corporate development and strategy James Thom. Thom also stated that the collaboration will lead to faster information flow across the insurance distribution channel, by creating benefits for AIM users and the entire channel. Vertafore will also enable stronger integration between retail agencies and ClarionDoor systems to speed up rating processes, the SVP added. ClarionDoors MGA Hub launched earlier this year, and 14 MGAs currently use the platform. It allows MGAs to easily access more than 25 excess and surplus carriers. Combining these two solutions is really a game changer for MGAs, commented ClarionDoor CEO Michael DeGusta. AIM is such a well-known product in the MGA market and to compliment that with the capabilities of ClarionDoors MGA Hub introduces a completely new experience for MGAs that will boost their distribution channels. Dr. Peter J. Hill, who is a senior fellow of the Property and Environment Research Center and professor emeritus of Wheaton College, will present Stewardship for Everyone: An Economists Proposal for Environmental Health on Monday, Sept. 7, at 7 p.m. through a livestreamed event hosted by the Markets & Morality student organization at Hope College. Hill will address real-world environmental issues through the lenses of Christian theology and economics. His lecture will be followed by a time of Q&A. The public is invited. Admission is free, although advance registration is required. Registration information is available at the events listing at calendar.hope.edu. Hill joined the Wheaton College faculty as a visiting professor in 1986 and was the George F. Professor of Economics from 1987 until becoming professor emeritus in 2011. He previously taught at Montana State University for several years. He has been a senior fellow with the Property and Environmental Research Center in Bozeman, Montana, since 1995. He is the co-author, with Terry L. Anderson and Douglass North of Growth and Welfare in the American Past, with Terry Anderson of The Birth of a Transfer Society, and also with Terry Anderson of The Not So Wild, Wild West: Property Rights on the Frontier. He has also authored numerous articles on the theory of property rights and institutional change, and has edited six books on environmental economics. Hills undergraduate degree is from Montana State and his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. He grew up on a cattle ranch in eastern Montana, which he operated with his family until 1992, when he sold the ranch and bought a smaller ranch in western Montana, which he operated until 2012. He resides in Bozeman. In addition to being hosted by the colleges Markets & Morality student organization, the event is co-sponsored by the Department of Economics and Business and the colleges Green Team. The Markets & Morality student organization aims to support and celebrate freedom of expression in the context of the liberal arts by hosting speakers and films on topics spanning the economic, political and cultural aspects of human civilization, with a special concern for human flourishing as understood in Christian perspective. The Green Team is an advisory committee consisting of faculty, administrators and students that coordinates sustainability efforts at the college. The full extent of the damage wont be known for quite some time, but there are a few things we can say now about the observations of the storm itself. Lets start with the wind. Storms are rated by their maximum sustained winds, which the National Hurricane Center defines as the average wind speed over a one-minute period. (Maximum gusts will be higher, but they last just a few seconds.) The center reports that Laura made landfall with maximum sustained winds of 150 miles an hour, at the high end of the Category 4 range. Yet nothing like that was measured on land. The strongest readings were at Lake Charles, La., where gusts got to 150 m.p.h., but the sustained winds only reached 99 m.p.h. That doesnt mean the center was wrong, though. It goes by the maximum sustained winds anywhere in the storm but very few locations are actually measured, and measurements taken on land tend to be lower because the solid, bumpy land surface slows the air down, compared with the flat, fluid ocean. At landfall, about half the storm is still over water, so its likely that the storms strongest winds are there, too. The most frightening prediction about Laura was a 15- to 20-foot storm surge. That did not materialize. The highest surge recorded on a NOAA tide gauge by Thursday morning was around 9 feet meaning how high the water was above where it would otherwise be with the tide alone. That reading came at Calcasieu Pass, near Lake Charles. (A 9-foot storm surge is nothing to shrug at: Hurricane Sandys maximum surge was about 9 feet, and that caused an enormous disaster.) Sparse data may be obscuring what happened. Calcasieu Pass is pretty close to where the center of the storm passed on its way north. Wed expect the storms largest surge to occur, not there, but to the east, where the counterclockwise winds were blowing directly onshore. The next gauge to the east that reported any data, though, was at Freshwater Canal Locks, about 64 miles away, and it stopped recording around 6 p.m. Wednesday, well before the peak surge. Google employees were unsure about the companys representation of how its privacy controls worked in 2018. And they may have tried to express that via the search giants internal communication channels, reports indicate. Thats based on email statements pulled from an Arizona court case alleging that Google violated the states Consumer Fraud Act. Specifically, with regard to how it gathers data. The emails were written following an Associated Press expose about the mass of data Google collects. Now, Google has done a lot to change since 2018, when those collections put under the microscope. And its now almost easy, with some understanding of where the requisite settings can be found, to manage data collection from Google. In some cases, that data is now autodeleted. And thats getting better all the time. Advertisement But, when the emails, now unsealed by industry groups Digital Content Next and News Media Alliance, were written, even Googlers seemed disillusioned about the state of affairs. What were the Google employees in question saying about data collection? The comments made by Googlers mostly centered around Googles widely-published explanation of how it collected and managed location data. First, employees lodged complains that the toggles for controlling collection and storage were unclear. The interface itself was one that would confuse end-users according to at least one worker. And another worker took things further. They indicated that the design itself felt as though it was geared toward being deliberately opaque. More succinctly, the design appeared engineered to be changeable, but only with a lot of work. Potentially too much work for the average end-user to figure it out. Advertisement At least one Google employee noted that it was enough to confuse even the privacy focused Googlers working on it. Google isnt taking news about the emails lying down At least one Google spokesperson has responded to reports about the newly-revealed privacy controls-related emails from employees. The spokesperson claims that the email quotes are being cherry-picked. In effect, the company says, the engineers writing the emails were working to improve location settings as well as other privacy features. In effect, the search giant says that the communications were intended to mete out how challenging the controls were to use. China will work to ensure that the registration of businesses will be entirely processed online before the end of the year in a further move to transform government functions and reinvigorate market entities, the State Council's executive meeting chaired by Premier Li Keqiang decided on Wednesday. "The reform of transforming government functions and delivering the fiscal and financial relief polices must be progressed in parallel," Li said. "So far, the special transfer payment mechanism that directly channels funding support to primary-level governments has played a crucial role. In the meantime, we must continue to lower the market threshold to stimulate market vitality and public creativity." Business registration will be entirely processed online before the end of the year. Separate registration of corporate domiciles and business premises will be piloted and a company may register more than one business premises. "We need to do everything we can to help market entities survive and thrive. If the 100 million-plus businesses could keep running, we will be able to meet the goal of creating 9 million new urban jobs this year," Li said. To ease business operations, expand opening-up and support agricultural and rural development, administrative licensing of 49 items with overlapping examination and approval requirements will be canceled, and the approval authority for four items will be delegated to the provincial level. Where law revision is needed, these new measures will be implemented after the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress approves the proposed law revisions. The meeting stressed the importance of stepping up oversight alongside proper deregulation. "While canceling the approval requirements or delegating approval authority, responsible departments must ensure sound compliance oversight," Li said. "It takes more than monetary input for the Chinese economy to grow. The reform of government functions could further bring out the ingenuity and industriousness of the Chinese people, and enhance the efficacy of government oversight and services. This is a reform that could lead to greater fairness and efficiency," Li added. Scientists at the Universities of Bath and Sussex have developed a new system that slowly releases ant pheromones to attract pests to an insecticide bait. This means that instead of spraying the whole crop with pesticides, traps can be placed in specific areas for more targeted protection. Leaf-cutting ants are major pest species of agriculture and forestry in many areas of the tropics causing an estimated $8 billion damage each year to eucalyptus forestry in Brazil alone. Traditional pesticides often degrade quickly and are not specific to particular pests, resulting in substantial wastage of pest control products, environmental contamination and harmful effects on other insects. The team of chemists and chemical engineers at Bath used molecular sponges called metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), to soak up the alarm pheromones of leaf cutter ants and then slowly release them to attract the insects to a trap. In addition to experiments, they used computational modelling to simulate the movement of the pheromone molecule inside the pores of the MOFs to predict which structures would give the optimum capacity and speed of release. They found that by altering the chemical groups within the basic framework structure, they could adjust the speed of release of the pheromones so that the chemicals could be released over a period of several months rather than days. Field trials of the system by University of Sussex researchers in a eucalyptus plantation in Brazil showed that the pheromone-loaded MOFs had the desired effect in attracting the ants to a trap. Professor Andrew Burrows, Head of the Department of Chemistry at the University of Bath and Professor of Inorganic Chemistry at the University's Centre for Sustainable and Circular Technologies, led the study that is published in the journal Dalton Transactions. He said: "Insect pheromones have been used previously for attracting pests, but the trouble is they are quite volatile, so their effects don't last very long. "Our metal-organic frameworks act as a kind of sponge where the pheromones can be encapsulated in the pores and then released slowly over time. "Our proof-of-principle study shows that these materials are effective in delivering the pheromone and that the insects respond normally to it. "This system could reduce the amount of pesticides sprayed on a crop and could be particularly useful for high value crops in small areas. "We're currently looking at a range of other insect messenger chemicals including those that can be used to control moth pest species in UK fruit orchards." ### The project was funded by The Leverhulme Trust, the University of Bath and University of Sussex. Washington: US Vice-President Mike Pence's speech to the Republican National Convention showcased the Trump administration's audacious re-election strategy: downplay the coronavirus as much as possible while using the chaos and violence in American cities to disqualify Joe Biden. For viewers wanting an escape from the grind of the pandemic, the Republican convention has provided welcome relief. As the event has gone on over three nights, the virus has gotten less and less airtime recognising the fact most Americans think President Donald Trump has handled the issue poorly and are unlikely to change their minds. In his speech Pence praised Trump's record on the economy, creation of the new Space Force agency, success against Islamic State, appointment of conservative judges and decision to move the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. Only after all that did he get to the coronavirus, painting the rosiest possible picture of Trump's response to the pandemic. He mentioned the number of ventilators the country has manufactured but not the number of Americans who have died: more than 179,000 and counting. A vaccine is just around the corner and life will be back to normal again soon, Pence suggested. British Chamber of Commerce in Hungary partners and members are invited to this webinar focusing on the current actualities of Brexit and the most critical issues that companies might face in this respect. The webinar is organised by the British Chamber of Commerce in Hungary and EY Hungary. We are honoured to welcome Her Majestys Trade Commissioner for Europe, Mr. Richard Burn, as our guest speaker at the webinar. Background UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen agreed not to extend the transition period beyond December 2020, meaning that the European Union and the UK have less than five months to reach a deal avoiding a so-called hard Brexit. This leaves very limited time for companies to prepare for the challenges/disruptions they may face in their businesses as a result of the UK leaving the EU, and to ensure a smooth transition. As always, even in the current crisis and uncertain legal situation, it is important to look ahead and be prepared for Brexit. The aim of our webinar is to provide you with insight into the latest status of the Brexit proceedings, the negotiations, and to draw your attention to the most relevant issues that you should be addressing if you are involved in transactions with the UK. The main topics of the webinar will be as follows: - The most relevant actualities of the Brexit and the status of the negotiations between UK and the EU (potential outcomes) presented by Her Majestys Trade Commissioner for Europe, Mr. Richard Burn - The main business and taxation challenges companies may face as a result of a potential hard Brexit - The most crucial steps that companies should take to ensure business continuity Speakers Mr. Richard Burn, Her Majestys Trade Commissioner for Europe J Duncan Graham, Chairman of British Chamber of Commerce in Hungary Dr. Aron Nagy, Associate Partner, EY Tax Services Attila Fulop, Senior Manager, EY Tax Services Date and time: Wednesday, September 2, 2020, 14:00 15:15 Please note that the link of the webinar is going to be sent to your email address on the day of the event. Click here to register for the event Registration is open until noon, 31 August 2020. Please note that this online seminar will be in English, and free of charge, but subject to registration. Should you have any questions, please contact EY via taxevents@hu.ey.com Source: British Chamber of Commerce in Hungary ARPR was built to weather the storm of a recession. From our agility to work remote at the drop of a hat, to our ability to avoid team furloughs - our agency has remained strong, While the PR industry has experienced a 77% decrease in client retainers due to COVID-19, ARPR, an award-winning tech PR agency at the epicenter of the future of PR, today announced the addition of three new clients to its portfolio of global tech leaders. In addition, since the pandemic began, ARPR has helped executives and marketing teams navigate trade show cancellations, new buyer behaviors and a rapidly changing news cycle, enabling the firm to increase its retainer fees with four additional brands in Q2 and Q3. ARPR was built to weather the storm of a recession. From our agility to work remote at the drop of a hat, to our ability to avoid team furloughs - our agency has remained strong, said Anna Ruth Williams, CEO of ARPR. This foundation has given our team both the stability and motivation to deliver results and quantifiable ROI for both our longest-tenured and newest clients alike. ARPR, which was recently ranked as the Southeasts largest tech PR agency by ODwyers, welcomes the following new clients: Cloverly (Atlanta) Cloverly is helping the world go carbon neutral. Its Sustainability-as-a-Service API platform helps businesses and organizations go green by connecting them to the carbon market infrastructure. NetMotion (Seattle) NetMotion Software provides security solutions for the worlds mobile and remote workforces. Paysend (London) - Paysend is the global end-to-end payment platform that is connecting millions of people around the world through fast, simple and affordable digital money transfers. ARPR is also pleased to announce increased scopes of work for four of its clients in the second half of 2020, including: Sovos - Having recently celebrated its fourth anniversary with ARPR, Sovos has enlisted the agency to increase reporting and measurement services. Quickbase Entering into its second year of partnership with ARPR, Quickbase is increasing media relations and thought leadership storytelling, reporting and measurement, while also piloting brand and executive social media. RxBenefits - After six months, RxBenefits has increased its partnership with ARPR to manage the social media profiles of two C-level executives. Updox Entering into its third year of partnership with ARPR, Updox will be engaging the agency for a full-scale PR program spanning media relations, content marketing, social media, ad campaigns and executive thought leadership. These software companies, among others, chose ARPR for its understanding of the technologies theyre built on, industry challenges theyre solving, the verticals they sell into as well as the agencys Panorama Approach, which tightly integrates traditional public relations, social media, content marketing and lead generation to drive measurable results. ARPRs growth during COVID-19 can be directly attributed to our teams unprecedented commitment to client service, which has redefined what clients can and should expect from their tech PR agency, said Evan Goldberg, the agencys senior vice president of client service. Now more than ever, PR agencies must be flexible and unwavering in support of their clients. During this time, we remain steadfast in our desire to continue to drive change for both our clients and our industry. If your software company is considering hiring a tech PR firm during these unusual times, download ARPRs latest playbook, Creating Your 2021 Marketing Budget, to learn how to create a 2021 marketing budget that gives you the financial allocation and resources you need to succeed in a post-COVID world. About ARPR ARPR is an award-winning tech PR agency at the epicenter of the future of PR. Headquartered in Atlanta, ARPR helps its clients reputations thrive and their sales pipelines prosper through highly-integrated marketing strategies that push the limits of what a public relations firm can achieve. Since 2012, ARPR has twice been named Small Agency of the Year, dubbed a Best Place to Work six times, was honored as the 2016 Technology Agency of the Year and the 2018 Agency that Gets Results. For more information on ARPR clients and services, visit http://www.arpr.com and follow @AR_ _PR on Twitter and Instagram. Islamabad, Aug 27 : The Imran Khan-led Pakistan government, claiming success in containing the spread of Covid-19, has re-opened the tourism sector even as health experts expressed apprehension that the move may trigger a "dangerous second wave" of the coronavirus infection in the country. Health experts believe that the movement of people to the tourist spots, and mainly locals travelling towards the mountainous northern area of the country, may lead to the second wave of Covid-19 infection. As per official statistics, the cases of coronavirus in Pakistan have dropped below 10,000 while the rate of recovered patients has gone above 95 per cent. However, with the re-opening of the tourism sector, fears loom large over a surge in the spread of the virus. The fears have surfaced after at least 50 employees of hotels and resorts in the country's northwest and northern areas tested Covid-19 positive, prompting immediate closure of all hotels and restaurants. Places of tourist attraction during summer seasons, the scenic valleys of northern Gilgit-Baltistan and areas including Kaghan, Nawaz, Murree, Chitral, Swat, Dir and other destinations have witnessed an inflow of at least 600,000 tourists, who flocked from different parts of the country, since the time the ban on tourism was lifted by the government. "The reopening of tourism can lead to another wave of coronavirus cases in the country as no safety precautions are being followed by the tourists," said Qaiser Sajjad, Secretary General of Pakistan Medical Association (PMA). Health experts have termed reopening of tourism by the government as "reckless". Authorities from the Gilgit-Baltistan development authority have also expressed serious concerns over the flow of tourists. The officials claimed the tourists have not followed any SOPs to curb the spread of the dreaded virus. "Only 5 per cent of the tourists that visited the region has submitted their coronavirus test reports. And most of the visitors have openly violated SOPs," an official said. "After cases were reported among employees of hotels, we tried to track down tourists and found that majority of the tourists had registered themselves with fake names and wrong addresses," he added. Health experts have maintained that the government has been hasty in opening businesses and tourism, and even as a declining trend in the number of Covid-19 cases has been observed, cases may spike again, putting more burden and pressure on the weak healthcare system of the country. "Whatever data of active cases, and tests are available are being reported from urban areas and a few big cities... we do not know much about the coronavirus situation in rural areas, including tourist destinations. Even if those areas are clear (of the virus), there are strong chances of the virus spreading through asymptomatic tourists from across Pakistan," said Tahir Shamsi, head of National Institute of Blood Diseases in Karachi. It is also feared that tourists, who may have contracted the virus from other tourists or the hotel staff during their stay, may become the virus carriers to their respective cities. "Since the virus is not going away in the near future, tourism can be allowed on a limited scale with strict safety precautions," he added. ANKARA, Turkey - Germanys foreign minister on Thursday called for an end to military drills taking place in the eastern Mediterranean to defuse tensions and create conditions for NATO allies Greece and Turkey to resolve a dispute over offshore energy exploration rights. Foreign Minister Heiko Maas comments came as European Union foreign ministers were set to meet in Berlin to try and persuade EU-member Greece and its neighbour Turkey to pull back from the brink of a conflict. The ministers were expected to debate a range of sanctions and other policy options that might convince Turkey to temper its insistence on drilling for energy reserves in disputed parts of the eastern Mediterranean. Maas, who engaged in shuttle diplomacy between Athens and Ankara earlier this week, stressed the need to create the conditions for Turkey and Greece to resolve their problems directly with each other. The situation remains very difficult, Maas said. The precondition for these talks is that the manoeuvrs that are going on in the eastern Mediterranean be ended -- each side can make its contribution to that and so create the space for diplomatic talks, because for sure the parties wont sit down at the table if warships are facing off in the eastern Mediterranean. Tensions between Greece and Turkey have been running high for weeks after Turkey sent its survey vessel, Oruc Reis, to carry out seismic research, escorted by Turkish warships. Athens, which says the ship is operating over Greeces continental shelf in an area where it has exclusive rights on potential undersea gas and oil deposits, sent warships to observe and track the Turkish flotilla. Turkey disputes Greeces claims, insisting that small Greek islands near the Turkish coast should not be taken into account when delineating maritime boundaries. Ankara accuses Athens of trying to grab an unfair share of the eastern Mediterraneans resources. Both countries have been conducting military manoeuvrs in the area. On Thursday, France was set to join Italy, Greece and Cyprus in three-day air and sea military exercises off the the east Mediterranean island. Turkey meanwhile, issued a notice, known as Navtex, declaring that it would hold live-fire military exercises Sept. 1-2 off its southern Mediterranean coast, opposite Cyprus. It also extended Oruc Reis operations until Sept. 1. U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday held separate telephone calls with the leaders of Greece and Turkey. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Thursday he was in constant contact with Greece and Turkey. My message is that the situation must be resolved in a spirit of allied solidarity and in line with international law, Stoltenberg said as he met German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin. Dialogue and de-escalation are in everybodys interest. EU Enlargement Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi warned that Turkeys decades-long quest to join the EU could be under threat, even though membership talks with the bloc ground to a halt years ago. The possible accession of Turkey is under major question through these actions, he told reporters. Turkish officials meanwhile, accused France of stoking tensions in the Mediterranean by joining military exercises with Greece and Cyprus. Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said Turkey would not be deterred by the show of force. To believe that it would be possible to thwart the Turkish Armed Forces operations with exercises and similar activities is nothing more than a pipe dream, Akar said in an interview with state-run Anadolu Agency. Turkish Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hami Aksoy charged that France was deploying warplanes on the ethnically-divided island of Cyprus on the pretext of carrying out military exercises. The deployment was against treaties reached in 1960, he said. France, which is not a guarantor of the island of Cyprus, is with this attitude dangerously encouraging the Greek Cypriot and Greek duo who are responsible for the current tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean to escalate the tension further, Aksoy said in a statement. France and Greece will deploy both warplanes and navy ships as part of the drills, while Cyprus will activate its air defence system to test its capabilities, Cyprus Ministry of Defence said Wednesday. Turkey and Greece have both vowed to defend their competing claims in the eastern Mediterranean. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday that his country will never compromise on what belongs to us. We are determined to do whatever is necessary in political, economic and military terms. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Greece is planning to exercise its legal right to extend its territorial waters along its western coastline, which faces Italy, from six to 12 nautical miles. The planned extension would not affect the territory at the centre of the Greek-Turkish dispute. Turkey has warned in the past that an extension of Greek waters to 12 nautical miles in the Aegean Sea, facing the Turkish littoral, would be seen as a reason to declare war on Greece. Akar, the Turkish defence minister, reiterated that Turkey favoured dialogue with Greece but was determined to safeguard its rights. If our Greek counterparts agree, we would be pleased to host them here, Akar said. We would not allow our rights to be trampled on, he also said. Turkeys strength should not be tested. Greek Government spokesman Stelios Petsas said the tension in the region was not being generated by Greece. On the contrary, (Greece) is ready to contribute to any de-escalation, always with respect toward the rules of international law, and in this case, the law of the sea and the rules of good neighbourliness, he said. ___ Geir Moulson reported from Berlin. Derek Gatopoulos in Athens and Lorne Cook in Brussels contributed. Chilling footage has emerged of the moment a hooded gunman opened fire on a businessman outside his Sydney home in an early morning assassination attempt. Mohamed Saab, 37, was found with gunshot wounds to his shoulder, ribs and leg outside his home in Knoll Avenue in Turrella, in Sydney's south, just before 7am on Wednesday morning. The father-of-two was rushed to St George Hospital in a serious condition as the hunt for the gunman continues. Chilling CCTV footage posted online shows Mr Saab leaving his home and approaching the driver's side door of a black ute parked at the front. An armed man wearing dark clothing gets out of the rear passenger seat of a dark coloured hatchback on the other side of the road. He fires as many as 13 shots at Mr Saab before getting back into the rear of the getaway vehicle, which speeds off. Mohamed Saab was captured leaving his Turrella home seconds before he was shot Mr Saab is captured clutching at his stomach as he stumbles back into his property, where two women are seen on the footpath trying to assist him. Mr Saab remains in hospital, where he's expected to undergo surgery. Sources say the well-known and respected construction company owner was believed to be embroiled in a dispute. His cousin Ze Saab said his two young kids were heard screaming 'don't die dad'. 'He didn't do nothing,' one relative told reporters outside the family's home on Wednesday. A hooded gunman is seen opening fire at Mr Saab from the other side of the road Two women outside Mr Saab's Turrella home are seen rushing to the aid of the injured man Some of the shocked neighbours and friends who swarmed the street turned on media crews when they arrived at the scene on Wednesday. 'Look at this c*** recording me, what did I say,' a man in hooded sweatshirt said. 'What wrong with ya?' his friend in a high-vis shirt then asked. 'You should be recording the scene, not me.' A heavily-tattooed man has been rushed to hospital in serious condition after being shot several times in a suburban street in Sydney's south Mohamed Saab, 37, was found with gunshot wounds to his shoulder, ribs and leg outside a home in Knoll Avenue in Turrella, in Sydney's south, just before 7am on Wednesday morning Many have been left shaken by the shooting of the well-known businessman who they say is a 'role model'. Investigators are still piecing together what sparked the shooting which they believe was targeted. Police cordoned off the area before forensic officers to arrived. 'Some of the information that has come forward leads us to believe this was not a random incident,' Chief Inspector Chris Hill said. 'We are calling for any information from members of the community, for any details that they may have in relation to this matter.' Investigators were seen sweeping the area in search of any evidence, they are yet to find the weapon. A neighbour said she was 'really surprised' by the shooting. She said the victim was a 'nice man'. A group of furious bystanders have lashed out at a cameraman filming the scene where a heavily-tattooed man was gunned down outside his home in broad daylight He was treated at the scene before being taken to St George Hospital in a serious condition Police have cordoned off the area as they await for forensic officers to arrive (pictured: Investigators at the scene) Neighbours and police swarmed the street early on Wednesday morning as paramedics arrived Another neighbour who works with Mr Saab's construction company described their boss as a 'top bloke'. 'He's very nice, he's the best. To be honest with you he's a role model,' they told the Daily Telegraph. As inquiries continue, anyone who was in the area or who has information has been urged to come forward. BBC bosses discuss diversity in 'every conversation' about new programmes and the issue is 'non-negotiable', the outlet's head of comedy says. The corporation has said it would spend 100million of its content budget on diverse programming over three years, following protests from Black Lives Matter activists this summer. Shane Allen, who is responsible for the commissioning of all scripted comedy programmes to BBC channels, says director of content Charlotte Moore has been constantly telling staff not to forget to factor in diversity, The Guardian reports. He said: 'I've been part of regimes where you have to be seen to do something. With Charlotte it's non-negotiable, it's a thing that underpins every conversation: what's the diverse element to this? And can it not be set in London?' Shane Allen (pictured), who is responsible for the commissioning of all scripted comedy programmes to BBC channels, says director of content Charlotte Moore has been constantly telling staff not to forget to factor in diversity It comes amid a new race row as Jamaica's foreign minister Kamina Johnson-Smith criticised a clip from the BBC Three show Famalam (pictured) The hiring of June Sarpong and Miranda Wayland to advise the corporation means there are now 'really powerful voices in the room' speaking about diversity, Mr Allen told the Edinburgh television festival. He also defended sketch show Famalam, which has been branded 'outrageous and offensive' by Jamaica's foreign minister. 'Don't diss my beloved Famalam,' he said. 'To be relevant in comedy at a time when things can feel more anodyne, and in this woke culture where things are getting a little bit more sensitive. 'If you're going to do something about tricky topics it's got to be from those people and from those communities who've got that voice. To me, that's what a sketch show looks like in 2020. I'll back them to the hilt.' It comes amid a new race row as Jamaica's foreign minister Kamina Johnson-Smith criticised a clip from the BBC Three show, depicting a Jamaican version of Channel 4 show Countdown, complete with a steel drum version of the show's theme tune. Mr Allen defended sketch show Famalam (pictured), which has been branded 'outrageous and offensive' by Jamaica's foreign minister Ms Johnson-Smith tweeted: 'This is outrageous and offensive to the incredible country which I am proud to represent along with every Jamaican at home and within our #Diaspora. I will immediately be writing formally on this! #StopThisShow.' The BBC defended Famalm, with channel controller Fiona Campbell saying it was not 'malicious', adding: 'We stand by the creator's brand of humour.' She told the Edinburgh TV Festival: 'Famalam is now in its third series and it is very successful. 'It is not malicious humour and I think if you followed on social, the creators themselves said they are poking fun at all stereotypes. 'There isn't malice in the type of content.' A BBC spokesman said: 'Famalam... now in its third series, has an established brand of humour in line with audience expectations and is well known for confronting issues.' The row comes amid BBC Newsnight's editor Katie Razzall sharing her embarrassment at being appointed as a white woman to chair a session on 'racism in TV newsrooms' at a media festival. BBC Newsnight's editor Katie Razzall, pictured presenting the programme on May 27, shared her embarrassment at being appointed as a white woman to chair a session on racism in TV The 49-year-old told the online Edinburgh TV Festival this week: 'My chairing this panel as a white woman is indicative of the challenge we are all facing.' The BBC has been criticised this week over its decision to perform Rule Britannia and Land of Hope and Glory without lyrics at this year's Last Night of the Proms. It will have an orchestrated version without lyrics after organisers allegedly wanted to reduce patriotic elements to reflect the Black Lives Matter movement. Razall was chairing a discussion called 'reporting racism: TV journalism and Black Lives Matter', with four panellists, three of whom are black and one who is white. Dozens of East Baton Rouge first responders were preparing Thursday morning to head toward the Lake Charles area and help with rescues in the wake of Hurricane Laura's overnight destruction. The parish's Urban Search and Rescue team consists of personnel from the Baton Rouge, Zachary and Central fire departments and East Baton Rouge EMS. Team leader Mike Kimble said there were 36 people deploying Thursday morning. Hurricane Laura now a Category 2 storm on land; see initial damage reports from southwest Louisiana First responders are discovering how much destruction Hurricane Laura inflicted on coastal communities after making landfall around 1 a.m. They're going to meet up with other similar teams from across the state at a staging area near Lafayette, and together make a game plan, which Kimble said would likely include driving south toward Lake Charles. The team is bringing boats to conduct water rescues and is trained in structural collapse, which involves rescuing people trapped in damaged buildings. Top stories in Baton Rouge in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up "We have no idea what the mission is at this point," Kimble said Thursday morning. Meanwhile heavy rain and wind continue across the Baton Rouge area, leaving more than 3,000 households without power. That's just a tiny fraction of the more than 163,000 power outages across Louisiana, according to Entergy data. New Jersey Supreme Court nominee Fabiana Pierre-Louis appeared at a confirmation hearing Monday before the state Senate Judiciary Committee. The committee unanimously approved her nomination. Read more Fabiana Pierre-Louis coasted to confirmation Thursday to become the first Black woman to serve on the New Jersey Supreme Court. The full state Senate voted, 39-0, to approve Gov. Phil Murphys pick to be the next associate justice on the states highest court. She will be the third Black judge to join the court in the states 244-year history. She also will be the youngest justice on the current court. Today is a historic day, said State Sen. Troy Singleton, (D., Burlington). He said Pierre-Louis was uniquely qualified and not just because of the color of her skin. When Murphy, a Democrat, nominated her in June, he said Pierre-Louis wasnt selected because of nationwide protests over police brutality and systemic racism, noting that the vetting process takes months. Her confirmation Thursday came amid renewed unrest following the shooting of Jacob Blake, a young Black man, by a white police officer in Kenosha, Wis. READ MORE: The New Jersey Supreme Court is poised to have its first black female justice I am honored to have put her name forward, and to see someone with a different set of life experiences and perspectives on our Supreme Court, a judicial body where New Jerseyans from all walks of life turn for justice, Murphy said in a statement. Sen. Shirley K. Turner (D., Mercer) compared Thursdays historic vote to the nomination of Democratic vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris, the first woman of color on a major party ticket. Hopefully, it wont be the last, said Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D., Gloucester). There should never be a reason why there is one African American, one Latino, one Asian. Sen. Gerald Cardinale (R., Passaic) joined in praising Pierre-Louis, but said: I dont believe we should vote for her because of diversity. We should vote for her because of her ability. Pierre-Louis, 39, of Mount Laurel, will take the seat on the seven-member court being vacated by Justice Walter Timpone, who will reach the mandatory retirement age of 70 in November. Timpone is expected to step down to allow her to join the courts next session, which begins Sept. 1. She will take the seat once held by Justice John Wallace Jr., for whom she clerked. Wallace, at the timethe courts lone Black jurist, was ousted in 2010 when Gov. Chris Christie broke tradition and refused to renominate him. READ MORE: Christie nominates woman lawyer to replace Justice This nomination is truly a nomination of a lifetime for me, she told lawmakers at a Judiciary Committee hearing earlier in the week. Flanked by her husband, Robbie, and two young sons, she received a standing ovation as she emerged from the back of the Senate floor to pose for photographs with Senate leaders after Thursdays vote. Her selection will not significantly alter the courts ideological composition. Of the remaining justices on the bench, four were appointed by Christie, and two by Democratic governors. At age 39, she could sit on the bench for decades, and possibly ascend to be the courts chief justice. The next youngest justice is 20 years her senior. Its potentially transformative, said attorney Charles Davidson,head of the Pre-Law Institute at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Shes going to bring something to the court that now, more than ever, we need. Pierre-Louis is a partner with the law firm Montgomery McCracken Walker & Rhoads in Cherry Hill. She served nine years as an assistant U.S. attorney in New Jersey and held leadership roles as attorney-in-charge of the Trenton and Camden offices. She was the first woman of color to hold those positions. The daughter of Haitian immigrants, Pierre-Louis has cited her humble beginnings for her work ethic. Her father was a taxi driver in New York and her mother was a patient transport aide in a hospital. Pierre-Louis received her bachelors degree from Rutgers University in New Brunswick and her law degree from the Rutgers-Camden Law School, graduating with high honors. She began her career in 2007 as an associate at Montgomery McCracken. She returned as a partner in 2019, handling white-collar crime, commercial litigation, and government investigations. Genetic link between cattle temperament and autism A strong association between the genes influencing cattle temperament and autism in humans has been discovered by University of Queensland researchers. UQ genomic expert Professor Ben Hayes said the research by his interdisciplinary team headed by Dr Roy Costilla could lead to improved animal welfare and meat quality. "The research doesn't mean that cattle have autism; rather that cattle share an overlap of genes with humans which are critical in brain function and response to fear stimuli," Professor Hayes said. Temperament is an important trait for day-to-day management of cattle. "We knew that genetic factors were likely influence temperament in cattle and we thought that genes involved in behavioural traits in humans could also influence temperament in cattle. "We found that genes known to contribute to autism spectrum disorders also influence temperament in cattle." Professor Hayes said the results were important as it opened the way for research conducted on behavioural traits in humans to shed further light on temperament in cattle. "As I've found talking to farmers over the years, it can be distressing having an animal that has a poor temperament in the mob, and stirs up all the other cattle putting them into a state of stress. "If we can identify those animals early, or breed to eliminate them, we can potentially reduce the stress of the whole mob. "That has great implications for welfare - not only of the cattle but also the people handling the cattle who are less likely to be charged or kicked." Professor Hayes said there was an association between a calmer temperament in cattle and better meat quality. "The cattle industry's standard for measuring temperament is 'flight time' - the speed in which cattle move after release from an enclosure," Professor Hayes said. "What a producer wants is cattle that move calmly and slowly from the enclosure, rather than an animal that charges out in an aggressive or stressed state. "Our study found flight time is about 35 percent heritable, which is very significant. "It means you can make a lot of progress by breeding for better temperament - it's about the same as milk production in dairy cattle, and we've made big breeding gains there." Professor Hayes said the same genes were identified in other genomic research conducted on domestication of foxes. "The same genes just come up again and again," he said. "Some DNA variants in those genes are more common in people with autism and, in cattle, some DNA variants in those same genes are found to make the cattle more fearful in new situations and have a reactive temperament." It's the first time whole genome sequencing has been used to analyse temperament in beef cattle. Researchers looked at 28 million data points per animal on the 9,000 cattle with temperament records in the initial study, and then validated the results in over 80,000 cattle from Ireland. Professor Hayes said his team would incorporate the temperament data into a panel of markers available for producers that would also provide breeding values for fertility. "It means a producer will be able to use a sample of tail hair which contains DNA to quickly get information on the genetic value of their animals for temperament and fertility. The temperament analysis was conducted primarily in northern cattle Bos indicus breeds and was validated in Bos taurus cattle. ### The study was a result of strong cooperation between Australian researchers, the beef industry and international collaborators from Ireland and Brazil. The research is published in Genetics Selection Evolution (DOI: 10.1186/s12711-020-00569-z). Media: Professor Ben Hayes, b.hayes@uq.edu.au, +61 (0) 434 210 890; UQ's QAAFI communications, m.puls@uq.edu.au, +61 (0) 419 578 356. This story has been published on: 2020-08-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. BEIJING, Aug. 27 -- "Taiwan is an inalienable part of China, China resolutely opposes any form of "Taiwan independence" separatist actions and any form of official exchanges and military ties between the US and the Taiwan region, this stance is clear and definite," said Senior Colonel Wu Qian, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of National Defense, at a monthly regular press conference on Thursday. Wu made the remarks when commenting on the frequent contacts between the US and the Taiwan region in August. The US Secretary of Health and Human Services arrived in Taiwan for certain activities, the USS Mustin(DDG 89) passed through the Taiwan Strait, and the US military aircraft increased the frequency of provocative activities in waters around the Taiwan Strait. Wu said that recently, the PLA Eastern Theater Command dispatched troops from multiple services and directions in a systematic manner to organize live-fire military exercises across the Taiwan Strait. "The military exercises were actually aimed at the external interference, the "Taiwan independence" secessionist forces and their separatist activities," he stressed. Anyway, China will take all necessary measures to resolutely safeguard its national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and resolutely maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, Wu added. Newark, NJ, Aug. 26, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As per the report published by Fior Markets, the global peripherally inserted central catheters market is expected to grow from USD 0.83 billion in 2019 to USD 1.22 billion by 2027, at a CAGR of 5% during the forecast period 2020-2027. Factors such as an increase in healthcare expenditure, supportive reimbursement policies, and increasing preference for PICC by healthcare professionals are a few of the key factors that are driving the growth of the global peripherally inserted central catheters market. A peripherally inserted central catheter or PICC is a thin, long tube that's inserted via a vein in the arm and passed in through to larger veins that reside near the heart. Also known as PICC line, they are usually placed in the arm and, in rare cases, in the leg. The purpose of a peripherally inserted central catheter is to deliver liquid nutrition or medication to the central veins near the heart. A PICC line gives the doctor access to the large veins near the heart. The benefit of using PICC is that it helps in avoiding the pain of needle sticks and also reduce irritation of smaller veins. Other than PICC lines, there are other types of central venous catheters like central lines and implantable ports. Peripherally inserted central catheters are commonly used for cancer treatment, liquid nutrition delivery (total parenteral nutrition), infection treatment (antifungal medicines & antibiotics delivery), and other medications. With the outbreak of a global pandemic, many have faced salary cuts and job losses. Covid-19 has become a threat to the entire world's economy and has negatively impacted all kinds of markets, including the peripherally inserted central catheters market. With less disposable income and broken supply chains, the market's growth is expected to slow down. The lack of skilled professionals, rising cases of deep vein thrombosis, and the risk of bloodstream infection are some other factors that are hindering the market growth. DOWNLOAD FREE SAMPLE REPORT AT https://www.fiormarkets.com/report-detail/418784/request-sample Key players operating in the global peripherally inserted central catheters market include Teleflex Incorporated, Medical Component Inc., Becton, Dickinson and Company, Vygon S.A, Cook Medical, Inc., Boston Scientific Corporation, Argon Medical Devices, Inc., AngioDynamics Inc., B. Braun Melsungen AG, Medtronic plc, Medical Component Inc., C. R. Bard Inc., and Theragenics Corporation among others. To gain a significant market share in the global peripherally inserted central catheters market, the key players are now focusing on adopting strategies such as product innovations, mergers & acquisitions, recent developments, joint ventures, collaborations, and partnerships. B. Braun Melsungen AG and Teleflex Incorporated are some of the biggest manufacturers and suppliers of peripherally inserted central catheters in the global market. Power Injected Peripherally Inserted Central Catheters dominated the market and held the largest market share of 83.56% in the year 2019 The product type segment consists of Power Injected Peripherally Inserted Central Catheters, and Conventional Peripherally Inserted Central Catheters. Power Injected Peripherally Inserted Central Catheters dominated the market and held the largest market share of 83.56% in the year 2019. This is primarily due to the fact that PICCs are minimally invasive and give long-term access along with lowered risk. Multiple lumen dominated the market and valued at USD 0.51 billion in the year 2019 The design segment includes single lumen, double lumen, and multiple lumen. Multiple lumen dominated the market and valued at USD 0.51 billion in the year 2019. This is mainly due to the increasing occurrence of carcinogenic disorders that call for multiple lumen catheters. Hospitals dominated the market and held the largest market share of 69.31% in the year 2019 Based on end-user, the global market has been divided into hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers, and catheterization laboratories. Hospitals dominated the market and held the largest market share of 69.31% in the year 2019. The hospitals segment held the majority share due to its large scale, strong financial capabilities, and a broad range of services. Browse full report with TOC at https://www.fiormarkets.com/report/peripherally-inserted-central-catheters-market-by-product-type-418784.html Regional Segment Analysis of the Peripherally Inserted Central Catheters Market North America (U.S., Canada, Mexico) Europe (Germany, France, U.K., Italy, Spain, Rest of Europe) Asia-Pacific (China, Japan India, Rest of APAC) South America (Brazil and Rest of South America) Middle East and Africa (UAE, South Africa, Rest of MEA) On the basis of geography, the global peripherally inserted central catheters market has been classified into North America, Europe, South America, Asia Pacific, and Middle East and Africa. The North America region accounted for the major market share of 74.82% in the year 2019. The growth is mainly due to key factors such as increasing cases of diseases, viral infections, cancer, a rise in the elderly population, and increasing demand for rapid diagnosis & better treatment. On the other hand, the Asia-Pacific region is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period from 2020-2027. The growth rate of the APAC region is estimated to be over 10%. Request for Customization: https://www.fiormarkets.com/enquiry/request-customization/418784 About the report: The global peripherally inserted central catheters market is analyzed on the basis of value (USD Billion), volume (K Units), export (K Units), and import (K Units). All the segments have been analyzed on a global, regional, and country basis. The study includes the analysis of more than 30 countries for each segment. The report offers an in-depth analysis of driving factors, opportunities, restraints, and challenges for gaining the key insight of the market. The study includes porter's five forces model, attractiveness analysis, raw material analysis, and competitor position grid analysis. For Instant Purchase: https://www.fiormarkets.com/checkout.html?reportid=418784&type=single Customization of the Report: The report can be customized as per client requirements. For further queries, you can contact us on sales@fiormarkets.com or +1-201-465-4211. Our executives will be pleased to understand your requirements and offer you the best-suited reports. About Fior Markets Fior Markets is a futuristic market intelligence company, helping customers flourish their business strategies and make better decisions using actionable intelligence. With transparent information pool, we meet clients objectives, commitments on high standard and targeting possible prospects for SWOT analysis and market research reports. Fior Markets deploys a wide range of regional and global market intelligence research reports including industries like technology, pharmaceutical, consumer goods, food and beverages, chemicals, media, materials and many others. Our Strategic Intelligence capabilities are purposely planned to boost your business extension and elucidate the vigor of diverse industry. We hold distinguished units of highly expert analysts and consultants according to their respective domains. The global market research reports we provide involve both qualitative and quantitative analysis of current market scenario as per the geographical regions segregated and comprehensive performance in different regions with global approach. In addition, our syndicated research reports offer a packaged guide to keep companies abreast of the upcoming major restyle in their domains. Fior Markets facilitates clients with research analysis that are customized to their exact requirements, specifications and challenges, whether it is comprehensive desk research, survey work, composition of multiple methods, in-detailed interviewing or competitive intelligence. 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Contact Us Avinash D Head of Business Development Phone: +1-201-465-4211 Email: sales@fiormarkets.com Web: www.fiormarkets.com To Read Top Industries Reports, Visit our Affiliated Website: https://www.marketquest.biz Related Reports Vein Illuminator Market - https://www.fiormarkets.com/report/vein-illuminator-market-by-type-near-infrared-technology-ultrasound-418569.html Spinal Implants And Surgery Devices Market - https://www.fiormarkets.com/report/spinal-implants-and-surgery-devices-market-by-type-418557.html Optical Preclinical Imaging Market - https://www.fiormarkets.com/report/optical-preclinical-imaging-market-by-reagent-pet-tracers-418549.html Medical Device Connectivity Market - https://www.fiormarkets.com/report/medical-device-connectivity-market-by-technology-wired-wireless-418540.html Abu Dhabi (AMA) Once again, media outlets reveal Israeli cooperation with Gulf countries in the field of espionage and the sale of special capabilities and expertise that will help Gulf governments track down dissidents. The Israeli NSO company in question is also mentioned in a very important and sensitive topic related to its advanced spyware, Pegasus, which enables penetration of mobile phones. This time, the Hebrew newspaper, Haaretz, discussed the issue of Israeli-Gulf cooperation in terms of espionage, stating that the NSO company recently sold programs to opponents like the United Arab Emirates and other Gulf countries. According to what the newspaper on Sunday, deals, worth hundreds of millions of dollars, were carried out through official mediation. The report came to confirm that the Emirati normalization with Israel was an inevitable result of deep and sensitive cooperation between them. What is NSO? An Israeli technology company focuses on electronic intelligence. At the top of its services are to spy on and penetrate mobile phones, and to steal their data. It is founded in 2010 by Neve Carmi, Omri Lavie, and Shalev Hulio, and has about 500 employees at its headquarters in Herzliya near Tel Aviv. Its annual revenue reached about $40 million in 2013 and increased to $150 million by 2015. In June 2017, its owner, Francisco Partners Management, put it up for sale for one billion dollars and the deal completed in 2019. NSO services are all over the world and deals with many governments, but its name has been associated with countries accused of widespread human rights violations, such as the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain. It sold an old version of its program to the Mexico government in 2012 in order to combat drug trafficking gangs there. However, The New York Times said in 2016, that the authorities used the program to spy on opposed journalists and lawyers. The New York Times reported that UAE bought programs that helped it eavesdrop on the leaders of neighboring countries and the editor of an Arab newspaper in the British capital. The Israeli government treats its products like any arms exporting company. It requires it to obtain a permit from the Ministry of Defense (the Ministry of War) to export any of its products abroad. The company claims to provide technical support to the worlds governments in order to help them fight terrorism and crime. However, international human rights organizations accuse it of designing and developing programs used in hacking and espionage operations against human rights activists and journalists in many countries. The NSO Backstory: Going back a little and looking for details about NSO reveals that its history is not bright white. In May 2017, hackers managed to penetrate the Qatari News Agency, Qena, website, and its accounts on social media, publishing false statements about the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani that led to igniting the most violent political crisis in the region. On July 20, 2017, the Qatari Ministry of Interior announced that it had identified two internet addresses in UAE that were used to carry out the hacking. The American newspaper New York Times confirmed, on January 24, 2018, that UAE was behind hacking the Qatari agency, adding that it was done with the knowledge of the Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman. Piracy was not satisfied with sabotaging the security of the Gulf but rather pursued activists and human rights defenders and spied on them. On this regard, the Kitzen Lab Foundation, affiliated to the University of Toronto, Canada, reported that there are agents, belong to the Saudi government as it claimed, whose mission is to spy on the cell phones of the Saudi opposition activist, Omar Abdulaziz. The Canadian Foreign Ministry (October 2, 2018) issued a statement saying that it takes seriously allegations of Saudi spying on an opponent. Adam Austin, a spokesman for the Canadian foreign minister, said that they are aware of such reports and are looking into them, adding that his country is firmly committed to freedom of expression even on the Internet. I would love to have more people have that opportunity, said Paige Paradeis, a native of Hemmingford, who was able use her experience with a Chicago marketing firm to relocate to her hometown because it is wired with high-speed fiber. On Tuesday, Lindahl and Paradeis were among those urging the Nebraska Public Service Commission to get more aggressive, and to move more quickly, in funding projects that will expand high-speed internet to more areas of Nebraska. A recent state task force found that while 90% of the state has access to broadband defined by the Federal Communications Commission as 25Mbps (megabits per second) download speed and 3Mbps upload speed only 63% of the states rural areas have the same connectivity. Fiber is no longer a luxury, its a necessary utility, said Kyle Arganbright, the mayor of Valentine. During the pandemic, Arganbright said he heard from local residents who could not work from home because of slow internet speeds and from students who could not participate in video chats. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Aug. 27 Trend: Gary Jones, BP Regional President for Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey sent a congratulatory letter to Mehriban Aliyeva, First Vice-President of the Republic of Azerbaijan. "Her Excellency Mrs. Mehriban Aliyeva, First Vice-President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Dear Mrs. Mehriban Aliyeva, On behalf of BP and its entire team I would like to wish you a happy birthday! Please accept my wishes for robust health, prosperity and continued success in your activity for the benefit of the Republic of Azerbaijan," the letter said. During a discussion entitled Social Policy of the Government During the Epidemic: Is it in the Interests of Citizens?, leader of the For Social Justice Party Arman Ghukasyan said his political party had initially said Armenia needs to work on creating a major reserve of medical accessories and use the latter to meet the demands of the vulnerable layers of society first. According to him, the authorities needed to consolidate the society and various forces around the crisis, but they didnt. They also needed to concentrate the existing resources and distribute them under the principle of social justice. As far as the governments anti-crisis programs are concerned, they werent very effective, he stated. Ghukasyan added that the authorities have initially given a wrong evaluation of the consequences and thought the crisis would only last one or two months, in spite of the serious signals from abroad. Sheriff and police in riot gear face off with protestors outside the County Courthouse during demonstrations against the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wis. on Aug. 25, 2020. (Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images) National Guard, Federal Officers Deployed to Kenosha President Donald Trump and Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers on Wednesday deployed almost 1,000 National Guard and over 200 federal law enforcement agents to Kenosha, Wisconsin, to help quell disturbances sparked by the Sunday shooting of Jacob Blake who was resisting police arrest. It follows the fatal shooting of two people Tuesday and a large amount of property damage across the city as riots and demonstrations enter their fourth night. President Trump condemns violence in all forms and believes we must protect all Americans from chaos and lawlessness, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said in a statement. This is why he is encouraging Democrat Governors to request the National Guard and federal law enforcement to augment their local law enforcement efforts. We have assisted Wisconsin in the deployment of almost 1,000 National Guard, she added. The Justice Department said separately that it had deployed more than 200 law enforcement agents to the city, including FBI and U.S. Marshals. Trump has been pushing Democratic governors to request National Guard and federal law enforcement support to deal with unrest that has followed the police-custody death of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25. Lawmakers representing Wisconsin had urged Gov. Tony Evers to accept the assistance, which he had refused on Tuesday after increasing the number of soldiers from 125 to 250. Trump and Evers reportedly spoke on Wednesday evening. TODAY, I will be sending federal law enforcement and the National Guard to Kenosha, WI to restore LAW and ORDER! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 26, 2020 We will NOT stand for looting, arson, violence, and lawlessness on American streets, Trump tweeted. My team just got off the phone with Governor Evers who agreed to accept federal assistance. Portland should do the same! TODAY, I will be sending federal law enforcement and the National Guard to Kenosha, WI to restore LAW and ORDER! he added. The unrest was triggered after a viral video appeared to show 29-year-old Blake, a black man, being shot at by police at close range. Police were responding to a domestic incident between Blake and his ex-girlfriend. A criminal complaint obtained by The Epoch Times showed Blake was charged last month for trespassing, third-degree sexual assault, and disorderly conduct. Blake was shot on Sunday after he escaped police attempts to restrain him with a stun gun and opened his car door. The shooting has left him paralyzed and fighting for his life, according to his family attorney. The attorney said Tuesday that it would take a miracle for him to walk again, calling for the officers who opened fire to be arrested and others involved to lose their jobs. The legal team plans to file a civil lawsuit against the police department over the shooting. Police are forwarding all inquiries about the shooting to the Wisconsin Department of Justice, which has launched an investigation in its Division of Criminal Investigation along with help from the FBI, the state patrol, and the Kenosha County Sheriffs Office. The division is aiming to provide investigative reports to a prosecutor within 30 days. The prosecutor would then decide whether to file charges or not. The state Department of Justice said on Wednesday: During the investigation following the initial incident, Mr. Blake admitted that he had a knife in his possession. DCI agents recovered a knife from the drivers side floorboard of Mr. Blakes vehicle. A search of the vehicle located no additional weapons. Read More Jacob Blake Had a Knife in His Car When He Was Shot by Police, Investigators Say Justice Department spokeswoman Kerri Kupec said on Twitter that extra agents sent to Wisconsin aimed to assist state and local law enforcement in the response to rioting and unrest and will continue to surge Kenosha with federal resources as needed and necessary. Zachary Stieber and Reuters contributed to this report. Neiman Marcus is seeking to take Marble Ridge to task for allegedly interfering in its ongoing reorganization in bankruptcy court. In a complaint filed in the case late Wednesday in Texas bankruptcy court, the retailer accused the hedge fund of pressuring a potential competitor from bidding in a key transaction part of the reorganization process. The retailer alleged that Marble Ridges conduct was a violation of its role, at the time, on the official creditors committee in the case. More from WWD The allegations in Neimans complaint track with findings earlier this month by the U.S. trustee in the case, who wrote that Marble Ridge managing partner and principal Dan Kamensky had tried to block the financial firm Jefferies Financial Group Inc. from bidding on shares of series B preferred stock in Mytheresa, the German luxury web site that Neimans had acquired in 2014. The United States Trustee uncovered dramatic wrongdoing even with limited time and document productions, Neimans wrote in its complaint Wednesday. The integrity of the process now demands that a full adversarial proceeding be prosecuted given the severity of Marble Ridges actions. Marble Ridge, which stepped down from the creditors committee as of August, is also in the process of winding down, a representative for the hedge fund confirmed this month. Neimans complaint sought a temporary restraining order to require Marble Ridge to set aside some $55 million to pay for potential damages and penalties for its conduct in the Neimans bankruptcy. The retailer argued that it wanted to ensure that Marble Ridge doesnt distribute the proceeds during its own wind-down process without leaving enough funds to pay those potential damages to Neimans. In a hearing Thursday evening, attorneys for Marble Ridge told the court they will agree to temporarily set aside the $55 million Neimans was seeking in the event the retailer prevails in the case. Story continues But a representative for Marble Ridge said in a statement Thursday that the company plans to fight Neimans allegations. Marble Ridge believes this action is meritless and will vigorously oppose the relief sought in the complaint, the representative said. Marble Ridge looks forward to presenting the facts to the court. The parties will convene again at a hearing in mid-September to discuss Neimans request for a preliminary injunction against Marble Ridge to secure the potential damages. At the hearing Thursday, U.S. bankruptcy judge David Jones, who is overseeing the case, underscored the seriousness of the allegations against the firm, and alluded to the possibility that Kamensky may face criminal charges for his conduct in the case. I have an assault on a process that I took an oath to protect, Judge Jones said. Based upon what is of record at present, I have more than a colorable case that there have been intentional violations of applicable civil and criminal laws that govern bankruptcy proceedings. The U.S. trustees report had laid out a contentious series of events, backed by chat transcripts and recordings of phone calls that show Kamensky asking a Jefferies employee to get the firm to back off from bidding in the transaction. The captured conversations between Kamensky and the employee also appear to show Kamensky later acknowledging the seriousness of those actions, while also arguing it had been a misunderstanding. The trustees report indicated that Jefferies ultimately submitted a bid for the assets after all. Jefferies had contemplated a 30-cent-per-share cash-out offer for the Mytheresa shares. Marble Ridge had itself indicated an offer that included backing the purchase of 60 million of those shares at 20 cents per share, according to previous court filings. Marble Ridge said Thursday it remains willing and able to discuss its currently pending offer to purchase the Mytheresa shares and is willing to participate in an open and transparent auction, according to its statement. Neimans complaint also took issue with Marble Ridges actions over the years, as the two companies battled over Neimans pre-bankruptcy transactions involving Mytheresa. For years, creditors including Marble Ridge had alleged that Neimans leveraged buyout sponsors Ares Management Corp. and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, which purchased the retailer for $6 billion in 2013, had moved the valuable Mytheresa asset from Neimans capital structure into another entity. Mytheresa isnt part of the ongoing bankruptcy proceedings. Marble Ridge had sued Neimans over the transfer, though that suit was later dismissed, but it also emerged as a vocal opponent during Neimans bankruptcy proceedings, challenging the actions of Ares and CPPIB, and demanding that unsecured creditors be allowed to pursue recoveries related to the Mytheresa transfer. Ares and Neimans have disputed the allegations, and argued in court documents that Marble Ridges accusations were part of a defamatory campaign. Nonetheless, the Mytheresa transfer was the subject of concurrent inquiries during the bankruptcy by the creditors committee and a disinterested manager that Neiman Marcus Group LTD LLC had designated earlier this year to investigate the Mytheresa transfer. Those inquiries led to findings by both, the creditors committee and Neimans designated manager, that the retailers bankruptcy estates could try to recover value related to the Mytheresa transactions. As part of proposed resolution last month to that dispute, meant to allow Neimans to complete its planned reorganization by September, Ares and CPPIB were to provide general unsecured creditors with the value of 140 million Mytheresa series B shares. It was those shares that Marble Ridge and Jefferies were seeking to bid on. The U.S. trustee in the case, whose role is to ensure parties in the case adhere to bankruptcy rules, took on an inquiry into Marble Ridges conduct this month, after a complaint by the official creditors committee about Kamenskys alleged conduct. Marble Ridge has continued to argue that it was right to take issue with the Mytheresa transaction. Marble Ridge believes this attempt to discredit Marble Ridge and interfere with its operations by concocting damages is vindictive retaliation and motivated by Marble Ridge having previously exposed wrongdoing of Neiman Marcus and its equity sponsors over the past two years, a representative for Marble Ridge said Thursday. Marble Ridges efforts have now been validated in the Neiman bankruptcy proceedings by separate investigations conducted by the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors and the Disinterested Manager appointed by Neiman Marcus to investigate the Sponsors misconduct. The Neimans reorganization plan confirmation hearing is scheduled in the case for Sept. 4. Rating Action: Moody's withdraws ratings of SCHMOLZ + BICKENBACH for business reasons Global Credit Research - 27 Aug 2020 London, 27 August 2020 -- Moody's Investors Service ("Moody's") has today withdrawn the Caa1 corporate family rating (CFR) and the Caa1-PD probability of default rating (PDR) of SCHMOLZ + BICKENBACH AG ("S+B") as well as the negative outlook on the ratings. Concurrently, Moody's withdrew the Caa1 instrument rating of the E350 million guaranteed senior secured notes due 2022 (of which E21.2 million remain outstanding) issued by S+B's wholly owned subsidiary SCHMOLZ+BICKENBACH Luxembourg Finance S.A. RATINGS RATIONALE Moody's has decided to withdraw the ratings for its own business reasons. Please refer to the Moody's Investors Service Policy for Withdrawal of Credit Ratings, available on its website, www.moodys.com. Swiss-based SCHMOLZ + BICKENBACH AG is a manufacturer, processor and distributor of special long steel products, operating with a global sales and services network in a niche market within the larger steel industry. In 2019, S+B reported revenues of E2.98 billion and adjusted EBITDA of E51.2 million. REGULATORY DISCLOSURES 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. Story continues 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. Maria Maslovsky Vice President - Senior Analyst Corporate Finance Group Moody's Investors Service Ltd. 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WATERLOO REGION The two local school boards will receive more than $9 million to help reopen schools safely following the federal governments $2 billion national funding plan announced Wednesday. The province will transfer about $3 million to the Waterloo Catholic District School Board and about $6.4 million to the Waterloo Region District School Board to fund things like hiring more teachers, extra transportation costs, remote learning, and special education and mental health. The additional funding means the Catholic board likely wont need to dip very far into its reserves to pay for its COVID-19 measures, according to chief financial officer Shesh Maharaj. Theyve really come through on this, said Maharaj of federal and provincial funding. He expects the money will be used to help reduce class sizes, a major point of concern for many parents, and the board is presently discussing what our reduction to class sizes will be. Matthew Gerard, treasurer of the Waterloo Region District School Board, said he was grateful for the extra funds. Were at this critical juncture and any additional funding is welcome, he said. It does alleviate some of the use of our reserves. This is how the funding breaks down for each board. Catholic $2,994,931 $877,482 for more teaching staff; $1,239,490 for emerging school reopening issues that the board will use to offset some transportation and technology costs; $533,824 for transportation costs such as masks, sanitizing wipes and deep cleaning; $181,387 for remote learning; $162,748 for special education and mental health costs. Public $6,394,169 $1,903,768 for more teaching staff; $2,857,865 for emerging school reopening issues; $452,160 for transportation costs; $915,001 for remote learning; $265,375 for special education and mental health costs. The federal funds will be rolled out in two instalments and could eventually see the province receive up to $763.3 million. The money comes with less than two weeks to go before school starts on Sept. 8. Education is a provincial jurisdiction, and the prime minister said the federal funding comes with no strings attached on how it must be spent. Over the past week or so, Ive heard from so many Liberal MPs, and so many parents across the country who are still extremely worried about how that reopening is going to go, Justin Trudeau said during his announcement in Toronto. Ontario Premier Doug Ford said afterwards We appreciate the money. Were grateful. Overall, the local Catholic board expects to spend about $10.7 million on COVID-19 measures this coming school year, on top of the $2.6 million it spent last year. The budget also includes holding $400,000 in reserve for unexpected future costs. The public board expects to spend more than $17 million this year on COVID-19, and is permitted by the province to access about $14.8 million of its own reserve funding to cover those costs. This federal funding will help close that gap, Gerard said. While the new federal funding will allow the board to hire a few additional teachers and improve distance learning, its unclear if it will be enough to reduce class sizes, Gerard said. Curaleaf's 30th Location in Florida Will Bring Best-Selling Select Products to More Local Patients WAKEFIELD, Mass., Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Curaleaf Holdings, Inc. (CSE: CURA) (OTCQX: CURLF) ("Curaleaf" or the "Company"), a leading vertically integrated cannabis operator in the United States, today announced the opening of Curaleaf Tampa, the second of three new dispensaries the company is opening in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metropolitan area this quarter. Curaleaf Tampa, located at 3030 W. Gandy Blvd., opens today as Curaleaf's 89th dispensary in the U.S., and 30th location in Florida, one of the nation's fastest-growing medical cannabis markets in the country. Earlier this month, Curaleaf opened its Clearwater location (2082 Gulf to Bay Blvd.) and will be announcing its 31st Florida location in September. Like all Curaleaf dispensaries, these three new Tampa-area locations will provide patients with a destination for compassionate guidance, education, and a variety of high-quality cannabis products so they can consume cannabis with ease, clarity, and confidence. Curaleaf is committed to serving the growing base of 394,000 registered medical patients in Florida, which is one of the nation's fastest-growing medical cannabis markets in the country. Earlier this month, Curaleaf began selling Select, America's #1 cannabis oil brand. Select Elite Live, which features high quality, high potency oil with a wide variety of strain-specific flavor and effects, quickly became a record-breaking best-selling product in the state. Curaleaf was also first-to-market with the launch of their discreet, berry-flavored Sublingual Tablets, a Florida market exclusive. "Tampa is a unique and diverse community that we look forward to serving as Curaleaf expands our retail footprint in the market," said Joe Bayern, President at Curaleaf. "Our South Tampa dispensary allows us to further build a sense of community with our patients and expands their access to high-quality brands like Select." The opening of Curaleaf's new stores in Florida comes as the state begins its economic recovery from COVID-19, which pushed Florida's unemployment rate from 2.8% in February 2020 to 10.4% in June 2020. Each of the new dispensaries have hired an average of 11 employees, bringing the total number of jobs created by Curaleaf across the state to 722. According to Leafly, the cannabis industry is adding jobs at a rate of 15% per year, accounting for 16,000 Florida residents that are currently employed by the cannabis industry. In response to COVID-19, Curaleaf offers curbside service upon request and contactless and cashless payment through approved credit and debit card services to keep patients, customers, and employees safe during this time. To see Curaleaf's dispensary locations in Florida, along with hours of operation and contact information, please visit www.curaleaf.com/locations/#florida. About Curaleaf Holdings, Inc. Curaleaf Holdings, Inc. (CSE: CURA) (OTCQX: CURLF) ("Curaleaf") is a leading vertically integrated U.S. multi-state cannabis operator with a mission to improve lives by providing clarity around cannabis and confidence around consumption. As a high-growth cannabis company known for quality, expertise and reliability, the company and its brands, including Curaleaf and Select, provide industry-leading service, product selection and accessibility across the medical and adult-use markets. Curaleaf currently operates in 23 states with 89 dispensaries, 22 cultivation sites and over 30 processing sites, and employs over 3,000 people across the United States. Curaleaf is listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange under the symbol CURA and trades on the OTCQX market under the symbol CURLF. For more information please visit www.curaleaf.com. INVESTOR CONTACT Curaleaf Holdings, Inc. Dan Foley, VP, Finance and Investor Relations [email protected] MEDIA CONTACT Curaleaf Holdings, Inc. Tracy Brady, VP Corporate Communications [email protected] FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS This media advisory contains forwardlooking statements and forwardlooking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. These statements relate to future events or future performance. All statements other than statements of historical fact may be forwardlooking statements or information. Generally, forward-looking statements and information may be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", " expects" or, "proposed", "is expected", "intends", "anticipates", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases, or by the use of words or phrases which state that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, or might occur or be achieved. More particularly and without limitation, this news release contains forwardlooking statements and information concerning the retail expansion of Curaleaf in Florida. Such forward-looking statements and information reflect management's current beliefs and are based on assumptions made by and information currently available to the company with respect to the matter described in this new release. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, which are based on current expectations as of the date of this release and subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. Additional information about these assumptions and risks and uncertainties is contained under "Risk Factors and Uncertainties" in the Company's latest annual information form filed September 23, 2019, which is available under the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com, and in other filings that the Company has made and may make with applicable securities authorities in the future. Forward-looking statements contained herein are made only as to the date of this press release and we undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. We caution investors not to place considerable reliance on the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. The Canadian Securities Exchange has not reviewed, approved or disapproved the content of this news release. SOURCE Curaleaf Holdings, Inc. Related Links https://www.curaleaf.com Two mothers who turned an online disagreement about COVID-19 restrictions into a wild physical fight outside one of their homes are deeply embarrassed by their behaviour. The women from Sydney's northern beaches were taken to hospital after a meeting to continue a petty online argument over coronavirus escalated into a violent brawl. Mengli Jiang, 33 and Jing Liu, 36, began a heated debate about the risks of COVID-19 in a WeChat mothers' group conversation on January 28 in the early days of the pandemic. Mengli Jiang, 33, arrives at Manly Local Court on Thursday where she pleaded guilty to an assault charge over her punch up with another Sydney northern beaches mother over coronavirus travel bans Jing Liu, 36, leaves the court after pleading guilty to common assault. Charges of affray were levied against both women but later withdrawn 'A topic which was brought up within the group was the "coronavirus" epidemic having spread through parts of China, with multiple persons having been infected,' a police statement of facts said. 'A verbal argument has commenced in the group chat, with [Jiang and Liu] bickering back and forth relating to their personal views on the issue of the "coronavirus" and reducing contamination in Australia. '[Jiang] provided her address by way of a pin drop and [Liu] made her way in her car to [Jiang's] house in Brookvale.' But instead of resolving their earlier disagreement Jiang and Liu took it to the next level, with pushing, slapping, kicking and pulling each other's hair on the street. A Northern Beaches Police Area Command post on Facebook days later described the combatants launching at each other shortly after 8pm. Liu holds a man's hand as she approaches the courthouse hours after Jiang arrived and waited Liu, from Dee Why, required a scan for a possible brain injury and was treated for a shoulder injury and a cut to her arm 'The argument quickly escalated from verbal to physical; pushing, slapping, hair pulling and finally both on the ground, briefly unconscious, all despite the efforts of bystanders trying to intervene,' the post said. Those bystanders were two other members of the mothers' group, which had about 200 members and to which Jiang and Liu had belonged for about 18 months. 'You guys need to talk,' one of the others told the pair. 'You're misunderstanding each other.' But the fighting continued, with Liu kicking Jiang, more hair pulling and both falling to the ground and hitting their heads. Police and paramedics were called to the Consul Road North address and both women were taken to Northern Beaches Hospital. Liu, from Dee Why, required a scan for a possible brain injury and was treated for a shoulder injury and a cut to her arm. She and Jiang had scratched knees. Northern Beaches police were unimpressed with the women's behaviour and posted this message on social media after the January 18 incident Jiang underwent X-rays for a shoulder injury as well as treatment for cuts, bruising and swelling to her arms, upper body and neck. The women were originally both charged with affray but those charges were withdrawn and each pleaded guilty to common assault. Jiang and Lie appeared in Manly Local Court on Thursday when their lawyers asked that their clients be spared criminal convictions. Barrister Evan James, for Liu, said the offences had occurred in the context of 'a particularly anxious time' when it was unclear where coronavirus had come from and how bad it would get. 'These were not usual times,' Mr James said. 'It was not the usual lead-up to an offence. 'Speakly frankly, Your Honour, my client acted like a goose.' Mr James said his client had behaved 'impulsively' in a stressful situation. 'Neither party expected things to kick off as they did, to use the colloquial expression,' he said. 'It was never intended to degenerate the way that it did.' Jiang underwent X-rays for a shoulder injury as well as treatment for cuts, bruising and swelling to her arms, upper body and neck after the brawl Fahim Khan, for Jiang, said there was no good explanation for his client's behaviour and her response to the aggressive situation had been 'disproportionate'. Both women had shown great remorse for their actions and were deeply embarrassed by their conduct, their lawyers said. Police prosecutor Sergeant Scott Williams argued the fight appeared to have been premeditated. 'Ms Jiang and Ms Liu knew what they were walking into,' he said. 'It was obvious from the chat in the group that this was going to be the outcome. 'This occurred at a very uncertain time for the vast majority of the people in society. A time where it was necessary for everyone to come together and work together. 'Unfortunately a disagreement like this has resulted in what it has.' Sergeant Williams conceded the fight was over quickly, rather than being a 'ten minute battle', but asked magistrate Scott Nash to convict the pair. 'Your Honour needs, in my respectful submission, to send a message to the community that fights such as this aren't acceptable and won't be tolerated,' he said. Both women wrote letters of apology to the magistrate. 'I am incredibly remorseful for being part of this incident and for appearing before you today,' Liu said. Jiang wrote: 'With hindsight, it is easy to see how this incident could have and should have been avoided.' 'With a calmer head I could have completely avoided the in-person meeting and this matter would not be here before you today.' Jiang speaks with a man outside the court, both wearing face masks, before the hearing The women had been excused from early court appearances due to protocols put in place for COVID-19. Jiang was assisted by a Mandarin interpreter on Thursday. Mr Scott found the fight was not premeditated and was at the lower end of seriousness but said it was not a trivial offence. 'Although it was quick it did result in injuries,' he said. 'It should go without me having to say when you disagree with someone you resolve your disagreements by the book. 'You don't take the law into your own hands and you certainly do not resolve your differences through violence. Unfortunately, that is what you chose to do.' Mr Scott put each woman on the two-year good behaviour bond without recording a conviction. At the time of the fight Wuhan, the capital of China's central Hubei province, was still the main focus of coronavirus, which had killed only 106 carriers and spread to just 14 other countries. According to a World Health Organisation report, 4,537 of 4,593 global cases of coronavirus on January 28 were in China. There were still only seven confirmed cases in Australia on January 29. From January 31, foreign nationals flying in from China were required to have spent a fortnight in a third country before being allowed into Australia. Amid the coronavirus pandemic, Egypt has coordinated with development partners to bring critical support to its healthcare system Egypts Ministry of International Cooperation managed to secure $500 million in finances over the past eight months from international financial institutions in order to support the healthcare sector amid the Covid-19 crisis, the ministry said in a statement Thursday. Amid the challenges Egypt is facing due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the ministry has been keen on strengthening international collaboration to support both short term crisis response and long-term inclusive and sustainable recovery, according to the statement. The finances were directed towards the provision of protective equipment, supplies for medical teams and isolation hospitals, strengthening the capacity of the Egyptian Red Crescent, training medical personnel, and improving public awareness of the crisis, according to the statement. Minister of International Cooperation Rania Al-Mashat stated that these efforts came as a result of the forward-looking strategy, the New Global Partnership Narrative, that the ministry has adopted since the onset of the crisis, to prioritise strong cooperation for the achievement of UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), adding that it is a new vision that focuses on three pillars namely, People at the Core, Projects in Action, and Purpose as the Driver amid the push for a human-centered economy. Covid-19 should not derail each countries efforts in achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals particularly Goal 7 for good health and wellbeing, Goal 17 for partnerships, which focuses on knowledge sharing and cooperation for access to science, technology and innovation, and Goal 5 for gender equality through empowering women to have equal rights to job opportunities, Al-Mashat said. The World Banks board of executive directors approved a fund of $400 million to be implemented in six governorates to strengthen Universal Health Insurance System (UHIS)-related governance and institutions and provide temporary financial protection against high out of pocket health expenditures for vulnerable populations. Al-Mashat also signed an agreement with the World Bank Group worth $50 million as part of the Emergency Response Project to combat the Covid-19 pandemic in coordination with the Ministry of Health and Population. The ministry also succeeded in reallocating $7.9 million to combat the Covid-19 within the framework of a major agreement signed with the World Bank worth 530 million euros to develop the health sector in Egypt, according to the statement. Further, Al-Mashat amended an agreement with the French Development Agency for primary healthcare amounting to 15 million euros (equivalent to $17 million) to purchase medical and protective equipment, according to the statement. An urgent grant of $500,000 was obtained from the African Development Bank's special aid fund to contribute to providing food supplies for the most vulnerable, especially temporary workers, in light of the Covid-19 crisis, according to the statement. Based on its strong partnership with the United States, USAID provided 250 ventilators to support the capacities of Egyptian hospitals during the pandemic through a grant of around $8 million divided into two tranches: the first tranche includes 100 ventilators, according to the statement. Search Keywords: Short link: YEREVAN, AUGUST 27, ARMENPRESS. International law and human rights expert Siranush Sahakyan is calling on authorities to contact international humanitarian law organizations over Azerbaijans treatment of the captive officer Gurgen Alaverdyan, particularly over the video where he is seen forcibly reading a pre-written text on camera in Azerbaijani captivity. Its obvious from the video that our officer is reading the text, she said. Basically they forced him through violence and threats to do so. Of course, the Azerbaijanis claim the false version that a raid had taken place, which is false, Sahakyan told ARMENPRESS. Sahakyan says she has an impression from the video that an interest is being artificially created around the person, which is inadmissible. This all is taking place under terror and threats, which means that the life and health of the prisoner of war are in danger. The violation of these rules contradicts the Geneva Conventions and in case of consistency it is possible to advance the issue of holding the Azerbaijani commanding personnel to account, she said. Sahakyan says the OSCE must draw attention to the incident. I believe that human rights organizations must react to such incidents, at least through political statements, Siranush Sahakyan said. Armenian military officer Gurgen Alaverdyan was taken prisoner by Azerbaijani troops on August 24 after getting lost in severe fog at an outpost. The Azerbaijani media then released a video where Alaverdyan is seen reading a text for the camera. The Armenian Defense Minister contacted Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk and noted that the videos made by Azerbaijan constitute a violation of international humanitarian law. Reporting by Lilit Demuryan; Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan Education reform advocate and public school teacher Rebecca Friedrichs addresses the Republican National Convention virtually on Aug. 24, 2020. (Courtesy of the Committee on Arrangements for the 2020 Republican National Committee via Getty Images) Biden Big on Unions, Expanding Labor; Trump Supports Choice WASHINGTONPublic school teacher Rebecca Friedrichs gave a disparaging account of teachers unions during her speech at the Republican National Convention on Aug. 24. Our voices have been silenced for decades by unions who claim to represent us. They do not, she said. During her 28-year career in California, Friedrichs said she was forced to pay dues to the California Teachers Association and the National Education Association, despite opposing their agendas. She accuses unions of using dues from unsuspecting teachers to push a radical agenda in classrooms, and actively working to defeat charter schools and school choice. The only way to keep a free republic is with a well-educated, moral citizenry that can self-govern. Unions are subverting our republic, so they undermine educational excellence, morality, law and order, Friedrichs said. President Donald Trump has advocated for both charter schools and school choice, as well as suggesting public school funding should follow the child, rather than be poured directly into schools. The Supreme Court decided in 2018 that public sector employees couldnt be forced to pay union dues, as it would violate their First Amendment rights of free speech and assembly. Alternatively, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is a fierce advocate for unions and promises to help strengthen and assist unions to proliferate in all industries, including the clean energy, agriculture, and manufacturing sectors. We will increase funding and staffing at the Department of Labor to aggressively enforce wage, hour, health, and safety rules across the economy, the 2020 Democratic Party platform states. We know that strong American labor unions help increase wages and job standards for workers across the economy, which is why Democrats will prioritize passing the PRO Act and restoring workers rights, including the right to launch secondary boycotts. The PRO Act, or Protecting the Right to Organize Act, was introduced by Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.) in 2019 and was approved by the House in February. The legislation would prohibit employers from replacing strikers, or take action against them; would classify more independent contractors as employees; would force employers to give labor unions the personal contact details of their employees, without the employees consent; and would essentially override right to work laws in the 27 states that have them. The PRO Act is in line with the 2020 Democratic platform, which states: We will repeal so-called right to work laws that undermine worker power and lead to lower wages and less protection for workers across the economy, and ensure those who have been left without wage and hour protections for decadesincluding domestic workers and farmworkershave the same rights as other workers. However, a study by the National Institute for Labor Relations Research published last October found that job growth in right-to-work states was double of that in forced-union states between 2008 and 2018. The number of welfare recipients in forced-unionized states was three times higher than in right-to-work states in 2018. Right-to-work states recorded 1.5 percent growth in number of residents aged 35 to 54 from 2008 to 2018, while non-right-to-work states sustained a 7.9 percent loss over the same period. The Economic Policy Institute (EPI) published a report on Aug. 25 that advocates for unions and workers collective action. The reports authors support the passage of the PRO Act, as well as other pro-labor legislation. The right to a union is a racial justice issue, as well as an economic justice issue, said Celine McNicholas, a report author and EPIs director of government affairs. The authors found that unionized workers earn on average 11.2 percent more in wages than nonunionized peers (workers in the same industry and occupation with similar education and experience). They also say that unions help to decrease racial disparities in pay. But critics say unions function as labor cartels. A labor cartel restricts the number of workers in a company or industry to drive up the remaining workers wages, James Sherk, a labor economics research fellow, wrote for The Heritage Foundation. They also retard economic growth and delay recovery from recession. Over time, unions destroy jobs in the companies they organize and have the same effect on business investment as does a 33 percentage point corporate income tax increase. Trump has been endorsed by the National Border Patrol Council, the National Association of Police Organizations, and several other police unions, while Biden has been endorsed by 40 labor unions, including the AFLCIO. WASHINGTON Republicans spent the third night of their convention promoting their law-and-order agenda and trying to appeal to women voters whom President Donald Trump will need to win reelection. They showcased military veterans, national security officials, and police officers talking about how Republicans love the country by embracing its heroes. The speakers accused Democrats of allowing chaos and unrest in the name of racial justice. "Democrats spent four days attacking America," Vice President Mike Pence said during his speech at Fort McHenry in Baltimore, referring to the Democratic convention last week. "Joe Biden said we were living through a season of American darkness. But as President Trump said, 'where Joe Biden sees American darkness, we see American greatness.'" RNC live: GOP hits law and order theme, Pence attacks Biden The evening also revolved around women who said Trump had empowered them. Presidential adviser Kellyanne Conway, White House spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany and the president's daughter-in-law Lara Trump shared personal stories, describing Trump as compassionate and someone who supported them. "They made me feel like I was home," said Lara Trump as she laid out her connection to the family after she married Trump's son, Eric. "Walking the halls of the Trump Organization, I saw the same family environment. I also saw the countless women executives who thrived there, year after year. Gender didn't matter. What mattered was the ability to get the job done." Here are key takeaways from Wednesday night: Pence: Election will determine if 'American remains America' Vice President Mike Pence slammed Joe Biden, saying the Democratic presidential nominee's proposals would leave Americans unsafe and vulnerable, calling him "a Trojan Horse for the radical left." "President Donald Trump and I will always support the right of Americans to peaceful protest, but rioting and looting is not peaceful protest, tearing down statues is not free speech, and those who do so will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," Pence said. Story continues "Last week, Joe Biden didnt say one word about the violence and chaos engulfing cities across this country, so let me be clear: the violence must stop whether in Minneapolis, Portland, or Kenosha," Pence said. US Vice President Mike Pence (R) arrives with wife Second Lady of the US Karen Pence before speaking during the third night of the Republican National Convention at Fort McHenry National Monument in Baltimore, Maryland, August 26, 2020. He added: "We will have law and order on the streets of this country for every American of every race and creed and color." 'Miracle around the corner': Mike Pence vouches for Donald Trump's pandemic response as election nears Mike Pence: We need the American people's help to fight coronavirus now While touting Trump's work on the economy, military, international trade deals and performance during the coronavirus pandemic, Pence compared that to Biden, who he dubbed a "cheerleader for communist China," claiming Biden would allow "open borders," supports "taxpayer funding of abortion" and would back cutting funds to law enforcement agencies. "The hard truth is you wont be safe in Joe Bidens America. Under President Trump, we will always stand with those who stand on the Thin Blue Line, and were not going to defund the police not now, not ever," Pence said. "Last week, Joe Biden said democracy is on the ballot, and the truth is our economic recovery is on the ballot, law and order are on the ballot." He claimed that the election would be a "crossroads" for the country, explaining "the choice in this election is whether America remains America." The country has been wracked by strife and division since the May 25 death of George Floyd at the hands of the Minneapolis Police. The incident sparked national protests over police brutality and racial injustice in numerous communities and prompted efforts so far, unsuccessful in Congress to implement policing reforms. The latest incident took place in Kenosha, Wisconsin when police shot a Black man, Jacob Blake, multiple times in the back and left him paralyzed, sparking further unrest. Kellyanne Conway: Trump helped me 'shatter a barrier' in politics Kellyanne Conway, one of the president's longest-serving advisers, credited Trump with having helped her "shatter a barrier in the role of politics" with her role in 2016 as his campaign manager. Conway, who announced this week she was leaving the White House to focus on her family, has been one of Trump's most visible aides but did not discuss her departure in her remarks. Instead, she focused on women, a theme throughout the Republican convention to appeal to more women a demographic that polls have shown has veered away from Trump. "For many of us, women's empowerment is not a slogan. It comes not from strangers on social media or sanitized language in a corporate handbook. It comes from the everyday heroes who nurture us, who shape us, and who believe in us," she said. Conway also talked about Trump's interactions with families who have suffered amid the opioid crisis. "He picks the toughest fights and tackles the most complex problems. He has stood by me. And he will stand up for you," she said. Conways stepping back: Kellyanne Conway leaving White House to focus on family; George Conway stepping away from Lincoln Project 'You think he should just take that sitting down?': Kellyanne Conway defends Trump in feud with husband Kellyanne Conway's husband, conservative attorney George Conway, has been one of Trump's fiercest critics and is a co-founder of the Lincoln Project, a group of anti-Trump Republicans that is working to defeat the president. At the same time Kellyanne Conway announced she was leaving her White House role, George Conway said was going to step away from his role with the Lincoln Project. George Conway's public feuds with Trump and Kellyanne Conway's high-profile role have put the couple in the spotlight. Their 15-year-old daughter Claudia has made waves on social media over the past few months with her left-leaning views in TikTok videos and posts about her parents. She tweeted last week she was seeking a legal emancipation from her parents. White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany gets personal White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany gave a more personal speech in her convention appearance, praising Trump's support when she had a preventive mastectomy and then a baby shortly afterward. A former campaign spokeswoman who became White House press secretary this year, McEnany has spoken openly about the genetic mutation that made her vulnerable to breast cancer. She spoke in her speech about the preventative mastectomy she had on May 1, 2018. "As I came out of anesthesia, one of the first calls I received was from Ivanka Trump. As I recovered, my phone rang again. It was President Trump calling to check on me. I was blown away. Here was the leader of the free world, caring about my circumstance," McEnany said. White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany pre-records her address to the Republican National Convention from inside an empty Mellon Auditorium on August 26, 2020 in Washington, DC. McEnany, who has spoken at political rallies and urged women to support Trump, now has a daughter who is nine months old. Choosing a preventative mastectomy was "the hardest decision" she has made, McEnany said, but supporting Trump "was the easiest." "I want my daughter to grow up in President Donald Trumps America," McEnany said. Joni Ernst, Kristi Noem slam 'Democrat-run cities' and 'coastal elites' Powerful women from the Midwest played a starring role Wednesday night, with Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem taking the podium. Ernst, one of the few endangered Republican lawmakers who had a speaking role at the convention, highlighted the president's work on agriculture and his trade deals and described what the future could look like under Democrats. Many fellow senators who are running close races in states like Maine, Colorado, Montana and North Carolina have maintained a distance from the convention and even the president in recent months as Trump's approval ratings have sagged. "Folks, this election is a choice between two very different paths," Ernst said. "Freedom, prosperity, and economic growth, under a Trump-Pence administration. Or, the Biden-Harris path. Paved by liberal coastal elites and radical environmentalists. An America where farmers are punished, jobs are destroyed, and taxes crush the middle class." Screen grab from Republican National Convention video stream) Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, speaks during the Republican National Convention at the Mellon Auditorium in Washington, D.C. 2020 Senate races: Here are the contests to watch as the COVID election comes into focus More: GOP senators tiptoe around Trump as the party faces growing political dangers ahead of Nov. 3 Noem, who has become a high-profile ally of the president in recent months and emceed Trumps July 4th celebration last month at Mount Rushmore, pulled no punches in attacking Biden and Democrats. "From Seattle and Portland to Washington and New York, Democrat-run cities across this country are being overrun by violent mobs," Noem said. "The violence is rampant. Theres looting, chaos, destruction, and murder. People that can afford to flee have fled. But the people that cant - good, hard-working Americans - are left to fend for themselves." GOP assembles lineup of police officers to highlight heroes The message throughout the convention Wednesday night was clear: Republicans honor heroes like police officers, veterans, and nurses while Democrats do not. Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and their radical allies try to destroy these heroes, because if there are no heroes to inspire us government can control us, Tennessee GOP Sen. Marsha Blackburn said. You will never cancel our heroes. Wednesdays lineup of speakers included Texas Rep. Dan Crenshaw (a decorated former SEAL), Ret. Army Gen. Keith Kellogg (Pence's National Security Advisor), the head of the National Association of Police Organizations, and New York Rep. Lee Zeldin who delivered his remarks from a local VFW lodge. In this image from video, Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, speaks from Houston, during the third night of the Republican National Convention on Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2020. While some speakers spent much of their air time denouncing Biden as anti-military (despite having a son as an Army officer), others like Crenshaw opted for a less combative approach by saying America was full of heroes. Its the nurse who volunteers for back to back shifts caring for COVID patients because she feels thats her duty, he said. "Its the parent who will re-learn algebra because theres no way theyre letting their kid fall behind while schools are closed. And its the cop that gets spit on one day and will save a childs life the next. And second lady Karen Pence, the mother of a Marine, highlighted military families who sacrifice continuously. Interview: Karen Pence talks about helping her own family and others deal with the mental stress of COVID-19 "Military spouses may experience frequent moves, job changes, periods of being a single parent while their loved one is deployed - all while exhibiting pride, strength, and determination and being a part of something bigger than themselves," Pence said. "To all of the military spouses, thank you." Trump has touted his support for the military but hes also drawn bipartisan fire for trying to undermine the NATO alliance and for pulling troops out of Syria, a move that prompted the resignation of Defense Secretary James Mattis. And his decision to grant clemency last year to three controversial military figures facing charges of war crimes was controversial within the armed forces. More: Trump says adding his face to Mount Rushmore would be a 'good idea.' It would likely be impossible More: 'Meth. We're On It.': South Dakota spends $449K on new anti-meth ad campaign Nun, coach question Bidens Catholicism Sister Dede Byrne, who served in the Army as a surgeon in Afghanistan and Egypt, said Trump was the biggest opponent of abortion in the countrys history. She contrasted that by calling Democrats Joe Biden and Kamala Harris the most ardent supporters of abortion rights ever. As a physician, I can say unequivocally life begins at conception, said Byrne, who called the rosary her "weapon" of choice. While what I have to say may be difficult for some to hear, I am saying it because Im not just pro-life, Im pro-eternal life and I want us all to end up in heaven someday together. One in five voters in 2016 were Catholic, according to the Pew Research Center. More than half (52%) voted for President Donald Trump while 44% voted for Hillary Clinton. In a June Pew Research Center survey, 52% of all Catholics supported Bidens candidacy although Trump was still carrying white Catholics. In October, a Catholic priest in South Carolina said he had denied Holy Communion to Biden because of the candidates views on abortion. Biden has dropped his longstanding support for the Hyde Amendment, which blocks federal funding for abortion in most cases. Lou Holtz, a former college football coach at Notre Dame University, also hit Biden on abortion and said he was among politicians who are Catholic in name only. Holtz said one of the key questions he considers in supporting a candidate is whether he deserves trust. I trust President Trump, Holtz said, because nobody has been a stronger advocate for the unborn than President Trump. Holtz said he couldnt say the same about Biden. Kenosha shooting: Juvenile arrested after 2 dead, 1 injured; federal agents to be deployed More: Jacob Blake was shot less than 3 minutes after Wisconsin police arrived at the scene, according to dispatch audio This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: RNC: Pence attacks Biden on law and order, Kellyanne Conway speaks From the slowdown in the economy and job losses, to the alleged mismanagement of the Covid-19 pandemic and the standoff with China in eastern Ladakh, the Opposition is getting battle-ready to take on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the monsoon session of the Parliament, according to multiple members familiar with the matter. HT reported on Wednesday that a truncated session is set to run from September 14 to October 1, as per recommendations made by the Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs. Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla has called a meeting on Thursday to finalise arrangements to conduct the session during the pandemic.This may include the use of at least 10 display screens for live proceedings, placards to indicate names of parties, and ultraviolet germicidal irradiation in the air conditioning system. While the BJP has prepared its own game plan to counter the Opposition offensive, the Congress and the Trinamool Congress will soon hold Parliamentary Party meetings to deliberate and strategise on how best to take on the ruling party. The Union government is looking to clear 11 ordinances, HT reported on Wednesday, that expire after six months if not replaced by Bills, which need to be passed in six weeks. Before Parliament begins, the Congress Parliamentary Party will meet and have a threadbare discussion about the best strategy to counter the BJP, said Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury. Trinamool Congress MP and spokesperson, Derek OBrien, too said that the party will deliberate and decide what subjects to take up. The main assertion is that the Parliament belongs to the Opposition and an appropriate amount of time should be given so that all issues can be addressed, OBrien said. Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam MP Sumathy Thamizhachi Thangapandian and Rashtriya Janata Dal MP Manoj Jha, too, said that an adequate amount of time should be made available for discussion on the floor of the House. According to Chowdhury, the claims that China has occupied Indian territory in Ladakh will be a central issue in the proceedings of the House. The Congress has been attacking the BJP for being in denial about the incursion. DMK MP Sumathy also said that the government will have to answer for the loss of the life of 20 Indian soldiers in the bloody face-off with Chinas PLA, which also lost an unspecified number of soldiers. The Chinese statement clearly shows that there has been an incursion, said Jha. Then why is the government in denial, why are they fixated on a trial balloon diplomacy. The parties also contended that the government has failed to adequately address the Covid crisis, leading to job losses across the spectrum, and especially for migrant workers. Unemployment is at an all time high, said Chowdhary. The government will have to explain why the youth do not have jobs anymore. The leaders argued that the governments handling of the Covid-19 crisis has had a cascading effect on the economy and the country, and called for a road map to fix the economy, something it has failed to do till now. Two other issues set to come up are passing of executive orders to clear the National Education Policy (NEP), the draft Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), and setting up the PM-Cares fund, though the Supreme Court last week ruled that money from the fund does not need to be transferred to the National Disaster Response Fund. Why are there 11 ordinances? Has India become an Ordinance Raj, said a TMC MP who asked not to be named. The leaders said that the turning of Jammu & Kashmir into a virtual prison will also be taken up, along with the issue that several states are not getting Goods and Services Tax dues on time. The RJDs Jha said that the truncated session may limit the Oppositions ability to question the multiple executive decisions taken by the government, while Chowdhury said that the House must not be disempowered, pointing to the plan to do away with Question Hour, which he said was integral to the functioning of the House. BJP MP Rakesh Sinha said that in recent years obstructionism and cynicism acquired centrality of opposition politics. Narendra Modis popularity graph went up not only in India but also in international arena due to his role to manage crisis emanated from Covid 19. He succeeded in isolating China in international fora by aggressively questions its policy of Expansionism. Director CSDS Sanjay Kumar said that the time will be utilised by the government to try and push their legislations through, but there is host of issues that the opposition can pick up. The issues are related, said Kumar. A discussion on the failure of the government to handle the Covid crisis can easily lead to a conversation about the economic slowdown and the plight of migrants. The opposition will try and corner the government over it but whether they will be successful or not, we will have to wait and see. Recommendations into police raids on journalists and media organisations tabled by an Australian parliamentary committee on August 26 have rejected the proposal of exemptions for journalists from laws that would put them in jail. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its Australian affiliate, the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA) are disturbed that journalists still face harsh penalties for doing their jobs. The inquiry followed raids on the home of a News Corporation journalist and the offices of the ABC in June 2019. While the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security did raise concerns that there was not enough legal rigour in approving search warrants, it recommended that warrants can still be issued for police raids on journalists and media companies without those warrants being challenged. The inquiry also made several welcome recommendations, including support for defamation law reform, journalist shield laws and improvements to freedom of information. The MEAA has welcomed the proposal to improve public interest disclosure arrangements for public servants and will examine the proposal for improved exchanges of information with government departments and their media liaison personnel. The inquiry followed an industry-wide campaign by the Right to Know coalition of media organisations, including News Corp, the ABC, Nine, Seven, SBS and The Guardian, calling for six reforms to ensure the public was kept informed. MEAAs Media President Marcus Strom said: Despite a year-long inquiry into the impact of security laws on the publics right to know, journalists still face jail for legitimate news reporting in the public interest. We still have a situation where journalists are considered guilty before the law. It should be up to the government agency to prove a case, not for a free media to prove it hasnt breached any laws." The IFJ said: Any attempt to criminalise the legitimate work of journalists and penalise their confidential sources is deeply disturbing. There is an urgent need for broader reforms to protect press freedom and the public's right to know." Ajay Kanth By Express News Service KOCHI: Every day, the 7-year-old daughter of Tomy Thomas asks, When will my mother come?And Tomy, a Thodupuzha native, gives a routine reply: Soon. Since December 2019, 43-year-old Tomy has been knocking on the doors of many seeking support to raise blood money of Rs 70 lakh for the release of his 30-year-old wife Nimisha Priya who has been awarded death penalty by a court in Yemen in connection with the murder of a Yemeni citizen identified as Talal Abdu Mahdi. Also read: Kerala nurse, accused of chopping off her Yemeni husband into pieces, gets death sentence I dont know for how long I can keep convincing my daughter that her mother will come to see her soon. We never expected the court to deliver such a verdict as talks on a possible pardon after giving blood money have been on for quite some time. We couldnt give a statement to the court because we have no idea from where we can raise such a huge amount, Tomy, who drives an autorickshaw to eke out a living these days, told TNIE. The case of Nimisha, a Malayali nurse in Yemen, is not new to Keralites as she has been in the news since her murder trial began in 2017. She hasnt hid anything from me. It was our collective decision to start a clinic after I, along with our child, returned home on April 20, 2014. I had raised around Rs 35 lakh from various sources to help her start the clinic, Tomy said. They have decided to go for an appeal against the lower court order sentencing her to death, he said. Nimisha, who belongs to Palakkad, was found guilty of murdering Mahdi in 2017 and disposing his body in a water tank at her house after chopping the body into pieces. Nimisha was physically tortured by Yemen natl According to Tomy, Nimisha was a victim of physical torture and death threats at the hands of the Yemen national whom she befriended after he promised to be a sponsor for getting a licence to start a clinic in Yemen. We are looking at all legal options and seeking the support of the Indian Embassy to go for an appeal after the court in Sanaa pronounced the judgment, he said, adding both he and their daughter have not seen Nimisha since February 2015. She was here on a vacation in January 2015 and returned to Yemen on February 9, 2015. We had decided to join her by March that year. We couldnt get our visas processed because of a civil war which broke out in March in that country, Tomy said. He said Mahdi started showing his true nature after Nimisha launched the clinic with good initial returns. He even made a fabricated document showing that Nimisha was his wife. Though Nimisha approached him for help to start the clinic, it was the owner of the clinic where she worked earlier who helped her. His name was Abdul Lateef and the licence for the clinic was in his name. Mahdi made a lot of false accusations against my wife and started threatening her. She had even lodged a couple of complaints against Mahdi with the Yemen police, he said. Tomy says life has been cruel to him and the most torturous moments are the ones when someone mocks at him saying that he had become an autorickshaw driver to fool people. I am striving hard and the pandemic has affected my income. I havent told my child about her mothers issue. I am praying to God to help me bring my wife back to my daughter, he added. For months now, the Democrat-controlled mainstream media has cheered on the violence that followed George Floyd's fentanyl overdose while in police custody. In Democrat-run cities across American, mayors sympathized with the mobs on the streets. They would not act to stem the violence that has destroyed billions of dollars in public and private property and claimed several lives. Higher up the political chain, Democrat politicians refused to condemn the violence, instead blaming federal officers and (of course) President Trump. Suddenly, though, there's a change in the air. With Trump getting a bounce following the Democrat convention and getting an even greater bounce as the Republican convention plays out, Democrats in the media and elsewhere have realized that the average American is repelled, rather than enchanted, by a violent, bloody revolution in America's streets. This woman speaks for many Democrat voters who believe that any hope for a safer, brighter future lies with the Republicans, not the Democrats: "This convention just in the last two nights has awakened me that there is hope," says a Minnesota Democrat with anguish in her voice. "There are people that are willing to fight for us." #RNC2020 pic.twitter.com/MakR57ZmmG Matt Wolking (Text TRUMP to 88022) (@MattWolking) August 26, 2020 It's no wonder that, in an abrupt about-face, both the mainstream media and political leftists are calling out the rioters and the bullies. For general consumption, they condemn the violence. When speaking to the base, though, they don't condemn the violence. Instead, they tell the mob that their activities, rather than hurting Trump, are helping him. There's no concern for the lives destroyed and the cities ruined. It's all about positioning Biden for an election victory. The following videos reveal the two strategies. American welfare is clearly not part of the calculation. The most commented-upon video comes from Don Lemon, speaking to a sagely nodding Fredo Cuomo. Lemon essentially says, "Biden, speak up now, or you're going to screw up the election." The rioting has to stop... its showing up in the polling, its showing up in focus groups. Don Lemon pic.twitter.com/xiFsowHbhb JohnWMarxII (@JohnWMarxII) August 26, 2020 Sure enough, Biden responded to his marching orders and finally condemned the leftist mobs violence: Once again, a Black man Jacob Blake was shot by the police. In front of his children. It makes me sick. Is this the country we want to be? Needless violence wont heal us. We need to end the violence and peacefully come together to demand justice. pic.twitter.com/WdNqrxA3PK Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) August 26, 2020 Biden's being praised for speaking up, praise that is bovine fecal matter. This is too little, too late, and it's way too obviously unprincipled opportunism. If Biden's handlers had thought silence would help him at the polls, he wouldn't have opened his mouth. Even ordinary leftists such as this man whose business is being destroyed are figuring out that there's a problem: Windows of businesses and residential buildings being smashed on University Avenue which were not preemptively boarded up. This Papa Johns employee asks protesters, Do you want Trump to be elected? pic.twitter.com/IbSubGfGs6 Dylan Brogan (@telldylan) August 26, 2020 It's not just the riots that are a problem. The bullying is irking people too. Footage went viral of Black Lives Matter activists in D.C. intimidating diners, including a BLM-supporter who wouldn't raise her fist. (A WaPo reporter did a Twitter thread with actual facts about the event.) Mayor Muriel Bowser, who received leftist huzzahs in June for supporting the Lafayette Square mob when she thought it would hurt Trump, and even insisted last week that the protesters were "peaceful," is suddenly perturbed when D.C.'s white, upper-class, reliably Democrat voters are feeling the heat: Mayor Bowser continued: "We would encourage any diner or restaurant to call the police immediately." Fenit Nirappil (@FenitN) August 26, 2020 Leave it to the inestimable Glenn Reynolds to articulate what Trump knows and what Democrats, to their horror, are beginning to realize: TRUMP SAVES AMERICA FROM RACE WAR. Thinking about last night's Republican Convention today at the gym, I realized that Trump isn't just running for re-election: The story he's telling at the RNC is also about saving America from the race war that the left is trying to foment. The left wants it to be black vs. white, immigrant vs. native, etc. Trump's making clear that it's about people who are constructive, productive, and generally happy, vs. people who are destructive, parasitic, and generally miserable, and that that difference transcends things like race. This is a huge, underappreciated and very traditionally American message. By promoting it at this crucial time, Trump may very well be saving America. Democrats have sowed the wind. God willing, it will be their politicians, through a democratic process at the polls, who reap the whirlwind, rather than the American people as a whole. Image: Downward trending graph, by publicdomainvectors.org. Public Domain. TWIN FALLS Deer and elk hunters should see plenty of game in Idaho during fall hunts as mild winters have helped rebound mule deer herds hit hard in recent years, and Idahos elk herds continue to soar and harvests have come roaring back over the last six years. Mule deer In recent years, mule deer hunting has been on a bit of downswing, but 2020 could shape up to be a momentum changer. The three-year stretch of winters spanning from 2016-2019 was tough on many of Idahos mule deer herds, largely due to poor-to-average fawn survival including the second-lowest on record in 2016-17 and harvest numbers have reflected that trend. In 2019, Idaho hunters harvested 23,679 mule deer, 3,294 fewer than 2018, which is a decrease of about 12%. It was the lowest total since 2011, and about 15% lower than the 10-year average harvest of 27,964 animals. When you consider that about 80% of the mule deer in Idahos herds are between 1 and 3 years old, and take a look at the winter fawn survival numbers for the few years leading up to 2019, the dip in harvest was likely inevitable. The good news for Idaho mule deer hunters is that the statewide fawn survival data from last winter paints a brighter picture for 2020. Harsh winters tend to have more of an effect on mule deer than they do on elk. The flip side of that is when conditions are good, a deer herd can grow more rapidly than an elk herd, said Rick Ward, Deer/Elk Program Coordinator. Throughout southern Idaho this winter, we had above-average winter fawn survival, which bodes well for the upcoming mule deer season. About 63% of radio-collared fawns survived last winter, which is the highest number in four years and above the 20-year average of 57%. Couple that with the fact that, despite poor-to-average fawn survival from 2016-19, overwinter survival of does remained high (above 90%), and Fish and Game reduced antlerless hunting opportunities to further protect breeding-age does and prime the states mule deer herds for a rebound. The indications are there will likely be more young bucks available for hunters to pursue this fall. In the grand scheme of 2020 hunting season, that could be significant, because yearling, or two-point bucks (which were born last year), typically make up a significant portion of the buck harvest. All things considered, it will likely be a good year for mule deer hunters although they shouldnt expect any harvest records to be broken in 2020. While it was above average, the overwinter survival of this years crop of fawns is not going to make up for the poor survival we saw in 2016-17 and 2018-19 in one fell swoop, particularly in those areas that were hit hardest in those years, Ward said. But it is a positive sign for our mule deer herds and for hunters. It should be noted that fawn survival was not consistent throughout the state, so some areas were closer to average, and a few fell below. The number of animals available for hunters, as well as success rates, will vary significantly throughout mule deer country. While many of the mule deer herds around the state are in better shape this year than they were in 2019, Ward pointed out that hunter congestion could prove to be more prevalent this year, particularly in areas that are more popular with mule deer hunters. Because resident general deer tags are sold throughout the hunting season and unlimited for residents, its hard to project how many of resident hunters will be in the field come fall. If the speed at which nonresident general deer tags sold out this year (two months sooner than they did in 2019) is any indication, deer hunter numbers could also be up this year after dropping a bit from 2018 to 2019. Elk Idaho elk hunters enjoyed another year of excellent hunting in 2019, harvesting 20,532 animals statewide. Elk hunters in 2020 can expect that trend to continue. I think all indications are that this should be another very good elk season, Ward said. Fish and Game is currently meeting or exceeding its population goals for bull elk in 17 of 22 elk zones, and 16 out of 22 for cow elk, Ward said. The elk harvest in 2019 was down from the prior year by about 8%, but it was still good for fourteenth highest of all time, and fifth highest in the past decade. The statewide elk harvest has exceeded 20,000 annually for the last six years, which has not happened since the all-time high harvests between 1988-96. We are in the second Golden Age of Idaho elk hunting, Ward said. The distribution of elk has definitely changed since the 1980s and 90s, when there was that first pulse of high elk numbers and the Lolo Zone was leading the way. Thats not the case anymore, but now our elk populations in the front country particularly in southern Idaho are doing fantastic. As word has gotten out about the resurgence of elk hunting in Idaho, there has been a corresponding increase in the number of hunters, which have exceeded 100,000 annually over the last six years. Fish and Games generous allocation of over-the-counter, general hunt tags, and a broad range of antlered hunting opportunity, particularly for archery hunters, is appealing to resident and nonresident hunters. The allotment of nonresident elk tags sold out by June 17 this year. Its the fourth-straight year that has occurred, and its happened earlier each year. During 2019-20 winter, Fish and Game managers monitored 704 radio-collared elk in various parts of the state. Adult cow survival was 97% and calf survival was 73% up from 66% in the 2018-19 winter. The leading cause of mortality for elk calves was mountain lions, and for cow elk it was a tie between hunter harvest and mountain lions. Ward said that elk tend to be hardier than mule deer and capable of withstanding harsh winters. That typically makes elk populations easier for biologists to manage through hunting. As elk populations have redistributed and continue to grow in these front country areas, in some cases pushing the boundaries of social tolerance, it has presented wildlife managers with unique challenges. During the last season setting cycle in 2019, wildlife managers responded by offering increased elk-hunting opportunities in these areas, including general, either-sex hunts, over-the-counter cow tags, and generous antlerless controlled hunt tags. These expanded antlerless opportunities are a great way for hunters to put meat in the freezer while helping to manage elk populations, and its something they should take greater advantage of this year. One of the challenges we face in managing elk populations is getting enough hunters to hunt hard for and harvest antlerless elk in areas where we are working to bring elk herds back to the population objectives in the statewide elk plan, Ward said. White-tailed deer Theres a bit of irony when it comes to Idahos whitetail hunting. Its been so good for so long that good has become average. When you look back since 2004 when Idahos deer harvest statistics were segregated between whitetails and mule deer, whitetails were a smaller portion of the statewide deer harvest with mule deer being the majority of deer taken by hunters. But over the years, that proportion has shifted and whitetails now represent nearly half of the statewide deer harvest, despite 90% of whitetail harvest coming out of just two regions: the Panhandle and Clearwater. There are two main reasons for whitetails ascent. First, Idahos whitetails are abundant and resilient, which means theres a steady population of animals available to hunt. Secondly, Fish and Game offers long seasons, generous either-sex hunting opportunities, and unlimited general season tags for residents. Hunters took 21,540 whitetails in 2019 and had a 38% success rate. Whitetail harvest was still below mule deer (23,679), but whitetail hunters success rates were nine points higher than mule deer hunters. While 2019 whitetail harvest was down 14% from 2018 and the lowest since 2011, biologists said thats likely a normal variation in annual harvests, not a sign of declining whitetail populations. They point out that weather during hunting season can account for a 10 to 20% swing in harvest, and there have been no unusually harsh winters in the Panhandle and Clearwater regions that might have curbed the states largest whitetail populations. However, biologists are trying to learn more about Idahos whitetail populations and what drives them, as well as what might limit them. Theyve started a multi-year study so they can learn more about whitetail populations and become better at managing them to ensure healthy populations and meet hunters expectations. Whitetail hunters should expect good, or average, whitetail hunting in the state again in 2020. Winter weather was normal and there were no signs of excessive winter die-off. So far, theres no sign of an EHD or blue tongue outbreak, which are two diseases that can hit in late summer and kill lots of whitetails right before hunting season. With a little help from the weather and plenty of hunters in the woods, theres no reason the 2020 whitetails harvest cant bounce right back to around the 10-year average of 24,568 white-tailed deer. More hunting information Hunt details by game unit, harvest statistics, detailed maps of each unit, and hunt areas showing ownership and access can be found using Fish and Games Hunt Planner, or hunters can also contact regional Idaho Fish and Game offices. Here is a regional outlook compiled by regional wildlife managers and biologists for the Magic Valley region: Elk: For elk, we are above objectives across the board, and wildlife managers are continuing to try to reduce overall elk numbers in the region by providing over-the-counter antlerless elk opportunity. This is primarily to alleviate some of the primary property issues seen in the region. Elk harvest is largely going to be dictated by weather, especially the cow harvest. If we get some weather, were probably going to have pretty good harvest rates on cow elk. If not, it will be pretty similar to last year, which was a little bit frustrating. We did not have weather last year that was conducive to harvesting cow elk. Managers are hoping this year for a little bit of early snow that starts moving elk around. Mule Deer: The region is at objectives, but there was pretty good fawn survival last winter, and there are probably going to be a lot of yearlings in the deer herds this year. What hunters should be aware of for the fall: An overarching theme for the Magic Valley Region is that late summer conditions were extremely dry, and one of the things that hunters should note is that places that theyre used to hunting that maybe had some water, or were wet, might not be this year. Look for thermal cover avoiding the heat kind of thermal cover and spring seeps, meadows, etc. Along those lines, hunters should check in with the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management before they make big plans to go somewhere because access could be affected if there are wildfires in the area. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 The Indo-Pacific is the epicentre of "great power competition" with China which wants to project its power globally, Defence Secretary Mark Esper has said as he underlined America's efforts to strengthen ties with partners like India to get Beijing to respect the international rules-based order. Esper in his keynote address to the Daniel K Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies in Hawaii said that to advance the agenda of the ruling Chinese Communist Party, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) continues to pursue an aggressive modernisation plan to achieve a world-class military by the middle of the century. This will undoubtedly embolden the PLA's provocative behaviour in the South and East China Seas, and anywhere else the Chinese government has deemed critical to its interests, he said on Wednesday. China is engaged in hotly contested territorial disputes in both the South China Sea and the East China Sea. Beijing claims almost all of the 1.3 million square mile South China Sea as its sovereign territory. China has been building military bases on artificial islands in the region also claimed by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam. Unlike America's Armed Forces, the PLA is not a military that serves its nation or a Constitution rather, it serves a political entity, the Chinese Communist Party, in its attempts to undermine rules and norms across the globe, Esper said. In fact, China's global ambitions include establishing a security presence at strategic access points such as its base in Africa to enhance its ability to project power globally, and across all domains, Esper said. Esper said that the Indo-Pacific faces some of the world's most dynamic security challenges, to include a defiant North Korea; violent extremism; and a host of transnational threats such as piracy, human and arms trafficking, natural disasters, and now, a global pandemic. But most importantly, the Indo-Pacific is the epicentre of great power competition with China, said the US Defence Secretary. In addition to strengthening ties with allies, Esper said that the US is also looking to expand our engagement with new and emerging partners throughout South and Southeast Asia. For instance, we have upgraded defence relationship with India to a Major Defence Partnership, and we held our first-ever joint military exercise with them last year, along with combined naval exercises earlier this summer, he said. Additionally, this past spring, we conducted the second-ever US carrier visit to Vietnam in over four decades a sign of our deepening relationship, he added. The United States and its allies have taken decisive action to counter China's attempts to manipulate, disrupt, and undermine the technological edge, namely by denying access to its high-risk 5G vendors something Japan, Australia, and New Zealand did early on. I continue to encourage all like-minded partners to carefully consider their choices regarding telecommunications infrastructure, and assess the long-term, collective risks of using Chinese state-backed vendors, he said. As the Trump administration continues to implement its Indo-Pacific strategy, the US needs its allies and partners to contribute in ways that are fair and equitable, he said. We need them to pursue close alignment in policies that uphold a free and open order and reject decisions that would benefit malign actors to our collective detriment. "And, we need them to make the necessary investments to improve their capabilities so that, together, we can safeguard our interests, strengthen our readiness, and defend our sovereignty and values, Esper said. He alleged that under the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Beijing has repeatedly fallen short of its promises to abide by international laws, rules, or norms despite continuing to reap the benefits of the international system and free markets. Beijing's self-serving behaviour, however, is not isolated to just the Indo-Pacific region," he said. "Increasingly, our like-minded partners around the world are experiencing the CCP's systematic rule-breaking behaviour, debt-backed economic coercion, and other malign activities meant to undermine the free and open order that has benefitted nations of all sizes China included, Esper said. For example, China's illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing has wrought economic and ecological damage in the Caribbean and Latin America, Africa, the Pacific Islands, and beyond. Further, Beijing has failed to uphold its obligations under the World Trade Organisation, and hampered global efforts to control the coronavirus pandemic due to its lack of transparency with the World Health Organisation, he added. China seeks to undermine the free and open order itself, which impacts every nation supporting and benefitting from this system. That is why this institution's forward location and unique role on the front lines of our long-term competition here in the Indo-Pacific is so important, he said. Esper said that one of the major ways that the US is enhancing interoperability and bolstering its partners' capabilities is through an improved and expanded Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programme. We are providing F-35 aircraft to Japan, Seahawk and Apache helicopters to India, and F-16 fighter jets and M1 Abrams tanks to Taiwan, to name a few examples, he said. Further, we continue to make progress in deepening our defence relationships across the region," he said. (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.) Pakistan said on Thursday that it was not legally possible to allow a lawyer from India to represent Indian prisoner on death row Kulbhushan Jadhav in a court in this country. Pakistan Foreign Office spokesman Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri was asked at the weekly press briefing about India's demand to appoint a local counsel to plead Jadhav's case in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) which announced that it would the case on September 3. "The Indian side has been also making incongruous demands of allowing an Indian lawyer to represent Commander Jadhav. We have repeatedly told them only those lawyers can represent Commander Jadhav in the court who have a licence to practise law in Pakistan. This is in accordance with legal practice in other jurisdictions also," he said. The spokesman also said that the Indian Supreme Court, in one of its judgments, also ruled that foreign lawyers cannot practise law within the country. Jadhav, the 50-year-old retired Indian Navy officer, was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of "espionage and terrorism" in April 2017. Weeks later, India approached the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against Pakistan for denial of consular access to Jadhav and challenging the death sentence. The Hague-based ICJ ruled in July last year that Pakistan must undertake an "effective review and reconsideration" of the conviction and sentence of Jadhav and also to grant consular access to India without further delay. "The ICJ judgment clearly says that the review and reconsideration process would be carried out in Pakistani courts as per the laws of Pakistan," Chaudhri said. He said immediately after the ICJ's verdict, Pakistan informed Jadhav of his rights; provided consular access; and put a stay on his execution. He said the provision of effective review and reconsideration is also under process. Chaudhri said Pakistan facilitated the meeting of Jadhav's family on humanitarian grounds and also provided second consular access to him. Last month, Pakistan provided consular access to Jadhav, days ahead of a deadline to file a review petition in a court here against his conviction by a military court. This was the second consular access to Jadhav. The first consular access was provided by Pakistan on September 2, 2019, the Foreign Office said in a statement "However, the Indian consular officials abruptly left while the consular meeting with Commander Jadhav was underway," the spokesman claimed. Chaudhri said that to give effect to the ICJ judgment, the Government of Pakistan has itself approached the Islamabad High Court and India must come forward and cooperate with the court in Pakistan to give effect to the judgment of the ICJ. Pakistan claims that its security forces arrested Jadhav from the restive Balochistan province on March 3, 2016 after he reportedly entered from Iran. India maintains that Jadhav was kidnapped from Iran where he had business interests after retiring from the Navy. State regulators are expected to take on the issue of oversight of Encore Boston Harbor after law enforcement broke up a party of several dozen people at the casino last weekend. Around 100 people were partying in a suite at the casino in the early morning hours of Aug. 16, violating state restrictions issued in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic that limit indoor gatherings to 25 people, Massachusetts State Police said. The Sunday morning party was busted by state police troopers and security personnel at the casino, authorities said. We sent everyone on their way. No arrests, Massachusetts State Police Sergeant Nicole Morrell, a spokesperson for the agency, told MassLive. Massachusetts Gaming Commission Chair Cathy Judd-Stein is expected to provide a statement about regulatory oversight and the Everett casino during the panels Thursday morning meeting, according to a statement from the commission. After the incident, Encore issued multiple changes to their protocols, according to WBZ. A maximum of four people are now allowed in a hotel room, and eight individuals are permitted in a two-bedroom suite. Anyone who violates the casinos rules will be given a $3,000 fine and be removed from the hotel, according to the news outlet. The casino will also increase security patrolling and more aggressively monitor supplies brought up to rooms, including alcoholic beverages, The Boston Globe reported. The safety and well-being of our guests and employees are paramount, Encore spokesman Eric Kraus told the Globe in a statement. These enhanced measures will help ensure our registered guests are enjoying themselves in a safe and responsible environment. The large party was not the only incident in the past week to draw a response from state police to Encore, which reopened in July after shutting down due to the COVID-19 public health crisis. On Aug. 16, the same morning of the party, a man in his 30s was shot near the casino. Just days after, another person was stabbed close to Encore. Related Content: BRUSSELS An escalating dispute between Greece and Turkey over energy resources in the eastern Mediterranean is fast becoming militarized, raising the risks of a clash among NATO allies. Foreign Minister Heiko Maas of Germany, who visited Greece and Turkey this week urging dialogue, warned both governments against further military escalation. Fire is being played with and any small spark could lead to catastrophe, he said on Tuesday. As Germany tries to mediate, four of its fellow E.U. members, France, Greece, Cyprus and Italy, are engaged in military exercises involving ships and planes off the Cypriot coast. Their purpose, they say, is to deter Turkey from further energy exploration in disputed waters, something it has been doing for several weeks with vessels guarded by warships and jet fighters. France has sided with Greece, sending ships and planes to the region last week. French officials have also criticized Turkey, a member of NATO but not of the European Union, for its support of the United Nations-backed government in Libya, which it has provided with troops in return for a controversial maritime energy deal that would extend Turkish drilling rights in the eastern Mediterranean. There are some parts of the world that you never expect to see. A few years after the Iron Curtain fell, my parents took me out of school to visit Russia. My dad was taking pastoral study leave and was involved in the missionary outreach foundation of our denomination. Our first days were spent in Moscow, an austere but extraordinary city that was home to soldiers, beggars, and the Bolshoi Ballet. Our overnight sleeper train from Moscow to St. Petersburg required bodyguards to protect our travel group from train robberies. Tourism was new, so we were some of the first Americans to set foot in the Kremlin and the Hermitage Museum. Statues memorializing past regimes had been toppled and moved. Tour guides were still sorting out the complexities of explaining their past in a fast-changing and sensitive present. We felt exhilarated (and overwhelmed) by the food, the language, and the customs, but most of all, we were drawn to the churches. Stepping into St. Basils Cathedral in St. Petersburgs Red Square was a lesson in Christian unity and diversity. We three American Presbyterians were surrounded by the familiar and the strange. For the first time, we saw an iconostasisa screen of icons that divides the sanctuary from the naveand encountered the stories of Christian faith, suffering, and beauty depicted there. Later in the trip, a visit with an embattled Protestant missionary added layers to my young adult perspective on faith. Through these and other experiences, the Eastern Orthodox branch of the church was making itself known to me in the heart of the Third Rome, a moniker used to signify Moscow as the heir of Byzantium (or Eastern Orthodox) Christianity. I began to realize that the church was much bigger and far more complex than I knew. These years later as a scholar, I see now more than ever how the interconnections of the global body are historical, present, and eschatological all at once. The Reformation, in particular, gives me a starting point. When the Reformers looked at the Bible, not only did they see the Word of God; they saw the global church. They saw the familial bond that stretches across time, space, and culture. Some Christians minimize the Protestant Reformation based on their perception that Reformers blazed their own trail without regard for the global church or church tradition. But primary sources offer a different story. The Reformers did not view their work in isolation from historical or even contemporary global Christianity. They saw the broader church as right at the heart of their efforts. In fact, one of the main inspirations for the Reformation movement came from somewhere far removed from Geneva and other centers of Protestant thought: the Ethiopian church. Orthodox Christianity and the Protestant Reformation As the Protestant Reformation began to unfold, global Christianity was grappling with an unprecedented crisis. At the onset of the 16th century, a little over 90 percent of the worlds Christians were living in Western and Eastern Europe (including Russia). Up until that point, Christianity had thrived as a tricontinental faith, flourishing in Asia, Africa, and Europe. The movement of Christianitys center of gravity from the East to the West was one of the most troubling consequences of the rise of Islam and the loss of Constantinople (1453). In 1526, as the conquest continued, Eastern European rulers lost a critical battle to the Ottoman Empire at Mohacs. The defeat of King Ludwig II of Hungary and Bohemia left the route to the gates of Vienna open to Turkish armies, and with that the door to central Europe. Early Modern Europeans were living through a rapid geographical shrinking of Christendom just as the Western Church also began to crack. It is not an exaggeration to say that they felt like the world was ending, and the Turks were Gods apocalyptic agents. Nevertheless, the Eastern branches of the Christian church were not far from Protestant minds. Protestants engaged with both the Eastern Orthodox tradition and Oriental Orthodox traditions in a few consistent ways. To Protestants, it mattered immensely that Eastern branches of the church did not follow the Catholic practices of preaching purgatory, selling indulgences, or observing petrine supremacy. Luther marveled at how the churches of Armenia, Ethiopia, and India had avoided the private masses that developed in the West since Gregory the Greats time. Luther also regarded it significant that, before there was a pope, there were the bishops of Ethiopia, Syria, Antioch, and Rome. The Orthodox branches were a link back to a purer, more apostolic era. The church of Ethiopia, especially, was mentioned among early modern Christians. Some scholars have noted that Luther mentions Ethiopia at least 85 times in his written works. (It was a common though mistaken belief to view Ethiopia as the first Christian kingdom. That belief was based on a particular reading of Acts 8.) Luthers esteem only grew after he was visited by Michael the Deacon, an Ethiopian cleric, in 1534. As Daniels explains, For Luther, the Church of Ethiopia had more fidelity to the Christian tradition. ... Thus, the Church in Europe needed to be reformed in the direction of the Church of Ethiopia. Possibly for Luther the Church of Ethiopia was proof that his reform of the Church in Europe had both a biblical and a historical basis. To Luther, Ethiopia symbolized the church, and one of the most valued legacies that the Reformers identified within the Ethiopian church was its insistence on maintaining the Bible in the common language. Emulating Ethiopia In an effort to transform the way people experienced worship, the Reformers drew inspiration and precedent from the eastern African church and from the first to the third generations worked diligently to transform the way in which people experienced worship. Imagine going to church in a foreign language, day in and day out, without ever learning the language. It is not a stretch to say that it would have a limited impact on your maturation as a thinking Christian. To the Reformers, then, carving out a place for vernacular language in church worship was essential for hearing and receiving the Gospel. Shifting the language of worship meant transforming liturgy, introducing congregational singing, altering the observance of the sacraments, elevating the sermon, and promoting the reading of Scripture to an oral form. In other words, the Reformation was in many ways a language event, and the global church was right at the center of that event. When the Reformers looked at the Bible, they saw the global story of the church represented through languages. They rediscovered Greek and also came to learn Hebrew as the first step toward restoring the true gospel. By their own accounts, the Latin language had become a Tower of Babel that could only be overcome by translating the whole of Scripture into vernacular languages. The Reformation was a Pentecost moment in their minds, restoring what God had originally intended for a worldwide church. They wanted to uncover the foundation of Scripture for one main purpose: pastoral ministry. We see this thinking play out in John Calvins commentary on John 19:1920. There, he gives a theological interpretation for the decision to print Jesus name in three different languages: For it is not probable that this was an ordinary practice, he writes, but the Lord showed, by this preparatory arrangement, that the time was now at hand, when the name of his Son should be made known throughout the whole earth. A multilingual church was in fact the true church. When the Council of Trent (1545-1563) responded to Protestantism by insisting on the necessity of the Latin Vulgate in worshipsomething that would not change until Vatican IIthe third-generation Reformer (and successor to John Calvin) Theodore Beza turned to the Eastern branches of the church. There, he found a forceful precedent that was both historical and contemporary. Beza made his case for vernacular Bibles in the preface to the most important French translation of the Bible that was printed in Geneva: the 1588 French Geneva Bible. Its impact on Bibles throughout Europe was tremendous. For Beza, the Bibles preservation in diverse languagesGreek, Hebrew, Aramaic, Syriac, Ethiopic, and Latinwas a marvelous sign of Gods faithfulness to the church over the centuries. It was material evidence of how Gods power could overcome the machinations of the Devil. Like Luther before him, Beza treated the rediscovery of the original languages of Scripture as a God-ordained transformation for the church. None of this was touted as a way to disparage the Latin Bible. Beza, in fact, dedicated his entire scholarly career to revising the Latin translation of the Bible. Rather, the diversity of language was a sign of Gods intention to bring salvation to a diversity of people. Beza took care to emphasize that every single person was intended to hear Gods speech, no matter their nationality, condition, sex, or age. With this point, Beza meaningfully stressed the inclusion of women and children, and he cited a litany of support from other church fathers. Which churches were living this out? For Beza, the Western church needed to take a page out of the practices of the Eastern side of Christianity, particularly in Ethiopia, Greece, and the Levant. They were fulfilling Christs command to transmit the Good News, and their example was worth emulating. What did the church of Ethiopia, in particular, have to do with the Reformation? According to Beza, quite a lot. Ethiopia was a model of what it meant for the church to conserve Scriptures true purpose as Gods Word for all people. Eastern churches were part of the apostolic re-rooting that Western Reformers sought. The Conservation of Scripture Even today, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church continues to inspire and compel. Some of the great wonders of our world are surely the church forests of Ethiopia, where faith communities have made a concerted effort to plant and cultivate trees as part of their congregational space. Orthodox Ethiopian theology and forest conservation are proving to be a life-giving pairing in the midst of Ethiopias barren landscape. The green circles of church forests that pepper the Ethiopian landscape are a striking marker of the stewardship commitment of the church in a context stripped by agricultural overdevelopment. In fact, without the intervention of the church, the native trees of Ethiopia would be nearly extinct. In a similar way, the Reformers believed that the church in the West had lost sight of its calling to conserve Scripture. Their solution was to follow the Ethiopian model and translate the gospel for listeners (instead of readers, given the low percentage of literate people) in the worship life of the church. They knew that was how the church would grow and flourish. When the Reformers looked at the Bible, they saw the vibrancy and diversity of language as a necessary vehicle for communicating Gods speech to the church in all places and times. They saw the unbroken witness of the global church reaching all the way back to Christ and to Gods revelation before Christ. For the Reformers, conserving the Bible in common languages was not only a primary mission of the church but also a reflection of the church itself: one rooted in time and also destined for eternity. Jennifer Powell McNutt is the Franklin S. Dyrness Associate Professor of Biblical and Theological Studies at Wheaton College, parish associate at First Presbyterian Church of Glen Ellyn, Illinois, and co-president of McNuttshell Ministries Inc. DAKAR, Senegal Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, Malis ousted president, was released from detention and driven to his home in the West African countrys capital early Thursday, nine days after a military coup brought an end to his seven years in power. A heavy security escort took Mr. Keita to his house in Sebeninkoro, a residential neighborhood of Bamako, the latest twist since his abrupt fall last week, after military officers with guns arrested him, took him to their base and forced him to announce on television that he and his entire government had resigned. Leaders of the coup, in announcing his release, did not specify whether the 75-year-old former president was still subject to any restrictions. They had held him in Kati, 10 miles outside Bamako, along with his prime minister, Boubou Cisse, and several other high-ranking government officials. Mr. Cisse and the former ministers of defense and security remain in custody. In a first for the countrys regional bookseller associations, all eight are hosting a national event to mark the start of the fall trade show season. Civil rights leader Rev. Al Sharpton will deliver the opening keynote and will discuss his new book, Rise Up: Confronting a Country at the Crossroads (Hanover Square, Sept.), on September 15. Rev. Sharpton will be in conversation with Ramunda Lark Young of MahoganyBooks in Washington, D.C. via Zoom. He will take questions from attendees. The host of MSNBCs PoliticsNation and the syndicated radio show Keepin It Real, Rev. Sharpton is the founder and president of the National Action Network. In Rise Up, Rev. Sharpton revisits the Obama administration, the 2016 election, and Trumps subsequent hold on the GOP. He also amplifies the new voices and movements that have emerged in response to the Trump presidency. In its review, PW called the book an impassioned survey of contemporary American politics. The review added that Sharpton makes a persuasive case that America has reached a historical turning point thats testing our moral character and endangering all we have fought to gain. Access to the talk will be limited to association bookseller members. The search for the 22nd Macra na Feirme FBD Young Farmer of the Year has been extended until Friday September 4th. Organised by Macra na Feirme and supported by the IFA, there are additional awards on offer alongside the main prize this year. Young farmers involved in sectors such as Dairy, Drystock (beef and sheep), Land Mobility and Other Enterprises (including horticulture, pigs, poultry, tillage) are invited to enter and the winner of each sector will compete to be crowned the 2020 FBD Young Farmer of the Year. FBD Insurance is delighted to continue our long-standing relationship with Macra na Feirme and the prestigious FBD Young Farmer of the Year Awards. We are proud to support an award that celebrates the achievements of young farmers and their contribution to farming. I wish all of the applicants the very best in this competition and urge all eligible young farmers to take part and to showcase the next generation of farming talent in Ireland. Everyone at FBD is looking forward to seeing the levels of enterprise management and innovation on display from this years entrants said John Cahalan, Chief Commercial Officer, FBD Insurance. IFA President Tim Cullinan said the FBD Young Farmer of the Year competition run by Macra na Feirme is an important event that showcases the best young talent we have in the sector. Its a wonderful opportunity for farmers starting out on their careers to pit their skills against their peers and to have their ambitions and vision tested by judges. Once again, we have a high calibre of contestant, which reflects the level of interest in the sector Cullinan said. Tim Cullinan said a key part of IFAs pre-Budget submission is the continued development of the sector by encouraging inter-generational transfer of farms. Macra na Feirme President Thomas Duffy said every year the standard and calibre of entries demonstrates the best in farming. The proud tradition of the competition is in showcasing the best young people in farming and the challenges they have overcome. You can nominate a young farmer for one of the categories or you can enter yourself by visiting https://www.macra.ie/ youngfarmer. Deadline extended until Friday September 4th. A former local Boy Scouts of America executive was indicted on charges that he sexually abused two children over a period of several years in the towns of Hamburg and Boston, the Erie County District Attorney's Office said Thursday. Michael M. Meyers, 58, of Hamburg, is accused of abusing one child, beginning at the age of 11, from December 2015 to August 2019, and a second child, beginning at the age of 13, from May 2016 to September 2019, prosecutors said. The reported abuse of both children took place at unidentified locations in Hamburg and Boston. The District Attorney's Office did not say how Meyers knew the children, but said the alleged abuse did not have anything to do with his role as a Scout leader. Meyers was serving on the executive board for the Greater Niagara Frontier Council of the Boy Scouts of America at the time that the criminal investigation began and had previously served as council president. The organization immediately barred Meyers from further participation in its programming. Meyers' attorneys insisted on their client's innocence when he was initially charged in the case in December. Weather Alert ...WIND CHILL ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 7 PM THIS EVENING TO 10 AM EST FRIDAY... * WHAT...Very cold wind chills expected. Wind chills as low as 20 to 29 below zero. * WHERE...Central, northern and southern Vermont and northern New York. * WHEN...From 7 PM this evening to 10 AM EST Friday. * IMPACTS...The dangerously cold wind chills could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 30 minutes. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Temperatures will drop well below zero tonight into early Friday morning with northwest winds of 5 to 10 mph expected across the region. The coldest wind chills are expected between 5 AM and 9 AM Friday with winds expected to weaken as the day progresses. Temperatures will remain on the cold side throughout the day with high temperatures only climbing into the single digits above zero. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Use caution while traveling outside. Wear appropriate clothing, a hat, and gloves. && A car struck the guard rail on the A3 motorway on Wednesday evening. The accident occurred around the Aire de Berchem rest area at 10pm, in the direction of the Croix de Gasperich. One person was injured. Roeser and Bettembourg emergency services attended the incident, while the victim was treated by the capital's ambulance service. Six more people were injured on Luxembourg's roads on Wednesday afternoon. 112 reported a two-car collision on the RN12 between Feitsch and Hameville around 1pm, in which one person suffered injuries. Another collision yielded two injured parties on the RN07 between Hosingen and Marnach shortly after 1pm. In Bissen at 1.20pm a bus and a cyclist were involved in a collision, injuring one. Another person was injured after their vehicle flipped over on rue de Bettembourg in Kockelscheuer. Finally, one more person suffered injuries after a collision in Foetz around 4.20pm. Fires Firefighters intervened in Luxembourg City in the middle of the night after a fire in a field on Rue de Cessange was reported. The fire was declared shortly before 3am and was quickly brought under control by the firefighters. Earlier in the evening, a gas barbecue caught fire on the patio of a house in Kayl on rue Kahlebierg. No one was hurt. Signage for ByteDance Ltd.'s TikTok app is displayed on a smartphone in an arranged photograph taken in Brooklyn, New York, June 30, 2020. TikTok is nearing a deal to sell its U.S. operations and could announce a deal in the coming days, according to people familiar with the matter. Kevin Mayer, TikTok's CEO, announced his resignation Thursday after news of the announcement leaked to the Financial Times. Mayer was originally going to announce his decision to step down along with the sale agreement next week, but he pushed up the timing to address the news, said one of the people, who asked not to be named because the discussions are private. Mayer joined TikTok earlier this year after running Disney's streaming video operations. Vanessa Pappas, the head of TikTok's U.S. business, will run TikTok following Mayer's departure, the company said in an internal memo to employees. ByteDance, the China-based parent company of TikTok, is in talks to sell TikTok's U.S., Canadian, New Zealand and Australian operations after the Trump administration forced the company to divest its assets on national security grounds. TikTok has sued the government over a separate executive order that has threatened to ban the application next month. TikTok hasn't decided on a buyer and is still discussing bids from Oracle and a joint bid from Walmart and Microsoft. Walmart confirmed its involvement in a potential TikTok deal, saying it would partner with Microsoft. Earlier, CNBC had reported Walmart had been in talks with SoftBank on a joint bid for the company, but that effort was likely to fail because the consortium didn't have a cloud technology component. Walmart shares rose more than 3% after it issued the following statement to CNBC: "The way TikTok has integrated e-commerce and advertising capabilities in other markets is a clear benefit to creators and users in those markets," a Walmart spokesperson told CNBC. "We believe a potential relationship with TikTok U.S. in partnership with Microsoft could add this key functionality and provide Walmart with an important way for us to reach and serve omnichannel customers as well as grow our third-party marketplace and advertising businesses. We are confident that a Walmart and Microsoft partnership would meet both the expectations of U.S. TikTok users while satisfying the concerns of US government regulators." Spokespeople for TikTok and SoftBank declined to comment. Microsoft was not immediately available to comment. TikTok is likely to sell its U.S., Canadian, Australian and New Zealand operations for a valuation in the $20 billion to $30 billion range, but a price still hasn't been decided, the people said. The former CEO of Custom House Capital (CHC) which collapsed with multi-million euro losses is to face trial accused of misleading investors. Harry Cassidy, 64, was arrested by the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (GNECB) detectives yesterday morning. Mr Cassidy, with an address at The Hill, Clon Brugh, Stepaside, Dublin 18, was charged with misleading customers and clients as to the where and how assets were placed in Custom House Capital, contrary to common law. The offences are alleged to have happened from October 2008 until July 2011. He appeared before Judge John Campbell at Dublin District Court. GNECB Detective David Coyne told the court that the accused had been arrested on foot of a warrant issued in March. The detective handed in a copy of the warrant. He said Mr Cassidy "made no reply to charge after caution". The Director of Public Prosecutions has directed trial on the indictment in the circuit court. There was also consent to Mr Cassidy being sent forward to that court for sentencing on a signed plea, should that arise, Detective Garda Coyne said. There was no objection to bail but conditions were sought which required the approval of two independent sureties, each in the sum of 10,000. Defence solicitor Noel McCartan said the two people acting as sureties were in court and gardai were satisfied of their financial ability to pay the bail money. Mr Cassidy, who has not yet indicated how he will plead, remained silent during his hearing. He was ordered to surrender his passport and not to apply for any new travel documentation. He was also warned by the judge that he must notify gardai if he changes his address. The defence solicitor said Mr Cassidy was making an application for legal aid but gardai needed more time to consider it; that issue was left over until his next hearing. He was remanded on bail to appear again at the same court on September 25 for service of a book of evidence and to be returned for trial. Four co-defendants are also due back in court on the same date. Former CHC director John Mulholland, 70, from Salthill, Monkstown, Co Dublin; the firms ex-investment director John Whyte, 50 of Beechpark, Lucan, Co Dublin; the investment brokers head of finance Paul Lavery, 43, with an address at Rafeenan, Ballinode, Co Monaghan, and former portfolio manager Ciara Kelleher of Martin Close, Blackhorse Avenue, Dublin 7, were charged earlier and had appeared in court in June. They are also accused of misleading investors as to the where and how assets were placed in the investment firm from October 2008 until July 2011. The court heard that Ms Kellehers reply to charge was I am innocent. The other three co-defendants made no reply when they were charged, the court was told on June 12 last. They remain on bail and must reside at their current addresses. The co-defendants were required to surrender their passports and the court has ordered them to have no contact directly or indirectly with co-accused or any witnesses in the case. They also had to provide gardai with their mobile phone numbers and must sign on once a week at local garda stations. ACLU Files Lawsuit Against Trump Administration Over Deployment to Portland The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on Wednesday filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, alleging federal officers used excessive force against demonstrators in Portland. Federal officers were deployed to the city in early July after rioters targeted the Mark O. Hatfield Courthouse, a federal building, with little intervention from local law enforcement. The resulting clashes drew worldwide attention as activists night after night sought to attack the building, only to be repelled by federal officers using tear gas and other crowd control measures. Both sides suffered injuries, and some instances of force by officers are already under investigation. The 61-page lawsuit alleges that defendants, including federal officers whose names were not included and President Donald Trump himself, violated plaintiffs rights enshrined in the First and Fourth Amendments. The deployment itself was also not legally authorized because acting Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Chad Wolf wasnt properly serving in the position, plaintiffs argued, referring to a recent legal opinion from a congressional watchdog. Even if Wolf was properly authorized to deploy officers to Portland, the officers exceeded their powers, the lawsuit states. Plaintiffs want the court to declare the actions unlawful and give them economic damages for the alleged violation of their constitutional rights. The DHS and the White House didnt respond to requests for comment. Rioters try to topple a steel fence during a Black Lives Matter event at the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse in Portland, Ore., on July 25, 2020, (Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP Photo) Wolf defended the deployment earlier this month in an appearance before Congress, telling lawmakers that federal officers were left to defend the courthouse besieged by attempts of arson and constant destruction. Instead, our law enforcement officers were assaulted with, among other weapons, mortar-style commercial grade fireworks, accelerants, IEDs, sledgehammers, concrete, and slingshots. Officers have suffered chemical burns, bloody wounds, and attacks with blinding lasers, leaving some of our colleagues with eye injuries. The security fence we installed to protect the Courthouse and our officers has been repeatedly attacked with power tools in a dangerous attempt to topple the barrier. To be clearthese are not the actions of peaceful protesters, they are the actions of criminals, he added, before outlining 277 injuries that officers and agents suffered in July. Plaintiffs include Chris David, a U.S. Navy veteran who was seen on video being hit repeatedly by a federal officer, and Mark Pettibone, who was seen on video being apprehended by federal officers who pulled up in an unmarked van. They and others were joined by the Black Millennial Movement and Rose City Justice, two groups affiliated with Black Lives Matter. The groups are pushing to dramatically reduce funding to the police and immediately abolish police unions, among other demands. This lawsuit seeks to hold the Trump administration accountable for its dangerous and profoundly unconstitutional actions in Portland. Black lives matter, Kelly Simon, interim legal director of the ACLU of Oregon, said in a statement. The very idea that Black people deserve humanity and decency is something that police and federal law enforcement agencies are so opposed to that theyve employed nearly lethal responses, added Shanice Clark of the Black Millenial Movement. Our government should not have come here to suppress this movement. The ruling meant that companies like Huawei cannot insist that patent holders like Conversant prove their patents in every jurisdiction of the world, which would be both practically and economically prohibitive, the company added. (Photo | AP) London: Britains Supreme Court has dismissed two appeals by Chinese telecoms firms Huawei and ZTE over mobile data patent disputes. The disputes centre on the licensing of patented technology considered essential to mobile telecoms. The patents are meant to ensure fair competition and access to technology like 4G. In the first case, Unwired Planet, an intellectual property company that licenses patents, had brought legal action against Huawei for infringement of five UK patents that Unwired acquired from Ericsson. The second appeal concerned legal action brought by another patent licensing company, Conversant Wireless, against Huawei and ZTE for infringement of four of its UK patents. The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld lower court rulings on the cases and dismissed appeals by Huawei and ZTE. In a statement, Conversant said the ruling was a landmark judgment that will have significant implications worldwide for telecommunications patent licensing. The ruling meant that companies like Huawei cannot insist that patent holders like Conversant prove their patents in every jurisdiction of the world, which would be both practically and economically prohibitive, the company added. London: Britains Supreme Court has dismissed two appeals by Chinese telecoms firms Huawei and ZTE over mobile data patent disputes. The disputes centre on the licensing of patented technology considered essential to mobile telecoms. The patents are meant to ensure fair competition and access to technology like 4G. In the first case, Unwired Planet, an intellectual property company that licenses patents, had brought legal action against Huawei for infringement of five UK patents that Unwired acquired from Ericsson. The second appeal concerned legal action brought by another patent licensing company, Conversant Wireless, against Huawei and ZTE for infringement of four of its UK patents. The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld lower court rulings on the cases and dismissed appeals by Huawei and ZTE. In a statement, Conversant said the ruling was a landmark judgment that will have significant implications worldwide for telecommunications patent licensing. The ruling meant that companies like Huawei cannot insist that patent holders like Conversant prove their patents in every jurisdiction of the world, which would be both practically and economically prohibitive, the company added. Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Fadli (The Jakarta Post) Batam, Riau Islands Thu, August 27, 2020 16:35 511 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c40e9968 1 National Natuna-regency,Natuna,new-province,Riau-Islands,provinces,regional-autonomy,regional-administrations,island,South-China-Sea Free Riau Islands Governor Isdianto has thrown his support behind residents of Natuna who are seeking to have the regency recognized as a new Indonesian province. I support them because of security issues, as the region borders the South China sea. And there is a military power that is exclusively being established to guard the region very well, he told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday. The Natuna regency is part of Riau Islands province and is located in the outermost northern part of the country. The regency has direct borders not only with the South China Sea but also with Vietnam and Cambodia. The archipelago consists of some 270 islands and is home to approximately 80,000 residents. The governor visited Natuna from Aug. 22 to Tuesday and acknowledged that the demand to establish the region as a new province was plausible. Firstly, the distance between one district to another is quite far. Secondly, the region has tourism potential, he said. Read also: Vietnamese-flagged illegal fishing vessel caught in North Natuna Sea Development in the region is relatively slow because of the complex bureaucracy. I believe that the region can be further developed under its own provincial administration. Natuna regent Hamid Rizal said a proposal for the new status had been submitted to the central government in Jakarta. We have delivered the proposal to the Presidential Chief of Staff Moeldoko, Hamid said. According to the presidential mandate (Ampres) on the establishment of 65 new autonomous regions issued in 2013, the Natuna region was divided into three regencies, namely West Natuna, South Natuna and Natuna. Principally, the establishment of a new province is already on track, Hamid added. (trn) One of the three key priorities for Iran along with completing all of the phases on its supergiant South Pars natural gas field and expanding its value-added petrochemicals sector is to increase the crude oil production and exports from its West Karoun cluster of giant oil fields. The West Karoun fields together contain at least 67 billion barrels of oil in place and, with an average recovery rate currently of only around 4.5 per cent (compared to over 50 percent at similar oil fields in Saudi Arabia), the potential to dramatically increase Irans crude oil revenues is enormous. With China remaining a willing buyer for all crude oil that Iran wants to sell it, Tehran last week announced a swathe of initiatives aimed at completing the production-transportation-export chain for West Karoun oil flows. To begin with, the first phase of the oil-transfer chain of the West Karoun oilfields - with a daily delivery capacity 460,000 barrels per day (bpd) of heavy crude oil and 254,000 bpd of light crude oil to export terminals was officially launched. The starting point of the transmission route is the West Karoun pumping station, the middle point is the Omidieh pumping station, and the Bahregan and Jask terminals mark the end stage of this transmission chain. With the development of Phase 2 of this project, which is currently underway, capacity will be created to transfer more than one million barrels of crude oil from the West Karoun oilfields cluster to export terminals. At around the same time as this, the process for manufacturing the 42-inch gate valves compatible with sour fluids that are to be used in the pipeline to transfer crude oil from Goreh, in the Shoaybiyeh-ye Gharbi Rural District of Khuzestan Province, to the port of Jask, in the Hormozgan province on the Gulf of Oman, is now underway. According to a comment last week from the chief executive officer of the Petroleum Engineering and Development Company (PEDEC), Touraj Dehghani, 83 42-inch valves relating to the gate, control and emergency shut-off functions in the pipeline project are now being made domestically to ensure no delays occur due to ongoing U.S. sanctions. The Goreh-Jask pipeline overall includes the construction of a main pipeline of approximately 1,000 kilometres in length, involving the corollary construction of six smaller pipelines, five pump houses, three stations for receiving and sending pipeline pigs, 10 power stations, 400 kilometres of transmission lines, three single point moorings, subsea pipelines, and a stilling basin. Related: Why $5000 Gold Could Soon Become A Reality Once in Jask, the oil will be stored in one of the 20 storage tanks each capable of storing 500,000 barrels of oil, in the first phase (totalling 10 million barrels) for later loading on to very large crude carriers (VLCCs) headed from the Gulf of Oman, into the Arabian Sea and then on to the Indian Ocean. The second phase will see an expansion to an overall storage capacity of 30 million barrels, a senior oil and gas industry source who works closely with Irans Petroleum Ministry spoken to by OilPrice.com last week. These VLCCs will be accommodated in shipping facilities costing around US$200 million in the first phase, although the plans are to expand capacity to allow for further regular shipping of various oil-adjunct and petrochemical products in particular demand in Asia. In addition, according to a recent comment from Hossein Azimi, director of the Pars Oil and Gas Company (POGC) that oversees developments at Irans supergiant non-associated natural gas field, South Pars, a single point mooring (SPM) loading system with a capacity of 7,000 square metres per hour of loading capacity recently arrived in Assaluyeh that would augment gas condensate loading capacity of the field. This SPM will allow for the handling of liquid cargo, such as petroleum products, for tanker ships. There will be a few more of these installed in the south, in the Gulf of Oman, in the coming months, as they are very useful in areas where a dedicated facility for loading or unloading liquid cargo is not available, the Iran source told OilPrice.com. These SPMs will operate in a similar manner to those of Irans neighbour, Iraq, in that they will be located many kilometres away from the onshore facilities, connected to them by a series of sub-sea pipelines, and able to handle the biggest of VLCCs. This 42-inch pipeline is absolutely crucial to Irans ability to continue to circumvent U.S.-led sanctions against it and to expand its already considerable customer base in Asia, particularly China. The logistical model Iran has at present is not sustainable in the current circumstances, with around 90 per cent of all of its oil for export currently loaded at Kharg Island with most of the remaining loads going through terminals on Lavan and Sirri - making it an obvious and easy target for the U.S. and its proxies to cripple Irans oil sector and therefore its economy, the source told OilPrice.com last week. Related: How Solar Farms Can Coexist With Agriculture Even before U.S. sanctions were re-imposed in [May] 2018, the Kharg terminal was not ideal for use by tankers as the narrowness of the Strait of Hormuz means that they have to travel extremely slowly through it, meaning that the transit cost increases, there are delays in revenue streams, and they are easy targets for even simple attacks, he said. Conversely, Iran wants to be able to use the threat or reality of closing the Strait of Hormuz for political reasons without also completing destroying its own oil exports revenue stream, he added. This is why, he underlined, the Goreh-Jask pipeline is likely to be completed well before the official deadline of by the end of this Iranian calendar year that ends on 20 March 2021. In order to maximise the initial impact of this new export route on Irans highly-pressed finances, Iran wants to increase the collective output from the main West Karoun oil fields - North Azadegan, South Azadegan, North Yaran, South Yaran, and Yadavaran by at least 500,000 bpd. This increased output figure was part of Chinas agreed obligations under the 25-year deal agreed between Iran and China last year, and updated recently to include a major military element, as exclusively revealed by OilPrice.com. Although public outcry in Iran following the revelations of the 25-year deal forced China to publically throttle back on its headline development of various West Karoun fields most notably, perhaps, Sinopec and China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) from North Azadegan and Yadavaran - the reality is that China is just as involved as ever but using the cover of separate standalone contracts for specific work. This operational template was most recently used to disguise Chinas involvement in South Azadegan and Yaran (North and South) in the West Karoun oilfields cluster. It is also the template being used in a number of the 13 projects announced last week aimed at adding over 185,000 bpd to Irans oil production capacity by the end of 2022. Although these project deals were signed, on the face of it, with domestic Iranian companies, the 13 projects were part of a wider package proposed back in 2016 to increase production capacity by at least 280,000 bpd from 33 fields. The proposal came after the visit of Irans Foreign Minister, Mohammad Zarif, to his China counterpart, Wang Li, during which both sides signed the original 25-year road map for the China-Iran comprehensive strategic partnership. The smaller and larger package of deals together will comprise at least 165 new wells being drilled across these fields and the repair of at least 71 existing ones, with essentially unlimited Chinese funding available and multiple Chinese firms working across the projects on the aforementioned standalone contract-by-contract basis, according to the Iran source. Effecting an increase of 500,000 bpd from West Karouns oilfields should not prove difficult for China. Together, the major fields in the cluster are currently producing around 350,000-375,000 bpd but this is based on the extraordinarily low recovery rate of around 4.0-4.5 per cent at pay in the fields. This compares to an average recovery rate of at least 50 per cent in similar Saudi Arabian fields, with realistic plans there to raise this to at least 70% within the next couple of years. Given that the average lifting cost per barrel of crude oil in Iran a proxy for ease of extraction - is almost exactly the same as in Saudi Arabia, there is no reason why the recovery rates should not be almost exactly the same as well, said the Iran source. In fact, before the U.S. withdrew from the JCPOA [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action] in [May] 2018, a number of international oil firms looking to become involved in Iran provided detailed and realistic plans to the Petroleum Ministry of how they could increase the average recovery rate in the West Karoun fields to at least 12.5 per cent within the first 12 months, then 20 per cent the year after, and then up to 50 per cent over the following five years at most, he concluded. By Simon Watkins for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Another video is trending online showing Femi Fani-Kayode calling another journalist stupidless than 48 hours after he had an emotional meltdown when a reporter asked who is funding his state tour when theres no campaign in Calabar. The reason Fani-Kayode gave for chewing out the journalist in the new video is similar to what he gave while apologizing yesterday. According to his spokesman Emmanuel Owabor who confirmed the incident happened when his boss visited Zamfara earlier in August, the journalist deserved what he got. The reporter was asking why he (Fani-Kayode) was always against Yari, the former governor of Zamfara State; he was asking if he was sponsored or not to attack Yari, Owabor told Premium Times. But Fani-kayode, who likes to call himself a PDP chieftain when he has no party official title, got mad with the reporter. If I had known that this is what you wanted to ask me, I would have asked you not to ask me that kind of stupid question, Fani-Kayodesaid in te video, dropping his name, family, and previous appointment as minister and attack dogs for presidents and his party PDP. I was brought into politics by Marafan Sokoto, you understand me? Alhaji Umaru Shinkafi I have been a leading member of the opposition, the resistance over the last five years. And a day has not passed that I have not spoken about what I felt was going wrong in this country. That is because that is what opposition is meant to do and is what was done to the PDP by the APC when PDP was in power. You understand me? Even for you to repeat that to me is insulting at my level, the former minister told him. I will speak against Yari free of charge any day, anytime. I am FFK, do you understand me? I take on presidents, I dont take on former governors. He (Yari) is an irritant to me, he said. Nigerians on social media took him on when the Cross Rivers incident broke out in the media Tuesday, describing him as a narcissistic adult who think himself too important. Fani-Kayode will be 60 next year. PV: 10 VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / August 27, 2020 / Core One Labs Inc. (CSE:COOL)(OTCQX:CLABD)(Frankfurt:LD62, WKN:A2P8K3) (the "Company") is pleased to announce that effective August 26, 2020 (the "Effective Date"), the British Columbia Securities Commission (the "BCSC") has issued an order revoking its cease trade order, originally issued in respect of the securities of the Company on July 15, 2020. On August 18, 2020, the Company filed (i) its audited annual financial statements, annual management's discussion and analysis, and related certifications for the years ended December 31, 2019, and on August 24, 2020, the Company filed (ii) its interim financial statements, interim management's discussion and analysis, and related certifications for the three months ended March 31, 2020 (collectively, the "Financial Disclosure Documents"). The Financial Disclosure Documents are available for review online under the Company's profile on SEDAR (www.sedar.com). Following the filing of the Financial Disclosure Documents, the Company is up-to-date with its continuous disclosure obligations and has met all conditions required by the BCSC for revocation of the cease trade order. Interim Financial Statements The Company also announces that, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, it anticipates a delay in the filings of its interim financial statements for the period ended June 30, 2020 (the "Interim Financial Statements"), and accompanying management's discussion and analysis ("Interim MD&A"), and related CEO and CFO certifications (the "Interim Certifications", together with the Interim Financial Statements and the Interim MD&A, the "Interim Filings"). The Company will be relying on BC Instrument 51-517 - Temporary Exemption from Certain Corporate Finance Requirements with Deadlines during the Period of June 2 to August 31, 2020 ("BCI 51-517") enacted by the BCSC which provides relief consisting of a 45-day extension for certain regulatory filings required to be made during the period June 2, 2020 to August 31, 2020. The Company will be relying on the temporary exemptions pursuant to BCI 51-517 with respect to the following provisions: the requirement to file the Interim Financial Statements on or before the 60 th day after the end of the interim period as required by subsection 4.4(b) of National Instrument 51-102 - Continuous Disclosure Obligations (" NI 51-102 "); the requirement to file its Interim MD&A on or before the earlier of the 60 th day after the end of the interim period and the date the Financial Statements are filed as required by subsection 5.1(2) of NI 51-102; and the requirement to file the Certifications pursuant to Section 5.1 of National Instrument 52-109 - Certification of Disclosure in Issuers' Annual and Interim Filings. The Company is continuing to work diligently on the finalization of the Interim Filings and estimates that it will file the Interim Filings on or before October 14, 2020. In connection with utilizing the temporary relief and extensions for issuers provided pursuant to BCI 51-517, the Company confirms that, until such time as the Interim Filings have been filed, the Company's management and other insiders are subject to an insider trading black-out that reflects the principles of Section 9 of National Policy 11-207 - Failure-to-File Cease Trade Orders and Revocations in Multiple Jurisdictions. The Company reports that other than as set forth in this news release, since the filing of the Company's interim financial statements for the three months ended March 31, 2020, there have been no material business developments other than those that have been previously disclosed in the Company's news releases and filings. About Core One Labs Inc. Core One Labs Inc. is a research and technology company with a state-of-the-art cannabis production and packaging facility located in Southern California. The Company's technology produces infused strips (like breath strips) that are not only a safer, healthier option to other forms of delivery but also superior bioavailability of cannabis constituents. The technology provides a new way to accurately meter the dosage and assure the purity of selected product. The Company holds an interest in walk-in medical clinics located in Vancouver and West Vancouver, British Columbia which maintain a database of over 200,000 patients combined. The Company intends to further develop its product offerings through research and development in these clinics, including the integration of intellectual property related to psychedelic treatments and novel drug therapies. Core One Labs Inc. Joel Shacker Chief Executive Officer FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: info@core1labs.com 1-866-347-5058 Cautionary Disclaimer Statement: The Canadian Securities Exchange has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the content of this news release. Information set forth in this news release contains forward-looking statements that are based on assumptions as of the date of this news release. These statements reflect management's current estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations. They are not guarantees of future performance. The Company cautions that all forward looking statements are inherently uncertain and that actual performance may be affected by a number of material factors, many of which are beyond the Company's control. Such factors include, among other things: risks and uncertainties relating to the Company's limited operating history and the need to comply with environmental and governmental regulations. In addition, marijuana remains a Schedule I drug under the United States Controlled Substances Act of 1970. Although Congress has prohibited the US Justice Department from spending federal funds to interfere with the implementation of state medical marijuana laws, this prohibition must be renewed each year to remain in effect. Accordingly, actual and future events, conditions and results may differ materially from the estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations expressed or implied in the forward-looking information. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking information. SOURCE: Core One Labs Inc. View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/603630/Core-One-Labs-Announces-Revocation-of-Cease-Trade-Order By Ayya Lmahamad Azerbaijan has repatriated 400 more citizens stranded on the border with Russias South Caucasus Republic of Dagestan due to lockdown, Russian media reported with reference to Minister for National Policy and Religious Affairs of Dagestan Enrik Muslimov on August 26. A special corridor has been organized for the repatriation of citizens of both countries who could not return on time due to the closure of borders amid the spread of COVID-19. Muslimov noted that to date, about 750 people are waiting to return to Azerbaijan at the temporary accommodation point in Derbent region. The next pass of Azerbaijani citizens of the borders is planned in approximately a week. It should be noted that Deputy Prime Minister of Azerbaijan Shahin Mustafayev and head of Dagestan Vladimir Vasilyev agreed on June 23 to increase the number of citizens returning across the state border, in line with the 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, 260 citizens on August 4, 262 citizens on August 12 and 400 more citizens on August 19. The country closed its borders with Russia over COVID-19 on March 18. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz 6:35 a.m., Thursday The National Hurricane Center says Laura has weakened to a Category 2 hurricane as it moves deeper inland over Louisiana. Thats no longer a major hurricane but it still has extremely dangerous maximum sustained winds of 110mph, nearly five hours after striking the coast and pushing what forecasters called an unsurvivable storm surge miles inland. Forecasters say its centered about 45 miles north-northwest of Lake Charles and moving north at 15 mph. REMEMBERING HARVEY: A look back at Hurricane Harvey, three years later Lauras eye hit a stretch of Louisiana near the Texas state line early Thursday as a Category 4. Authorities had ordered more than 580,000 coastal residents to evacuate, but not everyone did. Now they have to wait until conditions ease before attempting search and rescue missions and assessing the damage. 5:15 a.m., Thursday Hurricane Laura pounded the Gulf Coast for hours with ferocious wind, torrential rains and rising seawater as it roared ashore over southwestern Louisiana near the Texas border early Thursday, threatening the lives of people who didnt evacuate. Authorities had ordered coastal residents to get out, but not everyone did in an area that was devastated by Rita in 2005. Videos on social media showed Lauras winds battering a tall building in Lake Charles, blowing out windows as glass and debris flew to the ground. There are some people still in town and people are calling but there aint no way to get to them, Tony Guillory, president of the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury, said early Thursday morning over the phone as he hunkered down in a Lake Charles government building that was shaking from the storm. Guillory said he hopes stranded people can be rescued later Thursday but fears that blocked roads, downed power lines and flooding could get in the way. Officials said search missions and damage assessments would begin when conditions allow it. With more than 290,000 homes and businesses without power in the two states, near-constant lightning provided the only light for some. The National Hurricane Center said Laura intensified rapidly before plowing into land with sustained winds of 150 mph at 1 a.m. as a Category 4 hurricane near Cameron, a 400-person community about 30 miles east of the Texas border. Unsurvivable storm surge with large and destructive waves will cause catastrophic damage, forecasters warned. They said the storm surge could reach 15-20 feet in Port Arthur, and a stretch of Louisiana including Lake Charles. This surge could penetrate up to 40 miles inland from the immediate coastline, and flood waters will not fully recede for several days, the hurricane center said. Hours after landfall, Laura was still a Category 3 hurricane, with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph. Its center was past Lake Charles, moving north at about 15 mph, but with damaging winds that stretched over much of Louisiana and parts of eastern Texas. More than 580,000 coastal residents were under orders to flee in the largest evacuation since the coronavirus pandemic began and many did, filling hotels and sleeping in cars since officials didnt want to open mass shelters and worsen the spread of COVID-19. But in Cameron Parish, where Laura came ashore, officials said at least 150 people refused pleas to leave and planned to weather the storm in everything from elevated homes to recreational vehicles. The result could be deadly since forecasters said the parish could be completely covered by ocean water. Its a very sad situation, said Ashley Buller, assistant director of emergency preparedness. We did everything we could to encourage them to leave. Becky Clements, 56, didnt take chances; she evacuated from Lake Charles after hearing that it could take a direct hit. With memories of the destruction almost 15 years ago by Hurricane Rita, she and her family found an Airbnb hundreds of miles inland. The devastation afterward in our town and that whole corner of the state was just awful, Clements recalled Wednesday. Whole communities were washed away, never to exist again. Forecasters expected a weakened Laura to move northward through Louisiana and cause widespread flash flooding in states far from the coast. After turning eastward and reaching the Atlantic Ocean, it could again become a tropical storm and threaten the Northeast. Laura hit the U.S. after killing nearly two dozen people on the island of Hispaniola, including 20 in Haiti and three in the Dominican Republic, where it knocked out power and caused intense flooding. Laura was the seventh named storm to strike the U.S. this year, setting a new record for U.S. landfalls by the end of August. The old record was six in 1886 and 1916, according to Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach. 4:20 a.m., Thursday LAKE CHARLES, La. Videos on social media show heavy winds and rain battering a tall building in Lake Charles, Louisiana, blowing out windows and littering glass and debris into the air and onto the ground as Hurricane Laura moves over southwestern Louisiana. The damage was observed in Lake Charles, which is about 45 miles north of where the storm made landfall in Cameron early Thursday. Other videos from the area show road signs bending, trees shaking violently and a large recreational vehicle being blown over. More than 290,000 homes and businesses were without power in Texas and Louisiana, as near-constant lightning provided the only light for some. Officials say search and rescue missions will begin as soon as conditions allow, along with damage assessments. BATON ROUGE, La. Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said the state is closing Interstate 10 from around the Atchafalaya Bridge outside of Lafayette all the way into part of Texas, because several stretches within that area are expected to flood. In a radio interview Wednesday night, Edwards talked of the apocalyptic language that meteorologists have used for the storm. The language Ive heard from the National Weather Service Ive never heard before Theyre sending the strongest possible message about how serious this storm is, he said. He talked specifically about concerns in Cameron Parish, which could receive wind gusts up to 180 mph (290 kph) and storm surge up to 20 feet (6 meters.) When people built back after Rita, they routinely built back to 15 feet, Edwards said. He noted those structures would be overwhelmed. Edwards said search and rescue efforts will begin Thursday as soon as its safe enough for officials to go out into floodwaters. CAMERON PARISH, La. At least 150 people refused to evacuate a coastal Louisiana parish that could be covered by ocean water as Hurricane Laura makes landfall, officials said. Officers went door-to-door in Cameron Parish urging the roughly 7,000 residents to get out before Laura struck, and they all used social media and phone calls to warn people of the danger. But Ashley Buller, assistant director of the parish Office of Emergency Preparedness, said officials knew of about 150 people who decided to stay put in structures ranging from seemingly safe elevated homes to recreational vehicles, which could easily be swept away by rushing storm surge. Its a very sad situation, Buller said in a telephone interview from Lake Charles, where parish officials relocated from an office closer to the coast in Cameron. We did everything we could to encourage them to leave. Forecasters said Gulf waters could rise 20 feet along the coast of the low-lying parish without adding the height of waves, meaning the entire parish could be inundated. Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said: Theyre thinking Cameron Parish is going to look like an extension of the Gulf of Mexico for a couple of days. New Orleans, largely spared by Tropical Storm Marco this week, is gearing up to help southwestern Louisiana weather Hurricane Laura by sending search and rescue teams and dispatchers, officials said Wednesday. That help comes as dozens of hotels, many in New Orleans, are taking in up to 2,000 residents who evacuated to escape Lauras impact. The catastrophic storm, which rapidly strengthened overnight Tuesday and early Wednesday, is expected to make landfall sometime Wednesday night near the Texas-Louisiana border as a Category 4 hurricane. New Orleans Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness Director Collin Arnold said the city was tapping first responders to head to Cameron Parish and other areas expected to see wind gusts up to 170 miles per hour and 20-foot storm surge. Meanwhile, the Orleans Parish Communications District, which manages 911 calls, is sending teams to Baton Rouge to boost 911 call center operations there, Arnold said. Hurricane Laura most powerful hurricane to hit Louisiana in 150 years, major Cat. 4 at landfall Weather experts are still assessing the impact of Hurricane Laura, but it looks to be the strongest storm to ever make landfall in Louisiana. The city will also send eight boats to affected areas. "Rarely do you see a hurricane form so rapidly, or intensify so rapidly, Arnold said. "We are assessing those personnel and seeing who is available, and we will be ready to assist our neighbors to the west wherever we can help." Though New Orleans is expected to miss the worst of Laura, officials have urged residents to stay vigilant, given the storm surge Laura is expected to cause across the Gulf Coast and the chances that its outer rain bands can touch New Orleans and lead to flooding. Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up That miss comes a few days after the city was also spared Marco, which fell apart as it traveled eastward along the coast earlier this week. But Laura is expected to wreak havoc on southwest Louisiana and southeast Texas, with a storm surge reaching heights forecasters have called "unsurvivable" in some places along the coast. Officials have said Interstate 10, the main artery connecting south Louisiana, is almost certain to be flooded near Lake Charles. The state has booked hotel rooms in New Orleans and Baton Rouge for about 2,000 residents fleeing the storm's impact, a move aimed at avoiding the sort of congregate settings that can be a breeding ground for coronavirus. Watch: Hurricane Laura blows windows out of 22-story tower in Lake Charles; 'like swiss cheese' As Hurricane Laura made landfall made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane, the 150 mph winds blew out the windows in the Capital One tower in L Arnold called the hotel option a model for how future storms might be handled. Residents fleeing the storm and arriving in New Orleans can call the state's 211 program to be connected to food, financial assistance and other resources, he said. A second federal judge has ruled against Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos and her departments controversial rule governing how much coronavirus aid relief public schools must set aside for private school students. Public school officials and advocates have sharply criticized her rule, saying it siphons money away from their schools at a time of immense need for many students during the pandemic. U.S. District Judge James Donato granted a preliminary injunction blocking the U.S. Department of Education from implementing or enforcing its interim final rule in several states and school districts while he hears arguments in the case. It marks the second time in less than a week that a federal judge has ruled against DeVos on the issue. In both cases, judges issued blunt criticisms of the directive. The rule, which the department officially released on July 1, governs virus relief money in the CARES Act. It directs schools to set aside money for whats known as equitable services for all local private school students, if they want to use the remaining money for all their local public schools. Thats a departure from how federal law typically handles those services, which are normally provided to disadvantaged and at-risk students in private schools. Read more background on equitable services here . DeVos and top department officials have justified the rule by saying that the CARES Act is clearly intended to benefit all students, since all students have been hurt by the pandemic. But her critics have alleged that the rule intentionally misreads the law and improperly diverts money away from disadvantaged students in traditional public schools. In his order, Donato said that there is a public interest in allowing a certain portion of CARES money to benefit private school students. But allowing the Department to rewrite the statutory formula for sharing education funds is manifestly not in the public interest, he wrote. The judge for the Northern District of California didnt shy away from speaking bluntly about what he saw as the departments flawed intrepertation of the CARES Act; at one point he said the departments defense of its rule was interpretive jiggery-pokery in the extreme. Donato also highlighted arguments from plaintiffs about the irreparable harm the rule was causing. Wisconsin schools had to choose between diverting over $4 million of CARES Act funding to private schools or abandoning district-wide coronavirus preparation such as sanitizing school buses, he wrote. On Aug. 21, U.S. District Judge Barbara J. Rothstein of the Western District of Washington issued a seperate preliminary injunction blocking the department from implementing or enforcing the rule in a case brought by the state of Washington. Rothstein also took a very dim view of the departments argument, although its unclear if Rothstein meant her preliminary injunction to apply just in Washington state or nationwide. By contrast, in his order, Donato wrote that the department was preliminarily enjoined from implementing or enforcing against plaintiffs its rule about coronavirus relief. Plaintiffs in the case are California, Michigan, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, the District of Columbia, and school districts in Chicago, Cleveland, New York City, and San Francisco. Read Donatos 15-page ruling here: Photo: Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos (Andrew Harnik for the Associated Press) Follow us on Twitter @PoliticsK12 . And follow the Politics K-12 reporters @EvieBlad @Daarel and @AndrewUjifusa . An Australian mum has created a display for her impressive Disney Ooshies collection using budget storage boxes from Kmart. Kelly, from Queensland, shared images on Facebook and revealed she purchased eight $5 one-litre food storage containers to create a display tower. 'Fellow collectors, turn the lid upside down and put some non-slip mat down!' she said online. An image showed multiple containers stacked on top of one another with the popular Disney Ooshies supermarket collectables inside. She also used a $5 multi-purpose non-slip mat to stop the toys from falling over once placed inside each box. A clever Australian mum has created a display for her impressive Disney Ooshies collection using budget storage boxes from Kmart The Kmart hack is ideal for those who aren't wanting to spend much money, as Kelly purchased eight of the plastic storage boxes for only $40. But the idea may not be suitable to those with children who desire to play with the Ooshies often, as the display will need to be deconstructed and built again every time to retrieve a toy. The post was shared the same day 36 Disney+ fan favourites landed in Woolworths stores on Wednesday August 26, featuring iconic characters from Marvel, Star Wars, Disney and Pixar. Kelly, from Queensland, shared images on Facebook and revealed she purchased multiple $5 one litre food storage containers to use as display boxes Kelly used eight food storage containers and non-slip mats to stop the toys from falling over once placed inside each box Another Ooshies fan who is eager to complete the new collection quickly has managed to get 18 new Disney Plus Ooshies from a small $31 Woolworths grocery shop, despite the rule being one collectable for every $30 spent. The keen shopper headed to her closest store in Sydney at 7.45am on August 26 to be one of the first to get their hands on the tiny figurines, and ended up scoring more than she bargained for by purchasing specific brands. The collection features leading characters from popular movies including Woody from Toy Story, Elsa and Anna from Frozen and Russell from Up. An Australian mother has managed to get 18 new Disney Plus Ooshies from a small $31 Woolworths grocery shop In this woman's case she had two packets of Uncle Toby's oats, five Danone YoPro yoghurts and five Pauls squeezie yoghurts and five Macro organic pouches that awarded her 17 bonus Ooshies - plus she got an extra one for spending over $30 Customers can score more than one themed figurine in a single transaction if they buy selected products from participating brands such as Uncle Toby's, Tip Top, Oral B, Huggies, Sorbent, Woolworths Macro Organic and McCain. In this woman's case she had two packets of Uncle Toby's oats, five Danone YoPro yoghurts, five Pauls squeezie yoghurts and five Macro organic pouches that awarded her 17 bonus Ooshies - plus she got an extra one for spending over $30. Every week, the supermarket will nominate selected products from its catalogue that are eligible for a bonus Disney Plus Ooshie collectable. Customers can score more than one themed figurine in a single transaction if they buy selected products from participating brands Revealed: The participating brands for bonus Ooshies Pantene Huggies Gillette Energizer Oral B Devondale Fresh fruit Tip Top Pauls Gold Power Finish Danone Moccona Macro Organic D'Orsogna Fancy Feast Uncle Tobys Sorbent McCain Vegemite Advertisement 'If a customer purchases five products from one participating brand, they will receive five bonus Ooshies,' a Woolworths spokesperson told FEMAIL. The spokesperson confirmed shoppers will be limited to five items per shop for any eligible bonus brand. Last year, shoppers found a loophole to score more than 10 Lion King Ooshies for just $30 after their grocery bill included selected items such as $2 hand washes and $1.80 cat food. The new Ooshies feature iconic characters like Darth Vader, Elsa, Buzz Lightyear, Thor, Ariel, Yoda, Black Panther and Moana. Woolworths revealed the full list of Disney Plus Ooshies collectables this week featuring iconic characters like Elsa and Anna from Frozen, and Darth Vader from Star Wars Australian shoppers can start collecting the themed figurines from Disney, Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars movies with every $30 spent in store or online from Wednesday, August 26 The collection includes silver, gold, colour changing, glow in the dark, and additional glitter edition Ooshies, which can all be kept in a limited-edition box. 'We know many Aussie families have had a challenging year, so we're partnering with Disney to give our customers something exciting to look forward to from their everyday shop,' Woolworths chief marketing officer Andrew Hicks said earlier this week. 'Whether it's Woody, a hologram Princess Leia or a glow in the dark Yoda, we're confident the collection is something the entire family can enjoy and collect together.' Woolworths has also teamed up with TerraCycle to offer customers a sustainable way to recycle their previous Ooshies. Woolworths has also teamed up with TerraCycle to offer customers a sustainable way to recycle their previous Ooshies Every Woolworths store will have dedicated recycle bins so customers can drop any pre-loved collectables and wrapper to be recycled until January 31, 2021. The paper wrapper can also be recycled at home in the yellow bin. Unfortunately there will be a delay on the launch for customers in Victoria until lockdown restrictions ease to focus on store operations and safety of team members and customers. To keep Victorian fans entertained until then, Disney+ is offering eligible Everyday Rewards members in Victoria a 14 day free trial of Disney+, giving them access to thousands of hours of films and series. Every Woolworths store will have dedicated recycle bins so customers can drop any pre-loved collectables and wrapper to be recycled until January 31, 2021 'We know some customers in Victoria will be disappointed by the delayed roll out, but the safety and wellbeing of our customers, team members, and community remains our number one priority,' Mr Hicks said. 'The delay will allow our team to focus on operations and supplying customers with their everyday essentials during this challenging period. 'Once restrictions ease and we can safely roll out the program, we look forward to sharing the Disney magic with our Victorian customers.' LOS ANGELESIn Germany, where professional sex work has been legalalbeit heavily regulatedfor almost 20 years, sex workers now find themselves effectively criminalized again due to a ban on their activities due to COVID-19 health restrictions. But in Hamburg, about 400 sex workers and licensed brothel operators staged a demonstration to demand that they be allowed to resume their jobs. Germany has been one of Europes top coronavirus success stories, holding deaths to a rate of just 112 per million residents, compared to 557 in the United States, 610 in the United Kingdom, and 620 in Spain. But while the country has reopened large sectors of its economy, including such close-contact businesses as hair salons and massage therapy clinics, the legal sex work trade has remained banned. Sex workers in Berlin also staged a protest last month outside the Bundesrat (the upper house of Germanys parliament). Advocates for the sex work community told National Public Radio in the U.S. that in order simply to survive, sex workers have taken to the streets, where they face conditions far more dangerous than in the legal brothels. "If they work now, they work in worse conditions because they can't do it officially," Alina Prophet, a social worker who staffs a city-funded clinic for sex workers in Hamburg, told NPR. "They can't call the police afterwards, if something bad happens to them." Sex work is estimated to be an $18 billion per year industry in Germany, with roughly 500,000 sex workers practicing their trade in the country. But that has all dried up since March, when sex work was shut down along with many other businesses as Germany attempted to curtail the coronavirus pandemic. Hamburgs Ministry of Social and Health Issues, which oversees legal sex work in the city, cites ongoing health risks for the continued restrictions. "If we only had one single case among sex workers, it could potentially, during one day, reach more than 60 other people who would then spread it themselves," Ministry spokesperson Martin Helfrich told NPR. At the same time, according to the NPR report, Hamburg has issued economic relief payments to legally registered sex workers in the city but has also levied stiff fines on those who have been caught violating the sex work ban. Streetwalking sex work has never been legalized in Germany, where the profession is confined to government-regulated brothels. Sex worker advocates say that with a detailed set of protocols, sex work can be carried out safely in the pandemic. In Switzerland, prostitution has been permitted again for four weeks now and there have been no corona cases in connection with brothel visits there since then, Association of Sex Workers spokesperson Johanna Weber said, quoted by The Saxon news site. Photo By Hubert Pelikan / Pixabay The Prime Minister has held a meeting with the European Business Association via conference. The Ukrainian Cabinet of Ministers is preparing five European integration steps that will allow Ukraine to introduce best European practices, says Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal. PM held an online meeting on Thursday with representatives of the European Business Association (EBA) to deliver the news, the Cabinet press service reports. "We are now actively discussing with our European partners the issue of industrial visa-free regime with the European Union. This should greatly simplify the access of Ukrainian goods to the EU market. We are also negotiating the signing of an agreement on a common aviation area. In our opinion, this agreement can be a significant driver for the recovery of the aviation sector, which has suffered significantly from the coronavirus crisis around the world," Shmyhal stressed, according to the press service. We are now actively discussing with our European partners the issue of industrial visa-free regime with the European Union The third step is Ukraine's integration into the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E), which would create full-scale competition on the electricity market, promote fair prices, and increase the security of grids. Read alsoNew bill on localizing production capacities contradicts Ukraine's international obligations PM"Customs reform is an important issue in the context of Ukraine's European integration. We clearly understand that customs can be reformed not through individuals, but only through the creation of European rules there. In particular, issues at stake are European integration projects to unite customs value bases with the EU, create risk-oriented systems and 'green corridors' at customs for honest business," said Shmyhal. The fifth step is implementation of the initiative "on integration of inland water transport into the European water transport system" that would "contribute to the significant development of logistics and strengthen our exports," the prime minister said. Ukraine's European integration: essence T he number of homes sold in the UK last month was at the highest level since before the 2007 global financial crisis, according to the property industrys top body. An average of 13 sales were agreed per estate agent branch in July, the highest figure recorded since June 2007, according to the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) Propertymark housing report. This was 44 per cent higher than the number of sales agreed in July last year, when the property market was in the throes of a particularly sluggish summer lull. This years high summer sales boom comes in the wake of Chancellor Rishi Sunaks announcement on July 8 of an eight-month stamp duty holiday, which has encouraged prospective buyers to commit. Vendors are also keen to sell ahead of any future house price falls, after Britains descent into recession following coronavirus lockdown. The number of house hunters registered with an estate agent also rose to 428 per branch, up by 35 per cent compared to the same time last year. Mark Hayward, chief executive, NAEA Propertymark said: Usually we would expect to see a lull in activity during the summer months. However, demand remains unabated with no signs that this will not continue. With the recent stamp duty holiday announcement, we expect the housing market to remain busy throughout the rest of the summer. Almost two thirds of the properties sold in July went for below asking price, while just eight per cent commanded more than the asking price. Meanwhile, the number of sales to first-time buyers fell, with the group making up 25 per cent of the market last month. The findings are backed up by Rightmove. The property portal reported a record-smashing summer mini boom of 37 billion property sales between July and August this year, with the highest number of homes being put on the market since March 2008 and house price rises in every region but London and the South-East. The most recent report from mortgage lender Halifax showed UK house prices at a record high of 242,000 after four months of falls. The domestic equity benchmarks continued to trade with decent gains in morning trade. At 10:24 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, was up 201.60 points or 0.52% at 39,275.52. The Nifty 50 index added 48.90points or 0.42% at 11,598.50. The bourses could witness bouts of volatility as traders roll over positions in the F&O segment from the near month August 2020 series to September 2020 series. In the broader market, the S&P BSE Mid-Cap index gained 0.53% while the S&P BSE Small-Cap index rose 0.67%. The market breadth was positive. On the BSE, 1381 shares rose and 929 shares fell. A total of 123 shares were unchanged. GST Council meeting: The Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council will hold its 41st meeting today, 27 August 2020 to discuss the single-point agenda of compensation to states for revenue losses under the indirect tax regime. The meeting will be held via video conferencing. Several options including expanding the ambit of compensation cess, market borrowing to fund compensation deficit along with a future plan for rate rationalisation beginning from correction of inverted duty structure for some items are expected to be discussed in the meeting. Buzzing Index: The S&P BSE Realty index jumped 5.09% to 1815.63, led by the Maharashta-focused realty firms. Godrej Properties (up 7.35%), Oberoi Realty (up 6.50%), Kolte-Patil Developers (up 6.46%), and Sunteck Realty (up 6.10%) advanced. The Maharashtra Cabinet approved a proposal on Wednesday (26 August) to reduce stamp duty by 3% on all land or home sale transactions executed and registered between 1 September and 31 December, this year. There will be a 2% reduction on stamp duty from 1 January to 31 March 2021. The stamp duty rate, fixed by the state government, is payable on the sale agreement. In Maharashtra, existing stamp duty charges are 5% in major cities like Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur and Nashik, and 6% in others. Earnings Impact: Indraprastha Gas shed 0.76% to Rs 410.40. The natural gas distributor's consolidated net profit dropped 85.64% to Rs 35.18 crore on 58.96% fall in total income to Rs 675.12 crore in Q1 June 2020 over Q1 June 2019. The company's CNG sales volume declined 66% to 105 million kgs in Q1 June 2020 over Q1 June 2019. Total PNG sales fell 30% YoY to 101 million scm in quarter ending June 2020. Gujarat Mineral Development Corporation (GMDC) rose 1.49% to Rs 51.05. The mining company's consolidated net profit jumped 42.8% to Rs 136.11 crore on 52.4% decline in net sales to Rs 240.11 crore in Q1 June 2020 over Q1 June 2019. On the segmental front, Mining revenue was at Rs 203.19 crore (down 53.7% YoY) and the Power revenue was at Rs 58.79 crore (down 34.5% YoY) during the quarter. Powered by Capital Market - Live News (This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Tax officials in Africa estimate that government revenues will drop between 10 and 30 percent in 2020 as a result of the economic fallout stemming from the coronavirus pandemic. But while businesses in the hospitality, construction and retail sectors have suffered, digital companies have boomed as more people stay home and conduct their activities online. This is driving talks in Africa about how to make sure big multinationals such as Google and Facebook, which do not always have a physical presence in the countries where they make a profit, can be taxed. Logan Wort, executive secretary of the African Tax Administration Forum, was among government officials, members of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and African Union who gathered virtually Wednesday to address the issue. Wort said that due to the coronavirus pandemic, businesses in the sectors of e-commerce, online transactions and other digital services have experienced a boom. The e-commerce sector alone is projected to increase its revenues by 41 percent, according to the African Tax Administration Forum. Question: Are we collecting better on these transactions? Are we aware of these transactions? Are the businesses doing these transactions, do they have a physical presence in our countries and, if not, do our regulations provide for them to be taxed? Wort asked. Talks about how to roll out harmonized laws to allocate tax rights in cross-border transactions are currently under way among members of the OECD. This is because governments across the world are concerned there is a misalignment between the location where profits are reported and the location where economic activities occur. Victor Harison, the commissioner of economic affairs for the African Union, said the tax-to-GDP ratio in 26 African countries reporting to the AU is just 17.2 percent, compared to 32.2 percent in developed countries that belong to the OECD. He called on more African countries to participate in talks on a global level about how to tax multinational companies so the profits from their wealth can be shared more equitably. So far, only 25 African countries are part of this initiative, which is a cause of concern for the African Union, Harison said. Corporate income tax is a substantial source of taxation in Africa, amounting to more than 25 percent of total revenues in most countries. David Masondo, deputy minister of finance of South Africa, said Africa needs a central body within the African Union to speak with one voice on tax policies. These unified policies should include or focus on improving the allocation of tax rights in cross-border transactions, including the digital transactions of multinational enterprises, Masondo said. The U.S. has pushed for its companies to be able to opt in and out of the global rules on taxing multinational companies, as long as they adhere to certain basic principles. Annet Oguttu, a member of the high-level panel on financial accountability and transparency, said while Europe was at loggerheads with the U.S. over the matter, African countries also have a role to play in the discussion. The focus of the discussion seems to be about the U.S. protecting its multinationals and the European countries trying to get the best out of it, she said. The question then is, where do we stand as developing countries in Africa? Perhaps coming together under the platform of ATAF could bring together a more united front that could be able to address these issues. Talks at a global level are due to reconvene in October, now that proposals about how to tax digital multinationals have been shared among governments. ATLANTA - After an investigation found that election officials in the Georgias most populous county failed to process some absentee ballot applications for the June primary, the state election board on Thursday referred the matter to the state attorney general to determine whether laws were broken. After delaying the primary elections because of the coronavirus pandemic, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger encouraged Georgia voters to vote by absentee ballot and sent an absentee ballot application to every active voter. That led to an unprecedented flood of applications into county election offices. Election officials in Fulton County, which includes most of Atlanta, have previously acknowledged the challenges that caused, saying they were exacerbated by the virus outbreak and technical problems. Chris Harvey, elections director for the secretary of states office, told the board during a meeting held by teleconference that election officials around the state, including in Fulton County, were heroic in their efforts to deal with issues caused by the virus outbreak. They consistently tried to adapt to changing conditions. I didnt see any evidence of dereliction or indifference from them, Harvey said of the Fulton County election officials. I think they tried. Unfortunately, I believe the processes in Fulton County trying to deal with the absentee ballots was insufficient and ineffective. Amanda Clark Palmer, a lawyer for Fulton County, disputed any conclusions that problems were not addressed or remedied quickly enough. The fact of the matter is that many of the problems that this pandemic caused for Fulton County with absentee voting were addressed, she told the board. Fulton County successfully processed the vast majority of the absentee applications they received. There is enough evidence to show Fulton County received absentee ballot applications by mail and email that were not processed and entered into the system as received or to be processed, Frances Watson, an investigator with the secretary of states office told the board. The investigation stemmed from 254 complaints the secretary of states office received from Fulton County residents who said they never received requested absentee ballots, Watson said, adding that many more may have been affected but did not file a complaint. At least 107 of those people told the secretary of states office they did not end up voting at all, she said. Fulton County accounted for at least 75% to 80% of the complaints about absentee ballots, Watson said. The county accounts for about 11% of the states voters, according to state data. Clark Palmer said the matter needs to be considered against the backdrop of what was happening at the time, with the pandemic necessitating drastic changes even as guidance from health officials was limited and constantly changing. Fulton County received about 144,000 absentee ballot applications, she said. The countys email system became overloaded, and there were also problems printing ballot applications sent by email so they could be processed, she said. On top of that, COVID-19 infections among the staff that processes absentee ballots caused the office to be closed for a couple of days for sanitization, and workers took another two days off for bereavement after one of their coworkers died from the disease, county elections director Rick Barron told the board. Staffers struggled to dig out from the backlog caused by those problems, Barron said. County election officials have identified improvements to keep the problems from happening again, Clark Palmer said. Punitive action of any kind, including referral to the attorney generals office, would be inappropriate in this case, she said. This board should conclude that there were many problems that needed to be overcome, but these problems are not man-made and did not occur because of recklessness, negligence or malfeasance on the part of any of the people in the Fulton County elections office, she said. Election board members said they recognize the challenges Fulton County election officials faced and applauded their efforts. But, in the end, it appears people did not receive their ballots and that isnt acceptable and must not happen again, they said. There is just no margin for error anymore, board member David Worley said before voting along with the other members present to refer the case to the attorney generals office. Following its own legal review, the attorney generals office can try the case before an administrative law judge for an opinion or work out a negotiated consent order, spokeswoman Katie Byrd said. Born in Haiti and raised in New York City, Ibi Zoboi is the author of the debut YA novel American Street, a National Book Award finalist and a New York Times Notable Book. She is also the author of Pride and My Life as an Ice Cream Sandwich, and the editor of the anthology Black Enough. Dr. Yusef Salaam was just 15 years old when his life was upended after being wrongly convicted with four other boys in the Central Park jogger case. In 2002, after the young men spent years of their lives behind bars, their sentences were overturned. Now known as the Exonerated Five, their story has been documented in the award-winning film The Central Park Five by Ken Burns, Sarah Burns, and David McMahon and in Ava DuVernays acclaimed series When They See Us. Salaam is now a poet, activist, and inspirational speaker. He is the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from President Barack Obama, among other honors. We asked Zoboi and Salaam to interview each other about their new YA novel, Punching the Air, which PW described in a starred review as a powerful indictment of institutional racism and mass incarceration. Ibi Zoboi: We first met as students at New York Citys Hunter College in 1999. How did you end up there two years after being released from prison? And this was several years before you were exonerated. Yusef Salaam: I always wanted to continue my education and Hunter College wouldve given me the opportunity to finish my educationan education that was cut short when I was 15. I got an associate degree while in prison. I started to get a bachelors, but then they removed higher education out of prison. What brought you to Hunter? Zoboi: I transferred to Hunter because I was looking for more of a social justice vibe, even though social justice wasnt a term we were using back then. I heard about all the protests, open mics, and the radical newspapers and literary journals coming out of Hunter. I just had to be there. I became an editor for Hunters newspaper and the Black student-run magazine. So when I found out who you were, I went after you for an interview. Its now that Im just finding out that you were not ready to speak about the case because it was still so new. Had I interviewed you back then, what would you have told me? Salaam: I wouldve told you that I was railroaded by the system, and that this was happening to us as a people and this has its roots in White supremacy. Okay, I probably wouldnt have said that but thats what I say now and its still true. Zoboi: We talked about one of the men responsible for your conviction, the man who is currently the president. But I think we would have both been scared to make such claims. White supremacy was a taboo phrase back then that was equated with extremist groups. Now, its applied to every form of oppression. This was what our professor was trying to teach us. How did you become so aware at such a young age? Salaam: A lot of my awareness came from my mother sharing stories of being raised in the Jim Crow South and what that meant. She gave us a parallel education that allowed us to understand who we were and where we are within the context of American history. I came across the great works of Malcolm X and I remember him saying that anything below Canada is south. Zoboi: Thats interesting because the more we do these interviews together and talk about all the racial incidents that happened in New York City while we were children and teens, the more I realize how racially violent our city was. And now, there are documentaries coming out about these incidencesBernhard Goetz and Yusef Hawkins. Salaam: And it was all normalized. The thing about being in New York was that you thought that you had escaped overt racism. In New York, its covert racism. The thing Im realizing when we do our talks is that we share so much in common growing up in New York. My parents are from the South, and you were an immigrant, but we saw the same things. Zoboi: I watched everything from a top floor window and on the evening news. Thats why I wanted to become a journalist. The Central Park Five changed my perspective as a sixth grader and when other incidents took place in high school and college, it radicalized me. I brought that perspective to our collaboration. Because of our shared experiences, I was able to decipher everything that you told me and shape them into poems through the lens of a 16-year-old boy. Salaam: It was perfect and beautiful! Zoboi: At first, I had asked you to read in Amals voice and you said the flow wasnt there. Salaam: I was trying to find the beat! Zoboi: Cause you had that beat in your own poems. Punching the Air is a novel in verse, so his story is told as a collection of poems. I was inspired by a few of the poems you wrote while incarcerated. In fact, what would 16-year-old Yusef think after reading Punching the Air? Salaam: He would say, Thats me! He would think that Amal would be a kindred spirit. He would want to be his friend. When I showed my four-year-old son the cover of Punching the Air for the first time, he said, Thats me! Zoboi: Yes, the boy on the cover is an updated version of you. What did you think of the cover when you first saw it? Salaam: I was six feet tall by the time I was 12, and I had a flat top, so I stood out. My flat top was my way of expressing myself. I had designs on the sides. My mother would give me a haircut. So Amal on the cover with that hair and his dark skin, its a 2020 version of me. I remember all the back and forth. You knew what you wanted that cover to look like. I had no idea what was possible. Zoboi: Yes! Punching the Air is my fifth book so I know that finalizing the art for the cover is a conversation I can have with my editor. I knew that the boy on the cover had to be a reflection of you as a teen. I wanted him to be artsy, defiant, but still childlike. We both agreed that we didnt want the cover to look like a mugshot. I wanted this book to be a work of art and about art because art saved you, and it saved me, too. In what other ways would you want your story to be told? Salaam: It would be wonderful to share a story like mine in a wide variety of ways so that we are nurturing the seeds of purpose. My story begins to shape itself in ways that can talk through childrens books, film and TV, maybe even in an app, or a museum. Something like a mix between the Smithsonians African American Museum and Equal Justice Initiative but on a small scaleone that would capture the history of mass incarceration in this country. We would then be able to see the legacy of how this country has destroyed lives. In a larger sense, we are talking about purposeus being able to see what we couldve been. I would like this museum to be something that would capture why we are here and the many ways this country can create laws that stop us from fulfilling our purpose. We are here to give something. If we dont give what we came here to give, this country will be without. The world will be without. Zoboi: That would be so empowering: an institution that addresses oppression in its many forms and how that thwarts both our individual and collective potential. Imagine what you and the other Exonerated Five members couldve been. Imagine who Amal was destined to be. Speaking of name changes, it was our professor who encouraged me to rename myself. And theres a story behind your name in the same way that Amals name means hope. Salaam: My name was a gift that was given to me that I had to live up to. A prison guard once asked me, Who are you? and I answered, I am Yusef Salaam, one of the Central Park Five who was convicted for a crime we did not commit. He said, I know that. He asked me, Why are you here? Who are you? So now Im doing the research into my name because I wanted to find the larger purpose. Why did this happen to me? Why am I really here? Zoboi: Now this is one of the reasons why I collaborated with you. There is a certain perspective that we share that I wanted to bring into this book and into the childrens book world in general. We both share a deep sense of spirituality and love for the healing power of art. Was there ever a doubt in your mind that I was the right person to work on this with you? Salaam: Not at all. You gave me a different outlook. You told me that somebody needs to be behind me, that my story is too big. And this was before When They See Us. Here you were in that space to give me the seeds of possibilitysomeone from my past that I just happened to run into. It let me know that theres a larger and higher purpose. I said we gotta work together on something! Zoboi: How about the fact that Im a woman? Salaam: Theres a certain kind of nurturing and caring that you brought to the storya mothers perspective. Mothers are the first teachers and healers. My mother was my rock. She was there before anyone else showed up. In situations like mine, mothers have to become warriors. My mother had to fight for me. She trained me to become our ancestors wildest dreams despite having gone through the system. My mother leaned on a power larger than herself while I was incarcerated so that I was able to lean on her. You brought that warrior mother energy to the story. That was Amals mother, too. She fought for him like my mother fought for me. Zoboi: Thank you! Our society tends to leave women out of the conversation, even though we are the mother warriors, sisters, aunts, cousins. Were not just fighting for the boys and men in our lives, we are fighting for our community and our people. What happened to you affected an entire generation and New York City in general. What happens to Amal affects his family and his community as well. Faith is a major theme in Punching the Air. We dont usually see boys grappling with spirituality in this way. Would you say that all incarcerated teens grapple with faith and spirituality in some way? Salaam: No. This is part of the trap. The trap is that the younger they can get you, the more difficult it will be for you to grow and evolve. This is the seed of recidivism. Most people dont want to go back to jail. But the thing about recidivism, if they happen to fall again, theyve cushioned their fall because they know what theyre going to fall into. They know what to expect when they go back. So this begins the endless cycle of incarceration. Zoboi: This is because spirituality and self-awareness are not cultivated in teens before and after incarceration? Salaam: Absolutely. Zoboi: Would Punching the Air be that seed? Salaam: Absolutely. Punching the Air provides the water to the seed that is already inside of us. The seed of potential for greatness. Thats part of the uncovering. Not tapping into that greatness is what keeps us confused. Zoboi: Self-awareness and purpose, thats what youre talking about. I hope Punching the Air does that for young readers. Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam. HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, Aug. $19.99 ISBN 978-0-06-299648-0 Your browser does not support the video tag. New Delhi, Aug 27 : The Supreme Court on Thursday declined permission to hold Muharram processions across the country during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. A bench comprising Chief Justice S.A. Bobde and Justices A.S. Bopanna and V. Ramasubramanian said, "Cannot grant general directions....case different from Puri (Rath Yatra) or Jain temples, as they had identified areas of access." The bench reiterated that it is not possible to pass general direction, as it will "create chaos and one particular community will be targeted for spreading Covid." The petitioner cited the orders of the top court in the Rath Yatra at Puri. The bench replied Puri case was one specific place where the rath had to go from one point to another. "If it was one specific place, we can assess the danger and pass the order", noted the bench. The petitioner then cited the apex court order giving permission to offer prayers in select Jain temples in Mumbai. The bench replied that it was limited to prayers. The court also disallowed the petitioner to hold a procession in Lucknow. When petitioner said Shias were concentrated in Lucknow and permission be given there, the Supreme Court asked him to approach the Allahabad High Court. On August 25, the Supreme Court took up a plea seeking permission to carry out Muharram processions in a limited manner in the backdrop of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. A bench comprising Chief Justice S. A. Bobde and Justices A. S. Bopanna and V. Ramasubramanian allowed the petitioner Sipte Mohammad to implead all 28 state governments as a party in the matter within a period of four weeks. The petitioner had moved the top court seeking a direction to allow the conduct of the mourning procession by the Shia Muslim community. In the backdrop of Covid-19 pandemic, restrictions have been imposed on large gatherings. Wasi Haider, counsel appearing for the petitioner, contended before the bench that the permission is sought for the procession where only five participants are allowed ensuring that they follow the safety norms. The bench observed that the petitioner has not made all the state governments parties in the matter. The state governments are empowered to enforce the Centre's guidelines under the Disaster Management Act. The top court noted that it needed to hear the state governments before it passed any order in the matter. The bench said the procession would take place in various states and it cannot pass orders without hearing them. -- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed It can be confusing trying to keep track of all the boards and committees that have a hand in shaping Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department and attempting to hold it accountable to the community. As part of the Recorders continued look at policing in Indianapolis, we are taking a look at some of those boards. What are their responsibilities? Who are the members? When do they meet? There are dozens of boards, most of which are internal at IMPD, so we have included the ones with the most public-facing tasks. Use of Force Review Board (proposed) Members Unclear Mayor Joe Hogsett and Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Chief Randal Taylor announced a new Use of Force Review Board in May after police shot and killed two Black men Dreasjon Reed and McHale Rose within hours of each other. The board will review every officers use of force and determine if the officer was in compliance with department training and policy. Members would then give a recommendation to the chief. The review process is different and separate from any criminal investigations. The board is now in the final stages of internal review and approval, according to Aliya Wishner, an IMPD spokesperson, but theres still a debate about if the board will have adequate civilian participation. The board will include a mix of police officers and civilians, but Wishner declined to say exactly how many of each because it is still being discussed and amended. What I can say definitively is that IMPD has committed to majority civilian representation on the board, Wishner said in an email. When Hogsett and Taylor announced the board, there were three civilians, with nominations from the mayors office, rank-and-file police and the city-county council president. Taylor would get final say on appointments. Taylor later said he would add another civilian seat but that it would be automatically filled by the director of the Citizens Police Complaint Office, which is a city agency. In May, IndyStar reported the board would include nine members, including five officers and four civilians, but Wishner said that isnt whats in the current proposal. Once established, the Use of Force Review Board will take over the responsibilities of the internal Firearms Review Board, which is tasked with deciding if an officers actions were within or outside of department policy but doesnt have the authority to recommend discipline. General Orders Committee Members Three people (two appointed by the chief, one appointed by the Fraternal Order of Police) The internal General Orders Committee has final say when it comes to department policy. For example, the committee had to sign off on an updated use-of-force policy announced in July. Critics say three people is too few to have such a large task without civilian participation. City-county councilors Keith Potts and Crista Carlino, both Democrats, announced their intention to create a General Orders Board that would replace the current committee. Their board would include civilians. It is time to put the voice of the public back in public safety, Carlino said at a press conference in July. The councilors recently announced they will host town halls to get community feedback on what the makeup of a new board should be. In an interview for this article, Potts said there will be two town halls with more details about those coming soon, and that at least one will be accessible through Zoom. The General Orders Committee exists through the citys contract with the Fraternal Order of Police, but Potts said state law allows the city-county council to create a new board and assign it tasks, effectively replacing the committees functions. The plan is to introduce the proposal at the next full council meeting Sept. 14. From there it will go to committee and then back to the council for a full vote, which Potts said he hopes happens in October. Civilian Police Merit Board Members Seven people (four appointed by the mayor, one appointed by the city-county council, two elected by active members of the department) Meetings 12:30 p.m. on the first Tuesday of the month as often as monthly Contact Call the chiefs office at 317-327-3282 and ask for the merit board The Civilian Police Merit Board spends most of its time considering hiring and promotion recommendations from the chief, but its most visible task is deciding whether to uphold or deny punishment for officers. When the chief wants to punish an officer such as when former Chief Bryan Roach wanted to fire two officers involved in the fatal police shooting of Aaron Bailey in 2017 the officer can appeal. Thats when the Civilian Police Merit Board conducts hearings and chooses to agree with the chief, reverse the chiefs recommendation or reduce the punishment. The board is not allowed to punish officers on its own. Joseph Slash, the longest-tenured member of the board, emphasized that the board currently has four African Americans. The board ends up agreeing with the chief most of the time, Slash said, because a vast majority of the boards responsibilities are more mundane than determining whether to punish officers who kill people. (Slash was one of two members to vote to fire the officers who killed 45-year-old Bailey.) Slash also touted the screening process the board uses for potential new hires, which was updated about 12 years ago under former Mayor Greg Ballard. The process includes checking for affiliations with fringe groups such as white nationalist organizations. Fewer than a dozen candidates have been screened out because of their affiliation with a white nationalist group since then, Slash said, adding that one of the most common reasons potential hires dont make it is because of drug use in the last year, which either comes from a candidates admission or from a lie detector test. Citizens Police Complaint Board Members 12 people (six appointed by the city-county council, three appointed by the mayor, three non-voting members who are officers) Meetings 6 p.m. on the second Monday of the month (at least quarterly but as often as monthly) Contact 317-327-4380 or cpco@indy.gov The Citizens Police Complaint Board reviews all formal complaints made to the Citizens Police Complaint Office. The board was established about 30 years ago as part of an effort to promote trust and accountability between the community and police department. The board sends complaints to IMPD Internal Affairs, which has 60 working days to do its own investigation and allow the chief to take any action. The board can vote to conduct its own investigation at the same time. When the department gives the investigation back to the board, it can agree with the findings and any action the chief takes. If the board doesnt agree, it can vote to: do an informal administrative hearing on the complaint, order the offices director to do informal mediation to resolve the complaint or conduct its own investigation. The board recently updated policies to allow people up to 120 days to file a complaint (it had been 60 days) and to give people two minutes to talk (they had no time before). Disciplinary Board of Captains The internal Disciplinary Board of Captains, among other tasks, either approves or disapproves of recommended discipline levels when the departments General Orders are updated. Vehicle Operations Review Board The internal Vehicle Operations Review Board reviews police vehicle crashes, damage to police vehicles and other incidents. Its most relevant public responsibility is to determine if police pursuits were within compliance. Contact staff writer Tyler Fenwick at 317-762-7853. Follow him on Twitter @Ty_Fenwick. City-county councilor Keith Potts speaks at a press conference July 15 about his effort, along with councilor Crista Carlino, to create a new General Orders Board for IMPD that would include civilians and replace the current General Orders Committee, which has final say on department policy. (Photo/Tyler Fenwick) New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has called for the Christchurch mosques terrorist to endure 'a lifetime of complete and utter silence'. Australian man Brenton Tarrant was on Thursday sentenced to lifetime imprisonment without the possibility of parole by Justice Cameron Mander in the New Zealand High Court. Ms Ardern, who rose to international prominence with her response to the attacks on March 15 last year, paid tribute to the victims who delivered statements in court through the four-day sentencing. New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern delivered an emotional message to New Zealand after Christchurch shooter Brenton Tarrant (pictured during sentencing) was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole Ms Ardern (pictured) called for the Christchurch mosques terrorist to endure 'a lifetime of complete and utter silence' after the historic verdict was handed down 'I want to acknowledge the strength of our Muslim community who shared their words in court over the past few days,' Ms Ardern said. 'You relived the horrific events of March 15 to chronicle what happened that day and the pain it has left behind. 'Nothing will take the pain away but I hope you felt the arms of New Zealand around you through this whole process, and I hope you continue to feel that through all the days that follow. 'The trauma of March 15 is not easily healed but today I hope is the last where we have any cause to hear or utter the name of the terrorist behind it. 'His deserves to be a lifetime of complete and utter silence.' Ms Ardern paid tribute to the victims (survivor Temel Atacocugu pictured far left) who delivered statements in court through the four-day sentencing (survivor Wasseim Alsati pictured right) Prime Minister Scott Morrison also welcomed news of the life sentence and said it is 'right that we will never see or hear from him ever again' (victims of the terrorist attack embrace outside court in Christchurch) Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison also welcomed news of the life sentence. 'Justice today was delivered to the terrorist and murderer for his cowardly and horrific crimes in Christchurch,' Mr Morrison said. 'It is right that we will never see or hear from him ever again. 'All Australians were horrified and devastated by his despicable act.' Tarrant was sentenced to life without parole on each of the 51 counts of murder, for 12 years on each of the 40 attempted murder counts, to be served concurrently, and another life sentence for terrorism. Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 13:19:46|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BANGKOK, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- The Thai police will call on the Interpol to find and return a fugitive Red Bull heir from abroad to Thailand to face criminal charges in court, a police general said on Wednesday. Immigration Bureau Commissioner Pol. Lt. Gen. Sompong Chingduang confirmed the Thai police headquarters will promptly inform the Interpol of the case in which three criminal charges have been filed against Vorayuth Yoovidhya, the heir of the billionaire family manufacturing energy drinks. Vorayuth allegedly drove his Ferrari car in reckless manner, which caused the death of a motorcycle-driving policeman on Sukhumvit road in Thong Lor area of Bangkok in 2012. Vorayuth, who was found to have used cocaine at the time of the accident, was arrested by police, then released under bail and managed to depart from Thailand since the last several years. The Interpol will be officially asked to find him and send him back to Thailand where he is yet to be brought to justice, Pol. Lt. Gen. Sompong said. However, he declined to say if he may have been given any tip-off pertaining to the current whereabouts of the Red Bull heir overseas. The eight-year-old case has been revived in the face of social uproars after the Office of the Attorney General had questionably dropped the charges against the reckless driving suspect for whom an arrest warrant is still valid, according to the immigration chief. Enditem Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The Interior Ministry of the Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA) warned on Thursday that it may be forced to use force against the armed groups that attacked the demonstrators on Wednesday evening, using their weapons Democrats must ace the agenda test In last weeks Democratic National Convention, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris passed the character test. Now as Trump rolls out his virtual convention, they must ace the agenda test. They need to argue the case for the bold agenda that this country desperately needs, and challenge Trump for his policy failures. The Democratic National Convention focused on the character test. Speaker after speaker contrasted the decency of Joe Biden against what Trumps own sister called the phoniness of Donald Trump, a man she said of no principles, none. ADVERTISEMENT The convention introduced Kamala Harris to the country, highlighting her remarkable journey from the child of immigrants, the student at Howard University, California attorney general and senator to the presidential ticket. Jill Biden demonstrated her commitment to family and to teaching. The convention displayed the character of the party its diversity, its inclusiveness, its concern for justice. In powerful presentations, Michelle and Barack Obama made the case about why Trump is just not up to the job of president, particularly in a time of crisis. It is what it is, as Michelle concluded. That left little time to address the agenda. Its not that it does not exist. The Democratic platform largely a product of the task forces put together by Biden and Bernie Sanders details a broad, progressive agenda for change. Bidens own web page and speeches over the course of the nominating process have presented elements of his program. But no one but political junkies read party platforms, and few probe candidate websites. It is now up to Biden and Harris to lay out their case and contrast it with Trumps failed administration. The priorities are clear. In the immediate short-term, Trumps catastrophic mismanagement of the pandemic must be replaced by a comprehensive national strategy to get the pandemic under control so lives are saved and the economy can start up again. The 30 million people who have been forced onto unemployment disproportionately lower wage workers, disproportionately Black and Hispanic need immediate assistance. Trump and the Republican Senate stood in the way of the needed rescue package, objecting to continuing the $600 a week enhancement to unemployment insurance, aid to the U.S. Postal Service to manage the expected surge in voting by mail, aid to cities and states facing massive layoffs of police, teachers, transit workers and more after their budgets were busted by the economic collapse and the costs of dealing with the pandemic. Already another round of layoffs is expected, and 20 to 30 million families are threatened with eviction or foreclosure in a pandemic. Schools are struggling with reopening without the resources needed to pay for the protections health officials say are necessary. Yet Trump and McConnell refused even to meet Democratic House leaders halfway to get a bill done. ADVERTISEMENT In the longer run, major changes are needed to make this economy work for working people. We need a bold initiative to rebuild Americas infrastructure and make it sustainable, a transition to renewable energy to fend off already costly climate change and create millions of good jobs. We need major investment in science and technology so America can regain its lead in innovation and job growth. We need a new trade strategy and industrial policy that rebuilds good jobs at home, ensures we make essential products here in the U.S., and demands a balanced playing field from China and other countries that trample trading rules. At the same time, we need to ensure that workers gain a fair share of the profits and productivity that they help generate. Biden has promised to lift the minimum wage to $15 an hour. We need to empower workers to organize and crack down on labor rights abuses by corporate managers. The economic bill of rights for essential workers should be detailed and readied for passage. Paid family leave and sick leave is vital. Affordable, high-quality child care essential for working parents and their children. The health care gap must be closed, with affordable health care for all guaranteed. The education gap must be closed, with resources for public schools from pre-K through college. Biden has promised tuition-free education for all students whose families earn less than $125,000 a year in contrast to Trumps lack of concern for the burden mounting student debt. The wealth gap must be addressed, with progressive taxes helping to reverse the extreme inequality that now threatens our democracy. We must address the constitutional right to vote. The right to vote should be protected, with restoration of the Voting Rights Act, automatic voter registration, expanded vote by mail and early voting, an end to partisan gerrymandering, and limits on big money in politics. Biden should support the constitutional amendment to guarantee the right to vote in America. The systemic racism built into our criminal justice system must be redressed. Equal pay for women should no longer be an issue. The priorities are many. Biden and Harris must be aggressive in putting forth their agenda, explaining its import and defending its elements. Trump has already made it clear that his campaign will be based on lies and libels about the Democratic agenda. He has already called Biden the puppet of the radical left, who wants to defund the police and abolish the suburbs. Hell burlesque the Democratic agenda across the country. It is vital that Biden and Harris argue their case. If they do, there is no question that they will ace the agenda test that Trump has already failed. They have little more than two months to get that done. The Reverend Jesse Louis Jackson, Sr., founder and president of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, is one of Americas foremost civil rights, religious and political figures. Over the past forty years, he has played a pivotal role in virtually every movement for empowerment, peace, civil rights, gender equality, and economic and social justice. On August 9, 2000, President Bill Clinton awarded Reverend Jackson the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nations highest civilian honor. (Newser) A professor at Yale Law School known for helping students land coveted clerkships has been suspended for two years following a sexual harassment investigation. Jed Rubenfeld, a faculty member for 30 years, faced allegations that he verbally harassed female students and tried to kiss or touch them without their consent, including at parties at his home, reports New York. The Guardian also describes a claim that he offered to drive students home while intoxicated. Rubenfeld, who is married to Yale Law professor Amy Chua, admits to past "jokes and comments that I would not make today and I wish I had not made," per the New York Times. But he denies any sexual harassment. Indeed, he says he's been "targeted with false allegations" since publishing a 2014 Times op-ed in which he described campus rape investigations as "error-prone" with the potential for "mistaken findings of guilt." story continues below But one alleged victim tells New York that she was "sexually harassed" and Rubenfeld is "being dishonest" in telling the magazine that Yale did not share the identity of his accusers with him. "As Yales policy requires, I identified myself to him," she says. "I had to, and I did so at considerable risk given his influence in the legal community." Yale Law School has refused to comment on the investigation, launched in 2018. Rubenfeld will be unable to teach required or small group courses and his social interactions with students will be limited once his suspension is up. A recent graduate and student of Rubenfeld tells the Times that she's "pleasantly surprised" since "meaningful accountability of tenured professors for sexual misconduct at Yale has historically been rare." (Rubenfeld's daughter clerked for Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.) The COVID-19 pandemic poses a two-part problem for Longview resident Shawn Marie Higgins. Since getting laid off in March, shes been unable to find a suitable job in her career field because of statewide restrictions that limit what event planners can do. In the meantime, the unemployment payments that would help Higgins financially weather the storm have inexplicably stopped arriving. Im now starting to study for a new career path, since I dont think event planning is a reliable position to help support my family. I continue to email weekly to unemployment and continue to file weekly, however were uncertain when we will receive benefits again, Higgins, 38, told TDN this week. Higgins is among the thousands of Cowlitz County workers who are jobless right now, many as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic. And locally an undetermined amount of unemployed workers like Higgins say they are still waiting for the state Employment Security Department to resolve a problem with their benefits claim that is holding up their weekly payments. Im constantly praying for our community and for our Governor to lift the emergency orders hes placed on us all, Higgins said. Businesses are closing and people are losing everything. Children are suffering more than ever. As of July 31, the state had reportedly cleared a backlog of about 81,500 people waiting for payments on claims filed between March 8 and June 18. However, about 20,000 people, or 1.5% of those who have filed unemployment claims since March 8, are still waiting for payments because employment security needs to resolve a problem with their filing, according to the departments website. (That number includes workers who were getting paid at one point but are no longer getting payments.) Representatives with the Employment Security Department could not be reached for comment Wednesday. About 5,800 Cowlitz County residents, or 11.5% of the workforce, were unemployed in July, according to a preliminary report from the department. Thats nearly double the number of people who were jobless in July 2019, when about 2,800 people were out of work. The unemployment rate is up about 1.5% over June. However, Southwest Washington regional economist Scott Bailey said that the July rate could drop when the final analysis is in. Part of the jump initially is due to how the state calculates the county-by-county jobless rate. First they do the state rate, and then they do the Seattle metro area, Bailey said. They subtract the Seattle metro from the state rate, and then they divvy the rest up to the other counties. Seattle reported a fairly large, 1.2 percentage point drop in unemployment, but the states rate rose by about 0.3 percentage points. That means the jobless rate in the other counties must go up slightly to account for the difference, Bailey said. This happens occasionally in these preliminary estimates from one month to the next, but over time it tends to work itself out, he said. Bailey said the number one indicator he is using to gauge the health of the workforce during the pandemic is the number of continued unemployment claims the state reports. Continued claims represent workers who are filing for unemployment benefits for more than one week, which roughly measures how many people remain jobless. During July Cowlitz County averaged almost 3,800 continued claims per week. But those claims have been steadily declining since April. Last week 2,755 continued claims were filed in the county, a 3% drop from the week prior. Higgins said shes been filing for unemployment since March, when she was temporarily laid off from her job at McMenamins Kalama Harbor Lodge. About two weeks ago, she learned that the layoff was permanent. Several times I was close to coming back to work. However, as soon as we thought I could start planning events for the future, the news from the Governor would change, Higgins said. At least three times over the course of her unemployment, her benefits payment have stopped depositing in her bank account for no apparent reason and without any explanation from the unemployment office. Usually she can resolve the problem with a quick note to the state Employment Security Department, which administers the payments. But that hasnt been the case for the most recent stoppage, which started July 25. Its now been over three weeks, and Im unable to get a hold of anyone at the unemployment office. When I call the number provided, it goes directly to an answering machine that states they are not taking calls at this time, Higgins said. Kelso resident Stephen Misener is in a similar boat. He quit his job at Pacific Crest Custom Cabinetry in Ridgefield early in June becauase he could no longer physically perform the job. Misener, 21, contracted COVID-19 from an outbreak at work, and its taken him longer to recover than doctors expected, he said. I tried to go back to work, but its a physical labor job, and I was having trouble with breathing. ... All of the sudden I went from being very active to not being able to run for a few seconds without having an asthma attack, Misener said. Misener applied for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, a federally funded program that extends unemployment benefits to workers who arent usually eligible. The program covers self-employed workers, as well as employees that quit or lost their jobs due to COVID-19. He received a letter in June that said his claim was approved, but he hasnt gotten any payments so far. Ive continued to file every week. I call one to two times a day if I can. I send them private messages probably four to five times a week. ... Every time I log in, it says my claim is pending, even though I got a letter that says I was approved. He said he has enough money in savings to cover mone more month of bills. And then after that, I honestly dont know what else I can do if his unemployment payments dont come through. He said its scary and frustrating that he hasnt heard back from the state employment office. Its like hes been left in the dark. Ive looked at everything on their website, everything on their e-service page every frequently asked questions page. Ive tried every form I can use, so at this point Im just like, I genuinely do not know what to do. Misener is scanning job boards for retail positions he might be able to do given his health limitations. Hes had little success in the job hunt because few places are hiring. I know now with COVID, all the places around me arent hiring, or they are closed, or they are going out of business, he said. I still check two to three times a week just to see if something pops up, but there is nothing. ... I dont fault them at all because its not a good time to be hiring. Higgins said shes also struggled to find work. Shes been actively applying for new jobs since March. I have over 17 years of professional experience, and Ive held several senior level positions working from home in the past, she said. I dont know why the right job hasnt come along. She suspects part of the challenge comes from her industry. Theres not much work available for event planners when the state restricts how many people can gather together. Higgins also must limit her search to positions that allow her to work from home because she needs to be home to care for her two young children. My husband works as a truck driver, but weve always been a two income house. Hes gone on the road a lot and we dont have family in the area to help with the kids. Working at home is the only way I can care for my kids and start my daughter in kindergarten, she said. Higgins started studying for her real estate license so she can expand her job hunt. Shes optimistic that the new industry might offer her more opportunity. Normally I wouldnt have a problem finding a comparable position to what I had before, but Im applying for at home work right now and Im competing against a nation of unemployed applicants, Higgins said. Its a tough market to find the right job. Concerned about COVID-19? Sign up now to get the most recent coronavirus headlines and other important local and national news sent to your email inbox daily. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy. Those who are serious in ridiculous matters will be ridiculous in serious matters. Cato the Elder The enduring beauty of fascism is that it requires so little from us so little independent thought; just our basic belief and adherence to a limited set of popularly-shared directives and narratives that once fully accepted, relieve us of the need to address stubborn questions or to fret over subtle differences of opinion and feeling. Propaganda reassures us that we are complete, that we know all there is to know, that we are rational, pragmatic and pure, that the science has been settled and that we are a part of something special. Such a surrender to reductionist narratives cuts across all classes and income brackets. Neither the most educated nor the least uneducated retain any special advantage in the face of powerful consensus-shaping propaganda. PROPAGANDA is, of course, the life-blood of fascist control. Maintaining the economic, governmental and scientific frameworks of a technocratic-fascist operating system is unthinkable without propaganda and disinformation. When truth is seen as a liability to power, it must always be disallowed, and all instances of it effectively penalized. Radio and television and their constant enabler, popular science operate today as their own religions, reliant for their success upon the devotion of the masses. As McLuhan told us, the experience of electronic media is always more powerful than the specific messaging it contains. The currency that we use to pay for the electronic spectacle is our attention, and in such hyper-mediated times as these, the charges mount up exponentially, until we find ourselves saddled with soul-crushing denial and disconnection. Three defining historical moments (among many) have defined the confluence of fascism, propaganda and technology. The fundamental principles of propaganda were first defined 100 years ago by Edward Bernays, often referred to as the father of public relations. Joseph Goebbels served as Reich Minister of Propaganda of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. The stunning successful lessons of his Nazi propaganda programs were not lost on the worlds political and economic leaders in the post-war era, and in the time since then. The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was founded in 1947, for the expressed purpose of conducting secret intelligence operations that could serve political aims at the same time they generated huge and untraceable profits. The extent of the CIAs illegal enterprises necessitated the creation and maintenance of a permanent ministry of disinformation, managed by our own taxpayer-funded Shadow Government and Deep State. In retrospect then, it is clear that these propaganda campaigns have proven SO successful, that even today, few of us ever realize how ongoing, vast and wide-spread they are. Propagandas efficacy is so indisputable, that it is commonly the case that those who are the most certain that they are NOT among the propagandized, are in fact its most overt victims. Corporate media focuses on those stories they are paid to propagate, i.e., those which support the financial and ideological agendas of their owners, who themselves are all, without exception, central parts of the larger global ruling oligarchy. A key part of the propagandists handbook is to simply leave unexplored stories that they are NOT given approval to manage and control; stories which, we might assume, do not generate sufficient advantage for the owners. Such calculated sins of omission are essential to keeping the mass of believers unperturbed by the vagaries of complexity in the delivery of their daily dogmas. If an individual were to insist upon learning more about any of these less-discussed stories, they would soon arrive at the realization that while an abundance of relevant facts can easily be found, and often hidden in plain sight, the truth is that most people simply do not WANT to know, think or talk about any such truths that differ from those accepted by their peers, for whom cognitive dissonance causes such literal pain and disorientation, as to keep them docile and compliant to the dictates of the media. As McLuhan said: Only the small secrets need to be protected. The large ones are kept secret by public incredulity. Perhaps, the grandest illusion of all, and which must be maintained at all costs, is that both the world and the stories we tell of it, must be made to appear as though they are generated randomly. It must always appear that the medias coverage and the comments of experts are entirely free from any preconceived manipulation. In the terminology of the media, news must always be Breaking! even though in reality, we know the news more closely resembles a cooking show, where ingredients are chopped and sliced before-hand, after which they are mixed and served up live on camera in ways that keep the public hooked on happy hash-slinging and enticingly-scripted recipes. Technocratic-Fascism, the advanced fusion of the multinational technology-dominated corporatocracy with the authoritarian global and surveillance state, allows its initiates to believe they are a part of something bigger than themselves. Witness the magical lefts lockstep belief in the pure villainy of Donald Trump, or the magical rights equally lockstep belief in Trump as a self-sacrificing national hero. Clearly both parties to the constant heist of human freedom need each other to better manage their greed for consumer profit and civilian control. Such mental assaults secondarily require that all truthful motives remain hidden and obfuscated in a fog of weaponized storytelling. This accounts of course for the abiding value of bullshit, does it not? Bullshit effectively misleads without upsetting the natural order of things, without irreversibly tearing apart the fabric of credibility. Nothing can stand in the way of the constant flow of messaging, profit and growth, which are after all, the primary justifications for all this deceptive disorder. This is another aspect of what makes technocratic-fascism so irresistible; in realizing how effective it is at knowing us better than we know ourselves. The assumption is that if we were to know ourselves better than the stories we are told, we would not be seduced by such obvious lies. Since we dont, our betters are left with no choice but to keep up the constant barrage of lies, at least until our thinking eventually locks up and we capitulate and collapse, like a stack of wooden blocks. If for example, we did not always obey or give our attention to propaganda, we would soon grow alarmed by the many contradictions that we are told exist, say between the Covid monster and the daily vaporous disease statistics, or between maskers and non-maskers, between vaxxers and anti-vaxxers, between crushing economic destruction and the mewling need for safety, between the lunatic left and the lunatic right, between black and whites, between males and females between one piece of orthogonal bullshit and another equally opposing piece of bullshit. ALL of these dichotomies, of course, are at some fundamental level FALSE every last one of them, each constructed by skilled media professionals and put in place to overwhelm our critical thinking and that of millions of others from seeing whats really going on in the limitless background. In this remarkably cost-efficient way, human energy and intelligence are siphoned off, and directed towards the task of turning us into helplessly confused and easily-controllable lab rats, forcibly cut off from each other, lest we experience ourselves as intelligent and sovereign beings. If something like that were to happen, the driving agendas of big business and global governance to keep us marching in lockstep towards a more divided and disempowered fate, would soon disintegrate. It is in such a state of debilitating surrender that we are divided one subset targeted demographic against another; all herded into a wicked mental trap with one side thinking one thing, while the other side thinks something else such that half of us hate the other and the other half hate the other right back. At this point, and after so many years of unqualified victories for the industries supported by the propaganda industry, the pathetic truth is that propaganda doesnt even NEED to be that entertaining anymore. Knowing they have the situation in tow, the purveyors of propaganda can save a ton of money by just being sensational, confrontational and redundant in their narratives. Recall this quote from the singular Frank Zappa: The illusion of freedom will continue as long as its profitable to continue the illusion. At the point where the illusion becomes too expensive to maintain, they will just take down the scenery, they will pull back the curtains, they will move the tables and chairs out of the way and you will see the brick wall at the back of the theater. Once we have learned to carry on absent the need for verifiable truth, or without the need to discern authentic and honest voices from deceitful and manipulative ones, we gradually lose our interest in so-called truth, preferring instead to keep splashing about in unsubstantiated speculation, pompous judgments and opinionated fluff. Lets be honestthe only people who might actually CARE what any of us think about the blaring big topics of the day (masks or vaccines or climate change or Black Lives Matter, etc.) are other equally thin-skinned victims of propaganda, who much like the majority of us, still believe that the government cares about them and that the mainstream media is telling them the truth. That is why a growing number of people have given up on the medias crudely fictional depiction of reality, and are instead trying to figure out how to thrive and to reconnect energetically with others and with truths that can only exist OUTSIDE the reach of the propaganda spectacle. The media, of course, with their sophisticated surveillance tracking tools knows full well when there is an uptick in negative reactions to their toxic narratives, but since it is also aware that it is after all pushing nothing but sugar water bullshit, it is left with little choice but to double-down and turn the levels up even higher thus ramming even more bullshit at us. Whacky Joe Biden, Greedy Green Greta, Covid, Aunt Jemima Race Wars and endless offenses all come at us so fast and so hard as to leave us bent and broke under the weight of it all, as we stumble around like headless chickens desperately trying to win the approval of our friends by looking like we are at least doing the only acceptable thing. Arriving at his frenzied point of screwball hyper-polarization, is the essential endgame of Propaganda locking us into its agenda, at the same time it demands that we think we are making these choices of our own FREE WILL! To get us to that point though, they must keep us constantly preoccupied; agitated, offended, attacking each other and defending ourselves against all threats, both real and imagined. The more they can get us ensnared in mind-numbing opinions and outrages, the less energy and attention will be left to notice the deeper more manipulative agendas of techno-fascism. Mid 20th Century fascism was woefully limited in its capacities and in what it could extract from its victims and yet still it worked! The new technocratic-fascism is here to mine the population for all the bio-capital commodification it can. Those who can invent the most efficient and ingenious means of converting human confusion, poverty, crime and illness into impact markets will quickly take their place among the prior generations titans of technology. Once you step back far enough though to experience the sheer SCALE of this ongoing and unlimited propaganda WAR on us, it grows a bit easier to see why so few are able to escape the medias influence. Oh, for a while perhaps, you can rise above it but eventually, you will get pulled back down into the muck. Even if you kill your TV, unplug yourself from your media feeds, and turn off the Wi-Fi, each of us, at some point, will relapse and fall off the wagon. This is because propaganda is not just about whats in the news or in the media. Its even more importantly about the broadly consensual layers of social hallucination that are created and shared across all of society, which make it difficult for any of us to function socially, absent those commonly shared reference points and signals that we have convinced ourselves are required in order to allay our anxiety, confusion and isolation all of which are primary raisons detres for propaganda in the first place. I wish there was one simple way to break propagandas voodoo spell. There isnt. Im not even sure how to do that for myself, or how I can avoid falling prey to it again, just as I and most of us have done for the great majority of our lives. What seems obvious to me now is that propaganda in the service of a transhumanist-centered technology has become so pervasive and insidiously forceful, that in many ways, our thinking has ceased to be entirely our own, and that the portion of our soul that remains recognizable as uniquely us, is shrinking fast. The effect of all this leaves our spirits infected, and easily convertible into compliant puppets under the top-down control of truly diabolically puppet masters, who in order to keep us subservient to their untruths, and to doing whatever we are told, have become masterful at pretending to be something they are not. This is perfectly exemplified in the character of Bill Gates, who working with his Bain and Co. handlers and account managers, (who previously managed the Iraq War for Dick Cheney) have constructed these elaborate biopharma/ biocapital/ vaccine public health/fear narratives and investment pyramids that are then fed to the media and Wall Street, who reheat and serve them to the public, generating criminal profits while making such that Mr. Gates is always portrayed as an altruistic philanthropist and protector of the public when any fool can see he is nothing of the sort. NOT seeing just how obvious and laughable propaganda campaigns have become in this one-size fits all era, leaves us painfully vulnerable and ready to be further subsumed by more of the same. The complexity of todays master plans for disinformation are unparalleled compared to the past. Looking back to the 1950s and 60s, when all the above long-term plans for centralized and technocratic control were slowly being tested, being part of Americas growing middle-class was actually a pretty sweet deal. It is in a return to more bucolic and normal times as these that we pin our nostalgic hopes, by the media but especially by politicians. Desperation is the raw material of drastic change. Only those who can leave behind everything they have ever believed in, can hope to escape. William S. Burroughs * Looking at our world, we can see that the reach and authority of the transnational global capitalists who run the worlds nation-sized casinos has been cemented. All systems are now in place, up and running LIVE on that criminal syndicates vast web of networks. Each one of us has by now been targeted by them for some form of surveillance and financialization just as nature has, just as disease has, just as social justice has, just as everything will eventually. The A.I. control grids are all active and expanding. The technocratic agendas are now fully ready for prime-time. We have been gradually shepherded by propaganda and psychological torture techniques, just as we have also been physically compromised by toxins in the geo-engineered air and water, by disruptive electromagnetic frequency radiation, by weaponized technologies that include the release of nano-particulates inside our bodies (either by way of inhalation or injection) which are then governed by oxygen-absorbing 5G which at the higher millimeter wave frequency, will bring remote alteration of our very DNA under the persistent control of A.I., which will guide the process of transmuting us into commodities, into plunderable assets, into digitally-regulated and genetically modified livestock. Sadly, this is where decades of constant acquiescence to propaganda and institutional hypnosis has brought usbent over, staring at our shoes and bracing for the BIG ONE. I remember in my own youth, being convinced that the evil genius of Hitler and Nazism had somehow transformed the mass of decent German people into BEASTS, possessed by demons, as if in a dark fairy tale into something less than human. We know that once we begin to regard others as LESS than usas something OTHER than us, it is only a short step to unleashing our hate upon them, even to the point of becoming violent and criminal. Needless to say, these very same psychological imperatives are everywhere apparent today; in how we are instructed by propaganda to regard the Chinese, Russians, Muslims, white supremacist Trumpers, deluded depraved liberals, defective racists, misogynist sexists and quivering face-ists (with their acute disdain for anyone who questions the dogma of e-mask-ulation.) Same as it ever was, you might say, but as we approach the much-touted singularity with its accompanying convergence of man and machine, how will the media respond in the face of that Huxleyan solution? In that light, how might propaganda shift its focus? I expect it will change-up the pitch and tell us that THIS time, things will be different. This time wont be like last time. No, this time, things will have changed, so that we will no longer be brainwashed by the media as we were before. No, when the coming big change happens to us, it will not be like that. We will rather be transformed into advanced independent humans augmented by perfectly blended combinations of technology, science and engineering. Our DNA will be carefully crafted by brilliant doctors and scientists to enhance only the preferred qualities in their human subjects, and under their wise direction, we will gladly do as we are told. For so great a future, we will willingly offer our support and so grow accustomed to our new life, lest we become like those poor unfortunate souls, so lost in their unreason, that they cannot fully appreciate the wisdom that derives from enthusiastically embracing PROGRESS. In our leaders inspired and time-tested plans, we will of course have every convenience at our fingertips, such that doors will magically open when we approach. We will be able to download all manner of rich media and data with the blink of an eye. We will be as supermen. Our definitions of what is valuable and what is not, will fluidly shift to suit changing circumstances. We will see ourselves as the very picture of modernity, and the envy of the worldjust as we have always been. We will be as American as our multi-racial forefathers, even though they lived in unenlightened timeslong before todays great social justice transformation allowed us, their proud descendants, to wake each day into this glistening new world. In such a world, when we ask ourselves what we might be grateful for, we will no longer need to struggle for an answer. We will know exactly what is good, true and beautiful and we will commit ourselves to those lofty ideals each and every day. Therein too, and most mercilessly, resides the fatal beauty of technocratic-fascism. By Natalia Zinets KYIV (Reuters) - Ukraine on Wednesday imposed a temporary ban on most foreigners from entering the country until Sept. 28 and extended lockdown measures until the end of October to contain a recent spike in coronavirus cases. Speaking at a televised cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Denys Shmygal also said the government would need to take a decision on Thursday on whether to ban major public events in September. "The rise in coronavirus infections we have seen in recent weeks is forcing us to act more decisively," Shmygal said. The daily tally of new infections jumped to around 2,000 last week with a record high of 2,328 on Saturday. The total number of infections reached 110,085 on Wednesday, with 2,354 deaths. Shmygal said Wednesday's decisions were partly in response to a plea from Israel to prevent an influx of Hasidic Jews travelling to the central Ukrainian town of Uman for an annual pilgrimage, fearing it may become a virus hotspot. "We must protect our citizens and show responsibility to our foreign partners," Shmygal said. Tens of thousands of Hasidic Jews descend on Uman every Jewish New Year to visit the grave of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, who revived the Hasidic movement and died in 1810. Jewish New Year celebrations run from Sept. 18-20 this year. The head of Israel's coronavirus task force asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to ban the event this year.. Some foreigners would be exempted from the new curbs, including diplomats and passengers in transit to other countries, Shmygal said. Ukraine's government decided to ease lockdown rules imposed in March for economic reasons, after seeing gross domestic product shrink 11.4% in the second quarter year-on-year, showing the deepest quarterly fall since 2015. The authorities do not plan to lock down the whole country again, but have reimposed some restrictions such as limiting public transport. (Writing by Matthias Williams; Editing by Nick Macfie) President Donald Trump plans to announce Thursday the purchase of 150 million rapid Covid-19 tests as part of a $750 million agreement with Abbott Laboratories, a White House official confirmed. Trump plans to use his speech at the Republican National Convention to announce the deal, the official said. "This is a major development that will help our country to remain open, get Americans back to work, and kids back to school," White House communications director Alyssa Farah said in a statement to CNBC. "The Trump Administration is proud to partner with Abbott labs to make this purchase possible to help the American people." Word of the plans was first reported by Politico. The Food and Drug Administration granted emergency use approval late Wednesday to Abbott for its new coronavirus antigen test, which it said is the first Covid-19 test that costs about $5 and delivers results in minutes on a testing card without lab equipment, similar to a pregnancy test. Shares of Abbott finished the day up nearly 8%, closing at an all-time high of $111.29. The American medical device company now boasts a market cap of about $197 billion. Abbott said in a statement after it received FDA authorization that it will "ship tens of millions of tests in September, ramping production to 50 million tests a month in October." White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany released the following statement on the administration's purchase of the rapid tests: "Through Operation Warp Speed and in partnership with Abbott Laboratories, final production will be scaled to an unprecedented 50 million tests monthly." The Department of Health and Human Services said in a press release the rapid tests will be "potentially deployed to schools and to assist with serving other special needs populations." "By strategically distributing 150 million of these tests to where they're needed most, we can track the virus like never before and protect millions of Americans at risk in especially vulnerable situations," HHS Secretary Alex Azar said. Representatives of Abbott Labs did not immediately return CNBC's request for further comment. The test, called BinaxNOW, is an antigen test, which are somewhat more likely to incorrectly diagnose someone as negative when they are in fact infected than by using molecular tests. While molecular tests are the most accurate on the market, they depend on technical lab equipment, trained personnel and a strained supply chain, which makes scaling up molecular tests to a massive level difficult. The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection has outlined activities to take stock of the achievements, challenges and the way forward for the Child and Family Welfare Policy (CFWP) as it commemorates the 2020 National Childrens Day. The Day, instituted on August 31, 1979 is a key activity of the then Ghana National Commission of Children (GNCC), which was established to see to the general welfare and development of children. The GNCC was converted to the Department of Children by the GNCC Repeal Act, 2005 (Act 701) as an implementing department responsible for implementing programmes and projects for the survival, protection, participation and development of children. A statement issued in Accra and copied to the Ghana News Agency on Thursday said the day would be observed to co-ordinate all essential services countrywide and promote the United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child. It said the celebration was expected to be carried out at the regional and national levels with awareness creation on the need for the public to act now to protect children from teenage pregnancy, human trafficking and other forms of abuse amidst COVID-19. It noted that on Friday, August 28, the Ministry would hold a community sensitisation programme on the need to end human trafficking at the Komenda Edina Aguafo Abirem Municipal Assembly in the Central Region. On August 31 the Ministry would hold a national stakeholders forum on this years theme: Five Years of Implementing the CFWP; the Achievement, Challenges and the Way Forward, in Accra. The Ministry congratulated all stakeholders who had delivered on their role in the Policy to ensure the strengthening of the child and family welfare system in Ghana. "We further urge all to continue to strive for a better Ghana for our children. Our children need protection now more than ever during this COVID-19 era. We must all endeavour to protect them by ensuring they adhere to the COVID-19 prevention protocols and ensure that they continue to learn whilst at home." Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video CHICAGO, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- GCM Grosvenor, a global alternative asset management firm, announced today that Pamela Bentley will join the firm as Managing Director of Finance in October and assume the role of Chief Financial Officer effective January 1, 2021. Ms. Bentley will be responsible for managing the financial functions of the firm including overseeing activities related to corporate and fund accounting, treasury and cash management, financial planning and reporting, tax, and operational due diligence while also playing a vital role in GCM Grosvenor's strategic initiatives. She will report to Jon Levin, President of GCM Grosvenor. Ms. Bentley brings more than 25 years of financial and accounting experience to GCM Grosvenor. She joins GCM Grosvenor after 15 years with The Carlyle Group, a publicly traded global investment firm, where in her most recent role she served as the Chief Accounting Officer and Managing Director. She previously held senior finance roles at Transaction Network Services, Inc. and prior to that worked for Arthur Andersen. "We are incredibly excited to welcome a talented financial executive like Pam," said Levin. "We believe she will help to ensure that we continue to provide a strong value proposition to our clients while also driving best in class processes as a public company. Pam brings deep industry, financial and public accounting experience, as well as strategic acumen, and we look forward to welcoming her to our team." "I am excited to join the GCM Grosvenor team at such an exciting moment in the firm's history," said Ms. Bentley. "In addition to further cementing GCM's reputation as one of the world's leading alternative asset management firms, I believe GCM's public company status will create value for all of the firm's stakeholders. I look forward to working closely with my new partners to build upon the solid foundation they have put in place and help to accelerate the current momentum the firm is enjoying." Ms. Bentley earned her B.B.A. from the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business. She is a Certified Public Accountant and is also a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. About GCM Grosvenor GCM Grosvenor is a global alternative asset management solutions provider with approximately $57 billion in assets under management across private equity, infrastructure, real estate, credit, and absolute return investment strategies. The firm is in its 50th year of operation and is dedicated to delivering value for clients in the growing alternative investment asset classes. GCM Grosvenor's experienced team of 485 professionals serves a global client base of institutional and high net worth investors. The firm is headquartered in Chicago, with offices in New York, Los Angeles, London, Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Seoul. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws with respect to the proposed transaction between GCM Grosvenor and CF Finance Acquisition Corp. ("CFAC"), including statements regarding the benefits of the transaction. These forward-looking statements generally are identified by the words "will," "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "intend," "may" and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are predictions, projections and other statements about future events that are based on current expectations and assumptions and, as a result, are subject to risks and uncertainties. Many factors could cause actual future events to differ materially from the forward-looking statements in this document, including the risks and uncertainties described in the "Risk Factors" section of the joint registration statement/proxy statement on Form S-4 discussed below and other documents filed by GCM Grosvenor and CFAC from time to time with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements, and GCM Grosvenor and CFAC assume no obligation and do not intend to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Neither GCM Grosvenor nor CFAC gives any assurance that either GCM Grosvenor or CFAC will achieve its expectations. Additional Information and Where to Find It This press release relates to the proposed transaction between GCM Grosvenor and CFAC. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or exchange, or the solicitation of an offer to buy or exchange, any securities, nor shall there be any sale of securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, sale or exchange would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. GCM Grosvenor Inc. has filed a registration statement on Form S-4 that includes a joint proxy statement/prospectus. The proxy statement/prospectus will be sent to all CFAC stockholders. CFAC and GCM Grosvenor Inc. also will file other documents regarding the proposed transaction with the SEC. Before making any voting decision, investors and security holders of CFAC are urged to read the registration statement, the proxy statement/prospectus and all other relevant documents filed or that will be filed with the SEC in connection with the proposed transaction as they become available because they will contain important information about the proposed transaction. Investors and security holders will be able to obtain free copies of the proxy statement/prospectus and all other relevant documents filed or that will be filed with the SEC by CFAC through the website maintained by the SEC at www.sec.gov. Additional information and a recording of management commentary regarding this transaction can be accessed through the Cantor Fitzgerald website at: www.cantor.com/our-business/affiliates. Participants in Solicitation CFAC and GCM Grosvenor Inc. and their respective directors and officers may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from CFAC's stockholders in connection with the proposed transaction. Information about CFAC's directors and executive officers and their ownership of CFAC's securities is set forth in the S-4 registration statement filed by GCM Grosvenor, and the joint proxy statement/prospectus included therein. You may obtain free copies of these documents as described in the preceding paragraph. SOURCE GCM Grosvenor A three-member team of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) from Delhi arrived here on Thursday to probe the drugs aspect in the actor suicide case. On Tuesday, the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is probing actor Rhea Chakraborty in a money laundering case, informed in a letter to the NCB that their investigation had revealed that drugs were supplied to Rhea and Sushant. On Wednesday, the NCB registered an FIR against Chakraborty and others. Chakraborty is also facing a CBI investigation for allegedly abetting Rajput's suicide. The actor took his life on June 14. (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.) Hyderabad, Aug 27 : Four prisoners undergoing treatment for Covid-19 at Gandhi hospital here escaped in the wee hours on Thursday, officials said. The inmates escaped after allegedly removing the iron grills of a bathroom's window on the second floor of the main building of the government-run hospital, where they were undergoing treatment. Police suspect that the incident happened around 3 a.m. Special teams have been formed to track down the escaped convicts. The police are scanning the CCTV footage at the hospital premises. Senior police officials are investigating how the prisoners managed to escape despite tight security at the facility. While two prisoners were undertrials from Chanchalguda Central Prison, the other two were convicts who were serving their sentence in Cherlapally jail. One of them was shifted to Gandhi hospital after he had contracted the Covid infection while undergoing treatment at Government Hospital for Mental Care in Erragadda here. The four was among 10 prisoners to have tested positive for the virus and were undergoing treatment at the hospital for the last few days. For the last six months, police have been maintaining tight security at Gandhi hospital and it was further beefed up after a couple of incidents of attacks on doctors and other staff by relatives of Covid patients. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) BAKU, Azerbaijan, Aug. 27 By Ilkin Seyfaddini - Trend: The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Uzbekistan increased by 405 to 39,790, Trend reports with reference to the statistics of the Uzbek Ministry of Health. To date, 36,562 patients have fully recovered in the country, while 296 have died. Under the instructions of President of Uzbekistan, unlimited movement of vehicles, as well as local air and rail travel in Uzbekistan, was resumed since August 15, 2020. Also, from August 17, 2020, Tashkent resumed public transportation. Citizens are required to wear masks when entering the bus, otherwise, passengers will not be allowed to enter. Moreover, from August 20, 2020, clothing and building material markets, large shops, gyms, fitness clubs, and swimming pools resumed operations. The first case of coronavirus infection in Uzbekistan was detected on March 15 in the laboratory of the Research Institute of Virology; it was an Uzbek woman who returned from France. The Ministry of Health later announced that her son, daughter, husband, and grandson also tested positive for coronavirus. The outbreak in the Chinese Wuhan city - which is an international transport hub - began at a fishing 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. Uzbekistan as an active member of the WHO European Regional Office has joined the Coronavirus vaccination program. --- Follow author on Twitter: @seyfaddini Mr McCabe's work includes the play, King of the Castle and novel, Death and Nightingales, which was described by author Colm Tobin as one of the great Irish masterpieces of the century, as reported in The Irish Times. Having lived near Clones, Co Monaghan for the past 65 years, Mr McCabe was a fierce critic of violence and sectarianism during the Troubles, penning a trilogy of screenplays for RTE in the 1970s titled: Cancer, Heritage and Siege. Mr McCabe, who was a member of Aosdana, attended Castleknock College in Dublin before studying English and History at University College Cork. In 2002, he was awarded the Butler Literary Award for Prose by the Irish Cultural Institute, followed by the AWB Vincent Literary Award from the American Ireland Fund in 2006. Mr McCabe is survived by his wife, Margot and their four children, including actor Ruth McCabe. A Chinese-owned fishing trawler has been re-licensed to fish in Ghana, despite being caught for illegal fishing twice and failing to pay its fine. In June 2019, the Lu Rong Yuan Yu 956 was apprehended in Ghanaian waters with illegal nets and undersized 'small pelagic' fish on board the staple catch of artisanal fishers. The full fine of US$ 1 million was issued, but the vessel owners failed to pay: in May 2020 the vessel was caught again for almost identical offences. Despite this clear track record of illegality, the vessel has now been licensed to fish while it awaits a further hearing. The Lu Rong Yuan Yu 956, which is operated by the Chinese company Rongcheng Ocean Fishery Co Ltd, was apprehended twice, in 2019 and 2020, for using nets with a mesh size below the legal minimum and taking fish smaller than legal landing size. While the vessel was authorised to catch bottom-dwelling species, significant quantities of small pelagic species, such as the severely depleted sardinellas, were found on board. The use of illegal nets is often associated with the damaging practice of saiko, as trawlers use them to illegally target the main catch of artisanal fishers small pelagic fish, also known as the 'people's fish'. Once caught, they transfer the catch at sea to specially adapted boats and sell this stolen fish back to local communities at a profit. This represents a worrying threat to livelihoods in coastal communities. At a time when local fishers should be recording bumper catches, they report returning to sea with empty nets as fish populations collapse. Meanwhile repeat offenders, such as the Lu Rong Yuan Yu 956, are still out at sea. Re-licensing of the vessel may also be inconsistent with legal requirements. The 2002 Fisheries Act states that the Fisheries Commission should not recommend the renewal of a fishing licence where there is a failure to satisfy a judgment or determination for illegal fishing. It seems that the fines issued to the vessel in 2019 are determinations that have not been satisfied. Under international law, Ghana has a responsibility to establish a system of deterrent sanctions that deprives offenders of the benefits gained from illegal fishing. Ghana's system of fisheries sanctions was upgraded in 2014 through adoption of new legislation following a warning from the European Commission for failure to meet these international obligations. Yet, this case highlights that the system is still not working: the vessel simply refused to comply with the sanction it was given, and was caught again for the same illegal fishing offenses. Clearly the owners were undeterred. Executive Director of the Environmental Justice Foundation Steve Trent said: "It is vital that all parties remember that this Chinese trawler was fishing illegally in Ghana's waters, stealing from its people and damaging its environment. These are serious crimes that are causing long-term damage to Ghana, its economy and its people. So, when this case is heard by the out-of-court settlement committee it is vital that the fines imposed meet at least the statutory minimum. The outcome of the committee must also be registered formally with the court, so that it can be fully enforced, and published on the Ministry's website for full transparency. It is crucial that all cases of illegal fishing in Ghana are treated rigorously, so that perpetrators are prevented from committing these crimes again. The case raises concerns as to the efficacy of Ghana's system of out of court settlements to deal with the perpetrators of illegal fishing. In the vast majority of cases, vessel operators opt to have cases heard out of court. Yet, while fines imposed should be no less than the statutory minimum, in practice, fines are often lower than the minimum, and in some cases, such as the present, go unpaid. There is a lack of transparency around individual cases which leaves the process vulnerable to external interference and potential abuse. Notes for editors Ghana's fisheries laws set out requirements on the Fisheries Commission with respect to the licensing of vessels that have engaged in illegal fishing. For licences within Ghanaian waters : The 2002 Fisheries Act provides that the Fisheries Commission shall not recommend the renewal of a fishing licence unless it is satisfied that "there has not been a failure to satisfy a judgment or any other determination for a contravention of this Act" (Section 76(1)(c)). For authorisations to fish outside of Ghanaian waters : The 2015 Fisheries Amendment Regulations, LI 2217, provide that the Fisheries Commission shall not grant an authorisation for a vessel to fish outside of Ghanaian waters where "the Commission has reason to believe that the fishing vessel has engaged in IUU fishing". New vessels have continued to arrive from China, despite a February 2012 moratorium on new industrial trawlers entering Ghanaian waters to address severe depletion of fish stocks. Of the industrial trawl vessels licensed to fish in Ghana in 2018, at least half were built in 2013 or later, after the moratorium on new or replacement vessels came into effect. Over 2.7 million people in Ghana rely on marine fisheries for their food and income. Saiko catches in 2017 were worth US$ 40.6 - 50.7 million when sold at sea, and US$ 52.7 - 81.1 million when sold at the landing site. In 2017 industrial trawlers caught almost the same amount of fish as the entire artisanal sector, when illegal and unreported catches are taken into account. That is 76 trawlers catching approximately the same amount of fish as over 12,000 canoes or 100,000 fishers. Originating at ejfoundation.org August 27, 2020 Amsterdam, the Netherlands - Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA), a global leader in health technology, today announced that it has signed an agreement to acquire Intact Vascular, Inc., a U.S.-based developer of medical devices for minimally-invasive peripheral vascular procedures. Intact Vascular will enhance Philips' image-guided therapy portfolio, combining Philips' interventional imaging platform and diagnostic and therapeutic devices with Intact Vascular's unique, specialized implantable device to optimize the treatment of patients with Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD). PAD develops when plaque builds up in arteries and reduces blood flow to the limbs, most commonly the legs. It affects more than 200 million people worldwide [1]. PAD symptoms include recurrent fatigue, leg pain, and foot or leg wounds that do not heal or heal very slowly. Critical Limb Ischemia (CLI) is an advanced stage of PAD, and is typically associated with high rates of amputation and mortality. "Acquiring Intact Vascular will expand our portfolio of minimally invasive therapy options for Peripheral Artery Disease with the Tack Endovascular System [2], a much needed implant that effectively restores blood flow in small limb vessels, promotes healing and preserves limbs," said Chris Landon, Senior Vice President and General Manager Image Guided Therapy Devices at Philips. "Through the integration of our interventional imaging systems and diagnostic and therapeutic devices, we will be able to provide clinicians with a complete procedural solution to optimize the treatment of patients with this disease." Philips' market leading peripheral vascular portfolio already includes advanced interventional imaging systems for precision guidance; intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) catheters to assess the location of the disease and lesion morphology and guide and confirm the treatment; peripheral atherectomy devices to remove blockages; and peripheral therapy devices, such as Philips' Stellarex drug-coated balloon, to treat lesions. Intact Vascular will strengthen this portfolio with the Tack Endovascular System, which reinforces standard and drug-coated balloon PAD treatment results. Intact Vascular's Tack [2] implant is a first-of-its-kind, minimal-metal, dissection repair device that provides precision treatment of peripheral arterial dissections following balloon angioplasty in above-the-knee (ATK) and below-the-knee (BTK) therapeutic interventions [3]. The Tack implant leaves less metal behind compared to stents, preserving future treatment options and ultimately preserving limbs. Moreover, Intact Vascular's Tack implant offers a solution for repairing dissections and optimizing post-angioplasty outcomes in the challenging CLI patient population. "We are excited about the strategic fit between our team, expertise and unique therapeutic device, and Philips' Image-Guided Therapy business," said Bruce Shook, President and CEO of Intact Vascular. "We share the same vision of complete procedural solutions to improve existing procedures and expand treatment options. We look forward to completing the transaction and working closely with Philips on a seamless transition." The transaction, which is subject to customary closing conditions, is expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2020. Philips will acquire Intact Vascular for an upfront cash consideration of USD 275 million (approx. EUR 234 million), and deferred payments for which the company expects to recognize a provision of USD 85 million (approx. EUR 72 million) upon completion of the transaction. Intact Vascular was founded in 2011 and is headquartered in Wayne, Pennsylvania, in the U.S. On completion of the transaction, Intact Vascular will become part of Philips' Image-Guided Therapy business. [1] J. Shu J. and G. Santulli; Update on peripheral artery disease: Epidemiology and evidence-based facts; Atherosclerosis, 2018 Aug; 275: 379-381. [2] Tack Endovascular System and Tack are trademarks of Intact Vascular, Inc. [3] The Tack Endovascular System has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for ATK and BTK dissection repair interventions. For further information, please contact: Ben Zwirs Philips Global Press Office Tel.: +31 6 15213446 E-mail: ben.zwirs@philips.com Derya Guzel Philips Investor Relations Tel.: +31 20 59 77222 E-mail: derya.guzel@philips.com About Royal Philips Royal Philips. Forward-looking statements This release contains certain forward-looking statements with respect to the financial condition, results of operations and business of Philips and certain of the plans and objectives of Philips with respect to these items. Examples of forward-looking statements include statements made about the strategy, estimates of sales growth, future EBITA, future developments in Philips' organic business and the completion of acquisitions and divestments. By their nature, these statements involve risk and uncertainty because they relate to future events and circumstances and there are many factors that could cause actual results and developments to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these statements. Attachments A controversial statue commemorating Confederate soldiers has fallen victim to Hurricane Laura just two weeks after local officials voted to keep it displayed on public grounds. The South's Defenders Monument was seen shattered in pieces while the pedestal holding up the statue stood empty on the lawn in front of Calcasieu Parish Courthouse in Lake Charles, Louisiana, on Thursday. The monument, which has stood in that location since 1915, has been the subject of controversy as calls grew for it to be dismantled. But local authorities voted 10-4 on August 13 to keep it in place. Critics call it a symbol of racism that glorifies slavery. The South's Defenders monument in Lake Charles, Louisiana, was seen shattered in pieces by Hurricane Laura on Thursday The pedestal holding up the statue stood empty on the lawn in front of Calcasieu Parish Courthouse in Lake Charles after the Category 4 storm made landfall hours earlier Dedicated in 1915, the monument honors Confederate soldiers from the area and other towns across the South. The monument is seen before the hurricane in the above stock image But a Calcasieu Parish official said they asked for public comments, and got 878 written responses against relocating the monument, and only 67 in favor of moving it. Now the pedestal is empty, and the Confederate statue is in pieces on the ground, victim to the Category 4 hurricane. Hurricane Laura ripped through southwestern Louisiana on Thursday, destroying buildings in Lake Charles and killing at least five people after making landfall in the early morning as one of the most powerful storms to hit the state. The hurricanes first reported U.S. fatality was a 14-year-old girl in Leesville, Louisiana, who died when a tree fell on her house, a spokeswoman for Governor John Bel Edwards said. Dedicated in 1915, the Lake Charles monument honors Confederate soldiers from the area and other towns across the South. Parish officials had been taking public comments since late June about what to do with the statue amid calls around the country to remove Confederate monuments many see as symbols of racism. Resident Gordon Simmons said he opposed removing the statue. 'This is political insanity and the scrubbing of our history has to stop,' said Simmons, who traces his lineage to the Confederacy. Confederate monuments have been coming down across the South since the global demonstrations against racism and police brutality sparked by the death of George Floyd in police custody in Minnesota. Many residents at the meeting advocated for the removal of the monument, calling it a symbol that devalues people of color and recalls racial scars. 'Being a Black woman, the pain is real in my soul,' resident Lois Malveaux said. Elsewhere in the South, Confederate monuments continue to come down. Crews on Wednesday began to remove parts of a large Confederate monument in the southeastern Virginia city of Portsmouth Portsmouths City Council had voted unanimously to remove the monument and put it in storage The monument was spray-painted with graffiti by Black Lives Matter supporters A truck carrying portions of the Confederate monument drives along Court Street as crews begin work to take it down on Wednesday The above undated file photo shows the Confederate monument in Portsmouth, Virginia, before it was vandalized and removed An online petition posted on Change.org calling for the monument's removal drew more than 2,100 signatures. 'The statues do not educate the nation; they glorify defenders of slavery,' the petition's author, Ashlyn S. Hibbs, wrote. 'These monuments do not teach about the horrors of the American Civil War, nor do they remind of us why the battles were fought. 'They simply cast a halo around those who died in a war that primarily sought to cement a place for slavery in our nation's future, and they do so under the guise of honoring the dead.' Hibbs wrote: 'This monument brings no pride to Lake Charles. It brings no financial support, draws no tourism, and serves only to overlook the atrocities committed in the name of the Confederacy throughout history. 'The monument stands for a history of oppression for a community that makes up about half of Lake Charles' population, and it disgusts the allies who stand with them. 'Lake Charles is not represented by a bygone era of violence and slavery.' Elsewhere in the South, Confederate monuments continue to come down. Crews on Wednesday began to remove parts of a large Confederate monument in the southeastern Virginia city of Portsmouth. The citys Confederate monument spawned decades of controversy in the majority black city of nearly 100,000 people. A state law passed earlier this year by the state Legislatures new Democratic majority allows cities to remove Confederate monuments. Portsmouths City Council had voted unanimously to remove the monument and put it in storage. The removal work is beginning more than two months after the monument was spray painted and heavily damaged. During a protest in June, heads of some of the statues were ripped off and one of the statues was pulled down, critically injuring a demonstrator. State Senator Louise Lucas and several others were later charged by police for allegedly conspiring to cause the damage. Lucas has said shell be vindicated. Many have criticized the charges as being political. The argument over Confederate monuments is part of a wider cultural war in the United States. The image above shows supporters and opponents of a Confederate monument arguing during clashes in Stone Mountain, Georgia, on August 15 At least 63 Confederate statues, monuments or markers have been removed from public land across the country since Floyds death on May 25, making 2020 one of the busiest years yet for removals, according to an Associated Press tally. Most were removed by government officials, though protesters have toppled some. All but eight have come down in cities or metropolitan areas larger than 50,000 people. Most of the areas lean politically left, with 41 of the monuments removed in counties or equivalent areas that voted Democratic in the 2016 presidential election. APs exclusive tally verified removals through government announcements, AP news coverage and other sources, then analyzed them based on census data and voting patterns. Still, in a sign that the removal movement might be spreading, local governments in several less populous areas of Mississippi, Louisiana and South Carolina have recently approved removals but not yet taken down the monuments. The sheer number of Confederate monuments still standing shows the enormous task for those seeking removals: More than 700 remain on public land, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. Laws that protect the monuments in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee are slowing efforts. Virginia this year amended a similar law to let local governments take statues down. Bette Midler says she was 'wrong' to mock Melania Trump in social media posts she shared while watching the Republican National Convention. On Thursday night, the award-winning performer, 74, sparked a furore by poking fun at the First Lady's accent as she addressed the nation in a televised speech. 'Oh, God. She still can't speak English,' Middler quipped on Twitter, after initially writing: '#BeBest is back! A UGE bore! She can speak several words in a few languages. Get that illegal alien off the stage!' After widespread backlash, the Beaches actress has now walked back her remarks, while stopping short of issuing an apology to the First Lady herself. 'Well, all hell has broken loose because I said Melania 'still can't speak English' last night. I was wrong to make fun of her accent. America is made up people who speak with all kinds of accents, and they are all welcomed always,' Midler wrote on Wednesday. Bette Midler says she was 'wrong' to mock Melania Trump in social media posts she shared while watching the Republican National Convention Melania Trump (pictured during her speech) is a US citizen who emigrated from Slovenia in the 1990s After widespread backlash, the Beaches actress has now walked back her remarks, while stopping short of issuing an apology to the First Lady herself After her initial attack on Melania, who delivered a widely-praised address at the RNC on Tuesday night, Midler was immediately branded a 'racist' and 'xenophobe'. Even fierce critics of Donald Trump said Melania's accent was not a 'legitimate reason' to criticize the First Lady. Piers Morgan parodied Midler's words by saying: 'Oh, God. Bette Midler's a racist.' Republican Senate candidate Mark Curran was among those who called the remark 'xenophobic', while CNN's Kyle Feldscher labelled it 'pathetic'. 'One would think that someone who has performed in front of crowds her entire career would be impressed with someone making a speech to millions of people in a tongue that is not her first language,' Feldscher said. Conservative activist JD Rucker condemned Midler's remark by saying: 'Hollywood and the Democratic Party truly hate America. 'They hate patriots. They hate conservatives. But there's one thing they hate more than anything else. 'They hate minorities and immigrants who do not fall in line with their abusive ideology.' Midler said that Melania Trump 'can't speak English' while the first lady delivered her remarks at the White House on Tuesday Piers Morgan was among those who lambasted Bette Midler's tweet, calling her a 'racist' Even those who fiercely oppose the president - and blame Melania for helping to spread the 'birther' conspiracy theory against Barack Obama - said the attack on her accent was inappropriate. Writer Joanna Schroeder said: 'Of all things to criticize Melania for - being a racist birther, marrying the worst president in US history, supporting all his horrific policies, her offensive jacket... 'You choose this? Furthering the idea that having an accent is a bad thing in America? Let's not.' Stefanie Williams said: 'Bad, bad, bad take. There are a million legitimate reasons to criticize Melania. Her accent/ethnic background is NOT one of them. Ever.' Washington Post columnist Megan McArdle said: 'People who learn a foreign language as adults almost never lose their accents. 'In other news, a public figure, presumably left-leaning, thinks 'Learn English' is a devastating riposte to an immigrant giving a speech at a convention.' Stephen Sanchez of CBS News said: 'Tweets like this are not acceptable. You can debate the substance without attacking the person.' The First Lady spoke about her migrant background in her RNC speech last night, telling the audience that 'I was able to achieve my own American dream'. Midler came under heavy criticism from both right and left for her remark about Melania Trump The Slovenian-born former fashion model moved to the US in the 1990s and was granted American citizenship in 2006. 'Growing up as a young child in Slovenia, which was under communist rule at the time, I always heard about an amazing place called America - a land that stood for freedom and opportunity,' she said. 'As I grew older it became my goal to move to the United States and follow my dream of working in the fashion industry. 'My parents worked very hard to ensure our family could not only leave and prosper in America, but also contribute to a nation that allows for people to arrive with a dream and make it reality.' In her speech she also called for an end to what she called 'violence and looting' during the months of race protests after the death of George Floyd. 'Instead of tearing things down, let's reflect on our mistakes. Be proud of our evolution and look to our way forward,' she said. 'Every day let us remember that we are one nation under God, and we need to cherish one another.' Bette Midler was previously branded a 'washed up psycho' by the president himself after posting a fake Trump quote on Twitter. Midler shared a quote in which Trump supposedly ridiculed Republican voters, a meme which went viral in 2015 and 2016 but has long since been debunked. Gim Young-seo, the author of "Even Tears Shine in the Light" By Kim Se-jeong Bank Holiday beverages: No, low and lower-alcohol alternatives to try With the Bank Holiday weekend upon us, many will be stocking up their shelves with drinks to see them through the long weekend. But with an increasing proportion of people reducing their alcohol intake, or cutting it out altogether, there is ever more demand for low/no alternatives. We've put together a round-up of alcohol-free and low or lower alcohol alternatives to try this Bank Holiday: Three Spirit Drinks is a UK-made spirit designed by botanists and bartenders. The drinks are all vegan, gluten-free and sustainably packaged, and have enticing names such as Livener and Social Elixir. Lyres has an award-winning range of non-alcoholic spirits, appealing to a variety of tastes. There's a Dry London Spirit, White Cane Spirit and American Malt to appeal to more traditional spirits drinkers, alongside more inventive alternatives such as Amaretti, an Italian Spritz and even an alcohol-free Absinthe. For beer fans, Lucky Saint and Small Beer Brewing Co. are among the independent breweries offering low-alcohol alternatives. Lucky Saint's 0.5% ABV lager is a top seller on Amazon and is also available to buy in Majestic stores, while London-based Small Beer makes a range of beers under 2.8% ABV, including a session pale ale and a dark lager, which are available through Ocado. Drynks Unlimited's Smashed drinks - which secured funding from Dragons' Den - are beer and cider-based but are all completely alcohol-free. You can choose from lager, pale ale and various ciders. The Smashed range is available in Booths stores and online. Seltzers and hard seltzers have really started to make an impression on the British market this year, not just as a low-ABV option but a low-calorie one, too. Island Bay has a range of three flavoured hard seltzers at 5% ABV; 58 Gin has recently released two gin-based hard seltzers; Sparkl's peach and lemon-flavoured hard seltzers, each 4% ABV, are available in Morrisons stores; and Bodega Bay's elderflower and apple-flavoured hard selzters, also 4% ABV, are available through Sainsbury's. For bubbly fans, La Fiesta has introduced two fruity summer flavours to its range of fizzes, which come in at around 5% ABV. The brand's Strawberry Fizz and Raspberry and Elderflower Fizz are vegan-friendly and are available to buy at Morrisons stores. Ever tried kombucha? It's a tea-based, generally non-alcoholic drink which is gaining popularity in the no/low market. Australian kombucha brand Nexba launched in the UK in Sainsbury's stores this year, with flavours including Strawberry & Peach and Elderflower & Lemon, while L.A Brewery - based in the English county of Suffolk - has just added a Sparkling English Rose kombucha to its range. 27 August 2020 - Bethany Whymark UTSUNOMIYA, Japan As many automakers bet on sedans and SUVs in the switch to electric vehicles (EV), Japans Honda Motor Co Ltd has decided smaller is better for its first-ever all-battery car. The Honda e, released in Europe earlier this month, is a compact model meant solely for city driving. That contrasts with Tesla Inc, whose Model 3 sedan dominates the battery EV market, and others such as Audi AG and Hyundai Motor Co that have focused on SUVs with long driving ranges. High battery costs have kept EVs at the premium end of the car market, and many automakers are developing bigger, all-purpose models, some of which can drive as far as 570 kilometres on a single charge. The Honda e, however, has a battery capacity roughly half that of the Model 3, driving just 280 kilometres per charge. Most EVs use large capacity batteries, but often, much of that capacity goes unused during city driving, said Tomofumi Ichinose, chief engineer of the Honda e, told reporters earlier this week. We question whether larger vehicles are appropriate for urban areas, and believe that smaller is a better option for cities. With a retro, ultra-compact design evoking Hondas classic N360 and N600 models from the 1960s, the two-door Honda e is intended as an upmarket city car, whose price tag of around 33,000 euros ($39,000) is higher than Renaults Zoe ZE50, which is roomier and has a longer driving range. Ichinose said Honda engineers had prioritised accurate and sharp handling to enable easy u-turns in narrow streets. Side mirrors have been replaced with interior displays to avoid bumps and scrapes during parking. The model will only be sold in Europe and Japan, where it goes on sale in late October. Honda expects annual sales of only around 10,000 in Europe, and 1,000 at home, where it will also introduce the model into its car-sharing fleet. The automaker said it had no plans to market the car in North America or China, its biggest markets where SUVs dominate. The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections and the Pennsylvania Parole Board has announced an opportunity for state parolees with state parole warrants to participate in a statewide Safe Return initiative. Safe Return will be offered until September 4 and eligible parolees can report to the closest parole office to reestablish compliance with parole supervision staff with the potential for more favorable consideration. Anyone with an active state parole warrant can surrender during the statewide Safe Return initiative, said Christian Stephens, deputy secretary for parole field services. Because people will be voluntarily surrendering, theyll most likely receive more favorable consideration regarding their warrants than if they were otherwise stopped and arrested. Because of COVID-19, many reentrants may have become unavailable for supervision due to the loss of housing or fear of returning to a state correctional institution or community corrections center during this health crisis. It is our goal to encourage those reentrants to turn themselves in so that they can come back into compliance with state parole supervision without fear of being returned to a state prison. In addition, operation Safe Return includes specialized services for those in need of help with unpaid fines or substance use disorder. There are 1,871 parolees, or 4.5 percent of the total parolee population, classified as absconders. Safe Return aims to keep those absconders out of prison and into a stable, supportive environment. Those who surrender during Safe Return weeks will be processed through an expedited process. More information about operation Safe Return can be found on the website: https://www.cor.pa.gov/parole-supervision/Pages/Safe-Return.aspx The opposition National Democratic Congress in the Ashanti Region is challenging voters in its jurisdiction to vote on the records of the various parties and not past election trends. The Ashanti Region is a stronghold of the New Patriotic Party, with the governing party garnering 75 percent of the votes in the 2016 election. But speaking after the partys flagbearer met the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II at the Manhyia Palace, the NDC Regional Chairman, Kwame Zu, says voters in the region fell for false promises. He insists that not even one per cent of those promises were delivered to the Ashanti Region and insists that the One District, One Factory promise is one of these failed NPP pledges in the region. As we stand today, aside from the Kasapreko Company that has been adopted by the NPP, there is no functioning factory in the Ashanti Region today that anybody can point a finger to and say that this is the doing of President Akufo-Addo, Kwame Zu said on Eyewitness News. After almost four years under the Akufo-Addo government, he says the NDC expects voting outcomes in the region to change. He hopes voters in the region will be moved by the impeccable and very obvious records of the NDC in the Ashanti Region. As it stands, there is no evidence of the performance of the NPP in the Ashanti Region for which anybody will be expectant of any votes in the region. Kwame also hopes voters will be more objective ahead of the 2020 polls. I am not certain that anybody will still consider the NPP in the Ashanti Region. We are very confident I am hoping and looking forward to the day that the argument will no longer be certain that people will vote for us because we think they will vote for us. ---citinewsroom U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized methamphetamine worth more than 29 million in separate enforcement actions at the World Trade Bridge, authorities said. The first case occurred Aug. 14, when a tractor manifesting an industrial mixing machine arrived at the international bridge. K-9 and X-ray inspections yielded 1,211.13 pounds of meth discovered within the shipment. The meth had an estimated street value of $24,222,381. OSLO: The Chinese governments top diplomat, State Councillor Wang Yi, said on Thursday it was unclear whether the corona virus had first originated in China, casting doubt on the views of health experts and foreign governments. Speaking during a visit to Norway, Wang said that, while China was the first country to report the existence of the virus to the World Health Organisation, it does not mean that the virus originated in China". Actually, for the past months, we have seen reports showing that the virus emerged in different parts of the world, and may have emerged earlier than in China," Wang told reporters, speaking through an interpreter. Health authorities in the Chinese city of Wuhan reported the first case of what turned out to be the new coronavirus in December, and the first known death linked to the virus in early January. Where did the virus first start and how it started should be left to scientists and medical experts It should not politicised or stigmatised," said Wang, in an apparent rebuke of U.S. President Donald Trump, who has been criticised for describing the coronavirus as the China virus". Who is patient zero? It is still unknown," said Wang, who was visiting Norway after visiting the Netherlands and Italy earlier this week in the first visit to Norway by a Chinese foreign minister since 2006. Norway, a close U.S. ally and NATO member, will be a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council in 2011 and 2022. China is one of the five permanent members on the council. 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 Five major oil refineries that produce 10 percent of the U.S. supply lie within a zone where catastrophic damage is expected from Hurricane Laura, according to a blog posted by Enki Research on Wednesday afternoon. The hurricane was forecast to come ashore in Louisiana just east of the Texas state line this morning with winds near 145 mph. While the area is sparsely populated compared to Houston just to the west, the region is a major energy producer. All told, the Valero, Motiva (the largest refinery in the US at over 600,000 bbl per day), ExxonMobil/Beaumont, Total, and ConocoPhillips refineries are responsible for over 10 percent of US refinery capacity, disaster modeler Chuck Watson wrote on Enkis blog. Watson projected $20 billion to $25 million in damages from the storm on Wednesday morning, but in a post later in the day said the number may reach $30 billion, depending on what happens at the refineries, which are multi-billion dollar complexes. Watson said the 15- to 20-foot storm surge pushed by the hurricane will swamp refineries that line the shore of Sabine Lake. In an earlier blog post, he said those refineries might not come back on line for a year and may shut down permanently depending on the political climate. Lets say the Motiva facility is a near total loss. If you are a decision maker in a company looking at investing perhaps as much as three to five Billion dollars and take several years to rebuild, are you going to do that in the absence of iron-clad reassurances the government isnt going to shut you down before youve broken even? The National Hurricane Center said Laura had maximum sustained winds of 145 mph at 4 p.m. (CDT) on Wednesday afternoon. Wind shear near the coast may weaken the storm slightly before it makes landfall, but still Laura will bring an unsurvivable storm surge with large and destructive waves from Sea rim State Park in Texas to Intracoastal City Louisiana, the centers forecast said. The surge could penetrate 40 miles inland and will not recede for several days, the center said. The U.S. Geological Service said Lauras storm surge is expected to inundate 61 percent of Louisianas sandy beaches. The storm will wash away sand dunes, making the region more vulnerable to future storms, the USGS said. Meteorologist Jeff Masters of Yale University said in a post on Yale Universitys Climate Connections blog that damage from Laura may be more destructive than Hurricane Rita, which struck the same region in 2005. Ritas maximum winds were 115 mph and the storm drove a storm surge of 15 to 20 feet to the Bolivar Peninsula in Texas, near the Louisiana state line. The storm surge destroyed 90 percent of the homes in Cameron, and destroyed all of the structures in Holly Beach (population 300), with the only human-made features remaining after the storm being power poles, concrete slabs, and roads, Masters wrote. StreetView photographs on Google Maps shows that many structures in Holly Beach have since been rebuilt on stilts towering high about the ground. Rita also inundated downtown Lake Charles, 30 miles inland, with water reaching a depth of up to six feet. CoreLogic said late Wednesday that 1.1 million homes, with $265 billion in reconstruction cost value, could be affected. The right front quadrant of a hurricane presents the greatest threat of storm surge, CoreLogic said. Based on the current track, true Category 4 storm surge heights would likely affect Lake Charles and Jennings with a slightly lesser degree of intensity for Beaumont and Lafayette. New Delhi, Aug 27 : Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das on Thursday said that after containment of spread of the novel Coronavirus, the financial sector will have to return to its normal operations on their own and without regulatory relaxations. Addressing an online event, Das described the RBI's response to the situation arising out of the pandemic as "unprecedented" and said that the measures taken by the central bank are intended to deal with the specific situation of Covid and it cannot be "permanent". "Post containment of Covid-19,... a very careful trajectory needs to be followed for orderly unwinding of the various counter-cyclical measures taken by the RBI and the financial sector should return to normal functioning without relying on the regulatory relaxations and other measures as the new norm," he said. Calling for reforms in the banking sector, Das said that despite several reforms in the banking sector since its nationalisation, lot more needs to be done. He was of the view that with change in time, the nature of reforms needs to be reconfigured. "The current steps towards consolidation of public sector banks in line with the Narasimham Committee recommendation is a step in the right direction. Indian banks this way can reap the benefits of scale, and become partners in the newer business opportunities across the globe," said the RBI Governor. Larger and more efficient banks, both in public and private sectors, can compete shoulder to shoulder with the global banks to get a decent space in the global value chains, he added. He noted that in recent years, the business landscape of banks has undergone significant change and now banks need to look out for "sunrise" sectors while supporting those which have the potential to bounce back, citing the example of prospective business opportunities in the rural sector which remain unexplored despite efforts to support it. "They need to look at start-ups, renewables, logistics, value chains and other such potential areas. The banking sector has a responsible role to play not only as a facilitator of growth of the economy but also to earn its own bread," Das said. According to him, a complete relook at the business strategy and orientation by the banks is the immediate need of the hour. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text SHIAWASSEE COUNTY, MI The Shiawassee County home where Mark D. Latunski is accused of killing and partially consuming the body of a man may soon be back in his familys possession. An auction took in late February for the West Tyrrell Road home in Bennington Township where the body of 25-year-old Kevin Bacon was found in a secret room in the basement just after Christmas 2019. Mark Latunski, 51, is facing charges of open murder and mutilation of a body in Bacons death on Christmas Eve or early Christmas Day. The home was sold at a sheriffs auction six months ago for $101,733.28 to Steven Deehl of Fenton. Christie Duffield, office manager for the Shiawassee County Sheriffs Office, said at the time of the auction that the sale meant the house was officially foreclosed, but a six-month redemption period remained in place. The foreclosure was for nonpayment of a mortgage. The redemption period allowed time for Paul Latunski, Mark D. Latunskis brother, to make a payment to get the house back. Prior to the auction, Paul Latunski was made a conservator, which provided him the authority to sequester and secure all of his brothers assets, including the home. He also held a letter that contained an order not to sell or dispose of the property without approval of the court. The Shiawassee County Register of Deeds office confirmed with MLive-The Flint Journal that Paul Latunski made a $103,216.57 payment in June toward redemption of a sheriffs deed to get the home back. A Sept. 3 termination of tenancy hearing is scheduled in Shiawassee County Circuit. George Rizik II, Deehls attorney, said its believed Deehls brother was staying on the property. Rizik said he went to Paul Latunskis attorney back in April to say there was no issue if he wanted to pay to get back the home in a quick claim deed. Weve never been in possession of the property, Rizik said. Weve always told him we believe he has the right to the property. Justin D. English, Paul Latunskis attorney, did not respond to a message by MLive-The Flint Journal for comment. Paul Latunski has also filed a lawsuit against Deehl and his brother asking for compensation for any damages or property removed from the home. More on MLive: House in Kevin Bacon murder, cannibalism case sells to highest bidder Michigan home where man was allegedly killed and eaten could be sold Parents of slain Swartz Creek man talk about son, homicide investigation Alleged killer, cannibal Mark Latunski found incompetent to stand trial Man arraigned on murder, mutilation charges in Kevin Bacon case 911 caller woke up ... chained in a basement of house in cannibal, murder case Judge approves competency test for suspect in Kevin Bacon case 911 call reveals man escaped alleged killers basement with butcher knife LG Chem CEO Shin Hak-cheol, left, and SK Innovation CEO Kim Jun SK says it will appeal to the higher court By Baek Byung-yeul A Seoul court has ruled in favor of LG Chem over a case in which SK Innovation requested LG Chem to withdraw its patent lawsuit filed in the United States, the court said Thursday. In October 2019, SK Innovation filed a lawsuit against LG Chem with the Seoul Central District Court requesting LG to withdraw its patent lawsuit filed with the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) and a local U.S. court over alleged battery technology theft because LG violated the two sides' agreement made in 2014 that they wouldn't take this matter to the court for the next 10 years. In 2014, SK and LG agreed not to take legal action against each other for a decade over battery separator technology patents. The two electric vehicle (EV) battery makers have been in a legal battle since April 2019 after LG filed multiple lawsuits with the USITC and a U.S. court against the SK Group affiliate for allegedly stealing battery making technology through employee poaching. However, the court dismissed SK's request saying the two sides' 2014 agreement only applied to "patented technologies registered in Korea." After the court ruling, LG Chem issued a statement, saying it respects the court's ruling. "The Seoul Central District Court confirmed that the agreement made between LG Chem and SK Innovation can be applied only to patented technologies registered in Korea. With this ruling, it has become clear that SK's filing of a lawsuit against us with the Seoul court turned out to be a farfetched allegation," LG Chem said. SK Innovation expressed its regret over the ruling and said it will appeal to the higher court. The Seoul court ruling won't affect the two companies' ongoing legal disputes in the U.S., but the ruling showed that LG Chem has the upper hand over SK Innovation. The USITC already decided in favor of LG Chem in its preliminary ruling in February, specifically saying that SK stole LG's trade secrets. The USITC is scheduled to issue its final determination on Oct. 5 this year, which if adverse, could block SK from importing equipment to outfit its Georgia plant which in turn could seriously jeopardize contracts with EV manufacturers such as Volkswagen. During a recent conference call with investors upon announcing its second-quarter performance, LG Chem admitted it was hoping to reach a settlement with SK Innovation, saying the company expects that it "can settle the case through negotiations before the U.S. ITC's final decision in October." Legal representatives for the two sides are discussing details related to the final contract terms. A source familiar with the matter said SK Innovation wants to make a one-off payment of just below 2 trillion won to LG, while LG Chem is seeking a cross-licensing agreement to consistently receive intellectual property royalties from SK. "In the legal negotiation process, LG Chem wants to sign a cross-licensing deal with SK to generate intellectual property profits consistently. On the other hand, SK seeks a one-off charge to handle the expenses more easily," a top official in the battery industry here said. SK Innovation seems to have a headache as its goal to become one of the top EV battery makers has hit a series of bumps. Other than the legal fight against LG, the company has been embroiled with illegal employment issues in the U.S., after Rep. Doug Collins, representing Georgia's ninth congressional district, asked U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection recently to probe what he referred to as "an ongoing effort to illegally employ foreign nationals" at the SK Innovation battery plant in the state of Georgia. SK Innovation is currently constructing its battery plant in the U.S. state and is scheduled to begin mass production of EV battery cells in 2022. Plans are underway to set up a Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) court to handle issues relating to sexual abuses and violence against residents of Ogun State, Governor Dapo Abiodun said on Wednesday. He also restated the states commitment to gender equality, noting that serious steps have been taken towards strengthening relevant laws and agencies. We have domesticated the Violence against Persons Prohibition Act and inaugurated its management committee, chaired by the First Lady of Ogun State, Mrs Bamidele Abiodun. We have also reinforced our Sex and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) response network by establishing a sexual assault referral centre, incident registers at police stations, and working out plans on setting up special courts for related cases. SEE ALSO: Mr Abiodun made this known while receiving Ulla Mueller, a representative of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Nigeria and some other officials, in his office. With Mrs Mueller were Mark Hutchinson, international operations manager, Lagos, and Omolaso Omosehin, the Lagos liaison office head. In the statement signed by his spokesperson, Kunle Somorin, he disclosed that his administration has approved the payment of the counterpart funding for the year 2020 to the agency. This will be the first payment in the last five years, despite the continued support we have continued to receive from the agency in the areas of family planning; maternal health; response to gender-based violence; population dynamics and education. Also, he praised the UNFPA for remaining a dependable and committed ally despite the fact that the state had not fulfilled its obligations for some time now, assuring that this years counterpart funding would be released to the agency. This administration in line with our priorities saw the need to strengthen our partnership with you and we immediately resolved that we will begin to put things right, that is the reason why we paid the first tranche of our counterpart funding to you. It is also noteworthy of note that despite the fact that the counterpart funding was not forthcoming, your agency remained a dependable and committed ally to the state, he said. In her remarks, Mrs Mueller appreciated the governor for approving the payment of its counterpart funding despite paucity of funds, congratulating the state for being among the lowest in terms of the global level of maternal mortality rate in the country. Mueller added that the state also had a contraceptive prevalence rate of 32.1%, which means the state was not far from the family planning 2020 commitment, of 38 per cent, and called on the people of the state to join government in fighting the COVID-19 Pandemic, Mr Somorin quoted. In the past few months, Nigerians have protested the incessant rape incidents and other gender-based violence across the country. PREMIUM TIMES had reported the case of Barakat Bello, who was raped and killed by hoodlums in Ibadan; Vera Omozuwa, a 100-level student of microbiology at the University of Benin; and Hadiza Saidus daughter and niece, who were both raped by a neighbour. The scourge has prompted a state of emergency declared by the Nigerian Governors Forum on the increasing rate of sexual and gender-based violence in the country. In the aftermath of the letter bomb in the Congress that didnt quite explode, there has been much angst over the apparent lack of inner party democracy in the party. Family-run proprietorship is a charge often made to describe the Congress obsession with the Gandhis. In the 51 years since Indira Gandhi split the Congress, a member of the Nehru-Gandhi family has controlled this new Congress for all but seven years. To that extent, the charge of being a dynastic party is valid. But does that also mean that the Congress is less democratic than its principal rivals? Not quite. Take, for example, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). When did the BJP hold an open election to the post of president or while choosing its prime ministerial nominee? When Rajnath Singh finished his term in 2014, Amit Shah was unanimously selected as the BJP chief, no questions asked. He was, after all, the most trusted aide of Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi. When Shah stepped down in 2019, JP Nadda was again selected as party chief simply because he was the most convenient; an affable leader with no mass base who would not rock the boat. While he undoubtedly had the support of the party cadre, the fact is that the decision to elevate Modi was made at the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) headquarters in Nagpur, before being rubber-stamped at a BJP parliamentary board meeting in September 2013. When party patriarch LK Advani chose to voice his dissent at the anointment, he was pushed into the marg darshak mandal, a clear signal that no challenge would be tolerated. Sonia Gandhi, by contrast, as the Gandhi family bahu is an obvious beneficiary of the dynastic principle. But while she took over the Congress in a bloodless coup from Sitaram Kesri in 1998, she did go through at least the ritual of a contested election where she defeated senior party leader, Jitendra Prasad. That Prasad had challenged her leadership didnt prevent his son, Jitin, from becoming a minister in the United Progressive Alliance government subsequently. Even Sharad Pawar, who was forced to quit the Congress after confronting Sonia Gandhi on the foreign origins issue, soon became a valuable ally. Even now, Sonia has claimed that she bears no ill will against the letter writers. In comparison, it would seem that there is less space for dissenters to play an active role within the BJP. In the 1970s, when a Jan Sangh stalwart like Balraj Madhok took on the Vajpayee-Advani duopoly, he was banished from the party forever. When Govindacharya, the charismatic Hindutva ideologue, allegedly described the then PM Vajpayee as a mukhauta (mask), he was stripped off all party posts and forced into virtual oblivion. In more recent times, all BJP leaders from Gujarat belonging to anti-Modi factions have been downsized or removed. Can anyone in the BJP dare even write a letter today that obliquely questions the PMs style of leadership and expect to survive, much less be heard in party fora? Has there been any vigorous debate within the BJP over the last six years on any crucial issues of national concern, be it demonetisation or Kashmir, or is the party now totally subservient to the PMs office? The truth is that where the Congress is undoubtedly more dynastic and plagued by an ad-hoc nomination culture, it is also ironically perhaps more democratic than the BJP today. Where the top post in the Congress appears reserved for a family member, the BJP now has a supremo cult which allows little space for alternate views. Moreover, the BJP also has its own extended parivar in which the RSS, as an extra-constitutional authority, is the final arbiter on key political appointments. Was, for example, the decision to make Yogi Adityanath UP chief minister in 2017 taken by the elected legislators in Lucknow or was it made by the RSS leadership? And what of the regional parties? To a large extent, these parties have imbibed the worst of both the Congress and BJP. Almost all these parties are run either like family fiefdoms or by autocratic rule. None of them tolerate any contrarian voices and decision-making is rarely done through any consultative process. Can anyone within the Trinamool Congress, for example, even mildly question Mamata Banerjees leadership? Maybe then, the notion of inner party democracy is exaggerated in the Indian context. We are simply not the United States where electoral primaries, for example, are designed to encourage leadership contests and a clash of ideas. In India, any contest is viewed as potentially divisive. Instead, there is a marked tendency to obediently follow the leader in the spirit of democratic consensus. Which is why a seven hour Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting, to discuss issues raised in a letter by 23 Congress leaders, is perhaps as far as any party leadership would go in opening itself up to scrutiny. Maybe the true test of genuine democratic spirit will come if in the proposed All India Congress Committee session there is actually a spirited election to the CWC and even for the Congress presidents post. Now that would truly be a political event worth looking forward to. Post-script: Just before CWC meeting, a gang of 23 member told me that the controversial letter was not targeted at the Gandhi family but aimed at reviving the party. But all this is off record please, else I will get into more trouble, he pleaded. When fear is the key, can inner party democracy be truly embraced? Rajdeep Sardesai is a senior journalist and author The views expressed are personal SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON A group of scientists from Skoltech and Pustovoit All-Russian Research Institute of Oil Crops in Krasnodar performed genetic analysis of the Russian rapeseed collection. The scientists described the genetic diversity of Russian rapeseed lines and discovered new candidate genes that are potentially involved in controlling the content of glucosinolates, toxic secondary metabolites in rapeseed oil. Their findings can be used by crop breeders to improve the rapeseed oil composition. The research was published in the Genes journal. Rapeseed is the world's second-largest oilseed crop after soybeans. Glucosinolates are secondary metabolites of rapeseed and related cruciferous plants. The content of these glucose-derived sulfur-containing organic substances strongly influences oil quality: if present in large amounts, glucosinolates spoil the taste of rapeseed oil and affect the quality of rapeseed meal, compelling crop breeders to look for ways of reducing their content. The scientists performed genome-wide genotyping of 90 rapeseed lines and compared the results with the glucosinolate content data for these lines collected over 3 growing seasons. This helped identify both the genetic markers of glucosinolate content in oil and the linked candidate genes potentially involved in regulating the biosynthesis of glucosinolates. Once verified on an independent set of plants, the markers can be readily used for breeding new varieties and hybrids with low glucosinolate content. "Our research aims to foster marker-assisted crop breeding in Russia by using genetic markers to control the characteristics relevant to cross-breeding processes and progeny analysis. This approach can make the breeding of new varieties much faster. Measuring glucosinolates content is an arduous task that can be made much easier by using the markers we have identified", says Rim Gubaev, the first author of the paper and a PhD student at Skoltech. ### Skoltech is a private international university based at the Skolkovo Innovation Center. Established in 2011 in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Skoltech cultivates a new generation of science, technology, and business leaders, engages in ground-breaking research, and fosters innovative technology to address critical issues facing Russia and the world. Skoltech focuses on six target domains: Data Science & Artificial Intelligence, Life Sciences and Biomedicine, Cutting-edge Engineering & Advanced Materials, Energy Efficiency, Photonics & Quantum Technology, and Advanced Studies. Skoltech directs its efforts at strengthening Russia's technology excellence in the target domains. (Natural News) Kyle Rittenhouse is an American hero. Just 17 years old, he stood his ground when viciously attacked by violent Black Lives Matter thugs who were trying to beat him to death. Using an AR-15 and his wits, he managed to shoot three of his attackers, killing two of them and saving his own life in the process. For this, he has been arrested and absurdly charged with First Degree Murder, while all the rioters, looters, arsonists and BLM thugs are of course set free and seemingly never charged with serious crimes. The lying left-wing media is of course distorting all the facts about this incident, leaving out details about the BLM attackers. Instead, they are pretending that Rittenhouse just spontaneously opened fire on a crowd without any reason whatsoever. Thats totally dishonest, malicious reporting by the treasonous left-wing media, which distorts everything and lies without remorse. Here are the facts about the Kenosha shooting that the lying left-wing media refuses to report: #1) Before engaging BLM terrorists with gunfire, Kyle Rittenhouse was attempting to flee attackers, one of whom threw a molotov cocktail at him as he was running away. He ended up cornered between some cars, at which point he faced his attacker and fired, shooting the attacker in the head. Self-defense shooting. (It also turns out the attacker was a registered sex offender who was convicted of a sex crime involving a minor.) BREAKING: RIOTER HAS BEEN SHOT IN THE HEAD pic.twitter.com/l1NYqUYpD3 Drew Hernandez (@livesmattershow) August 26, 2020 The 3 shot (2 killed) in #Kenosha, Wisc. at the BLM riot have been identified. Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, was the first one killed. Video allegedly shows him chasing teen shooter & throwing something at him. Rosenbaum was a registered sex offender for a sex crime involving a minor. pic.twitter.com/up1VgDyrgZ Andy Ngo (@MrAndyNgo) August 27, 2020 #2) After Kyle shot the first assailant, he called 911 to request medical treatment for the victim, showing that he was attempting to save the mans life. At this point, more BLM terrorists began to chase after him, so he was forced to flee on foot. #3) BLM terrorists continued to chase him. This led to the street shooting incident in which Rittenhouse fell to the pavement and was assaulted by at least three BLM terrorists. He shot all three from his seated position on the pavement as they viciously assaulted him. You can see this in the following video. Rittenhouse is the man on the pavement, defending himself with a rifle against multiple BLM attackers: #4) One of the assailants, the man whose right arm was nearly blown off by Rittenhouse, was carrying a gun and is reportedly a convicted felon. So lets not pretend that these were peaceful protesters chasing Rittenhouse and trying to kill him. No, they are violent Black Lives Matter terrorists and criminal felons. You can clearly see the pistol being carried by this assailant in the following frame: The man who was shot in the arm has been identified as Gaige Grosskreutz, a member of the Peoples Revolution Movement, a communist group that seeks to overthrow America. According to numerous media sources, Grosskreutz is a felon, which means his carrying of a pistol was an illegal weapon to begin with. He was also clearly attacking Rittenhouse, as public videos now show. Heres the shot where Rittenhouse nearly blew off Grosskreutz arm as Grosskreutz attempted to attack Rittenhouse with a pistol: #5) Rittenhouse was very selective in his targets, only shooting those who were imminently attacking him. He did not shoot bystanders or other people. This was not a mass shooting. It was a self-defense shooting that only targeted those individuals who deserved to be shot because they were attacking him with potentially deadly weapons. #6) The police decided to show up immediately after the shooting, proving that they were nearby the entire time but decided not to bother with protecting innocent people. Once the shooting took place, they arrived in less than a minute. At that time, Rittenhouse raised his hands and attempted to turn himself in to police, most likely to explain that he was involved in a self-defense shooting. He did not try to flee the scene, he actually tried to make contact with police on the scene. #7) The police then ordered Rittenhouse to leave the scene, so he went home. The media then whipped up a whole series of lies about Rittenhouse, falsely claiming he was a white supremacist and calling for his arrest. At this point, police went to his home and arrested him. The entire incident was clearly Kyle Rittenhouse acting in self-defense against crazed, violent lunatic BLM terrorists who tried to kill him. #8) Earlier in the day, Rittenhouse was volunteering with other people to clean up graffiti painted by Black Lives Matter thugs: Kyle Rittenhouse photographed volunteering to help clean up BLM graffiti in Kenosha earlier in the day, before defending himself against rioters. https://t.co/tmNsqZ4Jod Mark Dice (@MarkDice) August 26, 2020 One of the BLM thugs chasing him was running around screaming, Shoot me, [email protected]@a! and begging to be shot. He was eventually shot in the head, granting his wish. Turns out he wont be screaming [email protected]@a! any more. It appears the white guy egging on the militia to "shoot me, n*gga! Shoot me!" in #Kenosha later got shot. Looks like him. Same belt. Same shorts. Same socks. Same stash. pic.twitter.com/GyJr9PBor2 Mark Dice (@MarkDice) August 26, 2020 Rittenhouse defended himself as any honest, law-abiding citizen would So yet again, it is abundantly clear that the BLM thugs chasing Rittenhouse were criminal-minded individuals who were trying to beat him to death. Rittenhouse merely defended himself using the tools at his disposal (a rifle). Rittenhouse is an American hero. He did what all the police, the mayors, the governors and the National Guard troops refused to do: He shot some violent BLM thugs and thereby helped clean up Americas streets. Why wont the police do the same? Consider how insane it is now with local authorities charging him with first degree murder. Really? Premeditated murder? Its a joke. Absurd. Officials refuse to charge rioters, arsonists, looters and homicidal maniacs with anything, but they single out this young man with an attempted murder charge for his acts of self-defense? This is the real injustice in our society: Innocent people get charged with crimes while the real criminals go free. This entire incident could have been avoided if cops had been doing their jobs in the first place. But they are ordered by Democrat mayors to back down and allow chaos to unfold. So if cops wont do their jobs, then guess who that responsibility falls back onto? The people. Its time for patriots across the country to rise up and peacefully protest in defense of Kyle Rittenhouse, a courageous young man who achieved what all the cops in the country couldnt do: He finally engaged and killed some BLM terrorists who were engaged in acts of extreme violence. This is a good start. Two down, two thousand more to go America needs to decide right now whether were going to defend this nation or surrender it to a gang of violent criminal left-wing lunatics who despise America and want to burn it down. Kyle Rittenhouse, for one, refused to bow down to terrorism and Black LIES Matter. For this, he should be celebrated as a hero and immediately released, with all charges against him dropped. #FreeRittenhouse #StandWithRittenhouse No more bowing down to BLM thugs and left-wing terrorists. When they attack, shoot them. Lay them out on the very streets they tried to seize and burn down. For if America is ever to return to civility, peace and the rule of law, those who act like violent terrorists must be engaged with force and eliminated from society. Only then will Americans be able to return to safety and civility once again. Rittenhouse just showed America how its done. It took a 17-year-old man to demonstrate the steps necessary to reclaim your country from criminal insurrectionists, lunatics and raving mad, rage-filled nut jobs who only want to Burn, Loot and Murder. Thats BLM. Danielle Staub has ripped her former boss Andy Cohen. The Real Housewives of New Jersey alum explained her grievances with the Bravo host - for his actions both in the past and present - in both a social media post and on her podcast Absolutely Danielle. 'I am no longer forced to walk into the Lions Den,' Staub, 58, said in the social media post. 'Andy kept me In the dark long enough! He has taken whats mine and given it to others! The latest: Danielle Staub, 58, has ripped her former boss Andy Cohen. The Real Housewives of New Jersey alum explained her grievances with the Bravo host in both a social media post and on her podcast Absolutely Danielle 'Now that you are a parent I'd hoped you would see some of the pain you caused my family, even when I left the show to protect my young children, you mocked me repeatedly defaming me and yet I still continued to give you over a decade to do right by me and mine!' Staub, a native of Wayne, New Jersey, made clear she was resentful how Cohen treated her, often leaving her unaware of important issues that would impact her career. 'Now it's time you understand that "for every action there is a reaction,"' said the reality star, who departed the series earlier this year after appearing on its first two seasons as a regularly, and sporadically after that. 'You must've seen this coming and YOU know you were wrong, yet you continued,' she said. 'So for all the times you held me down and picked me apart instead of building me up and standing with me, for all the times you made me stand alone "kept me in the dark," may you tread lightly in your own darkness. "For letting me be the last to know" may you learn to do better.' On the record: The reality star was outspoken in her disdain of the Bravo star Beef: Staub made clear she was upset how Cohen treated her, often leaving her unaware of important issues that would impact her career Staub said she's long waited for Cohen to give her acknowledge her contributions to the show, but he's never bothered to. 'I've been waiting for you to revere me,' Staub said. 'I've even gone as far as to ask you to be kinder and more gentle with me but it fell on deaf ears. No more waiting or asking, I have no hate no more respect I don't honor you and I won't defend you. 'But I will advise: "Be careful whose toes you step on today because they may be attached to the a** you have to kiss tomorrow.''' On her podcast, Staub teased she would reveal personal information about Cohen and his off-camera activities. 'Is Andy ready for his son to know who he is? Because the Andy I know would hit up Grindr and go on three or four Grindr dates an evening,' she said. 'And these are people who are pretty reputable sources, I just dont, I dont even want to talk about the drugs and the partying, not now anyway, but we can get back to that. 'I can accuse him all I want and Im not talking about marijuana. Im not talking about legalizing.' Resentment: Staub said she's long waited for Cohen to give her acknowledge her contributions to the show, but he's never bothered to After being a principle player on the show's first two seasons, Staub departed in season three. She came back in a limited 'friend' capacity over the past three seasons before leaving earlier this year Staub - who was often at odds with Teresa Giudice, 48, through her run on the show - announced her exit from the series in an appearance opposite Cohen in January on Watch What Happens Live. She said at the time: 'I will be never returning as a Housewife again with the Jersey girls. I have, over the past 12 years and 10 seasons, been a part of this whole franchise and I've been very happy to rally and stand on a platform and be here with all of you. But it is time for me to leave and do something that I want to do that makes my heart happy every day.' Cohen noted that the decision was 'entirely [Staub's] move.' After being a principle player on the show's first two seasons, Staub departed in season three. She came back in a limited 'friend' capacity over the past three seasons before leaving earlier this year. In her last season on the series she was involved in a physical altercation with Margaret Josephs, pulling her ponytail amid a spat. Dailymail.com has reached out to reps of Bravo and Cohen for comment on this story. The National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) met this morning to discuss whether pubs should be allowed to reopen on Monday, despite plans for them to remain closed until at least September. Pubs that do not serve food have been closed since mid-March with a number of planned reopening dates postponed due to concerns regarding the rising rate of Covid-19 infections in the country. However, it has been decided that they will remain closed. Speaking at this evening's Government Covid-19 briefing, Dr Glynn said NPHET had discussed the matter but the group concluded that it was still unsafe to reopen pubs due to rising infection numbers in the last two weeks. Kildare lockdown On Kildare, Dr Glynn said the situation was improving but that it was still too early to lift the current restrictions in the county. Advertisement It has not improved or stabilised to the extent that we would need, he said. It still has the highest 14 and seven-day incidence in the country. It is too early to relax the measures. The Covid-19 spread has changed from a series of large clusters to around 250 outbreaks in private households due to the normal interaction between families, officials tracking the disease said. The reproductive rate of the virus in Ireland is at between 1 and 1.2, the statistician advising the Government Professor Philip Nolan said. Prof Nolan said: The R-number is now between 1 and 1.2. While this is an improvement on what we have seen recently, it is still not where we want to be. We are still seeing growing transmission of the disease and we need to bring the R-number back below 1 if we are to effectively slow the spread of Covid-19 and suppress its transmission. Irish pubs have endured the longest lockdown in the EU according to the Drinks Industry Group of Ireland (DIGI), which has called for a dedicated and immediate hospitality support package. The organisation has compared the lockdown of pubs across EU member states to find that only Romanias indoor bars also remain shut though owners have been allowed to serve customers outdoors since June. The group, representing over 14,000 drinks and hospitality businesses, said that pubs serving food - which were allowed to reopen in the Republic at the end of June - comprise just 40 per cent of pubs across the country and that 60 per cent of Irish pubs have now been closed for more than five months. The stage is set for a showdown between states and the Centre during the 41st GST Council meet on Thursday. This meeting has been called to discuss a single point agenda - how to iron out kinks in compensation cess collection to meet states' compensation requirements. According to GST Council sources, the all-powerful body is likely to discuss various proposals to raise funds in the compensation cess kitty. States have not been compensated since May. The Centre had recently informed the parliamentary standing committee on finance that it does not have enough funds to pay the 14 per cent GST compensation that it is statutorily mandated to pay to states. Under the GST law, states are guaranteed full compensation for any revenue loss for the first five years after the introduction of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) in July 2017. This means that states have to be compensated until July 2022 for any losses due to the implementation of the GST regime. States including Bihar, Punjab and Rajasthan are likely to demand compensation from the GST Council in the meeting. Also read: Centre must compensate states for loss of revenue, says Attorney General Sources have told India Today that states are now planning to take action against the GST Council for not paying compensation on time. When GST was brought into effect in July 2017 there was a promise made by the then finance minister, late Arun Jaitley that states will be adequately compensated but now compensation has become a bone of contention between them and the Centre. Some states are even planning to give an ultimatum to the Council that if compensation is not paid, they will go as far as to stop GST collections. Bihar Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister Sushil Kumar Modi in a statement said, "The Centre should borrow and pay GST compensation to states even if it is not legally bound to do so. Centre is morally bound to do so." Punjab's Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal called the central government's attempt to deny the states their rightful compensation tantamount to "sovereign default". He added that the Narendra Modi government has no respect for the Constitution. Punjab has received compensation only until March 2020 and the central government owes the state Rs 4,400 crore. Also read: GST Council may consider proposal to cut tax on two-wheelers Meanwhile, opposition parties have joined hands to demand compensation from the Centre. Congress president Sonia Gandhi recently held a meeting of opposition parties where GST compensation was discussed. "The refusal to compensate states for GST payments that are due is nothing short of betrayal," Sonia Gandhi said. States like Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Punjab, Puducherry and West Bengal echoed the emotion. The Centre had been releasing compensation to states in tranches; compensation worth Rs 1,15,096 crore was released for the April-November 2019 period. The second tranche of Rs 36,400 crore was released for the December 2019-February 2020 period. The Centre had released Rs 69,275 crore in 2018-19 and Rs 41,146 crore in 2017-18 as compensation to states. Centre held back fund transfer to states for revenue shortage beginning August 2019, following which states raised the issue. ALSO READ: West Bengal FM urges Centre to pay compensation cess ahead of GST mee ALSO READ: Once bitten twice shy, industry hopes FM will deliver the goods this time Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison speaks during a media conference at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, on July 9, 2020. (David Gray/Getty Images) Belt and Road, Confucius Institutes Could Be Scrapped Under New Australian Law Australias federal government will flex its constitutional muscle with new laws that will likely kill controversial arrangements made with Beijing by state and local governments, as well as universities. Arrangements with Beijing-connected entities that will likely come under the microscope include the controversial Belt and Road Initiative in the state of Victoria; Confucius Institutes in Australian universities; academic partnerships with Chinese institutions; sister-city agreements with Chinese authorities; and even the Port of Darwin lease. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Australians were right to expect the federal government to set foreign policy. It is vital that when it comes to Australias dealings with the rest of the world, we speak with one voice and work to one plan, he told a press conference on Aug. 27. If theyre inconsistent with the national interest, theyll go, Morrison said. The Foreign Relations Bill proposes that Foreign Minister Marise Payne will need to be notified by state or territory governments of an intention to negotiate with a foreign government entity. Australias Foreign Minister Marise Payne speaks during a news conference at the U.S. Department of State following the 30th AUSMIN in Washington on July 28, 2020. (Brendan Smialowski/Pool via Reuters) She will have the authority to review, approve, or veto prospective and existing agreements between foreign governments and public Australian entities if they are inconsistent with foreign policy or are detrimental to relations with other countries. Approvals can also be revoked later. Foreign Minister Marise Payne said the changes would ensure all international agreements would be consistent with Australias values. What Australia is doing is ensuring that arrangements that are entered into by state and territory governments are in Australias national interests, Payne told Channel Nine. Most importantly that we do our due diligence on those agreements and we ensure that they are consistent with our foreign policy approach, she said. The law draws on constitutional powers that give the federal government the authority to legislate on matters related to foreign affairs. State and territory governments, local councils, and public universities will come under the purview of the law. Chinas then-Vice President Xi Jinping (now Chinese leader) unveils a plaque at the opening of Australias first Chinese Medicine Confucius Institute at the RMIT University in Melbourne on June 20, 2010. (William West/AFP/Getty Images) Local councils or universities do not need approval to negotiate but will need to notify the minister before striking a deal with foreign government entities. The foreign minister will also have the power to terminate private contracts stemming from foreign deals, such as the Belt and Road Initiative signed by the Victorian state government. State Premier Daniel Andrews has signed two Memorandums of Understanding with Beijings National Development and Reform Commission. The agreements however, have been engulfed in a wave of controversy, particularly this year as Canberra has consistently resisted pressure from Beijing. Within six months of the new regime coming into place, states and other bodies covered will have to complete a stocktake of existing agreements for the Commonwealth to review. There are over 135 agreements across 30 different countries to be examined. Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping at the end of the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing on May 15, 2017. (Jason Lee-Pool/Getty Images) A public register will be established to detail information about agreements and ministerial decisions. The government is keen to pass the bill before the end of the year and will introduce legislation to federal parliament next week. In recent weeks, security agencies briefed state and territory governments on implications for agreements that would be covered. Federal Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese supports the legislation in principle but wants to see the details. The national government should be in charge of our foreign policy, he told Triple M Hobart on Aug. 27. And one of the things that it should seek to do at all times is to protect Australias national interest, he said. Reporter Debra Pressey is a reporter covering health care at The News-Gazette. Her email is dpressey@news-gazette.com, and you can follow her on Twitter (@DLPressey). Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday against the Department of Education seeking to block a Trump administration rule that stands to stop colleges and universities from financial aid grants to more than a million students nationwide, including immigrants who grew up in-state. The 31-page lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court, which names Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, challenges a rule explaining which students can receive financial aid grants from colleges and universities under the CARES Act. The COVID-19 law stipulates that higher education institutions must use at least half of the funds they received for emergency grants to students, but the rule excludes foreign-born students who grew up in the U.S. This is yet another senseless, cruel attempt from the Trump Administration to harm immigrant and other vulnerable students by blocking them from accessing relief under the CARES Act, Healey said in a statement. We are taking this action today to protect the tens of thousands Massachusetts students harmed by this rule and ensure they can access the assistance they need during this unprecedented public health crisis. The $2.2 trillion CARES Act was signed into law in March. It appropriated more than $30 billion to the Department of Education to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, including about $14.3 billion to higher education institutions. Colleges and universities that received CARES Act funding are expected to provide emergency grants to students, which are meant to help with food, housing and health care expenses caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The DOEs rule limits the grants to students who are eligible for financial aid under the federal Higher Education Act, even though Congress did not expressly state the grants must be limited to those students. Over a quarter century ago, President Clinton signed a law explicitly prohibiting and disqualifying foreign students and people not lawfully present in this country from receiving U.S. taxpayer funded grants, DOE press secretary Angela Morabito statement. CARES Act funds are most assuredly U.S. taxpayer funded grants. Congress did not direct the Department to give U.S. taxpayer dollars to wealthy students from China or Iran, nor authorize it to allow payments to be made from federal funds to students who are noncitizens. Colleges and universities retain the discretion to fund foreign students. They just cannot use U.S. federal taxpayer dollars in order to do so. Secretary DeVos and the Department will continue enforcing the law and implementing the CARES Act as it is written. The rule effectively excludes undocumented students, those with work authorization under Temporary Protected Status, those with pending asylum cases, international student visas and recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, the Obama-era permission for undocumented people who were brought to the U.S. as children. The rule also excludes students who are pursuing their GED while enrolled in a college or university, who owe a refund on a federal loan or grant or have not maintained academic standing after two years of study, Healy said. In the complaint, Healey asked the court to declare the new rule unlawful and block the DOE from attempting to impose it on colleges and universities. The U.S. Department of Education unfairly limits which students can receive emergency aid under the CARES Act, UMass President Marty Meehan said in a statement. If allowed to stand in the midst of a pandemic, deserving students will be forced to delay or end their education, and the Massachusetts workforce will be denied a valuable and diverse source of talent According to the complaint, the new rule excludes more than one million students from receiving aid nationwide, including tens of thousands of vulnerable students in Massachusetts. In the complaint, Healey said that colleges and universities will likely experience a decline in enrollment and loss of revenue if aid is not made available to all students. Related Content: The U.S. State Department has offered up to $5 million in rewards for information that helps locate and free two Americans kidnapped in Afghanistan. Paul Overby, 77, disappeared in 2014 in Khost near the border with Pakistan while researching a book on the Afghan people and it appeared he planned to cross the border into Pakistan to continue his research. He was trying to arrange an interview with the head of the Haqqani network, an arm of the Taliban, when he disappeared, his wife said in 2017. The second man, Mark Frerichs, 58, was kidnapped in February 2020. At the time he was living in Kabul. He had relocated to the city in 2010 and spent a decade in the country working on construction projects. The State Departments Diplomatic Security Service offered the reward through its Rewards for Justice office, a statement said on August 26. The FBI are advertising the reward offer of up to $5 million for information leading to the return of Overby and Frerichs. The State Department said in its announcement that all information submitted will be kept strictly confidential. The Rewards for Justice Program has been used since 1984. The program has paid more than $150 million to more than 100 people who provided information that helped bring terrorists to justice or prevented acts of terrorism worldwide. Based on reporting by AFP *CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story misidentified Mark Frerichs with an incorrect first name. JOHANNESBURG The coronavirus is exposing an uncomfortable inequality in the billion-dollar system that delivers life-saving aid for countries in crisis: Most money that flows from the U.S. and other donors goes to international aid groups instead of local ones. Now local aid workers are exposed on the pandemics front lines with painfully few means to help the vulnerable communities they know so well. HK lawmakers' arrest could disqualify them: local legislator Global Times By Fan Lingzhi Source: Global Times Published: 2020/8/26 23:11:32 The arrest of opposition lawmakers Lam Cheuk Ting and Ted Hui Chi-fung could lead to their disqualification as LegCo lawmakers, according to Hong Kong legislator Junius Ho Kwan-yiu. Hong Kong police arrested more than 10 people on Wednesday morning, including two opposition lawmakers Lam Cheuk Ting and Ted Hui Chi-fung. Lam was arrested at his home on suspicion of participating in riots in Yuen Long on July 21, 2019 and for conspiracy with others to destroy property and obstruction of justice outside the Tuen Mun Police Station. Ho said on his Facebook page on Wednesday that "the day has finally arrived. Justice will come late, but it's never absent." Ho was also in hot water after the Yuen Long riot last year, as he was accused by the opposition, including Lam, for "colluding with gangsters" to assault protesters. Ho also faced abuse from the opposition, who were accused of destroying the graves of Ho's parents. After Lam's arrest, Ho said on his social media website that Lam is just the "tip of iceberg," as he pretends to be a "mediator" between police and rioters, but played an important role in Hong Kong's riots. Behind the scenes, "Lam provided a lot of money to those rioters, and it certainly has links with the US, UK and other countries." Ho said that although the national security law for Hong Kong isn't supposed to be retroactive, the Standing Committee of the National People' s Congress has determined that legislators but adhere to their vows and making false declarations will have legal consequences. According to Article 104 of the Basic Law of Hong Kong, members of the Legislative Council must swear to uphold the Basic Law and swear allegiance to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. "Therefore, national security law aside, Lam and other lawmakers were constantly involved in riots and now their arrest gives authorities reason to revoke their qualification as lawmakers and bar them from participating in legislation works," according to Ho. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address 27.08.2020 LISTEN I wake up that earlier morning to the news item, captioned: I regret not completing the Eastern Corridors road-Mahama. Then, I told myself, psychology is a real deal, and actually predicts human and animal behaviour. With this pronouncement of H.E. John Mahama, I recounted one of the stages of Erik Eriksons Psychoanalytic theory of development, which is Integrity vs. Despair. Erik Erikson (1963, 1982) proposed eight stages through which humans must pass from birth to adulthood if they are to feel competent and self-fulfilled. According to Erikson, healthy personality growth is characterized by the resolution of inner conflicts. In Eriksons view, each stage of emotional development involves the struggling between two opposing emotional states _ one positive, the other negative. The last stage which happens to be the stage of integrity and despair is which our Ex-President John Dramani Mahama seems to find himself. At the stage, Erik Erikson asserted that the feeling of integrity comes when older adults live their lives and feel great satisfaction with the events and accomplishments of their lives. The stage older adults look back on their experiences with pride and acceptance. On the other hand, the feeling of despair according to Erikson, is when older adults feel a great dissatisfaction with the events and accomplishments of their lives. In Eriksons view, older adults who do not feel any satisfaction in their lives suffer great despair. They count on their mistakes and wished they could get another chance to correct them, by then, life has taken them to old age so, they regret a great deal of their lives, for not doing certain things. From my point of view, I see H.E. John Dramani Mahama perfectly fit in Eriksons stage of despair. By now, John Mahama would have regretted a lot of decisions he took during his first tenure of office. Yes, he might have regretted cancelling the nursing and teacher trainee allowances. He might have regretted the decision his government to concentrate too much on infrastructural development, at the expense of other social interventions to create jobs for the youth. Of course, he has confessed his regret for not completing the Eastern Corridors road. H.E. John Mahama have definitely regretted for his bold pronouncement that free senior high school cannot be implemented in Ghana until the next two decades. Where are our gallant public sector workers? John Dramani Mahama might have regretted for paying you on three months arrears regardless the number of months you worked. Surely, H.E. John Dramani Mahama will be regretting a big time for not crafting any reliefs and compensation for citizens, who suffered the dire consequences of dumsor. Like a coconut, if one was to cut open John Mahama's skull, you would have seen these pack of regrets in his frontal lobe. A testimony to how John Mahama is despaired and unsatisfied with some of the decisions he took is his promises to undo most of the things he has done. Lol! John Dramani Mahama prior to the 2016 election, at a forum in the University of Cape Coast campus asserted teacher trainee allowances wont be restored even if it will cost me the election and same John Dramani Mahama, on one of his digital interactions on zoom, said he will not cancel the trainee allowances after the current government restored it. Has he not regretted his previous decision? Free senior high school cannot be implemented until two decades, John Mahama in 2016, and in 2020, he says the free senior high school has come to stay. He will make it freer and better. Is this not a feeling of despair? In 2016, the government has no jobs for you-Mahama told graduates, in 2020; I am seeking for re-election to create jobs for the youth -Mahama. The elders say if a donkey is going to floor you, you dont see its ears, and it is only a fool who testicles are stepped on twice. A critical look at H.E. John Dramani's posture on his bid to recapture power tells you, he has lived to regret a single bit of some of the decisions he made during his first tenure of office and, is, therefore, seeking a comeback to correct his mistakes but, the bone of contention is, can he be trusted? Well, your guess is as good as mine. I leave that onto you come December 7th. Thank you. (Natural News) At least two rioters are dead and another injured following a deadly shooting incident that occurred in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Armed protesters angry over the alleged shooting of Jacob Blake were seen charging and throwing objects at a security guard protecting a local business when other armed people responded to the assault by discharging their weapons. As you can see in the following photo, an armed man approached what appears to have been a scuffle with one individual on the ground and the other standing up either kicking or punching the man on the ground. Video footage shows multiple perspectives of the incident. It is clear from this evidence that the guard only tried to shoot after being charged and violently attacked by rioters. The guard was even seen trying to provide medical help to the first man he shot who attacked him, demonstrating his good character but also his propensity to protect himself from harm or death. As for the two rioters who were shot and killed, one of them, a white-looking man, took a bullet to the head after he reportedly mouthed off to a group of armed guards, yelling shoot me n*gga! The violence is only going to increase, America The melee also involved a man with a gun who was chased down by a three-person mob and attacked with a skateboard, to which he responded by firing three or four shots, hitting two of them. At least one of the three was armed with a handgun, but he appears to have had his shooting arm blown off before having the chance to use it. Multiple gunshots are fired after people chased a guy with a rifle, tweeted Julio Rosas, a senior writer at Town Hall. You can watch the video footage online. Rifle dude tripped and fell, Rosas added. He fired his gun at a guy who jumped on top of him. As to be expected, the mainstream medias reporting of the incident conveniently cropped out the hand of the man whose arm was shot to eliminate from view the handgun he was holding. This individual apparently continued to hold his weapon long after being shot. At the time of being shot they were destroying cars with metal bats, hammers and boulders, tweeted Elijah Schaffer about what occurred in the leadup to the incident. They were openly rioting, vandalizing, and WaPo intentionally lies to the public, he added, linking to a WaPo article that completely misconstrued the facts. As we reported, the violent elements of these protests have been escalating as protesters increasingly bring firearms, often of the assault weapons variety, with them to their peaceful assemblies. With each subsequent incident involving some kind of police shooting, the protesters who respond are out for as much blood and destruction as they can get their hands on, as evidenced by the situation now transpiring in Kenosha. As it turns out, Jacob Blake is hardly the upstanding citizen that his mostly-white supporters claim. He was a violent felon who was wanted for third-degree sexual assault, domestic abuse and criminal trespass. He was also shot while going into his vehicle presumably to grab a handgun that was stashed under his drivers side car seat. The only reason BLM and Antifa terrorist havent been wiped out by honest people is that Democrat-Neocon pols protect them from consequences in cooperation with corrupt and servile local police and prosecutors, wrote one Information Liberation commenter about the situation. For more related news about the violence and chaos sweeping Kenosha, check out CivilWar.news. Sources for this article include: InformationLiberation.com Twitter.com Twitter.com NaturalNews.com By Kaushik Basu ITHACA Neither Joe Biden nor Kamala Harris was my first choice among the contenders for the Democratic presidential nomination in the United States. But when Biden, by then the party's presumptive nominee, announced earlier this month that Senator Harris would be his vice-presidential running mate, it felt like a breath of fresh air. Speakers at the recently concluded Democratic National Convention including some Republicans like former Ohio Governor John Kasich stressed the importance of decency and empathy in politics. And in his inspiring acceptance speech, Biden emphasized the need for America to be "a light to the world once again." Listening to these words, I felt a rush of hope. If Biden and Harris win in November, they will introduce important policy initiatives. They will improve the embarrassing U.S. health-care system, which walls off a large section of the population from cutting-edge medical research and the world's finest health facilities. They will try to remedy the worsening conditions confronting America's working class, and restore some US efforts to combat climate change. But I do not think they will push for the sort of radical reforms that someone like Elizabeth Warren or Bernie Sanders would have attempted. Nevertheless, there are two reasons to feel hopeful. First, Biden and Harris are more likely to win the election than more radical Democratic contenders would have been. Second, they will bolster the institutions that previously made America strong and restore its leadership in the world. That will be crucial: although much has been written about what Biden and Harris should do for America, they also have a global responsibility. One of the most damaging consequences of Donald Trump's presidency has been the loss of America's international stature. This has had a huge adverse impact, spawning populism and authoritarianism around the world. To be sure, America's record of global engagement is not without blemish. In the 1960s and early 1970s, for example, it was on the wrong side of history several times including in prosecuting the Vietnam War, tacitly supporting the overthrow of Chilean President Salvador Allende, and attempting to thwart Bangladeshi independence. Fortunately, this coldly "realist" US foreign policy slowly gave way to one with some moral compass and global concern. The president who deserves the greatest credit for this shift is Jimmy Carter. Although he was low-key and not good at politicking, Carter had the rare mettle evident in his moving 2018 interview with The Late Show's Stephen Colbert to be prepared to lose for a moral cause. In today's globalized world, we must recognize that all human beings, not just all co-nationals, are born equal. Hyper-nationalism is not only bad economics, but is also morally wrong. I have no doubt that a time will come when we regard hyper-nationalism the belief that one's compatriots are special and more deserving than others the way we view racism or caste systems are today. Because we currently live in a world of nation-states, nationalism is unavoidable for now. But we need leaders who can pioneer an international mindset and help to build a better future for all of humanity, including the poor and dispossessed wherever they live. This is the big responsibility that Biden and Harris must shoulder in seeking to re-establish the global leadership from which America has retreated under Trump. On the subject of internationalism, Biden and Harris may wish to consider the thoughts of India's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, who spoke more eloquently about these values than perhaps any other leader. Nehru fought for India's independence, in which nationalism was obviously a driving force. But he was mindful that we have to strive for a world in which human identity takes precedence over racial, religious, and national identity. Nehru made his position clear in a remarkable 1953 letter to India's chief ministers. "The feeling of nationalism is an enlarging and widening experience for the individual or the nation," he wrote. "More especially, when a country is under foreign domination, nationalism is a strengthening and unifying force. But, a stage arrives when it might well have a narrowing influence []." That stage arrives, Nehru believed, because "Every people suffer from the strange delusion that they are the elect and better than all others. When they become strong and powerful, they try to impose themselves and their ways on others," but eventually "overreach themselves, stumble, and fall." Nehru concluded with a warning to his newly independent country. "We, in India, have to be particularly careful of this because of our tradition of caste and separatism. We have a tendency to fall into separate groups and to forget the larger unity." I shall leave it to Biden and Harris to substitute the U.S. for India, and draw the lesson they may. And I will not give up hope that they will affirm America's global responsibility and revive its leadership role, using it to promote the interest of all humanity. Kaushik Basu, a former chief economist of the World Bank and chief economic adviser to the government of India, is professor of economics at Cornell University and nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. This article was distributed by Project Syndicate (www.project-syndicate.org) Advertisement Marks and Spencer has been hit with a sandwich shortage after its supplier was forced to close its factory amid a surge in coronavirus cases among workers. Greencore, which manufactures own-label sandwiches for the retailer, announced a temporary closure of its Northampton plant on Friday for at least two weeks after 292 staff tested positive for the virus. The move has left refrigerated aisles empty of lunchtime favourites like prawn mayonnaise, BLT, and chicken salad for shoppers and office workers around the country. Sandwich fridges at some branches have also pictured with blinds pulled over them, with supermarket staff fixing a note on nearby empty shelves blaming supply issues for the lack of choice. The note reads: 'We are sorry for the lack of availability across our sandwich range. We are working hard to get them back in stock as soon as possible.' Only Cheese and Onion, Tuna and Sweetcorn and Free Range Egg Watercress sandwiches were available today at the retail giant's High Street Kensington station branch. One M&S branch in Eltham, south east London received a solitary tray of sandiwches on Tuesday to last the whole day. The store was completely out of stock by the 1pm rush hour and soups had to be moved to fill the empty space with not a single slice of bread in sight. An M&S spokesperson admitted the retailer had to switch to alternative suppliers following the Greencore closure and said it had to prioritise its more popular sandwiches to ensure there would products on the shelves today. They insisted the shortage would be resolved 'within days' and told MailOnline: 'We are working closely with our suppliers to source from alternative sites to help protect availability of our most popular lines for customers.' However, a staff member told one hungry shopper their stocks would not be back to normal for the rest of the week, but hoped the supply issue would be resolved by early next week. The supply shortage comes in the midst of a Covid crisis plaguing Britain's food plants, with the head of the Food Standards Agency revealing there are at least 40 active outbreaks in factories in England alone - with more recorded in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Dr Colin Sullivan, Chief Operating Officer at the FSA, admitted the figure is not comprehensive, and may be higher, but said: 'The number that I mentioned, was one we are content to make public. It is a small number of a big total.' A huge chicken factory in Norfolk is the latest plant forced to close after 75 workers tested positive for coronavirus. It resulted in 350 families put into Covid isolation. Banham Poultry, in the village of Attleborough, voluntarily agreed to close its cutting room following an outbreak of the virus. The first case of Covid was reported last Friday, when one worker said they felt unwell. By Monday, seven out of 15 tested were found to have the virus. Almost 400 workers have now been tested, though officials claim that any potential geographical spread of the virus from Banham Poultry is low. It comes as: Matt Hancock chairs a meeting on local lockdowns amid fears Birmingham could be next to face tougher restrictions; The Health Secretary earlier insisted that 13 a day is enough for low-paid workers in COVID-hit areas to survive on as they self-isolate; Europe's second wave continues with France's Covid-19 R rate hitting 1.4, Spain topping the US in cases per million and Italy recording its highest daily case toll since May; Ministers are expected to make a decision tonight on whether to add Switzerland, the Czech Republic or Jamaica to the UK's quarantine travel list; Fears of flu and Covid-19 straining the NHS this winter grow as data shows number of at-risk adults getting free influenza jab is the lowest in eight years; CBI boss Carolyn Fairbairn demanded Boris Johnson leads UK firms back to work to revive the struggling economy; Footfall in town and city centre streets has stagnated in recent weeks, figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed this morning. Only a few sandwiches are available at the M&S branch at High Street Kensington after a plant that supplies the retailer closed amid a surge in coronavirus cases The High Street Kensington station branch fixed the following message on its sandwich stall, informing customers that the lack of availability was down to issues Banham Poultry in the village of Attleborough will shut its cutting room tomorrow morning as the factory voluntarily agrees to close following an outbreak of coronavirus Some sandwich sections, such as this one on Kensington High Street, appear to have been covered up following the coronavirus outbreak in a plant that supplies M&S with sandwiches The outbreak has however sparked fears that Norfolk will be plunged back into a local lockdown - with the county the subject of a government review later today. Customers today hit out at the sandwich shortage at M&S. One customer wrote on Twitter: 'Well Covid has finally had a significant impact on my life @marksandspencer this morning and NO SANDWICHES due to an outbreak at their factory. Normal service to be resumed soon.' A second added: 'My son ordered sandwiches for after his father-in-law's funeral. You lot let him down. Shameful.' While a third said: ' Can someone please explain to me @marksandspencer as too why when asked there has been no deliveries in sandwiches for 3 days in the @brentcross_sc branch? A little embarrassing.' Sandwich platters usually available to buy online and collect in store have been removed from the 'food to order' section of the M&S website and marked as out of stock. Charlotte Lorimer wrote: '@marksandspencer have you stopped doing your sandwich platters? I can't see them on line?' and was told to check the food to order range 'again soon'. Chilled and damp interior with ultraviolet light: Why meat plants are a hotbed for coronavirus outbreaks The virus thrives in cold, damp and indoor environments, particularly on cool surfaces. The lack of a breeze or ultraviolet light from the sun means the moisture remains and can't be killed off inside food processing plants. Furthermore, social distancing is particularly difficult in workplaces with a busy production line meaning the virus is likely to spread more easily. Loud machinery also forces people to raise their voices and researchers say situations where people have to shout result in an increased risk of projecting the virus to others. It's not just in the UK where a trend has been seen, either, after hundreds tested positive in a Berlin slaughterhouse, while a wet market in Wuhan is believed to have been at the heart of a huge number of infections early on in the crisis. Advertisement Greencore, which employs more than 2,100 people at its Northampton factory, initially intended to continue operating despite rocketing cases. But the company announced its East Midlands base would shut on Friday 'as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak in the Northampton area and at the site'. Staff and members of their households will now self-isolate for 14 days as a precautionary measure. Greencore said it was working 'to bring the site back safely into production as soon as possible' and would move sandwich production to different factories to prevent rationing. A spokesman for the food group said: 'We have moved a proportion of production from the Northampton facility to other sites within the Greencore network, and are working with the affected customer to help mitigate any shortfall.' Britain has been hit by a food processing crisis after an outbreak of coronavirus cases. Other major food producers, such as Cranswick and 2 Sisters Food Group, have also closed plants following a surge in cases among staff. Experts have suggested the cold conditions inside the plants may be conducive to the spread of the virus. Although the FSA's statement only mentions factories in England, there have already been cases of plants closes in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. A chicken processing plant run by 2 Sisters in Coupar Angus, Scotland, has seen the number of cases among its staff pass well over 100, forcing it to close, while a facility run by Cranswick in County Antrim became the first in Northern Ireland to be shut down because of a surge in cases. Plants in Anglesey and Wrexham in Wales were among the first in the UK to register a crisis in cases among staff, forcing them to close. FSA boss Dr Sullivan is a member of a taskforce set up by the food and farming department, DEFRA, which also includes Public Health England (PHE) and the Health & Safety Executive. (HSE) He argued the figure of 40 active outbreaks in England should be seen as small when set against the total number of food processing plants. He told the board: 'To put the figures in context, across England, Wales and Northern Ireland there are more than 20,000 food processing plants. Only a very small number have been impacted. 'We are always going to have a number of these as long as Covid is present, given the many factors that are present in food processing plants; the conditions, the aerosol issues, the way people work close by each other, the fact that staff in plants sometimes live together, sometimes travel together. All those issues need to be managed. 'Some of these outbreaks - will be higher profile than others and with improved testing and apps coming on, one hopes the numbers will reduce.' The FSA's chief executive, Emily Miles, stressed there is no need for alarm, saying: 'The risk of transmission of Covid-19 through the consumption or handling of food, or food packaging, remains very low. Only a few sandwiches appear to be available for M&S customers at its Kensington High Street branch, following the closure of a plant that supplies the retailer 'There have been a small number of Covid 19 outbreaks associated with meat and food processing places and we have been supporting the Health & Safety Executive, Public Health England, Public Health Wales and other bodies in their work to deal with those.' She added: 'The FSA has to be here to tell the truth about food. People need to be able to turn to us and get the facts about food and Covid 19. The risk assessment led by our very brilliant scientists, who have been assessing and re-assessing the evidence that we are learning about Covid 19 is saying that the risk is extremely low.' The latest outbreak in Norfolk has driven fears of a local lockdown in the area, despite Dr Louise Smith, director of Public Health England in Norfolk, ruling one out. She said: 'At this point what we are doing is a very specific localised lockdown to a very specific setting, the who work there and their households. 'We do not anticipate the need for a geographical or town-based lockdown at this stage and we would only move to that kind of measure if we were getting evidence of spread in the general public that could not be linked to a specific location, such as this outbreak. 'We are not at that level at this stage and the background level of infection in Norfolk outside of this outbreak is low.' However, the Government could decide in its review today to overrule local chiefs and shut the chicken factory completely. The outbreak has sparked fears that Norfolk will be plunged back into lockdown - with the county the subject of a central government review today Dr Louise Smith, director of Public Health England in Norfolk, told the Eastern Daily Press that she was ruling out an immediate local lockdown in the county Norfolk County Council is understood to be considering whether they need to speak with other meat factories in the county. In a statement yesterday, Banham Poultry's managing director Blaine van Rensburg said the management team was working to prevent any further spread. 'The safety of our staff, customers and the wider public is really important to us and we are working with public health authorities to make sure we are doing absolutely everything we can and following all of the correct procedures,' he said. Norfolk County Council, which sent letters to 450,000 Norfolk homes just last week reminding people that coronavirus was 'still with us', urged people concerned about contracting the virus is to 'remember the basics'. Up to 30 Plymouth teenagers may have brought Covid-19 back with them from Greek holiday after 11 tested positive for virus Up to 30 teenagers in Plymouth could be infected with coronavirus after returning from a holiday in Greece, the city's council confirmed. Plymouth's public health team is dealing with a coronavirus outbreak that could involve up to 30 young people who returned from the Greek island Zante last week. At least 11 members of the group, all around the ages of 18 and 19, have tested positive for the virus since returning from Greece, Plymouth City Council confirmed. Greece is not currently included on the list of countries subject to the UK's quarantine restrictions. Advertisement Steve Morphew, leader of the opposition Labour group at Norfolk County Council, said: 'This outbreak shows the critical importance of making sure we learn the lessons and ensure there are enough resources to respond swiftly. 'We know delays are costly in every sense so we must make sure our public health team can do the job we need from them. ' Attleborough mayor Philip Leslie said he had expected to see an increase in confirmed cases, but moved to reassure the town's residents. He said: 'They have tested all 300 staff which I think has been exceptional - we are very grateful for public health England, their quick response and the way they have escalated resources to tackle it. However, it will raise eyebrows within the community to see such a large number of confirmed cases. 'So the main thing for us as a town council, is to keep on top of the situation and reassure that residents it seems to be isolated at Banham Poultry alone. 'We will remain vigilant and keep following government guidance. But we also need to have good practice within our homes as well. 'People are becoming a little lax and don't follow rules in their own homes. 'We need to work hard at recognising that this is still a real issue. 'We don't have the vaccine in place yet or the long-term solution so we need to treat it as seriously we did a few months ago. We as a community are keeping our ears to the ground and ready to act on advice that comes.' As news has emerged of food factories around the world experiencing outbreaks of Covid-19, experts have suggested conditions inside the plants may be conducive to the spread of the virus. Workers at a meat processing plant (stock image). Dr Sullivan added there was some evidence that food processing plants could be more susceptibly to outbreaks of the disease Greencore in Northampton said nearly 300 staff there have tested positive for Covid-19 and are self-isolating Dr Simon Clarke, a cellular microbiologist at the University of Reading, told MailOnline that it was notable that food factories seemed to have been the centre of outbreaks more than other factories where people might be close together. He said: 'There are problems in this country, in Germany, in the United States. There is something common between them - it's not happening in engineering or clothing factories where you also might expect people to be in close proximity to one another. 'One assumes - but it's just an idea - that the cold environment makes people more susceptible to the virus. 'Cold weather irritates the airways and the cells become more susceptible to viral infection.' Dr Chris Smith, a virologist at the University of Cambridge, said on LBC 'temperature is going to play a part'. He explained: 'When I'm breathing I'm blowing out droplets of moisture from my respiratory tract and the virus which is growing in there would be packaged up in the droplets. It comes as Britain yesterday recorded 16 more coronavirus deaths as Scotland's six-week run of no fatalities was ended with the announcement of two new victims 'Now the droplets will hover for a period of time in the air and then sink to the ground... and if it's very dry, cold air - and cold air carries less moisture, remember - the droplets will stay smaller and stay airborne for longer. 'If it's very humid, moisture joins them, makes them bigger and heavier, and they fall and they drop out of circulation faster - so temperature could be a factor.' Sunlight is also known to degrade viruses and make them less able to survive on surfaces that are exposed to UV light. Rays of sunlight are thought to damage the genetic material inside the virus, making it less able to reproduce and killing it faster. Professor Calum Semple, a disease outbreak expert at the University of Liverpool, told The Telegraph that cold, sunless food factories are ideal conditions. He said: 'If I wanted to preserve a virus I would put it in a cold, dark environment or a cool environment that doesn't have any ultraviolet light - essentially a fridge or a meat processing facility... 'The perfect place to keep a virus alive for a long time is a cold place without sunlight.' But the temperature alone does not appear to be a controlling factor in coronavirus outbreaks. Dr Michael Head, a global health researcher at the University of Southampton, said he thought close proximity was most likely to be behind the factory outbreaks. He said: 'Whilst refrigeration may be a contributory factor to the spread of the virus, the key factors are likely to be the number of people close together in indoor conditions. 'Some of these factories have onsite or nearby accommodation where there are several people in each dormitory, they may be transported on a bus to the site of work, and they will be indoors together all day. 'Levels of adherence to measures such as washing hands is uncertain and there is unlikely to be widespread use of PPE.' The city of New Orleans is suing the owners of a hotel that was under construction when it collapsed 10 months ago, killing three workers. Mayor LaToya Cantrells office announced the lawsuit against the company known as 1031 Canal Development LLC, and its contractors, on Aug. 25. New Orleans news outlets report the suit was filed at the states civil district court. City officials said 1031 Canal has failed to cover $12 million the city has spent thus far to respond to the collapse and ensure the unstable building did not imperil people and property in the area. A 1031 spokesman said the company had not seen the lawsuit and could not comment Wednesday. The suit was filed after the last of three bodies was recovered from the building wreckage last week. The building was to have been a Hard Rock Hotel at the edge of the French Quarter. The Hard Rock building collapse not only damaged City property, including streets and infrastructure, it has required the City to divert and expend tremendous public resources for work necessary to respond to the collapse and its horrific consequences at a cost of at least $12.3 million to taxpayers, the city news release said. The company has not commented. Related: Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics Lawsuits 'The nation exists from us and we exist from the nation', says PM Modi India permits up to 74 per cent FDI in defence manufacturing, says Modi India oi-Madhuri Adnal New Delhi, Aug 27: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday addressed 'Atmanirbhar Bharat Defence Industry Outreach Webinar' through video conferencing. During the conference, PM Modi said that the government has taken a decision to permit up to 74 per cent FDI in the defence manufacturing through automatic route. The Prime Minister said that a decision has been taken to permit up to 74 per cent Foreign Direct Investment in the defence manufacturing through automatic route. To thwart Chinese attack choppers, India deployed troops with shoulder fired air defence missiles "For many yrs, India has been one of the biggest defence importers. When India got independence, it had great capability in defence manufacturing & an ecosystem of defence manufacturing established over 100 yrs. Unfortunately, this subject couldn't get requisite attention," the Prime Minister said. Noting the efforts towards the country's defence production in developing new technology to give a big role to the private players in the sector, he said that the import embargo on certain defence equipment was aimed at giving a boost to the Indian defence industry. "Our resolve for 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' is not inward-looking, but for making India capable and boosting global peace & economy," Modi said. BJP tops Facebook political ad spending at Rs 4 crore & more news | Oneindia News Meanwhile, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that the government aims to become self-reliant to contribute to the world in a better way. Ornellaia Vendemmia d'Artista 2017 "Solare" Starting in 2019, we wished to make a contribution to the development of artistic perception by the blind and visually impaired, which is why we decided to support the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundations Minds Eye program. - Giovanni Geddes da Filicaja, CEO of Ornellaia Ornellaia, the iconic Italian wine estate, is pleased to announce that the Sothebys online auction will commence on the 1st of September, 2020 at 9am EDT for the prized bottles of Ornellaia Vendemmia dArtista 2017 Solare (translated in English as Radiant) designed by the Argentinian artist Tomas Saraceno, renowned internationally for his interactive installations that allude to new sustainable ways of living on our planet in this age of ecological turmoil. Proceeds of the auction will go to support the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundations innovative Minds Eye program. The auction will run through the 9th of September. We are delighted to collaborate on our tenth auction with Ornellaias exceptional Vendemmia dArtista program, having enjoyed spectacular events over the past decade in New York, Hong Kong, London, Toronto, Basel, Los Angeles and Venice. For the second consecutive year, the special auction celebrating the 2017 Solare will be offered online. The sublime marriage of art and wine in these unique large format bottles is a winning combination that will prove enticing to collectors around the world, comments Jamie Ritchie, Worldwide Head of Sothebys Wine. We are grateful to Ornellaia for their continued involvement in the visual arts and their support of the Minds Eyes program offered both on-site and online, Richard Armstrong, Director of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation stated. Thanks to the generosity of Ornellaia, we are able to expand the programs that allow us to promote the understanding and appreciation of modern and contemporary art to a wider public. The issue of environmental sustainability is particularly dear to Ornellaia, which has focused on self-sustaining ecosystems for some time now through precision agriculture. Due to this attention to the soil management, gentle handling of the grapes and a slightly earlier harvest, Ornellaia 2017 is a wine of surprising harmony. Axel Heinz, Director of the Bolgheri estate, explains, In this year of extremes, in which frost, sun and drought all played a decisive role, we succeeded in bringing blackberry and licorice to the wine, alongside the velvety tannins typical of hot vintages; at the same time, superb envelopment and acidity instill Mediterranean sumptuousness in the wine. Simultaneously, in creating the artwork dedicated to the radiance of Ornellaia 2017, Saraceno sought inspiration in the alliance between the sun and populated systems of life. The site-specific work of art, which will be installed at the estate, will consist of glass spheres that, resembling clouds, form a magical floating city ideally powered by the heat of the sun. A take on this concept is the sculpture, titled PNEUMA 4.21x105, which tops the impressive 9-liter Salmanazar, the most prestigious lot at the auction. The artist has personalized in total 111 large-format bottles, depicting the various phases of a solar eclipse, in addition to crafting a special label, which will uniquely feature in every box containing six 750ml bottles of Ornellaia. All the labels are thermochromic and change color with the heat of ones hand, inviting reflection about the impact of humanity on the planet. These works of wine and art will be auctioned online on the Sothebys website from the 1st to the 9th of September. All those who register on http://www.sothebys.com/ornellaia will be able to view the lots, leave a bid and take part in the auction. Collectors from around the world can bid for a piece of this incredible collection, while also extending a gesture of generosity. Like last year, profits from the auction will go to the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation to support the Minds Eye program. In the last 11 years, explains CEO of Ornellaia, Giovanni Geddes da Filicaja, Ornellaia has donated over two million dollars to various institutions in the art world, from the Whitney Museum in New York to the Neue National Galerie in Berlin, the Fondation Beyeler near Basel, the Royal Opera House in London and the H2 Foundation in Hong Kong and Shanghai. Starting in 2019, we wished to make a contribution to the development of artistic perception by the blind and visually impaired, which is why we decided to support the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundations Minds Eye program. About Ornellaia - http://www.ornellaia.com Ornellaias philosophy considers the birth of the wines to be the truest expression of their terroir. The grapes for Ornellaia are selected by hand, and picked in the estate's vineyards in Bolgheri, on the Tuscan coast. The varying natures of the estate's terroirs, marine, alluvial and volcanic, are ideal for the cultivation of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. The Estate extends over 115 hectares along the Tuscan coast, just a short distance from the medieval hamlet of Bolgheri and the famed cypress-lined avenue Viale dei Cipressi. The constant work of the Ornellaia team and the ideal microclimatic and geological characteristics have brought the wines great international success since the first vintage of Ornellaia in 1985. In 2001, the 1998 Ornellaia was declared Wine of the Year by the American journal Wine Spectator. In 2011 the German publication Der Feinschmecker awarded Ornellaia its most sought-after award, the Weinlegende. Ornellaia has received considerable recognition in the national and international press, and is consistently ranked among the top estates by Wine Advocate, Wine Spectator, James Suckling, Antonio Galloni, Bruce Sanderson and the Italian Wine Guides: Gambero Rosso, Espresso, and Veronelli About Vendemmia dArtista The Ornellaia Vendemmia dArtista project celebrates the exclusive character of every new vintage of Ornellaia. Every year, starting with the release of Ornellaia 2006 in May 2009, a contemporary artist crafts a site-specific artwork and a set of limited-edition labels, inspired by a word chosen by the Estate Director, Axel Heinz, to describe the personality of the new vintage. A label styled by the artist features on one of the six 750ml bottles in every case of Ornellaia. As in previous years, the project includes a limited edition of 111 large-format bottles (100 Jeroboams - 3 liters, 10 Imperials - 6 liters and 1 Salmanazar - 9 liters) which are numbered and signed personally by the artist. Every year, a selection of these bottles is auctioned by Sothebys and the profits go to support the Minds Eye program at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation. About the Minds Eye program The Minds Eye program, created by Guggenheims Education Department, assists visitors who are blind or have low vision in experiencing art by using all the senses. This approach promotes the development of creative impressions, emotional connections and memories, whose perception endures over time. As in art, the appreciation of fine wine requires the involvement of all the senses. It was this shared idea that resulted in Ornellaia lending its support to develop this particular program. Donations collected through Ornellaia Vendemmia dArtista project enable the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation to further the activities of the Minds Eye program aimed at distributing the model in other art institutions, ensuring that its excellence continues to guide the museum programming for the benefit of the blind and persons with low vision all over the world. Shanghai (Gasgoo)- Dongfeng Motor will join hands with such Chinese leading self-driving startups as Auto X, DeepRoute.ai and UISEE to build China's largest autonomous driving fleet in Wuhan Economic & Technological development Zone, according to an agreement signed by the automaker and local authority on August 25. (Photo source: Dongfeng Motor's WeChat account) Under the project supported by Dongfeng and Wuhan, a good-sized autonomous driving fleet is to be built in Wuhan Economic & Technological development Zone to carry out pilot operations under smart traffic scenarios, such as Robotaxi and AVP (automated valet parking). By leveraging some car-sharing platforms like DFGO, Dongfeng Motor's ride-hailing service platform, all parties will jointly explore the business models for the commercial operation of autonomous driving technologies and applications. What's more, all participants engaged in the cooperation aim to develop the vehicle fleet with at least 200 autonomous cars to be deployed by the end of 2022 and expand the Wuhan-based state-level demonstration zone for ICV tests beyond the Economic & Technological development Zone to the city's core urban areas. In the meantime, local authority also struck deals for another 11 projects related to digitalization, intelligence and connectivity businesses, including an intelligent-connected innovation hub supported by Huawei. We expect to see the open roads for 5G-coverd V2X-enabled autonomous car tests at the National Intelligent Connected Vehicle (Wuhan) Testing Pilot Zone span over 100km this year, an official from the Smart Eco-City Management Office of Wuhan Economic & Technological development Zone said. He added that an autonomous driving application system will be built as well for the pilot applications and commercial operations under abundant scenarios like self-driving bus, logistics distribution, car-sharing, intelligent parking, AVP, sanitation and port good transport. MONTREALQuebec does not intend to shut down its daycare network if there is a second wave of COVID-19 in the province, health officials said Thursday. Speaking to reporters in Montreal, Families Minister Mathieu Lacombe said daycares are a less important vector of transmission of COVID-19 and the risk to keeping them open is very low. We do not intend to shut down the entire child-care network and to put in place emergency children services as we did during the first wave, Lacombe said. Quebec had its first COVID-19 outbreak at a daycare in May, when 12 children and four employees at a centre in Mascouche, in the Laurentians region just north of Montreal, tested positive for the disease. The potential spread of COVID-19 in daycares and in schools has been a major source of concern for parents and educators across the province, which has reported 62,056 total COVID-19 cases and 5,750 deaths since the pandemic began. But Lacombe said the overall number of COVID-19 cases in daycares has been marginal. He said 123 COVID-19 cases have been reported across thousands of Quebec daycares since March, 57 of which involved children. Even in Montreal, where there was a situation (that was) maybe worse than elsewhere in Quebec, we didnt have a lot of cases, Lacombe said. Public health officials said Thursday that individual daycares could be closed should they report an outbreak of COVID-19, however. Once you have a second case in a daycare thats linked with the first one, thats what we call an outbreak, Dr. Richard Masse, an adviser to Quebecs public health agency, told reporters. Meanwhile, Quebec reported 111 new cases of COVID-19 and three additional deaths attributed to the novel coronavirus. Health authorities said Thursday that one death occurred in the past 24 hours while two others occurred before Aug. 20. Authorities also said hospitalizations increased by five since Wednesday, for a total of 115. Of those, 15 patients were in intensive care, an increase of three from the previous day. The province said it carried out 16,020 COVID-19 tests on Tuesday, the last day for which testing data is available. Read more about: When he thought back to the late-December morning when Berrotaran was entombed in hail, it was the memory of fog that brought Matias Lenardon the greatest dread. He remembered that it had drifted into the scattered farming settlement in north-central Argentina sometime after dawn. Soon it had grown thicker than almost any fog the young farmer had seen before. As forecaster, Lenardons chief concern was identifying weather patterns that might breed a thunderstorm, which on the pampas are notoriously swift and violent. This particular storm descended quickly. It engulfed the western side of Berrotaran, where winds began gusting at over 80 mph. Soon, hail poured down, caving in the roof of a machine shop and shattering windshields. In 20 minutes, so much ice had begun to accumulate that it stood in the street in mounds, like snowdrifts. As the hail and rain continued to intensify, they gradually mixed into a thick white slurry, encasing cars, icing over fields and freezing the towns main canal. With the drainage ditches filled in and frozen, parts of the town flooded, transforming the dirt roads into surging muddy rivers. Residents watched as their homes filled with icy water. Lenardon and I met in early December 2018, at the height of summer storm season, in the resort town of Villa Carlos Paz, about a two-hour drive north of Berrotaran. We were seated together in a hotel suite, where Lenardon was spending the day meeting with a group of government and university scientists who are funded by the National Science Foundation, Nasa and the Department of Energy. The group was in the midst of a two-month field campaign chasing the storms of the Sierras de Cordoba, and asked for Lenardon to join them. The invitation had come specifically from the studys leader, a 43-year-old severe-weather expert named Steve Nesbitt, who after learning of Lenardons story had driven several hours to meet him. A veteran of storm-chasing campaigns in Nepal, India and the Pacific, Nesbitt had developed a habit over the years of enlisting local sources. He found their stories often contained information that satellites missed or couldnt perceive how the contour of the land influenced clouds, how a storm might suddenly change directions in open country. In the case of the sierras, Nesbitt also knew that stories like Lenardons represented some of the only existing in-situ data on the storms. Few, if any, scientists had ever observed them up close. Nesbitt, who is a professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, had dedicated much of the last 15 years to studying the freakish storms of this sleepy agricultural region. He first became fascinated by them in the early 2000s, when a Nasa satellite tentatively identified them as the largest and most violent on Earth. Nesbitt had travelled to Cordoba Province because he felt the weather patterns might offer clues into the enduring riddle of why certain storms grew unexpectedly into cataclysms. He believed that if he could chance a closer look inside one of the superstorms mapping its internal wind structure and the conditions that gave it life he might be able to produce a blueprint for predicting others like it, in Argentina and worldwide. Climate-change models are predicting all this bad weather, Nesbitt said. But no one knows exactly what that weather will look like. Every storm is composed of the same fundamental DNA in this case, moisture, unstable air and something to ignite the two skyward, often heat. When the earth warms in the spring and summer months, hot wet air rushes upward in columns, where it collides with cool dry air, forming volatile cumulus clouds that can begin to swell against the top of the troposphere, at times carrying as much as a million tons of water. If one of these budding cells manages to punch through the tropopause, as the boundary between the troposphere and stratosphere is called, the storm mushrooms, feeding on the energy-rich air of the upper atmosphere. As it continues to grow, inhaling up more moisture and breathing it back down as rain and hail, this vast vertical lung can sprout into a self-sustaining system that takes on many different forms. Predicting exactly what form this DNA will arrange itself into, however, turns out to be a puzzle on par with biological diversity. Composed of millions of micro air currents, electrical pulses and unfathomably complex networks of ice crystals, every storm is a singular creature, growing and behaving differently based on its geography and climate. With so many variables at play, it became apparent to modern meteorologists that predicting storms required sampling as many as possible. The perfect repository, as it turned out, existed in the Great Plains, where many of the worlds most dangerous storms are born. In every storm there are fingerprints you can see of changing processes, Nesbitt said, and if he could find them, he could begin assessing how the storms are transforming in a warmer climate. Chasing Twisters On the morning of December 12, the study forecasters reported that the two systems, along with another pocket of dry air moving north from Patagonia, seemed poised to converge over Cordoba sometime in the next few days. By the evening, values of CAPE and humidity started to spike in ominous ways. With many of the scientists getting ready to head home, the coming storm would in all likelihood be the studys last big chase. That evening, as many retired for the long day ahead, a few drank wine and watched Twister. In the hours after the storm passed, Nesbitt, Wurman and the others tried to figure out what they had seen. By the time the last trucks pulled in, around 5:30am, the storm had raged unabated for more than six hours. At its peak, it stretched from the Andes to the Atlantic. Parts of it, now already drifting into Brazil, were so powerful theyd briefly become self-sustaining, the clouds feeding on their own heat and moisture a destructive phenomenon meteorologists call back-building. In the hotel, the mood among the meteorologists, many of whom were in their 24th hour of monitoring, was delirious. Unable to return to their flooded rooms, a few retired to the hotel restaurant, where distant lightning fields stood visible out the windows. One event in particular drew the meteorologists attention. For most of the evening, scans had shown a staggered line of storms marching steadily northward. Then, around 11:15 or so, something strange flashed on the satellite feed: a single, bulbous mass, which appeared suddenly, covering much of the image field. This whole huge line just popped up, said Kristen Rasmussen, one of the principal investigators of Relampago and an assistant professor at Colorado State University. It could tell us a lot, she said. It was exactly what we were hoping for. To elaborate, Nesbitt explained that as a storm travels along hot, saturated ground, its base tends to spread out and flatten, sucking up all available energy. The more it draws in, the faster and stronger the vacuum becomes, forming a narrow shaft of rushing air at the center of the storm, or updraft. An updraft, as Nesbitt went on, is essentially the storms piston, drawing heat and moisture in like gas into a crankshaft, before firing it upward, fueling the storms growth and movement. From what the team could gather, each of the storms had generated such large, powerful updrafts that theyd eventually merged together and begun to spawn other, smaller updrafts, creating whats called a mesoscale convective system in short, a giant, organized complex of perhaps 50 or more updrafts, which becomes self-sustaining as it germinates more and more offspring. When Nesbitt and the others began combing through the scans and data, they found that several of the other storms theyd observed in Argentina had formed similarly strong updrafts many of them as much as 60% larger than those in North American storms. One had reached over 69,000 feet, among the tallest ever documented. Others covered more than 15 square miles a massive plume of air surging upward at more than 150 mph. This finding seemed to suggest that something in the atmosphere was supercharging updrafts wrenching heat and moisture off the ground so violently that it spun into unusually broad and towering pillars of air. To Nesbitt, the obvious culprit, at least in theory, was the heat and moisture itself the storms fuel. As the atmosphere has continued to warm, lofting ever more moisture into the air, it has also begun to expand, increasing the airs capacity to absorb ever greater volumes of moisture, not unlike a gas tank that grows in size as you pump more gas into it. And because water produces heat as it condenses at altitude, the added moisture accelerates the process further. Based on the studys local weather stations one of which was erected on the farmer Lenardons land Nesbitt knew that the atmosphere in the province was already demonstrating signs of this cycle, including spikes in evaporative moisture. But as he pointed out, moisture and heat are merely values of potential energy. They tell us that the sky, like our drying forests, is rapidly becoming an ocean of fuel, but they dont tell us where and when it might ignite much less what, exactly, might spark it. Finding answers to those questions, as Nesbitt saw it, required mapping updrafts in much more intricate detail. For years, the most prevalent models used to forecast global weather patterns, he explained, had relied on relatively simple mathematic calculations or parameterizations to predict where and when a storm might form. Programmed to predict some of the largest and most damaging effects of a storm, such as wind and rain, the parameters often failed to render the full complexity of a storms development, including the formation of its updraft, resulting in a loss of overall accuracy. Now were having to go back, said Nesbitt, and try to add some additional realism to the calculations, so they can represent the full stages of a storms life cycle. One day shortly before the end of the study, the meteorologists took me into the foothills of Villa Carlos Paz to visit a woman named Maria Natividad Garay, who had in her possession what may be one of the largest hailstones ever recovered. Her residence, which lay wedged between an apartment complex and repair shop, included a modest ranch home as well as several apartments and guesthouses, a few of which were rented to Argentine meteorologists affiliated with the study. When we arrived, Garay was sitting out back in a chair, her door left slightly ajar to the cooling breeze. Garay is a carefully spoken woman in her mid-50s, with short brown hair and the mild, composed smile of someone long conversant with the punctuated boredom of life on the plains. Asked about the storm that produced the hail, she called up the precise date February 8, 2018 and told me that the storm had lasted exactly 15 minutes; it was etched in her mind. She had lived in the area for nearly 30 years now, she explained, and though the region was known for storms, that was merely a thing people knew. You have to experience it firsthand, she said. She pointed out several long scars on the building next door, places where whole columns of bricks had been peeled away. That was the first thing I saw, she said; hail was hitting the wall sideways. The next instant, her skylights shattered, ice pouring into the house. The noise was incredible, she said, like a train coming through your yard thin and distant at first, then roaring overtop of you. After the deluge stopped, she peered outside to find the yard blanketed in what looked like shards of milky glass. It didnt rain at all until the hail stopped, she said, still surprised by the observation a year later. The meteorologists guessed this was why the stone had been so remarkably well preserved. She held it before us. It was spherical and nearly the size of a grapefruit. Shed kept it wrapped in a Ziploc bag at the rear of her freezer. She couldnt say why, exactly, only that it had struck her as an object worthy of preservation. Its frightening size and appearance, buried there in her yard it seemed of unearthly provenance. She leaned in and showed us the many thousands of crystals spidering through the stone, some of which were already beginning to fracture and melt in her hand. But then again, she continued, it was just air and water. It was, in other words, composed of the same things we breathe. The husband of a woman killed after an elderly driver crashed through a Georgia emergency room has sued the hospital for not having protective barriers installed near the entrance. Fredrick Hill has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Piedmont Atlanta Hospital after Kimberly Hill, 55, was tragically killed on June 30. 'I want answers,' Fredrick told WSB-TV this week. 'If Piedmont had better safety stuff around it my wife would still be here.' Fredrick Hill (right), pictured with Kimberly Hill (left), has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Piedmont Atlanta Hospital Fredrick Hill (pictured): 'If Piedmont had better safety stuff around it my wife would still be here' Kimberly and her siblings had arrived to the hospital that day in a red SUV to drop their mother off outside the emergency room entrance. Surveillance footage shows the family being assisted by hospital staff when a silver Mercedes-Benz SUV suddenly plows into the Hills' car Mary Clayton, 75, had driven herself to the Buckhead-based hospital when she lost control of her Mercedes-Benz, hit the Hills' vehicle and dangerously accelerated into the emergency room lobby. Kimberly died from the incident and four others were injured. According to Fredrick and his attorneys, Kimberly would still be alive had the hospital's emergency room entrance had been fortified with bollards. Bollards are vertical concrete or steel posts installed to control traffic and prevent vehicle-ramming attacks. 'If Piedmont had those bollards there, the collision stops right there,' said attorney Darl Champion. 'Piedmont (Hospital) has a responsibility to protect from foreseeable hazards. This would have been a relatively minor collision if Piedmont had those bollards up.' The incident, which happened June 30 at Atlantas Piedmont Hospital, left a 55-year-old Kimberly Hill 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 Fredrick's attorneys have urged Piedmont Atlanta Hospital to settle the lawsuit to save their client any additional grief during this time. 'We will never be able to bring his wife back. But Piedmont must do the right thing and settle this case,' said Attorney Jackie Patterson. But the family is still struggling to come to terms with Kimberly's death. 'You know how me and my wife used to joke with each other? She likes the Falcons and I like the Seahawks,' Fredrick told WSB-TV. 'I cry every night. About to cry now but trying to hold it.' Jackie Patterson: 'We will never be able to bring his wife back. But Piedmont must do the right thing and settle this case' Pictured: Kimberly and Fredrick Hill (left to right) Fredrick said his mother-in-law had taken Kimberly's death hard since her daughter was at the hospital that day to assist her After Kimberly's (pictured) death, Fredrick admitted that he still cries every night and hopes the hospital will settle the lawsuit And Kimberly's mother was greatly affected by the death of her daughter, who was only at the hospital to assist her. 'Shes feeling some type of way because she was helping her,' said Fredrick. The lawsuit does not specify the amount of damages Fredrick has sought against the hospital, but Piedmont Atlanta Hospital said it continued to express its condolences and sympathies over the incident. In a statement to DailyMail.com, Piedmont Healthcare said: 'We would like to continue to express our 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.' In the surveillance video, 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 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 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. When Claytons car finally comes to a rest, bystanders are seen racing to administer aid to the injured. 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 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? Clayton has not yet been charged for the death and Atlanta police determined the incident was not a 'deliberate act,' 11Alive reports. 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. A grey Mercedes-Benz SUV was removed from the scene of a deadly crash at Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta in June 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? Lamberti said right now she is investigating the crash. Depending on the findings a lawsuit may be filed against the driver, Piedmont, or both. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said last week that the second phase of filling the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dams (GERD) reservoir, which would involve 18.4 billion cubic metres of water, will begin during the rainy season in August 2021. The announcement came despite the fact negotiations between Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan over a binding agreement on the filling and operation of the dam are ongoing. The irrigation ministers of all three states met on 16 August and, after failing to resolve several contentious issues, agreed to resume talks on the disputed points on 28 August. This week should have been a good opportunity for the parties to bridge their differences. And an agreement is in the interests of Ethiopia since it would legalise the filling Ethiopia has already undertaken, Abbas Sharaki, a professor of political science at Cairo University, told Al-Ahram Weekly. Without an agreement, it is difficult to see how Addis Ababa can carry on with the coming phases or begin generating electricity. Several technical and ministerial meetings have been held in recent days in the hope of reaching a consensus on outstanding disputes before 28 August. One legal and technical representative from each country was selected to form a sub-committee to compile proposals on the filling and operation of the dam with the aim of reaching a draft agreement that was scheduled to be presented to the irrigation ministers by 28 August. One diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, said it looked increasingly as if the purpose of negotiations was simply to meet rather than progress towards an agreement. Now the meetings are being held under African Union (AU) sponsorship. Last year it was the US mediating between the three countries. Lately, Russia has suggested it could play the same role. But the bottom line is Ethiopia is unwilling to accept binding rules or regulations for the filling and operation of the dam, he explained. Mohamed Nasreddin Allam, a former minister of irrigation, believes Addis Ababa is seeking full hegemony over the Blue Nile, and no restrictions on building more dams and that after years of negotiations, we are back to square one. In the meantime, despite all the talks, Ethiopia is moving on with its plans without any delay or changes. Last month Addis Ababa declared the first reservoir filling of 4.9 billion cubic metres of water complete. The announcement was widely seen as an attempt to placate Ethiopian public opinion after Addis Ababas repeated promises that the initial filling would start in July. According to the plan drawn by Ethiopia in 2011 the first phase includes operating two turbines. But neither of the turbines are installed, nor has the water reached the 18 billion cubic metres needed to operate the turbines. So, given the conditions it set itself, Addis Ababa cannot really claim the first phase is complete, says Sharaki. Ahmeds declaration angered Egypt and Sudan, that saw it as a violation of the Declaration of Principles (DoP) signed in Sudan in March 2015 which state the three countries must first agree guidelines and rules on the operating process of GERD before filling the reservoir. Earlier this month Cairo and Khartoum both sent letters to South Africa, the current chair of the AU, rejecting Ethiopias unilateral actions. During a visit by Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouli to Khartoum two weeks ago, both countries reiterated their determination to a comprehensive and binding agreement setting the rules for filling and operating the GERD. Cairo and Khartoum issued a statement that stressed the importance of avoiding any unilateral measures before reaching an agreement, and that any agreement must include effective mechanisms to settle disputes and coordinate efforts to ensure the safe operation of all facilities and water projects affected by the dam. Egyptian-Sudanese coordination on Nile water affair is not new, says Allam. We are in favour of good Egyptian relations with neighbourly Sudan. Unfortunately, the Sudanese position seems neither strong nor consistent enough to face down Ethiopa. In February, when both Egypt and Sudans ministers of foreign affairs headed to Washington to sign the agreement that had been mediated jointly by Washington and the World Bank, Ethiopia failed to show up. When Egypt initialed the agreement and Sudan deferred, some commentators argued that Khartoums signature would have increased the pressure on Ethiopia to comply. In March, Khartoum also declined to join Egypt when it appealed for an Arab League resolution demanding Ethiopia refrain from filling the reservoir in advance of an agreement, and when Egypt requested the UN Security Council intervene in May Khartoum did not support the request. The AU-sponsored tripartite talks launched last month and attended by the US and EU have already stalled twice. There was a hiatus between 27 July and 3 August after Ethiopia announced it had completed the first phase of filling the reservoir, followed by another halt when Sudan called for a suspension of meetings to allow for consultations after Addis Ababas proposed a package of non-binding guidelines for the filling. Allam argues that Ethiopia is pushing Egypt and Sudan to abandon negotiations, leaving Addis Ababa with carte blanche to take any unilateral actions it likes. Which is why, he says, now is the time to push for greater Security Council involvement. *A version of this article appears in print in the 27 August, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly. Search Keywords: Short link: This is an opinion column. History doesnt always crash through the door. It doesnt always light the sky like fireworks on the Fourth of July. Or do a Sunday morning praise dance. Sometimes history just knocks. And knocks again. Knocks until it just grabs the doorknob, twists, and saunters inside. History opened a few doors Tuesday night in Alabama and walked on through. Doors too long locked. Doors too long unanswered. Pleasant Groves doors were closed for 83 years. Closed to many of its own citizens, its Black citizens. Closed because of an at-large voting system that allowed residents to elect representatives for neighborhoods whether they lived there or not. By 2010, Blacks grew to become almost half (44.7 percent) of the Birmingham bedroom communitys population, according to that years census, most of them concentrated in a few neighborhoods. More recent estimates are Black folks represent 55% of the city of about 5,500 citizens. Oh, they could vote, of course. But their voice, consistently calling for Black representation in City Hall, was repeatedly doused by the white majority, such that no African American was elected to serve on the City Council or as mayor. There might as well have been a poll tax or jelly-bean test for Black voters in Pleasant Grove. During a town hall meeting last year, resident A. Faye Calhoun voiced what rested in the hearts of numerous Black residents. When I see a board thats comprised of nothing but Caucasians, one female with majority males, how can they represent me when they dont understand my fight? she said. They dont understand my fight. They havent walked in my shoes. Or had doors slammed in their faces. In 2018, there was a knocka federal lawsuit by the NAACP Legal Defense Fund knocked challenging at-large voting. The following year, another knock: A settlement, city officials agreeing to scrap at-large voting for its 5-member city council, replacing it with cumulative voting. Citizens could submit five votesfor a single candidate or disbursed among many. Late Tuesday evening, Yolanda Lawson, Kevin K.D. Dunn and Ray Lassiter twisted the doorknob and sauntered through. They are the first African Americans to be elected to the Pleasant Grove City Council. History actually knocked in Alabama long before it found a door in Pleasant Grove. In 1986, almost 35 years ago, an Alabama federal district judge, ruling on Dillard v Crenshaw County, found hundreds of voting districts in our state intentionally used at-large voting to stifle Black voters. Used it to double-dead-bolt the door. After being exposed, like roaches scurrying at the flip of a light switch, 183 Alabama districts stopped using at-large voting. Pleasant Grove was one of the few districts whose doors were still dead-bolt shut. With discriminatory practices. Until the city was exposed, and its leaders scurried, like roaches at the flip of a light switch. HISTORY!! This picture gives me chills!! Congratulations to Yolanda Yvette Lawson for winning a City Council seat in... Posted by Merika Coleman on Wednesday, August 26, 2020 State Representative Merika Coleman has lived in Pleasant Grove since 2011 and has represented the area since 2002. She was still giddy Wednesday, the night after history walked through the door in her city. It is exciting to finally have some diversity that reflects the diversity of the citizens who live there, she told me. Im looking forward to working with the new administration, as their legislator who actually lives in the city. History did not just invade Pleasant Grove on Tuesday evening. It walked through doors, too, in Irondale, Monroeville, and Linden. AL, where James Stewart. Charles Andrews and Gwendolyn Rogers were elected as those cities first Black mayor. In Pell City, political novice Ivi McDaniel was elected as the first Black female City Council District 2 representative, in an upset win over an eight-term, 32-year incumbent. And Wayman Newton became Tarrants first African American mayor in the citys 102-year existence. Look at history. All doors matterfireworks, praise dance or not. Especially here, in a state where so many doors were closed for so long. For too long. Where so many doors still remain closed. History will keep knocking, though. Until someone answers. Or until it grabs the doorknob, twists, and strides on through. A voice for whats right and wrong in Birmingham, Alabama (and beyond), Roys column appears in The Birmingham News and AL.com, and occasionally in the Huntsville Times, the Mobile Register. Reach him at rjohnson@al.com and follow him at twitter.com/roysj Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 05:36:40|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Video: Geng Shuang, China's deputy permanent representative to the UN, on Aug. 26, 2020 asks the international community to help Iraq fight terrorism and rebuild its economy while respecting the country's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity. (Xinhua) When lending a helping hand, it is important to first listen to the views of Iraq, respect its sovereignty, refrain from imposing solutions and interfering in Iraq's internal affairs, Geng Shuang tells the Security Council. UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Wednesday asked the international community to help Iraq fight terrorism and rebuild its economy while respecting the country's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity. As Iraq is planning to hold early elections in June 2021, the political process in Iraq is at a crucial stage. The international community should respect Iraq's ownership and leadership in all its endeavors, said Geng Shuang, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations. When lending a helping hand, it is important to first listen to the views of Iraq, respect its sovereignty, refrain from imposing solutions and interfering in Iraq's internal affairs, he told the Security Council. A man wearing a face mask makes an ice cream in Baghdad, Iraq on Aug. 19, 2020. (Xinhua) Geng asked for support for Iraq's efforts to safeguard national security and combat terrorism. "We call on the international community to continue to support Iraq in consolidating the hard-won results of counter-terrorism and addressing the issue of foreign terrorist fighters. We should also support Iraq in bringing terrorists to justice in accordance with its domestic laws, and reject double standards and politicization in counter-terrorism." The international community should help Iraq address current challenges and boost socio-economic development, said Geng. The war-torn country is now confronted with economic and fiscal hardships, exacerbated by low oil prices and the COVID-19 pandemic. The international community must intensify efforts to help Iraq carry out reconstruction, diversify its economy, create more jobs, eradicate poverty, and improve public services and livelihoods, he said. Florida school reopening is cited for adding to the increasing number of children who have tested positive for the coronavirus in just two weeks. Based on a report released by the Department of Health of Florida, there is a marked increase of nearly 9,000 cases since schools have started to reopen across the state. The increase brings the total number of children under 18 years old who have COVID-19 to 48,730 in Florida. Last August 9, the number of confirmed cases among children was at 39,735. This confirms that the nearly 9,000 increase of COVID-19 positive cases among children happened in just two weeks. Of the 48,730 children diagnosed with the disease, 17,311 are between 14 and 17 years old, while 12,946 COVID-positive children are between 5 and 10 years old. The report showed the number of children confined in hospitals due to COVID-19 also increased from 436 to 602 in just two weeks. According to Newsweek, the health department said that about 700 of the COVID-19 confirmed cases are linked to schools' reopening. And, this is in both K-12 schools and universities. Florida teachers are against schools reopening as the COVID cases in Florida have continued to surge. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Florida has the second-highest number of COVID-positive cases at 599,176. Florida's health department, however, has the number of confirmed cases at 605,502 with 10,580 deaths. Florida School Reopening Despite the increasing numbers of infection among Florida children, Florida Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran issued an emergency order last July. The order required all school districts to reopen schools for five days a week. Corcoran's order also stated that local superintendents and school boards would have the final say on whether or not to reopen schools. However, it also said that school funding would depend on schools that will reopen. The teachers were not the only ones who disagreed with the order. The parents and doctors were also against it, as stated by a CNN report. Teachers File Lawsuit The order prompted the Florida teachers to sue Corcoran and several other state officials. Last Monday, August 24, the Florida educators won their case. A Florida judge ruled in their favor and said the emergency order was not constitutional. The judge's decision blocked the emergency order to reopen schools. It also allowed the individual school districts to decide when to reopen schools. According to the judge, the local districts will be the ones to know when they should reopen. And that they will make a decision based on the advice of medical experts. However, victory was fleeting for teachers as the judge's order got suspended. This, because the state education department immediately appealed the decision. The increasing number of children getting COVID and needing hospitalization is not the only Florida school reopening concerns. CBS News reported that there is also an increase in the number of deaths among Florida children due to COVID. Check these out: US College Campuses See Rise in COVID-19 Cases as Classes Resume Abbott Laboratories' 15-Minute COVID-19 Test Receives FDA's Approval Melania Trump Redeems Self in Republican Convention Speech, Talks about COVID and Racial Issues Halima Abubakar Halima Abubakar, a Nigerian actress took to her social media account a few days ago to send a cryptic message which set the platform agog as many of her friends and followers read meanings to the message. The actress simply posted, Dont blame people who jump from one girl to another. Some times what they really want is another man. Dont hurt yourself. Dust yourself and move on. In an exclusive chat with Punch, the Kogi state born actress shared her reason for the cryptic message. She revealed that about 40 per cent of married Nigerian men are on the Down-low (bi-sexual). She said, We have over 40 per cent of down-low (bi-sexual married men) in Nigeria, whether you want to believe it or not. Sadly, their families dont even know. Instead of them putting their families through hurt, infect them with various diseases and end up killing their wives or themselves because they are scared to open up, I feel they should be truthful and realistic about their needs and put it first before anything. I know so many people who are married and they are bi-sexual. Im saying this because it is the truth and those reacting are the guilty ones. Tell me why a man will change girls at random? What exactly are they looking for if it is not a man? Nigerians dont accept the truth because half of us are hypocrites. I Halima Abubakar am telling you that a lot of people are bi-sexual. They should save the lives of future generations by coming out, if they dont want to come out, they should not get married. She continued, If they want just a child, they can afford surrogacy. You wont believe some of these people have nine children, tell me what they want nine children for only to go and end up with a man. Thats destroying somebodys life. Ive been hinting about it for a long time now so I just needed to say it like this. The mother of one debunked rumours that her statement was directed to her long time friend, Tonto Dikeh, as speculated by some blogs stating that such comments were stupid. Is she a man? The people that said that are very stupid. How can they even mention Tonto Dike? Please let them stop putting my name in things like that. She is somebody that Ive known for over 15 years why will I just make a post about her when it is not a birthday or congratulatory post. Look, I do not make enemies in my life and she is one of the people that I will never in my life say something against anywhere. People know that I am vocal, if I have a problem with you, I will ask you or call you. I am that bold, so why should I indirectly insult a friend? the thespian said. Costa Rica has adopted a less strict method of counting people infected with the new coronavirus, suddenly adding thousands of new cases to the countrys COVID-19 totals. The new nexus criteria adopted this month count people who show symptoms of the disease and who had direct contact with someone who tested positive, even if they were not tested themselves. That has added more than 3,000 cases to the countrys reported total of 36,307 COVID-19 infections as of Wednesday. There were 386 reported deaths. Those newly counted under the change are also required to quarantine at home for 14 days. Health Minister Daniel Salas himself entered quarantine on Tuesday after his father tested positive for COVID-19, though Salas hasnt reported suffering symptoms. When he announced the new policy, Salas said the change isnt due to a lack of tests: Its about practicality and finding the greatest effectiveness in what were doing with the resources that we have. It prompted some grumbling from sectors pushing for a faster reopening of the economy and some concerns that raising that increased infection numbers would deter tourists, but Juan Jose Romero, an epidemiologist at Costa Rica National University, said the change makes sense considering the contagiousness of COVID-19. Counting those highly likely to be positive without a test avoids the delay of waiting for test results and potentially keeps infectious people from continuing activities outside the home, Romero said. It also doesnt bar anyone from getting a test if their symptoms worsen and they need medical care. Argentinas government made a similar move this month and began adding the cases of people with symptoms and direct contact with a positive case to their count. The government reported a total of more than 370,000 COVID-19 infections Thursday, but does not provide a break out of test positive cases versus nexus cases. Carla Vizzotti, the national governments health access secretary, said the goal was to respond more quickly to infections. But Buenos Aires regional government announced it would not change to that protocol because it has the capacity to do the testing. Some U.S. states also track probable cases based on clinical and epidemiological information without testing. U.S. health officials came under fire Thursday for a change this week to testing guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that critics say could lead to undercounting infections. The CDC now says its not necessary to test people who have been in close contact with infected people if they dont feel sick. Previously it had recommended the opposite. Studies indicate that infected people can be highly contagious a day or two before feeling symptoms. Costa Ricas Romero rejected the suggestion that counting positives by nexus would inflate the number of infections. Many people infected with the virus never report symptoms, or only light ones, and dont seek medical care. Romero said the real number of infected people is probably three times as high as the official count. The new change goes a little way toward capturing that. By Yingzhi Yang, Kanishka Singh and Echo Wang (Reuters) - Walmart Inc said it was joining Microsoft in a bid for social media company TikTok's U.S. assets, revealing its plans hours after the video company's chief executive said he would step down. CEO Kevin Mayer, a high-profile former Disney executive, is leaving three months after joining TikTok, in the middle of negotiations to sell the Chinese-owned short-form video app's U.S. operations to Microsoft Corp or Oracle Corp. TikTok owner ByteDance aims to enter exclusive talks with a bidder in the next 24 to 48 hours and ink a deal by Sept. 15, people familiar with the matter told Reuters. ByteDance declined to comment. The sale of TikTok is happening as the company is under fire from the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump as a potential national security risk due to the vast amount of private data the app is compiling on U.S. consumers. The Trump administration has demanded that China's ByteDance, which owns TikTok globally, sell its U.S. operations. Earlier this week, TikTok also sued over an executive order effectively banning it in the United States. Retailer Walmart lauded TikTok's integration of e-commerce and advertising capabilities in other markets and said that a three-way partnership could bring that integration to the United States. The deal would help Walmart reach customers across virtual and physical sales channels and grow its online marketplace and its advertising business. Shares of Walmart rose 6%. "We are confident that a Walmart and Microsoft partnership would meet both the expectations of U.S. TikTok users while satisfying the concerns of U.S. government regulators, Walmart said in a statement. Mayer was Walt Disney Co's top streaming executive before becoming chief executive officer of TikTok and chief operating officer of parent ByteDance on June 1. ByteDance founder and CEO Zhang Yiming said in a separate letter reviewed by Reuters that the company was "moving quickly to find resolutions to the issues that we face globally, particularly in the U.S. and India". Story continues He said Mayer had joined just as the company was "entering arguably our most challenging moment." "It is never easy to come into a leadership position in a company moving as quickly as we are, and the circumstances following his arrival made it all the more complex," Zhang said. U.S., INDIA CHALLENGES Amid growing distrust between Washington and Beijing, Trump complained that TikTok was a national security threat and could share information about users with China's government. Trump issued an executive order banning U.S. transactions with TikTok on Aug. 6, effective in mid-September. He issued a separate order about a week later giving ByteDance 90 days to divest of TikTok's U.S. operations and data. ByteDance has been in talks to sell TikTok's North American, Australian and New Zealand operations which could be worth $25 billion to $30 billion, people with knowledge of the matter have said. The company has also been targeted in India, where TikTok was one of 59 Chinese apps banned by the Indian government in June following a border clash between India and China. That month, Mayer wrote to India's government saying China's government has never requested user data, nor would TikTok turn it over if asked. TechCrunch reported earlier this month that ByteDance was in talks with India's Reliance for investment in TikTok. TikTok has become a global sensation since ByteDance launched the app in 2017, with operations in countries such as France, South Korea, Indonesia, Russia and Brazil. In April, the app hit 2 billion downloads globally. LITTLE SURPRISE Mayer was scheduled to leave TikTok as part of the planned sale, as the global role he had been hired for would no longer exist, according to a person familiar with the matter. Zhang has been the key person in TikTok sale talks, said two people with knowledge of the matter. TikTok's decision to launch a $200 million "creator fund" in July was spearheaded by TikTok's former head Alex Zhu, though Mayer was also directly involved, said two of the people. The project was initiated internally much earlier than Mayer's arrival, one of the people said. "Whether TikTok reaches an agreement to sell its U.S. business or decides to duke it out in the courts, the role for Mayer will not be anything like that he had envisioned when he joined," said Mark Natkin, managing director of Marbridge Consulting in Beijing. Mayer's departure is not a great boost for company morale right now, Natkin said. (Reporting by Yingzhi Yang in Beijing, Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru and Katie Paul in San Francisco, and Echo Wang in New York; Writing by Brenda Goh, Peter Henderson and Joshua Franklin; Editing by Anil D'Silva, Christopher Cushing and Lisa Shumaker) They've been enjoying some time away from their busy schedules amid the coronavirus pandemic. But Tuppence Middleton and Kit Harington were back to the grind as they starred in a new virtual play called Burn, which they filmed during the UK lockdown. In an excerpt from the production by Popcorn Writing Award finalist Chris Thompson, the Downton Abbey star, 33, called the former Game of Thrones actor, also 33, 'boring' as they went on an unsuccessful date after meeting at an art gallery. Working hard: Tuppence Middleton (pictured) and Kit Harington were back to the grind as they starred in a new virtual play called Burn, which they filmed during the UK lockdown The video kicked off with the unimpressed pair rounding off their dinner as the handsome screen star reached out for feedback on how he acted during their outing. 'I'm sorry, this hasn't been the best date has it? Here I am with someone who went on a date with me who genuinely had a rubbish time is prepared to give me honest, unadulterated feedback, I'd be a fool to say no!', Kit said. The actress didn't hold back as she declared: 'You're boring! You don't realise it, but you are. Unfortunate: In the excerpt, the Downton Abbey star, 33, called the former Game of Thrones actor, also 33, 'boring' as they went on an unsuccessful date after meeting at an art gallery 'I'm prepared for unadulterated feedback!' The video kicked off with the pair rounding off their dinner as the handsome screen star reached out for feedback on how he acted 'I think that's what made this evening even more tedious. You think your stories are interesting when actually they weren't.' Caught off guard, the confused suitor asked: 'None of them?', to which Tuppence reassured: 'The one when someone slapped you was OK. I could identify with that one." The thespian also criticised their 'sweat patches' as she added: 'The international Space Station could see them. Even the waiters were commenting on them!', to which a frustrated Kit replied: 'F***!' Burn, which was due to be performed at Assembly Festival this month, follows the story of Ashley and Sam who forge a relationship and are quickly forced to tackle grief head on. Harsh: The actress didn't hold back as she declared: 'You're boring! You don't realise it, but you are' 'You didn't like any of them?' The confused suitor, who is visibly caught off guard, later asked whether she was a fan of his anecdotes, to which she replied: 'They're not interesting' Famous portrayal: The thespian rose to fame for her role as a maid who charms chauffeur-turned-estate manager Tom Branson (Allen Leech) in the Downton Abbey film Hit series: Acton native Kit is best known as Jon Snow on HBO's Game of Thrones (pictured in 2019 with Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen) Tuppence rose to fame for her role as maid Lucy Smith who charms chauffeur-turned-estate manager Tom Branson (Allen Leech) in the 2019 film adaptation of Downton Abbey, while Kit is best known as Jon Snow on HBO hit Game of Thrones. In the romance department, the brunette is believed to be single after splitting up with her long-term boyfriend Robert Fry, 40, in September 2019 following a three-year romance. Acton native Kit tied the knot to his former GoT co-star Rose Leslie in June 2018 after dating for seven years. Former couple: In the romance department, the brunette is believed to be single after splitting up with her long-term boyfriend Robert Fry, 40, in September 2019 (pictured in 2016) Advertisement Minneapolis Police have shared footage of the moment a murder suspect saw police close in on him so he pulled out a gun and committed suicide. Officers are seen approaching the man, wearing a white shirt, gray pants, a cap, and a black backpack, and a group of nearby people sitting raise their arms in surrender and run away. When he sees the officers he turns his back towards them, takes out a gun and takes his own life. Officers did not open fire, Minneapolis police spokesman John Elder said. Police removed the video from their social media Thursday and tweeted: 'Yesterday MPD posted a video in order to dispel rumors that caused significant public safety concerns for our city. After receiving feedback from the community, we have removed the video due to the graphic nature and out of respect to the individual, his family and the community.' Mayhem and looting erupted in Minneapolis late Wednesday after false rumors spread that officers had gunned down the suspect. WARNING GRAPHIC VIDEO Mayhem and looting erupted in Minneapolis late Wednesday after a suspected gunman fatally shot himself as police zeroed in to arrest him. The murder suspect pictured left in white as officers honed in on him and right after taking his own life Looters pictured shattering the glass windows of Target headquarters in Minneapolis on Wednesday evening after rumors swirled that police killed a black man who was a homicide suspect. But surveillance video footage showed the man took his own life Looters pictured grabbing merchandise inside a Saks Fifth Avenue store in downtown Minneapolice as police arrive to clear out the area Police pictured guarding a Foot Locker store that was raided on Wednesday evening An immediate curfew was declared and the National Guard was deployed to stop the shattering of shop windows and ransacking of stores Brits Pub in downtown Minneapolis is on fire. pic.twitter.com/WieEJ2qwz4 Mark Vancleave (@MDVancleave) August 27, 2020 The suspect, who has not yet been identified, and his female associate were in a parking garage where they encountered another man who they allegedly killed. A confrontation ensued where the suspect with the woman shot the man who approached them, and the couple fled. The woman was taken into custody a short time later. Hours later police located the male murder suspect and as they sought to arrest him, he pulled out a gun and shot himself in front of the Nicollet Mall area downtown around 6pm. However, false rumors emerged that the man was shot by police, sparking widespread looting in the city still reeling from the death of George Floyd in May. An immediate curfew was declared and the governor and mayor called for help from the National Guard to stop the shattering of shop windows and ransacking of stores. Police Chief Medaria Arradondo dispelled misinformation that his officers were involved in the suicide saying the death was not by the officers. 'I will not allow to add more trauma to a city thats still grieving from May 25,' he said in reference to George Floyds death. In the chaos Britt's Pub was set on fire and people broke into several stores in the downtown shopping center including a Target, Footlocker, Saks Fifth Avenue and a Nordstrom Rack. Gov. Tim Walz declared a peacetime emergency in Minneapolis and said he was mobilizing the Minnesota National Guard Police officers pictured spraying a substance to clear the area where a colleague was down at the Nicollet Mall on Wednesday evening after violence and looting broke out Minneapolis is still reeling from the police killing of George Floyd in May A view of the raided Target in downtown Minneapolis pictured above In the chaos Britt's Pub was set on fire and people broke into several stores in the downtown shopping center including a Target, Footlocker, Saks Fifth Avenue and a Nordstrom Rack Police officers pictured heavily armed as they stand guard as protesters and rioters clash with police in the unrest on Wednesday More looting in downtown Minneapolis. Theyve now breached the Saks 5th Avenue store on 6th and Nicollet and people are making out with lots of goods. pic.twitter.com/tgUIyoIMvf Courtney Godfrey (@courtneygodfrey) August 27, 2020 Tense scene here. Police macing crowd pic.twitter.com/epU4fvr6u3 Andy Mannix (@AndrewMannix) August 27, 2020 Police officers were quickly sent to quell the crowds and were seen macing crowds. An activist was seen walking through the crowd with a megaphone attempting to calm the crowd, shouting 'We have the video. The man killed himself', according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune. The unrest prompted Gov. Tim Walz to declare a peacetime emergency Wednesday night. He said the National Board and 150 Minnesota State Patrol troopers were being mobilized to assist local law enforcement. 'Minneapolis, its time to heal. We must rebuild and recover. Dangerous, unlawful behavior will not be tolerated. The State Patrol is headed to Minneapolis to help restore order. I remain in close contact with the city and every state resource stands ready to help bring peace,' Walz tweeted. Following the shooting reports of looting in the downtown business area emerged. Mayor Jacob Frey pleaded for locals to go home, imposed an immediate curfew from 10pm Wednesday to 6am Thursday and requested assistance from the National Guard Officers did not open fire, Minneapolis police spokesman John Elder said on the incident A Minneapolis police officer lies on the ground after being struck by an object in clashes with protesters Wednesday Police spokesman Elder didnt provide details but said officers were arresting looters. He said one officer was injured in the incident. Videos have emerged on social media showing people shattering windows to break into stores and running off with merchandise in their arms. Mayor Jacob Frey pleaded for locals to go home, imposed an immediate curfew from 10pm Wednesday to 6am Thursday and requested assistance from the National Guard. 'What were calling for right now is peace. This destruction and property damage just takes away from that underlying goal,' he said. If you or anyone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available 24/7 at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) Calls opposing National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) and Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) scheduled for September are growing louder by the day. Multiple leaders from Opposition parties have asked for the postponement of the JEE, NEET exams amid the pandemic. In fact, chief ministers of seven states have decided to approach the Supreme Court in order to challenge the Centre's order. Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray, Delhi Deputy CM and Education Minister Manish Sisodia, Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi have also opposed the exams. Tamil Nadu government has sought an exemption for its students while Jharkhand wants the exams to be postponed. Not only politicians, environmentalist Greta Thunberg, actor Sonu Sood also joined the growing chorus against the exams. Meanwhile, 150 academicians have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi supporting the Centre's decision to conduct the exams. They said that delaying the exams would jeopardise the future of the students. Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank said that the exams are being held because most parents and students wish so. Admit cards for JEE, NEET exams 2020 were released on Wednesday. According to the minister, 6.84 lakh students downloaded NEET admit cards in the first five hours, and 7.41 students downloaded their JEE admit cards. Also read: NEET, JEE exams 2020: Academicians write to PM Modi in support of Centre's decision WHO IS OPPOSING Congress announced that it will conduct a nationwide protest opposing the JEE and NEET exams. "Apart from the very obvious vulnerability to and risk of infection, the decision to hold the exams will undoubtedly make it increasingly difficult for students to appear for the exams due to the availability of limited transport and lodging during the pandemic. While holding exams during COVID-19 crisis has put the students in a state of extreme mental stress, the grim flood situation in states like Assam and Bihar will further put students from those states at a severe disadvantage," said AICC General Secretary KC Venugopal. Multiple state leaders have opposed the decision to conduct the NEET, JEE exams 2020. In a meeting with Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday, chief ministers of Maharashtra, West Bengal, Punjab, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Puducherry voiced their concerns and decided to oppose the NEET, JEE exams 2020. Maharashtra CM Thackeray said, "We have to decide whether we want to fear or fight the government. The people who elected the BJP at the centre also elected all of us. But if we do something it is paap and if they do anything then it is punya?" He added that while his state was gradually unlocking, schools remained shut. Delhi Education Minister Manish Sisodia, said separately, "The central government is playing with the lives of millions of students in the name JEE-NEET Exams. My request to the Center is to cancel both these exams immediately and make an alternative arrangement for admission this year. In this time of unprecedented crisis, an unprecedented step will lead to a solution." Also read: NEET 2020: NTA releases admit card for aspirants despite demand to postpone exam Mamata Banerjee challenged the decision and said, "Let us go to the Supreme Court. Let us talk about this matter. This is a mental agony for students. I have not seen so many atrocities in a democracy. The situation is very serious. We have to speak up for the children." Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren said that exams must happen, but in conducting the NEET, JEE exams the Centre is hurrying. He said that Jharkhand has very few centres and all hotels and buses would be required to operate in the service of the students, increasing the chances of COVID-19 spread. Former Karnataka CM and Congress leader Siddaramaiah also opposed the move and said, "Traveling is not safe for students, accommodation is difficult, public transportation is not fully functional & yet students are expected NOT to be anxious to write exams." Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik spoke to PM Modi urging him to postpone the exams amid the coronavirus situation in the country as well as the flood situation in the state. SP leader Akhilesh Yadav also wrote an open letter and slammed the Centre for its decision. Left-affliated student wing AISA also called for a protest against the NEET, JEE exams. "Rise against exams in COVID," read its black poster. Tamil Nadu government has also opposed the move and asked the government to come up with an ordinance to allow admissions on the basis of Class 12 marks. CORONAVIRUS SAFETY PRECAUTIONS The government has released guidelines to ensure the safety of students. The National Testing Agency's (NTA) guidelines state that entry of students would be staggered and parents would not be allowed to enter after dropping the students. In case of a sudden announcement of the containment zone, students would be able to move around on the basis of their admit cards. The number of students per classroom has been reduced to 12 from 24 and the number of candidates per shift has been brought down from 1.32 lakh to 85,000. Also read: NEET 2020: Allow students to come via Vande Bharat flights to sit for exam, SC to govt Pune, Aug. 27, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global adhesives and sealants market size is projected to reach USD 66.44 billion by 2027, exhibiting a CAGR of 4.51% during the forecast period. Surging growth in building and construction activities worldwide will be a prominent growth factor for this market, states Fortune Business Insights in its report, titled Adhesives and Sealants Market Size, Share & COVID-19 Impact Analysis, By Adhesive Technology (Water-Based, Solvent-Based, Hot-Melt, Reactive), By Adhesive Application (Paper & Packaging, Building & Construction, Woodworking, Consumer/DIY, Automotive & Transportation, Leather & Footwear), By Resin (Silicone, Polyurethane, Plastisol, Emulsion, Polysulfide, Butyl), By Sealant Application, and Regional Forecast, 2020-2027. A collaborative study released by Oxford Economics and Global Construction Perspectives predicts that by 2030, global volume of construction output will skyrocket by 85% and reach USD 15.5 trillion in value. The main countries contributing to this prolific rise will be China, US, and India, according to the study. Adhesives and sealants are some of the most essential materials in the construction industry as they are the agents that bind dissimilar components, playing a key role in giving different parts of a building the desired shape. More importantly, these materials are critical in maintaining the structural strength of any building and thus, escalating demand for infrastructures, especially in developing nations, is likely to propel the growth of this market in the coming years. Get Sample PDF Brochure with Impact of COVID-19: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/request-sample-pdf/adhesives-and-sealants-market-101715 As per the report, the global market value stood at USD 47.28 billion in 2019. The other highlights of the report include: Precise projections of upcoming investment opportunities; In-depth examination of the factors driving and constraining the market growth; Actionable insights into the individual market segments; Detailed profiling and study of key market players and their growth strategies; and Thorough analysis of the regional dynamics influencing the market. Market Restraint Sizeable Dip in Revenue Earnings of Key Players amid COVID-19 to Hit Growth The momentum gained by the adhesives and sealants market growth in the past year is likely to hit a major roadblock as the coronavirus pandemic has led to a sharp drop in the revenues of key market players. For example, in July 2020, the US-based conglomerate 3M reported a 12% fall in revenue in the current quarter, with net sales sliding to USD 7.2 billion from USD 8.2 billion owing to the economic downturn caused by COVID-19. In Europe, BASF, the German chemicals leader, suffered heavy losses in the second quarter, driven primarily by shrinking demand from the auto sector. Revenue shortfalls will inevitably lead to lower investments, which in turn will have negative implications for the demand for adhesives and sealants. Furthermore, lockdowns and social distancing measures have forced companies to limit the number of workers working in factories and plants, thus contracting production activities in the process. Regional Insights Promising Economic Growth in Asia Pacific to Accelerate Market Expansion Economic growth and development in Asia Pacific, mainly witnessed in India and China, has been reflected in commensurate growth in core sectors such as building & construction, energy & power, and manufacturing. Moreover, rising investments in industries have further boosted the demand for bonding materials in the region. Together, these factors are ensuring that Asia Pacific, where the market size stood at USD 21.03 billion in 2019, dominates the adhesives and sealants market share during the forecast period. In North America, the market is anticipated to grow at an unvarying pace owing to increasing demand in the region for flexible packaging. In Europe, on the other hand, presence of well-established chemicals industry and growing demand for green adhesives will brighten market prospects in the near future. Inquire Before Purchasing this Premium Research Report: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/queries/adhesives-and-sealants-market-101715 Competitive Landscape Strategic Operational Expansion by Key Players to Heat up Competition In a bid to penetrate and establish presence in unexplored territories, key players in this market are making strategic investments to expand their operations on foreign shores. In addition to this, companies are also acquiring other entities that are specializing in adhesives & sealants to further cement their position in the market. Industry Developments: January 2020: BASF announced plans to increase production of its leading antioxidant offering, Irganox 1520L, by 20% at its site in northern Italy. The product is a highly effective thermo-stabilizer, utilized in a vast array of solutions including adhesives, sealants, lubricants, oils, and polymers. BASF announced plans to increase production of its leading antioxidant offering, Irganox 1520L, by 20% at its site in northern Italy. The product is a highly effective thermo-stabilizer, utilized in a vast array of solutions including adhesives, sealants, lubricants, oils, and polymers. September 2019: Sika AG, a specialty chemical company based in Switzerland, inked an agreement to acquire the Chinese sealants and adhesives manufacturer, Crevo-Hengxin. This takeover will allow Sika to gain entry into the Chinese and Asia Pacific market and also enable the company to strengthen its portfolio of silicone sealants. List of Key Players Covered in the Adhesives & Sealants Market Report are: 3M (United States) Arkema S.A. (France) Ashland Inc. (United States) Avery Dennison (United States) BASF SE (Germany) H.B. Fuller Company (United States) PPG Industries (United States) RPM International Inc. (United States) Sika AG (Switzerland) Other Players Browse Detailed Research Insights with Table of Content: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/industry-reports/adhesives-and-sealants-market-101715 Detailed Table of Content: Introduction Research Scope Market Segmentation Research Methodology Definitions and Assumptions Executive Summary Market Dynamics Market Drivers Market Restraints Market Opportunities Key Insights Key Industry Trends Overview of Global Adhesives & Sealants Production Impact of COVID-19 on Global Adhesives & Sealants Market Supply Chain Challenges Steps taken by Government/Companies to overcome this impact Potential opportunities due to COVID-19 outbreak and Future outlook Global Adhesives and Sealants Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast, 2016-2027 Key Findings / Summary Adhesive Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By Technology Water-based Solvent-based Hot-melt Reactive Others Adhesive Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By Application Paper & Packaging Building & Construction Woodworking Consumer/DIY Automotive & Transportation Leather & Footwear Others Sealants Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By Resin Silicone Polyurethane Plastisol Emulsion Polysulfide Butyl Others Sealants Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By Application Building & Construction Automotive & Transportation Consumer Others Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast By Region North America Europe Asia pacific Latin America Middle East & Africa TOC Continued!!! Order a Complete Research Report with your Special Requirement: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/checkout-page/101715 Have a Look at Related Research Insights: Fibrin Sealants Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Type (Liquid, and Patches) By Application (Orthopedic Surgery, Cardiovascular surgery, General Surgery, Transplant Surgery, and Others) By End User (Hospitals, Specialty Clinics, and Others) and Regional Forecast, 2019-2026 Building & Construction Sealants Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Material Type (Latex acrylics, Butyl Sealants, Polysulfides, Polyurethane, Silyl Modified Polymers, Silicones, Others), By Sealant Types (One-Component Sealants, Two-Component Sealants, Sealant Tapes), By Application (Flooring, Sanitary & Kitchen, Glazing, Acoustics (limit sound transmission), Roofing (Waterproofing & gap filling), Others) Others and Regional Forecast, 2019-20 BioAdhesives Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Source (Plant Based, Animal Based), By Application (Paper & packaging, Personal Care, Construction, Woodworking, Medical, Others) and Regional Forecast, 2019-2026 Curing Adhesives Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Resin (Epoxy, Polyurethane, Acrylate, Silicone, Others), By Product (UV Curing Adhesives, Moisture Curing Adhesives, Thermal Curing Adhesives, Others), By Application (Automotive, Construction, Electrical & Electronics, Others) and Regional Forecast, 2019-2026 Powder Adhesives Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Type (Soluble Powder Adhesive, Hot melt Powder Adhesive, Others), By Application (Stones, Wall Tiles, Ceramics, Floor, Others) and Regional Forecast 2020-2027 Aviation Adhesives and Sealants Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Cure Type (One-part, Two-part, Anaerobic, Heat-cure, UV-cure), By Resin (Silicone, Polyurethane, Epoxy, Acrylic), By Application (Aerospace & Defense Electronics, Structural, Interior), By End-Use Industry (Commercial Aviation, Defense Aviation, General Aviation & Others) and Regional Forecast, 2020-2027 About Us: Fortune Business Insights offers expert corporate analysis and accurate data, helping organizations of all sizes make timely decisions. 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Ltd. 308, Supreme Headquarters, Survey No. 36, Baner, Pune-Bangalore Highway, Pune - 411045, Maharashtra, India. Phone: US: +1 424 253 0390 UK: +44 2071 939123 APAC: +91 744 740 1245 Email: sales@fortunebusinessinsights.com Fortune Business Insights Linkedin | Twitter | Blogs Read Press Release: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/press-release/adhesives-and-sealants-market-9579 Sri Lanka's Foreign Secretary Jayanath Colombage has said that will always have an India-first approach as far as strategic security is concerned. In an interview with Daily Mirror, Colombage also said will not do anything harmful to India's strategic security interests. "China is the second-largest economy in the world and is considered the sixth-largest. In 2018, was the world's fastest-growing economy. That means we are between two economic giants. How we benefit from both is diplomacy or art. That is why the President mentioned that as far as strategic security is concerned, will always have an India-first approach," he said. "That means Sri Lanka will not do anything harmful to India's strategic security interests. As far as economic development is concerned, we cannot depend on one country. We are open to anyone. We know China is one country willing to invest and develop. They have the capacity to do it. We have to benefit from it. We have to balance," he added. Referring to the agreement to jointly develop the East Container Terminal at the Colombo Port, he said an MoU was signed between India, Sri Lanka and Japan. He said the President is committed to honouring it. "The only thing is that there is opposition to it from port workers. The president, the chairman of Sri Lanka Ports Authority and other stakeholders are studying it thoroughly. They will find a solution. has a solid argument on this," he said. He said that 38-40 per cent of trans shipment containers handled by Sri Lanka arrive from India. "About 70 per cent of businesses we handle are from India. Colombo port is the second biggest port for Indian containers after Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust in Mumbai," he said. He also said that as per the new guidance from President, no asset "is given with total control to any country". "It means at least 51 per cent of the stake will always remain with the GoSL, and the balance can be divided," Colombage said. "In 2015, India feared that we had moved towards China too much. Probably, India wanted that regime to be changed. India was happy that the regime was changed. What happened afterwards made India happy. We actually made India jittery during the period between 2015 and 2019. But India is comfortable with President Gotabaya Rajapaksa," 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.) On Demand We have a new story every day on the front page of thephuketnews.com. Also like us on our Facebook page (facebook.com/thephuketnews) and be the first to watch all the new stories. Finally you can watch any segment, any time by going to thephuketnews.com/tv where all the stories are listed for you to enjoy. All our programs can be enjoyed in High Definition when watching on the internet. In-Room VDO Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, who was among the 'group of 23' that wrote to Sonia Gandhi seeking urgent organisational overhaul, said on Thursday that it is the duty of all to work together in the interest of the party once the party chief has stated that the matter is 'behind us'. Tharoor had so far maintained a silence since the letter appeared in the media and was heatedly debated at the Monday meeting of the Congress Working Committee, which urged Sonia Gandhi to continue as party president and bring about organisational changes. 'I've been silent for 4 days on recent events in @INCIndia because once the Congress President says the issue is behind us, it is the duty of all of us to work together constructively in the interests of the Party,' Tharoor tweeted. 'I urge all my colleagues to uphold this principle & end the debate,' he said. However, a resolution has been passed since then against one of the 23 signatories to the letter, Jitin Prasada, by a district unit of the party in Uttar Pradesh, while changes announced by Congress for its various positions in parliamentary party units are being seen as having ignored the seniority of several letter writers. This has also prompted many political watchers to warn of some imminent rebellion within the ranks and files of the party. The party's Lakhimpur Kheri, in its resolution against Prasada, accused him of 'gross indiscipline'. Meanwhile, one of the senior most leaders in the 'group of 23', said they wrote the letter to the party chief because they felt that a 'third person' coming in as an interim president in absence of a full-time and permanent president would harm the prospects of the Congress party. "No third interim president would have the authority to implement things; and the names doing the rounds as the interim President would have been a disaster," he told a TV channel, referring to Rahul Gandhi having first resigned as a president last year and then Sonia Gandhi having been appointed as an interim chief in August last year. "This letter was written to strengthen the party keeping in view our inner-party democracy," India TV quoted Azad as having said in the interview. There should be some programme to galvanise the party if 'we have to fight out the present BJP government', Azad said. After the seven-hour meeting of the party's top decision-making body, the CWC on Monday made it clear that no one will be permitted to undermine or weaken the party and its leadership. The CWC resolution stated that inner-party be raised only within the party and not in media or public fora 'in the interest of propriety and discipline'. Some senior Congress leaders, including Sibal, Wasnik, Shashi Tharoor and Manish Tewari, had met at Azad's house in the national capital on Monday evening itself, soon after the CWC debated their letter. Sources said the 'group of 23' might meet again soon to devise their next course of action and they are expecting a lot more leaders to join them for safeguarding the party's interests and future prospects. Having a 'full time, active and visible' leadership, devolution of powers to state units and revamping the CWC in line with the party constitution are some of the key suggestions made by the 23 senior Congress leaders in the letter to Sonia Gandhi to revive the organisation. The webpage of a database system on crimes against the minors, launched in North China's Shanxi Province, provides a channel for employers to investigate the background information of candidates before hiring them. [Chinanews.com/Liu Xiaohong] An official database management and query system on crimes against minors, developed by the People's Procuratorate of Xiaoyi City in North China's Shanxi Province, was recently launched according to the People's Procuratorate of Shanxi Province. The system, the first of its kind in the province, is aimed at organizations or industries that have close contact with the minors, allowing them to conduct a pre-employment audit when hiring employees. The system is another example of a targeted and user-friendly software program developed by organizations and institutions at the grassroots level, following those in Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chongqing. The system has four databases that cover crime, intentional crime excluding sexual crimes, negligence, and serious illegalities. They allow employers to lower employment risk levels by assessing whether a candidate should be engaged in a position that has close contact with the minors. To date, nearly 2,000 pieces of information have been recorded in the database, 72 types of crimes and 10 groups of people have been classified and relevant risks have been assessed. The city's people's procuratorate will continue to improve the information in the database, and to conduct inquiries and evaluations of the existing employees and candidates of all schools and industries that have close contact with minors in Xiaoyi. (Source: China Women's News/Translated and edited by Women of China) LAHORE, Pakistan, August 27, 2020 (Morning Star News) The Muslim who regained custody of a 14-year-old Christian girl he had kidnapped threatened to kill her and her family unless she gave court statements that she had married him and converted to Islam of her own free will, the girl told Morning Star News. Maira Shahbaz, who escaped from Nakash Tariq five days ago, told Morning Star News by telephone that he had raped her and filmed her naked in order to blackmail her into giving the court statements. The Lahore High Court on Aug. 4 ordered her return to Tariq after dismissing documents proving she was a minor and evidence of a fake marriage certificate because she testified that, shes 18 years old, recited the Kalma Tayyaba to prove she had embraced Islam without any duress, and married Nakash Tariq by choice. Tariq and accomplices kidnapped Maira, of Medina Town, Faisalabad, on April 28, according to family members. Nakash and two other men took me to an unknown place at gunpoint, where Nakash repeatedly raped me, Maira told Morning Star News. He also videotaped me naked and threatened that he would kill me and my family and also upload the video on social media if I told anyone what he had done to me. She said she had been forced to sign blank papers and denied that she had willfully become a Muslim. I was coerced into making those statements in the courtrooms, she said. They threatened to kill us all. When her family challenged the underage marriage, a judge had sent Maira to a womens shelter on July 28 before the Aug. 4 verdict returning her to Tariq. Maira contracted false marriage with the already married Tariq on Oct. 25, 2019. A family attorney asserted that the cleric whose name was listed on the marriage certificate denied involvement in the sham marriage. Mairas attorney, Sumera Wilson, said she had applied for police protection for the girl at the Lahore High Courts Rawalpindi Bench because Tariq posed a serious threat to her life. The judge has ordered the regional police officer to ensure Mairas security and also probe the video used to blackmail her, Wilson told Morning Star News. I have also filed a suit for cancellation of her marriage and forced conversion in the family court. Sumera said that Tariq had filed a kidnapping case in Faisalabad against Mairas mother and other relatives alleging that they had forcibly taken away his lawfully wedded wife from his home. The family is in hiding due to the case registered by Nakash, Sumera said. I was told that the accused is searching for the girl to stop her from revealing the truth, which is why we decided to appear before the Rawalpindi bench of the LHC as a security precaution. She said Maira will appear before the Regional Police Officer on Friday (Aug. 28) to record her statement. Earlier this month, while ruling on a petition filed by Tariq seeking custody of Maira, a Lahore High Court bench presided by Justice Shahid Mahmood Abbasi stated, The statement of Maria [sic] Shahbaz as well as her general appearance unambiguously show that she is a grown-up young lady who seems to have attained the age of puberty and who acknowledges Nakash Tariq as her lawfully wedded husband. The verdict acknowledged that the judge dismissed evidence her familys attorney provided that the minor could not have contracted marriage without the consent of her guardian and that the marriage certificate was fake. As far as proof of marriage is concerned, the other formalities can be ignored and simple acknowledgement of husband and wife regarding their Nikah [marriage] is sufficient to prove the same, the verdict states. In such circumstances, the mandatory requirement of presence of two witnesses can be ignored. Regarding authenticity of the marriage certificate, the verdict stated, Only the family court would be in a better position to resolve the controversy between the parties regarding genuineness or otherwise of Nikah Nama. In February the forced conversion to Islam and marriage of another 14-year-old Christian girl was validated in a court ruling in Pakistan. The High Court in Sindh Province on Feb. 3 dismissed a petition to have the marriage and forced conversion of Huma Younus overturned, ruling that both were valid since a girl under sharia (Islamic law) can marry after her first menstrual cycle. Huma, a Catholic, was taken from her home in Karachis Zia Colony on Oct. 10, 2019 while her parents were away and was forced to marry the man who abducted her. Forced Conversions Must Stop National Council of Churches in Pakistan (NCCP) President Azad Marshall said that Mairas case and similar incidents called for immediate steps to ensure that minors from minority communities are not forced into false marriages and conversions. Forced conversion and marriages of children belonging to the minority communities is a major issue facing our communities, said Marshall, who is senior most bishop of the Church of Pakistan. Pakistans senate has introduced a bill calling for seven years of prison and a fine of 100,000 rupees (US$590) for those found guilty of forced conversion. The bill also proposes 10 years in prison and a fine of 100,000 rupees for forcing someone to change religion for marriage. Marshall said enforcement would be key. Legislations are made by parliament, but unfortunately we have witnessed that their implementation is lacking, he told Morning Star News. The bill for protection of minority rights is a step in the right direction, and we hope that the government will not only ensure its approval but also make sure that the law enforcement agencies implement it in letter and spirit. Under the Protection of the Rights of Religious Minorities Bill, the state would take measures to curb forced conversion of minority communities and would also support victims. Marriage of a minor arranged after changing her/his religion would be considered coerced and be declared void. In a bid to further strengthen protections for minority communities in the 96-percent Muslim country, the draft proposes three years of prison time and a fine of 50,000 rupees (US$295) in case of hate speech or maltreatment of a member of a non-Muslim community. It also bans discriminatory chapters in textbooks. Those found guilty of discriminating against anyone on the basis of religion would be jailed for one year in addition to a fine of 25,000 rupees (US$147). The bill also protects religious symbols of non-Muslim Pakistanis, proposing a seven-year sentence and a fine of 50,000 rupees in such a case. All of these sentences would be non-bailable. The senate chairman has forwarded the bill to the relevant standing committee for consideration. Pakistan ranked fifth on Christian support organization Open Doors 2020 World Watch list of the 50 countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian, and on Nov. 28, 2018, the United States added Pakistan to its blacklist of countries that violate religious freedom. If you would like to help persecuted Christians, visit http://morningstarnews.org/resources/aid-agencies/ for a list of organizations that can orient you on how to get involved. If you or your organization would like to help enable Morning Star News to continue raising awareness of persecuted Christians worldwide with original-content reporting, please consider collaborating at https://morningstarnews.org/donate/? Article originally published by Morning Star News. Used with permission. Photo courtesy: Sameer Akhtari/Unsplash HONG KONG, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Yeahka Limited ("Yeahka" or the "Company", Stock Code: 9923), the leading payment-based technology platform in China, is pleased to announce the unaudited consolidated results for the six months ended June 30, 2020 (the "Period" or the "Reporting Period"). Mr. Luke Liu, Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of the Company, said: "In the first half of the year, the covid-19 Pandemic triggered offline merchants to jump-start their digitalization process and the demand for technology services among China's small and micro sized merchants has been increasing rapidly. Guided by our mission to 'continuously create value for merchants and consumers', we focused on the needs of millions of small and micro merchants in China, using payment services as the entry point to strengthen our technology platforms, to provide merchants with comprehensive technology-enabled business services. We continued to intensify the diversification of payment channels and rapidly expand our app-based payment services. In the first half of the year, the number of consumers connected by our payment services continued to increase. Meanwhile, we focused and promoted the development of our technology-enabled business services. The number of technology-enabled business service customers also rose rapidly as the conversion rate of payment service customers continued to improve. Driven by both the payment services and technology-enabled business services, our total net profit increased significantly compared with the same period last year." Luke Liu added, "Looking forward, we will continue to provide innovative services through continuous technology and product upgrades, and help merchants improve their efficiency and customer acquisition capabilities by further fulfilling their unmet digital needs along their entire life cycle." Financial Highlights Total revenue for the period reached RMB1,077.1 million , representing an increase of 5.1% a year-on-year ("YOY"), mainly due to an increase in revenue from technology-enabled business services. Meanwhile, the revenue contribution from technology-enabled business services rapidly increased to 17.8% from 2.9% for the same period last year, among which, marketing services revenue amounted to RMB144.3 million , representing an increase of 1,182.5% compared with the same period in 2019; merchant SaaS products revenue amounted to RMB11.7 million , representing an increase of 227.7% YOY; and fintech services revenue amounted to RMB36.0 million , representing an increase of 136.9% compared with the same period in 2019. , representing an increase of 5.1% a year-on-year ("YOY"), mainly due to an increase in revenue from technology-enabled business services. Meanwhile, the revenue contribution from technology-enabled business services rapidly increased to 17.8% from 2.9% for the same period last year, among which, marketing services revenue amounted to , representing an increase of 1,182.5% compared with the same period in 2019; merchant SaaS products revenue amounted to , representing an increase of 227.7% YOY; and fintech services revenue amounted to , representing an increase of 136.9% compared with the same period in 2019. Gross profit amounted to RMB331.0 million , representing an increase of 16.5% YOY, with gross profit margin increasing to 30.7% from 27.7% for the same period last year. , representing an increase of 16.5% YOY, with gross profit margin increasing to 30.7% from 27.7% for the same period last year. The Company recorded a net profit of RMB222.6 million , as compared with a net loss of RMB18.6 million for the same period in 2019. , as compared with a net loss of for the same period in 2019. Research and development expenses amounted to RMB55.6 million , representing an increase of 133.7% compared with the same period in 2019, mainly due to an increased number of research and development personnel and increased investments in systems, big data, product development as well as research and development in relation to artificial intelligence and machine learning. Business Highlights Despite the impact of the Pandemic, the transaction counts of app-based payment services quickly recovered in the second quarter of 2020 and increased by 32.9% as compared with the first quarter. The Company continued to intensify diversification of payment channels. The number of payment service partners in distribution channels, namely independent sales agents, sales partners, and SaaS partners, increased by 51.7% YOY to more than 9,000, among which, SaaS partners increased by 72.3% YOY to over 700. Daily peak payment transaction counts of Fushi increased to over 2.1 million, which was 17.2 times of that in the same period of 2019. The number of technology-enabled business service customers of the Company increased by 174.4% YOY to over 580,000. The Company's technology-enabled business services achieved breakthrough growth. During the Period, total impressions of the Company's precision advertising platform increased by 478.8% as compared with the second half of 2019. For merchant SaaS products, sales volume of Smart Shopkeeper increased by 107.8% compared with the same period in 2019. For fintech services, during the Period, a total of RMB213.6 million transactions were granted or facilitated, representing a decrease of 38.3% compared with the second half of 2019. During the Period, the Company's M1+ delinquency rate by vintage (over 30 days overdue) remained stable at 5.7%. Business Review One-stop payment services For the Reporting Period, as the Pandemic brought about varying extents of impacts to offline businesses, the Company's GPV decreased by 16.3% YOY to RMB634,637.1 million; and the number of active payment service customers decreased by 2.2% YOY to 4.7 million. However, as the Pandemic was contained in China and the offline consumption began to recover, the Company's GPV and the number of active payment service customers has been increasing every month since the beginning of the second quarter. Further, benefiting from the increasing number of consumers turning to local community stores for life necessities during the Pandemic, the number of consumers via the Company's payment services reached 491.9 million, representing a year-on-year increase of 115.5%. Moreover, transaction counts of the Company's app-based payment service recovered rapidly in the second quarter of 2020, increasing by 32.9% as compared with the first quarter. The Company continued to promote diversification of payment channels, for the Period, the number of payment service partners in distribution channels increased by 51.7% YOY to more than 9,000, among which, SaaS partners increased by 72.3% YOY to over 700. Through RYK Capital Partners Limited, the Company increased its capital in Fushi Technology (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd ("Fushi"), a one-stop technology platform that enables functions such as automated ordering, aggregated payment collection, delivery management, integrated billing and reporting, intelligent store management and fintech services. As of June 30, 2020, Fushi had reached more than 90,000 merchants in 16 cities across China, with daily peak payment transaction counts reaching over 2.1 million, which increased an additional 34.0% to over 2.9 million at the end of July. During the Reporting Period, with the Company's products and technology support, Fushi incorporated a membership function, which enables merchants to improve their customer loyalty and channel consumer traffic, and further to build up their own native traffic, providing a sound foundation for serving a growing number of merchants in the future. Marketing services The Company strives to create a marketing platform for precision advertising based on offline traffic. Leveraging the customer base of the Company's payment services, the Company's platform aggregates traffic from multiple scenarios and intelligently matches it with targeted users, maximizing the value of the Company's marketing services. During the Period, total impressions of the Company's precision advertising platform increased by 478.8% as compared with that of the second half of 2019. During the Reporting Period, the Company attracted a large amount of offline traffic from various QR code-based payment scenarios, including purchases from food and beverage establishments, car parks, gas stations, supermarkets and retailers, colleges and universities, as well as vending machines. This allowed the Company to accumulate a rich advertising inventory covering an extensive range of use case scenarios. In addition, in March 2020, the Company launched Yuehuiquan, a coupon aggregation and distribution platform which provides merchants with simple and easy-to-use marketing toolkits. During the Period, Yuehuiquan was successfully integrated into the Company's ecosystem and across its merchant touchpoints, including Fushi, Smart Shopkeeper, Zhibaiwei and Juhuisaosao A value-transmission network connecting traffic on the Company's platform and merchant customers was established, so as to enhance the overall technology-enabled business service portfolio of the Company. During the Period, Tuozhanbao Internet Financial Services (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. ("Tuozhanbao") - the business operations of which have been subsequently transferred to Shenzhen Letuobao Technology Co., Ltd ("Letuobao"), was acquired by the Company in 2019, contributed steady growth to the Company's marketing service revenue. Merchant SaaS products The merchant SaaS products provide various customized cloud intelligent business solutions to different industry verticals and feature multiple innovative functions including inventory management, customer relationship management, order management, and employee management. The Company has developed a wide variety of scenario-specific merchant SaaS products, including Smart Shopkeeper, an integrated restaurant management solution. As a SaaS product integrating both software and hardware, Smart Shopkeeper features a variety of business services and technologies, such as payments, SaaS, marketing, and innovative artificial intelligence. Furthermore, Smart Shopkeeper can be integrated with the Company's other marketing service products, such as Yuehuiquan, to provide one-stop solutions to merchants. As the Pandemic was largely brought under control, the food and beverage industry recovered rapidly. The Company has been taking advantage of the market opportunities and has increased the online and offline sales channels of Smart Shopkeeper. The sales volume for the period increased by 107.8% YOY. In addition, the Company has strategically invested in Zhibaiwei. By capitalizing on Zhibaiwei's business deployment in the retail sector covering maternal and infant supplies, clothing and supermarkets, the Company will integrate its various technology products and operational services with Zhibaiwei, to provide integrated cloud intelligent business solutions to small and micro merchants. The Company actively expanded the sales channels of its in-house developed product Juhuisaosao during the Reporting Period, a proprietary smart payment SaaS product that supports a wide range of integrated payment methods. The app features voice reminders for merchants when new payments arrive, thus minimizing the likelihood of missing or losing orders during rush hours. In addition, leveraging the big data capabilities of the Company's ecosystem, merchants' smart phones and WeChat Mini Program, Juhuisaosao enables merchants to gain additional insights into their business performance and facilitate their business decisions by providing functions including multi-dimensional transaction report and analysis, cash flow analysis and forecast. As of June 30, 2020, the Company has provided Juhuisaosao to over 11,000 merchant customers. Fintech services The Company has developed a variety of fintech services, including loan facilitation, entrusted loan and insurance referrals. During the Pandemic, the management of the Company has carried out more prudent risk control measures, including substantially tightening credit policies and raising lending standards to reduce the loan amount. To help small and micro merchants meet their short-term financial needs while minimizing risks, the Company used artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms to analyze and categorize their merchant databases. Leveraging other SaaS and marketing products, the Company also aimed to improve the prospects of small and micro merchants and boost their growth. During the Reporting Period, the total amount of transactions that the Company facilitated was approximately RMB213.6 million, representing a decrease of 38.3% as compared with the second half of 2019, with a weighted average tenure of 9.5 months. As of June 30, 2020, the Company stabilized delinquency rates by vintage (over 30 days overdue) at around 5.7%, which demonstrates the effectiveness of the Company's credit risk management capabilities in various economic cycles. In addition, the steady growth of Company's insurance referral services, including the fund security insurance and deferred payment insurance developed together with cooperated insurance companies, have been maintained during the Period. Outlook As a pioneer in providing diversified technology-enabled business services to offline small and micro merchants, the Company will continue to concentrate on its app-based payment services. The Company will develop a broader product portfolio, leveraging its industry leading research and development capabilities, and increasing its strategic investments to develop the Company's ecosystem. The Company will help merchants improve their efficiency and customer acquisition capabilities by further fulfilling their unmet digital needs over their entire life cycle. At the same time, the Company will meet consumers' needs through merchants, creating more value for both customers and merchants. Meanwhile, the Company will gradually optimize and increase its product functionalities and types of technology-enabled services. With the integration and interaction of different products and functions, the Company will ultimately be able to build out and enable a technology ecosystem for routing merchant data traffic. - The End - About YEAHKA LIMITED (9923.HK) YEAHKA LIMITED ("Yeahka" or the "Company") is a leading payment-based technology platform in China providing payment and technology-enabled business services to merchants and consumers. According to Oliver Wyman, we are the second largest non-bank independent QR code payment service provider in China, with approximately 14.0% market share in terms of transaction count in 2019. The Company's value proposition is a cohesive ecosystem that enables seamless, convenient and reliable payment transactions between merchants and consumers, and leveraging its vast customer base and data assets accumulated from payment services, to further offer a rich variety of technology-enabled business services, including (i) merchant SaaS products, which help customers improve their operational efficiency, (ii) marketing services, allowing customers to effectively reach their target markets, and (iii) fintech services, which cater to customers' financial needs. For investor and media inquiries, please contact: Yeahka Limited IR team E-mail: ir@yeahka.com Christensen China Limited Shirley Chan Telephone: +852 2232 3933 Email: schan@christensenir.com CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME Unaudited For the six months ended 30 June 2020 2019 RMB'000 RMB'000 Revenue 1,077,090 1,024,564 Cost of revenue (746,135) (740,560) Gross profit 330,955 284,004 Selling expenses (30,454) (34,012) Administrative expenses (94,001) (56,336) Research and development expenses (55,554) (23,770) Impairment losses on financial assets (32,845) (6,204) Other income 7,385 2,981 Other gains - net 1,894 956 Operating profit 127,380 167,619 Finance costs (4,587) (2,353) Share of losses of investments accounted for using the equity method (4,265) (6,367) Fair value changes of convertible redeemable preferred shares 125,822 (141,939) Profit before income tax 244,350 16,960 Income tax expenses (21,709) (35,608) Profit/(loss) for the period attributable to equity holders of the Company 222,641 (18,648) CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (Continued) Unaudited For the six months ended 30 June 2020 2019 RMB'000 RMB'000 Profit/(loss) for the period attributable to equity holders of the Company 222,641 (18,648) Other comprehensive loss: Items that will not subsequently reclassified to profit or loss Currency translation differences (28,784) - Items that will may be subsequently reclassified to profit or loss Currency translation differences (12,407) (3,351) (41,191) (3,351) Total comprehensive income/(losses) for the period attributable to equity holders of the Company 181,450 (21,999) Earnings/(losses) per share attributable to equity holders of the Company (expressed in RMB per share) -Basic 1.07 (0.39) -Diluted 0.33 (0.39) CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION Unaudited Audited As at 30 June 2020 As at 31 December 2019 RMB'000 RMB'000 ASSETS Non-current assets Property, plant and equipment 30,153 39,854 Intangible assets 166,362 170,676 Investments accounted for using the equity method 38,515 31,067 Prepayments and other receivables 37,393 32,279 Financial assets at fair value through profit or loss 41,726 41,046 Other non-current assets 61,732 90,450 Deferred tax assets 1,342 8,504 377,223 413,876 Current assets Other current assets 7,710 46,698 Inventories 6,524 7,282 Trade receivables 101,090 43,528 Prepayments and other receivables 1,166,507 1,159,213 Restricted cash 55,157 162,124 Cash and cash equivalents 1,963,985 441,315 3,300,973 1,860,160 Total assets 3,678,196 2,274,036 EQUITY Share capital 65 31 Reserves 3,120,276 260,345 Accumulated losses (593,231) (815,872) Equity attributable to owners of the Company 2,527,110 (555,496) Total equity 2,527,110 (555,496) LIABILITIES Non-current liabilities Other payables 35,534 56,880 Lease liabilities 9,665 17,568 Financial liabilities at fair value through profit or loss - 1,373,447 Deferred tax liabilities 4,760 6,002 49,959 1,453,897 KALAMAZOO, MI Boxed-up clothes hangers, blankets and comforters were left on the grass beside Sophia Stansberys red mini-fridge as mother Jennifer pushed a trolley of personal items into one of Western Michigan Universitys freshman dormitories, Western Heights. Its where Sophia plans to call home for the next eight months. Parents joined their students on Westerns campus Thursday, Aug. 27, for a move-in day full of uncertainty about the coming year and many new safety measures, in place as part of an effort to protect students and their families moving into WMU dormitories during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Fire accidents are routine, but every aspect of the one that occurred at the Kerala state secretariat on Tuesdaytiming, place, circumstance or explanationraises suspicion. The fire broke out in the state protocol office of the general administration department and some files were gutted. By scale, it was a minor one, but the incident has had a major political fallout, with oppositional parties taking to the streets, alleging conspiracy and foul play. An important point to note here is that the protocol office had come under the scanner in the probe into the recent gold smuggling attempt through the UAE consulate. This government section has a specific role to play in clearing diplomatic consignments. Moreover, it also coordinates and keeps records of travel and meetings of ministers and bureaucrats. The central agencies investigating the smuggling attempt had summoned the protocol officer last week and sought details and documents. Due to this, the suspicion that the fire was an attempt to destroy important files appears natural and the opposition parties are effectively using the opportunity to corner the government. The government has a lot to answer for, and its imperative that it comes clean. The explanation that no important files were destroyed and documents are anyway safe in the digital format isnt enough to satisfy the suspicious-minded. Already, questions have been raised about its role in the smuggling attempt and links with the accused. There have also been allegations of irregularities in government deals and projects with links, again, to the smuggling accused. On its part, the government has ordered an investigation by a police team. However, given the situation, any probe by an agency that takes orders from the state government cannot satisfy the rules of fairness and impartiality. The opposition is convinced that its a case of sabotage, aimed at protecting the chief minister and a minister. What is required is a thorough and reliable investigation, the outcome of which should be beyond suspicion. The state government must be prepared for that. Any attempt to cover things up will only endorse the suspicions about its culpability. A Black Lives Matter demonstrator in Kenosha, Wis., spray painted the words free Palestine on the driveway of a synagogue in the city on Wednesday night. Kenosha has seen nightly rioting since police shot Jacob Blake, an African American man, while attempting to arrest him. Rioters have burned several businesses to the ground and vandalized others, while a 17-year-old has been charged with homicide after allegedly shooting three demonstrators, killing two. Someone from the BLM crowd spray-painted Free Palestine in the driveway of the Beth Hillel Temple in Kenosha. pic.twitter.com/sJACaqZlai Julio Rosas (@Julio_Rosas11) August 27, 2020 One Black Lives Matter demonstrator broke away from a crowd to tag the driveway of Beth Hillel Temple with free Palestine, in an incident captured on video by Townhall reporter Julio Rosas. Beth Hillel is a Reform Judaism congregation comprising roughly 137 families, according to the synagogues website. We are advocates for justice for all oppressed people. We support the movement for Black lives, and we know that one person with a can of spray paint does not speak for an entire cause, Rabbi Dena Feingold said in a statement to the Jewish News Syndicate. We pray for Jacob Blake and decry the vigilante murders that took place a block from our synagogue two nights ago. Our call is for justice and peace in our community and around the world. Rosas also captured an image of a church sign tagged with the letters BLM. The sign belongs to Christ the King Church, a non-denominational congregation established in 2013. The police shooting of Blake, who had a warrant for his arrest on charges of domestic abuse and third-degree sexual assault, sparked riots in Kenosha similar to those seen in Minneapolis after the killing of George Floyd. Investigators announced Wednesday, after three nights of rioting, that Blake had admitted to having a knife in his possession when he was shot. Story continues Some Democrats fear the renewed unrest could play into President Trumps hands during the election, and affect the voting results in the swing state of Wisconsin. Theres no doubt its playing into Trumps hands, former Madison, Wisc., mayor Paul Soglin told Politico. Theres a significant number of undecided voters who are not ideological, and they can move very easily from Republican to the Democratic column and back again.They are very distraught about both the horrendous carnage created by police officers in murdering African Americans, and for the safety of their communities. More from National Review Advertisement Hurricane Laura has killed at least five people, including a 14-year-old girl, after trees fell on their homes when the Category 4 storm system smashed into Louisiana and Texas with 150mph winds. The storm has left 800,000 without power, while residents in Lake Charles, Louisiana, have been told to stay inside after a huge chemical fire erupted at a chlorine plant. Laura made landfall at 1am with the strongest winds that Louisiana has seen since 1856 and warnings that the storm could rip apart buildings and penetrate up to 200 miles inland. The hurricane's first reported fatality was a 14-year-old girl in Leesville, Louisiana, who died when a tree fell on her house, Governor John Bel Edwards revealed. Just hours later, three more fatalities were reported due to falling trees in Louisiana, including a 60-year-old man in Acadia Parish, and another man in Jackson Parish. The location of the fourth Louisana death is yet to be announced. Texas recorded its first fatality on Thursday afternoon. One person died in Sabine County after the hurricane tore through East Texas. The person died after a tree fell through their mobile home. During evacuations early Thursday morning, a bystander was shot and killed in Austin after a fight broke out among 60 people. Police said during the fight between two groups of people, a woman was struck by a bullet. Authorities said the woman was homeless and had not been involved the fight. She was taken an Austin hospital where she was pronounced dead shortly after 1am. Residents in Lake Charles have been urged to stay inside with their windows closed and air conditioners turned off after a massive chemical fire broke out at a nearby manufacturing plant. Billowing clouds of smoke could be seen near Interstate 10. Louisiana Gov Bel Edwards tweeted: 'There is a chemical fire in the Westlake/Moss Bluff/Sulphur area. Residents are advised to shelter in place until further notice and close your doors and windows.' Scroll down for video The windows of the city's 22-floor Capital One Tower were blown out shortly after Hurricane Laura damaged other buildings in the area on Thursday in Lake Charles, Louisiana Louisiana Gov Edwards tweeted Thursday morning that a massive chemical fire has broken out at a plant in Lake Charles Buildings and homes are flooded in the aftermath of Hurricane Laura on Thursday in Cameron, Louisiana A damaged travel trailer sits among flood water after Hurricane Laura passed through the area on Thursday in Holly Beach, Louisiana A damaged home is seen after Hurricane Laura passed through the area on Thursday in Lake Charles, Louisiana People walk past a destroyed building after the passing of Hurricane Laura in Lake Charles, Louisiana on Thursday People walk past a destroyed building after the passing of Hurricane Laura in Lake Charles, Louisiana on Thursday This graphic shows wind gusts from Laura which was downgraded to a tropical storm by Thursday afternoon Laura will make her way through several states before fizzling out along the East Coast on Sunday Louisiana Gov Edwards tweeted Thursday morning that a massive chemical fire has broken out at a plant in Lake Charles Edwards said: 'If you are in the Westlake/Moss Bluff/Sulphur area, shelter in place, close your windows and doors and TURN OFF YOUR AIR CONDITIONING UNITS. There is a chemical fire. Stay inside and wait for additional direction from local officials.' Video footage on Twitter showed thick black smoke billowing into the sky over the wind-torn landscape near Interstate 10, which is still closed due to the impact of the hurricane. There were fears that the cloud could contain toxic chlorine gas - which can be deadly if inhaled. But in a 1pm press conference State Fire Marshall Butch Browning said there was no detection of chlorine in the air. He said: 'What they have found is no low level detection of chlorine off site, which meant where people walk and where people gather, which is a good thing. 'The cloud, the plume, as it goes in the air and moves out there is chlorine in that obviously, but that those chemicals are falling in the lake, which is the right place for it because it dilutes the chlorine so that the offside impact, we don't believe, is endangering anyone' The Westlake police are still investigating the incident a representative said by phone, and authorities were blocking traffic on the interstate and Highway 90 in the meantime. In a statement from the Louisiana State Police, officers said that technicians are 'working a hazardous material incident involving a chlorine leak originating from the BioLab chemical manufacturing facility in Westlake'. 'Citizens should not be engaging in unnecessary travel at this time,' police said, adding that they 'are coordinating with plant managers to contain the leak'. KIK Custom Products, which owns the Biolab plant, told The Weather Channel that the fire was a result of damage sustained during Hurricane Laura. 'We are deploying a specialized team to the site, and we are working with first responders, local authorities and environmental agencies to contain and mitigate the impact of this incident as quickly as possible,' the statement reads. The owners said the plant had been shut down and evacuated before the hurricane arrived. According to Col Kevin Reeves, the superintendent of the state police, some of the plant's products began to react and decompose, which caused a fire, during the hurricane. Chlorine gas was then released into the air by the fire. 'There is a chemical fire in the Westlake/Moss Bluff/Sulphur area. Residents are advised to shelter in place until further notice and close your doors and windows,' Edwards tweeted Gov Edwards also warned nearby residents to turn off their air conditioning units until it was safe to turn them back on due to the chemical fire. The owners said the plant had been shut down and evacuated before the hurricane arrived Governor Edwards also warned residents to stay inside until the threat of the storm is completely over. 'Now is not the time to go sightseeing. The threat #Laura poses to Louisiana is far from over,' Edwards tweeted Thursday morning. 'Stay home, continue to heed warnings from local officials and monitor your local news to stay informed,' he added. On Thursday afternoon, the Beauregard Parish Sheriff's Office said in a statement they are 'experiencing very high call volume at this time and understand the dire situation the parish is currently in'. The sheriff's office is asking residents to 'limit calls to things or situations of the highest level of emergency'. 'It looks like 1,000 tornadoes went through here. It's just destruction everywhere,' said Brett Geymann, who rode out the storm with three family members in Moss Bluff, near Lake Charles. He described Laura passing over his house with the roar of a jet engine around 2am. 'There are houses that are totally gone. They were there yesterday, but now gone,' he said. Laura reached land near the small town of Cameron around 30 miles from the Texas border, where officials went door-to-door pleading with people to flee the path of the storm amid fears the entire parish will be inundated. Reginald Duhon prepares to work at his home on Thursday in Lake Charles, Louisiana, after Hurricane Laura moved through the state A street is seen strewn with debris and downed power lines after Hurricane Laura passed through Lake Charles, Louisiana, on Thursday A Lake Charles police officer helps clear the streets in the downtown area after Hurricane Laura passed through on August 27, 2020 in Lake Charles, Louisiana . The hurricane hit with powerful winds causing extensive damage to the city An escalator is seen in a building that had its windows blown in the downtown area after Hurricane Laura passed through on Thursday in Lake Charles, Louisiana A room that had its roof blown off is seen inside a hotel in Lake Charles, Louisiana, on Thursday A person stands next to a hotel that had parts of its roof blown off as Hurricane Laura passed through the area on Thursday in Lake Charles, Louisiana Earlier on Thursday, the Vermilion Parish Sheriff's Office in Louisiana warned that anyone choosing not to evacuate 'must understand that rescue efforts cannot and will not begin until after storm and surge has passed and it is safe to do so'. 'Please evacuate and if you choose to stay and we can't get to you, write your name, address, social security number and next of kin and put it a ziplock bag in your pocket. Praying that it does not come to this!' the sheriff's office said. Footage showed torrents of rain flying sideways past street lights in Lake Charles, and streets covered with water closer to the coast, while glass fell from shattered windows and parts of a casino roof were torn away. The windows of the city's 22-floor Capital One Tower were blown out, street signs were toppled and pieces of wooden fence and debris from collapsed buildings lay scattered in the flooded streets, video footage on Twitter and Snapchat showed. More than 800,000 homes and businesses were without power in Texas and Louisiana, as near-constant lightning provided the only light for some There are several cities in Louisiana still under tornado warnings and watches as of 3pm Hurricane Laura was downgraded to a tropical storm as of Thursday afternoon. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) warned that high water levels would persist along the Gulf Coast for several hours as Laura moved north and then northeast. Texas officials lifted evacuation orders at 11am but they are urging residents who evacuated to allow them more time to assess roadways and clear debris. 'There are several areas throughout our region who have no power at this time. Electrical crews need first priority. It is dangerous to drive on the roadways that have not been cleared. Downed power lines with live wires, downed trees and other random debris could cause you to get injured,' an update from Jefferson County's Office of Emergency Management reads. The city of Galveston has also lifted its evacuation order. Officials said the city 'did not sustain wind or storm damage, and water is receding in low-lying areas that experienced street flooding'. Houston also reported being spared from much of the impact of Hurricane Laura. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Pete Gaynor told Fox News that the agency would make storm damage assessments on Thursday and had the resources to respond to the storm now, adding he expected to see significant damage from wind and building damage. 'I think we're generally fortunate - less surge than we thought,' Gaynor said. Flood warnings and watches were issued for several parts of Louisiana Thursday afternoon Tornado warnings and watches have been issued for several cities as Hurricane Laura makes its way through Louisiana and passes through parts of Mississippi and Arkansas Severe weather is forecast for parts of Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi and Alabama (depicted above) Hurricane Laura is seen from the space station on Wednesday as it prepared to hit Texas and Louisiana Flood waters were seen surrounding buildings and homes in Lake Charles, Louisiana, on Thursday A portion of a building was seen submerged after Hurricane Laura tore through Lake Charles on Thursday Homes were flooded out by heavy rainfall from Hurricane Laura on Thursday near Lake Charles Buildings and homes are flooded in the aftermath of Hurricane Laura on Thursday near Lake Charles A home was almost completely submerged in flood waters in Lake Charles on Thursday The NHC on Wednesday predicted storm surge would be 'unsurvivable' and could penetrate up to 40 miles inland. While the worst projections had not materialized, damaging winds and flooding rainfall would continue spreading inland later on Thursday, the NHC said. But the storm surge wound up being measured in the range of 9 feet to 12 feet - still bad, but far from the worst forecast. Gov Edwards said since the water damage was less than anticipated, he hopes that means the homes that were damaged can be made habitable and safe much more quickly. Laura could spawn tornadoes on Thursday over Arkansas and western Mississippi, and was expected to drop 4 to 8 inches of rain across portions of that region, the NHC said. The Louisiana National Guard shared images of guardsmen working to clear roadways and assess damages from Hurricane Laura in Lake Charles. Despite the hurricane weakening, Ken Graham, the director of the National Hurricane Center, warned that Laura is expected to remain a hurricane until it nearly reaches Arkansas. 'We expect Hurricane Laura to still be a hurricane even when you get up to Shreveport, right on the Arkansas border,' Graham told CNN. White House officials said President Donald Trump will visit the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) later today to be briefed on Hurricane Laura. In a press statement, the White House said: 'As we begin to assess the damage, please continue to heed the warnings and instructions of your state and local officials as storm hazards will persist long after the storm has passed. 'Trump is committed to deploying the full resources of the Federal Government to rescue those in distress, support those in the region affected, and restore disruptions to our communities and infrastructure,' the statement reads. People walk past a destroyed building Thursday morning in Lake Charles, Louisiana. The hurricane is still moving through the state of Louisiana Debris is seen near a business on Thursday in Lake Charles, Louisiana, in the aftermath of Hurricane Laura A cat walks through debris at Chris Johnson's home on Thursday in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Johnson stayed in his home as the storm passed James Sonya surveys what is left of his uncles barber shop after Hurricane Laura tore through Lake Charles, Louisiana, on Thursday A woman walks down a street near damaged businesses in downtown Lake Charles, Louisiana,in the aftermath of Hurricane Laura Latasha Myles and Howard Anderson stand in their living room where they were sitting when the roof blew off around 2.30am as Hurricane Laura passed through Lake Charles, Louisiana Overturned trailers are seen in a field after Hurricane Laura passed through Welsh, Louisiana, on Thursday Guardsmen from the Louisiana National Guard were seen Thursday morning clearing debris after Hurricane Laura tore through Lake Charles The guardsmen are seen picking up what appears to be debris that was torn off a roof of a building in Lake Charles The guardsmen were also seen clearing debris from the Cougar Stadium in Lake Charles on Thursday More than 800,000 homes and businesses were without power in Texas and Louisiana, as near-constant lightning provided the only light for some and debris flew into windshields and an RV toppled over in torrential rain. According to poweroutage.us, more than 191,000 are without power in Texas and 615,000 in Louisiana, which represents more than 25 per cent of the state. Officials said some stragglers were pleading for help after earlier refusing to evacuate - but 'there ain't no way to get them'. In Cameron Parish, where Laura came ashore, Nungesser said 50 to 150 people refused pleas to leave and planned to endure the storm, some in elevated homes and even recreational vehicles. The result could be deadly. 'It's a very sad situation,' said Ashley Buller, assistant director of emergency preparedness. 'We did everything we could to encourage them to leave.' Drawing energy from the warm Gulf of Mexico, the system arrived in 'full beast mode' as the most powerful hurricane to strike the US so far this year and its effects are expected to be felt in Texas, Mississippi and Arkansas. With hours of violent weather ahead, officials said the extent of destruction likely wouldn't be clear until daybreak, when search and rescue missions will begin. A street is seen strewn with debris and downed power lines after Hurricane Laura passed through the area on Lake Charles, Louisiana A police car is seen next to a flooded underpass after Hurricane Laura passed through Lafayette, Louisiana, on Thursday LA 1 (pictured) remains closed this morning south of the Leon Theriot Lock in Golden Meadow. There is no estimate of time of when the roadway will be reopened Flood waters are seen in Sabine Pass, Texas, on Thursday after Hurricane Laura passed through the area A downed power line is seen stretched across a road in Sabine Pass, Texas, on Thursday Flooding caused by Hurricane Laura is seen on Thursday morning in Sabine Pass, Texas Flooding is seen in Sabine Pass, Texas, after Hurricane Laura passed through the area on Thursday morning A playground is flooded from Hurricane Laura in Lafayette, Louisiana, on Thursday Laura's 150mph winds are strongest in a Louisiana hurricane since 1856 Laura's 150mph winds are the strongest in a Louisiana hurricane since 1856 and the joint-strongest since records began. The top five in Louisiana are: 150mph - LAST ISLAND HURRICANE, 1856 150mph - HURRICANE LAURA, 2020 130mph - HURRICANE BETSY, 1965 130mph - CHENIERE CAMINANDA HURRICANE, 1893 125mph - HURRICANE KATRINA, 2005 (and others) Hurricane Katrina and several others are tied on 125mph, but Katrina was the strongest when measured by pressure. Katrina had a minimum pressure of 920 millibars (mb), compared to 938mb for Laura - with a lower minimum pressure causing a more intense hurricane. The four strongest Atlantic hurricanes by wind speed at landfall are: 185mph - LABOR DAY HURRICANE, 1935 (made landfall in Florida Keys) 185mph - HURRICANE GILBERT, 1988 (Jamaica) 185pmh - HURRICANE WILMA, 2005 - 185mph (Florida) 185mph - HURRICANE DORIAN, 2019 (Bahamas) Advertisement Hurricane Laura blew parts of the Golden Nugget Casino's roof as it tore through the city of Lake Charles on Thursday. Texas Gov Greg Abbott said major evacuations along coastal Texas ahead of Hurricane Laura 'no doubt saved lives'. At 150mph, the hurricane's winds were the strongest to make landfall in Louisiana since the Last Island Hurricane of 1856, said meteorologist Philip Klotzbach of Colorado State University. Hurricane Katrina came in at 125mph, although the 2005 storm which caused up to 1,800 deaths and $125billion of damage was worse when measured by pressure. The winds took Laura close to the threshold of a Category 5 storm, the highest on the Saffir-Simpson scale and defined as sustained winds of 157mph or more. 'This is one of the strongest storms to impact that section of coastline,' said David Roth, a forecaster with the National Weather Service (NWS). The NWS continued: 'We worry about that storm surge going so far inland there because it's basically all marshland north to Interstate 10. There is little to stop the water.' 'It felt like we were experiencing an earthquake with dozens of aftershocks,' said CNN correspondent Gary Tuchman on the ground in Lake Charles, a city of 80,000 people. 'It sounded like a combination of a Boeing 747 going down a runway and a freight train going down the track - it was so loud for hours.' There were gusts of 137mph in downtown Lake Charles and 127mph in Cameron, a WWLTV meteorologist said, with 95pmh winds in the Lacassine wildlife refuge and 73mph in Port Arthur, Texas. NBC reporter Jay Gray was nearly knocked over by the wind Thursday morning as he told Good Morning Britain viewers that 'the intensity of this early band from this storm is as strong as any that I've seen in recent memory,' before the broadcast was cut off for his safety. The storm grew nearly 87 per cent in power in just 24 hours to a size the National Hurricane Center called 'extremely dangerous', making it the powerful hurricane to strike the US so far this year. The Category 4 monster made landfall at 1am with the strongest winds that Louisiana has seen since 1856 and warnings that the storm could rip apart buildings and penetrate up to 200 miles inland. A walkway was wrecked at St Patrick Hospital (left) while windows were ripped out of the Capital One Tower (right), both in Lake Charles, Louisiana Hurricane Laura began to pummel Lake Charles, Louisiana late Wednesday, with powerful winds gusting over 70mph Louisiana's last 150mph storm: Last Island Hurricane that killed 200 Louisiana's last 150mph hurricane in 1856 was so intense that an island 'split in half'. The hurricane struck Last Island - known in French as Isles Dernieres - in August 1856, submerging the pleasure resort under five feet of water. More than 200 people died, according to research by the National Weather Service, while the island was cleared of vegetation and 'split in half' - leaving 'only one terrified cow' on the island. The storm caused a further disaster when the steamer Nautilus foundered during the hurricane, leaving only one survivor who washed ashore after clinging to a bale of cotton. Mainland Louisiana was also hit by the hurricane, with every house leveled in the city of Abbeville, crops destroyed along the Mermentau River and New Orleans hit by more than 13 inches of rain. The remnants of Last Island are now a haven for pelicans and other sea birds. Advertisement Ahead of Laura's impact, the National Weather Service had warned that some Lake Charles communities will be 'uninhabitable for weeks or months'. Laura is forecast to move across Arkansas Thursday night, and over the mid-Mississippi Valley on Friday. After that, the storm will move eastwards with threats of flash flooding in the Ohio and Tennessee Rivers and the mid-Atlantic states on Friday and Saturday. In the largest US evacuation since the pandemic began, more than half a million people were ordered Tuesday to flee from an area of the Gulf Coast along the Texas-Louisiana state line. More than 420,000 residents were told to evacuate the Texas cities of Beaumont, Galveston and Port Arthur. Another 200,000 were ordered to leave the low-lying Calcasieu and Cameron parishes in southwestern Louisiana, where forecasters said as much as 13 feet of storm surge topped by waves could submerge whole communities. Flash flood watches were issued for much of Arkansas, and forecasters said heavy rainfall could move to parts of Missouri, Tennessee and Kentucky late Friday and Saturday. Forecasters in Little Rock, Arkansas said the remnants of the hurricane could bring up to six inches of rain and flash flooding affecting homes and businesses. Strong winds are also expected to affect Mississippi until Thursday evening while the tornado warnings also cover parts of the state. Hurricane Laura also imperiled a center of the US energy industry. The government said 84 per cent of Gulf oil production and an estimated 61 per cent of natural gas production were shut down. Nearly 300 platforms were evacuated. When Hurricane Harvey struck in 2017 there were oil and chemical spills, along with heavy air pollution from petrochemical plants and refineries. Reeling from the storm: Residents of Port-au-Prince, Haiti pictured cleaning up a street reduced to rubble from the passage of Tropical Storm Laura on Tuesday A man removes mud outside of a store in Haiti that was decimated by Laura, then a tropical storm, before it upgraded to a hurricane on Tuesday While oil prices often spike before a major storm as production slows, consumers are unlikely to see big price changes because the pandemic has already decimated demand for fuel. Laura passed Cuba and Hispaniola, where it killed nearly two dozen people, including 20 in Haiti and three in the Dominican Republic. The deaths reportedly included a 10-year-old girl whose home was hit by a tree and a mother and young son crushed by a collapsing wall. The Atlantic storm season, which runs through November, could be one of the busiest ever this year, with the NHC predicting as many as 25 named storms. Laura is the 12th so far. Moment TV weather man is almost hit by bolt of electricity from damaged powerlines as he stands in floodwaters while reporting on Hurricane Laura in coastal Texas town A Texas meteorologist reporting on Hurricane Laura was live on the air just before the arrival of the monstrous Category 4 storm when a transformer attached to electrical power lines blew up, causing quite a scare. Justin Horne of San Antonio-based KSAT-TV was doing a live shot from the coastal town of Orange, Texas, near the border with Louisiana late on Wednesday before Hurricane Laura made landfall. Amid fierce wind gusts and heavy rain, Horne started reporting from a residential area when a loud explosion was heard a few feet behind him. The blast created a shiny bolt of blue light, prompting Horne to quickly move out of the way. He was not hurt. 'That's not good,' Horne said as he moved away from the power lines. 'We're gonna get out of the way of that.' Justin Horne, a meteorologist for San Antonio-based KSAT-TV, was reporting live late on Wednesday from Orange, Texas, a coastal town near the border with Louisiana just before Hurricane Laura made landfall Canon cameras can now upload photos directly to Google Photos using the image.canon app on Android and iOS. Google and Canon have collaborated to bring the feature to DSLRs for the first time. Canon cameras can now upload photos directly to Google Photos using the latest image.canon app on Android and iOS. Google and Canon havw collaborated to bring the feature to DSLRs for the first time. Canon users will also get a month of free membership to Google Photos with 100GB of cloud storage. Now you can easily upload photos captured on your Canon camera directly to Google Photos over Wi-Fi. No need to plug in your camera or take out your SD card. https://t.co/oxxs9sy1Dn pic.twitter.com/tVJWONt35Y Google Photos (@googlephotos) August 26, 2020 Using the feature, Canon users can upload their photos directly from the camera at their original resolution to the cloud. No need for a wired transfer to a PC first and then uploading to the cloud. After the free membership expires, Canon users will have to purchase a Google One membership to make the feature work. According to a blog post by Google, you will need the latest version of the image.canon app for iOS and Android and a compatible Canon camera. The list includes cameras already available in the market and compatible with the app including the latest mirrorless series. You can check out the list of compatible cameras here at this link. The primary benefit of the feature is that you can now directly upload photos taken from the camera to the cloud, ready for access anywhere in the world. This improves collaboration and saves time. Interestingly, the image.canon app already supported uploads to Google Drive and YouTube, as well Google Cloud Print. Backup to Google Photos is a new addition. To make use of the feature, you will require a Google One membership which starts at Rs 130 per month for 100 GB storage. You can cut it down to Rs 1,300 for an annual subscription, and even increase the storage limit to up to 30TB for Rs 9,750 per month. The feature also benefits both parties. For Canon users, it gives them a hassle-free way to upload and backup images directly from the camera. While for Google, it gives them a chance to make Google Photos a lot more useful, and go beyond smartphones and PCs. Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 23:33:51|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close TAIPEI, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Taiwan's economy remained sluggish in July, as indicated by the latest index gauging the business climate, which was released by the island's economic regulating department Thursday. The composite index of monitoring indicators flashed a "yellow-blue light" in July for the fifth consecutive month, though the index increased by two points from June to 21 points, suggesting that the economy maintained a tendency toward recession, the department said in a press release. Under Taiwan's five-color system to assess the economy, a blue light (9-16 points) indicates a contraction, a yellow-blue light (17-22) means sluggishness, a green light (23-31) signals stable growth, a yellow-red light (32-37) suggests a warming economy and a red light (38-45) points to an overheated economy. Out of the nine factors in the composite index for July, four changed, and five remained unchanged. The sub-index for industrial production flashed a yellow-blue light, compared with a green light in June, while the sub-index for business sentiment among manufacturers turned from blue to yellow-blue. The sub-indexes for stocks and imports of machinery and electrical equipment both changed from green to yellow-red in July. The trend-adjusted leading indicator, which is composed of seven sub-indexes to predict changes in the economy, increased by 1.23 percent to 102.39 points in July, suggesting weakening impacts from the COVID-19 epidemic on the economy, the statement said. Taiwan witnessed improvements in local consumption and exports in July but the economy may continue to struggle since the COVID-19 pandemic remains severe across the world, the statement said. Enditem The University of Alabama has recorded 531 cases of COVID-19 on campus since the fall semester began last week, according to numbers the university system released Tuesday as officials try to clamp down on student parties, bars and other gatherings that could spread the coronavirus. The university, which issued a 14-day moratorium on student gatherings last week, released the number of students, faculty and staff testing positive a day after Tuscaloosas mayor ordered bars closed. The university had earlier announced that initial results from a testing program found few students returning to campus on Aug. 19 were positive for COVID-19. Nearly 30,000 students took the entry tests, and 310 were found to be positive. But subsequent testing found hundreds more cases. However, over the past week, due to student behavior, we have seen a spike in the number of students who have sought re-testing because they became symptomatic or were exposed to a COVID-positive individual, Dr. Selwyn Vickers, dean of the University of Alabama at Birminghams School of Medicine and co-chair of the university systems Health and Safety Task Force, said in a statement. That trend prompted the decision to take further steps to reduce the chance that the COVID- 19 virus will escalate dramatically, Vickers said. On Monday, the mayor of Tuscaloosa ordered bars closed for the next two weeks after University of Alabama officials described an unacceptable rise in COVID-19 cases that could jeopardize plans to continue the semester on campus. Maddox said an unchecked spread of the virus threatens both the health care system and the local economy if students are sent home for the semester to do remote learning. The truth is that fall in Tuscaloosa is in serious jeopardy, Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox said Monday. Maddox said an unchecked spread of the virus threatens both the health care system and the local economy if students are sent home for the semester to do remote learning. The university announced the 14-day moratorium on all in-person student events outside of classroom instruction Friday. Social gatherings are prohibited both on and off campus and the common areas of dormitories and fraternity and sorority houses are closed, according to the new guidelines. Visitors are not being allowed in dormitories or sorority and fraternity houses. Auburn University has also seen an uptick in cases since students returned to campus on Aug. 17, according to numbers released by the university. The university reported that 202 students and five employees at the main Auburn campus tested positive for COVID-19 between Aug. 15 and Aug. 21. Since mid-March, there have been 545 cases among students and staff, although most of those individuals were not on campus before August because they were attending classes remotely or working remotely, according to the university site. State health officials have recently expressed optimism about a drop in COVID-19 numbers statewide, including hospitalizations, after a statewide mask order requiring face coverings in public places was issued. But there has also been concern that outbreaks could occur on college campuses after photos circulated of large crowds inside and outside off-campus bars near both Auburn and Alabama universities. What weve seen this week has been somewhat concerning, State Health Officer Scott Harris said. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics COVID-19 Education Alabama Universities They went public with their blossoming romance last week. And it seems like things are moving very fast for the couple, as Luisa Eusse revealed she was using Neil Jones' last name on Wednesday. The model, 23, took to her Instagram stories to share a boomerang of her zooming into her post, which showed her mail was being sent to 'Luisa Jones'. Moving fast: Strictly's Neil Jones' girlfriend Luisa Eusse revealed on Wednesday that she's using his SURNAME on her post... one week after going public with their romance Clearly enamoured with the Strictly Come Dancing star, 38, Luisa also shared a snap of a bouquet of flowers he had given her. Alongside the delighted snap, she wrote: 'He does not stop surprising me!' Sharing more loved-up posts with Neil, who she referred to as her 'king', another boomerang saw her lick his face and gush: 'I don't want anything if it's not with you.' Getting serious? The model, 23, took to her Instagram stories to share a boomerang of her zooming into her post, which showed her mail was being sent to 'Luisa Jones' Smitten: Sharing more loved-up posts with Neil, another boomerang saw her lick his face and gush: 'I don't want anything if it's not with you' Delighted: Clearly enamoured with the Strictly Come Dancing star, Luisa also shared a snap of a bouquet of flowers he had given her Last week, Katya Jones gave the seal of approval to her ex-husband's new relationship with Luisa by liking a loved-up Instagram picture of the pair. Professional dancer Neil shared a steamy black and white snap kissing and cuddling dancer Luisa captioned with a love heart. And Katya, 31, who is also a star on Strictly Come Dancing, wasted no time liking the sweet post, showing that she's happy he has moved on. The couple's six-year marriage ended in 2018, months after pictures emerged of Katya kissing her dance partner Seann Walsh, 34, on a night out. Smitten: While in one post, Luisa referred to Neil as her 'king' Supportive: Last week, Katya Jones gave the seal of approval to her ex-husband's new relationship with Luisa by liking a loved-up Instagram picture of the pair Mature: Professional dancer Neil shared a steamy black and white snap kissing dancer Luisa on Wednesday, with Katya then liking the picture on Friday However they remained amicable and both continued to work together on the hit BBC show. Neil went public with his relationship with Luisa, as he shared a romantic snap of them together for the first time on Wednesday. Luisa is a dancer and a model from Medellin, Colombia who reportedly met Neil when he was travelling around South America eight months ago. Romance: Neil went public with his new girlfriend on Wednesday last week as he shared a romantic snap of them together for the first time It's over: The couple's six-year marriage ended in 2018 after pictures emerged of Katya kissing her dance partner Seann Walsh, 34, on a night out (pictured together in 2019) A source told The Sun: 'Neil is smitten with Luisa and they're a very sweet couple. After they were introduced they stayed in touch but it's been hard with the lockdown restrictions. 'Since they lifted Luisa flew to London last month and has been staying at Neil's flat. 'They're taking it slowly but both are serious about this relationship and it's clear Neil is head-over-heels.' Moving on fast: However it was revealed on Friday that Luisa reportedly left her partner DJ Hannah Wants for the Strictly star only three weeks ago However it was revealed on Friday that Luisa reportedly left her partner DJ Hannah Wants for the Strictly star only three weeks ago. According to The Sun, Luisa arrived in London a month ago to be with Hannah but was secretly meeting up with Neil. In pictures dated on July 24, the former couple went sight-seeing and shared identical snaps looking out at London Bridge on their respective social media pages. Neil made the revelation that he was in a new relationship during an Instagram Q&A session when a fan asked him if he was still single. When the follower quizzed him on whether he was single following their separation, Neil simply answered saying 'nope'. Neil also mentioned that he was feeling the 'best he had in years', when another fan asked him how he was doing on Saturday. Luisa also recently shared a steamy photo of herself in the bath where she appeared to have been gifted with a large bouquet of red roses Loved-up: A source said: 'Neil is smitten with Luisa and theyre a very sweet couple. After they were introduced they stayed in touch' Although Neil may have embarked on a new romance, he recently admitted that he was in 'no rush' to begin divorce proceedings with Katya. Talking about their break-up for the first time, the Strictly professional dancer also discussed the Seann Walsh cheating scandal. Neil's marriage hit the headlines in October 2018 when Katya was caught kissing comedian Seann but insists the betrayal had 'nothing to do' with the demise of their relationship. Neil told The Sun: 'We're still not divorced. It's a thing we're trying to sort out but we haven't started the process yet. Sultry: Luisa recently shared a steamy photo of herself in the bath where she appeared to have been gifted with a large bouquet of red roses 'A lot of the places are not working because of the coronavirus. Everything is on hold. But we're not in any rush.' Explaining their decision to split, Neil admitted that they had 'found that they'd grown apart' before acknowledging they were 'lucky' to not have kids. The dancer insisted: 'It had nothing to do with what happened [with Seann].' For the first time since their split, Neil touched on the Seann Walsh kiss scandal which pushed his marriage to Katya into the limelight. Still married: Although Neil may have embarked on a new romance, he recently admitted that he was in 'no rush' to begin divorce proceedings with his wife Katya (pictured in May 2019) Nope! Neil made the revelation that he was dating someone new during an Instagram Q&A session when a fan asked him if he was still single He said: 'For me it's something that happened in the past. We spoke about everything back then,' before confirming that he and his ex are still friends. Seann and Katya faced a huge backlash after pictures surfaced of the pair locking lips on their booze-fuelled night out nearly two years ago. At the time, the comedian was dating Rebecca Humphries and she was still happily married to now-estranged husband Neil. He said: 'For me it's something that happened in the past. We spoke about everything back then,' before confirming that he and his ex are still friends. Australia's clean energy fund is being primed to pump up the Morrison government's plans for a gas-led economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, with proposed rule changes to fuel investment in gas power plants and infrastructure. Energy and Emissions Reduction Minister Angus Taylor introduced a bill to Parliament on Thursday that would change laws that bar the Clean Energy Finance Corp from investing in conventional fossil fuels and remove a rule that prevents it from investing in loss-making projects. Energy and Emissions Reduction Minister Angus Taylor: "If we want job creation coming out of COVID-19, we need affordable, reliable energy, we need affordable reliable gas." Credit:Alex Ellinghausen The proposed changes will apply to the CEFC's $1 billion Grid Reliability Fund, making it responsible for an underwriting scheme to encourage private companies to build new power supply. Mr Taylor told Parliament the bill would "not divert the CEFC's existing $10 billion allocation" but would create a "trusted counter-party to investments, allowing the CEFC to support private sector involvement" in energy generation. The National Peoples Party (NPP) on Wednesday expelled Thangminlien Kipgen a day after he was re-elected as its Manipur unit president uncontested for a three-year term, saying the process of his election violated the partys constitution. Meghalaya chief minister Conrad K Sangma, who is the NPPs national president, announced Kipgens expulsion in a video message. He added Kipgen was not re-elected as per the procedure laid down in the partys constitution. Former president of NPP Manipur state unit Thangminlien Kipgen acted against the constitution of the party by going ahead with the election and announcing the election, he said. Sangma said this was done even as a show-cause notice was issued and Kipgen was told not to go ahead with the elections as it was not as per the partys constitution. Therefore, I, as a president of NPP, decided that they will be expelled from the party. Sangma said Kipgen and NPP members, who worked to hold this election illegally, have been expelled from the NPP. In order to ensure that the [partys Manipur] office continues, we appointed N Kayisii, who is also the tribal affairs minister in the state of Manipur, as the interim president. He said an election to choose the partys office-bearers in Manipur will be held shortly in line with the procedure that its constitution lays down. Kipgen said there can be no interim NPP president as per the partys constitution. He added an elected president cannot be removed by a mere letter as it is unconstitutional. Kipgen was felicitated at a function at the party in Imphal after his re-election. Ch Ajang Khongsai, the working president of the partys state unit who was present during the felicitation function, said Sangma has been misled. He added Sangma seems to have no clue that Kipgens term was due to end on August 26 and not in April. NPPs four legislators are ministers in the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government in Manipur. 27.08.2020 LISTEN The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection is saddened by reports of undue force used by the Liberia National Police (LNP) in handling Anti-rape protesters in Monrovia. Recognizing the rights of the protesters to seek justice for survivors and victims of rape at all times, upon receiving news of the situation, Minister Williametta Saydee Tarr got directly engaged with the Justice Minister F. Musah Dean, to request he ensures that the Police exercise restraint and avoid the use of force against the protesters. Minister Tarr applauds the frantic effort by Minister Dean and the LNP for the exercise of restraint and restoring calm. The Gender Boss believes that the intent of the protest is genuine and was very happy to join them on their first day, where she and her entire leadership team, was able to interact with them and thank them for coming out to raise the awareness. Gender beseeches the LNP to continue to exercise professionalism in handling civil disobedience, particularly when dealing with women and children, and in this instance anti-rape campaigners. Rape is a menace to society that all of us need to join hands together against in order to eradicate it from within our communities, and the intent of the protest was to raise this very needed point. The Ministry commends the resilience of the anti-rape campaigners in sustaining a three-day-long peaceful march aimed at curbing sexual and gender-based violence especially rape from our society. This is especially important at a time when the GoLs Inter-Ministerial Taskforce on SGBV has completed and submitted the Comprehensive Anti-SGBV RoadMap as mandated by His Excellency President George Weah. In the same vein, the Ministry frowns on all who sought to hijack the protest against rape, for political aggrandizement, condemns the incitement of violence and asks that all Liberians actually join in the fight against the perpetrators of this heinous crime and join us in pushing for the amendments of the pertinent laws, including amending for stronger grading and punishments, and for the Judiciary to work on behalf of survivors and their families. The Ministry takes this time to urge protesters in this campaign against rape to maintain the peaceful nature of the protest. A mega food processing park would be set up at Nagapattinam at a cost of Rs 1,000 crore,Chief Minister K Palaniswami said on Thursday. Addressing the gathering at the Collectorate after reviewing the measures taken to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, the Chief Minister said the state was making big strides in agriculture and healthcare despite the pandemic. "All agricultural activities are now going on without any disruption," he said. Amid the pandemic, about 28 lakh tonnes of paddy has been procured from the farmers in Cauvery delta districts, which is a historic achievement, he said,adding, this was 5 lakh tonnes more when compared to the last year. He pointed out that desilting work was meticulously carried out in delta districts ensuring the free flow of Cauvery water to tail-end areas. Palaniswami said government hospitals in the state were providing better service than private hospitals. "Infrastructure facilities have been improved to a great extent. Poor people now get easy access to high-quality healthcare in the state," he said and added that a new medical college with a modern hospital was being constructed at Nagapattinam at a cost of Rs 365 crore. Referring to the formation of the Mayiladuthurai district bifurcating Nagapattinam, the Chief Minister said that public hearing was now being conducted and the new districtwill start functioning soon. Stating that the state was attracting investors even during the pandemic, Palanisami said that the government was firmly focused on employment generation on a large scale. He also announced that a mega food processing park would be set up in Nagapattinam at a cost of Rs 1000 crore, which will generate employment opportunities in this region. He further said that a textiles park would also be set up in Nagapattinam district. In higher education enrolment too, Tamil Nadu has made significant improvements during the past 9 years, he said. Claiming that the government had taken all steps to combat COVID-19 and control its spread, the Chief Minister pointed out that Tamil Nadu was now ranking first among the states in India in terms of the number of tests conducted per day and the cure rate. Earlier, the Chief Minister distributed welfare measures to beneficiaries under various schemes. He also chaired a consultative meeting with farmers, entrepreneurs and members of women self-help groups. Handlooms Minister OS Manian, District Collector Praveen P Nair, MLAs, and heads of various departments participated. The Chief Minister is scheduled to hold review meetings at Tiruvarur and Thanjavur districts on Friday. Also Read: GST Council Meeting Live Updates: 'GST collection severely impacted due to COVID,' says FinMin Also Read: Shaktikanta Das hints RBI may announce further rate cuts, measures to tackle COVID-19 BEIJING (AP): China's military test-fired two missiles into the South China Sea, including a carrier killer military analysts suggest might have been developed to attack US forces, a newspaper reported Thursday. The DF-26B and DF-21D missiles fired Wednesday targeted an area between the southern island province of Hainan and the Paracel Islands, The South China Morning Post newspaper of Hong Kong reported, citing unidentified sources close to the Chinese military. The ministries of defence and foreign affairs in Beijing didn't immediately respond to requests for confirmation. Disputes over control of the South China Sea, one of the world's busiest trade routes, are a growing irritant in Beijing's relations with Washington and its southern neighbours. The Trump administration this year rejected most of Beijing's claims to sovereignty over the majority of the disputed sea, portions of which also are claimed by Vietnam, the Philippines and other governments. Wednesday's launches followed Chinese complaints that a US U2 spy plane entered a no fly zone declared by Beijing during a military drill off its northern coast. The DF-21 is unusually accurate and was dubbed carrier killer by military analysts who believe it was developed to target US aircraft carriers that might be involved in a potential conflict with China. Beijing has spent heavily over the past two decades on trying to develop missiles, fighter aircraft, nuclear submarines and other weapons to allow China to expand its military reach beyond its shores. The DF-26B was launched from the northwestern province of Qinghai while the DF-21D was fired from Zhejiang province south of Shanghai on the east coast, The South China Morning Post said. The DF-26 is believed to be capable of carrying nuclear or conventional warheads. That would violate the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty signed by Washington and Moscow during the Cold War. The Trump administration cited China's development of the DF-26 and similar weapons when it withdrew from the treaty last year. With the reported guilty plea of Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) lawyer Kevin Clinesmith to a false statement charge as part of John Durham's Russia Hoax investigation, true conservatives are celebrating the much heralded arrival of Attorney General (A.G.) William (Bill) Barr, who, we are being promised, will round up the coup-plotters with dispatch and bring a rain ruin to the anti-Trump cabal that engaged in the illegal spying and sting operations against the president and his associates. And yet...and yet..Kevin Clinesmith? Not exactly a ringleader in the anti-Trump cabal. And what of the instigators of this audacious plot against the president (i.e., John Brennan, James Clapper, James Comey, Joe Biden, or Barack Obama to name but a few)? Thus far, Barr has indicated no intention of prosecuting anyone beyond the low-hanging fruit of Kevin Clinesmith and even publicly issued assurances to Barack Obama and Joe Biden that they have no criminal culpability (to say nothing of Barr's exoneration of Andrew McCabe on Valentine's Day). Former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) chief John Brennan was reportedly told by Durham that he was not a target (or even a subject) of the Russia Hoax investigation. And it appears that Durham has not even interviewed most of the principal figures central to the Russia Hoax. While Barr and Durham should be applauded for finally taking some judicial action, however limited, if Kevin "little fish" Clinesmith is their biggest catch and the true ringleaders escape unscathed, we can be assured these serial abuses of power will escalate under a Joe Biden administration. Consequence #1 The DOJ Will Ensure a Two-Tiered Politicized Justice System (Exclusively Targeting Conservatives and Protecting Progressives): The DOJ began visibly putting its thumb on the scales of justice in favor of fellow progressives and against conservatives during Obama's reign. Examples are extensive, but to recap a few highlights, recall the persecution of conservatives by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Sharyl Attkisson/James Rosen spy scandals and the shameless protection of Hillary Clinton, who (along with several members of her staff) committed multiple and flagrant felonies including lying to Congress and felony dissemination of material classified at the highest security levels. Out of these scandals, and more, how many progressive Democrats were indicted and prosecuted? None. Under Obama, the progressive DOJ was the quintessential "hometown referee" for the Democrats. They blew the whistle on everything Republican (including false allegations, like the Russia Hoax) and looked the other way, every time, when Democrats committed real crimes (just ask Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama). By some estimates, 97% of DOJ political donations went to the Democratic Party. Republicans and conservatives, and soon even moderates, are, or will shortly be, subject to a nearly impossible standard of justice. With Biden's 2020 victory, the progressive Democrats will cement their stranglehold on the DOJ, and the political persecution and censorship of all future generations of Republicans (and, indeed, moderates) is assured. Consequence #2 Escalating Federal Government Attacks against Republicans and Conservatives: Progressive-dominated federal government agencies will renew and escalate attacks against conservative organizations and individuals in the confident knowledge that the politically aligned DOJ will not hold them to account. The IRS (dominated by left-wing ideologues), among other like-minded agencies (such as the CIA), under a Biden presidency, will be emboldened to renew their attacks on Republicans and conservatives with impunity (just as they did during the Obama years). Consequence #3 The Russia Hoax Investigation Will Be Dissolved Immediately by President Biden. Consequence #4 The DOJ Will Disenfranchise United States Citizens by Enforcing Open Borders: Under Biden, the DOJ (and the John Robertsled Supreme Court) will use the awesome power of the law to enforce open borders and grant amnesty to millions of illegal migrants, which will ensure many millions of new voters for the progressive Democrats (to say nothing of breaking the social welfare state at U.S. taxpayer expense). This will result in the widespread disenfranchisement of United States citizens, whose votes will be essentially nullified. The DOJ and Supreme Court will be all too happy to ensure Democratic hegemony for the foreseeable future, but along with the new voters will come criminals, gangs, smuggling, disease, and an endless supply of illegal drugs (effectively making the United States an open toilet for the rest of the world). The rich and happy public "self"-servants of the DOJ and Supreme Court will not suffer the consequences of their disastrous policies from behind their gated and secure communities. We will. Consequence #5 A One-Party United States: Owing to Consequence #4, we will live in a one-party (Democrat) country. Diversity of thought and policy will no longer be tolerated. Those that stray from progressive orthodoxy will be targeted for destruction by the awesome and unchecked powers of the DOJ. Consequence #6 Persecution of Christians (and Rigorous Protection of Non-Christian Faiths): If you burn a Koran, the DOJ will arrest you and charge you with a hate crime. If you burn a Bible, you won't be. It's that simple, and it helps explain why the DOJ has taken no steps to protect churches even while they are being actively targeted for desecration during the riots. If mosques were being burned down, be assured that the DOJ would arrive in force with guns drawn. If churches are being burned down, the DOJ is cool with that. Consequence #7 Election Interference and Election Rigging Will Be Assured in a Manner Favoring Progressive Democrats: Mail-in voting, already so rife with fraud, along with so-called ballot-harvesting, will be enthusiastically supported (and enforced) by the progressive-friendly DOJ. Progressive judges called to adjudicate these matters will invariably side with their political allies over the rule of law. It's an open joke that Republican voters who die often keep right on voting as Democrats. Conclusion: This is a pivotal moment for the A.G.'s office, and Bill Barr needs to consider the legacy that he will be leaving future generations. The seven consequences listed merely scratch the surface in terms of how a progressive Democrat administration will wield the awesome powers of the DOJ as a transformative agent to terrorize and extinguish (conservative) political opponents and ensure permanent progressive Democrat hegemony. Conservatives like Bill Barr, among many others, still naively believe in the equal and transparent application of the rule of law, a belief that is in no way reciprocated by their progressive Democrat colleagues at the DOJ. To the progressive Democrat, using the awesome power of the law to target morally inferior conservatives is a solemn obligation and duty. Expecting a progressive Democrat to adhere to the law and engage in fair play is a fool's errand, a fallacy, wishful thinking, hopes and prayers. We are dealing not with reasonable liberals from several decades ago, but instead with power-crazed progressives who believe they have a mission and mandate to destroy the political opposition. If Barr hoists the white flag in abject abeyance to the Deep State (as Jeff Sessions did), then the dirty cops will have won. Conservatives like Bill Barr will then deserve what's coming to them, but our children and grandchildren don't, and they will be the ones who pay the price. They will live forever in a political prison, under the boot of the progressive Democrat DOJ, which stands ready to strike against law-abiding conservatives for being conservative, or being Caucasian, or attending a Christian church, or whatever pretext the progressive left can think of while simultaneously protecting progressive Democrats who abuse conservatives. Our grandchildren will curse our memory for the government and nation we bequeath to them and the vulnerable, weakened position in which we have left them. It has been said that fortune favors the bold, and the progressive Democrats at the DOJ, and other federal agencies, have been oh, so bold in recent years, wielding their awesome powers of terror against the political opposition. If Barr's "answer" to this vast progressive offensive is Kevin Clinesmith, then the progressive Democrats will have won the final victory. Conservatives had better begin thinking in terms of bending knee and tending sheep in servitude to the victorious progressive Democrats. Image: Office of Public Affairs via Flickr. On Wednesday, Senator Kamala Harris announced the plans of Joe Biden's administration to support Israel in an international setting. She vowed to stop Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons that could threaten other countries. During her speech in a virtual fundraiser, Harris said she agreed with Biden when he stated his administration would give Israel unwavering support and not tie the assistance to any political interest or decision the Middle Eastern country makes. Providing security to Israel According to USA Today, the senator vowed that the Biden-Harris administration would continue to provide Israel with the security that it needs, including military and intelligence cooperation that was started during Barack Obama's presidency while giving Israel a qualitative military edge. During his time as vice president, Biden was a prominent supporter of Israel's security and safety, including the Iron Dome technology and $38 billion worth of defense assistance that would last for more than a decade that which began in 2016. Harris called the move the largest and most significant military support package in United States history. When asked about Biden's administration's position in protecting Iran after United States President Donald Trump withdrew from a controversial nuclear agreement with the country, Harris said they would move to deny the Middle Eastern country from acquiring a nuclear weapon. The senator added that her and Biden's teams would ensure the United States continuously provides security and support to Israel. Also Read: Donald Trump Jr. Calls Biden 'Loch Ness Monster' in Republican Convention Speech During Obama's presidency, the United States' former president created a nuclear deal that aimed to impede Iran from getting their hands on a nuclear weapon or its development. However, many officials criticized the agreement with some saying it was ineffective, leading Trump to withdraw from the agreement. Senator Harris noted that Trump's move has led to an increase in Iran's aggression and placed the United States in global isolation. The politician said the agreement continued to deny Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon and threatening other countries, as reported by Haaretz. Withdrawing from a working deal Being a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Harris said US intelligence officials revealed the deal's efficacy, and Trump's decision caused allies who were still committing to it to isolate the United States. In the past, Biden said that if he were elected president of the United States, he would recommit to the nuclear deal and also try to negotiate new terms and conditions that would provide sufficient coverage over other issues and details that he believes were left out of the first agreement. The potential new issues included in the deal consist of the role of Iran's military with other Middle Eastern nations and its ballistic missile program. Harris continued to say that she and her allies would continue to move and cooperate in renegotiating and extending the reach of the agreement while also making sure Iran is not given free rein over its destabilizing and threatening actions or movements. Related Article: Pompeo Encourages Arab States to Follow UAE and Make Peace with Israel @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Ballistic missiles launched in response to US aerial activities in a no-fly zone during a Chinese naval drill. China has fired two missiles, including one dubbed an aircraft-carrier killer, into the South China Sea, according to a news report, in a pointed warning to the United States as tensions in the disputed sea lane rise to new levels. The South China Morning Post reported on Thursday that Beijing fired one intermediate-range ballistic missile, DF-26B, from Qinghai province and another medium-range ballistic missile, DF-21D, from Zhejiang province on Wednesday in response to US aerial activities in a no-fly zone. In response, Mark Esper, the US defence chief, said China has repeatedly fallen short of promises to abide by international laws, noting China seems to be flexing its muscles the most in Southeast Asia. The two missiles were reportedly fired in the direction of the area between Hainan province and the disputed Paracel Islands, the Hong Kong-based publication added, quoting an unnamed source. According to the newspaper, a US U-2 spy plane had reportedly entered a Chinese-designated no-fly zone on Tuesday without permission during a live-fire naval drill conducted by China in the Bohai Sea off its north coast. In a social media post, Liu Xiaoming, Chinas ambassador to the United Kingdom, said the US move severely disrupted Chinas normal exercises and training activities. Zhao Lijian, Chinas foreign ministry spokesman, described the spy plane overflight as provocative actions and urged the US to stop. Chinas military will neither dance to the tune of the US nor allow the United States to cause trouble, defence ministry spokesman Wu Qian said on Thursday. Amid rising tensions between both militaries, he said China hopes the United States can take practical measures to create a positive atmosphere for high-level exchanges between their two militaries. The DF-26B missile, which was formally launched earlier this month, is capable of hitting moving targets at sea, making it an aircraft-carrier killer, according to the state-owned Global Times. Chinese defence ministry spokesperson, Senior Colonel Wu Qian, was previously quoted as saying the missile can carry conventional or nuclear warheads and is capable of launching precision strikes on land and sea targets. With its range of 4,500km (2,800 miles), DF-26 can reach the West Pacific and the Indian Ocean, as well as American facilities in Guam, the British island of Diego Garcia and even the Australian city of Darwin. The Pentagon chief Esper, in a thinly veiled swipe at China, said the United States has a responsibility to lead in the Pacific and wont cede an inch to other countries that think their political system is better. China had not lived up to promises to abide by international law, rules and norms, and Beijing wants to project its power globally, he added. To advance the CCPs agenda, the Peoples Liberation Army continues to pursue an aggressive modernisation plan to achieve a world class military by the middle of the century, Esper said, referring to the ruling Chinese Communist Party. This will undoubtedly involve the PLAs provocative behaviour in the South and East China Seas, and anywhere else the Chinese government has deemed critical to its interests. Within accepted rules The DF-21 has been described as an anti-ship ballistic missile system, also meant for attacking moving ships at sea. In July, two US aircraft conducted freedom of navigation exercises and military drills with its allies in the South China Sea, prompting an angry response from Beijing. Speaking on the condition of anonymity to Reuters, a US official confirmed the firing of the two missiles on Wednesday adding an assessment was under way to determine the type of missile launched. The Pentagon, meanwhile, confirmed the U-2 overflight, adding the activity in the Pacific region was within the accepted international rules and regulations governing aircraft flights. News of the missile launches come as the US announced it was blacklisting 24 Chinese companies and targeting individuals it said are part of construction and military actions in the South China Sea, its first such sanctions move against Beijing over the disputed seas. The US Commerce Department said the two dozen companies played a role in helping the Chinese military construct and militarize the internationally condemned artificial islands in the South China Sea. Separately, the State Department said it would impose visa restrictions on Chinese individuals responsible for, or complicit in, such actions and those linked to Chinas use of coercion against Southeast Asian claimants to inhibit their access to offshore resources. In July, Washington said it could sanction Chinese officials and enterprises involved in coercion in the South China Sea after it announced a tougher stance rejecting Beijings claims to offshore resources there as completely unlawful. China claims virtually all of the potentially energy-rich South China Sea, but Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also lay claim to parts of an area, through which more than $3 trillion of trade passes each year. #US move severely disrupted China's normal exercises and training activities, and violated the rules of behavior for air and maritime safety between China-US, as well as relevant international practices. We urge the US to stop such provocative and dangerous actions. https://t.co/RDJoMvh0zW Liu Xiaoming (@AmbLiuXiaoMing) August 26, 2020 The US accuses China of militarising the South China Sea and trying to intimidate Asian neighbours who might want to exploit its extensive oil and gas reserves. US warships have gone through the area to assert the freedom of access to international waterways, raising fears of confrontation. A spokesperson for Chinas embassy in Washington condemned the US sanctions as completely unreasonable, and urged the US to reverse them. [South China Sea Islands] is an integral part of Chinas territory, and it is fully justified for us to build facilities and deploy necessary defence equipment there, the spokesperson said. The Chinese government has firm determination to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity. LANSING, Mich., Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- One Nation and Election Integrity Fund filed lawsuits in federal court against Gov. Gretchen Whitmer for silencing political speech; and in state court against Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson for circumventing state law protecting the right of Michiganders to have their vote properly counted. The lawsuit seeks to allow retail politicking leading into the general election and block Secretary Benson from sidestepping state law and suspending ballot integrity protections. The groups point to Governor Whitmer's threat of jail time for those seeking to host political rallies and election irregularities in Wayne County during the August 4 primary as justification for the suits. Political Speech is the Right of Every Michigander, Not Just Those with Whom the Governor Agrees "The rights of the citizenry to assemble and speak in pursuit of jointly held political goals as enshrined in the First Amendment are essential to our democracy," said Phill Kline, director of the Amistad Project of The Thomas More Society. "Particularly in a year in which our nation will select a president, safeguarding these rights is of fundamental importance." Thomas More Society attorneys are representing One Nation and the Election Integrity Fund. "Governor Whitmer and Secretary Benson have encouraged Michiganders to vote by absentee ballot, rendering retail politicking in the months leading up to the election of even greater significance," said Kline. Unlike other years in which most ballots would be cast on election day, hundreds of thousands or millions of votes will be cast in the weeks leading up to November 3. As the Michigan electorate complies with the Governor's insistence that they cast absentee ballots leading up to election day, her executive orders prevent those same voters from gathering to speak about the candidates and issues on which they are voting." "One Nation supports reasonable and rationale dialogue on race that acknowledges our nation's failures while respecting its goodness," said One Nation President and former Michigan civil rights Commissioner, Dr. Linda Lee Tarver. "However, we were told we cannot rally and continue to be confronted with ever-changing, confusing and ambiguous orders from the Governor." "America doesn't have kings and queens, nor should all government power be vested in the hands of one person to the detriment of our civil liberties," said Tom Brejcha, President and Chief Counsel of The Thomas More Society. "These powers must be limited in some fashion, or we have created a form of government foreign to this nation's history and practice." Secretary of State Benson's Absentee Ballot System Fails State Law "Secretary Benson reduced in-person voting and made absentee balloting the foundation of our elections yet she has not done anything to assist local clerks in comparing voter signatures, the only method of verifying that actual voter filled out the absentee ballot," said Glenn Sitek, vice president of Election Integrity Fund. "Something needs to be done to ensure every citizen's vote is counted and election laws are followed. We intend to do just that." Absentee ballots require additional efforts to protect the integrity of the ballot because those ballots are cast outside of structured election sites where election officials can ensure voters aren't intimidated, misled or coerced when casting their ballots. Those officials also ensure only properly registered voters cast the ballot and that each person only casts one ballot. This is impossible to do when the ballot is cast absentee. To protect those ballots, however, Michigan law requires a comparison of signatures to ensure the voter to whom the ballot is sent cast the vote. The lawsuit states Secretary Benson's unilateral action undermines that process. Using the Secretary's new online system, thousands of ballots will be mailed to addresses, but without the required signature comparison to ensure that the addressee voter requested the ballot, and legitimately requested it to be sent to that address. Additionally, the lack of an application signature also undermines the process of authenticating ballots once they are returned via mail. The Secretary's own "Election Officials' Manual" requires the officials processing these ballots to compare the signature on the ballot to the signature on the application to "determine the legality of the ballot." This comparison cannot be accomplished if the application lacks an accompanying signature. "Governor Whitmer and Secretary Benson's attempt to drastically change election processes at the eleventh hour would allow anyone with Internet access to vote by mail, with no way to verify who requested the ballot or who actually cast the vote, as long as they claim to be a self-quarantining voter," said Catherine Engelbrecht, Founder and President, True the Vote, a partner in The Amistad Project. "This unlawful move by the State of Michigan towards all mail ballots would effectively increase election fraud, voter confusion, and contested elections, depriving all Michigan voters their right to a free and fair election. Exploiting the fear of COVID to radically alter election laws is deceitful and wrong, and we'll keep fighting until they stop," Engelbrecht said. Although Secretary Benson has encouraged reducing in person voting and made absentee balloting central to Michigan elections, she has not offered any training for signature comparison, failed to establish a best practices for signature comparison, has not established a method to verify that signature comparison occurs, and has side-stepped state law by her actions. Moreover, she has misled Michigan voters by falsely claiming signature comparison software is available to local election clerks. To view both lawsuits and learn more about the Free Persons Initiative, visit www.got-freedom.org. Media Contact: Darby Dame [email protected] 269-870-5956 SOURCE One Nation and Election Integrity Fund The World Food Programme (WFP) said Wednesday it has already reduced food rations and cash transfers by 30 percent for about 2.7 million refugees in eastern Africa due to insufficient funding from donors, Trend reports citing Xinhua. WFP also warned that a serious hunger and malnutrition loom for the refugees who depend on its assistance to survive as the socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic reduces vital funding from donors. "Refugees are especially vulnerable to the spread of COVID-19 because they are crowded together in camps with weak or inadequate shelter, health services and access to clean water and sanitation," Michael Dunford, WFP Eastern Africa Regional Director said in a statement issued in Nairobi. WFP said the refugees in Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, South Sudan, and Djibouti have been affected by the reduced food rations and cash transfers, warning that it will be forced to cut deeper in the coming months unless urgent additional funding is received in time. WFP said it requires 323 million U.S. dollars to assist refugees in the region over the next six months, a 22 percent higher compared to the same period in 2019. The UN agency said refugees are also affected both by the wider socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as by the disease itself. It said the most vulnerable women, children and elderly are increasingly at risk of becoming malnourished, which can in turn impact their immune systems and increase their risk of being infected by disease, a tragic vicious cycle during a global pandemic. "With COVID yet to peak in east Africa, we cannot turn our backs on people forced to flee and stuck in remote camps. Many have already lost the few opportunities to earn money due to the economic downturn caused by COVID-19 restrictions," said Dunford. WFP said restrictions imposed to contain the spread of the virus closed schools in refugee camps, meaning children missed out on vital school meals in Ethiopia, Kenya, South Sudan, Rwanda and Uganda. "In all these countries except Rwanda, funding shortages meant that WFP was unable to provide take-home rations to refugee children to help them study at home and stay nourished," it said. WFP appealed both to traditional donors and new would-be donors, such as international financial institutions, to step forward and assist refugees. The United States supports the Ukrainian government's efforts to implement reforms that strengthen its democratic institutions, improve the investment climate, and enable Ukraine to pursue its Euro-Atlantic aspirations. U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun said this at a meeting with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine reported on its Facebook page. "In a meeting with Prime Minister Shmyhal, Deputy Secretary Biegun reiterated U.S. support for the Ukrainian government's efforts to implement reforms that strengthen its democratic institutions, improve the investment climate, and ensure Ukraine can fulfill its Euro-Atlantic aspirations," the report reads. Biegun also noted that the United States is deeply committed to reinforcing Ukraine's continued progress on reforms to further integrate into Europe, including via cooperation with international partners to strengthen its judicial, regulatory, and financial institutions. Biegun visited Vilnius, Moscow and Kyiv on August 24-27. He met with senior officials from Lithuania, Russia and Ukraine to discuss regional and international issues. Photo: Facebook page of the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine Teachers in Ontario never imagined they would leave for March break and not return to finish the school year with their students. Before COVID-19, the rotating strikes by Ontario teachers were the big news story in the province. Issues such as mandatory e-learning, securing funding to hire special education teachers, maintaining seniority hiring rules and increasing class sizes became outstanding matters between the government and teachers. Stress in teaching was prevalent prior to COVID-19. Increasing job demands, lack of administrative support and violence in the classroom are frequently cited sources of teacher stress. Work context and personal factors like family context contribute to teacher mental health, stress and attrition, and can also impact temporary leaves of absence. Teaching during a pandemic has meant teacher stress is at a whole other level. Teachers have had a steep learning curve trying to support their students from a distance. Most teachers have not trained for online teaching. Moving content online in a short amount of time and worrying about the mental health and well-being of their students has also taken an emotional toll. Teachers cannot meet the needs of their students if they are struggling and stressed out themselves. At the same time, teachers stand in a privileged position compared to many, because they are employed when countless others have lost their jobs and their livelihoods. How do we support teacher wellness when people are struggling to keep wellness in their own lives? Many teachers went above and beyond to connect with their students. There are heartwarming stories of teachers reading to students from sidewalks, dressing in costumes during video chats and dropping off care packages to student households. However, some teachers struggled to adjust to online learning while also caring for aging parents or young children. It is clear when speaking with parents there was a wide variety of experiences with online instruction. COVID-19 provides an opportunity to highlight the amazing qualities that teachers already possess such as creativity, flexibility, perseverance and compassion. But teacher mental health needs to be part of a teachers professional identity. Self-care and well-being are not just personal practices but something that should be taught to teacher candidates as a mandatory part of their journey in joining the teaching profession. We also need to continue asking what can be done to improve teachers mental health and well-being as they support their students returning to the classroom in September. I am a research assistant on a cross-Canada study based at the University of Ottawa that will do just that, collecting data in collaboration with 15 other universities in order to understand teacher mental health, leaves of absences and return to work. When we embark on our new routine involving masks, hand sanitizer and social distancing, lets remember the importance of teacher mental health as well. '2020 riots' memorabilia coins with the names of California police departments on them and the phrase 'hats and bats' next to a picture of skull in a riot helmet have surfaced online and are being sold for $14.99. The coins are being sold on a Clear Hot Gear with the names of the LAPD, LA County Sheriff and the Long Beach Police Department on them. None have been officially sanctioned, according to the police departments. They are now investigating where the coins came from. The website has an entire section dedicated to '2020 riots', which began on Labor Day in response to the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. The 'challenge' coins being sold on Clear Hot Gear, a pro-police website in California Protests and violent looting has raged on throughout the summer across many cities in a show of prolonged outrage over police brutality and in support of Black Lives Matter. The Long Beach coin is included in a $24.99 'pack' which also comes with stickers that, according to the description on the website, 'capture the very essence of military and first responder affiliation and instill pride to those that carry them.' The website describes them as 'challenge coins'. 'Many readers may not even know what a challenge coin is, or how they are used within the modern-day, but their use is highly prevalent in many arenas. 'Members of the US Armed Forces, Law Enforcement, and Firefighters have a long-standing tradition of carrying such coins that symbolize unit identity and brotherhood. There is an entire section on the website dedicated to the '2020 Riots'. T-shirts are also for sale 'Each piece usually bears unique unit symbols or mottos that identify the group in which they represent, and are often traded, presented, and collected between unit members,' it says on the website. The Long Beach Police Department is now investigating. 'This memorabilia was not sanctioned or approved by our department and does not reflect our professional standards, core values, and commitment to our community,' the LBPD said in a statement. The sale of the coins come as more protests continue in Kenosha, Wisconsin, where unarmed black man Jacob Blake was shot multiple times in front of his children this week by police. He survived but his father says he is paralyzed. Three people were shot in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Tuesday night, including two who died in riots over the shooting of Jacob Blake Were incredibly optimistic about our new relationship with Hivestack and the impact it will have on programmatic DOOH in the UK and German markets. Together, we look forward to delivering even more advanced, targeted, and measurable programmatic campaigns for brands and consumers. Hivestack, a global leader in programmatic digital out-of-home (DOOH) advertising, today announced that it has partnered with Executive Channel Network (ECN), Europes leading workplace media communication specialist, enabling programmatic buying of their highly sought-after premium workplace inventory. ECN will leverage the Hivestack Supply-Side Platform (SSP) to give marketers access to their affluent workplace audiences in Germany and the UK. With more than 66 million impressions delivered each month and reaching business professionals in some of Europes most innovative companies in the finance, tech, media, property and legal sectors, ECNs ad inventory will now be available to Hivestack buyers through private marketplace (PMP) deals and open exchange buys. Daniel Wunsch, Director of International Programmatic & Operations at ECN and Australian Media Channel commented: Having been at the forefront of programmatic DOOH innovation across Europe over the past few years, ECN is always looking to align themselves with innovative partners in order to drive the industry towards its true potential. Were incredibly optimistic about our new relationship with Hivestack and the impact it will have on programmatic DOOH in the UK and German markets. Together, we look forward to delivering even more advanced, targeted, and measurable programmatic campaigns for brands and consumers. Andreas Soupliotis, Founder and CEO of Hivestack, shared: Were thrilled to partner with ECN to offer their high-quality workplace DOOH screens to our demand partners via our SSP. Office professionals are a highly-sought after demographic for brands and marketers, and our partnership with ECN will enable programmatic targeting of workplace communities and audiences in the UK and Germany. With the increase of people returning to work in the UK and Germany this fall, ECN is already seeing increased audiences, awareness and engagement of their screens, which will continue through 2020. About Hivestack Hivestack is a global, full stack, marketing technology company that powers the buy and sell-side of programmatic digital out-of-home (DOOH) advertising. On the buy side, marketers use Hivestacks Demand-Side Platform to create measurable campaigns that activate DOOH screens in real time based on consumer behaviour and audience movement patterns. On the sell-side, DOOH media owners use Hivestacks Supply-Side Platform & Ad Exchange to attract programmatic revenue. DOOH media owners can also use Hivestacks Ad Server to power audience-based, directly sold campaigns. Attribution is a first class-citizen throughout Hivestacks platform, offering buyers and sellers the ability to measure business outcomes at all stages of the consumer sales funnel. Hivestack is headquartered in Montreal, Canada, and has global operations in Toronto, Tokyo, London, New York and Sydney. For more information, please visit https://www.hivestack.com About ECN ECN is Europes leading workplace media communication specialist. Our Digital Out of Home (DOOH) network reaches an affluent audience of European workplace professionals, 10+ hours daily, 5 days per week. Todays workplace is a place where people research, spend and share brand experiences. ECN is the last opportunity to connect your brand with over 1.2 million workplace professionals in a unique environment of social influence. As a partner with DSPs from across the globe, ECN offers brands and agencies the ability to trade programmatically across our markets from anywhere in the world. With 520+ ECN locations in the UK, Paris, Germany and Amsterdam, weve simplified trading across borders, currencies and platforms to ensure a seamless planning and buying experience. With a unique, 100% digital network, fully programmatic and HTML5 enabled, ECN is at the forefront of innovation in DOOH programmatic trading across Europe. For more information please visit: http://www.executivechannelnetwork.com MEDIA CONTACTS: Melodie Imbert Marketing Specialist Hivestack melodie@hivestack.com +1 5146603553 Daniel Wunsch International Director Programmatic & Operations daniel@executivechannenetwork.de +49 175 113 0124 Organisers of the Russian GP have hit back at concerns raised about the return of spectators to the Formula 1 circuits. Sochi was the first to announce that fans will be welcome at its September race, but Portimao and Imola are also making plans to end the 'ghost race' trend. "According to our information, several teams are concerned about this and fear for the health of their crews," Bild am Sonntag newspaper reported. When asked about that, Sochi promoter Sergey Titov said: "I don't quite understand how admitting spectators to the stands will create additional risks for the teams and the team members." He explained that strict measures will be in place to separate the controlled 'bubble' of the F1 paddock from the public. "No spectator will enter the paddock or the pitlane," Titov told Tass news agency. "In that sense it will be exactly as it was at the other races. "The risks of coming into contact with people outside of Formula 1 are very clearly spelled out in the FIA regulations, including the prohibition of team members from leaving their rooms during their stay in hotels," he added. Titov revealed that there is already "great interest" from the public in terms of buying tickets. "We are confident that the Russian GP will be one of the best and most beautiful events of the year," he said. It has also emerged that, with immediate effect, the FIA is increasing to 90 the number of team staff allowed at the races - up from 80 earlier in 2020. (GMM) EDWARDSVILLE The county and two fired former employees are battling in court to determine whether the plaintiffs can bring the case before a judge who is not from Madison County. Former Madison County Administrator Douglas Hulme and former county Information Technology Director Robert Dorman are claiming that, since they are accused of computer spying on a judge and county employees, they should be entitled to a judge from out of the county. Due to the fact that a Madison County political body is involved in this case, plaintiffs request an out-of-county judge to be appointed to avoid bias or the appearance of bias, the motion filed by attorney G. Edward Moorman claims. John J. Gilbert, the attorney for the county, claims that the two men have already filed two motions for a new judge, and the county is objecting to the third attempt. Circuit Judge Christopher Threlkeld is currently assigned the case. He is the resident judge of Bond County, which is in the Third Judicial Circuit, the same circuit that includes Madison County. The circuits are regulated by a statewide court system. As pointed out in its prior pleadings, defendant contends that plaintiffs motion is unsupported by an evidence in the record or any law which establishes a basis for transfer of this case to an out-of-county judge. Further, transferring the case to an out-of-county judge invokes the provisions (of state law) which create burdens than are unnecessary, given the lack of any evidentiary or legal basis for plaintiffs supplemental motion, Gilbert wrote. Gilbert asserts that, under law, judges are presumed to be impartial, and the burden is on the party asking the request for an out-of-county judge to show that no judge of the Third Judicial Circuit, Madison County, Illinois can hear this case impartially. The two former Madison County employees recently fired by the county board have filed suit claiming they were let go without a fair hearing. They also are asking for a temporary restraining order reversing the boards action so they can continue to receive salaries and benefits. They claim they were denied admission to a meeting at which they were fired and not given a chance to speak on their own behalf until after the alleged facts were discussed. Hulme and Dorman were fired in a nearly-unanimous vote following an almost three-hour closed session of the county board at a special meeting on April 16. Both were accused of improperly accessing emails and other data for political purposes. Details of the allegations came out after the unsealing of a large number of documents relating to a two-year investigation into possible corruption within the county administration office. County officials allege Hulme and Dorman spied on other county office holders and obtained access to sensitive criminal legal matters that are not under the authority of Madison County government. In an affidavit, the two accused of spying on judges, the Madison County Public Defenders Office and the Madison County States Attorneys Office. The lawsuit states Hulme and Dorman received official notices of termination on April 27, but the mailing included no findings of fact of the alleged misconduct. The two were not given notice of the accusations before the meeting, but merely were given notice that a hearing was to be held at a certain time and place, the suit states. The lawsuit claims they were denied to have a lawyer present and to examine witnesses. The suit also states the termination process did not follow county rules because County Chairman Kurt Prenzler did not vote and did not sign the resolution. Madison County has filed a motion to dismiss a suit filed by two fired employees who claim they did not receive a fair hearing. The countys motion claims Hulme and Dorman were given a chance to file a grievance to state their side of the story but failed to do so. Hulme was supervisor of administration; Dorman was director of information technology. (Bloomberg Opinion) -- The Covid-19 pandemic has dealt a serious blow to Italys economy, which was already struggling with high public debt and low growth. The government now risks making matters worse: A string of high-profile interventions, the latest in Telecom Italia SpA, has the potential to scare off investors just when the economy needs them most. Since the early 1990s, successive Italian governments have sought to attract foreign capital through a combination of privatizing companies and passing structural reforms. From banking to telecommunications, politicians opened up entire sectors, while also making it easier for businesses to hire and fire workers. This process remains incomplete, especially with regard to modernizing the public administration. But, from left to right, there had been a growing appreciation for the role that private investors could play in creating jobs and boosting competition. Todays governing parties, the left-wing Democrats and the populist Five Star Movement, are much warier of the free market. Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte seeks a bigger role for the state, which he thinks can do better than entrepreneurs in boosting the economy and protecting national interests. He is passing laws that constrain freedom of enterprise including a temporary ban on dismissing workers and interfering with the decisions of some company boards. These actions are not merely fixes for the temporary difficulties of dealing with the virus, but are part of a long-term, strategic vision one that may have profound consequences for the way the Italian economy operates. The latest round of interference concerns telecommunications giant Telecom Italia, which is seeking to spin off a minority stake in its fixed-line network and sell it to investors including private equity firm KKR & Co. The prime minister reportedly intervened to delay this deal, as he is seeking ways to create a single-network company that is not controlled by Telecom Italia and is open to all operators. The government now seems to support plans to merge Telecom Italias network with smaller rival Open Fiber SpA, as it believes it would speed up modernization of Italys broadband networks while avoiding duplicate investments. Story continues Rome fears that Telecom will abuse its role as the majority owner of the network, curtailing competition and not investing in improvements of service. This need not be the case, especially if Italy chose to strengthen its regulator, AGCOM. But even if the government were right in seeking a different ownership model, it should still preserve Telecom Italias property rights by bidding for control of the network as any other private investor would do. Alternatively, it should let management get on with their decision rather than putting unsolicited pressure on them. The Telecom Italia tale fits a broader story. Last month, Conte announced he was forcing the Benetton family out of Autostrade per lItalia SpA (Aspi), following the 2018 collapse of a bridge in Genoa that killed 43 people. The government has not yet sketched out all the details of this operation, which remains legally and financially dubious. But this charade gave the impression of a country that is little concerned with the interests of private investors, including the other shareholders and bondholders in Atlantia SpA, Aspis controlling company. The government is playing with fire. If investors come to believe that Rome acts arbitrarily, they will start demanding a discount for holding Italys assets. For a government managing a large sovereign debt, with little room to take over companies and invest in them, this is not a risk worth taking. This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. Ferdinando Giugliano writes columns and editorials on European economics for Bloomberg View. He is also an economics columnist for La Repubblica and was a member of the editorial board of the Financial Times. For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion Subscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source. 2020 Bloomberg L.P. Pakistan said on Thursday that it was not legally possible to allow a lawyer from India to represent Indian prisoner on death row Kulbhushan Jadhav in a court in this country. IMAGE: Supporters of Kulbhushan Jadhav in Mumbai . Photograph: Prashant Waydande/Reuters Pakistan Foreign Office spokesman Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri was asked at the weekly press briefing about India's demand to appoint a local counsel to plead Jadhav's case in the Islamabad high court (IHC) which announced that it would the case on September 3. "The Indian side has been also making incongruous demands of allowing an Indian lawyer to represent Commander Jadhav. "We have repeatedly told them only those lawyers can represent Commander Jadhav in the court who have a licence to practise law in Pakistan. This is in accordance with legal practice in other jurisdictions also," he said. The spokesman also said that the Indian Supreme Court, in one of its judgments, also ruled that foreign lawyers cannot practise law within the country. Jadhav, the 50-year-old retired Indian Navy officer, was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of 'espionage and terrorism' in April 2017. Weeks later, India approached the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against Pakistan for denial of consular access to Jadhav and challenging the death sentence. The Hague-based ICJ ruled in July last year that Pakistan must undertake an 'effective review and reconsideration' of the conviction and sentence of Jadhav and also to grant consular access to India without further delay. "The ICJ judgment clearly says that the review and reconsideration process would be carried out in Pakistani courts as per the laws of Pakistan," Chaudhri said. He said immediately after the ICJ's verdict, Pakistan informed Jadhav of his rights; provided consular access; and put a stay on his execution. He said the provision of effective review and reconsideration is also under process. Chaudhri said Pakistan facilitated the meeting of Jadhav's family on humanitarian grounds and also provided second consular access to him. Last month, Pakistan provided consular access to Jadhav, days ahead of a deadline to file a review petition in a court here against his conviction by a military court. This was the second consular access to Jadhav. The first consular access was provided by Pakistan on September 2, 2019, the Foreign Office said in a statement "However, the Indian consular officials abruptly left while the consular meeting with Commander Jadhav was underway," the spokesman claimed. Chaudhri said that to give effect to the ICJ judgment, the government of Pakistan has itself approached the Islamabad high court and India must come forward and cooperate with the court in Pakistan to give effect to the judgment of the ICJ. Pakistan claims that its security forces arrested Jadhav from the restive Balochistan province on March 3, 2016 after he reportedly entered from Iran. India maintains that Jadhav was kidnapped from Iran where he had business interests after retiring from the Navy. kali9/iStockBy BILL HUTCHINSON and WILLIAM MANSELL, ABC News (MINNEAPOLIS) -- Violence erupted in Minneapolis overnight when protesters took to the streets, some looting and vandalizing businesses, after social media posts wrongly claimed officers fatally shot a Black man who police alleged died by suicide following his involvement in a homicide. At least six people were arrested when the civil unrest took an ugly turn in the city where a national wave of protests began in May with the killing of George Floyd. The Minneapolis Police Department took a rare step Wednesday night of immediately releasing surveillance video of the suspect allegedly shooting himself at a shopping mall with several members of the public nearby. The video was released, according to police officials, because many community residents took to the streets believing social media reports that the suspect was shot in the head by police. "This evening, a murder suspect committed suicide as police approached them at 8th & Nicollet," the Minneapolis Police Department said in a statement accompanying the surveillance video. They warned, "contains graphic images." "No officer weapons were fired," the statement went on. "This is a tragedy for our community that is still hurting. Our condolences go to the families of the victims." The incident followed three days of violent protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin, that spread to several other U.S. cities after cellphone video captured a police officer there shoot Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old Black man, multiple times in the back in front of three of his six children. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz mobilized about 150 State Patrol troopers to respond to Minneapolis to restore order. "Minneapolis, it's time to heal," Walz said in a message posted on Twitter. "We must rebuild and recover. Dangerous, unlawful behavior will not be tolerated." Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey responded to the governor on Twitter, saying, "The unrest must stop and the healing must start." During a news conference Wednesday night, Frey said the city has requested help from the National Guard to restore calm to the city, which saw days of looting, vandalism and confrontations with police in the aftermath of Floyd's May 25 death in which an officer was caught on cellphone video digging his knee into Floyd's neck as he repeatedly cried out "I can't breathe" and called for his dead mother. Minneapolis, its time to heal. We must rebuild and recover. Dangerous, unlawful behavior will not be tolerated. The State Patrol is headed to Minneapolis to help restore order. I remain in close contact with the city and every state resource stands ready to help bring peace. Governor Tim Walz (@GovTimWalz) August 27, 2020 "What our city needs right now is healing," Frey said, adding that a 72-hour citywide state of emergency and curfew would go into effect at 10 p.m. Thursday and run through 6 a.m. on Friday.The mayor said he requested the National Guard to help restore peace to the city. We have mobilized approximately 150 troopers including our Mobile Field Force, Special Response Team and all available metro area state troopers to restore order in #Minneapolis. MN State Patrol (@MnDPS_MSP) August 27, 2020 "We do not need more destruction. We do not need more property damage," Frey said. "That is unacceptable in every way, shape and form and I want to be very clear, it will not be tolerated." Minneapolis Police Chief Medaria Arradondo also appeared at the news conference and pleaded with protesters in the downtown area to go home. "This was not an officer-related incident," Arradondo said. "But we're compounding more tragedy by the destruction and folks wanting to do harm to our communities and to our downtown sector this evening. I will not allow ... more trauma to a city that's still grieving from May 25." Soldiers from the @MNNationalGuard 257th Military Police Company are assisting local law enforcement in protecting property and ensuring the safety of MPLS residents. We are working in coordination with the @CityMinneapolis and the @MinneapolisPD at the direction of @GovTimWalz. pic.twitter.com/0zDpylZfQS MN National Guard (@MNNationalGuard) August 27, 2020 The chaotic night in Minneapolis began on Wednesday afternoon when police responded to a fatal shooting and began searching for a man and a woman suspected of being involved in the homicide and fled the scene on foot, police said. Officers were able to obtain from witnesses descriptions of the suspects and the female suspect was quickly located. Around 6 p.m., police said the male suspect was spotted by officers outside the Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis. As officers approached the suspect, he produced a handgun and shot himself in the head, police said. "He appears to have seen officers approaching. He turned into a doorway of a building, produced a handgun, put it up underneath his chin. He then adjusted his stance, and shot himself underneath the chin closer to where it meets the neck," John Elder Elder, a Minneapolis police spokesperson, told ABC Minneapolis affiliate station KSTP-TV. Elder said people began to livestream to social media false information that officers had shot the suspect in the head, prompting protesters to take to the streets and wreaking havoc. The video, captured by a surveillance camera owned by the city, shows a man dressed in a white T-shirt and dark ball cap and wearing a black backpack walk past a group of people who scattered as he pulled a weapon and shot himself. Copyright 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. KABUL -- Abdullah Abdullah, the chairman of Afghanistan's High Council for National Reconciliation, said on August 27 that intra-Afghan talks will begin next week, bringing together representatives of both the Taliban and the Afghan government. However, the militant group's chief negotiator, Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, said in a statement sent to the Reuters news agency later in the day that no peace talks were planned with Afghan officials for early September. Abdullah, the former chief executive officer of Afghanistan's unity government, said at an event he was attending in Kabul that the Afghan government team was fully prepared for the negotiations with the Taliban. On August 26, the Taliban said it had formed a new 20-member department responsible for Taliban representation at both the intra-Afghan talks and further negotiations with the United States. Stanikzai told RFE/RL that he will head the new department, which he said would be tasked with selecting the location and agenda for the planned intra-Afghan peace talks. The peace talks are part of an earlier agreement reached between the Taliban and U.S. envoys in an effort to end the war in Afghanistan. Stanikzai said the Taliban's newly formed department is separate from the Doha-based Taliban political office and would be in direct contact with the Taliban leadership. He also said he thinks the intra-Afghan talks would take place in several different countries. With reporting by Reuters Hydroxychloroquine touted by President Donald Trump as a 'game changer' and a 'gift from God' in the fight against Covid-19 doesn't treat the disease and may even raise the risk of death, another study has found. A review of 29 scientific studies showed the controversial anti-malarial drug does not save the lives of infected patients. And when it's combined with the antibiotic azithromycin a combination which has been tested in trials the risk of death increases by 27 per cent, results showed. The findings support those of a 'scandalous' study in May which warned it raised the risk of death. It was later retracted over concerns the data was not reliable. And the world's biggest coronavirus drug trial, led by Oxford University researchers, concluded the drug does not treat hospitalised patients. Experts warned the results were 'pretty compelling' and pulled the drug from experiments. Researchers of the latest study, led by Universite Paris Saclay, France, claimed there is 'no need' for further trials to see if hydroxychloroquine boosts the survival odds of hospitalised patients. The bold claims are in stark contrast to those of Oxford researchers, who argued this month that it has been discarded prematurely and still needs rigorous testing to find out if it can protect people from getting infected in the first place. President Trump has complained the medicine became politically toxic because of his support. Some studies which scientists say are considerably weaker because they don't compare it against a placebo have shown it has a benefit. The malaria drug hydroxychloroquine doesn't treat treat Covid-19 and may even cause death, another study has found President Trump has continuously embraced hydroxychloroquine and even admitted to taking it himself with proof it works, despite contradicts from top public health agencies and officials Thibault Fiolet and colleagues conducted the meta-analysis of hydroxychloroquine when given to Covid-19 patients, either with or without the addition of azithromycin. Azithromycin is used to treat a wide range of bacterial infections, but has also been promoted as a potential treatment for Covid-19 due to its alleged antiviral or anti-inflammatory properties. In lab experiments, the two drugs combined have shown to have antiviral properties against the coronavirus in a petri dish. The authors found 29 research papers, and all except one of which were conducted on hospitalised patients. Some 11,932 patients were given hydroxychloroquine, 8,081 both drugs, and 12,930 received neither the 'control group'. Results, published in a medical journal, showed hydroxychloroquine did not reduce the number of deaths, overall. The risk of death for patients given hydroxychloroquine was 17 per cent lower than those in the control group. But an analysis revealed it was nine per cent higher in the three randomised controlled trials examined. Randomised controlled trials are considered the highest standard of research, and are therefore the most reliable. They compared patients randomly given the drug under trial with a control group, removing any potential factors that could skew the results. WHY IS HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE CONTROVERSIAL? Hydroxychloroquine - branded as Plaquenil - is a cheap drug that has been used to prevent malaria and treat lupus and rheumatoid arthritis for decades. It was touted as a wonder drug by Donald Trump despite no evidence it could treat Covid-19. Hope was sparked early on in the crisis when a French study suggested the drug could have both antiviral and anti-inflammatory effects. It triggered a flurry of research across the world, the endorsement from Trump and emergency authorization from US regulators. The RECOVERY trial was the first randomised study to provide concrete evidence about the drug. Leading doctors have also warned the drug can cause severe side effects, and can even throw off the process that makes the heart beat in time. One trial in Brazil was stopped short because so many of the enrolled coronavirus patients given the drug developed these arrhythmias (abnormal heartbeats). According to WebMD, side effects may include: Nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, diarrhea, dizziness, or headache Slow heartbeat, symptoms of heart failure (such as shortness of breath, swelling ankles/feet, unusual tiredness, unusual/sudden weight gain) Mental/mood changes (such as anxiety, depression, rare thoughts of suicide, hallucinations) Hearing changes (such as ringing in the ears, hearing loss), easy bruising/bleeding Signs of infection or liver disease Muscle weakness, unwanted/uncontrolled movements (including tongue/face twitching), hair loss, hair/skin color changes Low blood sugar, severe dizziness, fainting, fast/irregular heartbeat, seizures. Advertisement The rest of the trials were observational, meaning doctors recorded the outcomes of patients given specific drugs but can't be certain it was the drug that caused the effect. For instance, doctors may have also given patients other treatment. Overall, the changes in mortality rates across the papers were not statistically significant, meaning it cannot be proven that any increase or decrease in deaths were directly down to the drug and not chance. However, the combination of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin did show a statistically significant 27 per cent increase in mortality, compared with controls. The authors wrote: 'These results confirm the preliminary findings of several observational studies which have shown that the combination of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin might increase the risk of acute, life-threatening cardiovascular events.' 'There is already a great number of studies that have evaluated hydroxychloroquine alone or in combination and it seems unlikely at this stage that any efficacy will ever emerge. 'Our results suggest that there is no need for further studies evaluating these molecules, and the European DisCoveRy and WHO international Solidarity clinical trials have already discontinued treatment arms using hydroxychloroquine.' The study is published in Clinical Microbiology and Infection, the official journal of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID). The findings support those of a study retracted from the medical journal The Lancet on June 4, which warned against using hydroxychloroquine because it increases the risk of death in Covid-19 patients by up to 45 per cent. And Covid-19 patients taking the drug were up to five times more likely to develop a life-threatening arrhythmia - a known side effect of the medication. More than 120 prominent scientists raised questions about the data used in the study, which was sourced from a database run by a private company, Surgisphere. The research, led by Dr Mandeep Mehra of Harvard Medical School, Dr Amit Patel of the University of Utah and Dr Frank Ruschitzka of the University Hospital Zurich, was reviewed. After mounting doubts over the study's reliability, the authors retracted their study from the Lancet medical journal, whose editorial standards were also thrown into question. But the damage had already been done with the suspension of the Solidarity trial, run by the World Health Organization, Oxford University's RECOVERY trial and a trial in France. The latest study suggests their findings were not as questionable as first thought. The debate about hydroxychloroquine as a coronavirus treatment may have finally been put to bed after a slew of studies have found no benefit - and a risk of potentially deadly heart arrythmias HYDROXY RAISES RISK OF DEATH, 'SCANDALOUS' NOW-RETRACTED STUDY WARNED The research of nearly 100,000 Covid-19 patients, published in prestigious medical journal The Lancet, cast doubt over the efficacy of hydroxychloroquine for the treatment of Covid-19. But it was retracted on June 4 after mounting doubts over the study's reliability. As well as uncovering hydroxychloroquine had no benefit for coronavirus patients, results showed it raised the risk of death by up to 45 per cent. And Covid-19 patients taking the drug were up to five times more likely to develop a life-threatening arrhythmia - a known complication. Experts at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, analysed data from 96,032 hospitalised Covid-19 patients spanning six continents. Around 5,000 of the infected were either given hydroxychloroquine or its derivative chloroquine. Another 10,000 were given hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine alongside two other promising drugs, antibiotics azithromycin or clarithromycin. Data from those four groups was then compared against a control sample of 81,000 Covid-19 patients, who were given other medications. Analysis showed one in 11 patients in the control group died in hospital - at a rate of 9.3 per cent. In comparison, 18 per cent of patients given hydroxychloroquine succumbed to the illness. The rate was 16 per cent among the chloroquine group. When the two drugs were used in combination with one of the antibiotics, the death rate rose to almost a quarter of patients (23.8 per cent). Researchers cautioned that some of the difference in the rates of mortality was due to underlying differences between which patients received the treatment. But when other factors known to raise the risk of death were included - such as age, race, BMI and co-morbidities - the drugs still increased the risk of dying by between 34 and 45 per cent. The study added to past research that showed taking hydroxychloroquine could raise the risk of someone developing an abnormal heartbeat. Scientists in the US and France last month found 90 per cent of critically-ill COVID-19 patients given hydroxychloroquine developed heart arrhythmias. Massachusetts General Hospital researchers monitored 90 patients in intensive care units, while University of Lyon academics analysed 40 patients. Both uncovered similar results in JAMA Cardiology, after looking at the QT intervals - the time between the heart's ventricular muscles contracting and then relaxing. When this interval becomes too long, the patient has developed a dangerous form of heart arrhythmia, called atrial fibrillation. Advertisement British researchers behind the only remaining large global trial testing whether hydroxychloroquine can prevent infection say the drug was prematurely discarded, however. The COPCOV Trial is a double-blind placebo study which aims to enroll 40,000 healthcare workers to see if hydroxychloroquine acts as to prevent catching the coronavirus. It is being led by the University of Oxford, the London-based research charity the Wellcome Trust and the Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit (MORU) in Bangkok. In a press release distributed on August 7, MORU warned dropping the drug will block science from finding out if the medicine can really stop coronavirus from entering the body, potentially saving thousands of lives. Sir Jeremy Farrar, director of the Wellcome Trust, said: 'Despite all the publicity, we still do not know if hydroxychloroquine can prevent Covid-19, but it's really important that we find out, one way or the other.' The team warned their work was in jeopardy because hydroxychloroquine has become too politicised. President Trump has touted hydroxychloroquine as a wonder drug from the beginning of the pandemic with no evidence it could treat Covid-19, which has led to political flare-ups and scandals in the scientific field. Hope was sparked early on in the crisis when a French study suggested the drug could have both antiviral and anti-inflammatory effects. It triggered a flurry of research across the world, the endorsement from Trump and emergency authorization from US regulators, the FDA. But since, research on Covid-19 patients has produced disappointing results. Oxford University, who pulled the controversial drug from the RECOVERY trial amid concerns of its safety, showed a quarter of NHS patients given hydroxychloroquine died from Covid-19, compared to 23.5 per cent who were not prescribed the drug. The scientists running the trial, which has recruited more than 1,500 patients from around 170 UK hospitals, said the results were 'pretty compelling', adding: 'This isn't a treatment that works.' New York researchers said patients received no benefits whether they took just the drug or paired it with the antibiotic azithromycin. The team looked at 1,438 COVID-19 patients across 25 hospitals in New York, publishing their findings in the Journal of the American Medical Association in May. They found patients who received a combination of the drugs were more likely to go into cardiac arrest compared to those who took just one of the medications or neither of them. Heart arrhythmias are a known and potentially life-threatening side effect of the malaria and lupus drug. Researchers in the US and France carefully monitored 90 and 40 patients, respectively, for heart arrhythmias. Each found that more than 90 per cent of coronavirus patients in ICUs showed longer-than-normal delays between heartbeats, a worrisome sign that the drug might be disrupting their cardiac function. In an accompanying editorial in JAMA Cardiology, Northwestern University cardiologist Dr Robert Bonow warned that once these signs emerge, 'allowing treatment beyond these limits...in patients with Covid-19 should not be recommended unless there are clear benefits associated with anti-inflammatory or antiviral effects that are yet to be clinically demonstrated.' Another trial in Brazil was stopped early because so many of the enrolled coronavirus patients given the drug developed irregular heartbeats, a known complication of the drug. But other studies have suggested hydroxychloroquine has improved the survival and recovery odds for about 90 per cent of patients treated. The Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS) presented data on 2,333 patients treated with hydroxychloroquine. Results showed 91.6 per cent of those who got the controversial drug fared better after treatment, it was reported at the end of April. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Aug. 27 Trend: Over the past 24 hours, Armenian armed forces have violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops 29 times, Trend reports referring to Azerbaijani Defense Ministry. Armenian armed forces were using large-caliber machine guns. 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. Category Select Category Apparel/Garments Textiles Fashion Technical Textiles Information Technology E-commerce Retail Corporate Association Press Release SubCategory Select Sub-Category Telugu poet P Varavara Rao, 81, one of the accused arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in the Elgar Parishad case, was discharged from Nanavati Hospital on Thursday afternoon. Rao was admitted on July 19 after he tested positive for Covid-19. He has been taken back to Taloja jail in Navi Mumbai where he was earlier lodged. Deepak Pandey, inspector general (south region prisons), has confirmed the development. Rao was first taken to JJ Hospital on May 28 after he fell unconscious, but was discharged on June 1. The family had alleged that Rao was discharged in a hurried manner to obstruct his bail plea. He was not normal at the time of discharge. While Sodium normal range was 134-145, he attained only 133 and potassium normal range was 3.5 to 5.0, he attained only 3.55, according to the hospital record. But, later on June 2 it was proved that all this admission in hospital, getting a normal report, getting him discharged was part of conspiracy by the police. June 2 was the date of hearing on his bail application on health grounds in the NIA Special Sessions Court and police argued against his bail showing this hospital normal report. The judge accepted that and refused bail on June 26, read a statement from the family. Rao continued to show signs of delirium and after voices were raised from various quarters Rao was admitted to JJ Hospital again on July 13. After he tested positive for Covid-19 he was shifted to St Georges Hospital. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) also intervened and issued notices to the Maharashtra government asking it to ensure Rao is taken care of and adequate medical facilities are arranged. It also asked for a report on Raos health. The commission observed that the right to life and medical care is one of the basic human rights and the state is duty bound to provide the same to a prisoner as well. The state has been directed to constitute a medical board to examine Raos health, provide him the best possible treatment and bear the cost for the same. Rao was then moved to Nanavati hospital for treatment. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ivany Atina Arbi (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, August 27, 2020 18:19 511 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c40f2e34 1 National land-dispute,customary-land,palm-oil-plantation,indigenous-people Free The Central Kalimantan Police reportedly arrested the customary leader of the Laman Kinipan community, Effendi Buhing, on Wednesday in relation to a years-long land dispute between the indigenous group and palm oil company PT Sawit Mandiri Lestari (SML). The National Committee on Agrarian Reform (KNPA) said in a statement that at least six of the community members had been criminalized by the company and the police so far, including Effendi. Today we witness again the criminalization of a Laman Kinipan public figure who has been struggling to defend and protect his customary land from eviction, the KNPA said Wednesday, adding that tensions had escalated recently prior to the arrest. The community members had also experienced intimidation from the company, who made use of the security personnel to end the indigenous communitys fight over their land, the committee went on. The Laman Kinipan community was expelled from their land in Lamandau regency in 2018 as SML claimed to have obtained permits to manage around 19,000 hectares of the land. Read also: Indigenous peoples see Jokowis omnibus bill as threat to their land The first permit, No. 1/I/PKH/PNBN/2015, was issued by the Environment and Forestry Ministry in March 2015, while the second was issued by the National Land Agency in 2017 under registry number 82/HGU/KEM-ATR/BPN/2017. The KNPA said the permit issuance was legally flawed because the process had neglected the consent of the Laman Kinipan community who had lived in and managed the land for generations. The KNPA had further urged the government to stop the plunder and criminalization of the indigenous people. The Central Kalimantan police separately claimed that Effendi was found to be the mastermind behind a violent theft inside the SML plantation area in June. Effendi, the police said, had ordered four other members of the community named Riswan, Teki, Embang and Semar to take a chainsaw from workers at the plantation by force. Riswan, Teki, Embang and Semar said during questioning that Efendi Buhing had masterminded the robbery, the police spokesperson said, claiming that all procedures of the arrest had been properly conducted. Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 1 anno fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili. Subsequently, the thesis explores whether Kenya can benefit from the osrs gold experiences of the UK and Mauritius, who may be regarded as successful reformers. It examines the historical evolution of UK corporate insolvency laws and identifies the driving forces behind the successful reform engagements. 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Photograph: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters As Hurricane Laura roared towards the southern US coast, the Republican national convention unleashed Hurricane Liar. There were lies aplenty at the last convention in Cleveland four years ago but, in those innocent days, reporters were still reluctant to call a lie a lie. Donald Trump blew that up on his first day in office when he and his officials claimed his inauguration crowd was bigger than Barack Obamas. Related: Mike Pence vows to 'make America great again, again' in RNC speech live Now there is no getting away from the fact that Republicans are commandeering more than two hours a night of primetime television to lie and mislead so brazenly, frequently and shamelessly that theres a chance the American public will simply be worn down into submission and untruth will be normalised. As the New York Times columnist Frank Bruni noted, all conventions tell extravagant fibs but this one is less a feat of pretty storytelling than an act of pure derangement. Wednesday night was another opportunity to deny Trumps record, deny the severity of the coronavirus pandemic and climate crisis, and deny reality itself. Vice-President Mike Pence portrayed Trump as Americas saviour from Covid-19. Before the first case of coronavirus spread within the United States, President Trump took the unprecedented step of suspending all travel from China, he said, a false statement since there were several exceptions to the ban that still allowed tens of thousands to travel. Putting on a patriotic show at Baltimores Fort McHenry, scene of a battle that inspired The Star-Spangled Banner, Pence also avoided some brutal truths: no mention of Trump praising Chinas early response, his constant downplaying of the threat, failing to deliver testing or protective equipment, waffling over face masks for months or ruminating about miracle cures. There was no mention of the 180,000 death toll, the highest in the world by far. Other lies came in the conventions ongoing attempt to perform triage and rewrite not only history but Trumps personality. Someone waking from a four-year coma this week would be gratified to learn the president is a Mount Rushmore-worthy paragon of dignity, humility and kindness and a grandmaster of geopolitical chess. Story continues Kayleigh McEnany, who famously began her tenure as White House press secretary by pledging I will never lie to you, did just that from a different podium in the bleakly empty Andrew W Mellon Auditorium in Washington. McEnany told a story of how she underwent a preventive mastectomy and how Trump called to see how she was doing. I can tell you that this president stands by Americans with pre-existing conditions, she claimed about the man who has worked tirelessly, in Congress and in court, to reverse the law that protects 130 million Americans with pre-existing conditions. Kayleigh McEnany, the White House press secretary. Photograph: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Perhaps McEnanys closest rival as the most shameless defender of Trumps mendacity is Kellyanne Conway, the outgoing White House counselor. She said: For decades, he has elevated women to senior positions in business and in government. He confides in and consults us, respects our opinions, and insists that we are on equal footing with the men For many of us, womens empowerment is not a slogan. Trumps cabinet is dominated by men, he faces multiple allegations of sexual harassment (which he denies), he has frequently and publicly bullied female reporters and he mocked womens appearance online. He has also packed the countrys courts with judges who threaten womens reproductive rights and revoked protections against sexual assault and discrimination at work and school. For good measure, Conway claimed that Trump had taken unprecedented action to combat the opioid epidemic. In fact he did not declare a national emergency, and fatal overdoses in 2019 increased more than 10% from 2016. Sometimes its the little lies. Madison Cawthorn, the Republican nominee for North Carolinas 11th congressional district, who uses a wheelchair because of a car accident, commented: James Madison was just 25 years old when he signed the Declaration of Independence. No, Madison did not sign the Declaration of Independence. Cawthorn later claimed he ad-libbed the line. After speaking all of that truth... I was afraid the fact checkers were going to get bored. I wanted to give them something to do, he tweeted. And then there was Richard Grenell, former acting director of national intelligence, who said: Ive watched President Trump charm the chancellor of Germany, while insisting that Germany pay its Nato obligations. Charm? Over to Angela Merkel for whether she saw it that way. Some of the deceit was wildly exaggerated scaremongering about what would happen if Democrat Joe Biden wins Novembers election. Senator Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee warned darkly: If the Democrats had their way, they would keep you locked in your house until you become dependent on the government for everything. That sounds a lot like Communist China to me maybe thats why Joe Biden is so soft on them. Why Nancy Pelosi says that China would prefer Joe Biden. Sister Deirdre Dede Byrne, a retired army colonel, told viewers: President Trump will stand up against Biden/Harris who are the most anti-life presidential ticket ever, even supporting the horrors of late-term abortion and infanticide. No, Biden and vice-presidential nominee Kamala Harris do not support infanticide. Even having to point that out somehow plays into the liars hands, like agreeing to a debate with a creationist or a flat-earther. Such is the current landscape of partisan cable news and wild west social media. Congresswoman Elise Stefanik of New York recalled Trumps impeachment, which has been largely forgotten at both conventions, and called it illegal another Pinocchio. The presidents daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, got in on the act with a fake Abraham Lincoln quotation and a red scare: This is not just a choice between Republican and Democrat or left and right. This is an election that will decide if we keep America America or if we head down an uncharted frightening path towards socialism. It was left to Pence to deliver perhaps the biggest lie of the night, so bold that it hid in plain sight in the Baltimore night. America needs four more years of Donald Trump in the White House, he said. Worth a factcheck, surely. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison speaks during a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2020. The Australian government has drafted new laws that would cancel international deals struck by lower tiers of governments with foreign states that are not in Australia's interests in a move likely to increase tensions with China. (Lukas Coch/AAP Image via AP) CANBERRA, Australia (AP) The Australian government will have the power to cancel deals struck with foreign nations by lower levels of government if it decide they violate the national interest under laws it will propose next week, officials said Thursday, as China warned against disrupting cooperation. An agreement signed by the southern state of Victoria with Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative to build trade-related infrastructure is among 135 deals with 30 countries that need to be reviewed, said Foreign Minister Marise Payne. China is Australia's biggest trading partner, but Australian leaders are sensitive about Chinese political and economic influence. This week, regulators blocked a Chinese company's purchase of Japanese brewer Kirin's Australian beverage unit as contrary to the national interest. Prime Minister Scott Morrison declined to comment on whether the Belt and Road deal might be scrapped. The Chinese foreign ministry cautioned against disrupting successful pragmatic cooperation" with Victoria. Australia should see two sides' cooperation under the BRI in an objective and reasonable manner and not set obstacles artificially for normal exchanges and cooperation, said a ministry spokesman, Zhao Lijian, in Beijing. Morrison said the legislation doesn't target China. My biggest concern is Australias national sovereign interest, he told reporters. Australia in 2018 passed sweeping national security laws that ban covert foreign interference in domestic politics. Beijing protested that the laws were prejudiced against China and poisoned Chinese-Australian relations. On Thursday, Attorney-General Christian Porter told Parliament the first investigations were being conducted in New South Wales state under those laws. They carry penalties including up to 20 years in prison. Two entities have been formally asked why they failed to register as agents for a foreign principal, Porter said. He did not identify the entities or the countries they are suspected of acting for. Story continues The proposed legislation would give Payne power to scrap international deals struck by state governments, public institutions such as universities and sister-city partnerships. Future deals would need federal approval and could be revoked. The recent decision to block the $430 million sale of Kirin's dairy business, Lion Dairy and Drinks, to China Mengniu Dairy Co. was unusual because it involved the transfer of an asset that already was foreign-owned. Lawmakers worry Victoria's memorandum of understanding with Beijing could increase Chinese interference in Australias second-most-populous state. The state pursued the deal despite the federal government's stance that "Australia was not going to commit itself to those types of arrangements, said Peter Jennings, executive director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute think tank. I just dont see that that is something that should be sustainable, Jennings added. James Laurenceson, director of University of Technology Sydneys Australia-China Relations Institute, questioned whether the proposed legislation was an overreaction. We know the Australian government has been running a very tough line on China, thats been consistent and it hasnt been affected by the belt and road memorandum of understanding at all, Laurenceson said. Russian authorities have found no indication so far that opposition leader Alexei Navalnys illness, which his allies and German doctors treating him believe may have been brought about by poisoning, was caused by a criminal act. A preliminary inquiry launched last week has not found any indication of deliberate criminal acts committed against Mr Navalny, Russias Prosecutor Generals office said on Thursday. The statement comes amid growing pressure from the West to investigate the sudden illness of the Kremlins fiercest critic and authorities apparent reluctance to do so. Mr Navalny, one of President Vladimir Putins fiercest critics, fell ill on a flight back to Moscow from Siberia last Thursday and was taken to a hospital in the Siberian city of Omsk after the plane made an emergency landing. Expand Close Alexei Navalny has been transferred to a hospital in Berlin for treatment (Michael Kappeler/dpa via AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Alexei Navalny has been transferred to a hospital in Berlin for treatment (Michael Kappeler/dpa via AP) Over the weekend, he was transferred to the Charite hospital in Berlin, where doctors found indications of cholinesterase inhibitors in his system. But a specific substance has not yet been identified. Found in some drugs, pesticides and chemical nerve agents, cholinesterase inhibitors act by blocking the breakdown of a key chemical in the body, acetycholine, which transmits signals between nerve cells. Mr Navalnys allies insist he was deliberately poisoned and say the Kremlin was behind it, but Moscow officials have branded the accusations empty noise. Mr Navalnys team submitted a request to Russias Investigative Committee, demanding authorities launch a criminal probe on charges of an attempt on the life of a public figure last week, but said they received no response. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday he sees no grounds for a criminal case until the cause of the politicians condition is fully established. Expand Close Mr Navalnys wife Julia, outside the Berlin hospital where he is being treated (Christoph Soeder/dpa via AP) / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Mr Navalnys wife Julia, outside the Berlin hospital where he is being treated (Christoph Soeder/dpa via AP) On Thursday, Russian police said they have been conducting a preliminary probe an inquiry to determine whether a criminal investigation should be launched to establish all the circumstances of the incident. The announcement about the inquiry came after multiple Western and European officials including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called on Russia to start a full and transparent investigation into Mr Navalnys condition. On Wednesday night, the politicians illness was discussed in a phone call between Mr Putin and Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte. According to the Kremlin, Mr Putin pointed out on the call that premature and unfounded accusations are unacceptable and he underscored Russias interest in a thorough and objective investigation of all the circumstances of the incident. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas on Thursday once again urged Moscow to investigate Mr Navalnys condition. We still expect of Moscow that a contribution be made from there for things being cleared up, Mr Maas said in Berlin ahead of a meeting with his counterparts from other European Union countries. Otherwise, conjecture and speculation will remain that certainly wont improve relations between Germany and Russia, and also relations between the EU and Russia, but will continue to weigh on them. The state plays an important role in solving the problem of demography, the second President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan told a group of economic reporters. "We need to see if there is a similar experience in the world. Look at the population of Israel, at the time of creation and now," he said. "The question is that we need to set a goal and develop a program to achieve it." According to him, effective management, correct decisions, and internal organization are needed. "I have always believed that we can be the most organized country in the region. We need a national project, where you can contribute a lot and achieve the goal," the ex-president said. If the world has such an experience, then why are we worse? If you are notorious and do not believe in your strength, then there is nothing to do," Kocharyan added. "Internal cohesion is also very important. But in the current situation I can't believe that it is possible to achieve something." Charu Asopa, who is married to Sushmita Sens brother Rajeev Sen, said that she works very hard and wishes to be recognised for her shows rather than the people she is related to. She also opened up on whether it is easy to find work in the industry because of her connections. In an interview with Telly Chakkar, Charu said, Being associated with prominent names of the industry always creates a lot of chit-chat and banter amidst a lot of people. I think its sad for people to think that way. I work really hard and my passion for my art of acting is the one I follow. I truly believe I should be recognised for my work as an actor and not the people I am associated with. Charu also praised her sister-in-law Sushmita, calling her a superstar and a beautiful gem of a person. Charu also said that she finished watching Sushmitas web series Aarya, which marked her comeback to acting after several years, in one go. Lately, Charu has been in the news for her marital trouble with Rajeev. According to reports, he moved out of their house in May, just days before their first wedding anniversary, after a fight with her. While he has been living in Delhi, she is staying by herself in Mumbai. Also read | Happy birthday Neha Dhupia: When Karan Johar screamed are you blind at her, made her realise love for Angad Bedi In recent interviews, Charu said that she is not sure of her present relationship status with Rajeev and added that she is waiting for Gods directions. Charu made her small screen debut as the antagonist in Agle Janam Mohe Bitiya Hi Kijo in 2009. She has also acted in shows such as Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai, Bade Achhe Lagte Hai and Mere Angne Mein. She will be seen next in the upcoming show, Akbar Ka Bal Birbal. Rajeev, meanwhile, is set to make his Bollywood debut with the thriller, Iti - Can You Solve Your Own Murder?, directed by Vishal Mishra. The film is expected to go on floors by September-October this year and is eyeing a theatrical release in the first quarter of 2021. Follow @htshowbiz for more An international team of scientists from the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids, and colleagues from the USA and Switzerland have successfully combined various extreme experimental conditions in a completely unique way, revealing exciting insights into the mysterious conducting properties of the crystalline metal CeRhIn5. In the journal Nature Communications (DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-17274-6), they report on their exploration of previously uncharted regions of the phase diagram of this metal, which is considered a promising model system for understanding unconventional superconductors. "First, we apply a thin layer of gold to a microscopically small single crystal. Then we use an ion beam to carve out tiny microstructures. At the ends of these structures, we attach ultra-thin platinum tapes to measure resistance along different directions under extremely high pressures, which we generate with a diamond anvil pressure cell. In addition, we apply very powerful magnetic fields to the sample at temperatures near absolute zero." To the average person, this may sound like an overzealous physicist's whimsical fancy, but in fact, it is an actual description of the experimental work conducted by Dr. Toni Helm from HZDR's High Magnetic Field Laboratory (HLD) and his colleagues from Tallahassee, Los Alamos, Lausanne and Dresden. Well, at least in part, because this description only hints at the many challenges involved in combining such extremes concurrently. This great effort is, of course, not an end in itself: the researchers are trying to get to the bottom of some fundamental questions of solid state physics. The sample studied is cer-rhodium-indium-five (CeRhIn5), a metal with surprising properties that are not fully understood yet. Scientists describe it as an unconventional electrical conductor with extremely heavy charge carriers, in which, under certain conditions, electrical current can flow without losses. It is assumed that the key to this superconductivity lies in the metal's magnetic properties. The central issues investigated by physicists working with such correlated electron systems include: How do heavy electrons organize collectively? How can this cause magnetism and superconductivity? And what is the relationship between these physical phenomena? An expedition through the phase diagram The physicists are particularly interested in the metal's phase diagram, a kind of map whose coordinates are pressure, magnetic field strength, and temperature. If the map is to be meaningful, the scientists have to uncover as many locations as possible in this system of coordinates, just like a cartographer exploring unknown territory. In fact, the emerging diagram is not unlike the terrain of a landscape. As they reduce temperature to almost four degrees above absolute zero, the physicists observe magnetic order in the metal sample. At this point, they have a number of options: They can cool the sample down even further and expose it to high pressures, forcing a transition into the superconducting state. If, on the other hand, they solely increase the external magnetic field to 600,000 times the strength of the earth's magnetic field, the magnetic order is also suppressed; however, the material enters a state called "electronically nematic". This term is borrowed from the physics of liquid crystals, where it describes a certain spatial orientation of molecules with a long-range order over larger areas. The scientists assume that the electronically nematic state is closely linked to the phenomenon of unconventional superconductivity. The experimental environment at HLD provides optimum conditions for such a complex measurement project. The large magnets generate relatively long-lasting pulses and offer sufficient space for complex measurement methods under extreme conditions. Experiments at the limit afford a glimpse of the future The experiments have a few additional special characteristics. For example, working with high-pulsed magnetic fields creates eddy currents in the metallic parts of the experimental setup, which can generate unwanted heat. The scientists have therefore manufactured the central components from a special plastic material that suppresses this effect and functions reliably near absolute zero. Through the microfabrication by focused ion beams, they produce a sample geometry that guarantees a high-quality measurement signal. "Microstructuring will become much more important in future experiments. That's why we brought this technology into the laboratory right away," says Toni Helm, adding: "So we now have ways to access and gradually penetrate into dimensions where quantum mechanical effects play a major role." He is also certain that the know-how he and his team have acquired will contribute to research on high-temperature superconductors or novel quantum technologies. ### Publications: T. Helm, A. D. Grockowiak, F. F. Balakirev, J. Singleton, J. B. Betts, K. R. Shirer, M. Konig, T. Forster, E. D. Bauer, F. Ronning, S. W. Tozer, P. J. W. Moll: Non-monotonic pressure dependence of high-field nematicity and magnetism in CeRhIn5, in Nature Communications, 2020 (DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-17274-6) More information: Dr. Toni Helm High Magnetic Field Laboratory Dresden (HLD) at HZDR Tel.: +49 351 260 3314 | E-Mail: t.helm@hzdr.de Media contact: Simon Schmitt | Science editor Phone: +49 351 260-3400 | Email: s.schmitt@hzdr.de Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf | Bautzner Landstr. 400 | 01328 Dresden / Germany | http://www.hzdr.de The Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) performs - as an independent German research center - research in the fields of energy, health, and matter. We focus on answering the following questions: * How can energy and resources be utilized in an efficient, safe, and sustainable way? * How can malignant tumors be more precisely visualized, characterized, and more effectively treated? * How do matter and materials behave under the influence of strong fields and in smallest dimensions? To help answer these research questions, HZDR operates large-scale facilities, which are also used by visiting researchers: the Ion Beam Center, the High-Magnetic Field Laboratory Dresden, and the ELBE Center for High-Power Radiation Sources. HZDR is a member of the Helmholtz Association and has six sites (Dresden, Freiberg, Grenoble, Leipzig, Schenefeld near Hamburg) with almost 1,200 members of staff, of whom about 500 are scientists, including 170 Ph.D. candidates. NATO members Greece and Turkey have been staging rival war games amid a dispute over Mediterranean energy riches Turkey on Thursday announced new naval exercises near its shores and accused France of "bullying" as the conflict over Mediterranean energy riches risked turning into a military standoff. The Turkish navy said it would stage "gunnery exercises" at the edge of its territorial waters in the northeastern corner of the Mediterranean Sea next Tuesday and Wednesday. Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said the drills were "security related" and did not directly concern Turkey's controversial search for natural gas that has pitted it against Greece and the EU. The two NATO members have been staging rival war games in a conflict that could imperil Europe's access to vast new energy deposits and further destabilise war-torn Libya and parts of the Middle East. US President Donald Trump spoke to Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday -- his first direct involvement in the escalating dispute. The Turkish defence minister did not say whether the Oruc Reis research vessel and its accompanying navy frigates would leave waters claimed by Greece on Thursday as planned. But he warned: "There's neither a deadline nor a limit" to Turkish exercises and exploration in the eastern Mediterranean. "They will be carried out as much as they are needed ... We are determined to protect our rights." - Trump gets involved - Germany's intensifying efforts to calm the rhetoric and get talks on track have so far been ineffective. EU foreign ministers will tackle the crisis in Berlin on Thursday and Trump took the pulse of both sides through his own round of telephone diplomacy. The White House said Trump "expressed concern over increased tension between NATO allies Greece and Turkey". Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said afterwords that Athens was "ready for a significant de-escalation -- but on condition that Turkey immediately stops its provocative actions". Story continues Erdogan has already rejected agreeing to preconditions before talking to Greece. The Turkish presidency said Erdogan "reminded (Trump) our country was not the one creating instability in the eastern Mediterranean". Erdogan "emphasised how Turkey has taken concrete steps which proves it sides with lowering tensions and dialogue," the presidency said. Greece's European support is led by EU military powerhouse France. French frigates and fighter jets joined the Greek war games -- also including Italy and Crete -- on Wednesday while Turkey staged smaller ones nearby with a US navy ship. The French intervention has particularly upset Turkey. "The time for bullying is over. You have no chance to force (us) to take some actions through bullying," Akar told France in a televised interview. "It's an empty dream to think about preventing or changing the activities of Turkey or the Turkish armed forces," he said of the French military presence in the region. Akar also urged Greece to stop hiding behind France or the EU and said: "As Turkey and the Greeks, we need to solve our problems by holding talks... We say we should talk, we say dialogue and want a solution." The EU meanwhile appears divided over how to respond. Greece's push to sanction Turkey failed to get off the ground at an EU foreign ministers' video conference on August 14. Turkey's position found some support from southern European countries that would be most directly affected should Erdogan retaliate against the bloc. Greece is expected to try again at the EU meeting in Berlin on Thursday and Friday. fo-bg-raz/zak/bp Advertisement Amazon has opened its first Fresh grocery store, featuring specialized shopping carts that let customers skip checkout lines and even an in-store Alexa to answer customer questions. The Amazon Fresh supermarket opened in the Woodland Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles as the e-commerce company builds out its offline presence despite the shift to online shopping caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The store will also offer same-day delivery and pickup. Amazon already owns the Whole Foods Market chain but bosses say the Amazon Fresh stores will cater to a different set of customers with less of a focus on organic items, more national brands, and lower prices. The new Amazon Fresh grocery store in Los Angeles opened Thursday to those with an invitation only. The e-commerce company continues to build out its offline presence despite the shift to online shopping caused by the coronavirus pandemic A station for shoppers to question Amazon's voice-controlled assistant Alexa in the store An 'Amazon Dash Cart' that will automate checkout for shoppers via technology systems that discern what they put in the cart and bill a credit card on file once customers leave through a designated lane. The cart is fitted with sensors and scales The new store is roughly the size of a Whole Foods store at 35,000 square feet, but serves a different need, not focused on natural and organic items, said Amazon Vice President Jeff Helbling. The store will carry mainstream brands that Whole Foods does not - such as Coca-Cola, Tide, Oreos and Kellogg's - as well as the Whole Foods' cheaper private-label brand, 365. Amazon's own brands, including Happy Belly snacks, Cursive wine and a new line of Fresh-branded food products, will also be available. 'Grocery is a very large consumer sector; by most measures, it's $800 billion in the US,' Helbling told CNN Business . 'And collectively, we're relatively small in the space. 'We do think of these formats as complementing one another and serving different needs,' he added. 'Whole Foods is a longstanding pioneer and leader in natural, organic and clean foods. Amazon's Fresh selection is fairly different. We see them operating next to one another and we're excited to offer customers the choice between the two.' The Amazon Fresh store blends in-store and online shopping and will also be the first with the 'Amazon Dash Cart'. The 'smart cart' looks like a general one-basket convenience cart but is equipped with bar code readers, sensors and scales. This lets shoppers fill up to two grocery bags, and technology systems will discern what they put in the cart and bill a credit card on file once customers leave through a designated lane. This lets shoppers forgo the store's cashiers - and the queues. 'Customers simply place their bags in the cart, sign in using their Fresh QR code in the Amazon app, shop, and exit through the Dash Cart lane to automatically complete their payment,' Amazon said in blog post. 'The cart uses a combination of computer vision algorithms and sensor fusion to identify items put in the cart.' The shop also has a counter for picking up and returning web orders; free same-day delivery and pickup to members of Amazon's Prime program; and stations for questioning Amazon's voice-controlled assistant Alexa. A traditional checkout station is pictured at the new Amazon Fresh grocery store which opened by invitation only Thursday The Customer Service and Returns counter is seen at the new Amazon Fresh grocery store in Los Angeles The stores will only work to 50 percent capacity as a result of the coronavirus pandemic Smart displays will be featured around the stores where the virtual helper can answer questions such as 'Where can I find the mayonnaise?' and suggest what to make for dinner. Yet the store will also feature departments seen in a more traditional grocery store, such as produce, dry goods, seafood and meat counters. Cashiers and check-stands will also be available for this who don't wish to use Dash Cart or have a larger amount of groceries. The store is the first of seven Amazon has confirmed for Southern California and greater Chicago. It let customers in by invitation only on Thursday, and will open to the wider public in the coming weeks The opening dates for the other three Amazon Fresh stores in California and three in Illinois have not been announced as the coronavirus pandemic brings uncertainty. Three other Fresh store locations, including in Irvine and Northridge, California, as well as Chicago's Naperville neighborhood, are currently being used for online order fulfillment. 'It wasn't our initial plan, but we thought it was the best thing to do to serve the high customer demand we were seeing online only at that particular point in time,' Helbling said. Amazon has been one of the sole companies for whom the pandemic worked in their favor. Grocery sales tripled year-over-year for the company in the second quarter and it increased grocery delivery capacity by more than 160 percent Amazon's stock price rose nearly 80 per cent year to date The online retailer was also forced to alter is protocols in-store as a result of the outbreak. It will require customers and employees to wear masks while in the store and it will limit the store to 50 percent capacity, as well as other health and safety measures. The world's largest online retailer has experimented with physical stores in recent years to capture more consumer spending, particularly in groceries. Its current expansion comes despite the impact of the coronavirus speeding up the decline in brick and mortar stores. It has more than 20 cashier-less shops with grab-and-go food for office workers and over 500 stores in the Whole Foods Market chain it acquired in 2017 for $13.7billion. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos on Wednesday saw his fortune rise to more than $200 billion. The company has seen its stock price rise nearly 80 per cent since the start of the year, as the coronavirus pandemic forced people to shop online Amazon's latest concept faces stiff competition from far larger incumbents Kroger Co and Albertsons Companies Inc. Hebling told CNN that the retail giant currently has about four percent of the current marker share in groceries, compared to 21 percent held by Walmart. Earlier this week it was rumored that Whole Foods may also go cashierless next year. It is believed Jeff Wilke, Amazon's retiring Chief of Consumer, wants to bring the technology to the upscale supermarket chain before he leaves in early 2021. Amazon last month posted its biggest quarterly profit ever due to online sales during the coronavirus pandemic, but a 13 percent drop in physical store revenue. Grocery sales tripled year-over-year for the company in the second quarter and it increased grocery delivery capacity by more than 160 percent. On Wednesday, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos became the first person to have their fortune break the $200billion barrier, as s result of the surge in online shopping during the pandemic. Bezos, 56, founded Amazon in 1994 and owns 11 per cent of the company. On Wednesday afternoon, as Amazon's soaring stock rose by a further two per cent, that added $4.9 billion to Bezos's fortune. The increase, Forbes reported, meant that, as of 1:50pm EDT on Wednesday, Bezos was worth $204.6 billion. Bezos is now worth nearly $90billion more than the world's second-richest person, Bill Gates, who's currently worth $116.1 billion. Amazon has seen its stock price rise nearly 80 per cent since the beginning of the year, as the coronavirus pandemic forced people to remain in their homes. Bezos was worth roughly $115 billion on January 1, but has seen his wealth increase by more than $85 billion since then. His epic payday came while Amazon workers were protesting that they did not have enough PPE to protect them during the pandemic. By Ayya Lmahamad Azerbaijan increased the volume of trade turnover with the Latin American country Ecuador in the first seven months of 2020, local media reported with reference to the State Customs Committee on August 27. According to the report, the trade turnover with Ecuador amounted to $24.8 million, with an increase compared to the same period last year. Trande turnover with Spain amounted to $262.6 million, while with Mexico to $34.5 million, with a decrease in total volume of trade turnover compared to the same period of 2019. Thus, Spain, Mexico and Ecuador were the top three countries with which Azerbaijan conducted the most trade transactions from among Spanish-speaking countries. Moreover, these countries were also leaders in terms of import among Spanish-speaking countries. Thus, value of import from Spain amounted to $34.8 million, from Mexico to $34.3 million and from Ecuador to $24.8 million, during the first seven months of the year. The cost of import from Spain and Mexico has decreased, while from Ecuador has increased, compared to the same period of 2019. Earlier, the Mexican Embassy in Azerbaijan told that trade turnover between two countries in July increased by 13 percent compared to June. However, the total value of trade turnover decreased by 5 percent during the first seven months of the year, compared to the same period in 2019. It should be noted that Mexico ranks 26th among the countries importing goods from Azerbaijan. The main product exported from Mexico to Azerbaijan is related to energy and transport sectors, mainly reflected in the sale of pipes for the oil sector and cars of various size used for urban transport. Likewise, the largest export volume from Azerbaijan among Spanish-speaking countries accounts for Spain, Argentina and Colombia. Thus, exports to Spain amounted to $227.7 million, to Argentina to $1.7 million and export to Columbia was negligible. During the reporting period, export to Spain decreased, while with Argentina increased. The volume of Azerbaijans foreign trade turnover amounted to $15 billion in the period between January and July 2020. During the reporting period, export amounted to $9.1 billion, which is 61.46 percent of the total volume of foreign trade. Meanwhile, imports amounted to $5.9 billion, which is 38.54 percent from the total volume of foreign trade. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz WASHINGTON, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- American Automakers FCA US LLC, Ford Motor Company and General Motors issued a new report, the American Automakers 2020 State of the U.S. Automotive Industry, illustrating how vital these three American companies are to the U.S. economy, by driving growth in both manufacturing and job creation. As policymakers consider additional measures to support the U.S. economic recovery from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the data in this report shows why American Automakers are critical to this effort. "American Automakers FCA US, Ford, and General Motors are pivotal in driving growth in the U.S. manufacturing sector and will be essential to the recovery of America's economy in the months ahead," said Governor Matt Blunt, president of AAPC, the trade association representing American Automakers FCA US LLC, Ford Motor Company and General Motors Company. "The 2020 State of the U.S. Automotive Industry report highlights the many crucial contributions American Automakers make to our nation's economy. These unique contributions are especially important as policymakers consider steps to recover from the negative economic impact of the coronavirus on the U.S. economy." See below for key statistics from the American Automakers 2020 State of the U.S. Automotive Industry report detailing FCA US LLC, Ford Motor Company and General Motors impact on the U.S. economy: Production, Sales, and Exports Operate 3 out of 5 U.S. auto assembly plants. Produced 5.8 million vehicles in 2018, representing 75% of their U.S. sales. Exported nearly 1 million American-made vehicles last year, serving more than 100 foreign markets. Investment Invested more than $34 billion in U.S. assembly, engine and transmission plants, R&D labs, headquarters, and other facilities (2013-2018). Jobs Accounted for 238,000 U.S. workers at 260 assembly plants, manufacturing facilities, research labs, distribution centers, and other facilities, located in 31 states. Research and Development Spent approximately $20 billion in R&D in 2018. For more information on findings and to view the full report click here . The American Automotive Policy Council (AAPC) represents American Automakers FCA US LLC, Ford Motor Company and General Motors Company. AAPC is a Washington, D.C. association representing the common public policy interests of its member companies. Contact: [email protected] SOURCE American Automotive Policy Council Boris Johnsons government has been hit with a legal challenge over plans to hand private security firm G4S more than 250m to run one of Englands new mega-prisons. The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) last month picked the company as its preferred choice to be awarded the contract for the new HMP Wellingborough in Northamptonshire a category C prison set to hold 1,680 inmates. However, rival bidder MTC-Novo has now launched a legal challenge against the government over the commercial process for awarding the 253m contract, according to the BBC. An MoJ spokesman said: We have received a legal challenge relating to the operating contract for the new prison at Wellingborough. We continue to work closely with all parties and it would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage. Building work began in September on the high-capacity, so-called mega-prison at Wellingborough, which is due to open next year on the site of the former jail which closed in 2012. The legal wrangling follows a decision taken last year to strip G4S of its contract to run HMP Birmingham seven years early. The jail was taken back under state control having plunged into crisis under private management, according to a damning report by Chief Inspector of Prisons Peter Clarke. His findings detailed scenes likened to a war zone in which inmates walked around like zombies while high on drugs and flouted the rules with impunity. UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 14 January 2022 Ecologist Emma Smart (left) and retired GP Dr Diana Warner outside HMP Bronzefield, in Surrey, following their release from the prison where Emma undertook a 26-day hunger strike during her incarceration. Ms Smart was sentenced in November, along with other members of Insulate Britain, to serve four months for breaking a High Court injunction by taking part in a blockade at junction 25 of the M25 motorway during the morning rush hour on 8 October last year PA UK news in pictures 13 January 2022 A TV presenter holds a copy of a newspaper outside 10 Downing Streetafter the Prime Minister apologised for attending a gathering of colleagues in the Number Ten garden in May 2020, while the UK was in strict lockdown due to the Coronavirus pandemic Getty UK news in pictures 12 January 2022 Fitness guru Derrick Evans after receiving an MBE during an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 11 January 2022 A couple walk underneath an umbrella during wet weather on Westminster Bridge in central London PA UK news in pictures 10 January 2022 A jogger passes the Covid Memorial Wall in London AP UK news in pictures 9 January 2021 The sun rises over horses at Seaton Sluice in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 8 January 2022 Riders compete during the Veterans Men's race at the UK Cyclo-Cross National Championships 2022 in Ardingly, south of London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 7 January 2022 A dog looks out of a car window at the wintry conditions in Killeshin, Co. Laois PA UK news in pictures 6 January 2022 People walk through frost and mist alongside a frozen lake during sunrise in Bushy Park, London REUTERS UK news in pictures 5 January 2022 A skier jumps on the slopes at Allenheads in the Pennines to the north of Weardale in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 4 January 2022 Freshly-fallen snow covers houses in Corbridge, near Hexham in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 3 January 2022 Dean Morrison, 13, receives his Covid-19 vaccine from student nurse Anthony McLaughlin during a vaccination clinic at the Glasgow Central Mosque PA UK news in pictures 2 January 2022 Konastantinos Tsimikas of Liverpool with Chelseas Mason Mount during the Premier League match at Stamfrod Bridge Liverpool FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 January 2022 New Years Eve Lasers, drones and fireworks illuminate the sky in front of the Royal Naval College in Greenwich shortly after midnight in London EPA UK news in pictures 31 December 2021 Competitors in fancy dress run across the Pennine tops near Haworth, West Yorkshire, in the annual Auld Lang Syne Fell race which attracts hundreds of runners every year PA UK news in pictures 30 December 2021 Sunrise at Bamburgh Castle in Northumberland PA UK news in pictures 29 December 2021 The Very Revd Dr Robert Willis, Dean of Canterbury Cathedral, looks at Becket, a six month old red-billed chough as he visits Wildwood Wildlife Park in Kent on the anniversary of the murder of Thomas Becket PA UK news in pictures 28 December 2021 Troops of the Household Cavalry are seen reflected in a puddle during the changing of the Queens Life Guard, on Horse Guards Parade, in central London PA UK news in pictures 27 December 2021 A pedestrian walks past a winter sale sign outside a John Lewis store on Oxford street in London Getty UK news in pictures 26 December 2021 Riders take their bikes through the snow near Castleside, County Durham PA UK news in pictures 25 December 2021 Patrick Corkery wears a santa hat and beard as waves crash over him at Forty Foot near Dublin during a Christmas Day dip PA UK news in pictures 24 December 2021 People stand inside Kings Cross Station on Christmas Eve in London Reuters UK news in pictures 23 December 2021 Christmas shoppers fill the car park at Fosse Shopping Park in Leicester PA UK news in pictures 22 December 2021 The sun rises behind the stones as people gather for the winter solstice at Stonehenge. Getty UK news in pictures 21 December 2021 People take part in a winter solstice swim at Portobello Beach in Edinburgh to mark the solstice and to witness the dawn after the longest night of the year PA UK news in pictures 20 December 2021 An auction employee displays poultry to buyers and sellers attending the Christmas Poultry Sale at York Auction Centre in Murton PA UK news in pictures 19 December 2021 Joao Moutinho of Wolverhampton Wanderers looks on during the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Chelsea at Molineux Getty Images UK news in pictures 18 December 2021 Freight lorries queuing at the port of Dover in Kent PA UK news in pictures 17 December 2021 Newly elected Liberal Democrat MP Helen Morgan, bursts 'Boris' bubble' held by colleague Tim Farron, as she celebrates following her victory in the North Shropshire by-election PA UK news in pictures 16 December 2021 Brussels sprouts are harvested by workers as they prepare for the busy Christmas period near Boston in Lincolnshire PA UK news in pictures 15 December 2021 Lewis Hamilton is made a Knight Bachelor by the Prince of Wales at Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 14 December 2021 The Royal Liver Buildings surrounded by early morning fog in Liverpool PA UK news in pictures 13 December 2021 People queue outside a walk-in Covid-19 vaccination centre at St Thomas's Hospital in Westminster Getty Images UK news in pictures 12 December 2021 People take part in the Big Leeds Santa Dash in Roundhay Park, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 11 December 2021 People arrive at a Covid-19 vaccination centre at Elland Road in Leeds, PA UK news in pictures 10 December 2021 Stella Moris speaks to the media after the US Government won its High Court bid to overturn a judges decision not to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange PA UK news in pictures 9 December 2021 Camels are lead around Salisbury Cathedral during a rehearsal for the Christmas Eve Service PA UK news in pictures 8 December 2021 Margaret Keenan and Nurse May Parsons, a year after Margaret was the first person in the UK to receive the Pfizer vaccine PA UK news in pictures 7 December 2021 Snowfall in Leadhills, South Lanarkshire as Storm Barra hits the UK with disruptive winds, heavy rain and snow PA UK news in pictures 6 December 2021 A person tries to avoid sea spray on New Brighton promenade in Wallasey as the UK readies for the arrival of Storm Barra Getty UK news in pictures 5 December 2021 People release balloons during a tribute to six-year-old Arthur Labinjo-Hughes outside Emma Tustin's former address in Solihull, West Midlands, where he was murdered by his stepmother PA UK news in pictures 4 December 2021 People walk through a Christmas market in Trafalgar Square Reuters UK news in pictures 3 December 2021 A pedestrian carries a dog as they dodge shoppers on Oxford Street in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 2 December 2021 Duchess of Cambridge inspects a Faberge egg at the Victoria and Albert Museum Getty UK news in pictures 1 December 2021 Meerkats at London Zoo with an advent calendar PA UK news in pictures 30 November 2021 Workers put the finishing touches to the Trafalgar Square Christmas Tree ahead of the lighting ceremony later in the week PA UK news in pictures 29 November 2021 Home Secretary Priti Patel is greeted by a police dog at a special memorial service for Met Police Sergeant Matiu Ratana Getty UK news in pictures 28 November 2021 Riyad Mahrez of Manchester City battles for possession with Aaron Cresswell of West Ham United during a match at the Etihad during snow Manchester City/Getty UK news in pictures 27 November 2021 Residents clear branches from a fallen tree in Birkenhead, north west England as Storm Arwen triggered a rare red weather warning AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 26 November 2021 A killer whale (orca in the fjord of Skjervoy, northern Norway AFP/Getty G4S also pulled out of running Brook House immigration removal centre near Gatwick Airport and the Medway secure training centre in Kent after the Panorama programme broadcast undercover footage of inmates and detainees allegedly being mistreated. But the company also runs four other prisons Altcourse, Parc, Rye Hill and Oakwood all of which have won praise from inspectors. Just days after it emerged that G4S had won the Wellingborough contract, the company agreed to pay more than 38m in fines over an electronic tagging fraud following a probe into its financial reporting to the MoJ. A same sex penguin couple in Spain welcoming a chick is probably just the kind of uplifting news you need, as the world grapples with a deadly pandemic. Electra and Viola, who live at Oceanografic Valencia aquarium in Spain, have been described as an exceptional pair by the aquarium managers. They had earlier adopted an egg from another couple and incubated it; now, the egg has hatched and the two are raising the adorable chick together. According to a press release by the aquarium, three penguin couples among Gentoo penguins have welcomed chicks this season. The aquarium said that same sex couples are not uncommon among animals, but the adoption of another chick is the first such instance for them. The press release also offers some insight into the penguins activities before the egg hatched, to show that their behaviour is similar to other penguin couples that is, they begin building nests out of stones. Both parents take turns at incubation and the period lasts for a total of 38 days. 75 days after birth, the chick becomes independent. A similar incident was reported last year in the United Kingdom. In a world first, a four-month old gender-neutral penguin is being raised by a same-sex penguin couple at an aquarium in UK. Sea Life London said the Gentoo chick is the worlds first penguin to not have its gender assigned. The two female penguins, Rocky and Marama, were given the egg to relieve the penguins birth mother of the pressure of raising two chicks. Although its usual for new-born penguins to be given a gender-based name at the aquarium, it was decided that it would be best for the chick to grow and develop into a mature adult as neutral which is normal in the wild until they mature. Were on track to have the worlds first safe, effective coronavirus vaccine by the end of this year. Vice President Mike Pence Mostly True. The race to develop a vaccine is well underway, but it is uncertain whether it will produce results by the end of the year. Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, an infectious disease expert and a member of the White House coronavirus task force, has repeatedly said it will likely be the end of 2020 or the start of 2021 before it is clear whether clinical trials were successful. Some researchers working on vaccine candidates have said getting data this year will be a real feat. Mr. Trump has been pushing hard for a faster timetable. According to two people with knowledge of the discussion, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who sits on the coronavirus task force, suggested in a July 30 meeting with congressional leaders that the administration would likely grant emergency authorization for a vaccine before the end of phase three clinical trials in the United States. Asked about that remark, a Treasury Department spokesman said that Mr. Mnuchin believes vaccine approval is wholly up to the Food and Drug Administration. Nonetheless, the promotion of overly optimistic scenarios by Mr. Trump and his aides has fostered deep concern that the White House will try to influence the vaccine approval process for political reasons. And a vaccine approval is also only the first step. Even a safe, effective vaccine is useless unless it can be administered widely, and experts have begun to worry that many Americans will be unwilling to take the vaccine, or be unable to access it. A greenlit vaccine also wont necessarily make people impervious to infection or even mild disease, which means that masking and distancing will likely need to continue for some time yet. Read the full fact check Walmart Inc said it was joining Microsoft in a bid for social media company TikToks US assets, revealing its plans hours after Chief Executive Kevin Mayer said he would step down. Mayer is leaving just three months after joining, in the middle of negotiations to sell the Chinese-owned video apps US operations to Microsoft Corp or Oracle Corp . Retailer Walmart lauded TikToks e-commerce and advertising capabilities. The sale of TikTok is happening as the company is under fire from the administration of US President Donald Trump as a potential national security risk due to the vast amount of private data the app is compiling on US consumers. The Trump administration has demanded that Chinas ByteDance, which owns TikTok globally, sell its US operations. Earlier this week, TikTok also sued over an executive order effectively banning it in the United States. We are confident that a Walmart and Microsoft partnership would meet both the expectations of US TikTok users while satisfying the concerns of US government regulators, Walmart said in a statement. The Niger State Police Command on Saturday confirmed the death of seven people due to inhalation of generator fumes at Rijau town, in Rijau Local Government Area of the state. Adamu Usman, the state Commissioner of Police told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Minna that one Mohammed Bello, the district Head of Rijau reported the incident at Rijau, Divisional police office. Mr Usman said on Friday at about 08:15 a.m, Mr Bello reported the discovery of seven bodies inside Afrash Beauty Saloon located along Bawa Rijau road. Preliminary investigation revealed that the ladies slept with generator on inside the shop. We have successfully removed the seven corpses to General Hospital Tunga Magaji for autopsy, while the case is under investigation, Mr Usman said. The Commissioner of police advised residents to always adopt proactive measures while using generators to avoid unnecessary loss of lives and property. (NAN) A single-dose intranasal vaccine called ChAd-SARS-CoV-2-S prevents SARS-CoV-2 infection in both the upper and lower respiratory tracts of mice, according to a paper published in the journal Cell. The study authors now plan to test the vaccine in non-human primates and humans to see if it is safe and effective in preventing the infection. We were happily surprised to see a strong immune response in the cells of the inner lining of the nose and upper airway and a profound protection from infection with this virus, said Professor Michael Diamond, a researcher at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and corresponding co-author of the study. These mice were well protected from disease. And in some of the mice, we saw evidence of sterilizing immunity, where there is no sign of infection whatsoever after the mouse is challenged with the virus. To develop the ChAd-SARS-CoV-2-S vaccine, Professor Diamond and colleagues inserted SARS-CoV-2s spike protein, which coronavirus uses to invade cells, inside another virus a genetically engineered chimpanzee adenovirus that causes mild cold-like symptoms in apes but does not normally infect humans. Adenoviruses are the basis for many investigational vaccines for COVID-19 and other infectious diseases, such as Ebola virus and tuberculosis, and they have good safety and efficacy records, but not much research has been done with nasal delivery of these vaccines, said corresponding co-author Professor David Curiel, also from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. The harmless adenovirus carries the spike protein into the nose, enabling the body to mount an immune defense against the SARS-CoV-2 virus without becoming sick. In another innovation beyond nasal delivery, the ChAd-SARS-CoV-2-S vaccine incorporates two mutations into the spike protein that stabilize it in a specific shape that is most conducive to forming antibodies against it. All of the other adenovirus vaccines in development for COVID-19 are delivered by injection into the arm or thigh muscle, Professor Curiel said. The nose is a novel route, so our results are surprising and promising. Its also important that a single dose produced such a robust immune response. Vaccines that require two doses for full protection are less effective because some people, for various reasons, never receive the second dose. The researchers compared the ChAd-SARS-CoV-2-S vaccine administered to the mice in two ways in the nose and through intramuscular injection. While the injection induced an immune response that prevented pneumonia, it did not prevent infection in the nose and lungs. Such a vaccine might reduce the severity of COVID-19, but it would not totally block infection or prevent infected individuals from spreading the virus. In contrast, the nasal delivery route prevented infection in both the upper and lower respiratory tract the nose and lungs suggesting that vaccinated individuals would not spread the virus or develop infections elsewhere in the body. We will soon begin a study to test this intranasal vaccine in nonhuman primates with a plan to move into human clinical trials as quickly as we can, Professor Diamond said. Were optimistic, but this needs to continue going through the proper evaluation pipelines. In these mouse models, the vaccine is highly protective. Were looking forward to beginning the next round of studies and ultimately testing it in people to see if we can induce the type of protective immunity that we think not only will prevent infection but also curb pandemic transmission of this virus. _____ A.O. Hassan et al. 2020. A single-dose intranasal ChAd vaccine protects upper and lower respiratory tracts against SARS-CoV-2. Cell, in press; doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2020.08.026 This article is based on text provided by Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. On Monday, The Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) refused to grant Discovery Communication India's appeal for interim relief pertaining to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India's (TRAI) NTO 2.0 directive issued on 24 July. The contention of TDSAT was that it did not want to intervene in the process as the case is still pending resolution in the High Courts. Broadcasters had challenged the Tariff Amendment Order (TAO) and Interconnection Amendment Regulation (IAR) of 2020 in the Bombay High Court while Discovery had challenged the order in the Delhi High Court. The hearing in Delhi High Court was delayed due to the pandemic outbreak till 1st October. TRAI contends that since there was no stay order by the High Courts on the implementation of the new regulations, so the regulator was required to take appropriate steps and issue directions to ensure that it doesnt remain in abeyance indefinitely. Today commemorates the fifty-seventh anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, commonly known as the March on Washington. It was at that march, on Wednesday, August 28, 1963, that a thirty-four-year-old Baptist preacher from Atlanta, Georgia, named Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., delivered a prophetic message in front of the Lincoln Memorial that has historically been entitled as the I Have A Dream Speech. His leadership has attributed to the passing of several civil rights bills and voting acts. In fact, just a few years after the march, The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was signed into law on August 6, 1965, by President Lyndon B. Johnson, prohibiting racial discrimination and further enforcing the voting rights guaranteed by the 14th and 15th Amendment to the United States Constitution. It is my prayer and hope that we never forget the words that Dr. King prophetically uttered in August of 1963 to challenge the nation to openly face her racism. Forty-five years after Kings speech, Illinois Senator Barack Obama accepted the nomination for the Democratic Party on August 28, 2008. As history reflects, he later became our nations first Black President. Today is August 28, 2020. A week ago, California Senator Kamala Harris became the first Black woman nominated and accepted as a Vice Presidential running mate to the nominee of a major party. History was made in August once again. However, just days after Harris accepted the nomination, two more police shootings of Black men have occurred in Lafayette, Louisiana and Kenosha, Wisconsin, sparking more outrage. Days later, several demonstrators in Kenosha were shot while protesting and demanding justice. Jacob Blake of Wisconsin is now paralyzed according to his attorney. Trayford Pellerin, who was shot at by police in Louisiana at least ten times died, now joins a long list of Black people killed by law enforcement including George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and far too many others. The senseless, race-based acts of violence that we see in our day is horrific. The killing and modern-day lynching of Black men, in particular, is not new, but has become more widely known due to the presence of social media and a twenty-four-hour news cycle on television. Cameras are now exposing what has been a reality for a long time. There were no camera shots or videos of that hot August day in 1619 when a ship arrived in Port Comfort, Virginia carrying a couple dozen enslaved Africans to this country to be treated as property, thus marking the start of slavery. Yet, that non-captured event still impacts our world today. This August, I ask the question, where are we? August is the eighth month of the calendar year, and in the Bible, the number eight symbolizes a new beginning. I sure hope we get one, because we need it. Too many white police officers are killing innocent Black men and women, too many Black people are killing themselves, and we still live in a nation where people are being judged, and even killed, because of the color of their skin. Dr. Kings dream called for this to be changed nearly six decades ago. Black people are still the target of unfair laws, lynching, police aggression, voter suppression, and the lack of sensitivity in the classroom and on the workforce. Concerning racial profiling and police brutality, the plea for people to respect Black life is still necessary. I sure hope we understand that valuing Black life and confronting murder at the hand of White police officers is not an attack on all police. All police are not bad or racist, just like all Black people, protesting their outrage due to social unrest, are not riotous. Like King, I have a dream too. I have a dream that one day the respecter of Black life and the supporter of local police can be the same person. I am there personally, but for many, it is still a dream. Our race problem is not just national, but local as well. The words kill niggers have been found spray-painted on several streets in Hamilton Township, nooses have been found hung in Hamilton schools, anti-racist books still need to be added to our educational curriculum, and a number of candidates for office, as well as business establishments in town, have been connected to racist, sexist, and bigoted social media posts. One restaurant establishment, in particular, even compared a black baby to a black monkey. Even more alarming is the fact that many people are still under the assumption that being a white male is the dominating qualification for service. Where are we? We need both a local and global inspection. Obviously, some things are different and better. For example, I thank God that I have never had to drink from a water fountain labeled for coloreds only. However, how much is still the same in comparison to our pre-Dr. King speech and post-Obama presidency world? If your answer centers on how many friends, classmates, neighbors, or co-workers that you have from another ethnic group, then you still have much to learn. I hope your answer is also not based upon the skin color of a candidate you support or of a celebrity that you admire. The answer to that question even goes beyond the salute to the red, white, and blue, or the pride of the red, black, and green. It is also more than wearing a Black Lives Matter shirt or attending a pro-police event. This is why on June 30, 2020, I wrote a letter to many elected officials, as well as community and organizational leaders throughout Hamilton Township and beyond. The purpose for my letter was to see where they stood regarding the unacceptable disregard for Black life in our land. After much prayerful thought, I also wanted to see their track record and willingness to partner with me and others in becoming an anti-racist community and society. Copies of the letters received are available for public view at www.bridgedisciples.church, which is the official website of the Saint Phillips Baptist Church of Hamilton. As you read the responses, you will see where many key leaders stand, but you, like me, may also come away with more questions than answers. Some statements look and read well on paper, but have been empty in terms of policy and practice. The issue of race cannot be ignored in our town or region, the silence of our leaders will not be tolerated, and the accountability from those elected to serve will be demanded. The answer to the question of where are we collectively will be best answered when each of us honestly knows where we stand individually. Where are you? I am asking this regardless of your skin color, job title, elected position, or your uniform type and color. Each of us needs to examine our own biases, because the Bible states, there is none righteous, no not one! What happened to the golden rule that encouraged us to do unto others as you would have them do unto you? Has the golden rule become a rusty truth? From your perspective, is it a statue needing removal? Is it now forgotten law? No! Its a biblical concept included in Gods Word, therefore no amendment is allowable. It must be followed in order for us to truly be one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Today, I ask where are we, but in my follow-up article on Monday, I want to humbly suggest where we go from here. South Africa: President: Violence against women, children a national emergency President Cyril Ramaphosa says the violence being perpetrated by men against women and children has become a national emergency. The President said the struggle to end gender-based violence and femicide can only succeed if society as a whole is mobilised and organised behind a common programme of action. He said this when he responded to oral questions in the National Assembly on Thursday. The President said following the Presidential summit against femicide and gender-based violence in November of 2018 - and after extensive consultations that were held - the consultations resulted in the drafting and adoption of a national strategic plan, which was adopted by Cabinet in March this year. The plan recognises that the struggle against gender-based violence and femicide requires collective, as well as a cohesive, strategic type of leadership. The plan provides for a governance structure in the form of a multi-sectoral gender-based violence and femicide council to lead the implementation of the plan. However, even as the national plan was being drafted, we had to confront the reality that the violence that is perpetrated by men against women in our country has become a national emergency that requires urgent and decisive action, the kind of emergency which I also characterised as a second pandemic that we have to deal with, he said. Progress made in addressing access to justice The President said working with civil society organisations, government has managed to improve access to justice for victims and survivors, as well as improve the States capacity to investigate and to prosecute gender-based violence cases. Government has upgraded 11 Sexual Offences Courts and implemented a system to track the processing of gender-based violence and femicide-related cases. We have improved the supply of sexual offences evidence kits, which are now available in all police stations in our country. Three amendment bills intended to strengthen the response of our criminal justice system have been approved by Cabinet and are in the process of being introduced into the Parliamentary system. Among others, these bills aim to tighten bail conditions for perpetrators of sexual offences. They also aim to strengthen parole conditions and increase minimum sentences. They are also aimed at ensuring there are more severe consequences for contravening protection orders. He said five new Thuthuzela care centres, which provide shelter to victims of abuse, are to be established and will be operational by the end of March in 2021. At the same time, a major focus of our work has been on changing norms and behaviour through high-level prevention efforts such as mass media campaigns, and engagements with mens groups, offenders in prison and also youth at risk. While the emergency response plan sought to address these and other immediate issues, the national strategic plan guides the broader changes that we must achieve in the medium to long term," the President said SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2020-08-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. NEW YORK, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- With ongoing shelter-in-place orders, there's no better way to escape life's daily stressors than a juicy crime novel. Lester Alford is the author of the fiction crime novel, In and Out. Alford is a promising new author who writes what he describes as "Urban Street Literature," from a place of deep knowledge and understanding of his characters. In and Out is a gripping story that follows the journey of two African American stick-up men who seek to escape poverty and the related realities of life on the depleted, mean streets of New Jersey's inner city. They eventually embark on a life of crime, a decision with consequences of which Alford is only too familiar. Alford is a convicted felon who is currently serving a 50-year sentence for murder in New Jersey State Prison in Trenton. During his time in prison, Alford was forced to survive for more than three years in total isolation enduring horrific and inhumane conditions with nothing more than his thoughts to keep him occupied. That was until he found a pocket-sized bible on his lunch tray. He read the bible cover to cover, absorbed its teachings as best he could, and turned his life over to God. Alford has made it his life's mission to better himself and create a platform to help others through multiple endeavors including a five-part series of novels. In and Out, the first in the series, serves as a timely expose on the lives of young Black men who grow up in the broken homes of the inner cities in every state in America and choose the wrong path to a quick come-up and the freedom they desire. In and Out is available on Amazon.com in paperback and e-book formats, Barnes and Noble, and Walmart. The sequel to In and Out is coming soon. CONTACT: Hope Van Ness TEN3 Public Relations [email protected] 917.328.6723 SOURCE Lester Alford Attacks on the digital infrastructures of US state, local, tribal and territorial (SLTT) governments continue at a healthy clip, a chronic trend that does not bode well for election security as the nation moves into the crucial run-up to the 2020 presidential election. Although a lot of research has focused on the potential hacking of election equipment and related backend infrastructure, recent studies and exercises suggest that adversaries can disrupt the democratic process almost as well by simply targeting other local government and community systems. In a report released today, cybersecurity firm Blue Voyant presents the results of a study that examined the local governments cybersecurity posture in 108 jurisdictions going back to 2017. They found a steep rise in ransomware attacks on SLTT governments from 2017 to 2019 and a jump in the amount of ransom demanded from $30,000 in 2017 to $380,000 in 2019, with some ransom amounts exceeding $1 million. Lack of standardized online infrastructure hinders SLTT security Although ransomware captures the lions share of attention when it comes to disabling local government operations, including elections, other attacks that can impair essential services include outright data breaches, typosquatting that leads to malware installation, and exploited weak VPN solutions. One big problem across the nearly 90,000 local governments in the US is the lack of standardization for online infrastructure and resources, Austin Berglas, global head of professional services at Blue Voyant tells CSO. Berglas, who spent 22 years in the federal government, ultimately serving as the assistant special agent in charge of the FBIs New York Office Cyber Branch, says that some state and local governments dont even use .gov domains, where they would get the benefit of having US government oversight on those domains. The .gov domains also force the use of multi-factor authentication (MFA), HTTPs and other security features. Its no surprise then that Blue Voyant has been able to track compromises of state and local government IT infrastructure back to bad actors, some of them nation-state actors. Ransomware, other attacks can disrupt elections When it comes to elections, the odds of threat actors changing votes are slim, but attackers can knock voter databases or other systems offline with ransomware or methods which could disrupt voting Berglas says. The potential for disruption in city services poses a threat to even mail-in voting. If there were a state or municipality that took ballots and then imported them into a system and the next day that system was locked up with ransomware and they were unable to get at those results, that would disrupt the system. It wouldnt necessarily change the vote tally but definitely put a damper on the system." Lack of coordination among local governments and feds Michael Hamilton, founder and CISO of CI Security and the former CISO of Seattle, worries about another form of standardization, namely the lack of real coordination among local governments and the federal government when it comes to system monitoring or detection of attacks. I have no idea if they have analysts going through this stuff where its just kind of all automatedso that they can see how things are going across the country. There is no requirement for them to talk back to any of the jurisdictions where theyve deployed the Albert sensor [a network monitoring system established by DHSs CISA] and thats a bit of a concern. Hamilton believes that local governments readiness to most effectively handle digital threats is contingent on making information available every week [to the nations municipalities] so that everybody gets on the same page. In terms of what last-minute efforts local governments can undertake to harden their infrastructure to bolster voting security given the likelihood of mass mail-in voting, Hamilton advises local CISOs to pay attention to computing systems that do signature-matching and bar-code reading. I would focus on where there is actual ballot counting and handling being doneand when youre talking about vote by mail, youre talking about things like signature matching. Tabletop exercise provides insight into government security readiness An annual tabletop exercise hosted by Cybereason called Operation Blackout: Protect the Vote conducted in August also provides some fresh insight into local government security readiness for the fall. The virtual edition of the exercise took place in the fictional city of Adversaria in the weeks leading up to a typical election day. Like Blue Voyants analysis, the focus of Operation Blackout was not on election infrastructure itself; the exercise explicitly excluded targeting election equipment. The goal was to examine and advance the organizational responsiveness of government entities to an anarchic groups attempts to undermine democratic institutions and systems of governance in the republic. In this recent tabletop context, the local governments had to manage disinformation attacks. As a consequence, one of the key lessons learned from the exercise is that communications are the key battleground as cities gird for election season problems. To that end [b]roadcast media is the bully pulpit. Make sure it's used effectively to help counteract the effects of misinformation through other channels, Cybereason said in its written Operation Blackout results. Finally, another factor that could impact local governments ability to fend off attacks is the defend forward strategy of the US Cyber Command as spelled out this week by Cyber Command Chief Paul Nakasone and his Senior Advisor Michel Suhlmeyer in Foreign Policy magazine. Under this strategy, Cyber Command and the National Security Agency (NSA) joined forces during the 2018 elections to create what it called the Russia Small Group to share indicators of compromise with DHS to harden the security of election infrastructure. Nakasone and Suhlmeyer said they plan to do it again for the 2020 elections. The defend forward [part of Cyber Commands election strategy] is we know who is twisting our door knobs and were going to go smack em, CI Securitys Hamilton says. A lot of these are disinformation campaigns and Ive heard a lot of them are run out of Africa and paid for by Russia. Still time for basic security hygiene to help Even at this late stage, local governments can undertake some basic hygiene tasks to make their systems ready to withstand any challenges that the election throws at them. Reviewing the policies and procedures around the use of Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) is job number one, Berglas says. A lot of these smaller organizations are heavily reliant on outsourced IT and they need to use RDP to come into the network and do their work. The problem is they leave it open and the bad guys come in and compromise that. Secondly, if theres not two-factor authentication on significant account log-ins from email to sensitive account log ins that needs to be enforced as well. Third, if there is not a good enforceable password policy that is in place, that needs to be in place. Blue Voyants report shows how easy it is to find compromised user names and passwords for state and local employees from the mounds of data breach reports out there. A local family is hosting a barbecue plate sale Friday to raise funds to reopen their Mexican restaurant Tacos Muchachos, located on the city's far West Side. Everyone who purchases a plate will receive 10 percent off their menu for life once it reopens, according to the family. Maria Edith Garcia, who is part of the family business, told mySA.com their landlord for their establishment closed them down on Aug. 1 until further notice after they fell behind on paying their rent due to the coronavirus pandemic. "We understand business is business. We are just trying to get out of the rut," Garcia said. "It's just been hard since it closed, so we want to do everything we can to get back in there." The local family opened Tacos Muchachos in March 2019 at the space on 2804 Quiet Plain Dr., which is nestled in a neighborhood gas station strip not far from Marbach Road. Before the closure, the restaurant was offering its Mexican street-style food, such as flautas, street tacos and quesadillas, for curbside. READ ALSO: Popular San Antonio food truck moving into restaurant at the Pearl food hall Jose Garza, who is Garcia's son, said their landlord is working with them. However, the family still doesn't have enough funds to get back in their restaurant, he added. On Friday, the family will sell barbecue plates from 4 p.m. until the food runs out two minutes from their restaurant at a friend's house, located at 9871 Highland Creek. The $10 plates will include barbecue chicken, sausage, potato salad and rice. Beans can be added for $2 more, Garza said. To pre-order, direct message the family on Tacos Muchachos's social media page @tacosmuchachos on both Instagram and Facebook. Garza said people do not have to pre-order, but is recommended so the family knows how much food to make. The family will likely host more plate sales next week, Garza said. "We know we aren't going to sell enough on the first plate sale to get back into our space, but we will have as many as we can to open Tacos Muchachos again," he said. "We are a family-owned, small business and we want to keep this going." Priscilla Aguirre is a general assignment reporter for MySA.com | priscilla.aguirre@express-news.net | @CillaAguirre US Vice President will make the case for a second term for President in a speech to be delivered from Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Maryland. The speech on Wednesday night will be part of the Republican National Convention's third night, which has the theme "Land of Heroes", Xinhua news agency reported on Wednesday. Fort McHenry is a national monument where Americans defended Baltimore Harbor from the British in the War of 1812 and inspired Francis Scott Key to write "The Star-Spangled Banner," the country's national anthem. Besides explaining why he believes Trump should be re-elected, Pence is likely to pay tribute to American symbols such as the national anthem, discuss the White House's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and lay the foundation for his own potential White House bid four years from now. White House counselor Kellyanne Conway, also Trump's campaign manager in 2016, will also make an appearance during Wednesday's virtual program. A fierce Trump defender, Conway will depart her position in the administration at the end of this month, citing family issues. Wednesday's speaker lineup also includes second lady Karen Pence, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, the president's daughter-in-law and campaign adviser Lara Trump, former acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell, and several Republican lawmakers and state officials. Though former US vice president and 2020 Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has not planned any public appearances to counter the GOP message this week, his running mate Senator Kamala Harris of California has several events planned on Wednesday. --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.) By Trend COVID-19 pandemic has caused the largest disruption of education systems in history and the central issue in school re-opening decisions is how to proceed as safely as possible, the World Health Organization (WHO) representative told Trend. The representative said that the COVID-19 pandemic has affected nearly 1.6 billion learners in more than 190 countries, and the European region is no exception. Most countries in Europe closed schools at some point between February and July this year, as part of COVID-19- related health and social measures. "The central issue in school re-opening decisions is how to proceed as safely as possible with school re-opening, based on an understanding of the public health risks incurred, for the children, staff and their immediate social contacts, but also the epidemiological context. If we can control transmission in the community, it would be safe to open schools, both for students and the people who work there," the representative said. WHO official noted that the WHO European Regional Office will convene a virtual meeting for all 53 Member States on schooling and COVID-19 on 31 August. "It will be Europes opportunity to assess the strongest available evidence on COVID-19 risks to children and discuss concrete actions to ensure they receive proper education in safe settings," the WHO official said. In representatives words, one of the options to make school opening as safe as possible might include heightened hygiene and physical distancing for all in school settings. "At the same time the introduction of targeted measures quickly and effectively to suit local circumstances should be considered open schools fully where virus levels are low; adjust school schedules and limit pupil numbers where cases are more widespread and consider keeping schools closed temporarily in areas where community transmission is high," the official said. WHO official noted the fact that children can transmit the disease. "While it seems that they are less likely to get a severe illness, they could transmit it to others. We should do our utmost to avoid getting infected, no matter what age. Children need to be educated on the importance of physical distancing, clean hands, and other measures to prevent transmission. It is important for adults to talk with them, answer their questions and address their fears," the official said. --- Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz Lincoln Land Community College has created a series of LateStart classes along with a phone number to assist students looking for options this fall. The college will offer an array of LateStart classes. Twelve-week transfer and career/tech courses will begin Sept. 21; eight-week transfer and career/tech courses will begin Oct. 19. It was with sadness and disgust that I witnessed the blocks-long line of people waiting to get money last week so they could buy food and pay bills (Long lines persist for Oregons $500 relief payments about half the money is gone, Aug. 20). It was sad because they needed money and it was disgusting that it had to happen at all. I saw people in wheelchairs, people with small children, and the elderly standing for hours in the heat hoping to be one of the lucky ones. This is how Kate Brown treats Oregonians. The mess with the Oregon Employment Department is not new. It has performed like this for years. Brown has been in Oregon government as a member of the Legislature or holding office for more than 20 years yet actually blames previous governors for the problem. Didn't she once say the buck stops with her? When will we stop giving Kate Brown a pass on what is important to Oregon? Fred Davidson, Beaverton UPPER DARBY A couple dozen residents and supporters gathered in front of Upper Darby High School Wednesday afternoon to demand that Comcast provide free access to the Internet for students as county school districts prepare to begin classes in a virtual setting this fall. Computers are great, but what is the point without internet? asked Rameria Taylor, mother of two school-age children. Comcast has gotten close to a billion dollars in state and local money, our tax money. People living in poverty are making companies like Comcast richer and they cant even help out with something so little to them. Kids shouldnt sit outside and have to borrow somebody elses Internet because us Black and brown people are living below the poverty line. Were here to demand that Comcast makes Internet free for students of the Upper Darby and William Penn school districts. The group broke into the chants; Free lunch / Free WiFi, and WiFi is a tool so we can go to school and Computers will be paper weights if we dont stuff the WiFi rates. We have families that need help [in obtaining] a service that every one of us should have, said Upper Darby Education Association President Melanie Masciantonio. These kids here are the future of the United States. We depend on them to run the United States and for our country to thrive. And now with this virtual learning, we need that free WiFi for our kids and for every single kid in this country that needs it. Were out here today because we really feel it is greatly important that all our families and students have the ability to connect with us not just academically, also socially, on a daily basis, to be sure that they have the same opportunities as everyone else, said Matthew Colliton, a sixth-grade teacher at Drexel Hill Middle School. This is to let people know we need to make this a priority. It shouldnt be the forgotten 15 percent because they arent able to connect. Comcast has partnered with the City and Philadelphia and public and private funders to create PHLConnectED, which will provide to provide free Internet access for 35,000 families who dont have reliable Internet connections. For nearly a decade, there has been no company more committed to bridging the digital divide across the nation, and in Philadelphia, than Comcast, said Jennifer Biotta,Vice-President of Communications at Comcast. Since its inception in 2011, our Internet Essentials program, which is the nations largest of its kind, has connected millions of low-income households to the Internet, most for the very first time. To confront the COVID-19 epidemic, we proactively offered 60 days of free service to any new customers, waived all back due debt, and opened our 1.5 million Wi-Fi hotspots in outdoor and small business locations across the country and will continue to do so through the end of the year. However, solving a problem as vast and complex as the digital divide requires collaboration with the school district, elected officials, nonprofit community partners, and other private-sector companies so everyone is part of the solution. In the spring, Comcast offered steps to help people stay connected to the Internet as schools closed and businesses went remote. During this extraordinary time, it is vital that as many Americans stay connected to the Internet for education, work, and personal health reasons, said Dave Watson, Comcast Cable chief executive officer in March. Comcast has made its numerous Wi-Fi hotspots free. It also offers a reduced-cost Internet program for low-income users known as Internet Essentials which is free for the first 60 days. The district is working hard to try and find avenues for our students and our families, said Upper Darby School District Superintendent Dr. Daniel McGarry. If Internet access is a problem, well try to coordinate a way for students to have access to that with our schools during this pandemic. For example, theyve moved to a one-to-one technology device program. They have given out over 4,000 computers with their Cares Act money. Every student in kindergarten through 12th grade is receiving a Chromebook. He said the district is working with students that need a hotspot or access to the Internet. Upper Darby Councilman Matt Silva pointed out the COVID pandemic has impacted low-income residents greater than wealthier residents. People who used to use the public library for WiFi now have no public libraries, so now they have no Internet access, said Silva, who said layoffs and the economic impacts have hit poorer residents more. The cost of failure is the cost of their education, and nobody should have to pay for that. Last spring William Penn School District provided WiFi connection devices to their students who did not have internet access into the home. The district plan is to provide that same access to families who do not have internet access needed to use a Chromebook. If some other program or opportunity becomes available to assist our families in this way, we will obviously consider it, said said Pamela Bookman, Public Relations Coordinator at William Penn School District. We are providing every William Penn School District student with a Chromebook and it is critical that each student be able to use the Chromebook to access the Google Classroom and other necessary online materials to be able to take part in virtual. DENVER Clarity Media Group, publisher of The Gazette of Colorado Springs and other news outlets, says it is launching an online, subscription-based daily focusing on Denver metropolitan area news, statehouse coverage and investigative journalism. The Denver Gazette will begin publication on Sept. 14, Denver-based Clarity Media announced Wednesday. Clarity Media is owned by Colorado billionaire Philip Anschutz and purchased The Gazette in Colorado Springs in 2012. Ryan McKibben, Clarity Medias president and CEO, said in a statement that the company had long considered publishing a Denver newspaper. This the ideal time to launch a next-generation newspaper that will satisfy a growing demand for trustworthy, locally-owned journalism, McKibben said. The Denver Gazette will have more than 50 staff and contributors and will be led by publisher Chris Reen and editor Vince Bzdek, Clarity Media said. Bzdek also is editor of The Gazette in Colorado Springs Gazette and the Clarity Media-owned Colorado Politics. Clarity Media also publishes OutThere Colorado, which focuses on the states outdoors, and the Washington Examiner. A Roman Catholic priest removed from the ministry last fall has been restored after being cleared of alleged sexual abuse, the Diocese of Allentown said in a news release Thursday. Father Robert J. Potts, ordained in 1964, is assigned as pastor of St. Ursula Church in Fountain Hill and will celebrate Masses beginning this weekend. Allentown Bishop Alfred Schlert removed Potts from the ministry and ordered law enforcement be notified last October, on the day the allegation against Potts was received. It came into the Washington, D.C.-based administrators of the dioceses Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program set up for victims of sexual abuse, and the administrators in turn notified the diocese. The local diocese had no knowledge of the allegation before being notified, according to the news release. The person who filed the complaint alleged Potts had sexually abused him in the 1980s and early 1990s when Potts, now 83, was pastor of the former St. George Parish in Shenandoah, Schuylkill County. The Schuylkill County District Attorneys Office declined to investigate the case, because the statute of limitations on filing criminal charges had passed. The diocese said it then hired independent investigators who pursued all possible leads in the case and determined that Father Potts did not commit the acts that were alleged. The investigative firm, based outside the Diocese, employs retired F.B.I. agents who are trained investigators with decades of experience with the agency. The Independent Review Board, a group of lay experts in abuse issues formed to review such cases, then considered all of the facts in the case and recommended unanimously that Father Potts be reinstated. Bishop Schlert accepted the recommendation. A Pennsylvania grand jury two years ago detailed allegations of sexual abuse at the hands of 301 priests across six Roman Catholic dioceses in Pennsylvania, beginning in the mid-1950s. The diocese advises anyone who knows of incidents of abuse to report it to the State ChildLine at 800-932-0313 or to local law enforcement. The Diocesan Victim Assistance Coordinator is available to provide assistance to anyone who, as a minor, was abused by a priest, deacon, employee or volunteer of the diocese, or of its parishes. Her direct line is 800-791-9209. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to lehighvalleylive.com. Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Aleksandr Novickis gives his new teacher Mrs Sarah Scott flowers at Citywest and Saggart Community National School From canteens turned into classrooms, to teachers in personal protective equipment, students are returning to schools which are very different to the ones they left. Despite some nerves and anxiety, feedback from parents and pupils has been mostly positive. At Citywest and Saggart Community National School in Dublin, careful planning allowed parents to get that memorable first-day experience with their junior infants. Principal Michael Byrne said the first day "couldn't have gone better" as they welcomed 54 beginners. "It was actually surprising how well they coped. They came in the door and sanitised their hands and it was no problem to them at all," he said. "We allowed one adult in with them in groups of six. As this is the first day of school, it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and we didn't want anyone to miss out on that. "Our building is new, so we've got nice, spacious classrooms where we can break them into smaller pods. We know there are schools who aren't as lucky." Mr Byrne said that wearing PPE will take "some getting used to". "I had my mask on at 8.45am to greet people and just sat down at my desk at 12pm to take it off. "The staff understand we need to keep ourselves and the children safe." In Co Kilkenny, Shane Hallahan, principal of the Presentation Secondary School, welcomed first year students on Tuesday. The sixth-year leaders yesterday met with the students to help them settle into their new surroundings. The principal said "it's all hands on deck" as they adapt to the new normal. "It's strange with the masks, but you can still tell that the kids are smiling behind them," Mr Hallahan said. Cocooning They usually have five classes of first years, but increased this to six to limit the numbers in each class. The number of children enrolling hasn't been affected by Covid-19, but Mr Hallahan said there are fewer transition-year students arriving from overseas. "Every year we have a number of students that come from Spain, Germany and Austria in transition year and some of them have fallen back. They're cocooning for 14 days and will then hopefully be starting school," he said. While he knows there may be further challenges ahead, Mr Hallahan praised his "brilliant" staff and said everyone is happy to be back meeting students face-to-face. Meanwhile, 100 pupils at Dun Laoghaire Educate Together School feared they would have no school to go to in September after works on a temporary site fell through. They are due to return on September 14. The Department of Education said issues with the tendering process led to delays, but they are confident works will be completed by mid-September. Trump admin. petitions Supreme Court to restore FDA's abortion pill safety protocol Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment The Trump administration has asked the United States Supreme Court to lift an injunction on a federal rule requiring women to see a doctor before an abortion clinic dispenses abortion-inducing drugs. Earlier this year, a federal judge issued a nationwide injunction against the Food & Drug Administration rule in response to a lawsuit brought by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, a group that has advocated for abortion on demand and abortion for minors without parental consent. Jeffrey Wall, acting solicitor general with the U.S. Department of Justice, filed a request on Wednesday, asking the Supreme Court for a stay on the lower court injunction. The FDA has made, and continuously adhered to, the judgment that these requirements mitigate serious health risks associated with the drug, which can increase if the patient delays taking the drug or fails to receive proper counseling about possible complications, the petition states in part. While the district court believed that the terms of its injunction would address those risks, there is no way to rectify the harms to patients if that judicial second-guessing of an expert agencys judgment turns out to be wrong. The request also argued in part that the FDA rule did not greatly restrict abortion access, as claimed by the lower court, because overall access remains widespread. Given that surgical methods of abortion remain widely available, the enforcement of longstanding safety requirements for a medication abortion during the first ten weeks of pregnancy does not constitute a substantial obstacle to abortion access, even if the COVID-19 pandemic has made obtaining any method of abortion in person somewhat riskier, the petition adds. [The Supreme Court] has made clear that judges are not to second-guess how officials address public-health concerns in areas of uncertainty, yet the district court dismissed the FDAs expert judgment in favor of its own view that the safety requirements are medically unnecessary. In a medical abortion, women are given two drugs: mifepristone, also called RU-486, and misoprostol. Mifepristone works by blocking the effects of the pregnancy hormone progesterone while Misoprostol induces contractions and a miscarriage. In May, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists filed a lawsuit against the rule, arguing that it was medically unnecessary and inhibited abortion access during a time of COVID-19 lockdowns. In July, U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang of Maryland issued a nationwide injunction against the FDA's safety protocol, arguing that it interfered with access to abortion. Particularly in light of the limited timeframe during which a medication abortion or any abortion must occur, such infringement on the right to an abortion would constitute irreparable harm, ruled Chuang. By causing certain patients to decide between forgoing or substantially delaying abortion care, or risking exposure to COVID-19 for themselves, their children, and family members, the In-Person Requirements present a serious burden to many abortion patients. As the U.S. and other countries enacted lockdowns to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, debates and litigation arose over whether to allow abortion clinics to remain open while other medical practices were ordered to close. Some states did not exempt abortion clinics from the lockdown orders, arguing that elective abortions did not constitute an essential service. Earlier this month, the U.K.-based pro-abortion group Marie Stopes International released a report estimating that around 1.9 million women had their access to abortion and contraceptives blocked as a result of COVID-19 shutdowns from January to June. Based on the 37 countries MSI operates in, the group claimed that these resulted in an additional 900,000 unintended pregnancies, 1.5 million unsafe abortions, and over 3,000 maternal deaths. Faith vs safety in burials: COVID-19 remains in dead bodies for 9 days says Centre SC refuses APs govts plea against HC status quo on 3 capital cities India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Aug 27: The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to entertain the Andhra Pradesh government's plea challenging the state high court's decision ordering status quo on two new laws enabling the formation of three capital cities. A bench of Justices Ashok Bhushan, R Subhash Reddy and M R Shah refused to interfere with the interim order passed by the high court and asked it to decide the matter expeditiously. Senior Advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, appearing for the Andhra Pradesh government, argued that the judiciary can't decide from where the executive will function. Jagan Reddy govt illegally tapping phones: Chandrababu Naidu urges PM Modi to order enquiry The bench was informed that the main matter is pending before a full court bench of the Andhra Pradesh High Court, which will commence its hearing from Thursday. "This has brought the whole thing to a standstill. There are preparations to be done. Preparatory steps have to be taken. It has never happened that the judiciary has decided where the executive will function from," Dwivedi said. The state government had approached the apex court saying that the high court had issued orders staying the implementation of gazette notifications on the abolition of the AP Capital Region Development Authority and the formation of three capitals for decentralised development without any valid reasons. On August 4, the Andhra Pradesh High Court ordered status quo on two new laws that enable the establishment of three new capitals for the state. BJP tops Facebook political ad spending at Rs 4 crore & more news | Oneindia News On July 31 the state government notified the AP Decentralisation And Inclusive Development of All Regions Act, 2020,and the AP Capital Region Development Authority (Repeal) Act, 2020. This was immediately after Governor Biswabhusan Harichandan gave his assent to related bills passed by the assembly. The law gives shape to the YSR Congress government's plan of having three capitals for the state -- executive in Visakhapatnam, legislative in Amaravati and judicial capital in Kurnool. The petitioners, which include some NGOs and private individuals who have filed a batch of writ petitions before the High Court, had opposed the formation of three capitals in the state. They expressed the fear that the government was likely to shift the capital from Amaravati and sought a stay on the two new acts. For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications Story first published: Thursday, August 27, 2020, 11:31 [IST] The World Economic Forum said the coronavirus has forced it to delay its high-profile gathering of global business and financial leaders in the Swiss resort of Davos until early next summer. Normally held each January in the ski town, the gathering has attracted political leaders including US President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, as well a parade of billionaires, executives and celebrities to debate global challenges. The most recent installment drew 3,000 participants from 90 countries, plus legions of support staff and hundreds of journalists. Nearby hotels host glamorous receptions to complement the debates held in the towns conference center. Next years event -- titled The Great Reset -- was intended to discuss how to shape the post-virus economy. Despite the urgency of that conversation, the advice from experts is that we cannot do so safely in January, WEF said in a statement on Wednesday. Founder Klaus Schwab told Bloomberg Television earlier this month that while planning for the event was underway, it wasnt clear what form it would take or when it would happen. The Forum now intends to hold a series of digital Davos Dialogues in the week of Jan. 25 to allow global leaders to share their views virtually. Its not the first time WEF has budged from Davos. Its 2002 meeting was held in New York, to show solidarity following the Sept. 11 terror attacks. The event has attracted local opposition in the past over the disruption and cost of policing the presence of so many wealthy and high-profile delegates. Still, the postponement will be a blow to the hospitality industry. A lack of guests due to bans on international travel would be painful, Michael Straub, Davoss first secretary, said in an e-mail. Still, the town understands the Forums decision and is looking forward to hosting it in January 2022 at the latest, he said. The event generated an estimated 94 million francs ($103 million) in revenue for Switzerland in 2017, according to a University of St. Gallen study. It garnered 2 million francs in tax revenue for the town. (This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.) Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter Fresh off two nominations and one win at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, the first official trailer for The Forty-Year-Old Version dropped on Wednesday, August 26. The comedy film was written, directed and produced by Radha Blank in her directorial debut. She also stars in the lead role, a variation of herself, that was loosely based on her experience as a playwright in New York City. Scroll down to video First look: The official trailer for The Forty-Year-Old Version, starring Radha Blank, dropped on Wednesday, August 26 Shot in black-and-white 35mm, Blank is a failed playwright who's now spends her days teaching playwriting at a school, as seen in the opening clip of the teaser. 'Anyone thought on what kind of play we want to write? she asks students in her classroom. 'Remember, if you put in nothing, it will be nothing,' 'Like your career?' one skeptical student responds back, which elicits a collective groan from the other students. Multi-talented: The comedy film was written, directed and produced by Radha Blank in her directorial debut Tough times: Blank stars in the lead role, a variation of herself, that was loosely based on her experience as a playwright in New York City Despondent: Blank is down on her luck more than a decade after being named as one of Spotlight Magazine's '30 under 30 Playwrights to Watch' Formerly one of Spotlight Magazine's '30 under 30 Playwrights to Watch' more than a decade ago, Blank eventually becomes so desperate for another shot at success that she tries to reinvent herself as rapper, RadhaMUSPrime. From there, The Forty-Year-Old Version follows Blank as she vacillates between the worlds of hop-hop and theater on her quest to find her true voice. And along the way, she talks about real-life issues she faces as a 40-year-old Black woman existing in the modern world. Funny interaction: There are big laughs when Blank tells one of her friend's (Peter Kim) that she wants to transition to hip-hop Awakening: Blank is consistently confronted by people who have wondered what she has been doing with her career since garnering some accolades years before Career change: Blank wants to make a mix-tape about the 40-year-old woman's point of view MC: Things don't go well when Blank first begins her journey as a rapper Critique: Some people waste little time in questioning her reinvention into hip-hop Along with Blank, the cast also stars Peter Kim, Oswin Benjamin, Imani Lewis, Haskiri Velazquez, Antonio Ortiz, TJ Atoms, Jacob Ming Trent, Stacey Sargeant, William Oliver Watkins, Meghan ONeill, Andre Ward, Welker White and Reed Birney. The film won the U.S Dramatic Competition Directing Award at the Sundance Film Festival in February. It was also nominated for U.S. Dramatic Competition Grand Jury Prize. Lena Waithe, Jordan Fudge, Inuka Bacote-Capiga, Jennifer Semler and Rishi Rajani were producers along with Blank. The Forty-Year-Old Version is scheduled to premiere on Netflix October 9, 2020. True meaning: Blank vacillates between the worlds of hop-hop and theater on her quest to find her true voice The journey: Along the way, Blank hits the stage to show off her MC skills Reinvention: : Blank's rapping skills elicit a broad spectrum of reactions Big heart: The film tackles real-life issues that Blank faces as a 40-year-old Black woman in the modern world An event that was set to celebrate its 100th birthday this fall was canceled this week over concerns about COVID-19. The Far Hills Race Meeting, a steeplechase horse racing event which is held at the boroughs Moorland Farms every fall, was postponed until next year, race officials said. After months of careful consideration and many contingency plans later, the Far Hills Race Meeting Association, Inc. has arrived at the decision to postpone this years event, said Guy Torsilieri, Chairman of the Far Hills Race Meeting. For nearly 100 years, weve made it our mission to safely gather the community together at Moorland Farm to celebrate the century-old tradition of Steeplechase racing here in New Jersey. The centennial celebration is now scheduled for Saturday, October 16, 2021. Thousands traditionally flock to the event for a day of drinking, fall fashion and of course, steeplechase horse racing. A steeplechase is a distance horse race in which competitors are required to jump diverse fence and ditch obstacles. Those who had already reserved parking spaces or tent space at the event were asked to email office@farhillsrace.org for more information. Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription. Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com. At the 41st GST Council meet on August 27, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman gave states two options under which they could borrow from the market to make up for the estimated deficit of Rs 2.35 lakh crore in FY21, created due to the economic losses caused by COVID-19. The economic slowdown has led to a Rs 70,000 crore shortfall last fiscal. In FY21, the same is estimated to widen to Rs 2.35 lakh crore. Revenue Secretary Ajay Bhushan Pandey said out of this amount, about Rs 97,000 crore could be attributed to the implementation of the Goods & Service Tax (GST), while the rest is on account of the slowdown inflicted by the pandemic. Pandey said while GST collections have been impacted by the pandemic this fiscal, there was a shortfall of Rs 70,000 crore in 2019-20 (April 2019 to March 2020), which was made good from the surplus of the previous two years. Sitharaman said that under the first option, the Centre in consultation with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will provide a special window to states to borrow Rs 97,000 crore at a reasonable rate of interest and this money can then be repaid after 5 years from the collection of cess. When GST was implemented in 2017, the Centre had promised to compensate states for any revenue loss for five years from a pool created by levying cess over and above the GST on luxury and sin goods. This pool generated a surplus in the first two years and had a deficit in FY20 as well as in FY21. The other option given to the states was that the entire GST compensation gap of Rs 2.35 lakh crore in FY21 could be to borrow in consultation with RBI. The states have seven days to decide which option they want, Sitharaman said. "Interest from borrowing would be repaid from the cess collected in the years beyond the first five years of GST implementation. There will be no additional burden on states," she said. She added that states have been suggested to borrow from RBI to ensure they do not rush to borrow and there is no hardening of bond yields. It was also decided that by the GST Council that the borrowing arrangement would be for FY21 and a review would be done at the beginning of the next financial year to decide on the continuation of the arrangement, depending on what the situation then warrants. A detailed note on the two options would be shared with states. The latter will submit their views after seven working days. Post this, there could be another GST Council meeting. The minister said as soon as this arrangement is agreed on by the Council, the Centre will clear the pending bi-monthly compensation. The compensation amount due for April-July period stands at Rs 1.50 lakh crore. "This year we are facing an extra ordinary situation... we are facing an act of God which might even result in a contraction of the economy, to what percent I am not getting into that. Therefore, we said that portion (of compensation), which strictly is hardwired in the Act, we will arrange, give it to you...," Sitharaman said. She said both options hinge upon the fact that borrowing will be done by the states. "We explained why it would be preferable for states to borrow and not the Centre. We said if states are going to borrow instead of crowding out people, we will facilitate the process through the central bank." The Centre had released over Rs 1.65 lakh crore in 2019-20 as GST compensation. However, the amount of cess collected during 2019-20 was Rs 95,444 crore. The balance about Rs 70,000 crore was paid from the excess cess collected in 2017-18 and 2018-19. The compensation payout amount was Rs 69,275 crore in 2018-19 and Rs 41,146 crore in 2017-18. "It seems compensation cess will have to be continued for a longer time period to make good this gap. This is the first year of COVID and hopefully things will look better from here. State finances will have to be managed one way or the other through increased borrowing," said Archit Gupta, Founder and CEO, ClearTax. Plans for new Welsh-medium primary school in Wrexham formally submitted This article is old - Published: Thursday, Aug 27th, 2020 Plans to create a new Welsh-medium primary school in Wrexham have formally been submitted. Wrexham Council previously held a consultation on proposals for the existing Borras Park Community Primary School site. It would result in the junior school building being refurbished and expanded to accommodate all pupils being taught in English. The project would see ten extra classrooms being built within a two-storey extension, along with a new childcare unit. The current infant school would then be completely remodelled to establish a new Welsh medium school for 210 children. The local authority said the scheme would address the increasing demand for Welsh-medium school places in the area, despite a small number of objectors claiming the facility was not required. In a planning statement, consultants acting on behalf of contractors Read Construction said: The provision of a new Welsh medium school for the area, supports the Welsh Government drive to encourage the usage of the Welsh language within communities across Wales. The WCBC Welsh in Education Strategic Plan 2017-2020 notes as one of its objectives an increase in the number of pupils receiving their education through the medium of Welsh. In particular the plan notes the desire to increase capacity of Welsh medium places by an additional 401 places, with this proposal forming part of this increased capacity in places. They added: The main objective of the proposal is the improvement of the existing buildings and teaching facilities on the site and where necessary their extension to provide additional teaching and childcare facilities. This being of benefit both to the teaching staff and pupils using these buildings, as well the wider community these schools serve. The council originally intended to launch the new Welsh school last September by creating a seed school at the former Hafod y Wern Infants site. However, the plans were delayed after no first choice preferences were received from parents for reception places and only two for the nursery. Senior councillors said there was still a need for further Welsh medium places, but agreed to postpone opening the school until September 2021 when it will be based permanently at the Borras Park infants site. The proposed annual intake would be for 30 nursery places and 30 at reception level. Concerns were previously raised by Borras residents about traffic and parking provisions, which the construction firm said would be addressed by new access arrangements. It said: This proposal looks to maintain the existing access arrangements and where possible enhance them. This can be seen in the creation of a new pedestrian footpath linking the existing doctors surgery to Borras Park Road. The extension of the existing shared footpath to allow for better interconnectivity between the schools. While to facilitate the proposed new site layout the existing footpath running to the secondary pedestrian entrance will be relocated. However this existing entrance will be retained. Plans are in place to make the existing junior school car park bigger to be used by both schools, with a new footpath to link it to the Welsh medium site. The consultants said dedicated drop off spaces would also be created, as well improved play areas. The proposals will be considered by planners at a later date. By Liam Randall BBC Local Democracy Reporter College Women Picketing in Front of the White House, 1917: In the first such protest in history, women picket the White House every day from January 1917 until the 19th Amendment was ratified in August 1920. On this day, college-educated women worked the picket line. [Gelatin silver print Courtesy of National Womans Party, Washington, D.C.] CONWAY, Ark. (August 27, 2020) Hendrix Colleges Olin C. Bailey Library will host the Smithsonian traveling exhibit Votes for Women: A Portrait of Persistence for the duration of the Fall 2020 semester. The exhibit is available in the librarys online gallery, and in person by appointment between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday (a cloth mask must be worn). To schedule a visit, email libraryreference@hendrix.edu or call 501-450-1303. This poster exhibition from the Smithsonian celebrates the 100th anniversary of the Nineteenth Amendment and explores the complexity of the womens suffrage movement and the relevance of this history to Americans lives today. The story of womens suffrage is a story of voting rights, of inclusion in and exclusion from the franchise, and of our civic development as a nation. The crusade for womens suffrage is one of the longest reform movements in American history. Between 1832 and 1920, women citizens organized for the right to vote, agitating first in their states or territories and then, simultaneously, through petitioning for a federal amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Based on the National Portrait Gallery exhibition of the same name, Votes for Women seeks to expand visitors understanding of the suffrage movement in the United States. The poster exhibition addresses womens political activism, explores the racism that challenged universal suffrage, and documents the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment which prohibits the government from denying U.S. citizens the right to vote on the basis of sex. It also touches upon the suffrage movements relevance to current conversations on voting and voting rights across America. Votes for Women: A Portrait of Persistence is organized by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service in collaboration with the National Portrait Gallery. This project received support from the Smithsonian American Womens History Initiative. About the Initiative The Smithsonian American Womens History Initiative, Because of Her Story is one of the countrys most ambitious undertakings to research, collect, document display and share the compelling story of women. It will deepen our understanding of womens contributions to the nation and the world. More information about the initiative is available at womenshistory.si.edu. About Hendrix College A private liberal arts college in Conway, Arkansas, Hendrix College consistently earns recognition as one of the countrys leading liberal arts institutions, and is featured in Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About Colleges. Its academic quality and rigor, innovation, and value have established Hendrix as a fixture in numerous college guides, lists, and rankings. Founded in 1876, Hendrix has been affiliated with the United Methodist Church since 1884. To learn more, visit www.hendrix.edu. When Yang Su's piano rendition of Moscow Nights was posted by a friend on short video platform Douyin in November 2017, nobody expected that it would restart the 60-year-old man's musical career. The 15-second impromptu performance sees Yang flutter his fingers quickly between notes from his living room in Beijing. It racked up about 3 million views within hours. "It is beyond my expectations. As the internet opens a new world to me, it helps to share my musical talent with more people," Yang says. Since then, he has posted hundreds of videos, including piano renditions of popular songs, like Jay Chou's recent single Mojito and A Moonlit Night on the Spring River, a signature pipa (a four-stringed lute) piece of the Chinese classical repertoire, and classical music pieces, such as the famous Carmen melody and French solo piano music Wedding of Love. Attracted by his tunes, his Douyin account has lured 2.4 million followers with over 15.7 million likes so far. In a space commonly dominated by the younger generation, Yang doesn't feel the burden of his age. In his words, he "has always stayed young at heart and never given up". Starting with the basics of Douyin, he learned how to record, edit and upload video clips on the platform. To play a song without making mistakes, he repeats one song dozens of times at first. Setting up a phone holder, adjusting it to the right angle with the right lighting and starting to play piano has been his routine in the past two years. Every Friday, he presents a live performance on Douyin for two hours. These videos have gone viral on social media and many internet users have nicknamed him "Pianist Grandpa". Comments include that it was "an absolute joy" and some "cannot stop listening". His first post on Douyin had more than 31,000 comments and around 2.4 million likes and 78,000 reposts. "Their passion for music reminds me of my days learning the piano, when it was an instrument unheard of by most people," Yang recalls. Born in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, Yang's mother arranged for him to learn piano at 11. His lessons started on a piece of paper with the keys drawn on it by his father. At the age of 14, his mother sent him to Beijing for further study and in 1978, Yang entered the Shanghai Conservatory of Music to study piano. He was among the first batch of the country's art college students. That year marked the resumption of gaokao (national college entrance examination) for art students after a decade-long suspension. Graduating in 1982, he got work at the Harbin Opera House and in 1983, he was transferred as a solo pianist to the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra. With a stable and comfortable job, Yang was still not satisfied and he wanted to see the world "beyond the 88 keys", he says. In 1989, he joined Shenzhen International Exhibition Center, where he was in charge of an advertising company, a model company and a magazine under the center. In 1992, Yang left the center. He tried various jobs, including professional bowling and screenwriting. He has been through "ups and downs" in the past three decades, he says. Since leaving the orchestra, he had rarely played the piano until his video was posted on Douyin in late 2017. "It is like returning to the starting point," Yang says, adding that looking back on the past experiences, he realizes that the essence of life is to know who you are and stay simple. Facing his fame online, Yang is quite calm and he has tried to respond to most comments under his posts and offers an on-demand jukebox service to interact with his fans. "I hope to bring piano, something considered classy, closer to the public through the internet," Yang adds. Some viewers asked if he can teach piano, so he has opened a piano course online for adults, charging between 600 yuan ($87) and 2,000 yuan for 40 to 60 lessons. So far, more than 4,000 people from home and abroad have attended his course. Their ages range from 20 to 60. "At the peak time, I need to teach over the screen at the dinner table or even in the bathroom," Yang says. Last year, Yang became an art promoter for Douyin to make the instrument more accessible. Videos of everyday people showcasing their talent have proved particularly popular on social media, which leads to the intensifying competition to snap up good content creators for video platforms. These platforms have sweetened their offerings, such as support teams and funding, for top-ranking creators, like Yang, to help them make money through their videos. Recently, Yang signed a two-year contract with ByteDance to provide exclusive original content to its video apps of Douyin and Xigua and its news portal Toutiao. According to Xigua, there were more than 600 video creators, who earned over 500,000 yuan in 2018. In September last year, Douyin launched DOU Art Project to promote art education to the public. As of June, art videos on Douyin has been viewed more than 1.5 trillion times and since the COVID-19 outbreak, nearly 1,000 artists, such as dancers, violinists, opera performers, painters, sculptors and calligraphers, have livestreamed lessons to help people pass the time at home, according to statistics from Douyin. In June, internet search giant Baidu's Haokan video app launched a plan to support vloggers in eight categories, including culture and art. Bilibili has opened up its matchmaking service Sparkle to increase commercial chances for creators. Embracing the short video age, scholars say that the technology helps make art more accessible and attractive to the younger generation. Wang Jie, a professor at College of Media and International Culture under Zhejiang University, told Economic Information Daily at a recent seminar on short video platforms' role in art and cultural promotion that "the popularity of the short video platforms has blurred the boundaries between artists and ordinary people and boosted creativity and imagination in art creation". Burma Myanmar Amends Privacy Law to Protect Citizens From State Intrusion Lawmakers attend the Union Parliament in Myanmars capital, Naypyitaw, on Jan. 27, 2020. / Htet Wai / The Irrawaddy YANGONAmendments to the controversial Privacy Law approved by the Union Parliament on Wednesday will end abuse of the legislation by individuals targeting each other with lawsuits, and by authorities looking to muzzle their critics, according to Parliaments Joint Bill Committee. Myanmars Union Parliament on Wednesday amended the Privacy Law, officially named the Law Protecting the Privacy and Security of Citizens, to fully ensure the protection of individuals privacy and security, which was its original aim. The legislation was enacted in March 2017 to provide legal protection for ordinary citizens, allowing them to file lawsuits against authorities, including members of the state security apparatus, if they are being stalked or otherwise having their privacy intruded upon. The law prohibits unwarranted intrusions into households to make arrests or inspections, as well as surveillance of individuals and their private communications in a manner that harms their privacy or dignity, barring the approval of the President or Union ministers. It states that no one can request or provide private communications logged by telecom operators, unseal private letters and parcels, intrude on an individuals private affairs and family life, or seize or destroy citizens moveable or immoveable property. Yet, the laws vague prescription that whoever breaches its provisions shall face up to three years imprisonment led to its exploitation. For example, its most controversial statute, Article 8(f), which criminalizes defamation, was widely used to stifle criticism of the state, state leaders and individuals by authorities over the past three years. According to the Joint Bill Committee, more than 900 lawsuits have been filed under the law, both by citizens against each other and by authorities against their critics. That was not the laws original aim. We enacted it to protect citizens from power abuses by authorities, including lawmakers, and from being stalked or subject to other intrusive behavior by military intelligence or special branch officers, committee secretary and National League for Democracy lawmaker Dr. Myat Nyana Soe told The Irrawaddy. Free speech advocates had long called for a review of the law. In particular, they sought the repeal of Article 8(f), which makes defamation a non-bailable offense, or a reduction in the maximum three-year imprisonment for violating the article, so that it would become a bailable offense. Dr. Myat Nyana Soe said the Union Parliament kept the article and the harsh sentence in the law, but replaced the word whoever in the provision with any public official, so that prosecutions under the law will only target authorities, in cases opened against them by members of the public. The maximum three-year prison sentence was retained so that it can be imposed against authorities who abuse ordinary citizens, he said. We fixed it so that it is in line with its original aim, Dr. Myat Nyana Soe said. He admitted that the changes should have been made earlier, after the laws enactment. He pointed out, however, that the changes should have been initiated by the Ministry of Home Affairs, which is primarily responsible for implementing the law. Yet, as the ministry failed to do so, the Parliaments Justice and Legal Affairs Committee submitted a bill to make changes to the law in February. Despite the launch of democratic reforms in 2011 and the coming to power of an elected civilian government in 2016, Myanmar retains much of its surveillance and repressive security apparatus, which remains under the control of the military. Political dissidents, civil society activists and journalists still face household inspections and are often closely followed by both Special Branch and military intelligence officers, who routinely take pictures, videos and sound recordings of communications, or collect material that can be used against them in legal suits. You may also like these stories: Myanmar Sets Out Re-entry Rules for Foreign Staff Myanmar Army Extends Unilateral Nationwide Truce, Excluding Rakhine State As the first winter of the COVID-19 pandemic looms, a draft strategy obtained by the Star suggests that Torontos Shelter Support and Housing Administration will recommend the City develop an acquisition strategy for hotels, rooming houses, and even office spaces, for housing the homeless. The mid-July draft of a shelter recovery strategy, expected to be released in September, was obtained by the Star from a source involved in the documents development. Since COVID-19 hit, the consequences of our system failures are evident and immediate, and demand change, the draft notes. Toronto has a decades-long history of creating temporary emergency responses to homelessness crises that become part of our permanent infrastructure. We need to adopt approaches that will work during COVID-19 and not compound our challenges afterward. The City confirmed via email that the report received by the Star was a draft of the shelter interim recovery strategy, but cautioned that the version was incomplete. Staff would be available to speak about the report when it was released publicly next month, staff said. When complete, the strategy will guide City and partner agency response to homelessness over the next 12-month interim recovery period, (next three months), medium term (six-12 months) and long-term actions, to ensure effective service delivery and continued protection of vulnerable clients during COVID-19, City spokesperson Deborah Blackstone wrote in an email. Numerous reccomendations are laid out in the draft, including expanding financial supports for those at risk for evictions and repurposing funds from services that arent viable in a pandemic. One such service is Out of the Cold, a seasonal, volunteer-led cold-relief initiative, run out of a rotation of churches, mosques and synagogues. By Nov. 1, the draft said, a new approach should allow for overnight guests in static locations, to minimize cross-city movement. The draft also highlights the perception among some individuals experiencing homelessness that shelters were characterized by overcrowding and a lack of security, which pushed the homeless into encampments. The shelter system needs to be seen to change before people in encampments will be convinced that they will be safer in shelter. Above all, system services must be, and be seen to be, pandemic-safe, or shelter users will continue to vote with their feet, the draft reads. Last year was the sixth straight winter the city had to scale up shelter services, but facilities were still packed. COVID-19 reduced capacity further; the average occupancy in Toronto shelters last August was 6,868, and 6,849 in 2018, but occupancy one night this week was 2,132. Ashleigh Dalton, SSHAs manager of strategic policy and service planning, says the shelter recovery strategy will be released publicly on Sept. 15, a week before it goes to the Citys planning and housing committee. City staff have developed an implementation plan, Dalton said, which will be considered by both the committee and council in October. That timeline left little room for error, said Tommy Taylor, a frontline shelter worker with Torontos Fred Victor and St. Felix Centre. Winter shelters were usually up and running by Oct. 15, before temperatures typically dip below freezing in early November. If theyve got some kind of miracle plan that theyre planning then Im all for it, he said. But the tight timeline seemed to him to be dangerous. If thats not enough, theres no time to do something else. It has to be perfect, and it has to be epic, otherwise were out of time, he said. The draft warns about the looming winter, noting that the challenges already faced by the shelter system were on course to be intensified in the absence of immediate, significant interventions. Taylor believes that taking over vacant properties such as hotel rooms will be critical to have the necessary shelter capacity this winter. The pandemic exposed just how many temporary solutions the city had leaned on in recent years, Taylor said. My whole career in homelessness and shelters, Ive just felt like a big band-aid that cant cover a wound. Victoria Gibson is a Toronto-based reporter for the Star covering affordable housing. Her reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative. Reach her via email: victoriagibson@thestar.ca The Ministry of Defense of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) has submitted a petition to confer the highest title of Artsakh (Hero of Artsakh) upon Captain Armenak Urfanyan, who heroically died during the Four-Day Artsakh War in April 2016. This is what President of Artsakh Arayik Haroutyunyan posted on his Facebook page, adding the following: There have been several discussions on the self-dedication and patriotism of Armenak Urfanyan. I believe this will be the best decision to worthily appreciate his heroism ahead of the day marking the Declaration of Independence of the Republic of Artsakh. I will approve the decision with love and pride. During the Four-Day Artsakh War, Armenak Urfanyans company didnt retreat and fought until the end during the unmatched battle with Azerbaijan and thwarted the adversarys attacks a few times. Armenak Urfanyan was born on January 28, 1990 in Yerevan. He was involved in taekwondo, sambo and judo. After graduating from school, he got accepted to the Artillery Troops Faculty at Vazgen Sargsyan Military Institute and later moved to the Infantry Division. After graduating from the Institute, he left for Artsakh for military service. In January 2016, the young man got engaged and was going to get married in the summer of that year. By the decree of President of Bako Sahakyan dated April 6, 2016, Armenak Urfanyan was posthumously awarded the Medal For Military Service for defending the state border of the Republic of Artsakh and for his courage. On May 28, 2016, Armenak Urfanyan was posthumously awarded the First Degree Order of the Combat Cross by the order of President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan. NAIROBI (Reuters) - Doctors employed by Kenya's Nairobi County government resumed work on Thursday following a six-day strike over delayed salaries and a lack of protective equipment when handling patients who may have COVID-19, a union official said. Thuranira Kaugiria, Nairobi County secretary general of the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union, said in a WhatsApp message the doctors had returned to work after signing an agreement with county officials on Wednesday. In the agreement, the government promised to pay doctors on the fifth day of every month, failing to which the doctors were free to stop work without notice. The agreement, seen by Reuters, also provides doctors with two isolation facilities in the event that they contract COVID-19. The county government also committed to providing the doctors with adequate supplies of high quality personal protective equipment, the agreement said. The 320 striking doctors walked out last week, citing poor quality protective gear, too few isolation wards, and inadequate health insurance. The strike only affected hospitals run by the county government, and not those run by the national government or those that are privately run. Kenya has 33,016 confirmed coronavirus cases, 564 deaths and 19,296 recoveries out of 429,513 tests conducted, according to the Ministry of Health. The majority of confirmed cases have been in the capital, although the government says the numbers have started rising faster in rural areas. (Reporting by George Obulutsa; Editing by Ayenat Mersie and Giles Elgood) CANBERRA, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Wang Xining, minister of the Chinese Embassy to Australia, on Wednesday called for respect, goodwill, fairness and vision to promote China-Australia relationship in his speech at the National Press Club of Australia. "We should respect each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and refrain from interfering in other's internal affairs," he said. "We should respect each other's choice of social and political system and mode of development, and refrain from imposing one's own idea onto the other. We should respect each other's legal system and rule of law and refrain from interrupting the other's legal proceedings and undertakings." He noted that as China's sovereignty was "constantly in jeopardy or disarray in modern history under intimidation and threat from external powers", the least thing China wanted to do was to inflict on others what China suffered. While China respected Australia's sovereignty and did not interfere in Australia's internal affairs, it expected reciprocity, he said. The second point Wang made was goodwill, with which, while in case of differences and disagreement, relationship between China and Australia would not be wrecked. "When we the people with goodwill are confronted with a different methodology, we do not panic, because we know that deep in our hearts people hold dear the same core values, and a methodology will work only in good conditions and survive only with success," he said. "We the people with goodwill will not label others evil only because they have different understanding and interpretation of the worldly beings and affairs, nor will we reject fresh ideas and useful methods that offer us more opportunities and choices." "China is full of goodwill," he said. "We don't see Australia as a strategic threat, as there is no conflict of fundamental interest between us, and no major historical irritants to be healed." Wang then emphasized the importance of fairness, with which China and Australia have achieved rapid trade growth. "The two economies fit each other like tenon and mortise," he said. "We could serve as a classic case of comparative advantages, which if working well, would make Adam Smith chuckle in his grave. We could and should make it work the best." He told audiences that China kept improving business environment, and in 2019, the World Bank ranked China the 31st in the world, up from 46th in 2018. "I hope that Australia will remain high on the list, not to be dragged down for pushing foreign business or investment away on account of ill-founded and in many cases imported assertions of security breach, IPR infringement and forced technology transfer," he said. The last word he explained was vision. "Our vision is that both China and Australia will play active roles in promoting regional stability and prosperity and advocating world peace and development," he said. "We remember Prime Minister Gough Whitlam for his visionary visit to China, Prime Minister Bob Hawke for his visionary proposition of APEC and Prime Minister John Howard for his visionary promotion of better understanding of China," he said. "Vision guides a country. Vision leads the world. Vision benefits our people." In his speech, Wang also talked about Chinese people's own view of their country and expressed his wish for better relationship between the two countries. "We should not let cold heart and dark mind cast shadow over our partnership," he said. "We should not let narrow interest and myopic view misguide our exchange and interaction. We should not let outdated stereotype and plotted distortion mould our understanding of each other and the world. We should not let empty slogans and willful branding dictate our narratives of bilateral relationship. We should not let our younger generation be swathed in belligerency and deprivation of progressive thinking and inclusive society." Gary Jones, BP Regional President for Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey sent a congratulatory letter to Mehriban Aliyeva, First Vice-President of Azerbaijan. "Her Excellency Mrs. Mehriban Aliyeva, First Vice-President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Dear Mrs. Mehriban Aliyeva, On behalf of BP and its entire team I would like to wish you a happy birthday! Please accept my wishes for robust health, prosperity and continued success in your activity for the benefit of the Republic of Azerbaijan," the letter said. Wisconsin's attorney general says Jacob Blake the Black man shot seven times in the back by a police officer in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Sunday was near a knife when the shooting took place, but he would not say whether Blake was carrying the knife when he was shot. The Kenosha Police Department officer who opened fire, identified as Rusten Sheskey, a seven-year-veteran, held the shirt of Blake, 29, and opened fire as he tried to get in a vehicle, Attorney General Josh Kaul said at a news conference Wednesday. "Officer Sheskey fired the weapon into Mr. Blake's back," he said. Officers were trying to arrest Blake and had deployed a Taser unsuccessfully when he opened the driver's side door of a vehicle and "leaned forward," Kaul said. Investigators found the knife in the footwell of the vehicle, and Blake confirmed to investigators that he was in possession of a knife, Kaul said. Sheskey and other officers involved in the incident are on administrative leave as the investigation by local, state and federal officials including the FBI continues, Kaul said. Kenosha County District Attorney Michael Graveley said he has asked the U.S. attorney's office to investigate, as well. The Department of Justice confirmed Wednesday it had opened a civil rights investigation into the shooting. Download the NBC News app for breaking news and alerts Blake was "helping to de-escalate a domestic incident" when he was confronted by officers, a lawyer for his family, Benjamin Crump, said Tuesday. Kaul said police had responded to an incident in which a man was at the residence of a woman and was not supposed to be there. He did not say whether that man was Blake. Blake is in a hospital in Milwaukee paralyzed from the waist down, family co-counsel Patrick Salvi said Tuesday. Kenosha police have not given their side of the story about exactly what led up to the shooting, having said only that they were responding to a domestic incident about 5:11 p.m. Sunday. Story continues A man who recorded the shooting on video, Raysean White, 22, said he heard police tell Blake to "drop the knife." White said he did not see Blake with a knife, and it is not clear whether he was carrying one. Kaul did not say Wednesday whether Blake was actually carrying a knife. The attack sparked protests this week in Kenosha and beyond, including in New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta and San Diego. During a third night of demonstrations in Kenosha on Tuesday, two people were fatally shot and a third person was injured. Kyle Rittenhouse, 17, was in custody just across the border in Illinois and faced allegations of murder in Wisconsin. Blake's father, also named Jacob Blake, expressed doubt Tuesday that a fair investigation of his son's shooting was possible. "I don't have the confidence in anybody that is white that is doing an investigation about a Black young man that was shot seven times in his back," he said. Extinction Rebellion has dropped extreme claims about the end of humanity from a climate change film narrated by Keira Knightley. The London-based producer Serena Schellenberg admitted there was insufficient evidence to support apocalyptic claims 'human extinction is a real possibility' and 'climate breakdown is already killing 400,000 people every year'. Climate scientists warned against 'crying wolf' as they disputed the claims, reported The Times. The film Climate Crisis and Why We Should Panic, launched on social media last year, featured the outlandish statements in the closing minutes. They were not narrated by Knightley. The London-based producer Serena Schellenberg admitted there was insufficient evidence to support apocalyptic claims 'human extinction is a real possibility' and 'climate breakdown is already killing 400,000 people every year' The Times asked Ms Schellenberg for her sources, prompting the TV advertising producer to delete them ahead of a second launch tomorrow. Ms Schellenberg is the daughter of the late Keith Schellenberg, a flamboyant millionaire who angered those living on the Hebridean island Eigg after buying it in the 1970s. Of the film, she said: 'Since these statements still prove to be a matter of debate and we would like the film to be robustly backed by the Scientists of XR [Extinction Rebellion], we have decided to review these statements and update them for the relaunch of the film.' It comes ahead of Extinction Rebellion protests this weekend. In the edited version the end of humanity claim has been replaced with: 'Leading scientists warn that we have entered a state of "planetary emergency" and face the prospect of societal collapse.' Keira Knightley at a film premiere in London on March 9. The film Climate Crisis and Why We Should Panic was narrated by Knightley, who is said to have approved the entire film The original version has been viewed 54,000 times in the 12 months since its online release The 400,000 deaths claim became: 'The frequency of extreme weather events has already increased threefold.' Even though the comments appear onscreen without being narrated by Knightley, Ms Schellenberg said the actress approved the whole film. The original version has been viewed 54,000 times in the 12 months since its online release. An Extinction Rebellion London social media post, sharing the film in July 2019, read: 'A million species are at risk of being wiped into oblivion and hundreds of thousands of people are already being killed by our oblivious consumerism. 'If we do not change, biodiversity and climate disruption could result in billions of deaths and suffering as human civilization collapses into chaos.' Climate scientists have disputed the claims and warned against 'crying wolf', saying people will stop being shocked if the threat is exaggerated But Stephan Harrison, a professor of climate and environmental change at the University of Exeter, blasted the video. He said it makes 'celebrities look silly when they start jumping on bandwagons like this'. He told the newspaper: 'It's a bit like crying wolf. If you keep on telling people to panic after a while they get fed up and don't panic.' Ms Schellenberg, 59, did offer sources for the two claims. She said a study from 2017 alleged there would be 'existential threats' from emissions. She added the deaths claim was rooted in a 2012 paper published by Dara, a non-profit group based in Spain that aims to make humanitarian aid more effective. The statements were deleted after Extinction Rebellion scientists decided they could not be 'robustly defended'. MailOnline has approached Kiera Knightley's representatives for comment. Users of Zoom and other video conference tools should be aware of the growing risk of impersonation attacks. Even the use of other video platforms to keep in touch with friends on a social level now poses higher security risks. A report released this month by Eli Sanders, chief data scientist at INKY, attempted to raise awareness of this growing vulnerability. INKY is a cloud-based email security platform that uses artificial intelligence to spot signs of fraud, along with spam and malware. INKY researchers identified attacks stemming from Australia, Germany, the U.S. and elsewhere. Cybercriminals are capitalizing on the exponential increase of users turning to Zoom and Teams to collaborate across work and friend networks. Phishing Frenzy Zoom has seen an unprecedented rise in new users this year, primarily driven by COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns. This web-based video conferencing giant jumped from 10 million daily meeting participants last December to 300 million this April. This meteoric rise in users caused a veritable phishing frenzy where cybercriminals around the globe are trying to capitalize on opportunities for scam and fraud. These include an explosion of fake meeting invitations that impersonate Zoom and Teams in phishing forays that attempt to steal users confidential details. Some users might not be aware of precautions or [be] familiar with how Zoom works. The goal of this phishing campaign is to steal Microsoft credentials, but you dont actually need to log into a Microsoft account to attend a Zoom conference, Sanders told TechNewsWorld. A related issue called Zoom bombing is also prevalent. Trolls and hackers disrupt non-password protected public conferences by uploading offensive graphic content, malicious links, and malware, he added. Other platforms are risky, too. Bad actors also send similar phishing emails that impersonate Microsoft Teams, Skype, RingCentral, and Cisco Webex. Why the Fuss? When someones login credentials are stolen, the thieves sell the information on the Dark Web to multiple bad actors. The phisher also has immediate access to the victims Microsoft account, so they can view all emails, access sensitive uploads on OneDrive, or send phishing emails from that compromised account, Sanders explained. INKY claimed its technology stopped approximately 5,000 of these phishing attacks. The company highlighted the origin and attack mechanism of 13 unique phishing templates, all designed to lure Zoom users into giving up the kinds of confidential credentials that allow cybercriminals to steal billions of dollars each year. Average losses per company totaled nearly US$75,000 per incident in 2019. These types of phishing attacks can doom small-to-mid-sized businesses. Not surprisingly, that Zoom & Doom expression is part of the INKY report title. A D V E R T I S E M E N T Zooms newcomer status and the rush to adjust to working from home contributed to making the video platform a prevalent target for attack. Zoom has lots of new users since students and workers now rely on it to replace in-person meetings, agreed Sanders. Always Be On Guard Knowing that these phishing scams are on the rise big time is one thing. Being able to prevent falling victim to them is something else. Common phishing lures are fake notifications delivered in voicemail, new document alerts and account updates. The attackers goal is usually credential harvesting or installing malware with an email attachment, according to Sanders. A basic step that organizations can provide to their staff is user awareness training to help those who normally interact with these phishing attacks learn to be suspicious of their email. One tactic is for the user to manually check for clues which can be rather obvious. For instance, look for unknown senders, hover over a link (without clicking) to reveal the URL embedded behind it, and be suspicious of attachments, Sanders suggested. Many companies also have a previous investment in security email gateways (SEGs) to attempt to spot these malicious emails. But bad actors are creative and fool the user and these legacy systems all the time, he noted. These platforms can be easily accessed by both work computers and mobile devices. On phones and tablets, smaller screens hide a lot of the red flags employees have been trained to spot, according to Hank Schless, senior manager for security solutions at Lookout. The devices will also shorten the name of the file or URL being delivered by the threat actor. This makes it difficult to spot a suspicious document or website name, he told TechNewsWorld. If the user clicks on the malicious link and goes to the phishing page, it may be close to impossible to spot the differences between the real and fake page. If employees are not familiar with the platforms interface, it is unlikely that they will be able to spot any giveaways of the phishing page or even question why theyre being asked to login in the first place, explained Schless. Dangers Lurk Even before COVID-19 and global remote work, bad actors routinely used fake Google G-Suite and Microsoft Office 365 links to try to phish a companys employees. The number of people using Zoom and Teams has increased dramatically with everyone forced to work from home. A D V E R T I S E M E N T Malicious actors know new users are unfamiliar with the apps. So the cybercriminals exploit with both malicious URLs and fake message attachments to bring targets to phishing pages, Schless noted. Mobile phishing rates are 200 percent higher for users of Office 365 and G-Suite than those without them, according to Lookout data. Employees are much more likely to engage with a link or document if it looks like its part of the app ecosystem you already use. When your employees are outside the office and on the go, there is high likelihood they are going to be reviewing documents on mobile devices, he added. Matters like this will likely be an issue on every type of platform, forever. This is just a 2020 version of phishing or spear phishing (sending targeted fake emails), according to Bryan Becker, product manager at WhiteHat Security. Even video game platforms have this issue with criminals using these techniques to steal virtual currencies, he told TechNewsWorld. All one has to do is look at one of the most recent major phishing campaigns carried out against Twitter users, observed Becker. The recent happenings at Twitter are a perfect example of the potential dangers that lurk beneath the attacks, he said. He was referring to the July 30 announcement Twitter officials made about the unprecedented July 15 phone spear phishing attack targeting 130 people including CEOs, celebrities, and politicians. The attackers took control of 45 of those accounts and used them send tweets promoting a basic bitcoin scam. Ruses Revealed INKYs report pointed out multiple techniques attackers used in the Zoom and Teams campaigns. Sanders highlighted a few of those techniques: Malicious links to fake O365 or Outlook login pages, where a simple copy/paste of actual HTML/source code from Microsoft makes it look very convincing to the user; HTML attachments that build the fake login page as localhost on the users computer. Including an attachment prevents SEGs from finding the link on an industry blocklist/reputation checkers. Also, the attachments are encoded so they are not readable by humans or the typical SEG; The attacker personalizes the phishing email with information from the users email address. Attackers add the users or companys name as part of the From Display Name, email content, malicious link (created dynamically), zoom meeting name; Fake logos that are actually just text and CSS tricks to make it appear as a logo in order to get by the SEG. Sanders detailed other tricks that attackers used to pull off the phishing assaults. For instance, they used hijacked accounts to get past any SPF or DKIM checks or created new domains with realistic-sounding names to trick users, such as Zoom Communications.com or Zoom VideoConfrence.com. Did you notice the spelling error? Spelling and grammar mistakes are typical clues to an attack. But many users simply do not notice such things. While some hijacked accounts are well known and can be found on industry blocklists, the new accounts are attempting to implement a zero-day attack to bypass the SEG, Sanders explained. Eventually, they get discovered and blocked. But in the meantime, they can get through the SEGs. LAKE CHARLES, LOUISIANA - AUGUST 27: Mitch PIckering plays his guitar while walking through the downtown area after Hurricane Laura passed through on August 27, 2020 in Lake Charles, Louisiana . The hurricane hit with powerful winds causing extensive damage to the city. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) (Joe Raedle/Getty Images) Hurricane Laura slammed into southwestern Louisiana early Thursday, unleashing fearsome winds and torrential rains, shattering windows and knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of households in its destructive path. Several hours after making landfall as a life-threatening Category 4 storm the strongest to hit the U.S. this year Laura's strength ebbed somewhat and it was reclassified by the National Hurricane Center as a Category 2 hurricane. But with winds of up to 110 mph, the danger had not passed. As dawn broke Thursday, those who evacuated from the Gulf Coast as Laura approached assessed the damage and the perils still ahead. Among the hardest-hit areas was Lake Charles, La., a city of around 80,000 residents about 30 miles east of the Texas border and due north of where the hurricane made landfall overnight. As the storm approached, authorities had warned residents to evacuate as forecasters predicted an unsurvivable storm surge of up to 20 feet that is not expected to recede for days. Charlene Lavergne, 64, didnt want to leave her home in nearby Sulphur. She had been self-quarantining since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving only for medical appointments, as infections and deaths spiked in Louisiana. She had also weathered Hurricane Rita there 15 years earlier, a storm of similar magnitude. But entreaties from her five children and memories of that last deadly hurricane finally persuaded Lavergne to leave. I never wanted to see or hear that again, she said from Plano, Texas, where she was sheltering at a motel with three of her daughters and two grandchildren. My family is scattered from San Angelo to Bay City [Texas] to Dallas to Plano to west Houston to Atlanta right now, but we all live in Sulphur, she said. My son and his family are trying to go home today and check our homes. Amanda Wiley Cortez, 48, also evacuated from Lake Charles before Hurricane Laura struck but had to leave her immunocompromised boyfriend, James Rowe, 51, behind because he refused to leave their mobile home. Story continues As authorities closed Interstate 10 and warned they wouldnt be able to rescue those who remained until after the storm passed, Wiley Cortez sent a message to the local Calcasieu Parish Sheriffs Office on Facebook, pleading for them to check on Rowe's welfare. But sheriffs rescues teams had only just started mustering to go out and check roadways for flooding Thursday morning. Wiley Cortez said she hadnt been able to reach her boyfriend by phone. Last I heard from him at 1 a.m., [he] said he was OK. The siding was being blown off of our trailer, she said. I've tried to call, with no luck. I'm not sure if the cell towers are up. Forecasters say they continue to expect a massive storm surge, with large and destructive waves poised to cause catastrophic damage from Intracoastal City, La., including Calcasieu and Sabine Lake, to Sea Rim State Park, Texas. The biggest surge, up to 20 feet, is expected along a stretch of Louisiana coastline that includes Johnson Bayou and the towns of Holly Beach and Cameron. Forecasters say that this could penetrate up to 40 miles inland from the coastline and that floodwaters won't fully recede for days. Lauras howling winds battered a tall building in Lake Charles, blowing out windows as glass and debris flew to the ground. Police spotted a floating casino that had come loose from its moorings and crunched against a bridge. Hours after landfall, the wind and rain were still blowing too hard to check for survivors. There are some people still in town and people are calling ... but there aint no way to get to them, Tony Guillory, president of the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury, the parish's governing body, said early Thursday morning by phone as he hunkered down in a Lake Charles government building that was shaking from the storm. Guillory said he hopes those stranded can be rescued later Thursday, but he fears that blocked roads, downed power lines and flooding could delay that process. Officials said search-and-rescue missions would begin as soon as conditions allowed, along with damage assessments. We know anyone that stayed that close to the coast, weve got to pray for them, because looking at the storm surge, there would be little chance of survival, Louisiana Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser told ABCs "Good Morning America." With more than 470,000 homes and businesses without power in Louisiana and Texas, near-constant lightning provided the only light for some. Daoith Porm, right, and Bunsant Khov board up their business in Bridge City, Texas, on Wednesday. (Associated Press) The National Hurricane Center said the storm, which intensified rapidly Wednesday before plowing into land with sustained winds of 150 mph, came ashore at 1 a.m. Central near Cameron, a 400-person community about 30 miles east of the Texas border. Potentially catastrophic impacts will continue, forecasters said in an ominous warning. More than 580,000 coastal residents were under orders to flee in the largest evacuation since the COVID-19 pandemic began, and many did, filling hotels and sleeping in cars since officials didn't want to open mass shelters and worsen the spread of the coronavirus. Govs. Greg Abbott of Texas and John Bel Edwards of Louisiana fretted that the dire predictions were not resonating despite authorities putting coastal residents under mandatory evacuation orders. Edwards activated the states entire National Guard. In Lake Charles, Guard members drove school buses around neighborhoods, offering to pick up families. Across the state line in Port Arthur, Texas, a few stragglers boarded evacuation buses, and city officials announced that two C-130 transport planes offered the last chance to leave. Officials said at least 150 people refused to leave and planned to weather the storm in shelters including elevated homes and recreational vehicles in coastal Cameron Parish, which could be completely covered by ocean water. Its a very sad situation, said Ashley Buller, assistant director of emergency preparedness. We did everything we could to encourage them to leave. Abbott warned that people who failed to get out of harms way could be cut off from help long after the storm hit. On Twitter, President Trump also urged coastal residents to heed local officials. Hurricane warnings were issued from San Luis Pass, Texas, to Intracoastal City, La., and reached inland for 200 miles. Storm surge warnings were in effect from Freeport, Texas, to the mouth of the Mississippi River. For some, the decision to evacuate left them with no place to stay. Wary of opening mass shelters during a pandemic, Texas authorities instead put evacuees in hotels, but Austin stopped taking arrivals before dawn because officials said they ran out of rooms. Other evacuees called the state's 211 information line and were directed to Ennis, outside Dallas, only to be told after driving hundreds of miles that there were no hotels or hotel vouchers available. Taniquia Ned and her sisters showed up without money to rent a room, saying the family had burned through its savings after losing jobs because of the coronavirus. The COVID-19 is just totally wiping us out, said Shalonda Joseph, 43, a teacher in Port Arthur. Edwards lamented that the storm meant suspension of community testing for the coronavirus at a crucial time as elementary and secondary schools in Louisiana are opening and students are returning to college campuses. Were basically going to be blind for this week, the governor said, referring to the lack of testing. Laura was expected to cause widespread flash flooding in states far from the coast. Flood watches were issued for much of Arkansas, and forecasters said heavy rainfall could arrive by Friday in parts of Missouri, Tennessee and Kentucky. Laura is so powerful that it's expected to swing eastward and become a tropical storm again once it reaches the Atlantic Ocean, potentially threatening the Northeast. The hurricane also threatened a center of the U.S. energy industry. The government said 84% of oil production and an estimated 61% of natural gas production in the Gulf of Mexico were shut down and nearly 300 platforms evacuated. Consumers are unlikely to see big price hikes, however, because the pandemic has decimated demand for fuel. Laura closed in on the U.S. after killing nearly two dozen people this week on the island of Hispaniola 20 in Haiti and three in the Dominican Republic, where it knocked out power and caused intense flooding. Laura is the seventh named storm to strike the U.S. this year, setting a new record for U.S. landfalls by the end of August. The old record was six in 1886 and 1916, according to Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Piers Morgan enjoyed the final days of his summer break this week ahead of his imminent return to Good Morning Britain with regular co-host Susanna Reid. The presenter, 55, has divided his time between the south of France and Sussex while taking some well earned time away from the daily breakfast show. And he appeared to be making the most of his last week of lie-ins by sharing social media posts from the outdoor pool at his family home in leafy Newick. Returning: Piers Morgan enjoyed the final days of his summer break this week ahead of his imminent return to Good Morning Britain with regular co-host Susanna Reid Piers, who also owns properties in London and Los Angeles, gave followers a glimpse at the spacious outdoor area while enjoying southern England's 21 degree temperatures on Wednesday. The presenter revealed his large swimming pool surrounded by neatly manicured hedges, perfectly arranged paving and wooden fencing. Piers and his second wife, author and journalist Celia Walden, arrived in the UK from Saint Tropez before tightening travel restrictions demanded visitors to France quarantine for 14 days upon their return. This is the life: The presenter appeared to be making the most of his last week of lie-ins by sharing social media posts from the outdoor pool at his family home in leafy Newick Very nice: The presenter revealed his large swimming pool surrounded by neatly manicured hedges, perfectly arranged paving and wooden fencing The presenter will return to the Good Morning Britain studio with Susanna on September 2, with ITV confirming the news alongside updates for Lorraine, Loose Women and This Morning. The channel has released a trailer featuring presenters across its daytime shows, with Phillip Schofield, Holly Willoughby and more all returning to air. They said: 'We've had a haircut. And a pint. We've been reunited with loved ones. Out to eat. Met friends. Back to school. And adjusted to a new normal. Summer to remember: Piers and wife Celia Walden were holidaying in the South of France with friends including Dame Joan Collins and her husband Percy Gibson before returning to Britain 'We've had twists and turns. We've had ups and downs. We've begun to expect the unexpected. 'What will September bring? No matter what comes next. We're with you every step of the way. In a world where everything is different.' Piers rounded off the trailer as he added: 'Not everything needs to be a new normal.' Welcome back: Piers will return to Good Morning Britain with Susanna on September 2nd The exciting news comes after it was revealed Phillip and Holly would be back on the This Morning sofa on Monday. The pair will be joined by a host of roving reporters, including actor Nigel Havers, who is to present a four-part Best of British segment, which will see him embark on a stunning tour to learn of the nation's history and achievements. Nigel said: 'It's a genuine pleasure to be able to take the time out to tour Britain for This Morning viewers this September. I've packed some hand sanitiser, a picnic blanket and an umbrella just in case.' This Morning's usual Friday presenters, husband and wife duo Ruth Langsford and Eamonn Holmes, have stepped in for Phil and Holly over the summer. S ir Ed Davey has been elected as the new leader of the Liberal Democrats. With 11 MPs the centrist Lib Dems are the fourth-largest party in the House of Commons, after the Conservatives, Labour and the Scottish National Party. Sir Ed, 54, has been acting leader since the 2019 general election, after which former leader Jo Swinson stood down when she lost her seat. A defender of the Lib Dems' record in coalition with the Conservatives, Sir Ed is generally considered on the right of the party, with a belief in market-based solutions to social issues. But who is the new leader, and what has he achieved in his political career so far? Sir Ed Davey after being elected leader / PA Election at first attempt Before beginning his parliamentary career Sir Ed worked as an economics researcher for Liberal Democrat MP Alan Beith, among others. He also worked in management consultancy for several years in the 1990s. MPs often need a few attempts to be elected to the House of Commons for the first time, but Sir Ed was elected in 1997 at the first time of asking, defeating Conservative Richard Tracey in Surbiton, who had held the seat for 14 years. Lib Dem spokesperson Sir Ed was given several front-bench roles by the Lib Dem leadership, including becoming the party's spokesperson on Treasury Affairs. He was also made a Whip in 1998, meaning that he had responsibility for party discipline on voting issues. He served in several more Lib Dem roles over the next decade, including working as chief of staff to party leader Sir Menzies Campbell. Ed Davey in 2015 when he held the role of Energy Secretary in the coalition Cabinet / REUTERS Coalition with the Conservatives When the Liberal Democrats entered Government in 2010 as the junior partner in a coalition with the Conservatives, Sir Ed was given a junior ministerial role as parliamentary under-secretary of state in the department for business, innovation and skills. He came in for criticism in 2011 for his part in the privatisation of Royal Mail, after a majority stake was floated on the London Stock Exchange that year, ending nearly 500 years of state ownership. In 2012 Sir Ed was promoted to secretary of state for energy and climate change. Sir Ed Davey alongisde 2020 leadership rival Layla Moran / Getty Images 2015 election Sir Ed lost his seat in 2015, during a crushing election that saw the Lib Dems return its worst-ever performance, losing 48 MPs. He was knighted in 2016 for "political and public service". 2017 re-election Sir Ed regained his Surbiton seat in 2017 and was made Home Office spokesperson. He was later given his former role of Treasury spokesperson again. Sir Ed Davey speaks at the Conrad Hotel, Westminster, London after he was elected as the leader of the Liberal Democrats. / PA He was a prominent anti-Brexit campaigner even after the vote to leave the EU, speaking in favour of a second referendum at a People's Vote rally. 2019 Lib Dem leadership vote After Sir Vince Cable said he would step down in 2019, Sir Ed took part in a leadership contest with Jo Swinson. Ms Swinson emerged victorious but lost her seat a few months later at the December 2019 general election and stood down as leader. Sir Ed clapping Jo Swinson after she was elected Lib Dem leader in 2019 / AFP/Getty Images Sir Ed stood in as interim co-leader with Mark Pack until a new vote was taken. 2020 leadership contest Sir Ed was one of four MPs to stand for the Lib Dem leadership in 2020, alongside Layla Moran, Wera Hobhouse and Christine Jardine. Ms Hobhouse and Ms Jardine. Ms Jardine stood down in April, endorsing Ms Moran while Ms Hobhouse withdrew in June, backing Sir Ed. The results were announced on August 27, with Sir Ed winning 63.5 per cent of the vote. In response to your Aug. 21 article Reopening Oregon schools will require stepped-up compliance or more coronavirus restrictions, governor warns: As the mother of a 1-year-old and a 5-year-old, I was relieved to hear Gov. Kate Brown identify safely reopening schools and child care as a top-priority guiding policy around COVID-19. We cannot wait for an effective vaccine to be tested, approved and distributed before sending children back to school. I hope that Gov. Brown will have the follow-through to enact policy changes to reduce transmission rates if local leaders dont improve enforcement and compliance with existing guidelines in the coming weeks. While more business closures would cause substantial economic pain particularly because our federal government has abdicated its responsibility to help the unemployed continuing to stumble forward in this middle zone between open and closed is also costly for businesses and workers. It also has tremendous and almost irreversible costs for children and families. With each week that schools are closed, more parents have to make impossible choices between caring for their children physically or financially. Mothers are being forced out of the workforce in droves. Older children will be sacrificing their educations to care for younger siblings. The state has a responsibility to protect its most vulnerable citizens. This includes ensuring that parents can meet their childrens basic needs and ensure their access to education. The governor has set reasonable benchmarks for the levels of COVID-19 spread that would allow schools to reopen safely. We must find a way to meet these benchmarks now or the consequences will be devastating and long-lasting. Neon Brooks, Portland The Victorian public servant who set up the state's ill-fated quarantine hotels program has told the inquiry into the debacle that said she wanted police, and not private security, to take the lead role in guarding the hotels. The inquiry was also told on Thursday that health department officials wanted minimal use of protective gear at the quarantine hotels to conserve supplies of PPE and wanted workers to protect themselves with social distancing in most circumstances. Senior jobs department bureaucrat Claire Febey Senior jobs department executive Claire Febey said Victoria Police were not interested in taking the lead security role in the hotels and suggested that private contractors should be hired to do the work instead. Ms Febey also told the inquiry of the confusion surrounding the establishment of the program with '"contestability" about who was in charge and that she asked for clarity about which department, jobs or health, would be leading the effort. Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 16:17:25|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Combination photo shows TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer (left, photo from press release of ByteDance on May 18, 2020), and the logo of TikTok on the screen of a smartphone on a computer screen background in Arlington, Virginia, the United States, Aug. 3, 2020 (Xinhua/Liu Jie). Mayer said he had made the decision because of the dramatically changing political environment. LOS ANGELES, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer resigned Wednesday amid continued U.S. pressure on the popular video-sharing app. In a letter to employees, Mayer said he had made the decision because of the dramatically changing political environment. The video-sharing social networking company on Monday filed a lawsuit against U.S. President Donald Trump's administration over an executive order banning any U.S. transactions with its Chinese parent company ByteDance. Since last year, U.S. authorities have repeatedly accused TikTok of being a potential threat to U.S. national security. U.S. officials alleged that the company, owned by Beijing-based ByteDance, could pass on data it collects from Americans' streaming videos to the Chinese government, a claim rejected by TikTok, which said it has never been asked to do so. "Against this backdrop, and as we expect to reach a resolution very soon, it is with a heavy heart that I wanted to let you all know that I have decided to leave the company," he wrote in the letter. Mayer, a former Disney executive, joined TikTok in May. The Delhi high court on Thursday directed the ministry of railways to consider issuing confirmed train tickets to specially abled Delhi University students who have to appear in person for their final-year exams that are to start from September 14. The court put forward the suggestion after it was informed that many students living in far-off cities were not in a condition to arrange travel and stay in Delhi for the duration of their exams from September 14 to October 1. HT had earlier reported that the second leg of the open book examination (OBE) for final-year students will be conducted in both online and offline modes so that students can choose the mode they prefer. A bench of justice Hima Kohli and justice Subramonium Prasad was hearing pleas by law student Prateek Sharma and the National Federation for Blind seeking to set up effective mechanisms for visually impaired and the specially abled students. Senior advocate Santosh Rungta, appearing for National Federation for Blind , told the court that 222 students with disabilities, who could not appear in the first leg of OBE, were apprehensive about appearing in person for the second leg because of several constraints. He said that while his organisation was ready to bear the expenses of the boarding and lodging of students, it was the responsibility of the government to ensure that students do not suffer. The court then directed the ministry of human resources development (now ministry of education) to approach the railways ministry and request it to arrange the travel of students with disabilities from states such as Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh, among others, to Delhi. It asked the two ministries, and the ministry of social justice to file separate affidavits on the feasibility of providing subsidised tickets to students and to ensure that students reach the city at least five days prior to the examination. It also asked students with disabilities to specify the mode online or offline in which they would prefer to attempt the exam, while also directing them to mail their credentials to Delhi University if they want to come to the city to take the examination in person. Senior advocate Sachin Datta, appearing for the varsity, said students who are unable to appear in person for the exam, can take the examination in the online format. However, Rungta said that while it was easier for students to arrange scribes in Delhi, it would be difficult for them to do so in other states. Following this, the court asked the ministries to look into the issue and posted the matter for further hearing on September 1. Were proud to have surpassed our initial fundraising goal by over $5,000.00, and it touches us tremendously to know that the money has provided over 120,000 nutritious meals to our community. said Jim Rex, President of the GHT Companies. The GHT Companies, a leading developer and distributor of nutraceutical products, will celebrate the conclusion of its fundraising initiative for Feeding San Diego with a press conference at its manufacturing facility in Vista. Here are the details: What: The GHT Companies presents the final check of $5,000.00+ representing an overall donation result exceeding $30,000 to Feeding San Diego Who: Jim Rex, CEO, The GHT Companies and Gavon Morris, Chief Philanthropy Officer, Feeding San Diego When: Wednesday, September 2nd, 1:00 P.M. Where: 2465 Ash St., Vista, CA Were proud to have surpassed our initial fundraising goal by over $5,000.00, and it touches us tremendously to know that the money has provided over 120,000 nutritious meals to our community, said Jim Rex, President of the GHT Companies. Our customers and manufacturing partners have overwhelmed us with their support over the past three months. Were honored to be part of a community thats passionate not just about nutrition at home but also for the people in San Diego who need it most. The GHT Companies began the initiative with Feeding San Diego, the leading local hunger-relief and food rescue organization, in May when it came to their attention that food insecurity was rising in their San Diego community. They designated special 25% off pricing for 13 popular immunity-boosting vitamins and nutraceutical products from their Vegan Life and Vibrant Nutraceuticals brands. Each sale resulted in a one-dollar donation, and The GHT Companies put even larger donations in place for per-kilogram sales of raw ingredients used in the manufacturing of other nutraceutical products, specifically vegan vitamin D3 powder and oil. Before COVID-19, one in eight people in San Diego County faced hunger, including one in six children. Now the need for food assistance has increased by an estimated 50% as families struggle with unemployment and economic uncertainty, said Gavon Morris, Chief Philanthropy Officer of Feeding San Diego. Were grateful to GHT for their commitment to health and nutrition during the COVID-19 crisis. Their corporate contributions are directly supporting our emergency hunger-relief efforts throughout our community. In addition to the check presentation, The GHT Companies would like to invite the media to tour the manufacturing facility. ---------- About The GHT Companies The GHT Companies is one of the most trusted names in the nutritional supplement field since 1996. The group is structured to collaborate with founding scientists to develop their unique ingredient/product discoveries and to deliver industry-leading, high-quality consumer products, and ingredients on a global basis. The GHT Companies uses its unique business structure of 5 diverse subsidiaries that touch on all facets of the nutraceutical industry in order to provide products and services to customers in the most effective way possible. Disclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Information and statements made are for educational purposes and are not intended to replace the advice of your health care professional. About Feeding San Diego Feeding San Diego is a non-profit organization on a mission to connect every person facing hunger with nutritious meals by maximizing food rescue. Established in 2007, Feeding San Diego is the leading hunger relief and food rescue organization in San Diego County and the only Feeding America affiliate in the region. Feeding San Diego provides more than 26 million meals every year to children, families, seniors, college students, military families, and veterans, and people facing homelessness in partnership with a network of 300 local charities, schools, faith communities, meal sites, and food pantries. To learn more about Feeding San Diego and its COVID-19 response, visit feedingsandiego.org/coronavirus. Media Contact: Marketing Department, request Shanna Denfeld, Vice-President (760) 542-3000 marketing@theghtcompanies.com https://www.vibrantnutra.com https://www.veganlifenutrition.com Those stretches of hot and sunny days come August have long been called the 'dog days of summer.' But as of 2004, our actual canine friends have had August 26 earmarked as National Dog Day. And on Wednesday a slew of people took to their social media platforms to share adorable photos of their four-legged family members in tribute of the unofficial holiday, which included the likes of celebrities Drew Barrymore, Jennifer Garner, Rumer Willis and Vanessa Hudgens. Dog lovers unite: Drew Barrymore, 45, was among the celebrities to share photos of their dogs on National Dog Day, which falls annually on August 26 Four-legged family members: Barrymore paid tribute to her dogs Douglas and Lucy Barrymore posted a photo on Instagram of her two mid-size pooches that she named in the caption: 'Douglas and Lucy #nationaldogday' The ET: The Extra-Terrestrial star, 45, has been very open about how important dogs, and animals as a whole, have been in her life that has included giving some of her time as a dog adoption advocate. 'Animals have given me a rite of passage, a humility and a purpose and a kindness and a lack of cruelty,' she confessed during a speech when she was the guest of honor at the Annual ASPCA Bergh Ball in 2016. Furry friend: Jennifer Garner, 48, shared a cute photo of her beloved Golden Retriever Adorable: Garner's dog Birdie struck the perfect pose of an outside staircase Animal lover: Rumer Willis, 32, promoted dog adoption and rescue when she shared a series of snaps of her beloved Dolores on Instagram Chill dog: Willis also showed Delores staring off in the distance while lounging with her mama Garner, 48, couldn't resist showing off her gorgeous Golden Retriever in a single photo of the female striking a pose of some outdoor stairs. 'Happy #nationaldogday to our good girl, Birdie all of yours, too,' The Dallas Buyers Club actress wrote in the caption along with a dog and heart emoji. As for Willis, who's the daughter of screen legends Bruce Willis and Demi Moore, she promoted dog adoption and rescue when she shared a series of snaps of her beloved Dolores. Homebodies: The pair also shared a bed together in another snap Sleepy time: The actress snuggled up with Delores when her pooch fell asleep 'Happy National Dog Day. My little weirdo Dolores you bring so much joy to my life. Thank you @acredogs for helping me find my best friend,' she wrote in the caption, in a reference to the adoption facility she used to find her dog. In one of the pictures, Willis, 32, learned her head next to Delores' as the pair looked straight into the camera. There's another photo where the actress is lounging at home on grass as her lovely lady stares off into the distance, and yet another snap of the two lying in bed together. 'If you are looking for a doggo friend or aren't ready and just want to help out these are some of my favorite rescues that are constantly saving and helping so many lives in need and can always use your contributions,' Willis added in her post along with a list of adoption agencies. @apurposefulrescue @thelabellefoundation @hollywood_huskies @acredogs' Sending a message: Vanessa Hudgens used National Dog Day to encourage people to adopt Heartfelt: Hudgens also shared some sweet sentiments about her beloved Darla Hudgens, 31, shared some heartfelt sentiments that most dog lovers can relate too, along with a plug for more people to adopt. 'Happy #nationaldogday I can't imagine my life without Darla. #adoptdontshop,' the High School Musical alum wrote. Halle Berry paid tribute with a lovely picture of her two guys sharing a sniff and a lick and wrote, 'Happy #NationalDogDay to two very good boys. #LivingLikeJaxAndRo' Double dose: Halle Berry, 54, Halle Berry paid tribute with a lovely picture of her two male dogs lounging together while sharing a sniff and a lick The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel star Rachel Brosnahan had a little fun by catching her dogs in the act. 'Busted these two on the couch this morning. Guiltiest pups in honor of #NationalDogDay,' she captioned a photo of her two pooches. National Dog Day is celebrated August 26th annually and was founded in 2004 by Colleen Page, a pet and family lifestyle expert and animal rescue advocate. She created the day as a way to celebrate all dogs, draw attention to dogs in shelters, and to encourage adoption for those who have yet to find a forever home. August 26 is significant to Page because it is the day her family adopted her first pet pooch, Sheltie, at a local animal shelter when she was 10 years old. By Promit Mukherjee and Tanisha Heiberg JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Steel producer ArcelorMittal South Africa has declared force majeure after a breakdown of a blast furnace at its Newcastle Works in KwaZulu-Natal province, it said on Wednesday. The clause of force majeure, loosely translated as superior force, allows certain terms of an otherwise legally binding agreement to be ignored due to unavoidable circumstances. Africa's biggest steel producer, which is majority-owned by Luxembourg-based ArcelorMittal SA , said the blast furnace had suffered thermal damage and had been shut down for an estimated three weeks for repairs. "The company has communicated with customers and has declared a force majeure in respect of the specific impact of this breakdown," it said in a emailed response to Reuters. ArcelorMittal, also the biggest steelmaker on the continent, produces close to 4.4 million tonnes of finished steel products in South Africa via four main steel plants. Its Newcastle plant makes long steel products which are used in the construction industry and has a capacity of 1.9 million tonnes, or just over 150,000 tonnes monthly. Its long products, produced from Newcastle and Vereeniging Works, contributed up to a third of its operating profit in 2019, according to the company's annual report. The company said it was unable to predict production losses due to the uncertainty around when it will be fixed. "Every effort is being made to resolve the problem quickly and to restart production as soon as possible to limit the impact on customers," it said. A part of the production has been shifted to the Vaal Melt Shop at its Vereeniging Works plant, ArcelorMittal said. (Reporting by Promit Mukherjee and Tanisha Heiberg; Editing by David Goodman and Jan Harvey) This inside-the-newsroom explainer article was written by Trapper Byrne, The Chronicles politics editor. He has been an editor at Bay Area newspapers for more than 20 years, and he oversees reporters who cover California government from Sacramento and national politics from San Francisco and Washington, D.C. Each day, dozens of possible stories in state and national politics and government compete for Chronicle reporters attention, space on SFChronicle.com, and a spot in the print edition. In selecting which ones to cover, we try to anticipate not just what readers will find most important, but which stories they wont find elsewhere. Our guiding principle to choosing what to cover: How does this affect the Bay Area and California? We know our readers have countless options for reading about the big story of the day, so we strive to give you something beyond the dueling partisan sound bites youll hear on cable news shows or read in politics-focused publications. If Congress is considering a coronavirus relief bill, we look for what will it mean for our schools, city services and the state safety net. If the California Legislature is considering ways to build more housing, we want to know how could it change the look, accessibility and diversity of Bay Area neighborhoods. The nation is quickly shifting to more mail elections, an area where California has a head start of years how have the parties adapted to it here, and how might Californias experience translate in a presidential election? In the state Capitol, reporters Alexei Koseff and Dustin Gardiner focus on not just legislators and the governors priorities, but on which interest groups are spending money and otherwise marshaling resources to try to win votes. In practice, most of the fights are over Democrats and their bills, so those are at the center of our coverage. This isnt out of bias, but it is a recognition of a fact of life in Sacramento: Democrats control the Legislature by an overwhelming margin, and the governor and all constitutional office-holders are Democrats. Virtually every bill of consequence is the product of back-and-forth among Democrats, and lobbying groups spend their time and money mostly on Democrats and their proposals. Republicans opinions and criticisms matter, but their legislation seldom does because they dont have the numbers to pass anything. In Washington, where power is divided between the two parties, Tal Kopan reports on the actions and effectiveness of the senators California sends to the Capitol and the House members who represent the Bay Area. Nancy Pelosi, Kamala Harris, Dianne Feinstein, Barbara Lee, Ro Khanna and Zoe Lofgren theyre just some of the Bay Area politicians whose national influence is our job to track and explain. When major legislation comes before Congress a big tax cut, a multitrillion-dollar coronavirus stimulus package we try to pull back from the process and explain how it will affect Bay Area residents and other Californians. But we dont miss the chance to break national news in recent months, Tals scoops have included stories on the promotions of immigration court judges who rejected virtually all applicants seeking asylum in the U.S., and President Trump confidant Rudy Giulianis capitalizing on his largely titular position as a White House cybersecurity adviser to market himself to private interests. And we have two reporters who cover politics full time, Joe Garofoli and John Wildermuth. They cover the people and forces in the Bay Area that shape California and national politics, the races that can tip power one way or the other in Sacramento and Washington, and the moneyed interests that in turn try to shape those races and influence politicians. They also tell the stories of people who are on the outside of the political system and are trying to change it. They put into context what defund the police means and explain where the Black Lives Matter movement goes next. They are the first to introduce readers to Bay Area-rooted organizations like She the People, a political group focused on women of color. And they talk with activists and presidential candidates and behind-the-scenes organizers on The Chronicles Its All Political podcast that Garofoli hosts. Paul Chinn / The Chronicle As the politics teams editor, Im responsible for setting the daily and longer-term agenda and I oversee and edit most of the coverage. Every story, even the shortest, goes through at least two copy editors, and major pieces often are read by supervising editors. Were checking for accuracy, of course, but were also checking for fairness and balance. In all our coverage, we commit to being fair, which is not always the same thing as standing on the sidelines. Being fair requires that when we quote someone making an assertion, an accusation or a boast, we check it against the facts and report what we find. When called for, we give context. Our job is to report, but not to transcribe. We commit to being balanced, which is not always the same thing as giving equal time and equal space to both sides. It does mean reaching out to both sides for their version and opinions. It may be that equal space is needed to spell out each sides story, but there are also instances in which explaining or analyzing one set of arguments requires more room. Reporters and editors on the politics team are entitled to their personal opinions, but those have to be checked at the door. They can be registered to vote, with party affiliations. They can cast ballots. But when it comes to political involvement, thats as far as they can go. The Chronicle has firm rules against journalists involvement in political campaigns and causes reporters and editors cannot make donations to a candidate or campaign, participate in rallies or do political work of any kind. They cannot cover any campaign or legislative issue in which a relative is involved, and of course they cannot be involved themselves. They must refrain from taking sides on social media or posting anything that goes beyond what they could fairly write in a story. That also goes for media appearances we encourage reporters to share their knowledge and expertise, but not their personal views. As with all Chronicle pieces, every story the politics team writes has the reporters email contact and Twitter contact. We need your feedback, criticism and story tips. In these days of limited face-to-face interaction and remote politicking, its all the more important to hear your thoughts on what were doing well and where we could do better. You can contact us here: Trapper Byrne: tbyrne@sfchronicle.com, @trapperbyrne Joe Garofoli: jgarofoli@sfchronicle.com, @joegarofoli John Wildermuth: jwildermuth@sfchronicle.com, @jfwildermuth Tal Kopan: tal.kopan@sfchronicle.com, @TalKopan Alexei Koseff: alexei.koseff@sfchronicle.com, @akoseff Dustin Gardiner: dustin.gardiner@sfchronicle.com, @dustingardiner Scientists from the ESRF, together with teams from CEA and CNRS/Sorbonne Universite, have found the proof for a liquid-to-liquid transition in sulphur and of a new kind of critical point ending this transition. Their work is published in Nature today. Everywhere in the environment phase transitions occur constantly. The best-known examples of phase transitions are when water changes state from solid to liquid or gas to liquid at 0C and 100C, respectively, at atmospheric pressure. Despite the prevalence of these events in nature, scientists still do not fully understand how these transitions take place at the microscopic level. Among the many cases of phase transitions, those that involve a latent heat and a discontinuous change of density are termed as first-order. First-order transitions are very common in the solid state, and include for example the one from graphite to diamond, and the semiconductor to metal transition in silicon. However, for years no one thought there could be any kind of first order transition separating two liquid phases of the same pure and isotropic substance. With the new millennia, things changed. A Nature paper in the year 2000 by Y. Katayama et al., from the Japanese synchrotron Spring-8, gave evidence of a liquid-to-liquid transition undergone in phosphorus. It was a real breakthrough, as it changed the way the liquid state was perceived by the scientific community, explains Mohamed Mezouar, scientist in charge of beamline ID27 at the ESRF and corresponding author of the new publication. Today we show the second direct evidence of such a transition in liquid sulphur, adds Mezouar. We chose sulphur because sulphur and phosphorus exhibit important similarities when subjected to high pressures and temperatures, he explains. Besides, I knew it was a good candidate as it had already showed an interesting variety of solid forms, either molecular or polymeric, crystalline or amorphous. Sulphur is also one of the most important elements, being used in many applications such as rubber tyres, sulfuric acid, fertilizers, etc. If scientists have not been able to find proof of other liquid-liquid transition in any other pure and stable liquid since 2000, it is because this type of transformation is scarce and still poorly understood. Calculations have predicted transitions to occur in liquid hydrogen, nitrogen and carbon dioxide, but at very high pressure and temperature conditions, so difficult to probe. The experiments of the current publication took place on ID27, where the ESRF team, together with scientists from the CEA and the CNRS/Sorbonne Universite in Paris, applied pressure to liquid sulphur and observed in situ how it evolved at temperatures up to 1000 C and pressures up to 20 kilobars. The experiments were challenging because we had to confine liquid sulphur and perform in situ quantitative X-ray measurements of high accuracy, explains Laura Henry, PhD student at the time and first author. First evidence of a liquid-liquid critical point: the singularity of the transition After finding the evidence for the liquid-liquid transition, the team were in for a surprise. Frederic Datchi, CNRS research director at Sorbonne Universite recalls: Completely unexpectedly, there it was, we found what we know as a critical point, a singularity where physical properties change drastically. At the critical point, the change in density between the two liquids vanishes, so one may go continuously from one phase to the other. However, when it is close to it, the system 'hesitates' between the two states, producing large density fluctuations, a phenomenon known as critical opalescence. Supercritical liquids, meaning liquids pressurized and heated above the 'normal liquid-gas critical point, are heavily used in the chemical industry because they are very good solvents. On the other hand, the critical point terminating a liquid-liquid transition was, to date, only a theoretical object. Its existence in liquid water was conjectured to explain its many physical anomalies, and actively searched for in experiments since the 1990s, so far without success. Therefore, this constitutes the first experimental evidence of the existence of a liquid-liquid critical point in any system so far. As it is located in a pressure-temperature domain accessible by experiment, it provides a unique opportunity for the study of critical phenomena associated to liquid-to-liquid transitions and has a general value beyond the specific sulphur system. EBS: taking phase transitions to the next level With the Extremely Brilliant Source, the new generation of synchrotron machine of the ESRF, experiments on liquid-liquid transition will go into more depth: the increase in photon flux and coherence will allow scientists to track very rapid phenomena, and hence observe the fluctuations around the critical point. In the larger sense, this research can open doors to understanding the complexity of the liquid state of other important systems such as water, concludes Mezouar. REFERENCES: Henry, L., et al. Liquidliquid transition and critical point in sulfur. Nature 584, 382386 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2593-1 Katayama Y. et al, Nature, 2000 Jan 13; 403(6766):170-3. DOI: 10.1038/35003143. Nature podcast, min 23:24 https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-02448-5 Text Montserrat Capellas Espuny Top Lashkar commander gunned down with two more terrorists in Pulwama Jaish-e-Mohammad spent Rs 10 lakh in Pakistan currency to strike at Pulwama India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Aug 27: The Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorists had spent Rs 6 lakh on the procurement of explosives and the Maruti Eeco car that was used in the Pulwama attack. The National Investigation Agency in its chargesheet filed on Thursday before a special court in Jammu said that Rs 10 lakh had been received by Mohammad Umar Farooq, nephew of the JeM chief, Maulana Masood Azhar for carrying out the attack. The NIA learnt that Rs 10 lakh in Pakistan currency was credited into the three accounts of Farooq, who is the main accused in the case. The money was credited in the Mezaan Bank in Pakistan days before the attack. The NIA chargesheet says that the money was deposited in the account by the top leadership of the JeM between January and February 2019. A major part of the money, around Rs 2.80 lakh was used to procure 200 kilograms of explosives that included ammonium nitrate. The 200 kilograms of explosives comprised of a lethal concoction of RDX brought from Pakistan, gelatin sticks procured by Mudasir Ahmad, four kilograms of Aluminium powder bought on Amazon by accused Wazi Ul Islam and Calcium Ammonium Nitrate. The IED was fitted into the Eeco car in two containers weighing 160 kilogram and 40 kilograms to trigger the blast, the NIA also said. Also Read: Shakir Bashir had collected the explosives and stocked it at his home. Further the terrorists spent Rs 2.5 lakh to purchase and modify the car that was used in the attack. The car was parked at the home of Bashir. A part of the money was also spent to purchase containers to fabricate the IEDs, the NIA also said. The NIA probe has shown three bank accounts of Farooq, the main perpetrator, who received the money from January 2019 till February of the same year. Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorist Adil Ahmad Dar, who was driving the car laden with explosives, had rammed it into the convoy killing 40 CRPF personnel and grievously injuring eight others. "Accused Shakir Bashir, Insha Jan, Peer Tariq Ahmad Shah and Bilal Ahmad Kuchey provided all logistics and harboured the JeM terrorists in their houses," the NIA said. Bashir allegedly did reconnaissance of the movement and deployment of security forces on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway. A propaganda video clip of Mohammad Umar Farooq, Sameer Dar and Adil Dar was allegedly prepared at Insha Jan's house which was released immediately after the suicide attack, it said. Pulwama attack chat details nail JeM | Will Pakistan act? | Oneindia News The terrorists had prepared the car for the attack by fitting it with the IED on February 6, 2019, but suspended their nefarious plans because of heavy snowfall which led to closing of the National Highway for vehicular movement, the agency said. They attacked the convoy on February 14, 2019, when the National Highway reopened, they said. Bashir drove Adil Ahmad Dar till the National Highway, after which Dar drove the car and carried out the blast, it alleged. Joe Biden told MSNBC on Thursday that President Trump is "rooting for more violence, not less" in cities facing unrest due to protests against police brutality. The backdrop: The Democratic nominee's comments came after four consecutive nights of turmoil in Kenosha, Wisconsin, following the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old Black man who was left paralyzed. On Wednesday, a 17-year-old, who allegedly was acting as a member of a vigilante group, was charged with first-degree intentional homicide in Tuesday night's shooting deaths of two people during the protests in Kenosha. The unrest there follows months of protests nationwide, sparked by the police killings of George Floyd in Minneapolis and Breonna Taylor in Louisville. What he's saying: "Whats he doing pouring more gasoline on the fire I think he views it as a political benefit," Biden said of Trump. Biden pointed to comments made by White House counselor Kellyanne Conway, who told Fox News that "the more chaos and anarchy and vandalism and violence reigns, the better it is for the very clear choice on who's best on public safety and law and order." Biden also said he would consider visiting Kenosha: "What I dont want to do is become part of the problem. ... If I were president, I would be going. If I went, I would be trying to pull together the Black community as well as the white community." Worth noting: He also shot down House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's suggestion that he should refuse to debate Trump. South Africa: New IPID head breaks barriers Ask any woman who has ascended to a prominent role in a male-dominated field just how hard she has had to work and youre likely to get a sarcastic rolling of the eyes or a sigh of disbelief. Jennifer Dikeledi Ntlatseng is the new head of the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID). She is the first woman to occupy the position as the Executive Director of the police watchdog body. Born in Soweto, the 49-year-old assumed her new role on 2 August 2020, in what could be seen as an ode to Womens Month, which is commemorated in South Africa annually in August. Like many women will profess, shes had to work twice as hard to get to where she is today, despite progress made in advancing womens rights, broadening womens access to education and improving their participation in the economy among others. Its a good inroad that we have made as women in a field that has always been seen as a male-dominated field. It puts us on the map, but Ive realised that you have to work twice as hard because you must prove that you have skills to lead the institution to a different direction, she says. In a virtual interview with SAnews, while propped on a black leather chair, she is not oblivious to the hurdles she will have to clear during her tutelage. Its a mammoth task. Its not as easy as people would view it from the outside. Because, one: it is striving for the independence of the directorate and, two: it is a dangerous terrain. I am saying that I am committing to investigate any wrongdoings by the South African Police Service (SAPS), she says. The lime mug she holds in her hand is a reminder of the chill brought on by a cold front outside. The directorate has in recent history been fraught by well-documented challenges that have somewhat compromised its integrity. Police Minister Bheki Cele welcomed Ntlatsengs appointment earlier this month and urged her to exercise her duties without fear or favour. She admits that she has a challenging job. Its challenging on a day-to-day basis but I also need to assure [the public] that I am going to make [sure that] their issues are being dealt with. I will make sure that all the cases that are opened are dealt with. She is no novice to policing matters having spent the last two decades in various roles in Gautengs Department of Community Safety. Her 20-year tenure in the provincial department saw her soar from an administrative officer in 1996 to being Director for Community Police Relations at the time of her departure. I know its going to be difficult. For as long as we dont get enough evidence to prosecute, for as long as we dont get whistle-blowers on these crimes, our lives are going to be very difficult, she said. Despite this, shes upbeat about the task. One of her primary tasks is to reposition the portrayal of the directorate by the public. People must view us differently, people must see us doing work differently from the SAPS, people must be confident that we will work with them to deal with corruption or challenges or wrongdoing by the SAPS, she says. Reflecting on her first day in office, Ntlatseng found staff that was ready to work. I found workers who were ready to come on board in implementing the vision that I came with, she said, admitting there would be some challenges in terms of systems in place, which will be addressed. She also expressed appreciation for the support she is receiving from staff at the IPID as well as the commitment they have shown. It is people who are willing to work with me, who are willing to go the extra mile, go beyond their normal working hours. This, she said, was encouraging. They dont work 9 to 5. Crime is being committed daily and they are willing to answer my calls [at] any time of the day. I come from an environment where your phone is forever answered, whether is its AM or its midnight. She said she is keen to consolidate the offices relationship with the SAPS and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA). The teeming backlog of investigative cases plaguing IPID is another issue that has given the Executive Director sleepless nights. At the root cause of this, she says, is outstanding pathology reports. Its important that we share those cases with the NPA. We need to strengthen the harmonious relationship with the NPA, but secondly, come up with systems that will fast-track processes of dealing with those cases. The IPID is also confronted by frustrations of capacity shortages. The directorate currently has 330 staff across its regional offices. Describing it as a serious challenge, she says the Directorate is keen on addressing systematic corruption in the police service but that staff shortages is hindering this process. We have to beef-up capacity, make sure that it is at a level at which we feel that highly skilled officers are on board investigating systematic issues. To address this, she has initiated a recruitment drive solely focusing on law and forensics students. The Executive Director is also looking forward to sharing information with communities so that they can have input on IPID programmes. There are also plans to initiate a toll-free number for communities to report issues. After hours, the toll-free number will be diverted to designated officials cellphone numbers for swift response. On the institutions relationship with the SAPS, Ntlatseng is at ease. We have management in the institutions which is willing to give us information. The IPID Act is clear, they have to give information timeously to us, and they are. Where there are challenges, she says National Police Commissioner, General Khehla Sitole, is always willing to assist. Having spent the majority of her career in the Gauteng Department of Community Safety over the years, Ntlatseng has developed a passion for community development. Community issues are things in my heart. I I engage robustly with leaders in communities. I work very closely with community policing forums. Ive worked very closely with youth desks, Ive also worked very closely with community development workers community development is something I know best, she said. Chief among these is addressing gender-based violence and drug abuse. She obtained her Matric at Mafori Mphahlele High School in1989 and went on to pursue law degrees at the University of Witwatersrand and the University of South Africa where she obtained a B. Proc and an LLB. The mother of two, grew up with a passion for law and was always part of debate teams at school. If it wasnt for government, I would have probably gone on to practice as an attorney. That was my dream but destiny dictated otherwise, she said. Her passions, she said, was in Criminal Law, the Criminal Procedure Act including the law of Evidence. I felt it was more befitting if I practiced in safety and security, it was about making sure that theory was turned into practice. When I joined the [then] Department of Safety, there was just a few of us, so we were given an opportunity to grow it. While I started off as an admin officer, I ended up as a Director, so it shows that they had already identified the potential in me and realised that my strengths and capabilities to run with some of the programmes [that were] there. She played a pivotal role in the establishment of the Gauteng Patroller Programme when it was initiated in 2006. The project has since been widened to include the School Patrol Programme. She was also part of the team that developed the provincial Prevention of Domestic Violence and Child Abuse Strategy. It was during her tenure that the province also established a Youth Desk. Asked what she envisioned her IPID legacy to be, Ntlatseng is resolute on dealing with police corruption, femicide and on ensuring that the Directorate becomes more transparent. I want to leave here having made inroads in dealing with drugs and arresting police officers who are on the payroll of drug lords, she says. There is no doubt that Ntlatseng also has a love for community development. Community issues are things in my heart, I engage robustly with leaders in communities. I work very closely with community policing forums, Ive worked very closely with youth desks, and Ive also worked very closely with community development workers. Community development is something I know best, she said. Chief among these is addressing gender-based violence and drug abuse with the IPD in the process of developing a Gender-based Violence (GBV) strategy. We are now in the process of developing a GBV strategy to deal with such crimes in a more coordinated manner. We should be able to develop an action plan because this is a war that we are in. What we are going to be engaging community based non-governmental organisations and the Womens Ministry in the Presidency to assist us in, is beefing up our own strategy, she said. She is keen on making an indelible mark on GBV as well as restoring communities confidence in the criminal justice system while also tackling the countrys drug problem. When not deciphering allegations of deaths in police cells, torture and murder and other misconduct by officers, Ntlatseng is likely to found slouched on her sofa in front of her television set feeding her latest obsession. Since I joined IPID, Ive started to watch crime and investigation channels, she says. While still in the early days of her position, it is clear that Ntlatseng is a woman on a mission. - SAnews.gov.za This story has been published on: 2020-08-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. Advertisement Protesters in Portland were gassed with irritants by federal agents outside an ICE building Wednesday night after they threw rocks, paint and eggs at officers during the 91st consecutive night of demonstrations in the city. At least 11 people were arrested over the course of the protest but it was the first night in six days that Portland police did not call the gathering a riot, The Oregonian reports. Instead police declared the demonstration of about 200 people an 'unlawful gathering', ordering the crowds to disperse. When the protesters refused to move, Federal Protection Officers pushed them back, releasing irritants into the air that released green and white plumes, and later using stun grenades and less-lethal munitions. At least person was injured in the rush and was driven to hospital by other protesters. Scroll down for video Federal officers walk through tear gas during a dispersal of about 200 protesters in front of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention building on Wednesday in Portland, Oregon. Protests continued for the 91st night in Portland as activist called for solidarity with rallies in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and police declared it an unlawful assembly There were at least 11 protesters arrested in Portland Wednesday night after an unlawful assembly was declared Federal officers line up prior to a crowd dispersal of about 200 protesters in Portland on Wednesday night From https://t.co/7HuHnQikOY: oh, he's picking up the canister! Oh, just throwing it behind him...into the middle of the intersection. I think it's interesting when the cops retrieve their own canisters, but that's not what happened here.#PortlandProtest #PortlandProtests pic.twitter.com/CAqafQdp9p e c o n o m y b r e a k f a s t (@econbrkfst) August 27, 2020 According to the police press release, roughly 200 people marched from Elizabeth Caruthers Park to the Portland ICE building at around 10pm Wednesday. The group gathers every night and the ICE building has been the location for several other demonstrations. As they arrived at the building, the Oregonian reports that they began to paint graffiti such as 'Day 91, we won't quit', while cops claim they also tried to disable the surveillance cameras. Dozens of Federal Protection Officers emerged from the building after ten minutes carrying carrying batons, other weapons and shields. The police statement said the protesters began to through rocks at the agents which many were able to deflect with their shields. One was injured, however, and received a cut to their leg. By around 10.45pm, the situation escalated and an unlawful assembly was declared. 'Failure to comply with this order may subject you to citation or arrest, and may subject you to the use of tear gas, crowd control agents, and impact munitions,' officers announced to the crowd. The protesters were pushed back with the irritants and stun grenades and several arrests were made that the police called 'targeted'. The federal officers stopped the push back when they were two blocks away from the building. The Oregonian reports that for the majority of the protests Wednesday night, there was no presence from the Portland police and they only emerged to declare the unlawful assembly over a loudspeaker. They returned to aid federal agents around 11pm following another standoff with protesters who began to move back toward the ICE building and more arrests were made. Portland police have previously said they are choosing not to engage with protesters due to a lack of resources. At least 70 protesters remained until 11.45pm, the Oregonian states, but by 1am, most people were gone. Federal officers point their weapons at a protester as they pushed them away from the ICE building The demonstrators marched to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention building at around 10pm Federal officers walk through tear gas as they pushed back protesters in Portland on Wednesday night A tear gas canister is seen here after federal officers dispersed a crowd of about 200 protesters in Portland Wednesday Earlier on Wednesday, police in Gresham, a Portland suburb, were forced to stand between opposing protesters for more than an hour to keep the two sides apart. The event began with a 'flag waving' organized in support of the police that evening. At least 100 came out and waved signs and flags in support of police and President Donald Trump as they chanted 'All Lives Matter' while another 100 opposed them shouting 'Black Lives Matter'. Gresham police urged the crowds to remain peaceful. At least four protesters in the pro-police group were carrying firearms. A fist fight broke out before police arrived but the rest of the demonstration remained peaceful and no arrests were made. The FBI chief in the Oregon city also revealed Wednesday that he is shifting the agency's resources to focus more heavily on crimes committed during nightly protests that often end in vandalism, clashes with police and dozens of arrests. Special Agent in Charge Renn Cannon said he is pulling agents from fraud and organized crime teams to focus on acts of violence and federal crimes committed during nearly three months of unrest. The FBI respects the rights of peaceful protesters to assemble and demonstrate, but problems associated with the protests have created a dangerous and volatile situation, he said. 'We do investigate major threats of violence and federal crimes. And sometimes a major threat of violence is a cumulative threat that happens over a period of time. It starts to have a really negative impact on the community,' Cannon said in an interview with The Associated Press. 'Here in Portland, were ... making the assessment that we should be trying to do a little more than we have, because the cumulative effects and the nature of the problem indicate that the community needs help.' Far right protesters armed with paint ball guns and firearms argue with a Black Lives Matter speaker during a rally at Gresham City Hall on Wednesday. The police were forced to form a line between the two groups of protesters for over an hour Multnomah County Sheriffs deputies tell a Black Lives Matter protester to move across the street away from far right protesters during a rally in Gresham Wednesday. There were about 150 protesters on each side but it remained peaceful A far right protester waves an American flag during rally at Gresham City Hall near Portland Wednesday He declined to provide specifics about the number of agents being shifted and did not specify which cases or how many the agency is investigating. The FBI has previously released wanted posters related to two incidents on May 29. The announcement came as Mayor Ted Wheeler held a news conference to plead with residents to join him in opposing nightly violence that he said has tarnished Portland's reputation as one of the most livable cities in the world. Wheeler said he was meeting with the Portland Police Bureau and the city's business community over the next 36 hours to discuss a way forward. 'We have allowed our proud tradition of progressive protests to be stolen by a few dozen individuals engaged in violence and criminal destruction,' Wheeler said. 'They're intent on creating mayhem and attacking and harming people, not just property. That's a line that we can't allow our community to cross. Not anymore. Enough is enough.' Portland has been gripped by nightly protests for nearly three months since the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. In August, police have declared a riot 13 times - one for every other day of the month so far. Demonstrators have repeatedly targeted police buildings, police union buildings, city and county offices and federal buildings with vandalism that includes setting fires, spraying graffiti and smashing windows and security cameras. Some protesters want to eliminate or drastically reduce the city's police budget - saying police prioritize property over black lives - while the city's mayor and others in the black community have decried the violence, saying it is counterproductive. Graffiti is sprayed on a damaged door at City Hall in Portland on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020. Officials say protesters in Portland smashed windows at City Hall in a demonstration that started Tuesday night and stretched into Wednesday morning A protester uses a megaphone during a demonstration in Portland on Tuesday. Officials say protesters in Portland smashed windows at City Hall in a demonstration that started Tuesday night and stretched into Wednesday morning Portland police arrest several protesters after declaring a riot outside of the Portland Police Association building Monday A march on the Portland police union headquarters drew a rapid police response after someone set a fire Monday Police arrested four dozen people on Monday and Tuesday night as protesters smashed windows and vandalized City Hall and repeatedly set fire to the police union headquarters building, officials said. Last weekend, protesters clashed violently in downtown streets for several hours with members of a right-wing group that showed up to confront them. Video recorded during the Saturday melee shows one man pointing a gun into the crowd, but no shots were fired. Cannon declined to say if the FBI was looking into Saturday's events, but he said his agency does help local, state and federal law enforcement with 'threat assessments' in such situations. Wheeler called the incident 'clearly unacceptable.' On Tuesday, President Donald Trump renewed calls to have Governor Kate Brown and Wheeler call in the state's National Guard. 'They must stop calling these anarchists and agitators "peaceful protesters". Come back into the real world! The Federal Government is ready to end this problem immediately upon your request,' Trump wrote on Twitter. Brown responded on Twitter to Trump's demand, calling it 'political theater.' In July, Trump sent agents to protect federal property in downtown Portland, including a courthouse that was a target of protesters. Crowds grew into the thousands. Agents repeatedly clashed with people over a two-week period, used tear gas and arrested those they said were hurling objects and trying to hurt agents and damage property. The agents pulled back from a visible presence downtown on July 31, but it's unclear how many remain in Portland. The Oregon State Police, which took over policing the protests from the federal agents, left last week after the agreed upon two-week monitoring period. The revived intensity of the protests this week came following the shooting of black man Jacob Blake by a white police officer in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Sunday . It sparked three nights of violence across the country that has included a wave of arson, widespread vandalism and a separate shooting that killed two people. Violent protests also erupted in Oakland, California, resulting in the arrests of several people after multiple fires were set during the demonstrations, according to police. Oakland police said on Twitter a fire was started at the Alameda Superior Court by people who protested in solidarity with Wisconsin demonstrators on Wednesday. And in Minnesota, the governor declared a state of peacetime emergency in the city of Minneapolis after violent protests erupted on Wednesday night following the death of a Black homicide suspect who police say shot himself. The city has been the center of protests following the death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old African-American man, who died in May after a police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes. YEREVAN, AUGUST 27, ARMENPRESS. South Koreas parliament was shut on Thursday after a photojournalist covering a meeting of the ruling Democratic Party tested positive for COVID-19, Euronews reports. Authorities have also closed the building where the National Assembly, the countrys 300-member unicameral legislative body, is located. Ten Democratic Party officials, including the president and the parliamentary leader, will undergo screening tests and be placed in self-isolation. South Korea, after having initial success in halting the virus spread, is now battling a second coronavirus wave, with several new outbreaks linked to churches. The number of new infections exceeded one hundred for the 14th consecutive day, bringing the national toll to over 18,000 since the start of the pandemic. The Shiv Sena took on the 23 senior Congress leaders, who wrote to party chief Sonia Gandhi demanding a full time and effective leadership in an editorial in its mouthpiece Saamana on Thursday. It questioned the leaders support over the past six years when Rahul Gandhi faced scathing attacks from the Bharatiya Janata Party, and said that they were more responsible for demoralising him than the BJP leaders. The editorial remarked that none of signatories of the letter were mass leaders, questioning their ability to become active leaders within their own party. The signatories of the said letter include Ghulam Nabi Azad, Kapil Sibal, Anand Sharma, Shashi Tharoor, Mukul Wasnik, Prithviraj Chavan, among others. Also Read: 7 hours of fireworks at CWC Rahul Gandhi was active and he singlehandedly took on the Modi-Shah duo. He led a change in the country in the Assembly elections. Where were these active letter-writing champions when the BJP attacked him below the belt? The old Congress leaders have demoralised Rahul Gandhi more than the below-the-belt attacks of the BJP under Modi-Shah, the editorial read. The Sena had earlier backed the leadership of Rahul Gandhi. Sena leader Sanjay Raut had said that the Gandhi family was the Aadhaar card of the Congress and the demand for a non-Gandhi to lead the party was inappropriate. Attacking the signatories of the letter, the Sena also said that none of them had the ability to stir a crisis within the party. Those who have written the letter are reaching the age of 70. And none of them is a mass leader even at a district-level, let alone country- or state-level. Despie that, most of them have enjoyed chief ministirial posts, Union ministership, and several other important posts. P Chidambaram is a noted lawyer, when did he become a leader... What do we say about Prithviraj Chavan and Milind Deora? Prithviraj Chavan had to seek thehelp of Sharad Pawar to win an election in Satara. It is laughable that such people have sought active leadership in the Congress. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON MOSCOW President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia gave an ominous warning on Thursday to protesters in Belarus not to push too hard to topple their countrys embattled president, saying that Russia had formed a special reserve force of security officers to restore order in the event of chaos in its western neighbor. Mr. Putin, speaking in an interview with Russian state television, said he had ordered the creation of a certain reserve of law enforcement officers at the request of Belaruss authoritarian leader, Aleksandr G. Lukashenko. He said the force had not been deployed yet, because we also agreed that it will not be used unless the situation gets out of control. Mr. Putins remarks sent the strongest warning yet that Russia could use force to halt more than two weeks of protests in Belarus, which he described as perhaps the closest country to us. While saying that Belarusians themselves must decide their future after a disputed presidential election on Aug. 9, he added, We are certainly not indifferent to what is happening there. Iranians drivers fill their tanks at a gas station in Tehran, Iran, on April 24, 2019. (Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images) US Officials Break Up Alleged Scheme to Sell Iranian Oil to China A New Yorker and three Texans have been indicted on multiple charges in connection with an alleged attempt to sell sanctioned Iranian petroleum to a Chinese oil refining company. Nicolas Hovan, 34, of New York; Wang Zhenyu, 39, and Robert Thwaites, 30, both from Dallas; and Daniel Ray Lane, 39, of McKinney, Texas, were indicted on charges of conspiracy, violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), and money laundering, according to an Aug. 26 statement from the Department of Justice (DOJ). The criminal case provides a glimpse into how Iran can continue to skirt U.S. sanctions and sell oil to countries such as China. According to court documents, the four defendants conspired in Philadelphia and other places to arrange for the purchase of Iranian oil and sell it to a refinery in China, from May 2019 to February. The refinery was represented by Wang, a Chinese national also known by the name of Billy Wang, according to court documents. Meanwhile, Lane offered to launder the transactions through his company, Stack Royalties, officials said. The company is based in Dallas and sells oil and gas mineral rights to investment funds, private equity groups, oil companies, and individual investors, according to Stacks website. Lane is the companys president. The four allegedly also conspired to launder earnings from the oil sale through shell entities and offshore financial accounts in order to disguise the nature of the sanctions, according to court documents. They sought to bribe an unnamed Chinese official and obtain Antiguan passports to open Swiss bank accounts to launder their proceeds. The defendants planned to make two shipments of oil per month, with an expected monthly profit of about $28 million, according to court documents. The defendants were arrested in February, according to the DOJ. A fifth individual who was arrested for his involvement in the scheme, Nicholas James Fuchs, 26, of Dallas, hasnt yet been formally indicted. The defendants here allegedly jeopardized the safety and security of the United States by scheming to get in bed with Iran and China, said U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania William M. McSwain in the DOJ statement. Each defendant faces a possible maximum sentence of 45 years in prison and a fine of $1.75 million. In May 2018, President Donald Trump withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal, which was signed in 2015 during the Obama administration. Trump then exercised power granted to him by several U.S. laws, including the IEEPA, to reimpose sanctions on the Iranian regime. The sanctions, which targeted several of Irans industrial sectors, including energy, shipping, and shipbuilding, went into effect in November 2018. At that time, eight countries were granted temporary oil waivers but they expired in May 2019. In June 2019, a month after U.S. oil waivers ended, the Financial Times reported that an oil tanker with Iranian oil docked in China, citing data from TankerTrackers.com. China allegedly imported between 4.4 million and 11 million barrels of Iranian crude oil in July 2019, according to Reuters, citing research from three data firms. Senior Trump administration officials estimate that 50 to 70 percent of Iran oil exports go to China, while about 30 percent flows to Syria. On Aug. 3, energy news site OilPrice reported that China imported at least 8.1 million barrels of crude oil from Iran between June 1 and July 21, citing an unnamed source who worked closely with Irans Petroleum Ministry. The Chinese regime has previously said its cooperation with Iran is legitimate and criticized the United States for sanctioning Chinese entities suspected of transferring oil to Iran. Some residents of the Dome Faase in the Obom Domeabra Constituency say they will only return to the community if the military personnel deployed there are all withdrawn. Hundreds of residents in the area fled the town on Wednesday following a clash over disputed land that left a number of residents injured. Notably, two soldiers were attacked during the confusion. A coalition of Ga communities, which comprises of over 20 communities that share a border with the Eastern Region, is claiming that the Mponuahene of Akyem Apadwa and the Akyem Traditional Council are taking their farmlands. The tensions led to the Tuesday clash. The incident led to the deployment of more military personnel to the town. Speaking to Citi News, a teacher in the community said he will only return when all soldiers have been recalled despite the fact calm has reportedly returned to the area. We have heard that the soldiers were at the Obo side. The place was calm. Only one or two military personnel were at that place monitoring things. He is currently planing to return after some seven days. I wanted to go back this weekend but my parents are refusing and I am a teacher so I wouldn't dare do that maybe next week [I will return] but even not early in the week. The Omankrado for the Obom Domeabra community, Nii Addo, who left the community on Tuesday says he is likely to return to the community later on Thursday to help calm tensions. I left before soldiers came there so as an elder of the community, I had to be safe so I could channel people out so we can solve this matter. That is why I am not in the community now. He also maintains that his community is on the right side of this land dispute. The land belongs to us. It is our bonafide property from 200 years ago so it belongs to us. They [the Akyem] are claiming it but it is for us. ---citinewsroom Namita Bajpai By Express News Service LUCKNOW: A couple of days after the stormy CWC meeting with the letter of dissent signed by a number of Congress leaders, party leaders in Uttar Pradesh have demanded action against all the signatories of the letter through which the leaders had sought an introspection for partys decline and also organisational changes. The chinks in the Congress armour till the grass root were exposed yet again when the Lakhimpur Kheri district unit of UP Congress, after passing a resolution, has demanded disciplinary action even the expulsion of senior party leader and former Union minister Jitin Prasada who was is among those 23 dissenters of the letter. ALSO READ | 'Conspiracy to finish off Rahul': Sena hits out at Congress leaders who wrote letter to Sonia Gandhi In fact, the District Congress Committee of Kheri has demanded that disciplinary action should be taken against all those who signed the letter and they should be expelled from the party. The letter, which was written on August 15, urged Gandhi to address the leadership question in the party and claimed the uncertainty around it has demoralised party workers and weakened the institution. Jitin Prasada has represented Shahjahanpur Lok Sabha seat in 2004 and Dhaurahra Lok Sabha seat, which is a part of the Lakhimpur Kheri district, in 2009. Of late, the leader from Shahjahanpur has been trying to clinch visibility by playing the Brahmin card in the state claiming that Brahmins were having a tough time in Yogi regime. ALSO READ | Why is Congress hiding its MoU with Chinas Communists? The resolution passed by Kheri district unit of Congress said: Jitin Prasada is the only person from Uttar Pradesh to have signed the letter. His family history has been against the Gandhi family and his father Jitendra Prasad had fought elections against Sonia Gandhi. Despite this, Sonia Gandhi gave Jitin Prasada a Lok Sabha ticket and made him a minister. What he has now done amounts to gross indiscipline and the district Congress committee wants strict action against him and condemns his actions. Prasadas father, also a veteran Congress leader, had challenged Sonia Gandhis leadership in 1999. He had also contested against her for the post of party chief but lost. ALSO READ | Congress leadership debate: Party to address veterans concerns soon Meanwhile, reacting to the resolution passed by Kheri district unit of party, Congress veteran Kapil Sibal, who was also among the 23 signatories, said that it was unfortunate that Prasada was being officially targeted in the partys Uttar Pradesh unit. Manish Tewari, too had signed the letter responded to Sibals tweet by tweeting Prescient!. Notably, two days ago Congress Working Committee had met where Sonia Gandhi had offered to quit but was urged to stay on as the interim chief for another six months. Even party MP from Wayanad Rahul Gandhi had questioned the timing of the letter. The former Congress president had said that the letter was sent to the party chief at a time when she had not been keeping well. He said the letter came at a time when the party had been fighting the BJP in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. A car burns on the rail tracks at Antrim Road during disturbances in Lurgan Residents have hit out at those involved in disturbances in Lurgan at the weekend after Tesco said it was suspending deliveries to the Kilwilkie estate in order to protect its employees. A van belonging to the supermarket giant was one of four vehicles hijacked during the violence. It was torched on the railway line at Lake Street along with two other vehicles. This followed earlier security alerts in the same area, including the discovery of a suspicious device that was later declared an elaborate hoax. Petrol bombs were thrown at police during subsequent searches in an area of wasteland along Victoria Street. The PSNI found a partially constructed improvised "heavy duty weapon" in Lurgan Park during the searches. Tesco confirmed yesterday that it had temporarily halted home deliveries to Kilwilkie. However, Asda is still delivering in the estate. Tesco said its priority was the safety of staff and customers. "We have contacted all of our customers who had placed orders that are affected by this to make alternative arrangements and we are grateful for their positive response," it added. "We hope to be back delivering as normal to our local community very soon." Customers impacted by the decision have been offered the option of using Tesco's click and collect service, or having their order delivered to an alternative address. North Lurgan Community Association said it understood why the supermarket giant had made the decision. However, it added that vulnerable and elderly people and key workers will be the ones who will suffer as a result. "There is a lot of anger in the area over the trouble that happened over the weekend because nobody wants it, there's no support for it," it added. "If anybody is really struggling to get goods and essentials delivered they can contact our Facebook page and one of our volunteers will get the groceries and deliver it to them. "Hopefully this won't be permanent and we will get the deliveries back in the area sooner rather than later." Upper Bann Sinn Fein MLA John O'Dowd said those involved in the disturbances were only harming the people of their own community. "News that Tesco has announced it is stopping home deliveries to people in the Kilwilkie area of Lurgan as a result of recent incidents there is disappointing. Many people, particularly older members of the community, depend on home deliveries in order to get the essentials," he said. "This is a direct result of the disgraceful scenes of rioting and attacks in the area recently. "With the ongoing public health emergency, the demand for home deliveries is even greater." There is no suggestion of a direct Chinese military threat to Palau. Instead the island nation is an example of the sometimes obscure battleground on which the United States and China are pursuing a great power competition for global influence in an era of a more inward-looking Washington and an increasingly assertive and ambitious China. The power struggle is intensifying on multiple fronts and is seen by some as an emerging cold war akin to the mostly non-shooting conflict that played out between the United States and the Soviet Union until the collapse of Soviet communism in 1991. After Sushant Singh Rajputs flatmate Siddharth Pithani as well Dipesh Sawant and Neeraj confessed that eight hard drives worth of data was surgically removed from Sushant's devices by a professional team in the 24-hour-period when Rhea Chakraborty left his home and Disha Salian died, SSRs family lawyer Vikas Singh said that it clearly establishes that there was a conspiracy to kill Sushant. Vikas Singh said there has to be something explosive in the hard drive, else why would Rhea destroy them before leaving? There appears to be a big involvement of some powerful people in the case that is why the evidence has been destroyed, he added. Vikas Singh further demanded the suspension of Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh for not recording an official statement despite several loopholes in the case which indicate that it was not just suicide. If this is true then this clearly establishes there was a conspiracy to kill Sushant Singh Rajput. I think there's something very sinister in this entire episode and it appears that there is the involvement of some big people in the case. The first thing that should happen is the suspension of the Mumbai Commissioner of Police and DCP of that area (Bandra)," Singh said. READ | Sushant Singh Rajput Death Probe LIVE Updates: NCB Lodges Case; Sandip Ssingh In Mumbai Eight hard drives worth data cleaned On Wednesday, CBI sources said to Republic that Siddharth Pithani, Dipesh Sawant, and Samuel Miranda confessed to a colossal amount of data being deleted from laptops, computers and other devices at Sushant Singh Rajput's residence around the time period when Disha Salian passed away and around the time Rhea Chakraborty left Sushant's house. Sources inform that the confession by prime witnesses Siddharth Pithani, Dipesh Sawant, and Samuel Miranda raises questions on the suicide narrative that has been spread so far. Siddharth Pithani, Dipesh Sawant, and cook Neeraj reached the DRDO house on Wednesday as they faced questioning for the fifth straight day since the central agency took over the probe. READ | Sushant Singh Rajput Case: Rhea's Blood Samples Likely To Be Taken By NCB Say Sources Following the revelations on data deletion and the developments in the case so far, Sushant's sister Shweta Singh Kirti also demanded the arrest of the culprits involved in destroying the evidence and causing the actor's death. Why are we still waiting to take the criminals under custody?? #ArrestCulpritsOfSSR #JusticeForSushant pic.twitter.com/yGkXRHu24R shweta singh kirti (@shwetasinghkirt) August 26, 2020 CBI points 4 technical lapses in Mumbai Police probe As the CBI's investigation into the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput paces with break-neck speed, the central agency found out multiple technical lapses in the Mumbai Police's investigation. As per sources, one of the prime lapses in the Mumbai Police's investigation was its 'irrelevant summons' to multiple people from the industry which led to a colossal waste of time and possibly a crucial loss of evidence during the early days following Sushant's demise. READ | Sushant Case: CBI Sources Confirm Samuel, Pithani, Dipesh Say 'data Cleaned Out On June 8' The CBI is reportedly probing whether some leniency was shown to a few people and if they were not arrested or examined by Mumbai Police. It is not mentioned who the Mumbai Police was allegedly showing leniency to. The probe team also found that certain procedures like maintaining the "sanctity of the crime scene" were not followed as many people were allowed to enter the crime scene. The CBI has made multiple visits to Cooper Hospital as they are not convinced with the autopsy report of the late actor and has found some lapses there too, sources said. The Mumbai Police spent a large amount of time in probing professional rivalry but however, whether there was a foul play in the actor's death was not the key focus of the probe, sources added. READ | Sushant Case: Rhea's Talent Manager Jaya Evades Questions After Alleged Drug Link Surfaces BAKU, Azerbaijan, Aug.27 By Nargiz Ismayilova Trend: The volume of exports of oil and petroleum products from Azerbaijan to Australia stood at 132,015 tons in the first half of 2020, up 1.7 times compared to the same period of last year (77,100 tons of oil), Trend reports referring to the State Statistics Committee. According to the report, the oil and petroleum products were exported in the amount of $57.4 million. Azerbaijan exported 19.5 million tons of oil from January through July 2020, which is 0.02 percent more compared to the same period of 2019, according to the statistical report of the State Customs Committee. The total volume of exports of petroleum products in the reporting period amounted to $6.3 billion, showing an annual decrease of 48.6 percent. During the seven months of 2020, the volume of exports of petroleum products amounted to almost 705,797 tons, which is 15.4 percent more compared to the same period of last year. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @IsmailovaNargis Chesprocott Health Director Maura Esposito delivered good news last week when, during a meeting of the Board of Education, she essentially signed off on the Districts plan to reopen schools. While acknowledging the obvious that no plan is perfect she predicted that the proposal, if adhered to, has a good chance of keeping COVID-19 at bay and allowing students to attend classes in person at least some of the time. But one comment caught our attention. When talking about the possible effectiveness of school mitigation efforts, Esposito mentioned that the goal is to keep number low until a vaccine is approved. Its a sentiment that seems to be shared by many, not just locally, but across the state and nation that current mitigation efforts will have to stay in place until a vaccine is distributed. What if a vaccine isnt found for years? What if a vaccine isnt found at all? Some of the smartest minds in the world are at work trying to solve the problem of COVID, and hundreds of millions of dollars are being pumped into the effort. With so much intellect and resources dedicated to one goal, it stands to reason that a vaccine can, even will, be developed and in record time. Yet, medical breakthroughs do not materialize simply because people really want them to. If that were the case, the world would no longer be plagued by cancer, which kills approximately 600,000 U.S. citizens per year. These things take time, they take know-how, and sometimes they take a bit of luck. . Thats why, while local, state, and national leaders move into a new time of combating the virus, a more complete approach to mitigation, and a more difficult conversation about risk assessment, must be had. If a vaccine appears in the next few months and goes a long way towards solving the COVID problem, wonderful. If not, the Town, state and country must be ready to discuss what happens next. Its a conversation that has to happen at the state and federal levels, as it would be unfair to expect each municipality or health district to undertake such strategies on their own. Chesprocott, for instance, has been working around the clock since the beginning of the pandemic, with limited resources and manpower, to make sure that as many protocols are followed and as many precautions are taken by local businesses and institutions as possible. They are the boots-on-the-ground in this pandemic. Its others, whether at the state Department of Public Health or elsewhere, who must begin to think about what life will look like with COVID ever-present. There must be a more cogent plan in place, one that doesnt hang on a vaccine being found any time soon. Connecticut has done a very good job of keeping the virus at bay these last few months, after COVID wrought so much havoc in April and May, but that success has come at a cost. Its come at a financial cost, a mental-health cost, a quality-of-life cost. Its a cost many have been willing to pay, but at some point the bill will get too high. We are rapidly approaching that point, and there needs to be a plan in place for when it happens. Two people from Canton were arrested Tuesday evening in Roxbury after police say the fired more than 30 shots from their SUV into the area of 165 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Police say Lakkema Rochelle, 29, was driving the SUV when it led police on a high-speed chase, including driving up on sidewalks to avoid other cars. Lorenzo Myers, 33, was a passenger in the car, police said. According to police, officers assigned on patrol in the area of Washington Street heard what they believed to be multiple gunshots coming from the area of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard at around 9 p.m. Simultaneously, Shot-Spotter was activated, and registered 10 rounds on Mayfair Street, a single shot on Dale Street and 21 shots at 165 Martin Luther King Blvd., police said. The two were arrested on Marcella Street after police eventually stopped the the dark-colored SUV that sped down multiple streets, disregarded a stop sign and even drove partially on a sidewalk, police said. Rochelle has been charged with carrying a loaded firearm without a license, carrying a firearm without a license, possession of ammunition without a FID card, possession of a large capacity firearm, failure to stop for police and reckless operation of a motor vehicle, authorities said. Myers is charged with carrying a loaded firearm without a license, carrying a firearm without a license, possession of ammunition without FID card and possession of a large capacity firearm, police said. After seeing the SUV driving at a high rate of speed, pursued with their emergency lights and sirens, police said. The followed the car onto Washington Street, Oakland Street, where the car went partially on a sidewalk to avoid other cars, Thornton Street, Valentine Street and eventually Marcella Street. Police in Boston found two firearms after searching the route an SUV took during a chase through Roxbury. Officers searched the route from where the SUV was first spotted to where it stopped and found a firearm was located on a grass area next to 95 Thornton Street, police said. The firearm, a 9mm, was loaded with 5 rounds in the magazine and one round in the chamber with a 31-round extended magazine, police said. Both suspects are expected to be arraigned in Roxbury District Court. Lafayette, La. More than 500,000 residents in Louisiana and Texas were urged to flee their homes Wednesday as Hurricane Laura roared toward the Gulf Coast, fueling grave warnings that the storm would deliver a calamitous assault with powerful winds and a storm surge that meteorologists declared "unsurvivable." Laura intensified into a Category 4 hurricane as it churned through the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, growing into a monster of a storm that forecasters described as one of the worst to pound the region in decades. Officials warned that a vast stretch of the coast, reaching from central Louisiana to west of Galveston, Texas, could expect to be barraged by hurricane-level conditions. The storm was projected to make landfall late Wednesday night or early Thursday, forecasters said, with wind gusts exceeding 140 mph. Low-lying communities along the coast stood to be engulfed by a wall of water, reaching as high as 20 feet in some places, and the storm surge could push as far as 40 miles inland. Forecasters also warned of heavy rainfall and the likelihood of tornadoes. "I'm asking people right now to pay attention to this storm, to get out of harm's way," Gov. John Bel Edwards of Louisiana told residents during a briefing Wednesday before adding that they had limited time to do so before the weather worsened to dangerous levels. "Understand, our state has not seen a storm surge like this in many, many decades. We haven't seen wind speeds like we're going to experience in a very, very long time." The sense of alarm intensified as the storm gained strength. "I don't know if it's too late," said the Rev. Joe Miller, who lives in Newton, Texas, a small inland town straddling the state line that is in Laura's expected path. "We had planned to stay," he added. "Now, I don't know." Cassandra Duhon figured she did not have much of a choice. Her husband, who works on an oil rig, could not get home, and she did not want to endure the brunt of the storm alone with her 10-year-old son and 7-year-old daughter. She would have to flee her home in Cameron Parish, which is directly in the sights of Hurricane Laura. The trouble, she said, was finding somewhere to go. Duhon tested positive for the coronavirus about a week before the hurricane prompted a mandatory evacuation for Cameron Parish, and when she began calling around for hotels that would be willing to take her, she struck out. She ultimately settled on taking a 16-hour drive to an extended family member's home in Colorado. "I just play it day by day, and that's the best I can do for right now," Duhon said. "It's really hard being without your spouse," she added. "And to worry about where he's at, too? I don't know. What else can 2020 throw at us?" As officials stressed the perils posed by the storm, they also pleaded with residents to maintain their vigilance with a coronavirus pandemic that had become no less of a threat. "We're still in this pandemic emergency," Edwards told residents. When it comes to taking virus precautions, he said, "It's more important now than ever before." Even outside of a pandemic, hurricanes can set in motion an interminable slog of discomfort and distress, particularly with the agonizing decisions about whether to evacuate. But in the grip of the coronavirus, it has become even more complicated. Many living in Laura's path, particularly those vulnerable to the virus or caring for older relatives, have found themselves weighing the risk of riding out the storm against that of potential exposure. Others simply do not have the means to escape, as their livelihoods were eviscerated as the economy cratered. The worst of the storm is bound for a part of Louisiana that has also been hit hard with the virus, with officials noting that Cameron and Calcasieu parishes, in the southwest corner of the state, have some of the state's highest positivity rates for virus tests. On Wednesday, state health officials reported 846 new cases and 32 more deaths from the virus. Emergency officials are trying to reroute families into hotel rooms instead of shelters wherever possible, and in shelters, organizers have had to put into place social distancing measures. It has created new challenges for what can sometimes work like a well-oiled machine in places where hurricane response has become a matter of routine. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. "COVID has thrown us a curveball," said Tony Mancuso, the sheriff for Calcasieu Parish. But the storm itself "is not a curveball for us." "We know what we're talking about," he added. "We know from experience, we know from doing it time and time again what works and what doesn't. What works is when people cooperate with us, so I'm hoping that people heed that." Mandatory evacuation orders were issued across a considerable stretch of the coast, with officials warning of the dangers that residents could face if they ignored them. "Don't dial 911, no one is going to answer you're on your own," said Thurman Bartie, the mayor of Port Arthur, Texas, saying that he refused to endanger police officers and emergency workers by having them respond to calls during the storm. "Just know that it's just you and God." The warnings grew more dire after the National Hurricane Center said that an "unsurvivable storm surge with large and destructive waves will cause catastrophic damage" along a section of the Gulf Coast. "The word 'unsurvivable' is not one we like to use, and it's not one I've used before," said Benjamin Schott, the meteorologist in charge for the National Weather Service in New Orleans. Officials said that Laura resembled Hurricane Rita in its intensity and projected path, and the 2005 storm, which caused an estimated $25.2 billion in damage, remains vivid for many even after 15 years. Some have been left exhausted by the seeming cascade of crises, including Tropical Storm Marco, which threatened to make landfall this week as a hurricane before dissipating. "I don't know the appropriate way of saying it," Sally Brockman, who works in marketing for a Lake Charles hospital, said from her car as she and her husband, George, were about to pull onto the highway. "When I saw we had two hurricanes, normally there's a bit of butterflies, a bit of 'Oh, gosh, what's going to happen?' But I truly didn't have the energy for that," she added, her voice flat. "Like, OK, we got to go? OK. Cool. Let's go." About 1,500 evacuees from East Texas arrived in San Antonio on Wednesday afternoon, where the city provided hotel vouchers to limit the spread of the virus. Yesterday (August 27) night, a Chennai-based actor has been arrested for making a hoax bomb call to a star hotel in Teynampet. As per Times of India report, the actor has worked in a web series and some short films. Identified as Kennedy John Gangadharan, the actor was asked to meet at a star hotel by Mahesh, the manager of the firm which is making the web series. Apparently, the shooting of the web series was already underway at the hotel. As per the report, Kennedy, a resident of Puzhal was waiting for more than an hour at the hotel. However, the manager later informed him that the shoot has been called off and asked him to leave. On getting such a reply, Kennedy got frustrated and made a hoax bomb call to the hotel at 10.30 am. Notably, he also informed the Police control room and said that the bomb has been installed in the hotel and it would blast in a few minutes. After receiving the alert, a bomb disposal squad arrived at the spot with a sniffer dog, Rita. After an hour of search, they discovered that the call was a hoax. Also Read : Bomb Planted In Rajinikanth's House? Chennai Police Received A Call From An Unidentified Person After the information, Teynampet police quickly filed a case and identified Kennedy as the caller. In the investigation, Kennedy reportedly confessed that he was upset over the incident that happened and hence, he committed this unlawful act out of frustration. Also Read : Chennai Police Caught The Person Who Gave Info About The Bomb In Rajinikanth's House! Further investigation is still in progress. Christchurch: At least 400 people could have been exposed to the new coronavirus after attending services and a wedding at an Auckland church, health officials say. It comes as a further seven cases of COVID-19 were reported in New Zealand on Thursday. On Wednesday, health officials announced five known COVID-19 cases had been linked to Mount Roskill Evangelical Fellowship. That number has since grown to eight. At least 400 people may have been exposed to the virus after attending events at the church. Credit:Ricky Wilson/Stuff Anyone who attended services at the Stoddard Rd church on August 8, 9 and 11, or went to a wedding held at the church on August 7, has been asked to stay at home and get tested. In a clear message to those who recently wrote a dissent letter challenging her leadership, Congress president Sonia Gandhi Thursday formed a five-member panel in Rajya Sabha including her confidants and elevating two young MPs to senior positions in Lok Sabha. Ahmed Patel, KC Venugopal and Jairam Ramesh will be part of the Rajya Sabha Committee, which will also include Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad and partys deputy leader Anand Sharma. Azad and Sharma are signatories to the letter that demanded an overhaul of the Congress party and a new full-time and visible" party president. They were attacked by party leaders in the Congress Working Committee meeting on Monday, where some even sought action against them. Ramesh has also been appointed the chief whip in Rajya Sabha, a post that fell vacant after Bhubaneswar Kalita quit the party and joined the BJP. Former minister and Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal, who was also a signatory to the letter, did not find a place in the strategy committee. The group will take a call on the partys floor strategy with sources saying the idea is to strengthen floor management. In the Lok Sabha, Gandhi elevated party MP from Assam Gaurav Gogoi and made him the deputy leader of Congress, while Ludhiana MP Ravneet Singh Bittu was made the partys whip. The two, along with leader of the Congress in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, chief whip K Suresh and another whip Manickam Tagore would form a five-member Committee of floor leaders in the lower house. It is a move by the Congress to strengthen its team of floor leaders in the Lower House, party leaders said, adding it is also a message to dissenters like Shashi Tharoor and Manish Tewari in Lok Sabha and Azad and Sharma in the upper house. Bittu, a three-time MP from Punjab who has been entrusted with the responsibility as the Congress whip in the Lok Sabha, trumps his Punjab colleague Tewari, also a three-time MP. Currently, Bittu represents Ludhiana, which had earlier elected Tewari, who now is MP from Anandpur Sahib. Bittu had won from Anandpur Sahib in 2009. Party leaders said Tewari and Tharoor were aspiring for positions in Lok Sabha. The opposition party did not have a deputy leader in Lok Sabha the last was in the previous Lok Sabha when Amarinder Singh was on the post before he became the chief minister of Punjab. The appointments came ahead of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, which is likely to commence from September 14. Gogoi hails from Assam, where Assembly polls are due early next year. The MP from the Kaliabor Lok Sabha constituency, he was the partys whip in the House till now and has been elevated. Gogoi is the son of former Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi. KUNMING, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Four years after the launch of the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC) mechanism, there has been holistic cooperation among the regional countries, experts said. Experts expect LMC countries to unleash greater potential for cooperation in the future so as to achieve a higher level of sustainable development in the region. The LMC mechanism was launched by six countries -- China, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam -- in 2016. It derives its name from a river that is called Lancang in China and Mekong in the five other countries. At the third LMC leaders' meeting, held by video link on Monday, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said from this year, the country will share the Lancang River's hydrological data for the whole year with Mekong countries. Li also noted that China will work with other LMC countries to establish a Lancang-Mekong Water Resources Cooperation Information Sharing Platform to better tackle climate change and natural disasters such as floods and droughts. "Sharing the entire year's hydrological data of the Lancang River is an important public product that China offers Mekong countries to deepen the water resources cooperation of the LMC," said Zhai Kun, a professor of international studies at Peking University. The move will help promote more scientific and procedure-based joint research on the river's water resources. It also helps countries in the region improve forecasting and management and reduce the damage to property and crops caused by drought and flood, according to Zhai. At the LMC leaders' meeting, China promised to set up a special fund for public health under the framework of the LMC Special Fund and continue to provide material and technical support to the Mekong countries to the best of its ability. "China's proposals at the meeting are reflective of its neighborhood diplomacy, which features amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness, as well as its efforts to create a community with a shared future with our neighbors," said Lu Guangsheng, director of Institute of International Relations of Yunnan University. The proposals also show that China is committed to deepening LMC cooperation with an open, responsible and constructive attitude, Lu said. China also proposed synergizing the LMC with the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, which passes through western China and connects Southeast Asia with the Eurasian continent. "Synergizing the LMC with the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor is a sensible course of action," said Lu, adding that the move is expected to help further open up markets among LMC countries. The village lands were seized for military, industrial and real estate speculation purposes. The village elder in clashes with the police. But his death is attributed to relatives, who participated in the revolt against the police. Hanoi (AsiaNews / RFA) - A group of 29 people from the village of Dong Tam (less than 40 km south of Hanoi) will be tried on 7 September for an incident linked to the expropriation of their lands. They are accused of taking part in clashes with the police in which three policemen and one of the leaders of the protest were killed. On 9 January, at least 3 thousand policemen carried out a raid on the village where land had been expropriated years ago to build a military airport and real estate speculations. In ensuing clashes between the villagers and the police, in addition to the three policemen, the village elder, Le Dinh Kinh, was killed - shot by the police. In response, the authorities accused his son Le Dinh Chuc and his grandsons Le Dinh Doanh and Le Dinh Uy of the murder of the 84-year-old. Together with them, 22 other people from the village are accused of complicity in the murder. If found guilty, they risk from 12 years in prison to capital punishment. Four others from the village are also on trial accused of hindering the duties of the police. They face 2 to 7 years in prison. Some of the prisoners went on hunger strike. Land seizures are a major cause of tension between the population, local authorities and the government. Although all the land belongs to the state, the land is sold to peasants and private individuals. Due to the spiralling development in the country, many companies are looking for spaces for their industries and there is a search for spaces to build houses. For this reason, the government is accused of driving out rual poor, monks, parishioners from their land, to sell them to large companies. As the authorities make million dollar deals, farmers see their lands seized with no or minimal compensation. Former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton has slammed President Donald Trump for presiding over a naturalisation ceremony during the Republican National Convention, saying it was "like watching a fox bless a henhouse". Trump presided over a rare naturalisation ceremony at the White House where five immigrants, including a software developer from India, were sworn in as American citizens, as the US leader welcomed them to the "magnificent nation" that is comprised of every race, religion and colour. "Trump has spent his entire political career demonising immigrants. He's caged migrant babies at the border. He's used fear of "caravans" as a political prop. "Watching him preside over a naturalisation ceremony last night was like watching a fox bless a henhouse," Clinton tweeted Wednesday. Also read: Elected US President because Barack Obama did 'such a bad job': Donald Trump The pre-taped White House ceremony was played during the second night of the Republican National Convention. Indian immigrant Sudha Sundari Narayanan, an IT software developer, was among the five immigrants who were administered the Oath of Allegiance by Acting United States Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf, while Trump looked on. Immigrants from Bolivia, Lebanon, Sudan and Ghana were also sworn-in as US citizens. Trump said Narayanan is a "phenomenal success", born in India, who came to the United States 13 years ago. "Sudha is a talented software developer and she and her husband are raising two beautiful, wonderful children 'the apples of your life'. Thank you very much and congratulations. Fantastic job." Also read: US Presidential Polls 2020: Mike Pompeo supports Trump's re-election bid from Jerusalem Trump handed Narayanan, who was wearing a bright coral pink sari, her Certificate of Citizenship. However, the naturalisation ceremony was criticised, with experts slamming Trump for using immigrants he has so far "vilified" as "election props". Opinion columnist Frank Bruni wrote in a piece in The New York Times that Trump "emceed a naturalisation ceremony - on live television - of five immigrants who belong to the sorts of ethnic groups or come from the kinds of places that he has routinely caricatured and vilified. This didn't honour them. It reduced them to re-election props." Also read: US Elections 2020: Ex-First Lady Michelle Obama rips into Trump, calls him 'wrong President' New York-based immigration attorney Cyrus Mehta tweeted "Trump and illegally appointed Wolf conduct a naturalisation ceremony during a political convention to hypocritically pander to immigrants they have otherwise banned, abused and caged." Immigration has been a very critical agenda of the Trump campaign and his presidency, with Trump asserting throughout that as the American President he will ensure job security and safety for American citizens first. As job losses mounted and the American economy suffered due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Trump ordered some stringent immigration restrictions, including suspending the H1B visas, which is popular among Indian IT professionals, along with other foreign work visas for the rest of the year. Highmark Inc. is helping schools with the challenges of opening during the COVID-19 pandemic by donating back-to-school toolkits. Highmark donated protective equipment kits today at Harrisburg School District's Melrose Elementary School. The kits contain face coverings and face shields, disinfectant wipes, hand sanitizer and signage and resources with best practices. When Harrisburg schools reopen for in-school instruction, the kits will be available for use. Highmark has launched a program to provide the kits to more than 400 school districts across Pennsylvania and Delaware. The district plans to start with 100% online instruction this fall, with a phased plan to bring students back to campus once its safe to do so. Superintendent Chris Celmer made the district plans public in a video message to the school community last week. The districts plans were approved by District Receiver Janet Samuels the school board meeting Aug. 10. The district announced that WiFi hotspots throughout the city will be available for student use due to a Connectivity Partnership funded through CARES Act funding. Harrisburg Virtual Learning Academy, a completely online option, will be available for families who opt out of in-person instruction. The first day of school was pushed back to Aug. 31 to allow for additional staff training. Read More: Back to school: Heres how central Pa. districts plan to reopen 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. Ravi Patel got the idea for his new buddy-comedy travel docuseries, Ravi Patels Pursuit of Happiness, from a conversation with someone very close to him a person who he talks to on a regular basis and with whom he shares his deepest, most personal thoughts and feelings. But that person is not his wife, a friend or even his mom or dad, though all of those people appear in the four-part show, out today on HBO Max. That person is his therapist. It started with me just sitting down and thinking about, what are the big questions that Im discussing in therapy right now? Patel told TheWrap ahead of the series premiere. Seriously. I love therapy. We went through and talked about the themes that had come up over the last year, and one of them was getting on the other side of 40 and becoming a new father for the first time, he continued. It gave me this incredible appreciation for the love and obsession that parents have over their kids, and it gave me this new kind of empathy for my parents. Also Read: 'Ravi Patel's Pursuit of Happiness' Moves From CNN to HBO Max Smash-cut to episode one, which finds Patel and his adorable parents, Champa and Vasant, on a trip to Mexico to check out a town heavily populated with wildly happy American retirees and to contemplate what it means to live life to the fullest. Over the shows four episodes, Patel visits three other countries Japan, South Korea, and Denmark in order to explore and contemplate lifes biggest questions, each with a different companion at his side. In Japan, Patel and his wife discuss parenting strategies against the backdrop of a culture so safe that six-year-old children are encouraged to go on errand runs to the supermarket unattended. In South Korea, he and his good friend, Omaze founder Matthew Pohlson, analyze the challenges of the elusive work-life balance and the mental-health consequences that came come from being over-worked. And finally, in Denmark, he and HBOs High Maintenance star Abdullah Saeed explore the local attitudes behind what he calls one of the most urgently American dilemmas of our time immigration. Story continues Also Read: Selena Gomez's 'Selena + Chef' Renewed for Season 2 at HBO Max If Pursuit of Happiness feels a bit like Anthony Bourdains Parts Unknown, thats because it is. Before it landed at HBO Max, the series began at CNN, where Bourdains beloved culinary-travel series aired for four years. Patel entered talks for Pursuit of Happiness soon after the chef and journalists death in June of 2018. Like Bourdain, Patels experience-based show finds him interviewing people from all different walks of life, political stances, and cultures. Ive done so many things that have been canceled or havent gone anywhere, and I just am wiser now in the sense that I try not to focus on the outcome of all these work opportunities and instead I try to focus on just that I get to do it, Patel said. So I wanted to create a show that would change my life, or that I would love, even it was a failure on the outside. So that meant that every episode I didnt want to be alone, I wanted to travel with people I love. Also Read: 'Singletown' Producer on How British Dating Show's 'Genuine' Nature Helps It Stand Out Oh, and if after watching both Pursuit and Happiness and he and his sister Geetas 2014 film Meet the Patels youve become as big a fan of Champa and Vasant as you have of Patel himself, hes got some exciting news to share. I guess this is a spoiler, but my parents are now opening their own retirement community in Charlotte for Indian retirees, he said, divulging that, after much discussion in the Mexico episode, he and his wife have decided to leave Los Angeles and move East to be closer to them. So, although it would be easy for Patel to come up with some big, profound takeaway about what he learned of the meaning of life while making the show, he says the truth is it would take at least 20 years to really know which moment hit him the hardest although that South Korean Death Cafe is certainly a contender. All things considered, his goal was simply for each episode to be a life-changing journey. I know that sounds cheesy, he said. And thats the kind of guy I am. Read original story Ravi Patels HBO Max Show Pursuit of Happiness Was Inspired by Conversations With His Therapist At TheWrap Bollywood star Kangana Ranaut who has been vocal about Sushant Singh Rajput's death case issued a statement on social media saying that she is "more than willing to help the Narcotics Bureau but I need protection from the central government." Bollywood star Kangana Ranaut who has been vocal about Sushant Singh Rajputs death case issued a statement on social media saying that she is more than willing to help the Narcotics Bureau but I need protection from the central government. The Panga actor has issued a statement after a recent turn in the late actors death case, where his girlfriend Rhea Chakrabortys WhatsApp chats have alleged a new drug angle. Also hinting at the latest development in the case, Kangana tweeted: it is quite evident Sushant knew some dirty secrets and thats why he has been killed. The Queen actor also made some shocking revelations about drug use in the film industry in her tweets. One of her tweets read, Most popular drug in the film industry is cocaine. It is used in almost all house parties. Its very expensive but in the beginning, when you go to the houses of high and mighty its given free. MDMA crystals are mixed in water and at times passed on to you without your knowledge. While the revelations have sent shock waves in the industry, the Manikarnika actor took to Twitter and said, I dont think its that explosive in the movie Sanju. Exploitation of women, debauchery, drug abuse movie mafias underworld connections have been flaunted, explicit details are given yet it seems they hold way too much power to pretty much get away with anything. Earlier in the day, Ranaut made a remark on social media that if Narcotics Control Bureau enters Bullywood, many A-listers will be behind bars. ALSO READ : Arriving Jan 2021: Virat Kohli, Anushka Sharma announce pregnancy If narcotics Control Bureau enters Bullywood, many A listers will be behind bars, if blood tests are conducted many shocking revelations will happen. Hope @PMOIndia under swatchh Bharat mission cleanses the gutter called Bullywood. Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) August 26, 2020 I am more than willing to help @narcoticsbureau but I need protection from the centre government, I have not only risked my career but also my life, it is quiet evident Sushanth knew some dirty secrets thats why he has been killed. Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) August 26, 2020 The actor also recalled her own incidents, and the Gangster actor noted: I was still a minor. My mentor turned tormentor used to spike my drinks and sedate me to prevent me from going to cops. When I became successful and got entry into the most famous film parties, I was exposed to the most shocking and sinister world of drugs, debauchery and mafia. The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has registered a case against actor Rhea Chakraborty and others in connection with the death case of Sushant Singh Rajput. The NCB has registered the case under various sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, including Section 27 which specifies punishment for consumption of any narcotic drug or psychotropic substance and 29 which provides for punishment in case of abetment and criminal conspiracy. ALSO READ : John Abraham, Aditi Rao Hydaris first look from Arjun Kapoor starrer cross-border love drama revealed Top Trump administration officials involved with the White House coronavirus task force ordered the Centers for Disease Control and Protection to stop promoting coronavirus testing for most people who have been exposed to the virus but aren't showing symptoms, according to two people with knowledge of the process. Federal testing czar Brett Giroir denied those allegations Wednesday, telling reporters that the CDC ultimately decided to narrow the recommendations for who should be tested. The new guidelines are a CDC action, Giroir said. As always, the guidelines received appropriate attention, consultation and input from Task Force experts, and I mean the medical and scientific experts, including CDC Director [Robert] Redfield. The revised testing guidelines, which CDC released late Monday with no public notice, say it is up to state and local public health officials and health providers to decide whether people without symptoms or underlying risk factors need a test after high-risk situations such as coming into contact with an infected person for more than 15 minutes. The agency also now says it is up to local public health experts to decide whether testing is needed for people who attend a public or private gathering of more than 10 individuals when masks are not worn and social-distancing guidelines are not followed. Anthony Fauci, the government's top infectious disease expert, said the change could send the wrong message. "I'm worried it will give people the incorrect assumption that asymptomatic spread is not of great concern," Fauci said in a statement read by CNN's Sanjay Gupta on-air Wednesday afternoon. "In fact, it is." Fauci also told Gupta that he was under anesthesia having vocal cord surgery on Thursday when the task force met to approve the CDC guidance. Giroir told reporters that Fauci had worked on the recommendations, which he said were developed over the past month. Story continues Other public health experts questioned the scientific basis for the testing changes, which they said could make it harder for the United States to contain its outbreak especially with students heading back to schools and universities across the country in the coming weeks. Time-honored techniques for stopping infectious disease outbreaks rely on testing to identify people are infected and tracing the people with whom they have come into contact and unwittingly exposed. Carlos del Rio, executive associate dean at the Emory School of Medicine, told POLITICO the CDC guidelines do not make sense because individuals who have been in close contact with a confirmed case of Covid-19 for at least 15 minutes could potentially be infected and should be tested. Asymptomatic people transmit, and if you dont isolate them and you dont identify them, transmission will continue, del Rio said. Im worried we are not diagnosing the people that we need to diagnose. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo slammed the change as political propaganda. Officials in several other states, including California, Connecticut and Washington, said Wednesday that they would not alter their testing approach to match the new CDC guidelines. We will not be influenced by that change, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said at a press conference. We are influenced by those who are experts in the field and feel very differently. The CDC update comes as the Trump administration has increasingly shifted its testing focus toward settings like nursing homes and long-term care facilities, which officials argue are key sources of outbreaks and account for a disproportionate number of Covid-19 deaths. The guidance posted Monday emphasizes the need for more regular testing of those living or working in nursing homes. And on Tuesday, CMS issued new rules that would require testing in nursing homes though it remains unclear what the parameters will be for that mandate. One person close to the CDC changes defended them as necessary to prioritize testing for those at higher risk of infection, arguing that demand has been stretched by people seeking out tests when it's unlikely they've been exposed to the virus. Giroir argued the administration does not expect new CDC guidelines to decrease the volume of tests being conducted. With new tests soon coming onto the market, the number of people who can be screened will go up significantly over the next couple of months. That increase will come from strategically done tests, not just tests done for the sake of being tested, he added. The testing czar also denied that politics motivated the CDC switch, despite President Donald Trumps repeated arguments that U.S. case numbers are high because the country conducts many tests. There is no direction from President Trump, the Vice President [Mike Pence] or [HHS Secretary Alex Azar] about what we need to do when, Giroir said. This is evidence based decisions that are driven by the scientists and physicians, both within the CDC, within my office and the lab task force. Eleanor Murray, assistant professor of epidemiology at Boston University School of Public Health, pushed back against the idea that different localities should take varying approaches to testing of potentially infected people, saying the epidemiology isnt location dependent. The only possible flexibility I could see at the local level on this is whether to just mandate everyone does the full quarantine or allow testing to try to rule out infection, Murray said. The new CDC guidelines arent replacing testing with quarantine though. Theyre just ignoring transmission pre-symptoms. American Medical Association President Susan Bailey urged CDC and HHS to provide the scientific justification behind making the change to the testing recommendations. "Suggesting that people without symptoms, who have known exposure to COVID-positive individuals, do not need testing is a recipe for community spread and more spikes in coronavirus," Bailey said. The abrupt and unannounced changes have already intensified scrutiny of the CDC's independence, and the administration's broader coronavirus response ahead of the November election. Rep. Rosa DeLauro who chairs the House appropriations subcommittee overseeing the health department slammed the new guidelines on Wednesday as "clearly political" and "unfathomable that the CDC is implementing guidelines that completely ignore the data. Scientists, not just politicians, are also sounding the alarm about the potential motives behind the CDCs latest action. With all the things that the president has been saying about testing, its hard to not be suspicious and say hey, they dont want to test people because theyre really worried that more people are going to be diagnosed and that impacts the numbers. I really dont know, del Rio said. Victoria Colliver, Dan Goldberg, Shannon Young and Alice Miranda Ollstein contributed to this story. LOS ANGELESCanadian sex workers have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, unable even to access government economic relief aid due to the underground nature of their profession. In the United States, sex workers whose profession remains fully criminal in 49 of the 50 states were already struggling prior to the pandemic, due to legislation that made it nearly impossible for them to advertise online. The 2018 FOSTA/SESTA bill has reportedly driven sex workers further into the shadows, and led to a sharp spike in violence against them. But one Canadian publisher now says that offering some relief to sex workers will be good business. MediaCentral, the Ontario-based company that publishes NOW Magazine in Toronto and Georgia Straight in Vancouver announced this week that it will resume running adult classified ads in those publications. In the United States the FOSTA/SESTA law, passed in 2018, has effectively suppressed the online classifieds market by holding platforms liable for third-party content that could be construed as promoting sex trafficking. Even before the law took effect, the federal seizure and shutdown of Backpage, ended the single largest forum for sexual service classified advertising. But in Canada, MediaCentral says that it expects to rake in $2 million (about $1.5 million in U.S. cash) annually from the resumption of adult classifieds, which it shut down in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. "Prior to eliminating adult advertising, NOW generated strong sales from its Adult Classifieds Category. The Straight has continued to offer adult advertising over the years, but the category was temporarily suspended during the height of COVID," the companys CEO Brian Kalish said in a statement. "Now that the two respective cities have begun reopening, we expect this re-launch to drive strong sales numbers alongside our newly revamped and fully integrated sales platforms. Our decision to bring back the classifieds is part of our strategic path to creating sustainable, profitable publications." The company also said that the return of online classified is not merely profit driven, but part of an overall program to support diverse sexual choice, the LGBTQ+ community and the rights of sex workers. NOW features a regular LOVE and SEX section, while Georgia Straight is a longtime outlet for the popular "Savage Love" column by writer Dan Savage. Photo By Prayitno / Wikimedia Commons Kenosha Sheriff David Beth takes part in press conferences about racial unrest in the wake of Jacob Blake shooting. Brandon Bell/Getty Images Kenosha Sheriff David Beth has been taking a front and center role in the unrest that has been spurred by the police shooting of Jacob Blake. Beth, though, came under fire in 2018 after he went on a rant that was seen as racist and insensitive. The generalized comments were made in reaction to the arrest of four Black men and women who were charged with a shoplifting incident that resulted in a police chase and crash. During the press conference, he says that some people "aren't worth saving" and need to be locked away in warehouses so they can't get women pregnant. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories. Kenosha, Wisconsin, is under a national spotlight as the latest epicenter of racial unrest following the police shooting of Jacob Blake on Sunday. David Beth, the County Sheriff, has been working with local, state, and federal authorities to respond to areas where violence and destruction breaks out after organized demonstrations subside. Those demonstrations in Kenosha, a city of 10,000 residents, followed similar displays as in Minnesota where George Floyd died at the hands of police in late May. Beth, though, came under fire in 2018 after he made comments about the arrest of five Black men and women that critics deemed racist. Beth apologized for his comments, which were described at the time as "inexcusable," but the video of his rant has now resurfaced, at a time of racial discord in his jurisdiction. The Rev. Jesse Jackson played the video at a NAACP press conference in Kenosha on Thursday as an example of systemic racism. The video, which was taken at a press conference about the shoplifting suspects, shows Beth flailing his hands as he describes locking people up without recreational time so they can't procreate. Story continues "Society needs to come to a threshold where we realize some people aren't worth saving. We need to build warehouses where we put these people into it and lock them away for the rest of their lives," he said. "Let's stop them from truly at least some of these males going out and getting 10 other women pregnant and having small children." "At some point we have to stop being politically correct," he added. I don't care what race, I don't care how old they are, if there is a threshold that they cross these people have to be warehoused." Beth's comments were met with outrage from some members of the community, with at least one county official calling for his resignation. A local school board member, who was running for Congress, said in a statement at the time that Beth's "racist dog whistles were deafening." "It's up to this county to decide if Sheriff Beth should remain or resign, but I'm calling on Sheriff Beth to resign immediately because no apology can undo the harm and division he has caused by his comments," Cathy Myers said at the time. After stark criticism, Beth met with the local NAACP and submitted an apology, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported. He said that he was upset by the incident, in which a 20-year-old Milwaukee woman allegedly led police and sheriff's deputies on a chase, ran a red light and caused a crash involving two other vehicles, including one carrying a 16-year-old boy and his mother. The suspects were found with more than $6,000 worth of stolen merchandise, the paper reported at the time. Beth said the crash reminded him of his daughter, who had recently obtained her driver's license. "I should have kept my comments better directed toward the incident itself, and not allowed my emotions to get the better of me at the time," Beth said in 2018. Messages left for Beth and Myers were not immediately returned Wednesday. The Kenosha branch of the NAACP could not be reached. Read the original article on Insider Iran, UN Watchdog Agree on Inspection of Suspected Nuclear Sites By VOA News August 26, 2020 Iran and the U.N.'s nuclear monitoring agency have agreed on the inspection of two suspected former nuclear sites, where undeclared nuclear material might have been stored or used. The agreement was announced Wednesday after a months-long standoff. "Iran is voluntarily providing the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) with access to the two locations specified by the IAEA," agency head Rafael Grossi and Iranian nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salehi said in a joint statement. The statement said dates for the inspection had been determined but did not disclose them. Iran resisted allowing the inspections, contending the IAEA had no legal basis to visit the suspected sites. The sites are thought to have become operational in the early 2000s, prior to Iran's signing of a 2015 nuclear pact with global powers that the U.S. later quit. The deal was announced after Grossi visited Iran to convince Iranian officials to grant access to the sites. The IAEA found that Iran consistently complied with the 2015 agreement until last year, when Iran started to exceed the deal's limits on nuclear enrichment. Iran began violating the limits in response to stiff U.S. sanctions after U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. from the agreement. While Iran no longer complies with any of the agreement's limits, it has continued to give IAEA inspectors access to its nuclear sites. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Is it possible to heal this great nation? At the moment, we are all fixated on Donald Trump his leadership style, his desire to disrupt, his tweets but whether he wins or loses in November, the fundamental brokenness of our political system does not cease. In fact, it is likely to worsen. However painful it is to admit, we now live in two Americas.Blue America consists of much of the two coasts, the eastern establishment, most of the great universities and university towns (like Boulder, Madison, Eugene, Iowa City, and Austin), and much of urban America. Red America consists of most of the geography of America, including virtually all of the heartland, the old and new South, the Great Plains, much of the mountain West, and of course Texas.These two Americas share the same language and the same national flag (mostly), but they do not understand each other. They do not like each other. They do not trust each other. In the last couple of decades, each one has come to believe that it represents the real America and the other one is something else not America, an alien betrayal of the idea of America, a perversion of the America dream.Watergate journalist Carl Bernstein has been saying, for at least four years, that we are now engaged in a Cold Civil War . He worries that we are not that far from the first shots (hot war) over some metaphoric Fort Sumter. As I write these words, I have the urge to pull back, because, surely Im exaggerating or over-reacting. Things cannot be that bad. But they are. In the last few weeks I have heard each side say that this election is the most important in American history, that if we make the wrong choice on Nov. 3, it is likely to be the end of the American experiment as we know it.This is not the first time the nation has been so divided that it shows signs of coming apart. The year 1968 was such a time the Tet Offensive, the abdication of LBJ, the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Robert F. Kennedy, the appalling Democratic National Convention in Chicago. The year 1932 was such a time, with the Hoover administration stubbornly refusing to address the economic catastrophe that had driven the unemployment rate to 24 percent. And, of course, 1860 was such a time, when the continued existence of slavery tore the nation apart, and it took the death of almost 700,000 Americans to bandage it back together again, with many of the fundamental issues unresolved.If we are genuinely looking for national healing and reconciliation, I point to the aftermath of the election of Thomas Jefferson in 1800. The election itself was as angry and mean-spirited as any in our history. Jefferson, the challenger, was accused of being an atheist (not so), a coward (not really so), a Jacobin (i.e., a French-style radical), a naive utopian, and a lawyer who had cheated some of his clients. His detractors claimed that he would dismantle the country just as it was finding its first stride, and there were rumors that he kept a Congo harem at his mountaintop retreat in Virginia.All this sounds silly in retrospect, but thousands of people believed these allegations, some of which dogged Jefferson for the rest of his life. More to the point, a large number of sober and responsible Americans worried that Jefferson was not suited for the presidency, that he was overly committed to democracy (as it was then understood), too enamored of France, too eccentric in his vision of what a republic should be. These were not political attack dogs of the Roger Ailes sort. These were men and women of good will who loved their country, and worried that Jefferson was not sufficiently Christian and not sufficiently committed to the existing hierarchical social structure. (Notice that slavery was not a significant issue in the election of 1800.)The election of 1800 was so hotly contested in part because it was the first time under our system that power was transferred from one party of men to another. The Federalists, led by John Adams, were defeated, and an urban coalition of southerners, farmers, and the urban middle classes propelled the not-Federalist Jefferson into the White House.Jefferson was aware of how divided the country was. Instead of playing to his base, he sought in his famous first inaugural address to cool the political passions, reach out to those who distrusted him, and to bring as much harmony as he could to the country he was to preside over for the next eight years. Temperamentally, Jefferson was a harmony obsessive. His motto was, Take things always by their smooth handle. He prepared his inaugural address with great care and needless to say he wrote it entirely by himself.First, he acknowledged that it had been an angry and passionate election cycle:Translation: The campaign rhetoric makes it look as if we are more divided than we actually are. You have to understand, this is how American presidential politics works. Then Jefferson became the first American to say elections matter.Translation: The election is over. My party won. Under our system of majority rule, its essential that everyone acknowledge the legitimacy of the election and find a way to work together to advance the common good of the nation. Once the election results have been certified, it is essential here in America that we all accept that the contest is over for the next four years.To make sure everyone understood the importance of this principle, Jefferson provided a brief lesson in civics:Translation: Ok, we won, but we are going to work hard to conciliate those who lost, to listen to their perspective, and to try to accommodate them (you) to the maximum extent possible. Just because we won doesnt mean we get to lord it over the rest of you for the next four years and jam our political platform down your throats. We must attempt to be as centrist as we can without betraying the principles that brought us to power.Then Jefferson called for national healing and national harmony. He reminded his listeners that this is America, a blessed land inhabited by a deeply fortunate people who shared more than divided them, and that the purpose of America is not politics, but the quiet pursuit of happiness:It is unmistakably clear that Jefferson actually meant this. It is possible in politics to say all sorts of things for rhetorical effect, but without actually believing them. Everything we know about Thomas Jefferson indicates that this is perhaps the most heartfelt and sincere sentence in his entire inaugural address. He invites his fellow citizens to unite: Let us, then, fellow citizens. He does not preach at them or instruct them to seek harmony. He invites them. It is clear that he did find the world of political hatred a dreary thing that degraded everything he valued in life.And then Jefferson uttered one of the most important paragraphs in American history:What did he mean by this? We are all Republicans, we are all Federalists? I think he meant something like this. We are all Republicans (as then understood) because we want limited government, in fact the least government (at the most local level) that can hold our social fabric together. We do not want to live in a managed society, especially one managed from a faraway national capital. But we are all Federalists because we want enough government to do the things that a nation needs to do: protect its coasts and harbors, settle disputes between wrangling states, deliver the mail (i.e., connectivity) to the far corners of the republic, create a fair and equitable tax system, establish a coherent foreign policy, maintain order and due process. We want enough government to establish a stable America where people can enjoy life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness unmolested by outside forces. But we want to experiment with the most limited government (especially the most limited central government) in human history.It was a masterful performance by one of the most gifted men in American history. He meant every word of it. Even one of his most determined enemies left the inauguration and reported, in a letter to an absent friend, that the speech was well judgd & conciliatory. James Bayard reported to Jeffersons principal enemy, the arch-Federalist Alexander Hamilton, that the address was in political substance better than we expected; and not answerable to the expectations of the Partizans of the other side. Federalist George Cabot wrote that its temper entitles it to respect.Like most presidents, Jefferson governed more from the center than from what his enemies regarded as his core principles. He did not dismantle Colonel Hamiltons fiscal system. He did not abolish Christianity or confiscate Bibles (such was the silliest claim of Federalist campaign rhetoric). He did not throw out all Federalist office holders, though he did remove a few score of what he called the incorrigibles. In 1803 he violated his own constitutional theory to purchase the Louisiana Territory, thus doubling the size of the United States for three cents per acre. He hosted thrice-weekly small dinner parties in the White House in which he charmed his Federalist detractors with French cuisine, his natural grace and intelligence, and French wines so fine that even his enemies begged for dinner invitations.It all paid off. When he stood for re-election in 1804 , Jefferson won by a landslide. The vote was 162 to 14 in the Electoral College, with his Federalist opponent Charles C. Pinckney of South Carolina winning only two states, Connecticut and Delaware. Jefferson won 73 percent of the popular vote. Jeffersons victory over the Federalists (the party with the little tent) was so decisive that by 1808 the Federalist Party just ceased to exist. By the time Jeffersons Virginia protege was elected to the presidency in 1816, the pundits and historians were calling this period the era of good feelings.Can we learn from Jefferson? Can we find a way to learn to live together again in something like harmony? Jeffersons and Adams friendship broke down in the 1790s over the French Revolution, over ideological differences and over the impacts of nasty party politics. They could be cordial and polite, but outgoing president Adams left Washington, D.C., without waiting for his successor to be inaugurated in his place and they never saw each other again. In 1812 their mutual friend Dr. Benjamin Rush managed to maneuver them into jump-starting their correspondence back into life. Once they started to communicate again, the friendship soon recovered. In fact, Adams famously said, we must not die until we have explained ourselves to each other. In the months leading up to their reconciliation, the biggest problem was, who will write the first letter? Who will be the one that takes the risk? In the end it was John Adams, who loved Jefferson in spite of everything and who was a comparatively lonely man at Quincy, Mass., while his old rival was a famous and much-sought-after former president, not to mention the author of the most famous document in American history.On Thursday, Aug. 20, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden said the following words at the beginning of his acceptance speech:"While I will be a Democratic candidate, I will be an American president. I will work as hard for those who didnt support me as I will for those who did. Thats the job of a president. To represent all of us, not just our base or our party. This is not a partisan moment. This must be an American moment."Some will doubt that he really meant these words, but I think he did. This is how it starts. True national reconciliation would take an enormous amount of mutually respectful talking and especially listening. You cannot reconcile without the view that the other guys point of view has legitimacy and is entitled to be taken seriously. Both parties would need to remember that we share much more than that which divides us, that the great mass of the American people are somewhere in the middle, uneasy about extreme positions at either end of the political spectrum. That it is easier to diagnose what is wrong in America than to fix it and that the great mass of the American people prefer to move forward cautiously than to institute radical changes overnight.The best polls show that the American people want to find a resolution to the problems of global climate change, the gun mayhem that has shattered so many American communities, the broken immigration system, our radically uneven health-care system, and the tenaciously lingering legacy of racism and slavery. If Jefferson set the gold standard for this process on March 4, 1801, this much seems clear: the answer to these difficult problems is not to stand pat and hide behind the status quo out of fear of change; but it is also not a series of dramatic reforms that move too fast for the comfort level of millions of good and decent Americans, who want to improve the country, but dont want to be rushed too fast by righteous reformists.We are all Republicans. We are all Democrats.Jeffersons harmony principle applies to several of the key issues of our time. Over the past two weeks, horrific cases of rape and murder have been reported from Uttar Pradesh, enough to tag it the 'rape capital of India'. Recent spate of rape cases in Bulandshahr, Hapur, Lakhimpur-Kheri and Gorakhpur are a proof that girls and women are not safe in Uttar Pradesh. These incidents highlight the reigning lawlessness and a lack of fear of law among criminals in the state. Back in 2017, when Yogi Adityanath took oath as state chief minister, 'Anti-Romeo Squads' for crackdown on molestation were formed with much fanfare. However, it did little to check crimes against women in the state. Even as India is grappling under a pandemic, earlier reports suggest that there was a decline in crimes against women across the country, primarily because of the nationwide lockdown. The country witnessed a significant drop in the number of rape cases during the lockdown period, however domestic violence against women witnessed a surge. Activists suggest this is no reason to cheer since most women were in no position to report the crime. Multiple reports and data reflects most crimes against women are committed by people known to them, such as relatives and friends. Low numbers during lockdown could actually mean that cases may have increased, but not reported. Lesser reporting does not translate into a decline in crime or a change in mentality overnight. As the curbs are easing, more and more cases are being reported. Shameful August for Uttar Pradesh What is happening in Uttar Pradesh is formidable. In the last few days, the state has witnessed a spate of crimes against women and children. Take a look: 15-year-old girl sedated, gang-raped, pushed into flesh trade A 15-year-old girl was allegedly drugged, gang-raped and pushed into flesh trade in Varanasi. The minor girl managed to escape her captor and filed a police complaint. The girl, while narrating her ordeal, stated she was brought to Varanasi from her village in Mirzapur for employment at a beauty parlour. She joined work on day one. After working for a fortnight, the owner began drugging her and gave sedatives. She was eventually pushed into the flesh trade. She was first sexually assaulted by a youth there and later, a dozen men raped her. The survivor has named 12 people, including three women, for exploiting her. 12-year-old girl allegedly raped in UP's Greater Noida In another incident which took place on August 25, a 12-year-old girl was allegedly raped by a man in Uttar Pradesh's Greater Noida. The accused was arrested after a gunfight. The incident took place in Ecotech 3 police station area on Tuesday afternoon after which an FIR was lodged, and the accused was identified and nabbed on Wednesday, the officials said. "The case was challenging as the accused was wearing a face mask at the time of the crime and there was no eyewitness of the incident. The victim too had seen the accused for the first time. Police teams swung into action and the accused was identified," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Women Safety) Vrinda Shukla said. "When a police team reached the location of the accused, he tried to run away from the spot. He also opened fire on the team in his bid to escape but was overpowered and caught," Shukla said. Six-year-old kidnapped and raped in UP's Hapur A six-year-old was kidnapped and raped in Uttar Pradesh's Hapur district earlier this month. The girl was kidnapped from outside her home in the Garhmukteshwar area, less than 100 KM from Delhi, reportedly by a man on a motorcycle. When she was reported missing by her parents, the police launched a search. She was found next morning, unconscious and blood-soaked in, behind bushes, not far from her village. A medical examination confirmed rape. Doctors said the girl may have to go through multiple surgeries before she gets fine again. 13-Year-Old Girl Raped and Strangled to Death in UP's Lakhimpur Kheri A 13-year-old girl was gangraped and killed in Uttar Pradesh's Lakhimpur Kheri on August 14. The victim's body was found in a sugarcane field reportedly owned by one of the accused after a brief search by her family. The family of the girl alleged that his daughter had been strangled. He also alleged that her tongue was cut and eyes gouged out. However, the police refuted the claim. The spine-chilling incident took place near a village bordering Nepal. "The post-mortem report stated the cause of the girl's death was strangulation after rape," Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Dhaurahra, Abhishek Pratap. 17-year-old Dalit girl raped and murdered In a second case in the past 10 days from Lakhimpur Kheri in UP, a 17-year-old Dalit girl who had stepped out to fill the scholarship application was brutally raped and murdered. The girl's mutilated body was found near a dry pond around 200 metres away from her village in Neemgaon. The police said she was killed using a sharp weapon. There were injury marks around her neck with a part of her leg appearing to have been eaten by some stray animal, police said. Superintendent of Police Satendra Kumar Singh told reporters that her post-mortem has confirmed rape. 15-year-old girl raped by cousin, impregnated Police arrested a man on August 18 for raping his 15-year-old cousin. The matter came to light after the girl was taken to a hospital as she complained of stomach ache. Doctors revealed that the girl was seven months pregnant. The girl told police that she was continuously raped by her cousin who also threatened to kill her if she spoke about it. 15-year-old girl raped by school manager in Gorakhpur A class 7 student was allegedly raped by a manager of her school who also made a video of her and threatened to post it on social media if she reported the matter to anyone. The incident took place on July 30. On July 30, school manager Harendra Yadav (38) called the 15-year-old girl to his house and allegedly raped her, police said, adding that the accused is on the run and a case has been registered against him. The accused had made a video of the incident and was blackmailing the girl saying her father would kill her if she told him about the incident. Police said the accused asked the girl to live at his house in the city and study from there. After a few days, the girl, however, disclosed it to her family. Man rapes minor, forcibly marries her, gives triple talaq A man has been booked or allegedly raping a minor sister of his elder brothers wife and then marrying her by threatening her and her mother before giving her triple talaq. On a complaint by the victims mother, belonging to a village under Budhana police station of Muzaffarnagar district, accused Momin has been booked under Section 376 of the Indian Penal Code, sections 3 and 4 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, and sections 9, 10 and 11 of the Prevention of Child Marriage Act. After the registration of the case against him, Momin has gone missing but the police have launched a manhunt to nab him, according to a report by PTI. 14-year-old boy raped at gunpoint in UP A sadhu reportedly attempted to rape a minor boy at his ashram in Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya district. The incident came to light some 10 days ago. Reports suggested that the sadhu also tried to chop off the child's private parts for resisting sexual assault. A report by News 18 Hindi said the 14-year-old boy managed to free himself from the sadhu and ran away from the ashram. The sadhu has been identified as Ramsevak Das. 11 rape cases reported every day in UP: NCRB The latest report by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), crimes against women in Uttar Pradesh has increased by 20% from 2016 to 2019. As per the NCRB report for 2017 released in October 2019, 56011 cases of crime against women were reported while the number surged to 59, 445 in 2018. In 2018, 3,946 rape cases were registered involving 4, 322 victims, including 1411 minors. In 2017, Uttar Pradesh reported 4246 rape casessecond highest in the country after Madhya Pradesh, in which victims were minor in almost 1560 cases. While the Yogi government claims that the state government has zero tolerance for criminals, especially rapists, crimes against women is on the rise. The NCRB figures from 2018 suggest that on an average 12 women/girls were raped in the state. The lack of deterrence of law is among the many reasons why rapes continue to happen. Despite stricter laws, modified over time, crimes against women have witnessed little decline. Manitoba teachers are returning to work in the midst of a pandemic on Sept. 2 and so should MLAs, says the NDP house leader. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 27/8/2020 (510 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Manitoba teachers are returning to work in the midst of a pandemic on Sept. 2 and so should MLAs, says the NDP house leader. "If teachers and children can go back to school, surely elected representatives of this Manitoba legislature can go back to work in the chamber," Nahanni Fontaine said Thursday at a press conference calling for the house to resume sitting. "Since the beginning of 2020, we have only sat in the Manitoba legislature for a total of 15 days," she told reporters. The house is scheduled to resume sitting on Oct. 7 but Manitoba can't afford to wait until then to hold the Pallister government to account for its handling of the COVID-19 crisis, Fontaine said. "Only a couple of months ago, we gathered for an emergency session and we unanimously voted on a bill that gave a billion dollars to the government to deal specifically with COVID 19," she said. "There has been no transparency and no accountability in respect to where those dollars are. In fact, we know a good majority of those dollars have not been spent supporting Manitobans during this time." The province has so far only spent $106 million of the $294 million it has budgeted for responding to the pandemic, according to NDP Finance critic Mark Wasyliw. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. The NDP wants the province to provide more funding for teachers and classroom space so physical distancing guidelines can be met when students return to class Sept. 8. "It's important we take the time to hold the premier and the government to account for the decisions that have been made, particularly in response to COVID 19," Fontaine said. "We are willing and able and anxious to negotiate with the government to bring back the house and do the work we were elected to do," she said. They lost more than six weeks of the spring session since COVID-19 prompted the house to stop sitting, Fontaine said. In May, MLAs returned to the chamber for half days every Wednesday, with just one-third of the province's 57 MLAs, who sat well apart from one another. "There are lots of important bills that we have to be dealing with," Fontaine said, "not the least of which is paid sick leave that would support Manitobans during this time of a global pandemic." Premier Brian Pallister has said he's waiting for more information from Ottawa on that cost-shared federal-provincial program. Government house leader Kelvin Goertzen did not respond to a request for comment. A provincial government spokesperson said committees of the legislature have been sitting during the summer, giving all members the opportunity to ask questions of the government. "There will continue to be opportunities for Opposition members to raise matters of concern related to COVID-19 or other matters before the assembly resumes at its regular sitting time." carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 20:36:07|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIJING, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese military opposes and is not afraid of the U.S. side's recent escalating provocations against China, a spokesman said Thursday. Wu Qian, a spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense, made the comments at a press conference in response to a media question about the U.S. military's recent provocative moves around China, including sending warplanes and holding naval exercises. Some U.S. politicians, in pursuit of their selfish interests, are sparing no effort to undermine the relations between the two countries and the two militaries, and are even attempting to create incidents or military conflicts, Wu said. These misdeeds, with no regard to the lives and safety of personnel of both sides, the fundamental interests of the two peoples and the call for peace from people around the world, are extremely unpopular, he added. Wu said the Chinese military will resolutely safeguard China's sovereignty, security, and development interests, as well as the peace and stability in the region and the world. He urged those U.S. politicians to understand the reality, act with reason, stop provocations and help put the relations between the two countries and the two militaries back on the right track. Enditem A member of an alleged interstate cybercrime gang was arrested in Punjab in connection with defrauding people online from other states including Uttar Pradesh and recovered several ATM cards and mobile phones, police said on Thursday. Guru Dev Singh was arrested on Wednesday by the Muzaffarnagar polices cyber cell after Gagan Sharma, a resident of the district, lodged a complaint a few days ago that Rs 2.20 lakh was siphoned off from his bank account while he was trying to pay his electricity bill, they said. Subsequently, a case of cheating was registered in this connection. According to the cyber cell in-charge Sanjiv Bhatnagar, the gang has connections with accomplices in Bihar and Jharkhand with many cases of online cheating and a CPU, four mobile phones and several ATM cards of different banks apart from other documents worth Rs 27,000 were seized from the accused. During investigation, it came to light that the gang was active online as they transferred cash from bank accounts illegally. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Media company ITV is fighting for its place in the FTSE 100 after a dizzying fall in its share price this year. The Love Island broadcaster's advertising revenue has slumped as companies have slashed marketing budgets to ride out the coronavirus storm. The group's market value has fallen 61 per cent this year and it is in line to be relegated to the mid-cap index in the next quarterly reshuffle in September, according to FTSE Russell, the body that oversees which companies are included in the various London Stock Exchange indexes. It has released indicative data about which companies would have been promoted or demoted in the FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 based on their closing share prices last Friday. By this metric, ITV down 2.1 per cent, or 1.26p, to 59.38p would be replaced by budget retailer B&M up 0.8 per cent, or 3.9p, to 479p which has thrived during lockdown. The final ruling will be announced next Wednesday, meaning there is still time for companies to change their fortunes and put up a fight for their survival. The confirmed changes come into effect on September 21. According to FTSE Russell, the FTSE 250 might welcome the likes of trading group CMC Markets, which rose 1.5 per cent, or 4.5p, to 314p, and Mr Kipling and Bisto-maker Premier Foods, which fell 0.3 per cent, or 0.3p, to 87.9p. But on the way out as at last Friday would have been groups including Park Plaza hotels' parent company PPHE Hotel Group (down 4.1 per cent, or 45p, to 1065p) and shopping centre owner Hammerson (up 0.8 per cent, or 0.4p, to 48.4p) which just two years ago was in the FTSE 100. Bus operator Go-Ahead is another company potentially in the line of fire. But its shares managed to rev up after it clinched a two-year extension to a contract in Singapore. The deal means Go-Ahead will carry on operating around 450 buses there until September 2023. The shares closed 2.5 per cent higher, up 16.5p, to 666.5p. Elsewhere, Polymetal investors were rewarded with a bumper dividend after a surge in gold and silver prices this year boosted the mining group's coffers. Shareholders will receive 144m from the first-half payout, which works out at about 30p per share and is twice the amount it handed back for the same period of last year. Gold the company sold between January and June fetched 25 per cent more than it did over the same time in 2019, while silver was 10 per cent higher. This pushed revenues 21 per cent higher to 864m and saw profits more than double to 362m. Polymetal sparkled higher, rising 1.4 per cent, or 28p, to 1980p. The FTSE 100 eked out a 0.14 per cent gain, up 8.59 points, to 6045.6, while the FTSE 250 rose by 1 per cent, or 175.68 points, to 17753.57. The Footsie was boosted by software company Aveva, which rallied by another 9.7 per cent, or 450p, to 5096p, after completing the 3.8billion takeover of an American rival on Tuesday. But a lot of the action was on the junior market. Cement and asphalt maker Breedon has been given five days by the Competition and Markets Authority to come up with compromises and solutions to assuage concerns about its deal to buy rival Cemex for 178m. It rose 1.3 per cent, or 1p, to 78p. Shoe Zone, however, was flat at 53.8p after its two top bosses bought shares from a departing non-executive director, deputy chairman Jeremy Sharman. You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close BAKU, Azerbaijan, Aug. 27 By Nargiz Sadikhova - Trend: The value of trade turnover between Kazakhstan and European countries amounted to $14.2 billion over 1H2020, compared to $16.8 billion during the same period of 2019, Trend reports with reference to Kazakhstans Statistics Committee. The share of European countries in the total value of Kazakhstans trade turnover stood at 33.5 percent during the reporting period compared to 36.4 percent during the same period of 2019. Kazakhstans export to European countries amounted to $11.3 billion over the period from January through June 2020, compared to $13.7 billion during the same period of 2019. European countries share in the total volume of Kazakhstans export also amounted to 43.7 percent during the reporting period of 2020 compared to 47.9 percent during the same period of 2019. In turn, Kazakhstans imports from European countries stood at about $2.8 billion over the reporting period, compared to $3 billion during the same period of 2019. European countries share in the total volume of Kazakhstans import amounted to 17.4 percent during the reporting period of 2020 compared to less than 17.6 percent during the same period of 2019. The total volume of Kazakhstans trade turnover amounted to $42.5 billion over the period from Jan. through June 2020 which indicates a decrease from $46.1 billion during the same period of 2019. Kazakhstans export amounted to $26 billion during the reporting period of 2020 ($28.6 billion in the same period of 2019), whereas import amounted to $16.5 billion ($17.5 billion in 2019). --- Follow the author on twitter: @nargiz_sadikh Psst: Come close. Your Android phone has a little-known superpower a futuristic system for bridging the physical world around you and the digital universe on your device. It's one of Google's best kept secrets. And it can save you tons of time and effort. It's a little somethin' called Google Lens, and it's been lurking around on Android and quietly getting more and more capable for years. Google curiously doesn't make a big deal about it, and you'd really have to go out of your way to even realize it exists. But once you uncover it, well, you'll feel like you have a magic wand in your pocket. At its core, Google Lens is best described as a search engine for the real world. It uses artificial intelligence to identify text and objects both within images and in a live view from your phone's camera, and it then lets you learn about and interact with those elements in all sorts of interesting ways. But while Lens's ability to, say, identify a flower, look up a book, or give you info about a landmark is certainly impressive, it's the system's more mundane-seeming productivity powers that are far more likely to find a place in your daily life. So grab the nearest Android gadget, go install the Google Lens app, if you haven't already, and get ready to teach your phone some spectacularly useful new tricks. Google Lens trick #1: Copy text from the real world Google Lens's most potent power and the one I rely on most frequently is its ability to grab text from a physical document a paper, a book, a whiteboard, or anything else with words on it and then copy that text onto your phone's clipboard. From there, you can easily paste the text into a Google Doc, a note, an email, a Slack chat, or anywhere else imaginable. [Get more Googley tips in your inbox every Friday with JR's Android Intelligence newsletter. Exclusive extras await!] To do that, just open up the Google Lens app, tap the document icon, and aim your phone at the document. Within about a second, you'll see Lens highlight the text. Tap your finger onto any area of the image, and you'll be able to select the exact portion of text you want as if it were regular ol' digital text on a website. All that's left is to hit the "Copy" command in the panel at the bottom of the screen, and every last word will be on your system clipboard and ready to paste wherever your pretty little heart desires. Google Lens trick #2: Send text from the real world to your computer Let's face it: Most of us aren't working only from our Android phones. If you need to get some real-world text onto your computer, Lens can handle that, too. Just go through the same steps we did a second ago, but this time, look for the "Copy to computer" option in the panel at the bottom of the screen. As long as you're actively signed into Chrome with the same Google account on a computer any computer, whether it's Windows, Mac, Linux, or Chrome OS that option should appear. And when you tap it, you'll get a list of all available destinations: All you've gotta do is pick the one you want, and just like magic, the text from the physical document will be on that computer's clipboard ready and waiting to be pasted wherever you want it. Hit Ctrl-V (or Cmd-V, on a Mac), and shazam! It'll pop into any text field, in any app or process where pasting is supported. Google Lens trick #3: Hear text from the real world read aloud Maybe you've just been handed a long memo, a printed-out brief of some sort, or a letter from your dear Aunt Sally. Whatever it is, give your eyes a breather and let Lens read it for you. Just point your phone at the paper, exactly as we did before, and tap that document icon once more. Select whatever text you want and this time, look for the little "Listen" option in the bottom-of-screen panel. Tap that bad boy, and the Google Lens app will actually read the selected text out loud to you, in a soothingly pleasant voice. Hey, Google: How 'bout a bedtime story while we're at it? Google Lens trick #4: Interact with text from an image In addition to the live stuff, Lens can pull and process text from images including both actual photos you've taken and screenshots you've captured. That latter part opens up some pretty interesting possibilities. Say, for instance, you've just gotten an email with a tracking number in it, but the tracking number is some funky type of text that annoyingly can't be copied. (This seems to happen to me way too often.) Or maybe you're looking at a web page or presentation where the text for some reason isn't selectable. Well, grab a screenshot by pressing your phone's power and volume-down buttons together then make your way over to the Google Lens app. Tap the square-shaped photo icon in the app's upper-right corner, select the screenshot you just captured, and then select the text you want. From there, you can copy the text, send it to a computer, or perform any of Lens's other boundary-defying tricks. Speaking of which... Google Lens trick #5: Search for text from any physical document or image After you've selected any manner of text from within the Google Lens app, swipe your finger toward the left on the row of options in that bottom-of-screen panel the one with "Copy text," "Copy to computer," and so on. You'd never realize it from looking, but even more options are hiding to the right of those initial choices. One of 'em is the simple but supremely useful "Search." (And sometimes, Lens will even put related results right there in that bottom-of-screen panel, without any additional searching required.) Keep that in mind as a super-easy way to get info on any text from any physical document or captured image without having to manually peck in the words on your own. And on a related note... Google Lens trick #6: Create a calendar event Anytime you see something with a date involved a flyer, a billboard, an appointment card, or even a physical invitation to your dear Aunt Sally's weekly canasta game save yourself the trouble of typing the info into your digital calendar and instead just open up the Google Lens app. Aim your phone's camera at the paper and then tap on the date. Lens should give you a "Create calendar event option" at the start of its bottom-panel choices, and tapping it will beam the info right over to your preferred calendar app so you can tweak it as needed and save. Google Lens trick #7: Save someone's contact information If you find yourself holding a business card and thinking, "Well, blimey, I sure as heckfire don't want to type all of this into my contacts app," first, congratulate yourself on the excellent use of blimey and then sit your beautiful person-shell back and let Lens handle the heavy lifting for you. Open Lens, point your phone's camera at the card, and tap on the person's name. The Google Lens app should recognize the nature of the info and prompt you to add a contact. One more tap, and it's done. Google Lens trick #8: Email, call, text, or navigate to a website Got an address or number you need to get onto your phone for a specific sort of action? It could be on a business card, on a letter, or even on the front of a door. Whatever the case, just open the Google Lens app, point your phone at it, and tap the text. (Or, option B: Snap a photo of the info in question and then pull it up in the Lens app later.) Once Lens sees it, it'll offer to do whatever's most appropriate for the sort of info involved. Then, with a single tap, you'll have the address ready to roll in a new email draft, the number ready to call or text in your dialer or messaging app, or the website pulled up and ready for your viewing in your browser no time-wasting typing required. Google Lens trick #9: Translate text from the real world If, in some theoretical future where travel is again common, you find yourself staring at a sign in another language and wondering what in the world it says, remember that the Google Lens app has a built-in translation feature. To find it, open the app, aim your phone at the text, and tap the translate icon the circle with an "A" inside of it at the far left of the bottom row. Before you know it, Lens will replace the words on your screen with their English equivalents (or with a translation in whatever language you select, if English isn't your tasse de the). It's almost spooky how effective it is. Google Lens trick #10: Scan barcodes and QR codes 'Twas a time when Android code-reading apps were all the rage and plenty of folks still have 'em hangin' around today. So long as the Google Lens app is on your phone, though, guess what? You don't need anything else. Just open up Lens, aim your camera at any barcode or QR code, and poof: Lens will offer to show you whatever that code contains, faster than you say "What does QR stand for, anyway?" Google Lens trick #11: Use Lens from Image Search, Photos, and your phone's camera All those tricks we just talked about can work not only from the actual Google Lens app but also from a few other potentially useful places on your phone: Google Image Search: Anytime you're looking at an image within images.google.com on your phone's browser, keep an eye out for the lens icon in its upper-right corner. Tapping that will activate Lens and give you any relevant info about whatever's being shown. Anytime you're looking at an image within images.google.com on your phone's browser, keep an eye out for the lens icon in its upper-right corner. Tapping that will activate Lens and give you any relevant info about whatever's being shown. Google Photos: See that third icon along the bottom when you open an image in Photos? That's Lens! Tapping it will fire up Lens and let you copy text, activate links, and get additional context about anything Lens is able to recognize. Your camera: On Pixel phones and a handful of other devices, you can find Lens right within your regular camera app. Just open the camera and then press and hold your finger on any spot in the viewfinder to launch a Lens search for the item in view. The results will pop up right then and there, without the need for any app-switching or extra searching. Google Lens trick #12: Get to Lens without lifting a finger Last but not least, a bit of a meta tip: When you want to open the Google Lens app in a hurry, skip the usual swiping and tapping and instead say: "Hey, Google: Open Google Lens." Your friendly neighborhood Assistant will happily oblige. Ahh...being a mobile-tech magician has never been so satisfying. Want even more Googley knowledge? Sign up for my weekly newsletter to get next-level tips and insight delivered directly to your inbox. [Android Intelligence videos at Computerworld] The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to allow Muharram processions across the country, observing this may lead to chaos and targeting of a particular community for spreading Covid-19. The bench, headed by Chief Justice of India SA Bobde, emphasised that such generic directions cannot be issued in exercise of Article 32 of the Constitution. You are asking for vague directions for the whole country for this community," the bench told Shia leader Syed Kalbe Jawad, asking the Lucknow-based petitioner to move the Allahabad High Court with his plea. As the petitioners lawyer sought to refer to the Supreme Courts order allowing Jagannath Puri Rath Yatra, the bench said that case was an entirely different one. Jagannath Puri case was one specific place where Rath was to go from point A to point B. If it was one specific place, we can assess the danger and so we passed that order. That is not the case here," said Bobde. We cannot pass general orders. It is not possible to give general directions," added the bench. It will create chaos and a particular community will be targeted for spreading Covid-19." The bench further said the court would not pass orders that could risk health of so many people. It allowed the petitioner to withdraw the petition with the liberty to approach the high court with limited prayer of holding procession in Lucknow. Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 10:22:04|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close WELLINGTON, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- The gunman of the terrorist attack on two Christchurch mosques in New Zealand in March last year was sentenced to life imprisonment, the High Court announced on Thursday. Enditem A Road and Building Consultant, Ing. Mahama Abdulai wants political parties to desist from using the cost of infrastructure projects as part of their campaign messages to Ghanaians. According to him, such comparisons are deceptive and in all instances do not speak to the real issues involved in each construction. Ing. Abdulai's call follows the ongoing political debate between the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) and Nationa Democratic Congress (NDC) over the construction of some of the Interchanges in the country. Ing. Abdulai said it is not prudent for politicians to politicize infrastructure. I don't see why politicians will come into that debate that their road is much better and less expensive. Every single road has unique features. You can have a road and the next kilometre the soil is so good and you don't have to do any carting to go beyond the existing ground. For the next kilometre, the soil could be so bad, you have to go 1.5 to remove the bad material and travel about 30 kilometres to go and dispose of the materials. Disposing of that material also has a cost component. The NDC and NPP are taking each other on over the cost of the Kwame Nkrumah, Pokuase, Tema, Tamale and Obetsebi Lamptey Interchanges. The Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia , at the government's recent town hall meeting and results fair, said the cost of the Kwame Nkrumah Interchange undertaken by the NDC government was almost the same as the sum of the Tamale, Tema, Obetsebi Lamptey, and Pokuase Interchanges. His comment was meant to emphasize his point that the NDC government failed to ensure value for money and were not prudent in the use of funds for the project. However, according to Ing. Abdulai, that comparison is deceptive because it does not take into consideration the different factors that affect the cost of projects such as soil type, excavation and even disposal of excavated material. ---citinewsroom live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Indian state refiners have stopped buying crude oil from China-linked companies, three sources said, after New Delhi's recent regulation aimed at restricting imports from countries that it shares a border with. The new regulation, put in place on July 23, comes after a border clash between India and China that killed 20 Indians and soured relations between the two neighbours. Last week, Indian state refiners decided to stop sending crude import tenders to Chinese trading firm like CNOOC Ltd, Unipec and PetroChina, among others, one of the sources said. State refiners Indian Oil Corp, Bharat Petroleum Corp, Hindustan Petroleum Corp, Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemical did not immediately respond to requests for comment. CNOOC, PetroChina and Unipec parent Sinopec also did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Forecasters are watching two tropical waves in the Atlantic early Friday that are moving west, and one of them has a differing forecast for its northern and southern side. Wave 1, the closest one, is moving across the far eastern tropical Atlantic at 15 mph and is about 800 miles east of the Windward Islands, according to the National Hurricane Center. The disturbance is producing showers and thunderstorms in the area and is expected to see some gradual development during the next several days as it moves toward the eastern Caribbean islands, according to the hurricane centers 8 p.m. Friday update. It has a 20 percent chance of forming into a tropical cyclone in the next 48 hours and a 30 percent chance of formation in the next five days, according to the hurricane center. Forecasters are watching two tropical waves in the Atlantic early Friday that have a chance of development in the next five days Wave 2 is near the Cabo Verde Islands. This system is expected to move very slowly for the next several days, and some development is possible early next week over the eastern or central tropical Atlantic. Forecasters are giving this wave a zero percent chance of formation in the next 48 hours and a medium 40 percent chance in the next five days. Years ago, my family lived in a small house outside of Glasgow, Scotland. I was completing postgraduate work, so most of my time was spent with my family or my books. But as occasion would allow, I also enjoyed hiking with friends in the nearby hills. On one such outing, two neighbors took me to the Campsie Fells. One of my guides was a university professor; the other was a retired police officer. During our excursion, the retired officer reminisced on his years with the Scottish police force. One question that he posed has stuck with me. Why do American police all carry guns? he asked. After my attempted answer, he offered his own perspective: We would never consider arming ourselves when I was a police officer. To do so would undermine our role and would jeopardize the relationship we wanted to build with the public. I am not suggesting that American police should or should not carry sidearms. But in a moment when cries to reform (or abolish or defund) the police have reached a historic volume, this outsiders perspective reminds us that the American policing paradigm is not the only possible model. Nor is our current system sacrosanct. Christians should not hastily dismiss calls for changeeven calls to defund and redesign policing from scratch. Our faith teaches that the kingdoms of this world are broken. We should not be surprised, therefore, if American policing needs transformation. But if Christians intend to contribute to this debate, they should first revisit the Bibles lessons on policingbeginning in the Old Testament Law. (Read Esau McCaulleys companion essay about New Testament perspectives on policing, also in CTs September ... 1 You have reached the end of this Article Preview You have reached the end of this Article Preview To continue reading, subscribe now. Subscribers have full digital access. Have something to add about this? See something we missed? Share your feedback here. Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris criticized President Donald Trump for his handling of the coronavirus and sought to rebut the message Republicans have laid out this week at their partys convention that the virus has been contained. In a 20-minute speech in Washington, Harris assailed Trumps leadership, criticizing him for ignoring the warning signs about the virus and prioritizing the stock market over the health of the American people. The Republican convention is designed for one purpose to soothe Donald Trumps ego, Harris said. To make him feel good. But its not supposed to be about him. She added: Its supposed to be about the health, safety and well being of the American people. And on that measure, Donald Trump has failed. Throughout the Republican National Convention, speakers have minimized the virus, referring to it only sporadically while it has disrupted everyday American life. Economic adviser Larry Kudlow referred to it in the past tense, saying, It was awful. Health and economic impacts were tragic. Hardship and heartbreak were everywhere. But presidential leadership came swiftly and effectively with an extraordinary rescue for health and safety to successfully fight the Covid virus. But about 1,000 Americans are dying every day in the U.S. because of Covid-19, and Harris blamed the Trump administration. Donald Trump doesnt have a plan, she said. He still doesnt have a plan. Joe Biden released his first plan in March. Harriss rebuke displayed the litigator skills Democrats were hoping she would bring to the ticket. Before her own presidential run, Harris bolstered her national profile as an incisive interrogator during high-profile congressional hearings. A former district attorney and attorney general of California, Harris often talked about wanting to prosecute the case against Trump during her presidential bid. Harris also addressed the shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man who was shot seven times in the back by a White police officer in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Harris said she and Joe Biden spoke with the Blake family on Wednesday, praising them for their extraordinary courage. The life of a Black person in America has never been treated as fully human, she said in promising a Biden administration would work to root out systemic racism. The California Senator also expressed support for those protesting in Kenosha, but she was careful to distinguish the protests from the violence that has also broken out in recent days. We must always defend peaceful protest and peaceful protesters, she said. We should not confuse them with those looting and those committing acts of violence, including the shooter who was arrested for murder. She was referring to 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse, who has been charged in connection with a shooting that killed two and wounded one amid the protests. Harris ignored a shouted question after her speech about whether she would visit Kenosha. I, an avid Liberal voter, support Dan Andrews and the Victorian government in all they are doing to combat further spreading of COVID-19. Extending the state of emergency powers is ensuring we will be ready for any future problems. It will not be used unless it is 100per cent necessary, but it will allow the government to act quickly when necessary. I find the Opposition Leader very negative when he should be supportive or making worthwhile suggestions. This is not a time to gain points. Gwen Hindhaugh, Bookaar Has power gone to Premier Daniel Andrews head? Why does the Premier even need the emergency powers to consolidate the gains? Come into the lower and upper houses and declare: Honourable members, we all know social distancing works. Here is a bill that says any workplace open between September and December 2020 must allow 1.5metres between workstations, have sanitisers on entrances and strict rules about using common areas. Who would vote against that? But instead Daniel Andrews demands powers reserved for emergencies to keep implementing the most trivial and uncontroversial methods. Either that is an admission that nothing was learnt in six months, or the power tastes oh so sweet. Nicoli Angelov, St Kilda Its only bringing Victoria into line with other states Josh Frydenberg demands Daniel Andrews explain his desire to extend the state of emergency powers, intimating that he thinks the Premier is wrong. Given the authority being sought is basically what applies in every other state, is the Treasurer suggesting they should wind back their emergency powers to reflect the regime in Victoria? Michael OBrien could address the same question. Graeme Gardner, Reservoir THE FORUM Two birds of a feather Emily Thornberry, shadow trade secretary in the United Kingdom, describes Tony Abbott as an offensive, leering, cantankerous, climate-change-denying, Trump-worshipping misogynist (The Age, 27/8). The only other retired, national leader who would match this description would be Donald Trump himself, come November. So watch out Mr Abbott, he might take your new job in London before you have a chance to settle in. Kevan Porter, Alphington Relief from Mr Abbott I am in complete agreement with Emily Thornberry with her excoriating comments about Tony Abbott. But, hey, there is a positive side to his new appointment on the UK Trade Board. He has not been given a plum job as Australian ambassador to anywhere. Maria Prendergast, Kew Influence of an ex-PM Here, here and well said, Emily Thornberry. Also, why was Tony Abbott granted an exemption from the Australian governments international travel ban to fly to London to accept the new job Deborah Batt, Safety Beach Double standards on... When will the government apply a common sense approach to allowing people to leave the country? A friends wife was denied exit, firstly when her dad was in a coma and then to attend his funeral. The government deemed her departure was not essential and she did not need to be with her family to support them. That was an appalling decision and showed no compassion. However, a swimmer of the English Channel, a former prime minister and an entrepreneur who wanted to pick up his new yacht were allowed to leave Australia. I have elderly parents in Scotland who are in their 80s and I would like to see them before they become sick and dying. Admittedly I have not applied for an exemption but then I do not see the point I cannot swim more than 100 metres, being female I would not wear budgie smugglers and I do not own a yacht. Ali McLeod, Cremorne ...where we can travel Let us get this right. With few exceptions, Melburnians are not allowed to travel further than five kilometres from their homes and are not allowed out at night except if you own a large yacht (The Age, 26/8). Said yacht is in such dire need of repair, the owner, along with his family, sails to the Gold Coast, a mere 2000 kilometres. Are there no marine engineers in Victoria? Something is rotten in the state of Victoria. Paul Mechelen, Glen Waverley Seeking a scapegoat Are we seeing Scott Morrisons knife at the ready for Daniel Andrews when the pressure mounts for his failed Aged Care Minister to resign and for his government to accept full responsibility for the failures of federally funded, poorly regulated, inadequately staffed and administered aged care homes? John Sale, Glen Waverley Leaders joined at the hip When blaming the Victorian government for the spread of COVID-19 in aged care facilities, Scott Morrison is very much Donald Trump in the way he blames China for the spread of COVID-19 throughout the United States. Both men are attempting to distract us from their failure to combat the virus in areas for which they are responsible. Nicholas Howe, Malvern Show us the proof, please I came upon an anomaly in the law this week. I noted that the ladies in a local shop do not wear masks. Each one I have challenged says she has a medical certificate. They always refuse to show it to me. I rang the local police station and was told that even though officers can request to see the certificate, the person with it is able to refuse to show it. Mary McCleary, Research Certified anti-maskers Surely there is a way to accommodate the concerns of anti-maskers. How about they are registered as such and issued with a no-mask pass which they can present on request so as they will not be hassled by the masked public or fined by the constabulary. Designated exercise areas and essential supply depots, manned by anti-maskers, could be established. Should they, heaven forbid, become infected with the coronavirus, they could be taken to facilities reserved for anti-maskers and treated by anti-masker volunteers. There would be no claims of discrimination and we could all get on with our lives. John Mosig, Kew Just pick up the poo Have stage 4 restrictions given some dog owners permission not to pick up their dogs crap? My friend and I were commenting on how often we were seeing these abandoned deposits on the footpaths in our neighbourhood. And, by the look of them, these are by some very large dogs. Does the absence of witnesses due to people staying indoors mean owners are less likely to do the right thing and pick up after their dog? Please people, if you do not care about the inconvenience to my shoes, think about these putrid logs going into stormwater and ending up polluting our waterways. Josephine Byrt, Brunswick Its only been six months World War II ended 75 years ago. Without for one moment attempting to diminish the devastating economic, emotional and mental impact of the pandemic and consequent lockdowns, I do wonder how people coped with six years of the world at war. Chris Curnow, Mordialloc Importance of learning Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius valued his education so highly that he had gold statues made of his tutors. He saw the benefits of developing critical thinking, analytical, logic and communication skills crucial skills gained in an arts degree of today. Nero, on the other hand, ordered his tutor Seneca, to commit suicide. I fear Rome is burning as arts degrees are devalued and doubled in price. Can a civil society afford it? Ann-Maree Eckersley, East Melbourne Return power to Australia New laws will allow the Foreign Minister to cancel agreements that states, territories, local governments and universities enter into with overseas governments if they contradict our national interest (The Age, 27/8). So, Scott Morrison, the Port of Darwin will come back under Australian control, and the Foreign Investment Review Board will be given real teeth to stop Chinese government-backed companies from buying our pastoral properties (or having majority ownership). Are Australians allowed to purchase any property in China? Joel Matthews, Coburg Our right to question Australias call for an independent investigation into COVID-19 hurts the feelings of the Chinese people, according to deputy head of mission at Chinas embassy in Australia, Wang Xining (The Age, 27/8). It is the officialdom that becomes upset by the Australian impertinence. Transparency is a weakness. Helena Kilingerova, Vermont Any admissions of guilt? Sorry, I missed Wang Xinings speech. Did he apologise for COVID-19? Did he say all wet market issues have been dealt with to make sure there is not any chance of a COVID-20? Michael Dillon, Woodend Becoming fire-ready It is time for the commonwealth to spend money on a fleet of water bombers to douse spotfires before they become infernos. I am a city dweller, I am all right and I never want to hear again the dreaded words: It is too late to leave. Marjorie de Saint-Ferjeux, North Caulfield Having a bob each way Thank you, Father Peter MacLeod-Miller (Letters, 27/8), for pointing out the absurdity of concerns expressed by three prominent church leaders about the ethically tainted Oxford vaccine. Which is the greater moral crime? Is it utilising vaccines developed partly from a line of stem cells originating from three foetuses that were aborted for medical reasons in the 1960s, or is it the archbishops claims that theirs is a personal stance not intended to influence others? They know full well that they hold extremely influential leadership roles. Their moral grandstanding is reprehensible and reveals hypocrisy and divisiveness during a deadly pandemic. Beth Wilson, former Health Services Commissioner, South Yarra A very pleasant bubble One of the television news reporters said that the AFL players were now living in a bubble. I thought they always lived in a bubble, just a very luxurious, well paid one where there were few consequences for misdemeanors. Dennis Fitzgerald, Box Hill Some who only take Most of us are trying to do the best we can through this incredibly challenging time. Many people have been unable to be present as loved ones died, babies were born and loving unions were not celebrated. Family visits and holidays have been cancelled, students education has been upended, health care workers have been stretched to the limit, and jobs and businesses have been lost. Life has become less safe and our futures less secure. We are all in this together, except for those who are not. The arrogant rich, the entitled, the selfish and the ill informed who think the rules do not apply to them. Everyone else gives and they take. April Baragwanath,Geelong Prayer will save us Brilliant cartoon, Wilcox (Letters, 26/8). But do not forget that fundamentalists do not need vaccines, they have prayer. Bronwen Bryant, St Kilda West One impressive woman Although I do not want any Trump to be president for the next four years, it was obvious from Melania Trumps speech that she has the intelligence, composure, language and rhetorical capacity lacking in her husband. He must surely be worried. Geoff Wilson, Eaglehawk AND ANOTHER THING Credit:Illustration: Matt Golding Tony Abbott England used to export its trouble makers to Australia. Its only fair we send it one of ours. Patricia Rivett, Ferntree Gully It looks like the UK Trade Board is down the gurgler. Tony Kruger, Fitzroy How will Tony, champion of divisiveness, divide his allegiance between London and the Vatican? Chris Hughes, Rye A case of Australias loss is Australias gain. Peter Molina, Brighton East Is anybody seriously upset a travel exemption was granted so Abbott could become someone elses problem? Claire Merry, Wantirna Tony Abbott, Australias best export to the UK. Please keep him. Linelle Gibson, Williamstown Is this Abbotts move to be awarded a knighthood? Dave Speirs, Geelong Given Abbotts track record, can we expect a new market for our coal? Colin Mockett, Geelong COVID-19 Gosh, contact tracing has gone digital. Next theyll put a man on the moon. Bruce Severns, Toorak How will our government protect us without the powers embedded in the state of emergency provision? Sara Lyons, Caulfield Tactically, ask for more than you want. Request 12 months, receive six. All happy. Arthur Pritchard, Ascot Vale I wish I was effluent enough to sail my yacht to Queensland. David Stripp, Murrumbeena Furthermore T here is so far no evidence that the alleged poisoning of Vladimir Putins lead critic was a criminal act, Russian authorities have announced. Alexei Navalny remains in a coma after falling critically ill on a flight back to Moscow from Siberia on August 20. His allies and the German doctors now treating him believe he may have been deliberately poisoned. But on Thursday, Russia's Prosecutor General's office said a preliminary inquiry launched last week has so far found no indication of "deliberate criminal acts committed against" Mr Navalny. The statement comes amid growing pressure from the West to investigate the sudden illness of the Kremlin's fiercest critic. PM backs investigation into suspected poisoning of Putin critic Alexei Navalny Mr Navalny, a longtime foe of Mr Putin, was transferred to Berlins Charite hospital over the weekend, where doctors found indications of "cholinesterase inhibitors" in his system. These inhibitors, found in some drugs, pesticides and chemical nerve agents, block the breakdown of a key chemical in the body which transmits signals between nerve cells. Mr Navalny's allies insist he was deliberately poisoned and say the Kremlin was behind it accusations that Russian officials have rejected as "empty noise." The Russian doctors who treated Mr Navalny in Siberia have repeatedly contested the German hospital's conclusion, saying they had ruled out poisoning as a diagnosis and that their tests for cholinesterase inhibitors came back negative. The politician's team submitted a request last week to Russia's Investigative Committee, demanding authorities launch a criminal probe into the incident. They have yet to receive a response, they said. On Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he saw no grounds for a criminal case until the cause of the politician's condition was fully established. Three days later, Russian police said they had been conducting a preliminary probe an inquiry to determine whether a criminal investigation should be launched to "establish all the circumstances of the incident." It comes after Boris Johnson and a host of other Western officials including German Chancellor Angela Merkel and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called upon Russia to start a full and transparent investigation into Mr Navalny's condition. On Wednesday night, the politician's illness was discussed in a phone call between Mr Putin and Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte. According to the Kremlin's readout, the Russian president said the "premature and unfounded accusations" were unacceptable and underscored Russia's "interest in a thorough and objective investigation of all the circumstances of the incident." No indication Navalny was poisoned, Russian doctors say On Thursday, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas once again urged Moscow to investigate Mr Navalny's condition. "We still expect of Moscow that a contribution be made from there to things being cleared up," Mr Maas said ahead of a meeting with his EU counterparts. "Otherwise, conjecture and speculation will remain that certainly won't improve relations between Germany and Russia," he said. Mr Peskov refused to comment on Mr Maas' statement and reiterated there were no grounds for a criminal investigation. "Nothing has changed in that regard. We still, unfortunately, don't understand what caused the condition the patient is in," the Kremlin spokesman told reporters. He added that the inquiry announced by the Interior Ministry had started "in the first days" after Mr Navalny fell ill and was routine police work "always carried out in cases like this." A group holds rifles as they watch protesters on Tuesday in Kenosha, Wis. Read more Repeated calls for armed vigilantes to travel to Kenosha, Wisconsin, to protect businesses following the police shooting of Jacob Blake spread across social media in the hours before two people were shot to death and a third was wounded during a third night of unrest in the city. Multiple threads on Facebook and Reddit urged militias and other armed people to head to the protests, researchers at the Atlantic Councils Digital Forensic Research Lab said in a blog post Wednesday. The demonstrations broke out after Blake, a 29-year-old Black man, was left paralyzed Sunday when he was shot from behind by officers answering a domestic dispute call. Two people were killed by gunfire Tuesday night and Kyle Rittenhouse, a white 17-year-old from nearby Antioch, Illinois, was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of first-degree intentional homicide. A video director for the conservative website The Daily Caller tweeted Wednesday that he had conducted a video interview with the suspected gunman before the shooting and posted a clip in which the armed young man, standing in front of a boarded-up building, said our job is to protect this business. And part of my job is to also help people, he said. If there is somebody hurt, Im running into harms way. Thats why I have my rifle because I can protect myself, obviously. But I also have my med kit. The Atlantic Council researchers said some of the online discussions before the attack encouraged acts of violence while the conspiracy website InfoWars amplified the call to arms, potentially encouraging more armed people to head to Kenosha. In Wisconsin, people 18 and over can legally openly carry a gun without a permit. Facebook confirmed Wednesday that it took down a page called Kenosha Guard for violating its policy against militia organizations. The company said it also is in the process of removing other accounts and material tied to the shootings that violate its policies, such as for glorifying violence, and it is in contact with local and federal law enforcement on the matter. READ MORE: Philly protesters call for justice for Jacob Blake: Now is the time to take to the streets Facebook later said it removed the suspected shooters accounts from Facebook and Instagram. The company said it had not found evidence on Facebook that suggests the suspected shooter followed the Kenosha Guard Page or was invited on its Event Page to go to the protests. However, the Kenosha Guard Page and their Event Page violated our new policy addressing militia organizations and have been removed on that basis, the company said in a statement. The Atlantic Council researchers said that 13 hours before the shootings, the Kenosha Guard Facebook page actively solicited armed individuals to protect neighborhoods that evening. At 10:44 a.m. local time, the administrator of the Kenosha Guard page asked if any members were willing to take up arms and defend out (sic) City tonight from the evil thugs, the researchers said. They continued, Nondoubt (sic) they are currently planning on the next part of the City to burn tonight! Kenosha County Sheriff David Beth said Wednesday that militia members or armed vigilantes had been patrolling the citys streets in recent nights and asked about being deputized. READ MORE: Kenosha protests were more peaceful after a night of chaos and the arrest of a 17-year-old Yesterday, I had a person call me and say, Why dont you deputize citizens who have guns to come out and patrol the city of Kenosha, and I am like, Oh, hell no. He said once he deputizes someone they are a liability to me and the county. Ray Roberts, a 38-year-old Black Kenosha resident and Army veteran, said men from rural areas got in big trucks loaded up with guns and flags and got into town. You would see them driving into town after curfew and cops not stopping them, Roberts said. Ortutay reported from Oakland, Calif. Snow reported from Phoenix. AP writer Corey Williams contributed from Detroit. A man who posted a series of threats on Gov. Michelle Lujan Grishams official Facebook page was sentenced on Thursday to 14 months in federal prison. U.S. District Judge James Browning also sentenced Daniel L. Mock, 33, to two years probation after his release. Mock, who was arrested earlier this year, pleaded guilty to one count of interstate transmission of threatening communication. He had faced up to five years in prison, but federal prosecutors agreed to the lower prison time because Mock hadnt taken any actions to carry out the threats. Mock had been on the FBIs radar since 2019 when he praised a gunman who opened fire on the federal courthouse in Dallas on social media. He later claimed to be the commanding officer of the Regulators militia of which he was the only member. In various social media posts, he complained about where Albuquerque Police officers parked their cars Downtown and he said he would run against Lujan Grisham. But in March 2020, prosecutors said, Mock crossed the line from general extremism to true threats when he went on Lujan Grishams Facebook page. Focus your energy on more important things like tickets for the police who violate traffic and parking laws. This is why we are going to execute you, he wrote in his first post. In later posts, Mock wrote that he was going to red flag himself and kill police officers who responded because they were violating his rights if they attempted to enforce the Extreme Risk Firearm Protection Order Act the Legislature passed and Lujan Grisham signed. So ask yourself is violating my rights worth your life, he wrote. A third post said, Time to pick up your rifles and kill this governor so we can re-establish the constitution as law of New Mexico. Im done with corrupt government. They will serve the people or die. Lujan Grishams security detail contacted the FBI after the last post. After Mocks arrest, FBI agents found a disassembled rifle, a pistol, rifle magazines and a tactical vest at his home. Mock told agents he was just blowing off steam in the Facebook posts, according to court records. Agents also found more than 4,000 pages of Facebook posts that prosecutors described as anti-government while describing himself as a patriot. Prosecutors noted that Mock received a dishonorable discharge from the U.S. Army after he was convicted of desertion, using cocaine and larceny of government property. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jaymie L. Roybal said in a sentencing memorandum that while freedom of speech is enshrined in the First Amendment, it does not protect a citizen who uses his speech to threaten to execute government officials with whom he disagrees, distrusts or dislikes. Ministers are expected to make a decision tonight on whether to add Switzerland, the Czech Republic or Jamaica to the UK's quarantine travel list. The Government is holding its weekly review of travel measures today with an announcement likely to be made this evening on any changes. The UK has said that any country which records more than 20 Covid-19 cases per 100,000 people in a seven-day period will be subject to a travel ban and the 14 day self-isolation requirement for returning travellers. Switzerland appears almost certain to be added to the so-called 'red list' because its case numbers are currently above the threshold, with a seven-day rate of 21.2. Scotland has already taken Switzerland off of its safe travel list. Meanwhile, there are growing fears the Czech Republic is at risk of quarantine after its case numbers increased. The latest statistics showed the seven-day rate in the Czech Republic is now at 19.4 cases per 100,000, up from 16 a week ago and only just below the threshold. Jamaica also appears to be dangerously close to the threshold with a seven day rate of 19.8 per 100,000. However, Italy is widely expected to remain on the UK Government's safe travel list. The case rate in Italy stands at just 10.8 per 100,000 which suggests the country is very unlikely to face action in the coming weeks. Decisions on quarantine changes in recent weeks have been made by Transport Secretary Grant Shapps on Twitter on Thursday evenings. The coronavirus case rate in Italy is currently at 10.8 per 100,000 which suggests the country is unlikely to face quarantine restrictions in the coming weeks. Termini railway station in Rome is pictured on August 23 Transport Secretary Grant Shapps is widely expected to unveil the latest changes to travel rules tonight In full: The countries which are not on the UK's quarantine list The Government has imposed quarantine restrictions on numerous countries in recent weeks. Below is the latest list of nations which are still viewed by the UK as safe to travel: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Barbados, Bermuda, Bonaire, St Eustatius and Saba, British Virgin Islands, Brunei, Cayman Islands, the Channel Islands, Curacao, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominica, Estonia, Falkland Islands, Faroe Islands, Fiji, Finland, French Polynesia, Gibraltar, Germany, Greece, Greenland, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, the Isle of Man, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Macao, Malaysia, Mauritius, Montserrat, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Norway, Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands, Poland, Portugal, San Marino, Seychelles, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, St Barthelemy, St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Pierre and Miquelon, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, Vatican City State, Vietnam. Advertisement However, while Switzerland, Jamaica and the Czech Republic could soon be subject to the 14-day self-isolation requirement for travellers returning to the UK, Greece now appears likely to stay on the safe list for the moment. While the rate has ticked upwards in both countries, neither of them are near the UK's threshold for banning non-essential travel. In Greece, the latest seven-day rate is 14.1 cases per 100,000 - roughly the same as a week ago (14.3), but up from where it was two weeks ago (10.1). The latest figures were calculated based on data collected by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. In Ireland, the seven-day rate is currently 14.8, while in the UK it is 11.1. Last week the Government announced that Croatia, Austria and Trinidad & Tobago were being added to the 'red list'. Announcements on travel restrictions have tended to be made my ministers towards the end of the week, with new measures coming into effect at 4am on Saturdays. The latest statistics came as Boris Johnson continued to face pressure to scrap the blanket quarantine policy. The Future of Aviation Group, which includes 40 Tory MPs, has written to the PM urging him to end the current self-isolation requirement for people entering the UK from high risk countries. They believe testing on arrival at airports would enable the quarantine period to be slashed to less than a week. They have warned the current approach is harming businesses, telling the PM: 'Without testing, we risk not only limiting leisure travel but also damaging our aspirations for a truly global Britain.' More than 30 countries across the world already conduct testing at airports and MPs want to know why the UK cannot follow suit. Turkey is juggling the resumption of daily life and the necessary measures to contain the coronavirus outbreak. This difficult task has forced authorities to introduce new rules, including new restrictions for wedding parties and more working options, Trend reports citing Daily Sabah. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan issued a new presidential decree Wednesday that made an informal working model official. Under the decree, all state institutions may now implement flexible working methods. In March, when the outbreak was first reported in the country, Turkey started allowing civil servants to work from home and in varied shifts, replacing a brief administrative leave with the continued but safe working scheme. The new decree published in the Official Gazette orders new working schemes in a bid to minimize COVID-19 outbreak from spreading. To continue providing services during the outbreak, all institutions will provide remote working or new shifts for employees. Administrators, from ministers to governors, will plan new options. For those working in rotating shifts, administrative leaves will be in place for shifts they do not work. Those working remotely and working in rotating, reduced shifts will have equal work responsibility. On Tuesday evening, the Interior Ministry ordered a ban on some social activities, including traditional henna nights and engagement ceremonies, in 14 provinces, starting Wednesday. The directive, which explains some new measures taken against the COVID-19 pandemic, was sent to provincial governorates. The provinces include the capital Ankara, northwestern Bursa, central Corum, Kayseri, Konya and Yozgat, southern Adana, southeastern Diyarbakr, Gaziantep, Mardin and Sanurfa, and eastern Agr, Erzurum and Van. In the 14 provinces, weddings will be limited to just one hour and the chairs in wedding halls will be rearranged in line with social distancing rules. The dance floors will be closed. All kinds of food and beverage service and catering, except packaged water service, will be prohibited, including meals at weddings. Citizens aged 65 and over and children under the age of 15 who are not first- or second-degree relatives of the bride and groom will be prohibited from attending weddings and related ceremonies. At least one public officer such as a municipal police officer will attend wedding ceremonies to ensure measures are followed. Wedding parties are already subject to severe limitations all across Turkey but blatant violations of rules, from social distancing to wearing masks, in some wedding parties have made the headlines recently. The United States and China traded jibes as military tensions grow between the worlds two largest economies, with the U.S. defence chief vowing not to cede an inch" in the Pacific and China saying Washington was risking soldiers lives. Both are at loggerheads over issues from technology and human rights to Chinese military activities in the disputed South China Sea, with each accusing the other of deliberately provocative behaviour. In the latest U.S. move against China ahead of Novembers presidential election, Washington on Wednesday blacklisted 24 Chinese companies and targeted individuals over construction and military actions in the busy South China Sea waterway. In Hawaii, U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Beijing is using an aggressive military modernisation programme in a bid to project power globally. To advance the CCPs agenda, the Peoples Liberation Army continues to pursue an aggressive modernisation plan to achieve a world class military by the middle of the century," Esper said, referring to the ruling Chinese Communist Party. This will undoubtedly involve the PLAs provocative behaviour in the South and East China Seas, and anywhere else the Chinese government has deemed critical to its interests." However, the United States also wants to hopefully continue to work with the Peoples Republic of China to get them back on a trajectory that is more aligned with the international rules based order," Esper added. Speaking before a regional tour, Esper described the Indo-Pacific as the epicentre of a great power competition with China". He added, Were not going to cede this region, an inch of ground if you will, to another country, any other country that thinks their form of government, their views on human rights, their views on sovereignty, their views on freedom of the press, freedom of religion, freedom of assembly, all those things, that somehow thats better than what many of us share." In Beijing, Chinas Defence Ministry shot back at certain U.S. politicians" it said were damaging Sino-U.S. military ties in the run-up to the November election for their own selfish gain, even seeking to create military clashes. This kind of behaviour puts the lives of frontline officers and soldiers on both sides at risk," spokesman Wu Qian told reporters at a monthly briefing on Thursday. China is not scared of provocation and pressure" from the United States, and will resolutely defend itself and not allow the United States to cause trouble, he added. We hope the U.S. side will truly adopt a strategic vision, view Chinas development with an open and rational attitude, and leave behind the quagmire of anxiety and entanglement." The tension, including Chinas drills this week along its coast, have sparked fears of accidental conflict, against which Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen warned on Thursday. 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 wellesenterprises/iStockBy MEREDITH DELISO, ABC News (NOTRE DAME, Ind.) -- Before arriving on campus at the University of Notre Dame earlier this month, nearly all undergraduate and graduate students took COVID-19 tests. More than 11,800 tests yielded 33 positive cases, for a positivity rate of 0.28%. By Aug. 18, eight days after classes started, the campus had 147 confirmed cases and a positivity rate of nearly 16%. The cases had overwhelmed the school's testing and isolation measures and put the remainder of the fall semester in jeopardy, school officials said. That day, the university announced that undergraduate students would be going virtual for at least two weeks. The university is one of hundreds of schools attempting to reopen with students on campus amid the pandemic. It's also among those making headlines for its increase in COVID-19 cases since welcoming back students. Notre Dame has been committed to reopening its campus since the spring. In late May, its president, Father John I. Jenkins, penned a New York Times opinion piece with the bold headline, "We're Reopening Notre Dame. It's Worth the Risk." Whereas some schools -- notably the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill -- have pivoted to virtual learning amid coronavirus outbreaks this fall, Notre Dame is continuing to prioritize on-campus learning. The rising cases -- which now total nearly 500 -- caused the school to "come up with a new battle plan," Provost Marie Lynn Miranda said in a video address to students last Friday. Part of that plan is keeping undergraduates, an overwhelming majority of whom have tested positive for the virus, out of classrooms until at least Sept. 2. The school should have an update on a return to in-person learning by Friday, a spokesman told ABC News. The university has also expanded its COVID-19 testing. On Friday, it launched randomized testing of its student body to help identify asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic cases. Over the five days since, Notre Dame conducted 2,175 total tests -- about half of the overall number of tests it's conducted since Aug. 3. The campus positivity rate has decreased to around 3%. Increased testing is a welcome move for third-year Notre Dame law student Rachel Palermo, though it's one she wishes the school had implemented from the start. "I think that the testing has been a huge problem," Palermo told ABC News. The university had initially advised that only those students with a set criteria of symptoms look into getting tested. Now, anyone who believes they have had direct contact with someone infected with COVID-19 can get a test -- something Palermo also believes should have been the case from the beginning. "I think the only way to be safely in person is to mandate regular testing of all students," she said. "I know it's expensive, but it's worth it." Testing is a sticking point for others in the community. A petition started last week is demanding that COVID-19 testing be made available for the entire student population. The student newspaper, the Observer, has also called for more data in the university's COVID-19 dashboard, including hospitalizations, recoveries, available quarantine and isolation spaces and demographics of students testing positive. This week, the university updated the dashboard to include some new data, including a rolling seven-day average of positive cases and a breakdown of cases by undergraduates, graduates and employees. Observers say messaging has been mixed, too, as the university brought some 12,000 students back on campus amid new coronavirus protocols. "Notre Dame's biggest issue is a lack of discipline on messaging," Chris Marsicano, founding director of the College Crisis Initiative at Davidson College -- which is tracking higher education institutions' responses to COVID-19 -- told ABC News. He pointed to reports that the university's president apologized earlier this month after failing to comply with the school's recommended social distancing guidelines while taking selfies with students. "Discipline of the messaging is important for places that are big," Marsicano said. "It's hard to keep tabs on every single student." Language on disciplinary action had also been "very vague," Palermo said. Still, she noted that it's gotten stricter since the rise in cases. Last week, the university limited gatherings to 10 people, down from 20, and officials warned that students who fail to comply with health protocols could face "severe disciplinary action," including dismissal. University spokesman Paul Browne told ABC News that compliance with COVID-19 measures has been strong on campus -- there haven't been any cases linked to classrooms, he said -- but "not as much off-campus." The initial outbreaks were tied to a couple of off-campus parties where students weren't wearing masks and spread the virus from there, officials said. Recent testing hasn't found any other super-spreader events, Browne said. The university is currently weighing disciplinary action for several students who failed to comply with health protocols, such as mask-wearing or social distancing, or didn't isolate or quarantine when required to, Browne said. "In some instances, we've had students leave those quarters to go out to get food, or just leave," he added. Browne said students themselves have been effective at spreading the message to follow health protocols through social media and the student newspaper. "I think their engagement has probably been as, if not more, effective than messaging from the administration," he said. One student recently started an Instagram account on "why we do our part to prevent the spread." Another, who said he went to the hospital after contracting the virus, pleaded with students to follow protocols in a letter to the editor published in the Observer this week. "The past is the past, and there is nothing we can do to change that," he said. "What we can do is begin to take this virus seriously even when the people in power and those closest to us refuse to do so." Copyright 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. NEW YORK, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Non-profit behavioral design lab ideas42 today announced a new collaboration with Signal Vine, a trusted two-way messaging platform for higher education leaders, to develop a scalable, behaviorally informed text messaging system that college administrators can use to seamlessly adopt and adapt communications that improve outcomes throughout the student journey. The work is supported by a grant from the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation. The collaboration will combine ideas42's innovative behavioral approach to identifying and solving problems to create tangible social impact with Signal Vine's human approach to artificial intelligence (AI) and deep expertise in communication and tech platform development. The result is a student success solution that is designed to personalize engagement and support students through graduationa solution that is free to Signal Vine customers. It builds on years of research conducted by ideas42 into how and when to best support students on their path to graduation, as well as the most promising way to deliver effective behaviorally informed content at scale through Signal Vine's Blended Messaging platform. This new phase will culminate in the design of new features for the prominent messaging platform that incorporate a behavioral lens, easy-to-adopt guidance for time-pressed administrators on how to tailor the content to their local student and campus contexts, and tools for tracking effectiveness. The platform's new features will equip schools to develop and send student communications based on ideas42's track record of success applying behavioral insights to support financial aid renewal, optimal course selection, and fostering belonging on campus for students, particularly first generation students and those from historically underrepresented groupsall with the goal of helping students throughout their academic life cycle. "We know that the way information is framed and delivered to students has an outsized impact on the actions they take, such as whether they renew their FAFSA or successfully register for the courses that put them on track to graduate," said Rachel Taylor, Managing Director at ideas42. "Making it easy for leaders at schools across the country to access, adapt, and scale messages that effectively respond to the barriers holding students back is the next step, and using a platform many institutions already trust will enable us to put our evidence-based solutions to work for more students simply and quickly." "This strategic partnership and Signal Vine's powerful messaging platform will help us support institutions as they tackle the unprecedented challenges facing higher education today, and help produce meaningful results to improve enrollments when they need it the most," said Brian Kathman, CEO of Signal Vine. "By combining textingthe most effective channel to reach studentswith the right timing of scientifically-designed content, we can empower education leaders to drive action and engagement with students in a meaningful way. I'm excited to pursue this initiative together and bolster our shared interest in keeping students on a path to success." At its core, this effort aims to meaningfully promote student persistence across the U.S. About ideas42 ideas42 is a non-profit that uses insights from human behaviorwhy people do what they doto help improve lives, build better systems, and drive social change. For more than a decade, we've been at the forefront of applying behavioral science in the real world. Our efforts have so far extended to 45 countries as we've partnered with governments, foundations, NGOs, private enterprises, and a wide array of public institutionsin short, anyone who wants to make a positive difference in peoples' lives. For more, visit ideas42.org About Signal Vine: Signal Vine is the leading higher education AI messaging platform transforming how higher education institutions reach, support and engage students throughout their academic life cycles. With more than 50 million student interactions, Signal Vine's Blended Messaging approach personalizes engagement using AI, workflow automation, and one-to-one messaging to keep students on the path to success. Signal Vine has been improving enrollment and retention outcomes with a proactive approach across the entire campus and student life cycle. Media Contacts: ideas42 Mitra Salasel, Director of Communications [email protected] Signal Vine Rachel Hicks, Senior Marketing Associate [email protected] (304) 601-5452 SOURCE ideas42 Related Links https://www.ideas42.org A government official was caught having sex with his secretary after accidentally joining a Zoom meeting with his colleagues in the Philippines. Staff from the Fatima Dos Village Council in Cavite were hosting their regular conference call on Wednesday before their boss, Jesus Estil, joined the meeting. But Estil, who is apparently not so tech-savvy, had mistakenly pushed the wrong button and left his camera on. Staff from the Fatima Dos Village Council in Cavite were hosting their regular conference call on Wednesday before their boss, Jesus Estil (pictured with his secretary), joined the meeting The others began their discussions before the captain stood up and walked towards a woman seated on the sofa a few steps away from the computer. Unknowingly, the captain and the woman began performing sexual acts while their stunned colleagues watched on. The woman was later identified as his secretary who also does the accounting of the local government's office. One of his colleagues was able to record the explicit scene. The video was later made public and prompted some residents of the village to file a petition to oust the captain for misconduct. The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) said that Estil will be relieved of his post as quickly as possible. Unknowingly, the captain and the woman (bottom left) began performing sexual acts while their stunned colleagues watched on DILG Barangay Affairs Summons and Complains Chief Richard Geronimo said: 'This is not simple misconduct, but grave misconduct. We will do everything to punish him. 'Naturally, the staff member in question has asked for forgiveness but it is not that easy.' Both Estil and the woman have not reported to their offices since the video was released. Its hard to imagine anything getting in the way of Odyssey: A Greek Festival at St. Barbaras Greek Orthodox Church in Orange in its 40th year. Or it was hard to imagine before 2020 came at us like a Twilight Zone episode. The typically four-day fest of music, dance, tag sale and food has been renamed Odyssey Express and boiled down to pickup food event Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 5-6, from noon to 8 p.m. You pre-order, pre-pay and pick up your gyros ($8), souvlaki ($8-$12.50), pastitsio ($10), spanakopita ($5) or Greek pastry pack ($10.50), but no lamb. CHESEAUX-SUR-LAUSANNE, Switzerland and PHOENIX, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Kudelski Security, the cybersecurity division within the Kudelski Group (SIX:KUD.S), announced today the launch of a new channel program for security services, which will expand its geographic footprint in the United States. The program extends the availability of industry-leading cybersecurity services and resources to networking and management consultancies, and IT distribution and reseller networks, helping them to maximize revenue opportunities while delivering valuable cybersecurity services to their customer networks. Market demand for cybersecurity services that fight against enterprise breaches and data loss is steadily increasing. Within this dynamic, Kudelski Security is experiencing rapid year-on-year market share growth, along with an expanding resume of recognitions from firms such as Gartner, Forrester and Frost and Sullivan. The company has been listed annually in the Gartner Managed Detection and Response Guide as a Notable Vendor since July 2017 and was recently recognized by Forrester as a leader in the emerging managed security services category. To expand the reach and availability of its innovative brand of enterprise cybersecurity services, Kudelski Security has launched a channel program, enabling IT and management consultancies, distributors and other solution providers to opportunity make these offerings available to their networks of clients and relevant resellers. Tech Data, a global distributor of technology products with more than 10,000 resellers, is the first global organization signed to Kudelski Security's worldwide partner program. Tech Data initially adopted Kudelski Security's full breadth of cyber incident response services, enabling their resellers and end customers to make all the necessary preparations to more rapidly respond in the event of a breach. Speaking on the launch of the channel initiative, Andrew Howard, Kudelski Security CEO said: "The program we've launched for industry partners will empower channel sales professionals with the resources to support customers who need cybersecurity that delivers on its intent. Our proven services and solutions, that integrate well with existing security investments, will enable more enterprises to pursue digital transformation securely, knowing that from a cybersecurity standpoint we have their backs." Other offerings available through Kudelski Security's channel program include a range of packaged incident response capabilities, including emergency response services and emergency response plan development as well as compromise assessments, readiness assessment and cloud security and O365 assessments. All of these are delivered with support from Kudelski Security's Cyber Fusion Center in the US and Switzerland, cover all environments from IT, cloud to OT/ICS and can reduce threat detection and response time from the average 56 days to hours or minutes. Find out more about the Kudelski Security channel program. About Kudelski Security Kudelski Security is the premier advisor and cybersecurity innovator for today's most security-conscious organizations. Our long-term approach to client partnerships enables us to continuously evaluate their security posture to recommend solutions that reduce business risk, maintain compliance, and increase overall security effectiveness. With clients that include Fortune 500 enterprises and government organizations in Europe and across the United States, we address the most complex environments through an unparalleled set of solution capabilities including consulting, technology, managed security services and custom innovation. For more information, visit www.kudelskisecurity.com Media Contact John Van Blaricum Vice President, Global Marketing +1 650 966 4320 [email protected] SOURCE Kudelski Security Related Links www.kudelskisecurity.com HCL Technologies (HCL), a leading global technology company, announced opening of its first European Cybersecurity Fusion Center (CSFC) in Gothenburg, Sweden. HCL's CSFC is a state-of-the-art security operations and response facility, integrating multi-domain security teams, processes and cutting-edge analytics enabling organizations to detect threats faster and resolve incidents efficiently. The CSFC further strengthens HCL's global innovation drive, adding to the cybersecurity capabilities of its existing network of five CSFCs across North America and Asia. Rapid shift to remote working, due to COVID-19, has led to emergence of new threats, forcing IT teams to rewrite their security playbooks. Powered by HCL's innovative Dynamic Cybersecurity Framework, the CSFC addresses these needs through the capability to analyze millions of events per second. Maninder Singh, Corporate Vice President, Cybersecurity Services at HCL Technologies said, "Cybersecurity is a key focus for HCL, as it plays a vital role in enabling organizations to transform in a rapidly evolving world where new-age applications, cloud and IoT are defining future digital enterprise. Our CSFCs enable this by defending organizations' digital assets and the Gothenburg Center is perfectly placed to effectively meet most complex needs of our global customers." Apart from monitoring, alerting, resolving and remediates incidents, HCL's CSFC also helps European organizations comply with local data sovereignty regulations. This CSFC monitors IT, Internet of Things, Industrial Internet of Things and factory operational technology environments. The CSFC will also be armed with Security Orchestration and Automation Platform, providing high-quality cyber defense to customers. "It's fantastic to see a leading global technology company like HCL choosing our city as the ideal home for its top cybersecurity talent," said Patrik Andersson, CEO, Business Region Goteborg. "HCL's commitment to creating more career opportunities and attracting even more skilled workers from other countries will be a major benefit to the local business community." "A strong track record of providing cybersecurity, governance, risk and compliance services as HCL does is key to creating trust in times of digital servitization," said Jan Horsager, Research Director at IDC Nordic. "It's positive to see HCL strengthening its offering by adding regional coverage from Europe as well as expanding security capabilities and technology innovation." For details on career opportunities please visit: www.hcltech.com/careers View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200827005444/en/ Contacts: Anne Coyle, US anne.coyle@hcl.com Elka Ghudial, EMEA Elka.ghudial@hcl.com Devneeta Pahuja, India and APAC devneeta.p@hcl.com More than a week has elapsed since rebel soldiers toppled Mali's president, sending shockwaves around West Africa and in France, its staunch ally. But in Bamako, many Malians see little change. Life still flows onward, like the eternal Niger river that rolls through their capital. "I challenge you to find a single thing that's different, apart from the curfew," Abdoulaye Sidibe, who runs a small shop, said with a laugh. Little stores like Sidibe's are myriad in Bamako. They sell everything, from eggs and bread and soda to tiny amounts of rice, drawn from 50-kilogramme (110-pound) sacks. In the district of Torokorobougou, Children pass through the streets to buy the food for the evening meal, and elderly retired men sip tea and discuss politics. A mobile tailor passes by on a bicycle, snapping his scissors to declare his services for anyone needing a quick patch or hem. Businesses were closed the day after the coup, but many small business in the informal sector stayed open. By ANNIE RISEMBERG (AFP) The August 18 coup came after waves of protests demanding the resignation of 75-year-old President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, floundering in a sea of problems from jihadist bloodshed to a sinking economy. In the early hours of the following day, Keita appeared on national TV in order to announce his resignation, saying he had had no choice, and wanted to avoid "bloodshed." Since then, his supporters have kept a low profile and the June 5 Movement, which clamoured for his downfall, has promised to "work" with the junta for the return of civilian rule. Little visible change The only major change has been a curfew, enforced from midnight to five a.m. But the streets in Bamako are invariably deserted at those times anyway, and few in the city have any money for late-night merrymaking. Eight days after the coup that deposed President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, the capital's grand market is busy as usual. By ANNIE RISEMBERG (AFP) Mali's neighbours, fiercely opposed to the ouster of an elected leader, have closed their borders and halted financial and trade flows. A diplomat said that the sanctions were feared by the junta, "which doesn't want public opinion, which right now appears to be on its side, to turn against it." Internal trade, foreign investment and remittances of money by Malians working abroad are just about keeping the economy afloat in a country that was already one of the poorest in the world. Right now, the impact of that embargo is hardly perceptible in Mali itself. Former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan (2L) has meet with the junta leaders to discuss transition back to civilian rule. By ANNIE RISEMBERG (AFP) Whether it will be ratcheted further may become clearer on Friday when leaders of the regional bloc ECOWAS confer over the outcome of a three-day mission it sent after the coup. The junta on Thursday said it had released Keita -- a key ECOWAS demand. The Central Bank of West African States, which gathers eight countries including Mali and provides its commercial banks with cash, has reopened its doors after being temporarily closed, and national financial transactions have resumed. However, "transactions at sub-regional and international level (remained blocked and this) may cause lots of problems," said Hamadoun Bah, head of a national association of banks, insurance companies and financial establishments called Synabef. 'Expect pain' Most Malians eke out their living in the informal economy and so far have not been affected by these storm clouds. Fuel sellers still hawk bottles of petrol, or gasoline, by the side of the road, and the bridges linking to the two banks of the Niger remain choked with traffic, with barkers leaning out of minibuses to prospect for passengers. The coup came after weeks of protests calling for Keita to step down. By ANNIE RISEMBERG (AFP) The ministries and other public offices are only partially at work, but this has been the case for months during the protracted crisis. The country's previous putsch was just eight years ago, and was followed in 2013 by Keita's ascent to the presidency, winning victory at the ballot box by posing as a figure of national unity. But businessman Youssouf Berrada warned against the illusion that the latest coup would be painless. "You cannot go through such a profound crisis and think that things will remain the same," he said. Chinas ByteDance told engineers of its popular short-video app TikTok this week to make contingencies should it need to shut down its U.S. operations, even as it works toward divesting them, people familiar with the matter said on Thursday. ByteDance has been ordered by President Donald Trump to divest TikTok in the United States, amid security concerns over the personal data it handles. Microsoft Corp and Oracle Corp are among U.S. companies vying to acquire the assets of TikTok, which claims about 100 million monthly active users in the U.S. ByteDance is expected to pick a bidder to enter into exclusive talks as early as Friday, according to the sources. Trump issued an executive order on Aug. 6 that would ban transactions with TikTok and its Chinese parent in 45 days. While TikTok has filed a lawsuit challenging the order, it is preparing for the possibility that it will have to shut down if it has not reached a deal with an acquirer by mid-September, the sources said. It hopes that any shutdown would be temporary, the sources added. A sale would have to be greenlighted by both the United States and Chinese governments. The shutdown contingencies are also aimed at preparing TikToks global operations for the possibility that one of the two countries blocks any deal, the sources said. ByteDance told TikTok engineers in a memo this week to draw up plans for shutting down the app in the United States, the sources said. ByteDance is also making separate plans for TikTok U.S. employees and vendors to be compensated in the event of a shutdown, one of the sources added. TikTok has already implemented a hiring freeze in the U.S. for most open positions because of the uncertainty, bringing in only 5% of the staff it planned to recruit, according to the source. ByteDance views the shutdown preparations as a back-up plan, and is working toward a deal that would keep TikTok operating in the United States without interruption, the sources said. The sources requested anonymity as the shutdown preparations are confidential. ByteDance did not immediately respond to a request for comment, while TikTok declined to comment. While TikTok is best known for its anodyne videos of people dancing that go viral among teenagers, U.S. officials have expressed concerns that information on users could be passed on to Chinas communist government. In addition to cutting off access for TikToks U.S. users, shutting down TikTok could deprive influencers," who have built large followings on the app, from income they receive from advertisers for promoting products and services. While shutting down TikTok in the United States would prevent new users from downloading the app, it is not clear whether those who have already downloaded the app in the United States would lose access. ByteDance has been in talks to sell TikToks North American, Australian and New Zealand operations, which could be worth $25 billion to $30 billion, since the beginning of this month. Walmart Inc said on Thursday it was joining Microsoft in its bid for TikToks U.S. assets, revealing its plans hours after the apps recently named chief executive, Kevin Mayer, said he would step down. Oracle, whose Chairman Larry Ellison is one of the technology worlds few supporters of Trump, has partnered with some of ByteDances investors, including General Atlantic and Sequoia, on its bid for the TikTok assets. 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 Its safe to say that the 16th version of the National Settlement Services Summit (NS3) will be unlike any before. So it is fitting that the show is headlined by Zillows first appearance as a speaker at NS3. Ryan Berry, the senior vice president, central operations at Zillow Group, keynotes NS3, which runs Sept. 1-3 and will be conducted virtually for the first time. He will be joined by Fannie Mae Chief Economist Douglas G. Duncan and Department of Housing and Urban Development Deputy Secretary Brian Montgomery as featured speakers on the agenda. Berry is in charge of Zillow Offers, as well as Zillow Closing Services, the title and escrow division of the company. He will discuss the creation of Zillow Offers, and how the company built the iBuying arm after listening to its customers. He also will discuss innovation across the real estate transaction and the launch of Zillow Closing Services. Berry kicks off the first day of sessions, which will be followed by Cybersecurity and Innovation track concurrent sessions. This years program features three tracks, with a Compliance track, sponsored by Stewart, joining Cybersecurity, sponsored by Anderson Biro, and Innovation, sponsored by WFG National Title. On the first day, sessions including a presentation from the Federal Trade Commission as well as a digital lender panel. The first days sessions close with a state regulator panel, which will be moderated by Westcor CEO Mary ODonnell. The panel includes representatives from regulators in Colorado, Missouri, Pennsylvania and Virginia. Attendees then will adjourn for three networking events. The annual Make a Child Smile community service event, sponsored by Adeptive Software, is highlighted by a conversation with Toys for Tots President and CEO retired USMC Lt. Gen. James B. Laster. This years Opening Night Reception, sponsored by Qualia, Realtor.com and Westcor, will include a tour of the Cleveland Whiskey distillery. The night finishes with the Networking Nightcap, sponsored by NATIC, which will feature a Name That Tune quiz show highlighting music from the 1980s. The second day begins with Duncan providing an economic forecast which will include updates on the housing and mortgage markets. October Research Publisher and CEO Erica Meyer then will present the annual October Research Awards to the winners before breaking into concurrent sessions featuring all three tracks. Included in the Day 2 content is a panel on iBuying, a session addressing remote closings, and a session including NS3 staple Phil Schulman on RESPA compliance. The sessions close with the biggest underwriter panel in NS3 history, featuring seven of the largest underwriters in the country discussing some of the hottest topics in the title industry. After the panel wraps up, attendees will head to our Networking Reception, sponsored by SoftPro, where they will be treated to a special interview and Q&A session with HGTV star Tarek El Moussa of Flip or Flop. The final day begins with a Networking Breakfast, sponsored by RESPRO and hosted by RESPA News editor Tracy Read, who will lead a casual discussion with RESPRO President and Executive Director Ken Trepeta and attorney Brian Levy. Our annual lender panel starts the sessions, with representatives of Bank of America, Thrive Mortgage and Wells Fargo discussing their work with title and settlement agents. Concurrent sessions follow, leading up to a presentation and Q&A with Montgomery, who returns to NS3 after taking the stage in 2019. The show closes with Craig Haskins of Knight Barry Title and David Townsend of Agents National Title teaming up for a live That Floats podcast. In all, nearly 60 speakers will share their education across 23 sessions to an expected crowd of more than 450. A woman from was arrested on August 24 for allegedly stabbing and killing her 4-year-old daughter and dumping her dead body in a trash can in their backyard. Murdering her own daughter According to an arrest report, the 34-year-old murderer Krystal Lewandowski, called 911 at around 11:35 am to report her daughter, Czara Lewandowski, missing. She old the 911 dispatcher that she last saw the child in the backyard of their home in Forth Worth, as reported by KDFW. After being questioned by the police, Krystal Lewandowski told the 911 dispatcher that she was "advised" to slit her daughter's throat. The mother confessed to wrapping her daughter's body and putting her in a trash can in the backyard on August 23. She also said that someone told her to kill her daughter, and in doing so, her daughter is "saved," and she had prevented the child from experiencing something worse, as reported by Forth Worth Star-Telegram. Also Read: Woman Revived from Death? Funeral Home Staff Shocked After Woman Wakes Up Seconds Before Getting Embalmed The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services told the news outlets that they were involved with the family of the slain girl a year earlier. Forth Worth police said that Czara Lewandowski's 18-month-old brother, who was not harmed by their mother, is now in protective custody, according to KXAS. Krystal Lewandowski is charged with capital murder because her murdered daughter is younger than ten years old. Her bond was set at $750,000. Similar incident In January 2020, a mother from Arizona was arrest after she killed her three young children one by one. According to the AZ Family, the murderer, Rachel Henry, smothered all three children and sang to them as she covered their mouths and noses. Henry is facing three counts of first-degree murder and is being held on a $3 million bond. The prosecutors requested the large bond because she does not have real ties to Arizona, as she moved to Phoenix from Oklahoma in 2019, and her children had been taken away from her due to her meth addiction. The victims, 3-year-old Zane Henry, 1-year-old Miraya Henry, and 7-month-old Catalaya Rios, were all found dead inside the family's home. Rachel Henry began with Miraya as she placed her hand over her daughter's mouth. Her son Zane tried to stop her and punched her to no avail. When Miraya stopped kicking, she turned to her son and chased him but was interrupted when their relatives returned home. She then took the 3-year-old into a back bedroom where she changed his underpants. She placed him on the floor of the bedroom, straddled him and placed her hand over his nose and mouth. Rachel then moved to her infant daughter, fed her until the baby fell asleep. She sang her a song and placed her hand over her face and mouth. After killing all three children, she put them in a position on the couch in their living room, as if they were taking a nap. She did not tell any family member about what happened. Police were called to the home after the family members discovered that the children were dead. Henry was arrested and booked into jail. According to the police, postpartum depression might have been a factor for the crime. Related Article: Michigan Couple Killed Friend With Battery Acid and Bleach to Silence Her Permanently @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. ISTANBUL/ATHENS: Greece ratified an accord on maritime boundaries with Egypt on Thursday, hours after Turkey extended the operation of a seismic survey vessel in the Eastern Mediterranean and said it will hold firing exercises in the region next month. NATO allies Greece and Turkey are at odds over the rights to potential hydrocarbon resources in the area, based on conflicting claims over the extent of their continental shelves. Tensions escalated this month after Ankara dispatched the Oruc Reis seismic survey vessel in a disputed area following the pact between Athens and Cairo. Turkey has said the pact infringes its own continental shelf. The agreement also overlaps with maritime zones Turkey agreed with Libya last year, decried as illegal by Greece. The Aug 6 maritime deal has already been ratified by Egypts parliament and was approved by a majority of Greek lawmakers on Thursday evening. Earlier, the Turkish navy issued the latest advisory, known as a Navtex, saying it will hold the shooting exercises in the eastern Mediterranean off the coast of Iskenderun, northeast of Cyprus on Sept 1-2. It also extended the seismic work of the Oruc Reis vessel southwest of Cyprus, until Sept 1. Greece says the Turkish advisories are illegal. Maritime zones give a state rights over natural resources. Largely unexplored, the east Mediterranean is thought to be rich in natural gas. As the dispute widened, France said on Wednesday it was joining military exercises with Italy, Greece and Cyprus in the eastern Mediterranean. Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy said the deployment of French military aircraft in Cyprus violated treaties regarding the control and administration of the island after independence from Britain in 1960. Aksoy said that Frances stance was dangerously encouraging Greece and Cyprus to further escalate tensions in the region. Cyprus was divided in 1974 following a Turkish invasion triggered by a Greek-inspired coup. Turkey recognises the Turkish-populated north of Cyprus as a separate state, which is not recognised by other countries. Greece said on Wednesday it plans to extend its territorial waters in the Ionian Sea to 12 nautical miles from its coast, from six nautical miles, after the ratification of a maritime deal with Italy. To the east of Greece, Turkey has warned that a similar move by Athens in waters east of Greece would be a cause for war. 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 Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 19:45:08|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close LUSAKA, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Zambian President Edgar Lungu on Thursday called for the operationalization of China-funded communication towers in northern Zambia's Lunga district. The Zambian leader directed the minister responsible for communication to ensure that the communication towers become fully operational in the district urgently. The Zambian leader, who is on a visit to the northern part of the country said in a post on his Facebook page that he will not accept a situation where some districts were not benefiting from the communication towers meant to boost telecommunication services. "I believe that our people must enjoy the immediate benefits of our significant investments in communications towers," he said. The government, he said, was committed to improving significantly and sustainably the livelihoods of all people in the country without leaving anyone behind. In 2017, Zambia and China signed an agreement worth 280 million U.S. dollars for the construction of 1,009 communication towers in phase two of the project across the country. Under phase two, China's telecommunication giant, Huawei Technologies, was contracted to connect rural communities which will be managed by state-telecommunication firm Zamtel. Enditem The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a new coronavirus test that costs less than others and is simple to use. The 15-minute test from Abbott Laboratories will sell for $5. It does not require special computer equipment to get results. The self-contained test is about the size of a credit card. It uses the same technology as some flu and pregnancy tests. The FDA noted that Abbotts test could be used in a doctors office, emergency room or some schools. Given the simple nature of this test, it is likely that these tests could be made broadly available, the FDA said. The agency also recently approved a saliva test from Yale University. Both newly approved tests have limitations, like requiring medical administration. Abbotts new test is called BinaxNOW. A health worker must carry out a nasal swab, like most older coronavirus tests. The Yale product does not require a swab, but only specialized laboratories can process the test. Quick tests like Abbotts, however, generally produce less exact results than those processed by laboratories. Abbott said BinaxNOW correctly finds coronavirus infection 97.1 percent of the time, and correctly finds a lack of infection 98.5 percent of the time. In a statement, the FDA said Abbotts test may need to be confirmed with a lab test in some cases. The agency approved Abbotts test Wednesday night through an emergency use authorization process. It can be used only for patients with suspected COVID-19. The new tests come as schools and businesses around the U.S. are struggling to reopen with limited capability to test everyone for COVID-19. Abbott announced that it will ship tens of millions of tests in September. The drug company plans to increase to 50 million tests a month at the beginning of October. Test takers can also show their results in a phone app and share them at workplaces or schools. Most currently available COVID-19 tests have to be sent to a laboratory for results. Dr. Joseph Petrosino is a professor and chairman of Molecular Virology and Microbiology at Baylor College of Medicine in Texas. He said in the announcement from Abbott, you get a result right away, getting infectious people off the streets and into quarantine so they don't spread the virus." The U.S. is now testing about 690,000 people each day. That number is down from the 850,000 daily tests late last month. Many public health experts believe the U.S. will soon need to test a lot more people to find those who are infected, quarantine them and contain the virus. I'm Caty Weaver. Hai Do wrote this story for Learning English with information from the FDA, Abbott Laboratories and the Associated Press. Caty Weaver was the editor. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story saliva - n. the liquid produced in your mouth swab - n. a small piece of soft material used for applying medicine authorization - n. official approval or permission quarantine - n. the situation of being kept away from others to prevent a disease from spreading Lukashenko Shows No Sign Of Backing Down After Weeks Of Protest Anti-governmental protestors at a rally in Independence Square in Minsk, Belarus, on August 26, 2020. Credit - Misha FriedmanGetty Images The tens of thousands of demonstrators demanding the ouster of Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko and an end to 26 years of his authoritarian rule can expect little more than rhetorical support from the United States, Trump administration officials say. While some U.S. diplomats have argued for imposing sanctions on Lukashenkos regime, U.S. intelligence officials have concluded he is likely to remain in power despite this months allegedly rigged election because he retains the support of the leadership of the nations military, internal security, government-controlled news media, and intelligence services. In addition, intelligence officials in the U.S. and Western Europe say, Russias foreign and military intelligence agencies have, in the words of one European official, thoroughly penetrated or intimidated their comrades in Belarus. Although the European Union is set to impose sanctions on 15 to 20 Belarusian officials for rigging the election, there is little or nothing the U.S. and the EU can do to alter the reality on the ground, officials on both sides of the Atlantic say. The last thing we want to do is encourage another doomed uprising like the one in Hungary, says the European official, referring to the failed 1956 uprising against the Soviet Union in what then was a satellite of Moscow. Allowing the defeat of a popular pro-democratic uprising, however, would underscore the inability of Western Europes democracies to influence events on their eastern borders and the Trump Administrations unwillingness to combat authoritarian leaders. Coupled with Russias land grabs in Ukraine and meddling in the Balkans, it underscores the potential vulnerability of other former Soviet republics such as the Baltic states, though they are now NATO members. Story continues Make sense of what matters in Washington. Sign up for the daily D.C. Brief newsletter. Although Russian President Vladimir Putin dislikes Lukashenko, the officials said, he may use Russian support for the Belarus leader to force him to sign a long-sought union agreement between Moscow and Minsk, the nations capital, which would in effect push Russias western border to Poland and Lithuania. Whats more, says a U.S. diplomat, by throwing his weight behind the incumbent, Putin can watch a pro-democracy movement thats too close for comfort die, and tightens his political grip on top of the economic stranglehold Russia already has on Belarus, all without firing a shot. Still, officials havent ruled out the possibility that if the unrest continues, Putin might send Russian forces into Belarus to crush the protests, oust Lukashenko, impose the union agreement, and install a new ruler more to his liking. On Aug. 24, Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun met with Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, the top Belarusian opposition leader, in Vilnius, the capital of neighboring Lithuania, a former Soviet satellite that is now a member of NATO and the EU. But he offered only lukewarm support for the weeks-long uprising that has seen more than 100,000 people join one protest in Minsk and thousands of workers at multiple state-owned factories go on strike. Following the meeting, Biegun told reporters that its purpose was to listen, to hear what the thinking of the Belarusian people is and to see what they are doing to obtain the right to self-determination, he said, adding: The United States cannot and will not decide the course of events in Belarus. An official statement issued by the State Department the day of the meeting mentioned it only after describing Bieguns meetings with Lithuanian officials to discuss the situation in Belarus, countering the threats posed by Russia and the Peoples Republic of China, and the promotion of human rights and democracy. The statement added that Biegun had met the Belarusian opposition leader and affirmed the U.S. commitment to Belarus sovereignty and territorial integrity and to the sovereign right of its people to elect their own leaders and determine their own future. So far, Trump has said only that the U.S. is closely watching what he called a terrible situation. Three days after the election, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said the administration was deeply concerned by the Belarus presidential election and urged Lukashenkos government to respect the right to peaceably assemble and to refrain from use of force. Some U.S. officials who favor greater support for the uprising in Belarus concede that the administrations tepid response is rooted more in reality than it is in the presidents lack of interest in human rights, his friendship with Putin, his admiration for authoritarian leaders, or his preoccupation with domestic problems, including a pandemic and his own re-election campaign. Its true that the president is paying little if any attention to events in Belarus and that there is nothing that even resembles a U.S. policy, says one U.S. official in Washington. But I have to admit that in this case that may not be such a bad thing, because the alternative would be to try and almost certainly fail to change the outcome in Minsk. Even some congressional Democrats who favor economic sanctions concede that more economic pressure is unlikely to oust Lukashenko because Belarus is dependent on Russia for energy and markets for its manufactured goods. Connecticut Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy, for example, is calling for the Senate to make a symbolic statement by blocking the nomination of veteran diplomat Julie Fisher to be the first U.S. Ambassador to Belarus since 2008, when the U.S. imposed sanctions on Belarus for human rights violations. While I support greater ties between the United States and Belarusian people, now is not the time to be elevating the diplomatic relationship with Lukashenkos government, Murphy said in a statement. After 26 years in power, Lukashenko has shown no such restraint. On Aug. 23, he was filmed getting out of a helicopter wearing body armor and carrying an automatic rifle. Two days later, as schoolteachers led another protest, two leaders of the protest movement were sentenced to 10 days in jail and the countrys supreme court rejected the oppositions allegations of election fraud. FULLERTON Daniel Lee Radke, 59, of Fullerton passed away Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020, at his home in Fullerton due to health complications. A memorial service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 29, at Palmer-Santin Funeral Home in Fullerton. Visitation will be from 9 to 10 a.m. prior to the service at the funeral home. Palmer-Santin Funeral Home is serving the family. Dan was born Nov. 21, 1960, to Richard and Rae Jean (Panowicz) in Loup City. He was raised in and around the Elba area and attended Elba Public School. Dan enjoyed life to its fullest. He drifted here and there trying to find the right fit, doing various jobs throughout his working career. He worked as a ranch hand for Rush Creek Cattle Company in Lisco for a couple of years. Dan also worked at Chief Manufacturing in Grand Island, Schuyler Packing plant and Monforts (JBS Swift) in Grand Island. Then Dan moved to Phoenix, Ariz., where he worked as a taxi driver and then became a crane operator for a construction company. Most of the photographs selected from Revolt originally went on view about a month after the Oct. 17, 2019 start of massive protests in Lebanon. What has come to be known as the October Revolution was triggered by a government proposal to increase taxes amid an economic crisis and the precipitous devaluation of the Lebanese pound. The photos were mounted as a large-format open-air installation in downtown Beirut that chronicled and became a part of the atmosphere of the demonstrations, and new images were added over subsequent months. 3 1 of 3 Courtesy photo /U.S. Border Patrol Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Courtesy photo /U.S. Border Patrol Show More Show Less 3 of 3 U.S. Border Patrol agents assigned to the Hebbronville Stations detained more than 20 immigrants who had crossed the border illegally in two different enforcement actions, authorities said. On Tuesday afternoon, agents said that a suspicious sport utility vehicle was traveling north on Texas 16 near Randado, Texas. Agents said they located the vehicle abandoned inside a ranch. WASHINGTON: Five non-profits, including three voter advocacy groups, filed a lawsuit on Thursday against President Donald Trumps social media executive order from May, arguing it hurts the rights of voters who receive information through social media about mail-in voting. This comes after a separate lawsuit was filed in June by the Washington-based Center for Democracy & Technology, backed by large tech companies, which argued that Trumps action violates the First Amendment. Trump issued an executive order in May against social media companies in an attempt to regulate platforms where he has been criticized, just days after Twitter took the rare step of fact-checking one of his tweets about mail-in voting. Trump threatened to scrap or weaken a law known as Section 230, which protects internet companies from litigation over content posted by users. Earlier this month, the Trump administration filed a motion asking a court to dismiss the CDT lawsuit, calling it a profound misunderstanding." The administration argued that the order only directs government agencies, and not private companies, to act. The latest legal challenge was filed by voter advocacy groups Rock The Vote, Voto Latino and Common Cause, along with watchdog groups MapLight and Free Press that rely on social media to raise voter awareness and increase voter turnout. Trumps executive order hurts online platforms ability to moderate and speak and impedes the plaintiffs efforts to advocate for accurate information online about voting, the lawsuit said. Now, beyond focusing on our core mission to promote participation in our democracy, Rock the Vote has been burdened with the unfortunate and absurd task of correcting misinformation, lies shared by government officials, which can and should be fact-checked by online platforms," said Rock the Vote President Carolyn DeWitt. Trump has increasingly attacked mail ballots amid growing evidence that it is likely to help Democrats heading into the crucial Nov. 3 contest. He has repeatedly and without evidence said that an increase in mail-in ballots would lead to a surge in fraud, although Americans have long voted by mail, as has Trump himself. The lawsuit makes the point that these are organizations that have been directly impacted by the false information President Trump is disseminating and by his efforts to stop platforms like Twitter, Facebook that people they (the groups) are trying to register to vote use to get their information," said Kristy Parker, counsel with Protect Democracy, a non-profit that challenged Trumps order on behalf of the advocacy groups. 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 Another 26 Sudanese migrants were picked up in three boats in the English Channel today - taking this year's total to more than 5,000. As many as 15 people are thought to have landed on Shakespeare beach, Dover, in the early hours of this morning after a dinghy was recovered there. And five more boats were spotted being tugged into Dover harbour this morning, with more following later in the day. Journeys across the 21-mile body of water were halted for the week after Storm Francis made the waterway too treacherous. The latest journey means an estimated 5,025 people have arrived in the UK this year, eclipsing 2019's figure of 1,850. The number of people trying to reach British shores has surged in recent months, amid fears that France may clear the 'Calais jungle' and that it will get harder to claim asylum in the UK after Brexit. This boat was found on Shakespeare Beach, Dover, around 6.30am today. Around five more were towed into the harbour in Kent this morning The boat was loaded up with spades and a sleeping bag. The boat crossed the 21-mile channel Migrants pictured being brought into Dover, Kent, while on board a Border Force vessel At least four migrants pictured being motored into Dover, Kent, after crossing the Channel They are pictured on board with two Border Force officers after crossing the Channel last night Former Royal Marine Dan O'Mahoney, the Home Office's new Clandestine Channel Threat Commander, said: 'These crossings are illegally facilitated by criminals willing to risk people's lives for money. 'France is a safe country with a fully functioning asylum system those seeking refuge can and should claim asylum there. 'I am working with my counterparts in France daily to make this route totally unviable and through our joint intelligence work we have prevented many more migrants from leaving the French coastline today. 'We continue to return those who do not have a legitimate asylum claim despite barriers to removals under the Dublin Regulations and legal challenges.' Before the latest journeys over the shipping lane, the total number of migrants to have reached Britain by small boat stood at an estimated 4,950. This comes after a dangerous crossing was made on Friday, when five migrants risked their lives in gale-force winds as they tried to reach the UK. They presented themselves as Sudanese and Chad nationals upon arrival, and were taken to Dover where they were handed to immigration officials. A number of migrants who made the crossing to the UK have gone on hunger strike in detention centres as they face deportation. Charities and campaigners that support migrants said the strikes are taking place at the Brook House immigration removal centre near Gatwick airport. As many as 13 migrants are thought to have been refusing food last week, with around five understood to still be on hunger strike. There have also been reports of attempted suicide. Campaign groups said a deportation flight had been scheduled for today, and yesterday, to France, Spain and Germany. Huge winds were seen in the English channel throughout the day as five more migrants risked their lives in gale-force winds last week. Pictured: A DFDS ferry is hit by waves as it arrives at the Port of Dover in Kent A haul of boats believed to have been used by migrants are seen in a Port Authority yard this month Numbers of people trying to reach British shores (one group pictured last week) have surged in the summer months, prompting the Government to deploy RAF planes to the English Channel in an effort to tackle the problem Quarter of migrants who claim to be children after crossing are older than 18 Border Force officers aboard HMC Hunter speak to migrants on August 10 A quarter of migrants who claimed to be children after crossing the English Channel from France were older than 18, council figures have revealed. Of the 1,668 who told officials they were children after landing on the Kent coast in the last five years, more than 400 were later found to be adults. A source at Kent county council told The Sunday Telegraph: 'Following age assessment, around 25 percent are assessed as being 18 or over. They will then almost definitely appeal this through the courts and the council pays all the legal fees.' Advertisement Last Wednesday, the body of Sudanese 28-year-old Abdulfatah Hamdallah was found washed up on a beach at Sangatte after he drowned trying to reach Britain. Abdulfatah could not swim and died after his stolen 3ft dinghy capsized. They had been using shovels to paddle and it is believed the makeshift oars punctured the boat, which the pair had stolen from a chalet. Hundreds of boats recovered from British shore are currently been stored at a warehouse in Whitfield, Kent, MailOnline revealed last month. The boats are stacked three high and in multiple rows and vary from fibreglass rowing boats to high tech large boats used by unscrupulous gangs. It is unclear what will happen to the vessels, and whether they will be sold, repaired or taken straight to landfill to be discarded. Six times as many illegal migrants have been arriving in the Canary Islands compared to last year, as increased security in the Mediterranean is pushing them to try the dangerous Atlantic crossing. As many as 3,448 people had been picked up on the Spanish islands, as of August 16, whereas last year just 556 had arrived by mid-August. However, arrivals on Spain's Mediterranean shores have dropped by 50 per cent during the same period. Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-28 00:52:37|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close CAPE TOWN, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Amid a surge in gender-based violence, President Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday tried to mobilize the whole society to curb the scourge. "The struggle to end gender-based violence and femicide succeed only if society as a whole is mobilized and organized behind a common program of action," Ramaphosa said in a virtual Q&A session in Parliament. Despite national efforts to curb gender-based violece in light with the National Strategic Plan which took effect in May this year, the country has to confront the reality that the violence perpetrated by men against women and children has become a national emergency that required urgent and decisive action, the president said. Having been haunted by gender-based violence for long, South Africa has seen a sharp rise in murder cases of women and children during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the COVID-19 lockdown in late March this year, dozens of women have been murdered, most of them died at the hands of their intimate partners. This has prompted the government to implement the Emergency Response Action Plan, which was presented to a joint sitting of Parliament in September last year. While lamenting the surge in gender-based violence, the president hailed the progress in curbing the scourge. Through the reprioritization of resources, the government has been able to allocate around 1.6 billion rand (about 95 million U.S. dollars) to implement the plan in the remaining months of the financial year, according to Ramaphosa. "Working with our partners in civil society, we have managed to improve access to justice for victims and survivors and have improved our capacity to investigate and prosecute gender-based violence perpetrators," said Ramaphosa. These include the upgrading of 11 sexual offences courts and implementation of a system to track the processing of related cases, he said. The supply of sexual assault evidence kits, which are now available in all police stations, has been improved, Ramaphosa said. Three amendment bills intended to strengthen the response of the criminal justice system have been approved by the cabinet and are in the process of being introduced into Parliament, according to the president. These bills aim to tighten bail conditions for perpetrators of sexual offences, strengthen parole conditions and increase minimum sentences, and ensure more severe consequences for contravening a protection order. At the same time, a major focus of work has been on changing norms and behavior through high-level prevention efforts, such as a mass media campaign and engagements with men's groups, offenders in prison and youth at risk, he said. Ramaphosa reafirmed the government's determination to "uproot the scourge of violence against our daughters, our mothers, our sisters, our grandmothers and our children." Enditem OTTAWA The New Democrats believe their calls pushed the Liberal government of Justin Trudeau to pump an extra $2 billion into the safe reopening of schools. The Chamber of Commerce, often a conservative voice of business interests across the country, believed its advocacy made a difference. It welcomed new federal money for school resources, calling it a good day that will support womens return to the workforce. But Prime Minister Justin Trudeau gave credit to Liberal MPs and nervous parents for Wednesdays $2-billion top-up to the $19 billion Ottawa is already transferring to provinces for their economic recovery plans. The money and the refusal to share the credit is another sign that a federal election is not far from Trudeaus mind. And despite his protests to the contrary, he is not entirely unwilling to face voters at this time. Trudeau said he respects that schools from kindergarten to Grade 12 fall under provincial responsibility, but in pouring in billions more to quell parents nerves in a pandemic, he was implicitly saying their plans werent enough. Over the past week or so, Ive heard from so many Liberal MPs, and so many parents across the country who are still extremely worried about how that reopening is going to go, he said in Toronto. What we realized when we saw the level of anxiety and preoccupation that parents across the country had still, even with those plans in place, we realized we could give the provinces even more resources. Ontario is set to receive $763.34 million, and Premier Doug Ford wasnt looking a gift horse in the mouth. We appreciate the money were grateful, he said. Were going to use it very cautiously. For the second time in a week, Ford was effusive in his praise of Trudeau, and said he made his feelings known to other premiers on a call the day before. I know a few of the premiers werent happy that someone was stepping on their toes federal jurisdiction isnt education, and so forth and so on, Ford said after Trudeaus announcement. I just said very simply to the premiers, Guys, we understand that. The money also comes with few strings, Ford said, and were grateful for that and I want to thank the prime minister for that. NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said his party has been calling for weeks for the prime minister and the federal government to step up. On Aug. 12, the New Democrats sponsored a motion that was adopted unanimously in the House of Commons, calling for increased federal transfers on child care and schools. They took credit for Trudeaus move on Wednesday. Singh said more is needed, including an extra $2 billion for child care just to keep existing spaces open with all the extra safety precautions necessary, growing to more than $10 billion over the next four years. But Trudeau did not give a nod to the NDP on Wednesday, hailing only the efforts of those in his own party. The prime minister didnt consult Singh on the announcement, nor has he reached out to the NDP in advance of the upcoming throne speech. For that matter, the only consultation with the Conservatives on the throne speech has been a quick congratulatory call to new leader Erin OToole, who urged Trudeau to address Western alienation and resources in his recovery plans. Asked whether he was simply looking to boost his own governments fortunes with the funding announcement, Trudeau insisted his motivation was simply to allay parents fears and the burden on provinces. His inner circle is drafting a Sept. 23 throne speech which could lead to the governments fall on a confidence vote, and a federal election mid-pandemic. A senior government official, speaking on condition they not be identified, has told the Star that while the government is not seeking its own defeat, it does not intend to present proposals that are crafted around the boardroom table through negotiation. There will be coherence to the programs that were putting forward and well obviously need dance partners, and obviously its a minority Parliament and you have to deal with the reality of that, and be reasonable about it, but it doesnt mean compromising on the very basics of what were offering. The source said a minority government has to be ready for the moment when there may be no compromising and, quite frankly maybe it is time for the Canadian people to weigh in a post-pandemic environment. Another senior official said only that when it comes to working with the other parties, were not at that stage yet. For now, theres little political downside for Trudeau to be handing out more money to parents. This is a workforce issue and this is an economic issue, so although some people might be surprised that were responding to it, this is integral to the business community, its integral to our employees, and its integral to our economy, said Leah Nord, a senior director with the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. And there is no question the money is needed. Speaking at Queens Park on Wednesday, Education Minister Stephen Lecce said about $70 million of the $381 million will be targeted to temporarily hire more teachers to lower class sizes, and an additional $100 million will allow school boards to respond to local needs, which could include more teachers. Some $12.5 million will be used to boost mental health supports for students. With files from Kris Rushowy Read more about: FIVE more new confirmed cases of Covid-19 have been reported in Limerick this evening. Statistics released from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre reveal there is now more than 714 confirmed cases of the deadly condition in Limerick. Nationally, some 28,453 people have been infected with the virus, with 93 confirmed new cases overnight. No new deaths have been reported in the last 24 hours. Of the new cases notified today, 52 are men and 41 are women, with seven in ten cases from people under 45 years of age. Some 73 people are confirmed to be associated with outbreaks or are close contacts of a confirmed case, with 12 cases identified as community transmission There are 34 new cases in Dublin, seven in Kildare, six each in Donegal and Laois, five here in Limerick, five in Wexford, with the remaining 30 cases spread around 11 counties including Tipperary, Clare and Cork. Dr Ronan Glynn, acting chief medical officer at the Department of Health, said: "We continue to see a slow growth of Covid-19 in Ireland. The most effective action we can take to reduce the transmission rate of this virus is to reduce our number of close contacts. If we do this and keep practicing the other safe behaviours by continuing to physical distance, avoid crowds, wash our hands, cover our coughs and sneezes, wear a face mask where appropriate and download the COVID Tracker app, we have a real chance of slowing the spread of the virus to where we want it to be." Prof Philip Nolan, chair of the Nphet Irish epidemiological modelling advisory group added: "The R-number is now between 1 and 1.2. While this is an improvement on what we have seen recently, it is still not where we want to be. We are still seeing growing transmission of the disease and we need to bring the R-number back below 1 if we are to effectively slow the spread of Covid-19 and suppress its transmission." Dr John Cuddihy, director of the Health Protection Surveillance Centre said: "We are identifying outbreaks in a number of different settings such as private homes, workplaces and social settings." "Congregated settings are ideal environments for this disease to spread between people. We all must avoid such congregations if we are going to break the chains of transmission of the virus." N. Korea's Kim issues warning on virus as health speculation swirls Kim presided over a meeting Tuesday of a top committee of the ruling Workers' Party, the official KCNA news agency reported North Korean state media on Wednesday showed leader Kim Jong Un at a meeting of a top committee issuing warnings about the coronavirus and a looming typhoon, following international speculation over his state of health. Kim's comments come amid conjecture over his condition after South Korea's spy agency said he had delegated some authority to his sister Kim Yo Jong to relieve his "governance stress". A former aide to late South Korean president Kim Dae-jung even said on Facebook he thought the North's leader was in a coma, though with no apparent evidence. But Kim presided over a meeting Tuesday of a top committee of the ruling Workers' Party, the official KCNA news agency reported, where he assessed "defects in the state emergency anti-epidemic work for checking the inroads of the malignant virus". The impoverished North -- whose crumbling health system would struggle to cope with a major virus outbreak -- has not confirmed a single case of the disease that has swept the world since first emerging in neighbouring China. Pictures in the Rodong Sinmun newspaper showed Kim addressing the meeting, wearing a white suit and in one image apparently smoking a cigarette. Kim addressed "some shortcomings" in the preventive efforts and called for stronger measures to eliminate "defects", KCNA said. Last month Pyongyang imposed a lockdown on the city of Kaesong, close to the border with the South, claiming a defector who had returned was suspected of carrying the virus. The restrictions were lifted earlier this month and the infection was never confirmed. The meeting also discussed emergency measures to prevent crop damage or casualties from Typhoon Bavi, which is forecast to hit the country this week. There have been days of heavy rain across parts of North Korea, which is vulnerable to flooding as many mountains and hills have long been stripped of vegetation, allowing water to flow downhill unchecked. Story continues Kim laid out tasks for various departments, saying thoroughly preventing casualties and crop damage was "crucial", KCNA reported. Several analysts have played down suggestions that Kim's health is deteriorating and Seoul's intelligence agency has a mixed record with its past pronouncements on developments in the North. Earlier this year Kim was absent from public view for nearly three weeks, missing a key celebration in April for the birthday of his grandfather, the North's founder -- the most important day in the country's political calendar -- prompting widespread questions over his condition. sh/slb/axn Imagine if the Ministry of Education in Ontario didnt mandate a minimum number of staff to look after children in daycares. Would one early childhood educator ever be expected to care for 30 toddlers in a single shift? What about 60 toddlers? We dont run our daycares understaffed with these ratios, even when someone calls in sick. Legislation doesnt allow it. In comparison, staffing regulations in Ontario nursing homes have been woefully inept for decades, even prior to COVID-19. As per the minimum requirement, facilities need no more than one registered nurse on site, regardless of the number of people living in the home. Existing regulations also do not mandate a minimum ratio of personal support workers (PSWs) to nursing home residents. As a result, many nursing homes have long been understaffed. A nurse may be looking after 30 residents in the day, and around 60 residents overnight. PSW shortages are at a crisis point, where one PSW may be caring for 10 to 15 residents during the day and up to 30 residents overnight. To make matters worse, most PSWs are hired as casual and part-time employees, earn little more than minimum wage, and need to work multiple jobs to make ends meet. Not being hired full-time also means not receiving benefits or sick leave, and creates a system which devalues care primarily provided by women. So when COVID-19 ravaged through nursing homes, many of these essential front-line workers chose to leave. Who could blame them? They were stressed, stretched, and poorly compensated at the outset. Then, to add insult to injury, few homes provided front-line workers appropriate access to masks and other personal protective equipment to ensure their safety and that of the residents. In July, the Ontario Health Coalition released data showing 95 per cent of health workers in nursing homes still reported staffing shortages. Undoubtedly, these shortages continue to dangerously compromise the care of our seniors. In most cases, front-line workers cant ensure basic care is provided, such as bathing, feeding and changing. Opportunities to provide emotional support to seniors are non-existent despite an epidemic of loneliness and depression created by COVID-19. The above tragedy is compounded by the fact that family members, who helped fill in crucial gaps in care prior to the pandemic, remain blocked from regular access. These circumstances leave residents doubly vulnerable. Insufficient front-line staff, and no family around to help and advocate. So here we are, with a second wave of COVID-19 feared to arrive in the fall. And the Ontario Ministry of Long-Term Care has done little to address these critical staffing problems. To ensure vulnerable seniors receive the essential care they need, the Ontario government must act immediately on the following urgent priorities: First, front-line workers need improved pay and sick leave. The temporary pandemic pay increased the hourly wages of front-line workers in nursing homes by $4 per hour, but ended Aug. 13. That top-up needs to become permanent to increase the number of people willing to do front-line work. Health workers should also not lose income if they are themselves unwell and need time off. That comes from providing them sick leave which will undoubtedly prevent the spread of COVID-19. Second, because of consistent understaffing, the province continues to allow workers from temporary employment agencies to work in multiple homes. Many nursing home operators are incentivized to hire those temporary workers to save on the cost of employment benefits. The use of temporary workers needs to stop to prevent the spread of COVID-19 between nursing homes, both for the safety of workers and seniors. Third, the government needs to urgently establish and enforce minimum staffing levels. Staff must be skilled to care for seniors who often have multiple serious medical conditions. Homes will also need a reserve workforce to help manage future COVID-19 outbreaks. The government must require homes to be transparent about staffing levels, and step in immediately if concerns arise. So long as systemic understaffing continues, nursing home seniors remain vulnerable to neglect and abandonment. The military report released in May a report created after Canadian Armed Forces personnel were sent to help in five Ontario nursing homes highlighted the dangers to seniors from staffing shortages during the first wave, where understaffing led to tragic outcomes. Its high time for the government to act now to protect the vulnerable. A woman who plotted to drug and rape babies and young children has avoided prison after fleeing her home and failing to notify the authorities. Twisted paedophile Nicola Williams, also known as Nikita Moore, was staying at an address in Middlesbrough for three weeks before she disclosed to police she had left her Sunderland home fearing for her safety. Williams was jailed in 2015 after hatching an abhorrent plan with Kevin Barnett and his wife Susan to abuse young children. The vile trio shared their disgusting fantasies via encrypted messaging service WhatsApp. In February 2015, Barnett and his wife, then both 28, were found guilty of arranging the commission of a child sexual offence and Moore, 22, was convicted of conspiracy to commit child sexual offences. Paedophile Nicola Williams, also known as Nikita Moore, was jailed in 2015 after she plotted to drug and rape babies and young children and has now avoided a second prison term after breaching the terms of her sexual harm prevention order by moving without telling police Kevin Barnett was jailed for six years, Susan Barnett was jailed for four and-a-half years and Moore, who changed her name to Nicola Williams, was jailed for four years. Yesterday, Moore appeared at Teesside Crown Court after pleading guilty to breaching her sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) and failing to notify the authorities of her change of address. Paul Newcombe, prosecuting, said Moore and her partner had fled the Sunderland area on August 19 last year but she failed to register her new address in Middlesbrough for more than three weeks. The court heard how the defendant was also in contact with young children while she was in the Middlesbrough area in breach of her SHPO. In mitigation, John Nixon, told the court how messages seen by police showed how Moore and her partner had fled the Sunderland area out of fear for their own safety. He said: 'They were suffering somewhat in the community and sought refuge on Teesside. 'Within quite a short time she registered her new address at Middlesbrough.' Mr Nixon added that a pre-sentence report showed Moore was categorised as a being at a 'slight' risk of re-offending. Judge Stephen Ashurst said: 'In 2015 you were before the Crown Court in Preston and sent to prison for serious sexual offences. 'As a result of that sentence, you were made subject to a sexual harm prevention order and required to tell police about any change in your circumstances as part of your notification requirement. Williams was handed a six-month suspended prison sentence at Teeside Crown Court 'That order was amended in 2017 at Carlisle Crown Court and until last year you complied with what was expected of you.' The judge said the defendant and her partner had suffered abuse before fleeing the area adding: 'It is clear that the two of you were desperate to move away to an area that was safe; what you didn't do was tell the police as soon as you should have.' Dealing with the breach of the SHPO, he added: 'I don't believe that you were trying to lure children into the property, if that was the case you would be going to prison for a substantial time.' The 28-year-old, of Middlesbrough, was given a six month prison sentence, suspended for two years and ordered to carry out 25 rehabilitation activity requirement days. Williams was also made subject to four months of electronically tagged monitoring. During her trial in 2015, Williams, then of Barrow, had discussed having a baby with Barnett for them to abuse together - although prosecutors conceded this particular horrific exchange was just fantasy. The then 22-year-old was sending messages to Barnett saying she thought about sexually abusing children 'all the time'. All three were released from prison in 2017 after serving half of their sentences in custody. Out of this world: An artists impression of a new-born star. Photo: Dr Marck Garlick A team of Ireland-based scientists has conducted ground-breaking research that sheds light on how stars and ultimately planets are born. The team of around 20 physicists from the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies (DIAS), founded by Eamon de Valera in 1940, published its findings in the prestigious Nature scientific journal yesterday. The international team spent the past 18 months analysing data from the world's most powerful telescope, GRAVITY, based at the European South Observatory high up in the Andes Mountains in Chile. For the first time ever, the team was able to prove a long-established theory about how stars are born. "We combined four of the largest telescopes in the world so we could image the process," Professor Tom Ray of DIAS's School of Cosmic Physics told the Irish Independent. The GRAVITY telescope was able to capture the process in which stars effectively suck in matter orbiting around them in much the same way as a magnet is able to align iron filings, he explained. The super telescope allowed the team to see "an unprecedented level of detail" as it observed the behaviour of TW Hydra - the nearest star to Earth, and the youngest, at around a million years old, he said. "It was a very crude image but it was good enough," he said, adding that it would take about 160 years travelling at the speed of light in order to physically reach the star. His colleague, Dr Rebeca Garcia Lopez of DIAS and University College Dublin, said: "Previously scientists suspected that new stars and planets were born from matter surrounding existing stars through a process called 'magnetospheric accretion'. "However, this was not confirmed until we carried out our ground-breaking study and saw first-hand the process in action. "We were able to see how matter from its surrounding disc is channelled on to the star, enabling it to gain weight. This makes us the first researchers to confirm the process by which new stars - and, ultimately, planets - are born," she said. Prof Ray said the findings are exciting because they shed light on how planets are formed. "These research findings are highly significant because they enable scientists to better understand how stars like our Sun form, and how the discs surrounding these stellar embryos give rise to planets like the Earth." The UKs 1351 Treason Act has stood, with amendments, for hundreds of years. The Act of Parliament is so old it was initially written in Norman French and distinguishes two forms of treason: high treason, disloyalty to the crown, and the lesser charge of petit treason, when deemed disloyal to a subject of the sovereign. The last trial for high Treason in the UK was that of William Joyce, infamously known as Lord HawHaw, an American born fascist and wartime Nazi propagandist, who died by hanging almost 75 years ago at Wandsworth Prison in 1946. Today, as part of its offensive against democratic rights, Boris Johnsons Conservative government is planning to repurpose the Treason Act as a political tool to suppress dissent and protest in the UK. Their moves are designed to exacerbate an already poisonous political atmosphere and advance moves towards a police state. In parallel, the Espionage Act and Official Secrets Act are also to be reformulated. A senior government source said Home Office officials have their foot very much on the gas to publish the new treason laws this autumn as an integral component of a defence and security review. Johnson is understood to want the new measures on the UK statute books within months rather than years. Such haste is a sure sign of the febrile political situation in the UK. The Tory government is acutely aware of the growing opposition by British workers to its policies, both at home and abroad. The proposed new acts will mean those deemed to have sworn allegiance to a foreign power or organisation are automatically criminalised if they operate in or attempt to re-enter the UK. Under the changes being considered, merely voicing opinions and facts associated with the hindrance of British interests abroadhowever the government defines thiswill make citizens open to accusations of treason. Individuals and organisations accused by the government of providing succour to those deemed enemies of the UK will be prosecuted. The aim is to secure a hostile political atmosphere, under which citizens are reticent to voice dissenting opinions in public. The law changes will criminalise those accused of acting on behalf of a hostile nation or who travel abroad to fight with armed groups. But socialists and progressives communicating a political message advocating international or global movements and solutions rather than national and parochial ones will be vulnerable to prosecution. The government intends to utilize such laws as weapons with which to combat states deemed hostile to British interests, primarily Russia and China, by criminalising collusion, including possibly business and political links, with individuals from these states. Ultimately, however, the governments aimbeyond asserting an increasingly aggressive foreign policyis directed against opposition emerging from the working class towards their homicidal pandemic policy, war, militarism, and austerity. The UKs Law Commission is the statutory body that reviews laws in England and Wales and makes recommendations whether laws need updating. They intended to review the UK law on treason in 2008, under the last Labour government, but the project was shelved because it had ceased to be of contemporary relevance. In the Middle Ages, reasoned the commission, England was more often than not at war. It is questionable whether treason offences are required in peacetime. The "Russia report" authored by Parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee The government is using the Intelligence Security Committees (ISC) report into alleged but unproven Russian interference in British politics as a means to remodel treason legislation. Despite the report finding no evidence of Russian interference, the Home Office, together with anti-Russia hawks like Anne Applebaum and the former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele, and media outletsprimarily the Guardian present Russia as a serious security threat to Britain. In addition to contributing to the report, ex-MI6 officer Steele is closely associated with another recent dossier, this time on the subject of Chinese influence, which is also being used to bolster attempts to alter the Treason Act. According to Steele, the Chinese regime seeks to influence the British elite by conducting subversive activities and seeking to influence UK politics, academia, and business to further Chinas foreign policy. The content of the China dossier has not been made public and was shown only to a small number of parliamentarians and media organisations, including Sky News. Steele has form. In 2016 he compiled what became known as the Steele Dossier, a compilation of unverified and salacious charges against Trump that alleged links with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Sajid Javid, the then Home Secretary, first raised the prospect of a redefinition of the British treason law to tackle hostile state activity last year. Despite being subsequently promoted to chancellor last yeara position he then resigned fromJavid still plays an important role in the Tory party. He insists that the UK must treat the alleged threat of Russian and Chinese cyber-attacks as it does terrorism. Former Home Secretary Sajid Javid, addressing a 2019 Conference on confronting extremism (credit: twitter-Home Office) It is crucial, argued Javid in the Mail on Sunday last month, that we give the police and security services more legal tools. The Putin government was an immediate and urgent threat to our national security. He continued, Since the 1990s, we have made well-intentioned attempts to work with Russian business and their government. This has spiraled into members of the Russian elitewith close links to Putin and his intelligence servicesextending their influence across the British establishment and using London as a financial laundromat. Javid drew comparisons between Russia and China: Similarly to Russias blurring of state and corporate activity, Beijing has been accused of using state-backed businesses to orchestrate the takeover of strategic UK companies. Where this fails, they have sometimes resorted to corporate espionage to get at sensitive information. In seeking to impose more sweeping treason laws, the government is heavily utilizing the case of Shamima Begum, who, having been groomed online, left Britain aged 15, in 2015, to join the Islamic State (IS) group in Syria, along with two school friends. The two childhood friends with whom Begum travelled to the Levant are both dead, as are two children born to Begum. She currently resides in a squalid Syrian refugee camp. As home secretary, Javid stripped Begum of British citizenship to stop her returning from Syria. This made her stateless, which is illegal under international law. The Nazi regime in Germany stripped Jews and opponents of their regime of citizenship in order to deprive them of their basic rights. Since then, citizenship has been understood as the right to have rights and popularly considered irrevocable. This undated photo released by the Metropolitan Police of London, shows Shamima Begum, a young British woman who went to Syria to join the Islamic State group and now wants to return to Britain. (Metropolitan Police of London via AP, File) Lawyers representing Begum took legal action against the Home Office. Javid commented in his Mail on Sunday piece on the necessity for repurposing our ancient treason laws to cover Britons who operate on behalf of a hostile nation or go abroad to fight alongside terrorist groups. Too often it feels as if our laws work against a common sense of justice and security. The recent Court of Appeal decision on Shamima Begum is just the latest example. This was a reference to a senior judge ruling that Begum could only have a fair and effective appeal if permitted to come into the United Kingdom to pursue her appeal. The government appealed that ruling and on July 31 won permission at the Court of Appeal to fight, at the Supreme Court, Begums appeal against being stripped of her British citizenship. Democratic rights and civil liberties are being decimated at breakneck speed. As recently as 2014, the then Justice Minister for the Conservative/Liberal Democrat government, Simon Hughes, was asked whether the offence of treason was available for use by prosecuting authorities against UK citizens participating in jihad in the Middle East. He responded at the time that the offence of treason was outdated, and counter-terrorism powers were more than sufficient. In their rush to overturn centuries old democratic rights, the Tory government and right-wing media neglect to mention that IS, with whom Begum is accused of associating, emerged from the debacle of the 2003 US and UK illegal invasion of Iraq. IS and countless other Islamic terrorist groups fighting in the Syrian civil war were trained, armed, and incited against the minority Baathist Alawite regime in Damascus by British, American, Israeli, Gulf, Turkish and Saudi military intelligence. In recent developments, the United States had announced a new set of trade sanctions that were imposed on Chinese-owned firms along with their officials for their roles in the South China Sea territorial disputes. Continuing territorial war On Wednesday, the State and Commerce departments' actions affect various Chinese enterprises including several parts of China Communications Construction Co. (CCCC), one of the country's leading contractors for Chinese President Xi Jinping's Belt and Road Initiative. According to the Wall Street Journal, the US government placed 24 other Chinese firms that have been continuously operating within the South China Sea, including five subsidiaries of CCCC to a list of the Commerce Department that prohibits US companies from dealing with the foreign companies or supplying them with American technology. The State Department announced that it rendered several executives who are believed to have had a hand in malign activities in the South China Sea ineligible for US visas. The decision followed a declaration by the US government last month that stated Washington is opposing several claims by China in the territory of the South China Sea. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the change in policy was part of a strategy to maintain international law. Beijing has continued to claim parts of the South China Sea as parts of its territory despite overlapping with six other countries, five of which are Southeast Asian countries. Xi has led China to continuously build artificial islands on several features in the region under the country's control. Also Read: China's COVID-19 Vaccine May Be Used for Geopolitical Efforts Xi has also equipped the locations with weaponry, a program that has continued despite Xi's 2015 promise during a press conference held in the White House that he will not militarize the islands in the area. Trump's administration has continued to ban Chinese-owned social media apps TikTok and WeChat and recent weeks as part of the Republican's crackdown on China. The United States president had repeatedly accused Beijing of poorly responding to the coronavirus pandemic when it was first discovered in Wuhan, as reported by The New York Times. Unreasonable accusations On Wednesday, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington said that allegations were utterly unreasonable and stated that the area of the South China Sea and claimed the region was an integral part of China's territory. The representative said that the US is branding out its dominance in what it calls a severe violation of international law and basic protocols about international relations. He continued to deny the accusations and condemns the American government of its claims. The State Department announced on Wednesday that China has continued to build more than 3,000 acres across the seven features of the South China Sea since 2013. The buildings include several air-defense and anti-ship missile technology. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said that the companies added to the list were ones who had significant roles in Beijing's aggressive constructions of artificial islands and noted the firms had to be held responsible for their actions. Although the United States does not have claims in the South China Sea, the American government said it wished to maintain the freedom of navigation in the region's water that are filled with natural resources. Related Articles: Chinese Hospitals Implement Horrific Late-Stage Abortions, Newborn Killings to Reduce Uighur Population @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Jaipur, 27 Aug : Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has cancelled all meetings with visitors as a precaution after 10 personnel in the Chief Minister's Office and residence tested Corona positive, officials said on Thursday. Visitors arriving from different parts of the state come in contact with various members of the staff including security personnel at the Chief Minister's Office and residence. Due to such situations, keeping their health and safety in mind, the Chief Minister has cancelled all meetings with visitors as a precuationary measure. The Chief Minister has requested visitors to avoid travelling to meet him and asked them to cooperate while taking care of their health in view of Covid-19 pandemic. Hansi Flick has admitted that Bayern Munich will 'lose some players who have tremendous quality'. Despite winning the Champions League, Bayern's squad could be rather different next season, with Liverpool target Thiago Alcantara amongst those who could depart. In addition, Ivan Perisic is set to return to Inter Milan following the conclusion of his loan spell, while Philippe Coutinho is heading back to Barcelona. Liverpool are preparing to make an approach for Bayern Munich midfielder Thiago Alcantara Bayern Munich boss Flick told Die Zeit: '[We will] lose some players who have tremendous quality, we have to deal with that. 'If I could continue to work with this squad, that would be nice, but that is not the case.' Flick's comments come as Liverpool are preparing to make an approach for Thiago in the coming days, according to SportBILD. Bayern Munich manager Hansi Flick has admitted that there will be an exodus from the club Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp could bring in Thiago to add more creativity to his team Thiago is into the final year of his contract at Bayern and Liverpool are looking to add more creativity to their side. Bayern value Thiago at 29million, but it remains to be seen whether Liverpool will meet their asking price. Given their interest in Thiago, Liverpool have no plans to offer Georginio Wijnaldum, who is out of contract next summer, a new deal as things stand. Liverpool have made just one signing so far in this transfer window, bringing in left-back Kostas Tsimikas from Olympiacos. With the Texas Legislature set to meet in January, part of Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegars job is let legislators know how much money they have to balance in the states budget. Hegar, a Katy-area resident when not in Austin, discussed the revenue and economic effects of COVID-19 on state and county governments at the Texas Association of Counties 2020 Legislative Conference on Wednesday afternoon. Due to COVID-19, this years event was held virtually. Related: Proposed Missouri City budget include drop in tax rate The challenge that the pandemic has put before Texas is the transformation of a multibillion-dollar revenue cushion into a multibillion-dollar shortfall, Hegar told county officials via video conference. More than 1,000 people registered for the virtual Legislative Conference. The pandemic created an economic slowdown in Texas, That, coupled with low oil and gas prices, may leave legislators with a budget crisis ahead of the 87th session of the Texas Legislature. Related: Oakbend Medical Group COVID-19 testing site in Sugar Land closed until Monday, Aug. 31 In July, Hegar issued a revised revenue estimate for the state. Originally projecting a $2.9 billion surplus, the pandemic and drop in oil prices left Hegar projecting a $4.6 billion deficit by the end of the current two-year budget cycle in August 2021. The economic contraction associated with COVID-19 has resulted in revenue collections this fiscal year that are much lower than our earlier (Certification Revenue Estimate) projections, Hegar said in July. Its important to note that this revised estimate carries unprecedented uncertainty. Were assuming the state will effectively manage the outbreak and that infection rates wont overwhelm our health care system. This estimate also assumes that restrictions on businesses and individuals will be lifted before the end of this calendar year and that economic activity will strengthen but not return to pre-pandemic levels by the end of this biennium. Prior to the meeting of the Legislature in January, Hegar will give a revenue estimate for the 2022-23 biennium. One thing working in Texas favor is its rainy day fund, expected to end the current fiscal year with an $8.8 billion balance. The emergency account was previously known as the Economic Stabilization Fund. Frankly, the rainy day fund was designed for purposes just like this, Hegar said. Hegars family lives in Katy with his wife Dara and their three children. Hegar is originally from Hockley, where his family has lived for generations. At the conference, Hegar said that his family has been forced to negotiate the uncertainties surrounding the new school year. As such, he has reportedly told his children, In 2020, one of the words is flexibility. Another is adaptability. The Legislature will need to keep those words in mind when it next meets, he said. rkent@hcnonline.com The Syrian Democratic Council has condemned the cutting off of water by Turkey and called on the US, Russian and the UN to pressure Turkey to resume services reports North Press. On Wednesday, the Autonomous Administration in Northern and Eastern Syrias legislative body, the Syrian Democratic Council, condemned the Turkish cutoff of water to Hassakeh city for the 24th day in row, describing it as a crime against humanity. Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) co-chair Gabriel Chamoun said that, what Turkey is doing by cutting off water to the city of Hassakeh and its countryside, where more than a million people live, is a crime against humanity. Chamoun, who is also an official in the Syriac Union Party in Hassakeh, said in a special statement to North Press on Wednesday that, Turkey is carrying out a lot of violations against Syrians in general and the people in northeastern Syria in particular; first it reduced the Euphrates water level, which deprived the region of electricity, and now it is adding to these violations by cutting off water. For the 24th consecutive day, Turkey is depriving Hassakeh and its countryside of water despite re-opening Alouk Water Station, but as a result of its weak water flow, the water has still not reached the water reservoirs in Hassakeh city. Chamoun demanded that the US, Russia and the United Nations put pressure on Turkey to resume the flow of water to the city of Hassakeh, adding, Turkey is using the water as a bargaining chip against the Autonomous Administration. Chamoun also criticized both Russia and the US as main powers in Syria regarding the water crisis, saying that, both the US and Russia could have taken a firm stand to ensure that these humanitarian crimes would not be repeated. He added that the residents of the area and thousands of Sere Kaniye and Tel Abyad IDPs were affected by the heavy toll of the water cutoff. 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. GENESEE COUNTY, MI -- Two weeks after giving a Lansing construction company initial approval to build a $20-million juvenile detention center, the county has shifted direction and picked a Flint builder to handle the job instead. The county Board of Commissioners voted 6-3 Wednesday, Aug. 26, to award the contract to E&L Construction of Flint, over-ruling its own vote earlier this month to award the job to Granger Construction of Lansing. Grangers support evaporated as commissioners who preferred E&L because of its low bid joined with those who said the county cant afford to start the demolition and replacement of the Genesee Valley Regional Center and others who said the selection process was flawed and rushed. I just feel this whole process has been ... rushed and jammed down this boards throat, said Commissioner Shaun Shumaker, R-Fenton Twp., who voted against awarding the contract Wednesday. County employees had recommended Granger for the job, citing the companys experience in building similar juvenile facilities, the quality of its subcontractors and its commitment to complete the work in just 15 months. The job will be on the largest construction projects in the county this year, involving the building of incarceration and classroom facilities for children 10-18 years old who have been court-ordered into detention pending the disposition of their court cases. Some buildings on the grounds of the GVRC, located on Pasadena Avenue east of Linden Road, are nearly 100 years old and county officials have said the facility is inefficient and expensive to operate. Eleven county judges have also signed a joint statement, strongly supporting replacement of the GVRC with a consolidated facility that lends itself as much with on-site treatment as detention. Commissioners Martin Cousineau, D-Thetford Township, and Kim Courts, D-Flint Township, joined Shumaker in voting against hiring E&L, which bid approximately $300,000 less than Granger. E&L continued to make the case why it should build the new center after the initial vote for Granger, commissioners said Wednesday, and some board members said they didnt want to overlook a local company and local subcontractors. E&L , I understand, has a lot of local Genesee subcontractors. (Not choosing them) kind of then puts a bad light on what were saying about Genesee County skilled trades, which I would not want to do at all, said Commissioner David Martin, R-Davison. We have outstanding, great workers in this county, and they could provide that work. In February, commissioners approved plans to borrow the money needed to pay for the GVRC project and bids were returned in July and reviewed by a county committee that interviewed representatives of both Granger and E&L, the two low bidders on the job. Several commissioners said they were left out of discussions with the companies and said information presented to them seems slanted toward Granger. Wednesdays final vote for E&L came after one failed vote to contract with Granger and after an initial vote to hire E&L also failed. Commissioners Brenda Clack, D-Flint, and Mark Young, D-Grand Blanc, changed their votes to produce the final approval for E&L. Young has said the county needs a new detention center but has questioned whether it can afford it with an estimated $10-million budget shortfall. Genesee County passes on low bid, picks Granger to build juvenile detention center Genesee County gives green light on replacement of juvenile facility Genesee County OKs borrowing $30 million to replace juvenile detention center Britte McBride is stepping down from her seat on the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission, saying that she feels it is the right time to assess her next steps. I took this appointment to contribute to the establishment of a sound regulatory structure for the state and Im really proud of the work that weve done, but after a lot of thought it just feels like its the right time for me to step back and to assess what my next step is going to be, McBride told MassLive in an interview Thursday. You kind of step back occasionally and assess where you are and for me, its that moment in time. McBride, who holds the public safety seat on the commission, which regulates Massachusetts marijuana industry, said shell now explore her options and does not have a specific opportunity lined up. Im really passionate about public policy, I love being a problem solver and I get a lot of joy out of the challenge of building things, which is why this job really spoke to me and why this appointment, I think, really fit with who I am professionally, McBride said. It was something novel and challenging and there were certainly a lot of problems that needed to be solved and a lot of issues that needed to be addressed, so I dont know what the next thing is going to be but Im hoping Ill land on something that combines those elements. An exact date for McBrides departure is not yet clear, but it could be in October. The commissioner said she is committed to staying on until the current regulatory process is complete and until the seat former commissioner Kay Doyle left earlier this year is filled. McBride said she feels her biggest contribution to the commission has been in the creation of a regulatory framework. At the earliest stages of drafting those regulations alongside Commissioner Doyle, that provided the foundation that we have only built upon, she said. That framework does things like prioritizing public safety, it does things like mitigating perceived risks, which I think lends credibility and trust in our legalized market. The commissioner said she hopes her legacy in the role will be in taking a balanced approach to creating public policy. Im hoping that I helped to ensure the safety of patients, consumers and employees, McBride said. But, I also hope that moving forward, as people look at what were doing from a regulatory perspective, McBride continued, I just I really truly believe that by implementing a comprehensive regulatory structure, as weve done, that were promoting an industry thats responsible, its sustainable and durable, and thats really important because that industry in Massachusetts will be able to pivot with minimum pain when the day comes that federal legalization happens and I think that the day probably is coming when federal legalization will happen. Before being appointed to the commission, McBride previously served as legal counsel to the Massachusetts Department of Public Safety within the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, deputy counsel to the Massachusetts Senate, and spent seven years as an assistant attorney general in the Attorney Generals office, where she also served as chief of the Policy and Government Division. Shes a graduate of the College of the Holy Cross and Suffolk University Law School. The office of Attorney General Maura Healey appointed McBride to the commission in 2017. Her term on the commission was slated to end next year. Doyle, who left the commission in May, had a term slated to end days from now on Aug. 31. That is also the day Commissioner Shaleen Titles term ends. Titles role on the commission is appointed by a majority vote of the governor, attorney general and treasurer and receiver. The appointing authorities recently had applications open for the governance and social justice seats on the commission, with a due date of Aug. 25. The Cannabis Control Commission on Thursday did not have further information about Titles seat. Commissioner Jennifer Flanagans term expires Aug. 31, 2021, and Chairman Steven Hoffmans term runs through Aug. 31, 2022. Applications are currently being accepted for two Commissioner positions. The deadline to submit is tomorrow, August 25. For more details, visit: https://t.co/xfPn2nv5mU Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission (@MA_Cannabis) August 24, 2020 McBride said she hopes the public safety seat will be filled by someone with high ethical standards, who brings perspective to the role and is able to work collaboratively. I hope that its somebody that picks up the mantle of making sure that public safety and public health is a priority and is reflected throughout our regulations and I clearly believe that the attorney general is going to put somebody into this seat who will carry forth that methodology and that philosophy, she said. Looking ahead, there is more work to be done in terms of public safety and the marijuana industry broadly. McBride said she would like to see the creation of a state standards laboratory for testing, the development of specialized coursework at higher education institutions with scholarships and more incubator spaces. McBride had been looking at the creation of a task force to address sales of marijuana in the traditional market and hopes it will remain a priority with creative thinking on how to address the issue. When the commissioners were first appointed in 2017, they shared a borrowed office space and started to build the regulatory agency from the ground up. Today, the commission has a headquarters in Worcesters historic Union Station and is an agency of around 65 employees. The states legal marijuana industry has generated more than $122 million in tax revenue in its first two years. McBride said she feels the commission has put into place one of the most comprehensive regulatory structures of any state with legal marijuana, working to address the illicit market by adopting policies like a marijuana delivery license. Applications for that license became available earlier this year and are currently limited to applicants who have been disproportionately affected by the war on drugs. While the contributions so far have been significant, McBride said she feels its time for new voices to be added to the conversations. McBride said shes enjoyed meeting and talking with people through her role on the commission, as well as working closely with colleagues. I would be remiss if I didnt call out the hard work and the fair-mindedness of the people that make up this commission and just the joy of working with them, she said. Its been a learning experience and I will always treasure it. Related Content: The flood in Sudan has reached 17.43 metres and may increase over the next few days, the irrigation ministry said Sudan's irrigation ministry said in a statement on Thursday that Khartoum's Nilometer has recorded the highest level in the ministry's records from the past hundred years. Irrigation Minister Yasser Abbas said that the Nile level had reached 17.43 metres and is expected to increase over the next few days, urging citizens and the concerned authorities to take precautions. On Sunday, the Egyptian irrigation ministry said that coordination was taking place around the clock between Cairo and Khartoum in the framework of mutual cooperation, exchange of data and information, and shared Nile measurements at some measurement stations. The Egyptian ministry said that officials had reviewed past years data, models and forecasts and that the data indicates that rainfall is increasing at the sources of the Nile. "The preliminary indications of the Nile flood show that it is likely to be higher than average and that the incoming water throughout August is higher than the same month of last year," the ministry said in a statement. The committee responsible "is in a continuous session" to take the necessary measures to deal with the floods this year, the Egyptian statement read. Egypt and Sudan have been in talks with Ethiopia to reach an agreement on the filling and operation of the massive hydroelectric dam Addis Ababa is building on the Blue Nile, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). A new round of AU-sponsored tripartite talks was launched last month and attended by the US and EU have already stalled twice. There was a hiatus between 27 July and 3 August, after Ethiopia announced it had completed the first phase of filling the reservoir, followed by another halt when Sudan called for a suspension of meetings to allow for consultations after Addis Ababas proposed a package of non-binding guidelines for the filling of the mega-dam. Egypt, which relies on the Nile for 95 percent of its fresh water, fears the $4.8 billion hydropower dam will diminish its water supply. Sudan has expressed concerns that the project could endanger its own dams. Ethiopia, on the other hand, says the project is key to its development and hopes to become Africas biggest exporter of electric power with the GERD, which is set to be the continents largest dam. Search Keywords: Short link: Photo by: Ilana Panich-Linsman For The Washington Post, For The Washington Post / For The Washington Post Deep in the 2020 Democratic Party platform, on page 63 to be exact, sit 54 hope-filled words for immigrants under orders of deportation. A lot of stars must align before any of those words bear promise. They hang, first, on the election of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. Sheltered inside houses of worship, these immigrants are nothing if not patient. They live in little rooms, simply furnished; with other family members, or alone; and in the care of small villages of worshipers defying authorities. Gregory Bull, STF / Associated Press These churches are modern-day sanctuaries, born of centuries-old faith traditions. You wouldnt know which serve as such. Theyre spread out across the country. While some of us have endured being quarantined for five months because of the COVID-19 pandemic, immigrants in sanctuary have lived in close quarters for years. This weekend I spoke with two immigrants living in separate churches in Austin. One is a 44-year-old man from El Salvador, the other a 30-year-old woman from Guatemala. Theyve essentially lived in quarantine, unable to step outside the boundaries of their sanctuaries. Over Zoom, they told their stories and why theyre speaking to journalists. Theyre activists. Hilda Ramirez participated in hunger strikes while in a South Texas detention facility and was released with an ankle monitor to pursue her asylum case. Alirio Gamez spent weeks in a Border Patrol hielera, Spanish for cooler, before being moved to several detention facilities. He borrowed money to pay his bond and was released with an ankle monitor, too. Both lost their asylum cases and received orders for deportation. Both are fearful of being returned. Theyre praying on 54 words in the Democratic platform, a list of promises that wont all become reality but guides the party that wants to retake the White House. Alex Brandon/Associated Press We will reaffirm enforcement officials ability to engage in the pre-Trump practice of prosecutorial discretion for deserving cases, the platform says, including when needed to address humanitarian issues or other injustices. We will also prevent enforcement officials from retaliating against individuals for their political speech or activity, or because of their efforts to advocate for individuals rights. Immigrant leaders throughout the country inspired the platforms phrasing. As a group, theyve lived in the country long enough to understand Trump administration officials removed the use of prosecutorial discretion, the ability for authorities to take into account special circumstances, such as the potential for violence if returned to their homelands. Immigrant leaders are clear-eyed about the Obama administration, too. President Barack Obama has been called the deporter-in-chief, but a Migration Policy Institute study of immigration enforcement records from 1993 to 2016 show that figuring out which president deserves the dubious title is complicated. As for family separations, President Donald Trump created a border crisis by separating children from their parents. President Barack Obamas workplace raids and those of other administrations had the same effect. JERRY LARA / San Antonio Express-News In Black families, parents must have the talk with their children about the dangers of being stopped by police. In brown families, they also talk about immigrant separation, because U.S.-born Latinos have been caught up in enforcement. Ramirez, an indigenous woman from Guatemala, crossed the border illegally in 2014. She and her son Ivan were sent to the Karnes City detention center for 11 months. Her native language is Mam, spoken by indigenous Mayans. Hes now a 14-year-old in sixth grade who speaks English. That was one of the few times Ramirez smiled during our Zoom meeting. Ramirez has lived in an Austin church for four years. She wouldnt have migrated here had the danger been only hers to bear. But she feared for her son. Gangs are adept recruiters. Teen boys and girls dont have the option to decline membership. Detention was difficult, she said, especially because she agitated for change within its walls. Hunger strikes got media attention. It was more difficult for our children, she said in Spanish. In Saturdays column, she and Gamez will have more to say about their hopes for a reprieve and to live beyond walls that continue to close in on them. Elaine Ayala is a columnist covering San Antonio and Bexar County. To read more from Elaine, become a subscriber. eayala@express-news.net | Twitter: @ElaineAyala (TNS) After the pandemic prompted schools to move online, Thea Pettaway noticed her 7-year-old daughter Meah seemed sad. She missed her friends and her routine.She kept asking me, Why are we home? She would say, I hate coronavirus, Pettaway said.Pettaway struggled, too. Last spring, she used her vacation time to stay home with her daughter. But that wasnt a long-term solution. Recently, Meahs school, the International Academy of Smyrna, Ga., announced it would begin the year on Aug. 17 with virtual instruction.I was just stressed out, Pettaway said. I didnt have any resources to just say, OK, well I can hire a private tutor or have someone come in and babysit her.So she signed up Meah for a new program offered by Girls Inc. of Greater Atlanta . The Marietta-based nonprofit is one of hundreds of after-school providers, childcare centers, churches and community groups to open digital learning hubs throughout the state.The sites give parents a supervised place to send their child during day to do their online school work. Staffers, in some cases volunteers, help students keep up with their classes, troubleshoot technology problems and even provide a bit of social interaction or extracurricular fun.Theres obviously a need, and theres a lot of programs taking this really seriously and figuring out how to do it safely, said Katie Landes, director of the Georgia Statewide Afterschool Network While they dont replace school, the programs can support online learning, she said. They have more flexibility to restrict the number of participants and enforce social distancing. And some schools have helped by providing desks, technology support and referring families who need an alternative to at-home learning.In one colorful room at Girls Inc., a handful of masked girls studied their laptop screens intently. Each sat at her own table, strewn with paper, pencils and instructions for logging in to that days online classes.Meah wore earbuds as she watched her school teacher via video. She flashed a thumbs-up and held her notebook close to her computer screen to show her work. Nearby, a Girls Inc. staffer kept an eye on her and the other girls.The program launched last week with 17 girls. Girls Inc. CEO Tiffany Collie-Bailey expects more children could join as parents seek out help once classes get well underway. With help from Marietta City Schools, they found a church willing to serve as a satellite location if the program continues to grow.Girls Inc. typically provides after-school, in-school and summer programs. In the months after the coronavirus arrived, they offered a virtual program and also tested out a smaller-than-usual, in-person day camp with safety rules.Collie-Bailey said they had no cases of COVID-19, and she felt the need to open up during school hours to serve their families, many of whom are essential workers.About three quarters of the girls who participate in their programs are not reading on grade level, and the majority are Black and brown children, she said.We want to level the playing field, she said. We just want to make sure that our girls have the same access as everyone else.The digital learning program runs from 7:30 am to 3:00 pm, and theres extended hours for those who want to stay later. The cost for the school-day program is $200 a week; need-based scholarships are available to lower the fee to $140.The center had to increase its cleaning budget by about $24,000 for the year, Collie-Bailey said. It also secured a grant to pay for building upgrades such as motion-sensing lights and self-flushing toilets to cut down on high-touch areas where the virus may spread.Programs respond to needAfter closing in March, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta reopened 10 sites last week. Most are open during school hours to help children with online learning. The move requires navigating a tricky balance between health risks and serving children, said David Jernigan , the organizations president and CEO.The clubs can be more nimble than much-larger school districts and operate on a smaller scale, he said. They require masks and have placed children in groups of eight to limit potential exposure to the virus. Theyve also capped participation at a quarter of the usual capacity.Schools helped to prioritize which club members would benefit the most from attending an in-person program kids who may have struggled last spring with virtual learning or who dont have adult supervision.Several school systems lent a hand. Marietta City Schools created a page on its website listing groups that offer virtual learning support and childcare programs. It also shared schedules, training videos and technology hotlines with providers, said Kimberly Blass, the districts executive director of external affairs.We know what its like trying to juggle working and children who are at home learning, she said. Its not that we dont want to open the doors. Its not that we are asking them to do something that we wouldnt do. Its their ability to serve a smaller number of children.Jernigan estimated that opening up amid the pandemic will cost his organization more than $500,000 in extra expenses from technology updates to safety measures. The clubs raise money to keep their membership fee as affordable as possible, between $60 and $135 per semester.Up to 48 children can attend the Chamblee club, and it was nearly filled within the first week, said executive director LaSonya Hendrix. Many of the clubs families speak Spanish, and the language barrier makes it tough for some parents to help with school work, she said.In the first few days, her team got kids logged in and sorted out which online platforms teachers were using.Milly Marroquin, a DeKalb County fifth grader, said its been fun to see her friends again at the Chamblee club and nice to be out of the house. Her mother, Gloria Ramirez, said it was a relief when the club opened during the day. She had been considering finding a new job where she could work the night shift.I work a full-time job from 9-to-4, and I just didnt have enough time to help her out with her homework. Its still kind of difficult, she said.The YMCA of Metro Atlanta this week launched a school-day program at 16 sites for children in kindergarten through sixth grade. On the first day, 366 children showed up, with attendance expected to grow.Children and staff must wear masks, except during outdoor or physical activities when social distancing is in effect.Over the summer, about 260 coronavirus cases were linked to attendees and staffers at a North Georgia YMCA overnight camp. Staff were required to wear masks but campers were not, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report said.Landes said theres a big difference between a day program and a residential camp. She said providers have learned lessons about how to run programs more safely.The Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning, which licenses child-care programs, recommends face coverings for employees and older children, not for those under age 2.In recent weeks, the agency added a search function to its website to allow parents to find providers offering full-time care for school-age children. It also will receive up to $19 million in federal coronavirus aid allocated by Gov. Brian Kemp. The money will help low-income families pay for child care if their school is offering only online learning.Pettaway hopes other groups will open up programs like the one run by Girls Inc. She said her daughter came home after the first few days excited and full of stories: Shes been very happy. This column is an opinion by Yvonne Sam, a Montreal resident and a retired head nurse and secondary school teacher who has spent decades writing on social issues for worldwide media. For more information about CBC's Opinion section, please see the FAQ. There have been increased public calls to defund the police in the wake of the deaths of George Floyd and others at the hands of law enforcement officers. Meanwhile, police officials, community leaders and politicians have called for more anti-racism education and equipment, such as body-worn camera systems, all in the name of better relations with Black communities and other people of colour. Defunding isn't the answer, and while more equipment and community-relations education might improve policing, they are insufficient. The integral problem with policing in Canada lies in the fact that we expect too much of front-line police officers and train them for roles that are in gross dissimilarity to the ones they actually play in society. What's needed is a thorough reform of the policing system itself. Recruits are currently trained in military-style academies that concentrate to a large extent on the implementation of force and law. They operate within a culture that takes great pride in acting as warriors, in the sense of having a duty to protect others. However, as part of their duties in the real world, police are also called on to be everything from traffic directors and neighbourhood patrollers, to social workers and mental health counsellors sometimes all within a single shift on an average day. The gamut of skills that we currently ask police officers to incorporate is totally unrealistic. As a result, incidents commencing with civilians violating minor traffic laws, experiencing a mental health crisis, or displaying disorderly conduct or the effects of intoxication, sometimes end with the very same civilians, disproportionately Blacks, unnecessarily killed. Story continues Policing must change, because we rely far too much on them to deal with problems that go beyond what they are currently trained, hired, and equipped to handle. HWDSB Kids Need Help/Twitter What would it take to fix this imbalance at the heart of Canadian policing defunding? No! We need to fundamentally rethink how we structure police resources and responsibilities. A look at the organizational chart of major police departments, such as Toronto's, would reveal that noticeably absent from the list of specialized departments are ones specifically responsible for dealing with issues related to social work or conflict intervention. It is a mismatch between what police are trained to do versus what society asks of them that has gone on far too long, and it will only lead to more disastrous consequences if not addressed and redressed. The evidence of this mismatch is clear. Take, for example, the case in Toronto of Regis Korchinski-Paquet, a 29-year-old woman who recently fell to her death from the balcony of her 24th-floor apartment minutes after police arrived in response to a call from her family who wanted them to take her to a mental health facility. And the case in Montreal where police shot Nicholas Gibbs, who had a history of mental health issues, alleging that they had approached to break up a fight between him and another man. And the policerelated deaths of Machuar Madut, Jaskamal Singh, and Andrew Loku, each of whom had a history of mental illness. These situations, like so many others, could have been delegated to non-police agencies, such as the Canadian Mental Health Association or a group like Toronto's mobile health team, which are trained to calm things down and de-escalate. Police are first responders, and they're the ones called upon to deal with disturbances. However, they need better training to recognize and deal with situations involving mental health and substance abuse issues, and they need to be able to quickly call in specialized help to defuse them and be expected to do so. Part of reforming our police forces also means changing how the officers who make up those forces are recruited, hired and trained. All police forces need to create specialized units to deal with issues and conflict mediation when handling situations involving special needs, such as substance abuse and mental illness. Officers for these positions can be recruited from the field of psychology and social work, and hired based on their capacity to calmly handle highly stressful situations. Trained primarily in crisis response, they'd have a mandate to peaceably resolve issues, and when possible, hand them over to the appropriate social services institution. Likewise, some of the duties of police can be re-imagined. For example, the much-applauded Cahoots Program in Eugene, Ore., sends a team of unarmed crisis specialists to address many non-criminal 911 calls without having to involve police. In England, certain traffic-regulation functions have been designated to unarmed, non-police public servants. Modernizing the role played by police in our society is far from being anti-police. A thorough police reform should be the new norm, for all can see that the the enormous demands on front-line officers and the mismatch between what police are currently trained and asked to do has proven deadly. This story is part of a CBC project entitled Being Black in Canada, which highlights the stories and experiences of Black Canadians, from anti-Black racism to success stories Black communities can be proud of. You can read more stories here. Ameya Dalvi Looking to buy a smart TV from a non-Chinese brand? You're in the right place. Unlike smartphones, there are a lot of TV brands not based in China that sell their devices for a competitive price in India. We have already covered the best 55-inch 4K Smart TVs from non-Chinese manufacturers under Rs 40,000. If you are crunched for cash or space, lets look at the best 4K TVs you can get under Rs 30,000 in India this month. Note: The prices mentioned in this article are the online prices of TVs at the time of writing. Some of the models listed below may not be available at certain pincodes from time to time, when trying to buy them online. In that case, you can try checking with your local electronics stores for availability. Best 50-inch 4K Smart TVs from Non-Chinese brands under Rs 30,000 Vu Cinema TV 50CA (Price: Rs 29,999) The Vu Cinema TV is arguably the best all-round budget TV we have tested this year, and the design is quite impressive too. It is a certified Android TV that runs Android Pie 9.0 for TV and has Chromecast built-in. You get a bright 50-inch Pixelium glass panel with a rated brightness of 500 nits that supports HDR 10 and Dolby Vision. The picture quality is excellent, with great contrast and vibrant colour reproduction. The TV is powered by a quad-core chip with four A55 cores and Mali-470 MP GPU. It comes bundled with 1.5 GB RAM and 8 GB of internal storage. The goodness doesnt end there. The Vu 50CA Cinema TV comes with an integrated 40-watt soundbar that produces arguably the best sound output we have heard on LED TVs in this price range. In the connectivity department, you get three HDMI ports one of which supports ARC, two USB 2.0 ports, optical audio, headphone out, a LAN port and AV input. You also have Bluetooth 5.0 and a Bluetooth voice-enabled remote that lets you issue voice commands. Like most Vu TVs, you get an option to adjust picture and sound settings on the fly, irrespective of the input source. Kodak 50CA7077 (Price: Rs 27,999) Kodak launched their first certified Android TV series earlier this year, and the 50CA7077 model (Review) is currently one of the most affordable Dolby Vision-compliant smart TVs in India. It is by far the best Kodak TV we have come across to date, with excellent picture quality and much improved sound too. In sync with current design trends, this model is almost bezel-less on three sides and looks a lot more premium than its selling price would suggest. It has an IPS panel with support for 10-bit colour and a rated brightness of 550 nits. The colour reproduction and contrast are among the best we have seen in this budget range, and 4K content looks really vibrant on this screen. You get support for HDR standards like HDR10, HLG and Dolby Vision, but you will have to deal with the occasional stutter till the company releases a software update to fix it. A pair of bottom-firing speakers rated at 30 watts RMS do a good job of delivering Dolby-certified audio. The hardware specs are modest, with a quad-core processor using ARM Cortex A53 cores clocked at 1 GHz each, and Mali-450 MP GPU. You get 1.75 GB RAM (1.5 GB detectable) and 8 GB internal storage. Connectivity options include three HDMI ports one of which supports ARC, two USB ports (one 2.0, one 3.0), optical audio out, A/V input and a LAN port. There is no connector for analog audio out no headphone jack or A/V out. The TV does support Bluetooth 5.1 to send the audio output to your wireless speakers, soundbar or headphones. Philips 50PUT6103S/94 (Price: Rs 29,990) This 50-inch model from Philips does not run Android OS. It has Philips in-house Saphi OS which is easy to use but not as feature-rich as official Android for TV. You also miss out on apps for some popular OTT platforms like Disney+ Hotstar, Sony LIV etc., and you will need to plug in a video streaming device like an Amazon Fire TV stick or Mi Box 4K to access those platforms. Or you can mirror content from your phone, if youre fine jumping that extra hoop. On the bright side, the UI is smooth and pretty much lag-free, and the TV takes just 5 to 7 seconds to boot. This is way faster than Android TVs that take in excess of half a minute to start. Connectivity options are good too, with two USB ports, three HDMI ports one of which supports ARC, optical audio output, coaxial A/V inputs, a headphone out and a LAN port. The audio output is rated at 20 Watts RMS, but sounds way better than a lot of TVs that flaunt a higher figure. Since this isnt an official Android TV, it does not have Chromecast built-in, but lets you mirror content from your phone or tablet using Miracast. In terms of picture and sound quality, the Philips 50PUT6103S/94 is noticeably better than most of its competitors in this segment, and provides ample options to tweak the picture and audio further. (Also Read: Philips 50PUT6103S/94 4K smart TV review: Good audio/video performance, but with very limited app library) Best 43-inch 4K Smart TVs from Non-Chinese brands under Rs 30,000 Crunched for space or viewing distance, and looking for a smaller TV but with all the 4K goodness? Worry not, we have you covered. Here are the best 43-inch 4K TVs that wont burn a hole in your pocket. Thomson 43 OATHPRO 2000 (Price: Rs 24,999) The renowned French brand Thomson has a fine offering in this segment, the 43 OATHPRO 2000. This 43-inch certified Android TV has a 500 nits-bright 4K IPS panel that delivers great picture quality for this segment. The near bezel-less design is quite stylish too, with a nice mix of black and gold. It has a wide array of connectivity options that include three HDMI ports one of which supports ARC, two USB ports, optical audio out, A/V input, LAN port and Bluetooth 5.0. This TV too is powered by a quad-core processor with ARM Cortex A53 cores and Mali-450 MP GPU. You get 1.75 GB RAM and 8 GB internal storage. Like all certified Android TVs, you have integrated Chromecast, and thanks to the voice-enabled remote here, you can issue voice commands too. The sound output is rated at 30W RMS and is compliant with DTS TruSurround and Dolby Digital Plus. Sanyo Kaizen XT-43UHD4S (Price: Rs 25,999) Sanyo (the renowned Japanese brand now owned by Panasonic) has just launched a couple of new models in their Kaizen series of certified Android TVs. The Kaizen XT-43UHD4S runs Android Pie 9 for TV, and comes with a voice-enabled Bluetooth remote and Chromecast built-in. It has 3x HDMI ports, 2x USB ports and supports all major streaming services. This TV is powered by a quad-core processor and has bumped up the RAM and internal storage to 2 GB and 16 GB respectively, as compared to their previous generation models. Sound output is rated at 20 Watts RMS with support for the Dolby Digital standard. The 4K IPS panel claims to display over a billion colours and supports micro-dimming with 1296 separate zones for better brightness and contrast. You also get Bluetooth 5.0 and Chromecast built in along with other standard input/output options. Blaupunkt BLA43AU680 (Price: Rs 22,999) This TV from the German brand Blaupunkt is not based on a certified Android platform, but has an AOSP-based OS. While it isnt as optimised for TV as certified Android, it is still much better than other TVs that run AOSP. But the main reasons for selecting this TV are its picture quality, price and most importantly, sound output. The Blaupunkt BLA43AU680 comes with an integrated soundbar that can deliver up to 60W RMS that is punchy and noticeably better than most TVs in this list. The TV has a 4K panel that delivers a bright picture with vibrant colours. The TV doesnt lag in connectivity options either, and you get three HDMI ports, 2 USB ports and other popular input and output options. This TV is powered by a quad-core processor and accompanied by 1 GB RAM and 8 GB of internal storage. The TV gets its basics right in terms of picture and sound, and if you dont like its OS, you can always plug in an Amazon Fire TV Stick or Mi Box 4K to turn this into a Fire OS-based or certified Android TV. Indian state refiners have stopped buying crude oil from China-linked companies, three sources said, after New Delhis recent regulation aimed at restricting imports from countries that it shares a border with. The new regulation, put in place on July 23, comes after a border clash between India and China that killed 20 Indian soldiers and soured relations between the two neighbours. Since the new order was issued, state refiners have been inserting a clause in their import tenders on new rules restricting dealings with companies from countries sharing a border with India, ... P Muralidhar Rao, a national general secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), said on Thursday that there is a scope for widening the investigation into the alleged suicide of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput by involving the National Investigation Authority (NIA). He said web of networks is emerging in the case. In a series of tweets, Rao said since multiple agencies such as the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) have already been roped in to the probe, the NIA too may have to be involved in the inquiry. Abetment of suicide, unnatural death being investigated by #CBI. #ED is investigating Money laundering NCB is investigating Drug use case under NDPS Act. #NIA may have to get in may be.!! Case is getting larger Connecting different cases web of networks, he tweeted. Rao, who is also in-charge of Karnataka for the party, went on to tweet that the demand for a wider probe is aimed at helping clean the Bollywood movement. #NIA may have to get in may be.!! Case is getting larger Connecting different cases web of networks.#SSRCase#justiceforSushanthSinghRajput (2/4) P Muralidhar Rao (@PMuralidharRao) August 27, 2020 Entire India and Indians all over are watching keenly intensively and emotionally, Whoever is helping & contributing for this is not fighting for #JusticeForSSR but also helping the clean Bollywood movement. After @KanganaTeams tweet to @PMOIndia, #JusticeforSSR & Clean Bollywood are now getting into one big-movement Swachha Bollywood...Swachha Bharat... he tweeted. Also read: Rhea Chakraborty - Sushant Singh Rajput used to smoke marijuana, it started during Kedarnath Referring to the tweets, a senior party functionary said the BJPs demand for a thorough probe is aimed at getting the underbelly of the film industry exposed. Now there is talk of drugs and links to narcotics traders, which is a serious issue and needs to be exposed since there are links between international drug cartels and terror industry. The idea is to uncover the truth and clean up the industry, said the functionary. #JusticeForSSR Abetment of suicide, Unnatural death being investigated by #CBI.#ED is investigating Money laundering NCB is investigating Drug use case under NDPS Act. (1/4) P Muralidhar Rao (@PMuralidharRao) August 27, 2020 He asserted that the speculation that the party was encouraging a witch-hunt against actors who were critical of the government is far-fetched and false. The SC has already given its nod to the CBI probe and we hope that the investigation reveals the truth, the functionary said. Last week, the Supreme Court ruled that the ongoing probe by the CBI into the case filed against actor Rhea Chakraborty and her family for allegedly abetting the suicide of Rajput is lawful. The top court allowed the federal agency to continue its investigation and rejected a plea by Chakraborty to transfer the case to the Maharashtra Police. The apex courts decision was hailed by several BJP functionaries including union law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad who tweeted, Justice triumphs! The soul of late actor Sushant Singh Rajput will surely now rest in peace with the assurance of a fair investigation by CBI on the FIR filed in Patna by Bihar Police whose request for transfer of case to CBI has been validated by the Supreme Court. On the allegations that the BJP has been using the actors death as a political tool against its opponents in Maharashtra and for mopping support in election-bound Bihar, where the late actor hailed from, the functionary said, the partys intentions are only to expose the nexus between unlawful groups and some members of the film industry. In Maharashtra, the party has attacked the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi government for stalling the investigation and forcing Patna Superintendent of Police (SP) Vinay Tiwari, who arrived in Mumbai to probe the case, to be under home quarantine. What the BJP is doing is cheap politics. The Supreme Court has already directed the CBI to conduct a probe and we have faith in the agency. We have nothing to fear and we should all wait for the outcome of the probe, Shiv Senas Vinayak Raut told HT. A former ally of the BJP, the Shiva Sena has also alleged that the BJP has been using the actors death to destabilize the government after it failed to topple the MVA government just as it did with the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh. The total number of confirmed cases grew to 112,059. Ukraine said 1,974 new active COVID-19 cases had been confirmed across the country in the past 24 hours as of August 27, 2020. Read alsoCabinet temporarily bans foreigners from entering Ukraine, but with exceptionsThe total number of confirmed cases grew to 112,059. As many as 54,217 patients, including 763 in the past day, have recovered, as seen on the interactive map compiled by the National Security and Defense Council. The pandemic has taken 2,403 lives with 49 fatalities recorded over the past day. The largest number of new cases was reported in the city of Kyiv, as well as in Kharkiv, Lviv, Odesa, Ivano-Frankivsk, Chernivtsi, Ternopil, and Zakarpattia regions. Quarantine in Ukraine The Nagpur bench of the Bombay high court (HC) on Wednesday dismissed a public interest litigation (PIL) questioning the operation of the PM Cares Fund, created by the Central government to fight the Covid-19 pandemic in India. The bench of justice Sunil Shukre and justice Anil Kilor found no substance in the PIL filed by Arvind Waghmare, a practicing lawyer from Nagpur. Waghmare had sought a direction to the chairperson of the fund, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to appoint three other trustees, with at least two of them from among opposition members of Parliament (MPs). He had also sought a direction to the fund to disclose on its website all the contributions received and outgoings and to update the information once a week to ensure transparency in the operation of the fund. Waghmare submitted that the scheme of the fund itself required its chairperson to nominate three eminent persons in the field of research, health, science, etc, as other trustees, but no appointments were made in terms of the trust deed. He had questioned the validity of the decisions taken so far by the fund, on this ground of non-appointment of other trustees. Additional solicitor general Anil Singh strenuously opposed the PIL, contending that it was more of a publicity interest litigation with underlying political agenda. He submitted that the improper intention of the petitioner could be gauged by the fact that he contributed an amount of 1,001 to the fund on May 8, and filed the PIL the next day as a contributor. As regards the appointment of trustees, the bench noticed that the chairperson has been vested with the power to nominate three eminent personalities as trustees. The words has the power to nominate are clearly enabling. They only confer capacity, power or authority and imply discretion. This provision nowhere says that it shall be mandatory for the chairperson to nominate three trustees. There is nothing in the provision which even hints at some duty to exercise the power, the bench said. The bench accepted Singhs contention that acceding to the prayer for appointment of two opposition MPs on the trust would amount to making changes in the trust deed and rejected the prayer. The wish so nurtured by the petitioner in person, in our considered view, cannot be fulfilled as it has no mooring in law, said the bench. It clarified that since PM Cares Fund is a charitable trust registered under the Registration Act, it required no further clarification from the court that such a body would be governed by its deed of trust. It added that if no provision was made in the trust deed to induct some members of the opposition parties into the board of trustees, an outsider like the petitioner cannot knock on the doors of the HC to indirectly get the trust deed amended. With respect to the relief about disclosures of receipts and outgoings of the fund, the bench said there can be no two opinions about the underlying object of public disclosure. It is to ensure proper utilisation of the fund money. However, the court added that this object can be seen to be more than fulfilled by registration of the fund as a charitable trust under the Registration Act, 1908, which contains adequate provisions for obtaining such information. Michael Schumacher's former manager is recovering from a stroke. Until the seven time world champion's less successful return to Formula 1 in 2010, Willi Weber guided Schumacher's motor racing career. Bild newspaper claims the now 70-year-old recently suffered a stroke, spending 9 days in a Stuttgart hospital and then weeks in rehabilitation. "I am still suffering a little with my language and my tongue," Weber confirmed, but he is now back at home and expected to completely recover. It was also reported this week that former Renault boss Flavio Briatore was in a "serious" condition in a Milan hospital with covid-19. Also 70, the Italian denied that, telling Corriere della Sera: "I only have bad prostatitus. "I went to the San Raffaele hospital on Sunday night and they hospitalised me, but I still don't know if I am positive for coronavirus," Briatore said. "I feel fine." However, reportedly under fire for allegedly giving Briatore preferential treatment, the hospital insisted in a statement: "Mr Briatore went to the hospital for pathology other than covid-19 and, like all patients, was subjected to a swab for the detection of coronavirus. "The test was positive," the hospital added. (GMM) New Delhi: Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death mystery has intensified with new developments coming to fore each day. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe is in full swing and on Wednesday, the premier agency questioned late actor's flatmate Siddharth Pithani and two others for over 13 hours. Siddharth, cook Neeraj, and the watchman of the building where Sushant stayed were spotted leaving the DRDO guest house where the CBI quizzed them for 13 long hours. In fact, on Tuesday as well, the Pithani, Neeraj and Deepesh Sawant were interrogated for nearly 14 hours. The CBI is probing the actor's death case from all possible angles. Pithani and others reportedly left the guest house at around 10.45 pm on Wednesday. Meanwhile, sources suggest soon Sandip Ssingh - the filmmaker and self-proclaimed friend of Sushant can be summoned by the CBI for the probe. Sandip'sc call details have revealed that he was not in touch with Sushant for the longest time. However, Sandip's constant phone call exchange with the ambulance driver and who took Sushant's body to Cooper hospital and investigating officer Bhushan Belnekar is under the scanner. Reportedly, Sushant's family has alleged that when due to coronavirus outbreak only 20 people were allowed inside the crematorium for last rites, Sandip took charge to prepare the list of 20 people who would come. Sushant's family's approval was not taken. In their 6-day investigation so far, Siddharth Pithani and cook Neeraj have been multiple times called for interrogation by the CBI. On the other hand, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has registered a criminal case against actress Rhea Chakraborty over drug conspiracy reports in connection with actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death case. Apart from Rhea, who was Sushant's girlfriend, the agency has also booked a few others, against whom the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had already registered a case earlier. The NCB will probe their alleged dealings in banned drugs. A team from Delhi will investigate the case in Mumbai. The case has been registered under Sections 20, 22, 27 and 29 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. A holiday maker who helped rescue four people off the Kerry coast on Wednesday afternoon has said that they were lucky to have gotten out of the situation safely. Micheal Keogh, 22, from Enfield, Co Meath was swimming at Coumeenole beach near Slea Head when he noticed a boy get into trouble in the water. Mr Keogh told RTE radios Morning Ireland that he first saw the boy, whom he thought was called Jacob, in the water near the cliff face where he knew there were dangerous currents. The boys father and then his two uncles went to his assistance and then they also got into difficulty. They were struggling, I dont think any of them could swim. At that stage another man, Dan Sullivan got onto the rocks where he formed a human chain with the assistance of others. Mr Keogh managed to keep the boys head above water and brought him over to Mr Sullivan. In the meantime, he had assisted the father and uncles to a rock and subsequently brought them, one by one, over to the human chain which brought all four to shore where a lifeguard, who was also on holiday, assisted before the arrival of the Coast Guard. Mr Keogh said that the area near the cliffs is a very dangerous place to swim with very strong currents. It was mad to be out there. He had been to the beach before and knew not to swim in that location, he said. Shortly afterwards Shannon-based Coast Guard helicopter Rescue 115 arrived on the scene, to airlift the boy to University Hospital Kerry as a precaution. I just tried to help as much as I could, said Mr Keogh. Evan Vucci, STF / Associated Press President Donald Trump said hes planning to get a firsthand look at damage from Hurricane Laura in Texas and Louisiana this weekend. We'll probably be going on Saturday or Sunday and we'll be heading to Texas and Louisiana, Trump said earlier today after receiving a briefing on the hurricane at the Federal Emergency Management Agency in Washington, D.C. A former head of the civil service has labelled Boris Johnson's decision to sack the Department for Education's top mandarin in the wake of the Government's A-level results chaos a 'disgrace'. Sir Bob Kerslake said getting rid of Jonathan Slater was another example of Downing Street making senior civil servants take responsibility 'for the failure of ministers' as he became the latest in a series of officials to be shown the door by Number 10. Meanwhile, union bosses said Mr Slater was the victim of 'scapegoating' and a Tory MP claimed the shake-up amounted to a 'polite form of British terrorism'. Critics of the Prime Minister argued he had thrown Mr Slater 'under a bus' despite widespread calls for Education Secretary Gavin Williamson to take the blame for the omnishambles. Sir Bob Kerslake, a former head of the civil service, said the decision to axe Jonathan Slater was a 'disgrace' Mr Slater will step down from his role at the Department for Education on September 1. The announcement came the day after Ofqual chief executive Sally Collier resigned from her post in the wake of the grading U-turn Sir Bob said senior civil servants are 'carrying the can for the failure of ministers' as he warned trust between officials and ministers is being eroded. He told Times Radio: 'I know Jonathan Slater well. He is an extraordinarily experienced and capable civil servant. And I believe there was nothing wrong with the quality of his advice, there's everything wrong with the quality of the minister receiving it. 'And this is really not good stuff. I think we're going to see a diminishing trust between the civil service and ministers which is crucial and an unwillingness to give the honest advice that's needed. 'They [civil servants] feel undervalued and insecure. And they don't think the relationship is working between civil servants and ministers. And I hear that from a number of them. 'They can't go public. They never can and never should really, but I know it's there.' A Tory MP told BBC Newsnight: 'The removal of Jonathan Slater is a polite form of British terrorism. Nobody gets killed but it's a quieter way of keeping people under control.' The general secretary of the FDA, the union which represents civil servants, called the sacking of Mr Slater 'extraordinary'. Dave Penman told BBC Newsnight: 'This is simply scapegoating. This is simply the Prime Minister determining that civil service heads will roll to save a minister and that is as clear as day to the rest of the civil service as well. 'So I think not only is this not good for Government, I think it will have very long term implications for the civil service.' He added: 'I think taken together with the other departures it is quite clear that this Government is treating the civil service in a different way to previous governments.' Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, said: 'Ministers who should be resigning refuse to take responsibility and lay into civil servants, the unfortunate fall guys and gals, for ministerial incompetence.' Announcing the decision to remove Mr Slater from his post, Mr Johnson had said yesterday that 'fresh official leadership' was needed in the department. The news that Mr Slater will leave his role on September 1 came 24 hours after Ofqual chief executive Sally Collier resigned from her post in the wake of the grading U-turn. It means that of the people in the top positions overseeing the grading for exams that were not sat because of coronavirus, only Mr Williamson remains in his job despite numerous calls for him to go. Mr Williamson yesterday denied that he had forced Ms Collier to quit her role. Mr Johnson has resisted pressure to get rid of the Education Secretary, with suggestions that the former chief whip, who worked on his leadership election campaign, 'knows where the bodies are buried'. Gavin Williamson yesterday denied that he had forced Sally Collier to quit as the head of exam regulator Ofqual In a three-paragraph statement posted online, a Cabinet Office spokesman said: 'The Prime Minister has concluded that there is a need for fresh official leadership at the Department for Education. 'Jonathan Slater has therefore agreed that he will stand down on September 1, in advance of the end of his tenure in Spring 2021. 'Susan Acland-Hood, currently interim second permanent secretary, will take over as Acting Permanent Secretary. A permanent successor to replace Jonathan Slater will be appointed in the coming weeks.' Mr Slater is the latest senior civil servant to be ousted by the Government under Mr Johnson. Cabinet Secretary Mark Sedwill is also stepping down, as is Simon McDonald at the Foreign Office. And Philip Rutnam stepped down amid a bullying row with Priti Patel in February. Our new partnership with Enquire will provide our clients with a highly requested capability to have embedded insights and analytics in a CRM solution to enable visibility into growth opportunities. Trella Health, the leading source of provider referral and outcomes analytics, has partnered with Enquire, a leading provider of cloud CRM, marketing automation, and contact center solutions for senior living communities and post-acute care organizations. The two organizations' strategic partnership will involve the integration of Trellas performance intelligence data and insights into Enquires CRM solution to serve as a powerful tool for the company's mutual clients. We greatly value partners who align with our company's overall vision and our client's initiatives and goals, stated Scott Tapp, Trella Health President and COO. Our new partnership with Enquire will provide our clients with a highly requested capability to have embedded insights and analytics in a CRM solution to enable visibility into growth opportunities. For post-acute agencies, this partnership will provide business development teams with a streamlined solution for marketing strategies, including the most up-to-date data possible. Clients will be equipped with a solution that improves their workflow by documenting outreach efforts, direction for finding the right referral partners, as well as personalized metrics and insights for those referral partners. Alex VanScoyk, Haven Home Health Co-Owner and Business Development Partner, stated, "After using other products, our team started seeking a CRM solution with the most recent and complete Medicare Part A and Part B claims data. We recognized the value the Trella Health and Enquire partnership would bring our organization and feel confident that, as a joint client, these technology solutions will allow us to drive better business development decisions and position us for future growth." Robbie Redline, Enquire Chief Strategy Officer, said, We are excited about the value this brings to our mutual clients. This partnership between Enquire and Trella Health will offer our clients the ability to conduct strategic planning, goal setting, and market share analysis in real-time and while in the field. These are just a few of the value items clients will experience. About Trella Health Trella Health enables providers and payers across the care continuum to make optimal care network decisions, reduce costs, and improve outcomes. As one of only a few companies in the country deemed an Innovator under the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Virtual Research Data Center Program, Trella has access to 100% of Medicare Part A and Part B claims data. Trella analyzes 1.2 billion claims annually and presents relevant insights to nearly 10,000 users. Media Contact: Ashton Harrison aharrison@trellahealth.com About Enquire Enquire is the premier CRM, marketing automation and contact center solution provider in senior living and post-acute care. Headquartered in Denver, Colorado, Enquire serves senior living communities and healthcare facilities throughout the United States and Canada. Enquires vision is to improve the experience for prospects and family members through customer service centric products paired with cutting-edge technology and analytics. Media Contact: Josh Darnell joshua.darnell@enquiresolutions.com Gov. Gavin Newsom discusses his revised 2019-2020 state budget during a news conference in May. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) Millions of Californians who are out of work during the pandemic will soon receive a $300 weekly supplemental unemployment benefit retroactive to Aug. 1, state officials said Thursday. The Federal Emergency Management Agency approved Californias application for $4.5 billion to cover at least three weeks of supplemental benefits after a $600 weekly payment expired last month. California's Employment Development Department will begin processing payments for eligible people and sending out payments during the week of Sept. 7, agency officials said Thursday. These benefits are critical for the basic security of families and communities and for our economy, which have been so devastated by the virus and its financial impacts, California Labor Secretary Julie A. Su said in a statement. As we modernize and strengthen the states unemployment insurance delivery system, we will continue to leverage any additional resources the federal government makes available. The $300 payment will be available for Californians who are currently eligible to receive at least $100 in weekly state unemployment benefits and have certified that they are unemployed or partly unemployed due to disruptions caused by COVID-19, according to the state Employment Development Department. While Congress has deadlocked over a proposal to extend the previous $600 benefit, President Trump signed an executive order on Aug. 8 allocating $44 billion in existing federal emergency funds to states to provide $300 per week. California was the 18th state to win FEMA approval to participate in the program.It was set up to possibly run through Dec. 27, but only the first three weeks have been allocated, with future weeks dependent on the availability of federal funds. The payment amount and the possibility that funds may run out after three weeks concerns advocates for renters including George A. Warner, an attorney with the group Legal Aid At Work in San Francisco. Story continues The Trump administration's `lost wages assistance, which is not the same as unemployment insurance, is letting Californians and the American people down," Warner said, calling $300 a week untenable for unemployed families given the devastating impact of COVID on the job market. He said the requirement that jobless people qualify for $100 or more in weekly benefits leaves out those most in need of help. These half measures hurt working families, our state's economy and our communities. The program doesn't meet the gravity of this moment, Warner said. He added that because the program is guaranteed for only three weeks, it will take states far too much time, money, and resources to implement at a time they are already dealing with an unprecedented number of claims. State officials initially said their antiquated computer system might require up to 20 weeks to be reprogrammed to handle the new federal allocation, but the program was simplified by Washington. Originally, federal officials talked about a formula in which states would match the $300 with $100 in state funds, but that requirement was relaxed to allow existing state unemployment to count toward the match. Still, there is concern that low-income residents who need financial help the most are being left out of the supplemental benefit program because it requires recipients to already be receiving $100 a week in state unemployment. The announcement that claims will be processed starting the week of Sept. 7 came a few days after state lawmakers renewed criticism of the EDD during a public hearing on continuing problems that have left hundreds of thousands of unemployed Californians without benefits. Assembly members including Democrat Adrin Nazarian of Los Angeles said during a hearing Monday that the agency has previously experienced the same problems and he is disappointed that the issues were not resolved. We were extremely ill-prepared, Nazarian told EDD Director Sharon Hilliard during a Capitol hearing of an Assembly budget subcommittee on administration. Hilliard told the lawmakers that technology improvements have allowed the department to pay out billions of dollars in benefits, but she acknowledged that more needs to be done. Its not acceptable, Hilliard said of the current situation. What we have been able to accomplish is quite incredible, but its not good enough. Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 11:06:15|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BUENOS AIRES, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Argentina reported a record daily increase of 10,550 COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, taking the nationwide count to 370,188, according to the health ministry. A total of 268,801 recoveries and 7,839 deaths from the disease have so far been reported while 2, 022 critical cases are being treated in Intensive Care Units. The Argentine government is trying to contain the spread of the virus while endeavoring to reopen its economy. Latin America has become the epicenter of the global pandemic, registering the highest number of infections and deaths. The economic prospects look bleak for the region as the economy is set to plunge sharply this year, with millions of people pushed into poverty. President Alberto Fernandez announced the extension of lockdown restrictions in and around the capital Buenos Aires until the end of August since this area sees the highest infections. Enditem Advertising for software and hardware designed to stalk and spy on people will soon be banned on Google. Promotion of products or services that are marketed or targeted with the express purpose of tracking or monitoring another person or their activities without their authorization will be prohibited on the platform starting Aug. 11, the company, which is owned by Alphabet, announced Friday in its ads policies center. Under a change in the Google Ads Enabling Dishonest Behavior policy, the ban will include advertising for spyware or malware used to monitor texts, phone calls, or browsing history, as well as hardware, such as GPS trackers specifically marketed to spy or track someone without their consent, and surveillance equipment cameras, audio recorders, dash cams, nanny cams marketed with the express purpose of spying. The ban doesnt include advertising for private investigation services or products designed for parents to track or monitor children. Google noted that violators of the policy will receive at least seven days notice before their account on the platform is suspended. Loopholes Security blogger Graham Cluley pointed out that the exemption for software that allows parents to track their children could be a big loophole in the new policy. To dodge the policy, he wrote in his blog, all a stalkerware company needs to do is pose as a family safety app, which helps you keep track of your young children. Sadly, I doubt Googles ad ban will stop stalkerware apps from promoting themselves, its just they may no longer be able to be quite so explicit in their online adverts about how they are most likely to be used, he added. There may be other loopholes, too. Google is banning ads from app developers and about the apps themselves, but what about the ads about the blog with an article on the top 10 surveillance apps to download? asked Liz Miller, vice president and a principal analyst with Constellation Research, a technology research and advisory firm in Cupertino, Calif. That isnt about an app. Its about content, she told TechNewsWorld. Is that going to be a loophole? A D V E R T I S E M E N T This is a great headline maker, she added, but the reality is I can still search for spy app and theyre still going to come up in my Google search results. Limitless Capabilities Miller maintained Googles new policy is looking beyond malicious persons. What Google is responding to is the realization that these apps are being used not only by individuals who have malicious intent, but also criminal enterprises especially when you start talking about apps that allow you to follow and track an individuals movements and see content on their devices without their knowing about it, she said. Thats a very slippery slope into some very dangerous privacy territory that Google doesnt want anything to do with, she added. Software for spying and stalking people is a very serious problem, observed David Ruiz, a blogger for Malwarebytes Labs, a cybersecurity software maker based in Santa Clara, Calif. The capabilities of these types of apps are nearly limitless they can pull text messages, emails, and call logs; reveal sensitive photos and videos; expose web browsing history; and pinpoint a persons GPS location, he told TechNewsWorld. In the hands of an abuser, he continued, these types of apps could make safety planning for a survivor extremely difficult, dismantling their attempts to privately call a domestic abuse hotline, find help from a friend or family member, or to physically escape. Industry Response The damage caused by the spying and stalking software can be severe, added Chlo Messdaghi, vice president of strategy at Point3 Security, a provider of training and analytic tools to the security industry located in Baltimore, Md. It gives someone the power to abuse a victim psychologically, which affects them physically and emotionally for years and years, she told TechNewsWorld. And when victims go to the FBI and device manufacturers and carriers, more often than not, they get no response, she said. A D V E R T I S E M E N T Google should have done this years ago. Its illegal, she observed. A lot of us in the security space are astounded that companies still allow stalkerware to exist in their shops or their sites may carry ads for it. The stalkerware problem has prompted an industry response. To further improve the detection of such software in the cybersecurity industry, many organizations are joining the Coalition Against Stalkerware to share their knowledge and protect users against stalkerware, explained Tara Hairston, head of government relations for Kaspersky Lab North America, an information security software company located in Woburn, Mass. Beyond detection, further research on the link between cyberviolence, physical violence, and the gendered nature of stalkerware use is crucial in order to develop a clearer picture and better understanding of this issue, she told TechNewsWorld. Fall and Rise of Stalkerware Hairston noted that Kaspersky saw a decline in stalkerware infections among its global mobile users during the first four months of 2020, to 8,163 in April from 11,532 in January. It is our educated guess that this decrease may be related to the lockdown situation around the globe, she said. Since most stalkerware is used to spy on an intimate partner, she continued, nowadays the need for this type of app should be declining. There is no necessity to spy on partners when theyre locked down together. That trend may be changing, though, a report released by another cybersecurity company, Avast, found a 51 percent increase in the United States in the use of software for spying and stalking individuals from March to June, compared to the first two months of the year. James McQuiggan, the security awareness advocate at KnowBe4, a security awareness training company located in Clearwater, Fla., noted that the pandemic has created a fertile environment for malicious actors intent on spreading bad apps. Knowing that most people who use the Internet throughout the day are people at work, its become a target-rich environment for cyber criminals, he told TechNewsWorld. End users are more exposed and vulnerable at home than inside a building with coworkers, IT support, and network protections, he explained. The United States on Wednesday imposed sanctions on the Chinese companies and nationals who have taken up "illegal" construction projects in the South China Sea as part of Beijing's "expansionist agenda." Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that the Department of Commerce has added 24 PRC state-owned enterprises to the Entity List, including several subsidiaries of China Communications Construction Company (CCCC). 'These individuals will now be inadmissible into the US' "Today, the Department of State will begin imposing visa restrictions on People's Republic of China (PRC) individuals responsible for, or complicit in, either the large-scale reclamation, construction, or militarisation of disputed outposts in the South China Sea, or the PRC's use of coercion against Southeast Asian claimants to inhibit their access to offshore resources," read an official statement released by the State Department. These individuals, Pompeo said, will now be inadmissible into the United States, and their immediate family members may be subject to these visa restrictions as well. 'The CCCC have engaged in corruption' Pompeo said that since 2013 China has used its state-owned enterprises to dredge and reclaim more than 3,000 acres on disputed features of the South China Sea, destabilising the region, trampling on the sovereign rights of its neighbouring countries, and causing untold environmental devastation. The CCCC has led the destructive dredging of China's South China Sea outposts and is also one of the leading contractors used by Beijing in its global "One Belt One Road" strategy, he said. "The CCCC and its subsidiaries have engaged in corruption, predatory financing, environmental destruction, and other abuses across the world," Pompeo said. READ | 2009 US Open champ del Potro has 3rd surgery on right knee Despite protests from the United States and other countries, the Chinese government has been rapidly building the artificial islands since 2013, enabling the Communist Chinese Party's (CCP) militarisation of disputed outposts in the South China Sea to undermine the sovereign rights of US partners in the region, the department said. READ | China firm over detention of 2 Canadians after FMs meet China claims sovereignty over most parts of the resource-rich South China Sea, rejecting counterclaims of the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan. The US and Chinese diplomatic relations have spiralled after the coronavirus outbreak, with President Donald Trump saying Beijing could have done more to restrict the virus from spreading globally. READ | China fires aircraft-carrier killer missile in South China Sea to warn US: Reports In recent months, the US has stepped up its naval presence in the South China Sea, vowing to protect navigation freedom and rejecting China's claims over sovereignty. READ | China denounces alleged entry of US spy plane in 'no-fly zone' as 'provocative action' (With agency inputs) Gov. Asa Hutchinson has rejected a White House task forces recommendation that Arkansas close bars and implement other restrictions, despite the state posting the 9th highest rate of positive coronavirus tests in the country. The White House Coronavirus Task Force issued the recommendation in a weekly report to the state that was first obtained by the Center for Public Integrity. Hutchinson said he didnt see a need for shutting bars down because the state had not linked an increase in cases to activity at them. The Republican governor said the state was trying to strike the right balance. These are small business people who are hurting, Hutchinson, who noted that the state is already limiting bars and restaurants to two-thirds capacity. The governor noted that the task force had moved the state out of the red zone for positivity rates because it was no longer above 10%. The state, however, remained in the red zone in another area, reporting more than 100 new cases per 100,000 population last week. Obviously, when you look at the information on positivity and where they say we rank, we want to do better, Hutchinson said. Thats a word of admonishment or recognition that we need to continue to focus and take this virus seriously. The recommendations also included new limits on restaurant dining room capacity and social gatherings for parts of the state with a large number of new cases and high positive test rates. The panel also recommended some restrictions already in place in Arkansas, including a statewide requirement to wear masks in public to prevent the viruss spread. The state on Aug. 25 reported 480 new confirmed cases of the coronavirus, bringing its total infections since the pandemic began to 57,374. Of those, 5,312 are active and exclude those who have died or recovered. The true number of cases in Arkansas is likely higher because many people have not been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected and not feel sick. The number of deaths from COVID-19 rose to 711, while the number of people hospitalized from it dropped by 24 to 442. Hutchinson also said he was challenging the health department to find ways to increase the states testing numbers after it dropped, which health officials said was due in part to a lack of demand. The state reported 3,300 tests were conducted Monday, a steep drop from recent days. Dr. Jose Romero, the states health secretary, urged the public to not avoid getting tested and said those results are needed to determine the viruss prevalence in the community. I really want to make sure that we dont fall into this trap of testing fatigue, Romero said. Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Topics COVID-19 Cohen delivers biting lines about Trumps wealth: The President wants you to think hes rich. But I was tasked with covering up his net worth. He strikes at Trumps ego: He wants you to think hes strong but hes weak. So if he says something is huge its probably small. If he says something will work it probably wont. He accuses Trump of feigned empathy: And if he says he cares about you and your family he certainly does not. Photo Credit: Getty Images/Rick Loomis/Stringer I have been quietly keeping an eye on QAnon for a while, including reading with great interest the recent in-depth article in The Atlantic on its dynamics. But it wasnt until Katelyn Beatys reporting on its spread among Christians that I knew it was time to speak out. The title of her article was telling: The alternative religion thats coming to your church. So what is QAnon? See if any of this sounds familiar: 5G radio waves are used for mind control; George Floyds murder is a hoax; Bill Gates is related to the devil; face masks can kill you; the germ theory isnt real; there is a ring of pedophiles made up of deep state leaders. This from Beatys reporting: Conspiracy theories grand narratives that seek to prove that powerful actors are secretly controlling events and institutions for evil purposes are nothing new in the U.S. But since 2017, a sort of ur-conspiracy theory, QAnon, has coalesced in online forums and created millions of believers. To look at QAnon is to see not just a conspiracy theory but the birth of a new religion, wrote Adrienne LaFrance in The Atlantic in June. Named after Q, who posts anonymously on the online bulletin board 4chan, QAnon alleges that President Donald Trump and military officials are working to expose a deep state pedophile ring with links to Hollywood, the media and the Democratic Party. Since its first mention some three years ago, the theory has drawn adherents looking for a clear way to explain recent disorienting global events. Once the fascination of far-right commentators and their followers, QAnon is no longer fringe it has gained credibility both on the web and in the offline world: In Georgia, a candidate for Congress has praised Q as a mythical hero, and at least five other congressional hopefuls from Illinois to Oregon have voiced support. One scholar found a 71% increase in QAnon content on Twitter and a 651% increase on Facebook since March. Please hear me. This is not about politics. It is not about whether you plan to vote for Trump or Biden. It is about the way a set of ideas and sentiments are infiltrating the minds of those who claim to follow Christ, even when those ideas do not reflect the mind of Christ. Again, from Beatys article: Jon Thorngate is the pastor at LifeBridge, a nondenominational church of about 300 in a Milwaukee suburb. In recent months, he said, his members have shared Plandemic, a half-hour film that presents COVID-19 as a moneymaking scheme by government officials and others, on Facebook. Members have also passed around a now-banned Breitbart video that promotes hydroxychloroquine as a cure for the virus. Thorngate, one of the few pastors who would go on the record among those who called QAnon a real problem in their churches, said that only five to 10 members are actually posting the videos online. But in conversations with other members, hes realized many more are open to conspiracy theories than those who post. Thorngate attributes the phenomenon in part to the death of expertisea distrust of authority figures that leads some Americans to undervalue long-established measures of competency and wisdom. Among some church members, he said, the attitude is, Im going to use church for the things I like, ignore it for the things I dont and find my own truth. That part for us is concerning, that nothing feels authoritative right now. So why would Christians, of all people, fall prey to subjective truth in place of authoritative truth? Particularly when the Christian faith is rooted in the belief in authoritative truth and the wholesale rejection of subjective truth? Beaty observes that suspicion of big government, questioning of scientific consensus (on evolution, for example) and a rejection of the morals of Hollywood and liberal elites took hold among millennial Christians, many of whom feel politically alienated and beat up by mainstream media. They are natural targets for QAnon. Ed Stetzer, executive director of the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College, has noted that distrust of mainstream news sources can feed a penchant for conspiracy theories. The distrust of mainstream news, and the rejection of science, has become so acute among some Christians that it has led to a plea from prominent Christian thinkers titled A Christian Statement on Science for Pandemic Times. Of even deeper concern is how this is harming the witness of the church. Again, from Beaty: Jared Stacy said the spread of conspiracy theories in his church is particularly affecting young members. The college and young adult pastor of Spotswood Baptist Church in Fredericksburg, Virginia, Stacy said some older members are sharing Facebook content that links the coronavirus to Jeffrey Epstein and secret pedophile rings. He says his and other pastors job is to teach that conspiracy theories are not where Christians should find a basis for reality. My fear is that Jesus would not be co-opted by conspiracy theories in a way that leads the next generation to throw Jesus out with the bathwater, Stacy said, that were not able to separate the narrative of taking back our country from Jesus kingdom narrative. Others are concerned the theories will become grounds for more mistrust. Young people are exiting the church because they see their parents and mentors and pastors and Sunday school teachers spreading things that even at a young age they can see through, said Jeb Barr, the senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Elm Mott outside Waco, Texas. He said conspiracy theories are extremely widespread and getting worse among his online church networks. Why would we listen to my friend Joe whos telling me about Jesus who also thinks that Communists are taking over America and operating a pedophile ring out of a pizza restaurant? Why would we be believed? We all know that nobody shares a conspiracy theory. They only share what they believe to be the truth. Even further, when confronted, the media cover-up is used to dismiss anything that would discount the real truth. But confront this we must. As Beaty rightly notes: QAnon is more than a political ideology. Its a spiritual worldview that co-opts many Christian-sounding ideas to promote verifiably false claims QAnon has features akin to syncretismthe practice of blending traditional Christian beliefs with other spiritual systems. Q explicitly uses Bible verses to urge adherents to stand firm against evil elites. One charismatic church based in Indiana hosts two-hour Sunday services showing how Bible prophecies confirm Qs messages. Its leaders tell the congregation to stop watching mainstream media (even conservative media) in favor of QAnon YouTube channels and the Qmap website. And its having life-and-death effects: Its hampering the work of anti-sex trafficking organizations. The FBI has linked it to violence and threats of violence. And its adherents are downplaying the threat of COVID and thus putting others lives at risk. At a time when church leaders are having to host digital church and try to meet members needs virtually, the idea of adding fight heresy to their to-do list might sound exhausting. But a core calling of church leaders is to speak the truth in love. Its not loving to allow impressionable people to be taken in by falsehood. Nor is it loving to allow them to spread falsehood and slander to others. Conspiracy theories thrive on a sort of cynicism that says, We see a different reality that no one else sees, said Stacy. Paul says to take every thought captiveaddressing conspiracy theories is part of that work. Yes. Sources Katelyn Beaty, QAnon: The Alternative Religion Thats Coming to Your Church, Religion News Service, August 17, 2020, read online. Terry Mattingly, Evangelicals Split on the Notion of Fake News and QAnon, Knox News, June 4, 2020, read online. Ari Shapiro, How QAnon Conspiracy Is Spreading in Christian Communities Across The U.S., NPR, August 21, 2020, read online. Adrienne LaFrance, The Prophecies of Q, The Atlantic, June 2020 Issue, read online. A Christian Statement On Science for Pandemic Times, BioLogos, view the statement. James Emery White is the founding and senior pastor of Mecklenburg Community Church in Charlotte, NC, and the ranked adjunct professor of theology and culture at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, where he also served as their fourth president. His newest book, Christianity for People Who Arent Christians: Uncommon Answers to Common Questions, is now available on Amazon or at your favorite bookseller. To enjoy a free subscription to the Church & Culture blog, visit ChurchAndCulture.org, where you can view past blogs in our archive and read the latest church and culture news from around the world. Follow Dr. White on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. A joint intergovernmental statement between Ukraine and Germany on the start of energy partnership was signed by acting Minister of Energy of Ukraine Olha Buslavets and Minister of Economy and Energy of Germany Peter Altmaier during a working meeting in Berlin on August 26, according to a press release posted by the Ukrainian ministry. "The signing of the joint statement is the beginning of a new level of dialog between Ukraine and Germany in the energy sector. I am sure that this will become an impetus for the implementation of new strategically important projects to reform the coal industry and transform coal regions, develop renewable energy, in particular, hydrogen and its integration into network, increasing the use of energy efficiency technologies in all sectors of the economy," the ministry said, citing Buslavets. According to the press release, Ukraine and Germany agreed to strengthen partnership in integrating Ukraine's energy markets into ENTSO-E, increasing the level of energy security, decarbonizing the economy, exchanging innovations in energy technologies and implementing joint projects in the development of green energy, digitalization of energy infrastructure and creation of a modern energy system. The parties also intend to promote energy transformation, exchange the best practices of government policy in the energy sector, and improve conditions for investments of the private sector in sustainable energy. On the day of signing the statement, the first meeting of the steering committee for its implementation was held. The visit of the Minister of Energy of Ukraine is part of the preparatory process for the visit of the Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal to Germany to discuss partnership of the two states at the highest level with Chancellor Angela Merkel, the ministry said in the press release. A loophole in Manitobas freedom-of-information legislation allows law enforcement officials to block the release of internal documents if they could be used to sue police agencies in civil court. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 26/8/2020 (511 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. A loophole in Manitobas freedom-of-information legislation allows law enforcement officials to block the release of internal documents if they could be used to sue police agencies in civil court. The legislative exception confounded two access-to-information scholars who spoke to the Free Press, both of whom were surprised to hear the clause which grants police the power to withhold information from the public existed at all. "This particular exemption is, on its face, quite broad, and I cannot think of the policy reason behind it," said Kris Klein, an Ontario-based lawyer and leading expert on freedom of information in Canada. JOHN WOODS / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES A loophole in Manitobas freedom-of-information legislation allows law enforcement officials to block the release of internal documents if they could be used to sue police agencies in civil court. Klein said that while most provinces have disclosure exemptions for police, hed previously been unaware of a clause in provincial legislation specifically addressing concerns of civil court liability. Section 25-1 of Manitobas Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act spells out various situations where the release of public records could be deemed "harmful to law enforcement or legal proceedings." The exemptions include cases where records may hurt an ongoing investigation, endanger a police officer or help facilitate the escape of a prisoner, as examples. In such cases, police have the right to refuse to release documents to the public. But a subsection in the legislation includes the following exemption: "Expose to civil liability the author of a law enforcement record or a person who has been quoted or paraphrased in the record." This particular exemption is, on its face, quite broad, and I cannot think of the policy reason behind it. Kris Klein, an Ontario-based lawyer and freedom of information expert The Free Press approached the Manitoba Office of the Ombudsman, which adjudicates disputes over FIPPA requests, to confirm the clause grants the police the right to refuse access to internal documents that could expose officers to civil lawsuits. "This exception protects law enforcement officials who might be sued as a result of disclosure of information in records made while carrying out their duties," a spokeswoman for the ombudsman said in a written statement. "Expose to civil liability means disclosure of the information could reasonably be expected to lead to a civil claim for damages." MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Winnipeg Police Service spokesman Const. Rob Carver. The ombudsman said it does not "maintain stats on the frequency in which this section is used where a complaint was made about its use." Winnipeg Police Service spokesman Const. Rob Carver said the police force does not track "statistics on the number of times access under FIPPA is refused for any specific section." Kevin Walby, an associate professor and criminologist at the University of Winnipeg, said he would like to know the history behind the clause, including who advocated for its inclusion in the legislation. "The justice implications of that small little part of the legislation are huge," said Walby, whose research has focused on, in part, the intersection of access-to-information and policing in Canada. I believe secrecy is foundational to police power in Canada. This subsection is really significant in that regard. It creates conditions of secrecy and information control that will forever be in favour of the police until it is struck or amended. Kevin Walby, associate professor and criminologist at the University of Winnipeg As a freedom-of-information scholar, Walby said the loophole surprises him, since advocates are often pushing for changes to legislation that lead to greater transparency. But as a policing scholar, Walby said it "doesnt surprise me at all." "I believe secrecy is foundational to police power in Canada. This subsection is really significant in that regard. It creates conditions of secrecy and information control that will forever be in favour of the police until it is struck or amended," Walby said. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. "This definitely deserves attention, and its part of a bigger discussion of information control and police. It isnt just an abstract thing here in Manitoba. Theres been struggles between the (Independent Investigation Unit) and the WPS that have to do with information control." In April 2019, the IIU took the Winnipeg Police Service to court to try to force the release of internal records the watchdog said were needed to probe an in-custody death. The WPS repeatedly refused to disclose the records. This week, a judge ruled the police have to turn over the documents to the IIU. ryan.thorpe@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @rk_thorpe Micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) fear banks will cut their cash credit limit aggravating financial trouble. Indian private sector defence and aerospace companies should invest in long-term cutting-edge technologies in research and development to match global industry standards, said Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das hinted that the central bank may announce further rate cuts or policy measures, if needed, to tackle the ongoing coronavirus crisis. Read for more top stories from the world of business and economy: 1) MSMEs fear bank harassment, appeal to RBI for easing of credit rules MSMEs say the situation will get worse if the government fails to intervene and boost industrial activities. 2) GST Council proposes special RBI window to fund revenue shortfall, states ask for 7 days to decide Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the states have asked the Centre to provide full details of the two options by tomorrow and they will get back with their decisions in 7 days. 3) Defence sector should focus on self-reliance and 'making for the world': Rajnath Singh Once the ongoing policy reforms and roadmap for greater industry participation is in place, there will be greater visibility on-demand requirements for the industry, said Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. 4) Shaktikanta Das hints RBI may announce further rate cuts, measures to tackle COVID-19 Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das on Thursday hinted that the central bank may announce further rate cuts or policy measures, if needed, to tackle the ongoing coronavirus crisis. 5) 34 IPOs worth Rs 33,516 awaited as Sensex jumps 53% from March lows Data sourced from Prime Database shows that initial public offerings (IPOs) worth Rs 33,516 crore of 34 companies have received approvals. Of these, seven companies have received approvals after the government introduced a nationwide lockdown. Stewart, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 27, 2020) - Decade Resources Ltd (TSXV: DEC) ("Decade" or the Company) announces that it has completed 6 drill holes from 2 different pads on the Del Norte property. It was optioned from Teuton Resource Corp. in January of 2020, with terms allowing the Company to earn up to a 55% interest in the property by spending $4 million over a five year period. The Company can an earn an additional 20% interest by carrying the property to commercial production. The property lies within BC's "Golden Triangle" located 34 kilometres east of Stewart, BC and is comprised of 5,830.16 ha in 13 separate claims. The first part of the Company's 2020 drill program has tested the southern extension of the 1.2km long, north-south striking LG vein. Much of the historic drilling completed from 2003 to 2006 was from the west side of the LG vein (aiming towards the east) with relatively short holes of less than 150m. Based on 2020 surface and drill core observations, in conjunction with information in the Company's comprehensive 43-101 report, a new structure has been identified called the "Argo"--a 115 m wide north-south zone of deformation. Previous drilling has mostly been along the eastern side of the Argo deformation zone. The LG Vein and the newly recognized LG Deep zone occur within this deformation corridor, along with several other lesser zones of mineralization. The deformation corridor, is composed of argillites and lapilli tuffs, brecciated and sheared with quartz-carbonate-sulphide cemented breccias, replacement zones and veins. Breccia fragments, composed mostly of argillite are very angular ranging in size from less than 1 cm to 10 cm across. Mineralized zones host sulphides including pyrite, sphalerite, galena and tetrahedrite mineralization along with sections mineralized by fine acicular arsenopyrite. Core from DDH-20-6 is shown in the attached photos. Photo of core being loaded at staging is attached. Results for some of the few historic deeper holes drilled from the east towards the west that tested the LG Deep zone are shown below: Drill Holes Width (m)* Gold g/t Silver g/t Gold Equivalent)** g/t DDH 04-02 3.60 8.37 297.3 12.53 DDH 04-020 8.75 7.06 509.5 14.19 DDH 04-029 6.16 2.02 64.1 2.92 DDH 04-036 8.60 3.02 270.50 6.80 DDH 05-02 15.54 6.47 346.02 11.31 DDH 05-02 4.27 4.48 476.5 11.18 * Drill Indicated width only ** Gold equivalent calculated as follows: Gold-Silver ratio of 71.45 based on the August 26, 2020 closing prices of $1,952 an ounce for gold and $27.32 an ounce for silver. In addition to the Argo Deformation zone, there are at least 2 other zones of mineralization, namely the Kosciuszko and Eagles Nest zones. At present, a drill pad is being constructed in order that the Eagles Nest zone can be tested. Exploration work is being conducted from Stewart in order to avoid a camp situation that may lead to health concerns due to the COVID-19 virus. The Company uses a Stewart based helicopter for support. A pad building crew, diamond drill crew and support staff mobilize on a daily basis from a staging area near the project. The geological crew is one that the Company has relied on for a number of years and which has intimate knowledge of the property. All drill cores in this program are NQ in size. The core is brought into Stewart on a daily basis where it is logged for cutting on a diamond saw. Assays are to be completed on sawn half cores, with the second half kept for future reference. The samples will be analyzed using 30 element ICP and standard fire assay procedures with atomic absorption (AA) finish on samples yielding a grade higher than ten g/t Au. Standard reference materials and blank samples were inserted prior to shipment for quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) program. Analysis will be performed by Activation Laboratories Ltd in Kamloops BC. Ed Kruchkowski, P. Geo., a qualified person under National Instrument 43-101 is responsible for the contents of this release. E. Kruchkowski is not independent of Decade as he is the president of the Company. Decade Resources Ltd. is a Canadian based mineral exploration company actively seeking opportunities in the resource sector. Decade holds numerous properties at various stages of development and exploration from basic grass roots to advanced ones. Its properties and projects are all located in the "Golden Triangle" area of northern British Columbia. For a complete listing of the Company assets and developments, visit the Company website at www.decaderesources.ca which is presently being updated. For investor information please call 250-636-2264 or Gary Assaly at 604-377-7969. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DECADE RESOURCES LTD. "Ed Kruchkowski" Ed Kruchkowski, President "Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release." "This news release may contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements address future events and conditions and therefore involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements." Figure 1 To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/3615/62646_74599b28346549e5_001full.jpg Figure 2 To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/3615/62646_74599b28346549e5_002full.jpg To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/62646 After much careful consideration, based on the best information available at this time, Mayor (Lawrence) Hanson, in collaboration with the police department, has made the decision to lift the emergency curfew order. We ask the community to understand that situations such as these are often extremely fluid, and as a result, this decision is subject to reversal should a new need for an emergency curfew arise, the village said in an announcement on its website. India reported at least 1,000 fresh deaths due to the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) on the second consecutive day on Wednesday, as the cumulative toll breached the 60,000 mark. On Wednesday, 1,012 new deaths were reported from across the country and the overall fatalities from the viral outbreak rose to 60,610 to date. The country had reported its first Covid-19 death on March 12. On Tuesday, 1,066 Covid-19-related new deaths were reported. A state-wise toll break-up showed Maharashtra reported 295 Covid-19-related fresh deaths on Wednesday, followed by Karnataka (133) and Tamil Nadu (118). However, the Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoH&FW) reiterated that the countrys Covid-19 management is under control, as the case fatality rate (CFR) stands at 1.84%. Indias CFR, which is the percentage of deaths out of the total number of positive cases, is still among the lowest in the world, as compared to the global average of 3.5%. Our target is to bring down the CFR to 1% or below, said Rajesh Bhushan, secretary, MoH&FW. At least 10 states have CFR below, or closer to the 1% target. Assam, Kerala and Bihars CFR has dropped to 0.27%, 0.39% and 0.42%, respectively. Around 87% of Covid-19-related deaths have been reported from patients, who were 45 years old and above, the ministrys data showed. The findings are in line with what scientists have observed about the global trends of the viral disease: it severely affects those who are older. The data also showed that more than half (51%) of the Covid-19 patients who succumbed to the viral infection were 60 years and above and a major chunk of the fatalities (36%) belonged to the age group between 45 and 60 years. While 2% of Covid-19-related deaths were found to be aged up to 25 years. More men (69%) have died of Covid-19 than women (31%), the data further showed. . SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Bangladesh: Madaripur fish farmers suffer loss of over 19C for flood August 27,2020 | Source: Dhaka Tribune As many as 3,035 fish farmers in Madaripur district have suffered huge losses, estimated at around Tk19.31crore, in this years floods that washed away their ponds. After the floods washed away 3,297 ponds in Madaripur Sadar, Shibchar, Kalkini and Rajoir upazilas of the district, about 1,000 tons of fish from the ponds escaped into floodwaters, according to the Fisheries Department in the district. Fisheries Officer Ripon Kanti Ghosh said the flood caused Tk19.31 crore worth of loss to the fish farms and Tk3 crore of it is infrastructural damage. The loss also includes Tk25 lakh worth of baby fish which were washed away by floodwaters. Fish farming plays a vital role in meeting the demand of protein intake for Madaripurs 12.11 lakh inhabitants as the local farms, run by 3,035 farmers, produce almost half of the fish required annually in the district, he also said. Many affected farmers said their loss was extensive this time since most of their ponds were stocked with a large quantity of fish. While speaking with this correspondent, fish farmer Sazzad Molla, from Sadar upazila, said this year he spent Tk 6 lakh on 10 acres of land, and before getting flooded, the ponds had 50 to 60 maunds of fish, each weighing 500 to 600 grams. He said all the fish have been washed away by the floodwater. Otherwise, three months later, he could make Tk 10 to 12 lakh from the fish and 50 percent of it would be profit. Enayet Bepari, another fish farmer from Charkhagadi area of the upazila, said she invested Tk6 lakh on 196 decimal land. He lost the entire investment due to the flood of the Arial Khan River. Without assistance from the authorities concerned, especially without loans or subsidies, the fish farmers might not be able to recover the loss and stand up on their feet again, said Enayet Bepari. Fisheries Officer Ripon Kanti Ghosh said a list of the loss of fish due to ongoing flood water has been sent to higher authorities. I hope steps will be taken soon, he added. Virgin Atlantic will launch new routes serving Pakistan in December. The airline will operate flights to Islamabad from Heathrow and Manchester, and Lahore from Heathrow only. The carrier will compete with British Airways on the Heathrow-Islamabad route. Virgin Atlantic chief commercial officer Juha Jarvinen said: With travel restrictions remaining in place for many destinations around the world, were continually evaluating our network, looking at customer demand and where there are opportunities to launch new services. Pakistan is an extremely exciting opportunity for us it boasts one of the largest foreign-born populations in both the UK and the US and, as people start to travel to visit loved ones, were anticipating the demand to visit friends and relatives will increase post-Covid-19. Were thrilled to announce that from December, well be flying direct to Pakistan. Well have flights from @HeathrowAirport to both Lahore and Islamabad, plus direct services from @manairport to Islamabad. Flights go on sale in September, and we cant wait to welcome you. pic.twitter.com/61FS9dkaFb virginatlantic (@VirginAtlantic) August 27, 2020 Both Lahore and Islamabad are popular year-round destinations and we look forward to welcoming travellers onboard as demand for leisure and business travel gradually increases to the region. We also see a significant opportunity to increase competition in the US-Pakistan market. Using the strength of our transatlantic services, were able to offer customers the shortest journey to and from destinations in the US such as New York, Los Angeles and Washington by connecting through London Heathrow. Story continues Alison Blackburne, acting head of the British High Commission in Pakistan, said: Virgin Atlantic planning to start flights to Pakistan is great news for the hundreds of thousands of people who regularly travel between our two nations, as well as a boost to UK-Pakistan trade links. We look forward to welcoming Virgin Atlantic to this fantastic country. The new routes are subject to regulatory approval. Virgin Atlantic said it reached a significant milestone in safeguarding its future on Tuesday when creditors voted to approve a 1.2 billion bailout. The vote was a key part of a court-sanctioned process being used by the airline to implement the deal. It warned earlier this month it could run out of money by the end of September if the rescue package was rejected. Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) was banned from operating flights to the UK on July 1 by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). This came after the countrys aviation minister revealed that almost a third of Pakistani pilots cheated on their exams. Last week the CAA approved a request from PIA to resume flights from Islamabad to Birmingham and Manchester using aircraft chartered from European Union carrier Hi Fly Limited. President Akufo-Addo has endorsed measures adopted by management of the Cocoa Processing Company (CPC) to rescue the company which is chocking under a whopping US$108 million legacy debt. The company, which is into the processing of raw cocoa beans into semi-finished cocoa products such as cocoa butter, cocoa cake, cocoa liquor and cocoa powder as well as manufacturing of chocolate, owes to the COCOBOD alone a tune of US$88 million and over US$20 million to syndicated banks. This came to light during a visit to the company's processing factory at Tema by President Akufo-Addo yesterday. Managing Director (MD) of CPC, Nana Agyenim-Boateng, outlined a number of strategies they had adopted to settle the debt within the next seven years to save it from collapse. This included a decision to invest in infrastructure and machinery, invest in the confectionary factory and improve the effectiveness and efficiency of its operations and particularly to minimize losses arising out of shortages and discrepancies. Although CPC has a total capacity of 64,500 metric tonnes for two of its factories, audit of machines for both factories gives a performance assessment of 70% to 80%, with the current machinery operating at 74.4% capacity, producing 48,000 metric tonnes. The company has since resolved to source a US$70 million Afrexim Bank loan facility syndicated by C-Nergy Ghana Limited, a fresh injection of capital to fully replace its plants and machinery to increase output from the current 64,000 metric tonnes to 87,000 metric tonnes for the two cocoa factories to increase production for the confectionary factory which produces Golden Tree products from its 3,500 metric tonnes to 15,000 metric tonnes. MD of the company said cash flows for this injection and revamp would enable CPC to pay off all our debts and relatively expensive loans by year seven and put the company into good standing in terms of cash flows. President Akufo-Addo assured management of CPC the assistance and intervention that you require of government in terms of your relationship with COCOBOD and your indebtedness to Afrexim is something we are going to have to work on together; but you will have my instinctive support. The President noted that the CPC was really at the cutting edge of the countrys future, and that if indeed Ghanaian industrialization was to succeed, the CPC ought to be a top priority. You are really at the centre of it; cocoa has been the main stay of our country for over 100 years. It is very legitimate to say that cocoa is Ghana and Ghana is cocoa. So to have this company whose aim it is to add value to our cocoa industry, makes you a very strategic company in our economic landscape, he emphasized. ---Daily Guide IPCC Bill: Suhakam concerned over lack of independence, conflict of interest Suhakam has lent its voice to the chorus of disapproval with regard to the Independent Police Conduct Commission (IPCC) Bill 2020. The human rights commission said it is concerned that the bill does not capture the essence of the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) Bill 2019 and the recommendations from the 2005 Royal Commission to Enhance the Operation and Management of the Royal Malaysia Police. Suhakam is especially concerned with the lack of independence and weakened functions of the IPCC as it is not accorded with disciplinary powers to deal with police misconduct. The secretary of IPCC is to be appointed by the home affairs minister and the officers of IPCC may be appointed from any government agencies on a secondment basis to be its investigators. "Moreover, the delegation of IPCCs powers to any members of the police may also raise issues of conflict of interest in terms of the IPCCs stated functions in the bill and its independence, it added in a statement today. Suhakam pointed out that various stakeholders, including the commission and civil society organisations, have made numerous recommendations to the government in the past with the hope to enhance the accountability of the police and promote good governance in the country. However, it said, this was not realised in the IPCC Bill. Therefore, Suhakam appealed to MPs to improve the bill in order for it to meet public expectations. Suhakam reaffirms its call for an independent body to enhance the accountability of the police force and provide a system of check and balance as an oversight mechanism. In view that the bill will be tabled for second reading in the Parliament today, Suhakam hopes that MPs will scrutinise the bill and further improve the bill to live up to the public expectation for an independent body to enhance the accountability of the police, it added. The debate on the IPCC Bill, which was tabled for first reading yesterday, has been postponed to the next Dewan Rakyat session. Story continues Earlier, Malaysiakini reported that the Malaysian Bar had also expressed disagreement with the watered-down version of the IPCMC Bill and revealed that it was not consulted on the matter. The Malaysian Bar wishes to be consulted and will be ready to assist to provide any input necessary to ensure that a comprehensive and effective IPCC Bill is implemented. "We have worked tirelessly with various stakeholders in the past, and hope that the concerns by all parties will be addressed in the IPCC Bill," said its president Salim Bashir. Meanwhile, PSM deputy chairperson S Arutchelvan, who expressed frustration over the bill, said the government should drop the I which stands for independent and call it the Police Conduct Commission instead. A Philadelphia man admitted Thursday that he bludgeoned his younger brother to death last year in a room they shared at Harrahs Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, authorities said. John A. Villante, 39, pleaded guilty to first-degree aggravated manslaughter for the death of Joseph Villante, 32, of Philadelphia, according to a statement from the Atlantic County Prosecutors Office. On May 28, 2019 at 3:10 p.m., hotel security was contacted in reference to a medical emergency on the 11th floor of the hotel and found the two brothers in the room and Joseph with serious injuries to his head, the office said. He was rushed to AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center where he was pronounced dead, authorities said. John Villante, 38, was arrested in Philadelphia two days later and charged with the death of his brother and was eventually extradited to the New Jersey to stand trial in Atlantic County Superior Court, prosecutors said. Assistant Prosecutor Rick McKelvey said during court proceedings last year that the two brothers were alone together in the hotel room where Joseph Villante died of blunt force injuries. Investigators also found defensive wounds on the victims hands and lots of blood at the scene, he said. When asked by police what happened, John Villante said his brother must have fallen in the shower, McKelvey told the court. Villante is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 26. Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription. Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com. By Akbar Mammadov Azerbaijans Foreign Minister Ceyhun Bayramov who is in official visit in Russia has held a number of meetings to discuss the relations between the two countries as well as the regional developments. After meeting his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, Bayramov also held meetings at the Federation Council and the Cabinet of Ministers of Russia on August 26. First, Bayramov met Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council of the Russian Federal Assembly Ilyas Umakhanov to discuss bilateral cooperation in various spheres. During the meeting, the sides noted the high level of inter-parliamentary cooperation and discussed cooperation on humanitarian, cultural, and educational spheres between the two countries, Azerbaijani Foreign Ministrys press service has reported. They pointed out that mutual trust exists between the leaders of the two countries, adding that the exchange of visits have given impetus to further strengthening of bilateral relations. The results of the official visit of the Azerbaijani First Vice President to Russia last year were also underlined. They sides also discussed boosting ties within the Parliamentary Assemblies of the OSCE, CIS, and other organizations. Referring to the legal framework of cooperation between Azerbaijan and Russia, the documents on friendship and strategic cooperation of 1997 and 2008 years were highlighted. Cooperation to evacuate citizens stranded in both countries due to COVID-19 was also discussed. At the end of the meeting, Bayramov was presented with the Jubilee Medal dedicated to the 75 Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 19411945 years. On the same day, Bayramov also met with Russian Deputy Prime Minister, co-chair of the Azerbaijan-Russia Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation Alexei Overchuk to discuss mutual investments, including investments of Russian companies in engineering, pharmaceuticals, railways and other fields. It was noted that the commissioning of the North-South transport corridor and a new bridge over the Samur River, which are of special importance for the development of economic and trade relations, will give impetus to mutual relations. Furthermore, the sides expressed satisfaction with the comprehensive cooperation in various fields between Azerbaijan and Russia. The implementation of the agreements reached during the meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation in June 2020, as well as the implementation of roadmaps for various cooperation areas was also the topic of the discussion. Cooperation in the humanitarian, cultural and educational spheres were also discussed at the meeting as the sides emphasized the importance of expanding inter-regional cooperation and holding events to promote this cooperation. Earlier, Bayramov met Russian counterpart Lavrov during the meeting in which they also discussed the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Addressing the presser after the meeting, Bayramov said that the negotiations over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict "must be substantive rather than an imitation of the negotiation process." I would like to emphasize Azerbaijan's constructive position in the process of negotiations on the settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. For almost 30 years, despite the occupation of 20 per cent of Azerbaijani lands by Armenia, Azerbaijan continues to participate in the negotiation process, Bayramov said. OSCE Minsk Groups visit to region In the meantime, Bayramov told Russian TASS news agency on August 25 that OCCE Minsk Group co-chairs mediating the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will organize a meeting between Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers in the Autumn. He said that, however, it would be early to talk about the dates of the meeting of the foreign ministers. Regarding the OSCE Minsk Groups work, Bayramov said: We expect the guarantees from the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs that Armenia is ready to conduct substantive negotiations on the liberation of the occupied territories of Azerbaijan and the elimination of other consequences of the armed conflict, as envisaged in UN Security Councils four resolutions dated 1993 and the declaration of the OSCE Budapest Summit in 1994. Furthermore, the minister said that Armenias destructive actions bring the efforts of the mediators to zero. Armenia's undermining of the conflict settlement process in the Nagorno-Karabakh region and other occupied territories of Azerbaijan is not limited only to the military attack on July 12, the minister noted. Bayramov highlighted that Armenias authorities undermine the negotiations process by open statements in which they exclude the possibility of liberation of Azerbaijans occupied territories. The minister also highlighted that Armenia threatens to strike Azerbaijani civilian settlements, pursues the policy of illegal settlement in the occupied territories, thereby changing the demographic situation there. This list of aggressive statements and provocative steps of the Armenian side can be continued, he added. It should be noted that this is Bayramovs first visit to Russia since his appointment as the country's Foreign Minister in July. Bayramovs visit coincides with Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigus visit to Azerbaijan where he was received by President Ilham Aliyev on August 25 and Defence Minister Zakir Hasanov. On the same day, Shoigu and Hasanov attended the opening ceremony of annual Sea Cup miliary competition held in Baku as part of the Army Games competition held by the Russian Defence Ministry annually. --- Akbar Mammadov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AkbarMammadov97 Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz By Jun Ji-hye InterContinental holds 'Dine Now Stay Later' promotion The InterContinental Seoul COEX announced a new promotion, "Dine Now Stay Later," available until Nov. 30, that provides hotel guests visiting a restaurant or bar inside the hotel with a credit voucher. Simultaneously carried out by IHG's Asia-Pacific branches, the promotion gives away a room voucher worth $30 to those who spend $90. The room credit voucher is applicable to IHG-app-linked hotel stays only. The InterContinental Seoul COEX offers a room credit voucher worth 35,000 won that can be used by guests staying in the hotel who spend 127,050 won or more in any of the three restaurants run by the hotel The Brasserie, Asian Live and Sky Lounge. As most guests visiting in pairs or larger groups will qualify for the voucher, those considering a stay in a hotel in the autumn or winter can use this opportunity to make their hotel stay more affordable. The number of room credit vouchers applicable to each room is limited to one, and the voucher is not issued for banquets or in-room-dining menu purchases. The InterContinental Seoul COEX provides the comfort of cool temperatures regardless of outside conditions. Guests can enjoy their holiday visiting various facilities connected underground to the hotel, including the COEX Aquarium, COEX Mall, a department store and a movie theater. Haevichi Hotel & Resort Jeju launches 'Hola Haevichi' package Haevichi Hotel & Resorts Jeju is presenting the "Hola Haevichi" package where guests can enjoy a late vacation using a Spanish food and beverage promotion. The package is a unique staycation experience blending day and nighttime moments infused with the essence of autumn. Indoor and outdoor pools offer fun and relaxation amid stunning sea views, while BAR 99 serves a romantic promotional Spanish menu after sundown. The menu items include tapas, a small amount of dishes served on a small plate in Spanish food culture, and two glasses of Spanish sparkling or red wine. Other package highlights include a one-night stay at a Haevichi guestroom with views of Jeju's stunning landscapes, and buffet breakfast for two, along with gifts of a light, a portable picnic mat and a bottle of premium organic Spanish olive oil. Longer stays bring more benefits. Guests staying for two or more nights receive a bottle of pillow spray crafted to promote sound sleep, while those staying three or more nights are offered a complimentary upgrade to an ocean view room. Accor and sbe unveil first Mondrian hotel in Asia A forum of engineers has threatened its members will go on a strike if their employer--North Delhi Municipal Corporation--did not pay their unpaid salaries for three months even as the civic body cited a financial crunch because of the Covid-19 pandemic for the delay and promised to address the issue soon. Forum of MCD Engineers president SD Tomar said the engineers will have no option but to go on strike or protest if their pending salaries are not cleared soon. He said engineers working with the East Delhi Municipal Corporation have not been paid their salaries for two months. Tomar added it has started taking a toll on their lives. The livelihood of municipal engineers and their lives is badly suffering due to these inordinate delays in payment of salaries. We also raised the matter with the north corporation mayor on Monday. For how long should we work without pay? Our patience is now giving up, Tomar said. The forum said the salaries have not been paid since May and that they have written to the corporations mayor, Jai Prakash, and commissioner seeking the payment. In a letter to the commissioner on August 21, the engineers body said there has been a persistent delay in disbursal of salaries and pensions of municipal engineers. a delay of 3-4 months is common in getting salaries. This has been causing unrest and resentment among municipal engineers and their motivation is getting killed gradually. In view of the above, kindly look into the matter and formulate a scheme or policy for timely disbursal of salaries. According to civic authorities, there are nearly 1,200 engineers working with the three municipalities of North, East, and South Delhi. The north corporation employs around 600 engineers. AP Khan, the forums general secretary, said it is becoming hard for them to survive under such conditions. Prakash said the civic body was going through an acute financial crisis due to the pandemic and that is why salaries have been delayed. I am aware of the issue and we are making arrangements to pay salaries on time to all of our employees--be it engineers, doctors, teachers or sanitation workers. Pending salaries will be cleared soon, Prakash said. Teachers, doctors, nurses, paramedical staff, and civil contractors working with the North Delhi Municipal Corporation have also complained that they have not been paid their salaries and other dues for the last three to four months. In June, doctors of Hindu Rao and Kasturba hospitals threatened mass resignations if their salaries were not paid, forcing the civic authorities to pay them. Teachers of north corporation schools in July also threatened to go on strike over pending salaries. The civic body later paid them a months salary. In June, civil contractors of the north corporation threatened to stop work and refused to take fresh projects over non-payment of bills amounting to approximately Rs 500 crore. They are yet to be paid and have stopped taking new projects. This article by Haley Britzky originally appeared on Task & Purpose, a digital news and culture publication dedicated to military and veterans issues. Army Special Forces Col. Kevin Russell, who was on trial this week after being charged with five counts of sexual assault, was acquitted of all charges on Thursday afternoon. According to his attorney Michael Waddington, Russell was "acquitted of all charges after about an hour and 15 minutes of deliberations." The Fayetteville Observer reports that the panel deliberating on the court-martial included eight men, seven colonels and one brigadier general. During his court-martial at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, it was revealed that a woman who was an Air Force captain at the time of the alleged assault had accused Russell of raping her, according to the Observer. The woman was deployed in 2015 to Pakistan at the same time that Russell was deployed there. She told the court that she was friendly with Russell and another captain when the two men worked and lived together for a brief time during 2015. In April 2015, the woman and Russell had their first sexual interaction, and a week later had consensual sex. In May, Russell left for a temporary assignment in Jordan, telling her that their relationship wasn't serious. About two weeks after Russell left, the woman said she slept with the captain "who she considered a best friend," the Observer reported. She said that she and Russell continued to talk while he was gone. When he returned, the woman said that she "didn't have the courage to cut things off," but that she wasn't interested in him anymore. She also wanted to hide her relationship with the captain. But Russell found out about the relationship when he'd returned. The woman said in court that Russell said she and the captain "must think it's funny for the subordinate to get the boss' girl." Russell and the captain reportedly "agreed they'd both continue to pursue" the woman. Russell later asked the woman out to dinner and she agreed, which she said was because she didn't want to upset him. On June 5, 2015, the two had dinner; later that night, according to the Observer, the woman went with Russell and the other captain to an establishment called the French Club with a group of friends. She said that Russell brought her two drinks that night while they were there and that she believes she was drugged. She said she felt like she was "in a haze with a lapsed memory in patches," the Observer reported. She said she woke up "to Col. Russell having sex with me." The woman said she ran from the room on "second nature" and went to the captain's room where she passed out. Russell pushed back on the woman's claims in his testimony, saying he didn't put anything in her drink and did not rape her. He said that the woman didn't seem drunk on the night in question, according to the Observer, and that when he, the captain, and the woman returned home that night, they all went into separate bedrooms. He said that he woke up to the woman coming into his room and getting into his bed and that she initiated the sex. Russell said that he and the woman seemed to continue having a friendly relationship after the night of June 5; both he and the woman testified that they had sex on three different occasions after that night. More articles from Task & Purpose: Arson suspected in Bonhomme Richard fire, defense official says Marine Corps eliminates photo requirement for promotions in military-wide diversity effort Video shows US and Russian military vehicles colliding in Syria, injuring American troops A proposed Australian law that would give the federal government powers to cancel any agreements local authorities and public institutions make or have made with foreign governments is not aimed at China, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Thursday. The new legislation comes as Canberra seeks to curtail Beijing`s influence in Australia amid concerns over issues including trade and security, but Morrison denied the new law was designed with China specifically in mind. "These laws are about Australia`s national sovereign interests," Morrison said. Under the new law, the country`s foreign minister would be able to cancel any agreements made by state and territory governments, local councils or public universities with foreign administrations if they "adversely affect Australia`s foreign relations" or are "inconsistent with Australian foreign policy". The legislation will also be retrospective, and Morrison said Australia is aware of 130 agreements that government entities have struck with 30 different countries. One of these deals includes Australia`s second most populous state signing up to China`s Belt and Road Initiative in 2018, a decision Morrison criticised at time. Relations between Australia and its largest trading partner have become increasingly strained, with Australia angering China by calling for an international investigation into the origins of the coronavirus and blocking a recent agricultural deal. China has targeted Australian exports of wine, barley and beef, and told its students and tourists to avoid travelling to Australia, citing racial discrimination. China buys more than one-third of Australia`s total exports, and sends more than a million tourists and students there each year. On Wednesday, one of China`s most senior diplomats in Australia said there was a "shadow" over the bilateral relationship. The new legislation excludes commercial corporations and state-owned enterprises, although Australia has already given regulators and the treasurer additional powers to reject foreign takeovers of private companies. By Catarina Demony LISBON (Reuters) - Stricter measures to curb the coronavirus outbreak will be introduced across Portugal from mid-September as students return to schools and many workers go back to the office, the government said on Thursday. Cabinet Affairs Minister Mariana Vieira da Silva told a news conference the new measures would only be announced in early September but said the whole country would be put under the so-called state of contingency. "The measures will be worked out over the next few days and presented after a meeting between experts and policy makers," said Vieira da Silva. At the moment the only area in Portugal under the contingency category is Greater Lisbon, where gatherings are limited 10 people, compared to 20 for the rest of the country. The announcement came with the number of coronavirus cases in Portugal increasing, from 145 on Monday this week to nearly 400 on Thursday, with most of the infections reported in and around the capital. "We do not yet know whether yesterday's and today's increase means there is a growing trend," Vieira da Silva said. "It is too early to draw that conclusion." The southern European nation, which has reported 56,673 cases so far, initially won praise for its quick response to the pandemic, but a wave of localised outbreaks in Lisbon worried authorities and forced them to re-impose some restrictions. Concerns are now surfacing as the around 2 million students in Portugal, a nation of just over 10 million people, prepare to return to in-person classes from September 14. In July, Education Minister Tiago Brandao Rodrigues said face masks would be compulsory for teachers and students, who have been learning from home since March, and social distancing measures would be adopted inside classrooms. (Reporting by Catarina Demony, Editing by Kirsten Donovan) By Tom Perry and Imad Creidi BEIRUT (Reuters) - Looking back on his childhood in the newly declared state of Lebanon nearly a century ago, Salah Tizani says the country was set on course for calamity from the start by colonial powers and sectarian overlords. Tizani, better known in Lebanon as Abou Salim, was one of Lebanon's first TV celebrities. He shot to fame in the 1960s with a weekly comedy show that offered a political and social critique of the nascent state. Now aged 92, he lucidly traces the crises that have beset Lebanon - wars, invasions, assassinations and, most recently, a devastating chemicals explosion - back to the days when France carved its borders out of the Ottoman Empire in 1920 and sectarian politicians known as "the zuama" emerged as its masters. "The mistake that nobody was aware of is that people went to bed one day thinking they were Syrians or Ottomans, let's say, and the next day they woke up to find themselves in the Lebanese state," Tizani said. "Lebanon was just thrown together." Lebanon's latest ordeal, the Aug. 4 Beirut port explosion that killed some 180 people, injured 6,000 and devastated a swathe of the city, has triggered new reflection on its troubled history and deepened worry for the future. For many, the catastrophe is a continuation of the past, caused in one way or another by the same sectarian elite that has led the country from crisis to crisis since its inception, putting factions and self-interest ahead of state and nation. And it comes amid economic upheaval. An unprecedented financial meltdown has devastated the economy, fuelling poverty and a new wave of emigration from a country whose heyday in the 1960s is a distant memory. The blast also presages a historic milestone: Sept. 1 is the centenary of the establishment of the State of Greater Lebanon, proclaimed by France in an imperial carve-up with Britain after World War One. For Lebanon's biggest Christian community, the Maronites, the proclamation of Greater Lebanon by French General Henri Gouraud was a welcome step towards independence. Story continues But many Muslims who found themselves cut off from Syria and Palestine were dismayed by the new borders. Growing up in the northern city of Tripoli, Tizani saw the divisions first hand. As a young boy, he remembers being ordered home by the police to be registered in a census in 1932, the last Lebanon conducted. His neighbours refused to take part. "They told them 'we don't want to be Lebanese'," he said. Tizani can still recite the Turkish oath of allegiance to the Sultan, as taught to his father under Ottoman rule. He can sing La Marseillaise, taught to him by the French, from start to finish. But he freely admits to not knowing all of Lebanon's national anthem. Nobody spoke about patriotism. "The country moved ahead on the basis we were a unified nation but without internal foundations. Lebanon was made superficially, and it continued superficially." From the earliest days, people were forced into the arms of politicians of one sectarian stripe or another if they needed a job, to get their children into school, or if they ran into trouble with the law. "Our curse is our zuama," Tizani said. POINTING TO CATASTROPHE When Lebanon declared independence in 1943, the French tried to thwart the move by incarcerating its new government, provoking an uprising that proved to be a rare moment of national unity. Under Lebanon's National Pact, it was agreed the president must be a Maronite, the prime minister a Sunni Muslim and the speaker of parliament a Shi'ite Muslim. The post-independence years brought signs of promise. Women gained suffrage in 1952. Salim Haidar, a minister at the time, took pride in the fact that Lebanon was only a few years behind France in granting women the right to vote, his son, Hayyan, recalls. Salim Haidar, with a doctorate from the Sorbonne, drafted Lebanon's first anti-corruption law in 1953. "This was the mentality ... that Lebanon is really leading the way, even in the legal and constitutional matters. But then he didn't know that all of these laws that he worked on would not be properly applied, or would not be applied at all, like the anti-corruption law," Hayyan Haidar said. The 1960s are widely seen as a golden age. Tourism boomed, much of it from the Arab world. A cultural scene of theatre, poetry, cinema and music flourished. Famous visitors included Brigitte Bardot. The Baalbeck International Festival, set amid ancient ruins in the Bekaa Valley, was in its heyday. Casino du Liban hosted the Miss Europe beauty pageant in 1964. Water skiers showed off their skills in the bay by Beirut's Saint George Hotel. Visitors left with "a misleadingly idyllic picture of the city, deaf to the antagonisms that now rumbled beneath the surface and blind to the dangers that were beginning to gather on the horizon," Samir Kassir, the late historian and journalist, wrote in his book "Beirut". Kassir was assassinated in a car bomb in Beirut in 2005. For all the glitz and glamour, sectarian politics left many parts of Lebanon marginalised and impoverished, providing fertile ground for the 1975-90 civil war, said Nadya Sbaiti, assistant professor of Middle Eastern Studies at the American University of Beirut. "The other side of the 1960s is not just Hollywood actors and Baalbeck festivals, but includes guerrilla training in rural parts of the country," she said. Lebanon was also buffeted by the aftershocks of Israel's creation in 1948, which sent some 100,000 Palestinian refugees fleeing over the border. In 1968, Israeli commandos destroyed a dozen passenger planes at Beirut airport, a response to an attack on an Israeli airliner by a Lebanon-based Palestinian group. The attack "showed us we are not a state. We are an international playground," Salim Haidar, serving as an MP, said in an address to parliament at the time. Lebanon had not moved on in a quarter of a century, he said. "We gathered, Christians and Muslims, around the table of independent Lebanon, distributed by sect. We are still Christians and Muslims ... distributed by sect." To build a state, necessary steps included the "abolition of political sectarianism, the mother of all problems," said Haidar, who died in 1980. TICKING TIME BOMB Lebanon's brewing troubles were reflected in its art. A 1970 play, "Carte Blanche", portrayed the country as a brothel run by government ministers and ended with the lights off and the sound of a ticking bomb. Nidal Al Achkar, the co-director, recalls the Beirut of her youth as a vibrant melting pot that never slept. A pioneer of Lebanese theatre, Achkar graduated in the 1950s from one of a handful of Lebanese schools founded on a secular rather than religious basis, Ahliah, in the city's former Jewish quarter. Beirut was in the 1960s a city of "little secrets ... full of cinemas, full of theatres," she said. "Beside people coming from the West, you had people coming from all over the Arab world, from Iraq, from Jordan, from Syria, from Palestine meeting in these cafes, living here, feeling free," she recalled. "But in our activity as artists ... all our plays were pointing to a catastrophe." It came in 1975 with the eruption of the civil war that began as a conflict between Christian militias and Palestinian groups allied with Lebanese Muslim factions. Known as the "two year war", it was followed by many other conflicts. Some of those were fought among Christian groups and among Muslim groups. The United States, Russia and Syria were drawn in. Israel invaded twice and occupied Beirut in 1982. Lebanon was splintered. Hundreds of thousands of people were uprooted. The guns fell silent in 1990 with some 150,000 dead and more than 17,000 people missing. The Taif peace agreement diluted Maronite power in government. Militia leaders turned in their weapons and took seats in government. Hayyan Haidar, a civil engineer and close aide to Selim Hoss, prime minister at the end of the war, expressed his concern. "My comment was they are going to become the state and we are on our way out," he said. In the post-war period, Rafik al-Hariri took the lead in rebuilding Beirut's devastated city centre, though many feel its old character was lost in the process, including its traditional souks. A Saudi-backed billionaire, Hariri was one of the only Lebanese post-war leaders who had not fought in the conflict. A general amnesty covered all political crimes perpetrated before 1991. "What happened is they imposed amnesia on us," said Nayla Hamadeh, president of the Lebanese Association for History. "They meant it. Prime Minister Hariri was one of those who advanced this idea ... 'Let's forget and move (on)'." 'I LOST HOPE' The Taif agreement called for "national belonging" to be strengthened through new education curricula, including a unified history textbook. Issued in the 1940s, the existing syllabus ends in 1943 with independence. Attempts to agree a new one failed. The last effort, a decade ago, provoked rows in parliament and street protests. "They think that they should use history to brainwash students," Hamadeh said. For the most part, history continues to be learnt at home, on the street and through hearsay. "This is (promoting) conflict in our society," she added. Old faultlines persisted and new ones emerged. Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims fell out following the 2005 assassination of Hariri. A U.N.-backed tribunal recently convicted a member of the Iran-backed Shi'ite group Hezbollah of conspiring to kill Hariri. Hezbollah denies any role, but the trial was another reminder of Lebanon's violent past - the last 15 years have been punctuated by political slayings, a war between Hezbollah and Israel and a brush with civil conflict in 2008. To some, the civil war never really ended. Political conflict persists in government even at a time when people are desperate for solutions to the financial crisis and support in the aftermath of the port explosion. Many feel the victims have not been mourned properly on a national level, reflecting divisions. Some refuse to lose faith in a better Lebanon. For others, the blast was the final straw. Some are leaving or planning to. "You live between a war and another, and you rebuild and then everything is destroyed and then you rebuild again," said theatre director Achkar. "That's why I lost hope." (Editing by Mike Collett-White) An employee at the Fortinos grocery store in Ancaster has tested positive for COVID-19, according to the stores parent company. Loblaws was notified on Tuesday that a staff member at the location at 54 Wilson St. W. in Ancaster had tested positive on a presumptive test for COVID-19, according to a listing on their COVID-19 case database. The last day the employee worked was Aug. 19. In an email to The Spectator, a Loblaw spokesperson said the staff member recently tested positive for the virus and that the company had reached out to Hamilton Public Health. They said the store has also taken a number of steps to minimize risk including increased sanitization protocols and enforcing social distancing practices in the store. Its unclear how many staff members were affected by the recent prognosis or if any were recommended to self-isolate as a precaution. The store was closed overnight Tuesday for additional cleaning and has since reopened, the spokesperson added. The recent case comes just a little over a week after an employee tested positive for the virus at the Metro grocery store on Fennell Avenue East in Hamilton. As of Wednesday, there were 63 active cases of COVID-19 in Hamilton. Nearly 975 people have tested positive for the virus, 866 cases are considered resolved and 45 people have died. Read more about: Ontario should not rush ahead with GTA West highway, Aug. 23 It is not just Ontarios government that must change direction on transportation spending; highway expansion in and near urban areas makes traffic worse and increases greenhouse gas pollution in every province. The federal and provincial governments agreed to shift spending from higher to lower-emitting types of transportation in the 2016 federal-provincial climate agreement. Both have largely ignored this commitment to shift spending to public transit. For example, the NDP-Green B.C. government is planning to spend billions to widen the Massey Crossing from Richmond to Delta in Metro Vancouver from four to eight lanes, instead of improving transit. The California wildfires are just this weeks reminder that we are in a climate emergency. We cannot keep allowing politicians to spend public money on things that make the climate crisis worse. Eric Doherty, Victoria, B.C. Read more about: Washington: Joe Biden said on Thursday that President Donald Trump is rooting for more violence" amid racially charged unrest in Wisconsin, and that he would be willing to visit the state himself to try and defuse tensions. He views this as a political benefit," the Democratic presidential nominee said of Trump on MSNBC hours before the president will address the final night of the Republican National Convention. "Hes rooting for more violence, not less. And its clear about that. Democratic presidential nominee former vice-president Joe Biden. Credit:Bloomberg Later on CNN, Biden repeated that assertion, saying: These guys are rooting for violence. That's what it's all about. Biden was referring to ongoing protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin, where Jacob Blake, a black man, was shot seven times Sunday by police. A 17-year-old gunman has been arrested in connection with the shooting deaths of two protesters in clashes between vigilante militias and protesters. COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Ohio Elections Commission has fined the group behind the failed 2019 campaign to repeal House Bill 6, the nuclear bailout law, for failing to disclose who funded their efforts. Ohioans Against Corporate Bailouts faces a fine of at least $5,225, or $25 for each day thats passed since a Jan. 31 campaign finance deadline. Elections commission members on Thursday approved the fine, recommended by staff, after Ohioans Against Corporate Bailouts failed to file a routine report detailing donors and campaign expenses. The elections commission could reconsider the fine if Ohioans Against Corporate Bailouts files a report, said Phil Richter, the commissions executive director. Officials who previously worked with the now-defunct campaign group have declined to comment on the elections case. Last years heated campaign over House Bill 6, signed by Gov. Mike DeWine last July to bail out nuclear plants in Ottawa and Lake counties that were previously owned by a FirstEnergy subsidiary, saw two deep-pocketed dark money groups pitted against each other. Particularly since HB6 was implicated in a federal corruption investigation, advocates and state lawmakers have cited the fight over the bill in calls for reforms to increase transparency in Ohios campaign finance system. Ohioans Against Corporate Bailouts spent at least $900,000 on petition circulators and ads attacking House Bill 6 in an attempt to repeal it through a voters referendum. But the group failed to collect the hundreds of thousands of signatures before an October deadline that were needed to put the law up for a statewide vote. Its backers were a coalition of environmentalist groups and utility companies that compete with the nuclear plants, although its donors never publicly identified themselves. But because the group was trying to use state law to initiate a referendum campaign, elections officials say they were required to report their fundraising and spending last year. Ohioans Against Corporate Bailouts were thwarted by a massive pro-House Bill 6 campaign, which federal prosecutors have said was secretly funded by FirstEnergy and its affiliates as part of a $60 million bribery scheme that led to former House Speaker Larry Householders arrest last month. The pro-HB6 effort included hiring petition blockers, workers tasked with following petition gatherers and discouraging people who might sign them, and airing misleading ads that tied the repeal campaign to the communist Chinese government. The anti-HB6 campaign never filed campaign finance reports. Its groups were a complex web of LLCs and federal nonprofits that are exempt from disclosure requirements. But they likely would have been required to file state disclosures had the referendum campaign made the ballot. HB6 is facing renewed opposition as Ohio political leaders and former opponents react to the federal corruption probe. A new campaign calling itself the Coalition to Restore Public Trust has formed to pressure lawmakers to repeal the law. The group, which recently announced plans to run $900,000 in digital ads targeting 22 state legislative districts, says its sponsors include Vistra Energy, a Texas-based utility company and the Ohio Oil & Gas Association. Read related coverage from cleveland.com: Ohio Elections Commission to consider sanctioning failed campaign to repeal nuclear bailout bill Secretary of State Frank LaRose backing bipartisan legislative push cracking down on dark money in Ohio following corruption scandal Federal charges describe elaborate scheme, bankrolled by FirstEnergy, to corrupt Ohio politics and secure nuclear bailout Anti-House Bill 6 group misses deadline to report campaign donors, spending details Indian-origin Senator and Democratic vice-presidential candidate Kamala Harris has said her mother instilled in her that the core values of America is not just to strive for success and but also to leave the country better than they found it. And this is what she strives to be, Harris said during the launch of the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) for Biden, a group supporting the Democratic nominee for the November presidential election. Harris, 55, is of both African and Indian descent, with her father being from Jamaica and mother Shyamala Gopalan from Tamil Nadu. In public addresses, Harris has regularly reflects on the deep influence that her mother had on her. When my mother arrived in the United States from India, she understood that the core of her new home in America is that we not only strive for success, but to leave our country better than we found it, she told the AAPI event. Thats the approach she instilled in me, and I know many of you are working toward that same end, she said. In a short video release later in the day on the occasion of Womens Equality Day, Harris said that her mother was the greatest source of inspiration in my life. She taught me from a young age that I had a responsibility to fight for justice. At the age of 19, she arrived in the United States from India alone and with the dream of curing cancer. She was a woman who believed in solving problems, Harris said. In fact, she always used to say, if you see a problem, dont just sit around complaining about it, do something about it, she said. On the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, its more important than ever that we keep up the fight at the ballot box to honor the women who came before us, she asserted. The 19th amendment to the US Constitution granted women the right to vote. In another tweet along with a video, Harris said that as a young girl, her grandfather would often take her on his morning walks in India, where hed discuss the importance of fighting for democracy and civil rights. That commitment and that fight for a better future live on in me to this day, she said. My grandparents were phenomenal. We would go back to India like, every other year. My grandfather fought for and was a defender of the freedom of India. When I was a young girl, being the eldest grandchild, my grandfather would take me on his morning walk, Harris said in the accompanying video. All of his buddies who also were great leaders, they would talk about the importance of fighting for democracy and the importance of fighting for civil rights and that people would be treated equally regardless of where they were born or the circumstances of their birth, she said. Hurricane Laura is expected to make landfall late Wednesday or early Thursday. The National Weather has upgraded the storm to an "extremely dangerous Category 4 hurricane," noting that the storm surge could penetrate up to 30 miles inland. "Unsurvivable storm surge with large and destructive waves will cause catastrophic damage from Sea Rim State Park, Texas, to Intracoastal City, Louisiana," the service wrote Wednesday. READ MORE: Hurricane Laura evacuees are starting to arrive in San Antonio. Heres what happens next. More than half a million people have been ordered to evacuate their homes near the Texas-Louisiana state line, including the cities of Beaumont, Galveston and Port Arthur. Live cameras along the Texas Coast reveal high waves and dark clouds as the storm approaches. Here are several beach cams in the Galveston area: Crystal Beach Bluewater Beach Cam Stingaree Bay Cam Galveston Babes Beach Cam Beach Cam East Beach Video Cam Murdochs Cam Pleasure Pier Cam Seawall Cam Surf Cam Houston Live Tower Cam Pasadena Strawberry Water Park Supporting economic and political stability in Iraq Statement by Ambassador James Roscoe, Acting UK Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, at the Security Council briefing on the situation in Iraq 26 August 2020 Thank you, Mr President, and thank you to the SRSG. You paint a picture of the ongoing challenge in Iraq, in the economic space, social space and, critically, in the security space. The United Kingdom will continue to stand with the Government and people of Iraq to face and overcome these challenges. Mr President, it's also good that we're joined again by the Permanent Representative of Iraq. Welcome, Ambassador. We welcome the political progress that we've seen in Iraq since we last met. The completion of Prime Minister Kadhimi's government formation process - including the appointment of two women ministers and the appointment of a cabinet member from a minority community is encouraging. We also commend the actions taken by the Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government to ensure the safety of its citizens as they tackle the Covid-19 pandemic. The UK supporting Iraq in addressing Covid-19, including through the provision of over $12 million in assistance. But we note the significant challenge the virus is causing in Iraq, as spelt out by the SRSG. The UK is also committed to supporting the government in addressing the broader challenges facing Iraq. The most urgent of these is tackling the economic crisis facing the country through undertaking crucial economic reforms. Again, the UK will help, including through our technical assistance partnership with Iraq that we agreed just this week. We also welcome Prime Minister Kadhimi's moves to prioritise economic stabilisation. However, it's clear that the challenges of Covid-19, combined with the collapse in oil prices and consequent budget deficit, are compounding long standing problems posed by Iraq's undiversified economy and rapid population growth. Reforms, although difficult, are necessary if Iraq is to achieve long-term economic and social stability. So we urge the Council of Ministers to put forward a reform programme without delay and to build parliamentary support for it. The UK stands ready to support and has already contributed over $19 million to the World Bank Iraq Reform and Reconstruction Fund. Mr President, we also express our deep concern at what the SRSG described as a spike in violence against civil society activists in Iraq - in particular, the targeted assassination of activists in Baghdad and in Basra. And we note with concern this morning's IED attack against a WFP vehicle in Ninewah Province. We wish a speedy recovery to the one WFP employee who was injured and we urge the Government of Iraq to investigate this attack and bring the perpetrator to justice, as it should for all the attacks of this kind. We also condemn the actions of groups who seek to target the US and Coalition personnel through continued rocket attacks and the attacks against Iraqi contractors working for the Coalition. And we join others in expressing our concern at the increased frequency of attacks by Daesh in recent months, particularly in the disputed territories. The UK, like the other members of the Global Coalition, remains committed to supporting Iraq in its efforts to combat Daesh and its attempts to re-establish itself in Iraq. Mr President, as the SRSG said, effective Baghdad-Erbil cooperation is critical to addressing Iraq's challenges. We welcome the recent short-term budget arrangements, which are in place until the end of 2020, but urge the Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government to resume talks on a long-term sustainable budget agreement. And we commend Prime Minister Kadhimi's efforts to strengthen bilateral relations with Kuwait, including to strengthen cooperation on the Kuwaiti missing persons and property file and the return of the remaining Kuwaiti National Archives. We call for the resolution of all outstanding issues. We note President Kadhimi's call for early elections in June 2021, and we urge the Council of Representatives to complete the outstanding work on the electoral law and associated issues. We will work closely with UNAMI and the Government of Iraq and the Independent High Electoral Commission to ensure that the elections, when held, are free and will allow the Iraqi people to have a genuine voice in their future. Thank you, Mr President. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address With 90 cases of coronavirus reported there, Bloomsburg University will revert to largely remote instruction beginning Monday, the school announced. The change comes less than two weeks into the semester, following concerns about students attending off campus parties, including a large gathering last Friday. All but one of the virus cases are among students, most of whom live off campus. Bloomsburg, one of 14 universities in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, had been conducting about a quarter of its classes in person, some in a blended format, and more than half online. Nearly 2,200 students living on the central Pennsylvania campus will have the option of remaining, said Daniel Greenstein, the systems chancellor. Many of the universitys 8,600 students live in the surrounding community or are studying remotely. If you look at the curve of the infection rate, its growing, Greenstein said Thursday morning. Im glad their planning is enabling them to pivot quickly. My hope is that they will do it even more effectively than they did in March and that students progress toward their degree will be minimally disrupted. READ MORE: Temple resumes classes, with far fewer students on campus Of all the schools that have reopened in Pennsylvania, Bloomsburg appears to have the highest case count, though it has been open longer than some others. Students began arriving Aug. 9 and classes started Aug. 17. Around the country, some colleges that opened earlier and have seen soaring case counts also have reversed course. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill moved classes online after one week and now has nearly 1,000 cases. The University of Notre Dame announced classes would be held online for two weeks after case counts climbed there; the university now has nearly 500 cases. The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa has had more than 500 cases. Nationwide, college campuses have recorded at least 26,000 cases, according to the New York Times. Locally, Temple University has reported 39 cases. It had 10 cases on Monday, the first day of classes. All the cases are among students, 30 on campus and nine off campus. Villanova University has 10 cases among students, seven of them on campus, while Pennsylvania State University has reported three cases so far. READ MORE: Temple resumes classes, with far fewer students on campus Reopening approaches have varied widely among state universities. Some, including West Chester, East Stroudsburg, Clarion, and California started with all or largely remote instruction, Greenstein said. Others, like Shippensburg and Millersville, have few students living on campus, he said. A few, like Bloomsburg, have gone with more in-person classes. At Cheyney, which returned a couple weeks ago, only 30% of classes are being conducted remotely, said Dave Pidgeon, a system spokesperson. Greenstein said he wasnt aware of any cases being reported there. Several other state universities have reported a few cases. Lock Haven has had four, and Indiana and Slippery Rock have reported their first cases, Greenstein said. Bloomsburg divided its semester into three sections, two running seven weeks and one running the full semester, to decrease the density of students on campus and the number of classes students had to take at one time, Greenstein said. But virus counts climbed anyway. Dozens of off-campus parties have ensued since students returned, according to the Bloomsburg Press Enterprise, including a fraternity party that drew 80 people over the weekend. Bloomsburg president Bashar W. Hanna this week issued a stern reprimand to students who attended the party, and said they would face disciplinary action and fines or citations from local police. The actions of these few put all of you in jeopardy, Hanna said. The university classes currently in progress those in the first seven-week period and those running the full semester will be conducted remotely. A decision on the second seven-week period will be made next month. Eric Hawrelak, interim president of the faculty union and an associate professor of chemistry, said faculty had grown increasingly uncomfortable with the rising case count and were happy to see the university change course. Were concerned about ourselves getting sick, our families getting sick and our students getting sick, he said. Bloomsburgs reopening plan drew criticism from some parents, faculty and community members, who worried that it would put the campus community and town at risk. We dont want to be an experiment for the sake of their revenue stream, said Wendy Lynne Lee, a philosophy professor who has been publicly critical of Bloomsburgs plan for weeks. Its not what anybody signed up for. She said the school should have started the semester with all-remote instruction, and while she is pleased that Bloomsburg has pivoted, shes worried its too late. She said it also would have helped if the school had tested students before arrival, like many other universities have done. State system schools did not require that students be tested. There is a high degree of discomfort with mandated testing, Greenstein said, describing it as a legal issue for state universities. And the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention did not recommend entry testing. READ MORE: How Philly-area colleges are planning to test students and staff for coronavirus Greenstein said he expects many students will leave university housing and return home once instruction moves to remote. The university is allowing students to stay, realizing that some come from areas without good internet access or the support they need. All students are living in single rooms. Students who leave will be reimbursed for the remainder of their room and board, the university said. On social media, some Bloomsburg parents reacted with frustration, resignation, and disappointment and questions about what comes next. Would their students have to move home by early September to qualify for meal-and-housing refunds, only to move back to campus later if pandemic conditions improve? And for those who recently moved into off-campus apartments, whether they stay or go, they likely will be stuck paying rent to take virtual classes they could attend from home. The move to remote instruction has its cost, Greenstein said. Not all students do as well taking classes online and it may mean some employees will have to be furloughed, he said. Those furloughs likely will focus on our service staff, who are not our best-paid employees, he said. The differential impacts of this are hard. Indian state refiners have stopped buying crude oil from China-linked companies, three sources said, after New Delhis recent regulation aimed at restricting imports from countries that it shares a border with. The new regulation, put in place on July 23, comes after a border clash between India and China that killed 20 Indian soldiers and soured relations between the two neighbours. Also read | Implement agreed actions: India reminds China on disengagement at LAC Since the new order was issued, state refiners have been inserting a clause in their import tenders on new rules restricting dealings with companies from countries sharing a border with India, the sources said and the tender documents show. Last week, Indian state refiners decided to stop sending crude import tenders to Chinese trading firm like CNOOC Ltd, Unipec and PetroChina, among others, one of the sources said. To participate in Indian tenders, the July 23 order makes registration with a department in the federal commerce ministry mandatory for any bidders from nations sharing a border with India. India shares borders with China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal and Bhutan, but the government statement did not name any specific country. State refiners Indian Oil Corp, Bharat Petroleum Corp, Hindustan Petroleum Corp, Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemical did not immediately respond to requests for comment. CNOOC, PetroChina and Unipec parent Sinopec also did not immediately respond to requests for comment. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON All too often fear is what tips the balance between a life that sees the light of another day and one that ends violently. The fear stems from opposing forces the individual suffering from severe mental illness who may be experiencing psychosis and police who are too often not prepared to handle a mental health crisis. When it comes to mental health and policing, the goal is simple everyone goes home safely to see another sunrise. But that doesnt happen many times. Since 2015, a whopping 5,480 people have been shot and killed by police, and 22 percent of them 1,226 were in a mental health crisis, according to a Washington Post database of fatal police shootings. Texas fares slightly better (about 19 percent), but this is hardly inspiring. The fact remains that encountering the police remains a uniquely risky proposition for people in a mental health crisis. This should be a wake-up call telling us that we cant keep doing the same thing and expect different results. In response to the police killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Michael Ramos and too many others, there is a growing movement to reduce the size and ubiquity of the police presence in our cities and neighborhoods. This includes calls to remove police from schools and radically shift municipal budget priorities. At the same time, there has been a surge in interest in making sure mental health providers, not law enforcement, are the ones to respond to a psychiatric crisis. This movement has been working in parallel with the larger effort to defund police, but it is not the same. In fact, many mobile crisis teams rely on partnerships with police to accomplish their work. Given this schism, we must look for safe ways to lessen our reliance upon law enforcement during a mental health emergency while recognizing the value of well-trained compassionate mental health officers in some situations and not demonize those who are striving to make improvements within a flawed system. Police brutality is antithetical to our goal of building communities that support the well-being of their members. At the same time, it would be unfair to overlook the great work that some police officers are doing in responding to mental health calls. Ernie & Joe, a pair of San Antonio cops who were the subject of a much-discussed HBO documentary film, are one example. They show us that a willingness to go above and beyond in understanding the complexities of mental health, combined with institutional support, points the way toward a more humane reality in which uniformed police officers may still play a role in handling mental health crises. By default, police are not a mental health solution. For the officers, responding to mental health calls is stressful, time consuming and expensive, and it can induce fear in those not experienced in de-escalating a mental health crisis. For those with mental health conditions, police encounters are fraught with fear. Eliminating that fear by reducing police presence and increasing police skills when their presence is required can reduce tragic outcomes. The best response is to ensure access to crisis response teams to operationalize what we know can help people in a mental health crisis while also understanding that we arent in an ideal world in which police are no longer needed to deal with threatening situations. Their experience is a good lesson for us: The welcome conversation about what a world with less policing would look like should not preclude doing what we know works for people with mental health conditions now. We must also continue to work toward a paradigm shift that exemplifies prevention in conjunction with a crisis response system that reflects the value of every life. With or without police, all people deserve the best that we can give them, right now and where they are. Octavio N. Martinez Jr. is the executive director of the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health and senior associate vice president for diversity and community engagement at the University of Texas at Austin. The Brewers have released utilityman Brock Holt, tweets MLB Networks Jon Heyman. Hed been designated for assignment over the weekend. Holt, 32, established himself as a versatile jack of all trades in parts of seven seasons with the Red Sox particularly in the two-year lead up to his first foray into free agency. In 662 plate appearances from 2018-19, Holt posted a combined .286/.366/.407 batting line with 10 homers, 32 doubles, four triples and eight steals. Along the way, he saw time at all four infield positions and in both outfield corners, with defensive metrics casting an especially favorable light on his work at second base his primary position in Boston. Despite a strong two-year platform, however, Holt was met with a rather tepid market in free agency. He lingered in limbo until signing a late, one-year deal with Milwaukee that promised him $3.25MM in the form of a $2.5MM salary and a $750K buyout on a $5MM option for the 2021 season. Holts time in Milwaukee could scarcely have gone worse. He appeared in 16 games and took 36 plate appearances with only a .100/.222/.100 batting line to show for it (3-for-30 with four walks, a sacrifice and one hit-by-pitch). He was deployed only in the outfield corners and at third base during his brief stint as a Brewer. Assuming hes already cleared release waivers, Holt will now be a free agent who is eligible to sign with any club for the prorated league minimum about $97K between now and seasons end. That sum would be subtracted from the $430K the Brewers still owe him (in addition to the aforementioned option buyout). While the Brewers clearly didnt find a trade partner in the early stages of Holts DFA limbo period, he could certainly draw interest as a bench piece on a contending club now that he can be had for a relatively minimal sum. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday that his government's resolve for Aatmanirbhar Bharat is not inward-looking, but aimed at boosting India's capabilities and global peace, and also for helping the world economy become more stable. IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the defence industry outreach seminar. Photograph: ANI Photo. Speaking at a defence industry outreach seminar, Modi said India's self-reliance on defence capabilities will boost its standing of being a net security provider in the Indian Ocean and make it a defence supplier for many friendly countries, depending on strategic ties. Wooing private players, he asserted that the import embargo on a number of defence equipment is not only aimed at curbing imports but also giving a boost to the domestic industry. He said more items will be added to this import embargo list later. He noted that India has long been one of the biggest defence importers in the world and rued that enough attention was not paid to augmenting domestic production in the past despite the country having inherited a capable ecosystem at the time of Independence. Asserting that a new mindset has emerged on his government's watch, he said it is working to boost domestic manufacturing and developing new technologies with the maximum role for the private sector. His government has opened the way for 74 per cent FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) in defence production through the automatic route, he noted. Referring to recent labour reforms in a number of states, Modi said the reform exercise is not going to stop. The work on building defence corridor is also on at a rapid pace in states of Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, he said, while adding that Rs 20,000 crore investment would be made for this in the next five years. Modi said his government has always worked to remove red tape and roll out the red carpet for the private sector, and asserted that it was a win-win situation for everyone. Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 23:22:11|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close Maputo, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Mozambique fishery authorities said they are on high alert for the possible appearing of the Epizootic ulcerative syndrome (EUS), also known as the red spot disease, in local waters, following its recent outbreak in neighboring Malawi. Mozambican fish producers are expected to report any suspicious cases of the disease in the country, which can cause mortality of some species of fish as well as total loss of production in aquaculture. "In case of suspicion of the existence of a possible case of the EUS, the fishermen must send us samples so that we examine them and understand if we are facing that disease or not," said the Director of the Research and Aquaculture Center Rafael Rafael at a press conference in Maputo. Despite not deadly to humans, the official warns that possibly infected fisheries should not be consumed by humans. "People should not consume animals that are possibly infected by this disease because they can transmit other kinds of bacteria to humans," said the director. According to the Southern African Development Community, the situation also poses a serious threat to regional fisheries and aquaculture in inland waters, especially in the Zambezi River Basin. Enditem Multiple immigrant rights groups say mandatory COVID-19 testing of farm and food processing employees is necessary to save lives. Several farms and farm employees in Michigan recently filed a lawsuit challenging the state Department of Health and Human Services emergency order requiring agriculture employers test their employees for free. If we dont protect the worker in our communities, then we all suffer, said Felipe Lopez Sustaita, the executive director of the Hispanic Latino Commission Of Michigan, speaking out against the lawsuit and in favor of the governors order. The lawsuit, backed by the Michigan Farm Bureau, alleges that the emergency order violates the workers civil rights. Thats because a majority of migrant and farm workers are Latino. It said if the state is concerned about people living in close proximity, then college dorms and summer camps should also be required to test. The State has adopted increased enforcement for COVID-19 based upon a racial classification, instead of racially neutral criteria, the lawsuit states. If that were not the case, the Order would have required other individuals in close-proximity housing situations to take mandatory COVID-19 testing. But the state and employee advocates said that farm workers need additional protections because they live and work in such close proximity, and COVID-19 outbreaks have occurred at farms and factories. The lawsuit preposterously alleges that the emergency health order is discriminatory and racist, said Diana Marin, supervising attorney at the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center. Thats not only meritless, dishonest, and disturbing in its misuse of civil rights protections and false racial justice rhetoric. Its also dangerous for farm workers, Michigans food systems, and the general public. Juana is a Michigan farmworker who has in the past picked cherries, peaches, oranges and other seasonal fruits. She declined to give her full name because shes worried about losing her job at an egg packing facility. Juana said, through a translator, that she contracted COVID-19 while she was working. They did not provide us with security protection, she said. They did not give us masks, we had to buy our own masks, with own money. And many of us at work got sick due to the lack of protective equipment at our workplace. Juana said in April she first noticed symptoms that lasted for a month and a half. She said if the order had been in effect then, she would have gotten a test earlier. She knows that many farm workers are afraid to speak up in fear of retaliation or consequences from their employer, said Leydy Rangel, of the United Farm Workers Foundation, interpreting for Juana. On Aug. 3, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) Director Robert Gordon issued an emergency order requiring COVID-19 testing for agricultural and food processing employees. The order requires all employers of migrant or seasonal workers with more than 20 employees on site at a time to test all workers. First, employers must test as a one-time baseline testing, then test all new workers prior to any in-person work, and finally test any worker with symptoms or exposure. Migrant housing camps must also do a baseline test of all residents age 18 and over, test all new residents within 48 hours of arrival and quarantine new arrivals for 14 days, and test any resident with symptoms or exposure. On Aug. 14, a federal judge denied a request by the farmers for a temporary restraining order to stop the state from requiring testing while the underlying lawsuit plays out. The farmers are now appealing that ruling. Michigan Immigrant Rights Center, Sugar Law Center for Economic and Social Justice, the United Farm Workers, United Farm Workers Foundation and other groups filed a legal brief on Aug. 20 in support of the emergency order. 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/. Euromonitor International is the world's leading independent provider of strategic and tactical market research. We create data and analysis on thousands of products and services around the world. OAKLAND (BCN) Over 600 people participated in protests that turned violent Wednesday night against the police shooting of a Black man on Sunday in Kenosha, Wisconsin, Oakland police said. The originally largely peaceful protest turned violent, with the Oakland police asking via its Twitter account protestors to stop setting fire to trash cans, pointing lasers and throwing object at officers, crossing barricades and lighting fireworks. "Agitators within the crowd attempted to set fire to a business on 8th and Broadway," Oakland police tweeted at 9:45 p.m. "Quick response by OPD Officers and @OaklandFireCA prevented further damage." BART closed its 19th Street station in downtown Oakland as city police tweeted photos of numerous fires set in downtown streets. About 11 p.m. protesters walked down the Grand Avenue off-ramp from Interstate 580 after temporarily stopping traffic on the freeway, and then continued throwing objects at police. Shortly thereafter, Oakland police stated protesters vandalized and set fire to the Alameda County Superior Court Rene C. Davidson Courthouse located at 1225 Fallon Street, near Lake Merritt. MORE: Fire Tucker Carlson: Fox News Host Condemned for Comments on Deadly Shooting of Kenosha Protesters According to Oakland police, numerous fire were set across Oakland's downtown area, dozens of windows were broken, and multiple businesses were vandalized. No officers were injured, and several people were arrested. 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. Chinese warships fire missiles during a live-fire military drill in the waters of Bohai Sea and Yellow Sea, off Chinas East Coast, Aug. 7, 2017. The United States on Thursday accused China of further destabilizing the situation in the South China Sea after it test-fired ballistic missiles near the disputed Paracel Islands in what an analyst called an apparent demonstration of Chinas ability to hit ships in the open ocean. The Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported that missiles fired by the Peoples Liberation Army Rocket Force on Wednesday included a DF-21D, often referred to as a carrier-killer missile for its assumed role in sinking enemy aircraft carriers, like those operated by the United States Navy. In its statement on Thursday, the U.S. Department of Defense said it was concerned about the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) recent decision to conduct military exercises, including the firing of ballistic missiles, around the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea on Aug. 23 to 29. The Paracels are disputed between China, Taiwan and Vietnam. This military exercise is the latest in a long string of PRC actions to assert unlawful maritime claims and disadvantage its Southeast Asian neighbors in the South China Sea. The PRCs actions stand in contrast to its pledge to not militarize the South China Sea and are in contrast to the United States vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific region, the statement said. The Pentagon did not specify which type of missiles had been fired during the drills one of at least three military exercises the Chinese military is running this week after months of rising tensions between the U.S. and China. The South China Morning Post said a DF-21D and a DF-26B missile were fired from two separate locations in China, citing an unnamed source close to the Chinese military. However, a U.S. defense official claimed there were actually four medium-range ballistic missiles fired into the South China Sea. According to a Bulletin of Atomic Scientists report on Chinas missile forces, the DF-21D is a medium-range ballistic missile, but the DF-26B is not it is an intermediate-range ballistic missile. Ankit Panda, a nuclear strategy and arms control analyst at the Carnegie Endowment on International Peace in Washington, D.C., said China was apparently demonstrating its ability to hit ships out in the open ocean with its missiles. He called it a fairly rare test and noted that Chinas military only started practicing this capability last year. We dont know if they aimed to strike at a stationary or moving target, but the latter in particular would be quite significant, Panda said. Theres a lot of hubbub about these so-called carrier-killer missiles, but getting a missile especially a conventional on to hit a ship hundreds of kilometers away with any precision is very difficult. We dont know whether this is something China is looking to now test in the field. Previous testing of this kind took place on land, he said. The first hint a missile test was imminent was a NOTAM a notice prohibiting flight over a certain area for safety reasons issued Tuesday that specified an area in the waters between the Paracels and Chinas southernmost Hainan province. The notice also coincided with a notification from the Hainan Maritime Safety Administration prohibiting ships from entering the area as well. While the U.S. criticized China, Beijing made its own complaint over a U.S. warship, the USS Mustin, performing a freedom of navigation exercise through the Paracel Islands on Thursday. Col. Li Huamin, a spokesman for Chinas Southern Theater Command, said in a statement that the U.S. has repeatedly provoked troubles in the South China Sea and exercised navigational hegemony in the name of freedom of navigation. This has seriously damaged Chinas sovereignty and security interests and seriously undermined the international navigational order in the South China Sea. Chinas current military exercises are not restricted to the South China Sea. There are concurrent drills in the Yellow and Bohai seas, in Chinas north. On Tuesday, independent researcher Duan Dang posted a picture of a missile being launched from a point in the Yellow Sea as part of these exercises to his social media account. Panda at Carnegie believes the image shows a submarine-launched cruise missile. Twitter user Duan Dang posted a picture of this missile being launched as part of Chinas military exercise in the Yellow Sea, Aug. 25, 2020. [Planet Labs Inc.] Additionally, Chinas Ministry of Defense claimed it was also planning a military exercise somewhere in the Spratly Islands, a sprawling archipelago of rocks and reefs in the southern half of the South China Sea. China will organize routine military exercises at Nansha Islands and the surrounding area, Col. Wu Qian told reporters at a press conference Thursday. He added that the exercises were not directed against any country. Nansha is Chinas word for the Spratlys. Five other governments have maritime or territorial claims in that area Vietnam, Taiwan, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei. Its unclear when these exercises will take place, or if theyre already underway. Satellite imagery shows scant signs of military activity in the Spratly region, save for a convoy of 22 vehicles on the move at Subi Reef, which could possibly be part of the preparations for an exercise involving one of Chinas three largest military bases in the area. Aside from Subi Reef, those bases include Fiery Cross Reef and Mischief Reef. A few cars convoy at Subi Reef next to its airstrip, Aug. 27, 2020. [Planet Labs Inc.] A handful of what appear to be warships were at Mischief Reef on Wednesday morning, according to satellite imagery. However, Chinas navy frequently stops at the massive artificial island as they move elsewhere in the region. Chinas military drills have drawn concern in the region. U.S. Navy Vice Admiral Scott D. Conn, commander of the Third Fleet, discussed them during a press conference about the 27th Rim of the Pacific exercises involving 10 countries and about 5,300 men and women. [O]ur forces continue to monitor the exercise throughout the region, to include the event that you mentioned, and our naval forces remain ready to respond to any threats to our allies and partners throughout the region, he said in response to a question about Chinas missile test. Vietnam on Wednesday criticized previous naval exercises China held in the Paracels, and demanded China halt its activity. Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang said Chinas action complicates the situation in what Vietnam calls the East Sea. She said it was unfavorable for the long-running negotiations between China and Southeast Asia on establishing a Code of Conduct to maintain peace and stability in those waters. Taiwans President Tsai Ing-Wen said she was paying attention to potential hotspots of conflict in the South and East China seas. There continue to be significant concerns over the potential for accidents, given increased military activity in the region. Therefore, we believe it would be important for all parties to maintain open lines of communications to prevent misinterpretations or miscalculations, she told the Australian Strategic Policy Institute on Thursday in response to a question concerning the risk of conflict breaking out in Asia. China, which is governed by the Communist Party of China, regards self-governing, democratic Taiwan as a renegade province. Taiwan occupies Pratas Island, an atoll in the South China Sea near where Chinas military is exercising northeast of the Paracels and south of Guangdong province. Aie Balagtas See in Manila contributed to this story. New law to hit organisers of illegal raves with 10,000 fines will mean 'absolutely nothing' for enforcement in London, a police leader has said. From midnight, anyone facilitating an unlicensed music event or 'any other unlawful gathering of 30 people or more' could face the hefty penalty, the Home Office said. Fines for not wearing face coverings where it is mandated such as public transport and supermarkets will also double for repeat offenders beginning on Friday. People not wearing masks and participants in unlawful gatherings can be fined starting at 100, doubling for each repeat offence up to a maximum of 3,200. Police in the capital have come under attack from missile-throwing mobs while trying to contain unlicensed events since lockdown restrictions began easing, which coincided with a period of warm weather. Ken Marsh, chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation, which represents thousands of rank-and-file Scotland Yard officers, said the new legislation would only be helpful somewhere like a warehouse or field where an owner could be identified. Ken Marsh, chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation, said the new legislation would only be helpful somewhere like a warehouse or field where an owner could be identified He said: 'It could be good for areas outside London, but it means absolutely nothing to us here. 'People just set up a music box in the middle of the street and say ''it's not mine'', it's utter nonsense. 'Raves are completely different to an unlicensed music event, which are a very difficult situation for my colleagues, who are abused and harassed and show amazing bravery. 'We need clearer legislation ... we need to be more forceful, clearing the area immediately, close the area down, the Government need more forceful wording around groups of people gathering. 'This weekend has all the ingredients to be very, very stressful.' From midnight, anyone facilitating an unlicensed music event (pictured in White City, London, last month) or 'any other unlawful gathering of 30 people or more' could face the hefty penalty, the Home Office said Some 4,500 officers are set to be working this bank holiday weekend in the capital, and police have intelligence on 'numerous' planned gatherings, he added. Human rights barrister Adam Wagner suggested the law could extend beyond illegal raves and may effectively ban spontaneous protests, religious events or parties. He tweeted: 'I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if you are caught ''holding'' a kids birthday party with more than 30 people not from the same household you could be on the end of a 10,000 fine. 'That really seems to be the effect here - and I don't see what that has to do with raves. 'I think this would also apply to demonstrations [eg Black Lives Matter] if not organised by an organisation. So spontaneous protests are out.' Police in the capital (pictured in White City last month) have come under attack from missile-throwing mobs while trying to contain unlicensed events since lockdown restrictions began easing, which coincided with a period of warm weather Extinction Rebellion plans to target airports and impose roadblocks from Friday in cities including London, Manchester, Bristol, Cardiff and Leeds. The latest data shows police have issued fewer than 40 fines to people for not wearing an appropriate face covering on public transport. This is despite previous claims from the Transport Secretary one-in-10 passengers were breaking the rules. The Metropolitan Police has responded to more than 1,000 unlicensed events since the end of June. The new legislation is called the Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Restrictions on Holding of Gatherings and Amendment) (England) Regulations 2020. The latest news in the fight against COVID-19 is this credit card-sized test kit. The BinaxNOW system still relies on samples from nasal swabs, but its maker says it can give results in 15 minutes and will only cost $5. Abbott Laboratories developed the antigen test which looks for proteins specific to the virus, but may be less accurate than slower PCR methods in a format thats more like a pregnancy test strip. Abbott The FDA granted it an emergency use authorization, and Abbott is apparently planning to produce as many as 50 million tests per month. As far as the accuracy, it said that in trials its test showed a sensitivity of 97.1 percent (correct diagnoses of people who have the disease) and specificity of 98.5 percent (correctly ruling out people who dont have it). Abbott The other part of the setup is an app, which gives people with negative tests a QR code that may serve as a digital health pass to the kinds of gatherings were currently avoiding. The jurys still out on how well that will all work. Richard Google's Pixel 5 may be boring, and that's not a bad thing Tried, true and affordable. Judging by the leaks and rumors, Googles next flagship phone is going to be a bit plain. If that holds up, is it really a problem? Terrence OBrien is ready for a boring Pixel 5 and hell explain exactly why. Continue reading. Sony might send you an invite to pre-order the PS5 Selections will be made based on previous interests and PlayStation activities. Sony will invite some dedicated gamers to be first in line for its PlayStation 5. To get on the list for one of the pre-order invites, go to the PlayStation website and submit your PSN username on the form. If youre selected, then you can expect a chance to pre-order one of the PS5 consoles, as well as whatever accessories you need. Continue reading. TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer quits just three months after taking the job That was fast. In spring of this year (after the pandemic started), Kevin Mayer was still an executive at Disney, rolling out Disney+ streaming to the masses. Since then he took the top job at TikTok and now, just three months later, hes resigned. Of course, he admittedly didnt see a future where the presidential administration would take aim at the video sharing app and push for a sale of its US operations. In a letter to employees, he mentioned that a resolution should come soon, but the role that I signed up for including running TikTok globally will look very different as a result. Continue reading. NVIDIA teases its next-generation RTX 3000 GPUs More power. Were expecting NVIDIA to give us more details about its next generation of video cards, the RTX 3000 series, at a special GeForce event on September 1. To tide us over, the company has released a short technical video to give us a glimpse at its new GPU designs likely the enormous leaked RTX 3090 card and offers up some details about its plans. Continue reading. Watch our live unboxing of the Surface Duo Its all glass and metal. The Surface Duo is real and in Devindra Hardawars hands. Check out this video as Devindra and Chris Velazco go over the Microsoft foldables slick hardware an overview of its software chops will have to wait for a different day. Continue reading. But wait, theres more... 'Fortnite' players on Apple devices are locked out of the new season Netflix cancels 'Altered Carbon' after just two seasons 'Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War' lands on November 13th Netflix will make a movie about Martin Shkreli's rare Wu-Tang album purchase Olympus' webcam software beta rolls out to macOS users Some Canon cameras can now upload images straight to Google Photos Cornell University's laser-activated robot is smaller than a paramecium National Security Council aide Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman is sworn in to testify before the House Intelligence Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington on Nov. 19, 2019. (Andrew Harnik/AP Photo) Vindman Brother Files Complaint with Pentagon Alleging Whistleblower Retaliation The twin brother of Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, a former national security aide who testified in the impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump, has filed a complaint with the Pentagon watchdog claiming that he was fired from his White House role in an act of retaliation. Democratic lawmakers confirmed Wednesday that Lt. Col. Yevgeny Vindman, a former White House lawyer, filed the federal complaint on Aug. 18. House Oversight Committee Chair Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.), House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.), chairman of the Oversight Committees subcommittee on national security, and chairman of the Committee on Armed Services Adam Smith (D-Wash.), wrote a letter (pdf) to Pentagon acting Inspector General Sean ODonnell, saying Vindman alleged in his complaint that he was dismissed for reporting concerns about the presidents efforts to have Ukraine investigate Democratic rival Joe Biden and about alleged legal and ethical breaches by Trumps national security adviser. Vindman, who was let go from his role as deputy National Security Council (NSC) legal adviser in February, also alleged National Security Adviser Robert OBrien and NSC Chief of Staff Alex Gray misused government resources, excluded women from meetings, and made sexist and demeaning remarks to female NSC staffers, the Democratic lawmakers revealed Wednesday. The lawmakers urged ODonnell to look into whether the president dismissed Vindman from his White House role in retaliation for filing confidential reports with his superiors containing his allegations. It comes just over a month after Schiff, Maloney, and Lynch wrote a letter (pdf) to ODonnell to investigate alleged actions by administration officials to create a retaliatory work environment for the now-retired Alexander Vindman. The Democrats also urged the Pentagon watchdog last month to investigate their claims of retributive actions taken against Yevgeny Vindman, and to consider recommending any systemic improvements that could be made to protect DOD whistleblowers from similar retaliation in the future. These allegations are ridiculous and false, White House Communications Director Alyssa Farah told Reuters. Dwrena Allen, a spokeswoman for ODonnell, said his office has the letter and is reviewing the request. The Epoch Times contacted the White House for comment, but didnt immediately hear back. The lawmakers said ODonnell should also investigate whether the president and his aides dismissed Alexander Vindman in retaliation for testifying in House proceedings that led to Trumps impeachment for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress last year, the lawmakers said. The Democratic-led House found that Trump, in a July 25, 2019, phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, asked him to investigate Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, for allegedly interfering in a Ukrainian investigation and stopping a prosecution. Alexander Vindman, who was one of several officials to listened in on the call, testified that it was improper for the president of the United States to demand a foreign government investigate a U.S. citizen and a political opponent. Some of Alexander Vindmans testimony was disputed by his superior, Tim Morrison, in the course of the impeachment inquiry. Morrison also told the House Intelligence Committee that some staffers considered him to be unreliable and prone to leaking information. Trump was eventually acquitted by the GOP-controlled Senate after the House voted to impeach him along partisan lines. Alexander Vindman was later fired from his post at the NSC. Tom Ozimek and Reuters contributed to this report. The mother of PC Andrew Harper has said it is 'another slap in the face,' to hear her son's 'remorseless' killers are adding to her family's pain by planning to write a book behind bars. Reports earlier this week suggested a fellow inmate would help Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole, both 18, tell their side of the horrific crime, as neither of them can read or write. Thames Valley Police officer PC Harper was killed last year when he was dragged behind a car near Sulhamstead, Berkshire, while responding to a burglary. Bowers and Cole admitted to manslaughter and were jailed for 13 years last month, a third man, Henry Long, 19, was jailed for 16 years. Speaking on Lorraine this morning, the heroic cop's mother said of the book: 'It's another slap in the face, really, if it's true. Albert Bowers (left) and Jessie Cole (right) are reportedly boasting about how much money their book will make them 'To me it just shows the total lack of remorse, we've not seen any remorse anyway but it just further adds to that and the pain we're suffering as a family. 'I heard only yesterday of parties going on when the verdicts were going on and the sentencing, and then the appeals. 'We can't sit back in grief, everyday seems to bring something new, something more painful. We're trying really hard to stay strong, but we're breaking at the same time.' The traffic constable had been trying to stop the trio, from a travelling community in Reading, getting away with a stolen 10,000 quad bike. The teenagers whooped and cheered over the videolink from Belmarsh Prison as they were cleared of murder but found guilty of manslaughter last month. PC Andrew Harper (pictured with his wife Lissie) was trying to stop the teenagers from stealing a quad bike when they killed him Sources told the Sun the two killers are 'strutting around like celebrities' in the South London jail. Bowers and Cole are 'loving the attention' and talking about the money they think their book with will make them, a source said. But any money made as a result of a crime or in connection to a crime can be confiscated. Ms Adlam was speaking to Christine Lampard on Lorraine this morning as she campaigns for stronger sentences for those who kill emergency service workers. She said: 'There's no way that Andrew's going to be the last person to die on duty. 'It's for the next person who comes along and anyone else after that, that's what we're working towards. Debbie Adlam said there is 'no way' her son, Andrew Harper, will be the last emergency worker to die while on duty 'What we're asking for is a minimum of 20 years and upwards if any blue light officer, it doesn't have to be a police officer, if they can be given a mandatory, 20 years plus sentence. With no option of being reduced for age or early pleas. 'You need to look after these people. They're putting their lives on the line every single day and we need to look after them.' She added her family were 'on a knife edge,' as the Attorney General referred the sentencing of all three killers to the Court of Appeal amid calls for harsher sentencing. At the same time, Bowers and Cole are planning to launch an appeal to reduce their sentence. Speaking from her home in Oxfordshire, Ms Adlam said it would 'break Andrew's spirit,' to see everything that's happened since his death last August. She added: 'He was a fun loving, adventurous, humorous person, I just think he wouldn't recognise the world at the moment, it's changed so much since we've lost him, with the Covid issues on top, I dread to think how he would feel. 'I know he would carry on doing his job, he would be out there pushing forward to try and make things right, that's what he was about.' Top executives at Dublin-based aircraft leasing company, SMBC Aviation Capital this year shared a pay-pot of $20.58m (17.4m). The pay to key management personnel at the lessor was made up of $10.39m in salaries and other short-term benefits; $9.78m in long term benefits and $417,000 in post employment benefits, according to new accounts. The accounts show that pre-tax profits at the business increased by 6pc to $364.5m in the 12 months to the end of March this year. This follows revenues at SMBC last year increasing by 10pc to $1.2bn from $1.1bn. On the impact of Covid-19 on the business, the directors said that the pandemic has led to a significant immediate impact on the aircraft leasing industry "due to the widespread temporary grounding of our airline customers' fleets and the resulting pressures on airline liquidity". They said: "We continue to work with our airline customers to manage through this uncertain time and while there has been a widespread request for lease rent deferrals across the industry, which will most likely put pressure on immediate operating cash flows, it is too early to conclude on the likely long-term impact on the industry." The directors state that the business's cash funds and resources available to the group provide comfort over the sustainability of the group and in the 12 months to the end of March. The aircraft lessor's cash funds more than doubled to $1.24bn from $525.5m. Its accumulated profits at the end of March this year totalled $2bn. Staff costs at the SMBC Aviation Capital last year totalled $71m as numbers employed increased to 192 from 188. Without a doubt, no reasonable jury could find Mr. Long guilty based on the undeniable facts before us today: Suppressed physical evidence failing to link Mr. Long to the crime scene, the perjured testimony of investigating officers, missing key biological evidence, and an eyewitness identification obtained through means now illegal in North Carolina. So, while I am in full accord with the majority that Mr. Long would be entitled to additional discovery if it were necessary, I believe there to be no need for it. Rather, justice demands that we immediately grant Mr. Long the relief he has pursued for 44 years. As the District Court waits for jurisdiction over the case, Lau has asked for Gov. Roy Cooper to commute Longs sentence due to the spread of COVID-19 at Albemarle Correctional Institute, citing concerns over Longs health. He is at risk every day he is there at Albemarle correctional, Lau said. Lau explained that Long is in a dormitory-style block where 32 men sleep in bunkbeds. Due to alcohol-based hand sanitizers being considered contraband at the facility, Long must use soap and water to wash his hands. But Lau stated that the communal sinks are used by multiple inmates at a time. DOWNERS GROVE, Ill., Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Dairy producers seeking an increase in feed efficiency may find it in Enogen Feed corn, according to recently published research from Penn State University. An in-seed innovation available from Syngenta Seeds, Enogen corn enzyme technology converts starch to usable sugars more quickly than other corn. The research, which compared Enogen Feed corn silage to non-Enogen corn silage, found a 4% increase in ECM feed efficiency (6% increase uncorrected) with the Enogen Feed corn silage with no negative effect on rumen fermentation.1 These results directly point to the impact of the in-seed alpha amylase technology of Enogen corn in increasing starch utilization and feed efficiency in dairy cattle," said Duane Martin, Ph.D., head of marketing for Enogen, Syngenta. "Because dairy producers operate on such tight margins, they are always looking for ways to increase those boundaries and gain a competitive advantage. For these producers, a 4-6% increase in feed efficiency is highly significant," said Martin. "That's why we're so excited about the results from this study. The efficiency gain reported in the trial shows just how valuable Enogen Feed can be for maximizing profit potential." The Penn State research builds on past university studies that have found that Enogen Feed corn fed as grain or silage can potentially increase feed efficiency by about 5% compared to corn without the Enogen trait.2 Enogen Feed corn hybrids also stand and yield with the best elite corn hybrids, helping dairy producers gain efficiencies in the field as well as in dairy operations.3 "Our goal is to help dairy producers who grow silage maximize their return on investment potential," said Martin. "Enogen Feed corn has been shown to provide excellent yield potential, performing equal to or better than non-Enogen hybrids. Combine that with the increased feed efficiency, and dairy farmers have an excellent opportunity to lower feed costs and gain an advantage in the market."4 The Penn State research was conducted by Dr. Alex Hristov of the university's Department of Animal Science alongside graduate research assistant Sergio Welchez. Results were initially shared at the 2019 American Dairy Science Association Northeast Branch meeting. Enogen Feed corn hybrids are available from local, independent Golden Harvest Seed Advisors and NK retailers in select geographies.5 The development of Enogen Feed corn stems from a Syngenta commitment to accelerate innovation and address the increasing challenges for farmers and the changing views of society. Syngenta is continuously investing and innovating for even more sustainable agriculture. For more information, contact a local Golden Harvest Seed Advisor or NK retailer, or visit www.EnogenFeed.com. Join the conversation online connect with Syngenta at Syngenta-us.com/social . 1 Welchez*, S. F. C., H. Stefenoni, A. Melgar, C. F. A. Lage, S. E. Raisanen, D. Wasson, M. E. Fetter, and A. N. Hristov. 2020. Effect of high-amylase corn silage on lactational performance and enteric methane emission in dairy cows. J. Dairy Sci. 103 (Suppl. 1): 68. 2 University of Nebraska Lincoln Research Studies, 2013-2017; Kansas State University Research Study, 2017. 3,4 Syngenta production data, 2012-2018. 5 Growers must comply with specific yet simple stewardship requirements. 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: Enogen Feed Enogen NK Seeds Golden Harvest Seeds Know More, Grow More Syngenta Newsroom Syngenta Seeds Syngenta U.S. Thrive 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. 2020 Syngenta, 2001 Butterfield Road, Suite 1600, Downers Grove, IL 60515. The trademarks or service marks displayed or otherwise used herein are the property of a Syngenta Group Company. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. SOURCE Syngenta Related Links http://www.Syngenta-us.com Reports of the deaths of two asylum seekers have demonstrated again the horrific consequences of the hostile environment that continues to exist for migrants, refugees and asylum seekers in Britainsupported by the Conservatives, Labour, and Scottish National Parties alike. Last Saturday, Mercy Baguma, 34, was found dead beside her malnourished one-year-old baby son, Adriel, in a Glasgow flat. They were discovered after neighbours heard the sounds of the baby crying. According to refugee charity Positive Action in Housing, the child was weakened from several days of starvation. Luckily, the child was found in time and after being taken to hospital and discharged, Adriel is now with his father. Mercy Baguma (credit: Positive Action in Housing) Originally from Uganda, Baguma had claimed asylum in the UK and was living in extreme poverty after losing her job at a restaurantand any access to financial aidwhen her leave to remain expired. She was forced to live on food donations from friends and charity organisations. Communication between Baguma and her friends and relatives stopped on August 18, five days before her death. According to the Positive Action in Housing (PAIH) charity, Mercy contacted them several weeks ago as she did not have enough money to look after herself or her baby. The Independent reported, Baguma contacted PAIH on 11 August to ask for help. Though asylum seekers are entitled to a small weekly stipend (37.75 for each person in a household), she told charity workers that she had not yet received any money. The charitys director Robina Qureshi, said, Would this mother be alive if she was not forced out of her job by this cruel system that stops you from working and paying your way because a piece of paper says your leave to remain has expired? Im sure Mercys son will want to ask this and other questions once he is old enough. A Home Office spokesperson had the gall to claim it takes the wellbeing of all those in the asylum system extremely seriously, and we will be conducting a full investigation into Ms Bagumas case. But on Wednesday, while at an event in Glasgow, Work and Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey refused to even discuss Mercys death or answer questions from journalists. Mercys death sparked anger with a protest held yesterday outside the Home Office immigration centre in Glasgow. It quickly became a trending event on Twitter, and by 7pm on the day her death was announced more than 12,000 tweets about it had been sent across Britain. One Facebook news item had nearly 1,000 postings in response. In the space of just three days, a fund set up to pay for her funeral costs raised over 41,000 (far above an initial target of 10,000). Another fund has been set up, with all donations to go towards the future welfare needs of Mercys baby. Since the onset of the coronavirus crisis, hundreds and thousands of children in migrant households in the UK have been affected by the no recourse to public funds stipulation, brought in by the last Labour government in Section 115 of its Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. Made stricter in 2012 by Theresa Mays Tory government, the law withdraws access to state financial aid for those subject to immigration controls. On Sunday, in a separate case, the Guardian reported the death of Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah Alhabib in the Manchester hotel room where he had been placed by the Home Office after seeking asylum. The 41-year-old man was found dead on August 6. The cause of death is under investigation. Alhabib had fled Yemen, currently suffering the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. At least 14 million Yemenis are on the brink of famine, 80 percent rely on food aid, and 1.2 million people have contracted cholera. This is thanks to a criminal war waged by Saudi Arabia and backed by the United States and the UK which has claimed at least 110,000 lives, internally displaced 3.6 million people and decimated the infrastructure of what was already the Arab worlds poorest nation. These terrible conditions are now being compounded by the pandemic. Escaping this hellscape, Alhabib eventually crossed the English Channel to Dover on a small boat with 15 other refugees from Yemen, Syria, and Iran. One of the other Yemeni refugees, placed in the hotel room next to Alhabib, told the Guardian, The journey was terrifying. Every minute of it we felt we were hovering between life and death and could drown at any time. All of us on these journeys, we have lost our country, lost our family, lost our future. When we got into the boat in Calais [in France] we felt the sea was the only place left for us to go. Picked up by UK border force officials, they were then held in prison-like conditions in the notorious Yarls Wood Immigration Removal Centre in Bedfordshire, before being transferred to the Manchester hotel. The asylum seekers were left in constant fear about the possibility of being sent back along the chain of European countries they have passed through under the European Unions Dublin regulation. One told the Guardian, Abdullah was frightened all the time about this. His wife and four young daughters, the oldest who is just 10, are still in Yemen. His dream was to bring them out of Yemen to safety. Now that will not be possible. These tragic events reveal the intolerable stress such extremely vulnerable and already desperate people are made to suffer by the asylum system in Britain. In just the last four months, the Scottish National Party government has overseen the death of 30-year-old Syrian refugee, Adnan Olbeh, in his temporary hotel accommodation in Glasgow and the tragic stabbings at the Park Inn hotel in the same city and shooting to death by police of a Sudanese asylum seeker, Badreddin Abadlla Adam. Alhabibs fellow asylum seeker raised his fears that, Now that Abdullah is dead, we are worried that the same thing will happen to us. We all asked the doctor to check our hearts and our blood pressure. The Home Office has already taken six Yemeni asylum seekers from this hotel and put them in detention in Brook House immigration removal centre near Gatwick ahead of the charter flight next week. We cannot sleep. We are waiting for a knock on the door and for the Home Office to come and take the rest of us. We feel we are on death row. Britain continued deportations throughout the pandemic, even while the country was in lockdown, with 24 removals taking place between March 20 and April 3. A total of 285 individuals were deported between April 1 and June 30. According to the Independent, these included a 10-year resident of the UK who was removed to Poland on the basis of a 6-month sentence for shoplifting and forced to leave her 11-year-old son behind. The first deportations specifically of asylum seekers since the start of the pandemic began in early August. A Yemeni national scheduled to be removed told the Independent he felt suicidal after his government-allocated housing was raided by immigration officers: I felt so scared. Everything Ive worked so hard to reach is being demolished. Im destroyed. Im unable to eat or drink. I feel that theres no meaning to my life. The Labour Partys position on these questions was epitomised by its response to the right-wing medias manufactured Channel migrant crisis two weeks ago, when a few hundred refugees tried to make it from France to England in small boats. Shadow immigration minister Holly Lynch criticised Boris Johnsons government from the right, accusing it of a lack of grip and competence in dealing with the issue. Following a massive popular backlash, shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds modified the line marginally in describing the actions of the most right-wing Tory government in historywhich mobilised the armed forces to prevent boats from reaching Britainas lacking in compassion and competence. Party leader Sir Keir Starmer likewise called for a compassionate response. Labours refusal to defend the basic democratic rights of migrants and asylum seekers was so pronounced that even loyal pro-Remain sections of the party, who glorify the EUs formal commitment to free movement and migrant rights, are uncomfortablefearing political exposure. These include the Starmer-supporting Open Labour and the Labour Campaign for Free Movement. An open letter with 300 signatures, including MPs Kate Osamor and Clive Lewis, called on the Labour leadership, our parliamentary representatives and our trade unions to join us in condemning the government Momentum, the main backers of Starmers nominally left predecessor, Jeremy Corbyn, organised a petition calling on Starmer to end his silence on the scapegoating of refugees and migrants. These token moves have drawn attention to Starmers equally token leadership campaign pledge to defend migrants rights, including a promise to close the Yarls Wood detention centre, and to back last years Labour conference vote by members to endorse free movement and migrant rights. The defence of migrants and refugees demands the building of a socialist movement which defends the right of all to live and work where they choose with full access to the necessary social services. The military intelligence chiefs of neighbouring Rwanda and Burundi have agreed in a rare face-to-face meeting to restore security at their border following years of hostility. Their commitment to address long-standing insecurity along the shared frontier was made Wednesday during the first public meeting in five years between senior officials from the East African nations. The sit-down, at the Rwandan border district of Bugesera, was brokered by the International Conference of the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) to which Rwanda and Burundi belong. The regional bloc called the meeting to address "persistent insecurity on the common border" and the "many unfortunate incidents that have occurred there recently", said Colonel Leon Mahoungou, the ICGLR mediator for the talks. "I am pleased with the results you have achieved at the end of your exchange," he said in a statement. "I also note with great satisfaction that the meeting resulted in your commitment to work for the return of security on your common borders." Tensions between Rwanda and Burundi have festered for five years, marked by deep mutual distrust and sporadic violent clashes involving armed groups along the border. Burundi has accused its neighbour of arming and training rebel groups hostile to the regime of late President Pierre Nkurunziza, whose candidacy for a third term in 2015 plunged the country into a violent political crisis. Nkurunziza died on June 8, officially of cardiac arrest. Evariste Ndayishimiye, a former general and high-profile ruling party cadre, was elected president on May 20 and took office on June 18. Rwanda, for its part, has accused Burundi of sheltering armed rebels hostile to President Paul Kagame that are allegedly responsible for cross-border attacks on Rwandan security forces. The chiefs of staff of the armies of Rwanda and Burundi made informal contact after Ndayishimiye's election, a senior Burundian military official told AFP on condition of anonymity. Kagame had extended an olive branch to the new Burundian leader, expressing hope that direct talks could resume between the old foes. Ndayishimiye has sent conflicting signals, though he has said he is ready to live in harmony with all Burundi's neighbours. On Thursday, Rwanda began repatriating some 500 Burundian refugees, an operation administered by the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR. The goodwill gesture came following a request from Burundian authorities. Search Keywords: Short link: LONDON: Britain reported its biggest daily increase in coronavirus cases since June 12 on Thursday, although for now infection rates remain well below those in Spain, France and other parts of Europe suffering a second wave of the disease. The government said 1,522 people received a laboratory-confirmed positive COVID-19 test result on Thursday, up from 1,048 on Wednesday, and announced a tightening of restrictions on some overseas travel. Britain has suffered Europes highest death toll from the disease, due largely to a failure to control its spread in the early stages of the pandemic. A further 12 people were reported dead on Thursday, taking the death toll on the British governments preferred measure - which counts people who died no more than 28 days after their first positive test result - to 41,477. Britain had not recently seen the same increase in cases as in many other parts of western Europe, where lockdown restrictions began to be lifted earlier. However Thursdays daily new case total is now the highest since before non-essential shops reopened to the public in England on June 15, and restaurants and pubs resumed operations on July 4. France reported 5,429 new daily cases on Wednesday, prompting its government to order the mandatory wearing of face masks across Paris from Friday, and Spain reported 3,781 cases on Thursday. Some 6,115 new people tested positive for COVID-19 in England in the week to Aug. 19, down 8% on the week before and the first decrease since the start of July, figures from the governments test and trace operation showed on Thursday. Deaths from all causes in England in the week to Aug. 23 showed no statistically significant excess compared with previous years, according to public health data. The government has offered incentives for people to dine in restaurants through August, in a bid to boost economic growth, and Prime Minister Boris Johnson wants more workers to return to offices when English schools reopen next week. Transport minister Grant Shapps announced on Thursday that anyone arriving in England from Switzerland, the Czech Republic or Jamaica after 0300 GMT on Saturday would need to quarantine themselves for 14 days. Spain, France, the United States and the Netherlands are other major travel destinations that are already affected. 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 In one of the many remarkable archival clips in the documentary Mr. Soul!, a 20-something Al Green croons Love and Happiness on live TV. Seen in front of him in long shot are the bobbing heads of an enraptured audience. They form as the writer Greg Tate describes in an interview a sea of big, bold Afros. This moment captures the spirit of Soul!, a boundary-pushing variety show that aired on PBS from 1968 to 1973 with the aim of sharing the diversity of Black culture, as it emerged during the Civil Rights struggle and the Black Arts Movement, with the Black public. According to Lukashenko, the country now has to spend huge money to stabilize the situation at its western border where some military units were deployed. Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko has said Poland wants to annex part of Belarus. "You see these statements saying that if Belarus falls apart, Grodno Oblast will become part of Poland. They are already saying it openly, they are dreaming about it. They will not succeed, I know it for sure," he said at a government meeting in Minsk on August 27, BelTA reported. Read alsoBelarus protests: defense minister warns of army use, Lukashenko shows resolve in propaganda videoAccording to Lukashenko, the country now has to spend huge money to stabilize the situation at its western border where some military units were deployed. "We are witnessing a certain stage of a hybrid war on Belarus. How else can it be called? Mass media and the information landscape have been involved in this fight, a war of conflicting sides. A diplomatic onslaught on us has started at the highest level," he said. Lukashenko on threat from West Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 27) An official of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation has been cited in contempt after claiming before the House of Representatives that the agency can modify a decision made by the Court of Appeals that is considered final and executory. During a joint hearing of the House committees on public accounts and good government and public accountability, Deputy Speaker Rep. Rodante Marcoleta questioned the legal opinion made by Atty. Rogelio Pocallan, senior manager for Internal Legal Department of PhilHealth, that "proves" a decision by the Court of Appeals can be modified under certain conditions. The said document was used as basis for reversing the decision made by the court, which supported the initial decision of PhilHealth to suspend Perperual Succor Hospital in Cebu for three months plus a 10,000 fine, to only increasing the fine to 100,000. Marcoleta said the cases Pocallan cited in the document as basis for modifying the court decision, like correction of clerical errors and void judgement, are not the same as the case of the hospital that was found guilty of extending a period of confinement and misrepresentation and furnishing false and incorrect information. Pocallan then said the legal opinion was made for another case in 2018 that involved the Medina General Hospital, but Marcoleta pointed out that it was not mentioned in the document. Moreover, PhilHealth Board Resolution no. 2334, series of 2017 was also used as basis to maximize the fine imposed on the Cebu hospital. Marcoleta further emphasized that there is no need to reverse the courts decision which was already final and executory. Cavite Rep. Elpidio Barzaga then asked Pocallan if an administrative agency like PhilHealth has the authority to change a decision coming from the court, the latter said based on exemptions. This led the lawmakers to suspend the hearing temporarily, then later announced that the PhilHealth official was cited in contempt. The panel also approved a motion made by Barzaga to detain Pocallan in the House for three days. Barzaga said the decision was made based on Pocallans claim that an administrative agency like PhilHealth can modify the official decision of the Court of Appeals. He added that this could constitute a disrespectful conduct in the proceedings. Meanwhile, the National Bureau of Investigation was ordered to investigate the case involving Cardinal Santos Medical Center, which owed 240-million worth of claims to PhilHealth. Lawmakers questioned the lack of action from former PhilHealth senior vice president for legal sector Edgardo Julio Asuncion, who they said just agreed with a 70 million settlement, leading to a loss of 170 million. Anakalusugan party-list Rep. Mike Defensor directed the NBI to look into the matter to possibly file plunder charges against Asuncion. A British passenger had to be overpowered by cabin crew on a Jet2 flight from Dalaman after he 'started hammering on the cockpit door' and forced an emergency landing in Corfu. The aircraft was travelling from Dalaman to Manchester airport on Wednesday evening when the crew activated an 'emergency' situation signal just one hour into its journey. It was given permission to land at the Ioannis Kapodistrias Airport on the island of Corfu shortly after 8pm despite airports in Greece being closed to flights from Turkey amid the coronavirus crisis. The Jet2 flight was travelling from Dalaman to Manchester airport on Wednesday evening when the crew activated an 'emergency' situation signal just one hour into its journey (stock image) It is thought that the disruptive passenger was the only person allowed to disembark before he was then arrested as the flight continued with the rest of its journey The passenger, who was reported as British, had been drinking before he started screaming and banging on the door of the cockpit, according to state broadcaster ERT TV. He was eventually brought under control by the crew with the help of some of the 220 passengers on board. Greek Police and Civil Protection officials had to consult with the National Health Care Organization EODY in order to decide how to proceed given the coronavirus restrictions. It is thought that the disruptive passenger was the only person allowed to disembark before he was then arrested. The flight was given permission to land at the Ioannis Kapodistrias Airport (stock image) in Corfu shortly after 8pm despite airports in Greece being closed to flights from Turkey amid the coronavirus crisis He was forced to take a test for Covid-19 and remains in isolation until the results are returned. It is likely that he will then be taken to prosecutor before being sent back to UK. The aircraft was able to continue with the rest of its flight with a delay of 90 minutes. Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 05:48:13|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close People spend their Wednesday afternoon on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., the United States, Aug. 26, 2020. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has changed its COVID-19 testing guidelines, no longer recommending testing for most people without symptoms. (Photo by Ting Shen/Xinhua) WASHINGTON, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has changed its COVID-19 testing guidelines, no longer recommending testing for most people without symptoms. The new guidelines, updated earlier this week, ask people to get tested if they have symptoms of COVID-19, or have had close contact (within 6 feet of an infected person for at least 15 minutes) with someone with confirmed COVID-19, or have been asked or referred to get testing by their healthcare provider, local or state health department. "Not everyone needs to be tested," said the new guidelines. The agency no longer recommends testing for most people without symptoms. Previously, the CDC said viral testing was appropriate for people with recent or suspected exposure, even if they were asymptomatic. The updated guidelines prompted concerns from some doctors and experts, who warned asymptomatic carriers play a major role in spreading COVID-19. Testing and isolating those silent emitters are vital to containing the spread of the pandemic, experts said. (ST. JOSEPH, Mo.) Covid-19 has brought a new urgency and focus to Medicaid expansion. With millions facing unemployment and loss of health insurance, the governor of Kansas has urged state lawmakers to expand coverage. It's one of just 12 states that have opted not to. When Missouri passed Medicaid expansion in early August, hospitals had a lot to celebrate. Mary Becker is the Senior Vice President of the Missouri Hospital Association, one of the groups pushing for expansion. Were talking about really saving lives, Becker said. We have been advocating for Medicaid expansion since it became an option in the Affordable Care Act because there are people that are left in a gap. About 230,000 Missourians fall into the coverage gap, meaning that they make too much money to get Medicaid and too little to qualify for tax credits to buy coverage through the marketplace. "You can only earn about $5,000 a year and be a custodial parent to qualify for Medicaid in Missouri, Becker said. If you are a single adult you are out of options." Under the Affordable Care Act, states can "expand" Medicaid coverage so that more people qualify. If they pass it, then the federal government picks up 90 percent of the tab. States kick in the other 10 percent. The opponents to Medicaid expansion, the big fear is that we can't afford to do this but the good thing is we are not a pilot program, Pat Dillon, Chief Government Issues at Mosaic Life Care said. There's been 37 other states that have done this. Dillon also said the sticker price may be jarring, but it costs more for us not to do it. They let their health go long and they get really sick and they show up in an emergency room and it's a much more expensive kind of care when they have to come to our emergency room, Dillon said. A physician who said I just admitted a woman who is uninsured with stage 4 breast cancer, Becker said. He said she had just refused to come in because she didn't want to have a medical bill so it's just examples like that that physicians in hospitals see time and time again. Take for example the $1.5 billion a year that Missouri hospitals foot in unpaid medical bills, with northwest Missouri paying about $87 million of those bills. A billion dollars could go a long way to supporting rural hospitals, Missouri has lost 10 since 2014. Half of the rural hospitals out there operated at just a bottom line or negative margin where theyre not hardly making money if any at all, Dillon said. Advocates also say the influx of federal dollars could boost the state economy and create thousands of jobs. The increase in funding would increase an average of 16,330 jobs a year in that four year period, Becker said. 923 of those are in the northwest region. Most importantly, they say this will save lives. There's a lot more people that are unemployed now, Dillon said. There are an awful lot of people that may not go back to work, so were going to have a group of people out there that may have to take advantage of this that maybe wouldn't have even thought about this six months ago." With Missouri voters approval, Missouri lawmakers have until July 1, 2021 to implement Medicaid expansion. Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 15:46:10|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close NEW DELHI, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Local government in India's eastern state of West Bengal announced a partial resumption of flights to Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Chennai and Ahmedabad from Sept. 1, officials said Thursday. An official statement said flights from these cities can come to West Bengal thrice a week. The ban on flights in the state was initially imposed on July 6 and was supposed to remain in force until July 19. However, it was subsequently extended up to July 31 and later to Aug. 31. The decision was part of the local government's stepped up efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19 in the state. Meanwhile, the general lockdown has been extended in West Bengal until Sept. 20, with total lockdown scheduled for Sept. 7, Sept. 11 and Sept. 12. "Kindly ensure that there is no flight coming to or going out of any airport of West Bengal on these three days," it further reads. According to the federal health ministry, West Bengal is the seventh-worst affected state in India with 147,775 coronavirus cases including 2,964 deaths. Enditem The problem with the Pritzker fair tax promise is that there arent enough rich people in the state to pay all the outrageous debt and the bills that the bipartisan political class has put on the backs of state taxpayers. And if the rich leave the state, which they will because they have the money to leave, what happens to those who are stuck here? Romania is among the countries in the European Union with the lowest economic contraction, but also with the lowest increase in government deficit, while public investments are the highest in the last ten years, Prime Minister Ludovic Orban told a news conference in Brasov on Thursday. "Romania, in the second quarter, is among the countries with the lowest economic contraction, of 10.5%, compared, for example, with the average of those in the euro area, where the contraction was 15%. Regarding the first half, the contraction is 3.9%, which places Romania among the countries with the lowest contraction. All the measures adopted by our government were in support of economic development, in support of companies, their employees. We increased investments in the first half, we have the largest public investment in the last ten years and that happened during a period of economic contraction. Not only have we not closed construction sites, we have opened new ones," Orban said. According to him, there are signs of economic recovery, noting that the government is implementing its recovery and investment plan unveiled on July 1, for which 95% of the legislation necessary for implementation has been adopted. "Of course, there has been an increase in the government deficit. It is the smallest increase in the government deficit among European countries. (...) The goal is to keep this deficit as low as possible. Look at what deficits are programmed in the other European countries and you will see that ours, of 8.6%, is a reasonable one in relation to those of other EU countries; later on, by supporting economic recovery and the resumption of the economic growth at a fast pace we will gap the deficits in 2-3 years, to the level regulated by the EU Treaty, of maximum 3%," said Orban. According to him, there are signs of the EU economy recovering, and Romania's recovery depends on that as 80% of Romania's trade is with other EU countries. At the same time, the prime minister specified that the number of employees on an employment contract was higher on August 15 than it was on January 1, before the outbreak of the economic crisis caused by the pandemic. "Another indicator, released by the National Statistics Institute (INS) that which shows that things are not very bad in the economy, shows that the average June net pay, which is an objective indicator, was 5% higher than in June 2019," Orban also pointed out. AGERPRES . She shared images from her first photo shoot since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic to her Instagram last week. And on Wednesday, Sarah Michelle Gellar was spotted running some errands with her daughter Charlotte, 10, who was on crutches for unknown reasons. The pair matched in distressed denim shorts as they picked up some supplies from a supermarket in Los Angeles. Shopping trip: Sarah Michelle Gellar was spotted running errands with daughter Charlotte, 10, in LA on Wednesday. The pair matched in distressed denim shorts and wore masks The Buffy The Vampire Slayer star, 43, paired her cutoffs with a pinstriped cotton blouse with ruffles at the shoulders. Her long blonde hair was loose and she sported a pair of gold-framed sunglasses. The actress had a leopard print bag slung across her upper body and stepped out in sneakers. Both mother and daughter wore face masks as required under California law when out in public places. Summer style: Gellar, 43, paired her cutoffs with a pinstriped cotton blouse with ruffles at the shoulders. Her long blonde hair was loose and she sported a pair of gold-framed sunglasses Gellar shares Charlotte and son Rocky, seven, with her husband of 18 years Freddie Prinze Jr. On Tuesday of last week, she shared some behind-the-scenes snaps to her Instagram Story of a recent photo shoot. The pictures revealed the precautions put in place for star and crew due to the ongoing pandemic. Her snaps showed the hair and makeup stylists attending to her while wearing face masks. New normal: On Tuesday last week, she shared behind-the-scenes snaps to her Instagram Story of a recent photo shoot, revealing the precautions put in place for star and crew Staying safe: 'It was incredible to see all the precautions that were taken, but more than that, to see that there is a way back,' Gellar shared The Cruel Intentions star shared with her fans: 'Yesterday was my first day back on any kind of set since the pandemic began. It was a simple photo shoot, but still came with all the anxieties.' She went on: 'I can not begin to tell you how incredible it felt to be back in the creative environment that I love. (Even though I way prefer acting to having my pic taken) It was incredible to see all the precautions that were taken, but more than that, to see that there is a way back.' Gellar added: 'I hope every day, that we can take this virus seriously, and use every precaution we can, so that we can all move past this time. I miss hugging my friends. #staysafe.' Glam selfie: 'I hope every day, that we can take this virus seriously, and use every precaution we can, so that we can all move past this time. I miss hugging my friends,' she wrote Haiti - FLASH : Police operation Terminator 1, first positive partial assessment On Wednesday the divisional inspector, Gary Desrosiers, Deputy spokesperson of the National Police of Haiti (PNH) drew up a partial and positive assessment of the "Operation Terminator 1" launched on August 7 by Rameau Normil, the Director General ai of the Haitian National Police (PNH) From August 7 to 25, around 50 people were arrested, including 11 members of the "400 mawozo" gang. 6 bandits were shot dead in an exchange of fire with the police and 25 others are actively sought... 26 firearms including 4 weapons of war https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-31629-icihaiti-operation-terminator-1-arrest-and-seizure-of-weapons-of-war-in-tabarre.html , more than 228,000 ammunition of various calibers, 7 vehicles, 5 rowboats and more than a ton of marijuana were seized... In addition, 3 police offciers were arrested Billy Methyl and Canol Marcelin accused after their confessions of involvement in the assassination of their colleague Hubert Mantout and a third offcier, Casimir Charion, accused of murder, attempted murder, arson and vandalism... Gary Desrosiers said several arms and ammunition traffickers and 6 Jamaicans were also arrested. See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-31615-haiti-security-discovery-of-weapons-and-ammunition-in-a-container.html https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-31612-icihaiti-justice-arrest-of-rock-saint-hilaire-a-dangerous-criminal.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-31549-haiti-security-seizure-of-651-kg-of-narcotics-off-the-bay-of-les-cayes.html https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-31594-icihaiti-saint-marc-seizure-of-weapons-and-ammunition.html https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-31491-haiti-news-zapping.html TB/ HaitiLibre Without giving too much away, theres a moment in the new Phineas and Ferb movie where the gang accelerates past the speed of light, the veils of perception are torn asunder and a different level of reality is open to view. Its meta. Its metaphysical. Its literally a meta-metaphysical joke. Its also one of the best things in Phineas and Ferb The Movie: Candace Against the Universe -- an observation that makes co-creator Dan Povenmire laugh out loud. Oh good! he says. Because that was not the comment we got from the executives. It fared better in test screenings, he says: The 19- to 24-year-olds who grew up with the show, that was their favorite scene in the move. And then he says something that gets right to the heart of it: We try never to exclude something from the show because its going to be too smart or too sophisticated for kids, he says. Dan Povenmire, left, who grew up in Mobile, created "Phineas and Ferb" along with partner Jeff "Swampy" Marsh.Disney+ For me, thats the Monday morning gag, he continues. Thats the gag that if I saw that in a movie, when I was 9 or 10, I would go to school the next day and talk about that gag with all my friends. Early on, it might have been something from an original Chuck Jones-era Bugs Bunny cartoon. Later it might have come from an episode of Monty Pythons Flying Circus. The kind of joke he enjoyed most, growing up in Mobile, Alabama, became a concept that stuck with him as he moved into a career in animation. It was something that he thought about when he and Jeff Swampy Marsh cooked up an animated series celebrating the freedom of childhood summers. Im always looking for the Monday morning gag, he says. Phineas and Ferb, named for the creative brothers whose fantastical inventions propel most of the shows adventures, was a hit for Disney, running from 2008 to 2015. Afterward Povenmire and Marsh moved on to another series, Milo Murphys Law. "Phineas and Ferb The Movie: Candace Against the Universe," puts an interstellar spotlight on Candace, who was usually overshadowed by her brothers in the animated series "Phineas and Ferb."Disney+ It turns out that Disneys newest delivery channel provided the impetus for reviving this dormant property. It was literally the head of Disney Channel calling me up and saying hey, were doing this new streaming service, Povenmire said. They didnt call it Disney+, they didnt have a name for it. They wanted fresh content for the launch, and the Phineas and Ferb franchise seemed like a natural source. The thing theyre looking for is co-viewing, is what they call it, says Povenmire. Which means the kids, the teenagers, the adults and the grandparents would all be able to watch it and enjoy it, sort of like a Pixar movie. The one thing that hit all those demographics for them was Phineas and Ferb. Once challenge: finding some unexplored territory. Weve made 222 episodes and seven hour-long specials and another movie already for this, Povenmire says. So weve covered a lot of ground. So it was sort of a matter of what stories havent been done. The title, Candace Against the Universe, tells where they found the answer. This movie puts the spotlight on the boys long-suffering sister, who has tried for so long to expose their antics to their mother. They wanted to mix the series trademark sense of fun with a sense of jeopardy this time around. Long-suffering Candace has to re-evaluate her relationship with brothers Phineas (left) and Ferb (right) in "Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe."Disney+ If that sounds a little high-flown, fear not: Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz, the character voiced by Povenmire, brings a typically goofy invention to the party: A chicken-replace-inator. It turns out to be much more practical than it sounds. Remember those 222 episodes? The emotional payoff of Candaces interstellar difficulties in this movie comes in a scene that draws on many them un an unexpectedly vivid way. For longtime fans, itll bring home the cumulative depth of all this silliness. Thats a really great moment, says Povenmire. That made my daughter cry. Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe premieres Friday, Aug. 28, on Disney+. Povenmire said the existence of the streaming service has already created renewed interest in the show. It was available on Netflix for a long time and then they pulled it off like a year and a half before Disney+ was on the air, Povenmire says. Now that its available again, via the new service, hes hearing from fans who loved it as kids and are re-watching as young adults. A lot of people in their teens or early 20s are re-familiarizing themselves with the show because theyre in lockdown and theres this nostalgia for when they were kids and there wasnt as much stress in their lives, he says. Thats fitting. I always want people know that Phineas and Ferbs house, the layout of the house and backyard, is based on my house on Maple Drive in Mobile, Alabama, Povenmire says. We were constantly, we would build forts. I spent one whole summer learning how to throw knives. There was a woods behind us where you could do anything, he says. There was even a primitive zip line somebody had made. Naturally, "Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe" finds some work for Perry the Playpus, alias Agent P.Disney+ It was just a big thick wire, but they didnt have the pulley thing with the wheels on it, they had threaded a metal tube, threaded the wire through a metal tube and attached it about 20 feet up a tree, Povenmire says. There were two-by-fours nailed to the tree so you could climb up to the thing, and the other part was attached to the bottom of another tree over here. And you would climb up to the top of that and one of your friends would like take the metal tube and try to like throw it all the way up the wire to you, and youd have to reach way out and get it. And then yould grab it and hold onto it and itd get really hot [on the ride down] and you would let go, hopefully, before you hit the other tree. We were doing stuff like that all the time, he says. There was this big red clay dirt pit behind our house, that is now a Delchamps or something like that on the corner of Schillinger and Cottage Hill. Theres a big shopping center there now. There used to be this amazing, tiny Grand Canyon for us. It was just the best place to grow up. [Note: The last Delchamps supermarket in the area closed around 2000, and a Winn-Dixie built at the intersection about 20 years ago also has been closed for years. Time flies.] Whats next? Povenmire says a pilot for a new series recently got a test screening. Its also quite possible Phineas and Ferb will return yet again. One way or another, he says, Ill still be drawing stupid cartoons somewhere, is my guess. And hell be looking for those Monday morning gags. To me, you want to put some weird in there for people to react to, he says. Because thats what makes people pay attention. The feature provides new possibilities for organizations to connect with their audiences, particularly as the pandemic disrupts long established buying practices and social routines. Sendbird, the leading interaction API company across chat, voice and video for mobile and web applications, today announced its new Announcements API, which provides a powerful mechanism for brands to market to and businesses to communicate with exceptionally large groups of engaged users. Sendbird enables companies to turn on the ability to deliver targeted promotions or messages within public and private group chats, offering a prime upsell opportunity. Announcements are particularly well-suited for online communities, marketplaces, on-demand services and remote workforces where promotions and information can be served within the context of a specific conversation or activity. The new Announcements API comes as COVID-19 continues to influence consumer behavior. The feature provides new possibilities for organizations to connect with their audiences, particularly as the pandemic disrupts long established buying practices and social routines. At the same time, Announcements also empowers companies that are paying attention to their customers to adjust messages and promotions to meet audience wants or needs more effectively. In a COVID world, companies must rethink how they connect with their target audiences, and they have to do it contextually, said Sendbird Founder and CEO John Kim. Sendbird is building the tools that people need to interact during the era of social distancing. Our new Announcements API is a great example because it lets marketers send relevant promotions at scale in a manner that yields much higher response and engagement rates than other options, such as email. When executed strategically, Announcements provides an easy and efficient manner to reach the right people at the right time in a way that is contextual to their experience within the business app. Contrary to traditional push promotions sent via text or email, where an extremely high volume of messages must be sent and opened in order to generate sales, promotions that run inside a chat experience yield a near 100% open rate, particularly when placed in context. For instance, a company could send customers in-app coupons while they are ordering food or grocery delivery or a particular clothing brand might expand its customer base by offering promotions within a fashion community. "With Sendbird's Announcements feature we've been able to send marketing and promotional messages to thousands of buyers and sellers concurrently right within their buyer-to-seller chat experience, said Taemi Suk, Chief Partner, SSG. Announcements has helped SSG successfully bring users back into the conversation and drive buyer and seller engagement in our marketplace." The Announcements API is also incredibly useful to businesses that need to communicate with large numbers of employees. Even before COVID, workforces were becoming more distributed, requiring new tools to reach remote employees and contractors at scale. For example, trucking companies sought better, more immediate options for fleet management in order to help with timely delivery and more frequent or higher volumes of deliveries. Today, environments are shifting rapidly, and the ability to convey information efficiently has become an even greater challenge that Sendbird can solve. "Sendbird Announcements helps KeepTruckin fleet managers proactively reach out to thousands of drivers concurrently to deliver essential updates and notices in their individual chat threads in a timely manner, said Jason Pesek, Product Manager at KeepTruckin. Announcements has helped us stay a step ahead by providing a seamless way for fleet managers to communicate with drivers and keep their operations running smoothly. To learn more about how Sendbird is transforming interactive communications and the new Announcements API, please visit http://www.sendbird.com. About Sendbird Sendbird is a fully customizable chat and messaging platform with a managed infrastructure for mobile and web applications. It provides the necessary Software Development Kits (SDK) and API, front- and back-end technology so that businesses can launch a customized in-app messaging experience quickly, efficiently and at scale. Sendbird powers in-app chat for the world's leading companies in industries ranging from marketplaces, on-demand and online communities to gaming, live video streaming and healthcare. It has SDKs for popular platforms, including iOS, Android, Javascript, React Native, .NET and Unity. Sendbirds top global customers include Reddit, Yahoo! Sports, Gojek, Careem, OLA, Headspace, Carousell, Virgin Mobile UAE, YOLO, Dream11, Meetup, Paytm, Grand Rounds, Livongo, Nexon, TriNet, Accolade, Hinge, and Kookmin Bank. It is backed by Shasta Ventures, August Capital, ICONIQ Capital, Tiger Global Management, Y Combinator and FundersClub. Sendbird is headquartered in San Mateo, California. Please visit https://sendbird.com for more information. American Girl launched its Heroes with Heart contest in June, asking families to nominate a hero who has made a difference in their lives during the pandemic. According to Richmond Va.s WTVR, the Mattel-owned doll brand revealed the winners of the contest last week. One of the five grand prize winners included Lacey, a Texas 12-year-old who nominated her aunt, a paramedic working on the frontlines in Richmond. Richmond Ambulance Authority EMT April OQuinn was selected from more than 1,000 nominations. My Aunt April was exposed to COVID several times and she eventually got it, Lacey wrote in her nomination letter. She fought for over four weeks to get over the terrible virus! When she was finally healed and released back to work, she didnt hesitate for one moment. I call her my Hero because she has personally squashed COVID-19, and she continues to help people who not only have COVID, but also those who are in need of other medical attention! she continued. I am so proud of my Aunt! The winners received a custom-made American Girl doll and outfit in the heros likeness, along with a $200 American Girl gift card. The grand prize winning nominees: Other grand prize nominees, in addition to April OQuinn, include the following: Sarah - A nurse assistant who was nominated by her granddaughter, because as a caregiver and by feeding the homeless in her community, she shows dedication and patience. Pam - A teacher who was nominated by her students, because with a smile and an encouraging sign, she visited each students house, bringing a bag of books. Xavier - A 17-year-old grocery store worker who was nominated by his sister, because despite having asthma, he continued to work at a grocery store five days a week to help amid the pandemic. Laurent - A pilot for Spirit Airlines who was nominated by his daughter, because he volunteered to fly a team of American doctors to Haiti to help the Haitians fight COVID-19 - and on his return flight, carried back stranded U.S. citizens. READ MORE: 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. Montgomery County may have avoided flooding and strong winds from Hurricane Laura but around 100,000 residents were facing rolling power outages Thursday as a result of widespread outages near the Texas-Louisiana border. According to a press release from Entergy, the company is taking the action to avoid a more extensive, prolonged power outage that could severely affect the reliability of the power grid. The issue is a combination of the extensive damage to Entergys transmission system caused by Hurricane Laura and the anticipated high demand for electricity due to high temperatures. The company did not provide a timeline on the power outages, but the outages would continue until the integrity of the power system is no longer threatened. Due to the ongoing power outages and internet instability, Conroe ISD officials said Thursday night the district would be closed Friday. Splendora ISD officials also canceled remote learning and in class sessions Friday. Entergy officials are asking customers to help reduce the demand on the system by reducing electricity use. Some ways customers can reduce electricity usage is to raise the central air conditioner thermostat to 78 degrees; use energy-efficient electric ceiling fans and portable fans to circulate air and help occupants feel cooler; close window blinds, drapes and curtains to reduce warming in the home from direct sunlight; check the air conditioner filter to be sure it is clean; delay laundering clothes, washing dishes, bathing, etc. until later in the evening or early morning; wash clothes with cold water, cook foods at the lowest possible setting and resist the temptation to open the oven door while baking; do not allow cooled air to escape from the home; and make sure your clothes dryer and attic are vented properly. Precinct 3 Commissioner James Noack was concerned about the outages and its effect on motorists as traffic lights go dark. (The lights) are running on battery back up right now, Noack said. We do not have enough generators of manpower to monitor the intersections. Noack reminded drivers when traffic lights are out, treat the intersection as a four-way stop. Everyone needs to be driving with extreme caution, he said. There is nothing we can do without power. Better safe than sorry On Tuesday, faced with a forecast that showed the massive storm making landfall closer to Galveston, County Judge Mark Keough made the decision to close the countys non-essential offices Thursday to ensure the safety of the staff. Additionally, Keough followed the lead of Gov. Greg Abbott and issued a disaster declaration for Montgomery County as well. However, that declaration has now been lifted. With the devastation from Hurricane Harvey still fresh in the minds of those that endured the storm that dumped more than 50 inches of rain in the region, including Montgomery County, Keough said closing the county ahead of Hurricane Laura is not one he regrets. I have the greatest team, he said of the countys Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security staff. We were watching it very close and we were ready to move. I am surrounded by good people and I dont make fast decisions. While Keough was relieved the storm didnt affect Montgomery County, he said he is saddened for the communities in its path. My heart breaks for those people and I am certainly praying for them, Keough said. The county had not deployed any resources to the hurricane affected areas but Keough said he has spoken with officials in those counties and offered help. I reached out to them and said we have people and resources ready to move if needed, Keough said. They were very gracious. cdominguez@hcnonline.com The Victorian government has rejected a critical crossbench demand to extend the state of emergency powers, hitting a major roadblock in negotiations. Health Minister Jenny Mikakos on Thursday rejected a plan to establish a parliamentary oversight committee to scrutinise the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the effectiveness of programs designed to stimulate the economy. Premier Daniel Andrews on Thursday. Credit:Jason South The committee proposal was part of a key crossbench compromise amid negotiations with the government over its attempt to extend state of emergency provisions for 12 months. Reason Party MP Fiona Patten led the charge on establishing the oversight committee, separate to the Public Accounts and Estimates Committee, which was already inquiring into the government's response to the pandemic, but was chaired by a Labor MP. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 27) Presidential son and Davao 1st District Rep. Paolo Duterte confirmed Thursday that seven members of his staff have resigned amid talk of alleged mismanagement by his chief of staff. He disclosed in a statement that his chief of staff Sherwin Castaneda and six others submitted their resignation letters on August 10. Duterte quoted ACT-CIS Rep. Eric Go Yap as saying he received complaints of mismanagement under Castaneda, whom he had recommended for the chief of staff position. Yap clarified to CNN Philippines in a phone call that he only encouraged the staff members to resign after seeing "minor lapses." Yap added that he also wanted new staff members who are more familiar with the workings of Congress, since the persons he recommended came from other agencies. Duterte said he is already in the middle of getting new recruits. "I'm almost done filling up the vacant positions with the help of congressman Yap's staff," he said. BOSTON, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Materials informatics is quickly becoming one of the most significant areas of interest for chemical and material companies. There have been significant early adopters, notable news stories, internationally renowned consortia established, large funding rounds, and still many yet to get started. Navigating a successful path is challenging, a misstep could have a large implication on cost and competitive advantage. There are many facets to materials informatics and many routes for a company to engage with this area. IDTechEx has written a brand-new report on Materials Informatics; this technical industry assessment provides the reader with primary interview-based profiles of the key technology providers, case studies across a wide range of application areas, and roadmaps & outlooks for the rate and scale of adoption. For more details on what materials informatics encompasses and why an inflexion point is approaching see previous articles and the market report. For a company wanting to use materials informatics there are three main approaches: partner with a company, join a public-private consortium, or go it alone and develop the capabilities in house. The external MI players can come from numerous starting points, as outlined in the figure below. Dedicated MI companies have the advantage of years of experience and a product or service already well-tailored to the needs. Many have received notable investments and built a software team that is impossible to replicate overnight. The main downside is that to gain the full benefit of materials informatics then these systems need to be deeply embedded into all parts of a company's operations, including historic data, the point-of-entry for new data, and for research project scoping and activity. This brings three challenges: (1) data security is essential (2) confidence that the external company will exist for a long time (most are start-ups and most start-ups fail) (3) how to pick the right company. Then there is also the cost and the impact to a company in the long-term never builds up sufficient internal know-how and capabilities. Many just cherry-pick certain projects to carry-out which is beneficial but does not reach the full potential. The MI experience and tailored offerings are driving many notable use-cases. The likes of Citrine Informatics, Uncountable, Kebotix, Intellegens, and many more can already boast a strong line-up of impressive customers. Many offer complete packages with subscription platforms for this data capture and analysis, this can have data repositories, proprietary algorithms, and even retrosynthesis predictors all integrated. Although subscription or research projects are the most typical form of engagements, others have established royalty-based agreements or use their expertise to develop IP that they subsequently license. Then there is also the option for MI players to become a licensing company with a strong advanced materials portfolio and for end-users to offer MI as a service. The IDTechEx market report, "Materials Informatics 2020-2030", provides detail of these companies and their partnerships through a series of primary interviews. Geographically, many of the end-users embracing this technology are Japanese companies, many of the emerging external companies are from the USA, and the most notable consortia and academic labs are split across Japan and the USA. In 2011, The Obama administration in the US launched the Materials Genome Initiative (MGI); a large proportion of the work coming out of the USA has links to this initiative and in many cases direct roots from this initiative. Working with a public-private consortium is another common approach in this field. The benefits are lower financial investments, shared knowledge, access to a broad range of researchers, and opportunities to develop in-house capabilities. The negatives are also highly evident with less privacy, in some cases direct competitors working side-by-side, and less targeted projects. NIMS, in Japan, and NIST, in the USA, are national labs central to these consortia and much of the work globally. Finally, there is the choice to completely build the capabilities in-house. This overcomes all the challenges previously outlined but is certainly not straightforward. To build this internally requires a large amount of investment and recruitment in areas not traditionally core to the company, bringing with it an element of risk and a longer time to see any results. Many of the external companies work on projects to improve their in-house capabilities and some, such as Enthought, provide dedicated training and custom tools to help companies become self-sufficient. Navigating the best approach to adopting materials informatics is challenging. The technology is reaching a stage of maturity that real success stories are being seen and more end-users are looking to engage. There are pitfalls and hurdles at every stage. The IDTechEx report, "Materials Informatics 2020-2030", helps you understand the status and outlook for this market, seeing the potential in different sectors and for different projects. For more information on this report, please visit www.IDTechEx.com/MaterialsInformatics or for the full portfolio of related research available from IDTechEx please visit www.IDTechEx.com/Research. IDTechEx guides your strategic business decisions through its Research, Consultancy and Event products, helping you profit from emerging technologies. For more information on IDTechEx Research and Consultancy, contact research@IDTechEx.com or visit www.IDTechEx.com. Media Contact: Natalie Moreton Digital Marketing Manager press@IDTechEx.com +44(0)1223 812300 Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1244770/IDTechEx_MI.jpg Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/478371/IDTechEx_Logo.jpg Redeeming America Tour founder Frank Opp takes the stage with an organizer of the Freedom Protest Rally 2020 in Oak Glen, Calif., on Aug. 15, 2020. (Brad Jones/The Epoch Times) Californias Redeeming America Tour Opp-oses the New Norm OAK GLEN, Calif.If you cant stand the heat, stay out of Hells Kitchen, says Frank Opp, owner of Hells Kitchen Motorsports Bar and Grill in Lake Elsinore, Calif. Hes fed up with restrictions on small businesses like his in Californiaand hes, well, quite frank about it. He says if some people are worried about COVID-19 and dont want to enter places of business, they can stay home. But hes going to open his doors to all the others. And hes not going to be Gov. Gavin Newsoms COVID police, he told The Epoch Times. Hes not going to school his biker clientele on social distancing etiquette, and he wont make them wear masks if they dont want to. I am going to open fully and just roll with the punches, Opp said. I know they say this is the new norm. No, this is not the new norm. This is a violation of our constitutional rights. This is not what America was founded on by our forefathers. Opp, 56, is the founder of the Redeeming America Tour. In recent weeks, hes held rallies in Murrieta and Oak Glen, and hes headed for San Diego next, with the intention of making his way up to Sacramento. His rally in Murrieta drew thousands on July 18, including Sen. Melissa Melendez (R-Lake Elsinore) and Dr. Jeff Barke, an outspoken critic of public health policies amid the pandemic. Opps Freedom Protest Rally 2020 in Oak Glen drew several hundred on Aug. 15. The Redeeming America Tour calls for lifting COVID-related restrictions on small businesses, but its also a response to the looting and destruction that have affected those businesses and communities at large. Opp is a former police officer, and hes also rallying behind law enforcement, and against calls to defund the police. This has made enemies for him among some Black Lives Matter supporters, who have led the call to defund the police. His rally in Oak Glen was called a white supremacy protest in a flyer opposing it. The flyer was posted on social media by blm4poc (which stands for Black Lives Matter for Persons of Color), a group based in neighboring Redlands that has been active in protests against what they say is a strong current of racism in the region. The group takes issue in particular with Jim Riley, who hosted the Aug. 15 rally on his farm. Riley has made comments on social media that have earned him the nickname Racist Riley. Riley told The Epoch Times that people have misunderstood his comments, which he says are against what he sees as anti-white ideologies, but not against black people. One of his tweets said, If theres a problem in America today, its BLACK supremacy, and he named Louis Farrakhan Sr. as a leader of black supremacy thought. Farrakhana protege of Malcolm X who also went by the name Louis Xis a leader of the Nation of Islam, a movement that combines elements of Islam with black nationalism. Riley is a history buff, famous for his reenactments of the American Revolutionary War, the Civil War, and the Gold Rush. One of his Civil War reenactments appeared in a short scene at the end of the movie Amistad, starring Morgan Freeman and Anthony Hopkins, which portrayed the brutality on the notorious slave ship, Amistad. A man in period dress stands outside a building on Rileys Farm, known for its historical reenactments, on the day of the Freedom Protest Rally at the farm in Oak Glen, Calif., on Aug. 15, 2020. (Brad Jones/The Epoch Times) A fiddler in period dress plays at Rileys Farm on the day of the Freedom Protest Rally at Rileys Farm in Oak Glen, Calif., on Aug. 15, 2020. (Brad Jones/The Epoch Times) A worker at a shop on Rileys Farm in Oak Glen, Calif., helps customers on Aug. 15, 2020. (Brad Jones/The Epoch Times) Merchandise for sale at a shop on Rileys Farm stresses the importance of liberty, in Oak Glen, Calif., on Aug. 15, 2020. (Brad Jones/The Epoch Times) Jim Riley stands near the tavern on his farm, Rileys Farm, in Oak Glen, Calif., on Aug. 15, 2020. (Brad Jones/The Epoch Times) The blm4poc flyer denounced the Redeeming America rally at Rileys as falsely using the word protest to disguise a full-blown illegal festival amidst a pandemic killing hundreds of thousands. At Rileys Outside the rally at Rileys on Aug. 15, vendors sold merchandise that was pro-President Donald Trump. Other stands represented church groups; one was collecting petition signatures to recall Newsom. Among the speakers at the event were San Jacinto Mayor Andrew Kotyuk, Robin Hvidston of We The People Rising, and Tea Party Patriots California organizer John Berry. A vendor sells hats at the Freedom Protest Rally in Oak Glen, Calif., on Aug. 15, 2020. (Brad Jones/The Epoch Times) A stand selling merchandise is set up outside of the Freedom Protest Rally at Rileys Farm in Oak Glen, Calif., on Aug. 15, 2020. (Brad Jones/The Epoch Times) Opp said he also had the support of Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, and the blessings of Pastor Tim Thompson of Our Watch and Pastor Rob McCoy of Godspeak Calvary Chapel in Ventura Countys Newbury Park. McCoy recently defied the state ban on indoor church services and a temporary restraining order. He was charged and found in contempt on Aug. 21. McCoy was fined $500 for each of the three services on two Sundays, for a total of $3,000. In a YouTube video, McCoy called the fines a small price to pay for liberty. Two days later, he again held indoor services. Opp told The Epoch Times, We should not be walking around in fear. Business as Usual Instead, Opp said, people should be educated on how best to protect themselves from the virus and get back to business as usual. If one of us is not following the rules, theyll make an example out of you, he said. They will make your life miserable and make a public example out of you. I got it, I see the way theyre playing this game. Opps bar and restaurant caters mainly to bikers who like to ride the winding Ortega Highway, otherwise known as State Route 74. Bikers are probably some of the most patriotic, loyal, and protective people youll ever meet, but many of them are not inclined to wear masks, he said. And if they stay close together, Im not going to get in the middle of them and try to tell them they need to separate. And Im darn well not going to kick them off my property. Opp said that reducing seating capacity to 50 percent is not economically viable when he still has 100 percent of the bills to pay. This is not right. Its not fair, he said. Seating them outdoors isnt a solution either, he said. Putting people in 108- and 110-degree weather in my parking lotthats ridiculous, too. Hes frustrated with the ever-changing regulations, and he has lost revenue for most of the prime riding season, so hes ready to reopen regardless of state mandates. He described his rallies as educational and informational protests, because under statewide COVID restrictions, a protest is the only legal means for large groups to gather. Opp said he has chosen large open areas to hold the protests. The protests are also held on private properties with security as a preemptive measure against potential disruption from opposing groups that might be inclined to cause chaos, he said. Thats not what I want, he said. I want to be able to reach out to every small, family-owned business thats struggling just like I am, and my son is. Kristopher Taylor speaks during the open mic portion of the Freedom Protest Rally in Oak Glen, Calif., on Aug. 15, 2020. (Brad Jones/The Epoch Times) Chauncey Slim Killens stands with another attendee of the Freedom Protest Rally in Oak Glen, Calif., on Aug. 15, 2020. (Brad Jones/The Epoch Times) Attendees listen to speakers at the Freedom Protest Rally in Oak Glen, Calif., on Aug. 15, 2020. (Brad Jones/The Epoch Times) Opp said he welcomes everyone, regardless of their political stripes, to attend the protest rallies as long as they support ending restrictions on small businesses and are not disruptive. But for those who may fear the unmasked, his protests are probably not the place to be. Masks are optional. Riley characterized Opps Redeeming America Tour as a grassroots reaction to government oppression. He said its an organic response to the cruelty thats been visited upon small businesses. These are people who dont have the security of continued wages for a crisis, and they have to make a living, he said. And so theyre basically saying the economic lockdown is killing them. I mean, literally taking away their homes, taking away their businesses, and they want the lockdown to end. Its either colossal incompetence on the part of public officials, or theres something profoundly evil going on herethey really do want to change completely the economic complexion, so that all work is for government or super large corporations. He said many also believe the call to defund the police is a tremendously dangerous reality. Opp was working as a police officer in Huntington Beach in 1992 when violence erupted in Los Angeles following the acquittal of four white police officers in the beating of Rodney King. Opp opposes police brutality, but he said a few bad apples are being used as an excuse to go out and just terrorize the world. Its not the day and age to be a cop. Its just a shame, Opp said. I feel sorry for these guys. I dont believe in defunding law enforcement. If anything, we need to appreciate them more. They need to be paid more for what theyre doing. Several attendees of the Aug. 15 rally held banners and signs that said Blue Lives Matter and All Lives Matter. DELTA COUNTY, MI Over 150 dogs and horses were rescued from an alleged puppy mill in the Upper Peninsula this week. The animals are in the care of Delta Animal Shelter, which called the conditions at the property horrible. On Monday, the shelter assisted Michigan State Police Gladstone Post and Delta County Sheriffs Office in removing 65 dogs many of which were pregnant and 69 puppies a residence in Maple Ridge Township. The following day, authorities returned to seize 20 horses, including several miniature horses that were pregnant. Twenty horses were seized from an alleged U.P. puppy mill on Tuesday, Aug. 25. Authorities seized 134 dogs from the property in Delta County, Michigan on Monday, Aug. 24.Michigan State Police This is a horrible, horrible ongoing situation, said Susan Gartland, shelter manager. They never asked for this life, the shelter said in a Facebook post. Dont support backyard breeders no matter how bad you want a puppy. This is so disgusting for all these pups. A pair of puppies are bathed at Delta Animal Shelter on Wednesday, Aug. 26. The puppies were among 134 dogs seized from an alleged puppy mill in Delta County, Michigan on Monday, Aug. 24. They were soaked in urine and feces when they were found.Delta Animal Shelter RELATED: 11 miniature horses seized from puppy mill site where 134 dogs were rescued The number of rescued animals will magnify as those that are pregnant give birth. At least 10 puppies have been born so far. A new mom settles in with her litter of 10 puppies after giving birth at Delta Animal Shelter on Wednesday, Aug. 26. The adult female was one of 134 dogs seized from an alleged puppy mill in Delta County, Michigan on Monday, Aug. 24.Delta Animal Shelter A call about a horse in a roadway led MSP Trooper Lisa Kanyuh to bust the alleged puppy mill. She found the horse and then proceeded up the driveway. Twenty horses were seized from an alleged U.P. puppy mill on Tuesday, Aug. 25. Authorities seized 134 dogs from the property in Delta County, Michigan on Monday, Aug. 24.Michigan State Police I saw the kennels with all the dogs, Kanyuh told MLive. I could see some were emaciated; I could see their ribs through their skin. I smelled the strong odor of dog feces. And thats when I began my investigation. Authorities seized 134 dogs from an alleged puppy mill in Delta County, Michigan on Monday, Aug. 24. They are now in the care of Delta Animal Shelter.Delta Animal Shelter The investigation is in the early, baby stages, she said. Charges could come down from the Delta County Prosecutors Office sometime next week. RELATED: State police rescue 134 dogs from horrible U.P. puppy mill Before and after grooming pictures are shown of a dog at Delta Animal Shelter that was one of 134 dogs seized from an alleged puppy mill in Delta County, Michigan on Monday, Aug. 24.Delta Animal Shelter The dogs were vaccinated, de-wormed and treated for fleas on Tuesday. Bay Vet Clinic conducted medical evaluations and treatment of the dogs on Wednesday. Bathing and grooming are in progress. The horses will also be evaluated and treated by veterinarians. Twenty horses were seized from an alleged U.P. puppy mill on Tuesday, Aug. 25. Authorities seized 134 dogs from the property in Delta County, Michigan on Monday, Aug. 24.Michigan State Police They are all going to be just fine, and we promise they are on their way to such a better life, the shelter said in a Facebook post. No dog should ever live that way ever. These poor pups are so scared. The shelter needs monetary donations, towels and blankets. Later this week, they plan to request foster homes, bathers, walkers, socializers and cleaners. Before and after grooming pictures are shown of a dog at Delta Animal Shelter that was one of 134 dogs seized from an alleged puppy mill in Delta County, Michigan on Monday, Aug. 24.Delta Animal Shelter READ MORE: Roof collapses at nearly century-old U.P. theater Busch unveils new beer, for your dog After bears spotted in Michigan campground, Forest Service says to be bear aware Chief describes Lazarus syndrome of Michigan woman declared dead, found alive Grand River Raceway is excited to host a live stream showing of the Pepsi North America Cup on August 29, 2020. You and up to 100 guests are invited to pre-register to join in the action from the Tarmac tent, at Grand River Raceway. The broadcast will be presented on the tent TVs and the large infield screen. Gates will be open at 6:00 p.m. until the end of the card, with the highlight race running at approximately 10:45 p.m. Guests will have access to wagering through on-site mutuel staff and betting terminals for the entirety of the race card. To guarantee access it is highly recommend registering in advance at naclivestreamgrr.eventbrite.ca. The 37th Pepsi North America Cup features three-year-old pacers and offers a $1 million purse. Woodbine Mohawk Park, who are hosting the live race, will be open to a limited number of invite guests only. For those not able to join on-site, TSN will have a special live one-hour broadcast of the race from 10:00 - 11:00 p.m. The simulcast of the entire race card will be available on HPItv, and Woodbine Mohawk Parks official website. You can also watch and bet online at HPIbet.com. Grand River Raceway will also be hosting a live stream of the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, September 5. General Public can register for tarmac access for this day at grrlivestreamkentuckyderby.eventbrite.ca. (Grand River) NBU chief tells int'l investors whether bank's policies set to change 23:05, 27.08.20 6131 Shevchenko has held a number of meetings with representatives of international investment institutions. Among President Donald Trump's largest support demographic are white evangelists. In the 2016 election, 81% of voting evangelists voted for Trump, making up a significant portion of voters that were crucial to Trump's victory. However, amidst the current political turmoil with elections approaching, social injustices, and COVID-19, approval for the President by white evangelists has dropped. According to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in mid June, Trump's approval rating amongst white evangelists has dropped approximately six percent from 78% in April to 72%. In addition, white evangelicals who agree "very strongly" with Trump's performance in office have dropped from 67% to 59%. This trend is common among other religious demographics such as Catholics and even Religiously Unaffiliated voters who saw a decrease in "strong approval" from 40% to 32% and 19% to 17% respectively. These declines in approval seem to have stemmed from the President's handling of COVID-19, as well as his controversial photo-op at St. John's Episcopal Church. Since the rise of the Coronavirus in the US since mid March, the President's approval for his handling of the situation has dropped. As seen in another Pew Research Center survey in which those who believed Trump's handling of the situation to be "excellent/good" dropped from 81% to 75%. Additionally, at St. John's Episcopal Church, the President's forceful removal by way of the National Guard of peaceful protesters, rubbed many of his faithful supporters the wrong way. That being said, despite the drop in support for approval, the survey also found that approximately eight out of ten white evangelical Protestant voters would still vote to elect Trump for the Presidency once again. This support may come from the Protestants continued dislike of Trump's opponent Biden. In the same survey, it was found that 75% of white evangelical Protestants believe Biden would make a poor or terrible President. So while Trump's approval ratings have slipped in recent polls, he still holds a strong support group amongst many Christian groups. Kendallville, IN (46755) Today Sunshine early followed by mostly cloudy skies this afternoon. Much colder. High 22F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low around 10F. Winds light and variable. Indias first general aviation terminal for private jets set to open at New Delhis Indira Gandhi International Airport last month has been ready for use for at least a month, but is still waiting for security approvals before it can become operational, according to three people familiar with the matter. The facility is designed to ensure faster turnaround of business jets and chartered planes, shielding them from the clutter of general passenger terminals, where they now compete for taxiing slots with commercial flights. Two senior officers from the ministry of civil aviation, who asked not to be named, confirmed that the facility was ready for use in terms of infrastructure and other facilities, but was awaiting some security clearances from the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS). A Delhi airport official said the terminal it was tentatively due to be inaugurated on July 24 is complete, but will be operationalised as and when the government gives its approval. Usha Padhee, joint secretary in the ministry of civil aviation, has additional charge as director-general, BCAS, after the previous incumbent, IPS officer Rakesh Asthana, was posted as director-general of the Border Security Force (BSF) on August 17. Padhee could not be contacted despite repeated attempts. Calls, text messages, and an e-mail sent to her seeking a response remained unanswered. A BCAS official, who did not wish to be named, said any development at any airport in India requires security approval from the BCAS. The official, however, did not comment on the approvals pending regarding the new general aviation terminal. The terminal was built at a cost of Rs150 crore over one-and-a-half years by Bird ExecuJet Airport Services Private Limited, a joint venture between Bird Group and ExecuJet Aviation Group, an international business aviation company based at Zurich Airport in Switzerland. It has been designed to have parking space for a maximum 65 jets of all sizes, and has the capacity to handle a maximum of 150 business jet movements a day, the third official cited above said. Before the national lockdown was imposed in March, around 1,300 scheduled flights operated from Delhi airport every day, apart from an additional 40-50 small non-scheduled chartered or private planes. Though the new terminal will be commissioned as an interim facility it will be equipped with state-of-the-art features and facilities including world class passenger lounges, retail, food and beverage [outlets] etc., DIAL had said in a statement in response to queries from Hindustan Times about the new terminal last month. Private aircraft will still have to compete for take-off and landing slots with commercial flights, and another official from Delhi airport said that the new terminal will cut time . Runway 29/11 -- the largest in Delhi -- is closer to the new terminal, and this will make taxiing time of these private aircraft significantly shorter, he said, adding that the shorter distance between the terminal building and flight boarding point will also make the process of boarding quicker and less cumbersome. Several VIPs and business travellers prefer to use private jets, and all their aircraft movements currently take place from Terminal 1, which was operating beyond capacity and undergoing expansion before the lockdown. Kanika Tekriwal, CEO & founder, JetSetGo Aviation, a private charter operater, said they are extremely excited and eagerly looking forward for the inauguration of aviation terminal for private jets at Delhi Airport. The terminal will bring ease to flying operations at large, said Tekriwal. Captain Archit Gupta, CEO, Atom Aviation, a Delhi-based private jets service provider, said they are also very excited about new general aviation terminal coming up in Delhi. Aviation expert Kapil Kaul said the pending approvals may be some last mile issues related to regulatory clearances. The new general aviation terminal, otherwise, is ready for commercial operations, he added. ATHENS, Greece - Greeces coast guard launched a new search and rescue operation Thursday following a distress call from a vessel with 50 migrants on board that was in trouble south of the island of Rhodes. There was no immediate details yet on that. The coast guard was already involved in another search operation in the eastern Aegean Sea, two days after the partial sinking of a yacht carrying nearly 100 migrants in which a father and a child went missing. A total of 96 people were rescued during the operation that took place mainly after dark Tuesday night, plucked from the sea by helicopters, patrol boats and nearby merchant ships after the yacht partially sank 21 nautical miles (24 miles) west of the small Greek island of Halki. Of those rescued, 72 were transported to Rhodes, five to the island of Karpathos and 19 were picked up from a cargo ship by the Turkish coast guard. The Greek coast guard said Thursday that a relative has reported the father and child werent among those rescued. No further information was immediately available. The coast guard also said it had arrested a 41-year-old suspected migrant smuggler, bringing to four the number of people rescued from the wreck who have been arrested. Thousands of people continue to make their way to the Greek islands from the nearby Turkish coast, paying smugglers to ferry them in often unseaworthy, overcrowded inflatable dinghies or other vessels. Read more about: The New Zealand market performed well, CFO Nick Freeman noted. Underlying operating profit increased by 18% to $23 million, and that included an $8.4 million COVID-19 provision. Premium and revenue are up by 11.4%, reflecting strong policyholder growth and price adjustments to account for increasing claims. The net policyholder growth of 7.4% was strong, and showed success in growing our corporate group and white label channels. Read more: nib declares dividend despite decrease in net profit However, claims also went up by 12%, mainly due to policyholder growth and increased hospital and ancillary utilisation. Freeman says nibs travel products have also been hit hard by COVID-19, and that the focus for the coming year will be to reduce operating expenses. Travel has been one of the hardest hit sectors as a result of COVID-19, and unfortunately nib Travel hasnt been immune to these effects, Freeman said. The first half had revenue growing strongly, however COVID-19 had a material impact on our second half, driving an underlying operating loss of $19.7 million. Travel expenses increased, reflecting the full effect of the QBE travel integration, he explained. The operating increases also reflect significant increases in customer refunds, credits and claims, brought on by travel arrangements being disrupted or cancelled. At the peak of COVID-19, our travel business had a backlog of 39,000 claims, so its a credit to our teams that theyve gotten through those claims. Our focus remains on reducing expenses in the next year, with a heavy emphasis on improving our efficiency and preparing for a return to travel, whenever that may be. Read more: nib extends COVID-19 member support package nib director Mark Fitzgibbon says that overall, New Zealand is starting to better appreciate the benefits of having health insurance in place - however, he says the coming year is still likely to make a loss, albeit not quite a significant one as FY20. New Zealand is looking very similar to Australia, in that its a marketplace that has a heightened sense of the value of private health insurance, Fitzgibbon commented. We also see some particular corridors in New Zealand around helping Maori tribes and iwi manage their risk. Travel will eventually recover, and our focus there is very much around driving down those operating costs and minimising our losses, and well do that, he concluded. We do still expect to lose money, but on a much lower level. The Complexity Science Hub Vienna compiled more than 6,000 governmental interventions from 56 countries and 24 US states in unprecedented granularity. [Vienna, 27 August 2020] To know which non-pharmaceutical interventions against the spread of coronavirus worked best, researchers and health authorities need data. In March, the Complexity Science Hub Vienna (CSH) started a comprehensive worldwide collection of governmental measures, which is now published in the Nature journal Scientific Data. The CSH COVID-19 Control Strategies List (CCCSL) to date includes information on 6,068 interventions from 56 countries: 33 European, 12 Asian, five South American, two North American, three African, and one Oceanian countries, plus the cruise ship Diamond Princess. For the US, data were collected at the state level for 24 US states. Highly detailed data for in-depth analyses "The special value of our dataset is its granularity," says project leader and first author Amelie Desvars-Larrive (CSH and Univ of Veterinary Medicine Vienna). "To our knowledge, it is to date the most detailed classification of government measures against COVID-19." On the most general level (L1), the scientists divided the measures in seven groups: case identification; contact tracing and related measures; environmental measures, such as disinfection and cleaning of common surfaces (public transports, markets); healthcare and public health capacity (e.g. increase of the hospital capacity or of the healthcare workforce); resource allocation (like operations involved in the allocation of budgets, deployment of resources, and distribution of goods for controlling a disease outbreak); risk communication; social distancing; travel restriction; and, a newer category, returning to normal life. Each intervention is coded into four levels, from a broad categorisation of the measures (L1) to a very specific description (L4). "As an example, we have seven categories of travel restrictions, which are further divided into more than 50 subcategories," says Desvars-Larrive. Moreover, the use of self-explanatory codes makes the dataset readily comprehensible, even for non-experts. The coding scheme of the dataset exhibits a great analytical flexibility and makes it especially valuable for computer-aided techniques like Machine Learning. Dealing with a pandemic "With the CCCSL, we hope to contribute to a better management of the corona crisis or similar epidemics in the future," says David Garcia (CSH & Medical Univ of Vienna), one of the co-authors. "With comprehensive data, scientists and politicians will be able to better assess individual risks, to develop tailor-made containment strategies or approaches how to end strict measures, for instance." For example, scientists at the CSH were combining the CCCSL data with publicly available data on COVID-19 cases. "We quantified the impact of individual control policies and came up with a ranking according to their effectiveness in reducing coronavirus spread," explains Amelie Desvars-Larrive. These findings are currently under review. The data were collected from public sources, including official government sources, scientific papers, press releases, government communications and social media. All records were hand-coded and are updated on a regular basis. During the COVID-19 crisis, other research teams have concomitantly tracked data on government policies. Joining forces to fight the pandemic, the CCCSL and six other international datasets have been integrated into the global dataset Tracking Public Health and Social Measures (PHSM) aggregated by the World Health Organization. ### Amelie Desvars-Larrive et al., A structured open dataset of government interventions in response to COVID-19, Scientific Data, August 27 2020, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-020-00609-9 A live version of the CCCSL is accessible via https://github.com/amelgithub/covid19-interventionmeasures Experience the richness of detail in the database through this interactive visualization: http://covid19-interventions.com/CCCSLgraph/ The WHO Global Dataset "Tracking Public Health and Social Measures": https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/phsm About the Complexity Science Hub Vienna (CSH): The mission of CSH Vienna is to host, educate, and inspire complex systems scientists dedicated to making sense of Big Data to boost science and society. Scientists at the Hub develop methods for the scientific, quantitative, and predictive understanding of complex systems. Focal areas include the resilience and efficiency of socio-economic and ecological systems, network medicine, the dynamics of innovation, and the science of cities. The Hub is a joint initiative of AIT Austrian Institute of Technology, Central European University CEU, Danube University Krems, Graz University of Technology, IIASA International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, IMBA, Medical University of Vienna, TU Wien, VetMedUni Vienna, Vienna University of Economics and Business, and Austrian Economic Chambers (WKO). http://www.csh.ac.at BRISBANE, Australia, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- CI&T , a leader in driving digital transformation for global brands, today announces its continued global expansion with a new push into Australia and New Zealand (ANZ). With a strong presence in North and South America, Europe and Asia, this strategic move is designed to broaden the scope of CI&T's capabilities to service companies on a global scale and current clients who already operate in the ANZ market. CI&T provides strategy, research, design and engineering services to the world's largest companies, digitally transforming customers' businesses by co-creating new business models, digital products and platforms, and innovative ways of working. "While CI&T has an existing presence in the Asia Pacific region, with strong relationships in both Japan and China, expanding into Australia and New Zealand offers our current clients coverage in much larger territories of the world which is of huge benefit," said Felipe Rubim, Vice President of ANZ and Asia at CI&T. "We are excited to bring our unique approach to lean culture and experience to the region and help companies move ahead with their digital transformation strategies at such a pivotal time." "We are experts in driving growth and continuous innovation across business, people and technology," said Leo Abdala, Digital Transformation Director of ANZ at CI&T. "We are excited to work with businesses in Australia and New Zealand who are keen to embark on the process of digital transformation and acceleration, using our global know-how and decades of expertise to help them reach their goals sooner rather than later at a time when this is most pressing." According to a recent study from IDC on the top digital trends in Australia, organisation culture is emerging as one of the biggest precursors to digital excellence, and it is thought that by 2024, leaders of 50% of Australian organisations will have mastered "future of culture" traits as they seek digital leadership at scale. "Digital transformation is an unavoidable journey, it could mean the difference between future company success or fallout," added Cesar Gon, Co-Founder and CEO at CI&T. "Australians and New Zealanders have always been forward thinking in the world of innovation and we look forward to bringing our years of expertise to the ANZ region." This announcement comes on the heels of several key achievements for CI&T including a successful expansion into the EMEA market with two new offices in London and Lisbon opening earlier this year, and being honored as one of 2020's Best Workplaces in Asia by Great Place to Work. The company also achieved major growth in 2019 with a strategic minority investment from Advent International, as well as the unveiling of its new Prisma Bay Area innovation center in Oakland, CA. About CI&T CI&T is a digital solutions partner for some of the world's biggest companies, helping them drive growth and continuous innovation across business, people and technology. With operations across North America, Latin America, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region, CI&T has a proven track record of delivering complex end-to-end solutions for the digital enterprise. For more information, visit www.ciandt.com.au . Contact: press@ciandt.com Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1243898/Leo_Abdala_Felipe_Rubim.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1096357/CI_and_T_logo.jpg President Trump marshaled the full resources of our federal government from the outset. He directed us to forge a seamless partnership with governors across America in both political parties." Vice President Mike Pence, during his speech at the Republican National Convention on Aug. 26 Vice President Mike Pence portrayed his boss, President Donald Trump, as a leader who has reached out across the aisle to help during the coronavirus pandemic. President Trump marshaled the full resources of the federal government and directed us to forge a seamless partnership with governors across America in both parties, Pence said during his speech Wednesday night at the Republican National Convention. Clearly, the federal government has provided supplies and funding to states led by both parties in response to the pandemic, and Pence himself has held regular conference calls with governors in both parties. But Pence was speaking about the actions of Trump, not his own. Pence's comments ignored Trump's multiple feuds, frequently with Democratic governors, about state-federal responsibilities and the pandemic response. A Trump campaign spokesperson sent us a list of dozens of teleconferences and meetings that Trump or Pence had with governors, including Democrats such as New York's Andrew Cuomo and Michigan's Gretchen Whitmer. In March, Trump sent a letter to governors thanking them for stepping up to help America confront this unprecedented global pandemic. The campaign pointed to actions by administration officials to brief governors about making available supplies, such as testing swabs, utilizing the National Guard, and reopening state economies. Trump argued with governors over COVID-19 supplies, tests Early in the pandemic, Trump traded barbs with governors, especially over where the responsibility lay in securing medical supplies for the states. After declaring a national emergency over the health crisis on March 13, Trump directed governors to order their own ventilators, respirators and supplies, saying the federal government is not a shipping clerk. Governors in both parties shot back that Trump's stance, and the lack of coordination from Washington, left states bidding against one another and the federal government for access to critical equipment. Cuomo said it was akin to competing on eBay with all the other states plus the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Whitmer and Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican and then chair of the National Governors Association, were among those pleading for better coordination from FEMA to ensure that supplies were distributed based on need. The lack of any centralized coordination is creating a counterproductive competition between states and the federal government to secure limited supplies, driving up prices and exacerbating existing shortages, they wrote in a joint March 30 op-ed in The Washington Post. A couple of days earlier, Trump said during a White House briefing that governors should be appreciative toward him and the federal government. Speaking of Pence, Trump said: He calls all the governors. I tell him I mean, I'm a different type of person I say, 'Mike, don't call the governor of Washington. You're wasting your time with him. Don't call the woman in Michigan.' On Twitter, Trump said Whitmer was way in over her head, she doesn't have a clue. In April, Trump said that testing is a local thing and that states should turn to commercial labs for help. After he was blasted by governors from both parties, Trump said the federal government would step up efforts to get testing supplies. Governors also called on Trump early on to enact the Defense Production Act, a law that gives the president authority to expedite the supply of materials for national defense, in order to ramp up production of personal protective equipment and COVID-19 testing supplies. While the president did eventually invoke the act to produce ventilators and medical equipment, he delayed efforts to do so and did it sparingly. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson called for him to broaden its use. Trump's justification for slow-rolling the act was that he didn't want the government to intervene in the private sector. You know, we're a country not based on nationalizing our business, Trump said at a coronavirus task force press briefing on March 22. Call a person over in Venezuela, ask them how did nationalization of their businesses work out? Not too well. In April, Trump said that Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican, had reopened Georgia too soon. In May, he criticized Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat, for keeping parts of his state closed that Trump said were barely affected. Trump said in mid-April that it was up to him not the governors to decide when to reopen states on lockdown. Some governors bypassed the federal government to work together Frustrated with the responses from the Trump administration, some governors teamed up with one another to get needed supplies. In May, a coalition of governors from seven Northeastern states, including New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania and Delaware, joined together to buy personal protective equipment and ventilators and create a unified reopening strategy. As late as July, some governors were calling on the feds for help and not getting what they needed. There were shortages of testing supplies, as well as personal protective gear. Washington state asked for 4.2 million N95 respirators. It received a bit under 500,000. It asked for about 300,000 gowns. It got about 160,000. On Aug. 18, a bipartisan group of governors five Democrats and five Republicans announced they would be partnering with the Rockefeller Foundation to create a national testing strategy in the absence of federal action. The 10 states are Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Ohio, North Carolina, Utah, Arkansas, Rhode Island and Virginia. Their goal is to buy and deploy 5 million COVID-19 antigen tests. Feuds between Trump administration and states continue The Trump administration sought to pressure states to reopen schools for in-person instruction. In July, Trump threatened to cut off funding if schools didn't reopen. This summer, the Trump administration reduced the federal share of National Guard assistance to the states to help with pandemic response, despite pleas from governors in both parties. An Aug. 3 memo said that the federal government would no longer continue to pay for 100% of the tab for most states and that it would be reduced to 75% as of Aug. 21. And when the CDC unveiled new testing guidelines that downplayed the need to test people who don't show symptoms about 40% of those infected Cuomo and California Gov. Gavin Newsom said that they wouldnt follow it. Asymptomatic people are thought to be significant spreaders of the virus. Both governors at times praised certain responses by the Trump administration to help their states respond to the pandemic. Our ruling Pence said, President Trump marshaled the full resources of our federal government from the outset. He directed us to forge a seamless partnership with governors across America in both political parties. Trump and top administration officials have communicated with governors of both parties for months in meetings, phone calls and written communication. But Pence's comment ignores that Trump has feuded with governors over state-federal responsibilities, supplies and policies for shutting down or reopening. Trump also has suggested a lesser role for the federal government and said that the handling of COVID-19 should be left to the states. We rate this claim Mostly False. Many parents and teachers are blaming the Ministry of Education and Technical Education for allowing international schools to reopen in Egypt by mid-September despite fears of a second wave of Covid-19. Their concern is that the reopening would create a fertile ground that would possibly fuel a new wave of coronavirus infections among school students, parents and teachers. Increased transmission is the main fear of Sherine Niazi, a business owner and mother of a young boy who will start his academic year online on 1 September. According to Niazi, her son who is in grade one, will eventually have to go to school twice a week and will study online for the rest of the week. I cant understand why students have to go back to school. Its better for them to study online during the first term, at least, until matters become clearer regarding a second wave of Covid-19, said Niazi, adding it was meaningless to let students return twice a week and stay at home for the rest of the week. They can contract the virus during any of those two days. Reham Ahmed, a working mother of two children said her school informed her that the new academic year, due to have started 2 September, had been postponed until 15 September to comply with regulations set by the Ministry of Education and Technical Education which instructed all international schools not to begin the academic year before mid-September. Once school begins, Ahmeds children will go to school once a week and will continue the remaining school days at home where they will be studying online. This system is very convenient and safe for me and my children. The school is very well organised. They have a schedule for everything. They use their platform efficiently, as if the students are physically in school. Lessons are being explained, they sit for exams, and attendance is taken, so why would I object, asked Ahmed. The only worrying thing is the day which they will have to go to school. I believe they should cancel that, added Ahmed. Hoda Suleiman, headmistress of an international school that will have children physically attend on a daily basis, told Al-Ahram Weekly that the school administration had drawn up certain regulations in order to protect the students health. Students will be divided into two groups. The first group will go to school from 8am to 11am while the second group will attend from 11.30am to 2.30pm. There will be no morning queues, the school canteen will be closed, and students will not be allowed to enter school without face masks and sanitisers. Students will not be allowed to bring junk food, and the numbers of students will be reduced by half. We will have around 10-15 students in a classroom in order to abide by social distancing rules for the sake of our students health, Suleiman added. For schools that do not have an international curricula, the academic year does not begin before 17 October. The ministry delayed the start of the academic year due to an expected second wave of the coronavirus. The final back-to-school plan will be announced by the beginning of next month, said Mahmoud Hassouna, the ministrys spokesman. International schools need not abide by the return date but are not allowed to begin before 15 September, Hassouna said. Schools which want to start before that date can do so online only. According to Hassouna, the Ministry of Education agreed with the Ministry of Health to prepare guidelines to help students, school staff and parents combat infectious diseases, especially Covid-19. A booklet will include hygienic measures that should be adopted to ensure the safety of students, school employees, and visitors. It was also agreed to establish a central operations room that electronically connects the database of the two ministries, so that cases are monitored and followed up on in order to take the necessary preventive measures, Hassouna added. Education expert Mohamed Salah told the Weekly he opposed any form of physical presence at schools for the time being. The academic year is scheduled to start in the second half of October while vaccines are not expected to be available in the market before the end of November, so why the uncalculated risk, Salah asked. Salah said he did not believe any of the proposed restrictions by schools were enough to protect against the virus, especially with children in primary and middle school. According to Salah, the ministrys success in holding the Thanaweya Amma, or 12th grade high school exams, cannot be applied generally. Students should start going to school by the beginning of the second term, not now, argued Salah. The pandemic might affect thousands of children as the density of some classes in villages and suburbs reaches more than 80 students a class, Salah pointed out. Thousands of children will infect thousands of families, and thousands of families will infect thousands of others. This is what the Ministry of Health warned against at the beginning of the crisis. The situation has not changed. *A version of this article appears in print in the 27 August, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly under the title: Why the rush? Search Keywords: Short link: Oslo: The Chinese government's top diplomat, State Councillor Wang Yi, said on Thursday it was unclear whether the corona virus had first originated in China, casting doubt on the views of health experts and foreign governments. Speaking during a visit to Norway, Wang said that, while China was the first country to report the existence of the virus to the World Health Organisation, "it does not mean that the virus originated in China". Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, left, and Norwegian Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Soreide hold a press conference after political talks they had earlier in the evening in Oslo. Credit:AP "Actually, for the past months, we have seen reports ... showing that the virus emerged in different parts of the world, and may have emerged earlier than in China," Wang told reporters, speaking through an interpreter. Health authorities in the Chinese city of Wuhan reported the first case of what turned out to be the new coronavirus in December, and the first known death linked to the virus in early January. But the disinterment became a story in itself when cemetery workers who reburied Tills remains failed to rebury his original casket as agreed. Instead, it was forgotten in a shed, where it further decomposed. When Tills family members learned of the neglect, they sent the original casket to the Smithsonian, where it is on view today. At Burr Oak, visitors can visit Tills grave, and in the app, they can read more about the FBI investigation and ensuing controversy. Afghanistan Times, August 15, 2020 KABUL: The dead bodies of two young girls were found in central Parwan province, local officials said on Saturday. Provincial Governor's Spokesman, Wahida Shahkar said these bodies were found Friday night in Toghbirdi area of capital city, Chairkar. 'One of the girls is 16 and another one is 23 years old,' she added. The cause behind the incident is unclear so far. Shahkar said that an investigation launched to find the culprits. Located in the north of capital Kabul, Parwan is among insecure provinces, where the Taliban are active and carry out attacks against the government officials. Afghanistan is one of the countries, where women face a lot of challenges due to drastic cultural taboos that give women less freedom and rights to make decision about their lives. Actor Rhea Chakraborty's brother Showik Chakraborty arrived at the DRDO guest here on Thursday for questioning by the CBI, which is probing actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death case, a police official said. This is the first time that a member from Rhea Chakraborty's family is being questioned by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the case of Rajput's death. Showik Chakraborty arrived at the DRDO guest house at Kalina in Santacruz, where the officials are staying, in a car around 10.15 am, the official said. The Supreme Court last week upheld the transfer of an FIR, lodged by Rajput's father in Patna against the late actor's girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty and others for allegedly abetting his suicide and misappropriating his money, to the Earlier in the morning, Rajput's flat-mate Siddharth Pithani was called by the for the seventh consecutive day for questioning in the actor's death case, the official said. Pithani arrived at the DRDO guest house in a cab around 9 am, he said. On Wednesday, Pithani was grilled for over 12 hours by the probing agency. The manager of Waterstone Resort, where Rajput had stayed for a brief period, was also seen visiting the DRDO guest house on Wednesday. A team of Bandra Police here also visited the guest house on Wednesday and left after an hour. Pithani, cook Neeraj Singh and domestic help Deepesh Sawant were present in Rajput's house at Mont Blanc Apartments in suburban Bandra when the 34-year-old actor was found hanging in his room on June 14. A CBI team on Wednesday visited the state-run Cooper Hospital in the city where Rajput's autopsy was performed. The probing agency sleuths had on Friday recorded the statements of Pithani and Neeraj Singh. On Saturday, they took Pithani, Neeraj and Sawant to Rajput's flat to reconstruct the sequence of events before he was found dead on June 14. The three were again taken to the flat on Sunday, and questioned at the DRDO guest house. (Alliance News) - The following stocks are the leading risers and fallers within the main London indices on Thursday. FTSE 100 - WINNERS WPP, up 5.0%. The ad agency said it will pay a dividend despite posting a drop in advertising income during the Covid-19 pandemic. For the six months ended June 30, WPP posted a pretax loss of GBP2.58 billion, swinging from a profit of GBP409 million a year prior. This was as revenue fell 12% year-on-year to GBP5.58 billion from GBP6.37 billion and WPP took a GBP2.5 billion impairment of goodwill. An interim dividend of 10.0p was declared, down 56% from 22.7p a year before. WPP said it has decided to review its dividend policy "in the context of our overall capital allocation priorities". WPP had suspended its dividend and GBP950 million share buyback in March. WPP added that its share buyback was under review, but it intended to restart it once the current environment had stabilised. FTSE 100 - LOSERS Rolls-Royce, down 8.7%. The jet engine maker reported a hefty underlying loss for the first half of 2020 amid severe damage to the civil aviation sector by the Covid-19 pandemic. For the half-year ended June 30, revenue fell 26% to GBP5.82 billion from GBP7.88 billion last year, and on a reported basis its pretax loss widened to GBP5.4 billion from a loss of GBP791 million last year. Rolls-Royce said it suffered free cash outflow of GBP2.8 billion, "deteriorated" from a GBP429 million outflow last year. It expects another GBP1 billion in cash outflow in the second half, meaning GBP4 billion for the year as a whole. "The smoke signals from Rolls-Royce have been fairly clear - it needs to do something to prop up its balance sheet and market speculation has long pointed towards a very large equity raise," said AJ Bell's Russ Mould. Homeserve, down 4.0%. Morgan Stanley downgraded the home emergency cover provider to Equal Weight from Overweight. Persimmon, down 3.8%. The stock went ex-dividend meaning new buyers no longer qualify for the latest payout. HSBC Holdings, down 3.5%. The Asia-focused bank was slammed by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday over reports it had frozen access to credit card and bank accounts for executives of pro-democracy independent media group Next Media. Pompeo accused HSBC of bowing to Chinese pressure amid Beijing's imposition of a draconian security law on Hong Kong. FTSE 250 - WINNERS OneSavings Bank, up 17%. The challenger bank reported loan book growth in its first-half, also posting a near double-digit profit climb despite chunky impairment costs. Net loans at June 30 stood at GBP18.8 billion, a 2% rise from GBP18.4 billion at the end of 2019. Gross new organic lending surged 29% annually to GBP2.1 billion from GBP1.6 billion. The buy-to-let loan book climbed 5% to GBP4.98 billion. This was despite "reduced activity" in the UK mortgage sector due to the Covid-19 lockdown for most of the second quarter. Net interest income during the half climbed 55% year-on-year to GBP233.8 million from GBP150.5 million, helping push pretax profit up 9.7% to GBP99.3 million from GBP90.5 million. Profit growth came despite impairments of financial assets climbing almost tenfold to GBP54.2 million from GBP5.9 million. Grafton Group, up 5.8%. The building materials firm decided to pay no dividend for the first half of 2020, as profit fell sharply on declining revenue from all of its businesses except for the Netherlands due to the Covid-19 pandemic. For the six months to the end of June, pretax profit dropped by 76% to GBP20.5 million from GBP84.4 million a year before, on revenue that declined by 29% year-on-year to GBP1.06 billion from GBP1.48 billion. Grafton will not pay an interim dividend, compared to the 6.5 pence per share payout made the year before. However, the Dublin-based company said it will consider whether it will pay the suspended second interim dividend for 2019, and a full payout for 2020. Based on current trends, Grafton expects its adjusted operating profit for the second half of 2020 to be similar to that for the same period the year before. FTSE 250 - LOSERS Bodycote, down 3.0%. The stock went ex-dividend. By Arvind Bhunjun; arvindbhunjun@alliancenews.com Copyright 2020 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved. Today marks the 20th anniversary of the death of original king of caustic comedy, Bill Hicks an originator of the rambling, stand-up rant and, arguably, one of the greatest entertainers of all time. On the 16 June 1993, he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. The disease quickly spread to his liver, forcing him to undergo weekly chemotherapy while he toured and recorded his album, Arizona Bay, with American Drug War director Kevin Booth. At the time, he was also working with comedian Fallon Woodland on the pilot of a brand new comedy talk show, Counts of the Netherworld. And the cancer became the butt of his jokes any given performance, he used to quip, could be his last. His final show took place on 6 January 1994, and shortly afterwards, he moved back to his parents home in Little Rock, Arkansas, where he died two weeks later at the age of 32. But in his untimely death he left behind a legacy of laughs. Including these 10 classic examples: 1) The Dad Joke "I never got along with my dad. Kids used to come up to me and say, 'My dad can beat up your dad.' I'd say 'Yeah? When?'" 2) The Blue Joke "I can speak for every guy in this room here tonight. Guys, if you could blow yourselves, ladies, you'd be in this room alone right now. Watching an empty stage." 3) The Christian Joke "Lots of Christians wear crosses around their necks You really think when Jesus comes back, he ever wants to see a f*cking cross?" 4) The Equality Joke "I believe that there is an equality to all humanity: We all suck." 5) The Absolute Classic "It's always funny until someone gets hurt. Then it's just hilarious." 6) The Amusement Park Joke "The world is like a ride in an amusement park. And when you choose to go on it you think it's real because that's how powerful our minds are. And the ride goes up and down and round and round. It has thrills and chills and it's very brightly coloured and it's very loud and it's fun, for a while. Some people have been on the ride for a long time and they begin to question: 'Is this real, or is this just a ride?' And other people have remembered, and they come back to us, they say, 'Hey, don't worry, don't be afraid, ever, because this is just a ride.' And we kill those people." 7) The Pot Joke "They lie about marijuana. Tell you pot-smoking makes you unmotivated. Lie! When you're high, you can do everything you normally do just as well - you just realize that it's not worth the f*cking effort. There is a difference." 8) The Reader Joke "You know I've noticed a certain anti-intellectualism going around this country ever since around 1980, coincidentally enough. I was in Nashville, Tennessee last weekend and after the show I went to a waffle house and I'm sitting there and I'm eating and reading a book. I don't know anybody, I'm alone, I'm eating and I'm reading a book. This waitress comes over to me (mocks chewing gum) 'what you readin' for?'...wow, I've never been asked that; not 'What am I reading', 'What am I reading for?' Well, goddamnit, you stumped me...I guess I read for a lot of reasons the main one is so I don't end up being a f**kin' waffle waitress. Yeah, that would be pretty high on the list. Then this trucker in the booth next to me gets up, stands over me and says [mocks Southern drawl] 'Well, looks like we got ourselves a readah'...aahh, what the fuck's goin' on? It's like I walked into a Klan rally in a Boy George costume or something. Am I stepping out of some intellectual closet here? I read, there I said it. I feel better." 9) The Weather Joke "Today a young man on acid realized that all matter is merely energy condensed to a slow vibration, that we are all one consciousness experiencing itself subjectively, there is no such thing as death, life is only a dream, and we are the imagination of ourselves. Heres Tom with the Weather!" 10) The Evolution Joke "Folks, it's time to evolve. That's why we're troubled. You know why our institutions are failing us, the church, the state, everything's failing? It's because, um they're no longer relevant. We're supposed to keep evolving. Evolution did not end with us growing opposable thumbs. You do know that, right?" I could write a whole essay about each of the elements included in a typical meal by Broke Ass Cooks, a new backyard pop-up in West Oakland, but lets just talk about the scallion vinaigrette. A mixture of sliced scallions, the oil they were fried in, black vinegar and a touch of salt and sugar, the loose vinaigrette brings to mind the salty, savory sauce that forms the flavor foundation of Shanghainese scallion oil noodles. But instead of noodles, the vinaigrette is paired with jerk chicken and rice and peas; the Broke Ass Cooks package everything together, inviting the diner to mix and match to their pleasure. You could rip off pieces of tender, vinegar-brined chicken flesh and charred skin basted with fruity, sinus-clearing habanero jelly, and dip it in the tangy vinaigrette, like they do in the Philippines and Guam. Or you could just sprinkle dashes of it over the rice to season it, like I do, to make the rice-and-peas fatty and flavorful enough to eat on its own. Like many great budget condiments for rice, such as Japanese furikake or a pat of butter, it coats the bland kernels and makes each taste a feast in itself. The tiny plastic container of vinaigrette captures Broke Ass Cooks multicultural and loose approach to cooking. If food is an expression of emotion or intent, the vinaigrette speaks to how well Broke Ass Cooks founders Bilal Ali, Keone Koki and Hoang Le, friends, housemates and former fine dining co-workers, have come together as collaborators. Nam-Chi-Van Ali, Koki and Le live together in a house they rent in West Oakland, where theyve cooked and sold dozens of meals to a line of waiting cars every weekend since mid-July. The trio announces orders on their Instagram page and takes orders via direct message, the typical and slightly maddening system that many homegrown businesses have adopted during the pandemic. If you miss out, youll just have to set a reminder and try again next week. And you do have to move fast: Word has already spread far and wide about the Broke Ass Cooks meal sets, with plenty of coverage by Bay Area publications like the Mercury News, SFGate and Berkeleyside. Theyve already been able to invest in a bigger grill, expanding their workstation so they can go up to 90 chickens a week from their current 60. People have been reacting well to the pop-ups simplicity: You only get two actual choices for food, either a regular or large order of chicken. Along with the jerk chicken, you could order pints of Les homemade soy milk, sweetened with cane sugar in the Vietnamese style. Unlike American soy milk, which is watery and less sweet, Vietnamese soy milk has more of a dessert sensibility to it, with a thicker, heartier consistency that makes it an unexpectedly refreshing companion to Jamaican jerk chicken. Its a far cry from their old work. The three of them met while working at fine dining restaurant Commis in Oakland, where they were part of the team that took it from one to two Michelin stars in 2015. There, they created delicate mushroom tisanes and caramelized onion financiers for eight-course meals. Now, they put chicken, rice and beans in aluminum trays for $25 to $50. As an indicator of the newly austere times were living in, that contrast is perfectly articulated. Nam-Chi-Van The food, though more casual, is no less boundary-pushing, a cuisine without borders. Their first menu leaned Jamaican, though the presentation, with a cup of hot chicken tea and scallion sauce, made me feel like I was eating a piquant take on Hainanese chicken and rice, which pairs poached chicken with rice, broth and a ginger-scallion sauce. A plum and tomato salad on the side gave the smoky meal a welcome splash of juicy tartness. Wedges of ripe red tomato, fresh basil and half-moons of purple-skinned plums had the flavor of a laid-back summer picnic salad one that youd want to just pick over for hours while sunbathing. Now, Koki, who is from Peru, is taking the reins with a Peruvian set: pollo alla brasa marinated in aji panca, fried yucca, chicken fat rice and a red onion salad dressed with key lime juice. Doing chicken and rice is a brilliant idea for the concept because of how easily that combination slots into so many cultures, let alone the ones that the eponymous cooks grew up with. Ali, who is Eritrean, hopes to do something East African with the next menu; Le is dreaming up a Vietnamese spin, too. They all grew up on rice, the miraculous grain that can stretch even the tiniest bit of protein into a fully realized meal. We all come from backgrounds of, like, not necessarily affluence, said Ali. Broke-ass cooks around the world have depended on ingenious uses of grain rice, kasha, millet to survive, and the pop-ups menu feels like an homage to that. Making a family-style meal, where a $50 tray can feed four people, is a reflection of the kinds of customers they want to attract: People who can appreciate the economy of rice. Staying true to their humble culinary roots may end up being the most meaningful approach Broke Ass Cooks can take, especially considering the environment theyre working in. Theres a very good reason why theyre working out of their driveway as a gray-market business without a permit or commercial kitchen space, and its all in the name. The project was born in part out of unemployment; the restaurants where they once worked have shut down temporarily or for good. Denny Khamphanthong One thing weve tried to drive home is that the reason were doing this is that we dont have a choice, and going legit isnt a valid option for us right now financially, Koki said. Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more. Currently, there is no feasible route to legitimacy for businesses like theirs. The Broke Ass Cooks are just the latest in a long history of cooks who have operated at the margins of a professionalized restaurant world, who lacked the resources or opportunities to open permitted restaurants of their own. Before pop-ups were embraced as marketing opportunities for established restaurants, they were the flash eateries of entrepreneurs who set up grills and plastic furniture on street corners. The late Virgina Ramos, also known as San Franciscos beloved Tamale Lady, famously sold home-cooked tamales to bar patrons for decades. In 2018, after lobbying efforts by home-cooking advocacy nonprofit COOK Alliance (Creating Opportunities, Opening Kitchens), California legalized such operations with Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operations (MEHKO) under AB626, or the California Homemade Food Act. Under it, home cooks can get permits to sell their food. So far, only Riverside County has opted into the law and begun accepting applications. During the pandemic, the demand for MEHKO permits in the Bay Area has never been higher nor more urgent, with so many out-of-work culinary professionals resorting to selling home goods to make ends meet. Though its not likely that any health inspectors would have the time nor the inclination to drop by the Broke Ass Cooks house anytime soon, the threat of a shutdown would add further insult to the injury of being unable to work through legitimate means. But the popularity of Broke Ass Cooks has given them a platform to talk about AB26, with the hope that their fans will urge Alameda County to adopt the law. Every person who brings home a tray of succulent, grilled chicken and rice is also bringing home an argument in favor of cottage cooking. One way the pandemic has altered our culinary landscape has been in normalizing home-cooked food as just another way to experience our regions food culture. The cottage industry is proof that, even in times like these, there will always be people interested in pushing the food industry forward and experimenting: not just with food, but with the expectations we bring to it. Soleil Ho is The San Francisco Chronicles restaurant critic. Email: soleil@sfchronicle.com Italy, Spain and France saw the number of new coronavirus cases rise further Wednesday as outbreaks among returning tourists and party-goers continue to expand. Despite the grim numbers, Italy joined France and Spain in rejecting the possibility of reintroducing the nationwide lockdown that clobbered the economy. Health minister Roberto Speranza ruled out the measure in an interview earlier Wednesday. I exclude the hypothesis of a lockdown for our country now, the minister said. We have few cases and the situation is under control, with pressure on hospitals that is very low, minimal. Italy, the original European epicenter of the pandemic, registered 1,367 new coronavirus cases Wednesday, the most since May 12. France reported 5,429 new Covid-19 cases over the past 24 hours, a four-month high that comes after important surges in recent days. Spain reported 3,594 infections, close to the four-month high of 3,715 recorded earlier this month. The Spanish government has announced that it is ready to make 2,000 soldiers available for contact tracing if requested by regional authorities, who oversee health policy. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Tuesday that another lockdown is not on the table. Last week, French President Emmanuel Macron had ruled out another general lockdown, saying though that targeted, local confinements could be implemented. Lax Distancing In all three countries, outbreaks since mid-July have been fueled by summer-time social gatherings and lax social distancing among young adults, among other factors. Many of the new cases in Italy involve younger vacationers returning either from within the country or from abroad. Yet the number of hospitalized and deaths has remained low, well below the levels seen during the pandemic peak in spring. To stem the new spread of the contagion, Italy stepped up testing in ports and airports for arrivals from at-risk countries, with a record 93,529 tests carried out Wednesday. It has already closed nightclubs and tightened rules on mask wearing. I hear people say that Italy is a model, but I am very cautious, Speranza said in the interview. We still have much to do. God forbid people should think that the battle has been won. French Prime Minister Jean Castex will hold a press conference on Thursday to address the health situation as local restrictions are implemented, such as in Marseille, Frances second largest city, where mask are now mandatory everywhere and bars and restaurants forced to close after 11:00pm. (This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.) Follow more stories on Facebook and Twitter Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Tri Indah Oktavianti and Dian Septiari (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, August 27, 2020 18:47 511 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c40f554e 1 World Indonesia,TerrorAttacks,Philippines,Abu-Sayyaf,Jolo-Island,bombings,bombing,foreign-affairs,Foreign-Affairs-Ministry,Retno-Marsudi Free The Indonesian government has extended its deepest condolences to the people of the Philippines over the recent bomb attacks that killed at least 14 people and wounded 75 others in the main town of Jolo Island on Monday while asserting that the alleged suicide bomber was not an Indonesian. We would like to send our deepest condolences to the victims families, the government and the people of the Philippines, Indonesias Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi said in a press briefing on Thursday. She dismissed reports from several news outlets claiming that an Indonesian may have been one of the suicide bombers. Retno said that according to the information gained by the ministry, no Indonesian citizens were impacted by the incidents. The ministry said it would closely monitor the development of the situation in the country through coordination with the Indonesian Embassy in Manila and the Consulate General office in Davao. Based on the last information from the Western Mindanao Command, the suicide bombers were identified as two women, she added. Based on that information, both women were identified as local residents. The casualties from the incident that took place around noon on Monday included security force personnel, civilians and the two bombers. Although no group has claimed responsibility for the deadliest attack this year in the Philippines, local authorities suspect the Islamic State-linked Abu Sayyaf group. Local authorities also said the two female suicide bombers were widows of militants who were connected to the group and had been involved in other suicide bombings in June last year. Last year, the region also witnessed a double suicide bombing at a Jolo church that killed more than 20 people and wounded more than 100 others. Nairobi, Kenya (PANA) - Kenya has emerged as the first country in the world to be awarded the Safer Tourism Seal, an official source told PANA here Wednesday Liberty Us campus pastor apologizes to students for shameful Jerry Falwell Jr. scandal Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment David Nasser, Liberty Universitys campus pastor and senior vice president of the schools office of spiritual development, apologized Wednesday night to students for the shameful sex scandal involving the institutions former president, Jerry Falwell Jr., saying that they deserved much better than this. This, this moment that were in is a mess. Let me begin by saying to you I am sorry. In my opinion, you as a liberty student deserve better and the embarrassment thats been brought upon you as a Liberty student and more importantly brought upon the name of Christ is wrong. I know that many of you are hurting and that breaks my heart. Your concerns, if youre concerned, are valid. If youre not concerned, you should be concerned, Nasser said during a Campus Community event. You and your family have worked hard to pay for a Christian education and this wasnt what you signed up for. I heard from one of you that you hesitated wearing your Liberty T-shirt this summer because you did not want the more recent baggage that came with it and it just shouldnt have been that way so let me be the first to say to you if no one else has and to personally apologize and say I am sorry not on behalf of anybody else but me. The Board of Trustees of Liberty University, one of the largest evangelical Christian universities in the world, announced Tuesday that they had accepted Falwells resignation effective immediately after he and his wife, Rebecca, were implicated in a sex scandal Monday. The resignation comes after a tumultuous weekend for Falwell, during which it was first revealed on Sunday that his wife had an affair with former pool boy Giancarlo Granda, 29, which began eight years ago. Granda allegedly later attempted to blackmail the couple. Falwell said he was shocked to learn about his wifes affair, but Granda contradicted that claim Monday when he said he had engaged in the affair with Falwells knowledge and provided audio he said is evidence supporting his claim. Becki and I developed an intimate relationship and Jerry enjoyed watching from the corner of the room, Granda told Reuters. He claimed his liaisons with Rebecca Falwell were frequent happening multiple times per year noting that they would meet at hotels in Miami, New York, and the Falwells home in Virginia. In a statement he published on Twitter Tuesday night, Granda further slammed Falwell and his wife as liars, noting that Falwell abused his position of authority at the Christian university and even sent him a photo of a female Liberty University student exposing herself. Nasser noted that Liberty University is Gods college and as our founder always said, if its Christian, it ought to be better, certainly better than this. He explained that a year ago at this time, the office of spiritual development at Liberty University had grown to become perhaps the most diverse office in all of the university and explained that it was intentional. All of that work was upended this summer, however, when several African-American staff members left the school this summer. The black staffers, as well as black student-athletes, left the Lynchburg, Virginia-based university in the wake of Falwells decision earlier this year to mock Democratic Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam on Twitter with a mask that depicted racist imagery from Northam's medical school yearbook page. Falwell was protesting a mandate requiring Virginia residents wear face coverings in public during the coronavirus pandemic and argued in the now deleted tweet that he would only wear a mask if it featured a photo from the governors medical school yearbook page, which showed a man wearing a Ku Klux Klan robe and another man in blackface. Nasser said he wept as a result of the fallout from the incident and took time to honor all the athletes who chose to remain at Liberty on Wednesday while describing the string of incidents that led to Falwells exit as shameful. We still believe in the God-given vision that was given to us in 1979 and together we're going to make sure we are on Gods path to accomplish this vision more than ever before, he said. Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum to initiate drive against deep-sea fishing trawlers August 24,2020 | Source: News International The Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum has vowed to initiate a campaign against deep-sea fishing trawlers spotted near the Karachi Port Trust. Held at Ibrahim Hyderi on Friday, an organisational meeting was headed by Chairman Muhammad Ali Shah in which it was discussed that the federal government had once again begun to process licenses for deep-sea vessels under a policy to fish in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) around 20 miles off the coast in Sindh and Balochistan. Around a dozen trawlers are parked around the KPT, the meeting was informed. Since a policy on deep-sea fishing had not been approved, an inquiry should be conducted to find out who had allowed the deep-sea trawlers to stay in Pakistani waters, the meeting demanded. They questioned when fish stocks were so much depleted, around 72 per cent, then why there was a deep-sea fishing policy in the making. Shah said the expansion of fishing into the deep sea was a grave threat to the livelihood of small fishers and marine ecology. Therefore, it is a violation of national laws and international commitments. If the provincial assemblies have not approved the policy then it is also a violation of the constitution. He said since the ecology of territorial waters and livelihoods in provinces would be harmed deeply, it was indeed the constitutional privilege of provinces to reject the policy as an illegitimate exercise of the federal jurisdiction over the EEZ. Our grave objection to this action is two-fold, he said. It threatens the livelihoods of small fishers by depriving them of catch today, and in future by ecologically destructive practices of these vessels Shah said the food and agricultural organisations latest fish stock assessment conducted with the support of the federal government had painted a very dismal picture of the countrys marine fish stock. According to the assessment report, more than 72 per cent of the fish stock in coastal areas of Pakistan has declined. The meeting discussed that the federal governments might have the authority to regulate deep-sea fishing which was beyond 12 nautical miles from the baseline to the exclusive economic zone stretching over 200 nautical miles across the coastline; however, fishing is a provincial subject and the provinces have authority to regulate fisheries in the sea or freshwater bodies. PFF Vice Chairman Mustafa Mirani, General Secretary Saeed Baloch and other office-bearers attended the meeting. Theme(s): Fishing Craft, Gear and Fishing Methods. Police say they are investigating the vandalism of a monument honoring a U.S. Marine who was killed in action in Iraq 15 years ago this month. The scene of a paint bomb attack at St MacNissi's Parish Church in Larne. Credit: Colm Lenaghan/Pacemaker Press There have been more than 600 attacks on places of worship in Northern Ireland in the last five years, a Christian charity has revealed. On average that's approximately every three days and the startling figure has prompted renewed calls for action to protect churches and other religious buildings. Belfast has seen the most incidents with 173 attacks, accounting for more than a quarter of the total number, but incidents of arson, smashed windows and graffiti have been reported in all parts of Northern Ireland. Now, with lockdown restrictions beginning to ease and churches returning to worship services, Christian charity CARE NI has called on the NI Executive to consider policies to ensure places of worship are properly protected. The charity revealed that since 2014/15, there have been 601 crimes recorded as criminal damage to religious buildings, churchyards or cemeteries across Northern Ireland's 11 policing districts. It has previously called for a Places of Worship Protective Security Funding Scheme to be set up, mirroring a similar scheme available in England and Wales. Created in July 2016, the fund provides financial resources so places of worship can buy security measures such as CCTV, fencing and lighting. Expand Close Mark Baillie / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Mark Baillie Rev Aaron McAlister, rector of Derriaghy Parish Church, said he would support additional Government measures to protect places of worship. "In November 2019, our church was broken in to and vandalised. Significant damage was caused to our vestry and our sanctuary," he said. "The individuals concerned managed to get in behind our organ while searching for valuables but fortunately there was nothing to take. "It left many of my parishioners deeply upset. An attack on a place of worship is an attack on the community that worships there. "Rather than getting on with serving our community, we have had to spend valuable hours repairing the damage caused. "I would support additional Government measures to protect places of worship. Action to prevent attacks happening to other faith communities would be hugely welcome." The figures were revealed by a Freedom of Information request to the PSNI, and CARE NI policy officer, Mark Baillie, said that the alarming regularity of attacks on churches means it makes sense to consider introducing a security fund. "More than 600 attacks in the last five years is a reminder that places of worship, which should be safe spaces for worshippers and congregants, are all too often targeted by vandalism and violence," he said. "The gradual easing of lockdown will surely only increase the opportunity and risk of further attacks, and therefore it's important MLAs take action. "Last year, following CARE NI's previous research into this issue, we wrote to the party leaders asking for a manifesto commitment to create a security fund. "We had positive engagement with a number of political parties and we are today calling on the Northern Ireland Executive to take this up. It is a human right for individuals to live out and practice their religious beliefs and attacks on places of worship offend against those rights. "The scheme in England and Wales is a practical step we could introduce here to equip places of worship to invest in adequate security to prevent criminal damage." He added: "In a free and democratic society, no one should be afraid of gathering together with those who share their faith in a place of worship." 100 Years Ago 1920: Aided in arrest by a number of citizens, a city man of 22 Bevan St., who attempted to steal a bag filled with shoes from the store of Lewis Munch, Third and Edgmont Avenue, this morning about 8 oclock, ran into the waiting arms of Patrolman Rodgers at Second and Market streets, after being chased several squares by a crowd. 75 Years Ago 1945: The annual Chester Times picnic, postponed last Friday because of rain, will be held this afternoon, when more than 200, including employees, members of their families and friends, will gather at the home of Publisher Alfred G. Hill and Mrs. Hill. Early deadlines, observed in all departments, will push the publication of both editions ahead of schedule in order that all employees may finish their work in time to attend the afternoon and evening festivities. 50 Years Ago 1970: Reassessments of some 14,000 properties in the Rose Tree-Media and Interboro School Districts have been rescinded by the Delaware County Board of Assessment Appeals, officials announced Wednesday night. Board chairman Richard S. Krick and County Commission chairman Harry A. McNichol issued a joint statement that assessments in eight municipalities have been restored to the 1970 level because of a high number of appeals. Media-Upper Providence Taxpayers Association representatives said they were told Wednesday afternoon that the board had been swamped by over 1,500 appeals from the district. 25 Years Ago 1995: Nearly five years after his hiring, Springfield Superintendent Roger Place still has not moved to the district. A resident of Lancaster County 60 miles away, Place told the Daily Times in February 1991 that he would move to the district by the following summer. I do want to live in the district. I think you miss a lot if you dont he said at the time. With his contract recently renewed for $106,522, Place still commutes. He says he is unable to sell his four-bedroom home, but refused to disclose the real estate company to which it is listed. 10 Years Ago 2010: Rose Valley Borough, covering a mere .74 square miles in the heart of the county, has made a national name for itself. A portion of the municipality has been approved for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places, including 105 buildings, 10 structures, seven sites and the Minquas Path Historic Marker on Rose Valley Road. At the turn of the 20th century, Philadelphia architect William Lightfoot Price purchased 80 acres in the name of the Rose Valley Association to create an arts and crafts movement. COLIN AINSWORTH In recent years, space technology has allowed India to move into the world of high-tech ecosystem. India is focused on developing Earth observation (EO) capabilities that is based on capturing different themes of land, water, cartography, ocean, atmosphere, and meteorology. The national earth observation satellites help in a diverse range of functions such as weather forecasting, disaster warning and mitigation, national security, and natural resources management. With the increasing applications, India is poised to launch 10 earth observation satellites into space in 2020-21. The perspective of space is truly important to the future of not just India, but the world at large. NASAs Earth Observing Systems (EOS) are being used in space to help monitor and analyse the health of Earths atmosphere and environment from an all-encompassing view. Earth observations provide the evidence necessary for varied purposes, and aid in informed decision-making. Developments in these technologies help us understand the world better, says IEEE Fellow Tom Couglin. Satellites allow us to capture a holistic understanding of the Earth that could not easily be achieved on the Earths surface. This additional knowledge will allow us to better manage and understand our impact on the environment. NASAs EOS project helps the scientific research community study land surface, biosphere, solid Earth, atmosphere and oceans long-term through polar-orbiting and low inclination satellites. NASA currently has 28 satellites orbiting Earth to study various environmental patterns and collect valuable data for researchers. Since the first launch in 1999, EOS technology has been a guiding solution to help us understand how to effectively heal the planet. One of the most impactful applications of space technology is how it has been applied to Earth Observing Systems to monitor the health of the Earths atmosphere and environment, says IEEE Fellow Karen Panetta. For instance, using LIDAR in space, data was collected on the amounts of aerosol pollutants in the atmosphere around the Earth and tracked the disbursement of these pollutants over the Earth, as well as which countries the pollutants originated from. Another mission looked at the effect of ozone depletion and found correlations to cancers in amphibians and fish where the ozone layer was depleted. EOS satellites are built with a specific purpose and environmental focus. Examples include AQUA, which gathers 89 Gigabytes of data a day on energy fluxes, aerosols, vegetation cover on the land, phytoplankton in the oceans and tracks air, land and water temperatures; or the spacecraft DSCOVR, that observes and measures radiation reflected and emitted by the sunlit side of Earth; and CLOUDSAT, which studies the clouds for improved weather accuracy and climate prediction. Panetta also says, these kinds of missions help bring robust validated data that is essential to informing the public and convincing governments and agencies to take action. This type of data collection is crucial to gather if we want to focus on correcting our current environmental pain points and create new technologies that protect Earths natural and limited resources. Recently, Franklin Graham, an influential evangelist, held a national prayer march in Washington D.C calling out all believers for a prayer march regarding the Nation's disaster. For healing, recovery, and unification for the nation, Franklin Graham reminds believers that we need to pray now more than ever in our lives. Graham expresses that there has been an absence of God throughout the pandemic. The phase where people need God the most, we tend to look away from him and find a substitute. Graham shared on Facebook, "I don't believe America's finest hours will be in front of us if we take God out of government and public life. It is God who sets the standards we are to live by." Along with the 10 commandments, Graham states, "God created us & this earth we live on. Who do we think we are to try to rewrite the rules & run things apart from Him? Who do we think we are to try to take Him out of everything?" Graham also shared on Facebook, "it has been interesting to see the absence of God." "The march is focused solely on asking God to heal our land. It is not a protest or political event, and we are asking participants to not bring signs in support of any candidate or party." Amid the pandemic, Donald Trump has been gaining numerous amount of attention from the white evangelical voters. Christians, aiming to vote for Trump, Franklin Graham encourages Christians to vote as much as possible. "Encourage churches to register to vote in upcoming national and local elections and to educate themselves on the issues most important to people of faith." Student Information Systems Columbia SIS Replacement Project Gains Pickup Columbia University is working with a higher education technology company to co-develop a replacement for its student information system. Under the arrangement, Columbia will be working with Unifyed to produce what has been branded as Unifyed SIS and already made available in part to other institutions. The university will be licensing the student information system to Unifyed exclusively. The company said it plans to release the software by module. Those will include modular functionality for course management, degree audit, student records, the course catalog, registration and student accounts. "We have an aging SIS and were in the market to replace it with a solution that is dynamic, flexible and student-first," explained Columbia CIO Gaspare LoDuca, in a statement. "After assessing what was out there, we decided to build our own. We identified that Unifyed shared a common vision and technology approach and realized that if we joined development efforts, we could achieve our goals faster." Columbia has dedicated about 90 technical people to the project and is leading the product management, engineering and quality assurance of the new modules. Unifyed has added an additional 28 full-timers to accelerate product development. The first module, Course & Curriculum Management, has already been released. This module does course inventory, catalog, scheduling and proposal management. The second module, Degree Audit, has been moved to production status. The anticipated release date for the final module is March 2022. The software is architected to enable universities to implement new SIS modules while still running their legacy SIS. Unifyed was founded in 2010 when Columbia entered a long-term technology transfer agreement through its own Columbia Technology Ventures, to license and make its higher education software available to other schools. All of the solutions are cloud-based. The existing flagship product is Unifyed Student, which was built by Columbia's information technology team with support from Unifyed. That includes software for recruiting and admissions (Admit); student onboarding and engagement (Engage); student success and advising (Retain); alumni engagement (Advance); identify and access management (Verify); application integration (Integrate); and reporting (Report). Unifyed also offers applications for attendance tracking (Attend); student safety (Protect); and an artificial intelligence personal assistant (Yoda). Two enterprise resource planning applications, which run on SAP and Microsoft software, cover human resources and payroll, as well as finance. According to information on the Unifyed website, the technology has been adopted by more than 750 colleges and universities in seven countries. Among them: Western Illinois University and the University of the Holy Cross. Western Illinois signed a $2.8 million, 10-year contract with Unifyed last year for its ERP system, including the SIS. One distinguishing aspect of Unifyed's selling approach is the open pricing structure the company follows. Schools can plug in data about enrollment on a web page and see what a given module will cost. For example, Engage is $4,500 per year for small colleges up to 1,000 students; $15,000 per year for schools with between 2,501 and 5,000 students; and $35,000 per year for institutions with between 10,001 and 20,000 students. Some modules are free through a "special grant price." Those include Retain, Advance, Collaborate, Integrate and Report. Pricing for the new SIS starts at $175,000 per year, for up to a thousand students, which doesn't cover the cost of implementation. The price does include access to other modules that are part of the Unifyed portfolio, including Engage, Verify, Admit, Financial Aid, HR and Finance. Company officials said that early adopter partners will get the full Unifyed/Columbia SIS including implementation, hosting and support at the cost of their current annual SIS/ERP maintenance fees. "Columbia University IT's collaboration with Unifyed accelerates CUIT's SIS release timelines, gets Unifyed to centrally host, manage and maintain what CUIT builds and gives higher ed the SIS that everyone wants at a price point that makes sense," said Unifyed CEO Ranjan Tayal. "It's a win, win, win for everyone." Institutions interested in learning more about the SIS and joining in on the initiative can reach out to Anjli Jain at [email protected]. Christchurch, Aug 27 : The gunman who killed 51 people at two mosques in New Zealand's Christchurch city in 2019 was sentenced to life in prison without parole, a court announced on Thursday. The verdict, which is the first of its kind in New Zealand, came after three days of the final hearing of the case at the High Court in Christchurch, reports Xinhua news agency. The 29-year-old Australian gunman, Brenton Harrison Tarrant, was sentenced on 51 murder charges, 40 attempted murder charges and one terrorism charge. A total of 91 victims or their families gave impact statements at the hearing that started on Monday. According to the description of the shooting read at the court, "the defendant turned to his right and fired 32 shots from his AR-15 into the mass of people in the northeastern corner of the room". The rate of fire was extremely high and the defendant moved the AR-15 across and back many times." Tarrant murdered 44 people at the Al Noor Mosque and killed seven more at the nearby Linwood Mosque. He also injured 40 others in the mass shootings, according to the prosecutor Mark Zarifeh who called Trrant "New Zealand's worst murderer". The gunman conducted a research of the view of the Al Noor Mosque by flying a drone over the mosque in January 2019. "The planned time for entry was to ensure the maximum number of worshippers would be present," the summary presented at the court said. According to his interview with the police, Tarrant said he had planned to burn down the mosques dand wanted to "inflict as many fatalities as possible". He was on the way to another mosque in Ashburton, 85 km southwest of Christchurch, to carry out another attack when he was stopped by the police. It is the first time the sentence of life imprisonment without parole has been handed down in New Zealand. The country's law allowing criminals to be imprisoned for life was created in 2010. The harshest previous sentence in New Zealand was life imprisonment with a 30-year non-parole period in 2001. The defendant did not oppose the sentence and showed no reaction at court. While describing the shootings as "brutal and beyond callous", Justice Cameron Mander said: "Your crimes are so wicked that even if you are detained until you die, it would not exhaust the requirements of punishment and denunciation." Before announcing the verdict, Justice Mander asked the gunman if he wished to make his statement, to which he replied "no, thank you", without any emotions. The accused pleaded not guilty to all the charges during hearings last year, but entered guilty pleas to all the charges in March, the one-year anniversary of the terrorist attack. After the sentencing, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern acknowledged the strength of the Muslim community, and said: "You relieved the horrific events of March 15 to chronicle what happened that day and the pain it has left behind. "Nothing will take the pain away but I hope you felt the arms of New Zealand around you through this whole process, and I hope you continue to feel that through all the days that follow." She called March 15, 2019 "the darkest day" in New Zealand history. Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel praised the courage of the mosque attack victims who addressed the High Court this week at the sentencing of the mass shooter. "Since the atrocious act of terror unfolded in our city on March 15, 2019, our Muslim community has taught us much about peace, love, compassion and forgiveness. They gave us another lesson this week as they came face-to-face with the terrorist. "They showed enormous courage and delivered their incredibly moving testimony with dignity and grace," Dalziel said in a statement. Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-28 01:33:09|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close BEIRUT, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Lebanon continued on Thursday to receive donations from foreign countries to support the country following the explosions that rocked Beirut on Aug. 4, LBCI local TV channel reported. Greece sent medical equipment to be distributed among hospitals in Lebanon. The Australian embassy offered masks for the fight against COVID-19 while the World Health Organization distributed surgery material from Russia to public hospitals in southern Lebanon. An aircraft arrived in Beirut from Canada carrying food products offered by two Lebanese expatriates residing in Canada. Two huge explosions rocked Port of Beirut on Aug. 4, shaking buildings all over Lebanon's capital, while killing at least 183 people and wounding around 6,000 others. This has caused great damage to a big part of the city while plunging more people into poverty after they lost their houses. Enditem National Defence Minister Nicolae Ciuca attended on Wednesday the informal meeting of Defence Ministers of the Member States of the European Union in Berlin, where practical ways of increasing on-site cooperation between the EU, NATO and the UN in the various ongoing operations were addressed. According to the relevant ministry (MApN), Nicolae Ciuca expressed support for cooperation with partners as part of the EU's integrated approach to crisis response, highlighting the need to strengthen the coordination process, but also to boost the effect of actions through an integrated approach using all instruments at the EU's disposal, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. As for the future EU guidance instrument, the minister of National Defence stressed the importance of properly reflecting the appropriate transatlantic relationship within the Framework of the Strategic Compass. He also expressed support for strengthening the EU's capacity to respond in a comprehensive manner to current and future crises and threats to the security and defence environment, with a particular focus on the Union's immediate neighbourhood. During the debates on the concept of European culture of security and defence in the post-COVID-19 context, Nicolae Ciuca expressed interest in supporting the process of providing guidelines on increasing the EU's resilience, capacity and credibility on the global stage, in areas such as cybersecurity, countering hybrid threats, combating misinformation and protecting critical infrastructure and supply chains. It is the marquee message of the Republican National Convention: You wont be safe in Joe Bidens America, a hellscape of anarchy, madness and chaos, because he wants to defund the police. The presidents son Eric was one of the many to echo this attack: Biden has pledged to defund the police. And, to hammer home the point: To the law enforcement officer whos being attacked, betrayed, and whose job they are trying to make extinct, my father will fight for you. This is the big lie theyre spinning, that Democrats are going to dismantle police departments. And the closer you get, the more it reeks of nonsense. In fact, Biden wants to hire more cops. He has also repeatedly and firmly rejected the call from a contingent of loud activists and a handful of lawmakers to defund the police. I dont want to defund police departments, he said again last week. I think they need more help. Yet that hasnt stopped the Trump campaign from spreading this lie or New Jerseys largest police union from buying into it. First, the facts: Biden wants to spend another $300 million on a federal program that helps local police departments staff up, called the COPS Hiring Program, which the Trump administration has routinely targeted in budget proposals for deep cuts. The president hails police as really special, special Americans, but when hes not making big speeches, their jobs arent so special any more. Remember, Trump and Republicans in the Senate are the ones who are refusing to provide needed aid to state and cities in this crisis. If they dont reverse course, cities and counties hard-hit by the pandemic will be forced to slash their budgets deeply, including law enforcement. If you want to save cops jobs, vote for Biden. Only a fringe movement among Democrats wants to defund the police, not the partys real leaders. Listen to Biden, listen to senior leaders in Congress, and listen to mayors of cities like Newark and Jersey City, who are opposed to that ill-advised movement. When Trump says big-city mayors have now embraced the far-left movement to break up our police departments he is lying again. Its not like everybodys against the police, as longtime Newark activist Larry Hamm says. They want police in order to fight the crime, but they dont want police to be out here executing people, essentially. The slogan itself is an act of political malpractice because it can so easily be mischaracterized by charlatans like Trump. But what most people mean by it is that some functions that fall to police today should be put in the hands of social workers, mental health experts, and others more suited to provide help and de-escalate the danger. This dishonest strategy of Trumps is just more racism, and attempts to stir fear and resentment from a president who retweets white supremacists, and jokes about police brutality telling a crowd of laughing cops on Long Island that they should do harm to citizens when arresting them; be rough. He later ordered federal officers to attack peaceful protestors near the White House, simply because he wanted to do a photo op. All this makes the New Jersey PBAs endorsement of Trump repugnant. The local union usually stays out of presidential races, says its leader, Patrick Colligan. But for Trump, they made an exception. Colligan claims the Biden campaign didnt contact the union, and picks up on this false idea that Biden wants to defund police: The defund or reallocate or whatever you want to call it has already showed us the disaster it is. His assertion that electing Biden would only make it harder for police to recruit is just as weak. Biden wont starve police departments of funding. Even better, he will stop tarring their profession by promoting racists and excessive force. If thats really what the job is about, why would any decent person want to sign up? Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com. Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook. Tell us your coronavirus stories, whether its a news tip, a topic you want us to cover, or a personal story you want to share. Barcelona supporters angered by the running of the club have pushed through the Nou Camp gates as their protests continued for a second day in the city. Fans want the club's board, headed by president Josep Bartomeu, to stand down after a dismal season that saw two sackings, losing the title to rivals Real Madrid and an embarrassing 8-2 loss to Bayern Munich in the Champions League. Now Barca are in danger of losing their long-serving talisman Lionel Messi after the Argentine told the club he wants to leave on a free transfer this summer amid the ongoing chaos, and loyal supporters have been gathering at their world famous ground to vent their fury. Barcelona fans were outraged in a second day of protests against the board as they pledged support for wantaway superstar Lionel Messi by heading down to the Nou Camp en masse Furious supporters stormed the gate of the Nou Camp with security officials left powerless Protests have been aimed at club president Josep Bartomeu, who many want to now resign Hundreds flocked to the Nou Camp on Tuesday night in support of Messi after his falling out with Bartomeu, with chants being yelled demanding the hierarchy be ousted and signs unfurled. And protests escalated on Wednesday as fans entered the stadium grounds, with security personnel powerless to stop them. One official was pictured attempting to thwart one individual before the huge crowd push past him and into the complex. One staff member tried to stop a group from passing through but his efforts were in vain Some fans mounted the gates and unfurled a banner protesting the board's treatment of Messi Huge crowds made their voices heard with chants as they demanded that the board step down Another group were seen mounting the top of the gates holding up a banner demanding that Bartomeu stand down. Despite uproar over his performance at the club, Bartomeu is entitled to stay with the club until the 2021 presidential elections next year - with some fans attempting to force a vote of no confidence against him before then. Bartomeu has made a number of key players available for sale, including the likes of Gerard Pique, Luis Suarez and Jordi Alba with new boss Ronald Koeman expected to ring the changes in the wake of the shock thrashing by Bayern. Messi wants to leave Barcelona this summer after becoming disillusioned with the board The president has also fallen out with Messi, who is ready to quit Catalonia despite spending his entire career with Barca after his relationship with the board reached breaking point. Manchester City are seen as the front runners to seal an astonishing deal for the Argentine superstar in a move that could see him reunited with Pep Guardiola. Messi believes he can move on a Bosman due to a clause in his contract, but Barca insist he has another year on his deal with a release clause of 629million. (Jamie Sholberg / Los Angeles Times; Getty) So you cant travel to Europe. Or take a road trip to a rowdy music festival. Or sunbathe on a beach. Its been a COVID-19 summer, but getting a change of scenery while meeting new people and learning about sustainable agriculture is still possible. Just sign up for World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms. The organization, founded in Britain in 1971, connects volunteers, or WWOOFers, and farms in 132 countries. WWOOFers include aspiring farmers and curious travelers who work for a few hours a day in exchange for accommodations. Participation is free, excluding the annual cost of a membership ($40 in the U.S.) and transportation to the farm. To protect participants amid the pandemic, the organization recommends that its hosts allow volunteers to self-quarantine upon arrival and practice physical distancing, according to an announcement on its website. Prospective volunteers also should follow safety guidelines outlined by the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and their local government and should not volunteer if symptomatic or feeling ill. A recent search on the WWOOF USA website shows that nearly 1,400 hosts, many of whom operate essential farming businesses, are open for volunteers. About 200 are in California. One farm needs help milking goats for cheese. Another seeks assistance harvesting peaches and nectarines. Prospective volunteers can filter search results to show nearby cities theyd like to visit, animals theyd like to care for and more. At Palindrome volunteer farm and home stay in Valley Center in San Diego County, WWOOFers must self-quarantine for two weeks when they arrive. They are given their own tent or trailer with an outdoor bathroom and shower and must prepare their own meals and wear a mask when within 12 feet of others. Im not asking people to sit in a corner all day, said host Lisa Lillie. Our WWOOFers actually have the best view on the property. Their trailers are ocean-view. Our backyard is Palomar Mountain. Story continues After two weeks, volunteers are free to share meals with the host, swim in the pool and care for rabbits while helping set up a hydroponic farm. Prospective volunteers shouldnt let remote work or studies prevent them from WWOOFing, Lillie added. Her volunteers work on the site for a few hours a day and then are free to study or pursue their interests from her home. A volunteer from Brazil used the spare time to run her interior design business and learn English. Vera Valdivia-Abdallah, who runs Love This Horse Equine Rescue in Mojave, has different guidelines. Shes accommodating only one WWOOFer at a time instead of her usual four. She asks that volunteers socially distance before arriving and prefers they stay for at least one month to avoid contact with too many newcomers. We figured the least amount of people, the better, Valdivia-Abdallah said. Lillie also believes that WWOOFers should embrace longer, more immersive stays while COVID-19 rates remain high instead of the one week that is common. People can look at WWOOFing as a place to not go for just two weeks, but maybe say, Where do I want to learn culturally and where do I want to experience other people? she said. When people travel, its an education that is priceless. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. The pharma industry is at the forefront of the battle against COVID-19 and has responded to this global challenge by ensuring the availability of medicines despite supply chain disruptions, Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Chairman Israel Makov said on Thursday. Clinical trials are being conducted to test the effectiveness of many existing medicines in treating symptoms of COVID-19, he added while addressing the annual general meeting (AGM) of the company. Some of the global pharmaceutical companies, as well as few Indian firms, have also initiated clinical trials for the development of a COVID-19 vaccine, Makov said. "Sun Pharma has ensured adequate supplies of medicines to its customers across the world despite the supply chain disruptions and the lockdown restrictions in various countries," he added. Changes at manufacturing facilities have been made to ensure productivity, as well as adherence to all safety and hygiene protocols. The company is also leveraging IT technology tools to ensure business continuity and to facilitate work-from-home for many employees, Makov said. "We are evaluating the potential of some existing products which can be useful in COVID19 treatment. These include Nafamostat Mesilate and the phyto-pharmaceutical, AQCH. Both these products are currently undergoing Phase-2 trials in India," he added. As part of the company's corporate social responsibility, "we donated certain medicines useful in managing COVID-19 symptoms and hand sanitizers worth about 250 million to support the Indian government's COVID-19 pandemic response," Makov said. Sun Pharma has also arranged personal protective equipment kits, disinfectants and gloves to help fight the pandemic, he added. This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Subscribe to Mint Newsletters * Enter a valid email * Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Months before she disappeared in early 2012, Rabihan Seiders begged repeatedly to have a simple assault charge dropped against her husband Hap in a domestic violence case, a former Cumberland County prosecutor testified Thursday afternoon. And days before she withdrew a protection from abuse order against her husband, Rabihan struck a private agreement with Hap that required him to transfer $200,000 into her personal bank account, former DA Emily Provencher said. Provencher, now a prosecutor for Chester County, testified during the second day of Hap Seiders homicide trial. Chief Deputy District Attorney Courtney Hair LaRue contends Hap Seiders, 66, murdered his 53-year-old wife in March 2012 and incinerated her body in the fireplace of their Silver Spring Township home. He was charged in the murder case last year. Defense attorney George Matangos is questioning whether Rabihan is in fact dead and has posed that she might have deliberately vanished, perhaps overseas, after stealing $3 million worth of her husbands assets, including a $1 million cache of gold bullion. Provencher said she met Rabihan as she prosecuted Hap Seiders after he was charged with assaulting his wife in August 2011. At the preliminary hearing on the case, Rabihan was very meek. She was quiet. She was sad, Provencher said. She was upset about what happened with her husbandShe wanted to stand up for herself. Soon afterward, things changed. Rabihan began pressuring her, frequently, to drop the simple assault charge against her husband, Provencher said. She talked about how she wanted her husband and she loved him, she said. Provencher said she refused to withdraw the case. We were concerned with her safety, she said. She said Rabihan even wrote a letter to then-District Attorney David Freed in November 2011. I strongly desire to be with himI do not feel threatened at all. I love him deeply, it stated. After Hap Seiders pleaded guilty to a simple assault charge in December 2011, he and Rabihan left the courthouse together, Provencher said. The two of them seemed happy, she said. They were all over each other. Under Matangos questioning, Provencher said Rabihan never told her she was trying to get money from Hap. Nor, she said, did Rabihan, when questioned under oath in a court proceeding, admit to taking property, including gold bullion, that was owned by her husband, a currency dealer. Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-28 02:02:59|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close GENEVA, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- The World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Thursday that the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the mental health of millions of people, in terms of the anxiety and fear it has caused, and disruption to mental health services. "For many people, the lack of social interaction caused by the pandemic has had a profound effect on their mental health," Tedros said at a virtual press briefing from Geneva. Noting that people in long-term facilities such as care homes and psychiatric institutions are at increased risk of infection, the WHO chief added that mental health professionals have themselves been infected with the virus, and some mental health facilities have been closed to be converted into treatment facilities for people with COVID-19. He recalled that mental health was already "a neglected health issue" globally before the pandemic, with close to one billion people living with a mental disorder. Yet relatively few people have access to quality mental health services. "In low- and middle-income countries, more than 75 percent of people with mental, neurological and substance use disorders receive no treatment for their condition at all," Tedros noted. He declared that for this year's World Mental Health Day, which falls on Oct. 10, the WHO, together with its partner organizations, United for Global Mental Health and the World Federation for Mental Health, would call for a massive scale-up in investments in mental health. Enditem It is no secret that the Oracle of Omaha has this innate ability to make market moves that can confuse everybody. We look towards Warren Buffett for his investing decisions, because his immense success serves as a benchmark for every value investor. He gives us a prime example of how you can be successful as an investor if you make the right decisions. Over his decades-long investing career, Buffett has amassed a fortune. In that time, he has made some logically sound moves. He has also made many decisions that seemed confusing at first but made sense in the long run. The mysterious moves of the Oracle of Omaha Consider his stance on airline stocks. Buffett did not invest in airline companies for decades. However, he recently decided to invest in a portfolio of airline stocks and decided he would stick to the investment. A few months later, a pandemic struck and left all the airlines at a standstill. Buffett initially announced he would stick to his investment but dumped his airline stocks as the pandemic continued. The latest stock Buffett has ditched The latest stock to fall victim to Buffetts unpredictable moves is a favourite in the Canadian restaurant business: Restaurant Brands International (TSX:QSR)(NYSE:QSR). Buffett did not disclose his reasons, but he exited his entire position in one of the only two Canadian stocks he owns. The move comes as a surprise to many people, because RBI was on a steady growth projection before the pandemic struck. Burger King, Tim Hortons, and Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen are three of the most prominent names in the fast-food industry. All three companies come under the umbrella of RBI. Should you consider turning your back on the Canadian restaurant giant as well? Strong results I find Buffetts move confusing, because RBI has been on a strong run. Despite the pandemic, RBI reported a strong quarterly performance with $1.05 billion in sales. The figure translated to $0.33 in earnings per share when the analysts predicted $0.29 earnings per share. The company claimed that it was back to 90% of its prior-year system-wide sales by the end of Q2 2020. Story continues 93% of Restaurant Brands locations for the three fast-food chains have reopened worldwide. The company managed to offset the loss of dine-in sales by leveraging its drive-thru, digital, and delivery channels. Digital sales were up 120% in Canada year over year. It seems that RBI investors have nothing but good news moving forward. Foolish takeaway While Buffett has yet to say anything about why he has dumped all of his RBI stocks, it comes as a complete surprise. The company remains one of the most encouraging growth stories in the restaurant sector. At writing, the stock is trading for $72.01 per share. It has already recovered 77% of its share prices after the March 2020 bottom. The companys healthy balance sheet and 3.84% dividend yield still suggest that it is an excellent buy. I would advise not making any moves for now and seeing how the situation develops before you decide to increase or decrease your position in Restaurant Brands International. The post Warren Buffett Sold This Canadian Stock: Should You Sell, Too? appeared first on The Motley Fool Canada. More reading Fool contributor Adam Othman has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends RESTAURANT BRANDS INTERNATIONAL INC. The Motley Fools purpose is to help the world invest, better. Click here now for your free subscription to Take Stock, The Motley Fool Canadas free investing newsletter. Packed with stock ideas and investing advice, it is essential reading for anyone looking to build and grow their wealth in the years ahead. Motley Fool Canada 2020 POWAY, Calif., Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Apricorn, the leading manufacturer of software-free, 256-bit AES XTS hardware-encrypted USB data storage devices, today announced that FIPS 140-2 level 3 validation (certification #3703) has been awarded to the Aegis Secure Key 3NX by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. This level of certification serves to authorize a device's use in industries and institutions -- healthcare, finance, defense, and legal; both nationally and globally -- in compliance with stringent data security regulations such as HIPAA, FERPA, Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, and GDPR. Originally released in late 2018, the Aegis Secure Key 3NX employs the latest Apricorn Secure Key encryption chipset while delivering cooler operating temperatures and a wider range of storage capacities than its predecessor, the Secure Key 3z. The 3NX FIPS validation comes just one month behind the release of its sister product, the Secure Key 3NXC, which is the same device but replaces the traditional USB "A" connector with a USB 3.2 C-type connector; the first USB C encrypted flash key to market. "Initially, the 3NX was designed as a lower cost alternative to the FIPS validated Secure Key 3z," said Kurt Markley, Apricorn's Director of Sales. "While the NX has all of the same security features as all of our other devices, it addressed the following encrypted flash key market needs: cooler operating temperatures, a wider (lower) range of storage capacities to better optimize the spend on devices, and lower price points for large corporate deployments that don't require FIPS. As the NX began to catch on, requests from companies requiring FIPS validation compelled us to obtain FIPS 140-2 level 3 validation on this device as well." Like all Aegis Secure Drives and Secure Keys, the 3NX comes standard with AegisWare: Apricorn's proprietary firmware and feature set. Unlike the other Aegis Secure Drives and Secure Keys, the 3NX and 3NXC offers a unique patented feature: fixed disk / removable media toggling. Consistent with the Apricorn line of secure drives, all passwords and commands are entered by way of the device's onboard keypad. A full 100 percent of the authentication and encryption processes take place within the device itself and never involve software or share password or encryption data with its host computer. Additionally, all have military grade 256-bit AES XTS encryption and firmware is locked down and can't be updated or modified, defending against malware. Aegis Secure Key 3NX security features: 256-Bit AES XTS Military-Grade Hardware Encryption: Encrypts all data on-the-fly Software-Free: Ready to use right out of the box; no software, no drivers, no updates OS Agnostic: Compatible with PC, MAC, Linux, Android, Symbian or any mass storage compliant system with a powered USB port Forced Enrollment: No factory-preset default PINs Aegis Configurator Compatible: Create custom profiles and mass configure multiple Aegis devices at once Onboard Keypad: All PIN entries are performed on the device's keypad making it compatible with systems without keyboards and shares no critical security parameters with its host computer Lock-Override Mode: Can be programmed to remain unlocked during reboot / USB re-enumeration Two Read-Only Modes: Preserve data in its original, unaltered state while blocking malware Data Recovery PINs: provide access to the device in the event of forgotten PINs Programmable Brute Force Protection: After a predetermined number of consecutive incorrect PIN entry attempts, the Aegis Secure Key will conclude that it is under attack by Brute Force and destroy its encryption key and PINs, rendering all data undecipherable Removable Media / Fixed Disk Toggling Ability: U.S. Pat. No. 10,338,840 Seven Storage Capacities: 2GB, 4GB, 8GB, 16GB, 32GB, 64GB, 128GB Rugged Design: Aluminum exterior with protective sheath, hardened epoxy potting inside, and polymer coated wear-resistant buttons. For more information about the Aegis Secure Key 3NX, visit https://www.apricorn.com/aegis-secure-key-3nx About Apricorn Headquartered in Poway, California, Apricorn provides secure storage innovations to the most prominent companies in the categories of finance, healthcare, education, and government throughout North America, Canada and EMEA. Apricorn products have become the trusted standard for myriad data security strategies worldwide. Founded in 1983, numerous award-winning products have been developed under the Apricorn brand as well as for a number of leading computer manufacturers on an OEM basis. Contact: Sarah Hawley for Apricorn [email protected] +1 480.292.4640 SOURCE Apricorn Related Links http://www.apricorn.com You are here: Arts A historic bell tower in northwest China's Shaanxi Province reopened to the public on Wednesday after renovation. The Xi'an Bell Tower, located in the provincial capital Xi'an, was built in 1384 during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Due to prolonged exposure to wind, sunlight, rain and dust, the 600-year-old tower had decayed, with its roof leaking and some decorations peeling off, said Wang Lei, curator of Xi'an Bell and Drum Towers Museum. It was the sixth renovation of the bell tower since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949. BEIJING, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- China will work to ensure that business opening will be entirely processed online before the end of the year, as part of effort to further transform government functions with a view to preserving and reinvigorating the market entities, the State Council's executive meeting chaired by Premier Li Keqiang decided on Wednesday. Li stressed the need to advance business system reform to remove the institutional hurdles to entrepreneurship and innovation, further spur market vitality and expand employment. Figures from the State Administration for Market Regulation show that in 2019, as many as 20,000 new businesses were registered in China on an average day. By the end of July this year, 132 million market entities were registered nationwide, up 6.7 percent compared to the number at the end of last year. "The reform of transforming government functions and delivering the fiscal and financial relief policies must be progressed in parallel," Li said. "So far, the special transfer payment mechanism that directly channels the funding support to primary-level governments has played a crucial role. In the meantime, we must continue to lower the market threshold to stimulate market vitality and public creativity," he said. It was decided at the Wednesday meeting that business opening will be entirely processed online before the end of the year. Separate registration of corporate domicile and business premise will be piloted and a company may register more than one business premise. "We need to do everything we can to help market entities survive and thrive. If the one hundred million-plus businesses could keep running, we will be able to meet the goal of creating nine million new urban jobs this year," Li said. To facilitate business operation, expand opening-up and support agriculture and rural development, administrative licensing over 49 items with overlapping permitting requirements will be canceled, and the approval authority over four items will be delegated to the provincial level. Where law revision is needed, these new measures will be implemented after the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress approves the proposed law revisions. "The government departments concerned must put the larger picture before departmental interests. More needs to be done to trim the approval requirements, stepping up oversight alongside proper deregulation. While canceling the approval requirements or delegating approval authority, responsible departments must ensure sound compliance oversight," Li said. "It takes more than monetary inputs for the Chinese economy to grow. The reform of government functions could further bring out the ingenuity and industry of the Chinese people, and enhance the efficacy of government oversight and services. This is a reform that could lead to greater fairness and efficiency." Some workers in the U.K. will be paid 130 ($172) if they are required to self-isolate amid the coronavirus pandemic, the British government announced Thursday. The payouts will be available to workers with low incomes who can't work from home and live in areas with high numbers of confirmed coronavirus cases. Workers who test positive for the virus and qualify for the payment will receive the equivalent of 13 a day for a 10-day period of self-isolation from September 1. Meanwhile, other members of their household, who have to isolate for 14 days, will be entitled to a payment of 182. People outside the same household who have been identified by the U.K.'s contact tracing system and been advised to self-isolate will also be paid up to 182, depending on the length of isolation. To be eligible, those affected have to already be receiving either Universal Credit or Working Tax Credit payments. These are the U.K.'s benefit payments for people who are on low incomes or unemployed, for example. Payments will be made to people within 48 hours of them providing the necessary evidence to prove eligibility. The scheme is being trialed in the northwest areas of Blackburn with Darwen, Pendle and Oldham, which have recently seen local restrictions imposed by the government due to a spike in cases of the coronavirus. The Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham tweeted that he thought it was good that the government had "at last acknowledged the problem of people who can't afford to self-isolate." However, he said the payments would leave people without enough to live on. Instead, he argued there needed to be a scheme like the U.K.'s jury service, where wages are covered. Tweet 1 The U.K.'s department of health and social care was not immediately available for comment on this issue when contacted by CNBC. Other areas in the northwest of England have also seen restrictions following local outbreaks of the virus. The U.K. as a whole has reported 330,967 confirmed cases of Covid-19 and 41,552 deaths from the virus, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Most Victorians are in support of Melbourne's strict Stage 4 lockdown restrictions as the city grapples with a deadly coronavirus outbreak, a new poll has revealed. Roy Morgan conducted the snap SMS survey on Tuesday and Wednesday, asking more than 2,000 Victorians three of six questions on the restrictions. Residents were quizzed about the 5km travel bubble, the closure of dine-in restaurants and schools, the 8pm-5am curfew, mandatory face masks and bans on visiting immediate family members. The survey revealed a large majority of Victorians support five of the six restrictions - but were split on rules concerning visiting family members they don't live with. Most Victorians are in support of Melbourne's strict Stage 4 lockdown restrictions, a new survey reveals. Pictured: A woman exercises during lockdown on Monday Pictured: Two women in face masks walk in Southbank during lockdown. All Victorians are required to wear a face mask when they go outdoors Respondents were split on whether Melburnians should be allowed to visit family members they don't live with Of all Victorians, 43 per cent said Melburnians should be able to visit the homes of immediate family members. Metropolitan Melbourne residents in Stage 4 lockdown are only allowed to leave their homes to shop for essentials, to exercise and for permitted work. They are also allowed to visit family for compassionate reasons and for caregiving, as well as to seek medical treatment. Residents in Melbourne are also subject to a curfew from 8pm to 5am. The whole state of Victoria is required to wear a face covering when leaving their homes, which is supported by 89 per cent of Victorians questioned - including 90 per cent of Melburnians and 87 per cent of residents in Country Victoria. A majority of Victorians agreed schools and day care centres in Melbourne should not be open to everyone (76 per cent) and that cafes and restaurants in the city should not be able to provide table service with proper social distancing (75 per cent). The survey also revealed 72 per cent of Victorians agree Melbourne's curfew should not end, while 71 per cent of respondents determined Melburnians should not be allowed to travel outside of their 5km bubble. Premier Daniel Andrews addresses the media on Thursday. Metropolitan Melbourne entered Stage 4 lockdown on August 2 Pictured: Victoria Police patrol Melbourne's CBD during coronavirus lockdown on Tuesday Respondents were asked about whether restaurants should be able to provide table service Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine said the survey revealed Victorians supported the implementation of Stage 4 restrictions. 'However, there is one Stage 4 restriction that is more contentious with 43 per cent of Victorians saying Melburnians should now be able to visit the home of their immediate families,' she said. 'This rises to 45 per cent of Melbourne residents, 47 per cent of younger Victorians aged under 35 and a majority of 52 per cent of older Victorians aged 65+ agreeing with this sentiment. 'The take-out from the responses of Victorians is that there is strong support for the measures taken by the Victorian Government to get a handle on COVID-19, stop the spread, and follow the path of other states which are largely in control of the virus after the first lockdown.' The survey results were released on Thursday as Victoria reported 113 new coronavirus cases and 23 deaths. The fatalities take the state toll to 485 and the national figure to 572. It's also the third-highest daily death toll for Australia after Wednesday's 24 and a record 25 on August 5. But the new cases are the lowest since 74 on July 5, the last time that number was below 100. Yemeni civilians gather at the site of a Saudi airstrike against Houthi rebels near Sana International Airport in 2015. (Mohammed Huwais / AFP/Getty Images) To the editor: The atrocious, shameful destruction of Yemen with U.S. weapons by Saudi Arabia should be a front-page item in the Los Angeles Times, which these days has less coverage of foreign affairs, especially when it is our country that is involved in criminal activity overseas. Increasing numbers of foreigners and even Americans are seeing the United States as the world's biggest terrorist. We did not have to use nuclear bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, napalm in Southeast Asia, depleted uranium bullets in Iraq and other terrible weapons elsewhere. We have become so immune to these atrocities that we now even feed our own poor in Michigan lead-contaminated water and muzzle the Environmental Protection Agency, allowing more Americans to be poisoned. The problem clearly indicates that our government looks at the terrorized people as "them," and those who have the wealth of our nation as "us." Better many of "them" than one of "us," goes the familiar saying, and as long as there is money to be made and the people being terrorized are not white, it will continue. Murtadha A. Khakoo, Fullerton .. To the editor: Columnist Nicholas Goldberg asks, "How does it happen that U.S.-made weapons are routinely being used to kill civilians on the other side of the world?" The answer is simple: There is profit to be made by American companies. As long as it is profitable, we will remain complicit in a civil war in Yemen. Profit is the only standard in the U.S. these days. Doris Isolini Nelson, Los Angeles .. To the editor: Bravo to Goldberg for calling out U.S. complicity in the horrors rained on the people of Yemen by Jared Kushner's pal Mohammed bin Salman in Saudi Arabia. This bloodstain is further evidence of the downward spiral of America under the authoritarian Trump regime. Mike Farrell, Studio City Actor Anushka Sharma and her husband Virat Kohli announced the arrival of their first baby on Thursday morning and since then social media is abuzz. The couple soon started trending on Twitter and meme lords brought out their best game (even though some were sexist and mindless jokes). As congratulatory messages poured in for the star couple, one wish stood apart. It was comedian Danish Saits swipe at the media covering the news as he congratulated the couple in his own style. Also Read: Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli are Expecting First Child, Twitter Floods with Baby in Pandemic Memes RELATED NEWS Pandemic Baby Memes Take Over Social Media as Anushka, Virat Announce Pregnancy Sait hilariously mimicked the news anchors who sensationalise the news with their voice, annotation and usage of words. 2020 ki pehli good news. Virushka ka bada khulasa. Coming soon baby Virushka," Sait says mimicking the sensationalising news anchors. Sait had netizens, including badminton star Saina Nehwal and Bollywood actress Raveena Tondon, ROFLing over his act as he imitated the medias reaction to the news. Saina Nehwal (@NSaina) August 27, 2020 Comedian Sait has been a hit in the lockdown with his sketches where he impersonates several characters having hilarious conversations, mostly satires on burning issues. Sait is currently in UAE for the IPL to bring us all the latest updates from the locker room of Royal Challengers Bengaluru. ALSO READ: Can Kohli Stay Captain Once Hes Father? Sexist Question No One Asked With Pregnancy News And then, we were three! Arriving Jan 2021 pic.twitter.com/iWANZ4cPdD Anushka Sharma (@AnushkaSharma) August 27, 2020 Anushka and Virat, lovingly called Virushka on social media, broke the news on Thursday morning. Manchester United and England stood firmly behind Harry Maguire on Wednesday as it emerged the beleaguered defender faces a two-year wait to clear his name. United have no plans to relieve Maguire of the club captaincy and confirmed in a statement that his application for appeal has been accepted, which they insist effectively makes him a free man until the retrial. However, a top criminal rights lawyer in Athens challenged those claims on Wednesday, insisting the conviction would continue to 'hang over' Maguire until a successful appeal. Harry Maguire has been backed by Man United after his appeal against his conviction for aggravated assault, resisting arrest and repeated attempts of bribery was accepted England boss Gareth Southgate is ready to recall him to his squad for matches in October Nevertheless England manager Gareth Southgate is ready to recall Maguire for the October internationals against Wales, Belgium and Denmark. The defender was handed a 21-month suspended prison sentence on Tuesday after being found guilty of aggravated assault, resisting arrest and repeated attempts of bribery following a fracas on the Greek island of Mykonos last week. Yet he may have to wait up to two years before his appeal is heard due to a backlog of legal cases in Greece. Nevertheless, United went public with their belief on Wednesday that Maguire, following his successful application for an appeal, is 'innocent' and would subsequently not be hindered in applications for travel or visas ahead of Champions League fixtures. Yoannis Paradissis warned that Maguire's appeal may take up to two years to get to court A club statement read: 'An appeal against yesterday's verdict was lodged this morning by Harry's legal team. In accordance with the Greek judicial process, the filing of an appeal extinguishes the initial court verdict and nullifies the conviction. 'The appeal has been accepted and will lead to a full retrial in a more senior court. This means that Harry has no criminal record and is once again presumed innocent until proven guilty.' Stavroula Tomara, a leading criminal rights attorney in Athens, contested that interpretation, and said: 'Until the appeal, the conviction will hang over Maguire's head.' Maguire and his family have yet to return to England and are receiving protection from security while at a secret location abroad.He was withdrawn from the England squad on Tuesday following his conviction. Maguire is yet to return to England and is receiving protection at a secret location Southgate and United agreed that Maguire should be left out of the spotlight. United have been fully supportive, resisting all calls to drop him as their captain. Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer expects questions to be raised about how Maguire can continue as an ambassador for the club but they believe removing him as captain would undermine his appeal. That threatens to be an arduous process as prosecution lawyer Dr Yoannis Paradissis warned the appeal may take up to two years to get to court. Speaking from his office on Syros, where Maguire's brief trial was heard, Paradissis said: 'Maguire, if he were to make a full and proper apology to those involved and the court, might even see himself and his two other defendants acquitted. That is the way the Greek system works. 'The police officers I represent were just doing their job. But even if Maguire says he was not heavily involved in the incident, he needs to apologise that is important. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer believes removing Maguire as captain would undermine his appeal 'Without apologising, Maguire, in the eyes of Greek law, just makes even more trouble for himself. 'There is a total contradiction in what is being said by the defendants. On the one hand, they deny they were shown ID by the officers yet they are heard then shouting "F*** the police" why would they shout that if they did not think they were fighting police? It makes no sense.' United chiefs remain in dialogue over what course of action to take with Maguire but their support will remain until convinced he is guilty of any misdemeanour. United's players are back to training next week and Maguire is expected to be there, though he has a bruised leg from the fracas. Additional reporting by Jack Gaughan and Christian Gysin When a team of archaeologists deep in the deserts of Sudan arrived at the ancient site of Jabal Maragha last month, they thought they were lost. The site had vanished. But they hadnt made a mistake. In fact, gold-hunters with giant diggers had destroyed almost all sign of the two millennia-old site. Yahoo! (AFP) Thursday, August 27, 2020 Or Unlearning. Dont let your learning lead to knowledge. Let your learning lead to action, author Jim Rohn writes. But sometimes we must first unlearn what we once believed to be true before were able to learn and take action. One of my big questions is why arent environmental chemical exposure and bioaccumulation being discussed in initiatives to combat disease if there is so much known about the detrimental health effects of these toxicants? When no discussion is happening, self-education on the bodys environmental chemical burden has to happen. But Im getting ahead of myself. Lets first begin with a good understanding of the human body. The Human Body. A very simple training module on Anatomy & Physiology is available from the National Institutes of Health. Its a self-paced learning tool that can help you understand how the human body works. You can select a body system, such as the Endocrine Glands & Their Hormones, and outside links will be accessible throughout the module that will guide you to even further information and resources. Each module is also wonderfully illustrated to help with understanding the material more fully. Maybe you have an issue with your thyroid gland or your cardiovascular system and want to know more about what that system looks like when its functioning at its optimal level, as well as what happens when that system goes awry. Its a great website to spend time with to educate yourself and others on their bodies. Enter Toxicants. The American Cancer Societys website lists environmental chemicals that have been linked to cancer and each category offers a way to download more information. For instance, under Known Human Carcinogens classified as Group 1 chemicals by the World Health Organizations International Agency for Research on Cancer, one can download pdf files on the chemical in question. As you scroll down the website, youll see chemicals listed by the National Toxicology Program with an option to download their 14th report on carcinogens. But keep scrolling. The results are staggering. The Bodys Chemical Burden. There are 273 chemicals on the National Toxicology Programs website with information on how they affect our organs, tissues, and body systems. And those 273 chemicals just relate to cancer. Hundreds more chemicals are listed for other diseases affect every body system. On the NTP site you can search by animal or human, or both, and then click on the chemicals listed in the results to find out how one is being exposed. It also shows you whether the research evidence is strong or merely suggestive. Pesticides And Autoimmune Disorders. How might the environment be affecting 24 million people in the US with autoimmune disorders? Researchers have found that exposure to pesticides can be a factor, so can exposure to mercury. But autoimmune disorders are sometimes amplified by exposure to other environmental pollutants, as well. The American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association lists over 100 disorders on their website with links to help you learn more about them, complete with Education Modules. Toxic Free. A non-profit organization, Toxic-Free Futures website hosts a wealth of information. One blog begins, What do sperm, kids, salmon, and orcas have in common besides that they all swim? All can be harmed by toxic chemicals put in consumer products! Spread the word about this organization that is not only helping to create more awareness of the problems we face today with environmental chemical exposure, but are also offering resources and tools to help us avoid future exposure as much as we can. Pediatric Training Course. In the early 1950s when I was born my mother didnt pass numerous environmental chemicals on to me through her placenta. Yet in just the last decade and a half, data showed that the average infant came into this world with an average of 287 toxicants in their umbilical cord blood. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry has developed a wonderful resource the Pediatric Environmental Health Toolkit Training Module. This free course will take approximately 90 minutes to complete and if you need continuing ed credits, simply complete the post test. More CEs And Online Learning. You can also catch up on CEs or just learn more from the National Environmental Health Association. Their website has endless information and theres a good chance that youll find a topic youre interested in. The Collaborative on Health and the Environment website has provided webinars and podcasts since 2002 on topics related to environmental health science. Even in the archived podcasts one can still listen to the recordings and download slides and resources. There are hundreds available, and theyre free. Find a topic that interests you and listen while you commute! Elementary School Classroom Resources. Are you an elementary or middle school educator and would like to share environmental science with your students? ToxTown, a division of the National Institutes of Healths National Library of Medicine, hosts a website where you can download lesson plans, games, and hands-on activities to teach kids about sources of exposure to environmental chemicals. There are also printable PDF files, videos, and links to other informational websites. Here is an example of a 2-minute video from ToxTown on nutrient pollution for kids. There are several other websites with activities, games, and resources. One such website is the Sustainable Community Website from the Environmental Protection Agency. The National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences has an entire website devoted to the environment and kids health. It, too, has games, activities, songs, and lesson plans. Additionally, National Geographic offers lesson plans for Grades K-2, Grades 3-5, and Grades 6-12. Screening For Chemicals. Several years ago, I opted to undergo a pricey body burden screening test from Genova Diagnostics. Their Toxic Effects Profile tested for 45 of the most common chemicals found in humans, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs), chlorinated and organophosphate pesticides, PCBs, BPA, phthalates, and parabens. For someone who had been eating organic since the late 1970s and had used the safest personal care and cleaning products for almost four decades, it came as a complete surprise when the results showed I was in the 80th percentile for benzene and styrene, the 95th percentile for PCB153, and showed detectable levels of DDE, phthalates, pesticides, BPA, and parabens. Being in the 95th percentile means only 5% of other individuals that were tested exceeded the level found in my body. Dont want to spend $1,000? Dr. Claudia S. Miller developed the most widely used screening instrument for chemical intolerance. A professor at the University of Texas School of Medicine in San Antonio, she researches the underlying environmental causes of disease. Take this questionnaire found on her website. Detoxification. Okay. So now you know we all have chemicals in our bodies. Are you looking for a formal detoxification plan? The University of Wisconsins Integrative Medicine website has a 12-page pdf file you can download. It includes what to eat, supplements that can assist the body, and more. Youll notice tthis document mentions the use of milk thistle, dandelion and turmeric. Are you familiar with the American Botanical Council website? Take advantage of the all the information it has to offer on plant medicine and essential oils that you may be using in your detoxification program or elsewhere in matters related to your health. The Unlearning Part. Hopefully if youve gotten this far you recognize that many of the chemicals used today are not safe, even though were told that they are. There are plenty of problems with toxicants and their effects on the human body, so please continue to learn (and unlearn) by reading my other blogs. Then please help spread these resource-filled blogs on your social media! The Supreme Court on Thursday asked the Centre to examine whether the assets of United Breweries Holdings Limited (UBHL) attached by the Enforcement Directorate could be available to save the winding up of the company and clearing the dues of over 9,000 crore to be paid to banks. Former liquor baron Vijay Mallya holds a little over 10 percent shares in the UBHL which is majorly owned by Dutch beer maker Heineken and British spirit maker Diageo. Mallyas shares in the company, along with other assets, were attached by the Directorate of Enforcement as alleged crime proceeds in their investigation into a case against Mallya registered under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Prior to his escape from the country in 2016, he took loans from a consortium of banks but failed to repay. According to Mallyas lawyers, the outstanding dues are worth 6,203 crore. Senior advocate CS Vaidyanathan, who appeared for Mallya, informed the Court that the assets of the company are more than its liabilities. If the assets lying under the attachment with the ED are allowed to be used, this can save the company from winding up and also help banks receive their dues. He informed the Court that the banks have approached the Debt Recovery Appellate Tribunal with this prayer. Also read: Mehul Choksi moves Delhi high court against Netflix series Bad Boy Billionaires, demands pre-screening This submission did not meet approval from the State Bank of India (SBI), which forms part of the consortium of banks waiting to get its dues. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the Court not to entertain Mallyas request as it will be misused by him in his extradition proceedings. Mehta said, We cannot ignore the fact that he is a fugitive economic offender. What he owes to the banks is 9,777 crore. Under PMLA, a criminal trial will take place and if it is found to be part of proceeds of crime, the same shall be confiscated. The bench of Justices UU Lalit and Vineet Saran said, At present, we are dealing with the company, not the person. You are wearing two hats. Be clear whether you appear for both (SBI and ED). Mehta said, There is more responsibility on our (SBI) part to protect the interest of our nation. The bench gave Mehta time to think over and state its stand on September 8, the next date of hearing. The bench reminded Mehta that the principle of law requires the Court to save a company from winding up. The question posed by the bench was, Once assets are attached (under PMLA), does it mean under the law that it cannot be considered as part of the company assets. The court on March 6, 2020, refused to consider this aspect as it had no jurisdiction to direct the ED on the attached assets. The ED has so far recovered 2,877 crore under its investigation. SC reserves order on review against Mallyas contempt Meanwhile, in a related development, the Supreme Court on Thursday reserved orders on a review petition filed by Vijay Mallya challenging the May 10, 2017 order of the top court holding him guilty for committing contempt of court. The former liquor baron was accused of transferring $40 million received from British spirit maker Diageo to the bank account of his children. Mallya was accused of not disclosing this transaction to the Court and for siphoning the amount from the bank despite the Court restraining him from dealing with any of his moveable and immovable assets. The contempt petition against him was moved by the SBI. The bench of Justices UU Lalit and Ashok Bhushan reserved orders after hearing Mallyas lawyer Jai Munim who stated that an affidavit by Mallya was not considered before the order of contempt was passed. The bench said that the affidavit did not materially influence the finding against the contemnor. Mohammad Yaqoob was virtually unknown five years ago when the Taliban disclosed the mysterious death of his father and its founder, Mullah Mohammad Omar. The Taliban acknowledged that its spiritual leader had been dead for more than two years, soon after Afghan intelligence said he had died of illness in 2013 at a hospital in neighboring Pakistan, from which the reclusive, one-eyed leader had commanded the insurgency in Afghanistan. In his first-ever public statement at the time, the twentysomething Yaqoob called for unity within the Sunni extremist group and dismissed rumors that his father's death was the result of an inside job. Since that first audio message in 2015, the ambitious Mullah Yaqoob has soared through the Taliban's ranks. He has consolidated power since his failed bid to succeed his father that year, first becoming deputy leader before more recently being handed the powerful post of military chief. The military appointment in May of Mullah Yaqoob, who is thought by some outsiders to support the peace process, followed the signing of a landmark deal between Taliban and the United States in February aimed at withdrawing foreign troops and ending the 18-year insurgency. But the selection of such an inexperienced commander has also hinted at possible divisions within the Taliban, which has undergone bitter leadership transitions and growing internal dissent in recent years. 'Moderate' Camp Antonio Giustozzi, a Taliban expert with the Royal United Services Institute in London, describes Mullah Yaqoob as part of a moderate camp that favors a negotiated end to the war. Under the U.S.-Taliban agreement, international forces should withdraw from Afghanistan by May 2021 in exchange for counterterrorism guarantees from the Taliban, which pledged to negotiate a permanent cease-fire and power-sharing deal with the Afghan government. Under Mullah Yaqoob's leadership, the Taliban appears to have been upholding its commitment not to attack departing U.S. forces. The militants, however, have failed to fulfill a pledge to renounce the Al-Qaeda terrorist network behind the 9/11 attacks, a longtime ally. Meanwhile, the Taliban has intensified attacks on Afghan government forces and sought to seize more territory, despite widespread calls for the militants to reduce violence. Experts speculate that the escalating violence might be an attempt to appease more hard-line elements in the Taliban who view the U.S. deal with suspicion. "The moderates are committed to showing a tough Taliban face to Kabul, perhaps as a trade-off for having been given more prominence," said Giustozzi, who has written numerous books on the Taliban. The more moderate camp includes Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, a co-founder of the Taliban and a former deputy to Mullah Omar. Baradar, who spent years in a Pakistani prison, recently served as the Taliban's political chief and head negotiator in talks with the United States. The Saudis' Man? Mullah Yaqoob's appointment as military chief was part of the militant group's biggest leadership reshuffle in years. The shakeup was seen as an attempt by Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada to remove potential spoilers and tighten his grip on the group's military and political wings ahead of peace talks with the Afghan central government. Mullah Yaqoob's predecessor, Ibrahim Sadr, a powerful field commander, opposed peace efforts. Sadr, who has close links to neighboring Iran, was among eight Taliban members designated as global terrorists by the U.S. Treasury Department in 2018. Giustozzi said Mullah Yaqoob had the strong backing of Saudi Arabia, a U.S. ally and Irans regional archrival, adding that Riyadh was providing him with tactful support. "The Saudis and the U.S. wanted people who were too close to Iran out," Giustozzi said. Sadr is said to be among a number of commanders and factions that support continued fighting against Afghan and foreign troops. A new breakaway Taliban faction that has close links to Iran and opposes peace has emerged in recent months. The Hezb-e Walayat-e Islami (Party of Islamic Guardianship) is believed to have split from the mainstream Taliban soon after the deal was reached with the United States. The faction is believed to include supporters of Sadr. Other Iran-linked Taliban leaders who oppose peace efforts include Mullah Qayum Zakir, a powerful battlefield commander and the former military chief of the Taliban until 2014. A former inmate in the infamous U.S. prison at Cuba's Guantanamo Bay, Mullah Zakir has the backing of some hard-line field commanders. Rise To Prominence Before 2015, Mullah Yaqoob did not even have an official position in the Taliban. He was a graduate of several hard-line Islamic seminaries in Pakistan's port city of Karachi, where his family had resided since the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan toppled the brutal Taliban regime in 2001. But experts say the prestige of being Mullah Omar's eldest son elevated his standing among the Taliban's field commanders and its rank and file. "Mullah Omar was a charismatic leader and there remains huge respect for him, his family, and even his close associates, many of whom have been promoted to influential positions," said Obaid Ali, an expert on the insurgency at the Afghanistan Analysts Network, an independent think tank in Kabul. Experts said Mullah Omars family also has the financial clout to buy loyalty. The Taliban is thought to earn as much as $1.5 billion annually from the opium trade, illegal mining, extortion, and donations from abroad. And many Taliban leaders own businesses and property in Pakistan. Mullah Yaqoob was promoted to the Taliban's leadership council in 2015, soon after his fathers death. An uncle, Mullah Abdul Manan, was also elevated to the council, which is based in the southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta, near the Afghan border. Mullah Yaqoob was appointed as head of the Taliban's military commission for 15 of Afghanistan's 34 provinces. Mullah Mansur was accused of covering up Mullah Omar's death and assuming leadership of the extremist group without formal approval. He struggled to reconcile feuding factions, with some commanders splitting from the group and challenging his leadership. He was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Pakistan in May 2016. Mullah Akhundzada, a low-key Islamic scholar who was Mullah Mansur's deputy, was appointed as the new leader soon afterward, although his selection was also opposed. He named Mullah Yaqoob as deputy leader. 'Somewhat Entitled' Despite his elevated positions, Mullah Yaqoob is not believed to be widely admired among the militant group or its followers. An Afghan intelligence official who spoke on condition of anonymity described Mullah Yaqoob as a "shrewd young man who is somewhat entitled and self-centered." As someone raised outside his homeland, Mullah Yaqoob is "unaware of the realities in Afghanistan," an Afghan security official told RFE/RL on condition of anonymity. Afghan intelligence says Mullah Yaqoob was trained in guerrilla warfare by the Pakistan-based militant group Jaish-e Muhammad, which has been blamed for deadly attacks on Indian targets in Afghanistan and the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir, where archrivals Islamabad and New Delhi have fought three wars. Pakistan's military leadership has long been accused of backing Afghan and Kashmiri militant groups to achieve its strategic goals in the region. HOUSTON/DENVER -- A hurried evacuation of a half million Texas and Louisiana residents ahead of Hurricane Laura has clogged highways, while COVID-19 precautions slowed public transportation for evacuees who needed it and complicated temporary housing arrangements. The storm strengthened and is forecast to bring 145 mile (233 km) per hour winds to the Texas/Louisiana border near midnight on Wednesday. Warnings for an unsurvivable storm surge and catastrophic damage led officials in each state to call for residents to flee inland. Local officials advised residents with personal vehicles to take them. For those boarding buses out of the area temperature checks were required. Evacuees were being assigned to far-flung hotels to avoid large groups at shelters. In Galveston County, Texas, which ordered a mandatory evacuation of low-lying areas on Tuesday, buses brought residents inland, but capped the number on each at 15 to 20 people because of the pandemic, said county official Zach Davidson. Officials also arranged for ambulances for those diagnosed with COVID-19. We have stressed to people, when youre building your hurricane kit, put in a mask, hand sanitizer, gloves, he said. Texas state officials were directing those fleeing the storm to hotels in Dallas and elsewhere after an Austin intake center was overwhelmed with requests for housing overnight. Jared Brown, 39, left Lake Charles, Louisiana, early on Wednesday and was headed to Austin to stay with a friend. He wanted his family to avoid hotels closer to home due to the pandemic. I told (the friend) if he didnt want us to stay I would understand, Brown said at a pit stop outside of Houston to fill his automobile with fuel. Luckily he didnt mind. Another evacuee, Veronica Carresco, was carting a full complement of antiseptics on the way to Midland, Texas. Were just being cautious. Masks, Lysol, hand sanitizer - were doing all of it, she said. Large-scale evacuations could increase COVID-19 cases in evacuees origin and destination counties, according to a study by Columbia University and the Union of Concerned Scientists. It advised evacuees to be assigned to areas with low virus activity and encouraged them to follow social distancing guidelines and to wear masks and protective gear. Texas and Louisiana were both hot spots for the pandemic earlier this year, but new case trends have since declined. Darrell Pile, chief executive of the Southeast Texas Regional Advisory Council, which helps coordinate disaster response, said the group received buses, ambulances and personal protective equipment to assistance with evacuations. Even with the pandemic risks, residents should obey mandates. If it is suggested that you evacuate, you follow those instructions, said Pile. Especially if you have medical needs, it could be days before workers can reach your home. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (standing) speaks at the meeting (Photo: VNA) Hanoi - Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc requested ministries and localities to soon address shortcomings in legal environment for building the e-government, while chairing an online meeting on August 26. He noted that the rate of online public services remains low, which is unlikely to reach 30 percent at the years end without new ways of implementation. Some ministries and provinces could only reach less than 10 percent, an alarming level, he added. The deployment of national database that creates a foundation for the e-government has been slow, especially on land issues, the PM said, adding that it is too late to wait until 2025 as proposed by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. He urged the Ministry of Information and Communications to map out a training project and a national digitalisation roadmap for localities, as well as complete a draft on the development strategy of the digital government for 2021-2025, with a vision to 2030, in the third quarter of this year. The Ministry of Public Security was tasked to speed up the building of a decree on the protection of personal data, then submit to the Government for consideration in 2020. From 2021, the Government will consider conducting e-government ranking for the 63 cities and provinces nationwide, he revealed. Vietnam ranked 86th out of the 193 countries and territories by the e-government development index (EGDI) in 2020, climbing two places from two years ago, according to the 2020 e-government survey conducted by the United Nations. It ranked sixth in Southeast Asia, behind Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Brunei and the Philippines. Caregivers and their charges struggle as resources and freedom disappear during the pandemic Daisy Conant, 91, thrives from routine. One of her favorites is reading the newspaper with her morning coffee. But, lately, the news surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic has been more agitating than pleasurable. Were dropping like flies, she said one recent morning, throwing her hands up. She gets fearful, explained her grandson Erik Hayhurst, 27. I sort of have to pull her back and walk her through the facts. Conant hasnt been diagnosed with dementia, but her family has a history of Alzheimers. She had been living independently in her home of 60 years, but Hayhurst decided to move in with her in 2018 after she showed clear signs of memory loss and fell repeatedly. For a while, Conant remained active, meeting up with friends and neighbors to walk around her neighborhood, attend church, and visit the corner market. Hayhurst, a project management consultant, juggled caregiving with his job. Then COVID-19 came, wrecking Conants routine and isolating her from friends and loved ones. Hayhurst has had to remake his life, too. He suddenly became his grandmothers only caregiverother family members can visit only from the lawn. COVID-19 has upended the lives of dementia patients and their caregivers. Adult daycare programs, memory cafes, and support groups have shut down or moved online, providing less help for caregivers and less social and mental stimulation for patients. Fear of spreading the virus limits in-person visits from friends and family. These changes have disrupted long-standing routines that millions of people with dementia rely on to help maintain health and happiness. The pandemic has been devastating to older adults and their families when they are unable to see each other and provide practical and emotional support, said Lynn Friss Feinberg, a senior strategic policy adviser at AARP Public Policy Institute. Nearly 6 million Americans age 65 and older have Alzheimers disease, the most common type of dementia. An estimated 70 percent of them live in the community, primarily in traditional home settings, according to the Alzheimers Association 2020 Facts and Figures journal. People with dementia, particularly those in the advanced stages of the disease, live in the moment, said Sandy Markwood, CEO of the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging. They may not understand why family members arent visiting or, when they do, why they dont come into the house, she added. Visitation under the current restrictions, such as a drive-by or window visit, can actually result in more confusion, Markwood said. The burden of helping patients cope with these changes often falls on the more than 16 million people who provide unpaid care for people with Alzheimers or other dementias in the United States. The Alzheimers Associations 24-hour Helpline has seen a shift in the type of assistance requested during the pandemic. Callers need more emotional support, their situations are more complex, and theres a greater heaviness to the calls, said Susan Howland, programs director for the Alzheimers Association California Southland Chapter. So many [callers] are seeking advice on how to address gaps in care, said Beth Kallmyer, the associations vice president of care and support. Others are simply feeling overwhelmed and just need someone to reassure them. Because many activities that bolstered dementia patients and their caregivers have been canceled due to physical-distancing requirements, dementia and caregiver support organizations are expanding or trying other strategies, such as virtual wellness activities, check-in calls from nurses, and online caregiver support groups. EngAGED, an online resource center for older adults, maintains a directory of innovative programs developed since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. They include pen pal services and letter-writing campaigns, robotic pets, and weekly online choir rehearsals. These may not always be enough. Hayhurst, for example, has experienced some rocky moments during the pandemic. He said it was hard for Conant to understand why she needed to wear a mask. Eventually, he made it part of their routine when they leave the house on daily walks. Conant has now learned to put on her mask without prompting. At first it was a challenge, Hayhurst said. She knows its part of the ritual now. People with dementia can become agitated when being taught new things, said Dr. Lon Schneider, director of the Alzheimers Disease Research Center at the University of Southern California. To reduce distress, he said, caregivers should enforce mask-wearing only when necessary. That was a lesson Gina Moran of Fountain Valley, California, learned early on. Moran, 43, cares for her 85-year-old mother, Alba Moran, who was diagnosed with Alzheimers in 2007. I try to use the same words every time, Moran said. I tell her theres a virus going around thats killing a lot of people, especially the elderly. And shell respond, Oh, Im at that age. If Moran forgets to explain the need for a mask or social distancing, her mother gets combative. She raises her voice and refuses to listen to Moran, much like a child throwing a tantrum, Moran said. I cant go into more information than that because she wont understand, she said. I try to keep it simple. The pandemic is also exacerbating feelings of isolation and loneliness, and not just for people with dementia, said Dr. Jin Hui Joo, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Caregivers are lonely, too. When stay-at-home orders first came down in March, Hayhursts grandmother repeatedly said she felt lonesome, he recalled. The lack of interaction has made her feel far more isolated. To keep her connected with family and friends, he regularly sets up video conference calls. But Conant struggles with the concept of seeing familiar faces through the computer screen. During a Zoom call on her birthday last month, Conant tried to cut pieces of cake for her guests. Moran also feels isolated, in part because shes getting less help from family. In addition to caring for her mom, Moran studies sociology online and is in the process of adopting 1-year-old Viviana. Right now, to minimize her mothers exposure to the virus, Morans sister is the only person who visits a couple of times a week. She stays with my mom and baby so I can get some sleep, Moran said. Before COVID-19, she used to get out more on her own. Losing that bit of free time makes her feel lonely and sad, she admitted. I would get my nails done, run errands by myself and go out on lunch dates with friends, Moran said. But not anymore. Heidi de Marco is a reporter and producer for California Healthline. This story was produced by Kaiser Health News, which publishes California Healthline, a service of the California Health Care Foundation. A young boy has died after a tree fell on top of him during wild storms in Melbourne that claimed two other lives in separate incidents. The four-year-old was hit by a tree in Blackburn South, in the citys east, and later died after being rushed to hospital, Victoria Police confirmed to Yahoo News Australia. The wild weather across Victoria, which saw winds of more than 100km/h, also led to the death of a 59-year-old man in Belgrave, also in Melbournes east, and a 36-year-old woman in Fernshaw, northeast of the city. The man was leaving a shopping centre when a tree fell on his vehicle at the intersection of Terrys Avenue and Ena Road shortly after 6pm. A police officer inspects the area of the fallen tree in Blackburn South. Source: Nine The woman was a passenger in a ute driving along the Maroondah Highway when it was struck by a tree about 6.50pm. The male driver, 24, sustained minor injuries. Police are preparing coroner's reports for all three incidents. By 9pm, Victoria SES had received 1,400 calls for assistance following the strong winds. Power has been cut to at least 80,000 homes. Victoria SES urged road users to drive carefully in the citys east and Yarra Ranges, with the possible debris including branches, rocks and mud on roads. @SciNate wild wind and horizontal rain here with a black band of clouds. Heading towards Melbourne and Port Philip Bay. pic.twitter.com/k4tVu38Rit michelle joy wilson (@michellejoywils) August 27, 2020 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. SPRINGFIELD Police confiscated a handgun and a stolen rifle and arrested a 26-year-old man Tuesday evening. Officers responded to a gun call at an apartment on Wilbraham Road at about 6 p.m. and found a man tossing items around the home in an effort to find a gun, said Ryan Walsh, police spokesman. Miguel Suarez, 26, of Wilbraham Road, was detained and police then discovered a loaded handgun on the bedroom floor and an M&P-15 rifle with a 30-round magazine in the home. Suarez, who did not have a permit for the firearms, was then arrested on seven felony and five misdemeanor charges, Walsh said. He is charged with two counts of possession of a large-capacity firearm, two counts of possession of a high-capacity magazine or feeding device, two counts of possession of ammunition without a permit, two counts of improper storage of a large-capacity firearm, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, receiving stolen property less than $1,200 and two counts of a firearm violation with a prior violent or drug crime conviction. Police traced the rifle and learned it had been stolen from a home in Hancock, Walsh said. Related Content: Givaudan announces its 2025 strategy: Committed to Growth, with Purpose The Company aims to deliver sustainable value creation for all stakeholders over the next five years Customers are at the heart of the strategy, supporting them to create brands that are loved by consumers New divisional naming also announced to reflect the expanded offering of its portfolio 27 August 2020 Givaudan today announces its roadmap and ambitious financial targets for the next five years. Over this period, the Company aims to deliver: Average organic sales growth of 4-5% on a like-for-like basis Average free cash flow of at least 12% On non-financial targets around sustainability, diversity and safety linked to the Company's purpose* "Committed to Growth, with Purpose" is our vision and roadmap for the next five years, continuing to create long-term value for all our stakeholders. Customers are at the heart of our strategy, we work in close partnership with them to provide creative, innovative and sustainable solutions that are loved by consumers," said Givaudan Chief Executive Officer Gilles Andrier. "We aim for continued ambitious financial targets while striving towards achieving our longer-term purpose ambitions in the areas of creations, nature, people and communities." Givaudan's strategy over the next five years is fully in line with its purpose "Creating for happier, healthier lives with love for nature", and is based on three growth drivers and four growth enablers. Givaudan's 2025 strategy Givaudan continues to place customers at the heart of its business, supporting them to create brands that are loved by consumers. Helping its customers to continue to grow, the Company will focus on three key growth drivers for the next five years. Three growth drivers Expand the portfolio brings together the Company's core business and the enhanced value proposition from the 16 acquisitions successfully integrated since 2014. The Company will continue to further expand beyond the current portfolio of flavours and fragrances, naturals and delivery systems into nutrition, food ingredients and beauty. This broader offering will help customers to better respond to consumer demand for products that support health and wellbeing, positive ageing and changing lifestyles, whilst meeting their ethical and responsible business expectations. brings together the Company's core business and the enhanced value proposition from the 16 acquisitions successfully integrated since 2014. The Company will continue to further expand beyond the current portfolio of flavours and fragrances, naturals and delivery systems into nutrition, food ingredients and beauty. This broader offering will help customers to better respond to consumer demand for products that support health and wellbeing, positive ageing and changing lifestyles, whilst meeting their ethical and responsible business expectations. Extend customer reach to a rapidly changing and more fragmented customer landscape. The trend for smaller and local brands will drive growth in the local and regional customer segment, while there will be continued potential with larger international and global customers. Being a partner of choice to all its customers remains key, which means providing more tailored approaches to meet the wider ranging needs of all its customers. to a rapidly changing and more fragmented customer landscape. The trend for smaller and local brands will drive growth in the local and regional customer segment, while there will be continued potential with larger international and global customers. Being a partner of choice to all its customers remains key, which means providing more tailored approaches to meet the wider ranging needs of all its customers. Focused market strategies responding to the growth forecast in global consumption. In the last strategy cycle, the Company made a number of investments in high growth markets to ensure greater proximity to its customers and develop further understanding of local consumer preferences. Over the next five years, the Company intends to maximise mature market opportunities whilst at the same time extend its high growth market leadership, particularly in China. To support its growth ambition, the Company will continue to seek opportunities that it believes will create value for its customers and other stakeholders alike. Four growth enablers Supporting the three growth drivers, the Company will focus on four growth enablers to meet its ambitions: Creations: We create inspiring solutions for happier, healthier lives Innovation remains a critical factor in creating better and more sustainable solutions for its customers. The Company aims to expand and deepen the strategic relationships it has with suppliers, start-ups and partners; enhancing collaboration and co-creation with customers to develop innovative solutions for the future. Innovation remains a critical factor in creating better and more sustainable solutions for its customers. The Company aims to expand and deepen the strategic relationships it has with suppliers, start-ups and partners; enhancing collaboration and co-creation with customers to develop innovative solutions for the future. Nature: We show our love for nature through impactful actions The Company demonstrates its love for nature with a particular focus on climate, water and forests preservation. Environmental sustainability will be further embedded in the product portfolio and alternative solutions found to preserve precious natural resources. Sourcing for good is a critical component of this enabler, through strengthening the Company's industry leading responsible sourcing and traceability programme, and driving supplier engagement on environmental actions. The Company demonstrates its love for nature with a particular focus on climate, water and forests preservation. Environmental sustainability will be further embedded in the product portfolio and alternative solutions found to preserve precious natural resources. Sourcing for good is a critical component of this enabler, through strengthening the Company's industry leading responsible sourcing and traceability programme, and driving supplier engagement on environmental actions. People: We nurture a place where we all love to be and grow The employee focus over the next five years is to ensure that Givaudan is a place where everyone feels welcome, valued and inspired. Before the end of this strategy cycle, the Company aims to be rated among the leading employers for inclusion globally. As a business that cares for the health and wellbeing of its people, new programmes will be implemented to further support its employees. The employee focus over the next five years is to ensure that Givaudan is a place where everyone feels welcome, valued and inspired. Before the end of this strategy cycle, the Company aims to be rated among the leading employers for inclusion globally. As a business that cares for the health and wellbeing of its people, new programmes will be implemented to further support its employees. Communities: We bring benefits to all communities that work with us Delivering sustainable value creation for all its stakeholders also includes the communities where it sources and operates. Working in partnership with its suppliers, the Company will further embed responsible sourcing to source all materials and services in a way that protects people and the environment. The Company will also empower its employees to develop sustainable, scalable solutions together with communities to contribute to happier, healthier lives. The three growth drivers and four enablers are all supported by a focus on: Excellence, Innovation & Simplicity - in everything we do. The Company aims to deliver the highest standards across its value chain, from operational and financial performance to the delivery of a superior customer experience. From having industry leading solutions and services, to expanding the use of digital enabled collaboration to the adoption of manufacturing automation, these all support its customer centric approach. Innovation is the lifeblood of the Company's activities, creating differentiating solutions that address its customers' challenges and leading the way in spaces such as biotechnology and digitalisation. CEO Gilles Andrier concluded: "We are proud of the great progress we are making to complete our current 2020 strategy: Responsible growth. Shared success. This is only possible due to the strength of our relationships with our customers, and the dedication of our passionate 16,000 employees around the world. This remains central to our success over the next five year roadmap and beyond. Committed to Growth, with Purpose is our aim to deliver sustainable value creation that benefits all. In pursuing B Corp certification we also firmly show the type of business we want to be, one that acts as a force for good, delivering profit with purpose." New division naming and value proposition To reflect the expanded portfolio and product offering, Givaudan is evolving the name and positioning of its two divisions. Its Flavour Division will be Taste & Wellbeing which captures the value it brings to customers by shaping the future of food, going beyond great taste to create food experiences that do good and feel good, for body, mind and planet. Its Fragrance Division will be Fragrance & Beauty which reflects the division's vision to be the creative partner of choice in personal, fabric, hygiene and home care and also in fine fragrances and beauty overall. * www.givaudan.com/our-company/about-givaudan/our-purpose About Givaudan Givaudan is the global leader in the creation of flavours and fragrances, with its heritage stretching back over 250 years, the Company has a long history of innovating scents and tastes. From a favourite drink to your daily meal, from prestige perfumes to cosmetics and laundry care, its creations inspire emotions and delight millions of consumers the world over. The Company is committed to driving purpose-led, long-term growth while leading the way to improve happiness and health for people and nature. In the fiscal year 2019, the Company employed over 14,900 people worldwide and achieved sales of CHF 6.2 billion and a free cash flow of 12.7% of sales. Let's imagine together on www.givaudan.com. For further information please contact Pierre Benaich, Givaudan Media and Investor Relations T +41 22 780 5053 Epierre.benaich@givaudan.com WASHINGTON/ANKARA (Reuters) - The United States said on Tuesday it strongly objected to Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan's recent hosting of two leaders of Hamas in Istanbul, prompting a swift riposte from Ankara. The State Department said the officials were Specially Designated Global Terrorists and the United States was seeking information about one for his involvement in multiple terrorist attacks, hijackings and kidnappings. A Turkish government statement on Saturday said Erdogan received Ismail Haniyeh, head of the Hamas Political Bureau, and an accompanying delegation. On Tuesday, Turkey's foreign ministry said Ankara "fully rejects" the U.S. criticism and called on Washington to use its influence for a "balanced policy" that will help solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, instead of "serving Israel's interests." The State Department said the Saturday meeting was the second time this year Erdogan had welcomed leaders of the armed Islamist group that has controlled Gaza for over a decade, after a meeting on Feb. 1. "President Erdogan's continued outreach to this terrorist organization only serves to isolate Turkey from the international community, harms the interests of the Palestinian people, and undercuts global efforts to prevent terrorist attacks launched from Gaza," it said in a statement. "We continue to raise our concerns about the Turkish government's relationship with Hamas at the highest levels." In its statement, Turkey's foreign ministry said: "Declaring the legitimate representative of Hamas, who came to power after winning democratic elections in Gaza and is an important reality of the region, as a terrorist will not be of any contribution to efforts for peace and stability in the region." U.S. ties with NATO ally Turkey have been strained over a variety of issues including Ankara's purchase of Russian S-400 defense systems, which prompted Washington to suspend Turkish involvement in its F-35 jet program and threaten sanctions. Story continues Tuesday's exchange came just hours after U.S. President Donald Trump praised Erdogan for releasing American pastor Andrew Brunson last year after two years of detention. "I have to say that, to me President Erdogan was very good," Trump told Brunson in a meeting with Americans freed from overseas captivity aired on the first night of the Republican National Convention on Monday. "And I know they had you scheduled for a long time, and you were a very innocent person, and he, ultimately, after we had a few conversations, he agreed. So we appreciate that, and we appreciate the people of Turkey," Trump said. (Reporting by David Brunnstrom in Washington and Tuvan Gumrukcu in Ankara; Editing by Richard Chang and Cynthia Osterman) UN-backed talks on new Syrian constitution were halted on Monday after four delegates tested positive for COVID-19. The United Nations has said talks aimed at rewriting the Syrian constitution have resumed after a three-day pause caused by positive cases of coronavirus among four participants. The discussions between the representatives of President Bashar al-Assads government, the opposition and civil society resumed in Geneva on Thursday after Swiss health authorities gave the green light. UN envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen, who is moderating the talks, has voiced hope it could pave the way towards a broader political process in Syria. The talks resumed at 2pm (12:00 GMT) on Thursday with full social distancing and related precautions in place, his office said in a statement. Im very pleased that we were able to resume the Third session of the Small Body of the Constitutional Committee today. https://t.co/eVjudZUzmQ Geir O. Pedersen (@GeirOPedersen) August 27, 2020 Pedersen has called the talks a prospective door-opener to a final resolution of Syrias devastating nine-year civil war. The meeting is the first of its kind in nine months after the coronavirus pandemic forced the postponement of an earlier meeting in March. The committee members 15 each from Syrias government, the opposition and civil society were tested for the new coronavirus before they travelled to Geneva, and were tested again on arrival in the Swiss city. One opposition delegate, one from civil society and two representing the government tested positive, opposition negotiations leader Hadi al-Bahra told a virtual news briefing on Tuesday. The discussions had been scheduled to wrap up on Friday, but Pedersen said the plan now was to extend the talks into Saturday. The Constitutional Committee was created in September last year and first convened a month later. This new constitution has to live up to the aspirations of the Syrian people for democracy, for equal citizenship, to guarantee their rights, and to make them equal in the eyes of the law in their duties and in their rights, al-Bahra said. The UN has been striving for more than nine years to nurture a political resolution to Syrias civil war, which has killed more than 380,000 people and displaced at least 11 million. People with antibodies to Zika virus are more vulnerable to severe infection with certain types of dengue -- and that could complicate the search for a Zika vaccine Berkeley -- Getting sick with the mosquito-borne Zika virus makes people more vulnerable to developing dengue disease later on, and to suffering from more severe symptoms when they do get sick from dengue, finds a new study published online today (Thursday, Aug. 27) in the journal Science. The study, which drew on data from two cohorts of Nicaraguan children who lived through a Zika epidemic in 2016 and a dengue epidemic in 2019, is the first to investigate the impacts of Zika immunity on dengue disease in humans. Its findings confirm earlier suspicions that some antibodies to the Zika virus, which usually serve to protect the body from infection, may actually interact with dengue viruses in ways that can make dengue infection worse. This interaction, known as antibody-dependent enhancement, could make it harder for researchers to design a safe and effective vaccine that protects against Zika without also increasing the risk of dengue. "The key thing that our study establishes is that prior Zika infection does significantly increase your risk of both symptomatic and more severe forms of dengue disease," said study first author Leah Katzelnick, who performed the research as postdoctoral scholar at the University of California, Berkeley's School of Public Health. "That finding raises the questions: Could a vaccine only targeted at Zika actually put people at increased risk of more severe dengue disease? And how can you design a Zika vaccine that only induces good antibodies that protect you against Zika, but doesn't induce these other, potentially enhancing antibodies that are harmful against disease?" A family of related viruses Dengue disease is caused by not one but four closely related types of flaviviruses, each of which can strike with a slightly different set of symptoms and severity. Getting sick with one type of dengue virus can increase the likelihood that a person will develop a second, more severe illness when infected with a separate type of dengue virus. However, after a person has been infected with two types of dengue viruses, they usually gain some degree of immune protection against future dengue disease severity. When Zika first emerged in Latin America in late 2015, many speculated whether the flavivirus, a close cousin to the dengue viruses, might interact with the dengue viruses in a similar way. "The first question was, 'How will prior dengue virus infection affect Zika?' because everyone in Latin America, to some degree or another, is eventually dengue immune and has dengue antibodies," said study senior author Eva Harris, a professor of infectious diseases and vaccinology at UC Berkeley. Since 2004, Harris and her colleagues in Nicaragua have monitored a cohort of approximately 3,800 children living in Managua, the country's capital, tracking any signs of dengue disease and collecting annual blood samples to test for the virus and its antibodies. When chikungunya, another mosquito-borne virus, and Zika appeared in Nicaragua in 2014 and 2016, respectively, the cohort was expanded to capture cases of these emerging pathogens. Using data from the cohort, Harris published a 2019 study showing that prior dengue virus infection can grant a small amount of protection against Zika, and other studies now support this conclusion. But the inverse question, whether Zika antibodies protect against future dengue disease, or potentially enhance it, remained a mystery. Landing amidst an outbreak In July 2019, Harris landed in Managua with Katzelnick, who would be stationed in Nicaragua's capital for the rest of the year as a Fogarty Global Health Fellow. The two arrived at the very beginning of what would become a massive epidemic of dengue virus Type 2, one of the more severe of the four flavors, or serotypes, of dengue, and the first major outbreak of dengue since the Zika epidemic in 2016. "We watched as the epidemic spread in real time, and we started thinking, you know what, there are a lot of cases. I wonder if previous infection with Zika is pushing people into symptomatic disease?'" Harris said. The team gathered data from its pediatric cohort and from another study of children being treated at a nearby pediatric hospital. By mid-autumn, the researchers had enough evidence to prove that having a prior Zika infection made a person more likely to have a symptomatic dengue infection. And as cases mounted, they found that prior Zika infection can also enhance dengue disease severity. The team drew on the pediatric cohort's bank of blood samples going back to 2004 to investigate other patterns of disease. It found that people who had one dengue infection, followed by a Zika infection, remained at high risk of developing a second, more severe dengue infection. In addition, when a person had two sequential dengue infections, the type of dengue virus that caused the second infection impacted whether the person was protected or experienced enhanced dengue disease. "I think this can really help us understand epidemics that are coming down the line," Harris said. "So, for instance, if you have a dengue Type 2 epidemic after a big Zika outbreak, you know to prepare your hospitals to treat people who might be more likely to develop a more severe disease." When immunity backfires When we get sick, our bodies produce large proteins called antibodies to help our immune system fight the infection. These antibodies have specific chemical shapes that allow them to stick to the pathogen of concern, flagging the invader to be broken down by immune cells. For viruses like Zika and dengue, they also can coat the virus and prevent it from entering the body's cells, effectively neutralizing it. Antibody-dependent enhancement can happen when an antibody designed to stick to one virus, like Zika, tries to stick to a slightly different virus, like dengue. Antibodies to Zika virus can attach to dengue viruses, but not quite well enough to neutralize them. As a result, when a passing immune cell senses the antibody "flag" and tries to break down the dengue virus, it can actually end up getting infected by the virus. "This mechanism not only allows the virus to get into more cells to infect, but also suppresses the immune response of those cells, enabling the virus to produce even more virus," Katzelnick said. "And, because they're immune cells, they are moving around the body. And so, they can initiate a larger infection." In a 2017 study, Katzelnick, Harris and the team in Nicaragua showed that infection with one dengue virus can lead to a more severe infection with a second dengue virus through antibody-dependent enhancement. Though this mechanism has complicated the search for effective vaccines for both Zika and dengue, Katzelnick and Harris say that it is still possible to design vaccines that spur the body to create antibodies that only stick to the targeted virus, and no other. "Zika is still a horrible problem that has a lot of complicated ethical considerations, in part because of the way it affects pregnant women and also potentially their children," Katzelnick said. "I really hope that people keep working very hard to find ways to develop a safe vaccine, even if it's more challenging than we originally thought." ### Co-authors of the study include Ce?sar Narvaez, Sonia Arguello, Brenda Lopez Mercado, Damaris Collado, Oscarlett Ampie, Douglas Elizondo, Tatiana Miranda, Sergio Ojeda, Nery Sanchez, Miguel Plazaola and Federico Narvaez of the Sustainable Sciences Institute (SSI) in Managua, Nicaragua; Fausto Bustos and Josefina Coloma of UC Berkeley; Juan Carlos Mercado, Guillermina Kuan and Angel Balmaseda of the Nicaragua Ministry of Health and SSI; Krista Latta, Amy Schiller and Aubree Gordon of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; Bruno Segovia-Chumbez, Lakshmanane Premkumar and Aravinda M. de Silva of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; and M. Elizabeth Halloran of the University of Washington, Seattle. This research was funded by National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant P01AI106695. The Pediatric Dengue Cohort Study was supported by NIH grants P01AI106695, U19AI118610 and R01AI099631, as well as the Pediatric Dengue Vaccine Initiative grant VE-1 and FIRST grant, both from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Other support included a Global Health Equity Scholar FIC/NIH training grant D43TW010540, Centers for Disease Control contract 00HVCLJB-2017-04191 and NIH/NIAID grant R01AI107731. Were keeping track of the latest news regarding the coronavirus in South Florida and around the state. Check back for updates throughout the day. Judge rejects stay in school opening case, but nothing changes for now Teachers who oppose schools reopening during the COVID-19 pandemic protest ahead of the school board meeting to decide at the Hillsborough County Public Schools district office on Aug. 6, 2020, in Tampa, Florida. 4:15 p.m.: Siding with teachers unions, a Leon County circuit judge Thursday lifted a stay of his earlier ruling that a state order requiring schools to reopen in August is unconstitutional. Judge Charles Dodson on Monday issued a temporary injunction accusing Gov. Ron DeSantis, Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran and other state education officials of ignoring the Florida Constitution by requiring school districts to resume face-to-face instruction this month amid the coronavirus pandemic. School districts risk losing state funding if they dont comply with the emergency order, issued by Corcoran on July 6. Attorneys for Corcoran and DeSantis immediately filed a notice of appealing Dodsons ruling to the 1st District Court of Appeal. Read the story here. Florida adds 3,269 new COVID-19 cases as the death toll rises to more than 10,800 Floridas Department of Health on Thursday confirmed 3,269 additional cases of COVID-19, bringing the states known total to 611,991. There were also 135 Florida resident deaths announced, bringing the resident death toll to 10,868. 11:25 a.m.: Floridas Department of Health on Thursday confirmed 3,269 additional cases of COVID-19, bringing the states known total to 611,991. There were also 135 Florida resident deaths announced, bringing the resident death toll to 10,868. There were four new non-resident deaths also announced, bringing the non-resident toll to 143. Read the story here. New Florida jobless applications fall to pandemic low but U.S. stays over a million 10:20 a.m.: New applications for unemployment assistance hit another pandemic low in Florida last week but total jobless claims for the rest of the U.S. remain stuck above 1 million, suggesting the economic fallout from the coronavirus outbreak continues. For the week ending Aug. 22, Florida counted 45,723 new unemployment claims, a decrease from last weeks 72,774 count. Its the second time in three weeks that the state figure has dipped to a new low since the onset of the pandemic. However, the new figure remains well above Floridas pre-pandemic weekly count, which averaged about 5,000 claims. Story continues Read the story here. Sen. Rubio touts a new COVID technology in press release about his childs school Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., speaks during a Senate Intelligence Committee nomination hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington on May 5, 2020. 8:45 a.m.: A press release pitching a catch and kill air filtration system to help schools reduce COVID-19 infection risk quoted Sen. Marco Rubio praising the technology and said the Republican lawmaker would be on hand to celebrate the systems installation Thursday at True North Classical Academy, a charter school in Miami-Dade that one of his children attends. But Rubios office said Thursday he wont attend the event at the school. And the sitting senator isnt endorsing the product, Rubio spokesman Nick Iacovella said in an email: Senator Rubio cannot comment on any specific product, but he strongly supports schools using new technologies, strategies, and routines to help them reopen safely. Read the story here. Four more hand sanitizers recalled as toxic 8:40 a.m.: V-Klean, Medically Minded, Zanilast + and Protz Real Protection Antibacterial hand sanitizers have been recalled for toxic methanol, ethanol levels or 1-propanol presence. The FDA Do Not Use list added four. Read the story here. CATCH UP TO START THE DAY 8:30 a.m.: Here are the coronavirus headlines to catch you up on whats happening around South Florida and the state as Thursday begins. Florida adds more than 3,200 coronavirus cases as death toll passes 10,700. After big debate over hugs, task force recommends limited nursing home visits. Gov. Ron DeSantis says Florida will take President Donald Trump up on offer of $300 added unemployment benefit. Operations at Mali's central bank restarted operations this week following restrictions imposed by the regional monetary authority in light of a coup d'etat ousting President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita. However, the country remains cut off from international transactions and financing. They opened the counters at the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO) and they allowed inter-bank transfers in Mali, cheque remittances, netting/offsetting, said Hamadoun Bah, secretary general, National Union of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions (SYNABEF). But international operations, notably those within the West African CFA franc zone, remain blocked, as well as ATM machines for those with Visa cards, added Bah. Mali is one of eight countries making up the West African Monetary and Economic Union using the West African CFA franc common currency, which is managed by the Dakar-based BCEAO and guaranteed by the French treasury in Paris. In the aftermath of the coup led by a group of Malian soldiers, the Ecowas regional bloc imposed restrictions on the country and the regional central bank stopped operations. An Ecowas mediation team has been meeting Mali's military junta, who reportedly proposed a three-year transitional authority led by soldiers. Financially isolated Fears of Mali running out of cash are unfounded, SYNABEF head Bah told RFI, nevertheless restrictions on international transfers is a "big problem" since it blocks credit. It creates difficulties for the country, he added. It blocks financing at the level of the BCEAO, it blocks refinancing of the economy at the national level, monetary creation, there's also a question of banknotes, said Bah. AZA Finance, a Nairobi-based currency broker, last week described the clampdown by the BCEAO as a "hidden danger". Limits on FX transactions will inhibit trade particularly for the dominant agricultural sector in Africas eighth largest country, said Michael Nderitu, head of trading for AZA. Story continues It is therefore crucial that the BCEAO resumes normalcy in the currency markets as soon as events on the ground permit, Nderitu added, in a briefing seen by RFI. Bah is concerned the restrictions will force many businesses to consider making transactions outside the formal banking system: The fact they've financially isolated Mali will encourage transfers on the black market. Mali's economy is already considered fragile, described by the World Bank as a low-income economy that is undiversified and vulnerable to commodity price fluctuations. An official from Goas health department on Thursday said the states health services director Dr Jose DSa tested positive for the novel coronavirus disease and has been admitted at a private hospital near the capital city of Panaji. The official said DSa was hospitalised on Wednesday after he complained of cough and fever and later tested positive for Covid-19 adding that his condition is stable. According to the union health ministrys dashboard, Goa has registered over 15,000 Covid-19 cases till now. The total cases include 11,511 discharges, 165 deaths and 3,351 active cases. The state government has been under pressure from opposition parties over its handling of the Covid-19 situation. Leader of Opposition Digambar Kamat questioned the governments readiness to tackle the crisis after DSa got admitted in a private hospital and not in a state-run facility. On the other hand, Goas health authorities have defended their approach of dealing with the pandemic by saying that the overall fatality rate is less than one per cent and majority of the patients who were at a critical stage have been cured. Meanwhile, India on Thursday logged its highest-ever spike of 75,760 new Covid-19 cases. The overall tally is now over 3.31 million and the death toll stands at 60,000 while the recovery rate is over 76 per cent. (with inputs from PTI) Only 74 international travelers visit Iran during spring 07/22/20 Source: Tehran Times The number of foreign travelers to Iran has drastically plunged due to the global coronavirus pandemic as the Islamic Republic registered only 74 visits during the spring season. "Iran's [inbound] tourism came to almost zero and the country had 74 foreign tourists in the first three months of this [Iranian calendar] year (started on March 20), due to corona outbreak," Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Minister Ali-Asghar Mounesan in a televised interview late on Tuesday. Tourism [industry of Iran] was growing before corona [outbreak], its revenues reached $11.7 billion in 2019, which accounted for 2.8% of GDP, nearing the average share of tourism in the world GDP, which was 3.2 percent, the minister explained. He said 8.7 million foreign nationals visited Iran during the past [Iranian] year (1398), adding that Iran was ranked as the second fastest-growing country in tourism based on data compiled by the World Tourism Organization. "On the onset of coronavirus, tourism faced a sharp decline in the world including our country. So that in the first three months of the current [Iranian] year the number of foreign tourists dropped to 74 --- it was reached almost zero!." The minister reminded that some 2.3 million foreign nationals visited the Islamic Republic during spring last year that showed a 40.66 percent increase year on year. The country hosted 1,443,551 million travelers during the same period a year earlier. Talking about losses to the travel and hospitality industry of the country, the minister said that the virus decease has caused damage to many countries around the world, and our country's travel sector has so far suffered a loss of 12 trillion rials (some $2.85 billion at the official rate of 42,000 rials). The tourism minister on Monday said that his ministry is in full coordination with the Ministry of Health for strictly implementing health protocols in travel destinations, hospitably centers, and museums, amongst others, underlining that "people's health is our first priority." "Protocols outlined by the [both] Ministry of Health, and National Headquarters for Coronavirus Control are being strictly implemented." Earlier this month, Mounesan proclaimed: "If the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic is contained, all the tourism businesses across the country will have the capacity to fully resume their activities both in domestic and foreign markets." "Many tourism projects have been completed, or are being implemented, showing that a very good capacity has been created in the field of tourism in the country and [this trend] should not be stopped," he explained. According to Mounesan, 2,451 tourism-related projects worth 1,370 trillion rials (around $32 billion) are currently being implemented across the country that "signals a prosperous future for Iran's tourism sector." In August, the tourism minister said the coronavirus pandemic should not bring traveling to a complete standstill. "Corona is a fact, but can the virus stop tourism? Certainly not. For us, the coronavirus is a new experience in dealing with crises that teaches tourism experts around the world how to deal with such a disaster, and thankfully governments are turning this into an opportunity for better planning." Iran expects to reap a bonanza from its numerous tourist spots such as bazaars, museums, mosques, bridges, bathhouses, madrasas, mausoleums, churches, towers, and mansions, of which 24 being inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list. Under the 2025 Tourism Vision Plan, it aims to increase the number of tourist arrivals from 4.8 million in 2014 to 20 million in 2025. The latest available data show eight million tourists visited the Islamic Republic during the first ten months of the past Iranian calendar year (started March 21, 2019). TCN News CIVICUS, an online monitor to track fundamental rights around the world has released a statement ahead of August 28 to mark two years since the detention of Indian activist and human rights lawyer Sudha Bharadwaj. Support TwoCircles Sudha Bharadwaj has been in pre-trial detention since August 2018, when she was arrested under the draconian Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and accused of having links with Maoist terrorist organizations. It is also alleged that she and ten other human rights defenders were conspiring to incite Dalits at a public meeting which led to violence in Bhima Koregaon village in the Pune district of Maharashtra in January 2018. In its latest statement, CIVICUS has called on the Indian government to immediately release Sudha Bharadwaj and drop all charges against her. The global alliance which is a coalition of 10,000 civil society organizations dedicated to strengthening citizen action and civil society around the world has raised concerns for her health in prison during COVID-19 pandemic. It has further resonated support for her release by featuring Sudha in the international campaign #StandAsMyWitness calling for release of human rights defenders. It also mentions that she was initially held under house arrest until October 2018, and then moved to Byculla Womens Prison in Mumbai, increasing safety concerns for the 59-year-old, who already suffers from diabetes and hypertension. The letter highlights that she will be susceptible to COVID-19 in the cramped prison, where an inmate has already tested positive for the virus, while a July medical report found that she is also now suffering from Ischemic heart disease. The treatment of Bharadwaj highlights the increasingly repressive measures used by Prime Minister Narendra Modis government to clamp down on dissent and silence human rights defenders, said CIVICUS. It discussed that despite her underlying health issues, last week Sudhas plea for bail to the Bombay High Court was opposed by the National Investigation Agency which claimed her condition is not serious. Her human rights activities have put her in the firing line of the Modi regime, which is abusing the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and using it to round-up activists and human rights defenders on trumped-up charges, said Josef Benedict, Asia-Pacific civic space researcher for CIVICUS. He also pointed that Indias civic space rating was downgraded from obstructed to repressed last year owing to its increased restriction of space for dissent and particularly following Prime Minister Narendra Modis re-election in May 2019. The statement has even reiterated UN experts concerns about the terrorism charges laid against Sudha and questioned the Unlawful Activities Prevention Acts vague definition of unlawful activities and membership of terrorist organizations which have been routinely used by the government to stifle dissent. Josef also expressed her credibility as a lawyer and activist who has spent her life defending indigenous people in India and protecting workers rights. In conclusion, CIVICUS has urged its international supporters and advocates to participate in the global campaign #StandAsMyWitness, where people from across the world call for an end to the imprisonment and harassment of human rights defenders by sharing the defenders individual stories on social media using the hashtag #StandAsMyWitness. The coronavirus numbers continue to rise in Western New York, and the state is sending in reinforcements. Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said Thursday morning that the state is sending a "SWAT team" from the health department that will provide more testing in several Western New York locations. "For Western New York, we have a caution flag out," Cuomo said, using a comparison he has mentioned at least two other times this week, "and we're going to fly it a little bit higher today." The governor said that the Western New York region's positive test rate for Wednesday was 2%. That rate represents the percentage of coronavirus tests that were positive. "Thats not good news," Cuomo said in a conference call from Albany, "and were going to deploy a SWAT team from the Department of Health that is going to do additional testing at eight sites." Wednesday's results also increased Western New York's seven-day rolling average of its positive test rate to 2%, the first time it has hit that mark since early June. Western New York has had the highest daily rate among the state's nine regions for seven straight days. The region's of 118 new cases Wednesday marked the first time it exceeded 100 daily cases since May. Cuomo said there would be three testing sites in Buffalo, as well as one each in Niagara Falls, Lockport, Dunkirk, Williamsville and West Seneca. The governor said the state would have machines that provide same-day testing, with results "literally in an hour." "Were focusing on Western New York and we are going to continue to do that," the governor said. The new testing sites will open Saturday. Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said via Twitter said his office has been working with state officials on the new sites. The five-county Western New York region (Erie, Niagara, Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, Allegany) has now posted a positive test rate above 1% for nine straight days. Cuomo said earlier this week that the regional increase was due to several factors, including clusters at the Fieldbrook Foods food processing plant in Dunkirk and an unidentified steel plant in Erie County as well as increased cases from two unidentified nursing homes, seasonal farm labor and hospital screening procedures. Gareth Rhodes, the Deputy Superintendent and Special Counsel at the state's Department of Financial Services and a member of the state's Covid-19 task force, said Thursday that 53 total cases have been tracked to the Dunkirk plant. "We're also seeing some cases as a result of community spread," Rhodes said. "This testing effort is going to be testing members of the community where clusters are located." The governor said any further action the state takes would depend on the results of the additional "rapid testing" sites. "We'll know the same day what's happening, we won't have a two- or three-day lag," said Cuomo. "We'll have a snapshot of exactly what's happening, and depending on what we see, we'll act accordingly. "There's no hard number that we have, that goes from a yellow flag to a red flag." Western New York's seven-day rolling average, which averages the previous seven days' positive results into one figure, had been at 1% since the second week of June. The last time the region's rolling average as at 2% was June 9, as the testing rates for the region, and the state, descended from the worst days of the 180-day pandemic. Western New York's rise in rate has come when the overall state numbers have been among their lowest of the coronavirus pandemic. The statewide coronavirus positive test rate was 0.9%, the 20th straight day the state has been under 1%. Among the 83,437 test results reported to the state, 791 were positive. Of those positive cases, 118 were from Western New York. The last time the region's total was over 100 was when 198 cases were reported on May 22. Western New York conducted 5,983 tests Wednesday, according to state data, for a positive test rate of 1.97%. As of yet, there has been no corresponding recent increase in hospitalizations in the region, according to state data. Western New York's hospitalization total for Wednesday was 25; that daily total has been in the 20s for most of this month. The last time it was higher was 38 on Aug. 3. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 2 Sad 0 Angry 0 The Company's NAV increased by 1.3% during the month of July (in Sterling terms). Despite concerns around COVID-19 cases increasing in emerging markets such as Brazil, Iran and India, global equity markets continued to rise with the MSCI World TR Index rising by 4.8% in July. Chinese economic data was also better-than-expected, with its manufacturing PMI rising to 51.1, up from 50.9 in June, indicating continued expansion. On 15th July, OPEC had the 20th meeting for the Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee, where they reaffirmed their commitment to supporting oil price stability. Against this backdrop, oil prices posted positive returns, with the Brent and WTI rising by 3.6% and 1.3%, to end the month at prices of US$43/bbl and US$40/bbl respectively. In terms of company news within the energy sector, the headline observations from earnings season were that most companies have beaten very low expectations. The energy equities remained relatively flat during the month, however European integrated oil companies outperformed their US counterparts. Mined commodity prices were up across the board in July. Copper and iron ore (62% fe.) prices were up by 7.0% and 7.9% respectively following stronger demand from China and concerns around supply disruptions in Central and South America. Elsewhere, the gold price returned +10.7% over the month, reaching a new all-time high of $1,975/oz., with declining real rates appearing to be the main positive tailwind. Turning to mining companies, the month saw second quarter production results being announced and, in general, operational disruptions were not as bad as had been feared. Within the energy transition space, the EU's 750 billion recovery package to help economies recover from the COVID-19 impact was agreed in addition to the regular EU budget. Both the recovery package and the budget will be geared towards the green and digital transitions to help enable the EU to meet its ambitious climate targets. Clean energy is seeing focus in the US in the run up to the US Presidential Election with policies that include up to $2 trillion of clean energy spending over four years. All data points in US Dollar terms unless otherwise specified. Commodity price moves sourced from Thomson Reuters Datastream. 27 August 2020 Hong Kong: Home learning continues from Sept 1 For the prevention and control of COVID-19, all secondary and primary students will learn from home with the support of schools once the new academic year starts on September 1, the Education Bureau said today. Secretary for Education Kevin Yeung met representatives from secondary and primary school councils and school heads associations this afternoon to discuss arrangements for the new school year. Chief Executive Carrie Lam also attended the meeting to express her care and support to schools. Mrs Lam and Mr Yeung listened to the views of school head representatives on the resumption of face-to-face classes. They thanked all principals and teachers for designing and arranging suitable teaching activities, including online lessons for students. The bureau said it is closely monitoring the development of the epidemic and seeking advice from medical experts. It will make an announcement and inform schools early to allow them to make better preparations once a decision on resumption of face-to-face classes is made. This story has been published on: 2020-08-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Granules India is one of those companies that swims against the tide. When most Indian drug makers stayed away or moved out of making highly commoditised molecules such as Paracetamol, Ibuprofen, Metformin, Methocarbamol and Guaifenesin, Granules persisted. Granules entered the US generics market when there were possibly more than a dozen competitors for every single product, and in the midst of pricing pressure. For Granules, these bets seemed to be paying off. Priyanka Chigurupati, Executive Director, who is overseeing the US business, told Moneycontrol that the drug maker expects the US business to contribute about two-thirds of its revenues in the next two years and the company is confident of maintaining the momentum of Q1FY21. Long-term, interim strategies Chigurupati, a second-generation entrepreneur, said the company has both long-term and interim strategies in place to beat the pricing pressure in the US market and build a sustainable generics business. Launch of products by leveraging upon backward integration into active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) with gross profit margin of 50-55 percent would be the long-term strategy. The interim plan is to launch limited competition products with a shorter lifecycle but with more financial benefits due to competitive reasons. This, the company says, will help generate cash flows. We have shifted from P&L to a more cash flow-focussed company, Chigurupati said. Currently, the US business contributes about 52 percent to the companys revenues. For Granules, Q1FY21 has been particularly strong. Consolidated sales stood at Rs 735.60 crore an increase of 23.57 percent from Rs 595.27 crore in Q1FY20. Net profit in Q1FY21 stood at Rs 111.45 crore a rise of 33.89 percent YoY. Granules stock also had a good run, giving a return of 150 percent in 2020. The BSE Healthcare index rose 44 percent during the same time. Shares of Granules rose 1.76 percent and were trading at Rs 315.10 at 2 pm on Thursday, while the benchmark Sensex gained 0.31 percent to 39,191.40 points. Granules history and how did it pull off? Granules was founded in 1984 by Krishna Prasad Chigurupati in Hyderabad to make Paracetamol or Acetaminophen as it is generically called. Paracetamol is one of the most commonly used medications against fever and pain. Paracetamol has attracted hordes of entrepreneurs, during the 80s and early 90s, considered to be the period of India's bulk drug boom. Over the years, Granules expanded its portfolio to Ibuprofen (pain relief), Metformin (anti-diabetic), Methocarbamol (pain relief), Guaifenesin (anti-cough), among others. By the late 90s, many have perished, due to cut- throat competition, price controls and little margins. Also, the shift of bulk drug manufacturing to China hastened the process. Those who survived shifted gears to formulation and highly regulated markets. Granules kept churning out the same old commodity molecules and that could be one reason why it hasn't been able to catch up with larger rivals despite having a head start. However, to survive in such a low-margin but high-volume market, Granules started investing heavily on expanding APIs and pharmaceutical formulation intermediate (PFI) capacities, focussed on manufacturing, cost efficiencies and reliability. PFI is a stage before the making the finished product. For Granules, Paracetamol contributes about 25-30 percent to its total production. Granules has both the finished dosage formulation and the API, and it has one-fifth of global share. Interestingly, Paracetamol, Ibuprofen, Metformin, Methocarbamol and Guaifenesin are old molecules, but are the first line of treatment, and they are difficult to be replaced that easily. The market size for these products is small, but are relatively stable. US expansion But still, this isn't enough for the next leap of growth. This is when Granules decided to directly enter the lucrative US generics market, leveraging upon its backward integration into APIs. The company started with ANDA filings for its key molecules such as Metformin and Ibuprofen, coupled with in-licensing deals and acquisitions to quickly expand its portfolio basket. The company has invested Rs 600 crore on setting up formulations manufacturing facility in Virginia, US. In India, too, it has expanded capacities across facilities and added APIs to its portfolios. As of March 31, 2020, Granules has filed 44 ANDAs in the US, out of which 26 are approved. Till the closure of financial year 2020, the company had filed 20 US DMFs. Chigurpati says the focus would be on choosing the right molecules for the US market. "We picked a basket of products, for which scaling up was an issue (for competition.) We took those products, and processed them efficiently. We took exhibit batches at the sizes of commercial batches with proven consistency, and it is those products we are filing," Chigurupati said. "Strong demand for key products such as Metformin, Paracetamol, and Ibuprofen due to COVID-19 has translated to a robust Q1 for Granules. Ahead, we expect launches in formulations and additional capacity in PFIs to be key growth drivers, said brokerage firm Anand Rathi in its recent report. Environmental campaigners from the "Extinction Rebellion" group glue themselves together outside Her Majesty's Treasury as part of their ongoing actions and protests across the capital, in London, on April 25, 2019. (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images) Extinction Rebellion Film Deletes Apocalyptic Claims Claims saying climate change is killing hundreds of thousand of people and may cause human extinction have been deleted from an Extinction Rebellion (XR) film, after the activist group was challenged to provide evidence for the statements. XR last year launched the film Climate Crisis and Why We Should Panic on social media. The animated film narrated by actress Keira Knightly ended with two on-screen messages. The first one said, Climate breakdown is already killing 400,000 people every year, followed by an even more apocalyptic claim saying, Scientists warn that human extinction is a real possibility. Serena Schellenberg, the films producer, was asked by The Times of London to provide sources for the claims ahead of the films re-launch on Friday. The UK newspaper reported that Schellenberg said the claims were based on a paper published in 2012 by Dara, a non-profit humanitarian aid policy organization, and a study from 2017 which found there would be existential threats if no action was taken on emissions and the global average temperature rose by 5C, respectively. Schellenberg deleted the claims after checking with scientists. Since these statements still prove to be a matter of debate and we would like the film to be robustly backed by the Scientists of XR, we have decided to review these statements and update them for the relaunch of the film, Schellenberg told The Times. Two slightly less-sensational messages replaced the previous ones. One says, The frequency of extreme weather events has already increased threefold, while the other says, Leading scientists warn that we have entered a state of planetary emergency,' The Times said. Commenting on the original claims, Stephan Harrison, a professor of climate and environmental change at the University of Exeter, told the newspaper that these sort of outlandish claims are like crying wolf. He said they infantilize much of the debate. A BBC survey of 2,000 British children aged 8 to 16 years old this year showed 73 percent of the children were worried about the planet, with 19 percent having nightmares about climate change. Earlier this month, Michael Shellenberger, an environmental activist for 30 years, who used to be convinced that climate change was an existential threat to human civilization, told The Epoch Times that he now believes climate alarmism is out of touch with science and reality. He said its diverting attention away from serious environmental problems, such as overfishing, preventing desperately needed development in impoverished nations, and stifling debate about nuclear energy. The re-launching of the film comes as XR plans a series of protests starting on Friday, after staying quiet for a few months during the lockdown measures to curb the spread of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as novel coronavirus. Serena Schellenberg was among the nine extinction rebellion activists charged with criminal damage and aggravated trespass for super-gluing themselves to the doors of the Hotel Intercontinental in London, the venue of the International Petroleum Week conference in February 2019. She later wrote an article in which she said she would do it again because being arrested is a very small sacrifice for whats at stake. She said the activists are normal compassionate people, that want a future for our children and grandchildren. Jan Jekielek contributed to this report Kimberly Quall hasnt received mail in two weeks. The 44-year-old business owner said shes had to go to the post office to inquire about her bills and other important mail. Beyond worrying that her payments will get lost or delayed, Quall said issues with the postal service are impacting her business, Chibbey Wee Crochet. I ship out all my packages from the post office, and Ive been doing that for four or five years, Quall said. Ive never had an issue. Now, packages that used to take three days to be delivered are taking 15 days, and customers keep calling. While Quall doesnt blame postal workers for the problems, she said delays could force her to find more expensive options to ship her products. After Postmaster General Louis DeJoy an ally of President Donald Trump stepped into his position in June, postal workers across the country have complained of cuts to overtime pay and limited post office hours, which they say have caused extensive delays in deliveries. Doug Brown, state president of the Indiana Postal Workers Union, said cuts to overtime and a push to privatize the USPS could have a major impact on Americans, particularly the elderly and veterans. Its very upsetting for us, because there are a lot of elderly people who rely on medications through the mail, and veterans who rely on timely medications, Brown said during a protest at a Carmel post office Aug. 25. And people in rural areas rely on the postal service for financial transactions, because they dont have access to broadband and the internet like we do here in the city. The post office belongs to the public. Its in the Constitution, Brown said. How can you privatize something that belongs to the public? Many worry that DeJoys appointment and the changes made since earlier in the summer will affect more than the speed you receive your mail. Katie Blair, director of advocacy and public policy at the ACLU of Indiana, said threats to the USPS is a direct threat to democracy. Voting by mail is going to be the safest way for many people to vote in November, Blair said, referencing the COVID-19 pandemic. We can expect higher than ever absentee voting, and by cutting back funding [to USPS] and making changes in operations that cause delays, they are standing in the way of people participating fully in democracy by voting. Despite arguments from Trump that mail-in voting could lead to fraud, Brown said, in his three decades working with USPS, theres no potential for fraud. Its important to note that mail-in balloting has been done for generations through the postal service, especially by the military and the elderly, Brown said. The Postal Inspection Service, they all monitor postal employees. We are also vetted by the FBI, all postal workers have background checks. I have never seen any fraud, and I dont think theres any potential for fraud. Blair said Hoosiers may have trouble getting permission to vote by mail in the upcoming general election due to vague state laws. Right now, there are 11 reasons why someone can request an absentee ballot, and one of those reasons is being confined due to illness, Blair said. What we need is clarity on what that actually means, and we need the governor and secretary of state to come out and say if quarantining due to the pandemic is an excuse people can use to request a ballot. It seems unlikely that will happen. Despite expanding mail-in voting for the primary in June, Gov. Eric Holcomb has since said its safe to vote in person. There are a lot of people out and about, whether its working or going to the grocery story or doing your lives, and theyre doing it safely, Holcomb said in a COVID-19 briefing Aug. 5. And we can vote safely in person as well. Holcomb reiterated this idea in a press conference Aug. 19. Our plans for how to express your vote is exactly as it has been advertised to date, Holcomb said. You have opportunities to vote absentee, in person early, or on Election Day. You have multiple shots on goal. Blair said this still doesnt provide the guidance needed to help Hoosiers make the best decisions for their health. For votes sent through the mail to be counted, they must be in the mail by noon on Election Day. That doesnt mean its postmarked by Election Day, Blair said. You dont know how long it will be in the mail. The mail could get there at 2 p.m. and you miss your chance to have your ballot casted. These vague laws and an increase in absentee ballots is going to run the risk of people not having their votes counted. The ACLU of Indiana is currently working to get election officials to enact no-excuse absentee voting, which would allow all Hoosiers the ability to vote by mail. Blair said theyve sent over 10,000 messages from state residents to officials. Rima Shahid, executive director of Women4Change Indiana, encourages anyone who is eligible to get an absentee ballot to request one now, fill it out and return it as soon as possible. I think that this is another way in 2020 that were seeing voter suppression come to the forefront, Shahid said. We cannot rely and wait for a number of days before we do that [mail ballots], as we saw during the primary, votes get lost that way. On the topic of voter suppression, Shahid referenced Marion County the states most populated and diverse county which only had one early voting site in 2018, unlike surrounding counties, which had multiple. Regardless of what decisions are made regarding absentee voting, Quall is determined to cast a vote. Although she originally planned on voting through the mail, she said shes willing to risk her health to vote in person to ensure her ballot is counted. Theyre trying to make sure our ballot doesnt get there in time, Quall said. If I mail it, Ive got no clue when it will get to where it needs to be. Im going to bring a chair, pack a lunch and some battery packs, and Ill sit there for hours. Im not leaving until I cast my vote. Contact staff writer Breanna Cooper at 317-762-7848. Follow her on Twitter @BreannaNCooper. Postal workers gathered outside a post office in Carmel to protest changes to the postal service under Postmaster Louis DeJoy. (Photo/Breanna Cooper) Upcoming political events in the Bay Area. Events take place online unless otherwise noted: FRIDAY Virtual March on Washington: Events marking the 57th anniversary of the March on Washington, with an agenda prioritizing equity, justice and equal opportunity. More information and schedule here. SATURDAY Silicon Valley Pride: Day One of a virtual Pride celebration, beginning at 9 a.m. More information and events are here. SUNDAY Silicon Valley Pride: Day Two of a virtual Pride celebration, beginning at 10 a.m. More information and events are here. TUESDAY Threats to democracy: Social trends that have often threatened U.S. democracy over the years, and how the nation has overcome them or been weakened. Speakers include Suzanne Mettler, American institutions professor at Cornell University, and Robert Lieberman, political science professor at Johns Hopkins University. Hosted by the Commowealth Club. 3:30 p.m. More information is here. WEDNESDAY Trey Gowdy: Former GOP congressman from South Carolina discusses his book Doesn't Hurt to Ask: Using the Power of Questions to Communicate, Connect, and Persuade. Hosted by the Commonwealth Club. More information is here. THURSDAY Racism in the Castro: San Francisco Pride and the Commonwealth Club host a discussion on racism and discrimination in San Franciscos Castro neighborhood as part of the Lavender Talks series. Noon. More information is here. Libertarian vice-presidential candidate: Spike Cohen, vice presidential nominee on the Libertarian Party ticket, holds a meet-and-greet event. 4:30 p.m., Empowerment Park, 462 Bellevue Park, Oakland. More information is here. SEPT. 5 Anti-Trump protest: A rally and march against President Trump. Organized by Refuse Fascism Bay Area. Noon. Gather at Market and Steuart streets in San Francisco and march to City Hall. More information is here. SEPT. 8 Erin Brockovich: Activist discusses how people and communities can take collective action to safeguard the environment. Hosted by the Commonwealth Club. 9:30 a.m. More information is here. John Bolton: President Trumps former national security adviser talks about the administration and his new book, The Room Where It Happened. Hosted by the Commonwealth Club. 10:30 a.m. More information is here. Populism and nationalism: How right-wing populism boosts once-marginalized threats like white supremacy and anti-immigration fervor. A discussion with Lawrence Rosenthal, founder of the Berkeley Center for Right-Wing Studies, and Arlie Hochschild, UC Berkeley professor emerita and author of Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right. Hosted by the Commomwealth Club. 12:30 p.m. More information is here. Sen. Chris Murphy: Connecticut Democrat discusses his book The Violence Inside Us: A Brief History of an Ongoing American Tragedy. Hosted by the Commonwealth Club. 5 p.m. More information is here. SEPT. 9 Atomic bombings legacy: Former Gov. Jerry Brown and Lesley Blume, author of Fallout: The Hiroshima Cover-up and the Reporter Who Revealed It to the World, discuss the legacy of the U.S. nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Hosted by the Commonwealth Club. Noon. More information is here. S.F. D7 candidates: Candidates for San Francisco supervisor in District Seven Emily Murase, Joel Engardio, Myrna Melgar and Vilaska Nguyen in a debate hosted by sf.citi. 5 p.m. More information is here. SEPT. 12 Flipping Texas: A Zoom event in support of Democratic candidates for the Texas state House, Sharon Hirsch and Akilah Bacy. Sponsored by Sister District CA Peninsula. 6 p.m. More information is here. To list an event, please email Chronicle politics editor Trapper Byrne at tbyrne@sfchronicle.com Based on the "operational and financial performance of TVA employees this past year and the continued strength of the Tennessee Valley public power model," the Tennessee Valley Authority Board of Directors took three actions at its meeting on Thursday to further extend support to citizens, communities and businesses that continue to be challenged by the COVID-19 pandemic. Officials said "Through extraordinary conditions, TVA employees have continued to deliver reduced operating and maintenance costs through the improved productivity, efficiency and reliability of generating and transmission assets over the past ten months. Today, 62 percent of the areas energy comes from carbon-free sources and fuel costs are at their lowest point in the past 10 years. Most importantly, safety performance is at industry top decile levels even while team members were faced with the added demands of pandemic precautions. "Local power companies have overwhelmingly supported the Long-Term Partnership Agreement they jointly developed late last year with TVA. Currently, 92 percent of the local power companies in TVAs service area have chosen to participate in the voluntary program, which has already returned more than $108 million in customer credits through the end of June. "Based on TVA employee performance and consultation with TVAs public power partners about ongoing needs in the region, the Board approved an additional $2 million contribution to the Community Care Fund. Similar to the initial contribution in April, these funds will be matched by local power companies and other community groups to benefit local organizations that assist families and businesses most in need. To date, similar matched funds ultimately provided more than $4.5 million to nearly 300 groups across the area. "Secondly, the Board extended TVAs Back-to-Business credit program, which encourages large customers to resume operations as quickly as possible. To date, about one third of eligible large customers have benefited from the program. "Lastly, the Board approved a special $200 million Pandemic Relief Credit for the coming fiscal year to help communities and businesses recover more quickly from the pandemic. TVA is providing this relief as a credit to allow each recipient the flexibility to apply the savings in the best way possible to invest in their communities and support those they serve." The 2.5 percent base rate credit will be applied beginning in October and will remain in effect through the end of FY2021 for all of the customers TVA serves local power companies and directly served customers and to the large commercial and industrial customers served by local power companies. With the Pandemic Relief Credit, Tennessee Valley public powers industrial and commercial rates will be lower than they were a decade ago, an important factor in short-term economic recovery and long-term economic growth, officials said. The continued impact of this pandemic on our communities is unprecedented and creates continued economic uncertainty, said Jeff Lyash, TVA president and CEO. Because of the TVA teams strong operational and financial performance under challenging circumstances this past year, we have an opportunity and responsibility to use TVAs resources and expertise to provide continued support for customers, businesses and communities. Our financial results remain strong and we are in a good position to do the right thing for our customers, providing people with the help they need when they need it most, while we continue to deliver our mission of service. In TVAs recently reported third quarter results, power sales were about 5 percent lower than the same period last year due to milder weather and the impacts of the pandemic. Operating revenues, fuel costs and operating and maintenance expenses were all lower, as was interest expense based on a total debt that remains at its lowest point in 30 years. Despite the pandemic, the TVA teams success at reducing debt and holding the line on operating and maintenance budgets have us at or ahead of plan, which results in no base rate increase in FY21 and none anticipated through the end of FY30, said John Thomas, TVA chief financial officer. In other business, the Board: Elected John Ryder as the new board chair; Directed the People Committee, assisted by a new independent compensation consultant, to conduct a thorough review of CEO compensation, with results to be shared with the Board prior to its November meeting; Approved FY21 spending authority to better manage a smooth transition into the new fiscal year ahead of the presentation of an official FY21 budget at the Boards November meeting; Approved TVAs financing authority for FY21, including up to $3 billion in new power bonds and other financing arrangements; Finalized TVAs FY20 tax equivalent payments, totaling nearly $552 million distributed to state and local governments; Recognized TVAs ongoing economic development efforts, which have assisted with $7.1 billion in capital investment and more than 58,400 jobs created or retained in the area through the first three quarters of FY20; Retained Ernst & Young LLP as TVAs independent external financial audit for FY21; and Appointed David Fountain as the assistant secretary of TVA. David Wade, president and CEO of EPB said, "We appreciate TVA for sharing the results of their successful financial stewardship by providing a Pandemic Relief Credit and additional Community Care Fund matching grants to support local power companies in serving our communities during these very difficult times. Actions like these set TVA and the Public Power Model apart by demonstrating a clear and responsive commitment to joining local power distributors in putting people and communities first. Wes Kelley, president and CEO of Huntsville Utilities said, TVA is a regional asset with a national vision. Roosevelt said that TVA would be a birch rod by which others are measured. That mission continuesespecially during a period of dramatic change.TVA and Local Power Companies can help determine cost-effective ways to take advantage of technology advances to innovate the power industry. Our partnership is uniquely suited to seek answers to tough challenges, like cost-effectively integrating distributed energy resources into the grid, building new approaches without burdening those who can least afford it, and pursuing environmental justice without skyrocketing costs. Public power is well situated to navigate uncertain waters without unduly increasing costs to end-use customers. Gabe Bolas, president and CEO of Knoxville Utilities Board said, The assistance TVA has provided to KUB customers through $80,000 in community agency grants, the Back to Business program, and the proposed Pandemic Relief Credit will have a real and positive impact on those we serve. These efforts build on a strong partnership that has resulted in the Home Uplift program, providing weatherization improvements to create more efficient housing for our low-income customers. Since 2015, our partnership has combined TVA funding with local funds and other grants to weatherize nearly 1,800 homes in our service area. Our partnership has also provided pilot programs like Green Switch Match and programmable thermostats, which give customers more options to help manage their own environmental impacts; and energy efficiency workshops which provide useful information and do-it-yourself resources for customers to reduce their bills. Together, we are giving customers the help they need when they need it the most. Gregory J. Fay, CEO and general manager of Clinton Utilities Board said, During these extraordinary times, the benefits of public power have never been more evident. As other areas of the country experience rolling blackouts, millions of residents across the Valley continue to enjoy some of the lowest electric rates and highest levels of reliability anywhere in the country, because of TVA and its leadership. As the impacts of the pandemic became apparent, not only did TVA immediately step forward in its regulatory role to provide each Local Power Company with the ability to offer flexibility in terms of payments and suspension of service, but it also provided much needed financial assistance to our customers through the Community Care Fund. At the same time, the Back to Business Program gave industrial customers much-needed assistance to get those same customers back to work. As the impacts of the pandemic continue to be felt, we are excited by TVAs continued commitment to these timely solutions and the introduction of the Pandemic Relief Credit. Whatever the challenge, I am proud that we have a partner like TVA to stand beside us so that together we can continue to provide the essential service that our customers depend upon and deserve. Jody Wigington, general manager and CEO of Morristown Utilities said, As partners in public power with TVA, we are collectively blessed by the Long-Term Partnership, Community Care Fund, Flexibility Options, Back to Business incentive and Pandemic Relief Credit. Thanks to TVAs board and leadership for moving forward a partnership vision that benefits the public power model in the Valley. Lee H. Brown, president and CEO of Erwin Utilities said, Since 1933, TVA has been committed to providing public power in the Tennessee Valley by partnering with those best suited to understand local needs, which are the local communities themselves. Erwin Utilities is proud to have partnered with TVA to provide safe, reliable, and efficient service to the people of Erwin and Unicoi County since 1945. We look forward to TVA's continued partnership to preserve and support local power companies, large and small, to ensure that each community, regardless of size, is able to provide public power that meets unique local needs. Jason Griggs, superintendent of Milan Public Utilities said, When TVA was considering its strong financial position despite the impacts of the pandemic, I truly appreciate TVA for including its customers in consideration of surplus revenues. I recognize that TVA could use that money to pay down debt or invest back into its assets, but I agree that the Pandemic Relief Credit is the right thing to do in the face of the challenges we must address today. As a municipal utility in Tennessee, I represent and fully support public power in the Valley. Actions like this and many more demonstrate the value this model delivers now and for the future. Officials from the Tennessee Valley Industrial Committee said, TVIC supports the public power model as it currently exists at TVA and the collaborative approach TVA takes with its stakeholders to establish strategic direction and achieve longterm objectives. Through the leadership of experienced and capable management, successful public power entities are able to focus on the provision of low-cost, reliable power to benefit all customers. TVIC supports TVAs ongoing focus on controlling its costs and providing competitive rates to all of its customers and views TVA as a reliable, long-term partner under its current structure as a not-for-profit public power provider. Decosta Jenkins, president and CEO of Nashville Electric Service said, Nashville Electric Service has been meeting the needs of our customers and community for more than 80 years and TVA has been our partner since day one. We take our mission of providing safe, reliable, and affordable power very seriously, and it would not be possible without our strong collaboration with TVA. Jeff Lyash has brought a significant amount of positive change to the Valley in the short time that he has been in the position of President and CEO of TVA. Doug Peters, president and CEO of Tennessee Valley Public Power Association said, The partnership between TVPPA members and TVA has driven economic development and enhanced the lives of the millions of people who call the Tennessee Valley home. We commend TVA and its leadership, especially TVA CEO Jeff Lyash, for recognizing the challenges local power companies continue to face as the result of lost revenue from the discontinuation of shut-offs this spring. The economic impact of COVID-19 on local power companies has been felt throughout the Valley. TVAs Pandemic Relief Credit, along with the continued commitment to the Community Care Fund and the Back-to-Business credit program for industrial customers, will provide much needed relief. We further commend them for putting decision making regarding the use of Pandemic Relief Credit funds in the hands of local power companies so they can make decisions based on their unique knowledge of their business and community needs. X-ray diffraction images showing the new form of silica created by sending an intense shock wave through a sample of quartz using a specialized gas gun. When the x-rays bounce off repeating planes of a crystalline structure, they scatter. This creates a distinctive ring pattern. Each ring is associated with a different plane and together this data can tell researchers about the material's atomic-level architecture. CREDIT Image is courtesy of Sally June Tracy, Stefan Turneaure, and Thomas Duffy. When a meteorite hurtles through the atmosphere and crashes to Earth, how does its violent impact alter the minerals found at the landing site? What can the short-lived chemical phases created by these extreme impacts teach scientists about the minerals existing at the high-temperature and pressure conditions found deep inside the planet? New work led by Carnegie's Sally June Tracy examined the crystal structure of the silica mineral quartz under shock compression and is challenging longstanding assumptions about how this ubiquitous material behaves under such intense conditions. The results are published in Science Advances. "Quartz is one of the most abundant minerals in Earth's crust, found in a multitude of different rock types," Tracy explained. "In the lab, we can mimic a meteorite impact and see what happens." Tracy and her colleagues--Washington State University's (WSU) Stefan Turneaure and Princeton University's Thomas Duffy, a former Carnegie Fellow--used a specialized cannon-like gas gun to accelerate projectiles into quartz samples at extremely high speeds--several times faster than a bullet fired from a rifle. Special x-ray instruments were used to discern the crystal structure of the material that forms less than one-millionth of a second after impact. Experiments were carried out at the Dynamic Compression Sector (DCS), which is operated by WSU and located at the Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory. Quartz is made up of one silicon atom and two oxygen atoms arranged in a tetrahedral lattice structure. Because these elements are also common in the silicate-rich mantle of the Earth, discovering the changes quartz undergoes at high-pressure and -temperature conditions, like those found in the Earth's interior, could also reveal details about the planet's geologic history. When a material is subjected to extreme pressures and temperatures, its internal atomic structure can be re-shaped, causing its properties to shift. For example, both graphite and diamond are made from carbon. But graphite, which forms at low pressure, is soft and opaque, and diamond, which forms at high pressure, is super-hard and transparent. The different arrangements of carbon atoms determine their structures and their properties, and that in turn affects how we engage with and use them. Despite decades of research, there has been a long-standing debate in the scientific community about what form silica would take during an impact event, or under dynamic compression conditions such as those deployed by Tracy and her collaborators. Under shock loading, silica is often assumed to transform to a dense crystalline form known as stishovite--a structure believed to exist in the deep Earth. Others have argued that because of the fast timescale of the shock the material will instead adopt a dense, glassy structure. Tracy and her team were able to demonstrate that counter to expectations, when subjected to a dynamic shock of greater than 300,000 times normal atmospheric pressure, quartz undergoes a transition to a novel disordered crystalline phase, whose structure is intermediate between fully crystalline stishovite and a fully disordered glass. However, the new structure cannot last once the burst of intense pressure has subsided. "Dynamic compression experiments allowed us to put this longstanding debate to bed," Tracy concluded. "What's more, impact events are an important part of understanding planetary formation and evolution and continued investigations can reveal new information about these processes." ### This research was supported by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency and the NSF. Washington State University (WSU) provided experimental support through awards from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)/National Nuclear Security Agency (NNSA). This work is based on experiments performed at the Dynamic Compression Sector, operated by WSU under a DOE/ NNSA award. This research used the resources of the Advanced Photon Source, a Department of Energy Office of Science User Facility operated for the DOE Office of Science by the Argonne National . The Carnegie Institution for Science (carnegiescience.edu) is a private, nonprofit organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with six research departments throughout the U.S. Since its founding in 1902, the Carnegie Institution has been a pioneering force in basic scientific research. Carnegie scientists are leaders in plant biology, developmental biology, astronomy, materials science, global ecology, and Earth and planetary science. Please follow SpaceRef on Twitter and Like us on Facebook. Phil Hogan is refusing to say if he complied with rules requiring people entering the country to declare changes of address during the two-week quarantine period. The now-departed EU trade commissioner had initially stayed at a K-Club apartment upon his return to Ireland from Brussels at the end of July. But he later moved to Kilkenny and travelled to Co Limerick prior to the end of the 14-day period when HSE guidelines say people coming from non-Green List countries must restrict their movements. Mr Hogan would not last night say if he updated the authorities on changes of address. It is an offence to breach this requirement on the Passenger Locator Form (PLF), one that can result in a fine of up to 2,500 or as much as six months in prison. Read More Mr Hogan arrived back in Ireland from Brussels on July 31. The 14-day period would have run until August 13. A memo prepared by Mr Hogan for European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said he completed the PLF on arrival in Ireland and travelled to his temporary residence in Co Kildare. The forms state: "If any of the information you provide on this form changes in the next 14 days, you must send an email with your complete and updated information to passengerlocatorform@plf.ie" Mr Hogan stayed in a Dublin hospital on the night of August 5 before returning to the apartment in Kildare the next day. He says he travelled to Kilkenny on August 7 before the Kildare lockdown rules came into effect. Mr Hogan is also reported to have travelled to Limerick and spent the night in a hotel in Adare on August 12. He has claimed that because he tested negative for Covid-19 during his hospital stay he was not required to quarantine for 14 days. This has been contradicted by the HSE, which insists all people coming to Ireland from non-Green List countries like Belgium must restrict their movements. Asked if Mr Hogan had reported his change of address when he moved to Kilkenny, a spokesman said he dealt with the issue in his memo and in the interview with RTE News on Tuesday. His memo said he completed a PLF and as he had submitted contact details, "I remained fully accessible to the authorities at all times as required by the regulations". It does not say if he informed the authorities about changes of address. Mr Hogan told RTE he "self-isolated" until August 5, when he had to travel "unexpectedly" to Dublin for a medical intervention. "My doctors tested me for Covid-19 and I was Covid-free and I was no risk to anybody so I was free to go, according to my medical people," he said. When it was pointed out that the issue of changing his details on the PLF had not been addressed in the RTE interview, Mr Hogan's spokesman said: "I have nothing more to add to his statement yesterday." Ever since Patanjali Ayurved announced its so-called ayurvedic cure for COVID-19, Coronil in June, the Ramdev-backed company has had a tough time selling it. Though initially, the company claimed that it had achieved full COVID-19 recovery in seven days, many have questioned the claims. pti Rajasthans Health Department had served a notice to NIMS hospital seeking an explanation on conducting trials of the Coronil drug on coronavirus patients. It also since emerged that Ayush Ministry of Uttarakhand issued a license to the company not to find a cure for coronavirus, but for the production of immunity-booster kits and fever medicine. Since then Patanjali has changed its position and said that it never claimed to have made a medicine for coronavirus and Coronil will be marketed as an immunity booster. pti The troubles did not end there as the Madras High Court had slapped a fine of Rs 10 lakhs on Patanjali for commercial exploitation of the fear around COVID-19. It had however refused to restrain Patanjali Ayurved Ltd from using the trademark 'Coronil'. This, after a Chennai-based company Arudra Engineering Private Limited, claimed that ''Coronil'' is a trademark owned by it since 1993. On Thursday, the Supreme Court refused to entertain a plea challenging the Madras High Court decision. A bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde said "if we prevent the use of the word "Coronil" during the pandemic on the ground that there is some pesticide on its name, it will be terrible for the first product." patanjali The bench, also comprising Justices A S Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian, noted that matter is already listed for hearing in September before the high court. According to Arudra Engineering Private Limited, which makes chemicals and sanitisers for heavy machineries and containment units, it has registered ''Coronil-213 SPL'' and ''Coronil-92B'' in 1993 and has been diligently renewing the trademark since then. "Currently, our right over the trademark is valid till 2027," the company said. Claiming that its products with the trademark have a global presence, the company said that its clients include BHEL and Indian Oil. To substantiate its claim, the petitioner produced sales bills of the products for the past five years. "The mark adopted by Patanjali for its drugs are clearly identical to the marks registered by the company. Though the products sold by the company are different, the use of identical trademarks would still amount to infringement of our intellectual property right, the company said. "Permitting Patanjali to continue to use the mark will directly affect our reputation and the goodwill created over the mark for over 26 years in both international and domestic markets," the petitioner added. LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / August 27, 2020 / Compare-autoinsurance.org (https://compare-autoinsurance.org/) has launched a new blog post that explains the advantages of online car insurance quotes. 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Authorities charged a 17-year-old from Illinois with homicide on Wednesday in connection with the deaths. Militias organized rapidly on Tuesday on Reddit and Facebook, where users shared coverage from Infowars, a right-wing conspiracy site. Infowars in turn amplified the Kenosha Guards Facebook post and said the groups were recruiting citizens to patrol. Though Facebook banned Infowars page long ago, tracking tool CrowdTangle showed its article on Kenosha was shared 274 times, according to the Atlantic Councils Digital Forensics Research Lab. It was also posted nine times to pages with a combined audience of more than 103,000 people. Many of the pages contained threats of violence. One commentor wrote on the Stand Up Kenosha page on Facebook: Shoot to kill folks. Cause they wont give you a second chance. A Facebook spokeswoman said the company had not found evidence suggesting the shooter followed the Kenosha Guard page or had been invited to its event. She said Facebook was also removing content tied to the shooting, including the suspects page, which previously showed him posing with rifles. Reddit did not respond to a request for comment, although posts threatening to bring guns and pipe bombs and to cleanse Kenosha of the rioters were deleted there too. Before its removal from Facebook, the Kenosha Guards profile photos featured a large American flag and a man holding a military-style rifle. Any patriots willing to take up arms and defend out (sic) City tonight from the evil thugs? one post read, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. (https://bit.ly/2YC9uGJ) The group, which identified itself as a social club, also created a Facebook event called Armed Citizens to Protect our Lives and Property on Tuesday and warned police they would be outnumbered. Created on June 2, the page had nearly 3,500 followers as of Wednesday morning. After the shooting, the group posted a statement saying it was unaware if the armed citizen was answering the Kenosha Guard Militias call to arms. By Lawrence Delevingne, Chris Prentice, Michelle Price and Jeff Mason WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Standing before half a dozen American flags during a press conference at his country club in Bedminster, New Jersey, President Donald Trump heralded what has become a central plank of his argument for re-election in November: his administrations handling of the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic. Through the historic relief package that I signed into law, we saved over 50 million American jobs, he said in the Aug. 15 remarks. Referring to his Democratic opponents, he said, They dont like these kind of numbers because they think itll hurt them in the election. The estimate that the $660 billion taxpayer-funded Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) saved some 51 million jobs has been trumpeted by the Republican Party, its Congressional leadership and the presidents reelection campaign. On Monday, Trump touted it again at a rally west of Charlotte, North Carolina, site of the Republican National Convention. However, the PPP likely did not save 51 million jobs, or anywhere close to it, according to Reuters interviews with economists and an analysis of the programs data. Half a dozen economists put the number of jobs saved by the initiative at only a fraction of 51 million ranging between one million and 14 million. I dont think there is an economist who would say that the program has saved 50 million jobs, said Richard Prisinzano, who was a financial economist at the U.S. Department of the Treasury for 13 years before leaving in 2017. His rough estimate, Prisinzano said, is between five and seven million jobs saved, based on his own adjustments to other researchers' work at MIT and elsewhere. Officials in Trumps own administration give varying explanations for the 51 million figure. In interviews with Reuters, officials from the Treasury Department and the Small Business Administration(SBA), which oversee the PPP program, said the 51 million refers to the total number of workers reported by businesses approved for a loan - not the number of jobs that were saved. Story continues White House chief economic adviser Larry Kudlow gave some support to that assessment in an interview with Reuters, saying he surmised the jobs figure was the sum of all jobs at businesses that received PPP loans. We saved a lot of jobs, there's no question about that," he said. The PPP was part of some $3 trillion of bailout measures passed in the spring. At the time, there was little debate that funding was needed for small businesses as the economic blows from COVID-19 hit the United States. Since then, congressional Democrats have challenged the data on the program, released by the administration in July. Weve seen some inaccuracies with the data in terms of how they calculate how many jobs were protected and saved, said New Jersey Democratic representative Andy Kim in August, who sits on the Small Business Committee. An economist with the conservative Heritage Foundation also questioned the figures. "This data does not tell us how many of those jobs may have existed without the PPP loans. Additionally, everyone involved has an incentive to use inflated estimates," said Adam Michel, senior policy analyst for fiscal policy at the foundation. Michel, who has not analyzed the data himself, cited the same research that former Treasury official Prisinzano did - a paper co-authored by economists at the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, MIT and ADP Research Institute. That study concluded that about 2.3 million jobs had been saved through early June. White House economic adviser Kudlow said the Treasury and SBA had access to the list of companies and bank loans, and they made the calculations. You had to put on the form how many employees you have when you're applying for the loan," he said. My guess is they added them up. NUMERICAL DISCREPANCIES The uncertainty surrounding the 51 million figure was fueled by a discrepancy between the information the SBA asked lenders to gather from borrowers and the information it asked those same lenders to enter into its loan processing portal. The SBA asked lenders only to gather each borrowers number of employees, but when lenders subsequently processed the loan in the SBA portal, the agency also asked for the number of jobs retained. Lenders often put the number of employees into the portal's "jobs retained" box, according to numerous people familiar with the process. Skewing the numbers in the other direction, some lenders left jobs retained blank or put in zero, the people said. Both the SBA and Treasury made officials available to speak with Reuters about the PPP on condition that they not be named. The senior Treasury official said the 51 million figure was not just a sum of the job totals at recipient companies; it was supported by economic modeling as well. However, he added, we can't with any kind of certainty say that all 51 million of those would have otherwise lost their job. Because the figure isnt a count of jobs saved, the official added, we've been careful to always use the word jobs reported or jobs supported by the program. The SBA official confirmed that, when borrowers filled out their applications, they supplied just the number of employees. It wasnt jobs retained. On Aug. 21, a week after Reuters interviewed the administration officials, the SBA appended a note to its monthly loan tallies, saying that to enhance accuracy the SBA would for now label data as jobs reported, not jobs retained. Also on Aug. 21, the Small Business Administration reissued the full PPP dataset, fixing some of the problems that appeared when it was first made public in July. But the data still had holes. About 84,850 loans for amounts at $150,000 or above, had a zero in the jobs reported column, or the column was left blank. That problem applied to about 13% of loans at that amount. The administration will have to wait until businesses apply for loan forgiveness to get a solid estimate of how many jobs were saved, economists and officials said. 'THE JOBS PRESIDENT' Nailing down the numbers with the Trump campaign also remains difficult. Pressed for details on the 51 million figure Tuesday, campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh said in an email that "the PPP protected American companies which collectively employ 51 million Americans." Thats different from what the campaign claimed the day before on Twitter (https://twitter.com/TrumpWarRoom/status/1297940273184624649) , when it posted a note saying, "President Trump's Paycheck Protection Program saved 51 MILLION jobs." An animated counter ticked rapidly from one million to 51 million just below the message: "He's the Jobs President and he's fighting for YOU!" (Lawrence Delevingne reported from Boston; Chris Prentice, Michelle Price and Jeff Mason from Washington, D.C. Contributing were Koh Gui Qing from New York and Pete Schroeder from Washington, D.C. Editing by Tom Lasseter Julie Marquis) Where was U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal on Saturday afternoon? He was in Washington, D.C., for the special House session convened by Speaker Nancy Pelosi to help save the U.S. Postal Service from dismantling by President Donald J. Trump and Postmaster General Louis DeJoy. Its right where Neal should have been, delivering an impassioned speech on the floor of the House in which he shared the damage being done to the lives of veterans and seniors, of businesses and municipalities, from Springfield to North Adams, from Easthampton to Great Barrington. Its also where we firmly believe he should be for the next two years. At a time like this when the coronavirus pandemic continues to ravage our nation, taking a toll not only on human life but also on our economy, our educational system, housing, health care and more, its especially critical in this election to reelect Neal as congressman for Massachusetts 1st Congressional District. Now is not a time for rhetoric to rule, but rather reality. Neal continues to exhibit strong and caring leadership in developing a plan to get people the help they need amid this pandemic and moving forward. Even now, in the thick of a campaign, he is working in Congress to negotiate additional coronavirus funding. Neal was among the architects of the CARES Act a measure his opponent, Holyoke Mayor Alex B. Morse, says he would have voted against. Such action would have placed Morse among only a half-dozen House members to oppose the $2 trillion bill that provided assistance to American workers, families and businesses as the pandemic ravaged our economy and left millions of citizens unemployed. While progressive Democrats, including Morse, push Medicare-For-All a program that has been widely criticized for costs of upwards of $30 trillion over a 10-year span, Neal continues to be a staunch supporter of Universal Health Care. During his campaign, the mayor has failed to put forth any realistic path forward to fund Medicare-for-All. Neal stays committed to working to improve and expand the Affordable Care Act, a measure he helped to write. We believe this is the most realistic position to ensure that all Americans have access to affordable health insurance. Neal also has a proven track record in bringing congressional attention and funding to Western Massachusetts, a track record which will continue, especially if there is a Biden-Harris White House in 2021. In the past six months alone, through the U.S. Small Business Associations Paycheck Protection Program, the 1st District received 10,460 loans totaling $1,777,312,235. The mayor opines Neal dropped the ball in the effort to force President Trump to reveal his tax returns. Make no mistake, Congressman Neal is among those who most fervently want to hold the president accountable. We stand with him, his fellow congressional leaders and legal scholars who recommended the measured, well-charted procedures undertaken by Neal. It may not be as fast as the mayor and his supporters might like, but we suspect it will withstand potential legal challenges. This campaign took an ugly turn on Aug. 7 when the College Democrats of Massachusetts disinvited Morse from attending its events, citing inappropriate conduct by the mayor in which the organization said he had used his position of power for romantic or sexual gain. The mayor initially issued a sensitive response, in which he said, I also recognize that I have to be cognizant of my position of power. He offered to meet with the group and anyone else to answer questions and address concerns and added, As Ive become more comfortable with myself and my sexuality, like any young, single, openly gay man, I have had consensual adult relationships, including some with college students. Navigating life as both a young gay man and an elected official can be difficult, but that doesnt excuse poor judgment. Forty-eight hours and no doubt many campaign strategy meetings later, the mayor began refocusing the narrative in a manner which managed to accuse not only the students who voiced concerns about his conduct but also most media organizations reporting them of being homophobic. The Republican has for decades, long before Mayor Morse came out as a gay teenager at Holyoke High School, editorialized strongly on matters related to equal rights for all, for same-sex marriage and for other issues pertaining to the LBGTQ community. We will never stray from that position, and we are disappointed claims of homophobia are now being cast about indiscriminately. The University of Massachusetts appropriately launched an investigation into these allegations, and we trust chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy to have a fair and thorough investigation completed. Until then, we make no judgments about the young people involved. We believe all should be heard, including the mayor, who from the time he was a teenager creating the first gay-straight alliance at Holyoke High School has seen his work on LBGTQ rights admired and celebrated on the pages of The Republican. Our endorsement of Richard E. Neal as he seeks reelection as 1st District congressman is based solely on the issues of the day, the needs of the district and the candidates track records. For the past three decades, Neal has provided a strong and able voice in Congress on matters that concern Main Street and the world. He is willing to reach across the aisle and negotiate important legislation that impacts the lives of the citizenry. As the Democratic Party has increasingly produced voices that may not be open to alternative points of view, Neal offers a more moderate tone, willing to listen and consider all perspectives. As Congress has often of late toiled to move past gridlock and iron out differences, Neal represents a voice of reason and respect. His is the voice we need in Congress to get us through the challenges ahead. The Republican recommends a vote for Richard E. Neal in the Democratic primary that will decide the Massachusetts 1st Congressional District seat for the next two years. Related: Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-28 01:28:34|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close RAMALLAH, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Israeli settlers on Thursday established a new settlement outpost in the West Bank village of Abwein near Ramallah city, according to Palestinian sources. The Israeli settlers erected four caravans on lands of Palestinian citizens in preparation to establish the settlement outpost, Abwein mayor Naji Hamad told the reporters. Despite the fact that the Palestinians have their official documents that affirm their ownership of the lands, Israeli authorities insist on "expanding the settlement activity," added Hamad. However, Israeli public radio reported that the Israeli border police demolished the "illegal settlement outpost," which was erected by a small group of teenagers and families. Enditem She's never hidden the fact that she wants to crack America. But, Gemma Collins' dreams of making it big in the U.S.A. were dealt a huge blow when her agent John Ferriter died in July 2019, just weeks after she signed up to be represented by him, stateside. The former TOWIE star, 39, was in talks to star on American weight-loss show The Biggest Loser, but when John sadly passed away just six weeks later everything fell through. Devastating: Gemma Collins', 39, dreams of making it in the U.S.A. were dealt a blow when her agent John Ferriter died in July 2019, just weeks after she signed up to be represented by him Speaking on The Gemma Collins Podcast, the GC said said: 'We had a great meeting, he looked me in the eyes, he went, "Gemma - you're a star, and I will make you a star in America". 'I came back to the UK and he called me and he said, "I'm going to put you forward for 'The Biggest Loser", which was a really big show. Sadly he passed away.' But the Diva Forever star hasn't given up hope, as she still believes another job in the US will pop up again. She added: 'So I did have a little taste of a job in America and feel it's something that might come again.' Sad times: The former TOWIE star was in talks to star on American weight-loss show The Biggest Loser, but when John sadly passed away just six weeks later everything fell through Superstar agent: John was a top agent who represented the likes of GMB's Piers Morgan and former TOWIE star Mark Wright in America MailOnline has contacted representatives for Gemma Collins. And it looks like her American dreams could come true as Gemma was recently tipped to appear on Dancing with the Stars, the US version of Strictly Come Dancing. The GC is thought to have proved popular Stateside when she made an Orange is the New Black cameo. And now, DWTS bookers are said to have 'shown an interest' in signing her up for a future series. Last month, a source told The Sun that: 'Gemma would love to have another crack at the US. After impressing fans with her cameo on an Orange Is The New Black promo, the reality star is hoping a spot on DWTS could be in her future. The insider said: 'Gemma would love to have another crack at the US. The Americans loved her when she made a cameo on Orange is the New Black in 2018, and bookers on Dancing with the Stars have shown an interest. 'Gemma's schedule is always jam-packed and it's difficult for this year but the team in the US are keen to secure her for 2021.' Acting chops: A source told The Sun that Gemma is determined to crack the US after impressing fans with her cameo on an Orange Is The New Black promo Back in 2017, Gemma was unimpressed when Strictly judge Craig Revel-Horwood implied she was too 'low calibre' to take part in the show. Hitting back at his comments she told The Sun: 'I find his comment funny. I'm not low rent, Craig. 'We've all got to start somewhere and it's a shame to just knock someone out of giving them a chance because they don't think I'm high calibre enough.' CHELSEA, MI -- A retirement community broke ground on a new residential development in Chelsea. The Silver Maples of Chelsea Retirement Neighborhood is building 16 condominium-type residences in a new development dubbed DeerRidge Villas, according to a news release. The neighborhood at 100 Silver Maples Drive was built more than 23 years ago to provide housing and a lifestyle that encourages older adults to take an active role in their lives. DeerRidge was a decade-long project. This project had been the vision of our board for a very long time. They knew ... the baby boomer generation was inching closer to retirement, and Chelsea, Michigan, specifically Silver Maples, had become a prime destination, Julie Deppner, Silver Maples executive director, said in the release. The Silver Maples board recognized a demand for villa-style housing but needed to swap land with St. Joseph Mercy Chelsea Hospital, which was handled ahead of the Aug. 13 groundbreaking, per the release. Five years ago, Julie came on board and at that time the board thought. what a great opportunity to make our dream a reality, Board Chairwoman Sally DeVol said in the release. Julie got to work and through dialogue and collaboration with a couple of our partners in getting this done -- Silver Maples along with St. Joes Mercy Chelsea Hospital, St. Marys Church, and IHA ... we are standing here today ready to embark on this beautiful project. We have all of them to thank. Construction is expected to be completed by summer 2021. There is such a high demand for independent senior living in our area and our new DeerRidge Villas will complement the current living options at Silver Maples of Chelsea, Deppner said in a statement. We are excited to bring in new residents who are active, vibrant and independent. Sports Maguire found guilty by Greek court; withdrawn from England squad LONDON, AUG 26 (IANS) | Publish Date: 8/26/2020 1:06:36 PM IST Manchester United defender Harry Maguire has been withdrawn from the England squad for the upcoming two UEFA Nations League games in September after being found guilty of three charges by a Greek court. On Tuesday, Gareth Southgate named a 24-man squad for their Nations League games against Iceland and Denmark. The 27-year-old Maguire was selected by the Three Lions manager initially despite his trial being underway in Greece. However, after the Manchester United captain was found guilty of aggravated assault, resisting arrest and repeated attempts of bribery on the Greek island of Syros on Tuesday, Southgate decided to drop Maguire from the squad, reports Xinhua news agency. In light of this evenings developments, I can confirm I have withdrawn Harry Maguire from the England squad for the matches against Iceland and Denmark, Southgate was quoted by the English Football Association website. As I said earlier today, I reserved the right to review the situation. Having spoken to Manchester United and the player, I have made this decision in the best interests of all parties and with consideration of the impact on our preparations for next week. The Manchester United captain has been charged for aggravated assault and attempted bribery of an official. He was given a suspended sentence of 21 months after Tuesdays trial even though he pleaded not guilty of any charge. According to a British media report, Maguire was involved in a brawl last week while on holiday in Mykonos. He spent two nights in custody after he was arrested. Maguire maintains his innocence. Following the hearing today, I have instructed my legal team with immediate effect to inform the courts we will be appealing, he said. Manchester United believed that Maguires defense team was given little time to prepare. It should be noted that the prosecution confirmed the charges and provided their evidence late on the day before the trial, giving the defense team minimal time to digest them and prepare. A request for the case to be adjourned was subsequently denied, read a club statement. On this basis, along with the substantial body of evidence refuting the charges, Harry Maguires legal team will now appeal the verdict, to allow a full and fair hearing at a later date. England will travel to face Iceland on September 5 before heading to Copenhagen to face Denmark on September 8. The Bombay High Court on Thursday rejected the public interest litigation (PIL), demanding appointment of three trustees, including two from opposition parties as per the scheme, to manage Prime Ministers Citizens Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM CARES Fund). The Nagpur bench of the High Court also turned down a request made by petitioner Arvind Waghmare to remove private auditing firm M/s SAARC Associates. Waghmare had also demanded a declaration of the utilisation of money deposited in the fund. A division bench of the high court, consisting Justice Sunil Shukre and Justice Anil Kilor, pronounced its verdict on Thursday morning and dismissed the petition on all the three counts. The bench found no merit in any of the pleas made by Waghmare expressing reservation about the existing mechanism. The petitioner, Waghmare, has appeared in person and sought a proper audit of PM CAREs fund, the appointment of three trustees as per the scheme of the fund. He also demanded the declaration of money collected so far and its utilization. The PM Cares Fund was formed on March 28 this year in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. The petitioner lawyer also claimed to have contributed to it. Also read: Decision on reopening gyms, places of worship likely in September first week - Sanjay Raut This is not a personal fund of any political party, he claimed while seeking the appointment of leaders belonging to opposition parties to make the functioning of the fund more transparent and inclusive. Additional Solicitor General of India, Anil Singh had sought the dismissal of the PIL filed by Waghmare and stated that the Supreme Court had already rejected the petition last week with detailed reasons. Singh added that most of the issues agitated in this PIL have been covered by the apex courts ruling. The Centre strongly opposed the petition and dubbed it as politically motivated while doubting the intentions of the petition. The prime minister is the ex-officio chairman of the trust formed to manage the funds and senior ministers are ex-officio members. About the remaining three trustees, the petitioner had sought the appointment of opposition leaders as trustees. The Centre had made it clear that the prime minister had the discretion to appoint any three eminent persons and such a prayer was not legally tenable. Police Wives at the Cocoa Marketing Board (CMB) Barracks in Accra on Thursday embarked on a demonstration over the pulling down of trees at the compound by a private building contractor. Madam Joyce Amponsah, who spoke on behalf of the Police wives, told the media that they heard an excavator pulling down trees on their compound around 0300 hours on Thursday. We started screaming at the operators to stop, adding that their husbands who were not on night duty at the time confronted the contractor. Madam Amponsah said the people who were pulling down the trees were reluctant to stop because they were authorized by one Mr Kwame Owusu, a building contractor, to do the job so they could not disobey his orders. She said the operators later left but they were afraid their children who play around the compound could be injured. The Police wives called on the Government to intervene to stop the contractor from the demolition of the houses. Nana Agyarko II, who spoke on behalf of Mr Kwame Owusu, the building contractor, told the Ghana News Agency that the allegations levelled against the contractor were not true. He said the property did not belong to Mr Kwame Owusu as the Police wives said rather it belonged to the Police. He was giving an order by the CMB Police Commander to pull down the trees for a proper assessment and measurement for the new building project. Nana Agyarko said the Police administration had offered Mr Owusu a contract to build new houses on the land. He said the CMB Police Commander and some Officers from the Police Headquarters engaged in a conversation with the Officers occupying the place three days ago before they started pulling down the trees. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Most recently, Singh served as President with the L'Oreal Group, where over the past six years, he led large and complex brand portfolios in North America. Throughout his roles, he's delivered revenue and profit growth at industry-leading rates by building high-performing teams with a diverse, inclusive work culture, while accelerating consumer-centric innovation and instilling industry-leading digital capabilities. Prior to L'Oreal, he spent 14 years at Procter and Gamble working in various roles - including global brand innovation, regional portfolio management and country commercial operations - across North America and Greater China. Singh holds an MBA from The Wharton School at The University of Pennsylvania and an undergraduate degree in Industrial Engineering from Dalhousie University. Singh will be responsible for the full Pet Nutrition North American portfolio, including iconic brands like PEDIGREE, SHEBA and IAMS serving the more than 86 million pet-owning households across the region. Core to his role will be driving the company's purpose: A BETTER WORLD FOR PETS through its talented Associates, brands and operations. "I'm energized by this growing, dynamic category and to join a company that puts purpose at the center of what they do," said Singh. "I've personally experienced the many benefits pets bring to our lives and I'm inspired by the opportunity to make a positive impact for pets and pet parents." Singh will build on the incredible success that Mark Johnson, current Regional President for Mars Pet Nutrition North America, has led over the past six years. Johnson has made a personal decision to step down from his current role. He will move into another opportunity within the business, which will be announced at a later date. To ensure a smooth transition, Johnson will continue to lead the business through the end of the year, while supporting Singh's onboarding. "It has been an absolute privilege to lead the North American Pet Nutrition business for the last six years," Johnson said. "I'm so proud of our incredibly talented Associates and all we've been able to accomplish together to further our purpose: a better world for pets." About Mars, Incorporated For more than a century, Mars, Incorporated has been driven by the belief that the world we want tomorrow starts with how we do business today. This idea is at the center of who we have always been as a global, family-owned business. Today, Mars is transforming, innovating and evolving in ways that affirm our commitment to making a positive impact on the world around us. Across our diverse and expanding portfolio of confectionery, food, and petcare products and services, we employ 125,000 dedicated Associates who are all moving in the same direction: forward. With $40 billion in annual sales, we produce some of the world's best-loved brands including DOVE, EXTRA, M&M's, MILKY WAY, SNICKERS, TWIX, ORBIT, PEDIGREE, ROYAL CANIN, SKITTLES, UNCLE BEN'S, WHISKAS, COCOAVIA, and 5; and take care of half of the world's pets through our nutrition, health and services businesses, including AniCura, Banfield Pet Hospitals, BluePearl, Linnaeus, and VCA. We know we can only be truly successful if our partners and the communities in which we operate prosper as well. The Mars Five Principles Quality, Responsibility, Mutuality, Efficiency and Freedom inspire our Associates to take action every day to help create a world tomorrow in which the planet, its people and pets can thrive. For more information about Mars, please visit www.mars.com. Join us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube. About Mars Petcare Part of Mars, Incorporated, a family-owned business with more than a century of history making diverse products and offering services for people and the pets people love, the 85,000 Associates across 50+ countries in Mars Petcare are dedicated to one purpose: A BETTER WORLD FOR PETS. With 85 years of experience, our portfolio of almost 50 brands serves the health and nutrition needs of the world's pets including brands PEDIGREE, WHISKAS, ROYAL CANIN, NUTRO, GREENIES, SHEBA, CESAR, IAMS and EUKANUBA as well as the WALTHAM Petcare Science Institute which has advanced research in the nutrition and health of pets for over 50 years. Mars Petcare is also a leading veterinary health provider through an international network of over 2,000 pet hospitals and diagnostic services including BANFIELD, BLUEPEARL, VCA, Linnaeus, AniCura and Antech. We're also active in innovation and technology for pets, with WISDOM PANEL genetic health screening and DNA testing for dogs, the WHISTLE GPS dog tracker, and LEAP VENTURE STUDIO accelerator and COMPANION FUND programs that drive innovation and disruption in the pet care industry. As a family business and guided by our principles, we are privileged with the flexibility to fight for what we believe in and we choose to fight for: A BETTER WORLD FOR PETS. SOURCE Mars Petcare Related Links http://www.mars.com The man shot and killed by a Houston police SWAT officer Wednesday in Montrose has been identified as Julius Kehyei, who court records show was homeless. Kehyei, 29 was fatally shot around 5:20 a.m. after, police said, he fired multiple shots at a civilian driver and then police officers. He had taken refuge on top of a church fence for more than a hour when he pointed a gun at several police officers and was then killed, officials said. The officer was identified as a 22-year veteran of the Houston Police Department. Police said the clash began around 3:30 a.m. when the driver of a car and two passengers confronted him as he broke into a car on Waugh Drive. Kehyei fled after he and the driver exchanged gunfire Police initially said the driver was part of a Lyft rideshare with two passengers and that Kehyei shot at his car. Investigators later clarified that he was not a Lyft driver and that he and Kehyei shot at each other. Within minutes, officers caught up with Kehyei in the 2500 block of Van Buren Street and he fired at them, police said. A standoff with law enforcement started at a church in the 1300 block of Hyde Park Street, during which Kehyei raised a gun at the officers. He was fatally shot and died at a hospital. Charges against the officer as well as the driver are pending the results of a Harris County grand jury, officials said. Kehyei had been out on a general order bond since July 29 for two misdemeanor charges criminal trespass and failure to identify himself to a Seabrook police officer. Though jail records list his last known address in Port Saint Lucie, Fla., bond paperwork from the latest arrests state that he was homeless. Another criminal trespass charge that landed Kehyei in jail days earlier was dismissed because the judge believed the arrest lacked probable cause. The bulk of Kehyeis charges in Harris County were misdemeanors that were either failure to identify himself or criminal trespass. He was found guilty in 2013 of a felony theft charge. nicole.hensley@chron.com Zee Marathi continues to set new benchmarks in the social media space with the latest campaign #CelebrateShravan further strengthening their social media presence and garnering 36.5 million organic reach with over 39.2 Million impressions on Facebook and 4.3 Mn reach with 4.8 Mm Impressions on Instagram within one month. Tying together all festivities and celebration in the past month, the campaign gave users a much-needed chance to celebrate even in the ongoing times. The month of Shravan is considered the most auspicious month in the Hindu calendar and is celebrated with much zeal & zest by Marathi audiences. However, with most areas in Maharashtra still under lockdown audiences, now more than ever, were looking for reasons to celebrate and enjoy their own moment in the spotlight. Taking this insight forward Zee Marathi created a digital IP called #CelebrateShravan where auspicious dates in the month of Shravan were highlighted and opportunities were created for users to shine. Within 4 weeks, the posts under #CelebratedSharavan garnered a total reach of 50 Million across platforms, becoming the most popular campaign of the year. In the same duration, the Zee Marathi grew its Facebook page organic reach from 40 Mn to 68.4 Mn. Month-Long Celebrations: From 20 July to 18 August the campaign covered a wide range of festivities unique to Shravan and its celebration in Maharashtra. From auspicious weekdays to numerous festivities like Nagpanchami, Narali Pournima & even Raksha Bandha and Independence-day, all were turned into opportunities for users to share their festivities. User-Generated Content Worked Magic: With the spotlight turned to them, Zee Marathi followers flooded the Facebook page with images, recipes, videos and a plethora of user-generated content. Recipes Hold a Special Place: Special highlights of the campaign include the culinary arts section where a special call-out for regional recipes specific to Shravan received over 14 lakh organic reach and over 61K engagement within a matter of hours. The topicality of the campaign combined with Zee Marathi's affinity among audiences proved to be a winning formula. Shravan Prime Time Contest: A month-long watch and win contest gratified viewers for correctly answering questions related to on-air content further garnering over 1.8 lakh missed calls, 6.5 Mn reach on Facebook and 4.8 Mn reach on Instagram. Spectacular Growth in Page Reach: Zee Marathi has seen spectacular growth in their Facebook weekly organic reach from 18.3 Mn to a whopping 68.6 Mn since July when the channel made a comeback with original content during primetime. As Maharashtra's favourite shows returned on-air, the social media handles further complemented the comeback with robust show-let campaigns as well as topical digital IPs to consistently deliver on the channel's promise to always delight its audiences. Catch-up on the latest show updates and other interesting Marathi content onhttps://www.facebook.com/zeemarathiofficial and @ZeeMarathiOfficial on Instagram. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Aug. 27 By Nargiz Sadikhova - Trend: The value of trade turnover between Kazakhstan and Greece amounted to $781.1 million over 1H2020, compared to $695.2 million during the same period of 2019, Trend reports with reference to Kazakhstans Statistics Committee. The share of Greece in the total value of Kazakhstans trade turnover stood at 1.8 percent during the reporting period compared to 1.5 percent during the same period of 2019. Kazakhstans export to Greece amounted to $772.6 million over the period from January through June 2020, compared to $686.7 million during the same period of 2019. Greeces share in the total volume of Kazakhstans export also amounted to 3 percent during the reporting period of 2020 compared to 2.4 percent during the same period of 2019 indicating it was flat year-on-year. In turn, Kazakhstans imports from Greece stood at about $8.44 million over the reporting period, compared to $8.43 million during the same period of 2019. The UKs share in the total volume of Kazakhstans import amounted to 0.1 percent during the reporting period of 2020 compared to less than 0.1 percent during the same period of 2019. The total volume of Kazakhstans trade turnover amounted to $42.5 billion over the period from Jan. through June 2020 which indicates a decrease from $46.1 billion during the same period of 2019. Kazakhstans export amounted to $26 billion during the reporting period of 2020 ($28.6 billion in the same period of 2019), whereas import amounted to $16.5 billion ($17.5 billion in 2019). --- Follow the author on twitter: @nargiz_sadikh A popular Dublin pub has closed after a part-time staff member tested positive for the coronavirus. Slatterys Pub D4 on Grand Canal Street said in a statement that it will be closed until further notice after a worker contracted Covid-19 outside of the workplace. They contracted the virus outside of their work environment, the statement reads. All staff members have been tested. However, as a precaution, all staff members are being tested and Slatterys have taken a pro-active approach to ensure that staff follow self-isolation and contact tracing protocols. The statement added that closing is a small sacrifice to maintain the health and safety of valued customers. In the interests of health and safety, we have undertaken the difficult decision to close until further notice. While we are disappointed, it is a small price to pay to ensure the safety of our valued customers, said owner Irial Slattery. All persons who need to be notified have been contacted by the HSE Contact Tracing System, and we are taking all necessary steps to ensure a safe and speedy reopening. We take our responsibility within the community very seriously and customer safety is our top priority, he added. Rhea Chakraborty has said that she and late actor Sushant Singh Rajput had gone to Europe in October 2019 and it was during this trip that she discovered that Rajput was suffering from mental illness. She also said that she had not been living off Rajput's money and it was the late actor who loved living life king size. Talking about the exact moment she realised that Sushant Singh Rajput was suffering from mental illness, she said, "When we were leaving for Europe, Sushant said that he feels claustrophobic in a flight. He took a medicine, Modafinil, without any prescription. When we reached Paris, he didn't leave his room for three days. Before the trip, he said that he was very happy. He had told me that he is very excited for the trip as he will show me his true side during our Europe stay. He will walk on the streets and have fun with me which he couldn't do in India. We were really happy. I was wondering what happened." Rhea further explained in an interview with India Today that Rajput was fine during their stay in Switzerland. The couple stayed at a gothic hotel during their visit to Italy. Rhea said that she didn't want to stay in that hotel but Rajput insisted that they stay in the gothic hotel. Rajput's health started deteriorating during their stay at that hotel. "His health deteriorated there and he started having anxiety attacks. When I asked him what is happening, he told me that in 2013, he had a depressive episode and met a psychiatrist called Haresh Shetty. He told me that the same doctor advised him to take Modafinil, he took on the flight. He told me that he was fine after that. After that, now he was feeling more depressed and anxious. Then we cut short the trip and returned," added Rhea Chakraborty. According to Chakraborty, her brother Showil Chakraborty also accompanied the couple to Europe. Chakraborty told that her brother and Rajput had a great bonding. The three of them had even started an artificial intelligence company called Rhealityx. The company was named after Rhea Chakraborty and she even paid for Showil's stake in the company as he did not have a job at that time. On the allegation that Chakraborty was living off Sushant Singh Rajput's money, she said, "I had a fashion shoot by the clothing trip Shein in Paris. The company sent me the tickets. Sushant thought it was a great idea to make a Euro trip out of this, so he cancelled those tickets -- I have those tickets, in case now I have to prove everything -- and booked first-class tickets, and the rest of the trip he paid for the hotels. He wanted to, and I didn't have a problem with that." Chakraborty said that she did have a problem with how much money Rajput was spending but was not in a position to question Rajput on his expenditures. Chakraborty also talked about Rajput's previous expensive trip, "Even before this trip (Europe), he went to Thailand with six of his male friends. He booked a private jet for that trip and spent Rs 70 lakh. So, it was not like he spent the money just on me. He was like that as a person. He loved living like a star. I was not living off Sushant Singh Rajput's money. We were living like a couple." Also read: Sushant Singh Rajput death case: CBI to recreate death scene at late actor's Bandra flat Also read: Sushant Singh Rajput death case: Locksmith who opened actor's bedroom door reveals what happened on June 14 They are currently facing one of TV's toughest challenges as they compete on The Block. But for competing couple Jade, 34, and Daniel, 35, it doesn't come close to the horrifying moment they experienced every parents worst nightmare. In an interview with TV Week on Thursday, the pair recalled the time Jade went to check on their then 18-month daughter Isla and she wasn't breathing. Biggest fear: : They are currently facing one of TV's toughest challenges as they compete on The Block, but, for couple Jade and Daniel (pictured) it doesn't come close to the horrifying moment they experienced every parents worst nightmare 'She was lifeless,' she recalled to the publication. 'She looked like she wasn't breathing she was white, ghost-like and very clammy and wet. I just screamed out for Daniel.' The South Australian-based couple quickly rushed Isla to the car and made the terrifying trip into the town of Port Pirie. Medical emergency: In an interview with TV Week on Thursday, the couple recalled the time that Jade went to check on their then 18 month daughter, Isla (pictured) and she wasn't breathing 'About half way in to town she was turning blue and her eyes were rolling back into her head,' Jade added. Once there Isla was airlifted to Adelaide Children's Hospital where the medical staff saved her life. Isla, six, who had suffered from health problems since birth, was then diagnosed with the chromosomal disorder, Trisomy 5p. The rare condition is a result of chromosome 5 appearing three times rather than twice in the cells of the body, and it may cause abnormalities such as low muscle tone or heart conditions. Diagnosis: Isla, who had suffered from health problems since birth, was then diagnosed with the chromosomal disorder, Trisomy 5p. Pictured: Jade and Isla On the show, the couple explained that Isla was one of the reasons they applied for the Channel Nine Reno show. 'Isla goes to speech classes, occupational therapy, and physio weekly,' Jade explained to the magazine. 'We applied because just a little bit of financial support can help Daniel be around just a little bit more often. We can be a family and help each other, and Isla can get any extra help she needs.' The Block continues Sunday night on Channel Nine at 7pm. New COVID-19 cases have started popping up in Connecticut as college campuses begin to welcome students for the school year. UConn's campus in Storrs saw a dozen cases in one residence hall this week, while Yale logged its first positive test result. Western Connecticut State University in Danbury has postponed its in-person return as the city works to quell a recent spike in cases. Last week, lawmakers from the legislature's Higher Education Committee, after hearing concerns from faculty and students, penned a letter to Mark Ojakian, president of the Connecticut State College and University system, asking that more safety protocols be taken at schools around the state. READ MORE: 'We need to work hard': Connecticut colleges reopening in the eye of the pandemic Here is a snapshot of some of the COVID cases that have cropped up on Connecticut campuses over the past week: A 45-year-old man was arrested in Britain on Thursday on suspicion of committing war crimes during Liberias civil wars, police said. Officers from Londons Metropolitan Police war crimes team detained the man, whose name was not released, in the capital and took him into custody. He was arrested for offences contrary to section 51 of the International Criminal Court Act 2001, which covers genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. The arrest follows an allegation of offences relating to the first and second Liberian Civil Wars, between 1989 and 2003, the Met said in a statement. Officers are currently searching an address in southeast London. Enquiries are ongoing. An estimated quarter of a million people were killed in the back-to-back civil wars in Liberia, which were marked by the widespread use of mutilation and rape. Some of the brutal violence was carried out by child soldiers acting for warlords. WASHINGTON The third night of the Republican National Convention featured a keynote address by Vice President Mike Pence that highlighted the Trump administration's successes and attacked Democratic nominee Joe Biden. Pence's wife, Karen, also spoke, as did senior White House advisor Kellyanne Conway, who is leaving that role next week. Trump's convention speech is scheduled for Thursday night, when he formally accepts the Republican nomination. The president has already spoken and appeared on numerous occasions throughout the convention. Here are the top moments from Wednesday night: Pence defends Covid-19 response, attacks Biden Vice President Mike Pence addressed the convention from historic Fort McHenry in Baltimore. Pence's keynote speech contrasted the Trump administration's record with what he said America would look like under a Biden administration. "President Trump set our nation on a path to freedom and opportunity from the very first day of this administration. But Joe Biden would set America on a path of socialism and decline," Pence said. "Every day, President Trump has been fighting to protect the promise of America. Every day our president has been fighting to expand the reach of the American dream. And every day President Donald Trump has been fighting for you. Now it's our turn to fight for him." Pence, head of the president's coronavirus task force, defended the administration's handling of the pandemic. "In our first three years, we built the greatest economy in the world. We made America great again. And then the coronavirus struck from China," Pence said. "We built hospitals, we surged military medical personnel and enacted an economic rescue package that saved 50 million American jobs," he said. "No one who required a ventilator was ever denied a ventilator in the United States." The coronavirus has infected more than 5.8 million people in the U.S. more than a quarter of the globe's reported cases and killing over 179,000 as of Wednesday, according to Johns Hopkins University data. Karen Pence speaks to military families Second lady Karen Pence took the stage to deliver a softer message to voters and address the families of U.S. military service members. "The Pences are a military family. Our son, Michael, serves in the U.S. Marines, and our son in law, Henry, serves in the U.S. Navy," she said. "And one of my key initiatives is to elevate and encourage military spouses. These men and women, like our daughter, Charlotte, and our daughter in law, Sarah, are the home front heroes." She then shared a handful of stories from military spouses and described their unique hardships. "Military spouses may experience frequent moves, job changes, periods of being a single parent while their loved one is deployed all while exhibiting pride, strength, and determination and being a part of something bigger than themselves," she said, before thanking these families for their service. She also took a moment to thank health-care workers, teachers, first responders, mental health providers, law enforcement officers, grocery and delivery workers and farmers. Kellyanne Conway's last hurrah Conway, who on Sunday said she is leaving her White House role at the end of August, gave a speech that focused on how Trump has supported women in leadership roles. "For decades, he has elevated women to senior positions in business and in government. He confides in and consults us, respects our opinions, and insists that we are on equal footing with the men," she began. "President Trump helped me shatter a barrier in the world of politics by empowering me to manage his campaign to its successful conclusion." Conway addressed her work on tackling America's drug abuse crisis and the support she received from Trump in those efforts. "When President Trump asked me to coordinate the White House efforts on combating the drug crisis, he said, 'This is personal, Kellyanne.' So many lives have been ruined by addiction and we'll never even know it because people are ashamed to reach out for help, or they're not sure who to turn to in their toughest hour," she said. Joni Ernst takes key Senate race national Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst, who recorded her remarks in a barn while flanked by a bale of hay and a tractor, spoke about Trump's support for farmers and slammed the Democrats' Green New Deal. "If given power, they would essentially ban animal agriculture and eliminate gas-powered cars. It would destroy the agriculture industry, not just here in Iowa, but throughout the country," Ernst said of Joe Biden and the Green New Deal. Biden hasn't explicitly endorsed the proposal, which has been pushed by the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, but has called it a "crucial framework." Ernst, the first female combat veteran elected to the Senate, has carved out a role for herself as an advocate for victims of sexual abuse in the military. This year, she faces a close reelection race against Democrat Theresa Greenfield. Ernst also lauded the success of trade deals brokered by Trump with Japan, as well as Mexico and Canada. She did not, however, mention Trump's phase one trade agreement with China, which he has touted as being a win for American farmers. Ernst added that during the coronavirus pandemic, Trump again turned to help farmers. "When the pandemic hit, President Trump heard us in our call for assistance for our farmers. Knowing we have an ally in the White House is important," she said. Crenshaw calls U.S. 'country of heroes' UTRECHT, Netherlands, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Cergentis, a genomics company that develops and commercializes kits and services based on its proprietary Targeted Locus Amplification (TLA) technology, today announced the expansion of its product portfolio with new service packages for cell line development: clonality assurance package and genetic stability package. These packages rely on Cergentis' TLA technology for transgene and integration site sequencing and provide reliable, single-nucleotide information on the genetic composition of producer cell lines. Clonality assurance To ensure consistent quality in the production of any pharmaceutical biologic, assurance of clonal derivation of producer cell lines is a regulatory requirement by both FDA and EMA and vital to ensure product quality and patient safety. Assessing clonality can nowadays be done using various methods. However, such assessments can be time consuming and costly or may not have been possible during the generation of older 'legacy' cell lines. Rederiving these cell lines is generally to be avoided. TLA combined with qPCR-based breakpoint analysis can provide assurance of clonality within 10 weeks, thereby filling a gap in the need for a reliable, quick testing method. Technical details can be found in our new white paper: Targeted Locus Amplification and NGS combined with qPCR-based breakpoint analysis for the assurance of monoclonality in recombinant cell lines. Genetic stability Besides clonality, assessing the genetic stability of producer cell lines is equally important. Cergentis provides a genetic stability assessment package in which TLA is used to gain genetic insight into the genetic stability of producer cell lines, ensuring consistent production of biologics. Joris Schuurmans, CEO of Cergentis, commented: "We are very excited to be launching these new service packages. It addresses the increasing demand of our current customer base to adopt these services into our TLA-based genetic engineering portfolio and enables us to support our customers even better in their cell line development work." About Cergentis Cergentis is a genomics company that develops and commercializes TLA-based diagnostic kits for targeted complete next-generation sequencing of (trans)genes and gene editing events. The company also provides commercial services for leading research institutes and pharmaceutical companies worldwide. TLA is a well-established technology that provides unique and critical advantages in the implementation of personalized medicine and advanced genetic engineering. For more information: cergentis.com SOURCE Cergentis Related Links http://cergentis.com Williams Removes Two Students for Breaking COVID-19 Protocol; First Round of Student Tests Yield No Positives WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. Williams College has removed two students from campus for violating the school's quarantine order for returning students. President Maud Mandel made the announcement in an email to the college community on Thursday. "Over the last few weeks, we've regretfully had to convert two on-campus students to remote study status after they violated the college's quarantine," Mandel wrote in a letter co-signed by Dean Marlene Sandstrom. "Judging from the campus reaction, some people may not understand the reasons for our policies, or may feel we're enforcing them too strictly." Mandel did not specify the nature of the violation. Word of the students' removal comes on a day of otherwise positive news for the college on the COVID-19 front. The first day of Williams College's testing of returning students yielded no positive results for COVID-19, according to the college's public " dashboard " of testing results. On Wednesday, the college was reporting having conducted just shy of 1,000 tests. On Thursday, three days after the college started welcoming underclassmen back to campus, the number was 1,331 tests. A college spokesperson Thursday morning confirmed that the 1,331 number includes Monday's tests, which include "students, staff and faculty." Since the college's testing program began on Aug. 17, it is yet to have turned up a positive test for COVID-19, according to the dashboard. The college is employing a phased approach to the return of students, accepting and testing a couple of hundred students per day through Sept. 7. All students have been ordered to quarantine in their residence until they have received a second negative test for the novel coronavirus. Students have been told to expect their initial quarantine to last "a minimum of five to seven days," according to an Aug. 6 letter from Sandstrom. Mandel and Sandstrom's sternly worded Thursday letter to the community called for continued vigilance and adherance to the school's COVID-19 regulations. "If quarantine isn't fully honored, this system fails," they wrote. "If a family member enters your dorm to help you move in; if you take a walk around campus before going into quarantine; if you travel out of Williamstown without permission, you're incrementally increasing risk to everyone. Despite our desire to be forgiving, a 'no harm, no foul' philosophy simply isn't possible given the rate at which COVID-19 is spreading on college campuses." Mandel's letter links to a Wednesday New York Times article reporting that 26,000 cases and 64 deaths attributable to COVID-19 have been linked to colleges and universities since the pandemic began. "[We] want to take this opportunity to reaffirm that each of you who's living on campus or off-campus in Williamstown is required to sign and abide by the community health commitment and scrupulously follow our rules," the Thursday letter reads. That community health commitment outlines the college's rules on testing, social distancing and face coverings and concludes, in bold print, "any failure to comply may be subject to sanction or discipline in accordance with college policies." There is some data to indicate that Sandstrom's Aug. 6 letter , which announced more restrictions for returning students during the fall semester, including an initial ban on off-campus travel at least through September, may have deterred some students from returning for in-person classes. On July 15, college officials at a virtual town hall told the Williamstown community that Williams was anticipating 1,600 students who had decided to return to town for classes. On Thursday afternoon, college spokesperson Gregory Shook said the school's current numbers are 1,364 students in college-owned housing with another 81 planning to live locally off-campus with on-campus priviliges; that makes a total of 1,445 students, down 9.6 percent from the figure cited in mid-July. Direct flights from the city of Lar, southern Iran, to Dubai (UAE) and vice versa will resume from Saturday after the pandemic recess, provincial official told on Thursday, Trend reports citing IRNA. Director General of Larestan International Airport in southern Iranian province of Fars Aminollah Solati said the flights will be operated by flydubai - Dubai Aviation Corporation. Solati said that passengers can book the daily flights as of now and fly to Dubai observing the protective health protocols. Larestan International Airport has ten foreign flights every day. Since its outbreak in December 2019, the coronavirus pandemic postponed many meetings and events worldwide as it has killed near 830,000 up to now. (Natural News) In response to a growing Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, authorities in Urumqi, the capital of Chinas far-western Xinjiang region, are apparently now forcing citizens to take untested medications in a supposed effort to stop the spread of the disease. Urumqi has been placed under lockdown for over a month now, following reports of a cluster outbreak in mid-July. During this time, local communities have been placed under seal-off management that prevents people from entering or leaving. In addition, citizens have also been forbidden from leaving the city itself, except under special circumstances. Despite these, the true scale of the outbreak in the city, as well as the rest of the region, remains unknown. Officials have so far refused to provide further details about the outbreak. Urumqi residents made to take unknown medicine On top of their strict lockdown, authorities in Urumqi have added a new regulation. Residents are reporting that they are now being made to regularly take drugs that can supposedly prevent infection from the coronavirus. Volunteers show up, they take our temperature, watch us take the drugs and photograph us the children take a half dosage of the drug, stated a man going by Wang to the Chinese language Epoch Times. Whether the drug works [to prevent the virus], we dont have a clue. Wang added that the authorities did not explain when the practice would stop. Other residents shared similar stories. One Urumqi resident said that he was also required to take some form of herbal medicine. However, the packaging did not show the name of the drug he was being given. Doctors say the drug is good to prevent flu and the drug is made of traditional Chinese medicine, the resident said. It is said to be good for ones immunity. And community officials pass out the drugs. He also added that people in other areas of Xinjiang were also taking such drugs. According to the resident, officials claimed that taking the drug was not mandatory; however, he said that they still collected the names of people who took the drug and those that refused to. Another resident, however, claimed to know someone who was forced to take the drug. Interviewees did not disclose their names for fear of reprisal from Chinese authorities for speaking to media. Forced drugs just the latest draconian measure in Xinjiang The forced medicines are just the latest in an ever-growing list of draconian measures that Chinese authorities have been levying on Xinjiang. Authorities had initially declared a wartime state in the region, before going door-to-door, sealing off apartments and warning residents to stay inside. With the restrictions having lasted for more than a month now, despite signs that the outbreak is now under control, many residents are now lashing out and accusing authorities of acting too harshly. There are no cases here, said Daisy Luo, a fruit seller who lives in northern Xinjiang, in an interview with the New York Times. The controls are too strict. Luo had taken to social media to speak out against the restrictions says that she felt abandoned by authorities. Its useless to have opinions, she said. People dare not speak. The extended lockdown has also raised concerns about human rights abuses in Xinjiang. The Chinese government has spent years perfecting a system of mass surveillance and control in the region to maintain control over the regions largely Muslim ethnic minority groups. These make up about half of Xinjiangs population of 25 million. In recent days, Xinjian residents have been circulated videos on social media showing residents being handcuffed to metal posts, supposedly for violating quarantine rules. Another widely circulated video showed Urumqi residents yelling from their homes in despair. Is this a prison or cage? wrote one user wrote on popular Chinese social media service Weibo. Is this prevention or suppression? Despite all this, Chinese officials have yet to provide any detailed information about the restrictions or provide any scope or rationale for them. Local officials have also tried to portray themselves as responsive and transparent. On August 24, Monday, state-run news made an unusual gesture, publishing the cellphone numbers of government and party officials in Urumqi, encouraging needy residents to get in touch. It was stated that these officials stood ready to effectively solve the difficult demands of the people of all ethnic groups. One of those officials, a district leader in Urumqi named Liu Haijiang, said in an interview that there were no cases in his district and that residents were pleased with the governments response. (Related: Chinese citizens decry draconian lockdown measures in Chinas newest coronavirus hotspots.) We are a pure land, Liu said. Ordinary people are all very happy. Liu, however, could not say when the lockdowns would be lifted. In Urumqi, authorities said on Monday that they would begin to ease the restrictions in some districts, according to local news reports. The authorities did not say, however, when the full lockdown would be lifted. Follow Tyranny.news for more on how China uses to coronavirus as an excuse to oppress dissidents in the name of public health. Sources include: TheEpochTimes.com NYTimes.com India and Bangladesh will hold "important" Director General-level border talks in Dhaka next month to discuss a host of issues related to crimes on the front and other security challenges, officials said on Tuesday. The biannual talks will be held between the Border Security Force (BSF) and their counterpart Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) from September 13-18 at Pilkhana, the headquarters of the Bangladeshi force in Dhaka. Newly appointed BSF DG Rakesh Asthana will lead a dozen officers strong Indian delegation that will have representatives from the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), the external affairs ministry and other government agencies. The Bangladeshi side will be led by BGB DG Maj Gen Md Shafeenul Islam. "The last time the two sides met was in December in Delhi. The next round of meeting in September is going to be important as a number of bilateral issues along the 4,096 km long front will be discussed and new protocols will be firmed up," a senior officer told PTI. The relations between the two sides are very good and at an all-time high and both the sides are expected to take it forward, he said. While the Indian side is expected to take up the issue of joint border security management, fencing of unfenced areas and undertaking effective steps to curb cross-border crimes, the Bangladeshi border force is expected to take up issues related to killing of its people along the front. New methods of enhancing cooperation and sharing of information while countering issues related to border criminals and illegal crossers are expected to be framed, the officer said. This is going to be the 50th round of DG-level talks between the two border guarding forces and a host of confidence building measures (CBM) to enhance cooperation between the two sides will be discussed and formalised after the signing of a joint record of discussion at the end of the talks, the officer said. The new paradigm of border management in the time of Covid-19 pandemic spread will also be charted during the talks where it is also expected that the Indian side will call on the top leadership of the Bangladesh government, he added. Issues like preparing better mechanisms to stop attacks and assault on BSF troops and Indian civilians by criminals of both the countries are also expected to be taken up, another officer in the security establishment said. Some other regular issues like cattle smuggling, smuggling of fake Indian currency notes, illegal migration and human trafficking, breaching or damage of the international border fence, action against Indian insurgent groups operating from the other side and illegal crossing by nationals of countries other than Bangladesh will also be taken up, the second officer said. The border guards DG-level talks between the two countries began in 1975 and they are held bianually, once in Delhi and once in Dhaka, post 1993. Early this month, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla had visited Bangladesh and held talks with his Bangladeshi counterpart Masud Bin Momen, a day after meeting Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 21:57:25|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close YAOUNDE, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- A road accident in Cameroon's Far North region killed five people and injured several others on Thursday, according to local police. The accident occurred Thursday morning in the Bidzar locality along the National Road Number One, according to the police said. Police are still investigating circumstances that led to the tragedy but witnesses said a truck collided head-on with an overloaded-bus, killing five people, including children, on the spot. Survivors, some of them badly injured, have been sent to hospital, said the police. Local authorities have ordered an immediate investigation into the accident. Enditem Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 15:01:28|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- A United Nations report launched Wednesday said that digital finance has become a lifeline during the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. "The unprecedented social and economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has put a spotlight on the role of digital finance in providing relief for millions around the world, supporting businesses and protecting jobs and livelihoods," read a report by the UN Secretary-General's Task Force on Digital Finance, launched by the UN chief Antonio Guterres. While the pandemic demonstrates the immediate benefits of digital finance, the disruptive potential of digitalization in transforming finance is immense. Mobile payment technologies have transformed mobile phones into financial tools for more than a billion people, said the report. The report highlights how billions of people around the world are responding to the COVID-19 pandemic using digital tools to work, spend and socialize. It argues there is an historic opportunity to harness digitalization in placing citizens, the ultimate owners of the world's financial resources, in control of finance to ensure that it meets their needs, today and in the future. Centrally, the report spells out how digital finance can be harnessed in ways that empower citizens as tax-payers and investors in envisaging a digital transformation at scale that better aligns people's money with their needs, collectively expressed by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The task force identifies five catalytic opportunities for harnessing digitalization in aligning financing with the SDGs. Together they cover much of global finance, including aligning the vast pools flowing through global capital markets with the SDGs, increasing the effectiveness and accountability of public finance that makes up a major part of the global economy, channeling digitally-aggregated domestic savings into long-term development finance, informing citizens how to link their consumer spending with the SDGs and accelerating the lifeblood financing for the employment and income-generating world of small and medium-sized businesses. The task force's Action Agenda is a call to action to businesses, policy-makers and those governing finance to do what it takes to deliver on these opportunities. It spells out not only the "what" but also the "how": investments, new capabilities and governance innovations can get the job done. The task force concludes that harnessing digitalization for the good is a choice, not an inevitability driven by technology. Its action agenda points to actions needed to overcome digital risks that, unmitigated, could deepen exclusion, discrimination and inequalities, and separate finance further from the needs of an inclusive, sustainable development. Achim Steiner, administrator of UN Development Programme, and co-chair of the task force on digital finance said that "digital finance's dramatic potential for transformative impact is being revealed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Digital transfers enable governments to get support to people in need, crowdfunding platforms have mobilized funds for medical supplies and emergency relief, and algorithmic lending means small businesses have quicker access to funds." "The speed of the recent spread of these technologies is astonishing, but progress is not automatic. For digitalization to be a true force for delivering on the Sustainable Development Goals, technological advances must combine with sound policy that empowers citizens and enables our financial system to meet the urgent investment challenges that must be overcome to build forward better," he said. In an interview with Xinhua, the UN development chief said that "what we have found is that the pace of change and the new frontiers of technology are unfolding even faster than anyone had anticipated." Speaking of how financial technology (fintech) in digital finance can broaden the scope for more inclusion, Steiner said by showing an example that the use of digital platforms over the recent years has enabled "hundreds of millions of" people in China, Bangladesh, India and Kenya interact with formal financial system "for the first time in their lives." "This is not just a kind of initial trend, this is an exponential development that is going to reshape the financial system significantly," said Steiner. The task force, led by Steiner, and made up of senior figures from the tech sector, financial institutions, governments, and UN bodies, was set up by the UN chief in 2018, to improve understanding of the benefits and risks of the fast-moving fintech and digital finance sectors. Enditem Hyderabad, Aug 27 : Telangana on Thursday reported 2,795 new Covid-19 cases and eight deaths, taking the state's tally to 1,14,483 while the death toll has climbed to 788. A day after recording the highest single-day spike with 3,018 cases, the numbers declined across the state. This was despite the authorities conducting more than 60,000 tests in the last 24 hours. Till 8 pm on Wednesday, 60,386 tests were conducted while 61,040 samples were tested on Tuesday. In total, 11,42,480 tests have been done till now, according to the state's health department. Facing flak for its poor testing rate, the Telangana government has doubled the daily number of tests. During the last five days, more than 2.5 lakh tests were conducted. As many as 16 government and 31 private laboratories were conducting RT-PCR/CBNAAT/TRUENAT type of tests while there were 1,076 rapid-antigen test centres. However, unlike the neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, the authorities in Telangana have not given the breakup of the type of tests conducted. They claim that with 30,772 samples tested per million population, the state had conducted higher number of tests against a daily testing target of 5,600 as per the World Health Organisation (WHO) benchmark of 140 per million per day. Health officials said the Covid-19 cases fatality rate in the state came down further to 0.68 per cent against the national average of 1.84 per cent. Of the fatalities, 53.87 per cent had comorbidities. The number of active cases in Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) declined to 449 from 475 on Wednesday. Rangareddy and Medchal Malkajgiri districts abutting GHMC reported 268 and 113 new cases respectively. Sangareddy, another district bordering the state capital, reported 34 new cases. Outside GHMC and the surrounding districts, Nalgonda was the worst-affected district with 164 new cases, followed by Khammam with 152 cases, Karimnagar (136), Warangal Urban (132), Siddipet (113) and Nizamabad with (112). Mancherial reported 106 cases, Mahabubabad 102, Jagtiyal 89, Suryapet 86, Bhadradri Kothagudem 72 and Wanaparthy 55. During the last 24 hours, 872 people recovered from Covid-19, taking the total number of recoveries to 86,095. The state's recovery rate stands at 75.2 per cent against the national average of 76.28 per cent. The number of active cases in the state stands at 27,600, including 20,866 in home/institutional isolation. Age-wise Covid-positive details show that 65.3 per cent of those testing positive were in the age group of 21-50 years. Terming this as a susceptible age group, authorities have urged them not to go out unless absolutely necessary. They were advised to strictly exercise precautions like wearing face masks and maintain social distancing. Among Covid-19 positive cases, 24.71 per cent were above 51 years. Nearly 10 per cent were aged below 20 years. Officials said 64.41 per cent of those testing positive were male while the remaining 35.59 per cent were female. According to the media release, of 20,396 beds in government-run hospitals, 17,958 beds were vacant, including 1,590 ICU beds and 4,756 oxygen beds. As many as 171 hospitals treating Covid-19 in the state have 9,136 beds, of which 4,890 were vacant. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) MLAs allowances have been amended to allow higher salaries for their constituency office workers (PA) Allowances for MLAs have been amended to bring the salaries of their staff into line with those who work in the Assembly. The revised determination on MLA allowances also brings parity in the terms and conditions for their staff. Grade one staff will see their starting annual salary rise from 18,000 to 23,490, grade two staff from 19,750 to 29,400 and grade three staff from 22,750 to 36,100. MLA have staff whose work ranges from constituency duties to preparing members for committee meetings and plenary sessions, as well as assisting with private members bills. An update to the 2016 Determination has been published today. The amended regulations detail allowances that MLAs have to employ staff, purchase equipment, rent premises & cover other operating costs when carrying out legislative and constituency duties. https://t.co/JLT6gHUS5M pic.twitter.com/NULCpljaLp Northern Ireland Assembly (@niassembly) August 27, 2020 The overall staffing allowance per MLA has been increased from 50,000 per year to 80,000, to enable them to employ two-and-a-half full-time staff. Amendments to the 2016 determination also make changes for constituency office costs and technical adjustments necessary due to the exit from the EU, and are designed to improve services MLAs can offer to their constituents. It also allows MLA contact details to be displayed on office signage and for satellite surgeries to be conducted at other locations which had been prevented under the 2016 determination. There had been controversy over premises rented by MLAs in terms of them paying rent to relatives. Constituency office operating expenses have also increased from 4,900 per year per member to 7,000, to allow for measures such as security, health and safety as well as and disability access requirements. The total cost of all the changes is potentially up 4.2m a year if all MLAs draw down the maximum allowances. Most of the changes are effective from April 1 2021. MLAs must continue to demonstrate that monies spent are in accordance with the rules regarding such payments Speaker Alex Maskey The determination has been implemented by the Assemblys finance office. Assembly Speaker and chair of the Assembly Commission Alex Maskey said it was felt that MLA staff should not be treated less favourably than Assembly staff. This amended 2016 determination will enable MLAs to carry out their legislative and constituency responsibilities in an appropriate, efficient and flexible way, he said. The most significant change is to how MLAs staff are treated. Both the Assembly Commission and MLAs strongly believe that the staff MLAs employ should not be treated less favourably than Assembly staff, especially in light of the important role they play in providing services to constituents. I want also to make it very clear that the changes to the 2016 determination in no way diminish the scrutiny and oversight that the Assembly Commission applies to all allowances that are available to MLAs to pay their staff and run their constituency offices. MLAs must continue to demonstrate that monies spent are in accordance with the rules regarding such payments. The Assembly Commission is rigorous in ensuring that MLAs comply with the rules before it reimburses expenditure incurred by MLAs. Expenditure by MLAs will continue to be published quarterly. - The Directorate of Public Prosecution Haji had ordered Manduku's arrest and prosecution over loss of KSh 244, 837, 908 at the port - The money was irregularly spent for the manufacture of concrete barriers at the Inland Container Depot, Kilindini Port, and Makongeni good shed yard - Haji said the former KPA boss procured for the manufacture of the barriers without an approved budget Former Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) managing director Daniel Manduku has been driven to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations offices for questioning. Manduku will face charges relating to the procurement of the manufacture of concrete barriers at the Inland Container Depot, Kilindini Port, and Makongeni goods shed yard. READ ALSO: Raila Odinga meets boat rider who helped him cross to Uganda, escape detention during Moi's era Former Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) managing director Daniel Manduku. Photo: Daily Nation. Source: Facebook READ ALSO: Okoth Obado, 4 children to spend weekend in cell pending bail hearing Earlier on the day, the Directorate of Public Prosecution Noordin Haji ordered his arrest and prosecution over the KSh 244, 837, 908 scandal at the port. In a statement issued by Haji on Thursday, August 27, the former KPA boss was found to have procured for the manufacture of the barriers without an approved budget and procurement plan for the 2018/2019 financial year. READ ALSO: Kirinyaga: Anne Waiguru, MCAs bury hatchet, agree to work together READ ALSO: Ugandan woman in UK dies after going without food for days Further, investigations revealed there was no acquisition made for concrete barriers by the user department at KPA as required by the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Act 2015. The procurement was also made without the preparation of bills of quantities as required by the Procurement Act. "The contracts for the manufacture of the concrete barriers were awarded to ten companies that were hand-picked by the former managing director of KPA Daniel Ogwoka Manduku, without following requisite procedures," read the statement. In the process, the authority made a payment of KSh 244, 837, 908 to the contractors for work that had not been completed with the approval of one Juma Fadhili Chigulu, a works officer in KPA. "I am satisfied there is sufficient evidence to support charges for various criminal offences against Daniel Ogwoka Manduku and Juma Fadhili Chigulu. I, therefore, direct that the suspects be apprehended and arraigned to face charges against them," said Haji. On March 3, Manduku was arrested by DCI detectives after the scandal was unearthed. He was presented in court but offices of the DPP and the DCI clashed over his prosecution after DPP's officers were ambushed by Mandukus presence in court. The discordance between the two offices handed him the freedom as Haji took over the file for review before pressing any charges. Later, Manduku resigned in March 26, 2020, saying he had come to the decision after deep introspection and lengthy consultations. Do you have a hot story or scandal you would like us to publish, please reach us through news@tuko.co.ke or WhatsApp: 0732482690 and Telegram: Tuko news. Jowie's wife on how they met and why she will love him forever | Tuko Talks | Tuko TV. Source: TUKO.co.ke Alzheimers Association Town Hall Discusses Alzheimers Through A Health Equity Lens The Alzheimers Association hosted a virtual research town hall to discuss recent updates in research regarding Alzheimers disease through a health equity viewpoint on Thursday. Keynote speaker and Vice President of Scientific Engagement at the Alzheimers Association Dr. Carl V. Hill emphasized the importance of diversity when it comes to researching the disease. More than 5 million Americans have Alzheimers and African Americans are two-to-three times more likely to develop the disease compared to White Americans, according to the Alzheimers Association. Latinos are around two times more likely to develop the disease. ADVERTISEMENT Hector Gonzalez, professor in the Department of Neurosciences and Shiley-Marcos Alzheimers Disease Research Center in the School of Medicine at the University of California, San Diego, said that Latinos risk of Alzheimers disease and other related dementias increases as they age despite a longer life expectancy than Whites. These disparities that disproportionately affect African Americans and Latinos really call into question contextual factors and the lived experiences of people in the United States and how that might put them at additional risk for Alzheimers or another dementia, Hill said. The Alzheimers Association is a non-profit organization that focuses on researching, supporting and caring for those impacted by Alzheimers and dementia. The town hall follows the associations virtual international conference, originally set to be in Amsterdam. Just by being able to transition this meeting to a virtual format, we got over 33,000 people to attend [the international conference], Hill said. There were researchers and stakeholders and interested people from around the world 163 countries represented. Thursdays meeting also mentioned the progress made in available therapies and medicine to treat the symptoms of Alzheimers. While there is no cure for the disease, there are non-drug and drug options for treating its symptoms. Suvorexant, a drug meant to improve the total sleep time of people affected by mild-to-moderate Alzheimers, is the first Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved insomnia drug for those with dementia. Hill said Pimavanserin is another drug that could potentially help the symptoms of people with Alzheimers. If approved, it would be the first FDA-approved psychosis drug. ADVERTISEMENT The field is making great progress in developing new and better therapies for people that are affected by Alzheimers but also, those caregivers who are doing this important work, Hill said. Part the Cloud is an initiative that is appointed to continuing this advancement through funding research efforts to better the effects of Alzheimers. It would dedicate $30 million for 39 trials over a three-year period. Even with the progress being made, Hill said that COVID-19 has impacted research for Alzheimers. Clinical trials and experiments stopped in order to practice social distancing but Hill said there are still opportunities for development. He noted that now is the time for researchers to [amplify] publications as well as interact with other researchers around the world through virtual means. The dementia community is committed to advancing current studies despite these challenges, Hill said. The coronavirus has also affected the Alzheimers Associations annual Walk to End Alzheimers event. Instead of its usual large-in person gathering, participants are encouraged to support the cause within their own communities. We invite you to walk in your neighborhood, in small teams of friends and with family while others in the community do the same, said David Crean, Alzheimers Associations San Diego and Imperial Chapter Board chairmen. If you would like to participate in a walk near you, visit the Alzheimers Association website. @alzassociation General schools and universities have organized online teaching for the last six months because of Covid-19. However, even when the pandemic ends, online teaching will still continue. Online teaching is the choice for schools in current conditions for many reasons, said Dang Hoang Giang from the Hanoi University of Social Sciences and Humanities, a member school of the Hanoi National University. The pandemic makes it inconvenient to organize in-person classes. Online classes also help teachers and students save time, and take the initiative in teaching and learning. Huynh Luu Duc Toan, a postgraduate at Otto Beisheim University in Germany, thinks that online teaching and digital transformation in education are inevitable. We are talking about 4.0 technology, which not only means paying tuition with e-money, but also means online teaching, Toan said. Toan said a Harvard University study found that once people change their habits because of epidemics or unusual conditions, they are more adaptive and realize new things sometimes give better results. At the school where Toan is studying in Germany, lecturers are considering Covid-19 an opportunity to try things that they had not done in the past. According to Thai Van Thanh, director of the Nghe An Education and Training Department, many schools in the province began applying online teaching soon during the first Covid-19 outbreak. General schools and universities have organized online teaching for the last six months because of Covid-19. However, even when the pandemic ends, online teaching will still continue. Online teaching is part of modern education. In a lifelong learning society, people have to study online because they cannot always attend offline classes, he said. Thanh disagrees that online teaching can be organized only in localities with good conditions, saying that online teaching will bring great effects especially in remote areas. With online teaching, students in difficult areas can also study with good teachers, he explained. About 80 percent of students in Nghe An attend online classes. The remaining 20 percent of students live in remote areas where internet is unreachable, or in difficult conditions. Thanh said in the future, even when Covid-19 ends, the local education department will work with local television to provide lessons to students at fixed time frames. Do Van Hung from the Hanoi National University noted that there are many useful technologies and teaching aids that can support online teaching and learning. Facebook, Zalo or Skype, for example, can transmit lectures. However, Hung said, schools need to have a technological infrastructure and a compatible integrated software platform where teachers can teach online, mark school papers online and control student presence, and where students can exchange views. Le Huyen Hanoi proposes validation of online teaching Online teaching is the initiative of the countrys education sector, not only for responding to learning in pandemic time. By Syed Raza Hassan KARACHI, Pakistan (Reuters) - Torrential rain lashed the Pakistani financial capital of Karachi on Thursday, causing widespread flooding, as downpours in August shattered 89-year-old records for the city, meteorological officials said. Thursday marked the third day of heavy rain this week, during which at least 13 people have died, according to media, while residents have been forced to abandon their homes. Provincial authorities were moving displaced families into school buildings, as the military carried out rescue and relief operations. "It has never rained so much in the month of August, according to our data," the country's chief meteorological officer, Sardar Sarfaraz, told Reuters, adding that the data went back to 1931, 16 years before Pakistan gained independence from Britain. Some 484 mm (19 inches) of rain had fallen this month, 130 mm on Thursday alone, he said. Abdul Razak Dawood, adviser to Prime Minister Imran Khan on commerce, feared the rain would hit exports. "Our exports consignments are being delayed and hence our exports for the month of August may be affected," Dawood said on Twitter. (Reporting by Syed Raza Hassan; Editing by Nick Macfie) Indisputable Neglect: Dozens of Severely Malnourished Dogs Rescued From Spanish Farm Spanish police raided a farm and rescued 41 severely malnourished dogs after receiving a complaint from an animal welfare organization. Some of the dogs were just skin and bones. In a video posted by the police on Twitter, the dogs were seen confined in an exposed, fenced-up enclosure. Tipped off by animal welfare organization According to the press release by the police, Guardia Civil (Civil Guard), on Aug. 18, 2020, its Nature Protection Service department, Seprona, was contacted by the National Association of Animal Friends (ANAA, Asociacion Nacional Amigos de los Animales) alleging mistreatment of a large number of animals on a farm in the town of Quintanar de la Orden, Toledo. Officers from Seprona investigated the farm on Aug. 16 and found 41 near-starved dogs kept in an unhygienic building, according to The Sun. The dogs were showing serious symptoms of malnutrition and physical weakness. Most had cachexia (a wasting disorder) and were dehydrated due to lack of food and water. Twenty-nine of the dogs required serum transfusion, but thanks to the timely alert, all 41 dogs were saved and are recovering well under the care of various animal welfare groups, including ANAA. The dogs were found without microchips (which could verify their identity), and the lady owner did not have the mandatory documentation for possessing them and information regarding their health. The owner has been charged with animal abuse. It was not clear why she had so many dogs that she kept in such poor conditions. In 2019, a court in Barcelona convicted owners of a pet shop for animal abuse, according to Euro Weekly News. A total of 135 animals were found. Many were injured, dehydrated, and very sick. Some puppies were in such bad shape that they died soon after. The judge sentenced the owners to a year and a day in jail, and banned them from handling animals for three years. The owners showed indisputable neglect of the animals where there was absence of necessary treatment for sick puppies, which resulted in the death of nine, said the judge. There was no type of justification for what has happened, he said. Awareness of dog abuse increasing in Spain Abuse of dogs, greyhounds in particular, is an issue that has gained prominence in recent years. Spain is one of the few European countries where hunters are allowed to use greyhounds (galgos in Spanish) to help them catch prey such as rabbits and hares. According to The Local, hunters own many greyhounds, and some of them place little value on their lives. Hunters have at least ten, said Teresa Regojo of the Galgos en Familia rescue group, which runs a greyhound shelter in Malaga in southwestern Spain. They make them reproduce without any control to have a champion greyhound. The domestic dog, that we have at home, is an object of affection, that you love and care for, said a spokesman for Seprona. But for hunters, dogs are often just another tool for the hunt. Some owners train their greyhounds by tying them to their cars and then driving their cars at 60 kilometers (40 miles) per hour, according to Eduardo Aranyo of Spanish animal protection party PACMA. There are animals that end up destroyed, literally dragged by the car, he said. When the four-month-long hunting season ends, many hunters abandon their greyhounds. Out of the 150,000 animals abandoned in Spain each year, one-third are greyhounds, according to estimates by campaigners like SOS Galgos and Galgos del Sur. Hundreds of these abandoned greyhounds wind up in municipal kennels, where many are put to sleep. Some owners even outright drown or hang their dogs. But in recent years, Spanish courts have passed stricter sentences for abuse of greyhounds. In 2013, a greyhound breeder and president of an association of hunters was sentenced in Toledo to seven months jail for hanging two dogs. Animal lovers also launched a petition calling for the European Parliament to outlaw the practice of hunting with greyhounds. We would love to hear your stories! You can share them with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.nyc Several aspirants took to social media on Thursday to convey to the ministry that travelling to examination centres and lodging amid restrictions are the biggest challenges, and not social distancing at test centres The Centre on Thursday indicated it was unwilling to reconsider its decision to hold the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test-Undergraduate (NEET-UG) and the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) despite raging criticism from the Opposition and protests from a section of students. Even though no official confirmation was relayed, a section of the media quoted Ministry of Education Secretary as saying that the government will not rethink its decision to go ahead with the exam. Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank also appeared to defend the government's move in several interactions with the media, without hinting at the possibility of reaching out to students protesting the move. Pokhriyal insisted that the 'silent majority' was with the government as he said that he has received several emails from students and their parents insisting that the government should not let their preparations go to waste. "Every day, I get innumerable mails from the silent majority. The parents and students say that they are under stress and preparing for exams for the last two to three years and that they dont want a zero academic year. They have been seriously preparing for the exams since January and the past two years," he told the Hindustan Times on Wednesday. The minister, on Thursday, also referred to the number of downloads of the admit cards to deduce that the 'majority of students' actually want to appear for the exam. "National Testing Agency (NTA) officials told me that over 7 lakh candidates have downloaded JEE-Main admit cards while over 10 lakh aspirants have downloaded NEET admit cards. This shows that students want the exams be held at any cost," Pokhriyal said. He also said that the government has added more centres for the student's convenience and to prevent overcrowding at centres. JEE exam centres have been increased to 660 from 570 while there are now 3,842 NEET centres, up from 2,546, the minister said, adding that 99 percent students have been allotted the centre of their choice. The National Testing Agency, responsible for conducting the exams, has also laid out a litany of guidelines to ensure that proper health norms are followed at exam centres, However, these measures appear to address only part of the problem that the protesting students have raised. The centres even after the addition of fresh ones in wake of coronavirus lie in roughly 150 cities across India, whereas the country has over 760 districts and hundreds other towns and villages. As students vociferously oppose the government's move, many of them point out that it is not the fear of coronavirus, but the practical difficulties of arranging transport and stay that is forcing them to seek postponement of exams. Education website Career 360 compiled responses from its readers, and those demanding the postponement of the two exams say that the COVID-19 pandemic and the flood situation in various parts of the country has created unforeseen problems for them. Hence, getting a centre of their choice doesn't really solve the problem of transport and stay. A coronavirus survivor wrote: "Im one of the NEET aspirants writing to you who had COVID-19 and recovered. I am in full support of either postponing or cancelling these exams because after having survived this virus, I want the parents and students to be safe. I want to let them know that this is real, its scary and its deadly. I would never want to sit in an exam that would decide my future having known how this disease almost took my life. I do understand the consequences of not conducting these exams, but nothing, nothing matters more than life especially when you could be putting more than one life at risk." Another reader from Bihar narrates the ordeal faced by students who either live in states with rivers still under spate, or were recently hit by floods: "I live in Bihar and the flood condition is worsening day by day. Electricity problem is the main issue for us. NEET is not an easy exam to prepare for. I used to study for 14 to 15 hours which has now reduced to two to three hours and it's not sufficient. Same is for other states which are affected by floods." Student's reactions poured out on Twitter as well, where several journalists also reported on problems faced by the candidates. A News18 journalist cited the example of a student who has to appear for two exams and he has been allotted centres in different districts for both. The JEE aspirant's first exam for B.Tech ends at 6.30 pm on Day 1 and the next exam starts at 7.40 am the next day. "After sitting in 1st exam for 5 hours with mask, I would have to travel 3 hours overnight to give 2nd exam," the student is quoted as saying. Another student tweeted tagging Pokhriyal saying that the public transport has not yet resumed in his area and he does not have access to private vehicle to reach the exam centre. Even if he has been granted the centre of his choice, he says he has no means to reach there because of the prevailing situation. A student from Jammu and Kashmir tweeted a video showing the flooding in her area and asked the government if she is expected to swim to the centre which is 82 kilometres from her home. I'm from J&K and last night whole area near my house got flooded. How am i gonna go to the exam centre now? I can't swim and my exam centre is 82kms away.#PostponeJEENEET_Today#postponeNEETandJEE#PostponeJEE_NEETinCOVID#AntiStudentNarendraModi#StudentLivesMatter#NEET#JEEpic.twitter.com/KN5bMXciVr Nancy Sharma (@NeetuBa39240540) August 27, 2020 A student also refuted Pokhriyal's claim that the number of downloads of admit card is an indicator of the number of students supporting the exam. The student wrote on Twitter: "The actual reason to download admit cards is to see our centres & it's distance. As Edu. Min., he should at least know that we can't see our centres until and unless we download them. It doesn't mean we want it. After seeing the distance, we want to postpone it in this situation (sic)." Another journalist with The Hindu highlighted the problems faced by women candidates residing in rural areas. The journalist posted messages from a student from rural West Bengal who said that places like Murshidabad and Malda are still inundated while public transport has not resumed yet. The student also pointed out the fact that in order to take the exam at a centre 250 kilometres away from her home, she will have to reach a day before the exam, and also arrange for accommodation, which are unaffordable for her family. Another candidate from rural Uttar Pradesh told the journalist that her parents are reluctant to let women travel alone in these times when transport is sparse. Many girls from rural areas might end up dropping out of the exam because it was impossible for them to reach to the nearest centre, the candidate said. Students also pointed out that the limited number of buses and trains mean overcrowding in public transport which puts candidates at risk of the infection even if the government manages to maintain social distancing and sanitation norms at the test centres. Around 8.58 lakh candidates have registered for JEE (Main) and 15.97 lakh students have registered for NEET. These exams have already been deferred twice in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. The JEE (Main) was originally scheduled to be held from 7-11 April, but was postponed to 18-23 July; NEET-UG was originally scheduled for 3 May, but was pushed to 26 July. They were postponed again and are now scheduled in September. While the NEET is scheduled to be held on 13 September, engineering entrance exam JEE (Main) has been planned from 1 to 6 September. With inputs from PTI Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 06:19:19|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Wednesday asked the international community to help Iraq fight terrorism and rebuild its economy while respecting the country's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity. As Iraq is planning to hold early elections in June 2021, the political process in Iraq is at a crucial stage. The international community should respect Iraq's ownership and leadership in all its endeavors, said Geng Shuang, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations. When lending a helping hand, it is important to first listen to the views of Iraq, respect its sovereignty, refrain from imposing solutions and interfering in Iraq's internal affairs. The UN Assistance Mission for Iraq should provide election assistance in accordance with its mandate, he told the Security Council. "Iraq has repeatedly protested against unilateral military actions of some countries in its territory. We reiterate that Iraq's sovereignty and territorial integrity should always be respected," he said. Geng asked for support for Iraq's efforts to safeguard national security and combat terrorism. "We call on the international community to continue to support Iraq in consolidating the hard-won results of counter-terrorism and addressing the issue of foreign terrorist fighters. We should also support Iraq in bringing terrorists to justice in accordance with its domestic laws, and reject double standards and politicization in counter-terrorism." The international community should help Iraq address current challenges and boost socio-economic development, said Geng. The war-torn country is now confronted with economic and fiscal hardships, exacerbated by low oil prices and the COVID-19 pandemic. The international community must intensify efforts to help Iraq carry out reconstruction, diversify its economy, create more jobs, eradicate poverty, and improve public services and livelihoods, he said. Promises of help should be fulfilled. There should be no blank checks and no political strings attached to aid. Amid the recent surge of COVID-19 cases in Iraq, more international assistance is urgently needed to fight the pandemic and strengthen Iraq's public health system, he said. China stands with the government and people of Iraq in their pursuit of peace and development, and supports their efforts to safeguard national sovereignty and security and to fight COVID-19. China will continue to enhance bilateral relations with Iraq, deepen cooperation, including through the Belt and Road Initiative, and contribute to its socio-economic development for the benefit of all Iraqis, he said. Enditem New Delhi: Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday (August 27) held a virtual meeting with the industry ministers of states, UT administrators and senior officers of the central and state governments, and discussed the issues of pushing industrial manufacturing in the country, attracting investments, pushing the approach of One District One Product (ODOP), and promote a National Movement Towards AatmaNirbhar Bharat. Piyush Goyal e-launched the National GIS-enabled Land Bank system (https://iis.ncog.gov.in/parks) for 6 states. The system is being developed by the integration of the Industrial Information System (IIS) with state GIS systems. Launching the system, Goyal expressed the confidence that other states/UTs will be onboarded by December 2020, stating that this is a prototype only and will be developed further with inputs from states, to make it an effective, transparent mechanism of land identification and procurement. Goyal called upon the states to collectively work in the spirit of Team India to enhance industrial activity in the country, attract investment and provide a better life to 1.3 billion people of India, and better prospects for the coming generations. He said that Aatamnirbhar Bharat, a self-reliant country has to increase engagement with the world, from the position of confidence and strength. India has to achieve the target of 5 trillion dollar economy in five years. For this, manufacturing has to play an important role, which can provide employment and value addition, he added. Goyal asked the states to adopt the Public Procurement Policy-Make in India Order issued by the Centre, adding that it is an effective tool to achieve Aatamnirbhar Bharat and boost local manufacturing. Under this, No Global Tender Enquiry is permitted for procurements less than Rs 200 crores. Bidders with beneficial ownership /belonging to countries sharing a land border with India will be able to participate in government procurements only after a mandatory registration, based on clearances given by MEA, MHA, and procuring ministries. Countries, where Indian companies face restrictive trade, practices, the invocation of the reciprocity clause may be invoked. The minister asked the states to appoint a senior officer who can facilitate its quick adoption, adding that the order promotes Aatamnirbhar Bharat and would open a large number of employment opportunities, and hence there is no reason for any objection to this order by any state. State Governments of Manipur, Nagaland and Sikkim have adopted the Order so far. The Minister also stressed on developing a single-window system, which could be One-stop digital platform to obtain all requisite central and state clearances/approvals, required to start business operations in India. "This could eliminate the need for investors to visit multiple platforms/offices to gather information and obtain clearances from different stakeholders. It could leverage capabilities of existing systems and provide time-bound approvals and real-time status update to investors," he said, adding that there could be a single application form that could entail Single-time upload of all relevant information & documents. He said that even the local bodies should also be involved in this system, and a notion of Deemed approval can be adopted to make the system effective. Stating that the Window could be the showpiece of our cooperative, collaborative federalism, he called upon all the states to join hands with the DPIIT. On the One District One Product (ODOP) approach, Goyal said that this could help in making India a Manufacturing Powerhouse. He said that every district has some specialty, strengths or uniqueness, and ODOP could be a transformational step forward realizing the true potential of a district, fuel economic growth, and generate employment and rural entrepreneurship. The approach seeks to add existing industrial capacity beyond the urban areas and create productive manufacturing from a rural/semi-urban area, said Goyal, adding that the future manufacturing clusters may also have low-value addition manufacturing clusters in rural India. Calling for scaling it up as a national movement, he assured the Centres help in packaging, branding, and global marketing of such products. The Minister said that states should identify products with market potential for import substitution and export accentuation, and establish forward and backward market linkage channels. On the issue of districts as Export Hubs, he said that States/UTs have been requested to identify products unique to each district, and requested them to integrate with their district-level export strategies which feed into the State level export strategies. On the expectations from state governments for implementation of Agri Export Policy, Goyal said that only 14 states have finalised Action Plans, and he called upon others to finalize their expeditiously. The states were requested to designate Nodal Agencies and Nodal Officers for the purpose, and also set up State Level Monitoring Committees. Referring to the institutional mechanisms to fast-track investments in the country, Goyal said that Empowered Group of Secretaries (E-GoS) and Project Development Cells (PDCs) in various Ministries have been set up at the Centre. He asked the states to evolve their own mechanism on similar lines. On the issue of regulatory burden at the state-level, Goyal said that Regulatory compliance burden has an adverse effect on time and cost of business. It also leads to an increase in corruption and promotes rent-seeking behavior. Calling upon the Complete Review of Acts/Rules for identifying all Licenses, Certificates, Permissions; Inspections; Return filings; Registers and Records and minimize regulatory compliance, he said that simplification of procedures will help in attracting investments from abroad and also lead to Ease of doing business for the domestic investors. Notably, the IIS portal is a GIS-enabled database of industrial areas/clusters across the states. More than 3,300 industrial parks across 31 States/UTs covering about 475,000 hectares land have been mapped on the System. The information available includes forest, drainage; raw material heat maps (agricultural, horticulture, mineral layers); multiple layers of connectivity, and National GIS-enabled Land. The IIS adopts a committed approach towards resource optimization, industrial up-gradation, and sustainability. The initiative is being supported by Invest India, National Center of Geo-Informatics (NCoG), National e-Governance Division (NeGD), Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, and Bhaskaracharya Institute for Space Applications and Geo-Informatics (BISAG). Panaji, Aug 27 : The Director of Health Services, Dr. Jose D'Sa, has tested positive for coronavirus, a state government spokesperson said on Thursday. D'Sa has been admitted to a private hospital for treatment after he tested positive following an antigen test, the spokesperson said. The Directorate Of Health Services is the key government agency at the forefront of the state's Covid management efforts. Reacting to the development, Leader of Opposition Digambar Kamat said that with D'Sa testing Covid-19 positive and getting himself admitted to a private hospital, it was proven that the state government apparatus for fighting the pandemic was in shambles. "As Director of Health Services himself gets admitted in a private hospital after testing #CovidPositive, the preparedness of @GovtofGoa on handling & management of #CoronaPandemic & #PublicHealthCare stands completely exposed. Now, I can only pray to God for well being of all," Kamat tweeted. Julia Jackson, the mother of Wisconsin man Jacob Blake, who was shot several times by police on Sunday, says she has the utmost respect for president Donald Trump as she apologised for missing his call. And then also, for president Trump, Im sorry I missed your call!, Ms Jackson told CNN in a press conference on Tuesday. Because, had I not missed your call maybe the comments you had made would have been different. Im not mad at you at all. I have the utmost respect for you as the leader of our country. It is unclear what comments Ms Jackson was referring to. The president has yet to comment on the shooting of Mr Blake, which took place in front of his three young children. However, the presidents son, Donald Trump Jr on Monday drew attention to Mr Blakes prior criminal convictions when he retweeted a post by a right-wing commentator. During Tuesdays press conference the first Ms Jackson and her husband Jacob Blake Sr have given since white officers shot their black son several times repeated their calls for calm after another night of unrest in Kenosha. The pair said they had been praying for police officers and denounced the violent scenes that had been taking place across the city since Sundays shooting. Please, dont burn up property and cause havoc, and tear your homes down, in my sons name, Ms Jackson told reporters. An emotional Blake Sr said his son was shot like he didnt matter. They shot my son seven times, seven times like he didnt matter, he said. But my son matters. Hes a human being and he matters. The couple also said on Tuesday that their son had been paralysed from the waist down as a result of the shooting, hours before protesters and authorities clashed for a third night of civil unrest in the lakefront town. Police in riot gear fired rubber bullets, tear gas and flash-bang rounds as they skirmished after dark with 300 to 400 demonstrators defying a dawn-to-dusk curfew outside a courthouse and adjacent park in downtown Kenosha. The Kenosha County Sheriffs Department also deployed at least four armoured patrol vehicles fitted with roof turrets from which deputies fired tear gas canisters into the crowd, many of whom hurled water bottles, bricks, firecrackers and other objects back at police. Recommended Father of man killed by Kenosha police in 2004 speaks out But there was no immediate sign of buildings or cars being set ablaze, as happened on Monday night. About three hours after declaring the protest an unlawful assembly, authorities had managed to push Tuesday nights crowd out of the downtown park, with demonstrators scattering down streets. The disturbances came hours after Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers declared a state of emergency and vowed to deploy additional National Guard troops in a bid to restore order in the town. Mr Blake, 29, a father of six, was struck from behind at point-blank range in a hail of bullets fired on Sunday by police who were following him with guns drawn as he walked away from officers to his car and opened a door to the vehicle. Three of his young sons inside the automobile aged 3, 5 and 8 witnessed their father being gunned down, according to civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who represents the Blake family and appeared at Tuesdays press conference. A bystander captured the encounter in video footage that immediately went viral, unleashing outrage over the latest in a long series of instances in which police have been accused of using indiscriminate lethal force against African Americans. Blake, who had been attempting to break up a quarrel between two women, was struck by four of seven gunshots fired at him, all by one officer, and there was no indication he was armed, Mr Crump said in an ABC News interview on Tuesday. The police have not yet explained why Mr Blake was shot. Additional reporting by Press Association Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment Though Americans remain a morally serious people, at least in our quickness to condemn each other as Hitlers for various misdeeds, we are clearly not concerned with moral consistency. We demand churches close to stop the spread of COVID, but not Wal-marts, bars, or casinos. We protest police violence with acts of violence. We celebrate Hugh Hefner as some great liberator of women, and, weeks after his death, condemn Harvey Weinstein. We say character counts when its their guy in office, but not when its our guy. Then, last week, after three-plus years of the #MeToo movement protesting the objectification and abuse of women, the most objectifying song in history, one that reduces women to nothing more their private parts, hit #1 on the charts. I couldnt possibly share the lyrics of this song any of them. Please, do not look them up. The two women rappers who perform this song repeatedly call themselves prostitutes, although not using that word, and beg men to treat them as such. By any definition, legal or otherwise, Americas most popular song and its accompanying video are best called pornography, and is available everywhere to anyone of any age. Also last week, Netflix announced a new film to be carried on its platform called Cuties, a French film about an 11-year-old Muslim girl who liberates herself from the oppressive morality of her family and her religion by joining an all-girl dance crew. The image Netflix used to advertise the film on social media featured a group of pre-teen girls in sexually suggestive poses. The trailer featured the dance crew of young girls twerking, among other sexually suggestive dance moves. In 1964, Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart famously said that though he could not give a precise definition of pornography, I know it when I see it. Thankfully, the public outcry to the movie poster was loud, consistent, and incredulous. What the public saw was child pornography. In response, Netflix apologized and pulled the ad but, so far, not the movie itself. As one Facebook meme put it, if conspiracy theorists needed ammo that government and media elites are behind international pedophile rings, Netflix just gave it to them. As morally monstrous as both of these cultural artifacts are, they reveal a great deal about the society that produced them, one that considers self-determination, self-actualization, and absolute freedom from any restraint as the highest human goods. This sort of view emerges only by rejecting the idea that the universe is created and ordered for some determined purposes. In turn, such a society embraces a profoundly tragic misunderstanding not only about whats right and wrong, but also of what it means to be human, and of what freedom truly is. To teach this important foundational truth, Ive long used an analogy with students. Imagine Im an airplane pilot and, feeling quite free one day, I decide I dont want to fly my plane, I want to drive it. So, I get to the end of the runway and turn left. Whos going to stop me? Im in a 747! Im cruising down the road, and then I decide I want to see Pikes Peak. So, I start up the curvy, windy drive and get stuck. My expression of freedom actually limited my freedom. If I want to see Pikes Peak in a plane, I should fly it. A plane is most free not when I drive it, but when I fly it. Thats what is designed for. The same is true of human sexuality. We are not most free when we do whatever we want, but only when we are what God created us to be. A view of freedom that denies accountability or consequences will only, always, enslave us to our own passions. As St. Paul wrote in Romans 6, Do you not know that if you yield yourselves to any one as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? From the very beginning, the Sexual Revolution promised the wrong kind of freedom. What it delivered instead, reimagining not only sexual morality but who we fundamentally are as human beings, was slavery. Women and children are disproportionately victims of these bad ideas. Our two most recent cultural artifacts retell these lies. Its no accident that one is aimed at women, and the other is aimed at children. Originally posted at breakpoint.org We've lost count of how many times insiders have accumulated shares in a company that goes on to improve markedly. On the other hand, we'd be remiss not to mention that insider sales have been known to precede tough periods for a business. So shareholders might well want to know whether insiders have been buying or selling shares in Harvey Norman Holdings Limited (ASX:HVN). What Is Insider Selling? Most investors know that it is quite permissible for company leaders, such as directors of the board, to buy and sell stock in the company. However, most countries require that the company discloses such transactions to the market. We would never suggest that investors should base their decisions solely on what the directors of a company have been doing. But logic dictates you should pay some attention to whether insiders are buying or selling shares. For example, a Columbia University study found that 'insiders are more likely to engage in open market purchases of their own companys stock when the firm is about to reveal new agreements with customers and suppliers'. Check out our latest analysis for Harvey Norman Holdings Harvey Norman Holdings Insider Transactions Over The Last Year The Co-Founder Gerald Harvey made the biggest insider purchase in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for AU$1m worth of shares at a price of AU$3.52 each. So it's clear an insider wanted to buy, at around the current price, which is AU$4.30. While their view may have changed since the purchase was made, this does at least suggest they have had confidence in the company's future. If someone buys shares at well below current prices, it's a good sign on balance, but keep in mind they may no longer see value. The good news for Harvey Norman Holdings share holders is that insiders were buying at near the current price. Harvey Norman Holdings insiders may have bought shares in the last year, but they didn't sell any. 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! Story continues Harvey Norman Holdings is not the only stock insiders are buying. So take a peek at this free list of growing companies with insider buying. Insider Ownership For a common shareholder, it is worth checking how many shares are held by company insiders. I reckon it's a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. Harvey Norman Holdings insiders own about AU$2.2b worth of shares (which is 40% of the company). This kind of significant ownership by insiders does generally increase the chance that the company is run in the interest of all shareholders. So What Does This Data Suggest About Harvey Norman Holdings Insiders? It doesn't really mean much that no insider has traded Harvey Norman Holdings shares in the last quarter. However, our analysis of transactions over the last year is heartening. Judging from their transactions, and high insider ownership, Harvey Norman Holdings insiders feel good about the company's future. In addition to knowing about insider transactions going on, it's beneficial to identify the risks facing Harvey Norman Holdings. To help with this, we've discovered 3 warning signs (1 doesn't sit too well with us!) that you ought to be aware of before buying any shares in Harvey Norman Holdings. Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies. For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions, but not derivative transactions. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com. The administration on Thursday gave to the next of kin of three civilians who died in Pakistani shelling along the Line of Control (LoC), an official spokesman said. Deputy Commissioner, Poonch, Rahul Yadav handed over the appointment orders. The for the next of kin were cleared last month, the spokesman said. "These cases were approved by the district-level screening cum co-ordination committee at a meeting held on July 24 after which all the necessary formalities were processed," an official of the district administration said. He said the deputy commissioner handed over the appointment orders to Mohammad Sarfaraz and Mohammad Naheem, both residents of Mankote, and Sajjad Ahmed of Shahpur. (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.) Ali Ebrahimi, a prominent builder who left Iran during the 1979 revolution and settled in Houston where he built second successful real estate career, died Aug. 14. He was 79. Ebrahimis Houston-based development and management company, Ersa Grae Corp., built several master-planned communities containing thousands of residential lots, along with shopping centers, office buildings and condominiums. His projects were primarily in Houston, but he also owned and developed property in Florida, California and Tennessee. Ersa Graes Houston-area residential communities include Silver Ranch, Fieldstone, Stone Creek Estates, Falcon Ranch and Copper Grove. The company also developed a two-story shopping center at the busy southwest corner of Kirby Drive and the Southwest Freeway, and most recently an office building at 9090 Katy Freeway developed for the Stoller Group. Everyone respected him in town, not just from a business standpoint but from the aspect of him being fair, said his son Reza Ebrhimi. Born in a village east of Tehran, Ebrahimi attended college in the United States, earning an engineering degree from the University of Maryland and a masters in engineering from Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. After graduate school he moved back to Iran, where he worked in real estate and construction. He started a company that grew to become a one of the regions largest. Its work included building houses, roads, grocery stores and airports. Prime Property: Get Houston real estate news delivered to your inbox each week Yousef Panahpour, who met Ebrahimi in the early 1970s while they were both developers in Iran, said he was a shrewd businessman but also patient and kind. He was a good listener, Panahpour said. In business he could be tough, but his heart was very much kind. The pair came to Houston around the same time and partnered on many projects one of which led to a lawsuit that resulted in a federal jury awarding them $17.5 million in 1990. The developers sued their former law firm for malpractice stemming from an earlier securities lawsuit filed. The partners had bee sued over an venture in which they would help people buy homes by investing alongside them. The developers said the firm never disclosed certain information that would have prevented them from being sued and sought $8.8 million in damages. Ebrahimi was profiled in the 2008 book Eminent Persians: The Men and Women Who Made Modern Iran (Syracuse University Press) by Abbas Milani, which said he had a penchant for frank and honest discourse and dedication to hard work. He was a founding member of the Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans. In 2006, he received an Ellis Island Medal of Honor, an award celebrating the contributions immigrants have made to American society. Ebrahimi is survived by his wife of 43 years, Suzanne Tunnell Ebrahimi, two sisters, five children and eight grandchildren. A memorial service will be held at a later date. This story includes previous reporting from the Associated Press. nancy.sarnoff@chron.com twitter.com/nsarnoff Devaraj B Hirehalli By Express News Service TUMAKURU: If all goes well and the regular offline classes begin from October 1, Tumkur University is gearing up to give life and health insurance coverage to over 1,200 students taking admission for the first year post-graduate programmes. Speaking to The New Indian Express in the wake of the chancellor and higher education minister Dr C Ashwath Narayan, who is also the Deputy CM, declaring that online classes would be started from September 1 followed by offline classes, Vice-Chancellor Prof. Y S Sidde Gowda informed that the varsity has made all the arrangements. The matter of covering health insurance for the students was discussed at the Syndicate meeting held on August 25 and the modalities will be worked out. "It will be a group insurance kind of coverage and the option will be given to the students during the admission. If it works out, it will be extended to the UG students next with the government's assistance," he explained. The teaching and non-teaching staff and their families have been covered with the insurance, he added. Meanwhile, three of the PG programmes will be shifted to the new campus at Bidarkatte which has four state-of-the-art hostel buildings for PG boys, girls, and research scholars implemented under the social welfare department's funds. "The microbiology, biotechnology, and social works PG departments would be shifted to the new campus by December 2020," the VC clarified. Asked about the challenges involved in running the regular classes, he said that the auditoriums would also be converted into classrooms and the duration of the working hours would be extended. "When it comes to running the hostels, it's a daunting task and we will think of providing whatever funds come from the government directly to the students to help them make their own arrangements," he clarified. Exams from September 1 The examinations for the different UG courses will be held between September 1 and September 23 in 33 centres, informed the registrar (evaluation) M Kotresh. THAI Airways to launch international charter flights to Phuket PHUKET: THAI Airways International will launch direct charter flights to Phuket from six international destinations Denmark, Germany, England, Korea, Japan and Hong Kong around the end of November, the airlines Acting President Chansin Treenuchagron has announced. tourismCOVID-19economics By The Phuket News Thursday 27 August 2020, 04:50PM Staff clean an aircraft cabin in a THAI Airways promotional video. Screenshot: THAI Airways International / Facebook Each route will fly approximately two flights or more per month, depending on passenger demand, MrChansin said in a release issued today (Aug 27). In order to boost the national tourism industry, Thai Airways International Public Company Limited (THAI) will operate chartered flights to Phuket from six destinations: Denmark, Germany, England, Korea, Japan, and Hong Kong. THAI also plans to fly tourists from the Peoples Republic of China to Phuket, said the release. Mr Chansin said that the move was in response to the governments policy to boost and recover domestic tourism after the COVID-19 outbreak. THAI will provide services with health safety of passengers and employees as its top priority. Physical Distancing is applied in every aspect of service provision: check-in, passenger boarding, seat arrangement, inflight box meals to avoid physical contact, and disembarkation, the release noted. The cabin crew will be required to wear protective suits, medical masks and gloves while providing services and observe passengers for possible symptoms. The aircraft cabins and cockpits are also to be sterilised and deep cleaned, the release added. THAI was the first carrier to receive the Amazing Thailand Safety & Health Administration (SHA) Logo, the partnership of the Ministry of Public Health, the Ministry of Tourism and Sport, the Tourism Authority of Thailand, and private sectors to develop the Thai tourism industry by combining public health safety measures with hospitality service standards to ensure favourable travel experience and hygienic safety, the release explained. In addition, Royal Orchid Holidays (ROH) has prepared accommodations for tourists such as Anantara Mai Khao Phuket Villas, which passed the alternative state quarantine evaluation by the Public Health and Defense Ministries, it added. Royal Orchid Plus (ROP) members may redeem miles for award tickets in this campaign at the rate assigned by THAI, the release noted. Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has told the NDC and former President John Mahama not to visit the Manhyia Palace only when they are in power. He made the remarks when the NDC presidential candidate, Mahama and an NDC delegation paid him a courtesy call. The delegation was at the Palace to introduce Prof. Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang, running mate to John Mahama for the 2020 elections. He told the former President and the delegation about how they have abandoned the Palace since NDC was voted out of office in 2016. Otumfuo Osei Tutu II minced no words in telling the former President and his delegation how their frequent visits to the Palace when they were in power ceased after they were voted out of office. Today I have seen all my grand children that I havent seen in a while, the Asantehene said. You have brought all of them here today to come and see me. But you dont have to only visit me when you are in government. You also have to visit me when you are out of government. After the running mate was introduced, the Asantehene adviced the NDC flagbearer, former President Mahama to assess why he was voted out of office by Ghanaians and tell Ghanaians the lessons he has learnt. Tell Ghanaians the wrongs of the past and how you will correct those wrongs, the Asantehene told the former President. He also called for an issue-based campaign to enable Ghanaians make an inform decision come December. Island Bay bringing its hard seltzers to Irish consumers Popular hard selzter brand Island Bay has secured a distributor to bring its products to Irish consumers. LA Drinks, which has serviced the licenced trade in Northern Ireland for 25 years, has been appointed as the major distributor for Island Bay's drinks to the on and off-trade in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The deal will bolster Island Bay's existing distribution network in the UK, which includes more than 700 independent stores and thousands of pubs and bars. Though most popular in North America, seltzers and hard seltzers are gaining popularity in the UK and Ireland as people look to make more health-conscious choices in their drinking. Mudassar Aziz, managing director of Island Bay Drinks, said: "I am delighted to be working with LA Drinks, which has a long history of providing excellent customer service and being on the front foot to make sure it provides the very best products for customers. "We have had thousands of requests to have our drinks available in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland since launching our range at the beginning of the year, so it is extremely satisfying to know that we will now be an integral part of the retail and on-trade scene there." Barry McCaughley, commercial director at LA Drinks, said: "We are very excited to be able to offer Island Bay Hard Seltzer as part of our extensive portfolio, especially in this new sector where people are so much more conscious of their health and calorie choices." Island Bay Hard Seltzer is vegan, gluten-free and available in three flavours, with each 250ml can containing 70 calories and coming in at 5% ABV. 27 August 2020 - Bethany Whymark By Ali Tadayon and Joyce Kasing Tagal EdSource Many California students and families who have come to rely on free grab-and-go meals during the past five months of the pandemic may no longer qualify for the food service. Since the start of the Covid-19 closures, school districts in California and nationwide have served millions of packaged meals at no cost and without eligibility requirements to all children at food distribution sites made possible by a series of federal waivers, the latest being the "Seamless Summer Option." Some districts, such as Los Angeles and Fresno Unified, even kicked in money from their general funds to also feed adults. But the U.S. Department of Agriculture, at the start of the new school year returned to its pre-Covid rules - only reimbursing districts for meals served to children who qualify for free and reduced-price breakfast and lunch. Though districts will continue serving grab-and-go meals, they will have to charge students who don't qualify for the federal program. They also can no longer serve children who attend schools in other districts or who attend charter or private schools. The federal rules changes created a logistical nightmare for the Fresno Unified School District, said Chief Operating Officer Karin Temple. The district served 18,000 to 21,000 meals a day over the summer, and not having to check people's eligibility made the process run smoothly, she said. She fears the tighter requirements will turn people away. "When we're serving the volume that we're serving, it will really slow things down, and we don't want to do anything that will discourage people from getting the food they need," Temple said. The changes have further complicated a food distribution effort that must now serve students who are attending school virtually but still needing to eat breakfast and lunch during the day. The wildfires in Northern California also have disrupted food distributions in school districts, such as at West Contra Costa Unified in the East Bay, which postponed its meal distribution earlier in the week in an effort to shield employees from the worsening air quality. Oakland mother Veronica Orozco received food all summer from the Oakland Unified School District for her daughters, 9 and 14, who attend charter schools. She said the meals were helpful to her and other parents she knows during this time of uncertainty. "I think people are scared. There are a lot of people without money or income," Orozco said. "We were told children would be eating more since they are home all day, and many parents do need it. I know some parents who have asked where they can get food, and there are many who don't have enough for food after paying for rent and bills." At a recent food distribution at Oakland Unified's Fremont High School, a mother attempting to pick up food for her children first had to confirm their enrollment status per the new federal rules. Struggling with English, the mother tried to give her children's names to the food service staff, who couldn't find them in the district's electronic system. When the staff determined that the students attended charter schools, they reluctantly had to deny her the meals, though she was able to take some produce from the Alameda County Community Food Bank. San Francisco Unified recently announced a plan to offer students who don't qualify for free food weekly to-go bags of five days' worth of breakfast, lunch, supper - cereal, muffins, pupusas, pizza and burritos, fresh fruit and vegetables and milk - for $22. The meals will be available only to district students, who display a barcode identifying them as qualifying for the free food and proving that they attend a school in the district. "We are not in a different situation now than we were in May," said San Francisco Unified Student Nutrition Services spokesperson Anne Moertel referring to a time when all students could receive free food. "We have more families that are out of work that are food insecure. Our hopes are that our policymakers will recognize that this is an essential need and that feeding children is not negotiable." A recently introduced bill in the House of Representatives aims to open school lunch programs to all children regardless of school enrollment or income and without the need to check ID or proof of enrollment. California school districts don't have time to wait and see if Congress will pass the bill, known as the Pandemic Child Hunger Prevention Act, officials said. They are continuing to offer grab-and-go meals, though some districts are changing their number of pickup sites or their distribution method to follow the new rules. The bill was introduced by House Education and Labor Committee Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-Va.) who with other lawmakers is also calling on USDA to extend the waivers through the next school year. USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue said the department lacks congressional approval and funding. West Contra Costa Unified is incorporating lunch breaks into its virtual instruction schedules by designating a 40-minute lunch break for both teachers and students during its 10 a.m.- 3 p.m. instructional day. The district is serving grab-and-go meals at 15 of its schools on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so that parents can pick up multiple meals for the week for their children. Mark Chavez, nutrition services director at Long Beach Unified, said the USDA's new rules make it harder on parents who have children at different schools, since the district can serve grab-and-go meals only at their "school of attendance." "It may take you 20, 30 minutes to get one meal then you have to add that to the next school to pick up another meal," Chavez said, adding that the district is working to figure out a way around these rules so that parents can pick up meals at whichever school is closest to them. But advocates of the school lunch program say there are other problems too. One indicator surfaced in the Bay Area last summer when BayAreaCommunity, (BAC), a volunteer organization that mapped school meal sites across 14 Northern California counties, found that 720 meal sites in the spring dropped to 300 by late summer for multiple reasons, among them lower demand. San Francisco Unified, which served 150,000 meals per week in May, dropped to 120,000 in early June. June Richardson, a nutritional consultant working with Ravenswood Schools, attributed the summer dip in demand to families preferring to be able to purchase their own food through the Pandemic-EBT food stamp program, as well as families tiring of the limited food options. "Because we are prioritizing food safety in distribution of food, the menu is limited and mostly individually wrapped," Richardson said. "We are trying our best to package up bulk items like chicken nuggets, providing ingredients for families to cook - for example, spaghetti. But the monotony and limited menu choices also play a role." Some attributed the drop to distribution hours that didn't mesh with working parents' schedules, leading some districts to make changes. Hope Brand, Director of Food Service at Linden Unified School District in Stockton, said the district closed its summer meal pick-ups at the end of June because they could not afford the additional staff and protective equipment needed to follow safety protocols. It recently resumed as a "drive-thru meal service" - parents can pick up both breakfast and lunch for their children between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. at their school of attendance. As the pandemic grinds on and the unemployment rate climbs higher than the highest point during the Great Recession, advocates say the need for school-based food distribution will only increase. Families seeking food help through the GetCalFresh.org portal increased by 750,000 households including 400,000 school-age children between March 15 - when shelter in place orders started across California - and Aug. 17. Another indicator of need is the latest data reported by the Stanford Data Lab from the U.S. Census Bureau's "Household Pulse Survey" - a series of weekly surveys gauging the pandemic's impact - more than 1 million children were reported to not have enough food the week of July 21. That number has risen steadily since early May, when it was 8.6 percent - or 749,000 children. The Los Angeles Unified School District, the largest in the state, distributed more than 50 million meals since March and will continue to provide food to all children and adults who show up at its distribution sites. It has used an estimated $78 million in federal CARES Act funding and is seeking other funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Other districts are also struggling to fund their nutrition programs, which were operating at a deficit pre-Covid, and have found that serving grab-and-go meals is more expensive than traditional school meals because of the costs of extra packaging and precautions. To help districts serve grab-and-go meals during the fall, the state allocated nearly $112 million in the state's 2020-21 budget. An additional $80 million is included in a final budget bill pending in the legislature. Fresno Unified is calling on the City of Fresno to allocate federal stimulus funds from the federal CARES Act to help it pay for grab-and-go meals for both adults and children, Temple said. More than 87 percent of the district's enrollment - 64,134 students - qualified for free and reduced-price meals in 2019-2020. "There is significant need in our community; with such high rates of disadvantaged students we feel like it's so important that we provide access to meals," Temple said. "It's one of the focal points for continuing to serve our community during this Covid situation." Joyce Kasing Tagal was a lead organizer of the project that mapped all food sites in the Bay Area with Big Local News, a project of Stanford University. Samuel Baucom, a staff journalist for Big Local News, contributed to this report. EdSource reporter Betty Marquez Rosales contributed to this report. 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. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Aug. 27 By Rufiz Hafizoglu Trend: Turkey's export of ready-made clothes to Azerbaijan increased by 9.51 percent from January through July 2020, compared to the same period of 2019, making up $24.8 million, the Turkish Ministry of Trade told Trend. In July 2020, the export of Turkish clothes to Azerbaijan rose by 12.82 percent compared to July 2019, having reached $4.3 million. The export of the Turkish ready-made clothes to the world markets decreased by 15.3 percent from January through July 2020, compared to the same period of 2019, amounting to $8.7 billion. The ministry noted that the export of ready-made clothes was 9.8 percent of the country's total export during the reporting period. Turkey exported the ready-made clothes worth $1.8 billion to the world markets in July 2020, which is an 8.4 percent increase compared to the same month of 2019, the ministry said. Export of ready-made clothes in July 2020 accounted for 12.1 percent of the country's total export. Turkey exported the ready-made clothes worth over $16 billion abroad over the past 12 months (from July 2019 through July 2020). --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu Advertisement Airline salvage workers have begun to break up Boeing 747 jets in the Gloucestershire countryside as British Airways retires its whole 31-strong fleet of the large passenger jets amid a plunge in global air travel. The four planes - G-BYGF, G-CIVL, G-CIVL and G-CIVN - are being scrapped and dismantled by a specialist team from Air Salvage International (ASI) at Cotswold Airport outside Kemble as the coronavirus pandemic continues. Photographs taken yesterday showed the engines on some of the 747-400s having been removed at the former Royal Air Force site, which is also home to various flying schools and was once the Red Arrows base. This week G-BYGF became the fourth BA plane to retire to Kemble, landing in front of a group of planespotters having completed a 24-minute flight from London Heathrow and a loop of the villages around Kemble. BA is retiring all of its 747 planes amid a continuing crisis for air travel after severe travel restrictions were brought in around the world when the Covid-19 crisis intensified across Europe in March. Photographs taken yesterday show the engines on some British Airways 747-400s have been removed at Cotswold Airport Four British Airways 747-400s are being stored at the airport near Kemble in Gloucestershire after being retired by BA The four planes are being scrapped and dismantled by a specialist team from Air Salvage International at Cotswold Airport BA is retiring all of its 747 planes amid a continuing crisis for air travel after severe travel restrictions were brought in globally The jets are being sent worldwide for storage and scrapping, with G-CIVD leaving Heathrow earlier this month for Castellon in Spain. Seven of the BA fleet remain at Heathrow, which is where the Kemble planes had been based. Fourteen of the BA fleet are being stored 70 miles away at Cardiff Airport, including one in the historic livery of Boac (British Overseas Airways Corporation) which was the airline's predecessor. A further five in the fleet are being stored at Teruel Airport in Spain. Earlier this month, BA chief executive Alex Cruz said: 'We are starting the early retirement of our beautiful 747-400s as part of the reshaping of our airline.' In a letter to staff, the 54-year-old added: 'This is a necessary move reflecting the cliff-edge drop in premium long-haul travel, which may never recover to the levels we saw in 2019. 'If these were normal times, we would be celebrating the retirement of the Queens of the Skies with a great deal of noise including special commemorative flights and colleague events. Airline salvage workers have begun to break up the British Airways Boeing 747 jets in the Gloucestershire countryside British Airways is retiring its whole 31-strong fleet of the large passenger jets amid a plunge in global air travel BA staff and plane enthusiasts are said to be keen for souvenirs from the jets, four of which are in storage at Cotswold Airport 'Sadly, given the difficulty of operating during the pandemic, the farewell will be less lavish, but still heartfelt. 'I know many of you will join me in fond remembrance of these remarkable aircraft that have served us and our customers so well. There will never again be anything quite like them.' BA staff and plane enthusiasts are said to be keen for souvenirs from the jets, with ASI owner Mark Gregory saying the firm is receiving many inquiries from people keen to own a part from one of the jets. He told the BBC: 'I get a daily stream of emails from BA staff and 747 fanatics who want to buy a piece of a plane. A cut-out side section is popular which can be hung on the wall. 'These usually go for about 200 each. They are good aircraft and have done a lot of hours. They have definitely earned their keep.' The British Airways Boeing 747-400 G-CIVU passenger aircraft lands at London Heathrow Airport on July 14, 2018 (From left) Elysa Marsden, Toni Richards and Olivia Welch walk in front of a 747 at London Heathrow Airport in March 2019 Mr Gregory added that there has been a ten-fold increase in airlines looking for storage facilities, with the company having 11 747s parked up, with some being dismantled and others going up for sale. He said engines make up around 80 per cent of the value of a retired plane, with some selling for more than 2million, although the Rolls-Royce ones on the BA 747-400s are expected to sell for less. The 747-400s, which can take up to 15 weeks to dismantle, first began flying more than 30 years ago. Boeing sold almost 700 of the jets, which made them the best-selling version of the long-haul airliner. ASI, which has 170,000 sq ft of hangarage at the airport, has space for up to 20 wide and 50 narrow bodied commercial aircraft and has disassembled nearly 600 around the world in its 18 years of operations. It comes as Gatwick Airport has cut one in four of its workforce or 600 posts - taking the number of jobs lost at big British firms since the pandemic past 252,000. And airplane manufacturing giant Rolls Royce has announced it would close a major UK site in Annesley, Nottinghamshire, by the end of 2022 - weeks after announcing 9,000 job cuts. A Boeing 747 jumbo jet is pictured next to the Concorde airliner at New York's John F Kennedy Airport in October 1978 The arrival on the world stage of the giant Boeing 747 in 1969 ushered in a new era of air travel. One is pictured above in 1971 The travel sector is not expected to recover until 2023 as fears over quarantine and catching the virus push tourists to stay at home. However, the Mail has learned Britons will be allowed to visit New York without having to quarantine on their return under plans being drawn up by UK and US officials. The re-opening of the Heathrow to New York route - the worlds most profitable air link - would help rescue long-haul airlines that rely heavily on trans-Atlantic travel, including BA and Virgin Atlantic. However, industry sources say US officials are likely to insist on Covid-19 testing at British airports before they agree to re-open their borders. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has repeatedly played down the idea of airport testing, claiming swab tests would fail to spot almost 90 per cent of asymptomatic cases. But in a growing revolt, more than 80 MPs - including 40 Tories - have warned that failure to endorse airport testing will have a disastrous impact on the travel industry and wider economy. KABUL (Reuters) - Taliban fighters on Thursday killed four civilians during clashes with Afghan forces in central flood-hit Parwan province at a time when over 150 people lost their lives in the flash floods and rescue work was still underway, officials said. Clashes were ongoing between Afghan and Taliban forces in Bagram, which is located in Parwan province and houses the biggest U.S. military base. The Taliban spokesman was not immediately available to confirm the latest violence at a time when peace talks between warring sides is expected to begin in coming weeks. (Reporting by Abdul Qadir Sediqi, Writing by Rupam Jain; Editing by Toby Chopra) The Covid-19 pandemic has accentuated existing food security issues in Africa and given rise to some new challenges. With an economic downturn under way, efforts to combat hunger are being accelerated. While short-term measures are part of the solution, the crisis has also made a powerful case for long-term change. The IMF projects that a worldwide recession will follow on the heels of the Covid-19 pandemic, resulting in a drop of around 4% in global GDP. Due to climate change and political instability, parts of Africa were already grappling with food security issues, making a recession an unwelcome addition to the mix. Net food exporters have been particularly affected by internal pressures, such as productivity slumps caused by lockdowns, and external pressures, including the disruption of international supply chains. Some governments have been unable to guarantee sufficient food supplies, a situation that has the potential to lead to broader instability and, ultimately, conflict. Nevertheless, Covid-19 is generating opportunities for meaningful change, and it is hoped that the pandemic will give rise to new approaches to food security. The opportunities for growth in Africa reflect resilience as a primary objective, Driss Benomar, chair of the Atlantis Center for Geostrategic and Research Studies, told OBG. This means smoothing supply chains into effective pan-African management schemes that include regulatory frameworks; expanding and sharing capacity in the health sector; systematically investing in infrastructure, sometimes across borders; and enhancing telecommunications. An ongoing food crisis Prior to Covid-19 some 73m people on the continent were classified as acutely food insecure. Lockdowns and travel restrictions have exacerbated this situation by weakening incomes, fracturing regional supply lines and sometimes halting production leading to severe food price shocks in the process. The African Union (AU) was quick to call attention to the impact the virus is having on food security. On April 16 the ministers of agriculture of AU member states publicly committed to ensuring food security and nutrition for all their citizens. The ministers issued a statement urging governments to prioritise the food and agriculture system as an essential service and recognise that all types of food systems modern, traditional (open markets and small stores) and informal (street vendors) play critical roles in serving different markets. Various countries exempted local markets from lockdowns, among other measures to safeguard food supplies. Food insecurity has nonetheless increased sharply. The World Bank recently found that some 75% of adults in Nigeria had skipped a meal due to a lack of resources in 2020, nearly three times the proportion that reported doing so in 2018/19. Central to this issue is African nations relative over-reliance on food imports. Despite having enormous resource potential, distribution hurdles, economic structures and a relative lack of value-added capacity mean that many countries are not self-sufficient in staple goods. Prospects for continent-wide, systemic change Recent approaches to food security have focused on increasing the quality of agricultural inputs to grow domestic stockpiles. (https://oxfordbusinessgroup.com/news/covid-19-and-food-security-challenges-and- opportunities-emerging-markets) For example, in June the Nigerian government announced that more than 10,000 farmers across 13 states would receive deliveries of high-quality seeds to bolster crop production. While building productive capacity is important, addressing long-standing vulnerabilities requires deeper- rooted change. At the Africa Security Forum 2019 held in Rabat in December last year, Tshilidzi Madzivhandila, the managing director of the Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Analysis network, outlined various strategies that could increase food security. On top of production-oriented measures, such as diversifying crops and introducing irrigation systems, he called for systemic changes such as an expansion of multi-risk insurance and the integration of new technologies. In a report produced to accompany the meeting, Adam James McVie, a senior adviser to the UNs World Food Programme, noted that large-scale development projects which tend to focus more on providing training and materials, and less on long-term support are not always well suited to the current environment. Instead, he highlighted the importance of communication and mass involvement, citing the Ethiopian reforestation programme, for which 23m people were mobilised to plant 4bn trees in five months. The holistic integration of new technologies, meanwhile, allows farmers to improve processes at various stage of production. A regional benchmark in this regard is the Climate Smart Agriculture Project in Kenya, which implements tech-oriented systems to increase agricultural productivity and build resilience to climate change. The initiative uses big data, among other tools, to develop climate-smart market information systems. In addition to underscoring the importance of productivity improvements, the pandemic has called greater attention to the benefits of regional interconnectedness. Free trade links could be consolidated and expanded going forward, alongside the infrastructure necessary to sustain them. On this note, it is hoped that one constructive outcome of the pandemic will be the rapid and enthusiastic implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area, which entered into force in May last year. This could mark a major step towards the broad-based food security needed to support the continents continued growth. Details about the mayhem which visited Dome-Faase in the Ga South Municipal Assembly of the Greater Accra Region at the time it broke yesterday were sketchy. It was clear though that the residents of the town were scared to the marrow after spotting an approaching reinforcement of troops. The locals had reportedly descended upon soldiers who were on lawful duty in the area, injuring two of them. The last thing we would want to happen in the country following the nasty and unfortunate incident which claimed the life of Maj. Mahama is a situation in which persons working for the state are attacked and injured or even killed. The circumstances in which soldiers and not civilian police officers are deployed for an internal security mission such as the one under review would definitely be contained in the statement yet to come from the Ghana Armed Forces. In the absence of such a detailed report, we would just wait and avoid a conclusion. The soldiers who were deployed to the location were assaulted by the youth of the town on an issue which should, of course, be probed for the truth to emerge. They were on lawful duty, we have been told, their activity nowhere near the arbitrariness claimed by their attackers. Considering the various interpretations about what happened, the need for an unambiguous explanation about what happened cannot be overemphasized even as we await a thorough investigation. These are unusual times of exaggerations and slanting of stories by persons who have political scores to settle and objectives to achieve. The Ghana Armed Forces would be doing the institution and the country a service by stating clearly the role of the soldiers in the debacle. Of course, the police should play a pivotal role in the investigation because after all that falls within their terms of reference. That is why we are surprised that the police appeared to have avoided the unfolding the chaos. The Kasoa Police, we have been told while on their way to the place, changed course leaving, as they reportedly said the case to the Regional Command to deal with. As we compose this commentary, the soldiers are holding fifteen suspects, even though clearly these persons should be handed over to the civilian police. The tendency by some Ghanaians to take the law into their own hands and do as they please is not a welcome development, considering the negative fallouts this can triggers. Information that a land dispute between the people of Dome-Faase and others in the adjoining Akyem area makes the subject even more complex, if it is true. Land disputes, we would have thought, belonged to the past no longer tenable in modern settings. Now that remnants of the past are showing their heads, delays in addressing them would not serve our broader national interest. ---Daily Guide Reporter Ben Zigterman is a reporter covering business at The News-Gazette. His email is bzigterman@news-gazette.com, and you can follow him on Twitter (@bzigterman). Much like any special interest group, the ethanol lobby will take a mile if you give it an inch. The only reason why people put fermented corn ethanol into their gas tanks is because the government forces them to. Finally, some of the biggest ethanol-producers are getting away from relying on government mandates to make money and are entering the free market. Some are backing away from a market that is wholly reliant on the federal government ordering consumers to use the product. Bloomberg News reported on August 7, 2020 that "American ethanol makers have for years been reliant on a government policy that mandates biofuel use. But industry stalwart Green Plains Inc. wants to break away from that dependence and instead is investing in everything from high-quality proteins to fish feed and alcohol for disinfectants." The report indicates that they are worried that the Trump administration is not using the power of government to give the industry enough support, so they are branching out into an actual free marketplace. The ethanol lobby is not happy because the Trump Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is allowing some small oil refineries to abandon blending requirements. The Trump administration is trying to save these small refineries from bankruptcy as a result of the economic slowdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic. This has angered Big Ethanol, and the lobby is also concerned that China is not purchasing American manufactured ethanol thanks to the current trade war. Todd Becker, the CEO of Green Plains Inc., based in Nebraska, has given up on ethanol as a substitute for gasoline, and his company has pivoted toward private markets. According to Bloomberg, the "U.S. ethanol industry was born out of government support. In the 1970s, President Jimmy Carter asked agribusiness leaders to make biofuels to reduce petroleum dependence, with Archer-Daniels-Midland Co. starting production in 1978. The industry got another boost in 2007, when the Renewable Fuels Standard expanded the mandate to blend ethanol into gasoline." The industry is learning that relying on the government to regulate and mandate a pathway to profitability is a dangerous game to play. The Big Ethanol lobby has bitten the hand that feeds it, because President Donald J. Trump in 2015 lifted curbs on higher ethanol blends of gasoline, as Reuters reported. The report indicated that the Trump EPA's "announcement will allow gasoline stations to sell blends containing up to 15 percent corn-based ethanol, called E15, year-round, ending a summertime ban that President Barack Obama's Environmental Protection Agency imposed in 2011 to reduce smog pollution." No good deed goes unpunished, because that was not enough for Big Ethanol to be happy. Despite President Trump increasing mandated volumes, and high blend rates, one of the big ethanol producers is taking action that will politically hurt President Trump. This may be an attempt to use a P.R. strategy of announcing this politically embarrassing development for President Trump in the swing state of Iowa, that also is conducting an important Senate race for the seat of Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), rather than this company getting religion on the fact that it should make products that people actually want. It is not lost that Becker admits he is reliant on government policies, yet he is aware that when margins increase, the industry is thrown into turmoil. While Big Ethanol trashes the Trump EPA that has bent over backwards for it, the lobby politically slaps the president and the Republican Party for not doing more. You can never satisfy this lobby, and this is a great case study in how a lobbying interest wholly reliant on government policies is doomed to failure. It is time for the Trump administration to consider that it cannot compromise enough with the Big Ethanol lobby to ever please the latter. A better idea would be to abolish the Renewable Fuels Standard and send the rest of the ethanol producers into other markets where they can make money through competition, not government edict. And it would be great to see the ethanol lobbyists in the D.C. Swamp have to go find work where they are not bilking the taxpayer for a special interest client. Norm Singleton is president of Campaign for Liberty. Image: Tony Webster. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Eisya A. Eloksari (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, August 27, 2020 17:09 511 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c40edad7 1 Business Sarana-Menara-Nusantara,fiber-optic-network,expansion,internet-penetration,COVID-19 Free Publicly listed telecommunication tower operator PT Sarana Menara Nusantara plans to expand its network of fiber-optic cables a total of 47,000 kilometers by the end of the year to boost 4G connectivity, amid the countrys high data demand accelerated by the pandemic. Vice president-director Adam Gifari said the company would add more than 12,000 km of fiber-optic cables to its existing infrastructure of 34,200 km. I think the 4G technology still has a few more years to develop as the government prepares for 5G, he said during a press briefing on Wednesday. He added that he believed the country could increase the 4G penetration rate, which currently stood at 70 percent of the countrys 174 million users. Most of them accessed the 4G network through mobile phones, the company noted. Adam said the pandemic had also led to an acceleration of digitalization for everyday needs, including video-conferencing and online shopping, resulting in higher traffic and demand for data on mobile devices. Communications and Information Minister Johnny G. Plate stated on Aug. 22 that the government would establish and extend the geographic coverage of 4G services nationwide by 2022 at the latest, as it strove to accelerate a so-called national digital transformation. Meanwhile, Indonesias digital economy is on track to dominate Southeast Asia, as its market value is projected to triple to US$130 billion by 2025 from $40 billion in 2019, according to the latest e-Conomy Southeast Asia study. In its presentation, the company also stated that surging data demand in Indonesia would require more towers and that Sarana Menara Nusantara would focus on Java, Bali and Sumatra for its tower network. Adam said the companys number of towers had grown to 21,271 in the second quarter from around 18,000 a year earlier. Over the same time, it saw the number of tenants grow to 38,122 from around 29,000 tenants. According to an announcement by the company published by Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) in June, the company has continued the process for the acquisition of 1,723 towers from telecommunication firm PT XL Axiata through its subsidiary PT Profesional Telekomunikasi Indonesia (Protelindo). For the first handover of 1,399 towers from XL in April, Sarana Menara Nusantara spent Rp 1.9 trillion ($129.6 million). Our strategy to grow this year is to increase colocation with lower capital expenditure, Adam said, referring to the practice of locating two or more pieces of transmission equipment on the same cellular antenna tower. Sarana Menara Nusantara business development director Indra Gunawan stated that the company still saw growth potential in internet services in Indonesia. Internet penetration in Indonesia still has potential to continue developing, supported by the demographic composition of Indonesia, which is dominated by young people. And with the rising usage, users keep demanding better internet services, Indra said. Sarana Menara Nusantara booked a 21.8 percent year-on-year (yoy) revenue increase to Rp 3.68 trillion in the first half of the year, which it attributed to tower acquisition and colocation. Meanwhile, its profit jumped by 31.3 percent yoy to Rp 1.3 trillion in the first half. In the second quarter of the year, Sarana Menara Nusantara secured long-term contracts amounting to Rp 53.1 trillion, which will last until 2033, the companys data show. The company also announced on its website on Aug. 17 that it would buy back 84.9 million of its shares with a total value of approximately Rp 90 billion. The telecommunication tower operators shares have gained 27.95 percent so far this year. TOWR was trading at Rp 1,030, up about 0.5 percent, early in the afternoon trading session on Thursday. New Delhi, Aug 27 : Reliance Retail has issued a strong caution notice for unscrupulous elements who are duping innocent people in the name of granting franchisee for Jiomart services. In a public caution notice, Reliance Retail said it is the registered licensee of trademarks, Jio and Jiomart, a recently launched online grocery service. "We would like to inform the public at large that we are not operating any dealership or franchisee model currently nor have we appointed any franchisee or any agent for appointing franchisee or dealer in any manner whatsoever", the notice said. "Further, we do not charge any amount under the pretence of appointing a person as a franchisee", Reliance Retail said. "We have been informed about certain unscrupulous individuals who are creating fake websites, pretending to be us or associated with us and duping innocent individuals under the pretense of granting franchisee of Jiomart services", Reliace Retail caution notice said. Some of the fake websites identified are jmartfranchise.in, jiodealership.com, jiomartfranchises.com, jiomartshop.info, jiomartreliance.com, jiomartfranchiseonline.com, jiomartsfranchises.online, jiomart-franchise.com, jiomart.in.net and jiomartfranchise.co. "The public, manufacturers, traders and dealers are hereby cautioned against such unscrupulous individuals and their online fraud activities and are hereby warned that we will not be responsible for any business dealing with such dishonest individuals", the company warned. "It is hereby notified that we attach great value to our goodwill, reputation and our trademark names and would not hesitate to institute criminal or civil proceedings against such persons to prevent misuse of our trademarks and protect our goodwill and reputation in any manner whatsoever", the company said. Recently in Ohio, members of the clergy brought up the topic of pornography being a public health crisis to county officials. They regarded the pornography industry as an enabler to issues such as human trafficking within the community. Due to the significance of the matter, the members of the clergy hoped to see action taken against the industry at a state level. This matter became a topic for many individuals in the community such as the pastors from 74 congregations. In response to the matter, the pastors endorsed a resolution which demands the board of Richland Public Health label pornography as a public health crisis. In doing so, these members of the clergy aim to enforce laws to regulate access to pornography on the internet with the intention to protect the citizens and minors the of the community. Reverend El Akuchie stated that the resolution will increase the efforts towards education, prevention, research, and policy changes at the state level. Pastor James Marshall of Ganges Community Church adds onto the conversation stating that the issues of human trafficking has become more widespread within the state of Ohio. According to the Ohio Department of Health, Pastor James Marshall's remark can be confirmed as it ranks Ohio as the fifth in total reported human trafficking cases. In Toledo, Ohio, the city is ranked the fourth highest for human trafficking victims within the entire nation. The mentioned resolution, House Resolution 180, which would effectively declare pornography as a public health hazard is currently backed by 19 members of the Ohio House of representatives. However, as of now, there has been no further action taken on the bill. If House Resolution 180 were to pass, Ohio would follow as the 16th state to labeling pornography as a public health crisis. Although nothing has been done as of yet, these actions taken by the clergy seems to be an effective measure in influencing public policy. As seen in Buckeye State, a group of 100 pastors sent a letter to the Ohio State Board of Education, protesting the practice of Yoga as part of public school curriculum. Stating that yoga is a form of Eastern religion, the pastors argued that it violated the First Amendment. As a result, some school districts agreed and kept yoga out of their classrooms. Nobel laureate, Wole Soyinka, has condemned the reintroduction of the Bill on National Water Resources 2020 to the National Assembly. In a statement on Thursday, Mr Soyinka warned that the bill, if passed into law, would hand the president absolute control over the nations entire water resources, both over and underground. A roundly condemned project, blasted out of sight by public outrage one or two years ago, is being exhumed and sneaked back into service by none other than a failed government, and with the consent of a body of people, supposedly elected to serve as custodians of the rights, freedoms and existential exigencies of millions, Mr Soyinka said in the statement titled MLKs Mighty Stream of Righteosuness, in reference to the late Martin Luther Kings I have a dream speech. The bill, which failed to get a concurrent passage by both Houses in the Eighth Assembly, has passed second reading in the House of Representatives and has been referred to a House committee. Last week, civil society groups, including the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPCTRE) and Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), frowned at several provisions in the bill which would breach Nigerians the right to water. For instance, Section 98 of the bill states that the use of water shall be subject to licencing provisions. Section 107 says that a licence may be cancelled if the licencee fails to make beneficial use of the water. Section 120 makes it compulsory for Nigerians to obtain a drillers permit before sinking a borehole in their homes. Other controversial provisions in the bill include: Sec. 104 Emergency powers in case of shortage of water (1) (b) direct a person who has a supply of water in. excess of his needs for domestic purposes to reduce the amount he is permitted to abstract under the terms of any licence or general authorization. Sec. 125 Entry onto land in furtherance of duties (2) An authorized person' may, at any reasonable time and on production of their identity card or other instrument or certificate of designation if so required, enter a property with the necessary persons, vehicles, equipment and material in order to carry out routine inspections of the use of water or disposal of waste water under any authorization. Sec 131 Non-compliance (1) No person shall- (a) use water otherwise than as permitted under this Act; The basic facilitator of human existence, water forget for now all about streams of righteousness is to become exclusive to one centralized authority, said Mr Soyinka. It will be doled out, allocated through power directives from a desensitized rockery that cannot even boast of the water divining wand of the prophet Moses. If the current presiding genius and this applies equally to all his predecessors without exception had a structured vision of Nigerian basic entitlements, Nigerians would, by now, be able to boast the means of fulfilling even that minimalist item of COVID-19 protocols that calls for washing ones hands under running water. As for potable water, for drinking and cooking, let us not even begin to address such extra-terrestrial undertaking. What next for the exclusive list? The rains? I declare myself in full agreement with virtually every pronouncement of alarm, outrage, opprobrium and repudiation that has been heaped upon this bill and its parentage, both at its first outing, and since this recent re-emergence. READ ALSO: The Nobel laureate said it is time to move beyond denunciations and embark on practical responses for the bills formal deactivation and permanent internment. Let all retain in their minds that, from the same source that preached the streams of righteousness is encountered the promise of no more floods, the fire next time. In any case, let the promulgators of this obscenity, high and low, understand that the placid waters they think to control unjustly and grotesquely, will turn to be Martin Luther Kings mighty stream of righteousness that will overwhelm and sweep them off their complacent, and increasingly loathsome sectarian, conspiratorial heights. One polluted stream of human existence compounds the next. A violation here joins forces with its tributary of resentment there yonder, all seemingly unconnected. Martin Luther Kings streams of righteousness turn into a mighty torrent of repulse that overwhelms the perpetrators but, alas, takes down much else as collateral, irreparable damage. That is the only cause for regret and restraint. Hence our duty to position that anguished question frontally, and call the world to witness our open propagation of that challenge: Do future lives matter? Let Buhari and his myrmidons ponder that question in the deepest recesses of their hearts and minds. They should not bequeath to future generations the harvest of the grapes of wrath. Earlier this week, the FBI arrested a 27-year-old Russian citizen for attempting to carry out a ransomware attack against a US company. It turns out that company was Tesla, Electrek reports. According to a complaint shared by the Department of Justice, in July, Egor Igorevich Kriuchkov traveled to the US and contacted a Russian speaking, non-US citizen who was working at the Tesla Gigafactory in Sparks, Nevada. After meeting with that individual, Kriuchkov allegedly proposed a deal. He would pay the employee $1 million to deliver malware to computer systems at the Gigafactory. Kriuchkov and his associates allegedly planned to extract data from the network and threaten to make it public if Tesla didnt pay a ransom. The employee immediately informed Tesla, and the company contacted the FBI, which launched a sting operation. Agents arrested Kriuchkov in Los Angeles as he was attempting to leave the US. As Electrek points out, during the sting operation, FBI agents obtained info about previous attacks led by Kriuchkovs associates. They didnt confirm which companies were impacted, but a similar ransomware attack was carried out against CWT Group in July. That company paid a $4.5 million ransom. Tesla could have been in a similar situation if its employee had not acted quickly or thought to inform the company. Earlier this month, the cruise company Carnival and Garmin revealed that they suffered ransomware attacks. Travelex recently paid $2.3 million to resolve a ransomware attack, and of course, multiple cities -- Atlanta, Baltimore and New Orleans -- have been hit by similar cybercrimes. Dentist offices and DSLR cameras are not immune either. Update: In a tweet, CEO Elon Musk confirmed the incident, saying This was a serious attack. Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 23:50:28|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close JOHANNESBURG, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- With South Africa's economic growth expected to shrink by more than 8 percent in 2020, the Cabinet on Thursday said the further reopening of the economy would boost growth especially in the tourism sector. South Africa recently moved to level two of the national lockdown which means the local tourism sector and others would be more opened to the general public. "This significant transition will inevitably revive our economy and contribute to the creation of much-needed jobs, particularly in the tourism and hospitality industry," Minister in the Presidency Jackson Mthembu said. Mthembu briefed the media following Cabinet's Wednesday meeting which was attended by the president and ministers. The government was in the process of developing an economic recovery and reconstruction plan aimed at reforming the economy and job creation. Mthembu said the Cabinet approved the two training programs which would assist in building state capacity. "The first one is the economic governance spring school training, for members of the executive from all spheres of government. It is designed to broaden learning perspectives through analysis and critical reflection on the nature of challenges of government," he said. Mthembu reiterated the government position in the fight against rampant corruption, adding that actions would be taken against those accused of stealing state resources. "The scourge of corruption which manifests itself in the blatant theft and looting of state resources is the biggest societal cancer that has the potential to erode public trust in government's efforts to improve the lives of the people," he said. Enditem Briefing With Senior State Department and Commerce Officials On State Department Visa Restrictions Placed on Individuals from the People's Republic of China and Commerce Department Restrictions Placed on Chinese Corporate Entities Special Briefing Office of the Spokesperson Via Teleconference August 26, 2020 MODERATOR: Thank you, and thanks to everyone for joining for this on-background conference call on U.S. visa restrictions and Commerce's entity listing for PRC companies and individuals tied to malign activities by the PRC in South China Sea. The State Department official joining us today is [Senior State Department Official]. For the purposes of the transcript and for your reporting, he will be referred to as Senior State Department Official. And joining us from Commerce we have [Senior Commerce Official One], and he'll be referred to as Senior U.S. Government Official Number One. Also on the call today to help answer questions is [Senior Commerce Official Two], and he'd be referred to as Senior U.S. Government Official Number Two. As a reminder, this briefing is on background, and the contents of the briefing are embargoed until the conclusion of the call. For the sake of efficiency, if you want to go ahead and get into the question queue, just dial 1 then 0. And with that, I will turn it over to [Senior State Department Official]. STAFF: Hi. I'm sorry, this is [Staff] here real quick. I understand that that could be a little bit confusing. For [Senior Commerce Official One] and [Senior Commerce Official Two] from the Commerce Department, feel free to attribute them as Commerce officials. I apologize for the confusion. MODERATOR: [Senior State Department Official], go ahead. SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Fantastic. Thanks, everyone, for joining, and I look forward to your questions. The background to the announcements that were made this morning by Secretary Pompeo, State Department, and by the Commerce Department are the announcement that we made last month of a new U.S. policy on Chinese maritime claims in the South China Sea. We aligned ourselves strongly with the 2016 international arbitral tribunal ruling on the South China Sea case between China and the Philippines, and we stated last month that Beijing is pursuing unlawful maritime claims across the South China Sea. We made this clarification to strengthen our support for Southeast Asian coastal states in upholding their sovereign rights, and to reflect our deep concern over the increasingly brazen manner in which Beijing has deployed coercive tactics to inhibit other claimants' access to offshore marine resources. Beijing has pursued environmentally destructive land reclamation and militarization of disputed outposts. This has done irreparable damage to coral reefs. They have also used these platforms in the South China Sea as platforms of coercion against their neighbors, expanding the reach of PRC maritime militia and civilian law enforcement vessels, often backed by the Chinese military, to intimidate Southeast Asian claimants from accessing offshore resources. These actions are provocative and destabilizing. In the case of Mischief Reef and the Spratly Islands, which was determined by the 2016 arbitral tribunal ruling to be within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone and on its continental shelf, Beijing's development there its building and militarization is a violation of the Philippines' sovereign rights and jurisdiction under the Law of the Sea Convention. Beijing's state-owned enterprises have played a key role in building and militarizing these outposts. The U.S. firmly opposes these efforts, and we are taking actions to make clear that further militarization and further coercion is unacceptable and entirely contrary to the interests of China's neighbors and the United States and the world. So this morning, the Commerce Department announced that it has added 24 of Beijing's state-owned enterprises, including subsidiaries of the China Communications Construction Company CCCC to the entity list for their role in these South China Sea activities. I'll leave it to my Commerce Department colleagues to elaborate on all of that. In addition, Secretary Pompeo announced the imposition of visa restrictions on PRC nationals, including executives of state-owned enterprises, responsible for Beijing's reclamation, construction, or militarization of disputed outposts and coercion of Southeast Asian claimants. We took these actions in support of our shared vision of an Indo-Pacific where all countries are secure in their sovereignty and disputes are resolved in accordance with international law. In doing this, we have various aims, including, of course, to impose costs on bad actors and to encourage all sorts of parties and institutions and governments around the world to assess risk and reconsider business deals with the sort of predatory Chinese state-owned enterprises that we've identified here, to include China Communications Construction Company and its subsidiaries that have been so central to the militarization and coercion in the South China Sea. CCCC, which led on the dredging, is also one of the leading contractors used by Beijing in its global "One Belt One Road" strategy. The company and its subsidiaries have engaged in corruption, predatory financing, environmental destruction, and other abuses in countries all around the world. It is frankly a long and diverse and colorful and very unfortunate record in a long list of countries. To give just a few examples: In 2009, CCCC was blacklisted by the World Bank for fraudulent bidding practices on a highway contract in the Philippines. In Malaysia, we've seen over the years major controversy over CCCC's rail projects and corruption allegations and suspicions, and a very prominent renegotiation of that CCCC Belt and Road arrangement in the last few years. In Bangladesh, the CCCC subsidiary China Harbor Engineering corp was blacklisted from projects after bribing an official, according to the Bangladesh Government. Also in Bangladesh court nine years ago the China Harbor Engineering Company was found to have paid bribes to the son of a Bangladeshi prime minister who was later sentenced to prison. In Sri Lanka, there have been longstanding accusations of corruption and bribery involving China Harbor Engineering corp and the Hambantota Port project, which is very well known in the Belt and Road story. And perhaps to end here, in Kenya, we've seen many illustrations of unfortunate practices by the CCCC subsidiary China Road and Bridge Corp, to include the guilty plea of China Road and Bridge officials for bribery and a range of other concerns about this major railway project, to include labor abuse concerns, basic quality and viability concerns, as well as others. These are companies that are acting in this fashion and also doing so in very close cooperation with the Chinese military, as seen in the South China Sea, as seen in the Djibouti port and elsewhere. I'll stop there for now and throw it over to my Commerce colleagues, but look forward to your questions. Thank you. SENIOR COMMERCE OFFICIAL ONE: Thank you, [Senior State Department Official], and this is [Senior Commerce Official One] from Department of Commerce. The action we took today, which is on public display at the Federal Register and will be published tomorrow and effective tomorrow, adds 24 Chinese parties to our entity list out of a group today of 60 total almost half for their role in the militarization of the shoals in the South China Sea, as was just described in detail by my State Department colleague. The consequences of parties being added to our entity list is that any item subject to our regulations, which essentially means anything leaving the United States as well as certain items that are made abroad, when they are to be exported, re-exported, or even transferred in-country to a party on the entity list, is a specific license is required. In other words, the party seeking to make that transfer of commodities, equipment, software, or technology to the parties on the entity list has to come into Commerce for a specific license, which then we review in consultation with the departments of State and Defense and sometimes Energy, and then issue a decision, either an approval or denial. So it's a comprehensive requirement that all items subject to the Export Administration Regulations again, for export, re-export, or in-country transfer to these 24 parties added to the entity list needs an individual license. So it has the result of ensuring that, going forward, any transfer of such items to these parties undergoes U.S. Government review and, as a practical matter, the licensing policy is presumption of denial for any such proposed exports, re-exports, or in-country transfers. Over the last five years, there's been a relatively small amount $5 million roughly, total of U.S. exports to these parties, but certainly going forward this will address any proposed exports. We also know from experience that even when there are transactions that don't involve items subject to the EAR, typically many companies tend to stay away from doing business with parties on the entity list, either just for reputational purposes or to further ensure that they don't run afoul of the Export Administration Regulations. And this requirement applies whether these parties are the end user of the proposed export, the ultimate consignee, the intermediate consignee, or even the purchaser. So basically any way that they might be materially involved in a transaction, this license requirement applies to them. So that's a summary of what the consequences of placing these parties on the entity list does. Over. MODERATOR: Okay. Now we'll turn to your questions. Again, if you want to get in the queue, dial 1 and then 0. For our first question let's go to the line of Matt Lee. Matt, are you on? QUESTION: Can you hear me? MODERATOR: There you go, Matt. Go ahead. QUESTION: Can you hear me? Hello? MODERATOR: Yep, got you, Matt. Go ahead. QUESTION: Yeah. Okay. Leaving aside the fact that the part that the U.S. is not a party to UNCLOS and has been accused by a lot of people of picking and choosing what international decisions it wants to agree or support or enforce, and the fact that the administration's own environmental policies have come under criticism for being less than friendly to the environment, I'm curious I mean, leaving those aside, I want are have you identified specific Chinese officials or Chinese company executives who have who are going to be targeted with these travel bans? And on the presumption of denial from Commerce, does that apply to absolutely everything that might be sold to these companies' subsidiaries? Thank you. SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Thanks, Matt. [Senior State Department Official] here from State. On the question of the application of the visa sanctions, yes, we have identified individuals and their relatives. As the Secretary's statement this morning notes, we are not able to, because of the nature of the specific statutory authority, so-called 3(c) under the under INA, we can't make public the names, but as our statement this morning says, we have imposed visa restrictions on PRC individuals, including certain executives of state-owned enterprises who are responsible for or complicit in either the large-scale reclamation, construction, or militarization of disputed outposts in the South China Sea, or the PRC's use of coercion against Southeast Asian claimants to inhibit their access to offshore resources. And those visa ineligibilities took effect this morning. On the environmental question, I would note that the question of whether the U.S. is sort of the context in which we look at the record of environmental abuse by Beijing, I mean, this is something that is a concern across so many populations and countries in Asia and elsewhere that it is a matter of obvious foreign policy, interest obvious, enormous interest to the communities not just around the South China Sea or not just, as we see with the Galapagos episode that's still ongoing in South America, but, for example, in the Mekong, where we've seen extremely concerning reports, especially in recent months, about the environmental harms of the upstream damming that Beijing has pursued, and pursued in a completely nontransparent and non-consultative way. And there is a actually a specific CCCC angle to the Mekong environmental concern story given CCCC's role in would-be Chinese plans to blast and dredge the Mekong River, which could have potentially catastrophic effects on the downstream communities, the scores of millions of people whose livelihoods rely on the Mekong. Now, recently there was a suspension of a multilateral agreement with CCCC to blast and dredge the Mekong, which is a kind of shift in policy that is welcome because this sort of dynamiting could cause irreversible environmental damage and provide really terrible harm to all the downstream communities in the Mekong region, even while serving perhaps the strategic interests of China. And so this is another way in which what we see in the South China Sea in terms of this bullying and coercion and the use of state-owned enterprises for the bullying and coercion of others is not at all limited to the South China Sea; it's characteristic of PRC foreign policy worldwide, certainly in the Indo-Pacific region, like in the Mekong, but really quite literally worldwide through the Belt and Road. And so these are among the concerns that we have and that are extremely widely shared, and then that is the foreign policy motivation for these actions and statements. SENIOR COMMERCE OFFICIAL ONE: And this is [Senior Commerce Official One] from Commerce. So the presumption of denial does apply to all items subject to the EAR regardless of whether they're commodities, equipment, software, technology. Over. MODERATOR: Second question, let's go to Kate O'Keeffe. SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Nothing heard. OPERATOR: Kate, your line is open. QUESTION: Hello? OPERATOR: If you have your mute button on, please take it off. QUESTION: Oh. I'm sorry, hi, can you hear me? MODERATOR: Yeah, we got you. Go ahead. QUESTION: Hi, sorry about that. I was wondering if you could identify the number of executives that are slated for these visa restrictions, and if you know if these people or their families travel to the U.S. frequently. And then on the Commerce side, I was wondering, the 5 million in U.S. exports that these parties use, are those 5 million all subject to EAR, or is some of that 5 million not subject to EAR? And then what is the nature of these U.S.-origin goods? Like, will these entities be able to easily source that from non-U.S. suppliers? And then finally, for further impact of these entity listings, I'm wondering if you think they'll have a serious impact on these companies' operations here in the U.S., and if so, how. Thank you. SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Thanks, I'll take the first question from the State side. There are dozens of individuals who've been identified with these visa ineligibilities, but of course, as I said, we're limited in what we're able to specify publicly. So I'll leave it there, and perhaps recommend following up with our Consular Affairs and other colleagues who work these visa policies most directly. Thanks. SENIOR COMMERCE OFFICIAL ONE: So on the Commerce questions, the exports that we're aware of are all items that are subject to EAR. That's how we're aware of them, so we don't have visibility on exports from elsewhere that are not subject to our regulations. They all I can't go into the details of them, but they all are lower-level items from an export control viewpoint, meaning they're not multilaterally controlled, so they are likely available from other sources as well, because, generally speaking, items that are not multilaterally controlled for export control purposes tend to be less sophisticated items and therefore tend to be available from other sources. In terms of impact on any U.S. operations, this the entity listings apply to things leaving the United States or being re-exported or transferred in-country, so the only impact on any U.S. operations of these entities would be certainly to the extent that they were making exports from the U.S. to their parents, if you will, those of course would be covered by these restrictions just as the same as the same items being exported from the U.S. by a nonaffiliated party would be covered. Over. MODERATOR: Next question let's go to Robert Delaney. QUESTION: Hi, can you hear me? MODERATOR: Yes, go ahead, Robert. QUESTION: Yes, thank you for doing the call. The first question I had was just answered in the last answer. But another question I had was just regarding any are there any CCCC subsidiaries that are either bidding for projects in the U.S. or have projects ongoing in the U.S. that will be affected by today's order? Thank you. SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Well, from the State side, certainly the visa ineligibilities will have an effect on the ability to travel of those who've been identified. For the commercial effects, I'll ask Commerce to elaborate. SENIOR COMMERCE OFFICIAL ONE: So again, to the extent there are projects that they're involved in in the United States, if that involvement entails items leaving the United States to go back to these parties for example, technology related to a project then that would be subject to a license requirement. I don't know whether that circumstance exists in fact or not, but the license requirement applies, again, to any item subject to the EAR hardware, software, materials, equipment, technology leaving the United States to go to one of these listed entities. Over. MODERATOR: Next question let's go to Nick Schifrin. QUESTION: (Inaudible) questions. I think the first one's to [Senior State Department Official]. You mentioned the low lights, if you will, of the CCCC's BRI contracts around the world. How much of this is really about the Belt and Road Initiative, designed to target BRI, and is this a new effort to try and target BRI? And then I think to both of you, a question on visibility for CCCC contracts around the world. Do you actually have confidence that you know when the CCCC makes a deal that would be covered under these sanctions, or are you relying on a kind of fear of possible sanctions to enforce this? Thanks. SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Thanks, Nick. Well, so the context for our actions today are just how we said. We, obviously, put a lot of work and thought into a South China Sea policy announcement that we made last month with respect to the maritime claims, and to the explaining further our views on the ways in which Beijing has been trampling on the sovereign rights of its neighbors in the South China Sea with respect to access to marine resources and the like. And that is the context in which we looked at the entities, including these PRC state-owned enterprises, who have played the leading role in the dredging, militarization, and coercion activities that have in the South China Sea that have obviously been such a concern to China's neighbors and had such a destabilizing effect on the broader regional security environment. And so that is what has brought us to the entities that now face sanctions. Now, the fact that these entities are especially CCCC and its subsidiaries are also so prominently involved in the "One Belt One Road" strategy and in the kind of wide range of predatory tactics that are part and parcel of the of Beijing's Belt and Road is very much of interest to us. We think it is important for folks all around the world to understand this. It's obviously of interest in certain ways to the South China Sea coastal states who have the most direct link to things like the militarization of the Spratly outposts and the coercion on the water, but obviously countries all around the world are thinking through how to understand China's behavior and how to shape their relations with Beijing. And the "One Belt One Road"-type projects have obviously been an aspect of a story of great importance for several years, an aspect of the story that the U.S. Government and many other governments have been concerned about, have been trying to get a better understanding of, trying to generate greater transparency around, and often without success because of the fundamentally not just predatory generally, but opaque and secret way in which these PRC state enterprises operate. And so we do think that the work, frankly, of shining light on these activities and on the association between the kind of bullying we see in the South China Sea and the kind of bullying that we see around debt-trap financing of ports around the world or the abuse of local workforces on port projects or railway projects around the world or secret financing terms and this gets to your second question. Do we think we will have great insight into future contracts? Unfortunately, not. Secret contracts are a major way that the Chinese the state-owned enterprises operate all across their business and all across the Belt and Road. This is a concern that we hear from audiences from counterparts all around the world. And so we think there is obviously a process that involves governments, it involves civil society and journalists getting a greater handle on these activities to include the contract terms, to include the product quality, the quality of these major infrastructure investments that countries are seeking, questions of fraud, corruption and bribery, predatory contracting, labor abuse, the military ties of these Chinese state-owned enterprises. There is a fundamental non-transparency problem which is seen in the activity generally, in the contracts in particular. It's also seen, by the way, in the capital market part of this story. There was an episode about five years ago in Hong Kong where CCCC Dredging, one of the subsidiaries sanctioned today that had a particularly significant role in the dredging and militarization of the Spratly Island outposts, was going to list on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. And as has been reported in the press, they were unwilling, as it turned out, to make honest disclosures in their prospectus about their involvement in these South China Sea activities, and rather than make honest disclosures and be transparent, they withdrew the IPO. So this sort of transparency question with respect to contracts, capital markets, and all the rest is certainly a concern and certainly something that we hope that governments and publics around the world will gain a better understanding of and scrutinize. SENIOR COMMERCE OFFICIAL ONE: So the entity list restrictions are triggered essentially when one of the listed parties seeks to obtain or procure items that are subject to our regulations. So to the extent they would be doing that in support of a contract, then the license requirement kicks in. We utilized in this case, as well as all of our export controls, a variety of sources both classified and open source to determine when parties are seeking to evade or not comply or circumvent with our regulations. So it's not so much triggered by knowledge of contracts, but triggered by knowledge of essentially trade patterns and procurement efforts. Over. MODERATOR: Okay. We'll try to take a couple more questions. Let's go now to Bill Gertz. QUESTION: My question is: The Chinese military on Tuesday, according to Chinese press reports, conducted two flight tests of a DF-26 and DF-21D anti-ship ballistic missiles. I wondered if you had any comments on that. SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Thanks for that. I've seen headlines just this morning as we've been scrambling on this effort, so I haven't seen nearly enough to be able to comment. I'd certainly point you to other colleagues, perhaps DOD, for that. Thank you. MODERATOR: Okay. Can we go to Pat Lucero? QUESTION: Can you hear me? MODERATOR: Yes, we can. Go ahead. QUESTION: Great. It's actually Kat Lucero with MLex. My question is: How is this going how does this play in the U.S.-China Phase One deal that Lighthizer and the vice premier of China said that things were going well? SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: This is State here. We obviously have an interest in the progress of the Phase One trade deal, including in the announcements made this week. Our relationship with China obviously has an important trade element, but it also has a lot of other elements, including the sorts of very serious concerns that we have with the way that China is acting internationally bullying its neighbors, other Chinese Communist Party malign activities that Secretary Pompeo and others have been focused on and speaking out about. These are all parts of the relationship. We try to have as constructive a relationship as possible to include in the trade space and otherwise, and we wish that Beijing would improve its conduct in the South China Sea and in many other areas, and that would make the relations all the more constructive. SENIOR COMMERCE OFFICIAL ONE: And we at Commerce have taken any number of regulatory actions over the last several months that are national security and foreign policy-related, so these we really take these actions separate from any negotiations on the trade pact. Over. MODERATOR: Okay. We have time for one last question. Let's go to the line of Nick Wadhams. QUESTION: My question is for [Senior State Department Official]. [Senior State Department Official], could you talk a little bit more about the actual impact that you hope that these visa restrictions will have? The criticism, as I'm sure you're aware, is that you announce visa restrictions like this on almost a daily basis, and that they're largely useless because the people involved never have much intention of actually traveling to the U.S., and the result is that the U.S. comes off as looking like it's just beating its chest. So could you give us a sense of what you hope to be the actual real-world impact of announcing visa restrictions like this? Thank you. SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL: Yeah, thanks for that, Nick. I don't think I share the analysis kind of in the premise of the question, and especially not in cases that involve that involve people who are in business. The for international enterprises to be able to travel, including to the United States, is very often very important. And we are obviously concerned about the activities of these entities and are serious about beginning a process. This is a first in a lot of ways in terms of U.S. sanctions on this kind of malign activity in the South China Sea, and as a mere start, we certainly think that it will have direct material effects, including on the ability of those identified to travel for business and for other purposes to the U.S. We note, by the way, that other countries can consider similar measures, and we think that that would be appropriate. The kind of concerns that we have about the South China Sea and other PRC malign activity are very widely shared and increasingly widely shared, and we know that other countries obviously are looking at scrutinizing their policies with respect to their diverse relationships with China in terms of business, academic exchange, visa, and much else. And so this is something that we assess will have both an immediate effect and the very serious potential for a mounting effect over time, unless of course Beijing begins to choose to act in the South China Sea and toward its neighbors and toward our shared interests with a little more neighborliness and respect. Thanks. MODERATOR: All right. Thanks to our briefers, particularly our Commerce colleagues who joined us, and thanks to all of you who joined. As this is the end of the call the embargo on content is lifted. Have a great day. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address MUMBAI: The mystery surrounding Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajputs death is deepening and the subsequent investigation to determine the exact cause of the actors death is intensifying with chilling details coming to fore every day. Adding a new twist to the case, narcotics experts and doctors have told Zee News that the substances of drugs like cocaine and MDMA remain present in the human body for only two to three days but the substances of other drugs like charas and ganja remain present in the human body for at least 15 days. Sushants cook Neeraj had told the investigating agencies that the actor was given drugs at least six days before his death and the same has come to fore after details of his girlfriend and actress Rhea Chakrabortys WhatsApp chat with an alleged drug dealer came to fore. Now, the question which arises in everyones mind is - if Sushant actually consumed drugs just 6 days before his death and his post-mortem was done on the next day of death - the 7th day of consuming drugs - and the forensic investigation, which was done on the 8th day, why the traces of drugs were not found in his body and why the forensic report failed to mention it. Or why Mumbai Police, which was first investigating the case, concealed the fact in its report? All this points to an alleged cover-up by the Mumbai Police and calls for a detailed investigation and grilling of all those connected to the case by the CBI, which is now probing the matter. Interestingly, KK Singh, the father of late Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput, on Thursday (August 27) alleged that Rhea Chakraborty was giving poison to his son for a long time and she is his murderer. Singh also demanded that the investigating agency must arrest Rhea and her associates and ensure that they face justice for their misdeeds. The CBI team, which has questioned several people in connection with the case after receiving the case diary and other documents from the Mumbai Police, wants to know if there was some external pressure on the Mumbai Police to conceal the fact related to the presence of drugs in the actors body. There are some of the most pertinent questions which the CBI wants to crack. However, the central probe agency has still not been able to question the Mumbai Police team which investigated the case in its initial stage. Perhaps, this could also be a reason why the CBI team is making frequent visits to the Cooper Hospital in Mumbai where the actors post-mortem was conducted. Amid all this, a Narcotics Control Bureau team today left from Delhi for investigation in the drugs-related matter in the Sushant Singh Rajput death case. The investigation into the drug angle has been put into motion, Director-General, Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Rakesh Asthana said. The NCB had on Wednesday registered a case against actor Rhea Chakraborty and others in connection with the case. The NCB has registered the case under various sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, including Section 27 which specifies punishment for consumption of any narcotic drug or psychotropic substance and 29 which provides for punishment in case of abetment and criminal conspiracy. According to NCB DG, a team from Delhi and Mumbai has been constituted under the supervision of Deputy Director of Operations (NCB) KPS Malhotra which will investigate the case. The ED had on July 31 registered an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) in the late actor`s death case after a First Information Report (FIR) was filed by Rajput`s father KK Singh against actor Rhea Chakraborty in Bihar on July 28. On August 19, the Supreme Court had asked the probe agency to investigate the case related to the actor`s death, while holding that the FIR registered in Patna was legitimate. The agency has registered an FIR against Chakraborty and others in connection with the actor`s death after the Centre accepted Bihar government`s recommendation to transfer the probe in the matter from Patna. Rajput was found dead at his Mumbai residence on June 14. Dehradun: Uttarakhand government on Wednesday instituted a judicial probe into the alleged misappropriation of disaster relief funds in the state after the 2013 natural calamity which claimed thousands of lives, a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi raised the issue to lash out at the Harish Rawat dispensation for corruption. Announcing the probe, Rawat also took a jibe at his predecessor Vijay Bahuguna, who is now with the BJP and was at the helm when disaster relief operations were carried out in the state. He said the saffron party should have conducted an in-house inquiry into the irregularities as the entire family of executors of the alleged scam are now with them. The Prime Minister had yesterday said at a rally here that he was going to drag Uttarakhand out of the bottomless pit of corruption in which it was languishing under the present regime. Rawat also took strong exception to Modis remarks that even a scooter with a capacity of five liters of oil could drink 35 liters of it, a reference to the alleged scam in relief funds. The chief minister said though the alleged irregularities in the distribution of relief after 2013 tragedy had already been probed by a panel constituted by the state government, a judicial probe has been ordered into it after the PMs remarks. Though a probe committee headed by the then Chief Secretary had found no veracity in the allegations and given a clean chit to everyone involved in the massive relief operations, now that the PM has reiterated the charge we have asked retired Justice M S Chauhan of Chandigarh High Court to conduct a probe into the alleged irregularities and find out if there was any negligence on part of officials or any misappropriation of disaster relief funds, he told reporters at a press conference here. Asked why he was not recommending a CBI probe into the allegations, Rawat said he had more faith in the judiciary and it was in his hands to order a judicial probe. It is now a general impression all over the country that the CBI is a tool in the hands of the Centre to settle scores with political adversaries. I have therefore more faith in our judicial institutions. Moreover ordering a judicial probe was in my hands whereas I would have had to look to central authorities for a CBI probe, he said. Rawat said calamities strike all of a sudden and quick decisions have to be taken to deal with the situation, sometimes even at the cost of relaxing the rules and norms. However, we are ready for a judicial probe into any negligence on part of officials or misuse of funds, he said. Rawat also accused the BJP of trying to grab credit for the all-weather chardham roads project inaugurated by the Prime Minister in Dehradun yesterday, saying the state government was very much part of the process of its launch. It is not BJPs brainchild as the party is trying to make it appear. We had conceived the project and consistently worked towards its early launch, he said. However, he said he welcomed the launch of the project as the state stood to benefit from it in a big way provided it is implemented in the manner promised. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. Vice President Mike Pence speaks on the first day of the Republican National Convention at the Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, N.C., on Aug. 24, 2020. (David T. Foster III-Pool/Getty Images) Wisconsin Lutheran College Cancels Pence Commencement Speech, Citing Kenosha Unrest Vice President Mike Pence will not deliver his commencement speech at Wisconsin Lutheran College (WLC) as planned this Saturday, after the school replaced him with a different speaker in the wake of recent unrest. The Milwaukee-based Christian college on Thursday announced the change two days after Pence accepted the invitation to speak at the class of 2020 commencement ceremony. Rev. Mark Jeske of St. Marcus Lutheran Church will serve as a substitute speaker. The decision was made after further review with careful consideration of the escalating events in Kenosha, the WLC said in a statement. The city of Kenosha has seen three consecutive nights marked by rioting, looting, and arson, following the police shooting of Jacob Blake, who had a warrant for sexual assault. In its initial announcement, the WLC said the college was honored to have the vice president address the graduates and their families. While serving and leading, Vice President Pence has done so with an unapologetic faith in Christ, and he advocates for the freedom of religious expression so that ministries like our churches and Wisconsin Lutheran College can flourish within a pluralistic society, the WLC said, emphasizing that the event was not a political endorsement. We recognize that we all have varied ideologies and political viewpoints, the Christian college said. Yet, we believe it is possible within our context to leave partisan politics at the door and to celebrate America, our freedoms, Christian servant leadership, and our graduates immense accomplishments. The plan to feature Pence as a commencement speaker was met with almost immediate criticism from the WLC community. In an open letter to school administrators and the vice president, some 200 students and alumni decried the invitation, declaring it disrespectful and problematic. The mere invitation of a Vice President of an incredibly divisive and controversial ticket to speak in a swing state months before an election is ignorant and deceptive, the letter read. Controversial political figures need to stay out of our academic celebrations. Earlier this year, Ivanka Trump, senior White House adviser and President Donald Trumps daughter, was invited to give a commencement address at Wichita State University Tech in Kansas. The school eventually canceled its plans to feature her, after students and professors protested the event. Our nations campuses should be bastions of free speech. Cancel culture and viewpoint discrimination are antithetical to academia, Ivanka Trump wrote on Twitter. Listening to one another is important now more than ever! The NCCN Virtual Nursing Forum and Annual Congress: Hematologic Malignancies (NCCNhem2020) will provide the latest evidence and expert consensus on emerging practices and debates in blood cancer treatment, online October 8-10. PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pennsylvania, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) has announced this year's NCCN Annual Congress: Hematologic Malignancies will be fully online and open to all attendees at no cost. This annual gathering provides instruction from world-renowned experts for determining the best emerging techniques and practices for various blood cancers, including leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma. The virtual event will provide numerous opportunities for physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and other health professionals to earn continuing education credits, interact with experts, and network with peers. The NCCN Virtual Annual Congress: Hematologic Malignancies will take place on October 9-10, 2020 with the corresponding NCCN Virtual Nursing Forum taking place on October 8, 2020. The programs will include diagnostic and therapeutic advances, NCCN Guidelines updates, controversies in treatment, and currently salient topics such as: Navigating the Jargon of Molecular Testing, Implications of Biology on Treatment, Considering CAR T for All, Optimizing Outpatient Care, and Managing Cardiac Complications. The complete agenda can be viewed at NCCN.org/hem. "The rapid pace of change in cancer care can pose challenges for clinicians trying to stay up-to-date on how to optimize patient outcomes," said event co-chair Andrew D. Zelenetz, MD, PhD, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. "We're eager to reduce any knowledge and practice gaps by sharing information on the therapeutic advances that help us individualize treatment selection, minimize toxicities, and manage adverse events." "The NCCN Annual Congress for Hematologic Malignancies offers expert analysis of the latest clinical trial data," said co-chair Ranjana H. Advani, MD, Stanford Cancer Institute. "Patients benefit when providers are well equipped to utilize cutting-edge guidelines. These comprehensive presentations, case studies, and interactive discussions will allow clinicians to stay abreast of advances in the evolving diagnostic and treatment landscape." The virtual format for the congress will provide opportunities for participants to engage with faculty in real-time and also include an online exhibit hall and breakout rooms for networking with colleagues. "Our new platform allows us to make vital cancer information more accessible than ever, as we adjust for the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic," explained Robert W. Carlson, MD, Chief Executive Officer, NCCN. "We look forward to having attendees from around the world and throughout the oncology ecosystem join us from the convenience of their home or office without the need for travel." Anyone who is not able to join the interactive sessions in real-time will have an opportunity to view recordings from the webcasts from November 1, 2020 through October 31, 2021 at education.nccn.org. A related Case of the Week series will also launch after the Congress. Join the conversation online with the hashtag NCCNhem2020. About the National Comprehensive Cancer Network The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) is a not-for-profit alliance of leading cancer centers devoted to patient care, research, and education. NCCN is dedicated to improving and facilitating quality, effective, efficient, and accessible cancer care so patients can live better lives. The NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines) provide transparent, evidence-based, expert consensus recommendations for cancer treatment, prevention, and supportive services; they are the recognized standard for clinical direction and policy in cancer management and the most thorough and frequently-updated clinical practice guidelines available in any area of medicine. The NCCN Guidelines for Patients provide expert cancer treatment information to inform and empower patients and caregivers, through support from the NCCN Foundation. NCCN also advances continuing education, global initiatives, policy, and researchcollaboration and publication in oncology. Visit NCCN.org for more information and follow NCCN on Facebook @NCCNorg, Instagram @NCCNorg, and Twitter @NCCN. Media Contact: Rachel Darwin 267-622-6624 darwin@nccn.org Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/441768/NCCN_Logo.jpg Sushant Singh Rajputs friend and flatmate Siddharth Pithani has told the Central Bureau of Investigation that eight hard drives were destroyed on June 8, before the actors girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty left the house for good. Sushant died on June 14, and his family has accused Rhea of abetting his suicide. India Today reports that Sushant and Rhea had a fight, following which she moved out of his house, after having stayed there during the coronavirus lockdown. Siddharth said that he wasnt aware of the contents of the hard drives, but noted that an IT person came to the house and conducted the process with both Sushant and Rhea present. He named house help Dipesh Sawant and cook Neeraj Singh as being witnesses to this. Vikas Singh, the lawyer hired by Sushants father, told India Today that he suspects a larger conspiracy. I think theres something very sinister in this entire episode and it appears that there is the involvement of some big people in the case. The first thing that should happen is the suspension of Mumbai Commissioner of Police and DCP of that area, Vikas Singh said. Also read: Sushant Singh Rajput never did hard drugs, Rhea Chakraborty was giving something to control his mind: Lawyer Vikas Singh CBI has questioned Siddharth and Neeraj twice and has also grilled Sushants CA Sandeep Sridhar and his former accountant Rajat Mewati. The case is also being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate, as the FIR filed against Rhea by Sushants father also alleges that she misappropriated the actors funds. The ED during its investigation found evidence of a drug angle to the case, following which the Narcotics Control Bureau launched its own investigation. We received a letter from ED on Tuesday evening, stating that during their probe into the financial aspects, they found that drug was supplied to Rhea and Sushant. An NCB team will now conduct an inquiry and people involved will be questioned, NCB director Rakesh Asthana told Hindustan Times. Follow @htshowbiz for more SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON All religious places in Rajasthan will reopen for public from September 7, months after they were closed due to the coronavirus-induced lockdown, an official statement said on Wednesday. The decision was taken during a review meeting on the coronavirus situation in the state chaired by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot. Social distancing norms will have to be followed and all religious places will be sanitised from time to time, the statement said. District collectors and superintendents of police will carry out inspections and ensure all safety measures are taken, it said. Gehlot instructed officials to ensure that health protocols are followed properly and there is no crowding at these places, according to the statement. The chief minister also directed officials of the health department to make sure that private hospitals do not deny admission to COVID-19 patients, the statement said. Health Minister Raghu Sharma, Chief Secretary Rajeeva Swarup and other officials attended the meeting, it said. Also read: India's COVID-19 recovery rate crosses 76%; exceeds active cases by 3.5 times Also read: COVID-19: Infosys chairman Nandan Nilekani pitches Aadhaar model to vaccinate Indians faster Also read: Opposition leaders to move SC challenging Center's decision to hold JEE-NEET exam SV Krishna Chaitanya By Express News Service CHENNAI: IT major HCL is extending its support to Indias largest zoo, the Arignar Anna Zoological Park in Vandalur, and the Madras Crocodile Bank to help them overcome the challenges arising from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. HCL is extending support to help with animal feed and care at the two facilities, while also providing salaries to the caretakers involved in sanitisation and maintenance for a period of six months. The zoo and crocodile bank depend heavily on the revenue generated through visitors for the animals upkeep and facility maintenance. However, the pandemic and the resultant restrictions on movement have severely impacted this revenue stream, leading to the two organizations looking for external support to provide critical animal care. The crocodile bank, which houses over 2,000 adult and 100 juvenile crocodiles and other species, is an iconic institution that has been engaged in the conservation of rare species for over four decades. Expressing gratitude, Allwin Jesudasan, Director, Madras Crocodile Bank said, Reptiles play a vital role in maintaining a balance in our ecosystem. However, the pandemic is threatening their very survival. We would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to HCL for stepping in to support the Crocodile Bank in these challenging times and thank them for their commitment towards animal welfare. Debasis Jana, Director of Arignar Anna Zoological Park, Chennai, which houses 2,700 animals of nearly 170 species including mammals, birds and reptiles also praised HCLs efforts while underlining the need for greater support for captive animals and birds in the current scenario. In a telling statement, Sri Lankas new foreign secretary Jayanath Colombage has said that Colombo will have an India first strategic policy outlook. Arguing that while the Rajapaksa government has adopted a posture of neutrality in its dealings with major regional and global powers, he was categorical in underlining that the president [Gotabaya Rajapaksa] has stated that we have a strategic security-wise India first policy because we cannot be, we should not be, we cant afford to be a strategic security threat for India, period. These are powerful words indeed, and along with Colombages acknowledgement that the decision to give Hambantota port on a 99- year lease to China was a mistake, it underscored the pitfalls of a rather infantile debate in this country about Indias neighbourhood policy in recent months. There has been a barrage of criticism that India is losing its neighbourhood as border tensions with Nepal have grown and China has continued to spread its tentacles in Indias vicinity. That Indian and Chinese forces are squaring off at the border has reinforced this plaintive cry that New Delhi is getting marginalised in the neighbourhood. Even foreign secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringlas visit to Bangladesh, his first outside India since the Covid-19 lockdown, got mired in needless debates about rising Chinese clout in Dhaka. By all accounts, Shringlas visit to Dhaka was a successful one and it managed to convey Bangladeshs privileged position in Indian foreign policy matrix. Against the backdrop of the two nations celebrating Mujib Borsho, and the 50th year of the liberation of Bangladesh as well as the establishment of diplomatic relations next year, this visit was key to setting the tone for a busy calendar of events ahead and a number of high-level bilateral visits. From expediting and conceptualising major connectivity projects to diversifying bilateral engagement, the two nations are getting serious about their priorities. What is key here is the role played by top leadership in both nations. Both Narendra Modi and Sheikh Hasina, despite some domestic scepticism, understand the importance of cultivating strong bilateral relations. For Modi, the development of Indias East and Northeast is a top priority and a strategic imperative for New Delhi. And that region can only achieve its full potential if its better integrated with Bangladesh, thereby ensuring that India-Bangladesh connectivity projects will continue to be at the top of the agenda. It is important to recognise that this connectivity push is being shaped by a politician like Narendra Modi who has been forthright about the challenges posed by illegal immigration. The fact that by next year India and Bangladesh are likely to have nine rail links is an indicator of how fast priorities in New Delhi are evolving. There is also a growing desire on the part of the two nations to look beyond the Bengali-Bengali narrative and shape the engagement by bringing in new stakeholders more in sync with 21st century realities. There is a sizeable Tamil and Telugu population in Bangladesh in the textile industry and tech space, and a growing number of Bangladeshi students and medical tourists are now visiting South India, thereby changing the very complexion of this engagement. It is, therefore, quite curious to suggest that India might be losing ground in Bangladesh. Of course, the all-pervasive China factor has to be reckoned with. In most of Indias neighbours, China has a seeming advantage that, unlike India, it is not part of the domestic political calculus. But, unlike India, it also does not have a long-term stake in the South Asian region. It can afford to ignore the region, which it does, when its interests are not served. New Delhi doesnt have that luxury. For good or bad, Indias future and that of its neighbours remain intertwined. So while Chinas financial commitments to various countries in the region are much talked about, given their size, they are largely declaratory. Even in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, Chinas actual spending has been quite limited, compared to the $62 billion amount which is often advertised. Indias declared loan commitments might be small, but when it comes to actual delivery, India is not far behind. Its loan terms and payment conditionalities are much better too. For all the hue and cry about India losing the neighbourhood, the ground reality is quite different. With Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the Maldives, New Delhis relations are robust and progressing well. Bhutan remains as close as ever and even in the case of Nepal, it was Prime Minister KP Oli who recently reached out to his Indian counterpart. Afghanistan is passing through a difficult phase, but both the Afghan government and the Taliban leadership recognise Indias critical role in shaping their nations future trajectory. And all this has happened when India has been able to successfully marginalise Pakistan, regionally and globally. To view Indias neighbourhood policy through the lens of wins and losses is to miss the structural imperatives that shape the outcome. A region shaped by two major powers will never have a linear trajectory. And such a narrative also does a great disservice to smaller nations in the region, which have their own agency in shaping their engagements with these powers. Finally, there has never been a golden period of foreign policy when New Delhis ties with its neighbours were seamless. Going by Indias historical record, Delhis regional outreach today is quite promising. Indian discourse today seems more driven by domestic political imperatives than by the empirical realities on the ground. Harsh V Pant is professor, Kings College London and director of research, Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi The views expressed are personal Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 14:14:12|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close LOS ANGELES, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer resigned Wednesday amid continued U.S. pressure on the popular video-sharing app. In a letter to employees, Mayer said he had made the decision because of the dramatically changing political environment. The video-sharing social networking company on Monday filed a lawsuit against U.S. President Donald Trump's administration over an executive order banning any U.S. transactions with its Chinese parent company ByteDance. Since last year, U.S. authorities have repeatedly accused TikTok of being a potential threat to U.S. national security. U.S. officials alleged that the company, owned by Beijing-based ByteDance, could pass on data it collects from Americans' streaming videos to the Chinese government, a claim rejected by TikTok, which said it has never been asked to do so. "Against this backdrop, and as we expect to reach a resolution very soon, it is with a heavy heart that I wanted to let you all know that I have decided to leave the company," he wrote in the letter. Mayer, a former Disney executive, joined TikTok in May. Enditem Representative. Ron Travis announced on Tuesday that more than $2 million has been awarded in emergency broadband grants for Bledsoe and Rhea counties. The funds were made available through the states Coronavirus Relief Fund allotment from the federal government. The counties will receive four grants as part of $61 million in emergency broadband package for 62 projects announced by Gov. Bill Lee last week and distributed by the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (ECD) to improve access to broadband internet across the state. Bledsoe Telephone Cooperative will receive the $1.974,000 to expand service to 685 homes and 20 non-residential sites. Spring City Cable received three grants totaling $139,375 to provide broadband access to 124 homes and three non-residential sites throughout Rhea County. These grants will make an enormous difference in the lives of our residents who are completely underserved and desperately need broadband access to work, do classwork online or access telehealth services during this pandemic, Rep. Travis said. Im extremely grateful for the opportunities these grants will provide for our neighbors, but also for the economic growth it will help create in our region. The ECD received 84 applications for $89.1 million in funding, according to Lees office. Following review and a public comment period, 62 projects representing $61 million will be funded. The remaining $28 million in projects were denied due to a number of factors including project feasibility, applicant experience, and public comments received from existing broadband providers. Unfunded applicants will be invited to reapply for the Tennessee Broadband Accessibility Grant Program, funded at $15 million this year. Pursuant to federal guidelines, these projects are limited to those that would enhance access to individuals and families affected during the COVID-19 pandemic by the lack of broadband access in their area. Eligible entities included those authorized to provide broadband services in Tennessee, and eligible areas were limited to those unserved or underserved locations lacking all equipment necessary to provide a broadband connection capable of supporting telemedicine, distance learning, and telecommuting. Information about the Tennessee Emergency Broadband Fund can be found here. Democratic vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris accused President Donald Trump of ignoring 'the reality of America right now' pointing to this week's Republican National Convention programming. 'The Republican convention is designed for one purpose - to soothe Donald Trump's ego. To make him feel good,' Harris said in blistering remarks Thursday, given hours before Trump will deliver his renomination address. Speaking at the George Washington University in Washington, D.C., Harris opened her prebuttle by both defending Black Lives Matter protesters, but like her running mate, former Vice President Joe Biden, slamming rioters and looters and those engaging in violence in recent days. Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris went after President Donald Trump in an address delivered in Washington, D.C., hours before he made his renomination address at the Republican National Convention Kamala Harris went after President Donald Trump for his response to the COVID-19 crisis, while also pushing back on a Republican-pushed narrative that Democrats embraced the chaos caused in the aftermath of the police shooting of Jacob Blake Kamala Harris gave her remarks in the run-up to President Donald Trump (right) delivering his renomination acceptance speech Thursday night from the White House to conclude the four-day Republican National Convention The VP pick said she had spoken with the family of Jacob Blake, the Wisconsin black man who was wounded by police, sparking protesting and also fires and unrest in Kenosha, Wisconsin. She pointed out that Blake was shot 'seven times in the back, in broad daylight, in front of his three young sons,' repeating the line for emphasis. 'Thankfully he's alive today, but he's fighting for his life and he shouldn't have to be.' 'And after the murders of Breonna and George and Ahmaud and so many others, it's no wonder people are taking to the streets - and I support them,' Harris said. 'We must always defend peaceful protests and peaceful protesters,' she added. But she then pushed back on the Republican-pushed narrative that Democrats want to see the chaos too. 'We should not confuse them with those looting and committing acts of violence, including the shooter who was arrested for murder,' Harris said. The California senator was referring to the 17-year-old suspect arrested for shooting and killing two protesters in Kenosha. The suspect, Kyle Rittenhouse, is a supporter of Trump. 'And make no mistake, we will not let these vigilantes and extremists derail the path to justice,' Harris proclaimed. She then promised all the hurt mothers and fathers of black Americans who have been injured or killed by the police that they would have a seat at the table in the Biden-Harris administration. Harris, the first woman of color to ever appear on a presidential ticket, also said this: 'The life of a black person in America has never been treated as fully human.' From there, she moved on to hammer Trump on his coronavirus pandemic response. 'Instead of rising to meet the most difficult moment of his presidency, Donald Trump froze,' she said. 'He was scared and he was petty and vindictive.' Harris said that while Biden's first plan to combat the virus came out in March, 'Trump still doesn't have a plan - he still doesn't have a plan.' Always the prosecutor, Harris said that Trump's response was a 'plain and simple' case of showing a 'reckless disregard for the well-being of the American people.' On the policy front, Harris claimed Trump's cuts to Social Security would rob seniors of their checks within three years. 'The checks that American seniors are relying on - that you rely on to pay your bills, to buy your medicine, to live - will stop coming,' she said. And Harris pointed to the Trump-backed lawsuit heading to the Supreme Court in November that could completely kill Obamacare, including pre-existing condition pretections. 'So that means if you are fortunate enough to survive COVID-19 insurers could deny you coverage for treating long-term effects,' she said. Harris argued that Democrats approached their convention - held virtually last week by with Biden and Harris speaking from Wilmington, Delaware - 'clear-eyed about the challenges we are facing and how we will tackle them.' She pointed to the six-digit death toll from COVID-19, especially in minority communities, and mentioned the jobless, the hungry, the at-wits-end first responder, the destressed small business owner. 'That is the reality of America right now, she said. 'A reality completely absent from this week's Republican National Convention.' The Democrats were traditional in their handling of the opposing party's convention, with Joe Biden only popping his head up sporadically instead of participating in counter-programming all week like Trump did. On Wednesday, Biden shared a video where he condemned the 'needless violence' in Kenosha, Wisconsin, arguing 'burning down communities is not protest,' while still showing support for Blake and his family. And on Thursday, Biden appeared on MSNBC where he said he planned to debate Trump. Following the conventions, the debates tend to be the biggest moments in the presidential campaign cycle in the run-up to the conventions. Motorola Solutions, Inc. MSI announced the availability of the latest addition to its video security and analytics portfolio the H4 Thermal Elevated Temperature Detection. Presented by Avigilon (a Motorola Solutions company), the product is designed to screen for indications of higher body temperature. This will likely help organizations keep their employees and customers safe throughout the COVID-19 situation. The Chicago, IL-based company developed a suite of applications that leverage the unique capabilities of video with AI-powered analytics. The Avigilon H4 solution comprises an infrared-spectrum thermal camera and has edge-based analytics to provide a contactless alternative to traditional screening methods. It is currently available in the United States, the U.K., Philippines, European Union, Middle East, Brazil, Bermuda and South Africa. The innovative product is part of Motorola Solutions suite of analytics created to support organizations as they explore options for moving staff safely back to the workplace. The companys offerings focus on the key elements of safety and security around COVID-19, including prevention, protection and response. Motorola Solutions holds a leading position in mission-critical communications and analytics. The company is focused on becoming a frontrunner in the next-generation video security solutions market. Its competitive advantage along with attractive product portfolio for a large addressable market bodes well for the future. Motorola Solutions shares have lost 14% in the past year against 28% growth of the industry. The company has a long-term earnings growth expectation of 9% compared with the industrys 15.2%. It has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 11.1%, on average. Motorola Solutions carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), at present. Some other top-ranked stocks in the broader industry are Turtle Beach Corporation HEAR, Vocera Communications, Inc. VCRA and Acacia Communications, Inc. ACIA, each carrying a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Turtle Beach has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 41%, on average. Vocera has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 70%, on average. The companys earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the last four quarters. Acacia has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 17%, on average. The companys earnings topped the consensus estimate in three of the last four quarters. Story continues These Stocks Are Poised to Soar Past the Pandemic The COVID-19 outbreak has shifted consumer behavior dramatically, and a handful of high-tech companies have stepped up to keep America running. Right now, investors in these companies have a shot at serious profits. For example, Zoom jumped 108.5% in less than 4 months while most other stocks were sinking. Our research shows that 5 cutting-edge stocks could skyrocket from the exponential increase in demand for stay at home technologies. This could be one of the biggest buying opportunities of this decade, especially for those who get in early. See the 5 high-tech stocks now>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Motorola Solutions, Inc. (MSI) : Free Stock Analysis Report Turtle Beach Corporation (HEAR) : Free Stock Analysis Report Vocera Communications, Inc. (VCRA) : Free Stock Analysis Report Acacia Communications, Inc. (ACIA) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research JOHANNESBURG - The coronavirus is exposing an uncomfortable inequality in the billion-dollar system that delivers life-saving aid for countries in crisis: Most money that flows from the U.S. and other donors goes to international aid groups instead of local ones. Now local aid workers are exposed on the pandemics front lines with painfully few means to help the vulnerable communities they know so well. Often lacking protective equipment, the groups are carrying a bigger burden than ever as COVID-19 adds to the already vast challenges of conflict, drought and hunger in places like Somalia and Afghanistan. At times, they tell communities they have nothing to give. Our hands are tied, a South Sudanese aid leader, Gloriah Soma, told an online event last month. She described foreign aid workers being evacuated early in the pandemic or working from home as many feared infection. Is this a humanitarian response? she asked, saying she hopes the crisis will spark more help at this critical moment. Her country can hardly bear another disaster: A five-year civil war killed nearly 400,000 people, and hunger stalks half the population. The worlds most precarious regions are long accustomed to the sight of international aid organizations, often managed by expats. Now some of those foreign workers are questioning their roles amid the reckoning over racial injustice in the U.S. and elsewhere. At times criticized as white saviours, some say local partners should be given more responsibility and money. A local group can do more with it, Soma said. She asserted that $100,000 could help over 10,000 people, while the same amount to an international group will only pay one or two staff, and thats it. Recognizing the problem, major global donors including the U.S., Germany and Japan and humanitarian groups had pledged to give at least one-quarter of international aid money to local partners as directly as possible by this year. But just over 2% reached them directly last year, according to a report by the U.K.-based Development Initiatives last month. COVID is a horrible tragedy, but its going to force us to work differently, the United Nations humanitarian agencys director of humanitarian financing, Lisa Carty, has said. U.N. leaders are discussing how to make sure money moves more quickly to frontline responders. One-quarter of the $1 billion allocated by U.N. country-based funds went to local aid organizations last year, Carty said, but I think we all agree that we want to do better. And those funds manage just a small fraction of overall aid money. Most goes to U.N. agencies, while local aid groups are often seen as subcontractors of those agencies and international organizations. Tracking where the money goes remains a challenge. Now some pandemic-hit donor countries are reducing humanitarian aid meaning even less money is trickling down to people on the front lines. In Somalia, where the al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab extremist group remains a deadly threat, local aid groups are able to reach and deliver aid in places where access is difficult. Unfortunately, very little COVID-19 funding has been directly allocated to them, said Amy Croome, Oxfams communications manager there. In South Sudan, a survey of 19 local organizations found 58% had lost at least half their funding because of the pandemic. Many are ill-prepared for COVID-19. People believe the disease is widespread across the country, but theres very limited testing capacity, said Jeff Okello, who leads The Health Support Organization in South Sudan. The groups limited supply of personal protective equipment is left over from the recent Ebola outbreak in neighbouring eastern Congo, he said. Most parts of South Sudan are reached only by local organizations, he said. Now the pandemic has worsened everything. I think we have over 30 letters written by different communities across the country asking us to help them, Okello said. His response: If we get the resources, we will come. He pointed out that international aid groups have the benefit of medical evacuation if workers get infected, while local aid groups must survive on their own. Several other South Sudanese local aid leaders said theyve cut staff or restricted work in communities where theyre often the only source of help. We always say Thank God for the little we get, but its not what we used to get, said James Keah, who leads UNIDO South Sudan. His group received $400,000 this year from the U.N.s South Sudan Humanitarian Fund for health services. With few other means of substantial support, some 100 field staffers have left and services in several regions have stopped. Local communities are told, You just have to cope with it, Keah said. Moses Poloya with Health Link South Sudan said his group received about $400,000 less than last year. It now struggles to serve more than 1 million people at over 100 health centres, some lacking protective gear. He believes donors think local aid partners arent ready to handle larger amounts of money, a source of frustration. Groups like his are resilient and always present, he said. The U.N. humanitarian agency said nearly half, or 44%, of the $34 million in the South Sudan Humanitarian Fund has gone to local organizations this year. Forty-four such groups received money, down from 120 last year, reflecting changes meant to make projects more sustainable. But with the unprecedented global crisis, the U.N. said it and others simply do not have enough to meet the growing humanitarian needs. More than 300 local aid groups are registered in South Sudan, meaning nearly all must scramble for support, said Angelina Nyajima. Her Hope Restoration group has added the production of face masks and soap to its women-focused services to meet soaring demand. Groups like hers are at a disadvantage because international aid groups have the backing of richer home countries, she said. For us, we have no mother country. South Sudans government limps along two years after its civil war ended, with humanitarian groups providing most basic services. But Nyajima said COVID-19 is forcing donors to take notice as South Sudanese find ways to serve desperate communities on very little. I think its high time, with the corona incident, she said. It has shown exactly what the locals can do. ___ Follow AP pandemic coverage at http://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak YEREVAN, AUGUST 27, ARMENPRESS. The Cabinet has approved a package of bills on amending several laws regarding the protection of population in emergency situations that would allow the authorities to have the levers for fighting the coronavirus pandemic without formally being in a state of emergency. Armenia originally declared a nationwide state of emergency in March and it was extended every month ever since. A situation is possible when the decrease of transmission rates will enable us to fight the pandemic and protect citizens lives and heath without the legal regime of the state of emergency, Justice Minister Rustam Badasyan said. The currently active state of emergency ends on September 11th, and if the amendments pass parliament by then it wont be extended, he said. The amendments would grant the authorities the power to declare a lockdown without a formal state of emergency in the event of virus outbreaks. The laws will also allow suspension of border crossings, restrictions on movement, or defining self-quarantine or isolation. However, the phone tracking system for revealing direct contacts will no longer be active under the new law. It also doesnt envisage the suspension of economic activities. The Minister of Justice Rustam Badasyan said the laws developed jointly with health authorities will enable the authorities to carry on with the COVID-19 response without the state of emergency regime. Reporting by Norayr Shoghikyan; Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan Haiti - News : Zapping... Boat captain in prison 3 others wanted Sanctions will be imposed on boat captains who refuse to comply with safety instructions, warns Eric Prevost Junior, the Director General of the Maritime and Navigation Service of Haiti (SEMANAH) stressing that a boat captain is already under locks and 3 others are actively sought by the police. He regrets that the shipwreck off the island of La Tortue on August 19 https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-31622-haiti-shipwreck-final-assessment-and-government-assistance.html did not serve as a lesson for boat captains, adding that they continue to violate safety instructions including, among others, the compulsory wearing of life jackets... Budget : 24.3 billion deficit On Wednesday, during a press briefing, Jean Baden Dubois, Governor of the Bank of the Republic of Haiti (BRH), specified that the State deficit financed by the BRH was to date 24.3 billion euros. Gourds. Spain in dismay Spain is dismayed at the loss of life caused by Tropical Storm Laura in Haiti and offers its condolences to the families of the victims. Spain remains alongside the Haitian people who have always been able to recover with courage and solidarity. 33.3 million euros in emergency aid The European Union has provided 33.3 million Euros in emergency funds in solidarity with the Haitian people. Payment conditional on the completion of reforms by the State. This budget support will help protect the most vulnerable. These 33.3 million Euros come from the reallocation of 165 million Euros https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-30950-haiti-politic-european-union-conditions-its-aid-of-165-million-euros.html of the National Indicative Program of the 11th European Development Fund (EDF) https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-30588-icihaiti-eu-towards-a-reallocation-of-european-funds-for-the-fight-against-covid-19.html in order to meet the urgent health needs related to Covid19. Another tranche is scheduled for January subject to further reforms. Towards the end of the work of the Pilot Vocational Training Center Dikel Delvariste, the Director General of the National Institute for Vocational Training (INFP) held a meeting on the site of the reconstruction site of the Pilot Vocational Training Center with the supervision and execution firms in order to accelerate the work in the face of delays accumulated from April to July. The revised schedule now foresees completion of work at the end of October 2020. Reopening of the Art Center It is with great pleasure that the Art Center will reopen its doors to the public next week. Classes will therefore be resumed from September 1st, 2020. Students please take into account the new class schedule. Barrier measures (wearing a mask and washing hands) will be applied to protect you as well as the teachers and employees of the Covid-19 Center. While waiting to reopen its doors to the public next week, the Art Center is currently welcoming photographer Roberto Stephenson for a vast campaign of reproductions of 1,000 works from its collection. This campaign is made possible thanks to the Fondation pour le Rayonnement de l'Art Haitien, under the aegis of the Fondation de France and will meet the high quality requirements of publishers, printers and media, for a better distribution of these works in the world. HL/ HaitiLibre Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 27) The Armed Forces of the Philippines on Thursday said it does not support calls for the establishment of a revolutionary government, labelling the controversial move unconstitutional and politically motivated. The AFP raised its position on the matter during a recently-held command conference with President Rodrigo Duterte, its chief Lt. Gen. Gilbert Gapay told CNN Philippines. Last week, the Mayor Rodrigo Roa Duterte-National Executive Coordinating Committee launched an event to express support for a Duterte-led revolutionary government which the group said will help fast-track the establishment of federalism before Dutertes term ends in 2022. It (revolutionary government) was discussed in that conference we had with the President in Davao, Gapay said in an interview with The Source. We just reiterated our position that we do not support this. As far as the Armed Forces are concerned, because we find it unconstitutional. In fact, we find it politically motivated, the AFP chief added when pressed for further details. He said the conference said was attended by Duterte, some Cabinet secretaries, and military commanders. Instead of pushing for a revolutionary government, Gapay stressed that groups seeking for amendments can instead consider processes supported by the Constitution including constitutional convention, constituent assembly, or even a peoples initiative. In an earlier interview with CNN Philippines, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque confirmed the chief executive previously held a command conference with the leadership of both the AFP and the Philippine National Police. Issues discussed in the meeting include the recent deadly blasts in Jolo, Sulu, according to Roque, but he did not provide further details. The exact date of the event also remains unclear. Several officials and netizens have slammed the timing of the call for a revolutionary government, with the country still battling the COVID-19 crisis. Duterte has also distanced himself from the initiative, and denied ties to the group. There are still no moves to tackle constitutional amendments in the Senate and House of Representatives so far, after lawmakers noted that they need to focus on the government's battle against the viral disease. In a typical year, law graduates would have taken the bar exam by now and would be anxiously awaiting the results as they prepare to enter into the law profession full-time. But 2020 is anything but typical. This year the exam has been postponed twice and is now scheduled for the first time ever to be taken online in October. The rite of passage exam is necessary to become a licensed attorney in New Jersey. RTE launched their new season via an extended Zoom meeting yesterday. There were radio reshuffles, new dramas and much discussion of how the Toy Show will look with coronavirus restrictions in place (no Bill Barry children tap dancing across the studio?). Here we cut through all the boring bits give you a brief run down of what's happening and what to watch out for. Radio reshuffle: Bryan Dobson has moved to the News at One (now named News at One with Bryan Dobson), Sarah McInerney has handed over The Today Show headphones to Claire Byrne and will now be joining Cormac O hEadhra for the Drive Time slot which was previously held by Mary Wilson. Mary will now be starting at the crack of dawn on Morning Ireland with Aine Lawlor. Oh and Katie Hannon will present Saturday with Katie Hannon on RTE Radio One. It's a bit of a radio station musical chairs. Expand Close Late Late Show host Ryan Tubridy Photo: Andres Poveda / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Late Late Show host Ryan Tubridy Photo: Andres Poveda What's going on with the Late Late Toy Show? A lot of studio-based shows have been placed on a hiatus due to distancing restrictions. So anything filmed in front of a live audience is either being placed on the back-burner or filmed without them. The Late Late Toy Show is back but this year host Ryan says it will be 'radically different and Covid aware' which doesn't sounds very fun and festive but Ryan is adamant it will be full of frivolities. He also stressed that the entire show will not be conducted via Zoom. "It'll be just a stretch too far," he said. "So no, well get around it and well do it all within guidelines that are set out by our betters, but yeah well definitely have people in studio." Old favourites Joe Duffy is the new host of The Meaning of Life, taking over from late, great broadcaster Gay Byrne. This season he will talk with an eclectic mix of individuals including CervicalCheck campaigner Vicky Phelan, Mary Lou McDonald, and Blindboy Boatclub. This is the series that gave us great moments including Stephen Fry blasting the Holy Father, so it should make for a good watch. Fair City is back. After five months off the air, the inhabitants of Carrigstown will continue their lives while adhering to Covid-19 restrictions. Sadly all romantic storylines have been vetoed until cast members are allowed to kiss again - so no steamy scenes involving Mondo I'm afraid. RTE's unlikely sex symbol Dermot Bannon has also returned with Dermot Bannons Incredible Homes. Other perennial favourites include Home Rescue, Its a Parks Life, The Zoo, and would it even be an RTE launch if John Creedon wasn't there? He is back with a new series of Creedon's Atlas of Ireland. Video of the Day Shiny new things Loveable TV host Baz Ashmawy fronts DIY SOS: The Big Build, which sees tradespeople and locals band together to help improve the quality of life of a deserving family. It's basically the Irish version of wildly popular and hyper emotional US series Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. Return of the Wild tells the story of solicitor-by-day Killian McLaughlin and his big ambitions to build a zoo in Donegal. Think more 2011 comedy We Bought A Zoo than Joe Exotic. There are a rake load of documentaries Alex Fegan, who directed Older than Ireland, returns with new documentary Sins of Ireland in which 30 Irish priests discuss the sins that have emotionally resonated with them in the confession box. The death of Marian Finucane caused shock waves throughout Ireland and RTE will reflect on the broadcaster's career in Marian. The Case I Cant Forget features retired and serving gardai telling the stories of the cases that had a profound impact on them. The documentary Love and Loss in a Pandemic features seven people who who lost a loved one during the Covid-19 emergency, and sounds utterly heart-breaking. Drama In terms of drama, Dead Still, written by Irish man John Morton, is about a Victorian memorial photographer who investigates the murders of his recently deceased subjects in 1880s Ireland. Luther star Michael Smiley and Game of Thrones Kerr Logan star alongside Eileen OHiggins and Aidan OHare. The off-beat series has already aired in North America where is has been warmly received. Amy Huberman's Finding Joy is back, but if you prefer your drama dark and brooding Smother may be more your thing. The family thriller is about mysterious family secrets, set in a small town on the wild and rugged coast of Clare. In a Tuesday interview with The Eagle, Bryan Mayor Andrew Nelson said the resolution affirms the resources and commitment Texas A&M has put into Bryan, and vice versa. Nelson asked the systems regents to pass the resolution. Weve demonstrated time and time again over the last generation that we are committed to partnering with Texas A&M, because we understand that A&M is responsible for the jobs, the growth and the success that we have, Nelson said. The actions and investments A&M has been taking over the past 10 to 12 years, this is simply an acknowledgement of that. Support Local Journalism Your subscription makes our reporting possible. {{featured_button_text}} The resolution, which was first reported on by WTAW, notes the city of Bryan and Texas A&Ms entwined history going back to 1871, when Bryan was incorporated and the Texas Legislature established the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas; what was once the Bryan Army Air Base has grown into what is now the RELLIS Campus. Additionally, Bryan granted more than 200 acres to the Texas A&M University Health Science Center in 2007. The A&M System Board of Regents unanimously adopted the measure at Thursdays meeting from the consent agenda, meaning there was no formal discussion. Okada is the business of using motorcycle or motor tricycle for passenger transport or commercial purpose just like a taxi will do. It is broadly defined to include motor tricycles popularly called aboboyaa, yellow-yellow, gbambila, etc.; and narrowed referred to motorcycles. Arguments Against Okada Business Some of the arguments made against the legalization of Okada include: (1) It is risky. Yes! It is risky. Okada operators ride dangerously putting their lives, passengers and pedestrians into danger. (2) Okada riders dont respect traffic signals. Yes! They drive at any available space and hardly respect traffic signals. (3) It is one of the major cause of road accidents and deaths. Yes! In 2018, the Transport Ministry found that proportion of motorcycle fatalities had increased from 2.7% in 2001 to 21% in 2016 as a result of the Okada business. Also, National Road Safety Commission estimates that the chance of dying from a motorcycle crash is 10 times higher than a car crash. In January 2020, the Ghana Medical Association called for ban of Okada when they were reporting high accidents and fatalities at various hospitals. Note: The above sad records of Okada are mostly due to the fact that the business is illegal and the operators use dangerous riding to dodge MTTD Police, avoid police intimidation, extortion and arrest. The question is, if we legalise Okada, wouldnt these associated catastrophes minimise? (4) Okada (motorcycles) are usually used for robberies and snatches on roads. (5) Okada (motorcycles) are usually used for violent attacks in conflict prone areas and by political hooligans. Reference can be made to Bawku conflict when motorcycles had to be banned for its frequent use to perpetuate attacks. How Was Okada Illegalised? I may be tempted to suspect that the reasons given above were part of the reasons why the NDC government, passed Road Traffic Regulation, 2012 (LI 2180). Section 128 (1), (2), and (3) of the L.I. 2180 prohibited motorcycle or tricycle and provides thus, 1. Licensing Authority shall not register a motorcycle to carry a fare-paying passenger. 2. person shall not permit a motorcycle or tricycle which that person exercises control to be used for commercial purpose, except for courier and delivery services; and 3. a person shall not ride on a motorcycle or tricycle as a paying passenger. Benefits of Okada Business Despite the Okada business being illegal and having its own devastating effects, we cant run away from its enormous benefits including; (1) Source of Income; - A lot of our brothers in Accra and other parts of Ghana have found Okada as a source of livelihood for them and their families. Any attempt to enforce Section 128 of LI 2180 will have disastrous consequences on our youth and worsen the youth unemployment situation in Ghana which may also increase crimes. (2) Affordable: I am a patron of Okada services and I can tell you that it is cheaper compared to conventional taxi fares. (3) Faster Means of Transport: One evening as I was hurrying from the Jubilee House to Madina in Accra. I slept in the car for about 20 minutes. I woke up to realise that we were still round 37 military hospital. I said, Chai! I had to get down and take an Okada, and in less than 10 minutes I was at my destination. Indeed, Okada is able to manoeuvre its way through traffic to reach destinations about 5 times faster than taxi or trotro in over congested cities. (4) Ability to Reach Inaccessible or Remote Areas: There are some villages in Ghana that are so inaccessible that only a footpath leads to them. It is very expensive and almost impossible to travel there with a car or even a tricycle. Okada (motorcycle) is the best option for those who want to travel to these places. Our mothers who travel to buy goods from villages can attest to this fact. (5) Tax Income for Government: Once Okada is legalised and regularised, they will have to pay Vehicle Income Tax (VIT) and other MMDA levies to the government. Note: Whether we legalise or not, the current law making Okada illegal has been poorly or not enforced at all. I suspect that was part of the reasons why the NPP government in February and March 2020 hinted of regularising the Okada motorcycles and tricycles business. Read this >> Government to introduce regulatory policy for okada, tricycles What Happens When We Legalise and Regularise Okada? (1) It will provide legal means of earning decent incomes to the youth in the Okada business. (2) Okada riders will become more traffic compliant and respect road traffic signals. (3) There will be no more arrest, intimidation and extortion by police that often cause them to drive dangerously and offend traffic rules. (4) Dangerous riding will be minimized. (5) Reduced accidents and fatalities. (6) Tax Income to the government through VIT and other means. (7) General boost in economic activities How Should We Legalise and Regularise Okada? (1) Amend Section 128 of LI 2180 and other relevant laws. (2) Each Okada motorcycle or tricycle must be registered with DVLA for commercial purpose and certified with road worthy certificate. (3) Each Okada motorcycle or tricycle must have valid comprehensive insurance to cover riders, passengers and pedestrians in case of accident. (4) Each Okada motorcycle or tricycle must be made to pay vehicle income tax (VIT) and levies to the MMDA that oversee their operations. (5) Okada riders must adhere to road safety regulations including compulsory wearing of helmet, speed limits, appropriate parking, designated off and on-loading, traffic signals, among others. (6) The MTTD must effectively enforce the regulations on Okada and other vehicles. (7) Each Okada must be given the necessary training and obtain valid driving license from the DVLA before being allowed to operate. In my sincerest opinion, the announcement of H.E. John Mahama to legalise Okada business is a step in the right direction, but enforcement of the regulations is keen if we are to reap maximum benefit more than its associated cost. This is my humble and feeble take towards the discourse. May it be beneficial for our country! Aameen!!! Your usual leaner and son from Sankarayili, Abdulai Yakubu [26.08.2020] Tel: 024-042-3100 Email: [email protected] ALBANY Marissa Robbins, a surgical physicians assistant at Rochester General Hospital, has always invested in her mental health she sees a therapist, exercises and spends time with her family every Sunday to cope with the everyday stress of her job. That all changed in early March when Robbins, 27, was reassigned to work in the hospitals Intensive Care Unit and at a COVID testing site, which she estimates tested 800 people a day in its first two weeks. And while being present for the initial wave of testing felt like a call to action, Robbins and other hospital employees working on the forefront have suffered emotional consequences. [The pandemic] greatly affected [my mental health] because I was constantly in a state of fear as we didn't know what was going to happen, Robbins said. We didn't know if we were going to get the amount of people like New York City did. Hospitals throughout New York state are aware of the stress their employees are under and provide healthcare workers with a variety of options to support their mental health. While Robbins had similar support in Rochester, she said she couldnt attend wellness lectures or use the other mental health resources provided by the hospital because she had to be laser-focused on her job. When people are ventilated in the ICU, we sometimes will turn them face down, Robbins said, describing one of the tactics used to expand patients lungs. When that happens, they get pressure ulcers. People will have necrotic tissue all over their face, all over their body. Its hard to see because as youre trying to save these people, there are other consequences. Rep. Paul Tonko, D-Amsterdam, introduced a mental health research bill in April, which aimed to help health care workers process daily mental trauma. The legislation, included in the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act, would require the National Institute of Mental Health to fund research on how COVID-19 has affected essential employees mental well-being. The Democratic-controlled House passed the HEROS Act on a party-line vote, but the Republican-controlled Senate has yet to consider the measure. In a recent statement, Tonko noted that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in June revealed more than 40% of adults in the U.S. reported struggling with their mental health. The numbers show a widespread, quiet suffering within American households that will have lasting consequences, he said. My COVID-19 Mental Health Research Act would help us better understand these mental and behavioral health challenges and equip us with knowledge and tools to help [frontline workers] manage their health and build resiliency, Tonko said. Representatives at the Albany Medical Center applauds Rep. Tonkos efforts because they are committed to providing an environment that promotes the health and well-being of its workforce. We offer a robust Employee Assistance Program through Capital EAP with free counseling and a host of other services for employees and their family members, Albany Med spokeswoman Sue Ford said in an email. In addition, Albany Med has a wide range of wellness offerings, and a multi-disciplinary committee called Support Our Staff on call to assist Albany Med staff who are experiencing any form of crisis. Albany psychologist Tania Khan said experiences like Robbins are why research during the pandemic should be considered essential because mental professionals are also trying to figure out the best way to treat their patients. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. It's really dangerous to make sweeping generalizations or assumptions about people just based on their personal experience. Khan said. "It's not my job to give advice based on my life experiences. It is based on treatments that we know are effective for broader groups, not just a certain type of individual. Without that research we can't make the conclusion about what would work. Khan also said workers mental health should be prioritized not only for their sake, but for societys well-being. We all live in a system and those of us who are not health care workers rely on hospitals to take care of us, Khan said. [Essential] employees are working around the clock, and if they dont have the physical time to [take care of themselves], theyre not getting the care they need to deliver the services we need. While New York state appears to have temporarily controlled the spread of the virus, Robbins and Rochester General Hospital are anticipating a new wave of infections in the fall. The facility has prepared more beds and negative pressure rooms, and Robbins is preparing to care for her mental health by resuming therapy through Telehealth. I wish I could have gone to New York City and done more because I feel like I didn't even do enough, which is something Ive talked about with my therapist, Robbins said. On their website, the CDC lists signs of stress, coping and resilience techniques and provides resources on where essential workers can get mental health support. The specific page for emergency responders, a job that rarely allots time for preparation, cautions the side effects of burnout and secondary traumatic stress. A third page also provides an instructional video and curriculum titled, Caring for Yourself While Caring for Others, which informs healthcare employees how to manage the risks of their job while caring for their personal safety. Megan Sauer is a reporter for the Medill News Service and journalism master's degree student at Northwestern University. It is not customary in Armenia to criticize those who deal with the problem of Nagorno-Karabakh. It is considered cowardice, weakness, and betrayal to critically reflect on the "achievement" of bloodshed. The politicians have succeeded in convincing the Armenians in the republic itself and outside it that it is possible to live in conditions of blockade and deficit, it is enough just not to pay attention to it. An occupation is not considered as such if it is carried out on "sacred historical lands", and the fate of millions of refugees is presented as a coincidence. Against the background of the mythical "struggle between good and evil", the Armenian society stopped noticing the distortions of the regional policy, which is camouflaged as "good for Karabakh". For example, in Armenia and on the territory of the so-called "NKR" they try not to speak out loud about who has become rich thanks to the unsettled conflict. "Businessmen have restored Karabakh" - this is the unofficial slogan of the local "elite". We are talking about successful business projects - these are agricultural enterprises Karabakh Gold, which were previously headed by Arayik Harutyunyan (the current so-called head of the unrecognized NKR), business projects of Vartan Sirmakes, construction business of Artur Sargsyan, ore mining at the enterprises of Valery Mezhlumyan, as well as trade business of businessman Samvel Karapetyan. The secret of success is in the development of "government orders" and the absolute absence of competition. Karabakh has long been divided among several players. The greenhouse conditions allowed them to monopolize the entire economic space of occupied Karabakh, turning the Armenian community of the region into an affordable and low-paid labor resource, for which the only alternative could be emigration - this is the Karabakh "economic miracle". Do businessmen who are accustomed to existing conditions need peace? Most likely not, because it is easier and safer to invest in yourself and your future, merging business and politics. Although this is not a revelation for the Armenian society, it is necessary to talk about it so that in the endless whirlpool of half-truths of Armenian diplomacy there is no room for hypocritical words about the universal striving for peace. Obviously, there are forces in Armenia and occupied Karabakh for which the world is of no business interest. Moreover, it was not only the monopolies that were not interested in de-occupation of the region. Over the entire period of confrontation, the Armenian army has become one of the most corrupt structures. Military entrepreneurship in Armenia is not discussed, since it destroys the idealized image of the Armenian military, who stands at the borders of the "ancient civilization". How many units of small arms disappear from army depots every year will never be said on Armenian television. But the military knows about it, and even better the national criminals. Warehouses in the occupied territories of Karabakh are not subject to monitoring by the OSCE mission. Heads of food warehouses, clothing and fuel and lubricants can consistently conduct trading activities, staying in the shadows for a long time. The military themselves are in no hurry to disclose the real numbers of thefts, to conduct internal investigations and do not even disclose the names of their colleagues. Against the background of an unresolved conflict, it is very easy to hide the real costs and purchases provided for by the military budget, the volume of which can increase an unlimited number of times, especially after the next escalation. This policy is conditioned by impunity, since the occupation authorities are confident in the steadfastness of the status quo, and the non-recognition of the self-proclaimed regime does not frighten the leaders of Armenian separatism. Unfortunately, over thirty years in Armenia, a public request for the settlement of the Karabakh conflict has not been formed without any special preconditions. The Armenians are accustomed to constantly hearing about alleged security threats, but they have learned to demand from those in charge of the world. New Delhi, Aug 27 : The government is working on amendments to the provisions governing the Petroleum and Mineral Pipelines Act to fix the cost required to be paid for right of the user in laying of pipelines for petroleum and minerals rather than full land acquisition cost. The issue was discussed at a recent Secretary level meeting held in July chaired by Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba. The Petroleum Ministry is steering the amendments proposed to Petroleum and Mineral Pipelines (Acquisition of Right of User in Land) Amendment Act, 2020. An important amendment is proposed in the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act (RFCTLARR) Act 2013. Under the P&MP Act 1962, only the RoU is required whereas under the Land Acqusition Act, the land is fully acquired from owner and vests with the government free from all or any encumbrances. Further without the issuance of RFCTLARR (Removal of difficulties) Order, 2015, the provisions of RFCTLARR Act 2013 related to the determination of compensation were made applicable to all the cases of land acquisition under the enactments specified in the fourth schedule including P&MP Act 1962, leading to legal complications and some courts are interpreting that the RoU acquisition under the P&MP Act is liable to pay full acquisition compensation rather than just for RoU as originally envisaged. To resolve the issue, the Petroleum Ministry has proposed to amend Section 18 of PM&P Act to bar the application of RFCTLARR Act 2013 for proceedings under PM&P Act 1962. It is learnt that the Department of Land Resources has conveyed its agreement to these amendments. It said that the amendments will be prospective in operations and may not have impact on the past litigations pending in various forums. The Power Ministry has conveyed that it uses the provisions in the Indian Telegraph Act where 15 per cent of the market value is given for the right of use and this system works well. The DoT also uses the provisions under Indian Telegraph Act. However, it pointed out that there are issues related to fixation of compensation as some of the urban local bodies have demanded a different basis for determining the amount of compensation. It was decided that the Petroleum Ministry initiate further steps to finalise the amendments in consultation with the Land Resources Department at the earliest. Both the departments should also ensure that pending litigations under P&MP Act, challenging the fixation of compensation in the High Court of Patna and in other legal fora are defended properly. Fires, ash and disease continue to rage throughout much of the West Coast of the United States. Record-breaking heat waves and fires sparked by powerful lightning storms have torn through several areas of California over the past week, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The scene is apocalyptic as fires rage throughout much of northern California, with a smoke-filled haze covering the dense San Francisco Bay Area and statewide heat waves prompting utility companies to induce rolling power outages. So far this year, more than 7,000 fires have decimated over 1.6 million acres (2,500 square miles), an area larger than the state of Delaware, to make this fire season one of the most active in California history. In comparison, by August of 2019, some 4,292 fires had burned 56,000 acres across the state. According to Cal Fire, Californias fire agency, there are currently over 650 active fires of varying sizes, which have so far destroyed over 2,000 structures and killed at least seven people. Hundreds of small fires began after thunderstorms hit on the night of August 17, resulting in over 13,000 dry-lightning strikes, which led to massive fire complexes. Strong winds and a severe heat wave have exacerbated the situation, creating the second and third largest fires in California history. The most destructive of the blazes, the LNU Lightning Complex in the northern San Francisco Bay Area counties of Napa, Lake and Sonoma, has destroyed close to 1,000 buildings. It continues to threaten about 30,000 more buildings and has killed at least five people. As of Wednesday morning, the fire had been 33 percent contained. There are currently over 2,200 firefighting personnel battling the blaze, and Cal Fire authorities are reminding residents to stay on high alert to be prepared to leave at any moment. Of the five people killed by the LNU Lightning Complex fire, three were found in a hillside bunker in Napa Valley, a Pacific Gas & Electric employee died from smoke inhalation while assisting firefighters, and a male Solano County resident was killed. The SCU Lightning Complex grew to become the second largest wildfire in California state history after surpassing the acreage of the LNU Lightning Complex on Monday. Only the 2018 Mendocino Complex was larger. The fire, threatening residents east of Silicon Valley proper in Santa Clara, Alameda, Stanislaus, Contra Costa and San Joaquin counties, has destroyed nearly 40 structures and threatens over 20,000 more. Currently, five people have been injured with burn wounds from the fire, including three firefighters. Fire activity has lessened due to lighter winds and increased humidity, but the fire still remains at only 25 percent containment as of Wednesday afternoon. The third of the large fire complexes, the CZU Complex, has destroyed over 530 structures throughout Santa Cruz and San Mateo counties, south of San Francisco. Cal Fire reported progress in containing the fire for the first time on Wednesday, but the fire remains at 19 percent containment and officials warn that the trend could change if weather conditions worsen. Most devastatingly, the fire has led to the indefinite closure of Big Basin Redwoods State Park, the oldest in California and home to redwood trees hundreds of years old, which have been completely destroyed. Pollution from the smoke of multiple fires burning at once has significantly worsened air quality across California and southern parts of Oregon. Officials project that the air quality index (AQI) for Northern and Central California will remain at levels up to three times the acceptable range set by the Environmental Protection Agency until at least Sunday. Polluted air has the potential to weaken the immune systems of otherwise healthy people. This makes the situation all the more dire in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, which, like smoke inhalation, affects the respiratory system. California already has one of the highest infection rates in the country, with more than 6,000 new cases reported on average each day. Studies suggest that areas with higher levels of air pollution correlate to higher COVID-19 infection rates. The coronavirus pandemic has compounded the stresses faced by the more than 100,000 people who have been forced for evacuate areas affected by wildfires. Those who would otherwise choose to take refuge in the homes of relatives or friends are having second thoughts, for fear of infecting loved ones or contracting the virus from them. Bay Area hotels remain booked up with evacuees and there are far too few rooms to house the thousands in need of temporary housing. With hotel vouchers now unavailable, thousands of workers and unemployed are directed to parking lots, parks, campgrounds and other open spaces, where thousands have been forced to live out of their cars, often with little or no aid, in the midst of temperatures above 100 degrees Fahrenheit in much of inland California. Aridity and heat waves have intensified in the last few decades as a direct result of manmade climate change. Summer forest fires in California have increased in size by about 800 percent over the last 50 years, and the 10 most destructive fire seasons on record in terms of area burned have all taken place since 2008. The average yearly acreage burned nationwide every year since 2000 is more than double the average burned during the 1990s, according to the Congressional Research Service. In recent years, flames have sparked in ecosystems that do not normally have wildfires. Fires are common in dry grass and chaparral, but are now occurring in redwood and coniferous forests. To make matters worse, the heat wave has led utility companies to enforce rolling blackouts because the outdated infrastructure risks sparking even more fires, cutting power to 130,000 people in southern California and 220,000 people in the Central Coast and Central Valley areas. Last year, Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) implemented the first series of enforced power outages, allegedly to prevent fire from sparking in the event that PG&E power lines fell during dry and windy conditions. PG&E was found earlier this year to be guilty of over 80 counts of involuntary manslaughter for the deaths caused by downed power lines that sparked the 2018 Camp Fire. Despite the predictability of the annual fires and the techniques to remove shrubbery that would prevent massive fires, there is nowhere near the number of fire crews, airplanes and helicopters needed to put out the fires. In a given year, the state relies on over 2,200 cheap prison laborers to risk their lives battling fires for $2-5 dollars a day, but this year most are currently unavailable due to an early release initiative aimed at limiting the spread of the coronavirus in the states prisons. Moreover, Californias Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, signed a budget in June that would slash over $50 billion in state spending, including a $681 million cut in environmental protection. This would only heighten the danger under conditions where repeated cuts in funding for social infrastructure, including fire departments, have contributed to the current wildfire crisis. In the wealthiest state, home to 154 billionairesthe largest number in the USas well as Silicon Valley and the Hollywood film studios, the resources exist to mitigate and prepare for the annual fire season, fully staff the fire departments, upgrade aging energy infrastructure, clear dry vegetation and implement controlled burns. However, under capitalism all aspects of life are subordinated to the enrichment of a tiny elite. The first section of the Highway 249 extension was opened this month, expanding the highway from Magnolia to Pinehurst, part of an effort to respond to the growth and development of the area. Texas Transportation Commissioner Laura Ryan said during the extensions virtual ribbon cutting the extension stretches from FM 1488 in Magnolia to FM 1774 in Pinehurst. Group works toward regional economic development: Central East Texas Alliance works to grow biomedical presence along route from Houston to Waco This corridor is currently where a lot of development, like businesses and subdivisions are being built, Texas Department of Transportation Houston District Engineer Eliza Paul said. I can remember my dad telling me when I was 10, 11 years old that one day this will be a freeway, but he looked at me in the eyes and said that me or you will not be here long enough to see that happen, Montgomery County Commissioner Charlie Riley said at the virtual ribbon cutting. Were here and its happening. On HoustonChronicle.com: Heres how you can help those affected by Hurricane Laura Riley said the benefit from the extension is immeasurable, helping with retail, industry and housing in the area. Sandy Barton, Greater Magnolia Parkway Chamber of Commerce President, said she didnt know how much impact the extension could have but that they are looking for additional economic development along the corridor. More Information Learn more about the SH 249 extension here. See More Collapse Were hoping that helps the number of offerings the Magnolia business community has, Barton said. Bruce Hillegeist, president of the Greater Tomball Area Chamber of Commerce, said they first started what was called the 249 partnership years ago for the extension with the Magnolia and Navasota chambers of commerce. We began that and really just kind of fell into a lot of good luck when some of the higher chamber people went to Austin and really got the ball rolling, Hillegeist said. We will never forget all the vouching they did for us and we celebrate with them because were gonna reap the benefits more here before they do, but its growing north. Business opportunities and economic development are growing north. He said the need for the extension was realized when the public spoke about the need to members of the Texas Transportation Commission. We just know that with the expansion of mobility and the opportunities that come with that derive economic development, more business and more homes and retail, he said. I know there are companies that are looking into more rural areas because of less crime and better quality of life, so State Highway 249 really does help provide that answer. Development coming to area: New 125-home community coming to Tomball Highways and freeways are prime for economic development as they are developed themselves, he said, as people see development now around other highways like Beltway 8 and the Grand Parkway. Segment 1B, stretching from FM 1488 in Magnolia to FM 1774 in Plantersville is scheduled to be completed in Spring of 2021, and the last section, section 2, will stretch from FM 1774 in Plantersville to SH 105 between Plantersville and Navasota. paul.wedding@hcnonline.com Jessica Mulroney has shared a throwback snap of one of her twin sons at Meghan Markle's wedding - after dismissing rumors the two women have fallen out. The 40-year-old stylist, from Canada, added a wistful caption to the sweet image on Instagram, writing: 'When I feel dark and grey, I see this and it all goes away.' She later amended the caption, changing it to: 'I see this and pure joy.' Mother-of-three Jessica returned to the social media platform on August 11 after a two-month break in the wake of a bitter race row; black influencer Sasha Exeter accused her of 'threatening her livelihood' after 'taking offense' at a Black Lives Matter video posted by the online star. The Duchess of Sussex, 39, was reported to have cut ties with Jessica in the wake of the racism controversy, with a source telling the DailyMail.com she was left 'mortified' by the scandal and informed her close friends she felt she could 'no longer be associated' with her. Jessica Mulroney has shared a throwback snap of one of her twin sons, Brian, at Meghan Markle's wedding The 40-year-old stylist added a wistful caption to the sweet image, writing: 'When I feel dark and grey, I see this and it all goes away' Jessica later amended the caption of her Instagram post, changing it to: 'I see this and pure joy' 'Meghan is absolutely mortified that she's been dragged into this complete mess. She said Jessica is in no way a racist, but the way she handled the situation [with Sasha] was tone-deaf and heartbreaking,' a close friend of Meghan's said at the time. 'Meghan said friends reflect friends and because of what's at stake she can no longer be associated with Jessica, at least not in public. 'She has to do what she has to do in order to preserve her dignity and her own reputation,' the source added, admitting that they 'wouldn't be surprised' if the controversy was the 'beginning of the end of their friendship'. But earlier this month Jessica shut down the rumors, branding a commenter's suggestion on one of her posts that she had been 'dumped' by Meghan 'fake news'. This post today appears to be a further attempt from Jessica to show she remains good friends with the former actress - who now lives with Prince Harry, 35, in Santa Barbara. The Duchess of Sussex, 39, was reported to have cut ties with Jessica (pictured together in 2016) in the wake of the racism storm that engulfed her, but Jessica has since shut down the rumors Jessica recently credited her sons for 'giving her the will to live when everything fell apart' in a post shared to mark their tenth birthday Jessica's twins John and Brian, now 10, served as page boys at the Royal Wedding in May 2018, and the sweet image showed a toothless Brian grinning wildly as he stood behind 'Aunt Meghan' as she entered St George's Chapel in Windsor. The stylist and influencer recently credited her sons for 'giving her the will to live when everything fell apart' in a post shared to mark their tenth birthday. Jessica took a break from social media after influencer Sasha Exeter claimed she 'threatened her livelihood' after they became embroiled in an argument over race Finding Freedom, the explosive biography about the Sussexes written by journalists Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, recently shed light on the history of Jessica's friendship with the Duchess. It told how Meghan and Harry spent time with the Mulroneys, part of the Canadian political dynasty, before their relationship was made public in 2016, and 'hid out' at the family home when the news first broke. It was there, the authors claim, that Meghan 'fell hard' for her now-husband after getting a 'first-hand glimpse of how Harry might be as a father'. Jessica's friendship with Meghan was not the only aspect of her life that suffered as a result of the recent controversy. Having quickly shot to fame thanks to her close friendship with the Duchess of Sussex, Jessica's fall from grace was even swifter. DailyMail.com exclusively revealed that ABC had quickly severed ties with her, confirming that Jessica would not be returning to her occasional role as a fashion contributor on Good Morning America. Canadian TV network CTV also distanced themselves from the stylist, revealing that it was pulling all episodes of her wedding-focused reality show I Do Redo from its platforms ahead of its expected US premiere on Netflix. The bond between Harry, Meghan and Mulroneys was clear to see when Brian (far left), John (far right) and Ivy (next to her brother) were all given important roles in the Sussexes' wedding. Pictured, the Mulroney children with the other page boys and flower girls, including Prince George (next to Meghan) and Princess Charlotte (left, by Meghan's train) The Duke of Sussex 'never turned up empty-handed' when they visited Jessica and Ben Mulroney and their twins Brian and John and daughter Ivy, pictured together, the book claims. Seeing Prince Harry with the children helped Meghan see what he'd be like as a father She then stepped down from the board of directors of The Shoebox Project, a charity that she founded with her sisters-in-law, Caroline, Vanessa, and Katy Mulroney. In a statement shared on Instagram, the charity said: 'Jessica Mulroney is a founding member of The Shoebox Project and she has dedicated herself to its growth and success over the years, for which we are very grateful. 'In light of recent events, the charity supports Jessicas decision to step away from the Board of Directors.' Jessica's friendship with Meghan was not the only aspect of her life that suffered as a result of her becoming embroiled in a social media row with black influencer Sasha Exeter in June. She was dropped by multiple brands and employers Jessica's husband Ben - the son of former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney - then stepped down from his role as the host of CTV's celebrity news show 'etalk', a position that he had held for 18 years. Jessica appears to be taking steps towards making amends; earlier this month she revealed on Instagram that she has used some of her time away from the platform to work on a project to help 'marginalized communities across Canada'. Although the mother-of-three did not elaborate or offer any other details about the project, she did offer a potential hint in a follow-up Instagram Story post, in which she said: 'If anyone has old computers they no longer use, please DM me.' SACRAMENTO Nearly every Republican in the California Senate was forced to stay away from the Capitol on Thursday as they quarantined after coming into close contact with a fellow senator who later tested positive for the coronavirus. The unprecedented move, during legislators pivotal final week in session, came a day after Sen. Brian Jones, R-Santee (San Diego County), tweeted that he had been infected with the virus. The Senate canceled its session Wednesday while it conducted contact tracing and informed anyone who may have been exposed. Republican senators gathered with Jones on Tuesday at a caucus lunch, where they removed their masks to eat, Capitol staffers said. Many also attended a Monday night social dinner where Jones was present. Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins opened Thursdays session by telling senators that the exposed legislators would be allowed to vote remotely while they are tested for the coronavirus and await results. She said the move is necessary because most GOP senators are now unable to enter the Capitol without violating public health orders and lawmakers have limited time to pass legislation before they are required to adjourn Monday. Republican senators did not immediately start remote voting Thursday, and it wasn't clear when the practice would begin. Sen. Jim Nielsen, R-Red Bluff (Tehama County), protested the move on the Senate floor. Nielsen, the only senator from the 11-member Republican caucus present Thursday, said he had not attended the lunch or dinner with his colleagues. Why not shut it down now until we get all tested? Nielsen said. Its not lost that I am the only Republican here. So I get to be the voice ... of 9 million people that my colleagues represent? Atkins, D-San Diego, rejected Nielsens request. She said the Senate had adopted policies this spring directing all 40 members to adhere to public health guidelines so we wouldnt put ourselves in the position to not be able to be here. Our clock is running out, Atkins said. We have work to do, and we have limited time. The Legislatures session is scheduled to end at midnight Monday. Any bills that have not passed both the Senate and Assembly by then are dead. A California Highway Patrol officer who was in the Capitol on Tuesday has also tested positive for the coronavirus, the Senate revealed in an internal memo. The officer had no contact with senators or Senate staff, the memo said. The Assembly met as scheduled on Wednesday and Thursday, even though the chamber is located a short distance across the Capitol from the Senate. The Assembly has allowed proxy voting for the most vulnerable members, those who are older than 65 or have health conditions. The Legislature has repeatedly delayed business this year because of the coronavirus pandemic and concerns for the safety of lawmakers and staffers. Most recently, legislators extended their summer recess by two weeks as coronavirus cases surged across California in July. People entering the Capitol on Thursday were required to have their temperatures checked and undergo a coronavirus screening. Senate officials said the chamber was also deep-cleaned Wednesday. Dustin Gardiner is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: dustin.gardiner@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @dustingardiner As Dr. Fauci denounces Trumps Coronavirus vaccine, the World Health Organization has a plan to provide the globe with an approved shot. In June, OTN wrote: In an unprecedented move, mainstream media will likely cover adverse effects of President Trumps Coronavirus vaccine and denounce vaccine nationalism. After Trump cut ties with the World Health Organization, Bill Gates and the WHO expressed disappointment in the United States, saying that they will continue to work with Gates to develop a vaccine for Coronavirus. Now, the narrative is being rolled out. Dr. Fauci is now denouncing President Trumps vaccine plan, commenting that, We would hope that nothing interferes with the full demonstration that a vaccine is safe and effective. Trumps rushed coronavirus vaccine has been called dangerous by multiple MSM outlets while the World Health Organization is denouncing vaccine nationalism. What does this mean? The WHO along with Bill Gates GAVI Alliance wants to be the sole provider and distributor of the proven Covid-19 vaccine to the entire world. As Science mag reports: the World Health Organization and other international organizations have set up a system to accelerate and equitably distribute vaccines, the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) Facility, which seeks to entice rich countries to sign on by reducing their own risk that theyre betting on the wrong vaccine candidates. Vaccine globalists will get their way if free nations dont fight back. Editor's Note: Despite the efforts of local veterinarians and animal rescuers, Jaelyn did not survive. A Pulaski animal rescue group last week came to the aid of a Wythe County dog that was starving and hours from death. The dog improved a bit over the weekend, but by deadline time Tuesday morning, her health had not improved by much. According to Missy Viars, co-director of Pulaski Animal Care and Control, her group received a call Aug. 19 from a Wythe County resident who said they had been feeding the dog every day, but the dog disappeared two months ago. On the 19th, the dog returned emaciated, so the person called PACC. Viars said she looked for the dog, but could not find her. Eventually, she located the dogs owner, who said the dog was dead and buried. We said, we dont believe you, and finally, after about 45 minutes, he told us where she was, Viars said. Viars eventually found the dog in a box with the mans trash, unable to move or raise her head. His exact words were, By God, look there, she is alive, Viars said. But just barely. The dog, now called Jaelyn, was hours away from death, Viars said. The mixed breed pup weighed 18 pounds. Her ideal weight, according to Viars, is around 50 pounds. She estimates Jaelyn is between three and four years old. Viars took the dog to the Community Animal Clinic in Wytheville to be treated and to see if there were any underlying health conditions that could have caused her weight loss. They werent any, Viars said. She was purposely starved, she said, adding that the owner told her that his nephew had given him the dog several years ago, but he didnt want it. I want to make sure the public knows that there is no reason to do this to an animal. You can give us your animal, no questions asked. Dont do this, Viars said. Many people think if they give an animal to the shelter it will be put to sleep, but that is not necessarily true. There are rescue groups that will take your animal whether its a cat, dog, lizard or bird. It doesnt matter. Weve had everything from bearded dragons and parakeets to cats and dogs. Just call a rescue; we will come get your animal. There are lots of groups around. Viars had hoped to pick Jaelyn up from the animal hospital on Monday, but the dog was not ready to be released; she was walking, but was refusing to eat. More testing, including an ultrasound, was scheduled. By Tuesday morning, Jaelyn was not any better and PACC pinned its hopes on help from the veterinary school at Virginia Tech. Viars posted Jaelyns story on Facebook, and the group has been receiving donations to help pay for the dogs medical care. To donate by PayPal, send money to paccrescue@gmail.com or mail a donation to PACC, 3430 Lee Highway, Draper, Virginia, 24324. To reach reporter Millie Rothrock, call 276-228-6611, ext. 35, or email mrothrock@wythenews.com. US President Donald Trump has called for himself and his challenger Joe Biden to submit to a drug test before their first presidential debate in September. Trump told the Washington Examiner that he had noticed a sudden improvement in the rival candidates performance in the Democratic Party debates. He added that Biden, a former US vice president, "wasn't even coherent" during some of the 11 live television debates he had participated in during the Democratic primaries earlier in 2020. Also read: Joe Bidens loose lips could sink his chances "I don't know how he (Biden) could have been so incompetent in his debate performances and then all of a sudden be OK against Bernie," Trump told the Washington Examiner. "It wasn't that he was Winston Churchill because he wasn't, but it was a normal, boring debate, Trump said. "You know, nothing amazing happened. And we are going to call for a drug test because there's no way - you can't do that," he added. Also read: Melania Trump is back, where she never really wanted to be Biden and Trump, who are the presidential candidates of the Democratic and Republican parties respectively, will be participating in three televised debates before the November 3 election. While Trump did not offer any evidence that Biden might be on drugs,he said that, "I'm pretty good at this stuff." In 2016, too, Trump suggested that his then-Democratic rival and former Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, had been "getting pumped up" before their debates a claim brushed aside by the Clinton campaign. He also challenged her to take a drug test ahead of their final live TV debate. MILWAUKEE, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Most workers believe the COVID-19 crisis marks the end of full-time work in the office and are looking for a hybrid model that blends work and home finds new research from ManpowerGroup (NYSE: MAN). After health concerns for themselves and their family, workers are most worried about returning to an old way of working and losing the flexibility they have gained. The Future for Workers, By Workers is the second in ManpowerGroup's What Workers Want series. The research points to employers needing to adopt a People First approach and to reimagine a future of work that works for organizations and individuals alike - prioritizing health, wellbeing, and caring responsibilities. The survey of more than 8000 workers in eight countries* reveals workers everywhere have three key priorities for the Next Normal - autonomy and their personalized version of a Hybrid Workplace with the opportunity to work remotely, yet not all the time; learning on demand - more opportunities to learn virtually and develop skills to stay employable; and finally One Life - a focus on blending work and family life for the long term. "What started as a health crisis has evolved into an economic and social crisis. While thankfully a small proportion of the population will be infected by COVID-19, 100% of us will be impacted by it," said Jonas Prising, ManpowerGroup Chairman & CEO. "The data shows us how workers around the world are feeling about returning concerned for their health and employment security, while seeking flexibility which allows them to better balance work and home. Those organizations that prioritize emotional wellbeing and flexibility while demonstrating how they create social impact in challenging times will be best positioned to attract and retain the best talent and ensure workers are confident, healthy and productive." When economic outlooks are uncertain, employability matters most to workers, with 9 in 10 workers say simply keeping their job is most important. Yet how workers feel about a return varies by gender and career stage: Gen-Z vs. Millennials: Gen Z's most keen to return to the workplace to develop their careers and socialize, (51%), while millennials are least positive (38%). Gen Z's most keen to return to the workplace to develop their careers and socialize, (51%), while millennials are least positive (38%). Gen X vs. Boomers: Gen X value being in the workplace to concentrate and collaborate away from household responsibilities. Boomers choose socializing and collaborating with colleagues (34%) as top reason to return. Gen X value being in the workplace to concentrate and collaborate away from household responsibilities. Boomers choose socializing and collaborating with colleagues (34%) as top reason to return. Gender Divide: Almost half of men (46%) feel positive about returning, only one-third of women (35%) feel the same. Women report feeling more concerned or nervous about the return. Both men and women rank not having to commute and having flexibility to work when convenient in their top three benefits of working from home. Almost half of men (46%) feel positive about returning, only one-third of women (35%) feel the same. Women report feeling more concerned or nervous about the return. Both men and women rank not having to commute and having flexibility to work when convenient in their top three benefits of working from home. Working Parents: Men with children list spending time with their family as a top benefit to working remotely. Women feel more negatively about going back to work, increasing in concern the younger the child 61% for children 0-5, 53% for children 6-17 and 50% for 18+. To download the full report The Future for Workers, by Workers: Making the Next Normal Better for All visit: https://go.manpowergroup.com/futureforworkers About ManpowerGroup ManpowerGroup (NYSE: MAN), the leading global workforce solutions company, helps organizations transform in a fast-changing world of work by sourcing, assessing, developing and managing the talent that enables them to win. We develop innovative solutions for hundreds of thousands of organizations every year, providing them with skilled talent while finding meaningful, sustainable employment for millions of people across a wide range of industries and skills. Our expert family of brands Manpower, Experis and Talent Solutions creates substantially more value for candidates and clients across more than 75 countries and territories and has done so for over 70 years. We are recognized consistently for our diversity - as a best place to work for Women, Inclusion, Equality and Disability and in 2020 ManpowerGroup was named one of the World's Most Ethical Companies for the eleventh year - all confirming our position as the brand of choice for in-demand talent. *About the Research: ManpowerGroup commissioned research to survey 8000 workers on their attitudes towards work since the impact of COVID-19. Research was carried out in June 2020 by Reputation Leaders surveying workers aged 18 and over, balanced by age, gender in 8 countries, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Singapore, Spain, UK and US. SOURCE ManpowerGroup Related Links http://www.manpowergroup.com An international team of scientists has succeeded in using the signature whistles of individual bottlenose dolphins to estimate the size of the population and track their movement. The research, led by Stellenbosch University and the University of Plymouth, marks the first time that acoustic monitoring has been used in place of photographs to generate abundance estimates of dolphin populations. Writing in the Journal of Mammalogy, researchers say they are excited by the positive results yielded by the method, as the number of dolphins estimated was almost exactly the same as estimated through the more traditional photographic mark-recapture method. They are now working to refine the technique, in the hope it can be used to track other species - with a current focus on endangered species such as humpback dolphins. Quicker information processing and advances in statistical analysis mean in the future that automated detection of individually distinctive calls could be possible. This can generate important information on individual animals and would be particularly useful for small, threatened populations where every individual counts. "The capture-recapture of individually distinctive signature whistles has not been attempted before," says the paper's senior author Dr Tess Gridley, Co-Director of Sea Search and the Namibian Dolphin Project and a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Botany and Zoology at SU. "The dolphins use these sounds throughout life and each has its own unique whistle. Therefore, by recording signature whistles over time and in different places we can calculate where animals are moving to and how many animals there are in a population." Working with Dr Simon Elwen of Stellenbosch University, the Namibian Dolphin Project has been researching Namibia's resident bottlenose dolphins for the past 12 years, and built up a catalogue of more than 55 signature whistles dating back to 2009. This particular study was led by Emma Longden, who began the project during her BSc (Hons) Marine Biology degree at the University of Plymouth. As an undergraduate, Emma completed an internship with the Namibia Dolphin Project for a month in 2016, and returned again in 2018 to complete work on the mark-recapture project. She analysed more than 4000 hours of acoustic data from four hydrophones positioned along the coast south and north of Walvis Bay, Namibia, during the first six months of 2016. All in all, they identified 204 acoustic encounters, 50 of which contained signature whistle types. From these encounters, 53 signature whistle types were identified; 40 were in an existing catalogue developed in 2014 for the Walvis Bay bottlenose dolphin population, and 13 were newly identified. Of the 53 signature whistle types identified, 43% were captured only once, whereas the majority (57%) were recaptured twice or more. "One of the great things about bioacoustics is that you can leave a hydrophone in the water for weeks at a time and collect so much data without interfering with the lives of the animals you are studying," says Emma, whose work on the project was also supervised by Dr Clare Embling, Associate Professor of Marine Ecology at the University of Plymouth. Dr Embling added: "This work is incredibly important as it allows us to track and count the number of dolphins in small vulnerable populations. It builds on our previous research looking at the impacts of noise on marine organisms and monitoring vulnerable marine mammal populations. It also showcases the fantastic level of research that our marine biology students are able to achieve, and the opportunities available to them through our partnerships with conservation organisations such as the Namibia Dolphin Project and the Ocean Giants Trust." Future research includes the work undertaken by PhD student Sasha Dines from Stellenbosch University to further refine the technique to better understand the population of endangered humpback dolphins in South Africa. Another PhD student, Jack Fearey from the University of Cape Town, is continuing to conduct research along the Namibian Coast. ### Holidaymakers can visit idyllic destinations after a travel bubble opened between the Australian mainland and tropical islands in the Indian Ocean, but not everyone will be allowed to go. Christmas and Cocos Keeling Islands, a stretch of Australian territories about 3,000km north-west of Perth, quietly announced a travel zone with Western Australia in July, effective immediately. The 27 islands, only two of which are inhabited, have not recorded a single case of coronavirus since the pandemic began, but had been cut off from the mainland since April. Christmas and Cocos Keeling Islands comprises an abundance of picturesque slices of paradise (pictured: Direction Island) Christmas and Cocos Keeling Islands (pictured) administrator Natasha Griggs said anyone from WA is welcome The Cocos Keeling Islands, including Christmas Island, are located off the cost of Western Australia Since the travel bubble was announced last month, tourists numbers have slowly climbed. But Christmas and Cocos Keeling Islands administrator Natasha Griggs is urging more people to visit. 'All visitors to Australia's Indian Ocean Islands must have been in Western Australia for a minimum 14 days prior to travel, but there is no requirement to self-isolate upon arrival at the islands or upon return to Perth,' she said. Christmas Island operators have promoted the location as a tourist destination following years of bad press. Its immigration detention centre was shut down it 2018 - and it became a quarantine hub for Australians returning from Wuhan in the early days of the COVID-19 crisis. Christmas Island boasts pristine waters and an abundance of coral reefs and red crabs (pictured) The number of tourists to the island (pictured) has dropped by more than 600 per cent since the beginning of the pandemic in March The number of tourists to the island plunged from 2,190 in 2019 to just 320 this year. But Christmas Island marketing manager Jahna Luke told the Sydney Morning Herald business is starting to pick up. 'After the bubble was announced it took two or three weeks for people to get their bookings in place, but we are really noticing the numbers coming through,' she said. 'It is currently enough, we are coming into our peak season normally November to December at this stage not sure what our peak season will be.' Only two of the islands in the region are inhabited. Pictured: one of the 25 uninhabited islands While WA residents do not have to isolate or get tested for coronavirus before take off, they will have to apply for an Indian Ocean Territories (IOT) Traveller Request Form and a separate form to return home. Hopeful holidaymakers from other Australian states will have to quarantine in WA for 14 days first. There are two flights from Perth to the islands each week, with prices starting from $570. An attempt by the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) to cripple the finances of Edo state under the administration of Governor Godwin Obaseki has been truncated by a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Thursday. The court in a judgement declined the request by JUSUN for an order freezing accounts of the Edo Government over its alleged refusal to the outstanding salaries and entitlements of court workers in the state. JUSUN had also prayed the court to order confiscation of what was due to Edo State from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC). In a ruling on Thursday, Justice Okon Abang held the request made by the national headquarters of JUSUN was capable of crippling the activities of the state before the forthcoming governorship election. Justice Abang noted that the motion coming less than a month before the governorship election scheduled for September 19, 2020 is designed to cripple governance in the state. The judge was of the view that the motion was filed in bad faith and that he reasonably believed that those behind it have ulterior motive. He said: It is ill-motivated because the judgment of this court can still be enforced even after the election in Edo State The reason offered by JUSUN for bringing this application during 2020 annual vacation of the court in the course of the forthcoming election in Edo State, and the purported claim of controversy being generated by two leading political parties in Edo State and also the threat to order closure of all bank accounts of Edo State by faction of the Edo State House of Assembly, my lords, these are not good and substantial reasons. The judge said the outcome of the Edo poll would not affect the subsisting judgment of the court given on January 13, 2014, which was not appealed. Justice Abang added any of the parties that win election would have no choice than to comply with the subsisting judgment provided the lawyer to the judgment creditor or the judgment creditor itself will do the proper thing by ascertaining the actual amount they are entitled to. While holding the application was lacking in merit, the judge described it as vague for failing to disclose the amount the union members were being owed by the state government. He proceeded to dismiss the application and adjourned further proceedings in the case against the other states to September 30. PV: 21 Walmart says its joining forces with Microsoft in an attempt to buy TikTok US, CNBC reports. Microsoft was one of the first companies named as a potential buyer for TikTok, though Twitter and Oracle have also explored deals. We believe a potential relationship with TikTok US in partnership with Microsoft could add this key functionality and provide Walmart with an important way for us to reach and serve omnichannel customers as well as grow our third-party marketplace and advertising businesses. We are confident that a Walmart and Microsoft partnership would meet both the expectations of US TikTok users while satisfying the concerns of US government regulators, Walmart said in a statement shared by CNBC. TikTok is reportedly close to an agreement that would sell its US, Canada, Australian and New Zealand operations. That deal is valued in the $20 to $30 billion range, and a final announcement could be made in a matter of days. Earlier this month, President Trump signed an executive order requiring the Chinese owner of TikTok to sell its US business in the next 90 days. But TikTok has pushed back. The company sued the US government, arguing that the executive order was signed without any evidence to justify such an extreme action, and without any due process. Its unclear how that lawsuit might impact the potential deal with Microsoft and now Walmart. Update: A follow-up report from CNBC explains how the pairing came to be, and reveals that Googles parent company Alphabet had been lined up as a minority owner with Walmart before the retailer teamed up with Microsoft. However, according to the report, that fell apart because the government wanted a tech company to lead the bid instead, to help justify its national security reasoning for forcing the sale. A decision between bids from the Microsoft consortium and one led by Oracle could come in the next 48 hours. Between July 2019 to June 30 this year, there were 32,127 domestic abuse incidents in Northern Ireland. (Posed by model/Dominic Lipinski/PA) Domestic abuse in Northern Ireland is at the highest level since records began, new PSNI figures show. Between July 2019 to June 30 this year, there were 32,127 domestic abuse incidents in Northern Ireland. This is 570 more than the previous year, up 1.8%, and the highest figures since records began in 2004/05. SDLP Justice Spokesperson, Sinead Bradley MLA, has called the figures a chilling element of lockdown while Amnesty International have called on the Stormont Executive to give extra funding to victim support organisations. Ms Bradley commented: The increase in recorded domestic abuse incidents and crimes is absolutely appalling and, in fact, chilling during periods of lockdown. With over 32,000 abuse incidents in the last 12 months, the highest since records began, there are on average more than 88 people every day experiencing some form of torment. Its gut-wrenching. She added it was a sad fact that the figures may not even show the full increase in incidents during lockdown. With people feeling more trapped by an abusive partner or family member, the opportunities to report these horrendous experiences may have fallen. Its an unimaginable situation to be in, she said. Im glad that over the period of lockdown, the Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon and Justice Minister Naomi Long have worked hard to secure free travel for those fleeing situations of abuse. But clearly more needs to be done to tackle this scourge and to support the victims of abuse. I will be raising the matter with the Justice Minister and will work constructively with her to find solutions. Patrick Corrigan, Amnesty Internationals Northern Ireland Programme Director, said the figures revealed an abuse epidemic across the country. Incidents of domestic violence are now at an all-time high, and the demand for domestic abuse services has gone through the roof, he said. Womens refuges and other specialist charities which support victims here need additional support. Northern Ireland faces ongoing high demand on frontline domestic abuse services, on refuges and counselling services; services which are already under strain. This is a life and death issue and should be a matter of urgency for the Executive. A growing number of U.S. companies are pledging to give workers time off to vote in the presidential election this November, an effort thats gaining steam despite the governments reluctance to make Election Day a federal holiday. Starbucks said Thursday it will give its 200,000 U.S. employees flexibility on Election Day, encouraging them to plan ahead with managers and schedule time to vote or volunteer at polling places. The Starbucks app will also help customers learn how to register to vote, the company said. Walmart says it will give its 1.5 million U.S. workers up to three hours paid time off to vote. Apple is giving workers four hours off. Coca-Cola, Twitter, Cisco and Uber are giving employees the day off. No American should have to choose between earning a paycheque and voting, said PayPal President and CEO Dan Schulman. The idea isnt entirely new. General Motors, Ford and FiatChrysler have given employees the day off to vote since 1999, when they agreed to the change in a contract with the United Auto Workers union. Patagonia gave its workers the day off starting in 2016. But this year, the idea is gaining steam. Six hundred companies, including Lyft, Airbnb and Paramount, have signed on to ElectionDay.org, which asks companies to give employees time off to vote or distribute information on voting, including how to obtain main-in ballots. It is not clear how many of those 600 are allowing time off versus distributing voting information. ElectionDay.org one of several groups asking companies to make voting pledges is run by Vote.org, a nonpartisan group that tries to increase voter turnout. In 2018, the first year it was active, ElectionDay.org had 150 companies sign up. This year, it hopes to sign 1,000 by November. There is a groundswell of interest coming out for this, said Nora Gilbert, director of partnerships for Vote.org. Gilbert said this summers Black Lives Matter protests and general unease about social inequality may be part of the reason companies are taking a stand on voting. Theres a reckoning in general for the role that companies play in society, she said. This is a way to show they are getting their own house in order. In a letter to employees, Starbucks President and CEO Kevin Johnson said the companys voting pledge is part of a larger effort to promote racial equality and opportunity in the communities it serves. Starbucks will not wait for change. We will make change of our own, Johnson said. About half of U.S. states require employers to give workers at least a few hours off to vote in elections, according to Workplace Fairness, a non-profit that tracks employment issues. Gilbert said advocates prefer a full-day holiday, since many voters face long lines at their polling places. Companies that dont offer a full day should make sure to share mail-in voting information and deadlines, she said. All states will mail an absentee ballot to voters who request one, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. We really want companies to go further and acknowledge the unique difficulties of this moment, she said. Two hours may not be enough. Efforts to make Election Day a federal holiday, as it is in South Korea and Israel, or hold votes on weekends, as Germany and Australia do, have fallen short in the U.S., partly due to partisan bickering over who would benefit from the change. Jonathan Entin, a professor emeritus of law and adjunct professor of political science at Case Western Reserve University, said weekend voting would be difficult in the U.S. because of its religious diversity. Opponents of a federal holiday also usually cite the disruption to the economy, he said. Why is it that the private sector should bear the cost of this public good? he said. Peter Paladjian, the CEO of Boston-based Intercontinental Real Estate Corp., said companies want to show that they are responsible and civic-minded. Low U.S. turnout in elections has bothered Paladjian for years. In 2016, 56% of eligible voters cast a ballot in the presidential election, a far lower percentage than most developed countries, according to the Pew Research Center. Paladjian told his 112 employees four months ago that they will get Election Day off. Then, he formed A Day for Democracy, which asks employers to give workers time off to vote and distribute voter registration information. Harvard University, Wayfair, Bank of America and the Boston Red Sox are among the 185 companies that have signed up, he said. Only a handful of companies he contacted said no. Once this election is over, Paladjian plans to advocate for a federal election holiday. Time to Vote, another corporate voting initiative, was formed ahead of the 2018 elections by Levi Strauss and Co., PayPal and Patagonia. A little over 400 companies participated last time; Time to Vote says 700 have joined so far this year. Corporate voter drives say the pledge is important even as the coronavirus hastens the move toward mail-in voting. In 2016, 42% of ballots were cast before Election Day; this year, that will likely rise to 60%, said Michael Traugott, a research professor emeritus at the University of Michigans Center for Political Studies. Gilbert said even if people vote early, they can still take time on Election Day to drive people to polls, work at polling stations or provide child care so someone else can vote in person. The risk of accidental conflict is rising because of tension in the South China Sea and around Taiwan and communication must be maintained to reduce the risk of miscalculation, Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen said on Thursday. Democratic Taiwan, claimed by Beijing as "scared" Chinese territory, has complained of Chinese military activities near the island, in what it says in an attempt to force Taiwan to accept Chinese sovereignty. The United States and China have also been conducting military exercises near Taiwan and in the disputed South China Sea. "The risk of conflict requires careful management by all the parties concerned. We expect and hope that Beijing will continue to exercise restraint consistent with their obligations as a major regional power," Tsai told a forum organised by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. Relations between China and the United States are widely seen to be at their worst point in decades, with deepening mistrust and friction over the novel coronavirus, U.S. accusations of unfair trade practices, and disputes over Hong Kong, the South China Sea and Taiwan. Tsai said the international community had closely followed the situation in Hong Kong as well as China`s militarization of the South China Sea. "As a result there is now greater scrutiny over the situation in the Taiwan Strait," she said. "There continue to be significant concerns over the potential for accidents, given increased military activity in the region. Therefore we believe it would be important for all parties to maintain open lines and communication to prevent misinterpretations or miscalculations." Tsai said Taiwan needed to strengthen its defence capabilities, which she has made a priority. "We do this because we know that in terms of our current situation, strength can be co-related with deterrence. It also reduces the risk of military adventurism," said Tsai, who was re-elected for a second term in a landslide in January. Tsai reiterated her commitment to peace and desire to talk. "We are open to discussions with China, as long as they contribute to a beneficial relationship." But Beijing must accept that as a democracy, only Taiwan`s people can decide its future, she said. China has refused to talk to Tsai, believing she is a separatist bent on declaring a Republic of Taiwan. Tsai says Taiwan is a country called the Republic of China, its formal name. National Communications Officer of the largest opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has called out the government for lying about its infrastructural achievements. Sammy Gyamfi said Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia and Energy Minister, John Peter Amewu, have contradicted each other about the status of an electricity project in Chibriyoa in the Bole District of the Upper East Region. Folks, so on 6th August 2020, the Minister for Energy, John Peter Amewu told the August House of Parliament, that there has not been any extension of electricity to Chibriyoa and its surrounding communities in the Bole District, only for our Vice President, Dr. Bawumia to launch a so-called delivery tracker 12 days after, that claims that there is an ongoing electrification project at Chibriyoa in the Bole District, Sammy Gyamfi wrote on his Facebook timeline. When we say that the Akufo Addo-government is a 419 establishment, some of you dont believe us, he added. Read the full post below and an attached video for more. Folks, so on 6th August 2020, the Minister for Energy, John Peter Amewu told the august house of Parliament, that there... Posted by Prissy Ekua Adiepena Hemans on Wednesday, August 26, 2020 Source: Ghanaweb.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 A heavily pregnant mother who was forced to wait 16 hours for emergency surgery in Sydney after being turned away at the Queensland border has lost one of her unborn twin babies. Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk was slammed for saying the state's hospitals were 'for our people only' - and initially did not grant the seriously ill mum-to-be's exemption despite her needing emergency surgery for the unborn twins. The mother, from Ballina in New South Wales which is 88km from the Queensland border, had twins who were just 24 weeks along and needed urgent care. She wasn't initially granted an exemption to cross the border for surgery at the Gold Coast University Hospital 125km away and instead had to wait for 16 hours in Lismore for a flight to Sydney. The woman's father Allan Watt says one of the twins became anaemic during surgery at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney. A heavily pregnant mother in NSW who was turned away from the Queensland border has lost one of her unborn twins (stock image) Motorists are seen approaching a checkpoint at Coolangatta on the Queensland-New South Wales border earlier this month 'She was the healthy bub and unfortunately she was the one who passed away yesterday,' he sobbed on the phone to 4BC radio. Mr Watt hasn't spoken with his daughter or her husband, but his wife is staying with the couple, who have had to rent an apartment in across the road from the hospital. 'It's busted our family apart, I'm up here, her sisters and brothers are in Queensland and they're in Sydney,' he said. Mr Watt said the family were very upset about his daughter being denied an exemption. Queensland Chief Officer Dr Jeannette Young said on Thursday the NSW woman's exemption had been approved as soon as her application had been made. Ms Palaszczuk had said last week while she was not aware of the specifics of the case, the decision about who to let into Queensland would be made by health professionals, not politicians. 'People living in NSW have NSW hospitals. In Queensland, we have Queensland hospitals for our people,' she said. Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton has called Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk's comments about the state's hospitals being for Queenslanders only 'preposterous' Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton on Friday hit out at Ms Palaszczuk for her 'preposterous' comments. 'Her saying that Queensland hospitals were only for Queenslanders is complete nonsense and it needs to stop,' Mr Dutton told Sky News. 'I think people need to mark her down for playing politics.' Queensland state opposition leader Deb Frecklington called on Premier Palaszczuk to grant automatic exemptions to all Australians facing medical emergencies. 'My heart bleeds for the family and everything they have been put through,' she said in a statement. NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard meanwhile called her comments 'astonishing'. He urged her to review her border arrangements to 'ensure patients receive the health care they need'. He said there were patients in northern NSW in need of renal transplants who were being denied access to the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane. Those patients were being forced to drive themselves '12 or more hours to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney', he said. Mr Watt previously told 9News the unborn twins needed the emergency treatment after being diagnosed with a rare illness at just 24 weeks old. 'The Queensland government is treating people that are in dire need like they are lepers,' he said. Another young mother was also left heartbroken as she was separated from her newborn son due to the draconian border restrictions. Motorists are stopped at a checkpoint at Coolangatta on the Queensland-New South Wales border earlier this month Chantelle Northfield, from Casino in northern New South Wales, welcomed her second son Harvey at nearby Lismore Base Hospital last Friday. Little Harvey had difficulty breathing and was airlifted to Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital for lifesaving treatment. But his terrified mother was unable to be at her newborn's bedside as she would need to quarantine for 14 days first. 'Due to the coronavirus pandemic and the closure of the Queensland border, Glen and I were refused entry to the hospital until after 14 days mandatory quarantine in a hotel,' Ms Northfield wrote in a gut-wrenching Facebook post. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Warief Djajanto Basorie (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, August 27, 2020 After Joko Jokowi Widodo became president on Oct. 20, 2014, he swiftly consolidated Indonesias climate agenda with a series of assertive acts. Jokowi created the Environment and Forestry Ministry, which has a climate change director general. He maintained a special envoy on climate change. He announced at the Paris climate summit on Nov. 30, 2015, Indonesias plan to reduce carbon emissions by 29 percent by 2030 and 41 percent with international cooperation. In January 2016 he established the Peat Restoration Agency (BRG) to revive 2.4 million hectares of Indonesias damaged peatland. Now in his second term, Jokowis climate drive seems to have slackened. The first sign of this is that he dissolved the office of the Presidents special envoy on climate change. to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,000/month Unlimited access to our web and app content e-Post daily digital newspaper No advertisements, no interruptions Privileged access to our events and programs Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post. Before the pandemic, the V&A received nearly 4.5 million visitors last year. Renowned as the world's leading museum of arts, design and performance, the V&A houses a collection of over 2.3 million objects, spanning 5000 years of human history. For their Chinese visitors, the V&A provided a virtual gallery-travel for Kuaishou's millions of users, who are blocked from going abroad due to the pandemic. This 2-hour-long special museum tour via livestreaming attracted 3.8 million audiences, with 166 thousand users contributing likes. "The coronavirus blocks physical communications between people from China and other countries but cannot cut the connection and emotion bonding between peoples and cultures. Artistic-cultural heritages are borderless," said Yi Xuan, Senior Director of Kuaishou's regional cooperation. "As the leading short-video platform in China, Kuaishou is continuously striving its best to introduce the international cultural-artistic contents via social media in China, enabling users to have a better understanding of the world without leaving home," added Yi. Guided by Xiao Lang and Li Xiaoxin, V&A's Social Media Consultant and Curator of Asian Department of the museum respectively, Kuaishou users enjoyed themselves with the museum's charms and exhibits from fashion to architecture, from Europe to Asia. Kuaishou also kicked off a Quiz Challenge about the V&A to personalize the event and make it memorable for the audience. Nick Marchand, Head of International Programmes of the V&A, expressed his appreciation to Kuaishou and the audience. "With the V&A's reopening, we're thrilled to welcome audiences back. But not everyone can travel right now, to see them. Thankfully, Kuaishou provides an invisible thread to connect us. While our worlds seem a little smaller right now, the V&A will transport you across time and geography. Step behind the doors of the museum with us, and get close to the extraordinary." As the leading livestream platform, Kuaishou has been putting great efforts into pushing the art sector to reach more people. On 14 February 2020, the world-renowned pianist Lang Lang gave a piano demonstration lesson to over 3 million music lovers and fans on Kuaishou via livestreaming, in honor of supporting efforts against COVID-19. Since the first quarter of 2020, the National Museum of China has rolled out a series of cultural events on Kuaishou. On 5 March, the museum launched a short-video campaign under the hashtag of #virtual museum tour on Kuaishou, providing a chance for users to experience the museum. One of these short videos, which exhibited a 1500-year-old Celadon lotus-shape Zun from ancient China, achieved 2.5 million views and over 44,000 likes. About Kuaishou Technology Kuaishou Technology develops content sharing platforms and makes content production, distribution, and consumption fast and easy. Our content recommendation system is built on a deep understanding of our users and the content being shared on our platforms every day. Our flagship product, Kuaishou, is China's leading short video sharing and social networking platform that enables users to capture the unique and memorable moments of their everyday lives, and to interact with followers in real-time. Our technology offers users a highly personalized experience and encourages members from all communities to create and discover interesting and dynamic content. Founded in 2011, Kuaishou Technology is headquartered in Beijing with more than 10,000 employees and offices in China, the United States, India and Brazil. Our notable investors include DCM Ventures, Morningside Venture Capital, Sequoia Capital, Temasek Holdings, Tencent and Baidu. For more information, please visit www.kuaishou.com. March 2011 GIF Kuaishou was created as a product tool for creating animated GIFs GIF Kuaishou was created as a product tool for creating animated GIFs October 2013 GIF Kuaishou was transformed into a short-form video social platform - Kuaishou GIF Kuaishou was transformed into a short-form video social platform - Kuaishou January 2015 Kuaishou's DAU (daily active user) exceeded 10 million Kuaishou's DAU (daily active user) exceeded 10 million September 2017 Kuaishou's total users exceeded 600 million and DAU exceeded 80 million Kuaishou's total users exceeded 600 million and DAU exceeded 80 million December 2017 Kuaishou's DAU exceeded 100 million Kuaishou's DAU exceeded 100 million June 2018 Kuaishou Technology completed the acquisition of Acfun, an ACG video community Kuaishou Technology completed the acquisition of Acfun, an ACG video community May 2019 Kuaishou's DAU exceeded 200 million Kuaishou's DAU exceeded 200 million March 2020 Kuaishou's DAU exceeded 300 million Kuaishou's DAU exceeded 300 million July 2020 Kuaishou's Livestream DAU surpassed 170 million To download Kuaishou, click here. CONTACT: Zhang Chuanshi, [email protected] Han Xing, [email protected] SOURCE Kuaishou Technology Related Links http://www.kuaishou.com The Smithsonian exhibition Hokusai: Mad About Painting Many know Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai from his famous Great Wave off Kanagawa print. Yet Hokusai was a man mad about painting, as he proclaimed in one of his signatures, the Japan Foundation assistant curator of Japanese art, Frank Feltens, said in a phone interview. Detail of Breaking Waves, 1847, by Katsushika Hokusai. Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk. Gift of Charles Lang Freer, Freer Gallery of Art. (The Freer Gallery of Art and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery) Hokusai was very compulsive in his urge to paint, Feltens explained. Hokusais paintings over six decades are one part of the year-long exhibition Feltens curated: Hokusai: Mad About Painting at the Smithsonians National Museum of Asian Art (the Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery). The exhibition shows Hokusais immense love for painting. The exhibition opened in November 2019, commemorating the centenary of the Freer Gallerys founder Charles Lang Freers death. And it will be one of the first shows that visitors will be able to see when the museum reopens, the date of which is yet to be announced. The exhibition focuses on 120 of Hokusais works from the Freer collection, the worlds largest collection of Hokusais sketches, paintings, and drawings. Freer stipulated in his will that his collection should never leave the gallery. Hokusai (17601849) lived in Japans Edo period (16031867), when the country was largely closed to the outside world and Japanese traditional culture flourished. Feltens shares information about traditional Japanese art and how Hokusai became a painter. He also gives a few examples of Hokusais remarkably varied and delightful paintings. The Epoch Times: Hokusai was such a prolific artist right up until he died. Please tell us how Hokusai became an artist. Frank Feltens: Hokusai was born in Edo, todays Tokyo. As a young boy, he apprenticed in the workshop of a printmaker. So rather than learning to be a painter, he apprenticed in how to carve the woodblock plates, how to print, and then later he eventually segued into being a print designer. In the beginning, in his teens and 20s, those illustrations were mainly for kibyoshi, which are called yellow covers; these are basically cheap novels. Then he moved up the ladder, displaying extraordinary talent from the beginning, so he was in touch with making more complex prints. Eventually, in his 30s, he decided to diversify his output and also work as a painter. In his late 60s or early 70s, Hokusai decided to become a painter exclusively, which to him was a nobler profession and a more direct manifestation of his artistic skill than the labor-intensive and somewhat commercial aspect of printmaking. Birds, Animals, and Plants of the Twelve Months, circa 182133, by Katsushika Hokusai. Six-panel folding screen; ink and color on paper. (One of a pair.) Gift of Charles Lang Freer, Freer Gallery of Art. (The Freer Gallery of Art and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery) The Epoch Times: Why do you think Hokusai waited so long to become a painter when he believed it was such a noble tradition? Mr. Feltens: Simply because of his humble upbringing. In the traditional Japanese apprentice system, the most important thing is to learn and learn to observe, rather than to produce or be creative on your own. Thirty is a relatively late start for a painter, but its not unheard of in Japan. Lots of painters who segued from another profession usually did so in their 30s. Directly apprenticing as a painter from early childhood and adolescence generally happened if you were born or adopted into one of the big painting ateliers such as the Kano or the Tosa, the hereditary ateliers that operated throughout Japan. Hokusai was not part of such an atelier, but rather in the woodblock painting industry, so he first and foremost focused on that path as his training. Birds, Animals, and Plants of the Twelve Months, circa 182133, by Katsushika Hokusai. Six-panel folding screen; ink and color on paper. (One of a pair.) Gift of Charles Lang Freer, Freer Gallery of Art. (The Freer Gallery of Art and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery) The Epoch Times: Please tell us about Hokusais artistic influences. For example, was he inspired by the different cultures coming to Edo, present-day Tokyo? Mr. Feltens: Yes he was. Japan was extensively cut off from the outside world in the Edo period. The Tokugawa shogunate, the feudal military rulers, allowed only very limited imports and had directives for strictly curated items from the outside world, but that is just in theory. The borders of the island nation of Japan were much more porous than one would think. A lot of objects from the outside world came in: for example, Western science books, Western pictures, and pictures from China and similar places. China at the time had much more exposure to Western painting and absorbed those aspects of Western painting that were from the Renaissance, like one-point perspective, and chiaroscuro (dramatic contrasts between light and shade). Mount Fuji, circa 183032, by Katsushika Hokusai. Six-panel folding screen; ink, gold, and color on paper. (One of a pair.) Gift of Charles Lang Freer, Freer Gallery of Art. (The Freer Gallery of Art and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery) I always think of Hokusai as somebody who was one of the best of his time, if not of the entire Edo period. He unites the best of all those different worlds. And that is one of the reasons, I think, that his work is still so popular today, because it looks Japanese but it also appeals to the preconceived notions that people in the West usually have when it comes to what art is supposed to be: objects recession in space, perspective, and then also naturalism, attention to physiognomy, attention to representation, and correct proportions. All those kinds of aspects do not play that role in traditional Japanese painting, actually, because aesthetics worked in a different way then. But Hokusai fused all of this into his artworks and created something that, for his time, was very striking and still does look incredibly striking today. Mount Fuji, circa 183032, by Katsushika Hokusai. Six-panel folding screen; ink, gold, and color on paper. (One of a pair.) Gift of Charles Lang Freer, Freer Gallery of Art. (The Freer Gallery of Art and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery) Generally speaking, the measure of excellence in traditional Japanese painting (thats written by commentators from the late 17th up until the 19th century) is always to learn from the past and channel that knowledge into something new. The Epoch Times: One of Hokusais striking images is Suikoden. Please tell us about that painting. Mr. Feltens: Thats one of my favorites. Suikoden is essentially a moral tale in which good deeds will be rewarded. It depicts a famous Chinese tale about a band of 100 bandits. The tale is traditionally known as The Water Margin in China. Outlaws of course lived on the fringes of society, but eventually these bandits helped the emperor win a battle, so he pardoned them and welcomed them back into proper society. Its a rather complex Chinese story, very popular in Japanese theater, especially Kabuki theater, and so there are multiple plays that focus on the tale. Hokusai created several works in print using Suikoden as a subject. Clearly, he did not read the actual tale but watched the theater instead, which was a common way of consuming literature in certain times. Detail of Suikoden, circa 1829, by Katsushika Hokusai. Handscroll; ink, color, and gold on silk. Gift of Charles Lang Freer, Freer Gallery of Art. (The Freer Gallery of Art and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery) The painting is an unfinished work; we dont know if it was intentionally unfinished or if Hokusai didnt get around to finishing it. If it was purposely left unfinished, it could have been a guide for students on how to paint. For example, in traditional Japanese painting, this kind of polychromatic work required quite a bit of labor, so usually they were not painted by a single artist but by a master and his pupils, so very much in the spirit of the Renaissance workshop. There is a lot of overlap in Renaissance and Japanese works, without them being directly influenced by each other. Detail of Suikoden, circa 1829, by Katsushika Hokusai. Handscroll; ink, color, and gold on silk. Gift of Charles Lang Freer, Freer Gallery of Art. (The Freer Gallery of Art and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery) In traditional Japanese painting, the master painter would paint the outline, create the compositions, and everything that you see here that is black-and-white. Then the pupils would be asked to fill in the clothing and the patterns on the garments, all the accoutrements that these figures have. The master painter would then return to paint the figures faces at the very last. But Hokusai kind of reversed that process here, because you can see that some of the unfinished figures faces are already painted, and so Hokusai moved away from the traditional process. And to me, this shows Hokusai in a nutshell, because he pays such incredible attention to the physiognomy and the character of things, the individuality of his subjectand thats not just human beings but also divine figures, or even just waves of the sea. If you think of The Great Wave, hes looking at the essence of what the wave is. And so Hokusais Suikoden is a manifesto to me, an unintentional manifesto, telling the viewers that Hokusai put the character (the essence of something) first and foremost and then moved to its physical characteristics. Just a word of clarification about those black bars that you see here. Those are cartouches that would carry a gold inscription of each bandits name. If the painting had been finished, it wouldve been an incredibly lavish handscroll. A lavish painting such as this, painted in sumptuous colors on silk, wouldve been quite pricey at the time, and so this wouldve been a commission by somebody with quite a bit of means. When he made the handscroll, and pretty much throughout his career as a painter, he was an incredibly sought-after artist, one of the most sought-after painters of his time. The Epoch Times: Please tell us about the pair of hanging scrolls of the woodcutter and the fisherman. Mr. Feltens: Those were produced in the last six months of his life. If you look closely at the paintings, and if you have a chance you can do so on our website, you will notice that the lines in the signature and the outlines in the painting, in particular, are not the steady lines that you would find in Hokusais earlier paintings, even those made just a year or two prior. You can see the trembling hand of an ailing, elderly man not entirely in command of his physical capabilities anymore. Fisherman, Edo period, 1849 by Katsushika Hokusai. Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk. Gift of Charles Lang Freer, Freer Gallery of Art. Woodcutter, 1849, by Katsushika Hokusai. Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk. Gift of Charles Lang Freer, Freer Gallery of Art. (The Freer Gallery of Art and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery) The fisherman and the woodcutter are subjects that carry a lot of cultural meaning in Japan. They are subjects in the Noh theater, which is the medieval form of Japanese theater that still continues to be practiced. But they are also embodiments of Hokusai in later life. Both characters faces are satisfied, and they have their bounty at their feet. The woodcutter and the fisherman are shown at the end of a day of hard labor, and they are displaying the fruits of that labor. And in a way, its a little bit of a metaphor for Hokusais own life coming to a close. This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity. To find out more about the Hokusai: Mad about Painting exhibition at the Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art, in Washington, including the reopening date, visit Asia.si.edu Brian Rogers Rogers Rabbits www.sunlive.co.nz This week we conclude our 20th anniversary series of re-run Rogers Rabbits with this one from May 19, 2006. It seems not much has changed since then. Theres been so much interesting stuff in the news lately, with dramatic stories of leaks, broken loyalties, betrayed trust and moles on the inside. But more about Awatere-Huata later. First, a couple of observations on the Aussie miners escape. Two weeks living in a dark hole in the ground cant be much fun, about as exciting as a holiday in Hamilton, I suspect, and the incredible escape of the two Tasmanian miners this month is certainly a success to be celebrated. Briefly. But weve really heard enough. And now theyre out safely, they are again ordinary Australians who are fair game to poke fun at. Lets get a couple of things in perspective here. By the way they strolled jauntily out of the mine shaft, they were clearly not suffering much physical harm. And the apparent stage management of the whole drama seemed a bit shallow, somehow. Media dramatics And not wanting to take anything away from the determination and guts of these miners and rescuers, I have to ask the question, does this really warrant all the dramatics the media has portrayed in the last few weeks? As far as miraculous escapes measure, Id have to say that Robert the diver and the crew of the Rose Noelle, given up for dead, were arguably more monumental survival epics. The situations were vastly different, but they werent sitting in the dry, being supplied food and ipods through a PVC pipe while contemplating a cushy life of lucrative public speaking engagements, book and movie royalties; and handing out thank-you cards on arrival at the surface. But one thing is for sure, our prisons need to be more like the Beaconsfield Mine. If we had convicts desperate to leave, rather than heading for a warm, comfy room with TV and luxuries, there would be less crime. Celebrating success? And speaking of crime, the farce of criminal punishment reached an all-time peak this week, as convicted fraudster Donna Awatere-Huata was welcomed back to society by youngsters with flowers and banners. How many wrong messages can possibly be jammed into one newsclip? Heres a person convicted of stealing funds from a childrens reading programme, then being treated like royalty, most likely by some of the same children that scheme was designed to assist. How ironic, that the very sector of society shes ripped off doesnt understand theyre supporting the person who betrayed them. I didnt see the banners, but they probably read something like: Wellcom home Donner Yu are a insparashun Enjoy your spell? Wish we cud Wi missed you, so did we Eh, wheres our bloddy munny? Gramma took my grammar Hypocritical And to make matters worse, this dodgy activist-turned-politician is opting for home detention a concept she fiercely opposed during her unfortunate time as an MP. How hypocritical can you get? Whats next? A few beers at the RSA for Willie Bell when he gets parole? A schoolgirl lingerie party for Graham Caphill on his release? For goodness sake, New Zealand, wake up. This is not the sort of behaviour that should be celebrated. A trip from jail to home detention, for ripping off a childrens literacy fund, should be treated with the contempt and disgust it deserves. Were ready This week we had a wee practice for a tsunami. Not a bad idea, since we nearly had a real one a couple of weeks ago, and our preparation is clearly a shambles. Theres a bunch of fancy sirens all along the Bay coastline, covering every low-lying area, except my place. For some strange reason, Te Puna is the only area that doesnt have an alarm. Or a pole to put in on. So we will be the only ones who dont know to turn on the radio, to hear well, nothing useful to help save us from the tsunami that we dont know is coming. Because you wont get anything sensible from the radio. Lucky, though, that a hundred zillion people on the other side of the world know all about it. Thanks to the European media, who are on the ball, can report as the wave comes to smote us. Frantic tying But back in Te Puna, my only chance of knowing theres a tsunami coming, is because I might hear (over the sneezing of the ducks with bird flu) the frantic tying of 130,000 pairs of shoelaces up and down the coast. This is because our roads apparently wont be able to handle the volume of vehicles in the event of evacuation. So the entire population has been told to put on sensible shoes and walk to higher ground. This is a great idea for all of you. Just beware though, to move to the side of the road by the rumble strips, when I come through, in my comfy slippers, tooting in my four-wheel-drive. Because there is no way in hell that I will be walking away with a backpack from an impending tidal wave at 4km/h while there is a truck in the shed with ample room for refreshments, that will take me and a select group of friends, to the Whakamarama hills at Transits sensible 90km/h. Taking chances Youd think that after all the taxes, rates, fuel taxes, registration, road user charges, tolls and GST weve paid over the decades, thered be a big enough road for us to all save our lives once in a while. Apparently not. If all you dawdlers are going to impede my exit, perhaps Ill stay on the coast, ride it out in a boat and take my chances with the big wave and the fluey ducks. brian@thesun.co.nz President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky met with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun who reiterated the United States support for Ukraine. The meeting took place after a telephone conversation between Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo, the press service of the Head of State informs. "At the meeting, Volodymyr Zelensky raised the issues of bilateral cooperation between Ukraine and the United States, including financial and military support for our country. Stephen Biegun stressed that the United States is a strategic partner of Ukraine and underscored that Ukraine has bipartisan support in the United States... Speaking about foreign policy, Stephen Biegun praised Ukraine's position on non-interference in the US elections," the statement reads. Zelensky informed in detail about the progress of negotiations on ending the war in Donbas and promoting peace in Minsk and Normandy formats. The U.S. Deputy Secretary of State called it a great achievement to maintain the comprehensive and complete ceasefire for 31 days already. The parties also discussed the action plans amidst coronavirus pandemic. Volodymyr Zelensky noted that the countries need to cooperate in order to return to normal life as soon as possible and restore the work of all sectors of the economy. In addition, Volodymyr Zelensky and Stephen Biegun visited PJSC ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih and got acquainted with the work of the Continuous Casting Department of Converter Shop. On August 26, President Volodymyr Zelensky made a working trip to Dnipropetrovsk region. ol By Keith Coffman DENVER (Reuters) - The mother of a young Black man who died after being placed in a chokehold by police in Aurora, Colorado, has canceled a planned march to commemorate the one-year anniversary of his death, saying she will not be celebrating the tragedy. Sheneen McClain wrote on Facebook that she could no longer bear hearing protest chants of "I can't breathe" - words her son, Elijah, 23, repeatedly uttered during his fatal struggle with police. She said that slogan has become so painful to her it amounted to "emotional abuse." Its not okay to repeat my sons dying words because its all you think you can do ... that hurts me, the mother said in the posting calling off a march that had been set for Sunday. A separate rally honoring Elijah McClain and other African-Americans slain by law enforcement will go on as scheduled on Saturday at the state capitol in nearby Denver, organizers said. Last week, the McClain family filed a civil rights lawsuit in federal court against Aurora police officers who applied a carotid chokehold on Elijah McClain, and paramedics who injected him with the powerful sedative ketamine. Elijah McClain was approached and subdued by three policemen on Aug. 24, 2019, responding to a report he was acting suspiciously, though he had committed no crime. He went into cardiac arrest after the encounter and died at a hospital days later. Local prosecutors declined to file charges against police or paramedics, citing an autopsy listing the cause of death as undetermined. The autopsy said that combined with the chokehold, ketamine could have contributed to his death. The family's lawsuit disputes that he met criteria for injection with the drug. Following a public outcry, Colorados attorney general launched two investigations, and the U.S. Justice Department has initiated a civil rights inquiry. (Reporting by Keith Coffman; Editing by Steve Gorman) Early Wednesday evening, several hours after the University of Alabama at Birmingham issued a statement accusing the New York Times of misinterpreting university COVID-19 infection data in a way that greatly overstated the viruss footprint at the school, students defended the university, saying it has enforced strict precautionary measures since they returned to campus earlier this month. The stories students told of the first days of the fall semester reflect a vastly different reality than the one suggested by its position atop a list published by the Times Wednesday morning that identified UAB as the American higher-education institution with the single highest number of COVID cases to date. The scene on campus Wednesday evening did not seem to support an assertion that the virus is raging out of control at UAB or students are failing to take it seriously. The percentage of people wearing masks outside was very high well over 90 percent and most followed social distancing guidelines, though some walked or ate outside together in small groups or came close to one another while throwing a Frisbee on the quad. We all want to stay Darpha Carson has been looking forward to the rituals of his first days of college for years. He was particularly excited to hang out with friends and show his dorm room off to his family. But when he moved into his dorm room on the UAB campus earlier this month from his home across town, he entered a mid-pandemic collegiate world where none of that is possible. Only one person was allowed to help him carry his belongings up to his room, and the university has barred students from entering residence halls other than their own and having outside friends over. Like every student, Carson has to complete an online health assessment each morning to get a daily digital passport that allows him to enter university buildings and facilities. He, like every other Blazer this year, has to wait in a socially distanced, single-file line to get to-go food (indoor dining is barred) at The Commons on the Green, the campus dining hall. And most of his classes have been moved to an online-only format. Darpha Carson, a freshman at the the University of Alabama at Birmingham, stands outside the school's Blazer Hall on Wednesday. (Connor Sheets | csheets@al.com) Like many students who spoke with AL.com Wednesday evening, Carson said the universitys COVID-19 precautions have been a minor inconvenience and that he was disappointed to miss out on some stereotypical rites of freshman year passage. But he, like many of his peers, said he understands the steps are necessary, and that he is thankful that he goes to a college that is taking the virus so seriously. I actually do think well make it through the school year because UAB has this really good health program, and also I feel like students are following it because they want to be able to stay on campus and use its resources, he said. Delaney Smith, a freshman from Paulding County, Ga., agreed, saying that though she worries that she will have a hard time making friends if the restrictions remain in place, she believes they are essential if students hope to stay on campus for the rest of the school year. We cant go to other residence halls, so unless theres a party in our building, no ones going to even know about it or go, and there are [resident assistants] on every floor anyways, she said. We all want to stay. Students wait in line Wednesday evening inside The Commons on the Green, UAB's campus dining hall. (Connor Sheets | csheets@al.com) Six cases Carsons assessment of the situation at UAB was a far cry from the conclusions many drew from the COVID-19 rankings list that was embedded within an article the Times published early Wednesday morning, less than 48 hours after the bell rang on the universitys first class of the 2020 school year. The 972 cases at UAB reported by the Times trumped the 835 cases at the University of North Carolina, which has already moved all its classes online in response to a largescale campus outbreak. It also dwarfs the tallies at the University of Alabamas flagship campus in Tuscaloosa and Auburn University in Lee County, which had 568 and 557 cases, respectively, which earned them fourth- and fifth-place slots on the list. Shortly after the newspaper published the story, UAB released a statement saying that the Times based the schools ranking on a case total that included people who have had coronavirus in UABs hospitals and other medical facilities since March, not just the number of on-campus cases, which was the criteria used to rank most other schools. That resulted in a great exaggeration of the prevalence of coronavirus at the Birmingham university, according to UAB. In an effort to be transparent, UAB has provided the number of positive cases among UAB students, faculty and staff year-to-date, including data from our clinical and non-clinical enterprises. These data were posted out of context in a New York Times article about colleges and universities in a misleading way, the statement said. A Blazer topiary looks down on the University of Alabama at Birmingham's Campus Green on Wednesday. (Connor Sheets | csheets@al.com) While the UA Systems online coronavirus dashboard showed early Thursday that its flagship campus in Tuscaloosa has had 531 cumulative COVID-19 Positives since August 19, 2020, the dashboard indicated that UAB had only six such cumulative cases for students, academic faculty, and staff over that timeframe. UAB said in its Wednesday statement that it was only aware of 239 current UAB students, staff and employees who have tested positive for the virus at any point this year, the overwhelming majority of whom contracted it before the fall semester began. By the Timess own admission, the data used to rank UAB was different than that used for most other schools. UAB has an asterisk next to it on the Times list; the associated footnote states that the [t]otal is known to include cases from a medical school, medical center, teaching hospital or clinical setting. But the article and list remained online early Thursday without a correction, update or additional clarifying language. Theres no way None of the more than 20 students who spoke with AL.com on Wednesday said they believed it was possible that UAB had the most coronavirus cases of any university in the nation. Asked about the Times report, Emma Chippindale, a freshman who lives in student housing, said theres no way. Not with all the things we have to do. We take a daily health check before any building we enter. I went to the rec center today and I felt so safe. They make you spray down the machines before and after you use them. Jamaal Burks, a sophomore at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, stands next to the school's Campus Green on Wednesday. (Connor Sheets | csheets@al.com) UAB sophomore Jamaal Burks, a biology/pre-med major who lives on campus in the Rast Hall dormitory, echoed those sentiments. Honestly, I feel like things are a lot safer here than a lot of other places, he said. I think well make it through the year. With all the steps [UAB has] taken, I think were doing real good. A father-of-three has been stabbed to death in outside his own house. Sean Murray, 32, was treated by emergency crews who rushed to the residence at Murrumba Downs in the Moreton Bay area just north of Brisbane on Wednesday. Mr Murray died on the side of the road despite the efforts of paramedics, The Courier Mail reported. Sean Murray, 32, was treated by emergency crews who rushed to the residence at Murrumba Downs in the Moreton Bay area just north of Brisbane on Wednesday Neighbours of the pair reported hearing a woman yell 'not my baby, not my baby' before they called triple zero at about 8am on Wednesday morning. A crime scene was been established at the Burnett Drv address and a woman known to Mr Murray is assisting detectives with their inquiries. Investigations into the circumstances surrounding the incident are continuing and no charges have been laid. A Queensland Police spokesman told Daily Mail Australia charges are expected to be laid against the woman in the next few hours. U.S. President Donald Trump injected himself into the unrest roiling Kenosha, Wisconsin, tweeting that he was sending federal troops to the site of protests that have occured every day since the shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, by a police officer on Sunday. It was not immediately clear, however, what the size or scope of the potential federal intervention would be, and Trump's statement was not consistent with an announcement made by the governor. Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers said in a statement that he was authorizing 500 members of the Wisconsin National Guard to deploy to Kenosha to aid local law enforcement there. The statement made no mention of federal intervention or of any communication with the White House, US News reported. Trump said in his tweet that Evers agreed to allow federal law enforcement into the state on a phone call with White House officials. "We will NOT stand for looting, arson, violence, and lawlessness on American streets. My team just got off the phone with Governor Evers who agreed to accept federal assistance (Portland should do the same!)" Trump said. "TODAY, I will be sending federal law enforcement and the National Guard to Kenosha, WI to restore LAW and ORDER!" he said. Moderna Inc said on Wednesday its experimental COVID-19 vaccine induced immune responses in older adults similar to those in younger participants, offering hope that it will be effective in people considered to be at high risk for severe complications from the coronavirus. The company is one of the leading contenders in the race to develop a vaccine against the virus that has killed more than 820,000 people worldwide. Its candidate, mRNA-1273, is already in late-stage human trials testing its ability to safely prevent infection. The latest data from an early Phase I study includes an analysis from 20 additional people detailing how the vaccine performed in older adults. The analysis looked at subjects given the 100-microgram dose being tested in the much larger Phase III trial. Moderna said the immune responses in those aged between ages 56 and 70, above age 70 and those 18 to 55-years-old were similar. Health officials have been concerned about whether vaccine candidates would work in older people, whose immune systems typically do not respond as strongly to vaccines. Moderna shares, which have more than tripled in value this year, rose about 6% after the datas release. The company has so far enrolled over 13,000 participants in its late-stage study. About 18% of the total participants are Black, Latino, Native American or Alaska Native, groups that have been particularly hard hit by the pandemic, and are often under represented in clinical trials. Dr. Jacqueline Miller, Modernas head of infectious disease development, told a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) panel the company plans to post weekly updates on enrollment of Black and Latino trial subjects on its website. Pfizer Inc told Reuters last week that 19% of the 11,000 subjects already enrolled in its vaccine trial are Black or Latino. Miller said the demographic makeup of Modernas trial is a frequent topic at meetings with U.S. officials heading the White House program aimed at accelerating development of COVID-19 vaccines and treatments. DEEP FREEZE Companies and health officials also are working on ways to distribute COVID-19 vaccines, some of which must be shipped and stored at extremely cold temperatures. Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDCs National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, questioned Pfizers plans after the company said its vaccine must be stored at ultra-low temperatures for up to 6 months or in specially designed shipping containers for up to 10 days. Once removed from the containers, the vaccine can be kept for up to a day at a temperatures between 2 and 8 degrees Celsius (36-46F) roughly the temperature of a normal refrigerator or 2 hours at room temperature. The complexities of this plan for vaccine storage and handling will have major impact in our ability to efficiently deliver the vaccine, Messonnier said. Pfizer told the CDC panel it is working on making the vaccine stable at higher temperatures. Pfizer shares were down about 1.5%. Modernas vaccine has to be kept at minus 20 degrees Celsius for shipping and longer-term storage of up to six months, but it can be kept at regular refrigeration temperatures for up to 10 days. The vaccine will be distributed in 10-dose vials with no preservatives, the company said. Moderna is also working to make the vaccine stable at higher temperatures, Miller said. Moderna, which has never brought a vaccine to market, has received nearly $1 billion from the U.S. government under its Operation Warp Speed program. It has also struck a $1.5 billion supply agreement with the United States. Italy has ruled out imposing a new nationwide lockdown despite an upsurge in coronavirus cases, as the country struggles to emerge from the worst recession in living memory. The increase in contagion has been limited, with very low impact on health services, Health Minister Roberto Speranza said in an interview with Bloomberg News. "I exclude the hypothesis of a lockdown for our country now," Mr Speranza (41) said at his Rome office yesterday. "We have few cases and the situation is under control, with pressure on hospitals that is very low, minimal." The minister noted that during the peak of the virus crisis Italy had 4,068 patients in intensive care, compared with just 66 as of last Tuesday. "A generalised lockdown is not a prospect for us, also because we have reinforced the health service, we are faster at doing tests," said Mr Speranza, a lawmaker from junior coalition party Article One. "We're also doing tests at airports for people who come from at-risk countries." The average age of people who've tested positive in the last week is 30, and most have mild symptoms or none at all, he said. The three-month national lockdown in Italy, the original European epicentre of the virus, took a heavy toll on the economy. The Italian government forecasts that GDP will contract 8pc in 2020, while analysts see a 10pc decline. The number of new cases has increased in recent weeks, with about half involving Italians returning from holidays either within the country or abroad. The increase is, however, smaller than in other European countries including Spain, France and Germany. SALZBURG, Austria Theres a special charge to a morality play performed in the midst of a pandemic. The coronavirus has made death and the fear of dying features of daily life in a way that positions us to relate to Jedermann (Everyman), a pseudo-medieval allegory of fate and faith that inaugurated the first Salzburg Festival with an outdoor production in 1920, directed by the festival co-founder Max Reinhardt. In the 100 years since, the Salzburg Festival has grown into one of the most important music and performing arts events in the world. On Aug. 22, it commemorated its centennial with the festivals 726th performance of Jedermann. Persistent rain banished the performance from the cathedral square to a large indoor theater. Guests of honor included the presidents of Austria and Germany, Alexander Van der Bellen and Frank-Walter Steinmeier. In Jedermann, a verse drama from 1911 by Hugo von Hofmannsthal that was inspired by a 15th-century English morality play, a rich man who is summoned by death reflects on his life of pleasure and greed. Unable to find anyone to accompany him on his final voyage, he finds salvation and meaning in the religion he has spurned all his life. You cant take it with you, the play teaches, but the doors of the church are open to even the most egregious sinner. WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 21: White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows walks quickly past reporters as he returns to the West Wing following an interview with FOX News outside the White House on August 21, 2020 in Washington, DC. Meadows talked about Postmaster General Louis DeJoy's testimony before the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) Republican congressional candidate and QAnon conspiracy theory supporter Marjorie Taylor Greene has received a campaign finance boost from several key Republicans, including White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, a review of her donation receipts shows. Others who supported Ms Greenes campaign through various PACs include Barb Van Andel-Gaby, the chairwoman of the board of the Heritage Foundation, the powerhouse conservative think tank in Washington; Paul Ryan and Mitt Romney mega-donor John W Childs; and several Republican members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus. Georgias 14th District is rated Solid Republican by Inside Elections with Nathan L Gonzales and several other elections handicappers, meaning Ms Greene is likely to become the first QAnon supporter to enter the halls of Congress after this years elections. Ms Greene who won her GOP primary run-off in Georgias 14th District earlier this month against fellow conservative, pro-Trump candidate John Cowan has been rebuked by several establishment figures within her own party over her support of QAnon and the emergence of old Facebook videos in which she makes bigoted comments about Muslims and people of colour. Koch Industries Koch PAC, the pro-oil GOP money machine, has requested a refund from Ms Greenes campaign due to the unearthed Facebook videos. The QAnon theory, which originated on the far-right internet chat board 4chan in 2018, maintains that Donald Trump is waging a covert war against deep state bureaucrats, Democratic politicians, and celebrities who worship Satan, have sex with children, and eat humans. The FBI has identified the movement surrounding the QAnon conspiracy theory as a domestic terrorism threat. Future GOP star? Nevertheless, Donald Trump heralded her victory on Twitter as the making of a "future Republican Star." When asked earlier this month about Ms Greenes embrace of the QAnon conspiracy, the president declined to answer, instead gushing over her election night victory over Mr Cowan. Story continues She did very well in the election. She won by a lot. She was very popular. She comes from a great state and she had a tremendous victory, so, absolutely, I did congratulate her," Mr Trump said. Mr Meadows, the presidents chief of staff, was instrumental in helping Ms Greene secure a victory in the GOP primary, Federal Election Commission documents show. His leadership PAC, Your Voice Counts, contributed $2,000 to Ms Greene campaign committee on 10 April, according to her FEC filings. Mr Meadows told Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace this past weekend that he did not know what QAnon was until he Googled it recently. "It's not a central part of what the president is talking about," Mr Meadows said of the movement Ms Greene has supported. "I don't even know anything about it. I don't even know if it's credible, he said. He added: If it's a hate group, I can tell you that this president is not for hate. Right Women PAC, a group run by Mr Meadows wife, Debbie, spent thousands of dollars against Mr Cowan during the GOP primary run-off in Georgias 14th District. Ms Meadows touted Ms Greene as a strong ally for President Trump in advancing the Make America Great Again agenda and commended her record on gun rights and the rule of law. Meadows' past 'birther' remarks Mr Meadows, a former North Carolina congressman who rose to prominence as a media-savvy thorn in the side of the GOP establishment in the 2010s, is no stranger to stoking conspiracy theories. At a Tea Party campaign event in 2012, he told a crowd of supporters: 2012 is the time we are going to send Mr Obama home to Kenya or wherever it is, a reference to the racist conspiracy theory, fuelled by Mr Trump, that the 44th president was a Muslim born outside the US. Mr Meadows later disavowed his past remarks on the so-called Obama birther theory. A spokesman for the White House chief of staff could not immediately be reached for comment for this story. The House Freedom Caucus (HFC) leadership PAC, the House Freedom Fund, also significantly boosted Ms Greenes campaign via an independent expenditure fund that spent tens of thousands of dollars to help her defeat Mr Cowan. Mr Meadows maintains close ties to the HFC, which he chaired from 2017 to 2019, and its campaign arm. Backtracking on Q? Ms Greene has recently hedged against her past avowal of the QAnon theory, saying her past support of the movement doesnt represent her. Yeah, there was a time there for a while that I had read about Q, posted about it, talked about it, which is some of these videos you've seen come out. But once I started finding misinformation, I decided that I would choose another path," she said. But she also added that she believes she is under attack from the left-leaning media because she is unapologetically conservative. "I won't back down on my beliefs and my values," Ms Greene said in an interview with Fox News. When asked about the theory and its supporters last week, Mr Trump embraced them as political assets. I dont know much about the movement other than I understand they like me very much, which I appreciate, he said. Read more Trump promised pardons for staff who broke law, former official says Donald Trump's family tree: Who are his children and grandchildren New York and New Jersey sue Trump and Postmaster General DeJoy RNC speaker claims police would be right to racially profile her son Trump renews attacks on mail-in votes follow live Special boost is being given to connectivity in the North East UDAN scheme is run by ministry of civil aviation to connect regions in India. New Delhi: The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) on Thursday approved 78 new routes under the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS)-UDAN after three rounds of bidding. "This will further enhance the connectivity to remote and regional areas of the country. The North Eastern Region, Hilly States and Islands have been given priority in the approval process for the new routes," a MoCA official said. Special boost is being given to connectivity in the North East with routes from Guwahati to Tezu, Rupsi, Tezpur, Passighat, Misa and Shillong. People will be able to fly from Hissar to Chandigarh, Dehradun and Dharmshala under these UDAN routes. Routes from Varanasi to Chitrakoot and Shravasti have also been approved while Agatti, Kavaratti and Minicoy islands of Lakshadweep will be connected by the new routes. So far, 766 routes have been sanctioned under the UDAN scheme. Vice President Mike Pence speaks Wednesday during the Republican National Convention from Fort McHenry in Baltimore. Read more President Trump marshalled the full resources of our federal government from the outset. He directed us to forge a seamless partnership with governors across America in both political parties. Vice President Mike Pence, in his Republican National Convention speech on Aug. 26 Vice President Mike Pence portrayed his boss President Donald Trump as a leader who reached out across the aisle to help during the pandemic. President Trump marshalled the full resources of the federal government and directed us to forge a seamless partnership with governors across America in both parties, Pence said during his Aug. 26 Republican National Convention speech. Clearly the federal government has provided supplies and funding to states led by both parties in response to the pandemic, and Pence himself has held regular conference calls with governors in both parties. But Pence was speaking about the actions of Trump, not his own. Pences comments ignore Trumps multiple feuds, many times with Democratic governors, about state-federal responsibilities and pandemic response. A Trump campaign spokesperson sent us a list of dozens of tele-conferences and meetings that Trump or Pence had with governors including Democrats such as New Yorks Andrew Cuomo, and Michigans Gretchen Whitmer. In March, Trump sent a letter to governors thanking them for stepping up to help America confront this unprecedented global pandemic. The campaign pointed to actions by administration officials to brief governors about making available supplies, such as testing swabs, utilizing the National Guard, and reopening their states economies. Trump argued with governors over COVID-19 supplies, tests Early in the pandemic, Trump traded barbs with governors, especially over where responsibility lay in securing medical supplies for the states. After declaring a national emergency over the health crisis on March 13, Trump directed governors to order their own ventilators, respirators and supplies, saying the federal government is not a shipping clerk. Governors in both parties shot back that Trumps stance, and the lack of coordination from Washington, left states bidding against one another and the federal government for access to critical equipment. Cuomo said it was akin to competing on eBay with 50 other states and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Whitmer and Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican and then chair of the National Governors Association, were among those pleading for better coordination from FEMA to ensure that supplies were distributed based on need. The lack of any centralized coordination is creating a counterproductive competition between states and the federal government to secure limited supplies, driving up prices and exacerbating existing shortages, they wrote in a joint March 30 op-ed in the Washington Post. A couple days earlier, Trump said during a White House briefing that governors should be appreciative toward him and the federal government. Speaking of Pence, Trump said: He calls all the governors. I tell him I mean, Im a different type of person I say, Mike, dont call the governor of Washington. Youre wasting your time with him. Dont call the woman in Michigan. On Twitter, Trump said Whitmer was way in over her head, she doesnt have a clue. In April, Trump said that testing is a local thing and that states should turn to commercial labs for help. After he was blasted by governors from both parties, Trump said the federal government would step up efforts to get testing supplies. Governors also called on Trump early on to enact the Defense Production Act, a law that gives the president authority to expedite the supply of materials for national defense, in order to ramp up production of personal protective equipment and COVID-19 testing supplies. While the president did eventually invoke the act to produce ventilators and medical equipment, he delayed efforts to do so and did it sparingly. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson called for him to broaden its use. Trumps justification for slow-rolling the act was that he didnt want the government to intervene in the private sector. You know, were a country not based on nationalizing our business, Trump said at a coronavirus task force press briefing on March 22. Call a person over in Venezuela, ask them how did nationalization of their businesses work out? Not too well. In April, Trump said that Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican, had reopened Georgia too soon. In May, he criticized Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat, for keeping parts of his state closed that Trump said were barely affected. Trump said in mid April that it was up to him not the governors about when to re-open states on lockdown. Some governors bypassed the federal government to work together Frustrated with the responses from the Trump administration, some governors teamed up with each other to get needed supplies. In May, a coalition of governors from seven Northeastern states, including New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania and Delaware, teamed up to buy personal protective equipment and ventilators and to create a re-unified reopening strategy. As late as July, some governors were calling on the feds for help and not getting what they needed. There were shortages of testing supplies, as well as personal protective gear. Washington state asked for 4.2 million N-95 respirators. It got a bit under 500,000. It asked for about 300,000 gowns. It got about 160,000. On Aug. 18, a bipartisan group of governors five Democrats and five Republicans announced they would be teaming up with the Rockefeller Foundation to create a national testing strategy in the absence of federal action. The 10 states are Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Ohio, North Carolina, Utah, Arkansas, Rhode Island and Virginia. Their goal is to buy and deploy 5 million COVID-19 antigen tests. Feuds between Trump administration and states continue The Trump administration sought to pressure states to reopen in-person schools. In July, Trump threatened to cut off funding if schools didnt reopen. This summer, the Trump administration reduced the federal share of National Guard assistance to the states to help with pandemic response, despite pleas from governors in both parties. An Aug. 3 memo said that the federal government would no longer continue to pay for 100% of the tab for most states and that it would be reduced to 75% as of Aug. 21. And when the CDC unveiled new testing guidelines that downplayed the need to test people who dont show symptoms about 40% of those infected Cuomo and California Gov. Gavin Newsom said that they wont follow it. Asymptomatic people are thought to be significant spreaders of the virus. Both governors at times praised certain responses by the Trump administration to help their states respond to the pandemic. Our ruling Pence said, President Trump marshalled the full resources of our federal government from the outset. He directed us to forge a seamless partnership with governors across America in both political parties. Trump and top administration officials have communicated with governors of both parties for months in meetings, phone calls and written communication. But Pences comment ignores that Trump has feuded with governors over state-federal responsibilities, supplies and shutdown or reopen policies. Hes also suggested a lesser role for the federal government, and said that the handling of COVID-19 should be left to the states. We rate this claim Mostly False. Our Sources PolitiFact, No, the Trump administration hasnt fulfilled every state request for coronavirus supplies, July 27, 2020 PolitiFact, Are states in a bidding war over medical gear with the feds? April 1, 2020 PolitiFact, Ad Watch: Trumps American Comeback ad uses words of media, Democrats out of context, May 4, 2020 PolitiFact, Fact-checking Trumps claim that Gov. Tom Wolf is keeping barely affected parts of Pa. closed, May 18, 2020 Bloomberg, States Show Fury at Trump with Bipartisan Testing Plan, August 4, 2020. The Rockefeller Foundation, Arkansas and Rhode Island Join Bipartisan Interstate Testing Compact, Expanding Agreement to Ten States, August 18, 2020. New England Journal of Medicine, In Pursuit of PPE, April 30, 2020 ABC News, Arkansas governor calls on Trump to invoke the Defense Production Act to increase testing capacity, June 28, 2020. The Hill, Trump faces mounting pressure to unleash Defense Production Act, March 24, 2020. NBC New York, Northeast States Team Up to Buy PPE, Ventilators, May 3, 2020. Washington Post, Trump says government will step up coronavirus testing efforts, after governors blast federal inaction, April 19, 2020 CNBC, Cuomo rips into CDC as Trumps political tool, says New York wont follow new virus guidance, Aug. 26, 2020 Reuters, U.S. could redirect funds to schools that dont close during pandemic: DeVos, July 9, 2020 New York Times, From Trumps Shadow, Mike Pence Can See 2024, Aug. 26, 2020 New York Times, Governors Fight Back Against Coronavirus Chaos Its Like Being on Ebay with 50 Other States, March 31, 2020. New York Times, Trump Criticizes Georgia Governor for Decision to Reopen State, April 22, 2020 White House, Remarks by President Trump, Vice President Pence, and Members of the Coronavirus Task Force in Press Briefing, March 22, 2020. CNN, Trump administrations delayed use of 1950s law leads to critical supplies shortages, July 14, 2020. Gov. Jay Inslee, Tweet, July 9, 2020. CNBC, Cuomo rips into CDC as Trumps political tool, says New York wont follow new virus guidance, August 26, 2020. President Donald Trump, Tweet, July 8, 2020 President Donald Trump, Tweet, March 16, 2020 President Donald Trump, Letter, March 26, 2020 White House, Memorandum on the Extension of the Use of the National Guard to Respond to COVID-19 and to Facilitate Economic Recovery, Aug. 3, 2020 White House, Remarks by President Trump, Vice President Pence, and Members of the Coronavirus Task Force in Press Briefing, March 28, 2020 ABC San Diego, Gov. Newsom wont follow new CDC testing guidelines, August 26, 2020 The Hill, Trump authorizes reduced funding for National Guard coronavirus response through 2020, Aug. 3, 2020 White House, Memorandum on Providing Continued Federal Support for Governors Use of the National Guard to Respond to COVID-19 and to Facilitate Economic Recovery, May 20, 2020. White House, Readout from the Governors Briefing on COVID-19 Response & Re-Opening Efforts, June 8, 2020. White House statements about governors, Accessed Aug. 27, 2020 Email interview, Zach Parkinson, Trump campaign spokesperson, Aug. 27, 2020 Carthage Cement posts TND3.3m net profit at end July ICR Newsroom By 27 August 2020 Carthage Cement posted a net profit of TND3.3m (US$1.2m) as of 31 July 2020, despite at two-month shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The stoppage led the company to lose nearly TND28.6m, according to company CEO, Brahim Sanaa. Mr Sanaa said that the company targets a net result of TND19.6m by the end of the year, reversing the TND51.3m loss posted in 2019. Carthage Cement carried out a capital increase from TND172,134,413 to TND343,624,940, reducing the companys bank indebtness by TND87m to TND454.7m. The total amount of other non-operating debts also fell, by TND127.5m to nearly TND52.2m. Published under Apple Inc. cant dodge a lawsuit in which its accused of canceling a contract with a janitorial service because the owner is a woman. In a tentative ruling last week in California state court in San Jose, Judge Cynthia Lie ruled that the conduct alleged in the lawsuit, which includes an Apple manager referring to the services female owner as a typical woman in business who thinks she is assertive, but shes just pushy, was enough to allow the case to proceed to trial. Industrial Janitorial Service sued last year after its long, and apparently tortured, relationship with the tech giant came to an end. According to the complaint, in 2013 Apple paid $215,000 a month to have about 40 Apple Stores cleaned but it cut the number of stores to five later that year and ended its contract with the service in 2017. The problems started in mid-2013 when Apple managers discovered that the service was selling some of its unpaid invoices according to the lawsuit Apple was typically three to four months late in paying its bills to a third-party broker. The managers asked the owner, Darla Drendel, to come to Apple headquarters for a meeting and when she arrived were rude and dismissive, the cleaning service said. A few months later, an Apple manager made the comment about her being pushy in a phone call with her husband, according to the complaint. In 2017, after Drendel notified Apple of $1.5 millions in unpaid invoices, the tech giant terminated the contract, according to the cleaning service. In her ruling, the judge found that the service had alleged facts sufficient to support its claim of discriminatory business practice. However, she rejected other claims, including that Apple had unlawfully breached its contract. Apple didnt immediately respond to a request for comment, made after regular business hours on Wednesday. The case is Industrial Janitorial Service v. Apple Inc., 19CV357745, California Superior Court, Santa Clara County (San Jose). Copyright 2022 Bloomberg. Topics Lawsuits California Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal SANTA FE New Mexico families are gathering under canopies in a park and sitting in cars outside restaurants, state legislators say, to catch wireless internet service necessary for online learning. The anecdotes emerged Thursday as state lawmakers confronted gaps in the states broadband network and parents ability to pay for high-speed internet. Legislators of both parties said the shutdown of in-person classes during the COVID-19 pandemic underscores the urgent need to expand broadband service, especially in rural New Mexico. About 21% of students in public schools roughly 66,200 young people live in a household without an internet subscription, according to analysts for the Legislative Finance Committee. About 1,100 students live outside the reach of cell or broadband service, even if their parents could afford it. Democratic Sen. Clemente Sanchez of Grants said New Mexicos political leaders should be ashamed. He described seeing families gathering under canopies in a Grants park as they seek Wi-Fi service for remote classes. We werent prepared for this, Sanchez said Thursday during a meeting of the Legislative Finance Committee, but we are suffering now. More important, the people who are suffering are the students. The harsh comments came as lawmakers debated how to address both the short-term needs of families this school year and the long-term goal of expanding internet service. Some legislators said New Mexico should embrace a recommendation of their staff analysts: the creation of a central broadband office to coordinate and oversee efforts to bolster internet service, an idea that would require legislation in the regular session scheduled to start in January. It would cost public schools about $21 million to $26 million over the next 12 months, legislative analysts said, to fill in the broadband gaps for students. The work would involve buying laptop computers, subsidizing broadband or satellite internet service for families who cant afford it and establishing cell data hot spots. Emergency federal funding, school districts cash reserves and capital outlay funding are potential sources to cover the cost, analysts said. In Thursdays hearing, some lawmakers said they hoped Gov. Michelle Lujan Grishams administration would allow in-person classes in districts and charter schools that want to pursue it. The state has directed public schools to avoid in-person classes for most students through at least Labor Day, though some elementary students may return after that if their schools meet certain requirements. Regardless of the solution, Republican and Democratic lawmakers in Thursdays hearing held in Red River, with some participants connected through video conferencing expressed frustration at the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. I cant imagine sitting in a car when you found a hot spot and experiencing adequate learning, Sen. Gay Kernan, R-Hobbs, said. Inmates should be offered reduced sentences and some considered for release to help prevent the coronavirus spreading through locked-down Queensland prisons, a national association of lawyers argues. The call came as the union representing prison guards accepted a lockdown was the right call while airing fears a recent spike in violence towards guards could worsen with inmates in increased isolation. Corrective Services was expecting an increase in parole applications associated with COVID-19, the Deputy Premier said. Credit:AAP Image/Human Rights Watch, Daniel Soekov Queensland prisons were put into lockdown after a prison officer tested positive for COVID-19, with authorities still working to determine any link to the other 11 cases in the Brisbane Youth Detention Centre cluster. Two new cases were detected in the state Wednesday night, including the male trainer, aged in his 60s, who worked at the Queensland Corrective Services Academy and tested positive on Wednesday. A 19-year-old suspected of shooting and killing an 18-year-old Portland woman in July was arrested Wednesday, Portland police said. Kceon Colbert is being held in the Clark County jail, and will face charges related to the shooting death of ShaiIndia Harris. Harris, a recent graduate of Parkrose High School, was shot and killed outside a home on Southeast 84th Avenue between Flavel and Knapp streets in Portland on July 10. Police say Harris died at the scene before medics arrived. Polie did not immediately say how they identified Colbert as a suspect, what information led to his arrest in Clark County, or the circumstances of his arrest. Police have also not provided any information about the circumstances of the shooting, or the relationship between Harris and Colbert. A Facebook page entitled Justice for ShaiIndia, operated by family and friends, says Harris and Colbert were previously in a relationship. The page described the shooting as domestic violence. Jayati Ramakrishnan; 503-221-4320; jramakrishnan@oregonian.com; @JRamakrishnanOR Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories. Early in March, Costco suspended food samples due to the coronavirus. That was bad news for those shoppers who found the legendary free snacks to be a favorite part of their warehouse-shopping experience. However, according to a report by Delish, sample lovers will be pleased to learn that the wholesale warehouse is once again rolling out this beloved Costco staple in some locations just dont expect them to look the same as in pre-pandemic days. Since COVID-19 guidelines are still in place, the report said the samples will feature only dry pre-packaged goods. Delish cited a photo posted by @costcoguy4u on Instagram, which shows a familiar kiosk set up for the samples. A little different than what we are used to but we will take it! It looks like they will be giving out pre-packaged dry samples and not on all demos...The new normal, the Instagram account wrote on the photo. The kiosk looks familiar, but the set-up has changed. Rather than the food being cooked right on the kiosk, Delish made note that a clear display case shows the cooked product, with dry packages of the ingredients - jarred pasta sauce and spaghetti noodles - stacked in front of it. Its unclear if the packaged items are there for customers to take home and sample themselves, but that does seem to be the case, the report said. Price information, allergy alerts, and a reminder for customers to socially distance when shopping, was also displayed at the kiosk. Safety precautions are ongoing at Costco. In mid-May Costco began reopening its food courts with a limited take-out-only menu. The wholesale warehouse continues to stay up-to-date with the ongoing pandemic and has implemented store policies accordingly, the report said. All shoppers and employees at Costco have been required to wear a face mask that covers their noses and mouths when shopping, and for everyones safety, Costco still encourages proper social distancing, the report said. READ MORE: Thanks for visiting PennLive. Quality local journalism has never been more important. We need your support. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work. The boss of online retailer The Hut Group is being lined up for a 700million bonanza as his company gears up to float on the London Stock Exchange. THG has today revealed plans for a 4.5billion listing on the LSE, as it looks to tap into investor appetite for the sector following the pandemic. The MyProtein and ESPA owner said it is looking to raise around 920million via a share offering as it confirmed its intention to float. The listing is to be one of the first major floats in London after the coronavirus pandemic halted the recovering IPO market. Float: The company is set to reveal its listing plans and is expected to raise up to 1billion Matthew Moulding, founder, chief executive officer and chairman of THG, said: 'Our intention to float THG on the London Stock Exchange reflects the achievements of the past but also our strong belief in the significant potential for THG in the future. 'THG has enjoyed strong growth since being founded in 2004, employing more than 7,000 people and establishing a track record of consistent delivery for our customers. 'The brands we own today give us leading strategic positions in prestige beauty and nutrition, powered by Ingenuity, our differentiated proprietary direct-to-consumer e-commerce solution.' The company, which was founded in 2004, has rapidly expanded as shoppers increasingly turn online for health and lifestyle brands, with around 7,000 staff now employed by the Manchester-based group. THG owns a variety of its own cosmetic brands - many of which it has acquired in recent years - but also sells third-party brands through e-commerce sites it operates, such as Glossybox. Windfall: The Hut Group boss: Matthew Moulding In 2019, the company saw revenues jump by 24.5 per cent year-on-year to 1.1billion, with adjusted earnings before tax and interest of 111.3million. It told potential investors that its growth has accelerated recently as it saw revenues rise by 35.8 per cent to 676million for the six months to 30 June. Boss Moulding could be in line for a bumper bonus as a result of the new listing, according to Sky News. He could be in line for a 700million bonus one of the biggest in UK corporate history if The Hut Group reaches a market capitalisation of 7.25billion by December 2022. Moulding, 48, founded the business with fellow former Phones4u executive John Gallemore in 2004, using 500,000 in savings. It initially sold CDs, DVDs and goods such as handbags using a tax loophole to avoid VAT. It now runs ecommerce websites for firms including Johnson & Johnson and Nestle, with sales rising from just 80million to more than 1.1billion in the past decade. Under the proposed deal, Moulding would gain a 'founder's share' allowing him to veto takeovers. His potential bonus would reportedly be part of a 1.2billion payout if the market cap target is reached. SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Topia, the leading Global Talent Mobility platform, achieved record growth in Q2 driven by its tax compliance solutions for newly distributed workforces. After COVID-19 turned almost all workers into remote employees, Topia Compass (formerly known as Monaeo Enterprise Edition) saw massive demand from organizations struggling to monitor tax exposure and automate payroll withholdings. Companies using Topia Compass to track their newly remote workforces can now optimize tax obligations, save up to 25%+ per year in local tax obligations, and mitigate the risk of penalties and audits that target distributed workforces. "COVID-19 has created a new reality for today's workforce," said Steve Black, Chief Strategy Officer at Topia. "Employees are creating tax exposure at a scale and velocity never seen before. Although this presents opportunities to reduce tax obligations, it also raises the risk of penalties and audits. We welcomed a record number of clients in Q2 with many aiming to manage this challenge of a distributed workforce." Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, this new culture of distributed work is becoming permanent. Companies such as Facebook, Shopify, Square, and Twitter have announced that employees can work remotely for as long as they wish. More surprisingly, Siemens became the first major German company to introduce a permanent remote model. More than 140,000 employees in 43 countries are now welcome to work from anywhere two to three days per week. Although COVID-19 put a freeze on most relocation and business travel, it created a new mobility challenge that Topia is uniquely capable of solving. As the pandemic shuttered workplaces around the globe, knowledge workers spread into home offices, vacation rentals, and childhood homes, creating tax exposure in countless new jurisdictions. Corporations that would normally base payroll withholdings on an employee's office location could no longer do so. With Topia, companies are able to optimize tax obligations and mitigate risk of tax penalties. Founded in 2010, Topia was recently named one of the fastest growing companies in the United Kingdom by transforming the way that enterprises manage global talent mobility including relocations, temporary assignments, business travel, and distributed workforces. The Topia suite, which includes Topia Plan, Manage, Pay, Go, and Compass, provides HR and mobility teams with an end-to-end solution for strategically placing employees and tapping into new talent marketplaces. 2020 has been a landmark year for Topia. In March, Topia acquired Monaeo, a technology leader for managing business travel compliance. In April, Topia closed $15 million in Series D funding, bringing its total raised to more than $100 million. And in June, Topia launched Topia One, the first cloud-based open platform that provides an integrated data standard across global talent mobility. Topia One enables Topia to benchmark global talent mobility data for the first time and facilitates fast integrations with other technology platforms. "The new Topia One platform represents a real leap forward in the technology available to deliver global talent mobility," said Myrna DelacruzBarthel, Head of Global Mobility at Equinor. "We're excited about the opportunity for the next generation of the Topia products; to support in providing better service to our business and align our mobility efforts to our global talent strategy." Topia has been busy expanding and enhancing their partnership ecosystem as well. In April, Topia received Approved Integration status with Workday. And just last month Topia was listed on the ADP marketplace for their Topia Compass Connector for ADP Workforce Now. Topia now integrates with leading organizations such as BCD Travel, SAP Concur, Docusign, Fragomen and more. About Topia Topia is the leader in Global Talent Mobility. We empower enterprise HR teams to deploy, manage and engage employees anywhere in the world. The Topia Global Talent Mobility platform enables businesses to deliver mobility as part of a broader talent and business strategy with enhanced employee experiences. This drives competitive advantage by ensuring the right people in the right place at the right time. The Topia platform automates the entire global talent mobility process, from scenario-based planning, compliance risk management, expat payroll, reporting and more. Topia powers global talent mobility programs for many of the world's most trusted brands, including Schneider Electric, Dell, Veolia, Equinor, AXA. Topia has raised over $100M from New Enterprise Associates (now NewView Capital), Notion Capital and others, and is a global company with offices throughout the Americas and EMEA. For more information, visit www.topia.com and follow Topia on Twitter , Facebook and LinkedIn . CONTACT: Brianna Helm, [email protected] SOURCE Topia Related Links https://www.topia.com Opalesque Industry Update - Emerging Markets and Asian hedge funds surged in 2Q 2020, recovering from steep losses experienced in late 1Q, with many indices posting gains for YTD 2020 through July. The HFRI China Index gained +6.8 return in July, which followed a +14.5 percent in 2Q, the best quarterly performance since 1Q 2019, to bring YTD performance to +13.1 percent, as reported today with the release of the HFR Asian Hedge Fund Industry Report and the HFR Emerging Markets Hedge Fund Industry Report from HFR. Hedge fund capital invested in Emerging Markets also surged concurrent with the record performance gains, ending 2Q at $244.4 billion (Chinese Renminbi: 1.55 trillion, Brazilian Real: 1.24 trillion, Indian Rupee: 16.6 trillion, Russian Ruble: 16.9 trillion, Saudi Real: 842 billion), an increase of nearly $13 billion from the prior quarter. Hedge fund capital invested in Asian markets also increased to $115.5 billion (Chinese Renminbi: 798 billion, Indian Rupee: 8.57 trillion, Japanese Yen 12.28 trillion, Korean Won 1.09 trillion). The HFRI Emerging Markets (Total) Index advanced +12.8 percent in 2Q, the strongest quarterly gain since 4Q 2001, followed by a +4.5 percent gain in July, bringing YTD performance to essentially flat for the year. Hedge funds across all EM regions posted similar strong gains in 2Q, with the HFRI EM: Russia/ Eastern Europe Index surging +15.1 percent, while the HFRI EM: Latin America Index advanced +13.6 percent and the HFRI EM: MENA Index added +4.9 percent in the quarter. Through July, hedge funds investing in Russia have outperformed Russian equities by 1700 bps while LatAm-focused funds have outperformed LatAm equities by 1400 bps. The HFRI Fund Weighted Composite Index, the global benchmark for funds investing across all regions and strategies, has gained +12.3 percent over the last four months (April - July), nearly recovering the entire 1Q decline of -11.6 percent. Similarly, the investable HFRI 500 Fund Weighted Composite Index has gained +10.8 percent over the last four months (April - July), bringing YTD performance to a narrow decline of -0.2 percent. The HFRI Asia w/Japan Index gained +2.9 percent in July to increase the YTD return to +0.9 percent. Currency-focused strategies have produced strong gains through the pandemic, driven by recent declines in the U.S. dollar against both EM and developed currencies, with the HFRI Currency Index gaining +6.2 percent YTD through July. Cryptocurrency-focused hedge funds have also surged in recent months, with cryptocurrency exposure contributing to recent gains in EM-focused funds. The HFR Blockchain Index surged +26.8 percent in July, bringing YTD performance to +47.8 percent, while the HFR Cryptocurrency Index jumped +30.6 in July, bringing YTD performance to +51.4 percent. "Emerging Markets hedge funds have navigated the pandemic volatility in recent months, with gains across regional equities, currencies and commodities narrowing or entirely offsetting early 2020 losses as the coronavirus pandemic was beginning its impact on the global economy," stated Kenneth J. Heinz, President of HFR. "The macro and geopolitical environment has shifted and evolved into the second half of the year, with ongoing risk continuing, associated with the global pandemic, as well as with regard to global stimulus and recovery efforts, ongoing trade tensions and the uncertainty of the U.S. election. EM & Asian hedge funds that are positioned for this fluid environment and which have demonstrated performance generation in recent months are likely to lead industry performance and attract institutional investors." A research project on algal blooms along the Swedish coast, caused by eutrophication, revealed that large predators such as perch and pike are also necessary to restrict these blooms. Ecologist Britas Klemens Eriksson from the University of Groningen and his colleagues from Stockholm University and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden have now shown that stickleback domination moves like a wave through the island archipelagos, changing the ecosystem from predator-dominated to algae-dominated. Their study was published on 27 August in the journal Communications Biology. Eriksson experimented with the effects of nutrients on algal blooms while working as a postdoctoral researcher in Sweden. When he added nutrients to exclusion cages in the brackish coastal waters, algae began to dominate. This was no surprise. However, when he excluded large predators, he saw similar algal domination. 'Adding nutrients and excluding large predators had a huge effect,' he recalls, 10 years later. Food web The big question that arose from these results using small exclusion cages was whether the results would be the same for the real Swedish coastal ecosystem. This coast consists of countless archipelagos that stretch up to 20 kilometres into the sea, creating a brackish environment. Here, perch and pike are the top predators, feeding on sticklebacks, which themselves eat the small crustaceans that live off algae. To investigate how this food web developed over the past 40 years, Eriksson (who had moved to the University of Groningen in the Netherlands) connected with his colleagues at Stockholm University and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences to gather data on fish abundances and to carry out a series of field studies. They were inspired by recent suggestions that regime shifts can occur in closed systems such as lakes and wondered whether algal blooms in the Baltic sea could also be a consequence of such a regime change. Grazers Eriksson and his colleagues sampled 32 locations along a 400-kilometre stretch of coastline. 'We visited these sites in the spring and autumn of 2014 and sampled all levels of the food web, from algae to top predators.' These data were subsequently entered into a food web model, which helped them to find connections between species. The models showed that the small sticklebacks were important for the reproduction of the larger predators. And a local increase in sticklebacks means that a lot of the grazers in the ecosystem are eaten, which drives algal domination. 'If you just look at the abundances of fish, you find a mixed system in which different species dominate,' Eriksson explains. But looking at the changes in these fishery data over time showed an increase in sticklebacks that started in the late 1990s, initially in the outer parts of the archipelagos. 'This is presumably caused by a reduction in the number of large predators. The reduction is the combined result of habitat destruction, fishing and increased predation by cormorants and seals.' Sticklebacks migrate from the outer archipelagos inwards to reproduce, linking coastal and offshore processes. Predation Reduced predation increases the survival of sticklebacks, while both eutrophication and warming help to increase their numbers even further. As the sticklebacks reduced the number of grazers, algae began to replace seagrass and other vegetation. Furthermore, the sticklebacks also fed on the larvae of perch and pike, thereby further reducing their numbers. 'This is a case of predator-prey reversal,' explains Eriksson. Instead of top predators eating sticklebacks, the smaller fish strongly reduced the number of perch and pike larvae. Over time, the stickleback domination moved inwards like a wave: regional change propagated throughout the entire ecosystem. This has important consequences for ecosystem restoration. 'To counter algal blooms, you should not only reduce the eutrophication of the water but also increase the numbers of top predators.' It means that those organizations that manage fisheries must start working together with those that manage water quality. 'We should not look at isolated species but at the entire food web,' says Eriksson. 'This is something that the recent EU fishery strategy is slowly starting to implement.' Furthermore, the propagation of local changes throughout a system has wider implications in ecology, especially in natural ecosystems that have complex interaction and information pathways. 'And we know this from politics and human behaviour studies. A good example is the Arab Spring, which started locally and then propagated across the Middle East.' ### A video summarizing the results from this study can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/wkkOS0rTxDI Simple Science Summary Ecologists know that too many nutrients in the sea will increase the growth of algae, which changes the underwater ecosystem. Ten years ago, through small-scale experiments, ecologist Britas Klemens Eriksson discovered that removing the top predators could also increase algal growth. He has now studied data on fish abundances along the Swedish coast going back 40 years and has analysed the entire food web, from algae and plant eaters to medium-sized predators, such as sticklebacks, and top predators such as perch and pike. The results show that overfishing of top predators increases the number of sticklebacks, which then eat the plant eaters and even the larvae of the top predators. Thus, the ecosystems flip from being dominated by top predators to being dominated by algae. The results are important for the protection of coastal ecosystems. These ecosystems need top predators to keep the algae in check. Reference: Johan S. Eklof, Goran Sundblad, Marten Erlandsson, Serena Donadi, Joakim P. Hansen, Britas Klemens Eriksson and Ulf Bergstrom: A spatial regime shift in a large coastal ecosystem through predator-prey reversal. Nature Communications Biology, 27 August 2020. Paloma East Breccia Pipe Footprint Expands Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - August 27, 2020) - Chakana Copper Corp. (TSXV: PERU) (OTCQB: CHKKF) (FSE: 1ZX) (the "Company" or "Chakana"), is pleased to provide an update on its fully-funded 15,000 metre drill program that was initiated August 15, 2020 at its expanded Soledad Project in Ancash, Peru. The drill program is testing multiple high-grade, gold-enriched tourmaline breccia pipe targets starting at Paloma East and will then continue on to the Paloma West and the Huancarama breccia pipe complex (Fig. 1). EXPLORATION PROGRAM UPDATE Phase 3 Drill Program To date, three holes have been completed in the Paloma East target for a total of 528 metres, with a fourth hole in progress. All holes have encountered mineralized tourmaline breccia. Based on current modeling, the shape of the Paloma East breccia target increases from a diameter of 25 metres at surface to approximately 50 metres at 150 metres depth. The increase commences from the surface outcrop to the drilled contacts between the breccia pipe and wall rock. (Fig. 2). Additional holes are being drilled to provide control on the geometry of this breccia. David Kelley, President and CEO, commented, "Paloma East has been a great target to get our drill team fired-up after a prolonged absence from the field. The initial drilling at Paloma East seems to be consistent with other breccia pipes we have drilled at Soledad, in that the overall footprint increases at depth. Our exploration results to date lead us to believe that this is a fundamental characteristic of the breccia pipe formation at Soledad. Drilling is encouraging and we look forward to sharing assay results with our shareholders in the near-term." Channel Sampling Program and Logistics Channel sampling has been completed on Bx 6 and Bx 1. These 171 samples will support drill hole to surface correlation of mineralized domains and be used in future resource estimates. Channel samples are cut in outcrop using portable rock saws for consistency in sample width and volume. Sample intervals are normally one meter in length. Channel sampling will also be completed on Bx 5, Bx 7, and other breccia pipes pending additional drill results. A contract has been signed with Techno Fast S.A.C., a manufacturer of mobile camps in Peru. The contract is for a complete self-contained camp allowing greater control in the implementation of safe working protocols during the Covid-19 pandemic. Installation of the camp will take place over the next several weeks. About Chakana Copper Chakana Copper Corp is a Canadian-based minerals exploration company that is currently advancing the high-grade gold-copper-silver Soledad Project located in the Ancash region of Peru, a highly favorable mining jurisdiction with supportive communities. The Soledad Project consists of high-grade gold-copper-silver mineralization hosted in tourmaline breccia pipes. A total of 30,273m of drilling has been completed to-date, testing seven of twenty-three confirmed breccia pipes with more than 92 total targets. Chakana's investors are uniquely positioned as the Soledad Project provides exposure several metals including copper and gold. For more information on the Soledad project, please visit the website at www.chakanacopper.com. Qualified Person David Kelley, an officer and a director of Chakana, and a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101, reviewed and approved the technical information in this news release. ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD (signed) "David Kelley" David Kelley President and CEO For further information contact: Joanne Jobin, Investor Relations Officer Phone: 647 964 0292 Email: jjobin@chakanacopper.com Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-looking Statement Advisory: This release may contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements of Chakana to be materially different from any future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Forward looking statements or information relates to, among other things, the interpretation of the nature of the mineralization at the Soledad copper-gold-silver project (the "Project"), the potential to expand the mineralization, and to develop and grow a resource within the Project, the planning for further exploration work, the ability to de-risk the potential exploration targets, and our belief in the potential for mineralization within unexplored parts of the Project. These forward-looking statements are based on management's current expectations and beliefs but given the uncertainties, assumptions and risks, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward- looking statements or information. The Company disclaims any obligation to update, or to publicly announce, any such statements, events or developments except as required by law. Figure 1 - map showing land position, breccia pipes (circles), and occurrences (stars). Previously drilled breccia pipes shown in green and yellow. Untested breccia pipes and targets shown in red. To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/2172/62716_be07640c44e47934_001full.jpg Figure 2 - Drilling underway in the Paloma target area: A) map showing the Paloma East and Paloma West breccia pipes, and surface rock assays for gold. Completed holes and the hole in progress at Paloma East are shown. Additional holes may be drilled from these collar locations. B) section looking north showing breccia pipe shape modeled from surface outcrop and drill intercepts completed to date. To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit: https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/2172/62716_be07640c44e47934_002full.jpg To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/62716 According to 40-year old Nicole Dozois, she battered her father several times in the face that included a badly hurt left eye. Other injuries are scratches all over his neck. He allegedly was guilty of excessive farting. The suspect was arrested in Tampa Bay, Florida, after an incident at their home. Based on the reports on Sunday, the woman was fed up with her dad, and proceeded to hit him repeatedly. One of the reasons she resorted to beating is because of her dad's flatulence that was relentlessly released in their residence. To be exact, the case of battery and assault caused by farts was at the address 130th Avenue in North Largo, near to Tampa Bay, reported Meaww. The incident bizarre call Authorities who responded to this very bizarre domestic incident came at 2a.m. reporting Dozois who was beating her dad Michael for releasing much gas. It kept her from sleeping well since both were sleeping in the same bedroom in the residence, told the police, cited Knowledia. The two argued over the other one's excessive flatulence which might have been too excessive. Next, she started beating her 59-year-old dad up which was mentioned in the affidavit. In the reported domestic batter, she struck the older man's face many times with several injuries. The daughter's anger was fueled by the continual flatulence. Charges filed cause by gas After charges were filed, Dozois was placed in the Pinellas County jail, charged with domestic battery that was under unusual circumstances. Later she was released base on her recognizance. According to the records, the daughter did not admit guilt to the misdemeanor charge. The court ordered to stay away from her father as part of the arrangement, as reported by The Smoking Gun Also read: Badly Decomposed Corpse of Missing Mom Found in Garage, Cause of Death Still a Mystery Further digging into the records of Dozois shows prior charges like theft and probationary infractions. In one case, the accused also beat her sister in the head in a similar way she beat up her dad. But she got lucky when the prosecutors allowed the battery charges to be dissolved. Nicole Dozois case is only one of the many eccentricities that can be uncanny and comedic. There are also similar weird cases. Other unusual cases Last April, the unusual case of a Florida woman (again) who was caught by the police, placed 400-Easter eggs that were filled with porn in all the mailboxes near her place. When the owners of the mailboxes took out the plastic eggs, in Flagler County. Nothing sweet or edible were found inside but porno pictures, noted the Palm Coast Observer. According to the Flagler County Sheriff's Office, the culprit was Abril Cestoni, 42, who was identified by CCTV cameras. She was apprehended later on and admitted to the unusual crime. Related article: Pastor Shot Two Neighbors Dead In Front of His Daughter After Heated Altercation Escalated @ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. Nabela Noor broke down in tears as she called out the cruel online bullies who are mocking her 'Pockets of Peace' videos that offer a behind-the-scenes look at her beautifully decorated home and curated lifestyle. In an emotional video posted on TikTok on Wednesday, the 29-year-old beauty vlogger explained that she started the series after battling COVID-19 to combat her anxiety and depression. For months, she had been separated from her parents, who were stuck in Bangladesh at the start of the pandemic. The clips featuring highlights from her day and are meant to be positive, but critics have accused her of flaunting her wealth, with some even making fun of her in parody videos dubbed 'Pockets of P**s.' Scroll down for video Speaking out: Influencer Nabela Noor, 29, has hit back at cruel online trolls who are mocking her 'Pockets of Peace' videos on TikTok with their own hurtful parodies Breaking down: Nabela, who is South Asian and Muslim, defended her success as the daughter of immigrants and noted that it has been a difficult year for her in her latest TikTok Nabela, who is South Asian and Muslim, defended her success as the daughter of immigrants and noted that it has been a difficult year for her as she broke down and sobbed. 'Okay, it's becoming too much for me,' she admitted in her latest TikTok. 'I created this series to help me with my anxiety and my depression. I created it and continued to post while I had COVID, while I was fighting for my life, while my parents were stuck in another country, and now while my dad has been suffering from strokes. 'And you guys are making fun of me? Making me feel like I have to apologize for what I worked hard for? I am the daughter of f***ing hardworking immigrants.' In the caption that covered most of her face, she further opened up about her success and why she so proud of it. Positivity only: Nabela explained that she started her 'Pockets of Peace' series to combat her anxiety and depression after battling COVID-19 Harsh: The clips are meant to be positive, but critics have accused her of flaunting her wealth, with some even making fun of her in parody videos dubbed 'Pockets of P**s' 'My life today is a victory for my immigrant parents who came to this country with nothing,' she wrote. 'I'm South Asian, Muslim, plus-sized WOC and just because I don't look like someone you may think deserves success, that doesn't make it okay to be cruel bullies on the internet. 'There's a difference between lighthearted parodies and mean-spirited videos just mocking me,' she added. 'People are out here partying during a pandemic, being problematic left and right but God forbid a woman who came from nothing finds success and encourages people to love and take care of themselves while sharing the HIGHLIGHTS of my day. 'Please leave me alone if you don't like me.' Nabela has 3.8 million followers on TikTok, 1.6 million on Instagram, and 937,000 subscribers to her YouTube channel. Lifestyle: Nabela and her husband Seth Martin live in a spacious, beautifully decorated home, which is often seen in her Pockets of Peace videos Using her platform: 'My life today is a victory for my immigrant parents who came to this country with nothing,' she explained in her recent clip She started posting her Pockets of Peace videos on TikTok in late June, after she recovered from her battle with COVID-19. The cheerful clips typically begin with her lathering up her loofah with body wash in the shower and making herself either coffee or tea along with a picture-perfect breakfast. 'Hi, I'm so happy you're here,' she says. 'I wanted to share some pockets of peace from my day because I believe each day carries a few moments of goodness and we deserve to enjoy them.' Nabela's everyday routine often looks glamorous because of her surroundings. Her airy home is undoubtedly large and expertly designed down to her cupboard filled with Ball mason jars for her morning iced coffees. Some of her videos have featured updates on her home renovations, including the progress on her saltwater swimming pool and home office. Behind-the-scenes: Nabela's everyday routine often looks glamorous because of her surroundings, and some of her videos have featured updates on her home renovations Perfectly designed: In one clip, she revealed she converted her old office into new a formal dining room (left) while updating the lighting in her main dining area (right) Amenities: The beauty vlogger is also in the process of having a large saltwater swimming pool installed in her backyard In Nabela's latest video in the series, she revealed she and her husband Seth Martin were moving her mother into their home while her father was in rehab, so she wouldn't be alone. The footage showed her setting up her mother's guest room and her family decorating her father's window at the rehab center. 'My mother is the one who taught us to hold onto the good, even in the bad,' she said. 'It's why I share my pockets of peace. Because the good is there, big and small.' While many of the comments were positive, she also received a number of negative responses that didn't sit well with her. 'Okay but putting shampoo on your arm isn't bringing anyone peace sorry,' one person wrote, while another commented: 'I thought this was pockets of p**s.' Hard to handle: It's been a difficult year for Nabela, who battled COVID-19 for weeks Difficult: Nabela had been separated from her parents for months amid the pandemic Upset: After finally reuniting with her parents, her father suffered from strokes and was hospitalized. She admitted she can't believe people are making fun of her while her dad is sick Nabela responded in the comments, begging online trolls to stop attacking her. 'The bullying comments + mean spirited paraodies [are] becoming too much,' she wrote.' I just want to make vids that celebrated the good. Please stop.' The influencer later shared her heart-wrenching video asking people to leave her alone, which has been viewed more than 1.6 million times. Fans rushed to the comments to comfort her, with many sharing how much joy her Pockets of Peace videos have brought them. 'Daily pockets of peace has helped me, and so many others during this time,' one person wrote. You have worked so hard, and are so strong, sending love! 'Jealousy will get them nowhere,' another added. 'Your pockets of peace easy my anxiety and I'm so grateful.' House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) speaks to reporters in Washington on Aug. 27, 2020. (Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images) Pelosi Says Biden Shouldnt Debate Trump Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden shouldnt hold any debates with President Donald Trump, the Houses top Democrat argued on Aug. 27. Mainstreaming what had been written off as a fringe push, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) told reporters at her weekly press conference: I dont think there should be any debates. I do not think that the president of the United States has comported himself in a way that anybody should, and has any association with truth, evidence, data, and facts. I wouldnt legitimatize a conversation with him, nor a debate in terms of the presidency of the United States, she added. Pelosi, who stands second in line in the current presidential order of succession, asked reporters not to tell Biden about her position. But if he asked, she would tell him he shouldnt dignify that conversation with Donald Trump, she added. She suggested having each candidate appear separately and have conversations about a range of subjects. While some Democrat influencers and activists have proposed that Biden skip the debates with the Republican president, who is running for a second term, none were anywhere near Pelosis stature. In an appearance on MSNBC shortly after Pelosis briefing, Biden said, As long as the commission continues down the straight and narrow as they have, Im going to debate him. I know for certain that theyre going tothat I am going to be the fact-checker on the stage while Im debating him. The current debate schedule, set by the self-described nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates, would see Trump and Biden debate on Sept. 29 and twice more in October. (L) Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden speaks to reporters in Wilmington, Del., on Aug. 13, 2020. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images); (R) President Donald Trump before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington on June 27, 2018. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times) Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Bidens running mate, and Vice President Mike Pence would meet once. Trumps campaign pushed for a fourth presidential debate, or at least the movement of one to early September, but that request was rejected by the commission. Biden campaign spokesman TJ Ducklo said at the time that Biden will debate Trump three times. The Trump and Biden campaigns didnt immediately respond to inquiries about Pelosis comments. The call for a boycott came a day after Trump said he wants drug tests done on himself and his rival before their first debate. Trump claimed he saw a noticeable difference in Bidens one-on-one debate versus Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in contrast to the earlier, fuller debates. We are going to call for a drug test because theres no wayyou cant do that, he said. Trump also said he believes he and Biden should stand during the debates. Jack Phillips contributed to this report. Four men in their 20s are accused of burning down the building A federal grand jury has indicted four Minnesota men on arson charges in the burning of the Minneapolis polices Third District police building. Dylan Shakespeare Robinson, 22; Davon De-Andre Turner, 24; Bryce Michael Williams, 26; and Branden Michael Wolfe, 23 were indicted for setting the fire. Williams and Turner allegedly lit a Molotov cocktail, while Wolfe allegedly pushed a barrel into a fire at the entrance of the Third Precinct building to accelerate an existing fire, The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported. According to the indictment, Robinson and an unknown person lit an incendiary device, and that device was then tossed by another unknown person. Protesters cheer as the Third Police Precinct burns behind them on May 28, 2020, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. As unrest continues after the death of George Floyd police abandoned the precinct building, allowing protesters to set fire to it. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images) A crowd of protesters chanted, Burn it down, burn it down, according to KSTP, an ABC News affiliate in Minneapolis. After the police department fence was torn down by trespassers, the four young men, along with unidentified co-conspirators, entered the building. Despite the arrests, federal investigators are still seeking tips and information regarding the fires at the police district and other businesses during the unrest in Minneapolis in late May. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that the fire was set three days after George Floyds death. Floyd died on May 25 during an arrest by four Minneapolis police officers, who have since been charged with murder and accessory to murder. Protests began in Minneapolis after a bystanders video of his last moments went viral. Robinson, Wolfe, and Williams were already facing federal charges in the fire, but todays indictment combined their cases, according to the Star-Tribune. Have you subscribed to theGrios podcast Dear Culture? Download our newest episodes now! The post Four men indicted on arson charges in connection with Minneapolis precinct fire appeared first on TheGrio. A police officer in England has been sacked for propositioning a vulnerable woman for sex while he was on duty. The woman, known as Miss A, told a four-day hearing how West Yorkshire Police constable Darren Booth asked her for sex and suggested she arrange a threesome after he was called to deal with reports of anti-social behaviour in Castleford in the north of England in March last year. The woman said she later met the officer after he finished his shift and he made further sexual comments and asked to kiss her at the flat where she was staying. Pc Booth, 40, claimed he had been set up by the woman and her friend but a panel, which included West Yorkshire Police Assistant Chief Constable Angela Williams, found today that gross misconduct had been proved. The panel ordered that the officer, who denied all claims he had propositioned the woman for sex, should be dismissed without notice. The panels independent chairman Geoffrey Payne said Pc Booths explanation that he had gone to the flat to get legitimate information from Miss A after midnight, by himself and without telling anyone was not credible. He noted that when two police sergeants arrived at the flat, after they were tipped off by Miss A, Pc Booth gave no explanation for why he was there in highly irregular circumstances and just looked anxiously at the floor. Mr Payne said: It is significant that Pc Booth did not immediately ask to speak to one of the sergeants to explain his presence at the flat. He said that although 36-year-old Miss A was an alcoholic ex-drug addict with a string of convictions for dishonesty and Pc Booth was of exemplary previous character, this did not mean the panel would automatically believe his account. Mr Payne said the panel found it was unlikely an officer would go to the lengths Pc Booth said he had done to get the information he described from a woman who had not given him anything up to that point. The chairman said Pc Booths actions were aggravated by Miss As vulnerability, as she was a victim of domestic violence as well as an alcoholic former drug user. Mr Payne said the officers behaviour was sexually motivated and exploited the power imbalance between them. He said: Pc Booths behaviour fell a long way below the high standards the public rightly expect of police officers. The hearing heard Pc Booth, who is from Castleford, had been with West Yorkshire Police for 14 years five as a community support officer and then nine as an officer. He denied all accusations during the hearing, which was held at a police station in Wakefield with a video link for press and public at another station in Normanton, seven miles away. Nicholas Walker, representing Pc Booth, argued that his client should be given a final written warning. Mr Walker said: The consequences to him are likely to be ruinous. The hearing heard the officers father was also a policeman, with Mr Walker adding: He comes from a proud local tradition and a proud local policing tradition. He is a decent and committed community officer. The barrister added: He is someone who has made a lot of difference to people in his locality. A man holds a sign with images of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor who have been detained in China since December 2018, as people gather for a rally in support of Hong Kong democracy, in Vancouver on Aug. 16, 2020. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press) Canada Should Sanction Chinese Officials Who Imprisoned Canadians: Author of Claws of the Panda Canada should apply sanctions against the Chinese officials involved in the detention of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor and encourage other countries to make similar moves to curb Beijings aggression, says author Jonathan Manthorpe. I think it would be a very sound move to tell Beijing we know who these people are, and we are going to apply sanctions to them, he said in an interview. I think also to encourage our allies who also have Magnitsky legislation to follow our lead as well, and try and contain these people. Canada passed its Magnitsky Act in 2017, which gives Ottawa the ability to sanction foreign individuals responsible for gross human rights violations. Examples of sanctions could be barring the targeted individuals from entering Canada, or engaging in financial transactions in Canada or with Canadians outside of Canada. Last month, a joint letter signed by 62 Canadian MPs, several senators, and more than 20 community groups called on Canada to impose Magnitsky sanctions on Beijing and Hong Kong officials over human rights atrocities in Tibet and Hong Kong, and against Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang. Another group of parliamentarians asked Ottawa to sanction Chinese officials responsible for the persecution of Falun Gong adherents in China. Manthorpe, author the bestselling book Claws of the Panda: Beijings Campaign of Influence and Intimidation in Canada, says its time to sanction officials for kidnapping and detaining Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, as well as use sanctions in other cases of human rights abuse committed by the regime. He says Beijings imprisonment of Kovrig and Spavor in retaliation for Canadas detainment of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou, as well as Chinas handling of the global pandemic, has fundamentally changed the way many Canadians now view the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and relations with China. Having been fed for so long the idea that somehow at some point the Chinese Communist Party would adopt Canadian civic values, I think the Huawei affair has really woken the Canadian public up to the reality that we share no values with the CCP and never will, he says. That their first instinct when there was a diplomatic problem with Canada was to take hostages shows you, I think very clearly, that we do not share any common values. Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne met with Chinas State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Rome on Aug. 25, raising hopes for the release of the two Canadians. But those hopes were quickly dashed by a statement from Beijing the next day, blaming Canada for the problems in Canada-China relations, and saying Canada was well aware of the crux of the problem. Beijings Influence in Canada Released last year, Claws of the Panda exposes Beijings covert efforts to influence Canadian politicians, educational institutions, and business. It was named on the Globe and Mails list of 100 books that shaped 2019 and is shortlisted for this years Writers Trust of Canadas Shaughnessy Cohen Prize. It is one of the first books to comprehensively detail how deeply Beijings influence has penetrated Canadian political, corporate, and civilian life. To untangle these threads and put Canada on a stronger footing, the book recommends a less self-delusional, more courageous, and more intelligent approach with China. This includes clearly identifying and articulating Beijings multi-level intrusions on Canadian sovereignty as well as publicly criticizing the regime on key issues like Tibet, Taiwan, human rights, and imperial expansion in the South China Sea. One of the ways the CCP relies on furthering its domestic and foreign aims in Canada and elsewhere is through the multi-layered United Front Work Department. The United Front manages relations with various social, commercial, and academic organizations inside and outside China, with the aim of garnering Party support and furthering the regimes ambitions. One of the key operations of the United Front is controlling what the CCP refers to as the five poisons: Tibetan and Xinjiang activism, Taiwan independence, the Falun Gong spiritual practice, and the Chinese democracy movement. There are well-documented cases of cyberattacks, harassment, hate propaganda, intimidation of relatives in China, and more, against these groups. The CCP has put a high priority on controlling the thoughts and actions of the nearly 1.8 million Chinese living in Canada. Manthorpe points to the United Fronts efforts to stir up Party loyalty and manipulate or intimidate the Chinese diaspora outside of the mainland as one of the most urgent areas for Ottawa to push back on. I would like to see some really strong actions against United Front operations here, he says. Its quite unconscionable that the Canadian citizens should be threatened in their own homes by an agency of a foreign government. Its totally unacceptable. Manthorpe says his book will soon be translated into Chinese in efforts to attract readers of recent immigrants to Canada from mainland China, who he says are most vulnerable to United Front operatives. I was touring around the country and talking to many groups, including some that were predominantly Canadians of Chinese heritage. And I got a consistent message from them saying, Jonathan, please tell mainstream Canada to help us fend off the pressures we feel every day from the United Front operations. With reporting by Danielle Zhu Faith vs safety in burials: COVID-19 remains in dead bodies for 9 days says Centre Supreme Court agrees to hear PIL challenging use of EVMs in polls SC directs states to reach out to 10,000 kids orphaned due to Covid-19, pay compensation Cant expose you to risk of being targeted says SC as it refuses plea to permit Muharram procession India oi-Vicky Nanjappa New Delhi, Aug 27: The Supreme Court has refused to pass orders on a petition that sought permission to hold the Muharram procession. SC refuses permission for Muharram processions, cites Covid | Oneindia News A Bench headed by Chief Justice of India, S A Bobde said that if the procession is allowed, it will lead to chaos. As a result of this a particular community will be targeted for spreading COVID-19, the CJI said. He further said that we as a court cannot expose you to that risk. We cannot give general directions, the Supreme Court further said. Setting new global record, India registers new single-day spike of 77,266 COVID cases When the petitioner cited the Puri Rath Yatra and the permission granted to it, the SC said that it was at one place from point to point. But you are seeking permission for all over India. The Ganesh festival was not permitted in Tamil Nadu. Further in the Jain Temple, Mumbai case, the plea for limited access was permitted, the SC also said. These were all limited prayers and we cannot pass general directions, Justice Bobde also said. The plea sought a direction to allow the procession to take place. The petitioner said that Shias were concentrated in Lucknow and permission be given there. To this the SC asked the petitioner to approach the Allahabad High Court. Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 18:30:19|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close DHAKA, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Bangladesh has again extended the time of educational institutions closure amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Bangladesh's Ministry of Education said Thursday in a statement that the government extended the closure of all educational institutions till Oct. 3. Bangladesh on March 16 first announced to close all the educational institutions in the country from March 17 in an effort to halt the spread of the COVID-19. Since March 8, the virus has spread to nearly every Bangladeshi district and the total number rose to around 300,000 with over 4,000 deaths so far. Enditem Nation remains committed to reform, opening-up People's Daily Online (China Daily) 14:30, August 26, 2020 Forty years ago, China created four special economic zones in the southeastern coastal cities of Shenzhen, Zhuhai and Shantou in Guangdong province and Xiamen in Fujian province as part of the country's opening-up drive to encourage foreign investment and boost economic growth. Ever since then, by adhering to its fundamental State policy of opening-up, China has aligned itself with the economic globalization process, and emerged to be the world's second-largest economy. As the COVID-19 pandemic has plunged the world economy into recession, China remains committed to expanding opening-up to bolster its high-quality growth and to promoting globalization and inclusive development. Speaking at a symposium on economic and social work on Monday, President Xi Jinping stressed the importance of higher-level opening-up in international cooperation and competition, and reiterated that opening-up remains China's fundamental policy. He underlined the need to actively develop cooperation with countries, regions and enterprises that are willing to partner with China, including individual states, local partners and companies from the United States, in order to form an all-around, multifaceted opening-up structure. While adhering to opening-up, Xi said the country should also coordinate security with development, make efforts to enhance competitiveness and improve its risk oversight, prevention and control capabilities. Observers said that, against the backdrop that the US keeps raising its rhetoric against Beijing and escalating confrontation with the "new Cold War", China's consistent policy of opening-up holds the key to its post-pandemic development and will also inject greater confidence and momentum into the world economy. Zhou Fangyin, president of the School of International Relations at Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, said that in the current situation, China's wider opening to the world will help frustrate US attempts to contain it on the international stage, although the policy cannot result in changes to Washington's anti-China strategy. Through bilateral and multilateral cooperation with more countries, China will use its concrete steps in reform and opening-up to reduce the impact of anti-globalization caused by unilateralism and protectionism, hence contributing to its growth and bringing hope for world economic recovery from the fallout of COVID-19, Zhou said. A recent meeting of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee set the tone for the country's economic policy based on the uncertainties and problems that are likely to exist in the medium and long term. It called for a "dual circulation "development pattern in which the domestic economic cycle plays a leading role while the international economic cycle remains its extension and supplement. Strategic choice The policy comes as China seeks to leverage its huge domestic market and the potential of domestic demand so that domestic and foreign markets can complement each other, as it copes with an external environment characterized by rising protectionism, a global economic downturn and a shrinking international market. It is neither a contingency plan in response to industrial and supply chains being severely affected by the pandemic nor a forced measure to counter some countries' decoupling with China, said Huang Qifan, former mayor of Chongqing and vice-chairman of the China Center for International Economic Exchanges. It is a strategic choice China has adopted to step up the coordination of domestic and international markets to make them complement each other through more profound reforms and higher-level opening-up, Huang said in a recent online symposium on China's economy in Beijing. Given rising protectionism and unilateralism, as well as the impact of COVID-19 on the global economy, Huang said that the more difficult the situation China faces, the more firmly it is committed to expanding opening-up in order to create new prospects from the changing situation. "We need to boost the international economic cycle with higher-level opening-up," he added. Since May, a number of new opening-up measures have been implemented in China, such as the liberalization of foreign investment in financial services. On June 1, China released the Overall Plan for the Hainan Free Trade Port, including zero tariffs on specific goods, lower income tax rates and a simplified tax system. Once operational, the port will become another door opening for China to interact with the world. The third China International Import Expo, expected to be held in Shanghai in November, is considered a sign of China's firm commitment to win-win development through opening-up. It has drawn more registrations from renowned companies compared with last year, and the average exhibition area of Fortune 500 and leading companies will increase by 14 percent, fully demonstrating global businesses' confidence in China's economic growth and prospects. Xi pledged at last year's expo that China will open wider to the world. In a reply letter to representatives of Global CEO Council members on July 15, Xi reassured the global CEOs that China will continue to deepen reform and expand opening-up, and provide a better business environment for investment and the development of Chinese and foreign enterprises. Wang Huiyao, president of the Center for China and Globalization, said China's opening-up will not only benefit itself, but also brighten prospects for the world economy amid the current crisis. "China demonstrated its ability to accelerate global economic recovery during the 2008 financial crisis, and now, amid the COVID-19 crisis, China is capable of helping the world move out of the coronavirus shadow via continued opening-up and multilateral cooperation," Wang said. Sound business climate While stepping up efforts to open its market, optimize opening-up and intensify bilateral and multilateral cooperation, China has also done a lot to improve the business environment. Since China's first negative list for foreign investment access was released in 2017, it has been progressively shortened to 33 items from 93. The World Bank's Doing Business Report 2020 ranks China 31st, up from the 78th place two years ago. For two consecutive years China has been on the list of 10 economies where business climates improved the most. According to a recent survey conducted by the Ministry of Commerce, 99.1 percent of foreign-funded enterprises indicated that they would continue to invest and operate in China. The US-China Business Council's recent survey of over 150 businesses also shows that China's steps to expand opening-up and optimize its business environment have provided greater convenience to foreign companies in China, and US companies remain optimistic about the Chinese market. However, analysts said the US administration's "America first "policy and mounting China-US tensions pose risks for countries' efforts to work together to get out of the world economic recession. Zhou said "decoupling" with China, as proposed by some US politicians, cannot reduce the impact of globalization on countries' economic structures or solve problems related to the distribution of interests, but will actually make these problems get even worse. Michele Geraci, former undersecretary of state at the Italian Ministry of Economic Development, said that in the current situation, partial decoupling or a slowdown in globalization may be a realistic outcome, but this will not bring benefits in the long term. "Given the current economic disaster of many developed countries, a less efficient global economic environment may be a small price to pay in exchange for guaranteeing domestic social stability," Geraci said. Stephen Roach, a faculty member at Yale University and former chairman of Morgan Stanley Asia, said it is tempting to read too much into the sharp escalation of the US-China conflict. "In my opinion, the recent escalation is more about crass US politics than about deep existential threats to globalization," Roach said. He said the logical conclusion that the US administration is implying through this attack-escalation strategy is that the alleged "China threat" has become more serious in recent weeks. "However, this is a supposition laced with conspiracy theories without any validation from fact-based evidence," Roach said, adding that this is the justification for the US administration's ever-escalating anti-China campaign. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address The Delhi high court on Thursday put on hold the insolvency resolution process (IRP) proceedings against Reliance Communications (RCom) chairman Anil Ambani in relation to the recovery of Rs 1,200 crore loans given by SBI to his two firms. Photograph: Shailesh Andrade / Reuters. Ambani had given personal guarantees for the Rs 565 crore and Rs 635 crore SBI loans to RCom and Reliance Infratel Ltd (RITL), respectively, in August 2016. A bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Rajnish Bhatnagar, while putting on hold the IRP under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC), also restrained Ambani from "transferring, alienating, encumbering or disposing of his assets or legal rights and interests therein till the next date of hearing". It issued notice to the Centre, the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) and State Bank of India seeking their stand on the plea by October 6, the next date of hearing. The court also said that the proceedings would continue in relation to the corporate debtor (the companies), and while dealing with those proceedings, the liability of the petitioner-personal guarantor (Ambani) may also be examined by the IRP. "However, proceedings against the petitioner (Ambani) under Part 3 of the IBC shall remain stayed," it said. Ambani in his plea has challenged the constitutionality of the IBBI (Insolvency Resolution Process for Personal Guarantors to Corporate Debtors) Regulations, 2019. During the hearing via video conferencing, the Centre and the IBBI -- represented by Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma, central government standing counsel Akshay Makhija and advocate Madhavi Divan -- opposed the stay of the IRP saying it could lead to the guarantor "frittering" away his assets. SBI too raised similar apprehensions during the hearing. It also urged the court to allow the resolution professional appointed by the NCLT to go on with his work and give a report, but the bench did not agree to it. The National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) on August 20 had directed initiation of insolvency proceedings against Ambani under the personal guarantee clause of the bankruptcy law. It had ordered the appointment of a resolution professional and asked SBI to take the necessary action. The NCLT had also said both RCom and RITL committed default in repayment in and around January 2017. The accounts were retrospectively declared as non-performing account (NPA) with effect from August 26, 2016, even before loan agreements had been entered into. According to the NCLT order, around 2015-16, RCom had sought credit facilities of Rs 565 crore for repayment of certain existing financial debts and for credit facilities of Rs 635 crore for its sister concern RITL, also for the repayment of existing financial debts RCom filed for bankruptcy last year, and consequently, its secured debt was estimated at around Rs 33,000 crore, while lenders submitted claims of around Rs 49,000 crore in August 2019. Recently, in March the SBI board had approved a resolution plan for RCom that envisaged lenders recovering around Rs 23,000 crore, entailing a haircut of nearly 50 per cent RCom owes nearly Rs 5,000 crore to SBI. " " What's the Dominican Republic like beyond the resorts? iStockphoto.com Because of its picturesque, white-sand beaches, mountainous landscape and temperate tropical climate, the Dominican Republic is a well-known tourist destination. Its popular resorts and activities make tourism a major industry for the country. So, when most people think of the Dominican Republic, they think of the perfect vacation. Fewer people are familiar with the country's rich history and local traditions, however. The Dominican Republic makes up the eastern end of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola. The country neighbors Haiti, which makes up the western end of the island. Today the Dominican Republic is home to nearly 10 million people, the majority of whom are mulatto. Most Dominicans are also Spanish-speaking and Roman Catholic. Advertisement To understand the traditions of the Dominican people, well have to take a look back at the countrys past for context. Its history is one riddled with political and civil tensions. When Columbus arrived with the Spanish in 1492, he found an island inhabited by a group of indigenous people known as the Tainos, an Arawak-speaking culture. These people lived in villages and were hunters and gatherers as well as having a limited knowledge of agriculture and farming. Unfortunately, due to disease brought over by the colonists and harsh working conditions that they were forced into, the Taino population on the island dwindled from approximately a million to a mere 500 in the matter of a just 50 years [source: U.S. Department of State]. It didnt take long for the Spanish colonists to bring in slaves from Africa to replace the Taino workers on the plantations. In the 19th and 20th centuries, control over what is now the Dominican Republic changed hands several times. The Haitians conquered the whole island in 1822 before the Dominicans gained independence in 1844. In the 1860s, the Dominicans ceded control back to the Spanish for four years before getting independence again. After a U.S. occupation between 1916 and 1924, the Dominicans established a democratically elected government. However, this did not end the political strife that continued on and off throughout the 20th century. Despite the country's fractured past, however, some traditions have endured. Former President Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings has detailed one incident at Afiadenyigba between Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings and Ernestina Naadu Mills, former first and second lady respectively, which Prof. Kwamena Ahwoi has stated in his book Working with Rawlings that, it was the main reason Rawlings fell out with his vice president Prof. J.E. Atta-Mills. Prof Kwamena Ahwoi wrote that he was summoned by President Rawlings to the Castle sometime in April 2000, and there Rawlings threatened to disown and disinherit Professor Mills as the NDCs Presidential Candidate for some insolence that Mrs Mills had shown to his wife, Nana Konadu at a political event at Afiadenyigba in the Dangbe East District of the Greater Accra Region, and which Nana Konadu had reported to him. But Rawlings in a statement Wednesday explained the incident thus: In 2000, Vice President Mills had been confirmed as the candidate for the NDC. Nana Konadu, as part of her political campaign for the Party, created a programme for the Greater Accra Region. One of the events was the opening of a school in Afiadenyigba, Ada, which she invited Mrs Mills to commission; to officially outdoor her to the Dangbe community. Although protocol arranged for the First Lady and Vice-Presidents wife to travel together, Mrs Mills decided to take the lead on the journey. Whilst serving as Head of State in the 1980s, J.J. Rawlings, [....]always insisted that in attending public events, none of his officials including himself would alight from their vehicles from their periphery and would not drive into durbar grounds, thereby whipping up dust onto the chiefs, royalty and the community. He went on: When Mrs Mills arrived at the durbar grounds at Afiadenyigba, her convoy in an attempt to drive onto the sandy durbar grounds was frantically flagged down and stopped by a police officer assigned to the function. Mrs Mills in a fury demanded the reason for this. The police officer proceeded to explain the rationale for stopping her car which unfortunately did little to defuse the situation and she said she was leaving. The 31st DWM ladies that organized the event frantically went on their knees to apologize to the Vice-Presidents wife and begged her to stay. This was in full view of the chiefs and people gathered. Rawlings further explained: Nana Konadu eventually arrived at Afiadenyigba to the sight of some elderly organizers on their knees, pleading, with Mrs Mills who was clearly upset. Nana Konadu enquired as to what had transpired and was briefed by her organizers. In an attempt to de-escalate the situation, Nana Konadu apologized to Mrs Mills on their behalf and explained that all manner of hiccups occurred at public events but that should not bother her. When Nana Konadu proceeded to greet the chiefs and people present, she was met by shocked chiefs, queen-mothers and their subjects, all of whom could have been located to corroborate the incident, was the author so inclined? Rawlings further added that it came to light that the police officer in question and his colleagues present were transferred outside of the Greater Accra Region. One of the officers wrote a report to the then IGP Peter Nanfuri who also reported the entire matter to President Rawlings. Shocked and upset at the entire incident, President Rawlings asked Vice-President Mills why he would issue such instructions against the officers when they were just doing their jobs. The transfers were subsequently overturned, the statement read further. Nana Konadu, former President said, was still on her regional campaigns for the NDC and Vice President Mills, unaware of the demotions, transfers and subsequent discussions taking place in Accra. Whilst in Cape Coast, the then Regional Minister Jehu-Appiah and two other persons met with her to enquire as to her knowledge of the incident. She narrated it and they expressed surprise at such a trivial incident taking this turn. Rawlings then added: Kwamena Ahwoi, John Kwadjo and E.T. Mensah, all appointees at the time, authored a report of this incident which lays all the facts bare. This is a matter of public record and were the author so inclined, he would have consulted it as he did with other documents in his possession. Source: ghanaweb.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 A severe thunderstorm warning issued by Environment Canada Thursday afternoon for Windsor-Essex and Chatham-Kent has ended. In a weather statement, Environment Canada said meteorologists were tracking a severe thunderstorm capable of producing very strong wind gusts, heavy rain and nickel sized hail. The statement by Environment Canada was issued just before 4 p.m. Thursday and ended around 4:30 p.m. However, a thunderstorm watch remains in effect. "The office of the fire marshal and emergency management recommends that you take cover immediately if threatening weather approaches," the special weather statement reads. Earlier today, Environment Canada also issued a heat warning for the Windsor and Leamington areas. Daytime high temperatures were expected to climb to 34 C, with a humidex value potentially reaching the low 40s. "Hot and humid air can also bring deteriorating air quality and can result in the air Quality Health Index to approach the high risk category," reads the statement. Blake, 29, who was shot at least seven times, is paralyzed after being wounded in his spinal cord, vertebrae, internal organs and his arm, his family and attorney said Tuesday in a news conference in Kenosha, Wis. Blake is being treated in a Milwaukee, Wis., hospital. Some witnesses say that Blake was trying to break up a fight between two men Sunday in Kenosha. A cellphone video of Blake's encounter with Kenosha police shows Blake walking around and opening his car door before a police officer appears to shoot him in the back. Kenosha police have provided few details about what happened, saying only that they were responding to a domestic dispute. Officer Rusten Sheskey of Kenosha Police Department has been identified as the officer who fired seven shots into Blake's back, according to news reports. At the rally on King Drive, the Rev. John Mendez, a social activist and retired pastor of Emanuel Baptist Church in Winston-Salem, said he is proud of the young people who have protested racial justice throughout the summer. A favourite joke among the Perth media currently is that there are nearly more active Clive Palmer legal cases than COVID-19 cases in Western Australia. By Thursday afternoon, WA had seven active coronavirus cases, while there are six Clive Palmer writs trudging through various Australian courts and another big High Court challenge of the state government's 'anti-Palmer' legislation foreshadowed. WA Premier Mark McGowan and billionaire Clive Palmer. Credit:The Age This barrage of cases in the past week could cost tens of millions of dollars to defend and prompted WA Premier Mark McGowan to instruct the states lawyers to have the mining magnate declared a vexatious litigant, which could see everything thrown out. So what is a vexatious litigant and does the state have any prospect of having Mr Palmer, a man who once declared litigation as his 'hobby', ruled to be one? LAKE CHARLES, La. - Just days ago, officials in Louisianas Calcasieu Parish voted not to move a Confederate statue from its prominent place in front of the courthouse. Then Hurricane Laura came along and toppled it. The Souths Defenders Monument was knocked off its pedestal as the Category 4 monster swept through the southwestern Louisiana parish. On Thursday morning it could be seen lying on its side next to its still-standing base broken tree branches strewn on the grass around it as a steady stream of onlookers took photos. Dozens of similar statues are scattered across the United States, mostly in the South, and many are conspicuously located in front of courthouses or in the town square. Residents against removal argue the monuments are pieces of Southern heritage that are historically educational and honour fallen relatives. But opponents insist they are brutal reminders of slavery and Black oppression. Officials in many cities and states have decided to remove Confederate statues from places of honour over the past few months amid nationwide protests against racial inequality and police brutality. New Orleans took a similar step to remove four controversial monuments in 2017. The statue in Lake Charles was dedicated on June 3, 1915, according to the American Press. The Calcasieu Parish Police Jury, the parishs governing body, voted Aug. 13 to keep the monument in its place after a sometimes heated public debate involving parish residents. One of them, Lois Malveaux, spoke in favour of the statues removal. The Confederate soldiers were in favour of slavery. Being a Black woman, the pain is real in my soul. God is destroying all evil symbols of hatred across the world, she told the jurors, according to the newspaper. CHICAGO, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the new market research report "Industrial Safety Market with COVID-19 Impact by Component (Presence Sensing Sensors, Safety Switches, Programmable Safety Systems, Emergency Stop Devices), System (ESD, HIPPS, TMC, BMS, and F&GM), Industry, and Region - Global Forecast to 2025", published by MarketsandMarkets, the Industrial Safety Market is projected to grow from USD 5.6 billion in 2020 to USD 7.7 billion by 2025; it is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.7% from 2020 to 2025. The key factors fueling the growth of the market includes the demand for industrial safety include strict mandates for safety regulations and high requirements for reliable safety systems to ensure personnel and asset protection. Moreover, growing acceptance of workplace safety standards in emerging economies and increasing usage of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) are expected to create opportunities for the market in the next 5 years. Ask for PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=19720540 "Machine safety market to lead industrial safety market during forecasted period" Currently, machine safety systems provide increased safety for process industries. Machine safety demands continue to rise. The major driving factors of the machine safety market are stringent mandates for safety regulations, high demand for safety systems in the oil & gas, energy & power, and food & beverages industries, and rising need for reliable safety systems for machine protection. However, several industrial units across the world have suspended their operations owing to the outbreak of the COVID-19. This is expected to create a temporary slag in the growth of the machine safety market in 2020. "Market for programmable safety system to grow at fastest CAGR from 2020 to 2025" Programmable safety systems are highly reliable logic solvers, which provide both fail-safe and fault-tolerant operations. The market for programmable safety systems is anticipated to grow at a fast rate in the coming years as manufacturers are replacing the existing systems to comply with strict industrial safety regulatory standards. Programmable safety systems are an integral part of safety instrumented systems. These systems must be designed or selected in accordance with the IEC 61508 standard and are required to achieve the SIL 3 and SIL 4 performance. "Automotive industry to hold larger market share for industrial safety in 2020" Automation plays a vital role in the automotive manufacturing industry owing to functions such as inventory management, performance analysis, design process, and supply chain management, which require a lot of time if done manually. Automation enables companies to save time during assembling, thereby increasing productivity. Automotive companies focus on automation to address the fast-changing consumer needs in various markets worldwide. However, during the period of economic depression due to COVID-19 pandemic, the difficulties that industrial safety equipemnt manufacturers and their customers face in accessing credits strongly affect the sector as credits are critical for investments. Browse in-depth TOC on "Industrial Safety Market" 190 - Tables 40 - Figures 235 - Pages Inquiry Before Buying: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Enquiry_Before_BuyingNew.asp?id=19720540 "North America to be largest market for industrial safety during forecast period" North America is expected to dominate the global industrial safety market during the forecast period owing to the stringent industrial safety regulations in the US and Canada that are strictly followed across various process industries. Safety standards developed by OSHA, ANSI, and CSA Group have forced various industries to implement industrial safety at their workplace. In addition, a rising focus on workplace safety in the oil & gas, refining, food & beverages, healthcare & pharmaceutical, and chemical industries has promoted an encouraging investment environment in the industrial safety market in North America. Major players in the industrial safety market are ABB Ltd. (Switzerland), Emerson Electric Co. (US), General Electric Co. (US), Honeywell International Inc. (US), HIMA Paul Hildebrandt GmbH (Germany), Schneider Electric SE (France), Rockwell Automation, Inc. (US), Siemens AG (Germany), Yokogawa Electric Corp. (Japan), and Omron Corporation (Japan). Related Reports: High-Integrity Pressure Protection System (HIPPS) Market by Component (Field Initiator, Logic Solver, Valve, Actuator), Service (Maintenance, Testing, Inspection, & Certification, Training & Consulting), Industry, and Region - Global Forecast to 2024 Safety Light Curtain Market by Safety Level (Type 2, Type 4), Component (LEDs, Photoelectric Cells, Control Units, Display Units), Resolution (9mm-24mm, 25mm-90mm, More Than 90mm), Application, Industry, and Geography - Global Forecast to 2025 About MarketsandMarkets MarketsandMarkets provides quantified B2B research on 30,000 high growth niche opportunities/threats which will impact 70% to 80% of worldwide companies' revenues. Currently servicing 7500 customers worldwide including 80% of global Fortune 1000 companies as clients. Almost 75,000 top officers across eight industries worldwide approach MarketsandMarkets for their painpoints around revenues decisions. 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MarketsandMarkets' flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "Knowledge Store" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets. Contact: Mr. Aashish Mehra MarketsandMarkets INC. 630 Dundee Road Suite 430 Northbrook, IL 60062 USA: +1-888-600-6441 Email: sales@marketsandmarkets.com Visit Our Web Site: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com Research Insight: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/ResearchInsight/safety-instrumented-system-market.asp Content Source: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/PressReleases/safety-instrumented-system.asp Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/660509/MarketsandMarkets_Logo.jpg WASHINGTON - At the end of every tour of his Washington D.C.-based brewery, Thor Cheston has a question for his guests. "How many of you live outside the District?" Cheston, the co-founder of Right Proper Brewing Co., asks the out-of-towners. He asks because he needs a favor from them, because they have something Cheston doesn't - a voice in Congress. "I say, 'I would please implore you to call your local representative and let them know you support lower federal excise taxes for small, independently owned breweries,' " Cheston said in an interview this week, " 'because we can't do that ourselves.' " Cheston is sharing that story this week as part of a pro-statehood campaign called #WeAreDC, launched by the advocacy group 51 for 51 in response to the suggestion by GOP senators this summer that "real people" don't live in the District of Columbia. The campaign, also headed by Neighbors United for DC Statehood and DC Vote, follows the historic House passage of a D.C. statehood bill in June. Although the bill is stalled in the GOP-controlled Senate, advocates say Washington is closer than ever to having a chance to become the 51st state, with Democrats nearly united on the issue, plus the prospect of Joe Biden winning the presidency and Democrats flipping the Senate. Now, in short video stories from residents and small-business owners such as Cheston, the #WeAreDC social media campaign is an effort toward what has been a longtime goal for pro-statehood activists - erasing stereotypical perceptions of D.C. as the exclusive turf of political elitists, a perception some say has kept Americans in the dark about the disenfranchisement of D.C. residents. A 2019 Gallup poll found that nearly two-thirds of Americans oppose D.C. statehood. Some strategists say it is essential that advocates galvanize nationwide support for the cause if they want it to gain better traction in the Senate. #WeAreDC is a step in that direction, activists said. Their stories "are really important, because often people think of Washington, D.C., they think of the Capitol, they think of the White House, they think of monuments," said Stasha Rhodes, the campaign manager for 51 for 51, a coalition of national and local groups. "They don't often think about the 700,000 residents that live here, that are firefighters, that are nurses, that are teachers." Adam Jentleson, who was a top aide to then-Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., said one of the best paths to achieve statehood would be to include it with civil and voting rights legislation advanced by a Democratic Senate majority - and only if the filibuster is eliminated, given the strong Republican opposition to creating a 51st state. photo for The Washington Post by Amanda Voisard. Republican senators have turned a cold shoulder to statehood on political as well as legal grounds. Many argue that making D.C. a state would go against the intent of the nation's founders, that it can be done only by a constitutional amendment, or that Maryland should instead annex the city if its residents want to live in a state. Republicans also acknowledge that statehood would grant D.C. two senators and one representative, all of whom would almost certainly be Democrats. In July, Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., encouraged his colleagues to get out of the District to talk to "real people" about what they think of statehood. Meanwhile, Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., said on the Senate floor that Washington did not deserve to become a state, because, unlike sparsely populated Wyoming, the District would not be a "well-rounded working-class state." The rhetoric was condemned by critics as racist, given that 46 percent of the District is Black. "What vital industries would the new state of Washington represent? Lobbying? Bureaucracy? Give me a break," Cotton said. Citing the city's revitalization efforts, Beverly Perry, a senior adviser to Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser who has led statehood advocacy, pushed back on what she called an outdated caricature of the city. Millions of visitors, she said, "are coming here because we built a destination, we built an industry. So if Republicans want to try to downplay all of our efforts and say we haven't built an industry, that's just narrow-minded on their part." Democratic Del. Eleanor Norton Holmes, the District's longtime nonvoting representative in Congress, found a silver lining, however. The senators, she said, "have done us a service they did not intend" - creating an impetus for a new education campaign. The #WeAreDC hashtag, she posited, "not only refutes everything they said - it goes further, which is to help us get the message across that D.C. does not have the rights as everyone else has, even though we're number one in federal taxes paid to support the federal government." Walter Smith, executive director of the DC Appleseed Center for Law and Justice, said he believes outsiders have opposed statehood not because of a stereotypical perception of the District but because they have no perception at all, leaving them blind to the fact that D.C. residents have no vote on Capitol Hill. He said he learned as much as far back as 2000, when he went on a cross-country bike ride to personally ask Americans from Minneapolis to New Orleans what they thought of D.C. statehood. Many he met did not realize that D.C. residents lacked voting rights, he said, leading him to conclude that a large, coordinated education campaign was needed. "One guy biking across the country isn't going to do it," said Smith, who is leading a lawsuit in D.C. federal court arguing the lack of voting representation is unconstitutional. An earlier lawsuit he and other statehood advocates led failed in 2000, when the Supreme Court, without a hearing, affirmed a lower-court ruling finding that D.C. did not have a constitutional right to a voting representative in Congress. Smith said the challenge for galvanizing support for D.C. voting rights is that, unlike with the civil rights, gay rights or women's rights movements, "there aren't people all over the country who don't have voting representation." "In fact, to the contrary, all of them have it already," Smith said, "and they all take it for granted. And so getting them energized enough to speak out and demonstrate and call their member of Congress because they're upset people in the capital don't have the vote, that's hard to do." Having a better picture of the people who make up the vibrant city, he said, is at least a good place to start. So far, the #WeAreDC campaign has featured a firefighter, a small-business owner, a foster parent and a Vietnam veteran sharing their frustrations over their lack of voting rights. "After serving my country during the Vietnam War, I was denied my vote in the Congress of the United States," Hector Rodriguez says. "To me that is a slap in the face." Glenda Williams-Blackmon, the foster parent, says: "Give us the authority to make our own decisions. . . . There is no one I can go to and say, 'Well, why am I paying this and who am I paying this to?'" George Derek Musgrove, a professor and the co-author of "Chocolate City: A History of Race and Democracy in the Nation's Capital," shares his expertise on the history of the city's enfranchisement as part of the video series. In an interview, he accused Republicans of "veiled racism" and said the rhetoric trashing the District as a city of influence-peddlers is not new. "You tend to talk about D.C. and inside the Beltway as a place where government happens," he said. "It's really easy to fill that void with this absurd rhetoric, and it reinforces everything you see in popular culture, 'The West Wing' and everything else. And it plays on the built-in hostility people have against government." Cheston said he is cautiously optimistic about how the upcoming election could influence the statehood cause. Meanwhile, he said, he will continue doing his part evangelizing the out-of-town brewery tourists. "I feel like we're adding something to the community," Cheston said. "It would just be nice to know that there is someone that could fight for us, you know?" Denver, CO, Aug. 27, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- IAALS, the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System, and the Netherlands-based HiiL (The Hague Institute for Innovation of Law) recently launched the largest-ever survey of its kind as part of their US Justice Needs project. Funded by Bohemian Foundation, the US Justice Needs survey will reach 10,000 people in the United States and seek to uncover their experiences in accessing justice when they need it. "A broad study of justice needs at all income levels is badly needed," says Jim Sandman, President Emeritus of the Legal Services Corporation, Distinguished Lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, and member of the US Justice Needs Advisory Committee. "We lack current data on what legal needs people in different economic circumstances and geographic locations have and how, if at all, they address them. The survey responses will allow meaningful, research-informed progress in closing justice gaps across our legal system. This has never been more important than now, with the COVID-19 pandemic and longstanding racial injustices posing serious challenges to our society." The scope of the survey is a major next step in the research in this field, which has been heavily focused on identifying the unmet legal needs among those with low income, or has been limited in geographical scope. US Justice Needs will survey people across all regions of the United States, including urban and rural areas, and people who have not historically been included. We want to know the legal problems that young and old, rich and poor, and urban and rural Americans have to deal with, explains Dr. Martin Gramatikov, Measuring Justice Director at HiiL. What are the journeys that they take to resolve these problems? How fair are the resolutions that people achieve? What are the limitations they face, and how can we remove these barriers to increase access to justice? And a new question in light of the current crisiswhich legal problems do people anticipate experiencing as a result of the COVID-19 crisis? The results of the survey will be directly applicable to the issues we currently face as a nation, and how those intersect with access to justice for Americans. Data will be collected between mid-August and the end of September from a nationally representative sample of individuals in the United States. The timing of the survey is critical, says Rebecca Sandefur, professor in the School of Social and Family Dynamics at Arizona State University and US Justice Needs Advisory Committee member. Were seeing great innovation right now because of the current circumstances and climate in the United States. The time is ripe for research on this scale, as this research can contribute to evidence-based reforms going forward. Outcomes from US Justice Needs will contribute vital information to the conversation regarding access to justice in order to assure that the solutions are truly addressing the right problems. IAALS and HiiL will co-publish the final report early next year, with online interactive dashboards that allow greater transparency and a deeper dive into the data. The ultimate findings will create a baseline, with the opportunity for a comparative study in the future. This research will be vital in the fight to provide real-world solutions tailored to the current problems that Americans face in their pursuit of justice, no matter where they reside and no matter how much they earn, says Brittany Kauffman, Senior Director at IAALS. The results will informand help to transformjustice reform work and access to justice solutions in the United States in a profound way. ### About IAALS IAALS, the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System at the University of Denver, is a national, independent research center dedicated to facilitating continuous improvement and advancing excellence in the American legal system. Our mission is to forge innovative and practical solutions to problems within the American legal system. About HiiL HiiL (The Hague Institute for Innovation of Law) is a social enterprise devoted to user-friendly justice. That means justice that is easy to access, easy to understand, and effective. We will ensure that by 2030, 150 million people will be able to prevent or resolve their most pressing justice problems. We do this by stimulating innovation and scaling what works best. We are friendly rebels focused on concrete improvements in the lives of people. Data and evidence is central in all that we do. We are based in The Hague, the City of Peace and Justice. Attachments I've been a reporter and editor at Missouri community newspapers for 35 years and joined the Columbia Missourian in 2003. My emphasis at the Missourian is on local government and elections. You can reach me at swaffords@missouri.edu or at 573-884-5366. Follow this search Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today Portland Mayor Blames Violence on Small Group, Says City Isnt Dark Dystopia Portland, Oregon, Mayor and Police Commissioner Ted Wheeler on Aug. 26 blamed continuing violence on a few dozen individuals who he said are hijacking the citys proud tradition of protesting. Theyre intent on creating mayhem and attacking and harming people, not just property. Thats a line that we cant allow our community to cross. Not anymore. Enough is enough. Its time to rise up and take immediate steps to repair and beautify our city, Wheeler said in a rare virtual press briefing. The Democrat and other city and state officials have failed to quell the riots in Portland, which have continued nearly nonstop every night since May 28. Almost 100 people have been arrested since Aug. 23, boosting the total number of arrests in recent months past 700. Wheeler said he would meet with Portland Police Bureau officials to discuss what reforms they could put on the table to acknowledge that while the men and women of our police borough work hard, they can do better, all of us can, that theyre an evolving organization, and that they will join us, that they will rise up, that they will link arms with all of us who are interested in addressing the issues that people in this community had been asking for, not just during the last three months of demonstrations, but what theyve been asking for for a long, long time. While acknowledging that businesses are struggling to operate because of the unrest, Wheeler said the portrayal of Portland as a dark dystopia with nonstop violence is a lie. He urged demonstrators to remain peaceful and called for others in the community to step up, denounce the violence, and demand an end to the unrest, similar to what Police Chief Chuck Lovell said last week. In this still image from video, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, right, stands at a fence guarding a federal courthouse as tear gas drifts by, in Portland Ore., on July 23, 2020. (Karina Brown via AP) In order to do that, I need to work with the Police Bureau to, on one hand, create a respectful place for nonviolent demonstrations to take place, and on the other hand, enact strategies that make it clear that we are going to arrest and hold accountable that small group of people who are engaged in the nightly violence, he said. It has gone on way too long. Pressed on why he took so long to address the violence, Wheeler paused before saying: Ive been trying to do too much. And Ive been trying to do it alone. Frankly, I have not been focused enough on the two issues that are the most important to the City of Portland. And, right now, that is ending the nightly violence and getting our community back on its feet. And number two, its about economic recovery, both for our households and our small businesses, he said. I need to focus like a laser beam on those two issues. The mayor and his aides have been meeting regularly with different groups of demonstrators, who have presented many different demands, though he didnt specify any of them. Ive met with even some demonstrators who are described as being more on the extreme side of the spectrum, Wheeler said. I had a meeting last week where a group of people, frankly, just shouted expletives at me. Asked whether hed support abolishing the police bureau, Wheeler said he wouldnt. At this particular moment, nobodys made a good case for me that a complete abolition of funding for policing will enable somebody who calls 911 at 3 in the morning to get an actual response, he said. We still have that responsibility and that duty to help our community be safe. Wheeler and other City Council members voted in June to cut at least $15 million from the bureaus budget, and they barred police from working with federal officers. Residents of South Waterfront watch as officers disperse a crowd of about 200 that had been vandalizing a federal building, in Portland, Ore., on Aug. 26, 2020. (Nathan Howard/Getty Images) Wheeler wasnt asked about whether he would welcome National Guard assistance; his office hasnt responded to requests for comment about that matter. President Donald Trump and acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf have asked Oregon Gov. Kate Brown to allow the deployment of the National Guard to the city, but she refused. State troopers withdrew earlier this month following a two-week stint, pointing to a new policy that sees a number of charges relating to demonstrations presumptively dropped. FBI Special Agent in Charge Renn Cannon, who runs the Portland field office, told the Associated Press on Aug. 26 that hes reassigning agents from the fraud and organized crime teams to focus on the rioting. Officials are making the assessment that we should be trying to do a little more than we have, because the cumulative effects and the nature of the problem indicate that the community needs help, Cannon said. The FBI last week asked for the publics help in identifying 10 people who broke into the Multnomah County Justice Center on May 29, the first ultraviolent riot. Hours after Wheelers Aug. 26 briefing, roughly 200 people marched to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Building in south Portland. They vandalized and disabled security cameras and hurled projectiles at federal officers who emerged to protect the facility. Portland police officers dispersed the crowd even as rioters threw rocks at them, according to the Portland Police Bureau in an incident summary. Clashes lasted into the early hours of Aug. 27. Ten people were booked, including two Nevada residents, on charges including interfering with a peace officer, carrying a concealed weapon, and disorderly conduct. Under a new policy from Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt, most charges likely will be dropped. The Company's 59th location delivers on company mission to provide patients with highest level of cannabis products and customer experience through expanded, direct access to medication ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - Trulieve Cannabis Corp. (CSE: TRUL) (OTCQX: TCNNF) ("Trulieve" or "the Company"), a leading and top-performing cannabis company based in the United States, announced today the opening of its latest Florida dispensary. Starting on Friday, August 28th, St. Petersburg-Tyrone will be home to the Company's 59th dispensary nationwide and 57th in Florida. It will be the Company's second dispensary in St. Petersburg and will directly support patients throughout Pinellas County. Located off 22nd Avenue, the dispensary supports Trulieve's goal of expanding and ensuring direct, reliable patient access to medical cannabis across its homestate of Florida. It also joins the Company's 56 other dispensaries statewide, including our St. Petersburg North location and others throughout Tampa and Clearwater. "We believe in creating a culture of authentic, customer-driven retail experiences, and we've learned a lot about that in our three years in St. Petersburg. Connecting with patients, working with them towards better, natural relief has led to some truly great and innovative products. Thanks to the support of our strong Truliever community, we've been fortunate to see incredible growth since we first opened a store in St. Pete three years ago, and expanding access to the medications they've come to rely on is one of the ways we can say 'thank you,'" said Trulieve CEO Kim Rivers. "Trulieve is looking forward to many more years of compassionate care and ground-breaking innovation for our Pinellas patients." To commemorate the brand-new dispensary, all patients from those new to Trulieve to the dedicated Truliever community will be eligible for a 25% in-store discount at the St. Petersburg-Tyrone location on opening day. In line with policies that have been adopted statewide, all visitors will be required to wear masks inside the dispensary. At this time, only patients and their state-approved caregivers will be allowed inside the waiting room and dispensary. ANNOUNCING: Trulieve St. Petersburg-Tyrone Opening WHERE: 6752 22nd Avenue N, St. Petersburg, Florida 33710 WHEN: Friday, August 28, 2020, at 9:00 AM To assist patients with ordering, Trulieve has made our entire catalog of products available for online ordering, with in-store pickup, curbside pickup (at select locations), or statewide home delivery options available. Furthermore, to assist with CDC recommendations for social distancing and in compliance with additional company-enforced safety guidelines, several measures have been taken to ensure the health and well-being of employees and patients, including modifying the store layout, installation of plexiglass partitions and HEPA air filtration scrubbers in the dispensaries, increasing access to masks and sanitizer throughout the store for staff and visitors, utilizing visual aids to direct traffic throughout the store, and increasing the frequency of deep cleanings for all dispensaries. Trulieve is closely monitoring the coronavirus situation and will update store policies as needed to ensure the safety of patients and staff; all updates will be shared directly on Trulieve's website as they are enacted. As the state's leading medical cannabis provider, Trulieve's employees are experienced, knowledgeable, and eager to help patients. Trulieve encourages potential patients, as well as patients who are new to cannabis and to our wide array of products, to connect with the staff in-store or through the online chat feature to learn more. In stores and online, patients will find Florida's largest selection of THC and CBD products, available in a variety of delivery methods, including smokable cannabis, concentrates, tinctures, topical creams, vaporizers, and more. Trulieve also offers home delivery statewide for patients, and convenient in-store pick-up at its 57 dispensaries in locations across the state from Pensacola to Key West. The Office of Medical Marijuana Use recently announced the registry was at nearly 400,000 registered medical marijuana patients with an active ID card, with Trulieve consistently selling approximately half of the state's overall volume, per the Florida Department of Health. To support the state's rapidly growing patient base, there are more than 2,500 registered ordering physicians in the State of Florida. For more information, please visit www.Trulieve.com. 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 operates in California, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. Trulieve is listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange under the symbol TRUL and trades on the OTCQX market under the symbol TCNNF. To learn more about Trulieve, visit www.Trulieve.com. SOURCE Trulieve Cannabis Corp. Rouhani urges IAEA to show technical necessity of maintaining JCPOA to world IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency Tehran, August 26, IRNA -- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani stressed the significant responsibility of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) towards the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and called on its Director General to explain the need for maintaining the document to the world in technical terms. Rouhani made the remarks in a meeting with the visiting chairman of the international nuclear watchdog body Rafael Mariano Grossi on Wednesday. He expressed hope that cooperation between Iran and IAEA would increase gradually, and said that the IAEA has a vital responsibility not only in maintaining the multi-sided agreement on Iran's nuclear program, but also its technical and specialized duties in the field of the contract and protocols that Iran voluntarily enforces. The Iranian president said that Iran's relations with the IAEA are very good and the message of the the IAEA Director General's tour to Tehran is the fact that Iran is as ready as before to cooperate closely with the IAEA in the framework of nuclear safeguards. Commenting on the precise and expert reports of the Agency on the implementation of the JCPOA when the seven participants to the deal cooperated, President Rouhani termed the JCPOA as a very important agreement for Iran and the world powers. The JCPOA has brought peace in the region and the world, the President pointed out. Pointing to the US withdrawal from the JCPOA in 2018 for no reason, he added that more than two years after its withdrawal, the US had well realized that their action was wrong. Nowadays the members of the UNSC have concluded that the JCPOA is of prime importance and the US has achieved nothing in the international bodies in the wake of pulling out of the deal, he underscored. He voiced the hope that the United States would realize the time for unilateralism has come to end. While Iran and the global community are currently making efforts to maintain the JCPOA, the US and a few countries are after ruining the deal, Rouhani underlined. He expressed the hope that the IAEA would elaborate technically, scientifically, and professionally on maintaining the JCPOA to the world. By taking the step the Agency will indicate that it is supporting unilateralism, the Iranian president further noted. Rouhani considered maintaining the agency's independence, impartiality, and professionalism very important and expressed hope that the agency's professional position in public opinion would be strengthened more than before. Referring to a good agreement between IAEA and Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, Rouhani said that IAEA should pay attention to the important point that Iran has enemies who are always looking to create problems for it, they are the ones who have both nuclear weapons and do not cooperate with the agency. IAEA Chief Rafael Mariano Grossi, for his part, called for deepening and bolstering ties with Iran. He described the JCPOA as a great achievement for all sides, noting that maintaining the deal is an important task of the IAEA. Pointing to the extensive activities of the International Organization, the IAEA Director-General expressed hope that all technical and professional issues and questions will be resolved with more cooperation between Iran and the IAEA. Emphasizing the fact that foreign agents should not affect Iran-IAEA cooperation, he stated that the agency acts technically and professionally. If any questions regarding Iran arises, it can be resolved through paying a visit to the country and holding talks, he added. 3266**1424 NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Indias second-most populous district North 24 Parganas has emerged as a major challenge for the West Bengal government in its fight against the Covid-19 pandemic as it has reported 6,448 cases over the last 10 days. The districts 20.6% positivity rate is almost double the national average. Its 2.2% case fatality rate is the third-highest among the states districts. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee expressed concern over the rise in Covid-19 cases in the district at a meeting this week and asked officials to find a solution to the problem. She questioned why the number of Covid-19 cases in North 24 Parganas could not be controlled, officials aware of the matter said. The positivity rate of North 24 Parganas is around 20.6%, which is almost double the national average. As a result, the district is registering the highest number of daily spikes among other districts. The district has a case fatality rate of 2.2%, which is the third-highest among other districts in the state after Kolkata and Howrah, said a health official, who did not want to be named. Kolkata has reported 5,498 Covid-19 cases in the last 10 days, compared to North 24 Parganass 6,448. The state has registered 140,000 cases and 2,964 Covid-19-related fatalities till Wednesday. A state urban development department official said North 24 Parganas has many congested urban areas apart from factories, jute mills, and over 200 km international border with Bangladesh. In some areas, factories and industries have been found to have become the hub of the virus, said the official on condition of anonymity. As per the 2011 census, Thane in Maharashtra, with a population of 10.01 million, was the most populous district, followed by North 24 Parganas (10 million). The state government has directed the district administration to ensure that people wear masks, maintain social distance in markets, and to conduct a survey by making surprise visits to factories to check whether the norms are followed. We are involving local clubs and self-help groups to spread awareness in the highly-congested areas so that people wear masks. Discussions have also been held with municipalities, police and market associations in this regard. We have set up 26 facilities where Covid-19 patients with mild symptoms or asymptomatic patients could be kept in isolation, said a district official. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON Today from the Down in Alabama podcast: You mightve seen an article and list make the social-media rounds yesterday that said UAB was No. 1 in the nation in COVID case count among colleges and universities. The number used was 972. But if you looked closer there was an asterisk: Total is known to include cases from a medical school, medical center, teaching hospital or clinical setting. As you mightve heard, theres a hospital at UAB. UAB Med School Dean Dr. Selwyn Vickers said that while UAB was listed as having 972 cases in the Times data, only 148 students and 91 faculty and staff have tested possible. On todays Down in Alabama we also talk about two other states in need where Gov. Kay Ivey is sending resources and the passing of a longtime Alabama disc jockey. The podcast is short and free. Listen to it by clicking on the player above or subscribe by looking for Down in Alabama on the device of your choosing. Get this and other AL.com newsletters here. Click here for the Spotify podcast page Click here for the Alexa skill page on Amazon Click here for the iTunes podcast page Click here for the Stitcher podcast page Less than a third of PSNI officers in the Derry policing district are from a Catholic background, it can be revealed today. The Derry News has learned that out of a total of 385 officers in the Derry and Strabane Policing District, 118 are Catholic. This represents 31% of the local police workforce. It is a distance away from the desired 50/50 split between Protestant and Catholic officers. Across the country the average is 28 per cent Catholic while Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon registers the lowest number of any NI district with 23 per cent. The figures are revealed today following a Freedom of Information request from the Derry News. Inequality in the police service extends to female officers, who make up just 26 per cent of officers locally, with the average throughout the country sitting one per cent higher. Derry City and Strabane has two officers from an ethnic minority background. Belfast City has the highest number of ethnic minority officers in the country with four or 0.51 per cent of its ranks. The PSNI replaced the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) in November 2001. As part of the Patten policing reforms 50/50 recruitment was introduced with the aim of increasing the number of Catholic officers. It meant one Catholic recruit for every one person from a Protestant or other background. When it began Catholics made up about 8% of the police force. The process ran for 10 years until 2011. With Catholic numbers peaking at around 30 per cent, then Secretary of State Owen Paterson decided the practice could no longer be justified. Nationalist politicians largely welcomed the progress however some unionist politicians described it as institutionalised discrimination. The latest figures show that the move towards a police service that is representative of NI society has plateaued or slightly regressed over the past decade. HARASSMENT DUP Foyle MLA Gary Middleton doesnt view 50/50 recruitment as the answer and said it is shocking that Sinn Fein attended its first recruitment event this year. He added: I want to see a police force which reflects the community in every aspect. The lower number of Catholics in Londonderry will not be resolved by stopping people of other faiths join which is what 50:50 recruitment would do. The way to increase the number of Catholics is for every element of the community in Londonderry to encourage their loved ones to join the police. It was shocking that the largest nationalist/republican party in Londonderry only attended its first police recruitment event, in the history of the police, this year. To increase the number of catholic recruits will involve leadership and also an ending to the harassment and targeting of Catholic officers by terrorists. Independent Councillor for the Moor area, Gary Donnelly has consistently criticised the PSNI for what he characterises as a heavy handed approach in Creggan. He says republicans can never accept a police force which upholds and defends the legitimacy of Northern Ireland. Cllr Donnelly commented: Even for those who believe that a British police force in Ireland can be reformed, these figures will be disappointing. In a city like Derry that is labelled overwhelmingly Catholic and has a majority female population, the revelation that only 31% of the PSNI is Catholic and 26% female is evidence of the failure of the reformist position. 50/50 recruitment policy ended in 2011 after it was becoming increasingly apparent that the policy was failing despite the newly found endorsement of Sinn Fein. The PSNI attitude is a wholesale continuation of that of the RUC, and a recent example of this was the arrest and harassment of journalists who exposed collusion in the Loughlinisland Massacre. He added: For Republicans the religious and gender balance of any British police force operating in Ireland is irrelevant. For those who believe that increasing the numbers of Catholic officers will make British policing acceptable need look no further than recent plans by the Dublin administration to commemorate the RIC. The RIC, the grandfather of the PSNI was overwhelmingly Catholic and the revulsion of this force even 100 years later forced the 26 county government to abandon their plans. The raison detre of British policing in Ireland is to uphold and protect the British establishments interests in Ireland, this includes partition and all the injustices that exist as a result of it. Republicans can never accept the legitimacy of the Six County State or any police force who upholds and defends it. Commenting on the figures, SDLP MLA Sinead McLaughlin said: "I believe it is important to have a balanced police force and we should be actively seeking that targeted recruitment measures are in place to redress the imbalances." Sinn Fein representatives were asked to provide comment but did not do so at the time of publishing. EQUALITY SCHEME Derry City and Strabane District Superintendent Gordon McCalmont said the Police Service of Northern Ireland is committed to ensuring that it is representative of the communities it serves. He explained: We particularly welcome anyone from communities currently under-represented within the organisation, including females, Catholics, young people, ethnic minorities, working class communities and members of LGBT+ communities. As part of our ongoing engagement with under-represented groups, we have developed a comprehensive outreach plan and worked with a range of organisations including sporting bodies, schools, colleges and universities across Northern Ireland to encourage applications to our recent recruitment campaigns. He continued: We are also committed to encouraging diversity within our Districts, specialist departments and our leadership roles and continue to progress a range of positive action measures as outlined within our Equality Scheme. Policing is a career that offers potential for personal development, job satisfaction and one that makes a difference to our society and we welcome applications from anyone interested in a career in policing. By PTI NEW DELHI: The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) Thursday stopped work on the Janakpuri West-Peeragarhi stretch under Phase-4 after the forest department accused it of violating the Forest Conservation Act, 1980. "We have stopped work on the Janakpuri West - Peeragarhi stretch and will resume work after all mandatory approvals are met," Anuj Dayal, Executive Director (Corporate Communications), DMRC, said. According to the Deputy Conservator of Forests, West Division, the DMRC did not have requisite permissions to undertake work on a 5.34-km stretch of Road Number 26 between Vikas Puri and Peeragarhi Chow,k and a 1,300-meter square portion of the Najafgarh drain, which are deemed forest areas. Multiple notices were issued in February and August, asking the DMRC "not to carry out any construction work on the portion of Road Number 26 and Najafgarh drain", according to the forest department. "The DMRC has disobeyed the directions issued and refused to stop work on Road Number 26 and has prima facie violated the Forest Conservation Act, 1980," it said. The forest department had filed a violation report with the Union Environment Ministry, alleging severe damage to trees due to the DMRC work at the two locations. It has also filed complaints at Vikas Puri and Mianwali police stations regarding the matter. However, the DMRC claimed that "the issue of deemed forest came up only in August" and the same was never pointed out by the forest department in any of the visits conducted. "The location of the same (deemed forest) is also not established through any authenticated record. It is being established through Google Earth images only, wherein the exact location of the 5.34 kilometres is not known. It may be outside the DMRC alignment as well," it said. The DMRC said it would be happy to cooperate if there is further clarity on this issue. "Delays in timely completion of projects also cause a very adverse impact on the environment as heavy machinery and workers are deployed for a longer period," it said. The DMRC claimed it had applied for tree cutting permissions for the stretch between Krishna Park and Mukarba Chowk in April, 2018. The application was sent again in September, 2019. In this period, at least seven joint visits have taken place with forest officials regarding the trees along the Metro alignment. However, the tree cutting permissions are still awaited, it said. "As a professional organisation, the DMRC lays great emphasis on completion of projects on time as these projects are planned and executed for public good. Inordinate delays, owing to lack of such approvals and clearances also cause escalation in costs and inconveniences to the general public," it said. Romania's exports of meat and fish products totaled, in the first five months of the year, 75.4 million euros, being 1.4% higher compared to those in the same period of 2019, according to data centralized by the National Institute of Statistics (INS). Imports amounted to 103.1 million euros, 12.5% more than in January-May 2019, resulting in a deficit of 27.7 million euros. Exports of meat and fish products to European Union countries in the said period were worth 56.5 million euros, the highest values being recorded in relation to Germany (11 million euros), France (9.9 million euros) and Italy (8.6 million euros). Imports from the EU amounted to 93.6 million euros, with Germany (25.2 million euros), Poland (19.7 million euros) and Italy (11.1 million euros) at the top. AGERPRES . BONIFAY - A missing Houston County mans body was found in a shallow grave in the northeastern part of Holmes County, near the Jackson County line Tuesday, according to law enforcement. Holmes County Sheriffs investigators identified the body as Raul Ambriz Guillen, who had been last seen in Dothan and Holmes County on July 4. Guillen had been shot, killed, and buried on Kirkland Road in Holmes County about seven miles from the Alabama state line. Investigators believe Guillen was killed sometime between July 4 and 6. Three people have been charged with Guillen's murder: Lauren Wambles, 23, of Dothan; William Shane Parker, 35, of Houston County; and Jeremy Peters, 43, of Holmes County, according to Holmes County Sheriff John Tate. Wambles is charged with principal to murder. Peters is charged with accessory after the fact of murder. Parker, who police believe is the shooter, is charged with one open count of murder. This case is ongoing and additional charges and additional arrests could be forthcoming, Tate said. Coronavirus to delay conclusion of new sales deal between Botswana, De Beers 27 august 2020 News The coronavirus pandemic, which is currently ravaging the world, is expected to delay the conclusion of a new sales deal between the Botswana government and De Beers. Reuters quoted the countrys minerals permanent secretary, Mmetla Masire as saying that there was no guarantee that they will renew a new 10-year sales agreement with De Beers before the end of December. The current sales agreement will expire end of the year. The ideal situation would be to end the talks by December but there are no guarantees that will happen, he said. Masire said although Gaborone had resumed talks with De Beers, travel restrictions had slowed progress. A delay was expected to put a dent on President Mokgweetsi Masisis plans to boost a young diamond polishing and cutting industry, according to Reuters. Although the government of Botswana has refused to review its latest demands from the negotiations for a new sales deal with De Beers, it has indicated its desire to fully participate in research and development led by the diamond group. Botswanas minister of mineral resources Lefoko Maxwell Moagi told Rough & Polished last February that Gaborone wants DebTech and related firms owned by De Beers to have a presence in the country for Botswana to get the skills and benefit. DebTech, which is based in Johannesburg, South Africa is a division of De Beers and it was established in the 1950s to acquire, adapt or develop innovative technologies and services that have a significant impact on the efficiency and productivity of the groups mining operations. De Beers brought the Diamond Trading Company (DTC) to Botswana under the current deal, which also saw paved way for the country to receive 15% of the total Debswana output for sale by the state-owned Okavango Diamond Company. Moagi said in February that Botswana wants to capacitate its people to be able to price, cut and polish their diamonds better. Debswana, a 50/50 partnership between De Beers and the Botswana government provides the country with about two-thirds of its foreign exchange. Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished CVS Pharmacy, the retail division of CVS Health, completed the installation of time delay safe technology in all its 446 Massachusetts locations, including those in Target stores. The safes are anticipated to help prevent pharmacy robberies and the resulting diversion of controlled substance medications, including opioid medications such as oxycodone and hydrocodoneby electronically delaying the time it takes for pharmacy employees to open the safe. In addition, the safes are anticipated to help CVS Pharmacy ensure the safety and well-being of its customers and employees. Further enhancing the company's efforts to help prevent opioid diversion and misuse, CVS Pharmacy also announced the addition of 50 new safe medication disposal units placed in select stores throughout Massachusetts. The new units join another 106 secure disposal kiosks previously installed in CVS Pharmacy locations in the state and another 43 units previously donated to Massachusetts law enforcement agencies. CVS Pharmacy plans to install an additional 6 units in stores by year-end. "While our nation and our company focus on COVID-19 treatment, testing and other measures to prevent community transmission of the virus, the misuse of prescription drugs remains an ongoing challenge in Massachusetts and elsewhere that warrants our continued attention," said John Hering, Region Director for CVS Health. "These steps to reduce the theft and diversion of opioid medications bring added security to our stores and more disposal options for our communities." "We commend CVS Health for its continued commitment to address the opioid crisis and welcome the expansion of safe and convenient medication disposal in our communities," said Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders. "We are proud of the progress made in combatting addiction and reducing the rate of opioid related deaths in Massachusetts, and we know this work is as essential as ever especially as we navigate an unprecedented pandemic. We value the strategic alignment and ongoing investment from partners like CVS Health in our collective, continued fight against opioid addiction." Time Delay Safes Help Reduce Pharmacy Robberies CVS Health first implemented time delay safe technology in 2015 in CVS Pharmacy locations across Indianapolis, a city experiencing a high volume of pharmacy robberies at the time. The company saw a 70 percent decline in pharmacy robberies among the Indianapolis stores where time delay safes had been installed. Since then, the company has introduced time delay safes in 4,760 CVS Pharmacy stores across 15 states and the District of Columbia, resulting in a 50 percent decline in robberies at CVS pharmacies in those local communities. The time delay function cannot be overridden and is designed to serve as a deterrent to would-be pharmacy robbers whose goal is to enter and exit their robbery targets as quickly as possible. All CVS Pharmacy locations in Massachusetts with time delay safes display visible signage warning that time delay safes are in use to prevent on-demand access to controlled substance narcotics. 50 Massachusetts Safe Medication Disposal Units Added The expansion of CVS Pharmacy's safe medication disposal program in 50 Massachusetts stores continues the company's commitment to providing increased year-round access to safer, easier and more convenient options for removing unneeded prescription drugs from the home. "When patients leave unused medicationsespecially opioidsin a medicine cabinet, there is a risk they might be misused, diverted or come in contact with unsupervised children, other family members or guests in the home," said Tom Davis, Vice President of Pharmacy Professional Services at CVS Health. "It is critical that medications are taken only as prescribed, and we believe safe medication disposal is an important way to help prevent misuse." In 2020, the company is adding an additional 1,000 in-store safe medication disposal units to the 2,500 units currently in CVS Pharmacy locations nationwide. Over the past several years, the company has also donated over 1,000 units to local law enforcement. Together, these existing medication disposal units have collected more than 1.8 million pounds of unwanted medications, including over 90,000 pounds in Massachusetts, that might otherwise have been diverted, misused or ended up in the water supply. Located in the pharmacy area of the CVS store and similar in design to a postal box, the safe medication disposal units allow customers to drop off unused prescriptions in a container or in sealed plastic bags if liquids or multiple medications are included. Additionally, CVS Pharmacy locations that do not offer a safe medication disposal kiosk offer DisposeRx packets at no cost to patients filling an opioid prescription for the first time. According to the manufacturer, when warm water and the DisposeRx powder are added to a container, the combination breaks down medicationsincluding powders, pills, capsules, tablets, liquids or patchesto a non-divertible biodegradable gel, allowing for safe disposal in the trash at home. Given its national reach and local presence, CVS Health is uniquely positioned to help address prescription opioid misuse and abuse with an enterprise-wide approach. To learn more about CVS Health's efforts, visit the company's Opioid Response website. For downloadable safe medication disposal units and time delay safe media assets, including photos and B-roll footage, please visit the Media Resource Center. 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 Media Contact: Joe Goode, (401) 378-5220; [email protected] SOURCE CVS Health Related Links https://www.cvshealth.com More than two million expected to sit for admission tests to medical and engineering schools next week amid pandemic. More than two million Indian students will sit for admissions tests to medical and engineering schools next week, the government said on Wednesday, despite growing concerns that the move could fuel a jump in coronavirus infections. Many students, parents and opposition leaders have opposed the governments move to hold the tests in the middle of a pandemic. Many students have to travel long distances and there is a risk of infections, said the All India Students Union, a group that represents university students. It urged students to wear black armbands and join online protests to put pressure on the government to postpone the tests until infection rates fall. Nearly 5,000 students took part in a virtual hunger strike at their homes in protest on Tuesday. Students on social media have expressed concerns over health risks and availability of transport to the centres as public transport still remains restricted. Member of Parliament Rahul Gandhi said students concerns due to COVID-19 crisis, lack of transport and flooding in Assam and Bihar states are genuine. GOI [Government of India] must listen to all stakeholders and find an acceptable solution, he tweeted. Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg also waded in on the dispute, urging a postponement. Its deeply unfair that students of India are asked to sit national exams during the COVID-19 pandemic and while millions have also been impacted by the extreme floods, Thunberg said on Twitter on Tuesday. In the interest of students But the government has released exam protocols, including social distancing and fever checks. The National Testing Agency (NTA), which will organise the JEE and NEET exams, said the tests are being done in the interest of students and the country. On Monday, the Supreme Court dismissed a plea for postponement, saying the delay would result in an unacceptable loss of the academic year. India reported more than 75,000 infections, maintaining the worlds highest single-day caseload since August 7, a Reuters tally showed. With 3.2 million cases, it ranks third after the United States and Brazil, though its 59,449 deaths are far fewer. Now the government is pushing for a return to normalcy to lessen the economic pain, after having imposed a strict early lockdown of Indias 1.3 billion people in March. We are very mindful of the safety of our students, we will take full precautions, Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal told state radio, adding that the tests had to be held to ensure students did not lose a year. Already twice postponed this year, the tests will be spread over several days and will be held at more centres than usual, to ensure there is no crowding. Numerous Chinese and US military exercises, Taiwan missiles tracking Chinese fighters and worsening China-US ties have all sounded alarm bells. Stock photo Mounting tensions between the US and China have led to fears of a confrontation over Taiwan. Numerous Chinese and US military exercises, Taiwan missiles tracking Chinese fighters and worsening China-US ties have all sounded alarm bells. In the last three weeks, China has announced four separate exercises along its coast, from the Bohai Gulf in the north to the East and Yellow Seas and South China Sea, along with other exercises it said were aimed at "the current security situation across the Taiwan Strait". Meanwhile, Taiwan, claimed by China as its "sacred" territory, said its surface-to-air missiles had tracked approaching Chinese fighters - details Taiwan does not normally give - as US Health Secretary Alex Azar was visiting the island this month. Addressing the Chinese exercises, Taiwan's defence ministry said on Tuesday the closer Chinese jets get to the island the "more actively" Taipei would respond, though it would "not escalate conflict" nor "trigger an incident". The United States sent another warship through the Taiwan Strait this month, a few days after a US carrier group conducted an exercise in the disputed South China Sea. This week China complained a US spy plane had observed Chinese live-fire exercises. Chinese military expert Ni Lexiong, a retired professor at Shanghai University of Political Science and Law, said it could be the first time multiple Chinese exercises were taking place at the same time. "By simultaneously conducting drills in the three seas, it means China is testing its ability to fight enemies coming from three directions at the same time - for example from Taiwan, from Japan and from the US from the south," he said. "Historically, frequent drills are a clear predictor of war." Taiwan-based security and diplomatic sources say the chances of "firing off a shot while polishing the gun" - a Chinese saying for an accidental encounter setting off a broader conflict - are rising mainly because of increased US and Chinese military activity in the region. "Neither side wants to start a conflict," said a Western diplomat looking into military activities across the Taiwan Strait. "But the frequent activities do increase the chances of an accidental conflict." China's defence ministry and Taiwan Affairs Office did not respond to requests for comment; neither did the Pentagon nor US State Department. Rapper Kanye West sued Ohio's election chief Wednesday in an effort to be placed on the November presidential ballot after the Secretary of State deemed him unqualified as an independent candidate. West's emergency filing against Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose comes days after the elections chief rejected the nearly 15,000 signatures and other paperwork the rapper submitted earlier this month in an attempt to run for president, citing mismatched information on the signature-gathering documents. In the complaint, attorneys for West's campaign in Ohio allege that it is LaRose's duty to accept any petition for an independent candidate as long as there is no protest filed against the petition and it is not in violation of Ohio statute. Ohio was one of a number of states that denied West's petition to appear on their ballot last week. On Friday, the state elections board in Illinois said West hadn't submitted enough petition signatures and wouldn't be on the ballot. On Thursday, Wisconsin election officials decided to keep West off the battleground state's ballot because his campaign turned in his nomination papers moments after the deadline, while officials in Montana also said he fell short of petitions. Earlier this month, West without explanation withdrew his petition to appear as a candidate on New Jersey's ballot. He also missed deadlines or was rejected in other states this summer, including California, Florida and Pennsylvania. West is currently on the ballot in states that include Arkansas, Colorado, Oklahoma, Utah and Vermont. Associated Press John Lennon's killer denied parole again The man who gunned down John Lennon outside his Manhattan apartment in 1980 was denied parole for an 11th time, state corrections officials said Wednesday. Mark David Chapman was denied after being interviewed by a parole board Aug. 19, according to corrections officials. Chapman, 65, is serving a 20-years-to-life sentence at Wende Correctional Facility. Chapman shot and killed the former Beatle on the night of Dec. 8, 1980, hours after Lennon autographed an album for him. He has said that he feels "more and more shame" every year for the crime. "I was too far in," Chapman told a parole board in 2018. "I do remember having the thought of, 'Hey, you have got the album now. Look at this, he signed it, just go home.' But there was no way I was just going to go home." Associated Press Dutch writer wins Booker Prize A 29-year-old Dutch writer has become the youngest author to win the International Booker Prize. Marieke Lucas Rijneveld's "The Discomfort of Evening," a dark story about a devout farming family in a strict Christian community in the rural Netherlands, was announced as the winner Wednesday. Under the rules of the prize, the 50,000-pound ($66,000) award will be split between the author and translator Michele Hutchison, giving both equal recognition. Ted Hodgkinson, who chaired a panel of judges, described the novel as "a tender and visceral evocation of a childhood caught between shame and salvation." Sign up for The Knick Get the latest news and some area history with our afternoon newsletter. The International Booker Prize is awarded every year to a book of fiction in any language that is translated into English and published in the U.K. or Ireland. Associated Press Dog costs officials more than $7,000 A curious dog got hold of a fiber optic cable that ran between county buildings in Mississippi, chewing it to pieces and costing county officials thousands of dollars in an attempt to get it fixed. The cable connected a courthouse and a nearby Justice Court building in Amite County, Tim Wroten, the county's sheriff, told the Enterprise-Journal Wednesday. The wire was mostly elevated, but it dipped to the ground by the front door of the Justice Court building, where the dog was able to chew it. The culprit was not caught in the act, but officials saw "his running mate" through the security camera, Wroten said. The sheriff has a suspect in mind but lacks evidence to hold up his charge. If officials knew who the troublemaker was, the county could seek damages, which amount to more than $7,000, from the owner, according to Wroten. His office first spent $4,000 to establish two antennae that send signals to the cables, but it failed. County supervisors then voted Tuesday to spend an additional $3,600 to get a new cable. Associated Press By Andrei Makhovsky MINSK, Aug 19 (Reuters) - Belarusian opposition politician Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya appealed to European Union leaders on Wednesday not to recognise what she said were fraudulent presidential elections, urging the bloc to respect the choice of the Belarusian people. Tsikhanouskaya was speaking from exile in neighbouring Lithuania before an emergency EU summit, due to be held by video conference, to discuss the crisis unfolding in Belarus. Alexander Lukashenko, the country's veteran leader, is struggling to contain a wave of mass protests and strikes that pose the biggest challenge to his 26-year hold on power. He denies rigging the Aug. 9 election to secure a sixth term. "I call on you not to recognise these fraudulent elections," Tikhanouskaya said, speaking in English in a video address. "Mr. Lukashenko has lost all legitimacy in the eyes of our nation and the world." Tsikhanouskaya says she was the rightful winner of the election and wants new elections to be held under some kind of international supervision. The EU has signalled it will impose sanctions on Belarusian officials it deems responsible for election fraud and a crackdown on protests in which at least two protesters have been killed and thousands detained. Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde has offered to visit Minsk in her role as incoming chair of the OSCE, a security body that includes both Western countries and former Soviet states, and often mediates in the region. Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has offered Lukashenko military help if needed, spoke by phone to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron and European Council President Charles Michel on Tuesday. He warned Merkel and Macron against foreign meddling in the affairs of Belarus, a close Russian ally. (Reporting by Andrei Makhovsky in Minsk and Maria Kiselyova in Moscow: Writing by Matthias Williams Editing by Andrew Osborn) ROYAL OAK, MI The Detroit Zoo is celebrating its most successful year of hatching and rearing endangered Great Lakes piping plovers. The Detroit Zoological Societys Piping Plover Captive Rearing Program began nearly 20 years ago, but never has it had the impact it did in 2020, when 39 of Detroit Zoo-reared shoreline birds were released in Northern Michigan. The Detroit Zoological Society (DZS) program is funded by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and falls under the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, which was established in 2009 by the Environmental Protection Agency. Its a bittersweet moment, said Bonnie Van Dam, associate bird curator for the Detroit Zoological Society. When youre hatching the eggs and caring for the baby plovers, you get to know them individually and its so exciting to watch them head into the wild knowing they will help bolster the population of this incredible bird. In July, the EPA celebrated the years significance for this endangered species with the release of four Detroit Zoo-reared piping plovers at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Some of the rescued piping plover stories are harrowing like the three eggs and single hatchling that were left alone in the middle of an intense storm; their mother was killed by a coyote and their father fled. Field monitoring staff pulled the chick and eggs and kept them warm until they could be transferred to the Zoo. We were able to pick them up from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, care for them and monitor them closely, Van Dam said. Three out of the four chicks survived and were later released. Those are the stories that stick with you. Under normal circumstances, a DZS-led team would have incubated abandoned piping plover eggs in the captive rearing facility at the University of Michigans Biological Station in Pellston. Due to the pandemic, the eggs were instead sent to the Detroit Zoo. We couldnt let the pandemic prevent the rescue and rearing of these endangered birds, Van Dam said. So, at the request of the USFWS, abandoned eggs were brought to the Detroit Zoo this year for incubation and rearing. The plovers were then sent to the Biological Station, where the birds were able to get more acclimated with their natural environment prior to their release. Since the launch of the DZS-led piping plover salvage-rearing program in 2001, 299 captive reared birds have been successfully released. Currently, there are 64 pairs and 79 nests in the wild. Piping plovers have been on the federal endangered species list since 1985, when the Great Lakes piping plover population was down to about a dozen pairs. After bouncing back from being hunted to near-extinction for their feathers in the 1800s, the birds once again became threatened due to the loss of their preferred nesting grounds -- beaches and lakeshores. In 2018, the USFWS recognized the DZS for its leadership in the recovery of this endangered species. READ MORE: First endangered piping plover couple of season makes nest at Sleeping Bear Dunes 2015 a banner year for endangered Great Lakes piping plover Detroit Zoo, Griffin Claw Brewing create beer to help endangered Great Lakes bird See most endangered species in Midwest, including Michigans Kirtlands warbler Kailah Casillas/Instagram Two reality stars found love in the real world. The Challenge competitor Kailah Casillas announced Thursday that she got engaged to her boyfriend, Love Island and Ex on the Beach: Peak of Love star Sam Bird. "Im marrying my favorite person in the world," Casillas, 27, captioned an Instagram shot debuting her engagement ring. She offered a closeup of the diamond on her Instagram Story, writing, "I'm lucky." Bird, also 27, showed the newly engaged couple celebrating with chocolate on his Story as they vacation in Greece. Kailah Casillas announces her engagement to Sam Bird. RELATED VIDEO: The Challenge: Jenny West Says She Already Felt Like She Had a Target on Her Back Before Winning The Challenge: Jenny West Says She Already Felt Like She Had a Target on Her Back Before Winning Jenny West talks about how she chooses alliances: "you can't trust everyone" Casillas' love life served as a plot point on MTV's The Challenge: Total Madness because she hooked up with fellow competitor Stephen Bear while in a relationship back home with DJ Michael Mikey P Pericoloso, whom she'd been dating for more than three years. Casillas and Pericoloso ultimately broke up. Bird's personal life also played out on TV when he appeared on season 4 of the U.K. Love Island. He started dating Georgia Steel on the show, and although they didn't leave the island together, the two rekindled their romance after filming and moved in together. They called it quits in October 2018 amid accusations of cheating, but Bird and Steel, 22, both appeared on MTV's Ex on the Beach: Peak of Love in 2019. Kailah Casillas/Instagram The Challenge star's engagement ring Things didn't work out between Bird and Steel the second time around, and he and Casillas went public with her relationship in January. The Real World: Go Big or Go Home alum's Challenge costars Jenna Compono and Aneesa Ferreira offered their congratulations on her engagement in the comments section of her Instagram post, with the latter writing, "I'm so excited for you!!" Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free weekly newsletter to get the biggest news of the week delivered to your inbox every Friday. The Maharashtra government has reduced by 3 percent the stamp duty on housing units till December 31, 2020, a move aimed at helping an ailing real estate market that has been hit hard by the coronavirus outbreak. From January 1, 2021, to March 31, 2021, the reduction in duty will be 2 percent, the state cabinet that met on August 26 decided, staggering the cut in one of the busiest realty markets in the country that includes Mumbai, where space is at a premium. The phased reduction in the stamp duty rates from the present 5 percent in Mumbai and Pune to 2 percent (until December 2020) and 3 percent (January - March 2021) is a much-awaited measure from the government of Maharashtra as the residential real estate markets in these top two cities are reeling under pressure, JLL CEO & Country Head (India) Ramesh Nair said. In Maharashtra, stamp duty charges are 5 percent for cities like Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur and Nashik and 6 percent for others. The rates in other major states are between 5 and 8 percent but in some places, lower stamp duty is charged if the property is bought in the name of a woman. Saddled with unsold inventory, developers had been demanding lowering of the duty to boost sales that have taken a hit during the lockdown. Also read: Real estate stocks jump as Maharashtra govt slashes stamp duty to 2% The Mumbai Metropolitan Region, or MMR, is feeling the heat as well. Before the coronavirus struck, around 18,000 properties were registered during the January-March period but they dropped to 5,600 in July, Pankaj Kapoor, founder and managing director, Liases Foras Real Estate Rating and Research Pvt Ltd told Moneycontrol. Overall sales were down by 70 percent, he said. The duty cut will not only result in direct savings for homebuyer but will also hasten deal closures to make the most of the incentive that kicks in from September 1. Also read: Covid-19 impact | Barter housing stock held by vendors and contractors being offloaded at 15-20% discount in Mumbai Though temporary, it was a strong boost for dampened market sentiment and would help in reviving sales, Nair said. Low prices, home loan rates at their lowest, credit-linked subsidy schemes, sops by developers and now reduced stamp dutyhomebuyers never had it so good. But some experts are not convinced. Also read: Residential property prices, rents fall 20-25% in big cities The state government had done its bit but the Centre should come up with tax sops and the builders need to come up with attractive offers for homebuyers to sign on the dotted line, they say. An entire package is the need of the hour, Kapoor said. Lower stamp duty may motivate fence-sitters but wont be enough to push demand as homebuyers were facing issues such as job insecurity in an uncertain economic climate, he said. According to Liases Foras, 2.8 lakh units remain unsold in MMR and 9.75 lakh in the top eight cities. This decision by the state government will surely ensure that unsold inventory in the state will stop rising further but it will take another six months before the stock comes down, Kapoor said. Also read: COVID-19 impact | The big daddy of Mumbais real estate offers 20% discount on properties Show me the money So, how much does the stamp duty cut amount to? For a Rs 1-crore apartment, a buyer now pays a stamp duty of Rs 5 lakh. Charged at 2 percent, it will come down to around Rs 2 lakh a saving of Rs 3 lakh. Is it attractive enough for homebuyers? Anarock Property Consultants did some math for Moneycontrol. A 500 sq ft property in Mumbai can cost Rs 14,100 per sq ft, which is the basic price. Parking charges can run up to Rs 2.80 lakh and the floor-rise charge to Rs 45 per sq ft. For a property on the seventh floor, for instance, it will work out to Rs 315 per sq ft (45x7=315). Thus, the total base price will be Rs 14,415 per sq ft. This is how it stacks up: Saleable value: Rs 74,87,500 [Rs 72,07,500 (500 x 14,415) + Rs 2,80,000 (parking charge)] Registration charge: Rs 74,875 (1 percent of Rs 74,87,500) Stamp duty: Rs 3,74,375 (5 percent of Rs 74,87,500) Total cost of the property: Rs 79,36,750 If the stamp duty is charged at 2 percent, a buyer saves Rs 1,49,750. A 3 percent reduction saves nearly Rs 2,24,625. While these amounts do matter in affordable and mid-segment properties, it is not enough. Tax sops and builder discounts will seal the deal. For Trump or Biden, N. Korea is the Problem that Won't Go Away By William Gallo August 26, 2020 U.S. President Donald Trump may have redefined what is possible when it comes to the United States' relationship with North Korea, whether it was threatening to "totally destroy" the country or becoming the first sitting American head of state to meet and later claim he "fell in love" with its leader. Joe Biden, Trump's challenger in the November presidential election, has promised a more traditional approach to North Korea. He's also signaled a return to a more antagonistic relationship. During the campaign, Biden has repeatedly referred to Kim Jong Un as a "dictator," a "thug," and a "tyrant." North Korea has shot back, calling Biden an "imbecile" and a "fool of low IQ." Though Biden didn't directly mention North Korea in his nomination acceptance speech last week, the Democratic nominee said if elected he would ensure the "days of cozying up to dictators" are over. Instead, Biden says he would tighten sanctions on North Korea and work with allies, as well as China, to pressure Pyongyang to make concessions on its nuclear program. Strategic patience redux? For many analysts, Biden's ideas about North Korea sound familiar. As vice president, Biden helped oversee former President Barack Obama's policy of "strategic patience," which attempted to gradually apply economic and military pressure until Pyongyang was ready to negotiate. While Biden doesn't use the phrase "strategic patience" to describe his North Korea plans, his administration may end up with a policy of "strategic patience by default" if it doesn't offer "some kind of unilateral opening gesture to compel the North Koreans back to negotiations," says Jenny Town, a North Korea specialist with the Washington D.C.-based Stimson Center. But if his campaign comments are any indication, Biden is not interested in meeting Kim anytime soon. Biden has said he would not continue Trump's personal diplomacy with Kim, arguing that summit "photo ops" give undue legitimacy to the North Korean leader. Instead, in an article earlier this year Biden promised to empower negotiators working on North Korea, suggesting at least initially the diplomatic interaction would occur at lower levels. According to Town, there is now "added pressure to make a summit count and not walk away empty handed." "A Biden administration will probably continue a pro-diplomacy approach. But the stakes are higher now on both sides. Neither the U.S. nor North Korea is likely to be willing to take the kind of unilateral measures that we saw in 2018 or rush into a summit," she says. Trump's approach: limited success Trump and Kim met three times, including in June 2018 in Singapore, where they signed a vague agreement to work toward the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. But working-level talks eventually stalled and North Korea walked away. Trump and Kim continued to exchange personal letters, even after North Korea restarted short-range ballistic missile tests last year. In Trump's view, it's because of that relationship that North Korea has recently refrained from any nuclear tests or long-range missile launches. But Trump's friendship with Kim hasn't kept North Korea from continuing to quietly develop nuclear weapons. Pyongyang is estimated to have as many as 60 nuclear bombs, with the capability to produce several more each year. Trump insists he can break the deadlock with a second term, recently claiming he would reach a deal with North Korea "very quickly" if re-elected. But analysts warn that Trump's North Korea policy will likely continue to be unpredictable. "Anything seems to be within the realm of possibility" if Trump is re-elected, says Soo Kim, a North Korea analyst at the RAND Corporation. "Whatever whims or mood he feels, he's able to backtrack and do a complete 180 from wherever he was." Biden's challenges There's no guarantee that Biden's more measured approach will lead to denuclearization progress, either -- especially if it resembles Obama's strategic patience. "Strategic patience was not so effective in terms of stopping or even slowing down the progress of North Korea's ICBM or nuclear capability," says Bong Young-shik, a North Korea specialist at Seoul's Yonsei University. From 2009 to 2016, North Korea conducted four nuclear tests and made crucial progress on its ballistic missile program. It conducted another nuclear test in 2017 under Trump. As a result, some now believe Pyongyang has a credible enough nuclear threat to change the fundamental calculation with Washington. "It is time for you to deal with the problem as it is," Bong says. "North Korea has nuclear weapons and ICBMs that can possibly carry nuclear warheads to at least parts of U.S. territory or U.S. bases in East Asia." In the view of one senior South Korean Blue House official who spoke to VOA last year, a return to "strategic patience" is impractical, in large part because North Korea already has the nuclear weapons it has long sought. "Strategic patience -- what would we be waiting for?" asked the South Korean official. A growing number of nuclear policy analysts believe the United States, rather than pushing for denuclearization that may never happen, should instead focus on reducing North Korea's nuclear arsenal and ensuring Pyongyang doesn't use it. But there are no signs either Biden or Trump plan to formally embrace an arms control or deterrence approach to North Korea. Doing so would essentially amount to recognizing North Korea as a nuclear power, setting what many see as a dangerous precedent for global nuclear non-proliferation efforts. What will North Korea do? In the end, much will likely depend on how North Korea acts. At the beginning of 2020, Kim warned he no longer feels constrained by his moratorium on long-range missile or nuclear tests and threatened to soon show off a new "strategic weapon." But since those comments, North Korea has had to deal with the worldwide coronavirus pandemic, devastating floods during a worse than usual monsoon season, and sanctions that continue to hold back its economy. Although state media have vaguely hinted at a provocation timed for the U.S. election, Kim may be reluctant to do anything that upsets the chances for diplomacy. In July, Kim Yo Jong, the North Korean leader's increasingly powerful sister, said her country has "no intention of threatening the United States...if they don't touch us and hurt us." "We are not saying we are not going to denuclearize," she said. "But we cannot denuclearize now." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address A man succumbed to a stab wound after trying to deescalate a dispute between a friend and her lover in the northern Vietnamese province of Quang Ninh last week. Police in Quang Ninhs Ha Long City confirmed on Wednesday evening that the incident happened at around 10:00 am on Sunday at a rented room in Yet Kieu Ward. The tenant, 27-year-old Trinh Thi Thu Ha, was having a quarrel with her boyfriend, 25-year-old P.G.B., at the time. As the tension grew, V.V.D., 24, an acquaintance of Ha, and another person who was present in the room at that time tried to act as peacemakers. During the process, Ha took a 23-centimeter long knife from her kitchen. The knife with which Trinh Thi Thu Ha stabbed an acquaintance to death during a dispute in Ha Long City, Quang Ninh Province, August 23, 2020. Photo: Nguyen Thang / Tuoi Tre When D. walked behind Ha and tried to grab hold of her, she suddenly turned around and stabbed him in his left flank. D. was then admitted to the Quang Ninh General Hospital, where doctors found that the knife had caused a rupture in the left renal vein, acute bleeding along with some other internal damage. The man was later pronounced dead at the hospital. Police in Ha Long City came to Has rented room to investigate the case right afterward. The investigation is still underway. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam! Councils in locked-down areas of Yorkshire have warned the public's patience is 'wearing thin' with confusing social distancing rules. Officials in Bradford, Calderdale and Kirklees have pleaded with the Government to loosen lockdown rules for their residents amid concerns they could be extended tomorrow. They said the advice for locals while lockdowns continued had been 'confusing' and 'bungled' and that people were getting tired of ever-changing messages. Health Secretary Matt Hancock today chaired a 'Gold Command' meeting of the Joint Biosecurity Centre to discuss how to move forward with local lockdowns around the UK. In it he and his chief medical officer, Professor Chris Whitty, discussed whether to continue existing lockdowns and possible new ones. Mr Hancock said the Government has been 'working very, very closely' with public health authorities in areas already locked down. Decisions from the meeting are expected to be publicly announced tomorrow, Friday. There are concerns that England's second city, Birmingham, could be the next place to face tighter lockdown rules as cases of Covid-19 are rising there. Council officials in the Midlands city, home to more than a million people, were this week given extra powers to shut down bars and restaurants that don't make themselves Covid-safe, and will also be able to close parks and cancel weddings. Rates of infection have risen in more than 150 local authorities across the country in the past week, according to an analysis of official data, with places like Oxford, Redditch and Kettering seeing infection rates creep up. Health Secretary Matt Hancock is heading a 'gold meeting' of the Joint Biosecurity Centre today (Pictured: Mr Hancock on Downing Street in May) Leicester, the first place to go into a lockdown, still has stricter rules than most of the rest of the country because the virus was out of control there. And more recently, large parts of the North West have had to follow suit, with Greater Manchester, Blackburn and West Yorkshire worst affected. Councils that are already coping with lockdown rules are not happy that residents are being subject to stricter rules. Bradford, Calderdale and Kirklees councils in Yorkshire have all issued statements calling for their local lockdowns to come to an end. The Government's messaging on local coronavirus restrictions has been 'confused and bungled', they said. The leaders of those councils joined their counterparts in Greater Manchester in criticising proposals to tackle the virus on a ward-by-ward basis. Last week, Mr Hancock announced a more targeted approach to Covid-19 restrictions in which the views of MPs would also be sought to gain 'the maximum possible local consensus'. He added this would allow local councils to focus resources on the wards which need more targeted intervention in order to drive infection rates down. In a statement, councillors Susan Hinchcliffe, Tim Swift and Shabir Pandor, the leaders of Bradford, Calderdale and Kirklees respectively, said: 'Our infection rates have come down significantly this week, although they are still high. 'Over the last few months and weeks we, as leaders, have taken difficult decisions and directed significant resource in our councils to make this happen. 'However, throughout this time Government messaging has been confused and bungled. 'The latest shift in Government messaging that happened last week was that they inferred they wanted to see more localised restrictions, varying them ward by ward rather than by local authority areas. 'To add to the confusion, Government want to review and change these place by place weekly, leading to inconsistency in restrictions across the North. 'In the latest guidance from Government there is a presumption that wards with a low number of cases will start to revert to the national restrictions this week. 'Adding and subtracting restrictions ward by ward makes the already confused local regulations almost impossible to understand for residents so it begs the question whether restrictions across partial geography can be of any use at all? 'On top of this, people's patience is wearing thin with the confusion. They need to know that the restrictions are fair otherwise they won't keep to them.' They called on the Government to lift restrictions in their three council areas in line with the rest of England so that messaging to the public would be 'clearer'. Birmingham was last week touted to be the next place to go into lockdown but the Government has so far held off the drastic decision. In its last report issued on Friday, Public Health England confirmed Birmingham was receiving 'enhanced support' from the Government because of its rising infection rate. There were 30.2 cases per 100,000 people being diagnosed per day in the city in the week from August 7 to August 13. The rate has tripled in the past month. Infection rates are rising in more than 150 areas of England, according to an analysis by the Press Association, with Oxford and Kettering seeing dramatic rises in their new cases There were 30.2 cases per 100,000 people being diagnosed per day in the city in the week from August 7 to August 13. The rate has tripled in the past month. The figures are the most up-to-date ones provided by Public Health England LIVERPOOL ISSUES WARNING OVER COVID-19 SPIKE Liverpool City Council has issued a warning to its younger residents to follow social distancing rules because coronavirus cases are creeping up in the city. Public Health England data shows 83 new cases of the virus were diagnosed there last week, increasing the infection rate from 13.3 per 100,000 people to 16.7, the Mirror reports. Nearby Greater Manchester is already in lockdown because of high infection rates and officials in Liverpool are acting early to avoid the same fate. Because young adults are accounting for so many of the new infections, the council has urged under-40s to be more strict about social distancing. People are being reminded to wear masks when indoors in public spaces and to get tested if they become unwell. Director of public health in the city, Matt Ashton, said: 'It is really important that as schools start to reopen and more workplaces are getting back to normal, we all take responsibility and follow the guidance to limit the spread of cases as far as possible.' A cabinet member for public health on the city council, Paul Brant, added: 'It is really important we dont let the sacrifices and progress of the last few months go to waste.' Advertisement This was higher than some areas already locked down, such as Bury and Trafford in Manchester, but a local lockdown has so far been avoided. Birmingham City Council announced this week it will have the ability to investigate reports of places failing to follow Covid-19 guidance. Council officials and police officers will be able to issue formal warnings to any which are breaking the rules while repeat offenders could be forced to close. The powers also include the ability to ban events like weddings and funerals if there are concerns about the number of people who may attend while parks and other outdoor spaces could also be shut in the interests of public health. The Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, has voiced concerns about input from MPs and cautioned that 'some people were playing politics at a local level with these issues'. Mr Burnham said restrictions in Oldham, Manchester, Rochdale, Bury, Tameside, Salford and Trafford should remain for now. Ministers last week announced Wigan, Darwen and Rossendale had saw cases drop and would soon be released from lockdown rules, where residents are banned from meeting another household in the comfort of their own home or garden. Leaders in Bury said the borough was in the 'last chance saloon' at avoiding going into further lockdown after a sixth weekly rise in infection rates. Infection rates are rising in dozens of places across England, with a Press Association analysis of PHE data showing that rates are up in more than 150 council areas. Some of those with increases to the highest rates include Oxford, Redditch, Kettering, Windsor and Maidenhead, Hackney and the City of London, Blaby in Leicestershire and Dacorum in Hertfordshire. In Oxford the rate of infection has hit 30.2 cases per 100,000 people, which is higher than some areas already in lockdown. A week ago it was 19.7, by comparison. And Redditch has seen a dramatic spike in the past week with its rate rising from 8.2 to 27. A Finnish conductor caught up in a row over the Last Night of the Proms has issued a statement insisting she is not responsible for axing Rule Britannia and recognises it as an 'important part of the event'. BBC sources cited in the Sunday Times claimed Dalia Stasevska, 35, was one of those keen to 'modernise' the event and reduce the patriotic elements involved. Ms Stasevska, who has voiced her support for Black Lives Matter, was swept up in controversy following reports that she had concerns about the words to Rule Britannia and Land of Hope and Glory. But Ms Stasevska has now spoken out in a statement, issued on her behalf by management company HarrisonParrott, insisting she had no part in the BBC's decision to not have the patriotic anthems sung. It piles pressure onto BBC Proms director David Pickard after director general Lord Hall backed his creative decision and confirmed that he and his team had taken Rule Britannia's links to colonialism into account. Ms Stasevska said in the statement: 'I am so honoured to be part of this year's BBC Proms and its iconic Last Night. 'I understand its prominence in the UK classical music calendar and wider cultural landscape. It is incredibly exciting to be part of an event with such long-standing tradition. 'It is testament to the unfailing work and commitment of the organisers that the Proms can proceed at all this year. Friends last night insisted that BBC bosses made the decision to not have the songs sung, adding that Dalia Stasevska would not have had the 'arrogance' to insist on such a change BBC bosses confirmed that the two anthems would be performed, but without the lyrics (pictured: The Proms, 2018) 'However, in recent days there has been a good deal of inaccurate speculation about my role in determining the format of this year's Last Night Of The Proms. BBC director behind the 'creative' decision to censor Rule Britannia at Last Night of the Proms said he didn't want to turn music festival into a 'political platform' BBC bosses confirmed that the two anthems would be performed, but without the lyrics (pictured: Director of the Proms David Pickard) The BBC boss behind the 'creative' decision to censor Rule Britannia and Land of Hope and Glory at Last Night of the Proms previously said he didn't want the concert to be a 'political platform'. David Pickard became director of the BBC Proms in 2015 after holding various prestigious roles in classical music - including as general director of opera house Glyndebourne. Upon his BBC appointment, he said he wanted to bring 'world-class classical music to the widest possible audience' and was praised for his ability to introduce new listeners to the genre. Now, the London-born Cambridge graduate is at the centre of controversy surrounding the BBC's decision to drop the singing of patriotic anthems at this year's concert after critics dubbed them 'racist'. In 2019, Mr Pickard told The Daily Telegraph he didn't want the Proms to be a 'political platform' after remainers gave out EU flags to audience members before the event the year prior. His hopes were dashed, however, when the 2019 concert was also hijacked by flag-bearing anti-Brexit campaigners. And this year's audience-free event has again been marred by politics after Boris Johnson waded into the anthems row, condemning the BBC for 'wetness' over its decision to drop the singing. The national broadcaster initially considered dropping the patriotic songs after criticism of their supposed links to slavery and colonialism, but after a huge row bosses rowed back and announced they would be played instead, but not sung. They claim that the lack of an audience to sing along is behind the 'creative' decision. BBC director-general Lord Hall - who is due to step down in September - said he backed the decision. He told the BBC's media editor Amol Rajan: 'They've come to the right conclusion.' Advertisement 'This false speculation has led to abuse and threats towards me and my family which is why I am speaking out. 'For the record I have played no role in deciding the traditional elements of the programme, I recognise these are an important part of the event. 'I've been wrongly portrayed as a person who tries to influence political debates - this is not true. I am an artist, I want to be able to speak through my work to bring people together and build solidarity. 'When I first lived in London I remember falling in love with the city. The UK is such an inspiring place to work, and the BBC is an important part of that. 'I do not intend to enter the public debate. I am a professional musician with a fondness and respect for the UK. I am very much looking forward to performing again with the fabulous musicians of the BBC Symphony Orchestra in what is sure to be a memorable event in September.' Friends last night insisted that BBC bosses made the decision to not have the songs sung, adding that Ms Stasevska would not have had the 'arrogance' to insist on such a change. A source close to Ms Stasevska told The Telegraph: 'From Dalia's point of view there has been a lot of unpleasantness and some of the stuff that has been written is heart-breaking. 'It is frightening, unpleasant, scary stuff and she can't say anything as she can't be a part of any of that.' The source insisted that she was not responsible for the decision, adding that conductors do not 'have the power to say I want to do this I want to do that'. It had been suggested that Ms Stasevska was keen to limit patriotic elements, and that this year without an audience due to coronavirus was the perfect moment for change. BBC bosses confirmed that the two anthems would be performed, but without the lyrics. The corporation has said: 'The decisions taken are the BBC's. We very much regret the unjustified personal attacks on Dalia Stasevska, BBC Symphony Orchestra Principal Guest Conductor made on social media and elsewhere.' The BBC also said there have been 'unjustified personal attacks' on social media on Ms Stasevska, who will be at the helm of the Last Night this year. 'Decisions about the Proms are made by the BBC, in consultation with all artists involved,' it said. 'The Proms will reinvent the Last Night in this extraordinary year so that it respects the traditions and spirit of the event whilst adapting to very different circumstances at this moment in time,' it said. 'With much reduced musical forces and no live audience, the Proms will curate a concert that includes familiar, patriotic elements such as Jerusalem and the national anthem, and bring in new moments capturing the mood of this unique time, including You'll Never Walk Alone, presenting a poignant and inclusive event for 2020.' The outgoing director-general of the BBC, Lord Tony Hall, has said the decision to remove the lyrics was a 'creative' one, but confirmed that the issue of dropping songs because of their association with Britain's imperial history had been discussed. The BBC has also confirmed that the traditional anthems will be sung at next year's Last Night of the Proms. Some of the lyrics deemed controversial in the songs include the Rule, Britannia! lines: 'Britons never, never, never shall be slaves', and: 'The nations, not so blest as thee / Must, in their turns, to tyrants fall/ While thou shalt flourish great and free: The dread and envy of them all.' Land Of Hope And Glory, which was composed by Edward Elgar, also has controversial lyrics, including: 'By freedom gained, by truth maintained/ Thine Empire shall be strong'; and: 'God, who made thee mighty/ Make thee mightier yet!' BBC sources had reportedly claimed Dalia Stasevska, 35, demanded the patriotic anthem, along with Land of Hope and Glory, be pulled from the performance due to their links to British imperialism The debate over the inclusion of the songs has become a political one after Prime Minister Boris Johnson made an intervention on the issue and called for an end to 'self-recrimination and wetness'. Former chairman of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee, Damian Collins MP, wrote on his website: 'There has been a suggestion that this is because some people regard the performance of these songs as out-dated and even that some of the words are offensive. 'People are of course entitled to their opinion, but so too are the millions of people who have enjoyed these performances over the years. 'Great words and music that become part of our national culture, based on the significance people have attached to them over many years, often centuries, should not be lightly discarded.' In a letter to The Times on Tuesday, David Brice, a commodore in the Royal Navy, wrote: 'Any attempt to remove the right to sing Rule, Britannia! on the Last Night of the Proms seems at variance with historical truth. 'Between 1807 and 1869 the Royal Navy conducted a very difficult maritime campaign against the Atlantic slave trade; it was an act of national intent. 'Without Britannia ruling the waves, this successful campaign could not have been attempted.' Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 27) Senator Risa Hontiveros sought for the relief of the entire Jolo, Sulu police force after the recent bombings that killed 15 people and injured dozens. In a privilege speech on Wednesday, Hontiveros explained the relief is necessary for an impartial and full investigation of the June 29 shooting incident between the soldiers and the police and the August 24 suicide bombings in the capital of Sulu province. I am asking the PNP (Philippine National Police): Relieve the entire Jolo police force so as to remove insinuations that it has been infiltrated by terrorists, so Filipinos can have a sigh of relief, the senator said. Hontiveros blasted the Jolo police force for failing to act well on intelligence reports about the two female suicide bombers in the August 24 attack, saying they were also the subject of an Army intelligence mission in June which resulted in the deaths of four soldiers at the hands of the Jolo policemen. The targets of the June 29 mission were two female bombers. Investigations into the August 24 bombing show that it was perpetrated by two female bombers. A straight question: Did terrorist elements somehow influence, directly or indirectly, the killing of the soldiers? Hontiveros said. Philippine Army chief Cirilito Sobejana admitted on Wednesday the two female suspects in the August 24 twin blasts were the same alleged suicide bombers being tracked by four military intelligence officers killed by policemen on June 29. Hontiveros added the nine cops charged with the killing of the four Army intelligence officers should be preventively suspended, then questioned the PNP why it hasnt done such act yet as prescribed by the PNP Reform and Reorganization Act of 1998 and the PNP Internal Affairs Service manual. Since they are not yet suspended, does that mean that these officers who are accused of killing four soldiers and are now being investigated for possible ties to terrorists still perform their functions or access intelligence material? This situation is deeply concerning, and it poses risks to our national security, she said. Senator Ronald Dela Rosa, a former PNP chief, responded to Hontiveros privilege speech by saying the assertion that there was conspiracy between nine police officers and the bombers would rub more salt to injury and demoralize the police force. 15 persons, including eight soldiers, died in the twin explosions in Barangay Walled City in Jolo, Sulu last August 24. Some 74 persons got injured because of the blasts. Sobejana identified the first suicide bomber as Inda Nhay, the Tawi-Tawi-based widow of ISIS-trained bomb expert Abu Talha who was killed by the military last year. While the second bomber was "Nanah," the widow of first Filipino suicide bomber and Abu Sayyaf group member Norman Lasuca. He blew himself up outside a military base in Indanan, Sulu last June 2019. President Moon Jae-in speaks during a meeting with the country's Protestant leaders at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, Thursday. Moon asked for their cooperation in the government's infection control efforts to prevent the further spread of COVID-19. Yonhap By Jung Da-min President Moon Jae-in has asked for church leaders' cooperation with the government's infection control measures to prevent the further spread of COVID-19. The request came as some churches are not following government guidelines to hold services online instead of at church buildings. "Most of the country's churches are helping the government's infection control efforts by conducting worship services online," Moon said during meetings with 16 Protestant leaders at Cheong Wa Dae, Thursday. "As I understand this was not an easy decision, I deeply appreciate your active cooperation." The President said some churches, however, are continuing with gatherings, to the point where it threatens public safety. "In the case of a specific church, in particular, it refuses to follow the government's infection control measures but rejects them, while the number of new COVID-19 outbreaks among church members is reaching almost a thousand and the number of virus cases among participants of its recent rally is reaching almost 300," Moon said. He did not name the church but was apparently referring to the Sarang Jeil Church, a conservative church led by pastor Jun Kwang-hoon. Jun and his church members have recently become the target of public criticism after a rally in central Seoul on Aug. 15 became a new hotbed of the virus spread. A COMMON refrain around city hall is that Winnipeg is often the last city to adopt new ideas the joke being that wed rather wait for other municipalities to work out the bugs before moving forward. Hey there, time traveller! This article was published 27/8/2020 (511 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current. Opinion A COMMON refrain around city hall is that Winnipeg is often the last city to adopt new ideas the joke being that wed rather wait for other municipalities to work out the bugs before moving forward. Unfortunately, this bit of folklore has been proven true once again, as Winnipeg is now the largest city in Canada without a requirement for non-medical masks when boarding public transit. Across Canada, cities such as Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Regina, Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa have shown leadership by mandating the use of non-medical masks on public transit. Many will remember that public transit ridership was hit hard by COVID-19 in the early days of the pandemic, but as our economy reopened ridership began to increase, and will continue to do so as our seasons change and it becomes more difficult to walk or cycle outdoors. We have even seen major retailers such as Walmart and Superstore recognizing the value of mandatory masks. These large corporations have demonstrated greater action in favour of our public health than our own city council has for the riders of public transit. The importance of masks for public transit cannot be understated as transit moves thousands of front-line workers across our city, each and every day. Early in this pandemic, we saw a consensus emerge, recognizing the inherent value of front-line workers as they kept supply chains moving and our grocery shelves stocked. We saw clear societal recognition for the valuable role these workers play. Now, as we prepare for a potential second wave of COVID-19, the onus has shifted to our city council to mandate masks and protect these workers, transit operators and students who utilize transit on a daily basis. Previously, the City of Winnipeg indicated it was waiting for direction from the provincial governments public-health officials regarding masks on public transit. Certainly, the requirement of masks for certain students on school buses and in Manitobas schools is a step in the right direction, especially when social distancing may be difficult. However, the reality is the city never needed direction from the province in order to show leadership on this issue, because its own bylaws for public transit could have allowed council to mandate it. The Public Transit By-Law and Code of Conduct is a bylaw, passed by Winnipeg city council, that spells out the rules and regulations for riders of Winnipeg Transit (winnipegtransit.com/en/rider-guide/public-transit-by-law-and-code-of-conduct). It sets a reasonable standard that riders will not consume alcohol or drugs on transit, and prohibits weapons and obstructive behaviour. A quick change to the bylaw would allow Winnipeg Transit to mandate masks for riders, which could be achieved by recalling city council for an emergency meeting to address this issue before students head back to school. Opponents of mandatory masks will point to the issues regarding enforcement, and rightly so fare enforcement continues to be a contentious issue on Winnipeg Transit, creating disputes that often lead to assaults on transit workers. However, while we cant expect 100 per cent adherence to mandatory masks on buses, we can draw on the experiences in other cities that saw an increased number of riders wearing masks after their use was mandated. Want to get a head start on your day? Get the days breaking stories, weather forecast, and more sent straight to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. While Winnipeg Transit operators should not be expected to refuse service to those without masks, strong messaging and public pressure should have the desired effect in increasing usage and reducing the spread of COVID-19. Currently, Winnipeg Transit only recommends that riders wear masks, and multiple riders have pointed out that the adherence rate is quite variable without a mandatory policy in place. When mask usage is merely a recommendation, many treat this as a suggestion and not a rule. When masks are mandatory, mask usage surges across the board. Mayor Brian Bowman now finds himself in a position to show leadership, albeit delayed, by following the lead of almost every other Canadian city. North Kildonan Coun. Jeff Browaty has already taken to the streets calling for mandatory masks and spent an afternoon handing them out to riders on Main Street. As winter approaches, more Winnipeggers will come to need Winnipeg Transit once again. It is incumbent on our civic leadership to take a stand with a proven policy that has the potential to protect thousands in our city. The time has come for the city to stop waiting on the provincial government for direction on this urgent issue. We shouldnt have to wait until its too late and we have an outbreak on our hands, to create policy on the fly. For the good of our city, our Winnipeg Transit workers and our students who rely on public transit, it is time for Winnipeg city council to convene and pass a mandatory mask policy at the earliest possible opportunity. Zach Fleisher is a consultant, partner and father in Winnipeg. He is the former communications director for the Amalgamated Transit Union 1505, representing Winnipeg Transit workers. The company said in a statement: The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the whole civil aerospace industry worldwide is unprecedented and a global issue. Rolls-Royce has taken swift action to deal with the sudden short-term impact of COVID-19, secure the immediate future and protect future jobs as well as innovation. Liquidity has been bolstered to 8.1bn 1bn cash savings have been implemented in 2020 including 10% salary deferral and 20% executive/senior management pay cut The final payment to shareholders has been stopped, no interim payment Rolls-Royce is taking decisive immediate action to re-size the Civil Aerospace business to the new levels of medium-term demand in the civil aviation market: The most extensive reorganisation of Civil Aerospace in history, reducing by 1/3 to save 1.3bn. At least 9,000 people have been impacted worldwide (which was announced in May) about a fifth (17%) of the workforce and a third of Civil Aerospace (c,8,000 of 24,000) Progress in facility footprint review: proposing to consolidate 11 facilities to 6 Rolls-Royce is transforming the Aerospace business for the long-term and exploring future industrial partnerships. The statement went on to say: There is uncertainty over the timing, pace and shape of recovery as a result of COVID-19, particularly around the easing of travel restrictions. Recovery assumptions are based on a gradual recovery in civil aviation activity commencing towards the end of H2 2020. The company has weathered the most challenging period (H1 outflow 2.8bn) 1bn outflow expected in H2, with expectations to return to positive cash flow during H2 2021. The belief is that the worst is over in terms of widebody engine flying hours, there was an 80% drop in April (low point), were down 75% in Q2 and halved over H1; expect them to be down 55% for the year as a whole and improve in 2021 and 2022. The expectation is that widebody aircraft engine deliveries will remain subdued at around 250 per annum for a few years. Focus is on rebuilding the balance sheet for the longer term. 2bn can be raised through the proposed disposals of ITP Aero along with other assets also under active consideration. Rhea Chakraborty Claims Sushant Took Modafinil Without Prescription When They Were Leaving For Europe Rhea Chakraborty told India Today's Rajdeep Sardesai that when she and Sushant were leaving for their Europe trip, the actor told her that he feels claustrophobic in a flight, and took a medicine named Modafinil, without any prescription. Rhea Says Sushant Didn't Leave His Room For Three Days When They Reached Paris The actress said, "When we reached Paris, he didn't leave his room for three days. Before the trip, he said that he was very happy. He had told me that he is very excited for the trip as he will show me his true side during our Europe stay. He will walk on the streets and have fun with me which he couldn't do in India. We were really happy. I was wondering what happened." She further said that the actor was fine and energetic in Switzerland. Rhea Claims Sushant Had Anxiety Attacks During Their Stay At A Gothic Hotel In Italy The actress said, "When we reached Italy, we stayed at a Gothic hotel, which we didn't know at the time of booking. In our room there was a dome like structure, which I didn't like. I asked him that we should change our hotel, but he insisted on staying there. He told me that there was something. I told him that it's a bad dream as I thought people get such ideas in such place. But he insisted on living in that hotel despite me telling him to change it. His health deteriorated there and he started having anxiety attacks." Rhea Chakraborty On Sushant Singh Rajput's Depression Rhea said that when she got concerned about Sushant's health and asked him what was happening, the actor told him that he had a depressive episode in 2013 and had met psychiatrist called Haresh Shetty for the same. Rhea revealed that Sushant told her that he was advised by the same doctor to take Modafinil, he took on the flight. "He told me that he was fine after that. After that, now he was feeling more depressed and anxious. Then we cut shot the trip and returned," Rhea told India Today. Wearing a face mask inside a classroom without air conditioning on a hot day may be too much for one Morris County school district. Madison Superintendent Mark Schwarz told NJ Advance Media that a late-summer heat wave could prompt a switch to all-remote learning in the K-12 district, as schools in New Jersey continue to grapple with modifications stemming from the coronavirus pandemic. In a letter to parents, Schwarz warned of a high likelihood it will get hot enough that wearing the required face covering will be unbearable. Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 23:54:04|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close RIGA, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Latvia's schools are short of several hundred teachers, the Education and Science Ministry said on Thursday, just days before the start of the new school year. Teachers of mathematics, Latvian and foreign languages are especially in short supply, which means heavier workload for the existing teachers. This, in turn, prevents them from working with students individually. Small wages and low prestige of the teaching profession are the main issues blamed for the problem. With the new school year due to begin on Sept. 1, Latvian schools have reported 470 vacant jobs, the ministry said, citing a survey of schools. The vacancies include jobs not only for teachers but also support staff like psychologists, speech therapists and social workers. Baiba Baskere, deputy head of the ministry's department for vocational and adult education, noted that the severest shortages of teachers have been reported in large cities like Jelgava and Jurmala, and there are many job vacancies for preschool teachers as well. "Of these 470 vacancies, 150 are in preschool institutions, which most probably suggests that the workload and responsibility are not consistent with the salaries," said Baskere. Enditem Post by Hannah Grannemann, Guest Editor Part of the Series Audiences During the Pandemic Arts organizations werent sure whether audiences would want to watch online content when everything stopped this spring. If they did, what would they want to watch? Plenty of arts organizations sent surveys, but what could audiences really tell us? They only knew what they had experienced before performances, expert talks, behind the scenes videos, andwell, that was about it. One of the primary benefits of this pandemic is that artists and arts organizations were all forced to experiment even though they didnt feel ready. They had to fight their perfectionistic tendencies (which I have as well; the arts are a great place for perfectionists), forego long artistic development processes and take some chances. They didnt know how audiences would respond. If they put out beautifully captured stage performances, would audiences watching at home perceive it is less of an experience than the in-person experience, or would it inspire them to support us while they wait? If artists and staff are shown in their homes or backyards, will the audiences be interested? What about quality, the ideal to which we always aspire what will our audience think if everything is shot on a smartphone? These were the worries. But everyone pushed through, and we got the huge range and variety and volume of content thats out there now on websites and social media. This wide-spread spirit of experimentation is itself an achievement. Arts organizations working through the anxiety of perfectionism to create and share new kinds of content is an important step. I dont care that it took a collective spaghetti at the wall approach; we really needed a shakeup. Dallas Opera is one of my favorite examples. They created the TDO Network, producing a wide range and large volume of content on a consistent basis. You just cant miss the love of the art form that is conveyed in the videos. Also, they are not ignoring the larger social context by including many videos on racial discrimination in opera (heres an early one in the series). The videos are accessible in the best possible way: they meet the audience at their point of curiosity about opera and they spark curiosity about aspects of opera that a viewer might not know about. Heres what works about Dallas Operas approach: The viewer doesnt need to know a lot about opera. Yet the tone is not patronizing and the creators made it with all types of viewers in mind. Anyone who finds themselves there with even a passing interest in *maybe* learning something about opera will find a hook. But their offerings are deep enough on a range of topics to interest an opera aficionado. It is truly interesting content about opera. Its not like having someone who is a fan talking your ear off. Its FUN. (Lets be real it should be fun, this is not the dentist.) Dallas Opera is a model of how I think the staffs of arts organizations can share their enthusiasm and knowledge of their art form with their audiences. Audience who, by the way, DO WANT to enhance their experience of the performance with engagement, education, social opportunities, and a good time. Ben Walmsley, in his 2019 book Audience Engagement in the Performing Arts: A Critical Analysis, discusses the benefits of engagement activities for both new audiences and seasoned audience members. In the context of co-creation, he refers to his own research and that of Alan Brown, Jennifer L. Novak-Leonard and their collaborators showing higher impact when audiences are involved in co-creation (defined as either being involved in the creative process, or taking an active role in creating the value audiences derive from attending performances). Meaning-making by audience members increases the perceived value of the artistic experience, Walmsley argues, and arts organizations should make it possible for audiences to make meaning for themselves. Caroline Heim, in her 2016 book Audience as Performer: The changing role of theatre audiences in the Twenty-first Century, shares the experiences of many audience members describing their participation being enhanced by programs offered by the arts organization that allows them to process the performance and share their own criticism. This phenomenon of supporting and collaborating with audiences in meaning-making is of course championed most by the author of this blog, our own Lynne Conner in her work. In this time when we can only create virtual engagement, we are presented with an opportunity for arts organizations to boost their skills for this intermission time and for a more audience-centered return. HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ohio General assistance: Alpha Drive A manager at Hibachi Japanese Steakhouse reported Aug. 23 that an employee was suspected of making fraudulent charges through the business. He believed the employee was keeping cash payments from customers, but using a stolen or fraudulent credit card to process the customers bills. Those charges would later be denied. Officers responded to the restaurant after the employee was fired and she refused to leave. She subsequently left without further incident. An investigation is ongoing. General assistance: Wilson Mills Road A man was said to have made a purchase of materials at the Euclid Home Depot Aug. 23 and asked a random person with a truck to deliver them to his home. The suspect instead took the materials to the Highland Heights location of the store and returned them for a credit. There was no additional information available. Overdose: Wilson Mills Road A man was found passed out in his front yard Aug. 23, the victim of a suspected overdose. The man became alert after Narcan was administered by paramedics. It was suspected that he had used illegal drugs, but none were located. Theft: Wilson Mills Road A woman was given a trespass warning from Home Depot Aug. 21 after being suspected of stealing two electronic items. Fraud: Strathaven Drive A man, 91, reported Aug. 20 that he had been the victim of a scam when he allowed an unknown person to take remote access of his computer. He later found suspicious activity on his credit line and responded to his bank, where they helped adjust the matter. There was no monetary loss attributed to the incident. General assistance: Kenbridge Drive A resident said Aug. 19 that a suspicious vehicle is often seen in the area. Officers determined that the vehicle belonged to a neighbor and that there was no illegal activity taking place. Fraud: Miner Road A group home care worker reported Aug. 19 that a resident had his credit card used without permission to make 20 charges in Pennsylvania for a total of $334. It was unknown how the mans card number was obtained. His bank is handling the matter. Disturbance: South Greenway Court A resident reported Aug. 19 that his ex-girlfriends current boyfriend began to fight with him while the two were at his home for a custody exchange. Officers learned that the woman got between the two men to keep the incident from escalating. Both men were mutually combative and chose not to pursue the matter. They were warned for disorderly conduct. Read more news from the Sun Messenger. Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati has sent a letter to Ontarios chief medical officer of health, inviting him to tour Niagara Falls two casinos and see how officials have prepared the sites to operate safely in a COVID-19 environment. Diodati said he hopes if Dr. David Williams can see firsthand how the casinos have gone above and beyond, provincial guidelines can be changed allowing casinos to open to more than 50 people at a time. Currently, casinos are permitted to open under Stage 3 of the provinces recovery plan but must abide by restrictions including capping indoor gatherings at 50 people. Diodati said its not worth reopening Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort and Casino Niagara, which can typically handle 11,000 people at a time, for just 50. No one can survive with these numbers, he said. We need realistic suggestions. What are the metrics? Show us how you came to this conclusion. Tell us how we can change this. What do we have to do differently? Diodati said Niagara Casinos hired an epidemiologist to help design a safe-to-play experience, applied antimicrobial agent to its facilities and installed enough plexiglass to cover an NHL-sized ice rink. They put in thermal temperature heat readers. They put demarcations on the floor, put in special carpeting to direct people. They upped their ventilation system. He said Niagara Region Public Health inspected the casinos and gave the green light and a thumbs up to the protocols in place. Dr. Mustafa Hirji, Niagaras acting medical officer of health, said the agency cant give a green light because it doesnt have any part in the approval process for businesses to reopen, but it does provide feedback and advice when asked. Hirji said the public health unit didnt have any concerns or major suggestions for improvements. We did review their plan and think its a good plan, he said. Hirji said hes not against increasing numbers from 50 people in the casinos, comparing the buildings to shopping malls in the way they are set up. Rather than applying the 50-person limit to the entire building, he said it could be applied to areas such as the casino floor. I think it would be reasonable to have them operating under similar rules to a shopping mall where youre not necessarily limiting the entire building to just 50 people, you might limit any particular section of it to 50 people. Diodati said the casinos are the No. 1 employer in the region, employing more than 4,000 people. Theyre also a huge catalyst and indirect supporter of many other businesses around the region. Every single one of the 12 municipalities have people that work at the casino. He said while permitting only 50 people at a time in the casinos isnt feasible, neither is allowing 11,000. Start out with 30 per cent (capacity) let them manage at 30 per cent and then let them earn their way to 40 and so on, said Diodati. Were willing to have a discussion around whats reasonable. In an email, Niagara Casinos president Richard Taylor said when the region entered Stage 3, the company expected to gradually reopen with stringent health and safety protocols. The public health restrictions of a 50-person limit, with no table games permitted, do not support the reopening of our business, he said. We continue to work with the Canadian Gaming Association, Ontario Lottery and Gaming, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, Niagara Region Public Health and emergency services, and infectious disease prevention experts to make recommendations to the Ontario Public Health experts for the protection of all staff and customers. Taylor said examples include physical distancing of at least two metres; the use of face coverings for customers and employees; ensuring the availability of hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes for customers; implementing, where effective and possible, physical barriers such as clear plastic partitions; enhanced cleaning and disinfection, particularly of high-touch surfaces, bathrooms and shared equipment; signage and communication to reinforce all health and safety protocols; employee health screening tools including temperature kiosks; and COVID-19 health and safety training for all staff. - with files from Karena Walter AT&T has now officially announced a brand new, self-branded budget phone dubbed the Radiant Max. The company did not outline all of its specs, as is often the case with affordable devices below $150. But AT&T Radiant Max, spotted by Android Central via a press release from the carrier, makes some pretty bold promises for its price. With regard to specs that were fully revealed, AT&T says its new budget-tier device is designed around an HD+ 6.5-inch display panel. That packs a tear-drop notch for the 8-megapixel selfie shooter. Around the back, a three-camera array consisting of a 13-megapixel, 5-megapixel, and 2-megapixel sensor is placed. That resides in a circular housing. Those are ultra-wide-angle and super macro lenses, with the 2-megapixel snapper likely being used for depth. Advertisement For power, AT&T has not revealed the underlying processor. Or how much RAM will back up that octa-core chipset. 32GB of storage is packed in to keep photos, videos, apps, and games on-device. And it tucked a 4,000mAh battery behind all of that. That will last up to two full days, according to AT&T. How does AT&T Radiant Max hope to set itself apart In terms of AT&T setting its new handset apart, the company is aiming at modern top-tier features instead of specs. Namely, the camera not only supports Time Lapse photography, Portrait Mode, and Live Filters. It also supports Night Mode, which has been a big draw for customers. Its not immediately clear how well those cameras will perform since the budget-end doesnt tend to offer the best experience. But the features do mean users are getting a full-blown modern experience, in theory. Advertisement The same holds true for the fact that a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner is part of the build. AT&T placed that just below the camera array. And DTS audio tuning is part of the package as well. That will, AT&T says, enable louder, richer sounds overall. Also setting this phone apart is the fact that the industry had, prior to this, largely moved away from carrier-branded smartphones. That could ultimately help the company bring in extra revenue that may help it, in however limited a fashion, to better compete. Whats the pricing going to be like? Pricing is set to start at $80 for new AT&T customers. And it will only be set at $130 for those who are already using AT&T service, with prepaid users being the primary target audience. Those prices are both associated with AT&Ts unlimited plans, of course. Advertisement Radiant Max is scheduled to arrive AT&T as of August 28. Rouhani underlines enhanced Iran-IAEA cooperation, recent agreement Iran Press TV Wednesday, 26 August 2020 6:04 PM Iranian President Hassan Rouhani underlines the need for further cooperation between Tehran and the UN nuclear agency, hailing the agreements reached during the visit of the IAEA head to the country. In a meeting with Rafael Grossi, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, in Tehran on Wednesday, Rouhani expressed hope for enhanced Tehran-IAEA cooperation. Stressing that Iran considers the IAEA to be of high significance, Rouhani said, "Iran's relations with the IAEA are at a very good level, and the message of the IAEA director general's visit to Tehran for the world is that Iran, as in the past, is ready to work closely with the IAEA within the framework of safeguards." Rouhani stressed the importance of maintaining the IAEA's "independence, impartiality and professionalism," and expressed hope that the IAEA's professional position would be further elevated in the public opinion. He hailed the recent agreement between Iran and the IAEA, which was announced earlier in the day, and said it could help follow the right track towards the final settlement of issues. He also warned against attempts to undermine the Iran-IAEA cooperation, saying, "The IAEA must take heed of the important point that Iran has sworn enemies who are always trying to cause problems for us; they are the ones who have nuclear weapons and do not cooperate with the IAEA." He was apparently alluding to the Israeli regime, which defies calls to put its nuclear activities under the IAEA surveillance and join the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, and is believed to be in possession of hundreds of nuclear warheads. At the end of the two-day trip by the IAEA chief, Iran and the UN agency issued a joint statement on agreements and the results of high-level talks between the two sides. According to the Wednesday statement issued by the website of the IAEA, the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Islamic Republic of Iran "agreed to further reinforce their cooperation and enhance mutual trust" to facilitate the full implementation of Iran's Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement (CSA) and the Additional Protocol (AP) thereto. "After intensive bilateral consultations, Iran and the IAEA reached an agreement on the resolution of the safeguards implementation issues specified by the IAEA, in good faith. In this regard, Iran is voluntarily providing the IAEA with access to the two locations specified by the IAEA and facilitating the IAEA verification activities to resolve these issues," the statement added. Also in his remarks, the Iranian president commented on the 2015 nuclear agreement reached between Iran and world powers, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). In addition to its technical and specialized responsibilities in the connection with safeguards and the Additional Protocol, which Iran is voluntarily implementing, the International Atomic Energy Agency also has an "important responsibility to ensure that this multilateral document is kept in place," Rouhani told Grossi. Referring to the IAEA's detailed and expert reports on the implementation of the JCPOA during the cooperation of the seven parties to the deal to that end, Rouhani said, "The JCPOA was a very important agreement for Iran and the P5 + 1 and created peace in the entire region and the world." Rouhani stated that the United States withdrew from the nuclear deal in 2018 for no reason, noting, "More than two years after the country's withdrawal from JCPOA, the Americans are well aware now that they made a wrong move." In the current situation, Iran and the international community are working to maintain the JCPOA, while the United States and one or two countries are unfortunately trying to destroy the deal, Rouhani said, adding, "We hope that the Agency, as a supporter of multilateralism, will explain to the world, technically, scientifically and professionally, the importance of the maintenance and the implementation of the JCPOA." The administration of US President Donald Trump unilaterally left the JCPOA in 2018 and later reinstated its sanctions against Iran in defiance of international criticism as part of its so-called maximum pressure campaign against the Islamic Republic. The US has since mounted pressure on Iran, forcing others to follow its suit in abandoning trade with Iran or face punitive measures by Washington. For his part, Grossi expressed satisfaction with the recent agreement reached with the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran during his visit, and emphasized on deepening and expanding cooperation between Iran and the IAEA. He described the JCPOA as a great achievement for all parties, and underlined the need to maintain it. He expressed hope that with the cooperation of Iran and the IAEA, all technical and professional issues and questions will be resolved. Emphasizing that Iran and the IAEA should not allow external factors to affect their cooperation, he said the Agency follows a "technical and professional" policy, and stressed the importance of negotiations to resolve any outstanding issues. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address PHILIPSBURG:--- The General Audit Chamber submitted its report entitled Compliance audit: 2019 Financial Statements of the General Pension Fund Sint Maarten (Algemeen Pensioenfonds Sint Maarten - APS) to Parliament today. The report addresses findings and conclusions resulting from the review of the pension fund's 2019 financial statement. The Funds coverage ratio at the end of 2019 was 103.8% (2018: 97.6%). Despite the increase, the Funds capital remains insufficient to cover general and investment risks. On June 3rd, 2020, Parliament approved pension reform legislation. APS task is to manage the fund in a fundamentally sound manner. The amended law provides APS with additional options to do so. If the coverage ratio is not structurally healthy after the implementation of a recovery plan, or if substantial measures have to be taken at the expense of the participant, the General Audit Chamber believes that APS functioning cannot be overlooked. In the context of "good governance", they believe it is appropriate for the fund to have its performance objectively evaluated. During their investigation, the Audit Chamber specifically analyzed the progress of APS local investment projects. Their overall conclusion is that little significant progress was made during the last five years. Target dates shift, expectations are adjusted and there is no clear substantiation for new (updated) schedules. The report provides several examples: a parking facility originally scheduled for 2020 that is given a lower priority, construction which has not started on a planned eco-hotel in Mary's Fancy, development of the new APS headquarters is still unclear and, APS provides a variety of reasons to explain the slow sales of homes at Oryx Hills. The report is published in both English and Dutch and is available on the website of the General Audit Chamber (www.arsxm.org). Click here for report. (Newser) It's a guilty plea for two New Jersey cops who retaliated against a local man after he'd filed a complaint against them. New Jersey Advance Media reports that 27-year-old Thomas Dowling and 31-year-old Stephen Martinsen admitted to fourth-degree criminal mischief Tuesday after vandalizing two vehicles belonging to Ernest Mignoli, an Asbury Park resident known for being outspoken about the city's police department. Dowling and Martinsen had been accused of dressing up in disguises, getting on their bikes, and riding to both Ocean Grove and Asbury Park, where Mignoli's Toyota Prius and Jeep Liberty were parked. The officers then proceeded to slash the tires on both vehicles, as well as shatter a window on one of them, they admitted at Tuesday's hearing, per the Asbury Park Press. story continues below The men's plea deals leave them ineligible for any future work with the state of New Jersey. They also have to pay back Mignoli for the damage, said to be around $500. Prosecutors are said to be pushing for probation instead of jail time for the two, as long as they pay that restitution to Mignoli. Dowling was terminated from the police force in September, while Martinsen was suspended without pay that same month. "Spiteful retaliation from law enforcement officers towards a citizen for any reason is an unacceptable option," Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni says in a statement. "This is in no way condoned at any level, for any reason." The men's sentencing is set for Oct. 16. (Read more New Jersey stories.) New York, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 08/26/2020 -- Reports and Data has recently published an extensive research study on the Global Oleoresins Market to provide an in-depth assessment of the key segments, prominent manufacturers, suppliers and vendors, key geographical regions, drivers, constraints, opportunities, risks, and limitations. The investigative study on the key factors of the global Oleoresins market provides a thorough assessment of the leading companies, expansion strategies, product launches, and current developments in products and technologies. Moreover, the report covers SWOT analysis and Porter's Five Forces analysis to offer a comprehensive view of the competitive landscape. The report is furnished with the latest updates about the current market scenario with regards to the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has affected every major segment of the Oleoresins industry and has influenced the global economic scenario significantly. The report provides a complete analysis of the current situation along with a thorough assessment of the present and future impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the overall Oleoresins industry. The oleoresins market is projected to grow at a rate of 4.3% in terms of value, from USD 1.48 Billion in 2019 to reach USD 2.09 Billion by 2027. Get a Sample of the report @ https://www.reportsanddata.com/sample-enquiry-form/2531 The global Oleoresins market is organized and includes several major manufacturers and vendors. The prominent players profiled in the report are Akay Group (India), Synthite Industries Pvt. Ltd. (India), AVT Naturals (India), Givaudan (Switzerland), PT Indesso Aroma (Indonesia), Vidya Herbs Private Limited (India), Ungerer & Company (US), Kancor Ingredients Ltd. (India), Plant Lipids (India), Kalsec Inc.(US), Gazignaire (France), and Universal Oleoresins (India), among others. Scope of the Oleoresins Market Research Report: The global Oleoresins market has been significantly affected by the current COVID-19 outbreak and has witnessed a decline in the growth prospect. However, according to the analysts, the market is expected to gain traction in the post-COVID-19 scenario through the entirety of the forecast period. By Source (Volume Kilo Tons, Revenue, USD Million; 2019-2026) Paprika Capsicum Seed spices Turmeric Ginger Cinnamon & cassia Herbs Others (cardamom, floral, asafetida, tamarind, nutmeg, onion, and garlic) Application (Volume Kilo Tons, Revenue, USD Million; 2019-2026) Food & beverages Pharmaceuticals & nutraceuticals Personal care products Feed Others Extraction process (Qualitative) Solvent extraction Supercritical fluid extraction Based on the regional bifurcation, the market is segmented into North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Middle East & Africa. The market is further segmented into types, applications, end-use, key manufacturers, regions, and other key segments to provide vital information about the Oleoresins industry. The statistical data is further organized into tables, charts, graphs, pictorial representations, and diagrams to offer a better understanding of the market. Moreover, the report provides a panoramic overview of the competitive landscape by providing an in-depth analysis of the key players, their lucrative business strategies, product developments, technological advancements, revenue generation, market value, market share, and strategic initiatives. Access Full Report Description, TOC, Table of Figure, Chart, etc. @ https://www.reportsanddata.com/report-detail/oleoresins-market Key questions answered by the Report: What is the expected valuation of the report throughout the forecast period? What are the major drivers and constraints of the Oleoresins industry? Which growth opportunities are expected to drive the growth of the industry? Which market segmentation is expected to dominate the market in the coming years? Which region is expected to lead the global Oleoresins market in the coming years? What is the projected growth rate of the Oleoresins industry? Who are the leading competitors of the Oleoresins market? The report further covers values, drivers, restraints, production and manufacturing capacity, cost analysis, SWOT and Porter's Five Forces analysis, and study of other key elements of the market. The report is an all-inclusive document that provides a detailed overview of the overall Oleoresins industry to assist the business players and new entrants in formulating strategic business decisions. Fill all the details to get the Sample copy of the Report @ https://www.reportsanddata.com/sample-enquiry-form/2531 Thank you for reading our report. For further details on customization or inquiries regarding the report, kindly connect with us. Our team will ensure the report is customized to meet your requirements. Similar Reports The Fifth Generation Building Membrane Market Size, Share, Trends and Growth 2020-2027 Chrome Plated Metal Powder Market Size, Share and Future Growth 2020-2027 About Us: Reports and Data is a market research and consulting company that provides syndicated research reports, customized research reports, and consulting services. Our solutions purely focus on your purpose to locate, target and analyze consumer behavior shifts across demographics, across industries and help client's make a smarter business decision. We offer market intelligence studies ensuring relevant and fact-based research across a multiple industries including Healthcare, Technology, Chemicals, Power and Energy. We consistently update our research offerings to ensure our clients are aware about the latest trends existent in the market. Contact Us: John Watson Head of Business Development 40 Wall St. 28th floor New York City NY 10005 United States Direct Line: +1-212-710-1370 Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Thu, August 27, 2020 15:24 511 e22cd4161040e111d73a5626c40e4044 1 National factories,karawang,coronavirus,COVID-19,factory-activity,factory-worker,COVID-19-infection,pandemic,SARS-CoV-2,virus-corona Free Two factories in Karawang, West Java, have been locked down for 14 days by the local administration in response to a report that dozens of employees tested positive for COVID-19. Karawang COVID-19 task force spokesperson Fitra Hergyana identified the two factories, owned by PT DNP and PT Exedy Manufacturing. They are both located in Karawang International Industrial City. However, in urgent situations where factories machines are unable to be turned off, we can give permission [for a limited number of staff to work] under the condition that they follow health protocols, he said on Wednesday, as quoted by kompas.com. Fitra added that 34 employees working for PT DNP a plastic packaging manufacturer had tested positive for COVID-19. PT Exedy Manufacturing, an automotive tools manufacturer, reported that fifteen employees and family members had tested positive. Read also: Unilever closes Cikarang factory after workers test positive for COVID-19 After receiving the reports, the task force inspected the two factories to determine if health protocols had been implemented. PT DNP has adhered to health protocols. Meanwhile, PT Exedy Manufacturing failed to provide handwashing stations, he said. But the companys management has said they are ready to abide by health protocols. Previously, a factory belonging to consumer goods giant Unilever in Cikarang, West Java, and one belonging to Tobacco giant HM Sampoerna in Surabaya were closed because employees tested positive for COVID-19. (trn) DENVER A man accused of firing his gun during a Denver protest in May made anti-police statements before shooting into the sky in the direction of police and television helicopters, according to a court document. Felix Missael Alva of Aurora was arrested Monday and later appeared in federal court, where he has been charged with having a gun while being in the United States illegally. Investigators said Alva is a Mexican national who had been deported from the U.S. in 2010. Colorado assistant federal defender Matthew Belcher represented Alva in court but his office does not discuss cases with the media. The court document says Alva was riding in a white Jeep Grand Cherokee that pulled up near a plainclothes detective who was watching an area near the state Capitol for protest activity on May 30, the third night of demonstrations over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and the first night of a city curfew. Alva called to the detective, said this aint no peaceful protest and made some derogatory comments about police, including a reference to pigs, according to arrest affidavit. Alva is accused of firing six to 10 shots before the Jeep sped away. Investigators used the Jeeps license plate number to find Alva. A search of his home uncovered a .45 caliber handgun resembling the one the detective had seen, the affidavit said. It said anti-police protest signs and artillery shell fireworks like the kind that were used against police during earlier protests were found in the Jeep. Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 23:30:35|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close DHAKA, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has programmed a 5.9-billion-U.S. dollar firm and a 5.2-billion-U.S. dollar standby project assistance for Bangladesh in 2021-2023, according to the new Country Operations Business Plan (COBP) for Bangladesh. "Given the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, we are enhancing our partnership with Bangladesh by adjusting program priorities to help the country overcome immediate challenges related to health and social protection, accelerate economic recovery, and maintain inclusive growth," ADB Country Director for Bangladesh Manmohan Parkash was quoted as saying in a statement Thursday. According to the COBP, 5,938 million U.S. dollars is for firm projects while another 5,170 million U.S. dollars is for standby projects, and 35.6 million U.S. dollars for technical assistance programs during 2021-2023. The standby list includes a pipeline of bankable projects that respond to the country's needs and growing absorptive capacity, to be financed depending on the availability of additional lending resources. Regardless of firm or standby status, ADB said its projects will be selected and processed based on strong government demand, sector absorptive capacity, and readiness, among other criteria. The COBP is aligned with the guiding principles of the Bangladeshi government's eighth five-year plan and its core themes of promoting prosperity and fostering inclusiveness, and ADB's Strategy 2030, it added. Enditem Dubai-based Emirates airline has announced the resumption of passenger services to Bangkok with daily flights starting from September 1. The resumption of flights to Bangkok will expand Emirates' current network to 78 cities in September, offering travellers in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific convenient connections via Dubai to the popular Thai destination. Flights between Dubai and Bangkok will be operated with an Emirates Boeing 777-300ER aircraft offering seats in First, Business and Economy classes. Starting from September 1, flight EK384 will depart Dubai daily at 01:50 and arrive in Bangkok at 11:30, while the return flight, EK385, will depart Bangkok at 03:25, and arrive in Dubai at 06:35, from September 2. Travellers arriving into Bangkok are subject to requirements set by the Thai authorities and certain restrictions are in place. Travellers are urged to check the latest information or visit www.emirates.com/travelrestrictions for details before booking, an Emirates statement said. First and Business Class customers can enjoy Emirates' Chauffeur Drive service on departure from Bangkok, in Dubai, and relax in Emirates' Lounge facility at Dubai International Airport, with health and safety measures in place, it said. Customers can stop over or travel to Dubai as the city has re-opened for international business and leisure visitors. Ensuring the safety of travellers, visitors, and the community, 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. - TradeArabia News Service IN late August it is normally uniforms that are deep cleaned but in 2020 it is school buildings. Parents and teachers across County Limerick have put in Trojan work to prepare their schools for reopening. But on top of Covid-19, Julie OConnor, head teacher of Glenroe Community National School, is welcoming pupils after five years. It will be a proud day as a long campaign has been fought to have children in the classrooms again after it closed in 2015. Thursday is D-Day and Ms OConnor cant wait. Our doors will open to the pupils of Glenroe/ Ballyorgan and surrounding areas, after a busy summer of setting-up. After a very exciting Zoom meeting with parents and pupils to host a virtual tour of the classroom Im looking forward to fostering an inclusive education environment, conducive to future focused learning. Our pupils will have a social distancing advantage, with each child allocated their own double desk, said Ms OConnor. Eight pupils have been enrolled and all new furniture and resources ordered old furniture has been removed to allow for social distancing space for pupils and staff Other measures include a pod system; hand hygiene breaks; individual pupil packs with all required stationary, books, copies, folders, tissues, sanitizer; modern suite of IT equipment; sanitizing stations at different entry/exit points and lots more. Minister Patrick O'Donovan said the reopening of the school this Thursday is one of the projects he is most proud of. He described it as a massive step for a small group in a small community. I have worked on this from the start. We met with the then minister and the local community in his office in Dublin and we presented the data that showed if the school reopened, then it could be sustained. It is wonderful to see the school reopening and I wish staff and children the very best of luck," said Minister O'Donovan. Minister ODonovan and Ms OConnor acknowledged the outstanding efforts by all members of the working group, and how their dedication, enthusiasm and collaboration with Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board has brought about the successful opening of Glenroe CNS. File photo The Police in Niger have arrested a 28-year-old driver over alleged rape of a 10-year-old girl in Tagina, Rafi Local Government Area of the state. Mr Adamu Usman, Commissioner of Police told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Minna on Wednesday that the suspect lured the girl into his room and sexually abused her on Aug. 24. Usman said that the suspect was proposing to marry the girls elder sister before the incident. The police commissioner said that the suspect would be charged to court after investigation. (NAN) Weather Alert ...Spotty black ice possible this morning... Slick spots on area roads may persist this morning as temperatures bottom out in the teens to around 10 degrees, and gusty northerly winds continue. Snow flurries may occur across parts of western Kentucky through mid morning. Untreated roads and bridges are most likely to have black ice on them. Motorists should use caution on the morning commute. Investigators looking into the July 12 fire that gutted a $761 million war ship in San Diego now believe the blaze may have been started deliberately by a US Navy sailor. The unnamed sailor's home has been searched, according to ABC 10News, based in the Californian city. Multiple sources with close ties to Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) told the station that arson was now strongly suspected. The Naval Criminal Investigative Service now suspects that arson could be to blame for the fire The USS Bonhomme Richard burst in to flames on July 12 in San Diego harbor Firefighters spent four days attacking the blaze before it was finally extinguished Firefighting boats sprayed water onto the amphibious assault ship to try and quell the flames On Tuesday, a Navy spokesperson told ABC 10News that NCIS requested help from the National Response Team for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) because the agency provides resources and expertise on complex, large-scale incidents like the massive ship fire. The spokesperson would not comment on the possibility of an arson investigation. 'The investigations are ongoing and there is nothing new to announce on their current status or findings,' the spokesman said. The fire onboard the docked ship blazed for four days, and sparked fears that it could have exploded or spilled up to a million gallons of fuel into the San Diego harbor. Helicopters also dumped water onto the $761 million ship as part of the rescue effort At least 68 firefighters suffered injuries during the four-day fight against the blaze Day and night the rescuers doused the ship with water to try and extinguish the fire The Navy has not yet decided whether it is worth renovating the ship, or whether it is more cost-effective to scrap it. It could cost the military an estimated $4 billion to replace the ship, which is akin to a mini-aircraft carrier. The Bonhomme Richard was undergoing maintenance when the fire was first reported in a lower cargo area, where seafaring tanks are parked. More than 160 people had been aboard when the blaze erupted at 8:30am in the morning. Around two hours after the fire began, an explosion of unknown origin shook the vessel. 'None of the (SDFRD) firefighters were on board the ship when the explosion happened, but the blast threw several firefighters off their feet,' the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department reported. In total 68 people were injured while fighting the fire, mainly from heat exhaustion and smoke inhalation. Officials originally believed the fire was started by drywall supplies in a storage area in the lower half of the ship, and accelerated by maintenance supplies such as cardboard boxes and rags. Naval Sailors are seen putting on their protective gear as they respond to the fire in this US Navy handout photo provided Wednesday Firefighters are pictured looking on, amid thick smoke, as the ship burns Temperatures had reached up to 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit in some parts of the ship, causing a forward mast to collapse and threatening the central control island where the captain operates the vessel. Teams of sailors rotating on 15-minute firefighting shift patterns poured water onto the ship from the pier and from tugboats. Helicopters have also dumped 1,200 buckets of water on the ship from above, allowing crews to move further on board to fight the blaze. The fire raced along the ship's ventilation and cables, causing it to traverse through the vessel. Cables and duct work snaking through hatches as part of the ship's maintenance fed the fire and later created barriers to sailors trying to fight it. At least two of the ship's Halon fire suppression systems - which could have extinguished the initial fire - were not able to be used. One of the systems was deactivated while the ship was being worked on, and the other was not able to be launched because of the explosion. Sailors enter the USS Bonhomme Richard to combat a fire aboard the amphibious assault ship Teams of sailors rotated on 15-minute firefighting shift patterns to tackle the blaze The Bonhomme Richard was capable of carrying more than 1,000 sailors, in addition to helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. The cost of the ship has been estimated $761 million, according to the Federation of American Scientists. The ship had been docked in the San Diego base to undergo routine maintenance between deployments when the fire broke out, Navy spokeswoman Krishna Jackson said at the time. Jackson told the New York Times that the sailors assigned to the ship at the time were staying in Navy or private housing on shore and were not on board when the fire started. A 'duty section' of sailors trained to fight fires were, however, of whom were first to respond. The USS Bonhomme Richard has been home-ported at Naval Base San Diego since its last deployment in spring 2018, when it returned from a six-year port switch to Sasebo, Japan. The keel for the Bonhomme Richard was laid down in 1995 and she was delivered to the Navy in 1998. The Bonhomme Richard was undergoing maintenance when the fire erupted on July 12 Firefighting efforts have involved personnel from Naval Base San Diego (right) and the City of San Diego Fire Department (left), along with Harbor Police fire boats and fire teams from other ships, according to the Navy As the coronavirus pandemic evolves, more information emerges on how the virus spreads in the community. Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) recognized that the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), spreads through aerosols, which are small droplets that remain suspended in the air. Now, a new study reveals that the virus may spread via aerosols through drain pipes in bathrooms, after scientists examined an abandoned apartment in Guangzhou, China. The findings add to the body of evidence suggesting the virus is transmissible via aerosols. Airborne transmission Several studies have revealed that COVID-19 can spread through aerosols in the hospital setting. Airborne transmission is defined as the spread of an infectious agent through the dissemination of droplet nuclei (aerosols) that remain infectious when suspended in the air for long distances and time, the WHO reports. Initially, the WHO said that the airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 could occur during medical procedures that produce aerosols, such as nebulization. However, recent evidence has shown that airborne transmission can also spread in enclosed areas where there is poor ventilation, such as offices. Aerosols, which an aerodynamic diameter of <5 m, can readily penetrate deep into the alveolar regions of the lungs of a bystander. Meanwhile, large droplets are thought to arise from the upper respiratory tract and settle quickly and relatively close to their source. Spread in bathrooms A team of researchers from the China Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CCDC), the University of Utah, and the Nanjing Medical University aimed to review the evidence of aerosol transmission of SARS-CoV-2. To arrive at the study findings, the scientists conducted an on-site tracer simulation experiment to evaluate if the virus could spread through waste pipes through tiny airborne particles, which are generated by the force of a toilet flush. The team noted an incident in February, when SARS-CoV-2 RNA on surface samples, such as those from the shower handle, faucet, and sink, was found in a bathroom of an unoccupied apartment. The bathroom is located on the 16th floor, which was right above the apartment of five people with COVID-19, which were diagnosed between Jan. 16 and Jan. 30. The team said that an on-site trace simulation experiment also confirmed the possibility of aerosol transport through drainage pipes after flushing the toilet on the 15th floor. The team showed that aerosols were found in the restrooms of apartments on the 25th floor and the 27th floor of the building. Although transmission via the shared elevator cannot be excluded, this event is consistent with the findings of the Amoy Gardens SARS outbreak in Hong Kong in 2003, the authors wrote in the paper, citing unpublished data from the CCDC. In the Amoy Gardens case in 2003, warm and moist air from the bathroom of a severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) patient excreting high concentrations of the virus in feces and urine has established a plume in the air shaft that spread the pathogen to other apartments. Other sources of airborne transmission Aside from bathrooms through sewage pipes, the team also cited other instances that airborne spread of the SARS-CoV-2 is more likely. For instance, a choir rehearsal in Washington in the United States has led to the infection of 53 out of the 61 attendees, while two of these patients had died. The rehearsal imposed adequate precautions for droplet transmission, and none of the attendees had symptoms. Health experts suspect that the virus may have spread through singing, wherein the forceful inhalation and exhalation may have aerosolized the virus, leading to high levels of disease transmission. This indoor transmission risk may have been increased because of high occupancy, long duration, loud vocalization, and poor ventilation. A recent study addressed the potential long distances covered by SARS-CoV-2 through cough and sneeze and revealed that small droplets emitted during a sneeze, could reach distances of 78 meters, the authors noted. Other reports of airborne transmission have been mentioned, such as outbreaks involving cases in relatively confined or crowded environments, including hospitals, public vehicles, offices, shopping malls, and prisons. Poor ventilation for a relatively long time and lack of mask use may have increased the risk of aerosolized infection. Taken together, this suggests the possibility of aerosol transmission, especially in confined settings after exposure to high concentrations of viral aerosols for a long time, the researchers said. The team urges governments and healthcare settings to impose precautionary control strategies that are essential for the protection of public health. They should inform the general public, particularly the vulnerable groups, about avoiding crowded and poorly ventilated environments. Since there is a risk of airborne transmission in closed spaces, providing adequate natural ventilation, increasing air exchange rates, and reducing the use of central air conditioning, are all critical. Public transport vehicles should be disinfected regularly, and restrooms should also be thoroughly cleaned regularly. Most importantly, wearing masks, avoiding crowded places, physical distancing, and proper hand hygiene are still the best ways to prevent infection and spread of COVID-19. The study is published in the journal Environmental International. Wang Yang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee, attends a plenary meeting of the 13th session of the Standing Committee of the 13th CPPCC National Committee in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 26, 2020. (Xinhua/Shen Hong) BEIJING, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Chinese national political advisors put forward suggestions for the country's economic and social planning over the next five years during a session of the standing committee of China's top political advisory body. Wang Yang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), attended Wednesday's plenary meeting. A total of 12 members of the Standing Committee of the CPPCC National Committee voiced their suggestions for the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) for national economic and social development at the plenary meeting. Aiming to boost the growth of economic volume and improve the quality of development, the political advisors proposed to facilitate national economic circulation to establish a new development pattern, which takes the domestic market as the mainstay and allows the domestic and foreign markets to boost each other. They called for deepening supply-side structural reform, and effective measures to forestall and defuse financial risks to achieve high-quality development of the financial sector. Stressing the need to uphold the innovation-driven development strategy, the political advisors urged efforts to foster cutting-edge technology industries and seek development opportunities through technological innovation. The political advisors urged a balanced and high-quality compulsory education as well as improving coordination between prevention, treatment, and scientific research on major epidemics. Continuous efforts should be made to strengthen ecological conservation, and pursue eco-friendly development models and ways of life, said the political advisors. Noting that China should deepen its opening up on a larger scale and in more fields, the political advisors also called for safeguarding multilateral trading regimes, and the building of an international economic governance system that is fair and equitable. A word to Senator Obama and his supporters, Mr. McCain said at the time, in words that the group, Republican Voters Against Trump, uses in the ad. Despite our differences, much more unites us than divides us. We are fellow Americans, and thats an association that means more to me than any other. The statement is also slated to run in The Washington Post on Friday, the morning after Mr. Trumps acceptance speech. The quadrennial nominating conventions usually offer tributes to party leaders who have died since the last gathering. But at this weeks Republican convention there has been no mention of Mr. McCain, who clashed bitterly with Mr. Trump and did not want the president at his funeral. (Mr. Trump continued attacking Mr. McCain after his death.) Nor has anything been done yet to honor former President George Bush, who also died in 2018. Indeed, its most likely that Mr. McCain will end up having had more of a tribute at the Democratic convention than at his own partys. His widow, Cindy McCain, participated in a video recounting his friendship with Mr. Biden but did not address the virtual Democratic gathering. It remains unclear how far shell go with her support for Mr. Biden, who is hoping to put Arizona in the Democratic column for the first time since 1996. Mr. McCains closest advisers were particularly touched by the kindness of Mr. Biden in his former colleagues final months and how he traveled to Arizona to visit Mr. McCain at his cabin. Mr. Salter, who led the effort to gather signatures along with the former McCain aides Christian Ferry, Niki Christoff and Joe Donoghue, said they had confined their outreach to staff members, and did not seek out McCain family members. He was finally arrested in July 2020 and was returned to the UK on August 26 Fled country for Dubai before his trial at Southwark Crown Court was due to start Duped elderly victims into handing over their life savings by posing as a broker Raja, 33, from Essex, was sentenced to eight years in jail in January 2019 A conman who duped pensioners out of their life savings in a 2.4 million fraud and was on the run from an eight year British prison sentence in Dubai is finally behind bars. Sami Raja, 33, from Grays, Essex, was sentenced to eight years in jail in January 2019 after he duped elderly victims into handing over their life savings by posing as a broker and selling them useless 'carbon credits' for 25 times the market value. A fortnight before his trial at Southwark Crown Court was due to start in 2019, Raja fled for Dubai, a court heard. While on the run, Raja, who used some of the stolen money he and his associates had acquired to purchase a 33,000 Aston Martin and a 4,000 Rolex, then launched an appeal bid, Southwark Crown Court heard. Sami Raja, 33, from Grays, Essex, who was sentenced to eight years in jail in January 2019 for duping elderly victims into handing over their life saving is behind bars The conman shared an image of himself in a hot tub at a resort in the Maldives just days after he was sentenced in the UK Speaking at a confiscation hearing in May last year prosecutor Paul Casey said: 'We understand Mr Raja is contesting his conviction.' Referring to another fugitive 'speedboat' killer Jack Shepherd, who launched an appeal while he was on the run in Georgia, Judge Christopher Hehir had remarked: 'It seems to be in vogue these days, that one contests one's conviction having fled overseas.' Raja was convicted in his absence of six counts of conspiracy to defraud and money laundering by a jury in January last year. Raja was convicted in his absence of six counts of conspiracy to defraud and money laundering in January last year. He was returned to the UK on August 26 after the City of London Police secured a European Arrest Warrant Following his sentence, the City of London Police secured a European Arrest Warrant and Raja was finally arrested when he travelled to Athens on July 15, 2020. He was returned to the UK on August 26. He was formally handed the eight year sentence back at Southwark Crown Court today. The fraudster, who conned 130 victims, flaunted his millionaire lifestyle while on the run by brazenly posting pictures of himself posing with designer goods on Instagram. He also posted pictures from expensive resorts, including the Maldives, just days after he was sentenced in January of last year. A court heard how victims had received unsolicited calls from 'brokers' who used high pressure sales techniques to persuade them to invest in the scam products. The conman ran Sami Raja Consultancy, which aims to help investors 'set up and expand their businesses in the UAE and the UK'. After Raja went on the run, Kevin Cresswell, 50, who invested 300,000 in Park First airport parking spaces, another scheme of Raja's that continued whilst he was on trial, previously told The Telegraph: 'It is unbelievable that he is not in prison, it's ridiculous. 'How can he just disappear after he has ripped so many people off? If it is within their power police should be doing everything they can to bring him to justice, they should be banging down doors.' Raja used the money he had acquired through fraud to buy a 33,000 Aston Martin and a 4,000 Rolex While he was on the run, Raja also launched an appeal bid, Southwark Crown Court heard Raja, who was one of five men convicted over the carbon credits scam, pictured with a woman at Al Marjan desert safari camp in Dubai Senior Investigating Officer Hayley Wade, of the City of London Police's fraud squad, said: 'Raja cruelly targeted often elderly individuals with the intention of defrauding them of their life savings. 'He clearly felt no remorse for their actions, closing one company, only to set-up another and commit the same offences. 'He is a callous and greedy individual, but today we have shown he is not above the law. We hope the fact he is now finally serving the prison sentence he deserves for his crimes, will bring some comfort to the victims in this case. 'I would like to thank the National Crime Agency, Crown Prosecution Service, Metropolitan Police and the authorities in Greece, for all of their assistance in bringing Raja back to the UK to face justice.' Raja was one of five men convicted over the carbon credits scam, which saw 130 victims conned between 2012-2013. The riots, looting and arson that have broken out across America, with tacit or open support from many Democratic politicians, have radically changed the outlook for Novembers elections. I wrote last night about the organized assault on civilization that reigned last night in Minneapolis. Utterly incompetent governance at the state and local levels, combined with a sympathy for violent Marxists like those associated with Black Lives Matter, have led to a total breakdown of law and order. I posted videos of some of the looting last night. At least four businesses were also set on fire. I want to add just one more video showing Joe Biden voters looting the Saks store on the Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis: More looting in downtown Minneapolis. Theyve now breached the Saks 5th Avenue store on 6th and Nicollet and people are making out with lots of goods. pic.twitter.com/tgUIyoIMvf Courtney Godfrey (@courtneygodfrey) August 27, 2020 The Democrats would have us believe that these people are looting because of their great pain over Jacob Blake. Is there a single person who actually believes that, or who would try to justify looting, arson and rioting on this or any other ground? Possibly Tina Smith would. A former abortion executive, Smith is an incumbent senator from Minnesota. A faceless politician, she is vulnerable if 2020 is a good year for Republicans. Her opponent is our friend Jason Lewis. Compare Smiths recent tweets with Jasons. This is what Senator Smith has had to say over the last 24 hours: I stand with every American calling for justice for Jacob Blake, whether its the thousands of people protesting in their communities or the Milwaukee @Bucks boycott. Americans are demanding we take action to address systemic racism in policing. Its time we acted. Tina Smith (@TinaSmithMN) August 27, 2020 This is what corruption looks like. https://t.co/TvVYwCnAI4 Tina Smith (@TinaSmithMN) August 27, 2020 I suppose it would be possible to be more tone-deaf, but it wouldnt be easy. Now check out what Jason Lewis says about riots and looting: MORE RIOTS/LOOTING unfolding in Minneapolis tonight?! Enough. My solemn pledge to you is this, MN: elect @realDonaldTrump & me, & this BS will be brought to a swift conclusion. Public order WILL be restored. Remember, these are righteous protests, according to @TinaSmithMN https://t.co/MAJDGzztiy Jason Lewis (@LewisForMN) August 27, 2020 Actually, Tina? What corruption REALLY looks like is a sitting U.S. Senator selling off $1million dollars in stock before the market crashed, while simultaneously blocking COVID relief(2x) for constituents. So tell us, what did you know & when did you know it? We deserve answers https://t.co/V5OkXvZInU Jason Lewis (@LewisForMN) August 27, 2020 Hey @GovTimWalz Minneapolis @MayorFrey is requesting the National Guard to stop the newest riots. To be clear, hes asking for the brave men & women trained to bring peace and order all across the world. Not 19 year old cooks as you describe them. https://t.co/zxttW5w3lA Jason Lewis (@LewisForMN) August 27, 2020 The violence must stop whether in Minneapolis, Portland, or Kenosha. We will have law and order on the streets of this country for every American of every race, creed, and color. @Mike_Pence Thank you, Vice President Mike Pence! We must restore law & order! #RNC2020Convention pic.twitter.com/y1jOb1lGni Jason Lewis (@LewisForMN) August 27, 2020 This is Tina Smiths Minneapolis. If you believe that police should exist, if you believe the violent mob should not rule the streets, if you love Minnesota & want to preserve it, vote her out of office this November! https://t.co/30jjJjXkQa Jason Lewis (@LewisForMN) August 27, 2020 .@IlhanMN, Minneapolis is gripped by violence and chaos. Again. Time to restore public order. I know youd rather do nothing (again), but that doesnt make it right. Nor does it make your plan to abolish the police right.@TinaSmithMN should un-endorse you immediately. https://t.co/XmY7eyYdbS Jason Lewis (@LewisForMN) August 27, 2020 The Democrats have no idea how to reel back the whirlwind of crime and violence that they have unleashed. I now think that President Trump will carry both Wisconsin and Minnesota, which will ensure his re-election. I also think that Jason Lewis will defeat Tina Smith, helping the GOP to hold the Senate. The most recent polling has the race a dead heat. If you want to help Jason Lewis, go here. On Wednesday, taking part in a discussion through video conferencing with Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and Chief Ministers of some states, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had said that Opposition ruled States such as Maharashtra, Punjab, West Bengal, Jharkhand should collectively approach the Supreme Court for deferring NEET, JEE Main exams to be held next month. On Wednesday, taking part in a discussion through video conferencing with Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and Chief Ministers of some states, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had said that Opposition ruled States such as Maharashtra, Punjab, West Bengal, Jharkhand should collectively approach the Supreme Court for deferring NEET, JEE Main exams to be held next month. She also mentioned that she had raised her concerns over the same issue with the Prime Minister. Punjab CM directs AG to file review petition in SC seeking deferment of NEET, JEE exams: Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Wednesday directed State Advocate General Atul Nanda to coordinate with his counterparts in other Opposition ruled states for filing a collective review petition in the Supreme Court seeking deferment of NEET, JEE exams. According to a press statement, the directive followed a Video Conference of the meeting convened by Congress President Sonia Gandhi with the chief ministers of seven Opposition-ruled states to discuss this and other issues of common concern, including delay in GST compensation release and the farm Ordinances by the Government of India, as well as the New Education Policy, which Captain Amarinder said was thrust on the states without consultation. Also read: Deeply unfair: Greta Thunberg backs Indian students demand to cancel exams amid Covid-19 Also read: UGC NET 2020 exam dates released @ ugcnet.nta.nic.in, NTA UGC NET June 2020 exam in September, check Official Notification Noting that what the states were seeking was not the moon but their own dues, the Chief Minister also suggested that a delegation of all the Opposition ruled chief ministers should meet the Prime Minister to press for the release of GST compensation and financial assistance to fight Covid. According to the press statement, The Chief Minister also disclosed that his government would be setting up a committee soon to assess the impact of the New Education Policy on the states education system and finances. Every state has its own system, which the Government of India failed to take into account before announcing the policy, he said. Citing the importance laid by his government on education, he said that while in schools his government had already decided to promote the students based on their earlier performance, the final term college exams issue remained a matter of concern. How can we have exams with Covid projected to peak in the state in September? he asked, adding that I also want students to take exams and pass too, but how can I do this in the midst of the crisis? Akhilesh Yadav backs demand to defer JEE, NEET amid COVID-19: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday spoke out against the conduction of Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) and National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) in the middle of COVID-19 pandemic. The National Testing Agency (NTA) has announced that the JEE (Main) will be held from September 1 to 6 and NEET (UG) on September 13. Yadav asserted that exams amid the COVID-19 outbreak will put the lives of lakhs of students at risk. Odisha CM dials PM Modi requesting him to postpone NEET, JEE exams: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik dialled Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday requesting him to postpone National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Undergraduate) 2020 [NEET] and Joint Entrance Examination Main [JEE] examinations in the view of COVID-19 pandemic and flood in the state. The National Testing Agency (NTA) is scheduled to conduct the JEE (Main) on September 1-6 and NEET on September 13. Odisha Chief Minister had on Tuesday urged Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal to postpone NEET 2020 and JEE Main 2020 due to outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic. He also informed the Union Education Minister that transportation in Odisha has been disrupted because of the lockdown enforced by many district administrations in an attempt to contain the spread of COVID-19. Reiterating the request for postponing the exams, Patnaik added, Whenever NTA holds these tests, it may be directed to open centres in all the 30 districts of the State so that students have to travel maximum 2-3 hours to reach the test centres and go back home the same day and thus ensure maximum participation of the students in these tests. Heavy rainfall in many parts of Odisha resulted in a flood-like situation. Moreover, the water-level of the Baitarani River has also risen amid incessant rains. People in Bhadrak were seen wading through waist-deep water in the flooded areas. The situation is such that the villagers of Hasnabad were seen using rubber tubes to get around from one place to another. According to the Union Health Ministry, Odisha at present has 24,348 active cases of COVID-19. Also, a total of 62813 have been cured and 441 have died after contracting the infection. Also know: HPPSC Hindi Lecturer Answer Key 2020 available @ hppsc.hp.gov.in, check how to download Sixty percent of Americans want to eat more plant-based 2 but hesitate due to fears it won't taste as good as meat. Incogmeato is here to reassure flexitarians that its line of plant-based burgers, brats, sausage and chik'n nuggets look, cook and taste just like the real thing. To make overcoming first bite fears easy, Incogmeato is launching a national giveaway on Twitter and partnering with Postmates to bring bite-sized samples right to peoples' doors. Postmates Partnership In-store sampling is all but gone, making it difficult for people to try before they buy. To solve this, Incogmeato is partnering exclusively with Postmates, a leader in enabling anyone to get nearly anything on-demand, to make taking that first bite easy by bringing free one-bite burgers straight to the doors of Dallas and Denver residents. Which leaves just one question, what are you waiting for Dallas and Denver? Afraid you might like it? "Incogmeato is an exciting new plant-based brand that looks, cooks and tastes just like meat and is in stores now," said Sara Young, General Manager, Plant-Based Proteins at Kellogg Company. "We know people are curious about plant-based but may be nervous to try it for the first time, so we're partnering with Postmates to make overcoming those first bite fears easy with delicious bite-sized samples that are delivered right to their front doors for free." For one day only on Aug. 27, Denver and Dallas residents within the on-demand delivery radius can get a bite-sized and fully cooked and dressed Incogmeato Burger brought right to their door by Postmates. To take up Incogmeato on their challenge, hungry diners can visit Postmates.com or download Postmates on iOS or Android and find the Incogmeato "store" and order their free slider. One free sample per order will be available while supplies last starting at 11 a.m. and includes free delivery. In addition to the meaty first bite of Incogmeato, residents will also receive a coupon to purchase Incogmeato Burger Patties at local retailers, including Walmart, Kroger, Safeway and Albertson's. "We are thrilled to partner with Incogmeato and take food sampling to the next level by delivering free sliders to customers' doors," said Dylan Abruscato, Senior Director of Brand Strategy at Postmates. National Giveaway For those outside of Denver and Dallas who also want to try their first bite, Incogmeato is hosting a one-day only product giveaway on Twitter , so that plant-based doubters nationwide can take their first bite of delicious Incogmeato Burgers. Simply visit the Incogmeato Twitter page and engage with their most recent tweet for the chance to win free product delivered directly to your door. To learn more about Incogmeato by MorningStar Farms, visit Incogmeato.com or follow the brand on social media @IncogmeatoUS on Instagram and Facebook , and @Incogmeato on Twitter . About Kellogg Company At Kellogg Company (NYSE: K), we strive to enrich and delight the world through foods and brands that matter. Our beloved brands include Pringles, Cheez-It, Special K, Kellogg's Frosted Flakes, Pop-Tarts, Kellogg's Corn Flakes, Rice Krispies, Eggo, Mini-Wheats, Kashi, RXBAR, MorningStar Farms and more. Net sales in 2019 were approximately $13.6 billion, comprised principally of snacks and convenience foods like cereal and frozen foods. Kellogg brands are beloved in markets around the world. We are also a company with Heart & Soul, committed to creating Better Days for 3 billion people by the end of 2030 through our Kellogg's Better Days global purpose platform. Visit www.KelloggCompany.com or www.OpenforBreakfast.com . About Postmates Postmates is a leader in enabling anyone to get nearly anything on-demand. The platform gives customers access to the most selection of merchants in the US with more than 600,000 restaurants and retailers available for delivery and pickup, many of which are exclusive to Postmates. A market leader in Los Angeles and markets across the southwest, Postmates covers 80% of US households, across all 50 states. Customers can get free delivery on all merchants by joining Postmates Unlimited, the industry's first subscription service. Learn more or start a delivery by downloading the app or visiting www.postmates.com . 1 Good Food Institute IPSOS October 2017, Veggie Effect Ca 2 Source: Kellogg Plant Protein DL (2020); The Cambridge Group SOURCE Kellogg Company Related Links www.KelloggCompany.com The Uttar Pradesh government has done away with the seven days mandatory institutional quarantine for international travellers arriving in the state provided they fulfil certain conditions amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Under the new guidelines, they will have to remain in 14 days compulsory home quarantine now, additional chief secretary (health and family welfare) Amit Mohan Prasad said Wednesday. According to the new guidelines, the exemption from institutional quarantine will be granted to pregnant women coming by international flights, those visiting the state from abroad due to a death in the family, those suffering from a terminal illness, and parents of children below 10 years of age. Foreign travellers who get RT-PCR tests of their samples done 96 hours before boarding a flight and test negative will be exempted from the seven days institutional quarantine, he said. The central government amended the quarantine guidelines for domestic as well as the international travellers and the state government made changes accordingly. According to the earlier guidelines, international travellers had to go for seven days institutional quarantine followed by seven days home quarantine, he said. Earlier, domestic travellers coming to UP by train or the flight had to remain in 14 days compulsory home quarantine if they were not leaving the state within seven days. The state government has now amended the order for residents of the state going to another state for official or private work and then returning to UP. Residents of UP returning to the state within five days will not be quarantined if they have no symptoms of Covid-19. But if they have coronavirus infection symptoms, they will have to go for 14 days home isolation during which their sample will be tested. If the report is positive, the person will be admitted in hospital, Prasad said. SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 26, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- American Jewish Committee (AJC) Philadelphia welcomes the NAACP decision to remove Minister Rodney Muhammad as head of the organization's Philadelphia branch, and replace the entire local leadership. The action comes a month after Muhammad posted on social media a blatantly antisemitic meme that was condemned widely. NAACP State Conference President Kenneth Huston was among the first to react, sharply criticizing Muhammad and calling on the National NAACP to take punitive action. Strong criticisms came from Philadelphia and Pennsylvania elected officials, as well as AJC, and many called on Muhammad to resign. "The national NAACP leadership has taken a bold, yet necessary, step, in removing Rodney Muhammad as president of the organization's Philadelphia branch. If an organization stands opposed to hate, it cannot have an unapologetic antisemitic leader," said Marcia Bronstein, Director of AJC Philadelphia. The executive committee of the NAACP's Philadelphia Chapter voted to dissolve itself and yield full control to the national office, which will appoint new local leadership next month Bronstein said that AJC looks forward to working with the new Philadelphia NAACP leadership in the promotion of social justice and civil rights, and advancing these issues together. "Past accomplishments by the Black and Jewish communities are too important to be derailed by Minister Muhammad's hate. Together, we have the responsibility to call out all bigotry and hate, even when it painfully comes from within one of our own communities," said Bronstein. SOURCE American Jewish Committee Related Links http://www.ajc.org CANBERRA, Australia: The Australian government has drafted new laws that would cancel international deals struck by lower tiers of governments with foreign states that are not in Australias interests, a minister said on Thursday in a move likely to increase tensions with China. Victoria states memorandum of understanding with Beijing under Chinas belt and road initiative, signed two years ago to attract more Chinese infrastructure investment, is among the deals to be reviewed, Foreign Minister Marise Payne said. But the legislation to be introduced to Parliament next week did not target China, she said. The Australian government had already identified 135 agreements with more than 30 countries that needed to be reviewed, she said. Most Australians would agree that its important that engagements are consistent with Australias national interests and with our foreign policy, Payne told Nine Network television. Its consistent with protecting Australias national interests and determining what is important for us to pursue, she added. The legislation would give Payne power to scrap international deals struck by state governments, public institutions such as universities and at local government level, sister-city partnerships. Future deals would need federal government approval and could be revoked later. The Foreign Relations Bill was announced days after the government revealed it had blocked the $430 million sale of a major dairy business, Lion Dairy and Drinks, to China Mengniu Dairy Co. on the grounds that it would be contrary to the national interest. The government intervention was unusual in that it did not prevent an Australia-owned company from being taken over by a foreign company. Australia had instead blocked the transfer of ownership of an Australia-based asset from one foreign company, Japans Kirin Holdings Co., to a Chinese company. The Victoria government agreement with Beijing has raised concerns among federal government lawmakers that it could increase Chinese interference in Australias second-most populous state. Peter Jennings, executive director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute think tank, said the Victorian deal with Beijing should be overturned. That was something that the Victorian government pursued quite openly against the stated interests of the federal government and the opposition that Australia was not going to commit itself to those types of arrangements, Jennings told Australian Broadcasting Corp. I just dont see that that is something that should be sustainable, Jennings added. James Laurenceson, director of University of Technology Sydneys Australia-China Relations Institute, questioned whether the proposed legislation was an overreaction. We know the Australian government has been running a very tough line on China, thats been consistent and it hasnt been effected by the belt and road memorandum of understanding at all, Laurenceson 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 If were looking at providing one fiftieth of the tests in the United States, as mostly through private donations, that says something. Thats scary, she said. Were in a space asking, Wheres the government? For us to keep this up sustainably, thats becoming more and more of an important question. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says his state will totally disregard new guidance while California ramps up testing. Health experts and some politicians in the US have expressed alarm at a sudden reversal to testing guidance for close contacts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), prompting suspicions of political pressure on the agency. The CDC now says that close contacts of people diagnosed with COVID-19 might not need to be tested if they do not have symptoms. Previously, the agency had recommended testing for all close contacts of people diagnosed with COVID-19. Admiral Brett Giroir, assistant secretary for health at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), said the goal was appropriate testing and not more testing, and that there was no political pressure from the administration behind the decision. CNN and The New York Times reported on Wednesday that US public health officials were ordered by high-level members of the Trump administration to go ahead with the changes. 200823190249892 This was a product produced by the scientific and medical people that was discussed extensively at the task force, said Giroir. The task force is led by Vice President Mike Pence. While those with exposure are recommended to self-isolate, the president of the American Medical Association, the largest US association of physicians, said the advice could accelerate the spread of the virus. Suggesting that people without symptoms, who have known exposure to COVID-positive individuals, do not need testing is a recipe for community spread and more spikes in coronavirus, AMA President Susan Bailey said in a statement. Health experts also warned that the move could hurt contact tracing efforts to prevent virus spread. New York, California to defy order Anthony Fauci, the top US government infectious disease expert and member of the coronavirus task force, told CNN he had been undergoing surgery when the change was discussed, and was concerned about the move. I am concerned about the interpretation of these recommendations and worried it will give people the incorrect assumption that asymptomatic spread is not of great concern. In fact, it is, he said. The Trump administration has been criticised for its handling of COVID-19 testing, with many states falling short of the volume needed to help contain the virus during major outbreaks. Trump told a rally in June testing was a double-edged sword, claiming it leads to more cases being discovered and making the US appear worse off than it would otherwise. He added that he urged officials to slow the testing down, please. A White House official at the time told Reuters the remark was a joke. A task force led by Vice President Mike Pence had reportedly recommended that people exposed to COVID-19 but not symptomatic may not need to be tested [File: Justin Lane/EPA] The latest US count showed that the country has diagnosed 5.8 million cases of COVID-19 and nearly 180,000 people have died. Almost 2.1 million have recovered. On Wednesday, California announced a deal with diagnostics firm PerkinElmer to nearly double the states testing capacity. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo also quickly challenged the assertion that politics played no role in the change. We need public health people who do public health and not politics, and were going to disregard the CDC guidance totally, he told MSNBC. In a separate interview with the Financial Times, Cuomo said the only plausible rationale for the CDC move was that the government wanted fewer people taking tests, as expressed by Trump. Giroir had said that tests of asymptomatic people conducted too early to accurately detect the virus can lead to a false sense of security and potentially help spread the virus. Press Release 27 August 2020 Airbnb has announced it is participating in Japan's 'Go To Travel' campaign to help boost domestic tourism and support economic recovery in the country. Advertisements Like other industries, the pandemic has significantly disrupted the travel and tourism industry in Japan. To help support the local tourism industry, the Japanese government has launched the 'Go To Travel' campaign which offers travelers discounts for domestic travel. By participating in the campaign, Japanese travelers can now enjoy discounted stays in Airbnb listings across Japan. During the campaign, travelers who book a stay at an eligible Airbnb listing can receive a discount from the Japanese government of up to 35 percent - up to 14,000 per person, per night. "Airbnb is committed to being a good partner to the government and supporting responsible and sustainable travel in Japan, and I hope our participation in the campaign will help local hosts, businesses and communities that rely on tourism." - Yasuyuki Tanabe, Country Manager for Airbnb in Japan. "We believe that our local community of hosts and guests can play an important role in helping Japan's tourism industry recover. Last year alone, our community supported more than 65,900 local jobs in Japan including more than 11,000 in local restaurants." "By participating in this new government campaign, we hope to play our part in kick-starting domestic tourism's revival and supporting the many local families, small businesses and communities who rely on it," said Tanabe. The new campaign will support travel trends Airbnb is already seeing emerge. In Japan, our booking data shows travelers are increasingly looking for unique and authentic experiences that are closer to home. Research from Oxford Economics also demonstrates how the Airbnb community can support economic recovery. In 2019, the Airbnb community contributed more than $4.5 billion to the Japanese economy. Domestic Airbnb guests spent a total of $655 million across Japan with the typical domestic Airbnb guest spending $624 during their trip. Copyright 2020 Albuquerque Journal The husband of a 55-year-old grandmother shot to death outside her West Side Albuquerque home last November appeared on the national stage of the Republican National Convention on Wednesday to declare his support for the FBI and President Donald Trump. Sam Vigil recounted how he found his wife of 18 years, Jacqueline Vigil, slumped over in her car the morning of Nov. 19 while the killers fled in a Jeep Cherokee that had been blocking the driveway as she tried to leave. We think this was a carjacking gone wrong, very wrong, Vigil said. To date, no one has been charged in her homicide. It is a sad irony that Jackie immigrated to the U.S. for a better life than her native Colombia only to be gunned down in her own driveway, said Vigil during his three-minute speech. Vigil, who has been critical of the Albuquerque Police Departments progress on the homicide investigation, told the national audience, For over eight months, there were no arrests and no leads in connection with Jackies murder. The Albuquerque police were overwhelmed. They needed help. Help arrived when President Trump launched Operation Legend in July of this year, he said. Almost immediately, the FBI took over Jackies case. In a matter of days, they arrested four people. The fifth the suspected killer is in a Texas jail. Luis Talamantes, a Mexican national living in Albuquerque has been identified as a suspect in the homicide. His federal public defender did not return a request for comment Wednesday. At the time Trump announced Operation Legends rollout, Talamantes was already in federal custody in San Antonio after having been picked up on illegal reentry charges seven months earlier. Vigil has told the Journal he had no knowledge of that arrest until recently. Court records show the FBI partnered with APD homicide detectives and the Bernalillo County District Attorneys Office as part of the Operation Legend project. The ongoing investigation has focused on Vigils death and a series of crimes that occurred around the time of the shooting, federal records state. So far, four people, including three of Talamantes relatives, have been arrested in Albuquerque on federal drug, firearms and illegal immigration charges. Talamantes pleaded guilty May 5 in his illegal reentry case and is awaiting sentencing in Texas on Sept. 15. Federal prosecutors are seeking a 20-year sentence, citing his alleged role in the homicide. I am extremely grateful to President Trump and the FBI for their efforts to deliver justice for Jackie and all the other innocent victims of violent crime. I am honored to support the President because he is supporting us. I know he will never stop fighting for justice, for law and order, and for peace and security in our communities, Vigil added. Federal records show Talamantes, who has a criminal record in New Mexico and Colorado, had been deported to Mexico in early September 2019, but returned to Albuquerque weeks later. He was arrested in San Antonio after Albuquerque police received a Crime Stoppers tip in late January and alerted the Immigration and Customs Enforcement of his immigration status. On Aug. 19, a filing by federal prosecutors in Talamantes immigration case revealed for the first time that he was suspected in the Vigil fatal shooting. The LED lighting market in Brazil is expected to grow by USD 3.16 billion as per Technavio. This marks a significant market slow down compared to the 2019 growth estimates due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the first half of 2020. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200826005576/en/ Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled LED Lighting Market in Brazil 2020-2024 (Graphic: Business Wire) Request challenges and opportunities that influence COVID-19 pandemic Request Free Sample Report on COVID-19 Impacts Read the 127-page report with TOC on "LED Lighting Market in Brazil Analysis Report by Application (General LED lighting, Automotive LED lighting, and LED backlighting) and the Segment Forecasts, 2020-2024". https://www.technavio.com/report/report/led-lighting-market-in-brazil-industry-analysis The market is driven by the declining manufacturing cost of LEDs. In addition, the demand for energy-efficient and sustainable lighting is anticipated to boost the growth of the LED lighting market in Brazil. The manufacturing cost of LED lights has steadily decreased over the past decade due to the declining average selling price of chips and other components. This is reducing the initial installation cost of LED fixtures and lamps, which is providing significant growth opportunities for vendors operating in the market. Besides, the growing support from the government on the use of LEDs has encouraged LED manufacturers to increase their production capacities. These factors are fueling the growth of the LED lighting market in Brazil. Buy 1 Technavio report and get the second for 50% off. Buy 2 Technavio reports and get the third for free. View market snapshot before purchasing Major Five LED Lighting Companies in Brazil: ABB Ltd. ABB Ltd. operates its business through segments such as Electrification, Industrial Automation, Motion, Motion, and Corporate and Other. The company offers high-quality designer LED lamps of different modules and orientations under the brands, Busch-iceLight and Busch-MasterLight. Cree Inc. Cree Inc. operates its business through segments such as Wolfspeed and LED Product. The company offers a wide range of LED lights, such as XLAMP LEDs, J Series LEDs, high-brightness LEDs, and others. Dialight Plc Dialight Plc operates its business through segments such as Lighting and Signals Components. The company offers a wide range of LED products and solutions, including LED High Bay Fixtures, LED Area Lights, LED Linear Fixtures, LED Floodlights, and others. Eaton Corp. Plc Eaton Corp. Plc operates its business through segments such as Electrical Products, Electrical Systems and Services, Hydraulics, Aerospace, Vehicle, and eMobility. The company offers a large portfolio of innovative and reliable Crouse-Hinds series of LED products for non-hazardous industrial applications. Havells India Ltd. Havells India Ltd. operates its business through segments such as Switchgears, Cables, Lighting and Fixtures, Electrical Consumer Durables, and Lloyd Consumer. The company offers a wide range of LED lighting products under the brands Astral, Atria, Joy, Kite, Matrix, and others. Register for a free trial today and gain instant access to 17,000+ market research reports. Technavio's SUBSCRIPTION platform LED Lighting Market in Brazil Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2020-2024) General LED lighting Automotive LED lighting LED backlighting Technavio's sample reports are free of charge and contain multiple sections of the report, such as the market size and forecast, drivers, challenges, trends, and more. Request a free sample report Related Reports on Industrials Include: Global Smart Lighting Market Global smart lighting market by application (commercial, public infrastructure, residential, and others) and geography (APAC, Europe, MEA, North America, and South America). Global General Lighting Market Global general lighting market by product (LED lighting and traditional lighting), application (residential, commercial, outdoor, industrial, and others), and geography (APAC, Europe, MEA, North America, and South America). About Technavio Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis 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/20200826005576/en/ Contacts: Technavio Research Jesse Maida Media Marketing Executive US: +1 844 364 1100 UK: +44 203 893 3200 Email: media@technavio.com Website: www.technavio.com/ Affordable Automotive in New Milford has announced the recipient of its Giving Back Program for the month of August is the Alzheimers Association, Connecticut Chapter. For every oil change this month, the business will donate $5 to the non-profit organization. Denise Richards threatened Lisa Rinna with the release of incriminating texts on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' shocking Season 10 finale. She also issued a cease-and-desist letter to Bravo producers and allegedly tried to have them pull unflattering footage from the show. All of it was fallout from the rumors swirling around her relationship with Brandi Glanville, 47, which had sent Denise, 49, into lockdown mode. Threat: Denise Richards threatened Lisa Rinna with the release of incriminating texts on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' shocking Season 10 finale Cease and desist: She also issued a cease-and-desist letter to Bravo producers and allegedly tried to have them pull unflattering footage from the show When she heard that Brandi would be at Dorit Kemsley's housewarming party, Denise even had her husband Aaron Phypers, 47, make up a 'family emergency,' and post old hospital photos. None of her RHOBH pals knew any longer what to believe, though some tried to stand by her. But Lisa Rinna, 57, seemed to give up, deciding that Denise had 'lied' one time too many. Old photo: When she heard that Brandi would be at Dorit Kemsley's housewarming party, Denise even had her husband Aaron Phypers, 47, make up a 'family emergency,' and post old hospital photos 'Listen,' she told castmates. 'She was married to Charlie Sheen and she fought him in the press for 14 years with 14 different lawyers. She learned how to protect herself. She's gonna make all of us bad guys, just so you know. We will all be the mean girls. We will all be horrible.' 'I know how this game works. If you don't think she's capable of this, you're f***ing crazy.' The drama on Wednesday's episode, entitled 'Denise and Desist,' began when Dorit, 44, opened the doors to her new home for a luxe event. Capable: 'Listen,' she told castmates. 'She was married to Charlie Sheen and she fought him in the press for 14 years with 14 different lawyers. She learned how to protect herself. She's gonna make all of us bad guys, just so you know. We will all be the mean girls. We will all be horrible' Crazy: 'I know how this game works. If you don't think she's capable of this, you're f***ing crazy' She thought a housewarming would allow her friends to come together for the Christmas holidays, and hoped that Lisa and Denise could heal their fractured relationship. She decorated her home in festive fashion and decked it out with hundreds of candles large and small, which made it look impossibly cozy and elegant. To entertain guests, she hired illusionist Simon Winthrop, who would wow the crowd by levitating a cigarette and making Teddi Mellencamp Arroyave's wedding ring disappear. Dorit's party: She thought a housewarming would allow her friends to come together for the Christmas holidays, and hoped that Lisa and Denise could heal their fractured relationship Magic: To entertain guests, she hired illusionist Simon Winthrop, who would wow the crowd by levitating a cigarette and making Teddi Mellencamp Arroyave's wedding ring disappear But Lisa seemed on edge as the party approached, reiterating to Teddi, 39, that she felt Denise had not been honest with her about her relationship with Brandi. 'I'm torn, 'cause I would like to be a good friend for her, and I don't feel like I've been a great friend,' Lisa began. 'But now I go, 'You know what? Maybe I have been a great friend, and you're being a s***y friend.' And she's gonna have to take responsibility for it.' 'You make your bed, you have to sleep in it,' Lisa went on. 'And sometimes that bed is f***ing filled with nails and snakes.' Honet: But Lisa seemed on edge as the party approached, reiterating to Teddi, 39, that she felt Denise had not been honest with her about her relationship with Brandi Lisa decided to wear one of her wigs for the night, and joked that her husband Harry Hamlin, 68, had 'a lot of girlfriends' because she was always switching her wigs and personalities. When Lisa arrived, Paul Kemlsey, 53, offered her non-alcoholic champagne, which she privately compared to 'sex without an orgasm. Like, what's the point? Have water.' Garcelle Beauvais, 53, went with her boyfriend Michael to pick up Denise, aware that she would be feeling 'vulnerable' that night, and planning to do shots with her to 'take the edge off.' Girlfriends: Lisa decided to wear one of her wigs for the night, and joked that her husband Harry Hamlin, 68, had 'a lot of girlfriends' because she was always switching her wigs and personalities Boyfriend: Garcelle Beauvais, 53, went with her boyfriend Michael to pick up Denise, aware that she would be feeling 'vulnerable' that night, and planning to do shots with her to 'take the edge off' 'I want her to know that I have her back no matter what, because that's what our friendship means to me,' the actress said in a confessional. She waited 30 minutes outside Denise's hotel as call after call went unanswered. As time passed, Garcelle joked about wanting diamonds from Michael, noting privately that she was ready for love after a painful divorce and skipping sex for 'seven or eight' years. Confession: 'I want her to know that I have her back no matter what, because that's what our friendship means to me,' the actress said in a confessional Finally she gave up on waiting for Denise and headed to the party, where Lisa said she'd been texting with Denise that morning, and fully expected her to show. Everyone checked their phones, thinking that maybe Denise had called thembut no dice. 'She stood me up!' Garcelle complained. 'It's not okay just at least say something.' Not OK: 'She stood me up!' Garcelle complained. 'It's not okay just at least say something. She told the cast that Denise had expected Brandi to be at the party, but Dorit revealed that Brandi hadn't even been invited. She said that she'd gotten a surprise call from Camille Grammer, 51, the night before, and Kyle said that Denise had been spotted walking with Camille. Denise was then shown telling the ex-RHOBH star, 'No matter what you say, they won't believe you,' as Camille replied, 'Now you get it. You get the struggle I was going through last year.' She told Denise to 'be prepared' when she went to Dorit's party, asking her if she wanted some 'holy water,' to which Denise replied that she'd brought some back from a Vatican trip. Lisa sensed that Denise was connecting with Camille because 'Camille'll jump on anyone's bandwagon. You can manipulate Camille with a blindfold on and a ball in your mouth.' Across the room, Garcelle spotted a tall blonde and gasped. Was that Brandi? 'Thank God Denise is not here,' Dorit said, confirming it for herself. 'But holy s***!' Brandi: Across the room, Garcelle spotted a tall blonde and gasped. Was that Brandi? 'Thank God Denise is not here,' Dorit said, confirming it for herself. 'But holy s***!' Kyle's sister Kim, who'd shown up at the party in a revealing dressintended to show off her 'new' breasts, after an implant removalhad brought Brandi as her plus-one. Sutton Stracke, who knew Brandi socially, whispered to her that she should learn to 'not say stuff,' to which Brandi replied, 'Honey. Not happening.' Dorit told Brandi she was shocked that Denise hadn't come to the party, and Brandi shared that she had sent Denise a text saying, 'I'm gonna see you tonight.' Kim: Kyle's sister Kim, who'd shown up at the party in a revealing dressintended to show off her 'new' breasts, after an implant removalhad brought Brandi as her plus-one Sutton: Sutton Stracke, who knew Brandi socially, whispered to her that she should learn to 'not say stuff,' to which Brandi replied, 'Honey. Not happening' Text: Dorit told Brandi she was shocked that Denise hadn't come to the party, and Brandi shared that she had sent Denise a text saying, 'I'm gonna see you tonight' 'I assumed she would be here,' Brandi noted. 'So I sent her a text giving her a heads-up. I think if she and I could just sit down together and have a conversation without everyone involved it's just no one else's business.' Brandi told the RHOBH cast that she had texted with Denise since rumors of their affair blew up on the group's Rome trip. 'I said, 'First you make me into a cheater. Then you make me into a liar. What the f*** are you doing?' Brandi relayed. Rumors: Brandi told the RHOBH cast that she had texted with Denise since rumors of their affair blew up on the group's Rome trip Garcelle said to the cameras that she would wait to hear the truth from Denise, whom she hoped would be vindicated because she was her friend. As the party wound down, all of the ladies took an ice cube and threw it over their shoulders into Dorit's pool, just as one would do while making a wish at Rome's Trevi Fountain. Garcelle piled into a waiting car with Michael, and reiterated to a producer that she hadn't heard from Denise, which she called 'a little s***ty.' 'Well, we got a text from Aaron saying 'There's a family emergency; Denise isn't coming,' he returned. 'You're the one defending her, and now she, like, bails on you. It's ridiculous.' Ice cubes: As the party wound down, all of the ladies took an ice cube and threw it over their shoulders into Dorit's pool, just as one would do while making a wish at Rome's Trevi Fountain Text: 'Well, we got a text from Aaron saying 'There's a family emergency; Denise isn't coming,' he returned. 'You're the one defending her, and now she, like, bails on you. It's ridiculous' Later that week, Dorit, Garcelle and Lisa met up at a tavern to discuss Denise. Dorit said Denise texted her after the party to say, 'I'm sorry I missed last night. Talk soon.' Garcelle said Denise also sent her a message saying, 'I didn't want you to have to lie for me, which is why I didn't call you.' Meet up: Later that week, Dorit, Garcelle and Lisa met up at a tavern to discuss Denise Text: Dorit said Denise texted her after the party to say, 'I'm sorry I missed last night. Talk soon' Lie: Garcelle said Denise also sent her a message saying, 'I didn't want you to have to lie for me, which is why I didn't call you' Garcelle made plans to meet up with Denise, but she missed that, too, claiming she was stuck at a beauty appointment. 'Oh God, Denise,' a frustrated Garcelle said, sitting in her car. 'Girl. I came all the way up here.' At the tavern, Dorit said she was worried about Denise, and no longer knew what to believe. Plans: Garcelle made plans to meet up with Denise, but she missed that, too, claiming she was stuck at a beauty appointment. Worried: At the tavern, Dorit said she was worried about Denise, and no longer knew what to believe Lisa said that Denise had always tried to 'control the narrative' around her, and noted that it would be impossible for her to do so in the near future. She pointed out that the day after Dorit's party, Aaron had posted a picture of Denise in a hospital bed with six herniassomething that had actually happened three months before. 'Conveniently, it looks like, 'Oh I couldn't show up to anything because I was recovering,' and it worked like a f***ing charm,' Lisa carped. 'But it's not the truth.' Control: Lisa said that Denise had always tried to 'control the narrative' around her, and noted that it would be impossible for her to do so in the near future Garcelle found it 'too calculating' to believe, but refrained from saying Lisa was wrong. A credit then appeared on the screen, saying, 'In the following days, Denise sent cease-and-desist letters to cast and producers.' A clip from January 8, 2020 subsequently showed a Daily Mail article claiming that Denise stopped filming RHOBH after rumors of her affair with Brandi broke. Hard to believe: Garcelle found it 'too calculating' to believe, but refrained from saying Lisa was wrong Cease: A credit then appeared on the screen, saying, 'In the following days, Denise sent cease-and-desist letters to cast and producers' Stops: A clip from January 8, 2020 subsequently showed a Daily Mail article claiming that Denise stopped filming RHOBH after rumors of her affair with Brandi broke Kyle was shown making a phone call to someone who sounded like Lisa, who guessed that the affair had been kept hush-hush because Aaron hadn't known about it. 'If you ask me, we never see Denise Richards again,' the voice concluded. Two weeks later, Denise called Lisa, who invited her over to talk as long as she came 'with an open mind and an open heart.' Kyle: Kyle was shown making a phone call to someone who sounded like Lisa, who guessed that the affair had been kept hush-hush because Aaron hadn't known about it Call: Two weeks later, Denise called Lisa, who invited her over to talk as long as she came 'with an open mind and an open heart' 'I'm not coming to you for a therapy session,' Denise said. 'I'm coming to you as a friend.' As she rode over, Denise spoke to Aaron, who said he wanted to understand why Lisa felt it was okay to treat her shabbily. At the door to Lisa's house, Lisa and Denise hugged and said they had missed one another. Missed: At the door to Lisa's house, Lisa and Denise hugged and said they had missed one another Denise confessed that she hadn't shown up at Dorit's party because she knew Brandi would be there, and admitted there hadn't been a family emergency. 'I didn't want to go and have her create some f***ing Jerry Springer moment,' Denise said. Lisa called Denise out for having lied, and said she didn't know what was really going on with her and Brandi, which disappointed Denise. Confessed: Denise confessed that she hadn't shown up at Dorit's party because she knew Brandi would be there, and admitted there hadn't been a family emergency Called out: Lisa called Denise out for having lied, and said she didn't know what was really going on with her and Brandi, which disappointed Denise 'I witnessed something that really confused me,' Lisa said, telling Denise that she'd seen the long string of texts Brandi and she had sent each other, and affirming, 'This is a friendship.' 'My interaction with her was very limited,' Denise protested, saying in a confessional that there was an app that could revise texts, 'so whatever Brandi has, I don't even care.' 'I've seen her four times in my life,' she told Lisa, who didn't buy it. Confusing: 'I witnessed something that really confused me,' Lisa said, telling Denise that she'd seen the long string of texts Brandi and she had sent each other, and affirming, 'This is a friendship' To the cameras, Denise said, 'If I have to be put in a corner where I have to present text messages, not only will I present Brandi's, I will also present Lisa Rinna's, and I don't think either one of them want me to do that. But I will.' Lisa asked Denise why she hadn't just called Brandi and read her the riot act, and Denise replied that it was 'being dealt with,' though she didn't say how. 'So you sent a cease-and-desist,' Lisa told Denise. 'You wanted the footage taken out.' Threat: To the cameras, Denise said, 'If I have to be put in a corner where I have to present text messages, not only will I present Brandi's, I will also present Lisa Rinna's, and I don't think either one of them want me to do that. But I will' Dealt with: Lisa asked Denise why she hadn't just called Brandi and read her the riot act, and Denise replied that it was 'being dealt with,' though she didn't say how 'Who told you that?' Denise asked, staring at her fixedly. 'Who told you that?' 'Oooh, you are so angry,' Lisa replied. 'Denise, you are angry.' 'No, you are playing dirty,' Denise said. 'If something was slanderous about you, wouldn't you send a cease-and-desist?' Who: 'So you sent a cease-and-desist,' Lisa told Denise. 'You wanted the footage taken out.' Playing dirty: 'No, you are playing dirty,' Denise said. 'If something was slanderous about you, wouldn't you send a cease-and-desist?' The Wild Things actress said she'd told her kids that stuff was being said about their mom that wasn't true, and all they needed to do was hold their heads up and move past it. 'This isn't the first time there's been something about our family in the press,' Denise said in a confessional. 'And whenever there is, we just have to rise above it, hold your head up high. This, too, shall pass. And not let the outside noise affect us. And thank God we have a very solid marriage. Had we not, this could be a very different situation.' Lisa knew the two of them would have to 'agree to disagree,' but said it was a dead-end in the friendship, 'and that's sad.' Move past: The Wild Things actress said she'd told her kids that stuff was being said about their mom that wasn't true, and all they needed to do was hold their heads up and move past it Dead end: Lisa knew the two of them would have to 'agree to disagree,' but said it was a dead-end in the friendship, 'and that's sad' At the end of the show, Sutton, Lisa, Kyle, Teddi and Dorit went to New York City to see their castmate Erika Girardi's debut as Roxie Hart in Chicago. 'Can you believe this s***?' Erika asked, running toward them on the street. Two months later, the show shut down due to the COVID-19 outbreak, a credit read. End: At the end of the show, Sutton, Lisa, Kyle, Teddi and Dorit went to New York City to see their castmate Erika Girardi's debut as Roxie Hart in Chicago Shut down: Two months later, the show shut down due to the COVID-19 outbreak, a credit read In follow-up notes, it was revealed that Erika had returned home to be with husband Tom Girardi, 81, while Garcelle broke up with Michael and protested at a Black Lives Matter rally, and Teddi was shown with her daughter Dove, born February 25. 'The pandemic really changes your thinking,' said Kyle, whose clothing collection is now being sold online. 'I find myself analyzing all the things I can live without. People and things.' Denise, shown last, said she was learning to cut artichokes like Martha Stewart. Home: In follow-up notes, it was revealed that Erika had returned home to be with husband Tom Girardi, 81 Broke up: Garcelle broke up with Michael and protested at a Black Lives Matter rally 'Denise F***Ing Richards has a few sides,' she claimed. 'You can be a wild thing and you can be a protective mom at the same time.' Her show, The Bold and the Beautiful, was one of the first shows to restart production, a credit said, adding: 'Because of health protocols, Aaron has been a stand-in for Denise's love scenes.' Lisa described herself as a 'truth seeker' and showed herself dancing on Instagram, while Dorit vowed to listen to her own heart about what to believe, 'not what the majority believes.' Her daughter Phoenix, 4, now has a cooking show on Instagram. The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills reunion part one will air September 2. Wild Thing: Denise F***Ing Richards has a few sides, she claimed. You can be a wild thing and you can be a protective mom at the same time' Back to work: Her show, The Bold and the Beautiful, was one of the first shows to restart production, a credit said, adding: 'Because of health protocols, Aaron has been a stand-in for Denise's love scenes' Planned Parenthood doctors admit under oath to altering abortion methods for intact organs Email Print Img No-img Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin Comment New video testimony released Monday shows Planned Parenthood doctors admitting under oath to altering abortions to obtain intact fetal organs. The new video is the latest released by the Center for Medical Progress, the pro-life nonprofit that has produced several undercover videos revealing Planned Parenthood officials discussing the procurement and harvesting of aborted body parts. The latest clip features several Planned Parenthood employees, like Dr. Deborah Nucatola, giving testimony in connection with Planned Parenthoods lawsuit against the Center for Medical Progress in the U.S. District Court of the Northern District of California. Nucatola appeared in the first CMP undercover video when it was released in the summer of 2015 speaking cavalierly about how she would avoid crushing certain parts of the baby to harvest their organs more effectively. The newest CMP video shows Nucatola being deposed in April 2019. In testimony, the former Planned Parenthood Federation of America senior director of medical services admitted that she would sometimes indeed alter her approach to a procedure that she was performing to avoid crushing organs if she knew the abortion was a "donation case." A donation case is where the woman undergoing the abortion has agreed beforehand that the fetal tissue from the abortion could be donated for research purposes. In the first CMP video from 2015, Nucatola was seen on camera eating a salad while speaking with a CMP undercover investigator. Laws are up to interpretation, she said, thinking she was speaking to like-minded colleagues about the federal partial-birth abortion ban. [T]here are people who interpret it as intent. So if I say on Day 1 I do not intend to do this, what ultimately happens doesnt matter. Because I didnt intend to do this on Day 1 so Im complying with the law. In her testimony last April, Nucatola claimed her previous words were related to how some attorneys interpret the relevant statutes. Dr. Mary Gatter, who was infamously captured in another 2015 undercover video speaking about needing a "less crunchy" technique to harvest intact organs during an abortion, distinguished in her April 2019 deposition the difference between the words procedure, method, and technique. Gatter explained: Sometimes there was a lively discussion about whether it was permitted or not permitted to change the technique, and we were still debating that in Los Angeles when I left. But by the time I met [CMP founder David Daleiden] and his associates, I had evolved in my thinking to changing the technique to get better tissue was allowed. To agree to tissue donation, Planned Parenthood's consent form states that the patient understands that "there will be no changes to how or when my abortion is done in order to get my blood or the tissue. Altering an abortion procedure to harvest desired organs and tissues is against federal law. Daleiden, the founder of CMP, said that the abortion giant's public messaging is markedly different from when they are forced to answer questions in sworn testimony. Defenders of Planned Parenthood have maintained since the videos were first released that they were deceptively edited. Planned Parenthood reflexively proclaims innocence to the public and to a compliant establishment press, but when Planned Parenthood abortion leadership is placed under oath, they testify to crimes against women and infants, Daleiden said in a statement. Criminality in the national taxpayer-funded abortion industry will continue to spread unless federal authorities hold them accountable once and for all. In May, CMP released videos showing the sworn depositions of clinic directors who were responding to questions about payments and contracts affiliates received for the distribution of fetal specimens to biotech companies. Federal law bans abortion clinics and biotech companies from profiting off aborted fetal tissue. Though a federal investigation has taken place, no formal charges have been filed against the abortion giant. Twenty-eight Republican lawmakers signed onto a letter earlier this month to FBI Director Christopher Wray and Attorney General William Barr asking for an update on their investigations into Planned Parenthood's practices. As a result of an ongoing lawsuit brought by the abortion giant against him, Daleiden is currently facing the possibility of Planned Parenthood seizing his assets unless he can pay a $600,000 appeal bond in less than two weeks. Chinese President Xi Jinping may move towards becoming the chairman of the Communist Party, a title that has not been used for decades after Mao Zedong, amid the intensifying purge of disloyal law and order officials in the ruling party, experts have said. In July, an anti-corruption campaign was launched to target the partys legal and domestic security apparatus. This gained momentum in August when the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection announced a probe into Gong Daoan, the Shanghai police chief and the highest-ranking official to fall since Jinpings second term began in 2017, said a report by Financial Times. According to the report, officials have signalled that the campaign must channel the spirit of the Yanan rectification movement launched by Mao in 1941, which is said to be the first big purge in the partys history. Maos campaign was used to clear out political rivals and consolidate control. It allowed him to be officially appointed party chairman in 1945, as per the report. The title has not been used since 1987 and the currently intensifying purge is setting the stage for Jinping to take up the post, said the report. Jinping is currently holding the post of general secretary of the party and head of the military, as well as president. His term as general secretary and head of the military ends in late 2022 and of the President it ends in 2023. The latest stage in his multiyear, anti-graft battle could play a similar role in concentrating his considerable power in the lead-up to the 20th Party Congress in 2022, Wu Qiang, a Beijing-based independent political commentator told the publication. Jinping will get a new title to further emphasise his status above other leaders on the politburo standing committee, added Wu. The Jinping action on graft had already felled a number of top political rivals, including public security tsar Zhou Yongkang and Chongqing party secretary Sun Zhengcai. Jinpings second term as party general secretary and head of the military will officially end in late 2022, while his second five-year stint as president of China is set to end in 2023. As per the political experts in China Jinping will be in power beyond 2023, said the report. In 2019, term limits for the presidency were abolished, allowing the president to rule for life should he choose to. However, it is not clear which roles he will retain and exactly how he will exercise power. An option is that Jinping keeps control of the party by following Mao to become party chairman. The title would provide a mechanism to extend Xis tenure because there [has been] no term limit set for party chairmanship in the past, Ling Li, a scholar of Chinese politics at the University of Vienna, was quoted as saying. Bexar County has suffered more deaths per capita from COVID-19 than any other large urban area in Texas, according to state and federal data. The reason for this grim distinction, experts say, is a majority Latino population thats older and more likely to suffer from underlying conditions that increase the risk of dying from COVID-19, including obesity, diabetes and heart and chronic kidney disease. This is the same kind of pattern going on in the (Rio Grande) Valley area, said Rogelio Saenz, a professor of demography at the University of Texas at San Antonio. In Bexar County, COVID-19 has killed 50.7 per 100,000 people, more than in Harris, Dallas, Tarrant or Travis counties. At 61 percent, Bexar County also has a higher share of Latinos, as well as a greater proportion of Latinos 19 percent who are 55 or older, Saenz said. The risk of dying from COVID-19 increases with age. And across the United States, the disease has disproportionately affected Latinos, an imbalance most pronounced in Texas. This is the only state where Latino deaths are the majority of deaths. Here in Texas, its really the Latino population that has been particularly hard hit. --Rogelio Saenz, professor of demography at UTSA Thats evident in the Rio Grande Valley, where COVID-19 is ravaging the population. In Cameron County, home to about 423,000, the disease is killing nearly 158 people per 100,000, more than three times the death rate of Bexar County. In Hidalgo County (pop. 868,707), the rate is nearly 115 per 100,000. As of Wednesday, the pandemic had killed 1,007 people in Bexar County, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. The San Antonio Metropolitan Health District was reporting a much lower death toll of 754 because the health authority still was investigating some of the state-reported deaths. Metro Health is disputing about 200 of the deaths reported by the state because the deceased either did not live in Bexar County or never were tested for COVID-19, Metro Health Director Colleen Bridger said. Those disputed deaths remain under investigation. The state bases its mortality numbers on death certificates that list COVID-19 as a cause of death and show the person lived in Bexar County. Metro Health later tries to verify whether the details were accurate. Were picking our battles right now, so it will stay in that pending investigation column until everyone is done with this and we can go back methodically and have that conversation with the state, Bridger said. Despite this gap, Metro Healths own data also show that Bexar County has the highest COVID-19 case fatality rate among the largest urban areas in the state. Clockwise from top: Francisco Romero wipes away tears next to his mother Ninfa Romero's grave. Ninfa, who died of COVID-19, was buried by her family at Garden of Angels Cemetery in Mission, Texas, on Wednesday, July, 29, 2020. (Bob Owen | San Antonio Express-News) ; A USAF Honor Guard member presents the U.S. Flag to family members during burial services for Carlos Martinez, 73, and his wife, Rita, 74, at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery Monday, Aug. 24, 2020. Both died of COVID-19. (Jerry Lara | San Antonio Express-News) ; Converse Fire Chief Luis Valez, left, places the helmet of Converse Fire Captain, Chief Bryant Anderson who died of COVID-19, on Anderson's flag-draped coffin as it is taken from an ambulance with honors by a Converse Fire Department Guard on Friday, Aug. 5, 2020. (Marvin Pfeiffer | San Antonio Express-News) ; Shannon Terry (right) and her daughter Cheyenne Doria become emotional as they attend a baseball game at Wolff Stadium on Friday, July 10, 2020 to honor Terry's father-in-law Willie Doria who died from complications of Covid-19. It still puts us higher than comparison counties, which is not unexpected when you look at all the stats about the incidence of diabetes, obesity, smoking, Bridger said. All of the underlying conditions you care about when it comes to predicting mortality from COVID, we have a higher proportion of our population that is suffering from these underlying health conditions. Its another light shone on the fact that we really need to double down on the efforts to improve our populations health. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 38 percent of adults in Bexar County are obese, more than in Harris, Dallas, Tarrant or Travis counties. Bexar County also has the highest proportion of adults 6.6 percent with heart disease, and adults here are ranked at the top for kidney disease and diabetes. Saenz said other interrelated factors are compounding the impact of COVID-19 on Latinos, who account for 68 percent of the deaths in Bexar County reported by Metro Health. Here in San Antonio, 30 percent of Latinos dont have health insurance, Saenz said, a lack that can lead to a reluctance to seek tests or medical attention. And its not just older Latinos who are dying from COVID-19 at higher rates. Nationwide, younger Latinos are dying at rates 5 or 6 times higher than younger whites, Saenz said, in part because they are more likely to be front-line workers. On top of that, Latino families are more likely to live in multi-generational homes shared by children, parents and grandparents, contributing to the spread of the disease to the most vulnerable. Its a situation that frightens District 4 Councilwoman Adriana Rocha Garcia, who represents an area on the Southwest Side that is 81 percent Latino and one-third 55 or older. In my district, we have a lot of grandparents that are raising their kids, Garcia said. Im really afraid that when they actually go back to school, what if one of the kids picks it up and brings it back home to grandma or grandpa? Thats their last chance. Their grandparents are taking care of them. What happens to the kids if something happens to them? Thats what Im scared about. Garcia, who teaches marketing at Our Lady of the Lake University, believes school districts should err on the side of caution in deciding whether to reopen as new cases of COVID-19 continue to fall from a previous spike in June and July. Nearly half of those who died of COVID-19 through early August in San Antonio lived on the West and South sides, parts of town that are overwhelmingly Latino. Garcia has felt this disproportionate pain firsthand; COVID-19 has killed six of her relatives, all cousins who lived on the West Side. All of them suffered from underlying conditions, she said. The folks I know in my district who are passing away, same thing, Garcia said. Unfortunately, its almost a regular thing that the residents in my district live with. They dont have a fair shot at recovering as someone who doesnt. We have to figure out how we continue to get them to take care of themselves. American passengers evacuated from a cruise ship in Japan disembark Monday morning, Feb. 17, 2020 from a Kalitta Air flight at Kelly Field. The heavy fog gave the disembarking of the passengers an eerie specter. The passengers had been quarantined on the cruise ship as part of coronavirus control measures. less American passengers evacuated from a cruise ship in Japan disembark Monday morning, Feb. 17, 2020 from a Kalitta Air flight at Kelly Field. The heavy fog gave the disembarking of the passengers an eerie ... more Photo: William Luther Photo: William Luther Image 1 of / 34 Caption Close San Antonios grim distinction: Highest COVID death rate among Texas major urban areas 1 / 34 Back to Gallery In the short term, this means persuading residents to get a flu shot, she said. Health experts are warning that flu season coupled with the ongoing pandemic could make for an especially deadly fall. But communication is a challenge because many in Garcias district do not use social media. I asked the city to do mail-outs, and they said it would be too expensive, she said. So the councilwomans office has been making robocalls to inform her constituents of resources. She added that Metro Health has been going door-to-door to speak to residents and leaving door hangers with COVID-19 information. Unfortunately, whats happened, its been magnified the level of inequity in health care and access in health care has been magnified, Garcia said. District 3 Councilwoman Rebecca Viagran also represents a South Side district thats been particularly hard-hit by COVID-19. Like Garcia, she cited communication as a primary challenge and a looming fear of schools reopening. Now more than ever, I think we as the state and the city need to do a better job partnering and getting information through to the schools, Viagran said, sharing with the elementary age children, the high school age children how serious COVID is and how easily it can spread, how continuing to wash your hands and keeping six feet apart is critical. Design by Joy-Marie Scott Support our journalism Real news. Real trust. Real community. Subscribe to the San Antonio Express-News to support quality local journalism. Today's Paper Two days after a 17-year-old allegedly shot two protesters dead in Kenosha, Wisconsin, Facebook has admitted that despite being warned by users, it did not remove calls for armed citizens to attend the protests in the name of law and order. According to a report from The Verge, while the company has now taken down an event page posted by self-styled militia the Kenosha Guard, it told at least two users who reported it that it [didnt] go against one of our Community Standards. While the groups main page has since been removed, it reportedly counted more than 3,000 members. Facebook has lately been cracking down on extremist groups which advocate for violence after years of condemnation for its slowness to act. The company has since issued a statement saying it has not found any direct link between the group and the deadly shooting, but that Rittenhouses accounts have now been removed. It also said the Kenosha Guards presence has been terminated because it violated our new policy addressing militia organisations. Recommended Teenage suspect in Kenosha shooting was in front row of Trump rally While it remains unclear whether the alleged shooter, Kyle Rittenhouse, had come to the city specifically in answer to the Kenosha Guards call, pictures have since emerged apparently showing Rittenhouse himself at the protest standing among groups of white men in combat fatigues, holding his AR-15. In a video interview with the right-wing Daily Caller website before the shooting, Rittenhouse described himself as a militia-style fighter. People are getting injured and our job is to protect this business. And my job also is to protect people. If someone is hurt, Im running into harms way. Thats why I have my rifle; Ive gotta protect myself, obviously. But I also have my med kit. There is also footage circulating showing police officers handing out bottles of water to one such group again, apparently, including Rittenhouse and thanking them for attending, even as they warn them to respect the curfew and clear the area. We really appreciate you guys, one officer says over a loudspeaker. In the wake of the shooting, Kenosha police are under heavy pressure to explain why militiamen were allowed to attend the protest and not arrested or dispersed despite openly carrying assault weapons, and have yet to explain the video of officers thanking them for their presence. Instead, many of their official statements about the shooting have been vague, with judgments on Rittenhouse noticeably hedged. Everybody involved was out after the curfew, said police chief Daniel Miskinis at a press conference. Im not going to make a great deal of it, but the point is the curfews in place to protect. Had persons not been out involved in violation of that, perhaps the situation that unfolded would not have happened. So last night, a 17-year-old individual from Antioch, Illinois was involved in the use of firearms to resolve whatever conflict was in place. The result of it was two people are dead. On the subject of co-operating with groups like the Kenosha Guard, however, county sheriff David Beth told the press he gave the idea no quarter. I think some people are thinking that I should deputise, that we should have these people out there with guns under my authority. What a scary, scary thought that would be in my world. The newly re-elected president of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Akinwunmi Adesina, will begin his new term on September 1. Mr Adesina was re-elected for a second five-year term as president of the bank on Thursday. The bank conducted the election at its annual meeting held via video link on Thursday. Mr Adesina became president of the Abidjan-based bank in 2015. He had served as Nigerias agriculture minister under the administration of the former president, Goodluck Jonathan. The bank said in a statement Thursday that Mr Adesina gained 100 per cent of votes cast. The AfDB boss ran unopposed. At the banks meeting on Wednesday, Mr Adesina pledged to reach out to and engage with stakeholders of the bank to ensure stability and progress. I would like to sincerely thank you all, our esteemed Governors, under the excellent leadership and wisdom of the Chairperson, Minister Niale Kaba, for joining hands to steady the Bank, he said. I am proud of the African Development Bank and the strength of our governance systems. I am proud of each and every shareholder of the Bank who challenged and made us all better. Our experience has made us better and stronger. Our challenges, though difficult, have become our gain. But its not been easy I will reach out I will engage We will HEAL Earlier in the year, Mr Adesina was in the eye of the storm over sundry allegations of misconduct. In a petition by the group of whistleblowers, the AfDB boss was accused of 20 breaches of the banks code of conduct but the bank found the allegations to be frivolous. He was thereafter cleared of the allegations. Shortly after he was re-elected on Thursday, Mr Adesina expressed appreciation to shareholders for the collective trust and support. It is yet another call for selfless service to Africa and the African Development Bank, to which I will passionately devote myself, he said. The future beckons us for a more developed Africa and a much stronger and resilient African Development Bank Group. We will build on the strong foundations of success in the past five years, while further strengthening the institution, for greater effectiveness and impacts. Recendez was not allowed to be in possession of a weapon after he was sentenced to probation after pleading guilty to a drug offense in February, officials said. He also cannot lawfully possess a gun because he is under the age of 21. File photo live bse live nse live Volume Todays L/H More Anil Agarwal-led Vedanta Limited moved to Supreme Court on Wednesday after the Madras High Court refused to allow reopening of Sterlite Copper plant at Thoothukudi in Tamil Nadu, a Vedanta official told the Moneycontrol. The division bench of Madras High Court at Chennai on August 18 had dismissed all the writ petitions filed by the metals and mining company. The judgement was pronounced through video conferencing on a petition filed by Vedanta challenging the refusal by the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board to operate and against the permanent closure order passed by the Tamil Nadu government. Also Read: Sterlite plant to stay shut, Madras High Court junks pleas to reopen Vedanta facility Vedanta Limited is taking advice from its legal counsel and taking urgent steps to approach Supreme Court and appeal against the order of the division bench of Madras High Court, the company said after the decision of the Madras High Court. Vedanta's special leave petition in the Supreme Court requested the court to issue an interim direction directing the respondents to grant the petitioner access and permissions to the petitioners unit in order to undertake essential care and maintenance activities. The company also sought direct interim stay of the judgment passed by the Madras High Court to the extent of restraining the respondent authorities from taking any actions to give effect to the permanent closure of the plant. According to Vedanta, the Madras High Court verdict has come as an utter shock to the employees of Sterlite Copper and thousands of small businesses, entrepreneurs, and community members dependent on our continued operations. We firmly believe in the safe and environmentally sound nature of our operations and were really hopeful of getting the go ahead from the Hon High Court to restart the plant. Our plea, backed by all key data and relevant proof points, clearly showed that Sterlite Copper operations were fully compliant with all norms including those related to environment. At no point in our operations were any concerns about pollution raised by the appropriate authorities, said the company in a statement after the verdict. When asked for comments, a Vedanta spokesperson declined to offer any additional comment on the matter. When operational, Sterlite Copper was meeting nearly 40 percent of Indias demand for the metal and the country was a net exporter. However, the shutdown of Sterlite Copper has turned India into an importer of Copper in the last two years. We will also continue to fight falsehoods being spread by certain vested interests against our operations, who are also inimical to Indias self-reliance. The local communities will continue to live in dismal conditions without proper means of livelihood as they have pinned all their hope on the opening of Sterlite Copper. Our nation will continue to have to rely on imports, leading to not only outflow of precious foreign exchange but also loss of thousands of job opportunities, said the Vedanta statement. On June 4, 2020, Vedanta chairman Anil Agarwal wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting permission to restart Sterlite Copper plant. In the letter, Agarwal cited that Islamabads copper shipments to China increased 400 percent in the last three years to $550 million last year, boosting Pakistans local economy at the cost of India. According to Agarwal, India has lost over Rs 40,000 crore due to closure of this plant, of which $1.2 billion was lost in foreign exchange alone. Vedantas 20-year old Sterlite Copper plant and 7-year old thermal power plant at Thoothukudi was shut down by the Tamil Nadu government in May 2018 after violent protests by the residents alleging health hazards. Vedanta shares were trading down 0.77 percent at Rs 128 in a firm Mumbai market on Thursday, valuing the company at Rs 47,636 crore. The entrance of the main building of the National Assembly in Seoul is locked, Thursday, after a reporter covering the ruling party tested positive for COVID-19 the previous day. / Yonhap By Kang Seung-woo A photo journalist covering the ruling party has tested positive for COVI-19, disrupting operations at the National Assembly and among political parties. The Assembly was closed Thursday for disinfection of the affected buildings, while parties scrambled to cancel all their meetings scheduled for the day. Given that the leaderships of the ruling and opposition parties and even the Assembly speaker were found to have had direct or indirect contact with the journalist, concerns are lingering that the coronavirus pandemic may affect the Assembly's regular sessions slated for next month. Right after the reporter tested positive Wednesday, the Assembly announced its closure and the postponement of nine committee meetings scheduled for Thursday. This is the second time that the Assembly has temporarily been shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic after it did so in February. Assembly initially planned to close the main building and relevant facilities only for Thursday, but later in the day decided to extend the closure to Saturday, with operations set to return to normal, Monday. Despite the envisaged normalization, disruptions will be inevitable as if more and more politicians undergo virus tests and self-quarantine at home, based on epidemiological investigation results. Over 50 people, including 14 senior members of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), came into contact with the infected reporter who was present at the party's Supreme Council meeting, Wednesday, according to the Assembly. They included Chairman Lee Hae-chan and floor leader Rep. Kim Tae-nyeon, who were immediately placed under self-quarantine following the confirmation of the infection. On Thursday, the Assembly secretariat notified the DPK that the health authorities recommended Lee and Kim undergo a virus test, while advising them to stay in self-quarantine. According to the DPK, Lee, Kim and six others underwent a virus test following notification and all of them tested negative. Their self-isolations were immediately lifted, but they will have another test on Monday The incident is a huge blow to the ruling party which is scheduled to hold a convention in two days to select a new leader. Speculation is that the DPK may not get expected public attention through the convention, which will be held virtually and also without leading candidate Rep. Lee Nak-yon, who is in self-quarantine after coming into indirect contact with an infected individual. Now the current leaders will be unable to attend the event as well and they plan to send virtual messages. "A failure to draw public attention (amid declining support) may not lead the ruling party to enjoy the anticipated convention bounce," a DPK official said. The main opposition United Future Party (UFP) also canceled party meetings set for Thursday. In case of additional setbacks in scheduled parliamentary session and party meetings, it is considering rearranging a meeting slated for next week, through which its interim leader Kim Chong-in will unveil the party's new name and byelaws. There are serious concerns about possible indirect contact infections as the DPK floor leader met with Assembly Speaker Rep. Park Byeong-seug and UFP floor leader Rep. Joo Ho-young right after the Supreme Council meeting, raising speculation that the pandemic may further disrupt the Assembly, which is scheduled to open its regular session Sept. 1. In response, the Assembly is accelerating its plan to build a videoconferencing system for general meetings although the National Assembly Act would need a revision. "The DPK floor leader has asked the secretariat of the National Assembly to expedite the job," a DPK official said. The UFP is also reported to have agree to the plan. Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 22:14:52|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close A woman wearing a face mask reacts on the Champs Elysees Avenue in Paris, France, Aug. 28, 2020. French Prime Minister Jean Castex on Thursday declared an additional 19 departments, including the Paris region, high-risk zones as "the virus is progressing throughout the territory," forcing authorities to toughen rules and consider all scenarios to contain an eventual second wave of coronavirus cases. (Xinhua/Gao Jing) PARIS, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- French Prime Minister Jean Castex on Thursday declared an additional 19 departments, including the Paris region, high-risk zones as "the virus is progressing throughout the territory," forcing authorities to toughen rules and consider all scenarios to contain an eventual second wave of coronavirus cases. The government already classified Paris and the Bouches-du-Rhone area around Marseille as red zones for coronavirus cases on Aug. 14. At a news briefing, Castex warned that France was witnessing "a phase of resurgence of the epidemic," in the wake of the strict confinement imposed between March 17 and May 11. In the red zones where the virus is actively circulating, the vigilance threshold, which indicates the number of infected people per 100,000 inhabitants, exceeds 50 patients, well above the limit of 10, Castex said. The COVID-19 reproduction (R) number is now 1.4, up from 0.77 percent in June when France returned to normalcy. This means that 10 infected people will infect an additional 14 on average. In the coronavirus high risk zones, the authorities have the power to impose localized confinement by limiting travel, restricting public transport and closing non-essential businesses. A further 5,429 patients tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday, the highest daily spike in four months, the country's Public Health Public Agency said. A total of 253,587 cases have now been confirmed, while 340 clusters are still active, up by 27 in one day, it added. Citing the deteriorating sanitary indicators, Castex stressed that the government had to intervene fast to control an eventual new outbreak, which French scientists say may overwhelm the country's health system this autumn-winter. "The epidemic can grow exponentially if we do not react now", he said. "The rule is simple: wearing a mask is now compulsory in all closed spaces where several people gather," he added. Teachers in kindergartens, schools, colleges and universities as well as students older than 10 years are now required to wear mask. Furthermore, the wearing of face masks would also be mandatory on the streets of Paris and the neighboring cities, which make up the country's most populated region. The same rule has already been imposed in Marseille and Toulouse. As part of its prevention plan, the government also aims to bolster the testing capacity to one million tests per week in September from 830,000 currently. "Our first weapon to fight against the spread of the virus is prevention," Castex told reporters, adding that the government was considering "all the scenarios" in case of a new outbreak. "Territorial or nationwide lockdown plans are ready. Our health system is also ready for a new wave of patients. But our objective is to do everything to avoid a new general re-confinement," the prime minister said. "The more activity stops, the more the economic and social crisis increases, the more dramatic the human consequences will be," he said. Enditem It would be a terrible tragedy, were ordinary Ghanaians to lose their respect, for the Ghana Armed Forces - one of the few trustworthy state institutions, left in the corruption-riddled Kafkaesque-world, of Ghanaian officialdom, which still remains a world-class entity. In light of recent events, in which soldiers have been attacked and brutalised by civilians, in a number of countryside-trouble-spots, those who now constitute the Military High Command, need to understand clearly that they all risk being condemned by Posterity. Yoooooo... Why, Kofi Thompson, do you say so, one hears some of one's dear readers, ask? The answer is simple: Posterity (which can neither be intimidated, nor bought off, to remain silent, incidentally), might condemn them, for not acting in time, to stop the egregious-actions, and abominable-inactions, of irresponsible and power-drunk meddlesome-politicians - which all have a direct bearing on the erosion of public trust in our military. It is for that reason that today, I am republishing an article, which I wrote and posted online, on 05/08/2020, entitled: 'A Quick Note To Ghana's Military High Command - Who Are Servants and Protectors Of All Ghanaians' Please read on: A Quick Note To Ghana's Military High Command - Who Are Servants and Protectors Of All Ghanaians By Kofi Thompson Gentlemen, I salute you. As a patriotic Ghanaian who loves his country passionately, one feels that it is important that the Ghana Armed Forces' High Command, are sent a heartfelt message, such as this one, in clear and unambiguous terms, so that there is no misunderstanding, amongst you, as to who and who, amongst Ghana's hard-of-hearing ruling-elites, will bear ultimate responsibility, should widespread violence break out across Ghana, during the December presidential and parliamentary elections. What the world has been seeing, in shocking television news reports, and smartphone-videos, gone viral, showing disturbing scenes of 'soldiers' deployed in voter registration centres, have definitely dented the hard-won global reputation, of the Ghana Armed Forces - a professional military force known globally as a disciplined, well-trained and well-equipped military force, which plays a crucial role, in sensitive United Nations peacekeeping operations, in some of the world's hottest trouble spots. No question. With the greatest respect, gentlemen, it is in your own self-interest, as individual professional soldiers, that you are clear in your minds, that there are patriotic and discerning Ghanaians, who love Mother Ghana, so passionately that they are determined, if need be, to take all those powerful politicians, who are behind the abomination now going on, in many voters' registration centres, nationwide (in which Ghanaian 'soldiers' are clearly seen working in tandem with the ruling party's local executives, to prevent some individuals from being registered, despite the fact that the electoral laws make provision for challenging the registration of such people), to the International Criminal Court (ICC). Yoooooo... The question is: How come that such a disturbing situation, is still being tolerated, by your good selves - when our country is definitely not a banana republic, I ask? Gentlemen, more than most Ghanaians, it is you who ought to know, perfectly well, that the profession of arms is a noble one. Does it not follow, a priori, then, that you must not be seen to be condoning what concerned and fair-minded-critics, insist, is the execution of a secret Bryan Acheampong (who, for all we know, might be, or might not be, a covert CIA agent), and Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, inspired-conspiratory-agenda, which in effect, prostitutes the honour of our armed forces? So, how come that is apparently being allowed, by the High Command of the Ghana Armed Forces, gentlemen? The subsequent question then is: As truly disciplined professionals (paid relatively well, by hapless and impoverished taxpayers, to protect all Ghanaians, and defend their sovereign, stable, and very peaceful African country, from internal-fifth-columnists, and external terrorist-aggressors), why, are you not putting your collective-booted-foots, down, to halt that unpardonable, abominable and unspeakable outrage, from continuing? Yoooooo... Do you not understand that it is your patriotic duty, to demand an immediate end, to the crime-against-humanity, which (if bush-telegraph sources are to be believed), the treasonable-conspiracy, and electoral-scorched-earth-strategy that is today emboldening, and empowering, myrmidon-thugs, from the NPP's privately-owned paramilitary forces, the Delta Force, and the Invincible forces (who have apparently been infiltrated into tbe national security apparatus - imagine that monstrosity being tolerated in what is a constitutional democracy. Haaba.), to wear military uniforms, with total impunity; ditto police uniforms, and are thus giving the world the wrong impression that somehow our military and police, are being used, as willing-lackeys, by NPP local party executives? Amazing. With the greatest respect, gentlemen, speaking frankly, the enablers of those brutish-morons, will unquestionably all end up appearing before the ICC, should they instigate widespread violence, across Ghana, during the December 2020 presidential and parliamentary elections, too, oooo. Yoooooo... Repeat: Those of us who love Mother Ghana passionately, will, as sure as day follows night, drag every power-drunk-dullard, in the upper echelons of the NPP, involved in this treasonable-and-monstrous-conspiracy, to the ICC, if this outrage is repeated in the December presidential and parliamentary elections, and tips our country over the precipice, and leads to her descent into nation-wrecking-chaos and violonce. Full stop. Yooooo... That is why, it is your collective-duty, as the ultimate guardians of our sovereignty at any given point in time, that as the High Command, overseeing the service commanders of our three armed services, you stop them from continuing to execute their unpardonable, and treasonable, secret agenda - which poses such a threat to the peace and stability of our united homeland Ghana. Yoooooo... Above all, remember constantly, that, in the final analysis, in our system, sovereignty actually lies in the hands of the masses of the Ghanaian people - whom those who govern our nation, at all material times, are elected to serve - not to terrrorise, and lord it over, koraaaaa, oooo. Yooooo. Consequently, act now, as the Ghana Armed Forces' High Command, overseeing the work of the service commanders of our three armed services, to stop the NPP's supporters arrogant and power-drunk hardliners, from continuing to execute their unpardonable, and treasonable, secret agenda - which poses such a threat to the peace and stability of our united homeland Ghana. Gentlemen, you must never forget that ours is a modern African nation, in which no tribe is superior, or inferior, to another. As you very well know, there is not a single extended family clan in our country, which is not ethnically-diverse: as a result of marriage, and ties of consanguinity. Finally, is that blessing, not the main reason, why ours continues to remain a stable and united country, which attracts investors from around the world: precisely because it is seen, justly, as an oasis of peace, and stability, in Africa, I ask? Gentlemen, it is said that to be forewarned, is to be forearmed. It is also said that those who dare, also eventually win battles. Enough is enough. You must act to stop the intolerable egregious-nonsense going on, across the Republic of Ghana. Now. Not, tomorrow. Case closed. Hmmmm... Yoooooo... Yours in the service of Mother Ghana. A 39-year-old Thai man on Wednesday jumped to his death from a hotel quarantine facility in Pattaya. Authorities are investigating why Pol Prom-ngam, 39, jumped from a balcony at the Jomtien Palm Beach Hotel and Resort at about 4pm, one day he returned from Tel Aviv, Israel. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Pol had worked as a laborer in Israel before arriving via Israir Airlines flight No. 6H691. He checked into the hotel, an approved quarantine facility, along with other 167 returnees. Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha this morning expressed his condolences to the deceaseds family. He said he would order health officials to fully assist the family in transporting Pols body home to Buriram province. Read more Coconuts Bangkoks stories here. This article, Thai man just back from Israel leaps to death in state quarantine, originally appeared on Coconuts, Asia's leading alternative media company. Want more Coconuts? Sign up for our newsletters! A hospital trust at the centre of a maternity scandal has become the first to face action over high coronavirus rates. The Care Quality Commission has issued a legal order against East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust that means it will now be subject to weekly reporting over the measures it uses to control infection. It will also face closer monitoring. The move comes after an inspection on August 12. East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust has become the first to face action over high coronavirus rates. Pictured, William Harvey Hospital in Ashford, which is part of the East Kent trust NHS England figures show that the number of people testing positive for coronavirus 15 days after a hospital visit was twice as high at East Kent as at other acute trusts, the BBC reported. The findings covered the period June 30 to July 26. Positive tests eight days after admission were almost three times higher. Prof Ted Baker, the CQC's Chief Inspector of Hospitals, said: 'As a result of serious concerns we have taken immediate enforcement action at East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust. CQC inspectors visited the trust after concerns were raised about the standards of care and the risk to patients. East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust will be subject to weekly reporting on its measures to control infection after an inspection on August 12 'As the trust has the right to appeal the action that we have taken, it would be inappropriate for CQC to comment further. However, we will publish our findings and action taken when the legal process allows.' A hospital trust spokesman said it was 'strengthening' its procedures and training. Separately, East Kent Hospitals is under investigation after it was accused by families of covering up the deaths of newborns by only referring a handful of cases to coroners even though many were sudden and unexplained. As the Daily Mail revealed on Monday, only 24 out of 124 deaths since 2013 had been reported to coroners. Coroners have expressed alarm at managers' suspicious practices. New Delhi, Aug 27 : The Centre has awarded 78 new routes under the fourth round of bidding for Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) -- UDAN -- to further enhance the network to remote and regional areas of the country. According to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Northeastern region, 'Hilly States and Islands' have been given priority in the approval process for the new routes. The fourth round of bidding offered 29 served, eight unserved (including two heliports and one water aerodrome), and two underserved airports. Overall 766 routes have been sanctioned so far under the UDAN scheme. "The awarding of these 78 routes under UDAN 4 is in line with the 'Act East Policy' of the central government," Usha Padhee, Joint Secretary, Union Ministry of Civil Aviation, was quoted as saying in a statement on Thursday. "The airports that had already been developed by AAI are given higher priority for the award of VGF under the scheme. Under UDAN 4, the operation of helicopter and seaplanes is also being incorporated. Since its inception, MoCA has operationalised 274 UDAN routes that have connected 45 airports and 3 heliports." Last year, the Centre invited bids for the fourth round of the RCS-Udan scheme. The focus of this round would be the priority areas like the Northeastern and hill states, the Union Territories of Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir and islands. Accordingly, the scheme provides various concessions to the selected airline operators to operate routes under RCS-Udan from Centre and state government s. Accordingly, the fourth round of the scheme features revision of viability gap funding (VGF) cap. Besides, the new round will promote short-haul routes up to 500km. Further, the scheme has a provision to provide flexibility to change the frequency of flight operation. In January 2019, the Centre had awarded contracts to 11 companies to operate fixed-wing and seaplane services under the third round of air regional connectivity scheme connecting destinations like Ambala, Amravati, Campbell Bay and Car Nicobar among others. That time, the ministry had issued "Letter of Awards" for 73 proposals involving 235 regional connectivity and water aerodrome routes which were received under the third round of RCS-Udan. -- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed A 47-year-old management professional was duped of Rs 5 lakh in a job fraud. The complainant received a phone call from a number that offered a job in a foreign company, according to the police complaint. The woman was offered a job in an Australia-based construction company in the capacity of a human resource and administration executive by the caller, according to her complaint. The call to the complainant was placed in November 2019. After the call, she allegedly received an email with the job offer for the position. After the complainant accepted the fake offer, she was asked to transfer money to various bank accounts under the guise of charges for visa application, visa stamping, work permit, counsellor, health insurance, travel allowance, IELTS, work permit security bond, and bank account opening among other things, according to the police. The woman paid Rs 5,11,005 between November 16, 2019 and December 5, 2019, according to her complaint. The complainant is an MBA graduate and works in a private company. She signed up on a website freshersworld.com looking for a job change and received three phone calls followed by an email. The money was transferred to one account. We are investigating the details, said inspector (crime) Ajay Waghmare of Yerawada police station who is investigating the case. When the woman did not get any response from the caller for three months, she lodged a complaint with cyber crime police. A case under Sections 419 (personation) and 420 (cheating) of Indian Penal Code along with Section 66(d) of Information Technology Act 2000 was registered at Vimantal police station against the unknown caller. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasios management of the coronavirus pandemic re-opening continues to puzzle. Heres the latest example: New York Fashion Week, that big annual event where designers debut their new collections. Fashion Week brings a brings the city a lot of attention, and a lot of money. According to Forbes, the event has generated as much $900 million for city coffers in the past. Cuomo has given the event the green light for 2020, with Fashion Week set to be held here from Sept. 13 to 17. Outdoor events of 50 people or less will be allowed. Indoor events will also be permitted, with venues limited to 50 percent of capacity and no spectators allowed. Interesting. How is all that going to be policed? City and state agencies have landed with both feet on bars and restaurants to ensure that pandemic rules are followed. Theyve eyeballed restaurants outdoor spaces for violations. Are authorities going to snoop around the Fashion Week venues as well? Will they count heads? Will they ensure that everybody wears a mask? And youre telling me that all these fashionistas arent going to have any after-parties during the week? No big indoor dinners prepared by hired chefs? No nightclubbing? No big parties out in the Hamptons? Please. And by the way, will any food and/or alcohol be served at those formal indoor Fashion Week events? Heres an idea: How about we try some limited indoor dining at city restaurants during Fashion Week, see how it goes? And will those who come here for Fashion Week from virus hotspots around the country or abroad have to quarantine? Will they be pulled over at city entry points like us ordinary Joes and Janes? You know the answer to that. The city will also host the MTV Video Music Awards this Sunday. The ceremony was supposed to be held in Barclays Center in Brooklyn. But authorities thought better of that plan, particularly after the public outrage over the fact that we could have the frothy, non-essential VMAs, but we couldnt have a traditional 9/11 anniversary observation. So now the VMAs will be held outdoors, at sites around the city, with limited or no audiences. Event and performance locations are being kept secret in order to keep crowds down. Really? Lady Gaga is going to perform but its not going to attract any attention? Nobodys going to notice the stage and all the lights and cameras being set up? And heres something we know for sure: Performers and others coming here from potential virus hotspots will not be required to observe the 14-day quarantine put in place by Cuomo. So I guess theres no chance of anybody getting sick or spreading the virus as long as theyre here for the VMAs. Just like you wont fall ill if youre eating a bag of chips with your beer. Its great that were hosting Fashion Week and the VMAs. The point here is that if those events can be held safely, we should be able to at least try doing other things safely as well. Like indoor eating and mall shopping. New Yorks coronavirus numbers have been fantastic for months. Numbers around the country are on the decline after spikes. Now is the time to try. If we dont start doing things differently, there may not be any normal left by the time Cuomo and de Blasio are finished. What is their endgame in keeping the restaurant and bar industry in limbo? It makes no sense given how much economic activity and tax revenue these industries generate for the city and the state. Its a mystery. A virtual meeting of religious leaders and policymaking experts highlights the important role of religious actors in tackling Africas challenges ahead of G20 meeting scheduled for October. By Fr. Benedict Mayaki, SJ The role of interfaith action in addressing the growing challenges facing Africa amid the Covid-19 pandemic was the focus of a virtual forum of religious leaders, ministers, experts and representatives of African intergovernmental policymaking institutions on Monday. The virtual forum - the last of six regional meetings was aimed at producing policy recommendations for the global G20 Interfaith forum which will be reflected in proposals to be submitted to world leaders at the G20 Summit slated for October in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The participants examined religious and policy responses to the ongoing pandemic, as well as the multi-layered effects of Covid-19 on existing developmental challenges facing the continent. Some challenges identified include climate change, hunger, poverty and the loss of livelihood due to Covid-19. We are living through a time of crisis: the Covid-19 pandemic continues to be on the minds of both religious leaders and policymakers, said Faisal Bin Muaammar, KAICIID Secretary-General, adding that the pandemic has not only affected the daily lives of many, but has exposed other more serious challenges. The 2020 G20 Interfaith forum is co-organised by the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC), the G20 Interfaith Forum Association, the King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue (KAICIID), and the National Committee for Interfaith and Intercultural Dialogue in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (NCIID). Food insecurity The forums participants drew attention to Africas problem of food insecurity despite its rich natural resources, highlighting how the Covid-19 pandemic poses a major threat to Africa achieving the UNs Sustainable Development Goal 2 of Zero Hunger by 2030. Of particular concern was the significant negative impact of environmental degradation and the locust swarms wreaking havoc in East Africa. Pointing out that misuse, not lack of resources, is responsible for the hunger crisis, the General Secretary of the Organisation of African Instituted Churches, Reverend Nicta Lubaale said the challenge of food insecurity must be tackled because it is a scandal of hunger in the midst of plenty. He urged all religious groups to engage in direct support for people in hunger and poverty. In the same vein, Director of Faith for Earth, Dr. Iyad Abumoghli encouraged conservationists to collaborate with faith communities to implement more value-based sustainable exploitation of the continents natural resources. This, Abumoghli noted, will help prevent hunger and food insecurity especially since faith-based communities comprise the largest social organisations in Africa. Debt relief for African countries The indebtedness of many African nations was also a point of concern for the forums participants. Many expressed fears that without debt relief, some countries would find it difficult to secure resources to combat Covid-19, resulting in the exposure of millions to infection, hunger and poverty. In this regard, Martin Pascal Tine, Senegals Ambassador to the Holy See, called for joint action by faith communities to lobby policymaking institutions to intensify debt relief efforts. Reiterating this call, Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja, Cardinal John Onaiyekan added that faith communities should be engaged in ensuring that capital is directed towards public welfare and the sections of society in most need. The forums participants also expressed their conviction that faith communities need to be involved in the search for solutions to Africas challenges, especially as they can step in when public institutions are overstretched. Among the other issues discussed was the pandemics effect on religious communities including the cancellation of pilgrimages, restrictions on religious gatherings and the cancellation of religious festivities. Though concerned that Africa has only one G20 country - South Africa the participants expressed hope that the G20 leaders would take their deliberations into account and, according to Cardinal Onaiyekan, speak to Africa, if not about Africa. Government officials building an antitrust case against Google are investigating whether the company engages in tying, the practice of bundling different products together in a way that can block out competitors and give the seller an unfair advantage. In recent months, the Justice Department and state attorneys general have asked executives at rival firms about the pricing and operations of Googles Network division, according to people familiar with the discussions. This business sells services that handle almost every step a digital ad takes on its journey from a brands creative team to a consumers screen. The inquiries focus on discounts, special features and other terms that Google offers to push advertisers and publishers to use only its products instead of mixing and matching with competing services. Regulators are also asking about how Googles larger online search business interacts with the Network division to bolster its share of the digital ad market, the people said. They asked not to be identified sharing details of private discussions. Tying makes the sale of one product conditional on the purchase of another product. This isnt illegal, but if the strategy is used to cement a dominant market position, it could be, according to Gene Kimmelman, a senior adviser at think tank Public Knowledge and former chief counsel for the Justice Departments antitrust division. If those tools are used to maintain a monopoly, prevent entry of new players and exclude rivals, then they may be antitrust violations, Kimmelman said. U.S. regulators are set to file a competition suit against Alphabet Inc.s Google in the coming weeks, likely the largest monopoly case since the government sued Microsoft Corp. in 1998. That case initially focused on the concept of tying how Microsoft used its dominant Windows operating system to push customers to use its other products and elbow out alternatives. Now the authorities are asking similar questions about Google. They have interviewed rivals as recently as July and have been asking questions as often as every month, with the inquiries becoming more detailed each time. Some respondents used white boards to sketch out the complex structure of the adtech market and Googles operations, according to the people familiar with the discussions. While we continue to engage with ongoing investigations, the facts are clear: our digital advertising products compete across a crowded industry with hundreds of rivals and technologies, said Google spokeswoman Julie Tarallo McAlister. This competition has increased choice and helped reduce internet advertising prices, lowering costs for merchants and consumers. A spokesperson for the Justice Department did not respond to a request for comment. Googles Network business generated more than $21 billion in revenue last year but it is growing slower than other parts of the company. Google often frames the business as an aide to web publishers that rely on digital ads. But critics say Google owns and exploits so much of the market that advertisers and publishers are forced to use more of its products. U.S. investigators are looking at three broad categories in the adtech market: the sell-side software web publishers use to sell ads; the buy-side services marketers use to purchase those ads; and the exchange, which connects the two sides. Google owns tools that serve all these functions. The problem is Google controls all these entities, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, a Democrat from Washington, said during a July 29 congressional antitrust hearing. It sounds a bit like a stock market, except, unlike a stock market, theres no regulation on your ad exchange market. Government investigators have asked about how Google waives fees for publishers using its sell-side tools if they choose to auction their ad space on the Google ad exchange, according to people familiar with the discussions. The regulators also inquired about Googles decision in 2015 to limit ad-buying on its dominant YouTube video service to its own bidding tool, DV360, according to people familiar with the probe. Rival adtech companies say the move cut them off from a major source of valuable digital video ad inventory. Google says other social media sites work this way, and that competing ad-buying services, such as one from Amazon.com Inc., have grown without access to YouTube. Competitors have also complained to investigators that Google has used its dominant online Search business to give its display advertising business an unfair advantage. When an advertiser buys Search ads, Google gives them the option to shift any excess marketing dollars to display ads. That extra spending is then funneled into Googles ad network and exchange. Many rival adtech companies cant offer this. Search marketing budgets are so huge that the extra money that spills over to Googles display ads sometimes accounts for about 10% of web publisher revenue, according to one rival adtech executive who has spoken with the Justice Department about this. Multiple people cited this as a reason why most publishers must pay to be on Googles ad exchange. Google is where you have to be, said Kimmelman. There is no good alternative. A Google spokeswoman said web publishers can access this extra ad spending through other exchanges, but declined to say how many of these ads are sold outside Googles platform. For some critics, the larger concern is how Google passes information between its different arms in ways that is prohibited in other industries. In the July antitrust hearing, Rep. Jayapal used a theoretical situation: an electronics store wants to run an online ad with The Seattle Times, her hometown paper. Each part of the transaction passes through Googles platform, which sees the supply of ad space, the demand for those spots, and sets the price and the bidding rules. Jayapal said this would not be allowed in financial markets, where these roles are often separated to avoid potential self dealing and conflicts of interest. If there were regulation, it would actually prohibit insider trading, which means the broker cant use the data in the brokerage division to buy and sell for their own interests, Jayapal said. The U.K.s Competition & Markets Authority shared Jayapals concern about Googles conflicts of interest in a 2019 report. The regulator is mulling remedies that could include separating Googles ad server, which plays a key role in the selection and pricing of ads, from the rest of the business. At the congressional hearing in July, Google chief executive officer Sundar Pichai dodged Jayapals questions about the companys market share. Instead, he emphasized how much ad revenue Google shares with other websites. Its a low-margin business for us, he said. We do it because we want to help support publishers in this area. Yet the House hearing unearthed internal Google emails that drove home Jayapals point. In 2010, Google sales executives were debating how to handle an ad agency client that was using a third-party bidder a system from another provider that helped the agency bid on the right ads at the best prices. This meant Google couldnt see how much the agency was planning to spend in upcoming quarters. This is not an acceptable or scalable solution, Henrique de Castro, then a senior Google advertising executive, wrote. In response, Neal Mohan, who oversaw Google adtech services at the time, said the company was creating its own bidding service. That would end up substantially increasing spending on Google once it had a combination of tools for bidding, buying and selling, Mohan wrote. Google was also considering buying a bidding tool, he added. Soon after, it acquired Invite Media, a provider of ad-bidding software, and began integrating the technology into Googles other offerings. When the deal was being finalized, Invite Media arranged its finances to avoid an antitrust review by the Federal Trade Commission. Read more about: Principals say proposed changes to suspension rules in NSW schools are impractical and could blur the standards of acceptable behaviour. However, disability advocates support plans to cut the length of suspensions and make it harder for schools to order young children home for bad behaviour or repeated disobedience, saying vulnerable students are vastly over-represented in suspension statistics. The draft behaviour strategy, released by NSW Education Minister Sarah Mitchell on Thursday, said high rates of suspension among Aboriginal, disabled and disadvantaged students showed their learning and support needs were not being met in NSW schools. Principals say changes to suspension guidelines are impractical Credit:E+ It proposed that the maximum suspension be halved from four weeks to two, and that all types of suspension be banned from kindergarten to year 2 unless a student seriously hurts another or has a weapon. Feedback will be incorporated into a final strategy, to be implemented next year. Baghdad, Aug 27 : Two staffers of the World Health Organization (WHO) were injured in a roadside bomb explosion in Iraq's Nineveh province, a police official said. The vehicle was hit by the roadside bomb planted by the Islamic State (IS) militants, while it was moving near the town of Bartella, about 30 km east of the provincial capital Mosul, Mazin al-Ahmadi, head of the media office of provincial police told Xinhua news agency on Wednesday. The two staffers, who sustained injuries, were both Iraqi citizens, al-Ahmadi said. The WHO has been providing medical aid to the badly devastated health institutions in Nineveh province, as well as medical support to hundreds of thousands of displaced people in the country. On July 10, 2017, the Iraqi security forces regained full control of the city of Mosul, some 400 km north of Baghdad, after fierce battles against the IS terror group. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text I care deeply about our family and do not hesitate to help when they need it. All I can say at this time is that I used some funds from my campaign account for personal use. I routinely paid it back, (but) the circumstances have resulted in wire fraud and income tax violations, he said in the statement. Aid to the Church in Need, an international Catholic charitable organization, provides a trusted Covid-19 testing facility and support to needy families through various aid projects to the people of northern Lebanon. By Vatican News The international pontifical foundation, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) on Wednesday announced three emergency aid projects aimed at supporting the most vulnerable families and refugees in the northern Lebanese region of the Bekaa Valley. A trusted Covid testing facility The people in Zahleh and the Bekaa Valley are living in a situation of chaos and fear, says Archbishop Issam John Darwish, of the Greek Melkite Archeparchy of Zahle and Forzol. In the last two weeks the number of patients has increased dramatically in every region, especially in Zaleh and the Bekaa Valley, and our health system is on the point of reaching its maximum capacity due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Archbishop explained. One of the projects sponsored by ACN will support a new Covid-19 test centre in the Tel Chiha hospital in Zaleh, which was established by the Archeparchy to support the people of the Bekaa Valley. The only state-run hospital in the area that had been doing Covid testing became the centre of scandal when it was discovered that the doctor in charge of the test laboratory did not have legitimate credentials. We hold peoples lives in our hands, Archbishop Darwish continues. We have to offer them a laboratory they can have faith in. At present, people in the region arent even sure if most of the results are correct, and so there is an urgent need to go back and test them, so that we can track the virus more closely. Today all our people are struggling to obtain their daily bread. We will continue to do everything in our power to stand by them during these difficult times. Providing basic necessities The two other ACN projects are aimed at providing basic necessities for the most vulnerable families. Archbishop Darwish has requested ACN to provide food parcels for approximately 2,000 needy families in Zaleh and the surrounding area. ACN will also be assisting 100 families in the Maronite Catholic Eparchy of Baalbek-Deir El Ahmar in the north of the Bekaa Valley. Thanks to this aid, says a press release from ACN released on Thursday, the families, who are living below the poverty threshold, will at least have some security for the next three months. The director of projects for the Eparchy of Ballbek has spoken on the importance of supporting these projects. Our financial aid is of the greatest importance, and it has arrived just when it was most needed. It will have a real impact and will help a great number of needy people. We have no words to express our gratitude. It is the wonderful gestures of others like these that keeps us going most days. This is a tremendous help to us at a very difficult moment, a ray of sunshine that brings us some hope. Churchs pastoral outreach With much of the world focused on Beirut after the devastating 4 August explosion, ACN sheds light on the desperate needs of people in other parts of the country. As we all know, Lebanon is going through immense suffering, especially in Beirut, following the disastrous explosion in the city, says Regina Lynch, Head of the ACNs project department. But at the same time, we cant forget the coronavirus crisis, which is still growing in the region. She emphasizes, An important aspect of the pastoral outreach of the Church in the present emergency situation in the country includes attending to the basic needs of the people, such as the food parcels and basic medical care. Archbishop Darwish makes the Churchs commitment clear: Today all our people are struggling to obtain their daily bread. We will continue to do everything in our power to stand by them during these difficult times. To learn more about how Aid to the Church in Need is assisting the people of Lebanon, and how you can help, please visit the ACN website. Over the weekend, the top US representative in Taiwan, Brent Christensen, attended a ceremony alongside Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen marking a battle fought between the Republic of China (ROC) on Taiwan and the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) on the mainland in 1958. The US decision to take part in the ceremony is a deliberate provocation aimed at Beijing and will only further heighten the danger of war. Christensens attendance at the August 23 ceremony was the first time a director of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), Washingtons de facto embassy on the island, took part in the annual event that commemorates those killed during the Second Taiwanese Strait Crisis in 1958. This was a month-long conflict between the ROC and the PRC over the Kinmen and Matsu Islands, which are controlled by Taipei, but sit just kilometres off the coast of mainland China. Christensen also laid a wreath at a memorial for two US military officers killed during the First Taiwanese Strait Crisis in 1954. While Christensen, the only foreign dignitary at the ceremony, did not make an official statement, the AIT declared on Facebook, USTaiwan security cooperation goes back decades and has been a key element in our partnership Commemorations such as these remind us that todays US-Taiwan security cooperation builds on a long and proud history that exemplifies the phrase Real Friends, Real Progress. Christensens involvement in the ceremony was undoubtedly approved at the highest levels of the Trump administration. It is part of Washingtons stepped-up confrontation with Beijing, initiated by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo last month, which includes closer military cooperation with Taipei. Taiwanese President Tsai, re-elected in January on an explicitly anti-China platform, has signed up for this conflict behind the backs of the Taiwanese people. Following Washingtons false narrative, the current conflict is one between defenders of democracy like Taiwan opposed to Beijings tyranny. In reality, the escalating tensions are the result of Washingtons decades-long imperialist agenda in the Asia-Pacific. The fighting that erupted in 1954 and 1958 between the ROC and the PRC was a continuation of the Chinese Civil War that had forced the Kuomintang, otherwise known as the Nationalist Party, to flee to Taiwan in 1949. With US backing, including naval patrols in the Taiwan Strait, Chiang Kai-shek and the Nationalists established a military dictatorship on the island that planned to reinvade the mainland and continued to claim legitimacy as the ruler of all of China. Taipei received recognition as such from Washington and even took Chinas seat in the UN Security Council. The First and Second Taiwanese Strait Crises took place only one and five years respectively after the end of the Korean War, which was launched by the US and its puppet state in South Korea in an effort to overthrow the Soviet-aligned government in Pyongyang while threatening Beijing. This included discussions on dropping between 30 and 50 atomic bombsin US General Douglas MacArthurs wordsstrung across the neck of Manchuria. The US also considered introducing hundreds of thousands of Chinese Nationalist soldiers into Manchuria and in the south around Shanghai. That these plans did not materialize did not mean they were off the table. With Taiwan sitting just 130 kilometers off the mainlands coast, it has constituted a major base for US aggression against the PRC. Furthermore, the islands of Kinmen and Matsu, at the center of the Taiwanese Strait Crises, sit a couple of kilometres off the Chinese coast and were heavily fortified in the 1950s as they continue to be today. As such, Sundays commemoration of the fighting that took place there demonstrates they could be used for future military incursions. US policy towards China began to shift to the mainland in the 1970s, gaining momentum with President Richard Nixons visit to Beijing in 1972, and culminating in the recognition of PRC as the sole government of China in 1979. Formal US relations with Taiwan ended in a de facto recognition under the One China policy that the island is part of Chinas territory. A rejection of this policy would likely trigger a war, with Beijing unwilling to allow Taiwan to become a base of operations for US war plans. The US turn to Beijing was part of Washingtons agenda to further drive a wedge between the Soviet Union and China to deepen its influence in Asia. Under Mao Zedong, China also began the process of the restoration of capitalism, which accelerated in the 1980s, transforming China into a cheap labor platform for US companies. However, with Chinas emergence as an economic competitor, Washington is once more actively preparing for war with Beijing, with Taiwan a key element of these plans. The Obama administrations pivot to Asia sought to undermine China diplomatically, economically and militarily, an agenda that has accelerated under Trump. Before his inauguration, Trump called into question the One China policy, taking a phone call after his election from President Tsai, the first between leaders of the two countries since 1979. His administration has also overseen the sale of billions of dollars worth of military equipment to Taipei. Now, with the US presidential election, both Trump and Democratic Party candidate Joe Biden are positioning themselves as more aggressive than the other towards Beijing, signaling an even more aggressive shift in the near future. Both candidates and their respective parties are attempting to deflect growing social anger in the US over the COVID-19 pandemic and economic crisis facing millions outwards against China as an enemy. On August 17, the New York Times, a mouthpiece for the Democratic Party and US intelligence services, cited unnamed officials in Washington calling for even deeper relations with Taiwan which will only exacerbate tensions with Beijing. It wrote, Those officials, as well as Republican and Democratic lawmakers, aim to do as much as possible to show explicit US support for Taiwan. They want to send military signals to China and to make relations with Taiwan as close to nation-to-nation as possible, short of recognizing sovereignty. It is within this context that Sundays ceremony took place and indicates the growing danger of war erupting in the Asia-Pacific as Washington increasingly ramps up pressure on Beijing in its attempts to offset its own historic decline and worsening crisis. The executive will allot this year another 25 million RON from the Reserve Fund of the Government to finish the central Brasov-Ghimbav International Airport, said Prime Minister Ludovic Orban, who is visiting the construction site. "Additionally to the 50 million allotted through the state budget law for this investment objective, the Government will also allot during this year another 25 million from the Government's Reserve Fund, and, at the same time, next year we will come with the necessary sums to complete the resources that the local authorities have (...) so that we are sure that this investment is finalized as fast as possible," said Ludovic Orban. The Prime Minister is accompanied on the visit he is conducting to several investment objectives in Brasov county by minister Ion Stefan (Economy), Nelu Tataru (Health), and Lucian Bode (Transportation). The three levels of the future airport terminal in Brasov County were erected completely, presently the constructor doing works on the roof and the facade, so that the work could be completed until end of November, the Brasov County Council informed last week. Works on the Brasov-Ghimbav Airport passenger terminal started in March. Any website that you visit can identify your device's IP address and the location you are browsing from. If you are not comfortable with your location being visible to website providers, you can use a proxy to deceive the websites that you are in a different location. The proxy will not only change your location but also hide your IP address, thus making you anonymous to the websites you visit. You can choose for the fake location to be chosen randomly by the proxy service provider. Alternatively, you can pick the specific country or city that you want as your false location. Before delving deeper into changing the location of your browser, let's first explore a little about proxies and how they are used. What are IPs and proxies? Internet service providers assign a unique number to each device's network. This number is known as an Internet Protocol (IP address) and is like your device's digital identification number. Typically, the sites you visit and some surveillance tools can identify your device and location using the IP address. A proxy helps you hide your IP so that websites, surveillance tools, and even some bots can't identify or track your browser. The proxy server presents its own IP address when you are online while masking your real one. If, for example, a website had blocked your IP address, it will not identify your browser if you are using a proxy and thus will let you browse. How proxies are used to change location Using a proxy to change your location is a very easy and straightforward process. You will just need to talk to your proxy supplier and indicate that you want proxy IPs for a particular region or location. If they have proxies for that location, they will give you a set of proxy IPs with instructions on how to integrate it with your browser. From then, every time you browse using the proxy, your browsers will only show the IP address(s) that you were allocated by the proxy supplier. Your real IP remains hidden. You should always shop for high-quality proxies. Some may appear to be cheap only for them to include an IP address, not from the location you chose. Or you're connected to an unreliable server that disconnects randomly, thereby messing your entire operation. Reasons for using proxies to hide IP and change location If you want privacy and anonymity online, all you need is to hide your IP address. But why would you need to change your location and even to a specific country or city? Market research Let's say you want to introduce your products or services to Thailand. To do the market research, you decide to access the local Thailand websites dealing in the same product and mine the data you need. Unfortunately, some of the websites have been set to deny access from foreign websites. If you proceed with the market research as is, you will end with incomplete data, and the resultant analysis will be flawed. Instead, you can get Thailand proxies that hide your real IP and indicate your browser as based in Thailand. This allows you to access the sites that would have blocked you and scrape complete data. Access geo-specific services and products Some businesses also sell their products in specific locations only and don't allow browsers from outside that region to access their business sites or purchase the product. You can use the same process as above to deceive the website that you are from that region and purchase the products. You can actually create and grow your business using this approach. - Identify a region where a certain product is cheaper, such as Malaysia. - Using an IP address from that region, access the local sites, and purchase several units of the said product. - Ship the products to your home region and sell the items for a higher price To test run a website or app When you create a website or app, you need to make sure it is accessible and operates well in different regions of the target area. You can use proxies from different locations when testing the app or site while accessing its performance. If any regions are not compatible with the app or website, you will be able to identify those hitches when you use proxies from those regions. In conclusion... Changing your device's IP address and location when browsing gives you the privacy you need. The proxies also protect you from some surveillance tools, thus enhancing your business's cybersecurity. You need, however, to be extra careful when choosing your proxy service provider. Some will offer you free or cheap proxies but then start using the access you've given them to mine data from your site. To avoid exposing your business's sensitive data like this, always procure proxy services from reliable proxy service providers. China is proposing to let US regulators audit its state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in a concession aimed at solving their long-running accounting dispute, but would insist on redacting some information on national security grounds, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday. The United States has long complained of lack of access to audit working papers for US-listed Chinese companies. Washington earlier this months threatened measures to delist Chinese firms that fail to meet its auditing requirements. Fang Xinghai, vice chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC), told Bloomberg that CSRC this month sent the US Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) a fresh proposal that would allow the US to pick any of its SOEs for a trial joint inspection. A previous trial inspection done jointly by Chinese and US regulators failed to yield an agreement, the article said. Fang also called for direct talks with US officials, but an offer for a video or phone meeting has yet to get a response, it said. Fang didn't immediately reply a request for comment. Fang's remarks echoed an August 8 statement by CSRC in response to delisting calls from the Trump Administration. In that statement, CSRC said it has been proposing joint accounting inspections with US regulators with a show of "total sincerity towards cooperation". CSRC also said solving the issue through dialogue is the only way toward a "win-win" situation. The Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board (HWCDSB) has introduced a plan to reduce class sizes for kindergarteners and students in Grades 4 to 8 in time for the beginning of the school year. Pat Daly, chair of the HWCDSB, told The Spectator that the board is ready to spend $3.5 million to bring kindergarten class sizes down from roughly 23 students per class to 19 or 20, and Grades 4 to 8 from roughly 24 to 25 students per class to 22 to 23 students. The decision follows an announcement from the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB) earlier this week to reduce class sizes to the tune of $10.4 million. Both school boards chose not to reduce class sizes for Grade 1, Grade 2 and Grade 3 because those classes are already capped at 20 students. Daly said the board will need to find between 50 and 55 new classrooms, as well as hire 50 additional teachers and 15 additional kindergarten supervisors to reduce the class sizes. Already, the board has made it mandatory for students to wear masks at school and on buses, and has decided to stagger elementary school start times to allow teachers the opportunity to provide safety protocol and guidance to smaller cohorts of students before the semester begins. The plans to reduce class sizes are modelled on the boards enrolment numbers, which show that about 85 per cent of students will return to class in-person while the rest will learn from home, Daly said. The decision also comes after weeks of mounting pressure from parents and staff over fears of overcrowded classrooms during the COVID-19 pandemic. While parents and education advocates have called for 15 students per class, the funding available to school boards has largely allowed them to reduce class sizes in the range of 20 students per class. Earlier this week, the public board said it could reduce kindergarten class sizes to 22 students per class and Grades 4 to 8 down to 24 students per class. Daly said the Catholic board will be using a mix of provincial funding and its own reserve funds to pay for the reduced class sizes. The board will access between $2.5 million and $3 million from its reserve fund, Daly said. Using boards reserve funds has been a point of contention for trustees since Ontarios Ministry of Education announced it would unlock up to $496 million from board reserve funds earlier in August. In a previous interview with The Spectator, Daly said he was deeply concerned by the provinces decision to offload responsibility for covering class size expenses onto the boards. School boards have worked very, very hard over many years to establish reserves in support of priorities in the best interest of students. This will take away from that, Daly said. We believe the responsibility of schools reopening rests with the provincial government to fund. This takes away resources that wouldve been used for students in other ways. The Catholic board has roughly $29.7 million stashed in its reserve fund $9.7 million of which is not already earmarked by the board. At a news conference on Tuesday, public board chair Alex Johnstone justified the use of reserve funds for class sizes. Reserve funds are typically saved for rainy days, and I can definitively tell you now that the flood has arrived, Johnstone told reporters. The producers of an upcoming action-thriller are working closely with Film Bay of Plenty to recruit local people for an 18-week apprenticeship on set. NZ on Air have granted up to $5.6 million for the big-budget action-thriller which is set to start filming in Rotorua later this year in a move that will upskill local talent and spotlight the benefits of basing a production in the Bay of Plenty region. Vegas is being produced by Auckland-based Greenstone TV Ltd, in collaboration with the Rotorua-based Steambox Film Collective and award-winning writer, Michael Te Arawa Bennett and his 10,000 Company. The project, for TVNZ2, is made possible with support from NZ on Air. 10,000 Company was formed by award-winning film and TV writer and directors Michael Bennett and costumer designer Jane Holland to develop original feature film and television material. Set in an imaginary world that closely resembles Aotearoa in 2020, Vegas is an action-thriller about a young, untested leader who wants to free his people from the curse of methamphetamine, but finds he cant do it on his own. The story is based on the novel, Inside the Black Horse by Ray Berard. Greenstone TV CEO Rachel Antony says the six-part drama series, which plans to hire around 40 local crew and up to 100 extras, will inject several million dollars in to the local economy. The series has been in development for two years, and we are thrilled to be able to bring it to Rotorua, especially at a time when the city is feeling the economic impact of COVID-19, says Rachel. Were also really grateful for the support from Film Bay of Plenty. Film Bay of Plenty connects national and international productions with local people, places and infrastructure. The Ministry of Social Development is working with Film Bay of Plenty to ensure the people working on Vegas have appropriate training before work commences. The Rotorua Energy Charitable Trust which supports projects that make a real and positive difference to the community. Vegas aligns with its priority areas of providing employment opportunities as well as supporting arts and culture, and $70,000 was granted to Film Bay of Plenty to help with the production. Rachel says filming in Rotorua appealed for a number of reasons but that, the opportunity to collaborate with the incredible, local team at Steambox really made the decision for us. With pre-production set to start next month and filming to run from October until Christmas, the producers of Vegas are currently working closely with Film Bay of Plenty to recruit local people for an 18-week apprenticeship on set. Greenstone TV is one of the largest independent producers of content in Australasia, and is behind long-running prime-time hits like Motorway Patrol and Dog Squad; teen drama The Cul de Sac; and documentary series Artefact with Dame Anne Salmond and Decades In Colour. Producer and co-creator of Vegas, Harriet Crampton, says Greenstone could have made the decision to shoot in Auckland. But so many of our stories are told in our few cities, ignoring our spectacular landscapes and the exciting and specific input of people within smaller societies, says Harriet. The screen industry is growing fast in New Zealand. It makes complete sense for our government funding agencies to provide employment opportunities and career paths for those outside the main centres. It's a fantastic, hard-working and multi-skilled industry, and many of our young tangata whenua have been missing out on getting involved in this growth because of lack of exposure to local opportunities. Jo Curtis, Michelle Ang, Michael Bennett, Timoti Hawea, Harriet Crampton, Tihini Grant, Riwia Brown, Piripi Curtis, Tim Worrall, Lara Northcroft, Wetini Mitai Lara Northcroft, Associate Producer of Vegas and a Trustee of the Steambox Film Collective, says the successful candidates will take on assistant roles in everything from lighting, camera, sound and costume, to coordinating cast members. The team is currently interviewing people with varying levels of experience, from school leavers with a drama background, to people looking to transition to a new career in the film industry, and those who have had entry-level positions and are looking to grow their experience. Lara says a wide range of sectors will benefit from the series being filmed in Rotorua from accommodation, to on-set food, beverage and technical suppliers, transport companies, education providers and the large number of people who will be recruited as extras. We are committing to developing talent and capacity across the Bay of Plenty region, says Lara. Hopefully this is the first of many productions to come here. A major focus for Greenstone is to build regional capacity and diversity in New Zealands screen industry, encouraging more productions to film locally and, hopefully, seeing Vegas return for future seasons. We hope those we train will go on to make the screen industry their profession, and the results will be evident in on-going local pathways for iwi kainga. says Harriet. The Steambox Film Collective is a group of Maori screen professionals based in Rotorua New Zealand, who are passionate about narrative filmmaking and also run the Rotorua Indigenous Film Festival (RIFF). Vegas is fictional and set in a town that does not exist, but writer and executive producer Michael Te Arawa Bennett and the team of co-producers and storyliners from Steambox Film Collective have been working closely with iwi, hapu and other local authorities to ensure the storytelling is accurate and fair in its representation of gangs and young Maori in New Zealand. Gang stories always invite conflict, and theres no nice way to deliver these narratives. But when the perspective comes not from a place of blame, but from one of understanding, empathy and release, the opportunity is there to explore wider themes: the differing responses to decades of colonisation; the putting it right that counts, says Michael. NEW YORK The Rev. Al Sharpton sat quietly in his office in late July, watching the final funeral service for Rep. John Lewis on a wall-mounted television. Instead of flying down to the memorial in Atlanta, Sharpton had remained in New York; he had work to do. Preaching at the funeral of a year-old boy who was shot in the stomach at a Brooklyn cookout a boy not much younger than his first and only grandson Sharpton demanded gun control, an issue close to Lewis heart. He also was embroiled in putting together this weeks commemoration of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. This protest will focus on police and vigilante violence, and its ever-expanding roll call of victims: George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Rayshard Brooks, Ahmaud Arbery, Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner, Jacob Blake, among others. But Sharpton knows he will also encounter the ghosts of another era on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, where the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. proclaimed that he had a dream. Sharpton said he had always felt a kinship with people like Lewis, who had been the last surviving speaker from the original march; the late former NAACP chairman Julian Bond; his own mentor, the Rev. Jesse Jackson. All, he said, had instilled in him the value of discipline and reverence of principles of nonviolent resistance espoused by King. Lewis, Bond and so many others are dead; at 78, Jackson clearly is not the lion he once was. But Sharpton once dismissed by some as a fraud, a jester is still standing. He reaches multitudes on television and on radio. The man who helped popularize the 1980s cry, No justice, no peace, is putting himself at the center of a new wave of activism, in a new millennium. I want to be able to show that the movement is not dead, said the Rev. Al. ___ For more than three decades, Sharpton, 65, has been a go-to advocate for Black American families seeking justice and peace in the wake of violence and countless incidents that highlight systemic racism. He has a penchant for seizing the national spotlight and focusing the public on police brutality and acts of hatred against Black people, particularly at moments of heightened tensions and grief. But Sharpton now contends with a new question: In what shape will he leave the world for Marcus Al Sharpton Bright, the only male heir to the family legacy? I never thought Id live to see my grandchild, Sharpton said recently in an interview at the midtown Manhattan offices of National Action Network, the civil rights organization he founded in 1991. In many ways, every time I see him, I know its a blessing God gave me that he didnt give some of the civil rights leaders before me, Sharpton said. Im hopeful and Im challenged What kind of society am I leaving him where you can get shot by the cops and the robbers? Sharpton has embraced the resonance of Black Lives Matter its now said to be the largest protest movement in U.S. history. But he takes issue with people who claim that the leaderless, decentralized nature of the emerging movement is an entirely new phenomenon. One of the follies of youth, including me when I was young, is you think youre the first one to do what you do, Sharpton said. There aint nothing new. If you dont have that kind of back and forward (over tactics), which Dr. King used to call creative tension, then you aint got no movement. I expect theres going to be alternatives to me, he added. And its good, because itll bring a synthesis and because nobodys got all the answers. Born in 1954 in Brooklyn, Sharpton quickly showed promise as a preacher. At age 4, he delivered his first sermon; he was an ordained minister by age 10. When he was just 13, Jesse Jackson appointed Sharpton youth director of New Yorks Operation Breadbasket, an anti-poverty project of Kings Southern Christian Leadership Conference. The Al Sharpton who grabbed the spotlight in the 1980s was a rotund young man in a track suit, his neck garlanded by a chain and medallion and his hair in a pompadour a remnant of his days as James Browns tour manager. Sharpton constantly courted controversy for using inflammatory language against his opponents. He reserved his most fiery rhetoric for elected officials and attorneys representing police officers and alleged assailants in case after case of racial violence. In 1989, Sharptons attention was drawn to the death of Yusuf Hawkins, a Black teenager fatally shot after being confronted by a mob of white youths in Bensonhurst, a historically Italian-American neighborhood of Brooklyn. As explored in the recent HBO documentary, Storm Over Brooklyn, Sharptons work on the Hawkins case was widely seen as the main cause of flared tensions between Black and white communities in New York City. In 1991, as he prepared to lead a march through Bensonhurst with the Hawkins family, a white man stabbed Sharpton in the chest. But many people, particularly those turned off by Sharptons brash tactics, know him for his role in publicizing the case of Tawana Brawley, a 15-year-old Black girl who in 1987 accused six white men, including police officers, of assault and rape in upstate New York. A grand jury later found evidence that Brawley had fabricated the story, after which Sharpton and two attorneys who joined in the case were ordered to pay damages to the prosecutor who sued over defamatory statements. Sharpton was hardly the only prominent New York figure who believed Brawleys story. But even today, some of Sharptons critics will bring up the case to discredit him. Asked if he had any regrets about that period of his life, Sharpton said he would have looked into situations more deeply before getting involved. Sometimes your vanity outruns your sanity, and you do things for posture. But its all part of growing up. ___ Sharpton came to be known as a political strategist skilled at staging direct-action protests, while adhering to Kings principles of nonviolence. Although few of his critics would classify his tactics and rhetoric as entirely civil or peaceful, Sharpton is the reason why Amadou Diallo, Abner Louima and Sean Bell, Black men killed or brutalized by police in New York City, became household names long before the advent of social media and hashtags. I had core beliefs and I could work with different eras of the movement, Sharpton said. I was always free enough never took government funds, never held office I was free enough to flow. I think being willing to adopt everything, but my core beliefs, is the strength of my longevity. Today, the track suits and chains are long gone, replaced by tailored suits over a frame less than half the size of what it once was. But the fire is still there. Sharpton was among the civil rights leaders who flew into Minneapolis for the first of the memorial services for Floyd, who died May 25 after a white police officer held his knee to the mans neck for nearly eight minutes even after he was unresponsive. It was at that service, amid Hollywood celebrities, federal lawmakers and activists, that Sharpton both announced and found the theme to Fridays march commemoration. George Floyds story has been the story of Black folks, he said. Because ever since 401 years ago, the reason we could never be who we wanted and dreamed to be is you kept your knee on our neck. Its time for us to stand up in Georges name and say, Get your knee off our necks!' The refrain resounded, as protests and civil unrest gripped the nation that seemed to be awakening to issues Sharpton had preached about for decades. Sharpton has been an activist long enough to have inspired acolytes. National civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who has represented the families of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown and dozens of other victims of police brutality and vigilante violence, credits Sharpton with charting a path that made it easier for up-and-coming activists and lawyers to be heard. Rev. Al has been a mentor to me for many years, Crump said in a phone interview. Long before there was Black Lives Matter, you had Rev. Al Sharpton out there saying this life mattered, when everybody else was trying to marginalize it and sweep it under the rug. Hes a teacher and he made some of the mistakes that we dont have to make, said Lee Merritt, another prominent civil rights attorney who has represented the families of Ahmaud Arbery, Botham Jean and Atatiana Jefferson, among others. A lot of people feel like (the work) is about public outcry, but if you dont get to the root of the issue, if you dont go after the systemic racism and the policies that allow this to happen over and over again, then youre going to be disappointed when its all said and done, Merritt added. Twenty-three-year-old Tylik McMillan first started working for the National Action Network 10 years ago. Now the groups national director of youth and college, McMillan said Sharpton prepared him to act as a field organizer for Fridays March on Washington. He has always been such a compassionate leader, a hard leader that builds character, McMillan said. Hes giving me an understanding of what it means to move from demonstration to legislation. Which is the point of the march on Washington: Sharpton has made passage of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act a central demand. In June, the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives passed the Floyd act, which would ban police use of stranglehold maneuvers and end qualified immunity for officers, among other reforms. In July, following Lewis death, Democratic senators reintroduced legislation that would restore a provision of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 requiring states with a record of voter suppression to seek federal clearance before changing voter regulations. The U.S. Supreme Court gutted the provision in 2013. The march, Sharpton said, isnt simply for the cameras. If youve got a march without an objective, then youve got an exercise class going on, Sharpton says. ___ The House of Justice, Sharptons storefront auditorium and headquarters off of Malcolm X Boulevard in Harlem, buzzed with activity on a Saturday morning in late August. There is a rally each week; afterward, Sharpton personally hands out bagged meals to a line of people that stretches up 145th Street, part of an ongoing coronavirus pandemic relief effort. Gwen Carr, mother of Eric Garner, a Black man whose chokehold death by NYPD in 2014 fueled Black Lives Matter protests in New York and across the country, is a regular at the rallies. She said Sharpton stuck close to her family, particularly when the cameras and probing reporters went away, through the years it took local and federal law enforcement agencies to conduct investigations that eventually led to an officers firing. A lot of people listen to the controversy about Rev. Al, and they dont know him as a person, Carr said. They just listen to what other people are saying about him, and I think thats very wrong. He does a lot for families thats not in the public eye, she added. Some people think its just about police brutality, but it could be housing injustice. It could be a crisis because a familys lights are getting cut off. Still, Sharptons daughters, Ashley Sharpton, 32, and Dominique Sharpton Bright, 34, said their fathers public image isnt much different than the one theyd experienced over the dinner table. As I grew up, I realized this is not a persona, said Ashley Sharpton, who founded the National Action Networks Youth Move Huddle initiative that engages young adults who aspire to be community leaders. We sacrificed our dad to the movement, she added. That was heavy for me to understand. That took a while for me to accept. But something has softened in their dad since he became a grandfather, said Bright, Marcus Als mom and national membership director for the National Action Network. Its so weird to see it because he kind of steps out of who he is to relate to Marcus Al, she said. I remember when he was 4 months old and Dad was like, Is he talking yet? Is he walking?' Ashley Sharpton said. Her dad has been preaching since he was 4. So, Im sure its an eagerness to see if any of that translated. There are many things that still keep the reverend away from home hes organizing, preaching, consoling. He hosts PoliticsNation on MSNBC, which reaches about 2 million viewers every weekend, and he has a nationally syndicated daily radio show, Keepin It Real, that broadcasts on dozens of Sirius XM stations. The reverend remains a busy man. I do not feel that the people that poured into me would expect me to do anything less, the Rev. Al said. And thats who I am. Im going to do this until I die. Put your ear down to the casket, and Ill be saying no justice, no peace as they lower me all the way down. ___ Morrison is a member of APs Race & Ethnicity team. You can email him at amorrison@ap.org. Follow him on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/aaronlmorrison. A strong association between the genes influencing cattle temperament and autism in humans has been discovered by University of Queensland researchers. UQ genomic expert Professor Ben Hayes said the research by his interdisciplinary team headed by Dr Roy Costilla could lead to improved animal welfare and meat quality. "The research doesn't mean that cattle have autism; rather that cattle share an overlap of genes with humans which are critical in brain function and response to fear stimuli," Professor Hayes said. Temperament is an important trait for day-to-day management of cattle. "We knew that genetic factors were likely influence temperament in cattle and we thought that genes involved in behavioural traits in humans could also influence temperament in cattle. "We found that genes known to contribute to autism spectrum disorders also influence temperament in cattle." Professor Hayes said the results were important as it opened the way for research conducted on behavioural traits in humans to shed further light on temperament in cattle. "As I've found talking to farmers over the years, it can be distressing having an animal that has a poor temperament in the mob, and stirs up all the other cattle putting them into a state of stress. "If we can identify those animals early, or breed to eliminate them, we can potentially reduce the stress of the whole mob. "That has great implications for welfare - not only of the cattle but also the people handling the cattle who are less likely to be charged or kicked." Professor Hayes said there was an association between a calmer temperament in cattle and better meat quality. "The cattle industry's standard for measuring temperament is 'flight time' - the speed in which cattle move after release from an enclosure," Professor Hayes said. "What a producer wants is cattle that move calmly and slowly from the enclosure, rather than an animal that charges out in an aggressive or stressed state. "Our study found flight time is about 35 percent heritable, which is very significant. "It means you can make a lot of progress by breeding for better temperament - it's about the same as milk production in dairy cattle, and we've made big breeding gains there." Professor Hayes said the same genes were identified in other genomic research conducted on domestication of foxes. "The same genes just come up again and again," he said. "Some DNA variants in those genes are more common in people with autism and, in cattle, some DNA variants in those same genes are found to make the cattle more fearful in new situations and have a reactive temperament." It's the first time whole genome sequencing has been used to analyse temperament in beef cattle. Researchers looked at 28 million data points per animal on the 9,000 cattle with temperament records in the initial study, and then validated the results in over 80,000 cattle from Ireland. Professor Hayes said his team would incorporate the temperament data into a panel of markers available for producers that would also provide breeding values for fertility. "It means a producer will be able to use a sample of tail hair which contains DNA to quickly get information on the genetic value of their animals for temperament and fertility. The temperament analysis was conducted primarily in northern cattle Bos indicus breeds and was validated in Bos taurus cattle. ### The study was a result of strong cooperation between Australian researchers, the beef industry and international collaborators from Ireland and Brazil. The research is published in Genetics Selection Evolution (DOI: 10.1186/s12711-020-00569-z). Media: Professor Ben Hayes, b.hayes@uq.edu.au, +61 (0) 434 210 890; UQ's QAAFI communications, m.puls@uq.edu.au, +61 (0) 419 578 356. A Bill that enables Scotland to keep the EU's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) beyond this year has passed a crucial parliamentary stage. The Agriculture (Retained EU Law and Data) (Scotland) Bill has passed Stage 3 following a debate in the Scottish Parliament. The legislation creates powers that enable Scottish ministers to retain the ability to make improvements to the EU's scheme following Brexit. It also improves the legal basis for collecting information about the agri-food supply chain and activities relating to agriculture. As a result of Brexit, the CAP will cease to apply, but the existing CAP architecture and rules will be transferred into domestic law, via the EU (Withdrawal) Act 2018 and the Direct Payments to Farmers (Legislative Continuity) Act 2020. The Agriculture (Retained EU Law and Data) (Scotland) Bill, which passed on Wednesday (26 August), gives Scottish Ministers the right to modify that retained EU law. Scottish government's rural economy secretary, Fergus Ewing said the Bill would offer 'financial stability' to farmers amid the uncertainties of Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic. This Bill puts in place the legal framework to allow us to take action to streamline, simplify and free up resources to pilot activities likely to feature in a future farming support policy beyond 2024. This Bill is the first step to ensure that we secure the ability to continue to operate CAP schemes from 2021 - this includes the Less Favoured Area Support Scheme." He said the Bill also provided Scotland with the opportunity to make improvements tailored to suit the country's unique agricultural and rural needs. We will continue to press the UK government to adhere to their commitment to the Scottish rural economy that EU funding would be replaced," Mr Ewing added. "It is crucial that they make a clear statement on future funding for all aspects covered by the CAP to provide certainty and reassurance to the whole rural economy. Successful financing underpins exciting pipeline progress LUND, Sweden, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- "BioInvent is fully focused on moving our clinical projects forward. Our successful financing of SEK 625 million has strengthened our institutional investor base and is truly transformative for the company as it allows us to broaden and develop our exciting pipeline and creates a solid financial base going forward." Martin Welschof, CEO BioInvent Financial information Second quarter 2020 Net sales SEK 15.6 (32.9) million. (32.9) million. Loss after tax SEK -39.3 (-32.8) million. (-32.8) million. Loss after tax per share before and after dilution SEK -0.08 (-0.07). (-0.07). Cash flow from operating activities and investment activities SEK -28.4 (-35.3) million. January - June 2020 Net sales SEK 32.4 (50.3) million. (50.3) million. Loss after tax SEK -72.0 (-60.6) million. (-60.6) million. Loss after tax per share before and after dilution SEK -0.14 (-0.15). (-0.15). Cash flow from operating activities and investment activities SEK -63.9 (-75.8) million. *Liquid funds as of June 30, 2020: SEK 182.3* (210.3) million. *Liquid funds as of 30 June 2020 include SEK 95 million of the total net capital approx. SEK 589 million from the share issues. Remaining net capital SEK 494 million has been received in Q3 2020. Events in the second quarter BioInvent successfully completed a directed share issue of approximately SEK 487 million before transaction costs. Investors included new investors such as HBM Healthcare Investments Ltd., Swedbank Robur Medica and Invus Public Equities, L.P. as well as existing shareholders Van Herk Investments B.V., Omega Funds, The Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund and Handelsbanken Healthcare Fund. (R) before transaction costs. Investors included new investors such as HBM Healthcare Investments Ltd., Swedbank Robur Medica and Invus Public Equities, L.P. as well as existing shareholders Van Herk Investments B.V., Omega Funds, The Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund and Handelsbanken Healthcare Fund. (R) Promising progress was reported in the Phase I/lla trial of lead program BI-1206 in combination with rituximab. A complete response was observed in one follicular lymphoma patient and complete depletion of circulating tumoral cells in a mantle cell lymphoma patient. (R) First patient enrolled in a Phase I/IIa clinical trial of BI-1206 in combination with anti-PD-1 therapy KEYTRUDA for patients with solid tumors. for patients with solid tumors. BioInvent and Transgene presented preclinical data at AACR Virtual Session II, demonstrating high cure rates in solid tumors of BT-001, an anti-CTLA4 antibody-encoding oncolytic virus. Phase I clinical trial expected to start before the end of 2020. BioInvent presented new proof-of-concept data at AACR Virtual Session II for BI-1808 and BI-1910, two different types of monoclonal antibodies targeting TNFR2. Both antibodies showed significant antitumor activity in several immunocompetent models. A clinical trial application was submitted to begin a Phase I/IIa, first-in-human study of BI-1808 for the treatment of solid tumors or cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. The trial is expected to start before the end of 2020. Manufacturing agreement signed with U.S. cell therapy company. Events after the reporting period In July 2020 , BioInvent's agreement with Pfizer Inc. was further extended until the end of 2020 to permit the companies to further identify and characterize new targets and antibodies binding to these targets. , BioInvent's agreement with Pfizer Inc. was further extended until the end of 2020 to permit the companies to further identify and characterize new targets and antibodies binding to these targets. The Extraordinary General Meeting on July 3 resolved to increase the Board of Directors with one member through new election of Dr. Thomas Hecht as a Board member. (R) resolved to increase the Board of Directors with one member through new election of Dr. as a Board member. (R) In July 2020 , BioInvent's Board of Directors resolved on a repair rights issue of a maximum of approximately SEK 139 million . It was completed in August and was heavily oversubscribed. (R) (R)= Regulatory event Comments from the CEO BioInvent is continuing to make good progress toward our targets as we move into the second half of 2020. In particular, we successfully completed a directed share issue, followed by a repair rights issue which was heavily oversubscribed. We were pleased to see such strong interest in these share issues and are grateful for the continued support and trust of all our investors. In total these share issues raised approximately SEK 625 million before transaction costs, which not only gives us the means to continue the development of BI-1206 in both hematological cancers and solid tumors, but also enables the development of a number of exciting new drug candidates. In short, these financings enable us to broaden and develop our pipeline and are truly transformative for the company. Our lead drug candidate BI-1206 is progressing well in hematological cancer and solid tumors. The first patient has been enrolled in a Phase I/IIa trial of BI-1206 in combination with the anti-PD-1 therapy KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab) in solid tumors. We believe BI-1206's potential ability to increase and enhance the response rates to anti-PD1 targeting agents such as KEYTRUDA may be a powerful approach for the future treatment of a broad range of solid tumors and hematological cancer types. We are also progressing the Phase I/IIa trial of BI-1206 in combination with rituximab for the treatment of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) and are looking at the need to add additional sites to ensure good patient enrolment. We hosted a successful virtual key opinion leader meeting in July with Alexander Eggermont, MD, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer at the Princess Maxima Center and renowned expert in immunotherapy. At this meeting, Prof. Eggermont discussed the clinical challenges associated with the use of checkpoint inhibitors in solid tumors and the potential for an enhanced response with immune-modulatory antibodies, specifically those targeting Fc?RIIB, such as BI-1206. He concluded that BI-1206 has the potential to be effective against multiple tumor types, much like KEYTRUDA, which is approved in over 20 different cancers. Our pipeline is becoming increasingly broad and robust, based on the productivity of our proprietary n-CoDeR/F.I.R.S.TTM platforms. In addition to BI-1206, we have a number of other candidates now progressing to clinical development. Together with our partner Transgene, we presented preclinical data demonstrating high cure rates in solid tumors of BT-001 at AACR Virtual Session II. BT-001 is a multifunctional oncolytic virus which was engineered to encode a Treg-depleting anti-CTLA4 antibody from n-CoDeR/F.I.R.S.TTM and we believe that the potential to combine anti-CTLA4, anti-PD-1/PD-L1 and oncolytic immunotherapy could change the treatment paradigm for multiple solid tumors. This sets the stage for starting a Phase I clinical trial with BT-001 before the end of 2020. We have submitted a clinical trial application (CTA) to begin a Phase I/IIa, first-in-human study of BI-1808, a monoclonal antibody to tumor necrosis factor receptor 2 (TNFR2), as a single agent and in combination with KEYTRUDA for the treatment of solid tumors and cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL). This trial is expected to start before the end of 2020. Meanwhile, new proof-of-concept data on BI-1808 and BI-1910, presented at the AACR Virtual Session II, showed that both these antibodies had significant antitumor activity in several immunocompetent models. As well as all this, our work with Pfizer continues and we have extended our cancer immunotherapy research collaboration and license agreement until the end of 2020. All this exciting progress is underpinned by our technology platform, which continues to produce new potential treatments ready for clinical development to address major unmet medical needs. With financing in place and the strong support of our investors, BioInvent is well positioned to continue to deliver on the promise of our pipeline. We are now in a very strong position and I am confident we will be able to continue to add shareholder value going forward. We look forward to further updating you on all of our value adding projects next time and in the meantime, wish you all the best. Martin Welschof, CEO Contact Any questions regarding this report will be answered by Martin Welschof, CEO, +46 (0)46 286 85 50, martin.welschof@bioinvent.com . The report is also available at www.bioinvent.com BioInvent International AB (publ) Co. reg. no. 556537-7263 Address: Solvegatan 41, 223 70 Lund Tel.: +46 (0)46 286 85 50 Forward looking information This interim report contains statements about the future, consisting of subjective assumptions and forecasts for future scenarios. Predictions for the future only apply as of the date they are made and are, by their very nature, in the same way as research and development work in the biotech segment, associated with risk and uncertainty. With this in mind, the actual out-come may deviate significantly from the scenarios described in this press release. This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com The following files are available for download: A federal prison in Orange County is reuniting some once-notable New York political heavyweights. More than five years after being charged with bribery and corruption, former state Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver reported to the federal prison in Otisville on Wednesday afternoon to begin serving a term of more than six years. There are no visitors allowed at that facility due to COVID-19 restrictions, but Silver could pass the time chatting with Joseph Percoco, a former top aide to Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo who, like Silver, is serving a six-year prison sentence for bribery and corruption. Percoco, 51, is two years into his sentence and scheduled to be released in April 2024. Silver's hard-fought legal battle with the U.S. Justice Department, including two appeals of his convictions by trial juries, ended on July 23 when a federal judge sentenced him to 78 months in prison and fined him $1 million. Percoco was sentenced in September 2018 for his conviction on charges that included taking $320,000 in bribes from businesses seeking state contracts. He was often referred to as being as close as a brother to Cuomo, and for years was his gatekeeper and fixer. Silver just missed spending time at Otisville catching up with former Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos, 72, who was sentenced in October 2018 to 51 months in prison for his conviction on charges of bribery, conspiracy and corruption. Skelos, who had been scheduled to remain in prison until 2022, was released in April and is serving the remainder of his term at home after he tested positive for coronavirus. The Bureau of Prisons lists Skelos as reporting to a residential re-entry program in Brooklyn. He had served 30 percent of his sentence behind bars when he was released. The convictions of Percoco, Skelos (and his son, Adam) and Silver were the culmination of a series of prosecutions by the U.S. attorney's office in Manhattan that rocked state government and brought down some of its most powerful and storied figures during a years-long crusade by former U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara. Adam Skelos, who was convicted alongside his father, is serving his term at a federal prison in Danbury, Conn., and is scheduled to be released in June. Special Investigation 147 NY dams are 'unsound,' potentially dangerous Thousands of dams have not been inspected in over 20 years. Silver, 76, who lived in lower Manhattan, had seized on the state's skeletal financial disclosure rules to enrich himself in an intricate money laundering and bribery scheme using the power of his office and the notoriety of his position as one of New York's three most power figures. Skelos and Percoco were convicted of similar schemes. Prosecutors, in a sentencing memorandum, cited a probation report that concluded Silver was simply motivated by greed. "Silver is an example of why the public has lost faith in their elected officials," they wrote. A Palestinian man was arrested in Scotland on terrorism charges related to his alleged involvement with an Irish nationalist group, British media outlets reported this week, though his lawyers claim he was entrapped. A man from Northern Ireland is accused of recruiting a Palestinian doctor living in Scotland to help an Irish Republican Army (IRA) group cultivate relations with governments hostile to the UK, the Belfast Telegraph reported on Tuesday. Their arrests are part of a British intelligence operation against the Irish organization. Several Irish nationalist groups use the name of the IRA. One of their goals is ending British rule in northern Ireland. This area is part of the United Kingdom and separate from the Republic of Ireland, which encompasses the rest of the Irish isle. The IRA, along with British forces and militias loyal to the UK, were responsible for considerable violence during the conflict known as "The Troubles" that ended in 1998. Many Irish nationalists sympathize with the Palestinian cause. Some Irish republicans, as they are also known, believe Palestinians fight an anti-colonial struggle against Israel similar to that of the Irish against the UK. In 2018, the Irish Senate passed a bill banning imports from Israeli settlements in the West Bank. The Palestinian doctor faces a terrorism charge for allegedly attending an IRA meeting. He was arrested at a London airport on Saturday, according to the Belfast Telegraph, which cited court documents. However, the doctors lawyer said his client was entrapped and that a British intelligence officer lured him to the meeting under false pretenses, The Irish News reported on Wednesday. The Palestinian man is from the West Bank and is involved in nonviolent, pro-Palestine activism in Scotland, his lawyer told the outlet. Quantum computers are sensitive to cosmic rays and other forms of radiation, a new study found, suggesting future machines may have to be built underground. The practicality of quantum computing hangs on the integrity of the quantum bit, or qubit, and how long it can operate before information is lost, researchers explained. A team from MIT and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory found that the performance of a qubit will soon hit a wall, as cosmic rays and even trace radiation in concrete can limit their operational lifespan to just a few milliseconds. Quantum computers could be dizzyingly fast once fully developed and used to process incredibly complex problems beyond the capability of the fastest supercomputers in use today. The longest lasting qubits are 200 microseconds - there are a million microseconds in a second - but the rate is increasing and the limit could be hit in a few years. In a paper published in Nature, the US team say that, to overcome this barrier, scientists need to find a way to shield qubits from radiation, including by putting them underground. A worker in the ultra-low radiation detection facility at the Shallow Underground Laboratory located at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory working on the qubit experiment Factors that end the operational life of a qubit are known as decoherence mechanisms and a number of factors can cause them including heat and electricity. 'These decoherence mechanisms are like an onion, and we've been peeling back the layers for past 20 years,' says William Oliver, associate professor of electrical engineering and computer science and Lincoln Laboratory Fellow at MIT. 'But there's another layer that left unabated is going to limit us in a couple years, which is environmental radiation,' he added. 'This is an exciting result, because it motivates us to think of other ways to design qubits to get around this problem.' The paper's lead author is Antti Vepsalainen, a postdoc in MIT's Research Laboratory of Electronics, who said it was fascinating how sensitive they are to weak radiation. US TO SPEND $625 MILLION ON AI AND QUANTUM COMPUTER RESEARCH The US will spend $625 million over the next five years on centres to research AI and quantum computing. Another $340 million will be given by the private sector and academic institutions, bringing the total planned investment close to $1 billion. 'These institutes will be world-class hubs for accelerating American innovation and building the 21st century American workforce," said US CTO Michael Kratsios. The US invests more than $500 million annually in AI research and is building on that effort to "advance American competitiveness," National Science Foundation director Sethuraman Panchanathan said. A Google official warned in January that in a technological race to the future, China could pour "enormous resources" into developing super-computers with quantum technology. US officials and scientists in July began laying the groundwork for a more secure "virtually unhackable" internet based on quantum computing technology. SOURCE: AFP Advertisement 'Understanding these effects in our devices can also be helpful in other applications such as superconducting sensors used in astronomy,' Vepsalainen says. Superconducting qubits are electrical circuits made from superconducting materials, the team behind the study explained. They comprise multitudes of paired electrons, known as Cooper pairs, that flow through the circuit without resistance and work together to maintain the qubit's tenuous superposition state. If the circuit is heated or otherwise disrupted, electron pairs can split up into 'quasiparticles,' causing decoherence in the qubit that limits its operation. There are many sources of decoherence that could destabilise a qubit, the team explained, including a changing magnetic field or thermal energy. Scientists have long suspected that very low levels of radiation may have a similar destabilising effect in qubits but this is the first study to prove it. 'In the last five years, the quality of superconducting qubits has become much better, and now we're within a factor of 10 of where the effects of radiation are going to matter,' adds David Kim, a technical staff member at MIT Lincoln Laboratotry. The team, working with collaborators at Lincoln Laboratory and PNNL, first had to design an experiment to calibrate the impact of known levels of radiation on superconducting qubit performance. They irradiated a foil of high purity copper which produces copper-64 - an unstable isotope - when exposed to high flux neutrons and created two small discs. They then placed one of the disks next to the superconducting qubits in a dilution refrigerator in Oliver's lab and measured the impact of the radioactivity on the qubit. The radioactivity of the second disk was measured at room temperature as a gauge for the levels hitting the qubit. Based on these measurements, the qubit coherence time would be limited to about 4 milliseconds - which was improved when the radioactive source was removed. Natural radiation in the form of X-rays, beta rays, cosmic rays and gamma rays can penetrate a superconducting qubit and interfere with quantum coherence Natural radiation may interfere with both superconducting dark matter detectors (seen here) and superconducting qubits 'Cosmic ray radiation is hard to get rid of,' Formaggio says. 'It's very penetrating, and goes right through everything like a jet stream. 'If you go underground, that gets less and less. It's probably not necessary to build quantum computers deep underground, like neutrino experiments, but maybe deep basement facilities could probably get qubits operating at improved levels.' Going underground isn't the only option, and Oliver has ideas for how to design quantum computing devices that still work in the face of background radiation. 'If we want to build an industry, we'd likely prefer to mitigate the effects of radiation above ground,' Oliver says. 'We can think about designing qubits in a way that makes them 'rad-hard,' and less sensitive to quasiparticles, or design traps for quasiparticles so that even if they're constantly being generated by radiation, they can flow away from the qubit.' 'So it's definitely not game-over, it's just the next layer of the onion we need to address,' he said. The findings have been published in the journal Nature. in Massachusetts. Retail items of up to $2,500 - purchased in the state for personal use - will be exempt from sales tax on these two days. Special deals in downtown Pittsfield include a double tax-free discount at Carr Hardware, an end-of-summer sale at Dory & Ginger, and more! This Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 29-30 is (Natural News) The civil unrest in Kenosha became extremely volatile on Sunday as the citys Antifa and Black Lives Matter chapters organized riots throughout the city. Unfortunately, the violence didnt end as quickly as it appeared, because on Tuesday night the residents of Kenosha had to deal with its third day of rioting. Following the previous two nights of rioting in downtown and uptown Kenosha, which resulted in the destruction of many businesses and the closure of several public buildings such as the Kenosha County Courthouse due to damages caused by the rioters, the city braced itself for another night of pointless violence. In response to the rioting, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, authorized 125 troops from the Wisconsin National Guard to head over to Kenosha and protect critical infrastructure and assist the citys first responders, who are already stretched too thin. Officials from the city said that, along with the National Guard, 100 law enforcement officers from the county and the surrounding areas have also arrived to assist the KPD. (Related: Chaos in Kenosha: Wisconsin Gov. Evers sends in the National Guard to quell rioting and civil unrest.) We will continue to work with local, state and federal law enforcement in holding those criminals who are destroying our city responsible, said Mayor John Antamarian, a Democrat, in a statement. Riots causing significant damage to public infrastructure and small businesses Since the KPD and the National Guard have been clashing with the rioters at the Kenosha County Courthouse, local officials thought it would be best to erect a fence around it in order to protect it from the violent mob. In response, the crowd immediately poured much of their anger at the fence, rattling it and threatening to tear it down until law enforcement officers in riot gear came out of the courthouse to deter them. Protesters have begun to try to push over a fence in front of the courthouse in Kenosha. Sheriffs deputies in riot gear have emerged from the courthouse. Some are throwing projectiles at the officers. pic.twitter.com/mkRMuUx3TK Bill Ruthhart (@BillRuthhart) August 26, 2020 In order to reduce the likelihood of more arson attacks, by order of the KPD, the citys gas stations were shut down in the evening. While this may have prevented many rioters from lighting more properties on fire, some of them brought their own gas cans. According to police scanners, large caravans of cars with obscured license plates were even blocking off streets to prevent or slow down the arrival of law enforcement. Many of the rioters were also attacking officers by launching fireworks at them and pelting them with projectiles such as rocks and bottles. At the same time that this was happening, Josh Binninger, 41, born and raised in Kenosha, stood in front of the parking lot of Ricchio AutoWorks along with around a dozen individuals all armed to protect it from looters. Were here because we just watched our hometown be terrorized and burnt down the last two days. Were not here to be agitators, said Binninger, who was wearing a tactical vest and had an AK-47 slung across his chest. He was also instrumental in organizing more than 200 other people, all armed, to conduct similar deterring actions in front of other businesses and properties across the city. Theres changes that need to be made and people need to come together as a community and support that, Binninger continued, talking about how much he supported the peaceful protesters who were marching around Kenosha during the day. [Kenosha] is not going to be another Portland. The past three days of rioting has caused the destruction of more than 30 businesses in Kenosha. However, the real number may be a lot larger, as officials still have not been able to tally how many businesses were torched and looted during the violence on Tuesday night. But people could see the signs of violence the morning after, as business owners, their neighbors and helpful members of the community aid tired first responders clean up the debris from the carnage. Most of the property destruction occurred in the citys uptown neighborhood. Among the small businesses that burned down were a beauty shop, a restaurant and a smartphone store. A nearby Family Dollar store, one of the few places nearby were people can get groceries, was looted. Gov. Evers sends more National Guard troops, turns down federal help In response to the continued unrest, Gov. Evers signed an executive order on Tuesday declaring a state of emergency in Kenosha. Furthermore, under the executive order, the Wisconsin National Guard will be deploying an additional 125 members into the city, doubling the size of the current contingent. Evers said in a statement that adjustments to the number of guardsmen in the city can be made in the future to meet local demands. Everyone should be able to exercise their fundamental right [to free expression] whether a protester or a member of the press peacefully and safely, said Evers in his statement. We cannot allow the cycle of systemic racism and injustice to continue, but we also cannot continue going down this path of damage and destruction. While Evers is sending in more National Guard troops to Kenosha, he is still, however, refusing all federal assistance, according to White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows. We have a National Guard unit standing by that, if the general for the Wisconsin National Guard needs additional help, were there to do it, he said, but today, that request was denied by the governor. According to Evers administration, he spoke with both Meadows and President Donald Trump on Tuesday. However, Evers claims that Meadows offered to send in law enforcement officers from the Department of Homeland Security, and not the National Guard. Evers office claims that they declined the offer because they were already sending in the National Guard anyway. In an interview with Fox News Tucker Carlson, Meadows said that he received pleas for help from Republican Rep. Bryan Steil, whose district covers Kenosha County and who was born and raised in the nearby city of Janesville, and Sen. Ron Johnson, also a Republican. In a message to the people of Kenosha, Meadows said that the Trump administration was willing to help. Its time that we take control, he said. And hopefully the number of National Guard they have in tonight will restore peace, but Im not optimistic. Without significant support from the Trump administration, it is unlikely that the civil unrest in Kenosha will end on its own. Learn about what will happen next in this city by reading the upcoming articles at Rioting.news. Sources include: WSJ.com KenoshaNews.com 1 KenoshaNews.com 2 KenoshaNews.com 3 JSOnline.com LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / August 27, 2020 / EquiTrust, together with MBE Capital Partners and Carver Federal Savings Bank, funded another $225 million payroll protection loans on top of the $100 million EquiTrust and MBE pledged in May for loans to small minority and women-owned businesses, bringing the total to $325 million funded. These loans are directed to minority and woman-owned businesses, non-profits and religious organizations that were disproportionately left out of the Small Business Administration's (SBA) PPP loans to help them meet payroll and associated expenses during this time of unprecedented economic turmoil due to COVID-19. "When we launched the EquiTrust MBE PPP loan program in May, we anticipated funding $100 million in loans. Not only did we exceed that threshold, but we received over 21,000 applications from small businesses proving a need for the $325 million," said Earvin "Magic" Johnson, chair of EquiTrust Life Insurance. "These businesses are a vital part of our economy and essential to the economic growth necessary for recovery from the pandemic. We have a responsibility to ensure an equitable distribution of federally backed capital to minority-owned small businesses." Born out of a concern that women and people of color were having difficulty accessing the loans offered by the Small Business Administration's emergency COVID-19 relief program, Earvin "Magic" Johnson's EquiTrust Life Insurance company partnered with MBE Capital Partners, the country's only direct lending certified minority finance company and the largest independent finance provider for small and diverse businesses in the U.S., and Carver Federal Savings Bank, one of the largest African American operated banks in the U.S., to distribute the loans through the federal government's Paycheck Protection Program. The funds directly impact businesses that operate in and benefit underserved communities. "After our initial $100 million investment, we expanded our relationship to include Carver Bank, with the SBA and the Federal Reserve to scale the amount of PPP loans that reached minority-owned small businesses. With Carver serving as our correspondent bank, we had access to the discount window at the Federal Reserve to do more PPP loans focused on minority-owned small businesses," according to EquiTrust CEO, Eric Holoman. "The Payroll Protection Program benefitted businesses that had financial relationships, eluding businesses like the "mom and pop" corner store owners, hairdressers, barbers and churches. Of the 2.5 million black businesses, 90% have only one employee. Many minority-owned businesses are underbanked or non-banked with little access to capital. These businesses are the critical backbones of our communities," said Marc Morial, President and CEO, National Urban League. "This vital support at such a critical time allows these small businesses to sustain in the wake of the COVID-19 economic downturn." The coronavirus shutdowns have been difficult for many - and particularly hard on minority business owners. Approximately 94% of small businesses in majority Black communities and 89% in majority Hispanic communities have less than two weeks' worth of cash reserves on hand, compared with 35% of White small businesses, stated the JPMorgan Chase Institute's report last year. While unemployment increased dramatically during the pandemic across the country, the impact on communities of color is staggering. The number of Hispanic-owned businesses fell by 19% between February and May, compared with 15% for all small businesses, according to Robert Fairlie, an economist at the University of California at Santa Cruz, who used data from monthly surveys conducted by the Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The declines for businesses with Black and Asian owners were 26% and 21% respectively, Fairlie found. "When the PPP Program is done, we anticipate we will have facilitated up to $325 million in capital to minority-owned small businesses," stated MBE Capital CEO, Rafael Martinez. "We are grateful for the partnership with EquiTrust, and most importantly, we are thrilled to have provided an additional pipeline for small businesses to continue to build equity in the wake of such unstable times. I look forward to working on even bigger initiatives with our partners at EquiTrust." ABOUT EQUITRUST In June of 2015, Earvin "Magic" Johnson became majority owner of EquiTrust Life Insurance, the largest minority-owned life insurance company in the history of the country at $22 billion in assets. EquiTrust Life Insurance Company is a trusted provider of life insurance and annuity products with a strong track record of operating performance. We are a national carrier of competitive, client-friendly options, available through various distribution channels including more than 23,800 independent sales representatives and independent marketing organizations. EquiTrust offers fixed-rate and indexed annuities and life insurance and is headquartered in Chicago with operations in West Des Moines ABOUT MBE CAPITAL PARTNERS MBE Capital is a Latino-owned company providing Supply Chain Finance solutions for Fortune 500 companies and their suppliers. With over 31 years of knowledge, experience and credibility serving the minority business community. We provide several financial solutions receivables, purchase order and supply chain financing that allow small & diverse businesses to grow by managing cash flow effectively. In 2019, MBE Capital financed over $1.7B in Fortune 500, city, state and federal debt. On average, our clients have experienced 27% year over year growth. Contact: Ann Marchant 202.412.5605 SOURCE: EquiTrust View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/603548/Earvin-Magic-Johnsons-Equitrust-MBE-Partners-Carver-Federal-Bank-Fund-325-Million-in-Loans-for-Minority-and-Women-Owned-Businesses (Natural News) Just after midnight, in the wee hours of Wednesday morning, the riots in Kenosha, Wisconsin turned deadly after a teenager killed two and injured a third. The protracted incident was an apparent case of self-defense (though he was charged with first-degree intentional homicide), as the teen was fleeing from a mob violent rioters. But the viewers of ABC, CBS, and NBC were treated to lies and misinformation during their evening newscasts later that day. (Article by Nicholas Fondacaro republished from NewsBusters.org) Video evidence from multiple angles show 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse running into a parking lot as a violent rioter chased after him and threw something at him. As the assailant got closer, Rittenhouse turned and fired his rifle. The 17-year-old was then chased down the street as a violent mob attacked him. He fell to the ground and was beaten with a skateboard by one assailant and other brandished a handgun at him. Again Rittenhouse defended himself with his rifle. But thats not the story that was told to network news viewers. According to ABC correspondent Alex Perez on World News Tonight, this graphic video shows a man opening fire on a crowd in Kenosha, Wisconsin, shortly after another nearby shooting He said this while playing video of Rittenhouse falling to the ground. A video showing a man running down the street with a firearm. A crowd chasing behind him. That man falls to the ground and begins shooting, Perez added, with no mention of the fact that one the people baring down on him (and who was shot in the arm) was holding a handgun. On CBS Evening News, correspondent Mola Lenghi painted Rittenhouse as a mass shooter on a rampage. It allegedly began when he shot one person in the head at this boarded up business. Then fired on protesters in the middle of the street as they tried to subdue him, he claimed. And no other details were given about what happened in the chaos, even though plenty of on-the-ground accounts from reporters who witnessed it existed. NBCs Gabe Gutierrez somehow found a way to be even more vague about the incident. This video captured part of the chaos. Shots ringing out. A man on the ground firing a long gun. Bystanders running in horror. It is unclear what happened before or after this video, he told viewers. What also went unmentioned by all three networks was how Daily Caller chief video director Richie McGinniss was inches away when the first shooting in the parking lot. He took the shirt off his back and used it to render aid. He then helped to carry the wounded man to the hospital. McGinniss had also interviewed Rittenhouse earlier in the night. These lies and misinformation were made possible because of lucrative sponsorships from Verizon on ABC, Allstate on CBS, and Farmers Insurance on NBC. Their contact information is linked so you can 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 transcripts are below, click expand to read: The Police Commander of Ahwaz, the capital of oil-rich Khuzestan Province, on Wednesday denied reports and evidence that security forces had fired non-lethal pellets at protesting villagers and used tear gas in a deprived village. According to Ahwaz Human Rights Organization the villagers wounded by the security forces were protesting the destruction of their homes and confiscation of their lands by a rich government-backed outfit, the Mostazafan Foundation (Foundation for the Oppressed). The rights group on Thursday published videos on social media that show none-lethal pellet wounds on the bodies of several of the residents in Abolfazl, a village of 300 families, near Ahwaz on Wednesday. The police chief Mohsen Dalvand said that the villagers had blocked access to the lands "owned by Mostazafan Foundation and threw stones at municipality agents" and the security forces had to confront them to "prevent the continuation of the standoff". He claimed that the videos shared by the rights organization were "fabricated by opportunists" and were meant to create a negative atmosphere about the incident on social media. Videos in the tweet show clashes between villagers and security forces and pellet wounds. Dalvand also threatened those who share the videos and images from the clash in Abolfazl with persecution "for disturbance of public calm and security and causing worries among the public". The residents of the village have a deed that proves they have been living there for forty years but the Foundation claims ownership of the lands of the village and has prevented the registration of their village and establishment of government services and amenities in the village. On Wednesday the Governor and Prosecutor-General of Ahwaz went to the village along with municipality agents and security forces to enforce a court order for confiscation of the lands and their return to the foundation. The Mostazafan Foundation is a multi-billion financial conglomerate operating under the aegis of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. During the past four decades, the foundation confiscated many homes, mansions, factories, firms, lands, and financial institutions that belonged to citizens, based on various excuses. The foundation's mission is to help the needy, but like many other Islamic Republic entities it has become a major player in business. To what extent it in fact helps the poor is questionable. Some say that the foundation is Mr. Khameneis wealth-management outfit. Hybrid MARE BALTICUM Adapts without a Hitch in the Baltic Region Published August 27, 2020 by Lee R The third edition of MARE BALTICUM adapted and innovated with aplomb. The unique hybrid edition of the MARE BALTICUM Gaming Summit hybrid edition, the first of its kind turned out an intriguing success. The Event The third edition of MARE BALTICUM Gaming Summit took place on the 6th of August in Tallinn in a hybrid format online which streamed interaction between speakers and moderators who were unable to attend. Resilience Proven This adaptation elevated the conference to a place among the most sustainable and robust events in iGaming while retaining MARE BALTICUM's seemingly uncanny ability to gather high-ranking delegates in large numbers to offer quality Baltic and Scandinavian region content that MARE BALTICUM has come to be known for in its three year life span. Unique Agenda The innovative agenda was spread across several panel discussions; a fireside chat; several networking opportunities and the second edition of the BSG Awards (Baltic and Scandinavian Gaming Awards) recognizing efforts of the top 36 companies from the Baltic Sea region. Awards Key winners of the conference participant vote were PAF for Best Online Casino in the Baltics and Optibet for Best Customer Support in Online Casino. The full list is available at the conference website. Sponsorship MARE BALTICUM recognised leading sponsors for bringing things off including Main Stage sponsor Tom Horn Gaming and Lanyards Sponsors DS Virtual Gaming, along with Payments Provider Sponsor ConnectPay. Conference Organiser Speaks Conference Organiser and Head of Business at European Gaming Media and Events stated Zoltan Tuendik was clearly thrilled about the ability of the conference to adapt, saying: We owe ourselves not to give up and to continue our path. It was very hard to decide if we will host the 2020 edition of MARE BALTICUM Gaming Summit, but having the attention of so many companies that were interested to attend from the region, we had to do it. Special Thanks on the Ground Zoltan offered up specific thanks to MARE BALTICUM Ambassador Andrius Gabnys and TECH Conference Ambassador in the Baltics Jovita Gabniene for their efforts on the ground in Tallinn. Outlook More details about how this conference about what lessons this conference taught the industry and the region are sure to emerge from what was truly a historic MARE BALTICUM 2020. It was announced today that Regeneron Pharmaceuticals will add more than 400 new jobs at its Industrial Operations and Product Supply (IOPS) campus in the Limerick area. The science-driven biopharmaceutical company say the new jobs will support the production of Regenerons existing life-changing medicines. The company is maximizing manufacturing capacity at its New York facility for REGN-COV2, Regenerons investigational two-antibody combination being developed for the potential treatment and prevention of COVID-19 infection. Since 2014, Regeneron has invested over $1 billion to build the largest bulk biologics production facility in the country, with over 1,000 employees, more than 300 contingent workers and close to 500 construction personnel currently working on site. Recruitment is underway to hire full-time, high-end specialist jobs in commercial manufacturing, process sciences, quality assurance/control, supply chain and various support functions for scientists, chemists and technicians. Welcoming the investment, An Taoiseach Micheal Martin said, "This significant jobs announcement by Regeneron is a further vote of confidence in the skills and talent of our workforce and provides a welcome boost to our economy. Ireland continues to resonate with leading global companies for investment." Executive Vice President & General Manager of IOPS at Regeneron, Dan Van Plew added, "As this pandemic hit, we needed to quickly change how we do things and where we make our products. In order to make space in our New York facilities to accommodate our COVID-19 efforts, we needed to ramp-up capacity here in Limerick. Despite ramping up commercial production sooner than planned, my team hasnt missed a beat. You can only perform like this if you have good people, and Ireland has lots of good people, so we are excited to be hiring 400 more." Source: www.businessworld.ie Guwahati, Aug 27 : The Assam government on Thursday decided to set up a Skill Development University at Mangaldoi with an investment of Rs 900 crore, Industry and Commerce Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary said after a cabinet meeting. Patowary said that the state cabinet at a meeting, chaired by the Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, has approved the Assam Skill Development University Bill which would facilitate the setting up of the university, first of its kind in the northeastern region. "The Assam Government has tied up with Singapore based ITE Education Service, for setting up of the Skill Development University," the minister told the media. Around 100 bigha land (16 hectares) would be allotted at Mangaldoi in northern Assam to set up the varsity. The University Bill is likely to be tabled in the upcoming summer session of the Assam Assembly beginning from August 31. Patowary said that he has requested Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal to take up with Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO) for setting up of the proposed Japanese Industrial Township (JIT) soon in Assam. He also urged Goyal to formulate a special and progressive industrial policy similar to North East Industrial and Investment Promotion Policy (NEIIPP) exclusively for the benefit of the northeastern states. The Union Minister on Thursday held a virtual meeting with the industry ministers of all states and union territories on 'One District One Product' initiative. The Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry has been propagating the 'One District One Product' vision under the 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' mission of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and to realise the true economic potential of rural India. The aim is to identify one product per district based on the potentiality and strength of a district, develop a cluster for that product in the district and provide smooth market linkages. -- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text A skinless and toothless shark found in waters off the coast of Sardinia is thought to have fallen victim to contaminated seas and climate change. Commercial fishers are behind the newly-confirmed major marine discovery after pulling the blackmouth catshark from a depth of 1,640 feet below the surface in July 2019. They later handed it over to a team of researchers at the University of Cagliari, in Italy, who said the animal is the first of its kind to be recorded. "As far as is known, in this paper the first case of lacking of skin-related structures (epidermis, stratum laxum, dermal denticles and teeth) in a free-swimming elasmobranch, the blackmouth catshark, Galeus melastomus, is reported," reads the researchers' study, which was published last month in the Journal of Fish Biology. Despite the shark's deformities, its predatory abilities appeared to have remained unhindered, with the creature seemingly finding novel ways to adapt. The blackmouth catshark was pulled from a depth of 1,640 feet below the surface in July 2019 / Antonello Mulas of the University of Cagliari, Italy The research team found 14 creatures inside the animal's stomach, with the remains suggesting its prey had been swallowed whole. The study says the shark may have lost its skin and teeth after being exposed to chemically contaminated sites, or as a result of acidification due to climate change. The shark was a pale yellowish colour all over, except for its eyes, abdomen and gills, which were the only places on its body found to have pigment. Its teeth had also been reduced to rudimental structures that were not visible to the naked eye. "It is unclear how the abnormality impact the behaviour, physiology or ecology of this individual," the researchers' study said. "Given the functions performed by the skin, the lack of dermal denticles, epidermis and stratum laxum is likely to have modified swimming, maybe increasing its energetic cost and slowing it down." New Delhi: Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday addressed a joint press conference on the issue of demonetisation. The press conference will follow an anti-demonetisation meeting, called by the Congress, for bringing together the opposition parties which have been fighting the move of the BJP-led Government at the centre. But Congress plans to onslaught against government do not have full support of the opposition as most of the parties decide to stay away from the conference. ALSO READ | What will PM Modi do for those affected by demonetisation: Rahul Gandhi on currency ban | Top quotes Some Opposition leaders seem to be miffed with Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi for meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the last day of the winter session of Parliament without even informing or consulting them. CPI(M), the main force in the Left Front and arch rival of the TMC, has decided to stay away from the joint press conference. The Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party are also unlikely to attend the event. Here are the live updates: #3:43PM This has sent the country 20 years back in time: WB CM #3:42PM If things remain unresolved even after 50 days, will PM Modi take responsibility to resign as PM of the country?: Mamata #3:41PM This is a fearless government, they do not care about anything: Mamata #3:40PM They do whatever they feel like, federal structure totally destroyed. It is not emergency, it is super emergency: WB CM #3:34PM Modi govt has become baseless and faceless in the name of cashless: Mamata #3:32PM Modi Ji said ache din will come, is it an example of ache din? : WB CM #3:31PM All opposition parties will make a common minimum agenda programme: Mamata #3:30PM Demonetisation is a mega scam, biggest one after independence: WB CM Mamata Banerjee #3:26PM PM should answer the nation, that what was the real motive of demonetisation and what will he do for those affected by it: Rahul Gandhi #3:25PM 30 Dec is about to come and the situation is the same. The motive of demonetisation has failed completely: Rahul Gandhi #3:23PM Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi addresses joint Press Conference #3:20PM Opposition leaders' joint press briefing begins at Constitution Club in Delhi # 3:08 PM WB CM Mamata Banerjee arrives at Constitution Club for opposition meet - ANI # 2:45PM Leaders arrive at Constitution Club for opposition meet - ANI For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. New York Citys self-proclaimed progressive mayor, Democrat Bill de Blasio, has proven just as willing to carry out the homicidal policy of school reopening amidst the coronavirus pandemic as his most reactionary Republican counterparts. The claims being made by de Blasio and New York City schools Chancellor Richard Carranza that the Department of Education (DOE) is carrying out all necessary measures to safely open the citys more than 1,600 schoolsserving more than a million studentsare a patent fraud. This is being sold to parents through a combination of half-truths and outright lies. There is widespread opposition to the reopening of schools from teachers and school administrators. At the same time, a growing number of parents and students are raising concerns over both the safety and the viability of the citys hybrid models, which bring students into school buildings between one and three days each week. During the first two weeks of August, school principals and leadership teams from non-District 75 (a non-geographical district designated for special education schools) middle and high schools were told they had to select from one of five DOE-approved models for hybrid learning, despite having been asked previously to develop reopening plans grounded in the reality and needs of each school community. School leaders were told that waivers allowing for alternative models developed by school communities would not be granted. An enormous amount of pressure has been put on principals to quickly select a pre-approved hybrid model even before the results from family surveys, in which parents can select between in-person, so-called hybrid instruction, or 100 percent remote instruction for their children. Similarly, model decisions were being made before final decisions on teacher requests for medical waivers for in-person teaching were forwarded to principals. In other words, principals and school teams were essentially excluded from any meaningful input into the reopening process while being forced to choose a hybrid model without considering the kind of basic data on student population or staffing needed to make any rational decision. Parents were also being asked to choose a hybrid model without clear communication of the basic details of said models or adequate time to consider how they would impact work or childcare. Chaotic changes from one week to another The pre-approved models disseminated by DOE central provoked immediate disbelief and consternation among principals and school leadership teams because they lack consistency from one week to another, unnecessarily complicating the job of teachers now being tasked with managing multiple groups of students receiving instruction both in-person and remotely, and making the coordination of childcare onerous for parents. For example, in so-called Model 2, which is listed as chancellor recommended for middle schools, students enrolled in hybrid instruction are divided into three in-person groups, or cohorts A, B and C, which meet alternately between one and two different days each week over the course of a three-week cycle. School administrators and school-based leadership teams have been abandoned by district superintendents and DOE central administration and now face enormous challenges in solving complicated logistical problems stemming from the ill-conceived reopening policy. For example, many school buildings have limited access points through which students can enter upon arrival at school. In the case of large school buildings and campus sites, i.e. buildings that house multiple schools, there is a high likelihood of students gathering in large concentrations as they wait to enter buildings after newly mandated temperature checks, often through scanning machines. Additionally, families of many students that require school busses to get to school, particularly at the elementary and middle school levels, have been notified that they will no longer be able to receive this service due to scheduling difficulties and the absence of social distancing protocols for busses. What about asymptomatic and infected children? With much fanfare, de Blasio has stated that students and staff would receive daily temperature checks upon arrival at school. Yet, the spread of coronavirus from asymptomatic persons is a proven fact rendering temperature checks an inadequate means to identify people with the virus. At present, school administrators have gotten no response to the logical question of who is to be tasked with conducting temperature checks, nor have school personnel received trainings on how to properly and safely conduct said checks. Predictably, widespread opposition to the idea of conducting these daily temperature checks has emerged among non-medically trained school staff. Likewise, other critically important questions around protocols for students or staff that display COVID-19 symptoms while in school remain unanswered. Even in cases where schools have an assigned nurse, which is not the case in every school, and a proper isolation space has been identified, the supply of appropriate PPE as well as questions related to the staffing of these specific spaces within schools are still up in the air. Guidelines issued by New York state prevent a school nurse from staffing an isolation room because of the need to respond to other potential emergencies. Across New York City, school administrators, teachers and parents are also raising serious and still unanswered questions around protocols for regular cleaning and disinfecting of schools as well as ventilation. At the same time that de Blasio and his schools chancellor have made promises to carry out nightly deep cleaning of school buildings, custodial engineers across city schools are seeing massive budget cuts and staff reductions. At some schools, custodial budgets are being slashed by as much as 20 percent, and already understaffed cleaning crews are being further reduced. Indeed, there is growing opposition to school reopening even among custodial engineers, who are increasingly expressing frustration over what they view as false promises being made from City Hall for which they will be held accountable. Decaying infrastructure and poor ventilation Perhaps no other school facilities issue has received more attention in the past weeks as the ventilation systems in the approximately 1,600 public schools in New York City. This is particularly due to the growing body of scientific evidence that identifies aerosol or airborne transmission as playing a greater role in the spread of the virus than previously understood. It is commonly known that defective and inadequate ventilation systems, along with lead-contaminated water, are major problems highlighting the decades of neglect that plague aging school infrastructure across many areas in the United States. During a recent virtual town hall meeting with concerned parents, schools Chancellor Carranza blatantly lied to attendees when he stated that HVAC systems in schools across the city were being updated with enhanced filtration mechanisms over the summer in preparation for reopening. What he did not mention was that only a small percentage of the citys school buildings have newer HVAC systems that allow for updates to air filtration mechanisms, and in most cases, the city is merely replacing old air filters with newer ones that have increased merv ratings, a measure for how much capacity a filter has to capture particles in the air. However, even this wholly inadequate update is limited to buildings constructed after the 1970s while the vast majority of school buildings in New York City, as in many other areas across the US, are significantly older and do not have central air filtration or even adequate air circulation systems. In a similarly cynical example of intentional deception, the DOE sent all employees an email this past Saturday, August 22, offering them one-time, free COVID-19 testing with expedited results at one of nine test centers throughout the city between Sunday, August 23 and Thursday, August 27. Assuming that all of the approximately 80,000 DOE employees, most of whom are on vacation this week, actually showed up for testing at these centers, the likely backlog would wreak havoc at a time in which resources are being systematically siphoned away from testing centers for the public. In any event, a one-time test, two weeks before the projected start of school, even if the results were to arrive sooner than the current eight-day average wait for all but the super wealthy fortunate enough to have access to rapid result tests, is meaningless for teachers being asked to risk daily exposure. Significantly, public school students are not even being offered this paltry, one-time measure much less access for them and school staff to frequent, free, rapid-result testing as one of the conditions for reopening schools. The vast majority of the parents who have chosen to send their children back to school within these hybrid models have described the decision as agonizing, explaining that it is more a consequence of being forced back to work or concerns about the continuing loss of special services than the belief that schools will be safe. Indeed, as many parents are increasingly coming to understand, the students returning to school will find it unlike anything they were familiar with. For example, class schedules are being designed to limit or prevent movement of students at the middle and high school levels in order to prevent now infamous scenarios of large numbers of students traveling through hallways, as was recently documented at a school in North Paulding, Georgia. This means that during the time in which students are present for classes, they will be expected to remain seated in one room. Cooperative learning, an instructional approach recommended for decades by education experts that promotes active collaboration between students, will be all but eliminated from in-person lessons at all grade levels to adhere to social distancing guidelines. Many of the remaining enrichment classes such as music and physical education will be conducted online even for students attending in-person as these activities entail vigorous movement or the use of wind instruments. Complicated bathroom procedures will have to be developed and implemented to limit the number of students using these facilities at any given time and ensure thorough cleaning after each use. Even the serving of school lunch raises serious concerns for which the DOE has no answers. For example, to avoid crowded cafeterias many schools are considering having lunches brought to classrooms in which students will essentially remain quarantined throughout the day, raising concerns around complicating the already difficult jobs of custodians as well as creating the contradictory scenario of indoor eating for school-aged children at a time when it is still prohibited in restaurants throughout the city. Unions collaborate with de Blasio Against the backdrop of this ill-conceived and homicidal drive to reopen schools, it is essential to recognize the role being played by teachers unions like the United Federation of Teachers (UFT). In a clear example of its criminally complicit role in the fraud that de Blasio and his DOE cronies are attempting to carry out, the UFT recently began dispatching bureaucratic functionaries to schools to conduct so-called safety walkthroughs. These walkthroughs are taking place in coordination with the Department of School Facilities (DSF), largely behind the backs of rank-and-file union members, who are not being invited to attend. The UFT functionaries dispatched to conduct these walkthroughs are typically retired teachers without any background in building engineering or maintenance systems. They have been observed to simply follow a list of questions with boxes to check off, accepting as truth any response given by school authorities. In one recent instance, a UFT representative became visibly upset when a rank-and-file teacher showed up uninvited for the walkthrough and questioned the validity of the blindly held assumption that windows capable of opening six inches provide sufficient airflow in rooms lacking other means to circulate air. In another, a UFT representative admitted to completing the checklist, which covers topics ranging from ventilation to the school nurse, PPE and lunches, via telephone with an Assistant Principal in charge of building security. These bogus walkthroughs highlight the treacherous role being played by the UFT, which intends to ensnare teachers with a combination of empty threats to strike, while opposing any such collective action, as well as promoting illusions in the court system and the Democratic Party. The improvised and reckless nature of school reopening policy in New York City is leaving teachers, parents and school administrators alike anxious, frustrated and angry. In response to growing popular opposition, de Blasio is doubling down as his cronies within the DOE impose new measures to censor communication between school staff and parents. If educators are going to save lives, they must take matters into their own hands. This is why teachers, other school workers, parents and students need to form rank-and-file committees of their own, independent of the UFT, to organize genuine opposition to the homicidal school policy being imposed by the de Blasio-Carranza regime. New York City has already been an epicenter of the deadly pandemic, suffering the loss of 24,000 people to COVID-19. If another catastrophe is to be prevented, teachers must unite with health care, transit, logistics and other workers to prepare collective action, as part of the fight for a nationwide general strike to halt the school openings. Lucknow, Aug 27 : The Yogi Adityanath government has ruled out the possibility of another round of complete lockdown in Uttar Pradesh. Additional Chief Secretary, Home, Avanish Awasthi said in a message, "In social media, false reports of proposed lockdown are being circulated. Please ignore." The state presently has a two-day weekend lockdown which is likely to continue next month also. Speculation of a lockdown in the state gathered momentum after the Allahabad High Court, on Tuesday, said that "the best choice today is to close down things for a while, though selectively, to force people to confine themselves to their homes". The judges observed, "When we have to balance between bread and butter and life, the latter has to prevail. Food is for life to survive and not vice-versa. We do not think that a lockdown for a fortnight would bring the economy of the state to such a halt that people would die of hunger." Taking note of the increasing cases of COVID-19 in the state, the Court also directed the Chief Secretary to inform if there was any plan of action to contain the virus when the economy was reopened after the nationwide lockdown and whether it was ever implemented. The court asked the Chief Secretary if any action had been taken against the district authorities who had not followed the plan, if there was any. The Chief Secretary has also been asked to come up with a roadmap to contain the virus from now onwards by the next date of hearing. Lastly, the court observed, "Putting people to challan/fine and then letting them go and the insufficient police force to do round-the-clock patrolling in lanes and bylanes in the districts not only consumes public measure and machinery but minimal results are being achieved." The High Court during several hearings had issued various directions to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus in the state. The court has fixed August 28 as the next date of hearing in the matter. On a late afternoon in April, Nabil Lamia, an engineer working from home because of the coronavirus, walked onto a balcony in Paris, wearing jeans, a t-shirt and hard hat equipped with a video camera, microphone and earpiece. In another part of Paris, his boss, Eric Duchesne, senior vice president at the French oil major Total, watched images of the Paris skyline on his computer and interacted with Lamia through the videoconferencing platform Microsoft Teams. Duchesne was so impressed that three days later, the smart helmets arrived at Totals petrochemical plant in LaPorte, where workers could transmit video to Paris and solve problems that once required flying in engineers. Total is distributing the helmets, developed by the Washington state tech firm RealWear, across its operations from North America to Europe to Asia to Africa. Its not a solution for just the lockdown period, Duchense said. Its definitely an enabler to improve performance and speed. Its all about being faster. The coronavirus pandemic and the oil crash it spurred are accelerating a digital transformation that was already underway as oil and gas companies drove to boost efficiency, cut costs and make money at lower commodity prices. Now, with restrictions on travel and social interaction, tools such as drones, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, 5G-enabled sensors and fiber optic networks are allowing energy companies to run field operations from offices in Houston, Paris or London, instead of putting boots on the ground. Digital Roughnecks: Oil & gas workforce changes as techs role grows The technologies are not only helping companies adapt to the pandemic, but also to become more efficient over the long term as they face an extended period of low oil prices. As with the oil bust that ran roughly from 2014 to 2016, many of the 100,000 jobs lost in this years crude price collapse are unlikely to ever return. The Houston area had recovered only about one-third of the tens of thousands of jobs lost in the previous bust before the coronavirus hit. Analysts say employment will permanently shrink again when the industry emerges from this downturn as technology does more of the work. With automation and the rise of digital, you're not going to need as many people as you needed in the past to run a rig, said Rachel Everaard, an oil industry expert with the Houston office of the consulting firm Ernst & Young. Youre going to be doing things differently and doing business differently. Remote operations are going to become the new normal. The types of jobs and skills also will change as technicians and software developers replace roughnecks and roustabouts. In oil field services, the hardest hit by financial losses, developing new equipment and digital tools is viewed as vital to the survival of the sector and broader oil and gas industry. Shifting energy consumption, forecasts of lower forever oil prices and the urgency of climate change are forcing the industry to adopt more efficient and cleaner practices that lower greenhouse gas emissions. The oil field services sector is where a lot of the technology for the entire industry comes from, said Leslie Beyer, president of the Petroleum Equipment & Services Association, a trade group in Houston. The digitalization piece is no different. We drive a lot of innovation. Fuel Fix: Get energy news sent directly to your inbox Houston oil field service company Baker Hughes embraced high-tech tools such as smart helmets, 3-D printing to make parts on demand, drones to detect leaks and artificial intelligence identify patterns in oil field data before the pandemic. But interest in the companys remote drilling capabilities has grown rapidly since the outbreak of the deadly virus Paul Madero, the companys vice president of global drilling services, said Baker Hughes rolled out its earliest versions of remote drilling for offshore customers in the North Sea more than 20 years ago. The technology, he said, took time to gain wider acceptance because most customers preferred only to have a physical presence on-site. Onshore interest started to grow faster one to two years ago as technological advances drove down costs and improved well performance, at time when many shale producers were struggling to remain profitable. Interest in the technology, he said, accelerated after COVID because social distancing measures that limited travel to and from rigs. There are wells that were drilled and completed only because we had this technology thats a fact, Madero said. With borders locked down and the COVID exposure that was taking place, we were able to drill and complete these wells because we had this remote capability. Its a tremendous enabler. Baker Hughes typically kept four employees at drilling sites that use the companys equipment and software, but that may become less common after COVID. Using remote technologies, employees that otherwise would been deployed to the field can monitor and control drilling equipment from another location. In addition to saving on travel time and costs, Madero said, remote drilling also allows engineers to consult with other experts not on site. Remote drilling was used at 50 percent of the companys sites last year. That number rose to 60 percent in the first quarter and grew to 72 percent in the second quarter. We see this as a complete structural acceleration thats not temporary this is long-term and permanent, Madero said. What youre seeing is that these capabilities that existed and the business-as-usual infrastructure has been completely changed. This is a real step-change. More Data Than Oil: Bandwidth next bottleneck in the Permian Basin Baker Hughess competitors Halliburton and TechnipFMC, entered a joint venture in July to provide lightning-fast fiber optic technology to oil and gas wells on the sea floor. Their Odassea equipment uses fiber optic cables that double as acoustic sensors to improve the speed and quality of data received from underwater wells, allowing engineers at the surface to improve a wells productivity. Davis Larssen, CEO of the Scottish oil field services company Proserv Controls, said the downturn has offshore producers seeking to expand or improve efficiency at existing wells rather than drill new ones. Proserv makes advanced electronics that operate on the sea floor to help control production of offshore wells. Given the high costs and uncertainties of developing subsea oil and gas fields, Larssen said, it is cheaper and less risky to add wells to proven, active oil fields. Replacing failing electronics can boost efficiency and production margins for operators. These are challenging times, no doubt, Larssen said, but equally they offer firms an opportunity to evolve and readjust some of their core activities and ways of doing things. More: Read the latest oil and gas news from HoustonChronicle.com Companies also are increasing investments in cloud computing and artificial intelligence, platforms that store and analyze massive amounts of data to discern and reveal patterns that engineers can use to improve the productivity of a well. Baker Hughes, Microsoft and the Silicon Valley tech firm C3.ai entered into a three-way deal in November to increase oil field adoption of artificial intelligence while Halliburton, the consulting firm Accenture and Microsoft entered into a five-year deal in July to expand Halliburtons remote drilling and hydraulic fracturing operations using the Microsoft Azure cloud computing platform. Houston oil field services company Ambyint uses artificial intelligence to automate tasks such as deciding how many strokes pumps should make to pull crude to the surface. The companys technology can adjust a wells production up or down remotely, reducing man hours and travel to isolated sites. People are asking themselves, how can I do more with less, Ambyint CEO Blake McLean said. Theyre asking themselves how can we get more hydrocarbons out of our existing wells at a lower cost. Permian Space Race: Satellites newest tool for competitive shale play The Norwegian company Cognite, which develops software to improve the efficiency of oil wells and offshore wind projects, has expanded its Houston and Austin offices, hiring more than a dozen people at time when tens of thousands of oil and gas workers have lost jobs. The companys North American president Francois Laborie said that growth demonstrates the greater role that technology will play in the industry after the pandemic. By adopting new technology and new tools what people call digitalization thats something that benefits from a crisis like the one were going through, Laborie said. You have to become more efficient. You have to allow people to operate from wherever theyre at because you cant fly people around like you used to. This story has been updated to correct captions that misstated the headquarters location of Proserv Controls and clarify the role of its products in subsea production. It also corrects the spelling of Leslie Beyer's first name. sergio.chapa@chron.com http://twitter.com/SergioChapa Berlin, Aug 27 : The German government has extended its Covid-19 travel warning for more than 160 non-European Union (EU) and non-Schengen area nations and regions due to the ongoing pandemic. The travel warning, which also applies to the UK, will remain in effect until September 14, Xinhua news agency quoted the government as saying on Wednesday. The previous travel warning is set to expire on August 31. The travel warnings currently in force apply to more than 160 countries and regions, but only slightly more than 130 of these have been classified as risk areas by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), Germany's public health agency. Anyone entering Germany from a risk area must go into home quarantine and inform the responsible health authority, according to the government. Since the beginning of August, all persons entering Germany from a risk area also have to present a negative Covid-19 test within 48 hours of taking it or be tested within 72 hours of arrival. Test centres have been set up at airports and train stations and other easily accessible locations for tests across Germany. According to the government, the tests for returning travelers are free of charge. The German Travel Association (DRV) criticized the extension of the travel warning on Wednesday, calling it a "wrong signal". "A recovery of the global economy will not be possible without travel," said DRV President Norbert Fiebig. As of Thursday, the total number of coronavirus cases in Germany stood at 239,010, with 9,352 deaths. Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19) Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 08:48:58|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close LONDON, August 26 (Xinhua) -- Chelsea have signed a five-year contract with Leicester City's left-back Ben Chilwell, announced the Premier League club on Wednesday. According to the British media report, the deal is valued at 45 million pounds (about 59.4 million US dollars). Chilwell, 23, began his professional career with Leicester City where he made his first-team debut as an 18-year-old in 2015. Last season, the Leicester City academy graduate featured on 33 occasions for Brendan Rodgers' side, scoring three goals as the Foxes finished fifth in the Premier League. "I am delighted to be joining Chelsea at this very exciting time for the club," Chilwell told Chelsea club's website. "I'm looking forward to being a part of this young, dynamic squad led by Frank Lampard as we challenge for honors next season. I can't wait to get started and hopefully it won't be long before we're playing in front of the Chelsea fans at Stamford Bridge." Chelsea finished fourth last season in the Premier League and reached the final of the FA Cup before losing to Arsenal. Enditem. The Every Ghanaian Living Everywhere (EGLE) Party will not contest the 2020 General Election, Mr Francis Lokko, the National Communications Director of the Party, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA). He said, though the Party had priority areas that it intended to work on for the country if voted into power, the Party lacked funding to contest the 2020 polls. Mr Lokko said, the Party still had the welfare of the nation at heart and would not hesitate to devise mechanisms to develop the agricultural sector should it get the opportunity in future. He said that was because the Party believed that when the agricultural sector was boosted, it could generate funding to develop other sectors. Ghana is an agricultural country. So we would have loved to tackle agriculture vigorously if we were going to be given the opportunity and boost areas such as fishpond management, poultry production, cocoa production, and animal husbandry. Other areas we will tirelessly work to improve will be productivity, agro-based activities, education, waste management, corruption, and the healthcare system, Mr Lokko said. The EGLE Party, with a symbol connoting a coot landing in the colours of blue, red and white, formerly obtained its final certificate to operate as a Political Party in August 13, 1992. It was formerly called the Eagle Club 1 and 2. The name, Eagle, had to be changed as it coincided with that of the nations Coat of Arms. It was, therefore, later changed to EGLE, thus Every Accountable Ghanaian Living Everywhere and subsequently re-changed to Every Ghanaian Living Everywhere. Founding fathers of the Party are Emmanuel Owuraku Amofah, Danny Ofori-Attah, Michael Agbotui Sousoudis, Nana Yaw Boakye, and Captain Okine among others. Mr Amofah served as the Member of Parliament for the Abuakwa Central Constituency on the ticket of his Party from 1992 to 1996. The ideology of the Party is centred on Probity, Accountability and Development. The EGLE Party believes that religion and morals could help shape the behaviours of people, especially leaders and deter them from nation-wrecking actions like corruption. The Executive-member structure of the Party is currently made up of the Chairman, Vice-Chairperson, Organizer, Director of Communications, Treasurer, Women Organizer, and her Deputy, Youth Organizer and Deputy. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Though it may seem hard to believe after its release was scheduled, rescheduled, and re-rescheduled, Christopher Nolans Tenet is now playing in theaters all over the world. At the moment, its mostly playing in countries where the coronavirus spread has been checked, but on Sept. 4, it will open in some parts of the United States, where it decidedly has not. This presents cinemagoers with an unprecedented question: Is this a movie worth risking your life for? Advertisement The answer, to relieve you of any suspense, is no, as it would be for any theatrical experience short of a one-night-only stand by the risen Christ. A globe-hopping adventure shot in Nolans favored IMAX and 65mm formats, Tenet has plenty of big-screen spectacle, but unlike Interstellar and Dunkirk, it doesnt feel like a movie that will be made or broken by its visual presentationand in any case, the bar for must-see is exponentially higher now than it was the last time one of his movies made it into theaters, when the only person breathing through a mask was Tom Hardy. Its an impossible standard to meet, and a decision it would be presumptuous to make on anothers behalf. I can relay the circumstances in which I was comfortable entering a movie theater for the first time since Marcha freshly cleaned theater with just four other people, all wearing masks, at a time of day when the multiplex was otherwise desertedand that I still had a minor panic attack sitting in the parking lot after the fact. Whether youre ready to go back to movie theaters isnt a question I can answer, except to suggest that the potential quality of the movie in question should be far down on your list of concerns. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Sign up for the Slate Culture newsletter The best of movies, TV, books, music, and more, delivered to your inbox three times a week. We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again. Please enable javascript to use form. Email address: Send me updates about Slate special offers. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms Sign Up Thanks for signing up! You can manage your newsletter subscriptions at any time. So anyway! Tenet. So many of Christopher Nolans movies are built around playing with time that making one in which its actually the core of the plot feels redundantor perhaps its just the high point of one end of a pendulums arc, a pause at the apex before it starts moving in a different direction. As the movies unnamed heroidentified in the credits as simply the ProtagonistJohn David Washington is a CIA operative whos inaugurated into a twilight world where a struggle is playing out for the future of humanity itself. The enemies are unseen and unknown, because they dont technically exist yet. Somewhere in the future, at a distance of generations and perhaps centuries, someone has figured out how to make both time and entropy run backwards, so that the past becomes the future, and chaos devolves into order. Exploded buildings pull themselves together with a reverse whoosh and smashed cars somersault through the air and land without a scratch. Meanwhile, some ordinary-seeming objects are imbued with what the movie calls inverse radiation, and the scientist (Clemence Poesy) who teaches our hero how to spot them uses a loaded handgun to illustrate. If he puts his hand over a bullet lying on a table and forms the intention to drop it, it leaps into his hand instead; when he fires, it flies towards him from the point of impact, and does plenty of damage no matter which way its traveling. As she explains, Youre not shooting the bullet. Youre catching it. Advertisement Advertisement These are ideas that are difficult to wrap your mind around, and also one that feels like it might not be worth the trouble. Interstellars time travel was vetted by physicists, and Inceptions dreams-within-dreams could be de-nested if you took the time, but since Nolans brother Jonathan decamped for the puzzle-box universe of Westworld and left Chris to write on his own, his movies feel less like equations and more like hedge mazes, where the impetus is to get lost in them rather than find your way out. That made sense for Dunkirk, whose subject was the subjective experience of battle. But Tenet is a movie with secrets to be unearthed and mysteries to be solved, so its areas of vagueness feel frustrating rather than evocative. Its a movie that advises its hero Dont try to understand itfeel it, but makes that nameless hero so nondescript that its hard to feel anything for him. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its a movie that advises its hero Dont try to understand itfeel it, but makes that nameless hero so nondescript that its hard to feel anything for him. Although Washington is told the threat that faces humanity is even worse than nuclear holocaust, the arms race and the race against time are closely interwoven: The most visible villain is a Russian oligarch (a borschty Kenneth Branagh) who got his start retrieving weapons-grade plutonium from a damaged warhead, and the climax transpires around a former nuclear site. The movies palindromic title suggests temporal recurrence, that whether moving forwards or backwards in time, we will always end up at the same place. But like most palindromes, Tenet prizes reversibility over intelligibility: The point of Able was I ere I saw Elba is that it reads the same both ways, not that it teaches you anything. The scenes we see play twice through, each from the perspective of a character traveling in a different direction through time (one, of course, placed right at the movies midpoint) are nifty parlor tricks, although the backwards-forwards fistfight lacks the dancers grace of Inceptions reality-bending hallway brawl. But once youve watched them both ways, theres nothing left to see. Washingtons character is cautioned that he needs to stop thinking in linear terms. Nolan, ever the rationalist, cant abandon linearity. He just gives us two lines instead of one. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Perhaps its appropriate, then, that some of Tenets best moments are its most straightforward. Theres a scene where Washington punches his way through a thicket of Branaghs goonsincluding a novel use of a cheese grater borrowed from a restaurant kitchenthats delightful in its swift elegance. And while Washington is fixed on stoic determination, Robert Pattinson, as an ally with a mysterious past and/or future, invests his performance with a movie-star wink that suggests saving the world might actually be a bit of fun. (As Branaghs estranged wife, Elizabeth Debicki unfortunately has little chance to suggest the same.) There are car chases and gun battles and helicopter shots of cargo ships cutting through deep-blue oceansand how I have missed them all. Advertisement Advertisement The mantra of Pattinsons character is Whats happened happened, a bit of time-paradox hand-waving that also serves, as he puts it, as an expression of faith in the mechanics of the world. Its so telling of Nolans worldview that in a movie titled for an article of faith, the ultimate proof is that the universe just works. Hes always been a gearhead, devoted to celluloid and sprocket holes, but his best movies are also sentimental as hellbig, sloppy tearjerkers wrapped inside clockwork thrillers. Tenets gears turn smoothly, but its like a factory with no raw material to process. Movies have the power to transport us, to transform us, to take us somewhere we never could have gone. A palindrome just leaves you back where you started. For more Slate coverage of Tenet, listen to a spoiler-filled conversation about the movie between Slates Sam Adams and Voxs Alissa Wilkinson. PITTSBURGH, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- "While we were hunting in Indiana we realized the need for added illumination of our path," said inventors from East Berlin, Pennsylvania. "This inspired us to develop boots that could provide added safety by incorporating lights." They developed SAFE STEP which could increase the visibility of the wearer's pathway to provide enhanced safety while hunting and hiking. This invention may reduce the incidence of falls and the resultant injuries. When the lights were not needed, they could be camouflaged so not to startle any animals. The original design was submitted to the Lancaster sales office of InventHelp. It is currently available for licensing or sale to manufacturers or marketers. For more information, write Dept. 18-LCC-5025, InventHelp, 217 Ninth Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, or call (412) 288-1300 ext. 1368. Learn more about InventHelp's Invention Submission Services at http://www.InventHelp.com. SOURCE InventHelp Related Links http://www.inventhelp.com Niagara hasnt seen any occupational trends related to who catches COVID-19 outside of the health-care field part of the reason the local public health unit doesnt release workplace data. Of the 34 public health units in the province, only seven report the occupation of people infected with COVID-19, the Toronto Star reported earlier this week. Niagara isnt one of them. Dr. Mustafa Hirji, acting medial officer of health, said while Niagara Region has considered whether to release the information, it has chosen not to because it could mislead people. Hirji said most of the COVID-19 transmission in Niagara hasnt occurred in someones occupation but is happening in other settings. For that reason, posting data about the type of employment a person is in would be misleading because it implies thats where they are getting infected. While that may be true of health-care workers who are in contact with people who have the virus, particularly in long-term care homes and retirement homes where theres an outbreak, its not a trend hes seeing in the rest of the population. People are getting their infections out in the community through contact with a family member, a close friend, at a community event, not necessarily at their occupation, he said. Public health does keep track of what people who contract COVID-19 do for a living, however. The agency has a list of 20 categories of occupations and when someone is diagnosed with COVID-19, it checks off what category people fall into and makes a note of what their specific job is. Hirji said it allows public health to easily do data analysis across the 20 categories, but so far nothing stands out aside from health-care work. Public health also provides data on its website for institutional and community outbreaks which shows the number of staff versus non-staff infected. Of the 302 people who tested positive in Niagaras long-term care and retirement home outbreaks, 37 per cent were staff. Staff make up 51 per cent of the 49 cases related to hospital outbreaks. And staff comprise 75 per cent of the 16 cases in congregate care setting outbreaks. However, in the 142 cases related to community outbreaks, just 8.5 per cent were staff of some kind. On Wednesday, Niagara public health reported three new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of cases since March to 933. Of the three cases, one was a contact with a previously known case and two were cases of community transmission. There is one community outbreak in Niagara which involves a few households in different communities linked to a workplace. Hirji said it is relatively small and wouldnt provide more details saying he didnt want to stigmatize a group. But public health hasnt ruled out reporting a business or occupation publicly if its deemed warranted. Hirji said if Niagara has a workplace outbreak and patrons of the business could be at risk for infection, the health unit would report it publicly. That would be the kind of situation where wed want to go public with that outbreak because it would be really important for people to know whether or not theyre at risk and to take precautions and perhaps get tested as a result. Reporting a workplace publicly would also happen if an outbreak becomes very large, such as the one earlier this year at Pioneer Farms in St. Catharines. Hirji said if there is a big jump in cases, it would be of public interest and people would want to understand whats happening. As well, he said a large number of cases means it is much easier for public health to protect the privacy of the individuals involved. Even wealthier parks have not been fully spared: According to a spokeswoman for the Central Park Conservancy, the nonprofit organization that raises private money for that park, a drop in donations and in revenue from closed parks concessions made it necessary to reduce landscaping projects and divert resources to trash management. Mark Focht, the parks departments deputy commissioner and chief operating officer, said that the combination of budget cuts and increased use has left the agency struggling to keep up with the trash. The department is launching an awareness campaign urging people to take their refuse with them and will have employees hand out garbage bags at sites throughout the city. I am incredibly proud of our staff. They came to work straight thorough the pandemic, they were out here working every day to try and keep the places clean and presentable, Mr. Focht said. It is not always the condition in all places that we would like it to be, but the extent of what we can provide to the public is still critical to the health of the city. Fears of a crime wave have not materialized; between April and June, the last quarter for which data was available, major crimes within parks were down by about 50 percent, according to New York City Police Department data. Yet for some, the grimy parks still seem the last straw in a teetering city. At Hector Aponte Track and Field, in Soundview Park in the Bronx, two cousins, Terrell Alexander and William Schuyler, ran football drills on a recent weekend, stepping around Ziploc bags of mangoes with chili flakes, a Pringles tube, scattered cheese curls and sharp Heineken caps. - A Nigerian man identified as Muhammad Adam recently took to Twitter to share his take on a relationship issue - Adam said he does not like the idea of his friend showing interest in his sister - According to Adam, it is disrespectful and an act of betrayal for a friend to show interest in his sister Our Manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in Install our latest app for Android and read the best news about Ghana! Relationship matters are issues that are often discussed on social media by people who feel they have unique and interesting views on the matter. Many times, relationships are formed by people who got to know themselves through unexpected circumstances or from someone known to both of them. Well, a Nigerian man identified as Muhammed Adam on Twitter recently took to the microblogging site to share what he thinks about his friend taking an interest in his sister. Muhammed Adam does not like the idea of his friend showing interest in his sister. Photo: @Egi_nupe_ / Twitter. Source: Twitter According to Adam, he finds it disrespectful and an act of betrayal for a friend to take an interest in his sister. He wrote: I actually find it very disrespectful and act of betrayal for my friend to show interest in my sister. Guys that have sisters generally do not like it for their friends to have anything romantic with their sisters. See tweet below: When some Twitter users replied Adam that he only felt that way because of the kind of company he keeps, the young man responded that it had nothing to do with his kind of friends. He explained that he just did not like the arrangement. Adam also said a good friend does not guarantee a good partner. In his words: This has nothing to do with my circle. There are people who aren't just comfortable with that arrangement and others who find nothing wrong with it. A good friend doesn't also guarantee a good partner. But if the girl wants, good luck but I am not involved in the arrangement. See his tweet below: Interesting take. In other news, photography journalist, Senyuiedzorm Awusi Adadevoh, has been captured with a baby strapped to her back during the launch of a research report in Accra by the Alliance for Women in Media, Africa (AWMA). The award-winning photographers maternal gesture at the launch of the report on the status of women in the Ghanaian media has been lauded as a powerful symbolic gesture considering the forum. In the symbolic photo that is making the rounds on social media, Adadevoh can be seen with a child strapped to her back while going about her usual photography business during the AWMA event which was held on Wednesday, August 26, 2020, at the Centre for African Westlands Auditorium at the University of 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 Facebook page. Source: YEN.com.gh Prev 1 of 3 Next Authorities are looking for information on a fire that burned down a Northwest Albuquerque apartment building in June, according to a Crime Stoppers release. The fire started around 6:30 a.m. on June 28 at an apartment complex near Central and Atrisco NW, according to the release. In the end, the three-story building was burned to the ground. The release states that security cameras from a nearby business captured a car, believed to be a gold 1998 Toyota Camry four-door, in the area just prior to the fire. The license plate on the vehicle is not registered to the vehicle in the photo, according to the release. Tips: Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 843-STOP or visit their website at crimestoppersnm.com. Seeking "diversity," some liberal activists have long sought to abolish college fraternities (and, sometimes, sororities). Recently, even some former fraternity members, as the New York Times put it, "are working to kick their organizations off campus." These students may have rightly exited their particular organizations. But they shouldn't generalize their experience and demand extermination of all fraternities. As a college undergraduate, I was a militant independent and would have agreed with today's critics. I even wrote to the college newspaper poking fun at Greek groups. Their membership drives, I noted, were appropriately called "rush," implying hasty and precipitous action without due thought. Friends, though, were fraternity members, and one of them asked for advice. This was in the early 1960s. He had discovered that his national fraternity's charter still had a racial exclusionary clause. Should he get out, or remain and work to remove this clause? I urged him to stay, but he decided to withdraw. Ironically, 20 years later a fraternity at Adrian College, where I was on the faculty, invited me to become a member. Normally my reply to such an invitation would still have been "No, thank you," just plain "No," or possibly "Hell, no!" But the guys hit me at a time when I was severely depressed. Uncharacteristically, I accepted. Happily, this fraternity, Tau Kappa Epsilon, was one whose national organization had never had a racial exclusionary clause. The initiation ceremony was dignified. I found it an unexpectedly emotional experience which helped me understand what John Wesley meant when he remarked that his heart had been "strangely warmed." The brothers soon elected me chapter adviser. During six years of intense involvement I discovered that fraternities have considerable educational and social potential. Like most people, the brothers were mixtures of good and bad qualities, I suggested mildly that if they imitated each others' good qualities, we would have the most wonderful fraternity on the planet. If they imitated each others' bad qualities, the place would be worse that the fictional fraternity in Animal House a recent comedy we had all enjoyed watching. I suspect this fraternity was the closest thing some members had ever had to a real family. It was a place where they could find acceptance, respect, nurture, friendship and brotherly love, and where they could say what they thought and felt. Fraternities may be less important at small colleges than at large universities where students can easily get lost in the shuffle. Even at Adrian, though, I think they added something to the college experience. Fraternities may lack some kinds of internal diversity (for example by excluding women, who, however, have sororities.) And some may not be very diverse racially, despite the disappearance of racial exclusionary charters, since a few active members can veto new members and some may do so on the basis of race. But this is an inherent possibility with voluntary associations, which are created by mutual consent of the members, and other fraternity chapters will recognize a great possible member when they see him and look beyond race in doing so. Fraternities are not for everybody. Colleges should encourage development of other kinds of small living groups perhaps including coeducational ones which can offer some of the same benefits, like the independent men's group to which I belonged as an undergraduate at Willamette University. Different kinds of organizations will enable more students to find a campus home in which they feel comfortable, in the absence of which many may drop out. Given the potentially good experience fraternities and sororities can offer members, why deny everybody the opportunity to join one because some people do not approve of them? Those who don't approve of Greek groups are always free not to join one. Paul F. deLespinasse of Corvallis is Professor Emeritus of Political Science and Computer Science at Adrian College. His most recent book is "Beyond Capitalism: A Classless Society With (Mostly) Free Markets." His columns have appeared in newspapers in Michigan, Oregon, and a number of other states. This column originally appeared in NewsMax. Love 1 Funny 6 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 1 Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar and his Republican challenger, former County Clerk Gerard C. Gerry Rickhoff, exchanged blows during a testy hour-long virtual meeting Thursday, airing their differences on approaches to law enforcement and a fatal officer-involved shooting earlier this week. Salazar said hes reviewed the death Tuesday evening of Damian Lamar Daniels, 31, on the far West Side, and has found no wrongdoing in the tragic case. They did what they could with a pretty bad situation, the sheriff told the Express-News Editorial Board in a meeting of the candidates for sheriff in the Nov. 3 general election. While Salazar maintained Daniels was a dangerous individual, Rickhoff countered that he would still be alive if mental health professionals had gotten involved in the case and used principles of deescalation. This man did not have to die, said Rickhoff, who served as county clerk for 24 years before he was defeated in 2018 by Lucy Adame-Clark, a Democrat. Salazar, who defeated four Democratic challengers in the March primary, hopes to become the first Bexar County sheriff re-elected since 2004, when Ralph Lopez secured a fourth term. Rickhoff defeated two other candidates to win the GOP nomination for sheriff. Its his first try at a law enforcement position. The video-conference faceoff Thursday was one of the first opportunities to see Salazar, 49, and Rickoff, 67, square off on their views of how the Sheriffs Office and Bexar County Jail should be run. Rickhoff, noting the arrests of numerous deputies and inadvertent releases of jail inmates, as well as eight custodial deaths of inmates this year, including one related to COVID-19, said Salazar has had enough time to address problems in the agency that have lingered for years. Theres a loss in confidence in the Sheriffs Office, Rickhoff said. Hes been there over three years now. He owns this thing. At one point, he told Salazar directly, I believe that youve lost the faith of this community, and youve certainly lost the faith of the officers under your command. The sheriff countered that his challenger was a mediocre county clerk at best trying to relive his long gone glory days through a misguided cop fantasy. Its just a misguided, romanticized notion that hes got, Salazar said. Thats not what this community needs. They need strong law enforcement leader at the helm of this agency. Salazar, a 27-year law enforcement veteran and former San Antonio Police Department officer who narrowly defeated Republican Sheriff Susan Pamerleau in 2016, said he has provided transparency on struggles under his watch, and has worked to correct problems, including retention of deputies at the jail that have forced some to work up to three overtime shifts per week. He said hes implemented procedural changes to prevent erroneous inmate releases, improved training to avoid excessive use of force, and purchased and assigned body cameras to deputies to help protect them and the public. The sheriff has said he supports creation of a civilian review board, as well as better pay and benefits for deputies two potential outcomes in collective bargaining talks that are underway. Weve done some great work over the past almost four years, he said Thursday. A lot of the progress that weve made is not progress that we can just stop mid-stream. Rickhoff, appearing clean-shaven and trimmer than in years past, said his lack of personal law enforcement experience is mitigated through his familys background in justice and law enforcement, and provides an opportunity for fresh perspectives, at a time when people are calling for law enforcement reform. He supports an approach that uses mental health professionals, benefits coordinators and other subject area experts, including a command staff of law enforcement officers who will respond in real time. He said he also would pursue opportunities to provide child-care support and low-interest loans to deputies, to improve morale. Out-of-the-box thinking is critical, especially when youre dealing with the mentally ill, Rickhoff said. Youve got to reach out to the private sector and bring all resources to the table. Im not limited in a fixed set of principles because Im not prior law enforcement. Scott Huddleston covers Bexar County government and the Alamo for the San Antonio Express-News. To read more from Scott, become a subscriber. shuddleston@express-news.net | Twitter: @shuddlestonSA DUBLIN, Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Process Automation & Instrumentation Market By Instrument, By Solution, By End User, By Region, Industry Analysis and Forecast, 2020-2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. The Global Process Automation & Instrumentation Market size is expected to reach $80.5 billion by 2026, rising at a market growth of 3% CAGR during the forecast period. This market's growth is propelled by factors such as the increasing value of energy conservation and cost reduction, focus on digitized technology such as IIoT, increased acceptance of industrial automation and maximum resource use. Automation and instrumentation complement each other as devices are to be used for the purpose of automation. The need for efficiency increases through sectors has driven businesses to embrace automation in order to achieve a competitive edge over other competitors. High-risk job environments that need unique and reasonable treatment result in unnecessary human labour. Lower labour costs are therefore expected to perform a positive role in assisting the worldwide demand for automation instrumentation throughout the forecast period. Increasing labour costs have driven businesses to introduce automation with a view to streamlining their manufacturing processes and growing their dependence on expensive human labour. Based on Instrument, the market is segmented into Field Instrument, Control Valve and Analytical Instrument. Based on Solution, the market is segmented into Distributed & Advanced Control System, PLC & SCADA, Functional Safety, Human Machine Interface and Others. Based on End User, the market is segmented into Chemical, Energy & Power, Oil & Gas, Food & Beverages, Pharmaceuticals, Metals & Mining and Others. Based on Regions, the market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Latin America, Middle East & Africa. The major strategies followed by the market participants are Partnerships and Product Launches. Based on the Analysis presented in the Cardinal matrix; Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, ABB Group, Schneider Electric SE, Emerson Electric Co., Siemens AG, and Honeywell International, Inc. are the forerunners in the Process Automation and Instrumentation Market. Companies such as Rockwell Automation, Inc., General Electric (GE) Co., Yokogawa Electric Corporation, and HollySys Automation Technologies Ltd. are some of the key innovators in the market. The market research report covers the analysis of key stakeholders of the market. Key companies profiled in the report include ABB Group, Siemens AG, Emerson Electric Co., Schneider Electric SE, Honeywell International, Inc., General Electric (GE) Co., Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Rockwell Automation, Inc., Yokogawa Electric Corporation, and HollySys Automation Technologies Ltd. Strategies Deployed in 2020 Partnerships, Collaborations, and Agreements Mar-2020: Yokogawa Turkey Industrial Automation Solutions A.S. (Yokogawa Turkey) signed an agreement with Renaissance Heavy Industries. Following this agreement, the former company aims to provide a control system and field instruments for Zerger gas-fired power plant in Turkmenistan. Jan-2020: Schneider Electric came into partnership with AutoGrid, the market leader in flexibility management software for the energy industry. The partnership was focused on helping energy providers integrate customer-owned or -operated flexible distributed energy resources (DERs) into their distribution management operations. The joint solution, integrating Schneider EcoStruxure Advanced Distribution Management System (ADMS) with AutoGrid Flex, the energy industry's first fully-integrated flexibility management application, uses the open standard IEEE 2030.5 to exchange data and control signals. Product Launches and Product Expansions Jul-2020: Rockwell Automation released the new SIL 3 Safety Controller Line with Advanced Software Capabilities. The new Allen-Bradley Compact GuardLogix 5380 SIL 3 enabled engineers to scale applications up to and including SIL 3/PLe performance with 1oo2 architecture. The controllers have been designed for helping companies build smarter, simpler, and better-performing machines. Jul-2020: HollySys unveiled the updated version large scale Programmable Logic Controller (PLC). This new version can be widely used in a variety of applications such as the high-end machinery and equipment control, complex machine control, discrete manufacturing plant control, suitable for transportation, municipal services, water treatment, and public engineering. Feb-2020: ABB Power Grids launched MicroSCADA X, the industry-acclaimed power and automation control solution, to customers in India. MicroSCADA X features a next-generation human-machine interface (HMI) enabling an intuitive and adaptive experience that provides clear and simplified insights into customers' power infrastructure. The solution offers a world-class, versatile supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system with market-leading functionalities integrated into a single platform. Feb-2020: Honeywell launched Experion PKS IT Highly Integrated Virtual Environment (HIVE), a transformative new technology. This technology enabled industrial manufacturers to lower project delivery and lifecycle costs, better leverage skills, and drive consistent physical and cybersecurity management. Jan-2020: Yokogawa Electric launched the Exaquantum R3.20, an enhanced version of its plant information management system (PIMS) software package in the OpreX Asset Operations and Optimisation family. Exaquantum supports the digital transformation initiatives of customers in the process industries by gathering large volumes of plant data and transforming it into usable, high-value business information. Geographical Expansions Feb-2020: Yokogawa opened the Open Process Automation (OPA) Test Bed Collaboration Center, located six miles north of ExxonMobil's Houston campus in The Woodlands, Texas. The center has the Test Bed being used for evaluating candidate components and standards that provide the basis for moving OPA technology into initial industrial field trials. Key Topics Covered Chapter 1. Market Scope & Methodology 1.1 Market Definition 1.2 Objectives 1.3 Market Scope 1.4 Segmentation 1.4.1 Global Process Automation & Instrumentation Market, by Instrument 1.4.2 Global Process Automation & Instrumentation Market, by Solution 1.4.3 Global Process Automation & Instrumentation Market, by End User 1.4.4 Global Process Automation & Instrumentation Market, by Geography 1.5 Methodology for the Research Chapter 2. Market Overview 2.1 Introduction 2.1.1 Overview 2.1.2 Executive Summary 2.1.3 Market Composition and Scenario 2.2 Key Factors Impacting the Market 2.2.1 Market Drivers 2.2.2 Market Restraints Chapter 3. Competition Analysis - Global 3.1 Cardinal Matrix 3.2 Recent Industry Wide Strategic Developments 3.2.1 Partnerships, Collaborations and Agreements 3.2.2 Product Launches and Product Expansions 3.2.3 Geographical Expansions 3.2.4 Mergers & Acquisitions 3.3 Top Winning Strategies 3.3.1 Key Leading Strategies: Percentage Distribution (2016-2020) 3.3.2 Key Strategic Move: (Product Launches and Product Expansions: 2017, Mar - 2020, Jul) Leading Players Chapter 4. Global Process Automation & Instrumentation Market by Instrument 4.1 Global Process Automation & Instrumentation Field Instrument Market by Region 4.2 Global Process Automation & Instrumentation Control Valve Market by Region 4.3 Global Process Automation & Instrumentation Analytical Instrument Market by Region Chapter 5. Global Process Automation & Instrumentation Market by Solution 5.1 Global Distributed & Advanced Control System Process Automation & Instrumentation Market by Region 5.2 Global PLC & SCADA Process Automation & Instrumentation Market by Region 5.3 Global Functional Safety Process Automation & Instrumentation Market by Region 5.4 Global Human Machine Interface Process Automation & Instrumentation Market by Region 5.5 Global Other Solution Process Automation & Instrumentation Market by Region Chapter 6. Global Process Automation & Instrumentation Market by End User 6.1 Global Chemical Process Automation & Instrumentation Market by Region 6.2 Global Energy & Power Process Automation & Instrumentation Market by Region 6.3 Global Oil & Gas Process Automation & Instrumentation Market by Region 6.4 Global Food & Beverages Process Automation & Instrumentation Market by Region 6.5 Global Pharmaceuticals Process Automation & Instrumentation Market by Region 6.6 Global Metals & Mining Process Automation & Instrumentation Market by Region 6.7 Global Others Process Automation & Instrumentation Market by Region Chapter 7. Global Process Automation & Instrumentation Market by Region 7.1 North America Process Automation & Instrumentation Market 7.2 Europe Process Automation & Instrumentation Market 7.3 Asia-Pacific Process Automation & Instrumentation Market 7.4 LAMEA Process Automation & Instrumentation Market Chapter 8. Company Profiles 8.1 ABB Group 8.2 Siemens AG 8.3 Emerson Electric Co. 8.4 Schneider Electric SE 8.5 Honeywell International, Inc. 8.6 General Electric (GE) Co. 8.7 Mitsubishi Electric Corporation 8.8 Rockwell Automation, Inc. 8.9 Yokogawa Electric Corporation 8.10 HollySys Automation Technologies Ltd. For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/44tw3q Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research. Media Contact: Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [email protected] For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716 SOURCE Research and Markets Related Links http://www.researchandmarkets.com New Delhi: Markets ended in green for the fourth consecutive session on Wednesday amidst persistent foreign fund inflows. The BSE Sensex ended 230.04 points or 0.59 per cent higher at 39,073.92 while the NSE Nifty finished higher by 77.35 points or 0.67 per cent to 11,549.60. Here are Stocks in focus on August 27, 2020 ICICI Bank ICICI Bank on Wednesday said it will sell up to 2 per cent of its holding in ICICI Securities through an open market transaction. "The Board of Directors of the bank, at its meeting held today, approved the sale of up to 6,442,000 equity shares of face value Rs 5 each of ICICI Securities Limited (company), representing up to 2 per cent of its issued and paid-up equity share capital, through an open market sale," ICICI Bank said in a regulatory filing. HAL The Union Government is selling 15 per cent of its equity stake in the state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) at Rs 1,001 per share to raise about Rs 5,000 crore through an offer for sale (OFS). The sale price of Rs 1,001 per share is a 15 per cent discount of the scripas Wednesday`s closing price of Rs 1,177.75 on the BSE. The government is expected to raise about Rs 5,000 crore from the sale offer on August 27-28. Siemens Engineering firm Siemens Ltd on Wednesday said its board has approved sale of its mechanical drives business to Siemens AG's arm Flender Drives for Rs 440 crore. Flender Drives Private Limited is a subsidiary of Flender GmbH, which in turn is a subsidiary of Siemens AG. "The Board of Directors of Siemens Limited has approved the sale and transfer of its Mechanical Drives (MD) business for a consideration of Rs. 4,400 million (Rs 440 crore) to Flender Drives Private Ltd, subject to adjustment for the change in net current assets and capital expenditure, subsequent to June 30, 2020 up to the date of actual transfer of the MD business," Siemens said in a statement. Vice president Mike Pence called Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden a Trojan horse for the radical left in his nomination acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention on Wednesday night. In a live address from Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Pence criticized said the Democrats didnt talk very much about their agenda in their convention last week. I wouldnt either. Bernie Sanders did tell his followers that Joe Biden would be the most liberal president in modern times, he added. Pence juxtaposed Bidens moderate branding with his policy positions, including his support for open borders, sanctuary cities and free lawyers and healthcare for illegal immigrants. He also pointed out that Bidens policy commitments would require raising taxes by nearly 4 trillion dollars. When you consider their agenda, its clear: Joe Biden would be nothing more than a Trojan horse for the radical left, Pence said. Last week, Joe Biden said democracy is on the ballot, but the truth is our economic recovery is on the ballot, law and order is on the ballot. But so are things far more fundamental and foundational to our country. The vice presidents remarks come after days of unrest in Kenosha, Wis. sparked by the police shooting of Jacob Blake on Sunday. Demonstrations in the city turned deadly Tuesday night during a confrontation between armed citizens who were protecting local businesses and an angry crowd outside a car dealership. Three people were shot, two fatally, during the incident. Let me be clear: the violence must stop whether in Minneapolis, Portland or Kenosha, Pence said. Too many heroes have died defending our freedoms to see Americans strike each other down. The hard truth is, you wont be safe in Joe Bidens America, Pence said. Under President Trump, we will stand with those who stand on the thin blue line, and were not going to defund the police not now, not ever. More from National Review Democratic Party's Indian-origin vice presidential candidate will deliver a speech on Thursday to counter President Donald Trump's remarks at the Republican National Convention after formally accepting the party's presidential re-nomination. Harris will speak on President Trump's failures to contain COVID-19 and protect working families from the economic fallout and the Biden-Harris plan to contain COVID-19 and build a different path forward in America, The Hill quoted a press release from the Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden's campaign as saying. While Trump is planning to give his speech from the South Lawn of the White House lawn, Harris's remarks from Washington D.C. will serve as the Democratic Party's main counter to his appearance, the report said. Biden and Harris both railed against Trump's leadership at last week's Democratic National Convention. Donald Trump's failure of leadership has cost lives and livelihoods, Harris, 55, the first Indian-American and first Black woman to be chosen as a vice-presidential candidate for a major political party in the US, said last week. The Biden campaign is ramping up Harris' activities following what was a largely well-received address last week, scheduling her for three virtual fundraisers, online discussions and publishing an op-ed discussing women's right to vote, the daily said. Democrats are hopeful that Harris will be able to successfully make the case against a second term for Trump while also appealing to Black women and other voters of colour. Meanwhile, in a Washington Post op-ed on the occasion of Women's Equality Day, she detailed the history of women's struggle to gain voting rights, especially women of colour, who were not granted suffrage even with the passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920. Harris alleged that the Republicans are once again doing everything in their power to suppress and attack the voting rights of people of colour. They are deploying suppressive voter ID laws, racial gerrymandering, voter roll purges, precinct closures and reduced early-voting days - all of which have been laser-targeted toward communities of colour since the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act in 2013, she alleged. And this year, Republicans are also spending millions on every scare tactic and trick in the book. Most visibly, they are doing what they can to take advantage of a pandemic that the president cannot, or will not, get under control. They are spreading misinformation about voting by mail - a safe and secure voting option - and they have been caught trying to politicise the US Postal Service, Harris said. The Biden campaign, she said, is committing the resources needed to beat back voter suppression. We need to make sure that everyone who's eligible to vote is able to do so - and that their vote is counted, she said. Paying tributes to all the courageous women throughout history who fought for voting rights, Harris said that but for the 19th Amendment, neither she nor her mother from India would have been able to exercise their right to vote. If I had been alive in 1920, I might not have been allowed to cast a ballot alongside white women. Neither would my mother, an immigrant from India, who first taught me how sacred our vote is, Harris, 55, wrote in her op-ed. She is the first woman of colour and first American of Indian descent to have been nominated by a major political party as a vice presidential candidate. (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.) KENOSHA Loved ones of Anthony Huber, a 26-year-old Silver Lake man reportedly killed Tuesday during demonstrations following the shooting of Jacob Blake, are calling him a hero. The other man who died was Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, of Kenosha, who video shows appears to have been chasing Rittenhouse and may have thrown something at him when shots were fired. The man who was shot in the arm and seriously injured has been identified as a 26-year-old from West Allis, Gaige Grosskreutz, who is a member of a Milwaukee group who has been volunteering as a medic at Black Lives Matter protests. Two GoFundMe pages set up to support Hubers family and his significant other, respectively, identify Huber as the second of two men killed Tuesday on Sheridan Road. He allegedly was killed by 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse, an Illinois teen who was illegally carrying a long gun Tuesday and said he was in Kenosha to protect property as part of a local militia. Video from the scene shows that the man identified as Huber was the second of the two men shot. He and others were attempting to run down Rittenhouse, who had already shot a 36-year-old West Allis man, when Rittenhouse turned the firearm on those approaching him and fired. That video shows a man who appears to be Huber struck in the torso while still carrying his skateboard, using it apparently to attempt to strike Rittenhouse. He died soon after from the gunshot to the torso. Roger Polack, the Democrat running against Republican U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil in Wisconsins First District, posted on Facebook I am outraged at the death of protestors Anthony Huber and another victim not yet named, killed by the hands of a juvenile militia member in Kenosha. I mourn with their families. The cycle of discrimination against Black people and violence must end. Lets stand with Jacob Blakes mother, Julia Jackson, who has demanded an end to the violence and destruction in Kenosha. One of the GoFundMes, set up by a woman who said she is Hubers aunt, described Huber as witty and a very talented skate boarder. The other GoFundMe says While peacefully protesting, Anthony selflessly tried to Aid in taking down an attacker when he was gunned down. Hubers significant other reportedly cannot retrieve her own house keys or car keys from Hubers body until a funeral home is found and paid for; donations would then be used to pay for the funeral home. That fundraiser can be found online at gofundme.com/f/249ip7bjxc. More than $56,000 had been donated to that campaign as of 10:57 p.m. Wednesday. The other GoFundMe (gofundme.com/f/anthony-huber-family) says that money donated would be used for funeral expenses and some legal fees and past bills. As of 10:57 p.m. Wednesday, $570 had been donated to that campaign. During a Wednesday press conference, while urging members of the public not to break the countys newly imposed curfew in the city, Kenosha Police Chief Daniel Miskinis said that if the demonstrators had not been out after curfew then they would not be dead. These statements have led to some criticism, with the online news outlet Slate publishing a story titled: Kenosha Police Chief Blames Protesters for Their Own Deaths, Defends Vigilante Groups. Made in Bangladesh opens with a close-up of a woman threading a sewing machine. As the closing credits begin, the sounds of a sewing machine return from that initial sequence; it may not be until that moment that you realize just how much the movie has taken you minutely, step by step through an arduous process. The film, directed by Rubaiyat Hossain, follows a group of garment factory workers in Dhaka, Bangladesh, as they take steps to form a union after one of their own is killed in a fire. Shimu (Rikita Nandini Shimu) becomes the leader of the effort, obtaining signatures, furtively capturing images of her workplace and pressing bureaucrats not to stall on the paperwork. The Defence Headquarters says no fewer than 410 members of the Darul Salam terror group surrendered to the troops of Operation Whirl Stroke during an encounter at Uttu in Toto Local Government Area of Nasarawa State on Tuesday. The Coordinator, Defence Media Operations, John Enenche, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday in Abuja. Mr Enenche, a Nigerian army major-general, said the operation was in continuation of aggressive clearance operations aimed at riding the North-Central zone of armed banditry and other forms of criminality. He said the terrorists who surrendered, following an aggressive operation by troops and other security agencies at identified criminals enclaves, included women and children. Mr Enenche also disclosed that the troops, while on a robust clearance patrol around Uttu, also stormed the terrorists bomb-making factory following intelligence on the activities of the terrorists in the area. According to him, in the course of the operation, troops recovered several improvised explosive device making materials at the location, including two scales, six rocket launcher bombs, one bag of fertiliser and half a bag of gunpowder. Other materials recovered are 10 locally made hand grenades, one Rocket Propelled Grenade bomb fuse, one locally made Rocket Launcher, two Improvised Explosive Devices and 13 improvised rocket bombs, amongst others. The camp was subsequently destroyed while troops are equally combing the surrounding forests for fleeing members of the sect, he said. (NAN) CHARIKAR, Afghanistan Hamid Aghas family was sleeping outside when the rain began. He had witnessed torrential rain before during his two years living in Charikar, a city carved along the foothills of the Hindu Kush in northern Afghanistan, and thought little of it. Yet when the family of 13 awoke on Wednesday, having moved inside their oppressively hot three-room home during the night, it was to the sound of floodwater. Mr. Hamid Agha, 50, was swept into the darkness. His wife and nine other family members were killed or are missing. Their livelihood, an aging green station wagon that he used as a taxi, was carried a quarter of a mile away, mangled, with water still leaking from its interior nearly 36 hours later. As of Thursday morning, flash floods in Charikar had killed at least 92 people and injured 108 others, adding to the misery of a raging war and a coronavirus pandemic that has overwhelmed a health system that depends on aid organizations even for some of its most basic services. CALGARY, Alberta, Aug. 27, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CORDY OILFIELD SERVICES INC. (the Corporation or Cordy) (CKK: TSX-V) released today its second quarter 2020 results. Three months ended June 30, Six months ended June 30, ($ 000's) 2020 2019 ($) Change 2020 2019 ($) Change Revenue Environmental Services 2,043 3,478 (1,435 ) 9,533 8,504 1,029 Heavy Construction 63 161 (98 ) 212 291 (79 ) Corporate 8 5 3 15 5 10 2,114 3,644 (1,530 ) 9,760 8,800 960 Direct operating expenses Environmental Services 1,320 2,721 (1,401 ) 7,117 6,474 643 Heavy Construction 26 81 (55 ) 98 152 (54 ) Corporate - - - - - - 1,346 2,802 (1,456 ) 7,215 6,626 589 General and administrative expenses Environmental Services 114 198 (84 ) 243 303 (60 ) Heavy Construction 1 - 1 1 1 - Corporate 221 237 (16 ) 423 491 (68 ) 336 435 (99 ) 667 795 (128 ) Operating earnings (loss) Environmental Services 609 559 50 2,173 1,727 446 Heavy Construction 36 80 (44 ) 113 138 (25 ) Corporate (213 ) (232 ) 19 (408 ) (486 ) 78 432 407 25 1,878 1,379 499 Depreciation 652 496 156 1,117 992 125 Finance costs 357 215 142 467 400 67 Gain (loss) on disposal - (397 ) 397 - (397 ) 397 Share-based recovery - - - - - - Earnings (loss) before tax (577 ) 93 (670 ) 294 384 (90 ) Income tax expense - - - - - - Net earnings (loss) (577 ) 93 (670 ) 294 384 (90 ) Second Quarter Financial Summary: Revenue for the three and six months ended June 30 th , 2020 down 42 percent for the quarter but still up 11% for the year; total revenue of $2.1 million for the quarter, a decrease of $1.5 million, or 42 percent compared to $3.6 million in 2019; total revenue of $9.8 million for the first half, an increase of $1.0 million, or 11 percent compared to $8.8 million in 2019; , 2020 down 42 percent for the quarter but still up 11% for the year; total revenue of $2.1 million for the quarter, a decrease of $1.5 million, or 42 percent compared to $3.6 million in 2019; total revenue of $9.8 million for the first half, an increase of $1.0 million, or 11 percent compared to $8.8 million in 2019; Operating earnings for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020 no change on the quarter and up 36% for the year; total operating earnings of $0.4 million for the quarter, no change compared to $0.4 million in 2019; total operating earnings of $1.9 million for the first half, an increase of $0.5 million, or 36% compared to $1.4 million in 2019; total operating earnings of $0.4 million for the quarter, no change compared to $0.4 million in 2019; total operating earnings of $1.9 million for the first half, an increase of $0.5 million, or 36% compared to $1.4 million in 2019; Net (loss) earnings for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020 down on the quarter and down 23 percent on for the year; net loss of ($0.6) million for the quarter, a decrease of $0.7 million, compared to net earnings of $0.1 million in 2019 net earnings of $0.3 million for the first half, a decrease of $0.1 million, or 23% compared to $0.4 million in 2019 net loss of ($0.6) million for the quarter, a decrease of $0.7 million, compared to net earnings of $0.1 million in 2019 net earnings of $0.3 million for the first half, a decrease of $0.1 million, or 23% compared to $0.4 million in 2019 Received $0.5 million from Canadian Emergency Wages Subsidy (CEWS) during the quarter; $0.4 million recognized as reduction to Direct Operation Expenses (DOE) $0.1 million recognized as a reduction to general and administrative (G&A) expense Financial Position / Liquidity: consolidated and revised the terms of its equipment leases reducing its current portion of lease liability by $0.2 million; increased the borrowing amount under its credit facility from 50% up to an amount totalling 90% of eligible receivables, improving the Corporations short-term liquidity. generated $3.0 million of funds from operations during the quarter.. OVERALL PERFORMANCE The second quarter of 2020 will not soon be forgotten, as it presented the business with some of its toughest challenges to date. Most notably, the global spread of COVID-19 created unprecedented uncertainty and volatility in the oil and gas industry, particularly in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin. The demand for oil significantly deteriorated, as non-essential business around the globe, came to a grinding halt, and swiftly drove pricing into uneconomical territory, impacting the capital programs that drive a significant portion of Cordys business. Compounding the crisis, the Company had to quickly redesign its day to day business model, implementing new health and safety protocols, to mitigate the risk of contracting or spreading COVID-19 for our people, our customers, and their families. Despite the challenges, Cordy was able to manage through, what it believes was, the toughest stretch of 2020. The reopening of the economies around the globe has resulted in a return of oil and gas pricing to economical levels, and general business activity has started to slowly rebound as businesses and customers, adapt to the new rules of doing business in the COVID-19 era. OUTLOOK In terms of Cordys business, the worst of the economic impact of COVID-19 appears to have passed. Specifically, as global economies have re-opened, commodity prices have rebounded from the severe lows experienced during the height of the shut down, and there is some optimism that the oilfield industry in western Canada will gradually increase activity in the new year. While this still presents challenges for the Company, there appears to be some light at the end of the tunnel. In Alberta, as government imposed business and social restrictions were lifted, general business activity, in the municipal and industrial spaces, began to slowly improve. The Companys municipal and industrial customers went back to work and demand for our services is gradually increasing. Despite the risks still associated with the pandemic, Cordy is hopefully that the current trend will continue. During the balance of the 2020 the company anticipates business continuing to be a challenge, particularly on the energy services side of the business, which generated approximately 40% of the Companys revenue in the second half of 2019. Although there is optimism for the new year, activity will remain depressed for the balance of 2020. Despite the negative outlook on the drilling front for the second half of 2020, Cordys diversification focus, growing both the industrial and municipal service side of the business, continues to provide the company with opportunity. As part of its post COVID-19 recovery plan to stimulate the economy, the Alberta government has announced $10 billion in infrastructure stimulus packages, which the Premier has called the largest infrastructure build in provincial history. The announced infrastructure projects will require the types of support services Cordy provides. In the near term, the Company continues to be reliant on government support payments to fund its operations. The Company is uncertain about the extent these programs will be available in the future, or whether the opportunities available to the company will materialize before the dissolution of these programs. For the balance of 2020, and the foreseeable future, Cordy will continue to aggressively manage costs, while continuing to focus on the health and safety of its employees, contractors, and customers, ensuring it is doing its part in mitigating the spread of COVID-19. For general and investor relations information, please contact: Darrick Evong Chief Executive Officer IR@cordy.ca Tel: 403-262-7667 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. READER ADVISORY This News Release contains certain statements that constitute forward-looking statements. These statements relate to future events or the Corporations future performance. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, that address activities, events or developments that the Corporation or a third party expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future, are forward-looking statements. These include the Corporations future growth, results of operations, performance and business prospects and opportunities; prevailing economic conditions; commodity prices; sourcing, pricing and availability of raw materials, components and parts, equipment, suppliers, facilities and skilled personnel; dependence on major customers; uncertainties in weather and temperature affecting the duration of the service periods and the activities that can be completed; regional competition; and other factors, many of which are beyond the Corporations control. These other factors include future prices of oil and natural gas and oil and natural gas industry activity, including the effect of changes in commodity prices on oil and natural gas exploration and development activity, the ability to complete strategic acquisitions and realize the anticipated benefits of any acquisitions that are completed, the Corporations outlook regarding the competitive environment it operates in, and the assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. Forward-looking statements are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as seek, anticipate, plan, continue, estimate, expect, may, will, project, predict, potential, targeting, intend, could, might, should, believe and similar expressions. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are beyond the Corporations control, including those discussed under Risks and Uncertainties and elsewhere in this News Release, that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements. The Corporation believes that the expectations reflected in those forward-looking statements are reasonable, but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct and such forward-looking statements included in this News Release should not be unduly relied upon. These statements speak only as of the date of this News Release. The Corporation does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required under applicable securities laws. The forward-looking statements contained in this News Release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. Few major Irish writers deliberately produced so small an output as the late Eugene McCabe, who died today, aged ninety. Read More His honest, humane and sometimes savage writing has been a vital addition to Irish literature ever since his first play, King of the Castle, provoked controversy during the 1964 Dublin Arts Festival. The story of a powerful but infertile farmer who possesses everything except an heir and who tries to persuade a visitor to impregnate his young wife, its shocking honesty caused outrage and protests. It marked the emergence of a writer unafraid to explore the visible and invisible social, sexual, religious and political fault lines of Irish life especially life on the powder keg of the Irish border, where he farmed for sixty years. Although his work was synonymous with the border, he was born in Glasgow before his family returned to Ireland when he was nine. He was educated in Castleknock College and began farming near Clones in the same year as King of the Castle provoked such fury. Mr McCabe called himself a farmer who writes and a writer who farms. If Patrick Kavanagh needed to leave Monaghan to create the space to honestly write about it, McCabe never bothered to put a safety net between him and the world that his work dissected. Most books about the Irish border at the height of the Troubles were written from a safe distance. Mr McCabe wrote in a farm that was often under such surveillance that heat-seeking devices on helicopters could tell if he and his hospitable wife Margot had visitors in the house. In 1992 after a long, deliberate silence he produced his magnum opus, 'Death and Nightingales', described by Colm Toibin, as one of the great Irish masterpieces of the century and recently dramatised by BBC Television. Much historical writing trades in period detail to trigger nostalgia, but Death and Nightingales was as graphic a description of Ulster tensions in 1883 as his controversial earlier works were graphic portrayals of dark tensions in the 1970s. As a society, we pay lip service to novels but dont take them seriously like we take television seriously, because television directly enters our homes to challenge our prejudices. Mr McCabe did this with three television plays, Cancer, Heritage and Siege, filmed by RTE in the 1970s. They caused outrage for their exploration of sectarian violence and depiction of the cancer of hatred, suspicion and misunderstanding in both communities on the border. If you felt that a writers function was to provide a panacea or poultice to heal a wounded society, then Mr McCabe was not for you. He was too searingly honest to offer sleight-of-hand redemption or well-intentioned appeals for common humanity that might lure us out from our tribal niches of prejudice and bigotry. Expand Close Eugene McCabe and his wife Margot. Pic Tom Burke / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Eugene McCabe and his wife Margot. Pic Tom Burke Some of his short stories have a slightly dated 1970s feel, but if you blow away the veneer of our shiny modernity, those same entrenched hatreds emerge. Indeed, he is believed to have stopped writing for a decade following the sectarian assassination of someone upon whom a character in Heritage was based. When he returned it was with a rich late harvest. Not just with the mastery of Death and Nightingales, but a superb quartet of stories that harrowingly reclaimed, as if glimpsed through a chink of light, four lost voices from the Irish famine. His swansong was a novella, The Love of Sisters. An unflinching exploration of different types of love, it proved a fitting coda to the oeuvre of a great writer. As a man, Eugene McCabe was warm and intelligent, blessed with a wry wit and rich engagement with life. He had four children, including the actor Ruth McCabe. His presence in Clones and commitment to writing inspired a generation of border writers, including Patrick McCabe and Dermot Healy, who spoke of him with a sense of awe. It was impossible to leave his company without feeling enriched. He did not seek attention or controversy but was a reticent writer of unflinching honesty and integrity who left behind a small but essential body of work that anyone wishing to understand 20th Century Ireland should read. My sincere condolences to his family and friends. A national professional association of writing instructors recently published a list of demands that argued the current emphasis on standard English is rooted in racism and called for a complete overhaul of how language is taught. (Natural News) (Article republished from HarbingersDaily.com) It was published by a subcommittee with the Conference on College Composition and Communication, part of the National Council of Teachers of English. The statement called for an end to White Mainstream English, arguing such an action would decolonize students minds and the English language, as well as help students unlearn white supremacy. The demands were written by five English professors and a writing scholar and the document is titled: This Aint Another Statement! This is a DEMAND for Black Linguistic Justice! The language of Black students has been monitored, dismissed, demonizedand taught from the positioning that using standard English and academic language means success, the professors argued. They added such a set-up creates a climate of racialized inferiority toward Black Language and Black humanity. The roughly 3,000-word statement emphasizes five main demands as solutions: We demand that teachers stop using academic language and standard English as the accepted communicative norm, which reflects white mainstream English We demand that teachers stop teaching black students to code-switch! Instead, we must teach black students about anti-black linguistic racism and white linguistic supremacy We demand that political discussions and Praxis Center Black Language as teacher-researcher activism for classrooms and communities We demand black linguistic consciousness We demand that black dispositions are centered in the research and teaching of black language. The entire statement included 33 exclamation points peppered throughout. The demands were penned by a special committee that is also calling itself the Why We Caint Breathe! committee, according to the associations website. (The word caint is described online as a mainly southern U.S. nonstandard form of cant.) The statements six authors consist of English professors from across the nation: Michigan State University Professors April Baker-Bell and Lamar Johnson; Cal State University Fullerton Professor Bonnie Williams-Farrier; Boston University Professor Davena Jackson; and Texas Christian University Carmen Kynard. Its sixth member is English scholar Teaira McMurtry, listed as being affiliated with University of Alabama at Birmingham. Their statement states all six authors are Black Language scholars whose lived experiences as Black Language speakers inform [the associations] teaching, scholarship, research, and activism. The five English professors did not respond to emails from The College Fix regarding their demands. Contact information for McMurtry could not be located. Baker-Bell, who goes by the name Ebonically Speaking on Twitter, is author of the 2020 publication Linguistic Justice: Black Language, Literacy, Identity, and Pedagogy. Baker-Bell, an associate professor of language, literacy and English education at Michigan State, also touted on Twitter that coming next month she and others will unveil a Black Language Syllabus. Her faculty bio credits her with coining the term anti-black linguistic racism. The statement argues that teachers should stop telling Black students that they have to learn standard English to be successful because thats just the way it is in the real world. No, thats not just the way it is; thats anti-Black linguistic racism. Do we use this same fallacious, racist rhetoric with white students? Will using White Mainstream English prevent Black students from being judged and treated unfairly based solely on the color of their skin? Make it make sense. The document points out that researchers, scholars, educators, and all everyday Black folx center Black Language on its unique philosophies and survivances of Black Life rather than on a set of linguistic departures from a fictional, white norm. It calls on teachers to not dismiss Black Language simply as a dialect of English, and do not treat it as a static anachronismits not a thing of the past, spoken only by Black people who are positioned in a low or working class. Recognize it as a language in its own right! While the professors push for black language to be taught to students by black language experts, they also demand that nonnative speakers refrain from engaging in Black linguistic appropriation. Vershawn Young, chair of the Conference on College Composition and Communication and a professor at University of Waterloo, told The College Fix via email that he was unable to take the opportunity to respond in writing to 11 substantive questions. The College Fix had asked Young as well as the professors who wrote the document and declined to comment a set of 11 questions. They are republished below: 1. What are the main ways a teacher can champion linguistic justice? 2. Is an accepted communicative norm necessary? 3. If so, what language should take the place of standard English/academic language as the accepted communicative norm? 4. If not, how would the education system need to change? What would that look like? How would grammar and spelling need to be taught? 5. To what extent should standard English and English literature be deemphasized? 6. What is code-switching? How do teachers force Black youth to code their language? 7. If Black Language should be acknowledged in the curriculum, what about other languages (especially those of other minorities)? 8. Would it be considered cultural appropriation for white teachers to speak and teach Black Language, especially to white, Asian, American-Indian students? 9. Should all students learn and speak Black Language? 10. Does the demand that ALL WORK related to Black Language and Black youth commit unequivocally to the freedom, dignity, and creativity of young Black peoples lives rather than demand more data extraction and labor from them, mean empirical research shouldnt be conducted? 11. Is telling white students they have to learn standard English to be successful because thats just the way it is in the real world fallacious? Or is such a comment only fallacious and racist when its directed toward minority students? Read the full list of black linguistic justice demands on the Conference on College Composition and Communication website. Read more at: HarbingersDaily.com and CampusInsanity.com. The second republic Kenyans tried to create with the 2010 constitution looks much like what it was supposed to replace. Today, Kenya marks the 10th anniversary of the promulgation of its current constitution and what some at the time termed the birth of the Second Republic a phrase one almost never hears today. And understandably so. For in the last decade, the constitution has been more honoured in breach than observance. Just a few days ago, a demonstration by a handful of citizens against the theft of funds meant for the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic was violently dispersed by the police despite the right to stage public protests being expressly protected in the constitution. The second republic, it turns out, looks very much like what it was supposed to replace. Part of the problem with the constitution is a feature of its design. It created a whole new, devolved level of government the county but still left most of the resources in the hands of the central government. Similarly, while it did bring decision-making closer to the people, the mechanisms and agencies for holding public officials to account are still based in the capital, Nairobi. As a result, the accountability that devolution was meant to ensure has turned out to be illusory. Another, more egregious example of bad design is that the constitution gave Kenyans the right to recall their parliamentary representatives but then said those very representatives would get to decide when and how we would exercise that particular right. As you can imagine, that did not work out well for Kenyans. However, by far, the main reason why the constitution has not wrought quite the transformation its authors anticipated is that it remains largely unimplemented. The political class which it was meant to contain have proven to be more than a match for it. From the very start, their support for genuine constitutional change had been lukewarm. While there was overwhelming support for change among the population, political elites saw the constitution primarily as an avenue for contesting power those who had it resisted change and those who did not pushed for it. Thus the whole effort was constantly derailed by the changing political fortunes of the main actors whose views on the main issues were dependent on where they stood at any particular moment. In December 2002, for example, Mwai Kibaki, a former regime loyalist and vice president who had spent a decade in opposition after falling out with his boss, the dictatorial Daniel arap Moi, was elected president. Kenyans genuinely believed that he would live up to his promise to deliver a new constitution within 100 days. Instead, once in power, and despite heading an administration that contained many of the leading lights of the push to enact a new constitution, he seemed to come to the conclusion that he liked things as they were. He rejected a constitutional draft which emerged from a constitutional conference in March 2004 after months of negotiation and struggle, his inner circle orchestrated an alternative draft which was rejected by Kenyans in a referendum a year later. His successor, current President Uhuru Kenyatta, was at the time the leader of the opposition and declared after the referendum that Kenyans did not want an imperial presidency. Yet after he took power in 2013, and was tasked with the implementation of the 2010 constitution, he too preferred to keep things as they were. In the past decade, his administration has demonstrated much contempt for the constitution. He has attempted to curtail the rights it guarantees under the guise of fighting terrorism and COVID-19; threatened judges when they ruled against him; commended the police for actions that led to the deaths of dozens of Kenyans; and undermined the devolution of powers to the counties. Just this week, the police attempted to sway the outcome of a vote in the Senate in favour of the government by arresting three senators. Conspiring with Kenyatta to defeat the constitution has been a retinue of politicians, public officials, judges and bureaucrats. Among these is the Chief Justice, David Maraga, who has refused to ask the President to dissolve Parliament, a request the President would be constitutionally obliged to honour, over its failure to comply with a requirement not to have more than two-thirds of its membership drawn from the same gender. In fact, all three branches of government, including the judiciary itself and the Supreme Court, are technically unconstitutional having failed to adhere to the requirement. And despite famously annulling the 2017 presidential poll, the judiciary has nonetheless failed to consistently uphold constitutional standards for elections, with Supreme Court justices infamously failing to deliver a crucial ruling less than two months after the annulment; has upheld discriminatory colonial laws; and allowed the reintroduction of laws against criminal libel that it had previously ruled unconstitutional. Similarly, though guaranteed operational independence by the Constitution, the police have acted as little more than partisan enforcers And having made peace with his erstwhile rival, Raila Odinga, Kenyatta has abandoned all pretence of implementing the constitution and is instead now looking to change it. Many suspect that it may be a ploy to hang on to power when his constitutional two-term limit expires in two years time. In his book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, the late US philosopher Robert Pirsig wrote: If a factory is torn down but the rationality which produced it is left standing, then that rationality will simply produce another factory. If a revolution destroys a government, but the systematic patterns of thought that produced that government are left intact, then those patterns will repeat themselves. Clearly, this has been the case with the Kenyan state. While the constitution sought to restart the project of decolonisation aborted at independence, the job of implementing it has unfortunately been left to an elite with the same colonial patterns of thought that produced the first republic. It is a mistake Kenyans cannot afford to repeat. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance. Numerous influential pro-life groups have come out in strong support of a decision by a federal ethics board to reject 13 out of 14 applications for fetal tissue research funding, including both grants and contracts. Groups such as the National Right to Life, U.S bishops pro-life committee, and Susan B. Anthony List have lauded the Trump administration for the overwhelming decision of the ethics board. Mallory Quigby of the Susan B. Anthony List described the board's decision-making process as "a serious review of the ethical considerations surrounding use of human fetal tissue in research." The board was created by the Trump administration in 2019 to review applications for funding of fetal tissue research conducted outside of NIH facilities. In addition, the ChristianPost reported last year that HHS imposed a moratorium on all new fetal tissue research at NIH facilities. This is in addition to a $20 million research program from 2018 focused on alternative experimental models to human fetal tissue. The advisory board considered ethical questions as required by the law constituting the board. According to Science, "At least 10 of the board's 15 members have publicly opposed abortion, fetal tissue research, human embryonic stem cell research, contraception, or a combination of." Lawrence Goldstein, a neuroscientist at the University of California, San Diego, has been the only board member to come out strongly in favor of fetal tissue research. He told ScienceInsider that "excellent disease-relevant research will likely not be funded and it will not be possible to reduce the need for human fetal tissue in disease research." Currently, human fetal tissue from abortions is used for research on diseases like HIV and Alzheimer's and as testing cells for multiple candidate coronavirus vaccines. The one acceptance out of 14 proposals, by a 9-to-6 vote, was a proposal to develop an alternative to fetal tissue which used existing fetal tissue stored in a biorepository as a comparator. Current NIH guidelines for research require a fetal tissue comparator, described as the gold standard, for any research on human fetal tissue replacements and alternatives. Alex Azar, the HHS secretary, will make the final decision about whether to fund each proposal. BAKU, Azerbaijan, Aug. 27 Trend: First Vice-President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Mehriban Aliyeva has expressed her gratitude for the congratulations on the occasion of her birthday. In a post on her official Instagram page, the First Vice-President said: What pure and touching words, nice and kind wishes! So many heartfelt emotions! I thank all of you for your birthday congratulations! Thank you for your love, trust, respect, attention and sincerity! Thank you for your heartwarming emotions and words! I wish each of you and your relatives the best of health, good mood, inexhaustible love and happiness! UPDATED: There are seven new cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand today. One is an imported case in managed isolation and the other six cases are linked to the Auckland community cluster. The case at the border is a woman in her 20s who arrived in New Zealand from Turkey via London and Hong Kong. She tested positive around day three in managed isolation and is in quarantine at the Sudima in Christchurch, says Director of Public Health Dr Caroline McElnay. Of the six cases one is linked to the cluster through a workplace and the other five are household contacts of previously reported cases, she says. One of the positive cases is a student at Mount Albert Grammar school and has not been at school since August 12, says Caroline. There are 159 people linked to the Auckland cluster that have been moved to the quarantine facility including 85 people who have tested positive for Covid-19. By this morning the contact tracing team had identified 2,455 close contacts of cases, of which 2,404 have been contacted and are self-isolating, and we are in the process of contacting the rest, says Caroline. There are 10 people in hospital with the virus, two are in Auckland City, three at North Shore Hospital, four in Middlemore and one in Waikato Hospital. Two people are in intensive care, one in Middlemore and one in the North Shore. Fifteen people have now recovered from Covid-19 so the total number of active cases in New Zealand is 126 with 11 of these cases imported. The total number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 is now 1,351. Yesterday laboratories processed 9,257 tests for Covid-19, which brings the total number of tests completed to date to 719,320. There are now eight positive cases associated with the Mt Roskill Evangelical Fellowship church. Caroline is encouraging anybody who was at the services held at the church on Stoddard Road on August 8, 9 and 11 and a wedding on August 7 to isolate and seek a test. All of the eight cases have links to each other and attended common events, she says. Guidelines on mask wearing Minister of Health Chris Hipkins has provided clarification around wearing face coverings on public transport. From Monday it will be compulsory for everyone aged 12 and over to wear a face covering on public transport and planes under Alert Level 2 and above, with certain exemptions for health, disability and practicality reasons. The advice from health officials is clear the use of face coverings can reduce the risk of people spreading COVID-19, particularly where it is hard to maintain physical distance from others. Masks and face coverings do not replace physical distancing they complement other public health measures, says Hipkins. He says face coverings do not need to be worn on school buses, chartered buses or inter island ferries. They also do not need to be worn by passengers in taxis or rideshare services, but drivers will need to wear masks, he says. Drivers are not obliged to deny people entry as some people will have a legitimate reason for not wearing a mask, he says, and the minor public health gain from wearing masks in taxis and ride shares does not offset the difficulty to enforce. People with a disability will not need to wear a mask. We do not have a mask wearing culture here in New Zealand so it will take time to get used to. We ask people to wear a mask as they would a seatbelt. He says in the early stages people need to be kind and cooperative. Hipkins encourages people to have a stock of reusable masks so they can be washed between uses. EARLIER: The Minister of Health Chris Hipkins and Director of Public Health Dr Caroline McElnay will provide an update on Covid-19 at 1pm today. Yesterday there were five new cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand. Two of the community cases are a contact of known cases and one is under investigation, says Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield. There are 134 active cases of the virus and 21 of those cases are imported, this brings the total number of confirmed cases to 1344. Of the two new imported cases one is a female in her 50s and the other is a male in his 30s, both of these people are in the quarantine facility in Auckland. There are 2422 close contacts of the community cluster identified and 2368 of those people have been contacted, he says. Five people associated with the Mt Roskill Evangelical Fellowship church have tested positive, says Ashley. Anyone who was at the services held at the church on Stoddard Road on August 8, 9 and 11 and a wedding on August 7 should be isolating and seek a test, he says. There are 163 people linked to the Auckland cluster that have been moved to the quarantine facility including 90 people who have tested positive, says Ashley. There are nine people receiving hospital care for Covid-19, two of these people are in Auckland City, three are in North Shore with one of these people in ICU. There are four people in Middlemore Hospital and two of these people are in ICU in a critical condition. Yesterday there were 8559 test processed which brings the total number of tests done so far to 710,063. Dutch Government Formally Accepts Complaints From Uyghur Exiles Over Chinese Intimidation 2020-08-26 -- The Dutch government has formally accepted complaints from nearly five dozen ethnic Uyghur Dutch nationals living in the Netherlands detailing what they say are direct threats and intimidation by representatives of the Chinese police and Beijing, according to members of the group. Three representatives of the 58 Uyghurs met with staff from the Dutch Ministry of Justice and Security in The Hague for nearly an hour on Monday, during which the latter accepted the complaints that were initially made beginning in May last year, East Turkestan Union in the Netherlands secretary Ablet Bekri, who attended the meeting, told RFA's Uyghur Service. The complaints detail calls from Chinese state security threatening Uyghursthought to number around 1,500 in the Netherlandswith the detention of family members back home in China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) unless they end their activism abroad, he said. Authorities are believed to have held up to 1.8 million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in a network of internment camps in the region since April 2017, and the Uyghur diaspora has rallied to call attention to the abuses. According to Bekri, the Justice Ministry staff assured the Uyghur representatives that threats made by China to any Dutch citizen are in "violation of Dutch law" and pledged to investigate the claims. He said they had since forwarded the complaints on to Dutch diplomats with the recommendation that they hold formal talks with Chinese counterparts over the allegations. "They said that the Dutch government absolutely cannot accept it and that it's a serious violation of Dutch law that cannot take place on Dutch soil, so they are going to take it very seriously," he said. "They already submitted a report to the Foreign Ministry and will also use diplomatic means from here on out to urge the Chinese government not to threaten Dutch Uyghurs." The meeting between Uyghur activists and the Justice Ministry came days before talks between Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Wednesday in The Hague. Blok said ahead of his meeting with Wang that he would also discuss concerns about the treatment of Uyghurs in the XUAR, according to a report by the Associated Press. Dutch lawmaker Martijn van Helvert said at a press conference with two Uyghur activists on Wednesday that the Dutch government "must be clear that there can be no resumption of 'business as usual' with Beijing while the persecution of Uyghur Muslims, Christians and other religious and ethnic minorities in China continues," the report said. Dutch Justice Ministry and Foreign Ministry officials were not immediately available for comment on the discussion of Monday's meeting, while RFA was unable to contact Chinese Foreign Ministry officials about Dutch Uyghur claims of intimidation. Threatening phone calls Obulqasim Hajim, president of the East Turkestan Union in the Netherlands, was also among the three who met with Justice Ministry officials on Monday. He told RFA that he had submitted his own complaint about Chinese intimidation, recounting that in 2015, Chinese authorities had tried to contact him by phone through his family members. "[The authorities] were putting pressure on my family to get me to speak with them, and so my family called me," he said. "In the end, I told my family that I wasn't going to talk with [the authorities], even if they tried to force me. I told them [the authorities] should call me themselves. They called me, and because I responded very angrily and rudely to them, they detained my dad." Hajim said his father, who was 60 years old at the time, later died in detention. "Over the next year or two, through various means, I heard that three of my younger brothers were all in jail," he said. According to Hajim, it took more than a year to compile and submit all 58 complaints, in part because group members did not fully understand the extent of the situation in the XUAR and why Chinese authorities were threatening them. Additionally, he said, some members also faced a language barrier and other issues. However, with a substantial number of reports now archived in official records, he recommended that "anyone who receives threats should file a complaint." "If they simply identify themselves as Uyghur, [the Dutch authorities] will process it immediately," he said. "They'll accept the complaint if [the Uyghurs] just describe what has happened." Global precedent Asiye Uyghur, a Uyghur advocate and Dutch citizen who said she has also faced threats from Chinese authorities, told RFA that she and others had regularly organized trips to police stations to report on instances of intimidation in the lead up to Monday's meeting. She suggested that the complaints as well as the Justice Ministry report on the allegations could set "an important precedent" for members of the global Uyghur diaspora, many of whom say they too have been subjected to threats by Chinese government representatives looking to silence activists campaigning for the ethnic group abroad. "This is the first step in Europe toward Uyghurs protecting their own rights, no matter their citizenship and it needs to become more widespread," she said. "We're living abroad, in foreign countries, and many of us are not Chinese citizens anymore. We have foreign citizenship. Whatever country we're living in, all of us have rights as citizens bestowed by the laws of those countries." Uyghur said she and others have a duty to "expose" efforts by China to repress the Uyghur community outside of its borders. "For the Chinese government extending its 'black arm' abroad, threatening, intimidating, and interfering in the lives of Uyghurs living in the free world, is a frightening and unacceptable offense," she said. "This must be exposed to the world. By exposing it, we are exposing China's shameful behavior and trampling of human rights." Reported by Mihray Abdilim for RFA's Uyghur Service. Translated by Elise Anderson. Written in English by Joshua Lipes. 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. NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Humanists International Campaigns blog by Narendra Nayak, President of the Federation of Indian Rationalist Association (FIRA) 20 August 2020 It was the late activist, rationalist, writer and founder of the Federation of Indian Rationalist Associations Basava Premanand who told me about Narendra Dhabholkar. Premanand was saying how a doctor gave up his career to devote himself to the rationalist movement. He was the leading light of the Maharashtra Andh Shraddha Nirmulan Samithi a an organization devoted to debunking superstition a and he firmly believed that one should lead from the front. My friend Dr. Narendra Dhabolkar was a very soft-spoken, kind-hearted person. His amicable personality and pleasant manners hid his steely determination and his meticulous attention to detail. His powers of persuasion were legendary. Every time I met him he would be busy meeting some minister or member of the legislative assembly or some other influential public figure with one single objective a to get his brainchild, the so-called Anti-Superstition Bill, made into law. While Narendra was a rationalist himself, he would tell people that it is alright if you want to worship Ganapathi (the famous elephant god whose festival comes up once a year and is celebrated with much fanfare in his home state Maharashtra) but make sure that the celebration of Ganapathi does not cause littering. He would say acelebrate Diwali (the Indian Hindu festival of lights), but do not waste money on fireworks. Donate it to a good cause.a Narendra was a social reformer who joined the rationalist movement to use it as a tool for social reform. He was an atheist working for social reform when he met Premanand on his tours and thought that FIRAas way of campaigning is a good way to reach the people. Busily immersed in his activities he gave up his medical practice to devote all his time to the eradication of superstitions, publications, travels and organizing activities. He used a number of techniques to convey the message of rational thinking to the public a mainly targeting younger people. I remember him driving around the state of Maharashtra in a bus all year round setting up exhibitions outside schools where the communicators would interact with the children to promote scientific skepticism using models, demonstrations and videos. I can recall how extremely enthusiastic Narendra was about this program. He could tell you exactly where it would be on any particular day of any month, a year in advance! While at Narendraas office, some of the senior members of his organization had called me aside and asked me whether I had any objections if he were to be sent to work at the national level alongside me to achieve our movementas goal of developing scientific temper and humanism in India. aObjections?a I retorted, aI would be very, very happy because that would be of great help!a For decades I was the one who would travel the length and breadth of the country conducting workshops and lectures all over. Anyone coming to join would be great, especially a knowledgeable person and a meticulous planner like him. Narendra with all his patience and persuasion managed to get the Anti-Superstition Bill passed in the legislative assembly in December 2006. It was the first one of its kind in India making many practices of black magic, exorcism and a number of superstitious exploitative practices criminal offences. However, the bill was blocked in the legislative council a the second house of the legislature a by those who thought it would affect their superstitious exploitation of others. The Maharashtra Anti-Superstition and Black Magic Act only passed into law after Narendraas death; six days after Narendraas murder, in fact, and came into force the following December. The bill was probably the last straw for those who wanted to get rid of us. It was not that Narendra was alone on the hit list. The rightist reactionary forces have always been against us. In fact, Narendra had been offered police protection, which he had refused. He had invited me to the city Pune to speak at the 20th Anniversary of his organization in 2009. When I landed at Pune Airport he was waiting at the bus stop to meet me and I asked him why he was there in a public space without any protection. At that time I was not under threat and was traveling freely all over and all alone. He gave his classic reply a aIf I agree to police protection they will kill some other member of our organization. It is better I be the victim than someone else!a These words were to be prophetic. Narendra was an ambitious man. When I asked him how he felt about working with me at the national level, he replied that he would join me after he successfully had established a branch of his organization in every single village in western Maharashtra. But he said he wanted to do one other thing for which he said I would have to help him. He said he had successfully organized conferences up to the national level and he wanted to organize an international one and wanted my ideas. But, that was never to happen in his lifetime. We did manage to arrange an international conference on the topic Rationality for Humanity in 2019, six years after Narendra passed away. In the month of August 2013 I was conducting an advanced workshop on the development of scientific temper in Bengaluru. On 20 August, in the middle of the workshop, Dr. Sudesh Ghoderao, a member of Narendraas organization and a participant of the workshop informed me of the tragic news that Narendra had been shot and it was very serious. An hour or so later, we got the message that he was no more. On the very next day, we gathered to discuss how we could protest the murder and continue his legacy. During that meeting, Gauri Lankesh a known for her advocacy of freedom of press and a critic of the caste system a and I put forward a proposal that our home state of Karnataka too should have a law like the one passed in Maharashtra thanks to Narendra. Little did we know that our proposal would have a bearing on our lives too. This proposal was picked up by two of the top law institutes in the state. Within months drafts were ready and presented to the government. The meetings on the final drafts were presided over by Dr. M.M. Kalburgi. In the meanwhile, on 20 February 2015, Govind Pansare, an activist encouraging inter-caste marriages, was shot in front of his residence. Though he was a representative of the Communist Party and the trade union movement to a larger extent than a representative of our movement, he was, like Narendra, a thorn in the flesh for the Hindu right-wingers. This was followed by the murder of M.M. Kalburgi in August. M.M. Kalburgi had presided over the release of the final draft of the proposed Karnataka Anti-Black Magic Act. There was a meeting arranged for a number of progressive organizations that wanted to lobby the government into passing the proposed legislation. In that meeting I was asked to speak to the ministers of the Karnataka government. I asked them as to when such legislation would be passed. I said aNarendraas murder prompted our ask for an Anti-Superstition law and Kalburgi, who presided over the final draft, has also been murded. aHow many more of us would you like to be killed before you pass it?a , I asked. The ministers seemed very upset and both of them made some reconciliatory noises! In March, 2017 someone attempted to attack me but I escaped; I had been provided with a police bodyguard since June 2016 I had gone out without him early in the morning thinking that nothing would happen and I had a providential escape. The guards were increased from then onwards. This was publicized in the media and I remember Gauri Lankesh calling me and telling me to take care. When I asked her about herself she replied that such things would not happen to her. But within a few months she was proved wrong. On 5 September 2017 she was gunned down. The Anti-Black Magic Act based on the proposal Gauri Lankesh and I pushed, was passed in the legislative assembly in Karnataka two months after her death. The murder of Gauri Lankesh caused an uproar in Karnataka. The state government set up a task force to investigate the crime. The results were surprising. A Hindu extremist organization had set up a sort of gang of killers to eliminate those whom they thought were their enemies. Besides those whom they had already eliminated they also had a hit list with around 20 people on it a many of them engaged in the fight against superstition. Girish Karnad, an eminent playwright and author, was on that list. He had led FIRAas delegation to the office of the Chief Minister of Karnataka to request him to pass the Anti-Black Magic Bill into law. There was professor K. S. Bhagawan who used to speak against superstitions. Head of a Hindu monastery, Veerbhadra Chennamalla Swamy, who had organized meetings to force the government into enacting the law, was also on the list. My name was on there too. The dates for eliminating us were also fixed along with the hitmen assigned to each. We were all placed under police protection. The effect of these attacks has been one of fear, not just among those listed, but also among human rights activists and progressive thinkers. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown the necessity of an Anti-Superstition Bill in all Indian states as we see an increase in placebo dispensers, concoctions of various types being sold and, vendors of quack remedies crawling out of the woodwork. Narendra Dhabholkar, Gauri Lankesh, Govind Pansare and M.M. Kalburgi are just a few individuals who have been killed for promoting rationalism, anti-superstition, fighting the caste system and defending human rights, and their voices have been missed in 2020. The rationalist movement is still working hard to honour them, and we continue to fight for anti-superstition legislation in all states across this sub-continent. Today marks the 7th anniversary of my friend Narendra Dhabholkaras murder. The hostile right-wing reactionaries are still a constant in our lives. However, Narendra Dhabolkarsas murder was not in vain. The movement has been rejuvenated, younger people are joining in, and thankfully, a number of charlatans have been prosecuted under the Anti-Superstition Black- Magic Act in Maharashtra. With the Central government showing inability to compensate states for revenue losses as per the agreed formula under Goods and Services Tax (GST), the question is whether the two sides can find a middle path between GST and the older tax regime where states had more say on the revenue collected. As the GST Council is scheduled to meet for the 41st time today to especially discuss the issue of gap between compensation requirements of the states and collection from compensation cess, non-BJP ruled states have made their anger clear over the Centre's inordinate delay in paying GST compensation. Even as states and Centre are likely to deliberate on finding ways to fill the compensation gap, some states have called for more say in ways to raise GST collection if the Centre fails to compensate them. In a meeting of non-BJP chief ministers yesterday, Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray called for ways to find a middle path between GST and the older tax regime. Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy advocated for states to have power to decide GST rates if the Centre fails to compensate. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said in the meeting that the Centre had not paid Rs 4,100 crore due to the state since March, while Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said that the state is facing Rs 28,000 crore drop in revenue collection in 2020-21. Amid all this, the GST Council meeting is likely to discuss ways to fill the compensation gap. While one of the ideas is to allow the GST Council to borrow from the market, the council might also explore the possibility of raising compensation cess on some goods or bringing new goods under the compensation cess. The central government had last released GST compensation of Rs 13,806 crore to states for March 2020. The total compensation paid to the states in 2019-20 was Rs 1,65,302 crore whereas the amount of cess collected during the period was Rs 95,444 crore, a shortfall of Rs 70,000 crore. This shortfall was made good by digging into the balance of cess amount collected during 2017-18 and 2018-19. In addition, Centre had transferred Rs 33,412 crore from Consolidated Fund of India to the Compensation Fund as part of an exercise to apportion balance of IGST pertaining to 2017-18. As per the provisions of GST law, the Centre would compensate states for loss of revenue due to introduction of GST for the first five years (2017-2022). The loss to revenue is calculated assuming a 14 per cent growth per annum on the base year figure of 2015-16 of the taxes subsumed in GST. Also read: GST meet: Congress tells Centre to compensate states fully for Rs 6 lakh crore revenue loss Also read: Centre-states tiff over compensation to make for a heated GST Council meet The authors of the report, Steven T. Dunham and Robert S. Wilson, analyzed 77 unique missile systems already deployed or in flight testing in China, Iran, North Korea and Russia. Though they are all described as ballistic missiles, only 26 of them actually fit the classic definition a missile that follows a predictable parabolic arc after its launch and doesnt maneuver to change course midflight. The rest have some ability to maneuver after launch and many can deviate significantly from their ballistic trajectories. WINSTON SALEM, N.C., Aug. 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- R.J. Reynolds Vapor Company ("RJRVC") today announced its new consumer-focused e-commerce website for the VELO brand, https://shop.velo.com. The platform is designed to enable age 21+ adult nicotine consumers (ANCs) to identify and purchase the modern oral products they are looking for. The new https://shop.velo.com site is designed to be engaging and informative. Through the site, age 21+ adult nicotine consumers will have the opportunity to learn about VELO products; interact with the brand and engage across channels; and now shop online to purchase their ideal modern oral product. As part of VELO's continued commitment to responsibility, the site will continue to require robust third-party age verification prior to purchase. "Today's adult nicotine consumers are looking for unique products that fit their modern-day lives, so VELO offers a portfolio of product options with adult nicotine consumer moments in mind," said Amy Harp, vice president digital marketing and e-commerce. "Our proven ability to develop a range of enjoyable alternatives to traditional combustibles is a testament to our deep understanding of our consumers and our team's ability to deliver." The release of the e-commerce website marks a major step for the Company's digital-first initiative to reach adult nicotine consumers where they are. "This website was developed thoughtfully and diligently to meet our high standards for responsible marketing while delivering sought-after product access for our adult nicotine consumers," said Harp. VELO also remains available for purchase online at www.vuse.com. For more information about VELO and the full VELO product portfolio, please visit www.velo.com. About VELO/R.J. Reynolds Vapor Company VELO is the industry-leading modern oral nicotine brand globally, and VELO-branded products in the United States are designed to provide adult tobacco consumers with innovative, enjoyable alternatives to traditional combustible and smokeless tobacco. VELO products are marketed in the United States by R.J. Reynolds Vapor Company ("RJRVC"), an operating company of Reynolds American Inc., a member of the British American Tobacco Group. RJRVC remains committed to responsibly marketing VELO products. To learn more about R.J. Reynolds Vapor Company, please visit www.rjrvapor.com. To learn more about VELO, please visit www.velo.com. Engage Socially Twitter: https://twitter.com/RAI_News LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/rj-reynolds/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ReynoldsAmericanInc SOURCE R.J. Reynolds Vapor Company Related Links http://www.velo.com The family of London teenager Nora Quoirin asked Malaysian police to look into several leads on the missing girl from overseas psychics, an inquest has heard. One of the theories purported from the spiritual mediums claimed the 15-year-old was trapped in a van, a police officer told the Coroners Court Thursday. The body of Nora, who had learning difficulties, was discovered unclothed on August 13 last year after a massive hunt through the rainforest. The body of 15-year-old Nora Quoirin (pictured in a family photo), who had learning difficulties, was discovered unclothed on August 13 last year after a massive hunt A map shows the Dusun Resort near Seremban in Malaysia where Nora disappeared last year Police insist there was no foul play but her parents - who believe there was criminal involvement, as they say she would not have wandered off alone - pushed for an inquest and authorities agreed. Nora was reported missing on August 4, a day after she arrived with her parents at the Dusan Resort near Seremban, about 40 miles southeast of Kuala Lumpur. While the authorities were looking for the missing girl, a friend of Noras uncle received purported messages from relatives through WhatsApp, Chong Mee Chyi, Assistant Superintendent from Negri Sembilan Criminal Investigation Departments Sexual, Women and Child Investigations Division (D11), said before Coroner Maimoonah Aid. Chong, who testified as the fourth witness at the inquest, was the appointed liaison officer between the family and the police at the time of Noras disappearance, according to Malay Mail. On August 8, 2019, I was on standby at The Dusun resort and the family informed me that they had received several instant messages from spiritual mediums said to be based overseas who were willing to provide their assistance, Chong said. Parents Meabh and Sebastien demanded an inquest after arguing their daughter would not have wandered off. They are pictured calling for their daughter with a megaphone last year One of them, Dominic, who was a friend of Quoirins uncle, then showed me the WhatsApp message he received from people claiming to have spiritual powers which I duly noted down and that he asked if we could look into the locations listed, the officer added. The first of the three messages claimed that Nora was being followed by someone from the airport and that she was still alive. The second lead indicated that she was held nearby The Dusun resort as the girl was in fear of her life and in need of her mother. The last message said that the teenager was trapped in a van located at the south-western part of the jungle near The Dusun resort. Police officers searching for Nora in the jungle surrounding the Dusan Resort in August, 2019 A general view shows the Seremban courthouse building in Seremban on August 24, 2020 - A Malaysian coroner opened an inquest on August 24 into the death of the London teenager All of the messages were subsequently submitted to the search-and-rescue operation control centre for further action, according to the liaison officer. Chong said the authorities had conducted their follow-up before receiving the messages. The officer said she had gone to Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) on August 6, 2019, to obtain closed-circuit television footage of the familys arrival to probe for possible criminal elements. Nora was found nine days later by a civilian search team on a palm-oil plantation around 1.5 miles from the resort. An autopsy found that she probably starved and died of internal bleeding after spending about a week in the dense rainforest. The inquest is scheduled to conclude on September 18. Monthly plug-in-vehicle sales and year-on-year growth rates Source: www.ev-volumes.com Source: www.ev-volumes.com Nickel Industry Cost Curve Source: Wood Mackenzie Source: Wood Mackenzie Global Car Industry Awakens to the Sunrise of a Green Metals Age Resumption of Electric Vehicle Sales Growth to Drive Unprecedented Demand for Nickel and Cobalt Preliminary Study Results Confirm Long Life, Low Cost, Development Ready Asset Clean TeQ Fully Committed to Sunrise Development for Auto Supply Chains MELBOURNE, Australia, Aug. 27, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Co-Chairman, Robert Friedland, and CEO, Sam Riggall, of Clean TeQ Holdings Limited (Clean TeQ or Company) (ASX/TSX:CLQ; OTCQX:CTEQF) provide the following update on the Sunrise Nickel-Cobalt-Scandium Project. ELECTRIC VEHICLE MARKET UPDATE Despite significant economic uncertainty created by COVID-19, global electric vehicle sales surged in June and July and are, again, back to a healthy growth trajectory, supported by government policy initiatives across the world. Offsetting the decline in Chinese electric vehicle sales in the first half of 2020, European sales have been surprisingly strong, as carmakers prepare to release a number of new electric models to the market. For the first time, Europe overtook China as the worlds largest market, with over half a million plug-in electric vehicles sold in the first half of 2020. Governments across Europe are introducing stimulus plans that will provide momentum for electric vehicle adoption in the wake of COVID-19, supported by a mix of tightening emissions standards and subsidies to drive consumer demand. These initiatives are expected to result in demand rebounding strongly in 2021. Benchmark Minerals, a leading industry forecaster for the battery materials sector, anticipates global battery demand to reach almost 800 GWh by 2025 (166 GWh in 2020), with a 37% CAGR, requiring nickel consumption in batteries to grow from 140kt in 2020 to 570kt in 2025. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/335fe425-b8e8-4258-a371-d6258b841780 Story continues In response, we have seen carmakers actively restructuring their businesses and supply chains to accommodate the new reality of electrification. Auto companies are investing to secure battery manufacturing capacity and capability (for example, Volkswagens acquisition of a 26.5% stake in Chinese battery manufacturer Guoxuan High-Tech Co Ltd). Similarly, OEMs - such as Tesla and BMW - are contracting directly with mining companies to secure raw materials from low risk jurisdictions that meet minimum ethical and sustainability criteria. The clear trend is to increasing integration across the supply chain. On the supply side for raw materials, COVID-19 has pushed back and delayed several China-financed nickel developments in Indonesia due to a combination of labour constraints in construction and, in some cases, community opposition. Outside Indonesia, almost no new nickel capacity is being developed. While cobalt markets remain well balanced, the Mutanda mine in the DRC, which represents 20% of world capacity, remains in care and maintenance due to low cobalt prices, while customers actively seek non-DRC supply options. We are sitting at the foot of an enormous wave that is gathering momentum, said Mr Friedland. The transition to cleaner and more efficient forms of energy is inexorable. It always has been. What is rarely understood is the profound impact these transitions have on supply chains and raw materials. In renewable energy, the global mining industry has yet to fathom the scale of the challenge it faces. And, at least for now, it fails to comprehend the strategic significance of assets, like Sunrise, that are critical to enabling these new energy technologies. Sunrise is a template for how you build the mine of the future for emerging, technology-driven, markets. If a company like Tesla can clearly articulate its concerns please mine more environmentally-friendly nickel - its now for the mining industry to determine whether it can deliver a solution. SUNRISE INTERIM STUDY RESULTS As previously advised, the Company will release the final outcomes for its Project Execution Plan (PEP) at the end of September 2020, including a full economic evaluation of the Project. It will incorporate the latest engineering and design work based on updated material quantities, vendor pricing and labour costs. In the Companys FY20 full-year financial results, a review of the carrying value of the Sunrise Project assets was undertaken, resulting in an impairment. The review was based on a best estimate of probable outcomes from the studies currently underway and incorporated conservative macroeconomic assumptions, including forecast metal prices, as required by applicable accounting standards. Those macroeconomic assumptions included a 15% nominal post-tax discount rate and forecast prices of US$7.30/lb for nickel, US$21.60/lb for cobalt, US$1,500/kg for scandium oxide and an AUD/USD rate of 0.70. As flagged in the Companys release of 31 July 2020, the likely higher capital development cost and longer development schedule also impacted negatively on the review of the carrying value of the assets. Despite the accounting impairment, the Company remains extremely confident that Sunrise is an exceptionally unique and strategic asset whose inherent value is not based on its book value, but on its large-scale, long-life resource, its low cost of production and its highly advantageous sustainability credentials compared to other potential sources of supply. When the final outcomes of the PEP are announced in late September 2020, the Company will base the Projects economic analysis on assumptions consistent with market convention and metal price forecasts by a third-party independent expert. These price forecasts will reflect the prices required to incentivise new projects to satisfy forecast demand. It is worth noting that independent long-term price forecasts for nickel and cobalt have generally strengthened over the past year due to a challenging supply outlook, improved confidence in electric vehicle uptake and an increasing awareness of procurement risks. The key economic assumptions to be adopted in the Projects financial assessment will be: Discount rate (2020 real) 8% Long-term nickel sulphate price (USD/t NiSO 4 ) ~$5,300 Long-term LME nickel metal equivalent price (USD/t Ni) ~$21,900 Long-term cobalt sulphate price (USD/t CoSO 4 ) ~$12,200 Long-term LME cobalt metal equivalent price (USD/t Co) ~$59,500 Scandium oxide price (USD/kg) $1,500 AUD/USD rate 0.70 Note: Prices quoted are in 2020 real terms. LME nickel metal equivalent price excludes a $1/lb Ni sulphate premium. Assumes a 22% nickel metal equivalent content in NiSO4 and a 20.5% cobalt metal equivalent content in CoSO4. Based on these economic assumptions the financial outcomes of the PEP are expected to remain very robust, positioning the Sunrise asset as one of the lowest cost producers of nickel and cobalt in the world. The current best estimates for the Project over the first 25 years of mine life, which formed the basis of the impairment test, are detailed below. Note that the PEP deliverables are not yet complete, and these estimated outcomes may be subject to material change by the time final results are released in late September 2020. Capital Cost The current best estimate of the pre-production capital development cost is approximately US$1.99 billion, including contingency. This represents an approximately one-third increase on the 2018 DFS estimate, driven by a number of factors: Engineering and design scope changes to de-risk the plant and supporting infrastructure, and to ensure successful ramp-up. Variations to materials of construction, designs to enhance ease of access for plant maintenance and increases in equipment redundancy at key process interfaces. Updating the refinery design to enable refining of primary, intermediate and secondary (recycled) metal. Construction of a longer power line from the regional centre of Parkes to site. The connection to the NSW electrical grid at Parkes is an important enabler for providing options for 100% renewable power supply. Escalation of indirect costs, particularly schedule-dependent assumptions such as labour rates and productivity, construction methodology and workforce requirements. The current estimate of capital intensity for Sunrise has been benchmarked, using publicly available data, against the construction cost and actual production capacity of a number of successfully operating nickel/cobalt plants of similar scale in Australia, Philippines, Cuba and Papua New Guinea. While Sunrises capital intensity, at US$56k/t Ni-equivalent, sits at the higher end of that comparable range, it is worth noting that the Project incorporates a number of safety, environmental and operability design features that differentiate it substantially from other assets in the industry. Production The current best estimate of mining, processing, production and sales forecasts are: Physicals Average Annual Years 2-11 Average Annual Years 2-25 Ore mined (tonnes)1 5,531,402 3,325,140 Ore mill feed (tonnes)2 2,572,146 2,655,361 Nickel grade: mill feed 0.91% 0.77% Cobalt grade: mill feed 0.19% 0.13% Ore PAL feed (tonnes) 2,472,566 2,488,875 Nickel grade: PAL feed 0.93% 0.80% Cobalt grade: PAL feed 0.19% 0.14% Nickel recovery: PAL feed 92.50% 92.35% Cobalt recovery: PAL feed 91.09% 90.88% Production and Sales Average Annual Years 2-11 Average Annual Years 2-25 Nickel Sulphate (tonnes) 96,753 83,596 Cobalt Sulphate (tonnes) 20,916 15,245 Nickel metal content (tonnes) 21,286 18,391 Cobalt metal content (tonnes) 4,351 3,171 Scandium recovered as Sc(OH)3 (Kg)3 25,098 24,409 Scandium oxide sold (Kg)4 9,600 15,667 Ammonium sulphate (tonnes) 60,306 50,462 1 The optimised mine plan involves stockpiling of intermediate material in early years for processing in later years. 2 Ore is beneficiated to remove barren silica prior to being introduced to the autoclave. 3 Scandium is recovered as a by-product of nickel and cobalt production initially as a scandium hydroxide concentrate which is stored on-site until required for conversion to scandium oxide. The figures quoted are scandium oxide (Sc2O3) equivalent. 4 Scandium hydroxide stored on-site is refined and sold to order. The Company has assumed sales of scandium oxide will ramp-up progressively from 2 tonnes per annum in year 3 to 20 tonnes per annum by year 10. Operating costs Sunrise is designed to deliver some of the lowest cost metal units into the global battery supply chain. Supported by an integrated mining/refining operation and strong by-product credits, Sunrise is targeting first quartile nickel production costs over its 40-year mine life. The current best estimate of the Projects operating costs, which are subject to on-going revision through the completion of the PEP phase, are: Production and Sales US$/lb Ni Years 2-11 US$/lb Ni Years 2-25 C1 Operating Costs (before by-products) 4.42 4.76 By-product credits Cobalt Credits (5.81) (4.65) Scandium Credits (0.31) (0.58) Ammonium Sulphate Credits (0.17) (0.16) Total By-product credits (6.28) (5.39) Total C1 cost net of by-product credits (1.86) (0.63) Note: By-product credits based on US$59,512/t Co (metal equivalent), US$1,500/kg Sc2O3 and US$130/t amsul. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e4f160b5-64f0-4900-a007-effc6b9dee0a Schedule Work continues to optimise the construction and ramp-up schedule. The current best estimate remains an engineering, procurement and construction schedule from signing of an EPCM contract to first production of approximately three years, followed by a 24-month ramp-up to full production. FUNDING AND DEVELOPMENT COVID-19 has presented difficult conditions for financial markets and challenges for funding new projects. Pleasingly, though, engagement with the automotive sector on Sunrise remains on-going, despite these challenges. It will take time for automotive supply chains to adapt to a new reality. Some OEMs are making that transition faster than others and some, like Tesla, are beginning to understand the enormity of the raw material challenges, particularly for nickel and cobalt. At some point, significant investments need to be made in new mining capacity if electric vehicles are to become anything more than a niche market. To date, at least in nickel and cobalt, the mining industry has not been prepared to make that investment. While the timing for completion of a transaction is not possible to forecast, Clean TeQ will continue to engage with potential partners across the supply chain. As Mr Riggall noted, We are fully committed to developing Sunrise. We are also prepared to be patient and to wait for market conditions to improve. We have been extremely focused the past few years, completing a comprehensive program of test work and studies, obtaining key project approvals and securing the resource. The result is a construction-ready, multi-decade asset producing some of the lowest cost nickel and cobalt units in the industry, designed to support well over 1 million electric cars per year. Following release of the final PEP study results at the end of September, the Company will host a webcast for investors to review the Sunrise study results. UPDATE ON FUTURE SITE EXPLORATION ACTIVITIES In coming weeks, the Company will update the market on a work program intended to test the deeper mineral potential of Sunrise. While the Sunrise laterite hosts over 1,000,000 ounces of platinum,5 no drilling campaign has ever been undertaken to test the source of this metal below the laterite. 5 For full details see the ASX announcement dated 9 October 2017 As Mr Friedland noted, It is difficult to think of a better walk-up drill target in Australia than the Sunrise dunite, with over one million ounces of platinum already defined at surface and a handful of historic drill holes intercepting high grade platinum in bedrock, but never adequately followed up. The Sunrise resource may have a lot more to give. For more information, please contact: Ben Stockdale, CFO and Investor Relations +61 3 9797 6700 This announcement is authorised for release to the market by the Board of Directors of Clean TeQ Holdings Limited. About Clean TeQ Holdings Limited (ASX/TSX: CLQ) Based in Melbourne, Australia, Clean TeQ is a global leader in metals recovery and industrial water treatment through the application of its proprietary Clean-iX continuous ion exchange technology. For more information about Clean TeQ please visit the Companys website www.cleanteq.com. About the Clean TeQ Sunrise Project Clean TeQ is the 100% owner of the Clean TeQ Sunrise Project, located in New South Wales. Clean TeQ Sunrise is one of the largest cobalt deposits outside of Africa, and one of the largest and highest-grade accumulations of scandium ever discovered. About Clean TeQ Water Through its wholly owned subsidiary Clean TeQ Water, Clean TeQ is also providing innovative wastewater treatment solutions for removing hardness, desalination, nutrient removal and zero liquid discharge. The sectors of focus include municipal wastewater, surface water, industrial waste water and mining waste water. For more information about Clean TeQ Water please visit www.cleanteqwater.com. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS Certain statements in this news release constitute forward-looking statements or forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause actual results, performance or achievements of the Company or industry results, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or information. Such statements can be identified by the use of words such as may, would, could, will, intend, expect, believe, plan, anticipate, estimate, scheduled, forecast, predict and other similar terminology, or state that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, might or will be taken, occur or be achieved. These statements reflect the Companys current expectations regarding future events, performance and results, and speak only as of the date of this new release. Statements in this news release that constitute forward-looking statements or information include, but are not limited to, statements regarding: the completion of the Sunrise Project Execution Plan; financing of the Sunrise Project; the outlook for electric vehicle markets and demand for nickel and cobalt; the EPCM and ramp-up schedule and capital development cost for the Sunrise Project; production volumes and production cost and sustainability of Sunrise metal production. Readers are cautioned that actual results may vary from those presented. All such forward-looking information and statements are based on certain assumptions and analyses made by Clean TeQs management in light of their experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors management believe are appropriate in the circumstances. These statements, however, 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 information or statements including, but not limited to, unexpected changes in laws, rules or regulations, or their enforcement by applicable authorities; the failure of parties to contracts to perform as agreed; changes in commodity prices; unexpected failure or inadequacy of infrastructure, or delays in the development of infrastructure, and the failure of exploration programs or other studies to deliver anticipated results or results that would justify and support continued studies, development or operations. Other important factors that could cause actual results to differ from these forward-looking statements also include those described under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's most recently filed Annual Information Form available under its profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information or statements. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon what management of the Company believes are reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot assure investors that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release and are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. Subject to applicable securities laws, the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise the forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this news release. Democratic presidential nominee former Vice President Joe Biden gives a thank you speech with supporters during the virtual 2020 Democratic National Convention on Aug. 18, 2020. (Handout/DNCC via Getty Images) Biden Promises to Use Big Stick of Federal Money to Abolish Suburbs News Analysis If voters elect Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden to the nations highest office in November, those who live in Americas suburbs could be in for a rude awakening early in 2021. Within the Biden campaign websites description of the former vice presidents housing policy positions and promises is this statement on eliminating local and state housing regulations that perpetuate discrimination in the suburbs of Americas great cities: Exclusionary zoning has for decades been strategically used to keep people of color and low-income families out of certain communities. As President, Biden will enact legislation requiring any state receiving federal dollars through the Community Development Block Grants or Surface Transportation Block Grants to develop a strategy for inclusionary zoning, as proposed in the HOME Act of 2019 by House Majority Whip [James] Clyburn [D-S.C.] and Sen. Cory Booker [D-N.J.]. Biden will also invest $300 million in Local Housing Policy Grants to give states and localities the technical assistance and planning support they need to eliminate exclusionary zoning policies and other local regulations that contribute to sprawl. The Biden promises would use the big stick of withholding federal funds from states that refuse to repeal zoning regulations, with special emphasis on ending single-family housing. If implemented as promised, the Biden housing plan would revive and expand President Barack Obamas Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) regulation recently repealed by President Donald Trump and Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Ben Carson. Trump and Carson recognized AFFH would end local zoning and give federal bureaucrats at HUD unprecedented power to decide where and how every new home, church, and business in America would be built. Behind the concerns about housing discrimination and suburban sprawl is a powerful regulatory tool for reviving the high-density, urban-style development policies of AFFH, Stanley Kurtz, Ethics and Public Policy Center senior fellow, told The Epoch Times on Aug. 27. The main danger is that if Biden is elected, he will reinstate AFFH, which he has promised to do, and hes promised to do even more than that, Kurtz said. Biden will reconstitute AFFH, and not only that, but add additional policies to push the same things AFFH was pushing but in ways that are even harder to avoid. A spokesman for the Biden campaign didnt immediately respond to an emailed request for comment from The Epoch Times. A recently published analysis by Chase Martin, a visiting fellow at the Florida-based Opportunity Solutions Project (OSP), notes that the Biden plan adds to AFFH by taking advantage of the desperate financial straits many states face, due to increasing Medicaid costs. In 2000, Medicaid spending consumed just under 20 percent of state budgets nationwide. Unfortunately, those welfare expenditures are now consuming roughly 30 percent of state budget expenses nationally and have reached nearly 40 percent in some states, notably Pennsylvania and Ohio, Martin wrote in the OSP report. Aggressive implementation of the Biden plan could wreak social and economic havoc in heavily suburbanized Pennsylvania and Ohio, two of the key battlegrounds in the 2020 presidential election. But it isnt just Pennsylvania and Ohio, as more than 4.2 million miles of infrastructure roads are maintained by state governments nationwide, and funding for repairs and new construction is increasingly threatened by rising Medicaid costs. Road maintenance alone represents 150,000 jobs nationwide, according to Martin. Ultimately, under Bidens rezoning policy, states already handcuffed by inflating Medicaid costs would be left with the difficult choice between losing billions of dollars in federal funds and tearing their suburbs apart, according to Martin. Using federal highway funds, as Biden proposes, to force national policies on state and local governments was rarely used until President Richard Nixon utilized it to create the 55-mph national speed limit during the 1974 gasoline crisis. The same tactic was used by a year later to impose universal mandatory use of motorcycle helmets and by President Ronald Reagan to raise the national drinking age to 21 in 1984. Despite widespread public disobedience, it wasnt until 20 years later that the double nickel and the helmet laws were repealed, in 1995, as part of the Contract with America revolution led by then-Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich. Think about this, once they make changes, and if the Democrats sweep Congress, I believe they will do it legislatively. Kurtz said. If that happens, well, theyre going to start building things right away. Twenty years later, you can change the speed limit and its changed, but youre not going to tear down those buildings, Kurtz said. Contact Mark Tapscott at Mark.Tapscott@epochtimes.nyc Rabihan Seiders seemed terrified when her husband Hap was arrested and handcuffed after an August 2011 domestic violence incident, a Silver Spring Township police officer told a Cumberland County jury Thursday. She got down on her knees and begged us not to arrest him, Sergeant Keith Stambaugh said. She kept saying, Hes going to ruin my life. She kept repeating that. Seven months later, the 53-year-old woman disappeared. Stambaugh testified on the second day of the homicide trial for Hap Seiders, 66, who is accused of killing his wife and incinerating her body in his fireplace. Chief Deputy District Attorney Courtney Hair LaRue is contending Hap Seiders killed his wife in March 2012 because she was slipping out of his iron, abusive control. He was charged with murder last year. Defense attorney George Matangos is arguing that Rabihan might not even be dead. He has said she could have fled the country with $3 million worth of property, including gold bullion, that Matangos claims she stole from her husband, a rare currency dealer. In any case, prosecutors lack solid evidence that a murder occurred, Matangos says. Hap Seiders in 2012 Stambaugh testified about a domestic violence call he answered at the Seiders home in the 100 block of Willow Mill Park Road on Aug. 10, 2011. Rabihan claimed her husband had assaulted her during an argument,he said. Hap Seiders claimed she tripped and fell after she threw a bowl of soup at him, Stambaugh said. The sergeant said Hap Seiders said the argument was over his refusal to allow his wife to buy a pair of shoes. He said Hap Seiders clothing wasnt wet with soup, and that Seiders pointed to just two wet dots on his pants. He was almost businesslike, Stambaugh said when LaRue asked him about Hap Seiders demeanor. It was odd. He showed little emotion. As for Rabihan, She was extremely upset and scared that were were taking (her husband) away, Stambaugh said. It was clear that he completely controlled her life. He said she was too afraid to even sign a form stating police had given her a packet of documents containing information for crime victims. Hap Seiders later pleaded guilty to a simple assault charge lodged for the domestic violence incident, Stambaugh said. Questioned by Matangos, the sergeant said Rabihan never told him that after the August 2011 incident she had taken coins, gold and suitcases of bills out of the house. That was something I would have noted, Stambaugh said. By PTI NEW DELHI: The first documented instance of coronavirus reinfection came from Hong Kong this week followed quickly by Belgium and the Netherlands reporting one case each, but there is no reason for alarm yet, say scientists, calming fears that a surge might be inevitable. As concerns mount that herd immunity may not be enough to curb the COVID-19 pandemic, scientists in India and elsewhere said more studies are needed for a reliable inference. Wide conclusions cannot be drawn about reinfection from individual cases, noted Belgian virologist Marc Van Ranst said about the three cases reported this week. "Since we do not yet know how frequent reinfections are, it is difficult to say what these findings mean for the success of a vaccination campaign," Ranst, a clinical biologist at the academic hospital UZ Leuven in Belgium, said, addressing worries that reinfection might also impact the vaccination programme. As the number of COVID-19 cases across the globe crosses 24 million with more that 820,000 fatalities, reports of scientists from the University of Hong Kong documenting the world's first case of human reinfection created a flutter. ALSO READ | No need to be alarmed immensely over COVID-19 reinfection case reported in Hong Kong: ICMR On Wednesday, a study in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases assessed the case of a "young and healthy" patient who was diagnosed with asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection 142 days after recovering from the first episode. According to the researchers, the viral genomes analysed from the patient following the first and second episodes of infection belonged to two different strains or clades, indicating the patient caught a different variant of the virus after recovering from it the first time. Following the report from Hong Kong the case was reported in the media on Monday but the research paper was published on Wednesday -- two similar reports emerged, one each from Belgium and the Netherlands. The scientists in the Hong Kong study said it may not be possible to curb the ongoing pandemic with herd immunity, which is when a significant section of the population has recovered and gained immunity against a disease. "Our results suggest SARS-CoV-2 may continue to circulate among the human populations despite herd immunity due to natural infection or vaccination," the scientists noted in the study, adding that further research is needed to shed more light on the implications of reinfection for vaccine design. Immunologist Satyajit Rath asserted that conclusions on the immune system working against the virus cannot be made from individual patient case studies. ALSO READ | Staring at COVID-19 peak, Kerala to follow reinfection case in Hong Kong closely "We do not know anything about the interactions of immunity and reinfection in such patients. Especially since there appear to be only three such confirmed cases so far," Rath, from National Institute of Immunology (NII) in New Delhi, said. Ram Vishwakarma, former director of Jammu's Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (IIIM), explained that the human immune system is way too complex to make broad statements on reinfection from individual patient studies. "Every individual is immunologically different. This can be because of different inherent genetic reasons, or they could be on drugs that suppress the immune system, and the history of the individual cases makes a difference," Vishwakarma said. Commenting on the significance of the study for vaccine discovery, he said any vaccine, irrespective of the current findings, may not be completely protective against infection in all humans. "Vaccines are basically weakened forms of viruses, and we know already that there is no vaccine which is 100 per cent protective, and they may not have a similar effect on all people," Vishwakarma noted. Similarly, natural immunity against the virus may also not be protective to the same extent and in the same way in all people. "Because the idea of a vaccine is to confer immunity to individuals via a complex web of protection with antibodies, and cells of the immune system," Vishwakarma said. So, a person infected with the virus for the first time, or receiving a vaccine, may not have major protective function from antibodies but may have better immunity via the immune system's T cells. However, this may not be the case with another individual. "A large number of people may not develop antibodies, and that doesn't mean it is the only protection. Biologically, people may be same but immunologically everybody is different," the former IIIM director said. According to Vishwakarma, the science behind the complexity of the immune system is still not very clear with several pieces of the puzzle remaining to be solved. What are the long-term health consequences of SARS-CoV-2 infection and what are the correlations of such consequences with the level of the initial illness, and/or with the nature and extent of co-morbidities, are just some questions to be addressed in future studies, according to Rath. ALSO WATCH: He said the long-term consequences of infection, with respect to antibodies as well as the cells of the immune system such as the memory B and T cell responses, are also unknown. According to the NII immunologist, the relationship between these immune responses with actual infection or disease protection remains to be discovered. Rath noted that scientists still do not completely understand what the correlations of these immune consequences are to the level of the initial illness. "There is no need to be alarmed, but we must not be complacent," Vishwakarma added. CLEVELAND, Ohio An Ohio mother and school choice advocate shared her story of meeting Republican President Donald Trump in a televised speech on Wednesday night at the Republican National Convention. Tera Myers, of Mansfield, recounted the story of her son, Samuel, who has Down syndrome and was one of the first recipients of Ohios Jon Peterson Special Needs Scholarship, which provided state funds for him to attend Mansfield Christian School. Along with her story of meeting Trump, Myers talked about how vouchers helped her son receive the education he needed. Myers said her doctor initially recommended she abort her pregnancy when tests confirmed her son would have Down syndrome. Her son was targeted in the education system as well, she said. When we went to register Samuel for kindergarten, we were told to just put him where he would be comfortable, dont stress him out by trying to teach him, Myers said. When we pushed for him to attend his neighborhood school with his sisters, we were told to just go home and let us do what we do. Myers said because of the school voucher her son received, he was able to attend a school that implemented his individualized plan. Myers said her son was invited to meet Trump, who along with U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, has been a firm proponent of vouchers, saying the Ohio program helped him learn in the way that best fit him. President Trump shook my hand and said, Wonderful job, Mom, your son is amazing, Myers said. Unlike the doctor who told me to end Samuels life before it even began, President Trump did not dismiss my son. He showed Samuel he valued him and was proud of what he accomplished. Myers is the third Ohioan to be featured at the Republican National Convention. Rep. Jim Jordan, an Urbana Republican, spoke in a pre-recorded video Monday night while Geno DiFabio, a Youngstown trucker, was included in a video with Vice President Mike Pence. JaRon Smith, Trumps White House director of urban affairs and revitalization, will speak Thursday. Migrants who can't speak English will be allowed to attend an uncapped number of free classes in an overhaul of Australia's language programs. The Morrison government will scrap the hours cap and remove time limits on government-provided English classes from Friday. Acting Immigration Minister Alan Tudge is also set to flag new legislation to make classes available for all non-English speakers until they reach a vocational level. Migrants who can't speak English will be allowed to attend an uncapped number of free classes in an overhaul of Australia's language programs (file picture) Under the current Adult Migrant English Program, most citizens and permanent residents can access 510 hours of free tuition, with a small number eligible for 1,090 hours. On average, participants complete 300 hours and 21 per cent leave with a functional level of English. In an address to the National Press Club in Canberra on Friday, Mr Tudge will warn high numbers of people with poor English skills are a risk to national cohesion. 'This is not to blame anyone whose English language proficiency is poor, but clearly full participation in the community is difficult when there are language barriers,' he is expected to say. 'Without English language skills, migrants are less likely to get a job, less likely to integrate, and less likely to participate in our democracy.' The minister believes there are about one million residents with little or no English based on trends from the 2016 census. Acting Immigration Minister Alan Tudge is also set to flag new legislation to make classes available for all non-English speakers until they reach a vocational level He says the existing program is mostly classroom-based, lacks flexibility for workers and parents, and doesn't maximise the use of technology. Australia's citizenship test will also include new questions with a stronger focus on values like the rule of law, freedom of speech and individual responsibility. The government will update the Australian values statement signed by citizenship applicants and migrants. More people will be encouraged to take up citizenship. 'The stronger focus on Australian values in citizenship testing will be an important part of helping protect our social cohesion into the future,' Mr Tudge will say. The minister will promise more dual-language community liaison officers including a boost in Arabic, Mandarin, Cantonese and Vietnamese speakers. Social cohesion research will also be increased through a partnership with the Scanlon Foundation Research Institute. Mr Tudge will encourage Australians to join community groups, introduce themselves to neighbours and new arrivals, or volunteering when restrictions ease. 'The goal of social cohesion is one for all of us to progress and to take action where we can at an individual and community level,' he will say. 'This is particularly important now during these very tough times - certainly for those in Victoria.' NASA examines powerful Major Hurricane Laura headed for landfall During the afternoon of Aug. 26, as major Hurricane Laura nears landfall near the Texas/Louisiana border, NASA satellites have been providing forecasters with a great deal of data on the storm, examining temperature, rainfall capability, storm structure and extent. Infrared Data Reveals Powerful Rainmaking Capabilities On Aug. 25 at 11:35 p.m. EDT (Aug. 26 at 0335 UTC) the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer or MODIS instrument that flies aboard NASA's Aqua satellite revealed the most powerful thunderstorms were around Laura's center where cloud top temperatures were as cold as minus 80 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 62.2 Celsius). Strong storms with cloud top temperatures as cold as minus 70 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 56.6. degrees Celsius) surrounded the center and were generating large amounts of rain. NASA research has determined that cloud top temperatures as cold as or colder than minus 63 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 52.7 degrees Celsius) has the capability to generate heavy rainfall. NASA's Visible Image Of Cat 4 Hurricane Laura on Aug. 26 The MODIS instrument aboard NASA's Terra satellite provided a visible image of the large and powerful major Hurricane Laura in the Gulf of Mexico on Aug. 26, 2020 at 2:30 p.m. EDT. Laura's eye was clearly visible, the storm was well rounded, and the eye was surrounded by powerful thunderstorms. Watches and Warnings on Aug. 25 On Aug. 25, NOAA's National Hurricane Center (NHC) posted several watches and warnings on major Hurricane Laura. A Storm Surge Warning is in effect for San Luis Pass, Texas to the mouth of the Mississippi River. A Storm Surge Warning means there is a danger of life-threatening inundation, from rising water moving inland from the coastline, during the next 36 hours in the indicated locations. Some of the storm surge forecasts are extreme. Johnson Bayou, LA to Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge including Calcasieu Lake is between 15 to 20 feet. Sea Rim State Park, TX to Johnson Bayou, LA including Sabine Lake is between 10 and 15 feet. Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge to Intracoastal City, LA between 10 and 15 feet. Intracoastal City, LA to Morgan City including Vermilion Bay between 8 to 12 feet. For additional areas and storm surges, visit: http://www. nhc. noaa. gov . A Hurricane Warning is in effect from San Luis Pass, Texas to Intracoastal City, Louisiana. A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect from Sargent, Texas to San Luis Pass and for areas east of Intracoastal City, Louisiana to the mouth of the Mississippi River. A Storm Surge Watch is in effect for Freeport, Texas to San Luis Pass, Texas, the mouth of the Mississippi River to Ocean Springs, Mississippi, and for Lake Pontchartrain, Lake Maurepas, and Lake Borgne. A Hurricane Watch is in effect for from east of Intracoastal City to west of Morgan City, Louisiana. Laura's Status on Aug. 26, 2020 at 2 p.m. EDT NOAA's National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported at 2 p.m. EDT (1800 UTC), the eye of Hurricane Laura was located near latitude 27.3 degrees north and longitude 92.5 degrees west. That is about 200 miles (20 km) south-southeast of Lake Charles, Louisiana. Laura is moving toward the northwest near 16 mph (26 kph). A gradual turn toward the north-northwest and north is expected later today and tonight. Reports from an Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft indicate that maximum sustained winds have increased to near 140 mph (220 kph) with higher gusts. Laura is an extremely dangerous category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Some additional strengthening is possible this afternoon, and Laura is forecast to remain a category 4 hurricane through landfall tonight. Rapid weakening is expected after Laura makes over land. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 70 miles (110 km) from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 175 miles (280 km). Tropical-storm-force winds have reached the coast of Louisiana and an observing site at Eugene Island recently measured sustained winds of 39 mph (63 kph) and a gust to 64 mph (104 kph). The latest minimum central pressure estimated from reconnaissance aircraft data is 952 millibars. Laura's Forecast from NHC The NHC warns that Laura will likely make landfall as a Category 4 hurricane and bring devastating effects. Heavy rain, dangerous storm surge, isolated tornadoes and hurricane-force sustained winds are expected. On the forecast track, Laura will approach the Upper Texas and southwest Louisiana coasts this evening and move inland within that area tonight. The center of Laura is forecast to move over northwestern Louisiana tomorrow, across Arkansas Thursday night, and over the mid-Mississippi Valley on Friday. NASA Researches Earth from Space For more than five decades, NASA has used the vantage point of space to understand and explore our home planet, improve lives and safeguard our future. NASA brings together technology, science, and unique global Earth observations to provide societal benefits and strengthen our nation. Advancing knowledge of our home planet contributes directly to America's leadership in space and scientific exploration. For updated and detailed forecasts, visit: http://www. nhc. noaa. gov ### This story has been published on: 2020-08-27. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article. According to a new report published by security researchers, some low-cost Chinese smartphones come with preinstalled malware that has stolen data as well as money from people who can't afford high-end devices. China-based Transsion Holdings is the company behind Infinix and Tecno mobile brands. Before 2014, Transsion Holdings used to be a feature phone manufacturer, however, the company released its first smartphone back in 2014, and it has now grown to emerge as a leading smartphone brand in Africa and some Asian markets such as India.Although the company is known for cheap smartphones, these phones may also contain malware that secretly downloads applications and tries to subscribe users to services without their permission or knowledge. According to the report, Mxolosi, a 41-year-old South African, purchased the Tecno W2, but he saw that his smartphone was plagued with pop-up ads interrupting his calls and messages. The victim said that he would wake up to find his prepaid data mysteriously used up. He also received messages about paid subscriptions to applications he had never asked for.The victim thought that this was his fault, however, an investigation by a smartphone security service Secure-D found that a software preinstalled on his smartphone was draining all his prepaid data and trying to steal money. According to the report, his Tecno W2 was infected with xHelper and Triada malware. This malware secretly downloaded applications on his smartphone and attempted to subscribe to paid applications without Mxolosis knowledge.The system of Secure-D which phone carriers use to protect their networks as well as consumers against fraudulent transactions blocked 844,000 connected to preinstalled software on Transsion smartphones between March and December of 2019.Geoffrey Cleaves, Managing Director at Secure-D, told media outlets that the data of the victim was used up by the malware as the malware attempted to subscribe him to paid applications. It is noteworthy that Tecno W2 smartphones in various other markets including Cameroon, Ghana, Egypt, Myanmar, Indonesia, and Ethiopia, were also infected. According to Cleaves, Transsion traffic accounts for 4% of users in Africa, and it still contributed more than 18% of all the suspicious clicks.A Transsion spokesman admitted that some Tecno W2 smartphones were infected, blaming an unidentified vendor, and added that the company did not profit from the malware. However, the company declined to say how many phones were infected.Photo: XDPLUS NG Read next: Security Researcher Publishes Details About A Bug In Safari Browser After Apple Postponed Patching The Bug To Spring 2021 Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden on Wednesday condemned the police shooting of a Black man in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and also denounced the arson and violence that followed. What I saw on that video makes me sick, Biden said, referring to a viral video showing a white Kenosha police officer shooting Jacob Blake seven times in the back at close range as Blake was getting into an SUV. Blake had reportedly just broken up a neighborhood disturbance, and his family now says he is paralyzed from the waist down. Protesters have taken to the streets in anger. Biden, in a video, said he had recently spoken to Blakes family, and I told them justice must and will be done. He asked listeners to put yourself in the shoes of every Black father and Black mother in this country and ask, is this what we want America to be? Then Biden pivoted from condemning police violence to condemning violence in the community, which has included arsonists burning down a justice building and some community businesses and setting some vehicles on fire. Protesting brutality is a right and absolutely necessary, but burning down communities is not protest, its needless violence, violence that endangers lives, violence that guts businesses and shutters businesses that serve the community, Biden said. Thats wrong. Biden called for people to unite, and heal, do justice, end the violence, and end systemic racism in this country now. A 17-year-old who reportedly showed up near protesters to defend against property violence was charged with murder on Wednesday on suspicion of shooting and killing two people and wounding a third during clashes on Tuesday night. 2020 Los Angeles Times Visit the Los Angeles Times at www.latimes.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India has debuted in the 180-200cc motorcycle segment with the all-new Hornet 2.0. Prices for the motorcycle begins at Rs 1.26 lakh (ex-showroom, Gurugram). Talking on the launch Mr. Atsushi Ogata, Managing Director, President & CEO, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Pvt. Ltd. said, Inspired by the dreams of the new age customers & their passion for riding, we are pleased to introduce all new Honda Hornet 2.0. With its advanced technology & thrilling performance, new Hornet 2.0 is set to create a new benchmark among the young motorcycle enthusiasts. It is the beginning of Hondas new era of portfolio expansion catering to a wide range of customers in India. Introducing the new Hornet 2.0, Mr. Yadvinder Singh Guleria, Director Sales & Marketing, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Pvt. Ltd. said, The new Hornet 2.0 is a transformation of Hondas racing DNA into sheer thrill of street riding. Fully satisfying the needs of riders seeking performance and style in one machine, the powerful higher capacity HET BSVI Engine, best in class features like Golden USD front forks, fully digital negative liquid crystal meter, dual, petal disc brakes and aggressive design enhances the overall riding experience. Simply put, Hornet 2.0 is a call out to those who want to FLY AGAINST THE WIND! The Hornet 2.0 is equipped with Dual, Petal Disc Brakes with single-channel ABS. As a segment-first, the Hornet 2.0 also gets the Golden Upside Down (USD) front fork. The bike sits on wider 110mm tubeless tyres at front and 140mm at the rear. The new fully digital negative display shows information like gear position indicator, service due indicator, battery voltmeter and comes with customizable brightness that can be adjusted manually up to 5 levels. The new Hornet 2.0 is powered by a new BS-VI compliant 184-cc PGM-FI HET engine that comes with PGM-Fi system. Styling is enhanced by an all-around LED lighting package that includes new LED headlamp with position lamp, new LED winkers and X-Shaped LED tail lamp. The Hornet 2.0 gets split seat & new key on tank placement. Also Watch: The sporty character is further accentuated with the short muffler and sporty new alloy wheel design while the alloy footpegs add to the overall style quotient. Honda will also be offering a new 6-year warranty package 3 years standard + 3 years optional extended warranty on Hornet 2.0. The new Hornet 2.0 will be available in four stunning colors - Pearl Igneous Black, Matte Sangria Red Metallic, Matte Axis Grey Metallic and Matte Marvel Blue Metallic. The BBC is involved in a fresh race row as Jamaica's foreign minister complains over a Famalam sketch showing Caribbean men leering at women and high on cannabis. Kamina Johnson-Smith branded the BBC Three clip, which created a Jamaican version of Channel 4 show Countdown, 'outrageous and offensive'. The episode sees a male host stare at a character playing maths boffin Rachel Riley, before he pretends to have sex with her. It also features a panellist high on marijuana, who forgets an answer to a question, and plays on the stereotype that black men are well endowed. The BBC is already under fire after deciding to play Land of Hope and Glory and Rule Britannia without lyrics at the Last Night of the Proms. Kamina Johnson-Smith branded the BBC Three show (pictured), which created a Jamaican version of Channel 4 show Countdown, 'outrageous and offensive' Ms Johnson-Smith tweeted: 'This is outrageous and offensive to the incredible country which I am proud to represent along with every Jamaican at home and within our #Diaspora. I will immediately be writing formally on this! #StopThisShow.' She was replying to a tweet from entrepreneur Nathaniel Peat, who wrote: 'As the Global Jamaica Diaspora Counsel Rep for South UK @bbcthree the Jamaican community in the UK have expressed serious concerns at how offensive the content in this show is. 'This doesn't reflect our culture well Nd many are upset. @Ofcom @kaminajsmith @mfaftja.' But the BBC defended Famalm, with channel controller Fiona Campbell saying it was not 'malicious', adding: 'We stand by the creator's brand of humour.' She told the Edinburgh TV Festival: 'Famalam is now in its third series and it is very successful. 'It is not malicious humour and I think if you followed on social, the creators themselves said they are poking fun at all stereotypes. 'There isn't malice in the type of content.' White BBC comedy chief Shane Allen added: 'Don't diss my beloved Famalam. If you are going to do something about tricky topics it needs to be from those communities, from those people who've got that voice.' A BBC spokesman said: 'Famalam... now in its third series, has an established brand of humour in line with audience expectations and is well known for confronting issues.' Jamaica's Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Kamina Johnson Smith speaks during the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly at the United Nations in New York in 2007 The broadcast announced it would play Land of Hope and Glory and Rule Britannia without lyrics at the Last Night of the Proms due to an association with colonialism. It said 'new orchestral versions' of the hugely popular anthems would feature in the rousing finale of its concert next month. Neither will be sung even though a soprano will perform the National Anthem, Jerusalem and You'll Never Walk Alone. The songs are part of the last night's finale, when thousands of flagwaving 'prommers' traditionally pack the Royal Albert Hall. But critics claim the lyrics to Rule Britannia, including the line 'Britons never, never, never shall be slaves', are overtly racist given the UK's role in the slave trade. The 1902 lyrics of Land of Hope and Glory were reputedly inspired by Cecil Rhodes, an imperialist whose statue is being removed from an Oxford college. The broadcast announced it would play Land of Hope and Glory and Rule Britannia without lyrics at the Last Night of the Proms due to an association with colonialism. Pictured: Jamie Barton waving the the rainbow flag at the Last Night of the Proms at the Royal Albert Hall in London last year, while singing Rule Britannia It was reported at the weekend the conductor for this year's Last Night, Dalia Stasevska of Finland, was keen to reduce the patriotic elements of the event. This year, without an audience, was seen as the perfect moment to bring about change. It led to a huge backlash, with even the Prime Minister and Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden getting involved. In a bid to defuse the row, BBC bosses finally announced the Last Night on September 12 would still feature 'familiar, patriotic elements'. A prominent Yale University professor married to the original Tiger Mom has been suspended over allegations that he sexually harassed students. Jed Rubenfeld, the Yale law professor married to Amy Chua who wrote a book about Chinese methods of parenting was on Monday placed on leave for two years following an investigation by university authorities. The 61-year-old has been accused by students of inappropriate touching, attempted kissing and verbal harassment allegations that spanned decades, according to the New York magazine. Mr Rubenfeld denies all the claims. Mr Rubenfeld said he has been falsely targeted because of his stance on Yales IX rule, which he previously said could make someone incorrectly think they have been the victim of sexual assault. Sources told the New York Magazine that there has been a whisper network about Rubenfelds behaviour for years. One told the publication that a male alumnus once her: Youve not scraped the bottom of the barrel when it comes to Rubenfelds behaviour. Stay away. No other details about the incidents have come to light and Rubenfeld continues to strongly refute the accusations against him. I absolutely, unequivocally, 100 per cent deny that I ever sexually harassed anyone, whether verbally or otherwise, he told the New York Magazine. Yes, Ive said stupid things that I regret over the course of my 30 years as professor, and no professor whos taught as long as I have that I know doesnt have things that they regret that they said. He added: Ironically, I have written about the unreliability of the campus Title IX procedures. I never expected to go through one of them myself. I think subsequent to me having written some controversial articles about sexual assault, that I became a target of people making false allegations against me, he said. Mr Rubenfelds wife Amy Chua, who is also a law professor, is perhaps best known for her bestselling parenting guide the Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. In the book, Mrs Chua claimed that raising children the Chinese way is more effective than how mothers bring up their children in the Western world, gaining her the nickname Tiger Mom. Western parents try to respect their childrens individuality, encouraging them to pursue their true passions, supporting their choices, and providing positive reinforcement and a nurturing environment, she writes in her book, which was excerpted by the Wall Street Journal. By contrast, the Chinese believe that the best way to protect their children is by preparing them for the future, letting them see what theyre capable of, and arming them with skills, work habits, and inner confidence that no one can ever take away. Some of Ms Chuas mottos include the idea that nothing is fun until youre good at it and every day that you dont practice is a day youre getting worse. Senior Chinese envoy warns Australia of 'shadow' over ties Iran Press TV Wednesday, 26 August 2020 10:11 AM A top Chinese diplomat has warned Australia of a "shadow" over the relations between Beijing and Canberra, saying Australia's support for the United States in calling for an investigation into the origins of the new coronavirus prodded Washington to put more pressure on China. China's deputy head of mission in the Australian capital, Wang Xining, said on Tuesday that Australian officials did not consider any source for the coronavirus other than the Chinese city of Wuhan, which was the first to report the virus, late last year. Back in April, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said in a phone call with US President Donald Trump that he backed Washington's call for an international investigation into the coronavirus pandemic. Trump had long insinuated that the virus was born in China. "The proposal helped Washington put more pressure on China," Wang said. The Trump administration has been suggesting that the coronavirus was artificially synthesized at a lab in China and that Beijing failed to act promptly when its own outbreak began in December. Wang also dismissed concerns about what Australia calls China's attempts to influence Australian politics, saying Beijing's views were candidly presented and did not affect people's choice of a political system. "I don't see any reason for whining about your constitutional fragility and intellectual vulnerability," the Chinese diplomat said. "We should not let a cold heart and a dark mind cast a shadow over our partnership." Wang also said he hoped Australia would provide a fair environment for Chinese investors. This week, China Mengniu Dairy Co. walked away from a proposed 600-million-dollar acquisition of Australian firm Lion Dairy and Drinks Pty Ltd after domestic media said the Australian government would reject it. A report in The Australian Financial Review said last week that Australia's Treasurer Josh Frydenberg would not allow the China-linked takeover of Lion. Wang also denied accusations of "economic coercion" regarding China's tariffs on some Australian products. China, Australia's major trading partner, has recently imposed tariffs on Australian barley, suspended some beef imports, and told its students and tourists to avoid traveling to Australia. Prime Minister Morrison said on Wednesday that the trade relationship with China was mutually beneficial, and that "Australia will always stand up for its own interests." NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address As protests against police violence and white supremacy swept away dozens of longstanding memorials to the Confederacy this summer, a 105-year-old monument on the courthouse lawn in Lake Charles, La., remained standing. Until Hurricane Laura tore the statue atop it down. It is a blessing, a small blessing, in a very devastating situation, said Davante Lewis, who grew up in Lake Charles and supported the monuments removal. The debate over what to do about the Souths Defenders Memorial Monument, which depicted a Confederate soldier on a marble pedestal, had been the hottest thing in the city in recent months, Mr. Lewis said on Thursday, until residents turned their attention to preparing for one of the strongest hurricanes ever to hit the region. The monument was the object of anger and protests after the killing of George Floyd, a Black man, by the police in Minneapolis. The political decision over its fate largely broke down along racial lines, although Lake Charless mayor, Nic Hunter, a Republican who is white, had expressed support for removing it. Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 27) The owner of the black pick-up truck that was involved in a hit-and-run accident that killed a 23-year-old bicycle-riding nurse was arrested by the Manila Police on Thursday. The owner was identified as Saudah Bacaye, who vehemently denied she was behind the wheels when the nurse was fatally hit. Bacaye's lawyer, Atty. William Delos Santos, said his client had no idea who was driving her pick-up truck at the time of the tragedy. Renz Jayson Perez, who was a frontliner at the Justice Jose Abad Santos General Hospital in Manila, died in Ermita, Manila on Sunday evening. Police said he was biking along Padre Burgos Avenue when he was hit by the pick -up truck before it sped off toward Delpan Bridge. He was rushed to Philippine General Hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival. According to Manila Police District Chief Public Information Officer Col. Carlo Magno Manuel, Bacaye was arrested in a business establishment in Quezon City. Manuel said that according to the statement of Bacaye, the vehicle was borrowed from her for two weeks. Her lawyer declined to give other information, including the identity of the person who borrowed Bacaye's pick-up truck. According to the Manila Police District, follow up operations are underway to establish the identity of the driver involved in the accident that killed Renz Jayson Perez. Hahanapin natin sino talaga nagmaneho niyan para ma-file-an ng appropriate criminal and civil case, said Manuel. [Translation: We will look for the driver and file appropriate criminal and civil case.] Police Master Sergeant Rodrigo Voluntate Jr. told a CNN Philippines interview on Friday that investigators are gathering evidence in order to file appropriate charges against the driver and Bacaye as the registered owner of the vehicle. Voluntate said that reckless imprudence resulting in homicide with damage to property may be filed against the driver, while Bacaye may face civil liabilities. He added that the black pickup truck has not been found at the moment. Sa ngayon po, tini-trace namin kasi hindi siya na-recover dahil tumakas, Voluntate said. [Translation: At the moment, we are still tracing (the vehicle) because it was not recovered after fleeing.] Delos Santos assured the police that his client will cooperate with the authorities regarding the case. The family of Perez has appealed to witnesses to come forward and help the police in their investigation. SEATTLE The Washington State Department of Health reported four more coronavirus-related deaths and 456 new confirmed cases of the disease in their latest update Wednesday. The data shows a continuing downward trend for the virus overall, with daily case counts in a consistent decline since mid to late-July. Washington State Department of Health Deaths Wednesday were reported in King, Kitsap and Snohomish counties. As of Wednesday's update, a total of 72,161 coronavirus cases have been confirmed, and 1,880 Washingtonians have died since the pandemic began. The state has also fixed a recording issue earlier this week, allowing them to report the total number of coronavirus tests taken once again. A total of 1,391,309 coronavirus tests have been performed in the evergreen state, meaning just 2.6 percent of tests come back positive. That's a significant improvement since the last time this data was released, when the positivity rate was closer to 6 percent. The state's goal is to test so thoroughly that fewer than 2 percent of tests come back positive. The CDC changes testing guidelines, Washington will not The Centers for Disease Control recently announced a new policy reversing longstanding guidelines on coronavirus testing. The change, developed in part through input from a White House task force, says that testing is no longer recommended for those who have been in close contact with coronavirus patients, as long as they show no symptoms. Earlier guidance had said to test everyone who had been within six feet of an infected person for more than 15 minutes. The new change has been met with widespread backlash from the medical community, and Wednesday Washington state announced it would not be following the new guidance and would continue to encourage thorough testing. The Department of Health issued a statement, reading in part: "People with symptoms of COVID-19 or who have had close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19 should make testing their first priority." Story continues The DOH does note that patients who have been exposed to the virus may want to wait five to six days before getting tested. That's because it takes a few days for the virus to incubate and grow to a level that can be detected on a test, and earlier tests may result in a false negative. As much as 40 percent of coronavirus carries can be asymptomatic, so critics say the CDC's new guidance not to test the asymptomatic could, in a worst-case scenario, cause transmission rates to rise further. Read more: The CDC Has Changed Coronavirus Testing Guidance, But WA Will Not Study finds link between vaping and coronavirus A new survey has found that vaping may lead to a higher chance of being diagnosed with COVID-19, at least in young people. The research, published this month in the Journal of Adolescent Health, polled 4,300 people between the ages of 13 and 24. Using that data, researchers found that those who reported using e-cigarettes were five times more likely to have a confirmed coronavirus case. That rate was even higher for those who used vapes or traditional cigarettes. The Washington State Department of Health says the study is especially bad news here, because vape use has skyrocketed in younger adults and teens in Washington over recent years. In addition, young adults also represent a disproportionate amount of recent coronavirus cases. "During the pandemic, people need to do everything possible to keep their lungs healthy," Dr. Kathy Lofy, the state health officer said. "It is so important for people to take advantage of the free tools available to help them break the grip e-cigarettes and tobacco have on them." Read more: Coronavirus Cases More Common Among Young People Who Vape: Study Updates to Phase 1 county rules The state has updated guidance to make restrictions more uniform for all counties still in modified Phase 1 of Gov. Inslee's Safe Start plan. Currently, only Benton, Franklin, Chelan, Douglas and Yakima counties are in the so-called Phase 1.5, but each of those counties health districts crafted their own plans for modified Phase 1, meaning there are some inconsistencies that the state has decided to correct. Under the new guidance, Benton, Franklin and Yakima counties can now host outdoor group fitness classes with five or fewer people. They're also allowed to host indoor religious gatherings at up to 25 percent building capacity or up to 50 people, whichever is less. Social gatherings are allowed with five or fewer people, and some professional services can come to work at reduced capacity as well. Meanwhile, Chelan and Douglas counties can also resume religious services at the same rates, as well as limited activities in regulated pools, curbside or pickup library services and drive-in movies. Unfortunately for shoppers, they'll also see their in-store retail occupancy limit cut from 50 percent to 30 percent. The state says, under the new guidance, all counties in Phase 1.5 should now have uniform regulations, which will hopefully be more equitable and fair going forward. Total coronavirus cases, hospitalizations and deaths by county: County Confirmed Cases Hospitalizations Deaths Adams 576 (+8) 31 6 Asotin 50 (+1) 2 2 Benton 4,037 (+16) 343 (+1) 122 Chelan 1,693 (+17) 66 (+3) 11 Clallam 202 (+4) 4 1 Clark 2,111 (+18) 204 (-1) 53 Columbia 13 3 1 Cowlitz 526 (+2) 46 6 Douglas 1,134 (+15) 52 (+1) 7 Ferry 25 (+1) 1 0 Franklin 3,864 (+14) 269 (+1) 55 Garfield 4 0 0 Grant 2,106 (-3) 117 (+1) 14 (-1) Grays Harbor 219 (+4) 19 (+1) 5 Island 268 (+1) 33 11 Jefferson 69 (-1) 11 0 King 18,976 (+139) 2,265 (+20) 719 (+4) Kitsap 949 (+11) 88 (+9) 9 (+1) Kittitas 448 21 21 Klickitat 169 (+3) 10 3 Lewis 319 (+4) 31 (+1) 4 Lincoln 31 2 1 Mason 299 (+4) 21 1 Okanogan 977 (+7) 35 (-1) 6 Pacific 60 8 3 Pend Oreille 52 (-1) 6 0 Pierce 6,621 (+36) 730 (+2) 163 (-1) San Juan 29 2 0 Skagit 992 (+7) 90 (+2) 22 Skamania 58 5 1 Snohomish 6,032 (+34) 758 (+3) 208 (+1) Spokane 5,117 (+44) 372 (+6) 128 (+1) Stevens 125 (+2) 14 1 Thurston 884 (+9) 80 (+1) 12 Wahkiakum 6 0 0 Walla Walla 725 (+15) 48 (-1) 4 Whatcom 1,062 (+5) 82 (-1) 39 (-1) Whitman 222 (+21) 2 0 Yakima 10,853 (+10) 761 237 Unassigned 257 (+8) 8 4 Total 72,161 (+456) 6,640 (+45) 1,880 (+4) The above numbers are provided by the state Department of Health, and some numbers differ from the totals provided separately by county health agencies. This article originally appeared on the Lakewood-JBLM Patch Congratulations, vkizz.com got a very good Social Media Impact Score! Show it by adding this HTML code on your site: Vkizz.com scored 83 Social Media Impact. Social Media Impact score is a measure of how much a site is popular on social networks. 4/5.0 Stars by Social Team This CoolSocial report was updated on 13 Nov 2017, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want. vkizz.com is very popular in Facebook and Stumble Upon. It is liked by 428 people on Facebook. This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared the vkizz homepage on Twitter + the total number of vkizz followers (if vkizz has a Twitter account). This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared, liked or recommended the vkizz homepage on Facebook + the total number of page likes (if vkizz has a Facebook fan page). The total number of people who shared the vkizz homepage on Google Plus by a google +1 button. The total number of people who shared the vkizz homepage on Delicious. The total number of people who shared the vkizz homepage on StumbleUpon. Basic Information PAGE TITLE DESCRIPTION KEYWORDS OTHER KEYWORDS The keywords meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage. The URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is the address of the site. CoolSocial advanced keyword analysis tool is able to detect and analyze every keyword on each page of a site. The description meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage. The title found in the head section of the homepage. Domain and Server DOCTYPE CHARSET AND LANGUAGE DETECTED LANGUAGE English English SERVER nginx OPERATIVE SYSTEM Operative System running on the server. Represents HTML declared type (e.g.: XHTML 1.1, HTML 4.0, the new HTML 5.0) The language of vkizz.com as detected by CoolSocial algorithms. Type of server and offered services. Character set and language of the site. Site Traffic trend during the last year. Only available for sites ranked <= 100000 in the world. Referring domains for vkizz.com by MajesticSeo. High values are a sign of site importance over the web and on web engines. Facebook link FACEBOOK PAGE LINK NOT FOUND The total number of people who tagged or talked about website Facebook page in the last 7-10 days. A Facebook page link can be found in the homepage or in the robots.txt file. Facebook Timeline is the new layout of Facebook pages. The total number of people who like website Facebook page. The description of the Facebook page describes website and its services to the social media users. The URL of the found Facebook page. The type of Facebook page. Twitter account link TWITTER PAGE LINK NOT FOUND MEXICO CITY - Mexico is not only making its own ventilators now to treat COVID-19 patients, it announced Wednesday that it will donate the machines to other countries. The foreign relations department said the Mexican ventilators would go to nations around the Caribbean. They include Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Guyana, Haiti, Santa Lucia, Suriname, the Dominican Republic and Trinidad and Tobago. Another 51 machines are also now being donated to 14 states in Mexico. The ventilators finished tests and were announced ready for use earlier this month. Mexico began developing the model in April, when it was buying ventilators abroad, mainly from China and the United States. Mexico continues to have a high case load, but says hospitals currently have a safe margin of ventilator availability for domestic patients. The Health Department reported 5,267 new confirmed coronavirus cases Wednesday, bringing the total to 573,888, and 626 new confirmed deaths, for a total of 62,076. Read more about: An interesting exchange took place in the Supreme Court between the bench and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta during the proceedings on winding-up of liquor baron Vijay Mallya-held United Breweries (Holding) Ltd. The law officer was appearing for the banks consortium led by the State Bank of India as the court took up the appeal by the 102-year-old parent company of the UB Group. As Mehta repeatedly called Mallya a fugitive who does not deserve any indulgence by the Court, the bench of Justices Uday U Lalit and Vineet Sharan reminded the law officer that he was appearing for the banks and not the government. This is not the PMLA proceedings. And please remember that you are representing the banks," Justice Sharan told Mehta. Mehta replied: I am aware of that my lords. But my duty will not diminish in a matter of national interests only because I am appearing for the banks." The bench then wanted to know from the Solicitor General as to why it should not be a matter of examination when a person says that his assets are more than his liabilities. Mehta, on his part, pointed out that these proceedings are being misused by Mallya in the extradition case, by claiming some settlement talks are on. He added that the PMLA court proceeding are completely different and that the assets there would be sold after conviction. Hence, SG said the assets attached cannot be considered. But the bench replied: Assets are only attached and not confiscated since there is no conviction as on date. So the question remains why they cannot be considered." Mehta reiterated that the court cannot forget it is dealing with a fugitive offender. And you cannot forget that we are not dealing with the man in these proceedings. We are dealing with a company," retorted Justice Sharan. The SG, at this, said: This court can still not forget who is the man behind the company. I cannot lose sight of the nations interest." But the bench again emphasised that Mehta was appearing only for the banks, not for the government. If you want to make these submissions, you better wear two hatsboth the hats. Only one hat wont do," Justice Lalit told Mehta. The judge added that it was not issuing notice at this juncture on the SGs request but Mehta should appear on the next date also for the Centre if he were to advance such submissions. The bench also asked Mehta to get instructions on a specific point that when banks had also challenged the attachment of Mallyas assets, why the attached assets cannot be considered on the point of computation. Satisfy our conscience when the banks are themselves in appeal against the attachment orders, why should we not examine what he has to say?" the bench told Mehta. The court will hear the matter next after two weeks. The winding-up order was passed in February 2018 for its failure to pay admitted liabilities to unsecured and secured creditors, including banks, as per the corporate guarantees extended to Kingfisher Airlines Ltd. As per the Karnataka high courts calculation made in February 2018, the total due of UBHL was around Rs 7,000 crore. FILE PHOTO: Equinor's logo is seen next to the company's headquarters in Stavanger OSLO (Reuters) - Norwegian oil and gas firm Equinor is set to cut jobs significantly in the United States, Canada and Britain to adjust to a fall in oil prices, a company spokesman said on Wednesday. The group plans to cut employee numbers in those countries by about 20% and contractor numbers by around half to ensure profitability at lower oil prices, the spokesman told Reuters, adding that the targets were communicated internally on Tuesday. Equinor will also not drill any new unconventional wells this year in the United States, where it has acreage in the Bakken and Marcellus shale formations, he said. The plans, which the company has been working on since the spring, would not involve asset sales, he added. "There is no change in our acreage portfolio. The action that we are taking now is to ensure that our business is profitable in a lower price scenario," the spokesman said. Some staff cuts would come as a result of the sale of Equinor's Eagle Ford assets last year, he said. The spokesman said he could not specify the number of employees and contractors that could be affected, but said Equinor's U.S. office was the second largest after Norway. Equinor had 21,000 employees at the end of 2019. The majority state-owned firm came under intense scrutiny in the Norwegian media earlier this year over mounting losses in the United States, with Norway's Oil and Energy Minister Tina Bru demanding more transparency on foreign investments. Brent crude price plunged to a more than two-decade low and U.S. oil prices turned negative in April due a sharp fall in demand during the COVID-19 pandemic. Oil prices have since recovered and are holding near five-month highs as U.S. producers shut most of their offshore Gulf of Mexico output ahead of Hurricane Laura, and following a drop in U.S. crude inventories.[O/R] (Reporting by Nerijus Adomaitis in Oslo and Ron Bousso in London; Editing by David Evans and Jan Harvey) Residents of Guro-gu in southwestern Seoul wait to be tested for COVID-19 outside the district health center, Thursday. /Yonhap By Kim Se-jeong Korea appears to have entered the much-feared second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic with the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) reporting 441 new coronavirus infections Wednesday, the highest daily total since March. The KCDC said 313 of the cases were in the Seoul metropolitan area where more than half of the country's population lives. The remaining 121 were reported nationwide, the first time for the figure to exceed 100 since the nation saw a triple-digit increase two weeks ago. The total number of COVID-19 cases has now reached to 18,706, with 313 fatalities so far. The quarantine authorities said the outbreak over the last two weeks posed a bigger threat than the first one in Daegu that began in February. While most cases there were linked to one church, the recent cases in the capital have involved many smaller outbreaks with unclear transmission routes. Officials said the Seoul Metropolitan Government has been trying to locate 51,242 people who participated in an anti-government rally Aug. 15 who now have high risk of having been infected, adding they are still trying to identify protesters using data provided by telecommunications companies. The authorities said they had traced 639 members of the Sarang Jeil Church, a Presbyterian church based in Seoul and one of the most recent infection clusters, who attended the Aug. 15 rally, among whom 79 have tested positive for COVID-19. More than 7,000 schools across the country remained closed to protect students from infection, and are receiving tuition online. Meanwhile, medical experts called for the government to immediately impose tighter restrictions without delay. Kim Woo-joo, a professor from Korea University Guro Hospital, said the government should tighten social distancing measures before the healthcare system collapses. "If the government hesitates too long, a situation can arise where a complete lockdown will be necessary." Yoon Tae-ho, director general for public health policy, said a discussion on imposing tougher measures was underway. "We'll decide on the matter as soon as possible," Yoon said, noting that it was not an easy decision to make because the impact on people's lives, as proven in March and April, would be quite significant. The government also urged the country's doctors to cancel a strike they initiated Wednesday, saying the action could worsen the nation's healthcare services to the point of a complete collapse. "That doctors go on strike now is equivalent to soldiers leaving the battlefield during the war. The collective action by doctors is causing fear and inconvenience for citizens," President Moon Jae-in said Thursday. On Wednesday, the government issued an administrative order for 358 doctors to return to work, threatening non-compliance would result in fines or the temporary suspension of their medical licenses. The government also filed a complaint against the Korea Medical Association with the Fair Trade Commission for encouraging doctors to join the strike. Whether this softer public image was accurate or not, it is also true that early on in her White House tenure, Ms. Trump cared a great deal about protecting it. She made clear her support of the Paris climate accord and her attempts to prevent her father from withdrawing from the pact, which were ultimately unsuccessful. Coverage of the first daughter often included anonymous quotes from people described as close to the family and familiar with her thoughts revealing her disapproval of whatever firestorm had just engulfed the West Wing. At a certain point, however, Ms. Trump seemed to tire of maintaining the pretense of being a responsible stewardess of taxpayer dollars. If her constructed identity was meant to keep suburban women with the president, the midterm elections in 2018 showed it wasnt working. With that clear, she appeared to change her own behavior, becoming more comfortable publicly embracing what proximity to the leader of the free world had to offer: hobnobbing with foreign leaders during high-profile trips overseas, joining her father for a historic exchange with the North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un in the Demilitarized Zone. For many of those ventures, even Ms. Trump herself may have struggled to articulate why her presence was necessary, how her portfolio of womens economic empowerment bore relevance. But she increasingly felt less obligated to try. (On that June day in Seoul, she told reporters that women will play an enormous role in ushering in peace for the peninsula.) She is certainly an unconventional first daughter, said Douglas Brinkley, a presidential historian at Rice University. She seems to have endless access to anything and everything that goes on in the White House shes actually serving in many ways as a second first lady. Weve never had that before. On a policy front, despite early setbacks, Ms. Trump has notched victories such as increasing the child tax credit as part of the presidents tax cuts in 2017. She has also rallied many Republicans behind the goal of passing paid family leave legislation, a topic that before Mr. Trumps tenure rarely gained momentum in G.O.P. circles. But any strides she has made as a bipartisan convener have at times been overshadowed by her increasing willingness to enter the political fray, an arena she was once content to let the rest of her family, especially her brother Donald Trump Jr., navigate without her. Alabama Senate candidate Tommy Tuberville will be on hand outside the White House tonight when President Trump speaks and formally accepts the Republican nomination for a second term, Tubervilles campaign said in a news release. Trump invited Tuberville to attend the televised speech, which the president will deliver from the South Lawn of the White House. More than 1,000 people are expected on the South Lawn, according to the invitation by the Republican National Committee, the Associated Press reported. I believe that Donald Trump is the greatest president to serve in my lifetime, and over the past several months, I have come to know him as a friend, so being on hand as he accepts our partys nomination will be a humbling and historic experience, Tuberville said. Trump endorsed Tuberville during the Republican primary campaign in March. Tuberville faces incumbent Sen. Doug Jones, a Democrat, in the Nov. 3 election. When People's Alliance MLA Michelle Conroy rose in the legislature over the last couple of years to read the prayer at the start of the day, she did something unusual for a member of her party. She recited the prayer in both official languages. That sets her apart in a political party that made criticism of official bilingualism a central tenet of its platform in 2018. Last year Conroy told a party meeting in Miramichi that the media had unfairly labelled the party anti-French. "We read it all the time, that there is a misconception of what we stand for and what we do and how we feel," she said. "And I think a lot of people don't know or don't realize that I do come from an Acadian background." Jacques Poitras/CBC Unlike her two colleagues from the last legislature, Alliance Leader Kris Austin and Rick DeSaulniers in Fredericton-York, Conroy has direct, firsthand knowledge of francophone life. That includes how easily the language can be overwhelmed in a majority English community. Conroy said she loves Acadian culture. But at the same time, she opposes many of the laws and policies put in place over several decades to preserve French amid New Brunswick's English majority measures that didn't exist when her grandparents made a fateful move. From Kent County to Chatham Conroy's name before she was married was Cormier. Her grandparents Marcel and Alfreda relocated from near Saint-Louis-de-Kent to Chatham, now part of the city of Miramichi, in the 1950s. "There was not a whole lot of French back then," she said. "For years, the Cormier family was the only French family in Chatham," said Conroy's aunt, Della Drake-Daley, who was born before the move and who still speaks French today, including at occasional gatherings of fellow seniors looking to practise their mother tongue. Her younger brother Donnie, Conroy's father, was born after the move to Chatham, so he grew up immersed in English. Story continues "When Dad grew up, the family of course spoke French at home and then Dad would answer in English, so he never really spoke [French] either," Conroy said. She said her father understands the language but doesn't speak it. Donnie Cormier sat in on the interview with his daughter and sister, which took place at his kitchen table, but he declined to be interviewed. A common story The Cormier story is a common one in New Brunswick, reflecting a demographic pressure that can squeeze the French out of a family in a generation or two. According to Statistics Canada, the percentage of New Brunswickers with French as their mother tongue has declined from 35.9 per cent in 1951 to 32.4 per cent in 2016. Jacques Poitras/CBC It's particularly acute in Miramichi, a majority English area that draws in many residents of surrounding francophone communities for work. "It's cultural gravity," said Marc Allain, the director of the Carrefour Beausoleil, a francophone community centre and school. Without a French-language school option, "the reality is that the kid will be going to school in English, he'll be having Scouts in English, he's going to be having minor league [sports] in English. "All of his formative experiences will be in that language and that's how he's going to perceive himself. And that's the dynamic that we get into, built over generations." A bulwark opposed by the Alliance The school, which opened in 1985, is meant as a bulwark against that pressure. But it's part of the francophone school system, and the Alliance opposes the province's dual system. Conroy said bilingual schools would allow all children to learn both languages, despite extensive social science research that shows francophone kids will tend to end up speaking English in such settings and lose their French. Carrefour Beausoleil wasn't open when Conroy started school, and she didn't enrol in the late immersion that existed at the time. "I kind of wish that I " she began when asked if she regrets that. "I don't regret not doing it," she continued. "I wish there was more French that was available then but I remember at the time, even when I had the chance to go, I was worried about how my marks would be and things like that, changing languages." Four tries for hospital job Conroy decided to run for the Alliance in part because of her own experience trying to get a permanent job at the Miramichi Regional Hospital. "I was denied employment four times," she said. She held a casual position for eight years, dealing with the public and, she felt, doing a good job communicating in French. But a permanent position was out of reach. It's impossible to blame individuals for something that is such a social phenomenon. It's just a question of opportunities and lack thereof. - Marc Allain, director of Carrefour Beausoleil "I could help anybody that came to the counter but if you didn't pass the test, you didn't get hired," she said. Conroy said she had a "two" or "intermediate" ranking in the provincial public service language proficiency, and the job required a "two-plus." According to the provincial system, a "two" means the employee is "able to satisfy routine social demands and limited work requirements." "Two-plus" means they are "able to participate fully in general conversation." Not long after her fourth attempt, she decided to run for the Alliance. Pushing for changes At recent four-party negotiations to try to avert a provincial election, Conroy recounted her experience and the Alliance pushed for positions requiring "two-plus" to be reduced to "two." "All four parties agreed that it has to be looked at," Conroy said. In a Facebook message posted publicly by her party, she told a constituent that francophone Liberal and Green MLAs felt she had a point. Mike Heenan/CBC "If anything, [the discussion] did knock down barriers and knock down some walls to let us talk about it," she said. "And I feel going forward, for the people that are lucky enough to get back in, we have something to go on." Horizon Health doesn't comment on hiring decisions, but in a statement, vice-president Margaret Melanson said the authority takes its legal obligations seriously and bilingual service "is a key component of offering safe and quality care." She said employees who can't offer service in a patient or visitor's chosen language must track down someone who can. She also said the network is working on new training and complaint processes and "a new language-proficiency testing model." Aunt supports Alliance position Conroy's aunt Della, who said she also missed out on a job years ago because her French wasn't good enough, agreed with her niece that language requirements are too onerous. "She could do the job and she trained the person who replaced [her] that doesn't make sense." On the other hand, Della Drake-Daley said, her five children were all raised in English and did not follow French immersion, and four of them have jobs in New Brunswick. "They made out fine," she said. Impossible to blame individuals Marc Allain said the relentless demographic pressure of assimilation is not the fault of any one parent or family. "It's often more a question of lack of resources or lack of linguistic or cultural infrastructure than anything else," he said. "It's impossible to blame individuals for something that is such a social phenomenon. It's just a question of opportunities and lack thereof." Conroy said it was "just the way the system is and the way things happen. It's not even something that we even noticed growing up or even commented on." From past to present The past is past, but even today, in Conroy's own riding, francophones are still grappling with assimilation. The school and community centre, which also houses a daycare, is hoping to expand. All 70 spaces at the daycare are full and there are another 68 children on the waiting list. With 300 students, the school is also full, though according to a survey Allain commissioned, only 51.5 per cent of the children in the Miramichi area who have the constitutional right to attend school in French are enrolled. The other 48.5 per cent are missing the chance to preserve their mother tongue, Allain said. But some families opt for less crowded English schools. Two different stories Allain is reluctant to talk politics but said Conroy has not supported the push for expansion. It's an issue that touches so closely on the experience of her own family, yet at the same time the two stories could not be farther apart. "I don't think it would surprise anybody that we do not share the same vision of the foundations of what this place was built on, the notion of duality and the fact that a francophone kid has the same rights to access to education as anybody else," he said. "At this point with our local MLA, it's extremely difficult to find common ground because there's such a wide disagreement at the base." For complete coverage | Links to all New Brunswick votes 2020 stories Muhammad sought to focus on the citys emphasis on the social equity provisions of the cannabis law, intended to give a leg up to those historically affected by the war on drugs. He touted the mayors role in a state board established as part of those provisions, and highlighted the citys decision to reserve at least two of four available dispensary slots for social equity applicants. The city has already approved two social equity applicants, both of which drew some questions over whether they met the spirit of the social equity provisions. Edo State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Johnson Kokumo, on Wednesday, paraded six suspects involved in the murder of a 21-year-old Microbiology student of the University of Benin (UNIBEN), Uwaila Vera Omozuwa. KanyiDaily recalls that that late Omozuwa had gone to RCCG church in Benin city to read her books when the suspects raped and inflicted serious injury on her that eventually led to her death on May 27, 2020. Parading the suspects on Wednesday, August 26, the police commissioner gave the names of the suspected killers as Nelson Ogbebor, Akato Valentine, Tina Samuel, Mary Ade, Nosa Osabohien and Collins Ulegbe. One of the suspected killers, Collins Uligbe, from Agbor in Ika North East Local Government Area of Delta State, disclosed that his landlady, Mrs Mary Ade, gave them N1 million to kill the undergraduate. Collins said he attends the same church the student, adding that he was asked by the landlady to wipe Uwailas private part with an handkerchief so that she could use it for ritual purposes and prosper in her business. However, when the landlady was queried, she denied the allegation, saying she neither gave him the money nor asked him to wipe the ladys private part. The commissioner, Johnson Kokumo said that the postmortem results confirmed that the said victim was raped before she was murdered. He assured the people of Edo State that the police will leave no stone unturned to unravel the mystery behind the killing. KanyiDaily recalls that Omozuwas death sparked cry for justice on social media that President Muhammadu Buhari had to order the Nigeria Police Force to speedily and diligently investigate the case and ensure that all the culprits responsible for the barbaric act are brought to justice. Fifteen years after the catastrophic storm that ushered in the end of his career at the agency, former New Orleans Police Superintendent Eddie Compass went on WBOK-AM this week to defend his performance during Hurricane Katrina, though he now wishes he had used more precise language for some of his more alarming remarks amid the crisis. Compass said he was referring to an event that his officers had reported to him one he believed to be true when he told Oprah Winfrey that "babies" had been raped in a Superdome full of refugees. But Compass said he used the term to mean younger people rather than literal newborns or toddlers. It was a mistake, Compass said during a two-part interview Thursday and Friday with WBOK host and former City Councilmember Oliver Thomas. It wasnt babies. It was younger (people). A listener phoned in to vouch for the ex-chief, saying her friends daughter had actually pulled out a young woman after she had been assaulted in a stadium bathroom as Katrina battered the New Orleans area on Aug. 29, 2005. Those accounts of people getting raped in the Dome were factual, the caller said, although authorities at the time confirmed only one attempted rape in the building. In some of his lengthiest remarks about the storm, Compass had a similar explanation for his largely unfounded claims that snipers had repeatedly fired on first responders in the city. One officer did indeed survive being shot in the head during a confrontation at an Algiers gasoline station the day after Katrina. Compass on Thursday said a subordinate had used the word sniper in reporting that case to him, so he adopted the term, too. Its the jargon, parlance used, Compass said. I didnt want to give false information. But, Compass said, he wished he had not shared unverified incidents his officers were reporting to him after the federal levees protecting New Orleans crumbled during the storm, sending floodwaters throughout the city. He said he should have done a better job of vetting that information before then passing it on to reporters. I was so afraid of covering things up, Compass said. Compass said the nightmarish conditions following the storm didnt help information flow accurately. He recalled walking through the Superdome and stepping over elderly people covered in urine and feces because the stadiums bathrooms were overwhelmed. A communications system that then-Mayor Ray Nagins chief technology officer, Greg Meffert, set up ahead of Katrina failed before the storm even made landfall, Compass said. Dozens of first-response agencies were left sharing a single radio channel. Compass said that meant he had to take truck or boat rides to deliver orders to his top aides. It was almost impossible to communicate and coordinate, said Compass, who was also worried about his pregnant wife and toddler son, whom he sent out of town prior to the storm. Top stories in New Orleans in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up Compass said the low point for him personally came when the NOPDs public information officer, Paul Accardo, asked to speak with him urgently before a news conference days after the storm. Compass said he told Accardo to wait until after the media briefing. The pair never met. Accardo who had lost most of what he owned and was overwhelmed by the scale of Katrinas destruction soon drove out of town, pulled into a parking lot in St. Charles Parish and fatally shot himself. He was 36. Compass said he regrets not giving Accardo the time he wanted. I felt so guilty," Compass said. "To this day, that haunts me." Compass said the news media captured an image of him weeping after he learned of Accardos suicide. Nagin saw that picture and seized on it as proof that his appointed superintendent was weak and cracking under the stress of the storm, Compass said. Compass said his position with Nagin became untenable when he attended a Saints game hosted by the New York Giants a few weeks later. Compass said Nagin's communications director, Sally Forman, arranged the trip. But, Compass said, the mayor claimed the chief went to the game without permission and demanded he step down or face dismissal. Compass said he resigned, which carried heavy financial consequences. But he said walking away from Nagin's team was the right choice. My integrity is more important than anybody, and that includes Ray Nagin, Compass said. Both Nagin and Meffert would eventually land in federal prison over a bribery scandal. Former Mayor Ray Nagin's abrupt early release is last chapter in City Hall corruption saga Ray Nagins abrupt release from prison Monday amid the coronavirus pandemic brought down the final curtain on the biggest City Hall corruption Compass successor, Warren Riley, handled the firing of more than 50 officers who abandoned their posts for the storm. Riley also helmed the NOPD through the fallout of the post-Katrina police killings of James Brissette and Ronald Madison on the Danziger Bridge, of Henry Glover in Algiers and of Danny Brumfield near the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center dark chapters in NOPD history that took years to fully unfold. Compass on Friday said he didn't even learn of those slayings until after he'd been forced out. Compass said neither federal prosecutors who tried the officers responsible nor the cops' lawyers even tried to question him, showing how far removed he was from what he portrayed as "rogue acts." A listener phoned in to express disbelief about the lack of knowledge claimed by Compass. But Compass said he was too busy with other aspects of the storm's aftermath. "How can you control someone doing something horrific like that, and you're nowhere near them?" Compass said. BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - TikTok's Kevin Mayer, who took charge as Chief Executive Officer on June 1, has resigned amid the threat of its proposed ban by the U.S. President Donald Trump, reports said citing an internal letter. TikTok General Manager Vanessa Pappas will replace Mayer on an interim basis. Mayer's resignation comes as the popular Chinese video-sharing mobile app has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration against the ban. Mayer, a former Disney executive, reportedly said, 'In recent weeks, as the political environment has sharply changed, I have done significant reflection on what the corporate structural changes will require, and what it means for the global role I signed up for. Against this backdrop, and as we expect to reach a resolution very soon, it is with a heavy heart that I wanted to let you all know that I have decided to leave the company.' Mayer took charge as TikTok CEO as well as the Chief Operating Officer of its China-based parent, ByteDance in June, and was reporting directly to the company's founder and CEO Yiming Zhang. Prior to that, he was with Disney for many years, most recently as its Chairman of Direct-to-Consumer & International. Soon after Mayer assumed the office, TikTok was banned by India citing threat to national security. The company also decided to exit Hong Kong market after China established a new national security law for the semi-autonomous city. Meanwhile, on August 6 Trump signed the Executive Order to ban TikTok, along with another Chinese firm WeChat, citing a threat to national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States. The ban will come into effect in 45 days unless it sold its American assets to a domestic company. There are reports that major U.S. tech firms Microsoft, Twitter and Oracle are in the race to buy TikTok's U.S operations. Following these developments, TikTok early this week filed a lawsuit in federal court challenging the Administration's decision, stating that it strongly disagrees with the allegation that the company is a national security threat. According to the firm, 100 million Americans turn to TikTok at present, and it has more than 1,500 employees across the country. The company has also planned 10,000 more jobs in the country. In its filing, TikTok noted its extraordinary measures to protect the privacy and security of its U.S. user data, in response to Trump's accusation that there is a speculative possibility that the application could be manipulated by the Chinese government. The company also noted then that its key personnel, including CEO, Global Chief Security Officer, and General Counsel, are all Americans based in the United States, and therefore are not subject to Chinese law. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have discussed bilateral cooperation and the process of peaceful settlement in Donbas, the President's Office has reported. "In a phone conversation, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo discussed topical issues of bilateral cooperation, the peace process in Donbas, and exchanged views on the situation in Belarus," the report said. According to the report, Pompeo congratulated Ukraine and the people of Ukraine on the 29th anniversary of independence. At the same time, Zelensky noted the importance of financial assistance from the United States to maintain the stability of Ukraine's economy and public finances. The head of state also stressed the exceptional importance of Ukraine's cooperation with the United States in the field of security and taking measures to ensure its implementation. According to the report, Zelensky informed Pompeo about the efforts of the Ukrainian side to achieve progress in a peaceful settlement of the situation in Donbas and thanked the United States for its continued support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. "The 'silence' regime in Donbas has lasted for 31 days already. Fortunately, there are no combat losses among our military. This became possible thanks to both our work and the support of Europe and yours," Zelensky said. According to the report, Pompeo commended this achievement and noted that Ukraine enjoys bipartisan support of the United States. The sides also exchanged views on a number of international issues, including the situation in Belarus. "The main thing is for the situation in Belarus to stabilize, for a peaceful settlement to be achieved. Ukraine has never interfered and does not plan to interfere in the elections of any state," Zelensky said. He also expressed hope that the will of the Belarusian people will be realized in the near future. In addition, Zelensky said that he would not allow any interference by Ukraine in the U.S. election process, and any attempts by individual politicians to make certain statements have a clear provocative mark of joint opponents of Ukraine and the United States. Photo: President's Office A Black man who was wanted in a homicide fatally shot himself as the police closed in on a downtown Minneapolis street on Wednesday evening, prompting a fresh round of protests and looting, the authorities said, three months after the killing of George Floyd in the city set off global demonstrations against police violence. Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota said the State Patrol was headed to the city to help restore order, and that he had deployed the National Guard. Mayor Jacob Frey of Minneapolis said he had ordered an immediate curfew. What our city needs right now is healing, Mr. Frey said at a news conference with the city police chief, Medaria Arradondo, on Wednesday night. We do not need more destruction. We do not need property damage that is unacceptable in every way, shape and form, and I want to be very clear: It will not be tolerated. Later Wednesday evening, the police released video of the man shooting himself, saying it was important to quell rumors that he had been killed by the police. Fire season has arrived in Northern California, bringing with it a deadly combination of heat, smoke and flames that can affect not only people but their pets. When we have poor air quality, our animals breathe in the same air, said Dr. Wailani Sung, a veterinary behaviorist at the San Francisco SPCA. We need to be concerned about their response, too. Pets are just as vulnerable to the hazards of wildfires as their owners from burns and smoke inhalation to secondary complications from evacuations. But there are ways to mitigate those risks, experts say, and it begins with a little bit of preparation. Here are a few things that can keep pets safe during wildfire season. Avoid exposure to smoke If there is an air quality advisory, it applies to animals, too. Keep pets indoors as much as possible, the experts advise, except for letting dogs outside for brief bathroom breaks. Take extra measures to protect older, more vulnerable pets especially those with heart and lung issues. We know people with breathing difficulties may be a lot more sensitive to the smoke than people without respiratory issues. Dogs and cats are the same way, Sung said. Sometimes they may not express difficulties until theyre pretty severely affected. She advised owners to watch for signs of smoke inhalation, such as difficulty breathing, eye irritation, nasal discharge, prolonged periods of panting, fatigue or disorientation. Limit outings Taking dogs out for a long walk, or letting them play in the park, is not advisable if the smell of smoke is in the air. Avoid any activities that get dogs hearts pumping or causes them to pant. You dont want them to suck in the air so much because the air quality is so poor, Sung said. She advised taking short walks long enough for pets to do their business and then keeping them engaged with sensory activities indoors. These can include anything from delivering their meals in puzzle feeders to using wild animal scent markers on toys and playing hide-and-seek with them. Prepare an emergency kit Pack a plastic tub with at least two weeks worth of pet food and essential supplies that can be grabbed quickly during an evacuation. Make sure to include bowls, leashes and harnesses, a can opener, medicine, toys and plenty of cat litter, plastic bags or other cleanup gear. Include extra water pets drink more when under stress. Also include a pet first aid kit, with disinfectant, bandages, tweezers and antibiotic ointment. If possible, add a portable drive with your pets digital medical records on it. All you have to do is grab that huge tub and put it in the car, Sung said. Get all the dogs and cats and birds in there, and youre set to go. She advised having a meeting plan in place, too, in case your family becomes separated, especially in areas with poor reception. Gabrielle Lurie / The Chronicle Dont abandon animals If ordered to evacuate, always take animals. If its not safe for you, its not going to be safe for them, Sung said. Many people mistakenly believe that pets will tap into their primal instincts and take care of themselves in dangerous situations. Animals left behind in wildfires typically perish. Its really important if you evacuate to take them with you and not think, Im just going to leave the doors and windows open and they will fend for themselves, Sung said. Thats not going to be the case. Train pets to ride in a car and pet carrier. Remember, not all hotels and motels allow pets. Make a list of those nearby that do. Keep pets close Evacuation situations can be highly stressful for people and pets alike. Experts do not recommend dropping them off at a shelter. Theyre not going to know whats going on, and thats going to be scary for them, Sung said. If they cant seek comfort from their family, it might escalate their anxiety. If animals are seriously distressed during the evacuation process, she recommends contacting a veterinarian about short-term anti-anxiety medications so the focus can stay on more pressing matters. You dont want to suffer because your pet is suffering, she said. If your pet is less worried, you can concentrate on other things instead of being displaced and having to take care of your anxious pet. Things to watch for are animals pacing, panting, trying to escape, hiding or refusing to eliminate. When things get bad If staying at an unfamiliar place, such as a hotel or a friends place, stresses out a pet, there are a few steps that can be taken. You want to set up safe spaces for your pets, Sung said. That might mean providing a carrier for your cat to hide in or a crate for your dog to settle in. Try not to leave pets unsupervised while away from home. But what happens when the human is the one feeling distressed and having an animal companion becomes too much of a burden? The safest option for the pet is to stay with the owner, Sung said. If its not possible, you can look into if any facilities, or a friend or family member, can offer temporary housing for your pets while you get your affairs in order. She also suggested putting the word out on social media, asking if anyone can care for a pet until things settle down. If there are extenuating circumstances, the last resort would be relinquishing animals. We dont want people to do that as their first option, Sung said. Once you relinquish your animal, you may never get your animal back. Its very traumatic for them, too. Aidin Vaziri is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: avaziri@sfchronicle.com Authored by Shriram Poonja, Chief Growth officer, CACTUS. The pandemic has changed life, as we know itour priorities have shifted, professional routines have changed, and spending capacities have lowered. This has resulted in changing purchasing patterns and consumer expectations. Organizations across industries have responded differently to this changesome have managed this change effectively while others have failed to keep their heads above water. Shriram Poonja, Chief Growth Officer at Cactus Communications, discusses how circumstances such as these can influence marketing strategy or the way it is executed, but they cannot change basic marketing fundamentals. Also read: Innovate, evolve, acclimatise to beat COVID-19 impact: Minal Srivastava In my career as a marketer, I had never witnessed global upheaval, the kind the world is going through. Of course, I wasnt the only marketer reeling from the uncertainty of our times, but I had the strong advantage of working with a customer-obsessed organization. When so much seemed out of focus, my team and I went back to our core strategy of keeping customer needs at the center of our activities. Here are some principles we followed that are applicable to the marketing ethos of our times in any industry. 1. Listen to the customer: The art of listening to the customer has never been more important than now, during the pandemic, when emotions are high and customer needs are changing rapidly. The customer base you thought you knew well is suddenly facing unprecedented challenges and it becomes important to get to know these challenges and the new dimensions they bring to your customer segmentation again. The CACTUS marketing team responded to the pandemic by reaching out to its customers through a survey to understand what had changed for them. We also made personalized phone calls to talk to customers and get a subjective view of how they were coping under the circumstances. The survey findings gave interesting marketing insights on how COVID-19 affected our customers research activity and fund allocation, and this helped us develop a better understanding of the support and services our customers now expected from us. 2. Empathize: Empathy-based marketing is the cornerstone of customer engagement today; it allows you to walk in your customers shoes, really understand their pain points and offer them solutions to alleviate their concerns. In CACTUS case, customer survey responses served as a guiding light. The team reflected on the findings to arrive at some immediate next steps: Offered flexibility in payments for our products and services Provided post-sales support and collaboration for an extended period Offered free author services for researchers working on manuscripts related to COVID-19 The pro-bono services have been availed by 1,000+ researchers worldwide who are studying the pandemic, its impact, cure, and prevention. CACTUS also conducted a survey on mental health among academics, and the marketing team will mould our solutions to suit our customers current state of mind. 3. Follow: The next marketing principle is to be present on platforms your customers use. Being closer to the customer allows you a better understanding of their lives and gives you an open channel of communication with your audience. Prior to the pandemic, our primary target audience was present at universities, colleges, research institutes, and laboratories. As a consequence, so were we. However, since the onset of COVID-19, we have identified alternate channels to reach out to our target audience, like social media platforms and online professional networks such as ResearchGate. In essence, we follow the customer and ensure that we are present on channels they actively use. 4. Engage: In a normal world, it was common to engage with researchers during conferences, seminars, and in face-to face meetings. Since this is no longer possible, it is the need of the hour to think of innovative engagement methods on virtual platforms. At CACTUS, weve moved to video calls with customers; we are devising a more powerful WeChat strategy for Chinese authors; and are focusing on conducting more webinars (instead of physical workshops). 5. Evaluate and invest: Finally, it is important to evaluate the impact of your marketing initiatives and invest time creating a plan or a set of new offerings that are needed in response to the changing consumer needs. For instance, since Japanese researchers were away from the lab and confined to their homes, they were spending their time on writing papers based on their completed lab research and needed support in finding relevant published literature. In response, we launched the literature search and review services and garnered the many good wishes of our customers who were quick to pick the service. Additionally, with conferences becoming virtual, Impact sciencethe science communication and amplification brand at CACTUS, is using its skills to help researchers prepare for virtual conferences. As we entered the pandemic, we had taken a conscious decision to be frugal with our expenses. The aim was to optimize spends and re-invest savings in our customers. The best example of this decision is our COVID-19 research platform. This is the worlds largest AI driven and human-curated collection of research, news, literature reviews, clinical trials, and educational resources on COVID-19. The aim is to give back to the community and help accelerate the pace of research on this topic. As an organization, this helps build trust and a strong customer moat. These 5 basic marketing principles are powerful enough to tide you through a storm and I encourage organizations to adopt such relevant, ethical, and empathetic marketing practices to not just stay afloat but to actually re-build and grow the business. Whether learning happens in person, virtually, or hybrid, LEGO Education solutions are flexible and engaging, sparking curiosity and building confidence. Supported by resources, lesson plans, and a digital community, educators and parents can create playful, hands-on learning experiences in the new school year and beyond Today, LEGO Education unveiled new resources and lesson plans to ensure playful, hands-on STEAM learning experiences can easily be adapted to wherever learning happens. For 40 years, LEGO Education solutions have been purposefully designed to increase student engagement and confidence for all learners. With these free online resources, teachers and parents can continue STEAM learning in a hands-on way whether in person, online, or a mix of both. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200827005256/en/ Hybrid Learning (Photo: Business Wire) Esben Strk, president of LEGO Education, said: "It's more important than ever to continue learning through play wherever the learning happens. LEGO Education solutions provide playful learning experiences that not only teach important STEAM skills, but also social and emotional skills that together help build the confidence and resilience needed among students, teachers, and parents to rebuild and thrive this school year and for years to come." New science and math lessons incorporate both physical activity and hybrid learning LEGO Education is launching a brand-new unit, called Training Trackers, to teach core science and math concepts with its middle school solution, LEGO Education SPIKE Prime. With personally relevant and engaging lessons, the new unit will support in-person, virtual, and hybrid learning with a focus on core subjects to complete the robust STEAM curriculum designed for SPIKE Prime. Featuring seven lessons, the unit is focused on physical science and data complete with new coding blocks to better collect and visualize sensor data. Taking hands-on learning a step further, students will learn about kinetic energy, speed, potential energy, and more as they stretch, walk, and squat jump to collect data in real-time and then analyze and interpret it. To support hybrid learning, each lesson plan identifies which of the five learning stages can be completed asynchronously or in person. The new SPIKE Prime Training Trackers unit will be available this fall in English on LEGOeducation.com/lessons and will automatically download to the SPIKE App in a new software update. Additional languages supported by the SPIKE App are expected later this year. STEAM learning goes virtual Teachers can adapt any LEGO Education lesson to virtual learning with the help of new guides, which include tips on preparing for online learning, engaging online learners, and managing materials at home. Since every lesson incorporates hands-on learning and collaboration, students get needed sensory breaks and develop social and emotional skills even during virtual learning. In addition, LEGO Education teamed up with popular coding and robotics platform CoderZ to feature a virtual SPIKE Prime experience, allowing students to practice their coding and STEAM skills in an entirely online setting. The online experience can complement hands-on building activities with a physical SPIKE Prime Set, either before or in parallel. Teachers can also engage with students via LEGO Education lessons using the popular Flipgrid video discussion platform. Using discussion prompts and short videos, teachers can see and hear from students and foster fun and supportive social learning, whether in class or at home. Visit the Flipgrid Discovery Library to see available LEGO Education content with more being added soon. Building a community of educators Launched this summer, the LEGO Education Community is an online platform that brings together passionate educators and technologists from around the world who believe play and exploration build successful, lifelong learners. Educators and parents are encouraged to inspire, support, and learn from one another, while connecting with their peers. The community features active discussions, a lesson plan exchange, community events and challenges, exclusive updates from LEGO Education, and more. "I'm a teacher, but I'm also a lifelong learner. The LEGO Education Community is a diverse and exciting group of educators willing to share their expertise, as well as learn from others and take these skills back to the children we teach. Sharing and collaborating on ideas with other teachers from around the world will be an incredible resource for both new and experienced teachers, especially as we look to adapt and continue learning in the new school year," said Jacob Woolcock, Head of Computing and Digital Learning at Penpol School in Hayle, Cornwall, U.K. and new LEGO Education Master Educator. The LEGO Education Master Educator Program recognizes and celebrates innovative educators with a passion for and expertise in hands-on learning. Announced today, the new 2020 Master Educator cohort joins over 200 members, representing local U.S. school districts from 39 states as well as schools in Australia, Russia, and the United Kingdom. Master Educators also take an active role in the community by sharing best practices and tips on STEAM learning, classroom management, and implementation. Details about the program, application process, and program eligibility can be found at: LEGOeducation.com/MasterEducators. New grant program provides learning solutions for thousands of underserved students in the U.S. Earlier this month, it was announced that LEGO Education joined Intel, CDW-G, First Book and LEGO Foundation to provide underserved schools in the U.S. with holistic education resources to help learning continue for students impacted by the digital divide. For more information, including the 45 districts receiving the donation of laptops, internet connectivity and LEGO Education learning solutions, please visit here: firstbook.org/creatinglearningconnections/. About LEGO Education LEGO?Education?offers hands-on, playful STEAM learning experiences based on the LEGO?system of bricks, hardware, software and content for students and their teachers in early learning, primary, and secondary education as well as through after-school programs and competitions. These solutions create an environment for active, collaborative learning where students build skills for their future, a lifelong love for learning and confidence in their ability to learn and solve problems, setting them up for lifelong success.?? LEGO, the LEGO logo, the Minifigure and the SPIKE logo are trademarks and/or copyrights of the LEGO Group. 2020 The LEGO Group. All rights reserved.?? View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200827005256/en/ Contacts: Kelley Brescia Kelley.brescia@LEGO.com There was a fleeting moment when Danny Buckley still had a chance to survive: when the shooter's gun initially misfired. But the man police identified as his killer wasn't deterred. He quickly lowered the weapon and placed another bullet in the chamber, then fired the fatal shot. Buckley, 61, was panhandling in the parking lot of Trader Joe's when the confrontation occurred Saturday evening. He was unarmed. An arrest warrant obtained by The Advocate reveals new details about the circumstances surrounding the shooting, which prompted a public outcry after Baton Rouge police questioned the shooter that night but then released him without charges. Detectives came back and issued the arrest warrant days later. Jace Boyd was arrested Thursday morning after BRPD officers located him with help from the Louisiana State Police Fugitive Task Force. The warrant provides the first details of what happened outside the busy upscale shopping center on Perkins Road: Buckley was panhandling in the parking lot, asking people for money. When Buckley approached Boyd's vehicle and demanded money from him, the two got into a "verbal dispute" through the car's open window. Buckley then walked away and approached a young woman instead. Boyd, 24, got out of his car and yelled at Buckley to "leave people alone because he was scaring them," police say. Buckley's attention turned back to Boyd. "As the victim approached the suspect, the suspect armed himself with a firearm from inside his vehicle," police wrote in the warrant. Boyd pointed the gun at Buckley and tried to shoot him, but the weapon misfired. So Boyd lowered the gun and reloaded it, placing a new bullet in the chamber, and then fired one shot into Buckley's abdomen. The victim was "unarmed and out of reach of the suspect" when Boyd pulled the trigger a second time, police said. "The victim immediately discontinued his approach to the suspect, and would be transported to a local hospital." Attorney for victim shot outside Trader Joe's calls shooting a hate crime; arrest warrant issued Baton Rouge police issued an arrest warrant Tuesday for the man who shot and killed a panhandler Saturday in the Trader Joe's parking lot on P The arrest warrant says Boyd contacted police at the scene. Detectives questioned him about the shooting and he initially claimed self-defense, police have said. The question now is whether Buckley's actions were aggressive enough to support that. Attorneys for Buckley's family said they have interviewed three witnesses, including a young woman who identified herself as the last person Buckley asked for money before the shooting. The woman wrote on Twitter and said in a television interview that Buckley followed her and her roommate to their car and she heard someone shout at him to leave them alone as she was getting into the vehicle. Seconds later, she heard a gunshot. Top stories in Baton Rouge in your inbox Twice daily we'll send you the day's biggest headlines. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up "I never felt threatened by Mr. Buckley in any way," she wrote on Twitter, noting she could only speak to her own perceptions. Panhandling "should not be a death sentence." Detectives chose not to arrest Boyd immediately after interviewing him that night. Three days later following significant public outcry and a meeting with attorneys for the victim's family detectives issued the arrest warrant. Chief Murphy Paul said at a community discussion Thursday evening at Broadmoor United Methodist Church that Boyd was a suspect from Day 1 but noted the investigative process takes time. He acknowledged receiving numerous phone calls from local politicians and community leaders who had concerns about the case. "I appreciate the attention it got and I would like all of our homicides to get that attention," Paul said. Attorneys for the family claim the shooting constitutes a hate crime. Buckley was Black and Boyd is White. The attorneys questioned whether police would have handled the case differently if a young Black man shot an older White man in the same Perkins Road shopping center, which contains several other upscale retail stores and restaurants in addition to the Trader Joe's market. Attorneys also questioned whether BRPD reacted to political pressure. The warrant was issued after Baton Rouge Mayor Sharon Weston Broome said she was very concerned about the incident and had asked the city's police chief to "conduct a fair and transparent review of what happened." Some further questioned the department's decision to initially release Boyd without charges. "There is not a shadow of a doubt that if Jace Boyd were Black, he would not have been respectfully questioned and then released by investigators," said Alanah Odoms Hebert, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana. "Right now we have two systems of justice in America." Baton Rouge police spokesman Sgt. L'Jean McKneely Jr. explained that detectives didn't have enough evidence the night of the shooting to make a valid arrest at that point. He said detectives needed more time to interview witnesses, review video footage and collect other evidence before determining whether Boyd's description of what happened was accurate. Boyd was booked into jail Thursday on one count each of second-degree murder and illegal use of a weapon. He remained incarcerated with bail set at $300,000 as of Thursday evening. Advocate staff writer Blake Paterson contributed to this report. PETERBOROUGH, ON Aug. 26, 2020 Canada Canada Maryam Monsef $1.9 million Peterborough Peterborough Canada City of Peterborough's Peter Williams Peterborough Problematic substance use is a treatable health issue that can have devastating effects on Canadians from every walk of life. It is estimated that approximately one in five Canadians aged 15 years and older experiences a substance use disorder in their lifetime. The Government of Canada has also made legislative and regulatory changes to encourage people to contact emergency services in the event of an overdose, reduce regulatory barriers to harm reduction services, and make certain medications to treat severe opioid use disorder more accessible. has also made legislative and regulatory changes to encourage people to contact emergency services in the event of an overdose, reduce regulatory barriers to harm reduction services, and make certain medications to treat severe opioid use disorder more accessible. This funding is provided through the Health Canada's Substance Use and Addictions Program (SUAP). The SUAP is a federal grants and contributions program that provides financial support to provinces, territories, non-governmental organizations, Indigenous organizations, key stakeholders and individuals to strengthen responses to drug and substance use issues in Canada . . On August 15, 2020 , Health Canada launched a 60-day consultation process to seek comments from Canadians on supervised consumption sites and services, in order to better understand the needs of communities across Canada during the opioid overdose crisis. Feedback received through the consultation will inform the development of proposed new regulations under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA). Wellness Together Canada: Mental Health and Substance Use Support /CNW/ - Problematic substance use has devastating impacts on people, families and communities across. Tragically, the COVID-19 outbreak has worsened the situation for many Canadians struggling with substance use. The Government ofcontinues to address this serious public health issue by focusing on increasing access to quality treatment and harm reduction services nationwide.Today, on behalf of the Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Health, the Honourable, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Rural Economic Development, announced more thanin funding over the next three years to thePolice Service. Through this funding, people who use drugs and experience mental health issues will be connected to newly-created community-based outreach and support services.As part of this project, thePolice Service is working with local partners to create a community-based outreach team to increase the capacity for front-line community services to help people at risk who are referred by police. With the help of this new team, people who use drugs or experience mental health issues will be redirected from the criminal justice system to harm reduction, peer support, health and social services.Additionally, this initiative will increase access to culturally appropriate services for Indigenous Peoples, LGBTQ2+ populations, youth, women, and those living with HIV through partnerships with other organizations such as Nogojiwanong Friendship Centre and Peterborough AIDS Research Network.The Government ofis committed to working with partners, peer workers, people with lived and living experience and other stakeholders to ensure Canadians receive the support they need to reduce the harms related to substance use.Problematic substance use is a health and social issue first and foremost. I am pleased to support an initiative that brings together first responders, peer support workers, community partners and health and social services, to give people who use drugs access to the services they need, rather than directing them to the criminal justice system."The Honourable Patty HajduMinister of Health"The opioid crisis has touched all of us in one form or another. These are our neighbours, friends, parents, and children who are struggling with addiction. Programs like the one announced today show that we are working together as a community to support each other and bring an end to this crisis."The Honourable Maryam Monsef Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Rural Economic Development"This is an excellent example applying the principals of community-based policing to support multi-sector collaboration. We would like to thank Health Canada for funding this important pilot project, creating a community-based response team, which includes a paramedic, complex case managers for addictions, and peer outreach workers. A continuum of responses, tools, services and programs is vital to address the complex issues surrounding the overdose crisis. This pilot project is a critical addition to the County andefforts.", Community Development and Engagement CoordinatorPolice ServicesGet Help: Problematic Substance Use ResourcesHealth Canada Toolkit: COVID-19 and Substance Use Canada.ca/opioids Federal Actions on OpioidsSOURCE Health Canada Brussels, Aug 27 : Josep Borrell, the High Representative of the European Union (EU) for foreign affairs and security policy, said that he would present options for solving the disputes in the Eastern Mediterranean over natural gas deposits. Attending a video press conference following an informal meeting of the EU Defence Ministers of in Berlin, Borrell said on Wednesday that "as there is still work in progress", the purpose is not to consider which kind of sanctions would be presented against Turkey, reports Xinhua news agency. German Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer underlined that a further escalation of the situation should be avoided so that space could be created for political solution and an agreement to solve the disputes, mainly between Greece, Cyprus and Turkey. Appearing at the joint press conference with Borrell, the Minister said that she agreed with her colleagues from Greece and Cyprus that the current situation is tense and must be defused. She added that many fear that events may lead to an unwanted escalation. Earlier Wednesday, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the military alliance needs to find a way to de-escalate the situation and maintain dialogue between the concerned parties. "We need to find a way to resolve the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean, based on the spirit of allied solidarity and international law," said Stoltenberg, who also attended the meeting in Berlin. Both Turkey and Greece are NATO members. The dispute over Turkish natural gas explorations off Greek islands in the Eastern Mediterranean has escalated in recent weeks. Greece considers the explorations illegal. The European Union (EU) has also condemned the Turkish actions and asked Ankara to stop them. The Ankara government on the other hand believes the waters, in which natural gas is being drilled on a trial basis, belong to the Turkish continental shelf. In the latest escalation, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on August 21 had announced that his country has discovered significant natural gas reserves in the Black Sea. Energy and Natural Resources Minister Fatih Donmez further said that another 6,000 square kilometres of seismic work would be carried out in the region to discover more gas. Meanwhile, EU Foreign Ministers will hold an informal meeting on Thursday and Friday in Berlin, during which relations with Turkey will be discussed. There is also whats going on right around him every day. Outside the convention hall in Charlotte, N.C., the past week has been an eventful one. Days before the convention began, one of the presidents closest former advisers, Stephen K. Bannon, was arrested on fraud charges tied to an organization that claims to be providing funds for the presidents wall on the U.S.-Mexico border. Notably, Mr. Bannons name hasnt come up at the convention. The coronavirus pandemic, of course, rages on, and the beginning of the school year is weighing on many Americans minds. Last night, Vice President Mike Pence boasted that we are opening up Americas schools, but polling shows that a wide majority of the country feels that returning to in-person classes would be unsafe. Most major cities have said they will begin the fall semester online only. On Monday, as Mr. Trump was accepting his partys renomination, a judge in Florida sided with the states teachers union against an order from Gov. Ron DeSantis requiring schools to reopen. By denying school boards the right to determine whether it was safe to return, the judge wrote, the order arbitrarily disregards safety and violates the state Constitution. Amid all this, there is also the ongoing protest movement against racial injustice, which got an unwelcome adrenaline boost this week after the police were filmed shooting an unarmed Black man, Jacob Blake, in the back in Kenosha, Wis. The convention has made a point of emphasizing diversity, with a number of Black and Latino speakers who often talked up Mr. Trumps record on job creation (despite unemployment now being in the double digits) and the need to fight Democrats socialism. When mentioning police reform, Republicans tend to extol the First Step Act, a bill Mr. Trump signed in 2018 to lower mandatory minimum sentences and expand rehabilitation programs, implying that it shows Mr. Trump has good will toward calls for reform. When it comes to the protests themselves, Mr. Trumps allies relished the opportunity to highlight his forceful response, bragging that the president would continue to promote law and order in the streets. A more recent publication of this set of statistics is available. Latest publication: Air transport 2021, November Published: 27 August 2020 Number of passengers at Finnish airports decreased by 89 per cent in July 2020 Altogether 262,567 passengers flew through Finnish airports in July 2020, which was 89 per cent lower than one year before. However, the number of passengers more than doubled compared with the number of passengers in June 2020. There were 216,851 passengers at Helsinki Airport and a total of 45,716 passengers at other domestic airports in July 2020. Helsinki Airport accounted for 83 per cent of all passengers at domestic airports. In July 2020 the number of passengers at Helsinki Airport decreased by 90 per cent and the combined number of passengers at other Finnish airports went down by 80 per cent compared to July 2019. Seventy-four per cent of the passengers were from international flights and 26 per cent from domestic flights. Of the passengers at Helsinki Airport, 84 per cent were from international flights. Ninety-nine per cent of the passengers at Helsinki Airport flew on scheduled flights and one per cent on chartered flights. At the other domestic airports, two per cent of the passengers flew on chartered flights. Number of passengers at Finnish airports in January to July 2020 In the January to July period of 2020 altogether 5.3 million passengers flew through Finnish airports, which was 65 per cent lower than one year before. Seventy-one per cent of the passengers were from international flights and 29 per cent from domestic flights. There were 4.2 million passengers at Helsinki Airport and a total of 1.1 million passengers at other domestic airports. Helsinki Airport accounted for 79 per cent of all passengers at domestic airports. In the January to July period of 2020 air freight and mail transports amounted to 79,179 tonnes in total, which was 38 per cent lower than one year before. Ninety-seven per cent of the tonnes were transported through Helsinki Airport. Ninety-nine per cent of the tonnes were transported between Finland and foreign countries. Altogether 43,591 tonnes of the goods were outgoing and 35,588 tonnes were incoming. Source: Transport and Tourism, Statistics Finland Inquiries: Sami Lahtinen 029 551 3207, Matti Kokkonen 029 551 3770, sami.lahtinen@stat.fi Director in charge: Mari Yla-Jarkko Publication in pdf-format (163.6 kB) Updated 27.08.20020 Referencing instructions: Official Statistics of Finland (OSF): Air transport [e-publication]. ISSN=2670-1847. July 2020. Helsinki: Statistics Finland [referred: 20.1.2022]. Access method: http://www.stat.fi/til/ilma/2020/07/ilma_2020_07_2020-08-27_tie_001_en.html Relatives of an amateur boxer accused of assaulting directors in Quinn Industrial Holdings (QIH) have given High Court undertakings not to hold any further protests at the group's Co Fermanagh headquarters. Bernard McGovern, 23, is currently remanded in custody charged in connection with an alleged attack on Kevin Lunney and Dara O'Reilly. The two businessmen and six senior colleagues took legal action after Mr McGovern's family reportedly staged protests outside the QIH head offices in Derrylin to highlight his continued detention. They were seeking an injunction and damages for alleged trespass and harassment in an action against Sean McGovern, Teresa McGovern, Patrick McGovern and Kevin McGovern. But the case was settled at the High Court in Belfast today following confirmation that all four defendants have instead given voluntary undertakings. Under those terms the Co Fermanagh family have agreed not to protest in an area where they are likely to be seen by any of the plaintiffs. A further pledge was given that any placards used in any future protest will not contain the names of the plaintiffs, or make any accusations against them. All four defendants have also agreed not to communicate with the QIH managers directly or indirectly, "save for inadvertent contact within the local community". Lord Justice Treacy stayed the action on the basis of the settlement reached. "I'm grateful to the parties for the way this matter has been consensually resolved, which did not require any further intervention by the court," he said. Outside court a solicitor for the McGovern family said they were satisfied with the outcome. Michael Brentnall added: "My clients instruct that the protests will continue elsewhere, but within the terms of the undertakings given." Bernard McGovern, of Springtown Road in Kinawley, is facing prosecution for alleged assaults on the QIH executives at a Co Cavan service station on February 1, 2019. Previous courts were told Mr Lunney suffered a broken nose, while it was claimed his colleague Dara O'Reilly had a cup of hot water poured over his face. Bernard McGovern is not accused of any role in separate events on September 17 last year when Mr Lunney was abducted and tortured. In that incident the businessman was beaten, stabbed and dumped by a roadside across the border in Co Cavan. He is a director in the company made up of elements of the former business empire founded by ex-tycoon Sean Quinn Sr. Mr Quinn, at one time Ireland's richest man, has repeatedly condemned any targeting of those now running QIH. Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-27 17:12:51|Editor: huaxia Video Player Close A farmer carries a basket of grapes during the grape harvest season at a farm in Bani Hushaysh area, about 25 km to the east of the capital Sanaa, Yemen, Aug. 23, 2020. It's high time for grape harvest in war-torn Yemen, but continuing fuel crisis and war are what have been plaguing the farmers there. (Photo by Mohammed Mohammed/Xinhua) SANAA, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- It's high time for grape harvest in war-torn Yemen, but continuing fuel crisis and war are what have been plaguing the famers there. At one of the vast vineyards in the capital Sanaa, Nabil Khamis and his family were collecting grapes in plastic boxes to sell them in the market. "The continuing fuel crisis has caused water pumps to stop, but thanks to the good rainfall last weeks that bring much-needed relief to the land and get the grapes to ripen," Khamis told Xinhua. "We cannot afford to buy fuel from the black market to run the pumps or to transport the crop to sell it in other provinces or to export it abroad. The fuel shortage is the major problem for all farmers," he said. Khamis owns a second grape farm in Bani Hushaysh, a famous district where various kinds of grapes grow, about 25 km to the east of Sanaa. Before the war, Khamis and many other farmers would sell their crops across the country and to exporters. However, the war has disrupted their business. Yemen's war erupted in late 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthi rebels seized much of the country's north and forced the Saudi Arabian-backed government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of Sanaa. The Saudi-led military coalition intervened in the Yemeni conflict in March 2015 to support Hadi's government. The war has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced more than 3 million others, causing the collapse of the country's economy and the agricultural sector. The United Nations says the five-year-long war has pushed nearly 20 million Yemenis to the brink of famine as the situation is getting worse by the day. The farmers are trying to sell thousands of tons of grapes during this harvest season from July until October, but they say demand is low and market prices are far below the costs of production. "Many people were no longer able to buy," Nashwan Ahmed, a trader at a market in downtown Sanaa, told Xinhua. Panaji: Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Wednesday said it is not so difficult for Goa to have 50 per cent of cashless transactions, if certain bottlenecks are removed. "It is not very difficult to attain 50 per cent cashless payment in Goa. How long it will take to achieve that level will depend on various bottlenecks that are currently existing in the state," Parrikar said. "For example, PoS machines availability is getting strained. So, as and when more and more PoS machines will come, more and more transactions will shift to cashless," the former Goa chief minister said. People have already shifted in a big way to cashless payments, he said, adding that at petrol pumps across the state almost 60 per cent transaction is through cards. "Many people don't know that to have a debit card, you don't have to necessarily have an account. There are prepaid debit cards available," he said. Parrikar said when the concept of cashless society was introduced in the state in November, then the transactions were almost 20 per cent through cards. "After that the (cashless) transactions have almost increased to four times. We can't give exact data because the banks are not ready with data, they are too busy with this demonetisation process. But safely we can say, it has definitely increased to more than double," he said. Pointing out that Goa government departments are also increasingly going cashless, Parrikar said there are some difficulties to make revenue collection cashless and they are being tackled. "Now they are working on each government department having an account of its own where all the money will be collected and in the evening it will be credited to the central treasury," the senior BJP leader said. "As far as payments are concerned, Goa government is hundred per cent cashless since 2013," he said. Regarding the charges levied on doing a cashless transaction, Parrikar said "as the transaction increases, fees will drop. Government is also considering various options." "I can't disclose about the options right now, but government is also trying the possibility to make transactions free (from fees payment) below a particular level by cashless mode," he said. On worries about cyber crimes related to cashless payments, the Defence Minister said, "As far as cyber crime is concerned, all these payment mechanisms are very secure. "Cyber crime can happen even if you don't pay through digital (mode)," he said. "If you keep your data on computer, it can be hacked and money can be transferred. Cyber crime is a different issue, not necessarily linked with data cards. If a person is not comfortable, he can always use debit card. Prepaid debit card is almost like money," Parrikar said. Stressing that some existing systems (regarding banking) need to be changed, he said, "If you take a debit card and withdraw cash through ATM, there are no charges, but if you swipe the card with a trader (shop), there are charges. This is surprising. This is out of some regulation which has to be properly amended." "Old systems and old habits die-hard. As we proceed we will understand difficulties. Even country like Sweden took a decade to reach 87 per cent cashless transaction," he said. Parrikar said the excessive cash supply, particularly in bigger denominations, enhances or supports crime, drugs and activities related to tax-evasion. "Therefore, any country's economic health improves if it starts transacting through digital mode," he said. The Union Minister also said that the Canteen Store Department (of Defence) in Delhi has gone hundred per cent cashless. "It accepts cash from old people, and those who come from outside Delhi. There I realised that people are not aware of prepaid debit card," he said. "I had to take an old couple to the bank branch nearby and get the manager explain them what is prepaid debit card. "There are mechanisms available by which, if you are not comfortable with mobile application, you can still use cards, debit cards, pre-paid cards and even Aadhar (card). I think this would be a very encouraging start," he added. For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps. KT CEO Koo Hyun-mo, right, poses with Dongwon Group Vice Chairman Park In-koo after signing an agreement at KT headquarters in Seoul, Thursday, to create an artificial intelligence-based smart factory, logistics platform and packaging for Dongwon's fisheries products. / Courtesy of KT Advertisement Seaside towns are leading the return to normality after Britain's coronavirus lockdown - with Blackpool, Bournemouth and Southend among the areas becoming busy with shoppers, workers and tourists again. Data revealed the three coastal resorts along with Birkenhead, Basildon, Chatham and Doncaster have all seen higher levels of footfall over the past week than before restrictions were imposed in March. But footfall levels in London are still only just a quarter of what they were ahead of lockdown - the lowest of any UK town or city - while they also remain under half in Leeds, Birmingham, Cardiff, Oxford and Manchester. The footfall league tables were revealed in an interactive map published by the Centre for Cities think tank, which also found only 17 per cent of workers in British cities had returned to their workplaces by early August. It comes as : Official figures showed high streets in the country are rebounding at a slower rate than shopping centres; One of Britain's top business leaders fears UK commercial centres could become permanent 'ghost towns'; An audit of almost 30 major employers found most have only a small percentage of staff back in the office; The PM wants government departments to draw up plans for getting more civil servants back to Whitehall. Centre for Cities said the data from earlier this month, based on mobile phone signals, showed no increase in the footfall of workers going to city centres between late June and the week starting August 3. This graphic shows the average footfall in town or city centre for the last week of August, compared to pre-lockdown levels. The darker the green, the closer the city centre is to its pre-lockdown levels. Scroll down and click on your local city or town for more in-depth information Beachgoers soak up the sun at Bournemouth beach in Dorset on August 10 which has been a popular post-lockdown location Locals and daytrippers enjoy the warm weather at Southend-on-Sea beach in Essex on August 7 during the heatwave People enjoy the hot weather at Blackpool beach in Lancashire which has also been a popular destination in recent weeks But footfall is now on the rise in some areas - most notably in Blackpool which saw footfall last week at 130 per cent of pre-lockdown levels, followed by 128 per cent in Bournemouth and 115 per cent in Southend. Part of the reason for this may be holidaymakers heading to the resorts for a summer staycation, with data from before lockdown taken during wintry weather when Britons would have been less likely to visit the coast. But as Prime Minister Boris Johnson tries to steer the UK away from its coronavirus shutdown, the return to the office and high streets is also taking place in inland locations such as Burnley, Telford and Warrington. However there are still very low footfall levels in major cities such as Bristol and Nottingham, as well as Aberdeen and Leicester which have had local lockdowns imposed amid a spike in Covid-19 cases in those areas. Footfall in town and city centre streets has stagnated in recent weeks, while out-of town retail parks and urban shopping centres are slowly moving back towards their original footfall, the Office for National Statistics said The ONS also found 13 per cent of workers are still on paid furlough, with almost one in four (39 per cent) of companies topping up their wages British workers are the most reluctant to return to the office because of fears of a second wave of coronavirus, a study found A lone man looks across the River Thames from the South Bank in Central London on Monday It comes as new official figures showed Britain's high streets are rebounding at a slower rate than shopping centres, with the data revealing how the reluctance of staff to return to workplaces is harming businesses. What are some of Britain's biggest firms saying? Natwest Group: 49,000 staff working from home, around 10,000 staff in branches and offices Most not expected to return to the office until next year. A spokesman said: We told colleagues they will continue to work from home until 2021 because were prioritising customer and colleague health and wellbeing. HSBC: 52,000 UK staff, 46,000 working from home Bank has said it does not have any plans for a return to the office before September at the earliest. Even then, it expects offices to be less than 20 per cent full. Virgin Money: 6,900 of 8,500 staff office-based Staff told not to return to office until 2021. Proposals to let back-office employees work from home for most of the time and for offices in Glasgow and Newcastle to become collaboration hubs for meetings. Metro Bank: 1,500 staff One of two London offices to close permanently, staff to work from home until at least January. Afterwards, they will work from home for minimum of three days. IG Group: 750 UK staff Main London office is to open from September 7. But chief operating officer Jon Noble said: No one will be required to return to the office (if they dont want to) for the rest of 2020. JP Morgan: 16,000 UK staff Staff will swap between working from home and the office, according to the head of the investment bank, Daniel Pinto. Lloyds Bank: 50,000 of 63,000 staff working from home No plans for an imminent return to the office. From October, bank will test different types of flexible working to decide how often staff will visit the office. It is looking for ways to reduce the office space it uses. UBS: Majority of 5,000 staff working from home Gradual return to office expected in coming months, but staff are likely to work from home more often in future. Barclays: 80,000 staff globally, 70,000 working at home From October, the gradual return of more staff is set to begin. Boss Jes Staley has said he wants to get staff back together. Santander: 18,000 UK office staff, more than 15,000 of whom are working from home. This is expected to continue until at least the end of this month. Ernst and Young: 11,200 office staff Firm said it had consulted staff and offices will re-open from September 7, but on a reduced capacity basis and increase steadily over time in line with the guidelines set by the UK. Deloitte: 20,000 office-based staff Most still working from home. Small number of offices reopened in July, with more being considered. KPMG: 16,000 UK office staff No more than 10 per cent of office staff have returned for business-critical reasons. Vast majority will work from home for most of the year. Anna Purchas of KPMG said: We anticipate that the majority of our people will work from home for the majority of 2020. BT: 40,000 of 52,000 office staff working at home Around 10,000 staff in critical customer and network operations teams have continued to attend the office. Staff will begin gradual return from September. AstraZeneca: 8,300 UK office staff Pharmaceutical giant says 75 per cent of are still working from home. They will not start returning until September, when a phased approach will begin. Glaxosmithkline: 15,000 UK staff Only small numbers back in the office. No date announced for major return, although scientists have been working on site for most of crisis. PWC: 8,000 of 22,000 going in to the office. About 50 per cent are expected to have returned by the end of September under current plans, but its entirely voluntary. Rolls-Royce: 14,000 office staff Only a very small percentage of its office-based staff have returned. Has not announced detailed plans for when they will go back. A spokesman said: Depending on the nature of our employees role, flexible working arrangements have been expanded and made available. Scottish and Southern Energy: 10,000 office staff Majority expected to continue working from home until at least October. A spokesman said: we conducted an in-depth survey of our employees experiences and opinions and are acting on their feedback. Work continues on a phased return plan. Unilever: 2,000 office staff The firm has said it believes working patterns will never return fully to normal. Boss Alan Jope said he foresees it being many more months before staff begin returning to the office. He added: We think we will never be back to 100 per cent of workers time being in the office. BP: 6,500 office staff in UK Only a small number are returning, and it may be months before things return to normal. It is reviewing its offices and could shift 50,000 staff globally to remote working. Chief executive Bernard Looney said: Work patterns are changing. We expect to move to a more hybrid work style. Vodaphone: About 7,850 office staff Only a very small number of staff have returned to the office. Firm broadly expects to stay as we are until the end of 2020. It expects to use a mixture of office based and remote working in future. Aviva: 17,000 office workers Vast majority will remain working from home for the time being. About 500 have returned to offices. The insurance giant has said it will start testing out how to combine home and office working when some of its staff begin returning to offices in September. Admiral: 7,500 office staff Only 15 per cent of staff have returned to its offices in Cardiff, Swansea and Newport. Company has said it wants to combine flexible workspaces with regular remote working options for staff in future. Legal & General: 6,400 UK staff Under lockdown, 96 per cent of staff were working from home. Only 1,200 are now back in the office. Company has said it is taking a measured, step-by-step approach. It said it intends 80 per cent of staff to spend a day or two per fortnight in the office in future. Microsoft: 3,000 UK office workers Staff not be required to return to the office until at least November. A spokesman said: We have a hybrid workplace strategy in place as worksites slowly start to open. National Grid: 4,000 office-based staff No plans to return until September at the earliest. A spokesman said: We expect a return to the office to be a gradual process. Airbus: 3,000 office-based workers in Bristol Only 20 per cent of office staff had returned in July. Phased return planned this month. Linklaters: 2,200 lawyers globally Linklaters will be operating a flexible working scheme where lawyers can spend 20 to 50 per cent of their time working remotely. Advertisement Footfall in town and city centre streets has stagnated in recent weeks, while out-of town retail parks and urban shopping centres are slowly moving back towards their original footfall, the Office for National Statistics said. The ONS also found 13 per cent of workers are still on paid furlough, with almost one in four (39 per cent) of companies topping up their wages. The ONS measured footfall compared with the same day of the week in 2019. Also today, one of Britain's most senior business leaders said Mr Johnson must 'do more' to get office workers back to their desks - or risk the country's commercial centres becoming permanent 'ghost towns'. Dame Carolyn Fairbairn has warned the Prime Minister that he must step up efforts to encourage office staff back to work in order to avoid economic devastation in town centres and business districts. Dame Carolyn, director-general of the CBI, which speaks on behalf of almost 200,000 businesses, says that getting people back into offices and workplaces should be 'as important' as the return to school. Writing in the Daily Mail, she says: 'The UK's offices are vital drivers of our economy. They support thousands of local firms, from drycleaners to sandwich bars. They help train and develop young people. 'And they foster better work and productivity for many kinds of business. The costs of office closure are becoming clearer by the day. 'Some of our busiest city centres resemble ghost towns, missing the usual bustle of passing trade. This comes at a high price for local businesses, jobs and communities.' Her intervention will pile pressure on the PM to match his rhetoric on the need to return to school with similar words - and action - about getting people back to the workplace. It comes amid mounting concern from Tory MPs about the state of the economy, and complaints of a 'lack of grip' at the top of government following a string of embarrassing U-turns. Dame Carolyn today acknowledges that working from home helped keep many firms afloat during the lockdown and will remain 'an option' for many. But she warns there are 'serious downsides too'. In a direct appeal to Mr Johnson, she says the PM and government need to 'do more to build confidence around getting people back into offices and workplaces', including 'effective test and trace' systems and a campaign to encourage commuters back on to public transport. She goes on: 'It's time for the UK to bring its workplaces back to life or we will look back with regret at the jobs lost, training missed and communities harmed. We ask the government to work with business to build confidence in returning to offices, starting now.' Dame Carolyn's intervention comes amid growing alarm at the economic impact of the working from home culture, and the reluctance of many firms and Whitehall civil servants to get back to the workplace. An audit of almost 30 major employers conducted by the Mail reveals that most have only a small percentage of staff back in the office - and many are telling people they will not be back at their desks until January at the earliest. Firms opting to keep most staff working from home for the rest of the year include NatWest, which employs almost 50,000; BT, which has 40,000 staff at home; KPMG, which has only 10 per cent of its 16,000 staff in the office; Vodafone, whose 7,850 staff are almost all at home; and Microsoft, which will not start returning its 3,000 UK staff to their desks until at least November. A separate survey by the BBC yesterday found that 50 of the UK's biggest employers have no plans to return all staff to the office full time. Last month, the government dropped the formal advice that people should work from home if possible. At the time, the Prime Minister said people should 'start to go back to work now if you can'. The PM also ordered government departments to draw up detailed plans for getting more civil servants back to Whitehall. Cabinet Secretary Sir Mark Sedwill revealed that 95 per cent of civil servants worked from home during the lockdown. But, despite the PM's orders, the return to work in Whitehall appears to have been a trickle, rather than a flood. Ministers are in talks about the introduction of workplace testing for coronavirus in order to give staff more confidence to return to their desks. But talks are still at an early stage. And there has been no effort to encourage commuters back on to public transport. Mr Johnson is said to be privately 'frustrated' by the slow pace at which civil servants are returning to work after months at home. The PM ordered officials to draw up plans for a return to work in July, but No 10 was yesterday unable to say how many officials are now back at their desks. A Whitehall source said: 'Getting people back to work is something the PM feels strongly about. It is slowly happening in Whitehall but not at the pace we would want.' Jace Tyrrell, chief executive of the New West End Company said shops in central London could not survive unless office workers returned. He said traders in London's West End still had only half the normal number of customers. 'We are encouraging a very strong instruction from the Prime Minister and the current mayor of London to encourage Londoners back to the office and work that's the only way we are going to survive this year for the retail and hospitality in the West End.,' he said. Andy Street, Tory mayor of the West Midlands, said Birmingham's public transport system was still only carrying 20 per cent of normal pre-Covid passengers. He said this could rise to 50 per cent in the coming months, but added: 'This is undeniably a very difficult situation for businesses that thrive on the back of the big office occupiers being there. 'What we are trying to do is steadily build confidence that it is safe to return to the city centre.' Tory MP Nickie Aiken, whose Cities of London and Westminster constituency has been badly hit by the lack of office workers, urged senior managers to 'show leadership' by getting back to the office themselves next month to lead a wider return to work. She said: 'It is not just the big brands that are feeling the pain without workers popping out to eat or shop in their lunch hours or after work. The independent shops, cafes, restaurants and bars are also hurting. 'The list is endless and without offices returning these small businesses are likely to shut up shop for good.' Mrs Aiken also rounded on London Mayor Sadiq Khan for failing to make clear to commuters that it is now safe to use public transport again. Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith urged the PM to 'get a grip' of the situation and take action to get people back to work. 'Otherwise we are going to face an even worse economic catastrophe than we already are,' he said. Sir Iain said the government should 'lead by example' by insisting that civil servants return to work in Whitehall. But Dave Penman, head of the First Division Association of senior civil servants, yesterday predicted that more than two-thirds of officials could still be working from home by the end of the year, leaving offices deserted and local businesses without customers. 'In most departments the numbers are steadily going up but it's not going to be huge numbers, it's not going to be a majority (by the end of the year). We'll probably get to 30 or 40 per cent over time.' DAME CAROLYN FAIRBAIRN: Ghost town Britain HAS to get back to work and Boris Johnson must lead the way CBI director-general Dame Carolyn Fairbairn Decisions taken over the next few weeks will shape our economy for a decade. Getting schools back is an essential component. But as important will be building the right environment to get people back into offices and workplaces. The UKs offices are vital drivers of our economy. They support thousands of local firms, from drycleaners to sandwich bars. They help train and develop young people. And they foster better work and productivity for many kinds of business. The costs of office closure are becoming clearer by the day. Some of our busiest city centres resemble ghost towns, missing the usual bustle of passing trade. This comes at a high price for local businesses, jobs and communities. Remote working has been a resounding success for many firms and employees, and none of these benefits should be lost. Many people have never worked harder, keeping businesses afloat from their desks and kitchen tables. Flexible working is here to stay and needs to remain an option for many. But there are serious downsides too. For young people, learning face-to-face in the workplace is an unbeatable way to build skills and confidence. We must not deprive the next generation of this opportunity. Not everyone has the space to work effectively at home an ironing board in the bedroom does not make a great workspace. And the mental health challenges triggered by isolation are all too real for many. There is also the question of fairness. Many employees, from barbers to brewers, have no option to work from home. We dont want to see a new divide in our society between those who can and cant work from the safety and comfort of their homes. For all these reasons we need more people to feel it is safe and possible to go back into their places of work. This is why we are today calling on the Prime Minister and his Government to do more to build confidence around getting people back into offices and workplaces. Getting schools open safely is a vital first step to enable parents to go back to work, but they must stay open wherever possible. This means effective test and trace, and a focus on resilience. We need government, nationally and locally, to do much more to build confidence in public transport. They need to shout louder about safety measures in place, enforce the wearing of face masks on tubes, buses and trains, and support the introduction of flexible season tickets so people can return gradually without financial penalty. And we urgently need mass widespread testing including in the workplace to help people feel confident and safe. We welcome the Health Secretarys recent commitment to a mass testing strategy for 2021. More flexible working is indisputably a good thing for our economy and quality of life, but we must have a balance. Its time for the UK to bring its workplaces back to life, or we will look back with regret at the jobs lost, training missed, and communities harmed. We ask the Government to work with business to build confidence in returning to offices, starting now. Sunday Shodipe, a 19-year-old murder suspect accused of rape and killings in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, has confessed to killing another person after escaping from police custody two weeks ago. Mr Shodipe made the confession when he was paraded by the state police commissioner, Joe Enwonwu, on Wednesday. PREMIUM TIMES reported that the suspect was arrested on July 17 for killings at Akinyele area of Ibadan during COVID-19 lockdown. He reportedly killed at least three women within two months. He later escaped from police custody on August 11 but was rearrested on August 23. Mr Shodipe, on Sunday, said he was able to escape due to police negligence. Speaking with journalists, on Wednesday, while being paraded alongside 32 other suspects, he confessed to killing one, Oladeji Funmilayo. He explained that a herbalist with whom he was earlier detained advised him to run away to enable him get blood to appease some spirits. After escaping from Mokola, I needed to appease the god and that was why I went to Akinyele to kill the woman. Blood gushed out and I recited what Baba always said I should recite, mentioning his name. I disappeared as usual. Confirming this, the police commissioner noted that the victim attacked by Mr Shodipe was taking to the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, but could not survive. He also explained that he would not have detained the suspect in police custody if the correctional centre in Ibadan was not overcrowded. The police boss said Mr Shodipe will now be kept in a correctional centre. Deputy Communications Director of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mame Yaa Aboagye says the NDC Presidential candidate, John Dramani Mahamas promise to legalize the commercial motorcycle business popularly called okada is extremely shocking. To her, Mr. Mahamas okada promise is to compromise the safety of Ghanaians in exchange of votes. This will only happen under a visionless and ambiguous leader who has no alternative to create jobs for the youth but ready to deceive them with a calculated agenda to amass votes to please his selfish interest. What I know is Mr. Mahama lacks the vision to come up with clear cut ideas to create jobs for the youth. We all know the 1 million jobs promise is a hoaxeven though it was captured in their 2016 Manifesto but still he has no concrete plan to get it done and wants to deceive the youth in the name of legalization of Okada to compromise their safetyits greedy and selfish, he is self center The truth is, he has no strategic plan to create his promised jobs since he lacks the ability to generate such ideas. Lets embrace ideas and not vile Promises, she said. Mame Yaa, on the other hand, touted President Akofo-Addo and Dr. Bawumias achievements and was optimistic they will do more good works in their next term of office. You are rest assured you have a visionary leader like President Akufo-Addo who has reduced unemployment drastically and still delivering on his promises to create more jobs for the youth. The Planting for Food and Jobs programme is on course, the National Builders Corps (NABCO) programme fully working, the Community Mining Initiative, One Village, One Dam initiative, One District One Factory among otherswhen it comes to job creation, we have been consistent and still delivering on our promises, she averred. She appealed to Ghanaians to vote against the candidature of Mr. Mahama in the December 7 polls. Source: Josephine Acheampomaa/[email protected] Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Japan - AIM-120C-8 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles Media/Public Contact: pm-cpa@state.gov Transmittal No: 20-54 WASHINGTON, August 26, 2020 -- The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Japan of thirty-two (32) AIM-120C-8 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM) with support for an estimated cost of $63 million. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale today. The Government of Japan has requested to buy thirty-two (32) AIM-120C-8 AMRAAM and one (1) AIM-120C-8 AMRAAM guidance section spare. Also included are containers, support and support equipment, spare and repair parts, U.S. Government and contractor engineering, technical and logistical support services, and other related elements of logistical and program support. The estimated total cost is $63 million. This proposed sale will support the foreign policy goals and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a major ally that is a force for political stability and economic progress in the Asia-Pacific region. It is vital to U.S. national interest to assist Japan in developing and maintaining a strong and effective self-defense capability. The proposed sale of missiles will provide Japan a critical air defense capability to assist in defending the Japanese homeland and U.S. personnel stationed there. Japan already has AMRAAM in its inventory and will have no difficulty absorbing the additional missiles into its armed forces. The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region. The prime contractor will be Raytheon Missile Systems of Tucson, AZ. There are no known offset arrangements proposed in connection with this potential sale. Implementation of this sale will not require the assignment of U.S. Government or contractor representatives in Japan. There will be no adverse impact on U.S. defense readiness as a result of this proposed sale. This notice of a potential sale is required by law and does not mean the sale has been concluded. All questions regarding this proposed Foreign Military Sale should be directed to the State Department's Bureau of Political Military Affairs, Office of Congressional and Public Affairs, pm-cpa@state.gov. -30- NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address Legacy is proud to once again be recognized as one of the top remodelers in the nation by Qualified Remodeler, said Moeslein. By continuing to put the customer first and delivering the highest quality remodeling services to our homeowners, we hope to be on this list for years to come. Qualified Remodeler, a leading publication serving remodelers and home improvement companies in the U.S., has ranked Legacy Remodeling as No. 294 on its 42nd annual TOP 500 remodelers of 2020. Since 1978, the QR TOP 500 has tracked the industrys largest and fastest growing companies. Legacy Remodeling was chosen as a 2020 Top 500 remodeler by the Qualified Remodeler editorial staff for meeting a set of criteria including installed remodeling dollar volume, total years in business, industry association membership, industry certification, industry awards and community service. Based on Qualified Remodelers analysis, the Top 500 firms tend to share several common attributes, including strong revenues, a commitment to customer service, insightful sales techniques and strong customer loyalty, says Qualified Remodeler owner and editorial director, Patrick OToole. These attributes helped put the firms on this list and contribute to their success. Founded in 1987 as Swing Line Windows, Legacy Remodeling has helped more than 30,000 customers in the Western Pennsylvania area improve their homes with replacement windows, doors, siding, metal roofing, and kitchen and bath remodeling. The family-owned company has received numerous accolades, including being named one of the Big 50 remodelers in the nation by Remodeling Magazine and the Better Business Bureau Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics. Legacy President Jeff Moeslein is a member of the Better Business Bureau Board of Directors and has been recognized by the Pittsburgh Business Times with its Diamond Award for leadership. Legacy is proud to once again be recognized as one of the top remodelers in the nation by Qualified Remodeler, said Moeslein. By continuing to put the customer first and delivering the highest quality remodeling services to our homeowners, we hope to be on this list for years to come. Additional information on the Top 500 can be found in the August issue of Qualified Remodeler and at http://www.qualifiedremodeler.com.For more information on Legacy Remodeling, please contact Betsy Rogerson at betsy.rogerson@legacyremodeling.com or visit http://www.legacyremodeling.com. ###